Love, Blondies and optimism

Title: Love, Blondies and optimism
Author: Ainzfern
Genre: Ai no Kusabi – Post OVA
Pairing: Chey/Tahna
Rating: R/NC-17
Parts: WIP – 1/1
Code: Humor, Romance and a little Angst.
Summary: Set after ‘Beyond fate’ and ‘Moments’, Tahna and Chey deal with ideologies, schedules, families and four-year-olds... and not necessarily as successfully as they might want to.
Archiving: Cool - if you want to - just let me know.
Feedback: Sure. All comments welcomed! ainzfern@hotmail.com

Author’s Notes: Written for all those lovely folks out there who expressed such affection for Chey and Tahna, and who gave me such amazing encouragement and support over the course of writing the series. And, a special little nod to Elegantpaws and Kamoda, who got me thinking!


"To laugh often and love much... to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give one's self... this is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson


“Elites don’t do ‘happy families’, do you understand?” – Tahna Lam, head of Arts and Antiquities, Tanagura


Love, Blondies and optimism

Sitting behind his desk in Midas’ museum of history, Tahna heaved a deep sigh, capped his elegant gold plated pen and set it down with a certain flair of finality. He looked up from the various documents scattered across his desk and met his diminutive museum curator’s tired eyes. “Well, Quinn... for once, providence appears to be smiling upon you.” He allowed his flawless face to display just the tiniest hint of approval, “Your suggestions for the next season’s events are actually acceptable.”

Quinn relaxed into his chair, relief washing over his face. “Thank you, Sir.”

“You’re getting better, I suppose,” Tahna admitted grudgingly.

Quinn beamed at him. “Well, uhm... thank you, Sir.”

“I mean it’s only taken, what, five years to train you up to an acceptable level?” Tahna leveled a flat look at the little man, “Who knows? In another decade you might actually become competent.”

Quinn deflated slightly. “Oh. Ah... thank you, Sir.”

Keeping the evil amusement off his face by sheer will alone, Tahna flapped an imperious hand at him. “Well, it’s late...” and it was, that much was true, night having fallen some hours ago, “And I want to go home. You may finish for the evening, Quinn. I’ll see you in the new week.”

Rising, Quinn quickly gathered his papers and bowed his head respectfully to his Elite employer. “Of course, Sir. Goodnight, Sir.”

Watching Quinn scuttle out of his office, Tahna huffed a silent little laugh of amusement. He knew he was cruel to Quinn, quite possible more than he should be. But, frankly, he just couldn’t help himself. There was just something about the neat and fussy little ball of nerves that begged to be picked on.

Besides, Tahna actually rather liked the little man, and he always reserved his best insults for those people he genuinely held affection for.

Still smirking, Tahna flipped open his cell phone and called his driver. Rising gracefully from his chair, he strode the length of his office, flicking off lights as he went before exiting through the ante-room and heading towards the side entrance of the museum.

As his driver met him, standing by the open rear door of the car, Tahna nodded and slid elegantly into the plush rear seat, directing his driver to take him to Eos Tower with a few quiet words. As the sleek vehicle smoothly pulled away from the museum, Tahna found himself smiling again as he gazed out the window, a genuine, even soft smile that Quinn would have honestly been stunned to see on his boss’s face.

Chey was here. On Amoi.

Not that he expected to see him tonight, of course. Chey had arrived earlier in the day and gone directly into conference with Raoul Am and the federation government’s representatives of the department of science and technology, facilitating the final stages of a contractual agreement between Raoul’s bio-mechanical fabrication company and the federation. Then, of course, knowing Chey’s ridiculously fastidious attitude towards the small and final details, there would be the post-conference debrief with Iason Mink, which would probably last half the night as well.

But, Tahna would see him tomorrow, he knew, which pleased the Elite far more than he would ever admit out loud.

To anyone.

Especially Chey Neeson.

As his driver pulled up in the basement lot of Eos Tower, quickly alighting to open the door for him, Tahna elegantly rose from the car and strode across to the lifts, stepping in and tapping the number of his floor. He rolled his shoulders as the left ascended, easing some of the tension of the day out of his muscles, before striding out through the opening doors into the lobby of his apartment.

He couldn’t deny he felt a little disappointed that Chey wouldn’t be with him tonight. And he also felt it was rather a shame that he didn’t even have his Furniture here at Eos anymore.

Tahna had had a rather long day. He wouldn’t have minded being fussed over a bit.

Breathing a slow sigh, Tahna entered his security code into his door and pushed it open...

And came to a sudden stop, his eyes widening and his mouth dropping open.

The main room of his apartment was gently lit by several candles, resting here and there about the place. The air was filled with the soft strains of soothing music and filled with the sweet scent of incense. Glancing to one side, Tahna noted the wine and two glasses sitting upon his table and standing beside that was Chey Neeson, a fond if somewhat self-satisfied grin on his handsome face.

Recovering himself, Tahna lifted his chin, giving Chey a haughty look down the length of his nose. “Now, I just knew that giving you my security code was a bad idea.”

Chuckling, Chey walked towards him. “Since when, may I ask, was a well-placed seduction ever a bad idea, Tahna?”

Tahna considered the question even as he slung the door shut behind him with a flick of his elegant hand. His large violet eyes roamed over Chey as the federation statesman closed in on him. The Elite had to admit, he liked what he saw. Chey had discarded his coat and the insignias of his senior governmental rank, wearing only his tailored pants and a pristinely white shirt, un-tucked and unbuttoned, affording Tahna a rather fetching view of a beautifully muscled chest and a flat rippling stomach.

“Well,” Tahna purred as Chey stepped up close to him, sliding warm hands around the Blondie’s graceful back, “If you put it like that...”

Tahna trailed off as Chey leaned in, catching Tahna’s lips in a slow deep kiss, his hands smoothing downwards, easing over Tahna’s lean flanks before closing over the firm swell of his buttocks, squeezing, lifting him into that strong body a little more, letting the Elite feel the hardness already rising at Chey’s groin. Kissing him back with fervent enthusiasm, Tahna returned the touches, his hands sliding up under Chey’s shirt, stroking over smooth hot skin and resilient muscle, privately marveling at how wonderful a sensation it was, just touching someone like this.

Just touching Chey like this, a tiny private voice in his mind added.

Breaking the kiss almost reluctantly, Chey smiled affectionately at him. “I’ve missed you, Blondie,” he murmured, dipping his head to kiss the side of Tahna’s long and graceful neck. “Three weeks... It’s been hell, Tahna. Pure hell.”

Arching his head back, sighing as the delicious shimmers of sensation lanced down the side of his body as Chey continued his sensual assault, Tahna vented a self-satisfied little chuckle. “Of course you did. You can’t live without me. We both know that.”

Chey glanced wickedly at him, lifting his hands to unfasten Tahna’s heavy sash-coat, sliding it from his shoulders and draping it over the back of a chair. He took Tahna’s hand, tugging gently at him, leading him in the direction of the bedroom. “Tahna,” he said, his face flushed with arousal and fondness, “I think it would be fair to say that we both suffer from that affliction.”

“You’ll never hear me say so, Mr. Neeson,” Tahna said lightly, arching a brow at him.

Pulling Tahna’s soft satin shirt free of his pants, Chey chuckled warmly. “Well, that’s all right. I don’t have to hear you say it.”

“No?” Tahna pushed Chey shirt from his shoulders, discarding it into a white puddle on the floor.

“No,” Hooking one strong arm around his lean waist, Chey pulled him close again, smooth skin pressing delightfully against smooth skin. “I can see it, quite clearly, right in here...” and he pointed at Tahna’s splendid eyes.

Rolling said eyes in mild disdain, Tahna slid his arms around Chey’s shoulders, his long fingers twining into thick soft hair. “Chey?”

“Mmm?” Chey grinned at him again.

“Put aside the romantic vernacular, if you please... and fuck your Blondie.”

Chey’s beautiful deep laughter filled the room for a moment. “My pleasure, Tahna,” he replied, descending to graze his way once more down the side of Tahna’s white neck, “My absolute pleasure.”

*******

Some considerable time later, Tahna lay almost insensate amongst the twisted sheets, his body slicked with sweat and his chest heaving as he caught his breath. He reached out, finding Chey’s hand and twining their fingers together; smiling smugly as the sound of Chey’s own ragged, but gradually calming, breathing filled his ears.

His federation lover had been quite inspired tonight, Tahna could confess that freely enough. Chey had made love to him with an intensity that Tahna had never known before. It was almost as if Chey hadn’t been able to get enough of him, his hands and mouth all over him, kissing, stroking, touching, sucking... After teasing him to the point of insanity, Chey had finally slipped inside of him deliciously slowly, thrusting deep and steady, moving his hips in an exquisite corkscrewing motion, stimulating Tahna’s prostate over and over until the Blondie had moaned softly, clutching at Chey’s broad back as the first waves of his building climax had washed over him.

Then Chey had stilled, kissed him gently, and carefully withdrawn. Tahna hadn’t even had a chance to voice his objections before he had felt Chey’s hot mouth close over his aching erection, that soft wet tongue stroking thrillingly over his sensitized glans, blanking his mind out with white fire as he arched and gasped, his long fingers twisting into Chey’s thick soft hair.

And he’d felt it coming over him again, the sweet tightening of his muscles, the quivering of his flesh, the building, heating, pressure filling his loins and lower belly with the promise of indescribable bliss and sensual release.

Again, Chey had pulled back, and this time Tahna had voiced his displeasure, hissing in frustration, his hot eyes burning with lust and anger. Chey had shushed him gently, easing back up over his shaking body, moving in between his thighs and pushing back into the Blondie’s hot tight flesh with another deep slow stroke, the hard length of Chey’s cock a burning brand seated deeply in Tahna’s body. And he had moved again, slow... hard... holding Tahna’s gaze as he rocked them both closer to completion.

This time, when the resurging shimmers of orgasm began again, Chey didn’t stop; he kept moving, arching his lower back so that his firm sweat-slicked stomach applied a delightful pressure to Tahna’s erection, driving the Elite inexorably towards climax. He had slid his arms under the Blondie’s shoulders, cradling his head, looking deeply into his eyes, his breath brushing Tahna’s lips as he moved in the ancient rhythm of desire and fulfillment. Tahna had come in deep wrenching pulses that he could have sworn were torn from his very soul, he had shuddered and cried out again, softly, helplessly, wracked with clenching aching pleasure, only vaguely aware of the sound of Chey raggedly groaning his name as he spilled his own essence deeply into Tahna’s body.

Now, resting in the aftermath of that truly shattering intimacy, Tahna sighed and stretched luxuriously, reaching out to stroke his fingers across Chey’s sweat dampened chest. “How long can you remain on Amoi, this time?” he asked quietly, wetting his lips with the tip of his tongue.

“Actually, Tahna,” Chey rolled over to face him, propping himself up on one elbow, “I’ve arranged a couple of week’s leave.”

“You have?” Tahna felt a sudden surge of gratification at the news, “Well, this is pleasant to know. You will stay here, of course?”

“Uh...” Chey winced slightly, “This time? No. I can’t.” His expression softened, becoming more serious, “I need to visit with my family for a while, love. It’s been far too long since I last saw them.”

“Oh.” Tahna drew in a deep breath, pushing the sharp stab of disappointment he felt out of his voice, “Well. Of course,” he said stiffly, staring pointedly up at the ceiling, “I am aware that your family is important to you.”

Chey paused, looking down into his face, patiently waiting until Tahna met his eyes.

Which, with a deep sigh of discontent, the Elite did.

“Come with me,” Chey said softly, one hand resting gently on Tahna’s chest.

Tahna blinked at him. “What?”

“Come with me to Isius,” Chey repeated, “Come and meet my family.”

“What?! No!” Immediately alarmed, Tahna sat up, looking aghast into Chey’s confused blue eyes. “No. I... I can’t come with you.”

Chey smiled a perplexed little smile at him. “Why not?”

“Well, I have responsibilities here at the museum.”

“Quinn can handle them.”

“No, he can’t.”

“Tahna,” Chey said reasonably, “You’ve promoted the man three times in the last five years. You know he’s capable of covering you for a couple of weeks.”

“True that may be,” Tahna shot back at him, “But I am not going with you, Chey.”

“Why?”

“Because it will be awful,” Tahna shuddered. “I mean... can you imagine? Me... Trying to even remotely fit into the local scenery of some isolated little primitive planet on the far edge of civilized space- -“

Chey threw his head back and laughed. “Oh seriously, Blondie,” wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes, “Isius isn’t actually pre-historic, you know,” he grinned with vast amusement at the naked flustered Elite, “We’ve even got an electric telephone and an indoor toilet now.”

“Very funny.”

“C’mon,” Chey rose onto his knees, moving closer to Tahna, his eyes twinkling. “You’re just scared, that’s all. It’ll be fun, I promise.”

Tahna shot him a look loaded with daggers, “I am not scared, and it won’t be fun, Chey,” Tahna scooted backwards, well aware of the effect Chey Neeson’s physical proximity had on his common good sense, “Elites don’t do ‘happy families’, do you understand?”

“Tahna...”

“I mean, we don’t actually have families, per se,” Tahna continued.

“Tahna...”

“I mean, we have ‘Sires’, of course,” Tahna shrugged, a dark look crossing his face, “but I certainly wouldn’t describe our relationships with them as ‘happy’.”

“Tahna, just- -” Chey heaved a sigh as the Blondie cut him off again.

“And besides, I wouldn’t know where to start. What on earth would I know about- -“

Moving swiftly, Chey hooked a hand around the back of Tahna’s slender neck, drawing him in and covering that chattering mouth with his own. He slid his other arm around Tahna’s back, pushing him down onto the mattress and annihilating him with a deep passionate embrace that was not so much a kiss as a concerted effort to exchange lungs. After a few moments, he drew back, looking into Tahna’s lust-hazed eyes with a heated grin.

Panting, Tahna stared up at him, the slightly sick feeling of defeat beginning to rise up over him. “That’s hardly fair,” he pouted sullenly.

“Whatever works, Tahna,” Chey replied shamelessly. “You know me.”

“Yes I do,” Tahna rolled his eyes, “And I should also know better by now.”

Chey kissed his neck a few times, nuzzling the satin-soft skin. “Say yes, Tahna... please. I want them to meet you.”

Gripping his hair, Tahna tugged until Chey was forced to look him in the eyes again. “Why?” the Elite asked, genuinely curious.

“Because you matter to me,” Chey replied with simple disarming honesty, “Because you’re part of my life, and I want my family to know you.”

Tahna heaved a great sigh. “I just know I’m going to regret this.”

Chey’s smile put the sun to shame. “Is that a ‘yes’?”

With a narrow-eyed glare of venomous disgust, Tahna huffed irritably at him. “Yes.”

“You won’t regret it, Tahna,” Chey murmured, as he returned to nibbling at the Blondie’s neck, “I promise.”

Somehow, Tahna mused absently as he felt his brain cells melting away yet again under Chey’s renewed sexual energy, he seriously doubted that.

*******

They arrived at Isius two days later. The trip had been uneventful mostly due to the fact that Chey had splashed out on a first class private berth for them, keeping Tahna Lam safely separated from the general unwashed populace of the transport ship.

Quite a considerate piece of foresight there, Tahna had to admit.

Sitting in the passenger seat of their sleek little hire car as Chey drove them through the late night air towards his childhood home, Tahna flicked a grudgingly approving little glance at his lover. “So, your mother’s name is Laura,” he confirmed softly, cataloging the details with his formidable mind.

“It is,” Chey signaled and turned into a long sweeping driveway heading up towards a rather beautiful old multi-level home set upon a gentle rise.

“And, James is your father’s name.”

“It is,” Chey cut the engine and turned to him, his white teeth flashing in the dim light, “and we’re here.”

“Oh,” Turning, feeling an inexplicable rise of tension filling him, Tahna peered out the window of the car. “Already?”

Chuckling, Chey reached out and rubbed one of Tahna’s shoulders. “Yes, it’s not far from the space port.”

“Evidently,” Tahna murmured biting his lower lip.

“Don’t be nervous,” Chey said soothingly to him.

Tahna shot him a flat look. “I am never nervous, Chey Neeson,” he declared flatly.

With an amiable smile, Chey nodded his acquiescence. “Fine. You’re never nervous.” His grin widened. “But, just so you know... I’ve already told my folks to be careful of your boundaries, okay? That means no hugging. It’s a tough call for my mother, I’ll admit, but they’ll respect it.”

Tahna lifted his chin. “Yes. Well. So they should.”

“C’mon,” Chey opened the driver’s side door, “They’re waiting.”

Taking a deep breath, Tahna alighted gracefully from the car, looking up onto the porch at the two people silhouetted by the warm golden lights of the house.

“Oh, Chey!” Tahna blinked, as Laura, Chey’s mother, appeared to fling herself off the stoop and directly into her son’s arms without so much as touching the ground. “Oh, welcome home, darling.”

The man who was obviously James, Chey’s father, moved with a little more decorum, stepping down as well and, as Chey untangled himself from his mother’s arms, proceeded to run the full gamut of gruff handshakes, rough hugs and back slapping.

“Mom? Dad?” Chey turned, holding one hand out to Tahna. “This is Tahna Lam,” he said softly, proudly.

Bracing himself, pulling his shoulders back and lifting his chin regally, Tahna stepped into the pool of light.

Laura’s eyes widened in something very close to wonder as she looked up into Tahna’s perfect face. “Oh my,” she murmured, casting a sparkling-eyed look at her son, “Well... he’s every bit as beautiful as you said he was.”

Tahna did a tiny double-take, peering askance at her.

He really didn’t quite know what to say to that.

Smiling gently, Laura stepped forward and offered her hand. “Welcome, Tahna. Welcome to our home.”

Shaking her hand, Tahna bowed urbanely to her. “Thank you, Mrs. Neeson.”

She grinned, apparently delighted. “Oh, it’s Laura, please.” She released his hand and stepped back into the circle of her son’s arm for a moment.

James held out his own hand, his clasp firm and forthright as he winked amiably at Tahna and shook his hand in welcome. “Well, as the wife said, you’re welcome here, Tahna.” His grin turned slightly dry, “Actually, I’m damned amazed someone out there in the universe managed to keep my son’s attention off his work long enough to fall in love.”

“Oh.” Tahna lifted one shoulder, feeling rather nonplussed. “How kind of you to say so,” he turned a wide-eyed message-laden stare in Chey’s direction, his expression speaking volumes.

“Dad...” Chey’s voice held an undeniable warning as he stepped up to Tahna’s side, resting one hand on the Blondie’s shoulder.

James grinned at his son’s tone, dropping Tahna’s hand. “Chey’s just a little touchy about being behind his siblings in the romance stakes, that’s all.” He winked conspiratorially at Tahna.

Tahna felt his lips quirk into a sly little smile. “Really?” the look he darted in Chey’s direction positively dripped with wicked amusement.

“Okay!” Chey cleared his throat, briskly leading Tahna to the front door, “Been a long journey, folks. Which room are we in, Mom?”

“The usual,” Laura replied, bringing up the rear as Tahna was lead through the warm and welcoming interior of the house and past the spacious kitchen. She touched Tahna’s shoulder lightly, smiling when he turned. “Chey will show you where everything is, dear,” her eyes glowed with friendship and welcome, quite a startling contrast to most of the gazes that Tahna Lam had been subjected to in his life, he had to confess. “Once you’re settled, we might see you later, yes?”

“Yes. Well,” Chey nodded to her once again, inexplicably glad for the familiar touch of Chey’s hand on the small of his back. “Thank you.”

As Chey guided him towards the stairs in the hallway beyond the kitchen, Tahna actually felt some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

That hadn’t been too awful.

A little over-emotional at some points, yes... but on the whole, not too bad at all. In fact, Tahna mused as he mounted the stairs with Chey at his side, in spite of his earlier anxiety, he was beginning to feel that he might actually be able to handle this visit with his usual style and confidence.

******

Chey lead Tahna up the stairs to the first floor landing, directing him into a large airy bedroom. Dropping his travel bag at the foot of the bed, Tahna looked around, his gaze taking in the warm polished wood and richly colored fabrics in the room with approval. “Oh this is rather nice,” he remarked, slightly surprised by the fact, “Quite... quaint.”

Chey snorted with amusement, dropping his own bag next to Tahna’s. “I’m very glad it meets your standards.” Stepping over to the Blondie’s side, Chey nodded towards a closed door at the far side of the room. “Ensuite is in there and I’m pretty certain Mom would’ve emptied the wardrobe for us if you want to hang anything up.”

Tahna smirked at him. “What... no Furniture to do that for me?”

Returning the smirk, Chey chuckled, “Sorry, Blondie. Not out here on the far edge of the universe.”

Heaving a mock sigh, Tahna lifted his bag on to the bed. “Well, I’ll just have to make do, I suppose.”

“I have every faith in you,” Chey sat down on the bed, watching Tahna interestedly, “Besides; you spent several months on that muddy dig on New-Vincentia. You would have had plenty of practice dealing with your own clothes then.”

Shooting him a flat look Tahna’s eyes sparkled, “Yes. I used to throw them away.”

Chey laughed, heaving himself of the bed and reaching for his own bag.

“Chey? Sweetheart?” Laura’s voice filtered up the stairs to them.

Holding up a finger, Chey grinned whimsically. “Ah. The cry of the hostess. Won’t be a second,” he winked at Tahna, “You settle in.” With that he strode to the door, disappearing into the hallway.

Shaking his head, Tahna opened his bag and began to lay out various items across the bedspread, pondering his lover and the tiny changes that he could already see occurring in him. Chey was happy to be back, that much was very clear. A sense of deep delight had started literally radiating out from him the moment they had arrived here, the almost overjoyed welcome he had received merely underlining the intense fondness Chey Neeson obviously held for his family and theirs, in return, for him.

For a moment, Tahna paused in his unpacking, partly bent over his bag.

He wondered, just briefly, what it might feel like to be welcomed home like that. Dismissing the ridiculously sentimental thought with a soft snort of disdain, Tahna shook his head and reached back into his bag again.

“Oh my goodness...” An unfamiliar voice came from behind him, “Now that’s a sight I’d pay real money to look at all day.”

Straitening abruptly, Tahna whirled around and felt himself freeze, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping for a moment.

Standing in the doorway, grinning quite happily at him, was the oldest person Tahna Lam had ever seen in his life. She was tiny, he noted, barely coming up to the level of his chest. Her face was like a wrinkled apple, filled with lines from the story of her years. She was leaning heavily on a sturdy walking stick, her gnarled hand gripping it tightly, but her blue eyes, although rheumy with age, were bright with clarity and intelligence.

Obviously seeing his expression, she vented a delighted belly laughed. “What?” she asked him brightly, “Never seen an ambulatory corpse before, honey?”

Tahna blinked, looking warily at her. “Uh... and you would be..?

“Rose Eleanor Neeson, young man,” she planted her cane firmly in front of her and began to slowly walk towards him, “But most people just call me ‘Nana’.”

“Nana,” Tahna repeated slowly, “Odd word.”

“Well, it suits me.” She reached Tahna’s position and held out a slightly trembling hand to him. “I’m Chey’s grandmother on his father’s side.”

Carefully, genuinely concerned that he might break her, Tahna clasped her hand and shook it hesitantly.

Nana laughed again, the sheer volume of it incongruous to her size and, in Tahna’s eyes, evident frailty. “It’s alright y’know,” she told him, “A proper handshake never killed anybody. Put some feeling into it, my boy.”

Increasing the pressure slightly, Tahna gave her hand a firmer shake before releasing that parchment- like hand with a feeling of something quite like relief. “Excuse me if I seem impolite,” he said, “It’s just that I’m not entirely used to dealing with someone your extreme...” he trailed off, catching himself.

“...Age?” Nana suggested, utterly unconcerned.

“Yes.”

“Honey, no one’s used to dealing with a woman my age,” Nana’s wrinkled face glowed again with her re-appearing grin, “I’m ninety-two. By rights, I should’ve been dead twenty years ago.”

Tahna made a soft sound of curiosity in his chest. “So why aren’t you?”

With another huge guffaw, Nana shook her head. “God knows. Sheer cussedness, probably.”

Looking closely at her, Tahna tilted his head. “Do you know... you look very familiar for some reason.”

“Really? Well I’m pretty sure we’ve never met before.” Her eyes twinkled as she shamelessly gave him the once-over twice and then went back for another round. “I know I would have remembered you.” She winked almost lecherously at him.

Pointedly choosing to ignore that, Tahna nodded. “Empress Tatiata,” he said firmly, “From the forth ruling council of the Ephedrian Shion period. One of the greatest and most bloodthirsty rulers of the time, I understand. Conquered every clan that resisted and forged the first representational governing body out of the ashes.”

“Certainly sounds like me,” Nana noted blandly.

Tahna narrowed his eyes at her. “In the few pictorial representations I have seen, the resemblance is quite uncanny,” He paused, looking down at her, a slight sly smile curving his full mouth, “She was taller than you, though.”

“Hah! So is ninety percent of the planet, still...” Nana lifted a thoughtful brow as she considered Tahna’s words, “Interesting. So, this queen you’re talking about, I assume she’s dead?”

“Oh yes,” Tahna nodded, “for thousands of years.”

A huge wry grin rose on Nana’s wrinkled face, “Then it’s no wonder we look alike,” she chuckled as Tahna tilted his head and peered inquiringly at her once more.

“Ah!” At that moment, Chey’s most welcome voice came from beyond the doorway. The handsome square jawed statesman stepped into the room, descending on his tiny grandmother and enfolding her into a warm embrace. “I’d wondered where you were, you evil old baggage,” he said to her, kissing her soundly on her lined cheek, “I should have known you’d be in here already, tormenting my guest.”

Nana returned his embrace, her thin little arms wrapping around his midriff tightly for a moment. “Well, if you’d brought him out to us sooner, I could’ve sated my curiosity with a bit more discretion,” she replied, looking up into his smiling face.

Chey shrugged. “Oh, you know how it is... he’s stubborn.”

“He’s adorable.”

Tahna cleared his throat pointedly. “And he’s also standing right here.”

“Of course you are,” Chey moved over to Tahna’s side, placing one warm hand at the small of the Elite’s back. “Mom’s put up a light supper for us before we bed down for the night. Care to join me?”

Tahna nodded urbanely. “Well, that’s very kind of her, I’m sure,” he fell into step with Chey, with Nana on his other side as they left the room and headed towards the head of the stairs, “A light meal would certainly restore my- -Chey!” Jumping sharply at the sensation of a wicked little pinch to his rear end, Tahna shot Chey a look of disgusted disbelief. “That’s hardly an appropriate thing to do.”

Chey lifted both hands, looking genuinely confused. “What?” he asked, peering in puzzlement at the Blondie’s suddenly flushing face, “What happened?”

Freezing, Tahna felt his eyes grow wide, filled with utter horror. Slowly, he turned his head to look back over his shoulder down at Chey’s tiny grandmother, noting the woman’s unrepentant grin.

“Sorry,” Nana said, looking anything but, “Couldn’t help myself. But, then, these little lapses of etiquette are quite common in the very elderly, my darling boy.”

Ignoring Chey’s muffed laughter, Tahna pointedly stepped to one side, turning so that his posterior was well out of range. With a glacial glare and a graceful sweep of one arm, he gestured towards the stairs. “By all means...” he said in a flat and unimpressed tone. “After you... please.”

Still snickering, Nana nodded pragmatically at him and carefully made her way down, one hand tightly holding on to the banister.

Watching her for a moment, Tahna leaned towards Chey and lowered his voice. “Your grandmother, Chey...” he began.

Mouth still twitching, Chey looked at him. “Hmm?”

“She’s an absolute disgrace.”

Chey slipped an arm through his, looking at him with enduring fondness. “I know,” he said quite happily as he led Tahna down the stairs, “I rather like her too, Tahna.”

Title: Love, Blondies and optimism
Author: Ainzfern
Genre: Ai no Kusabi – Post OVA
Pairing: Chey/Tahna
Rating: R/NC-17
Parts: WIP – 2/2

Tahna slowly awoke the following morning with the strong sensation that something was not quite... right.

Sighing softly, he stretched, arching his elegant body under the rumpled sheets, even as a light frown creased his brow. He turned his head to one side on the soft pillow, opening his eyes to the dawn.

He blinked.

He froze.

Directly in front of him, a pair of solemn blue eyes were staring right back at him.

Tahna shut his own eyes again for a moment.

He opened them.

No... his strange audience of one was still there. With his frown deepening, Tahna’s waking mind took in the details. That oddly un-blinking gaze belonged to a small, well-scrubbed little face, topped by an unruly mop of honey-colored curls which were only partially successfully, Tahna noted, contained by a top-knot tied with a bright green ribbon. The face before him was pink and very serious, and the stare... Well, Tahna had been stared at by experts in his time, but never with quite this level of impolite frankness, and especially not while he’d been lying completely naked under a sheet that had ridden almost indecently low over his lean hips.

“Uhm...” Tahna drew in a deep breath, “Hello...”

Silence. The stare continued.

“Chey?” Shifting slowly, in case sudden movement led to some manner of attack, Tahna reached out and nudged his slumbering lover.

On his stomach, his quite shapely backside exposed by the low-flung sheets for all to see, Chey hummed a sleepy sound of objection from deep within his chest and burrowed further into his pillow. Without breaking eye-contact with the, as yet undefined, threat standing next to his bedside, Tahna tried again.

“Chey?” Another nudge.

No response.

“Chey!” Tahna poked his long fingers sharply into Chey’s ribs, finally achieving a result.

“Mmph?” Chey jolted and heaved a sigh, “Wha? What’s the matter?” He rose up onto his elbows, one hand rubbing at his face before raking through his tousled hair.

“Chey...” Tahna’s voice was very level, very careful, “There is an extremely... short person, standing here looking at me.”

“Huh?” Chey shot him a bleary little look before craning his head back, peering across Tahna and over to the side of the bed. “Ah,” a slow smile rose on his face, clarity appearing in his eyes, “That would be Mima, my niece.”

Tahna turned to him, his expression speaking volumes, “Mima?”

Chey shrugged, grinning with amusement. “Don’t blame me. My sister named her.” Twitching the sheets up to a more modest position, Chey rolled over and sat up, smiling at the little girl who had appeared in their room. “Good morning, Mima.”

A tiny smile curved Mima’s pink-bow lips.

“Did you and your folks just get here?”

Mima nodded.

“I see,” Chey affected a slightly more serious look on his face. “Now, Mima...” he said gently, “You know your Uncle Chey is always glad to see you, right?”

Another nod.

“But, do you remember what your Mom said about not going into grown-up’s rooms when the door is shut?”

Tahna noted that, this time, the nod was preceded by a rather hesitant pause.

Chey lifted a brow at the child. “So... why’d you come in here without permission?”

Mima’s face grew very thoughtful as she gave question all due consideration before answering. “Grandma made eggs,” she said eventually, her voice definite, as if all was now explained.

“Ah,” Chey nodded sagely, “I see.”

“Well, I don’t,” Tahna’s eyes narrowed as he rose up onto his elbows, looking at Chey, “What does that have to do with anything?”

Chey chuckled, his eyes fond, as he glanced at Tahna’s disgruntled face. “She’s just letting us know that breakfast is ready.”

“Well, why didn’t she just say so?”

Chey lifted a broad shoulder, “Because she’s four,” he answered matter-of-factly.

Tahna peered warily back at the child. “This conversation makes no sense.”

“You’re pretty,” Mima told him then, her gaze shifting back to the Blondie’s startled face.

Behind him, Chey snorted softly with barely suppressed laughter.

Pointedly ignoring him, Tahna inclined his head towards Mima. “Well, thank you,” he replied. He paused, searching for the right manner of reply, “So are you,” he said at length, gesturing vaguely with one elegant hand, “In an exceedingly.... short kind of way.”

A tiny, almost knowing, smile returned to Mima’s face, oddly reminding Tahna of a certain federation government minister he had come to know.

“Oh, Mima! There you are.” An unfamiliar female voice came through the open bedroom door, followed immediately by an unfamiliar woman. To Tahna, she looked very much like Chey, with the same thick glossy brown hair, the same handsome jaw structure and sharp blue eyes. Of course her features were softer, more feminine, but the resemblance was unmistakable. “Now... what have I told you about wandering off, little one?”

The woman initially went towards the child, a certain pending-scolding expression forming on her face before she stilled, turning slowly to face the bed.

“Oh!” Her eyes widened in absolute wicked delight, “Oh, my goodness! I didn’t realize... I’m terribly sorry, Chey.”

Considering the wise-assed grin that had spread over her face, Tahna Lam of Amoi sincerely doubted the veracity of that remark.

“Morning, Jemma,” Chey waved a loose salute at her, his grin returning to full wattage. He shifted, looking at Tahna, “Tahna? This is my youngest sister, Jemma Wellbourne, Mima’s mother. Her husband Mark will be around here somewhere, I should imagine.”

“Stuffing his face in Mom’s kitchen,” Jemma told him. She turned her blue eyes to Tahna’s almost panic stricken face, “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” Her eyes drifted slowly over the bare expanse of his chest and shoulders with a speculative gleam in her gaze, “Really nice to meet you.”

“Uh,” Tahna rich mouth moved into what might have been a smirk, “Likewise, I’m sure.”

Jemma lifted one shoulder in an eerie approximation of Chey’s bashful manner, “I’m so sorry that Mima barged in on you like that. We’ve always been very clear about not going into grown-up’s room’s when- -“

“- - the door is closed,” Tahna finished for her, pulling the sheet a little further up over himself, “Yes, Chey was just telling me.”

“Uhm, Jemma?” Beside Tahna, Chey was looking down at the rather anxious Elite beside him, “Can you let Mom know we’ll be down soon?”

“Oh, hell no,” Jemma waved a hand at him, her eyes sparkling, “Take as long as you like.” She grinned slyly in Tahna’s direction again, “God knows I would.”

Chey shot her a stern look, “I think that’s the line right there, little sister.”

Laughing, Jemma herded her daughter out of the room. “We’ll see you both later,” she winked at conspiratorially at Tahna. “Welcome to Isius, Tahna,” she smiled at him as she left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Tahna collapsed back onto his pillows and heaved a great sigh. “Chey,” he said weakly, staring worriedly at the ceiling, “I don’t think I’m going to survive this...”

“Oh, c’mon,” Chey scooted over and lay down beside the flustered Blondie, propped on one elbow while he stroked the smooth skin of Tahna’s chest with his free hand, “It’s not that bad, really.”

Tahna violet eyes flicked towards him, agastness rising, “Not that bad?! Not that bad?!” he repeated for emphasis, “Privacy invading infants, smirking siblings and a buttock-grabbing geriatric? Chey, its worse than I thought and, believe me, what I thought was bad enough.”

“Well,” Chey’s eyes darkened a little as he looked appreciatively down at the Elite, “I might have something that will make you feel a little better.”

Tahna lifted an elegant brow at him, feeling deeply irritated. “At this point, Chey, I seriously doubt th- -mmph!”

Easing one hand down Tahna’s flat stomach, Chey leaned down and kissed his Blondie gently, and with unhurried enjoyment, stilling his reply. Although initially resisting, still feeling somewhat flustered, after a moment or so Tahna’s mind gave a kind of rueful mental shrug. The sensation of those soft warm lips delicately moving over his own, as always, nullified his common sense. He sighed, relaxing into Chey’s caresses, lifting his arms and sliding his fingers into Chey’s thick silky hair.

Chey broke the kiss slowly before descending again, pressing his lips to the side of Tahna’s jaw, tracing the graceful length of his neck, across his collarbones.

“Chey?” Tahna gasped, his beautiful eyes growing dazed as Chey smoothly scooted down the bed, trailing slow suckling kisses down his sternum and across the soft skin of his belly.

“Hmm?” One of Chey’s hands pushed the sheet down before resting on Tahna’s hip, the thumb slowly stroking the satin-soft crease of skin between pelvis and thigh.

Struggling to focus under the rapidly rising heat of his arousal, Tahna pulled in a breath. “You’re just stalling...Ah!” he cried out softly and arched as he felt Chey rub his cheek gently along the length of his erection, his night’s stubble strangely stimulating to Tahna’s waking flesh, “You know that, don’t you?”

“Oh yes,” Chey murmured, his voice sultry and deep. “I know that, Tahna Lam.”

Tahna’s reply was lost in his soft cry of pleasure as Chey took the Blondie’s twitching cock into his hot wet mouth with a slow sucking pull of his lips, all cognizant thought wiped out for the duration.


******

“Oh, Good morning,” Laura’s cheerful voice greeted Tahna and Chey as they stepped into her bright and cheerful kitchen. She glanced at the clock over the sink unit, “Actually, it’s nearly ‘good afternoon’,” she chuckled. “I thought you might intend the sleep the whole day away.”
Over at the dining table, Jemma snorted softly as she laid out flatware and cutlery. “I don’t know if ‘sleep’ is the right word, Mom.”

Shooting her a vaguely warning look, Laura turned back to her oldest son, smiling as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Well, you’re just in time for lunch, you two,” She gestured to the table. “Go on and sit down. I’ve put some wine out for you... I know James enjoys his beer but I wasn’t sure what you would like, Tahna.” She glanced questioningly at him.

“Wine is perfectly acceptable, Mrs. Neeson,” Tahna murmured.

“Laura, please,” She corrected him with a smile.

“Can we help at all, Mom?” Chey asked her.

Tahna shot him a sharp little glare of outrage.

Shaking her head, Laura waved a hand at him. “No, no. All done. You two just relax and get fed. You’re guests, remember?”

Approaching the table, Tahna looked up as James entered the room from the outside door, with Mima in his arms and an unfamiliar man at his side.

“Ah, Tahna,” Chey touched the Elite’s elbow and nodded toward the newcomer. “This is my brother-in-law, Mark Wellbourne... Mark? This is Tahna Lam.”

Mark had fallen to a halt, staring quite openly at Tahna. “Well, I’ll be...” he breathed, his eyes wide with amazement, before he turned to his brother-in-law, a sly grin on his face. “Tell me something, Chey, just when the hell did your taste improve this much?”

Tahna blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

Mark grinned at him, taking his daughter from James’ arms and seating her in a chair at the table. “Oh, I’m sorry about that. I’m not the most subtle of people.”

“That much is true,” Jemma remarked as she sat next to her daughter.

“It’s just, well, Chey tried to tell us about the way Elites look but, I guess the real thing is a bit more impressive than I expected.” He rounded the table with one hand out, a huge welcoming grin on his friendly face. “Anyhow, all that aside... it’s real nice to meet you.”

“Thank you,” Tahna hesitated a moment before reaching to shake his hand firmly, if somewhat quickly, “Uh... it’s a pleasure. I think.” He glanced sideways at Chey’s face.

Rubbing one hand over Tahna’s back, Chey guided him towards the seat next to James, taking the one on the other side of the Elite. Tahna could help but notice, smugly, that Nana looked a little disappointed about that as she took a place at the end of the table.

Settling in, Chey poured out the wine as his mother brought a platter of salads and cold meats to the table.

“I hope this is all right with you, Tahna,” she looked at him and indicated the food. “Chey wasn’t very clear on what you liked to eat- -“

“The same thing as you do, Mom,” Chey interrupted her mildly, his gaze level and one brow lifting, “He’s not another species, you know.”

Laura shot him a look that Tahna could only describe as ‘old-fashioned’. “Well, of course I know that. I’m just making sure that he’s- -“

“So,” Tahna spoke brightly, heading off any incipient familial bickering. Quite frankly, he really wasn’t in the correct frame in mind to truly enjoy a Neeson family argument, “Chey tells me that he has a few siblings, is that correct?”

Beaming, Laura took her seat opposite him and next to her granddaughter, filling the child’s plate as she answered. “Yes, as a matter of fact. Chey’s the oldest, of course... then his brother Richard, and then our three daughters, Chloe, Sophia and Jemma.” She sat back, lifting her half filled glass and smiling at her. “Then of course, James and I both have seven brothers and sisters between us.”

Tahna swallowed, the muscles under one eye twitching slightly. “My goodness. Quite the extended family, aren’t you?”

“Oh yes! And that’s not even counting all the grandchildren.” She winked at her husband. “Of course, Chey has no children, but his brothers and sisters certainly made up for that. Just between James and I, we have seventeen.”

“So, seventeen, you say?” Tahna asked weakly, “Amongst four of your offspring?”

“Oh yes,” Laura beamed proudly at him, “and my middle daughter, Sophie, has got another one on the way.”

Tahna searched his mind for some manner of graceful comment. “My goodness,” he felt a tiny smirk lift the corner of his mouth, “Obviously not that much else to do of an evening here, then?”

A great blast of laughter from around the table met Tahna’s remark. James reached out and clapped the Elite on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s sure as hell true, Tahna. Beats the hell out of playing cards all night, am I right?”

“James!” Laura blushed prettily, shooting her husband a decidedly naughty little look. “Oh, just ignore him, Tahna dear. He’s crass.”

Tahna flashed a brittle little smile at her.

“And, don’t you worry,” Laura grabbed her napkin and almost absently reached down beside her, wiping Mima’s messy hands off. “Use the fork, darling,” she chided gently before looking back at Tahna, “You’ll get to meet them all tonight. We’re hosting a party to celebrate your visit.”

Tahna’s smile abruptly disappeared, “No... Really Mrs. Neeson...” the Elite’s voice became slightly alarmed.

Seventeen tiny little Chey Neeson’s all running around; Tahna’s mind threw up the ghastly image behind his eyes, and not a single one of them able to use a fork properly.

Laura waved a hand at him, “It’s Laura... please,”

“Laura...” Tahna corrected himself. He shot a quick glance at Chey, who shrugged amiably, grinning at him.

Typical. Tahna’s eyes narrowed. No help there.

Looking back at Chey’s mother, he continued, “...You really don’t have to do that.”

“Oh nonsense, of course we do!” Laura smiled fondly at him, “It’s actually rather exciting to have you here. We’ve never had an Amoi Elite visit our home before.”

James snorted sardonically into his beer. “Laura, we’ve never had an Amoi Elite visit the planet before.”

Ignoring him, Laura forged on, “I just know that everyone is going to want to see you. Besides, we always have a party when Chey comes home, so it’s not like you’re putting us out at all.”

Feeling a certain hopeless dread rising in him, Tahna picked up his glass of wine. “Oh,” he muttered flatly, before draining the lot in one swallow. “I’m so glad.”


******

It was intolerable, Tahna seethed as he glared out the window of his and Chey’s guest room at car after car arriving to park on the front lawn of Chey’s family home. And not just cars, either, people were arriving on hover-bikes, on foot... Tahna had even seen a ridiculous old push-peddle bicycle down there at one point.

Absolutely intolerable.

Tahna really wasn’t sure what he had been expecting during his visit to Chey’s home planet, but the very idea of dozens of grossly over-familiar strangers, who’s only association to him personally was a blood link to his lover, gathering around him and – Tahna winced - hugging him, and asking all manner of well intentioned and hideously ill-mannered questions about his relationship with their precious boy...

Oh, dear God, lunch had been bad enough. Chey’s brother-in-law really ought to have had his mouth sewn shut at birth, in Tahna’s opinion. As the meal had continued, the man had asked all manner of intimate questions, despite the fact that Chey had passed a not-so-subtle little warning not to, wanting to know how they’d met, when they fell in love, how often they saw each other...

Admittedly, Tahna’s ruffled feathers settled momentarily, Chey had done most of the answering but still... And that wretched little grandmother of his had managed to pinch his backside again when he hadn’t been quick enough moving past her.

And the worst part was that Chey didn’t seem to think there was anything overtly wrong with that.

Although, being honest, Tahna was prepared to forgive Nana for her impropriety, simply due to the fact that she was actually rather entertaining – when she was out of arm’s reach, of course – and, for some reason, she reminded him of Chey the most out of all his relatives. Even though she looked quite like a cheerful raisin, physically.

But a whole house-full of them? All swilling back alcohol and becoming more excessively affable as the night wore on? Tahna shuddered, wondering what the penalty for murder due to provocation actually was out here on the edge of civilization

The sound of a soft foot-fall from the bedroom door pulled him out of his almost morose pondering and he turned, meeting Chey’s shrewd blue eyes.

“Here you are,” Chey noted softly, closing the door behind him. “Everyone’s arriving.”

“I know.” Tahna said flatly, shooting another irritated glance out the window.

“Ah,” Chey nodded slowly, his mouth pursing thoughtfully. “Not happy, then?”

“No,” Tahna bit out through gritted teeth, wondering how someone so smart could be so impossibly dense, “I am not.”

“Don’t tell me you’re feeling intimidated by a little family gathering,” Chey said, tilting his head doubtfully.

Tahna felt his nostrils flare.

“Okay, that came out badly, I know, but...” Chey held up one hand. “Look, you’ve hosted glittering galas for guest lists of hundreds in the past.”

“I am well aware of that, Chey,” Tahna hissed at him, “Just as I am also very aware that this function is of a completely different nature altogether and it is an event that I am not inclined, in any way, to subject myself to!”

Chey blinked, looking startled. “I’m... not sure that I’m following you here, Blondie.”

“Don’t you dare use your silly pet name with me; I am not in the mood!” Tahna snapped for good measure.

“So I see,” Chey replied, mildly enough, although his eyes were growing faintly worried. “Tell me, Tahna, what on earth has gotten you so riled up?

Tahna glared at him. “You want to know?”

“Well, yes. I did ask.”

“Fine,” Tahna huffed, “I will certainly tell you.”

“Okay...” Chey nodded carefully, opening his hands and indicating that Tahna had the floor, so to speak.

The Elite drew in a deep breath, his face growing coldly superior. “When you told me you wanted me to meet your family, I rather foolishly assumed that I would only be exposed to the poor unfortunates who actually sired you,” Tahna tossed his hair back with a magnificently disdainful jerk of his head, “I most certainly did not expect your overly prolific clan to encompass half the population of this wretched planet!”

Chey looked oddly at him, his normally smooth brow marred by a small frown. “Tahna, I think you’re exaggerating that a bit.”

Tahna’s eyes flashed; a slow flush crossed his flawless face. “Oh, do you?” he stalked towards Chey, his voice lowering dangerously. “Well, allow me to tell you what I think, Chey. I think that if I had known that I was going to be paraded around in front of your entire slavering tribe like some manner of... of...” Tahna lifted his hands in an aggravated gesture, searching wildly for the right phrasing, “of object, as if I were some kind of oddity to be goggled at by dimwits, I would never have agreed to come here. In fact,” Tahna lifted his chin haughtily, “If I had even had an inkling that you were planning to use me as nothing more than an enhancement to your standing amongst your uncivilized rabble of relations, I would have taken the far wiser option of not becoming involved with you at all.”

Standing before his lover, his broad chest heaving and his face hot with resentment, Tahna watched, a certain satisfaction entering his soul as he saw Chey’s eyes widen with something that looked very much like shock.

At last, Tahna thought smugly, a direct score for the Blondie.

“That’s what you think of me... of my family?” Chey asked softly, his blue eyes filling with genuine hurt, “You honestly think that’s why I brought you here?”

Tahna stilled, the superior expression slowly fading from his face, a trickle of uneasiness whispering up his spine.

Staring at him, Chey huffed a soft chuckle, but there was little humor in it. In fact, to Tahna’s ears, it sounded a lot like he was struck for words, especially when the man lifted his hands in an almost helpless gesture, his expression slowly darkening, his full mouth thinning into a grim line.

Even in his distracted state, Tahna had to appreciate the irony. How long he had waited to finally, finally, see Chey Neeson left speechless, without some manner of witty comeback. But for some reason, Tahna felt no satisfaction. Instead, a real sense of unease was forming in his gut. Because it was very clear to him that Chey wasn’t just thrown off by Tahna’s remarks.

Chey Neeson, for the first time in all the months that Tahna had known him, was genuinely upset.

Drawing himself up, Chey swallowed hard, his handsome square jawed face hardening. He nodded once, almost coldly, at the Elite before turning towards the door, moving swiftly to open it.

“Wh- Where are you going?” Tahna asked him, feeling his heart beginning to pound, his skin growing strangely cold.

Chey paused, not looking back, although the tilt of his jaw indicated that he was considering Tahna’s question. At length he sighed, his broad shoulders drooping slightly. “I’m going for a walk down to the river in the back garden.”

The Elite blinked, shaking his head in a sharp and perplexed little manner. “Why?”

Chey turned then, pinning Tahna with an almost furious gaze. “Because I am angry with you, Tahna,” he said firmly, quite coldly, “and I need to clear my head of that before I try talking to you again.”

“But...” Tahna trailed off as Chey turned his back once more and silently left the room.

In the silence left in his wake, Tahna stared after him, his beautiful violet eyes wide and filled with disquiet.

This wasn’t what he had expected at all. A soft sound of distress left his throat as he thought rapidly, reviewing the conversation in his mind, trying to comprehend what he had said that had been so dreadful, trying to understand why Chey hadn’t simply conceded to Tahna and laughed it off, like he had done so many times before. Pressing the long fingers of one hand to his brow, Tahna scrunched his eyes shut for a moment, breathing deeply in an effort to calm himself long enough to think clearly.

To his enduring disgust, he couldn’t.

He couldn’t explain why. He simply did not have enough experience with such things to be able to competently clarify, even to himself, why he felt inexplicably unable to regain his composure.

All he knew was that, right now... he felt awful.


******

“Strange kind of party if you ask me...”

Standing on the rear deck of the Neeson family home, his elegant hands resting on the wooden railing and the muffled sounds of one hell of a celebration filtering out over him from within the house, Tahna sighed softly with weary exasperation as he heard Nana’s familiar voice behind him.

“I mean,” the soft dull ‘thunk’ of Nana’s walking stick on the deck reached Tahna’s sharp ears as the old woman continued, “Laura hosted the damned thing for the pair of you, and the two guests of honor aren’t even in attendance. Not that it matters, really, with the amount of booze flowing around in there.”

Dropping his head forward, Tahna grimaced slightly as he heard Nana moving closer to him. “At this point, Nana,” he said quietly, “regardless of the fact that you are now at an age where all souls should show appropriate respect; I have to tell you that, if you dare to pinch my backside again, I am quite capable of dislocating your arm without so much as raising a sweat.”

“Hah!” Nana snorted gracelessly as she joined him at the railing, setting aside her cane and gripping the wooden banister with her gnarled hands, “Well, at least I could say that for those few brief moments before the agony caused a heart attack, one young and beautiful man willingly put his hands on me.”

Almost in spite of himself, Tahna felt a perverse surge of humor rising at her remark. His full lips twitched, just once, and a flash of amusement came to his eyes before he was able to stifle the reaction, quickly assuming his previous superior expression.

Too late, however. To his endless disgust, Nana’s sharp old eyes had already seen it and she winked at him, nodding approvingly. “That’s better,” she leaned into Tahna’s side, the soft scent of her lavender perfume drifting up into his senses.

Almost unbidden, Tahna found himself leaning towards her in return, even as his internal dismay at his own response increased somewhat. “He really does get it from you, doesn’t he?” he asked, almost accusingly.

“Get what, gorgeous? Make sense to an old woman.”

“His attitude,” Tahna explained, “His... indestructible tendency to look at everything like it was some manner of amusement.”

“Of course,” Nana’s voice was filled with clear pride, “Life can hurt, Sir Tahna of Amoi, and if you don’t learn to laugh at it... well, you might as well roll over and give up the moment you’re born.” One gentle hand eased around Tahna’s lower back, petting him gently, “But the secret, my darling creature, is knowing when to take it seriously... and Chey’s got that knack too.”

“Yes,” Tahna whispered, regret washing through him, “So it would appear.”

“Ah...” Nana’s tone suddenly became very shrewd “so that was that my grandson I just saw stalking down towards the river?”

Tahna swallowed hard. “Yes.”

“Hmm,” Nana nodded sagely, “He used to do that when he was just a boy, too,” her wizened face grew very soft. “Being the oldest, you see,” she continued, sighing almost happily as she nestled even more into Tahna’s warmth, “he was expected to take over the business from his father. But he was so smart, so astute, even as a little child. We all saw the potential in him.”

Stilled, even intrigued by this close and intimate review of his lover’s personal history, Tahna looked down into Nana’s lined face, his huge eyes urging her to continue.

Nodding, Nana did, “School was nothing to Chey. He achieved, with ease, what other boys his age had to struggle with. James made the decision when Chey was just fourteen years old,” her bright eyes glowed with motherly pride, “he was going to see his son reach beyond this planet... get that incredible mind out there, working towards a better, fairer federation.”

Tahna’s rich mouth curved into a tiny smile. “And I am guessing that he fought against that?”

“Oh, my word yes,” Nana chuckled, rolling her eyes, “Tooth and nail. Didn’t want to let the family down. Said he wasn’t going to walk out and leave his father and his younger brother to handle to load by themselves.”

“Typical,” Tahna snorted softly, fondly, “Selfless to the point of idiocy.”

Nana grinned at him. “Oh, you do know him well, don’t you?” she squeezed his lean waist with her thin little arm, “Anyway, Chey used to storm off down to the river every time he had an argument with James about it... to get his head clear before he came back and discussed things reasonably.”

Tahna blinked, an odd sense of clarity arriving. “That’s what he said.”

“Hmm?” Nana lifted a brow at him and, at that moment, Tahna could see the echoes of Chey in her face.

“Before he- -” The Blondie paused, feeling mildly embarrassed. He pulled a disgusted little face. “We had... words, a little while ago.”

“I guessed as much.”

Shrugging uncomfortably, Tahna stared off down the moonlit garden in the direction of the path that lead towards the river running along the edge of the Neeson’s property. “He said the same thing to me. That he had to clear his head.”

“Oh,” Nana pressed her lips together for a moment, “Hurt him, then, did you?”

Tahna felt his heart sink. “I... I think I did, yes.”

“Did you mean to?”

“Of course not,” Looking askance at her, Tahna shook his head, “But I simply don’t understand why he feels this ridiculous need to drag me all the way out to this wretched little planet..” he paused for a second, waving a vague hand at Nana, “No offence..”

Nana smiled blandly, “None taken,”

“Thank you,” Tahna drew in a breath and continued, “...In order to apparently display me to every person that he ever met in his childhood!”

Nana’s eyes were very warm as she smiled benevolently at him, “Oh that’s easy, honey. He’s proud of you. Of how beautiful you are, of how educated and clever you are, and he wants to show you off. Now, I know that might not be something you’re used to back on Amoi, but way out here in the boondocks, it’s actually quite normal.”

“Oh.” Tahna bit his lower lip.

“Hmm.”

“I... I see.”

“Yes.” Nana petted his back again, “Looking at it a little differently now, are we?”

Tahna winced, ever so slightly, “Nana?”

“Yes, darling?”

“A bit of advice at this juncture would be greatly appreciated.”

“Well,” easing her arm back from around the Blondie’s waist, Nana gripped her walking stick again and shifted her weight carefully, turning to face the open door behind her, “his father used to leave him alone whenever he went down there,” she nodded in the direction Chey had gone.

“Ah.”

Nana smiled shrewdly at him, her bright eyes level and calm as she met his worried gaze. “I wouldn’t, if I was you.” With that, she slowly made her way back indoors, leaving Tahna alone.

For a long moment, Tahna stared after her. Then, setting his shoulders, he drew in a deep breath and stepped down off the porch, crossing the garden and heading in the direction of the river.

******

With a light and graceful step, Tahna made his silent way through a small grove of trees and towards the tall, broad shouldered man silhouetted in the moonlight, who was gazing out over a slow flowing river that looked like a ribbon of black ink in the dark of the night.

Pausing as he reached the edge of the small clearing where Chey was, Tahna took a moment to simply observe the man who had somehow managed to become such an intimate and vital part of his existence. Chey’s back was partly turned towards him, the soft glow of the moon picking out certain features... the handsome angle of his jaw, the smooth line of his strong neck. Chey stood, his pose deceptively casual, with his hands in his pockets and his breathing deep and measured. He looked, for all the world, like a man simply enjoying a lovely evening.

But Tahna could see, in the rigid set of his shoulders, the stiff straight line of his back, that Chey was anything but content. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward. “Chey?” he asked softly, his voice carrying clearly in the silence.

At the sound of his voice, Chey looked over his shoulder at the Elite. He smiled a little and, encouraged, Tahna closed the distance between them.

Looking into his eyes, washed silver by the moon, Tahna wet his lips and pulled a wry little face at him. “Chey...” he lifted his hands for a moment, making a frustrated little gesture, “I’m...” He paused, firming his resolve and lifting his chin stubbornly. “I’m sorry,” he said decisively, his tone daring Chey to argue with him.

Chey’s eyes widened for a moment with genuine surprise. His smile widened wryly as he turned to the Blondie, tilting his head to one side. “Y’know, Tahna,” he replied, his deep voice gentle, “I wasn’t actually expecting you to say that.”

Tahna deflated slightly. “Oh.”

Obviously seeing his expression fall, Chey reached out, taking Tahna’s hand in his and pulling him closer. “No,” he murmured firmly, “don’t take it the wrong way. I’m not trying to slight your character.” He held Tahna’s huge violet eyes steadily, “What I meant was, that I appreciate the irony; because I had just made up my mind that it was me who needed to apologize to you.”

“Really,” Tahna’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he considered Chey’s words. “But that makes no sense. You were the one who was displeased by something I said.”

“Well that’s true. I was,” Chey sighed softly, “And, it has to be said that, most of the time, I can laugh it off as simply your own rather unique way of expressing yourself.”

“You didn’t actually laugh back there, Chey, I feel obliged to point out,” Tahna murmured somberly.

“No I didn’t, did I?” Chey shook his head. “And maybe the reason I got upset back there was my own damned fault.”

The Blondie leaned back slightly, staring askance at him.

Chey smiled tiredly. “I’ve never told you what lines not to cross, have I?” he continued, “I suppose I just assumed you’d know... and that’s not fair. How the hell would you know? You’ve told me yourself, numerous times, this is the first time you’ve ever been in a relationship like this, and to top it off, you’re in a relationship with someone who is from a completely different culture, a completely different world entirely.”

Tahna shrugged helplessly at him, his face perplexed as he tried to get the higher meaning behind Chey’s words.

Noting his confusion, Chey touched his face, stroking his fingers tenderly across a smooth cheek as he nodded. “You didn’t just single me out this time. You also took a shot at my family, Tahna,” Chey explained, the warmth and gentleness of his tone easing the sting out of the words, “You touched a nerve with that... and it hurt.”

Tahna grimaced. “I... didn’t mean to.”

“Oh, I know that,” Chey grinned at him. “I know you don’t mean half the splendidly offensive remarks you make. But then, that’s part of the joy of being with you... the challenge of trying to figure out what you’re really saying.”

Huffing a soft sound of discontent, Tahna made a frustrated face at him. “They’re just so open with everything, Chey,” he burst out, “I mean, nothing is sacred to them! Not personal space, nor private emotions. They talk about anything, and they ask the most inappropriate questions of me. They express every wretched feeling that they have, the moment that they have it!”

“I know,” Chey said quietly, “But, that’s what families do, Tahna.”

“Well, I’m not used to that, Chey!” Tahna drew in a deep breath, attempting to retain some manner of poise as he jerked his chin up and flicked his wealth of hair back sharply. “Elites don’t openly share their feelings with the general populace. We are schooled, from the moment we’re born, to be above such things. It’s hard enough displaying that manner of intimacy just to you.”

“Tahna- -“

Tahna held up a hand, forestalling Chey’s words as his brow creased with something that felt very much like pain. “Feeling the way that I do - feeling such... affection for you,” he drew in a deep breath, shaking his head slowly, “it’s so difficult for me.”

Chey was silent for a while, his moon-touched eyes filled with thought. Then slowly, he lifted both hands and cupped Tahna’s face with infinite tenderness. “I really have to admire the paradox there, Tahna,” he murmured, a slow sweet smile curving his full mouth.

Tahna stared at him.

“Because falling in love with you,” Chey clarified softly, “Was the easiest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Tahna softened around the edges for a moment, looking with huge defenseless eyes into Chey’s handsome face, before he took a hold of himself and drew himself up once more, his rich mouth pursing into a snooty little moue. “You know something, Mr. Neeson?” he asked archly, falling back on his old form of addressing his lover.

A slow smile curled Chey lips, “Mmm?”

“You have a way of saying things to me, which make it impossible for me to be annoyed with you.” The look he gave Chey was distinctly unimpressed, “I’m actually rather annoyed about that,” he added with a satirical little glint in his eyes.

Chey’s deep laughter filled the clearing for a moment. He pulled the Elite close to him, wrapping his arms around Tahna’s lean waist and kissing his sullen face soundly, “Priceless, Tahna Lam. Absolutely priceless,” He sobered again, stroking Tahna’s satin hair. “I’ll change our bookings for the flight out. We can leave tomorrow... tonight if you prefer.”

“No.”

Chey lifted a brow at him, “No?”

“No.” Tahna shot Chey a superior look down the length of his perfect nose, “I am tired of being on the back foot with your family, Chey. We are going to stay here for the full duration. You are going to take me back into that blasted party, and I am going to treat that clan of malcontents to the full gamut of my Elitist best.”

Chey snorted gracelessly, slipping an arm around Tahna’s shoulders and guiding him back towards the house. “God help them,” he chuckled evilly, “They are not going to know what hit them.”

“That’s the intention,” Tahna replied smugly.

“Just make sure you keep out of arm’s reach of Nana, all right?” Chey advised as they crossed the back garden, “One well-placed pinch from her and the whole effect will be ruined.”

“Actually, I’ll be rather relying on you to hold her off, if you please.”

Tightening his arm about Tahna’s shoulders, Chey nodded firmly, “Deal.”

With a wicked little smile rising on his beautiful face, and a genuine surge of optimism filling his chest, Tahna stepped up onto the back deck and entered the house with Chey at his side.

This, he decided, against all the odds, might just turn out to be the best trip he’d ever taken.

END...