Have you ever thought 'what would the Avengers be like as pirates?'
You probably haven't. But I have. I was inspired to write this after listening to the soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribbean whilst drinking a dangerous amount of coffee. I promise that I will continue with Strikingly Similar. I promise. But I really like this idea, so welcome to the Avengers Pirates!AU that nobody asked for. Stucky will occur, but it's a minor plot point. The main plot is the Avengers being total badasses. Includes Clint, Thor, Natasha, Tony, Bruce, Steve and Bucky. Piotr and Wanda may end up joining the crew. Set in the 1720s Caribbean. See the end of the chapter for notes.
Clint grins, settling back against the mainmast, and gazing out over the azure waters of the Caribbean. He sighs, closing his eyes. Lookout is by far the best job on board. It's nice up here, away from Steve and Tony's incessant arguing. Quiet. Peaceful. Everything being a pirate is most definitely not. The crow's nest is his domain. Not many others on board enjoy climbing up here. To them, it's more of a chore. For Clint, it's probably his favourite thing to do ever. He spends so much time up here that the rest of their small crew have dubbed it 'Clint's Nest' or more usually 'Hawk's Nest'. 'Hawk'. It's a silly nickname, but Clint knows its' accuracy. The sharp eyes, and the love of heights do give him a rather hawk-like quality, he agrees. He chuckles, rubbing a thumb over the hawk-feather he has tattooed on the underside of his forearm. It has his family's names on it, intertwined with the feathers. He promises himself that he'll return to them one day. The tattoo is a reminder of that promise. Clint opens his eyes, and stares up at the cloudless sky, and makes his promise again, fingers ghosting over the raised black lines on his wrist.
Thor frowns in concentration, making every effort not to spill silver paint down the sleek black sides of the ship. He's been repainting Fury these last few days. Too many battles have scored nicks and gashes in her sides. She's needed repainting for a few months now, and finally Thor has given in and decided to repaint. It's quite enjoyable, actually. The hull has been easy, only needing one hell of a lot of black paint. The gunports, bowsprit, and rudder are deep red. Blood red. He's nearly finished now. Just the name to do now. Thor is trying very hard not to smudge the paint again. He's worrying again. About his younger brother. Thor is always worried about Loki - although his brother is more than capable of looking after himself. Loki's a lone wolf. Has not ties to Thor and his crew. Loki is the very definition of dangerous. Thor prefers not to thing about what his brother might be blowing up right this second. Thor blows a strand of blond hair out of his eyes irritably. He really needs a haircut, as Steve has been nagging for months on end. Hey, he'd retie it into a knot at the back of his neck, but at the moment he's rather busy. Thor doesn't really care - in Sweden, his home country, everyone has long hair. It's a sign of independence, and there's nothing more independent than a Swedish pirate in Caribbean waters. Thor suppresses a laugh at that.
Natasha winces at the screech of stone-on-metal. It's got to be done, though. She holds the dagger up to the light, inspecting it for flaws. There's a spot of blood on the black leather handle, and it really does need to be sharper. Dipping a cloth into the soapy water, she scrubs at the leather. Natasha is not sure who's blood it is. Might be hers, she reasons, because she was injured last time. Some arrogant Navy officer thought that cornering her would be a smart idea. He was good. Got a good slash at her stomach - she's still got the scars. But he didn't do anything worse before Natasha disemboweled him. Tony was furious. 'Can't you kill them in a cleaner way? We're gonna be scrubbing blood off the decks for weeks!' She probably could have killed him in a cleaner way, but he was very annoying, and disemboweling is surprisingly satisfying. The stain comes off the leather easily, and she dries the dagger on her coat tails. With a scowl, and a Russian curse, Natasha picks up the stone and unenthusiastically starts to sharpen the weapon.
Tony groans, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He'd been glaring at this map for hours, and he still can't find a way to get around Jamaica without running into the Navy. There must be a way. There'd better be a way. Because the crew is still tired, and that awful fight with the Chitauri ship has left them all a little shaken. Not forgetting that run-in with Thor's evil little brother. Tony scowls. Both times he's nearly died. And a meeting with the British Navy will probably be third time unlucky. Death or jail. Pulling a face, he makes a note to punch Steve. Okay, Rogers is a good captain. The best he's ever had, although he'd never admit it. But this is the fifth time this week that Steve has had Tony poring over these blasted maps. First mate has it's perks, admittedly, but there are the downsides. Steve has the final say on where they go, but it's up to Tony to decide on a course to begin with. Pushing shaggy dark hair out of his face, Tony yawns and glares at the huge map, willing it to spontaneously combust. He swears loudly in Spanish, his first language.
Bruce smiles slightly, glancing up from his book to look out over the sea. It's one of the most beautiful and dangerous parts of the world, the ocean. He smiles, and returns to his book. It's on medicine, although it's rather alternative and deviates from the medicine of the times. He wrinkles his nose up at the thought of the current medical procedures. Cutting off limbs for the most minor injuries. He shudders. Ugh. It's really rather simple to salvage shattered limbs. It's just that most doctors prefer the old methods. They're scared to change. Bruce hopes to be one of the first in a long line of doctors thinking for the patients best interests, not just the fastest and easiest methods possible. Amputation does have to happen, though. Bucky had to have his arm amputated. Cannon ball, there was nothing to be done. Tony made him a silver replacement, incredibly maneuverable and light. To be completely honest, Bruce knows that Bucky is very proud of his arm. He sees it as a sign of bravery, which Bruce can understand. Bravery is important to us all, especially when you're a pirate.
Bucky curses in Romanian, missing a note on the battered piano he keeps in his cabin. Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is really quite hard with a false arm. But the superior craftsmanship from Tony allows Bucky to move his fingers as easily and as fluidly as any natural arm. He's still getting used to it, though. He starts again, and this time he makes it to the end of the first page of music before he forgets the key signature and mucks up. The piano is stolen, although the music is not. The faded cream parchment is one of the few possessions Bucky brought with him when he ran away, all those years ago. The piano they nicked off a British Navy before they scuppered that particular vessel. It's a really rather lovely piano, practically untouched by its previous owners. Bucky is currently teaching Steve to play the instrument, and slowly but surely, Steve is picking it up. Bucky is very proud of his best friend. Bucky carefully lowers the dark wooden lid on the piano, not wanting it to be warped by the sea air, and picks up his violin, another of his few possessions. He doesn't have any music, but that's okay, because he truly excels at this, and can pick up any tune and play it, simply by hearing it once. Bucky is an incredible musician.
Steve sighs, taking a deep, slow breath. He leans back against the strong wooden rails surrounding the quarterdeck, and closes his eyes. He can hear the faint strains of a violin playing below decks, and he smiles at the thought of his friend doing what he loves. He has a great crew. A brave, selfless crew. They're all the best of friends, brothers-and-sisters-in-arms. Comrades. Steve can hear the waves slapping against the sides of the ship, and he can hear Thor's muffled cursing when he spills some paint, and Clint singing something high up in the rigging, and the thuds of Natasha testing her knives, and Bruce making excited noises when he comes across something new in his book. And Tony's ranting in Spanish, a deck below him but still clear. The violin is quite loud now. Steve opens one eye. Bucky is grinning at him from the opposite side of the quarterdeck, playing a very recognisable drinking song. From up above him, Clint gives a whoop and enthusiastically starts to sing. Thor is singing too, from his position hanging over the side of the ship. Natasha stops for a moment to join in, and Bruce looks up from his book to sing along too. Tony stops swearing. And then yells the words louder than anyone. Steve bursts out laughing, and gives in, shouting the lyrics at the top of his voice. Without missing a beat, Bucky sings along in perfect harmony. Steve has never felt more at ease. They've never felt this happy.
Hope you liked that first chapter! I gotta say, the following chapters will probably not be as long. Sorry! All of my pirate-y information came from books and the wonderful Internet.
I NEED YOUR HELP!
I need a name for their ship, and I literally have no ideas. If you have a name in mind (preferably one that relates to the MCU) would you leave a review? Thank you so much!