TnB Challenge: Pirate Christmas Story (12/24)
Title: Pirate Christmas Story (12/24)
Author: Aranel Took
Characters: Hal Jordan/Kyle Rayner
Challenge: there_n_back Advent Calendar Challenge - Day 12
Prompts: bottle, wharf, violin, moon, monkey, fork, hole, lock, sheet, pendant, crystal, cookie
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1200
Summary: Elseworld. Pirate!verse! Christmas in Tortuga.
Author's Notes: Halfway point! Only twelve more to go!
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven
Kyle growled in frustration, wondering where the monkey had gotten to. It could be anywhere on the ship, running him around in circles from deck to deck for the rest of the day. There were plenty of holes she could slip through and rooms she could hide in.
Boots clomped down the stairs, then Hal peeked into the storeroom.
“I don’t need your help,” Kyle muttered before Hal could even offer it. He was still mad that Hal had brushed off his worry over Mona.
Hal came into the room, looking decidedly sheepish. “I’m sorry I made light of the monkey escaping,” he said. “But the good news is that we found it.”
Kyle stood up. “Where?”
“Up on deck,” Hal said. “It’s up the mast.”
“What?” Kyle took off, sprinting up the stairs to the top deck. The rest of the crew were gathered around the main mast. “Where is she?” Kyle asked, frantically looking up into the wild mess of rope and wood.
“Up there,” Kilowog said, pointing. “In the fork between the main mast and-oh, she just jumped!”
Kyle held his breath as the little monkey leapt through the air. She deftly grabbed a rope, skipped over the lines like fingers on a violin’s strings, then bounded along a yard and down a sheet, finally coming to rest on a bundle of sails.
Kyle held up his hand and the ring began to glow. “Maybe I can grab her with a construct.”
Hal grabbed his hand, covering the ring. “No. It might be seen. We can’t risk it.”
Kyle gave a resigned sigh. Fine, he’d get her himself. He pulled off a boot and was just was starting on the other one when Hal grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to go get her.” Kyle kicked the boot off and pulled out of Hal’s grasp. He padded across the deck in his bare feet, studying the lines to find the best way to get to the monkey.
“You’re not climbing up there,” Hal said angrily. “I’m not going to let you break your neck over a monkey!” He turned to the men. “Vath, go up and get it!”
Vath gaped at him. “You want me to go break my neck over a monkey, sir?”
“Wait!” Isamot called out, trotting towards them. “No need for Vath to break his neck. I have cookie! Here!” He grabbd Kyle’s hand and dropped a dark brown cookie onto his open palm. “When I was boy, my little brother would hide up in tall trees. I would coax him down with a treat. Something sweet.”
“Thanks,” Kyle said. He looked at the cookie. It was gingerbread, so hopefully Mona would smell it all the way up there.
“Let’s go,” Hal said, herding the rest of the crew away from the mast. “It won’t come down if we’re all down here.”
Once the crew had gone below, Kyle held up the cookie and waved it at the monkey. “Look what I’ve got, Mona! Want a cookie?”
She turned her moon-faced gaze on him, chittered for a few seconds, then scampered down the lines and leapt onto Kyle’s shoulder.
“Good monkey,” he sighed. She snatched the cookie from his hand and sat down on his shoulder to eat it. Kyle picked up his boots, then hurried across the deck to get her into the cabin while she was distracted with her treat.
He put her back into the cage, along with the bowl of food he had brought earlier, and shut the door. She instantly reached out and worked the latch open with nimble fingers, looking up at him with what could only be a proud look on her face. “Clever girl,” he sighed.
“Here.” Hal was suddenly at his side, a small padlock in his hand. “Unless she learns how to pick a lock, this should hold her.” He smirked. “Just make sure you keep the key well away from her. They’re wily creatures and will figure out how to use one.”
“Thank you,” Kyle said, slipping the lock into place around the bars. He turned the key, clicking the lock into place and Mona squeaked at him. “Sorry, but that’s what you get when you run away.” He walked over to put the key in a drawer on Hal’s desk, then turned around. Now that she was safely back, he wasn’t quite so mad anymore. “I’m sorry she’s caused so much trouble, Hal.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” Hal said, shaking his head. He came over and gave Kyle a quick kiss. “I knew she was going to cause trouble.” Kyle smiled apologetically and Hal patted his cheek. “And now that our little troublemaker is safely put away, we need to get ready to go. Tora and Kat will have our hides if we’re late for dinner.”
Kyle went and washed up, wiping off grime and dust and sweat from his afternoon spent searching for Mona below decks. Then he gathered up the gifts they had bought today at the wharf, along with some he had made himself. For each of the children he’d painted a miniature portrait on an oval of ivory, using the sketches he’d taken on his last visit as a reference. He lay each of the portraits on the table, then sorted through the crystal pendants Hal had bought. “Does it matter who gets which one?”
Hal shook his head. “No. They can trade them around and sort it out amongst themselves.” He winked. “We only need to step in if swords get drawn.”
Kyle laughed and sat down at the table to prepare the gifts, wrapping them in cloth and multi-colored ribbon. On one strand of ribbon he wrote the child’s name, followed by From Captain Hal and Uncle Kyle. Hal set two bottles of wine on the table, the really good stuff that George Greet had been impressed by. Kyle tied ribbons around those as well, gifts for Kat and Tora.
Once the gifts were ready, he got up to change clothes. But his shirt was barely off when Hal had grabbed him from behind, wrapping his arms around Kyle’s waist and grinding his erection against Kyle’s arse. “What was that about Kat and Tora having our hides if we’re late?” Kyle asked.
“Worth the risk,” Hal mumbled into his shoulder. “I just remembered we’re staying at Guy’s house and I won’t be able to do this tonight. We can be quick.”
“You’re insatiable,” Kyle laughed.
“Mmm,” Hal agreed, sucking lightly on Kyle’s neck. He reached down to pull open the buttons on Kyle’s trousers. “Are you complaining?”
“No,” Kyle sighed as Hal’s hands slid inside to caress him. He arched his back, pushing his arse against Hal, and ran his hands over Hal’s arms. “I suppose we have time for…what’s wrong?”
Hal had stopped his movements and stepped back from Kyle. “The monkey is watching us.”
Kyle looked over. Mona was indeed watching them, calmly chewing a piece of apple. He laughed. “I don’t think she knows what’s going on, Hal.”
“Still…” He grabbed Kyle’s arms and pulled him into the bedroom. “I’d rather not have an audience.”
Next Chapter
Author: Aranel Took
Characters: Hal Jordan/Kyle Rayner
Challenge: there_n_back Advent Calendar Challenge - Day 12
Prompts: bottle, wharf, violin, moon, monkey, fork, hole, lock, sheet, pendant, crystal, cookie
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1200
Summary: Elseworld. Pirate!verse! Christmas in Tortuga.
Author's Notes: Halfway point! Only twelve more to go!
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven
Kyle growled in frustration, wondering where the monkey had gotten to. It could be anywhere on the ship, running him around in circles from deck to deck for the rest of the day. There were plenty of holes she could slip through and rooms she could hide in.
Boots clomped down the stairs, then Hal peeked into the storeroom.
“I don’t need your help,” Kyle muttered before Hal could even offer it. He was still mad that Hal had brushed off his worry over Mona.
Hal came into the room, looking decidedly sheepish. “I’m sorry I made light of the monkey escaping,” he said. “But the good news is that we found it.”
Kyle stood up. “Where?”
“Up on deck,” Hal said. “It’s up the mast.”
“What?” Kyle took off, sprinting up the stairs to the top deck. The rest of the crew were gathered around the main mast. “Where is she?” Kyle asked, frantically looking up into the wild mess of rope and wood.
“Up there,” Kilowog said, pointing. “In the fork between the main mast and-oh, she just jumped!”
Kyle held his breath as the little monkey leapt through the air. She deftly grabbed a rope, skipped over the lines like fingers on a violin’s strings, then bounded along a yard and down a sheet, finally coming to rest on a bundle of sails.
Kyle held up his hand and the ring began to glow. “Maybe I can grab her with a construct.”
Hal grabbed his hand, covering the ring. “No. It might be seen. We can’t risk it.”
Kyle gave a resigned sigh. Fine, he’d get her himself. He pulled off a boot and was just was starting on the other one when Hal grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to go get her.” Kyle kicked the boot off and pulled out of Hal’s grasp. He padded across the deck in his bare feet, studying the lines to find the best way to get to the monkey.
“You’re not climbing up there,” Hal said angrily. “I’m not going to let you break your neck over a monkey!” He turned to the men. “Vath, go up and get it!”
Vath gaped at him. “You want me to go break my neck over a monkey, sir?”
“Wait!” Isamot called out, trotting towards them. “No need for Vath to break his neck. I have cookie! Here!” He grabbd Kyle’s hand and dropped a dark brown cookie onto his open palm. “When I was boy, my little brother would hide up in tall trees. I would coax him down with a treat. Something sweet.”
“Thanks,” Kyle said. He looked at the cookie. It was gingerbread, so hopefully Mona would smell it all the way up there.
“Let’s go,” Hal said, herding the rest of the crew away from the mast. “It won’t come down if we’re all down here.”
Once the crew had gone below, Kyle held up the cookie and waved it at the monkey. “Look what I’ve got, Mona! Want a cookie?”
She turned her moon-faced gaze on him, chittered for a few seconds, then scampered down the lines and leapt onto Kyle’s shoulder.
“Good monkey,” he sighed. She snatched the cookie from his hand and sat down on his shoulder to eat it. Kyle picked up his boots, then hurried across the deck to get her into the cabin while she was distracted with her treat.
He put her back into the cage, along with the bowl of food he had brought earlier, and shut the door. She instantly reached out and worked the latch open with nimble fingers, looking up at him with what could only be a proud look on her face. “Clever girl,” he sighed.
“Here.” Hal was suddenly at his side, a small padlock in his hand. “Unless she learns how to pick a lock, this should hold her.” He smirked. “Just make sure you keep the key well away from her. They’re wily creatures and will figure out how to use one.”
“Thank you,” Kyle said, slipping the lock into place around the bars. He turned the key, clicking the lock into place and Mona squeaked at him. “Sorry, but that’s what you get when you run away.” He walked over to put the key in a drawer on Hal’s desk, then turned around. Now that she was safely back, he wasn’t quite so mad anymore. “I’m sorry she’s caused so much trouble, Hal.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” Hal said, shaking his head. He came over and gave Kyle a quick kiss. “I knew she was going to cause trouble.” Kyle smiled apologetically and Hal patted his cheek. “And now that our little troublemaker is safely put away, we need to get ready to go. Tora and Kat will have our hides if we’re late for dinner.”
Kyle went and washed up, wiping off grime and dust and sweat from his afternoon spent searching for Mona below decks. Then he gathered up the gifts they had bought today at the wharf, along with some he had made himself. For each of the children he’d painted a miniature portrait on an oval of ivory, using the sketches he’d taken on his last visit as a reference. He lay each of the portraits on the table, then sorted through the crystal pendants Hal had bought. “Does it matter who gets which one?”
Hal shook his head. “No. They can trade them around and sort it out amongst themselves.” He winked. “We only need to step in if swords get drawn.”
Kyle laughed and sat down at the table to prepare the gifts, wrapping them in cloth and multi-colored ribbon. On one strand of ribbon he wrote the child’s name, followed by From Captain Hal and Uncle Kyle. Hal set two bottles of wine on the table, the really good stuff that George Greet had been impressed by. Kyle tied ribbons around those as well, gifts for Kat and Tora.
Once the gifts were ready, he got up to change clothes. But his shirt was barely off when Hal had grabbed him from behind, wrapping his arms around Kyle’s waist and grinding his erection against Kyle’s arse. “What was that about Kat and Tora having our hides if we’re late?” Kyle asked.
“Worth the risk,” Hal mumbled into his shoulder. “I just remembered we’re staying at Guy’s house and I won’t be able to do this tonight. We can be quick.”
“You’re insatiable,” Kyle laughed.
“Mmm,” Hal agreed, sucking lightly on Kyle’s neck. He reached down to pull open the buttons on Kyle’s trousers. “Are you complaining?”
“No,” Kyle sighed as Hal’s hands slid inside to caress him. He arched his back, pushing his arse against Hal, and ran his hands over Hal’s arms. “I suppose we have time for…what’s wrong?”
Hal had stopped his movements and stepped back from Kyle. “The monkey is watching us.”
Kyle looked over. Mona was indeed watching them, calmly chewing a piece of apple. He laughed. “I don’t think she knows what’s going on, Hal.”
“Still…” He grabbed Kyle’s arms and pulled him into the bedroom. “I’d rather not have an audience.”
Next Chapter