He Dreams of Drowning—ROTG
Sandy and Jack have a little too much in common. Drabble, angst.
He Dreams of Drowning
After Pitch's defeat, it's Jack who first offers a kind ear.
He should've known then.
Sandy is shocked by Jack's insight. Jack knows—somehow—that Sandy is haunted by those terrible memories - haunted by his own death at the hands of Pitch Black.
Not near-death. Not almost-death. And Jack knows that.
Sandy turns down the offer, at first. But, nights later, he finds himself pouring out his pain and frustration. It is Jack who listens, perched beside him on the dreamsand cloud, and he does not even need help interpreting the fast-flickering symbols above Sandy's head.
Jack understands—all too well.
It's Jack who accompanies him the following night. Jack's presence is soothing, and makes dreamweaving easier. He can dive deep and get lost in his work, knowing someone is watching his back. Jack acts as his bodyguard, casual but alert, driving back the now-highly-common rogue nightmares wherever they appear.
Nightmares who seem oddly fixated on Jack.
It's not a pace they can keep up forever. When Sandy and Jack take refuge in the Warren, Jack nods off, exhausted. After the night's hard battles, dust and nightmare sand clings to Jack's hoodie, and the dark magic seeps into Jack's dreams before Sandy can manage to stop it.
And the nightmare twisting above Jack's head reveals exactly why he understands Sandy's pain so well.
Jack dreams of drowning.
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