C'est la Mort

"Don't do this! Please, Yondu, don't do this to me!"

"I have to, Y/N."

"No, you don't! You don't have to do this!" You grabbed the lapels of his coat as you tried to keep him from leaving.

"I gotta distract 'em to give you an' Peter time to take off an' get back to the Quadrant. I ain't lettin' ya die, an' this is the only way I can think ta do it."

"Don't you dare walk out that door, Yondu Udonta!"

"I'm sorry, Y/N," he replied, in a quiet, husky voice. There were tears in his eyes, as he looked over your head to Peter. "Get her outta here, get her back safe."

Peter nodded, and Yondu pulled you to him, kissing you once, then wrenched himself from your grasp and ran through the ship's door. You heard it lock behind him, then heard the sounds of laser cannons and quad blasters firing, and, faintly, the sound of his whistle.

Your anguished sob echoed around the room as you collapsed to the floor.

"Y/N, come on, we've got to go!" Peter yelled, reaching for your arm to help you up.

You yanked your arm out of his grasp. "No! No, we've got to help him. We've got to save him!"

"Y/N... it's too late."

"No, it's not!" You scrambled up and ran to the door, but couldn't open it.

"Open the door."

"No."

"Open it right now, Peter Quill!"

"No, Y/N, we've got to go! Yondu didn't sacrifice himself for you to get yourself killed anyway."

Crying harder, you lost the ability to speak and just shook your head.

"Y/N, come on," Peter said, gently, but urgently, pulling you with himto the front of the Benatar.

You let him drag you along, not caring whether you made it safely or not. Not caring if you ever reached the Eclector Quadrant. Not caring about anything if Yondu was gone.

You couldn't believe it. Yondu Udonta, the strong Ravager Captain, the man you loved, was gone.

You realized the two of you had reached the cockpit, and Peter pulled you inside, pushing you into a chair.

"Buckle up," he ordered, as he hurriedly flipped switches and pressed buttons, trying to get the ship in the air before the Sakaarans broke through the locked door.

You numbly followed his orders, but didn't see the point. Why bother with a safety harness when your life was over anyway?

Peter took off, then glanced over at you. "You okay?"

You shook your head, still crying, and he sighed. "I mean, physically – are you hurt?"

You shook your head again, and he turned back to the front. "I'm sorry, Y/N. I... don't know what to say."

He was on the verge of tears, and you suddenly realized that this was just as hard on him as it was on you. You reached out a hand and rested it on his arm. He glanced at it, nodded, and continued flying in silence.

You cried all the way back to the Quadrant. When you disembarked the Benatar, you headed straight to the quarters you shared – had shared – with Yondu, ignoring the many questions from Kraglin and the other Guardians. You heard Peter start explaining what happened, and you ran the rest of the way to your room.