Ransom (An Iwaoi Pirate x Royalty AU)

Cover Has Been Blown

The title is unfortunately not an innuendo.

Oikawa POV

After what I can only assume was around an hour, I began to hear murmured voices and footsteps from different directions on the ship. They probably came back for lunch or something?? Why did they have their lookout under the deck tho.. that's kinda stupid.

Oh well, I can't leave this barrel so I guess I'll stick to silently judging them. I can't distinguish any voices, they're all muffled.. That means I can't really eavesdrop too much or try to discover their weaknesses lest I wanna get caught.

I resign myself to sitting there until further notice.

-

My knees beginning to ache from being in a single position for what I can only assume has been more than half a day. I'm pretty hungry though I know I can go awhile without food.

I also notice that the areas on my neck must've been pretty bruised from when I was suffocating myself... I can feel small gashes accompanying the bruised area, the worst of it though is on my face where I'd taken off the dirty shirt blindfold. There's still blood trickling from the gashes somehow- I know my nails are sharp but not that sharp..

The bruises on my waist from where nasally man had been holding me were probably the worst though. They'll most likely taint my porcelain skin for at least weeks from now.

-

It's now the next day, from what I can tell by the faint light peeking through the cracks where the wood used to make the barrel was connected.

I can't believe I slept through the night... I guess it kinda understandable to be exhausted after the stuff that went on yesterday but still... I feel the ship moving, making me slightly nauseous. I've never been good with seasickness.

My mouth still tastes like stomach acid after yesterday though I refuse to throw up again today. I don't wanna be stuck in this barrel for who knows how long covered in my own vomit..

As I come to better consciousness, I hear someone yelling order to the crewmates, presumably the captain. Hey, why didn't they put this barrel on the lower deck??

-

There's a storm brewing on the horizon, i can hear wind whipping outside of the crate. I've always hated storms. My breathing picks up when I hear the first strike of thunder. Nothing good ever comes from storms...

Not long after the second boom of thunder, I pass out again, this time from fear. I don't have the state of mind to be ashamed of how pitiful I'm being. I couldn't bring myself to care anyways.

-

I can't tell how long I've been out, judging from my hunger it's probably been at least a few days. I've been living off the water that drips through the cracks of the wooden planks. Everything is numb. My neck is still covered in bruises, the only thing I had to ground myself somehow.. and grabbing my bruises was a pretty good distraction-

Suddenly I feel a different spike of fear shoot through my veins. Footsteps are approaching my crate, heavy footsteps. I go completely still, my fear causing me to replicate a deer in headlights. They won't recognize me as the Prince, especially if they're pirates from a neighboring kingdom but that won't stop them from torturing me.

I sort of resign myself to my fate once I see the blinding light caused by the solid top being lifted off the crate. I wince at the feeling of my eyes being fried.

"Whatve we got here.." the man that opened the crate says teasingly, not a friendly teasing, mind you... Oikawa tries to glare at him past the blinding light.

The mans got catlike eyes, paired with an almost concerningly messy head of black hair. He's probably taller than me, and definitelys got more muscle.. I wouldn't beat him at a fight.. but maybe I can manipulate him..?

"Hey Pretty Boy, I'm Kuroo. If you wanna provide some services, I can make this whole experience easier for you~" the strange man, Kuroo has the audacity to wink at me. Sure he's hot but what makes him think I'd let him fuck me? Dudes got no class.

I guess I might look a bit like a hooker right now... so what?? Also why did he ask me this right after finding me in a crate that he can only assume I've been in for days on end. And I'm sure my face is bloody so wtf is he thinking... I open my mouth to his a sarcastic retort back or maybe something smarter, I haven't thought that far yet.

"Wh-" I start hacking halfway through the word, my eyes widen in fear as I feel more bile rise, how can my body still produce bile when I haven't eaten in over four days??

That's how I coughed up blood onto the deck of the ship I smuggled myself onto...

"The fuck..." Kuroo mumbles under his breath, seemingly slightly taken aback.

Thatss when he gets a closer look at me. His eyes widen at the sorry state of my brutally ravaged neck, his eyes drop down to my waist which was uncovered after nasal man ripped it in the original abduction attempt. My waist must be on par with the neck.. I can only imagine what he's thinking of right now.

My face probably didn't look much better, gashes that hopefully wouldn't scar littered the area around where the blindfold/shirt once was, making it apparent that I was once blindfolded.

As Kuroo gaped at my sorry state, I tried to make a run for it, attempting to hop out of the crate. My luck gave out after less than four pathetic strides. I let out an embarrassing keening sound as I went down, right in front of a really buff man like woah this dudes arms... if I was in any other situation I would've tried to get him to fuck me on the spot.. I mean what-

Anyway- he doesn't look at all surprised when I collapse to my knees (unfortunately, because now my old injury is being overworked to death) at his feet.

I don't get to continue checking him out because I pass out almost immediately after a few seconds of using the bad knee for support. It might also be to do with lack of food...

The last thing I remember is the familiar feeling of paralyzing fear, I can't be attracted to this man. He's almost definitely gonna keep me tied up on the bottom deck to die, then he's gonna feed my corpse to the rats.

Next chaps prob gonna be in Iwa's POV (: spicy ikik

Welp, that's chapter two... I think. I haven't checked grammar or spelling on this so feel free to correct me if ud like. Sorry Kuroo.....