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Even after spending so much time together on tour, the members of Zeppelin still loved to have “family time” together. One week after their little mid-tour break, Jonesy and his wife Maureen invited Jimmy, Robert, and Bonzo over for dinner and some drinks.
Jonesy’s daughter, Jacinda, cleaned her room so she could “make Robert pretty later”. Jonesy snickered and made no move to stop her from doing so.
Jimmy and Robert arrived right on time, being their punctual selves. The blonde greeted the family with hugs and lifted Jacinda into a twirl before putting her back down,”Thanks for having us guys, it smells amazing in here, Mo.” Jimmy complimented.
Mo hugged Jimmy,”Thank you! You guys are gonna love what I whipped up tonight.” Robert stretched,”Is Bonzo still coming?” Jonesy tilted his head,”I mean, he hasn’t called today but he did let us know yesterday that he was, so he should be here any minute now.”
The group walked further into the home and into the living room. Jonesy held Maureen’s hand to support her when she sat. Robert sat across from her on the small green ottoman,”How far along are you now, Mo?” he rested his elbow on his leg and marvelled. “I’m almost 8 months now. I have a good feeling that it's going to be a boy this time ‘round.” she smiled up at Jonesy.
Jimmy never really talked about this kind of stuff, so he sat on the loveseat right behind Robert. “Do you have any names in mind?” Robert continued.
“Well, if it’s a girl we like Michelle or Tamara. And if it’s a boy we were thinking about-” “Robert?” “No, Robert. Not Robert. We were thinking about James or Steven.”
Robert glared behind him at James Patrick Page and the brunette laughed. Jonesy laughed as well,”Don’t get me wrong, Robert, you have a beautiful name, but we really like James.”
“Well, I like James.” Jimmy said smugly. “Well, I think James is a-”
Right at that moment, Jacinda tapped on Robert’s arm and he stopped abruptly,”Robert, you said last time that I could braid your hair.” Robert smiled,”I did, didn’t I?” He stood up and lifted Jacinda up,”We’ll continue this conversation later.”
Jimmy beamed at the blonde and watched him carry the girl into the hallway. Maureen looked over to Jimmy,”How have you guys been?” the brunette snapped out of his trance,”Oh! We’ve been good. The break has been nice so far, we’ve been lazy most of the time.”
“That’s good. Man, how long have you guys been together? I’ve lost track of time it seems like.” Jimmy thought for a second. He’d never really given it much thought, since time with Robert passed so seamlessly,”Well, we hooked up in ‘69 after a show.. Then we both decided to be together a few months after that because, well, we both had feelings for each other. We didn’t want just a um.. You know.” Maureen nodded, and Jonesy listened closely. He’d never actually heard the story, he just sort of assumed they just always had the hots for each other.
“So yeah, that was probably in March 1969.. So we just celebrated our fourth year together. Yep.” Jimmy leaned back in the couch like he was remembering everything they’ve been through together. Maureen smiled,”You guys are gonna be together for a long time. I just know it.” Jimmy smiled,”Thank you, I think so too.”
“John, could you help me up? I have to check on the food.” Jonesy nodded and stood to help Maureen get up from the couch. She stood and stretched. Jimmy stood as well and followed her into the kitchen and rested his arm on the island counter,”What are you making?”
“Some marinated chicken with a few sides. I was thinking about breading them but.. Nah. Oh! I found this new recipe for a coffee cake and I wanted to try it out today, but add actual coffee extract to it.. would you mind helping me?” Mo asked. Jimmy scratched the back of his head,”I’m.. Not very good uh.. At all, at cooking.. But sure, I’ll try.”
Jacinda made Robert sit criss-crossed on the floor so she could reach all of his hair. She smiled,”you have so much pretty hair!” Robert smiled and shook his head to whip his hair,”Thank you, sweetie. It’s allll natural.” He tilted his head back for her and she raked her hands through his mane.
“Where did you learn to braid?” Jacinda divided strands,”Daddy taught me.” Robert’s heart warmed up.
“Are you starting school soon?” he waited for an answer. She was really concentrating,”I think so. I might not go this year though. Mama said she might want to be my teacher.” So they were planning on homeschooling her? Huh.
She ended the first braid and walked to look at Robert from the front. The braid went loosely down the middle. It was actually done very well for a five year old.
She returned to her spot behind him and gathered all his hair into a messy bun and a few pieces fell out. Robert wasn’t expecting much when she proudly showed him the mirror. He held the mirror and gasped,”Jacinda! Wow.. this is absolutely amazing! You made me look so.. Pretty.” He angled the mirror so he could see the back of his head.
Jacinda crossed her arms confidently,”Thank you! I did do good. But I want to do more!” Robert nodded,”whatever you want, princess.”
Jimmy helped Maureen get all the ingredients she needed that she couldn’t reach or bend down for. Jonesy was busy trying to get a hold of Bonzo on the telephone in the living room.
The two (messily) got all their ingredients into the bowl and Mo got the mixer. She offered it to Jimmy, but when he looked at it, he seemed to be having war flashbacks. She gladly did it herself while Jimmy fetched a pan for the mixture.
“Oh, I don’t know Jacinda. Would your mom be okay with this?” Robert looked at the dress Jacinda just found from raiding Mo’s closet. She nodded,”Yes, she hasn’t worn this one in a long time.” She laid it down on the bed. Was Robert really about to try on a dress for his best friend’s five year old daughter? She really wanted him to though, and it would only be for a few minutes.. And no one would believe her if she said anything, right? “Okay, you’re lucky you’re so cute.”
Once the cake was in the oven, she took the chicken out of the oven and took the wrap off of it. Steam came out from the platter and it smelled delicious. Jimmy helped her by washing dishes. Jonesy was in the dining room wondering if he should set the table and add plates for Bonzo and his family too. He did it just to be safe.
Jonesy joined the two in the kitchen and helped serve everything onto platters and bring them to the dining table. Then he went to the hallway to call Robert and Jacinda over to eat.
“Jacinda, it’s time to eat now, I don’t think I should wear your mother’s dress, I… I could get it dirty!” the girl smiled,”But you look so pretty! Come on, you could put a napkin on your lap.” she held his hand and tugged. He whined a bit and tried to pull back but soon gave up, deciding to give in. He took a deep breath before walking out of the bedroom and into the hallway.
Maureen, Jimmy, and Jonesy were already sitting at the table waiting.
Of all the big arenas and stadiums they’ve ever performed on, this would be one of the hardest stages he’d walked onto in a while.
Jacinda walked ahead of him and could barely conceal her excitement,”Look! Look!” she pointed into the other room, and in came Robert.
Jimmy’s mouth fell open and Jonesy burst out laughing. “Oh my god, Robert! Keep the dress, it looks amazing on you!” Mo exclaimed and also laughed. Jimmy thought she was serious though, because DAMN did Robert look good in that dress!
It was black and silky, and it cinched a bit at the waist, eccentrating his frame beautifully. It had thin spaghetti-straps and a v-line cut at the chest and it reached his ankles. In the back, it was a low cut that went to about the middle of his back. Jimmy smiled and stood. He comforted Robert from his embarrassment,”You look beautiful. Good job, Jacinda.” he gave him a peck on the cheek and a hand on the small of his back guided him to a seat next to him.
Right as they all grabbed their plates, the door opened and Bonzo, his wife Pat, and their son Jason all came in. VERY fashionably late. Jacinda smiled and ran over to give them hugs.
“Hello, Jacinda! Hey guys- Oh. My god.” Bonzo’s eyes immediately fell on Robert. He looked at Jonesy, who was still red in the face. “I gave Percy a makeover, do you like it?” Jacinda smiled widely as she sat back in her chair. Bonzo tried so hard not to laugh and played off his chuckle with a cough,”Yes, Jacinda. You did a very good job!” He was wheezing when he sat down and put his head on the table and covered himself with his arm, trying to calm down.
Jonesy helped serve Jacinda and Jason while Mo and Pat chatted and everyone got situated. Once everyone had food on their plate and began to eat, Bonzo finally spoke up,”So. Why?”
Robert smiled widely and waved his hands around,”She has some sort of persuasion powers! I can’t say no to her. If she asked me for a hundred pounds right now, I would probably give it to her.”
Jimmy chewed a mouthful of chicken and stared at Robert’s hair. He swallowed,”Your hair looks very nice, though.” Bonzo laughed and continued his feast. Everyone thanked Mo for the wonderful meal.
“Oh, Jimmy, would you mind going into the kitchen and checking on the cake in the oven? Let me know if it looks done.” Jimmy nodded and stood up, then tapped Robert’s shoulder to follow him into the kitchen.
The blonde was about to take a bite from his fork, but got the message and put the fork down. He followed Jimmy to the kitchen and no one batted an eye.
He entered the kitchen and jumped when he saw Jimmy in the corner staring at him,”God! I knew you were there but you still scared me..” he walked up to him and gave Jimmy a kiss. Jimmy placed his hands on Robert’s slim hips and broke the kiss,”You better keep that dress..” Robert smiled and rested his arms on the latters shoulders,”Oh, you like it?” he hooked his leg up to Jimmy’s hip and laughed.
Bonzo ruined their moment with,”Wait, to the left? Oh- Oh GOD YOU GUYS, CAN’T YOU GET OFF OF EACH OTHER FOR JUST ONE DAY?” he dramatically shielded his eyes and turned right back around into the dining room. They heard Maureen yell,”Jimmy! The cake!”
Robert grinned and gave Jimmy a peck on the lips before backing off of him and going over to open the oven. The cake was golden, so he took it out from the oven and placed it on the stovetop. He grabbed a fork and poked the bread to make sure if was fully cooked. He and Jimmy returned to the dining room and sat.
Mo looked over to them,”Was it done?”
Robert nodded,”Yes, I took it out to cool. It smells amazing!” “I’m glad. You know, Jimmy helped me with a lot of it.”
Everyone in the room was quiet.
“I helped her get ingredients, I didn’t touch the cake itself.”
“Ohh okay. I can’t wait to have some then!”
Jimmy crossed his arms and shoved food into his mouth.
Once everyone finished their food, everyone sat and chatted. Jacinda and Jason ran off to her bedroom and brought some toys to play with in the living room. Jonesy helped Mo up from her seat and they went to the kitchen together to frost the cake.
Robert was in the middle of telling a joke when he stopped and cheered for the cake,”Wow! It looks so pretty!” He followed it with his eyes as Mo brought it to the table. She smiled,”You guys all want a piece?”
Everyone nodded and cheered and the kids also ran in to get a slice.
At the end of the day, everyone was full and had a drink or two. Pure bliss. Robert dressed back into his regular clothes and discreetly packed the silk dress to take home. He kept his hair up, though.
Robert and Jimmy hugged everyone as they decided to leave, thanking Mo for the wonderful meal and Jonesy for the invitation. Bonzo and Pat decided to stay for a while longer. Robert hugged Jason and Jacinda goodbye and slipped them both 5 pound bills. They both gave each other a high-five.
The couple walked out to their car and flopped into their seats. Jimmy looked over to Robert in the dark and held his hand as they waited for the car to warm up. Robert smiled and lifted his hand, kissing his knuckles. “You’re so sappy.” Jimmy laughed.
“Do you think it’s weird that we took the dress? I mean, I was thinking about it and.. what if she ever wore this dress while they were-”
“No no. Don’t think about that. You look amazing in the dress and we’re definitely gonna be buying more. Did you like wearing it?”
Robert nodded,”I loved it. It was really silky and breathable, and I really liked the length and everything. So I don’t mind wearing more. Especially if you like it.” he smiled and leaned over to kiss Jimmy’s cheek.
The couple drove home loudly and unabashedly singing the lyrics to “From Me To You” by the Beatles.