(So, how's quarantine treating everyone? You all good? With having to work from home, I've gotten a lot of opportunity to work on my writing. Hopefully this chapter can provide you with some entertainment to take your mind off things.)

[Song Suggestions and mentions for Chapter Fourteen]

~ 'How Do You Do It?' by Gerry and the Pacemakers (Opening song)

~ 'Heat of the Moment' by Asia

~ 'The Tide is High' by Blondie

~ 'Hooked on a Feeling' by Blue Swede

~ 'Cinderella' by Daughtry

Chapter Fourteen

The Heat of the Moment

Three Weeks Later

Terran Date: August 3rd, 1989

Lydia was lost again. And being stubborn about it too. For the past twenty minutes, Yondu had entertained himself watching her on the security monitors as she wandered around looking for any familiar path that would take her to engine room. He'd sent his yakka arrow as a guide ten minutes ago and she'd ignored it, probably bound and determined to figure it out without help. So, he let it trail behind her and waited for her to admit defeat.

The ship was experiencing a bit of a heat wave and knowing how cranky Lydia could get when she was frustrated and sweating, he estimated she'd last ten more minutes. Feeling a bit too warm himself, Yondu removed his Ravager coat and kicked back in his chair, boots propped on the console, hands behind his head. His guesswork paid off. Lydia threw back her head with an annoyed huff and looked up at the nearest camera. "All right; I give!"

Yondu allowed himself a brief chuckle as he stared at her pouting face on the screen. "C'mon, baby." He resumed whistling and the yakka arrow moved forward, lightly poking Lydia's backside. She gave a small yelp while hopping a step away from it. She cast a reproachful look towards the camera.

"Don't get cheeky, borga."

Oh, babygirl, that ain't nowhere near me bein' cheeky.

The arrow continued on, staying a few steps ahead, guiding Lydia along the twists and turns of the ship. Once Yondu was certain that Lydia could be left on her own, he summoned the arrow back to him and readied to leave the observation room. As he waited for his weapon, Yondu thought about the changes that had occurred between he and Lydia over the past three weeks. He'd kept her little secret about being a virgin from his crew. The Ravagers may have had a code to live by that forbid taking advantage of women and selling them as sex slaves, but Yondu was well aware that Ravagers were still made up of individuals with questionable backgrounds and morals.

If he thought he'd been keeping an eye on Lydia's safety among his men before her confession, it was almost a constant thing now. If he wasn't physically by her side, he had Kraglin, Halvi, or a couple of other trusted crewmen keeping tabs on her and giving him hourly updates of where she was and who was with her. Of course, Lydia was oblivious to this. He knew it would rub her the wrong way, especially with all the hard work she was putting into learning to defend herself. He'd increased their training meet ups, moving her into learning how to attack instead of just to defend. She didn't complain about the intensity of it. She never did. He knew she understood how important it was. She'd had too many close calls in the past not to understand.

Yondu lifted his hand and caught hold of the yakka arrow, ceasing its' swift flight towards him. Holstering the weapon and shouldering his coat, he left the security room; passing two crewmen on their way to take over surveillance. One wiped beads of sweat from his brow, the other mopped his face with a bandanna that might have been yellow at some point but was now a grimy brown with splotches of yellow poking through.

Yondu's thoughts continued to flow as he made his way to the bridge. He knew what was happening. Hell, he'd be a fool if he didn't. He was falling for her again. With each revelation of how her past and homelife had shaped her, as stubborn as Yondu could be, even he found it was impossible to hold on to the belief that Lydia was a conniving, untrustworthy, con artist. No. The last vestiges of that idea had evaporated three weeks ago when he'd seen her hesitate to enter his quarters.

There were some things about his attraction to her that made him uneasy. Due to their age gap and his role in teaching her to protect herself, Yondu worried that if he didn't make his intentions clear soon, Lydia might begin to see him as a parental figure and that just wouldn't do.

Please, Lydia honey, don't see me as some old man.

Yes, he'd had plenty of women call him 'daddy' before, but there was a big difference in that regard. He wanted to take care of Lydia because – damn it – somebody needed to for once. She was wearing herself down always looking out for not only herself but her momma and Quill. The girl deserved a rest and some pampering. Preferably with him being the one doing the pampering behind the closed doors of his quarters.

"Hey, Yondu?"

With his head being so full of her it took him a moment to realize she was actually speaking to him via the comms-link. He halted his steps and pressed a finger to his comms. "What is it, bab – Brosh?"

"Have ya noticed how hot it is around here?"

"Have you no shame, woman?" he teased. "I'm yer captain!"

"Sorry, to burst your bubble, sir; but the only way your presence is contributing to the higher temperature is the fact that you've been putting off installing a new AC system for months despite me reminding you about it!"

On the upper floors, the heat was bearable, but down below among the engines…Yondu had removed his coat immediately upon entry and his back was already soaked through. He ran a hand over his metal crest after Lydia and the engine crew filled him and Kraglin in on the AC's status. The system was done for. It had staggered along and gave its' last dying breath of cool air four days ago. The engineers had attempted to revive it with the odds and ends they had lying about, then called in Lydia for her knack of being able to fix broken crap. She'd fiddled and banged and repeated, "give it a try now," for hours, but not even her tinker skills could save the poor beast. The heat was getting to be too much to continue trying to piece the thing back together. Each day the temperature steadily increased.

"Look, captain, if we don't get a new AC system installed, the engines will overheat and turn the Eclector into a giant furnace," Lydia informed him from where she sat on the floor, covered in black smudges. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun with a red bandanna wrapped around her head to keep as many stray wisps of hair off her sweaty neck and face. Coupled with her trademark yellow tank top and the overalls cut to mid-thigh, Lydia was presenting a distracting figure to Yondu. But not to the point of completely taking his mind off the current problem.

"How long ya suppose we got til then?"

Lydia looked over her shoulder to Brum, the chief engineer. The green skinned Chelpun rubbed the back of his neck as his yellow eyes surveyed the pipes and metal workings that took up a majority of the wall they were standing around. "I'd say we got about two more day-cycles before things start to get too stifling that it makes it hard to breath. Installing a new AC should take less than ten hours, but it'll take longer for it to cool the whole ship back to comfortable conditions."

"Meanin' we need to space-jump ourselves to the nearest planet that would supply what we need," Yondu said, already knowing the additional complications such a move would produce. Space-jumps required more power from the engines, which would produce more heat which would shorten how much time they had before the ship itself began to boil the crew alive. "Kraglin; closest planet?"

Kraglin quickly entered the request into his info-disk. "Ten space-jumps, sir."

The engine crew let out a collective groan. Lydia, despite already sitting on the floor, seemed to sink further to the ground. Sweat dripped along her neck and flowed down her chest, dipping between her cleavage. Her head lolled forward as a defeated sigh escaped her. I know, baby. Daddy's gonna fix this – WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM!

Yondu immediately did an about face and quickly marched towards the exit. "Cap'n?" Kraglin called, confused at their leader's hasty departure.

"A man can't think in all that damn heat!" came Yondu's snappy reply. Kraglin hurried after him. "Which planet, Kraglin?"

"Brequet, sir."

"Good. They ain't got no qualms with providin' service to Ravagers. Tell Reagan to set a course for it immediately and you post a status update to everyone's info-disk."

"Will do, cap'n. Where are you going?"

"To take a cold shower."

"Cap'n, if I could make a suggestion before the whole installin' happens?"

"Make it snappy, Kraglin," Yondu demanded, never easing up on his pace. He needed that cold shower to cool off and it wasn't because of the heat.

"Well, I've been noticing how snappish this heat is makin' the crew. Tempers are runnin' short and some might become aggressive if they remain exposed to this heat during the installation."

"Yer point?"

"Keep the crew not essential to installin' the new AC off-ship while we're docked. That ways we reduce the chances of heatstroke and fights breakin' out among them."

Yondu thought it over, figured it sounded like a good idea, and left it to Kraglin to set up shifts for the two of them and splitting the engine crew so that the whole team wouldn't be suffering in the heat the time it took to install the new system. Kraglin headed for the bridge and Yondu continued to his quarters for that desperately needed cold shower.

Ten space-jumps later, the Eclector was approaching the space station above the planet Brequet and readying to dock. Just as expected, the jumps it took to get them there had increased the temperature and the air had become a bit stifling. Yondu held out as long as he could, making sure he was on the bridge to communicate with the station their intentions and ordering the delivery of their AC, but not long after he made his way to the mess hall to look for some ice.

"Yondu, how come I'm not listed on any of the shifts to help with installing the AC?"

Yondu removed the glass of iced water from the side of his head and felt the rivulets of condensation drip down his face as he lifted his eyes to look at Lydia. She'd changed clothes, but they were no less revealing than what she'd been wearing in the engine room. He couldn't blame her though. Even he was sweating through his clothes and had forgone wearing as many layers of clothing as he usually did.

"Quill don't need to be on the ship in this heat. You gotta stay planet-side with him."

Lydia scuffed the toe of her boot against the floor. "Are you sure? It doesn't seem right to me."

Yondu leaned in his seat, using the table to support his back, and returned the glass to his face. The ice was nearly gone in it. "I'm sure, Brosh. Quill's yer main responsibility, darlin'. You go where he goes and he's gonna be stayin' off the ship until the AC is functionin' again."

"Cap'n, the crew is nearly ready to disembark for the planet," Kraglin informed him over the comms.

Yondu pressed a finger to his ear. "On my way." He looked at Lydia. "Is Quill ready?"

"Yeah, he's waiting in the hangar with Halvi."

"Good." Yondu stood to his feet and felt drops of sweat slid down his back. "Let's get off this metal furnace."

"Are we there yet?"

"Boy, don't make me turn this ship around – 'cause I will!"

"But we've been flying forever."

"Don't slouch in your seat, Peter," Lydia reprimanded, nudging him to straighten up. He did so with a great big huff. A few seconds later his feet began to kick against the metal underside of his seat.

"Quill, if you don't quit that, I swear I won't stop the crew from eatin' ya the next time they get hungry!"

"That looks like a good spot, captain," Horuz pointed out. Yondu surveyed the area Horuz indicated. It did look like a good spot. An isolated beach with plenty of grassy space for multiple M-ships to land near the sandy shore. Perfect place for the crew to cool off after being cooped up inside a heated ship. Yondu sent word to the other pilots and soon all the ships had touched down on the surface.

As soon as the doors were opened, Quill took off like a shot to run and tumble about the grassy slopes. "Freedooom!" he hollered, rolling down the steep incline that lead to the beach. Yondu watched him for a moment, thought about barking an order at him to settle down, then reconsidered when it occurred to him that the kid was unknowingly doing everyone a favor by wearing himself out and would probably end up sleeping on the journey back to the Eclector.

"Peter!" Lydia called from the entrance. "Don't you want to suit up?"

The kid jumped to his feet and hurried back, ducking inside with Lydia. Yondu's brow furrowed. What did she mean by 'suit up'? He didn't spend too much time wondering about it. Most of the crew were running, just as eager as Quill had been, to the water and stripping off their shirts and pants as they went. Yondu hoped that's all they took off for Lydia's sake. It just weren't a pretty sight.

A rambunctious whoop sounded close by followed by a blur of messy red hair and red pants zooming past Yondu. That boy was going to get himself in a mess of trouble if he wasn't being looked after. Speaking of which… Yondu glanced back at the M-ship. Where was Lydia?

"Fifty units that they both hit the water at the same time," Horuz spoke up, drawing Yondu's attention to some of the men horse-playing in the water.

Yondu let out a grunt of amusement. "Make it seventy. Throq goes first."

Two minutes later, Yondu was seventy units richer and noticed that Quill wasn't among the others in the water. Looking around, he finally spotted him on a rock formation that had an overhang about twelve feet from the water. Lydia was still nowhere to be seen. It made Yondu a bit uneasy to see Quill so close to the edge. Glancing around one last time for any sign of Lydia, he walked to the rock formation and climbed up. "Quill, where's Brosh?"

Quill didn't bother to look away from the water down below as he answered. "She's changing into her bikini."

Yondu's brows pinched together. "What the heck is a bikini?"

"It's a bathing suit."

"A what?"

"It's clothes that Terrans wear when they go swimming."

Yondu couldn't think of what to say to that. Quill continued to look nervously over the edge. "Ya scared of heights, boy?"

"No!" Quill answered quickly with bravado. He tossed another anxious glance at the water.

"Ya scared of the water?"

Quill turned around to face him and drew himself up to his full height, puffing out his chest a bit. "I ain't scared of water!"

"Then jump in."

"…I can't swim. There ain't any beaches in Missouri and we didn't have a pool at home…"

"Well ya gotta learn."

Quill seemed to brighten. "Will you teach me?"

A smirk appeared on Yondu's face. "Suuure. Lesson one." Without another word, he picked Quill up and readied to throw him over the edge when Lydia's voice suddenly shouted, "Yondu Udonta, don't you dare!"

Yondu whirled around and nearly had a heart attack at the sight of Lydia wearing a red bra and panties with white polka dots. A matching red cloth no bigger than a handkerchief was wrapped around her hips. Quill, still being held by his armpits, pointed at her. "That's a bikini," he said helpfully.

Yondu swallowed hard. "We call that underwears where I'm from." That was an awful lot of skin bared for all to see. He briefly considered covering the boy's eyes. Oh, stars above; what about the crew!?

"This is not underwear, Yondu. It's a swimsuit and would you please stop dangling Peter over the water?"

"Not until you go put some clothes on." She's got freckles all over her body.

Quill still dangled. "My armpits hurt."

Yondu snapped out of his trance and gestured at the boy held in his hands. "Ya heard the boy; his armpits hurt. So, go and put some clothes on."

"This is proper swimwear!"

"Ain't nothin' 'proper' 'bout that outfit. It's distractin'."

"Everything I wear distracts you!"

"An' who's fault is that?"

"Yondu, put that poor boy down!"

Yondu shrugged and promptly tossed Quill over the edge.

"Peter!"

Yondu snapped his fingers in sudden recollection. "Hey, didn't you tell him a story 'bout a boy named Peter who could fly?"

"Peter!" Lydia cried in a panicked tone that failed to snap Yondu's attention from the bouncing motion of her breasts. Much more noticeable in a bikini than her tank tops. "Peter!"

The boy's head surface and he began to flail about. "Use yer hands to push down on the water and kick yer legs," Yondu called down to him. He fished out his toothpick and set to tending to his teeth when a harsh shove from Lydia nearly made him skewer his top lip.

"How could you do that!" she shrieked.

Yondu pinched at the stinging pain in his lip to find out if he was bleeding. He wasn't. "It's how I was taught." He wasn't going to mention that he'd also been tied down with rocks and forced to cut himself free in order to build up his lung compacity.

"And that makes it okay?" she spat back.

Yondu shrugged. "Instincts kick in faster that way."

"And if they don't? He could drown!"

Yondu glanced over the edge and smirked. "He looks alright to me," he casually remarked as he walked away from the edge.

Lydia looked down. Quill was slowly but surely making his way to shore. Noticing her attention on him, the boy paused and waved which made him go under for a moment, but he was back up just as quickly. "Lydia, look! I'm swimming!"

Lydia cupped her hands to her mouth. "That's great, Peter! Head for the shore and wait for me there; okay?"

"Okay!"

I turned to begin descending the rocks only to discover that Yondu had taken a seat on the large boulder that framed the path I was going to use. His legs were stretched out so that his boots rested on the smaller boulder across from him, effectively blocking the safest way down. "Can I get by?" I asked, a bit huffy.

"You could just jump in," he said around the metal toothpick in his mouth. "Quicker that way."

I stiffened at the suggestion. "I'd rather climb down." After a few seconds of waiting, I saw that he had no intention of moving. I scanned the area for another way down. "You better be glad Peter caught on quick and didn't start to drown."

Yondu let out a yawn and stretched his arms while arching his back. I heard the audible pop of his vertebrae. "Oh, it ain't like you wouldn't have jumped in after him if he had." I clamped my mouth shut and kept my face averted as I looked around for another way down. Even though I couldn't see him, I felt his attention suddenly focus on me. "…Brosh, can you swim?" He shucked off his coat.

"I refuse to answer that question."

A wolfish grin spread along his lips; teeth still clenched around the toothpick. He gestured to the rock's edge behind me as he took off his holster. "Then go ahead and jump in. Look deep enough."

My eyebrows shot up. "You mean you didn't know how deep it was before you threw Peter in?!"

Yondu scratched at the stubble on his chin and kicked off his boots. "Didn't really think about it. Now jump in."

I drew myself up to my full height and cross my arms. "I don't have to prove anything to you – what are you doing?"

Yondu paused in the middle of removing his shirt. "What's it look like I'm doin', princess?"

I felt my mouth go dry when I noticed just how many articles of clothing he'd steadily been removing when my attention was elsewhere. "Like you're taking off your clothes. Why?"

"Well I ain't performin' a strip tease for ya." All he had left were his pants. He removed his toothpick, tucked it inside his coat pocket, then folded his clothing and set it aside with his holster and boots on top of the pile. "I'm goin' swimmin'." A wicked smirk quirked one corner of his mouth. "And yer gonna join me."

Heat flushed up my neck. "I most certainly am not."

He crooked a finger at me and grinned like the devil. "Come 'ere, baby girl."

Oh sprek…

Lydia rapidly shook her head at his coaxing gesture. "Nope. Nuh-uh." Yondu took a step towards her and she flung an arm out ahead of her. "Cease and desist!" He let out a raspy chuckle and kept inching closer, keeping her only way of escape blocked. "You keep away from me, Yondu Udonta!" She attempted to dart around him, but he caught her by the wrist and pulled with enough force that she lost her footing and stumbled into his chest.

"Ya gotta learn sometime, Brosh," he told her, not even bothering to hide his amusement. He wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her off the ground as he began to haul her, kicking and shouting, to the edge. With all the hollering Lydia was making, it was no surprise it caught the crew's attention. Many began to gather closer to the base of the rock formation and cheer their captain on.

"Yondu, don't you dare!"

"Stop squirmin' Brosh; yer liable to slip outta that bikini." He thought about it for a moment. "On second thought, squirm all ya want, sugar."

Lydia's smaller fists began to beat at his forearm. "Let me go, glom it!"

"If ya insist."

He attempted to toss her from the edge like he did with Peter, but Lydia had been expecting it and grabbed hold of Yondu's arm. The weight made him teeter then fall in after her with a painful belly-flop. The crew's cheers turned to sudden inhales through clenched teeth of empathetic pain. "Oh, that hurt me just watching," Halvi admitted.

Yondu broke from the surface first and let out a groan. That was gonna smart for a long while. Lydia burst from the water and immediately began to panic, latching onto the closest thing to her – which was Yondu. Something he didn't mind at all. She weighed practically nothing in the water, so he had no worries of her pulling him under. He chuckled. "Yer a little scared right now; I think I like it."

"Shut up, you big blue borga!"

"Well, if yer gonna be like that."

He reached up as if he were about to remove her arms from his neck and she clung all the more tightly to him. "No, please!"

He laughed lightly and put a supportive hand at her back. "Yer fine, darlin'. I got ya."

"Fine? I can't swim, I'm being forced to hold onto you, and you're not taking this seriously at all!"

"Oh, trust me, Brosh; I'm takin' your half-naked self clingin' to me real seriously."

She glared at him. "You're impossible."

This whole situation felt impossible. He knew he should practice some restraint, but damn it! He could feel her trembling against him, and she was holding him so tight. She feels so damn good. His hands went to her hips, pulling her closer. "Calm down, sugar," he said soothingly.

"Stop telling me to calm down!"

Her bare stomach pressed against his naked torso and Yondu momentarily forgot himself as a ripple of pleasure thrummed through him at the contact. He closed his eyes and a low groan rumbled from his throat. "Damn, that feels so good."

"What?"

Yondu snapped back to attention. "The water. Feels good after being in that boilin' ship for so long."

"Yeah, well if you'd taken the steps like I suggested then this could have all been avoided –,"

"And miss out on yer half-naked self bein' plastered to me?" Yondu commented with a crooked grin.

"Weren't you just telling me to go put some clothes on?" Lydia pointedly reminded him.

"I changed my mind. In fact, I think you could do without this –," his finger hooked under Lydia's halter-top string.

She gasped and slapped away his hand, pushing back from his body. "Dirty old man!"

There was a slight sting to her words, but he was enjoying watching her squirm too much to let it bother him at the moment. Especially when she was too busy being annoyed at him to notice she was treading water on her own. If he could keep her distracted long enough… He grinned like a shark as he eased closer to her. "What happened to me being Prince Charmin'?"

"Prince Charming wasn't as crude as you." She unknowingly swam back from him.

Yondu kept coming, his expression taking on a look of hunger. "Then Cinderella musta been reeeal bored at night."

Lydia splashed at him. "Would you back off!"

"Brosh, baby, look at what you're doin'." He titled his head at her, drawing her attention to the fact that she was no longer holding on to him and was keeping her head above the water. She finally noticed the distance between them, and the realization hit her in full force.

"I'm swimming!" she squealed enthusiastically. In her excitement, her rhythm was thrown off and she dipped below the surface.

"Oops. Hold on, sugar." Yondu dived down and wrapped an arm around her waist. Pulling her to him, he resurfaced and let her rest her body at the side of his hip and leg.

"Well, I almost had it," Lydia sighed ruefully.

"Ya did good, Brosh. Takes practice."

She sagged against him, suddenly tired. She lay her head in the crook of his neck. "You got me though," she murmured. "Right?"

Yondu swallowed the lump in his throat, all too aware of the growing tightness in his pants. "...Yeah." He was now faced the complication of having a beginning swimmer resting against him while trying to make sure she didn't accidently brush her legs against his groin and find out. The universe was laughing at him. That had to be it.

He couldn't say when his thumb started tracing her hip bone. Lydia didn't seem to mind or was just as unaware of it happening as he was. She made no move to detach herself from where he'd perched her at his side. Her breaths were beginning to slow and deepen like one who was fighting sleep. Yondu spotted an outcropping on rocks and began to float them towards it so he could take a break from swimming and let Lydia rest as well. He could head for the shore and drop her off there, but he didn't want to let her go just yet. He wanted her all to himself for a few more minutes. And the rocks would provide them with privacy from any peering eyes. Not that he expected anything to happen – Lydia had made that much clear – but maybe if he upped the charm, he might could snag a few kisses. If that developed into something else – he wouldn't turn it down.

She feels so damn good.

That was what drove him crazy. No matter how angry or annoyed at Lydia he may be, the moment he touched her his skin crackled upon contact. Back on Knowhere, when the door to his quarters had opened so suddenly that they fell to the floor and he landed on top of her, his body had felt like it was alit with firecrackers. Knowing what he did now about her lack of experience, he was going to take his sweet, sweet time with her –

"Hey! Where are you guys going? I wanna swim too!"

Lydia gave a start, her head lifting off Yondu's shoulder as she craned her neck around to where Peter stood waiting impatiently at the beach shore. "We'll be right there, kid!"

Yondu's brow furrowed with a frown. "We will?"

Tentatively, Lydia ventured a few feet on her own. "You were going to teach him how to swim, weren't you?"

No, baby girl. I was gonna teach you a whole different kind of lesson. Yondu's fingers itched to pull her back to him. Don't go yet. "He seemed to have a handle on it."

"Yondu," Peter called. "Can you help me?"

Yondu switched his attention from the red-haired siren within his grasp to the little whelp standing in the shallows, a snarl forming. But at the unrestrained excitement on the kid's face, that snarl died, and an ache formed in his chest. "Guess I got nothin' better to do."

Peter thrust his little first in the air as he leapt around. "Yes!"

Yondu trailed cautiously behind Lydia as she attempted to swim all the way back by herself. "Can't believe I just got cock-blocked by an eight-year-old," he muttered beneath his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothin'; just questioning the kid's age."

"He'll be nine in eleven days."

"How you know that?"

"Oh, it's a sneaky little trick. You could probably learn it real quick though."

"What is it?"

"It's called, 'asking'." She tossed a cheeky little grin over her shoulder at him and it took everything in him to keep his hands to himself.

As soon as my feet could touch the ground, I felt exhaustion sweep over me. I stumbled through the shallow water, guided by Yondu's hand at the small of my back. There were several moments when I almost said, "Druux it!" and snogged the heck out of him, but by some miracle I kept my cool. …If by cool, you mean that I was so nervous being in the water that I was properly distracted from his muscled torso most of the time. …Until he pulled me to his side and had me perched there. Did I take advantage of it? Maybe. He felt very comfy. I was tired. Sue me! Muscles! The man has muscles! I am but a mere female!

"Alright, Quill. Yer turn," Yondu announced, suddenly picking the kid up with one arm and hoisting him to his hip as he slogged back into the shallow water. Peter laughed and tried to wiggle out of Yondu's hold. His legs kicking the air ineffectively. "You call that escaping, boy?" Yondu barked with a laugh. "Halvi!"

The darkness dweller looked his way. Where he stood, the water barely covered his stomach. For most of the other crew, the water came up to their chests. When Yondu was up to his thighs, he shifted his grip on Peter and began to heave the kid back and forth, readying to launch him. "Catch!" Peter flew into the air, releasing a delighted laugh. Halvi grinned as he caught him in his arms.

"Gooooal!" Tullk shouted, holding his arms aloft in sports-like gesture.

"Hey, think we can use the boy as a ball for our game?" another Ravager asked.

"Knock it off, ya ding-bats. Boy's gonna learn how to swim, not be a piece of sport's equipment." Yondu treaded the water over to Halvi and plucked the kid from the giant. "Ya remember how to kick the water, boy?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright, get to it." He launched the kid into the air and Peter landed with a splash. He struggled for a moment, then righted himself and kicked and pushed at the water. Yondu swam over to correct his form and show him how to extend his arms in a stroke.

I sat on the beach, wrapped in Yondu's coat, watching. Yondu wasn't the most sensitive teacher, but he got his point across. It was moments like this, that I could see that underneath the rough exterior, Yondu cared for Peter. If he didn't, he wouldn't bother. I knew that much about Yondu now. If he cared nothing about something, he didn't bother at all. A soft smile crept onto my face as I continued watching. This was Yondu's way of being sweet. And he didn't even know it.

"What?" Yondu asked, noticing my stare.

I smiled and shook my head. "Nothing."

Yondu rolled her shoulders, a little wary. "Well quit it."

I held up my hands. "Okay."

After about two hours of practice, Peter collapsed on the sand next to me, his little chest huffing and puffing. "Boy near about swallowed half the water in the ocean, but he's got a good start at learnin'," Yondu commented, easing into a lounging position on my free side. His crimson eyes looked over his Ravager coat draped over my shoulders. "Looks good on ya," he muttered, quickly looking back towards the ocean. I felt myself blush at the compliment. I saw some of the crew trudging out of the water and drying themselves in the sun. A few others who'd done so ahead of them, were redressing. "I'll be needin' that coat back soon. Kraglin's shift will be ending in about thirty minutes. Gotta switch with him and his half of the engine crew." He gave me a side-long glance, lingering on my cleavage. "You'll need to put yer clothes on before I go."

I rolled my eyes. "Not this again."

"Darlin', I'm not gonna argue with you. I ain't leavin' you with these men dressed like that. Yer temptin' enough as it is."

"I'll be fine."

"No, you won't."

"I haven't had any trouble from the men so far."

"Honey, just cause they've gotten used to ya don't mean they ain't tempted every now and then."

"I was just fine with you."

Yondu fixed me with a pained look. "Baby girl, I'm a man too. I ain't made of stone."

Whatever argument I had in me died at the look in his eyes. Sprek… I'd been causing trouble all right. Just not the kind I thought.

Yondu stood to his feet and extended his hand. I took it and let him help me to my feet. He led me to his M-ship and I changed clothes as I thought about what he'd said. Why didn't it occur to me that his discomfort at my swimsuit hadn't been due to the crew? In my head, the captain still felt no attraction to me due to breaking his trust; that he saw me as a mischief maker. But apparently, I was very mistaken.

I finished changing and found Yondu finishing his call to Kraglin confirming their arrival. "I'm sorry," I said.

He looked around at me. "For what?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I didn't think about why you were so adamant about me putting on clothes. Why you say my clothes are distracting. I'm used to working in hot environments, so I developed a certain style –,"

Yondu shook his head and held up a hand. "Brosh, the thing is I know you don't do it on purpose. You got no ulterior motives dressin' the way you do. You just happen to look damn good in shorts and can fill a tank top in ways that make most women envious." He stepped forward and hooked a finger under my chin so that I was forced to look him in the eye. "I ain't tryin' ta shame ya, sugar. I just want ya more aware of the effect ya have on the crew in certain get-ups. I just don't know the right way to say it. I don't wan'cha to get hurt."

I reached up and grasped the hand beneath my chin, giving it a squeeze. "It's kinda odd…knowing someone else has got my back instead of it just being me all the time."

A muscle in his jaw twitched at that. "I said I got ya, girl."

"I know that now." Standing on tiptoe, I kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you." I gave his hand another squeeze and made my way down the ramp back outside. When I glanced back at the entrance, Yondu stood leaning out the doorway, a hand pressed to the cheek my lips had touched.

(Aye Corona! When will it end!? Getting a bit of cabin fever, but I remember to ride my bike or lay in my hammock every day to get some sunshine. I hope you all have something that keeps you sane.

I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I had fun writing this if only because it was entertaining to torture Yondu. The next upcoming chapter is called, 'I Love a Rainey Night' and it's Peter's birthday! How does a recently turned nine-year-old spend his birthday with a bunch of space pirates? … It ain't normal, that's for sure. Or at least, for a Terran. Apparently, it's pretty normal for a Ravager. Lydia is appalled though.)