Aleta
“You picked up a kid?!”
Stakar stopped in his tracks and let out a small sigh. “Yeah, but listen-”
“I cannot believe you. You tell me you’re taking the crew to get weapons, Stakar, and you bring back a kid!” The short woman stepped closer to the captain and stared up at him, “you took someone’s kid, Stakar, isn’t it you who’s always on about the code?”
“We didn’t just take him, he wanted to come back with us. It’s what he wanted for the help he gave us. We don’t deal in kids, and I’m not about to start.” Stakar nodded with a sense of finality in the matter. “He’ll stay until he says he doesn’t want to. Treat him like a member of the crew.”
Aleta’s hands rested on her hips and she scoffed, shaking her head. “this isn’t going to be as easy as you think it’s going to be, Stakar. He’s been through a lot, a kid doesn’t just get over this shit. If you think he’s going to just start working, you’re wrong.”
Stakar rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, “he’ll be fine, ‘Leta.”
“Don’t write it off like that. The kid had part of his fucking head removed by those people. He will not be fine,” she snapped, throwing her hands up in frustration. “Just.. I’ll keep an eye on him, show him around. I’m not letting him work ‘til he’s comfortable here.”
A sigh passed his lips and Stakar nodded, “fine. Make sure he adjusts. Keep me posted on his progress too, or let me know if he decides he wants to leave.”
“‘Course I’ll keep ya posted, babe,” she stepped forward and kissed Stakar’s cheek on her way toward the door, “talk to you later, Captain.”
***
Yondu woke in a small room very similar to his cell in the facility, though the bed he lay in had a soft cushion and a blanket to cover him as he slept. He’d been taken to the ship’s med bay after they’d gotten back, and his head was now wrapped in a long strip of cloth. He was in a new pair of shorts and a shirt that was just a little too big on his thin body. He vaguely remembered someone in the med bay helping him change into them.
He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed and looked around the room. Maybe it wasn’t like his cell at all. There was something that looked like a keypad next to his door, but he had no idea what the code would be, so it was no use in trying. There was a small table against one of the walls, and a chair barely tucked under it, and there were a few pictures on the walls.
There was a beep just before the door slid open and a dark haired woman stood there, staring at Yondu. “How’s your head feeling? Our guys down in the med bay got it all cleaned up. Good thing, too, ya had a pretty nasty infection in it. They’ll have to patch ya up a little more, once the infection is totally gone.”
The Centaurian pulled his legs back up onto the bed and shuffled backwards so his back was pressed to the wall. “Who’re you?”
The woman pulled the chair out from under the table and sat on it, a friendly smile crossing her face, “I’m Aleta. The Captain’s assigned me to keep an eye on ya, make sure ya don’t get into trouble. Can’t have you bothering the wrong crew member, you’ll end up getting yourself eaten.” She cringed a little as Yondu’s eyes widened in fear, “that was a little harsh of me to say. I won’t let them eat ya, alright?”
Yondu sighed a bit, relieved that the woman wasn’t serious about the crew eating him. At least, he thought she wasn’t serious. “My head hurts less.”
His voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper, but loud enough that Aleta could hear him. She nodded, “that’s good. Can I get ya to come for a walk with me? We’re going to get ya something to eat, then we’ll get ya some clothes that’ll make you blend in a bit better here.”
Food was not something that Yondu was ready to say no to in his state. He hadn’t eaten since before Stakar had taken him away from the facility. Without taking his eyes off of Aleta he stood carefully, not as uneasy on his feet as he had been.
Yondu followed Aleta out of his room and down the halls of the ship, keeping back a respectable distance from her, and he tried to figure out what the codes for the doors on the ship were. A loud clattering noise made him stop and look toward the room that was to the left of him, and in doing so he didn’t see the door in front of him slide shut.
***
Aleta walked along through the doors, letting Yondu follow quietly behind her. Old habits died hard, especially when child soldiers were concerned. The crew had taken on several men and women who had come from such backgrounds, though most of them had been older than 5 when they were taken. She assumed Yondu had to have been younger than that when he was taken by the Kree.
She knew as soon as she met the young Centaurian that it was going to take a lot of work and effort to get Yondu to open up to her, but Aleta wasn’t about to give up. He was bright and brave, from what Stakar had told her about what he’d done to help the crew through the building. If he was able to come back from the trauma he’d endured, she knew Yondu would make a fine Ravager. Maybe once he got to wear one of their outfits, which had been called ‘wicked cool’ by children on many planets, he’d be persuaded.
Arriving at the mess hall, Aleta stopped and turned on her heel, “alright, so this is where-” Shit.
***
Yondu paced back and forth in the small hallway, hoping that Aleta would come back to let him out and that she didn’t just leave him there on purpose. She didn’t seem like she would just abandon him, but a lot of children from the facility probably thought that about people before.
He didn’t want to try the keypads, just in case they zapped if the code was wrong, and he wasn’t going to start yelling for help. So he went to the corner, letting his back slide down the wall so he could sit. She would come back. She promised that she’d protect Yondu from the crew, and he really didn’t want to be eaten.
Yondu jolted as the door that Aleta had passed through opened. He stood quickly and prepared himself to fend off any hungry crew members before he realized that he knew the woman standing in front of him.
Aleta sighed and shook her head, “kid, what are ya doing in here?”
The boy looked to the floor and braced for her to hit him, but nothing happened. He glanced up at her and saw that she was waiting for an answer. “I- I got stuck.”
“Stuck? How in the-” She scoffed and looked as though someone had just told her something completely obvious. “C’mere, kid. I’ll show you how to work these.”
Yondu approached her with caution and watched as Aleta pointed to the keypad. “All you have to do is tap it, okay? No codes. There are some doors with codes, but those are off limits to more people than just you, okay?” She knelt down so that she was at eye level with Yondu, “ya don’t belong to anyone anymore, and we’re not gonna keep ya in your quarters all day, or make ya fight, or hurt ya. Once we get ya fed and we get ya some decent clothes, ya can decide if ya wanna stay or we can take ya to the Nova Corps where the other kids’ll be.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, “but if ya wanna stay, there’s a place for ya on this ship. Now,” she stood once more, her demeanour shifting back to normal, “let's get ya something to eat. Ya can open the doors for us, if ya want. To get used to ‘em.”
Yondu listened carefully to all that Aleta was telling him. His breathing quickened and his eyes stung, but he would not cry. He was free, really free, and the feeling in his chest was overwhelming. He had a choice, whether to stay or go, and that was a luxury that he’d never been given before. He didn’t need to wait until after he got food to make his decision, though. Yondu wanted to stay on the ship with Aleta and Stakar and the rest of the crew. Even if there was a chance they would eat him. He stood up a little straighter and held his head high. He pressed his index finger on the keypad, like he’d been shown, and couldn't help but smile as the door opened for him.