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]

"Not at all." Tom shrugs. "Ziggy's friends used to come around a lot before he moved out on his own."

Moved out wasn't really the word, constant touring was more accurate. The next words though, Tom knew them well. He had them not long ago.

"I understand what that feels like. I've never been dead but I came back to an Earth that thought I was."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I see."

[hellomajortom]

"You're not very talkative." Tom comments but doesn't harass. Instead he turns his attention to petting one of the cats and giving the young man space.

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Oh.

He's not quite sure if he should deny.

Cats! Shi--- Hiroki beckons another cat over. Hey, gotta check if mystical lion Quintessence's leftovers work on kitties, huh? Fine. Bad joke.

[hellomajortom]

He lets some silence pass and then interjects. "You're the one staying with my son?"

He's curious and the cats all piling up on Hiroki say that they recognize him, through whatever connection it was his wife seemed to have with cats.

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I am. I have no home, I never had one; he's invited me."

[hellomajortom]

"I can't say I've ever heard him invite anyone to stay, but I'm glad he has company."

Tom watches Hiroki for a moment and the smiles wide. "I can use the help looking after him. It's exhausting for one person."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I'll protect him. Whatever it takes."

He's determined already. And besides, at least now his 'existence', such as it is, can have some meaning again.

He grins. Look, he's not going to mope if he has a purpose in this reality.

Geez, when did he turn into a Slav? But, nevermind all that.

[hellomajortom]

"Watching out for someone is more than protection." Tom informs Hiroki. "I'm sure you mean well but I don't want you going into this blind."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Right. That's true.

"I'll be there for him. And... you needn't tell me anything, sir. If Ziggy wants me to know anything, he'll tell me."

[hellomajortom]

"I wasn't thinking personal matters, that is for the two of you to discuss if you want." Tom acknowledges. "Ziggy is another species; he's not even human or Anthean. He's something all his own."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Mhm."

"Ziggy's told me that. And that he's neither a man nor a woman, not quite."

"But of course he's one of a kind, unlike me."

He doesn't want to say this, but this, he feels, he must. To be fair.

"I'm just an evil clone of one astronaut. I know it sounds like a B movie. But unfortunately, it's true."

[hellomajortom]

"Both is a more accurate description. Ziggy has the body characteristics of both a human male and an Anthean female. It's an effect if the mismatched genetics."

Tom was going to be open because he had the feeling this young man was about to try and go all in with his son. Though his comment gets a small laugh and good natured smile.

"We can talk B-movie lives. I died in space where I was picked up and revived by an advanced alien race. The alien who insisted on saving me, seduced me and I have a half alien child that I keep a secret from the government."

This is not the household where wierd lives are going to seem as strange as they might.

1/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

His eyes widen. He hasn't understood, before.

"I see. Does it hurt him?" Shi--Hiroki asks, voice laced with concern.

2/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Regarding Tom's life-

"I'm glad to hear that. Er... sorry."

This is awkward. He means what he's said, but, perhaps, he shouldn't have said that. Having spoken without a single thought.

[hellomajortom]

"Being male and female? No, I don't think it causes pain." Tom had never heard Ziggy mention anything being painful for that reason though he did experience some of the Anthean joint pain. "Anthean females have unexpected place that are intimate contact. I would suggest kissing the palms of his hands."

It is slightly awkward but the boy, obviously, is nervous enough to need some help navigating the situation.

Tom shakes his head. "I didn't mention my experience to silence you. Here, your experience isn't as weird as it would be for others."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Ziggy's hands? Oh. That's romantic."

He's not going to blush. He's not going to blush. He's not going to fantasize about showering Ziggy's hands with kisses, forever, here. That's just not done, he can do that later. Shiro---- Hiroki can wait.

"Huh. Experiences are like that, true enough. I didn't mean to be conceited. I'm just something that can happen, anywhere, after all. Unfortunately."

"Have you ever heard the legend of Voltron? You might've been somewhere where you might've heard it."

[hellomajortom]

"The lower abdomen is more sensitive on female Antheans, too." Tom realizes that he's talking about things that are erotic and the boy is taking them as romantic. It'll just be a pleasant surprise at some point.

"I can't say we have successful cloning technology on my Earth, so not quite everywhere." Tom corrects. "I haven't heard of it. Is that something from your universe?"

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I see..."

No fantasizing, no fantasizing, no fantasizing!! Patience... ...but he might blush faintly.

"No, it couldn't happen at home, ever," Shi-- Hiroki says, quickly.

It's clear that by home he means Earth.

"The Galra Empire is much more advanced than our planet. Than Earth, that is. And apparently cloning is a thing in the Empire. I hope that never happens at home. On Earth."

"Yes, it is from my universe. I hoped you might've heard, but, that's alright. I can tell you. And Ziggy. If you're ever curious. It's the reason I exist, really. Voltron, that is."

Hiroki smiles at that. There's pride there, palpable one. For the first time during this conversation.

[hellomajortom]

Tom catches that small blush and smiles. He's certain now that this man is dating his son. He doesn't mind. Hiroki seems polite and caring. It was enough.

"I don't know if my wife's species can."
Tom adds thoughtfully. "They're about 10,000 years ahead of us in technology."

"Tell me about it." Tom comments. He's interested in hearing what this young man has experienced because it sounds tangential to his own life, if on a very advanced scale.

[somekindofspaceuncle]

It takes all his nerves and all his inner strength, not to shudder. He doesn't want to even imagine it. Shiro-- Hiroki hopes they don't. Do such horrible things. That they don't create innocent spirits that'd never exist otherwise just in order to torture and destroy them, and, worst of all, make them betray themselves to the very core. No matter the struggle not to, a struggle in vain.

He barely hears what the Major says after. He might look as if he's - not quite there, after the Major's wondering whether Antheans do clones. As if he might be trying not to hear, or to dissociate.

After a moment, he asks, "Excuse me?"

[hellomajortom]

Tom has seen enough good tech turned to nefarious uses. He's probably had that expression before and knows to let it pass. After all, if the Antheans were going to use clones it would be to increase thier population and have more chance if surviving as a species. That wasn't a bad use if it in Tom's opinion.

"You were going to tell me about Voltron."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Hiroki immediately brightens at that.

"In short, Voltron's a giant robot. He was created as a weapon, but he's much, much more than that. He's become a symbol of hope throughout several galaxies."

[hellomajortom]

"A giant robot?" Tom had met one of those here, Misfire. There was something more important her though.

"It's about time someone turned a weapon into something useful instead of the other way around."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I agree."