Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 further confirmed Yondu’s love for Peter not only by his unwillingness to retaliate against the Guardians for not handing over the Power Stone, but through the revelation that he’d saved Peter from being killed by Ego like the Living Planet’s other progeny had been.
Peter and Yondu had an unusual relationship during their nearly three decades together.
But Guardians of the Galaxy alluded that Yondu truly had a soft spot for Peter, as evidenced by his smirk upon realizing that the Orb had been substituted with a Troll doll.
The leader of the Ravagers certainly wasn’t the warmest parental figure, as he forced Peter into their illegal missions and threatened to feed him to their fellow pirates when he misbehaved.