Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Her folks always did say that this town wasn’t big enough to hold her for long.

They were right... and they were wrong.

In the summer of 1974, their words couldn’t have been more true as Meredith Quill hopped into the back of a beat up chevy truck and headed west to Sedalia for the Ozark Music Festival.

The days were hot, the music was loud, and the security lax. In the free spirit of the seventies, young folks came from miles around. A kind of hippy free-for-all that hadn’t been seen since the days of Woodstock. If you were looking for drugs or alcohol then you could find it there, but mostly the vibe was good- just folks coming together for good fun, good music, and a good three day weekend party.

She was fourteen years old, but lied and said she was sixteen so that she could come to this once in a lifetime party playing the best bands. But they are two days in and so far, no-one has even bothered to ask.

So in the blistering summer heat, Meredith Quill danced to the sultry sound of rock and roll, lightly buzzed on cheap beer, sunburnt and sweaty as the sun slowly sunk below the horizon.

And that’s when she saw him.

“Hey Lisa,” She said to her friend, a busty brunette who is well on her way towards drunk and topless in a vain attempt to cool off, “Look over there. That guy looks just like Kurt Russell.”

“Like who?” Lisa said as she craned her head to look, face flushed with booze and sunburn.

“You know. Fool’s Parade? Johnny Jesus?”

“You’re hopeless Mary.” Lisa said rolling her eyes, before slumping back against her boyfriend.

“Ugh, don’t call me that,” She said, wrinkling her nose, “I’m gonna get a drink, don’t wait up.”

She knew that it most likely wasn’t Kurt Russell, but passing curiosity had her wanting to get a closer look anyways. But in the time it took her to stand she’d already lost sight of him- the place was just too packed to keep track of one beautiful stranger. So shrugging it off, she had made her way to the cooler they’d left on the ground by the truck.

But as she lifted the lid of the ice chest a booted foot closed it down, nearly on her fingers. Irritated she looked up only for her words to die on her tongue-

And there he was. Back-lit by the setting sun and smiling down at her a cold beer in his hand. And as he held it out to her, there was look in his eyes she’d never seen before- an appraisal, an appreciation. A heat that raked her over hot coals and set her stomach fluttering.

“Hey there lil momma, now what’s a pretty little thing like you doing here all alone.”

She was irritated, and intrigued. Flustered and flattered. It was the first time she’d ever drawn the attention of a man, and it was a dangerous thrill. So she played at flirting with the older man, drawn in by his attention.

She’d shy away only to coyly let him back in. Tossing her head to laugh at him, only to offer her hand to dance the next- a fascinating game she’d never played before.

“Who are you?” She had laughed incredulously, “Where are you from?”

“Baby, I’m from out of this world,” He said with a wink and she laughed again.

“No really,” She hit him playfully, “At least tell me your name.”

“How about you tell me,” He quipped back, making eyes at her over his beer before holding it out to her once more. A drink they had been sharing as part of this intimate game.

She hummed, taking a long pull before looking him over, “I think... Jason. You look like a Jason.”

“That’s it! Got it in one,” He said with a blinding smile as she threw back her head and laughed.

As the night pressed on, his flirting became more forward and she became more bold. He, Jason, held the singular focus of her attention that night- shared only with the music floating on the air. Hand in hand they danced, never noticing as they drifted further and further from the crowd because it already felt like they were the only ones left in the world.

And as the moon set she knew she was in love.

“I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful,” She’d said somewhat breathlessly as she leaned into him, gazing into his eyes underneath the starlight as he pulled her close, “It’s almost like you- It’s like you’re glowing.”

“Oh, you’re right,” He said and pulled away suddenly- looking at his hand in dismay,

“Oh sweetheart, I’d hoped we’d have longer,” He said, disappointment clear in his voice as she looked on in wonder. His whole body shining with an inner light, “But it seems I’m out of time.”

“What? I - I don’t understand,” She’d said only to be silenced as he hushed her, brushing her hair back as he smiled reassuringly, confident and unafraid. Radiant. Angelic.

“Don’t you worry, Meredith Quill,” He’d said as motes of light started flickering away from him like fireflies, “I’ll come back for you. But in the meantime, here’s something to remember me by.”

And then surging forward he silenced her questions and stole her breath, pressing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. Her first kiss. Her first summer romance. Her first heartbreak.

When she opened her eyes Jason was gone. Vanishing like stardust into the night.

Time passed, as time does.

That memory of that perfect summer night sustained her all throughout her high school years. She was bold and brave and wild as ever, but none of her boyfriends could hold a candle to that golden shining memory. The memory never fading, clear as the day it happened.

Her parents despaired at her ever settling down, and her friends just shook their heads at her terrible taste, while the boys all called her too hard to please. They tell her she was dreaming. They tell her she needs to move on. Grow up. Forget him. 

They are all wrong of course, Meredith Quill knew exactly what she wanted.

Good music, an endless summer night, and a man made of starlight.

It was the summer of ‘79, and Meredith had just broken up with her most recent boyfriend, some boneheaded high school jock who thought he was all that cause his daddy had money, she’d left him that night and hot-wired his cherry red convertible when he wouldn’t give her a ride back home.

Now screaming down the highway, blasting the radio loud- she’s on her way to the senior year bonfire when she sees a light flash across the twilight sky, a falling star, and makes a wish.

Well that falling star falls a lot closer than expected- and before she knows what she’s doing she’s driving that red sports car through cornfields- chasing a gleaming orb of light that has her heart pounding in her throat.

And with a wild feeling beating in her chest- she clears the rows of corn, skidding to a stop in the fresh made circle as that orb slowly descends in a way most things do not. And in the smooth white face of it, a door appears and opens as she stumbles out of the car, staggering over the fallen stalks to be bathed in that oh so heartbreakingly familier light.

And there he is again. Her Jason. A Spaceman.

She never makes it to the bonfire.

Life with Jason back in her life is like nothing she could have imagined. It’s wild, it’s free, it’s wondrous and amazing. In Jason’s arms, the universe unfolded like a flower, spilling secrets of the stars against her skin and whispering wonders of a future she could barely understand against her lips.

“What are you really,” She’d asked at last, cradled in his arms and naked under the moonlight.

“I’m a celestial,” He said proudly, stroking her hair, “I am meant for greater things, a higher purpose. And you are too, my river lily. I cannot do this without you,” his lips ghosting against the skin of her neck, “I need you.”

“A celestial,” She murmured, distracted and dazed, “Like... an angel?”

“Like a god.”

In the morning she wakes and he’s still there, and Meredith’s joy knows no bounds. Together they stumble out of the field, giggling and drunk with love, following a shallow creek until they emerge from the little tangled wood into the parking lot of a Dairy Queen. And so it’s ice-cream for breakfast on what is to be the best day of Meredith’s new life in love with a spaceman.

With Jason in it, her small hometown has never felt so large, and she takes him to explore every inch of it. In return he tells her stories of his travels amongst the stars, and tells her now none of it compares to her beauty in his arms, whispers how he’d hate to leave her...

But this town, this world, has never been big enough to hold her. And with stars in her eyes and stories of space on her tongue, how could she ever be content to stay on earth when her Star Lord holds her in his arms. He has to leave. His reasons are vague, and claims she wouldn’t understand it anyway, but as he continues to explain, she just smiles at him and says “Then take me with you!”

But he just laughed, shaking his head as he kissed her “Oh my river lily, you are a wonder.”

They make love once more, and she never feels the urge to ask again.

In the morning he is gone.

He’s gone and it’s like the light goes out of her world. Like all the color has been drained away and everything is left dull and gray. The radio only plays broken-hearted love songs that she can’t bring herself to sing. And that endless restlessness, that wild energy and wicked spirit of hers, seemed to have vanished with him that night.

Her folks just took it as a sign of her finally growing up, maturing into an adult- even as they shook their heads in confusion at her new sedentary ways. It didn’t help that she couldn’t really explain why. She just didn’t want to leave anymore, couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

They had never met Jason, after all. Didn’t know the spaceman who had stolen her heart.

For a month this was her life. Dull and gray, save for the sparks of poignant wistfulness and longing. She missed him so much it almost made her sick. Even food didn’t taste the same anymore, it soured on her tongue and rolled her stomach.

And then, on that last day of summer, her spaceman came back.

He came to her home, in the middle of the night- throwing rocks at her bedroom window. And when she looked out she saw him, just the same as he always was, leaning against a cherry red convertible- just like the one she’d stolen and they’d abandoned in the cornfield. And just like that Meredith was whole again, clambering out the window and sliding back into his arms as if he’d never left. She jumps into his car, and they peel away onto the highway, her spirits rising with the sun.

Wind in her hair she sings Brandy with her love by her side in the bright sunshine and everything is right in the world.

He takes her back to the DQ, and the little wooded creek. And she can barely pay attention to the words he says as he shows her the strange little flower in its bank, so dazzled and delirious with joy, with love for him, back with her at long last. And when they make love again, right there in the woods behind the Dairy Queen, he places a hand against her stomach and smiles against her lips- and tells her that she’s given him the greatest gift that he could ever ask for...

She’s pregnant.

She doesn’t grieve when he leaves her this time, because this time he’s left something of his with her. A child. A son. She’s pregnant with a spaceman’s son, a little star lord, a little angel growing inside of her.

Her folks don’t believe her when she tells them, but her wild stories alarm them as much as they worry about how her behavior changed. But when she gets sick, they take her to the doctor anyway....

Well, she did tell them she was pregnant.

And pregnant she is, all seventeen years old and unmarried with no man in sight to take care of her or her unborn child. But then, of course he’s not here, her angel’s out traveling the stars...

Peter is born perfect, and she sobs as they place him into her arms. Her little star lord.

He is a healthy happy baby, and the center of Meredith’s universe now that Jason is gone. She croons gentle lullabies, sings to him everyday, and whispers words of love and stars every night. He grows well. He’s seven now, almost eight, and he is so strong, and bold and brave....

And he needs to be. Because his momma is dying.

They’d called it postpartum depression at first, waved it away as a long recovery after a hard birth. But whatever it was, Meredith wasn’t getting any better. Dizzy spells, light-headedness and headaches. Some days she couldn’t move, she head hurt so badly. Other days she couldn’t eat she felt so sick.

The seizures were unexpected. Terrifying, and unpredictable. But what scared them the most was how she would wander, like a daytime-sleepwalker- lost to her thoughts only to come too without memory as to how she got there or what she was doing.

Most of it was small, inconsequential, but other times... other times are terrifying.

They lost track of her once for an entire day. Her parents came home one day to find Peter in the playpen and Meredith nowhere to be found. She was just up and gone without a trace. They called the police and sent out search parties... Only to find her hours later, near sundown, wandering the backwoods behind the Dairy Queen in her nightshirt, and all she could say to the folks that found her, dazed and confused, was that she’d wanted to see a blue flower.

They took her to the doctor after that, because something was seriously wrong.

And they were right, something was wrong. Something was wrong with Meredith’s brain, and it was about the size of a marble.

Meredith Quill is a single, teenage mom, and dying of brain cancer.

Her life after that became a series of doctors visits. An endless round of getting worse and getting better only to get worse again. Surgery to remove the tumor, and chemo to kill it away. Recovering from the chemo only for another session to send her bedridden once more.

And her poor baby, her little boy. She hates that he had to grow up this way. That he has to see her like this. And so she tries so hard to make him smile. She shares her music with him when she’s too weak to get out of bed, cuddles him close on her bad days. And on her good days, she does her best to be the mom he needs, the mom he should have if she was better.

Tickle fights and pillow forts, and laughing breathlessly- and desperately pretending it’s just the laughter that has her breathless.

He’s grown so well, even after all of this. So strong. A fighter. Her precious little angel tries so hard to be a good boy for her, to make her smile when she’s feeling poorly. Hating the doctors, and how she’s so weak after visiting them, but knowing it’s the only way she’ll get better.

And now here he is almost eight years old, and she can’t help but think about how much he looks like his daddy. Jason is there in her little boy’s dimples, in the curl of his hair, and how his eyes twinkle when he’s up to some mischief he thinks will make her smile. Looking at him now, she can only imagine what kind of man he’ll be when he grows up, can only hope she’ll live long enough to see it. Her little star lord is just a little boy right now, all grass stained sneakers and hole-y jeans, but he is just so full of love and compassion...

Even now, sprinting through the dewy grass as the sun goes down, her little boy chases the fireflies buzzing lazily through the air. He catches them gently, cupping them in his hands as he runs back to show her, and just as gently let them go. Only to run off again, smiling back at her.

Back in the old farmhouse, there is a manila folder lying on the kitchen table.

A thin envelope that holds the answers to her continued health, whether she’ll live to see her baby’s eighth birthday or not.

But she’s not going think about that right now.

Right now, all she wants to do is be carefree and happy with her little boy. Enjoying the feeling of being well for as long as it will last. To enjoy the cool night air against her skin, the light breeze tossing her thin curls under her warn knit cap. She sits on the the blanket spread out under her, another wrapped around her shoulders. The soft sounds of old familiar music singing from the walkman around her neck.

Someday, her angel will return for her gentle little star lord. He’ll come back and take Peter away to the stars, and she lets that thought fill her mind with hope and light- and does not think about how someday she might leave her little boy all alone before then.

Instead she focuses on her little boy today. Watches him play and enjoys the time she has with him. With the fireflies and the music and the evening stars.

“Look mom a shooting star!”

And Meredith looked up, and everything was bathed in light.

“Oh, oh! Oh Peter!” Meredith gasped, eyes wide as a hand flew up to her mouth to cover a wide disbelieving grin, “He’s here! He came! Oh, my little star lord! Your daddy’s here for you!”

Her mind awash with blue wonder, consumed with a blinding, rapturous joy. Babbling as tears of wonder pricked her eyes, gazing into the blinding light. She could barely see as Peter’s feet slowly lifted up off of the grassy lawn. Heart pounding in her ears so loudly she could barely hear. Jason had come for Peter and all she could feel was joy-

“NO MOM! MOM!”

What the fuck is she doing?!

“I’m Coming Peter!” Meredith yelled, snapping out of the daze that had held her frozen, her baby’s scream like a slap to the face. And she’s up and running up the hill with a desperation that sets her feet flying, “I’m coming baby! Hold on!”

“Mom! Mom take my hand!” Peter cries out to her, fighting the light pulling him away from her, and hanging almost upside down in midair as he reaches down to her.

She crests the hill and leaps, hand outstretched and-

Peter latches onto her with both hands and with a pull she is caught up into the light as well.

“Mom!” Peter gasps, almost a sob as he throws himself at his mom, clinging to her as she clings to him just as hard, “I’ve got you Peter, I’ve got you baby. I’m here. I got you.”

Wrapped up together, they watch as the earth falls away under their feet. The light pulling them up and up and up. Lifted higher and higher into the air, trees shrinking to the size of matchsticks until the whole of the small town could be seen under their swinging feet.

And then the spaceships floor closes in around them.

For a moment they hang suspended in the air, whatever power holding them aloft slowly dropping them to the metal floor of this strange craft they have suddenly found themselves in. And the room is silent, save for the low steady thrum vibrating the floors, the hard pounding of their hearts, and heavy breathing.

“Mom what-?” Peter starts to say, but quickly turns to look at the door, all deer-in-the-headlights as the sound of heavy hurried footsteps ring out heading their way- echoing loudly in whatever chamber lies beyond the heavy metal door.

But there’s a dangerous ringing sound in Meredith’s ears that she doesn’t think is coming from the ship.
And the sound of footsteps comes closer and closer. And Peter has her in a death-grip as she tries to move him behind her-

She’ll always protect him. But she might not be able to for long.
The world already starting to go dark as the ringing in her ears reaches a shrill note. (she shouldn’t have run she’s not well)...

The door swishes open.

Blue. Red eyes. Undoubtedly alien and looking just as shocked and surprised to see them as they are.

And Meredith Quill has only one thought as she faints, collapsing to the spaceships floor.

‘Jason’s not blue... he’s not here. He didn’t come.’

Chapter Text

“Ow shit, knock it off kid and sit still-Ow Fuck! Stop Biting!”

The sound of bickering set her ears ringing, and the headache she didn’t know she had pounding at her temples. Ugh.

Dazed as she was, getting up- or even opening her eyes for that matter- seemed unwise. But whoever was causing such a ruckus didn’t seem like they were going to be stopping any time soon. And she’d much rather that stop sooner rather than later. Before the headache decided to move on into migraine territory.

Moving also turned out to be a bad idea.

“Ow,” she groaned, grimacing as the movement pulled at the strange pain near her ear. It felt almost like a pinched nerve, sore and sharp like a bad bruise. Instinctively she reached up to feel the spot and felt- cold?  “What...?”

It was cold. Like metal. A small smooth circle, just about the width of her fingertip.

And that was ... strange. Strange enough to motivate the whole “getting up” process into speeding up. Muzzy brain and discomfort be damned.

So, priorities decided, Meredith gathered her strength to open her eyes and sat up.

And blinked.

Oh. That’s right. They’d been abducted by aliens. Blue ones.

This particular blue alien was apparently having a hard time with the whole “abduction” thing as her Peter was currently giving it one hell of a fight.

Dangling nearly upside down in the arms of this strange blue alien her little boy was swinging and kicking for all he was worth. Growling like a little wild thing. Snapping his teeth on the sleeves of the alien’s long- duster like coat. It was almost comical, and frankly kind of ridiculous... 

And as ferociously as he was fighting, it didn’t seem to be having much of an effect, as it-he?- as the alien didn’t seem more than a little irritated at it all. It was a very male-ish kind of irritation wasn’t it?

But for all the noise, he wasn’t really trying to hurt her boy from what she could see.

His hold on her son was awkward and clumsy, but still gentle in it’s firmness as he tried to wrangle the boy into position. And the expression on his face was a very human-like exasperation, as he tried to juggle both her squirming child and an odd looking contraption in his other hand.

“For fucks’s sake,”  And she blinked again as the alien spoke. His voice a strangely high almost hickish drawl, and wasn’t that strange- because otherwise his words were completely understandable, “Just let me- Get- That- Translator in...”

Red eyes met green, and for a second, the alien froze as they blinked at each other.

And caught, Meredith found herself staring up at the second alien she’d ever met.

Meredith had the vaguest inkling that she should be scared.

They’d been abducted by aliens, that should be terrifying right?

But on second thought, not really- because she’d been comfortable with the thought of life in outer space for longer than Peter had been alive.

So instead of being reasonably hysterical, here they were: her boy trying his best to beat up a real live extraterrestrial while she did her best to fight the giggles threatening to bubble up out of her as she lay sprawled out on the floor of an actual real live spaceship.

On second thought, she may be a little hysterical after all.

But it really was a ridiculous sight: her little boy held upside down, with his shirt jacket hanging over his head and his flailing tatty sneakers- leaving a muddy footprint on this exasperated blue aliens face.

A blue alien, with his red eyes and crooked teeth, who was currently staring at her like a raccoon caught rummaging in a garbage bin.

Come to think of it, he was rather regular looking. For an alien. Not that she would know, exactly. The blue was a bit of a surprise as Jason-

“Let me go!” Peter screeched, jolting them out of their stupor as he continued to thrash, “Let Me Go! What did you do to my Mom you bas-” and Peter did a frenetic double take as he finally caught sight of her sitting up as well, “MOM! Mom are you okay- OW!”

Quick as a flash, the alien had taken advantage of her son’s momentary distraction from his persistent wriggling to click the device in his hand against the base of Peter’s skull, just below his right ear, before shoving the thing into his pocket and dropping her boy like a sack of potatoes on the floor.

“THERE!” He said, dusting his hands off and straightening his coat, “There’s that sorted.” He rolled his eyes in a very human gesture before looking down towards her, “That boy of yours’ a fighter. No mistaking that. Damn near put a hole in my good coat...”

“Um, thanks?” Meredith managed before she got a lap full of Peter.

“Mom! You’re okay!” Peter plowed into her in a full body hug, before remembering to be gentle and eased up.

“I’m fine, just a little-,” She shook her head, there was a lot going on, “I’m fine. Are you?”

“My head feels funny,” He said as she brushed back Peter’s hair, and there just behind his ear was a small metallic circle- a simple and yet impossibly intricate looking little thing, with faint little lights ringing around the edge of it pressed into his skin.

“Ah, I wouldn’t touch that,” The alien said as she reached for it, “Least not for a bit. Translator needs a few seconds to calibrate. Spots probably still sore too. Best leave it be for now.”

“It’s a translator?” Meredith said, her hand going up to touch the spot behind her own ear- sore, but not painful. In her arms, Peter looked up at her in confusion.

“Yup, should make things easier. In theory. Should make for less biting at the very least. But where are my manners,” The alien straighten up and extended a hand down to her.

“Captain Yondu Udonta, welcome aboard the Eclector, Miss Quill.”

Helping her to her feet, Yondu took the moment to look them both over.

Meredith Quill. From what little Peter had said of her, she was not what he expected.

The Terran woman was almost dainty looking- all thin bird bones and pale skin. Her hair hanging lank under a knit stocking cap, and wearing light breezy clothes that left her looking positively chilled in the significantly cooler air of recirculated atmo.

But around her neck rested a familiar set of orange headphones. And her eyes were bright and green and startling in how much the reminded him of the Peter he knew...

And then there was the Peter of now.
Chubby cheeked and grass stained- and looking just as tiny as can be as he peeked out from around his mother’s thin boney blue-jean clad legs. Goddamn, he was small. Had he always been that tiny? It seemed impossible that this little boy would grow into the man he knew before....

He pointedly does not think about the lack of recognition in those same green eyes.

Instead, turns his focus back on the enigma that is his mother. The living woman herself, who was very much alive and not at all dead.

“You ah, know me?” She asks as she sways on her feet, resting a hand on Peter’s head- both to steady and reassure, as Peter tugs at her thin sweater. She looks like a stiff wind would blow her over at any second.

It’s unsettling how frail she looks, how tiny Peter looks next to her, and the jarring dichotomy of expectation in the face of reality has him seriously off balance.

“Well,” He coughed an awkward chuckle, struggling to find his composure, “I should hope so, seeing as we came all this way-”

“Psst Mom!” Peter hissed up at Meredith as he tugged on her sweater some more, “Mom, the alien’s speaking english now!”

The alien.

“Ah, that would be the translator,” Yondu nodded sharply, rubbing the bristles on his chin. Pointedly ignoring the sharp pang in favor of being glad for the change of subject, “Glad to see it’s working- should probably still get ya both a look over in the infirmary, just in case.  Come on, we’ll get cha checked out an’ then see about getting ya both settled.”

Turning, Yondu abruptly marched off into the hall. The Quills skittishly following closely behind, like a second shadow as they gawked at their surroundings.

“Hey wait,” Peter said, and wasn’t his voice babyish high, “How are you speaking English all of a sudden? Mom, how is he speaking English now?”

“I don’t think he is, honey,” Meredith said down to her son, a hand around his shoulders keeping him close as she tried to keep pace with Yondu. Her eyes darting around to take in their surroundings before glancing back towards Yondu, “It’s the translator, right? How does it work?  Other than, you know, the obvious. Translating.”

She talked with her hands too, Yondu noticed, like Peter did.... Does. Used to?

“Eh, don’t know the specifics mind,” Yondu said, as he moved with single minded purpose down the hall, “It’s andromeda tech. Fancy stuff, but it’s so useful you can find just about anywhere in the galaxy for a few units- dirt cheap for the quality too.

“From what I understand,” He continued, keying open a door and ushering the Quills through before resuming his leading march, “It’s an interpretive nano-algorithm or something like that. Takes what you’re intending to say, scrambles it into bits, and the receiver decodes the bits into the best match the brain can understand.

“It ain’t nowhere near perfect-,” He shrugged, “Especially when you get into idioms and cultural shit. But it’s a helluva lot better than trying to learn a half a million dialects for everyday use, I’ll tell you that.”

“I can imagine,” Meredith said faintly. And then smiled, “So, it’s like a babel fish.”

“Yeah like that. I got no clue what that is.”

“So wait,” And Yondu froze for a half step as Peter looked up at him from his mother’s side, all wide eyed enthusiasm, “Are you saying I can speak a million languages now?!”

“... Something like that,” Yondu ground out and opened the door, “We’re here. Come on in.”

The door swished open, and the Quills stepped in after Yondu, gawking all the way.

Meredith instinctively pulled Peter closer as she spotted the room was full of more aliens. They’d passed a few in the hallways, but at a distance, and Yondu had been walking too fast for them to take in more than just the general sense of strangeness and notice the matching coats- along with the rough and tumble industrial looking framework that made up the spaceships interior, all rusty metallic and neon lights.

While Meredith hadn’t been in many spaceships, or any really, she had been in more than her fair share of hospital rooms. This room was noticeably cleaner looking than the rest of the ship, with what looked like an attempt at hospital quality white splashing the walls here and there, lined with shelves and cabinets holding all kinds of strange jars and instruments. There were cot-like beds shoved up against one wall, but the blankets were rough and odd mismatched colors.

But more noticeable at the moment, was the massively large, hairy blue alien currently organizing the shelves of tiny delicate looking jars with remarkable care in his massive  hands.

In a cot beside him, lay another blue alien, this one more lanky and tall looking than large. There was a distinctive unfinished quality about this one's features too, like a giant puppy that still hadn’t grown into its paws. Which meant that this alien was only going to get bigger which was frankly ridiculous.

Aliens came in primary colors apparently. Mostly blue. Occasionally red.

The red was a surprise as she almost missed the still figure sitting at the table nearby, thin and white skinned, almost as white as the splashes of paint- lending it-him- an odd kind of camouflage. The red she noticed was his hair, dark blood red and smooth looking, that moved when the boy shifted where he was, head bent low over some contraption that was spilling parts all over the table.

At his feet, almost under the table, was a series of large boxes full of insulating papers and straw- rustling ominously.

“Oi Gus,” Yondu said as he moved into the room, “Got two for you. Done did the translators already, but give it a looksee- an’ give them a scan while you’re at it. See if they need to be innoculated. They probably will, seeing as Terra’s an isolated dirtball of a planet.”

“Hey,” Meredith said faintly, as she eyeballed the boxes warily, Peter leaning around her legs to get a closer look.

“Hmm, yes Captain,” the very large blue man said as he carefully set the glass vials down.

“Oh uh, I-I’m sure its fine-Eep!” Meredith stuttered out before, surprising speed, the other blue alien was suddenly looming over Meredith, his massive bulk crowding her personal space. She flinched back as he reached for her, but he only brushed her hair aside to examine her behind her ear with that same surprisingly delicate touch.

“Hmmn, looks good,” He rumbled, a deep bassy voice but from this close up, Meredith could see the kindness inherent in this giant aliens eyes and she began to relax a little, “You are well? No pain?”

“Uhh, no? No more than usual,” Meredith said as she stepped back, patting the big man’s hand as she lowered it. Gus just frowned at her and raised his other hand, holding up a strange device that emitted light and whirred as it scanned over her.

“Ahh!” Peter yelped, and Meredith startled as well- turning to look as one of the boxes moved violently... and giggled.

“Nushka? That you?” Yondu said, struggling to keep the amusement out of his voice as he leaned over the table to peer into the box, “What you doin’ in there, girly?”

The box shifted and giggled some more, and now Meredith could see a pair of yellow eyes peering up out at them.

The boy at the table just rolled his eyes, “She’s been playing in there since we opened them.” His voice was the pitch perfect sound of an aggrieved teenager, “They’re just boxes, I don’t get what she’s so excited about. And I need that.”

Yondu handed over the tool he’d been fiddling with in his hands, before saying with noticeably put on casualness, “Well that’s a shame cause it looks like little Nurse Nush is missing out on some prime doctorin’ right about-”

“HERE I AM!” The box burst open to reveal a small black and white fuzzy little girl, with pointy ears and a large curved fluffy tail, and an oversized shirt hanging off of her frame as she waved her hands around excitedly.

“There ya are,” Yondu agreed, grabbing the little girl around the armpits to lift her out of the box, “How about you leave the box’s be and go see about your new patients yeah?”

“Okay!” She chirped, scampering off to rummage into the big man’s pockets as he ignored her in favor of continuing his scan, beaming up at the Quills before peering around Meredith’s legs to look at Peter, “Hello, my name is Anushka an’ I’m gonna be a doctor when I grow up. What’s your name?”

“Um, I’m Peter.”

“Here,” The big man rumbled, handing Anushka his scanner before lumbering off to rummage through a cabinet.

“So what’s the word, Tailor?” Yondu asked, dragging his attention from the amusing sight of Anushka slowly chasing Peter around his mother’s legs with the scanner, “They got a clean bill of health or what? 

“Hmm,”The big blue man paused in his rummaging, scratching his head in contemplation before shrugging ponderously, “Am no doctor. Scan says yes. But scanner simple. Will give medicine. Just in case.”

The big man lumbered back, patting Anushka on the head as her little nose twitched up at Meredith inquisitively, “Here.” He said, handing Meredith a small bottle, “Take two each. Back in morning. Will have clothes.”

“Right,” Yondu said, “Thanks for thinking of that, I was gonna ask. You got anything for them now by any chance? Just Ms. Quill here looks fit to shiver out’a her skin as is.”

“Hmmm. Will look.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Anushka asked looking up at Meredith. She’d given up trying to scan Peter in favor of scanning her. The device that had looked small in the big man’s hands, took two hands for the little fuzzy girl to operate. Her little nose twitching curiously as Anushka frowned at the scanner, sticking her tongue out in concentration.

“I’m fine,” Meredith said, leaning up against a spare bed before using it to sit. Peter looked up at her at that, familier worry in his young eyes, and Meredith smiled tiredly at him, “Just... a little cold and tired. That’s all. It’s been a... It’s been a day.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Yondu said with a nod to as he moved to the other bed, the one with the tall blue boy in it, “Space is cold as hell, an’ it's not like I could’a called ahead an’ told ya to bring a jacket. We’ll get ya kitted out, don’t worry bout that. Th’ cold, you’ll just have’ta get used to.”

“And the smell?” Meredith said, wrinkling her nose. She hadn’t noticed it right away, but the entire spaceship had a rather distinctive odor. Stale air, sweat, and a strange musty alien funk- it wasn’t exactly terrible, but it definitely wasn’t what one would call ‘fresh air’.  

“Have’ta get used to that as well,” He said with another nod and a cavalier shrug as he turned his attention to the sleeping giant. There was an awkward gentle care in the way he brushed his hand over the boy’s short hair as he looked him over. Almost fatherly in a way. Much like how she was petting Peter’s head right now. Familial comfort and reassurance.

“Comes with the territory, ‘m afraid. How’s that leg coming, Tr’ll?” 

“It’s not a leg yet,” The boy at the table deadpanned with a sullen shrug of his own as he  continued to laser the pile of junk in front of him without looking up.

“Um, about that,” Meredith said, before shaking her head, “Not-not the leg, or whatever that’s about- but about the um... whole “abduction” thing... I mean, this isn’t my first “close encounter of the third kind” but I’d still like to know... Why did you pick us up, exactly?”

“Yeah about that-,” Yondu started awkwardly, before his wrist band chirped an alarm.

Before his runaway dash, Yondu had locked his control console- just a precaution he’d started to take. Now that there were several sets of young curious fingers around itching to press buttons.

And that alarm was letting him know someone was fucking around with his consol right now when they definitely weren’t supposed to, “Ah fuck.”

“I gotta go to the bridge,” Yondu said, straightening up and pulling on an expression Meredith was quickly coming to identify as his ‘captaning’ face. “Y’all stay here.”

“Okay Yondu,” Anushka chirped from back inside the box again.

“No, wait, I have questions,” Meredith said to Yondu’s back as he strode out of the room. Frowning stubbornly, she slipped off the bed she was sitting on.

“Peter,” She said looking to her son sternly, “Stay here. I’ll be right back." 

“What?!” Peter yelped incredulously, “No! Mom!”

“No- wait. What am I thinking,” She blinked, shaking her head sharply. Was she crazy? They had just been abducted by aliens . “Alright you stay with me Starlord. Okay?”

“Okay,” Peter said with a firm nod, taking her hand. And Meredith nodded back.

“Now, let’s go get answers,” And with that she was off, dragging Peter behind her as Meredith Quill strode off following the path of Yondu Udonta.

Yondu approached the bridge and found a break-in in progress.

Before the door Kraglin, Willit, and H’ekk huddled around the access panel- heads together as they tried to hack the code and bickering in sotto-voices.  Yondu raised an eyebrow at that. If the boys were out here, they obviously weren’t the ones messing with his consol- but then Yondu hadn’t locked the bridge door when he left either.

A sharp whistle had the boys leaping away from the door. Tucking their hands behind their back guiltily as they feigned innocence in various levels of success.

“Alright Kraglin,” Yondu said as he approached, “What’s goin on here?”

“Nothing.” The boy’s chorused in an utterly unconvincing manner- prompting fidgeting as the boy’s elbowed each other as they exchanged scowls. 

“No, really sir,” Kraglin continued at Yondu’s unamused look, “It’s just- Willit thought Nettle would like time under the sun lamp- but then we’re so close to sol, I thought that maybe she’d like time under the real thing. So we um....”

“Nettles on the bridge sir,” Willit interrupted, “I swear we didn’t mean to leave her on there alone- we were gone just a second and now the doors locked and we can’t get in.”

“And you thought, rather than get me, you’d get H’ekk to hack it open again,” Yondu said deliberately slow as the boys shifted guiltily and shamefaced, “Am I understanding right?”

“Yes sir,” Kraglin said, chin up and grim, “I’m sorry sir.”

“Yeah well,” Yondu rolled his eyes at the boy’s theatrics, “Don’t do it again, but take it too hard. It’s not like a little thing like her can get into too much trouble- she can’t reach moren’ three feet up as is. But still, don’t like to leave her unattended like that.”

Keying in the access code, Yondu gave the boys a significant look, “An’ this bridge door aint ever supposed to be locked.”

The door swished open, and Yondu was treated to the sight of Horuz sitting in his chair. The bearded man jumped guiltily, and Yondu only was able to catch a glimpse of the figure on the screen, a woman with blond hair and pale skin- before it went dark.

“Goddamn it Horuz,” Yondu said as he scowled, “How many times I say not to watch porn on the bridge? We got youngins on the ship now too- You do that shit on your own channel.”

“R-right sir,”Horuz stuttered, wrongfooted and awkward, “I’ll remember that-And I’ll just... I’m gonna- I’m gonna go. Now.” 

“You do that.” Yondu said to Horuz’s retreating back. Giving his chair a suspicious look over, Yondu sat down in his chair and turned to see Nettle sitting in a beam of strong sunlight- blinking her jewel-like red eyes before grinning up at him.

“Well, at least you don’t seem traumatized. But hell if I know, who knows what goes on in that lil yella head of yours.”

Nettle just continued to grin, before turning with delight as the boys stormed in.

Quickly followed by Meredith Quill and... her son.

“Hey you, hold up. I have que-” Meredith started strong before trailing off,“...questions...”

In the big window, on the front of the bridge, hung Terra.

Blue and green with whimsical swirls of white, slowly turning in the light of the yellow sun.

Beautiful and serene. It was breathtaking and it stopped Meredith’s brewing tirade in its tracks. All thought, all words, escaped her. And she could only stare, drawing her son to her side and holding him close. Awestruck. And marvel.

There it is. Earth. In all its splendor.

There really is nothing quite like seeing your home planet from the perspective of space.

Giving the Quills a moment, Yondu turns to Nettle and the boys.

“Kraglin,” Yondu said, nodding to his consol, “You know how to fly a ship?”

“Yes sir!” Kraglin said eagerly, at his side in a moment.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Yondu said relinquishing the seat to the boy, “This’ll be an easy maneuver through, so figure I’d let you have a try at it. Just take it slow.”

“Slow?” Kraglin asked, hands already at the controls.

“Yup. Nice and easy break from orbit,” Yondu said with a nod out the front window, “Just a slow retreat for now, don't want any of these primitive wave satellites to pick up on a jump. We’ll wait till we get outside the asteroid belt before we do any faster moving.”

“Yes sir.” Kraglin said, brow furrowed in concentration.

Under the young boys hands, and Yondu’s watchful eyes, the Eclector began to move. Smoothly pulling out of orbit, and engaging engines to a mid burn- draw away from Terra. And Yondu had to shake his head, cause for all Kraglin was half the age he remembered, the boy he was now was still a deft hand at piloting.

Trusting his ship was in good, if young hands, Yondu’s attention was free to wander.

And wander it did, right back to the Quills.

His boy. And his momma. Still standing, huddled together, not five feet away. Watching the earth, Tera, the only home they had ever known, shrink and fall away. Growing small, and distant. Slowly swallowed up by the stars and darkness of endless space. 

This would complicate things. Yondu knew, and couldn’t help but worry.

But even under all the worry, Yondu couldn’t help but be glad that Peter had his mom back. His boy had worshiped the memory of his mother, clinging to her music and the things she had taught him with love and a fervor that would put most zealots to shame.

But for all that, Yondu knew very little about her. What he did was colored by the perspective of a young boy’s fading memory. And Peter hadn’t liked to talk about her much. Just that she loved music, had the voice of an angel, and had died of cancer.

Whatever that was. Some kind of crab? Hell if he knew.

One of those weird translation things, that he’d never gotten around to clearing up. Hopefully that would be behind them now, as Meredith was no longer on earth to get eaten by weird terran crustaceans. He’d taken her to the infirmary though, just in case. And that had checked out. More or less.

And for all Yondu cared, Meredith Quill could just go on and keep on living.

And seeing the way Peter hugged his mother, clinging tightly and bundled close- Yondu was glad for him. Even as it kinda put a knife in his heart at the same time.

Yondu liked to think he’d been close to his boy, but it hadn’t ever been like that. Hadn’t been safe. Sentiment had been frowned on with the crew he’d been running- and he’d had to play fast and loose several times just to make sure Peter saw the next day alive and kicking- if not well and happy about it.

But that didn’t mean that he hadn’t cared. He cared a lot. Still did. Even now.

Perhaps this was a good thing after all. Yondu hadn’t done right by his boy before. But now here he was again, all fresh faced and a blank slate. No hard edged resentment to smooth over, no need to hide any semblance of care. No terrible grief or helpless rage to swallow them up and lash out with... Peter Quill was just a boy again. That was all.

Just a boy. And his mother. And Yondu was the one to abduct them.

Yeah, reforging those bonds stronger was never gonna be an easy task. Always the uphill battle for everything he does in life, but what the hell. Yondu Udonta is gonna try.

There was no power in the universe that was gonna stop him.

Well, maybe one.

And Yondu could feel his stomach drop, as Meredith Quill finally turned away from the window, Tera just a pin prick of light behind them, locked eyes with him, and spoke.

“Did Jason send you?”

Chapter Text

Never in his wildest imagination did Peter ever think that space could be... boring. 

But here he is. In real actual space. On a real actual spaceship. With real actual aliens. 

And he is really, actually, utterly and entirely bored out of his mind. 

Turns out, stars don’t look much different in space than they do on Earth. Well, there are more of them- because it is so dark. But apparently they’re not out far enough for things to be very exciting. No crazy planets, or exploding stars, or black holes, or even one measly space battle!

And despite the ship going faster than he’d ever gone on earth- it didn’t feel like it at all. The ship thrummed and throbbed constantly with the vibration of the engines but that was it. They could be standing still for all he knew- the stars all too far away to go whizzing by the small port window in their room.

The room itself wasn’t much to look at either. Mostly metal, with some creaky rickety looking furniture bolted to the floor. Nothing super space-y about it either. The bed is a bed. With a regular looking end table and hole-y sheets and a weird smelling quilt they could have gotten out of Grandma Quill’s mothball riddled closet. 

About the only thing space-y in the room would be the door. And the window, what with the stars and all right on the other side. But the door looks like something out of a submarine, with a complicated looking panel next to it that glows in the low light...

A very tempting looking panel, full of tempting blinking lights and buttons begging to be pushed.

Peter’s been good so far, and kept his hands to himself. 

Part of the reason for that has been- nerves. Not fear. Peter’s not afraid of anything, thank you very much. But this is a spaceship. Who knows what’s on the other side of that door. Aliens for sure. They seem nice so far... but it could be a trick. 

Peter’s seen enough movies to be suspicious. And if it is, he could probably take out ummm... maybe one or two. The blue one for sure. But the Big Blue One in the doctor’s office-room was really big. Like really. And so Peter’s not so sure.

At least he seemed nice. 

But even if they are nice, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. They’re In Space! 

Push one wrong button and Woosh! Out the airlock you go. Bye bye! Do not pass go. Do not collect one hundred dollars. Game over. The End. 

And that thought kept him on his best behavior when it came to any curious exploration in button-pushing.

For a couple hours at least...

But the main reason Peter hasn’t gone and left the room yet is still asleep in the bed next to him.

Bundled up in the hole-y sheets and smelly quilt, Peter’s mom is sound asleep- arms still holding him loosely from when she’d pulled him down to join her in her post-abduction-nap. Or... is it still a nap if you don’t know what time it is? Or how much time has passed? It was night-time when they’d left Earth... how do you know if it’s daytime or not in space?

Either way, Peter has been awake for a while. And he’s not one bit tired. He’d even tried going back to sleep- because of the aforementioned lack of clock-ness. But it didn’t work. So now he’s just been counting the holes in the wall, laying perfectly still as he waits for mom to wake up. 

And that might take a while.

Mom sleeps a lot. Being sick takes a lot of energy, and getting better takes more. And Peter hates to wake her up, cause she always seems more peaceful when she’s asleep. Not in pain, or headachy, or sick to her stomach. And if sleeping can help make her better, he wishes she could be like sleeping beauty and sleep for ten whole years if it meant she’d wake up healed. 

So the odds of her waking up before he goes stir crazy are around zero to none.

And he’s been awake for hours already. 

And as if on cue, Peter’s stomach starts to gurgle. 

That’s the last straw. Bored is one thing. Bored and hungry is another. 

It’s time to go explore and see if they got anything to eat on this rinky-dink space submarine. 

Carefully, oh so carefully, Peter eases out from under his mom’s arm. 

Slipping off of the bunk, Peter quietly puts his feet on the floor before turning and just as carefully tucking his mom in with the rest of the quilt. 

“Don’t worry mom. I’ll be right back, I’m just gonna find some food,” Peter whispers as he pecks a kiss to her forehead, before turning away to face the door and it’s tempting panel of buttons. 

He squints into the light before giving it a determined poke.

And with a dramatic rush of air and light, the door swishes open...

“Grahhh I’m gonna Eatcha!”

A shrill childish shriek split the air, “Eeek! Run Nettel!”

Alarmed, Peter quickly jumped back, hiding in the doorway as a trio of aliens ran by.

A small cactus-looking childlike alien suddenly appeared from around the corner. It ran like a baby would, tripping over their feet to fall to their knees, only to quickly right itself and it was up and off toddler-running again- it’s terrifyingly toothy mouth gaping wide in a delighted grin. 

The walking plant was quickly followed by the black and white fuzzy skunk girl from the doctor’s office-room. She ran, shrieking and shrill, from a grizzled gray human-y looking old man who was currently hunched forward, arms outstretched as he chased them. 

“Gotcha!” The old man said as he snagged the girl, dragging her back into his arms as she shrieked and laughed as he tickled her and blew raspberries into the thin fur of her stomach. 

“Ahh! Nooo! Stop Tulk! Uncle! Uncle!” Anushka, laughed and shrieked as the space pirate relented, only to flip her over his shoulder as he resumed the chase for the cactus with the little girl hanging upside down over his back.

“Come back here, ya lil’ Veggie! I’m gonna Eatcha!”

Peter watched them go, hand still over his heart, and felt kinda silly he’d been scared at all. 

It was some time later that Meredith awoke, chilled and alone in an empty and unfamiliar room.

"Peter?" Meredith croaked as she sat up in the cot, her voice thick with sleep as she blinked around the room blearily. Muzzy headed and chilled, tugging the blanket more securely around herself as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Groaning at the chore of leveraging herself to her feet, Meredith stood, dragging the quilt with her- refusing to leave it behind and face the unrelenting cold of space without it- no matter how musty it was and reeked of weird alien funk.  

Hitting the button for the door more as an accident of balance than any true intent, Meredith rocked back half a step as the light rushed in. Wincing as it lanced her dry eyes and tender head. Meredith blinked as she adjusted to the light and re-acquainted herself with her memories of the day before. She hadn't forgotten, being abducted isn't exactly something one can forget easily, but sleep left her groggy and slow. She hadn't had a good night sleep in ages...

So she knew where she was at least. If not why. 

Or where Peter had gone off to.

Knowing her little Star-lord, being on a spaceship was a curiosity he could not resist and he was probably off exploring somewhere. Meredith wasn't too worried about that though. It wasn't like back home where the backwoods and rolling hills stretched for miles- or the suburban sprawls full of strangers that could snatch him away. They were on a spaceship in space, you'd be hard pressed to find a more contained space to be kept in.

Well... a spaceship full of strange aliens that snatched them both away. 
At least they were together. She'll take what small mercies she could get.

Now to find her little wayward Star-lord before he got into any trouble.

Tugging the covers more firmly around her shoulders, Meredith set off to find her boy.

Well, wandered. Meandered really.

It was a spaceship after all, how much trouble could it be?

With nothing better to do, Peter had followed after the trio of aliens. At a respectable distance, but aliens or not, it was hard to be scared when there were other kids around who weren't. The game of chase and tickle was familiar enough, but Peter wasn’t sure yet that he wanted to get caught up in their game with them... It did look like fun, though.

A sudden draft wafted around a corner, bringing something that smelled distinctly appetizing under his nose and caught his stomach’s attention- reminding him why he’d ventured out in the first place and that his stomach was currently very empty.  And turning, Peter immediately abandoned the sounds of play to hunt for the food.

His nose led him down a path that opened into a new chamber, and Peter found himself standing on a metal balcony overhanging a wide open area. A cafeteria, currently teeming with aliens of all shapes, sizes, and colors.  And food. Peter couldn’t see what they were eating, but they were definitely eating something...

“Oh hey, you’re the new kid,” A voice came from behind, interrupting Peter’s internal debate on if he was really hungry enough to brave the alien crowd and alien food or not. Peter turned to see the kids from the bridge walking up- as well as a boy he didn’t immediately recognize, “Peter right?”

The boy who spoke had hair that was currently in the process of turning the exact same shade as his. It was very cool, but also distracting so it took Peter a second to remember the question and respond. “Um yes?”

“Great. You hungry?” The tallest one asked, Kamlin or something if he remembered right, before jerking his thumb towards the stairs down, the boy smiled at him, “We’re getting lunch. You can come down with us if ya want. We can give you a tour of the mess an’ give you the breakdown on how the food and stuff works around here.”

In short order, Peter found himself swept along with the boys- descending into the mess hall full of aliens before he could get a word in edgewise.

“I’m Kraglin by the way,” Kamlin- no, Kraglin said before nodding to the other boys, “This is Willit. You can always tell it’s him cause he’s the only one who doesn’t look like himself.”

“I’m working on it,” Willit said, hair now swapped for feathers and one eye gold the other green, and grinned at Peter’s impressed double take. 

“And the one giving you the evil-eye is Hekk,” Kraglin said slinging an arm over the short boy with the birdlike features and started to give him noogies until he squawked, “Lay off the new kid, huh? He just got off a planet called Dirt. There’s no way he’s some sort of shiar enemy spy or anything like that.”

“Alright! Alright! Get off.”

“Okay so! Food,” Willit said as he pulled Peter away from the two boy’s roughhousing to get in line, “I had to learn this not so long ago, so it’s not so hard- you just gotta go with it for the most part. If it’s moving, you probably don’t want to eat it unless you know what it is. And if it smells good, it’s probably okay to eat- just Don’t ask what it is. Trust me you don’t want to know. And if you try it and don’t like it, someone else will eat it. If your tongue starts feeling fuzzy tell somebody an’ they’ll call doc.”

Willit kept up a running dialog as Peter was quickly loaded down with a tray of odd and strange looking but good smelling food. It may look weird, but Peter’s stomach was well on board, growling as Willit led Peter to a table with two blue four armed kids with all manner of bits and bobs spread out in front of them.

“Hey Yamakel, Yadiva,” Willit said with a nod to each, “Make a space for me an’ the new kid would ya?”

“Sure thing, Willit,” Yadiva said before turning and giving her brother an obnoxious shove, “You heard him punk. Scoot your ass.”

Yamakel rolled his eyes at his sister as he scooped two arms around his stuff and shifted down, not bothering to look up or stop what he was doing with his other two hands. 

Sandwiched between two blue aliens, Peter sat and tried not to show how nervous he was as he plucked up the courage to poke at a mound of jelly on his plate. It smelled like chicken while looking absolutely nothing like chicken. It tasted alright though, kinda like gravy and mashed potatoes. Not bad, but the texture was off and almost oppressively sweet. 

“Hey,” An elbow jabbed into his side and he looked up at the blue girl, “Pass the salt peter.”

“Uhh, how do you know my name,” Peter said, mouth full as he slid over the jar she’d pointed towards.

Yadiva gave him a look, raising an eyebrow with a growing incredulous grin, “Your name is Saltpeter? For real?”

“N-no? Just Peter,” Peter said with growing confusion, “You asked for the sa- is that not salt?”

“Oh no, no Saltpeter,” Yadiva said shaking the jar, “This is saltpeter.” And with that she dumped the white powder into her bowl and started mixing with a will. 

“You’re not gonna eat that are you?” Willit asked with hesitant curiosity.

“No, of course not,” Yadiva said tossing her hair out of her face as she continued to mix, “Why? Do you want some? We were gonna use it all but we can spare some if you want it.”

“Gross.” Willit shook his head no as he pulled an impressively disgusted face.

“Suit yourself,” She shrugged before offering the jar back to Peter, “How about you, Saltpeter?”

“No, thank you,” Peter said, wrinkling his nose, “What are you doing if your not eating it?”

“Well, Saltpeter,” said Yamakel as he echoed his sister’s grin and Peter had the sneaking suspicion that they weren’t talking about the powder, which was immediately proven as Yadiva continued, “So glad you asked, Saltpeter.”

“You guys are gonna keep calling me Saltpeter aren't you”

They just grinned, “We’re making bombs.”

“Flux’s still got our guns in her locker,” Yamakel continued, his eyes alight with wicked, gleeful mischief, “We’re planning a heist.”

“These are just smoke bombs right now. Prototypes really,” Yadiva said in response to Willit’s look of concern, “Don’t worry. We’re gonna test them out first. Gotta make sure they aren't duds or we won’t be able to get past her security.”

“Hey lookout,” Yamakel said, reaching around Peter to smack his sister, and nodded over the crowd, “Officer Killjoy’s on his way. Let’s clear out before the captain's shadow catches on and tattles on us.”

“Ohh good catch,” Yadiva said as they all turned to see Kraglin and Hekk heading their way loaded down with trays of food, and quickly gathered up her stuff, “See ya around Saltpeter. Willit, mums the word, kay? We know where you sleep.”

“Whatever,” Willit said, smacking one of Yamakel’s hands away from his food as he gave it a parting snatch, “Shove off. I don’t wanna be involved, so go cause trouble somewhere else.”

“Will do,” the two chorused before vanishing into the crowd. 

“-just cause the captain let you sit in the chair.” Hekk grumbled as he set his tray down next to Willit and sat down with a sullen huff while Kraglin placed his tray down next to Peter.

“Yeah, cause I know how fly a proper spaceship Hekk,” Kraglin said as he looked around and frowned, “Hey, where’d the twins go? I thought they were sitting over here.”

“Uhh, they just left,” Willit said quickly, before stuffing his mouth full and nodded towards where Hekk was sulkily poking at his food with a fork, “What’s his problem?”

“Oh , he's just sore because I'm a better Pilot than he is,” Kraglin said with a shrug, trying to play it off casually but coming off just the slightest big smug about it. “How are you, Peter? You try anything yet? Try the Yarrow Root. It’s good- but bitter as hell when its not ripe.”

“I’ll show you bitter,” Hekk grumbled under his breath as he stabbed his food viciously. “Shiar trainees are all tested for flight capability. Extensive simul-training for 50 kinds of ships...”

“I’m just saying,” Kraglin said as Peter braved a bite- sweet like a raspberry but weirdly meaty and crunchy, “Simulations are all well an’ good, Hekk, but when it comes to flying an actual ship nothing beats practical experience. I grew up on freighters, okay? I could fly before i could walk.”

“And I’m saying I could fly circles around you, Obfonteri.”

“And you said the Yarrow Root was bitter,” Willit said with a grin.

“So wait,” Peter said as he wiped the juice from his chin with his sleeve, “You’re saying you both can fly a spaceship. Like for reals. In space and everything?”

The two boys nodded solidly. And maybe it was the sugar rush from the strange alien fruit, maybe it was the instant comradery that comes when like minded boys find that instant friendship that only boys can have. Maybe it was both, or neither, or something else entirely.... But a spark of mischief dawned in Peters eyes and he began to grin.

“Prove it.”

Meredith was starting to think she was lost.

Perhaps wandering about aimlessly wasn’t the best way to go about finding someone, she considered as she tugged the blanket more firmly around her. Meredith was endlessly grateful that she'd slept with her shoes on as the floor was bitterly cold seeping through the thick rubber of her soles. 
No one else seemed to mind it much. Not that she’d gone up and asked them, but the few aliens that she’d passed by at work didn’t seem to be shivering quite as much as she was. Maybe they were used to it. Or maybe those almost-uniform leather coats were warmer than they looked. 

She could probably ask them for directions- no language barrier here thanks to the new babel-fish technology shoved in her head. But they looked busy doing- whatever it was that they were doing on the ship. Or too the ship, considering all the wire work and computer-looking bits spread around- so she decided not to bother them and continued on her way.

How lost could she be, really?
She was beginning to suspect the answer to be Very.

Casting about for a direction at a t-way junction of hallway, she caught sight of her reflection in a glass set into the wall and drawn, Meredith reluctantly wandered that way until she was standing before herself in the glass. 

Funny. She didn’t look any different. 

Not that she expected to, really. She looked thin. Washed out in the weak reflection of the glass. Sleep creased her cheeks  and her hair a rumpled mess on top of her head. Reaching out a hand from under the covers she halfheartedly attempted to straighten it- tugging the lank locks and running her fingers along the scalp to flatten the fly-away strands before giving it up as a lost cause...

Meredith’s attention was caught by an errant sparkle shooting by in the distance and her vision was drawn out- through- past her reflection- and out into the space on the other side. And dropping her hand she reached out to touch the freezing glass.

Not a mirror then, but a window. 

She’d known they were in space but.... wow.
It shouldn't have caught her by surprise but truly the view from here was simply... breathtaking.

Apparently there is a difference between knowing and knowing .

Huddling in her blanket, Meredith stood alone, small and cold as she filled her eyes with stars.

Her reverie was disrupted as an odd Foom! sounded down the hall. 

A cacophony of shouts and shrieks and hacking coughs disrupted the relative thrumming silence of the ship's hallway. Growing in volume until the hatch door at the end of the hallway was flung open with a billow of acrid smoke that instantly set Merediths' eyes to watering as she began to cough as well.

"-Enough! I don't want to hear it!" Rasped the silhouette as the smoke slowly began to disperse to reveal the short blue captain of the spaceship, "It's the brig for both of ya."

"Aww come on Yondu," said one of the blue shapes held aloft by two much bigger aliens, the young blue boy with four arms, "We said we were sorry."

"Yeah, I mean," said the other blue child, the girl tucked under the arms of another ravager alien, "We were only trying to get Horuz. We didn't know you'd be in the room with him."

"It’s a meeting room," Yondu said with an exasperated growl as he attempted to wave the smoke out of his face, "Who else would he be meeting?"

"He has a point you know," the girl said, somewhat abashed as she looked over to her brother.

"I told you the fuses were too short," her brother hissed back and they scowled fiercely at each other, entirely unrepentant. 

"Knock it off. You're both in trouble," Yondu rolled his eyes in exasperation before snapping and pointing at the bearded man behind them, "Horuz, escort these two misbegotten brats to the brig. I'll deal with them later."

"Whatever you say, Captain," Horuz said, just shy of snapping and his tone just a shade sullen. His teeth bared in a grin that was not pleasant to see as he turned to look on the children with narrowed eyes, "Oblo. Halfnut. Let's take a walk."

"An' Horuz," Yondu said as the men turned away, "You an' your boys better remember what I said. I'd hate to have to give this talk a second time. So I probably won't.” Yondu smiled, and it was not a nice one, “Just keep in mind."

The man grunted as he gave a short nod of acknowledgement and he turned away. The group moving to march down the hall to the sound of childish whining and ignored complaints.

"Bliztaar," Yondu said over his shoulder as a last figure emerged from the room- a tall giant white furred beast looking figure with a large bluish-white mane that curled around into a beard.  

"Keep an eye on them for me."  Yondu twirled his arrow in his fingers, nodding at Horuz's retreating back before putting it away, "I wanna make sure the boy's are on their best behavior."

"Yes Captain," Came the low rumbling murmur, and the giant lumbered away slowly following after them.

With the last Ravager gone from the room, Yondu turned towards the sound of coughing still lingering in the hallway- and spotted Meredith standing down away, near bent double as her lungs spasmed with each hacking cough.

"Oh hey whoa there," Yondu said as he quickly stepped up to her side, and hand on her back he took her elbow and began to carefully draw her away from the smoke still slowly bubbling out of the room, "Let's get you away from this smoke, yeah? Take it easy. Deep breaths, alright? Ya okay?"

"I-I'm fine," Meredith choked out, blinking back tears as she tried to catch her breath, "Are they- the kids," She weezed, "What's gonna happen to-"

"The twins?" Yondu guessed and she nodded faintly as wiped at her eyes.

"Those two troublemakers," Yondu rolled his eyes, shaking  his head in exasperation.

"They'll be fine. I swear, I didn't think anybody could be worse than Pe-ah," He cut himself short there, darting a quick guilty glance at Meredith, but she had her eyes closed in a cough and missed his potential slip, "Well, never mind that. The brig is more for my peace of mind tha' anything else. Hopefully it'll keep 'em in one place for longer than fifteen minutes, give or take. Doubt it'll hold them for long though. Those two are wiley."

"What about that big," Meredith gestured around her head with a nervous look back the way the ravagers left. That large white furred, bearded alien had been terrifyingly large and muscular.

Yondu mimicked her gesture in confusion before it clicked, "Oh, you mean Blistaar?" 

He made a considering face, "Yeah I guess I can see why you'd be nervous. Baluur can be like that- size intimidation and what not. Makes for a good head of security. Don’t talk much, but she can handle herself. Kids'll be fine. Just... Think of it as time-out."

"She?" Meredith said incredulously as her head whipped up to look at him- only to set off another round of coughs.

"Hey, hey take it easy. Ah fuck, here," Yondu looked around before kicking an errant box against the wall and guiding Meredith to sit with her back against the window. Even through the blanket, the shock of cold against her back was significant- but it seemed to help and her coughs quickly began to fade. 

Yondu crouched in front of her looked up, his red eyes looking her over with concern, "Alright, better now? You ain’t dying on me, are ya?"

"No no, I'm fine," Meredith said waving her hand at him, breathing carefully as she eased away from the cold glass, "I’ll live for now.” She coughed again, “Hell of a wake up call, though, what was that? That-” She waved vaguely, “That purple smoke?”

"Homemade smoke bombs made by amateurs," Yondu said with irritation in his voice, but from this close Meredith could see him fighting to keep an amused smile off his face, "S'like I said. Troublemakers. Who the hell knows what they put in it."

"Well whatever it was, it made weird smoke," Meredith said, beginning to grin back, "It smelled almost like pepper. Spicy, ugh. I'm not surprised I was coughing and sneezing like crazy."

"Either way, glad you're still breathin'," Yondu said with the smile edging up one corner of his lips, exposing cragged teeth, "Hate to pick ya up just for ya to drop dead all a' sudden."

Meredith's smile slowly dropped.

"Why did you pick us up?" Meredith asked earnestly, and Yondu's smile dropped like it's strings had been cut and he rocked back on his heels, "You never did say."

"No. No, I didn't," Yondu agreed as he stood up, half turned away as she looked up at him curiously. Yondu reached up to rub his neck, and turned his head to look at her where she sat on the crate, backlit by stars-  and it was just like before when she was on the bridge.

And the silence stretched, her question stretching out with it to fill the distance between them. 

Ringing in the silence, waiting to be answered.

“Did Jason send you?”

"Who?" Yondu had said, confused at first before the realization dawned.
And for a beat there was silence as they both instinctively turned to look at Peter standing there beside his mother.

"If Jason is who I think he is," Yondu had said at last, silent too long for comfort, "Then the answer is... yes an’ no."

And Yondu couldn't help but feel sick as Meredith's sudden elation crashed almost as soon as it took off. Her face falling into a frown of confusion, “What? What do you mean, yes and no?"

"I mean it's complicated."

And now she was scowling, "Then un-complicate it." 

"It ain't that simple"

"Sure it is-" Meredith had stepped forward only to wobble as the ship juddered sharply.

"Oops," Kraglin said as he refocused on the controls in front of him, “I got it! I got it.”

"I think you got enough. Beat it kid,"  Yondu said waving the boy away from his chair and tapped the panel a few times, "Why don’t you do me a favor instead an’ take the boy's an' Momma Quill here down an' get them situated. It’s been a helluva day already, so lets getcha fed’n water’d rest up before we tackle anything else yeah? It ain't the time to be havin' this conversation an' I got a ship to run."

Meredith allowed the young boys to hustle them towards the door, but she did not break eye contact with him until she was near the door- and he gave her a nod of acknowledgement. There would be a conversation later, the look promised, but not now. And only then, did she nod. And only then did she leave, allowing the boys to drag her away- to find food and a room for them to rest. 

And then she was gone and Yondu was alone on the bridge.

And releasing an exhaustive sigh, Yondu slumped down into his chair, dragging a hand down his face as he stared out into space.

How the hell was he going to explain this.  

There was a tug on his pants. At his feet sat Nettle, blinking up at him, her red eyes shining as she chewed on her fingers.

“You got any bright ideas?” Yondu asked looking down at her. The little girl just smiled around her fingers before reaching up to him and he picked her up and set her on his lap, carefully resting his chin on her relatively soft prickles of her fuzzy head-fronds as she kicked her feet happily, “Yeah, didn’t think so...”

That was the thing with kids. They were easy. 

For the most part that is. Oh, moren’ half trouble and right terrors, the lot of them, but kids tend to look up to the grown ups around them. Adaptable. Treat ‘em even half decent and they’d grow up to be alright- Peter had taught him that at least. Then they get all growed up into their own lil people and get stubborn and set in their ways just like everybody else. 

Take a grown ass person and tell them they’re entire world view’s got some major flaws and well...
Pretty sure that how half of the galactic wars got started somewhere down the line.

And then there’s Meredith Quill. 

He is not looking forward to this conversation...

‘Oh-sure, Momma Quill, your baby-daddy asked me to pick up his boy so he could eat him for power. Him and a couple thousand other kids. What, you thought you were special?’

"Is it really that hard for you to explain?" 

Meredith’s voice drew him back to the present, and dropping his hand he turned to look at her seated before him. Hair tangled, sleep bruises under her eyes, looking small and near swallowed up by the blanket and the black expanse of stars at her back. She looked impossibly frail. Like a stiff wind would shatter her to pieces. Delicate-like.

And just... the words seemed unnecessarily vicious and unreasonably cruel. 

"It ain't exactly easy to explain," Yondu said finally, stiff and guarded, "Let alone hear."

The words sat heavy in his gut; a bitter gall that made his tongue feel clumsy in his mouth as he looked at her and tried not to choke.

This was Peter's mom.

Bad enough to explain to anyone what Ego had done, but this was the woman that had raised his boy to have the biggest heart that he’d ever seen. Someone like that- to make that lasting of an impression after so many years. That was goodness on a level he’d never seen.
And however frail and delicate she looked now, sitting before him, Yondu could see it. Weak as she seemed, there was a spirited fire in her that he recognized. Recognized it in the determined glint in her eyes. In the familiar stubborn set on an unfamiliar jaw. 

He could see where Peter had gotten it from. And if she was anything like her boy, this woman’s fighting spirit would be something to behold. Fragile she may be, this woman is strong.

As strong, if not stronger than the hopeful light currently shining, fever bright, in her eyes...

And wasn’t that a twist of a knife in his gut. All that loving hope for a man like Ego.

What lies had Ego filled this woman’s head with to put those stars in her eyes?

Well... that could be one place to start.

“How much do you know about him,” Yondu asked, expression grave, “Peter’s father.”

And Meredith smiled and Yondu’s stomach dropped.

“He’s an Angel,” She said closing her eyes. And rapturous joy fairly glowed off of her as she smiled at nothing. Taking over and transforming her features into something almost unrecognizable from the woman she’d been just moments before. 

“Jason,” She continued, breathy and oblivious, and wrong, “He's made of love and stardust and all those impossible dreams given life." She laughed, "Who would have thought the man of my dreams would be a spaceman from the stars. But that's what he is. He is my... everything."

Meredith opened her eyes and beamed up at him. And even with how little he had known her, Yondu could see the terrible wrongness of it on her face, dazzling her eyes. They say folks can glow with love, but this wasn’t that at all. No, this was something else. More like a druggie’s haze. An unnatural bliss washing over her and washing her out. 

And if she saw how strained his expression had become, she didn’t seem to notice, growing distant and dreamy as she shrunk into the blanket. Diminished and powerless in the face of remembered bliss, "When Jason is around everything is wonderful. It’s like the world has more color. It's vibrant and- and full of music. It’s Perfection. He is perfect."

"Yeah?" Yondu rasped, voice rough and strained as he spoke around clenched teeth and clenched fists, "An' how long was he around exactly? This mister perfect."

"It could have been forever. It felt like forever," She said before blinking- her placid expression marred as a small frown of concentration broke through, "But um- three. It was... three days," and quickly as it was gone the smile came back, "But it felt so much longer."

"Three days? Well!," Yondu scoffed, biting sarcasm failing to smother his bitter anger, and shook his head, "Of course you'd know everything about him after three days.” He took a beat to reign in his temper and took the plunge.

“I hate to break it to ya, Hun,” Yondu said gravely, and he was trying but there’s no kind way to say it, “But you got suckered. There ain’t nothing perfect about him- bout the farthest thing from it. He's a lying piece of shit an' I would know cause he suckered me too. So don’t feel too bad-"

"No," Meredtih said, laughed, shaking her head an indulgent smile on her face, "No, you don't know him like I do. Jason is wonderful. He came down from the stars to love me. And he gave me Peter. And Jason promised to come for him and now here we are! ”

That rapturous smile was back and she smiled. Beamed. Lit up and glowing with the light of distant stars reflecting in her eyes. And Yondu swallowed hard at the look of knowing clarity dawned in her eyes and knew what she was going to say- 

“I know why you picked us up,” Tears of joy pricked her eyes, her smile aching at the edges, as she spoke. Her voice sure and confident and strong- wavering only with that terrible, unnatural joy that had overwhelmed her, “What else could it be? Why else would we be here, with you, in space of all places?  It’s him. He sent you. Jason sent you and-”

"First of all his name's not Jason," Yondu cut in sharply. 

She blinked at him, startled and taken aback by his flat tone and grave expression- and Yondu barreled on while she was off balanced and he still had her full attention.

"Out here, he goes by the name of Ego. And let me tell you- a more fitting name there ain't,” Yondu fairly snarled the words, “He’s a selfish, sanctimonious, narcissistic bastard. But I'll give ya- you're half right about one thing," Yondu continued, fists clenched in remembered rage, "Ego may have sent me to Tera. But he ain't the reason I picked you up."

"But Jason-" Meredith's said, and Yondu hated that stubborn smile that had Ego’s name on it.

"But nothing," Yondu snapped, "Ego sent me to pick up Peter. Just Peter, mind. Said nothin' 'bout you.”

And Meredith stilled, taken aback, her smile caught- trapped on the edge of falling off her face. 
And fuck, Yondu bit back his words, gritting his teeth as he struggled to reign in his temper.
He'd wanted to be gentle with her, damn it.

Yondu shook his head, a resigned tilt, “Sorry Momma Quill but it seems you didn't make the list.”

“I... I don’t understand,” Meredith stuttered, sounding small and fragile.

Yondu stepped up and half crouched before her once more- trying to catch her eyes as she huddled defensively in her quilt, “As far as Ego's concerned, he got what he wanted from you- so now you might as well be dead as far as far as he cares. And he don’t, make no mistake. 

“That's what he does Meredith,” He said insistently, gentling his rough voice as much as he could- knowing it wouldn’t make the words any easier to hear but still trying, “He uses folks an' when he's done- well..."

"Jason would never hurt me," Meredith breathed, shaking her head in unthinking denial. 

"I ain't so sure he didn't," Yondu said and still Meredith shook her head.

“No,” She said, and then again stronger, insistently, “No, your wrong- you have to be- This is some kind of mistake. Jason would never-”

Yondu groaned, hanging his head. How was she not getting this? How could she still-?
Rocking back on his heels, Yondu stood up to pace in frustrated irritation.

"Look around, Meredith," Yondu snapped in frustration, gesturing his arms around the empty hallway, helpless dramatics, "This look like some kinda heavenly taxi to you? A good place for kids? Some kinda princely cruiser? This is a ravager spaceship. A spaceship for space pirates. 

“Outlaws, Quill,” Yondu said, and there was no way to make it any clearer than this, “A ship full of the scum of the universe and I'm their captain. I'm the worst of the lot. I've done things you wouldn't believe.

"And yet your Jason sent me to kidnap your son ."

"No...I- I don't believe that." Shaking her head in confusion, she scowled up at him, "I won’t.”

"You're just lucky that I'm as much of a bastard as he is," Yondu growled, "Cause for all you think he’s mister perfect, I got absolutely no intention on deliverin' you an' your boy into that sonuvabitch’s hands. Not you. Not Peter. Or any of the other kids for that matter. 

“I ain't a good man, Quill," Yondu said, stepping up to stare her in the eyes, "But right now I'm all you got. And I’m gonna be doin’ my damnedest to keep you all alive and-"

Yondu's eye was caught by an irregular flashing of light outside the window- flitting about in the space beyond, just behind Meredith's head muddled by her reflection in the glass. A familiar light that looked suspiciously like the plasma trail left behind by M-ships in flight and there was only one place they could have come from...

"An’ your boy better be dead cause I'm gonna kill him," Yondu growled, "We got joyriders."

"What?" Meredith yelped at the dramatic shift, and instinctively turned to follow Yondu's pointing finger out the window, "Are those- Are those spaceships? W-what makes you think that's Peter?"

"Cause I just put the twins in time out," Yondu snarled and one of the ships did a barrel roll, "Who else would it be but your trouble making little ‘star-lord’. Come on. Let's go get em."

And taking Meredith’s arm, her blanket fell away forgotten and left behind, as Yondu hauled her to her feet and they took off running for the hanger bay.

"See I told you I could fly!"

Kraglin grinned over his shoulder at Peter as he squealed in delight as they did another loop-de-loop.

"Still not better than me!" Hekk's voice popped over the headset that sat large and loose on Kraglin’s head, and from behind a ship zoomed past, twirling through space as it buzzed them.

"Oh, yeah? Watch this! Hold on, Peter!" Kraglin said over his shoulder and gunned the small M-ship after its brother, "Eat my dust, you feather-headed twerp!”

Grinning gleefully the boys laughed and shouted over each other on the airwaves, trading jibes and juvenile insults as they egged each other on. Flitting about in the open space, playing tag and doing tricks with reckless abandon, the two ships weaving and zig-zagging around the occasional space rocks drifting around them as they drew ever closer to the local asteroid belt.

"Oh my god, this is incredible!" Peter crowed, eyes wide and beaming, only tearing his eyes away from the window to exchange grins with Kraglin every now and then. Turning back, Peter’s eyes fell upon the buttons of the control panel.

"Hey! Hey Kraglin!" Peter shouted to be heard, tugging on the other boys sleeve, "Kraglin give me a turn! I wanna fly the spaceship!"

"What? No way," Kraglin said, shrugging him off, "Terran's aren't even space-faring.”

“We are too!” Peter said, indignant on behalf of his planet, “We’ve gone to the moon an’ everything. They showed it on TV!”

“Oh, yeah sure, the moon! Pfft!” Kraglin mocked sarcastically, as he performed a complicated twist that had Hekk bellowing in competitive rage,“That’s nothing. Barely even baby steps. Besides, there's no way you know how to fly."

"Sure I can!" Peter said insistent, "I've been watching, you haven't I? It can't be too hard! Just tell me what these buttons do- Oops!"

"Don't touch that," Kraglin said swatting at his hands as Peter pushed a button that causes a part of the control panel to part and reveal a joy-stick looking handle.

"Ohh, what does this do? Is it a gun?" Peter said, grabbing the handle and giving it a squeeze-

"YES! YES IT IS!" Peter shrilled gleefully.

"Hey! Watch it," Willit shouted over the airwaves as the ship jerked roughly, dodging out of the way of the red beam of light- whizzing by to hit the asteroid behind them and it shattered in a firework explosion of plasma, ice, and dust.

" Asteroids ," Peter breathed, and the grin that spread across his face was positively wicked as visions of atari games filled his head and how had he ever thought that space could be boring? "Alright! New game! The one who explodes the most asteroids wins!"

"You're on!" Hekk said, his echoing grin could be heard in his voice over the sound of Willit squawking in alarm, “Explodes?!”

With that the pair of m-ships took off, racing each other deeper into the asteroid field. A gleeful frenzy took over- the next several moments full of exploding lights as giant plumes of sparkling dust and glittering ice illuminated the dark like so many fireworks.

"Hahaha-Uh oh!" Hekk’s laughter was cut short as the dust cleared to reveal an asteroid of considerable size barring down on the pair of ships.

"Oh shit! Look out!" Kraglin cried out as the two ships tried to swerve around the massive obstacle that had loomed out suddenly upon them from the dark. The dodge scuffed the edge of Hekk's ship, throwing a shower of sparks at the near miss-

Relief was short lived however, as the first asteroid dropped away behind them- another was soon to take its place. This one even larger and looming and far too close to avoid.

"Quick!" Peter cried over the airwaves, "Use the guns! We gotta blast our way through!"

“Are you crazy!” Willit shouted, terror in his voice, “We’re gonna die!”

“No we’re not!” Kraglin said, as he pushed a button and a second gun appeared, “Blast it!”

In concerted effort, the two ships drew near each other, four guns focusing the laser blasts in a tight space on the icy rock hurtling on a collision course towards them. Each blast vaporizing ice and carving away bits of stone and space trash- hitting faster and faster and faster as the distance closed- shouting and screaming in concentration and not a small bit of terror. 

"One hundred feet!" Hekk shrilled over the airwaves 

"Fifty Feet!"

"Shut up, Hekk!"

"Ten feet!"

"It's gonna hit us!"

"No it's not, Shut up Willit!"

"Five Feet!"

With a final blast the center of the dirty space snowball shattered through and the two ships passed out to the other side- glittering ice trailing behind them like a pair of comets.

"T-that was a close one," Willit laughed over the airwaves, his voice wavering just on the cusp of hysterical. 

Kraglin and Peter giggled at each other, wild eyed and giddy with terrified relief. 

"I-ah," Kraglin's voice cracked before he continued, feigning confidence, "Let's call it a draw- we should be going back, anyways. Before somebody misses the ships."

"Yes, thank you please," Willit said shakily, "I think I'm done with flying today." 

"I was winning though."

"Shut up, Hekk," Willit snapped as the boys just laughed, "You both fly like maniacs- I'm never co-piloting with either of you ever again."

"I would!" Peter said still giggling, "This was the most fun I've had in ages."

Turning the ships around, the boys headed back to the Eclector, leaving the asteroid field behind- no worse for wear from its time as the boy’s destructive playground. Without all the fancy flying, it was a much shorter trip and they were soon slipping past the still open space-doors and through the force field that kept the atmosphere in, the two ships gently touched down side by side in the docking bay.

"We should probably try not to get noticed," Kraglin said over the headset before the turned off the ships, "It's not like we had permission to take the ships out..."

“Good idea,” Peter nodded and together the boys crept to the ships door, shushing each other as it swished open-

"The thing about spaceships. They ain't exactly what you would call stealthy."

Yondu stood before the open door arms crossed, a spare headset hanging from his hand. Scowling down at their caught, guilty expressions on their boyish faces.

"OH uh, captian! We were just uh-" Kraglin stuttered.

"Grounded."  

"Peter!" Meredith cried as she came up behind the captain and fiercely wrapped her arms around her wayward son, as only a mother can, "What were you thinking? Flying around in a spaceship like that, are you crazy?"

"Um," Peter said, awkwardly shuffling his feet as he was held- darting his eyes at his new friends, who glanced back at him just as awkwardly as him, "Sorry mom."

"Ya'll know darn well an' good that this ain't what I meant when I said you boys could start having time off," Yondu said, raising a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose, voice stern and exasperated, "Time off does not mean 'time off ship'. Figured that was implied, but it looks like I'm gonna have to spell out it out for ya an' lay down some ground rules- If this is the kinda thing you boys are gonna get up to unsupervised.

"Don't know who's idea this was, an' frankly, I don't care. But that was a goddamn stupid stunt and ya’ll are in so much trouble-," Yondu said raising his voice over the sound of the boy's squabbling over who's fault it was now.

"An you-" Yondu said pointing at Peter, and the boy pointed to himself wide eyed at the attention as Meredith stood up behind him, "What were you thinkin’? You 'bout scared your momma half to death. Ya'll ain't even been on the ship longer n' a day. You got any idea how dangerous that stunt yall pulled was?"

"Not that dangerous," Hekk muttered sullenly, scuffing his foot on the floor, "I can fly just fine."

"No, you can't," Yondu said, chucking the headset aside, "Cause you're grounded. All ya'll are."

Yondu continued over the renewed clamor of whining, "You're lucky I ain't tossin' ya into the brig with the twins- but I don't wanna even think about the kinda trouble ya'll would get into in a confined space like that." 

The boys just muttered under their breath, hanging their heads in various levels of resignation. Willit darting looks towards Meredith out of the corner of his eye as he bit his lip. Kraglin going stiff and still like the little soldier he was. Hekk, slumped in a sullen sulk as he glared- wrapping his arms around himself protectively. 

"So for the time bein, ya'll are grounded for the next foreseeable future," Yondu said, as he turned and started to usher the boys out of the docking bay at a stern march, "That means your runty lil behinds are mine until I say otherwise, you got it? Chores an' scrub duty's too good for ya. You gotta earn that back- an' you’re gonna be beggin' for it by the time I'm done with ya. 

"First things first," Yondu snapped, "I'm gonna want twenty laps round the ship- that's the whole ship- no shortcuts. You got energy, you're gonna burn it now. An' if you don't hustle fast enough, I'll send my arrow after ya. Now move!"

The trio of boys scurried off at a fast clip, to the fading sound of bickering.

"I told you it was a bad idea."

"Shut up, Willit."

"You too, Peter."

And Yondu turned to see Meredith giving her son a stern scowl of her own, unswayed by the boy's surprised puppy dog eyes, "You heard the man. His ship. His rules. And you broke them just like the other boys, so you're grounded too. Now, hand over the cassette player and go."

And Yondu had to fight back a grin at the sight of Peter sheepishly taking off his beloved headphones and putting it into his mother’s waiting open palm and then- at her raised eyebrow of motherly waning patience- fled. 

“You’re wrong you know,” Meredith said apropos of nothing as they watched Peter go tearing off after the other boys at full speed- near clipping his shoulder on the doorway as he ran. 

“Yeah? Bout what?” Yondu said, looking her over suspiciously with a scowl.

Slipping the headphones over her neck as she clipped the music player to her pants, she turned to leave and glancing over her shoulder, smiled at him. A gentle, friendly smile- a real one. It looked good on her. And Yondu was surprised to see how different it was- almost as surprising, that it was directed at him. 

"You're not nearly as bad as you think you are."

And with that she left him standing alone in the hanger, feeling baffled and off balance once more. Bemused, Yondu just huffed- sucking his teeth to suppress a smile of his own. Meredith Quill was something all right- willful and stubborn, just like her boy.

And trouble, make no mistake.

How much trouble remained to be seen, but Yondu had a feeling that this was only just beginning.

"Rule number one," Yondu shouted, as he made his way into the hallway and hurried after the sound of his boy’s distant running feet, "No flyin' until I say you can, got it? These are my ships you were playin' with, you hear? You wanna be reckless like this again, get your own- You ain't to even think about touchin’ another of these ships until I say so."