said, her voice breaking as she pressed into his hand, "This happens sometimes when humans are feeling a lot of any emotion. And right now, I'm just really happy."
He smiled, and Penny felt the fiercest need to be closer to him.
"Tau?" she asked quietly, "Can you lean closer to the bars? I want to try something."
He shifted closer as she'd asked, and she reached through the bars to catch the back of his head, the texture of his hair strange and fibrous under her hand. She pulled him in closer still, until she was staring into those iridescent eyes, their faces a bare inch apart, separated by the bars of the cage. But the spaces between the bars were wide enough for this.
Penny closed her eyes and pressed her lips to Tau's. She felt him stiffen in surprise, unsure what to do. His mouth was warm, not at all unlike a human man's, but left her lips tingling like the touch of menthol, with a taste that reminded her of anise. She pulled away and he stared back at her, wide eyed.
"What was that?" he asked.
"A human thing," Penny explained, blushing, "It's a way of saying... You said the winged males have romances together. It's a way of expressing a feeling like that."
Tau blinked, looking taken aback.
"You would share that with me?" he asked, voice soft with disbelief.
"If you want it," she withdrew her hand, a little unsure, "If you could see me that way. In spite of everything, I'm so glad I met you."
He caught her hand as she pulled it back towards the bars of her cage and leaned in to kiss her again, imitating how she'd kissed him. Pressing against the bars as closely as she could, Penny deepened the kiss, showing him how with careful patience.
He caught on quickly, sliding his arms through the bars to hold her closer, until she winced at the stab of his armor and he withdrew to shed it with quick, deft touches.
He couldn't leave her kiss for long, returning to even as he was still shedding the jointed panels of his carapace. Penny helped him with shaking hands, wanting to feel his skin, to know every inch of him.
He was wearing the same light clothes under his armor as always, and Penny slid her hands beneath his tunic to caress the sculpted muscles of his stomach, feeling them tremble under her touch.
His mouth never leaving hers, his hands began to explore as well, moving under the loose white garment she'd been given in place of her flight suit to trace her ribs through her skin and cup her breasts curiously. When he felt her rise into his hand as he kneaded them and plucked at her nipples, he seemed to realize he'd found something she enjoyed and redoubled his efforts, leaving her breathless and squirming.
"This touch," he asked, his own breath shallow with excitement, "My mouth against yours. What is it called?"
"A kiss," Penny told him, pressing another to the corner of his mouth and gasping as he flicked at the rosy bud of her breast experimentally.
"And kisses," he asked, "Are they only for lips?"
"No," Penny felt a thrill of excitement run through her, "You can kiss anywhere."
"I would like to kiss you everywhere," Tau looked into her eyes with an intense iridescent gaze and Penny's heart raced. She nodded in eager agreement.
He kissed every inch of her he could through the bars, pulling her close and dragging cloth out of the way to shower kisses over her breasts, her stomach, her thighs. The bars dug into her skin, but it was a sweet pain to be able to feel his lips against her. She'd been watching him all these days, telling him everything, everything except how much she wanted this.
Her hands drifted lower, towards his hips, and she felt a flutter of nerves, wondering if she dared discover this part of him, wondering what she might find if she did.
On the one hand, what an incredible moment for the field of xenobiology. Cho would be wild with jealousy. But on the other hand, what if she found they were incompatible, or worse too repellent to each other to even consider attempting it? If they
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