Title: The Baggage of Humanity
Rating: PG13/T-ish.
Warnings: I guess people can get icked by the fact that this is technically a human/andalite pairing, even though both can shapeshift. Oh, and some unwitting sexual context.
Summary: Ax has always been a slave to his sense of taste. Takes place before the Decision. (Book 18) Jake Berenson/Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill (Ax).
He could tell who was approaching by the sounds they made when they walked.
Rachel's walk was always strong, cocky, louder than the others. Cassie's was less brash and more reserved. Marco's was uneven, usually because his pace always changed; he noticed something he thought he was funny, or interesting, before remembering that there were things he came to do.
He heard none of these. No, this one was slightly clumsy, yet still with a fair measure of confidence. It was late for Jake to be at the barn like this. He worried that Jake might have learned something, and that it was time for action, but Elfangor always taught him to remain calm. A warrior had to keep his cool, even under attack.
Prince Jake?
He knew it was him, but he still asked, seeking a measure of decorum. Once Jake spoke, he'd know whether or not it was time to fight.
"How many times do I have to say?" Jake called out, jokingly. "It's just Jake."
Yes, Prince Jake. And as always, Ax would still insist on calling him Prince Jake. It was a comfort, a sense of the life he was used to. It was proper etiquette, to address your superior (and Jake may deny it, but he was Ax's superior officer among the Animorphs) as prince. And it was fun, seeing Jake get self conscious about his rank, yet still somewhat proud of the title.
Luckily, his voice obviously denoted that the strenuous peace hadn't been broken yet. Although peace couldn't be considered the proper term, as the Yeerks were still active among them, the Animorphs could only really stymie their efforts. They couldn't cause a full-scale war; there were only six of them.
What brings you out at this hour?
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. I just come bearing gifts." Jake held up a bag, and every modicum of decorum left.
Ax began to morph as fast as he could, his form becoming human. Part of each of his friends made his human body, a body that held all types of different points of interest. He was used to their lack of balance, their relatively frail forms… he still didn't understand how humans became the dominant species, when there were so many creatures with more practical structure, but some questions lead to more questions that weren't necessary for life.
More importantly, though, they had the most incredible feature—a sense of taste. How could he have lived so long without knowing about the hot dogs, the fizzy sodas, or the otherworldly majesty of the Cinnabon?
Ax took a moment to get used to his far inferior balance before running over, grabbing onto the bag without snatching it. "Food?"
"Uh, Ax?" Jake pointed downward, an awkward smile on his face. Ax looked down; their abashed reactions to being without covering always confused him. Especially since the covering offered very little protection. He didn't understand why it was needed in the first place, but he was willing to follow their customs.
He quickly grabbed the clothing Cassie left out for him, pulling on the first shirt and jeans he could get his hands on. He was back in moments, staring longingly at the bag in Jake's hand. "What did you bring?"
Jake grinned, opening the bag. "Well, my mom made something special tonight, and I know how much you like food, so… thought you'd like this." He pulled out one of what seemed like a few plastic containers, handing it to Ax. As soon as he recognized the baby potatoes, he nearly ripped the top off, grabbing one of the potatoes with his fingers and throwing it into his mouth. "Whoa Ax, chill. Haven't got everything out yet."
Ax talked with his mouth full; he was trying to say that it was delicious, but what came out wasn't comparable to the actual sounds of those words. Jake just laughed, pulling out another container, opening it himself.
And the scent itself was glorious.
"Wushishdash?" Ax asked, not taking his eyes off of Jake's container.
"It's lasagna. Don't worry, no meat." Jake looked like he was considering pulling out a utensil, but then he just grabbed the piece of lasagna with his hands and held it out to Ax. The sauce dripped down his hand, and Ax watched it hungrily. "It's my favorite, and I know how you love food, so… you had to have some."
Ax smiled, the sentiment making him happy. "Thank you." Ordinarily, he would play around with the word thank, but just Jake thinking of him like that made him happy. He cared about his Prince a lot, and that kind of thought touched him. It wasn't something a superior officer usually bestowed upon his subordinates. It was definitely unique among Princes.
He took the lasagna, shoving the piece into his mouth. Jake started laughing, the sauce staining Ax's lips as he tried to chew on the large piece. "I think maybe smaller bites would've been a smarter idea."
All attempts at conversation were pointless; the most Ax could vocalize were MMMs and NNNs. Jake started laughing more, only catching himself so as not to disturb the other animals in the barn with them. "Come on now Ax, I'm not that good at the Heimlich. Try to swallow."
Jake didn't have to worry; Ax was good with his human mouth, after months of enjoying various kinds of foods. When he finally swallowed it all, Ax tried to peer over into the container, hoping there was more. Jake immediately caught his eyes, explaining kindly.
"Sorry Ax, can't steal mountains of lasagna without the parents wondering why…" Ax couldn't explain what he was thinking. Sometimes he got a little crazy when he could eat; Marco often had to remind him what wasn't for tasting, from paper (which was perfectly delicious, he didn't understand why it wasn't meant to be eaten) to cigarette butts. And it was that very nature of his that led to him grabbing Jake's sauce covered hand, picking it up to his mouth and licking the sauce off.
This time, it tasted different, accompanied by the taste of Jake's skin. He wouldn't dream of eating another being, especially not his Prince, but Jake's sauce covered skin was something else. It wasn't delicious the way the lasagna was, but it was good in it's own way.
"Uh, Ax?" Jake said awkwardly, unsure how to properly react with Ax's tongue moving along his fingers. "Can I get my hand back?"
"Yes, Prince Jake." Ax immediately let go of his hand, gazing down at Jake's fingers. He hadn't meant to make him upset.
"You can lick the bowl, if you want," Jake said, holding it out, "But there's still some more potatoes. And I brought a piece of pie."
"I apologize."
"You don't have to. I know how the taste thing is for you, don't worry about it." Jake smiled. "It's nothing, really. Enjoy the food." Jake looked down at his wrist, checking the time. "I better go before they catch me missing."
Ax was sorely tempted to ask if he could stay a while longer, but it wasn't his place to question his Prince. He nodded, before saying Jake's name.
"Yeah?"
"Do humans ever lick each other?"
Jake looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Not normally. But sometimes, when two people are intimate with each other, they would."
"Like your kissss?" He said, playing with the s sound.
"Yeah, like a kiss."
"Does this mean I kissed you?"
"What… no. Ax, you're thinking too much about this." Ax was. He was thinking about the taste of sauce on skin, about how strange it was being and feeling human. He was thinking about the three days he was Jake, how he'd learned more about his Prince by pretending to be him. He was thinking about how Jake brought him food, how he was nothing like the Prince Ax had before he got stranded on Earth. Ax was thinking about the human ideas around intimacy, about how a kiss was supposed to be for one person. He thought about kissing Jake.
He wondered if his lips tasted anything like his fingers.
"Okay Ax, it's kinda late. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" Jake said. He slapped his hand against Ax's shoulder—Ax had been told it was a show of friendship—before leaving him with the food. For once, the potatoes didn't interest him.