Characters: Yondu Udonta (Mentioned), Kraglin Obfonteri, Peter Quill,

Relationships: Yondu Udonta/Kraglin Obfonteri

Tags: Canonical Character Death, Heavy Angst, Depressing, No Happiness Here People, Not A Fix-It, All My Feels, Grieving, Kraglin and Peter are Hurting, I'm Sorry, I Cried While Writing This, What Have I Done, This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, I Had to Edit this and Now I'm Crying Again, Damn Emotions,

Summary: "You guys never said; 'I love you' but you always had this little thing; you'd fondly call him an asshole and he'd call you a idiot back. Maybe that was it. That was your 'I love you'."

Warnings: Major Character Death.

Prompt Six: Things Left Unsaid

A/N: I promised myself I would never write something where Yondu didn't survive (probably because I can't cope with that type of emotional torment to characters I adore) but this is what came out. I'm *not* crying damnit!

I hate myself for this...

The concept of Hrax and Hraxian!Kraglin comes from the incredible Write_Like_An_American, who's stories I utterly adore 3 (and you should totally go read, like, all of them because they are amazing) So, shout to them for creating it because none of my stories would exist without their ideas :)

Part Six of Yondu Week 2017.

#yonduweek

Peter found Kraglin staring at the yaka arrow.

"Hey Krags."

The Hraxian looked up. His eyes were red, tears had tracked dirty lines down his face and soaked his beard, "Hey Peter."

He sat down next to the taller man, "I'm not gonna ask you if you're ok because I don't think either of us are right now."

Kraglin sniffed, "Thirty-five years an' I never once told him."

"What's that?"

He stared down at the arrow, "I were head over heels fer thirty-four years an' we were together for thirty an' I –" He sobbed. "An' now I ain't ever gunna get ta tell 'im."

Peter's eyes welled up and he slipped an arm around the Ravager's shoulders, "You guys were inseparable Krags –"

"Ya know I once told him I hated 'im? I didn't never mean it but I still said it. I could spew forth plenty o' hurt when I were mad but I couldn't never find tha courage –" He sobbed again, "Fuck Pete, he's really gone. I keep expectin' him ta just walk through tha door but he ain't never gonna."

Peter let the tears go, he could cry in front of Kraglin because he knew – he knew what this pain was, "I was too late, by the time I figured out what – what he was doing – I tried to get the suit off but I – then he was just – Jesus – I fucking screamed it – I told him over and over but – shit – he was already gone." The younger man let grief over take him, sobbing into Kraglin's shoulder, "He sacrificed himself for me – I – I – killed him."

Kraglin shoved him roughly, "Hey! Look at me!" When the watery green eyes met his, Kraglin grit his teeth and willed Peter to understand, "You didn't kill 'im. He die – he did it to save you – you're his son Peter, he weren't never gonna stand by an' watch his boy die. That was his choice, an' he made it, that ain't anyone's fault ya understand? He did exactly what anyone would'a done, what I would'a done if it were me. So don't you go blamin' yerself fer no thing 'cause that ain't how he would'a wanted it."

Peter nodded, "I know, can't help but blame myself though."

"Ya think I don't? I were just waitin' on tha fuckin' ship, I should'a been down there, I should'a fought wit' him but instead I hid in tha fuckin' ship like a coward. I should'a saved him."

"You were followin' his orders Krags –"

"Oh yeah? I'm real good at that. I fuckin' caused a mutiny Pete! If I hadn't a said nothin' – if I – I wish –"

Peter smiled sadly, "If wishes were fishes."

Krags frowned, "What?"

Peter shook his head, "It's an old Terran song."

Kraglin snorted, "You an' yer music Pete."

"Yeah. You guys liked it – secretly. I know you did."

The Hraxian sighed, "Yondu did. Ya know, he used'ta play that mix o' yours when you was gone. I think it made 'im feel better – not that he ever said nothin' but I – I think he missed ya bein' around."

Peter snorted, "No one to threaten."

Kraglin gave a small smile, "Ain't never tasted Terran before."

Peter dropped his voice to a growl, "I saved yer life!"

They shared a quiet laugh.

"I love that man wit' everythin' in me." Kraglin said, staring down at the arrow. "I gotta lot'a regrets Petey, but ma biggest is that I ain't never told him that I love him. I love him so damn much it hurts. Should'a told that ol' blue asshole every day."

Peter looked down at the Zune in his hand, Kraglin had given it to him earlier and he hadn't put it down since, "You called him that all the time and he would always smile and say 'yer a idjit'." Peter blinked. "It was funny how he said it, all happy like –" Peter looked at Kraglin with a grin on his face, "You guys never said; 'I love you' but you always had this little thing; you'd fondly call him an asshole and he'd call you a idiot back. Maybe that was it. That was your 'I love you'."

Kraglin thought back on that. All the times Yondu would say something that would make him call him an asshole and without fail Yondu would call him an idiot back.

Peter squeezed his shoulders, "Maybe it was just some unspoken thing."

He smiled, "Yeah, maybe some things are left unsaid. Maybe it's better that way." He looked out into the black, Yondu's ashes were long gone now, but it felt like he was still out there, "Yer an asshole Yondu."

He could almost hear the man respond in that soft growl;

"Yer a idjit."