The Neko's Tail - 41. Epilogue

“Morning kitten,” Artemis smiled as Elias opened his eyes.

The neko yawned, drawing the blanket up to his neck as he rolled over.

“Aw, you’re not ready to wake up?”

A tiny voice said, “No,” and Artemis’ smile grew wider. Elias had made so much progress in the month since he had started therapy. He still refused to talk to anyone other than Artemis, but he at least seemed a lot more comfortable talking around the tiger.

“Fine, but I’m getting into bed with you then.”

Elias grumbled as Artemis crawled under the blanket, their bodies pressing together. The neko rolled over again, his mouth suddenly inches from the tiger’s

Artemis froze, unblinking. Despite Elias’ progress, he wasn’t sure the neko was ready for this kind of closeness. But when Elias’ lips pressed against his gently, the tiger sighed quietly, returning the kiss.

Elias backed off slightly, ears flicking uncertainly. Rather than asking if he was okay, Artemis leaned forward, kissing the neko again, taking the risk of Elias pulling back again. He was relieved when the neko pressed into the kiss.

“I love you Elias,” Artemis murmured.

Elias’ ears flickered, the neko dipping his chin into his chest. Artemis didn’t push the cat, crawling out of the blanket.

“Would you like some breakfast?” he asked, adjusting his groin as the neko still gazed down.

Elias nodded and Artemis turned toward the door.

“Artemis?”

It was so quiet he almost missed it. Facing the neko again, Artemis waited to see if he was just hearing things.

“I love you too,” Elias whispered nervously.

The two walked into Scholar Aegle’s office together, the Egaro smiling brightly at them. She turned back to the tigress she was speaking with as Artemis and Elias took a seat.

“I’ll see you tonight. Make sure the fish is fresh,” she said, kissing the tigress on the cheek.

“Isn’t it always?”

“Go on you,” Aegle chuckled, turning toward Artemis and Elias. “It’s wonderful to see you as always Elias. Why don’t we step inside my office?”

The neko followed the scholar into the office, pausing at the door to look back at Artemis. The tiger smiled encouragingly at him, and Elias’ lips turned up in the slightest of smiles.

He stepped into the office behind Aegle, closing the door gently.

“So, we have some things to talk about, don’t we?” Aegle smiled, gesturing for Elias to sit.

Sitting in her own chair, the tiger studied Elias.

“Did something happen between you and Artemis?” she asked.

Elias nodded, his hands signing eagerly.

“Artemis said he loved me.”

“That’s great news!” Aegle beamed. “Did you say it back?”

Elias nodded.

“I’m so happy for you,” the tiger smiled.

“Is he going to have sex with me now?”

“Do you want to have sex with Artemis?”

The neko shrugged.

“It hurts,” he signed.

“Then you don’t have to have sex. Artemis knows how to handle his heats,” Aegle said. “You trust him, right?”

Elias nodded again.

“And talking to him so far has been good?”

Another nod.

“Just keep talking to him. Let him know you aren’t sure about sex. You can take your time. Do you want help?”

Elias hesitated. He was afraid Artemis would get upset at him for asking for help, but the tiger never got mad at him. Slowly, the neko nodded.

Aegle stood and walked to the door. Opening it, she called Artemis into the room. Artemis walked into the room, glancing between Elias and Aegle in confusion.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Elias has something he needs to talk to you about,” Aegle explained.

Elias paled as the two looked at him.

“What’s wrong Elias?” Artemis said quietly, sitting next to the neko.

Elias twitched, staring at the tiger. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t upset Artemis like this.

“You can tell me anything kitten. It’s okay.”

His hand raised slightly, clenching before lowering back to the seat. Artemis looked at Aegle helplessly.

Elias leaned against Artemis, his mouth close to the tiger’s ear.

“I… I don’t think… I can’t sleep with you…” he whispered.

Artemis looked at the neko, momentarily stunned. Suddenly he laughed.

“Oh kitten, I thought you had bad news. You don’t have to sleep with me. I told you that before, remember?”

Elias frowned, signing to the tiger.

“But I want to sleep with you. I don’t want to hurt.”

Artemis shook his head.

“You don’t know… Fuck…”

He embraced Elias, holding the neko tightly against his torso.

“I’m sorry Elias, I thought you knew about sex.”

Elias stared at the tiger, bewildered. He knew about sex. What was Artemis talking about? He had had sex nearly every day he was at the inn in Astara.

“I know about sex,” he signed.

Artemis shook his head again, grasping Elias’ hands gently.

“No kitten, you know rape. That isn’t sex. I love you. If you want, I’ll show you how to make sex feel good. If you don’t want to, we never have to have sex.”

“Elias, do you trust Artemis to help you?” Aegle asked.

The neko nodded slowly, gazing into Artemis’ eyes.

“I trust you,” he whispered.

Artemis sat on their bed, Elias beside him. They were silent for a moment, Artemis collecting his thoughts. Elias seemed more nervous than usual, and Artemis placed a hand on his knee.

“Elias, will you hold me?” Artemis asked.

“Hold you? Why?”

“I like you cuddling me,” Artemis said, laying back on the bed.

Elias lay down next to him, his arm falling across the tiger’s body. They rolled until Elias was pressing into Artemis’ back.

“Do you remember the Whispering Eye? Iason?”

Artemis felt Elias’ arm stiffen slightly. The neko’s body shook as he nodded, his nose bumping against Artemis’ back.

“Do you remember when you saw Iason and I in the cabin together? I wasn’t on top.”

The tiger placed a hand over Elias’, squeezing it gently.

“I don’t have to enter you kitten. You can enter me instead.”

He felt Elias’ body reacting to his and a small smile played across his face. The neko moved suddenly, adjusting his position. He nestled his way against Artemis’ leg.

“There are other things we could do too. Remember when I licked you?”

Elias shivered behind him, his rod growing harder against Artemis’ leg. He pulled away, the absence of his body chilling Artemis. The tiger rolled over, finding Elias trying to adjust his rod so it wasn’t as obvious.

“It’s okay kitten,” he smiled. “I like feeling you pressing against me.”

He captured Elias’ lips, their mouths dancing together slowly as Artemis rolled them over until Elias was on top of him.

“You can do whatever you want to my body,” he whispered. “If you don’t want to do anything, you can leave me alone. I promise I will not get angry with you.”

Elias gazed down at the tiger. Artemis could almost see Elias’ mind working away, trying to find a loophole in the tiger’s words.

“I’m not tricking you kitten. I would never do that to you.”

Finally, the neko leaned down, kissing Artemis lightly. He touched the tiger’s shirt cautiously, moving his hand under the fabric until it was sliding up Artemis’ stomach. Artemis moaned quietly at his touch, his own rod rising straight into the air.

Emboldened, Elias gripped the tiger’s shirt, pulling it up over Artemis’ head. The Egaro helped him remove the fabric, tossing the shirt to the side.

The neko’s hands ran across the tiger’s chest, circling his nipples experimentally. Artemis bit his lip trying to keep from moaning too loud. He didn’t want to scare Elias away.

Hands trailed down to Artemis’ waist, tugging at his pants, and Artemis bucked upward, allowing his pants to be pulled down to his knees. He winced as Elias sat on his rod, the neko hissing in surprise.

“Careful kitten,” he gasped.

Elias stared at him accusingly, and Artemis chuckled.

“You sat on me,” he said. “I am innocent in this.”

Frowning, the neko climbed off of the tiger, pulling his pants down the rest of the way. Elias removed his shirt, folding it carefully before setting it on the nearby dresser. Artemis watched the cat with interest, drinking in the sight of his bare skin. They showered together at least twice a week, but he would never get tired of seeing Elias’ body.

The neko left his pants on, climbing back into the bed. He ran his hand over Artemis’ waist, his hand sliding around to grasp the tiger’s tail. Artemis smiled as the neko played with his tail, his fingers gliding up and down the appendage.

A finger ran across Artemis’ ass, four more following it. Elias squeezed the globe of the tiger’s right cheek, Artemis moaning again. He could feel his rod leaking, but he could hold back. He would hold back. For Elias.

The neko laid on top of the tiger, their bodies melting together. Artemis could feel Elias’ purr, rising from his chest. The neko’s groin pressed into Artemis’ stomach, sliding up his body slightly before descending again.

Artemis reached around, grabbing Elias’ ass. The neko hissed quietly as the tiger started massaging his butt.

“Do you see kitten?” Artemis whispered. “We are having sex right now, and neither of us are hurting.”

Elias humped into Artemis’ stomach, timidly, as though he was going to hurt the tiger.

“Can I show you something else?”

The neko hesitated, weighing the question. He nodded slowly, sliding off of the tiger.

Artemis sat up, his hands grasping Elias’ pants. Elias grabbed his pants too, fear in his eyes, and the tiger immediately released them.

“That’s okay,” he said soothingly. “I don’t need to remove your pants if you don’t want me to.”

He gently rolled Elias over, making sure he stayed to the side. If Elias wanted to move, he would have no trouble doing so. Lowering his head, Artemis let his tongue graze Elias’ nipples. The neko hissed, chest rising to press against Artemis’ mouth.

“I could do this with your rod too,” Artemis smiled against Elias’ chest.

Elias pulled away, his hands reaching for his pants. After a moment’s thought, the neko folded the fabric down, freeing his rod while keeping his butt covered.

Artemis moved his head down the neko’s body, his tongue licking in key spots along its journey. It came to a stop at Elias’ dick, and Artemis gazed up at the neko’s face. He found a cautious trust there, and a curiosity that he intended to sate.

Lowering his mouth over Elias, Artemis slowly sucked on the neko, getting a taste of the reward that would come. Elias bucked upward, his rod hitting the back of Artemis’ throat, and the tiger swallowed it. He purred quietly, content with the neko inside his mouth. Artemis loved doing this, loved providing his lover with pleasure. And for Elias’ first time, the tiger wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

He pulled off slowly, his tongue swirling over the neko’s foreskin. A tiny nip followed, tugging on the loose skin and Elias hissed, pushing the tiger’s head off him.

“Was the bite too much?” Artemis asked quietly, running his hand across the neko’s rod.

Elias shook his head roughly, breathing hard as Artemis gripped him. He bucked again, humping into Artemis’ hand with his eyes closed. Suddenly Elias grunted softly and cum shot from him, landing on Artemis’ nose.

Artemis dove down, his mouth closing around Elias as the neko released. He swallowed the little the neko had to offer, sucking idly to make sure he got it all.

Elias winced, pulling out of the tiger. He was panting heavily, a look of complete shame on his face.

“Are you okay kitten?”

Artemis rose, his hand caressing Elias’ cheek. The neko shook his head, tears falling from his eyes. He curled up into a ball, his arms curled around his knees.

“I love you,” Artemis said, wrapping his arms around Elias.

Elias’ eyes widened slightly. He pushed Artemis, knocking the tiger back onto the bed, before crawling until his head was over Artemis’ rod.

“You don’t have to do that,” Artemis said, Elias’ breath hot against his skin.

“I want to…” Elias whispered before his mouth descended onto the tiger.

Elias pushed the thruster up, watching the ship’s indicator to make sure they stayed level. They were heading back into the black, Artemis assuring him that this time it would be a simple search for asteroids in a system only a hundred lightyears away.

It had taken a while, but he was done with therapy. Aegle had told both Elias and Artemis that she couldn’t help Elias more than she had. He wasn’t completely healed, and there was still some pain from Reinard’s death, but the neko was handling it a lot better nearly a year after it happened.

Artemis had spent hours with the cat, teaching him how the ship worked. There were still some concepts the neko didn’t understand, but he was learning every day. Artemis had decided Elias had enough knowledge now to pilot them to their new destination.

“Egara Planet base, this is Captain Artemis requesting permission to take off,” Artemis said.

Elias smiled at the tiger, always relieved he didn’t have to talk to the person on the other side of the radio. Maybe one day he would be able to, but for now he was content with the progress he had made.

A familiar voice came over the radio, surprising both Artemis and Elias.

“Captain Artemis, this is Egara Planet base, you are free to take off. Safe travels to you and Cadet Elias,” Iason said over the radio.

Smiling, Artemis nodded to the neko, and Elias increased the throttle, raising the landing gear at the same time. The ship rose smoothly into the air, turning forty-five degrees up and moving away from the planet. They were off on their next adventure, a confident neko at the helm.