Her Captain's Treasure [Pirate!England x Reader] 3

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, save for Alfred accidentally knocking you overboard and sending Arthur into an absolute tizzy. The entire crew had been ordered to stop whatever they were doing and fish you from the water, despite how you were perfectly fine. Alfred received a forty-five minute lecture after that and been sentenced to dish scrubbing duty. Since you had felt bad, you snuck down to help him with the chore, much to Alfred's (very loud) gratitude.

You spent almost that entire night on deck with Allistor, listening to him talk about his adventures at sea and the land he hailed from. You found he was not from the same place as Arthur, but that did not diminish the bond they shared. Allistor told you of how Arthur first became a pirate, how he had asked Allistor to accompany him, to show him what he knew of the being at sea, and how he accepted and left his home behind. You could not help but pick up on the fondness in Allistor's voice when he spoke about Arthur, despite what kind of story it was, whether he was poking fun at him or giving him praise, the older brother affection never failed to show. That night you also learned of how some men of Arthur's first crew turned on him and nearly killed him back in his early years as captain. Allistor said it was a miracle he even survived the brutal attack and that Alfred, Peter, and himself were the only original members that remained with Arthur. Allistor said that was where the scars had come from.

Two weeks had passed since that night and you had yet to get that story out of your mind. It was no wonder Arthur was so distant, so cold to you when, perhaps, he meant to be kinder. He had been betrayed, and hurt, by people he had trusted and no doubt cared for, and now he wore scars that would forever remind him of that moment. That single moment when he understood the cruelty of human nature. It was not unlike your own story. After that night, you had vowed to try and be kinder to Arthur, to not be so bull-headed and hateful to him, but God help you, he made it so very hard. He was like two different people trapped in the same body. One moment, he could be sweet to you, and then not ten minutes later be shouting at you. Sometimes, you were not even sure what you had done to him to deserve such a switch in mood. It was almost like he wanted to be kind to you, to have what Allistor had with you, and part of you truly did believe that Arthur cared for you in his own way, but at the same time, it was like he had to hurt you to punish himself for being kind in the first place.

Oh, it was very confusing and gave you quite a headache. Still, you did not give up.

"Arthur?" you called, pushing open to the door to Arthur's captain quarters and poking your head inside. He stood, hunched over his desk, muttering to himself as he scribbled and calculated over three different maps. "Arthur, it's _____."

"I know who you are," he snapped without looking back at you. You bit your tongue, counting backwards from ten as you remembered your vow, and carefully closed the door behind you.

"As you should by now," you replied easily, letting your anger fade off as you walked over to in front of him. "You've been in here all day. I think you should take a break. The sun is wonderful today and I thought perhaps-"

"What? You thought what?" he demanded, slamming whatever little tool he had been using down onto the desk and turning a fierce glare on your. "That I should piss away my time playing on deck with you? Despite how everyone else aboard this ship seems to find the time to ignore their duties and coddle you with attention, I do not have such a pleasure."

You swallowed hard, ignoring the flush of heat to your cheeks. Vow be damned, you were going to rip his head off! That rude, arrogant, thick-browed-

No, ____, more anger does not to resolve anger.

"You don't need to be so mean, Arthur," you said, quite calmly, given how anger still boiled in the pit of your stomach. "I'm only trying to help."

"I don't need your help," he shoved away the maps and fell back into his chair with a heavy sigh. It was then you could see the weariness in his face, the bags beneath his eyes, and instantly the anger melted away. "I need you to leave me alone, so I can figure out our problems."

"Arthur," you started, leaning over the desk and taking his chin in your hand. The stubble of his beard pricked at your skin. He blinked at you. "You need a break. Come out on deck with me."

"You don't get it," he said, grabbing your wrist and pulling your hand away. He laid it carefully on the desk. "The seas keep changing and I keep losing our course. The skies have been dim and I haven't been able to see the stars as clearly as I need. Plus, I fear there is a storm coming."

"Surely you've dealt with storms before," you said, absently realizing this was the first civil moment you had shared with him since you had been on his ship. Any other time you attempted to talk to him, it started out fine but erupted into angry curses and insults. Only last night he had damned you to hell and wished death upon you, of course, this was after you had called him coward and punched him in the face. "Maybe I can help you. The seas don't feel rough to me."

"Are your senses even still accurate? You've been out of the sea a long time," he said and, though you were not sure if he meant to hurt you with such a jab, he did.

"So I have," you whispered, but you refused to back down from him. "But I'm not yet completely dulled to it," you added, forcing him to meet your gaze. "Arthur, I'm trying to get along with you,"

"Since when?" he asked, watching you, studying you. You shrugged.

"Does it matter? If I'm going to have to live here, then I'm not going to let your stubbornness be my misery and I don't believe you want to be so cruel to me as you act, so why-"

"It's none of your bloody business!" he shouted at you suddenly, rising from the chair and coming nose to nose with you. Your breath caught in your throat. "Whatever has spawned this kindness from you, I suggest you forget about it and go back to hating me."

"What good would that do either of us?" you asked, searching his eyes for some kind of sign that he was playing a joke on you. Some trick to make you angry.

"Better good than your bloody kindness," he sneered, coming around the desk to stand directly in front of you. He snatched you up about the waist and yanked you close to him, tucking a strand of [color] hair from your face with his free hand. "I know what Allistor told you, about what happened, and I assure you that I do not need your pity."

"You would insult me by insinuating that this is pity?" you asked, pressing your hands against his chest and pushing against his hold. "That my kindness cannot be genuine because I know of something awful that happened to you? In case you have forgotten, something awful happened to me too!"

"I could not forget that!"

"Then why are you being so insufferably stubborn? Why do you treat me so coldly, so cruely?" you demanded, continuing to struggle. "Why do I have to hate you?"

"Because I deserve it!" he roared, shoving you away from him just as you pushed hard against his chest. You went stumbling back, knocking over several of Arthur's things, before hitting the door with a hard thud. You breathed heavily, trying to return the air to your lungs, and listened to the footsteps running toward the door. You managed to push yourself aware from the door just as it burst open and Allistor marched into, a heated glared fixed on Arthur.

"What's goin' on in here, then?" he asked, carefully grabbing your arm to steady you.

"I tripped," you answered, before Arthur could say anything. He looked at you, eyes wide, but you shook your head, as if telling him not to argue. "I tripped is all, Allistor, I swear."

"Aye, alright, lass," Allistor finally agreed and nudged you gently toward the door. "Go on, Alfred's down the hall waitin' on ya. He's got a bit of a surprise for ya. Go." he said again and you went, glancing over your shoulder before disappearing down the hall.

Arthur's POV

I had shoved her. She had only been trying to help, trying to understand why I was such an ass, and I had shoved her.

I had hurt her.

Never, in all the days she had been here, had I ever laid a hand on her. Our tempers had flared, and I had yelled at her, but never had I hurt her. I deserved death for what I had done.

"Damn it, Arthur, are ya listenin' to me?" Allistor demanded, grabbing me by the collar and giving me a rough shake. I stared up at him, unable to get out of my head, to get over what I had done.  

"Allistor, I-" I started, but my words failed me. There were no words for what I had done, but she had lied! She had lied for me...

"Listen," he started, firmly, his hands on my shoulders. "I don't know what happened in here, but clearly ____ doesn't want me askin' too many questions, but so help me God, if I find out you hurt her..."

"I know," I mumbled, the shame heavy in my chest. Allistor sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. How he got through the day looking like that?

"Look, Arty, I don't know what's going on in that head a yers, but ya don't have to take it out on ____," he said, his voice softer now and I could detect no anger. I let him slid on calling me Arty. "I know she was a bit rough about the edges when she got here, but she's a sweet lass. She only wants to help ya. She's not unlike-"

"Don't," I interrupted him instantly, before he dared say her name. "Don't go there, Allistor."

"That's what this is about, innit?" he asked and I looked away, down at the broken glass on the floor. "I shoulda realized. They're the same, after all. Arty, I know ya been hurtin' ever since that happened, but ya gotta let it go. ____ ain't the same lass, and you don't gotta keep yourself from likin' her cuz ya think ya need punished for what happened to-"

"Enough, Allistor!" I hollered, unable to bear reliving the memories. "Go check on ____. There's glass on the floor and she may be hurt."

"Aye," Allistor murmured after a moment, giving him a small, sad smile. "Ya don't deserve to be unhappy, Arty," he said before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him.

"But I do," I whispered, staring down at the broken mess on the floor. "I deserve far, far worse."

End Arthur's POV

After you left the room, you heard Allistor talking to Arthur, but their voices were quiet and muffled by the thick wood of the walls. You could not make up anything but a few words here and there. Arthur had never shoved you, never hurt you, but you were more bothered over what he had said rather than what he had done.

"Because I deserve it!"

What did he mean? What did deserve? Your...hatred? But, no, then why rescue you? To torture himself by having you around? Oh, you felt a headache coming on form this one!

"___!" you looked up at Alfred's shout and smiled slightly at him, tipping your head at him when he stopped in front of you. "There you are. Allistor said he'd send you my way."

"Indeed he did," you said, unable to keep from laughing at the joyful American. He was so unlike Arthur, you thought, finding Alfred's wide, toothy smile to be contagious. "What is so important, Alfred?"

"I got something for you," he started and it was then you noticed he was holding something behind his back. You frowned curiously and tried to peek, but he slapped his palm right against your forehead and guided you back so you were directly in front of him once more. "No peeking!"

"Alfred, get your hand off my forehead..."

"Right, sorry," he laughed and pulled his hand back to push his glasses up. He was still grinning at you. "So, um, I heard you talking to Peter about your necklace and I know Arthur keeps it from you, so I thought you could replace it with this one," he said, revealing what he had been hiding behind his back. It was a shell necklace! Alfred had woven the little sea treasures together with a thin piece of rope and there was a larger one in the middle that was the same {color} as your eyes. You looked up at him, shocked, and he looked exceptionally proud of himself.

"Oh, Alfred!" you exclaimed, quickly turning around and lifting your hair, so he could put it on you. You felt the weight of it on your neck a moment later and spun back around to hug him. "It's wonderful! Thank you!" you said, laughing when he swung you around before returning you to your feet.

"You're welcome! That's what the hero is responsible for, after all, cheering up the fair maiden!" he laughed, taking your arm and marching you down the hall, away from whatever the brothers still talked about.

>> time-skip

That night, you sat on the two barrels you and Allistor always sat on, a spyglass in one hand and a large book open in your lap. You were trying to find the constellations the boys had shown you earlier. Allistor made it look terribly easy, but you? Let us just say you weren't the next Galileo...

"You're going to catch the chill out here, love,"

His voice made you stiffen and, for a moment, anger flashed through your body, but you calmed yourself and said nothing. You continued to search the skies with your spyglass. You heard him walk over, push himself up on the barrel next to you, then felt the weight of his coat as he put it about your shoulders. You lowered your glass and glanced at him, then pulled the coat tighter about your shoulders. The sea air was rather chilly. You knew he hadn't meant to shove you, or even yell at you-

But that didn't make you any less hurt or angry.

"What are you doing?" he asked after a long stretch of silence. You sighed, searched the page for the picture of what you should be looking for, and resumed looking at the skies. "____?"

"Practicing," you finally answered, if only to shut him up. "Allistor has been teaching me to read the stars. I'm not very good so I'm practicing, that is, if you'd do well enough to shut up and let me concentrate," you answered, you voice hard as nails, and you had hoped it would be clear that you did not welcome his company, but he didn't leave. You tried ignoring him, pretending he was not there, but his presence was far from subtle, and you found yourself softening the longer he sat there. You sighed and lowered your glass, frowning down at the book. It didn't make sense; you were looking exactly where Allistor had showed you! Of course, it didn't help that you couldn't read it.

"You won't see those ones up there," he said quietly and you looked at him, a frown on your brow. You tipped your head and Arthur continued. "Those constellations-" he pointed to the book, "They're in the northern sky and we're too far south. That and it's also the wrong season."

"I didn't know all that mattered," you replied, shaking your head. Arthur seemed lost as to what to do next, so you slid the book over to him. "Will you show me the ones we can see?" you asked, watching him closely. He took the book and nodded after a moment.

"I could tell you the stories behind them, if you wanted," he whispered and you nodded, smiling at him.

"I'd like that," you said, carefully scooting so you sat close to him, so you could both see the book. "Allistor left off here," you said, pointing to the picture of the constellation you had been trying to find earlier.

"Andromeda," he said, tracing a finger along the 'V'-shaped constellation. "She's called the chained lady, because according to mythology, she was a chained to a cliff to be eaten by a sea monster."

"Why?" you asked, looking up at him. He smiled a bit, just a small tug at the corner of his lips, and continued.

"Well, because her parents bragged that she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs."

"Impossible!" you laughed, shaking your head. There was none prettier than a sea nymph was! Arthur even laughed quietly before you urged him to continue. "Is that why she was chained to a cliff?"

"Sort of. You see..." and so Arthur told you story after story of the sky's constellations, indulging you with the tales until you fell asleep, head against his arm and his coat still about your shoulders.

>> time-skip

The morning sun was warm on your face, the smell of the salty seas thick in your nose, and the weight of someone's arm around your waist, You had not dreamt of anything that night, but the darkness had not been unpleasant. Your night had been...peaceful. The first, real night's sleep you had had in a long while.

You shifted away from the warmth next to you and stretched your body, curious as to why you felt so cramped. You had been sleeping in the chair for nights now; you had become quite comfortable slumbering in it, so why did your neck feel so sore?

"Finally awake, love?"

Ooh. That was right. You had fallen asleep out on the deck with Arthur, though he must have moved you from on top the barrels to the safer spot beside them, for you were curled up against him, wrapped in his coat. And he was not yelling at you. Had all that talk about stars really changed something in him, warmed him up to you?

"You snore."

Okay, perhaps not warm, but he was smiling a bit. Just a little turn to his lips, but it was all you needed to see. You smiled back at him, but felt his arm slip from your waist so he could stand up. You stood as well, figuring it would be best to get moving before the rest of the crew saw you two cuddled up, and went to remove his coat.

"No," he said, raising his hand to stop you and return the coat to your shoulders. "Keep it on until you get cleaned up then just leave it on the bed when you're done," he said, giving you the same little smile you were starting to enjoy seeing. "Wash up, then meet me for breakfast, love."

Maybe your green-eyed captain was not so cold after all.