Relaxing at home (Open to Nexus people)

[hellomajortom]

It had been a crazy few weeks. Learning about a place with so many aliens, reuniting with his wife, and finding a house. It was a lot, nevermind his son being the usual tornado of chaos. The house they had eventually settled on was human built but the style had given his wife a jolt of nostalgia. He hadn't been to Anthea, but he could only imagine this architecture was similar to her home. It was a beautiful house, small, minimalist, and warm with all the sunlight. Right now thin bluish curtains were drawn on most of the windows, another thing his wife had insisted on. He cared little about it though now that they were in place he could appreciate the beauty. Tom imagined at one time Anthea must have been beautiful with its open air houses and sheer colored curtains.

He turned his mind away from Anthea as he sat on the porch swing reading. The past of his wife's people always felt hopeless and depressing. Instead he smiled to himself. His son had been here earlier, high on more than drugs. The stream of Anthean had been welcome to hear as Ziggy spoke to his mother. Truth was they were both talking too fast and high pitched for Tom to keep up from across the room. He got the gist though from human culture. His son had someone or several someones with how his son was, what kind of someone in a place like this Tom could only guess but the signs were there.

That had been a few hours ago. The two of them had left, giddy like school girls, for the plaza and shopping. Tom had been invited but he had so little time to relax during the recent NASA projects that he was going to take his time to do nothing. What was the use of retiring, semi-retiring, if you didn't enjoy it. He took a moment to look at the cats laying on the porch at his feet. There were six now that his wife brought in from wherever she had found them. Most of them looked Earthly though one, one Tom was sure hadn't hailed from an Earth. Still he barely gave it a passing thought.

With one of the cats now settling in his lap on the porch swing, Tom went back to reading and listening to the sounds of people occasionally walking by.


[More images of the house here]

Comments

[hellomajortom]

"I think I understand." Tom could grasp the concepts separately. It was fitting them together that was difficult. "The action is akin to vampirism then? But instead of blood they drain off the soul?"

Well, that was a terrifying idea.

"That'd be a question for my wife. I only have a basic understanding of the technology. The ships have no buttons, levers, switches..... just a glowing orb and a blank, smooth surface they touch."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Yes, exactly. Although, Quintessence doesn't taste like blood, to be honest. Doesn't taste like anything."

"For your wife? I see."

Hmmmmm.

"Sounds fascinating. The ships. I'd like to meet them."

[hellomajortom]

"Is that a common practice where you're from, to eat Quintessence?" Fatherly instinct was kicking in, a concern that this man might be feeding off his son. He can't help but consider it.

"She has her ship here. They have cloaking technology so I can't tell you where. It's invisible." Tom knew it was invisible to most being's eyes but the Antheans could still see them because of how their eyes, or maybe even brains worked.

1/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Wait a tick. What??

"No, of course not, no one does such a thing. That'd be horrid. I can't even imagine. Who'd do such a thing?"

2/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

And then, slowly, it comes back to him, what he's said just some ticks ago.

The taste of Quintessence... how'd he, Hiroki, have known it...?

...just... how...?

And then, suddenly, he remembers.

Before he was Shiro. Before he was a person. Before anything, truly.

Hiroki suddenly pales for a moment, and then, he looks sick.

[hellomajortom]

Tom gets concerned about the response and comforts Hiroki without thought. He's used to his family reacting physically to spoken words. He can't place what set the young man off but the instinct is to comfort.

"Are you alright?"

1/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I'm fine, just wondering how long I had been a soul vampire, after I was... born? If I was 'born'. No problem."

"This is all... Tell me... what does it feel like, to be? It's like... I woke up atop a mountain, so high up... but it turns out... I'm not the one who climbed. And so. I don't know what to do. I'm so happy, the view is great, and I felt free, but I... I don't know."

2/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Please, sir..."

"Give me your orders. Because I don't know what to do, right here, right now. Tell me... whom I might be. Tell me whom to fight for."

Hiroki still looks a bit sick.

"And, also... just like you must never take someone's body against their will, you must, same... never take their quintessence. I know that...! Every human being knows that, and every Altean being knows that much more, even, so, why... what is she...?!"

[hellomajortom]

"If I understand Ziggy's explanation, you were a prisoner and forced to behave, sometimes, against your own will."

Tom could easily assume that this was forced because of the reaction the boy had to it. He listens patiently and smiles slightly.

"You have to find out on your own. It's not right for someone to tell someone else who they have to be." He pats Hiroki's shoulder again grinning, with a mischevious smile that is so similar to Ziggy's that it becomes easy to see the relationship. "The only thing I do know and can tell right now, is that you seem very taken with Ziggy Stardust and, apparently, might be on your way to something others have dreamed about since he showed up on Earth."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Shiro--no, Hiroki Shirogane... nods.

"I escaped. Or rather, I had thought so. In reality, the Galrans let me escape."

"Who's a more perfect spy than one who doesn't know he's a spy, spying on his beloved friends, with Honerva seeing everything, huh? Right? For Haggar - Honerva - the witch, you know - that was just perfect. Mostly, she wanted to see Lotor. Her beloved estranged son, temporarily allied with the Voltron. But anything else, fair game, too. I was simply... Honerva's eyes. In my ignorance of that fact- utterly--"

He giggles, but... not happily, at all.

"A spy can't be discovered as long as he doesn't even know he's spying, wouldn't you agree, sir?"

"But... yes. You're right. About other things."

[hellomajortom]

"War does horrible things to people, especially when one side has no morality." Tom understands that all of this probably was nothing Hiroki wanted to be part of.

"It does explain why my son is so angry over this person."

Tom focuses on the idea for a minute and asks gently. "You're out of her reach in the Nexus?"

Just one tag in bed rn. Heh. 1/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"That's true."

"He still is angry at her? Oh."

The warm feelings feel a bit new to him, and that might show, a bit, no telepathy needed. Because it's a bit different than friendship. And more than gratitude. As well as more than a crush.

"He... he does care."

Shi--- no. Hiroki Shirogane smiles warmly. And with joy, too.

2/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

The question about her reach startles Hiroki.

He realises he's assumed so, ever since Keith had freed his consciousness from hers by cutting that damned arm off. And he's most grateful for that.

However, what right did Shi... Hiroki had to assume he was still free, here in Nexus?

To endanger everyone, if he was NOT free?!

"I hope so," he only mutters, "but, how can I know? How can I know anything... any single thing, really...?! Sir, I.."

He wonders how to explain it.

The young man sighs.

"Several years ago, I met a guy. Adam. I fell in love with him. Or rather, we fell in love with each other. We got engaged a few months before the Kerberos mission. We were going to marry soon."

"All that is still true. Mostly. Or rather, it's not true at all, personally, with a wrong person - me - saying this. The truth is, Shiro met Adam. And those two were fiances. Etcetera."

"I never met him. Never once in my life. Never slept with Adam. Though I sure as quiznak could tell you all about sleeping with him. Factually true. But I have never met him."

"Just one example, out of many various examples I could retell. Do you see now, sir? How am I supposed to know anything??!? At all? About reality? I'm currently sorting though memories, filtring new ones - that is, ones that are truly mine - and old ones - ones that are Shiro's."

"I know... I know nothing. Nothing at quiznaking all, qui... fuck it!"

"Sorry."

[hellomajortom]

"Ziggy feels quickly and processes emotions slowly. It's been that way since childhood." Tom smiles at the reaction. "I don't think I have ever seen him not care. Though I rarely hear about, much less meet, any of his past intimate partners."

He doesn't need any more than the smile he just saw to know things were getting more involved than random sex or a friend with benefits.

Tom listens and the only thing that comes to mind is brainwashing, or military programming. There's a pause before he answers. "It sounds like you have a good handle on what memories are yours and which were put there. You might not have them sorted but you can recognize the difference. That's a start, and very important."

Tom let the words hang and then added. "Trust your partner. He can help you. God knows his mother helped me with my mind when... when I was having trouble."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"The witch, Honerva, she had given me memories of the real Shiro. Through the right arm prosthesis," Shi--- Hiroki explains.

"The border between the memories is... my birth, I guess, and in my head I know that, but when I tell myself that..."

Hiroki gulps.

"That I was never born a bit over twenty six years ago, only Shiro was. That in reality, I was born a bit over a year ago, truly."

He's shaking a little.

"I know THAT is true, but I hate it, I hate knowing that, now, and never before MY WHOLE LIFE, all the months of... Never... I hate it!"

Oh.

Trust...

"I do trust Ziggy. I've decided... I'm his, from now on, until I stop existing. That also means, my life is in his hands, and I don't mind that."

"I'm his. That's the first choice I've made in my life as myself, you see, sir. I'm his. Whatever it takes."

[hellomajortom]

"It's difficult when reality and expectations don't agree. When I first came back I was listed as insane. The reality I knew wasn't what I or anyone else was ready to accept." Tom shrugs. "There was a lot of time in the 20 years I lived with Aletayria that I thought I was dead and dreaming. Coming back to Earth caused a lot of mental upheaval."

Maybe that wasn't the best description of what had happened but it felt right. It's a difficult place to question one's own memories. Hiroki's next statements though are bold. Tom isn't quite sure what to do with them, deciding it's the best to just let the two figure it out on their own.

"I'm happy for both of you." Tom was honest and internally hoping that the relationship might help both of them with their own baggage.

So 100% sane! :D XD

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Mental upheaval, hm? I'm sorry."

Hiroki ponders something for a moment.

"Can I tell you a secret? Fresh outsider perspective, looking in... like a voyeur, ugh... the real Shiro, Takashi Shirogane, is a bit, hmmm... shell-shocked. Yup. But, please, don't tell anyone."

"Fortunately, I, Hiroki Shirogane, am completely, utterly, quiznaking wholly sane. I'm too young to be crazy."

2/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Happy for...

"Th-thank you, sir!"

[hellomajortom]

Major Tom gave Hiroki a curious look. However, he's going to let the boy have his ideas for now.

Though he does smile. "Do you need anything for the house? I know he's just moved in."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Oh. That's right. He ponders this.

"I'll ask Ziggy if he needs anything."

[hellomajortom]

"I meant for you." Tom redirects. "I'm not worried about my son. He has plenty of money."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

He smiles.

"Hmm, maybe I could make a short trip home and take my Black Lion slippers, to complete my pyjamas, and my volume of Gundam manga, and of Daimos manga, oh, and also one volume of Batman, so that I can finally finish reading them."

Then he shakes his head.

"Nevermind."

"Things, huh? I haven't given it much thought. Ziggy's already given me some nice clothes, so, don't worry about it. I'm not lacking for anything."

[hellomajortom]

"You'll let me know if you change your mind." Tom was serious. His son had never taken to anyone like this which made him think this boy would be around for a long time.

Yup. Euphoria is a hell of a drug. XD

[somekindofspaceuncle]

This is almost surreal to him somehow. He remembers having a father, but, for reasons unknown to him, the memories always felt like... memories, he used to tell himself, simply that, of course...

Of course the memories of the past had to feel slightly distant.

But, that's just it: when he now thinks back on his own memories of Keith , of Lance (never distant, those two), of Allura, of Pidge, of Hunk, of Coran, of Matt (Matt, who now in Nexus... wasn't repulsed by him being an imitation of Shiro, even though... dear Matt, so understanding...), of even, let's say, Shay (she visited Hunk a few times, hmm... were they dating?? Ah, they grow up so fast...)... all those memories, own memories, did not feel as distant as old memories or rather Shiro's memories.

Memories - they were not necessarily meant to feel so distant.

This is so surreal, almost, really.

Hiroki Shirogane giggles lightly.

"Yes, sir!" he says, after he manages to stop giggling. He's taking all this seriously, really.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just. I, hmm... I don't have a headache. Ever since I don't, I'm just... too happy. I'm no good at this."

[hellomajortom]

Tom chuckled quietly at all the giggling.

"You sound like just about everyone else who's in love with someone. "

Tom paused and then added. "It's a wild ride to be within Anthean compared to a human, they're.. a bit overwhelming for a long time."