this is drowning

your touch brought forth an incandescent glow, tarnished but so grand

Jack—!

Having been carried to the fountain by her dads, it hadn't taken much time at all for the very worst of Flora's injuries to be mended and for the majority of the purple blood to be washed from her skin. By that point the Doubletake had grown antsy and angry, wondering why no one had gone after Jack to make sure he was okay. She'd accused both demigods of nepotism, saying they were shit at their roles, and once she felt confident she could do so, Flora hauled herself out of the fountain with a bucket of healing water, storming towards the Ark.

Having removed her shoes ages ago on the beach—it felt like a lifetime, honestly—it took a bit longer for Flora to tip-toe her way to the port, not least of all because she hadn't remained in the water long enough to fully restore her missing health, but also because of the heat. But she was fine, and Jack...

..what if he wasn't?

Barging her way onboard the Ark with little thought given to the looks the crew gave her, Flora staggered breathlessly toward the captain's quarters, her running attire stained purple and red and her feet threatening to blister from the walk. Shifting the bucket of water she carried, the queen banged steadily on the captain's door, though if he was inside she was certain that the kaleidoscope of her concern would herald her arrival long before her fist did.

JACK

For the first time in a long, long while, even the crew are aware that their captain is very much Not Fine. Jack had been able to down enough healing water to slouch down into the deep, cool depths where the Ark has been brought into harbour, so he isn't plastered in red and purple and grime any longer. But fuck if he isn't still a state to behold, even after the second vial of water, which was just about enough to get him to his cabin.

And he's been there since, peeling the wet clothes from his body and sitting, for a time, at the edge of his bunk to simply breathe, as if all might right itself with enough air in his lungs. He couldn't summon even a wisp of it himself, not if his life depended on it; all the magic that lurks in his blood feels distant and out of reach, such that when someone taps at his door, it's a complete shock.

His head snaps up quick enough to make him dizzy, Jack pinching at the bridge of his nose and rising uneasily to his feet. "I'm busy," he grates out, recognising nothing of Flora's thoughts in the shellshock of pain (and the majority of his HP disappearing). Just in case it's someone who doesn't take no for an answer, the captain gets a towel around his waist and a knife in his hand, ready for a scuffle.

...Well. Ready for something.

you wanted perfect, you got your perfect
but now I'm too perfect for someone like you

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!