things get messy and the sky feels heavy

JACK

"At what point does it just become our ring?" Jack wonders, the amusement in his tone not necessarily all for show given how many times he's tip-toed around invisibly thanks to their sharing of jewellery. Not that his mageglass ring will do anything for the Doubletake, but providing he's not planning to cause a literal storm at the time, she's welcome to wear it.

But then suddenly her eyes are on his, more smouldering embers than wildfire, and as their lips meet and she melts against him, the captain is wrapped in the sort of golden warmth that might well have taken the world from beneath his feet were it not for the steadying presence of the desk behind him. He's rifled through Flora's feelings dozens of times before now, of course - envy, lust, upset, joy - but even the bubble of love that had burned in her chest and throat for him felt as if it could be kept at arm's length.

Not this, though, and although it likely wouldn't surprise Flora one bit to discover that Jack has never had anyone care about him enough to feel protective, its heat and richness nonetheless take him by surprise. "He was right about one thing, y'know," he murmurs as they part, if only for a few seconds. "You're far too good for me." But it doesn't stop his hands from wandering at all.

when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends

Code stolen from Queen Sky

Flora

Oohh, Jack thought he was funny did he? Smiling innocently at him, Flora lifts her eyebrows as if considering his point before shrugging against him. Leaning forward, she brushes her nose all too sweetly against his before whispering rather wickedly, "-about the time this becomes our ship."

The last person Flora had felt protective over had been her twin, and arguably it was her rashness and need to prove herself to the world that had sealed his fate long before a building collapsed onto him. If she was at all aware that the nuances in the way she was feeling toward Jack closely matched the way she'd felt about Enzo, it might have been her turn to hold him at arm's length. Luckily or not, Flora was quite willingly swept away in the current of her anger and embarrassment, more than happy to drudge up the faces of old enemies and overlay them on her father, on Jack's behalf.

Sipping in a breath against his lips, some of the heat swirling in her thoughts now colouring her cheeks, Flora stiffens ever so slightly as she frowns. "Don't say that." Straightening just enough to make out the sea blue of his eyes, Flora's eyebrows flinch inward as she whispers the words. Torn between telling him that it didn't even make sense to think of her in those terms or trying to argue that he was plenty good enough, the queen merely shook her head, frustration and anxiety sparking like spiderwebs of frost around the periphery of her mind.

"Tell me you don't believe anything he said to you."

I don't like that falling feels like flying
'til the bone crush

Code stolen from Queen Sky

JACK

"You already treat her as though she's our ship--" Jack points out, a touch grumpily, though he's soon cut off by her lips, and his sass is half-hearted at best. Still, if that's how Flora wants to play it, he'll concede and request to wear her ring as and when it might be required, or when she is graceful enough to offer it. And in return, they will continue to use his ship accordingly.

With clever fingers teasing through the ends of her curls and caressing the curve of her hips, Jack raises an eyebrow at the sudden frost that coats her thoughts. Drawing back enough to gaze down at her with a raised eyebrow, it's her last comment that really seals his fate, and he scoffs out a laugh and shakes his head. "I can't do that," he tells her. "I've made it a point of pride not to set off your other ring, and I don't know if I'll be tellin' you the truth."

Which, of course, is as much an admission in the other direction as anything, but whatever. "The bruises on my ego will heal," he assures her. "In the meantime, I do look forward to your next conversation with him."

when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends

Code stolen from Queen Sky

Flora

The day Flora was allowed to take the Ark out without Jack onboard was the day she'd put her treasure trove of trinkets into their joint names. Still, it was no small thing for the captain to even jokingly act as if she held any sway over the ship, and even though her hands and lips were busy, later on the Doubletake would treat herself to enjoying the proper thrill of it.

Sinking back onto the balls of her feet, Flora sighs. Her truth ring was one she nearly always forgot about when she was with Jack precisely because of how honest he was with her. He knew how to spin half-truths better than most of the fae, but they'd had a lot of hard conversations that could have ended a good deal easier for him if he had just lied to her, and he hadn't. She liked to think he wouldn't have even if she didn't have her ring.

Not knowing if it was the sort of thing that they should TAlK AbOuT—obviously they probably should, but was it the sort of thing that they would actually talk about given the weightiness of the things her parents had said and the comparative newness of their relationship—Flora's head bobs in a vague nod as her thoughts swirl with incandescent blues and uncertain indigos.

Glancing up at him and smirking, the queen moves to step back, running her fingers through her hair. "I think whiskey works as well as fountain water for ego injuries." She chuckles, before glancing toward his door and considering. "You're welcome to come if you want. I think I'll go talk to him now. Y'know, when it's all still fresh."

I don't like that falling feels like flying
'til the bone crush

Code stolen from Queen Sky

JACK

Vague nods, uncertainties and maybe-lies were it not for the sake of a truth ring - ah, the stuff true romance is made of. Nevertheless, it suits Jack to leave that potentially thorny line of conversation where it is, the captain squeezing gentle fingers against her hip and letting his other hand whisper along the soft curve of her jaw before she steps away. "Whiskey," he agrees, "or rum, if you want to stick to Torchline's fountains."

And with that siren song already beginning to strum its melody, he offers her a crooked wink in response to her offer, stepping away from the desk. "I'd prefer to hear it from you once you're back. Keep a safe distance an' all that, y'know?" He smirks. "Besides, I'm suddenly feelin' thirsty, an' it'll look better if we've been arguin' to leave separately."

when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends

Code stolen from Queen Sky

Flora

"As if you drink white rum." Flora purrs over one shoulder with a sly roll of her eyes. Jack had known long before that the queen was the one who'd made the anonymous rum-fountain suggestion, but she certainly wouldn't accept the blame for how the majority of the population had voted.

"mmmmmm." Smirking at that, rather liking the idea of messing with the crew, Flora nods. "Only if I get to slam the door on my way out." Grinning and sashaying her way toward it before he could argue (and honestly at this point, if he did, she'd just interpret that as him just being 'method' about their fake fight), Flora throws the door open and slams it behind her as hard as she can, calling out, "YEAH, WELL—". As she storms off the ship Flora lets her thoughts sift back to one of their previous nights together with Jack's fingers tangled in her hair and her mouth pressed down into the pillow. See you sooooooon.

~FIN

I don't like that falling feels like flying
'til the bone crush

Code stolen from Queen Sky