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The Shape of Things: An Evening With Tai By Green

Vincent Linus looked deep in the mirror, trying to calm his nerves. So far, it didn't seem to be working, as the arctic fox looking back at him seemed visibly stressed. Vinnie briefly wondered whether he would be less stressed if he really were a white fox, but then decided, no, this would actually be much, much worse if he were considering the actions he was about to take without his personal background. Sighing, he shook his head, and then noticed something. He'd recently accented his snow white fur with dark green lines forming a complicated, though meaningless pattern, but two of the lines on his face weren't symmetrical, the one on the right being a whole inch higher than the one on the left, and now that he'd noticed, he couldn't not see it. He smirked thinly, shaking his head. Another reason his background came in handy, thought the Mokaji, since if it had been dye, well, that would have been a problem. As he watched, the green line on the right moved down to fall in line and behave itself, now perfectly mirroring the other side. The green line had moved, and just the green line; the fur underneath didn't budge, just the colouration, which seemed to seep from hair to hair like a living thing. For indeed, unlike most species, in which the hair and fingernails were dead matter, there wasn't any part of Vinnie's body that wasn't very much alive. It was all just part and parcel of being a shapeshifter.

Standing up straight, Vincent found for some reason that the tiny exercise of his peoples' inherent gift, the Change, had made him feel a bit better. Taking advantage of the situation, he turned and strode from the bathroom into the hallway of the apartment he shared with his friend Andrew Raynor, a komodo dragon, who was presently out at a meeting for the faculty at the community college where he taught psychology. Vinnie was quietly glad, for while Andrew was his friend, the young professor was hardly above using his training to read Vincent like a book, and he might not approve of this action. Vinnie approached the door to his own room, as he could hear faint music coming from within and knew that their other roommate must be inside, not having a room of her own to entertain herself with. Confidently opening the door, Vincent stepped inside, but his greeting died on his lips as he caught sight of the slender tigress lying facing away from him on her stomach on his bed; her feet were in the air, her tail was flicking about happily, and her head bobbed to and fro, so engrossed in a music video that she was oblivious to the flustered male's presence. The reason for Vinnie's reaction, of course, was that while she was wearing a loose, bulky T-shirt, the only thing the tigress had on below the waist was a pair of panties. Biting his lip, Vinnie forced himself to look at the back of the younger woman's head, at the long red hair flowing casually over her shoulders, at the headphones she was holding against her ears with her hands to get a better seal, apparently really into whatever she was listening to. But as he tried to get the words to form, the false fox couldn't fight the urge to let his gaze stray, and he stood there helplessly as his eyes traced her feminine form down to the feline's shapely rear, blatantly leering at her soft, perky ass, marvelling at the way it was barely obscured by her long, thin tail, which only served to tantalize her audience, and the way her pert, round buttocks were supported and accented by the pink fabric that hid her treasures from the ogling gaze of deviant intruders like him. Vinnie swallowed, his ears lowering in embarrassment, even as he couldn't tear his eyes away from that perfect rear. He loved pink panties on a girl, almost as much as he loved red hair... but not nearly as much as he had a thing for felines, even if he refused to admit it to his friends. As he watched, the tigress lowered her feet and seemed to push against the mattress with her shins, lifting her butt just off the surface of the bed, angling it forward, her tail raising high and flicking back and forth as though she were giving him an invitation.

This was really too much, and Vinnie was starting to actually feel shame at watching her like this. Stepping back into the hall, Vinnie took a moment to compose himself, forcing his ears to stand up again and cheating away the blush by using the Change to momentarily hide those blood vessels deeper under his skin. Then, he stepped forward again, and when he was only halfway through the door, he raised his voice. "Tai?" The tigress paused her video and took off her headphones, looking over her shoulder and smiling, perfectly comfortable and composed. If she had any issue with the fox seeing her in her underwear, she hid it extremely well. "Hello, niola," she said, happily, a bit of a purr to her voice, "I was catching up on the culture stuff you recommended, and I just discovered this really neat band, they're called 'Daft... Punk'? Odd name, but the music is unlike anything we had back Home. Have you heard of them?" As she spoke, she began to nod her head in tune with the music she'd been listening to... and her luscious rear began to sway back and forth. Ignoring it, Vinnie forced his face to remain composed. It helped that she'd had another of her moments where she displayed an adorable obliviousness to the culture around her. "Yeah, yeah, I think I've heard the name come up a few times," he deadpanned, grinning, "Listen, ah... What's the most polite way to ask this... what the hell are you doing in my room without pants on?" Batting her eyes at him innocently, Tai gestured to the side of the room. "I spilled a bunch of water on my pants and hung them up to dry," she said, indicating a pair of damp-looking jeans hanging off the side of his dresser, "Why? Why did you think I was in here without pants on, niola?" Vinnie crossed his arms and sighed heavily. "For the same reason as last time," he replied, giving her a Look. Tai just laughed gently and wiggled her rump at him, her tail now flagged all the way up, making her invitation explicit instead of suggestive. "Oh come on, Vinnie, don't be such a party pooper," she teased, "You can look if you want, after all, you've seen me naked plenty of times before. You remember that valley we found that one summer? The one with the waterfall? You came down in the morning, and I was trying to bathe in the water like they do in all the movies, and you said I was the most beautiful girl you'd ever seen... even if I was your little sister. Mmmm, that was one of my favourite kisses..." Vinnie's ears lowered again as he reluctantly remembered, biting his lip as his heart gave a flutter. That was one of his favourite kisses, too...

"Look, Tai," he finally said, "We both know your ass is amazing, but can you put it away so I can talk to you, or has teasing me become more important to my niara?" The word was Mokaj for 'sister' (more or less), the opposite-gendered equivalent in the Mokaji native tongue to niola. "Oh, alright," she replied, sighing heavily as she rolled over and sat up, as though this were a major inconvenience to her, "What did you want to talk about, big brother? Oooh! Were you finally going to admit you love me back?!" This time, there was no teasing, just hope in her excited voice. Tai was being completely earnest, and Vincent couldn't help but shiver just a little. "N-no, uh... not yet," he said, averting his eyes, "Look, Tai, we've been apart for years and years, and other than you trying to jump me every other night, and then our little heart-to-heart about you trying to jump me, we haven't really spent much time together. I was just thinking, I don't know, maybe we could hang out, spend some time by ourselves without Andrew around, quietly judging us, so that we could just catch up." He looked up again and managed a smile. "I just wanna get to know the Tai you've become since I left Home, alright? I - it would really help me figure out how I feel about you. So you wanna go out and get some dinner or something?" The tigress' ear twitched and her eyes widened in excitement, erasing the disappointment that had spread across her face when Vinnie had admitted he hadn't yet worked it out. "Wait, you - you actually wanna try and figure it out?" she asked, "You're not just saying that to put me off? I - hold on, dinner? ...Vincent, are you asking me on a date?" Blushing, Vinnie put a hand on the back of his neck. "W-well, uh, I hadn't thought of it with th-that word," he stammered, "but I suppose you might c-call it that, I was just going to call it dinner, and-" Tai stood up and cut his rambling off there by hugging him tightly, paying no heed to her state of relative undress. For once, it seemed unintentional. "I accept," she said, happily, "Just let me get the other pair of pants I totally could have been wearing this whole time." As she stepped towards the small chest of drawers she'd picked up at a yard sale somewhere, tired of keeping her stuff in her suitcase, Tai paused and looked back at him. "...Niola, do you really think my ass is 'amazing'?" she asked, smiling playfully. Vinnie rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. "You're a shapeshifter, Tai, of course it's amazing," he said, crossing his arms, "But if you're fishing for compliments, how about this... you're an excellent ass sculptor, all of your booties have been impeccably designed." She laughed happily at that, and Vinnie walked out of the room, his stress and worry evaporating. He could worry about what to call their little outing once he'd seen where it lead.

A few minutes later, Tai came out of his room, and Vincent was genuinely relieved to see that she was wearing pants this time. As she slipped a tasteful sweater over her head, pausing to tug her long hair out, she smiled at her brother in a much more family-friendly way, the fun apparently over for now. "So where are we going, niola?" she asked, "I haven't gotten the chance to eat out much since I got here." Vincent immediately thought of a joke about cunnilingus, but didn't dare utter it aloud, knowing she would only try to spin it as a suggestion or an invitation. Instead, he just turned away and picked his coat up off the hook, pushing those thoughts aside. Meanwhile, Tai stopped in her tracks, suddenly looking uneasy. "Wait, this isn't, like, a super fancy place, is it?" she asked, nervously, "Because I, um, I don't really have any formal clothes..." Looking back at her, Vinnie grinned in what he hoped was a supportive manner. "No, nothing like that, what you've got on will be fine," he said, waving dismissively, "It's this little place I know over by the supermarket, it's called the Looking Glass." Tai smiled adorably at that, perking right up as she scampered over to get her own jacket. "Ooooh, sounds magical!" Slipping his toque out of the pocket where he kept it by habit and slipping it onto his head, Vinnie grabbed his boots and glanced over to chuckle at her enthusiasm. "Sorry, little sister, no magic there," he said, "just a really good line-up of pasta and sandwiches and stuff. I think you're gonna like it." Whatever Tai was about to say slipped out of her mind as she laid eyes on the heavy boots her brother was putting on. "Ohh, we're not walking, are we?" she said, pouting cutely and regarding him uncertainly. Mildly surprised, Vinnie shrugged. "Well, it's not that far..." Tai stepped forward and grabbed his hand, holding it between both of her own, and Vinnie inhaled sharply, though she didn't seem to notice. He'd forgotten about this little quirk, that Tai would do that whenever she wanted something or was trying to convince him to come around to her line of thinking. "But it's sooooo cold, niola!" she complained, "My whiskers practically froze off last time! I don't know why these Canadians choose to live here anyway, they must all be nuts..." Looking into those big, wide, blue eyes, feeling her soft hands cupping his, Vinnie felt a shiver run down his spine (and distantly wondered whether actual tigers could have blue eyes, but that's neither here nor there). "Uhh, I guess we could drive, if you'd really prefer it..." he said, somewhat reluctantly - reluctant not so much because she was being unreasonable as it was that he'd recalled that he'd never been able to say 'no' when she did this, and he'd never been sure if she was aware of that or not. She lit up, beaming from ear to ear, and Vinnie was further reminded that her sheer delight at getting her way had been another of the reasons he'd always caved in the past. "Yay! Thank you, big brother." Before he could respond, she leaned in and kissed him, just a quick peck on the cheek, over before he knew what was happening... but as she walked to the closet to retrieve her sneakers, a part of Vinnie couldn't help but wish it had been more.

Not long after that, Vinnie had found a good parking space outside the humble, though well-maintained eatery, and he and Tai were picking their way across the snowy parking lot, Vinnie silently bemoaning the choice to switch to shoes and leave his boots behind. He hoped it would be nice and toasty inside and that his socks would dry out quickly. Kicking at the snow, Tai sighed loudly. "Hmph. Stupid snow," she muttered, "I shoulda made myself one of those Siberian tigers, all plushy and warm..." She looked over her shoulder at her brother and smirked, but instead of a snide remark, a high-pitched yelp came out of her mouth as she slipped on some ice hidden beneath the snow and fell backwards. It was an easy manoeuvre for the fox to reach out and grab her before she fell to the ground, but Vinnie was still worried. "Whoa! You okay, niara?" he asked, holding her tight as she regained her footing. Once she got her feet under her, Tai twisted around in the fox's arms so that she was facing him, and reached forward to hug him. For once, there wasn't a trace of guile on her face, and Vinnie realized how nice it was to hold his sibling when she wasn't trying to embarrass and/or forcibly seduce him. "Thank you, big brother," she whispered. Vinnie gave her a squeeze and smiled. "Don't mention it. Heh, so much for feline grace." She giggled at that and gave him a falsely upset look. "Hey, being a kitty is harder than it looks, okay?" she asked, her faux-indignance not terribly convincing, "If I were still a gecko, I'd be dancing across this parking lot! Well, except that geckos are supposed to be cold-blooded, so I'd have to pretend to be all tired and stuff... Huh, that actually sounds like a bigger pain than combing all this fur." Finally letting go, she stood back up and smiled at him. "Thanks for the save, niola," she said, softly. He winked and nodded. "I haven't been a cat in a while, but maybe next time, pay attention to your whiskers?" he replied, "They're usually pretty good at helping you keep your balance." They walked on towards the restaurant, moving a bit more carefully this time, as they discussed the fine points of properly emulating a feline.

Once they set foot inside, Vinnie actually sighed in relief, feeling the muscles in his feet relax now that they didn't have to deal with the snow. The Looking Glass was a cozy little affair, classy enough that service staff waited on each individual table, but not so classy as to have a dress code or a reservations list. Kicking what snow remained off their shoes, they found an empty booth near the back. As they sat down, slipping their coats off onto the bench seats next to them, Tai let out a little sigh of her own, closing her eyes and stretching out now that she could relax. "I really need to get a good pair of boots," she muttered, "remind me to do that later on, when I'm not on a date with my bi- with my niola." One ear twitching curiously, Vinnie grinned at the slender female. "Did you just stop yourself from saying 'big brother'?" he asked, keeping his voice to a whisper to avoid undermining her efforts if he was right. Blushing slightly, Tai nodded. "I - I really like the idea of this being a date," she admitted, "So I thought I would just refer to you by the term nobody around here would know means, um... means that we probably shouldn't be dating - by their rules, anyway." The emphasis she gave to the word 'their' made it abundantly clear how Tai felt about anyone who would negatively judge the Mokaji for pursuing a relationship with each other. The dark expression passed from her face quickly, though, and she picked up the menu and peered at it curiously. "So, ah, what's good here anyway, Vinnie?" she asked, her tail flicking back and forth as she scanned the laminated sheets, seeking deliciousness. Leaning forward, opening his own menu, her brother compared the food on offer to what he knew of his sister's tastes, hoping that her preferences hadn't changed much since their separation. "Well let's see, the soup of the day can be pretty good," he said, "I've had good experiences with the fish in the past, but Andrew can't stand it, oh, and there's a good lineup of burgers and sandwiches." Nodding along, Tai pointed off to one side of the menu and smiled sweetly. "Are the pork chops any good?" she asked, which briefly gave Vincent pause. "I don't rightly know," he finally admitted, trying very hard not to feel like he was failing his little sister, "I don't think I've ever tried them before. There was a pulled pork sandwich that I really liked, but that's not quite the same thing..." The tigress didn't look at all put off by that, and just patted the back of Vinnie's hand. "That's okay, I'll just have to let you know when I'm done with them!" she said, brightly. She switched from patting to scruffing at the fur on her brother's hand, almost absently, as if she weren't aware of it. Still making eye contact, she tilted her head just slightly to the side and smiled benevolently. "So what are you getting, niola?" Reluctantly pulling his hand away, as it had actually felt quite good, the older sibling went back to the menu, quickly looking through some old favourites. "Uhh... I think I'm gonna go with the chicken sandwich, I really like that one..." he said, idly nodding to himself, as though someone else had suggested it and he was agreeing with them. It was a habit he'd had when making decisions for a very long time, and across the table, Tai smirked just slightly.

After a moment, Vinnie looked up at Tai again, and as the siblings waited to be served, Vinnie decided to take this opportunity, alone with his sister, to ask a question he'd been pondering since their reunion. "Hey, Tai... uh, I was wondering..." he started, nervously, "Why did you become a tiger? Back Home, you were all about reptiles, and when you showed up as a feline, I wasn't sure it was you even when I sensed it." Owing to their shapeshifting ways, the Mokaji had a sixth sense that allowed them to identify each other without fail; a Mokaji will always recognize another Mokaji they already know, no matter what form they're in. After hesitating for a moment, Vinnie forced himself to finish the thought. "...It's just that, um, I know that I've always had a thing for cats, and, well, with you making your hair red that first night, I've kinda been worried that the only reason you're feline is, ah, because of your whole plan to seduce me..." Taking some of her hair in hand and absently fiddling with it, the tigress shrugged. "Well... I'd be lying if I said I hadn't just changed the hair colour to make myself more appealing to you..." she admitted, quietly, "But it's more than that, big b- Vinnie. After you left, I... I felt so alone, like you'd packed up my heart and taken it with you." As she spoke, her eyes drifted off to the side, and her ears slowly lowered towards her head, bad memories running through her mind as obviously as if they'd been displayed on her forehead. "I told you how I tried to stop loving you, how I tried to hate you, I thought that might make the pain go away..." she continued, toying with her menu to give her an excuse not to look him in the eye, "But when that didn't work, I... I don't know, I guess I wanted to feel close to you again, so I started spending time as your favourite species of mammals... you always did love the warmbloods, niola." She reached out and took hold of the hand she'd been playing with, this time just holding it in her own, rubbing her thumb against the back. "At first, I was just hurting, doing things you liked and spending time in places you loved to try not to miss you so badly, almost liked you'd died or something..." she whispered, her tail flicking behind her, "But the more time I spent as a mammal, the more I began to enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, Vinnie, I still love reptiles, and the way they're put together, but you were right, there's just something about the softness and warmth of mammals that feels weirdly... reassuring? It's hard to say it in English." Vinnie grinned and gave the tiger's hand a squeeze. "I know exactly what you mean, niara." She smiled at that, her pointed ears standing up again. "Besides that, as much as I like lizards, from my, ah, preliminary research, it seems most of these monoforms are a little uneasy around them," Tai added, "But one thing everybody loves is kitties. The Internet is full of them!" Vincent suddenly wondered if this 'preliminary research' was entirely based on her findings on the Internet, but before he could ask, a somewhat tired-looking snow leopardess walked up to the table, and the flustered male pulled his hand away from Tai's grip, as though afraid the waitress would magically know that her customers were siblings on a forbidden date. Vinnie blushed slightly as he regarded the woman, and got the impression that she didn't care who they were as long as they didn't make her job too difficult. "Hey there, how's it going?" she asked, rhetorically, though not unkindly, "You two ready to order?" Tai, who had put on a surprised pout as Vinnie recoiled from her touch, quickly smiled and batted her eyes at her brother. "Well, I'm ready, what about you, honey?" she asked, in her best 'loving girlfriend' voice. Swallowing, using his little trick to cheat his blush back into hiding, the white fox managed a smile. "Sure, darling, let's eat."

After the waitress left, Tai turned back to her brother curiously. "Hey, speaking of warm and soft, I really like your pelt," she said, smiling genuinely, "It feels so plush today, did you do something different with it?" Vinnie grinned, flattered she'd noticed just from touching his hand. "Yeah, actually, arctic foxes are supposed to get a winter coat that's thicker and warmer," he replied, before shrugging and grinning. "Actually, I'm only supposed to be all white in the winter, real arctic foxes are mostly brown in the spring and summer... but where's the fun in that?" Moving her hands over her mouth, Tai giggled delightedly. "I knew you would understand the purr thing!" she said, "father doesn't like it when I do things like that, she's always like 'You should always strive for as perfect a replication of the target species as possible, young lady.'" Tai actually said this last bit in Mokaj, and Vinnie snickered at her not-terribly-flattering impression of their father, who actually preferred to be female more often than not. Leaning back in her seat, Tai beamed at her brother. "Ahhh... I've missed this, niola," she said, almost nostalgically, "Just spending time with you, talking about nothing important... Reminds me of the old days, like the first time we went camping together. I thought we would just spend the whole day in each other's arms, but you found that little trail through the woods and we spent hours just exploring the forest... We were talking the whole time, but I don't remember a single thing we talked about, because that wasn't as important as the person I was talking with." Vinnie couldn't help but smile back. "I remember that... I like to think of that memory when I -" he paused, then took a deep breath, fighting off the urge to be nervous. "...When I missed you, niara. No matter how hard I tried, I could never quite keep you out of my mind for long... and thinking of that weekend helped me feel better." Daring to look at his sister, he smiled as he saw her blushing; Tai seemed moved. After a moment, though, she giggled and smiled slyly. "That wouldn't happen to be because after we watched the moon rise, we made love all night long, would it?" she asked, teasingly. Vinnie couldn't help but laugh softly even as he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "I might have thought of that part," he said, grinning back, "When I was feeling especially lonely..." Tai giggled again, and Vinnie felt more comfortable around his sister than he had since... well, since before she'd confessed that she was in love with him, really.

A few moments passed in silence, and then Tai held up her arms and tugged down her sleeves. As Vinnie watched, eyes widening, the fur covering his niara's slender arms began to change colour, slowly shifting from a tiger's stripes to the grey and black and white of a snow leopard's spots. "You think if I make myself look exactly like our waitress, they'll let me in the back?" she asked, casually, "What was her name, Liz? Lisa? Something like that..." His ears slapping against his head with a quiet thwip, Vinnie swallowed an agitated canine whine. His sister was brave and confident, of course, but he didn't think she was so reckless as to shapeshift in an open area full of solids! "You - you can't just Change right here in public!" he protested, putting as much emphasis into a whisper as he could, "Jesus, Tai, somebody could see you!" Tai tilted her head to the side and pouted, but at least the leopard pattern stopped spreading through her fur. "I was just kidding, niola," she said, "What would I even do in the kitchen? Spit in the food? This isn't exactly Area 41, there aren't fun secrets back there." "It's 51." "Whatever. The point is, I'm just bored." She blinked, and then grinned enthusiastically. "Can you imagine the look on her face if she came back and I was a different species?" she asked, squirming in her chair, "Oh, man!" The leopard-pattern resumed spreading through her fur. Vinnie bit his lip. If he sounded like an older sibling scolding her, she'd do it just to spite him, or in their specific case, she might do something flirtatious just to tease him, like flashing her cleavage and asking if the pattern looked right on her chest. He needed to take a different approach. Lowering his ears, he pouted and gave her the Sad Puppy Face that his canid form granted him. "...But niara," he said, softly, "You're so much cuter than she is..." That certainly got her attention. "You - you really think so?" the mish-mashed feline asked, blushing. With a giggle, she looked away. "Oh, certainly!" he said, "The curves of your face are elegant and strong, and the orange in your fur really accents your hair. I mean, I thought you were trying to make yourself into my ideal female, remember?" Giggling again, Tai smiled self-consciously. "Well, I do value your opinion pretty highly... I suppose the tiger is starting to feel like a comfy, familiar coat by now anyway. Don't get me wrong, Vinnie, I'm guessing you're just buttering me up to keep me from making the waitress think she's crazy, but I'm willing to play along. Flattery will get you everywhere, you know. Even a few less savory places." She winked at him as the snow leopard-coloured fur in her pelt changed hues again, and within moments, she looked just as much like an ordinary tigress as she did when she walked in the door... though he couldn't help but notice that her eyes had suddenly Changed to have an Inherited appearance, being a solid yellow with slit-like pupils in the middle. He guessed from the wink she sent his way that Tai was just trying to tease him. Somehow, with a minor crisis avoided, he found that he couldn't get too worked up about that, and just smiled back at her.

Shortly after that, Vinnie felt Tai's foot, clad in a sock, touch lightly against his own foot, still wrapped in a shoe that was finally starting to feel dry and warm. Smiling at her brother, she teased her toes underneath the edge of his pant leg. "I wish this place had long tablecloths, niola," she whispered, "I could make a foot into a hand and get you off without anyone knowing... I always loved watching your face as I made you mine, it would be fun to see it out here in the open, our little secret... I suppose I could leave it as a foot if you've, you know, gotten into that kind of thing since the last time we were together." As she chuckled, Vinnie blushed, unable to keep from imagining himself ejaculating in his sister's tender grip, biting his lip to keep the people surrounding them unaware of his pleasures, and Tai watching him twitch and tremble with that playful smile of hers covering her face. "I don't suppose it means much if I said I'd rather you didn't," he said, swallowing nervously. The way she was teasing her toes into his pant leg made him imagine her taking that sock off and extending her limb up his leg and making good on her plan from inside his pants, bringing him to climax without anyone around them being any the wiser. "Awww, I'm just teasing, Vinnie, you know I wouldn't really do anything you didn't like," she responded, pulling her foot away, "You used to love it when I teased you like that." Vinnie nodded, acknowledging that, and then shrugged. "Well... things are different out here. And I know you used to love those stories of people falling in love, but relationships, real loving relationships, are about more than just sex." His none-too-subtle reference to her confessed feelings for him made Tai frown just slightly, but then she nodded and reached down to slip her shoe back on. "That's true, but then, our relationship was supposed to just be casual sex," she commented slyly, "And it started me looking at you in a whole new light, realizing how much you meant to me, both as my niola... and as my ji'ren-re." The fox felt a shudder run down his back, and he blushed again. The word was one of several ways of saying 'beloved' in Mokaj, and she'd only used it once before, during her confession back Home. Hearing it again just reminded him of the conviction in her eyes as she told him she loved him as a woman loves a man, not just as a sister loves a brother, and it filled him with conflicting emotions.

Vincent found himself at a loss for words, not sure how to respond to that, and he knew his discomfort would be as obvious on his face as the green stripes he'd placed through his fur. Tai smiled at him again, and this time, it seemed... much more relaxed, somehow, like she wasn't trying to flirt with him or make him uncomfortable, it was the way, well, it was the way you might smile at a friend of yours. He had to admit, it looked good on her. "By the way, niola," she said, "I was wondering, how exactly did you get your job at that magazine? And... of all the things you can do out here, why would you choose to write an advice column for a magazine?" Vinnie wasn't sure if she was deliberately changing the subject from their confusing relationship, but either way, she seemed so earnestly interested in the answer that he just grinned at her, going along with it. "Well, to be fair, it's not like I started off determined to get that exact job," he said, shrugging, "I just... Well, you remember those long talks we had back Home. I used to get frustrated about how our people seemed more content to go over the books and movies and stuff we got from Outside, to experience the stories from out here, than to try and write stories of their own. I wanted to try and write my own stories, and I wanted to start by getting a job writing for something. Figured it would help me find my own voice..." He shrugged. "I wasn't exactly expecting to end up at Modern Canid, I have to admit, but it was better than getting a job moving boxes around, I guess..." he said, scratching at the side of his muzzle, "I actually felt a little guilty about it for a while, they're all about 'expressing and exploring canine culture in today's world', and here I am, not even really a fox. It's not so bad, really, foxes aren't as dedicated to canine traditions as most breeds, so nobody minds - much - when I draw a blank on a topic they're writing about." The elder Mokaji started idly tracing his finger along the tabletop, mindlessly tracing a meaningless pattern. "Actually, for a while they had me writing articles from the perspective of someone who isn't as dedicated to the traditions as some of the other writers, it was kinda nice," Vinnie continued, "the whole advice column thing mostly started as an excuse for them to call the feature 'What Does the Fox Say?'." Tai nodded and frowned slightly, putting on a thoughtful expression. "Andy showed me the video when I asked why the name was funny," she said, scratching her chin, "Is... is that really what they sound like out here? Because they just sort of sounded like... I don't know, yappy dogs back Inside." Vinnie chuckled at her seriousness and waved dismissively. "No, no, not at all, that was the joke," he said, grinning, "they're the same out here as they are back Home." Tai grinned at him and chuckled along with him. "Oh, good," she said, "I was half-convinced you might make those noises to try and fit in." The siblings laughed at that together, and Vincent found himself relaxing more and more, feeling better about things.

Just as Vinnie was starting to wonder what was taking so long, he spotted their waitress returning to the table. The snow leopardess, whose nametag read 'Liza', for the record, smiled as she carefully placed their drinks - both shapeshifters had ordered iced tea - and the dishes of steaming food they'd ordered in front of the siblings with a practiced ease. "Sorry about the delay, we had a little trouble in the kitchen," she said, smiling pleasantly, "Here's your chicken sandwich meal... and here's your pork chops with our signature sauce." Tai beamed up at the other feline, her whiskers twitching happily. "Thank you, this looks delicious," she said, "I'm sure it's worth the wait." As she took a sip, Vincent nodded to the leopard, mildly surprised by his sister's enthusiasm. "Yes, thanks, ah, Liza, looks great." She gave him a smile and a polite 'enjoy your meal' as she headed off to see to other patrons, and the Mokaji found themselves alone in the corner again. Picking up a fork and a knife, Tai set upon her pork chops, and Vinnie took a nice bite of his sandwich. All things considered, this really wasn't going so bad, he thought, and he'd probably enjoy spending more time with Tai like this... provided she continued to behave herself. "Mmm, this sauce is actually really good!" Tai said, chewing thoughtfully, "I can't quite put my finger on the flavour, what did she say it was?" Washing down a mouthful of sandwich with some tea, Vinnie shrugged. "I think she just said it was the chef's special, or something," he said, "Don't think they actually said what was in it. Maybe in the menu..." The two of them continued to eat, making idle conversation about the quality of their food, and the white fox was surprised to find how hungry he was; he'd been so distracted worrying about how Tai was going to act in front of all these monoforms, and whether or not she would try to seduce him and confuse his feelings, that he hadn't realized he really was in need of a good meal. Now, as they talked about movies they'd seen, Tai politely turned her head before clearing her throat and then grinned at her brother. "Oh yeah, I saw that one just last week!" she said, brightly, "Abigail showed me, this girl from down the hall. We met while I was doing laundry, you know, trying to help out around the apartment, and we sort of became friends." A smile wrapped itself around Vinnie's muzzle, and he felt strangely proud. "Niara, I'm so glad to hear you've got a friend!" he said, which might have sounded condescending to an outsider, "It can be really hard for Mo- ah, for foreigners like us, to bond socially with the locals. Especially before they get a grasp on the pop culture around here, get a nice frame of reference and such. I, uh, I'd been a bit worried, honestly, that you might not know anybody except me and Andrew." Swallowing another bite of pork, Tai grinned. "I'm glad you're worrying about me, niola, I missed having you around to care about me," she said, apparently sincerely, for there was no sign of playfulness on her face as she continued, saying "If anything, I think the pop culture problem helped. When she found out I'd never seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off, she acted like I'd never heard of air, or breathing, invited me to watch it with her at her apartment on the spot... You don't think she's trying to hit on me, do you?" Tai coughed and took a drink of her tea as Vinnie laughed softly. "I don't know, could be," he acknowledged, but I've known people who were so passionate about certain movies that they totally would invite strangers to watch it with them, just to share that first viewing with them." He saw a frown on her face and chuckled, winking at her. "Hey, if you're worried about her trying to get into your pants, just tell her you're courting your brother, and she'll stop," he teased, casually taking another bite of his sandwich.

Looking up, Tai put on a smile that was obviously faked to be polite. "No, no, it's not that," she said, pausing to cough, "I've just got something in my throat, I think... drinking doesn't seem to help." Vincent frowned and nodded, lowering his ears about halfway in sympathy. "Ooooh, I hate when that happens," he said, "I once coughed myself hoarse because of a rogue grain of rice. Shouldn't have been watching comedy, laughed while eating..." Tai covered her mouth and coughed again, looking frustrated. "You got any, uh, lozenges or something?" she asked Vinnie, waving Liza over as she passed. Vinnie turned around and glanced towards the window at the parking lot, as if confirming that it was still out there, and the restaurant hadn't moved to, say, the bottom of the ocean, or the surface of Mars. "Not on me," he said, "Back in the car. You want me to get some for you?" Tai waved dismissively as the snow leopardess approached. "No, no, I'll be fine, I'll get some when we leave..." she said, turning to the waitress, "Yes, hi, sorry to bother you, but can I get some water, please? I've got something stuck in my throat." The other feline frowned and nodded. While Vinnie had gotten the impression her earlier benign smile was a bit of a put-on, this sympathy seemed quite genuine. "Sorry to hear that, sugar," she said, "I'll be right back with your water. Water's free, by the way, but if you'd like a refill on your -" she paused for the briefest moment, glancing down at the table with a practiced eye to refresh her memory on what this particular couple had ordered, "- iced tea instead, I'd be happy to bring you one on the house." Tai smiled politely and shook her head. "No, no, water will be fine, but thank you."

As Liza left, the conversation lulled, and Vinnie tried to think of a way to get things back on happier thoughts. "So, uh, did you like the movie?" he asked, carefully. Tai managed to nod, but he could tell she was still distracted, and starting to blush for derailing things like this. Vinnie didn't actually mind, of course, but he'd known her long enough to recognize that facial expression. "Oh, yeah, it was -" cough "- it was fine, little bit too eighties for my taste, but I guess that comes with the -" cough "- with the territory, right? Jeez, I'm sorry about this, niola, that's what I get for talking while eating, right?" As she finished speaking, her facial muscles tensed up, obviously suppressing one more cough. Tai looked over at her brother, apparently determined to keep things going. "Abbie's nice, by the way, she's a, a jaguar, I think?" she said, her voice sounding a little strained, "One of those big cats, anyway... I don't know much about her past yet, but she's got a bit of a Spanish accent, and she... she has a feral dog who really seems to like me, big softie." Nodding, still a bit concerned, Vinnie nodded. "You know, I'd been wondering what exactly you get up to when you leave the apartment," he said, "I figured you didn't spend all of your time plotting ways to seduce me, but I was, um... I was a little afraid to ask, thought you might somehow turn the question back on me." Tai pouted at that. "Oh, Vinnie, I'm -" cough "- I'm sorry," she said, "If the way I was acting made you uncomfortable around me, or made you feel like you couldn't talk to me..." Here she paused for a somewhat extended series of coughs, and Vinnie could feel the eyes of other patrons of the restaurant turning towards them. When she calmed again, Tai shook her head, a little worse for wear. "...I just wanted to say," she continued, as if nothing had happened, "None of that was my intention, I just wanted... I just wanted a chance to show you how happy you make me, niola..." She punctuated her thought with a small cough, and Vinnie leaned forward. "Tai, I'm really starting to worry, are you okay?" he asked, starting to toy with his hands, what was left of his sandwich forgotten. Tai frowned intensely for a second and shook her head. "Yes! I'll - I'll be fine once I get a lozenge, or some water or something..." she muttered, looking relieved as she spotted Liza the waitress returning to their table with a pitcher of water and a glass. "You - you were wondering how I spend my t-time outside the apartment?" she asked, seemingly in denial of her issue, "W-well, I go to the library a lot, learning about books and movies and s-stuff, and sometimes I go to the mall just to see what -" cough "- what stores are selling, and to people-watch... And I've been thinking of getting a part-time job at this small b-bookstore I found, it's called... it's c-called..." Tai trailed off and took in a deep, raspy breath with some effort, her ears slowly rotating back and flattening against her head as her eyes widened, the feline pupils narrowing to slits while panic began to cover her facial features. "V-V-Vinnie!" she gasped, reaching for her throat, "I c... I can't... I can't breathe!"

As Vincent watched, horrified, his sister coughed and gagged and grabbed her throat, moving around on her seat in panic and half-sliding off in her efforts to get up. "Tai!" he cried, suddenly finding himself on his feet. He swung around to her side of the table and took hold of her. There were worried looks and murmurs coming from all around the restaurant now, and Liza the snow leopardess stood there next to their table, dismayed. "Niara!" Vinnie said, his eyes searching her face in a panic, "I - you..." he had no idea what to say, since she couldn't respond anyway... she couldn't actually be choking, since she hadn't taken a bite in a few minutes; indeed, her meal was only half eaten, sitting forgotten and ignored on her plate - wait a second. Suddenly recognizing what was happening, Vincent's own eyes widened and he turned to the waitress. "Liza!" he snapped, panicked, "The sauce on the pork chops! The 'restaurant's signature sauce'! What's in it?!" Tensing slightly, as if startled, Liza lowered her ears as if afraid she'd get in trouble, her tail flicking back and forth in agitation. "I - we - peanut sauce!" she finally blurted out, "It's peanut sauce, with - with a few spices and herbs added, I don't remember exactly what, n-nobody's asked for the specifics in a while! Do - do you need me to ask somebody? Sh-should we call an ambulance or something?" Vinnie had turned back to his sister almost immediately, having already heard all he needed, so it was a good thing he wasn't facing the snow leopard as he flinched at these last words; bringing Tai to a hospital was the last thing he wanted, since there was no way to know if there even were any monoform doctors working there who'd agreed to help Mokaji in the Outside and keep their secret safe. One blood test, and they'd discover that Tai's DNA was rather more complex than most tigresses, and the questions would start coming... Vinnie only briefly pondered this, though, more focused on the immediate problem of his niara's well-being. "No, we don't need an ambulance, it's a peanut allergy," he said, which made a glimmer of recognition light up in Tai's eyes behind the fear as she continued to wheeze and choke, just barely managing to draw breath. He put a hand on her shoulder, looking her dead in the eyes and speaking calmly but incredibly firmly, demanding her attention in a way that wouldn't panic her further. "Niara. Listen to me. Don't try to talk, just nod yes or no," he said, fighting to keep his own voice steady and even, "When you left Home," - here he put extra emphasis on the word, to make it clear that he was talking about the Inside, not their apartment, while still keeping it nice and vague, since people were listening in - "Did you remember to bring the - the..." he frowned as he realized he couldn't remember the name of the syringe-like device Tai used to treat her allergy. Flustered, he sighed in frustration and made a fist, bringing it down against his thigh and miming the use of the injector. "The thing! The thing you use to..." Tai was already nodding, and Vinnie sighed in relief, both that she'd said yes, and that she'd understood his poor explanation of whatever-it-was-called. "Good! Now, do you have it on you? In your coat, in your purse...?" Biting her lip, Tai shook her head no, and began to tremble. He moved in closer and put his arm around her, holding her close. "It's okay, niara, don't panic, don't get worked up, don't fight it, just focus on breathing as best you can," he said, "Is it back ho- At the apartment?" Another nod. Vinnie took a deep breath, and then squeezed her tight, leaning in close and whispering in Mokaj, saying, roughly, "It will be okay, little sister, I'm gonna go get the car, pull it in close to the entrance, and then I'm going to drive you home. Just hang on, and try not to lose your grip, not until we're in the car, okay?" It should be noted that 'losing your grip' is the closest English approximation of the Mokaji term for losing control of one's shapeshifting abilities due to stress, panic, pain, or some combination of the above. Vinnie leaned in close and kissed her on the cheek. "Be strong, little sister. I love you." In the heat of the moment, neither Mokaji read any further into those words than any other brother and sister out there would.

Turning back to Liza, he stood up and switched back to English, still trying to project that air of confidence. "She left her medicine at home, I'm going to go get the car and pull it up to the door, you help her get her coat back on," he said, assuming she hadn't been able to eavesdrop, "I'm gonna make sure she's okay." Her face tensing up, Liza nodded, a curious determination coming over her features. "Got it," she said, nodding, as if she were a soldier receiving orders from a superior officer. As she turned to the trembling tiger, Vinnie pulled his coat on and then hastily tugged what he was pretty sure was a couple of twenties out of his wallet, throwing them on the table and assuming that would be enough to cover their half-finished meal, and then, after practically running out the door, he forced himself to go slow enough that the ice and snow wouldn't make him fall on his ass and cost him more precious time. Slowing down like that was annoying enough, he barely even noticed the temperature. Switching the car on, he found himself genuinely empathizing with the common joke about how it was the 21st century but flying cars still hadn't been invented yet. Manoeuvring around the other parked cars and lamppost pillars made him long for the simplicity of videogame driving, where one could simply barrel through obstacles willy-nilly. Pulling up in front of the Looking Glass, Vinnie jumped out of the car and ran around to the door, where he was greeted by Liza and Tai exiting the building, clearly having seen him coming. He put his arm around his sister and nodded his thanks to the snow leopardess, who stood there, hugging her arms against the cold and watching the two of them go back to the car. Just as Tai got in, Liza spoke up. "Hey! Feel better soon, Niara!" she called, "You guys eat on the house next time, even if the boss gets pissed at me for saying that!" This was the second time someone had assumed niara was Tai's name from the way Vinnie called her that, the first being Andrew the night he met her, but this time, Vincent was too pre-occupied with her health to find that amusing. Waving vaguely to the waitress, he jumped back into the car and forced himself not to push the pedal to the floor, knowing he'd just spin out in all this snow anyway. As they drove home, Vinnie found it was all he could do to keep his eyes on the road and not constantly glance over at his sister, who sat there, hunched over and wheezing. Now in the relative privacy of a moving car, she'd relaxed her control over the Change, and whenever she coughed, her fur would ripple as if agitated, and the stripe patterns would re-arrange themselves. As they reached a stop light, Tai whimpered, and Vinnie looked over just as her throat ballooned outwards obscenely, as if she were an enthusiastically croaking frog, accompanied by the tiger sucking in the first deep breath she'd taken since accidentally setting off her allergies. "Hey! S-stop that!" said the false fox, "That might - well I don't know what that might do, but the choking is an involuntary body thing! Fighting it might make it worse!" This admittedly came from a place of panic, but Tai let her throat shrink back down, stopping when it was just a little more swollen than usual, and gave her brother a plaintive look as the light turned green and they continued on their way. Though it ate at him, Vinnie forced himself to keep to the speed limits, knowing that getting pulled over with Tai like this might be even worse than bringing her to a random hospital.

After they finally reached the building, the siblings jumped onto the elevator, which began to amble upwards towards their floor, while Vinnie silently wondered whether his building had suddenly become much taller, or if this was just the slowest elevator he'd ever been on. Turning to Tai, who leaned against the wall, coughing and wheezing, he put an arm around her shoulder. "It's gonna be alright, niara," he whispered, "We're almost there, all will be well..." For about one second, Vinnie felt a sudden surge of paranoia, convinced that his words had guaranteed some kind of elevator malfunction that would trap them in here. But the elevator kept trundling upwards, and he soon found something else to think about as Tai pushed off the wall and turned to face him directly, reaching up and putting her hands on the back of his head. "Niara?" he asked, wondering if she felt like she was about to faint or something. Instead, she pulled him in closer without warning and pressed her lips against his. Vinnie was startled at first, but then whimpered through his nose, letting a little of the stress out, and hugged her back. There was no tongue, and it only lasted the last few seconds of their elevator ride, but somehow, that one kiss seemed to carry more meaning than every other one he'd had since leaving Home. As the doors opened, brother and sister broke their embrace and set it aside, Vinnie blushing like it was going out of style and trying to focus on one emergency at a time. The two of them hurried back to Vinnie and Andrew's apartment, where Vinnie sat Tai down on Andrew's fancy couch, where Tai had been sleeping since she arrived, still fully dressed in their winter wear, and started frantically searching around it, until she touched his shoulder and wordlessly pointed in the general direction of his own bedroom. "It's in the bag of stuff you left in my closet?" he asked, getting an enthusiastic nod in return, and ran off, relieved to have gotten it in one guess (though admittedly, the odds of her storing important medicine in some random cranny of his bedroom were pretty low. In what felt like no time at all, he grabbed the bag and brought it back to the couch, finding Tai trembling again, with narrowed eyes. Assuming that was a bad thing, Vinnie whimpered and began going through the bag. Fortunately, it was mostly full of clothing; panties and jeans and skirts for the summer an assortment of socks, and so on, so the smooth plastic tube containing the injection device rather stood out. He sat down next to Tai on the couch and finally allowed all his fear to bubble to the surface now that the end was in sight. "Just hang on, niara, everything's g-gonna be okay..." he muttered, clumsily removing the device from the tube. In case it had to be used in public by strangers, the syringe had idiot-proof instructions printed on the side in large bold letters, so he prepped the injection, popped off the lid, took a deep breath, and jabbed it into Tai's leg through her pants. She didn't even whimper or tense up. Only once he'd waited several seconds for the device to inject all the medicine did Vinnie realize he'd been holding his breath, and let it all out at once with a shudder. He pulled the device away and set it on the coffee table next to the couch, not wanting to just drop it on the floor, and then turned to the tigress, feeling his blood run cold when he saw her eyes closed, her face still. A torrent of emotions burst forth from his heart, and he reached out and pulled her close, trembling with fear as he held her against him. "No, no, no, no, no, this is not okay, come on, don't you do this to me," he rambled, on the verge of blind terror, "Oh God, please, s-sister, don't you go now, I j-just got you back in my life, I - I can't lose you again!" Just before his mind exploded into fragments, Tai reached up and put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back a little. She looked him in the eyes and moved her hands to his cheeks, holding him in place so that all he could see was her face. Instinctively, as he wondered if she was about to kiss him again, Vincent mirrored her movement, reaching up to touch her face, and the siblings held each other, stared into each others' eyes, for a long, silent moment. Then, Tai blinked and took an experimental breath before letting out a long, loud sigh, and smiling in relief. "I wasn't dying, niola," she said, quietly, her voice sounding strained, "I was just... I was relaxing now that I've gotten the shot, waiting for it to kick in." As relief filled every atom of Vinnie's being, leaving him speechless, she nodded towards the table. "It's called an EpiPen, by the way. And thank you."

Whimpering with joy, tears of relief forming in the corners of his eyes, Vinnie hugged her again, more gently this time. For almost a minute and a half, there were no words, just the two siblings holding each other. "Oh, Tai..." he whispered, "I was so worried about you... God, I'm so fucking sorry I brought you to that place, that I didn't know what was in the sauce..." Tai clicked her tongue and leaned back, giving him a slightly stern look along with a smile. "Hey now, none of that..." she said, gently, "It's my allergy, Vinnie, I should have looked at the menu more carefully to see what the sauce was, and if it wasn't there, I should have asked the waitress what was in it. This was not your fault." Not feeling any less responsible, Vinnie averted his eyes. "I'm your big brother, I should be looking after you..." he said, protesting his own innocence, "You almost died, Tai..." To his surprise, the tigress scoffed. "Oh come on, Vinnie, it was uncomfortable, and we were scared, but I wasn't going to die," she said, dismissively, and before Vinnie could voice his confusion, she winked at him and smiled again, saying "After all, my niola was looking after me, how could I be in any real danger?" Feeling a warmth blooming inside himself, Vinnie continued holding her tight, just focusing on how warm and alive she was in his arms. Behind him, his fluffy tail wagged back and forth like that of a dog. He didn't actually know whether or not real foxes did that, he just liked the gesture. After a few moments of silence, the siblings separated. Mostly. They sat next to each other on the couch, holding both of each other's hands, like they didn't quite want to let go of each other. "So... I'm pretty sure you're still supposed to go to the hospital after using an EpiPen," said Vinnie, softly, "I know a doctor who knows about us, helps us keep hidden, she's great at what she does. Now that things aren't quite so urgent, I can give her a call." Tai smiled slightly and shook her head. "That won't be necessary, niola," she replied, "Our version of an EpiPen is a bit more advanced than the ones the monoforms use, they're tied in to the elastic nature of our DNA... or at least that's what mother told me. As long as I take it easy for the rest of the night, I should be fine." An ear flicked thoughtfully and she sighed. "Though I should probably give that doctor of yours a call in the morning, now that I've used that one up," she mused, "Those things aren't exactly easy to come by up here, so maybe she'll know how to get one." With that, Tai belatedly slipped off her winter boots and coat, and Vinnie followed suit as his sister reached over and grabbed the remote control from the coffee table. Once they were both seated again, Tai leaned against her brother, resting her head on his shoulder as she flipped the TV on, just looking for something to calm her nerves. Putting on a crime investigation procedural, she nuzzled against Vincent's shoulder, which reminded him of something important he'd pushed to the back of his head. "...Niara," he said, after a moment, "Back in the elevator... you kissed me." She said nothing for a moment, but Vinnie sensed hesitation. "Like I haven't been kissing you since I got here," she said, as if dismissively making a joke. Vincent didn't buy it. "Tai, this time it felt different," he insisted, "You were choking, there's no way you chose that moment to try and make me hot for you." She was silent for a long while, as if lost in the snappy one-liners and impossibly fashionable investigators, but just as the fox was going to bring it up again, Tai sighed and sat up again. "Look, I... I was actually a little worried, I was getting light-headed in that elevator," she whispered, "And I found myself worrying about... about what would happen if I died tonight, before we worked any of this stuff between us out. So yeah, I kissed you, just so I could know in my heart that I tried my best to win you back." Without looking at him, she stood up and walked over to the window, crossing her arms and looking out to the evening, where the sun was going down, and it was beginning to snow. Vinnie suspected if it weren't wintertime, she'd be standing out on the balcony, just needing a moment to herself. He wasn't sure what to do, what to say, so he just got up himself and went to the opposite end of the apartment's main room, the kitchen area, and poured himself a drink, just a glass of juice, to give himself something to do.

Nursing his drink, Vinnie sat at the table and tried in vain not to keep looking over at Tai. The crisis was over, she was going to be okay, shouldn't his emotions have calmed down by now? But the more he thought about it, the more he realized his feelings were growing more agitated by the minute. He briefly wondered if this was what it felt like as one prepared to remember a suppressed memory, like he'd forgotten a traumatic event associated with choking in his childhood, and it was about to come rushing back. He didn't think so, though, and he had a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach that he knew what was happening. He closed his eyes as his expression grew tight, unreadable, and his ears slowly flattened against his head as his chin dipped down towards his chest, as though in a moment of solemn respect. Then he took a deep breath and slipped out of his chair, looking over at his sister, his face betraying no emotions as he tried to calm his nerves. Walking up behind her, stepping as quietly as a feral fox evading a group of hunters, Vincent extended his hand, hesitated, and then touched his sister on the shoulder. "Tai?" he asked, as she turned around, "...We need to talk." Tai's eyes widened at those words, and as she searched his face for some hint of what that meant, she stepped back, pressing her back against the wall, and her ears lowered nervously. "No, no, niola, please," she whispered, "Don't say it..." She had one hand clasped over her heart, as if trying to ward off emotional pain, before panic spread across her features and she tried to step around him. "Oh God, Vinnie, don't say it!" she begged, her eyes welling up, "I can't take it! I can't almost die and lose you in the span of an hour! I - I'm sorry, I never should have followed you out here, just don't say you - you don't love me! I'll g-go back Home, never bother you again, just don't say the words, let me keep my impossible hope, let me p-pretend that things c-could have been different, please?" She moved as if to sprint straight for the door, like she just wanted to flee into the night and leave her possessions behind, but Vincent had anticipated this and stepped in her way, pulling her into a very tight hug. Like a child trying to get out of a deserved punishment, the female Mokaji squirmed and wiggled for a moment, but didn't get anywhere; Vinnie had invisibly reinforced the muscles on his arms, determined to see this conversation through to the very end. "Tai." One syllable, three letters, but the strength of his voice almost made her cry. He wasn't going to let her weasel her way out of this one. "Niara, I don't know how much longer I'm going to have the courage to say this, and I need you to hear this," he whispered, "Please, this is so important to me..."

Despite herself, Tai nodded, even though her eyes were still tightly screwed shut. She looked like she was bracing herself for a physical blow. "Tai... my niara..." continued, Vinnie, softly, "Ever since I left, I've tried to put what happened between us out of my mind, as though I could just ignore the problem of my own sister falling in love with me, of me breaking her heart by running, and it would just go away. Out here, I... felt like a different person, I felt like I was trying to be one of them, the solids, instead of one of us." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "Since you came back," Vincent continued, "You've reminded me how it feels to be one of our people... you've made me feel proud to be of the Mokaji. And I owe you the world for that. I think... I think I was trying to hide not just from my past, but from who I was, like I was ashamed of who I used to be, ashamed of what I had done... ashamed of how I've felt all along, even if I didn't want to admit it. Sister, I have your answer." Vincent let Tai go and then stepped back, and there was... silence. Absolute silence. Tai stood there for a few moments longer, trembling in the incredible tension, and then opened her eyes, somewhat reluctantly. She looked confused for a moment, and then her eyes fell upon Vincent, down on one knee in front of her. Reaching forward, the fox took hold of one of her hands and clasped it between both of his before he smiled, blushing, and murmured to her in Mokaj. "Oh, sister... My heart is yours, to do with as you will. Within and without, whatever my face... I'm yours." Tai gasped rather loudly and then looked around with a slightly dazed expression on her face, as if she didn't realize the noise had come from her. Vinnie could forgive her, though, given that instead of calling things off once and for all, he'd just recited a traditional, incredibly ancient, Mokaji ode of deepest devotion, and as his heart beat like a jackhammer inside his chest, he stood up, still holding his sister's hand, and leaned in closer. "Tai..." he whispered, "I love you."

Tai stood there, staring at him, mouth agape, eyes as wide as saucers, for a long moment. And then, as tears began to run down her cheeks, dripping off her whiskers, she took a deep, sucking breath, as though she'd forgotten to breathe. "I... You... I'd been worried..." she stammered, "You've been acting weird lately... I was starting to worry that you... that you'd decided you didn't love me, that you were going to break my heart again..." she blinked, and began to tremble. "I thought... I didn't..." Blinking, she took a step backwards and whimpered, shaking her head. "Uhh, T-Tai?" asked Vincent, just a touch of concern in his voice, "I didn't... break you, did I?" Still shaking her head, the tigress whimpered again, this time looking him in the eye as her cheeks began to blush at full burn. "Oh, niola, I'm s-so lightheaded... I need to sit down!" Vincent curled his arm around her protectively and helped her back over to the couch. For all the attention they gave to it, the TV may as well have been switched off as they sat there, Tai trembling with inner turmoil and Vinnie gently stroking her hand. "Oh, Vinnie..." she whispered at last, opening her eyes and daring to look at him, "I've wanted t-to hear you say those words for so long... God, you even used the old formal declaration and everything... But I..." Sitting next to her, Vinnie gave her hand a squeeze, and Tai gasped out loud, pulling it away from him and pressing both of her hands against her eyes, leaving her muzzle sticking out. "God, niola, you - you broke my heart when you left, and now... you're s-saying the words and I... I..." She took a deep breath, clearly trying to calm herself. "...I'm just afraid you might - might change your mind again," she whispered, after a brief silence, "That if I let myself believe that - that this is finally real, that you love me back... that you'll break my heart again, and this time it'll never recover." Hugging her arms tight to her chest, she just sat there, staring down at her feet, clearly dealing with a whirlwind of emotions. After a few moments, Vinnie spoke up again.

"I was so unsure," he started, softly, "I mean, you're my niara, and I hadn't seen you in years, and now you show up out of the blue trying to seduce me... I thought it was hopeless, that I'd never work out how I felt. But the more time I spent with you around, the more I... the more I remembered how I used to feel, back Inside. The way you would look at me and smile, and I couldn't help but smile back, the way we'd be dancing in a crowded room, but your eyes would never leave me, like... I was in denial, but I think even back then, when I looked at you I knew, deep down, that I was the only one you smiled at that way." He sighed, pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts before he continued. "When I left, when I came Outside, I began to act like one of these solids, I would hide the Change and stay in the same shape as long as I could bear it," he said, sighing, "Like I said, I was turning my back on my heritage, as if I wanted to forget all about the Mokaji... Eventually, though, I thought about the old days, I thought about you... and I realized how much I missed it all, how much I missed who I really was. It's why I entrusted Andrew with our secret." It was also why he'd started dating, no longer afraid of hiding his true heritage from serious romantic interests, but this was hardly the time to mention that... Vinnie put a hand on his sister's shoulder then, and Tai somewhat reluctantly lifted her head and looked back at him. His ears were down in a canine show of respect, one he hoped she recognized. "Ohhh, Tai... if I had forever, I could never tell you how sorry I am for leaving you like that..." he whispered, "But now that you're back in my life, now that I'm feeling the way I used to... I realize what I think I've known deep down since before you confessed on that camping trip..." His lower lip trembled and despite his best efforts, he felt tears welling in his own eyes. The fox bit his lip, steeling his expression, as if he was determined not to cry in front of her, even if they were happy tears. "I love you, niara... I've loved you as long as I've been able to love," he whispered, "And I promise you, I'm not going to leave you. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart, I'm not going to poof off to some other dimension this time, I'm staying... if you'll have me." Tai wasn't trying nearly as hard as her brother to hide her emotions; warm tears were streaming down her cheeks, soaking into her fur, as she turned on the couch to face him, reaching out to put her trembling hands on his shoulders. "Oh, brother, of course I'll have you, it's the only thing I've ever wanted..." she whimpered, "Whether Inside or Outside, as long as I have you, I can be truly happy." He brought his arms up behind her, gently cupping her back. "Then tell me you love me..." he whispered, leaning in towards her lips, "...My ji'ren-to." Tai actually moaned softly upon hearing her brother call her 'beloved', and closed her eyes, beginning to purr in her sibling's arms. "I love you, ji'ren-re..." she breathed, returning the favour. Then, as Vincent captured her lips with his own, as he kissed his sister gently and without hesitation, the newly-minted lovers fell silent, expressing their feelings through warm tongues and soft lips, and hands holding each other close.

A few minutes passed as brother and sister kissed, sharing their passion for each other without hesitation or reluctance or guilt for the first time in years. There wasn't the heated urgency or desperation that might accompany a poorly thought-out kiss, this was something gentle and tender, something both Mokaji were fully at peace for. When they finally broke it off, they stared into each others' eyes for a long, silent moment, and then, without a word being exchanged, Vinnie moved to lie along the length of the couch, while Tai draped herself on top of him. As he began running his fingers through her long red hair, Vincent smiled. "I had a feeling you still liked to cuddle this way," he whispered. "Some things never change," she replied. Looking up at him, her fur still damp from tears, but her eyes wide and clear, she tilted her head to one side curiously. "Niola? I've got to ask," she started, "It's been years since I confessed, months since I got back, hell, it's even been a couple weeks since you finally agreed to figure out your feelings... Why now? What happened today that made you certain?" The fox glanced over to the side, and the perceptive female followed his eyes to the EpiPen on the table. "You were choking," he whispered, "Asphyxiating. Right in front of my eyes, and there was nothing I could do about it. I haven't been that afraid in a very, very long time, sister. And when I thought you'd passed out, when I panicked and worried that you were dying... I realized that I'd rather die myself than lose you. No matter how much I tried to tell myself afterwards that it was because you're my sister and I love you like a good brother, I... I knew, deep down, that when I was feeling that fear, I was also feeling regret, regret over running away from your love when all I wanted to do was accept it." He shook his head and sighed. "You know, when I tried to convince myself it was nothing, I used to say to myself that it was all just about the sex, that all I felt for you was sibling love," he said, sadly, "But what I felt when I thought I was going to lose you, niara... That's when I finally couldn't ignore it any longer. I love you for more than your body, I love you as a woman, and I want to be with you." Tai sighed happily and shivered against her brother. "Oh, God, I am never going to get tired of hearing you say that," she giggled, "Helps make up for lost time." They just lay there a while longer, idly half-watching the TV and holding each other, before Tai lifted her head again, a sly look in her eyes. "...But Vinnie," she started, innocently, "Just so we're clear... you do still love my body, don't you?" Vincent laughed happily and beamed at his lover. "Well, gee, Tai, it's sure been a long time since I've taken a good long look at it," he replied, playfully, "Maybe you should refresh my memory."

With that, Tai leaned back into a kneeling position atop her brother and slipped off her sweatshirt, then took hold of the hem of her T-shirt, untucking it from her pants as she sighed. "I wish I'd known you were going to decide today," she murmured, "I would have worn a button-up shirt, make this much more sensual. Ah well, can't bring myself to be disappointed, somehow..." With that, she slowly peeled her shirt upwards, revealing her soft, fluffy pelt, and the simple bra that kept her breasts contained. Tai gasped as Vinnie placed his hand on her belly while her head was still inside the shirt, but instead of immediately molesting her, he started to just rub his fingers through the fur. "The stripes on your torso are a bit sloppy, sis," he said, "And the white on your tum leaks out onto your side over here. Just a bit of constructive criticism." She discarded the shirt and looked down, frowning. "Wait, what?" she asked, disbelievingly, "Let me see!" Vinnie smiled as he nodded to one of her bare arms. "And it looks like you've still got a little snow leopard on your shoulder." Tai groaned as she took in the sight of her own chest and stomach, and sighed, shaking her head. "Oh man, it looks like all the patterns got messed up when I was losing my grip from choking," she complained, "I spent forever getting this just right! Used a bunch of bikini models from the Internet as a guide and everything!" Vinnie quickly discarded his own shirt and sat up, bringing his hands up behind her. "Hey, that's okay," he said, soothingly, "Big brother Vinnie's gonna help you get it perfect again... though maybe I should get a more complete look at you..." Tai giggled as he reached around behind her, starting to fiddle with her bra clasp.

As Vinnie worked to free her bust from its imprisonment, Tai grinned at him. "What is it?" she asked. "What? Nothing, I'm fine," he lied, blushing. Just as the clasp popped on the bra, Tai raised her arms and pointedly crossed them over her chest, preventing the brassiere from falling away. "You've got that look on your face, niola," she teased, "The one that says 'I really want to say something, but I'm gonna hold my tongue.' And I want to know what you're thinking!" Blushing even harder, Vinnie pouted. "Well... I was just thinking of an, um, bodily feature I like that you don't have..." he admitted, scratching the back of his neck, "But I don't want to ask you to add it because I want you to look the way you want to look, not the way I want you to look!" Smiling at him, her tail flitting back and forth happily, Tai chuckled. "Well, why don't you tell me what it is and let me decide?" she asked, "What is it? Does my big brother have a thing for giant boobs? Maybe inverted nipples? Ooh! Is it that thing felines and canines can get where they have extra nipples running down their abs?" Vinnie shook his head and gestured sheepishly to her cleavage. "N-no, nothing like that..." he said, "I just... I really like it when a mammal girl has, you know, a fluffy tuft of fur between her girls." Tai giggled again, and moved one hand away to scratch Vincent between the ears like a pet feral. "Awww, that's so cute, big brother!" she said, only a little condescendingly, "I actually really like that! Let me just..." Both siblings looked down into her cleavage as the fur there suddenly underwent a significant growth spurt, and soon there was indeed an adorable tuft of white fur nestled between Tai's soft, pert breasts. With that, she pulled her arm away, taking the bra with it, and Vinnie swallowed at the sight of her naked chest. "What do you think, niola?" she asked, softly, "Do I need any work up here?" Vinnie shook his head, his eyes wide. "No..." he breathed, "God, niara, you're... you're perfect." With that, he leaned forward and buried his head in Tai's chest, nuzzling against her teats and teasing his muzzle into the depths of her freshly-tufted cleavage as she giggled and laughed.

After a few moments of playfully indulging himself, Vinnie sighed happily. "Hey there, girls," he whispered, "Have you missed me?" In truth, Vinnie had seen his sister topless a couple of times since she made her way back into his life, but this felt different, there was no reluctance, no guilt in his mind. To his chagrin, at the sound of his question, the fur on Tai's left breast parted just above the nipple, revealing a set of soft lips and pearly-white teeth. "Oh, yes, Vinnie, we've missed you so much!" said the breast, happily. Vinnie leaned back, caught off-guard, and Tai burst out laughing at the expression on his face. "What?" she asked, responding to the dirty look that followed, "Oh come on, that was funny! We used to do that kind of thing all the time when we were kids! Okay, maybe not on boobs, but..." Vinnie made a face like he'd bitten into a lemon as his gaze dropped down to the mouth again, which made a kissy-face expression at him. Sighing, he shook his head. "Niara, I've been among people who can't Change at all for a very long time now," he said, "I'm not... I'm not used to seeing you use it like that anymore. Can we just, uh, can we just stick to the normal humanoid features? Two arms, two legs, one mouth in the usual spot... Please?" Pouting, Tai nodded. "Oh, okay, since you asked so nicely, and you're my ji'ren-re and all," she said, "I guess I can try to be more... traditional." Down below, the mouth on her breast curled into a frown. "Awww..." said the teat, in a voice that was distinctly different from Tai's, "You're no fun!" Putting her hands on her hips, Tai glared at her own boob, which was sticking its tongue out at Vinnie. "Hey now, he made a very reasonable request," she scolded, "He said 'please' and everything!" With an exaggerated 'hmph', the pouting mouth sealed up and disappeared into the flesh of Tai's breast, and the light fur quickly grew back, masking its presence as if it had never been there. Looking up, Tai smiled again, clearly amused by her own theatrics; while it may have had a mouth and apparently its own vocal chords, her breast did not have its own brain, so she'd provided both sides of that 'argument' for her own entertainment.

Vinnie just crossed his arms and gave her a Look, which she easily shrugged off. "We'll see how funny it is the next time you go in for a BJ and find something with teeth waiting for you," he said, allowing himself a small smile, "Now have we heard the last from the peanut gallery?" Giggling, Tai nodded, and Vinnie whispered 'good' and leaned back in, this time closing his lips over one of Tai's nipples, and as the tigress arched her back and gasped, Vinnie unfastened her jeans and slid his hand down into her pants, easily pushing under the waistband of her panties and making a beeline for her treasures. Tai put one hand on his back, just for the sake of touching him, and put the other on the back of his head, a natural response to the lips and tongue suckling on her nipple, but her attention, for the moment, was elsewhere, both of them shuddering hard as Vinnie's fingertips brushed across his sister's slit, followed by his palm as he curled his fingers around it. Their positions and the clothes they were wearing made it too awkward to really do anything, but Vincent had always loved holding his hand against her femininity, feeling Tai's body reacting to his touch, his warmth, his presence. But tonight... "Mmmm, you're already so wet, niara," he murmured, pulling his lips away from her teat, "Feeling eager?" As his fingertips played along her slit, rubbing her own juices into her labia, which even now grew warm and flushed with arousal, Tai whimpered softly. "Ohhh, big brother," she whispered, "That's not fair, you know how long I've wanted this... how long I've wanted you to make love to me..." She pouted in frustration as he stopped suckling again to reply. "Oh yes, I know," Vinnie whispered, "And it turns me on so much... almost as much as hearing you say the words out loud." He chuckled and started to say something else, only for Tai to roughly push against the back of his head and none-too-subtly encourage him to go back to worshipping at her tits. As he did so, the hand on his back slipped down and around, and Tai unzipped his fly, having a little trouble with that task due to the erection straining the material out so much. Once she'd freed it, she tried to maneuver her brother's penis through the gap in his boxers, failed thanks to using one hand and not being able to see, and settled for just holding the false fox's hard-on through the thin material of his underwear. "At least I'm in good company," she whispered, "You're so hard, and it feels like you're preing already." The writer in Vinnie wanted to protest that 'preing' wasn't a word, but the rest of him was content to keep licking at his niara's soft breasts. They stayed like this, lightly touching each other, on the razor edge between foreplay and frustration, for God knows how long, and then, just as Vinnie moved his middle finger into position to push it between Tai's lips and into her wet heat, just as he was about to move things to the next step... the door to the apartment opened, and Andrew Raynor walked in.

Andrew wasn't looking, the Komodo dragon's head held downcast, setting his bags on the floor even as he pushed the door closed with his thick, meaty tail. "Ugh, fucking faculty meetings take all day," he grumbled, "Did you guys already have dinner, or should we order - oh shit!" He stepped back, shocked, as he finally took in the sight of Vincent and Tai in a passionate embrace on the couch. From his angle, he fortunately couldn't see them molesting each other, but they were both shirtless, and Vinnie's head had been buried in Tai's chest as he walked in, so it didn't take an IQ as high as the young professor's to work out what was happening. The siblings had been frozen in terror at the interruption, and as he finally looked at them, they belatedly reacted, both blushing furiously, both embarrassed beyond words to have been caught out in the open, having stripped right where they were instead of finding some privacy. Tai yelped, her ears flattening as she covered her breasts with her arms, and Vincent's head whipped around to face Andrew even as he leaned forward in a curiously protective stance against Tai. Vincent didn't know what to say, and for a change, Tai seemed too embarrassed to be snarky, so it was Andrew who interrupted the awkward silence. "...Jesus, Vinnie! I thought - you told me that you were gonna take care of this!" he said, "What happened to 'doing the right thing'?" Vincent swallowed, and after checking to see that his sister's nudity was sufficiently hidden, he leaned down and grabbed a T-shirt off the ground and handed it to her, only realizing after she'd pulled it on that it was the one he'd been wearing. Pushing his hard-on back into his pants and zipping up, he turned to halfway face the dragon, not wanting to stand up with such an obvious tent in his jeans. "I - I did!" he protested, "I worked through my feelings, and I realized that I really do love Tai the way she loves me!" Kicking his boots off and hanging up his coat without taking his eyes off the humiliated lovers, Andrew frowned and rubbed his forehead. "I thought when you said you were gonna do the right thing, you meant you were going to let her down easy!" he said, "For crying out loud, Linus, she's still your sister, isn't she?" Tai whimpered, so quietly Vinnie didn't think Andrew could hear her, which meant that it wasn't just theatrics meant to make him feel guilty. Looking back, Vinnie put a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging look before returning to the lizard. "I... Look, Andrew. I said I was going to work through my feelings," he started, "And the truth is... the truth is I love her. I have since before I left. I don't know, maybe it's better that things happened this way, we can get a new start out here, together, where nobody knows we're related... but I don't want our love to mean that I have to lose my best friend first." Tai silently took Vinnie's hand and held it tightly. He appreciated the support. Andrew looked almost as uncomfortable as they did, and from recent experience, Vinnie recognized the face of a man struggling with multiple conflicting emotions, though he admitted they were probably rather different from the ones he and Tai had dealt with today. Finally, Andrew just closed his eyes and shook his head. "Okay. If you... if you really love her, then I support you," he said, in a gentler, quieter tone, "I just... I don't know that I'm entirely comfortable with it yet... I guess I'm the one who needs time to work through this now." As Vincent breathed a sigh of quiet relief, the counterfeit tigress spoke up for the first time. "Th-thank you for your honesty, Andy," she said, softly, "We'll try not to, um, rub it in your face or anything." Turning to the kitchen area, presumably to get himself dinner, Andrew nodded, for the first time not getting pissed when she called him Andy. He stopped by the fridge and looked over at them. "Just... just don't do it on my couch, okay?" he asked, slightly exasperatedly, "That thing is expensive to clean." As he turned his attention firmly towards the fridge, Vinnie began gathering up their clothes, and Tai guiltily smoothed out a pillow.

Soon, the Linus siblings had made their ungainly escape from the front room into the relative privacy of Vinnie's bedroom, where Vincent groaned and pressed a hand over his forehead. "Jeez, the only way that could have been more embarrassing is if we were actually doing The Deed when he walked in," he muttered, "Maybe we shouldn't do it tonight, he'll probably hear us, and it will be so awkward..." Turning around after locking the door somewhat unnecessarily, he found Tai much as he had found her earlier that day, what felt like a lifetime ago, in a T-shirt and panties. This time, though, she was standing facing him, with a gentle smile on her face. He noted distantly that his shirt looked as good on the slender female as her own had. "Come on, niola," she said, gently, indicating Vinnie's wall mirror with a nod of her head, "Help me get my stripes back in order." Shivering at the sight, Vinnie swallowed and gave in to the inevitable, walking over to the mirror as Tai slipped his shirt off. Even from behind, Vinnie couldn't help but marvel at how sleek and sensuous his sister's body was, even if her pelt was all out of whack. As she reached up to brush her long hair back into position with her fingers, Vinnie stepped forward and reached his arms around her, resting them on her belly. She looked up at him and smiled, and then nodded towards the laptop sitting open on his desk next to them. The screen displayed a single image; a beautiful tigress lay sprawled across a beach towel, and aside from a pair of fashionable sunglasses, she was as naked as the day she was born. "I thought a guide more... thorough than those bikini pictures was in order," commented Tai, "Since I've finally got someone looking at me in the altogether." The fox chuckled, his tail swishing back and forth behind him. "There's just one problem, niara," he said, "You're much better-looking than she is." Tai laughed happily and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "Well, you make do with what you have," she replied, as if resigned to her fate. Vinnie's hand trailed across her belly, letting one finger drag through the fur teasingly. "Here," he said, softly, "The white's spilling over a little, and this stripe is crooked." Tai's smile widened as she wordlessly corrected the mistake, and Vinnie's hands trailed across her body to another spot, just underneath the gentle curve of her left breast. "And up here, it looks like the orange and the black have been twisted," he commented, "Just smooth it out a little... yes, exactly like that." Tai leaned over to the laptop, switched to another window, and started some gentle jazz playing before she switched back to the photoset of the sunbathing feline. "Bit of snow leopard up here, just make that all tiger-y again... No Daft Punk?" asked Vinnie, with a smirk. Tai shook her head as he pointed out a crooked stripe on her side. "Nah, they're fun to listen to, but they're not all that romantic," she said, before breaking out into giggles, "Can you even imagine trying to do it to that music? Everything would be so fast and frantic you'd probably have a coronary!" The siblings laughed at that, and then got back to work. Tai raised her arms and wrapped them around Vincent's neck from behind, holding him against her back as his hands traced out an elaborate, albeit meaningless, pattern in her fur, while he helped her bring her pelt back to real tiger standards. They took their time, as though Vinnie's hands were getting to know Tai's body again, and Tai soaked up his attention the way a houseplant soaks up sunlight. Both of them were only too aware that this was foreplay, of course. Even though they hadn't been touched, even though her underwear remained on, Tai's nipples stood out hard and pointed from her soft teats, and she'd been purring ever since Vinnie first touched her. Of course, both of them were even more aware of the fact that Vincent was fully erect, and that with his chest pressed against her back like this, his penis, still contained within his jeans, was pressed firmly against his sister's butt. In truth, she was looking forward to the next step so much that it was taking everything Tai had not to grind back against him. And from the smile on his face, maybe her niola knew that.

Time passed, Tai's pelt got more and more orderly, and her purring grew louder and louder. Once they'd gotten her front settled down, she'd turned around in Vinnie's arms, pressing her breasts against his bare chest, and playfully gotten him to help her with her back. Now, though... "A little bit further down... down... no, no, go back, too far... perfect, that is one beautifully aligned stripe," said Vinnie, teasing a finger along it. Tai beamed at him. "Okay, big brother," she said, "That ought to do it... anything else that needs fixing?" Smirking, he traced a certain spot on her shoulder blade. "Yeah, actually, tigers don't have a big brown crescent moon right here," he said, cheerily. Pouting adorably, one ear twitching in faux-irritation, Tai gave him a Look. "And arctic foxes don't have green tongues, you big dork," she replied, poking him in the chest. The reason he'd mentioned the moon, of course, was that it was the one element of her pelt Tai couldn't Change. It was her Calling Card, as their people called it, a curious quirk of the Mokaji; no matter what she Changed herself into, she would always have a chocolate-brown crescent moon on the skin, fur, or scales of her shoulder blade. Similarly, Vincent's calling card was that his tongue was a curious shade of emerald green. "Well, other than that, I'd say you're perfect," Vinnie said, "But then... I already think you're perfect... ji'ren-to." They stood there for a moment longer, just looking into each others' eyes, and then Tai pulled Vincent down and kissed him hungrily, capturing his lips with her own. He sighed through his nostrils as their tongues met, and she shuddered against him. Now his hands didn't tease through her fur, they came up to embrace her properly. The moment they'd both been aching for was here, and they both knew it. When they broke it off, Vincent bent down and scooped the tigress into his arms, and when Tai had finished squealing in surprised delight, he kissed her again as he carried her to his bed, as if he couldn't bear to wait the couple of seconds the trip took. Setting her down on the sheets, he stood up straight and began to lose his pants, as Tai bit her lip and trembled with anticipation. "Oh, don't make me wait any longer... Please, brother, hold me in your arms, make love to me," she whispered, "I've never wanted anything as much as I've wanted your love for all these years, and now that I've got your heart... I find I want the rest of you too."

With those words, Vinnie's pants found themselves discarded and forgotten on the floor, and as he tugged his boxers down, Tai moaned softly in approval at the sight of her brother's penis. "You almost seem nervous, niara," whispered Vinnie as he climbed onto the bed, "You sucked me off the first night you were here, remember? I can't even count how many times we've seen each other naked since then..." That was an exaggeration, but Tai didn't seem to find it funny, as she swallowed and averted her eyes, embarrassed. "This is different... this is important," she said. Vinnie touched her chin, turning her to look at him again, and she found he was blushing too. "I know," he whispered, "I feel it too, I was just trying to play it off like nothing." She smiled as he shrugged, and then the fox glanced down and raised an eyebrow. "You know, Tai, if you want me, those are kind of in the way..." he said, pointing a single finger at her snug pink panties. She smiled and lay back, pointing her feet at him. "You always loved taking them off me so much, I thought I'd let you do it," she whispered. Vinnie blushed harder and his ears went back a little. "You - I never told you that, how did you..." he trailed off and snickered, shaking his head. "Of course you noticed," he said, amused, "You're my niara." Leaning in closer, he reached out and placed his hands on Tai's shoulders, quickly slipping them down onto her sides, his palms tracing her curves and trailing down towards her underwear. When his fingers finally slowed and came to rest on the thin pink material, Tai whimpered and squirmed. "Ohhh..." she breathed, watching with rapt attention. Her knees had been touching as he teased her, and now, as Vinnie moved one hand around behind the tigress and unclipped the fastener above the base of her tail, Tai spread her legs ever so slightly, and Vinnie smiled as he saw the dampness in the fabric pressed against her slit. He felt his erection throb in response, felt a single drop of pre-come drool down the length of his shaft, and took a moment to appreciate the fact that Tai needed him just as badly as he needed her. Hooking his fingers under the waistband, Vinnie began to tug his sister's panties away from her heated body and down her thighs, and Tai blushed and averted her eyes as her glistening vulva came into view. "Oh God, Vincent," she murmured, as he continued sliding her underwear down, taking his sweet time with it, "I - I feel so nervous, like this is the first time we've ever been together... Has it really been that long?" Vinnie took a moment to finish undressing her, carefully slipping the moistened panties off her delicate feline feet one by one, and then, as he tossed the pink undies to the floor - actually, they landed directly on top of his pre-dampened boxers - he reached forward and took one of her hands in his own. "It's a cliché, and you know how writers feel about clichés," he said, as she turned to look at him, "but I feel like the right answer is that we've had sex before... but this is the first time the two of us have made love." Tai giggled nervously as he winked at her, rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand soothingly.

Tai seemed surprised when Vinnie followed this up not by moving up the bed and taking her into his arms, but by moving back down the mattress and placing his hands on her inner thighs. As he spread her legs wide, exposing her treasures fully to his view, the tigress sat up, embarrassed. "Wh-what are you doing, niola?" she asked, "Don't you want to have me?" She tensed up, biting her lip and shuddering, as Vinnie ran the back of one finger up her slit, lingering at the top to tease her clitoris. "Mmmm, it doesn't matter what species you are, Tai, your pussy is always beautiful to me," he commented, leaning in closer, so that he knew she could feel his breath on her sensitive skin. "Vinnie, stop teasing me! I - I'll go crazy if you keep this up!" she protested, embarrassed. He looked up at her and smiled. "Relax, niara, I don't want to jump to the main event just yet..." he looked down to her vulva and exaggeratedly licked his chops before continuing, saying "Like I said, you sucked me off the first night you were here... and I've been dreaming about repaying that debt ever since." Tai shuddered again and moaned softly, leaning back and holding both of her hands over her chest, slightly curled up, like she didn't know what to do with them; the sight reminded Vinnie rather a lot of feline paws. "When you say it like that," she whispered, "Who could p-possibly say no?" With that, Vinnie lay down on his stomach, making himself comfortable between the tigress' legs, and with his arms wrapped around Tai's thighs from below, he leaned in and took a deep breath, savouring the scent of his sister's arousal. He'd always loved that, even before he admitted he had feelings for her, he'd thought her personal scent was absolutely intoxicating. He actually wanted to tease her just a little more, but by now even he couldn't bear to wait any longer, so he crossed that last little distance and began to lick at his niara's wet slit with long, slow laps of his flat, wide vulpine tongue, shuddering hard at the first taste of Tai's unique flavour. "Ohhhh... oh, I've missed this so much..." Tai whimpered, "You're... it's so much better than doing it myself... You know, I once made myself a - a giraffe, and then made my neck something like an octopus limb, so that I could eat myself out. It was fun, but there's - nngh! - there's still something missing when it's just you." Vinnie paused in his licking; that actually sounded like a fun thing to try, regardless of which gender you currently were, and he made a mental note of it, but for the most part, he just wanted - no, he needed to keep going, to keep tasting Tai's juices. After a few more licks, he sighed happily and closed his eyes. "Niara..." he whispered, "Ji'ren-to..."

Vinnie kept licking for a short while, and when both of them needed more, he didn't hesitate before pushing his muzzle right up against his sister's vulva, pushing his tongue between Tai's labia and into the wet heat within. Caught off-guard by the pleasure, Tai arched her back and gasped a rather shocking Mokaj profanity that would have made their mother blush and their father whap her gently in the back of the head. Encouraged, Vinnie's emerald-hued tongue licked along his lover's inner walls, lapping up her abundant juices, though not nearly as quickly as they were replenished, and curiously exploring the various textures in the tigress' vagina. It had been a long time, but if he remembered correctly, and she hadn't deliberately changed the layout of her girly bits for some reason, there was a very sensitive spot just over here... Tai inhaled sharply and tensed up for just a second, and the corners of Vincent's mouth curled up. Behind him, his tail began to wag as he continued eating out the woman he now understood was his soulmate. Tai's words had fallen silent, the slender Mokaji choosing to focus on the pleasure as the nervousness she'd felt had finally evaporated in the once-familiar sensation of her brother licking and teasing at her most sensitive areas, with so much care and respect in his actions one might almost think he was worshipping her as his own personal striped goddess. Tai writhed and squirmed on the bed, whimpering and mewling under her lover's dutiful attentions, as Vinnie licked and lapped, swirling his tongue around inside her and savouring the way her inner walls squeezed down on him, quivering and reacting to his every move. As his ignored prick throbbed angrily against the sheets, a part of him longed to move up the bed, to bury himself inside her so that he could share in her pleasure, but Vinnie stayed right where he was, wanting even more to taste his beautiful sister's nectar and watch her tremble and moan as he brought her the pleasure she so deeply deserved. Tai had opened her eyes again and was watching him, even though she couldn't really see anything with all the 'action' going on inside of her. Still, she didn't take her eyes away from him, and as he continued working his magic, Tai reached up and took hold of her own breasts. "I - I think you were right, b-big brother," she whispered, gently kneading her teats, "The little fur tuft makes my - oooooh... makes my ladies stand out even more... You've always had s-such good j-judgement, n- Oh! Fuck! Go b-back, that was - there! Right there! Aaaaahhh, that's so g-good..." The soft smile on her face faded as he pulled his tongue out of her, and she actually whimpered, pushing her hips back towards him. "N-no! God, niola, don't just stop!" she mewled, squirming non-stop, "You're k-killing me..." Vinnie let her stew just a moment longer and then closed his lips around her throbbing clitoris. Tensing up, Tai covered her mouth to try and muffle the shrill cry of surprise she made as the most sensitive spot on her body was unexpectedly teased and suckled on. Vinnie felt a small rush of juices tickling at his chin, and briefly moved down to drink from his sister before moving back up to her love button. "V-Vinnie, exactly how many girls have you b-been with?" she asked, ears halfway down, "You're like - like the Leonardo of eating pussy!" Vinnie found this title so amusing he had to turn his face away to laugh softly, so he thought he might as well take a moment to answer. "Well, niara, I guess I'm just naturally enthusiastic when it comes to making you moan." He winked at her and licked his lips, but as he started to move down, she leaned forward and stopped him. For a moment, he worried that his feast was going to be interrupted by Tai digging deeper, instigating an actual, serious discussion of his relationships with other people, but she just took hold of the underside of his muzzle and tilted it back and forth. "Hmmm..." She stared at him intensely, and Vinnie smiled as best he could with someone's hand on his muzzle. He was actually feeling a bit self-conscious, with her juices in his fur and her face so stern and serious. "...See anything you like?" he asked, trying to ease the weird tension he felt. Letting go of his face, Tai leaned back, nodding sagely. "Actually, I've just decided that there's something missing," she said. "Is this the part where you push me down, sit on my face, and say 'That's better'?" asked Vinnie, "Because if so... I am so okay with that."

Tai giggled and poked the underside of his chin, her tail flicking playfully. "No, no, you remember when you were a skunk back home?" she asked. "Sure do, I never did get the scent glands right," he laughed, remembering, "I mean, I wasn't gonna use them, but -" "Think about your face, niola," Tai interrupted, "not your butt." Thinking on it, Vinnie frowned for a moment, and then remembered. "Oh! Shit, I remember now!" he laughed, "The beard!" While he was in his skunk phase, Vinnie had seen a movie from Outside where the human villain had a very distinctive beard, a goatee with a small tuft of hair jutting out from his chin. Thinking it made the guy look really cool, Vinnie had attempted to recreate it, only to discover it was hard to make a distinguished beard when one's face is already covered in fur. It was the middle of the winter season, so he hadn't exactly wanted to try being human for a while, so he'd made due with just the chin-tuft. "Well, you suggested this," Tai said, gesturing to the fluff nestled between her boobs, "And I'm suggesting that! I think you'd look really good with that little tuft, just make it white to match your pelt." Vinnie wasn't so sure, their mother had always joked it made him look like he was trying to be a goat, but he figured the sooner he gave it a try, the sooner he could get his tongue back inside his niara, so he lifted his chin as the fur there grew and extended into a small 'neatly-trimmed' white tuft. Leaning back, Tai's smile widened and she churred softly. "Mmmm, I have such a handsome niola," she murmured, "You look great, Vinnie, come up here and kiss me!" Vinnie grinned rather wolfishly for a fox and got down on his belly again. "Oh, I'll kiss you, alright," he teased, "Right on the lips..." With that, he did indeed press his lips against Tai's lust-swollen labia, just as chastely as if he were kissing his mother on the cheek, complete with an exaggerated mwah sound. But Tai's giggles turned to a sigh of pleasure as he moved back in afterwards and slipped his tongue into her molten heat once again, the tigress' vagina clenching down on his tongue as if welcoming it back after its absence. Sighing happily through his nostrils as Tai began tweaking her own nipples again, Vinnie closed his eyes and revelled in the familiar flavours and textures as his tongue licked and explored. After a few minutes like this, the fox caught himself grinding his achingly stiff erection against the bed, and sat up, not wanting to sabotage himself for later. He then surprised Tai by slipping his hands back underneath her thighs, gripping her legs tightly, and tugging her pelvis up off the bed, hunching down and bringing Tai up to his mouth while she gasped and giggled. "N-niola!" she cried, squirming, "I - this is... Oh God, j-just like that..." She moaned softly to herself in Mokaj as Vincent eased her worries with his deeply probing tongue. Letting her legs hang down at the knees, Tai rested her ankles against her brother's back and resumed fondling her own breasts, twitching and trembling as the playful male licked and slurped at her most sensitive spots. Tai had always preferred taking the lead in bed, and it was with his niara that an embarrassed Vincent had first realized his own submissive tendencies, but there was just something about positions like this, where Tai was helpless against being pleasured by her big brother (at least in theory, one finds that shapeshifting can solve almost any problem involving positions one doesn't actually want to be in) that had always made the younger Mokaji's toes curl up, and Vinnie had taken note of it. Carefully bracing one arm, he freed the other one up and placed it on her stomach. This wasn't something that Tai had traditionally shown any interest in, but she was currently in the shape of a tiger, and what feline doesn't like tummy rubs? Indeed, as he began scritching his fingers across her belly, Tai giggled again, and then let out a long, shuddery sigh as she began to purr audibly, reveling in the careful attentions of her lover.

They kept this up for some time, Vinnie diligently bringing all his skill to bear on his niara's sensitive womanhood, and Tai whimpering and trembling under the onslaught of pleasure. Her tail flicked back and forth at random in her happiness, and while Vincent was able to ignore it when it bapped against his stomach, he would tense up for just a moment whenever the light, fluffy limb brushed across his penis, which would always throb angrily in response, leaking pre-come down its shaft and onto his fuzzy balls as if in protest for being neglected for so long. Soon enough, though, Tai began to mewl and squirm, lowering her ears as she looked at him with deepest need in her eyes. "Ohhhh, niola, I - I'm getting c-closer, but I... I need more!" she whimpered, "My... I need you to t-touch my... oh, fuck, what's the English word?!" Vinnie had a pretty good guess, but he was still amused when she groaned in frustration and blurted out the Mokaj word for 'clitoris', which, to his perpetual amusement, literally translated as 'love button', an English term for the little nub he'd always been fond of. Opening his eyes as wide as he could to make sure she could see, Vinnie waited until she made eye contact again, and then winked. With that, the hand that had been rubbing her belly, enjoying the vibrations from her purring, slid down (up?) her abdomen and halted at the very top of her vulva, where the fox began to tease and rub his sister's clit with the tips of his fingers. Shuddering hard, Tai yelped with pleasure and screwed her eyes shut, murmuring her thanks in their native tongue as she lay back again, tweaking her nipples and squeezing the soft flesh of her pert breasts with renewed vigor instead of the laid-back pace she'd been setting so far. Encouraged by this example, Vinnie worked his lips and tongue as hard and as fast as he could, and Tai moaned softly in approval, her feet bumping against her brother's back as her entire body twitched and trembled its way towards the point of no return. "Oh shit, oh God, oh yes, V-Vincent... Niola..." she whimpered, as she began to tense up, "I'm so close... Oh, I'm s-so very close, I - I can almost t-taste it... Oh fuck, I'm g-going to coooooome..." Hearing those words, Vincent was so turned on he would have moaned himself if his mouth hadn't been so busy. "God yes, j-ji'ren-re... I - I love you s-so much..." she said, her voice tight and strained as her body prepared for The Moment, "Ohhh... ohhhh! Oh - oh, niola, I'm - I'm coming!" Grabbing one of Vincent's pillows, Tai held it over her face, being self-aware enough to predict the need to muffle her own cries of pleasure. Indeed, just as the cushion pressed into place, she stiffened from head to toe and shuddered hard as the pleasure exploded forth within her, spreading from between her legs to fill her entire body with white-hot bliss, every muscle trembling and spasming as she came and came, her inner walls squeezing and clenching at the tongue buried within her, as if trying to get a grip on the slippery devil that had brought her to such an effective release, and even as focused as he was, Vinnie couldn't help but moan himself as Tai tensed up and her flavourful juices spurted out to fill his mouth and paint his muzzle with her desire. Even in this odd position, Tai shook and trembled and yowled with joy, and her big brother enjoyed every second of watching and feeling the woman he loved so much climaxing so hard, licking and teasing her walls and stroking her throbbing clitoris to drag out the experience as long as he could.

When Tai was finally completely orgasm'd out, the tigress slumped back against the bed, the pillow falling away as she shuddered one last time and let out an exhausted, thoroughly satisfied sigh. Somewhat reluctantly pulling his mouth away from her heated entrance, Vinnie licked his chops and then gave his sister's tired slit one last lick from bottom to top, enjoying the whimper of residual pleasure she let out, and then, sitting up straight, he carefully eased her butt back down to the bed, moved up next to her, and tugged her back up into the position she'd started out in, before lying down next to her and silently taking the panting Mokaji into his arms and holding her close in a loose embrace. Tai made an indistinct noise that sounded pleased to Vinnie's ears and snuggled against her big brother, returning his embrace and pressing herself against him. The proudly rigid dick pressing against her stomach probably wasn't helping her body calm down any, but neither of them commented on it. Not yet. Right now was just for holding each other, not for returning the favour, or even kissing or speaking. About the time Vinnie began running his fingers through the tigress' soft red hair, Tai opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Ohhh, niola..." she whispered, sniffling, "How hopeless am I? I - I'm getting all emotional because - because you made me come really hard!" She looked away, blushing, and the fox leaned in to lick her cheek playfully, which made her smile again. "Silly niara, it isn't because I went down on you or because you got to have a nice strong orgasm," he whispered, "You're all emotional because now it's really official that we're together... the way we always should have been." Purring loudly, Tai nuzzled against her brother. "Mmmm, that sounds much more reasonable," she said, happily, with one last sniff, "I feel way better when you put it that way, thank you Vinnie." With that, Vincent leaned in closer to her, obviously angling for her lips. "Don't mention it," he breathed, just before their lips made contact. The siblings held each other close, rubbing their bodies together and sharing in the warmth that they'd brought into the room while the fox was coaxing his sister into climax. After a minute or so of this, Tai broke off the kiss and looked down, blatantly looking at Vincent's hard prick, her smile visibly widening as she leered at her lover's penis, which throbbed involuntarily in response. "Now then, big brother," she whispered, "I know you probably want to get to the real fun, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to return the favour for you first." She licked her chops, much as he had, and Vinnie still couldn't help shivering pleasantly. "Ohhhh, niara, we've got all night, you take all the time you want..." he said, excitement plain on his face as Tai crawled down the bed and settled down between his legs.

Lying between the fox's legs, presented with her brother's genitals, Tai smiled with anticipation. She leaned in as close as she could without actually coming in contact with his sensitive flesh (no doubt to tease him) and inhaled deeply of his musk and arousal. "Oh God, niola, I've missed your scent," she breathed, "So masculine, so confident... and yet you still let me take the wheel when we're in bed. Curious." Vinnie was torn between the urge to make a witty comeback, to defend himself, and to lie back and take it so that she'd go ahead and bring him pleasure the way she so obviously wanted to. Need won out in the end, and he just pouted and lowered his ears in embarrassment as she chuckled and nuzzled her nose against his scrotum. Then, reaching down, she slid both hands under him and cupped his buttocks, giving them a squeeze as she smiled at him. "You have such a nice ass, Vinnie," she said, "Have you been wearing tight pants since I got here on purpose? Sometimes I swear you're trying to make me wet..." Naturally, he hadn't, but he found, now that all that guilt was out of his system, that he liked the idea of his sister getting turned on by staring longingly at his backside, so he just grinned and shrugged. "The world may never know," he teased. The smile quickly vanished from his face, though, replaced by a grimace of pleasure, as Tai leaned in and unexpectedly licked his cock, running her tongue from the base of his manhood up to the crown, where she licked up a drop of pre, and then back down again, to lap and tease at his balls, jostling the sensitive orbs around within his sac, mouthing them gently through the thin skin and driving her lover crazy. "Oh fuck..." he moaned, shuddering. Tai gave him a Cheshire grin as she leaned back, churring. "Mmmm... I've missed your taste, too, big brother... You ready?" Vinnie nodded dumbly, practically holding his breath in anticipation, and Tai opened her mouth, letting her tongue hang out a bit as she brought it closer and closer to the head of his prick. She moved slowly, agonizingly slowly, and as he felt her hot breath against his shaft, Vincent couldn't help but whimper submissively, wanting this more than anything else he could ever remember. And then, when he could practically feel the heat of her mouth, the wetness of her tongue... Tai abruptly heaved up with her hands, lifting his butt off the bed, not entirely unlike the way he'd pulled her pussy up to his mouth. But where he'd pulled her up into an almost upside-down position, Tai stopped after mere inches... so that she had unrestricted access to Vincent's tight, pink anus, which she began to lick enthusiastically as he yelped in shock.

Every muscle in Vinnie's body tensed up as his sister's soft, wet tongue began to lap at the pucker beneath his tail, and he only barely managed to turn a moan of pleasure into a gasp of outrage. "T-Tai!" he cried, "Wh-what are you - what are you..." Tai stopped and looked up at him, giggling. "I'm giving you a rimjob, big brother!" she said, delightedly, "I looked up the term when I got out here because I've always wanted to give you one. Apparently they also call it 'tossing your salad', for reasons I'm not sure I want to know, and the French refer to it as -" "I know what you're doing!" he interrupted, correcting himself, "Why are you licking my ass?!" Another giggle that made him blush, a quick lick that made his backdoor clench and his toes curl up a little, much to his chagrin. "I just told you, I've always wanted to do this for you," she teased, "You used to be a much better listener, niola." Vinnie swallowed as she went back to licking - oh why did it have to feel so good? - and forced himself not to whimper again as he gathered his courage to confront her again. "But - but Tai, I -" The tigress suddenly let his rump drop back to the bed, cutting off his train of thought. "Brother. You know me. You know how well I_know _you," she said, almost sternly, "I love you. I don't judge you. And I certainly haven't forgotten 'that thing you don't want to admit you like'." He blushed as she mentioned the old name she used to use when teasing him. "You like it when I finger your rear," she said, plainly, without a hint of mockery or judgement, "You know it, I know it, let's call a spade a spade, and see how much you lick a tongue instead of a finger or two, hmm?" A moment passed, and Vinnie swallowed. "...You just want to hear me say the words, don't you?" he asked, biting his lip. Tai smiled and nodded. "Oh yes, very much so," she freely admitted, tilting her head to the side, "...Though I also meant what I said." Taking a deep breath, Vincent forced himself to have dignity and look her in the eye, even as she teased a single fingertip against his dampened entrance. "I... I like it when you p-play with my ass," he whispered, cheeks burning, "I always have..." Tai smiled, though to her credit, she didn't giggle, and licked his penis again. "There, niola," she said, soothingly, was that so hard?"

The she-tiger got up into a kneeling position and patted her brother on the side of the tush. "Turn over, ji'ren-re," she said, "I want to make this more comfortable for both of us." As Tai smiled down at him, Vincent somewhat reluctantly rolled over and got up on all fours. As she put her hands on his hips and leaned in close behind him, she glanced up at him and grinned. "You don't need your front half to be up," Tai commented, "You can just rest on the bed if you'd like, let your little sister take care of you." With that, before he could even think about replying, she returned her tongue to Vincent's anus, and he finally moaned out loud, shuddering at the unfamiliar, yet embarrassingly pleasurable sensation of her tongue licking and working against the tight ring of muscle. As he did indeed settle down to the bed, feeling a bit self-conscious to be in a 'face down, ass up' position for his own sister, he shivered and muttered to himself. "T-two can play at this game, Tai..." he said, "Just w-wait until I break out the things that embarrass you..." He didn't think she'd heard him, but at that moment, she slipped a hand off his hip and moved it down to take hold of his erection, which jutted out beneath him, the stiff length proudly defying gravity, and the arctic fox couldn't help but moan at the merest touch, his toes curling up as his dick finally got some attention. Tai pulled away from the fox's anus as his manhood throbbed in her hand, and as she tilted it down to point at the bed, it drooled a thin strand of pre all the way down to the sheets. "Ohhh, you really need it, don't you, niola?" she whispered, half soothingly, half teasingly, "Just relax, Tai's gonna make it alllll better..." As her tongue returned to his backdoor, she began to stroke her brother's prick, not fast and confidently, like she was giving him a handjob, but nice and slow and even, just giving his penis some stimulation as she focused both of their attentions elsewhere. Burying his face against the bed, Vinnie moaned again and shivered with pleasure. As embarrassing as it was... this was actually really nice. He'd never admitted his fondness for such acts to anyone before, not even to himself, and he'd certainly never have been able to ask for someone to lick his butt, but now that Tai had surprised him with it? His dick pulsed again, leaking more pre onto the sheets, and as he sighed happily, Tai chuckled faintly.

After a few minutes of this, Vinnie began to feel a gentle but insistent pressure on his anus, something he'd known was inevitable, and took a deep breath, readying himself and trying not to clench down. He began to tremble as his sister's tongue continued to push against him, and he groaned out loud as the tight ring finally surrendered, allowing Tai to wiggle her tongue deeper into his rear. His hands curled up fistfuls of the blankets as he trembled and shook, a little overwhelmed by the warm, wet sensations moving within him. "Oh God," he whimpered, "Oh n-niara, this feels so weird..." She made a soothing noise without pulling her tongue away and moved her other hand up to his back, which she began to scratch and rub reassuringly. As her tongue pushed into his tight rump, Vincent swallowed, afraid of - well, afraid of the things one is always afraid of when butt fun is involved. But he'd scrubbed himself pretty thoroughly in the shower that day, and Tai showed absolutely no signs of displeasure, and soon the fox managed to relax again, losing himself in the bliss. Before he realized what was happening, he began pushing back against her, wanting to feel more, wanting it deeper, and he didn't even pick up on it until she giggled again behind him. He swallowed a whimper and covered his face until the blush went away, but as she licked and rubbed at his inner walls the way he'd been lapping at her vagina earlier, he was already feeling so good that his cock began to leak a thin, steady stream of pre, encouraged by his sister's soft, stroking hand. After a few moments, Tai began to press forward unexpectedly, penetrating further than he would have thought possible, and when he looked over his shoulder and saw that she wasn't even forcing her muzzle up against his backside, he had a thought. "You're... you're making your t-tongue longer, aren't you?" he asked, pouting slightly, "I thought we agreed to n-no weird shapeshifting!" Tai giggled and pulled her mouth free. To her credit, however long she'd extended it, she managed to fit her tongue entirely into her muzzle. "I believe you'll find we agreed to traditional humanoid shapes," she corrected, still stroking him, "I still only have one tongue, sweetie. You didn't say anything about making the parts that are already there bigger." The tigress winked at him and smiled at the look on his face. "I told you, niola, I'm not gonna judge you for liking this stuff," she said, softly, more earnestly, "So just relax and enjoy yourself, okay? Now let's see if I can still find your prostate..." As that wonderful tongue pushed back into his tight rear, Vincent groaned, trembling, closing his eyes and taking his lover's advice, letting his muscles relax. No doubt noticing this, Tai's stroking hand gave his dick a good firm squeeze, and while his ears remained down, Vinnie actually began to smile.

As it happens, it didn't take Tai very long at all to find Vincent's sweet spot, and it was kind of hard to miss when she did. Vinnie gasped out loud, caught off-guard by the sudden, intense pulse of pleasure that spread from his rump throughout his pelvis, his prick leaking a particularly thick dollop of pre as he quivered with arousal. Obviously delighted, Tai began focusing her teasing tongue against that specific spot, and Vinnie began to squirm and pant, helpless against the pleasure his little sister was bringing him. "Oh God... my ass..." he whimpered, "This is s-so good..." The fox started pushing back again, and this time he didn't stop himself, craving more of this wonderful feeling. Tai reached forward and scratched at the back of his neck, and Vinnie whimpered again, letting his own emerald tongue loll out as he panted hard. He was, admittedly, a little embarrassed that he could already feel his orgasm slowly building up inside him. It was a ways off, to be sure, but the idea that he was getting off to having his butt licked... As if she could read his mind, Tai began to rub his back again, this time tracing the green stripes that ran down his spine, and following them into the surrounding whiteness. He was a little surprised that she could be so soothing and so sensual at the same time. In truth, he hadn't had much chance to pleasure himself lately, as busy as he was with work... and as focused as he'd been on the forbidden love he carried for his niara. He tried to resist, but his sister's soft hand and skilled tongue were relentless in teasing his most sensitive areas, so he felt the pleasure build and build and build until finally, he moaned out loud and opened his eyes, looking back at his lover, his cheeks burning. "Oh God, my ji'ren-to," he whimpered, "I'm - I'm getting so close... I'm gonna come soon..." To his dismay, Tai pulled away from his rear and stopped stroking him, and Vinnie let out a keening whine as his backside reflexively clenched down, feeling so empty without Tai's warm, wet tongue squirming within it. "P-please, sister, no..." he whimpered in Mokaj, trembling with desperation. Tai began stroking his thigh soothingly. "No, no, it's okay, Vinnie, I wasn't stopping," she whispered, reassuringly, "I just..." Vinnie was surprised to realize that the feline imposter was blushing too. "I was going to catch your come, so we don't make a mess of the bed," she continued, "But... I know I sucked you off when I got here, but it still feels like this is a big first... and I suddenly want to... to taste you." Vinnie relaxed, deeply pleased by those words, and Tai cocked an eyebrow. "You begged me 'no'," she observed, "I have to ask, niola, what did you think I was doing?" As he smiled self-consciously, Vinnie managed as close an approximation of a shrug as he could in his current position. "Well, ummm... I kinda had this... paranoid, sort-of-insane worry since you got here," he admitted, "Where I was afraid you might actually hate me... and you came out here for revenge, to, like, make me fall in love with you and then break my heart the way I broke yours... So when you stopped after I said I was close, I thought you might be uh, giving me blue balls before you sprang your trap to add injury to insult." He blushed again as Tai laughed hard, deeply amused, but he couldn't help but smile. It had been rather silly, he'd known that all along. "You watch too much television, brother," Tai said, matter-of-factly, patting his ass, "No, I just couldn't decide how I wanted to finish this... but I've made up my mind, so give me a second..."

Vinnie was expecting to be asked to roll over so that Tai could suck him off, so he was rather surprised when instead, Tai flopped down on her back and scootched under him. She reached up and put her hands on his hips and eased his pelvis a bit lower, and the white fox shuddered from head to toe as he felt his sister's delicate lips encircle the head of his desperately hard cock. To his credit, he didn't whimper as he felt two of Tai's fingers taking her tongue's place in his backside; he'd seen that coming a mile away. The tigress poked around until she found his prostate again, and then she began rubbing and teasing, fingering him energetically, while her lips and tongue licked and suckled on his prick from beneath. The position reminded Vinnie of a calf nursing from its mother, which was such a ridiculous thought he banished it from his mind before it gave him the giggles. Using her free hand, Tai wrapped a single finger and a thumb around the shaft of her brother's penis and began stroking it fast and hard, jerking him off into her mouth. Vincent whimpered and felt himself throb against Tai's lips. As he drooled pre directly onto her tongue, his lover moaned lustily around her mouthful and redoubled her efforts. Vinnie found himself weirdly impressed by her enthusiasm; he was shocked - and incredibly turned on - by how hungry the tigress was for his seed. As the point of no return hurtled towards him, Vinnie shuddered and whimpered with the desperate need to come, even as he fought to drag out the experience as long as he could. He had a feeling it was going to be a good one. As he throbbed again, and Tai groaned around his dick again, the fox abruptly remembered, with sudden clarity, that he was probably going to suffer from his little problem when he came.

To explain, whenever Vinnie had an orgasm because of someone else, he would Change against his will into their species, right down to copying eye colour and pelt patterns. An Outsider doctor had once coined the phrase 'involuntary post-coital replication', because Outsider doctors always seemed to think everything needed a complicated name, but the Mokaji themselves just referred to it as 'love-copying' your partner. For most, it was a mildly embarrassing problem encountered when they first became sexually active, to be quickly overcome, but for whatever reason, Vinnie had never quite gotten over it, only managing to resist on rare occasions, which limited his sex life with Outsiders to people with whom he trusted the secret of the Mokaji, and invited light-hearted teasing when he slept with Tai, the only Mokaji who'd ever shared his bed. In their culture, it was on the same level as a young child wetting the bed or a grown adult suffering from premature ejaculation; the real source of Vinnie's embarrassment was that it just kept happening. Having thought of it before the very last second, he was determined to make things different this time. He was pulled out of his introspective mood rather quickly, though, as his sister's gentle mouth and probing fingers were nigh-impossible to ignore. Panting and trembling, Vinnie stopped fighting the pleasure, let it sweep him away; he curled up his hands into fists and buried his face in a pillow to muffle his cries as the moment rushed upon him. Arching his back, stiffening from head to toe, the fox let out a long, guttural moan into the pillow as pleasure exploded forth from within him, the fire burning along his nerves and spreading throughout his entire body. His prick began to throb and pulse in Tai's hand and against her soft lips as he erupted, ejaculating thick, gooey spurts of his cream into his little sister's eager mouth, covering her tongue even as its tip licked and rubbed at the head of his spasming cock, encouraging him to come and come, while her fingers kept stroking his throbbing shaft and working his sensitive prostate, even as his backside clenched down hard against her intruding digits. More dramatic than that, however, was the fact that brilliant dashes of orange and black began bursting forth in Vinnie's white and green fur, tiger patterns streaking down his back and spreading, before the fox patterns started to forcibly push back, victoriously absorbing the tiger stripes, only for new ones to try and emerge elsewhere. His tail fur kept thinning out and thickening as the two body types struggled against each other, and the muzzle that was pressed into that pillow kept trying to reshape itself. Eventually, though, the vulpine elements won out, and Vinnie remained an arctic fox with creative green highlights. And all the while, Tai suckled greedily at her brother's dick, eagerly gulping down mouthfuls of semen as Vincent emptied himself into her mouth, completely, deliriously overwhelmed by orgasmic bliss.

When it was finally over, when Vinnie's mind returned to him, he rolled his face away from the pillow in order to breathe, and he still whimpered with residual pleasure on every other exhalation. Tai kept up her work after he finished coming, as if stubbornly trying to make him give up some hidden reservoir of seed he'd been trying to hide from her, until she finally accepted that he'd run dry, and pulled her hands away from his oversensitive parts; the one that had been fingering him gently patted his rump on the way out, as if to say 'until next time'. However, she also stayed right where she was, the tip of his penis still between her lips, her hands holding firmly onto his hips, as if reluctant to let him go. In fact, a few minutes later, when Vinnie finally recovered enough to move, he could have sworn he heard his lover whimper softly as he pulled away from her and lay down next to her. Without a word, he began to nuzzle against her, and she smiled and returned the show of affection. Soon he was holding her in his arms, and feeling her hugging him back, and as he caught her eyes, the fox found he couldn't not say the words. "I love you, niara," he whispered, "My ji'ren-to." Beaming at him, she gave him a squeeze and smiled. "I love you too, ji'ren-re... my sweet, thoughtful big brother." After a moment, her eyes widened, as did her grin. "Wait... you're still a fox!" she exclaimed with delight, "Way to go, big brother!" Vinnie chuckled self-consciously and blushed a little at his beloved bringing such attention to it, but in truth he was pretty pleased with himself. He had made similar attempts to resist love-copying in the past, but as Tai could (and happily would, given the opportunity to tease her brother) attest, sometimes even when he remembered, when he was trying to fight it, his body would still Change into his partner's species. At least he couldn't swap genders at the crescendo of sex, since that would have been infinitely more humiliating. So it was fortunate that 'toggling' was a much more involved Change that required an extended period of focus, and so couldn't be done on the fly on a whim. "Heh, thanks, Tai," he said, grinning, "I just hope it's the first of many. Mmm, c'mere, you..." He leaned in to kiss her, wanting to celebrate, but Tai leaned away, now blushing herself. "Ah, wait!" she said, lowering her ears slightly, "I - I was just licking your butt, niola, are you sure you want to kiss me?" Vinnie reached up and scruffed his thumb across her cheek reassuringly. "Sweetie, if you're willing to go as far as licking my ass to make me happy," he said, softly, "How can I not be willing to kiss you afterwards? What you did is way more daring." She blushed a little harder, but smiled, and relaxed against her brother as he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

The siblings lay on their sides and held each other close, basking in the warmth of each other's bodies and kissing slowly, sensually, trying to express their feelings for each other in the sinuous movements of their tongues, the subtle interplay of their lips, the roaming of their hands through each other's pelts. Acting purely on instinct, Vinnie threw a leg over his lover's thighs, tugging her lower body closer to him. He hadn't recovered yet, didn't want to rub himself against her and ignite her feelings, he just wanted to feel as much of Tai in contact with him as possible. The tigress made a noise of approval and held him a little closer. He remembered the first time he had kissed Tai, or rather, the first time Tai had kissed him, and how for a moment, all he could think about was how wrong it should feel to have his sister's tongue in his mouth. But as it teased against his own, as he shuddered and relaxed in her embrace, he decided that no matter what it should have been like, it felt like the most natural thing in the world, and it had started them down the path that lead to this very moment. Now, in his niara's arms, Vinnie finally stopped worrying about what might happen, or how things could go wrong, or how this would affect his day to day life. With Tai there, kissing him as enthusiastically as she was, none of that really seemed to matter... even if such a thought occurred to him, it held no power over the normally overly-fretful Mokaji, as he would just idly think that whatever challenges lay ahead, he knew he could overcome them with Tai in his life, and they would quiet and disappear from his mind, until there was just peace, pleasure, and the need to feel Tai's uncharacteristically soft tiger pelt flowing between his fingers and rubbing against his chest. When she finally leaned back to break it off, he frowned slightly and instinctively leaned forward, not wanting to stop. He quickly realized what had happened when Tai pulled her tongue out of his mouth and smiled, though, and he leaned back, ears lowered self-consciously. The two of them just looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and Tai churred and nuzzled against him again. "Oh, niola, I don't remember the last time I was this happy..." she breathed, "I... I've dreamed of hearing you say you love me for so long that I almost forgot that it wasn't just a dream, that it might actually happen." Vinnie reached forward and brushed an errant lock of red hair off of her face with a single finger. "I'll say it again, then," he whispered, "so you don't forget. I love you, little sister. I'm yours." Tai giggled, brimming with happiness, and nuzzled against him. "Mmmm... I'm never going to get tired of hearing you say that," she tittered, "Always makes me tingle." Vinnie licked her nose and winked. "Well, that works out nicely," he replied, "Because I'm never going to get tired of saying it." The siblings kissed again, and Tai continued purring like a well-oiled motor, just as loud and strong as after her climax, to the point where Vinnie idly wished he could express his happiness in such a blatant way himself.

When they broke off next, Tai tilted her head to one side, her tail flitting back and forth behind her, curiously. "So... Vinnie, I have to ask," she started, "Was that a joke when you said you were worried this was some kind of elaborate revenge scheme, or have you actually been worrying about that?" Her eyes widened and she blushed. "Not that I'm actually planning anything bad!" she added quickly, "I just couldn't tell if you meant it!" Blushing even harder than she was, Vinnie rolled over, facing away from her, embarrassed. "No, it was, uh, it was something I've actually worried about," he said, "After what I did to you... I kept asking myself how you could forgive me, and... well..." Tai hugged him from behind, and he couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of her soft breasts squishing against his back, even as he tried to be embarrassed by his thoughts. "Niola, I had a lot of time to think about what happened," Tai whispered, "And I'd be lying if I said I never daydreamed about getting 'revenge' early on, when it hurt the most. But the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that you acted the way you did because you loved me back and you'd been afraid of your feelings - I totally called it, by the way - so how could I want to hurt you when there was still hope for the thing I wanted most?" She kissed him on the back of the neck. "I promise, the only thing I want is for us to be together, no evil plans whatsoever." He smiled and placed a hand on top of hers as he looked back at her. "So you're not planning to break my heart and leave me?" he asked, somewhat facetiously. The tigress hugged him a little tighter. "Never." She said the word like a solemn vow. Vinnie had been kidding, of course, but he couldn't help but shiver at the conviction in his lover's voice. He churred happily as Tai kissed the back of his neck again, and started to turn over in her arms, wanting to hold her again, but she squeezed him tight and stopped him. "Wait, let's stay like this for a while," she said, "I kinda like being the big spoon for a change, I never got to be the big spoon back Home." Vincent settled back down, humouring her as she kissed, licked, and nuzzled at him from behind. But he couldn't help but wonder if he was the only one his playful, gentle lover had been the little spoon for, and after a few moments of silence, he dared to ask a dangerous question. "Tai? I never asked because I - I wasn't sure I wanted to know..." he started, "But after I left, and before you came after me... Was there anyone else that...?" The fox trailed off, reaching for the words, but Tai knew what he meant, and sighed quietly. "No, there wasn't anyone else," she said, softly, "I actually tried dating a friend for a while, started about a year after you left. One night, the moon was out, somebody was setting off fireworks in the park, and everything was beautiful and romantic. We were holding each other, we were gonna kiss... but at the last second I started crying, because... because I felt like I was cheating on you. I think that was the first time I realized exactly how strong my feelings for you were, realized that I was in denial and couldn't actually hate you, no matter how badly I thought I wanted to." There was a moment of silence, and then Tai threw a leg over her brother the way he had earlier, clinging possessively to his back. "What about you, Vinnie?" she asked, innocently, "I, uh, couldn't help but wonder after Andy told me you have a thing for red hair..." The fox tensed up, then cursed himself, knowing she would feel it instantly. He'd tried to carefully evade this inquiry earlier, when she'd praised his skill at cunnilingus, but this time, it was a pretty specific question. "Ummm..." He closed his eyes, but forced his ears to remain straight up. He couldn't lie to her, she deserved his best, and that meant being honest. "I've dated a few people here and there, you could count them on one hand," he said, carefully, "And, uhhh... Yeah, a couple of them were serious. But I couldn't go to bed with anyone I didn't already completely trust, because of my, you know, my love-copying. Actually, now that you're here, now that I'm not fighting my feelings anymore, I... I think I was trying to find someone to fall in love with to, like, prove to myself that I didn't have feelings for you. Except it didn't work, because... Because you've always been the one." Vinnie held his breath without realizing it, afraid he'd have put her off for the night, but after a long moment of silence that felt even longer in the Mokaji's mind, Tai leaned forward and kissed her brother chastely on the cheek. "Thank you for telling me the truth, niola," she whispered, "That's important in a relationship, you know." He let out his breath and dared to look back at her. "S-so you're not upset?" he asked, having to force himself not to apologize before she showed any signs of wanting an apology. Maybe he'd been in Canada too long... "Well, I'd be lying if I said I was happy that you'd been with other people," she admitted, "But I... I understand, Vinnie. You didn't want to admit that you were in love with your own sister, wanted to feel normal... Let's just not dwell on your exes, okay? Like, not mentioning them while we're in bed, can that be a rule?" He grinned, relieved. "Absolutely," he said, his tail trying to wag but finding a naked woman in the way. Tai snuggled against him again and made a contented noise. "Now then, we seem to have brought the mood down a little," she purred, "so let's try and bring it back up, hmmm?" With that, she licked the back of his neck and then nipped lightly at the skin there, and Vinnie shuddered with a strange pleasure. "I like this plan..." he murmured.

For the next few minutes, Tai teased and played with her brother, kissing and licking at his shoulders, neck, and face, and letting her hands roam his torso, scruffing up his fur, tweaking his nipples, and making him feel very loved indeed. For his part, Vinnie kept fruitlessly trying to catch her to nip her back by leaning back over his shoulder, only to find she'd effortlessly moved to the other side of his head. All the while, the shapely feline was rubbing herself against his back, practically grinding against the bewildered male, and all this fur-on-fur contact was doing a great job of reigniting the warmth of arousal within him. Finally, one of Tai's hands slipped down Vinnie's abdomen and found her brother's penis, which was at half-mast as she wrapped her slender fingers around it. Vincent moaned shamelessly as Tai squeezed his fattening cock and made a noise of approval in his ear. "Mmmm, speaking of bringing things back up..." she teased. It had actually been long enough since the first comment that Vinnie didn't get the joke for a moment, but neither of them had spoken since then, aside from giggles and noises of happiness, so he let it slide. He had to swallow another moan as his sister began to squeeze and knead the sensitive flesh of his dick, speeding the process along. "That's it, niola, get niiiice and hard for Tai," she murmured into his ear, her voice low and sensual, "Make a girl feel appreciated. Mmmm, so big... are you really getting this stiff for me, big brother? Are you getting this hard because you want to fuck your little sister?" He groaned, shuddering against her, and she giggled as he shook his head self-consciously. "God, I hate how submissive I get with you..." he lied. Tai made a pffft noise and kissed his neck again. "No you don't," she said, conversationally, "You told me back Home that you love it when I wear the pants because when you're with me, you feel safe enough to express your inner subbiness." He blushed, and Tai giggled as he shrugged, conceding the point. "Right. Forgot about that..." he muttered, "Okay, maybe I love it, but I - can we just play it straight this time? I just wanna think about how much you mean to me, not how right it feels when you wear the pants..." The tigress gave his now-fully-erect prick a nice squeeze and licked his ear, making it flick a few times instinctively. "That's so sweet, niola, of course we can..." she said, happily, "...Just as soon as you stop avoiding the questions I asked you." Vinnie moaned in frustration, pouting cutely at her. "Dammit, you've known me forever, and Andrew's got a psychology degree..." he muttered, "Just watch, soon we'll be hosting a whole convention of people who can read me like a book..." Tai churred and gave his cock a squeeze again, but said nothing, and didn't move. Surrendering, Vinnie looked down at the soft hand on his manhood and swallowed. He knew from past experience that just saying 'yes' wouldn't work either, she wanted to hear the words. "...Yes, I'm hard because of you, niara... I'm this hard because I - I want to fuck my little sister!" Tai shuddered against his back and churred again. "Mmmm, I just love hearing you say things like that," she murmured, taking hold of his hand, "And if it makes you feel any better..." Vinnie inhaled sharply as she pressed his hand between her legs, his fingers instinctively dipping between her sodden lips and feeling the moist heat within. "...I'm this wet because I want my big brother to fuck me!"

With that, Tai let go of Vincent's prick, and the siblings separated for as long as it took to rearrange themselves. Tai lay back against the pillows and the headboard of the bed, legs spread, idly touching a nipple and her slit, while Vinnie got on his knees and reached over to the bedside table. "I think I still have some condoms here..." he muttered, "I hope they haven't expired..." Tai caught his wrist gently and smiled softly when he looked at her. "Niola, I appreciate your dedication to pretending to be a monoform," she said, "But there's no one here except us, we don't have to hide our heritage... and part of that heritage means that you can't get me pregnant unless we both want it to happen. Forget the condoms, brother, I - I want to feel you inside me..." Nodding wordlessly, Vinnie smiled and reached forward, caressing his sister's cheek before he lay down at her side. He put his hand on her thigh, making her quiver, as he leaned in to kiss her, their tongues gently entwining, swirling together about their muzzles, as if taking each other on a rather intimate tour of their mouths. Tai was less subtle, closing her fingers around his penis and just holding it loosely without stroking or squeezing, as if she just wanted to touch it. The siblings couldn't wait long, though, before their mutual longing prompted them to action. Vinnie looked into his sister's eyes and asked the obvious question without saying a word. Shivering, Tai nodded, and the white fox got up on all fours over her, letting her guide his manhood into position, since she didn't seem to want to let go. As he felt the tip of his cock rubbing against her wet labia, Vinnie let out a quiet noise that can best be described as a 'murfle', and his vulpine tail swished back and forth with anticipation. He moved to thrust his hips forward, bury himself to the hilt in a single push, but the tigress clenched her hand tighter around her brother's dick and gasped. "Wait!" she cried, blushing at the strength of her reaction, "Uhh... s-slowly, ji'ren-re, please go slowly..." Vincent tilted an ear to the side curiously, but nodded. "Okay by me..." he murmured. He started pushing forward again, much more languidly, but he didn't go very far before he stopped, his eyes widening. "Niara! Is that... did you..." As she smiled bashfully at him, he looked at her incredulously. "Tai, did you give yourself a hymen?"

Vincent's confusion was fairly well-justified; given that a Mokaji has control over their entire body, save the most vital organs, Mokaji who were toggled to female could simply choose to opt out of the physical manifestation of virginity so obsessed over by Outsider cultures, and avoid the pain that comes with being deflowered. Indeed, Vinnie had never heard of any Mokaji choosing to give herself a hymen before, so to say he was caught off-guard was an understatement. For her part, Tai was very calm and composed as she grinned at him. "Oh yes, niola, yes," she said, "I thought that... that since we're finally being truthful about our feelings, we could use this as a clean slate, a place to start fresh." She shrugged and winked at him. "You know me, I wanted to be all symbolic and sentimental and stuff." Vinnie couldn't help but smile, but he still regarded her curiously. "Well, okay, but it's just a little odd, I mean... you haven't been a virgin in a long time, ji'ren-to." Tai giggled and lay back against the pillows. "To be fair, you were the one who took my cherry in the first place, big brother," she pointed out playfully, "So at least it's appropriate." Vinnie conceded the point and focused on the task at hand. "Okay then..." he murmured, "I've never done this before, but -" "But it's supposed to sting, I know," Tai interrupted, "I've sort of been thinking about this for a while now." The fox smiled at her and then braced himself. "Well, take a deep breath, I guess," he said, leaning forward and supporting himself on his arms again. Tai did just that, sucking in a deep breath, a slightly nervous expression on her face, and Vinnie swallowed, looked his ji'ren-to in the eye, and drove his hips forward, his hard prick parting his sister's labia and pushing into her wet channel in one slow, even thrust, breaking through the barrier she'd given herself in the process.

As her brother took her virginity for the second time, Tai wrapped her arms around Vinnie and held him tight, yelping with pain. Knowing it was coming didn't make it much easier to put up with. Tears had formed in the corners of her eyes, but she wasn't crying, and seemed proud of herself for it. After he finished sheathing himself in her tight channel, Vinnie pushed his arms under her back and returned her embrace, letting her tremble against him. He whispered to her in Mokaj as he nuzzled against her cheek, rubbing her back where it had lifted away from the mattress. "Shhh, shhh, it's alright, my love, you made it through, just take deep breaths and let it pass... Try lying back and thinking of England." Tai blinked in confusion, dispersing the tears, and looked at her brother strangely, actually finding herself giggling gently as he winked at her. "It's j-just like you to distract me by making me laugh, brother," she replied, "I love that about you." He didn't reply, he just planted a kiss on the side of her muzzle and kept rubbing her back. After a few moments, she relaxed in his arms, the pain ebbing away. "Ohhh..." she sighed, relief evident in her voice, "I'm glad that's over... but I'm not sorry I did it. How does it feel to have claimed your little sister, Vinnie? Mmmm... Within and without, I'm yours." She licked his cheek, and he smiled gently down at her, brushing aside her bangs with his fingertips. "I'm not 'claiming' you, niara, this is about more than that," he whispered, "After all, the oath is said by both of us; you're mine, and I'm yours, and in belonging to each other, we're more complete than we were alone." Tai churred and adjusted the pillow under her neck, stretching as best she could before settling back down. Vinnie shuddered as he felt her clench her inner muscles along his shaft in the process. "If you say so, brother, you're the literary one in the family," she said, happily, "All I know is that I've wanted this for so long, and now it's here... make love to me, ji'ren-re."

Vincent grinned wide enough to show his teeth and licked his lover's cheek, then slowly drew his hips back, both of them shivering at the sensation of his prick sliding against her walls, savouring the moment when only the head of his cock was still inside her, and then he reversed direction, pushing confidently back into Tai's wet warmth until their pelvises nuzzled together and his scrotum rested against her body. After a glance to her face to make sure she wasn't hurting, he kept going, keeping the movements slow and steady. "Just say the word if something hurts, okay?" he whispered, "I think it's only supposed to hurt when it gets broken, but this is new to me, so for all I know it stays sensitive for a while, and -" Tai interrupted him by leaning up and kissing the surprised fox, who sighed through his nostrils, closed his eyes, and kissed her back as he started to pump into her with confidence, groaning into the kiss as her velvety walls rubbed against his dick, gripping him tightly and squeezing him on occasion. He broke it off about thirty seconds later and sighed happily. "God, this is so good..." he groaned, "I forgot how hot you were, so warm and wet, so tight around my dick..." Tai pushed her hips back up at him with a needy moan and gripped her lover's back tightly. "J-just so you know, niola... when you said 'tight' right there... I tried to make it even tighter, just for you..." the trembling female replied, "but I'm so horny I can't think straight long enough to Change!" The tod grinned and managed a slightly strained laugh. "Prolly for the best, dear sister," he replied, "If you were any t-tighter, I might have trouble moving!" Tai lay back and laughed at that, deliriously happy, and the movement reminded her brother of a part of her body he was ignoring, so as he leaned in to kiss her again, he shifted his weight to his elbows, lifted his hands from the mattress, and clasped them firmly over his sister's breasts. Clearly appreciative of this, Tai growled playfully at him and leaned up to kiss him, and as Vinnie squeezed and kneaded her boobs, she lifted her legs from the bed and closed them tightly around her brother's waist, trapping him inside her, going as far as squeezing and holding him in place for a moment, reminding him who really wore the pants between them. Vinnie didn't mind, of course; the fact that Tai was so confident, so assertive, was one of the things he loved most about her, a part of her personality he'd always admired, and as he slipped his tongue along her immaculately-brushed teeth, he made a mental note to tell her that, now that they were emotionally open to each other like this. He rather liked the idea of that, truth be told, sharing his deepest feelings and trusting in her, but he was a bit distracted by her wonderful body at the moment to linger on such thoughts, so he allowed it to flit away as a pulse of pleasure spread through his body when she clenched her inner muscles and gave his prick a nice squeeze.

As the room filled with muffled panting and whimpering, the siblings' passion grew all-encompassing, their focus entirely on each other, both of them lost in their lover's body and their own feelings, and neither of them spending much time worrying about whether Andrew Raynor could hear their lovemaking from his room across the hall. Tai's hands roamed Vinnie's back as if trying to memorize the topography of his pelt, her feet hooked snugly together just above the base of his tail, her body language not so much like she wanted to make sure he couldn't pull out of her as it was that she wished to embrace him with as much of her body as she could. The tigress would likely be caressing his face with her hair if he hadn't already requested nothing out of the ordinary from her shapeshifting. And all the while, Vincent drove his prick in and out, in and out, her slick walls clutching and squeezing at his achingly rigid manhood as brother filled sister again and again. They broke off their latest kiss and Vinnie immediately moved in close, laying a trail of kisses along Tai's sensitive neck. She moaned out 'niola' and tilted her head back, exposing more of her throat to her lover's eager lips, and he happily continued, leaving teasing kisses all along her jaw and down to her shoulder - where he playfully nipped at the skin, making her yelp. In response, Tai extended her claws and poked gently at Vinnie's back, and he ceased his pumping for a moment, squirming above her and lowering his ears submissively. Since foxes don't have the peculiar pain-for-pleasure response during sex that felines possess, which is why cats enjoy a bit of light scratching or biting during The Deed, Vincent wasn't too keen on a tiger's claws coming into play in bed. "Okay, okay, I surrender!" he said, taking in a shuddery breath as one claw teased along his spine, making him arch his back - and making Tai smile even wider as he inadvertently ground his pelvic fur against her sensitive clitoris - "Jeez, niara... You can hardly blame me, I mean it's really your fault for... being so delicious." He leaned down and kissed the spot he'd bitten with an exaggerated mwah, winking at her as he moved back up into position. "There, all better. Happy?" he teased, his tail swishing back and forth. Tai retracted her claws and took hold of one of his hands. "Not quite yet, but you can make it up to me pretty easily..." She dragged his hand away from her bust, where he'd still been pawing at her tits, and slid his fingers down to the spot where their bodies converged, pushing his fingers against the fleshy nub of her love button. As he smiled and began to rub, she shuddered. "Mmmm... that's just what I needed to make this even better," she purred, rolling her hips against his and encouraging him to start the rhythm going again. He tried, found his balance awkward, and reluctantly let go of her other breast so that he could push his forearm under her and lean against it. "Now..." Vincent murmured, as he slowly drew back, his manhood glistening with his little sister's juices, "Where were we..." Within moments, the muffled whimpers and panting had returned to the room.

Tai's mind was overwhelmed with emotion, just as her body was overwhelmed with pleasure; she'd been looking forward to this moment for years, of course, ever since she'd confessed her feelings to Vinnie in the first place, but she hadn't expected to feel this good. Since her niola had left Home, she'd been propositioned by more than a few Mokaji of both genders, whose leering eyes and lecherous smiles made it abundantly clear - when they didn't say it flat out - that they wanted her for her body, to fuck her as hard and as fast as they could, as if trying to impress her more with their aggressiveness than their skill or prowess, like she was a prize, and by climaxing with her, they had won. Vincent, on the other hand... Her brother was so tender, so gentle, every movement seemingly chosen to balance out between pleasuring her and playfully teasing her, occasionally both at the same time. The way he kissed her, the way he looked at her, the way he touched her, even the way he moved inside her... she'd told the truth earlier, she'd never taken any of those others up on their offers, but she knew on some instinctive level that Vinnie was different from them. He didn't just want to have her; he wanted to give himself to her, to place her needs above his own, to show her how much he loved her not just in his words, but in his every action. With these thoughts swirling through her mind, Tai moaned softly and clenched down on his erection within her, wondering if she was starting to understand what he'd said earlier, about how in giving themselves to each other, they were more complete than they had been alone...

Things were really heating up, both of them trembling and grunting as Vinnie drove himself home again and again, and the false fox couldn't help but sigh with bliss; feeling his sister around him like this wasn't just bringing him pleasure, it felt right, like this was the only person he'd ever been meant to be with. Maybe it was the intoxication of new love talking, but she blew the other women he'd dated clean out of the water! He wasn't sure how she'd take the comparison, though, so he said nothing. He was focused on pleasuring his writhing sister anyway, and on resisting the pleasure which continued to build within him. He hunched down and wrapped his lips around one of her nipples, and Tai gasped and moved a hand from his butt, where she'd been pushing on him to give his thrusts more oomph, and placed it on the back of his head. Vinnie had had to cheat that one a little bit, adjusting his spine so he could bend like that, but he justified it in his head by insisting that a monoform could do that with a bit of yoga experience... at least he thought so. Rubbing and kneading his buttock with the hand remaining on his ass, Tai churred and shivered hard. "Ohhh, niola, you're s-so good to me..." she murmured, trembling, "I wish there was some way I c-could pay you back..." Vinnie would have smiled if his lips weren't pursed around a stiff, warm nipple, but he looked up and winked at her even as he continued suckling. Of course, a moment later, his eyes widened and his mouth fell away from his niara's breast as he grunted and then inhaled sharply. "Ah - aah! What - Tai!" he groaned, eloquently, as he felt one of the grinning female's slender fingers working its way under his tail again, where it promptly began fingering his rump. Even as he blushed, even as he had to force his ears to remain upright, his penis throbbed hard, no doubt drooling slick pre-come into his lover's tight channel. "Oh, that's right," Tai said, softly, happily, "There is a way to return the favour!" Vinnie's pride made him want to protest, to deny his own enjoyment, to ask her to stop... but the complete lack of judgement in her eyes, the total adoration in her smile, and of course, the delightful sensations as her fingers found his prostate again, made him just smile back self-consciously and allow his ears to lower, showing his submission. "Thank you, n-niara," he breathed, barely audibly, before he leaned in again, this time to kiss her. It had been hard to thrust while suckling on her teat, and now with this new distraction, he wasn't sure he could keep a steady pace in that posture. Tai didn't seem to mind, though, and as she kissed him back, she brought her hand down from the back of his head to cup her own breast once again - but not before scratching the self-conscious male behind the ears to ease his apprehension. They continued making love at a slightly more energetic pace, now that the end was in sight for both of them.

As Vincent continued to thrust, as he sheathed himself in Tai's warmth again and again even as she mimicked the movement with the finger in his backside, he felt the pressure building inside him, and fighting it was getting harder. He broke off the kiss and grimaced, clenching his eyes shut and whimpering. He opened them again as Tai lifted the hand that had been fondling her boob and pressed it against his cheek. She was smiling as she stroked his furry cheek, and there wasn't a trace of disappointment in her voice as she whispered to him. "Getting close, brother? Fighting the end?" Embarrassed that, just like back Home, she could read him so easily, Vinnie nodded. Tai's smile actually widened, and her tail twitched with excitement to their side, slapping against the bed softly. "Let go, ji'ren-re," she cooed, "Stop fighting it and let it take you." He groaned, shaking his head. It was tempting, it was so tempting, he wanted to come so desperately, but... "I - I can't," he whimpered, "You haven't c-come yet..." Leaning up, Tai kissed him on the nose, and in this state, even this innocent contact made him shudder. "Always the gentleman..." she replied, "It's okay, I know you'll help me afterwards, and I'd rather have you happy and relaxed as I finish, not fighting desperately not to lose it." Massaging his prostate with a gentle, steady pressure, she hugged him tight with her free arm and whispered directly into his ear, her voice barely audible, even to him. "Relax, just let it happen," she breathed, "Just close your eyes and come for me, big brother, let it all out at once."

Unable to resist her gentle siren tone, not to mention the intoxicatingly powerful scent of her arousal, which filled the air around her and mixed with his own pheromones, Vincent moaned in surrender and lowered his ears, drawing back one last time and then slamming his hips forward, sheathing his erection in his lover's channel and leaving it there, buried to the root, as Tai closed her legs tight, trapping him there as his pleasure finally boiled over. "Oh - oh God, niara..." he whimpered, stiffening in her arms and burying his face in her shoulder, "I - I - I love you!" They both gasped as Vinnie's orgasm burst within him like a supernova; Vincent's reasons were obvious, but Tai had been expecting her mate to cry out 'I'm coming', the way they always had back Home, and hearing him exclaim his love for her at the moment of his passion had kicked the slender female's pleasure up considerably. Vinnie trembled and moaned, being self-aware enough to muffle himself by pressing his mouth against Tai's soft shoulder. His buried prick began to throb and spasm, and his climax erupted forth, spurting thick, wet jets of hot Mokaji seed into his sister's tight channel, ejaculating hard as he ground instinctively against her, as her fingers continued to work his prostate, the gooey come rapidly filling in every nook and cranny around his pulsating cock. Tai's eyes bulged out in shock as she felt the wet warmth of her brother's release spreading within her, like some kind of final seal on the reality of their relationship, and the trembling girl arched her back and followed his example, burying her face against Vincent's neck to mute her cries as the feeling of the brother she adored filling her with his love coaxed her into orgasm right alongside him. Admittedly, the fact that his fingers had never stopped rubbing her clitoris helped. Her body tensed and relaxed over and over again as the slick walls of her vagina rippled and clenched along her lover's erection, drawing out his release with a motion designed by evolution itself, and she bucked her hips up at him involuntarily, overwhelmed with pleasure. A gush of her juices somehow found room around her brother's thick cock and flooded out of her pussy, soaking his pelvic fur, the thin fuzz on his scrotum, and dampening both the sheets beneath them and the fingers which even now rubbed and stroked at her throbbing clit. Closely entwined, brother and sister trembled and whimpered and held each other tight, feeling closer to each other than ever before, riding out their respective pleasures with their minds and hearts full only of each other.

Eventually, it ended, and the Linus siblings sagged down against the mattress with a pair of satisfied sighs. For a moment, they just lay there, every muscle in their bodies limp and relaxed, and then Vinnie started to move, started to get up off his sister, and Tai made a noise of protest and tightened her legs again. "No, don't..." she murmured, making her point clear. Vinnie smiled and relaxed again, and Tai let her legs slump down once more. She always had liked it when he left it in her for a while afterwards. He pushed his arms under her, half because he didn't like putting his weight on her even though he knew full well that she could support him comfortably, and half because he wanted to be able to hug her purring body close against his. She opened her eyes as he did so, slipping her finger out of his anus and hugging him back, and while Vinnie had thought they would kiss, something stopped him. He just wanted to hold her, to look at her for a while. Tai was flushed from exertion, her hair was messed up, and her fur was matted and sweaty... but she was still the most beautiful woman Vinnie had ever seen. She reached up with a single finger - not that finger - and dabbed at his cheek, making Vinnie realize he'd actually shed a tear while gazing down at her, which made him blush; even back Inside, there had been times when he was embarrassed about being the more sentimental between the two of them. But Tai didn't tease, didn't poke fun at him, she just kept smiling and hugged him tight. "Thank you," she whispered, finally breaking the silence, "oh, niola, you've... you've literally made my dreams come true." "No, thank you," he replied, "For not giving up on me, so that the biggest mistake of my life didn't cost me..." he struggled for the words, and then simplified his thoughts, saying "didn't cost me this happiness." Her hands began to roam his back soothingly, and Vinnie took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, savouring the moment. "Ji'ren-to," he whispered. She shivered against him, her purring growing louder. "Ji'ren-re," she replied, giggling with delight afterwards. He leaned in to kiss her, and she surprised him by laying a finger on his nose and stopping him. "Before you do that, love," she said, gently, "I, uh, I've got a little bad news for you..." Vinnie's mind started going to ridiculous worst-case-scenarios, but Tai just turned her head and stared pointedly at his upper arm, his forearm being hidden underneath her. Frowning, Vinnie followed her gaze... and realized his arm was orange and stripey. Vinnie stiffened, his ears lowering in embarrassment, and Tai covered her mouth as she giggled at the look on his face, despite herself. He looked over his shoulder and down at himself and confirmed that he had become a male tiger of Tai's height and build, maybe a little stockier, and he knew from experience that his pelt pattern would be identical to hers (minus the minor alterations their genders made in the layout). He even had a tuft of fluffy fur in the centre of his chest, just above and between his unimpressive pectoral muscles. "Damn it..." he muttered, blushing hard, "I - I got so carried away that I lost myself... forgot to focus..." Tai put a hand on his shoulder and he reluctantly looked her in the eye. "Hey now... it's okay, niola," she whispered, kindly, "I'll take that as a compliment. This is just the first time of many, don't forget, so we can work through that problem later, and we will, I promise. But for now, just relax, let's enjoy the moment." Vinnie couldn't help but chuckle as his ears stood up again. "Since when did you get so good at being reassuring?" he asked. Tai winked at him. "Since I got myself a mate who needed reassuring," she replied, happily. Vinnie looked down at his chest and grinned. "Ah, what the hell..." he mumbled, concentrating... and a moment later, he began purring just as loud as his sister. "Haven't you heard that tigers can't purr?" she laughed, as he leaned back down. "Could've fooled me," he whispered, his lips moving to meet hers. When their tongues finished dancing together, Tai looked a little apprehensive. "So..." she started, sounding hesitant, "Now that, ah, the heat of the moment is over, you aren't getting, you know, cold feet or anything... are you?" Her ears started lowering towards the back of her skull before they suddenly flicked bolt upright, obviously held there by force of will. Vinnie smiled at her and licked at her muzzle playfully. "Absolutely not," he said, happily, "I'm in love with you, Tai. And now that I'm not overthinking things, I won't doubt it anymore." Tai practically giggled with delight, so clear was the relief on her face as she hugged him tight. "I'm so glad to hear that," she said, "I... I'd actually been worried. I'm sorry for doubting you." Vinnie shook his head. "No, no, after what happened the first time, I understand," he replied, "But I promise you, I'm not going anywhere unless I'm taking you with me. In fact, I was thinking to myself... this has been quite an experience, and it might make for a good article." Tai laughed and played along. "I bet your readers would love it," she said, "Too bad your editor won't let you print the really fun bits..." Vinnie reached up and brushed some of Tai's long red hair off of her face, and idly realized the fur atop his own head must surely be red now too. "Oh yes, in fact I already had a title in mind..." he murmured, as he leaned in to kiss her again, "What do you think of 'How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love my Little Sister'? Eye-catching, eh?" He wasn't sure Tai would get that reference, but she laughed softly even as she leaned in to meet his lips. "I know I'd want to read it..." The imitation tigers kissed again, holding each other close, still basking in afterglow and togetherness.

A few minutes later, Tai reluctantly allowed Vinnie to break off their embrace, and his flaccid penis slipped out of her as he sat back on his heels. Tai leaned forward and looked down at her vulva, examining herself carefully. "Well that's good, I was worried there might be blood, what with this being my first time and all..." she said, as her brother Changed himself back into an arctic fox. He left out the green markings, which could wait until morning, and he kept the purring for the time being, feeling playful. Tai giggled as she continued to look at her own tired pussy. "Wow, there's so much come," she murmured, "And it was your second time tonight, too. You really needed that..." The tigress looked up at him and pouted adorably, stopping just short of the famous Sad Kitty Eyes. "You popped my cherry, you didn't wear a condom, you didn't even pull out!" she said, shaking her head as if disappointed, "My daddy is gonna be awful pissed at you if I'm carrying your child, Mister Linus." Now fully vulpine again, Vinnie lay down next to her, laughing softly. "Oh, you laugh now," Tai continued, unable to hide her smile, "But she's got a beak, and you should see what those can do to soft foxes like you. You'd better marry me, to be on the safe side." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, still happy. "That sounds like a fantastic idea, Miss Linus," he replied, "but right now I think I'll settle for cuddles and falling asleep with you." The two of them slipped under the covers, still sweaty and naked, and lay down, hugging loosely. The sheets were going to have to be washed anyway, Vinnie figured, so why not? Tai stretched and yawned, before spooning up tight against her brother. "Mmmm, what time is it, anyway?" she murmured, fatigue tingeing her voice, "Feels like we've been doing it for hours..." There was a clock on his bedside table, but he reached over without looking and switched the lights off, gazing instead at his lover. "Doesn't matter," he responded with a smirk, "It's the weekend. We can sleep in." The lovers got comfortable, and then Tai stretched out again, nuzzling her pillow and making happy noises. "Oh man, this bed is so much more comfortable than that stupid couch," she muttered, "Just one more reason I'm so happy to be sleeping with you..." She giggled and then sighed happily. "No more cushion seams bumping against my back," she continued, "no more armrests getting in the way of my feet..." Vinnie smiled and chuckled as he brushed a hand through her hair. "Oh come on," he said, "It's not that bad once you fold it out and you can set those cushions aside..."

There was a moment of silence, and then Tai sat up straight in bed. Vinnie reached over and flicked on the light, confused, and saw her sitting there, staring at him, no longer smiling. "...Fold it out?" she repeated, "You mean fold it out into a bed? Wait... you mean it actually does that? I thought that was a joke!" Despite himself, Vinnie couldn't help but smile as he looked at her utter confusion. "Tai, do you mean to tell me that the whole time since you got here, you've been sleeping on the couch the way it is right now?" he asked, "I thought you'd been folding it back up every morning after you got up!" Blushing about as hard as Vinnie did on a regular basis, Tai pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I - well, how am I supposed to know Outsiders hide beds inside their couches?" she complained, "I'm still new at this!" Vinnie sat up and held up his hands placatingly, trying his best not to sound like he was teasing her. "It's okay, little sister, I'm just smiling because it's cute," he said, "It's not a big deal... come on, we can sleep it off, and we don't have to let Andrew know, it'll be our secret. Just like a lot of things, come to think of it..." Tai seemed a little soothed by that, and lay back down, accepting his offer of open arms and snuggling in close. As Vinnie smoothed the covers over them, the tigress sighed again. "Speaking of Andy..." she murmured, as her brother switched the light back off, "Vinnie, is he going to be... you know... okay that we're together? Since we're brother and sister, I mean..." Vinnie hugged her tight for a moment, as if to remind himself that she was really there and not some wonderful dream, and then let out a sigh himself. "Honestly, niara... I don't know. I think in theory, he doesn't approve of - of what we're up to..." he couldn't bring himself to say the word 'incest'; in the Outsider tongue it sounded like something greasy and unpleasant. "...But I don't think he's ever had to put that into practice, I don't think he's ever met anyone who was in our situation before. I really don't know what to say except we should give him some time to think this through." After a moment, he felt Tai's whiskers tickling his fur, and knew she was smiling. "Well, I was going to go over what we just did in detail, to see if it made him hard," she said, unconvincingly, "But if you insist... Hey, I don't suppose now that we're together, you can..." "Sorry, Tai, true love or not, I promised him I wouldn't tell you, he's just enjoying this way too much." There was a huff, and Vinnie could practically hear the female rolling her eyes. "That's what I thought you were going to say..."

Briefly, Vinnie worried about his roommate rejecting the two of them entirely, and the Mokaji being forced to find a new place to live, but the worst case scenario thoughts that his mind usually thrived on when he was trying to sleep didn't last long this time, not with the soft, warm body of his ji'ren-to lying against him. "...I missed your scent," he whispered, after a few moments, "I didn't realize how much, but I really missed your scent, niara..." It clung to her fur rather strongly, thanks to the healthy sweat they'd both raised, and as he nuzzled against her, Vinnie opened his mouth and began to gently and repeatedly lick at the spot where her neck met her shoulder, his emerald tongue bathing the fur and flesh in his warm saliva, until Tai giggled and pushed him away. "Niola, stop, that tickles..." she murmured, sounding like she was starting to drift off. Vinnie blushed and muttered an apology, wondering if he'd left too much feline in his system after all. Suddenly, Tai moved, throwing a leg over her brother's body and lying half-against, half on top of him. She'd taken a similar pose sometimes when they slept together back Home, and Vinnie couldn't help but smile. The fact that this pose put his flaccid penis in direct contact with her belly, and he wasn't reacting at all, told him that he was indeed well and truly satisfied for the night. The somewhat harsh red light of the numerals on his clock radio reflected off of Tai's face just enough to let Vinnie see her eyes and the corner of a smile. Leaning in close, she kissed him on the cheek and then whispered to him in Mokaj. "Within and without... you're mine." Vincent swallowed a whimper, embarrassed by how pleased he was at the dominant gesture, so he said nothing as Tai moved her cheek down to his chest, using her lover as her pillow. "Goodnight, big brother," she continued, as pleasantly as can be, "I love you." Smiling, Vinnie laid a hand on her back, leaned back against his pillow, and closed his eyes. "I love you too, little sister," he replied, "Goodnight. Sweet dreams."

Silence descended on the room, and the Linus siblings fell asleep in each other's arms in a room warmed by their love, one of the most peaceful, restful sleeps either of them had had in a long, long time. Even asleep, Vinnie and Tai held each other close, the tiniest hints of smiles peeking at the corners of their muzzles, and the purring that filled the room quieted as the lovers stilled, but kept going at a low tone for hours, despite neither of them being of a species that naturally purred. Vincent had been afraid, so afraid, of facing his feelings, of admitting to himself what he'd known deep down all along, of embracing the love he held for his own sister, but there was no regret in him, no doubt, no fear. Instead, his dreams were full of hope, of happy visions of potential futures, and Tai was in all of them, whether she was becoming his bride, sharing his bed, or just holding his hand as they walked through life together. Of course, the Mokaji was rather getting ahead of himself, and there were many uncertainties to this blossoming relationship; the very next day, he would have to see whether Andrew wanted to talk about this new development or if the Komodo needed more time... that is if he would ever be okay with it... but for now, wrapped up in the gentle embrace of dreams and secure in the subconscious knowledge that the woman he loved was in his arms, Vinnie couldn't possibly be happier, and he would thank his lucky stars, for the rest of his life, that he'd had the courage to face his fears and spend this evening with Tai.