A/N: Okay, so I owe a bunch of people on dA oneshots from months ago so I figure it's time to put 'em up.
"So, are you ready to talk yet?" The Captain leaned on one leg and smirked as he watched the man on the other side of the bars.
"Oh I'm always ready to talk." The prisoner replied cheerfully, a cocky light in his blue eyes. "You wanna go over eyebrow plucking techniques again? Seems like it didn't get through your head last time, pirate." Though now dirtied and ripped in a few spots, his naval officer's uniform was still recognizable and the blond wore it with pride.
"Cheeky bastard." The pirate's eyes narrowed. "Remember, I could have that pretty little backside of yours whipped. Or I could simply toss your body into deep space and be done with you."
"Aww, but Captain Eyebrows, that would be a waste." Captain Alfred F. Jones of the American Space Navy smiled. "You need your eye candy."
"You will address me as Captain Kirkland." Arthur Kirkland's smirk vanished, to be replaced by one of his trademark scowls. It was no secret he enjoyed the sight of Alfred's body- and perhaps even lusted after it- but the American's annoyingly disrespectful attitude turned him off. He considered gagging him and going about it that way, but dismissed the idea shortly after. No, he wanted Alfred to beg for him.
"Or you'll do what?" Alfred approached the bars and casually leaned up against them. He'd been taken prisoner almost two weeks ago and was getting used to how things were run here. And he even found himself looking forward to his almost daily run-ins with the other Captain. Pity the Englishman was a pirate; he was quite cute when flustered.
"I'll starve you." Arthur replied flatly. He suddenly lashed out with the butt of his sword and caught Alfred harshly in the stomach. "You will talk, really talk, tomorrow. And if you don't, then I will use force. I can easily capture plenty of other men for eye candy." And he strode off, blowing out the solitary torch in the room along the way.
Alfred had groaned and been knocked down by the hit, and he froze for a moment when the lights went out. "As if!" he managed to call out though, before the door swung closed.
He sighed in the darkness. It was fun poking at Arthur, but now it seemed like he was getting dangerously close to crossing a line. The room lightened after a few moments as his eyes adjusted to the faint light from the stars that was passing through the port hole. The flying ship was making good time, thought where to he had no idea. They hadn't passed any other ships or cities since the time when he'd been taken.
Over the period of time he'd been on board he'd learned things about the crew from watching them, and Arthur. The crew was a motley bunch of men, like your typical pirates, though they were slightly more well-kept and pleasant. Alfred didn't bother remembering any of their names. The first mate was an albino Prussian man named Gilbert, and he was the one mainly in charge of Alfred. He had a loud voice and loved to talk- especially tell battle stories, which the American admittedly lapped up- though sometimes a few words of his native German would slip in with the English. And then there was the captain, Arthur Kirkland.
Arthur was a well-known pirate, famous for his evasive prowess, and ironically Alfred's crew had been up against him to try and take him in. The Space Navy ship had been badly damaged within minutes, and Arthur's crew had swarmed over to sweep him off not long after before leaving again, letting the Americans flounder in their wake. But as Alfred spent more time with them all he came to see a completely different view of Arthur Kirkland than was portrayed by the rumours. When he was not fighting someone he was very well composed, and sometimes even kind, but there was no doubt he was in control. Through watching and listening Alfred discovered that Arthur fancied himself a gentleman, had a slight obsession with tea, and appeared to have no idea that eyebrow tweezers existed. He could also be scary when pissed off, like demonstrated to a degree moments before.
But he was good enough to Alfred- the naval captain received food, water, and occasionally even coffee in the mornings. Not to mention a blanket and- usually- the light. He knew on a different pirate ship he'd have fared much worse. And then of course there was the teasing. Though in his defense he only did it because Arthur was so easy to rile up. He kind of even looked forward to it, and the next morning's was sure to be fun.
But it didn't happen, for in the middle of the night there was a battle.
Alfred didn't see any of it, of course, but he heard it. Rushing to the bars, he strained against them even though he knew it wouldn't do anything. Who had attacked them? He hoped it was an American Space Navy ship, though the Royal Space Force (England's space military) or any other nation's military ship would also help him. He had an extra set of identification papers shoved down his pants, just in case.
The noises from above deck soon started softening though, and after a few more cannon shots they died out completely. No one came down for a few minutes, and Alfred eventually moved back. He peered out the window and caught sight of another ship falling away in the distance. So Arthur and his crew had won.
Then footsteps sounded out in the hallway and Gilbert burst in with a lamp. He frowned at the darkness but then stepped forward and rapped on the metal. "Were you trained medically?" he asked.
"What?" Alfred looked over at him in confusion.
"Were you trained in first aid at all in your fancy little army base?"
"It was a navy base." Alfred replied. "And why should I tell you?"
"Were you or not, verdammt?!"
"Yes, yes I was. Calm down." Alfred made placating gestures at him. "Why do you ask?"
Gilbert took down a pair of shackles and unlocked the door. "You're coming with me. Arms out."
Alfred didn't move and stared at him suspiciously.
"Arms out."
Sighing, Alfred finally did as told and held his arms out to him. He was promptly shackled and led from the room, up to the Captain's Quarters. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that was their destination, but said nothing. Gilbert stopped him right before entering and leaned in.
"If you try anything, you will die before you make it halfway across the deck." he said softly.
"Try what? What's going on?" Alfred looked around. There were a few spots of blood on the deck, but they were already getting scrubbed away by bandaged-up men. "Who did you fight?"
"That's for Cap to tell you if he wants." Gilbert opened the door and pushed him inside, closing it behind them.
The room was lavishly decorated, though Alfred's eyes were drawn to the figure on the bed. Arthur laid there, shirt bloody on the chest and side, eyes closed and face drawn. Alfred gulped at the sight, and he thought he knew where this was going.
"He's here." Gilbert announced.
Arthur's eyes opened and he looked over at them. "Unchain him and leave."
"But Captain-"
"Unchain him and leave."
Grumbling, Gilbert did as asked and stepped away. "Remember- try anything and you die."
"Okay, okay." When Gilbert left Alfred turned back to Arthur to see him gesturing him closer. "You want me to fix you, don't you?"
"Of course." Arthur shifted on the bed a little and pressed a hand against his side. "You most likely know the most first aid of anyone here."
"...And why should I help you?" Alfred strutted up to the bed and peered down at him. "I could tie you up or kill you and then turn the ship in."
"You really think I'm defenseless, boy?" There was a flash of movement and the next second Arthur had a knife pressed against Alfred's stomach. "I don't think you realize the seriousness of your situation. You are the prisoner of pirates. Under the threat of death the entire time. If you do as you claim you could, you die. If you refuse to do what I tell you to, you die. Fix me up."
"And if I'd rather die than save you?"
Arthur studied him. "You wouldn't. Come on, fix me up and I'll reward you."
Hesitating for a moment and thinking heavily about the pirate's words, Alfred eventually heaved a great sigh and nodded. "I'll tend to you. But don't think I'm doing it cuz I want to." He stepped back out of reach of the knife. "Where are the bandages and stuff?"
"In the plain chest over there." Arthur gestured at it and slowly unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his injuries.
After dragging the chest over to him, Alfred looked over at his body and winced. "What happened?" he asked, opening the chest and starting to sift through it.
"Got shot through the shoulder and cut across the ribs." Arthur said shortly.
"Oh. Was the shot a clean entry and exit? I don't remember how to take bullets out."
"How the hell should I know?" Arthur snapped. "I wasn't paying attention to it, I was a bit busy." He let out a low gasp when he suddenly found himself in Alfred's arms.
The American had lifted him up and was peering around at his back. "Sorry, but I gotta see." he said, thinking the gasp had been one of pain. "Ah, there it is!" He brightened when he saw the exit hole.
"How wonderful." Arthur clutched onto the fabric of Alfred's shirt tightly to hold himself up. "Do something about it."
"I'm on it, hold your horses." Alfred muttered. "Can you stay like this? Upright, I mean. I'm gonna have to clean both sides."
"I can if I have something to hold on to." Arthur replied through gritted teeth. He elbowed Alfred harshly in the stomach when the other blond snickered and closed his eyes as the disinfectant burned through his wound.
"It'll only burn for a moment, don't worry. I thought you were a tough pirate who could take anything." Alfred only grinned when Arthur glared at him through his pants.
He quickly cleaned the other wounds and bound the Englishman's chest and patted him before dragging the chest with the medical supplies back to into its spot. Glancing over at the bed, he noticed how strained the pirate looked. His eyes met Arthur's green ones and a small jolt went through him. He looked away and poured a glass of water, which he took to the bedside.
"Thank you." Arthur accepted the water and drank. When he had drained the glass he looked up at Alfred, debated internally for a moment, and then pulled the other down for a kiss.
Surprised, Alfred resisted for a moment before giving in and melting into the kiss. His hands went on either side of Arthur's head and he pushed Arthur down until they were laying flat on the bed. His eyes fluttered shut and he found himself pressing back eagerly. He felt Arthur's arms go around his waist to try and pull him on top of himself, and he worried that the pirate would be in pain. With the doubt his head cleared and his eyes snapped open as he jerked back.
"Wh-What the hell was that?!" he got out, sprawled out on the other side of the bed.
"Your reward." Arthur licked his lips and smirked. "Seems you enjoyed it. Now come, get me my coat. You'll assist me outside should I need it."
"…Where's your coat?" Alfred rose, his legs shaking ever so slightly. He had admittedly enjoyed the kiss, but the suddenness had startled him. Plus he couldn't allow himself to submit to Arthur- he was a pirate!
"On the hook." Arthur watched him with some amusement.
"Okay..." Alfred retrieved the coat and held it out to him. "So what happened? Who were you fighting?"
Arthur looked at him intently for a moment, deciding whether to disclose the information, and then nodded as he put the coat on. "My brother. Beforehand my family didn't give a shut about me until I became successful, and now that I am they want my wealth. By turning me in or killing me, whichever comes first."
"Sorry..." Alfred couldn't imagine someone's family turning on them like that.
"What, apologizing to a pirate?" Arthur raised an eyebrow and grasped onto Alfred's arm, using the American to pull himself up. "You've come far in one night."
"I just feel bad for you." Alfred muttered, starting for the door.
The moment they appeared on deck everyone froze and looked towards them. Arthur was leaning most of his weight on Alfred, but in a way that it was unnoticeable. His coat was open, baring his bandaged chest for all to see. He rapped out orders sharply and the men scrambled to do them, only sparing Alfred a brief glance.
The American watched them with wide eyes. They looked...normal, upon closer inspection. A little scruffy, to be fair, but like regular sailors going about the business of fixing their ship. A few were even singing while they worked to pass the time.
"Not the barbarians you expected, hmm?" Arthur asked him quietly, watching him with a small smile.
Alfred just looked away.
Gilbert came running up to them not long after. "Captain, you want me to take him back to the brig?"
"No. He'll be my personal assistant from now on. Cabin boy, if you will." Arthur said, ignoring Alfred's squawk of protest. He cut across Gilbert's protests as well. "He's strong and he won't try anything."
After dispelling any more complaints, he headed back to his cabin to figure out their course, Alfred in tow. "You may rest on my bed." he told Alfred after he'd gotten settled at his map table.
"...You're gonna have to rest too, y'know." Alfred muttered as he fell onto the bed. It was incredibly soft, he noticed now. "It's bad for the injuries if you move around too much."
Arthur chuckled. "I'll join you in a moment." And he did, about half an hour later. He wobbled a bit because of pain but managed it and lay down next to him.
Alfred jumped a bit when he felt the mattress shift and rolled over to look at him. "Do you want me to leave or something?"
"No, stay. You'll be living here with me from now on, and sleeping with me."
"Wh-What?!" Alfred stared at him with wide eyes. "No, I'm not gonna sleep with you, no way!"
"I don't mean sex." Arthur rolled his eyes. "Merely sleeping in the same bed. Though if you wish for sex I won't be opposed."
Huffing, Alfred scooted away from him. "Hell no."
"Come now, you liked the kiss. You've seen the crew; the life of a pirate isn't so bad. Full of excitement, adventure, and far-off stars." Arthur knew he was glorifying it, but quite honestly not by much.
Alfred scoffed. "What, I come with you until you find another guy you like and then toss me aside? As if." The promise of excitement and adventure was admittedly appealing, but not with pirates.
"I wouldn't. I'm attracted to you."
"For now. Forget it, pirate." Alfred turned to face away from him. "I'll entertain you for now, but the moment I can I'm getting out of here."
Silent for a moment, Arthur eventually sighed. He debated silently, and then moved closer to Alfred, wrapping his arms around the American's body. Feeling Alfred tense beneath his touch he stiffened himself but relaxed when the other didn't move away. He tightened his grip and pressed kisses to the fabric exposed to him. If Alfred resisted, he'd just have to persuade him otherwise.
"What are you doing?" Alfred's voice came out low and strained.
"I'm being perfectly serious, Alfred. I'll offer you protection and adventure. And the pay is quite good." Arthur added that last sentence with a hint of humour. Humour was good for persuasion, or so he thought.
Admittedly Alfred did snort in some laughter, but after that there was silence once more. Arthur let out a sigh and allowed his grip to slacken, though he didn't relinquish his hold entirely. They rested in silence for a while, and after a few minutes Alfred started snoring softly. Arthur couldn't suppose he blamed the lad; he had been kept in rather rough conditions for the past two weeks, and this was probably the most comfortable sleeping space he'd experienced from long before that as well. Military ship bunks weren't known for their luxury, even for higher ranking officers. The pirate blinked in surprise when Alfred's hand slipped into his own, though he smiled once it wore off. Then he reminded himself that Alfred was asleep and most likely didn't realize what he was doing and the smile sagged, but he refused to dampen his mood by thinking about it too much.
Gilbert came in with food about an hour after that, and Arthur quickly hushed him before he could make any noise. "Alfred is asleep." he explained. "What did you tell the crew?"
"You were lightly injured in the fight and will recover in a few days. I gave the order to stop by your star in the meantime so we could make repairs and rest." Gilbert brought the food over and gave Alfred a glance before backing away.
"Good. Might as well stay there a bit longer, have a little break. We have enough treasure for now." Arthur said. His 'star' was just a relatively small moon orbiting one of the outer planets of one of the more far-out solar systems.
"...You really like him, huh?" Gilbert asked suddenly, leaning on the back of the chair.
"I do. I just need to convince him to give up his goddamned misled sense of righteousness." Arthur muttered, speaking quietly to ensure Alfred would not wake.
"Dirty tricks?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.
"Not necessarily. Just examples to break his view that the military is perfect in its beliefs and actions."
"I think I have just what you need." Gilbert smiled. "Involves what happened to his old ship after its run-in with us."
"Perfect." Arthur shared in the albino's smile. "But hold on about disclosing that information for a few days. I should like to see if he won't come around on his own."
"Sure. We'll reach your star by early tomorrow if we hyperjump during the night. We'll be in range for it by the evening, and should have just enough juice left."
"Good. Inform the crew to carry on as they are and that I shall be coming around for inspection in the evening."
"Will do, Boss. But Arthur?"
"Hmm?"
"I'll take care of the stern during the jump." Gilbert raised a hand to stop Arthur's protests as the Englishman's mouth opened. "It might jar your injury too much if you're up there when it happens. You're better off resting; you know I can handle it."
"...Fine, Beilschmidt. But if you mess up-"
"Yeah, yeah, you'll keelhaul me while you demonstrate how to do it properly, multiple times." Gilbert waved a hand dismissively. Arthur had threatened that many times, and the Prussian had yet to experience it. "It'll be fine. You picked the right guy to go pirating with."
Arthur snorted, but nodded and then dismissed him. He ate some of the food before waking Alfred up to finish the rest. The American seemed happy at the meal- he'd gotten worse down in the brig- and eagerly scarfed it down. He uttered a short 'Thank you.' and then flopped back over. Arthur let out a soft breath and curled up to him again, falling into a light sleep moments later.
"Gilbert. It's time for that information."
They had been at the star for a little under a week now, and Arthur was healing nicely. Much to his chagrin though, Alfred was still resisting the Englishman's attempts to sway him over. Arthur had finally had enough and resolved to end the matter once and for all.
Gilbert looked up when Arthur entered. He had private quarters slightly smaller than the Englishman's, but he wasn't complaining since he didn't have to share. "The information?"
"About the fate of Alfred's old crew. Come to my cabin in a few minutes- but present it well, would you?"
"So dirty tricks after all." Gilbert snorted but nodded. "I'll come in about ten minutes."
"Good." Arthur nodded back to him and left.
He strode back to his own cabin to find Alfred looking through his small library. The American jumped away, looking guilty. Arthur chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"What?" Alfred asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Nothing. You may look if you would like." Arthur got settled in his chair, pressing his hand lightly to his chest.
Alfred noticed and ambled over. "You okay?"
"Yes." Arthur looked up at him and smiled. "It's nice to see you care, even a little."
"I-I don't." Alfred muttered, but it was an obvious lie.
"Of course." Arthur hid another smile and turned to his maps while Alfred hesitantly strode over to the bookshelf again.
Silence fell for a few moments before Gilbert's inevitable entrance. The albino knocked before entering, and he took a seat next to Arthur. "Afternoon, Captain." he said, an almost unnoticeable glint in his eye.
"What do you want, Gilbert?"
"We received some information about one USS Freedom." Gilbert said casually, his eyes flicking to Alfred for a moment.
Predictably, Alfred jumped and stepped closer. "What happened?! How'd ya get the info?!"
But Gilbert looked to Arthur. "Captain?"
"Go on." Arthur said a moment later, wanting to get this over with. He was slightly interested in their fate as well.
"It came over the radio. They said that the crew had been sent to Sector 67 for reconnaissance and stationing. They are to remain there for nine months, and should their captain be found he is to join them."
Throughout the duration of Gilbert's speaking, Alfred had grown paler and paler, until at the end he looked as though he was about to faint. "S-Sector 67? That's the punishment sector- barely anyone ever comes back alive from there. Why would they-"
"Because of your run-in with us. You were left defeated, humiliated, with the captain gone." Arthur told him, eyes emotionless. "I'm assuming that's their subtle way of making an example of you."
"But- But that's not fair! There was nothing we could do, we were attacked!" Alfred paced the room, muttering under his breath.
"Do you still wish to return?"
Alfred stopped dead and stared at him, eyes widening with horror. "You knew! You knew about this!" He marched up to the Englishman and grasped onto his collar. "You knew I wouldn't want to- wouldn't be able to go back now!"
Gilbert had shot up, but Arthur waved him off. "Alfred," he spoke, his eyes locked on the other's blue ones. "I did not know about this information before now." A little white lie wouldn't hurt. And besides, he hadn't known what the exact information was to be. "It was not my intention to provoke you in any way. I merely asked a logical follow-up question of how you will proceed."
Staring back at him, Alfred finally just sighed and released him. "I don't know. I guess my options are either piracy and crimes against the government or punishment and probably death."
As Alfred hadn't moved from his lap, Arthur wrapped his arms around the American's waist and pulled him closer. "The pirate's life isn't really so bad. Plus, I guarantee you life. You will have protection as long as you stay with me."
"I'll leave you to it." Gilbert backed from the room, closing the door behind him.
"...I had friends on that crew." Alfred said softly, tiredly. He lowered his head to rest on Arthur's shoulder. "I don't know what to do... I don't wanna die yet."
"Then live." Arthur stroked his back soothingly. "And join me. The crew will accept you soon, and you'll stay with me. Even get a share of future treasure."
"I- I need to think about it." Alfred drew back.
Letting him, Arthur gave him a gentle push towards the bed. "Then think about it and rest. But decide quickly. We'll be leaving soon." Not that he was planning on letting Alfred go- if the American wouldn't join them, he'd become a prisoner again.
"Thanks." Alfred lay down and faced away from the room.
For the rest of the day Arthur poured over his maps and in the evening did rounds of the ship, returning late that night. He glanced over at Alfred, and it seemed that he hadn't moved all day. Slipping into the bed, he kept to his own side that night.
He woke pleasantly surprised with a pair of arms around his waist. Smiling, he carefully twisted around in Alfred's grip and nuzzled to him. He didn't fall back asleep, though it didn't take long for Alfred to wake.
"Good morning." Arthur murmured to him with a smile.
"...Morning." Alfred looked surprised by their position, but Arthur's grip was too tight for him to do anything. Plus, he found that he really didn't mind it at all. "I've uhh... I've decided."
"Really?" Arthur's eyebrows rose with expectation. "And what have you decided?"
Alfred bit his lip and looked away, going through final decisions, before dragging his gaze back to the waiting green eyes. "I think...it would be better for me to stay with you. If they're gonna kill me off for something I had no control over..." His eyes hardened.
Arthur smiled. "Good..." he purred. "That's very good." He pulled the American into a kiss.
Reciprocating it with more eagerness than he had before, Alfred pressed back against him. After a moment though he pulled back and rooted around in his pants, pulling out the folded papers. "And uhh...burn these."
Looking them over, Arthur snorted. "With pleasure. But in your underpants? Really?"
"Well you didn't find them, did you?"
Arthur heaved a sigh and let him go. "No matter. They will burn later on. But for now," He rose from the bed and held a hand out to Alfred. "Come, let me show you your new life."
Grinning, Alfred reached forward and took it.
A/N: It's a kind of futuristically historical world. Don't question it, there are just old fashioned wooden ships that are in space and stuff. Think the movie Treasure Planet, just without the aliens, and you've got the right idea.