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

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Thanks."

"Oh. I've completely forgotten, I was telling you about how the Lions came to be. How Voltron came to be."

[hellomajortom]

"All good conversations get side tracked. You should finish."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Mhm. Where was I? That's right. New Paladins. Us. I mean..."

"Keith, Pidge, Lance, Hunk, and Shiro. All humans."

"When Lance talked to the Blue Lion, that's where everythiing really began. We flew, in Blue - in the Blue Lion, I mean - off, not knowing where. And through a sudden wormhole. Made, naturally, by Blue herself."

"I still think Lance should stop constantly flirting with Blue. C'mon, she's a Lion!"

"We landed on a far away planet, near a castle. The Castle of Lions. There we met Princess Allura, who's explained everything to us."

"Oh, by the way, I know now this was at least weeks before I was born, so I should stop saying we. Truly."

[hellomajortom]

Tom laughs at the bit about Lance. "Do you have room to talk since you are flirting with an alien?" He's teasing but not serious. He could imagine, if these were intelligence, one could find them attractive. Tom had a very different concept of attraction since his dealings with the Antheans.

"You memories are.. complex." What else can he say to the concept of having other people's memories?

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Mhm. I have real Shiro's memories inside. Nowadays, now that I know - they feel a bit more distant? If that makes sense to you. But I still could say things about Shiro that only Shiro himself knows. Not that I would."

"Haggar - Honerva - has done that, somehow."

"Surely not to all the clones. She must've first tested for functionality, or something."

[hellomajortom]

"I understand some of what you're describing." Tom offers sympathetically. "There were some mistakes early on between Aletayria and I. I have a few of her memories and I think she has some of mine. Some of the images I can't make heads or tails out of them."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I see. That makes sense."

"However, you've never woken up believing you're her, have always been her, perhaps?" Hiroki asks, a little drily.

"Because I... one day I've woken up... as Shiro. I wasn't Shiro, but I thought I was. Back then, real Shiro was MIA after his fight with Zarkon over the Black Lion. Zarkon tried to reconnect with Black, you see. The bond."

"And so..."

"I remember that battle, of course. Shiro's memories. What happened after, I know from other Paladins. When after they fought off Zarkon and Honerva... well, Allura fought off Honerva, they're magical Alteans, it's best not to get between such fight..."

"When the team has fought off Zarkon and Honerva... when everyone was back. The others went to the cockpit of Black and saw that it's empty. Shiro wasn't there, anymore. And nobody knew where he was."

"For months."

"They had no idea he died. And how could they know, when there was no trace of him?"

"And so... when I woke up, later..."

"I had memories... up to and including the fight with Zarkon. Of course, I didn't remember that Shiro's died."

"I thought I was Shiro. And then, I escaped - er, it was a Galra cruise where I woke up - I escaped with difficulty, in my weakened state..."

"I had no idea my so called escape was planned. By her. Honerva. All part of her plan. As she wanted me to go where I wanted to go. So that she could spy there. Through me. With no knowledge from me. Anyway..."

He sighs.

[hellomajortom]

"That's a rough history but you're free of that now."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Yeah."

"I love them, you know. Team Voltron. They're my family. That's not fake. That's never been fake."

"But I know now that they probably never loved me. Not that they've ever been given a chance to do so."

He smiles a little.

"They love Shiro, that's all. And I'm not... I don't..."

Hiroki Shirogane looks away. Now no longer smiling.

"I guess... I just don't want my Keith to remember me as some imposter with Shiro's face who tried to murder him. You know, when Honerva possessed me. Right, I haven't told you yet, Father, maybe... I... well, that's all, I guess. You can ask anything about-- it all."

[hellomajortom]

"You should give them a chance to get to know you." Tom comments as he watches the young man.

However, his brow raises at being called father, not so much about being called father but what that might say about Hiroki's feelings toward his child. Things were, definitely, more serious than he imagined.

"I think you should tell me when you need to."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

The young man's eyes widen, just for a second, before he tries to hide his shock with a neutral expression. Then, he repeats,

"A--- chance to get to know me??"

"When I need to..."

Hmmm.

[hellomajortom]

"Yes, get to know you." Tom smiles. "You must be at least a little charming and have a good personality if my son is so taken with you."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

And now Hiroki's flustered.

"If you say so," he replies, trying to keep his cool.

[hellomajortom]

"Do you believe I am wrong?" He asks cautiously.

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I hope you're right? However, I couldn't tell you."

Really...

"I barely know who I am. Which makes sense, because, maybe- maybe I'll be someone in a year or two. If I live that long. But now?"

"I don't know who Ziggy's fancying, but, since he is, that to me proves he must already know me better than I know myself. I could barely tell you a first thing about me. The first thing I've told anyone who approached me when I first came back to Nexus now was to stay away from me. How could I not? All I know is that I had been dangerous to all I love. Warning everyone that I'm bad news was the least I could do."

[hellomajortom]

Tom took what he said in stride. "I learned a long time ago the Antheans have a way to see things humans can't. My wife does."

A smile appeared on Tom's face. "They've said Ziggy is one of the strongest empaths they've ever seen. I'm sure he sees things that no one else can."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Hiroki smiles warmly. Of course Ziggy is all that, he has no doubt about that.

"I don't deserve his company, I never will. But he's made it clear that he wants me, anyway. If that's the case, then I'll just - I'll just try not to overstay my welcome."

"And - I want to make sure you know, sir. The things Ziggy can do aren't the reason I like him. If that was the case, I'd have fallen for Allura long ago. I just - I just... nevermind. I'm no good at this."

[hellomajortom]

Tom quietly laughs, shaking his head. "I understand more than anyone will. My wife's an Anthean too. I went through what you are when I learned who she is."

He offers the young man a gentle touch of reassurance on the arm. "Give yourself time. It's a lot kf change to fall in love with someone who isn't human."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Hiroki smiles a little and shakes his head.

"I only wanted to introduce myself to you, and try not to bother you, but, hm, you don't seem bothered, so, I'm glad. I... it's good to hear all this, you know. I feel a bit better."

"The thing is, about time, I don't know how much I have. Then again, who does, huh? So... I'll try."

"Anyway, where was I? In the story. Probably talking about myself, accidentally. And I completely skipped past prince Lotor."

"Prince Lotor, the son of Emperor Zarkon of the Galra Empire and of Honerva, became the, hmm. Acting Emperor? After Zarkon was, I guess, weakened in that big fight with Voltron. You know, the one where real Shiro died for a time. It's complicated. He's alive now, I have a feeling he is, but, we'll get there."

"Keith became really obsessed with fighting Lotor, I don't know why that much, Shiro was dead so I can't get that from Shiro's memories, and I wasn't there yet."

"Later, after I was there with the Team Voltron already, Lotor suddenly got into conflict with Zarkon. And then, after some time, joined us. It was all as weird as it sounds, or even weirder. Zarkon became the Emperor again, by the way, by that time. He gave us some pretty good intel, and, well, it seemed as if he's really became our ally. He was really at odds with Zarkon and with the witch - and, that part is true, he was, and is."

"Doesn't mean he's any good, either, turns out. He's in Nexus, I've forgotten to say, so... hmm, it's best to avoid him. Now that he knows that the witch controlled me once, Lotor sees me as one of Honerva's puppets - well, he might be right about that, in the past, but not anymore - and would surely like to cut me down. He hates her, and so, hates her puppets also. But I'm no longer a puppet, and I'm also not as I had been when I've just rearrived, when I'd likely have let him, out of guilt... because Honerva had possessed me, back then, just before, and so, I- but now I know she can't do it again. So I don't want to die, I think, not anymore. There's so much I only remember doing, that I haven't done."

"I want to do it all. And maybe even some things I don't remember doing. Things Shiro's never done yet, either."

"And when I've done some of those things, that's when I'd want to see Voltron... see the whole team, again, and ask for forgiveness, for things I've done when Honerva possessed me. And maybe then I could, as you say, give them a chance to get to know me."

Probably while he'd be jailed, he thinks, but doesn't say. Because it'd only be right, anyway. So if that's justice, as he thinks, then he wants that to happen. Though he'd have to convince Ziggy, first, to let him do that without trying anything, likely.

Yeah...

[hellomajortom]

Tom sighs heavily and looks down at the ground. "The same is true for Ziggy. By his species he should have a long life but his genetics are so screwed up that it could crash out again, like it did when he was a baby, at any time."

Tom listens to the rest of the story, clearly frowning at the idea of someone threatening this young man. However, he smiles when the boy goes on. "Ziggy's a good partner for doing everything. He's seen most of our Earth."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Yes, I feel like he wouldn't be bothered by me wanting to do many things out there."

Hmmm...

"Do you know if he plays, hmm, what was the general name for those, I know Pidge and Matt told me... tabletop roleplaying games? I played once with my team, I'd love to play again."

"Oh, right. Matt's in Nexus, Matt Holt, Pidge's brother, and one of Shiro's best friends, and I've told him I'm not really Shiro, but Shiro's clone, and he was shocked, but he wants to get to know me. I thought maybe he was just still in shock and didn't know what he was saying, but..."

"But maybe you're right. Matt doesn't think I'm a monster. So... that means..."

"I'm sure the others won't, either. Why did I think they would? I'm so stupid!!"

He looks like he's not sure whether he should cry or smile, and finally smiles.

Then, he wonders if he hasn't said too much. But, it seems impossible to hide things from this man. Hmm... well. Ziggy has a good father, it seems. That's wonderful.

[hellomajortom]

"Dungeons and Dragons?" Tom asks curiously. "I used to play sometimes but I don't think Ziggy ever has. He's got the imagination for it thought."

The older man shakes his head. "I think that's a reasonable reaction, to think people might hate you, but I also think it is right to let other people tell us what they think rather than imagining it for them."

Tom is sympathetic. Being a young man in love was hard enough without all the other weight. He smiles briefly.

"I don't know you well yet, but you sound caring and my son needs that. He needs it a lot more than he'll admit."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Something similar, I think, so I'd try that. Sure. And, yeah, I can imagine. I've heard his songs, I know he's got imagination."

"Making one's backstory is fun. In retrospect, it might be the most of my own life that I've ever had until Nexus. Because I've imagined it all by myself, you see."

"Okay, so that doesn't make sense, maybe, but still."

Caring? Hearing that from a stranger actually makes Hiroki feel better about himself. If he thinks that-

"Thanks."

[hellomajortom]

"You should ask him." Tom encourages. "Ziggy likes games."

There's nostalgia in his smile as he listens to Hiroki. "It's been a long time for me. over 30 years ago."

almost tagged with Shiro instead, I've only noticed when choosing icons. Pfftt. That's me... XD

[somekindofspaceuncle]

[So, making sure now this is Cloney's account - yes, it is, yup. Ok! XD /ooc]



"I'll ask him."

Things that Ziggy likes, hmmm.

"What should I give him for his birthday when it happens? Oh, I don't even know when his birthday is!"

Shiro's quickly learnt the birthdays of all in the Voltron without asking about them, somehow, so Hiroki still knew them. He still remembered Pidge's fifteen birthday. Lance was shocked upon finding out that Pidge was fourteen when first forming Voltron, just as he's been shocked way before when finding out that Pidge's a girl.

Lance could apparently see a lot, but not when he had preconceptions. Heh.

Then again, that's not quite fair. Shiro already knew that Pidge was a girl because Matt had introduced her to him, before Kerberoros. Knew her age more or less, too. Perks to being friends with Katie's older brother before everything happened.

Then again, Coran knew that Pidge was a girl from the beginning and had no idea Pidge was pretending to be a boy, so... (Then again, Coran is smart, Hiroki thinks.)

But, Ziggy was new, and Hiroki had no idea.

"Do Antheans even celebrate birthdays?"

"Thirty years, huh? You could play with us, sir. The more the merrier, or, something"