A/N: All my exams are done so I finally have time to write again! I have a fair bit of this story written already so I should hopefully be able to update quickly (I originally thought this would be a one-shot but it turns out I get carried away when writing about this reluctant space-dad).

I hope you enjoy this and any feedback is appreciated! I'll aim to have the next chapter up as soon as I can.

It turns out that distancing himself from a traumatised Terran child is easier than Yondu expects.

Not that he can ignore the boy's presence entirely. His crew are starting to notice that they've made no advances towards Ego's planet and, as the days drag on, they make no secret of their confusion over the boy still being on the ship. Their complaints are loud and many, but Yondu's become skilled at drowning them out, and he learns to pay Peter as little heed as possible in order to prevent his foolish heart from caring. Most responsibility for the boy gets handed to Kraglin the instant a translator is buried in his neck, and any niceties Yondu may have showed the other children are discarded in favour of layered threats and forced apathy.

It's not that he likes treating the child like dirt. He knows the boy would benefit from having someone in his corner considering the less favourable among the Ravagers would happily sell him or launch him into space, but Yondu's learned his lesson about opening his heart to children. He's let himself soften a dozen times before, just a little, and it only made the realisation of what Ego was doing burn all the more intensely.

Yondu can do his utmost to keep this one child alive, but he'll be damned if he lets himself care only for something horrifying to claw out his heart again.

If the crew have noticed his change in manner, they wisely refrain from mentioning it. They must realise, however, that Yondu tends to be warmer towards the children to ensure they aren't broken wrecks by the time they're delivered to their father. He's never been one to force friendliness, but he also rarely complained when he found himself with a tiny shadow for a week or two. Sometimes he even appreciated the company, though he was always taken aback whenever a child felt brave enough to eat by his side or ask if they could try out his arrow. Kraglin kept a watchful eye over their cargo whenever duty called Yondu away, and it became a source of pride that Ego's children were always safe and well by the time they approached his surface.

If Ego appreciated their efforts, he neglected to mention it. Yondu never cared all that much for the man's approval though. It was easy to cast aside any doubts about his intentions when they were quickly rewarded with more units than most Ravager factions earned in a year.

The doubts came later, whenever the absence of another child would bring an unfamiliar calm and Yondu was forced to dwell on the fact that the sentient planet remained as lifeless as ever, despite now being home to several lively children. Fatherhood hadn't warmed Ego either – his curt dismissal after every exchange hidden behind empty politeness even now – and before long a chill would settle in Yondu's spine as he awaited the next call.

If his childhood taught him anything, it was that he should listen when his instincts warned of danger. The fact that he only started taking the chill seriously after a dozen children had been delivered left him wishing he could ignore such instincts.

For a long time, Yondu chose to bask in ignorance. It was easier on his conscience to believe that the children - often motherless or lifted from broken homes - were going somewhere better. Somewhere safe. As large and empty as the galaxy is, however, news has a habit of spreading like wildfire and he eventually found himself listening to the noise without meaning to.

It started as whispers on street corners; weathered old women discussing the lonely god who'd resorted to filicide, or traders spitting at the mention of those who dealt in kids. Across the stars, news spread of Ravager factions splintering as the young and greedy chased Ego's promise of wealth, at the cost of their makeshift families.

When Stakar called him up one day, looking more exhausted than ever, Yondu simply swallowed his pride and claimed ignorance of the celestial's dealings, despite how doing so twisted the heart he claimed not to have.

He knows now he should have treated that as a warning of the pain his actions had wrought.

The turning point came when Ego called for the delivery of a young Terran named Peter, and Yondu finally dared ask how the other children were getting on. The flicker of darkness in the old god's eyes had been expected, but it made nausea rise in Yondu's gut regardless and his voice took on a lifeless tone as he promised that Ego would have his son within the week. He knew the words were a lie as soon as he said them, but that didn't make the horror of the situation sting any less.

It's not that people doing terrible things to children is an unknown concept to him. The sight of dying slave-children was a constant before Stakar granted him absolution, and he's visited dozens of planets where more die in their first ten years than ever reach their twentieth. The galaxy being a horrible place for the vulnerable within it is nothing new, but the knowledge that Yondu contributed to the suffering of innocents now threatened to destroy him.

Regardless of intention, Yondu's ignorance and greed killed those children as surely as Ego had.

In the days following that realisation, there was nothing he could do but promise himself that the Terran boy wouldn't suffer the same fate.

Of course, they could hardly leave Peter on Earth either. Ego had many other contacts who would happily throw aside their morals in exchange for units. If Yondu's crew didn't find Peter then someone just as unsavoury would, and the boy would be nothing more than a pile of bones within a week. Terra was too much of a backwater to protect its citizens considering the ease with which Yondu picked Peter up, so leaving him there would have been a death sentence. The Eclector tended to be a death-trap at the best of times, but ultimately Yondu was forced to admit it was the safest possible option in the short-term.

They couldn't tell Peter why they picked him up. That was never a problem before, and it's not one Yondu knows how to deal with now. The other children tended to be excited by the prospect of meeting a father they'd always wanted, but seeing as this was no longer an option there was nothing Yondu could say beyond "Shut the hell up!" when Peter wouldn't stop his incessant yelling.

The boy was a feral little thing at first. His face was streaked with tears and he screamed at anyone who dared come close, and though his scrappiness was almost amusing in its inelegance, he did succeed in giving three men broken noses. Yondu was only able to silence him after the translator was planted in his neck. The chip meant he could tell the boy plainly that his two options were compliance or being eaten by the crew, and though the doubt that flashed across green eyes was obvious, Peter had wisely taken the hint and followed Kraglin and Tullk as they showed him to his quarters.

That marks the last time Yondu saw him in person. It's been two weeks since he took a squadron to Terra to pick up their charge, but though he hears enough reports to assure himself that Peter is safe, he doesn't have the energy to care all that much. Other matters have taken priority; it seems Ego's aware that his son is not forthcoming, but Yondu's resorted to ignoring his calls or, depending on his mood, answering only to tell the god to go fuck himself. He's aware that provoking someone so powerful is probably unwise, but restraint was never his strong suit and Ego could use some humbling.

When he's not fighting off Ego's attempts to make contact, he's mulling over what exactly he's going to do with the Terran boy. He can't stay with them, that much is certain. Ravagers have a habit of recruiting young but never as young as eight, and besides, it's likely Peter wants to leave as surely as Yondu wants to be rid of him.

If he'd been asked a week ago, his first choice would have been Stakar. The man wouldn't have wanted to keep the kid either, but he'd have had a much better idea of who they could trust to protect him.

Any hope of relying on the man for guidance faded when Stakar called Yondu up himself. The man hadn't bothered to conceal his heartbreak as he'd all but begged Yondu to tell him that the rumours concerning his involvement with Ego were untrue. Feigning innocence would have been the easier – and smarter – thing to do, but foolishness had swallowed Yondu before he could stop it and he'd found himself admitting to everything.

Well, almost everything. It had been frighteningly easy to divulge how he'd led twelve children to their deaths, but when it came time to tell Stakar about Peter, the words refused to come forth. The disappointment in his leader's eyes had pierced him as surely as a knife, and any notion of asking for help vanished before he could voice it.

Yondu's heart had barely had a chance to sink upon hearing the word 'exile' before the screen went dark and he was left to his guilt.

He has yet to tell the crew about this development, though doubtless they'll find out soon. Informing the others about Stakar's abandonment will require Yondu to properly process the news himself, though, and he knows full well that it's going to be a while before that happens.

If anything, musing over what he's going to do with the kid provides a blessed distraction, despite no solution presenting itself. Most of the trustworthy options consist of uptight jackasses like the Nova Corps, who may agree to take the kid but only after locking up every member of Yondu's crew. Some of his old friends through Stakar may agree to hear him out for the boy's sake, but will likely advise that he simply take him back to Terra. Kraglin and Tullk like Peter well enough that their suggestion is to keep him around, but the boy's made more enemies on the ship than friends and Yondu's feigned disinterest has hardly helped endear him to anyone.

Whatever happens, it's a problem that needs to be solved before a crewmate steps out of line and harms Peter. Yondu can tell himself he doesn't care all he likes – and he does – but the whole point in picking Peter up was to avoid an early demise. Yondu's failed in many regards during the past year but he refuses to fail here, even if that's merely a selfish attempt to redeem himself for everything else.

More than once, he finds himself staring at the ship's security footage while his men sleep soundly in their quarters. There's never much to see, besides the odd crewmate stumbling along the corridors, and it's not long before his eyes are drawn towards the cupboard they've converted into a makeshift bedroom for Peter.

The boy has a habit of hiding in tiny corners throughout the day, where grown men can't hope to find him, but during the late hours he can reliably be found curled up in bed, clutching that odd contraption he loves so much and unsuccessfully staving off sleep. It's a vulnerable contrast to the vicious front he tries so desperately to put on in front of others, and Yondu can't help but be reminded of himself as a boy, during the few hours of rest his masters would allow him.

It won't be long before he's rid of the child and such thoughts can stop being a nuisance. After that, he can direct his concerns towards figuring out what the hell he's supposed to do as an exiled captain.

He tries not to think about how unleashing Peter into the great unknown seems almost as cruel as delivering him straight to Ego.