Author's Note: So, I just want to say up front that these stories are much shorter than what I usually write. Just little ficlets to give you a glimpse into Peter's life growing up with the Ravagers.

Peter gets a year older every chapter, the chapter titles are songs from Awesome Mix Vol. 1 in the order from the motion picture soundtrack, and there's an Easter Egg in each chapter that I'll reveal at the very end of the story!

If you followed me, you would have known this story was coming! Check out my tumblr or my website for updates on what I'm working on!

Yondu Udonta knew almost nothing about Terrans. He knew they lived on Terra, he knew they were hundreds of years behind the technological curve of the universe, and he knew they were skeptical about the fact that their universe was shared. Most importantly, and perhaps most surprisingly, he knew their offspring were made of gristle and spit.

"These boys ain't never tasted Terran before. Maybe I should just forget the bounty and let'em have a snack." He had taunted the boy, grabbing him by the back of his jacket and giving him a couple good shakes. "Fact, if you don't shut your mouth pretty soon, I might go ahead and let'em do just that."

Peter—or at least, that was the name they had on file—had stopped screaming and looked up at Yondu with wide eyes. "You've never eaten someone like me before?"

Grinning, Yondu had given Peter a shove in the general direction of the hungry Ravagers. "Nope."

"Wait!" Peter had tripped to his knees and shouted out the request as the closest Ravager took a step forward. "If you never ate someone like me before, how do you know you can? What if I'm poisonous?" He had quickly scrambled back to his feet, grabbing his red flannel in one hand and his gray and yellow shirt in the other. "Look! On Earth, you know you're not supposed to eat things with bright colors on'em. Plants, animals, bugs, mushrooms—never eat'em when they have bright colors. You think I'm wearing this for fun?"

For several seconds, no one had said anything, and then a wave of laughter had burst through the mob. Blyth, the Ravager who had been standing just a few feet from Peter, had crouched down on the ground and closed his rather large, yellow hand around the small shoulder.

"You're pretty clever, kid! Yanno, if someone would whip you into shape and give you muscles to go along with'em, you'd be unstoppable."

Yondu had stepped forward, grabbing the back of Peter's jacket again and causing the boy to look up at him. "Well, look at that. You went ahead and made yourself worth the trip."

Peter had stared up at him in confusion, but Yondu had only laughed before ordering his men to leave the kid alone until they got to the drop-off point. Yondu had figured, if nothing else, Peter would be tolerable enough to leave alive until they got paid, and he maintained that opinion for several hours.

But then Kraglin had started sniggering to himself.

"What're you laughin' at?" Yondu had snapped, turning his head away from his console.

Kraglin had pointed to one of the many screens spread out before him, a quick twist of his hand bringing the volume up so Yondu could hear.

"…I'm hooked on a feeling… I'm high on believin'… that you're in love with meee… lips as sweet as candy… its taste is on my mind… girl, you got me thirsty..."

"Is that boy singin'?" the captain had asked, a blended tone of incredulousness and outrage painting the words.

Kraglin had only nodded, still laughing to himself.

It hadn't taken Yondu very long to decide he wasn't about to keep a singing sissy on his ship, even if he was just cargo, and with a slew of grumbled curses, he had left his first mate in charge and stormed his way down the hall to the holding cells.

It was that course of action which eventually brought him to his inventory of Terran knowledge, and as he stared down at his hand, which was clenched firmly between two rows of tiny teeth, he couldn't help but feel he had underestimated his haul.

"What'chu think you're doin', boy?" Yondu reached out and cuffed the child on the ear repeatedly until his hand was released. "You really wanna start a fight with me over a toy?"

Peter yelped and pushed himself back into the corner, cradling his ear with one hand and clutching the musical toy to his chest with the other. "It's mine."

"Ain't nothin' yours anymore, boy. You're cargo, and cargo don't get to have cargo of its own." Yondu reached out to grab it again, but Peter curled into a ball, physically wrapping himself around the device his hands. "Boy! If you don't hand that over right now—"

"I ain't doin' it!" Peter snapped back, not even letting the alien finish his threat. "You wanna eat me, go ahead, 'cause it's mine. I ain't givin' it up!"

"Boy—"

"Mine!"

Yondu put his hands on his hips, fingering the tip of his arrow and considering using it against the child. He decided not to in the end, choosing instead to grab Peter by the arm and drag him to his feet. "You want to listen to your music? Fine."

Yondu threw the door to the room open and dragged Peter after him, walking down the hall towards the latrines. "You can listen to that stuff all day long if that's what y'want. But if you're gonna make us listen to that d'ast noise for the whole trip, you're gonna make it worth it."

Peter said nothing, allowing himself to be dragged but still guarding his precious racket-maker with all the concentrated fury he could stuff into his little Terran body. Yondu almost smiled to himself because, annoying though it was, it only showed how gutsy the kid was. For a second, Yondu actually started doing the mental math. How much money could a Ravager make in a lifetime, and was it more than they were being paid to deliver Peter?

"Where are we going?"

"You shut up, and I'll show you." Yondu let go of Peter's arm and pressed the button that opened the door to the latrines, pointing inside. "You get to listen to your music the entire time you're cleaning up this mess. If I get back here, and your knuckles ain't bloody, then I'm taking that stupid toy of yours and chuckin' it out the airlock. Understand?"

Peter took a step back and nodded furiously. "Yessir."

"Good. Stuff you need's in the closet. Hop to it, boy."

Peter did just that, quite literally jumping into action and flying across the room to the closet door. Yondu shook his head and rolled his eyes, walking back into the hall and heaving a sigh when he heard the boy singing again.

"…all the good love, when we're all alone. Keep it up, girl. Yeah, you turn me on. I…"

Yondu grunted, mumbling another colorful collection of words under his breath, but he didn't tell Peter to shut up. Maybe the kid was a bit of a sissy, and maybe he was passionate about all of the wrong things, but he was determined and smart and good at thinking on his feet. And that was what lingered in the front of Yondu's mind when he grabbed his communicator from his belt.

"How far away is the drop off?"

It took a moment for Kraglin to reply. "Uh… it's about a week away, Cap'n."

"Go the other way."

There was a long pause. "…Cap'n?"

"You heard me, Kraglin! Get this ship as far away from that d'ast rock as you can, and find me a job easy enough for the Terran kid to tag along for."

Yondu whipped the device away from his ear and screamed into it a few seconds later, already storming back to the control room with murder in his eyes. Just what in the world was so funny? And anyway, what kind of first mate laughed at their captain?