Chapter Text
--Stanley--
Saturday, January 22nd
Saturday, 12:33pm
Me: Plz tell me you fed the lil shits yesterday
Gen: Of course I did! I even tidied up the dishes you left in the sink. :D
Me: there was one cup
Gen: And it's now clean, so you're welcome. <3
Me: How's my boy Professor Brisket fittin in?
Gen: If you ever have children, I beg you not to name them after you have lunch. That poor turtle must now go through life thinking he's going to be BBQ one day. ;.;
Me: As long as they doesn't try to eat Sir Remmy I'll name them whatever I want. Thanks again btw
Gen: How are things going so far? Has your mother given Dr. Xeno a headache yet?
Me: Oh such a headache. But now I think they made a breakthrough? Theyre actually talking and its weird. but in a good way. fingers crossed
Gen: Yay~~~ Let me know how the announcement goes! I'm so excited! :D :D :D
Me: Sure thing
Stanley set his phone down on the coffee table and pinched the bridge of his nose. This wasn't good. He lied right through his teeth telling Gen everything was going well. Because it wasn't, not really. Xeno seemed to think so, happily walking around admiring his mother's decor and asking questions about cooking, perking up whenever she eagerly replied. Thrilled with this much desired change in their relationship.
But Xeno didn't know his mom like Stanley did. The woman was hiding something right under the surface and Stanley couldn't stand it. The way she grinned too quickly, how she nodded along too enthusiastically. The way she fidgeted constantly with the curl that never sat quite right over her ear. It was the exact same way Stanley used to be able to clock his dad was in a bad mood when he came home from school, her little mannerisms pretending 'it was all okay'.
She never realized that keeping those feelings hidden always ended up with Stanley getting more hurt than if she had just spoken up.
He needed a smoke. There was a black plastic bag on the counter and he went to grab it, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a new lighter. Stanley had bought them that morning after his jog. Look, he really was trying to quit, but damn it if situations like this didn't knock him back again, and since he knew this weekend might be rough, he didn't even feel guilt at buying something to keep him calm. Xeno understood. Xeno always understood.
Stepping out onto the porch, he lit the cig and took a much needed inhale. As the smoke blew out from his lips, he spotted his mother dragging a ladder out from the nearby shed. Raising a brow in confusion, Stanley gave her a hesitant wave.
"Hey!" she called out. "I thought I'd get it ready for when Brody arrives. We're still on for dinner, right?"
"Should be." He hopped down the stairs and bit his smoke between his teeth so he could take the heavy ladder from her. "I 'ot it."
She brushed her hands on her skirt with a nod. "Thank-you. I always forget how much that thing weighs. Just prop it on the railing, will you? I'll have him put it back when he's done taking those darn lights down."
Once the object was situated and not in danger of toppling onto his mom's raggedy begonias, he stubbed the cigarette out under his boot and turned to regard her with a seriousness he hadn't felt since leaving the Marines. She didn't even make a remark about his littering when his hard eyes landed on her. "When I first told you about Xeno, you hated him. When you met him you hated him, and you still do, don't you?"
"What?" His mother's expression widened, revealing a glimmer of guilt under the surface. "Are you really trying to start another argument over this? Stan, I am trying here! You can't attack me every time I slightly frown at him for goodness' sake!"
"And I get that!" he snapped harshly, and when she flinched he forced his voice calmer. "I get that, okay? But you can't start acting like he's your new best friend in there when I can obviously tell you want nothing more to do with him. That's not fair to him and it pisses me off."
For a moment his mother said nothing, only worried the hem of her shirt in her hands while she stared at her shoes. Finally, she took a deep breath. "I don't want to hate him. He's important to you and I want to like him so badly, in the same way I want to like Leslie-Ann, because she's family now too whether I like it or not. Xeno, though, I..."
"You still can't get over the fact I'm with a guy, huh? Mom, that's-"
"That isn't it!" She stalked over to him. With a shaky breath, she reached up and pressed her hands to his cheeks ever so gently, and that's when he saw the moisture in her eyes. "You are my everything, Stanley. You're the only good thing that's ever come out of my life. When I first held you and imagined the man you would become, nothing I saw could compare with how incredible you truly became."
Her hands fell and she took in another, longer, breath before continuing, "So forgive me if I admit to being one of those mothers who hates the thought of her little boy marrying anyone, let alone a man."
Stanley started to reply, then paused as her words settled in his mind. Wait. "Who said anything about getting married?"
She raised a brow, the corner of her lips quirking up ever so slightly. "Sweetheart, you really thought I wouldn't put it together? As soon as you called me to tell me you wanted to visit I had my suspicions. You sounded so excited, too excited to just want to spend the weekend. When Xeno told me about the house I knew for sure."
"You could be wrong," Stanley tried to weakly rebuke. "Maybe we just really wanted to tell you about the house?"
"So who proposed to who?"
"Mom!"
With a laugh, she patted his shirt. "When you tell Brody at dinner, I'll act surprised. And Stanley? Just give me a bit more time, okay? I do want to try."
Stanley rolled his eyes, but his shoulders finally relaxed and, despite the cigarette smoke filling his lungs, he felt like he could finally breathe for the first time since arriving. "Fine, but the only thing you're allowed to tease him about is his old man clothes."
"I'll agree if you pick that damn cigarette butt off my lawn."
"Yes, ma'am."
--
"Maybe we should just call this off," Xeno hissed under his breath as he adjusted his jacket in the restaurant's bathroom mirror. He resembled a shaky, nervous chihuahua and Stanley was glad that the room was empty besides them. It certainly wasn't his fiance's best look. "We should just tell them in private another day."
Tucking his chin on Xeno's shoulder, he wrapped his arms around him to sway him gently. "Or, hear me out, we go ahead and do it since we have it planned."
Xeno let out a short, childish, whine. "I haven't been this nervous since presenting my resume to NASA. I feel like I'm sweating right through this thing. Am I? Please tell me it's not visible. I think I'll just walk out right now if I have pit stains."
"You look amazing," he replied without looking. The way Xeno found this more nerve wracking than presenting his perfect ass records to NASA or launching rocket ships into orbit was so endearing. Stanley wanted to cover his face in purple kisses to show everyone at the restaurant this little ball of anxiety was his. Xeno would murder him for it, but it would almost be worth it.
Xeno leaned back into him, arms clutching his own as he joined the sway. "Can't we just stay here forever?"
Stanley snorted and reluctantly pulled away. "Yeah, no. This place smells horrible. Come on, you lunatic. Brody will have ordered everything on the menu before we get back and make me pay for it."
As they made their way past the cramped booths of the BBQ place (the same one Stanley took Xeno to the day after they met in person), he vaguely wondered if he should have just told Xeno his mom already knew. Then again, Stanley was also feeling the nerves of telling Xeno's dad too that day. Maybe not as many nerves as Xeno, considering Mr. Wingfield actually liked him, but still enough to make him also worry about sweat stains.
Ugh, the movies hadn't lied. This was the worst part of getting engaged.
"Ordered some ribs!" Brody declared when he spotted them. "Big ol' order of mac and cheese too. You still paying? Might get some pulled pork while I'm at it."
Xeno chuckled as he slid into the booth across from him. "Order whatever you want, Mr. Dudley. My treat."
Stanley grinned at his mother as he took the seat across from her, next to Xeno. "Get whatever you want too. I'm getting the pulled pork plate."
They ordered, and while they waited for their food, Xeno pulled a slim notebook computer from the bag at his side. Ignoring the looks sent his way, he opened it and turned it on. Stanley placed a hand on his thigh when he saw the shaky fingers. Xeno sent him a grateful smile and reached down to give it a squeeze.
"You got work to do?" Brody asked in confusion. "Can't you NASA folk take one damn day off? Even smart brats like you need a day off now and then."
"No work," Xeno reassured. "I have a surprise planned for you. As you know, my dad and step-mother reside in New Zealand, and they've spoken up more than once about meeting Stanley's mother. I thought, seeing as we're here, I would invite them to a video call, and they agreed. I hope that's alright with everyone."
"Right now?" his mother asked. She quickly sat up and adjusted her hair (a futile effort as the frizz would never lie flat). "I wish I had known, I would have worn a nicer blouse."
Brody laughed. "Cindy, you would have gotten sauce all over it and complained the rest of the night. You look beautiful. He's going to love you."
Xeno navigated to the correct website and soon a window popped up for the live call. He smiled and spun the notebook towards the wall at the end of the booth so everyone would be able to see each other. "Give them a moment. Ava isn't the best at computers. I already informed her of the steps, but it might take another moment."
"What a pretty name." Stanley watched as his mother again tried to straighten her hair. "What was your father's again? I don't want to seem out of the loop before even meeting the man."
"Robert," Xeno said before also sitting up straighter as the call went through.
On the screen, a middle aged woman smiled back at them. Her long black hair was done up in braids which complimented the patterned dress she wore. She pushed thick framed glasses up her nose and made a little wave. "Hey, Xeno! Hi, Stannie! Can you hear me?"
"Indeed we can. Where's my father?"
"Bathroom." Ava sighed with exasperation. "Always the last moment with him."
"Always," Xeno agreed. He motioned across the table. "I suppose I shall go ahead and introduce you then. Ava, this is Stanley's mother, Cindy Snyder, and his long time friend Brody Dudley. Everyone, meet Ava Wingfield, my step-mother."
Stanley's mother waved at the screen with a pleasant smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Ava."
When the two women started complimenting each other, Stanley shot Xeno an amused smile. Seemed that was one worry gone. His mom always did love meeting new people, and from the couple of times he'd chatted with Ava, she did too. Those two were probably going to end up calling each all the time now to gossip about them. Hopefully they'd actually become friends.
Felt odd, now that Stanley thought about it. These two worlds meeting each other. Something official was being snapped in place, another concrete block in his and Xeno's relationship. God, this was the first time he'd ever had his partner's parents meet his mom he realized. Not even his high school girlfriends' had ever swung by to see her. This was really it, huh? The final steps to really making Xeno part of his family.
Damn, he loved it.
Off-screen, a deep voice grunted out, "Sorry! I'm here, I'm here! Don't cut that call yet, Houston!"
Xeno flinched at the use of his middle name. "Father, please don't call me that. You know how much I hate that name."
With a grunt, Xeno's dad came into view as he plopped himself down beside his wife, jostling the small love seat. The man's thinning hair caught the bright New Zealand sun streaming into the room, reflecting hysterically on the picture frame behind them. His once too-thin form had filled out a lot since the last time they spoke. Ava's home-cooking was doing him good. His eyes were the same beady black as his son's, but smaller and watery. They glowed with happiness at seeing Xeno.
Xeno smiled back just as happy. It was amazing how much the two had closed that once vast distance between them. No longer the gambling son of a bitch who spent more than he saved, Robert had become a really decent guy, and Xeno couldn't be prouder. He told Stanley after every phone call with the man, and the praise was real and heavy.
"Hello, da-"
A screech struck through the restaurant, loud and visceral. Stanley whipped his head towards the source, skin prickling with sudden fear. His mother had jumped up so quickly she slammed into the poor waiter who was bringing their food, ribs and coleslaw spilling all over the floor. Her eyes were wide and mad and glued to the screen as if she was watching a car accident live. Stanley had never seen her like this before, and tried to get to his feet before she screeched again-
"Bobby McDougal, you absolute bastard!"
What the fuck?!