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+---- Thread: when i'm up here higher than god (/showthread.php?tid=10423)
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Flora - 12-03-2024
The sudden pounding on the door has Flora jolting, her muscles tensing as Jack's arms tighten reflexively around her, his magic crackling through the air. The bolt of electricity streaks across the room, leaving the door smoking faintly, and Flora’s breath catches, her heart pounding in time with Jack's thundering pulse against her cheek. For a moment, everything is chaos, her grief and fear mixing with the sharp scent of burnt wood. Jack's growl reaches her ears, his voice rough and disoriented as he tries to push himself away from her.
[say]"Stay,"[/say] Flora whispers, her own voice shaky. She lets her fingers drag lightly across his skin before she shifts, reluctantly untangling herself from him and standing on shaky legs. She crosses the small cabin, her eyes wary as she reaches for the door, finding the little bag and note tied on the outside portion of the handle.
A laugh slips from her lips, a sound that surprises even her, light and almost bewildered. Gods, the Fae were a strange lot, though the queen supposed she shouldn't be surprised. With a small, wry smile, she slips the ring onto her finger, feeling its warmth spread through her, a gentle pulse of magic that seemed to radiate from the band. She turns back to Jack, her eyes catching his as she crosses the room again, the small laugh still lingering in her eyes.
Sliding back into bed beside him, Flora lifts the blanket and carefully nestles herself against Jack once more. [say]Ice man, huh?"[/say] She wonders as a familiar pulse of mischief flashes through her mind. Her hand moves to rest over his heart, her fingers splayed lightly against his chest, allowing the magic in the ring to slowly begin to work.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Jack - 12-03-2024
Jack does stay, but only because his vision is starting to fog again at the edges, and gods if he passes out here he'll likely slide right onto the floor, and there's no way Flora is going to be able to pick him back up again in her state. So he sits at the edge of the bed, a hand pressed gingerly to the bandages that sit tight around his torso, pale and suspicious and altogether not having a good time.
It's what makes Flora's laugh so startling, honestly, the captain slouching back as if the sound and the feeling that flushes with it is like a warm rain after a long, cold night. [say]"That's a new one,"[/say] he admits, of being called ice-man, watching the glint of the ring with curiosity despite knowing from her thoughts what it does. [say]"In my defence, I didn't realise I was doing it a lot of the time."[/say] And it's not an easy admission either, though Jack soon forgets about it as Flora presses herself back against him, her presence enough all by itself without the addition of the pulse of healing magic.
Not that he's at all complaining about it; the first flush of power against his injuries is enough to have him sagging into the thin mattress, taking the edge off the kind of pain he'd gotten used to but that had been no less intense for it.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Flora - 12-03-2024
After having the surprise interruption helpfully stop Flora's hysterics before they could begin, the queen is understandably wary of too quickly diving back into the deep end of their trauma and lingering wounds. So it is that she merely shoots the captain a wry look before resting her chin against his shoulder. [say]"Is that a good defence?"[/say] she wonders, aiming for playfulness but merely sounding like what tired but carbonated might be like. Her eyes are heavy, her voice still rough around the edges from all the crying, but there’s a spark there, something that refuses to be entirely extinguished.
The words hang between them, light and teasing, but Flora knows that beneath them lie the darker, sharper edges of what they had been through. She doesn’t push, though, instead letting herself relax against Jack, her body curling into his, her fingers still resting over his heart. The warmth of the ring pulses through her hand, steady and reassuring, a rhythm that she can focus on—a reminder that he is here, and so is she.
She closes her eyes, letting herself sink into the sensation of his heartbeat beneath her palm, the steady thrum like an anchor keeping her tethered. [say]"I missed you,"[/say] she murmurs after a moment, her voice soft. Doubtless he knows, but Flora feels the need to add: [say]"I couldn't stop them from taking me back to Torchline. I wouldn't have left you if there was anything I could have done to stay."[/say]
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Jack - 12-03-2024
[say]"I dunno, but it's the one I'm usin',"[/say] Jack rumbles; hopefully once he's not hanging by a literal thread between life and death, he might have a little more mastery over his magic. (And his emotions, but we'll fucking see). Relaxing as if for the first time in the bunk, his hand - growing a fraction warmer as the seconds pass - reaches up to cover her own, thumb brushing along the back of her palm.
[say]"I missed you too,"[/say] he whispers, the words falling from his lips unbidden, and as the pain continues to recede in slow, careful pulses of warmth, his free arm reaches around her to draw her closer against his side. [say]"I know you wouldn't, but I'm glad they took you where you'd be safe,"[/say] he adds, his eyes closing as he finally feels the fever racking his body start to break.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Flora - 12-03-2024
Flora snuggles in closer, feeling Jack's arm wrap around her, the warmth of his hand over hers a gentle reassurance that eases something tight in her chest. She lets her body melt into his side, exhaustion seeping out of her in slow, steady waves as she relaxes, her cheek resting against his shoulder.
[say]"Maybe we should both try and get some sleep,"[/say] she whispers, her voice barely more than a murmur, the words soft and drowsy. The idea of rest rather then mere unconsciousness feels almost foreign after everything she's been through, but with Jack warm and real against her and the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her palm, it feels like something she might be able to manage.
[say]"Just for a little while,"[/say] The Doubletake adds, her eyes already drifting closed, her fingers curling gently against his his. Of course she could have placed the ring onto Jack's finger so that it could continue to bleed its power into him as they slept, but given that she had absolutely no intention of releasing him for the next several hours, she didn't feel the need to fuss.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Jack - 12-03-2024
I need to get back to The Ark, Jack starts to say, but the words are barely able to form on his lips. For the first time since being dumped at taken to the Sidhe Village, the captain feels as if he can breathe without pain, and his magic is beginning to settle back in his bones where it can't unleash itself at the whim of his panic and fury. Add Flora's warm, steady presence against his side, and she really barely needs to suggest sleep before his subconscious is taking the wheel with it.
[say]"Yeah, okay,"[/say] he whispers against her soft curls, shifting just enough to get comfortable as exhaustion nips at his heels and ushers him away into its depths. He has no idea how long a little while will end up being, but to say that the captain passes out is an understatement, and with the steady pulse of healing magic continuing to knit together his internal wounds, his sleep only grows deeper as time passes.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Flora - 12-03-2024
The dream unfolds with a suffocating sense of inevitability, a dark shadow cast over every desperate moment. Jack's body is crumpled on the ground, his skin pale, his lips tinged with blue. Flora scrambles, her fingers fumbling for the revivify feather in his pocket, her heart pounding so loudly she can hardly hear her own thoughts. But the feather—it's wrong. It's broken, or it simply doesn’t work. She calls out, her voice raw as she screams for her Dads but there’s no answer, just the sound of Pierce's laughter echoing back to her.
The seconds drag, each one feeling like an eternity, and the world seems to blur around the edges. She’s holding Jack, cradling him to her chest, feeling his warmth slip away. She calls again, her voice cracking, but still, no one comes. Time stretches out, a terrible, endless limbo, and she watches, helpless, as the light fades from his eyes.
Flora wakes with a gasp, her eyes flying open, her breath catching in her throat. The cabin is dark, the chill of the night air seeping in (or was that Jack's magic?), and she feels her heart racing, her chest tight with panic. She stifles the sound that threatens to escape her, her hand flying to her mouth as she tries to choke back the sob that rises.
Flora squeezes her eyes shut, her heart still pounding, the dream lingering like a bruise on her soul. The fear of losing Jack again, even for just a few hours, feels like a weight pressing down on her, and she takes a shaky breath, trying to calm the rush of emotions swirling inside her. She shifts closer to him, nuzzling into the crook of his neck and breathing in the lingering scent of salt and sun that not even death have been able to scrub from his skin.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Jack - 12-03-2024
Jack, as a rule, does not dream. Time will tell whether that remains to be the case since his very untimely death, but at least for the few hours that he falls into blissful and exhausted rest, he's impossible to rouse even by his own subconscious. Flora's subconscious, however - that's a different beast, evidently. And whilst the fingers of her nightmare have only just buried themselves in his mind by the time she jerks awake, it's certainly enough to drag him at least half out of his slumber.
Fear, black and sharp as the sword that had killed them both, stabs at his magic, and Jack turns into Flora just as she buries her face in his neck. His arms - still heavy with sleep - lift to encircle her, drawing her close against his chest (and causing only a soft ache rather than sharp agony). [say]"It's safe."[/say] He sighs the words out on a quiet breath. [say]"I'm not goin' anywhere, love."[/say]
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Flora - 12-03-2024
Jack's words are like a balm against the ragged edges of her fear, his voice reaching her through the darkness of her thoughts and shining enough light to reveal the dream for the illusion that it was. [say]"I know,"[/say] she whispers, her voice barely audible, the words catching in her throat. She wants to believe him, wants to let herself sink into the safety he offers, but the dream still clings to her just as Jack's blood had.
Swallowing hard, her eyes close as she focuses on the steady rhythm of his breathing, the rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek. [say]"I just… I can’t lose you again,"[/say] she admits, her voice breaking on the words, the vulnerability of the admission making her chest ache. [say]"None of that...none of it felt how I thought it would."[/say] Knowing that she could bring them both back hadn't softened any of it the way she naively thought it would.
Falling quiet for a long moment, her fingers tracing absent patterns against Jack's skin, her mind still tangled in the fear and love that seem to consume her in equal measure, Flora takes another breath before lifting her head, her gaze searching Jack’s face. [say]"Just… promise me, okay?"[/say] she whispers, her voice trembling, her aqua eyes softly shining with unshed tears as she looks at him. [say]"Promise me you won’t leave."[/say] It was more than she'd ever asked of him, certainly more than just having him for just a short time, but gods she was more wrong about thinking that was all she wanted from the captain than she had been about the inescapable pull of death.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Jack - 12-03-2024
[say]"It didn't, did it,"[/say] Jack agrees through a whisper, his voice rough with sleep, his hands fumbling to draw the sheets over them a little more as if they might act as a barrier between the warmth and comfort of bed and the dream that had dragged Flora from her rest. [say]"You won't lose me again. I'm not goin' anywhere,"[/say] he murmurs into her crown of curls, the words the sort of dangerously overconfident that suggests plans and strategies rather than misguided it'll be fines.
Glancing down automatically as he senses Flora look up at him, one of his hands slips up to cradle against her cheek. [say]"I promise,"[/say] he says softly; Jack's promises usually take the form of threats, it's true, and to the right ears, this one might not be any different. [say]"Sorry, love. You'll never be rid of me for as long as you live."[/say]
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Flora - 12-03-2024
As Jack pulls the sheets up around them, the warmth encasing them both, Flora feels his words sink deep within her, trickling down to the places that haven't been warmed and threaten never to let go of death fully. The promise in his words—it’s as close as Jack has ever come to saying forever, and while normally her heart would be soaring, her thoughts alight with joy and colour, tonight it's different. Tonight she feels raw, too close to the darkness she’d been dragged through; too shaken to shine. Instead, she presses herself closer to him, her forehead resting against his shoulder, her breath ragged.
[say]"Now that I’ve tried it..."[/say] Death, she means, her voice rough, trying for something lighter to ease the tension that still pulls tight in her chest. [say]"I think I can see the appeal of immortality."[/say] The attempt at humor comes out a bit weak, even as a spark of something glows through her thoughts.
Lifting her head, her gaze meeting Jack's for a brief moment, Flora leans in to brush her lips against his. It’s a soft kiss, one that’s full of everything she can’t find words for. The fear, the love, the wild desperation—all of it spills into the gentle press of her lips against his, a promise that she’s not going anywhere either. [say]"I love you,"[/say] she whispers, before pressing her lips against his again to fill the silence that always followed.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Jack - 12-03-2024
[say]"It took death for you to see the appeal of it?"[/say] Jack's tone couldn't be dryer, and there might even be the ghost of a smile in his voice, before she silences anything more he might say with her lips. Neither of them are in any state for soaring romantic gestures or dramatic makeouts, but luckily for Flora, she happens to be in love with a telepath, such that even the softest brush of her mouth against his own sings with the feelings that roar through her mind.
I love you, she says, and pre-emptively steals his response, such that Jack almost tumbles out of the small bunk as he draws back from her. For his entire life he'd seen that feeling as a poison, as a weakness, but out there in the woods, at the sight of her before Pierce and the sound of her screams as they hit the air, Jack realises he's been wrong.
The things he envisions himself doing to the man with the black blade for all he's put Flora through are too vile to put into words, beyond anything the captain has thought himself capable of imagining. But there they are, dancing behind his eyes like a gift he might one day present to the Doubletake as a surprise. If Jack was dangerous before - and there's no doubt that he was - then love has gone and made him lethal.
[say]"I love you too,"[/say] he whispers to her, sweet as venom.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Flora - 12-03-2024
As soon as Flora's lips brush against Jack's for the second time, she feels him suddenly jerk back. Blinking, her heart leaping into her throat, a wave of worry sloshes through her. Had she hurt him? Glancing between them and expecting to see fresh blood blooming through his bandages, as the queen looks back up, brow furrowed, her eyes meet his and she hears him say it: I love you, too.
For a moment Flora's mind goes entirely blank, the world narrowing to just the sound of Jack's voice, the words echoing through her thoughts like a bell ringing out in the quiet expanse of her mind. And then, like the first light breaking over a dark horizon, joy floods her, spilling into every corner of her consciousness. It’s golden and bright, wings unfurling in her mind, feathers glittering in the light, petals of flowers bursting open in a rush of vibrant colour, vivid and alive. It’s every metaphor and sweet turn of phrase, every love song, every grand gesture, all distilled into a single shimmering instant; a thousand heartbeats pressed into one perfect, golden note.
Knowing that Jack will no doubt be drowned by the sudden onslaught of emotion, the queen tries to keep her physical reaction muted (and not just because even the smallest movements between them are likely to have them both wincing in pain), merely leaning in to brush her nose against his. [say]"Is it as bad as you expected it to be?"[/say] Flora wants to know, blue-green eyes searching his even in the dark. She knows what this means for Jack, how heavy and burdensome he'd expected those words to be; how he'd once made them seem like shackles, like an Achilles Heel that brought no benefits, or a curse just waiting to be cast. The kind of love that made men foolish and left them broken, hollow, or worse, weak.
RE: when i'm up here higher than god - Jack - 12-04-2024
If Flora's love is the first light of dawn, then Jack's is the shadow it casts in its wake. It's no less intense, no less necessary for it, but where the Doubletake brings boundless joy wrapped in strands of gold, the captain's promise of forever is like an ink dark stain on the land; quiet, inevitable, patient.
[say]"It's a thousand times worse than I expected it to be,"[/say] he tells her, and even has the nerve to sound amused about it. [say]"You're in my head, you're under my skin, and I'll never be the same."[/say] Punctuating the sentiment with the soft brush of his lips against her cheek, Jack's fingers curl through her hair as if to grip her closer still, though he knows better than to push his abused body any further than this.