Black Hearted

Part 91

The journey home was clear sailing. Mark barely remembered most of it. He only left the cabin for matters that needed him. Otherwise, he spent the weeks in bed with Nate and Sean. They talked about their times apart and slept peacefully in each other's arms, listening to the crew sing them off with shanties. After so much excitement, it felt good to just relax and do nothing. Sailing into the Pirate port was another matter. Mark had so much to attend to and work out. He had to form a new Brethren Court with Pirate Lords of his choosing. He had to meet with Pirate Captains and settled old arguments among them. He charted courses for them and worked out new laws and defenses against the Naval fleets. The last Pirate King had left him with mountains of work that took him months to straighten out. He barely saw Sean and Nate with everything he had to do. However, he did manage to find the time to sneak off and watch them without them knowing. Sean was learning to fight and sail with Nate's help.

Despite not seeing him much, Sean always looked happy. Most of Mark's crew had disbanded. As a Pirate King, he rarely got off the island and for some that wasn't the life for them. The few that had stuck around were Captain's in his fleet like he had promised, making them apart of his trusted Brethren Court. His Pirate Lords. After a year, Mark was finally settled into his position. People didn't need to see him as much, which gave him more free time to do whatever he wanted. Waking up to the smell of a saltwater breeze, Mark lifted his head off his silk pillow. He swore he'd closed the window last night. Taking in the large room of the King Pirate, he smirked to himself. No matter how many times he woke up in this room, he still wasn't used to seeing all the gold-plated statues and silk drapes. This had been everything he'd wanted, but the view he couldn't get enough of... was Sean. Sean was leaning on the railing of the balcony and staring out at the ocean view. The gentle breeze rustled his short brown hair and his smile was warmer than the sun. Certainly, more beautiful than the perfect weather they were having on the island.

Slipping carefully out of the soft bed, Mark made his way over to the open glass doors. The breeze billowed the red silk curtains, causing Mark to push them aside to get a better look at Sean. Sean had changed so much in the last year. His body had more defined lean muscle from sparring with Nate and other pirates on the island. Unlike the other pirates here though, Sean wore pearls and seashells as jewelry. Around his forehead was a string of black and pink pearls, around his arm was the armlet Mark had given him, but on his other arm was an armlet of white sea glass and green shells. Mark didn't have the heart to tell him that those black and pink pearls that he'd found were enough to buy his own island. Sean didn't see or care about their wealth. He wore them because he loved them. As the Pirate King's lover, the pirates showed Sean upmost respect... but he'd heard that they'd loved him even if he wasn't. Sean's green sleeveless tunic shirt rustled in the breeze, when Sean purred out to him without looking. "I can feel you staring."

Mark grinned, moving closer to stand behind him. Sean sat up more, telling him in a blissful voice. "I love this view. You can see everything from up here. The small town and the beach... That ocean. It's all so peaceful here. I see why you wanted this." Mark looked at the view briefly. Putting his hands on Sean's hips, he leaned over him to kiss his neck and purred back to him in a deep voice. "I didn't want it for the view... but now..." Sean turned his head to look at him with big bright blue eyes, upon saying in a soft voice. "And now...?" Mark brushed his lips over Sean's, whispering to him lovingly. "Now, it's only the second-best view on this island." Sean narrowed his eyes on him, leaning back a bit from him as he asked. "And the first?" Mark grinned brightly, licking his lips before honestly telling him. "You. Every view is better with you in it." Sean blushed, looking away to mumble out. "Don't say that... You're making me blush." Mark kissed Sean's cheek, then pulled back when he noticed something hanging from Sean's ear.