For Mick Ronno

[hellomajortom]

Tom and Aletayria had come back to the Nexus for a much needed break from the chaos and the confinement. While Jack had helped his wife pass visually as a human, her height drew too much attention so most of the time she was stuck in the hotel. That was a hard time for a women who enjoyed the open air and outdoors.

Mick had called earlier in the day to say he was stopping by in the evening which was nothing out of the ordinary. Tom had invited Mick to dinner. The boy needed to get more accustom to Anthean food and no one could do that as well as Aletayria.

She was just finishing up dinner while Tom watched Zayda trying to crawl around on the living room floor. Out of the pouch now, like Ziggy had she was growing fast but her development was a little behind a human. They were playing with blocks though and she was learning to try and stand up.

Comments

[hellomajortom]

Tom was sitting on the floor with Zayda when Mick knocked on the door. He knew it was Mick because Aletayria told him the guitarist was approaching before he knocked.

"Come in Mick." He called out while picking Zayda to greet the other Brit. Aletayria was still in the kitchen. Thankfully, most of the cats were in the smaller house that Thomas now lived in out back. Though there were still a few and the racoon.

[guitar_voodoo]

Mick stepped into the room and noticed baby Zayda crawling around on the floor and that was until Tom bent down to pick her up. She was so cute and he could almost feel how happy she was just being with her father. Glancing around the guitarist wondered where Tom's wife was but just assumed she was around somewhere.

"Thanks for inviting me, mate."

The younger man approached Tom and offered him the wrapped up present he had clutched in his hands. Hopefully, both Tom and Aletayria would appreciate the blond's gift because it was something useful.

"I got you both a little something."

[hellomajortom]

Zayda noticed Mick and made a high pitched squeak of a sound that doesn't sound very human. She's still wobbly and can't really look at him from Tom's arms but Mick will sense her mind reaching out, familiar enough with Ziggy's use of the same mental techniques.

Tom walks over to Mick with Zayda in his arms and shakes his head. "You know that you don't need an invitation to come see us? You're practically family."


The gift wasn't needed but takes it and offers the baby to Mick to hold while he opens the gift. "You didn't need to bring a gift either."

"Aletayria is finishing dinner. Would you like a drink?" Tom asks for politeness but he didn't mean just alcohol.

[guitar_voodoo]

The high pitched squeak drew Mick's attention to little baby Zayda and he felt his heart melt at the way she was learning to talk. It was all so cute and the blond couldn't help but smile fondly at the baby and offer her a little wave of his fingers. He could feel the reach of her mind and it felt so warming.

"She's such a little cutie. Aren't you, love?"

Mick took the baby while Tom took the wrapped gift. It was the blond's way and always had been since his parents taught him about manners and how to greet people. Family or not, Mick was a well brought up boy.

"I'd love a drink thank you, mate."

[hellomajortom]

Zayda grabbed on to Mick; a handful of shirt and a handful of hair while she squealed again. Unlike most Antheans she was being raised around humans and learning to smile.

"Tea, gin, something else?" He asks as he carefully unwraps the gift. Tom can't help the smile when he sees the gift. "Maybe I should make some tea?"

The gift was welcome if unnecessary. He glanced back at the kitchen and noticed Aletayria setting the food out for them.

[guitar_voodoo]

Mick gasped and then giggled a little at Zayda grabbing a handful of his blond hair as always. She was so cute and it didn't hurt much at all so he just held her close and rocked her a little against his chest. Her little squeals and baby noises were just beyond adorable.

"Tea with a drop of gin in? I'm glad you like the pot. My parents always told me to bring a gift around to my future father and mother in law on principle. We're a bit old fashioned that way."

At least Tom appreciated the gift and hopefully Aletayria would too. Little Zayda was so precious and Mick gently tickled her under her tiny chin.

[hellomajortom]

"Thank you." Tom finally mentions with a smile as he watches Mick with his daughter. "It's not necessary but appreciated."

He nodded at the request. "Do you prefer human or Anthean tea today?" One of the houses where something that strange would be asked over drinks.

[guitar_voodoo]

"Oh I'll try the Anthean tea today I think."

Mick was going to ask an Anthean to marry him so wanted to get used to drinking stuff Ziggy and Space Mum would. It would also help the guitarist to acclimatise a little better into the whole alien food and drink thing. He already knew about Ziggy's tastes for the salty and savoury.

"She's such a cutie. I think she loves pulling on my hair, don't you, love?"

The blond smiled and giggled when Zayda pulled a little on some of his fluffy blond locks.

[hellomajortom]

"We can use your gift." Tom thought that would add to the dinner. "Should we eat Anthean style as well? They don't use dining tables."

Tom know Mick was trying to learn about Antheans. All of Ziggy's partners were and that pleased Tom. He stepped away for a moment to take the teapot to the kitchen. He wasn't going to do anything tonight since Aletayria had insisted on cooking.

"She loves pulling everyone's hair." Tom smiled and touched his daughter's red hair. "I've watched her pull Thomas' hair." Which was amusing to watch the stoic alien crack a smile.

[guitar_voodoo]

"I'm glad you like it, mate. Back home my mam has a collection of pots. That and she knits different tea cosies all the time."

Mick wondered about eating Anthean style and wanted the full experience so why not? If he was to be asking Ziggy to become his wife then he would have to get used the alien side of his life. A cultural exchange of sorts.

"I'd like to eat Anthean style, yeah. Oh, she pulls Thomas' hair too? You cheeky monkey."

The blond gently rocked her in his arms and watched her little face light up. The red hair was just like her mothers and Ziggy's and it made Mick smile fondly. She would grow up with the same fire in her veins and the same caring nature of both Antheans.

[hellomajortom]

Tom came back and smiled at the discussion of his mother. "Maybe you should give her an Anthean pot?"

They didn't have teapots per say but they had something reasonably similar and Thomas' wife was good with the arts. Tom motioned for them to go and sit on the floor around the coffee table. It wasn't exactly Anthean but it was closer than the human dining table for sure.

"She pulls everyone's hair." Tom went and sat down since Aletayria would bring the food in when it was done. She had shooed her husband out more than once. "Vars is the only one who doesn't get tugged on, that I know of."

[guitar_voodoo]

"Oh, an Anthean pot? Yeah, that might work, mate. She'd love it for sure because it will be different. Not the usual human type of pot."

Mick tickled little Zayda under the chin while he watched Tom go and sit down. She was so adorable the blond couldn't help but want to hold her and hear her cute baby noises. Vars' hair was short and spiky so he was lucky in that regard yet Mick didn't mind the hair pulling in fact he found it sweet.

"Vars and his short spiky punk hair. You like mine though don't you, love?"

The guitarist giggling a little.

[hellomajortom]

"You will just have to tell her your girlfriend is very ethnic."

Tom smiled as he sat beside Mick and Zayda. He was becoming a pro at explaining away his child's appearance that way. He shook his head.

"I don't think it's how short his hair is, Zayda likes him." Tom listened to his daughter laughing as she buried her face into Mick's chest. "He watches her sometimes and she likes him. I'm not sure what she senses off of Vars but she'll curl up and sleep with him faster than she does with me even."

[guitar_voodoo]

"Very ethnic. That's one way of putting it, mate. My parents will just think Ziggy is foreign or from another country. Don't go worrying about that part since we're simple hard-working people. They accept change more easily than some since they've seen me on stage with Zig doing things most men wouldn't. The sucking my guitar strings and stuff."

The whole guitar "fellatio" as the press put it. Of course Mick laughed everytime he read stories about that in the papers.

"Not his hair, eh? Maybe it's his warm heart beneath all that rough, spiky exterior? Zayda really likes Vars. That's cute, mate."

[hellomajortom]

Tom stroked Mick's shoulder and smiled. "I'm sure your parents are honest enough that they could know and I could trust them."

It meant a lot that Tom would trust Mick's parents but if they raised Mick they must be good people. Tom could only smile wile watching Mick with his daughter.

"I think Vars and Viktor are kinder than their exterior's would have people believe. I've watched them look after each other after a fight or too much drink. They're soft and sweet."

[guitar_voodoo]

"You mean tell them about Zig being an alien, like. That and Aletayria being one too? It might blow their mind like it did mine but---yeah I think they'd understand and get used to the idea."

It took Mick a while to understand about Ziggy's whole anatomy being different to a human and it really did blow his mind. The whole intersex thing now being used around others who might not take to Ziggy being an alien well. That, or fearing the press would find out.

"They are decent blokes underneath all the macho stuff they do. Punks are good people and I've met a few in my life. Spikey hair, tattoos, piercings---it's all to look cool and stuff but underneath all that hard nut stuff are people with good hearts."

At least that's how Mick saw it.

"When I first found out Ziggy was an alien back on the train journey I thought he might have tentacles in his pants or something like that."

[hellomajortom]

"Yes." Tom confirmed. "I would trust them."

Tom could certainly understand that it was a shock. He'd been in Mick's place before in a far less comfortable environment.

"I know Vars is fond of Zayda." He had seen it more than once. There was a wonder if those two would ever have a child to care for, he could certainly see them adopting a bunch of rowdy children that needed a home.

"I understand. I was incapacitated on a strange space ship. I had more worries than I have ever had." That might not have been actually accurate given the near death experience that had happened in space.

[guitar_voodoo]

"I've drunk with Viktor and Vars before and they are honest lads. Rough diamonds I'd call them but men of honour and those that care. Bloody decent, that."

Mick nodded and knew Vars was fond of Zayda. The guitarist found it cute because how could anyone not be fond of the sweet Anthean baby. She loved pulling hair, which was something Vars might have escaped, due to the fact his was short and spiky.

"She loves pulling hair. I'm guessing Vars doesn't have the trouble that we other lads have when holding her. Her eyes are so bright and beautiful. One day---I am wondering if Ziggy and me get to have a baby--that he or she will be like Zayda."

The blond still in the dark about a lot of things revolving around Anthean biology. Not wanting to delve too far into the future, Mick nodded at Tom's words. That must have been so bloody scary for him.

"Ziggy's tentacle is bigger than mine."

There. It had to be said.