Set in the days after Remnant of his Past, Yondu does his best to find Peter in the aftermath. But how will the Captain of the Ravagers deal with what he finds…and his own guilt? Rated T for swearing

The Signs that Yondu Cares Part 11. The Sacrifice of Angels

Chapter 1

It was after the second day that all the Ravagers had given up trying even to suggest to Yondu that he was gone, there was no way a frail Terran body would have survived the explosions that had ripped through the Xandarians ship and caused the debris which they were now combing through, with their searchlights.

It turned out that Peter was right, it wasn't a flippant remark caused by the beating, there was an abundance of good shit on the Xandarian ship. Treasures and jewels and units which would keep them in pay for months.

But Yondu didn't care about that, all he cared about was finding Peter, even if it didn't matter since the boy was dead. In the end he piled Alezduran and Kraglin onto his M-Ship and scoured the site, spreading over miles, as the rest with their jet boots and tractor beams transported the items.

To the Xandarians, one First Mate and the other a skilled Ravager of seven years, even if it was in name only they each had more experience put together, Hell had seen some serious combat. Yet under the watchful gaze of the Captain…they were nervous. Kraglin was perhaps the only person in the Galaxy who could stand up to Yondu in any way, but he was hesitant too.

He had rarely seen his Captain like this, standing up with his eyes darting over every part of space with the impossible chance his senses would hone in on the boy. Yondu's face was a grim line; he had said almost nothing since the ship had exploded. Like everyone else, he had just watched before the debris begun to settle and he put his plan into motion. They had found several crew members, whom they instantly ignored, but not the boy.

After a while, with the tension unbearable, the Xandarians going over the debris, finally Alezduran looked up, his voice hesitant, veering on relief. "I think I found him".

Yondu stepped over to the screen as the hybrid brought up the image, there admits some of the debris, was a small white figure smaller than the rest, spinning slowly in the void of space.

There was something obscuring the image, something small and pathetic, and deep within Yondu's chest his heart clenched suddenly

"Enhance it". Yondu demanded as the hybrid shook his head, "Can't do…there's too much crap out there, and we can't use the beams, in case it…"

"Whatever" Grunted Yondu, as he turned from the pair and made his way to the cargo doors, grabbing a blanket on the way, which he dumped on the side as he hastily pulled his own jet boots on. He hadn't used them in ages and didn't need too, he had crew to do shit like this, in truth, he could have ordered one of them to do this. But this he had to do, he owed the boy that much.

As he activated the helmet which collapsed across his face, and taking a deep breath of the oxygen filtering through the mask and making his eyes look redder through the eyepiece, he gave the order for the Hanger bay to open.

It had been ages since he had stepped out into deep space as he felt the coldness wash over him, even though his thick long coat. Activating the boots, he pushed himself into deep space, trying not to think about how he was only a small insignificant speck in the universe. In the distance he could see the rest of the M-Ship's going through the debris, but only he would step out for the boy.

Moving to a stop as he came closer, pushing the hull plating out of the way, as through the eye holes his gaze fell on Peter, turning through space and the lump he tried to ignore, had been trying to ignore for days caught in his throat.

Peter had closed his eyes, and seemed to try to hug his body in a futile effort for comfort from the moment of the explosion, but that did nothing to hide the assault on his small, frail body, as Yondu reached out a hand and through his gloves caught the boy.

Even though his limbs were frozen solid from the cold of space and rigor mortis, Yondu still pulled him close to his own. He looked like he was sleeping, even with the bald head with the few small patches that the bastard Kruger hadn't cut, he looked like he would wake up any moment. Whilst Yondu hovering in deep space, could only look down at him, feeling nothing but guilt.

"I'm sorry Peter". He murmured, perhaps in his head, as for a small moment his eyes misted over, which he banished. He hadn't cried since the moment his tribe had been slaughtered, like hell he was about to start now.

Taking a moment to get his thoughts together, he headed back with the boy close to his chest

With the weight of the teen in his arms, Yondu reactivated his boots and headed back to his own M-Ship, stepping through the entry field, he dropped his mask and just looked down at the boy. Peter still looked like he was sleeping, what did he expect that the sudden return to the ship would wake him up? Yondu thought to himself, as he grabbed the blanket and positioned it over the teen, sending a quick message to Kraglin to return to the Eclector.

Yondu could have moved from where he was standing but didn't, he knew that Peter's return would bring curiosity, recalling when he had been abducted almost a year earlier. No way was he going to make him an object of curiosity in death, he deserved better than that.

He always deserved better that this, something rung in Yondu's brain which he ignored, as the ship docked back into the Hanger bay, and as expected the doors opened, Yondu hearing the quick steps of Kraglin and Alezduran who had activated the pilots exit to get out of the ship.

Word, which was no doubt being spread from Alezduran since the hybrid was a soppy bastard at times and had radioed ahead, as Yondu watched every Ravager… even the ones sorting out their own M-Ship, place everything down and stand at attention or what passed for it.

Yondu watched almost in unison as some of the most hardened bastard, looked down, either out of respect or it was just awkward seeing their Captain carrying the dead body of the teenager, as an unnatural hush fell over the Hanger Bay.

Yondu knew how much time Peter spent down here, always trying to lend a hand, to learn something more. At times his childish curiosity a counterpart to their existence, as he stepped further, past Kraglin and Alezduran who just had their heads down whilst Yondu just felt uncomfortable even though no eyes were upon him, as he exited the Hanger and life begun to return to the space even though he noticed it was subdued than normal.

Peter wasn't a Ravager, his training never being completed, but if they were going to treat him as such…then so be it. Yondu noticed the deck to the Med Bay clear of Ravagers as if everyone was giving him a wide berth. Well, he had been pissed off from the moment he gave the orders, even he knew that…but right at that moment the only thing, he didn't know was what to think. As the Med Bay opened with a hiss, and two of the Medics were preparing the Rigorbath.

It hadn't been used in a very long time, the waters loosening the bones to make them moveable, to set them in a proper place for burial. Yondu wasn't enough of a bastard to send the boy on his way without him being presentable.

The two medic stepped back, as Yondu approached the steaming clear water and gently immersed him, legs first, chest then over the nose and mouth, only then did he pull the blanket back, as he took a moment to just look down at the boy, even with the cuts to his body and the dried blood which begun to ebb off him tainting the water.

"Get him prepared and call me when it's done" he informed the Medics would begin the task of removing what remained of the boys clothes and making him look presentable. As Yondu left the Med Bay, he just stopped and looked ahead, he knew he had to find out what Terran Funeral customs were and sort those out, but for a moment he was just hesitant. In the end, he went back to the bridge, even with the boy found there was a shit load of stuff to get through and for that he needed to be on form.

In the end, though he sat in his office, and reaching into his fridge, his hand found a bottle of the Zatoan, the beer Peter had made for him. He savoured each drop for a while trying to blot out the feeling in his chest, as he reached a discreet summons from the Med Bay, of course, they would never announce it. That was Yondu's job being the Captain, besides what could they say? "Boy's still dead," he thought glibly to himself as he headed back to room.

There admits the machines and beds was Alezduran, which Yondu only acknowledged with a look, he knew the hybrid had recently begun studying to be a field medic, in a way was trying to prove his worth the same way as Peter did, does. Hell, he needed to think of Peter in the past tense he thought as he made his way to the Rigorbath.

In his absence someone had cut Peter's clothes off and he was as naked as the day he was born, lying on his back his green eyes open with his pupils fixed and dilated and his open wounds and lash marks appeared to be healing…Perhaps it was the Rigorbath? Yondu had never been sure how it worked; it was just some stuff they had stolen from a Xandarian ship.

"How long until it's finished? "The tone was something which showed how pissed he truly was, as all the Medic could do was shrug. "We think three hours, never been used on Terran's before". Was all he could say as Yondu could only peer at the boy, he felt like dismissing them and saying something in private to the teen, but what could he say?

God he was becoming a sentimental bastard after all, as he just looked at the boy's dead face through the clear water. Peter looked so small, the only thing that was disturbing the water was the tiny air bubbles emitting from the boys mouth or nose, as Yondu turned away.

Air bubbles…fuck

The realisation hit as Yondu as he dived back to the Rigorbath and breaking the surface with his hand, which he placed on the boys chest and his own eyes widened. There it was, oh shit it was a heartbeat. It wasn't strong, but it was there…oh shit.

"Prepare a bed now". Yondu yelled as over the Medics as he grabbed the boy and brought him back to the surface. There was nothing from Peter, no reaction as Yondu manoeuvred his loose limbs in his arms and rushed him over to the bed.

There should have been nothing, just a dead body, but everyone watched as Yondu placed the soaking boy on the bed, and saw as the life support immediately turned on, their mouth agape, as Yondu tried to take it all in but could only say

"He's not dead."

To be continued

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