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parkitaco · 1 year ago

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"Mike," Holly huffs, standing over him with her arms crossed, "You're doing it bad."

Mike glances up from where he's sitting on the sidewalk in front of their house, covered in chalk and sweating. "Thanks," he says sarcastically, as Holly kicks her shoe at the drawing he's been half-heartedly creating on the ground. "You're the one who wanted to do this, remember?"

"You're hogging all the chalk," Holly whines, collapsing onto the ground and tossing an arm over her eyes in despair. Mike scowls; anyone who thinks he's dramatic has got him confused with the wrong Wheeler. "And you're not even doing it good."

Mike sighs, glancing down at his half-completed chalk drawing of a bunny, per Holly's request that there be more fun animals, Mike, it's too boring otherwise. She has a point - all his drawings have turned out sort of blob-shaped and ugly. "You do it, then," he says sourly, shoving the box of slightly broken chalk in her direction, and she grins all teeth at him.

Mike pulls his phone out of his pocket, grimacing when he sees the time. With Nancy off at college, he's been getting stuck on Holly-duty more and more often, and he's still got a solid three hours this morning before his mother gets home. Not that Holly's bad company, necessarily, though her incessant criticism certainly isn't helping her case. But it's summer, and Mike had had some vague plans of maybe going to the lake today, and hopefully dragging Will along with him. And besides, Holly's almost nine years old. She shouldn't need full-time looking after. Probably.

As if he's somehow read his mind from afar, Mike's phone buzzes with a text from Will:

hey :)

how's holly duty

Mike smiles, glancing up at his sister, who is currently scribbling out his misshapen rabbit drawing with a stick of red chalk, tongue poking out between her teeth as she concentrates on utterly destroying his attempt at art. It's hard to have authority over someone who knows you're a loser, he texts back, as Holly finishes scribbling out the bunny drawing and moves on to one of his earlier drawings.

don't call my boyfriend a loser :(, Will replies, and Mike's grin widens.

To be fair holly said it first, he types, and a piece of chalk hits him square on the forehead. He yelps and glances up from his phone, scowling at his sister. "Ow!"

"Stop texting Will," Holly says sourly, "and draw with me."

"Who says I'm texting Will?" Mike demands, snatching up the piece of chalk Holly had thrown at him. "And you said I was bad at drawing."

Holly stays silent, staring him down until he reluctantly leans over and starts drawing again. "I know you're texting Will because you have the dumb look on your face," she says, "And it's not fun if you're not drawing with me!"

"My face isn't dumb," Mike mumbles, but he goes back to drawing anyway. Maybe- fish are probably pretty easy to draw, right? He draws a circle with a triangle on the end that looks vaguely fish-like, and then sets about filing in multicolored scales.

Holly starts talking again, babbling on about whatever little world she's drawing at the other end of the pavement, and Mike nods along absently, doodling little circles around the slightly wonky-looking fish and praying that the sunscreen he'd hurriedly sprayed on before going outside is enough to protect his frighteningly pale skin from the blazing sun overhead. It's barely noon, but it's already getting hot, and the sidewalk is in direct sunlight with no trees around to shield him. Holly seems unbothered, though Mike can already see the bridge of her nose pinkening, and he'll undoubtedly get a lecture from his mother lately about taking proper care of his baby sister and whatnot. Even though Holly is literally not a baby, and Mike is pretty sure that when he was nine he was perfectly capable of putting on sunscreen.

It's a welcome relief, then, if a little surprising, when a shadow falls over him, and Mike jumps, dropping his chalk and raising a hand to shield his eyes as he glances up at the person standing over him. When he sees who it is, his entire body relaxes, a slow smile stretching across his face.

Will matches it, offering a little wave as he surveys the situation; Mike, covered in chalk and doodling multicolored circles all over the sidewalk, with his sister five feet away frantically scribbling out his earlier drawings. "Hi," Will says, amused, and Mike waves back, grinning a little sheepishly. "Are we having fun?"

"Hi, Will!" Holly chirps before Mike can answer, popping her head up and smiling brightly. "Mike is being a bummer," she informs him seriously, and Will laughs.

"Is that so," he replies, eyes flicking to Mike, and he nudges Mike's knee with the toe of his shoe.

"No," Mike replies sourly, giving Holly a scathing glare, "I'm being super nice, actually."

Holly is unperturbed, sticking her tongue out at him and going back to drawing, and Will laughs again as he sinks to the ground in front of Mike, crossing his legs beneath him and leaning back on his palms. He looks good like this, warm and tan in the summer sun with a teasing twinkle in his eye and his white t-shirt tucked neatly into his jeans.

"Hi," Will says again, low and soft, reaching forward and tugging at the collar of Mike's t-shirt until he leans forward for a quick kiss. In his peripheral, Mike watches Holly pull a face of disgust, and actively decides to pretend he doesn't notice. "I like your drawing," Will says, glancing down at the fish Mike has been slaving away at, and Mike flushes, whining in embarrassment and scooting away.

"Shut up," he grumbles, reaching for a fresh piece of chalk and halfheartedly filling in one of his circles with purple. "You're the artist, not me."

"Hey, I was being serious!" Will says, laughing lightly, "It's cute."

Mike presses his lips together, giving Will a scrutinizing look. "You're cute," he mumbles, which isn't quite the comeback he'd been looking for but is still, unfortunately, very true, and Will brightens, shooting him a brilliant smile.

"Hey, thanks," he replies, and leans over to steal the chalk out of his hand. "Can I draw too?" he asks Holly, who glances up from where she's drawing a mustache and goatee onto Mike's poor attempt at drawing a cat.

She looks Will up and down, weighing her options, and then nods once, shoving the box of chalk in his direction. "Don't break any," she chides.

"I won't," Will says seriously, placing a hand over his heart like he's swearing it.

Mike rolls his eyes. "You've already broken like half of it, Holly," he says, reaching for a blue piece and doodling another circle near his fish.

"That's why we can't break any more!" she says shrilly, which is a fair enough point. Mike lets it go.

Will smirks, leaning over and sketching out a few gentle lines on a blank stretch of sidewalk. "When does your mom get back?" he asks, as the lines he's sketching gradually take the shape of a much more realistic-looking fish than the one Mike had drawn.

"Like, three maybe?" Mike says with a grimace, pulling out his phone to check the time again. Tragically, it has been less than fifteen minutes since the last time he checked. "She has to do grocery shopping and then yoga, I think. I don't know, I wasn't totally listening."

Will snorts, picking up a piece of blue chalk and drawing gentle, wave-like lines around the two fishes they've drawn. "Okay," he says, chalk-dusted fingers brushing over the back of Mike's hand gently, "But you're free tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah," Mike confirms, "Why, did you want to do something?"

Will nods, filling in little white crests on each of the waves he's drawn. "Yeah. The lake, maybe? I don't know, I just want to hang out with you."

It's impressive, how easily Will is able to make Mike's entire chest fill with butterflies with a single phrase, especially such a mundane one considering how long they've been dating. He bites down a shy smile and nods as normally as he can manage, though he's pretty sure Will can sense the giddiness radiating from him anyway. "That sounds nice," he says, and then, because he can't help himself, "We are hanging out right now, though. In case you hadn't noticed."

Will rolls his eyes, lifting a chalk-covered finger and booping Mike's nose lightly, undoubtedly covering his face in green chalk dust. "I did notice," he says, jabbing his finger at him again, "But- alone, I meant. Sorry, Holly," he adds, glancing over at her apologetically, and she sticks her tongue out at him.

"Mean," she whines, and Mike rolls his eyes.

"Don't dish it out if you can't take it," he tells her, and she scowls, maintaining eye contact with him while she draws a giant red X directly over one of his earlier drawings.

Will's eyes widen. "Cold," he mutters, and holds his fist out. Holly bumps it dutifully and goes back to drawing.

His eyes flick back to Mike, and the corner of his mouth ticks up as his gaze darts over Mike's face. "You have chalk on your face," he informs him, looking like he's trying very hard not to laugh, and Mike scowls, lifting a hand and scrubbing at his face with the back of it.

"That's your fault," he grumbles, and Will makes a fake-sympathetic face as he scoots closer and bats Mike's hand away, raising a still green-tinged hand to wipe at his face. Mike lets him, leaning into his warmth, even as he says, nose wrinkled, "Listen, I can't see my face right now, but I feel like you're making it worse."

Will grimaces, and his hands tragically pull away from Mike's face as he surveys his work. "A bit, yeah," he acknowledges. "I kinda just spread it around."

"Idiot," Mike accuses, and Will grins all teeth, tilting forward slowly like he's falling into Mike's gravity before closing the rest of the distance in one swift motion and stealing another quick kiss. "Idiot," Mike says again, and leans in for another.

"Love you too," Will replies cheerily when they part again, and Mike shoots him the finger before remembering that there's a child present and quickly hiding it behind his back.

"I saw that," Holly says anyway, as she finishes whatever she's drawing and glances up at him.

"No you didn't," Mike says matter-of-factly, and Will elbows him.

"Don't gaslight her," he reprimands, and Holly points at him and nods.

"Come here," she demands, despite the fact that Mike and Will are sitting less than ten feet away from here. "I wanna show you what I made."

Mike wants to tell her to say please, or something, or at least take a slightly less bossy tone with the person who is literally in charge of her for the day, but Will is already scooting over to her, peering down at her drawing with genuine curiosity, and Mike has no choice but to follow. It's a little infuriating and all too endearing, how nice Will is to Holly, and most people in general. He makes people feel important. Mike in particular.

Holly's drawn a rainbow, Mike sees as he clambers over to sit beside Will, hooking an arm around his waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. There are little multicolored hearts all around it, complete with white clouds at either end, and Holly looks way too pleased with herself for someone who's basically just drawn a bunch of lines, but whatever. It's probably better than Mike could do.

"It's for you!" she chirps, grinning wide, and Will huffs a surprised laugh, hand absently coming to rest on Mike's knee. "Because rainbows."

"Aw, Mike," Will laughs, tilting his head back to look Mike in the eye, "Did you teach her that?"

"No," Mike says, squirming closer to him and grinning, "Nancy, probably. She keeps sending me all these lists of queer resources and shit."

Will hums a laugh, thumb tracing gentle circles into Mike's knee as he reaches for his phone. "This is very sweet, Holly," he says sincerely, and she blushes as he snaps a picture. "Thank you."

"You should take a picture of Mike's fish, too," she says seriously.

Mike frowns. "I thought you hated my drawings."

"Not the fish!" she says, and does not elaborate, which- yeah, sure. Mike will take what he can get.

"Here, you take it," Will says, passing Holly his phone, and she hops excitedly to her feet and shuffles over to the other end of the sidewalk to snap the photo.

Mike settles more comfortably onto Will's shoulder, enjoying the solid warmth of him even under the burning summer sun. "You know there's a twenty percent chance she's going to break your phone," he murmurs into Will's ear, still half-hugging him from behind, and Will lifts a hand to rest over Mike's where it's pressed against his side, threading their fingers together.

"She's like four feet tall," Will points out, "she can't break it any worse than I already have."

"You'd be surprised," Mike mutters darkly, and Will laughs, tilting his head to the side and pressing a soft kiss to the side of Mike's face. Mike leans into it, a smile creeping onto his face despite himself.

Holly flounces back over, dropping Will's phone unceremoniously into his lap and resuming her previous position amidst the chalk drawings. "You guys are gross," she announces, as Will presses another kiss to Mike's temple.

"You made a drawing for us, though," Mike points out.

"Doesn't mean you aren't gross," she says matter-of-factly, and Mike supposes it's kind of hard to argue with that. "You have chalk on your face, by the way."

Mike splutters something incomprehensible, and Will laughs quietly, slinging an arm around his shoulders and grinning up at him. "It's okay," he says seriously, "I like your face."

"I like your face too," Mike replies teasingly, leaning in to rest his forehead against Will's.

"Gross," Holly says again, and the sun keeps shining.

#happy pride <33 #consider this a mini reparation for the soul crushing angst of my last fic . at least until i finish the next chapter #byler ficlet #mike wheeler #will byers #holly wheeler #st

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leaves-and-inks · 1 month ago

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Quinn Cyprus has a warm attitude and a reassuring charm, but hidden behind his easy smile is a past he’s never stopped running from….

Character sheet for my bg3 tav, Quinn (and one of his animal companions)!! I really wanted to practice rendering things like fabric and skin, esp. in different lighting situations, and also refine my style (I went too long not drawing lips lol). I had fun working on this and learned a lot! It was good to try and figure out his design too, especially in color. It’s different than how I dyed his cape/armor in-game but I don't have mod support yet and there's only so much you can do with the regular dyes 😅 He did also end up with Volo’s blue eye, for Reasons. (maybe I’ll make a comic on it, but tbh I’m still figuring out that part of his backstory lol).

[ID: Several Illustrations of a man, as well as a Cara Cara, on a textured tan background with a cream border. In the bottom left is the text: “Quinn Cyprus” handwritten in multicolored bubble letters. The man has tan skin with freckles and a partial beard, and two different colored eyes. His left is his natural brown eye and his right is a blue eye. He has several facial scars; a wide one across the bridge of his nose, a small one at the bottom of his lip, and two slash-like scars in his left eyebrow. He has a dagger tattoo wrapped in a vine on his neck, directly in the center. He also has a short mullet, with dark brown hair and white sideburns. In the main illustration, a bust, Quinn is on the bottom left of the page wearing a green and white shirt. He has a calm smile. To the left is a close-up on the downturned dagger tattoo. The vine that wraps around it ends in a wilted flower blooming at the tip, and it also has roots up at the end of the handle. Above is another close up of a tattoo drawn to be flat on the page; branches of a cypress tree. The second Quinn drawing is above that. He lays down in a field, resting against a western saddle and saddlebags. He's wearing the same green and white shirt, as well as green pants, and brown cowboy boots with a white toe tip. He looks up wistfully at the sky, with one hand over his stomach and one leg bent up. On the right of the page is Quinn standing in front of an explosion, reaching for a handheld crossbow at his hip. He’s wearing a woolen poncho/shawl, which dramatically flies over the opposite shoulder, chaps with some fringe, and leather armor over his torso. He also wears a wide brimmed hat that casts a shadow over his surprised face. His right hand reaches behind his back, holding a dagger, which only the blade and half of the hilt can be seen. Below him is the drawing of the cara cara, its wings partially unfurled, and its head turning right. It looks at the first drawing of Quinn, a green dotted line cutting across the canvas from its eye to his eyebrow scars. Four pointed stars are scattered across the page./end ID]

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other-ppls-dragon-stuff · 3 months ago

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I need to make an actual directory this is getting silly.

Link to moonsrising's post on image size limits

Tags

Nearly all posts:

Flight Rising, FR Bio Resources

Information:

Important Info, Quick Reference, image resizing, Bio Templates (fixed and extendable), Plain Text Wizardry, Names, Lore Resources/FR Lore Resources, Outfits,

Image Size:

Bullet Points, Tiny, Small, FR Item Sized, Medium (Bigger than an item, smaller than 300px in any direction), Large, Huge, Multiple Sizes,

Image Shape:

Square, Long, Tall, Banners (I am NOT differentiating between these and dividers, there's too much grey area), Headers, Bookends, Special*,

Image Content:

Achievements, Alchemy (Baldwin), Apparel Themed, Coli, Dragon Themed, Eggs, Fairgrounds, Familiars, Forums, NotN, NPCs, Scenes, Vistas, World Map

Animals, Architecture, Books, Flags, Machines, Magic, Medals, Plants, Riches, Rocks, Shade, Stars (the shape or as shorthand for space), Weapons,

Food, Drinks, Toys (Chess Pieces), Tools (art supplies, torches, shears buttons, tailor)

Candles, Eyes, Hands, Skulls,

Cute, Formal (should have been "Elegant". Oh well.), Geometric, Scifi, Simple, Spooky,

Black, Glitter, Gradient, Metallic, Monochrome, Multicolored, Pixel Art,

Flight Themed, Flight Magic, Arcane, Earth, Fire, Ice, Light, Lightning, Nature, Plague, Shadow, Water, Wind

Animated, GIFs, Insane Variety,

Image Source:

FR Item Recolors, FR Item Edits, FR Site Assets, Elaborate Edit, Enlarged FR Site Art, FR Fake Items, FR Lore, FR Item Graphics (drawings of an item made by users),

Etc:

Customizable, Not FR, Link (Readmores fall under this), Series,

*currently has a tool for making filigree coli portraits, colored statbars

#pinned post #Flight Rising #Tag Directory

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lgbtqtext · 2 months ago

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codenewbies · 2 years ago

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Multicolored Gradient Text Animation

#multicolored text animation #css text gradient #CSS Text Animation #text animation css #text animation #learn css animation #learn css #css gradient animation #css gradient color animation #code #codenewbies #animation

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textanimations · 4 days ago

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neopronouns · 8 months ago

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flag id: a square flag made up of 9 squares, which are divided into 3 rows of 3 and evenly spaced with small dull light blue dividing lines between them. the squares, from left to right and top to bottom, are near-black, bright purple, bright pink, bright yellow, light silver, bright green, bright blue, very dark indigo, and blue-black. end id.

image id: a 3 by 3 moodboard. from left to right and top to bottom, the images show silver star shapes and silver glitter over a rainbow gradient background; a swirl of brightly multicolored liquid through black liquid; a close-up of a plastic sheet with various star and crescent moon shapes cut out of it, through which multicolored light softly shines through; a dark space background with a circle of cartoonish, variously colored stars in the center; a close-up of an anime character's face, with their eyes closed and mouth wide open in a yell, which has been color-inverted and edited to make everything but the character's skin a neon rainbow gradient; a glitched dark screen with 'play' in white letters in the center; another swirl of brightly multicolored liquid through black liquid; a close-up of glitter with light hitting it, showing its holographic qualities; and another swirl of brightly multicolored liquid through black liquid. end id.

banner id: a 1600x200 teal banner with the words ‘please read my dni before interacting. those on my / dni may still use my terms, so do not recoin them.’ in large white text in the center. the text takes up two lines, split at the slash. end id.

mulvineonstars: a gender that can only be described through the aesthetic moodboard above

[pt: mulvineonstars: a gender that can only be described through the aesthetic moodboard above. end pt]

for anon! colors are from the moodboard and the term is 'mulvi' from 'mulviboard', 'neon', + 'stars'.

tags: @radiomogai, @liom-archive, @inviane-archive, @narcette, @genderstarbucks, @sugar-and-vice-mogai | dni link

#mulvineonstars #mulviboard #inviane #my flags #my terms #new flag #new term #mogai flag #mogai term #mogai #eyestrain

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bullet-prooflove · 11 months ago

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Criminal!Joe: Reward - Joe Velasco x Reader

Tagging: @plaidbooks @witches-unruly-heart @storiesofsvu @magic-multicolored-miracle @rosaliedepp @cycat4077 @deekaag @cixrosie @legit9thlunaticwarrior @thatesqcrush @mydarkestsecretlol @upsteadlogic @wooshwastaken @imaginecrushes @kiwiithecrazybird @justreblogginfics @anime-weeb-4-life @hey-dw @alwaysachorusgirl @telepathay @weiwei0210 @anaferreira-4 @spaghettificationandpretzels @nu1freakshow

Joe doesn’t realise you’ve killed before, not until you pick up his Glock off the desk and shoot his second in command Tomas in the back of the head. There’s no hesitation, just one swift, fluid motion. It isn’t until he sees the blood spatter across his desk that he even realises that it’s happened.

“Mi amor?” He questions, removing the handkerchief from the top pocket of his suit jacket to wipe a droplet from his cheek.

“Tomas was going to kill you.” You tell him as you set the gun back down upon the desk and lean down to collect the phone from the dead man’s hand. “I saw the message on his phone before he reached for his gun.��

Joe frowns as you hand him the device, studying the information on the screen diligently. The thing you’ve learned about being Joe’s girl is that people constantly underestimate you. They see a pretty face; a tight ass and they think that he’s with you for the pussy. They don’t see your cunning, your ruthlessness. You use it to your advantage, picking up things here and there.

You’d observed Tomas’s change in demeanour over the past couple of weeks. He’d been getting cocksure, overstepping the boundaries of his authority. It wasn’t until tonight when you’d glanced over his shoulder as his phone chimed and saw the text saying “The time is now” with the gun emoji that you’d realised he was looking to make a step up.

“He has a partner.” Joe remarks, scrolling through the messages. You step up alongside of him, your gaze studying the information.

“Someone else in the organisation?” You ask him, leaning back against his desk.

The little black dress rides up a little higher over your thighs and his dick jumps to attention in his trousers. There’s no greater aphrodisiac than loyalty, and you’ve just proved yours by saving him from a bullet in the head.

“I’m not sure.” He murmurs, his full attention switching back to you.

He sits back down in his chair, tossing the phone onto the desk. His hands come to rest on your hips, thumbs chasing over the hem of that dress drawing it even further so that he can see the pretty black lace you’re wearing underneath. His eyes meet yours as he presses his mouth to your underwear, his heated breath ghosting over wetness.

“Now, I owe you a reward, don’t I?

Love Joe? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

#joe velasco #joe velasco x reader #joe velasco x you #jose velasco #criminal!joe #dark!joe #svu #jose velasco x reader #jose velasco x you

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multiplicity-positivity · 1 year ago

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Here’s some positivity for systems and headmates who are pet regressors!

Like age regressors, many folks may pet regress for a wide variety of reasons! Whether you, your system, or your headmates pet regress as a coping mechanism, trauma response, just for fun, or anything else, it's important to remember that you are a welcome and important part of the plural community just the way you are! So here's to all the plural pet regressors out there!

🐸 Shoutout to pet regressors who enjoy being regressed and spend a significant amount of their time regressed!

🐭 Shoutout to pet regressors whose animal identities are lesser known or uncommon pets like reptiles, birds, ungulates, or rodents!

🐱 Shoutout to pet regressors whose regression is closely tied to being otherkin, or whose pet regression aligns with their kintypes!

🐴 Shoutout to pet regressors who need help taking care of themselves when regressed, and to those who can easily care for themselves while regressed!

🐹 Shoutout to pet regressors who regress as a trauma response or a coping mechanism!

🐮 Shoutout to pet regressors who are new to regression or are just starting to get involved in pet regression!

🐶 Shoutout to pet regressors who use or want things like collars, leashes, harnesses, chew toys, grooming brushes and tools, (human-friendly) food and treats, pet beds, and other pet supplies while regressed!

🐰 Shoutout to pet regressors who educate others on pet regression, or help advocate for pet regression’s SFW nature!

🦊 Shoutout to headmates who are caregivers to other members of their system who regress, and to systems who are caregivers to others in their lives who pet regress!

🦄 Shoutout to disabled pet regressors whose regression is influenced by chronic pain, fatigue, or illness, who are unable to act in ways that are common yet physically demanding while regressed!

🐺 Shoutout to pet regressors who identify as pet regressors even if their regressed animal identity is a wild animal or would not be fitting for a pet!

🐯 Shoutout to pet regressors who can't control when they regress, and who rely on help from others when they regress involuntarily!

🐻 Shoutout to covert pet regressors who may seem and act normal or inconspicuous while regressed!

Pet regression can influence anyone, and there is no one right or proper way to be a pet regressor! Pet regression can look incredibly different from system to system, and even from headmate to headmate. Regardless of what pet regression looks like for you and your system, know that there is nothing wrong with regressing to cope or just for fun. You're allowed to express yourself and explore your identity however you wish, and pet regression is nothing to be worried or ashamed of! We truly hope you can enjoy and make the most of your time spent regressed. Thanks so much for reading, and take care!

(Image ID:) A pale orange userbox with a cluster of multicolored flowers for the userbox image. The border and text are both dark orange, and the text reads “all plurals can interact with this post!” (End ID.)

#multiplicity #pluralgang #plurality #actuallyplural #system positivity #plural positivity #plural pride #system pride #pet regression #pet regressor #sfw petre #petre

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phoenix-downer · 11 months ago

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I Really Could Stay Chapter 4

I Really Could Stay: ~1313 words. Kairi celebrates Christmas Eve with her parents and wishes Sora were with them.

Story Info: Sora/Kairi. Set Post-Canon. Alternating POVs. Established Relationship. Light Angst, Romance, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Christmas.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Kairi added another ornament to the Christmas tree in her parents’ living room. Destiny Islands never got so much as a flake of snow, but Christmas customs from when the many worlds were one World had made it to the present day, and decorating Christmas trees was one of them.

Of course, Destiny Islands did not have the types of conifers that a world like Arendelle or even Radiant Garden did. But there was a tree the locals called a star pine or triangle tree that worked quite nicely as a Christmas tree. It had a lovely symmetrical shape with wide spaces between the branches, perfect for hanging ornaments as she was doing now.

The final ornament was a little framed picture of her and Sora from last year. It was star-shaped, and Sora was kissing her cheek. She had a big smile on her face, and another pang went through her as she thought about how much she missed him. Last year he’d come over to help decorate the tree. This year, his absence was painfully obvious.

“That’s all of them, right?” her mother asked, and she nodded. They added paopu fruit candies as was tradition, and then her father plugged in the tree to turn on the lights. Together they added the wrapped presents under the tree till its base was brimming with gifts.

The tree looked beautiful with the main light off. Ornaments from over the years along with family heirlooms adorned its branches, and the paopu candies and strings of multicolored lights were the perfect touch.

They took a few moments to admire the tree together, then made their evening tea. Her parents said goodnight afterwards and went to bed, and she was left with her half-empty mug, staring at the tree alone.

Sora hadn’t texted her in hours. It was probably because he was fighting, but still. She couldn’t help but worry. Gnawing on her lip, she pulled her phone out of her bathrobe pocket and checked it out of habit. Still nothing.

Sighing, she climbed the stairs to her room. She was clad in her Christmas pajamas with cats wearing Santa hats on them along with matching cat slippers, but she didn’t feel like sleeping anytime soon. It was 9:00 pm, and she wanted to stay awake until midnight. Just in case Sora found a few spare moments to text her or even call her if she was lucky.

Her room had a balcony with a beautiful view of the Main Island’s beach, and on nights when the weather was nice, she liked to keep the doors open. That let in a cool breeze and gave her the perfect view of the starry sky.

She opened the doors now, and the curtains fluttered. Everyone’s homes were decorated for Christmas, and she loved seeing the lights twinkling on each of the different houses in the town below. Out of habit she searched for Riku’s house, then Sora’s. Their homes were brightly lit, like beacons silently pleading for their sons to come home, and Kairi wished they’d be back soon too.

She made herself cozy under the covers of her bed and grabbed a book off of the bedside table. It was one of her old favorites and perfect reading for a night like this. Her eyelids drooped lower and lower until she felt the book slip out of her grasp.

When she awoke, it was because something was rustling outside. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and glanced at her alarm clock. 12:00 am. Sometimes a stray animal wound up on her balcony, and it was probably—

“Merry Christmas, Kairi.”

Sora was standing in the doorway of her balcony. His clothing was dirty, dust was in his sweaty, matted hair, and he looked like he was going to collapse at any moment. And yet the smile on his face was so big that it was like he’d forgotten all about those things.

“Sora!” she cried, jumping out of bed and racing over to him. He cupped her face and kissed her deeply, all the stress and anxiety of this latest separation melting away like a bad dream. He was here and that was all that mattered. The best Christmas present she could possibly ask for.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as the kiss continued. It had only been nine days since she’d last seen him this time, and yet it felt much longer than that. All her previous sleepiness fled her as the kiss grew more heated and passionate. Clearly he had missed her as much as she had missed him. Her hands wandered lower out of habit, and a pained yelp sounded out of him when she touched his back.

She frowned and pulled away. “Sora, what’s wrong?”

“Sorry, should’ve warned you. A Heartless clawed me in the back. Aerith was busy, so Riku did his best.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “But the gashes might need a little more healing before we continue.”

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes at the thought of him getting hurt like this and enduring however much pain to return to her side in time for Christmas. Clearly, this was not just some minor injury.

He simply shrugged and smiled in that earnest, heartfelt Sora way of his. “I wanted my welcome home Kairi Christmas kiss.”

“Well, you’ve gotten it, so now it’s time for some welcome home Kairi healing.”

She led him to the bed and helped him get his shirt off. Sure enough, there were rips in the fabric from the Heartless’s claws. His wounds had been hastily bandaged, and she told him to lie down.

“This is gonna hurt,” she warned him, “but hopefully not for long.”

She removed the bandages as carefully as she could, but he still flinched. She apologized and set them to the side, the sight of his deep red blood on the stark white bandages making her feel faint. Not because she was particularly squeamish. It was just something about seeing his blood that threatened to tear something open inside her, even though the wounds weren’t currently bleeding.

“It’s okay,” he said, twisting his head back to look at her. “You’re just trying to help, and it’s my fault for not paying better attention to what was happening around me.”

“No, you’re burnt out and exhausted because Master Yen Sid has been working you too hard. This kind of thing was bound to happen.”

“Yeah, I think I need more of a break this time,” he admitted.

She drew on the light in her heart and imagined it moving to her palms. Once her light emanated from them, she gingerly touched his back, and a soft moan escaped from him. He tensed but didn’t say anything as she gently moved her hands up and down the wounds. They closed and healed and faded under her skilled touch. But it wasn’t just that. Her healing powers were even stronger than normal when she was healing him, probably because of the bond they shared. Before long, his back was as good as new.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she bent her head and tenderly kissed the spot where the deepest gash had been. “There, how’s that feel?” she murmured, gently rubbing circles into his skin.

He sighed deeply. “Much better. Thank you, Kairi.”

She smiled and continued stroking his healed back. Nothing calmed him and soothed him more than being with her and feeling her touch.

Sure enough, a few moments later, his breathing evened out in the rhythm of sleep. She found a spare blanket in her closet and draped it over him, then got under the covers and cuddled up next to him.

“Sweet dreams, Sora,” she murmured, then planted a soft kiss on his lips before falling asleep.

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A/N: The Christmas trees on Destiny Islands are inspired by Norfolk Pines. I wanted a conifer that could survive in a tropical environment, and so down a research rabbit hole I went. They're from Norfolk Island originally but are apparently cultivated in Hawaii to be used as Christmas trees.

Thank you for reading!

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