Chapter Text
--Xeno--
Friday, January 21st
Xeno scowled as he tugged his suitcase out of the old van. The trip to Texas had been utter hell and now he was going to be subjected to a full weekend of hell. The night time January air made him shiver, his black sweater not much of a defense. The moon light overhead flickered from the clouds as if laughing at his discomfort. Asshole.
Nearby his companion yawned loudly. Stanley looked as just a mess as he did. His blond locks were a frizzy mess and his lipstick had smudged sometime between the airport and now. Definitely not his best look. That's what four hours of waiting for your delayed plane, an hour with a crying baby sitting in the row in front of you, and two hours of traffic would do. They both severely needed sleep and maybe a shot of gin or two.
"Finally," Stanley mumbled as he grabbed his own bag, slamming the back door of the rented van a bit too hard. "I swear to god I thought I was going to go insane."
Xeno snorted. "Understatement of the year. I can still hear that child's shrill voice pounding in my ears. This is why I don't want children. I'd strangle them as soon as they annoyed me."
Stanley let out a short laugh. "There's a thousand other reasons there that have nothing to do with child homicide. Please don't mention that to my mom while we're here. As soon as she finds out about the wedding she's going to be begging for grand-kids and I doubt she'd like hearing about how you'd murder them."
"If it gets her off my back about it, I don't care. I'm already dreading this visit as is." Xeno stared up at the small house where lit Christmas lights still dangled from the eaves. The smell of freshly cut grass was such a strange juxtaposition to them.
"I should take those down while I'm here," Stanley commented, noticing them as well. "Guess Brody hasn't had time to. Come on, let's go in before you freeze."
Xeno shivered once more and followed him up the old creaky steps without complaint. He rolled his eyes at a small snowman statue perched on the porch railing. Honestly, how hard was it to tidy up your holiday decorations by the end of January? It took less time for Stan to pick up his dirty socks, and that said a lot. His fiance could be such a slob.
Fiance. He cracked a smile at the word. No matter how many days had passed, the knowledge that Stanley wanted to marry him blew his mind. Half a year of love and laughs and mild bickering and here they still were, as much committed to each other as ever. Was it healthy to be this giddy? Because he might be for the rest of his life with Stanley at his side.
Even if his future mother-in-law still held a grudge against him.
Oh, how Xeno tried to get along with her. He sent Christmas presents, joined in on the video calls when Stanley wished to catch up with her. Hell, Xeno even called her once alone, hoping to have a friendly conversation about life in general. The whole call she sniffed and made excuses about how she had to finish up laundry and then hung up abruptly.
Yeah. Xeno was pretty sure they were never going to get along.
She was just going to have to deal with it. Xeno was marrying her son and nothing could stop him from that. She could argue and snit or even threaten him all she wanted. At least Stanley's stepmom, LA, would be excited for them. Xeno adored that woman.
"Stanley!" a loud voice called out, the screen door flying open. Cindy Snyder gathered her son in her arms and hugged him so tight the man visibly winced. "Thank god! I was so worried you wouldn't get here until morning."
"Eh, travel shit happens." Stanley pulled away with some effort and smiled at her. "Hey, I know you'd love to talk, but we're exhausted. Mind if we just hit the sack and talk at breakfast? Xeno is about to fall off his feet."
Xeno forced a smile when her eyes locked onto him. "Hello, Mrs. Snyder. Pleasure as always."
"Xeno," she replied with a matching forced smile.
Stanley rolled his eyes. "Settle down kids, there will be plenty of time for bickering later. I'm going to bed."
With a tsk, Xeno slipped inside and let Stanley lead him to the cramped guest room. It was exactly as the last time he visited. An inflatable mattress took up most of the floor, boxes still teetering against the wall. The only new addition was a large potted plant tucked inside for the winter. He glared at it just to have something to glare at.
"Home sweet home," Stanley teased behind him.
"Oh, fuck you, Stan."
"Love you too, darling~"
--
When he awoke, Xeno found the air mattress had deflated sometime in the night. His head rested uncomfortably on the floor, pillow squished into nothing, and his elbow thrummed with pain from where it pressed into the harsh carpet. The familiar sensation of lips sucking at his neck did little to settle his discomfort. In fact, it made it all the more worse.
Shortly after Stanley moved in with him, Xeno had learned the man loved morning sex. At least once a week Xeno would be assaulted before his eyes were even open, hands trailing over his body to arouse him. And Xeno didn't mind, normally, unless he had an important meeting to get to. They talked about it and he gave Stanley eager permission to do as he wanted. Waking up to soft ecstasy was better than bitter coffee after all.
But not now. Not here.
"Stan..." he grumbled out, trying to use his arm to knock the other man off. "Stop."
"But you're so sexy all mussed up like this," Stanley whispered with a hot breath in his ear. "She ain't gonna hear if I just rub you off."
"Stop," Xeno insisted, finally managing to wiggle away to sit up. He huffed at the pouting face looking up at him. "I'm not getting sexy with you in your mother's house, no matter how much you try to seduce me. Just the thought of her even knowing we have sex makes me uncomfortable."
Stanley chuckled and sat up to press a wet kiss to his cheek. "Yeah yeah." He stretched and groaned with satisfaction his shoulder blades popped. "Mm. I'm gonna go wash off the travel grime then. Guess you ain't going to join me?"
Xeno rolled his eyes and shoved Stanley gently, an affectionate smile twitching at the corner of his lips. Stanley laughed and stood, gathering his things before heading to the bathroom across the hall. Xeno pushed himself off the hard floor with a groan. Damn, they needed to find somewhere else to stay when they visited. He understood that Stanley wanted to spend as much time as possible with his mother, but this was ridiculous. Xeno felt his poor joints ache at the movement and huffed.
Getting older sucked. What the hell was thirty going to be like if his bones already ached this much? Damn uncomfortable office chairs and evenings of crouching over blueprints were taking its toll on him. He really should start jogging with Stan in the morning.
From the kitchen he smelled hot coffee and inhaled deeply. Ah, a cup of that sounded amazing. He flattened out his wrinkled pajama top and went to investigate. Mrs. Snyder was sure to be in the kitchen, which almost made him hesitate. Ugh, he dreaded every interaction with her. After the incident last year with Stanley's panic attack (which still brought Xeno pain to remember), he had hoped things would be better between them.
Sure enough, as he entered the small kitchen-dining area, he found Mrs. Snyder stirring something in a large pan. Her blonde hair was piled up in a bun, the clip barely hanging onto the mess of curls and frizz. Not even a flat iron could control those rebellious locks. They suited her personality; stubborn and easily frazzled.
"Morning," Xeno greeted as kindly as he could manage. She glanced up at him and he motioned at the coffee pot. "Mind if I steal a cup? The blend smells utterly divine."
"Help yourself," she replied and opened up a cabinet to reveal the mugs. A vibrant polka-dot one caught Xeno's eye and he carefully removed it from the shelf. Mrs. Snyder quirked a very Stan-like brow at the choice. "I was starting to think you were allergic to color."
Xeno let out a light chuckle. "Oh, yes. I am known for my love of black and deeper hues. I'm not against color, however. My mother used to decorate our home in pastels, and I still own a few of her silly knick-knacks. There's a bright pink cat figurine you'd find me hard pressed to be rid of."
"Stanley's told me she passed," she said, voice soft. She wiped her hands on a dish rag and turned to face him fully. For a moment, she only took Xeno in. Warm honey eyes flicked over him, coming to rest on a spot above his brow. Whatever she found in him made her relax and she smiled ever so slightly. "I think she'd be proud of you."
The compliment took Xeno off guard. "Perhaps she would have. She loved outer space more than I do. Loved the stars. When she died all I wanted to do was make something to reach them, to honor her. I studied my ass off to become a rocket scientist in record time, and all of it for her."
Cindy tsked. "And here I go raising a rough-and-tumble brat who just wanted to shoot things." She let out an exasperated sigh. "I was honestly surprised he graduated high school. Wish I'd given birth to a smart kid like you. Doubt I'd have so many gray hairs now."
"You did have a smart kid," Xeno replied as he poured himself a cup. "Stan may not be book smart, I'll acknowledge that, but how he makes his way through the world screams intelligence. I wouldn't have fallen for him so easily if he were a complete idiot."
"Mm, suppose not." She turned back to her cooking, adding in some salt to what Xeno now recognized as white gravy with chunks of sausage in it. "Bet there ain't much for him to do in Florida though. Hunting can't be all that great."
The gentle ease of their conversation dropped away in an instant as her tone became clipped once more. Xeno held back a remark about how Stanley didn't go hunting anymore, not since returning from the Marines with a new respect for life, which she would know if she-
Oh.
Cindy Snyder whisked some pepper into the pan and moved to pile some fresh biscuits off a cooling rack and into a bowl lined with cloth, and Xeno noticed for the first time the lines under her eyes. Not from age, no, but from constant years of worry. Worry about her little rough-and-tumble brat half-way around the globe fighting in a war be might not return from. Worry of being left alone in this world so soon after her husband left her for a younger woman.
And when she finally got her Stanley back safe and sound in her arms, Xeno stepped in to pull him away across the country once more.
No wonder she still didn't like him.
Without every having taken a sip, Xeno placed his coffee mug down to step over to her, taking the bowl to place on the table. Forks had already been left out and he set them next to the three plates neatly, moving to add the butter knives to the other side of each. "I helped my dad with breakfast in the morning. He was an awful cook, but I could make some eggs and grits just fine. I'd love to cook more for Stan."
Cindy said nothing, instead going to pull the orange juice from the fridge.
Xeno swallowed and continued, "Perhaps you could teach me some things? Once we move here?"
"What?" She spun to face him, eyes wide.
"We were going to tell you later at dinner," he explained, smiling faintly at the hope spreading over her face. "Once my current project is complete, I'm to relocate to Houston to work at the JSC, educating the astronauts on how to fly the new rocket. November, at the earliest. Stanley is eager to return to his family."
"But, his job-"
Stanley entered at that moment to interrupt her. "Didn't get it. Turns out that call I got? Was telling me I got the second audition. Which I apparently failed." He huffed, nose scrunched up in distaste. "Bastards. I'd make the coolest Storm Trooper ever and they know it."
"You would have looked ridiculous," Xeno teased dryly.
"The coolest."
With a sigh of absolute relief, Cindy dove forward to embrace her son tightly. Xeno could just make out tears shining in her eyes before her face buried itself into Stan's shirt. "You're really staying this time?"
"Sure am," Stan assured her, smiling down into her hair. "Xeno's already looking into property near the Clear Lake area. Gonna build us a nice house with plenty of room for you to visit."
Xeno nodded, even if she couldn't see him. "Indeed, and we want you to visit as much as you want. We may not have gotten off to the best start, Mrs. Snyder, but I want you to know you're always welcome in our home."
She laughed lightly, turning to look at him with damp cheeks and a wide smile. "We'll just have to find some common ground then, huh?"
"Of course."
A grunt sounded out, and both turned to find Stanley with a pout on his face. He looked ridiculous, and Xeno couldn't help but snort. Stanley ignored him and motioned between them in part confusion, part amusement. "If you two start playing Scrabble every Friday night, I might be out."
With matching eye rolls, Xeno and Cindy moved to sit at the table to begin eating. As he handed her the bowl of rolls, Xeno couldn't help but smile. Maybe this would go better than he hoped. Maybe she wouldn't freak out at dinner that night when they announced the engagement. He had one good point in her book at last and relief settled over his shoulders.
This trip wouldn't be utter hell after all.
He didn't notice the wince Mrs. Snyder made as she tucked into her plate, or the way her smiles were perfectly forced the rest of the day.