To Sail the High Seas: Pirate England x Reader #Wattys2017

Chapter Forty~Four

“If you had a dagger you could have cut us down sooner.”
“If I’d done that you would have run off again.” You gave an indignant huff of denial and Arthur smiled. After you had untangled the remnants of the netting from around your ankles, you arched your back to stretch the protesting muscles.
“I would have done, yes. It would, however, have been a damn sight more comfortable.”
“Oh I don’t know,” He chuckled, coming up behind you to wrap his arms around your waist. “I’d say that it was rather cosy.”
“There was barely room to breathe.” You felt him smile against your hair.
“There are worse things.”
“Like you almost ripping my arm off? That seriously hurt you know.” You rolled your shoulder gingerly and winced at the sharp pain which shot through the limb.
“I really am sorry about that, love.”
“You should be.”
Your attempt at sounding angry was thwarted by the smile which laced your words. Noticing your elated expression, the blond man turned you in his arms.
“What are you grinning about?”
“Nothing, I just… I’ve missed that.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to elaborate, love.” Your smile grew.
“That. You did it again.”
It took him a moment to catch on, but when he did the smirk which followed promised that he would use this new information to his full advantage.
“I do believe you’re going to have to tell me clearly, love. I can’t for the life of me think what I could possibly be doing.”
“Like hell you can’t, arrogant bastard.”
“You really don’t speak like a lady in the least.”
“So says the foul mouthed gentleman.”
He dipped his lips to yours, covering your smile with his own. Your eyes fluttered closed, and you felt him hum happily as your fingers curled into the long blond strands at the nape of his neck. When he pulled away, his nose nuzzled against yours affectionately. You laughed fondly at the adoring expression in his green eyes, feeling a blush creep up your features.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like a lovesick puppy!” Pushing him away lightly, you began walking back in the direction the two of you had come from, or thereabouts. After a moment, Arthur caught up with you and threaded his fingers gently with yours, bringing you to a halt. You turned to look at him questioningly, but he just stood there, watching you with an oddly thoughtful expression. After a moment, he broke the silence.
“Perhaps because I am one.”

Bringing your hand to his lips, the pirate kissed each finger in turn.
“I do love you, you know.” Your heart fluttered in your chest at his words, and you felt an irrational thrill shoot through your veins. “I just realized I’ve never said it, not properly, but it’s true.” His lips trailed from your fingers to your wrist, where he planted another kiss; then, tugging you into his arms, his lips met your forehead, your eyelids, your cheek, your nose, showering you with butterfly kisses.
You gave a breathy giggle, thoroughly embarrassed by his sudden display of affection and yet inexplicably happy because of it.
“Arthur-” His hair interrupted you, tickling your face as he spared a few kisses for your neck and shoulder before his attentions returned to your lips.
“I love you.” Another kiss, barely a brush of his lips against yours, and he was repeating those three words over and over, as if he were afraid that you would disappear at a moment’s notice. “I love you.”
You placed your hands lightly against his chest, causing him to pause in his ministrations without breaking the contact between the two of you.
“Arthur, you needn’t look so dreadfully frightened.” Your expression softened as you watched his green eyes searching your face for the catch.
“I just don’t want to lose you again.”
“You won’t.”
“But-” You pecked his lips quickly, pulling away with a smile.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
His grip on your waist relaxed slightly, but you could tell that he was still reluctant to release you completely. His shoulders sagged, his forehead dropping to bump lightly against yours as he gave a quiet groan.
“I’ve had so many dreams.” He gave a heavy sigh. “To think that I was only apart from you for a measly five days, and yet there were enough dreams to last me a lifetime. Awful, terrible dreams… and I lost you in every one. I just- I just don’t want those dreams to become a reality.”
“They won’t.”
He opened his mouth to protest, his thick eyebrows knitting together in a deep frown, but you beat him to it.
“I love you too, okay? I’ll say it as many times as you need me to.”
“Once more would be nice.”
At this, a quiet chuckle tumbled from your lips, causing the corner of his mouth to twitch upwards.
“I love you, Arthur Kirkland; more than anyone else in the world.”

You stood like that for a while, engulfed in Arthur’s arms as he whispered sweet nothings into your ear. This moment of tranquillity was disrupted all too soon, by the sound of a single pistol shot in the distance. Both your heads snapped towards the sound, simultaneously cursing. The two of you broke into a run, sprinting in the general direction of the sound. When you arrived at the source, Arthur swore under his breath while you groaned with frustration.
From the amount of corpses scattered across the uneven ground, the creatures which had attacked the English pirates earlier had stumbled upon their next targets and decided to take their chances. Their prey had, unfortunately for them, turned out to be a pack of predators, and it appeared that they had taken no prisoners.
“Carriedo?” Arthur hissed, lowering his voice and tugging you with him to hide in the undergrowth to avoid being detected. “What the bloody hell is he doing here!?”
Figuring this was a good as time as any to inform the blond of your whereabouts for these past five days, you muttered your admission somewhat ruefully. 
“Well I hardly swam here did I?”
Now sharp green eyes swiveled from the Spaniard, who was holding a smoking pistol and humming merrily, to you.
“You came here with him?”
“There are two types of people who would be willing to follow the infamous Captain Kirkland out here: pirates, and pirate hunters. All things considered, Antonio was the better option.”
“Antonio.”
He visibly balked at your familiarity.
“Yes, Antonio. I could hardly deny him that small civility after everything he’s done for me.”
You ignored the grumbled “You had no trouble denying me for so long” and instead focused on the Spanish man as he strolled around with a cocky smirk plastered on his face.
“Arthur, do you trust me?”
“Of course I trust you, it’s him I lack faith in.” You grinned at the sullen edge to his tongue.
“Wonderful, hold onto that trust, okay?”
Sealing your lips against his, your fingers trailed down his torso, slipping into his trouser pocket and snatching the tattered parchment from where he’d tucked it away earlier. You swiftly sprang away from the momentarily dazed pirate and, before he could register what had just happened, you strolled out into the open.