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It’s thanks to Rocket, in the end, that Stakar arrives in time. Drifting in space Yondu watches in shock as the familiar ship jump into view, sees Stakar standing framed by the light of the hanger bay as the tractor beam pulls them in just as Yondu can feel his skin start to ice and his bodily fluids start to boil.
As soon as the doors slides ponderously shut Peter is frantically patting Yondu, pulling him half into his lap as Yondu coughs and wheezes, shudders spasmodically wracking his body.
“C’mon Yondu, breath, c’mon, you old bastard,” Peter says, squeezing Yondu’s shoulders with with both big hands as he rolls Yondu onto his side, trying to help him clear his throat and catch his breath. “Don’t you die on me now, y’hear?”
Yondu can feel Stakar kneel down beside them, flinches away a little as Stakar reaches out a hand to Yondu’s shoulder.
“Yondu…” Stakar says gruffly, his face working like it can’t quite decide what emotion to settle on. It’s the last thing Yondu sees before he passes out.
Yondu comes to in a familiar med bay. He can feel a weight along his side and he looks down to see Peter, fast asleep and drooling a little onto the bedding, his big pink paw wrapped firmly around Yondu’s arm.
“He really cares about you.”
Yondu snaps his head around, wincing as his traumatized body shrieks in protest. He locks eyes with Stakar and firms his chin, unwilling to look away. They stare at each other for a minute before Stakar breaks the silence.
“It was a good thing you did there,” he says. “Helping kill that monster, saving the boy.”
“It don’t change nothin’ ” Yondu croaks, ducking his head to stare down at the deck. “I still delivered them kids.“
“You did,” Stakar says, his gaze unwavering but his eyes soft. “You also kept Peter Quill once you couldn’t ignore what Ego was doing any longer. You raised him. And when you could of chose to live, you chose him.”
Yondu curls his lip, his gaze going everywhere but at Stakar.
“Look at me,” Stakar says leaning over and gently resting one hand on Yondu’s arm and using the other to tilt Yondu’s face towards his own. “You did good.”
Yondu suddenly feels as if he’s that angry young Ravager again, with a chip on his shoulder to prove he's more than just a Kree battle slave, trying desperately to show Stakar he'd been worth saving. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, trying to choke down the swirl of emotions as Stakar gives his shoulder one last squeeze and stands heavily.
The motion jostles Peter, who bolts awake with frantic eyes snapping to Yondu, ignoring Stakar as he lets the door slide gently shut behind him.
“Yondu! You’re awake,” Peter says muzzily, peering worriedly down at him. “You’re hooked up to a drip, don’t jerk it loose, and you gotta keep that post-exposure grease on your skin for at least a week, okay?”
“Back off, boy, there’s nothin’ wrong with me a little liquor won’t cure,” Yondu says grumpily, shoving shakily with one hand at Peter’s bulk.
“You were in space. Without a spacesuit. What were you thinking, you big blue jerk?” Peter leans in huffily, refusing to move out of Yondu’s personal space.
“I was thinkin’ I was savin’ yer life,” Yondu glares up at him.
Peter frowns, pursing his lips stubbornly.
“I don’t care if you’re my old man or not, don’t do it again.”
“I’ll do whatever the hell I want, boy. ’S not right, a kid dying b’fore the one what’s raised him.”
That’s all it takes to have Peter’s eyes welling up, as he collapses forward onto Yondu, squeezing as much of his ribs as he can get his arms around.
“Whatever… dad,” he says, wobbly voice muffled by the blankets bunched up around Yondu.
“Aw, hell, stop cryin’ ya big pink idiot,” Yondu says, trying to ignore the spreading warmth in his chest as he begins to fall back again into unconsciousness, pain meds pulling him under. He uses the last of his wakefulness to drag a hand up to cuff Peter’s head, his fingers tangling gently instead in ginger curls.