I am sticking to this update schedule for once! This chapter is kind of filler, kind of not-we do get to see some evolving feelings with Victor and Yuuri! I'm looking forward to next chapter, since we'll finally get to see how Victor and Yuuri met!-Purecinnamonbun
He'd woken up in the middle of the night (or at least he assumed it was the middle of the night because of the lack of voices outside), and had found himself unable to fall asleep again.
During the time he was on the Eros he had become accustomed to sleeping rough in uncomfortable hammocks.
Now it just felt like he was drowning in a feather bed, with too many sheets.
Groaning slightly, Yuuri heaved himself of the bed, pulled the very top sheet off, and lay down on the floor while wrapped up in it.
But, as fate was cruel, Yuuri was only blessed with what seemed to be three minutes of sleep before the door was slammed open by Yurio.
"Oi! Pig! Get up! What, do you sleepwalk or something? I would've pegged you to be too lazy, you disgrace to your country."
Yuuri didn't know what he'd done to annoy this boy, but he sure as heck hoped he didn't do it again.
…..being called a disgrace to his country stung a little.
Rolling over, and hoisting himself up into a sitting position, he blinked blearily at Yurio.
"Huh?"
"Just GET UP. We need you on deck, Pig. You need to get off your butt and start actually doing something with your life."
The door slammed shut behind Yurio as he….what was the best word for it….flounced off.
He tried to be so mature, but his insults were childish, really.
Walking over to the wardrobe, Yuuri selected the simplest, non-expensive outfit, and changed quickly. Back home, he and his family never saw the point of dressing as nobility. They instead wanted to show the common folk that they were equals, so preferred to dress as them. That way, they saved a lot of money on expensive clothing for themselves, which meant that tax prices were slightly lower than in other countries of the world.
Yuuri wondered if any of these pirates had ever had to pay taxes- or indeed had ever lived a relatively normal life.
Does one become a pirate straight at birth?
What was the procedure for joining?
How did Victor join?
Abruptly, Yuuri shook all of these thoughts out of his head.
He shouldn't be thinking about all the intricacies of pirate life. He should be thinking about leaving this ship, and getting home to his family, before the pirates decided to send a ransom note and kill him.
For some reason, the idea of Victor specifically killing him came to mind, and Yuuri felt a strange sense of sadness.
Thankfully, before Yuuri could think any deeper into it, the door re-opened, and a tall, brown haired, violet eyed man stood scowling at the doorframe. Behind him, a black haired woman stood, smiling.
"You're wanted on deck." The man said gruffly.
"Mickey, don't be so mean!" The girl said reprimandingly. She turned to Yuuri "I'm Sara. Please forgive my brother. He's a little on the…" She made a corkscrew action into her head.
"Sara!" Mickey cried out, before glaring at Yuuri again "I don't know what your intentions are with my sister, but I suggest you leave her well alone, unless you want to be tied to the anchor and dropped into the sea."
This Mickey person seemed to be a bit more like all the pirates Yuuri had been told about, but Yuuri hadn't known that they were quite so protective over their…sisters?
Mari would kill him if he ever tried to act like that, then dig him up, demand to know who made him do it, go and kill that person, and then give Yuuri an extensive lecture on how Mari was her own woman.
It had happened before with Phichit, when Yuuri had asked if one hundred and fifty hamsters were perhaps just one too many.
Turning his attention back to the siblings, Yuuri realised that they were still arguing.
"I don't lecture you on dating Emil!"
"That's different, you know Emil!"
"You know Mila but that doesn't stop you from making me keep watch in the crow's-nest all day whenever I try to ask her out!"
"I don't like the way that redhead looks at you!"
"Please, the way Emil looks at you is one hundred times worse!"
Yuuri tried breaking the argument up approximately twice, only to be met with chilling glares from both of them.
Eventually Yuuri just sat on the bed, trying valiantly to click his heels together and mutter 'there's no place like home'.
It didn't work.
Finally, the door opened again, and a light haired man with a goatee came in, followed by a redheaded girl.
"What's taking so long?" The redhead scowled at Mickey, marching over to Sara and putting her hand on her shoulder.
"Mila!" Sara's face lit up.
Yuuri felt a sense of dread at what was to come next.
Mickey's face began to turn beet red, and he started to splutter.
…before he was pulled into the embrace of the man with the goatee, who tucked Mickey's head under his chin and muttered
"It's okay, Mickey."
"Thanks Emil" Mickey said grudgingly, burrowing his face into Emil's chest.
And with that, the two happy couples left the room, the door swinging behind them, and leaving Yuuri completely bemused and forgotten about.
Two seconds later there was a screech of
"CAN ANYONE ON THIS GOD FORSAKEN SHIP DO ANYTHING RIGHT!-I'm not talking to you Beka."
The door slammed open for what seemed like the twentieth time, and in marched Yurio, followed by a stoic, dark haired man in a leather jacket.
"Come on Pig." Yurio spat, grabbing Yuuri by the arm, and forcing him forwards "I don't know what Yakov was thinking, sending the hag, the dog, and the Crispinos to come and get you."
"We were in the crow's-nest, Seung Gil was busy, Georgi was crying, Guang Hong was scrubbing the deck with Leo, Minami was playing on the rigging, Lila was convincing Morooka to sell his soul to dance, and Chris is probably doing things you don't want to know about." Otabek recited calmly.
Yurio looked like he wanted to come up with a retort, stopped, thought about it, and just grabbed Otabek's hand, mumbling
"Whatver, Beka."
It would be so easy just to wrench his arm out of Yurio's loose grip, Yuuri thought wistfully, and run away.
Victor's face flashed in Yuuri's mind again, and the prince looked down at the floor to hide his blush.
Why did he feel like he already knew Victor so well? And why did the thought of betraying Victor make him feel so guilty?
Yurio came to a stop, and spun around to face Yuuri.
"Minami, our cabin boy, is busy, so you need to swab the deck."
He thrust a mop and a bucket at Yuuri, who looked back at him, bewildered.
"WHAT, JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A PRISONER, YOU CAN'T WORK?"
"N-no.." Yuuri stammered.
"Whatever, just get on with it already. Any funny business and I'll tie you to the anchor and drop you into the sea."
Yurio and Otabek started walking away.
What was it with these pirates and tying people to the anchor and dropping them into the sea?
Yuuri started to dutifully mop the floor.
It could be worse.
He could be forced to skin a dead whale or something.
He just needed to do what he was told, until he found the opportunity.
The only bad thing about this job, really, was being left alone with his thoughts. The more that happened, the more he felt that he knew Victor.
…
"You made my Yuuri work?" Victor cried in a scandalised tone.
"We were low on hands, and he was probably happy to be out of that miniature prison that you kept him in!" Yurio spat
"Do you think Yuuri didn't like his room?" Victor asked the air in a worried tone
"He probably didn't like being kept in it 24/7!"
Sighing, Victor rested his head in his hands.
"I only do that to try and keep my Yuuri safe, Yura, you know I do. The situation with JJ is spiralling out of control, and I fear my Yuuri is in more danger than ever. If any of the pirates we trade with were to see Yuuri…"
"…They would tell JJ, I know. But we only trade during the night, and if you really want that pig to fall in love with you, you should let him have some freedom." Yurio stood up, and turned towards the door "I'm on the night shift with Beka."
Victor watched Yurio leave, and rubbed his face with his palm. He wanted Yuuri to be safe more than anything else in the whole world. He was desperately in love with the brown haired man after all.
Victor found his mind wandering back to the time that he and Yuuri first met…..
Mickey arguing with Sara, and Emil calming him down gives me life. I just wanted a teeny break from all the drama that I was writing about.