TW: None

The moon shone brightly over the Jaffa Factory. With the pipes and machines all mainly turned to sand, area was very quiet. The icon of the factory flickered to life, as a short figure made his way inside the nearly barren building. Honeydew stood by the chute opening, picking at the power armor, sighing at the weight. He missed the flying rings. Not that he cared much for flying, but the rings were less bulky and didn't need nearly as much stuff. He awkwardly flew upwards past his penthouse to his roof. He ignored the defunct machinery in the lower floors, his heart sinking at the sand he found as he passed.

He glanced upwards at the statue he painstakingly built during the holidays with a sigh before making his way to the edge of the roof. He sat down, letting his feet hang off the side. He pulled off the power armor, tossing it behind him. He let the crisp air fly around him, a smile growing at the niceness of it all.

"Honeydew?" The dwarf blinked at the uncertain voice that joined him on the roof. "What are you doing up here, friend?"

Honeydew smiled as Xephos sat down next to him, his power armor also discarded behind him. "Just taking in the night. It's been a while since I've been to the factory. It feels..." His smile fell in thought.

"Empty?" Xephos finished for him. The spaceman played with his hair, pulling at one of the longer strands thoughtfully. "It's one of the main reasons I've spent so much time at Site Bee..."

"I wish we could fix it." Honeydew looked down at the buildings below. "But Ridge had to take all that power away, didn't he?"

Xephos nodded, staring at the moon. "Said it had to do with the power shifting in the planet. The old magics don't work anymore." He chuckled. "I couldn't really tell you, Rythian probably knows more than me."

Honeydew nodded, following Xephos's gaze. "Do you miss it?"

"What?" Xephos turned to the dwarf, biting his lip when the moon seemed to reflect perfectly in his eyes.

"Space. The final...what did you call it?" Honeydew frowned, trying to remember the old saying he said.

"The final frontier." Xephos laughed. "I learned it from the captain's logs when I was out there. And sure I miss it..."

Honeydew looked back to the moon. "If we had a way, would want to go back?"

Xephos was silent for a moment before smiling softly at the shorter man. "No."

"No?" Honeydew frowned. "Why the bloody hell not?"

Xephos chuckled softly. "I found something more important to me than flying through space into the unknown."

Honeydew frowned at him in confusion. "What are you going on about, mate? Why would you give that up?"

Xephos's smile faltered, sighing. "I found something here that I wouldn't want to give up." Honeydew watched him curiously. "Something that gave me more of a life than anything."

The two sat silently, letting the music of the crickets fill the air. Xephos kept looking at Honeydew, opening his mouth for a moment before closing it quickly and looking back over the compound. Finally, Xephos looked at the dwarf with a fixed expression. Honeydew sat with his hands to each side. Xephos nodded to himself, taking the hand closest to his own, making the shorter man jump.

"Bloody hell, Xephos!" Honeydew's cheeks turned a shade of red. "What the bloody heck do you think you're doing, mate?"

"Shh." Xephos held the other's hand, turning back to the moon. "Just...let me enjoy the moment."

Honeydew watched the spaceman, his confusion changing to understanding. He twisted his hand to hold the other's more comfortably, watching the stars again.

"Honeydew."

"Yeah, mate?"

"If I ever go back..." Xephos sighed. "I want you to come with me."

"In Sam's hill I am." Honeydew laughed loudly. "I hate flying."

Xephos smiled at the dwarf. "I knew you'd say that."

"Yeah, I'm sure you did, ya bugger."

Credit to WesternSkyNaida on Ao3