Chapter Text
Everyone should have been sleeping. It was dark out, the pastel purple moon of Xandar cast its pale light, and almost everyone was asleep.
Peter sat cross legged on the floor, role of bandages clenched awkwardly in his mouth, one hand pressing gauze to the back of his arm where a cut ran in a diagonal line just an inch beneath his elbow. The moonlight shining in through the Milano and a small pocket lantern was the only source of light peter had (since he didn't want to risk waking anyone else by turning on any big lights).
Trying to patch yourself up one-handedly was a difficult task. Especially when he was tired. Gamora had already wiped down his wound and wrapped it up for him, telling him that she was unable to tell yet if he needed stitches and promising to stitch him up as soon as she could get her hands on medical thread (which wouldn't be until the following morning). The gauze and wrappings would have kept the blood flow to a minimum, but he'd accidentally undone the bindings while getting restless in his sleep, and he didn't want to wake anyone up.
With his jaw beginning to hurt, Peter spat the roll of bandage out on to the floor. He didn't want it soaking up all his spit either; He didn't think wrapping an open wound in a bandage soaked in saliva was a good idea either. Who wants spit in their cuts?
Once he got as many gauze pads as he needed pressed on top of the injury, he one-handedly attempted to unravel the role of bandages and begging wrapping it around his arm.
Just when he thought he was doing a good job, he dropped the roll and it bounced, rolling a good distance away from him and unraveling the entire thing. He gave a defeated sigh and slumped, holding his injured arm up as if a large bird of prey was perched atop it, to prevent the gauze pads from falling off.
Approaching footsteps didn't phase him. Not until whoever it was spoke.
"The hell are ya doin', boy?"
It was Yondu.
Peter tilted his head back and looked up at the former captain. He held a tray in one hand, the other rested on his hip as he gave Peter a questioning look.
"I...I can't...I need help," Peter said, gesturing to the mess of gauze wrappers and unraveled bandages on the floor before him.
"Why are you awake right now?" Yondu questioned, narrowing his eyes curiously while kneeling beside Peter and putting the tray down on the floor. He gathered the bandage and quickly wrapped it securely around Peter's arm, pinning the end in place.
"I woke up because I was having a dream," Peter said, frowning. "About...y'know."
Yondu nodded, ruffling through the first aid kit that sat beside Peter. "Ya got a gash on your forehead, too, boy. Should probably clean that and cover it up. It looks goofy."
Peter eyed the tray "Why were you eating this late?"
"This ain't for me," Yondu used one hand to nudge the tray toward Peter. "Haven't seen you eat at all since y'alls got back. I was bringin' it for you."
Peter wasted no time picking the bowl off the tray and shoveling down whatever was in it while Yondu quickly cleaned the gash on his forehead and covered it with gauze and a strip of tape. He finished it off with a pat to Peter's soft hair.
"Thanks, Dad," Peter said sleepily. "For helping me..."
"It's...An IOU, Peter." Yondu stood up, backing out of the shine of the light. Only a small glint of light that reflected off his fin let Peter know he was still there. "There were times when ya helped patched me up, when I was too lazy to do it on my own. Now it's my turn to help you out."
"But it's not—"
"'Sides, what kind of guy would I be to just let you bleed to death, Cap'n?"
Peter shook his head. He wasn't used to the new alias; the word felt foreign when it was directed at him, and he'd only really ever heard Kraglin use it to address Peter. Now he'd gotten Yondu onboard too? "You don't owe me anything, and you don't have to call me captain!"
Peter squinted at the dark. The little reflected glint of light were Yondu's fin should have been was no longer there. Yondu was no longer there either.
Peter gave a shrug and stuffed what he could back in to the first aid kit before standing up and kicking it out of his way. It was still dark out which meant he still had time to sleep. This time, he'd try to be more careful and not pull his bandages off.