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Within the walls of the Medusa Fortress, Dr. Xeno works on trying to figure out the mystery of the petrification beam. His unmatched intellect should have figured it out by now. After all, he was the smartest in the stone world. Could it still be called the stone world? More than a hundred Americans had been revived by him to work and serve under him, and there was no telling how many Senku had revived from Japan. He should’ve known better than to fight a battle against the so called “Kingdom of Science” with so little information. It was foolish to underestimate them, especially knowing that Xeno’s own student was their leader.
Speaking of him, Senku knocked on his door, but didn’t wait for a response before invading his space.
“Yo, Dr. Xeno, a certain mentalist is telling me to turn in for the night, so I’m off to sleep I guess. You should probably get some rest too. You’re no use to us tired and groggy from lack of sleep,” Senku said, a frustrated sigh escaping him. Gen Asagiri, the mentalist of the group, popped his head up from behind Senku’s figure, a slightly annoyed expression on his face. Without saying a word, he trailed past Senku, his sleeve just barely touching the scientist’s arm.
Xeno bit back a comment as Senku’s annoyed face turned to slight shock as he regarded Gen’s silent request. He sighed tiredly. All of these hormonal teenagers were driving him nuts. But, as he watched Senku leave, he couldn’t help but think about a certain blonde who was currently traveling arround the world in pursuit of him.
Xeno took off his labcoat and tossed it onto his chair before flopping backwards on what these kids called a mattress. Even he could do better than whatever this bed was. With the dim light of his small oil lamp, he reached his left hand towards the ceiling and stared at his bare hand. From his pocket, his right hand drew a small, circular coil of wire with a small design to it that someone wouldn’t notice if they didn’t know where to look. With a sad smile, he slipped the ring onto his left ring finger and watched the polished metal catch the dull light of the small room.
It was so peculiar, how the human mind worked. How one minute, he could be thinking about calculations and theories, and the next be thinking about the man he loved. Stanley Snyder was an accomplished military captain and one of America’s best snipers and workers in the field. Xeno had met him early on in life, and was infatuated with him from the beginning. The small but strong boy who had an acute sense of direction for the most peculiar things. Xeno had hated how he always had a lollipop or some other thing to chew on, but he’d still take it over the toxic gas he insisted on breathing in now. They’d both always been set on their individual goals in life, never taking much time away from their work. For most of their lives, things were simple, Xeno built Stanley equipment, and Stanley was Xeno’s test subject in return. It was never supposed to be more than that, but when Stanley was first deployed, Xeno suddenly felt an emptiness he’d never experienced before. After multiple experiments on himself and a talk with his very concerned mother, Xeno had realized that he was lonely.
When Stanley eventually came back, he seemed much different. Built, stoic, resilient. His welcome back dinner with Xeno’s family had been full of questions, each answered with military precision, each leaving a hole of deeper questions that Xeno needed answered. How could Stanley sit there so normally with Xeno’s parents and barely acknowledge his childhood friend, who was sitting right next to him?!
After dinner, Xeno excused himself to his room, not catching the look that Stanley gave him as he left. After more small talk, Stanley walked up to Xeno’s room, breathing in the scent of cleaning supplies and different chemical solutions that the young genius had mixed up. A smell he was so familiar with, he subconsciously relaxed.
“So, finally come to say hello to me after ignoring my existence all evening?” Xeno asked, the clear hurt disguised by sarcasm lacing his tone. Xeno was sitting at his desk writing new formulas for another failed experiment of his.
“That wasn’t my intention,” Stanley said, stepping towards Xeno. “Your parents have lots of questions.” A small chuckle. A small glance toward the scientist he’d missed so much that he hadn’t even had the courage to talk to during dinner.
Xeno’s eyes caught his, and Stanley’s gaze softened as he tried to convey everything he wanted to say with his eyes. They stayed like that for a minute, but Xeno looked away first.
“Nothing. Not even a letter. What am I supposed to think when my best friend leaves me for the military, but doesn’t even care to send me any updates?” Xeno’s words cut like a knife. “I sent you letters. I sent you updates, questions, and stuff that I didn’t think I could ever say to you in person, Stanley! And what do I get in return? Nothing. Silence.”
Stanley winced. It was true, Xeno had written him so many times, but he hadn’t responded back even once. He’d thought that if he left, then maybe he’d leave his ridiculous feelings for his best friend behind too. That maybe if he left and came back someone who knew how to take care of himself without relying on others, than maybe, just maybe, his dad would look at him again. But with each letter he read, the more the hole in his heart grew bigger, and the more he knew how doomed in love he was. Men didn’t love men. Men didn’t care about love. Men were only there to make a difference in their country, and then carry their legacy with a decent enough woman. His father and his grandfather had done it, so he could do it too. All he needed was to forget about a certain gray haired scientist that he’d sacrifice his life for more times than was even possible. A boy who’d changed his life, made him realize that life wasn’t all bad, and that maybe his mother was right, and that everyone needed love no matter what.
It was impossible to forget someone so important to him.
It was also impossible to escape the mindset his father had raised him to believe.
But somehow, somewhere along the way, Xeno had. Xeno had collected the broken pieces of his heart that were shattered by his father’s expectations, and mended them back together with care. That was why he couldn’t write back to Xeno. He knew that nothing he could have ever written on a stupid piece of paper could measure up to how much it would mean in real life. He was scared, too. Scared of what Xeno, a man whose whole life revolved around science, would think of someone like him.
That didn't matter anymore though. Stanley was here now, in Xeno’s house, in his room, in his space. And he would never let what he had with Xeno be ruined because of his damn father.
“Xeno, I’m so sorry,” he started. Xeno paused on whatever he was building and turned to face the blonde. “I hurt you, and I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I can do to make it up to you, or if I ever could, but I do know that I was wrong. I was scared. I was scared that what I wanted to say to you wouldn’t be heard the way I wanted it to be heard through a letter. I was hurting, and I know that’s not an acceptable excuse, but I had a lot on my mind, and I just didn’t know if I could speak to you.” he paused. “I read them. All of them. All of the letters you sent I read and kept. Your letters saved me. They got me through the toughest time of my life, and I thank you so much for that. For believing in me.”
Xeno’s eyes were wide with shock. Never, not once had he seen Stanley be so genuine with him. His head told him to still be mad, but his heart seized.
“I-” He started, but realized that he had no words. Instead, he opted to take Stanley’s hand. “Stan, I don’t know what to say. I can’t express how much that means to me. To know that you thought that way, that you felt that way… I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it must have been.” Xeno had both hands gripping Stanley’s arms.
For the first time in years, Stanley felt a tear slide down his cheek. Xeno caught it with his finger and wrapped him in a hug that they both knew meant more than forgiveness. Stanley did the same, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy’s waist while leaning into his smooth gray hair. They stayed that way, the silence comforting around them.
Stanley moved one of his hands to Xeno’s cheek.
“Thank you, Xeno,” He whispered. Xeno swallowed hard, his gaze falling downwards. Stanley directed his chin up, his thumb sliding to Xeno’s lips. Stanley already knew the answer, but he still asked. “Can I?” A small nod from Xeno confirmed what he already knew his answer was.
The kiss was awkward at first, both of their lips pressed together weirdly as they each thought about what to do. Eventually, Stanley leaned more into Xeno, causing him to stumble back a little. Xeno’s hands quickly moved around Stanley’s neck as he braced himself for a fall that never came. The hand on his waist held him in place against Stanley’s firm body. His thumb moved to open Xeno’s mouth, which Xeno readily complied with, allowing the blonde’s tongue to infiltrate his mouth. Their saliva mixed, and Xeno let out an alarmed noise when he felt Stanley press himself impossibly closer to him.
As they kept kissing, Xeno began to learn the movements and began kissing Stanley back. He felt a smile on his Stanley’s lips, but didn’t have time to react as he was swept off his feet by the blonde. Stanley carried and dumped Xeno on his bed, climbing over him wth his body stradling the scientist. They were both drunk with arousal, awkwardly shifting in feeble attempts to hide their growing erections.
“Let me know how far you want to go,” Stanley panted.
Xeno’s face flushed even more. “Not sex,” He blurted awkwardly. “I don’t want to do that with my parents downstairs.”
“What, scared you’ll be too loud?” Stanley smirked, inching one of his hands along the hem of Xeno’s pants. That earned him a halfhearted slap from Xeno. “Ow, ok! Sorry, sorry. Well what should we do then?”
An idea flashed in Xeno’s mind. “In order for us both to have a successful orgasm without penetrative sex, we both need some sort of stimulation. What if I were to… grind myself down on you? That would probably be the safest route to ensure the mutual outcome of pleasure.”
“Geez, Xeno, you don’t have to go all scientist on me while I’m literally hard for you. But, yeah, that sounds great. What do I need to do?”
“Sit up.”
Stanley blushed from Xeno’s sudden confidence, and did what he was told. Xeno awkwardly shuffled himself onto him and sat, both of them sucking in sharp breaths as their cocks rubbed together.
“Sssshit,” Stanley sighed and once again held Xeno’s waist. Xeno panted hard, but still jerkily moved his hips to grind onto Stanley. A small noise escaped Xeno’s throat. “Did you just moan?” Stanley asked, a wicked grin spreading on his face.
“Of course not– oh, shit,” Xeno was cut off as Stanley ground upward into Xeno, causing him to let out another small moan.
“You 100% did,” Stanley said, smiling triumphantly.
“Shut up,” Xeno hissed. In response Stanley ground his hips again, holding Xeno down by his waist. Fire shot through his veins as the pleasure coursed through him.
“Fuck, Stan,” Xeno whispered, and the grinding stopped.
“Xeno, say that again.”
“What?”
“I want you to say my name like that again.” Stanley stated, completely serious. A wicked grin from Xeno.
“Make me.”
And just like that, something inside of Stanley snapped. Like a cat in heat, Stanley and Xeno began vigorously grinding on each other. Cries of Stanley’s name filled the room as he dry-fucked Xeno. And just like horny teenagers, they both came in their pants, the pleasure radiating off both of them as they fell back onto Xeno’s bed, panting. They were the perfect picture of disaster. And in that moment of afterglow, Stanley told Xeno something he’d never forget.
“The reason I joined the military wasn’t just because my father told me to. I wanted to learn how to keep you safe, too. I did it because I love you. I love you and I will always protect you, no matter what, Xeno,” Stanley promised.
Xeno had promised that too, and years later, when they were old enough, they officially got married. It was a courthouse wedding, no one knew but them. They exchanged vows, rings, and love. They kept it that way, even after petrification.
After waking up from petrification, and establishing power over the other revived soldiers, Xeno once again crafted small rings for both of them to wear. Not in public, but for them and only them.
***
The oil lamp’s light was just a flicker, barely enough to illuminate the stand it was resting on. Xeno was still thinking. Wishing he could go back in time to where things were so simple. But that was impossible, and they needed to make do with what they had here in the in the new world.
Lying on the firm mattress of his room, Xeno circling the cold metal ring on his finger and bathing in the warm memories. Stanley would get him back, he knew that, but a small part of him enjoyed being in the presence of so many young minds, each one’s creativity and intellect adding something to their team. They didn’t exactly treat him like a prisoner either, which was a plus. He rather enjoyed working with one of his students as well, seeing how he commanded the team with such efficiency while still letting them have fun. The young scientist had many qualities that Xeno did not, but it seemed to work for him.
As the lamp’s final flame flickered out, Xeno closed his eyes and waited for sleep to overcome him as he thought about the troubles ahead, and most importantly, Stanley.