It wasn't just romantic affection that Yondu had sought, though. It was the sort that made his last moments worth it for the look Peter gave him during them alone. It was the sort that left him ice cold when Martinex waited for him to look up on Contraxia before storming off. He had no real connection to the idea of siblings, not until Soldat had shown him in his own memories, but teammates? Camrades? That was a love he felt deeply.
"Of course I did." He snorts. "Just a kid. Didn't have no family. Just had us. An' he had no choice in bein' there. Ego- that was the guy's name -woulda found 'im if I took 'im back. I found every excuse in the world to find him chances. It was easier when he was small, but when he grew up an' started doin' things outa spite, it got tougher and tougher. But he turned out a good man, though. Took some of the better parts of me with him, too. So at least I knew I gave him somethin' decent."
"I was never such an asshole I forced him to like me. But I'm pretty sure he did 'cause of how he looked at me at the end. He was real unhappy to see me dyin'... But at that point I was ready to go, an' couldn't have been prouder of him. He'd won."
He wrinkles his nose up with a wince before clarifyin'. "It ain't guilt, either. What makes me try so hard. Sure, I do regret what happened, but it ain't guilt that makes me wanna make a better future. It's me wantin' to make a world where people ain't treated like we were, an' the kids can handle themselves if they need to."
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"Of course I did." He snorts. "Just a kid. Didn't have no family. Just had us. An' he had no choice in bein' there. Ego- that was the guy's name -woulda found 'im if I took 'im back. I found every excuse in the world to find him chances. It was easier when he was small, but when he grew up an' started doin' things outa spite, it got tougher and tougher. But he turned out a good man, though. Took some of the better parts of me with him, too. So at least I knew I gave him somethin' decent."
"I was never such an asshole I forced him to like me. But I'm pretty sure he did 'cause of how he looked at me at the end. He was real unhappy to see me dyin'... But at that point I was ready to go, an' couldn't have been prouder of him. He'd won."
He wrinkles his nose up with a wince before clarifyin'. "It ain't guilt, either. What makes me try so hard. Sure, I do regret what happened, but it ain't guilt that makes me wanna make a better future. It's me wantin' to make a world where people ain't treated like we were, an' the kids can handle themselves if they need to."