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]

"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."

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"For us it is an extension of our senses. We us it like others use their hearing." Ziggy shrugs. "Our typical senses are far beyond human senses as well."

For Ziggy , the lack of control from the blend of species more than something typically Anthean. He poured some more coffee too and then began to eat. It was dainty how he ate using a fork and knife and not touching the food overly much but he would continue to eat at least one of the pizzas, if not the second too while they spoke.

"My species can go months without experiencing hunger or thirst the way a human does after only a few hours."

[stark_ravingmad]

"That makes sense. Decent skill to have."

Even though Tony was still new to Antheans in general and getting to know Ziggy, he was finding the whole experience to be very enlightening and he felt privileged to learn more about the rock star. Not wanting to be rude by watching his host eat, Tony began tucking into his own pizza, but without knife and fork since he was an American and they often used hands for pizza. The lack of etiquette very visible compared to Ziggy's more refined way of eating.

"Excuse the rude American here. Just this is---good."

Tony ate more just enjoying the taste whilst popping a few fries into his mouth as he went. Was he hungry? Hell yeah. The whole thing about Anthean's and their ability to go months without food? Yeah. That was pretty awesome.

"You guys are pretty awesome, did you know that? Must be useful when there's no food or water around. As for me? I'd soon order a whole box of Dunkin' Donuts after around a day of not eating."

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"It can be. Other times it is a detriment." Ziggy knew that was true, especially for his empathy.

"Eating with your hands?" He knew that was probably the reference from his father. "It's not a big deal. I've got to watch for microbes. It's worse here in the Nexus. Everyone has potential pathogens. I've got medication to take after interacting with people to help my immune system."

Ziggy paused in his binge eating. "Our planet has been dying for the past 12 thousand years. Genetics has changed us to be able to survive the scarcity."

[stark_ravingmad]

It made sense for someone like Ziggy to be extra careful when being an alien on another planet, scared for infecting himself unnecessarily. Tony thought it wise of him to err on the side of caution. The poor guy must be living on a knife edge regarding that side of things.

"Microbes? Ah I get you. That must suck having to watch for them all the time. I do agree with your methods though to keep safe."

Tony placed a piece of pizza inside his mouth and chewed. His face becoming more serious as Ziggy spoke of his home planet dying for so long. Shit. The guy has been through it all. Antheans really were survivors and that was impressive in Tony's eyes.

"I'm sorry you have to go through all this shit, Ziggy. It must be hard and I'm here for you if the shit gets too much. You know?"

Swallowing, Tony drank some coffee and placed a comforting hand on Ziggy's leg, just trying to reassure the guy.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"Don't worry." He tells Tony. "I've taken enough medication to protect me for the night. I knew there'd be a lot of species around at the festival."

He was always thinking about his health and the concept of hiding his alienness, though that wasn't as important in the Nexus.

"The planetary collapse started when my mother was a child." Ziggy sighs. "I've only been to Anthea once. I grew up on a ship mostly."

His blue eyes drop down to look at Tony's hand and then up into the engineer's eyes, questioning. After a moment he breaks into a smile. "I suppose if you're going to start getting touchy with me we should talk about some things... unless you like surprises?"

[stark_ravingmad]

Tony nodded whilst eating the rest of his pizza. He was hungry and didn't feel the need to stop whilst Ziggy was practically inhaling his anyway. The guy was hungry and there was a reason why he was eating so fast. It made complete sense to Tony though.

"Uh--I usually get touchy feely with my buddies who are down. I mean, this isn't a problem, right?"

Oh crap. Had he somewhere blew it? Yet, Ziggy was smiling so that was a good sign. The last thing he'd want to do was offend the guy by touching his leg. Surprises though? Now that had Tony's eyebrow raised in mild fascination.

"What sort of surprises are we talking about here?"

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"My species thrives on touch." Ziggy tells him with a smile and actually pauses in eating. "Touch and telepathy are used more than speech because water was rare on Anthea."

He took a drink of coffee and turned his attention completely to the engineer. "I like contact and touch, invite it even from anyone I like."

Ziggy starts laughing and pats Tony's hand on his leg. "I'm half alien and He isn't exactly right though I use that to hide on Earth."

[stark_ravingmad]

"Is that right? Are we talking a kiss on the cheek here or grab of the ass kind of touch?"

Tony was just testing the waters here as he finished off the remains of his pizza, wiping his mouth with his napkin while putting the box in the cardboard recycling bin. He wanted to be a gracious guest in Ziggy's home. The hand on his leg got him staring at the rock star's hand though resting on it.

"Half alien? That's still cool. I've known aliens, gods, all kinds of creatures. Most have been awesome except a few."

Mostly those who's egos were too big for their helmets so to speak. As for right now? Tony wasn't sure where this would lead but was open if Ziggy wanted to pursue touch.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

Ziggy takes a moment to really look at Tony but his mind is on the angel. "Are you serious with that angel of yours?"

He has to ask because Ziggy has been around all kinds of relationships and his mind is on that right now. Though he does smile. "I'm open to either."

Ziggy had managed to down nearly both of the pizzas and a good amount of fries. He could eat and eat a lot when he got his mind into it.

"None like me." He says, rather sure of himself. Though his brow raises in question long before he speaks. "What you need to know depends on what you're looking to get into here."

That was a serious point because Ziggy has given everyone here in the Nexus fair warning about his less human side, something he can't do at home and wouldn't be needed in all circumstances even here.

[stark_ravingmad]

A good and fair question regarding Tony's status with Lucifer. What was their actual relationship? All that he knew was that his heart missed a beat when the name Lucifer was mentioned or that everytime he saw the devil he swooned. Was he in love?

Oh, he was in love.

"To be honest? I'm in love. Plain and simple as that. He is everything to me and I love him. Yet, I think you're a cool guy and wouldn't mind getting to know you better. If that makes sense. I guess you've heard the term friends with benefits? I mean it doesn't have to be....if you're uncomfortable with that and everything."

Was he talking too much? Maybe. He just didn't want to wreck what he had with Lucifer but not offend Ziggy at the same time. It was more let's see where this goes and if it doesn't work out then Tony would accept that. Would Lucifer mind if he slept with Ziggy? Crap. Because he didn't want to piss off the devil. But then he seemed an open kind of guy having Balthazar as his sitting king and fiance. So, Tony wondered if it would indeed work somehow.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"I'm glad for both of you." Ziggy truly is. Having been in love there's a sense inside of him that everyone deserves it and to feel it even if the pain at the end is devastating. All the rest was worth it.

"I have." Ziggy smiles a bit more. "Is that what you're looking for?"

The question is open and free of judgement. He's just trying to nail things down so there aren't any misunderstandings. The blow up between him and Minoru had left him over compensating and questioning long before there could be a problem.

Ziggy picked up his coffee to sip and then laughs. "Just so you know what you're trying to get into... I'm a male human but also a female alien. I'm not exactly the same as a human."

[stark_ravingmad]

"Thanks, pal. It means a lot."

Tony's own hand sliding onto Ziggy's knee squeezing it softly. What did he want? Something that didn't interfere with what he had already got with Lucifer since that was precious to him. Yet, having a cheap fling with Ziggy felt rude considering the man's predicament and feelings. A close friend with benefits? That sounded a little more appropriate.

"Oh, I've been known to get into all kinds of weird stuff when I was younger. As for your alien biology? That's totally cool with me."

In fact, Tony was curious as to how it all worked. How he and Hiroki, well---had it off. Did he have a cock and female genitals inside somehow? The engineer's mind boggled for a moment.

"Yeah...I guess it is what I'm looking for but not at the expense of anyone's feelings, you know? Yours...Lucifer's. I just want you to be ok."

[ziggyplayedguitar]

Ziggy winces a little at the squeeze even if it is gentle. His joints were still sensitive in the gravity though nothing so bad as Newton's.

That gets a little laugh. "I'm reminding you of that if any of it gets weird to you later."

There had been some awkwardness but they had figured things out over time. Nothing that couldn't be dealt with through a long talk and patience in the bedroom.

"I've always had multiple partners." Ziggy was comfortable there, needed it in many ways to stay sane. He had way too much energy and time for any one person to deal with. It was something that Rondo jokingly told him but he now understood and believed it to be true. "Lucifer is open too? In your relationship with him?"

Ziggy had met the devil and suspected it was true but things change and that had been months ago. Also, he knew well from his own relationship that things weren't always uniform. He had been open, Hiroki had been monogamous, but it did take talking to work out those logistics and set boundaries. He had no idea about Tony.

[stark_ravingmad]

Tony didn't catch the wince but instead moved his hand to slide on Ziggy's shoulder instead, a few fingers coming out to brush against the end of the man's red hair. It was an impressive mullet and Tony was jealous that even he couldn't pull off such a rock hairstyle even during the 80's. Ziggy had style in droves. His serious questions were poignant though.

"If it gets weird later than I'll deal. It'll be fine, Hot-Pants. Don't worry, I'm a big boy."

He sighed, thinking about Lucifer and his relationship with Balthazar. They were destined to be married and the angel was his king so it was a strong bond indeed.

"Lucifer is joined with Balthazar, his angel and king. They're destined to be married since Balthazar is his fiancé. It's all fine with me as long as Lucifer is cool with dating a tech nerd like me. As for open? As far as I know it's just me and Balthazar warming his bed. We're like a threesome but not. If that makes any sense."

Tony knew that Lucifer was more a choose your partner carefully kind of guy and wasn't like the open to everyone as Ziggy was. At least that's the vibe he got from his devil lover.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

The touch is nice and he lets it happen. There's no reason to pull away and he craves it after isolation and heartache.

"I'm a big boy too." Ziggy tosses the comment back but the tone is lewd and flirtatious.

His attention focuses though as Tony talks about his relationships and he gets a small nod. "My partner and I were like that. He and I were going to get married but I had.. still have interest in several other people. Honesty is important running in relationships like that one."

Ziggy understood well enough what the relationship he described was like. It relaxed the Anthean as they spoke. He never wanted to hurt anyone with his behavior.

[stark_ravingmad]

"Oh yeah? Going to show me just how big you can be inside those tight pants of yours?"

If Ziggy was falling into the gutter intending to drag Tony in too then he was already halfway there. It didn't take much for Tony Stark to start with the innuendo and euphemisms. No doubt the Anthean wasn't lying about his manhood. Yet, the comment about his partner got a soft look from Tony. Poor guy.

"Honesty is everything, I agree."

He moved his fingers gently to caress Ziggy's collarbone, wondering what the guy liked and where to be touched. How sensitive were Antheans to touch? There we so much he didn't know about Ziggy and craved to know.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

Ziggy throws him a coy, side-eyed glance before breaking into a smirk. "What fun is it inside my pants?"

Ziggy watched Tony for a moment before his eyes flickered away to look down at the hand on his chest. However, his mind is on the comment about honesty.

"I have two other partners. I'm not sure where either of those relationships will go now." Ziggy takes a deep breath and looks back over at the human. "They both know I see other people when I want."

He's sensitive enough to touch that he lets out a sigh at the touch. It wasn't just the physical sensations but also the fact he had gone from constantly drowning in touch to more or less isolation. He's craving it like he craves drugs right now and it's a difficult mistress to resist.

Setting his coffee aside he leans into Tony, against his shoulder. The Anthean relishing the contact.

[stark_ravingmad]

"Two? You lucky boy. I guess you're one up on me having one but that one being the devil himself. Sometimes herself. Not that I'm aiming to cut a notch in my bedpost every time."

Tony had done all that in his past life with how many women he'd slept with. Was it possible that Ziggy had slept with more people than even Tony Stark? It was a distinct possibility, yet one he wouldn't pry into since it was Ziggy's business. What mattered now was spending time with the guy and trying to cheer him up. The touching seemed to be working.

"You know you're right. About no fun in seeing it in your pants. Let's uh--remedy that, huh?"

Tony leant in closer, just sliding both palms up Ziggy's thighs, just pressing into the soft flesh, almost massaging his leg muscles gently. He was going to start slow and allow the man to come into his own on his own. Tony would touch but wait and see what Ziggy would do next.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

Ziggy shrugs a little and sighs with something that sounds sad. "I hadn't planned on it. Back home I can't risk having anything but a quick fling and throwing people out the door. They torture people like me, imprisoned and tortured my uncle for years." Ziggy swallows deeply and lets out another breath. "I've never had the luxury of anything long term or people knowing me. It's not safe."

Ziggy never counted how many people got into his bed. With his craving of touch and his need to be secretive some nights it was multiple people, not at once nor in succession but they were many. The comment pulled him out of spiraling into that dark place.

"Are you going to start stripping me?" Ziggy asks with a laugh as he shifts to lean more against Tony's chest. The touch is warm and welcoming. Though, with an Anthean laying on him and the room being cooler, Tony might start feeling chilled. It was one of the reasons there were several throws around. Poor Hiroki always with a cold lover against him feeling chilled.

[stark_ravingmad]

Jesus. Tony's eyes softened as he listened to Ziggy's painful memories regarding his past partners. Torture, imprisonment. Ziggy's uncle getting it in the neck for years? Fuck. It was raw emotion right there and it brought a pang of anger to rise up within the engineer's being. That was wrong right there.

"Ziggy---I'm sorry. That sounds like a real shit show for you and your uncle."

Not uttering another word, Tony leant forward and pulled Ziggy into a warm hug. Tony noticed just how cool the Anthean was to the touch but ignored it. Hey, if he was about to sleep with an alien then he would have to get used to the strange perks of doing just that. Ziggy needed a hug and Tony Stark had just decided that the whole world could go to hell right now regarding Ziggy's shit show of one. The guy needed touch and the engineer was here to offer that.

"I'm here for you, pal. Totally."

Breaking off, he sighed and then slipped some fingers into Ziggy's pants waistband, just tugging lightly.

"Do you want me to? Because I totally want to see those hot legs naked."

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"We're aliens on a world that treats them like lab rats. My dad's put in a lot of work and risk making sure people don't find out." Ziggy relaxes into the hug and lets out another long breath. "They're not comfortable with my presentation either."

His light body sunk back against Tony who could probably feel the pounding of Ziggy's heart in his back at the bottom of his ribs. Relaxing more he felt the strange thing on Tony's chest and paused before sliding to the side to press his hand to his chest. He had seen the strange radiation before but never realized there was something there on the human's chest.

"What is that?" He asks curiously. His fingers working around the edge of the shape without much thought. "I saw your chest was strange but I didn't know there was... something?"

Whatever hurt Ziggy was feeling was forgotten as he leaned up just a little to look at Tony. This was something unexpected and pulled his full curiosity.

He's laughing though and leaning back again when he feels warm fingers slide between skin and fabric. "Are you going to take my boots off too?"

Unlike his usual clothing, he is wearing several layers. The big platform boots were certainly going to need removed first.

[stark_ravingmad]

Tony could sympathise with Ziggy's plight. The fact that he was an alien was something that could be seen as taboo in some societies. A time long past where aliens were thrust under the harsh lab table light and picked apart like an animal. That part sickened Tony who knew that at least the world he lived in accepted aliens for who and what they were. There was always going to be some which held onto archaic views regarding anything strange and different.

"Oh, you mean this? It's my Arc Reactor. It was fixed to my chest when I was involved in an explosion which nearly killed me. Shrapnel pieces digging into my heart. This acts like a magnet keeping the pieces away from my heart. They've all been removed now though. It's mainly for a keepsake more than anything."

Since his heart wasn't in any danger of being pierced. The Reactor though? He just hadn't bothered getting it removed. It was part of him.

"What can you see, Ziggy? When you see my Reactor? Lucifer can see the rings of the magnetic field and radiation waves. Just wondered what an Anthean can see."

As for taking Ziggy's boots off, Tony smirked and slid a hand down one of the boots, squeezing the man's leg softly.

[ziggyplayedguitar]

"Can I see it." Ziggy had a childish excitement suddenly. New and the unexpected were things he loved. He had never seen someone who was cybernetic? or something close.

He turns his eyes down to the reactor and stares for a moment. "My species can see the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and a little beyond to things humans haven't put on the spectrum yet."

His fingers slide around the edge with a gentle, seductive touch. "I can hear it, the energy running through it and feel that you are attached to its presence. It means something to you and who you are."

There's a zen like quality to how he is talking, slipping into his own mind and senses in a way he rarely does. It is the hand on his leg that brings him out of it to smile at the engineer about to take off his boots.

[stark_ravingmad]

Tony's eyebrows raised in surprise at just how much the Anthean could see. Damn. He had no idea about the magnetude of Ziggy's abilities and no doubt was in awe of them right now. Just to be able to see the entire electromagnetic spectrum was a sight indeed. Sort of like when Lucifer offered to show Tony an insight in how he could see. It was breathtaking.

"That's--wow. Yeah. That's something. You guys must have super sight and hearing to be able to pick up on such minute things."

He just sighed and fixated his eyes on Ziggy, watching and wondering before continuing on with his touch. The man was special indeed and Tom was a lucky man to have him for his son. To be honest the whole thing about hearing energy running through his Reactor was rather sensual.

Tony's hands gently pulling off the rock star's rather impressive boots, sliding them down his long legs and onto the floor. The engineer's fingers gently kneading Ziggy's feet lightly before pulling off one sock, which was brightly coloured, like the rest of the man. It was then that Tony noticed the lack of all five toes. Antheans had four but it didn't bother him one bit as he began using his finger tips to lightly brush the top of Ziggy's naked foot before moving to delve underneath. Was he ticklish?