Captain Kirkland harshly grabbed Alfred's blond hair and forced him to look at his face. He was mere inches away from him and it sent slight chills through Alfred's spine. "You better keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you, lad," he said, with thick venom in his voice. He had let go and stood up, and before Alfred could feel relived of the pain, a heel dug into Alfred's upper back. Captain Kirkland leaned forward, reducing him to a mere step ladder. "And?" he turned to the crew, bored, "What do you want me to do with him?"

Another pirate spoke out, "Well Captain, I was thinkin' that we could use the brat for ransom."

The plain-looking-pirate from earlier agreed with a nod of his head. "The town is one of the wealthiest in the world, Captain. With him, we could rob the governor blind."

"Don't you guys have anything better to do?" Alfred muttered from under Captain Kirkland's boot.

The captain only pushed down harder, ignoring the boy's grunts. With a thoughtful face, he rubbed his chin with his gloved fingers as he watched Alfred squirm underneath him like a desperate rodent. "Not a bad idea, Matthew. It's been a good while since I last kept anyone else on this ship." He looked up to his crew, "Take him to the prisoner's quarter. I'll deal with him later." The instant Captain Kirkland's boot left his back, Alfred thought it would be his chance to escape. But unfortunately, two pirates were on him instantly, securing his arms behind his back. Alfred kicked and yelled profanity and obscenities while he was being hauled into the cabin. The moment the entrance closed, Captain Kirkland groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Looks like we have a prat on board."

Inside the prisoner's quarter, Alfred was thrown into a tiny space that looked like a holding cell, iron bars and the like. His body hit the floor hard as the pirates slammed the barred door and secured it with a rusted lock, sneering at him. He recovered quickly and placed his hands on the iron bars. "Hey, let me out eyebrow pirates! I didn't do anything to you yet!"

One of the two pirates scowled at him but the other laughed haughtily, "'Yet'? Mate, I don't think you're gonna do anythin'."

"Oh yeah?" Alfred challenged, "Come closer and I'll show you what I can do." As he expected, the pirate, full of himself, took the bait and came close enough so that the bars were the only thing separating them. Alfred hated his expression and the ugly near-toothless smirk he gave him. Gathering as much saliva as he could, Alfred spat in his face.

Startled, the pirate jumped back before wiping the glob of spit off his reddened mug. "You rotten little—" Filled with rage, he fumbled with the keys and unlocked the holding cell's gate with the fullest intent of punching Alfred. His fist launched forward to the younger man, but Alfred smoothly dodged and hooked him with his strong right.

"Ha ha!" He chuckled loudly, hand on his hips with this chest out, seeing the pirate sprawled out on the floor.

The other pirate clicked his teeth while he drew out his sword. 'Well,' Alfred thought as he gazed at the weapon and watched the blade gleam in the dim candlelight, 'I didn't expect this.' He licked his lips and watched for any sudden moves the pirate would make when they made slow, creeping circles around each other. He knew that one mistake, a single misstep, can possibly cost him a stab or his life. The pirate's scowl became a deadly grin as he stalked closer to him. When Alfred's leg unexpectedly bumped into a lone chair, he looked down. Seeing his opponent distracted, the pirate went for the kill with a quick thrust of the sword. Alfred ducked, gripped the chair, and crashed it onto the pirate's head. He watched him fall unceremoniously to the ground.

Silence filled the quarters.

"Huh. Well, that was easy," he said out loud with slight surprise in his voice. He rubbed his hands together, proud of himself that he handled the situation without much difficulty, and headed for the exit. He didn't need to prolong his stay much further, he wanted to go back home. They aren't too far from shore; it's only been a few minutes since they departed. He could probably swim back! At least, he thought he could. Swimming in frosty Atlantic waters on a cool, breezy night…

"Yeah, I can make it." He reassured himself. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for more fighting. If they were all like those two pirates, he'll be back in town in no time. He reached the exit and yanked the door open.

Only to find a pistol aimed at his face.

Alfred stopped dead in his tracks, wide eyes stared at the weapon before he looked at the owner, who gave him the same cold, intimidating stare from before.

"Get back in the cell," and with a reloading click of the firearm, Captain Kirkland pressed it onto Alfred's face.

Alfred swallowed hard and, reluctantly, held his hands up slowly, turned around, and started walking back to the cell. Captain Kirkland, much to his dismay, trailed right behind him. He felt the pistol being dug into his back almost painfully all the way there. As much as he wanted to, there was nothing he can do. No matter how he looked at the situation, the bastard pirate had the upper hand. Now he was fully inside the holding cell, facing the wall. He expected the captain to leave and shut the barred doors behind him but he instead barked his orders.

"Turn around."

Alfred sighed and did so slowly. Once he was fully facing him, Captain Kirkland kneed him in the gut, taking the wind out of him. He fell onto the ground, his arms wrapped around his stomach. Coughing, Alfred opened his mouth to give him a smart tongue, but the pistol was inserted into his mouth. He froze immediately when he tasted steel and gunpowder.

"You will behave on my ship, landlubber," Captain Kirkland growled with malice, and his emerald eye bore unto Alfred's ceruleans. "I may want you alive for now, but that doesn't mean I won't hesitate to get rid of a limb or two, got it."

The boy below him tried to uphold defiance and didn't think about wavering under the captain's petrifying gaze. But he knew better than to make any movements that won't help him in his favor. He was going against the second most dangerous pirate in the world right now. When he said it, he meant it. Besides, he had a gun in his mouth; he couldn't talk if he wanted to.

Captain Kirkland slowly slid the pistol out of Alfred's mouth (Alfred didn't know he stopped breathing until he gasped for air) and placed shackles on his wrists. He backed out of the holding cell and crashed it against the frame, locked it, and threw the keys onto a pirate who was slowly regaining consciousness.

"Nnrgh, s-sorry Captain, we were caught off guard."

"...Don't let it happen again," he merely said, and walked out of the quarters.

Alfred watched the two pirates help each other off the floor and glare at him. He stuck out his tongue childishly.

Filled with rage once more, the same pirate who unlocked the door previously was about to unlock it again, but the other stopped him and dragged him out the quarters.

When the door closed, Alfred leaned on the wall and sighed heavily, glancing at the chains wrapped around his wrists. He pulled on them, hearing the metal clang against each other. "I'm in trouble…" He remembered his father telling him, just yesterday, that he could be kidnapped and held hostage. "Well, you were right." Though, it was strangely specific, he mentally added. He also recalled his father saying that he won't give away his possessions, in which he won't give into demands because he got himself taken hostage. He hoped it was a lie.

With another heavy sigh, Alfred looked around his surroundings. Chilly, dry, dark, save for the few candles that lit the area… and the smell was stale as well. It was the very opposite he was used to. He would much rather be in the comfort of his home, in his bed, wrapped in blankets...

Not even a day passed and he missed his home already.

He gazed inside the cell, and realized there was no bed inside. The young man laid down onto the tough wooden floor, worn out and starving. He curled into himself. He very much wanted to hug himself for some heat, but the chains around his arms prevented him doing so. He sniffed and closed his eyes. How could anyone, pirate or not, have a peaceful slumber under these conditions? There's no way he'll be able to sleep, absolutely none.

He dozed off.

Alfred felt an unyielding hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake.

"Wake up," the voice calmly said.

Alfred groaned and turned away, pretending he was still asleep. It was way too early to get up anyway.

"Wake up, Jones."

The person is persistent, he thought as he clicked his teeth in annoyance and moved the person's shoulder away. He wanted to stretch, to rid of the ungodly crick in his neck and back from the uncomfortable sleep, but when he felt that his wrists are bounded and sore, he gradually opened his eyes.

His situation slowly came back to him.

He shot up and stared at the man, at least, he wanted to, but he was still in the strands of sleep and wakefulness. He slowly realized that the entrance was open, and inside with him holding a string of thick rope, was the plain-looking pirate. Alfred sleepily stared at the rope and followed its trail… and it lead to him. He wiggled his arms and found out that he was secured in rope now. He sniffed, "Damn pirates." He struggled weakly before he asked, "Hey, do you guys have anything to eat? I'm starving."

Much to his surprise, the plain-looking-pirate answered, "You'll eat something after this… probably."

Alfred perked up, all drowsiness gone. "Really? Wait, what am I eating? Bread? Because I want some real food, like fish or something."

The plain-looking-pirate didn't answer that time. Instead, he stood up and pulled on the rope and forced Alfred to stand up with him. The two made their way out the prisoner's quarter.

Alfred thought to resist, but it was hard enough to walk on an empty stomach. The guy said he'll eat food soon, so, he decided, after they feed him, he'll beat them up. If it's really good food, he'll beat them up softly.

They strolled up the stairs and the moment plain-looking-pirate opened the door, the sunlight shone at Alfred's eyes. It was way too bright, and with arms and hands restricted at his sides, he could only close his eyes and look away. Since when did he have to look away from the weather he loved? For a moment he wondered if piracy was contagious.

He made one final step onto the deck of the ship and the moment he does, he was ruthlessly pushed to the floor on his knees, and a boot stomped on his back just like the night before. He had an idea as to who it was who used him like a mat.

Captain Kirkland crossed his arms and said in a monotone voice, "Here he is." Alfred heard the slight cockiness behind his thick accent.

"A-Alfred!" a voiced exclaimed not too far from him and he struggled to look up. It was a solider (more like a guardian really) from town, and he usually saw him around the mansion a few times while sneaking out the house. Alfred took a moment to remember his name as it was on the very tip of his tongue.

"John!"

Captain Kirkland pressed more weight unto Alfred, silencing him, before speaking, "Alright, you see we have the boy, and you have our written document that lists our demands, aye?"

John nodded fiercely.

"Good." Captain Kirkland lifted his boot off of Alfred back (other pirates are on him the very instant he does) and stalked over to the shaking solider, who backed up to the edge of the ship.

John's feet were perched precariously over the rim, and he looked down to see the murky blue ocean waving underneath him. He returned his attention back to the captain of the ship, who stood firmly in front of him with the same smirk he always wore on his face.

"You can swim, can't you, John?"

He paused before answering. "Y-Yes sir—"

Satisfied with the first few words of his sentence, the captain kicked him off the ship with a boot to the gut, and watched him plunge into the ocean. "Give that letter to the gov, landlubber!" he shouted after him as John resurfaced from the water and swam back to the town. While he laughed victoriously with his crew mates on the deck, he turned back to face Alfred, who gave him a disgusted glower of his own. The captain scoffed. "Take him back down, Matthew. There's no need for him right now."

"Aye, Captain."

With the sharp tug of the rope, Alfred was brought back to the prisoner's quarters, placed once again inside his cell. He was now rope-free, but his wrists were still bound. Sighing heavily, he saw the plain-pirate sitting on the chair, watching him. His stomach growled loudly, which drew the pirate's attention. "Hey man, do you have anything to eat? Can I eat now? I want to beat you guys up but I have no energy."

The other man frowned. "I have a name you know, it's Matthew. And, well, I would have given you food but," he shrugged, "since you told me that…"

Alfred perked up. "Okay okay wait! I'll obey… until I get my food. Then, when I'm done eating, I'll beat you guys up. How about that?"

Matthew gave him a look. "No. Besides, you'll get your meal soon, so stop being impatient, eh?"

"How late is soon? I'm starving!"

"You'll eat when the captain wants you to eat."

"What?" Alfred whined, "But he's an asshole! Have you seen the way he looks at me? That's not the look of 'I am going to feed you'."

Matthew merely shrugged yet again, "Well, he won't let you starve."

"Too late. I'm starving right now!"

"When's the last time you had a meal?"

"Yesterday night, before, you know, you criminals needlessly raided my town and all."

He crossed his arms, giving Alfred a dull look. "…You make it sound like you haven't had a proper meal since yesterday breakfast."

"I might as well haven't, by the way you guys are starving me," he muttered. His stomach growled loudly once again, breaking the short-lived silence. "Christ, just feed me already you low life—"

At that moment, Captain Kirkland entered the room, banging the door open with his boot. Alfred wondered how the doors on this ship could even stay intact with how many times Captain Kirkland made his dramatic entrance. The captain ambled over to him, taking long strides, until he reached the holding cell. He opened his mouth to speak, but Alfred interrupted him.

"Hey! I'm hungry! Give me something to eat, jerk."

After swallowing an insult and a threat, Captain Kirkland opened his mouth to speak but once more he was interrupted by Alfred.

"So what did you do to John while I was asleep? By the way he shook, you guys probably breathed into his face."

The captain clenched his hands as his thick eyebrow throbbed in irritation. He opened his mouth.

"How long am I going to stay in here anyway! And I need to stretch my arms—"

Captain Kirkland leaped at the barred door, grabbed it harshly and caused it to rattle noisily. Alfred stopped in midsentence as he flinched. The captain's face was contorted in annoyance and frustration. "One. Bloody. Question. At. A time," he snarled.

Alfred, however, was more distracted by the bright red apple in the captain's grasp than to be intimidated. But for once, he decided to put the thought of food in the back of his mind for now. There were more important things to think about. "The document," he said, unwavering, "What was written in the document?"

The man before him took a deep breath before answering, half expected Alfred to disrupt pointlessly again. "It's our demands for your release."

They really were holding him for ransom. Just great. If there's one good outcome about it, is that they won't kill him. Yet. Now the problem, besides being kidnapped, is the price his father might be willing to pay. "…How much?"

"Everything."

Alfred's eyes flickered. "E-Everything?"

"Everything," he said, and he smirked. "I want his money, his doubloons, and his most valued treasures. I want everything he holds dear, for," he pointed to his prisoner, "your life."

"M-My… my life?"

"Aye, that's right, lad." He juggled the apple in his hands, the smirk never leaving his face. "If he doesn't pay in four months, I am going to kill you."

Alfred's eyes widened as he stared at Captain Kirkland, who seemed pleased at his expression. Just to spite the pirate, he quickly feigned the expression of defiance, but doom and gloom loomed over his head. He wanted everything his father owns; he wanted things this father will never give up. But he has four months to make his decision. Four months. "Wait… four months? What are you going to do with me for four months?"

"During these four months, you're going to sail the seas with me and my crew." He threw the apple up and down repeatedly. "There are places, islands, dungeons, with treasure guarded by booby traps and obstacles, and I don't want any of my mates to get hurt too badly. And this is where you come in, my dear boy." He stopped playing one-handed catch with the apple to sneer at Alfred. "You are going to be the rat that tests out traps and the like. I won't let you die, mind you. Though, you might lose a body part or two in the process. I cannot guarantee your safety."

Alfred, shocked, glanced downwards and froze as he took it all in. He heard the captain laugh haughtily as he threw the apple into the cell. It rolled slowly to his foot, and stopped with a small bump.

He was going to be around pirates for four long, grueling months. He'll be around the monsters he despises.

He was going to be forced to partake in illegal activities.

He was going to be forced to do the very things he hated.

And suddenly, he wasn't so hungry anymore.

A/N: so much positive responses! thank you guys!
i had forgot to mention that this is a fill from the kink meme on livejournal. i already outlined the entire story so don't worry about me not finishing it ^^
if you see any errors please let me now! i want to make this a really good story and i need your guy's help. also, since this is my first hetalia story, tell me if the characters are way too OOC (okok)
alternatively, if anyone wants to be my beta, PM me! i'm not a very good alpha reader. my eyes really likes to skim over errors lmfao

i want to apologize for the modern speak. i think it's better this way instead of me trying and failing hard at pirate talk and whatnot ;;

review please ;_;