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I Love You Twice: Secrets to Sleep On By Green

The bathroom was already getting steamy when Kelly Parrish dashed inside, still purring, an enormous smile plastered across her face. Turning to the mirror, snickering at just how pleased with herself she looked, the teenaged Maine Coon securely locked the door behind her, not wanting any surprise visitors while she was in the altogether. There had been plenty of trouble after the last time that happened, and she wasn't in the market for any more life-changing events, thank you very much. Mind you, as she thought over the events of the past hour or so, she had to admit that the fallout from the first time had been pretty enjoyable. She'd just come from a rather enthusiastic quickie with her older brother, David, with whom she'd quietly fallen in love, feeling a warm tingle just at the thought of the fact that he fully returned her feelings. Slipping her bathrobe to the floor, she glanced into the mirror again and shook her head in amusement. A big part of the reason for this shower was that she didn't want to have to host guests with freshly-sexed hair. The other part was less fun. Kelly bemoaned how hard she'd have to scrub to get the smell of sex out of her fur, to avoid the suspicion of Janet, her bloodhound friend, whose sense of smell was 'Inherited' - just as strong as her feral progenitors, meaning her nose was hundreds of times more sensitive than the average human's. But as Kelly thought back to the new position she and her brother had tried this time, only three words came to mind... "Totally worth it."

Standing under the rush of hot water, Kelly felt like a million bucks, putting off the intense scrubbing to just savour the moment. The slender feline felt pretty confident about tonight, after all. She'd made time with her brother relatively early in the afternoon because she was having her friends over later for a sleepover, and if she was to be a good host for them, she couldn't exactly wander off for some taboo lovings. Not to mention that the very idea of getting caught by any of her friends made Kelly blush like it was going out of fashion, so other than missing cuddling Davey before they slept, she would easily be able to put up with it for one night. As she picked up the brush, it occurred to her that she hadn't known Janet to go on a lot of dates, so it was entirely possible that the bloodhound simply wouldn't be able to identify the Parrish siblings' mingled scents on Kelly. Still... she poured the fur conditioner over her shoulder and began to scrub. Better safe than sorry, especially when it came to secrets of the "life-destroying" variety. So, as she washed the evidence away, Kelly let her mind wander to recent evenings, and once again she began to purr...

Robe hugged tightly around her, Kelly hurried back to her room. Her fur was slightly damp, even after a quick session under the fur dryer's heat jets. She liked to leave a little early, so the moisture would make it easier to comb her fur. She made it to the door without incident, darting inside - and jumping slightly as someone moved from across the room. A lanky black cat, her boyfriend-slash-brother Dave, was lounging in her bed, stretched out in nothing but his boxers. Grinning up at her, Dave winked and greeted her in a rather exaggerated tone. "Ah, hello, darling. I was just starting to miss you!" Frowning at him, she closed and locked the door behind her. "Davey, what are you still doing here? Jeez, you scared the crap out of me." His tail flopping back and forth behind him, indicating his amusement, he shot her that smile that made her feel warm inside, not even trying to hide how much he was enjoying this. "Eh, what can I say, I was so comfy, and it's nice and warm in here... I think my window needs re-sealing. You don't mind, do you?" Putting her hands on her hips to try and sell her irritated act, Kelly gave him a Look. "And if Mommy or Daddy had stepped inside to drop off some laundry or something?" She laughed at the blank expression on his face. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Silly kitty." He blushed, but laughed with her. "Okay, so not my most well thought-out plan. Maybe I could have made up a story about planning to meet with one of the girls you're having over..." Finally giving up and discarding her robe, Kelly tried to ignore the wolf whistle she received and focus on finding a nice outfit, though she took the time to make a face at her lover. "Ugh, I can't even put into words how little I'd enjoy one of my friends doing The Deed in my bed, even if it wasn't with you. Not to mention the last thing I want to think about is you ending up with anybody else." Picking up a brush, she began to tame her hair, accidentally turning one of her ears inside-out in the process, and glanced over at her brother, who had made no motion to put his pants back on, much less vacate the premises. "And you know, speaking of the girls coming over, you need to get a shower too, genius. Doesn't make a difference whether they smell you on me or me on you." Sitting up, his Inherited green eyes narrowing to slits, he raised a finger like he'd just had a clever breakthrough. "Or... Or! You could join me right here in bed, and we could do it again, and then we could both go take a shower together!" Turning to face him, fully aware of his leering eyes running over her form, Kelly sighed exaggeratedly, flicking her ear until it popped right-side out again. "You're incorrigible, you know that? I told you we wouldn't be able to do it tonight, and you said you were okay with that! We can't delay for much longer, Davey. Besides, I know what happens when we're both under the water, and I really don't want to be in the middle of that when people start arriving. Honestly, big brother. The point is to wash away the sex. Kind of muddies things if you mix the washing and the sexing." Putting on a pair of panties (and ignoring the 'awwwwww' that her brother let out), Kelly looked back to her dresser, as though afraid he would be able to charm his way into round two. "Come on, Davey, you seemed pretty satisfied when we finished, you said it was one of the good ones, where you see spots afterwards. You can hold off for one night, can't you?" "Mmmmm...." He sounded like he was savouring fresh muffins, not acknowledging a point. She looked over her shoulder as she fastened the matching bra. "Davey?" Her brother was lying on his stomach, nuzzling his face against the purple sheets on Kelly's bed. "Mmmm, Kels, the bed still smells like you..." Kelly fought to keep a big goofy grin from her face. She found him adorable when he acted silly like that, and he was perfectly aware of that. She caught herself pondering how the timetable would be changed if she did linger a while longer, then scolded herself for thinking with her bits instead of her brain. Laughing softly to herself, she shook her head again, looking for a nice skirt. "God, Davey, you're so bad! You never make it easy, do you?" "Well, I'm still your brother, in spite of everything else." Laughing again, she decided to reward him, since she had to get a shirt from the drawer next to the bed anyway, and leaned down to kiss him briefly, pulling away when he raised a hand to her shoulder. "Come on, Davey, this is important, I'm all nervous about how this is going to go, and I don't want to be worrying about someone working out our secret on top of all the normal stuff!" Rolling back over, Dave made a shooing gesture towards the door. "Hey, don't you worry about me, I'll just stay right here all night, you go be a good host." Already regretting it, Kelly found she had to ask. "And what exactly would you be getting up to in here while I'm off seeing to my friends?" Slipping a hand into his boxers and lewdly groping himself, Dave smiled cheerily. "Why, touching myself inappropriately, of course. Don't worry, I'll be thinking about you." "Davey!" "No, no, I'll be fine, I'll just clean myself off afterwards with your sheets, but I'll be real subtle about it, you'll never know the difference." "Davey!" "Maybe bring in your pillowcase if I really make a mess..." Making an exasperated noise even as she grinned, Kelly leaned in and gave her brother a light bop to the arm with a hand whose fingers were all curled up, like a paw, a sign of affection among cats. Then she looked him right in the eye and crossed her arms. "You know, if I brought a friend to walk in on you, all they'd know is that you were whacking off in my room. Nobody has to find out that I invited you." Dave lowered his ears to look defeated and put on the Sad Kitty Eyes. "Oooooh, making me out to be a pervert. And word would spread at school, too. Harsh. Who knew my sister could be so devious?" Saying nothing, Kelly just grinned and raised her eyebrows, waiting to see what her brother would do. Which turned out to be sighing over-dramatically and getting up, looking across the room to his jeans, which had been discarded rather violently after they got stuck on one of his ankles. "Alright, fine, fine, I'll go wash up like a good boy. Not that I'm planning on spending a whole lot of time making smalltalk with your friends. But first..." He pulled her in close for a kiss, and she went in for it with an eagerness that belied her insistence on more proper behaviour, sharing the warm moment with the man she loved, briefly thinking how they must look, making out in their underwear in the middle of the room. When she finally broke it off, not wanting to get carried away, she reached up and touched her brother's cheek, the black fur of his face contrasting nicely with the white 'glove' around her hand. "I'm gonna miss cuddling tonight..." Reaching up, he touched his own hand to hers, and smiled softly, looking serious at last. "It's okay, babe. We'll just have to make up for it tomorrow." She giggled as he punctuated his statement by turning his head and kissing her arm, pulling it back in to keep from losing perspective, pushing him towards his pants even as she grinned. "Alright, get going, mister sweet-talker. Into the shower with you! And no... suggestive wordplay tonight, it freaks me out bad enough when you do it in front of Mommy and Daddy!" Her brother cocked his head, looking thoughtful for a moment. "That reminds me, do your friends still call their parents that, or is it just you?" "Don't try to change the subject!" Dave laughed, and put on a not-entirely-convincing innocent grin. "I'm sorry, but I just didn't think they'd think anything of it if I offered to help you with your Anatomy homework." Blushing at the memory, Kelly put her hands on her hips, looking cross. "I'm not even taking Anatomy, you doofus!" Dave looked taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise; his Inheritance made him look a bit less 'normal', with solid green eyes and vertical slits for pupils, but it meant he had excellent night vision, and his eyes adapted to light much faster than Kelly's. "You weren't really in an Anatomy class?! Huh, my mistake." "Not buying it, Davey." He let the smile he'd been (poorly) suppressing show itself, and then shrugged. "Well, in my defence, it was really funny..." Pushing his shirt into his hands, Kelly indicated the door with a nod of her head. "Out. Before I change my mind..." Having learned through painful experience when not to push it, Dave just winked at her and headed out the door, humming all the way to the bathroom.

It took her rather a while, but ultimately Kelly had her long, fluffy fur under control, and she'd picked out both an outfit that would suit her nicely in the waning hours of the evening, and a brand new set of pyjamas she'd been looking forward to showing off in front of her friends. She did take a detour, though, putting her robe back on to dash into her brother's room while he was in the shower, so that she could leave the pair of panties she'd been wearing before their tryst under his pillow, with a post-it note stuck on simply reading "So you don't get lonely ~K". It's a good thing she didn't dawdle, though, no sooner had she finally gotten fully dressed when the doorbell rang for the first time, announcing the arrival of her boisterous friend Caitlin Reeves, a heron who'd known Kelly for ages, at the house. They caught up on recent events, but not for long, as guests started arriving in close succession, starting with Barbara Murphy, a somewhat sarcastic lynx whom the Maine Coon had met more recently but grown rather close to. The bobcat had given her the nickname 'Fluffy' based on the stark difference between Kelly's long, impressively soft tail and her own stubby limb. Before Barb had even gotten her winter boots off, two girls arrived together; Nina Partridge, a hamster who took several classes with Kelly, and Chelsea Lambert, a shy human who'd only recently arrived in town, encouraged to come out and meet people by Nina, the only person she'd really befriended so far. Chelsea even managed to blush as she shook Kelly's hand and greeted her hostess. "Umm... It's really good to meet you, Nina says you're super nice." The feline grinned at the nervous girl and gestured behind her to the house in general. "Thanks, Chelsea! Hey, make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa, and all that." Nina, for her part, shivered as she took off her coat, which had managed to pick up some snow even on the short trip from the car to the door. As she stepped away from the front entryway to clear some room for poor Barb, the hamster pouted adorably (though to be fair, most things a hamster does are adorable) and turned her back on the front door, cleaning off her glasses, which had fogged over when she stepped into the warm house. "Holy moly it's cold out there! I don't know how you guys manage winter without fur, Chels, you must have frostbite or something." As the other girls turned to the human, she started stammering, clearly not used to being the centre of attention. "Ohh, uh, I'm just, no, I'm fine, really, j-just need to, um, bundle... up..." Kelly cleared her throat, trying to have mercy on Chelsea. "Well, girls, my Daddy started a fire in the fireplace an hour or so ago, and he said we could keep it going until we ran out of newspapers, as long as we didn't burn the house down, so let's head over there and warm up, shall we? I'll get the chips, and there's plenty of pop in the fridge."

After encouraging all her friends to the living room, where she threw a thick advertising supplemental onto the flames, Kelly went to bring some food, and then help everyone get set up. Soon, there was an array of sleeping bags scattered all over the floor, as it would be easier to fit all the girls she'd invited there, instead of her bedroom. Besides, if she slept in her own bed, that wouldn't be very fair to the others sleeping on the floor. As Caitlin and Barb argued over what movie to watch first, with Nina unhelpfully wanting to borrow Dave's Xbox to show off a collection of minigames for 'that wavy-hand motion dealie' instead of breaking the tie, Kelly's eyes wandered up to her brother's bedroom door, which remained just as firmly closed as it had been since the end of his shower. She felt kind of bad for him, honestly; his own friends were either all busy or just couldn't have him over for the night, and she knew that putting up with a houseful of her friends wasn't his idea of a good time... at least it hadn't been since she took him off the market. Smirking, she wondered if he'd found her surprise yet, briefly imagining exactly what he would do once he found it... until she felt herself getting warm and moist in a room full of her friends and forced her mind onto cleaner topics, hoping her blush wasn't visible. "Alright, somebody step in and break that tie, or I'm gonna have to pull rank as the host and pick something else entirely, and then nobody will be happy!" Caity gave the lynx the evil eye (something avians are exceptionally good at) as she put her wings on her hips and frowned. "Kitty, tell your fuzzy BFF over here that watchin' horror movies before you go to sleep is a terrible idea!" "Come on, feather-butt, it's not like I'm trying to be meta and watch 'Slumber Party Massacre' or anything, this one's set in space, for crying out loud!" In the corner, Nina turned to Chelsea, confused. "Is there actually a movie called Slumber Party Massacre or was that part a joke?" Nodding like a wise sage, the human ran a hand through her long blonde hair and smiled ever so slightly. "I think she's joking, but I'd bet money that it actually exists somewhere." Kelly took that as a good sign, even if Chelsea was still sticking to Nina's side like a personal bodyguard. Just then, the doorbell rang again, and Kelly was only too grateful to dash off, picking up a can of cola as she went. Opening the door, she was greeted by the tall form of Janet Hunter, the amiable bloodhound whose keen, Inherited sense of smell was the source of Kelly's paranoia from time to time. "Hiya, little K! Hope I'm not too late. I brought nachos!" Kelly couldn't help but smile at the triumphant grin on her friend's face as she lifted an impressively-sized bag of Doritos. Kelly took Janet's coat so the dog could focus on not tripping amongst the forest of boots that had sprouted since her friends began to arrive, but as she turned to lead the newest arrival back to the living room, she felt a pair of hands clamp onto her shoulders, and stiffened. "Hang on a second, Kelly..." Kelly bit her lip, stifling a whimper, as she heard a discernible sniff behind her, followed by Janet giggling. "Well now... silly kitty, trying to hide a secret, are we?" A shudder ran down the feline's spine, all the way to the end of her tail, and her thought processes basically consisted of the 'word' omg repeated over and over. Dammit, she had scrubbed so hard! How could Janet still tell?! The bloodhound stepped around in front of her - with a casual grin on her face and a sly look in her eyes. Jabbing a finger into Kelly's stomach, Janet spoke quietly, conspiratorially. "You changed your fur conditioner again, didn't you? Tsk, tsk, tsk, and after all the effort Barbara went through to get you to try her favourite brand. She'd be crushed."

Fighting the effort not to collapse to the floor in relief, Kelly giggled instead. "Jeez, you really are good. I've only used this new brand once." Giving her a wink, Janet strolled in the direction of the sound of giggles and gossip. "What can I say? The nose always knows." Sending a Look to the back of her friend's head, Kelly grimaced like she'd just bitten into a lemon. "...Wow, Janet. You already brought nachos, so we're good on cheese, thank you." "It's a gift. Everyone else here yet?" "Almost. Just waiting on one more, and I'll let you guess who that is. First two don't count." Glancing over her shoulder, the canine rolled her eyes and smirked. "In before 'fashionably late', am I right?" "Janet, I warned you about the cheesy one-liners. Don't turn into one of those text-speak people and make me restrict you to yes or no answers." "Pffft, you're no fun." Kelly paused in the entrance to the living room for a moment as Janet moved in to greet her friends and be introduced to Chelsea. Looking up the stairs, Kelly noticed that her brother's bedroom door was ever-so-slightly ajar, which meant he was no longer hiding inside it. Before she could dwell on this, her friends (figuratively) pounced on the newcomer. Barbara suddenly had her arm around the dog, acting all buddy-buddy. "Janet! So glad to see you, it's been forever! You like horror movies, right? You like... Jason X, right?" Just as suddenly, there was a frowning heron on Janet's other side, staring daggers at Barb while she addressed the bloodhound. "Oh hell no, Janet's smart enough to not watch slasher flicks right before she sleeps, right Janet? You'd want to watch something easy and simple, like The Nutty Professor, right?" Removing the bobcat's arm from her shoulder, Janet stepped away from the bickering pair and looked around carefully. Chelsea grinned and shrugged, still blushing slightly for some reason, and Nina just crossed her arms and leaned back on the couch. "Hey, don't look at me, pup, I wanted to use the wavey hand thing." When no further explanation was coming, Janet turned back to Caitlin and Barb, as Kelly walked up, clearly amused. "Hmmm... Sorry, Barb, but I'm gonna go with Caity on this one." The bird let out a cackle and did an impressive victory dance, shaking her tailfeathers and making vaguely insulting hand gestures in Barb's direction. On anyone else it would seem rather exaggerated, but Morphic avians were known for their much wider than normal variety of hand gestures and forms of body language, to make up for the limitations of a rigid beak structure that only allowed the very corners of their mouths to turn up or down. Barbara, for her part, looked shocked, ears lowering in disappointment, but her attention was focused on the canine, not the bird. "What?! Janet, you love horror movies, especially the science fiction ones! Come on..." Crossing her arms and half-turning away with a pout, she glared at the dog, who looked totally unphased, smirking and slowly wagging her tail. "Et tu, bloodhound?" "Try to see it from my perspective, Barb. With a nose like this, I don't want anybody getting scared and wetting themselves. And shame on you for bringing crap like Jason X, I thought we'd been over this!" "But -" Janet brought a hand up to her chin and failed, badly, to hide her amusement. "Now if you'd brought something like Event Horizon or Alien with you, then we could have talked..." Barbara's unimpressed gaze then turned to the uncharacteristically cheery Caitlin, who was still gloating. "Ooooh, feels good to hear someone talk reason, mmmm-mmmm!" Smirking ever so slightly, Barb produced her cell phone and flicked it to camera mode, with an LED on the back obediently lighting up to indicate this to others. "Hey birdy. Smile for the camera." Being reminded of the reason for her people's over-the-top body language in such a way successfully deflated Caitlin's ego, and she glared at the bobcat as she snickered and put her phone away again, walking away in the direction of the kitchen while Caity made a variety of rude gestures at her back, calling after her and turning to the others for support. "Oh, real funny, Barbara. That's racist! Can't go around making beak jokes like that... Any of you see me going around pointing a laser at the wall?" The heron hadn't actually been offended by Barbara's joke, of course, acting slightly grumpy was just her way. As Kelly grinned at a pleasant memory brought up by that retort, she headed out of the room to make sure that Barbara's grumpiness wasn't more genuine. The last thing she needed was to have a grudge begin at her sleepover.

Walking into the kitchen, Kelly found Barb leaning against the counter, facing away from her, muttering to herself while her stubby tail flicked back and forth in agitation in a way Kelly could read very well, being a feline herself. "Barb? You okay?" As she looked over her shoulder, Barbara looked cranky, but she managed a smile at the sight of her host. "Kelly! Just the girl I wanted to see. Come here and help me plot against Caity and Janet." Walking over, Kelly picked a spot on the counter just next to the lynx, and discovered her friend had helped herself to a bag of Cheetos. "Now, ideally, we'd deal with both of them at once, but I could be persuaded to dispose of one and then the other." Joining her friend in snacking, Kelly shrugged and tried to look supportive. "Come on, Barbara, it's not like they were picking prom queen or anything, Janet just didn't want to watch the movie." Barb frowned, putting on a rather poor impersonation of their canine friend. "With this nose, I don't want anybody peeing themselves! Give me a break, it's a dumb slasher flick! It's supposed to be more, I don't know, ironically funny than it is scary." Kelly smirked, eyes distant. "Don't tell that to Davey, he refuses to watch anything that's even a little horror. There was this movie about an axe murderer that he watched when he was like, six or seven, and it kind of put him off the genre." The felines giggled at that for a moment, and Barb seemed a bit less upset, munching thoughtfully, orange dust on her whiskers, before frowning more mildly and looking at Kelly with disbelief. "Still, I can't believe they'd pick The Nutty Professor, all the Eddie Murphy movies Caity has and that's the one she brings?" Kelly shrugged. "I haven't seen that one in about four million years, all I remember is the bit where he plays like eight people in fat suits farting at the dinner table. Or was that the sequel?" Grinning, Barb shrugged back, then put on an exaggeratedly pained expression and shook her head. "Alright, fine, I'll watch it, but I want it on the record that it's under duress." Kelly smiled a little at this compromise, and then after another quiet moment of Cheeto-chewing, she looked over, decidedly relieved. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Barb, I'd hate for you to spend the rest of the night all upset." Leaning against the housecat, Barbara tilted her head down, resting her cheek against the top of Kelly's shoulder, and closed her eyes. "You're a good friend, Fluffy, you know that? Always the peacemaker, you are. You always seem to know just what to say, too." That part surprised Kelly, who had never really thought of herself like that. Actually, she'd be quicker to say that about her secret lover, who had helped her down from emotional crises on more than one occasion now with a few (very) well-placed words. "You think so?" "Oh, sure. I, uh, kind of admire that about you." "Thanks, Barb!" Standing up straight again, Barbara smiled, finally relaxed. "Don't mention it." Her smile faltered for a moment as her ear twitched, and she turned her head, listening hard. "Hey, what's that noise?" Kelly listened for a moment and quickly picked up a rhythmic thumping noise coming through the floor. "Oh, that'd be someone in the basement, using the treadmill. It's probably Davey, he works out sometimes." "Seems kinda loud." "Well, Daddy never got around to insulating the floor." Barbara nodded idly, curiosity sated, and then pointed back towards the living room. "So, what do you say we head back and make sure they aren't burning the house down?" At that moment, the doorbell rang thrice in a row. Barb didn't miss a beat, twisting her wrist so her hand pointed towards the front of the house instead. "Or we could go let you-know-who inside." Picking up the bowl of cheese-themed snacks, Kelly walked out of the kitchen, slowing a moment as her ears moved ever so slightly back towards her skull. "Umm... do me a favour and don't tell Davey I told you about the horror movie thing, okay? He's kinda sensitive about it." "Heh, I bet. His secret's safe with me."

When the two felines reached the front door, Kelly peeked through the peephole and grinned, then opened the door just as a yellow-furred hand reached forward to knock. "Oh! Hey, girls!" Standing there with several folded up packets of microwave popcorn was a golden retriever, tail wagging energetically. About Kelly's age, smiling with an ease that suggested lots of practice with that particular facial expression, and, unlike the other guests, male. "Hi, Reggie. Didn't think you were going to make it." He winked as he stepped inside. "Well, you know me..." He opened his mouth again but was interrupted by a lynx finger pressed against the end of his muzzle. "So help me, Reg, if you even think about using the words 'fashionably late'..." The last arrival sagged down, pouting, genuinely disappointed. "Awwww, but playing to the stereotypes is fun!" The reason, of course, that a boy had been invited to a slumber party full of girls was that Reggie Schafer was rather confidently gay, had never felt any interest in the opposite sex, and was therefore harmless to a group of females. Besides, he was one of Kelly's best friends, and it would have felt wrong to leave him out on a technicality like a Y chromosome. "Speaking of which, sorry I'm late, really, but I was fixing my hair... isn't it gorgeous?" As Reggie posed and Kelly giggled, Barb rolled her eyes and deadpanned; "Oh yes. You're the prettiest princess at the ball, Reggie. How do you do it?" Even through her sarcasm, though, the bobcat was smirking. She liked the retriever just as much as the other girls, she just liked to call him out when he acted flamboyant. Stepping out of his boots, Reggie leaned forward and looked around. "Say, Kelly, is that brother of yours around? Oooh, Cheetos!" The three of them started walking to the living room to join the others, and Kelly gave Reg a warning look. "Come on, you said you wouldn't mess with Davey's head anymore." He put on the Sad Puppy Eyes and let out a very canine whine. "I can't help it, he's all sleek and sexy like a jungle cat, I mean have you seen his butt in those basketball shorts he wears in the summer? mrrrrow!" Kelly was, in truth, very fond of those shorts, but immediately banished the image from her mind to play the part of the normal sister, grimacing and shaking her head. "Gross, Reggie." Lifting his hands in surrender and sighing, the dog shook his head. "Alright, fine, fine, no flirting with your brother... but it's not my fault if my dashing good looks and charming personality make him fall in love with me anyway." Barbara snickered on Kelly's other side. "I admire your humble attitude, Reg, you know that?" The retriever laughed and winked at the cats as they stepped into the living room.

The TV was playing the looping menu from the DVD for The Nutty Professor, and the other girls, politely waiting for the others to return before they pushed play, were sitting on the floor; Caity was idly poking through a magazine she'd found lying on the couch, and Janet was holding up a somewhat nervous-looking Chelsea's hand and examining her fingers closely, while Nina looked on, smiling encouragingly. Janet was nodding as they walked in. "Nina's right, you really do take good care of your nails, and I like this colour! I'm kinda jealous, claw tips just aren't as glamourous as a good set of - oh, hey." Glancing up, Caitlin bobbed her head back and forth in a distinctly avian way that was meant to indicate that she was being light-hearted, as birds aren't very good at smirking. "Well, well, well, look what the cats dragged in." Reggie beamed as soon as he saw her, grinning from ear to ear, while Barbara muttered to herself. "Seriously, is it a cheesy line holiday or something?" Either ignoring her or unaware of what she said, the newcomer raised his arms as Caitlin sprang to her feet, stepping forward to hug the dog. "Caity! Haven't seen you in ages, how's my favourite sister-from-another-mister?" "Everything's happy at the home roost. How about you, bird dog?" "Oh, you know, I get by." "Um..." They turned to look at the human in the room, who looked rather confused, staring at the boy hugging the bird. Nina jumped slightly, knocking her glasses slightly askew. "Oh crap, sorry, Chels! I forgot to tell you, this is Reggie. He's gay, so don't worry about him doing anything shady tonight, trust me, he's not interested." Breaking off the hug, the retriever squatted down and offered his hand. "Just think of me as one of the girls. I promise I don't bite." Chelsea looked down at his hand uncertainly, and then glanced to the girls around her. "A-am I supposed to sniff your hand or something?" Not a word was spoken, but everyone else in the room reacted at once. Barbara pressed a palm to her face and shook her head, Kelly whirled around and covered her muzzle with a hand to stifle a laugh, Nina gasped, looking absolutely horrified, Caitlin just stared blankly at the human like she didn't know how to react, and Janet, the only other canid in the group, stiffened, eyes narrowing to slits, giving Chelsea a very dirty look. Turning beet red, Chelsea buried her face in her hands, whimpering 'omigosh I'm so sorry' over and over, seeming like she was about to shrivel away and die of embarrassment. But the person she had said it to only laughed softly, shaking his head in amusement. He reached forward and gently placed his left hand on her shoulder, and Chelsea reluctantly looked up, seeming even more confused by the soft grin on his face. As he looked pointedly into her eyes, he reached forward with his right hand and wormed it into hers, clasping it firmly. "No, honey. You're just supposed to shake it." Smiling weakly, the human shook his hand and shrugged. "I'm really sorry, I, uh, before I moved here, I wasn't real close to any, you know, morphics, it was a mostly human town. I - I'm just surprised it took me this long to offend somebody..." Looking down at the carpet, she bit her lip. The words 'I should go' were clearly swimming through her head, despite the snow outside and the fact that she probably didn't have a car ready to whisk her away to whatever corner of the globe she deemed furthest from her shame. Kelly stepped forward and knelt down with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Chelsea, you didn't know any better. Don't be nervous, we're just people, you don't have to cater to all the stereotypes of everyone's species or nothing would ever get done." Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, Barb spoke up, Kelly giving her a Look that dared her to try being sarcastic. "Don't worry, you're still cool with us. Some day you'll look back on this and laugh... probably a bit awkwardly, but still." Turning and seeing the look of distrust on Nina's features, the bobcat made a face. "What? I don't have to be snarky all the time." The moment seemed defused, though Janet still didn't look entirely happy about it. There was a moment of somewhat awkward silence, and then Reggie glanced up at the screen. "Ooooh, I love this movie! Now we're talking!" Completely oblivious to the glare he was receiving from the direction of a certain lynx, he turned to Kelly, tail wagging. "Aren't you glad I brought the popcorn?"

When Reggie asked them to wait while he went and popped the popcorn, Nina asked if they had any other varieties of chips to enjoy, and Chelsea asked what there was to drink, if a bit quietly. Kelly thought it would be easier to just bring them along, and before long, the whole lot of them headed over to the kitchen to raid the fridge and assault the pantry. The Parrish kitchen was basically divided into two halves, an open one with the dinner table in it that overlooked a large window with a nice view of the back yard, as well as having the pantry conveniently located in a side wall, and then an area with cupboards and drawers and all kinds of nooks and crannies for storing things for the preparation of food, as well as the stove, the microwave, and the fridge. They were separated from one another by a long, wide counter that went most of the way across the room, and had more cupboards and a dishwasher built into it. As Reggie hopped up on the counter and let his feet dangle, waiting for the popcorn to finish, Kelly tried very hard not to think about the time she'd sat naked on the exact same spot while her brother ravished her. Normally, it was a favourite memory, but now was not the time. She just stood near the sink next to Caitlin, who had difficulty eating a lot of snack foods anyway, and watched the other girls searching the cupboards and fridge for hidden goodies. Chelsea seemed to have gotten over her faux pas, and was quietly talking to Janet while they poured pop into glasses. Janet took her canine heritage much more seriously than Reggie did (though to be fair, Reggie didn't take most things seriously), and Kelly had been worried she would hold it against Chelsea, so this was good to see. Just as she was starting to relax about the night, there was a lull in the room, and Kelly's sensitive ears picked up a pant. Someone in the hallway was breathing hard, and walking with heavy footsteps, letting their feet fall instead of placing them carefully. Before she could react to this odd situation, her brother, her lover, walked into the room, fresh from his workout; Kelly's eyes widened as she realized that from the hallway, one could only see the kitchen table and surrounding areas, while all her friends were in the preparation half of the kitchen. Which explained why Dave was walking into the room with his shirt off and slung casually over a shoulder, the black cat rubbing a cloth over his face as he breathed deep, his fur shining with the sweat he'd worked up on the treadmill. It didn't help that the only other things he was wearing were socks and somewhat tight gym shorts, having left his old sneakers in the basement. Everyone else in the room froze and fell silent, staring at the intruder in their midst, and they stayed that way until David lowered the cloth and put his empty water bottle down on the table. He blinked and then glanced to the side, his own eyes widening, pupils narrowing to razor-thin slits, as he realized he wasn't alone. "...Oh."

Immediately, most of the girls started giggling, while Kelly just blushed, forcing her ears to remain upright even as Dave's audibly slapped down to his head. He toyed with the cloth in his hands, tail poofed up from his shock and now hanging low, between his legs, with his embarrassment. Kelly resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands the way Chelsea had earlier, watching the grinning girls around her blatantly leering at her brother's half-naked form. Kelly felt a feathered elbow poking into her side as Caitlin gave her an unusually saucy look and winked, indicating the embarrassed male with a quick tilt of her head. "Daaaaaamn, girl, you've been holding out on us!" Raising a hand gingerly and waving, Dave forced an approximation of a grin. "Hey guys. I, uh, thought you were in the living room. I was, you know, working out. Downstairs." Kelly cleared her throat to take a second and prepare; a part of her tended to worry whenever she addressed Dave in front of her friends whether she sounded more like a normal sister talking to her brother or a love-struck teenaged girl talking to her man. "Sorry, Davey. We were about to watch a movie, and everyone wanted to get snacks, so..." She trailed off lamely, not sure how to finish that, somewhat distracted by the awkwardness of the situation. Reggie stepped in to fill the silence. "Let me tell you, buddy, all that working out is really paying off for you! How're you feeling? Got any sore spots? Back ache? Maybe we should go back to your room, and I could give you one of my massages_aaaaaaahhh!" The retriever arched his back and yelped as Kelly reached forward with a single finger and poked him in the shoulder - and then extended her claw. As he writhed in agony, Reggie's tail bumped into a half-full glass of milk, knocking it off the counter to fall to seemingly certain doom on the floor. Faster than a human could move, faster than most people could _see, Kelly's free hand whipped out and caught it, only spilling a drop, and returned it to the counter before any of her friends had even noticed. Where her brother had Inherited the eyes and near-perfect night vision of their feral ancestors, Kelly had Inherited their impressive reflexes. As the other girls giggled for a different reason than David's discomfort, Kelly leaned forward, her lips practically touching Reggie's ear, and said in a pleasant voice; "Say it with me, Reggie: I will not hit on straight boys to make them blush." His voice was somewhat strained, but even now he looked over his shoulder and made a joke. "Awww, come on, even if they're really ho-aaaaauuuugggh! Okay! Okay! I will not hit on straight boys to make them blush! You're no fun..." Smiling beatifically, she retracted her claw and patted him on the shoulder. "Good boy." With a much more convincing smile on his face, Dave nodded to his sister as he picked up his water bottle. "Thanks, sis." "Don't mention it." "You know..." That voice came from an unexpected source, and Kelly narrowed her eyes, wondering what Janet, of all people, was up to. "Kelly never made me promise not to hit on straight boys... especially ones with such a... strong, masculine scent." The Maine Coon stiffened as she watched the bloodhound batting her eyes and wrinkling her nose at Her Man. Her friend, the one she'd thought of as 'the harmless one', wasn't just flirting with Dave, she was sampling the goods, able to pick up the sweaty black cat's musk from all the way across the room, when it had previously been reserved for Kelly and Kelly alone. Oh, hell no. Her hands balled up into fists, then let go when her instinctively-released claws dug into her palms, fighting the urge to call Janet a bitch. That was an entirely accurate label, mind you, and many canines used the phrase themselves, but it was considered somewhat crass coming from other species, and she would have to explain her sudden anger. "I like your star, is that natural or did you get it dyed?" The only part of Dave Parrish's pelt that wasn't midnight black was a snow white four-pointed star over his heart, a feature his sister liked to playfully refer to as the "star of David" when she ran her fingers through his fur. Looking down at his chest like he'd never noticed the feature before, Dave was suddenly at a loss for words. He tried to look casual, act like a single guy would when getting hit on, but he was very much in love with Kelly, and he was nowhere near comfortable being flirted with in front of her. "Oh, this old thing? uh, it's, you know, it's natural, alright, been there all my life, D-Dad says I got it from my g-grandmother, she was a white Persian, I think..." Then, of course, things got worse. Caitlin made an mmmmm noise, blatantly running her eyes up and down his body. "You wear it well, panther boy, mmm-hmm. You know, if you're not gonna take Reggie's offer, I could substitute myself... I'm not much for backrubs, can't retract the talons y'know, but, uh, I think I could make you forget all about being sore..." Dave looked rather nervous, and Kelly felt a sudden stab of fear as he instinctively looked over to her, as though her friends could figure out a secret incestuous relationship from a single glance. "Umm... If it's all the same to you, ladies, I'd rather not discuss such things in front of my sister. She's, ah, a bit protective of me." Snickering in the corner, Nina lowered her glasses and grinned, more 'playful' than 'interested'. "That wasn't a 'no'." Allowing a little of her internal crankiness to show through, Kelly put her hands on her hips and frowned. "You'd better get going, Davey, clearly these guys are in season or something." He grinned at that and turned to go, pausing for a moment with a characteristically feline slyness to his features. "Right. Uh, don't forget, Kels, we have a... study session tomorrow." Kelly stiffened and stifled a surprised laugh, then shook her head, unable to help her smile. "Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world." "See you later, little sister... ILYT. Bye girls. Reggie." Kelly silently thanked whatever was listening that the moment was over. "Bye, Davey." And then, as one, her friends all cheerily pitched in with a sing-song 'Bye Daveeeey' of their own. That made Kelly want to scratch someone in and of itself, as that was her name for him and they were not welcome to it, but thankfully the lynx unknowingly defused the situation by making her laugh. "Uh, yeah, bye Davey, you, uh, burning hunk of man, you!" As Dave made his escape and the other girls laughed at Barb's ridiculous line, she shrugged and grinned at Kelly. "Well, what can I say? Everyone else was doing it, but he's just not my type. Cute smile, though. Hey, Kelly, what's 'ILYT' stand for? I, uh, get the ILY part, but..." She had, of course, prepared a BS excuse for that, pretending to be surprised by the question, like the expression was totally natural to her. "Oh, that? That's just an old inside joke... you kinda had to be there, don't worry about it." There was a moment of silence, and Kelly was about to suggest they gather their spoils and head back to the movie, when Caitlin spoke up first, eyebrow raised. "What's her problem?"

Turning to look, Kelly saw that Chelsea, the only girl who hadn't spoken up during Dave's impromptu visit, looked rather odd. Her hands were held tightly over her mouth and nose, her cheeks burned with the fire of a thousand suns, like she'd been absolutely mortified, and her eyes were wide and rather shocked. Nina, who had failed to notice this despite standing right next to her, reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Chels? You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost or something, girl... wait a minute..." Nina frowned for a moment, and then suddenly her face lit up with a look of complete delight. "No way! Him? That's the..." As Chelsea wordlessly nodded, Nina let out an excited cackle. Leaning against the counter next to the sink, Barb tilted her head curiously. "So, uh, Nina, you gonna fill in the blanks? Some of us didn't get the newsletter." "Well, umm - as long as it's okay with Chelsea..." The human made a dismissive gesture, continuing to avert her gaze. "Okay, see, Chelsea here was telling me that since she moved here, she's, uh - are you sure this is okay?" Groaning, Chelsea walked over to the table and sat down in a chair, steadfastly refusing to make eye contact with anyone. "Oh, just tell them already..." "Right. Well, she was telling me about this guy she's had a crush on, this tall black cat who looks fit but not big, and apparently the guy she's been pining after this whole time is Kelly's brother Dave!" Making a long, exasperated noise from the table, Chelsea shook her head. "You might have warned me, Nina! You said you knew her!" The hamster walked over, with an impressive attempt by an outsider to pull off the Sad Kitty Eyes. "I'm sorry, Chels, I'd never actually met her brother face-to-face before!" Finally looking up - at Kelly, who was trying to keep her breathing deep and even - Chelsea pouted. "How is that even possible? He doesn't look anything like you!" Kelly exchanged a glance with the other feline in the room, and Barb just shrugged helplessly. "Uhh... there can be a lot of variety among kittens from the same parents. I look like our mom, he looks like our dad." There was a moment of silence, and then, making Kelly want to groan in frustration, Janet spoke up. "...Well, clearly I need to back off, then, sounds like Chelsea called dibs." The Maine Coon couldn't help but protest. "What? What do you mean 'called dibs'?! It's not like he's the last Mountain Dew or something!" Reggie nodded sagely, for once managing to keep a straight face. "Nope, she's right, you don't stand in the way of true love. Shame, too, I didn't realize he was working out like that. I mean, you put some tone on that body and my God." Still blushing, though not as profoundly as before, Chelsea made a face. "True love? I think the guy's cute is all! What, I'm supposed to march upstairs and proclaim my feelings or something?" Encouraged, Reggie smiled neutrally. "Oh, certainly. Listen, he's probably going to be getting in the shower, so you should go upstairs and wait in his room. He'll be damp, chilly, and naked, so he'll definitely be easy to convince. Not that it should be especially difficult to begin with, given that I hear he hasn't handed in his V-tags yet..." Barb smacked him lightly in the back of the head. "Don't say that so condescendingly, it's not like you've ever gotten laid, you doofus. I bet everyone here is a virgin. Except maybe the heron..." "Hey!" Before Caitlin could start a fight (and before anyone else could plot against Dave's virtue, which in truth, his sister had claimed a long time ago, in exchange for her own), Kelly stepped forward. "Okay, okay, enough already, nobody's going to be seducing Davey at my sleepover, you got it?" Nina sounded a little put-off, adjusting her glasses as she responded. "Jeez, relax, Kelly, don't sound so defensive, we're just kidding around, it's not like anyone was really going to sneak upstairs and screw your brother." Reggie helpfully added; "Uh, I totally would have if he swung that way." Instantly, he was on the receiving end of the evil eye. "Well, on that note, better safe than sorry." Feeling the need to distance herself a little, Kelly shook her head. "I don't even know what you guys see in him, he's just a big goofball." Janet grinned. "Maybe, but he's a sexy goofball." Turning to Caitlin, she grinned hungrily. "I know I wouldn't mind getting me a piece of that..." This was starting to get out of hand. Kelly needed something to distract them. "Barb, little help?" The bobcat loudly clapped her hands together, getting the attention of the inexplicably randy teens. "Okay, everybody, back to the living room! We've got a movie to watch. Go on ahead and I'll get some drinks ready." The others gathered up their stuff, Reggie giggling over a big, steaming bowl of popcorn, and walked out, quietly talking amongst themselves (let's face it, it was probably still about Dave at this point). Following the main group, Kelly looked over her shoulder and mouthed 'thank you' to her friend, who winked as she got the cups down from the shelf. She was just glad Dave wasn't Barb's type (apparently) or they'd probably spend the whole night gossiping about him.

When they returned to the living room, Kelly had them start the movie right away; Barb wasn't especially interested in watching in the first place, and the first few minutes would all be old trailers anyway. Still, it took Barb longer than Kelly expected to return with the drinks, to the point where for just a moment she wondered if Barb had lead them all on to get them out of the way for when she tried to seduce David herself. Just as Kelly was unwillingly imagining Dave, clad in just a towel, embracing and making out with the treacherous bobcat, Barb returned with a tray of drinks, all smiles. Scolding herself for even imagining Dave messing around behind her back, Kelly took a cup and smiled back, just as the movie started. From there, Kelly watched Eddie Murphy acting silly in and out of a fat suit, and tried not to think too hard about the parts that made no sense. The Maine Coon just wanted to relax and turn her brain off, silently congratulating herself on how smoothly things had gone so far, even having to deal with something as unexpected as a half-naked male wandering in on them. As the movie continued, Kelly found her mind beginning to wander, an odd distracted feeling coming over her. She kept catching herself thinking about events at school, or spending time with Dave, instead of following the movie right in front of her. She frowned. It was a bit odd for her, she never normally had trouble following movies, no matter how boring, and this was far from the dullest flick she'd ever seen. Pondering the problem as she took a drink, she realized there was something off about the taste of the cola, something sharper than she would normally expect... It didn't take her long to identify the taste, though she was fairly surprised when she realized there was booze in her drink. Looking around, Kelly saw that the eyes of the others were all a bit glazed as well, and sighed. Putting down her cup, she stood up (which definitively confirmed that oh yes, she was tipsy) and stepped away from the group. "Hey, I'm gonna get something from the kitchen. Barbara, you wanna come with?" The innocent tone in her friend's voice basically confirmed everything Kelly was thinking. "Oh, sure, sounds like fun!" They didn't actually make it to the kitchen, though. Basically as soon as they were out of earshot from the rest of the group, Kelly turned and glared at her friend, speaking strongly but under her breath. "Barb, tell me you didn't." The lynx, still seeming totally carefree, just giggled. "Oh, I don't know if I can do that, Fluffy." "Tell me you didn't do it." Sage nodding followed. "Sorry, babe, I think that I might, in fact, have done it." Kelly wasn't (very) amused. "Dammit, Barb, you spiked the drinks? What were you thinking?!" Reaching into the 'sleeve pocket' on the front of her hoodie, Barb produced a bottle of somewhat cheap-looking vodka, examining it like she'd never read the label before. "I was thinking that the people at this shindig needed to relax, everybody seemed high-strung. I thought you were going to explode when the others were ogling your brother, girl. That's not healthy, you know. Bad for your blood pressure." As Kelly tried to deal with the instinctive fear that Barb had picked up the jealousy Kelly had been trying so hard to hide, the bobcat glanced over and made it a bit better. "You know, you really need to learn to relax, stop being so protective of your brother. I mean, what are you gonna do when he gets himself a girlfriend?" Shaking her head, the Maine Coon consoled herself with the knowledge that at least Barb didn't know everything. "Staying on topic... I can't believe you didn't even ask me!" "Well, you would have said no. You asked for my help right before I got the drinks, remember? I was just helping out the party!" Crossing her arms, Kelly frowned at her friend. "Well, what if Mommy and Daddy catch me stumbling around all drunk? What if Caity starts mouthing off and starts a fight?" Clearly just as distractible as Kelly, Barb grinned. "Man, it's adorable that you still call them that." "Focus, Barb, focus!" "Okay, okay, look, as long as we don't do anything too stupid, your parents should look the other way, and we can handle the party, assuming you calm down before you start a fight yourself." Sighing, letting the anger ebb away, Kelly closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't know, Barb, I was already kinda worried how good a host I'd be when I was sober..." She opened her eyes when she felt the bobcat's hand come to rest on her shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze. Barbara was smiling enthusiastically, and it was hard not to feel at least a little encouraged by that. "You'll be fine, Kelly. I'm here to help, remember?" Grinning back, Kelly shrugged. "Okay, fine, let's just get back to the movie and make sure nothing terrible happens with the rest of the girls. Especially Reggie."

As it happened, when they got back, the others were talking amongst themselves, Nina nudging Reggie, who seemed mildly annoyed. "Come on, man, just do it, we out-voted you." "Sorry, girls, but this ain't a democracy!" As the felines walked up, the others acknowledged their return with nods and grins. Kelly tilted an ear and asked the obvious question. "What's going on?" Caitlin frowned and gestured rather unsubtly towards the retriever's groin. "Reggie won't show us the goods." Immediately, Kelly nodded. "Am I supposed to be surprised?" "Nooo, it's not like that! We're not trying to do him or anything, but he said his uh, stuff is Inherited and we all wanted to see!" "All of you?" Kelly was looking directly at Chelsea as she said this, and the human just giggled and blushed. "What? It sounded like fun." Reggie shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, kitty-cat, didn't mean to stir them up like this. I keep trying to tell them, it's not like they'd even get to see much, I'm about as turned on by you lot as I am by church sermons." For a canine lad, having Inherited genitals meant that his penis spent most of its time hidden away inside the safety of a sheath, only coming out when its owner was in the mood to play. Kelly looked over her shoulder at Barb, who was beaming from ear to ear, faintly purring. Silently swearing revenge, she put her hands on her hips and regarded her friends. "Okay, well, none of that, thank you very much. And since nobody seems interested in the movie anymore, I suppose we'll have to find something else to occupy our time. The only question is, what should we do...?" Caitlin seemed fine with that, but Nina leaned back in her seat, pouting. "It's not fair, we took a vote and everything..." Barb demonstrated her helpfulness by goading the hamster on. "Wait, you took a vote? But Kelly and I weren't here, and I know I don't want to see Reggie's junk. What about you, Fluff, do you -" "No." "Well there you go!" Nina shook her head. "Ha! It's still 4-3, the pants come off!" Kelly played up the exasperation in her voice. "Hey, I'm trying to think of something for us to do, and I don't hear any suggestions." Janet finally turned around, grinning devilishly. "I know! We could go back to talking about your sexy brother!" Reggie leaned forward, his tail starting to wag. "Oooh, I like that idea! Wanna take a vote?" Kelly gave him a Look and crossed her arms. "Sorry, but I'm the host, and I'm vetoing that suggestion. Any good ideas?" Reggie leaned in close to Nina and winked, making her giggle. "You know, if you're planning on voting on whether or not Dave should take his pants off, I'm on your side." "Oh, come on. This is a slumber party. There's gotta be something else we can do besides dreaming up ways to seduce my brother." Sighing, Caitlin started counting things on her fingers. "Well, we could talk about all the boys who aren't related to you, or we could watch something else, or we could play some kinda game..." Glancing over at the heron, Kelly grinned. "What kind of game did you have in mind?" "Man, I don't know, I would have suggested something if I had an idea." Barbara smirked, leaning back in her seat, where she'd been watching the proceedings with amusement, snark dripping off her suggestion. "Oooh, I know, how about spin the bottle?" First, Kelly wordlessly gave her a Look, and then the look of sheer horror that appeared on Reggie's face made everyone present laugh pretty hard for a few seconds, lightening the mood considerably. After they'd calmed down, Chelsea spoke up, clearly a little more at ease with the help of the lynx's 'confidence potion'. "Well, I wanna say Truth or Dare, but Reggie won't do the one thing we want him to do anyway, and it kinda looks like we've only got one thing on our minds right now... So why don't we just play a game about that?" Even as Kelly moved to turn that idea down, Reggie shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Hey, no way, sister! We just went over this!" Blushing, the human held up her hands, still smiling. "Not like that. We'll just talk about our ideal guy. You know, the Prince Charming we want to sweep us off our feet." Caitlin turned to Barb, snickering. "Hey! That's not a bad idea. You keep telling me the guys I think are cute ain't your type, bobcat, why don't you fill me in on what, pray tell, is your type?" At last the smile fell from Barbara's face. "N-now wait a minute, I don't know if I even want to play, much less go first!" Kelly a dismissive gesture and shook her head. "Well, if you're too scared to go first, then I'll do it. My party, after all. But you have to go second!"

Taking a moment to think about it, to choose her words carefully, Kelly thought about what she loved about David, and then tried to find ways to make it sound less specific, less directed. She looked down into her hands as she wrung them together, blushing slightly and avoiding eye contact with any of her friends. "Okay, let's see... my Prince Charming wouldn't have to be big or muscular, just because he can carry me doesn't mean he can sweep me off my feet, you know? He would... I don't know, he would have a nice smile, and he would listen to me complain about my day or talk about what I'd done, no matter how dull he found it, because he would know I'd do the same for him. Umm... he would hold me close whenever I was upset, give me a big hug and tell me everything would be alright... and he'd make me believe it. And snuggling up next to him at night would make me feel like everything I had to go through was worth it, because I'd get to be with him." There was a moment of silence, and then Nina shivered with quiet glee. "Awww, that's so sweet, Kelly..." Chelsea nudged Janet, giggling. It was probably a good sign that she was initiating conversation with someone other than Nina. "You hear that? She's already picturing him in bed." The bloodhound snickered and winked at her hostess. "Oooh, scandalous! How is he, Kelly?" Finding herself laughing along with her friends, Kelly nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, he's amazing." For a moment, Kelly was tempted to actually share some of Dave's traits in bed with her friends. He was a protective lover, who was usually more concerned with her pleasure than his own, stopping to make sure she was okay if she made a weird noise or tensed up, but he was also willing to try new things, and most of all, always went out of his way to make sure she came, a trait that was, she gathered from the Internet, rarer than hen's teeth. He was also man enough to gently apologize to her if he did something wrong and got her upset with him. Then, remembering that she would literally be talking about her sex life to her friends, she resisted this temptation, writing it off to the booze talking. "Okay, so that's my future husband, what have you got, Barb?" Shifting in her seat, uncharacteristically uncomfortable being the center of attention, the lynx shrugged. "W-well, umm... Okay, fine, here goes. My, uh, my Prince Charming would be smart. Like, good looks and a sexy smile are great and all, but I really like a g-guy who's clever, who can come up with something funny to say about any situation and put a smile on my face. He would, uh, he'd be straightforward with me, wouldn't keep secrets or anything, and... and he wouldn't be afraid of public displays of affection, like holding hands or kissing in public." Cocking her head, Caity wrinkled her feathered brow. "I don't think I've ever met a guy who wasn't into public displays, girl, you probably don't need to specify that." Blushing and looking down at her lap, Barb grinned weakly. "Oh, right. Silly me." Kelly tried to push past the awkward moment. "Anything else, Barb?" The lynx scratched at the back of her neck. "Uhhh, I guess not... No, wait! He would take a lot of care with his appearance, keep his pelt all shampooed and nicely combed and stuff." When Kelly gave her a quizzical look, Barb shrugged. "What? You ever run your fingers through someone's fur when they don't maintain properly? Ick." Nina leaned in, giggling. "You know, Barb, I think I might know someone like that... but I'm afraid Reggie's gay, hon." As the hamster and the retriever exchanged a high five, Barbara's ears flattened against her head, the corner of her muzzle turning up in disgust, holding up a hand between herself and Reggie as if warding off an evil spirit. "Oh, nonononono. Not even close, girlfriend! But if that's the way everyone's gonna be, I think I'm gonna let someone else go." As Barb leaned back and crossed her arms, Kelly looked at her tormentors and cut off the giggles with a scowl. "Hey, just wait until your turn if you think it's so easy." Barb smirked at that and mouthed 'thank you' to her host, who winked and turned back to face the rest. "Now then, who should go next, hmmm? How about... Chelsea!" The human looked less than pleased. "Me?! Why me?" Kelly smiled innocently. "Because the game was your idea, of course." "Oh. Well, alright." Chelsea sat up straight, and took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Okay, um, my Prince Charming would be... tall. And strong. I know it's shallow but I want a nice pair of arms I can just melt into. And he'd be dark, and mysterious..." The hamster tittered, giving her friend a sly look. "Dark, you say? Perhaps... all black?" Chelsea immediately blushed beet red. "I d-don't know what you're talking about..." Janet (poorly) hid a smile and added her own contribution. "And feline?" "W-well, that would be nice, I guess, but -" Lifting up his shirt and exposing his silky golden chest, Reggie brought a hand up to his heart, tracing a shape in the fur. "And with a white star about here-ish?" As the others snickered and giggled, Chelsea sagged down low in her chair, groaning with embarrassment. Nina threw an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. "Awww, I'm sorry, Chels, we're just having fun, I think it's cool that you're into Kelly's brother, you two would make a cute couple!" The Maine Coon managed to bite her tongue as Caity seconded this idea and Janet playfully suggested she would be competition. Beaming in that special retriever way. Reggie laughed softly. "Man, who'd have thought Chelsea here was a tail chaser? Way to go, girl!" Chelsea looked up, smiling bashfully, and made a dismissive wave. "Oh, come on, guys, he's older than me, more mature and stuff, I'm sure he's got way cooler girls his own age trying to show him a good time, I bet he'd look right through me." Rubbing her shoulders like a boxing trainer, Nina clicked her tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's quitter talk! Look, we're not asking you to tie him down and do things to him, I'm just saying in the morning, maybe you could try to talk to him, ask him how his classes are going or something." Coughing loudly, Kelly interrupted the pep talk. "So! Since it's pretty, uh, clear what Chelsea wants in a man, why don't we find out what Reggie wants from a guy?"

And so, the remainder of the party spilled their guts and described their ideal mate, from Caitlin's idealized image of avian perfection to Reggie's simplistic requirements of a man who took care of his body, enjoyed a good snuggle, and smelled like lavender. The whole time, Kelly's thoughts kept flitting back to her brother, and the way he'd so ably, if unknowingly, helped banish her fears that what they had wasn't 'real'. She was in the middle of reminiscing over a poem he'd given her on the previous Valentine's Day when Reggie laughed at something Janet had said in her description, and she came back down to earth. "Honestly, girl, it really sounds like you're just describing Sammy! Just get back together with the guy!" The bloodhound sighed, looking wistful. "Well, I thought Sammy was the One, but it turned out he wasn't as thoughtful or caring as I thought... On our last date, on the way home, he just pulls over into an overnight parking lot, and he - you guys swear you won't tell?" The oath was made, though it was a bit suspect. "...Well, he turns off the car and he - he gets his thing out! Just like that! Apparently things had been going so well that he just expected that I would want to suck him off in some shifty parking lot!" Caitlin looked conflicted, Nina grimaced, and Barb went 'ewww', but Reggie kept a straight face on as he asked; "...So, did you do it?" As a response, he received a couch cushion to the face. As the others giggled, Caitlin scratched her forehead, looking oddly thoughtful. "I dunno, dog, if that's all he did, maybe it's not so bad. I mean, don't get me wrong, make him beg and grovel to take you back, but it's not like he tried to force you or anything, right?" Shaking her head empathetically, Janet frowned. "No way. I'd told him how important those things were to me, how I was saving it for someone special, for some special time. And then he goes and tries to get me to give up my mouth virginity in a car that smelled like smoke in a cold, dirty lot. No thank you." As Janet went on to make a joke about the fact that no man would ever ask an avian girl to provide oral loving, Kelly frowned. Something about that last line was niggling in the back of her mind, refusing to pass silently. As she tried to work out what it was, Chelsea sighed and crossed her arms. "Well, at least you've seen one in person. I think that's more than the rest of us can say. Uh, except for Reggie, of course." Thinking about it a moment, the human snickered. "He probably sees plenty." The resulting indignity was a bit undersold by the fact that the golden retriever was laughing along with the rest of them. "Hey! I'll have you know that being all promiscuous is one of the stereotypes I don't find it entertaining to live up to. I'm depressingly man-free, just like the rest of you." That little exchange had fairly driven it home startlingly; Kelly had had far more sexual experience than any of her friends. Clearing her throat, trying to sound casual, she put it to a poll. "So, um, exactly how far have you guys gotten?" The others looked shiftily amongst themselves, and then Caitlin spoke up, rubbing a hand over the back of her lightly feathered neck. "Ummm... this one time, at a party, I got into some really intense, you know, grooming with this falcon I used to know, but nobody got their stuff out or anything." Chelsea turned to Nina, her eyes asking the obvious question, "It's a bird thing, I can show you a video later." There was some awkward silence, and then Janet crossed her arms and sniffed. "Well, Sammy's show-and-tell is about as far as I've ever gotten." Reggie and Chelsea were quick to step in and confirm that they'd never even gotten eyes-on like Janet had. Then, Nina sighed, twiddling her thumbs nervously, and shrugged. "Well... back when I was dating Andy, um... things were going really well, and I wanted to get closer to him, so I, uh... gave him a couple of handjobs." Chelsea was clearly genuinely shocked. "What? You messed around with Andy? And you never told me?" Janet's expression was hard to read, Reggie's eyes bugged out as though Nina's admission was scandal of the highest order, and Caity grinned, enjoying this juicy gossip. Which basically underlined things for Kelly. She and Dave had crossed that particular barrier on the same night they admitted they were attracted to each other, and moved on to oral lovings the very next day. Since then, they had not only moved on to full intercourse, they made love quite frequently, as it was the major outlet of their forbidden relationship. Well, that and cuddling, which they did any chance they could get, but Kelly wasn't thinking about cuddling now. Actually, at the moment, she was thinking about the time she had nervously asked her brother, blushing fiercely, if they could try anal sex, and the... unique experience that had followed. But it seemed none of her friends had even managed much in the way of mundane experiences in this field, and the Maine Coon couldn't help but feel a little... dirty. She and Dave were awfully young, really, had she given it up too soon? And with her own brother, no less! That hadn't been something she'd let bother her for a long time now, but she found it suddenly seemed to matter a great deal. Her ears twitched, and she forced them upright, as it would be telegraphing her worries if she let them flatten against her skull. She did allow herself to grab onto and toy with the end of her fluffy tail, kneading the brown and white fur in a nervous habit she'd had since she could remember. "Kelly?" "What...? Oh, right. Uh, I've got nothing." It didn't occur to her at the time, but her inability to focus on lying probably made it sound much more natural, easier to buy. Barb quickly drew their attention anyway. "Yeah, me neither. I mean, I did some kissing at a party once, but nothing all that important." Looking back and forth among her friends, as if hoping for someone she'd forgotten was present, someone who'd maybe done more than she had, Nina pouted. The hamster girl raised a hand and rubbed the top of her short muzzle. "Oh, great, I guess that makes me the slutty one." Reggie leaned over and gently patted her shoulder. "There, there, Nina. I'm sure your Prince Charming will still want to hold your hand, even if it has been pre-used." Chelsea was overcome by giggles as Nina reached out to playfully swat at Reggie's cheeks, gentle slaps that were more likely to tickle than sting. Still bothered by her sudden realization, Kelly didn't even grin. "Ummm, guys? I need to go check on something, could you stay here and entertain yourselves for a few minutes?" Scootching in closer to the blushing hamster, Barb smiled benevolently. "Oh, sure thing, Fluffy, we'll just be grilling Nina for details about her debauchery while you're gone. Don't worry, I'll repeat the juiciest bits for you later." Kelly grinned weakly at that and stood up to leave. Nina didn't seem to like this plan. "Hey! Come on, it's not like we fucked or anything! I mean, how used is your hand, Reggie?" "Ha! Oh lordy, sister, when it comes to this particular subject, I could teach a class. But I'm self-taught, and your practice is, uh, 'in the field'."

As Nina continued trying to weasel her way out of the spotlight, Kelly made her way out into the hallway, still toying with her tail. If Nina was catching this much flak for giving her boyfriend a couple of handjobs, what on Earth would they think if they knew Kelly had had enough loving to have developed preferences for her favourite positions, and taken it under the tail from her big brother? Hurrying up the stairs, she looked around to make sure she wasn't being followed by any of her friends, and then hurriedly knocked on her brother's door. "Davey?" "Kels? That you? Uh, are you alone?" "Yes... Can I come in? It's important." There was a pause, and then a click as he unlocked the door from inside. He stood inside in boxers and a T-shirt (presumably the reason he had asked if anyone was with her), stepping out of the way as she hurried inside. He looked genuinely worried to see her, brow furrowing. "What's wrong, little sister?" Kelly swallowed a yelp, and then blushed at the cause; she'd been so distracted in her wringing of her tail that she accidentally bent it back towards itself and squeezed, causing a sudden burst of pain. Letting go of her tail, which promptly hid itself between her legs, Kelly glanced up into her brother's worried eyes and tried to find the words. "It's - it's about... umm... us." She looked to the door, trying not to picture all of her friends on the other side, listening keenly. As if he had read her mind, Dave reached over to his computer, and with a few clicks, had some soft, unobtrusive music playing to mask the exact wording of their conversation. Kelly took a deep breath and started. "Umm... the other girls were talking about, uh, how much experience they have, and I couldn't help but notice that none of them really have much at all, but I - I mean we - well, we kind of have a lot, so..." Sighing, she let her ears flatten themselves against her head and pouted as she finished the thought. "Davey, am I a slut?" David gave her a blank look, as one of his ears swivelled down and pointed off to his right, an expression he often took on when he was trying to wrap his head around something odd. That being done, he responded with the most reasonable answer one could give to this question. "Umm... what?" Letting out a huff, Kelly walked over to his bed, unmade as usual, and sat down on the edge, staring down at her be-socked feet. "Well, um, none of the others who are here have, you know, gone all the way... in fact, they were teasing Nina when they found out she gave an ex-boyfriend a, you know, helping hand. But y-you and me, we've done all kinds of stuff... we started so young, too, and - and you're my..." She trailed off, unable to say that last word in case it offended him somehow. It was obvious enough anyway, so she just closed her eyes and sighed. "I just, I don't know, all of a sudden I feel like some kind of degenerate!" Her brother sat down next to her, nudging at her feet with a bare toe, and wrapped an arm around her, holding her tight. One of the things about Dave that Kelly appreciated was that he liked to play up his own libido sometimes; this afternoon, he hadn't really been trying to get her to ruin the shower she'd just taken and fool around with him, he just liked to flirt with her, especially if it made her blush. The reason she appreciated it was that he was smart enough to know when not to do it. There was nothing in his posture or the way he was holding her at the moment that remotely suggested he had an ulterior motive; if it weren't for the subject matter, it would seem like any normal brother comforting his little sister. Keeping her eyes closed, Kelly let her head rest on his shoulder, and tried not to worry, tried to just enjoy his closeness. After a moment, he spoke quietly, warmly, in her ear. "Well, Kels, if you are, then I'm glad you're my degenerate." She snickered at that, but her smile didn't last long. "I dunno, Davey, I'm still glad we've - um, well I'm glad I've got you, anyway, but do you ever feel like we moved too fast? Or feel weird because - b-because I'm your sister?" He turned his head to nuzzle his cheek against the crown of Kelly's head, which was easier at the moment because her ears weren't sticking up, in his way. "Well, I'd be lying if I said I never thought about the, uh, the taboo part. Sometimes I'll hear someone talk about something that happened when we were really little and I'll feel guilty, like I corrupted you or something. But then I remember that night where I had the dream where we got caught, and you talked me out of breaking us up by making it abundantly clear that you loved me for real. That's always been enough for me." Kelly didn't say anything, but she was quietly touched; she'd almost forgotten that night, and was a little surprised to realize that her brother wasn't the only one who was good at finding just the right words to be comforting and reassuring. "And as for the 'too fast' part, I think we've had this conversation before. I know we started messing around before we, you know, fell for each other, but you have to remember, we thought what we'd found was a chance to fool around with another warm body, to work out all the tricks to sex without having to worry about the consequences, so we'd be experts when the time came to use that knowledge 'for real'. And afterwards? Well, you can't really blame a couple for doing what comes naturally, even if it is a little unnatural..." "But all the couples my friends have been a part of have 'waited for the right time' and stuff before they even kissed, Davey. And we've spent as many nights as we could together since then." David's hand moved to her cheek, gently urging her to lift her head and look into his eyes. They still had that same confident warmth. "Kelly, do you know why couples are supposed to wait a while before they do anything like that? It's to take time to get to know each other and build trust between the two of you, and... and to make sure you really love them." He gestured back and forth between them with a pointing finger. "By the time any of this started, we'd already done that. Hard to find someone you know better than someone you grew up with, eh?" After chewing on that for a moment, Kelly sighed again; this time it felt like all the stress was leaving her body with the breath. "Thanks, big brother. I needed that. Like, a lot." Leaning in, she gave her brother a quick kiss, trying not to linger in case either of them started getting worked up. When she pulled back, though, Dave had an amused look on his face, smacking his chops like he was analysing her flavour. "...Kelly, have you been drinking?" It was clear that his reaction was one of mirth, not disapproval. "Ummm... yeah. It, um, wasn't my idea... it's kind of a long story." As she stood up, he lay back down on his bed and stretched out, grinning at her. "One I'm sure you'll be only too happy to share with me tomorrow." She winked at him. "Maybe, maybe not. Girl's gotta have her secrets, you know." Turning his head and glancing down at the pillow beneath his head, he adopted a Cheshire grin as he regarded her at the door. "...Like where she leaves her panties?" She blushed, but giggled. "Tell you what; When we get some time alone tomorrow, I'll tell you everything about tonight if you tell me everything about... that." "Gee, Kels, I dunno, my memory's a little hazy... maybe I could stage a re-enactment for you, though." Dave's hand slid down his abdomen, teasing a fingertip under the waistline of his boxers, which sent a shiver down his sister's spine all the way to the fluffy tip of her tail. Kelly loved to watch her brother climax, knowing that it was all for her, and he was fully aware of this, but she managed to restrain herself before the purring started. "Mmmm... lovely as that would be, dear brother... I should really get back before the girls start worrying. The last thing we want is Janet snooping around while we're doing anything like you're thinking." Starting slightly, Dave made a face like he'd bitten into something sour, and sighed dramatically. "Alright, fine, I guess that'll be a rain cheque. You go have fun, sis. I'll be fine up here." Unlocking the door, she opened it and paused for a moment, looking through to make sure no one else was around before turning back to her lover. "Goodnight, Davey. I love you twice." He gave her that special smile that made her feel warm and happy inside. "Night, Kels. I love you too. Both ways." Grinning back, Kelly stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her. After a second of thought, she took a second to make sure she was still alone, and then retrieved her keys from her pocket, using the spare key to her brother's room to secure it behind her. She was pretty sure the girls had been kidding earlier when they talked about sending someone upstairs to seduce Dave, but it never hurt to make sure...

Heading back towards the living room, Kelly could already hear giggling, which she took as a good sign. She wasn't quite prepared, admittedly, for the reason they were giggling. When she walked into the room, Reggie, sitting cross-legged on the floor, was adjusting a bright pink bra on his otherwise bare upper torso that of course didn't fit his masculine physique at all. If the bra wasn't odd enough, Kelly was further put off by the fact that Janet was kneeling behind the retriever, wearing fuzzy pink pyjamas, helping him adjust it from behind. There was only one reaction appropriate to the situation. "Wh - what in the hell?!" Everyone in the room looked up, and smiled casually, as though nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Nina spoke up first. "Kelly! Welcome back! We've been missing you." Instead of speaking, Kelly just stuck out both arms, gesturing to the bizarre scene in general. Glancing down at her PJs, as though that was the thing that Kelly was disconcerted by, Janet looked back up and smiled pleasantly. "Oh, this? Heh, it's getting late is all, and we thought we'd change into our PJs." For the first time Kelly noticed that her friends were, in fact, all clad in their pyjamas. That was, of course, beside the point. "This is a sleepover, I would expect to see you guys dressed like that. Reggie in a push-up bra, on the other hand..." Pouting, her shiny friend crossed his arms over his chest. "So I thought I could use a bit more support! Sue me." Kelly was still weirded out by the whole thing. "H-here? I thought you would, I don't know, get changed in the bathrooms or my room or something, not out here in the open!" Off to the side, brushing Chelsea's long hair, Nina giggled. "It's nothing we haven't seen before, and besides, it's not like anybody got naked." Reggie shuddered exaggeratedly. "Thank God for that, too." Crossing her arms and regarding the retriever suspiciously, Kelly frowned. "Wait a second, you didn't get changed here too, did you? Weren't they trying to talk you into taking off your pants when I left?" Chelsea snickered, blushing. "He left his boxers on, and, well... I'm surprised you didn't hear the cheering." Standing up, Reggie took hold of the waistband of his pants. "Hey, if you're feeling left out, I could -" "No! No thanks, that'll be, uh, I'm fine, really." As Kelly stepped forward, a hand extended upwards. "Here." It was an oddly subdued Barbara, holding another cup of suspicious cola, having apparently gotten everyone a second round. That explained a lot. Kelly took it and enjoyed a swig. This one tasted slightly stronger. "You okay, Barb?" When she looked up, she was blushing just as hard as Chelsea had been earlier, which was extremely unusual for the lynx. Maybe she hadn't taken Reggie's state of undress as casually as the other girls clearly had. "I'm fine, just kinda tired, eh?" Nodding, Kelly looked back towards the hallway and shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll go get changed, then..." She didn't get far before she heard Caitlin laughing light-heartedly. "Oh, come on. We all changed in here. Don't go running off like a sissy." As Kelly turned around, Reggie gave his avian friend a decent enough Look, for a male. "Hey now, I resemble that remark..." Kelly rubbed her arm, suddenly self-conscious. "But I'd have to go upstairs to get my stuff anyway..." Leaning over closer to Kelly, Nina cheerily held up Kelly's PJs, which Kelly had last seen lying out on her bed. "Barbie went and got these while you were off doing whatever. Shame too, she missed me and Janet and Caity changing. Got back just in time to help make Chels blush though!" The bobcat groaned and pressed a hand to her face. "Oh my God I can't put into words how much I do not want to be called 'Barbie'. And I told you, it took me a while to find them!" Kelly wondered if Barb had been drinking more than the others if she'd missed seeing the PJs the instant she walked into the room, but she was more occupied by the idea that her friends wanted her to take her clothes off in front of them. "I - I don't know..." Making a dismissive hand gesture (which involved both hands, as per the usual avian habit for exaggerating such things), Caity shook her head. "Come onnnnn, it's no big deal, we all did it! Even Chelsea! And she blushed so hard I was worried her skin would stay that way!" Chelsea giggled again, though she still averted her eyes. "She thought that's where sunburns come from." Crossing her arms (subconsciously placing them over her breasts), Kelly pouted. "How do I know that? Maybe you're just trying to trick me into taking it off so you can put pictures of me in my underwear online!" The bloodhound raised an eyebrow and tried not to giggle. "So, what, I just passed mine around and stretched them around the golden boy here for funsies?" Squeezing the empty cups on the frilly bra, Reggie laughed out loud. "Pfffft. You just knew I'd look better in this than you do. Oww! Why do you guys keep smacking me tonight?" As Nina and Chelsea laughed at his distraught face and Janet gently patted the abused shoulder, Kelly bit her lip. Normally, her instinctive response would be to tell them to go to hell and go get changed in the privacy of her own room. But after speaking with her brother, the Maine Coon had that special little happiness warming her up from the inside, made her feel impervious to the stresses and worries of the world around her. As a grin spread across her muzzle, she acknowledged that some of that might be the drink, and took a swig from her cup before setting it down on a little table next to the couch that was also home to the remote for the TV and a piece of paper with the names and air-times of various TV shows scribbled on it, the only way her mother could keep track of everything she watched. Taking a deep breath, she shrugged and faced her friends with a smile. "...Oh, alright, what the hell."

As her audience cheered enthusiastically, Kelly slipped off her sweatshirt and hooked her hands under the bottom of her tee, before pausing. "Uhh, Janet, do me a favour and let me know if my brother comes this way, okay? Letting Davey see my undies is not my idea of a good time." As Janet grinned and moved closer to the main entrance to the room, Kelly smirked. It was childish, but she had to admit a certain amount of satisfaction from having her fingers crossed underneath her shirt as she delivered such a bold-faced lie. Taking another deep breath, Kelly pulled the shirt up, like a human ripping off a band-aid (morphics, having considerably more body hair, had developed alternative methods of sealing minor injuries), exposing her sky blue bra to the room. Casually tossing the shirt to the floor, she turned around, dancing lightly to imaginary music as she worked the belt on her jeans open, moving on the fly as her tail swept back and forth, unable to stifle her own giggling. Behind her, Nina giggled. "You see, Chels? It is more fun when you put on a show!" Glancing over her shoulder with a lascivious wink (at least, one she hoped was lascivious), Kelly pulled her jeans open and paused. "Honestly, I'm surprised nobody whistled." Then, shaking her rear left and right, she bent over and slid her pants down her shapely thighs, revealing the mixture of browns and whites in her pelt, as well as the matching blue panties that protected her dignity. Letting her head hang down, her long, brown hair cascading away towards the carpet, Kelly peeked towards her friends. To their credit, not one of them had a cell phone camera out. They were all smiles, too. Well, except for Barb, who was hunched down on herself, eyes locked on Kelly's rump, blushing fiercely. As the lynx averted her eyes, toying with the drawstring on her pyjamas, Kelly bit her lip to keep from snickering. It looked like it wasn't just partially-dressed males that embarrassed her friend. By comparison, Reggie was looking at Kelly's booty the way one might look at an exhibit in a museum; with an air of detached curiosity, like it was interesting, though no sexier than, say, a trip to the grocery store. Standing up straight again, as the blood was rushing to her head, Kelly stepped out of her pants and turned to face her friends, who were clapping and showing their appreciation. Nina was laughing out loud, clearly enjoying herself. "Damn, Parrish, I never realized you had such a nice ass!" When Chelsea looked at her incredulously, the hamster shrugged and laughed again. "What? I'm allowed to appreciate it without wanting to get on that, aren't I?" Snickering, the human girl crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Nina, about your ex... was 'Andy' short for Andrew... or Andrea?" Now blushing almost as much as the bobcat, who was looking into her drink like she was trying to read her fortune from it, Nina's smile faltered just a little. "...Okay, maybe I'm getting a little too into this." Laughing, Chelsea put an arm around her hamster friend and hugged her close, more relaxed than when she'd arrived by orders of magnitude. Meanwhile, Reggie expressed his ability to make the girls laugh at will by fixating on the one thing now exposed that none of the other boys Kelly knew would even have noticed. "Ooooh, cute! You've got one of those poofy tufts of chest fur in your cleavage, those are so adorable!" Kelly giggled at that as she slipped her pyjama shirt over her head and down, then reached under it and fiddled with the clasps that held her bust in place, slipping her bra off and tossing it to the retriever as she grinned wide enough to show off her molars. The smile faltered somewhat when the feline realized she had no idea how to proceed without either wearing panties under her PJs, which felt uncomfortable, or exposing herself a lot more than she was comfortable with in front of her friends. "A-alright, ladies and gentlemen. I haven't quite worked out this last trick, so if you wouldn't mind turning around..." Standing up, Reggie, who now had Kelly's bra draped over his head to compliment Janet's on his chest, held up a blanket that Kelly's father Alan liked to use to warm himself up, his fur not being as thick or plush as his wife and daughter's. "Oh, we used this as a curtain! I've got your back, girl!" Stepping up in front of Kelly, the retriever extended the blanket to completely shield the slender cat from her friends, holding it up to about chest height. Nodding gratefully, Kelly worked fast; trying not to blush and failing spectacularly, she quickly slid her panties down her thighs and stepped out of them, then hissed quietly at Reggie when he peeked over the top of the blanket. "Hey, easy, girl, just kidding, don't make me drop this thing..." Pulling her pyjama pants up and tying a quick bow in the drawstrings, Kelly sighed with relief, glad her friends wouldn't get to ogle her butt. It wasn't like any of them would be fantasizing about her later, but it would still be uncomfortable. Grinning up at Reggie, she flicked her panties at him like a slingshot, but he dodged the underwear, which sailed across the room towards Barbara, who let out a yelp when they draped themselves over her muzzle, yanking them off as fast as she could and almost spilling what was left of her drink in the process. "Kelly!" As the blanket fell to the floor, a now re-clothed Maine Coon clapped her hands over her muzzle, deeply embarrassed, though her blush was nowhere near as impressive as her friend's. "Omigosh! S-sorry, Barb. That was an accident." That seemed to placate the bobcat, who hugged her knees to her chest, nodded tersely, and let out a huff. Janet giggled and shook her head. "Jeez, right on your muzzle, too... No offence, Barb, but I'm glad it was you and not me. I mean, Kelly, you're my friend and all, but I really don't want to get to know you that intimately." As Barbara sent the bloodhound a murderous glare, Chelsea laughed and pointed to her best friend. "Yeah, but I bet Nina would!" The hamster's jaw dropped and she raised her hands, shaking them vigourously with denial. "N-no! I didn't - I mean I wouldn't - I mean I'm not -" Caity let out a long, cackling laugh, then made a groping motion with her hands. "Oooooh, Parrish, your booty is so fine, I just wanna squeeze it and kiss it and love it..." Grabbing a cushion from the couch and tossing it at the heron, Nina laughed even as she protested. "Nooooo! I don't want to get with Kelly, I swear! I - I just meant her butt is nice objectively!" As she slumped down and pouted, Reggie slipped in next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, don't you listen to them, sweetie. If girls rev your engine, no one's cooler with that than me. We can be besties now! 'It gets better', remember?" To the golden's great surprise, Nina suddenly turned to him, stuck a hand behind his head, and pushed his face into her bosom. Hamsters were known for being short and somewhat pudgy, but they were also known for having impressive figures as a result. After a few seconds of holding the struggling dog against her boobs, Nina casually let go, a smile on her face, clearly enjoying the pure, happy laughter of the other girls around her as Reggie twitched on the floor, staring off into eternity. "The horror... the horror..." When things settled down, Janet cleared her throat, rejoining the rest of the group and sitting down with a sly grin. "So... now that the fun's over, Kelly, I'm just a bit curious... how was your cuddle session with your big brother earlier?"

She wasn't sure, as she wasn't really focusing on it, but Kelly thought she felt her heart skip a beat at that moment, something she'd previously thought was just a literary device. Oh fuck. She managed not to whimper, but her tail hid itself between her legs, and her ears slapped down so hard it stung. She couldn't think straight enough to come up with a snarky response, or claim innocence, or try and worm her way out of this, there was only the absolute dread she felt at being discovered. "Wh-what?!" The bloodhound tapped her nose with the tip of a finger. "I've been able to smell him on you since you got back." Reaching over and picking up Kelly's discarded T-shirt, she held it casually in her hands, not needing to press it against her face, and inhaled sharply. "Hmmm... yep, that's Dave alright." Legs suddenly feeling like jelly, Kelly fell backwards, though fortunately the couch was there to break her fall. It was a curiously numb sensation. Still looking down at the shirt, Janet smirked. "Mmmm, so masculine... You know, when I was flirting with Dave earlier, I never thought you would be competing with me for him. I guess I can't blame you, though, what girl wouldn't want to be held by those strong, supple arms?" Hearing Janet basically confirm her worst fears, like she was being accused of loving her brother, albeit in a roundabout kind of way, made Kelly's breath catch in her chest. When Caitlin and Chelsea looked back at her, curiously, she coughed and forced the breath into an exasperated groan instead, rolling her eyes heavenward. Barbara looked over as she dropped down onto the other side of the couch from Kelly, ears perking up. "What's wrong, Fluffy?" Sighing and looking down towards her feet, heart beating hard in her chest, Kelly tried to think fast, come up with something to cover for herself with. Then she remembered something from just the previous week that had genuinely upset her parents. "Well... there was this guy on TV, some religious nutjob, he was ranting about morphics the other day. Talking about how we aren't good enough for God because we, um, we can't control our animal instincts or something like that. He started talking about how felines are all secretly inbred, and how we're 'tainted by the devil' so we're all 'wanton and sinful beasts'. My parents got really upset and I couldn't look Davey in the eye all day... I'm sorry, I know you didn't mean anything, but that hit a little close to home, you know?" Dropping the shirt on the floor, ears reddening with embarrassment, Janet turned into a bit of a stammering mess. "Oh - oh God, Kelly, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to - I mean I wasn't really implying that you would - with your own b-brother... I just figured you, uh, hugged him really tight or something, not that you were like spooning or something - ah, n-not that that would be weird or bad or anything if it's a feline thing, I've heard sometimes that cats from the same litter are, you know, really close physically s-so..." The canine trailed off as everyone else in the room winced and shook their heads. Reggie took Kelly's bra off his head, clearly uncomfortable with the silly look at this particular moment, and indicated to Janet that he needed some help getting hers off his chest. As she went to work on the clasps, Chelsea looked over at Kelly with sympathy in her eyes. "Oh man, I think I heard about that. Wasn't that the same guy who said Haiti deserved that earthquake because they were evil, or something?" Barb lowered her head, looking down into her tightly woven fingers. "Oh, jeez. I know how you feel about religious types. Just look at my family. I mean, if they ever found out that, uh, I'm so liberal..." Across the room, Caitlin was now leaning against the wall with one leg up, a posture that was more comfortable for her species than it looked. She shook her head, grimacing as best she could with her beak. "Ugh. I hate people like that. Y'know, I thought something was weird, I remember one time Kitty here was making jokes about going down on her brother, to gross me out and stuff, but it looked like this really hit a nerve. Asshole better not walk the streets alone at night..."

There was silence for a moment; the others had bought Kelly's story, but the mood in the room had definitely soured somewhat. As Reggie slipped a faded T-shirt featuring the logo of a now broken-up rock band over his bare, though silky chest, he looked around at the others' sad faces, and grinned slyly. "...You know, Kelly, there's something I've been wondering about your brother, and since you're such a wanton, sinful beast, maybe you could answer it for me." Smirking, she crossed her arms. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this?" Steepling his fingers together, Reggie batted his big blue eyes and smiled innocently. "Weeeell, I saw a picture on the Internet the other day of a black cat who was recovering from a shark attack, and they'd shaved his chest to get at the wound. I thought he was a goner because he was so pale, but apparently black cats have light grey skin." Chelsea looked genuinely interested. "Huh, I didn't know that." Nodding to the human, Reggie continued. "So I figure, since you're such a deviant and all, could you let me know... if your studly big brother's cock is such a weird colour too?" As the other girls all laughed and giggled, Kelly blushed and grinned, despite herself. While she was, in fact, quite able to answer the question, and with more than a little detail, she felt it was best to keep that a secret and play the sister role as best she could. She made a face like she was gagging on some particularly vile edible, and shuddered. "Um... Ick! Come on, Reg, I prefer to think of my brother as being like a Ken doll, I go out of my way not to think about his junk!" Still giggling, Nina lit up. "But wait a minute, you had to have seen him naked when you were kids, right? Was it grey or pink?" The others all joined in the chorus, demanding answers, until Kelly finally raised her hands and surrendered. "Okay! Okay! Fine! It was grey the last time I saw it, but that was a while ago!" Yeah, she thought, all the way since this afternoon. "You satisfied now? Cause I'm kinda weirded out hearing you guys fawning over Davey, so the next person who brings up my brother's penis is gonna regret it! I think there's a movie we never finished that's begging for our attention. So how about we pop that back in and laugh at some fat suits instead of anything related to the previous topic?"

Mercifully, the others let the subject of David Parrish drop, for real this time, and the giggling teenagers went back to The Nutty Professor, which turned out to be much more enjoyable, even for Barb, with a few drinks on their belts. They did each other's nails, they talked about boys well into the night, they had a pillow fight, and all involved felt the sleepover was a smashing success. Finally, they were all worn out by their antics, and made themselves comfortable in their sleeping bags. There was a bit of an issue with Barbara snoring (which sounded unsettlingly like a feral growl, coming from a bobcat), and when Reggie fell asleep first, the others took great delight in sprinkling glitter into his fur, but for the most part, the evening went smoothly and the lot of them slept pretty well.

The next morning, when they blearily awakened one by one, all of them save Kelly and Barb were slightly confused by their mild head and stomachaches, though none of them were ill enough to be a real issue. Aside from the increased number of teenagers present, things went pretty normally. They once again occupied the kitchen, doing away with their symptoms with cold cereal and oatmeal, and discussed the coming week. After that, things went fairly smoothly in the Parrish house, aside from the fight for the shower being an even more tenacious one than usual, with an impatient Caity banging on the door after Reggie was taking too long trying to get the sparkles out of his golden coat. He hadn't appreciated the jokes about him secretly being a vampire, either. When everyone was clean and presentable, they spent a few hours watching TV, enjoying the retro channel's airing of cartoons they'd watched as children, and generally just relaxed, with Dave keeping a wide berth of them, especially when it came time for him to have his shower. But soon enough, people had to start leaving, rides began to show up, and the sleepover truly came to an end. Nina and Chelsea left first when Nina's mother arrived to whisk them away to a lunch outing. Kelly was pleased to see how much Chelsea had opened up to herself and the others, and was sorry to see her go, looking forward to the next chance they'd get to hang out. Janet was next, and the Maine Coon felt genuinely bad about feeling just slightly relieved that the friend most likely to stumble upon her secret was out of the house. Up next was Caitlin, with the whole Reeves family showing up to pick her up on their way to the airport; preparing for a vacation to Florida, one of the things that had started the ball rolling on this sleepover in the first place. "It's the weirdest thing, I feel like I just have to go south, like it's my destiny... Nah, I'm just messing with you, it's my Aunt Rochelle's birthday and we haven't seen her in a few years." Shortly after that, Reggie's brother Andy (of no relation to the Andy that Nina had dated, naturally) showed up to take the retriever to a play they had tickets to. When Barb asked, Reggie laughed and said that no, his brother was not gay, and one did not have to be in order to enjoy a good musical... though it probably helped. This left Kelly chilling on the couch with Barbara, who had nowhere in particular to be that day.

As the felines relaxed on the couch, Kelly's tail bobbing gently to show her relaxation, watching a particularly vapid reality show, the Maine Coon turned to her friend and broke the silence that had fallen over the room. "You know, I'm still kind of pissed about the booze thing." An ear rotated in Kelly's direction, but the lynx remained composed, still looking at the TV. "Why? It helped things out in the long run. You saw how Chelsea came out of her shell, right?" "And_you_ saw how everybody took their clothes off in the living room, right?" Barbara stiffened, then grudgingly nodded. "Fine, I'll give you that one." "You seemed more uncomfortable than anyone else, honestly. Even Chelsea seemed cooler with it when it was my turn." Barb glanced over at her friend, then away, rubbing her upper arm. "I... I'm just kinda uneasy with nudity, I guess." Kelly shrugged, looking back to the TV, where a profoundly ugly man was discussing an auction he was uncomfortably invested in. "The thing that bugs me isn't what happened, Barb, it's that you just went ahead and did it without even giving me a heads-up. If I hadn't noticed I was getting tipsy, would you have said anything at all?" The bobcat sighed, leaning over onto a hand, bracing her elbow against the arm of the couch. "I didn't think you'd mind." A few moments of awkward silence followed, and then Kelly let out a sigh of her own. "You know, you're probably right, I would have been cool with it if you let me know ahead of time." Barbara offered her a small smile. "I'll keep that in mind for next time." Looking back over, Kelly couldn't help but return the smile, and soon the tension in the room had melted, the two felines back to watching the show and commenting on the trainwrecks that were the central cast. A good ten minutes was spent on a discussion of whether or not they were aware that people watched the show ironically, and whether that would make a difference in the end. As the show came to an end, and the shady characters headed home with their questionable gains in the backs of their trucks, Barb looked at her watch and pouted, letting her ears droop a little. "Well, I hate to do this to you, Fluffy, but I should be heading home. There's a history paper that my momma has been getting on my case about, if I don't write it I'll never hear the end of it." As they stood, Kelly gave her friend a hug, as she liked to do on farewells, but her curiosity got the best of her as she leaned back. "Momma?" "What, you never noticed before? You think you're the only one who still calls her parents by a cute nickname?" They giggled together as they headed to the front door; Kelly was quietly pleased, feeling closer to Barb than before, as some of her other friends (Caitlin in particular) had teased her in the past for her refusal to let go of 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'. As the lynx tied up her boots, Kelly glanced upstairs and saw her brother casually leaned against a wall, watching with a smile. When she caught his eye, he winked and went back into his room, leaving the door ajar, the invitation obvious. She turned back just in time to see the bobcat slipping her coat on. "You sure you don't wanna call somebody for a ride?" "Nah, it's warm-ish out today, I can make the walk. Thanks for having me over, Fluff. I had a blast. Talk to you tonight?" "You know it. See you on Monday, Stubs." Opening the door, Barbara snickered. "'Stubs'?" "Well, if I get a nickname about my tail..." "Needs a bit of work, Kelly. See ya!" The Maine Coon leaned out the door to wave and see her friend off to the end of the driveway, then went back inside and shut the cool breeze out. "Now then..." Heading upstairs, humming happily to herself, Kelly let herself into her brother's room, where he was sitting on his bed, reading a book. Somehow, he didn't look terribly invested in it. "Hiya, Davey." If the sing-song voice hadn't given away her happiness, the fact that she was practically bouncing on the spot would have. "Hey little sister, fancy meeting you here." His smile only widened as Kelly locked the door behind her, and he casually put the book on the floor next to his bed and reached for his belt. "Now then, I believe I owe you a re-enactment..." "Mmmmm, and I'm really looking forward to it, not to mention all the other making up for lost time we're going to be doing... but first, I just wanna snuggle. Going into withdrawl after a whole night without." In truth, of course, there had been gaps much longer than that between nights where they dared sleep in the same bed, but Dave put on a sad face all the same. "Oh, you poor thing. Come here, big brother's gonna make it alllll better..."

And so, finally free from prying eyes (and noses) that might seek to suss out the truth she held so closely to her heart, Kelly Parrish sighed happily, secure in the arms of the man she loved, allowing herself to close her eyes, let the stress leave her body, and purr, shivering happily as it grew to match the identical sound that told her that Dave was enjoying this tender moment just as much as she was.