And here it is: The last chapter. After that, the epilogue will follow and then this story is finished^^.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter. I definitely enjoyed writing it back then^^.

Prepare yourself for a fluff overdose (and probably so much OOC that it hurts XD)

Thank ya'll for commenting, guys :)

paradise dazzleshine
Thank you very much.
A fatherly Yondu is my all-time weakness :D

GiuliaComix
I can't blame you. Peter deserves all the hugs in the whole galaxy and I am sure Yondu will be hapy to give them to him ;)

Thisisafakename
Thank you for your kind words :D
I am feeling a bit better by now and I think the depression wave is finally over.
I enjoy writing every now and then, but just can't find that much time to do so right now.
Real life / work has become quite busy for me and all I want is my bed once I come home from work.
And I spend the weekends with friends at the moment, so sadly not much time for writing.
But I do my best (and here I am, trying to start another longfic from a different fandom. Oh gosh XD) ;).

Chapter 19

The days passed and Peter got better with every passing day.

The effect of the venom had waned and he was able to see everything normally and he could get up again. Only quick movements were just not possible yet, which is why Yondu spared him. The boy was allowed to leave the infirmary, but he didn't take him on raids and such, because he was just too weak and he could also see the fear in Peter's eyes that showed him that he wasn't yet ready to leave the ship. The fear of running into a Klyntar again was just too great.

And so Peter spent most of the time in his room, listening to music and trying to rest as best as he could and to process what he had experienced, which was anything but easy for him. Especially when he was asleep, he was plagued by terrible nightmares and it wasn't uncommon for him to start screaming in his sleep and look around the small room in panic as he woke up with a hammering heart inside his chest and sometimes he thought he saw a couple of big white eyes, looking at him out of the darkness and sometimes a growl mingled with the scary sight...

But this was all just his imagination; he knew that, but it was difficult for him to deal with it. He needed help, but he didn't know who to ask for help. He didn't want to look weak and on the other hand he didn't want to bother Yondu, Kraglin or Tullk with his problems. He continued to stay away from the other Ravagers, even if he had to admit that their behavior towards him had changed since the Klyntar attack. Whenever Peter walked through the corridors and whenever he met some crew members, they made room for him and they no longer looked at him mockingly, but with great respect. They all knew what he had done and it should have made the boy proud, but the price he had had to pay for it was high and he could hardly cope with it.

The wounds reminded him every day of what had happened and the nightmares didn't make it any better.

And even today he started screaming again as he woke up after one of these monsters had chased him in his dreams. He had woken up shortly before it had caught him and rammed its claws into his throat and now he was lying there, with tears in his eyes and anxiously searching the room, always imagine about being attacked and eaten.

But nothing moved in his room.

No sound was heard, except for the sound of his own wild heartbeat in his ears and nothing moved. He was safe and yet he was scared to go back to sleep, knowing that these monsters would continue to chase him in his dreams.

At some point he couldn't take it anymore and decided to do what was long overdue!

Without waiting any longer, he got up and moved slowly to his door, opened it and then paused briefly in the entrance to his room. The passage outside his door was empty and no sound came to his ears. The crew seemed to be asleep and Peter closed his door slowly and quietly, as he stepped out into the dark hallway.

His feet carried him unerringly to Yondu's quarters and when he was standing in front of it, he hesitated briefly, but then he raised his hand and knocked softly against the metal door. Nothing was heard and he knocked on the door again; louder this time and actually something was moving on the other side and a little later the door opened and Yondu looked sleepily down at him.

"Peter? What are ya doing here? "the Centaurian asked sleepily and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"I can't sleep...and I'm scared..." the boy answered and he looked at him so pleadingly that the Ravager Captain could only sigh and he couldn't bring it over himself to send him away. He knew what the boy was going through, because when Stakar had freed him from slavery, he himself had been plagued by terrible dreams for a very long time...and sometimes they still plagued him today. But now he didn't want to think about that at all, because after all it was not about him, but about Peter.

"Peter. There ain't any reason to be scared. We are all here and we will protect ya. Nothing and nobody will come on the ship without us noticing."

"I still don't want to be alone. Please Yondu...can't I sleep in your room?"

That came as a surprise; even for the usual cold pirate captain.

"Ya want to sleep in my room? But why? Your room isn't far from mine."

"Please Yondu ..."

Just how pleading he looked at him and how much fear he could see in his eyes...

Even for a stubborn and cold-hearted space pirate like Yondu, the sight was hard to bear and he struggled with his ego for a moment, before sighing and making room for the kid.

"Well, come in. But don't tell anyone that I did that, do ya understand?"

The boy grinned slightly and then walked past him and straight to his bed.

"Promised," he said, as he dropped onto the spacious bed and looked expectantly at the Centaurian, who raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What the hell are you doing there, kid?"

"How does it look like? Sleeping in your bed!"

"In my bed?"

"Yes!"

"Absolutely no way!"

"Oh come on, Yondu! You have enough space here! You won't even notice that I'm there."

"No!"

"Pleeeeeaaaaase~".

Oh man, this kid was too much for him...

He growled again before finally giving in with a long sigh, closing the door behind him and locking it and then moving back to his bed, where the boy was waiting for him, grinning.

"I'm getting really soft, huh?" the Ravager grumbled, as he sat next to the boy and looked at him.

"Maybe a little bit?" he grinned, for which he earned a soft grumble and Yondu decided not to go into this teasing provocation anymore and instead slipped under the covers and threw the other half of the covers at Peter, who giggled and pulled it back from his face.

"Hey!" he laughed, as the pirate ruffled his hair, before he made himself comfortable and grinned at him.

Yondu crossed his arms behind his head and looked at the ceiling and there was a short silence between the two, which Peter quickly broke when he noticed something.

"Hey, Yondu?"

"Hmhm?"

"Do you remember our conversation at the Milano where I asked you about your scars?"

"Sure, of course. What about it?"

"Well...this one scar on your side...what was responsible for it?"

The Centaurian was silent for a moment, didn't look at him and the playful expression also disappeared from his face.

"You've fought one of them before, haven't you?" Peter said the obvious.

Yondu turned on his side and looked at him seriously and the boy shuddered when he saw the stern expression in his red eyes.

"Yes, I did, Petey. When I was still fighting as a slave in the Kree arenas, I was forced to fight against a Klyntar. I still don't know how they managed to capture this monster at all, let alone let it enter the arena without tearing everyone apart, but they did. And they forced me to fight this monster. Ya got to feel for yourself what they are capable of and I can tell ya one thing, my boy: what you experienced on this planet was just a tiny bit of the force that's stuck in such a monster. Ya can't even begin to imagine what these creatures are capable of if ya haven't experienced it yourself. Like me…"

That had to sag first and Peter could clearly see how difficult it was for Yondu to talk about it and he would have preferred to change the subject again if the Centaurian hadn't gotten ahead of him by simply continuing.

"They are cruel beasts, Peter. Especially if they have found a compatible host. They belong to one of the worst things that the galaxy has created and everyone would do well to stay away from them."

"You are scared of them..."

Peter spoke these words more to himself than to Yondu and he cursed himself for saying that out loud, but instead of shouting at him for that, Yondu turned his face shamefully away from him and nodded in response to the question.

"Yes, Peter. I'm scared of them. And someone who tells me he doesn't fear them is a complete idiot! Sometimes fear is what ultimately saves your life..."

"But you weren't scared, because you saved me."

Yondu turned his head back to him and looked at him.

"Yes, little one. I was scared. Scared as I never was before, when I saw how this monster pushed ya to the ground and tried to connect with ya. I thought I would lose you forever."

"But you didn't. You saved me."

The Centaurian smiled gently and ruffled his hair again.

"Yes, I did and I'm proud of that, as much as ya can be proud of having fought against two of them."

"How did you actually know their weaknesses?" the kid wanted to know, when he managed to push his hand away from his head.

"Oh, ya know...back in the arena, I had the chance to find out their weaknesses and they really don't have many. Sound and fire are their weaknesses. I don't know of any others."

"At least they have any. I mean, every creature has at least one weakness, right?" he asked and while he was still speaking he had slipped closer and unconsciously snuggled up to Yondu, who, unlike the boy, deliberately put his arms around him and pulled him even closer against his side.

"Yes, Petey. That's true. Everyone has a weakness... "

And Yondu really had to know, because he was holding his only weakness in his arms right now...

The two lay there in silence for a long time and Yondu slowly fell asleep, when he noticed how Peter stirred and put his arms around him and snuggled up to him. When he looked at him, he saw that his eyes were closed and that he seemed to be slowly but surely falling asleep, but he hadn't completely fallen asleep yet, because he managed to say four last words before falling asleep.

"I love you, Dad..."

And it was these words that hit Yondu's heart like a bomb and turned his previous life upside down.

Dad...

The boy actually saw a father figure in him.

He could hardly believe it.

Unconsciously, he hugged him more tightly, holding him as if he was afraid that someone would come into his quarters and take the boy away from him.

He would never let anything like that happen to this boy…no…his boy!

He would protect him with his life; if necessary, even from of his own crew!

Peter really didn't have it easy in his life and Yondu knew that if he had just taken him to his father back then it would've been even harder for him.

But he would never take him to this monster called Ego!

He had seen what he was doing with his children, because Peter was certainly not his only one.

They died under his hand, because they meant nothing to him and Peter didn't deserve such a fate, so at the time he had just kept him and wanted to make a Ravager out of him and apparently he was doing this well. And even if he sometimes had a strict hand when it came to education and training, the boy seemed to like him.

Had Stakar felt the same way about him?

Probably yes...but Yondu didn't know for sure and he didn't care. At least he talked himself into it every day. When he looked at Peter like this, he realized that he did care. Maybe one day he and Stakar could settle their dispute and be like a family again? Yes...yes, that would be nice.

But until then, he had to take care of his own little family, which was lying in his arms right now and sleeping peacefully, knowing that Yondu would protect him.

The pirate smiled slightly and felt his not so cold heart beat a little faster and lovingly he pressed a gentle kiss on Peter's forehead. Something he had never done in his life before and something that no one should ever see, because that would be his sure death. Peter had become his weakness and he had to do everything in his power to make sure that nobody would ever find out about this, because then the mutiny would be pre-programmed.

No, he would be careful and would have to treat Peter differently when he was around his crew.

But when they were alone, hidden from prying eyes, he could be the loving father the boy saw in him.

Just like now.

Now Yondu just enjoyed the moment, let that one little word sink in again and smiled even wider, as his eyes closed slowly.

Dad...Yes, he could really get used to this word...