Sector 2814

Aranel Took's DC Comics Fanfiction

Pirates of The Emerald Dawn
2. The Emerald Dawn

When Kyle opened his eyes again, morning light was coming through the porthole. He sat up, blinking, trying to remember where he was. Right. The pirates. He was in the captain’s bed. He’d come in here to wait for Jordan, but had fallen asleep. And apparently the captain had not come to bed.  

Kyle got up and peeked into the main cabin. The captain was at the dresser, carefully shaving. There was a hammock strung between two beams  on the other side of the room. Jordan looked over at him. “Good morning, Kyle,” he said. “Breakfast will be arriving soon.” His eyes lingered for a moment on Kyle and an appreciative smile formed on his lips, then he turned back to the mirror to finish shaving. 

Kyle looked down. He was without a shirt and the fly of his trousers was wide open, framing the morning wood pushing at his underclothes. He escaped to the small room that contained the head, the ship’s version of a privy that opened over the ocean.

The food arrived before he had finished, and he took the chair across from the captain. Breakfast was as simple as dinner—bread and jam with tea. Kyle suspected Captain Jordan ate whatever the crew ate. 

“Sleep well?” Jordan asked. 

Kyle nodded and bit into a slice of strawberry-covered bread. Not the finest bread in the world, but at least there were no weevils.

“It should be an easy day today,” the captain said. “John’s figured a course for us that should knock a few days off the trip if the weather holds. He’s brilliant with the instruments and charts.” Jordan shook his head. “When I met him he was a slave, hauling nets on a fishing boat. The Dawn had become stuck on a sandbar after we lost old Mr. Ganthet, our navigator, and John helped us out. He can read the weather unlike any man I’ve known, and I think he has the whole night sky mapped out in his head.” Jordan shrugged. “So I offered to free him and take him with us.”

Kyle stopped in mid-bite of the bread. “Doesn’t that make him a runaway slave? With a death sentence?”

“Not when his owner is dead at the hands of pirates and all hands are believed lost.” Jordan laughed. “Now, don’t look at me like that, Kyle. Only the filthy pigs who owned them ended up feeding the crabs. I took the rest of the slaves to Hispaniola.”

“Except for John.”

“I gave him a choice, Kyle. John made the decision to stay on this ship of his own free will.” 

Kyle remembered his conversation with John, how loyal John was to this captain. “John said this wasn’t any ordinary ship.”

“No, it’s not,” Jordan said. “She’s got quite a history behind her. Among other things. What did he tell you?”

“Nothing. He said I had to ask you.”

Jordan nodded, studying Kyle as if weighing carefully what to say. “First I need to show you something.” He got up from his chair and got a key from the desk where he kept the charts. He knelt in front of the trunk beside the desk and opened the large lid, then lifted out a bundle of black cloth. He carried it to the table and it made a dull thump when he set it down. There was something heavy in the cloth. “Tell me what you see, Kyle.” He pulled back the cloth.

Kyle squinted at the unexpected glare. Green light filled the cabin, emanating from a green lantern. He couldn’t see any flame, only the glow from its center. How did it stay lit, locked away in a trunk? Why didn’t it set the cloth on fire?  He squinted at Hal. “Where does the light come from?”

Jordan grinned. “So you can see it?”

“Yes, I can see it! It’s nearly blinded me!”

Jordan wrapped the heavy cloth around the lantern again, then carried it back to the trunk and locked it back inside.

“What is that thing?” Kyle asked.

“It’s the heart of the ship,” Jordan said, turning to look at Kyle. 

“The heart?” Kyle laughed. “Since when does a ship have a ‘heart’?”

“This ship does.” Jordan sat back in his chair. “This ship was around long before me. When I first came on board, I was hired as first mate. The captain was a man named Abin Sur, a French-Arab who sometimes worked as a privateer. When he was lost, killed in a deal gone wrong in a back street of Casablanca, the ship passed to me.

“Abin Sur had captured this ship from the British near Barbados and renamed her Emerald Dawn. But the lantern is even older than the ship, brought aboard from Abin Sur’s previous ship, also named Emerald Dawn. He’d inherited that ship, along with the lantern, from his former captain.”

“That still doesn’t explain—”

“The lantern is old, Kyle. Very old. It’s said to be from ancient China. And … magic, I suppose you’d call it.” 

Kyle raised his eyebrows. Well this was a new development — Captain Jordan was insane. “Magic?” he asked skeptically.

“It protects the ship, Kyle. I don’t know how. I can’t even begin to explain it. But as long as we are on this ship, nothing can happen to us beyond minor injuries. We can go up against a British man o’ war and the worst injury a man will have is a fractured toe from dropping a cannon ball on his own foot! I’m sure you’ve heard I made a deal with the Devil?”

Kyle nodded.

“We are getting help, but it’s not the devil or demons that’s helping us, Kyle. It’s the lantern.”

“Maybe the lantern is … um …”

“Evil?” Jordan laughed. “If it’s the Devil’s work to protect my crew, then I will gladly take evil.”

Kyle pondered this. There had been all those stories, about how Jordan couldn’t be caught, about the unnatural ability of the man and his crew. Maybe there was truth to it. He looked up at the captain. “Why did you ask if I could see the light?”

“Only those with honor, with loyalty, with a strong will, can see the light.” Jordan waved up towards the deck over their heads. “Every soul on this ship can see it. It’s a requirement for joining my crew, just as it had been for Abin Sur and for all the captains before him.”

“And if I hadn’t seen it?”

Jordan smiled. “I would have told you how the ship certainly is extraordinary. That she is the fastest frigate that ever sailed. That she is made of the finest English oak and can stand up to any assault. How my crew are highly skilled and can defeat any foe. And then I would have sent you on your way when we reached a suitable port.”

Kyle raised his eyebrows. “Even if I had agreed to your offer?”

Hal grinned. “Well, I had a feeling I had nothing to worry about.” His face grew serious. “You accepted exile to protect your former lover, Kyle. To protect his family. To preserve the ‘honor’ of your own family, though your father is not worthy to lick your boots. Not many would have done so willingly. Only a man of great honor, loyalty and will.”

“I don’t know if I’m any of those things. I just didn’t know what else to do.” Kyle sighed and stared at his hands, folded carefully on the table. He felt more like a coward for running away. He wasn’t anything like Hal Jordan, the brave captain. Or John, the loyal navigator. Or any of these men, who would die for a captain who was considered an outcast of society, who could get them imprisoned or hung just by associating with him. 

Warm fingers touched his chin, turning Kyle’s face to look into the captain’s brown eyes. Kyle hadn’t even realized Jordan had moved to the chair next to him.

“The lantern says otherwise, Kyle,” he said softly. “It’s never wrong. And it doesn’t lie.”

Kyle shivered and let out the breath he was holding. Heat coursed through his body and his heart pounded. Without even thinking about it he leaned towards the captain. Jordan smiled and met him halfway.

The kiss was gentle, warm. Kyle sighed and opened his mouth, letting Jordan explore with his tongue. Then the captain pulled back to look into his eyes. “I take it you are now ‘willing’, Kyle?”

“It would seem so, Captain Jordan,” Kyle said, barely a whisper. 

Jordan chuckled and reached up to brush a strand of unruly hair from Kyle’s brow. “I think you can call me Hal, Kyle.” 

“Hal,” Kyle said, testing the name on his tongue. And speaking of tongues … He leaned in and returned the favor to Hal. He put his hands on Hal’s thighs, letting them slide over firm muscle to—

Hal grabbed his hands and pulled back. “We’ll have to wait on that,” he said with a smile.  

Kyle sat back, trying not to look disappointed, but Hal smiled and tapped Kyle’s bottom lip. “No pouting,” he admonished. He stood up and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. “You’re welcome to come out on deck, if you like,” Hal said while pulling on his coat. “Or you can stay here and play with your paints.” He fastened the buttons of his coat and grabbed his hat, then gave Kyle a wink before heading out the door.

Kyle leaned back in his chair, looking at the door that the capt—Hal had just disappeared through. He touched his lips, still wet from the kiss. It was going to be a long day, waiting for Hal to finish his duties. Kyle rubbed his hand over his face, frowning when he felt the stubble on his chin. Well, he could at least try to make himself presentable. 

He retrieved his own razor from his trunk and braced himself in front of the mirror. He’d had his fair share of cuts his first few weeks at sea, but now he could get by with only the occasional nick. And once the stubble was gone and his hair tamed into a pigtail and a fresh shirt retrieved from his trunk, he looked at the door and took a deep breath. He still didn’t trust the crew, no matter what John said. They might turn a blind eye to their captain’s predilection, but would they be as forgiving about him?  

It appeared every head turned to look at him when he stepped out on deck. He tried to find a familiar face—Hal or John, or even Guy. But they were all strangers looking at him. An enormous man who resembled the drawings Kyle had seen of American natives crossed his arms and unashamedly stared at him as if measuring him up. Kyle swallowed and stepped further onto the deck. 

“Kyle!”

Kyle turned at the voice that came from behind and above him. Hal was on the deck over the cabin, standing at the wheel. John was beside him, a brass instrument in his hand. Guy was staring down at him, arms crossed.

Hal gave the helm over to Guy, then trotted down the stairs and headed for Kyle. He clapped Kyle on the shoulder, then looked around at his crew. “Men! And lady,” he said, bowing his head toward the left and Kyle was surprised to see there was indeed a woman on board, a woman with soft sienna skin and short black hair. “I have an announcement to make.”

All eyes fixed on the captain. Kyle looked at Hal wide-eyed. Lord, was Hal going to tell everyone that he’d agreed to—?

“Mister Rayner has seen the light.”

The change in the crew was instantaneous. No longer did they look at him with suspicion. Now they were smiling, many of them touching their foreheads and bowing in respect to him. 

The huge native man came over and grabbed Kyle’s hand, enveloping it in his own and nearly shaking Kyle’s arm out of his shoulder. “Welcome, poozer! You’re one of us now!”

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They lunched with the “officers” of the crew and Kyle was able to learn more about the other people he had found himself with.

Guy, Kyle learned, was First Officer. He’d been childhood friends with Hal and they had both dreamed of going to sea. Guy had followed Hal up through the ranks, until their final posting in the Royal Navy. Their friendship and loyalty was so strong that Guy had resigned and followed his friend into piracy.

The large man who had congratulated Kyle was named Kilowog. He was a native of Spanish Florida. As a child he’d been captured by British traders and enslaved, first in Barbados and then in the British section of Hispaniola. There Hal had found him, mistreated by his master, and had purchased his freedom. Kilowog was Bos’n, charged with keeping ship and crew in good working order.

Salaak was a Persian, the ship’s Quartermaster, in charge of supplies and keeping order on board. He had served under Abin Sur and had stayed with the ship when Hal had taken command. “And he’s stingy with the rum,” Guy muttered to Kyle.

The woman was the ship’s doctor. Soranik Natu had also been a slave, taken along with her cousin from their home in the jungles of Brazil by the Portuguese when she was a child, their entire village wiped out. They had ended up in Cuba, where Hal’s crew had freed them. “She’s a wonder at healing,” Hal said, and the woman lifted her chin proudly. 

Once lunch was over, Hal leaned back in his chair and looked around at the crew. “The ship is yours, Mister Gardner,” he said. “I’ve been sadly neglecting our guest.”

The crew cleared away the dishes without a word, though Guy threw Kyle a smirk as he turned to leave. Then John pulled the door shut after them, and Kyle and the captain were left alone.

Kyle gripped the back of the chair. He was feeling lightheaded and weak-kneed and it wasn’t just  because of the wine. His heart was racing again and his breath was coming fast.

“Are you having second thoughts?” Hal asked, coming over to stand next to him.

Kyle shook his head. “No. No second thoughts.” He let go of the chair and turned to Hal.

Kyle tipped his head to the side to kiss Hal. Their arms went around each other, pulling their bodies together. Pressed between them, their hard cocks rubbed together. Hal grabbed Kyle’s arse and ground against him. “Bed,” he murmured in Kyle’s ear.

They broke apart and Kyle staggered after Hal, drunk with desire. Hal was already shedding his clothes when they reached the huge bed.

Kyle’s fingers refused to work and he fought the buttons on his shirt. His hands were shaking—he didn’t know if it was from nervousness, excitement or both. He dropped his shirt on the floor and looked up at Hal. The captain was already naked, his cock jutting proudly from a cloud of dark curls. Kyle’s hands stopped on his trouser buttons, he was so distracted by the sight. He wanted more than anything than to run his tongue down Hal’s belly, to take his cock in his mouth.

“Need some help?” Hal reached out and grabbed the top of Kyle’s trousers, pulling him forward. He sat on the bed with Kyle standing between his knees.

Hal’s fingers did quick work of the trouser buttons, then he pushed the fabric down over Kyle’s hips. Kyle kicked off his boots and stepped out of the puddle of wool.

Hal put his hands back on Kyle’s hips, holding him in place. “Beautiful,” he murmured. He leaned forward and ran his tongue over Kyle’s belly, exactly what Kyle had been wanting to do to him.

Kyle tipped his head back, eyes half closed, and moaned. The fingers digging into his hips, the wet warmth on his skin, was going to drive him over the edge on their own. 

Then Hal slid his hands back, gripping Kyle’s arse, squeezing as he pulled the Kyle closer. He pressed his mouth in the small hollow inside Kyle’s right hip and sucked at the smooth skin there. 

Kyle threaded his hands into Hal’s hair, as Hal’s tongue worked circles on his hip. His cock was pressed against Hal’s cheek and he wanted him … wanted him to move over … to take him … “Yes oh yes oh yes,” he chanted when he got his wish. 

Hal sucked him hard, falling into a rhythm, and Kyle watched himself thrust into Hal’s mouth. He put his hands up to grab onto the beams just above his head, to brace himself as his release built. His body exploded, heart pounding, arms and legs tingling. And then it was over and he clung to the beam, his knees too weak to hold him up.

Hal let the cock slide from his mouth and looked up at him. He gave Kyle’s arse a squeeze and smiled. “Need to sit down?” 

He did, he really did, but he had something else he wanted more. He let go of the beam and grabbed onto Hal’s shoulders to brace himself as his knees gave out. On the way down he stopped for a kiss—he could taste himself on Hal’s lips—and then he continued his journey down, going to his knees between Hal’s thighs.

Hal smelled of musk and sweat and wool, and tasted much the same—bitter, salty and sweet all at the same time. Kyle explored him with his fingers, pushing back the foreskin to reveal the silky head. He kissed the tip, dipping out his tongue to taste the bead of semen. Then he swallowed Hal’s length and was thrilled to hear Hal’s satisfied grunt. 

He pushed Hal’s thighs farther apart and Hal leaned back on his elbow while his other hand dug into Kyle’s hair. Kyle lifted his face slightly as he worked, and saw that Hal was watching him through half-lidded eyes. He sucked hard and let his tongue dance over soft skin. A deep moan of pleasure was the response, along with a quickening of Hal’s thrusts and Kyle had to pull back to keep from gagging. But he never let up his rhythm and soon Hal’s breaths were quickening and his hand was wrapped painfully in Kyle’s hair. He groaned and thick warmth flooded Kyle’s mouth. 

Hal let go of Kyle’s hair and collapsed back on the bed. Kyle swallowed and pushed himself up—his legs were thankfully steady again—so he could kiss his way up Hal’s body, tongue darting out over sweaty skin. He got onto the bed as he worked his way up to the crook of Hal’s neck. 

“Nice,” Hal murmured. He sighed and caressed Kyle’s cheek. 

They shifted around so they were lying next to each other on the bed, Kyle’s cheek resting on Hal’s chest. Kyle’s eyes drifted shut as he was lulled by the beat of Hal’s heart, by the feel of Hal’s fingers brushing through his hair. It was hard to believe that just yesterday he’d lain on this bed and thought the man was going to rape and murder him, and now he was lying relaxed and sated in Captain Jordan’s arms. 

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The clang of a bell and the pounding of heavy footsteps on the deck above woke him. Kyle blinked and looked at Hal. Hal was awake, his arms folded under his head. “Shift change,” he said lazily. He rolled on his side and smiled at Kyle. 

Kyle did the same, then scooted closer to kiss him. His cock was hard and ready again, and from the feel of things against his belly, so was Hal. 

They kissed for a few moments, mouths working, tongues tangling. The man was the best kisser and Kyle could have spent the rest of the day like this. But he wanted more. 

He rolled towards Hal, trying to push him onto his back, but Hal pushed back. A short struggle, then Kyle relaxed and let Hal roll him onto his back and move on top of him. So he had to be in control? Wasn’t surprising, considering his position as captain. And his arrogance. Kyle didn’t care either way, he was just as happy to receive as to give pleasure. 

Hal’s hand moved between Kyle’s legs, gently squeezing his balls for a moment before he grasped Kyle’s cock and stroked him as they kissed. Kyle thrust into Hal’s hand. It was good when he did it himself, but even better when someone else touched him. And Hal knew what he was doing, squeezing and stroking in all the right places. Kyle whimpered when he felt his body tingle and then he was thrusting hard into Hal’s hand, spattering semen between them. 

He sighed and melted into the mattress, but Hal wasn’t done with him yet. “Now that I’ve got you good and relaxed …” He knelt between Kyle’s thighs and pushed Kyle’s legs up. 

Hal spit into his hand and rubbed it over the tip of his own cock. Then he spit on his fingers again and touched Kyle’s arse. Kyle startled at the contact.

“Have you been fucked before?” Hal asked. 

Kyle nodded. “Only once.” And it hadn’t been particularly pleasant. They had been rushed, afraid of being discovered, and Todd had gotten impatient with him. It had hurt like hell.

Hal’s fingers probed Kyle’s entrance and Kyle made himself take deep breaths, trying to relax. There’s no reason to be nervous, he told himself. Nothing to worry about.   

Hal’s fingers were replaced by his cock, pushing into him. Kyle sucked in his breath, remembering the pain from the last time. Hal stopped and touched Kyle’s thigh. “Kyle?”

He took a deep breath, willing the fear away. “I’m fine.” 

This time he fought the urge to flinch when Hal pushed into him. It stung and Kyle tightened his jaw and grunted as Hal filled him, and then Hal sighed and grasped Kyle’s calves. “Good?” he asked. Kyle nodded and Hal smiled. “Good,” he repeated and began to move. 

Kyle let himself be overwhelmed by the sensations: of Hal pumping into him, the sweat on his skin, the rough wool beneath him. Kyle ran his hands over Hal’s back, feeling the muscles move as Hal thrust. “Kyle…” Hal breathed, panting in his ear. Kyle watched his face as Hal gasped and thrust harder, grunting between gritted teeth as he released. He gave a final shudder and collapsed on top of Kyle. 

There was a bead of sweat on Hal’s brow, and Kyle reached up to wipe it away. “Need to sit down?” he asked, echoing Hal’s question from earlier.

Hal laughed. “I’m certainly going to sleep well tonight.” He gave Kyle a quick kiss, then rolled off of him. They shifted so that Hal was spooned behind Kyle, his arm holding him close. “It’s been a long time for me,” Hal murmured into his ear. He kissed Kyle’s neck and cuddled closer.

“It’s really been that long?” Kyle asked. He thought for sure someone like Captain Jordan would have had his pick of lovers.

Hal chuckled. “I spend most of my time on this ship. And when we’re in port … well, I tend to be picky about my lovers. But if every man was as beautiful as you, I’d probably never leave shore.” He sighed sleepily against the back of Kyle’s neck. “I’ll have to thank Alan for sending you to me.”

A rush of warmth went through Kyle’s body from Hal’s appreciative words. He twined his fingers with Hal’s, a smile on his face, and drifted off to sleep.

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When Kyle woke again it was night and Hal was gone. 

He rolled out of the bed, wincing from his sore arse, and looked out into the main cabin. Hal, dressed in his breeches and loose shirt, was just finishing setting the table for dinner.

Kyle turned back to retrieve his own breeches and shirt before going into the cabin.

“I was just going to come wake you,” Hal said. Then he frowned. “Did I hurt you?”

Kyle shook his head and gingerly lowered himself to his chair. “No, just a bit sore.”

“I can ask Soranik to look at you,” Hal said. “Maybe she has a salve—”

Kyle shook his head, horrified. “I couldn’t!”

Hal chuckled. “You have nothing to worry about from our lady doctor. She is quite down-to-earth about such things.” Hal poured the wine. “Among her people it’s not unknown for men to be lovers. Or women, for that matter.”

Kyle sighed and drank his wine. He wished his own country could be as understanding as Soranik’s. “I’ll be fine, Hal.”

After dinner, they fell into each other’s arms again. Clothing was shed and they sank down onto the large bed. They lay side by side and Kyle took the initiative this time, his hands exploring Hal’s body. He was a beautiful man, hard muscle and tanned skin, and Kyle resolved to taste every inch of it before they reached Cuba.

He rolled over to kneel between Hal’s thighs, to bend down and kiss his hardening cock. Kyle was almost completely hard himself, and one hand explored lower to Hal’s entrance, to get him ready…

Hal jerked and squirmed away from the touch. “No, Kyle.” He took Kyle’s hand, bringing it to his lips to gently kiss Kyle’s fingers. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. It’s not to do with you. I’ve never allowed it from anyone. It’s just …” He frowned. 

Kyle raised an eyebrow, remembering the short wrestling match previously. “Because you have to be in control?”

Hal smiled wryly and nodded. “You know me too well already.” He reached up to grasp the back of Kyle’s head, to pull him down for a kiss. “I hope that doesn’t disappoint you.”

It did, but Kyle wasn’t going to let it ruin the evening. “No. I don’t mind.” Besides, he could consider it a challenge to convince Hal to change his mind.

Hal smiled and in a swift movement he pushed Kyle on his back and rolled on top of him. “I’m sure we can find other ways to please each other.”

Kyle groaned when Hal thrust against him, their cocks side-by-side and pressed between their bellies. Hal entwined his fingers with Kyle’s, holding his hands down, and bent to suck on Kyle’s neck.

Kyle met the thrusts with his own, grinding his hips up, squirming as Hal’s tongue teased the sensitive skin of his neck. Yes yes yes yes ... He could feel the heat pooling in his belly, between his legs, his body tingling with the coming climax. 

“Ah, Hal!” he shouted when his release came. Hal thrust harder against him, grunting with the effort, and then he climaxed, shouting into the pillow. 

They lay for a moment, breathing hard, bodies slick with sweat and semen. Hal let go of his hands and raised himself up on his elbow to look at Kyle. His dark brown eyes studied Kyle’s face. “You are a lovely one,” he said softly and touched Kyle’s lips gently with his fingers before kissing him. 

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