Your eyes flutter open slowly and you wince at the feeling of the cold, metal ground beneath your back. The pain from the stinging, electric shock fades when you feel a warm hand comb through your hair. As your eyes adjust to the light, you are able to make out the only face you want to see.

"Peter?" His hand freezes in your soft hair as he turns his gaze down to you.

"Hey, Y/N," he whispers. You sit up immediately and don't allow him to even take another breath before your lips are on his. His hands find your back as he pulls you in closer to him. It hasn't even been that long since you last kissed Peter, but your longing for him made it feel like a lifetime.

You break away from the kiss and take a deep breath. "You're alive," you say, smiling and wandering your eyes over every magnificent detail on his face.

Peter laughs. "Of course I'm alive! I couldn't not come back to see you, darlin'." He grabs the back of your head and pulls you in for another, quick kiss. "In all seriousness, Y/N, I really did need to come back and be with you. I thought of the life we could have here together, on the ship I promised you months ago, surrounded by our new family. I love you so much Y/N and I can't stand the thought of being away from you."

"I love you too, Peter," you respond. "Which is why you're not allowed to scare me like that anymore, okay?"

Peter nods. "I actually wouldn't have made it if it weren't for Yondu."

"Where is he?" you ask, taking a gander around the room. Peter's eyes bore into yours as they gloss over with tears. You can read the solemn expression on his face and you understand. You wrap your arms around him and soothingly rub his back. He doesn't hesitate to hug you tighter, never wanting to let you go. "No..." you mumble. "No, I...I can't believe this. I'm so sorry, Peter."

"Thank you, Y/N," he sniffles into your shoulder.

"You're gonna be okay. I promise you, everything will be okay."

"I just...I don't know what to do. Yondu always had my back and protected me, even when I betrayed him or did the wrong thing. He taught me everything I know and didn't care how many mistakes I made because he'd come back for me anyway. Who is going to look after me now?"

"I'm here," you tell him reassuringly. "I'm always going to be here and so are the rest of the Guardians. We have your back and we always will." He continues quietly sobbing and you want to take away every ounce of pain he is feeling right now. You think back to all of the times he had your back when he didn't even have to protect you. There was the first time he needed to help you get off the planet you met him on. There was also the time he couldn't help but risk his life for you out in space after the Orb was stolen. There were countless others after, as well. You owe him for the hurt he's felt and the risks he's taken.

"Y/N?"

"Yeah, Peter?"

"What should I do?" he asks. "What should I do about Yondu?"

"I think you should do what you believe he would have wanted. But, whatever you choose to do will make him proud, just like you've always made him proud," you answer, using your thumb to wipe the tears from his eyes.

He leans into your hand and grins weakly. "I think I have an idea."

Yondu's body lays on top of a table, dressed and prepared for a proper funeral. Beside him are candles that everyone helped light, as well as a beautiful assortment of flowers and the little items he kept on his dash at the flight deck. You, Peter, Drax, Gamora, Mantis, Rocket, Kraglin, and Groot gather around the table, looking down at the man you are all so grateful for today.

Peter's hand brushes slightly against yours and you take it in your own, sensing his nervousness and sadness. He squeezes your hand in gratitude for calming him down and you send a squeeze back. "I told Y/N about how when I was a kid I used to pretend David Hasselhoff was my dad." Drax and Rocket share a look of confusion. "He's a singer and actor from Earth, really famous guy," he explains, his voice low and glum. You can hear how choked up he is with the faintest glimpse of tears in his eyes. Your heart breaks for him. "Earlier, it struck me, Yondu didn't have a talking car, but he did have a flying arrow. He didn't have the beautiful voice of an angel but he did have the whistle of one. Both Yondu and David Hasselhoff went on kick-ass adventures and hooked up with hot women and fought robots. I guess David Hasselhoff did kind of end up being my dad after all. Only it was you, Yondu. I had a pretty cool dad," he says, the tears now falling down his cheeks. "What I'm trying to say here is... sometimes that thing you're searching for your whole life...it's right there by your side all along. You don't even know it."

"I am Groot."

"He did call you twig," Rocket mentions, the hurt in his voice present as he mourns for Yondu.

Gamora places a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder before walking away from the table toward the corner that Nebula was previously lurking in. You give Peter's hand one last squeeze and follow her.

"Nebula!" she exclaims, causing Nebula to stop in her tracks. "I was a child like you. I was concerned with staying alive until the next day, every day, and I never considered what Thanos was doing to you. I'm trying to make it right."

"Me too," you speak up. "I was just a kid worried about my own wellbeing when I ran away. I should have taken the two of you with me or came back once I had found a safer place for us to go. I didn't think about the consequences of what would've happened if I left. And for that, I'm sorry."

"There are little girls like you across the universe who are in danger. You can stay with us and help them," Gamora conveys.

"I will help them by killing Thanos," Nebula states.

"And so you shall," you tell her confidently. Knowing she will set out to find Thanos and being worried about Nebula's safety, you go and hug her. You hesitate for a second, unsure what her response will be, but you decide to do it anyway. She surprisingly returns the gesture and embraces you tightly.

Once the two of you back away, Gamora also hugs her. Nebula doesn't give in right away, but when she finally wraps her arms around Gamora, they linger for a few moments. "You will always be my sister," Gamora whispers in her ear.

After you part ways with Nebula, you make your way back over to Peter and the others. They had just finished sending Yondu away to disintegrate, waiting to release his ashes into space. You sling your arms around Peter's waist from behind him, standing there silently.

"Pete!" Kraglin voices, pulling a device from his pocket that is attached to headphones. "Captain found this for you in a junker shop. He said you'd come back to the fold someday."

Peter takes it in his hands, studying the mysterious object. "What is it?"

"It's called a Zune. It's what everybody's listening to on Earth nowadays. It's got three hundred songs on it."

Your and Peter's eyes widen and he turns around to face you. Your expressions match one another's in shock. "Three hundred songs?" Peter asks excitedly. Kraglin nods, starting to walk away. "Wait." He stops him, pulling Yondu's fixed arrow from his boot and passing it over. "Rocket grabbed the pieces and reassembled them. I think Yondu would want you to have it."

Kraglin stares at the arrow in disbelief, lip quivering as he keeps himself from crying. "Thanks...Captain."

Peter intertwines your fingers in his and drags you to his quarters. The two of you plop down on the bed. He spreads himself across the mattress, laying down and taking you with him. You rest your head on his chest, placing a hand on his lower torso to snuggle into him. He loves the warm feeling of you beside him and he never wants to be without you again.

Peter places a headphone in his ear and one in yours. You adjust it accordingly and stare at the Zune in his hands. He scrolls through the songs, reading the name's of each one until he comes to a song titled "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens. He presses play, and the slow strum of a guitar fills your ears. Groot manages to crawl up between the two of you, wanting to be there for comfort.

None of you speak, but the silence says a million unspoken words as the melody plays in the background.

It's not time to make a change,

Just relax, take it easy.

You're still young, that's your fault,

There's so much you have to know.

"Y/N, I'm so glad I met you," Peter says, rubbing circles on your back. "I don't know where I'd be right now if I never saw you that day singing your heart out to my favorite song. I'm so happy you're here with me."

Find a girl, settle down,

If you want you can marry.

Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.

You smile. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Peter. You've saved me so many times when shit went down."

I was once like you are now,

And I know that it's not easy,

To be calm when you've found something going on.

"You're right, you'd probably be dead without me saving your ass." The two of you laugh. "But I think you're the one that saved me." You peck him on the cheek at his kind words. Maybe, in a way, you and Peter saved each other. You were both so lucky to find your soulmate coincidentally on Morag that day when you've always had the whole galaxy right in front of you.

But take your time, think a lot,

Why, think of everything you've got,

For you will still be here tomorrow,

But your dreams may not.

Groot taps you on the arm, causing you and Peter's attention to turn to where he is pointing. Several ships storm the starry sky outside. You furrow your brow. "Who is that?"

"Let's go find out." Peter takes you and Groot back into the main area, where you find everyone else staring out the window at the ships.

"What is it?" Drax questions.

"I sent word to Yondu's old Ravager buddies, and told them what he did," Rocket replies.

Peter gasps. "It's a Ravager funeral."

How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again,

It's always been the same, same old story.

From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen,

Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away,

I know I have to go.

You all watch as the hundreds of Ravager ships send out fireworks that illuminate the dark space. Every color in the rainbow and beyond shines brightly, creating a gorgeous show for Yondu's final send off. This is what he would have wanted, and it is certainly what he deserves.

"He didn't chase them away," Rocket mutters, standing next to you and Peter.

"No."

"Even though he yelled at them...and was always mean...and he stole batteries he didn't need."

The two of you glance down at the raccoon, understanding his worry for what all of you might think of him. "Well, of course not," Peter reassures him.

It's not time to make a change,

Just sit down, take it slowly.

You're still young, that's your fault,

There's so much you have to go through.

You pass baby Groot along to Gamora who gives him to Drax. He lets out a weak yawn and falls into a peaceful sleep on Drax's shoulder. You turn next to you and stare at Peter. Right here is the man you love more than anything else in this whole damn galaxy. He's the one you didn't know you needed your entire life until you finally found him and never wanted anything else as badly. He's the one who knows your flaws and quirks and still loves you for them. He's the one you spend late nights with, bonding over every little thing you have in common. He's the one who gets your idiotic jokes and makes similar ones right back at you. He's the one you plan to spend the rest of your life with. He's the one.

Find a girl, settle down,

If you want you can marry.

Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.

All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,

It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it.

If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them you know not me,

Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away,

I know I have to go.

Peter catches you staring at him with a big, stupid smile on your face like you're so crazy in love. He returns your gaze with his classic smirk. "What?"

"I love you so much, Peter Quill." He chuckles in response, wrapping an arm around your shoulder to kiss the top of your head.

"I love you more, darlin'."

As Peter leaves his arm resting on your shoulder you snake your own arms around his waist to pull him tighter to you, never wanting to let go. There is nowhere else you'd rather be than in his arms.

You've never been happier.

You hope nothing comes along to change all of that.

-

Infinity War: Coming soon...