TW: Shouldn't be any? (Ignore the Sjips)

Honeydew was beginning to get a bit frustrated with all of the people around. It was nothing personal. He enjoyed joking around with the guys from Sips Co., and Lalna's genius eccentricity was always interesting (if not a little bit intimidating). However, Honeydew began feeling a bit of resentment towards the others when he realized that he had not had a one-on-one conversation with Xephos in weeks. His best friend! The guy he'd travelled across Minecraftia with, and the guy who had his back during the final battle against Israphel! The only time nowadays that he directly exchanged words with the spaceman was when Xephos was directing him in a new task. Any other time the dwarf tried to talk to him, Xephos was either routed into a conversation with somebody else about the factory, or he was "too busy."

"What's up? Oh, I'm sorry Honeydew; I'm really distracted right now. We'll talk later."

There never was a later, of course.

Honeydew began talking more to the others about his past adventures with the spaceman. He hoped Xephos might overhear and pitch in. That didn't happen.

After a while, Honeydew gave up. He watched Xephos from what seemed like a distance, and became uncharacteristically quiet. Sjin and Lalna gave him worried looks, and talked among themselves about what might be wrong. Even Sips began to get a little concerned, saying bluntly to the others that Honeydew was acting "really fucking weird."

Unbeknownst to them, the once cheery dwarf was beginning to pine for Xephos. Even Honeydew didn't know it at first. He hungered for glimpses of Xephos on his way up and down the levels of the factory, and frequently got distracted as he wallowed in happy memories of the past. He no longer talked about Jaffas, sang songs about digging, or tried to put inappropriate decorations on the roof. He lost weight, and let his glorious beard become unkempt. One day, while the spaceman was on the roof working on a power flower, the three other workers decided to track down and confront Honeydew. The dwarf in question was dejectedly planting sugarcanes out near the new sugar operation. This was of immediate concern to the others, since up until recently Honeydew had never done anything dejectedly.

Lalna was the first to speak up.

"Hey, friend...?"

The dwarf looked up and put on his best cheery voice. It wasn't very good.

"Oh, hey guys! I'm just workin' on the sugar. No problems here, just workin' on the sugar. You need anything? I'm just workin' on the sugar..."

Sips grumbled, "We gathered," and received an elbow in the gut from Sjin. The architect was the next to speak.

"Um, we're not here about the sugar-"

"Oh, do you need me to work on something else? D-Did Xephos need me to do something? I'm totally up for it of course-"

"No no, Honeydew, nothing like that. Nothing to do with the factory at all."

The dwarf's emotional disguise began to slip as he threw an annoyed look at Sjin.

"Well then, what are you on about? I'm busy."

Sjin looked a bit awkward and put a hand on the back of his neck.

"Well, uh, we're all just a bit concerned is all..."

Honeydew continued to give him and the other two an increasingly withering expression.

"What about?"

In response, Sjin and Lalna glanced at each other and began making confused gestures, awkwardly looking elsewhere, and giving meandering beginnings of sentences like, "It's just that-","You've been-", "We've noticed-","You're kinda-", or "Nothing big, of course-".

Cutting through the attempts of the others and pushing them aside, Sips walked right up into Honeydew's personal bubble.

"You're moping around and acting like the biggest little shit of all time. You haven't said anything to anyone in ages, your work is completely lacking, and everyone is getting really freaked out by you. I mean, just look at your beard! It was fucking majestic before, and now it's all gross and filled with cigarettes and shit. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Honeydew was obviously thrown off by this, as his only response was to step back and start sputtering like a fish out of water. Sjin and Lalna quickly pulled back the offending dirt salesman. Walking forward in a less invasive way to put a calming hand on the dwarf's shoulder, the scientist spoke up again.

"What I guess we're trying to say is that we're worried about you, friend. You're not usually like this. We miss the old Honeydew. Tell us what's up so we can bring him back."

"Nothing's wrong-"

"Are you not up to making Jaffas anymore? Do you want to do something else?"

"No, I love Jaffas-"

Sjin piped up and stepped forward a bit.

"Do you not like Sips and I working here? We can leave."

"No, you guys are fine-"

"Is it the weather? The snow?"

"No Lalna, I'm fine with-"

"Is it the noise?"

"The chickens?"

"Daisy?"

"Granny Bacon?"

"Knight Peculier?"

"Sips?"

"Sjin?"

"Lalna?"

"Xephos?"

Up until the last question Honeydew had responded with an increasingly loud "No!" When he said nothing to the last question, though, the other workers were quiet. Lalna sounded confused when he finally spoke up.

"Xephos? You have a problem with Xephos?"

"N-No..."

Sips shouted "Don't lie you little-"over Sjin's shoulder before he received a second elbow in the gut.

"You can tell us, friend. He's busy up on the roof, so you're safe."

At this Honeydew's disguise completely wore down, and he looked at the ground with a look of sad resignation.

"Of course he is. Wouldn't expect anything different..."

Though Lalna looked more confused by this response, Sjin's eyes lit up with understanding.

"You don't like him being so busy! Aho... When was the last time you talked to him?"

"Ages..."

"How's your relationship?"

The dwarf's head shot up.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know. You and Xephos. Where do you stand?"

"I mean, we used to be best buds, but I don't know if that's really true anymore."

"Anything else?"

"The hell do you mean by 'anything else'?"

"Exactly what I mean."

"N-No! Never!"

"Ooh. I sense hesitancy. Either that or a bit of regret..."

"I don't appreciate your tone!"

"I don't appreciate your style. You are one pent-up mothertrucker."

Honeydew stopped and gave Sjin a long look.

"I don't really know what you're getting at."

Sjin sighed the sigh of someone with no small amount of patience.

"Allow me to be blunt. You know how Xephos is up on the roof?"

"Yeah?"

"You got your flying ring?"

"Yeah?"

"Fly up there, go up to the man, and demand to talk to him. Tell him how you feel. And if he brushes you off or doesn't want to listen, you kiss that joker right on the lips. Bam! Relationship restored."

"B-But, that's-How would that-I can't-"

Sjin grinned and threw his arm over the shoulders of the gray man next to him.

"Worked for me!"

Honeydew's eyes widened.

"But I thought you two were joking!"

At this Lalna laughed and shook his head.

"Dude, they've been going out for a year. Even I knew that."

"But-And that still-"

"Okay, enough of this crap. Off ya go!"

With a grunt, Sips slipped from under Sjin's arm, grabbed Honeydew around the torso, and tossed the dwarf a good 20 feet in the air towards the factory. Honeydew quickly caught himself and hovered in mid-air, turning around to look at his friends on the ground. They all waved towards the top of the factory, clearly trying to egg him on. With a heavy heart and a stomach that was inexplicably filling up with butterflies, Honeydew made his way to the roof. Spotting Xephos working on the power flower, the dwarf touched down a short distance behind him. The spaceman didn't notice. Typical.

"Hey friend, I need to talk to you."

Xephos looked up at him slightly and smiled before looking back at his work.

"Hey, what's up? Done with the sugarcanes for now?"

"No, not really..."

"Oh? You got a problem with the pneumatic tubing? It is a bit weird-"

"Not that either. Nothing to do with Jaffas, really."

"Oh. Well, can we talk about it tonight then? I've almost got this."

"Look, Xephos, it's really important."

"I'm sure it is, I'm just really busy. Look, seriously, I'll talk to you tonight. Promise."

Honeydew didn't respond. He just stared at the spaceman's back as it became clear that the vaguely laid out Plan A had failed. And with growing realization, the vaguely laid out Plan B looked more and more attractive. The butterflies becoming overwhelming, Honeydew grabbed Xephos' shoulder and roughly turned him around. In a workaholic's daze, Xephos blinked and looked at the dwarf with confusion.

"Hey man, I'm sorry, but-"

He was swiftly cut off by the other man's lips. Honeydew kept his hand on Xephos' shoulder as he focused on pouring all his passion and frustration into the kiss. Not waiting for a response, Honeydew broke off, and rested his forehead on the shocked spaceman's.

"In the words of the immortal wise-man Sips, I love you, you son-of-a-bitch."

"I-"

"You're going to stop working so damn hard. Besides leaving me out in the cold, you've been wearing yourself down into oblivion."

"But-"

"You're a fantastic, brilliant man. Stop wasting it and-"

"Will you let me talk?"

"Fine."

"I just want to say that I agree, I'm sorry, and... 'likewise'."

"Likewise?"

"Likewise."

"You... still want to have a talk tonight?"

"Definitely. We have a lot to catch up on, I think."

As the two men allowed their lips to meet again and their arms to entwine around each other, Sjin grabbed his friends from where they had been spying on the ledge. Throwing an arm around his love's shoulder once more, the architect grinned at Lalna.

"Looks like you're a fifth wheel, Lal."

The scientist shrugged.

"I don't really care. I'm happy as I am."

Throwing his arm around Sjin in turn, Sips smirked.

"You sure? Sounds like you and Rythian might have something going on..."

Lalna blushed angrily.

"He's trying to kill me! Besides, he and Zoey have just gotten back together, for goodness sake!"

Sjin's grin took on a mischievous glint.

"Hey hey, maybe she can get in on the action too, if you know what I mean..."

"OH GOD!"

Credit to lovely-shark on tumblr