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Chapter Text

"Are you looking for something specific, sir?" 

Yondu looked up to the one asking that question, a man with crooked smile and supposed seller of the trinkets the Ravager had eyed on the counter. It was clutter of all kinds, from little figures out of metal, glass or plastic to jars and mugs in different sizes, all lined up on the selling table.

Actually useless junk, some would say but from time to time, the Centaurian got himself a few of such for his control panel. An odd little quirk even he sometimes had to chuckle about himself as the notorious Ravager captain, who has a lot of blood on his hands, liked to collect silly little figures. But Yondu didn't give a damn what others might think of that, firstly because nobody would ever dare to even ask him about it, secondly just because their opinion meant nothing to him. 

The Centaurian straightened his back a bit as he leaned over the things which stood in front of him on the table, snickering about the seller's question. 

"Might be gettin' some of 'em lil' buggers for my control panel" He said, pointing down to the figures which had caught his interest. "How much ya want for 'em?" 

The seller's eyes widened as he had gained some attention and yet Yondu could see a slight streak of fear shimmering through his glance. That guy, obviously a smuggler, as for the rest of this filthy corner of the market, knew who he was and what he was capable of. And indeed, with the red fin on the Centaurian's head and the deadly arrow always within reach, some might think twice about what to say. 

"Hundred units." 

"Hundred ya say?" 

He flinched slightly when Yondu chuckled, shaking his head. He licked his lips in amusement, putting down his elbow on the counter and leaned a bit closer to the nervous seller.

"Hundred for 'em few thingies?" Yondu clicked his tongue. "That's a bit much for my likin', good man." 

"Let's say forty." The Ravager added, waiting for the seller's reply, who thought about his next words carefully as the Yaka arrow's sharp tip shone out of the Centaurian's coat. The smuggler gulbed, staring at it in fear. 

A nervous laugh escaped the seller's throat and he shook his head, to Yondu's disappointment.

"Ninety at least, s-sir, they're...they're really rare, not that easy to get." He said, trying to keep his quivering voice steady but failed miserably at it.

The Ravager couldn't help but grin at this failed attempt and just when he wanted to reply something, the seller reached for a small jar standing behind on some kind of shelf.

"But I can offer you something very rare on top, you know, as compensation" The guy added and only now Yondu noticed that he also sold different kinds of pets and rare animals in his booth behind.

The Ravager already wanted to refuse, saying he doesn't need the junk the seller wanted to palm off on him but he hesitated, seeing what the guy had taken out. Inside the jar he saw something laying, a little creature curled up to a ball but so tiny, only the size of his palm. 

"I caught this one as it tried to steal some food from my animals" The smuggler explained and Yondu took the jar into his hand, eyeing the small thing from all sides.

"And what'chu givin' me here? What's this?" 

The Centaurian had certainly never seen something like this before and he has seen a lot of weird things.

"I'm unsure but I'm assuming it's a Terran, sir." 

Yondu raised an eyebrow. Since when were Terrans that small? Sure, there were some species in the universe that are slightly bigger in comparison to them but a size difference like that? The thing inside the jar was hella tiny, after all.

"So? Do we have a deal? Hundred units for it and the figures?" The smuggler suggested meekly.

First, the Centaurian thought what he was supposed to do with the little thing as the Eclector probably wasn't the best place for something so fragile and small, mostly because of the piece of scum that he called his crew. But then he also thought what would happen to the tiny human if he would leave it here. Yondu doubted that this smuggler would treat it very nicely, when he had looked at all the pets in the cages he didn't got to sell today. 

And when the Ravager had thought about his own awful childhood, how he used to be a slave presented on such dirty markets, always ready to be sold for a bunch of units to an asshole of slaver passing by, that added to his thought. 

Ye should be damned for bein' this soft, he thought angrily to himself. 

The Centaurian closed the door behind him after he arrived back at the Eclector and nobody had even asked him about his trip but that was also the better, considering that he still carried the little jar in his leather coat's pocket. 

For now, Yondu decided to not tell anyone about the little purchase he had made and took the jar out of the pocket, placing it down on the desk of his quartier. The little thing inside slowly started moving and for the first time the Ravager saw what he just had bought there. 

It wasn't just a human, no, this was a child, a boy. 

A tiny little blond boy, in ragged t-shirt and pants who rubbed his head, terrified looked at his surroundings and froze when he saw the Centaurian's face. The boy huddled away from him in fear, pressing his tiny back against the glass. 

"Damn, I must be drunk if I'm seein' tiny people" Yondu mumbled to himself in disbelief, taking the jar into his hands once again and opened it, tilting it slightly so the child slipped out of it and on his palm.

And so he held the little boy in his hands, eyeing him from all sides and noticed the numerous bruises on his tiny thin arms. The boy, in the meantime, shivered in fear and tried to get away from the Centaurian's pinning glance. 

"Please, I didn't mean to steal! I really didn't mean to!" The child pleaded, tears rising into his eyes and he looked so helplessly small in the Ravager's rough hands. 

Kid ain't mute apparently, Yondu thought. On the contrary, he immediately started babbling something about how he got lost and how hungry he had been when he found himself on the market. 

"Wait a damn second! What'chu even talkin' 'bout, boy?!" The Centaurian interrupted his flow of words mixed with more tears and sniffles. 

"Ya better tell me what'chu are and what the hell ya doin' 'ere in space." 

The boy snapped his mouth shut, staring into the Centaurian's darting red eyes. He tilted his palm, causing the child to tumble from his hand on the hard desk.

"I'm not a what! I'm a human, a boy!" The little one protested. "My name is Peter Quill and I already told you I have no idea where I am and who you are and why-" 

Yondu could help but grin, probably scaring the child with it as he immediately stopped talking. 

A lil' chatterbox that boy 'ere.

"W-why are you looking at me like this?" The kid, Peter apparently, wanted to know. 

He didn't get a reply and slowly stepped a bit backwards when the Centaurian's grin grew even wider. Just when the Terran kid wanted to turn around and run away, he felt how he was lifted up into the air by his collar.

"No! Put me down! Put me down, you big brute!" Peter yelled, squirming and struggling in Yondu's grip.

"Who ya callin' a brute, boy? Yer a feisty one, eh?" The Ravager chuckled. "I saved yer life, laddie, so ya better watch yer mouth." 

Although the kid wasn't in the best position to argue, as he was - quite literally - dangling in thin air, he still replied to Yondu's comment defiantly. 

"Saved my life? You're the only threat to me right now!" 

The Centaurian snickered in amusement about this little one's sassy attitude. Normally, he would've reprimanded someone who questioned his authority right away, so that they would never dare to say something like that again. But this tiny child was just too charming and so Yondu played along with it, teasing him a bit more. 

"Ya probably don't even know who ya talkin' to, are ya, my boy?" The Ravager captain said, watching him struggle. "But ya ain't wrong, I can hurt ya in so many awful ways ya can't even imagine." 

He held the child closer to his face, feeling how Peter suddenly started to shiver in fear as he was doing so.

"Maybe I'll just eat'cha as well so yer not my problem anymore." 

The boy's eyes widened when he was held just a few inches over the Centaurian's mouth. 

"No! No, don't! Please, don't eat me! Please, I'm sorry!" Peter cried desperately, his little body trembling all over and curled into a ball. 

Yondu put him down on the desk again, where the kid stumbled over his shaky legs, plopping down on his butt which didn't do his bruises any better. Peter bit his lip as the pain in his elbows set in, preventing himself from crying like a little baby in front of this big mean dork, who obviously enjoyed taunting him. 

In what hell hole did he just end up here? 

"Now" The Ravager prompted, placing both his hands on the desk, causing the kid to stumble again as he just tried to stand up. "Name's Yondu Udonta, Capt'n of this Ravager clan but to ya just 'Capt'n' or 'sir', got it, boy?" 

"What?" Peter asked in confusion, turning around to the Centaurian behind him. There were so many words in one sentence he had never heard before in his life. 

"Are ya deaf or somethin', kid?" Yondu rolled his eyes, poking the boy's tiny chest with his index finger. "Ya wanted to know who I was and I jus' told ya." 

Peter jerked away at the sudden touch, still not understanding what that blue guy actually wanted from him. 

"Captain? Like a captain of a ship?" The kid creased his forehead.

"Spaceship, boy." 

Peter's eyes widened after Yondu's reply. When he woke up in the jar and looked around in this room for the first time, he only saw gray metal walls, a room that seemed to be a large quartier but never thought it would be that of a real space captain. Peter always imagined a spaceship to be futuristic, in pure white and overly technological but this room had been far from any of that. And then there's also this giant guy, with his skin color unnaturally blue as the sky but hey, what did he even expect? He's an alien after all. 

Giant aliens, spaceships… Was he dreaming or did that really happen right now? 

"Does that mean I'm on a real space ship?!" The child asked, still perplexed. 

"That's what I said. And now ya tell me how ya got into that filthy smuggler's hands" Yondu urged the tiny boy, looking him up and down. "Ya look like ya haven't eaten in days, ye scrawny as hell. Don't'cha got parents or somethin' like that?" 

All in a sudden, the child's expression dulled and he felt a lump forming in his throat, bringing him to tears again. Yondu also noticed that moodswing and leaned a bit closer to the kid, who lowered his head. 

When Mum had died on the death bed that night, Peter barely had time to even mourn her after these big mean guys had kidnapped him into space. He didn’t even remember when he lost his backpack and Mum's walkman, his only memory left of her. They even took his red overshirt, which he was wearing during his abduction. And now he was on another spaceship, in the hands of this blue Ravager-guy, quite literally. 

"My mum died and my dad... I never knew him..." The child mumbled, feeling how tears appeared in his eyes.

Half-orphan, eh? So that's how it is, the Ravager thought.

And although he himself knew very well how it felt to be left alone by the people he refused to call 'parents' and what it meant to care for himself at a young age, Yondu didn't think about pitying the boy, for a lot of reasons. He hasn't told anyone about his past before and wouldn't do it now, especially not a Terran kid he barely knew. 

But when he had looked at the little boy like this and listened to the story how he was kidnapped by some smugglers from his home planet but managed to escape, ending up on this market as object for sale, even the ruthless Ravager felt something like pity in his chest.

Actually, the Centaurian couldn't care less about the boy but yet he had gotten extremely quiet when Peter ended his story and his voice died down under heart-wrenching sobs. 

Stupid sentimental boy.

Yondu didn't know what to answer on this so he just stared at the crying child until one of his fingers took the little one's bruised arm. Peter winced and raised his head while tears ran down his reddened cheeks.

"An' they also done that to ya?" The Centaurian asked in a calm voice but without any sign of emotion.

Peter stared at him for a while, calming down a bit and wiped away his tears with his other free arm. The guy probably meant his bruises. 

"Uh huh..."

The boy nodded, remembering how roughly they had grabbed him, threatening to break his delicate bones with one finger only and made fun of him being miserable, being this tiny. 

Yondu let go of his arm, seeing how the kid finally had stopped crying his eyes out. He sure wasn't the best at comforting others and wasn't good with children as well, since the Eclector had never been a place for sentiments and the Ravagers the kind of people who cared about others at all. 

"Then ya can call yerself lucky I found ya on 'em market, boy." 

Peter didn't know what he was implying to with that. Did this blue dude expect him to be grateful for kidnapping him? After all, he had still bought him like some kind of pet from that smuggler. And seeing from this and how he used to taunt him before, even threatening to eat him, he sure wasn't better than these smugglers. And Peter still didn't know what a 'Ravager' was, maybe that obnoxious guy was also some kind of outlaw, someone who traded with little children like him as well. 

Maybe that was all just a game to stall him and Peter had just poured out his heart only to be sold to another criminal in the end. The boy didn't trust this blue guy at all and Mum also used to tell him not to talk to strangers or get himself into dangerous situations. 

And this whole situation did seem dangerous, considering how tall he was, what he could do to him with these rough hands, his crooked teeth and then there were these red eyes staring right into his soul. 

He had to get out of here as soon as possible, that he knew for sure. Or else he's stuck here forever and would never see his family nor home ever again. Because the giant didn't look like he'd let him go anytime soon… 

But for now, he would play along with that, asking stupid questions and once the guy was distracted, Peter would run away, finding a way out of here. 

"And why did you even buy me?" The boy finally dared to ask, raising an eyebrow. 

Another grin appeared on Yondu's face, unsettling the child about what he was up to now. "Yer small, could be quite useful for my work, boy." He answered then, a blue finger pointing at the boy once again and Peter still couldn't help but stare at it in awe. 

"What is your work?" The little Terran hitched, trying to sound as bravely as possible.

"Oh y'know, stealin' things for dough, some we keepin' for ourselves." 

"So you're thiefs?" 

"Pirates, kid." 

Pirates?! That's even worse than smugglers, Peter thought in shock. He immediately thought about all the scary stories they told on Earth. Stories of capsized ships, black skull flags meaning death and plundered treasures. And he was in the clutches of such guys, the boy realized and a cold shiver ran down his spine. 

But looking at the weird man, he didn't appear like a pirate at all, at least not in Peter's eyes. He was clearly missing a beard, a pirate hat- 

The Centaurian noticed how the boy's shoulders twitched so slightly at any of his fast movements, how he tried to act all brave for someone this size but failed miserably at it because every other part of his body gave him away.

Boy was hella bad at hidin' his fear.

"But you look nothing like a pirate" The child retorted though, receiving a puzzled expression from the Ravager.

"What's that s'pposed to mean, boy?" 

That's when the kid started telling him utterly confusing things, that he didn't even wear an eye patch or real pirate coat - whatever that might be - and the Ravager captain asked himself why the hell he should bury his money on an island in the middle of the sea instead of just keeping it for himself. 

Yondu stared a while at the boy in all confusion, realizing that Terrans might have very different perceptions of things as him, which didn't surprise him at all, yet didn't make it less weird though.

"Ye say the weirdest things, kid." He remarked, raising an eyebrow at the boy. 

Peter opened his mouth, thinking about a reply but closed it again. Instead he peaked a bit to the side, waiting for the right moment for his escape. And then the moment came sooner than he expected. A knock on the door cut off the Centaurian's attention and he turned around, snarling at the one asking for him.

"Not now, Kraglin! 'm busy right now!" 

If not now, then when? That was his only chance. 

Peter stood up as fast as possible, trying to run to the table's edge as he had already spotted a vent by the floor, his way out of here. But so many hopes Peter had made himself to finally escape, so fast these expectations were slain again. Big fingers closed around his body, holding him in an iron-grip. 

"Where ya runnin' to, laddie?" Yondu hissed at him about his failed escape. "Ship's yer home now, so better get used to it!" 

That kid was so easy to see through and he obviously thought he could outsmart him like this. But Peter had made this plan on the Ravager's account and that's what he gets now. 

"No! I want to go back home! Let me go, you blue jerk!" Peter protested, punching the Centaurian's skin with his tiny fists. 

The boy struggled, trying to push himself out of the grip but that didn't help him much, nor did his punches. It probably tickled the big guy more than it hurt.

"Ain't gon' happen, my boy." The Ravager laughed scornfully. "Ya stay 'ere and yer belongin' to my crew now, like it or not." 

That lil' rat really needed t' learn sum manners, he thought in annoyance.

If that's how Terrans thank others for saving their lives, then they're ungrateful as hell. Yondu caught sight of the jar again and decided to better put the boy back in there so he wouldn't try to run away again. The last thing he needed now was his crew finding the kid. And tomorrow he would think about what to do with the child. 

"No!!" The tiny boy yelled as he fell on the bottom of the jar. "Get me out of here, douchebag!" 

"Ya will stay in there as long as ya thought 'bout how to talk to yer captain, boy!" Yondu growled, fletching his teeth. "Maybe that'll teach ya some manners." 

Peter kept hammering his fists against the glass for he didn't know how long until they were all bloody and bruised. And eventually, when the blue guy had left him alone on the desk, the poor child sank to the ground, sobbing because of his aching hands and his miserable situation being stuck in here. 

What was he going to do now? He just wanted to go home, he wanted his Walkman, he wanted Mum.

The boy couldn't do anything else but cry until his voice was raspy, his head was aching and his body completely exhausted. And he didn't even notice when he fell asleep then, Yondu watching over his sleep from the corner of his eye.

Chapter Text

Peter has slept awfully. The glassy ground that he lay on was far from comfort and he was suffering from nightmares. Nightmares of pirates and spaceships, of him being eaten alive by these horrible aliens and how Mum died right in front of his eyes that night in the hospital. The boy woke up in drenched sweat, hoping he could finally escape his nightmare but unfortunately, it still was real. He really had been kidnapped into space, stuck in this jar and in company of this blue Ravager-guy, who by now also was snoring loudly in the back of the room. And Mum was still dead.

Peter sat up and rubbed his eyes. Maybe that will make it all disappear now. The boy groaned lightly and took his hands away from his face, only to see that it didn't. Nope, it all had no use, still in the spaceship. In the same moment, the child felt his stomach growling and sadly bit his lip as the hunger had been tormenting him for so long now. 

How he wished to be home again, in his room, his warm bed... And Grandpa would wake him up for breakfast, the smell of bacon and eggs rising into his nose and everything would just be fine again... 

A tear slid down Peter's cheek as he found himself in reality again, the bittersweet memory of home fading before his eyes. He didn't even know how he was supposed to get out of here, everything just seemed hopeless. But before Peter would start crying again, he quickly wiped away his tears and tried to get a clear mind again. 

Think, Peter, think! How are you gonna escape this stupid jar? 

The boy scrambled himself up, looking around the desk he was on right now. Apart from a few weird looking figures that were probably supposed to be some kind of animals, there was nothing useful nearby. But then a thought buzzed in his head. It wasn't his best idea but better than nothing and Peter was sick of sitting around in here, staring at blank metal walls. 

The little boy went up to one side of the jar until his back met the glass and ran off with a start, bumping against the other side of the glass. This got the jar shaking slightly but not enough to fall over. Peter rubbed his aching shoulder and looked around the room, if the blue guy heard him. But the boy still heard some snores so he continued with his work, running even faster and bumping harder against the glass. He did it again and again.

And then thud! 

The jar fell over, not that far away from the table's edge and for a second, Peter dreaded that the glass would break but the jar was still in a piece and he himself too. Now the child went to the big cork plump and kicked against it with both his feet until it eventually plopped open. 

It really worked! 

Peter was grinning to his ears and quickly dashed out of the jar, stepping on the hard metal desk. Now he just had to get down from here. The child looked around once more, for safety's sake, and still, the guy was sleeping. He was sitting on a chair not that far away from the desk as he had probably watched over him this entire time. And from this angle he looked even more obnoxious and terrifying. Peter grimaced in detest, hoping he would never see him again in his life once he'd gotten out of here.

The tiny boy ran over to the table's edge and jumped, sliding down the red leather coat the guy had carelessly thrown over a chair. Once he had landed on the metal flooring, Peter looked around for the vent he had already spotted yesterday, his ticket back home. The grid bars were big enough for him to slip through so the boy didn't hesitate as he was inside of the vent and ran as far away as he could. 

Goodbye forever, Peter laughed relieved and didn't even care where he was running now, mainly away. 

Once the boy had made enough distance, he slowed down and continued walking through the endless vents. And the more far he went, the darker it got until he was left in complete darkness. Peter didn't even see his own feet in the dark and started feeling uncomfortable. The child heard strange distant noises but couldn't quite identify them, they sounded so rough and unpleasant. Shivers ran down his spine and he felt his little heart pounding furiously in his chest. 

Now's not the time to be scared, Peter thought to himself and continued walking although, by his gut feeling, he had thought several times about returning. But every time he also immediately shoved away that thought again.

Never ever will he go back there, to this terrible and mean blue guy! 

And then finally, Peter saw a light source and started running again, right towards it. He slipped through the grit and found himself in what looked like a big hall with lots and lots of platforms and staircases, reaching high under the ceiling. 

How big was this spaceship, Peter wondered but realized that it probably was just him who was this utterly tiny.

In the distance the child then saw what looked like his way out of here- a row of pods, probably flyable, though he had no idea how to possibly control them, especially with his size. But he'll surely figure something out, right? It's already a big achievement that he got so far and that's not where it should fail. 

But before Peter could even take another step, he heard some loud gruff talking and winced when a bunch of men, also in such red coats like that blue guy, entered the hall. Some had human features, others looked nothing human at all and Peter was scared to the core. Running away had no use now, they already noticed him and one kneeled down directly in front of the terrified child. 

"What we havin' 'ere, eh?" The guy smiled viciously- he looked at least slightly human but his long dark hair was greasy and he smelled awful.

"A cute lil' Terran!"

Another man pushed him to the side, also staring down on Peter with an amused grin, and in disgust the boy saw that he only had one eye. The other was mechanical and moved around from side to side, probably malfunctioning and was staring right into Peter’s soul.

"Looks like we got ourselves some nice lil' snack, boys, ain't we? We never had Terran before!"

One-eyed guy and the others laughed scornfully, circling the helpless poor boy like a bunch of hungry wolves. 

Peter now felt even tinier than before as the aliens were hovering over him as if he was some kind of rare animal. The boy's knees were shivering and his heartbeat quickened at the drop of a hat. And when he thought it couldn't possibly get worse, a big gruff hand reached for him, picking him up from the floor. 

Trapped in the fist, Peter felt tears rising into his eyes and the stench from these guys stung his nose. The guy unclenched his fist again to see the child laying on his palm all scared and terrified.

"Please, let me go!" The boy pleaded in despair, shielding his face with his trembling hands. 

Peter whimpered in fear, when a big finger stroked down his head and back, making him wince. And it seemed like his nightmare would soon be reality because these guys sure didn't look very friendly and could easily squish him in their fists like a fly. 

"Where'd 'chu wanna go, lil' one? Yer so adorable, so tiny!" The long-haired one cooed at him, proceeding to caress him.

"Too adorable to jus' eat'cha!" 

The boy jerked away, trying to push away the finger from himself but suddenly, he was grabbed by another one of them. 

"Let me see 'm now, Halfnut!" He yelled at the long-haired man, almost snatching Peter from his hand as if he wasn't even a living being but a toy one could fiddle around in his hands however they liked. 

And this guy wasn't that tender towards him, on the contrary, he grabbed him by his little arms, pushing and poking him with his big fingers. 

"Cute lil' thing, ain't 'cha? Ya probably taste so fine!" 

"Ow! No, please, stop it!" Peter cried, when he stumbled and fell on the palm of the alien who just ignored his pleas, continuing to mock the child. 

And as much as that blue guy had threatened and taunted him, the boy realized he had never done him any harm like the smugglers and these guys. Because in the end, Peter was covered in even more bruises and was worn out completely from all the pain, couldn't even stand up anymore and just let the mockery wash over him. 

He really shouldn't have left the jar, Peter thought in despair. 

If he just was a little bit bigger he'd surely kick one of them or punch him a bloody nose like that boy who killed the little frog before Peter got to the hospital…

Seems like there are far more dangerous things than an annoyed Ravager captain, Peter realized. And he didn't even want to think about all the other dangers out there in space. With his size even someone's backyard would be dangerous enough but here, he probably shouldn't set a foot outside, unless he had a death wish.

After a while the poor boy was delirious, his arms and hip ached terribly from all the mocks and soon or later he'd surely pass out. 

A voice interrupted this nightmare, diverting the attention from the boy and the aliens all looked at the one coming up to them.

"Leave 'm alone, Vorker!" 

The guy had scrunched up his face, looking angrily at the others, his middle-length hair white just like his beard. Peter was suppressing another whine when his gaze landed on him. 

"What'chu want, Tullk?! We're busy right now!" One-eyed dude snapped back at him, still with the boy in his fist.

The dizziness got even worse and Peter was blinking his eyes as his sight became more blurry than before and the poor kid was swaying, a whimper escaping his throat. 

"Or yer feelin' pity for that little rat, huh?!" Another dude with a terrifying and scarred face added.

Peter felt two fingers roughly pinching his skull, afraid his head might pop. 

"Capt'n sure won't like it if ye leavin' yer positions, now will he?"

The other one, Tullk,  pointed a finger at the bunch.

"Gonna be mad as hell if ye keep foolin' 'round. Hand 'em over, I'll bring the Terran t' Capt'n, tellin' 'm nothin' 'bout tonight." 

He reached out his hand at One-eye, expectantly raising an eyebrow. The bunch hesitated, probably thinking about the conditions the guy had set at them. And surprisingly, One-eye really handed him over without another complaint, which confused Peter completely. 

"Fine, ya can have it, got boring anyway." He grumbled, turning his fist over Tullk's opened palm, on which the child fell down with a groan. 

This sure didn't do his injuries nor his dizziness any better. Peter felt as if everything was spinning around him in circles, his ears ringing loudly. 

He didn't see much and just lay on the palm like he had fallen, too exhausted to even stand up. And at this point he just didn't care where this guy would take him and what he would do to him now. 

Maybe he would also just likely kill him, eat him alive, throw him into boiling water- 

But then Peter felt something so soft and comfortable underneath him, the comfiest since days, as if he was laying on a fluffy cloud. 

"Are ya a'ight, kid?" Tullk asked him, his voice sounding so gentle and friendly, so differently from how all the others had talked to him. 

The boy opened his eyes, looking tiredly up at the man who had leaned a bit to him, a warm smile resting on his lips. Although Peter was so exhausted, he still happened to flinch when Tullk came closer, afraid he might hurt him like the rest.

"Ya don't hafta be scared, I ain't gonna hurt ya." Tullk said, sensing that the boy was afraid of him but still tried to keep up the conversation.

"What's yer name, young'un?" 

He was the first one of them, who respected Peter's personal space, not grabbing him or threatening to hurt or eat him. The boy shifted a bit on what felt like soft fur and sat up on his knees.

"P-peter… Peter Quill…" He replied with a trembling voice, sounding so miserable and tired but when he looked more closely, the boy believed to see something like pity on the man's face.

"Now, Petey, I'm Tullk. Ye must be hungry, ain't 'cha?"

As if on clue, the boy heard his stomach growling loudly at the mere thought of food. When was the last time he had eaten something properly? After school he directly had biked to the hospital, where he saw Mum die that night and then ran off outside, stumbling on the lawn- 

But before Peter felt tears rising into his eyes, he quickly stopped his train of thoughts, focusing on Tullk's question again. The boy nodded in reply and in the next moment wondered what the Ravager had brought him. 

It looked weird and didn't smell the best but he didn't have other options now, did he? Now's not the moment to be picky and since Mum had raised him well to have manners towards strangers, Peter accepted the offer. 

"Thank you..."

He knew these Ravager guys probably didn't make any big deals out of politeness or good manners- things he knew from Earth- but just because they're all ruthless that didn't mean he had to act like this as well. The little Terran took the strange stuff one could merely call food from the man's giant palm and ate silently. 

It tasted surprisingly sweet, almost like a candy bar.

Tullk, in the meantime, was eyeing him from all sides and for a moment Peter feared he'd grab him nonetheless and make fun of him like his colleagues did before. 

"Damn," he frowned and the child's shoulders twitched in the same second, "they really screwed'cha up, did they?" 

Peter stared at him after he finished eating, motionless, then realized that the man was probably inspecting his wounds. 

And there was no doubt, he looked awful like this. His arms were covered with bruises, eyes reddened from all the crying as his puffy childish cheeks and the torn jeans and dirty t-shirt didn't help much with that either. 

He was miserable like never before in his life.

"My hip… and my arms…", the child whined, looking down on himself helplessly, "it hurts so much." 

Tullk didn't even bat an eyelash and carefully moved his hand towards the boy, who sat nervously on the furry overthrow. 

"Lemme see, kid." 

First, Peter instinctively winced but soon noticed that the man won't do him any harm, proved by his careful and slow movements. The Ravager held out his palm as an invitation for the boy to climb on it but Peter hesitated and just stared at him, instead slowly laying his bruised arm on the soft surface.

Tullk gave him a sympathetic smile, accepting the child's careful approach, even if he didn't dare to climb on his palm. But first things first and so he took a closer look at the boy's wounds.

"Owee, lookin' bad", He softly brushed his thumb over the tiny arm, "Wait up, I'll get'cha sum bandaids 'n stuff." 

Suddenly the electric door opened and both Peter and Tullk almost got a heart-attack. 

"Tullk! Did ya see-" 

Yondu stepped in with a rush, coming to halt and his red eyes instantly focused on the child sitting beside Tullk on his quarters bed. For a moment, he stood there rooted to the spot, both surprised and disturbed, and Peter's mood and expression darkened too. 

"There ye are, boy!" 

Honestly, Peter was kind of glad that Tullk was at his side now. Like that, the mean Ravager captain most likely won't touch him and if he will, he won't hesitate but bite one of his fingers. 

In an instant, Tullk stood up from the bed, leaving him there though. "Capt'n, ya know the kid?" 

"'Course I do, got 'em 'ere in the first place!", Yondu rolled his eyes in annoyance, "An' he was s'pposed to be in my quarters!" 

He gave Peter an ice-cold look, now that he probably found out about his failed escape but the child didn't even regret a single of his actions.

He was the one locking him up in that stupid jar after all! 

"The kid's hurt, Capt'n. Sum of the crew did that to 'm." 

Yondu's annoyed features eased a bit after the man's reply and his glance wandered over to the boy but this time it seemed more… troubled?

"Halfnut, Vorker 'n Taserface durin' night duty?" He repeated for understanding.

Tullk nodded.

"Yeah, sir, but I shouldn't tell ya this, y'know, puttin' a good word in for 'em." 

Yondu knew that Tullk, Kraglin, Oblo and Gef were by far the only loyal men in his crew, always having his back. Men that would never betray him and stood by his side no matter what. Things he certainly couldn't say about the rest so it was no wonder that Tullk tried to defend them. But the Centaurian had already expected that to happen, that they even dared to touch the boy, and so he'd take things into his own hands again, as captain of course. 

"I'm admirin' yer nobility, Tullk," He replied, lost in thoughts "but ya better leave such things to me." 

Tullk was about to retort something but left it at that, whether for the respect of his captain or just because he was already too tired from his night duty. And Peter could see him suppressing a yawn as he was talking to Yondu, noticing that it had to be the middle of the night still. So he couldn't have slept for long, now could he?

"Yer dismissed for the night, tell the mornin' duty to get 'emselves ready." Yondu ordered, seeing Tullk's relieved expression, yet he nodded and saluted.

"Yessir."

"And as for you, my boy," Yondu turned to the Terran kid again, "I'm thinkin' 'bout how to punish ya best tomorrow! So better get sum sleep now!" 

Peter jerked away when the Centaurian scooped him up off the bed, without another word and walked out of the room.