England x Reader: A Pirate's Past

Arthur Kirkland

-x-

You rummaged through the mountains of cardboard boxes that didn't look like they had been touched for a lifetime; this room was filled with several centuries worth of English history and yet Arthur had never once even hinted to its existence. Every box, every item in this room held a story, and you loved stories. So far you had found what appeared to be a floor plan for the original Globe Theatre, a black and white photograph of Arthur standing outside of Buckingham palace dressed as one of the soldiers that never smile, and a rather official-looking letter from none-other than Queen Victoria herself! Just as you were beginning to wonder if anything hidden in in this place wouldn't interest you, a large cluster of pale feathers caught your eye; wasting no time in uncovering the object, you were left holding an expensive looking hat. You grinned, admiring your reflection in an ancient mirror before revealing the remaining contents of the box that the hat had previously perched on top of. Lifting it out gently so as not to damage it, you lay the rich red coat embroidered with gold on your lap; you couldn't help but appreciate the extravagant design as you ran your fingers lightly over the fabric. Had it belonged to Arthur? If so, why was he keeping such a beautiful item tucked away in this little room? You carefully slipped the garment on and marvelled warmth enveloped you immediately, surely Arthur wouldn't mind if it was only for a little while. The faint scent of saltwater caught your attention. The only other items in the box were several intricately-drawn maps, a compass, and a small bag of gold coins; moving the box aside you noticed a large rectangular object covered with a thin white sheet. Curiosity got the better of you.
Swiftly tearing the sheet away, you were met by a gaze of emerald green glinting mischievously; the owner of said eyes wore the same coat you donned now, however the colour was a more vivid crimson, making you realise how much time had faded it. Examining the painting closely you absorbed the scene, Arthur stood proudly with one hand on the blade at his side, the other hanging loosely. His eyebrows were no less… unique, but his blond hair was longer and looked as if it had been permanently tussled by the wind; the elaborate hat was tilted slightly on his head, and his ears appeared to be pierced with multiple golden rings. There was only one word to describe him. Pirate, and a damn sexy one at that.

That one word rang through your mind as you bolted through the never-ending corridors of the Brits' home. Arthur had been a pirate? And a pirate captain no less! You were searching desperately when a very English voice called your name; spinning on your heel you flew down the corridor to your right, and followed the voice until you collided with the subject of your thoughts.
"Arthur!"
"There you are __________, I've been looking all over for-" The words died on his lips as his voice turned hoarse. "What the bloody hell are you wearing?" Looking down at yourself, you realised that in light of your recent discovery of Arthur's past, you had neglected to remove the coat and hat.
"A-actually Arthur this is kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." You paused and looked up to meet his eyes, he looked positively mortified. "So when I arrived you told me to entertain myself for a while until you'd finished your work right? Well I might have been a tad curious as to what was in all these rooms; long story short: I was exploring, got lost, found that cool room with all your old stuff in and… Well I may have come across all of this." You took a step back from him to gesture at the clothes you now adorned.
"I suppose you want an explanation then." You had been prepared for him to be angry, or at least the gentlemanly version of angry, but he just look terrified. "This way love."
Soon enough the pair of you were sat down with a pot of tea, Arthur ringing his hand nervously as if he were a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. You decided to start the conversation as he clearly wasn't sure how to.
"So, you were a pirate?" At these words he shot up from the chair and began to pace back and forth in front of you.
"Now you must understand love; it's not exactly something I'm proud of, and those years are far behind me-"
"But you were a pirate yes?" He swallowed miserably.
"Yes."
"A pirate captain."
"I was."
"What kind of pirate were you?" He took a deep breath and sank down beside you, still ringing his hands.
"I was… It's so very important that you understand __________, I was not the man that I am today. Back then I was younger, and stupider, with a much darker sense of humour. I wanted to explore the world and discover treasure, to sail the seas and know what it was like to live a life outside of society's rules."
"So you were like, a proper pirate."
"Of course," he looked at you almost indignantly before returning to his previous downcast state. "Like I said, I'm not proud of some of the things I did, but truth be told I did them; I don't know how I can expect you to understand…"
"That is so cool." His eyes were filled with disbelief, and when he spoke his voice was less than a whisper.
"What?"
"You're a pirate! Or you were a pirate, but the point is I know an honest-to-god actual pirate!" You jumped up and spun around the room laughing as the coat flared out. Kneeling down in front of Arthur, your eyes sparkled with admiration. "Why on earth didn't you tell me earlier!?"
"I don't think you understand love, I'm a pirate. I'm a murderer __________!"
"And I'll bet that most, if not all of those who died at your blade were guilty men; pirates with far worse intentions than you."
"I've killed women, children. My crew and I burned down several villages."
"And now you bear that guilt." You matched his gaze, seeing the years of pain he had caused others, and indirectly himself. "If you killed them without a second thought then I'd be ashamed, if you did not regret their deaths I'd be terrified, but you do."
"You should. You should fear me as thousands before you have done; I was the infamous Captain Kirkland. I didn't tell you because I couldn't tell you; I knew I wouldn't be able to bear it if you became afraid and abandoned me, so I hid everything away."
"Arthur…" You brought one of his trembling hands to your lips and kissed his fingertips softly. Encasing that hand with both of your own, you offered a soft smile. "I'm not afraid of you, and I would never leave you." With a smooth motion, you swept the hat off your head and onto his; your smile widened.
"And for the record, you make one sexy pirate."

At that, the last of Arthur's restraint snapped and he pulled you into his chest, crashing his lips roughly against yours. Your initial shock at the brash action disappeared as soon as you heard the Brit mumble four words against your lips.
"God I love you." Shifting your weight so that you were straddling his lap, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer opening your lips slightly as you did so. Taking this as an invitation, Arthur slipped his tongue into your mouth, smirking as the action caused you to moan slightly. The kiss was more passionate and playful than you previously believed possible from the gentleman, leaving you wondering if this was how a pirate kissed; but there was a somewhat needy undertone, as if he needed confirmation that you truly wouldn't leave him. Once you permitted your tongue to play with his, the tension left his shoulders and the kiss became less fevered. When he eventually pulled back, it was all you could do to tease him through ragged breaths.
"I thought you hated all things French?" He just grunted something about kissing being 'the only thing they got right' before capturing your lips once more. The second kiss was sweeter but held no less passion; however even after this Arthur wasn't content. With one hand on your back to hold you to him, and the second buried in your _(h/c)_ hair to tilt your head back, he began to kiss down your neck licking and nipping the skin as he went. You yelped as he bit down and began to suck the tender skin.
"N-No Arthur… If you do that I won't be able to hide it… Arthur!" He pushed you down onto the cushions and hovered over you.
"Your mine love." His beautiful eyes were clouded with lust but held the same twinkle as in the painting. So this was what he was like when he was a pirate. Seeing you were distracted, he dipped his head towards your neck again only to be pushed back, your hand over his mouth.
"No, Arthur." Your mind was set; if your friends found out that Arthur had given you a hickey, they'd never let you live it down. Eyes like emeralds narrowed at your persistence. You felt his tongue lick the hand that covered his mouth and his teeth grazed the skin of your palm; you recoiled in surprise to reveal his smirk of triumph.
"We can't have that French git lay his hands on me booty now can we poppet? So be a good girl and let me mark what's mine."
"You are being both amazingly attractive and an amazing arse all at once." His bushy eyebrows lifted a fraction, and you doubted that anyone had ever spoken to him like that when he held the title of 'Captain'. "I completely agree that Francis shouldn't lay a hand on me, and he won't, but I don't appreciate being treated as an item. I am not your 'booty' Arthur Kirkland, and if you ever call me that again I will slap that smirk off your face." He chuckled at your outburst, only smirking harder at your blush.
"I understand love." He stood up, retrieving the hat that had fallen on the floor without either of you noticing, before offering you his hand. You took it gingerly only to be pulled into his chest and receiving a chaste kiss on your forehead. "But if that frog lays one hand on you I'll chop it off and have him walk the plank." You laughed.
"Pirate."