#tandem shell seating

[furniture-in-film]

Ray & Charles Eames Tandem Shell Seating (1962) in Scanners (1981) dir. David Cronenberg

[fushiguho]

*ೃ༄ Santa's Coming, Literally!

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Synop. Ho! Ho! Ho! Santa Claus is coming to a local shopping mall near you! Buttt, there’s one thing… is it okay that he’s just your shitty ex-boyfriend in a cheap red suit? He said he’s sorry! :(

Warnings fem!reader, unprotected, semi-public sex, toji fushiguro in a santa costume, ex-lovers, toji has a filthy mouth (duh), breeding, makeup sex, toji’s redemption arc

WC 2k

A/N i had a thought so i opened my notes app. now here we are and i’m scared of what i've written..

“Hi, Santa.” You’re grinning ear to ear as you ecstatically approach the podium upon which the large man sits, his characteristically strapping thighs deliciously sprawled and awaiting in the middle of a large, barren shopping center.

The impersonator hums, quirking a thick, omniscient brow. “Aren’t you a little too old to be sittin’ on Santa’s lap, little girl?” Grumbles the burly stranger that is somehow meant to be Santa Claus. You observe the short tufts of sable hair that peek from below his soft crimson hat, black stubble peppering the skin beneath his detachable beard. They must be on a tight budget, you think.

Your eyes narrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be… I don’t know, jolly?” It’s hardly a joke as you observe the man closer. “Like isn’t that your entire shtick?” You’re seated oh so prettily atop his lap, yet the smile you once wore fades into a pout of utter disbelief, an all too wonted feeling crashing down. Your nose wriggles at the familiar redolence of a cheap, aromatic cologne. Only one man would wear such a maddeningly nauseating scent. “Wha— Toji? God, is that you?”

The faux-bearded man sucks his teeth, eyes rolling in tandem. An inquisitive hand is sneaking up to snatch his limp, crimson hat, and lo and behold, there sits your penniless ex-boyfriend, a crooked, unabashed grin marring those lips you’ve missed so dearly. He expels an exasperated sigh, annoyed that you found him out. “Yeah.” He admits almost defeatedly.

“… why?”

He shrugs. “Dunno, easy money.” His timbre voice cuts, large hips mindlessly adjusting beneath you. “Well? Whadaya want for Christmas then, damnit?”

A hand of disbelief is creeping up to cover your gaped mouth, pretty eyes wide and critical as you swallow the urge to laugh right in his irritatingly perfect face. You can hardly help the small giggle that tumbles past your fingers. “For you to get a real job, god. How did you even come about this? You hate kids.”

A deep, familiar sigh drags from his beautifully scarred lips. “If you’re just gonna sit on my lap to berate me, I’d appreciate a hefty tip at least.” You follow his descending gaze to observe the sad tip jar bedside him. Inside lies a singular, crumpled dollar bill alongside three, pathetic pennies.

“I mean, that hardly bothered you much before and I didn’t even have to pay you then.” You quip, head cocking to the right as you arch a challenging brow.

“Well, that was before you dumped me.”

“Well,” you mock, shoving an accusatory finger into his chest, “you were a shit boyfriend. You deserved it.”

He nods quietly, sucking his teeth. “Said I was sorry, doll.”

“And I said apology not accepted. Do not call me that either.”

“Why, doll? Hardly bothered you much before, heh.” He derides, that same, shit-eating grin lazily spreading across his lips, his intent to piss you off working seamlessly. 

“We’re done here.” You grouse, reaching back to push yourself off of his lap, yet two greedy hands are grabbing hold of your hips, impertinently pulling you back. “Toji.” It’s merely a growl, a warning.

“Oh, c’monnn don’t be like that.” He whines, situating you comfortably onto his lap, his bulging arms wrapping possessively around your waist. “I’m just fucking with you, okay? Dunno why you’re actin’ like you don’t miss me though.” You hear the grin that parts his lips. “I just know you do.”

You’re staring off, back turned as your arms cross over your chest. “I promise you I don’t.”

“Liar.” It’s barely a whisper against the shell of your ear, his breath warm, inciting.

And just like that, you’re falling back into his trap once again, yet this time, he’s dressed as Santa Claus. It’s precisely how you ended up here — achy, trembling thighs spread wide as Toji repeatedly drops you onto his fat, leaking cock. With his back flush against the soft, creaky couch of the employee break room, two burly hands are heavy on the fat of your ass, brazenly spreading you apart as he mindlessly fucks himself inside of your drooling cunt.

God and it’s rather obscene — the repetitive batter of his swollen balls against the gleaming slit of your ass, your poor, leaking pussy effortlessly swallowing the entirety of his cock as if no time has passed at all. Premature arousal spills against your bruised cervix with every kiss of his swollen cockhead. Over and over and over again, he bullies himself deeper and deeper, fucking to the very back of your pretty cunt like a madman on the brink of utter insanity.

Thrust after thrust is forcing the white, fluffy trim of his hat to droop over his eyes, partially occluding his vision. The spineless tip of the red coned cap flops to the left, the white pom-pom at the very end bouncing with each bruising buck of his hips. He groans, burly chest whorishly exposed. The buttons to his plush, velvet coat undone while the white shirt he wears beneath is shoved above his pectorals.

“Goddd,” he gapes, “how could you deprive me of this? Of her? Been missin’ this perfect pussy… think about her all the f— fucking time.” Deliriously, his head is dropping to the side, maw falling slack as his darkened eyes catch yours. “You miss me, baby huh? Miss the way I take care of this sloppy little pussy? And don’t you lie to me, it hurts my heart you know.” He pouts.

Stubbornly, you shake your head in refutation, a contradicting whimper dragging from your parted lips. Your sweater is haphazardly hiked above your chest, perfect tits spilling out the confines of your bra. A glistening sheen of syrupy saliva coats your chest — you’re drooling. It’s utterly embarrassing the way your body is so plainly working against you; your head shaking no, yet the way your arousal slobbers down the length of his cock, his sweet name on the tip of your tongue says otherwise.

He scoffs. “You sure?” Several curious fingers are dragging across your chest, collecting the adorning saliva. “Sweetheart, you’re drooooling.” He coos teasingly, those same fingers dipping into that slutty mouth of his, tasting you.

That voice you’ve missed so dearly has your pussy sucking him in deeper, harder. Warm arousal spilling down the entire length of his cock, pooling near the fat of his balls. “Oh my god, you’re s… so nasty, Toji.”

“Meee?” He gapes incredulously, humor dripping from his tone. “Is it not you that’s fucking Santa Claus in the break room of a shopping mall, sweetheart?”

“Stop, s— stop, don’t call me that!” Both of your hands reach to cover his mouth, fruitlessly attempting to shut him up.

He frowns, pouting against the palm of your hand. “Really?” He muffles, a big hand separates your fingers so that he can speak properly. “I can’t even call you sweetheart now? Not even as fuck you on my cock like this, huh?”

Toji fucks breath after helpless breath out of you; your mouth stupidly gaped as synchronous huffs of air drag from both of your slacked jaws. Every buck of his hips jerking you closer and closer, your parted lips a hair’s breadth away. You can taste his warm, erratic breaths on your tongue, your pants bleeding into one, harmonious rhythm.

“Will you let me kiss you at least?” He all but pleads, chasing your fleeting lips. “Please?”

You can’t help the sigh the drags from your lips, eyes rolling dramatically, yet still, you’re dropping your head to catch his lips in a desperate and haphazard kiss. He tastes the same, like a bitter honey you could never forget. He even kisses the same, still rough and breathless and intentional and sloppy. As if you’re his last, fleeting breath and merely pulling away is a wish of death.

Toji swallows all of your pretty wails of pleasure, tonguing his own, pretty boy moans into your mouth in tandem. He pants breathlessly against your lips between his sloppy kisses. Low, wanton grunts pour from his raptured tongue, willfully spilling against yours. You possess half the brain to notice the heavy digit that’s thumbing your aching clit. You’re reaching a desperate hand between your legs in a fruitless attempt to bat him away.

With a disapproving shake of his head his head, he’s pushing your hand away. “If you cum like I know you’re about to — fuuuuck, you owe me.” He mutters, a steady hand jerking you further onto his cock. “You hear me? You owe me an apology for lying and a proper I miss you.”

Frantically, you shake your head. “Mmm’not gon… gonna cum for y-you.” You lie, stomach caving in your crescendoing arousal.

“Don’t lie, I know you want to, sweet girl. I can feel it.” His thumb glides over your clit again and again and again, a helpless slew of drunken whimpers tumbling past your gaped mouth. “C’monnnn pretty, cum all over my cock like you used to… make a mess on it, c’mon.”

His lips curl into a gut wrenching snarl as your brows knit, your pretty eyes threatening to roll toward the back of your head. That poor, swollen clit twitches beneath the pad of his finger, wordlessly warning him of your impending orgasm. Your sloppy cunt tightens around the fat cock that impales you, but it’s the thumb that’s parting your lips, sinking inside of your warm, obedient mouth that has you pathetically tumbling over the edge.

“God, I’m s… sorry,” you gasp desperately, sucking down on his thumb as your hips buck to meet his heavy thrusts, “I’m so sorry, baby. I missed youuu… missed your cock… missed the way you make me feel, m’sorryyy.” But it’s completely incoherent, your pretty, quivering speech drunken and slurred.

He laughs. It’s a dark, breathy chuckle and it’s parting his lips in an inebriated smile, teeth bared. “Yeaaah? You sorry, baby?” The subtle lilt of enthusiasm that adorns his tone makes your head spin.

Dumbly you nod, humming sweetly, bottom lip trapped between your teeth. Warm arousal seeps from your cunt, pooling in a rich, creamy layer at the base of his cock. The fat of his balls achingly swollen and gleaming, begging for release. Sticky gossamers of ungodly arousal tether you as one, stretching and snapping between the heat of your sexes.

“If you really miss me,” he pants, his wet lips creeping along your throat, “you’ll let me cum in that pretty pussy like old times, hm?”

“Toji.” You warn.

“Please? Be a good girl for Santa, come on,” his lips are on yours again, two large hands reaching for the sides of your face, dragging you closer, “please?” It’s muttered into your mouth and you swallow his prayer. “Pleasepleaseplease?” Another sloppy kiss to the shell of your ear. “For Santa?”

What’s left of your dwindling resolve is dripping from your sweet tongue in a beautiful, helpless whine. Again, you’re caving with barely any give. Your frantic nod of approval makes his cock twitch. It jerks against the walls of your tensing cunt, warning you. His sounds are whorish and guttural, groan after willful groan spilling past his lips, heavy hips steady and unrelenting beneath you while he tugs you down, down, down.

He’s a sight for the sorest of eyes. It’s the slow, delirious loll of his head as it cranes backward, dangling beyond the rear of the couch, red hat falling to the floor. That strong jaw fully pried, dark brows screwed together. Even the stutter of his hips beneath you, jerking haphazardly as he unapologetically stuffs you full. Thick, creamy rivulets of cum spill inside of you, the cadence of his thrusts forcing the amalgamation of arousal all over his velvety crimson pants, staining them.

“God, I’ve missed you.” He all but moans, desperately yanking you closer, slotting his lips against yours in a deep, drunken kiss. “Can I take you out?” It’s a breath between woozy kisses, curious hands trailing up the expanse of your exposed back. “I know you hate me, but I’ve changed, I am changing… for you”

You sigh. “I don't hate you, but you do have a lot of shit to work on.”

“Help me then.” It’s quiet, genuine. His dark eyes softening.

“Take me out tonight. We’ll talk about it.”

He smiles, heart swelling. “Okay.”

@fushiguho

[nymphoniah]

come undone | logan howlett

paring: old man!logan x younger!reader

AN: i can't stop thinking about old man!logan guys, i think its turning into a problem um... but here's a quick drabble about you being needy, and him being the gruffy old man he is, you decide to take matters into your own hands <3

content/tags: NSFW, minors DNI (18+ only), old man!logan, explicit age gap (reader is in their 20's), logan spoils his girl, thigh riding, daddy kink, swearing, pet names

you find logan resting in his office, seated on his leather arm chair. his white button up is messily undone, revealing his worn out beater underneath. his chest hair peeking through the shallow neckline of the shirt, leaving your mind to wonder about.

he catches your gaze and flashes you a smile, "c'mon doll, sit in your old man's lap", he coos, signaling you to come over with his middle and pointer finger.

and how could you ever say no to logan?

you couldn’t help but approach him. curling up in logan’s lap, you rest your head against his broad chest. your fingers gently rubbing against his ribbed tank top that fits snug against him. his body isn’t what it once was before, but he still remains defined and muscular, filling the tank top perfectly.

logan’s salt-and-pepper beard tickles your rose tinted cheeks as you litter his face in kisses. you can’t help but take in his beauty, every wrinkle, scar, age spot; for him being over 200, he absolutely aged like wine.

moving your fingers from his chest to the shell of his ears, you swiftly remove his prescription glasses from his face. you press your lips gently against the crow’s feet that defined his tired eyes, making him crack a tiny smile.

“you’re so handsome, logan.” you sigh, placing his glasses onto the side table placed on his right. you rest your head back on his chest, taking a deep sigh. the scent of his cologne floods your senses, bourbon and vanilla.

you shift around, straddling yourself onto his left thigh. your legs wrapped around him like a vice whilst your core pulses for attention against his tense quad.

“looks like someone’s needy,” he teases, placing his firm hands on your hips, gently guiding you back and forth against him. “cmon baby, take it out on me.” you gently rock your hips, keeping a slow and steady pace.

with his old age, he’s lost his stamina for sure, but he always has the energy for you. making sure that you get off, anytime and anywhere. you’re his princess, and he always makes sure to spoil his sweet little girl.

your hips rock in tandem against his thigh as he rhythmically bounces his leg to match your pace. you mewl in pleasure, tilting your head back as ecstasy fills your mind.

logan places gentle, sloppy kisses against your neck, making sure to pay close attention to your pulse point. he’s nipping at the soft skin of your neck, concentrating on one area enough to leave a maroon bruise the next day.

both of your movements become more erratic. as your pace quickens, his hands move to your chest, groping your breasts, thumbs nimbly working at your buds, rolling and gently tugging on them.

you hiss out in pleasure, teetering on the edge of pain and pleasure. “so close…” you whimper, biting your bottom lip tightly to alleviate the growing tension in your stomach.

“let it out darlin', i know you can do it for me,” he grunts into your neck, his hands finding their way back to your hips, pushing you harder down onto him.

absolutely soaking through your panties, you can feel the patch of wetness you left on his light washed denim jeans. you’re faltering on the edge, not wanting to let yourself go so soon.

“c'mon, i know you want this princess," he murmurs into the shell of your ear, nibbling at your earlobe.

"let go for your daddy,” he groans as he pushes your hips down, forcing you to grind harder against him. logan utters a string of sweet nothings in your ear, ending with a you can do it darlin', and you finally tick.

you wrap your arms around his neck, bringing him closer to you, your pants becoming more and more exhausted. your hips thrust forward and hard around him one last time, and the knot in your stomach finally snaps.

“f-fuck logan, fuck!” you whine, your combined moans filling his office.

you gently pull away from him, pressing your forehead against his, your lust blown pupils meeting his stern gaze.

“yknow how to rile me up,” he says cheekily, gently molding your ass between his fingertips. “almost got me to come in my pants like a teenager,” logan snarkily adds.

“shut it old man,” you quipped, taking his glasses from the side table and placing them back on him so that they sit on the edge of his nose bridge. you press a quick kiss to his lips which soon formed into a smirk.

logan looks up at you through his glasses, hanging on the curve of his nose— a perfect sight you can never get enough of.

“now let me show you what this old man can do…”, he murmurs against your lips.

[is-the-sky-blue]

WARM: GOJO SATORU & GETO SUGURU

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, satosugu x fem!reader, pet names, praise, teasing, fingering, finger sucking, spanking, begging

You don't think you've ever felt this warm.

You don't think you've ever sweat this much.

Breathy whines and pants broke past your kiss bitten lips, growing more and more swollen as you try to keep them shut, the embarrassment creeping up your ears with the sheer volume you cried only to find fingers fucking themselves into your mouth, making you gag as his sultry voice whispered, "cheer f'me pretty," breathtaking blue eyes capturing your gaze as you suckled, whining as he pulled them off your tongue but blushing as he put them into the mouth of the man in front of you, his deep groan making you reel as his hooded purple irises stared at you with so much desire you couldn't keep the eye contact.

It was humiliating, to be stripped bare, pink panties and bra flung somewhere left to be found in the morning as you were too preoccupied with the fuzzy sensation in your stomach.

You never tried to get here, didn't do anything to end up in this predicament and yet here you were, melding into their two bodies as they reduced you to a blabbering puddle, the film you wanted to watch remaining at the title screen as you couldn't even hit play before they pounced.

You were a mess, your sweaty limbs entangling with anything they could grab, fingers flexing and pulling as Suguru sat cross legged on the floor with you in his lap, your chest pressed into his annoyingly still clothed one as you wrapped your arms around his neck, fingers every so often tugging at the ends of his luscious dark locks as you attempted to burrow your flushed and damp face into the crook of his neck.

"Please, please, please," was the only thing you could whimper as you felt your thighs jiggle with each slap of their fingers. Satoru's hot breath fanned over your sweltering neck as he leaned over your back, hand sliding into the stickiness between your legs.

Suguru had one large hand wrapped around your waist, cupping the fat of your hips as you squirmed, keeping you planted on his lap as you tried to worm yourself to your knees, trying to let your skin hit the plush pink rug on your bedroom floor that was now getting soaked.

Satoru was seated infuriatingly close to your back, leaning onto you, sharing his warmth and you could only pant as you overheated from both their bodies and the incessant stimulation they forced upon your submissive figure.

Suguru's thick fingers pounded into your dripping pussy, slipping inside in tandem with the digits Satoru squirmed inside as well, four varying shaped objects now ramming inside, wiggling against your velvety walls as you writhed against them.

You g-spot whined in aggravation as it was assaulted, your clit not safe from their relentless attack either as Satoru slid one of his insanely long and deft fingers over the weeping bud, rolling and twisting with such care you felt tears begin to well.

It was warm, very, very, warm, the closed door of your bedroom refusing air circulation as you remained sandwiched between their taught and muscular forms that molded you to their whims.

"What d'ya need baby," Satoru hummed into the shell of your ear, causing you to shudder as he thrusted up.

"What are you beggin for pretty girl," Suguru murmured into your hair, the vibrations tingling onto you breasts as you pressed against his chest, his hand forcing you to arch into him.

"I-" you gasped, your cheeks impossibly warm as you tried to pull yourself away, fingers pushing onto Suguru's broad shoulders as you attempting to pry yourself from their stifling grasp, from the monstrous pace destroying your weeping walls, "can't- oh fuck," you squirmed, hips spasming as you felt the butterflies flap their wings languidly in your lower belly, the heat, your boyfriends could only pool, swarming in your stomach as you shook.

"Don't try and run princess," Satoru chastised, peeling his hand from your clit only to smack your ass, flesh reverberating against his hand as the loud, smack, did nothing to drown out the embarrassing, shlick shlick shlick, your cunt sang. It only caused you to clench around them as they pistoned inside you, refusing to leave you empty as Suguru always had two digits far up your cunt whenever Satoru pulled out and vice versa. You could feel Suguru groan at the grip you had on him. "Gonna make you feel good, gonna give you everything you want," he continued, pressing a bite into your shoulder, causing you to whine before he licked over the pain, he purposefully spread, with his tongue, lapping at your sweat soaked skin as though he was a healing balm.

"Want you to sto- AH!" you moaned, fingers fisting themselves into Suguru's hair as you screamed, leaning your head back onto Satoru's shoulders as your toes curled, a particularly punishing plunge forcing itself into your guts. You panted shamelessly, feeling as though you'd pass out as only heated oxygen entered your lungs, the blood rushing beneath your skin on a tirade as you panicked at the feeling of your approaching orgasm.

"What did you want baby," Satoru took the moment to tease, circling your clit as he pushed you further into Suguru's torso, eying the way your shaking tits compressed, before pressing a fervent kiss to your lips, shoving his tongue down your throat as you could only close your eyes, mewling into his mouth as you couldn't find enough control of your body to kiss him back.

The string of saliva that hung between your now parted mouths making Suguru chuckle as you stared starry eyed at the sight, your clenching walls a strong indication on how the horny image turned you on impossibly more.

You gasped, chest growing tight as you tried to fight back again, trying to force your knees onto the carpet to pull yourself off their fingers, to lessen how far they squirmed inside, but their hands merely followed your hips, no stutter in the erotic, pap, pap, pap, as you hovered off Suguru's toned thighs, boobs pressing into his face as you tried to compose yourself, his tongue coming to suckle at your nipple before you tugged harshly at his hair, trying to force him off, "I ca-, mmm, c-can't," you sobbed, feeling the tears begin to fall one at a time, trickling off your jaw, down your hickey marred neck and into the cleavage of your chest, trying to fall into the dip of your boob only for Suguru to lick it up, covering your chest in his saliva despite your efforts to pry his heated mouth away.

"What d'ya mean you can't," Satoru huffed, jamming his fingers inside quicker and quicker, "pretty sure this pussy wants even more" he grunts, making you see stars as you convulsed, pulling your ass closer to Suguru, you clit meeting his pecks as you forced your hips up and away from the maniac behind you, your arms wrapped tight around his head, trying to pull away from the deranged momentum.

"I can't, ngh, Toru I can't, please!" you wailed, bringing a hand to try and push him back, his bare shoulders, exposed by his fitted tank top clad torso, not budging under your pressure as you mustered all your strength into your perspiring palm, shoving him as you dropped back into a sit, knees giving out as you tried to grind yourself impossibly closer into your dark haired partner. "Satoru," you smacked his arm, hitting and pushing as you tried to keep distance between you and him to no avail, his chest firm against your shoulder blades. "S-Slow d-down" you squealed, his pounding much faster than Suguru's, the stark contrast forcing your insides to flutter as they squelched, dribbling down as you pooled between your legs, drooling cunt drip, drip, dripping, like a leaky faucet. You slithered a hand behind you, tightly grasping Satoru's wrist, feeling the muscles flex and contract beneath your touch, trying to make him, at the very least, pause for a moment, but despite your pleads and efforts his fingers plunged deeper and deeper, hitting spots of you that only his long fingers could as Suguru scissored you wide.

"S-Slow d-down," he snickered in a mocking moan, pinching your clit between his hands, forcing himself between your cunt and Suguru's abdomen. "Awh is my baby overwhelmed," he blew against your ear, fat droplets spilling down your cheek as you felt your mind begin to melt.

"S-Suguru," you squealed, staring up at him with glassy eyes and a pout, "h-he-hel-help," your voice stuttered, their rampaging digits shaking the entirety of your figure.

The soothing grin on his face did nothing to appease the overstimulating sensation burning your lower half. "Mmm, I am helping angel," he cooed, slipping his hand from your back to your cheek, running a gentle thumb over the apple of it, "makin you feel good, yeah, got you squirming and lookin so pretty for me, for us," he purred "you're gonna cum fer' us right, reward us with your juices," he cocked a grin, forcing you to stare into his overbearing purple as his knuckles dripped in your flooding essence, it sliding down his forearm in an erotic waterfall. "Gonna cum like a good girl right, gonna orgasm and tremble in our arms," he said so sweetly it fucked with your brain, "gonna help you through it," and you whimpered desperately.

"It-" you choked, "s'too much," you squeezed your eyes shut, rolling your hips in yet another feeble attempt to slow them down.

"But doesn't it feel nice," he whispered, "don't we make you feel so nice baby, that fuzzy feeling in your tummy is good ain't it," he persuaded, "tellin us to stop when my little princess down their is drooling and telling me she's happy," Suguru coos so gently, his tender tone a stark contrast to the filth spilling from his lips as he rammed into your cunt.

"She's singing my love," Satoru grins, the wet smacks of your pussy echoing throughout the hot room, you swore steam was beginning to cloud the walls as your eyes fogged over, salty droplets doing nothing to clear your vision as your breaths stuttered, "telling us to keep goin," he murmurs, "clenching so tightly, not wanting to let us go."

"m'not," you try and protest, shaking your heavy head.

"Baby don't lie," Suguru chastised, slapping your ass and you moaned so loudly it had them smirking. "She's so tight even though we keep fuckin her open," he praised and you felt muddled as he complimented your cunt instead of you.

You could feel your tongue loll out as you tried to gasp for air, your hips finally giving out and you just had to let them have their way as you cried, their tender kisses contrasting their rolling digits.

"it, it's, s'warm," you cry weakly.

"I know baby, I know," Suguru pecked your temple, comforting your melting body in his embrace.

"feel it," you mumbled, blinking out tears through your wet lashes.

"Mhm," Satoru hums, "what's it feel like," he cooed, grabbing a fistful of your hair before yanking you back, no longer letting you press your head into Suguru's chest and you squealed. Your eyes began to glaze, as he stared at you, as they both gazed at you.

"S'warm nd fuzzy," you confessed, "feels tingly," you whined, "my tummy feels tingly nd it, it," you groaned, "s'burning," you sob, breathlessly, "s'throbbing my tummy is-" you sighed, feeling them hit you just right, "feels," you cry "feels good!" this electric pulse began to track beneath your skin, making your toes curl as you contracted, your muscles beginning to grow taught. "Feel so, so, so, so, good," you babble as you tried to swallow the drool beginning to pool in your mouth, tiny rivulet slipping past your lip as you squirmed and cried, and then you felt it, between your walls their fingers connected, there were four digits and they were beginning to interlace, bending at the knuckles, spreading you wide.

"FUCK!" you screamed at the realization, they were practically holding hands while inside you. Then you heard it, the sucking and panting as they kissed over your head, "fuck, fuck, fuck," you began to grow even wetter, even hornier, if that was possible.

It was as though lights were beginning to flicker on, one after the other, growing brighter and brighter, burning their bulbs, this all consuming tremor snaking up your spine, "s'coming, oh my god!" you whine, watching as their lips parted, melted limbs no longer letting you hump or grind for more friction as you sobbed, erotic ah, ah, ah's, leaving your lips with every thrust upwards. "Please, please, please," you begin to beg despite not needing to, they were giving you everything you need, everything you could ever want and more, they were pleasing you, drilling you open as they satisfied every last nerve in your body. "Cumming," you pant, "m' gonna cum!" you scream, moaning pornographically as you felt their intertwined fingers rut into you, touching every last aching bit of your sobbing cunt as that overwhelming ecstasy consumed you, their murmured praises and encouragement falling deaf upon your blood rushing ears as that final thrust, that final swipe onto your clit had you spilling, heat bursting throughout every limb as shockwaves rippled throughout your trembling body. Your soul ascending at the out of body experience.  Tears fell freely as you shook there, open mouthed, choked out, high pitched moans filling the space as you pooled, flooding every last drop you had inside of you out, relief permeating your bones as the stressed out knot in your gut snapped and gushed.

 "I, ugh- oh " you whimpered, hot mouths searing your neck as they peppered calming kisses over your skin, their plunging fingers beginning to slow as Satoru eased up his frantic rubbing, instead tracing languid circles on your clit as he helped you ride it out.

"Doing so good baby, just breath," Suguru cooed, cupping your face with one of his hands as you sobbed, "breath c'mon my pretty little girl, such a good girl," he mumbled as you hiccupped, bleary eyed as you felt that tingle recede from your convulsing limbs, travelling down and back to your slobbering cunt, dripping out into your cum as you gasped, the crashing ocean meeting the shore, their gentle laps at the sand fueling your cunt as the last drops came out in waves, recoiling before pushing forward, growing smaller and smaller each time as your hips stuttered, rolling in slow circles as you felt yourself come back to the ground. You squeezed your eyes shut before falling limp, Suguru catching you into his chest and carefully you felt their fingers separate in your spent out pussy, slowly, they pulled out, unstuffing your cunt before they left you empty, the feeling of your crying walls fluttering around nothing making you sob weakly into his chest, hiccups shaking your torso as you cried. 

"Did so well pretty thing," Satoru cooed, and your fuzzy visioned eyes couldn't see the way him and Suguru swapped hands, the dark haired man letting the snowy haired boy suckle on his sticky, cum lathered fingers as Satoru placed his fingers onto Suguru's tongue, the sound of their spit swishing as they sucked and sucked, groaning at your nectar. "My baby tastes so good," he moaned, licking up from Suguru's elbow, the long stream of slick staining his tongue as Suguru cradled your exhausted form in his arm, soothingly patting your head as you caught your breath, the sounds of his spittle mixing with your essence making your mind throb as you tried not to dwell on it, focusing on your heaving chest.

Suguru suckled gently, tongue wrapped around each digits as he wiped you off from Satoru's fingers, opening his mouth wide to let Satoru rub his wet forearm over his tongue, letting him taste every last drop and he lapped it up in earnest. "So sweet," he praised, removing his hand from Satoru's mouth, disregarding the protesting whines the white haired boy let out as he rubbed his spit and barely slick covered hand over your back, rubbing circles as you focused on your breaths, the overheating air finally dispelling as your warmed flesh tried to cool itself down.

"So good for us," Satoru murmured, shifting his legs from the seated position he remained in, staring at the practical puddle you made on your rug, but it didn't matter, he'd just buy you another one anyways. 

He gazed upon you in awe, your trembling, sweaty, naked form curled up into his partner, your aching cunt staring at him, gaping, revealing your pink insides that glistened with your juices and he couldn't help himself when he leaned forward, licking you up.

The gasp you let out was tearful, but he slurped regardless, trying to get what he could before Suguru's large hand yanked him by his hair, his scalp stinging as he pulled him off, the slick pop ringing out as his sugar covered lips only pulled into a self-satisfied, toothy, grin. "Leave her alone," he huffed, cradling you gently as you pressed your legs tightly shut, attempting to soothe your weak mewls, scratchy throat settling in, "she's already been overstimulat- mmph," Satoru's lips crashed onto his, hand still tangled in his hair as he caressed his tongue with your cum, letting him taste your lingering drops. He couldn't keep back the smirk as Suguru groaned against him before reluctantly pulling away, slick and saliva mixed string bridging their mouths slowly falling the further he moved back.

"Wanted to have another taste," he panted, eyes full of delight, chest heaving as he leaned forward to pat a comforting hand on your back, watching as you relaxed. "My baby tastes too good for me to leave anything behind," he chuckled, so very happy. Suguru could only sigh, knowing there was pure truth in his words before turning towards you.

"Let's go get you settled on the bed, m'kay love." he spoke tenderly carefully pulling himself to his feet as he settled you on your plush mattress, the cutesy comforter a nice backdrop for your blissful, post-orgasmic form, eyes closed as you whined, limp arms attempting to cling to him as he tried to stand up and leave you laying on the bed.

"Sugu," you murmured, barely above a whisper, closed eyes cracking open as your raised arms grasped weakly onto his now cum stained shirt.

"I know baby, I want to cuddle with you too but I'm gonna go get a bath ready, wash you up," he pressed a kiss to your forehead.

"noo," you whimpered, letting your arms fall as he finally pulled away and you felt tears gloss your eyes again, spilling down your cheeks. "stay with me," you sniffled and he shook his head.

"Toru'll hug you 'kay," he tried instead, "love you nice and tight while I go set everything up, then you can have as much of me as you'd like."

He watched as you merely conceded, letting the snowy haired boy wrap you up in his embrace as he pressed kisses to your scalp, wiping your tears, hugging you close before he quickly made his way to the bathroom, staring at the sticky evidence staining the floor and his body, the damp spot on his shirt seeping into his skin as he carefully prepped a bath, listening to Satoru murmur sweet nothings into your ear, pretty little praises easing your mind as you closed your eyes.

He'd have to do this again soon.

[lingerina]

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀𝐎𝓥𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐑𝐈𝓥𝐄 － yu jimin

␥ karina x fem!reader ␥ 916 words 🚨 choking, overstimulation, dacryphilia (?), praise ␥ you swore to never work for a rideshare app again but getting laid off leaves you no choice. you end up becoming someone’s getaway driver, not realizing you’re in for way more than you bargained for. ␥ A/N inspired by this ask (and reblogs) from ages ago. also could be read as (sort of?) optional bias since i realized i never used her name here. 🧍🏻‍♀️ and it took me this long to write for my bias? 🤪

You never wanted to go back to Uber but after being laid off and having bills due soon, you had no choice.

You earned the most when you drove around the airport, downtown, and during late-night hours, which were windows to some of the craziest things you’ve previously experienced as a driver. You’ve gotten caught up in a drug deal and bank heist before, which was why you swore to never be an app driver again.

Every ride, you hoped that your passengers were normal law-abiding citizens who just needed a ride to the local market or something. Fortunately, they had been.

Until you made the mistake of driving off with a passenger who wasn’t the one that ordered a ride from you.

She had run up to your car—impressively in heels—and slammed the door shut as if she was being chased, shouting for you to drive off before you even get a chance to confirm you’re picking up the right person. Meeting her sharp eyes in your rear view mirror startled you into stepping on the gas because in the pit of your guts, you were uncertain if you were in harm’s way again and ignoring her might actually put your life on the line.

The ride had been silent, your actual passenger that you’d driven past being one of the only two thoughts crossing your mind after you had hovered a shaky hand over your phone, that’s mounted to the air vent, to cancel her request. You didn’t know where you were driving, and you couldn’t accept any other ride that were popping up on your app. There were more red areas on the map, indicating major activity and hefty tips that you could’ve gotten your hands on had you refused to let the mysterious raven-haired beauty in your car.

She stared out the window for what felt like hours. She didn’t utter a word and you were too afraid to ask questions. You aimlessly drove around, hoping she would finally say something and end this torture.

When she abruptly met eyes with you in the mirror again, you startled.

You tried to break the ice and asked for her destination, but what followed was more silence, a sudden request to park in the parking lot of an abandoned warehouse, and two-word commands for you to step out and join her in the backseat where she ended up breaking you.

You’re seated on her lap with your back pressed against her chest and her hand wrapped around your throat. Taunting words brush over your ear, inducing a chill that ripples down your spine as three of her fingers are inside you. Your body horribly betrays you as your car echoes with the filthy squelches of your dripping pussy and your cries as she violates you.

Nonetheless, you part your legs wider and buck against her hand, tears pricking the corners of your eyes from your morals dissipating and your desire to be broken burning. With your leggings torn at your crotch and bearing the stains of your pleasure, you’re reduced to nothing but a moaning mess for a gorgeous stranger who may or may not be dangerous.

She squeezes tighter, her well-manicured nails threatening to pierce the soft skin of your throat, a low praise of ‘good girl’ uttered at the shell of your ear threatening the sliver of sanity you have left. You catch your breath when she releases her grip, which moves down your clavicle to tear at the collar of your tee. She yanks at your bra, unveiling your breast for the palm of her hand, and kneads in tandem with the pace of her fingers.

Your head lolls back over her shoulder, hoarse moans polluting your once-silent vehicle as she fucks you harder. Tension grips at your limbs, your toes curling as her curled digits reach that spot. The spot where you need her most.

“Come on, baby,” she purrs with a sly smirk. “Give it to me.”

You oblige on cue. Your eyes roll back as you soil her hand in the midst of ecstasy, your wetness dirtying her dress, her lap, and the back of the seat. She didn’t spare you mercy before, and she’s definitely not sparing you now.

She toys with you until you think you’ve given her your all. As soon as you fall limp, she slips back inside you and you swiftly ascend to your brink once more, the sensitivity blurring your vision with white dots as you gush all over her. 

She refuses to let you recuperate. Just when you think it’s over, she makes her unwelcome return, her expert fingers repeatedly bringing you to ecstasy like a broken film. She gets off on your tears and pleas because they’re a stark contrast to you squirting all over her and dirtying your car in the process. When she’s had her fill, she shifts you off her lap like a discarded toy and finally steps out without a word, leaving you alone in the abandoned parking lot.

With the silence and post coital clarity setting in, you sit up straight and stare at the mess you made. You don’t need a mirror to know that you do not look presentable to customers at all.

Fortunately, it’s still early in the morning. You can rush home, clean yourself and your car up, and still have a whole day to earn money.

You just hope that you don’t have another potentially dangerous or salacious run-in again.

[sserajeans]

bff premium?

kang haerin x fem! reader

synopsis: after distancing yourself from a friend you've unfortunately fallen for, the rest of the group catches onto her sour mood, and all fingers point to you

genre + others: fluff, mutual pining, friends to lovers, non-idol au, high school setting, friend group is rly just nwjns + yn

notes: i swear yail update will come i just had this in my drafts and felt bad for not posting for a while!!, requested, IM SO SORRY IT TOOK THIS LONG I REALLY WANTED TO BE IN TBE MOOD WHEN I WROTE THIS 😭😭😭😭 luckily haerin posted some pics that ive gotten completely insane over.. so!

you and haerin always had something special between the both of you.

you two met in middle school, when your homeroom teacher was assigning seats. she was a quiet kid, and so were you, but one of you had to get over it. so when the class was given a paired activity to "get-to-know each other", you were forced to come out of your shell, and haerin welcomed you (surprisingly) warmly.

it started off as a strictly-seatmate type of friendship, where you two would only interact whenever it was needed. but as you spent more and more time working on assigned activities together, you were beginning to realize that maybe you enjoyed her company more than you thought, and so did she.

eventually, you two began spending time together outside of class; during recess, lunchtime, sometimes after class in the library. it didn't take long until the both of you became really close, a known tandem. you were her closest friend, she was yours, and everyone knew that.

over time, your friends became hers as well, and so whenever everyone was free, your little friend group composed of minji, hanni, danielle, haerin, hyein, and you, would hang out together. at a clubroom, the courtyard, the gymnasium, a cafe, the cafeteria, anywhere.

but no matter how many close friends surrounded you two, it seemed clear to anyone that you were closer to each other than anyone else. the same way hanni was to hyein, and minji was to danielle.

now your feelings for haerin grew a couple years later, and you only admitted them to yourself in your sophomore year of high school. that's about four years or so since you two met, and about a year ago from today.

from the beginning, you had always found haerin pretty. it wasn't hard to admit. she was nice to look at, and the way her cat-like eyes turned into crescent moons whenever she smiled ear to ear... yeah, you knew you were enjoying it a little too much.

and it only worsened the more you got to know each other, because you found out there were so many things to adore.

the way she wouldn't stop talking about frogs, her love for tomatoes, her eyes and the way she blinks slowly when she looks at something she loves (a cat-like habit you picked up when she was watching a recipe video for an avocado dish).

the list could go on and on if no one stopped you, and after talking about it to your mom (who was very supportive of everything, by the way), you came to the conclusion that you liked haerin, in a "more-than-a-friend way".

but you had no idea, not a single clue, on what to do with that realization. what would happen if you told her? if you didn't? would she feel the same? would she be disgusted if she didn't?

crushes and romance was one of the most untouched conversation topics between the two of you, so you had no idea if she was even open to such ideas.

but the one thing you knew for sure, was that she was your best friend, and you were hers. you loved your best friend, and so did she. in a different way, or not, you felt like she still deserved to know. you hated hiding things from her, and history proves it only made things worse whenever you did.

so you decided to confess. great!

and suddenly you see her acting all lovey dovey with danielle.

well, in retrospect, they weren’t exactly being lovey dovey, and you kind of knew that.

danielle was just big on affection, as she was to everyone, and is one of the few people whose pda was complied with (or tolerated) by haerin.

and despite not being much of a pda fan, in that moment, you badly wanted to be in danielle’s place, comfortably smothering your best friend with all the love in the world.

oh, and it didn’t help that people started a couple rumors about them being a couple.

sure, everyone knew you were each other’s number one, each other’s best of best friend, but the way you two showed affection with each other was very different from the way danielle does, to again, everyone, but you didn’t care about that.

the bitter sting in your stomach seeing the two of them made you realize that it was probably a much better idea to just get rid of your feelings (you’re an idiot, you’ve had them for years. they won’t just go away). after all you didn’t want to ruin what you had with two of your closest friends.

and with that goal in mind, so began your plan to avoid kang haerin at all costs!

you’re really stupid.

in the process of avoiding haerin, you indirectly were avoiding the rest of the girls too. you mostly hung out with your other classmates from different subjects like woonhak and eunchae. and whenever you were asked about it by hanni (mostly), you shrugged it off and said it was just “school things you needed help with”.

it was a dumb excuse. everyone knew you were at least top 5 of the class. and what kind of help were you getting if you were going out to places like arcades and karaoke spots anyways?

the girls were bothered, but not as much as haerin was. she was often visibly in a sour mood, ate half of her usual cafeteria servings, and would talk a lot less than she already did.

they were worried for the both of you simultaneously, but hyein and minji put two and two together, which only doubled their worry.

initially, it was just you and haerin's separate well-being they were concerned about, but now that they realized the time frame in which you began distancing yourself matched up with when haerin's mood went down, they were now also worried about what could've happened between you two.

so they took it amongst themselves to at least know what was going on.

"haerin-ah."

"haerin."

"kang."

"kang haerin!"

haerin looked up from her untouched tray of food, her chopsticks poking around slices of beef in sauce.

"hm?"

minji sat across her as the first two to arrive in their usual lunch table.

"i was asking if anything happened between you and y/n or something..."

"oh..."

haerin looked back down and continued playing around with her food before sighing and looking back up, muttering a couple words.

"wish i knew."

"y/n-unnie! is something up between you and haerin-unnie?"

"huh? what?" you were sat in the sound proofed booth of the music room, guitar plugged in an amplifier. you squinted at hyein's figure from outside the room, putting your guitar on its stand and motioning her to come inside.

"can you repeat that? i can't really hear anything from in there..." scratching the back of your neck, you gave hyein a seat from behind the booth's drum sets.

"i was asking!" hyein took a deep breath, you raised your eyebrows signaling her to continue. "if you and haerin-unnie have something going on."

"h-huh? what? what something?"

"no not like that! i meant you know, did you fight or... 'cause she's been so sour lately! she wouldn't even give me her leftover tomatoes... she wasn't even gonna eat them! like at all!"

the expression on your face shifted to what most would identify as worry and concern.

"...she hasn't been eating the tomatoes? she loves those..."

"yeah! and so much more! anyways, minji-unnie and i deduced it was about you, so here i am." hyein gleamed with pride while you chuckled in amusement.

you leaned over to mess with the top of her head and sighed, "i'll talk to her. you don't worry about a thing, okay?"

and you kept your word to the younger girl. how could you not?

you spotted haerin alone in one of the clubrooms, cleaning up some of the materials they used for the day. knocking on the room's door startled her a bit, given by the minor flinch, but she relaxed seeing it was you.

still, you could tell her facial expression was slightly guarded, and it hurt you, but you definitely deserved it.

she turned back around to continue organizing the materials into three separate boxes, not saying a word.

"hyein said you haven't been eating the tomatoes in your lunch." you slowly took your steps towards her and stopped when you were a couole steps away on the other side of the desk she used to arrange the items. "or your lunch at all..."

she paused to look up at you and give you a short glare, before walking to move a box to the teacher's desk in the room. you followed a few steps behind her, arms behind your back as your fingers fiddled with each other.

"you shouldn't... skip your meals, you know..." you muttered, clearly intimidated by haerin’s cold facade. "health... you need to eat..."

seeing as how you still had no reply, you decided it was probably best to just go straight to the point.

"hey... i'm sorry..."

you were used to haerin not saying that much, especially when you got to know her more and she explained that it was simply just too tiring. but you were also always the exception to that.

whenever it was just the two of you, one would be surprised to see haerin as the louder one. talkative, always rambling about something, while you smiled, nodded, and gave comments whenever necessary.

"yangi, please say something"

haerin loved that nickname more than anything. it was pretty foul to pull that card, actually. you came up with it when you two were having a friendly debate over what animal she resembled.

"i don't know where you're getting cat, y/n."

"are you crazy? how are you getting frog!"

"literally everything!"

"no. you're simply incorrect. you're literally a cat in human form!"

"absolutely not!"

"whatever you say, goyangi."

"what did you just call me?"

"go-yang-i. goyangi. go. yangi."

"you're so... annoying."

"okay, yangi."

she let out a frustrated sigh, looking up at you with what felt like her eyes piercing through your soul.

"so you get to disappear on me without a word, but i have to reply when you speak to me for the first time in 8 days?"

yes, she's been counting the days.

but wouldn't you be too if she did the same?

well, you probably would've confronted her a little sooner. but it's not that haerin didn't care enough to do something about it, she just genuinely didn't want to overstep space you might've been needing.

"thats what i thought." she let go of the box, turned her back, and walked back to the desks to grab the 2nd box.

"look... i'm sorry, i really am." you immediately caught up to her with a few steps, eyes pleading with nothing but guilt.

"if you are then can you at least tell me why you were avoiding me?"

she stared at you, observing how your thumbs rubbed over your fingers, or how your breathing got a little heavy, both nervous habits she picked up.

noting how you probably weren't going to say much anytime soon, she let go of the 2nd box to face you.

"you're my best friend, y/n"

that hurt didn't it?

a reminder that that was probably all you were going to be to her.

"do you know how..." haerin took a deep inhale, it was beginning to get shaky. her mind was a mess, thinking of the best words to express the hurt you made her feel over the past few days. but she couldn't.

"nevermind."

knowing the way haerin acted added on to your internal conflict. haerin usually wasn't afraid to speak her mind when it was just the two of you, but now she is. she couldn't. and you knew it was your fault.

but were you really ready to tell her you liked her? now? you wanted to show her you were sorry, but it really wasn't that easy.

if things go wrong, she could continue the game and avoid you forever. and just like that you'd lose your best friend, ruining the group's dynamics as well.

but you figured your brain was just making up excuses for you to not tell her out of fear. what mattered the most now was letting her know you were sorry, and that hurting her was never part of the plan.

"look, i'll tell you, because i really truly am sorry for hurting you," you start off, hands in the air motioning whatever. "but i-... i need you to promise me..."

"what?" her voice was much softer now. still cold, but not sharp enough to make it feel like you were stabbed every time she spoke.

"that you won't be... weirded out, or disgusted, or leave the room. you'll talk about it with me."

"you're the one whos been avoiding the talking y/n, i hope you know that."

you often forget how quick she was with her words. it was like a whip. painful, fast, happens before you even noticed it did. you were just so used to her nicer side. she's never been frustrated with you.

"right..."

you took a deep breath, mentally composing a script of how you felt and how you were going to say it. just like the million times you've practiced to the mirror at home.

"i've been avoiding you 'cause i think i like you. or, well, i know i like you. in a more than a friend way. and i have been for a while, and i was going to tell you because i didn't like hiding things from you, but i saw you with dani one day and i just- i don't know. okay? it's stupid. i know she's like that with everyone, but i didn't like it when she was with you, so i decided that i'd rather just get rid of how i felt to make it easier and to not ruin any of our friendships. so i figured the only way to do that was if i didn't talk to you. clearly that affected us both in a way i didn't want or intend. i'm sorry i ignored you. it was selfish of me to not think about how you could've felt throughout everything."

haerin took a minute just standing there, trying to process the hell of a bomb of information you just dropped on her. her cheeks were gradually growing red the more she realized what you were trying to tell her.

"hey... hello... did you hear what i was saying... or do i have to repeat it... because i'd really rather not..." you waved your palm in front of the girl who seemed to be frozen in place. "but if that's what it takes then i guess tha—"

you stopped talking as haerin slowly approached you, wrapping her arms around your waist and burying her face on your shoulder. she was careful to do so slowly, giving you a chance to move away if you needed to. she knows you're not into physical touch, and it just wasn't exactly the norm for the two of you.

"i was worried."

"hey, i've been eating fine. it's you tha-"

"no, not that. i was worried you might've overheard dani and i talk about you when i told her i like you, and that you were disgusted by it and didn't want to be... associated with me because of it. and maybe you just didn't know how to tell me so you went with the silent treatment.... i was going nuts, y/n. that's why hyein was talking about skipping lunch and whatever. all i could think about was why."

you could feel the guilt eating you up bit by bit on the inside. it quite literally broke your heart to hear haerin, the girl with not a lot of words, express the effect of what you did. it was like acid, burning up your stomach, your chest, your head. except that acid was guilt.

"oh god... i'm so sorry, yangi... the whole thing was a really selfish move and— and i should've thought about you first. i really am so so sorry..."

you held her closer and softly shifted your body weight from one foot to the other, swaying the two of you softly, somewhat like a cradle calming a baby down to sleep.

"hey... it's okay... i know you didn't mean it. i'm just glad we're fine now."

you two stay in that position for a couple of minutes, feeling each other relax over time as a result of finally resolving the conflict you had caused.

that was until haerin broke the silence.

"so... hate to be the person to ask but..."

"what are we?"

the two of you laughed for a while at how the question was so cliche and cringe yet necessary.

"yes."

"bff premium?"

"y/n!"

"i'm kidding! i'm kidding! but... i say we take things slow? get a little used to this, whatever it is, whatever it could be?"

"yeah, i like that."

the two of you smiled at each other with nothing but warmth and care, before ultimately pulling in for another hug.

"minji-unnie you owe me 2,000 won."

"hyein you're being too loud."

"huh do you hea-?..." haerin pulled away with a surprised face, interrupted by y/n quickly stomping towards the door, slamming it open to reveal minji and hyein falling forward to the floor. a result of relying on the door for support.

"seriously? i expected hyein, but minji-unnie?" you sighed in disappointment, haerin walking over to see what the fuss was all about.

"listen, it's for hanni she placed bets too."

"...lame excuse."

"KANG HAERIN!"

[argent-l-p]

Facets of a Shattered Memory II

Series based on my interpretation of the Encanto Madremonte AU by the lovely @c-rose2081

Pt. 1

Summary: Starting from where part one left off, we get a look into Isa's life following her escape from Casita and what the next five years of her life were like.

WARNINGS: Blood, Violence, Injury, And A Bit of Death

______________________________________________

The first thing that came to her was a memory, it was the only thing that she could say with certainty was the first thing she could remember. It was dark, voices were speaking above her and she was being held. In her ear sounded a choir speaking in unison, the voice high and like the rustling of trees “Amor, cuando despiertes el mundo será un lugar nuevo, pero necesitas saber esto. Tu eras amada, tan amada que no lo podemos describir.” 

Another voice, lower with the sound of rumbling mountains echoed below it, “Tu nombre es Isa, nosotras the llamamos Amor. Tu eres nuestra y nosotros somos tuyas, nunca dudes eso.” 

She felt movement at her side and a hand stroke her cheek before she woke up for the first time. 

(Months of waiting, the heavens holding their breath as the hour draws closer, the jungle quiet in the space where glass shards fused with molten gold, the result buried beneath their roots waiting to wake up as the body is changed.) 

It was warm, not suffocatingly so, but enough that her body melted into a languid stretch, slow and pleased. She could feel the soft bedding beneath her and the dips of whatever lay beneath the barrier, it was firm and unyielding, but the nest added a softness for her aching body to relax into. Time felt like it stood still and passed so slowly all at once, the only suggestion of it going by was the feeling of the arm trapped under her body falling asleep. 

Oh.  

What a wonder. 

It was feeling that came to her first, muscles unused for so long aching as bones moved from their place of rest, the stretch of her body triggering sensation and she felt the soft friction of plants against her skin. She noted the gaps in sensation and moved her hand down to feel where her thigh met her hip, feeling the difference in texture and the way it would not bend under the force of her fingers. She felt where it began and where it ended and, in her heart, she knew this was something good; Something meant to keep hurt far and away from her, though she didn’t quite know why she knew, only that she did. 

(Somewhere in the depths of her mind, an echo of a forgotten emotion drifted like smoke. The faintest after image of someone's wail and the pulling on her body. As sudden as its emergence it flickered, pulled into golden light, and before it could be registered it was gone.) 

The tearing of the leaves beneath her body brought sound to her ears and with great speed her hands clapped soundly over her ears. It was so loud, the texture of the noise itself grating on her newly awoken senses before she slowly pulled them away, adjusting to the new input. As she sat up and opened her eyes for the first time, they moved in tandem with her ears, and it startled her to feel the muscles move of their own accord. With slightly unsteady fingertips she brushed along the shell and traced their pointed shape, wondering at the newness if her own body. Her eyes never stopped tracking her surroundings, it was dark and dim, but as she began to look for the source of light illuminating the space, she realized that there was none and that she could still see despite it. 

It was at this moment that she heard the faintest whisper next to her ear and even if it was sudden, all she felt was love and warmth and gold- 

“Levántate Amor. Te tienes que levantar para ver las estrellas.” 

And in her mind, she saw a vast expanse of dark blue skies and hundreds upon thousands of lights filling everywhere she could see. That was something she knew she had to see, a deep-seated longing to greet that which felt like a promise connecting her to the light-ridden sky. Determination filled her and blood roared in her ears as she pushed herself up, a slight snarl forming in her lips as she began to look for a way out of her ben of vines and leaves. It was then that she heard the singing for the first time, moving from the subtle notes it had been only seconds before to an ascending choir, rising in volume until it was all she could hear. 

Isa looked down and there under bare feet were coiling vines, some coming from her skin and others from the roots she had been cradled in, climbing up her legs. She could hear them as if they were only an extension of her soul and if she focused her sight on them, she could faintly see golden strings tangling in the movement of their length. Within her she felt something stir, a primal knowledge that they would move if she told them to, not just the vines but the roots of whatever it was that they came from, and with that she pulled on the golden light within her watched as her surroundings exploded into sudden movement all at once. 

The vines sighed and wrapped tightly around her as the roots rose in unison, their laughter low, their creaking heralding the opening of the ceiling above and then there was light.  

It wasn’t bright by any means, no, but soft and ghostly. She watched, her pupils dilating, as the light grew larger and the opening wider, until she could crawl out and then her senses were filled with the sounds of a choir’s breathy laughter and fond sighs. It was intense and she closed her eyes to center herself and then looked up into the dark sky and marveled at the sight of golden chords stringing the stars together. 

(In the spaces that were and yet were not, the heavens finally quieted the remaining wails of the mourning stars. They looked down at the girl who had been mortal and yet was now more Other, more like them, than her kin. They saw golden eyes where there had been the brown of her mother and her skin was covered in the Jungle and the Earth’s claim.) 

As the world took its first breath in the aftermath of what was avoided, a child and those who loved her stood at the beginning of a path that fate had not touched. Far away in a living house, a mother held the remains of her daughter's clothing to her chest and mourned a life lost. Months of waiting for news ending in the tragedy of her loss, but in the wake of this pain a new future began to form. The golden light in the woman’s womb pulsed and the child’s fate was linked firmly to the stargazer in the mountains. 

(The stars looked down and for a moment their light twinkled in concert across the sky, light dancing across the world. The road would not be easy, they saw, but in the grand tapestry of their world this change in what was to come was better than it had been before.) 

Isa’s ear flicked over to listen to something beside her ear and with one last final glance at the sky above, she moved deep into the forest, quickly disappearing. The only thing giving away what had happened in the clearing was the still open hole in the ground and then it began to close as the animals in the surrounding vegetation began to sing again. It was when the moon above began to dip from its zenith that everything returned to how it had been only hours before, and the only marking left was the overturned dirt at the roots of the tree. 

(Sometimes, a child lives, and the world grieves for one less person lost to fate.)  

As the days passed, Isa learned how to traverse her surroundings, gradually moving like the predator she had become. On hands and feet, she learned to stalk as the jaguars did and in the trees, she adapted their movements. Weeks passed and then a month went by, her mind and body adjusting to the world around her, but all throughout it, she could hear the gentle singing all around her as she ran through the green and when night came, she could hear that sweet voice again, a guide. 

“Mira la manera que se mueven mi Amor. Mira como sus garras se encajan en el arbol y haz lo también.” 

“Mi pequeno amor, ven al agua. Necesitas tomar algo, te va dar sed.” 

“Ven y siéntate en el sol, Isa. Te va ser bien.” 

It was always there when she needed to be reminded of her own limits and to teach her as she learned, sometimes layered with a deep bass from below or the whisper of another woman’s voice. They never scared her, not ever, instead it felt like the gentle caress of sunlight against her skin and every time it happened, she could feel the golden chords inside of her chest sway and she saw the plants around her grow. It fascinated her to no end, doing whatever she could to prolong the sight and the feeling, sometimes hours would pass by as her want for this was indulged. 

In some part of her soul, she felt like she should be ashamed of asking for this attention and in turn felt embarrassed for the time she spent lounging in it, but that thought was swept away before it could even reach full formation, the choir around her crooning assurances; she was a child still and none of what she wanted was too far out of reach. What she didn’t know was that as she slept in the cradles woven for her high up in the canopy, the Jungle raged and seethed as she restrained herself from bringing her wrath upon the head of Alma Madrigal. Her counterpart, the Earth, rumbled lowly green eyes sparking with the light of molten rock and far away, a volcano erupted slowly.  

(A constellation darkened for the grief they held for child who should never have felt wrong for wanting to be loved. Already her desperation for the slightest loving touch was enough to make them weep, a feeling echoed by their brothers and sisters around them.) 

The day came, months after emerging from that primordial womb, that she noticed a pattern with her surroundings. Without conscious thought she had been moving the plants around her at times when she needed them to follow her will; They were independent, yes, but they answered when she called.  

When it came time for her to learn about the gold in her chest, she listened as they told her to close her eyes and gasped as she felt the chords vibrate as if on the other end they had been plucked and played. It was different and new, but it felt right. Like whatever was doing it meant only to help and did so with love and care and warmth- 

From her right she heard the singing rise and fall, a voice breaking through the sound, telling her to focus and when she did, a rush of power coursed through her. It was warm and gold, chords sinking into her soul for the first time to bring forth the feeling of the tree beneath her and the branch she sat on, but only for a moment as she was brought back to focus on the chorus around her and the sweet voice calling her attention.  

She tugged when they told her to and imagined the branch she sat on bloom, fruit developing on imagined buds, heavy and ripe for picking. When she opened her eyes, she saw her vision made reality. Where the very end of the wood hung over open air, a white blossom began to rapidly form, its petals opening and from it, fruit grew. She had only enough time to register its rapid swell in size, when she realized it would fall under its own weight and lunged forward to catch it. The momentum of her movement almost sent her completely over the reach of the branch, but in the second it took for her doubt to manifest, she was caught by the branch rising beneath her.  

Fruit clutched in one hand and her opposite arm wrapped around the sturdy branch beneath, wide eyes looked down at what she made grow. Golden eyes lit up and a sharp grin spread across her face to replace the initial shock. She sat up as carefully as she could while observing the object in her hand and when she was sure she had balanced herself well, she took the fruit in both hands and brought it up close to her face. For a moment a hesitation came over her. What if it hurt her? She had not needed to eat since emerging from the nest and when she had needed to recuperate, only when she was truly exhausted, she laid where the sun graced the earth until she felt her energy return and drank water from the rivers when she felt thirsty. Even then, it was only when it was needed, so far only having done so twice in the months since being awoken, her exhaustion forcing her to rest and lightly doze in golden rays. 

Lost in thought, she didn’t hear the giggling and fond sighs until she felt the slightest nudge, bringing her hand and the fruit closer to her mouth. Startled, she glanced towards where she felt gentle pressure, but saw nothing where familiar fingers pressed into bark and skin, the beginnings of vines growing ever to slightly. In the breeze she heard her protector murmur, “No tengas miedo, mi amor. Puedes comer.” 

And when she still hesitated, gentle hands cupped around her own and lips pressed to the crown of her head, the fruit brought to her mouth, and she took her first bite of food. At first, the skin of the fruit almost made her jerk back in surprise, the almost dry taste enough for her to not eat, but her canine pierced the barrier and suddenly something sweet dripped onto her tongue. Suffice to say she didn’t drop the fruit, but bit into it fully, pushing past the initial taste and tasting the meat inside and later when she climbed up into the trees to see where she was going, she noticed pollen falling from little flowers on her thigh. 

That was the first time she ate something of substance and though she didn’t need to eat at all, she still ate a bit every day. It was odd, she knew that the animals around her ate frequently, sometimes she would see predators taking kills larger than their bodies to eat in peace, but she never felt the hunger that they did. Did not feel the need to look for food the sate a pain in her stomach or to sink her teeth into something to bring a kill down, a predator without the need to feed. Isa was still young though, often being herded around by intangible forces and creaking trees, the plants around her hiding the small body learning to survive in a new world. 

Every moment spent under the vast star filled sky and weaving between ancient, sturdy trees brought its own lessons, but life is not always serene. Though the influence of the gods left Isa to learn her world, wide eyed wonder obscuring the inevitability of how the moments of life played out in dynamic melodies, a discordant note unavoidable. It came nearly a half year after the awakening, rain coming down on the canopy and thunder rumbling off in the distance clouds taking up the entire horizon. 

(A far-flung echo of a memory so faint only the vaguest feeling brought with it the notion of contained clouds and uniform weather. A childish chant of clear blue skies and the delighted shrieks of children playing in the sun, a whisper in the cry of the wind-) 

The crash of thunder and flash of lightning drew her attention above, the smell of rain and the coolness of the day enveloped her. She’d pulled herself up into the trees, the fog below obscuring her sight, only able to see so far ahead. Isa hummed as she set her sights on the far-off cliff-face, slightly hazy in the fog cover and mumbled to herself, her words carried off in the wind, “Ahi estas...” She’d been trekking for hours, the journey she’d been guided through longer than it would have been had she been older, often needing to stop, rest, and even eat more fruit to keep up her energy. That she’d made it this far, a third of the way, was a testament to how much she had grown in the past months. 

When she had awoken, she’d been akin to a newborn on shaky legs and sensitive senses, sometimes needing to be hidden away in a cocoon of secure vines when overwhelmed. Those early days were filled with rest, hidden by the jungle and the earth, listening to the chorus around her. As time had passed and she learned the limitations of her body, Isa had grown leaps and bounds, now able to traverse the landscape with occasional help from the roots and vines, having learned quickly that they followed her will after almost falling from a high tree and the entire tree having bent to cradle her. 

Another distant rumble shook Isa from her thoughts and she took a final glance to memorize the direction before scaling down and to the foggy jungle floor, her sight once again obscured and pointed ears flicking in all directions. With the canopy above already darkening the surroundings and the cloud cover overhead, it seemed as though the world had abruptly turned to night as she had reached the ground. With this is in mind she began to move forward, the world around her simply reduced to the sound of soft music, falling rain, and the passing vegetation. Maybe it was her inexperience with identifying distance through sound, the noise of thunder and rain, or simply a circumstance of being caught unawares, maybe a combination of them all, but Isa never noticed the pad of paws following her at a stalk. 

Isa was a predator, yes. Claws and canines were parts of her that she used, but she had never been in battle, she was young, inexperienced, and above all sheltered thus far in her existence; she was vulnerable, not unlike the young animals in the jungle, new to life and its challenges, but without someone to physically teach her despite her intangible choir. So, just like any other young animal, she was still prey to those so much more experienced than her. 

She didn’t have time to react, so it was when lightning flashed above, a small gap in the canopy allowing light to flash through, that she saw gleaming eyes and turned, eyes suddenly wide as she dropped low, watching the body of a jaguar leap over her. It yowled, a snarl pulling its lips back to reveal elongated fangs and she bared her own in return a sinister rattle erupting from her chest for the first time. It was sinister and it sounded like nothing like she’d ever heard before, but deep inside her, the gold in her soul burning and blinding, she knew that it was right.  

That same part of her, until then a slinking set of instincts from the shadows, began to stir and every part of her snarled at the threat being dealt. Quickly, that facet of her being woke up and suddenly she held her body with more grace, feet surer in their placement and muscles bunched up ready to spring; It was as if she had passed a threshold. The choir reached a crescendo, a pitch so high it felt like the stars themselves were singing and though she heard a note of distress in the song, she could also hear bolstering bass from the earth. 

It was then that her opponent visibly hesitated for a long moment, the change seen through its eyes letting her be seen as what she was; Something completely Other. But it was soon overcome and the hiss it let out as it bared its own fangs did not waver as eyes narrowed and fur stood on end. The plants growing in her skin shuddered and her ears pinned themselves to her skull, the space between herself and her opponent seeming to close until, like the lightning dancing above, they were on each other in seconds. 

(From above looking below, they saw what she did not feel, bark growing thicker like armor and where they cover her shoulders, it crawled up her neck. It covered her face in whorls, a mask and part of her body at the same time, meant to protect.) 

They collided with a slam, each gaining a violent purchase on the other and though the feline tried to snap down on her shoulder, Isa struck her hand into the side of its face. Where her nails had been sharp before, meant for the ease of climbing, they were dagger like now and the force of her strike sunk them deeply into their landing points. As it yowled, Isa’s grip grew tighter and her legs wrapped around its body, holding on as it began to move erratically, ignoring the hot pain of claws slicing into her back.  

It was only when they slammed into a tree that she let go and scrambled back, on her feet and hunched over golden eyes, a low and dangerous rumble vibrating deep in her chest. The jungle cat had backed up, staring at her and though the deep wounds on its face bled heavily, it did not falter and charged at her once again, its cry of challenge echoing off into the night. The fight did not end as quickly as it might have if Isa had been older and more experienced, but this heralded the beginning of who she would become and thought the jungle and her partner wanted to interfere, to help, the influence of fate held them back. 

Every blow was filed with sharp claws and the snap of teeth, bark crawling along Isa’s body, a slow growing armor that rose from her skin. There came a point where pain gave way to the numbing effects of adrenaline and she did not really feel the aching of her gained wounds, only feeling the way new ones appeared on her body as the battle went on. It became a blur of aggression and when she would later look back on the battle, she could not accurately say how long it lasted, only that she felt a bone deep tiredness. 

She’d had the upper hand for most of their battle having sliced three out of four legs to give her the benefit of its pain induced weakness. Where it seemed to struggle in the aftermath, she would worsen the injury count and she gained confidence when it continued to tire, but in her growing confidence she became blind to a fact she had witnessed so often; nothing was more dangerous than a cornered animal. Isa was doing well, yes, but she was so young, only really a child and by virtue she was not skilled in the art of combat nor defense. So, when she failed to see the desperation, failed to notice its gaze darting around and sharpening, she was not prepared for it to run into the vegetation. 

For a moment, she stood in disbelief and confusion, her tense stance loosening in the quiet. It took a few seconds before she realized that while the threat had disappeared, the nearby animals did not begin to vocalize and she began to turn slowly in a circle, eyes flickering from left to right trying to see movement and her ears followed suit. Isa’s. Heart began to beat faster than ever, the inability to locate where it had gone spurring her to panic and all she could hear was the blood roaring in her ears. 

Isa is young, a still inexperienced child in a world that had her fate tied to the land and the stars above. So, when she gave into panic and could not hear the movement above, the quiet growl of a stalking predator, the stars closed their eyes and her protectors held each other as it dropped onto her from above. She did not have time to run or dodge, only brace as she snapped her head up at the sound of a cracking branch and saw the danger coming from above. When they collided this time, it was the jaguar who had the advantage and sunk its teeth into her shoulder only barely stopped from reaching her neck by the instinctive reaction to flinch away from danger. 

Where before the adrenaline rush had prevented the pain felt in battle, it had passed enough that it could no longer shield her and she felt the blinding agony as claws tore at her thigh and fangs violently sunk into her. This was no longer a moment she had the upper hand; In this moment Isa became prey and she felt desperation leaking into her mind. All at once she began to thrash under the weight of her opponent, her right-hand balling into a fist to strike against its face as her left hand lay tensed in pain-induced paralysis. 

(Around her the choir wailed and the earth trembled as the child, their pequeno amor lay prone on the ground, fighting to stay alive, the hollow rattling of calls cutting off, replaced by shrieks. Their hands were bound by fate, the future waiting for what would happen next, but they called out to her as the crescendo finally crested and the golden chords grew taut, instinct taking over and her mind became sharp-)  

She did not think, not really. It was done in an instant, one moment crying out in pain and the next a sinister rattle echoing above the snarls on top of her. She did not really remember what happened clearly, only that her fear turned into rage and her hand was suddenly at its throat, claws piercing into tender flesh and her teeth cutting into its jugular vein, blood spilling onto her tongue. Isa felt it unlatch from her shoulder, a gag in its throat as it tried to get away, and she heard it give a gurgling cry as it tried to get her off. She did not let go as it slammed itself into the trees, only biting down harder and when it tried to go for her throat, she only held it away with her free hand, claws sinking into its face once again.  

It ends slowly, so different to how it started, but it ends all the same as blood continued to spill from her mouth onto the jungle floor, soaking into the earth. Golden eyes glowing behind a wooden mask slit, a dangerous focus and determination flooding them as she counted the seconds and stared up at the canopy above. The struggle begins to die down, its movements become sluggish, and where the sounds it was making had been normal until that point, they now held a wet gurgling quality to them. Isa kept counting, a steady rhythm, and when it gave a final spasm above her, it went limp. She waited and waited and waited, jaw still clenched around a mouthful of fur and covered in cooling blood until she felt and heard its heart stop beating, so close to its chest she could tell the exact moment it happened. It takes three hundred and ninety-five seconds, a little over four minutes she translates without thought, for it to end. 

Isa came back to herself slowly, like moving through tree sap, pushing the heavy body off until it slides to the side, but she doesn’t get up immediately. She laid there for what seemed like hours covered in the blood of her opponent and though a distant part of her felt like she should mourn, Isa in her entirety only felt relieved that she had survived. Propping herself up in one hand and clutching her thigh wound with the other, she lowly brought herself up to sit, gritting her teeth as pain flared sharply. Looking down at the cooling body beside her it suddenly registered that though she may have won this battle, she was covered in blood and the part of her that had woken up urged her to stand and leave, the scent of so much blood sure to bring in bigger things. Now taking in how small it was compared to others she had seen, she pushed herself up as fast as she feasibly could and began to move. 

With the urgency to get away, Isa remembered the cliff and the shelter she would have found there as she half-limped away, it may have been minutes or seconds, but at suddenly recalling what she’d been doing before her head swiveled left and right, looking for a clue as to where she was heading, ears listening for anything that may be coming toward her. Seeing nothing but green and thick jungle, she hissed in frustration moving a little faster until she heard moving water and almost throwing herself into the space as she stumbled over in her own pain. 

Stopping herself just before breaking out completely  into the open, Isa scanned the riversides and when she saw no animal nearby, she stumbled into the river. Holding her breath and closing her eyes as she ducked under the surface, she never saw the water wash away the now red water, too preoccupied with smoothing her hands down the places stained in red. The jungle around her tightened at the edges, restless to help and the plants in the water barred anything from coming towards her, still in the ways they should not be. It was only when her lungs began to burn for air that she rose to her knees and took a gasping breath, coughing up excess water and wincing at the sting of open wounds on her body. 

The haze of battle and the rush of new instincts began to fade, the rushing water seeming to sweep it away as her mind settled. The lightning overhead illuminated the sky above, its chaining branches stretching out like the roots of the trees and wind buffeted around her, dancing around to unheard music. In this moment sat in the river, soaked to the bone, and heaving for breath the light in Isa’s chest pulsed in time with the stars. For just a moment, Isa looked like the woman she would become, the future flickering over the present; a ghostly golden image of what was to come.  It could have been minutes, more than she must have registered really, but when she finally brought herself to equilibrium Isa hauled herself to her feet and marched towards the tree line. 

It didn’t matter that her body ached or that her blood began to run down her skin, all of that and more was shoved back as Isa climbed up on heavy limbs. She clenched her teeth as the wood contacted open wounds, but she soldiered on as she moved through the branches and into the canopy. It wasn’t quick, but when she crested the very last leaves, she breathed out a sharp sigh of relief as she saw the lightning illuminate the landscape. Sat there above the ground, she relaxed a little more and looked for the cliff she’d been heading towards before. She ignored the phantom feeling of claws and teeth cutting into her skin, looking this way and that until she caught sight of her destination and begun to move from branch to branch, willing each wooden limb reaching out for her to step on with so much focus she almost fell from the trees. 

Ever so slowly, she moved across the expanse of branches that remained between her and the cliffside, the flashing lighting the way as the storm continued to rumble above. The closer she got to where she needed to be, the taller the cliffside seemed to become and when she finally reached the base, its imposing height created a phantom pain in her arms, reminding her of days learning how to climb and run on shaky legs. She had come so far and though she knew that it was essential to reach the zenith of its height, where the jungle sung to her was safe, Isa also knew that she would not make it all the way, not yet. 

For a long moment, Isa stared up at the cliff and debated whether to find a different side with more handholds if she really had no choice but to climb, but then a small tugging on the gold in her chest caught her attention. Looking down at her feet, roots began to breach and cover the surface of the ground, starting to twine around her ankles. It was almost silly, the way Isa forgot about plants leaping to do her bidding, though her control was shaky and new. Hesitance to even think about committing to this plan warred against her creeping exhaustion, but as she looked up from the ground to the surroundings and the sky, Isa steeled herself and walked up to the rockface. 

Gently placing a hand off the cliff, Isa focused on the awareness of the plant life above and below, breathing deeply as golden chords laced themselves more firmly into her perception of the world around her. Recalling the way she connected to the tree, she let the power flow through her, the feeling so natural that she just knew that’s how it was meant to be and pushed her voice through to the waiting roots and branches.  

For a moment all was still and she thought that maybe it hadn’t worked, a crease forming on her brow as she whispered to the open air, “Por favor...” 

Then she heard the groaning and creaking of wood, loud and suddenly all around her as the trees began to lean down towards her, branches like the reaching arms of a loved one coming to lift her in the cradle of their hold. For the first time, the songs around her quieted and she heard something new begin to form and sing in time with the beating of her heart and harmonize with the rumbling of new instincts. As the branches reached her, they held still and Isa, worn to the bone and mind filled with new things to adjust to, stepped shakily onto it and told it to rise. Ascending the rocky wall, it felt like her heart was at once both beating with adrenaline and serene in the power she held, but overcoming all other feeling was joy. Joy that after so long walking she had reached her destination and joy at the thought of finally being able to rest from the battle she had been in, to heal her wounds in peace. 

Where the tree could not continue, roots broke from the earthen wall and lifted her farther as she stepped onto them, the rightness of the action spurring her faster and faster as a laugh bubbled up from her chest; It was exhilarating, it was exciting, and it felt like freedom. Reaching the very top, Isa stumbled a few steps forward and crashed to her knees, the brilliant high of her joy and the final remnants of her adrenaline fading to nothing but a effervescent bubbling as her mind began to fog over with her need to rest. 

(Something in the darkened night reveled in the unfettered feeling. Something that was denied and now reclaimed, laughed at the past and bared its teeth at the notion of being caged once again.) 

She would wake up hours later, wounds scabbing over, and new instincts woven into her being so thoroughly it was as if she had always had them. It would take time to relearn everything she had known before and even longer to learn about every new facet of herself, the day marking a year since Isa woke up in that dark cradle passing her by. The fight with the jaguar had taught her there were larger dangers than she was in this jungle and though she had won that fight, had clawed her way inch by inch to live, she was still young and inexperienced. The songs around her had changed just as she had, quieting itself to a low thrumming in the back of her mind for the most part, only a singular voice humming the melody louder than the rest. It spoke to her, taught her everything from the new perspective, steel hardening her voice and driven by worry, not that Isa knew that last part until many years later. 

It was arduous. 

Some days Isa would run for hours on end, a burst of energy burning through her and guiding her into a run, hours passing her by until she was caught in vines and roots. Little by little her stamina increased and alongside it, her strength as well.  By the time half a year passed since the jaguar, she could run farther and faster, though she most definitely was not the fastest thing around. Isa was still a child and even if she did have new instincts and had changed physically as well, her limitations had only slightly changed to accommodate the final transition into becoming more than she had been in the Before. Before waking up in the cradle, before knowing the melody of the jungle and the rumble of the earth beneath her feet, before knowing what it was to be cradled by a hundred different arms, before- 

(Memories that had tried to surface before, didn’t even make it to the surface as they lost their strength and surrendered to the dark, sinking down into the abyss where concrete memories were unmade into fragments of sense) 

Here in the valley where she had spent long hours dozing in the sun and watching the night sky change its image is where she grew into herself over the next few years, until one day, nearly three and a half years after having woken up, Isa saw something. 

Or should she say someone? 

It’d been from up and across a large gap in the trees that she had first seen someone that looked a bit like her, with warm skin a few shades darker than hers. It had startled her so much that she had nearly fallen from the nest of branches that she had been resting in, having grown far too big to even lay across a singular branch anymore. As it was, she had only just been able to use this method again, but she was never more grateful for the fact that the trees themselves would have warned her if she were in danger of falling. 

It was odd, like looking into the river and seeing half of herself in the body of another, but that description was wrong as well. From where she perched, she could hear noise coming from whoever this was and though she could catch snippets of words that she could understand there were some that sounded different that she had to take a moment to really figure out what they meant, like an echo of vague understanding. They were wearing colorful coverings so different from the fronds of leaves and bark that covered her own skin. 

They were shorter than her and though they seemed confident in their walk she could see that they had no muscle in their body to indicate a strength that would warrant it. It was quick and though she would have let them go, something told Isa that she needed to follow them, that the jungle was dangerous, and someone as ill prepared for it as them would be in danger just by being alone.  

So, climbing up until she was on her hands and feet, Isa crawled along the winding branches, following parallel to the person making the trek. Inside her chest, the golden chords seemed to settle as she watched over this new charge. As she kept pace, she felt the bark begin to creep up her neck and spread across her face, a mask falling into place as she kept watch out of sight and moved the vegetation to her whim. It was seamless, the way she moved beside them without this person being none the wiser, but to Isa it felt almost fated. As if her being there to keep them safe was what she had been meant to do, just as her care of the rainforest felt so right. 

As this person kept moving and she followed them silently, she got closer and closer until she could see them clearly and from above them.  It was almost startling the way she had to suppress a concerned whine and the instinct to drop down to figure out why she suddenly felt so tense at them being alone. Why did she feel so protective, like the jaguars were their cubs and the way she knew her invisible guardians were in the beginning? Looking around and casting out her awareness, she could not see anything around that would harm them, but something urged her to get them out, to deliver them where they needed to go and out of the dark jungle that they had been walking through. For someone like Isa, who had lived here in the jungle for years, had sharpened her teeth on the bones of animals that had hunted her and fought her way through every challenge, it was with learned power that she was able to walk through different places with her challenges halved.  

This person smelled like prey and though she may not have the same instincts as those of the predators who lurked in the dark, she knew with certainty that if it came to blows against one of the many dangers, they would not survive the fight and that made her heart lurch.  They would not be able to fight off a jaguar or run away from danger, not really. So, her soul becoming resolute, she closed the vegetation behind them as they moved, so slowly and noiselessly in the dark that they never glanced back to notice. 

Minute by agonizing minute passed at a pace of leaking sap and for every moment that she spent closing the trails that the inhabitants of the forest left behind, she cast her awareness as far as it could reach, intently focusing on monitoring all that moved. As she did so, the bark on her skin grew in whorls, covering her body. She almost looked like a living tree, were it not for the skin peeking through and the movement of her body as she flitted from branch to branch. If the woman had looked up, she would have seen golden eyes peering through her from the trees, but she did not. 

At least not then. 

It was as they were reaching the edge that Isa felt something begin to crash through the trees, hearing far before this person did and she found herself reacting on instinct. Muscles bunched and tensed as she prepared to drop down onto the jungle floor just as a young jaguar emerged from the trees with a growl that stopped her charge in their tracks, the scent of fear beginning to make itself knows as something dangerous entered the space. In truth had she been the only one there, she would have hissed at it, tried to scare it away without needing to fight it, but the moment she clocked the way it stalked her charge she had begun to let go of the branch. 

In the instance it took this person to register the danger coming from the tree line, backpedaling to try and get away, their sight was obscured by something else. 

Sara del Monte had only been trying to get home, the daylight having begun to fade when she realized she needed to get home. It would have been smarter to use the well-trodden and paved paths of the Encanto to get home, but she thought it would have wasted less time to get home on time to use a shortcut often used by her neighbors to get to and from their slightly secluded homes. It was a mistake to use a path she had not known at night, but by the time she realized that she was lost the light had already faded and she had no idea where to go. 

It had been a miracle she found the opening in the brush and the path by extension. It seemed that she only really knew where the path continued when she got close enough to reach out and touch the edge of a wall she’d thought had been there seconds before. It had gotten better after the first ten minutes; eyes having adjusted to the little light coming through the leaves. However, she was keenly aware of time passing, far longer than it should have taken to get home and she knew...the fact she hadn’t encountered any of the bestias nocturnas was worrying. 

Animals do not go quiet for no reason. They do it to hide themselves from the predators that walk the land, to try and survive as long as possible. 

It was almost inevitable, the low growling of something dangerous coming from her left, but still it startled her into turning to face the beast coming out of dark. She had started to back away, feet slipping a bit on the earth, when from above came a low, hissing rattle before she was blocked from sight. 

For a moment, she didn’t know what had happened, what had dropped down to join her and Jaguar, but before Sara could even begin to puzzle out what was in front of her, it rattled. It wasn’t like the soft rattling of a child's new toy, but deep and hollow, shaking her chest with the strength behind it. All she could do was stare wide-eyed at whatever was in front of her and the suddenly whining Jaguar. 

‘Dios mio....’ was the only thought running through her mind. It was a moment where her flight and fright instinct was torn in two, instead settling on freeze. Sara was not a big woman; she was one of the smallest women in her family. So, when whatever in front of her stood up and towered over her, head and shoulders easily clearing her own by a large margin, she could only stand and listen to the rattling. 

(Like the moving of the earth and the snap of breaking branches so large that they could be heard over the entire jungle. A hollow, deep sound that at once could be used to scare and to coo-) 

In a flash of movement, she was alone. Whatever it was that stood in front of her was gone and the Jaguar that had once been standing before her teeth bared, had disappeared. The only thing that assured her that it had even been there was the fading yowling heading in the direction of the deep jungle, faster than she could comprehend. She had stood there for long moments, trying to bring her heart back from the racing tempo it had begun to beat. Every attempt was met with stuttered breathing until she was breathing so fast her head began to swim. 

She had almost been attacked. So far from her home and nowhere familiar she had been face to face with something that could have dragged her into the dark never to be seen again had whatever been between her and it not dropped down. What had happened? What was that? Where was she? How did she get so lost? 

Sara wanted to go home to her family. To her mother and her little brother, where nothing bad would happen and she wasn’t stuck in the dark- 

A sudden low rumbling brought her back from the edge, soothing and shaking her chest with the vibrations. She sat up from where she had fallen during her panic and searched for wherever the sound was coming from with wide eyes filled with tears. Later, she would admit that had she not seen those eyes she would have believed that everything had been a trick of the mind and adrenaline saving her from death, but as the soft light of the moon streamed down from the canopy it caught on the golden, glowing eyes of something in the tree line.  

It was strange. For the first few moments that she had seen it, Sara had been prepared to run as far and as fast as she could to escape. But....they did not move any closer and in fact moved deeper into the trees. In a standstill that lasted longer than she could accurately say, neither of them moved; one struck still in startlement and the other to not scare. Those golden eyes looked at her and all Sara could think as nothing happened was, ‘they don’t look angry...’ 

Quite the opposite, she mused as her body untensed, and she took a small step forward in curiosity. They were higher up than anything she had ever seen with animals, almost reaching six feet. And the golden hue was more welcoming than terrifying in the moments she stared at them. The pupils dilated like a cat's eye when looking at something curious, like her own cat looked at her when she would come home after a long day at work. Really, all that was left to complete the image of the eyes was the noi- 

And that was when a low cooing, rumble shook the leaves, leaving a calming emotion in its wake; an imitation pf what a purr must be for whatever it was. Sara smiled, not able to help the grin creeping rapidly across her face at the familiar sound, but as she moved to take a step forward once again, the noise petered out and was replaced by a much softer rattle than the one it had made before while moving farther backwards into the trees. 

“Espera! Wait!” 

The eyes that had been moving back stopped and focused on her once again, a curious look in them. She hadn’t  a plan on what to do, nothing and everything on the tip of her tongue, but all she can say is, “A dónde vas?”  

She could almost kick herself for asking, but for all the embarrassment that begins to suffuse her body those golden eyes face her fully and tilt, like the face they belonged to cocked its head to the side. Taking another step closer, she spoke again, “I-I want to thank you.... si tu no hubieras intervenido-” she cut herself off, needing a moment to clear her throat and her eyes. Another rattle brought her attention back from where it had wandered and those eyes moved a bit closer, leaning down to be level with her own. 

In the lowlight, it wasn’t skin that she saw. Instead, the face that stared back at her was wooden and growing around it were plants sprouting from the sides, flowers blooming as she, because it was, stepping a little further into the light. She was covered in bark and her hair was intertwined with flowering vines, but what took her breath away wasn’t any of this. When she moved the jungle moved, the earth shaking with every step, and when she stopped roots wrapped around her feet, branches reached down for her and when she breathed it felt like everything around her did too; Like the very environment around her was her body and they were stood at its heart. 

There was so much caught in her throat, so much she wanted to say but a sudden cry from the jungle had he looking around in fear and moving closer to her guardian. Anything she would have said was locked away and as she looked back up at those eyes, they in turn softened at her scared expression and she stood up. 

They stared at her and in a moment the jungle began to move. Tree trunks leaned to the side, vines twisted themselves away, and the roots of so many plants shifted until a path carved itself out of the green and dark; a path more direct than the one she had been trying to find. Under her feet the ground began to shift and before she could even register what was happening, roots burst from the earth and lifted her into the grasp of the branches. It took her a moment to really recognize that the floor was not simply being turned but moving away from the clearing and along the path, the woman of the jungle keeping pace and overtaking her progress until she could see lights down below them at the end of the incline, she knew overlooked the town. 

Isa knew that she had to get this person down from where they were, but the only way she knew how to reach the lights as quickly as she needed was to be down the cliffside. Any other route would take her longer, especially as she was carrying this woman alongside her, and a command this long was still a little more than she could handle for long periods of time; at least for now. So, looking back at her, Isa closed her eyes for a brief second and listened to her ever present guides. 

(She was human, and they were not. She was not meant to know about them, not yet. Spirits or gods were never meant to be seen by them, but Isa was different. She had been flesh and blood before she had ever been theirs, like them, more than human-) 

La Madre Tierra reached out and her voice, the groaning of the mountains, “Sería mejor qué no se acuerde de ti, mi amor.” 

The Jungle, a chorus of a hundred different whispering voices and their leader, crooned in her ear, “Tal vez no completamente, mi amor.” 

And Isa knew, just as she knew that she was something more than the animals that wandered through the jungle and the person cradled in her branches, that this woman would sleep and her mind would cloud. She would remember the impressions of her being, would recognize that something other had come to her rescue, but Isa would not be revealed. Flowers bloomed on the branches of the branches and vines holding Sara up and her eyes grew wide in wonder, not noticing her rapidly increasing fatigue. 

She tried to speak, her eyes still staring at the the pale blooms, “Tan...He-hermosas...” 

The last thing Sara would remember among the collection of hazy memories of golden eyes, low rattles, and sweet-smelling flowers was saying one thing. 

“Madre....monte-” 

(Names have power, they cement themselves in the souls of those who are given them. Spirits and gods take the names that their people give them, a claiming of their gaze and being claimed in return.  

Isa was once flesh and blood, but she was more now; Something completely Other.  

Her Name was Isa and Amor, but now this name, falling from the lips of the innocent, was solely Hers.) 

In the coming hours, Sara would be found sound asleep at the edge of the town and Isa, looking down from the edge entrance of the mountains, breathed in time with the jungle and left the jungle of her childhood and off beyond all she had ever known. 

She would be back, her heart lying here, but a hundred different voices speaking as one and the sound of the earth rending would beckon her forward, guiding her into a new chapter. 

(Far away, in a house over-looking the town, a little girl stared up at a dim door and the face of carved on it. Wide eyes the color of her father’s stared up in unconcealed awe and for a moment, her eyes flickered a beautiful green.) 

The following two years were a whirlwind of memories that she cherished so much. Isa had known that she had been part of an extraordinary world, but she never understood the gravity of what she was. After helping the woman in the Jungle, Isa had grown curious. For a year she had spent time hopping in and out of the valley, going farther and farther out until she had made a patrol of every place that she had seen thus far, her awareness broadened with each step taken 

Time was not a concept that Isa really paid mind to. 

Isa was seventeen and her life had been defined by the cyclical changes that the seasons brought, and she had been changing alongside them. Where she had needed to climb, she simply reached. Where her feet had slipped, she gracefully crossed. Where she had strained to bring a vine to wrap around her, had needed the Chorus to aid her, the jungle did without thought. It was her body as much as her own was and the separation between what was her and what was golden chords didn't exist any longer. 

(Madremonte, they whispered in the dark of night. Gifts left at the edge of the jungle, taken by the time daylight breached the sky, and the memories of golden eyes and the moving of the jungle. Madremonte, they called her when lost souls found their way to Encanto with tales of raiders being dragged into the dark with the sound of an insidious rattle-) 

It had been five years since she had woken up and two years since she had guided her first person to safety. That time seemed like a lifetime ago and she was so different now to who she was then, so much faster and stronger than she had been. Predators that had once challenged her now stopped when they felt her presence, often either showing a sign of submission before something greater than them or avoiding her altogether, though she was noticing a much more relaxed reaction from them as of late. 

Her awareness was vast and though she was not omnipresent, she knew that if there was something that needed her attention she would know quickly as the whispers of her chorus would bring it to her attention if it was beyond her range of hearing. Isa was scarred in places she had not been before.

New ones crossing her body where the bark did not grow over them, and others only seen in the thick growth of it. The roundness of youth had left her almost completely, leaving hard earned muscle and a tall frame that reached a near seven-foot height. Her canines had grown and when she smiled, they poked out more than they had before; they had been put to good use in the past two years.  

Out there, where the cradle of her childhood ended, Isa had found villages and towns filled with people so close to the jungle that she had seen the beauty and cruelty man could offer. Often, women and children would wander into her domain, unaware of the silent presence that followed them, watching, learning. Isa had seen men set out, grim faced with their minds on finding food and followed them as they downed their catch, completely missing golden eyes from the tree line. She watched all of them and when they were lost, when they needed a miracle, she felt herself soften and provide. 

When families fled their homes, they found trails that led them through the jungle. They never noticed the trees falling on top of the raiders on horseback or the roots dragging those above them into the earth so quickly they had no time to cry out. When the starved searched for food, fruit trees grew near their homes, but it was with children that she acted. They were so in awe of everything around them, wide eyes, and so small compared to the world. 

It had started with a little boy, curly-haired and eyes the color of tree sap. He had wandered off into the trees and away from his home, moving farther and farther away until he had realized that he didn’t know where home was anymore. He had sat down on the jungle floor and cried, but around him the jungle slowly moved itself around him. He was so small and so precious, but he was so vulnerable here in her home where he could easily hurt himself, so Isa had dropped down and her mask retracted. It was odd having her face uncovered around people, but deep in her bones she knew that a child was the exception, would always be the point where she would break away from the normal and act. 

He had been afraid at first and she understood why, but as she trilled a soft rattle and playfully guided the vines to dance around and bloom, he laughed and reached for her. He was so small and in comparison, Isa was a giant to him, unafraid though he was, but oh how she melted when he giggled and grabbed her nose. Some part of Isa knew right then and there that come hell or high water, she would die before she let a child come to harm. She could have spent hours playing with him, but a far off where no mortal person could hear, she heard the cry of a woman calling out and the beginning commotion of others joining her call.

In the end, Isa had brought him closer to her chest with one hand and with the other she climbed into the trees with a leap. It was hard, moving with another attached to her, especially when he began to squirm in her grip, but as she began to hum a lullaby that she loved with the hope of calming him, he settled. She had gotten close enough to the calls that she could see light faintly moving through the trees. Moving back a bit, the roots of a large tree emerged from the ground, and she crouched down. 

Willing moss to grow to make a bed for him to lay on, she moved him a bit away from her and looked down at his sleepy face. She smiled and the sweet scent of a nearby flower flooded his senses, “Buenos sueños, chiquitin.” 

As his eyes closed and he went limp with sleep, she stood back up looking back at the lights getting slowly closer and disappeared into the dark jungle.  

(It was a crash in the jungle that drew them further in. 

When they found him curled up in the roots of the tree, they were relieved and, in the morning, when he was back home and his family asked him what happened, he would tell them how scared he had been when he couldn’t find home. He would tell them of golden eyes and a kind face, of soft rattles and the moving Jungle. He would tell them She saved him.) 

Isa had tried to remain hidden from the knowledge of those unlike her. 

(Some things walk into the light no matter how much you wish to hide them. Maybe not the whole of it, but fragments of things people saw while running like roots pulling evil men under...) 

Had never allowed people to remember her and sent them to sleep. 

(Or fruit appearing on new trees that weren't there before.) 

But for this child she had shown her face- 

(Sometimes it is golden eyes watching from the far shadows.) 

Her eyes- 

(And rarely, even the moving jungle) 

Her smile. 

(Whispers in the dark of shared experiences, belief growing through the years, gifts left at the edge of the jungle as offerings disappearing come morning.)

So, when she heard the cries of another scared child from her perch on the cliff and the low rumbles of a Jaguar getting closer, it was no surprise that she dropped everything- 

(Stopped watching the house on the hill and followed the pull in her chest-) 

And ran. 

______________________________________________

I have returned! It only took more than a year and whatever muse I was using to come back, but I have returned lol. Anyways, we'll be seeing Mirabel in the next part so be on the lookout for that.

[saturdays--sun]

↪ ship: so um. anyway. ↪ content: ~570 words. companion fic to this post. also has a @strawberrisoulmate mention <3

did y'all know the actual race of the kentucky derby is only two minutes long? wild.

"wait, it's over already?"

the question came out of koda's mouth before she could stop it, voice all but drowned out by the crowd cheering around her; by the crackle of the intercom; by the announcer's voice blaring over it. her eyes squinted down at the track — at the horses slowing to a trot; at the winning one still galloping across the dirt — before she turned her head to the side; tilted it upward to look at the man beside her.

"i thought it was gonna be something like a nascar race, y'know? where they go around the track a bunch of times."

ace shrugged back at her, a similar look of almost-confusion on his face. "i dunno. guess it's 'cause they ain't cars."

"yeah, i guess so." with a soft huff — really more of a pout than anything else — koda sat back in her seat, her arms crossing lightly over her chest. "but damn, that was so short." softly, her eyebrows furrowed together, her gaze flickering down to the emptying track before sideways once more. "what're we supposed to do now?"

her question was met with a pause; a small tilt of his head; a faint smirk that came with a humming sound she barely heard.

"i got an idea~"

in one swift motion, the cowboy hat was plucked off of her head; tossed lightly in his grasp to reposition it between his fingers. it was held vertically beside her face — so close that she could feel it brushing against the shell of her ear; hid her from any wandering gaze that might have landed on her.

green eyes blinked — once, then twice.

"wha—"

the word died softly on her tongue — went muffled by the gentle weight of ace leaning down and pressing his lips onto hers.

inside her chest, her heart jumped — skipped a beat before taking off; hammered against her ribs. surprise flooded her now-wide eyes, eyelids fluttering rapidly as a wave of heat rushed up the back of her neck to pool in her cheeks.

but before she could get her bearings enough to react, he had pulled away, the smirk on his face softening in tandem with the way his eyes did behind his sunglasses.

"how 'bout that?"

koda shifted shyly in her seat, her hands twitching in her lap as she held back the sudden urge to hide her face in them. "th-that works," she managed, her voice coming out barely above a squeak through the swirl of flustered embarrassment that had encased her heart. against her will, her eyes flickered sideways — to the hat still held in front of their faces — before returning them to his. "w-what was the hat for?"

ace shrugged lightly. "didn't want your friend to see and get all mad at me."

for a brief second, she squeezed her eyes shut — as if the thought of hannah seeing them was so embarrassing that she had to hide herself somehow — and finally brought one of her hands up to rub shyly at one of her burning cheeks. "sh-she wouldn't have gotten mad."

she would bully me about it later, though.

the soft breath he let out hit her lips; sent a small shiver down the length of her spine.

"yeah, well—"

his voice had dropped to a mumble; as he spoke, he nudged his nose against hers.

"—maybe i just wanted ya to myself for a second."

[dragongirlclawtoes]

ARMORED CORE: VERTICAL INVERSION/BUILD DIVERS: BEYOND THE ASHES CH001-SEG01 - BROKEN WINGS CAN'T FLY

DANGER! ANOMALY DETECTED! "Tell me something fucking NEW!" C4-621 snarled. Her AC entered assault boost, tearing through the coral haze towards her target. Left strafe. Right strafe. Right strafe. Sharp left turn. Fire the plasma rifle. Reverse boost.

Clnk! WHSSH! A massive blast of energy tore through the space 621 had almost charged through. A comm channel opened abruptly. V.IV Rusty…? "Hey, buddy. Can't let you have all the fun up there. Adjusting target, loading next shell…" This timeloop bullshit was getting on 621's nerves.

Her AC stepped forward. And again. And again. AC Detected… name: NINEBALL SERAPH That wasn't an AC she'd encountered on or near Rubicon before…

THNK THNK!! She instinctually fired the SONGBIRDS in tandem. But it was already gone.

"What do you fight for, Raven?" CLANG! It kicked her AC in the back. "Money? Power? Glory?"

Clnk! WHSSH! "For Rubicon." Rusty Answered.

"Interference… I'll be back for you, Raven." Nineball stated, diving out one of the holes left by Rusty's marksmanship.

"GET BACK HERE, MOTHERF-!" 621 yelled. The floor, or maybe ceiling of the the orbital station erupted under her AC, sending her flying out into open space.

"Have a nice flight, freelancer…" Iguazu's voice echoed over the comms…

She drifted through space for months, or maybe hours…

Warning! Atmospheric entry intiated! "…Damnit." She began the eject sequence. Which was, for emergency purposes, far too many inputs to prime quickly.

Thmp! The sequence was a few switches and a button short of being done, and the impact had shoved her back into the seat. At least it was cushioned enough to not hurt.

She got back up, and flipped the switches. Then she stared for a minute at the button. "I'm asking for a less fucking complicated eject sequence next time." She resolved before slapping the button. Immediately getting thrust back into the seat. Then hitting her head on the highly rubberized, and thank the fucking stars it is, edge of the control panel.

clunk. clunk. clunk. clunk. whsssh. The core pod opened. 621 sat up inside, then rubbed her head. "Ugh… Hate landings like that more than I hate just losing the whole AC…"

She glanced outside the pod. Then processed the mechanical humanoid stood outside, and looked again. "Who the fuck are you?"

-/-

\`event active: dimension break\` The notification was sudden. Theta stared at it for a minute, before menuing to summon her gunpla, the EZ-FA.

The Texas desert zone remained relatively silent for a few minutes. Then the radar picked up an inbound signal. Friend or foe? Unclear.

Theta activated EZ-FA's sniper visor. whrrr, clunk! Heat signature. 100 miles northeast-east, 500 up? 450. 400... trajectory projection... too close! whrrr, clunk! Don't need long range optics engaged for this!

She stepped on the thrust pedal. Anywhere would be better than in the open near an expected crash site of something falling from space. She lamented not having logged in with a high mobility loadout, but that was still in development (half-built and sitting on her gunpla table IRL).

Impact. Shrapnel and sand. EZ-FA's durability decreased sharply.

EZ-FA turned to face the impact crater, decelerating from 'frantic escape' to 'cautious approach'.

EZ-FA's cockpit opened, and Theta climbed out to make the descent into the crater, the molten sand burning at her legs and hand as she slid down. Thankfully, other than the simulated sensations, she was in no real danger.

The unknown machine was roughly half the size of most gunpla, which was still huge, maybe 10 foot, next to a human-sized body. Theta didn't want to think how big it would look from a haro-sized point of view. The chest opened, and launched a pod. It landed in the sand, then slid back down the edge of the crater, coming to a rest at the machine's feet.

Theta approached. clunk. clunk. clunk. clunk. whsssh. It opened.

A heavily bandaged girl with white and red hair sat up inside the pod, then rubbed her head. "Ugh... Hate landings like that more than I hate just losing the whole AC..." she complained.

She glanced at Theta with her red and pink eyes. Then did a double take. "Who the fuck are you?"

[sunlessea]

" — oh my. you look absolutely terrible! mayhaps i should have dragged your lifeless husk of a shell to my clinic whilst you were out."  they spin their cane upwards in their grasp and reach out the end to poke at his midsection as if examining a living corpse, though @londonfallen still appears very much alive. how wonderful, the iv they'd had him dutifully reliant upon had done it's job. shame for the temporary scar it'd left on him  :  the doctor supposes, in the end, he must've had to rip it out when he'd awoken alone.  "quiet, quiet, all these voices in my head  :  i said good evening already, didn't i? no? oh. good evening, monsieur silas elial edwards."  the picture of good manners, they push him out of their way the moment his door is unlocked, stroll into his home with melodic, skipped steps.

it is not the first time they have entered without permission in the past good, long while.

"now, a little birdie told me  —  a pigeon, actually, poor little buggers, someone really should give them a hand... or a feather  —  that you..."  they fall into the nearest seat, legs crossing in tandem. with hands folding politely in their lap, cane shifted aside, they fix him with the gorgeously dead stare of their lovely mask.  "...have been looking for me. you fall near dead for well over a year's time, put all this work on my shoulders deciding whether to upkeep your existence or dump you and your unflinching order into the zee, then suddenly shoot awake, and the first thing you seek out is me? that's either suspect or adorable. maintenant dis-moi, о чем это?"  their voice heightens a few octaves behind the modulation, mocking his posh accent,  "quite strange for you to go around london's streets on your hands and knees begging for my attention instead of sending out your followers, innit?"

[mikescoastalexpeditions]

What's up? The Best Kayaking Tips for Kids with 10 Naples

Kayaking for kids can be thrilling and amazing family adventures in Naples, Florida with all its calm waters, stunning coastal scenery, and abundant wildlife. Proper planning, however, and an in-built knowledge would further enhance these qualities. Some expert tips on kayaking with kids in Naples include the following:

1. Location Setting

A lot of kayaking areas are family-oriented. You will also want to consider such very great places where shallow calm waters are few or there are hardly occasional boat traffic: Clam Pass Park, Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, or the backwaters surrounding Big Hickory Island. These places feature mangroves and marine wildlife, where you can paddle without worrying about strong currents or waves.

2. Kayak Selection

Choose a stable kayak that has enough space for both you and your child. The most popular type among families is the tandem kayak, which permits parents to paddle while their children ride along in the other cockpit, so children won't have to miss out on paddling if they don't want to paddle all the time. Besides that, as they have better balance and are easy to re-enter after falling into the water, sit-on-top kayaks are ideal for kids. You can also get smaller single kayaks for older kids, which are easy to maneuver.

3. Prioritize Safety

When going kayaking, safety is the first priority. Ensure each wearer fits into the life vest as prescribed regardless of swimming skills. Before going, have a talk on water safety rules. That should include seating in the kayak, the correct way of holding onto a paddle, and not leaning over. Carry a first-aid kit, sunscreen, and lots of water to keep hydrated.

4. Check the Weather and Tides

The general weather of Naples is conducive for outdoor activities. However, it may change abruptly. Hence, the need to check the weather forecast and tide schedules before traveling. Don't kayak during high winds or choppy waters, but go early in the morning or late in the afternoon at peak heat.

5. Make the Journey Short and Sweet

Children usually have short attention spans and get bored quickly. Start with a short, one- to two-hour trip. Go to a place where there are interesting things to see, such as mangrove tunnels, sandy beaches, and areas where dolphins and manatees are frequently sighted. Stop often for snacks, drinks, or a brief dip into the water.

6. Pack Essentials for Kids

Bring the things that will make the stay-in-shape activities pleasurable for your little ones, like some extra snacks, water, hats, and of course sunglasses. Waterproof bags store the extra clothes, towels, and electronics. Also, to evoke some real fun, you can take along a petite net for kids to catch and release tiny little life-forms or shells.

7. Make it Informative

Educate while having fun kayaking. Show all the different plants and animals from herons to ospreys to mangrove trees and walk-through explaining ecosystems before putting on a face like that to have it all without caring about the environment. Many children find this practical way of learning exciting and memorable.

8. Engage Kids With Games And Activities

The kids will never have time to be bored when playing their own games with their parents on the kayak. The possibilities are endless at this point, from their favorite-"I Spy"-spying wildlife to patent paddling races if old enough. Games make it more fun and also double up to help improve their confidence and paddling skills.

9. Try Out Patience and Flexibility

One should adopt a relaxed and flexible attitude for kayaking with kids. Be prepared to modify your plans depending on their energy levels, moods, and interests. Allocate time for unplanned breaks along the way to allow for exploration and stops. Everyone involved should enjoy themselves and be in a positive experience.

10. Go on a Guided Family Tour

For first-time paddlers or those not familiar with the waterways in Naples, consider joining a guided family tour. Mike's Coastal Expeditions offers safety, equipment, and local knowledge in an expert-led tour for families.

Conclusion

Kayaking with kids in Naples is brilliant, as this can be very valuable family time while enjoying the grandeur of nature surrounding this beautiful city. With the right preparations, safety kits, and lots of focus on fun, you can bring home such timeless memories for little adventurers. So grab your paddles, pack light, and get ready for another memorable day on the water!

[accapitalmarket]

BoE hints gradual easing, GBPUSD drops, UK100 lower

UK stocks closed lower on Wednesday, retreating after some hawkish comments from a Bank of England (BoE) policymaker and as energy heavyweights dropped in tandem with weaker oil prices.

BoE Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Megan Greene said she believed the risks to activity are to "the upside", and that she favoured a "gradual approach to removing restrictiveness." Greene was one of the MPC members who voted to hold rates in August. The BoE ultimately cut rates by 25 basis points to 5.00% in a 5 to 4 decision then but held them at that level this month by an 8-1 majority.

Meanwhile, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development has placed the UK joint second in its economic growth forecasts for the rest of 2024. The prediction of 1.1% growth for the whole of this year puts the UK alongside Canada and France but behind the US. However, its prediction of 2.7% inflation for this year means the UK is still the country in the G7 with the fastest-rising prices.

GBPUSD H1

On currency markets, the pound was weaker, losing 0.63% versus the US dollar to 1.3328, and down 0.24% against the euro at 1.1967.

At the stock market close in London, the FTSE 100 index was down 0.2% at 8,268, while the FTSE 250 ended 0.1% lower at 20,755.

Among the oil heavyweights, BP shed 2.4% and Shell lost 1.6%. Brent crude has fallen 9.3% over the past month and is down 19% in the year to date.

But elsewhere with commodities, the recent strength in the gold price continued to support Fresnillo, up 3.4%. And copper miner Rio Tinto added 0.6% helped by some positive comments as analysts visited some of the miner's Canadian operations.

Meanwhile, positive comments from analysts at JPMorgan on the airline sector boosted British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines, up 0.8%, and easyJet, ahead 2.2%.

UK100 H1

Beazley was also hoisted higher by broker comment, up 1.0% as analysts at Deutsche Bank raised their price target and reiterated a buy rating on the insurer.

Among other blue-chip gainers, Rentokil added 4.5% after activist investor Brian Baldwin secured a seat on the board. Baldwin is the head of research of Trian Fund Management, an investment management firm, run by Nelson Peltz.

Paddy Power owner Flutter Entertainment gained 6.9% after it announced a £5bn share buyback and said it is targeting doubling annual profit by 2027. And DFS Furniture rose 6.6% as the retailer said it sees increasing reasons to be optimistic even after reporting two years of revenue declines.

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[nymphoniah]

thinking about old man logan all tired, but you’re so needy that you take matters into your own hands…

you find logan resting in his office, seated on his leather arm chair. white button up messily undone, revealing his worn out beater underneath. his chest hair peeking through the shallow neckline of the shirt, leaving your mind to wonder about.

you couldn’t help but approach him. curling up in logan’s lap, your head resting against his broad chest. your fingers gently rubbing against his ribbed tank top that fits snug against him. his body isn’t what it once was before, but he still remains defined and muscular.

logan’s salt-and-pepper beard tickling your rose tinted cheeks as you litter his face in kisses. you can’t help but take in his beauty, he absolutely aged like wine.

moving your fingers from his chest to the shell of his ears, you swiftly remove his glasses from his face. you press your lips gently against the crow’s feet that defined his tired eyes, making him crack a tiny smile.

“you’re so handsome, logan.” you sigh, placing his glasses onto the side table placed on his right. you rest your head back on his chest, taking a deep sigh. the scent of his cologne floods your senses, bourbon and vanilla.

nsfw below <3

you shift around, straddling yourself onto his left thigh. your legs wrapped ‘round him like a vice whilst your core pulses for attention against his tense quad.

“looks like someone’s needy,” he hums out, placing his hands on your hips, gently guiding you back and forth against him. “cmon baby, take it out on me.” you gently rock your hips, keeping a slow and steady pace.

with age, he’s lost his stamina for sure, but he always has the energy for you. making sure that you get off, anytime and anywhere. you’re his princess, and he makes sure to spoil you.

your hips rock in tandem against his thigh as he rhythmically bounces his leg to match your pace. you mewl in pleasure, tilting your head back as ecstasy fills your mind.

logan places gentle, sloppy kisses against your neck, making sure to pay close attention to your pulse point. he’s nipping at the soft skin of your neck, concentrating on one area enough to leave a maroon bruise the next day.

both of your movements become more erratic. as your pace quickens, his hands move to your chest, groping your breasts, thumbs nimbly working at your buds, rolling and gently tugging on them.

you hiss out in pleasure, teetering on the edge of pain and pleasure. “so close…” you whimper, biting your bottom lip tightly to alleviate the growing tension in your stomach.

“let it out bub, i know you can do it for me,” he grunts into your neck, his hands finding their way back to your hips, pushing you harder down onto him.

absolutely soaking through your panties, you can feel the patch of wetness you left on his light washed denim jeans. you’re faltering on the edge, not wanting to let yourself go so soon.

“you want this princess, let go for your daddy,” he whispers into the shell of your ear, and you finally tick.

you wrap your arms around his neck, bringing him closer to you, your pants becoming more and more exhausted. your hips thrust forward and hard around him one last time, and the knot in your stomach finally snaps.

“f-fuck logan, fuck!” you whine, your combined moans filling his office.

you gently pull away from him, pressing your forehead against his, your lust blown pupils meeting his stern gaze.

“yknow how to rile me up,” he says cheekily, gently molding your ass between his fingertips. “almost got me to come in my pants like a teenager,” logan snarkily adds.

“shut it old man,” you quipped, taking his glasses from the side table and placing them back on him so that they sit on the edge of his nose bridge. you press a quick kiss to his lips which soon formed into a smirk.

“let me show you what this old man can do…” he murmurs against your lips.

[everythingcanadian]

Incessant

Pairing: Thomas Barrow/Jimmy Kent/Alfred Nugent, Jimmy Kent/Alfred Nugent

Rating: M for mentions of sex and depression

Warnings: depression and inner demons

Summary:

Thomas can't take it anymore. He needs something from Alfred and Jimmy. But he's worried he'd scare them away if they knew. Inspired by Footmen After Dark by CrocodilePatronus (crocodileinterior). Day 23 or promptober: Hunger OOOO this was a fun challenge. Think of this as the months later part of the fic this was inspired by. (If you want me to unlink it as the author plz let me know.)

AO3 Portal

It gnawed at him. Screamed to be filled. Begged for it to end. Sobbed away inside his chest until the faintest whimper became an agonizing wail. The need for it outweighed anything else that cried out to him. 

Thomas hungered. 

And it was getting much worse as October hit its peak. The shorter days and longer nights fed into it. The darkening of the world stretched out his voracious desire to be full.

The ache behind his ribcage went from a bird fluttering against the bars to the gnashing of teeth on a bit wedged into its maw. The unbearable desire that sought out satisfaction. 

Thomas needed satiation.

Jimmy and Alfred could provide it. They may not want to but they could .

His sexual needs had been slaked. His body’s want of physical sustenance gratified. His mind teased and satisfied in many ways when verbal wit and sparring preceded such acts. 

His heart and soul however- they were the ones that hungered in tandem. The demand of it had been trying to break down the door where common sense resided. Thomas could not inflict his hunger on the two younger men. They would not understand it. Would probably shy away from the beast of it and cut Thomas off altogether.

He knew that these nightly habits and dalliances were just that. Minor affairs to take the edge off of his body’s protests. Where his hands stopped self satisfying years ago. The void that was his heart called out to him. 

His hunger was unending now. 

He was starving for affection. Empty of love. Any touch of his skin burnt him badly but it was a taste of a greater need. It was never enough when he slunk back to his solitary bedroom and buried himself in his covers.

He was spilling with lust, overfull with it. Engorged on nothing but for the past few months now. 

He whispered 'I love you's into his pillow after these nights. Hoping to at least take away some of the pain when he mouthed them into cotton and feathers. In the mornings he was a shell of a man again. 

He felt hollow . The cavernous hole between lungs would remain as such. Unfilled, unoccupied, uninhabited. His heart was useless save the pumping of blood around his person.

The first time he heard those fulfilling words he was hiding in his own thoughts. 

His hunger was too great to even look at the two men he would share his body with. They would be able to see the unrelenting cravings for it. The unsettling nature of his desire would drive them off if he were to hold their stares. They would see his deep seated hunger for love and companionship in his sallow eyes.

He almost missed it when Jimmy had murmured it into his cheek. The words he’d let fall into the dense feathers of his pillow. The words he’d scream under the water of his baths. The words that would halt his hunger.

“Thomas? Are you alright?”

They were on his bedroom floor. A large spare blanket laid out underneath the three of them, pillows arranged again after a jaunt of wild if bitten quiet sex. Alfred was on one side of him with Jimmy on the other. Both finally calm in their breathing. Laying down with him. Jimmy’s blond head pillowed on his pale and fuzzy chest. Alfred beside him, facing him, petting his soft stomach with a warm and freckled hand. 

“Hmm?” Thomas answered, half in his head and half out. Finally he relinquished the cold but safe confinement of his mind. “Sorry, Jimmy. Drifted there.”

Jimmy frowned and leaned up on one elbow to look down at him. “That wasn’t a drift mate. You’ve been blanked for a solid minute now. We didn’t wear you out did we?”

Thomas shook his head, not daring to look at Jimmy’s deep blue eyes in the warm lamp light. “No, just tired is all.”

It was Alfred’s turn to be concerned. “You’ve said that after every time we do this now.” Alfred bit his lip and stopped his soft rubbing of his hand. “Are- do we- Do you not want to do this anymore?”

“Christ no.” Thomas was quick with that. He didn’t want to push them away. Not when he got some nourishment from their trysts. “I like doing this. It’s good.” He stared at the ceiling. They were getting close to the nerve endings that couldn’t stop hurting. 

“Good.” Jimmy said it with such determination. He hesitated a moment but pushed through his gained confidence and leaned in to press a kiss to Thomas’s jaw. Then his cheek. “We love you.”

“What?!” Thomas kept his squawk minimal but the startlement behind it was made known. He tensed all over, eyes going wide and brows coming down over his eyes. His heart skipped a few beats. He was falling. His fingers stiffened where they were at Alfred and Jimmy’s backs as he had held them to his sweaty body.

Jimmy pulled away to look into Thomas’s fear filled eyes. Not fear. No. A deep well of sadness and hurt. Neglect that had years to take hold and fester as an infection.

The hunger had reached the surface finally and was clawing its way out to meet with Jimmy’s confession. As if it had sensed the crumbs of food on the surface of water. A feeding frenzy was imminent. 

Alfred could see the flush of tears at the edge of Thomas’s eye. Watched and heard the thick swallow in the heavily silent room. Thomas was panicking. Drowning in the ocean that he was just barely floating on before Jimmy had said their combined sentiments. 

“Do you not- anymore? -- oh .” Jimmy’s own panic at being wrong and ruining it all stopped before it even started. “ OH! Thomas. No. We love you. Christ alive. You didn’t know. I can’t believe you didn’t know. Shit. I love you. Alfred loves you. Bloody hell Thomas. We’ve loved you for ages, mate.”

He succumbed to the hunger and let it rip through him, blaze through his veins and ruin him. The pain was quick and vicious. Gripping hold of his chest and turning him near inside out. It tore through his ribs and swept through his lungs in heaving gasps he had to try and keep silent in the men’s hall. It burst through every cell and he could feel it. He was awake to feel it all. 

His eyes could no longer see through the flood of his crying. He was a mess as the hunger left him. A pile of bones and sinew and parts that had been starved for all his years. The endless well that craved was being quickly filled. Limbs flailed about before he was wrapped tight in them with just enough room to suck in harsh breaths. His limbs only tensed with hiccups and gasps as he cried. Alfred was whispering softly to him to let it out and let the hurt pass.

It was going on midnight as he was held and cuddled. Jimmy pet through his soft and un-slicked hair. Alfred was kissing his skin that had started to sweat with the effort of holding in his sounds and sobbing himself ugly on his bedroom floor after wonderful sex with his two lovers. And that’s what they were. Lovers. They loved him. Have loved him for some time. 

He finally expelled the emptiness inside of his chest. His heart was nestling into the loving heat Alfred and Jimmy were giving him. His soul started to settle though it had a long way to go until it felt full.

“Love you, Thomas. Fancy the pants off ya, but god do I love you. Shitty schemes and all.” Alfred pressed the words like brands into his skin. Nosing his shoulder and then coaxing Thomas to give little hiccuping kisses between them both. 

Jimmy was more consistent on his share of kisses. Feeding Thomas their love. Each press of their lips was interrupted with sop.

He had to ask them to back off a bit so he could finally catch his breath fully. He shivered and shuddered like one does after a hard cry. Jimmy sat up, knee-walked over, and grabbed one of the two clean handkerchiefs from inside Thomas’ bedside drawer so he could help clean up Thomas’s face.

Alfred kept pressing kisses to him. Kept in contact with him. Followed what Thomas and him usually do for Jimmy when the younger man is far away and drifting after a particular bout of play. He made sure Thomas had a tether to pull himself out of the cloying emptiness that no longer fit where Thomas’s body was being filled in.

Pain was left inside of him. And it would take some time to heal. But he was going to have help from his two loves. He knew that now.

He was no longer hungry. He would no longer hunger .

[militarynomads]

Russian attack helicopter crashes in Crimea, killing 2

Two crew members on a routine training flight were killed Friday when a Mi-28 attack helicopter crashed in annexed Crimea, Russia’s military said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the helicopter flew without ammunition and had no damage on the ground.

The Russian defense ministry said in a release that the helicopter crashed at about 16.00 hours. It crashed during a “planned training flight” in the Dzhankoy district.

“The Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter is designed to defeat armored and unarmored vehicles, low-speed low-flying air targets, as well as manpower on the battlefield,” the Russian defense ministry said.

The Mil Mi-28 (NATO reporting name “Havoc”) is a Russian all-weather, day-night, military tandem, two-seat anti-armor attack helicopter. It is an attack helicopter that carries a single gun in an undernose barbette, plus external loads carried on pylons beneath stub wings.

The Mi-28 has a fully armored cabin, including the windshield, which withstands impact by 7.62mm and 12.7mm bullets and 20mm shell fragments.

[championsyedm]

The headrest and harness can be adjusted together

Graco Tranzitions vs Chicco Myfit Harness mode is appropriate for children over the age of two who weigh between 25 and 65 pounds and are 54 inches tall or less.  Graco Transcriptions Car Seat with 3-in-1 Harness Booster The Tranitions of Graco The 3-in-1 Harness Booster Car Seat is made to grow with your child and travel with you, from the car to the carpool, and beyond.  This compact car seat has a Simply Safe Adjust Harness System that lets you adjust your harness and headrest to 8 different height positions without having to rethread it for harness boosters (for children weighing 22 to 65 pounds), high-back boosters (for children weighing 40 to 100 pounds), and backless boosters (for children weighing 40 to 100 pounds). To keep your kid happy, it has two removable cup pockets, a machine-washable seat pad, a body insert, and harness covers.

The headrest and harness can be adjusted together in one action thanks to the no-rethread simply safe adjust harness system.  2 cleanable cup holders Keep your child’s snacks and beverages nearby.  Open-loop belts aid in positioning your seat belt in your car. Forward-facing harness (for children 22 to 65 pounds), highback booster (for children 40 to 100 pounds), and backless booster that grows with your child (40–100 pounds) We have raised the weight minimum from 30 to 40 pounds in order to keep up with industry norms.

The MyFit car seat can be used in Booster mode for children over the age of four who weigh between 40 and 100 pounds and stand between 38 and 57 inches tall.   The cup holder may be removed, however it does make the vehicle broader. It is quite simple to set up. As a Lyft driver, I frequently remove and reinstall them. They can knock them off if the kids cup is y'all, but most kids cups aren't that tall, so they'll be alright.

Built to grow, the forward-facing Chicco MyFit harness + booster car seat quickly and easily switches from a 5-point harness for toddlers to a belt-positioning booster for larger children when in use for an extended period of time. DuoGuard Security EPS energy-absorbing foam and a deep hard shell provide two layers of protection. The high-back booster has a 9-position headrest and a 4-position recline to fit your growing child. The dual-density foam cushioning on the extra-deep, contoured ErgoBoost seat provides a more pleasant ride in both modes. Superior DuoGuard provides two layers of side-impact protection for the head and torso by combining a deep hard shell with EPS energy-absorbing foam for head and body support.

For parents’ peace of mind, a steel-reinforced frame offers additional impact protection. Meets or exceeds the requirements for a child restraint under US FMVSS 213 for a frontal crash test.  Avoid using bleach.  From infant to teen, a 3-in-1 harness booster helps protect your child.  Comfortable and machine-washable seat pads, body supports, and harness coverings are available.  For busy, energetic parents, a lightweight, portable seat is excellent.  ProtectPlus by Graco Engineered: a synthesis of the most demanding crash testing that shields your child from frontal, side, rear, and rollover collisions

Nine headrest adjustments allow for growth in both modes, and a 4-position recline works in tandem with them to maintain good posture. For greater comfort, an extra-deep ErgoBoost seat with dual-density foam padding is slanted and curved. Providing Security With a robust shell and EPS energy-absorbing foam surrounding the head and torso, DuoGuard offers two layers of defence. Additionally strengthened with a steel frame, the seat shell offers greater impact defence while yet being a compact car seat. Headrest with 9 positions, A headrest that is simple to adjust provides comfort in both positions.

EASY TO INSTALL: Premium LATCH connectors, the LockSure belt-tightening system, RideRight bubble levels, and the ReclineSure levelling mechanism all make installation simple, whether in harness mode or seat belt mode. When not in use as a practical travel booster seat, two dishwasher-safe CupFolders with push-button removal can be folded away to save room.