Work Text:
When Stanley opened the door to Xeno and his shared apartment, he was mildly surprised to find a distinct lack of Xeno. The apartment itself was dark and silent, and, considering it was only 10 pm, it certainly wasn't 'cause Xeno was sleeping. He might be a nerd, but he was damn strict about bedtimes.
Or maybe that was because he was a nerd?
Either way, he wouldn't go to sleep until midnight, so that meant he wasn't in the apartment. That in and of itself wasn't strange; it wasn't like Xeno knew Stanley was getting back from deployment today, considering Stanley had told him he'd be back in a week. Because of that, he didn't know to wait for him or pick him up from the airport, which was fine since that's what Stanley had been planning.
Still left the minor issue of, because Xeno didn't know to wait for him, he… didn't wait for him.
Ah, well, whatever, it was an easy fix.
Stanley shifted the bouquet of flowers in his arm, careful to keep them away from his cigarette, as he pulled out his phone. Quickly, he navigated over to his 'find my friends' app and found that the GPS coordinates for Xeno's phone were a couple of blocks away at a bar.
Great.
Stanley didn't feel particularly bad for cyber-stalking his best friend and lifelong crush, considering it had been Xeno's idea in the first place. The nerd had major control issues, not that Stanley really gave a fuck. Stanley was more than happy to just go along with whatever Xeno wanted as long as it put a smile on his face. As such, when Xeno had casually suggested they track each other's GPS locations via their phones and carefully placed airtags, Stanley had just shrugged and decided he could see the use in it. Not like it was hurting anyone.
Well, it wasn't like those trackers were hurting anyone. The tracker that could potentially hurt someone was the monstrosity hidden inside the little Xeno doll he kept attached to his dog tags. That fucker could put the militaries of every government on earth to shame since its purpose was to track Stanley's location on his deployments, regardless of where he was.
That one could certainly get Xeno, and himself, put up on treason charges if the government ever found out about it, not that Xeno seemed to give a shit. As for Stanley… Shit, he just couldn't say no to that adorable face, especially when he insisted it was because he was just so concerned about his safety.
It was sweet, and it made Stanley want to kiss him even more.
But he couldn't. Because, despite everything, Xeno was his best friend and only his best friend.
That was a fact he'd accepted a very long time ago.
But that was fine. As long as he got to remain by Xeno's side, Stanley was happy.
It took about fifteen minutes of walking, but eventually he reached the bar Xeno's phone was pinging from which, presumably, was where Xeno was. Or it was where just his phone was, in which case Stanley was going to have to kick some punk's asses for stealing his phone.
Fortunately for everyone involved, Stanley located Xeno pretty damn fast as soon as he stepped into the bar.
Xeno was slumped over the counter, his bright white hair sticking out among the dull browns and low light of his surroundings. There were more than a few people milling about and having a drink, but fortunately, it seems they all decided to give Xeno a wide berth, likely because Xeno started bitching at them like they gave a damn, and they simply didn't want to deal with it.
Whatever, it made things easier for Stanley.
Stanley tossed the remnants of his cigarette and silently slipped onto the barstool next to his best friend. He set the flowers down on the sticky bartop between them, partially lying on Xeno's shoulder. Xeno jumped a tad then lifted his head, already scowling and hissing mad. However, after a moment, it seemed to register that Stanley wasn't some random asshole, but, in fact, himself.
"Stan?" Xeno slurred.
"Yo Xeno," Stanley replied. "How're you doing? You look like shit."
"I feel like shit," Xeno rubbed his eyes as he sat up, unconsciously gathering the flowers into his arms, something that made Stanley's heart skip a few beats. "What are you doing here? I thought you were coming back next week?"
"Yeah, I lied, surprise," Stanley hummed as he put a new cigarette in his mouth but didn't light it.
Xeno groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "You should have told me, I would have picked you up from the airport, or at least not gotten myself into such an inelegant state."
"It's fine," Stanley replied. "Did you walk or drive here?"
"Walk."
"And how were you planning to get home if you're wasted?"
Xeno remained silent for a moment, continuing to massage the bridge of his nose. Finally, after a few long minutes, he said, "I hadn't… thought that far ahead."
Stanley chuckled, "Fucking dumbass."
Xeno scowled at him as his grip tightened on the bouquet, which seemed to prompt him to realize he was holding a bouquet in the first place. Xeno looked down at the flowers nestled in his halfway limp arm, his eyes scanning the blossoms before muttering, "What's this?"
"Surprise again, got you some flowers," Stanley replied, motioning to the bartender for a drink. Not a lot, of course, he still needed to be sober enough to take Xeno's drunkass home, but might as well have a little.
"You know," Xeno turned to him, "It's usually customary for the family or friends of a returning soldier to give them flowers, not the other way around."
Stanley just shrugged as the bartender gave him a shot of whiskey with a muttered 'thank you for your service', which Stanley returned with a nod, "Eh, just felt like it. Figured you could use a pick-me-up, which I was right about, and you've always liked elegant things. You know, the white peonies in there actually mean elegance?"
Xeno hummed at that, "Well, I greatly appreciate it, Stan, they're lovely. Still, you shouldn't have gone out of your way-"
"I did-"
"Don't cut me off, you know I hate that," Xeno scowled.
Stanley took a long sip of his whiskey, and the pair descended into silence as the soldier patiently awaited what Xeno was going to say next that got him so up in arms that he was interrupted. However, as Stanley had suspected, he didn't actually have anything else to follow that up with.
The silence stretched a few more moments as Xeno continued to scowl, likely to get his stupid point across, before finally saying, "...But continue."
"I didn't go out of my way," Stanley continued without comment on Xeno's ridiculousness. Xeno always got a bit testier about the dumbest shit when he was drunk, so it was to be expected. "There was a place at the airport, like a little stall thing. Just picked it up from there real quick on impulse."
Xeno hummed at that, once more looking over the flowers, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face. "They are very elegant."
Stanley gave a hum that he desperately hoped sounded nonchalant. Truthfully, Stanley was lying out of his ass, something that a sober Xeno likely would have picked up on, but it seems he's done well enough to trick drunk Xeno, and, hopefully, sober Xeno tomorrow morning would simply continue to accept the lie as the truth.
Because the real truth was way more embarrassing.
The actual, real truth was that this hadn't been an impulse buy at all, but instead something meticulously planned. It had been a bitch to find a place online near the airport that did custom bouquets with all the flowers that he wanted, but it had been worth it. The bouquet was perfect, and seeing the flowers, seeing Stanley's feelings in physical form, cradled so gently in Xeno's arms, made it all worth it.
If Xeno knew what those flowers really meant, the blush peonies, red gardenias, yellow cacias, white yarrows, purple heliotropes, and daffodils, then… Stanley wasn't sure how he'd react. But he certainly wouldn't be cradling them like they were something precious. Perhaps he'd be weirded out? Dismissive? Maybe he'd even try to convince Stanley that he was being ridiculous.
Whatever the case may be, it didn't matter. Because Xeno didn't care about flowers for anything other than their function and, to a lesser extent, their form and beauty. He didn't give a damn about symbology or the language of flowers or anything like that. Hell, he probably didn't even know they had means aside from roses being 'romantic'.
So, Stanley just finished off his whiskey and handed his card to the bartender with a silent request to pay for Xeno's tab.
"I'm glad you like 'em, but I think it's time to head home," Stanley replied. "I'm ninety percent sure you have work tomorrow, and it's already half past ten."
"That's…" Xeno grumbled as Stanley got his card back and got the drunk rocket scientist to his feet, "I'll just call in sick. I want to take time off to spend with you anyway."
"Go to work tomorrow, get your shit in order, and then take time off," Stanley replied as he guided Xeno towards the door, the scientist stumbling along the way. "Imagine how pissed you'll be if you get back and some junior science intern fucks up all your shit and now you have to redesign the whole rocket or whatever they're having you work on at the moment."
"Is he really a NASA scientist?" some random guy sat by the door with his buddies asked as Stanley could see Xeno's face flush red, which was Stanley's only warning that he was about to blow his top, ranting about something. "He said so, but I don't think anyone believed him, I certainly didn-"
"They rejected my fucking project again, Stanley!" Xeno hissed as he turned on Stanley. "I did everything they asked! I simplified the proposal for those imbecilic, dementia-riddled pieces of shit. I got the proposal nearly under budget, and I even managed to shorten the projected duration of time I would need to focus on it to get the fuel operational! Those monkey-brained, impotent fucking idiots need to be fucking shot! Stan, can you shoot them for me?"
"He's been bitching about that all night," one of the other guys muttered, and Stanley sighed.
"Yes, he's an actual NASA scientist, the best one there. And no, I cannot shoot them for you, Xeno," Stanley replied to both of them.
At least, he couldn't agree to shooting them in public.
"But Stan," Xeno whined as Stanley continued to shuffle him out the door, "Your skills are elegant, you're the best sniper in the Marines' Special Forces. You're the youngest captain in the history of the organization. Such a trifling task is certainly within your abilities."
"Holy shit, thanks for your service, dude," one of the men called out as the whole group raised their beers to him. Stanley just nodded before shuffling Xeno the rest of the way out of the bar.
"Of course I could," Stanley sighed as he finally got Xeno out into the crisp night air. "This isn't a matter of skill, Xeno. Obviously, I could kill anyone you asked. But you can't ask me that in public."
"Why not?" Xeno frowned as he continued to stumble and sway his way down the sidewalk, only saved from eating shit on the pavement by Stanley's steady arm. "Wouldn't you do it for me if I asked?"
"I'd do anything you asked Xe," Stanley sighed. "But if we're publicly talking about assassinating your bosses, then whose door do you think the FBI is gonna start knocking on when they show up dead? I don't want you to get in trouble, doc."
Xeno hummed as he once more nearly fell over, the flowers still tucked in his arms jostling and losing a few petals, "That's an excellent point, Stanley, and quite an inelegant predicament we've gotten ourselves into. If only I ruled the world, things would be so much… better."
Stanley huffed a laugh, "I know that's a place I'd like to live in at least."
Xeno nearly fell over again before Stanley sighed and knelt down in front of him, "Hop on my back."
There was a brief moment of silence as Stanley imagined Xeno was running through any number of excuses about 'not being that drunk', but after Stanley heard Xeno shuffle behind him once more, he finally felt Xeno's full weight collapse against his back, the bouquet and Xeno's arms thrown haphazardly over his shoulders.
Stanley got Xeno's legs situated before standing up once more and continuing the trek home, this time at a much faster, easier pace, as he didn't have to deal with Xeno throwing himself in every direction.
"They're all fools, Stan," Xeno muttered in his ear. "None of them understands the true elegance of science. I can't rely on anyone but you. Even now, you're the only one who cares, the only one who takes care of me. What would I do without you, my dearest friend?"
Stanley swallowed hard at that before replying, his voice thicker than he'd like, "Guess you'll never find out, 'cause I'll always be here for you, Xeno."
Stanley could feel Xeno blink at that, his eyelashes brushing Stanley's cheek and sending goosebumps all along his spine. Xeno took in a bit more air in a breath that almost sounded like a gasp as the drunken scientist's grip on the bouquet tightened.
"Yes," Xeno breathed quietly in what almost sounded like a revelation, "I suppose you're right about that, Stan."
The rest of the walk home continued in silence, and by the time they reached the apartment, Xeno was already asleep, the bouquet still tightly held in his grip.
-----------------------------------------
The next few days passed as normal. Xeno went to work, Stanley cooked him breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and generally the two of them spent time together as they always did when Stanley was back from deployment. The bouquet was absent the morning after Stanley had given it to him, as it would seem Xeno had decided to take it to work to display it in his office, though Stanley wasn't exactly sure why.
Xeno wasn't the type of guy to bring any of the gifts or knick-knacks Stanley gave him to work, preferring to keep his work life and private life separate. Besides, if his coworkers saw the flowers on his desk, they might get the wrong idea.
Not that Stanley would be opposed to that, quite the opposite in fact. Honestly, Stanley would prefer that Xeno give his coworkers the wrong idea. Stanley had no idea if any of Xeno's coworkers harbored a flame for him; if they did, Xeno either didn't notice or didn't mention it. But if they did, hopefully the flowers would ward them off and get them to bark up another tree.
What a selfish asshole Stanley was.
Stanley knew Xeno wouldn't return his affections; it's been fifteen years, and Xeno has never given the slightest indication of thinking of Stanley as anything more than his 'ultimate knight'. And yet, the thought of Xeno moving on with someone else…
Stanley might be a selfish bastard and a terrible friend, but he didn't want that. He didn't want Xeno to move on to someone else, to kiss anyone other than him. It would destroy him, he knew it would and…
Stanley just didn't get it. If he was so great, if Xeno truly thought he was so 'elegant', then why wasn't he good enough?
What did he have to do to make Xeno look at him? To really look at him and see… Stanley didn't know, just… whatever Xeno was looking for. Because whatever it was, Stanley would do it, be it, accomplish it.
He could do anything, as long as Xeno asked.
So why? Why didn't he ask?
"Stanley?"
Stanley looked up from where he was idly browsing on his phone, not even paying attention to whatever it was he was looking at. He grunted in response as he looked up at Xeno as he slung a tie around a new dress shirt.
Odd.
Xeno had gotten home around twenty minutes ago and, after greeting him, had disappeared into his bedroom to get changed out of his work clothes and, presumably, into something more comfortable. And yet, here he was, still dressed up.
"Are we going somewhere?" Stanley asked, and Xeno smirked in response.
"An elegant conclusion, Stanley, and a correct one. Get changed, we have a reservation to attend in an hour," Xeno replied.
Stanley shrugged and got up to get changed himself. It wasn't abnormal for Xeno to drag him places whenever he was back. Anytime the man wanted to do anything, he always wanted his trusty knight at his side, not that Stanley was complaining. There never even needed to be a rhyme or reason for it either. Sometimes the man just felt like having a fancy dinner, so he and Stanley went to a fancy restaurant. Stanley wasn't even sure why, as half the time the man complained that the food wasn't as good as Stanley's anyway.
But again, Stanley wasn't complaining, especially when he got to silently pretend that these little outings were dates.
Perhaps not the healthiest coping mechanism, to pretend like he was dating Xeno if only for a night. But it felt so fucking good that Stanley couldn't help it. Quickly but methodically, he made sure he looked perfect. It wasn't a date, but if it was a date, then he'd want to look perfect for Xeno.
But it wasn't a date.
But god did he want it to be a date.
It was a feeling that only intensified when they arrived at the restaurant.
It was swanky as hell, glass-beaded chandeliers catching the light like sundroplets frozen in a perpetual state of rain and pristine white marble with thick black and shimmering gold veins arching through it like lightning bolts in the sky. Every surface was immaculate, every curve and edge meticulously designed to evoke the elegance Xeno loved. And even more than that, it was a penthouse. So large floor-to-ceiling windows showed off a breathtaking view of the sunset over the Houston skyline.
The place really screamed 'date night' but in a rich people way. Hell, the vast majority of the other occupants were either couples or sugar daddies with way-too-young models on their arms.
Stanley could practically feel the hole burning in his pocket from how much this was going to cost, but he didn't really mind. Both he and Xeno made over six figures, and neither of them were exactly splurging, or even living to their means, really.
They had more than enough money to burn on some fancy… whatever the fuck they served here.
"The ambiance here is rather elegant, wouldn't you agree, my dear Stan?" Xeno hummed as they were seated at a small table by the window. Stanley hummed at that as he glanced around and, yeah, it was, he guessed. The lights were surprisingly gentle now that they were actually in the restaurant itself, unlike the bright ass 'entrance to heaven' treatment they got at the door.
Now it seemed like only each individual table was lit by more of those glassy/gold droplet chandelier things over each table, acting like spotlights. It honestly put Stanley's teeth on edge a bit, as if someone were highlighting both him and Xeno. It made them easy targets.
"Yeah," Stanley agreed as he took a sip of his water.
Xeno frowned as he raised an eyebrow, "That was your tense 'I'm uncomfortable, but I'm not gonna say anything about it' yeah, Stan. Tell me what's bothering you. I want you to have an elegant evening."
Stanley sighed at that. There really wasn't getting anything by his nerdy control freak of a best friend. It was times like these that Stanley used to joke that Xeno would invent new spyware just to use on him, like a chip that would read his mind and send all his thoughts to Xeno's phone or something. But then Xeno started getting a bit too pleased with the ideas, so Stanley thought it better not to encourage him.
There were some thoughts Stanley had that, for the sake of their relationship, were best left to himself. Like how great Xeno's ass looked in those dress pants or how much he wanted to bite his chubby cheeks.
Or how much he was in love with him.
"The lighting is a bit… exposing," Stanley replied after a moment.
Xeno blinked, then idly looked up at the chandelier above them before glancing around at how the light pooled around their table and everyone else's. "It's called pin-spotting or accent spotlighting," Xeno began. "It's when the lighting in a room, especially in restaurants, is kept deliberately dim in all areas bar the actual tables, using lights between 2700k-3000k color tones. This is so that the food on the table is especially vibrant and appetizing, as well as to promote an air of intimacy between the guests sharing a meal."
"Huh," Stanley smiled as he shoved a toothpick in his mouth, already aware of the catastrophic shitstorm he'd bring down on his ass if he even thought about reaching for a cig. "When the hell did you become an expert in restaurant lighting?"
"A few days ago," Xeno replied. "I wanted to make sure that the restaurant chosen for this evening was perfect in every conceivable way. I spared no thought or expense to ensure this night was perfect, though…" Xeno frowned slightly, "It seems I may have overlooked your sharpened instincts in this matter. Tell me, Stan, you aren't feeling anxious or on edge, are you? If you're uncomfortable, we can leave."
Was he uncomfortable? A little. But that's mostly because he's pretty sure he's assassinated a political target in conditions much like these once before. It was just now, the shoe was on the other foot.
Whatever, it's fine, nobody was gonna try and snipe them. He was just overreacting.
"Eh, it's fine," Stan replied with a shrug, "This place is nice. Though I gotta ask, what's with all the particulars? Usually when we go out to these places, it's just a 'Stan! I found a positively elegant French restaurant, get dressed'! And then we're off. Don't tell me this is some sort of special occasion I forgot about."
Xeno smirked, "It is indeed a special occasion, but it isn't anything you've forgotten about, I assure you."
Stanley raised an eyebrow at that, "Uh-huh… Gonna enlighten me then?"
Xeno's smirk only grew, "Perhaps soon, my darling Stan."
Fuuuuuck, those endearments were gonna be the death of him. He was used to 'my dear' and even 'my dearest', but 'my darling' was a new one, and it was making his heart perform advanced dogfighting maneuvers. Keep it cool, Stanley. Don't get ahead of yourself. This may be a perfect date in your own mind, but you'd better not say something stupid that'll weird Xeno out.
Cool and casual.
Cool and fucking casual.
You're a goddamn soldier, act like it.
"Excuse me, sirs," the waitress finally appeared, just in time to give Stanley a moment to sip his water and breathe through the heart palpitations. "Are you ready to place your orders?"
"Yes," Xeno said with a smile, "I'll take the butter-poached lobster for a starter, the wild mushroom velouté soup, and the Pecan-crusted redfish with some white burgundy."
"Excellent choices, sir. We got the butter-poached lobster fresh a few hours ago, so it should be especially delicious."
"How elegant, I'm excited to taste it," Xeno smiled back as the waitress then turned to Stanley.
"And for you, sir?"
"Uh," Stanley glanced over the menu, barely able to comprehend any of this rich person expensive crap. He grew up in the Texas dirt, hunting deer for dinner and having it with frozen curly fries, like a good American, thank you very much. All this fancy shit might as well be fucking Japanese.
But just like Japanese, Xeno took to it like a duck to water despite having nearly the same upbringing as he did.
"Ah, Stan, might I suggest the Wagyu beef tartare for your starter? Wagyu beef is one of the highest quality red meats there is, so I know you'll find the taste rather elegant."
"Sure then, sounds great."
Of course. Knowing Xeno, he probably studied the menu diligently because he knew Stanley would get tripped up with ordering. Hell, he'd probably already planned Stanley's entire meal for him in accordance to his exact tastes.
How thoughtful of him.
"I'm so sorry," the waitress smiled sheepishly, "We're… actually out of the Wagyu at the moment."
Xeno stared at her blankly as if his brain was refusing to comprehend what he had just heard. Then, after a long moment, he finally replied, "Pardon?"
"The shipment has been delayed by a few hours. It should be in later tonight, but for now…"
"I see," Xeno nodded. "Then it can't be helped, I suppose. Then can he have that Bluefin tuna crudo instead?"
"Yes, we have that!" The waitress nodded as his smile turned far more genuine, or as genuine as a customer service smile could get. "And your soup, sir?"
"Ah, Stan," Xeno once again lit up. "Might I suggest the wild Game Consommé? It's made with venison."
Stan didn't even get to open his mouth this time.
"I'm so sorry we don't have that either," the waitress cringed.
The table once more fell into a tense silence as Stanley could practically see Xeno's blood pressure begin to rise.
"I'm… surprised at how many menu items seem to be unavailable," Xeno spoke, his voice strained. "I would have thought such a reputable establishment would be more on top of their inventory."
"I do greatly apologize, sir," the waitress said again, "One of our shipments got delayed and… I'll be sure to make a note of the issue and comp your starters. Once more, we greatly apologize for the inconvenience."
Xeno let out a tense breath through his nose in the way he always did when something he had meticulously planned was slipping out of his control unpredictably.
"I'll just have the same soup he is," Stanley gave the waitress a tight smile, "As for the main course, what do you think Xe?"
Xeno's smile was much tighter now as he suggested, "The venison loin with cherry reduction. I know how much you love hunting and cooking…"
Xeno trailed off at the brittle smile of the waitress's face. Stanley was pretty sure he'd seen that exact look on his soldiers before telling him one of the convoy vehicles was fucked ten ways to Sunday. Stanley sighed, "Not available either?"
"It was actually our red meat shipment that was delayed."
One glance at Xeno's increasingly red face told him he needed to end this interaction swiftly before Xeno ended it explosively. While seeing Xeno blow up on people would never not be sexy as hell, he'd prefer not to make the poor waitress cry. Not like any of this was her fault.
Stanley's eyes scanned the menu as fast as he could before landing on the word 'Texas'. "Do you have the Texas… ribeye?"
"We still have a few left!" the waitress nodded enthusiastically, "How would you like it cooked?"
"Rare," Stanley replied before quickly grabbing their menus and practically shoving them at the waitress as Xeno visibly seethed. The waitress, seeming to understand the precarious situation the three of them were in, gave another apologetic bow of her head before scampering off as quickly as she could.
"Breath Xe," Stanley told him once the woman disappeared. "Just relax."
"I chose this place," Xeno seethed through gritted teeth, "specifically because I knew you would enjoy those options. The fucking venison wasn't even my first choice for your main, I just said that one because she had already stated they were out of Wagyu."
"We can get the fancy Wagyu some other time," Stanley shrugged, "I'm fine with anything."
"I am not," Xeno hissed, "This evening is supposed to be perfect, and so far this supposedly elegant restaurant has been a complete disaster. The lighting makes you uncomfortable, and none of the dishes you'd like are even on the menu because some cretin doesn't know how to drive a fucking truck."
"I feel like you're the last person who should complain about driving skills," Stanley chuckled. "How many cars have you totaled?"
"None."
"Interesting way of pronouncing 'three'," Stan snorted. "Or is 'none' Japanese for 'three' or some shit?"
"You asked how many cars I've totaled. None of those accidents were my fault," Xeno scowled.
"Oh yeah, that barrier post really came outta nowhere."
"It was dark and not properly painted with retroreflective paint! Really, they should have been compensating me for damages!"
Stanley hummed, "That's what all the teenage white girls and Karens say."
The resulting, playful, argument from that particular comment lasted them all the way through their fancy ass starters, and soups as Xeno continued to defend his indefensible driving skills. Stanley loved the guy and would do whatever he asked, as long as what he asked wasn't to get behind the wheel of a car.
The last time he made that mistake was the first time Xeno totaled his car, and he wasn't going to make it again.
Before long, their main course was served and, as soon as the waitress left, Stanley asked, "What the fuck is with these portion sizes by the way? Do rich people just hate eating? Why is all the food so fucking small and costs so damn much? I could get ten times the food for a tenth of the price."
"It's specifically designed so the food doesn't fill you, at least not in one course," Xeno replied. "That way, you can eat multiple courses and still have room for dessert. The key isn't to fill up on one elegant dish, but to enjoy a variety of elegant flavors, since variety, as they say, is the spice of life."
"I bet I could eat full-size portions of all of this stuff and still have room for dessert."
Xeno chuckled as, fortunately, his poor mood from earlier seemed to be forgotten, "I'm sure you could, my lovely Stan, but not all of us have your voracious appetite."
Stanley nearly choked on a bit of steak at the beautiful sound of Xeno calling him 'lovely'. That was a new one, too, and Stanley was relatively sure he was about to ascend to a higher plane at the sound of it. God, all this fancy shit and the endearments, Xeno must really be trying to butter him up, which, while appreciated, was entirely unnecessary.
Whatever Xeno was buttering him up for, Stanley would do it. He'd do anything for Xeno. His Xeno.
Not his Xeno.
But god did he wish he was.
"Excuse me?"
Stanley hummed as he turned to address the man who had approached him, still silently riding the high of Xeno calling him lovely.
"My apologies for interrupting, I just keep noticing you across the room, and I must say you're the most gorgeous man I've ever seen," the older man, who the fuck was this guy anyway, continued. "I just wanted to introduce myself to you and your date?"
Stanley blinked at him, then shook his head, "Uh, sure. And no, not my date, this is my best friend-"
"Dr. Xeno Houston Wingfield," Xeno cut Stanley off, openly death glaring at the man, his previous shitty mood back in full force. "Stanley here has been my best friend since we were children, and we're very attached to each other."
Uh oh, that wasn't good. That was Xeno's 'I'm about to commit homicide or get you to do it, Stanley' face.
"Oh, that's perfect!" The older man continued, "It's a pleasure to meet you both-"
"The pleasure is all yours, I assure you," Xeno smiled through gritted teeth, as he openly tried to murder the man with his eyes.
"It really is," the man continued, either lacking situation awareness or so deadset on his goal that he was just completely ignoring all social cues screaming at him to fuck off.
"I just wanted to introduce myself and give you my card," the man continued as he fished a business card out of his jacket pocket, "and say that if you'd like a taste of the real high-life, give me a call and I'm sure we could… work something out."
Holy fuck.
Is this guy serious?
Was he trying to proposition Stanley to be his sugar baby or some shit? Seriously? In the middle of a fancy restaurant?!
Stanley stared down at the offered business card without making a single move to take it before looking back up at the man with the same glare he used to make new recruits shit themselves, "I'm a soldier, not a prostitute, sir."
"Oh, a military man, well, thank you for your service," the man continued, "but I just-"
Xeno slammed his fist onto the table with a bang, his knuckles white around the knife in his fist as several patrons and staff whipped their heads around to stare at them. "He said fuck off, you nasty old pervert," spat with so much venom that Stanley was surprised his spit wasn't green.
The man flushed red at that, but before he could say another word, a man in a suit swooped in quickly, followed by their waitress, "I'm sorry, what seems to be the issue here?"
"This man is bothering us," Xeno hissed as the knife continued to shake in his grip, his face nearly entirely red at this point. Stanley reached across the table and placed his hand on Xeno's. Xeno's eyes snapped to Stanley's, and the soldier took a deep breath, then let it out, then another. Xeno silently followed his lead and took a deep breath, and then let it out. His shoulders began to relax, and his grip on the knife loosened until it gently fell from his hand and onto the table.
"He just called me-"
"Sir, if we could step away for a moment and talk privately," the man, presumably some kind of manager, asked as he began to usher the man away.
"I'm so sorry about that, can I-" their waitress began, but was cut off as Xeno just held out his card to her.
"We would like to pay and leave."
"Of course, sir, I'm very sorry about that," she agreed, taking his card and quickly scurrying off.
Xeno pinched the bridge of his nose as the restaurant began to settle around them, "Well, this night is completely ruined- what are you doing?"
Stanley looked up from where he was shoveling the rest of his ribeye into his mouth, "What?"
"Why are you just shoveling that meat into your mouth like a wild dog?" Xeno blinked.
"We're gonna be leaving in like a minute, and I'm not done," Stanley replied as he made the Herculean effort not to state there was another meat he'd rather have in his mouth right now. "We paid for the steak, I'm eating the steak."
Xeno blankly stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing as Stanley continued to shove the fancy beef into his mouth, "Even when I'm in the worst moods, you manage to somehow lift my spirits, Stan, that's something I've always loved about you."
Stanley did his utmost not to choke on his food as his throat tightened at that. It was close, so very close to Xeno staying that it was Stanley that he loved, and not just one of his many traits.
But it wasn't.
And Stanley had to nail that realization deep into his skull before he got carried away with hope that would never come to fruition.
Tomorrow.
He'd hammer that realization in tomorrow. But for tonight, he'd just enjoy the feeling it gave him.
"Well, dinner might have been a shitshow, but I suppose the most important thing is 'sticking the landing' as they say. Say, Stanley, can you take a walk through the park with me?" Xeno asked.
"I can," Stanley agreed easily, shoving the last bit of his steak in his mouth, and the waitress returned.
----------------------------
The sun had set an hour ago as the night had fully descended on the park, leaving the air crisp and dark except for the regularly placed streetlamps. Idly, Stanley was a bit worried about some mugger or drug addict coming out from the treeline to try and steal their money since they were so nicely dressed, but Stanley was certain he could handle it.
He never left the apartment without a gun, especially if he was the only thing standing between Xeno and any unknown threats.
"I apologize for dinner, Stan," Xeno sighed. "I really did want this night to go perfectly, and yet I think the only things that could have made our dinner any worse were a bottle of wine being spilled all over you or the building collapsing."
"I had fun," Stanley shrugged.
Xeno raised an eyebrow, "Which part was fun, them not having any of the food you tried to order or getting propositioned like a streetwalker?"
"Hanging out with you is always fun, Xe. Besides, the way you bit that nasty old guy's head off was really ho-" Stanley cut himself off with a furious bout of coughing before he could make a complete ass out of himself.
"What was that, Stan?"
"Really adorable," Stanley cleared his throat. "You're always so cute when you're angry."
Xeno scowled, "I assure you, adorable was not the impression I was trying to give off."
"Yeah, I got that impression by the death grip you had on that knife," Stanley grinned. "But as for dinner, it's fine, Xeno, seriously. I had fun hanging out with you, and even if things weren't perfect, it's the thought that counts."
"The thought, yes," Xeno agreed with a hum as his gaze drifted off. "You of all people would know, being the master of elegantly thoughtful gestures."
"What can I say, I like treating my nerd," Stanley replied as he followed Xeno's gaze to a… park bench? "Do you want to sit down?"
"No, no, I just need to check something," Xeno replied as he picked up his pace and quickly approached it.
"Okay..?"
Xeno stopped in front of the park bench, knelt, and peered under it. Stanley tensed as he glanced around before looking back to Xeno, "Xeno, stop messing with the bench, if there's anything you need down there-"
"Not yet, I was just making sure it was still there, and this part of the night didn't find some way to go wrong as well," Xeno grunted as he then reached into his coat.
"Check what's still there?" Stanley asked as Xeno shuffled on the ground, muttering something about his dress pants getting ruined as he turned to face Stanley, still on a knee. "Xeno, what are you-?"
Stanley cut himself off as suddenly there wasn't enough oxygen in his lungs as a suspiciously small, suspicious square, suspiciously ring-shaped box came out of Xeno's coat.
No.
This… Stanley was just imagining things.
For fucks sake, it wasn't like they were even dating, why the hell would Xeno-
Sure, he was on one knee, in front of Stanley, holding out a ring box, but there had to be a nerdy science explanation for all of this, or maybe he was just misunderstanding, jumping to conclu-
"Stanley Snyder, can you marry me?" Xeno asked as he popped the box open, revealing a stunningly beautiful ring resting in the middle. The ring itself was a thick band of shining silver metal with three gems set into the rectangular top, the central stone being much larger than the other two. The largest central stone was a clear white diamond, with a deep black stone on the left and a glittering yellow stone on the right.
Across the band itself, Stanley could see a series of black X's inlaid into the silver, in some sort of metal. Was black silver a thing?
Stanley opened and closed his mouth as he floundered for a moment. Was this a dream? This was some sort of insane dream, wasn't it?
"You're not dreaming, Stanley," Xeno spoke up once more, and Stanley dragged his eyes away from the ring and up to Xeno's face, now fully seeing the equal parts amused and equal parts indulgent smirk. "And no, you didn't ask if you were dreaming out loud, I can just tell by your face that's what you're thinking."
Stanley swallowed hard, the beautiful ring still glinting in the streetlamps and generally being extremely distracting, "I… You can't really blame me. You get down on one knee and propose when we're not even dating."
"Is that a no then?" Xeno raised an eyebrow as he asked, but it was more than obvious he knew it wasn't.
"No!" Stanley shouted instantly, "I mean, no, it's not a no. It's a yes. Obviously, it's yes, I just… Is this… real? Or is this some sort of romance experiment or something like that?" Stanley asked as Xeno sighed.
"It's real," Xeno told him as he pressed the box into Stanley's hand before returning to the bench he had kneeled down next to, "though I can't fault you for asking. All the data you can currently use to draw conclusions from would likely suggest that sort of inelegant conclusion."
Xeno grunted as he finally managed to dislodge the item from under the bench before finally getting back to his feet and presenting it to Stanley.
Stanley stared down at the bouquet of flowers in Xeno's hands, the exact same one he'd given him just a few days prior, "Why do you…"
"As you are well aware, it's more traditional for the family or friend to give a bouquet of flowers to the soldier who is returning home, rather than the opposite. But I suppose neither of us has ever really cared about tradition," Xeno explained. "Still, regardless of it being traditional or not, I very much appreciated the flowers.
"I'm glad, that's why I got them for you," Stanley continued, the ring box heavy in his hands as he stared down at the flowers and then back up at Xeno. Xeno hummed as he regarded the flowers once more.
"Yes, the bouquet is extremely elegant, there's just one problem with it."
Stanley blinked, then frowned, "What's the problem?"
Xeno delicately pinched the stem of one of the daffodils, right below the flower itself, "I hate daffodils."
"You've never mentioned that before," Stanley replied as he watched Xeno pluck every single daffodil out of the bouquet, gathering them in his hand. "If I had known, I would have made sure there weren't any."
"I didn't mention it because I didn't hate them until you gave me the bouquet," Xeno replied as he gathered the final daffodil in his fist. "More accurately, I didn't hate them until the following morning."
"I-"
"When I asked you where you got this bouquet, you lied, Stanley," Xeno frowned as he cradled the bouquet to his chest, the precious flowers resting just above his heart in one arm, and strangled the daffodils with his other fist. "You said you had just picked them up on impulse from a stall in the airport. But you've never been so thoughtless. No. Every single time you've ever given me a gift, it was a gift you had put meticulous thought and care into; it's one of your many elegant qualities."
Ah.
So that's why he hated the daffodils.
"This wasn't some bouquet you found prearranged, hell, there isn't even a stall at the airport where you can get flowers, I checked. No, this was a bouquet you ordered custom, just for me," Xeno continued, his expression still severe. "Now, usually, I would scold you severely for ever daring to lie to me. While I usually like liars, I think I've made it very clear how little I enjoy you lying to me, Stanley. However… This time, I understand, so I'll give you a pass, but you will be honest with me now. Stanley, did you or did you not order this bouquet custom?"
Stanley sighed. There was no use denying it anymore. "I did, yeah."
"Thank you," Xeno's severe expression melted into a gentle smile as he looked down at the flowers once more. "That night, you told me white peonies meant elegance, which they do, but it got me thinking that, perhaps, if you picked the white peonies for their beauty and elegance, that you picked the rest of the flowers for the same reason."
Xeno's eyes roamed lovingly over the flowers, caressing the petals with his eyes, "Blush Peonies represent romance, love, and good fortune. White Yarrows mean something similar as they represent love, healing, and resilience. Heliotropes represent unwavering devotion, eternal love, and faithfulness."
"Then we have the red gardenias and yellow acacias, which both represent a secret love, with the former also representing silent devotion and the latter representing deep friendship and, ironically, optimistic resilience," Xeno continued. "This bouquet, it wasn't just a gift, it was practically a screaming confession of your deepest held feelings and desires. Your devotion and love for me."
Stanley swallowed hard as the light of the streetlamp glared roughly down on him. There was nowhere to hide now. He'd completely given himself away, and part of him was desperate to run. Desperate to play it all off as a joke.
It was only the weight of the very real engagement ring in his hand that made him stay. That convinced him this wasn't some sort of confrontation and that Xeno wasn't going to tell him how stupid all of this was at the end.
"The bouquet itself would have been so sweet, if not for the addition of the daffodils," Xeno glared at the offending white and yellow blossoms as he continued to strangle them. "You must imagine my displeasure, Stanley, when, after seeing all the lovely meanings behind those flowers and realizing how much you truly loved me, to read what the meaning of a daffodil was. Seriously, who even decided to have a flower mean 'unrequited love'? What an inelegant meaning for a perfectly good plant."
"It put everything in an entirely new perspective, of course," Xeno continued, "Suddenly my lovely bouquet wasn't a confession of your undying love for me, but a dreadfully noble message that screamed 'I know you don't love me back but I'll love you forever' which is just… disgusting," Xeno scowled before finally throwing the daffodils away as if they themselves were what were offending him. "You need higher standards, Stanley. You're one of the most elegant men to grace the face of this planet and my best friend; you deserve better than to be hopelessly pining for the rest of your life."
Xeno hugged the flowers to his chest once more, "Now, without those vile flowers, my bouquet is once more elegantly perfect, but all of this has made one thing very clear to me, Stanley. And that is that you put so much thought into the things you give me and the general care you bestow upon me, so I knew I needed to do the same, hence why I needed to wait a few days to propose."
Xeno stepped forward once more and used his now empty hand to lift Stanley's hand up towards his face, once more presenting the gorgeous engagement ring to Stanley. "This ring is custom, and I spared no expense to make it perfect. You deserve nothing less than the best, Stanley, and I'm going to spend the rest of our lives proving that to you."
"I-"
"Shush, I'm not done talking," Xeno cut him off, adjusting his grip on Stanley's hand once more, the engagement ring glittering in the warm streetlight. “The band itself is comprised predominantly of Platinum. It's one of the rarest and most useful metals on Earth, but its practical uses are of less importance than its symbology, like with the flowers. A platinum band in a wedding ring symbolizes an unbreakable commitment and everlasting love. Quite elegant in my opinion," Xeno's smile curled with a bit of self-satisfaction.
"Inlaid into the platinum in the form of my first initial is black tungsten, which symbolizes unyielding commitment, a commitment I am making to you to ensure you are the happiest man on Earth," Xeno continued before correcting himself. "No, in the history of the Earth."
"Xe-"
"Still not done," Xeno cut him off again. "The three gemstones symbolize our past, present, and future as a couple from left to right. The black gem is a black sapphire, which represents unwavering devotion and inner strength; it also represents me. It is the strength you had in your silent devotion to me," Xeno continues quietly.
Stanley feels like he's being strangled just as hard as those daffodils were, but despite the unpleasantness, he finds he doesn't hate the feeling. His eyes were starting to burn, however, with a sensation he refused to acknowledge as tears.
"The central stone is a white diamond," Xeno continued, "It represents unbreakable commitment and eternal love as well as our present. It represents the commitment we're making to each other, that we've made to each other our entire lives and will always continue to do so."
"Lastly, the right-most stone, a yellow diamond, our future, represents both you and joy, optimism, and everlasting love," Xeno explained. "It represents how I want to make you the happiest man in the world in our future, how I want you to feel nothing but the love I have for you for the rest of our days."
Stanley sniffled and, yeah, no, he was definitely crying. With anyone else, he'd feel embarrassed, but… this was Xeno.
"I want a proper answer, Stan," Xeno continued softly as he wiped a tear from Stanley's cheek. "Can you marry me?"
Stanley took a moment to clear his throat, but it still came out weak as he nodded, "Yeah. I can."
"Can I put the ring on you?" Xeno asked, and Stanley nodded at that without even trying to answer. Xeno gently lifted the ring out of the box and then took Stanley's left hand in his own as he slipped the ring onto his finger. It was weighty, and he'd certainly not be able to wear it while he was deployed, but it felt fucking fantastic on his finger.
"I don't… I don't have a ring for you," Stanley swallowed around the lump as he stared down at his finger with an honest-to-god wedding ring handcrafted and designed by Xeno himself. The scientist in question just chuckled at that.
"That's fine, it isn't like you knew I was going to propose," Xeno wiped away another stray tear. "Besides, I know that the ring you're going to wind up giving me in the end will be positively elegant."
"I'll do my best not to disappoint."
"You never do."
Stanley laughed at that; it was a watery sound, and he couldn't help the smile plastering itself on his face, a smile that only grew when he saw a matching one on Xeno's face.
"We're doing this a bit backward, aren't we?" Stanley asked. "Proposing marriage when we haven't even kissed yet. I could be horrible at it, and you'd have no idea."
"The best way to confirm or deny a hypothesis is to test it," Xeno hummed as he brought their faces close together. They were less than a few inches apart as Stanley felt Xeno's breath ghost over his lips, but he still hesitated to close the remaining distance.
Xeno looked into his eyes, a silent question, an unspoken request. And it was one eagerly answered by Stanley as he closed the rest of the distance and pressed their lips together.
It was everything Stanley had ever dreamed it would be, and the fact that he'd get to keep doing this for the rest of his life made Stanley positively giddy as he continued to press his mouth to Xeno's, feeling the heat, the softness, the overall wonderful sensation of just kissing Xeno.
He'd never get used to it. He'd never want to.
But eventually, Xeno's inferior lung capacity drew them apart. He was winded and flushed, and it was an elegant look on the man if Stanley did say so himself.
"Yes, I think we can prove now that the concept of you not being a good kisser is bullshit," Xeno gasped after a long moment, and Stanley smiled.
"Are you sure? Cause I feel like I remember you ranting something about how science has to be repeatable," Stanley wound his arms around Xeno, drawing him closer until they were pressed against each other, their body heat contrasting against the cold night.
"Of course," Xeno nodded with a smirk. "What kind of scientist would I be if I forgot the importance of running multiple trials to replicate my results?"
"Well then, I guess we'll just have to do that, then," Stanley grinned as their mouths drew just a bit closer once more.
"For science."
"Of course," Stanley agreed as he pressed his lips against Xeno's once more, "for science."
For the rest of their lives.