i could be the reason you can't sleep at night
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. "Is that a good defence?" 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. "I missed you," she murmurs after a moment, her voice soft. Doubtless he knows, but Flora feels the need to add: "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."
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. "I missed you," she murmurs after a moment, her voice soft. Doubtless he knows, but Flora feels the need to add: "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."
