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You stared up in relief at Peter and Yondu as they descended from the smoke cloud. They were… alive. They had managed to survive the explosion of the M-ship. A glance shared with Gamora proved she felt the same relief. Only a few seconds ago had the two of you thought you lost those who you loved most, and now they were floating back down towards the relative safety of the ground. You were so grateful you couldn’t manage words. You had no idea what you would do if you lost either of them, they had been a part of your life for so long. They were your family. Sure, Yondu could be a dick at times, and yeah, Peter had left a couple months back and yeah it was kinda his fault you were all here in the first place, but you’d still be lost if they were gone.
You continued to look up at the pair and you couldn’t help but crack a smile, which then turned into a poorly stifled snicker. You could blame it on the nerves, but it was mostly the silhouette Yondu was currently giving off.
“What?” Yondu called down to you, having heard and seen you were laughing up at them. Suspicion filled his eyes.
You bit your lip in a failed attempt to rein in your grin and answered honestly, “You look like Mary Poppins,” despite knowing he wouldn’t know who that was.
Still eyeing you, he asked, “Is he cool?”
Grinning wider you answer, “Yeah, he’s cool.” Sure, it was funny, and you knew Peter and you would have a laugh about it later, but you meant what you said. He was cool.
Clearly satisfied, Yondu cried out, “I’m Mary Poppin’s y'all!” just before they touched down near Nebula on the ground.
Peter gave you a cheeky look that both stated that he approved, and doubled as an unsaid agreement that he wasn’t going to say anything- for now at least. He then went on to make googly-eyes with Gamora while the rest of you took a moment to enjoy the brief victory.
A piece of debris then suddenly smacked the woman you’d come to learn was named Mantis in the head, knocking her unconscious. And… just like that, you were all back in it as Ego began to wake up.
“How long ‘til the bomb goes off?” Peter asked Rocket urgently.
“In the unlikely event that Groot doesn’t kill us all… about six minutes.”
Just then you hear cracking from above and you look up to see the rock above… or.. Ego? technically?… beginning to crack and fall apart. You swallow, silently hoping that today wasn’t the day you and all your friends, new and old, died.
Yondu makes a call to Kraglin and tells him to bring the Quadrant in for an extraction.
Hearing this, Peter sends you and Drax away with Mantis to meet him when he gets there. Or rather, he slaps an aero-rig on Drax and sends him flying up, and then instructs you to follow, which you obey.
Shortly after you and Drax reach the surface the blue tentacles burst up from the ground and grab the Quadrant before your eyes. Both yours and Drax’s eyes widen in alarm as the tentacles begin to pull the giant ship towards you, and you don’t even need to exchange words as you two share a quick glance.
You just run.
Your heart is beating out of your chest as the ship gains on you. You know you can’t outrun it. Even if you could, there’s only the sheer drop of a cliff in your path. But still, you have to keep running. At least with the aero-rigs you all might survive the cliff.
Drax falls to his knees, impressively never managing to drop Mantis as he shields her with himself.
You reach for him in an attempt to help him up, but then you turn and see it.
The ship. It’s already upon you. There’s no escape. There’s no time.
As you see Drax shielding Mantis’s unconscious form with his body you realize he hadn’t fallen, but had simply already accepted your fates and was using his last act to protect this young woman. You couldn’t help but silently commend him for this action, despite knowing it was futile.
Eyes closed, the two of you brace yourselves in preparation for your inevitable deaths.
Only, death doesn’t come.
Instead the ship begins to rise again. The thrusters have kicked on. You nearly laugh in relief and make a mental note to hug Kraglin later, grateful that he was able to get to them in time.
Drax immediately turns and begins running with Mantis in the direction of the ship as it rights itself and within a few moments the three of you are safely aboard. You’re surprised when Drax unceremoniously tosses Mantis into the ship, considering you had just seen him take such care with her before. He immediately takes to the steps leading up to the flight deck and you choose to stay below in the hold for a bit and check that Mantis was ok.
You are pulling Mantis’s unconscious body further into the hold when Gamora and Nebula come aboard. You glance up and give the women a nod before stepping back to allow space for Gamora to kneel down next to her friend, feeling this was more her place than yours. Sure, you thought Peter’s new group of friends seemed okay, but you hadn’t really gotten to know them yet and now didn’t seem like the time.
As all of you wait anxiously for the others to also reach the ship, you had taken to keeping towards the back of the hold while Gamora and Nebula remained sitting on the floor near Mantis. It was just as well, you still weren’t completely sure how you felt about Nebula. Yeah, she was helping you guys now, but you hadn’t completely forgotten her role in the whole mutiny deal… but she had also technically saved Yondu and the raccoon… but she also didn’t stop Tazerdick from killing all your friends… but in that same boat you supposed you weren’t innocent either, you had just stood by like a coward with Kraglin and watched it happen…
You couldn’t help from nervously pacing, and keeping to the back also ensured no one got in your path.
Where were the others? Shouldn’t they be here by now? Will they make it in time?
Gamora noticed your behavior but decided to leave you be. Peter had told her how close the two of you had been growing up, and she knew you were likely just as anxious as she was for his return.
Kraglin eventually takes a peek into the hold from the top of the steps to check on everyone and sees you silently pacing back and forth. He decides to make you come up to the flight deck with him in hopes that helping set the navs will distract you from wearing a hole in the floor.
Not too long after you’ve gone upstairs you hear Gamora shouting something, but you can’t quite make it out. You’re momentarily concerned the blue light tentacles are back before you hear Rocket, more loudly and clearly, telling Kraglin to take off.
You look out the large window in front of you, and after you don’t see any light tentacles coming to drag you down or the planet exploding under you, you softly sigh in relief. The others must all be back finally, and that must have been Gamora yelling at them to get their asses on the ship.
Your relief to finally be done with this place is cut short when Drax speaks.
“Wait- is Quill back?”
Your eyes widen as Kraglin only fires up the engine in response. The hell-?
Drax speaks into the intercom, “Rocket, where’s Quill?”
No answer.
Your stomach begins to tie in knots. “Kraglin- Kraglin wait! If Peter isn’t back- and where’s Yondu?!”
Kraglin doesn’t answer you either, just pulls back on the throttle without looking at either you or Drax. A mix of sadness and guilt is present in his eyes.
Drax repeats his prior question into the intercom, now shouting.
Rocket still won’t answer. Drax continues shouting, “Where’s Quill?!”
You’re shouting now too, both at Kraglin as you feel the ship begin to lift off, and once into the intercom with Drax, demanding to know where Peter and Yondu are. You try to pull Kraglin away from the controls, but he only pushes you back, refusing to look you in the eye as you yell at him.
“Go to hell then! I’m going after them!” you shout, turning to head down below so you can get out before the door shuts.
It’s now that Kraglin leaves the controls, and he wraps his arms around you from behind to restrain you.
You curse at him, kicking and fighting to no avail as Kraglin sadly says, “I’m sorry- I can’t let ya- I’m real sorry-”
You manage to break away for just a second, only able to make it a few feet away before you feel the pain of electricity shooting through your body.
And then everything goes black.
***
By the time you wake, the ship has already left the atmosphere, and the only view outside the window is that of the vast, cold, universe. You sit up and look around groggily to then find Kraglin sitting nearby, and your vision goes red.
Kraglin notices that you’ve woken and only manages to get out, “I’m sorry th-” before you’ve knocked him out of his chair with the back of your fist.
“You bastard! I’ll never forgive you!” you shout, punching at him as you shout other obscenities. Tears blur your vision, and that’s what you blame for him being able to quickly restrain you from hitting him further, not the fact that he’s always been stronger and the only reason you even got him down with the first hit was due to surprise. Nah, it was totally just the watery eyes…
He tries to say something, but you don’t care, you don’t listen. You just shout and struggle in his arms, kicking, biting, crying- mostly crying- as you threaten his life, his manhood, and anything else, for allowing Peter and Yondu to just die back there. For leaving them behind. For not waiting just a bit longer. For not letting you go find them. For shooting you with a damn stun gun.
This continues for a short while until you eventually tire yourself out, allowing your head to fall on his chest in exhaustion as you cry.
“Ya done now?”
This earns him a kick to the shin and you attempt to pry yourself away but he only hugs you tighter against him. This isn’t exactly what you had in mind when you mentally promised him that hug earlier… but fuck him- he doesn’t get that hug now, not after-
“Now listen!” Kraglin scolds in frustration as he tries to still you. “Quit- damn it! Just listen!”
“Why the fuck should I?!”
Without another word aside from an annoyed grunt he whips you around.
You stand there for a moment in shock. You barely register that Kraglin is no longer restraining you.
“…Peter?”
He smiles back at you and nods. You had been so busy fighting Kraglin you hadn’t heard him come up. It was actually your shouting that alerted him that you were finally awake in the first place. He had been told by Kraglin that you might be a bit fiery when you finally regained consciousness, given the events leading up to him knocking you out, and that assumption had appeared to have been correct given the scene he came up to. However now all sign of that fire seemed to have left you as you now stared at him with wide eyes.
You go to hug him so fast you nearly send both of you tumbling to the floor. After squeezing the life out of him you pull back to smack him in the chest.
“Ow! I thought you were happy to see me?!”
“Don’t ever scare me like that again! I thought you died! I thought-” You pause a moment. “Where’s da-” You catch yourself and continue, “Where’s that damned Yondu then? I’ll kick his ass too.”
Peter shares a brief look with Kraglin that you can’t read before replying, “He’s fine, but he’s resting. There was only one spacesuit left… and the ship just barely got to us in time. It might be awhile before he wakes up.”
You glance off to the side and mumble, “I guess I’ll kick his ass later, then.” You look back up to him. “Can I see him?”
“Of course.” Peter answers before leading you and Kraglin down from the flight deck and into the room where they placed Yondu.
He was lying on a cot covered with a foil blanket to keep him warm despite him still wearing his duster. His eyes were closed and one could assume he was simply sleeping if not for the oxygen mask fitted to his face.
The slight alarm at seeing his still form could be seen on your face, prompting the others to assure you that he would be fine.
You stared at him for a long while before Peter instructed that you needed to eat something. You opened you mouth to protest but didn’t get the chance before Peter placed a hand on your shoulder and turned you out of the room, leading you to where Kraglin was retrieving some MRE’s for everyone. You didn’t bother arguing. Staring at Yondu wasn’t going to make him wake faster.
You ate quietly and mostly stared down in your lap or off into space while the others conversed. Kraglin pinched your side to get your attention and you jolted, giving him a mean glare as your cheeks began to grow warm.
“Don’t look so down, we won didn’t we?” He pinched your side again with a grin. “Cheer up! Turn that frown upside down.”
You frown harder at him, but only briefly because right then Peter walks past and gives your knee a squeeze, causing a grin to finally crack your face as you kick out in surprise. “There it is!” he joked as he continued on his way over to Gamora with some hot drink. By this time Nebula had already left and Rocket and Drax were talking while Mantis and Groot ate and listened.
You roll your eyes and glare at Peter and then Kraglin. “Children. The both of you.” You scold, but only half-heartedly. Truthfully, it was nice to have a little banter and shenanigans after everything.
Seeming satisfied that you appeared less sullen, Kraglin started up a conversation with you discussing potting a course to a nearby planet for supplies.
Yondu eventually opened his eyes, but didn’t really start to fully wake until around the next day-cycle, and it was at least a week of using the oxygen mask, first full time, and gradually moving to off and on, before he before he was nearly back to 100%. The vacuum of space is quite unforgiving, after all. His personality was ever-present though, stubborn as ever. A few times he tried to walk about without the oxygen, but was always quickly scolded by either Kraglin, Peter, Rocket, or yourself to go put it back on before someone glued it to his face. He eventually stopped that nonsense, claiming in a rasp that he got “tired of hearin’ ya’ll bitchin’” but you had a feeling he realized soon enough that even without being scolded for leaving it behind, he wouldn’t get very far without it.
After that first week, though, he was back to his cheeky self. His mood was also improved by the fact that Stakar had made a surprise visit to the ship while he was recovering. Rocket had called the other Ravagers and told them what Yondu did. How he had intended to sacrifice himself for Peter, and how the others fortunately had been able to get to them in time, though only barely, and were able to save them both. Stakar came the next day and witnessed the scene you saw of Yondu the previous night, only this time with Yondu awake. They spoke in private, but you later learned from Kraglin the gist was that Stakar welcomed Yondu back with open arms, and made talk about helping acquire him another crew when he was ready, if he wanted. Yondu had caught a glance of Peter walking past the door and told Stakar that he was grateful to be back, but that he’d have to take a minute and think about that offer. Maybe it was time he settled down a bit, maybe downsize, join a smaller crew. He wasn’t getting any younger, after all. In other, unspoken, words, maybe stick around with Peter’s team, if he’d have him.
And of course, Peter would.
With this added pep in his step, it wasn’t long before he was strutting around saying that he “was as cool as Mary Poppins,” usually in cheek as reason why he didn’t need to do something Peter asked, or stating it after showing off.
For instance, one day, shortly after recovering, Peter instructed Yondu to move over and let him take to controls while the three of you were leaving on a supply run. Yondu just scoffed and replied that he 'didn’t need none of Peter’s coddling,’ because he was “as cool as Mary Poppins,” and he didn’t need any of that.
Peter fought back a grin as he shot you a look that clearly said, “This is your fault, you know that, right?” before eventually convincing Yondu to step back and let him take the controls.
You could only muffle your giggles when Peter told him that, “Mary Poppins would know when to take a dang break.”
Similar stuff like that went on for a bit until one day Yondu managed to perform (an admittedly impressive) twist and caught a lightbulb Kraglin dropped from a ladder before it broke. He looked at the rest of you with a grin and said, “Ya see that?” He handed the bulb back up to Kraglin. “Ya can do that when you’re as cool as Mary Poppins.”
This earned groans from Gamora, Drax, and Rocket, who had grown tired of hearing it, while Mantis and Groot just smiled in awe, innocently never bored of Yondu’s antics. Even Kraglin hid how he rolled his eyes. You just grinned wide. You and Peter were the only two who got the joke, though you never let on.
Well, until this time, that is. This time Peter wasn’t able to hold back his humor at the situation. A bark of laughter escaped his throat, making Yondu raise an eyebrow at him.
“What?”
Peter continued snickering and looked at you. “C'mon. I gotta tell him!”
Eyes wide you reply, “Don’t you dare!”
Yondu looked at the pair of you with suspicious eyes. “Tell me what?” He takes a couple steps towards you.
“Nothing!” you quickly answer.
Reigning in his giggles, Peter explained that Mary Poppins wasn’t quite a cool dude, but rather a… cool magical British nanny?
“Peter!” you exclaim, swatting at him. “Not cool!”
“I had to! Or else he was never gonna stop!” Peter laughed. Giggles and snickers were also beginning to break out from the some of the others as well.
Yondu’s eyes narrowed and he took another step forward. In a cool tone he said, “Ya mean to tell me all this time ya’ve been lettin’ me believe Mary Poppins was this badass guy, been lettin’ me run with it, knowin’ full well Mary Poppins was a damn nanny?!”
You giggled nervously and took a step back, only to bump into Rocket who quickly moved out of the way claiming he wasn’t gonna save you. You didn’t think you had a chance of saving yourself either, for that matter. Yondu, as well as Kraglin on the ladder, were blocking the only exit. Maybe you could run underneath the ladder? Could you make it past Yondu to do that? Well, at least he wasn’t calling for his arrow… there was that. With Rocket out of the way you take yet another step back, Yondu matching you with one more forward. You nervously tried to smooth it over. “Well, she was a magical nanny, so that’s still cool, right?”
Drax let out a loud laugh then. “Haha! You’ve been calling yourself an old nanny for weeks!”
Gamora rolled her eyes at his remark but couldn’t help grinning, and more laughter sounded from the others at this revelation.
You didn’t bother to correct Drax on the age of said nanny. You knew it wouldn’t help.
Yondu sucked on his teeth, eyes never leaving you.
Kraglin snickered from on top the ladder as he began to climb down. “You’re really gonna get it now.”
With a nervous chuckle, you bolted, only just managing to dodge when Yondu grabbed for you. You would have slid under the ladder like you planned, but Kraglin had already reached the bottom and stepped in the way. “Oh sorry, did you need through? I just gonna fold up this ladder here quick…”
“I hate you.”
“I know.”
Yondu, seemingly not in any particular hurry, likely because he knew you had nowhere to run, was closing in on you via a casual walking pace. You turned to face him while walking nearly backwards to the left edge of the room. “Can’t we talk about this?” you ask, giggling nervously.
Yondu just shakes his head, following at the same steady pace. A hint of a grin can be seen playing through his grumpy features.
You trip up on a stool, but never take your eyes off him. “Look- it’s not a bad thing- Mary Poppins actually is cool-”
Yondu chuckles darkly. “Groveling is only gonna make it worse fer yerself.”
You swallow, a nervous grin splitting your face. “Yondu, please-”
“So will begging,” he says, cutting you off while taking a few longer strides that nearly close the distance between the two of you.
By now Peter had decided to take a seat and see how this played out, and most of the others follow suit.
“Peter?” you call out.
“Yeah?” he laughs in response, figuring you were about to weigh your chances asking for his help.
“If I survive, remind me to kill you.”
He chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “Sure thing.”
Your eyes flit to the door once more. Kraglin is taking his sweet time folding up the ladder, chuckling softly to himself. The bastard.
Yondu makes a lunge for you and you jerk back with a squeak, this time losing your balance on yet another stool. He darts a hand out to catch you by the arm and jerks you in close.
“Got ya!” He smiles evilly.
Your eyes widen in fear before you too are not only smiling, but giggling hysterically as he digs the fingers of his other hand into your ribs.
You jerk in his hold, grabbing at his hand as you attempt to back away, only for him to follow you, still with a grip on your arm, for the two or three steps until your back is against the wall. “Yondu! No! This isn’t fair!”
“Oh it ain’t? Well was it fair when ya had me callin’ myself Mary Poppins all that time?” You don’t answer, both too busy laughing and full well knowing what you did. After a second of you not answering he adds with a grin, “Didn’t think so.” He releases your arm in favor of attacking with both hands, chuckling as you let out a squeal of laughter and draw one knee up in an attempt to curl in on yourself, only to stomp it back down in a ticklish reflex.
You sink to the ground in a further attempt to get away, but he only follows you down.
Rocket chuckles from the sidelines and says to Peter, “Ya know, I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this.” He shrugs and turns back to the show. “I guess it’s not not entertaining.” He sits back and opens a small bag of colored candies, which he then shares with Groot.
Groot giggles and points at the scene.
“Ok! I’m sorry!” you squeal out.
Yondu just laughs and shakes his head. “Nah, but you’re gonna be.”
He then shoves his hands into your armpits, and you throw your head back in loud, bright laughter as you kick your feet out, heels squeaking against the floor.
Mantis giggles. “This is so funny!”
Drax chuckles lightly and shakes his head, saying to Gamora, “Ravagers sure have strange punishment practices. I for sure thought he’d just fire them or something.”
Peter smiles fondly looking at you and Yondu before glancing at Drax with a smile. “Nah, that ain’t a Ravager thing. It’s a family thing.”
He had caught what you almost said after you first woke up those weeks ago, when you had clearly thought he and Yondu had been left for dead only to be surprised with his presence. You had nearly asked him, “Where’s dad?”
Peter knew if confronted you would certainly deny it, but he knew he hadn’t misheard you. The look he shared with Kraglin that night confirmed it. He had heard it too. The moments just before Peter was sure Yondu was a dead man made him finally realize what he had missed all those years. Yondu was like a father to him, to the both of you. You were a family, and it was clear you knew it too.
Unprompted, Mantis reaches over to briefly scritch at Peter’s side, causing him to jump out of his thoughts.
“Hey!” he scolds playfully. “Cut that out!”
Kraglin had made his way over to the rest of the group by now, and having seen the exchange, pokes Peter in the ribs with a grin. “Ya know, ya knew that whole time who that Mary Poppins was and ya didn’t say anythin’…” he looks past Peter to Mantis, “I say he deserves it.” He then pinches Peter’s side and laughs when he recoils, only for Mantis to make Peter recoil again with a poke to the other side, this time making him let out a short giggle.
“Now that’s funny!” Rocket said, receiving a dirty look from Peter.
Even Gamora couldn’t resist tweaking Peter’s ribs, earning a look of betrayal in return after he managed to grab her wrist. She wasn’t sorry.
Peter continued to recieve random pokes and tickles from his friends, swatting and making empty threats in return, but it was clear you were getting the much shorter end of the stick.
To his credit, Yondu had offered you a way out of your torment.
He had gathered your hands in one of his and was kneading at the muscle above your knee with the other, which you couldn’t seem to get away from no matter how much you kicked. “Are ya sorry?” he had asked, despite you already having said you were. After you emphatically responded with a 'yes,’ he had then said, “And are ya gonna do it again?” You had squealed out a no in response. He had then replied, “And why shouldn’t ya have done it in the first place?” Clearly, he had been expecting an answer about how you should have known better, or something about not pulling tricks on your captain.
However, to your detriment, you just couldn’t help yourself. Through giggles you managed to get out a, “Be- Because you’re c-cool like Mary Poppins?”
Yondu’s eyes momentarily widened in disbelief before narrowing. With a playful growl he said, “Why you little-” and dug all ten fingers into your stomach, sending your head back as a ticklish scream-laugh ripped from your throat.
Yondu now kept darting from spot to spot, never staying in one area for more than a moment to drive you insane- and boy was it was working.
It took you several moments to be able to manage speech. “I’m sorry! AhahHA! I’m SORRY! For real this time! AH! I mean it!” You were kicking and squirming so bad Yondu and the others couldn’t help but laugh. He’d go for your belly and you’d curl in on yourself, armpits or ribs usually caused your back to arch or made you twist, and going for your knees made you kick- well, kick harder, anyway.
Yondu playfully rolled his eyes at your declaration of apology. “Yeah, I bet yer real sorry now.”
“I am! I take it back! I take it back!!” You grasp at his arms the best you could when he decided to stick with just tickling under your arms again, which he got access to after a quick flutter at your throat sent your hands flying up for protection and left your armpits open and vulnerable. “I give! I give!! I won’t do it again!” you cry out in a squeaky plea. In desperation you finally cry out, “MERCY!”
He finally decides you’ve had enough, and with a final couple squeezes to your knee he lets you go, standing to look fondly down at you with your arms wrapped around your middle and knees partially pulled up in protection as residual giggles leave you.
“Ya learn yer lesson, brat?”
You nod as you go to stand, still a little giggly from your torment. “That was so mean!” you pouted, stumbling as you go to make quick work to close the distance between you and the exit.
Yondu gives you a look and says, “Ya know full well I could’ve been meaner.”
You sighed and rolled you eyes. Luckily for you Yondu couldn’t see. “Still mean,” you call back to him.
Yondu only chuckled in response.
Feeling bold in the 'safety’ of the doorway you stop and look back at Yondu. “Ya know, I was wrong to call you Mary Poppins.”
Yondu grinned and crossed his arms. “Glad to see the lesson worked, maybe I need to try that method more often,” he teased.
The others actually looked surprised that you had changed your tune, however Peter and Kraglin exchanged a look, knowing better.
You ignored Yondu’s comment and responded, “Yeah… you’re more of a… Mrs. Doubtfire.” You gave him one last wide, cheeky grin before immediately running for your life.
Yondu just stood still for a moment, tongue in his cheek before turning to Peter. “I’m gonna be insulted by that one too, ain’t I?”
Peter shrugged and honestly answered, “I actually don’t know who that one is, but probably.”
Yondu nodded thoughtfully… and then whistled.
“Whoa! Yondu, no!” Gamora scolded, taking a step forward. The others also seemed to be in various degrees of alarm, aside from Kraglin and Peter, who again, knew better.
He waved her off before she could finish with some nonsense about how 'this isn’t how we solve problems’ or whatever. “Calm down, girlie,” he said, walking towards the doorway after his arrow. “I ain’t gonna hurt the lil’ shit.”
Your startled scream was then heard echoing from the corridor, and he grinned, continuing, “I’m just gonna scare the piss outta the brat -which by that sound I’d say I’ve done already- and have me a little fun.”
He didn’t look back as he exited the room, cracking his knuckles. “Clearly it’s time for another lesson in manners.”