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

"Arthur, dude, you have to let us make port soon," the blonde, blue-eyed man begged the Brit that stood beside him. "Please, I'll get on my knees and beg you, but I have got to get on dry land soon."

"And why's that? Have you tired of the sea, Alfred?" Arthur asked, the annoyance in his voice making his accent sound heavier than it normally did. He looked over at his first mate, cocking a thick eyebrow at him. "Lost your sea legs?"

"Wha? No! Nothing of the sort," Alfred answered, furiously shaking his head, which sent his feather hat from his head and his glasses askew on his face. He hastily straightened them and returned to pestering his captain about docking the ship at the next town. "Come on, Arthur! We've been out seven months now! Rations are low, the men are getting restless, and I-" he paused, as if considering what he was about to say to the Brit beside him.

"You what, Alfred?" Arthur asked, still not fully turning to face him. What would have been the point? He still struggled to understand how he ended up with the obnoxious American as his first mate. When he received no answer, he finally turned to fully face the other man. He was blushing a bold shade of red, rubbing the toe of his boot over a distressed part of the ship's rail, and avoiding all eye contact with him. Arthur did not take long to figure out why Alfred wanted to dock so badly. "Oh, Alfred, you're kidding!"

"It's been seven months!" Alfred protested instantly, crossing his arms indigently over his chest. He huffed loudly, his cheeks puffed out. "You can't blame me, Arthur. Seven months without a woman's touch! All the other men are feeling it, Arthur. You can't tell me you don't feel it, too."

"I don't," Arthur insisted, rolling his eyes and pushing away from the side of the deck without another word. Alfred let out a long groan and trudged along behind him, absently watching his captain's thick, red coat dance in the wind. Arthur always got to wear the best coat. "And we are not making port until I say so and no amount of protest from your nether regions is going to change that."

"But Arthur!" Alfred whined loudly, gaining the attention of the few crew members that were on the deck at this hour. The Brit sighed and turned back, slowly, as if it caused him physical pain to continue to indulge Alfred. "One night. One night, Arthur, at the next port town and then we'll sail on about our way and you won't hear any objections."

"I doubt that," Arthur muttered, but he was beginning to think that giving in would save him the most trouble in the long run. If he didn't give in now, Alfred would pester and pester and pester him until Arthur either lost his mind and jumped overboard, or made port at a decent docking town. He sighed heavily, suppressing the needs to roll his eyes when Alfred visibly brightened, knowing he was staring to wear him down.

"Arthur," he said, grinning at his captain, and best friend. "One night? Please? In the next town?"

"One night," Arthur growled, holding up a single finger and all but glaring at the American. "One night in the next down, that happens to be Capeton, so you're one bloody lucky American. Set the course," he snapped and turned on his heels, grimacing at the triumphant 'YA-HOO!' that Alfred let out once he thought Arthur couldn't hear. The Brit sighed to himself.

What in the bloody hell have I agreed to?

>> time-skip

You missed the sea. You longed to be among the salty waves, beneath the sun-dappled surface, it was where you belonged. Instead, you were here, locked in a cage like some animal, on dry land and with no escape. Sitting in the back corner of the small cage, you had your knees drawn up to your chest, your chin rested on your folded arms. Your [length][color] hair fell in dirty tangles around your thin body, which was clothed in a pathetic excuse for a dress. The corset bodice was too tight around your chest, but you had learn long ago not to complain, and the skirt was mostly ragged tears by now. This was the only dress you could remember having since being in his possession.

"Be lookin' lively now, doll," a voice barked at you, but you made no movement, pretending you hadn't even heard him. A moment later, you felt his thick hand on your head and you reacted, but not quickly enough. He gave you a rough shake. "Dun' ya listen t'me, girl?! Get outta that pretty head a'yers. My customers are a'coming!" he snapped, giving your hair a sharp pull as he walked away, a snicker passing his chapped, stained lips. Tears welled in your eyes, but they didn't fall. You wiped them away, which left a clean streak on your filthy arm, and sat forward in your cage. Impossibly bright [color] eyes stared out into the crowd, taking in the faces of those who gawked and stared at you, but your mind processed nothing. This was just another night of your miserable fate. Another night that you'd be touched, prodded, and slurred at by the pirates that frequented this black market in the dark streets of Capeton. You could not go on like this. You could not live another-

Green eyes. They flashed by you, over you, so quickly you thought you had imagined them, but no! They had been there. Vivid, green eyes that-there! You leaned into the bars of your cage, hands gripping the cold, grimy metal, and stared into the eyes that had captured your gaze.

He was a pirate captain, you could tell by his clothes and the way he carried himself. His hat shadowed much of his features, but he was handsome, though unreadable, his lips slightly parted as he stared at you. It felt like an eternity that the two of you stared at each other, but soon he was coming forward, ignoring the protests of his friend, who came bopping after him. You strained your ears to hear what he was saying to your owner, but you were too far away and the noises of the street too loud for you to make out the words. After several exchanges with your owner, the green-eyed pirate captain turned on his heels, but not before looking back at you.

I will be back for you, his gaze seemed to say and you could not help but feel, deep in your body, that he would indeed return for you.

>> short time-skip

You didn't have to wait long for him. In fact, it was that same night that something roused you from your sleep, and you woke to find the green-eyed captain and his friend standing outside your cage. They were arguing with each other in hushed tones, the blue-eyed man gesturing wildly with his arms and saying something about the green-eyed captain "ruining his one night on land". You frowned at that.

"Just do as I bloody say, you loud-mouthed git," the captain snarled, finally turning back to you. He paused and blinked, surprised to find you staring at them. You noticed a faint blush rise to his cheeks, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. He marched over and lifted the lock that kept you prisoner in your cage. "Where's the key?" he asked, staring down into your [color] eyes. You shook your head and looked away from him, your [color] hair falling into your face. He was not serious. If he were to get caught, he'd be put to death for stealing...not to mention for being a pirate. "The key! Where is it?" he hissed, now reaching through the bars to grab your chin and turn your head back so you faced him. His grip was strong, but not rough.

"He wears it about his neck," you whispered, as if you thought if you spoke too loudly, someone would hear. He nodded and turned to leave, but you caught his sleeve, stopping him. He looked back at you, at your dirty hand that gripped his jacket, and cocked an eyebrow. "You'll need my necklace, too," you told him, hoping he would understand. He only nodded at you, then disappeared with his now serious blue-eyed friend.

You waited, daring not to move or make a sound, her heart pounding against your ribs as you listened for any noise that might let you know what was happening. It felt like it had been hours, but in reality, could only have been a few minutes, since the pirate captain had left you to retrieve the key, or really keys, to your freedom. You chewed on your lip, craning your neck around to try and see the entrance to your owners make-shift home. Nothing. No movement. No sound. Only the flicker of a single candle. What if he had caught them? No, there would surely be a commotion then, so what was taking him?

It was then you saw him, walking quickly through the shadows back toward your cage. You sat up on her knees, eager, nearly panting your heart was beating so fast. You were so close. So close to freedom-to the sea! He was upon you then, shoving the key into the lock. You held you breath and then-click! The lock fell to the ground and, before the pirate could react, you launched yourself at the door and right into his unsuspecting arms. Using his confusion to your advantage, you snatched your necklace from his hand and shoved off his chest, turning to run. He grabbed you, but you whirled around, your hand outstretched, and caught his cheek with your palm. You felt his skin give under your fingernails, heard him holler at you, but you weren't listening. You ran.

"Bloody creature!" the pirate shouted, bright, hot anger in his green eyes. "Alfred, grab her, you bloody git!"

"Ah, on it!" the other man shouted and grabbed you about the waist, holding you despite your screams and wiggles of protest. "A-Arthur! She's crazy! Are you sure we should-"

"Wha n'the bloody 'ell is goin' on out here?" you froze, wide [color] eyes turned toward your owner's door. He was standing there, his confusion slowly melting into anger. "Hey! You pirate bastards! Tha's my property yer stealin'!" he roared, coming toward them, hands searching his waist for his weapons. A bullet whizzed by your head, clipping the man who held you on the shoulder.

"Damn it!" he cursed, "Arthur?!"

"To the ship! Go! And do not let go of her!" he snapped, grabbing the your necklace from your hands as he ran by. The man, Alfred, slung you over his shoulder, holding you tightly about your waist, and took off after the pirate captain. You screamed, but had no choice but to dangle over Alfred's shoulder. It would seem, instead of your freedom, you had gained a one-way ticket onto a pirate ship.