GRAViTY
Caronia was, for all purposes, a small town. Nestled upon the coastline of the eastern mainland, it overlooked calm seas and long, white sand beaches dotted by rows of semi-tropical palms and gnarled trees hung with trailing moss. Though perhaps reminiscent of their home in Tumin, Heilwyn could only feel that this place was not only far removed from her experiences of the world, but utterly alien.
They had left the small airport--little more than a single runway with a terminal one could jog across in a matter of minutes--by way of cab about an hour ago. Though her brother was far too engrossed in his books to seem to notice, Heilwyn's eyes took in everything about her. Everywhere, the people were different, each a greater change from the last: not a one bore the traits of the Lantra. It was true that her kind had remained largely isolationist for centuries, content on their island chain far to the northwest, until perhaps one hundred years ago, but that was ancient history.
"Ah! You must be the Tumin exchange students," a voice from nearby stated.
Brought out of her reflection, Heilwyn gave a curt bow to the speaker. "Yes. I am Heilwyn, and this is my brother, Islwyn. We only arrived here about a half-hour ago."
The speaker, a corgi of a rather stout stature, nodded. "I'm Professor King, the coordinator for Residence Life here on campus. I'm glad to see you made it here alright; however, I have a bit of bad news," he said, adjusting his collar as he glanced away with a look of hurt dignity, "there was a bit of a problem with your intended housing."
Exchanging a look, the twins murmured something to each other before Heilwyn spoke. "Is there a something wrong with it?"
Professor King nodded again, his tone rather grave. "Earlier today some of our students were rough housing in the dorms. Some of the sprinklers on the floor above the one you would be staying in were damaged, and due to flooding, we've had to relocate a large number of students. Consequently, the area in the dormitories we had reserved for you is now unavailable. I'm very sorry."
"Oh," Heilwyn sighed, the news unexpected.
"But don't worry; we're currently working on new arrangements, as well as a more permanent solution. A message was sent out to the students in the larger dorms, asking if they would mind sharing their spaces until the matter could be resolved," replied the professor. "We have a spare room for transfers you can stay in for a few nights--if that is alright, of course. It doesn't have all of the amenities of the dormitories, though."
There was another short exchange of unintelligible chatter before the sister turned back once more, saying, "Thank you, Professor. It is acceptable."
Nodding, the corgi motioned up to the balcony that ran the length of the mezzanine. "My office is number 211 on the second floor. If you need anything, please tell feel free to tell me or one of the other administrators. Oh! And before I forgot: if you're hungry at all, the Student Union café is still open until 10 tonight. It's right through the doors there."
Thanking the corgi for his help, the siblings made their way back to the table they had occupied earlier while waiting.
Islwyn stirred a coffee idly, watching the corgi retreating back to his office. "?They seem to enjoy staring at us?", he whispered across the table.
"?Of course they do. It's because we're so different than they are. ?" Heilwyn replied with a smirk as she stroked the thick ruff of blonde fur that crowned her brother's head."
"?But you're the one who wants to study them?," he whined softly, feeling unnerved by the tittering of a pair of female students who tried to hide their giggles behind cones of ice cream as they watched his reactions.
Rolling her eyes, Heilwyn rose. "?And what would you do all alone back home, hmm? You can hardly even cook without ruining things.?I'm going to get ice cream. What flavor do you want?"
"Mint," he muttered, his ears drooping as he tried to ignore the students with reading.
Leaning back in one of the well-used chairs that sat in the small GLBA club room, Alister rolled his eyes. Of course, the meeting was largely just another of the usual "state of the alliance" announcements that spouted on about funding, planned events, and who was who in terms of positions. This also meant that that Alyssa was getting far too into it.
"Alright, kiddies," the puma exclaimed as she banged a travel mug against the table to get everyone's attention, "we need some volunteers for this year's club festival. I know most of you are probably going to be busy trying to hook up, but as your head lesbian here, I demand at least two of you try to stand by the big, flagrant rainbow sign for two hours."
"More like self-proclaimed 'head lesbian'!"
"Is that even a position?" asked another voice from the small crowd.
Glaring in the direction of the speakers, Alyssa sighed. "Okay, look. How about this: we want to keep up appearances and make everyone feel welcome and like they have a safe place to hang out--"
"And fool around," someone interrupted.
"Yes, Charlie, and fool around--but only outside of meetings, so paws to yourself, please. Anyway, for the first three volunteers for this little show of colors, I will personally buy them a case of beer."
With that said, a small crowd immediately rushed to the signup sheet that was pinned to the activities board. Leaving the table, Alyssa snuck around to take up a seat in one of the vacated chairs near Alister. "And you said I couldn't do it."
"You're just lucky the manager isn't here. You know how pissed she was after the last time you bribed people with alcohol." He retorted.
Grinning foolishly, the puma barely held back a laugh. "Oh, but she sure was cheering the girls on! But enough about showing off tits, how's our own professor-in-training?"
The ringtail shrugged, motioning to a messenger bag with a paw. "Well, I guess. I'll be grading papers from the placement tests. Then I get to figure out what poor batch of freshmen gets to have their dreams crushed."
"You are evil," Alyssa cooed as she tweaked one of his large ears. "What I really want to know is how things are going with your boy and the new place."
"Oh. Things aren't so bad. Still working on getting stuff broken in and arranged nicely. It's a larger space, so it feels a bit empty at times," he replied with a wave of his paw, "might have to run off to Ikea for some furniture."
The puma smirked, giving him a playful shove. "So I take it you two have been fucking like mad, huh."
Alister stuck out his tongue. "Bite me."
"I thought you weren't into that, let alone girls." She said wryly.
The ringtail sighed, "So what is it you want?"
"Just wondering if you'd be up for a little house-warming party later, is all." Alyssa replied. "If you want, I can bring some drinks and stuff."
Thinking for a few moments, Alister nodded. "Alright, but I'll have to check with Bishop on when a good day might be."
"Okay."
Rising from his chair, the ringtail gathered up his things and made his way to the door, calling over his shoulder as he went, "Try not to corrupt too many of the new kits, alright?"
Once in the lounge area, which comprised nearly the entire lobby of the Student Union, Alister found an empty table and sat. A quick check of his cell phone showed that Bishop wouldn't be arriving for another 20 minutes. With a resigned sigh, the ringtail dug about in his bag for something to read. In the very least, he was back where it was sane.
The ice cream served to be an excellent distraction, and soon the ogling students were gone. In the meantime, Heilwyn had busied herself with a variety of paperwork, muttering to herself as she signed forms and checked information. Not yet ready to return to reading, Islwyn cast a few glances about the near-empty lounge.
Though only the lobby, the sheer size of the room showed the enormity of the campus--at least, when compared to the small size of most things back home in Tumin. The interior of the space seemed to dwarf even the largest of the faculty and students who still milled about despite the late hour. As his gaze slid back over the tables, it settled upon the black and white bands of a tail that swept across the floor. Its owner was another of the odd inhabitants of the mainland; however, it was not the student's appearance that held his gaze, but what the student held in his paws.
While the title of the publication was partly obscured by a white-socked paw, the cover was immediately recognizable. A quick glance back at his sister confirmed she was still busy and wouldn't mind his absence. Rising, Islwyn quietly padded across the gap towards the strange student.
"?Is that the fourth volume? I heard it was supposed to be really erotic.?" He asked quietly, motioning towards the item in question.
Alister blinked, not having expected to hear Lantrai by any but a few diehard fans. Looking up, he was surprised to see what stood before him. This must be the exchange student they were talking about in the email, he thought as he composed himself. "Um, ?yes, it is. Do you like the series, too? ?" he asked, blushing slightly at having been found out, especially due to the incriminating nature of the publication Yokojiku no Shiji.
Islwyn nodded, pleased to have at least one other person who spoke his language. "?Yes, though I have to keep it hidden from my sister,?" he murmured in reply, "?even if she'd find it cute, it's a bit embarrassing.?"
Nodding his understanding, Alister motioned for the Lantra to take a seat, asking, "?Same. They said you are looking for--??", but was cut off as the other Lantra, presumably the boy's aforementioned sister, walked up.
"?Come on, Issi! We need to get going, and I haven't even figured out what to do for dinner yet.?" She said with an exasperated sigh as she reached for her brother's arm, pausing to turn to Alister as she smiled weakly, "sorry to bother. We must be going, now."
Alister raised a paw. "Actually, you're the two exchange students, right? I saw the email. If you're looking for a place to stay, we have a spare room. Dinner's on me if you're interested."
Heilwyn looked at him for a moment, caught off guard. "I um, we..." Pausing, she looked to her brother, who simply nodded. "Yes, we would be indebted to your generosity."
With a smile, Alister rose, beckoning the siblings to follow. "Alright! My ride should be here in a minute or two. I'll help carry your things."
After a short exchange with a golden-furred fox who drove up just outside of the Student Union, the other student, who introduced himself as Alister, helped to pack their bags into the trunk. The drive to their home, a small villa not far from the campus, was relatively quiet, save for Alister explaining the siblings' situation and quiet chatter between Heilwyn and her brother. Islwyn seemed a little less reserved, going as far as to ask about Alister's studies, for which Heilwyn was secretly glad. Though the same age, having lived together for so long had left her brother with a rather shy, quiet personality. His introversion had become even more apparent when he had taken up the reading of the various novels and comics that came from the mainland.
"Dinner should be ready in a little bit. I hope you don't mind me slipping off to the kitchen to make sure it'll come out right." Bishop stated as they pulled into the short driveway.
The ringtail nodded. "That's fine. I'll help our guests to get situated, if that's alright with you, Heilwyn."
"Oh, yes please." She replied, thankful to have the assistance with their luggage, even if most of it was her own.
As Bishop unlocked the door and made his way to the kitchen, Alister helped the twins to carry in their things and lead them down the hall to the spare room.
"Now, it's not the largest of things," he began, motioning to the room as he set down his load, "but we try to keep it nice. The bathroom's the first door on the left--feel free to use the shower if you'd like--and the closet should have some spare blankets if it gets a bit too cold. The TV only gets cable for now, though."
Heilwyn looked about the room, saying, "There's only one bed."
"Oh, sorry; I wasn't thinking. I'll go get the air mattress." Alister replied, turning to head back into the hall. He stopped when Islwyn spoke up.
"It's okay. I saw a couch in the living room."
"Are you sure?" Heilwyn asked.
Her brother nodded, turning back to his things, "Yes. ?I don't want to be a burden.?"
Raising a brow at the comment he wasn't sure if he was supposed to have heard--or understood, for that matter--Alister moved out into the hall. "I'll go get some blankets and a pillow, then. Shall I call you when dinner's ready?"
Giving a slight bow of her head, Heilwyn smiled. "Yes, please do." When Alister had retreated out into the hallway, she turned back to her brother and shook her head. "?You don't have to do that, Issi. It's okay if we share a bed--it'll be just like when we used to go on vacations together when we were younger.?"
Islwyn shrugged, "I'll be fine," he murmured.
Though it was plainly obvious in her eyes, she could only wonder what was truly driving her brother's motives.
Having barely finished dressing the couch with a clean set of linens and a downy comforter with matching pillow, the ringtail rose as Bishop called for him from the adjacent kitchen. "Coming," he called, as he smoothed out the last few stray wrinkles.
"Your bread should be almost cooled from earlier, but I need you to finish up the salad if we're going to be eating while everything is still hot," Bishop said with a wan smile as he juggled a pan of asparagus with one paw as the other managed a tray of steaming bread, the scent of roasting meat wafting throughout the kitchen.
Alister couldn't help but smile. The very first night they had moved in, Bishop demanded to unpack their meager selection of cooking implements, claiming the kitchen as his new domain--thus began a new passion for the fox, and an excuse for Alister to watch his boyfriend's culinary expertise (often while Bishop was wearing little more than an apron). Most of the necessities for a proper salad had already been collected on the island that dominated the center of the kitchen, needing only to be chopped. A quick visit to the fridge and Alister returned with the makings for a Caesar dressing and a wedge of fine Parmesan for garnish.
Scurrying by with a bowl clasped between fish shaped hot-mitts, Bishop commented, "Caesar is a good choice; should complement the meal. Just go light on the anchovy!"
"Oh hush," Alister tittered as he flicked water from his paws at the fox, "that was just one time!"
"Yes yes, I know," replied Bishop as he returned with a stack of square-shaped plates, "but every--thing tasted of fish that night!"
The ringtail could only roll his eyes at the remark as he scooted closer to the island to hide the more obvious memories of that night.
Heilwyn looked over the opened drawers of the dresser, the bottom three already stuffed with a myriad of her garments. A sigh escaped her muzzle as she pawed through the remaining items which lay nestled in her luggage and she resigned to the fate of placing them in the closet. To silence any more of her brother's foolishness, she had already mandated that he place what few things he had brought into the top two drawers--even having gone so far as to do it herself when he murmured a noncommittal reply from behind yet another of his books.
"?Dinner will probably be ready soon, Issi. You should go get cleaned up.?" Murmured Heilwyn as she eased open one of the closet's doors.
As if on cue, Alister poked his head into the guest room. "We'll be eating in another minute or two." He said before disappearing back into the hall.
Turning to inform her brother that they should get going so as not to be late, Heilwyn was surprised to see Islwyn already padding out of the room in the ringtail's wake.
The meal was served almost immediately after Bishop had finished carving the roast tenderloin of meat, its fragrant aroma thanks to a crusting of herbs. The twins eyed it with curious hunger, as well as the assortment of other edibles that decorated the table. Once everyone was seated, dishes were passed about as Alister served salad from his usual place beside Bishop.
"Are you both siblings as well," asked Heilwyn from around a piece of grilled meat, "it is very cute to see brothers being close."
Alister flushed visibly, the warmth in his cheeks more than just the wine or the memory of a chaste kiss moments ago. "Uh, no we're... partners," he replied.
"Partners," Heilwyn asked, cocking an ear, "like in business?"
Bishop leaned in close, whispering in the ringtail's ear. "You didn't tell them?"
"We're, um," searching for the right word, he ultimately decided on the only ones he could think of. "in a relationship,?having sex?", he replied.
Heilwyn's eyes lit up briefly as she saw the flustered look the fox gave Alister, her gaze shifting to see if her brother had overheard. "Ah," she mouthed with a nod.
Dinner continued with idle chatter and questions about the campus and nearby town, Islwyn staying silent except for a few requests for second helpings of the meal.
"I'm going to take a shower," he murmured as he pushed back his chair.
Bishop motioned to the hall from where he sat. "Just be careful, the water gets hot pretty quick in that one."
Nodding his thanks, Islwyn quietly shuffled out of the room and disappeared down the hallway. When the gentle click of the knob was heard as it closed, Heilwyn spoke up.
"We're not both students. I brought my brother along because I--well, because I don't know if he would be okay on his own," she began with a sigh that belied her maternal nature over the boy.
Bishop leaned back in his chair, arching a brow. "Why do you say that?"
"It's a long story, but I will do my best to make sense of it for you." After a pause to drink, the Lantra continued. "We may be twins, but I always seem to take on the role of the elder--several years back our parents began diplomatic work that took them abroad often. Islwyn never really adjusted to the change well, and since they were almost never home for more than a week at a time, I had to take their place, in a way."
"Ah, so it's to keep an eye on him?" Alister mused over the rim of his wineglass.
A nod from Heilwyn. "Yes, and no. That is most of it, though because of their absence, I have been the only real interaction he's had outside of tutoring. He's become very... insular, as I'm sure you've seen. I wanted him to come with me so he could see the world and maybe make a few friends." Leaning over, she took Alister's paw in her own, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you again for letting us stay with you."
Blushing slightly, Alister smiled as he returned the gesture. "It's the least we could do."
•••
Heilwyn stifled a yawn as she shuffled through the dimly lit kitchen of the villa, careful to avoid the stack of dishes that awaited cleaning as she pawed through the nearby fridge with bleary eyes. Pouring tea from the pitcher, she sipped the spiced beverage, gazing out across the night-enshrouded shapes of the living room. Though alien to her, the sense of home pervaded the place, filling her with memories of her own.
A sound caught her ear then, and, turning, she could barely make out faint whispers. Treading carefully, she crept towards its source: a faint sliver of light that bathed the carpet outside the door, open only just. Though not wanting to pry, Heilwyn had seen the two before and knew that they shared something special. Hesitantly, she pressed herself to the wall and gazed through the thin crack.
Heilwyn had to hold a paw to her lips to stifle the gasp that threatened to expose her at what she saw. Alister had draped himself practically atop of Bishop, the fox lounging on the pillows of their bed as one of his black-socked paws caressed the equally-dark shaft of flesh that hung between the ringtail's legs. Alister's paws, however, were busily relieving the fox of his pants, which even now spilled to the floor in a hiss of fabric over fur. As the offending garment was discarded, the ringtail lowered his muzzle and took Bishop into his mouth, eliciting a low moan from the fox.
Becoming keenly aware of her own arousal at having witnessed the passion of the two lovers, Heilwyn carefully, soundlessly crept back towards the guest room, her panties already dampened and clinging awkwardly to her fur.
Upon her return, she found Islwyn sitting on the bed, engrossed in another of his books. He barely flinched, giving little more than the faint bat of an ear as she eased herself behind him, sliding him into the hollow of her lap. They sat like this for some time, the silence broken only by the ruffling of a turning page. Mustering up her courage, Heilwyn let her paw trail along her brother's leg, the tips of her claws leaving tiny furrows in the exposed fur. Then, dipping her other paw into the soft fabric of Islwyn's briefs, one of the shorts-like pairs that formed to his rump so nicely, she cupped his sheath and gave her brother a gentle squeeze.
"?W-what are you...??" He asked, nearly dropping the book as his paws fumbled with surprise.
"?Shh,?" she murmured, nosing along the outline of his ear, her tongue teasing the feathered edge, "?I want to do to you what they were doing,?"
Islwyn tried to rise, but his sister's grip held him fast. Lifting herself to her knees, Heilwyn continued her exploration of her brother's body, the forbidden fruit of a relationship she had long kept shackled in her imagination. The movement, coupled with her arm about his middle, allowed her to ease his thick tail beneath her, the ridge of its outline slipping easily between her legs. Heilwyn giggled softly as she felt her brother tense again as she rubbed herself along the rise of his tail, the downy fur felt even through the gentle cotton shroud of her undergarments.
There was a soft whine as Heilwyn began to tease away the fabric that shielded her brother from view, the soft light of a nearby lamp reflecting off the milky white fur that was soon exposed. Wordlessly, she dug her paw deeper, cupping it beneath his sac and rolling his quite sizable balls between her fingertips.
"?We're n-not supposed to be doing this?," gasped Islwyn as he tried to pull away from her grasp once more, willing himself not to give into the pleasure. His efforts were futile, made even weaker by the feeling of soft breasts pressing languidly against his back, and in but a few moments the thick, angular head of his member already made itself known above the furred rim of his sheath.
Grasping the shaft of flesh, she coaxed out more of her brother's length with deft fingertips. Her free paw slid about his side, bringing shivers from him as she brought it about to peel away her panties with a painstaking slowness. Cool air from the darkened room immediately washed over her, the chill only serving to make the heat of her body all the more unbearable, Heilwyn pressed the sodden folds of her sex against her brother's tail, hissing a breath as he bucked with surprise at the intimate touch.
Now Islwyn squirmed, trying to look back over his shoulder despite his vision being obscured by his sister's shapely form. Each movement, every shiver from his body send lancing waves of pleasure through her; she could only imagine what it would be like to truly take him inside of herself.
"?Is... is t-that??" He breathed as he unconsciously pressed into the paw that caressed his sex, the movement driving a low moan from his sister.
"?Mnn, yes,?" came her reply, little more than a faint whisper in his ear as she reluctantly drew away from his warmth. "Lay back.?"
"?Huh??"
"?Just lay back,?" she cooed as she wove fingers into the ruff of fur that crowned his chest, the weight of her paw easing him slowly backwards.
At first Islwyn resisted, unsure of himself and the situation at paw, but as his sister continued her teasing--moreover as she practically began to clamber over him--he allowed himself to be laid back against the plush comforter of the bedspread. Once in place, Heilwyn curled herself languidly about his side as she brought her head to rest on the edge of his lap. From the corner of her eye, she watched her brother who merely stared at her with a mixture of anxiety and pleasure upon his face. Heilwyn could only giggle softly as his member twitched in her paw, signaling his own enjoyment of the lurid act.
"Ahh--!"
Though unexpected, the gasping moan of her brother brought an impish grin to Heilwyn's muzzle as she lowered it once more to flick her tongue over the drizzling head of his shaft. She repeated the measure, pleased with the results as even more of the sticky sweet fluid began to seep from Islwyn's quivering sex, this time tailing its entire length. Then, fighting back a blush at the thought that she was pleasing her own brother--with her tongue, no less!--Heilwyn descended, taking him into her muzzle. Even as her lips enclosed him, she could feel her brother buck feebly against her.
For a time she merely bobbed upon him, enjoying the feel of supple flesh against her tongue and the odd yet alluring taste that followed in gentle droughts with each pull. The sounds that emanated from Islwyn made it all the sweeter, and Heilwyn nearly lost herself in the act as she brought him to the root of his sheath, its furred rim tickling her muzzle as the heady scent of his sac filled her nose where it pressed against his balls. Brought back suddenly as a muffled gasp echoed throughout the room, Heilwyn barely kept from choking as a sudden hot torrent of seed spattered the back of her throat and Islwyn pressed himself hard into her maw.
Wave after wave came as the young Lantra moaned out a song of forbidden pleasure, then, finally, ended as soon as it began. Islwyn lay still, only the heaving of his chest and the panting of his breath heard above the silence that pervaded the room after his brilliant climax.
Heilwyn nuzzled against the still-firm ridge of her brother's sex, not bothering to wipe the telltale signs of their passion from her chin where it had dribbled free. Catching her breath, she reached a paw down to tease at Islwyn's chest, her fingers knotting into the fur with each caress.
"?Mm... I kind of want to do that again,?" she whispered.
"I..." he began, his words punctuated by steadily slowing gasps for air as he rubbed a paw across his eyes as if trying to awaken from some visceral dream, "?I... gods, I've never cum like that before.?"
Heilwyn snorted and tweaked her brother's shaft. "?Is that why you sometimes keep your door locked and don't answer??" The blush that lit up her brother's face was answer enough.
After a short pause, he asked, "?Is there... some way I can repay you??"
The question left Heilwyn ecstatic at the prospect that her brother held mutual feelings for her, though she did her best not to show it. Instead, the Lantra lifted her tail to expose the glistening, matted fur of her sex. "?You could always do the same,?" she murmured.
The silence that followed quickly deflated her hopes as she thought the request was too much--Heilwyn was surprised he had taken it so well, having long suspected he preferred the company of males--but when a sudden warmth pressed against damp folds before slowly, agonizingly rolling upwards, she banished the dour thoughts with a low, breathless moan.
"I-Issi!" Heilwyn cried as he slid his tongue deeper and returned the favor.