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(Ravager family once again)

Headcanon that the Ravagers – especially the more loyal, kinder ones – actually really liked little Peter. They see him less as a crewmember and more of a very amusing mascot, but it’s something.

Quite a few of the Ravagers decide that this is still a child, a confused and terrified one at that, but with spunk and fighting spirit and funny little grimaces when he tries to insult them back, and a brilliant smile when he manages to convince them to listen to his music.

It becomes a common occurrence that at least one of the men stays close to the child. Mostly it’s Yondu himself, but when the captain is busy, there is Kraglin, Tullk, Oblo, sometimes even Horuz or others, making sure that Peter doesn’t get into trouble or really gets eaten by one of the meaner guys.

They carry him on their shoulders when walking through crowds on inhabited planets so he doesn’t get lost.

They drag him out of fights and put him down at the edge of it – “Stay here, Pete, we gotta finish those a-holes over there” – and come back to him with little trophies from the fight.

They hold him when he’s been injured and needs to be taken care of, holding him still to put the needle with the painkiller in – they quickly discovered that Peter is downright terrified of doctors, so they do the needle-part themselves, asking Kraglin or Yondu to keep talking to the kid in the meantime.

 Oblo shows Peter how to disassemble and reassemble a blaster.

Tullk shows him how to fight with his fist and his knees, reminding him that there are times when he has to.

It’s Kraglin who gives him tips how to pickpocket right without being noticed.

Horuz is the one rather grumpily teaching Peter how to read the alien runes used in the most parts of the galaxy, because Yondu never learned how to read and write very well with his backstory as a slave.

Yondu is the one to teach Peter the things he deems too important to leave to others – shooting, lying, conning, flying, and navigating, for example.  

It’s not a perfect substitute family. They are Ravagers, harsh with their words and quick with their fists, and Peter learns to not show his tears. Learns to bellow insults right back instead of being hurt by words at all. He learns which Ravagers to run from because they would hurt him, and which to run to when Yondu isn’t there to protect him.

It’s far from perfect, but he is alive, and being taken care off, as weird as it may seem.

In return for teaching him, Peter shows the Ravagers how to have fun with easy things. He listens to music, blasts it over the whole ship once he got the songs into the ship’s system. (Yondu swears up and down that he will delete it, but he never does.) He steals little trinkets for Yondu, and shiny things that he thinks Kraglin could like, delighting in their laughter when they pat his shoulder. He teaches the nice Ravagers how to dance. He teaches those who are willing how to read, once his lessons with Horuz have shown success.

One evening they fall asleep on the bridge in a pile, Tullk outstretched on the ground, Kraglin curled up next to him, Oblo using Tullk as a pillow. Peter has climbed onto Tullk’s wide stomach, curled into a little ball like a cat, and is trying to fall asleep like the others, but he is shivering, teeth clacking together in the cold of the spaceship.

He has his eyes closed tightly, trying to will himself into sleep, when there’s a quiet curse next to him, followed by even quieter rustling.

A weight slips over Peter’s shoulders, startling him, but he doesn’t feel threatened enough to startle upwards. There’s a knife in his boot, like Kraglin taught him, and one yell and three Ravagers would jump into action for him, but…

The weight is a leather jacket, Peter realizes when he cracks one eye open to peer down. It’s warm and smells of burned plasma and something distinctly familiar.

 Peering over the edge of the fabric that’s now keeping him warm, Peter spots a retreating figure in the doorway of the bridge, the last bit of light falling in from the hallway letting him catch a glimpse of blue skin and a red fin.

Peter smiles and closes his eyes just as the door falls closed behind Yondu.

It’s not a perfect family at all. But it’s not that bad, either.