Vinyl is Better (For stark_ravingmad)

[ziggyplayedguitar]

[Continued from here]

It was late in the evening when Tony finally sent a message back. Ziggy didn't mind. He didn't sleep and even if he did, right now he probably wouldn't. They talk records mostly as they walk the short distance toward his home which is on the very outskirts of the plaza but not as far as his parents live from the center. The The first floor townhouse he lives in, which is a converted office space, is easy to spot with its teal facade and golden disk over the gold framed door. The inside is very Ziggy with tall the bright colors and open layout.

There are two cats that come running. One is a pretty normal black cat with white paws. The other is orange with teal tabby stripes and red wings. Ziggy greets both of them before turning to Tony.

"Make yourself at home." He smiles and sets the vinyls down to put away soon. "Do you want a drink?"

He didn't necessarily mean alcoholic since he knew Tony was recovering. "The vinyls are in the living room if you want to put something on."

In the area where most people would have a TV, Ziggy has a record player with nice speakers. A side cabinet, almost like a kitchen pantry, with a glass door holds the several hundred records Ziggy has with him. There are a wide variety of genres; rock, soul, blues, disco, punk, early new wave. From Tony's perspective there's nothing in the collection past his own 1983 and some of the dates don't make sense. Records he knows from the 70s have recorded dates in the 80s or even early 90s.

Comments

[stark_ravingmad]

The walk back was mostly filled with Tony talking about vinyls and other such music-related trivia. It was then they arrived at Ziggy's townhouse, which was pretty impresive.

"Aw, aren't you two guys cute?"

Upon entering the house Tony bent down to offer the cats some tickles and strokes when he noticed that one of them; the orange with teal tabby stripes, had wings. Actual wings. Yeah, totally not a normal cat. But then, he was about to spend an awesome evening with Ziggy, who was half alien. Normal was so out-dated in the Nexus anyway. The engineer offered his host a friendly smile and nodded regarding the drink.

"Sure. How about a mocktail of some kind. Surprise me, Hot-Pants."

Walking into the living room, Tony picked out a vinyl from Ziggy's rather impressive collection and slipped it onto the record player. Choosing "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones. It seemed a good choice. Stepping back to sidle up next to Ziggy, Tony wondered what he would drink.

"Epic choice of vinyls, pal. But then, I wouldn't expect less for someone of your music calibre."

[ziggyplayedguitar]

Ziggy is gone for a moment and comes back with a mug to offer to Tony. It's coffee and Ziggy is a coffee snob. He will only drink the best coffee he can find.

"I drink Irish Coffees. Fuck if I know how to make a fake one so I made you a peppermint mocha. It seemed right for the season."

He heads into the living room and sits on the rather large, plush sofa. With the sensitivity of Anthean joints in the higher, Earth-like, gravity all the furniture has an exaggerated softness and plush cushioning.

"Honestly, my father started this collection when he was in flight training school for NASA." Ziggy mentions as the cats come up to lay on the back of the couch while they sit. "I've added to it a lot in the past two years."

[stark_ravingmad]

The thing Tony noticed whilst putting the vinyl on was just a slight variation in temperature Ziggy's house was. Maybe the guy preferred it a little cooler to most or it was to do with his alien heritage. It didn't bother him though, as he offered his host a friendly smile.

"Oh yeah? Not really had too many of those before. As for the peppermint mocha? It's perfect. I live on coffee most days when I'm knee deep in scrap and wires."

The workshop being his man-cave and living space a lot of the time. Taking the coffee, Tony sipped it and hummed in pleasure. Oh yes. The man could make a decent cup of coffee indeed. He sank into one of the comfy chairs and turned to face Ziggy, wondering how he was holding up. The guy needed a friend right now and the engineer wanted to be that listening ear.

"He's got good taste. I've met Tom before just briefly as he toured my workshop. Lucky man having you for his kid."

[ziggyplayedguitar]

Ziggy did keep his house slightly cooler than humans, though nowhere near the chilly temperatures his mother and Thomas liked.

"Coffee and cocaine." Ziggy laughs and eyes his guest. "Do you mind if I do some lines?"

Ziggy would share but it occurred to him that a man who didn't drink might also refrain from drugs. It would probably even out his emotions and make him feel a bit more sane.

"I drive my father crazy." Oh he did with the arrests and the loudness and everything else. "I wouldn't trade him for anyone though. You should see him go at the interviewers when they insult who I am. It's a sight for sure."

Ziggy loved his father, both of his parents, but especially his dad. Despite being physically more Anthean, he had definitely inherited big pieces of his dad's personality, including the temper.

[stark_ravingmad]

Tony raised a curious eyebrow at Ziggy's preference for coffee and cocaine but who could fault the guy for his choices? Not wanting to judge he instead shook his head at being bothered by his host's choice and sipped his mocha. His drink was insanely good in fact.

"Hey, uh--the coke. Is it good shit? I mean I haven't done coke in well--years. To be honest I'm not bothered about drugs since it's more booze that's my demon."

If Ziggy wanted to share then Tony would indeed do a few lines with him. Why the hell not? He wasn't a total stick in the mud and the atmosphere was chill. The music playing in the back, good company and fucking good coffee. It might help both men to unwind a little more. As for Tom's relationship with his son? It sounded a damn sight better than the one Tony had with his.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"The best." Ziggy smiled and pulled the coke, glass and razor out of the drawer in the coffee table.

"It's a higher purity than most humans take. I'd start with a single smaller line." Ziggy started cutting with expert precision. He does about five lines at once before sliding it across the table for Tony.

Ziggy's eyes probably looked strange enough with the bright blue and slit eyes. With the coke though his pupils widen and the eyes look very much like the cats sitting with him or some strange snake. The other thing is the whole presence of the space calms like the quiet after a storm. It's Ziggy's mind and his presence calming as the coke takes hold.

[stark_ravingmad]

"Of course. Maybe I shouldn't have asked. I was kind of thinking it was some sort of weird alien coke or something. Don't mind me."

Tony shrugged and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand as he laid his coffee cup down onto the table nearest, whilst glancing at Ziggy cutting up the coke block into lines. The man's precision was perfect and Tony could tell being a perfectionist himself.

"Strong stuff then, huh? Yeah, I'd better go easy if I don't want to start bouncing off your walls."

Those eyes though? They were different and most definitely alien, yet Tony had met aliens before and wasn't put off in the slightest. The strong blue colour was pretty eye-catching actually. Hey, he was dating the devil so seeing Ziggy's eyes was nothing new. Glancing down at the line before him Tony knew what he had to do as he inhaled it quickly, sighing as it entered his sytem.

"This is---yeah--some good shit."

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"It's not alien." Ziggy shakes his head. "The impurities bother me. I get it purer by request."

And it cost. It cost a lot but it was worth it for his sanity. "You've seen me on stage. You aren't going to get more hyperactive than I normally am."

Ziggy could be out of control to the point that humans freaked out over his energy. Sadness and exhaustion had him more subdued for now. A few more lines and that might not be the case.

"What's the point of being famous and using shitty drugs?"

[stark_ravingmad]

Purer? It seemed this guy knew his coke just as much as he knew his coffee. Tony did get the logic around wanting the best being a rock star. That made total sense and Ziggy was a guy who liked the niceties in life. A lot like Tony did.

"Sure. I just wondered since I don't know much about you, Ziggy. Aside from you being a guy who's good with the guitar and can sing. You also know how to throw an awesome party. Always a good thing in my book."

How many parties had Tony Stark thrown and had been in? So many. Most usually ended with him being the centre piece for attention and trashed. He's moved on since that stage in his life now though. Relaxing into the soft chair, Tony sighed in contentment as the drugs began to relax him.

"You know you can always come knocking on my door if you feel lonely, Ziggy. That or you want to chill or listen to some vinyls. Without sounding cliché or anything."

Since he cared? Ziggy looked liked he needed a friend or someone to listen to whatever he needed to get off his chest. Yet, he wouldn't bring bad memories to the surface, not tonight. Not unless Ziggy wished to talk about his fiancé and other things.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"I'll give you the chance to make every interviewer on my Earth jealous." Ziggy started laughing because he could imagine them. They all vied for information from him, and a lesser extent his father. " what do you want to know? Ask anything."

It would also keep his mind occupied and away from the situation at hand. A constant stream of talking wouldn't leave him time to linger on the fact his partner was gone.

"It's not exactly loneliness." Ziggy starts. "Our minds were attached. It's.. I don't know.. like my arm is gone and I don't know why it is gone. I just know it is gone and I am scrambling to try and make due and to figure out how to exist without it and wondering where it went. I don't know if that makes any sense."

Ziggy hadn't made sense of it yet himself even. Explaining it wasn't going to be easy. "There's other things going on too. Things humans don't deal with when people are lost but my species does. It's like being sick, sort of, or crazy... maybe both."

Nevermind that he had slipped back into his diet of cocaine and coffee without much food. That surely wasn't helping but he didn't feel like eating.

[stark_ravingmad]

Tony didn't know what to ask just yet as he was more focused on Ziggy and how he was feeling. What was the guy's state of mind? It seemed he was on a low judging by the need for Irish Coffee and coke. No food at all. The guy was also super thin and that had Tony worried since he knew all about what Ziggy might be going through. At least regarding suffering loss and trying to deal with it through drink and drugs. That route almost never worked.

"Hey, uh--you mind if I order us some pizzas? I'm starving. What flavours do you Antheans like? I can order whatever you want."

Tony had already pulled out his phone and would probably order anyway, just to make sure Ziggy actually ate something. Was he being a bit mother hen? Maybe. More the friend that cares. The guy needed someone to take care of him, right? Someone who had been through a similar situation to Ziggy's, albeit slightly different circumstances. As for him suffering differently to a human? Tony could well believe that and knew it must be worse than what was on the surface.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"Go ahead." He says and then stares when Tony asks what he would want. Nothing doesn't seem like it would be accepted. "No meat. Cured meats and sausage will make me sick."

He shrugs and then notices that Tony seems to still be waiting. Sighing he adds. "Mushrooms, hot peppers, sundried tomatoes, extra olives, and pineapple?"

He wasn't hungry but at the same time his insides twisted up at the prospect of eating. "You might want to get two of those."

Ziggy hadnt eaten but knew once he started it was unlikely to stop for awhile.

[stark_ravingmad]

"Right. So, no cured meats and meat. Got it."

Were Antheans vegetarian? He didn't know but wanted to make sure he wasn't about to make his host sick. Tony himself felt like he wanted a hot chicken with bbq sauce. That sounded so good right now. Picking up the phone he made the order, keeping an eye on Ziggy as he did so.

"Ok, can we have two large pizzas with mushrooms, hot peppers, sundried tomatoes, extra olives and pineapple? Yeah, two large. I also want a large chicken with bbq sauce. Add some extra olives on mine too. Oh--and two large portions of salty fries. Yeah, that's it."

Beeping his phone off, he smiled at Ziggy and slumped back into his chair, finishing off the rest of his mocha. Now, they could soon eat and Tony knew his friend needed something to fill his empty stomach.

"Not long now. Hope you like salty fries, Hot-Pants."

He really hoped the pizzas would help Ziggy with his problem, at least offering some support in the way of a kind friend wanting to help out. It might at least take the sting off the poor guy's predicament, even for a few minutes. Tony's brown eyes focused on his host's powerful blue ones, his fingers just toying with his coffee mug for a few seconds.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

Ziggy smiles at the comment about fries. "Potatoes are probably the closest thing to something in the Anthean diet from our home." He laughs and picks up his mug. "If you ever want to get on my uncle Thomas' good side; boiled potatoes with vinegar, salt and those fried onion ribbons."

Tommy ate more of those than Ziggy could ever imagine eating. It seemed like 3/4 of his diet sometimes

[stark_ravingmad]

"Oh yeah? Tom likes this sort of stuff? Huh. Guess I'll have to remember that if I invite him around to chill in the workshop. We could binge on salty, vinegar boiled potatoes."

Why not? Hell, it sounded good! Tony was one for exotic and weird foods anyway since he drank weird health shakes and ate vegan, vegetarian and whatever else healthy choices these days. Most of them tasted like crap but hey, at least he was being healthy, right?

"So, uh--aside from music, what else do you like doing?"

Tony was trying to break the ice slowly, just hoping Ziggy would open up and possibly become a little more relaxed. If he just wanted to cry and scream then Tony would also listen to that and help soothe the guy. To be honest he half expected Ziggy to break down and sob since it was on the cards after any breakup. More so since he was affected even more.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"Getting Thomas to leave the house makes everyone feel like Sisyphus." Ziggy jokes but it was true. Only his father was stubborn enough to shoo the old Anthean out the door.

Ziggy shrugs at the question. "A little of everything. I design my costumes and stage gear. I help dad with his NASA projects and mom with her botany research. I write and read. I could probably call sex a hobby at this point but that's more living where no one accepts you and it's a safer form of contact." Even here things got strange and people didn't understand.

"Um.. I can pilot a few different kind of spacecraft. I produce and direct my music videos, paint. I dabble in most of the arts, fashion too." Ziggy was definitely one to try just about anything.

[stark_ravingmad]

The Anthean was certainly talented as Tony raised a curious brow at all the things he was interested in. As for sex being a hobby? That got a quirk of the engineer's lips but he knew what Ziggy meant. Hey, if it soothed the guy then who was he to argue about that? Sex was a good inducer of good feelings with the rush of endorphins flooding the body. Also it felt fucking amazing.

"You're a talented guy, Ziggy. What sort of spacecraft have you piloted? Call it a tech nerds fantasy as such. Also, painting and fashion? Those are decent skills to have too. Fancy designing a suit with me one day? I mean, we could create a totally awesome piece of hardware."

It was a light hearted gesture but none the less Tony was being serious if Ziggy did wish to join him in his workshop one day. The guy had skills and was obviously seriously creative. The space part must come from Tom and also his wife but Tony guessed Ziggy had his own take on things too. There was more to the man behind the guitar it seemed.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"Mostly those piloted with the mind. My mother's ship and.... wellnmy partner was the spirit that inhabited a war ship but could manifest physically. He used to let me take his ship out."

If it was sane to let a coked out rockstar pilot a warship was questionable but it was something he loved doing.

Ziggy smiles. "I'd love to design something for you. I can make reasonable clothing instead if what I usually wear."

The truth was that Ziggy's IQ and intelligence was far past a human but he was still very young by his species standards... barely in his mid teens.

[stark_ravingmad]

Tony was genuinely surprised that Ziggy could actually pilot a ship with his mind. Antheans' mental abilities must be strong if one of them could pull off such a thing. Holy crap but it was impressive for sure. Even Tony didn't even know how such a thing could be achieved except for AI.

"You piloted a ship with your mind? That's some seriously cool shit right there, Hot-Pants. I've only used AI to pilot my suits with my voice and visual interface."

Was he impressed? Hell yeah. As for designing with Ziggy? The temptation was too much for someone like Tony Stark, who was always tinkering. Was it an obsession? Yes, it was.

"Hey, you know what? Go wild, Ziggy. Maybe allowing your creativity to lead you might help you heal. It's known to happen when I've been feeling like crap. I won't be offended if you want to design a bright pink suit with weird stuff on it."

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"Most Anthean technology works directly with our mind or uses elemental configuration in molecules." Ziggy stood up and went over by the record player, motioning for Tony to join him. There's a glass dome on something that looks like a pyramid that Ziggy takes the glass off of. "This is our equivalent of a record player."

He held out a tray of what looked like large colored marbles. "The molecular configurations inside these holds the music."

He smiles and nods. Maybe Tony is right. "Come back in a few days and I'll start working on something for you."

[stark_ravingmad]

"So you guys are big on the whole mind control thing? Huh. I guess that could come in useful if you don't want to get up from the couch. Just look towards it and go fuck it, turn on. Awesome."

Tony was trying to get to grips with the whole alien thing but in a light and playful way to try and cheer Ziggy up. It was fascinating though. Totally. The engineer bending closer to see what Ziggy was telling him. It was impressive.

"Jesus. This is hot shit right here, pal. There's nothing like this even remotely on Earth right now."

He shot his host a smile and then heard the doorbell go. Pizzas had arrived it seemed. As for coming back in a few days? Hell yeah. Tony was excited to see what Ziggy might come up with.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"No. Mind control's considered offensive." Ziggy starts laughing. "I'm telepathic, not telekinetic. I can't throw shit around like a sith."

Ziggy thought what he was describing sounds a lot like a Sith, perhaps because some of it would be considered evil by an Anthean.

"I can hear what's on them when I touch them." He tells Tony but then's distracted by the food arriving. He let Tony go for the food and then went to the kitchen to get plates, napkins and silverware. Antheans did not use anything disposable. It was the outcome of coming from a world with very little resources. On Earth wasting resources really bothered them too.

[stark_ravingmad]

"Sure. Sorry, I need to get my telepathy and telekinesis correct. I guess I'd make a pretty lousy Anthean."

Smirking slightly he wondered what else Ziggy could do with such a mind. The possibilities were endless, yet Tony was more interested in the creative nature of the alien's mind. He could paint, create and design. Those were useful qualities inded.

Walking towards the door, Tony opened it and paid for the pizzas and fries. It wasn't much and so what if it was? This was their night and Ziggy deserved whatever he wanted right now for feeling like shit. Bringing the pizzas into the kitchen, Tony slid them onto the plates and noticed the silverware and napkins. The guy liked his comforts.

"These are going to taste great. Oh--the fries, here."

He tipped a huge pile onto two plates as he helped carry them into the living room, placing them onto the table close by the chairs.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"Telekinesis is the ability to move objects with the mind." Ziggy clarifies. "Telepathy is the ability to read and send thoughts. I'm also empathetic. I can sense the emotions of others and share mine." He left out the fact that he couldn't always control it.

Ziggy grabs the vinegar out of the cabinet while stealing a fry off the plate as it passes. Ziggy also brewed a small pot of coffee to bring along for them to drink. Ziggy sets the things on the table and stares at the food. His stomach is rumbling as he takes the plate. He's going to eat, and eat a lot. There was a reason why he asked for two.

[stark_ravingmad]

"Yeah, I should know this since we have this girl back home called Wanda who is good with her mental abilities. She uses telekinesis mostly and has some mind control abilities too."

Tony kenw only too well of what Wanda Maximoff, or Scarlet Witch as she was known, could do and it was downright terrifying to know she could move buildings with that mind of hers. HYDRA wanted to use her and her brother for their own gains. It was a good thing the Avengers had her on their team now. Tony hoped that Ziggy was able to control his thoughts and emotions when he wanted to. Taking a mug and filling it via the pot of freshly brewed coffee, Tony takes a deep gulp and then placed his own pizza onto his plate. Just watching Ziggy eat would be interesting. The poor guy must be starving.

"Eat. No need to wait for me. You must be starving."