Work Text:
Once Stanley accepted the task and he was not considered an enemy anymore, Senku and his team accompanied him around to show him the progress made in recent years and explaining the details of the mission he would be participating in. Everyone (or rather, those who had experienced his ruthlessness on their skin) looked at him with skepticism as he passed by.
When Xeno and Stanley finally reached their home, the home purposefully built near the new space center where the scientist has been working for the last five years, waiting for the moment Stanley would be back.
It has always been their home to Xeno. There were the soldier's cigarettes and lighter resting on one of the nightstands on either side of the king size bed. Inside the closet rested Stanley's old clothes, and the new ones Xeno had secretly commissioned Yuzuriha to make. On the desk, rested a tube of purple lipstick, the one Xeno had made for his beloved when they woke up from petrification. For Xeno it was like a way to trick his brain into believing Stanley was still here with him. But now, Stanley was looking around, scanning the house that had silently awaited him for five years.
"You've been awfully quiet, Xe", the soldier broke the silence, "Senku made all the explanations, and you love explaining things to me."
Xeno replied with a hint of a smile, almost imperceptible. His hands were hidden behind his back, a pose he assumed to appear confident, hiding his true emotions.
Stanley could sense the tension Xeno's body and mind were going through. As Senku explained to him a few minutes prior, he had been petrified for five years, five long years in which Xeno has lived without him. He surely needed some time to elaborate everything, and since he wasn't used to showing his deepest emotions, the soldier wanted to give him the space he needed to open up at his own pace.
Stanley leaned back on the desk, leaving Xeno enough distance. He removed his gauntlets "These were definitely your idea. They're cool, but too impractical for holding firearms. Is this what you're into? You were serious about that princess in distress thing," he teased.
"Quite perceptive, Stan," Xeno chuckled —finally a smile blossoming on those soft lips— and he approached Stanley as his hands were now free from the gauntlets he had made for him.
The blond could see the tension through Xeno's body. He avoided eye contact, and the jugular vein in his neck pulsed rapidly, revealing his fast heartbeat. But he didn't rush him and waited patiently, just as his beloved did for five years.
Xeno removed his white gloves, freeing himself from the gloves he used to work, placing them next to Stanley's, and gently took the soldier's wrist, bringing the strong but gentle hand closer to his face.
"Again," he murmured once the sniper's fingers were close enough to brush his soft skin. It sounded almost like a desperate plea, hidden behind a composed demeanor.
Stanley smiled, he immediately understood what his beloved was longing for. He cupped Xeno's face with both his hands, earning a sigh of surprise from the scientist. He gently brushed Xeno's cheeks and lips with his thumbs, the scientist melting under his soft touch, closing his eyes. He had never felt so alive in those five years, and without him even realizing it, pearly drops started to shine at the sides of his eyes.
Xeno wrapped his slender fingers around Stanley's wrists, as a plea to keep going, to not let go, but Stanley suddenly stopped the caresses on his face, a groan of dissent escaping the scientist's lips as he slowly opened his humid eyes.
"Let's get more comfortable, mh?" the sniper proposed as they looked into each other's eyes, green galaxies and deep, black holes attracting one another.
Xeno nodded in agreement, and the two of them settled onto the bed — their bed — Stanley's hands back on caressing his beloved's face.
He moved closer until their foreheads gently touched, and their noses brushed against each other.
"Can I kiss you?" the blond whispered. He was dying to kiss his beloved the moment he was depetrified, longing for those lips as never before, but he wanted to give his beloved the time he needed.
Xeno nodded, smiling. Their eyes met, filled with love, conveying feelings far deeper than words ever could.
The sniper pressed his tinted lips on Xeno's, seeing how he adorably closed his eyes. When their lips finally met, Xeno was hit by the emotions he had bottled up for years, all at once. Copious tears began to stream down his face as he pressed himself against the soldier, fisting the fabric of his uniform.
They pulled away to catch their breath, heavy breathing filling the room.
"Stan–" his beloved's name died in his throat, caught in a burning knot.
"I'm here," Stanley breathed a few inches from his face, comforting him "I'm here, Xe," he continued, stealing sweet and quick kisses all over his face, drying the tears by kissing them, the salty droplets vanishing on his lips.
"You were less stiff on our first kiss, Xe," Stanley said playfully, in an attempt to make Xeno smile and lighten the mood, making the scientist successfully giggle, another smile blossoming on those beautiful lips, now marked with purple lipstick.
The emotional load was too much even for a resolute soldier like Stanley Snyder. He bit his lips, trying in vain to hold back tears, a sniff escaping him, surprising Xeno. It was the second time in all his life he saw the soldier cry. The first one was when they were younger, a long time ago.
"Oh, Stan," the scientist called softly as he moved a hand over his beloved's cheek, the sniper leaning to the gentle touch, kissing the palm of Xeno's hand as warm tears fell on the scientist's skin.
Accompanied by his beloved's sweet touch, Stanley started to remove the scientist's coat "Still no outside clothes on the bed, right?" he playfully asked while his fingertips tickled Xeno's covered skin.
How he had missed being taken care of by his beloved, being carried away by his caring touch and attentions after a long day.
The soldier loosened the purple tie, removing it, and unbuttoned his shirt, his trembling hands betraying him. He gently slid the white shirt down Xeno's lean body, and let his fingers wander over it, from his chest to his abdomen, tickling the sensitive skin as he passed by.
"You've lost some weight," Stanley pointed out, his hands resting on the slim waist. "Have they been treating you well?"
"Francois... They always provide me with healthy food. It's just the stress."
"Mh," Stanley replied, making his way through Xeno's trousers, unbuttoning them and letting the scientist remove them.
Once he was done with Xeno, Stanley began to unbutton his own uniform, when the scientist interrupted him "Let me do it."
Slender, trembling fingers undressed the soldier, as he smiled tenderlessly at his beloved.
Xeno let his hand drift across Stanley's strong body. The skin felt soft under his touch, the skin which once was adorned by scars, tangible proof of his military past, healed by petrification.
Once Xeno's hand reached Stanley's face, the latter took the thin wrist, kissing it and leaving purple marks around it.
"Let's go to bed," he whispered against the milky skin, receiving a nod of agreement from the scientist.
They got under the covers, intertwining their bodies in a warm embrace, Xeno clinging tightly to the soldier as if he was scared he could lose him again, as if he wouldn't be here next morning. He buried his face against the soldier's neck, inhaling his intoxicating natural scent mixed with the one of tobacco, the scent to which he was addicted, that he desperately searched on the blond's old clothes, which he hugged every night to fall asleep, wetting them with his tears. Even though it had been years since Stanley used them, the tobacco's strong smell had never faded, being Xeno's only comfort in those five years.
But now it was different. Xeno could feel their bodies touching, he could feel the soldier's warm skin and scent engulfing him in a tender hug, he could feel their hearts beating in unison.
Broken sobs filled the room as hot tears tickled Stanley's neck, the latter alternating sweet words with soft kisses on the scientist's forehead.
"I thought I would have to wait who knows how much longer, Stan," the scientist sobbed.
Stanley held him tightly, caressing his candid skin, comforting him, soothing words and caresses that gently lulled Xeno to sleep.
The next morning, warm rays of sun filtered through the windows, gently kissing Xeno's eyes and waking him up. He instinctively stretched out his arm, reaching for his beloved, but found an empty bed.
It was just another dream, he thought, closing his eyes back and exhaling heavily, still groggy from sleep.
The indistinguishable aroma of tobacco and coffee lingered in the air, the familiar mix inebriating Xeno's nostrils and jolting him awake. His eyes widened and he suddenly got up, looking around, desperately searching for the person he loved the most.
When he opened the bedroom door, a sudden collision made him lose his balance. He thought that he would fall to the ground, but something, or rather someone, grabbed him firmly before it could happen.
"You okay, Xe?"
When Xeno looked up, he saw Stanley with a cup of coffee in his hand, holding his waist tightly with the other.
Xeno was speechless. It wasn't a dream. The man he loved the most was standing before him. He regained balance, the strong hand still firm around his waist.
"I made coffee," the sniper announced, gently guiding Xeno back to bed.
Once Xeno was comfortably seated, Stanley placed the cup in his hands and sat on his side, at the edge of the bed.
"Good morning, Xe," he finally greeted the scientist, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.
Xeno gently cupped Stanley's face with his free hand, admiring him as if he couldn't believe he was real. But those two emerald eyes looking at him full of love, for how dreamy and gorgeous they were, definitely weren't a trick of his imagination.
"Thank you, Stan. Ah, I think I'm late again," the scientist complained before taking a sip of his coffee, the bitter taste deliciously spreading in his mouth.
Stanley kissed him, savoring the coffee residue on Xeno's lips. Oh, only God knew how much he missed it, the taste of tobacco and coffee intersecting in his mouth after kissing his beloved.
"You can stay at home today. I already got Senku's okay," the soldier revealed.
"Oh, Stan. I would love to, but the Moon Mis–" the sniper interrupted him with another kiss, this time more intense, revealing a certain neediness.
"Please" was the only word Stanley needed, along with showing off his big puppy eyes, to convince Xeno.
The scientist took a sip from his cup, avoiding the blond's gaze, a hint of pink spreading across his cheeks. Those eyes were still his greatest weakness.
"Alright, alright. But how did you convince Senku?"
"I didn't really do much. He said he'd rather you get a day of rest than spend the whole day watching us being all nauseatingly lovey-dovey."
"That sounds like him," the scientist chuckled, taking another sip. "So, what do you want to do today?"
"A smug, satisfied smile blossomed on Stanley's purple lips, as he laid down on the bed, over Xeno's legs, circling his hips with his arms and nuzzling his face against his lap.
"Do you think we can stay home all day?" he asked, closing his eyes, deeply inhaling his beloved musky scent.
Xeno smiled, caressing his soft blond hair as he took a sip of coffee. Stanley was back, and he was the same clingy Stanley as ever
"We can."