Kraglin follows Yondu around the ship in silent fascination. The only time he speaks is when Yondu asks him a direct question that is not answerable by a yes or a no, because Kraglin will only nod or shake his head. Otherwise, the only sound he makes is when Yondu takes him into the hangar, where all of their M-ships are docked.
The boy lets out a gasp, surveying the ships. Each one is decorated differently according to their pilots, painted with vibrant colors and designs. Yondu runs a hand over the hull of one. "This one's mine." It's one of the only ships not decorated. It's a nondescript, dark color on purpose.
Kraglin traces the lettering on the side with his finger. "Warbird," he reads in a barely-audible whisper.
Yondu cocks his head in slight surprise. "Ya read?"
Kraglin glances up at him and nods.
"The Skrulls taught ya to read? What fer?"
The boy's face darkens into a scowl, and he shakes his head. "Not them. School."
"So you weren't always a slave, then."
Kraglin looks at his feet, fiddling with the cuff of Yondu's coat, and shakes his head.
Yondu bites in the inside of his cheek. Shit. Way to go, ya idjit. He claps the boy's shoulder, and steers him away from the ship. "C'mon." As they walk, he notices Kraglin has grown even quieter, and he tries to draw his attention outward. "So I saw ya pried the control panel from the door an' unhooked yer wires from the bed," Yondu says, and Kraglin turns an anxious eye up at him, but he lets out a raucous laugh. "I ain't mad. Yer pretty clever, ain't ya, kid?"
The boy stares at him, as if he can't believe what he just heard, then lightly shakes his head. "Jus' like workin' with m'hands," he says. "Learnin' how stuff works, fixin' stuff."
"That so? Where ya learn all that from?"
"Father's a mechanic."
Yondu stares down at him as they walk. Present tense. Means his daddy's still living. The Skrulls took this boy from his family? The Skrulls is a heartless bunch all right, but they ain't stupid. They don't go bargin' into populated cities abductin' children. He shakes his head slightly to clear the train of thought. "How old are ya, boy?"
"Fourteen."
Yondu nods. "And ya like fixin' stuff? Well, come on this way. You'll love the engines."
The noise is deafening, and Yondu has to yell to make himself heard. Kraglin doesn't seem to mind the noise too much, and looks in awe at the giant spinning turbines that take up most of the area. He pulls the boy down a short hallway, then around a corner, and the noise subsides to a muffled roar. "This is where the mechanics work," Yondu says twisting a finger in his ear. He guides Kraglin up a flight of steps and down another hallway. A large room is at the end of this hall, and Yondu sees a light is on.
Horuz is inside. As they enter, he slams down a piece of machinery in frustration, and Kraglin flinches. "Dammit."
"Horuz," Yondu says.
The man whirls. "Cap'n. What're you - oh." His voice falters as his eyes fall on the boy at his side, and his eyes bug out a little. Yondu remembers that Horuz was there at the Culling.
Kraglin takes a half step backwards, but Yondu grips the collar of the duster and steers him back to his side. "This is Kraglin. Givin' the boy a tour." He nods at the machinery on the workbench. "Havin' trouble?"
Horuz glances over his shoulder, glaring at the object. "Uh…yeah. Coupling was bad. Replaced it, but the damn thing still ain't working. Don't know what's wrong."
"Hm. You look at the drive on the Warbird like I asked?"
"Yeah," Horuz said, taking Yondu aside. "It looks like it's a problem with the…"
Kraglin tunes them out as he looks around at the wide array of machinery and tools littering the many workbenches in the room. Parts hang from the walls and ceiling, bits of wire, nuts and bolts are strewn across the floor. His gaze strays to the workbench where the piece of machinery that Horuz was working on lays, and he steps closer.
His fingers brush over the metal. He studies the coupling, and with a furtive glance at Horuz, begins taking the item apart.
Yondu spies him out of the corner of his eye as he listens to Horuz, but says nothing. Kraglin takes the machine apart, very quietly, and looks at the circuit board and wires inside. Taking up a pair of pliers nearby, he twists a couple wires together with some difficulty on account of his bandaged hand. He bends a circuit board slightly, then reattaches the coupling. He's not so quiet at putting the machine back together, and Horuz spins at the noise.
"What the hell d'ya think yer doin', boy?"
Kraglin backs quickly up from the workbench, eyes wide. "Fi-fixed it."
"What?" the Ravager asks incredulously.
Yondu raises an eyebrow.
"Fixed it," Kraglin repeats, gesturing to the machine.
Horuz scowls at him, then at the machine, and he flicks the switch irritatedly. It gives off a smooth hum. His mouth drops. "What! How – how did…? What was wrong?"
Yondu grins.
"Jus' a loose wire, bent board," Kraglin says quietly. "They weren't connectin'."
Horuz lets out a wry laugh, and runs a hand over the stubble on his chin. "Well, y'saved me a headache, kid."
The faintest ghost of a smile flickers across Kraglin's face, and then he yawns.
Yondu tugs at his arm. "C'mon, boy. Let's get you back to med bay."
When they reach their destination, Yondu stops and jabs a thumb at the door control with a grin. Kraglin blushes blue. "I'll fix it."
Yondu just chuckles as he takes back his coat. "Get in that bed."
Kraglin climbs up into the medical bed, wincing, and pulls the covers up to his chin.
"Y'all get some sleep now. Mebbe I'll bring ya a broken thingamajig tomorrow. Somethin' to fiddle with."
The boy nods and lays his head back against the pillow with a yawn.
The Captain turns to leave, then pauses at the foot of the cot. He rubs the back of his neck. "Look, kid. I know what ya were tryin' to do with the airlock."
Kraglin's eyes drop to the blanket, where he pulls at a loose thread.
"I know it don't seem like it sometimes, but…jus'…there's always another way, ok?"