#seauk

pairing: england/(18!) sealand

length: 9.7 K

The English govt:

• wiretapped the Bates

• sent spies to follow their movements in-person (Roy kicked the shit out of one)

• dick-swinging. . . with boats. . . Literally the Ocean Cock and the Crested Cock, my beloveds. Arthur why are you sending your younger brother two boats named cock. What. 🤨

I'm not joking look at them

The first and most obvious thing is power dynamics. Peter is 18, he's just reaching adulthood, he's super isolated with few social skills, facing his mortality as that 100 year expiration date ticks closer. He's ungodly old for a micronation (81!), too young for a "real" nation, and he's the UK brother everyone forgets. He's a black sheep. He's alone. And he's been fighting for his life since day one, left by his older brothers to fend for himself.

Arthur gave this kid his identical trauma. But because of what Peter is -- a fort made to protect Arthur at all costs -- he didn't develop npd or bpd like Arthur. He internalized it, and tied his self-worth to it. Arthur marooned him at sea for a decade. Well, it must be because Peter didn't fight hard enough! He should have killed more Nazis, maybe then Arthur would love him -- never mind that it was a horrible, unfortunate mistake that no action of his could have prevented.

And so Arthur's love and attention is directly tied to Peter's self-esteem. That's only reinforced by Peter's fort instincts; being made to serve and protect him, naturally, his brain is hard-wired to revolve around him. So when they do get together, it's mostly Peter fretting over him 24/7.

Their history of fighting is so fucking painful and it's 100% Arthur going full yandere mode. He thought Peter died after his sailors were withdrawn, and learning that he was not only alive, but stolen away from him and in the hands of a fucking lunatic? He had to "rescue" him at all costs. Bomb threats to scare them out, trying to steal it while Prince Roy was gone by sending a boat literally codenamed Big Brother, trying to starve them out by making Roy go through customs and ruining their supplies. One outright failed bombing attempt. Offers to buy it. Then trying to fight them in the court system and failing. A significant part of the British government was focused on the reacquisition of that fucking fort. I cannot stress the sheer amount of effort focused around a pair of concrete pants in the ocean. It's like Arthur was having a complete meltdown.

Of course, they're quite friendly now, so I interpret that as Arthur and Peter having reconciled. And with those two, they get super close at an unnaturally fast pace. Because?? They're the same.

But another thing that makes the bond so strong so quickly is that Peter is genuinely always on Arthur's side, in everything that matters. He can't help but be. So, even though Peter falls head over heels and enthusiastically consents, it's inherently dubcon; so much of his love and admiration comes from basic instinct to serve his country, and it's impossible to tell the ratio of instinct to earned love. But that also makes the relationship more stable in a fucked-up way, because Arthur knows he can trust him at a deep, base level. And to someone as unstable as Arthur, having that stability is very important.

Culturally, they're identical. Peter is English. So now, Arthur isn't an outlier as a Germanic in a family of Celts. And

Peter is taking Arthur's place as the youngest. Both have abandonment trauma, so they're co-dependent and need each other very close. Similar tastes, with playful bickering over the smallest of differences. Same sense of humor, so their quips are always well-received. Fuck, they even look alike.

And so he values the relationship so much that he gets more than a little unreasonable. Peter is practically half-German after many years of German immigration -- at one point about half of all Sealanders were German or Austrian. He has all these little habits he picked up, speaks the language, and looks up to Ludwig, the same man he was built to kill. Does that imply Peter can overcome his instincts to some extent? Does that mean he might betray Arthur? And Peter is awfully economically close to Spain, which stirs up old feelings about fighting over colonies. So Arthur gets possessive. Some of the old yandere tendencies between them come out. Except now, Peter isn't being kept from Arthur, but being kept from his friends. Anyone who might "steal" him. No, he is English property and Arthur will make damn sure he never leaves him. Isolating him by spending a ton of time with him, because Peter will always drop whatever he's doing or planning if only Arthur asks.

But it isn't all fucked-up angst. Arthur helps Peter overcome his lingering cptsd, helps him regulate his drinking, and overall improves his quality of life. Peter gets Arthur to open up and be a bit more authentic around himself and others -- albeit, by hyping him up and stroking his ego, which Arthur is prone to seeking because of the npd. Outwardly, they both seem so good, they're smiling more and work so well together, that it's hard for outsiders to see the more unhealthy dynamics that are kind of the foundation of the relationship.

With sexual dynamics the sky is the limit, simply because Peter will do whatever Arthur wants. Submissive, dominant? Service top? Power bottom? Peter is certainly more skilled in some areas than others, but he will break himself to fit into whatever mold Arthur casts for him. Whatever Arthur wishes, he will receive.

Also realises just how much of Peter's things are worn out. He knows Peter clings to his working class background, but seriously? His socks are worn so thin that most of them have holes. Good lord. How did Arthur not notice this before?

(Answer: he was too preoccupied with blue eyes and pretty thighs.)

Fun fact: some pirate ships had iron reinforcement! That's 100% what Peter would be in a pirate au; iron bones instead of steel bones, still with his super strength, and still made to serve in Arthur's navy, so he still has that instinctual loyalty to him. He spawned in Harwich (bonus history points, for irl Sealand protecting that port and it being a huge shipyard during that time?) and was an anomaly, sure; in what world does a fort/ship get its own personification? And just like in mainverse, he's sent to war anyway, and it's assumed he'll probably die during it.

Child Peter is a powder monkey! He's bloodthirsty and a menace, eager to wreak havoc for the glory of his absent older brother. He wants to be close to the action, and he can heal very quickly, even from mortal wounds -- so he's perfect for the job, and is taking the place of a human child. Traumatizing, but it's a net good, right??

After the war, there's no use for him, and it's decided that he'll be broken up and the timber used for other endeavors. which was what usually happened to ships that outlived their usefulness. . . Which Arthur just can't abide by. He's not really keen on getting close to Peter, because this is very shortly after Alfred gained independence, but he also cannot bring himself to let his other blond-haired, blue-eyed, enthusiastic, super-strong little brother be killed in the most painful way imaginable.

So he took advantage of the Elizabethan law which protected Sealand irl and pirates in the first place: ordered him to throw anchor outside of England's territorial waters, where his jurisdiction ends, and wait until he can convince his bosses to not decommission him. But, uh. . . a royal navy warship, relatively empty, just sitting out there with notoriously incompetent naval guard looking over it? It's free real estate.

Being basically fucking dumped out at sea like an unwanted puppy, Peter is in bad shape, both physically and emotionally, when he's commandeered by pirates. They fix him up, induct him into their crew, and give him a self-discovery arc where he emotionally tries to separate himself from the brother who abandoned him.

Meanwhile, Arthur very much notices his absence, and begins The Chase. He will hunt down that crew and have them personally hanged for daring to steal from him. Captain Kirkland takes sail, always one step behind the pirate crew -- and all British vessels are on the lookout for Peter.

This continues for decades. Peter is coming into himself, physically aging into his teens and growing bolder. More skilled. More confident. But full of righteous fury and still extremely fucked up, leaning on substance abuse and whatever distractions he can conjure up to deal with his demons. Arthur is more and more obsessed, even going as far as to attempt to sink Peter a few times; he'd rather have his brother drowned at the bottom of the ocean by his own hand than to let his property be taken by pirates. The rift between them grows ever-larger, even as they have increasingly close encounters.

Arthur is closing in. But Peter's inherent loyalty won't allow him to fight back -- only flee. This causes a ton of friction with his crew, up until Arthur is breathing down their necks. There's a mutiny of sorts, and Peter is put into the brig, made to wait while his crew tries to fight for their lives. Only, Peter enters the protective haze which always happens when Arthur is in danger, and he's reduced to his basic instincts. No longer lucid, just a hollow shell of himself, made to submit, serve, and slaughter.

The cannon fire stops, and Arthur is bewildered, until he takes out a spy glass and watches as Peter tears his own crew apart limb from limb. His property returns to him, just as obedient and doting as the day Arthur ordered him to throw anchor, until the haze lifts and he's utterly distraught.

Slow burn of Peter degenerating back into Arthur's lapdog. All the spicy ship elements -- physical age gap between teen peter and adult arthur (which is bigger in terms of real years), incest, stockholm syndrome, even some mind control-type shit. Peter eventually giving in and falling head over heels, but struggling because at this time, Arthur is a bastard who mostly sees him as a weapon he can fuck. Tons of angst, obviously, with wholesome moments sprinkled in, like Arthur saving Peter from getting hanged for piracy, teaching Peter how to read, etc.

Plus side conflicts of friction with Arthur's crew (mostly thanks to the rampant classism in the Royal Navy, Peter is both condescended upon as A Poor and an object of jealousy for having high rank anyway), Peter's continuing struggle with his own sense of free will and fighting to be seen as a person, and those demons he tried to drown in rum still haven't quieted down. Plus more miscellaneous conflict that I'm keeping a secret for now. >:)