First things first.
I DON'T OWN GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY! ALL RIGHTS BELONGS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS OF THE MOVIES!
Full summary:
For the past two years, the young Peter Quill has been living on the Eclector, among a hroup of nefarious space pirates and in all that time he has rarely left the giant spaceship. And if he was allowed to leave it, then only for another raid of the Ravagers. Something that begins to tug at his nerves. Yondu, the captain of the Ecelctor, realizes how bad the little Terran is feeling and wants to do something about his bad temper. And he gets his chance, unaware that this one day will turn his life a little bit more upside down...
Another One-Shot which I have written for "giulal" on DeviantART. She allowed me to use one of her super cute artworks again for insipration and this is how this story was "born". Check out her art guys, she does wonderful art, not only the GOTG ;).
I have been working for such a long time on this. Didn't know how often I had to read this over and over again until I was satisfied with it and don't get me started with translating this ugh...
And I can't help but being jealous at Yondu and Peter here. This heatwave here in Germany becomes unbearable...
I hope you like it and again sorry for grammer/spelling mistakes;
english isn't my first language and since I translated this from german into english, there will be some mistakes.
And i would appreciate feedback in the form of a comment very much.
Please don't be shy and share your thoughts with me. I won't bite you.
And comments keep my motivation up to write/post more of this.
A day, only for the two of us
Peter was not feeling well; Even a blind man could see that by now.
Normally, Yondu wouldn't care about the feelings of others. He had never done that before. Not even when he had kidnapped all those kids and eventually brought them to Ego. But Peter was something special in his eyes. The Terran boy was so different from the children he had had on his ship before. The boy did him good and let him feel things that he had never felt before. Before he knew Peter, there was nothing in his life but pain and violence, but that had changed tremendously in the last two years, in which Peter was already living on the Eclector. For the first time in his life, he felt something like joy and maybe something like love (but he didn't want to admit this; not even to himself).
Yes, the boy did him more than good and yes, it didn't go past Yondu that Peter had been feeling bad for days and barely came out of his quarters. He only came out to eat something or when Yondu gave him a job, which he reluctantly accepted. Most of the time, the boy was sitting alone in his room and as Yondu knew him by now, he was lying on his bed, busying himself with this weird thing he always carried with him and which he called "Walkman". Yondu still didn't know what that was or what it was used for and he didn't care if he was honest. And he also shouldn't care about Peter, because he didn't care about the well-being of his crew before, but often he caught himself, as his thoughts went back to the Terran boy again and again.
Just like today, when he was on the commend bridge of the Eclector, together with his first mate Kraglin. He was sitting on the captain's chair, his gaze fixed on the large window, which offered an outstanding view of the universe. A common sight for Yondu, who was barely interested in the beauty of the stars. At least that's what they thought, but he still appreciated the beauty of the universe, appreciated the freedom he had received thanks to Stakar and a small smile was tugging at the corners of his lips, as his thoughts went back to the human boy and when he thought about how excited he had been, when he had allowed him to enter the command bridge for the very first time. Yondu had brought him here, because Peter was still scared. Scared of his crew, scared of the universe…and scared of him...
Even back then, he shouldn't have cared if Peter was scared or not, seeing that he was just another job that would bring him a lot of units, but that was not the case. Not after what he had found out on Ego.
He couldn't bring Peter to this monster, but he also couldn't bring him back to earth, because he knew that Ego would start searching for him one day. There was nothing left for him to do but let the boy live on the Eclector and make sure that this psychopath would never find him. Yondu would raise him and he would make him into one of them.
He knew that it wouldn't be easy and it was still hard for him and the rest of his crew to have a child on board. A child meant a lot of work, a mouth more to cram and a life more to protect. But Yondu couldn't agree with his conscience to let Peter die and he owed it to the galaxy for taking care of Ego's last remaining child. Stakar had exiled him, because he thought he was doing all this for profit and yes, maybe he was right about that at first, because Ego had paid him well for what he had done, but at this point, Yondu didn't know what this monster had done to his children, when they had been useless in his eyes.
No!
He definitely didn't want to deliver Peter to this monster too!
He would take care of the boy himself, would raise him and make a Ravager out of him and one day, he knew, he would be proud of him...
"Captain?"
Kraglin's voice ripped him from his thoughts and he flinched slightly, before turning his head into the direction of his first mate, who was looking at him questioningly.
"What is it, Kraglin?" he asked, almost bored and he played with his Yaka arrow, which he held in his hands.
"Where are we heading to?"
This question now tore him completely from his daydreams and his eyes went back to the huge window. He tried to orient himself, but he didn't manage to do that, so he let Kraglin give him the coordinates to know where they were. They hadn't been hired for a job for a very long time by now and there was also no fat booty in sight. He could almost say that the Ravagers were currently on a vacation...
A thought that made Yondu grin, but quickly there was that serious expression on his face again, as he looked back at Kraglin.
"We are not far away from Terra V, right?"
His first mate nodded his head and Yondu saw how he raised an eyebrow in question and he couldn't even blame him. Terra V was a planet, which they had discovered only a few years ago and that resembled the human Earth, except for a few minor differences, but there was oxygen to breathe and the temperatures were okay, at least during the day. However, there was virtually no life on this planet. At least not yet, but this was a young planet and Yondu was sure, that it would eventually create life one day.
But that wasn't the reason, why suddenly a joyful feeling spread in his innermost. No. He thought of Peter and he remembered that the boy hadn't left the spaceship for a very, very long time. So far, he has rarely left it and if so, then only when Yondu has taken him on a smaller mission so he could help them with their raids. But when he thought about it, he had never taken Peter to a planet just to show him said planet and he could imagine that Peter missed his home planet and it would certainly increase his mood tremendously, if he would finally come out of the ship again and enjoy himself for a few hours and to visit a planet that was similar to earth.
Without further ado, a plan arose in his mind. A good plan. An almost perfect plan and he would put that plan into action right now. He stood up, put his Yaka arrow back into the small leather bag that hung on his belt and moved toward the door, but not without throwing another look at Kraglin.
"Ya have the command here while I'm gone. If anyone asks where I am, tell them it's none of their business. I'll be away for a few hours. Actually, at this time, nobody should notice it, that I ain't on the ship, because many went to sleep earlier."
Kraglin continued to look at him silently, not quite sure what to think of the idea that Yondu was just leaving the ship and leaving him alone, but it wouldn't be the first time...
"Aye, Captain," was all he answered and Yondu nodded one last time, before pressing the button that opened the door to the command bridge. A little later, the door closed again and Kraglin was left alone...
Peter didn't know about Yondu's plans at that time and he didn't care for what the Centaurian was currently doing. He was probably busy planning his next raid. A mission, where he would probably need him again, since he was small and skinny; perfect for the things that Yondu and the rest of the crew couldn't reach. He certainly didn't care that he could be endangered during one of their raids...at least Peter felt that way, or rather he tried to persuade himself that Yondu was thinking that way, but deep inside his heart he knew that this was not true. Yondu made sure that nothing happened to him during their raids and when he was not at his side, he entrusted him to Kraglin, who was as watchful as Yondu was. He kept him away from the rest of the crew though and Peter couldn't even blame him for that, because he himself had no great interest in dealing with this scum. Especially since he was constantly threatened to get eaten, if he was getting onto their nerves too much...
A thought that made him shudder and he tried to focus on something else. Instead, he turned up the volume of his Walkman and a small but sad smile crossed his face as he listened to the music. "Come and get your love" from "Redbone". One of the favorite songs of his deceased mother...well, actually everything on this tape belonged to her favorite songs.
Did she possibly meet his dad due to this song?
She had never told him much about his father. He only knew that he came from the stars and looked like an angel. But...maybe at that time, it had been just delusions that may had come from the tumor inside her head...
He felt tears gathering in his eyes and he wiped them away quickly, trying to focus his thoughts on something else, focusing only on the music in his ears. He also tried to ignore the fact that he was in a huge spaceship, far away from his home. He thought back to Earth, thinking about his family and friends who were still living there. What had become of them? Did they miss him? Surely they thought he was long dead. He felt sorry for his grandfather and he didn't even want to imagine the pain he had felt when he had come out of the hospital and when Peter was gone. How long had he been looking for him? Or did he even look for him in the first place?
When he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, which pulled him out of his thoughts, he screeched and he tore his eyes open in panic. When he saw Yondu standing by the bedside, looking at him silently and with a stern look on his face, he relaxed a bit. It was not one of the other Ravagers. That was good, but when he looked at Yondu's cold face, he didn't know if that was better...
He took off his headphones and looked at the Captain of the Eclector as silently as he looked at him.
"Get up and get dressed," he finally said, his tone telling Peter that he wouldn't tolerate disobedience.
"Why?"
The Centaurian's gaze became even stricter.
"Do as I tell ya, boy. Ya'll see what happens."
Oh yes, that really did say a lot.
But Peter didn't dare to disobey Yondu and so he got up, put on his jacket and his shoes, fastened his Walkman on his belt, hung the headphones around his neck and then followed him, if quite reluctant, since he didn't know what the Centaurian was up to. And his astonishment increased, as they moved into the direction of the Shuttles. But Peter didn't dare to ask, followed Yondu and a little later, the two of them sat in one of the small M-Ships and left the Eclector.
An unpleasant silence prevailed between them, broken only by the sound of the Shuttles' turbines. Yondu stared silently out of the window, concentrating on steering the small spaceship and Peter sat beside him on the copilot chair, legs bent and his arms crossed over his chest. A cold and almost annoyed expression lay on his face and every now and then he looked over to Yondu and tried to impale him with his gaze, which the Centaurian didn't notice. At least Peter thought he didn't notice, but he was wrong with that, because Yondu noticed every small, hostile look that the boy threw at him. He almost sighed, but he stopped himself from doing so, trying to ignore Peter and instead he focused on flying the Shuttle. Luckily the flight wouldn't take too long...
"What are we stealing this time?"
Peter's voice broke his concentration and scared him so much that he flinched.
"What?" he asked, as his red eyes focused on the Terran boy and looked at him questioningly.
"I mean, what are we stealing this time? That's certainly one of your stupid raids, isn't it? Where are the others? Or is this a solo mission now, only with the two of us?"
Yondu had almost laughed, if those words wouldn't hurt him so much.
Peter thought that he only took him to use him again for his purposes...
Yes, that hurt. Hurt him very much, but he didn't show this.
"That ain't a solo mission and that ain't a raid either. Just sit back and let yourself be surprised, boy."
"Pfft, I can easily do without your surprises, you oversized, grumpy smurf..."
Yondu took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, trying to calm his nerves and not losing his mind.
Terran children could be so exhausting...
Fortunately, the flight didn't last for too long.
Yondu just couldn't resist the grin, as he looked at Peter, who was holding both hands over his mouth and desperately tried to keep his breakfast inside his stomach.
"You Terrans are really sensitive, aren't ya? That were only three jumps..."
Peter threw him a look that could have freeze hell, but Yondu just laughed at these poor attempts at intimidating him.
"Yeah, yeah. The truth hurts. I know Petey, I know," he teased, pushing the control stick forward, causing the Shuttle to tip slightly forward.
"If ya puke into mah Shuttle, then you will also clean it up, just to make this clear, kid..." he grinned, as he turned his eyes back to Peter, who looked as if all the organs inside his body were rebelling now. Nevertheless, he managed to take a hand away from his mouth and show Yondu his middle finger, which made the older man laugh.
Still, Yondu was not a nasty monster, as Peter often liked to call him, so he made sure he made a soft landing. Peter should enjoy his stay after all. And indeed, he seemed to feel better after the landing and Yondu noted with pleasure the slightly excited twinkle in his eyes, as he stared out the window and finally realized where they were. The hint of a small smile settled on his face and he quickly turned away from Peter, concentrating on landing the Shuttle gently.
"Do ya like what ya see?"
The boy just nodded his head and he was tempted to get up, but a strong jerk, that went through the Shuttle, stopped him from doing so. Gently, the spaceship landed on the planet's ground and Yondu switched off the turbines and unbuckled himself from the safety straps.
"Come on, Petey. Let's go."
The boy's eyes widened and fear suddenly shone in them, which Yondu couldn't quite understand. When he looked out of the window he could see a long white sand beach and the expanse of a sea. Nothing to be scared of, but Peter looked like he was forced to jump into the mouth of a scary space monster.
"You mean we should go out there?" he asked anxiously, his eyes wandering back and forth between the window and Yondu.
"Yes."
"But...but...Yondu! What if we go out and freeze? Or suffocate? Or burn? Or…"
"Woa, woa, woa. Calm down, Petey. Ya think I would bring us to a planet where we both wouldn't survive for a second? In case ya forgot it, but also I breathe oxygen. This planet is safe. Ain't too hot, ain't too cold, at least not as long as we don't arrive here in the middle of the night. And there is enough oxygen to breathe. No nitrogen in the air, no poison, nothing. It is completely harmless. Besides, that ain't the first planet I'll take ya to."
"Yeah, I know, but...the other planets we've been to were all inhabited. I don't see any living beings here."
"That's because this is still a very young planet. One day there will certainly be life here, but right now we are the only living beings here."
The eyes of the young Terran widened and an excited sparkle was visible again in them.
"You mean, we are all alone here? This planet belongs to us?"
"Ya could say that."
Yondu watched Peter, as he quickly unbuckled his own safety strap and headed quickly for the exit hatch, which Yondu hadn't opened yet.
"Come on, what are we waiting for then? Let's go!"
The Centaurian rolled his eyes, but a small smile spread across his face and he pressed the switch that opened the hatch.
His plan worked brilliantly, because the boy's mood was already starting to change...
A pleasantly warm breeze greeted them, as they climbed out of the Shuttle and Peter took a deep breath, enjoying the air that smelled so different from the one on the Eclector or even the air he had breathed on Earth. This air was fresher, cleaner and he enjoyed filling his lungs with it and he also enjoyed the feeling of a soft breeze that tickled his skin, or the feeling of soft sand beneath his feet. When he looked up into the sky, he could see the sun, which gave this planet its glorious warmth, but even the sun looked different than the one that had warmed his own planet, but Peter didn't bother with it. As he fixed his eyes on the long sandy beach, he felt as if he was back home, because when he had still lived on earth, there had been a beach where he had lived, but it had always been full with people. This was not the case here. No. Here he had a whole damn planet just for himself!
Okay, Yondu was there too, but he didn't really count as a human...
He wanted to set himself in motion, but Yondu grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him back.
"Even if we are alone here, I don't want ya to go out alone. We stay together. No backtalk!"
Peter murmured something into his nonexistent beard, but gave in and waited patiently for Yondu, who closed the hatch to their space shuttle and secured it. For the fact that this planet was uninhabited, he meticulously paid attention that no one would dare to steal their Shuttle. Had to be a pirate thing, Peter thought...
But then, he couldn't even blame him for being like that, because who knew what Yondu had already experienced, that he was so overcautious.
But he didn't want to think about that now. He only had eyes for the beauty of this planet and especially for this beautiful beach, which gave him the feeling of being back on earth…being back home...
"Where do we want to go, Yondu?"
He heard the blue man laugh softly behind him, before he stood at his side and also looked into the distance.
"Yer choice, Petey."
The boy's eyes lit up, as he let them roam through the area and when he saw the rocks a little further away, he knew where he wanted to go, because from there they would certainly have an even better view.
"Do you see these rocks there?"
"Aye."
"Can we go there?"
"Sure. We have enough time until it gets dark. It's not too far away from our Shuttle."
"Woohoo, let's go then!"
Little fingers closed around Yondu's hand and pulled him behind Peter, who was just about to run off, but the Centaurian pulled him back.
"Not so fast, kid. Have ya forgotten everything I taught ya?"
"No, I don't, but -"
"No, buts, Quill. We are here on an unknown planet and we don't just run off blindfolded. What do we do first?"
The boy pouted, but committed himself to his fate, knowing that further quarrels were just a waste of time.
"We check the area and if we are sure that everything is safe, we can go."
Yondu grinned and ruffled his hair.
"Good, very good. Do ya see any danger here?"
"Except for you? No," Peter said, laughing softly and he tried to force the other man's hand off his head.
"I just see that as a compliment," Yondu said, smirking at the boy.
"Pfft, in your dreams, old man."
"What did ya call me?"
"Are you deaf already?"
"Oh, ya little...! Just ya wait!"
Yondu wanted to grab Peter, but he jumped back quickly, turned around and ran away from him, laughing while doing so.
"Come and catch me, you big, old smurf!"
A growl broke from the Ravager's throat.
"I still don't know what that means, but I interpret that as an insult and I am so going to get ya for this!"
In response, Peter just stuck his tongue out at him, shouting a "What do you want to do, old man? Eat me? Bet you can't even catch me!" and kept running and it was not long before Yondu jumped over his shadow and followed him, laughing himself. Nobody was here, watching them, so why not leave the ice-cold space pirate behind and relax and play with the boy?
That sounded like a good plan.
A very good plan...
After an hour or so, Yondu and Peter lay on one of the rocks, listening to the gentle sound of the waves, beating against the rocks.
Peter giggled as he turned his head and looked at Yondu, who was lying next to him, still breathing heavily.
"I seem to be getting old for real..." he muttered, making Peter giggle again.
"You're just not used to that. Besides, it's still pretty warm in the sun, so it's totally normal that you are out of breath now."
The Ravager also turned his head to look at Peter.
"Oh, suddenly yer so nice to me? Earlier, it looked quite different."
"I was just teasing you, you old doofus. I wasn't serious with what I said."
The features of the Centaurian softened and again this small smile spread across his face.
"I know that boy. I know that..." he murmured, his gaze returning to the sky and he crossed his arms behind his head.
For a while, the two were silent and just enjoyed this peaceful moment.
Also Peter's gaze went back to the sky and a small smile appeared on his face as well. At that moment, he felt as if he would be back on earth. He remembered how he had always used to lie in the grass of a lush green meadow together with his mother and also spent hours, just looking at the blue sky. The two had always played a game in which they guessed which animal the next passing cloud would form. Good times…
Lost in his thoughts, he reached for his headphones, pulled them from his neck and wanted to put them over his ears, but he sensed that he was being watched and as he turned his head, he saw Yondu, staring at him curiously.
"What are ya doing with these things all day? What are they for?" he wanted to know and Peter heard honest amazement in his voice that he didn't quite understand. Everyone knew a Walkman...right?
Apparently Yondu (and actually the entire crew of the Eclector) was one of the few exceptions and instead of answering, he just took his headphones, scooted closer to the space pirate and put them between their heads, before turning on his Walkman and turned the volume up so much, that they could both listen to the music without putting the headphones over their ears.
Yondu jumped slightly startled, as the first verses of "Spirit in the Sky" from "Norman Greenbaum" reached his left ear and he grunted softly, as he heard Peter's amused giggle. But soon he was concentrating entirely on those strange sounds that came out of these...what did Peter call them? Oh yes...headphones. And even if he didn't really want to admit it loudly, but he liked what he was hearing, but he didn't show it, or at least he tried not to show it, but he could feel Peter's curious eyes on his body and he knew that the boy could see exactly how he let himself fall more and more into the music. But he didn't say anything, didn't tease him about it, just smiled, closed his eyes and he let himself fall into the music as well.
Here, in that one moment, he felt like the little boy again, who was lying in the meadow, right next to his beloved mother and listening to music. That thought almost brought tears to his eyes, but he pulled himself together, holding his tears back, not wanting to start crying in front of Yondu and looking weak. Besides, he had already shed enough tears. His mother wouldn't have wanted him to be sad all his life...
Instead, he thought back to the last hour and grinned slightly, as he remembered the small race with Yondu and how exhausted he had been. Nevertheless, Peter had seen how much fun the Centaurian had had, and he would be lying, would he say, he hadn't had a lot of fun either. If he was honest, that had been the first time in over two years, where he had really let himself go and where he had really enjoyed himself. He hadn't had that much fun for a long time and he was so grateful for leaving behind everything that had happened to him in the last two years...
None of them knew for how long they were lying there, but when the music tape was over and no more music came out of the headphones, Peter sat up and his eyes focused on the expanse of the sea. Yondu did the same and silently, the two seemed trapped in their own thoughts.
"It's really nice here. Thank you for showing me this planet..." Peter said at some point and his voice was so soft that it was almost carried away by the wind, but Yondu understood his words and a small smile crossed his face again.
"Yer welcome."
The boy turned his head and looked at him questioningly.
"Why are you always so mean to me when the others are around? Now you are completely different and I like that much better."
A sigh crept out of the Ravager's throat, before his eyes turned to Peter and he looked at him seriously.
"I have to be like this, Peter. Ya can't even imagine what they would do to me and you and maybe Kraglin even, if I suddenly become soft. I'm mean to ya, because I have to be. You'll understand that when yer older..."
The boy wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say, so he preferred to keep quiet. For a long time he thought about these words and yes, maybe he understood Yondu a bit. After all, he was the leader of a band of bandits, if not murderers, and there was no room for being nice and soft. And yes, he could imagine that they would stab their own Captain in the back as soon as he showed a tiny weakness.
"Why are you even staying with them?" he finally asked, when he found the courage to ask this question. Yondu didn't look at him, his gaze fixed on the sea and Peter thought he could see a hint of melancholy shining in his red eyes.
"They are the only family I have left..." he murmured softly and then a sigh escaped his throat.
"What about your real family? Your parents? Siblings maybe?"
A dark expression settled over Yondu's face and Peter saw how he clenched his hands into fists.
"I have no parents, Petey. They may be my producers, but they are not mah parents. Whether I have siblings, I don't know and I don't care. I will never return to mah home planet anyway. And if I should do it, for whatever reason, I would only return to kill those who call themselves mah "parents" with mah own, bare hands!"
A shudder passed through Peter's body and he was silent, not sure what to answer.
Whatever Yondu had been through, it must have been something really terrible to feel such a strong hate for his own family. But he didn't ask any further and he also preferred to change the subject, so he decided to talk a bit about the planet they were currently staying on. He asked Yondu if he could swim in this sea. It would be possible, but at the moment this wouldn't be such a good idea, as it was still too cold and he would freeze, should he jump into the water...literally. But as soon as it got warmer on this planet, it was quite possible to go swimming, as the sun was able to heat the water up to a comfortable temperature at a certain time of year.
Peter's eyes lit up and he thought about how much fun it would be to spend a few days here. The other Ravagers would be there too then, but they could have their own part of the beach and Yondu, he and Kraglin would have fun elsewhere. He told the Centaurian what he had done on Earth whenever he had visited the beach with his mother. They had eaten ice cream, had gone swimming and he remembered how his mother had buried him in the sand until only his head and feet had been sticking out. Yondu only raised his eyebrow questioningly and asked why he would bury someone in the sand if he didn't want to kill him, which made Peter roll his eyes and he explained to him how to have fun on earth with the simplest things. Yondu didn't understand all of this, but he didn't show his confusing and listened to the stories of the Terran boy and yes, he couldn't deny being a little jealous when he heard what a great childhood the boy had had when his mother had still been alive. If only his parents had been so lovingly to him when he had been a child himself…
At some point, the two had begun to invent their own game, by letting flat stones jump over the small waves and Peter grinned victoriously, since Yondu didn't really succeed and that frustrated him increasingly, until he sat next to him and softly growled to himself.
"Oh man, you're so bad at this," the boy laughed, making Yondu growl again and he gave him a playfully scowl, which didn't intimidate Peter.
"Yer pretty cheeky towards yer Captain, kid. Maybe I should teach ya a little lesson for that to change?"
"Pfft, says the one who is always mean to me. Maybe you should just learn to aim better?"
"Maybe I should just grab ya and throw ya into the sea. How does that sound to ya, Petey? A little cooling off would certainly do ya good."
"Sure, if you want to kill me, go ahead."
"Is that an invitation?"
The boy's eyes widened and he quickly scooted away from Yondu, as he tried to reach his hand out to him.
"Stop it!"
Yondu grinned.
"What? I don't do anything to ya!"
Peter rolled his eyes, sighed and finally gave up and he mumbled a "Okay, okay. I give up, you win,", because he didn't really want to end up in the icy water for real, but Yondu just raised his eyebrow and looked at him sternly, which made the boy grumble again.
"You win...Captain!"
The last word sounded so contemptuously, as it came over his lips that it should have angered Yondu, but the blue man just smirked, stretched his hand out to him and ruffled through his short hair, which made Peter laugh again.
"Yer a good boy, Petey…"
As the sun slowly settled, Peter clearly felt that it was getting colder on the planet and he shivered slightly. Yondu watched him silently and when he saw the boy trembling, wrapping his arms around his body in an attempt to keep himself warm, he wanted to do something against it.
"Come here, kid..." he said and his voice was so gentle that it almost scared him, but he didn't care. He put an arm around Peter's shoulder and pulled him against his side and putting a part of his Ravager coat around him, so he could keep him warm, trying to ignore the warmth in his heart, as the Terran cuddled up to him.
"When do I actually get such a coat, Yondu?"
Again a small smile pulled at the pirate's lips.
"Then, when you've become a genuine Ravager," he replied, not realizing that he gently stroked Peter's back with his fingertips, as he snuggled closer to him.
For a few minutes, the two sat there in silence, getting lost in the beauty of this planet as the setting sun's light bathed everything around them in a wonderful, red light, and it looked like the sky was burning.
"We should go back. When it's night, I don't want to be here anymore," Yondu said, after a while, his eyes fixed on the sky, which turned more and more reddish by now and he could already see the outline of two moons.
"But it's so beautiful here..." the boy answered and Yondu smiled at the sleepy sound of his voice.
"Yes, it is, Petey. It is ..." he murmured and one last time his eyes focused on the setting sun, before he stood up, which made Peter grumble, but he didn't care, instead held his hand out to the boy to help him up and he frowned, when he saw the look the kid was giving him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's such a long way to our Shuttle. I don't know if I can do it. I'm so tired…"
Yondu almost sighed, but he stopped himself from doing so and after a short struggle with himself and his pride, he relented, turned around and looked over his shoulder and at the boy.
"Hop on. I will carry ya."
Almost immediately, Peter's eyes began to sparkle with excitement.
"For real?"
"Aye. But only if ya don't tell anyone about this..."
The boy grinned, nodded and jumped onto Yondu's back, who grabbed him by the knees and held him. He couldn't help but playfully roll his eyes, as Peter put his arms around his neck, giggling softly and cuddling against him.
Slowly he began to move and the two turned their heads into the direction of the sea and looked at the beauty of the planet, as they made their way back to their small space ship.
When the sun had completely disappeared behind the sea and when the ice-cold night had come over Terra V, Yondu and Peter had long been back in the universe and were on the way back to the Eclector.
The Centaurian had cautiously put Peter on the copilot chair, as the boy had fallen asleep on the way back to their Shuttle, covering him with his coat to make sure he had it nice and warm and even as he made the three jumps, he didn't wake up. Not even when they arrived and docked on the Eclector a little later.
When Kraglin opened the gap to let Yondu and Peter into the huge spaceship, he was amazed when he saw his Captain and how he carried the sleeping boy in his arms, passing him silently and with an emotionless look on his face.
Well, at least he tried to look emotionless, but he totally failed at that...
"Not a word, Kraglin. Not a single word..." he growled and he didn't even wait for an answer, but just kept walking, leaving a confused looking first mate behind him, who couldn't quite believe what he had just witnessed.
When he finally realized it, a small grin spread across his face, but he swore that he would keep that little secret to himself.
He would never tell anyone about it and thus betray his Captain; he swore that by his life.
"Aye, Captain," was all Yondu heard from him, before he disappeared around the next corner and taking Peter to his room, where he carefully unwrapped him from his coat and put him to bed.
When he had put the blanket over the boy, he stood there for a few more moments and looked down at the little Terran, who lay there and slept so peacefully; still with a small smile on his lips.
"We'll make a good Ravager out of ya, mah boy. One day ya will be one of us..." he mumbled softly, before turning around and leaving the room.
And he also ignored this warm feeling, which again appeared in his chest.
The warm feeling of love…
Love, that only a father could feel for his son...
The end