[Hey uhhh I have this nasty habit of starting multi-chapter fics and never finishing them but ummm hopefully I will finish this one becaus I have such good plans for it :))))
This is a Pirate AU! :) Meaning it takes place in like, 16th century-ish time period BUT IT'S ALL FICTION it's more like a pirates of the caribbean thing if anything so I hope you will enjoy it! Sorry if this first chapter seems a little rush, I really wanted to get the ball rolling and have a plot down and everything! Thank you!]
…
Ryou never knew a moment without Malik. When they had met each other long ago, they were instantly inseparable, and spent more time together then they ever did alone. Ryou always considered himself a guardian of Malik, and Malik the same for Ryou, but their definitions were quite different. To Malik, Ryou was his smaller friend that needed to be protected. He knew Ryou was strong and independent, but he worried that Ryou often bit off more than he could chew. In Ryou's eyes, he was Malik's protector. Ryou protecting him from fights, from hunger, and even from boredom.
Neither of the boys grew up easy. They met in an alleyway, each searching for scraps of food to bring home for the family. Ryou knew where the food was, and Malik protected him from those who tried to take advantage. No longer was Malik hungry, and no longer was Ryou getting stolen from. They helped each other as children, and continue to help each other as young men.
"I heard a ship was coming into town today," Ryou said, looking out at the water from the pier that he and Malik walked on every morning. "I wonder if it'll be a fishing boat." He heard Malik snort, glancing over at his friend to watch him shake his head.
"Nah. There hasn't been any food imports in weeks. I don't think there will be any soon."
The boys sighed. Their little island town was a long ways from the trading routes. It and its people were often forgotten about. It seemed though, that only the poor people in the town were the only ones noticing this problem.
"It doesn't hurt to be hopeful, though," Ryou mumbled, coming to a stop as he saw the mentioned ship appear from the fog in the distance. Almost as if on cue. "Huh," Ryou hummed. "It looks a lot bigger than I thought it would be."
The two exchanged similar expressions. Big, goofy grins with wide, hopeful eyes. Malik spoke first. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
And Ryou most certainly was. It was tradition at this point to watch the ships come in to dock and anchor, and the two boys were already racing to their vantage point. Malik always won, for speed and agility was never Ryou's strong suit.
Malik laughed as Ryou met with him atop an old pub, watching as his friend huffed and puffed up the ladder, taking a rest at his feet. "You beat me," Ryou mumbled. "Again."
"Oh come on, Ryou. We'll sit at the edge so you can rest, okay?" Malik grabbed Ryou's hand and helped him up, walking them over to the edge of the roof to take a seat so that their legs were swinging over the edge. "There we go. Nice and comfortable, eh?"
Ryou snorted, but he still had a smile which meant that everything was okay.
It took the ship a long time to get to the pier. At least, according to an excited couple of young men. Ryou and Malik took the time to debate what the cargo of the ship was, or if it even had cargo at all.
"I wonder if it's royalty," Ryou said, noticing that the ship was just getting larger the closer it got. "I've never seen a ship that big before."
"Royalty?" Malik scoffed. "They'd better have real good protection if it is. The whole town would surely riot if any more rich bastards set foot on this land. It's a death sentence for them at this point."
It got quiet between them after that. Neither of them wanted to think about the situation or reality of that concept, but it was inevitable for it to come up in conversation. Ryou spoke up after a few minutes, softly and hesitantly. "Do you think we'll be able to leave here someday?" He nervously chuckled, trying to make light of the heavy burden. "Steal a boat or something and get out of here. Start new somewhere far away." Ryou looked over at Malik, but his friend was looking out at the ocean. Then Malik's eyes squinted. He never answered Ryou's question.
"What is that?" Malik asked, pointing out at the ship that was clear as day now, having gotten past the thick, grey fog. "That.. That flag. Is that-"
Ryou's eyes widened at the sight. He'd done readings and research on them throughout his youth, and even now, but he never would have thought that-
"Pirates!" He exclaimed, standing up and continuing to point out at the flag. "Pirates! I-It's a pirate ship, Malik!"
Malik, too, got up from his seated position, mostly to calm Ryou down so he wouldn't fall off the roof. "What does that mean?" He asked, knowing Ryou might have some idea, but also doubted his question would be answered. Ryou seemed rather preoccupied with excitement.
"They must be here to-to get supplies or directions or something," Ryou explained, his tone quick and a little shaky. "That's so cool! Thieves of the sea right here in our own town!"
While most people would fear for their safety at the sight of a pirate ship, Ryou felt much different. Ever since he heard the word 'pirate' he was hooked. He had to know everything about them: The hierarchy, the ships, the Pirate Code, everything! To Ryou, pirates were heroes. As a boy that grew up scavenging and stealing, he sort of looked up to the lifestyle in a way. Yes, he knew it wasn't necessarily the life that his father would want him to have, but Ryou saw pirates as successful. Outcasts that would strike fear in their enemy's eyes, adventurers on the course for finding treasure, and, especially, master thieves that knew how to get money.
That was both Ryou and Malik's favorite part.
Malik didn't get into pirates as much as Ryou, but he understood the lifestyle. He respected the balls it took to challenge royals and sink their naval ships.
"Come on, Ryou, let's get closer," Malik said, grabbing Ryou's wrist and pulling him along.
Once again, the two ran back to a different vantage point: An old market stand with a perfect view of the ship.
They watched the ropes fly in the air and land on the dock.
They watched men hop off the ship and men from town move in to secure the anchor and whatnot.
And they watched the crew get off the ship.
It was the most majestic thing the boys had ever seen. The captain, tall and powerful, led the crew off the ship. Malik admired his hat and swore he saw kohl lining the man's eyes. Malik couldn't afford kohl, and he suddenly envied everything the captain was from his long, burgundy coat to the shiny gold earrings in the man's ears. Malik sighed out loud.
Ryou was listing off each crew member and guessing their position. He recognized the captain quickly, then the quartermaster, all the way down to the swab. His heart was beating with excitement, and Malik and Ryou watched them walk down into a pub on the other side of the docks.
Ryou took it upon himself to walk out from behind their hiding place, looking at the ship just feet away from them. His mouth hung open.
"Woah. It's… That's a big ship," he murmured, looking over his shoulder when he heard Malik's footsteps from behind. He had a smirk on his face, and Ryou knew he had an ulterior motive.
"What? Why are you making that face?" Ryou found himself mirroring his friend's expression, not even realizing he was doing it.
"No reason. Just thinking," Malik hummed, his arm snaking around Ryou's waist as he walked forward, pulling Ryou along with him. "We're going to sneak on that ship."
"What!" Ryou gasped, but to his surprise he was going along with it. There was no struggle, and he let Malik lead him to the wooden ramp alongside the ship.
The ship was black, dark wood. It creaked as it floated atop the water, and the sails flapped in the wind. Ryou felt even more excited, especially when his foot touched the wooden ramp.
"Is this a good idea?" He asked, looking over his shoulder in the direction the crew had gone.
"No," Malik replied, grabbing Ryou's wrist and pulled him up the ramp. "But how often do we get the chance to go on a pirate ship?"
They walked right on, and it seemed so easy. Ryou was afraid that there would still be crew members aboard, but it seemed that everyone had left with the captain. Malik continued to lead Ryou over toward the quarter deck, where two doors stood before them. "So, Ryou. You're the one who knows everything about these guys. Where's the most likely place we can find some treasure?"
Ryou looked over at Malik, alarmed for a moment, but a grin quickly crossed his face. This was more excitement than he had experienced in his entire life! And it was all happening so fast.
Well, it better. Ryou wasn't sure when the captain would return, and from first glance Ryou wasn't so sure he would ever want to be face to face with him.
"Left," Ryou pointed to the door, then took the liberty of opening it, revealing a small set of stairs. "Below deck is our best bet for treasure. I read that pirates like to hide it as best as possible, so if the ship ever sinks it can't be found by others." Ryou winked at Malik before he turned around to creep below deck.
It was stuffy. There was a hall in front, but a huge space to their right. Ryou veered over to the right and motioned for Malik to follow. "Let's see what's in these crates and barrels," He whispered, even though he didn't really have to.
…
Ryou and Malik managed to explore almost half of the lower part of the ship, but Ryou realized it was much too big for them to explore entirely, and this treasure was nowhere to be found. Not that they even knew what they were looking for, anyway. "I think we should head back," Ryou said, looking over at Malik and gesturing for him to follow again. "Pirates don't stay in one spot for very long, and I don't expect them to be in our town longer than they already have been."
Ryou lead the way back to the door they entered and, as he walked up the steps, saw a flash of a man from the other side before he panicked and threw himself to the floor.
They were too late! The pirates were returning! Ryou heard voices and footsteps, shouting and laughing, and before he had time to explain to Malik what was going on, he was pulled back to his feet and under the stairs.
"Shit!" Malik hissed, holding Ryou's body close to his own with one arm around his waist. It was protective, and Ryou felt his face heat up with embarrassment.
It was certainly no time to be embarrassed, though.
"What do we do?" Ryou asked, listening carefully to the conversations above them, making sure that no one saw them or were alarmed by the door being open.
Malik shook his head, his silent way of showing that he was thinking.
Ryou thought, too.
He thought about how it didn't feel too exciting to have to go back to town. He thought about how they didn't know what they were going to eat that night.
He thought about the question he asked Malik earlier. "Do you think we'll be able to leave here someday?"
Ryou answered his own question just then.
"Malik, I have an idea." Ryou wriggled out of Malik's tight hold, catching the other's attention. "What if we… Stayed?"
"What?" Malik looked confused and angry. "What are you talking about?"
"I-I mean, what if we just… stayed on the ship? Think about it. There's nothing in that shitty town for us. If we stay and, I don't know, get them to accept us as a part of the crew, then we'll never go hungry. We'll never have to worry about where we'll sleep. We'll be together, too. Do you get what I'm saying?"
Malik stared at Ryou for a long moment. His jaw was tight and set into place, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "And what if they don't 'accept' us, Ryou. Then what?"
Ryou offered a reassuring smile. "Then they don't accept us."
Just then, the ship seemed to have jerked back then forward, indicating that it was no longer anchored and on the move.
"What's the worst that could happen? We get thrown off, we go back home, we die. We stay, we die. The worst that happens is we die, and dying is in both scenarios, so we might as well have a little fun doing it, right?"
Again, Malik stared at Ryou before letting out a long, heavy sigh. "I hate you," He mumbled. "I hate that you're always thinking. So fine. But I'm doing the talking. You just stand and look good, alright?"
Ryou chuckled quietly, crawling out from under the stairs, then followed Malik.
His heart pounded with mostly fear now. Anything could happen.
When the two emerged from the stairs, every crew member stopped in their tracks, their eyes falling on the two 'stowaways.' Malik stood in front of, and very close to, Ryou, attempting to keep him out of sight.
The silence was broken then by the sound of rubber thumping against wood. It echoed, and the wood creaked. A clearer, more accented sound was made before each pair of steps, and Malik soon saw that it was a cane making the noise. A fancy cane with what looked to be a diamond on top. A sceptre looking thing.
As Malik moved his eyes from the cane, he saw a familiar color, and then a familiar hat. Ryou and Malik gulped.
"Oh my," Drawled the man before them, licking over his top lip as he shifted his weight to the opposite leg. "What have we here? A couple of rats looking for some scraps, perhaps?"
There was a beat of silence, and the man looked at the two expectantly. It seemed he wanted an answer. Ryou lightly nudged Malik. The man's eyes followed the movement, almost as if he knew it was going to happen.
"We, uh-" Malik cleared his throat. "You see, me and my friend here just happened to be passing by and-"
"Who is you?" The man, who Ryou recognized as the captain, asked. "Tell me your names."
"I'm Ryou, and this is Malik," Ryou said clearly, earning him an elbow to the arm by Malik. This seemed to amuse the captain. It was as though every movement, every word and action was giving him information, but how?
"Yeah," Malik redeemed, "That's us. We were admiring your ship and we came on to find out if we could join you."
The entire crew roared out with laughter. Even the captain laughed, then struck his cane against the wood, causing everyone to go silent. "I see. And, please boys, tell me why I should let two scrawny little rats waste my rations and resources? It would be easier to kill you and dispose of you right now."
The captain raised his cane, the end of it headed toward Ryou, but Malik slapped it away. The captain smirked and tilted his head, his eyes lidding. "Harsh."
"Don't touch him," Malik said, irritation in his voice. "Look, frankly we can't really offer you anything but a helping couple of hands. I'm pretty strong, and this one behind me is pretty tiny, so we can get any job you need done. We'll steal for you, fight for you, cook for you. Hell, we'll even clean for you." Malik crossed his arms, staring the captain right in the eyes. He knew he needed to get this to work. Not just for his own safety, but for Ryou's. Service to a pirate captain wouldn't be too awful, right? "So? What do you say to that, captain?"
The captain licked over his lips again and leaned back having veered forward during Malik's small speech.
"I say welcome aboard to my ship. I'm sure you'll make a great fit here."
Before Malik could say another word, the captain turned around, pausing before he walked off. "My name is Mariku, by the way, but I prefer to simply be addressed as 'captain.' Now, you'd better get started on dinner. My crew is hungry after such a long journey."
Mariku walked away then, leaving Malik and Ryou to their new way of living.
As pirates.
[Please.. review…..]