A/N: Hey, hi, hello! I realised when I first posted this that I forgot to write an authors note, because clearly I'm a moron so here it is...better late than never! I decided to write this fic because I really fancied a pirate AU and couldn't actually find one, or find one that I liked, so I figured I'd write what I wanted to read and hope that someone else wanted to read it too!

I'm going to attempt to update this every week, I'm worried I might get a bit too in depth and novelly, but we'll see how it goes! The romance will probably pop up quite quickly...sorry!

P.S: I made a Twitter like...just now so you can follow me for updates and stuff! GirlHooked

Yuuri leaned forward, gripped the railing of the ship and stared out across the water. Normally it would be a stunning view, the sun hitting the endless expanse of waves making the water sparkle, and clear blue skies, the sun shining down. But today the sun was long gone, hidden behind clouds, and fog was rolling leisurely across the waves, creeping closer and closer to their ship. Tendrils reaching out towards them like ghostly fingers. Yuuri wouldn't admit it out loud, he wouldn't want to alarm the crew…but he had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling. He just couldn't put his finger on why. He knew it wasn't just the anxiety he often found himself struggling with, and it wasn't like this was his first voyage, where anything out of the ordinary had sent a spike of alarm shooting through him. He'd been on plenty of voyages by now.

Yuuri was the second child of Duke and Duchess Katsuki, and as such wasn't technically as valuable as his elder sister Mari…the heir to the estate. Which was fine by Yuuri, it meant he could do as he pleased unchecked. He didn't envy his sister and her position at all. Not that things where that bad for her, their parents weren't particularly invested in etiquette, much to the constant consternation of much of Society. Rather than being born in to their titles, they'd made it there through hardwork and perseverance. If anything their titles where a kind of accident. As such, Yuuri's parents tended to be quite relaxed about anything he chose to pursue. After all, they just wanted their children to be happy. Thus Yuuri had been spending his time travelling around the world seeing all that there was to see, and taking care of any family business along the way in exchange for being allowed to roam where he pleased. It was a compromise for his mother, who was forever worrying about her son and any danger he might encounter. Family business ended up being an unofficial check in the majority of the time. Yuuri had gotten to see so many places, see so many amazing things...Yuuri had never once regretted his decision. But as he stared at the ominous sky, and the fog finally started to engulf their ship…he wondered if that was about to change.

Yuuri had been about to turn and head below deck, the fog was freaking him out more than he'd like to admit especially among the unflappable crew of hard bitten sailors, when something caught his eye. Just for a moment…he thought he'd seen something hidden within the fog but it was there and gone again in the blink of an eye and he couldn't be sure what it was. What he thought he'd seen. A chill of foreboding crept up his spine and he tried very hard to shrug it off. But it was easier said than done. The thicker the fog became and the lower the visibility...Yuuri couldn't tear his thoughts way from their pessimistic turn. The tension slowly building among the crew that Yuuri had yet to see be bothered by anything didn't help either. All he could think was, That fog would be great at concealing any number of things…..any number of unfriendly things.

The P word was on the tip of his tongue. It was a better alternative to any of the legends and myths about sea creatures..and the more likely. But it was no less worrying. He couldn't very well start shouting about pirates with his only proof a sense of wrongness and a glimpse of 'something'. The crew liked him well enough but he'd be endlessly mocked if he started screaming about pirates like a scared little boy. Besides…the fog plays tricks on you. Everyone knows that. I probably didn't even see anything. Not really. But Yuuri found he still couldn't tear his eyes away from that patch of fog, and the longer Yuuri stared in to the fog, the more certain he was that something was there. Lurking within the screen of it. It could just be his mind playing tricks on him, working him in to a state, psyching himself out. He wouldn't be the first sailor to fall prey to the tricks of the fog..and mind….maybe it was the air of tension surrounding this latest voyage finally getting to him, the stories had been praying on his mind for days. Maybe it was the thought of someone…or something hiding, unseen, within the fog. Watching them. Either way the hairs on the back of his neck where practically on end and he wanted to turn tail and run. He didn't want to be out in the open, like a nice, easy target.

It didn't help that the patch of sea they where currently sailing in was the known territory of a certain ruthless pirate Captain, Viktor Nikiforov…one who was known for his blood-thirst and the charming little fact that he never left any survivors when attacking a ship. After all….dead men tell no tales. Or so the stories said. Yuuri liked to believe the best in people, and stories had a habit of getting blown out of proportion with each telling. One tiny little thing could be blown up in to something huge, and terrible. Yuuri had found himself developing an odd fascination with this particular pirate, the charming and seemingly handsome man of the Wanted posters didn't seem to fit with his persona and the stories told about him in hushed whispers in taverns. It made Yuuri curious. Who was the man really? Where the stories really true? There was only so much to be gained from a drawing of someone, and reading the penny weeklies published about him and his supposed exploits, those at least where most definitely sensationalised fiction…but Yuuri could swear there was laughter in the mans eyes in every drawing. And...something kind. He didn't look like a ruthless murderer. Not that I know what a ruthless murderer looks like. Yuuri shook himself.

Now is not the time to be thinking about your kinda, sorta and completely ridiculous crush on a moderately skilled drawing of a pirate who may or may not be a cold blooded murderer….even if you might be about to come face to face with him…and his entire crew. And their many, many cannons. Canons that would so easily shred the sails of this ship and blow enough holes in it to sink it to the bottom of the ocean. I think one of the crew said there are sharks in these waters...did he mean here...like right here? Or did he mean...more to the West? Or...the whole ocean in general? Do sharks stay in one territory? Maybe they're friendly sharks...or maybe Captain Kind Eyes But Might Be a Murderer can save you. Get a grip Yuuri! He mentally scolded himself.

Of course…there was a chance that any potential pirates out there belonged to a different Captain, one equally as vicious. One that you certainly wouldn't want lunging out of the fog at you. It would seem that a younger Captain had decided to challenge Yuuri's Captain for his territory, and not in a very polite way. But then...they are pirates. It's not like they'd ask nicely over tea and cake.

The last port had been full of talk about it all, and the stories had stuck with Yuuri after they'd set sail….how this new Captain had been infringing on Nikiforov's territory…and about a potential full on pirate war because of it with their route right in the middle of it. Everyone knew pirates where territorial. Especially when it came to a particular patch of sea that was very lucrative. Nikiforov wouldn't take kindly to a challenge and he wouldn't back down either. He'd fight back. It had the whole crew on edge. No-one wanted to be in the middle of a battle between two pirates, least of all one involving the most feared Captain currently sailing these waters and another out to prove themselves. It wouldn't be pretty. Regardless of whether or not Nikiforov was as terrifying as the stories made out or if the stories weren't all true….no-one on Yuuri's ship would make it out alive if they where caught in the crossfire. If Yuuri said that word now…it might not have the best effect amongst a crew that where already tense and wary. They where a powder keg waiting for a spark. Yuuri really, really didn't want to be the spark.

As it turned out….Yuuri didn't have to take that bullet. Someone else did it for him and he was sure he'd feel some relief about that if the situation wasn't so dire and he didn't feel like his death was imminent. Yuuri had just finished polishing his glasses on his shirt and returned them to their proper place, hoping whatever he'd thought he'd seen had been because of a smudged lense….just as a rather large, shadowy shape started to emerge from the fog. Yuuri blinked at it. As Yuuri's brain started to process what it was and his eyes widened in realisation….a hoarse shout echoed to his left.

"PIRATES" the cry was taken up by multiple crew members and echoing back around them thanks to the fog that was wrapped around them like cotton wool. Someone started to ring the warning bell, calling everyone to man their stations.

Yuuri felt his heart stop for a moment as the ship ghosted fully out of the fog, each detail coming in to sharp relief as it joined them in their little bubble. Black sails hanging ominously from the masts. Cannon's out and glinting dangerously. Maybe they're not pirates….maybe…maybe they had an accident with their sails…and that's why they're black…maybe….someone washed them wrong…maybe….Yuuri's thoughts trailed off as his eyes came to rest on the flag. Flapping lazily in the breeze, was a black flag emblazoned with a single, leering white skull. Yuuri was almost sure it was silently jeering at him and his attempts at optimism. When he finally tore his eyes away from the flag he could see them...the pirates. He swallowed. Hard. The crew around him where rushing across the deck to wherever it was they needed to be. Yuuri standing still amidst it all like a rock in a stream. He tore his eyes away from the pirate ship and it's obviously piratey occupants, and sprinted towards the stern of their ship. Men ran across the deck, narrowly avoiding colliding with each other and Yuuri danced out of the way once or twice to avoid any collisions himself. Some disappeared below to prepare the cannons. Others ran for the gunwales and the guns mounted there. Yuuri hit the stern of the ship took the stairs two at a time, rushing towards the Captain just in time to hear the worst thing he could possibly hear at that moment.

"It's him. Jean-Jacques Leroy. Looks like he's finally making his move. We all know this isn't his territory." Yuuri heard the Helmsman say. The Captain hummed to himself, deep in thought. He's thinking of a plan to escape right? Lose them in the fog...run away...

"Quite the bounty on his head if we can scupper his ship and capture him. I'd imagine a certain Captain would be grateful to us as well. Maybe enough to let us sail these waters unmolested" The Captain said thoughtfully. Yuuri chose to ignore the Helmsman's skeptical look towards his boss. It didn't bode well for them. They both knew the chances of that working.

"What do you want me to do?" Yuuri asked, breathlessly.

"You do nothing. We will deal with these miscreants. If I was you, Your Lordship, I'd get below and stay out of sight." The Captain said pointedly. Yuuri knew it was more than the Captain's lifes worth if anything happened to him, and that he would be safer below but...he wanted to help. Wanted to truly be a part of the crew.

"You want to play the 'Your Lordship' card now?" Yuuri said exasperatedly, but the Captain ignored him, turning to bark orders at his crew. Yuuri had been with this crew for a good few months, they'd all become accustomed to each other, and while the crew members would talk to him….it wasn't the friendship and camaraderie he'd have liked. That he'd imagined when he'd dreamed of sailing to far off places. He chipped in whenever he could, but it wasn't as often as he'd liked. He'd never felt like a real member of the crew, something he'd wanted so badly. His title was a barrier between him and the rest of the sailors. He'd just wanted to fit in, but his title made it impossible. He sighed, and turned to look out across the deck of the ship. He surveyed it, looking for a way to assist, there as no way he was going to hide below decks and wait for it all to be over. Even though part of him really, really wanted to. He'd do what he could. He wasn't useless and he was determined to prove it. Maybe they'll finally accept me as a member of the crew when they see me pitching in...

It wasn't long before Yuuri spotted an unmanned gun, with it firmly in his sights he ran for it, pushing any niggling fear and doubt as far down as he could. His feet hit the deck just as it shook and reverberated with the deafening sound of multiple cannons firing at once, sending him stumbling slightly. Which would have been perfectly fine, if the sound hadn't been reciprocated and Yuuri hadn't been stopped from moving forward momentarily. As the enemies cannons sounded off in return, Yuuri heard a whistling noise followed by the sound of something heavy hitting wood. There was a snapping sound…an ominous creak and a shadow fell over him. Yuuri looked up and felt the blood drain from his face. He dived out of the way of the falling mast, narrowly avoiding being crushed but not avoiding his head briefly colliding with the deck. He couldn't hear anything over the rushing, ringing in his ears. The screams and shouts and cannon fire. It was all a blur and the knock to the head wasn't helping. All he could smell was the pungent odour of burnt gunpowder and more worryingly…burning wood. But he could't think about that now. He started to pick himself up off the deck, ready to continue on towards his goal. He didn't see the cannon ball heading in his direction and he never would. All Yuuri heard was a loud noise that he didn't have time to identify, before he was tossed up in to the air as the deck nearby was blown to pieces and he was sent flying. Then it all went black.

Viktor had an uneasy feeling. It was quiet. Too quiet. No gulls squalling in the air. No wind. No friendly marine life popping up to say hello. The sound of the water hitting the hull was muffled. The fog had rolled in seemingly out of nowhere, and he'd had to slow the ship to navigate safely through it. Which wouldn't normally cause him this level of unease, if any at all. It wasn't the first time they'd sailed through fog, nor would it be the last. They where all well used to it. Viktor even found it relaxing sometimes, and fun at others. It offered great opportunity for a sneak attack on an unsuspecting target, and livened up what had become repetitive for him...it provided a challenge. And Viktor did love surprises. No, what was making Viktor uneasy was the faint smell of…something. Something familiar. Something he should know the scent of because he was sure he'd smelled it before. He just couldn't quite put his finger on it. He sensed the answer was close but it was maddeningly out of reach to him. But whatever it was…it had him on edge. Viktor pondered what it could be, my quartermasters latest attempt to cook perhaps….or perhaps my first mate has concocted another of his 'perfumes', as he peered through his spyglass, attempting to spot any clear stretch of sea through the dense fog or anything that would pose a danger to his ship. At that moment, a breeze started up, and the fog started to move in the opposite direction but it was slow moving and he'd been hoping they'd hit clear water soon, he was rather bored of the dull grey shroud they'd been trapped in for what felt like forever. As far as Viktor knew there where no ships in the area to surprise, and he was in a bleak mood without the scenery adding to it. Viktor's pondering was interrupted rather rudely by shouts from below. What is it this time? He internally sighed.

"Captain!" he heard his first mate yell. He turned to where the commotion was coming from, surprised at the use of the word. He so rarely bothers to use my title, it must be important if he wants my attention so badly...of course our ideas of important differ greatly. He could see his first mate, along with several other crew members huddled around the side of the ship, peering at what he assumed was something in the water. "Captain you'd better come and see this!" his First Mate continued. Viktor sighed and took his time tucking his spyglass away in an inner pocket of his coat. This had better not be another dolphin or whatever other sea creature's caught his eye now. Yes they're fascinating, and so very cute, but there's only so many times I can feign polite interest. And really, a man of his age should be above such things by now.

"What is it Chris?" He said exasperatedly, as he reached the tight knot of his crew, all of whom promptly stepped away to give him room to look at whatever it was. Strange...Viktor prepared himself to 'ooh' and 'aaah' over whatever marine life Chris was forcing everyone to look at now, and the useless facts about it that would ensue, while internally trying to remember why he'd picked Chris as his first mate. They'd been friends for years, sailing together under a Captain that was plain terrifying at times…but the closest thing Viktor had ever had to a father. The older Viktor had gotten the more he'd chafed to strike out on his own…to do things his way. He'd always been terrible at following orders. As soon as he'd hit 18 he'd left Yakov and his ship behind and struck out on his own. And Chris had come with him. Chris was the closest friend Viktor had. Viktor trusted him implicitly. He couldn't think of anyone better to be his first mate. Unfortunately while capable 99% of the time, there was the 1% when Chris tended to get distracted by pretty things….unusual things….and anything of the male persuasion.

"That" Chris sighed dreamily. Viktor furrowed his brows. Don't tell me he's mooning over a porpoise? Is this going to be a repeat of the time he thought he'd seen a merman but it was actually a turtle caught up in some seaweed? As if mermen even exist in the first place. But that reminds me…I really need to get him a pair of glasses when we next make port. When the pointedly strange look he was giving Chris failed to procure him any more information he finally followed Chris's gaze, but couldn't immediately spot what the man was so enamoured with. He leaned forward, squinting in to the mist.

"There. Idiot" a grouchy voice sounded from next to him. He glanced down to see his quartermaster, Yuri, glaring at him. When we next make port, I'm going to ply him with alcohol and see if it improves his demeanour. Viktor thought to himself, allowing the grouchy boy to grab him. Viktor would never normally have taken a boy of Yuri's age…or attitude aboard his ship…but there had been something about him. And it wasn't his…..kindly nature. Abandoned with no-one but his Grandpa to care for him and looking for a way to take care of the both of them, Yuri had been attempting to get work on a ship..any ship. Viktor had been the only one to take pity on him. Viktor saw something in him and his situation that reminded him of himself. And here they where. Viktor regretted his decision at least three times a day. The boy had an abominable attitude…but there was no finer quartermaster and he often considered the boy as a kind of…brother of sorts. Yuri did like to boss people about….but deep down he cared for his crew mates. Very, very deep down…and in his own way.

Yuri manhandled Viktor closer to the side of the ship and turned Viktors head in the correct direction. Swatting his hand away, Viktor squinted….and then he saw it…..or rather…him. Ah. That explains Chris's behaviour, at least it's over a human this time, and not a dolphin…or a turtle…it really has been too long since we last made port.

Floating there in the water was a piece of wood. Part of a ship if Viktor had to guess. And on top of that piece of wood, sprawled an unconscious man. On his back, and soaked to the bone. Viktor could make out high cheekbones, dark eyelashes dusting them. A pair of glasses miraculously clung to the man's seemingly delicate face. Thick, damp, dark hair fell in to his face, would have fallen in to his eyes if they where open. And through the wet, clinging white material of his shirt…toned arms and shoulders…and a very nicely defined stomach. The man's trousers in their current waterlogged state left nothing to the imagination either. Viktor found his mood perking up. Well done Chris, this is the most useful you've been in weeks…you've found an incredibly good looking man. I couldn't be prouder. I knew there was a reason I made you first mate. Viktor thought as he gazed at the prone form, his eyes running over the visible parts of the man again and again, drinking it in. His clothing appeared to be plain, his boots a worn brown leather. He had no coat, and Viktor's brain was stuck on that fact. He looked so vulnerable, lying there. No coat to keep him warm.

"Nice find Chris. If I could promote you any higher than you already are…then I would" Viktor said, cocking his head to the side, trying to get a better look at the man's face through the fog. He fingered the spyglass in his inner coat pocket, debating pulling it out to get an up close and personal look...but wondered how much his crew would judge him. I would look rather desperate...

"Just remember I saw him first" Chris smirked at him, arms folded across his chest.

"Ah but I'm the Captain Chris…I get first dibs on all…..treasure we may find." Viktor purred. Chris rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"Gross. He might be dead." a grouchy voice screeched, practically right in his ear. Ignoring it, Viktor turned back to the man in the water, preparing to drink in the sight some more but his ogling was interrupted by a sharp jab to the ribs. If he does it again, I'm going to make him walk the plank. I swear I'll do it this time...I just want to look at what I'm fairly sure is a gorgeous specimen of a man...don't I deserve to look!?

"Well? Did you hear me? Are you just going to leave him floating there…in the water, while you stare creepily and bicker over him? It's not like he's floating there for fun. He's not on a cruise." Viktor glared at Yuri, who completely unfazed…just glared back. Then again glaring is his default setting. "His ship was attacked, he's probably been floating in that water for at least an hour if not longer, and he's possibly injured…." Yuri paused. "Or dead, like I already pointed out. What kind of gross idiot are you? Who even made you Captain?" Viktor stared at the youth, hurt.

"Now now Yuuuuri, don't be grumpy! I made me Captain of course and-" Viktor practically sang before the rest of his sentence sank in. He preferred to focus on the former part of the sentence rather than the latter. He really didn't like the thought of it. "Attacked….what makes you say that?" Viktor looked at Yuri questioningly, his eyes narrowing as he became suddenly serious. The boy sniffed haughtily.

"That" Yuri pointed and Viktor turned to see something breaking through the departing fog, as a sound reached his ears…crackling and snapping. Rising up just to the left of them where the remains of a ship swiftly becoming more and more visible as the fog started to recede. Pieces of it still merrily burning away, while a good portion of it had sunk below the water. There was no sign of any of its crew except for the man floating in the water near his ship. Seemingly the only survivor….if he was still alive. Gunpowder….burning wood. That's what I could smell. Viktor stared hard in to the fog, ignoring Yuri's grumbling about Viktors qualifications for the role of Captain.

Viktors uneasy feeling came flooding back tenfold.