Yondu Week Day Three: Despair / Family / Reunion
[A/N] So I SWORE I uploaded this one, but I can’t find it anywhere on my Tumblr, so I either a) didn’t post it b) Tumblr was stupid and didn’t save the draft or c) somehow it accidentally got deleted.
Anywho, here’s day 3, which was inspired by headcanons by the awesome @shanoniusrex / @stakarbage , which can be found HERE
It’s a routine mission, but it’s Yondu’s first. It’s a small moon that Krugarr recently found was home to a healing herb that is worth hundreds of units a leaf. The mission is to find these plants and report back to the ship before nightfall.
Yondu wants to prove that he can handle a simple look-and-find job, so he sets off to search by himself. He unintentionally wanders farther and farther away from the others as he walks along – then he gets distracted following a stream he believes might lead him to the plant. He travels further and further into the tall ferns that carpet the forest floor, and before he knows it, he’s alone in the woods – and the sun is on its way down in the sky.
“Stakar?” he calls, turning around in a slow circle, looking for any signs of the party. “Martinex?” He cups his hands around his mouth. “Charlie?”
There’s nothing but silence. He stands stock-still for a second, then, fear rising in his throat, he tears back the way he thought he’d come. But he didn’t study the planet as carefully as he should have – he doesn’t know in which direction the sun sets, didn’t pay attention to what side of the trees those purple flowers grow on. Dammit! he scolds himself. Ya know better than this! Less than a year with these Ravagers and ya gone soft! Idjit, ya up and forgot all yer survival training!
“Stakar!” he yells as he runs. “Aleta! Marty! Anybody hear me?”
As the sun dips lower and lower into the sky, he begins to slow his pace. He stops at last, panting, and listens. There’s no movement except for the lonely rustle of wind amongst the ferns, and no sound except the winged creatures that cackle mockingly in the trees high above. There’s no voices calling for him, no sound of footsteps.
They left me, he realizes in shock. I - I thought they was different. His heart sinks in his chest, and he backs up against the nearest tree, sliding down its trunk into a sitting position. I’ve been lookin’ fer ‘em fer hours, but they ain’t been lookin’ fer me. He laughs ruefully to himself, shaking his head. Why was I foolish enough to think they’d keep me around? His lips purse into a tight line. I ain’t any good to nobody. I ain’t helpful like Martinex, or kind like Charlie, or brave like the Ogords. I ain’t talented or skilled or nothin’. The Kree was right, I’m jus’ a waste a’ space, ain’t worth shit. They probably couldn’t wait to get rid a’ me.
This last thought comes with something unexpected and unfamiliar – a tight feeling in his throat, and the sting of tears in his eyes. He scrubs them away angrily with a fist. I deserved this, I probably did somethin’ wrong.
He draws up his knees and rests his arms over them. He looks up to the sky. The sun is setting; he can see the three moons hanging in the sky. He needs to find shelter, and he can figure out a way to get off the planet in the coming days. His shoulders sag as he wearily climbs to his feet. No more comfortable cot, no more regular meals.
But that’s not what hurts most, that’s not what he’s going to miss. Martinex’s jokes, Charlie’s booming laughs, Aleta’s nearly-hidden smile of approval, Stakar’s voice, his comforting hand on his shoulder. Yondu has to get used to being alone again.
Yondu sets his jaw and begins to head towards the remaining sunlight. Git yer thoughts straight. If I can find that stream again, it might lead to a river or larger body of water. And wherever there’s water, there’s probably game, and possibly shelter. Hopefully he can find it before the sun is completely below the horizon.
He’s about to start walking again when he stops. He thought he heard something. An animal, maybe? He listens, but he doesn’t hear anything. He goes to take another step, when –
It’s faint. Too faint. Yondu shakes his head. “Damn imagination,” he tells himself, gritting his teeth, and takes a few more steps.
He gasps, whirling on his heel. “Stakar?” he whispers, not daring to believe it.
“Yondu! Where are you? Yondu, answer me!”
It’s not his imagination. “Stakar?” he yells, turning towards the voice. “Stakar!”
“Yondu?” There’s the sound of someone crashing through the underbrush, and suddenly Stakar is there, about a hundred meters away. They both stop, staring at one another. “Yondu!” Stakar yells, and tears towards him. Before Yondu can react, the Ravager Captain has seized him in a one-armed hug, slapping his back. “Thank gods you’re all right.” He releases him quickly, knowing that Yondu still isn’t used to affectionate physical contact. He takes him by the shoulders and gives him one sound shake. “Don’t you run off like that again, boy! We were worried sick.”
Yondu’s eyes widen. He can’t believe his ears. “Ya – ya were?”
“Of course we were,” Stakar says earnestly. “When we couldn’t find ya, we all started lookin’ for ya everywhere. Oh, speakin’ of which.” He presses a button on his wrist com. “Aleta, come in.”
“Did you find him?” Her voice snaps. “‘Cause if you didn’t and you’re wasting breath to-”
“I found him. Say hi, boy.”
“Hi Aleta,” Yondu says, a little tentatively, leaning towards Stakar’s wrist.
“Yondu!” There’s a nearly-imperceptible sigh of relief in her rough voice. “Are you hurt?”
“Thank all the gods,” she replies in a murmur they barely catch. “I’ll round up the team, Stakar. Just get our boy back on board.”
“Copy that.” Stakar slings an arm around Yondu’s shoulders. “Let’s get you home, son.”
Later that evening, Yondu is sitting awake, seated against the wall, watching his crew mates as they sleep. Stakar rolls over towards him, and Yondu is surprised to see he too is awake. They catch each other’s eyes, and Stakar quietly gets up, seating himself next to Yondu.
“Ya okay, boy?” the Captain asks. “Why ain’t you sleepin’?”
“M’ fine. Jus’ thinkin’.” Yondu replies.
Stakar nods. After a few minutes of silence, he turns to him again. “Can I ask ya something?”
“Yer the Cap’n, ya can ask me anythin’ ya want.”
Stakar chuckles quietly, then asks, “Down on the planet - when I said we were worried about ya, ya seemed surprised. Why was that?”
Yondu offers a shrug of one shoulder and fiddles with a loose thread on his pant leg. “Guess no one’s ever been worried ‘bout me before.”
Stakar falls silent, and Yondu is worried he might have said the wrong thing. He looks up into the Captain’s eyes and sees something he wasn’t expecting – sadness. Without a word, Stakar’s arms wind around him, pulling him into an embrace.
For the first time he can remember, Yondu doesn’t want to escape it. They didn’t leave me. They didn’t want me gone. They came to find me. They want me here. I ain’t worthless, not to them. He curls his fingers into Stakar’s shirt, pressing his head into the older man’s shoulder. It feels right, somehow.
He feels Stakar hand cradle the back of his head, and his quiet voice a moment later near his ear. “Yondu,” he says, “You are part of this family, I want you to understand that. And as family, you will never be left behind. I promise.”
izzy806
tangentwithtanner
gummygunk
prguitarman
blakekathryn
