Adventures of Tash and John Ch. 05

"Nonsense." The Kai'ani laughed. "It's fine just how it is. Although I am intrigued now to try adding milk to some of my other recipes. I may have to find some."

The two men continued with their meal, making what equated to small talk as they did. Neire was in the middle of retelling a story to John about how he had one caught Tashaiea (when she was about six years old) attempting to jump from the top of the very table they were sitting at, convinced she was able to fly if she just tried hard enough, when a shuffling noise entering the eating area interrupted him. John turned to see Tash's younger brother, Kesse, making his way into the kitchen. The youth didn't seem fully awake yet. He had the glazed over look and sagging demeanor of someone who really was not a morning person. John remembered when he used to be like that. He had always hated mornings and hated those who were always too damn chipper in them. Fortunately thanks to his stint in the Texas Army, John had been forced to become a morning person, or else. Neire cracked a smile.

"Welcome to the day, my son!" The boy's father stated in a much louder voice than he had been talking to John in. "I was wondering when you were going to be getting up"

The younger Kai'ani mumbled something and headed towards the unit in which Neire had produced the glass of water from earlier.

Unfazed by his son's lack of coherent response, Neire continued. "John was kind enough to make a meal for us this morning. Come, sit, eat." His father commanded.

Retrieving his beverage, Kesse approached the table and found a spot that was as far away from his father and John as he could manage. Neire took the plate he had been saving for his son and set it in front of him, much to the boy's curiosity.

"What is it?" Kesse said after a moment's examination.

"It's called a 'paan-caake'." His father explained with a smile. "Earth food."

"What's in it?" Kesse asked, giving the syrup covered brown circle a few exploratory pokes with his utensils.

"Just try it." His father insisted.

Obeying, he cut off a small section and hesitantly put it in his mouth, giving it a cautious chew.

"That's... different." He said in a noncommittal tone.

"Different how? Good or bad?" Neire pried, smile creeping in his face.

"I suppose good." His son replied, taking another bite.

Neire turned to face John. "Well, you may not know it, but that is a glowing recommendation coming from my son." The Kai'ani chuckled.

"Well I appreciate it." John said, chuckling as well.

"What did he say?" Kesse asked. After he did John realized that they youth wasn't wearing the translator earpiece he had seen him with the previous day.

Neire let out a laugh. "He said... eat your meal." Kesse groaned and cut off another piece of his pancake. "Also, while John is our guest please wear your translator. It's impolite not to do so" He added.

"Yes father." Kesse begrudgingly said, putting down his utensils.

"Well finish your meal first." Neire said. He had wait until his son had gotten about half way out of his chair to do so.

Kesse slumped back down in his chair and groaned, picking his utensils back up.

"Children, they just don't listen." Neire said to John, a smile widening on his face.

"I know I never did." John replied, grinning.

The elder Kai'ani let out a laugh, spurring his son to once again drop his utensils and stand up, grumbling as he exited the eating area the same way he had entered.

"He's always a fun one in the morning, my son." Neire said, standing up from the table himself. "Would you like another drink?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

Neire stood up from the table and picked up John's now empty glass. He headed off back to the kitchen and left John sitting alone by himself. The distinctive sound of a door opening and then closing caught his attention. It wasn't like the sounds the other doors made inside the house, this one was heavier. Tash must have just gotten back. Confirming his suspicion, his Kai'ani lover wandered into view no more than a minute or two later, hanging in the entrance way to the eating area for a moment before approaching the table. John's heart fluttered slightly. He was glad to see her alright, and most importantly, in a decent mood. She did look a bit damp however.

"Morning." He said as she dumped her bag on the table and pulled a chair over next to him. She slumped down in it and rested her head on John's shoulder. "How'd it go?" He asked as he put an arm around the back of her chair and pulled her closer.

"It was okay." She said, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. "We need to talk. But it will wait. I'm just happy to be back." She opened her eyes back up after a moment and lifted her head up. "What smells good?" She asked.

John couldn't help but crack a smile. "Your father and I made breakfast." He explained.

Tash straightened herself and almost immediately perked up, as was her normal response anytime the topic of food that he had cooked/was cooking came up. John had heard a saying once, that the way to (insert variable here, usually a man)'s heart was through their stomach. And, well, Tashaiea certainly personified whatever the Kai'ani equivalent would be. Any time she seemed to be in a bad mood he could just whip her up something real quick, and her mood would noticeably improve within minutes.

"What did you make?" She asked, eagerness barely contained beneath her surface.

"Well your father made... whatever you call that." John said, pointing to the mixed vegetables bowl that Kesse hadn't yet started on before he left.

"Attogrohs." Tash's father piped up from inside the kitchen. "Spiced vegetables."

"Yes, that. Thank you." John said, thanking Neire before continuing. "And I made pancakes with a sweet fruit syrup."

"Ohhh, Yes." Tash said in an almost sultry tone. "You know what I like."

Neire, who had just returned to the table, placed a plate full of the extra pancakes in front of his daughter along with another glass of water for John. John could see Tash's eyes light up. She must have been hungry because less than ten seconds later she had already cut off a decent portion and stuck it in her mouth. She let out a seemingly very contented sigh as she chewed. After he saw her swallow she waited a moment. Then without warning turned to John and grabbed his head. She forced her lips onto his and gave him a big kiss, letting go after a good solid five seconds. She then draped her arms around his neck and turned to her father who was once again sitting at the table.

"This is why I love him." She stated while smiling, gesturing to her meal.

"Really?" Her father said quizzically. "I thought you would have loved him for his stamina."

John repressed the urge to laugh as best he could as he watched his Kai'ani lover's jaw drop. She seem simultaneously speechless, stunned, embarrassed and flustered. A combination that John couldn't help but grin like an idiot at.

"Dad! Please! I..." She attempted to say.

"Oh don't be like that, eldest daughter of mine. You don't think your mother and I didn't hear you two last night?" Her father said in a rather matter-of-fact-ly tone. He wore perhaps one of the biggest shit eating grins that John had ever seen stretched across his face. "I think your mother may have been a bit jealous."

"Ew, Dad, stop!" Tashaiea was nearly pleading. "I don't want to hear this!"

"Alright, alright, no need to yell." Her father replied, obviously pleased with himself that he had been able to successfully embarrass his daughter in front of her new mate. "I won't speak of it anymore."

Neire being good to his word changed the topic, which mostly consisted of him telling his daughter about some of the local newsworthy happenings. Kesse eventually returned, translator once again on his head, and continued where he had left off with his meal. The four of them spent what felt like the better part of the next hour chatting and finishing their meals. Only once Tashaiea was satisfied her hunger was sated (after her third plate of pancakes) did she urge John to leave the table and follow her. The couple went back to their room. Due to a lack of any other kind of suitable furniture, the Kai'ani-Human pair sat side by side on the bed. John could tell that Tash had received some kind of undesirable news from her doctors appointment by the disheartening expressions she made.

He had to admit that he was scared. The possibility that there were medical complications between the two was not something he really wanted to think about. However it would be foolish to dismiss any possibilities over the thought that nothing catastrophic had happened so far. They were in an uncharted territory. Hell, John couldn't even think of any legitimate Human-Xeno romantic relationships that he had even heard of. One would think that after almost over a half century in the galactic community there would be at least a few. But either they were very well hidden or Human kind hadn't really been around long enough to breach that kind of barrier yet. John didn't really want to think of he and Tash as 'pioneers' of this kind of relationship, but in a literal sense they very well could be. And they would have to deal with the consequences of that.

"You need to come with me tomorrow at the medical center." Tashaiea said finally, after a deceptively long silence. "They need to do tests."

"Why, what's happened?" John inquired, trying to stay as centered and grounded as possible.

"Nothing bad maybe. Just, not very normal." Tash attempted to explain.

"What do you mean?" He pried in more.

"My... hormones, are not like they should be." Tash explained again after consulting her translator for the appropriate word. "They think you might be the reason."

John paused for a moment to let it soak in. He wasn't a medical professional, he knew how to do combat first aid but anything beyond that was, well, beyond him. He did know however that, at least in Humans, your hormones regulated something about how your body grew and processed chemicals. And too much or not enough of one could cause actual physical changes. He could only assume it was something similar for Tash's species.

"Did they find anything else?" John asked a little reluctantly after about thirty seconds of silence.

"No, just hormones." Tash confirmed. "No poison or reactions. She said I was in very good health."

"Well, that's a little relieving." John said.

"I think so." She responded.

Another moment of silence fell over them. That wasn't too bad, he supposed. He had been afraid that she would come home with something devastating. A hormone imbalance seemed like a pretty lucky outcome considering. John shuffled over on the bed and put his arm around his Kai'ani lovers back and pulled her to him. She sighed and laid her head on him. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. She cracked a smile.

"So tomorrow at 9:90, same as today." She informed him, trying to snuggle up more onto him. "Also no sex tonight."

"Yeah, of course." John agreed. It made sense to him that they would hold off until it could all be figured out.

Tash pouted a little. "You don't have to be so eager." She said in a disappointed tone.

"What do you mean?" John asked, not sure if his girlfriend was just trying to joke around or not.

"We can still do things." Tash explained, lifting her head off of him to look him in the eyes. "Just not what we do normal."

"Oh? Like what?" He said with a grin.

"I have ideas." She replied with a mischievous smile. "But not now. Later."

"Alright, you're the boss." John said, giving Tash a small kiss on the head and pulling her closer.

Tashaiea giggled and sighed, once again resting her head on John. She let out a small yawn. John could see that she had closed her eyes as well. He wasn't surprised when she spoke up again.

"I think I'm going to sleep more." She said, slowly removing her head from John's body. "Is that fine?"

"Didn't sleep well last night?" He inquired. John couldn't remember much himself as he had completely blacked out once he had laid down.

"Yes.. but no. I'm just a small amount of tired." She explained, letting another small yawn escape her mouth.

"Well I'd lay down with you but I'm pretty awake. How about I just let you nap? I can wake you up in a couple hours if you want." He said.

"Okay." Tash responded, removing herself completely from John and laying down on the bed.

John stood up and turned to lean over the bed, planting a kiss on his lovers lips. She smiled and closed her eyes.

"See you in a couple hours." He said.

Tash responded with a slight 'Mmm' noise and pulled some of the blankets over herself. John quickly made his way out of the room. Knowing his girlfriend, giving her two or three hours would probably be enough. He was actually kind of relieved that she had decided to take a nap. It would give him some time to think over and process what she had told him. In all honesty he had been hoping for the best but expecting the worst. He wasn't sure what to make of the whole hormone thing, and the idea of having to see an alien doctor the next morning wasn't exactly something he was looking forward to. John had seen enough doctors in the past couple years to last him a lifetime. But if it was for Tash, he could handle one more. He walked back up the hallway and towards the kitchen, wondering if he should ask Neire for advice.

Tashaiea opened her eyes slowly. She had to blink a couple of times to clear the haze but when she did she could see the familiar silhouette of her boyfriend sitting over her. He was very gently squeezing her arm, obviously in an attempt to rouse her from her nap. She turned over a bit and grabbed his arm back. It was a small physical gesture to let him know that she was now awake.

"Hey." She said, still a little groggy as her sleep state began to fade.

"Sleep well?" John asked, giving her arm a final small rub before retracting his hand.

"I think, yes." She responded with a small yawn. She shifted herself and sat up to face John. Tashaiea hadn't bothered to get undressed before she laid down and as a result her top had become twisted around her. She quickly remedied the situation and shuffled herself closer to her alien mate sitting on her bed. "How long did I sleep?" She inquired as she rested herself up against him.

"About four hours I think? I'm not entirely sure. Kai hours are shorter than I'm use to." John attempted to explain.

"Oh, a good sleep then." Tashaiea said, attempting to stretch some of the compressed muscles in her back and arms.

"Your mother's home." John said after a moment. "She doesn't seem as annoyed as she did yesterday."

Tashaiea let out a small laugh and sighed. "I'm sure she still is, just hiding it better now." The young Kai'ani swung her legs out over the side of the bed and made sure to give them a good stretch before planting them firmly on the floor. "We should go out to see. She probably has... things to say."

The couple stood up from the bed and headed out of the room. The hallway was bathed in the not quite yet evening sun's glow. Tashaiea had taken John's hand and was leading him towards the kitchen. Primarily because it was the logical first place to check for her mother, and secondly because she wanted to grab a snack. Upon entering Tash could see that her mother was not in the room, her father was though. She let go of John's hand and made for the stasis unit. She had remembered seeing some fruit earlier that would make an ideal snack. Her father was sitting at the main table, reading some kind of news program that was projected on its surface.

"Hey Dad, do you know where Mom is?" The young woman asked, not really even looking at him as she determinedly made her way into the kitchen proper.

"Your mother is in her office. She's been waiting for you." Her father said, looking up from his program and attempting to make eye contact with his daughter.

"I was tired." She responded, successfully fishing out four palm sized slices of what she assumed was green Acc'ert fruit before turning to actually meet her fathers gaze.

"Yes I know. John was very adamant that we not disturb you and let you sleep." Neire replied with a somewhat neutral but slightly annoyed look. Most likely brought on by the fact that his daughter had ignored him until she had what she wanted.

"Thank you John." Tashaiea said as she walked back over and offered him a slice of her recently procured fruit. Once he accepted it she took his free hand in hers and began to lead him in the direction of her mothers office. They had nearly exited the eating area when they were stopped by Neire.

"Oh, John, before you go." Her father began. "I've decided to try that recipe you suggested. Would you be willing to help me with the evening meal preparation? It won't be for a few hours still, so you'll have plenty of time to talk to Shel'Vhan."

"Yeah, sure, I'll help." John replied, tugging back on Tashaiea to make her wait.

As always his strength caught her a little off balance and she rebounded back onto him. It wasn't exactly how a proper male was supposed to act while she was leading him, but John wasn't exactly what she would call a proper male. Instead she simply chose to sort of drape herself over him, letting her body weight fall over him as she waited for him to finish his conversation.

"Just let me know when you need me." John continued.

"Excellent, I'll come find you when it's time. Thank you again for the suggestions." Neire said, a warm smile and grin on his face when he noticed his daughters impatience. "Now, Shel'Vhan will be waiting, best not to keep her any longer."

With a quick word of acknowledgment from John, Tashaiea returned to leading him away from the kitchen and towards her mothers office. It wasn't far from where they were. Just down the hall across from Kesse's room. Although part of her felt that it wasn't far enough. Tashaiea didn't want to say that she was scared to talk to her mother. She was more... apprehensive. She wasn't sick, she wasn't poisoned and she certainly wasn't dying. She just had some odd hormone thing. And her aunt hadn't even said it was an imbalance or anything. She just had a little more than was normal.

To her knowledge Tashaiea had never heard of anyone dying from having high K-levels. In fact she knew that some women took a natural supplement to increase their K-levels. It was a well known medical fact that the older you got, the lower your natural hormone production was. So if anything thanks to John she was... stockpiling her hormones so that she wouldn't have that problem. Or at least that was what she was hoping to convince herself was happening. Tashaiea pushed open the opaque glass inlay door to her mothers office and pulled John in with her. Her mother was sitting not quite with her back fully to the couple as they entered the room. The sound of the two entering prompted the older woman to cease what she was doing and swivel her chair to face them.

"Tashaiea, John." Shel'Vhan said not so much as a greeting but more as a statement of who they were. She motioned to the compact style cushioned bench that was perpendicular to where they were standing. "Sit, please."

They did as they were told. Tashaiea made sure to keep John as close as possible, placing herself between him and her mother. Not that it was really unavoidable with his width however. Once again Kai'ani furniture proved to be just slightly too small for (what was arguably) a regular sized Human. They sat a few moments in silence before her mother spoke.

"I've read the report Nialaiea sent me." The family matriarch said with a bit of an uneasy tone. "It concerns me Tashaiea. It's not normal."

"But I'm fine." Tashaiea rebuked. "Aunt Nialaiea said I'm in perfectly good health."