HOME | DD

Description

Sakura bodily jerks awake, nearly sending the controller in her lap catapulting across the room. There’s a brief bout of her juggling it in her grasp before she finally gets ahold of it, and with a relieved sigh she sets it on the coffee table, right next to the culprit responsible for dragging her back to awareness. She flops back against the couch with a loud groan, and opts to ignore the obnoxious blare of her phone in favor of looking around.

Outside the quiet glow of the paused menu of her game, her living room is dark, and she can hear the rumble of thunder shuttering at her window. A quick glance at the wall-mounted clock Evangeline was so adamant on sends another groan out of her; who calls anyone at this hour?

Quincy, I swear to god if you’re callin’ bout a raid again...

Without bothering to look at where her phone is and relying on sound, she grabs blindly at the coffee table before her hand settles on the cool surface of the cell’s case. Lazily she holds it over her head and squints against the brightness of the screen, scanning over the long stretch of numbers flashing with no name in sight.

She’s half the mind to ignore it and go back to sleep, but something in the pit of her gut tells her not to, and so she begrudgingly presses the bright green icon directly underneath the number.

“Hello?” She yawns into the phone, rubbing at her face with her free hand in an attempt to scrub away the remnants of sleep. A beat passes in silence, and while Sakura thinks she can hear something on the other end, it’s too low to make out. She waits another moment before she says “hello” again in a clearer voice, and once again she’s met with no answer. She shoots her phone a glance, one eyebrow raised, before she shrugs and goes to hang up. Must be a wrong number then.

“S-sakura?”

For the second time Sakura startles, eyebrows shooting up as she stares at her phone. Her name comes from the receiver again, quieter this time, but it’s enough for her to fit the voice to a face in her head. “Kaela?” She responds loudly before remembering to bring the phone back to her ear, repeating herself with the beginnings of a smile.

“Kaela, hey! Finally decided callin’ me at, ah....” A quick glance at her phone this time, actually taking in the time that blinks in the corner of the screen. Her expression crumples up a little in confusion. “...well. Didn’t take ya for a night owl.”

“M’sorry.” The girl’s voice is quiet and rough with something she can’t quite place, and Sakura pulls her phone away to look at it again before she brings it back to her ear. “I didn’t mean to… to wake you, but--”

“Oh psh, it’s fine! I’m usually up ‘round this time anyway, jus’ surprised is all.”

She’s more than just a little surprised; Sakura had given her number to Kaela weeks ago, but even then she hadn’t fully anticipated her actually calling with how timid the other girl seemed at work. And so late no less. Still, she’s pleased as punch despite the suddenness of it all, and she lets that cheer seep into her voice as she continues on.

“But it’s nice to hear from ya! What’s up?”

“Um--”

The loud crack of thunder is enough to draw her attention to her window for a split moment, but not enough for her to miss Kaela stop mid-sentence. Sakura waits patiently for a time, and when she gets an answer it comes out ragged, breathless, almost like a whimper. It’s too quiet for her to hear.

“Mm? Kaela?” She says, smile falling away to mimic the downward curve of her furrowing brows. The girl repeats herself, a choked “sorry”, and Sakura feels something in her gut twist with worry.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Didn’t know who else to-- I just… t-the storm, and I ca… I can’t-”

A bright light flashes through the window before it’s quickly followed by the crackling roar of thunder, loud enough to make Sakura jump abruptly. She hears it echo on the other end of the phone, the shaking sob that trails behind it, and she feels her skin prickle with concern. She’s fully sitting up now. “Are you okay?”

Stupid question, she thinks to herself, but it’s all she can think of. There’s a beat of silence, broken only by the occasional sniffle, and she has to coax the girl with another call of her name. This time, she hears Kaela drag in a breath.

“No.”

“You home?”

“..‘Ae.”

“Is your roommate?”

“ʻAʻole. No, no no no.”

Her answers are haggard, short, accent growing thicker with each singular word, and even then Sakura can almost feel the mounting stress through the phone, the growing terror with each crash of thunder and flash of lightning. She drums her fingers hard against her knee, feeling the need to fidget. She hates feeling useless. “I...What can I do? What do you need?”

Kaela doesn’t answer immediately, only whimpering as another bout of thunder sounds out against the relentless pounding of the rain, and Sakura raps her fingers against her knee again, feels tears threatening to prick at her own eyes at the sound.

“I can stay on the phone with you if-”

“Come over?”

The request takes her off guard enough to earn her own bout of silence, and it’s only then Kaela starts babbling, quiet as it is. “I-i-i can’t, I can’t, I think I’m... I, i-it’s too-- please?”

The tail end of that “please” sounds small and feeble, scratchy with what Sakura finally realises is tears, and it's enough to feel like a punch to the gut. Within seconds she’s saying “okay” into the phone, “okay, it’s okay, I will, I’ll be there soon,” shooting up from the couch and rushing into her room for her jacket and shoes. She waits for Kaela to hang up before she’s out the door and in her car, thumbing quickly through the long history of her phone’s map app before she finally comes across the address she vaguely remembers.

She’s out of the parking lot and down the street before the phone can begin giving her directions.

-----------

Sakura may have been lucky enough to still have Kaela’s address in her phone’s maps, but it doesn’t really help her in terms of actually finding which apartment is hers outside a fuzzy memory. It takes a few tries and her getting soaked through her clothes before she finally finds the apartment door she needs, rapping her knuckles against the wood of the door and trying not to be too worried when there’s no immediate answer. “Kaela?” She calls, mindful of her voice despite her nerves, and knocks again.

Nothing.

Sakura suddenly feels the urge to pace but keeps herself in place, letting the silence stretch for who knows how long as she waits. After what feels like forever she goes to knock once more, but just as her fist is raised and she’s opening her mouth to speak again, the door swings open hurriedly and she’s suddenly pulled into the apartment with surprising strength. She’s barely past the threshold before her breath leaves her with an “oof”, stopped short by a small body and fingers digging into her arms through her jacket, and she doesn’t have to look to know it’s Kaela.

Instinct drives her in grasping at the smaller girl’s shoulders, taken aback, and she doesn’t quite know if she should pull her closer or take a step back to properly speak to her. She settles on trying for her name: “Kaela, wha--?”, but that’s all she gets out before she feels more than sees the girl’s state.

Sweat is coating Kaela’s skin, even through her shirt, and as she clings tighter Sakura can feel her chest shuddering against her belly in sobbing, choking breaths. They’re barely even breaths to begin with, more like a wheezing gasp for air, as if it’s getting caught in her throat, and that’s enough for Sakura to step back in alarm, Kaela’s name on the tip of her tongue. She takes in the clawing fingers still digging deep in her jacket, the shivering, how much of those light eyes are eaten away by the wide expanse of her blown pupils. Recognition flashes through Sakura’s mind as fast as panic does, and she has to swallow it down before she speaks up again.

“Kaela?”

She stoops to a knee so she can stare into the shorter girl’s hazy eyes, sliding her hands up from her shoulders to gently cup her cheeks. “"Kaela, Kaela. Cariño, mírame. Look at me, please?”

Sakura watches long lashes flutter before silver eyes finally focus onto her, tears drawing wet trails down her face and onto her hands. She opens her mouth to speak but all that comes out is another choked sound, and Sakura can almost feel the girl’s pulse quicken against the edge of her palm.

“Respira. I want you to breathe with me, okay? Can you do that?”

She doesn’t exactly wait for an answer, but she can’t help the beginnings of relief when Kaela manages a small, shaking nod. She whispers “okay,” before taking in a loud draw of air through her nose, holding it for a beat before releasing it through her mouth in a slow exhale. She repeats the motion a few times, never once taking her eyes off Kaela, watching her attempts at mimicking carefully.

A sudden crack of thunder makes Kaela jerk, her nails digging hard enough to get a wince out of the larger girl despite her jacket protecting her arms. Even still she keeps her breathing level and repetitive, thumbing away renewed tears gently as she gives the quiet reminder: “Tan sólo respira conmigo.”

When Kaela clenches her eyes shut Sakura gets audibly louder, moves one of her hands from the girl’s face to gently take one of Kaela’s and press it against her shoulder. Her fingers rap against the broad expanse anxiously before curling into the cloth of the jacket there, and Sakura lets her shoulders move alongside her breaths to give Kaela more than just sound to focus on. It seems to help, and before long she hears the girl begin to follow more closely to her rhythm. Her breaths are shuddered and tight, but as they finally begin to sound clearer and less strained with each pass, Sakura feels her relief mounting.

"Ándale, estas haciendo muy bien. I'm proud of you Kaela, keep breathing with me okay?"

She doesn’t know for how long they sit there, simply breathing together, hers loud and steady and Kaela’s shaking but quieting, slowing. It feels a little like ages yet no time at all, and finally she lets her shoulders sag along a long exhale of palpable relief when Kaela’s breath steadies, the trembling subsiding slowly. The smaller girl lets out a ragged, tired sigh of her own and finally opens her eyes, and Sakura is glad to see they’ve returned to normal, even against the darkness. She doesn’t see them for long though; Kaela’s looking at the floor now, her brows furrowed, and the hand that rests on Sakura’s bicep moves away to scrub at her eyes.

“Ah… I apologize. You shouldn’t have had to do that--”

“Oi,” Sakura interrupts firmly, and it’s enough to get Kaela's gaze snapping back up to her, “none of that, yeah? I’m glad I could help you.” She sits up more to give Kaela a little more space, removing their joined hands from her shoulder, but the moment she tries to let go the smaller girl’s weak grip tightens almost reflexively, so she doesn’t. Instead she tilts her head with a concerned frown, a little unsure with what to say.

“So. This uh, this happen before?”

Kaela hesitates before she nods slowly. “‘Ae, ah… yes. Back home, when I lived with my brother.” She feels Kaela’s fingers flex against her palm briefly, quiet for a short moment before she continues. “But, it has been long since the last one. I… Mal wanted to go out to the storm. I thought I would be okay alone.”

“But the lightning, i-it struck so close. Power went out. I thought… it felt like I was in the storm again.”

Sakura licked her lips tentatively, cautious, as she asks quietly, “ya wanna talk about it?” Kaela opens her mouth, only manages to get out “I…” before she stops and looks away again, shaking her head in what seems like shame. Sakura squeezes her hand gently, mindful of her strength. “Hey, that’s okay. We can do somethin’ else, then. Unless ya want me to leave?”

Thunder chooses that moment to roar in the background, and Sakura nearly loses her balance when Kaela huddles against her in a caught breath. It isn’t quite panic in her eyes but Sakura can hear the fear in her voice when she loudly says “no!” She catches herself then, hunching her shoulders to her ears as she moves out of Sakura’s personal space. “I apologize, I... You may leave, if you want. I just… I don’t want to be alone.”

The way Kaela says it makes her seem smaller than she truly is, as if she were afraid to admit it, and Sakura feels her heart rend at the sound. She leans deeper into her kneel so she can catch Kaela’s downcast eyes, a reassuring smile on her face.

“Okay. I’ll stay.”

Her answer is how she finds herself a couple of hours later in the middle of Kaela’s living room, a long-cooled mug of tea in her hands, the other girl leaning heavily into her arm. She’s fallen asleep a little while ago, exhausted, barely able to watch the movie they put on her laptop before her eyelids fell shut. Sakura isn’t really watching it either; instead she’s looking at the girl curled against her in a ball, taking in the dark circles under her eyes, the frazzle of her hair, and while she doesn’t wake she unconsciously flinches when thunder muffles against the windows.

Sakura feels a frown curl her lips. She doesn’t know what to make of Kaela’s apparent fear of the storm, but she isn’t blind. While nothing quite like tonight, she’s seen how skittish Kaela gets when it rains at work, how she jumped at even the briefest flashes of distanced lightning, and she can assume that it must stem from something. But as much as she’s curious she also can’t help but feel as if she won’t like the answer if Kaela ever gave her
one. It must’ve been bad if it draws out such a reaction.

Kaela winces again in her sleep, mumbling, and Sakura feels an instinct to brush some of the wayward hair out of her face. The girl settles as she does so, burrowing deeper against her side, and Sakura sighs into the quiet air of the room.

Her fingers absently tap against her mug.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In which a terrible storm ends up being the catalyst in jumpstarting Kaela and Sakura’s friendship. uwu

WHEW! This one took me a few days to work with it because I kinda planned each step out, a bit moreso than what I typically do with my original compositions. Maybe I’ll show ya’ll the overall process if you’re interested, but outside of that, the piece in question!
The part that took me the longest is definitely the writing, and thankfully I had a few folks that were kind enough to look it over and help me with the spanish Sakura speaks! I wanna try having the characters speak their native languages more when I can, so don’t be surprised if I ask for more help in the future. Until then, huge shoutout to Jackii-in-the-Box , catCrazie , and NicoTheTDPinkiePie for your help! And a shoutout to everyone else who volunteered their help!! ^.^
Alrighty, so some quick funfacts!
-Kaela’s fear of thunderstorms stem from a terrible car accident she was in, one of which I’ll talk more about sometime in the future. It was back in highschool and the fear has somewhat abated since then, but all the stress she’s had after moving to the country may have somethin’ to do with why it’s cropped up tenfold again.
-Sakura and Kaela are coworkers in a small bar/diner restaurant, and while they were cordial they weren’t necessarily friends. Sakura certainly tried to be, but Kaela kinda kept her distance, so she never pushed too hard so not to make the girl uncomfortable.
-The “Quincy” mentioned is a friend of Sakura’s, though his concept isn’t any farther past that. Maybe ya’ll will see him in the future! :3
-Mal loves thunderstorms and revels in flying in them, hence why she isn’t present. While she did ask if Kaela would be fine on her own, she has absolutely no idea about the girl’s fear of storms, otherwise she would have stayed with her.
Aaaand I think that’s all I have to say for now! If you’re curious about the characters and the world they live in, just visit the Feathers and Flowers tag, of which I’ll link below! In the meantime I hope you enjoy the writing and the artwork, and thank you for taking a looksie! ^.^

More from Feathers and Flowers:

Link to more FnF lore:
earthsong9405.tumblr.com/tagge…

Process Vid:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vkVLK…

Enjoy my art? Consider supporting me and my work by commissioning me or joining my Patreon!

Commission Prices Patreon

Alternatively, you can follow me and find more of my headcanons, artwork, and content on my other social media linked below!

Tumblr Picarto My Youtube Brother's Youtube Twitter

Description

Sakura bodily jerks awake, nearly sending the controller in her lap catapulting across the room. There’s a brief bout of her juggling it in her grasp before she finally gets ahold of it, and with a relieved sigh she sets it on the coffee table, right next to the culprit responsible for dragging her back to awareness. She flops back against the couch with a loud groan, and opts to ignore the obnoxious blare of her phone in favor of looking around.

Outside the quiet glow of the paused menu of her game, her living room is dark, and she can hear the rumble of thunder shuttering at her window. A quick glance at the wall-mounted clock Evangeline was so adamant on sends another groan out of her; who calls anyone at this hour?

Quincy, I swear to god if you’re callin’ bout a raid again...

Without bothering to look at where her phone is and relying on sound, she grabs blindly at the coffee table before her hand settles on the cool surface of the cell’s case. Lazily she holds it over her head and squints against the brightness of the screen, scanning over the long stretch of numbers flashing with no name in sight.

She’s half the mind to ignore it and go back to sleep, but something in the pit of her gut tells her not to, and so she begrudgingly presses the bright green icon directly underneath the number.

“Hello?” She yawns into the phone, rubbing at her face with her free hand in an attempt to scrub away the remnants of sleep. A beat passes in silence, and while Sakura thinks she can hear something on the other end, it’s too low to make out. She waits another moment before she says “hello” again in a clearer voice, and once again she’s met with no answer. She shoots her phone a glance, one eyebrow raised, before she shrugs and goes to hang up. Must be a wrong number then.

“S-sakura?”

For the second time Sakura startles, eyebrows shooting up as she stares at her phone. Her name comes from the receiver again, quieter this time, but it’s enough for her to fit the voice to a face in her head. “Kaela?” She responds loudly before remembering to bring the phone back to her ear, repeating herself with the beginnings of a smile.

“Kaela, hey! Finally decided callin’ me at, ah....” A quick glance at her phone this time, actually taking in the time that blinks in the corner of the screen. Her expression crumples up a little in confusion. “...well. Didn’t take ya for a night owl.”

“M’sorry.” The girl’s voice is quiet and rough with something she can’t quite place, and Sakura pulls her phone away to look at it again before she brings it back to her ear. “I didn’t mean to… to wake you, but--”

“Oh psh, it’s fine! I’m usually up ‘round this time anyway, jus’ surprised is all.”

She’s more than just a little surprised; Sakura had given her number to Kaela weeks ago, but even then she hadn’t fully anticipated her actually calling with how timid the other girl seemed at work. And so late no less. Still, she’s pleased as punch despite the suddenness of it all, and she lets that cheer seep into her voice as she continues on.

“But it’s nice to hear from ya! What’s up?”

“Um--”

The loud crack of thunder is enough to draw her attention to her window for a split moment, but not enough for her to miss Kaela stop mid-sentence. Sakura waits patiently for a time, and when she gets an answer it comes out ragged, breathless, almost like a whimper. It’s too quiet for her to hear.

“Mm? Kaela?” She says, smile falling away to mimic the downward curve of her furrowing brows. The girl repeats herself, a choked “sorry”, and Sakura feels something in her gut twist with worry.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Didn’t know who else to-- I just… t-the storm, and I ca… I can’t-”

A bright light flashes through the window before it’s quickly followed by the crackling roar of thunder, loud enough to make Sakura jump abruptly. She hears it echo on the other end of the phone, the shaking sob that trails behind it, and she feels her skin prickle with concern. She’s fully sitting up now. “Are you okay?”

Stupid question, she thinks to herself, but it’s all she can think of. There’s a beat of silence, broken only by the occasional sniffle, and she has to coax the girl with another call of her name. This time, she hears Kaela drag in a breath.

“No.”

“You home?”

“..‘Ae.”

“Is your roommate?”

“ʻAʻole. No, no no no.”

Her answers are haggard, short, accent growing thicker with each singular word, and even then Sakura can almost feel the mounting stress through the phone, the growing terror with each crash of thunder and flash of lightning. She drums her fingers hard against her knee, feeling the need to fidget. She hates feeling useless. “I...What can I do? What do you need?”

Kaela doesn’t answer immediately, only whimpering as another bout of thunder sounds out against the relentless pounding of the rain, and Sakura raps her fingers against her knee again, feels tears threatening to prick at her own eyes at the sound.

“I can stay on the phone with you if-”

“Come over?”

The request takes her off guard enough to earn her own bout of silence, and it’s only then Kaela starts babbling, quiet as it is. “I-i-i can’t, I can’t, I think I’m... I, i-it’s too-- please?”

The tail end of that “please” sounds small and feeble, scratchy with what Sakura finally realises is tears, and it's enough to feel like a punch to the gut. Within seconds she’s saying “okay” into the phone, “okay, it’s okay, I will, I’ll be there soon,” shooting up from the couch and rushing into her room for her jacket and shoes. She waits for Kaela to hang up before she’s out the door and in her car, thumbing quickly through the long history of her phone’s map app before she finally comes across the address she vaguely remembers.

She’s out of the parking lot and down the street before the phone can begin giving her directions.

-----------

Sakura may have been lucky enough to still have Kaela’s address in her phone’s maps, but it doesn’t really help her in terms of actually finding which apartment is hers outside a fuzzy memory. It takes a few tries and her getting soaked through her clothes before she finally finds the apartment door she needs, rapping her knuckles against the wood of the door and trying not to be too worried when there’s no immediate answer. “Kaela?” She calls, mindful of her voice despite her nerves, and knocks again.

Nothing.

Sakura suddenly feels the urge to pace but keeps herself in place, letting the silence stretch for who knows how long as she waits. After what feels like forever she goes to knock once more, but just as her fist is raised and she’s opening her mouth to speak again, the door swings open hurriedly and she’s suddenly pulled into the apartment with surprising strength. She’s barely past the threshold before her breath leaves her with an “oof”, stopped short by a small body and fingers digging into her arms through her jacket, and she doesn’t have to look to know it’s Kaela.

Instinct drives her in grasping at the smaller girl’s shoulders, taken aback, and she doesn’t quite know if she should pull her closer or take a step back to properly speak to her. She settles on trying for her name: “Kaela, wha--?”, but that’s all she gets out before she feels more than sees the girl’s state.

Sweat is coating Kaela’s skin, even through her shirt, and as she clings tighter Sakura can feel her chest shuddering against her belly in sobbing, choking breaths. They’re barely even breaths to begin with, more like a wheezing gasp for air, as if it’s getting caught in her throat, and that’s enough for Sakura to step back in alarm, Kaela’s name on the tip of her tongue. She takes in the clawing fingers still digging deep in her jacket, the shivering, how much of those light eyes are eaten away by the wide expanse of her blown pupils. Recognition flashes through Sakura’s mind as fast as panic does, and she has to swallow it down before she speaks up again.

“Kaela?”

She stoops to a knee so she can stare into the shorter girl’s hazy eyes, sliding her hands up from her shoulders to gently cup her cheeks. “"Kaela, Kaela. Cariño, mírame. Look at me, please?”

Sakura watches long lashes flutter before silver eyes finally focus onto her, tears drawing wet trails down her face and onto her hands. She opens her mouth to speak but all that comes out is another choked sound, and Sakura can almost feel the girl’s pulse quicken against the edge of her palm.

“Respira. I want you to breathe with me, okay? Can you do that?”

She doesn’t exactly wait for an answer, but she can’t help the beginnings of relief when Kaela manages a small, shaking nod. She whispers “okay,” before taking in a loud draw of air through her nose, holding it for a beat before releasing it through her mouth in a slow exhale. She repeats the motion a few times, never once taking her eyes off Kaela, watching her attempts at mimicking carefully.

A sudden crack of thunder makes Kaela jerk, her nails digging hard enough to get a wince out of the larger girl despite her jacket protecting her arms. Even still she keeps her breathing level and repetitive, thumbing away renewed tears gently as she gives the quiet reminder: “Tan sólo respira conmigo.”

When Kaela clenches her eyes shut Sakura gets audibly louder, moves one of her hands from the girl’s face to gently take one of Kaela’s and press it against her shoulder. Her fingers rap against the broad expanse anxiously before curling into the cloth of the jacket there, and Sakura lets her shoulders move alongside her breaths to give Kaela more than just sound to focus on. It seems to help, and before long she hears the girl begin to follow more closely to her rhythm. Her breaths are shuddered and tight, but as they finally begin to sound clearer and less strained with each pass, Sakura feels her relief mounting.

"Ándale, estas haciendo muy bien. I'm proud of you Kaela, keep breathing with me okay?"

She doesn’t know for how long they sit there, simply breathing together, hers loud and steady and Kaela’s shaking but quieting, slowing. It feels a little like ages yet no time at all, and finally she lets her shoulders sag along a long exhale of palpable relief when Kaela’s breath steadies, the trembling subsiding slowly. The smaller girl lets out a ragged, tired sigh of her own and finally opens her eyes, and Sakura is glad to see they’ve returned to normal, even against the darkness. She doesn’t see them for long though; Kaela’s looking at the floor now, her brows furrowed, and the hand that rests on Sakura’s bicep moves away to scrub at her eyes.

“Ah… I apologize. You shouldn’t have had to do that--”

“Oi,” Sakura interrupts firmly, and it’s enough to get Kaela's gaze snapping back up to her, “none of that, yeah? I’m glad I could help you.” She sits up more to give Kaela a little more space, removing their joined hands from her shoulder, but the moment she tries to let go the smaller girl’s weak grip tightens almost reflexively, so she doesn’t. Instead she tilts her head with a concerned frown, a little unsure with what to say.

“So. This uh, this happen before?”

Kaela hesitates before she nods slowly. “‘Ae, ah… yes. Back home, when I lived with my brother.” She feels Kaela’s fingers flex against her palm briefly, quiet for a short moment before she continues. “But, it has been long since the last one. I… Mal wanted to go out to the storm. I thought I would be okay alone.”

“But the lightning, i-it struck so close. Power went out. I thought… it felt like I was in the storm again.”

Sakura licked her lips tentatively, cautious, as she asks quietly, “ya wanna talk about it?” Kaela opens her mouth, only manages to get out “I…” before she stops and looks away again, shaking her head in what seems like shame. Sakura squeezes her hand gently, mindful of her strength. “Hey, that’s okay. We can do somethin’ else, then. Unless ya want me to leave?”

Thunder chooses that moment to roar in the background, and Sakura nearly loses her balance when Kaela huddles against her in a caught breath. It isn’t quite panic in her eyes but Sakura can hear the fear in her voice when she loudly says “no!” She catches herself then, hunching her shoulders to her ears as she moves out of Sakura’s personal space. “I apologize, I... You may leave, if you want. I just… I don’t want to be alone.”

The way Kaela says it makes her seem smaller than she truly is, as if she were afraid to admit it, and Sakura feels her heart rend at the sound. She leans deeper into her kneel so she can catch Kaela’s downcast eyes, a reassuring smile on her face.

“Okay. I’ll stay.”

Her answer is how she finds herself a couple of hours later in the middle of Kaela’s living room, a long-cooled mug of tea in her hands, the other girl leaning heavily into her arm. She’s fallen asleep a little while ago, exhausted, barely able to watch the movie they put on her laptop before her eyelids fell shut. Sakura isn’t really watching it either; instead she’s looking at the girl curled against her in a ball, taking in the dark circles under her eyes, the frazzle of her hair, and while she doesn’t wake she unconsciously flinches when thunder muffles against the windows.

Sakura feels a frown curl her lips. She doesn’t know what to make of Kaela’s apparent fear of the storm, but she isn’t blind. While nothing quite like tonight, she’s seen how skittish Kaela gets when it rains at work, how she jumped at even the briefest flashes of distanced lightning, and she can assume that it must stem from something. But as much as she’s curious she also can’t help but feel as if she won’t like the answer if Kaela ever gave her
one. It must’ve been bad if it draws out such a reaction.

Kaela winces again in her sleep, mumbling, and Sakura feels an instinct to brush some of the wayward hair out of her face. The girl settles as she does so, burrowing deeper against her side, and Sakura sighs into the quiet air of the room.

Her fingers absently tap against her mug.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In which a terrible storm ends up being the catalyst in jumpstarting Kaela and Sakura’s friendship. uwu

WHEW! This one took me a few days to work with it because I kinda planned each step out, a bit moreso than what I typically do with my original compositions. Maybe I’ll show ya’ll the overall process if you’re interested, but outside of that, the piece in question!
The part that took me the longest is definitely the writing, and thankfully I had a few folks that were kind enough to look it over and help me with the spanish Sakura speaks! I wanna try having the characters speak their native languages more when I can, so don’t be surprised if I ask for more help in the future. Until then, huge shoutout to Jackii-in-the-Box , catCrazie , and NicoTheTDPinkiePie for your help! And a shoutout to everyone else who volunteered their help!! ^.^
Alrighty, so some quick funfacts!
-Kaela’s fear of thunderstorms stem from a terrible car accident she was in, one of which I’ll talk more about sometime in the future. It was back in highschool and the fear has somewhat abated since then, but all the stress she’s had after moving to the country may have somethin’ to do with why it’s cropped up tenfold again.
-Sakura and Kaela are coworkers in a small bar/diner restaurant, and while they were cordial they weren’t necessarily friends. Sakura certainly tried to be, but Kaela kinda kept her distance, so she never pushed too hard so not to make the girl uncomfortable.
-The “Quincy” mentioned is a friend of Sakura’s, though his concept isn’t any farther past that. Maybe ya’ll will see him in the future! :3
-Mal loves thunderstorms and revels in flying in them, hence why she isn’t present. While she did ask if Kaela would be fine on her own, she has absolutely no idea about the girl’s fear of storms, otherwise she would have stayed with her.
Aaaand I think that’s all I have to say for now! If you’re curious about the characters and the world they live in, just visit the Feathers and Flowers tag, of which I’ll link below! In the meantime I hope you enjoy the writing and the artwork, and thank you for taking a looksie! ^.^

More from Feathers and Flowers:

Link to more FnF lore:
earthsong9405.tumblr.com/tagge…

Process Vid:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vkVLK…

Enjoy my art? Consider supporting me and my work by commissioning me or joining my Patreon!

Commission Prices Patreon

Alternatively, you can follow me and find more of my headcanons, artwork, and content on my other social media linked below!

Tumblr Picarto My Youtube Brother's Youtube Twitter