Big Book of Xephna One Shots

Memories (S)

TW: Kinda Angsty

"Lalna?" Xephos called as he stepped through the door to the wooden work shed that was once their home.

Silence greeted the bearded spaceman as he edged closer to the ladder on the wall dividing the two sections of the building. He sighed loudly as he gripped the rungs, lifting himself up just high enough to see if anyone was in the other room. There, in front of Lewis, was a scene he'd never realised he missed so much.

His and Lalna's old beds on one side of the room and a crafting bench, hatch and furnace on the side where Honeydew's king sized bed used to be. The hastily written and placed signs above them, ones that had been changed and replaced countless times. Xephos smiled at the sight, running a hand through his hair a he took it all in.

The three had long moved on from the 'Jaffa Factory' days and had new missions and challenges to occupy themselves, but Xephos couldn't help but revisit and review the abundance of cheerful memories they had made here. Lalna had come with him, taken a break from his busy work and endured the long walk over to the factory site.

Xephos had no idea why he'd come, Honeydew hadn't bothered, most of the time they liked to keep the past in the past, but he'd come nonetheless. Except now he had gone missing.

"Lalna?" Xephos called again, climbing back down the ladder and looking over his shoulder.

As Xephos' feet touched the ground he heard a loud clattering below him, presumably from the hatch that led down into the mines. Lifting up the wooden hatch, Xephos readied his sword, preparing for a collection of mobs to attack him, most likely spiders that had climbed up the ladder.

"Lalna?" Xephos said quietly this time, seeing his goggled companion fumbling around, picking up several ores and gems that he'd dropped.

"There's still so many minerals down here!" Lalna remarked happily, smiling up at Xephos as he made his way down the ladder.

"Need a hand?" Xephos smiled back, hopping off the ladder and bending down next to Lalna, scooping up a couple of the minerals.

"You'd have thought there would be nothing left. I could've sworn Honeydew said this mine was exhausted." Lalna continued as he started filling his many pockets with his booty.

"C'mon. That's not what we came here for, remember?" Xephos teased, patting his now full pockets and gripping the ladder once more.

"What did we come here for exactly, Xeph?" Lalna questioned as he followed the man up the ladder, keeping his eyes locked firmly on the rungs as he worked his hands around them.

"Just a little nostalgia." Xephos replied cheerily, pushing the hatch open above his head and stepping out onto the wooden floor, holding a hand out to Lalna.

"Ah, ok. Thanks." Lalna nodded, taking Xephos hand and closing the hatch with his foot.

"How are you, by the way? I haven't had a chance to talk to you properly for ages." Xephos beamed, brushing the dust from his clothes.

"You know what, I'm pretty frickin' tired." The scientist said back, walking over to the open door and stepping out, sighing slightly before taking in a deep breath, the fresh outside air filling his lungs.

"I know exactly what you mean." Xephos reassured him, putting a friendly arm around his shoulders.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I think I can see why you miss this so much."

"Really?"