Yondu was in a junk shop when he saw it. While trying to find a new little trinket for his dashboard, a small, grey rectangle had caught his eye. It had a screen, circular pad, and ear buds with it. Yondu had never seen something like this before and he picked it up to examine it. Was it a detector of something? A radar? The shop owner noticed the item in the Ravager captain's hands and smiled.
"Ah, that's a rare device all the way from Terra. Called a Zune and it's for playing music I believe. Can fit 300 songs on it!", he said.
Yondu instantly flicked his eyes over to the owner in slight surprise. "A music player… from Terra?"
The owner nodded and Yondu turned his attention back to the device in his hands. Music and Terra. Two things that always made him think about Peter Quill. Something like this would be perfect for him if his Walkman ever broke...or if he was still around. Peter had left the Ravagers a long time ago and even had his own team now that he was leader of: the Guardians of the Galaxy. Yondu couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in Peter for his accomplishments although he would deny it if anyone asked. Just like he would deny it if anyone thought he wished Peter would come back.
The Ravagers didn't feel quite the same without Peter there. It seemed strange to not see him working in the hangers on his precious Milano or strutting down the halls of the ship, singing loudly to his Earth music. He was always causing some kind trouble though and Yondu had figured that he'd eventually leave the Ravagers at some point. Who knew though? Maybe things with the Guardians wouldn't work out and Peter would return to the Ravagers since he'd have nowhere else to go.
With this thought in mind, Yondu bought the Zune from the shop owner and took it back to the ship with him. He went to his quarters, one of the only quiet or at least slightly quiet places on the ship, and turned the music player on. Even though there were better hackers than Yondu on the Eclector, Earth sites were easy enough for anyone to hack into so it wasn't long till Yondu was able to start downloading songs he recognized as favorites of Peter's onto the Zune. He soon had all the songs he knew Peter loved on the player, but there was still a ton of room. Yondu looked up some albums from the time period Peter listened to and put them on the Zune after listening to a few from each to make sure they seemed like something he'd like. At some point, Yondu came across an album called Tea for the Tillerman by some guy called Cat Stevens. He thought it looked out of place since the cover looked like a picture book. Was this music for children? Curious, Yondu clicked into the album to scan through the titles of the songs and held his gaze on one. It was called Father and Son. He hit 'play' without even consciously choosing to.
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
Find a girl, settle down
If you want you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy
It was easy to tell what angle this song was coming from: a father sending a message to his son.
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
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
The song didn't give bad advice either. It actually sounded a lot like things Yondu himself had said to Peter when he was young. That as captain, Yondu had to remain calm in dangerous times to keep the crew in check. That you have to think and plan everything very carefully when preparing a mission. That things can always change from day to day.
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
Yondu could see how these lyrics could fit for both him and Peter. They had both tried to keep their distance from each other, even if it was obviously not what they really wanted. And Yondu could definitely relate to the part about being ordered to listen. Being a slave as a child, he knew that well. And ever since Peter had been taken onto the Eclector, he was lectured with the rules and ordered around. It should have been no surprise when Peter tried to backstab Yondu and the Ravagers with that Infinity Stone. It was his chance to get away.
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
Find a girl, settle down
If you want you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy
Yondu huffed. He was old, but was he happy? The easy answer could be yes. He was a feared and respected leader of a group of fairly successful Ravagers and, considering how his life started, he had done well for himself. However, to say he was happy was a lie. Yondu had made many mistakes in his life. Too many. He'd pushed away people who showed him love, he'd broke the Ravager code, he'd delivered innocent kids to a psychopath, and he had to live with all the guilt of those decisions.
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 they know not me
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go
Guilt. Regret. The fact that he cared. All things Yondu kept inside, hidden away, tried to ignore the best he could. They were there though and he couldn't lie to himself forever about it, but he'd try his damnedest to.
The song was over and Yondu just sat there, taking it in. He'd been surprised by how much crap some stupid Earth song had dragged up and he had to take a moment. It had summed him up pretty well; it was a little unnerving. He thought about moving on and choosing a different album to add to Peter's Zune, but something about this was just sticking to him. After a while, a smirk just found its way onto Yondu's face and he downloaded the song and it's album to the music player. He doubted Peter would ever understand why Yondu would leave the Zune open on a song called Father and Son. He knew Peter didn't and wouldn't ever see him as a father figure and honestly, Yondu had no right to think of Peter as his son either. But he did. And he wanted Peter to have this from him. As a father sending a message to his son.