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“Okay, today is the day.” Stanley put out his cigarette, his eyes not looking away from the calendar, which proudly displayed the date: “February 14th…”
Why is a holiday as silly as Valentine's Day enough to make the stoic, hardened Air Force Captain more nervous than a child at the dentist? Simple answer, really, for as strong and capable as Stanley Synder is, he has one crucial weakness.
A weakness that, if any enemies were to discover it, would result in ultimate devastation. Not his devastation, mind you, but someone else’s…
A weakness by the name of Xeno Houston Wingfield.
His boyfriend.
A boyfriend with whom he is about to celebrate their first Valentine's Day together.
Well…not entirely true.
Xeno and Stanley had met when they were young children, so they have actually had multiple valentines togethers. They would exchange cards, chocolates, and in High School, they would even pay those 2 dollars for holiday grams that would be passed in the middle of class. But Stanley was a broke teenager back then, and he was unable to afford to take Xeno out anywhere fancy.
While Xeno was able to build him a custom lighter and rifle by hand, Stanley could only afford those cheap chocolate roses you would see at any dollar store for his boyfriend. Xeno would always smile and thank him, acting as if he had just been gifted a diamond ring. He never made Stanley feel any guilt about his lackluster gifts, but it had always been something in the back of the blonde’s mind…
After graduation, Stanley had left to start basic training, and the two never spent another Valentine’s Day together since. They would of course send eachother a text, maybe a quick phone call, and if they were lucky, they would have enough time for a video chat. But other than those small instances reaffirming their love for eachother, it’s been forever since the two had properly spent the holiday together face to face.
Until today, that is.
Stanley had just returned from his most recent deployment a week ago and won’t be sent on his next one for a few more months. Finally, it seems like the world was throwing him a bone, allowing him to be home for the holiday.
Stanley pulled out his phone to check the time, happy to see that he still had a while until he had to leave to pick up Xeno from his apartment. With a smile, he headed over to the bathroom, ready to take a nice, long shower.
“If Xeno knew how much time I put into planning this date, heh, he’d roll his eyes and call it all unnecessary.” Flicking the lights on, Stanley stepped inside his bathroom.
Xeno always claimed he found the entire holiday ridiculous. That it’s centered on consumerism, an excuse for companies to pressure people into buying flowers, chocolates, and any other sort of gift to prove their love to eachother.
All while leaving out those who aren't in a relationship, who then feel depressed and alone, binging on chocolate and ice cream to drown out their sorrows.
But Stanley knows better.
He knows that deep down in Xeno’s so-called pitch-black soul, there is a soft, gooey center. He remembers that cute look he got in his eyes whenever Stanley gifted him that chocolate rose…
“I can’t wait to see that look again…”
Removing his shirt, Stanly slid open the glass door and turned the shower head on. As the water began pouring down, he reached his hand out to gauge the temperature.
Not too hot
Not too cold
Just how he likes it
As he stripped off the rest of his clothes and stepped in, he decided it was best to go over the plan one final time. Just to make sure everything had been accounted for with no room for possible disappointment.
First, his attire. Stanley was going to wear his best suit, a black three-piece attire with a subtle floral print. It’s the one he wore at that Marine Ball where he was the guest of honor and given an award for all his achievements overseas.
Xeno had called him elegantly handsome and could hardly keep his hands off him the whole time. His touches escalating once they headed back to his place…
Next up was picking up Xeno, where he was going to gift him a bouquet of red roses. He had purchased them early this morning and had been keeping them nice and pretty with a vase of fresh water.
After that, they will drive into town and dine at the 3 Michelin-starred restaurant named Noir. An insanely expensive French place that requires booking a reservation months in advance to even have a chance at eating there.
4-course meals prepared by the best chefs in the state? Perfect for Xeno’s rather lavish taste palette
When they finish their meals, Stanley will take Xeno on a lovely stroll in the nearby park, decorated with stunning water fountains and a gorgeous garden.
The stars will be shining right above them, and Xeno would no doubt fill the night air with lengthy talks of science and anything else, really, that he deems elegant.
Before it gets too late, he will drive them back to his place, and because Xeno does not work the following day, he will be able to spend the night…
A perfect date for a perfect man.
.
.
After getting out of the shower, Stanley dried his hair and wrapped the still wet towl around his waist.
“My suit should be done by now…” He took the still-warm bundle of clothes out of the dryer and went to his room to change. After ironing them, he put his arm through the sleeve. Though for some reason, it felt a bit tight. “Huh, that's weird…” He slipped his arm through the other sleeve, but the button-up did not want to, well…button up. “What the…Why doesn’t it want to fit? What happened- oh no… oh no no no no-” Taking the shirt off, Stanley held the shirt up in front of him and lo and behold. “IT SHRUNK?!” Quickly, Stanley lifted his coat and pants, finding that they were also two sizes too short. “Fuck…”
They all must have shrunk in the dryer. A little hiccup, sure, but it’s fine. He can just wear his other suit! Though, he doesn’t remember the last time he washed it, and there was no time to put another load in the wash….
“It’ll be fine!” Stanley made his way to his closet and began to dig around. “It hasn’t been that long, it can’t be that bad- oh." Pulling out the grey suit, he was met with an unfortunate smell and even more unfortunate stain…
That’s fine! He can just cover it up with something! Maybe an old corsage? Oh, and he can hide the smell with some cologne! Problem solved!
.
.
Finding that damn corsage took longer than he had expected, so now Stanley had no choice but to go just a little over the speed limit to make it to Xeno’s place. Hopefully, he hasn’t kept scientist waiting too long.
Ugh, a stop sign.
Stanley slowed down to a stop and allowed the cars before him to pass. He isn’t that much of an asshold to cut them off. After looking both ways, Stanley was about to enter the intersection when a jackass zoomed right by.
Thank god he slammed on the brakes just in time, but the abrupt stop made the rose bouquet he had placed in the passenger seat go flying off.
“Shit!” He quickly leaned over and tried to pick them up, but of course, a car came from behind and honked! “Fuck- okay, okay!” He sat back up to focus on the road, having no choice but to keep going…
.
.
Climbing up the steps that would lead to Xeno’s apartment, Stanley couldn't stop himself from fretting over the roses. He had tried his best to salvage them, but they had gotten pretty squished. Fallen petals and broken stems, they looked like Stanley had fished them out of a garbage can. Well, hopefully Xeno won’t notice?
Taking a deep breath, Stanley raised his hand and rang the doorbell.
“Coming!” Stanley smiled at the sound of Xeno’s rich, velvety voice coming from the other side of the door. Oh, how he can listen to it for hours, it was better than any of those background noises he usually puts on to help him sleep.
Soon enough, the door opened, and if Stanley was still a hormonal teenager, he would have his jaw on the floor. Xeno, to put it simply, looked incredibly sexy. He was wearing a three-piece suit that hugged his figure perfectly, showing off his hips that were always a bit too feminine for a man.
His tie was the exact shade of purple as his lipstick, and his hair was styled perfectly. From the doorway, Stanley could smell his cologne, and though it was just a small whiff, he already wanted more. To put his nose directly on the crook of his neck and just breathe all of him in.
“Hello, Stan.” Oh, that smirk was going to be the death of him.
“Hey Xe…” Remembering what he had in his hands. Stanley hastily shoved the bouquet in the other’s face. “Here,”
“Oh, Stanley, there are…” As he brought the flowers closer for inspection, Stanley saw the faint flash of confusion in those deep obsidian eyes, before a warm smile graced those lips, “Lovely…”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Stanley brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck. “There was some asshole who cut me off, so when I braked the roses kind of…”
“Say no more, I completely understand.” Xeno gave him a kind smile before turning around. “Let me find a vase for them, and we can get going.”
“Sounds good to me.” Stanley followed Xeno inside his apartment, closing the door behind him. “You ready to eat?”
“I am quite hungry,” Xeno began to fill an empty vase with some water from the sink. “So tell me, my dear, where are you taking me?”
“Noir.” Stanley couldn't hide the pride in his tone, even if he tried
“My my, how exquisite.” Xeno turned to look at him, a surprised look on his face. “I thought getting a reservation was impossible?”
“I have my ways, now,” Stanley extended his arm for Xeno to take. “Shall we?”
“My, what a gentleman you’re being.” After setting the roses down in their new vase, Xeno eagerly hooked his arm with his. “Who are you and what have you done to my Stanley?”
“Haha, very funny.”
Okay, so there was a little hurdle in the beginning, but it’s fine now. The two are on their way to their reservation, and the rest of the date will go according to plan.
Expect no because for some reason God decided he was not done fucking with him.
Traffic was an absolute nightmare; a minor fenderbender resulted in what normally would be a 20-minute drive into a 2-hour-long nightmare.
“Come on, move!” Stanley slammed his hand down hard on the car horn, resulting in the person in front of him giving a not-so-friendly gesture with their hand. “Oh fuck you, man!”
“Stan, honking isn’t going to make the traffic go any faster." Leaning over from his spot in the passenger seat, Xeno placed a comforting hand on the sniper’s knee. “Just take a deep breath.”
“Sorry, Xe, it’s just…” Following his boyfriend’s advice, Stanley took a deep inhale, then a slow exhale. “I swear, these people act as if they have never seen a car crash before…”
“Human nature, my dear, besides,” His hand gave Stanley’s knee a little squeeze. “Aren’t you curious about what caused this traffic congestion?”
“....A little, yeah.”
.
.
.
.
By the time they made it to Noir, there was little to no available parking. It is a popular restaurant after all, so Stanley can't say he is all that surprised. Instead of paying an absurd amount of money for valet, he and Xeno kept an eye out for any free parking space.
After a while of driving up and back down, Xeno eventually found an opening, though it was a block away.
Annoying, but whatever.
It wasn’t too far from the restaurant, and the weather was pretty nice.
Xeno took Stanley’s arm, and the two walked together towards the restaurant. Even though traffic was a pain in the ass, it did help in making them even hungrier. Stanley will be spending a lot on this dinner, but it will be worth it. He is eager to officially start this date and romance the hell out of Xeno-
“I’m so sorry, but your reservation has been cancelled.”
Huh, that’s funny, it kind of sounded like she said their reservation had been-
“What do you mean it’s been cancelled?” Xeno asked, as Stanley was taking a while to fully process what he had just heard. “He had booked a table months in advance-”
“I am so sorry, if only you’d been here 5 minutes sooner…” The hostess gave them an apologetic smile, which only further irritated Stanley. “You were no show, so we gave your table over to that couple over there.” Following where she pointed was a man and a woman sitting at what should have been THEIR table. “If we had known you were coming, we would have held it a little longer…”
“Oh, I see, give the table away to a straight couple.” Stanley got a little kick out of seeing the genuine fear in the young woman's eyes. “Wouldn’t want a gay couple sitting at our fancy restraunt huh?”
“Stan-” Before Xeno could reprimand him, the hostess was already word vomiting, desperate to defend herself and clear her name.
“I-It wasn't like that, sir!” She raised her hands, her eyes absolutely wide with panic. “I didn’t- If we had known- I love gay people! I have tons of gay friends-”
“Just wait til I leave a review- ‘Snoobish uptight testaurant denies table to gay couple’, it is so over for you-”
“Okay, Stanley, that’s enough, let’s go.” Xeno pulled him away before it escalated any further. The last thing this day needs is Stanley making a scene, and a very public one at that.
He knows it was a cheap trick to pull out the gay card and call anyone who inconvenienced them homophobic, but Stanley is seriously at the end of his rope here! He liked to think he had pretty good hold of his temper, and was never one to fly off the handle at every little thing. But it really began to feel like life was testing his patience…
Okay…dinner was a bust.
But there is still the park!
Yeah, he can still save this!
“Come on, Xe,” Stanley jogged over to the car, opening the passenger seat door for him, like a gentleman. “This date isn't over yet!”
“Oh?” Xeno took his seat and waited until Stanley had gone around the car and taken his seat beside him to continue. “And what exactly do you have planned?”
“You’ll see~” With a smile, Stanley put the key in the ignition and started the-.
Huh…
When the car didn't turn on, Stanley turned the key again…and again…and again… and-
“No…” Looking up, Stanley could see smoke coming from the hood of his car. “No, no, no!”
Stepping out, Stanley rushed to the front and lifted the hood, only to be hit with a wall of smoke. He waved the puff away and leaned over to get a clearer look, and he did not like what he saw. His engine was completely fried…
“SON OF A-”
Frustated, Stanley kicked the hell out of the front tire, which hurt like a bitch, but he didn’t care. He just took his car to the shop for a tune-up! How did those pea-brained mechanics miss this?! Oh, when he gets his hands on them-
“Stanley!” Xeno quickly stepped out of the car and approached the fuming sniper, who appeared as if he was going to go on a warpath. He has seen Stanley angry before; they have known each other basically their entire lives, yet he has never seen him THIS angry. It was concerning. “Calm yourself! It’s going to be okay-”
“Okay? Okay?! This is the furthest from being okay!” He threw his hands in the air. Any hope of saving this doomed date had passed; now he was just angry. “Seriously! This day can’t go any more wrong-”
BOOM
A sudden crack of thunder roared above, followed soon by a heavy onslaught of rain. Not a drizzle, not a soft sprinkle, no, the type of rain that is strong enough to cancel flights. Stanley would have laughed if he weren’t so close to throwing himself into oncoming traffic.
Xeno tried to salvage his hair by covering it with his hands, but it wasn't doing any good. With a sigh, Stanley slipped off his coat and held it over the silver-haired man’s head.
“Here”
“Stanley, what about you-”
“I’ll be fine, it’s not that bad-” Because God decided to hate Stanley today, a car sped right by, hitting a puddle, which of course splashed and completely drenched Stanley from head to toe. “Great…Just…Great!”
The smart choice would have been to go back inside the car to stay out of the rain. But Stanley simply did not have any fight left in him. He instead decided to plant his ass down on the sidewalk, head in hands as he began to wonder where it all went wrong.
All he wanted was to have a romantic Valentine's Day with his boyfriend. The kind of cheesy and mushy romance that hallmark movies are made of. To one day drop his stoic and cold demeanor and allow himself to be soft, just this once! But no! God dropped his pants, took a fat shit on all his plans cause why not!?
Why on earth should Stanley Synder be allowed to have nice things?
“Stanley…” The sound of dress shoes clicking against the wet pavement let the blonde know that Xeno was standing right behind him. No doubt looking at him the same way you look at a sad, wet puppy. “Perhaps we should call an Uber?”
“Yeah…” Sluggishly, Stanley pulled out his phone from his back pocket. “We should-”
Aaaaand of course his phone dies…
GREAT
“I’ll do it…” Xeno takes out his phone, opening the app. “Should we?...”
“Let’s…” A defeated sigh escaped the hardened soldier. “Just go home…”
Xeno’s thick eyebrows knit together the longer he stared at Stanley, how the blonde sat on his spot on the sidewalk. He looked like a dog who had been left out in the rain, such a sad sight. Xeno could join him, wallow in self-pity like Stanley was determined to do.
But he is a scientist, and if there is one thing scientists are good at, it's finding solutions to even the most complex of problems.
“Do you know what I am craving?” Xeno smiled as he watched Stanley slowly turn to look up at him.
“What?” Confusion written all over his face and voice.
“A cheeseburger”
“A…cheeseburger?”
“Mhm.” Xeno closed his eyes, mouth watering as he pictured it. “With a large fries, and milkshake…”
“Uh, I think…” Xeno extended a hand, which Stanley hesitantly took, allowing the much weaker man to help get back on his feet. “I think I saw a place not too far from here…”
.
.
“Oh yes,” Xeno nearly moaned in delight as he took another big bite of his double bacon cheeseburger. “That hit the spot…”
Stanley smiled as Xeno continued to stuff his face with that greasy monstrosity. The way his cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk was just too cute. “God, I wish my phone were still alive so I could take a picture…” Taking a bite of some food, brown eyes scanned around, taking in the less-than-stellar scenery.
Firstly, it was incredibly small; in total, there were only about 4 tables. Making it clear, this is the type of place where you take your food and go, not sit down and enjoy here. The pictures on the menu looked like it was taken by a phone with its flash on, the tiled floors were filthy, the lights would occasionally flicker, and the walls were painted a ghastly shade of yellow.
Not to mention there was a certain…smell in the air. A smell that Stanley couldn't make out what exactly it was. It was almost like a school cafeteria, with a hint of something else.
And the food, covered in so much grease and salt, if Stanley wasn't in such great shape, he’d worry about getting a heart attack from just smelling it.
“At least the milkshakes don’t have any grease in them,” He though to himself as he took a pretty big sip of Xeno’s shake, much to the scientists’ chagrin.
“You could have ordered your own, you know…”
“I’d rather help you finish yours.” Stanley gave his boyfriend a toothy grin, relishing in the annoyed pout he was given in return.
“This is the type of greed they talk about in the bible”
“You don’t read the bible, how would you know what they're talking about?”
“I know the commandments,” Xeno retorted before taking another bite. “And you just broke one, thou shalt not steal.”
“And last week you lay with a man.” With a playful smirk, Stanley rested his chin on the palm of his hand, “Guess we are both sinners, huh?”
“Yes, I suppose you are right about that.” Xeno took back his milkshake, frowning when he saw how much Stanley had drunk. “Your greed still sickens me, however…”
“...Pfft-”
“Pfft-”
The two broke out in a dumb fit of insane laughter. The cashier, who moments ago was dozing off, was now wide awake. The poor underpaid teenager was confused at first until they remembered the two men who, from head to toe, were dripping wet.
Who stumbled inside about half an hour ago, their nice fancy dress shoes squeaky with each step they took. You would think they would be miserable, but now look at them.
Laughing like idiots.
But it seems like the magic would not last. When Stanley finally caught his breath and his laughter died down, a somber expression rested upon his face. His once shaking shoulders now sagged, and his lips quirked down.
This brief moment of joy was not enough to make him forget the utter mess this day had been.
“Hey Xe…” Stanley looked down at the table, which for some reason felt sticky and greasy at the same time. “Sorry that today was such a lousy Valentine's…not exactly what you had in mind, huh?”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Stan.” Xeno dipped his fries in some ketchup before stuffing them into his mouth. “I had fun.”
“You-” Stanley lifted his head so fast, he almost gave himself whiplash. “How?! Today was horrible!” He pushed his burger wrapper to the side, resting his elbows as he leaned over. “Everything went wrong! The suit I was going wear shrank in the dryer, so I had to wear this old one! Which not only smelled funky, but also had this stupid stain that I had to cover with the corsage I wore at homecoming-”
“I knew it looked familiar.”
“Then your roses got squished! We were stuck in traffic for two- not one, two hours! Our reservation was cancelled! My car broke down, and we got soaked in the rain! How the fuck would that be considered fun?”
“Because…” Xeno’s eyes softened, and he wore a serene smile as he gazed at the man in front of him. He looked at Stanley as if he held the moon on a string. “I was with you…” The blonde’s painted lips clamped shut, all complaints he had died on his lips as he heard those four simple words. Xeno rested his chin on his palm, adoring the dumbstruck look on his boyfriend’s face. “It doesn’t matter to me in the slightest what we are doing or where we are. 3 Michelin-starred restaurant or some greasy little burger joint, as long as I am with you…I couldn't ask for a more perfect evening…”
“Wow…” Stanley ignored how hot his face felt, instead smirking, though with how red his face was, it probably looked silly. “How cheesy…”
“I call it being romantic, now.” Picking up the dessert menu, Xeno’s eyes had that twinkle shining in them. “Do you wish to share a sundae?”
“Yeah…” Stanley finally allowed himself to smile, relaxing into his seat as all his fears of a ruined Valentine's Day floated away. “Yeah, I do…”
He doesn’t know the next time he and Xeno will be able to spend Valentine’s Day together. It could be next year, or it could be the year after that. Whatever the case may be, he is just going to ask Xeno to spend a lazy day inside with him. If today taught him anything, it’s that fancy outings are overrated.
Next Valentine’s, he is just going to order takeout and cuddle on the couch with his man.
Yeah…
That sounds much more romantic.