Chapter Text
Chapter 1: The First Kill
Stanley Snyder, a soldier, executioner and the youngest commander of the US. A man hailed as the model soldier by those who feared him, respected him, or both. Countless lives had ended at the pull of his trigger, a tally etched in silence across battlefields.
Many believed his first kill was made during war. A clean shot, sanctioned by duty.
But the truth was darker, crueler…his first kill happened long before he ever donned a uniform.
He had been young. Too young.
But what drove him to it?
Well- Not exactly a what... but a who.
Xeno Houston Wingfield.
Romantic, isn’t it?
There was something in that brilliant, silver-haired boy, something magnetic, something dangerous. Xeno, with a mind sharp enough to cut steel and eyes like starlight reflected in a midnight lab, he had a pull Stanley couldn’t resist. Not that he ever wanted to.
Stanley wasn’t sure when his infatuation had begun. Maybe it was the first time he saw that small, sharp-tongued scientist command a room without ever raising his voice, how he dismissed anyone in his way with biting words, calm precision, and not even a flicker of hesitation. Maybe it was Xeno’s overwhelming competence, the way his hands moved with practiced confidence, the spark of brilliance that danced behind his eyes when an experiment succeeded.
Yes, that spark, that impossible glimmer in Xeno’s pale eyes, like lightning trapped in glass, it hit Stanley like a bullet every time. And when that spark became a rare smile, quiet and genuine, Stanley’s heart thundered like war drums.
Whatever it was, he knew one thing for certain: he would take down anyone who dared stand in Xeno’s way.
That was one of the many reasons he obeyed the scientist’s every word without hesitation. For that smile. For that fleeting warmth. Of course, he’d never admit that to Xeno, not to the genius who made him lose his edge with a single glance, and who, somehow, remained completely blind to Stanley’s feelings.
But that was fine.
Stanley didn’t need his love returned.
He only needed to stay by Xeno’s side.
Or at least…that’s what he told himself.
But deep down, though he tried not to admit it, Stanley craved more. Every time he saw him. Every time he held back emotions threatening to spill over. He had bottled those feelings up for so long, he forgot what it meant to want out loud.
But that, too, is another chapter.
This one begins with the first kill.
.
.
.
Like every morning, Stanley walked to school. He didn’t particularly enjoy it, the classes were dull, the teachers even worse, but one thing made it bearable: his best friend.
Xeno.
Except that morning, Xeno wasn’t there.
Which was... insane…to say the least.
Xeno, the top student of their class, never missed school. Not even when he was sick with a cold, still scribbling notes and equations in the back of the room, glaring at anyone who suggested he rest, because he wanted a perfect attendance. So Stanley couldn’t shake the unease curling in his stomach.
When the final bell rang, he went home and then he went immediately to Xeno’s house, not far from his own, with a well-rehearsed excuse ready.
“I brought the homework,” he’d say. Casual. Cool. Definitely NOT worried at all.
The truth? He needed to see him. Needed to know he was okay. He hadn’t yet realized what that need meant, but it burned inside him all the same.
Also tucked inside his coat: a thermos.
He made soup when he first stopped home. Or, well- his sister did (after he’d practically begged and tortured his older sister into helping him). Stanley mostly stirred things and tried not to look like a disaster in the kitchen. Still, it came out okay. Warm, filling. Mild enough for a sick person. He didn’t know why he made it. Just in case, maybe.
Yeah. Just in case.
⚬──────────✧──────────⚬
Snow had started falling in the afternoon, blanketing the sidewalks and rooftops in white. Stanley’s boots crunched softly as he reached the Wingfield porch, breath fogging in the sharp air.
His parents weren’t home, they rarely were. Their work kept them away, caught up in schedules and responsibilities that Xeno never really talked about. He’d mentioned once or twice that it was “complicated” and left it at that. Stanley never pressed.
They loved their son, that much was clear from the neatly arranged fridge notes, the occasional care package, the texts reminding him to eat and sleep and not forget his gloves. But even love had its absences.
And Xeno had long since learned how to live in the quiet.
He knocked.
When the door creaked open, he froze.
Xeno looked awful.
His hair stuck to his face in damp strands,face was pale, cheeks redder, lips chapped. Puffy red eyes stared up at Stanley like he was both surprised and too tired to react.
“Damn,” Stanley muttered. “You look like a corpse.”
“Appreciate the honesty,” Xeno replied hoarsely, leaning against the doorframe. “If you’re here to deliver homework, just toss it inside.”
“Actually... Uh… Yes I brought the homework. And... um... soup.”
He lifted the thermos, cheeks dusted faint pink.
“It’s not like a five-star meal or anything,” he added quickly. “But it should be edible. Probably.”
Xeno blinked a couple of times as his eyes widened a little in surprise. “You... made me soup?”
Stanley shrugged, already regretting every decision that brought him to this moment. “You weren’t at school. I figured maybe you were sick. And you hate canned stuff.”
For a second, Xeno just looked at him. Then he stepped aside, quietly.
“Come in.”
The warmth inside was a relief. Stanley helped Xeno over to the couch, noting the slight limp in his step.
“Care to explain how the hell you got this sick overnight?”
Xeno gave a low sigh. “Some idiots decided to throw freezing ice water on me yesterday. After the science club.”
Stanley blinked. “What?!”
“They’re surely still salty about the rash incident.”
Stanley’s jaw tightened. “The one where you spilled chemicals on them?”
Xeno arched a brow. “Accidentally. And for the record, they were completely harmless! just a little visual discomfort. Temporary redness. Maybe mild tingling.”
⚬──────────✧──────────⚬
(One Week Ago)
Stanley, after finishing the activities with the sports club, had walked past the lab on his way to wait for Xeno out front when he heard them.. Three upperclassmen, circling like sharks. It was in the after school, that day Xeno had the advanced science club meeting, the one no one but Xeno ever took seriously. He stayed after as usual, tinkering with something too complicated for most high school students to pronounce, let alone understand.
The blond at that sight decided to hide behind a wall, to see what they were planning to do. Sabotage a project? Pull a bad taste prank like last time? Whatever it was this time, he wouldn't let them get away with it.
He was still furious about the last prank they did, they filled Xeno’s rocket prototype with runny mud. Weeks of work were ruined like that.
Stanley that time was really about to beat those guys to pulp, and he would’ve, if Xeno didn’t stop him in time.
.
.
.
When Xeno stepped out of the club room he was rapidly circled. Xeno’s expression was impassive.
“You think you’re better than us, freak?”
Xeno didn’t even look up. “Statistically? Yes.”
One grabbed his shoulder. Another reached for his bag.
As Stanley was ready to break their bones, the sudden sound of glass shattering stopped him.
A faint sizzle.
The next second, the tallest one let out a yelp, stumbling backward. Angry red splotches bloomed along his arm.
“What the hell did you do?!”
“Relax,” Xeno said, utterly unfazed. “It’s a delayed-contact compound made from calcium gluconate and food-grade dye. Totally harmless... though it does look like an advanced skin infection for the first six hours. Give or take…But do let me know if it burns longer, that would be fascinating.” The small scientist said with a small grin and a scary glint in his eyes.
The other two boys backed away, pale, and in a matter of seconds they fled without another word.
Stanley watched from the hallway, half in awe.
He hadn’t stepped in. He didn’t need to. Xeno had handled it with the same clinical grace he applied to everything else.
Inside, Xeno simply sighed and crouched beside the mess, muttering, “Fantastic. That compound took two hours to stabilize.”
Stanley had stepped into the room, half in awe. “You’re not even mad they tried to jump you?”
Xeno just glanced up. “Why would I be mad when they managed to eliminate themselves from the gene pool without me having to lift a finger?”
He went back to cleaning as if nothing had happened.
In that moment only three words could describe Xeno in Stanley's mind…Cool. Controlled. Untouchable.
God…that guy was just soo perfect.
⚬──────────✧──────────⚬
“Guess they didn’t take that well,” Stanley muttered.
“No,” Xeno rasped, reclining slowly into the couch. “They decided revenge was warranted. Lucky me.”
Stanley swallowed his anger. Barely. He decided to change the topic.
“Well... eat the soup before it gets cold.”
.
.
.
Stanley stayed.
Not that he said he would. He just… didn’t leave. He helped Xeno to the couch, set down his bag, handed over the soup, and sat beside him like it was nothing. “I’ll stay just until I know you won’t pass out or something.” he said, eyes already flicking to the wall like he hadn’t just cleared his whole afternoon.
Xeno didn’t argue.
He drank the soup slowly, watching Stanley out of the corner of his eye. The flavor was warm and gentle, with a tiny hint of pepper and herbs… comforting. Homemade.
He didn't say he liked it.
But he didn’t stop drinking either.
And when he handed the empty thermos back, he didn’t even make a sarcastic comment.
Stanley almost smiled.
The TV murmured quietly in the background, half-forgotten. Xeno’s head eventually dropped to the side, resting ever so slightly against Stanley’s shoulder. He didn’t move.
And Stanley didn’t dare breathe.
Outside, the snow kept falling.
—-
XENO'S POV
Xeno had always liked silence. It was efficient, clean, reliable unlike people.
But today, as the room filled with the soft clinks of a spoon against metal and the warmth of a soup he hadn't asked for, something inside him... shifted.
Stanley had shown up at his door like a knight on a mission. Homework in one hand. Soup in the other. He’d acted like it was nothing.
It wasn’t nothing. Not for Xeno.
It had been a long time since anyone had done something for him without needing a reason.
And Stanley’s soup, even though it was a bit too peppery and probably overcooked by Stan's sister, was the best thing he’d tasted in days. He hadn’t realized how cold he was until he started to thaw.
He stole a glance at Stanley now, beside him on the couch. The guy sat awkwardly, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to relax, like he was built out of tension and worry.
All for him.
Xeno leaned his head just slightly against Stanley’s shoulder. Just to test it. Just to see.
Stanley didn’t move away.
He stayed perfectly still.
Warm.
Reliable.
Present.
…
Xeno closed his eyes.
.
.
.
Maybe silence wasn’t the only reliable thing in his world anymore…
—
Stanley offered a rare, gentle look, one he reserved only for Xeno. He stayed. Helped him to bed. Adjusted the blanket. Made sure he took his medicine.
He didn’t say much.
He didn’t need to.
⚬──────────✧──────────⚬
Later, as he walked home alone, the snow had thickened to silence. Flakes caught in his lashes, melted on his jacket. He didn’t feel the cold.
His footsteps slowed as he passed the hallway cabinet. Just for a second.
Inside, his grandfather’s rifles sat in their usual, untouched rows, old wood, cold metal, dustless glass. Stanley’s eyes lingered.
Then he turned away.
He went to his room.
Slept.
Mostly.
---
A few nights later, somewhere past the tree line, where the snow softened everything and no one really paid attention to the woods in winter…
A sound echoed through the stillness.
Soft.
Sudden.
Clean.
A single shot.
Then nothing.
Just wind in the trees.
---
The boys who’d soaked Xeno?
They didn’t come back to school.
Some said they’d been suspended. Others muttered about transfers. One rumor said they’d left town entirely.
No one was sure.
No one asked.
And Stanley?
He showed up like always. Carried Xeno’s books. Nodded along to his theories. Sat close enough to feel his warmth but never too close..
And when Xeno smiled at him brief, real, a little rare
Stanley smiled back.
Just a little.
Like everything was fine.
Because it was now.
17/12/2006