Chapter Text
Xeno absolutely did not want to be here. Byakuya Ishigami had dragged him here; that man really didn’t know how to take no for an answer. Overall, the entire pub was completely inelegant, like a patchwork of all different decor in each adjoining room, with every bar game and activity you could think of. Xeno settled at the table that Byakuya had picked for the group of NASA employees. Xeno ordered nothing more than a soda water; he had no interest in getting intoxicated at the moment.
As Xeno observed all the people in the bar, they all seemed to be the bumbling idiot type, here to decompress from whatever stress they encountered this week. Most of the areas of the large pub were overly loud, including the room he was in, and he really didn’t care for it. Unfortunately, Xeno was obligated to take Byakuya home after a few drinks, so he couldn’t leave for a while. He really did hate that man, but at the same time, he just couldn’t shake him off.
After 15 minutes, he stood up and went to walk around to the other areas to see if there was another area he’d prefer to spend the time in until Byakuya was sufficiently drunk.
As he moved into one of the quieter areas used mainly for the more strategic of board and card games, there was one person that Xeno noticed immediately. He stuck out from the crowd of idiots with his blond hair pristinely styled, deep purple lipstick, and this elegant certainty about him.
He was interesting, somewhat captivating in a way Xeno couldn't quite quantify, and that immediately made him feel a desire to understand the strange man. Maybe if he knew more about him, there would be a clear answer to why Xeno was so drawn in.
For the time being, he kept his distance. The blond seemed to be in a group, and he’d rather observe from a distance until he knew more about the man’s nature. To mask the reason for his presence there, he grabbed a deck of cards from the shelf and sat at a small empty table, setting up a game of Russian solitaire for himself.
Xeno did play through the game; it was a nice distraction from the mess of people around. He was still paying some of his attention to the blond, carefully so he wouldn't take notice. In these brief moments, he saw how the man moved a toothpick around in his mouth like a constant oral fixation, how he held himself with precision and still gave off this feeling of terrifying stillness.
Xeno mostly focused on his game. After all, getting caught staring would not be elegant. Just as he was about to finish his second round of the difficult variant of solitaire, which he did with ease, he went to look at the blond again, only to catch the man staring at him. Xeno looked away again, hiding any of his own embarrassment; he hadn’t really been caught, but it still felt like it. Looking up, he saw the same blonde man with purple lipstick had approached his table.
Then the unknown man spoke, “Mind if I join you?” His voice was smooth, almost melodic in its casual tone.
Xeno’s expression barely changed, but he nodded, “I don’t mind,” he responded, similarly casual.
As the blond sat down across from him, Xeno finished the last couple of moves of his game, winning the deal with ease. He gathered the cards and set them to the side.
“I haven't seen you here before. This your first time?” The blond asked.
Xeno hummed slightly, “Yes, I was dragged along by a co-worker.” Xeno knew he lacked small talk skills, not knowing what to ask or when. In reality, he didn't care for the mind-numbing formula of small talk; he preferred to discuss more interesting things, such as science. Small talk was inelegant.
The blond man nodded, “You work at NASA then, saw you come in with Byakuya.” He said casually. Something prickled in Xeno slightly; this man had noticed him when he came in. For some reason, he felt a little proud of that.
“Yes, Ishigami seems determined to make me miserable; he simply won’t let me be,” Xeno said with slight distaste.
The blond smirked slightly. “You can’t blame him, you’re quite intriguing,” he said quietly, seeming to analyze every visible aspect of Xeno.
Xeno felt warm under the man’s gaze, but he refused to let that show externally; it was inelegant to be affected by something so simple. He raised an eyebrow slightly, leaning back in his chair and crossing one leg over the other, “How so?” he asked coolly, appraising the man across from him just as intently.
The blond smiled as if taking on the challenge. “You come to a casual bar in unnecessarily formal work attire, talk to nobody, and instead decide to play the most complicated game of solitaire I’ve ever seen. I’d call that intriguing.”
Xeno allowed a slight smirk to occupy his face. “Certainly not more intriguing than a military man wearing the most elegant shade of purple lipstick and flawless hair choosing to spend his time talking to such a socially disconnected individual.”
The blond opposite him huffed slightly, almost a laugh. He leaned forward and offered a handshake to Xeno, “Stanley Snyder.”
Xeno hesitated slightly before shaking his hand and responding, “Dr. Xeno Houston Wingfield. Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he said, releasing the handshake with perfectly elegant timing. So far, so good. Xeno had gotten the attention of the only person here he had even the slightest interest in. He simply had no idea what to do next, shuffling the deck of cards again, a simple way to help him think.
Stanley leaned back in his seat again, smiling slightly. “Would you like to play a game, Dr?” he said in a casual tone. Stanley seemed to be so casual while still showing an intense interest. A truly elegant balance that Xeno strives for himself.
“What game are you thinking of? There’s quite a variety available at this establishment,” Xeno responded calmly.
“Poker?” Stanley answered after a moment of thought.
Xeno smirked slightly. “I’m guaranteed to win, I’ll play if you don’t mind that outcome.”
“In that case, I’ll make you a deal too. Each time either of us wins a game against the other, they get to ask a question, and the other person will answer honestly.” Stanley paused before making eye contact and continuing, “What do you think? You’re guaranteed the first question.” Stanley said all of this in a slow, melodic cadence, keeping the pressure low yet offering a bit of a challenge.
Xeno felt his heart skip a beat. He was being offered a structured way to learn more about Stanley and a promise to spend more time together in the process, which was the best-case scenario for him. “You’ve got a deal,” he said with a smirk.
They started their game of poker.
As promised, Xeno won. Poker was mostly skill and logic after all.
Stanley only smiled slightly at the outcome. He knew it was coming from the beginning, but despite his best efforts, Xeno simply had the most skill in this area. “Well done. What’s your question for me, Xeno?” he asked, observing him with that same glint of curiosity in his eyes.
Xeno had spent much of the poker game weighing his options when it came to the question portion of the arrangement. He had concluded that by asking him out now, Stanley might lose interest too quickly for his liking. Based on the strategies that he used in poker and the assumptions he can make from the appearance of the rest of the group he came with, Xeno could infer that Stanley lacks a certain amount of patience when it comes to most things.
“Which of your achievements are you most proud of? could be your position, awards, competitions, relationships, whatever else,” he asked, watching as Stanley thought about his answer.
Stanley never would’ve expected that to be the question Xeno would ask, but then again, he didn’t really know what he expected the scientist to ask him. After a moment, he responded, “Well, my greatest achievement is probably my military rank, but I’m most proud of the first shooting competition I won. I was ten, and I beat veterans up to five times my age. Nothing else has ever been so satisfying.” Stanley was smirking widely now, recalling the looks on the faces of all the older men when he beat them all by a large margin.
Xeno smiled slightly. “How elegant, you understood how your firearm worked better at ten than countless other gunmen.” At that moment, Xeno felt like he was being drawn in. He wanted to know more about Stanley, hear more of his stories.
“XENOOOOOOO, IT’S TIME TO GO!” Byakuya yelled as he came scrambling towards Xeno. The spell was broken, and Xeno was instantly irritated all over again. “Ugh, how many drinks did you have, Ishigami?” he complained as the man collapsed on him. Xeno held him away by his shoulders.
Byakuya continued to talk about unrelated, surface-level, and obvious things as Xeno tried to get him to stand up on his own so that he himself could stand up. Stanley stood up and held up Byakuya while Xeno got himself sorted. “Thank you, Stanley. I suppose it’s time we go.” Xeno said, expecting Stanley to offload the drunk byakuya to his shoulder and go back to his group. Instead, he only adjusted his grip. “I’ll help you get him to the car. Looks like he could crush you if you’re not careful,” he said in a slightly teasing tone.
Xeno felt himself blush ever so slightly, and he let out a small huff of an irritated laugh. “Fine if you insist,” he said playfully as he led them out of the bar and down the street. Byakuya was talking the entire time about absolutely nothing. He did seem to recognize Stanley; they must have had a handful of conversations over the years that they’d both been regulars at the bar. Stanley seems to be perfectly capable of distracting the drunk man so that he wouldn’t try to talk to Xeno more than necessary.
When they made it to Xeno’s car, Stanley deposited Byakuya into the passenger’s seat, and Xeno gave him a barf bag that he kept in his car, just in case. Stanley closed the door and looked over the car towards Xeno. “Thank you again for the assistance, Stanley.” he paused for a moment. “I hope to see you again,” he added calmly, an ever-so slight smile on his face.
Stanley’s expression was similar: a small smile and an intensely curious gaze. “You will,” he said quietly before beginning to head back towards the bar once more.
Xeno stood there for a second longer, watching him leave before getting into his car. He’d see him again.
— — — — —
Stanley felt a slight buzzing under his skin as he walked back to the pub. There was something so infuriatingly interesting about Xeno. From the moment that the NASA group showed up Xeno had stuck out to Stanley. Not only was he a new face but he also had a very different way of holding himself in interacting with the space. He seemed to glide through the crowd, his expression so perfectly passive. Stanley was immediately interested in the man with silver hair.
Over the course of the evening, Stanley hid his excitement as Xeno entered the room he’d been sat. Stanley felt the man’s eyes on him from time to time and decided to make a move when they made eye contact.
Then he made that deal, one he didn’t regret. It meant he gets to keep Xeno in his life, keep him curious. Stanley wanted to know more about him, any part of himself he had to show was worth it.