AU_ABC: Pirates of The Emerald Dawn - Chapter 7
Title: Pirates of The Emerald Dawn - Chapter 7: Tortuga (7/11)
Author: Aranel Took
Fandom/Claim: DC Comics, Hal Jordan/Kyle Rayner
Rating: NC-17 (explicit sex and violence)
Prompt: P - Pirates for au_abc Challenge.
Words: 3,207
Summary: Elseworlds. Kyle Rayner is captured by the notorious pirate Captain Hal Jordan.
Chapter 7 - Tortuga
“Kyle?”
Kyle sighed. He’d been on edge all day, waiting for this moment. They’d done a good job of avoiding it since yesterday, with the Captain keeping to the quarterdeck or his cabin while Kyle had been here, on the opposite end of the ship, using the excuse that he wanted to read some of Soranik’s medical texts so he’d be more helpful next time she needed his help. He looked up from the book he was reading, open to the chapter on amputations. “Do you need something, Captain?”
He got some satisfaction from seeing Hal’s jaw tighten. “Come to my cabin. I need to talk to you.”
Kyle looked back at his text. “And I need you to stop ordering me around.”
“Kyle…” Hal’s fists clenched and for a moment Kyle thought Hal was going to punch the wall-or punch him. But then he relaxed and took a deep breath. “Please come with me, Kyle. We need to talk this over.”
Kyle sighed and closed the book. There was no use dragging this out and Hal at least seemed willing to listen to him now.
They passed Soranik as they were leaving the sick bay. She smiled at Kyle and mouthed, “Good luck.”
Once inside the captain’s cabin, they stood on opposite ends of the table in awkward silence. Then Hal spoke. “Soranik said you were a big help to her.”
Kyle shrugged. “I had to help. They’d been suffering so much. Even the kids.”
“So you understand why I made the decision to kill the crew? They treated those people as nothing more than animals. We are the only hope for innocent people. We are the only way they can get justice. This is what we do, Kyle. Taking cargo pays our way. But freeing those people … it’s more like our purpose. Do you understand that?”
Kyle nodded. “Yes. I understand.” Spending time with the slaves - tending their illnesses and injuries, wrapping too small bodies in sail cloth to be thrown overboard - made the hate boil in him for the men who had done this to them. He could now fully understand how Hal could so easily pass a death sentence on the crew. “It’s not so much that. It’s just you were ordering me around, like…” He sighed. It sounded so stupid now that he had to say it.
“Like you were a part of the crew?” Hal finished for him.
Kyle nodded.
“You have to understand that when we are off this ship and in a dangerous situation, I have to treat you like everyone else. Which means you cannot question my orders. Lives depend on it, Kyle! Outside this room you will be treated like every other member of this crew.” Hal stepped around the end of the table and came towards Kyle. “That’s part of the reason why I don’t want you to come on our raids. I consider you more than just a member of my crew. I will always worry over your safety. I will also worry about being seen as playing favorites because you are my lover.” Hal stopped in front of him and caressed his cheek.
The touch was all the reassurance Kyle needed that he was more than just a another member of the crew to Hal. He turned his face into the warmth of Hal’s hand. “I understand.”
“Good.” Hal stepped close and kissed him. “Now come to bed. I’ve missed you.”
They were halfway to the bed when Kyle realized Hal was ordering him around again, and that he hadn’t even noticed. Damn, what was it about this man that made him bend to Hal’s will so easily? Kyle decided that was going to change. They weren’t out with the rest of the crew or off the ship, after all.
They undressed without saying a word, then Hal lay back on the bed and opened his arms to Kyle.
But Kyle didn’t lie down in Hal’s embrace. Instead he knelt between Hal’s legs and leaned over him to kiss him.
Hal ran his hands over Kyle’s body while they kissed, up his sides and over his back and then down to his arse. He tried to roll them, to put Kyle underneath him, but Kyle braced himself. Hal pushed a little harder, but still Kyle resisted. He broke the kiss and took Hal’s hands, grasping them by the wrists. He pushed them back on the bed, so Hal’s hands were over his head and Kyle was over him. “No,” Kyle said firmly. He shifted his weight forward, pressing Hal’s wrists into the mattress. “You can give the orders out there,” he said, nodding over his shoulder towards the door, “and I’ll obey you without question. But in here, in this bed, you are going to have to obey me sometimes. Do you understand?”
Hal blinked, surprise on his face. His breathing quickened and he squirmed ever so slightly under Kyle’s weight. But then he licked his lips and nodded. “I understand.”
“Good.” Kyle let go of Hal’s wrists and pushed himself upright, kneeling again between Hal’s legs. He ran his hand over Hal’s arse, then let his fingers drift over to his entrance and gently pushed the tip of his finger inside.
“Kyle!”
Hal squirmed again, but Kyle kept his finger where it was. He leaned forward to look into Hal’s eyes, the tip of his finger gently stroking in and out. “What do you want, Hal? Do you want me to stop?” He would stop if Hal asked. He wanted to take away some of Hal’s control, but he’d never try to force him. “Or will you let me fuck you?”
Hal closed his eyes. He didn’t say anything and for a moment Kyle thought he’d pushed him too far. But then he opened his eyes and looked up at Kyle. “I want you to fuck me.”
Kyle smiled. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. “Like this?” He slid his finger in all the way and Hal groaned and clenched around it. “Is this what you want, Hal?”
“Yes,” Hal gasped.
Kyle gave a few more strokes, then curled his finger. He must have hit the right spot because Hal moaned and his hands clawed at the mattress. Kyle grinned and while he slowly added a second finger to the first, he bent over to take Hal’s cock in his mouth.
“Yes, Kyle, yes, yes…” Hal was thrusting up into Kyle’s mouth, squeezing around Kyle’s fingers. Kyle tilted his head slightly so he could look at his lover. Hal was watching him, his mouth open and panting, and his fingers were rubbing his nipples. Oh, God… Kyle’s cock throbbed at the sight.
He replaced his mouth with his hand, stroking and squeezing Hal’s cock. He wanted to watch Hal, watch his face when he climaxed.
Kyle crooked his finger again and Hal thrust harder into his hand. “Soon…” Hal murmured. He thrust a few more times, then grunted and came, his face contorting with pleasure as he released. Kyle leaned down to lick Hal’s belly clean, savoring the bitter-salty taste of him. Hal sighed deeply and ran his fingers through Kyle’s hair.
Kyle gave Hal’s skin one last swipe with his tongue, then lifted his face to look at his lover. “Are you ready for me to fuck you properly?”
Hal hesitated for a moment, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, then he nodded.
Kyle leaned over to the cabinet next to the bed, to retrieve the small bottle of olive oil that had made its way into their bedroom. He rubbed a splash of oil over the head of his throbbing cock. “This will make it nice and easy,” he said, repeating what Hal told once him. He pushed Hal’s legs back, then rubbed the oil around the pucker of Hal’s entrance, gently pressing his finger inside. Hal didn’t flinch this time and Kyle took that as a good sign. He corked the bottle and dropped it on the bed, then leaned forward, guiding his cock inside Hal.
Hal arched his back and moaned. “Kyle!”
Kyle gave a gentle thrust. “How is it?”
“Good,” Hal gasped. “Really good.” He smiled up at Kyle and squeezed his arse.
Kyle gasped at the sudden tightness around his cock. He looked down to watch himself slide in and out of Hal. Slowly at first, trying to prolong their pleasure.
Hal rocked his hips, meeting Kyle’s thrusts. “Harder,” he grunted, reaching out to grab Kyle’s hips, trying to make him move faster. “Fuck me harder.”
But Kyle grabbed Hal’s hands and pulled out of him. “Oh, no,” he chided, smiling at his lover. “You are not in control here. I am.” He had to bite back a laugh at the dirty look Hal gave him. He let go of Hal’s hands and leaned forward again, his cock teasing at Hal’s entrance. “Ask me nicely.”
“Please, Kyle,” Hal begged. He was breathing hard and thrusting his arse against Kyle’s cock. “Harder … please.”
He pushed inside Hal, just the head of his cock. “Is this what you want, Hal?”
“Yes,” Hal whimpered. “Please, Kyle…”
Kyle leaned down so he could kiss Hal, shoving his tongue into his mouth as he shoved his cock back into his arse. Hal moaned into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Kyle, his fingers digging into Kyle’s back. Kyle gave him what he wanted, thrusting hard and deep. Hal groaned into his mouth.
A tingle went up Kyle’s spine, then his balls tightened and he shouted as he pumped his release into Hal. He collapsed into a sweaty heap on top of him, breathing hard. Hal kissed his brow and ran his fingers through his damp hair.
When Kyle had caught his breath, he looked up at Hal. “Did you like it?”
Hal smiled. “I think I’m going to enjoy taking orders from you.”
* * *
Now they were heading to Tortuga, to trade for supplies and allow many in the crew to see their familes. Kyle had been surprised when he’d learned that both Guy and John were married. Guy had married a Norwegian girl he’d met in England, before he’d turned to piracy, while John had married Soranik’s cousin.
The two families lived together in a village a few miles from the main port, away from the wild lawlessness of pirates and privateers. When they approached the house, four red-haired girls came racing down the path, the youngest just a toddler, along with two dark-skinned children, a boy and a girl.
“Papa! Papa!” Guy was nearly bowled over by the little red-heads wrapping themselves around his legs. John bent down and scooped his own children into his arms.
“This is Johnny and Rosie,” John said, smiling proudly. He kissed each one on the cheek. “Say hello to Captain Hal and Mister Kyle.”
“Hello,” they both said softly. Rosie giggled and turned her face into her father’s neck.
Guy picked up his youngest daughter and looked at her in amazement. “When did you start running around, baby girl?”
“She’s been doing that for ages, Daddy,” his oldest daughter said.
“Oh.” Guy shrugged and turned to Hal and Kyle. “Let’s see, this is Anna, Inger-”
“I’m Trude, Daddy,” the second oldest girl said with a sigh.
“Right, sweetheart.” He went around the group again, touching heads as he said their names. “Anna, Trude, Inger, and little Elise.” He gave the toddler in his arms a noisy kiss to make her giggle. Kyle grinned. He’d never imagined gruff, ornery Guy to be such a doting father to little girls.
Guy patted Anna’s head. “Go tell your Mama we’re home.”
Anna took off running into the house and a few minutes later there were tearful reunions as Guy, John and Soranik were reunited with wives and cousin.
While Katma was much like her cousin and very close to what Kyle expected, Tora Gardner was nothing like the wife he’d imagined for Guy. Rather than the big, bossy woman he’d anticipated, Tora was a slight woman, sweet and soft-spoken. Not at all what he expected for the woman who had fallen in love with Guy Gardner.
“I have someone for you to meet,” Tora said to Guy with a playful gleam in her eye before disappearing into the house.
Katma herded them inside as well. She got them settled at a large table in the kitchen and started putting bowl after bowl of food on the table: chicken, goat, rice, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, bread and cheese that weren’t moldy and hard. After months of ship food, Kyle didn’t even know where to begin. He shoveled in a mouthful of fresh peas and had the sudden feeling he had died and gone to Heaven.
Then Tora came back with a bundle in her arms. Guy grinned and took it from her. “Boy?” he asked hopefully.
“Her name is Kristina,” Tora said cheerily, apparently not at all surprised or offended by the question.
Disappointment briefly flitted across Guy’s face, but then he smiled down at the baby in his arms. “No matter. Just means we have to try again.” He leaned over and kissed Tora’s cheek.
A small form pushed between Hal and Kyle. “Want to come see our new puppies, Captain Hal?” Trude asked.
“Let Captain Hal sit and eat,” Tora scolded gently. “They’ve been on a ship a long time.”
Hal patted the girl’s head. “After we’ve stuffed ourselves on your mum and auntie’s wonderful food, we’ll go see the puppies.” He looked up at Kyle and winked. “Maybe we can talk Mister Kyle into coming, too.”
* * *
Kyle was feeling really good.
They’d left Guy, John and Soranik to spend time with their families and returned to the ship with a jug of rum that Katma had given them. A bottle of rum just for them: no rationing, no sharing. And now they were sprawled on the bench under the windows, the room lit only by moonlight, glasses in hand and a jug of rum that was now half-empty.
Kyle tossed back another glass and shivered as the warmth went down his throat. He licked his lips. This was the best rum he’d ever tasted.
Hal refilled the empty glass, slopping a little over Kyle’s wrist. He leaned down to lick the dribble of rum from Kyle’s skin. “So that was the first ship I ever commanded,” he continued. “She was beautiful. Sleek lines … responsive … never gave me any trouble.”
Kyle snorted. “Sounds like you’re talking about a wife.”
“A ship’s the closest thing I’ll ever have to a wife.” He winked at Kyle, then drained his glass.
Kyle drank down the rum in his glass, but he shook his head when Hal tried to refill it. “I’m done,” Hal took the glass from him and set it on the floor.
Kyle sighed and leaned back on the cushions. “Guy and John have nice families,” he said.
“Yes. They’re both very lucky.” Hal set aside his glass and the jug. He leaned back next to Kyle, their shoulders pressed together.
Kyle turned sideways to look at Hal. “The kids really like you, Captain Hal.” He smiled. “You’re good with kids.” He sighed and traced his finger around the buttons on Hal’s shirt. “Do you regret not having a family of your own?”
Hal snorted. “If you haven’t noticed, Kyle, I’m not overly interested in having a wife.”
“I know. But a situation like this … you would only see her whenever your ship came into port. And you could just … close your eyes while you make the babies.”
“Are you trying to marry me off?” Hal asked. He furrowed his brows, searching Kyle’s face. “Or are you thinking about what you want?”
“No. I don’t want to marry. I couldn’t even think of Jenny Scott that way and I already liked her as a friend.” He shrugged. “It would be nice to have children, though. To have a family.” He’d had a lot of fun playing with the children today, watching them roll in the grass with the puppies and then joining in their game of hide-and-seek. And he’d liked watching Guy and John with their children, both of them examples of the loving father Kyle had never had.
Hal chuckled and leaned close to kiss him. He rubbed his hand over Kyle’s belly. “I don’t think I’ll be getting you with child anytime soon.”
Kyle snorted and poked Hal in the stomach. “Who said I would be the one having the babies?”
They laughed at the absurdity of the idea, then Hal stood up, a little unsteady at first. He reached down to take Kyle’s hand and pull him to his feet. “Time for bed, I think.” He grinned. “We’ve obviously had too much to drink.”
Kyle laughed and followed him into their small bedroom. Kyle collapsed back on the bed, warm and happy from the rum, and smiled up at his lover.
Hal lay down next to him and ran his fingers through Kyle’s hair. “Do you think you can settle for an old pirate captain as your family?”
Kyle raised his eyebrows and blinked. The rum had clouded his brain, so he wasn’t quite sure what Hal was trying to say. “What do you mean?”
Hal gave him a rum-flavored kiss. “I mean if it were possible, Kyle Rayner, I would marry you.”
Kyle giggled, but his laughter was cut short when he realized Hal wasn’t laughing. “You’re serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious. I’ve never been happier in my life than when I’m with you.” He caressed Kyle’s face, running his thumb over his cheek. “I love you.”
“Oh.” Kyle’s heart started pounding and he felt dizzy, above and beyond what the rum had done to his head. Hal loved him. Todd had never said those words to him. Nobody except his mother had ever said those words to him.
“I’m sorry,” Hal said, pulling away from him. “It was presumptuous of me to say that.”
“What?” Kyle frowned at him, then realized the misunderstanding. “Oh, no. No.” He rolled on top of Hal and kissed him, sliding his tongue between Hal’s lips, raking his fingers through Hal’s hair. “You just surprised me,” he said, looking into worried brown eyes. “I love you, too. And if it were possible, I would marry you, too.”
They gazed into each other’s eyes, then a stray thought tickled Kyle’s already fuzzy brain and he dropped his head to giggle into Hal’s chest.
“And what is so funny?” Hal asked.
Kyle lifted his head to look at him. “I just imagined the look on my father’s face if I told him I wanted to marry a pirate captain. The notorious Captain Hal Jordan, no less.”
Hal grinned. “You can write to him when we get to Port Royal.”
Kyle giggled again. He was sorely tempted to do just that. Kyle kissed him, a quick peck, then lay his head on Hal’s chest, his ear pressed to the thump of his heart. Hal wrapped his arms around him and Kyle sighed contentedly, the rum making his eyes drift closed. “I’ve never been happier, either,” he said sleepily.
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My au_abc Prompt Table
Author: Aranel Took
Fandom/Claim: DC Comics, Hal Jordan/Kyle Rayner
Rating: NC-17 (explicit sex and violence)
Prompt: P - Pirates for au_abc Challenge.
Words: 3,207
Summary: Elseworlds. Kyle Rayner is captured by the notorious pirate Captain Hal Jordan.
Chapter 7 - Tortuga
“Kyle?”
Kyle sighed. He’d been on edge all day, waiting for this moment. They’d done a good job of avoiding it since yesterday, with the Captain keeping to the quarterdeck or his cabin while Kyle had been here, on the opposite end of the ship, using the excuse that he wanted to read some of Soranik’s medical texts so he’d be more helpful next time she needed his help. He looked up from the book he was reading, open to the chapter on amputations. “Do you need something, Captain?”
He got some satisfaction from seeing Hal’s jaw tighten. “Come to my cabin. I need to talk to you.”
Kyle looked back at his text. “And I need you to stop ordering me around.”
“Kyle…” Hal’s fists clenched and for a moment Kyle thought Hal was going to punch the wall-or punch him. But then he relaxed and took a deep breath. “Please come with me, Kyle. We need to talk this over.”
Kyle sighed and closed the book. There was no use dragging this out and Hal at least seemed willing to listen to him now.
They passed Soranik as they were leaving the sick bay. She smiled at Kyle and mouthed, “Good luck.”
Once inside the captain’s cabin, they stood on opposite ends of the table in awkward silence. Then Hal spoke. “Soranik said you were a big help to her.”
Kyle shrugged. “I had to help. They’d been suffering so much. Even the kids.”
“So you understand why I made the decision to kill the crew? They treated those people as nothing more than animals. We are the only hope for innocent people. We are the only way they can get justice. This is what we do, Kyle. Taking cargo pays our way. But freeing those people … it’s more like our purpose. Do you understand that?”
Kyle nodded. “Yes. I understand.” Spending time with the slaves - tending their illnesses and injuries, wrapping too small bodies in sail cloth to be thrown overboard - made the hate boil in him for the men who had done this to them. He could now fully understand how Hal could so easily pass a death sentence on the crew. “It’s not so much that. It’s just you were ordering me around, like…” He sighed. It sounded so stupid now that he had to say it.
“Like you were a part of the crew?” Hal finished for him.
Kyle nodded.
“You have to understand that when we are off this ship and in a dangerous situation, I have to treat you like everyone else. Which means you cannot question my orders. Lives depend on it, Kyle! Outside this room you will be treated like every other member of this crew.” Hal stepped around the end of the table and came towards Kyle. “That’s part of the reason why I don’t want you to come on our raids. I consider you more than just a member of my crew. I will always worry over your safety. I will also worry about being seen as playing favorites because you are my lover.” Hal stopped in front of him and caressed his cheek.
The touch was all the reassurance Kyle needed that he was more than just a another member of the crew to Hal. He turned his face into the warmth of Hal’s hand. “I understand.”
“Good.” Hal stepped close and kissed him. “Now come to bed. I’ve missed you.”
They were halfway to the bed when Kyle realized Hal was ordering him around again, and that he hadn’t even noticed. Damn, what was it about this man that made him bend to Hal’s will so easily? Kyle decided that was going to change. They weren’t out with the rest of the crew or off the ship, after all.
They undressed without saying a word, then Hal lay back on the bed and opened his arms to Kyle.
But Kyle didn’t lie down in Hal’s embrace. Instead he knelt between Hal’s legs and leaned over him to kiss him.
Hal ran his hands over Kyle’s body while they kissed, up his sides and over his back and then down to his arse. He tried to roll them, to put Kyle underneath him, but Kyle braced himself. Hal pushed a little harder, but still Kyle resisted. He broke the kiss and took Hal’s hands, grasping them by the wrists. He pushed them back on the bed, so Hal’s hands were over his head and Kyle was over him. “No,” Kyle said firmly. He shifted his weight forward, pressing Hal’s wrists into the mattress. “You can give the orders out there,” he said, nodding over his shoulder towards the door, “and I’ll obey you without question. But in here, in this bed, you are going to have to obey me sometimes. Do you understand?”
Hal blinked, surprise on his face. His breathing quickened and he squirmed ever so slightly under Kyle’s weight. But then he licked his lips and nodded. “I understand.”
“Good.” Kyle let go of Hal’s wrists and pushed himself upright, kneeling again between Hal’s legs. He ran his hand over Hal’s arse, then let his fingers drift over to his entrance and gently pushed the tip of his finger inside.
“Kyle!”
Hal squirmed again, but Kyle kept his finger where it was. He leaned forward to look into Hal’s eyes, the tip of his finger gently stroking in and out. “What do you want, Hal? Do you want me to stop?” He would stop if Hal asked. He wanted to take away some of Hal’s control, but he’d never try to force him. “Or will you let me fuck you?”
Hal closed his eyes. He didn’t say anything and for a moment Kyle thought he’d pushed him too far. But then he opened his eyes and looked up at Kyle. “I want you to fuck me.”
Kyle smiled. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. “Like this?” He slid his finger in all the way and Hal groaned and clenched around it. “Is this what you want, Hal?”
“Yes,” Hal gasped.
Kyle gave a few more strokes, then curled his finger. He must have hit the right spot because Hal moaned and his hands clawed at the mattress. Kyle grinned and while he slowly added a second finger to the first, he bent over to take Hal’s cock in his mouth.
“Yes, Kyle, yes, yes…” Hal was thrusting up into Kyle’s mouth, squeezing around Kyle’s fingers. Kyle tilted his head slightly so he could look at his lover. Hal was watching him, his mouth open and panting, and his fingers were rubbing his nipples. Oh, God… Kyle’s cock throbbed at the sight.
He replaced his mouth with his hand, stroking and squeezing Hal’s cock. He wanted to watch Hal, watch his face when he climaxed.
Kyle crooked his finger again and Hal thrust harder into his hand. “Soon…” Hal murmured. He thrust a few more times, then grunted and came, his face contorting with pleasure as he released. Kyle leaned down to lick Hal’s belly clean, savoring the bitter-salty taste of him. Hal sighed deeply and ran his fingers through Kyle’s hair.
Kyle gave Hal’s skin one last swipe with his tongue, then lifted his face to look at his lover. “Are you ready for me to fuck you properly?”
Hal hesitated for a moment, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, then he nodded.
Kyle leaned over to the cabinet next to the bed, to retrieve the small bottle of olive oil that had made its way into their bedroom. He rubbed a splash of oil over the head of his throbbing cock. “This will make it nice and easy,” he said, repeating what Hal told once him. He pushed Hal’s legs back, then rubbed the oil around the pucker of Hal’s entrance, gently pressing his finger inside. Hal didn’t flinch this time and Kyle took that as a good sign. He corked the bottle and dropped it on the bed, then leaned forward, guiding his cock inside Hal.
Hal arched his back and moaned. “Kyle!”
Kyle gave a gentle thrust. “How is it?”
“Good,” Hal gasped. “Really good.” He smiled up at Kyle and squeezed his arse.
Kyle gasped at the sudden tightness around his cock. He looked down to watch himself slide in and out of Hal. Slowly at first, trying to prolong their pleasure.
Hal rocked his hips, meeting Kyle’s thrusts. “Harder,” he grunted, reaching out to grab Kyle’s hips, trying to make him move faster. “Fuck me harder.”
But Kyle grabbed Hal’s hands and pulled out of him. “Oh, no,” he chided, smiling at his lover. “You are not in control here. I am.” He had to bite back a laugh at the dirty look Hal gave him. He let go of Hal’s hands and leaned forward again, his cock teasing at Hal’s entrance. “Ask me nicely.”
“Please, Kyle,” Hal begged. He was breathing hard and thrusting his arse against Kyle’s cock. “Harder … please.”
He pushed inside Hal, just the head of his cock. “Is this what you want, Hal?”
“Yes,” Hal whimpered. “Please, Kyle…”
Kyle leaned down so he could kiss Hal, shoving his tongue into his mouth as he shoved his cock back into his arse. Hal moaned into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Kyle, his fingers digging into Kyle’s back. Kyle gave him what he wanted, thrusting hard and deep. Hal groaned into his mouth.
A tingle went up Kyle’s spine, then his balls tightened and he shouted as he pumped his release into Hal. He collapsed into a sweaty heap on top of him, breathing hard. Hal kissed his brow and ran his fingers through his damp hair.
When Kyle had caught his breath, he looked up at Hal. “Did you like it?”
Hal smiled. “I think I’m going to enjoy taking orders from you.”
* * *
Now they were heading to Tortuga, to trade for supplies and allow many in the crew to see their familes. Kyle had been surprised when he’d learned that both Guy and John were married. Guy had married a Norwegian girl he’d met in England, before he’d turned to piracy, while John had married Soranik’s cousin.
The two families lived together in a village a few miles from the main port, away from the wild lawlessness of pirates and privateers. When they approached the house, four red-haired girls came racing down the path, the youngest just a toddler, along with two dark-skinned children, a boy and a girl.
“Papa! Papa!” Guy was nearly bowled over by the little red-heads wrapping themselves around his legs. John bent down and scooped his own children into his arms.
“This is Johnny and Rosie,” John said, smiling proudly. He kissed each one on the cheek. “Say hello to Captain Hal and Mister Kyle.”
“Hello,” they both said softly. Rosie giggled and turned her face into her father’s neck.
Guy picked up his youngest daughter and looked at her in amazement. “When did you start running around, baby girl?”
“She’s been doing that for ages, Daddy,” his oldest daughter said.
“Oh.” Guy shrugged and turned to Hal and Kyle. “Let’s see, this is Anna, Inger-”
“I’m Trude, Daddy,” the second oldest girl said with a sigh.
“Right, sweetheart.” He went around the group again, touching heads as he said their names. “Anna, Trude, Inger, and little Elise.” He gave the toddler in his arms a noisy kiss to make her giggle. Kyle grinned. He’d never imagined gruff, ornery Guy to be such a doting father to little girls.
Guy patted Anna’s head. “Go tell your Mama we’re home.”
Anna took off running into the house and a few minutes later there were tearful reunions as Guy, John and Soranik were reunited with wives and cousin.
While Katma was much like her cousin and very close to what Kyle expected, Tora Gardner was nothing like the wife he’d imagined for Guy. Rather than the big, bossy woman he’d anticipated, Tora was a slight woman, sweet and soft-spoken. Not at all what he expected for the woman who had fallen in love with Guy Gardner.
“I have someone for you to meet,” Tora said to Guy with a playful gleam in her eye before disappearing into the house.
Katma herded them inside as well. She got them settled at a large table in the kitchen and started putting bowl after bowl of food on the table: chicken, goat, rice, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, bread and cheese that weren’t moldy and hard. After months of ship food, Kyle didn’t even know where to begin. He shoveled in a mouthful of fresh peas and had the sudden feeling he had died and gone to Heaven.
Then Tora came back with a bundle in her arms. Guy grinned and took it from her. “Boy?” he asked hopefully.
“Her name is Kristina,” Tora said cheerily, apparently not at all surprised or offended by the question.
Disappointment briefly flitted across Guy’s face, but then he smiled down at the baby in his arms. “No matter. Just means we have to try again.” He leaned over and kissed Tora’s cheek.
A small form pushed between Hal and Kyle. “Want to come see our new puppies, Captain Hal?” Trude asked.
“Let Captain Hal sit and eat,” Tora scolded gently. “They’ve been on a ship a long time.”
Hal patted the girl’s head. “After we’ve stuffed ourselves on your mum and auntie’s wonderful food, we’ll go see the puppies.” He looked up at Kyle and winked. “Maybe we can talk Mister Kyle into coming, too.”
* * *
Kyle was feeling really good.
They’d left Guy, John and Soranik to spend time with their families and returned to the ship with a jug of rum that Katma had given them. A bottle of rum just for them: no rationing, no sharing. And now they were sprawled on the bench under the windows, the room lit only by moonlight, glasses in hand and a jug of rum that was now half-empty.
Kyle tossed back another glass and shivered as the warmth went down his throat. He licked his lips. This was the best rum he’d ever tasted.
Hal refilled the empty glass, slopping a little over Kyle’s wrist. He leaned down to lick the dribble of rum from Kyle’s skin. “So that was the first ship I ever commanded,” he continued. “She was beautiful. Sleek lines … responsive … never gave me any trouble.”
Kyle snorted. “Sounds like you’re talking about a wife.”
“A ship’s the closest thing I’ll ever have to a wife.” He winked at Kyle, then drained his glass.
Kyle drank down the rum in his glass, but he shook his head when Hal tried to refill it. “I’m done,” Hal took the glass from him and set it on the floor.
Kyle sighed and leaned back on the cushions. “Guy and John have nice families,” he said.
“Yes. They’re both very lucky.” Hal set aside his glass and the jug. He leaned back next to Kyle, their shoulders pressed together.
Kyle turned sideways to look at Hal. “The kids really like you, Captain Hal.” He smiled. “You’re good with kids.” He sighed and traced his finger around the buttons on Hal’s shirt. “Do you regret not having a family of your own?”
Hal snorted. “If you haven’t noticed, Kyle, I’m not overly interested in having a wife.”
“I know. But a situation like this … you would only see her whenever your ship came into port. And you could just … close your eyes while you make the babies.”
“Are you trying to marry me off?” Hal asked. He furrowed his brows, searching Kyle’s face. “Or are you thinking about what you want?”
“No. I don’t want to marry. I couldn’t even think of Jenny Scott that way and I already liked her as a friend.” He shrugged. “It would be nice to have children, though. To have a family.” He’d had a lot of fun playing with the children today, watching them roll in the grass with the puppies and then joining in their game of hide-and-seek. And he’d liked watching Guy and John with their children, both of them examples of the loving father Kyle had never had.
Hal chuckled and leaned close to kiss him. He rubbed his hand over Kyle’s belly. “I don’t think I’ll be getting you with child anytime soon.”
Kyle snorted and poked Hal in the stomach. “Who said I would be the one having the babies?”
They laughed at the absurdity of the idea, then Hal stood up, a little unsteady at first. He reached down to take Kyle’s hand and pull him to his feet. “Time for bed, I think.” He grinned. “We’ve obviously had too much to drink.”
Kyle laughed and followed him into their small bedroom. Kyle collapsed back on the bed, warm and happy from the rum, and smiled up at his lover.
Hal lay down next to him and ran his fingers through Kyle’s hair. “Do you think you can settle for an old pirate captain as your family?”
Kyle raised his eyebrows and blinked. The rum had clouded his brain, so he wasn’t quite sure what Hal was trying to say. “What do you mean?”
Hal gave him a rum-flavored kiss. “I mean if it were possible, Kyle Rayner, I would marry you.”
Kyle giggled, but his laughter was cut short when he realized Hal wasn’t laughing. “You’re serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious. I’ve never been happier in my life than when I’m with you.” He caressed Kyle’s face, running his thumb over his cheek. “I love you.”
“Oh.” Kyle’s heart started pounding and he felt dizzy, above and beyond what the rum had done to his head. Hal loved him. Todd had never said those words to him. Nobody except his mother had ever said those words to him.
“I’m sorry,” Hal said, pulling away from him. “It was presumptuous of me to say that.”
“What?” Kyle frowned at him, then realized the misunderstanding. “Oh, no. No.” He rolled on top of Hal and kissed him, sliding his tongue between Hal’s lips, raking his fingers through Hal’s hair. “You just surprised me,” he said, looking into worried brown eyes. “I love you, too. And if it were possible, I would marry you, too.”
They gazed into each other’s eyes, then a stray thought tickled Kyle’s already fuzzy brain and he dropped his head to giggle into Hal’s chest.
“And what is so funny?” Hal asked.
Kyle lifted his head to look at him. “I just imagined the look on my father’s face if I told him I wanted to marry a pirate captain. The notorious Captain Hal Jordan, no less.”
Hal grinned. “You can write to him when we get to Port Royal.”
Kyle giggled again. He was sorely tempted to do just that. Kyle kissed him, a quick peck, then lay his head on Hal’s chest, his ear pressed to the thump of his heart. Hal wrapped his arms around him and Kyle sighed contentedly, the rum making his eyes drift closed. “I’ve never been happier, either,” he said sleepily.
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