Welcome to my newest story! It's a Pirate AU which sounds dumb, but it's been really fun to think about and write. So... yup. Here goes nothing. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Mike stands at the edge of a large ship, leaning overboard to watch the waves crash against the wooden planks. All things considered, it's a beautiful day. There's a perfect sea breeze, gently brushing past his hair, and the sky is as blue and endlessly stretching as ever. A day like today is the definition of pleasant; however, Mike feels anything but. He absolutely hatessea travel. As the boat rocks back and forth, he fights the urge to vomit. Great… only one day in and he already feels sick to his stomach.

But it isn't just the seasickness that spurs on his sour mood. It's everything. He has been dreading this trip since the beginning of the year when his father sprung it on him.

"Michael, we have a potential partnership in the southern colonies," his father had told him on a particularly cold January morning. Theodore Wheeler, proud inheritor of his father's (Mike's grandfather's) wealth in the iron business. He wore the same expression as he wore every other day. Suppressed boredom with a twinge of quiet, but deeply settled resentment. Although the complete void that was Mike's father left much to be desired in terms of fatherly love, he couldn't blame him. If there was anyone else who understood the absolute bore of recording the financial transactions of pots and pans and anything else iron, it was Mike.

"I assume you would like me to stay here and manage the books, then?" he had replied, not thinking much of it at the time.

"Actually,youwill be going… as the heir of the business," his father had clarified, "You leave come the beginning of summer."

And then came the beginning of summer and Mike had packed his bags and loaded himself onto the first ship to the southern colonies. He huffs a breath of air from his lungs, wishing desperately he was anywhere else. He never liked the iron business. Or any business for that matter. But if you were to ask Mike what he did like to do, he probably would be able to say. Not even he knew, because his entire life he's been preparing to take over his father's company. It's not like there's another option, so there's no point in dreaming about one. He blinks slowly and lets out a pitiful groan as he stands up, leaning away from the water below.

"You seem chipper," he hears a voice behind him.

Mike turns around to see Lucas Sinclair, a longtime friend and brother, wearing a sarcastic smile. The Sinclair's were a family that had worked for Mike's grandfather years ago. They were a part of his father's "inheritance," though Mike always considered them family. Hell, Mike considered the Sinclair's to be his family more than his actual biological one. He spent many days and nights escaping his house and joining the Sinclair's in their small moments of free time, unbeknownst to his parents.

"I get that from my father," Mike says, turning back to the ocean.

He sees Lucas join him at his side out of the corner of his eye, watching him lean onto the wooden railing. "Funny," Lucas remarks, "You get that from you father, too?"

Mike snorts, "I'm afraid my wit comes from years of living a cynical life." He steps away from the railing, turning around and slumping against it, allowing his long limps to fold beneath him in a tangled heap as he lowered himself to the floorboards. He leaned to the side, letting out a small, strangled grunt as he tugged something out of the bag that hung at his hip.

Lucas rolled his eyes, scoffing as he watched Mike pull out an old, well-used book. "Not that damned thing," Lucas shook his head, "How many times have you read that, anyway?"

Mike glanced up at his friend before turning back to his book. "I've honestly lost count," he said, squinting at the pages.

"Isn't it boring to read the same thing over and over again? Where's the fun in that, huh? There's no mystery or surprise," Lucas said, hunching over the railing. "Besides, isn't that the point of the book? It's about pirates and treasure hunting, right? They solve a mystery, find the treasure, become filthy rich…"

"Sure, it's about mystery and all, but… I don't know," Mike turns the first page, half ignoring Lucas already. "I just like reading it, okay?"

"Good luck convincing him to put it down," a familiar voice pulls Mike from his reading for a brief moment. William Byers accompanied by Dustin Henderson, two of Mike's closest friends. The three of them attended the same school together throughout their entire childhood. That is, until Will's dad up and left on day. After that, Will had to stay home from school so that he and his brother could earn enough money for themselves and their mother. Although it was a terrible circumstance, Will and Mike became closer because of it. Will was able to find a temporary job working for Mike's father, managing the less important numbers alongside Mike. "I don't think I've ever seen him without it," Will says with the beginnings of a wry smile in his eyes.

"I read it, and it was good, but not worth reading every goddamn day," Dustin retorts, looking Mike up and down. "Shit, you look as white as a ghost," he observes.

Mike sighs, wishing he were someone quieter. And steadier. And just not here. "I'm feeling a bit nauseous," he admitted, "I'm not too good with boats."

"Or business deals," Lucas laughs, earning a harsh nudge in the shins from Mike below, "Ow—hey!"

"Why is it that I'm suddenly regretting bringing you guys along?" Mike asks dryly, closing his book and tucking it away.

Dustin grins down at him, "Aw, come on, Mikey. What would you do without us?"

Mike let his head fall against the bulwark with a soft thud. "I'd be reading for one. I can't concentrate with all of your guys' blabbering," he says.

"You have that book memorized like the back of your hand," Lucas scoffs, "Don't blame us for not being able to enjoy your book."

Lucas was right, they weren't at fault for Mike's inability to concentrate. Or rather, concentrate on what he'd preferto concentrate on. The idea of taking over his father's company had always been in the back of Mike's mind, sure, but now it's starting to become real. He's on an important business trip as "the heir of the company." He shudders at the thought. His father's business is safe and successful, not to mention Mike knows how to manage it fairly well. Whether he enjoys managing it or not is another story. Then again, Mike can safely assume his father doesn't enjoy it either, but he's done it his entire life.

"It's a man's duty to find an honest job and do it well. It doesn't matter if you enjoy it or not," he hears his father's voice ring in his head. I wonder how many times he had to tell himself that, Mike wonders, watching his friends banter back and fourth around him. Lucas leans over and smacks Dustin's forehead for something he said, but Mike's not really listening to what they're all bickering about.

Will turns to him, probably noticing his silence. "Do you want something to ease your stomach?" Will asks, taking a step away from Dustin and Lucas and towards Mike.

Mike shakes his head, "No, it's not unbearable."

"Well if it's not your stomach, what's eating at you?"

Mike give's Will a flat look. "You know exactlywhat's eating at me," he says.

"Well sure, but I prefer not to assume things," Will says, plopping himself down next to Mike. "Plus, it may feel good to get it off your chest."

Mike sighs and stands up, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I think I'm just gonna go below deck into our quarters… maybe rest will do me some good." he says, making his way towards the stairs that lead to the lower portion of the ship.

He can feel Will, Dustin and Lucas all collectively watch him leave, but he tires his best to ignore them. He's tired, he tells himself. Whether that holds much truth or not, Mike doesn't care to dwell on. Because right now, he did feel tired. As he walks towards the small room where he and his friends are all going to cram in on this hellish voyage, the idea of falling into a blank, blissful sleep is a wonderful one.

Of course, the universe seems to disagree. Because the moment Michael Wheeler, not-so-proud inheritor of hisfather's business, laid down on his cot, the entire ship erupts in sudden commotion.

Over the loud and stomping footsteps above, he barely makes out a panicked cry.

"Pirates!"

Jane sat in her quarters mulling over her crew's recent reports. Most were the routes and schedules of simple shipping vessels, carrying local businesses' cargo from one port to the next. The pirate in her was excited at all the opportunities to steal back from the greedy, profit-minded businesses, but that wasn't what she and her crew were currently after. Well, at least they weren't after just anybusiness.

The Wheeler Family Iron, known for their extremely affordable iron output. Of course, it was at the heavy cost of slave labor. Sure, most businesses used slave labor, but at the rate the Wheeler's family business was growing, she feared their slave labor would only grow as well. When she received word that they were reaching out to the southern half of the colony, she knew she needed to step in. If their business gained enough partnerships, there's no telling how many lives would be extorted.

Yes, Jane was a pirate. Her profession was thievery. However, she didn't consider herself to be a true thief. Sure, she wasn't above petty theft every now and then, but the true criminals were the ones behind the scenes. The ones who stop at nothing in the pursuit of wealth—even when they're plenty wealthy already.

Thetrue thieves were greedy businesses. Businesses like The Wheeler Family Iron.

"Captain Jane," she hears a voice call her from outside her door, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Come in, Max," she says, and the door opens, "Is something wrong?" she looks up to see her second-in-command, a fiery red-head with a personality to match, entering her quarters.

"We've got our target," Max says, grinning as she crosses her arms over her chest. "In record time, I might add."

Jane nods facing Max with a grin of her own. "Tell Kali to ready the cannons," she says while standing up. "We've got thieves to catch."

Hope you guys enjoyed! This is posted on AO3 as well if you follow me on both platforms. Also go ahead and check out my Tumblr lovelysheree if you'd like to see my fanart or chat or whatever .