Here we go Chapter 6 xx
Chapter 6
Yondu blinked as he took in his mate and the Pad he was holding.
"Do you mind telling me who gave you that information?" Yondu said coolly, which did nothing to change the look on Kraglin's face.
"Oh, like hell I'm going to tell you, you're just going to whack your yaka arrow in their eyes…And don't change the subject. You know what I'm talking about?"
"I know exactly what you're talking about Kraglin, and I don't want to talk about it…and where is Peter?" Yondu said evenly.
"He's in the mess with Iztel, and for the love of gods do not try to try to change the subject. This is the mission; this is the big deal…Terran trafficking!"
"Oh, what bullshi! I'm taking the boy to his father, which was the job". Stated Yondu, already sick of the conversation.
"His father, oh don't get me started on his father. He's a half Terran…I bloody knew it. Those green eyes, I knew there was something behind them". Kraglin was more talking to himself at this point as he pinched his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
"Yes he's a half Terran". Yondu confirmed, "I was hired to pick him up to take him to his father, no questions…Just a simple exchange". Whilst Kraglin laughed at the statement.
"A simple exchange, simple…there is nothing "simple" about this. Did you even question why the hell you were chosen, why would a member of the Royal family, hire a Ravager to pick up his son?"
"Of course I did". Yondu's voice begun to rise in tone, " But the Units were too good to turn down".
"How many Units, huh? How many units for Peter's life? Well, tell me?" Thundered Kraglin, not bothering to lower his voice.
Yondu was silent for a second, before delivering the amount.
"Two million in advance and eight million with the exchange". He said smoothly, watching Kraglin's reaction carefully.
"Ten million units…That's what he's worth. Well to a Royal, I guess that's chump change isn't it?"
Kraglin turned away for a second to run his hands over his face trying to find the next word to say.
"You can't do this Yondu; you can't give that boy away". He finally said almost out of desperation.
"I have to give him away, we have a contract". Stated Yondu
"A contract to send the boy into glorified slavery"
"His father is a Prince. He'll grow up in luxury". Something Yondu had been telling himself from the very beginning.
"Luxury, there are two Princes and only one throne. It's no secret both of them want it. He'll grow up as a prisoner in a power struggle between the two."
"His father has more right to the boy that anyone in the Universe".
"What bullshit, he had no right to that boy. He is a monster. We have a code Yondu".
"We're Ravagers, our code is: Steal from everyone". Retorted Yondu, his headpiece beginning to turn red, his yaka arrow quivered in his belt.
"Oh and everyone knows what that "King" of theirs thinks of bastard hybrids…he'll never accept Peter as an heir"
"He'll have too, it will be his grandson". Rumbled Yondu, already sick to the back teeth of his mate's voice.
"Grandson, please he's a shitty father to his own children, this will be no different. Peter will grow up unwanted and unloved. Is that what you want for him…do you think that's what Meredith wanted for him?"
Yondu blinked "Meredith?"
"The boy's mother, you stupid bastard. Didn't you read the letters she wrote, the letters she wrote to Peter's potential parents, practically begging us to love her son?"
"No I didn't…and what do you mean by "us"?" As Kraglin practically screamed his head off with frustration.
"Us Yondu, she wanted someone to love her son…that's us. Why can't you see it?"
Yondu rolled his eyes at the statement. "Oh, be fucking serious for once Kraglin, he's just a job and nothing more".
"Just a job…You make me sick sometimes. A month ago you dumped this kid in my lap, and now you want to take him away from me…from us" Kraglin shook his head once more. "You can't do this."
"I can, and I will," Yondu said once more, feeling more uncomfortable with each word as Kraglin scoffed.
"So, the great Yondu Udonta is reduced to human trafficking and slavery". Kraglin looked away, and looked to be trying to compose himself.
"I thought better of you, you know. Thought there was something decent under all that". He gestured to Yondu's body. "But this, no this is an all-time low for you…shit, even for me".
"Slavery…he'll be a Prince". Yondu said through gritted teeth.
"He'll be a slave; he'll be used as a trophy, a possession. He won't be loved…He won't be cared for". Kraglin turned to catch his breath, before turning back to Yondu, his eyes looking slightly red-rimmed. "Let him stay here, Yondu. Let us take care of him". This caused Yondu to pull back his head and laugh at his mate.
"Let him stay here, were bloody Ravagers, this is no place to raise a child…what will we do with him?"
"Keep him, raise him, love him…Teach him all the things he needs to survive. Hell, raise him as a Ravager, just let him stay….please" . Kraglin was openly pleading something Yondu had never seen in his mate, in the eight years they had been together, which caused Yondu to pause before saying the next thing, as Kraglin continued. "We can even pretend he's my own son…apart from his eyes, he looks Xandarian and no one is every gonna notice that". Stated Kraglin, as Yondu just blinked.
"His blood is red, yours is blue…we can't fake that. And we can't pretend that he's never going to bleed". He took a breath and tried to be as calm as possible. "If you want a child, fine we'll go get one. Go get one from an orphanage or something. Let's get one older, seven…Eight years old. The kid will be useful then" Yondu suggested as a compromise.
"I don't want another child, I want Peter. Can't you fucking understand that?" Kraglin using strength he wound never normally possess with someone who could break him in two if he desired, grabbed Yondu by the lapels of his coat and rose up until the pair were at the same height. "I want him Yondu…and you do too. Let's stop denying it now and stop this madness?"
Yondu not being used to anyone standing up to him, unless it was in battle something this was coming close too pushed Kraglin back until his body and head slapped into a bulkhead producing a sound that was no doubt being heard across the ship.
"Listen to me Kraglin…Tomorrow we give that boy over, we take the money and forget he ever existed. Are We Clear?" Yondu hissed the last part of the sentence, waiting for his mate to calm down, which Kraglin refused to do, but lowered his tone yet never removing the harshness of in his voice.
"If you do this tomorrow, we are over. I'll leave you…And you'll never see me again. Do you want that?" Kraglin taunted, trying to get the upper hand, which Yondu ignored.
"Then leave, I had lovers before you…And I'll have them after you. You won't even be worthy as a memory". Yondu responded, which caused Kraglin to wet his lips. For a brief second Yondu was tempted to kiss those lips, to reclaim some of the power Kraglin had stolen from him over the last month…but wouldn't give into the temptation as he could hear the thump of Kraglin's heartbeat as the pair stared at each other in anger and frustration…on every level.
"Listen to me, we give the boy over and we take the money. If you go...then I won't be chasing you, are we clear?" Yondu whispered to his mate, which did nothing to quell the look on Kraglin's face as he pushed his lover off him and away from the bulkhead, as he tried to compose himself and clearly looked to be failing. "Fuck you Yondu". He said as an attempt to get the last word, as he turned away and stepped from the office, walking quicker than normal desperate to get back to the boy, to see him once more…for his only light in the darkness.
For a moment Yondu just stared, then sank into a chair pulling several bottles out of the fridge he kept, which he desperately needed. Slavery, the one word Kraglin knew would get a reaction out of him, to get a reaction of both of them, as he cracked one of the bottles open and threw the liquid down his throat. According to his mate, he had become a Slaver, the one thing he had promised he would never be…damn Kraglin!
Yondu spent several hours trying to make sense of the situation, from Kraglin's words to that damn boy, the damn boy that had created all this problems who had reduced his crew to a bunch of saps, as he sat in silence trying to make sense of everything as feeling slightly half cut, he made his way back to his quarters.
As expected, there was Kraglin, asleep or pretending to be Yondu wasn't in the mood to care as Peter was out of his box and cuddled next to Kraglin and the hull plate, the unspoken message clear to Yondu. "Don't come near us". Yondu kicked his boots off, and took off his top, running a hand against his pouch, which had been slightly stretched courtesy of the boy. Soon it would snap back to its original shape from lack of use, besides from his size he would grow the boy would be out of the pouch by the time he was two…before he blinked at the idea. Why did he care about Peter when he was two? Peter was going tomorrow…that was final. Kraglin had at least packed the boy's clothes, even though it was unlikely they would need them, hell the boy would be in newer, more expensive stuff by tomorrow. As Yondu spied the bag, he had retrieved from Meredith Quill that day. The one that Kraglin had looked through, but Yondu had never been that bothered.
Since he had no time like the present, and it wouldn't matter anyway. Yondu picked up the bag and took it into the shower. He had a habit of reading out load in the privacy of his quarters, which sometimes Kraglin found enduring or just plain annoying depending on what mood he was in, and he had the feeling his mate would appreciate the sound of his voice, nor waking the boy up.
Sitting on the toilet, Yondu begun looking over the letters, there was one addressed to Peter on his twenty-first birthday, which Kraglin hadn't opened, so Yondu didn't. The boy was going to grow up with not even a memory of the woman who gave birth to him, and the last thing he wanted to do was to read something so private.
In Meredith cursive handwriting, was one addressed to "Peter's Parents" which had clearly been read and re-read by Kraglin on several occasions. Yondu begun to read the letter out loud
"To the family who adopts Peter…" He read out loud, through the words, chuckling slightly as she mentioned how good he was, and never any trouble. "Yeah right". Pausing as she mentioned that his nickname was "Star Lord", the only link to the boy origins, and Yondu was perhaps the only one who got it. In the letter Meredith had made it clear, through lying that the boy's biological father was not on the scene and didn't even know he had a son, "Oh he knew alright". Stated Yondu knowing how easy his life would be if that were the case, as he carried on reading of the promise Meredith Quill made for her son to be loved.
Reading the letter several more times, before putting it back in the bag, Yondu then pulled out several photographs of Meredith and baby Peter, a few from the day he was born, all wrinkly and pink, then more further along, as Peter got bigger and stronger and settled into his looks, there were reminiscent of his father, whilst Meredith sadly declined, losing her blond hair and her skin turning paler, until she became the woman Yondu had picked up the baby from.
Yondu put the pictures back in the bag, and took himself back into the bedroom, slipping next to his mate, he turned to stare at the wall for a while, feeling more conflicted than he ever had in his entire life.
Ok, next chapter is the last one, and if it means anything Peter is not the son of J'Son of Spartex, James Gunn the director of the film has confirmed this, but I've laid clues to I think it is, well according to my own head canon!
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