Separated Love
Natalie pushed open the door to her tiny apartment and stumbled inside. She probably should have taken multiple trips to lug all her gear in, but that had always been a pet peeve of hers. She shuffled to the other side of the room and dumped all the bins and bags onto the floor beside her bed, then went back to shut the door and check the pile of mail behind it. The pile was much smaller than she expected, having been gone for several months. Looking over at the counter, she saw the much bigger pile already sitting there. Looks like her roommate had been here recently!
Flipping through it on her way to the kitchen, she finally tossed it all onto the counter. A silver, sparkling envelope then caught her eye to the side, with its bedazzled contents still open on top. It wasn't snooping if a card was already open, right?
She went to the fridge and grabbed a coconut water while she read her roommate's mail. Tahiti, huh? Must be a nice break from those cold weather assignments Rita kept getting. Where was she last… Zurich? Natalie shrugged. They both traveled so much for work, they hardly spent any time together. But that was probably for the best. Their living situation was more about the mutual need for a permanent address than any personal connection. Sure, they were civil enough when they happened to be together, but their conversations were little more than shop talk and food delivery orders.
Tossing her empty bottle into the garbage, Natalie heard the sound of heavy paper flopping to the ground behind her. Turning, she found a brown and red envelope had slipped free from the mountainous heap. She picked it up. It was addressed to her, with a return address of… Tahiti!
With goosebumps prickling her skin, Natalie pulled out the letter and began reading.
"Hey Natalie, long time no sea!
I know it's been a while, but I hope you've been well. I heard from Brad Mesberger that after I dropped out you went on to graduate summa cum laude from the marine archeology department, and even got your PhD. Congratulations Doctor! (I always knew you had it in you.)
That's actually what prompted me to write you this letter. I would have reached out to you sooner, but things here have been pretty hectic. Long story short, the venture I went off chasing those years ago went bust. Thankfully I still have the Starlight though, and we've been getting by on gig work.
Enclosed with this letter is my business card, along with the address to my usual mooring dock. I've been hearing whispers about a strange wreck that the locals say is haunted. I'd be happy to put the Starlight in your service if you wanted to come down and check it out. I can even give you half off our usual charter fees. We kinda need the business…
Sincerely,
Connor Thompson"
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Natalie felt a whirlwind of emotions swirl through her. Connor Thompson. Connor - Fucking - Thompson. He had the nerve to write to her after leaving the way he did? She had immersed herself into her studies back then, just to forget about him. And here he was, seven years later, just writing her out of the blue? How did he even get her address anyways?
But as much as she wanted to forget him, she couldn't deny the butterflies welling in her stomach. Connor ~ Fucking ~ Thompson. They had been college sweethearts after meeting in the boat club. She had been struggling with body dysmorphia, always rejecting her own image in favor of those photoshopped to perfection and plastered across social media. But all that had melted away when he asked her out. He had looked at her with those deep, caring eyes and said bluntly, 'Honestly Natalie, I think you're downright gorgeous.'
She had thought they'd be together forever, sailing across the globe and exploring uncharted waters. Then one day he suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a simple note saying he needed to go pursue the chance of a lifetime. Yet now, even after all these years, she still couldn't forget him, and she knew she wouldn't be able to until she got some closure.
Besides… Tahiti had always been on her bucket list.
She went to her desk and grabbed the large bin of folders labeled 'South Pacific' and tossed it on top of the pile next to her bed. Grunting, she gathered the mess of gear into her arms and shuffled back out towards her next adventure.
"Radio check. One-two, one-two. Natalie, you there?"
"Copy that. Yeah Connor. I hear you loud and clear."
"Great! The wreck should be just a bit further down. Supposedly it's right on the edge of the gorge below us."
Connor checked the biometric readout on his laptop from Natalie's wristband. The pressure reading was slowly increasing as she went deeper but her vitals remained stable. Which was more than he could say for himself. He felt like his heart was beating out of his chest. She had actually come to Tahiti!
He leaned back into his captain's chair, running his hands through his dark hair as he tried to calm himself down. Writing that letter had been a shot in the dark. He never thought she would actually show up! Ditching her the way that he had back in college was inexcusable, and he had regretted ever since. Their relationship was just starting to get serious and he had panicked, using the business venture as an excuse to run away. But now she was here, in Tahiti, with him! It was a second chance he couldn't afford to screw up again.
"Uh, Connor?"
"I'm here." he responded. "What's up?"
"Are you sure we're in the right place? There's no shipwreck here…"
He fumbled with his charts, checking their coordinates. Everything lined up. Was he given bad info?
"Are you sure? It says we should be right over it."
"Yeah, I see the gorge just fine, but there's definitely no ancient Grecian galley."
Connor sighed, frustrated. Now he just looked like some creepy ex! Inviting her out to the middle of the ocean with an apparently fabricated story about an unbelievable shipwreck…
"Hang on a sec…" her voice crackled over the speaker. "There's something else down here. Not a ship, but… I need to take a closer look."
Connor held his breath as the radio remained silent. Minutes passed. He checked her vitals on his laptop and everything seemed fine. Given her gear and her ease around the boat, she was clearly an experienced diver. He just needed to give her more time.
He stood and started to pace across the deck when a beeping noise from his computer caught his attention. Natalie's vitals had started to go wild! Her pressure readings were going up and down while her heart rate spiked. What was going on down there?!
Suddenly, the sound of bubbles mixed with groans and gasping came crackling over the speaker. Then he could hear Natalie shout something that became muffled with water. Had she lost her helmet?
"Natalie! Come in Natalie! Do you copy?"
Nothing…
"Natalie, do you copy? Natalie!!"
He flipped his radio over to the emergency channel and was about to call for a rescue team when the sound of large bubbles erupted from the water behind him. He stared out into the effervescence and saw a single floating shape. It was Natalie!
To his massive relief, she came swimming back towards the boat, grabbing ahold of the ladder and hoisting herself aboard. She collapsed to her hands and knees as Connor rushed to her side.
"Natalie! Are you ok? What the hell happened down there?!"
He noticed for the first time she was covered in some slick black liquid. Not oil, but something similar. Ink, perhaps? She gasped for air and spat up seawater, her helmet and air tank nowhere to be seen. Leaning closer, he could hear her mumbling something.
"What? I can't hear you."
"Move!" she gasped, the sense of urgency in her voice undeniable. "Go, get us out of here! NOW!!"
Without missing a beat, Connor hurried back to his chair and hit the button to raise anchor. As the sound of cranking chains filled the air, he rushed to the lines and released the boom before cranking up the halyard. Working to control the sails, he finally managed to get the wind at their back and the Starlight skipped across the waves. He looked back towards the bubbles still roiling the water behind them. He could have sworn a strange blackness was spreading out over the surface, but it must have been just a trick of the sunlight.
Securing the lines and checking their coordinates, Connor set a course towards the main island. Finally getting a moment to catch his breath, he looked up to find Natalie was gone. He noticed several pieces of gear scattered around the deck and the set of inky footprints leading into the small cabin below. Locking the wheel in place, he hurried to follow her inside.
As his eyes adjusted to the interior lighting he found her sitting on the cushioned bench along the wall, rubbing her arms as she stared off into space. She looked like she had seen a ghost… or something worse.
"Hey, Natalie. You ok?"
She glanced up at him, forcing a smile through the black slick still coating her face and body.
"Yeah, I uh… I just need a minute. Y'know. Just gotta… pull myself together."
"Sure thing." he replied. "Let me grab you a towel, you can clean yourself off."
"Thanks. That'd be great."
Connor turned around and began rummaging through the cabinets when he heard the sound of a zipper, followed by a sultry moan. His heart leapt into his throat. Grabbing a towel he spun back around.
"I hope you don't mind whale print. I…" he trailed off as he witnessed the spectacle before him. Natalie was leaning back, supporting herself on one hand as the other clutched the wetsuit zipper beneath her ample bosom. Her eyes were closed and she swayed slightly, moaning in ways Connor had only dreamed off these past few years.
Something strange was going on, but he didn't know what. Then he realized the blackness that had been covering her was starting to fade! Her bare legs had already regained their tanned hue and her hair had returned to its original dirty blonde. Meanwhile the slick on her wetsuit seemed to flow on its own towards any exposed skin. It flowed into the neck of her suit, pooling at her cleavage while more of it seeped beneath the bottom hem of the legless garment. Connor watched in awe as the last of it disappeared, absorbing completely in Natalie's skin.
Her swaying stopped as she blinked and looked around. Catching his stare, she smiled.
"Hey there, sailor. Enjoying the show?"
"Na- Natalie?" Connor stammered. "You ok?"
"Oh, I'm doing great. Never better!" she smiled, unzipping her suit the rest of the way down. "But I could use a little company…"
Connor felt a throb in his pants. Was this really happening, or was it just another dream? She had been so guarded earlier... Why the sudden advance? Something definitely seemed off. But the real question was, did he care? This was the moment he had been dreaming of for years!
"I just, ah…" Natalie paused. "...feel a little funny…"
Connor noticed dark lines forming along the base of her neck and along the tops of her arms. The lines grew darker as another appeared at her midriff, just above her navel. She moaned again, blinking slowly and staring at her hands while the skin around the strange lines began to ripple. Creases appeared across her nipples and points of skin puckered above her wrists. She reached towards the wall beside her, and her hair began to follow suit, clumping into thick strands that reached out as well, compelled by some shared impulse.
The dark lines across her body had grown much thicker and if he didn't know better, Connor could have sworn they were becoming visible gaps. He stared, entranced by what was happening to Natalie's body. Then, with a sudden 'pop', her head peeled away from the rest of her body!
Supported by her now tentacle-like hair clinging to the wall, Natalie's disembodied head moaned from the sensations as the strands of skin connecting her neck and shoulders broke apart, thickening into squirming tendrils. Her left arm lunged for a nearby handle on the wall, grabbing it just in time as the limb disconnected from her shoulder. Her right arm wasn't so lucky though, bouncing off the seat cushion as it detached and fell to the floor with a thump. Connor watched in shock as Natalie's armless torso slowly slid to the side before popping off her hips and falling flat onto the cushions beside her.
Unable to look away, Connor watched as the skin along the edges of Natalie's parts stretched out and thickened into squirming tendrils, just like at her neck. But now there was more to it than that. Where her entrails should have been escaping the disembodied torso, thick pink limbs emerged instead, more in keeping with the physiology of an octopus or squid than any normal human. The limbs poked around her body, blindly exploring their environment until the creases at her nipples suddenly opened wide, revealing a large pair of eyes!
Natalie moaned loudly as the nipple-eyes appeared, closing her own as she reveled in whatever pleasure these changes seemed to be giving her. Her hair had completely changed into suckered tentacles as well, giving her head a rather Medusa-like look. More tendrils had sprouted from her neck too, with what appeared to be a set of thick, pouty lips at the tip of one.
The eyes in her chest blinked several times as they gained their bearings. Now able to see properly, her torso began to move more deliberately. It wiggled the arm stubs still attached to its shoulders, freeing itself from her wetsuit to reveal more tentacles emerging from where her limbs had fallen away. A thicker tentacle emerged from her torso's ribcage, tipped with another set of full lips that let out a lusty gasp.
Her hips squirmed on the cushion nearby, pawing at the crotch of the remaining wetsuit with its own tentacles. Sensing their need, her torso slithered a few tendrils over, unfastening the wetsuit's crotch buckles. The garment finally fell away, exposing her quivering pussy as well as two more pairs of eyes set between her crotch and navel.
As Natalie's legs gained their bearings, they stood up and took a few steps, then paused as more changes occured. Natalie's various mouths moaned in unison as her plump labia unfolded into a pair of fleshy mandibles that flexed and tasted the air around them. Folding back in, they prodded the sensitive gash between them, eliciting another universal moan and all 4 pairs of her eyes rolled from the communal pleasure!
A faint tap at Connor's shoe then caught his attention. Looking down he found Natalie's hand standing on its fingers, its own eye staring up at him from just above her wrist! His heart leapt to his throat, and he looked up to find the rest of Natalie's eyes were all trained on him as well, as if just now remembering he was down here with her! The eyes turned softer, drinking in his form with sultry looks as her pussy mandibles flexed hungrily.
Panicking, Connor finally found the strength to move and made a dash for the open cabin door! Forgetting the hand still at his feet, he stumbled over it, his arms flailing as he careened into the low bulkhead. Darkness swallowed his vision as he drifted into unconsciousness, the sound of Natalie's worried voice above him fading into nothing.
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Connor blinked as consciousness slowly returned. He rubbed his eyes and found an icepack resting on his forehead. How long had he been out for?
"Hey there sleepyhead!" a soft voice greeted him. Natalie's face came into view as she sat down in the cushions next to him. But something seemed off…
"Hey." he replied weakly. "I just had the most unbelievable dream. You were sitting here…"
Connor's voice trailed off as he sat up quickly, realization setting in. Natalie sat beside him, rubbing his arm. She was dressed in a bathrobe from the closet, but it couldn't hide the dark crease along her neck or the tentacled hair squirming over her shoulders.
"It… it was all real?!" he stammered.
"Yes," she blushed. "but don't freak out again. Please!"
She rubbed his arm again reassuringly, and a tentacle reached out to caressed his face. Connor jumped back at the touch.
"Don't freak out? Your hair is an octopus! And the rest of you…" he paused, remembering what had happened . "You were all in pieces! How the hell am I supposed to not freak out?!"
"It's ok. It's still me, Natalie! Just a little… different."
"A little?!"
"Look, you're not making this any easier. It's weird for me too, you know!" Her hair writhed behind her, displaying her frustration as she stood up and paced around the cabin. "How would you like to suddenly become a monster? To feel like the whole world is falling apart around you?! And the one man you ever loved can't even bear to sit next to you!"
"I… I…" Connor stammered. "Wait… Loved? You loved me?"
"Of course I did! But clearly you didn't feel the same way, running off to Tahiti without even giving me a real goodbye. And now this!" Tears formed in Natalie's eyes as she covered her face with her hands and hair.
"No, I…" Connor replied softly, standing up and walking next to her. He pulled her into a tender embrace. "I… I loved you too."
"Yeah, but what good is that now?" she sobbed. "Now that I'm this… thing!"
He looked her in the eye and replied softly, "Honestly Natalie, I think you're downright gorgeous."
She looked up, the tears in her eyes turning from sadness to joy. Connor leaned down and their lips locked into a passionate kiss. He could feel her tentacles prying at his clothes as he slid his hands down her back. No matter what she looked like, he knew she was the only one for him! And the feeling of her altered form pressed against his own… It was exhilarating! It didn't take long for Natalie's roaming hands to find his crotch, and the stiffening member within.
She quickly undid his belt before shoving him backwards onto the bench behind them. With the floor to herself, she shot him a sultry look and began slipping the bathrobe off her shoulders. The garment hugged to her body as it slid to the floor, accentuating every voluptuous curve. Her tentacles and hands followed suit, caressing her body as she swayed from side to side, putting on a show for her lover.
Her fingers ran along the grooves in her skin, tracing the interface between her various pieces. Her hands eventually made it down to her crotch where they toyed her plump labia. She shivered as her pussy mandibles suddenly opened wide, snagging her hand and guiding it inside the needy slit between them. She was soon moaning again, thrusting her hips until a spurt of inky slime signaled the first orgasm of her altered form.
Grinning, she licked her fingers and sauntered towards Connor. She pulled down his pants while her autonomous hair peeled off his shirt and she soon had him down to his underwear. She pushed him onto his back and straddled his waist, reaching behind to play with the throbbing bulge in his boxers as she ground her crotch against his belly. He gazed up at her face, locking eyes with her and smiling as he enjoyed her ministrations. She smirked back, scolding playfully, "Hey buddy, eyes down here!" gesturing towards the eyes adorning her tits and belly.
Playing along, he adjusted his gaze as directed, finding it to be much less awkward than expected as her additional eyes twinkled with the same beauty as her original pair. They winked at him seductively as another crease opened up beneath her ribs and a tendril slipped out, tipped with full, pouty lips. They lost no time in advancing on him, locking him into a passionate kiss. A kiss he happily returned.
From the corner of his eye Connor noticed Natalie's arms had gone missing. He could still feel her hands groping at his crotch, but her shoulders now ended in tentacled stubs that played with her tits. A sudden tug at his underwear revealed what her arms were up to though, and with a few more tugs his boxers were down to his knees. His meaty rod slapped against the small of Natalie's back as it was freed from its confines and her constant motion kept it standing at attention. She looked down and gave him another smirk, happy to show off the advantages of her altered form.
Having accomplished their mission, her arms returned to their homes, sealing themselves back into her shoulders. Natalie locked her fingers together and stretched her arms over her head, testing their connection. Now that she had Conner fully naked, it was time for the main event!
Natalie lifted her hips and hovered over his throbbing cock. Her pussy mandibles unfolded, tasting his musky scent as they caressed his length, coating it with her inky pre. With one swift motion, she lowered her hips and took him all at once, shuddering as he filled her aching slit!
They both moaned with pleasure as she pumped her hips up and down. Connor couldn't believe the incredible sensations dominating his cock. Besides her exterior changes, her insides had changed as well. It felt like her tunnel was filled with a hundred squirming tendrils, all stroking his cock at once! He felt like he could cum in an instant, but something was holding him back. Something in that inky slime from her pussy was both heightening his pleasure and holding back his ability to cum, leaving him with a rock-hard erection that felt like it could last for days!
Looking back up at his lover, he could tell she was enjoying herself just as much as he was. Her eyes were all closed and she ran her hands up and down her body, stroking her breasts and playing with the tentacle hair writhing behind her. Her breathing became more rapid as their pleasure increased and Connor noticed the seams across her body starting to darken.
Gyrating her hips with renewed vigor Natalie's limbs started to lose their coordination. Her hands bumped into each other as they caressed her body. Her head turned one way as her torso twisted the other. Her legs began bouncing to a rhythm different from the rest of her. The darkening seams widened into noticeable gaps and the tendrils inside did their best to hold her together. But the pleasure was too much, overwhelming her central cortex and she fell to pieces on top of him!
Her torso fell heavily against his own, pressing her breasts against him as her head popped off and rolled to the cushion beside them. She hugged him with her shoulder stubs as her arms fell away to either side. One hand crawled onto his head, stroking its fingers through his hair as the other went back to join her hips. It played with her clit as it bounced up and down, eliciting a chorus of moans from the various mouths across her body. Her head lifted itself up with its hair and hovered over his face, resuming their passionate kiss. He could feel her tongue had changed as well, its little suckers clinging to the roof of his mouth as it drove deeper inside. Her tentacles stroked his body as they kissed, leaving sucker hickies across his chest and neck. The tendrils inside her pussy spiraled around his cock as her mandibles caressed his balls. With a few more pumps Connor felt something deep inside him click, and the dam holding him back broke free!
They groaned and gripped each other tight as waves of incredible orgasm washed over them both! He held her hips steady as her pussy eagerly guzzled the loads of semen he pumped inside her with every thrust. The supply seemed endless as jolts of nirvanic pleasure shot through them, but after what felt like an eternity the intensity finally waned.
His cock twitched as the last of his spunk oozed free, her pussy mandibles cleaning it thoroughly as he withdrew. They finally collapsed with exhaustion, Connor on his side and Natalie in pieces beside him. They cuddled as sleep slowly overcame them, happy to finally be together again.
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"Ship ahoy!"
"What? Don't you mean 'land ho'?"
"No, 'ship ahoy'. You know, nautical talk for 'Hey, there's a ship over there.'"
"Oh. So why not just say 'Hey, there's a ship over there?'"
"Because, we're on a boat! You think you'd know that sort of stuff now, being the Chosen One and all."
"Hey, just because my past is tied to the sea doesn't necessarily mean I remember it all." Rita shot back. "Where is this ship anyways? I don't see anything."
"Not too far away. Just off the starboard bow." Persephone pointed, handing over the spyglass. "It's a small cutter that seems oddly adrift. I wonder if something happened to the crew?"
Rita peered through the telescope, locating the boat her partner was talking about. It certainly seemed to be drifting awkwardly, and there was definitely no one on deck. Although the diving gear scattered across it seemed strangely familiar…
"Ok, chart a new course towards that boat." Rita directed.
"Oh? Playing 'Savior of the Seas' now are we?"
"No, I just have a feeling this is why we're out here. We were meant to find this boat!"
The tentacle tattoo across Rita's chest glimmered with a soft, ominous light and whispered rumblings filled her mind. Cthulhu's plan was finally taking shape. She wouldn't let him down!
