TW: Tekkit, Implied Sexual Content

It was a few hours before dawn, and Xephos couldn't sleep. He sat up, and smiled at the dark resting shapes around him - Honeydew sprawled across as many of his beds as his little limbs could manage, snoring gently, and Lalna curled snugly in his blankets, his blonde hair fallen across his face without his goggles to hold it back. Xephos took his sword and crept over to the back door, careful not to make the floorboards creak, and slipped out of the dormitory, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could.

It was a beautiful night, the moon's glow enough to cast tall shadows of rubber trees against the grass. Xephos walked over to the jaffa factory, determined to make his sleepless night a productive one. He gazed up at his vast series of macerators and furnaces, and sighed. "Not future-proof" indeed, he thought. Not a night for machines, not without Lalna's help anyway. He rummaged through the chests until he found a stack of marble, and hauled it up the ladders and scaffolding. Finally at the top, he wiped his brow, and allowed himself a moment to look over the dark landscape; Pig Island on the south horizon, the red alternating lights of Sips Co's mining turtle station to the east, the winding river to Lalna's lab north, and west, Sips Co's decoy headquarters. No doubt Sjin's hard work, Xephos thought, admiring the building before looking down at the pile of marble at his feet, and sighing again. He began to lift the blocks into place, and soon had worked his way to the south-west corner. He smiled to himself, the progress satisfying, and looked over to where the moon was just beginning to set. His eyes caught on something moving on the horizon. He squinted, putting down the next block he had begun to place. Probably just a zombie, he thought, trying to shake the sleep out of his head. But as the shape continued to move, it came closer, faster than a zombie's absent gait. As it reached the crest of the hill, a glimpse of orange shone from the man's clothing, and Xephos realised: Sjin!

He was running from something, and after him, Xephos saw three creepers unsmiling as they seemed to glide after Sjin, their black eyes reflecting only darkness. Xephos grabbed his sword, and slid down the scaffolding and ladders so quickly his palms burned as he thrust open the factory door and ran full pelt towards the hillside, vaulting over the basalt wall without a thought. Sjin was flagging, he had forgotten to eat again, and the creepers began to gain on him, hissing. Xephos leaped into the closing gap, and slashed at them with his sword; two fell to its sapphire blade, gunpowder littering the ground, before Xephos wheeled round and came face to face with the third, its form huge and suddenly pale. He felt his shoulders pulled back hard as it exploded, the darkness broken for a moment, as he fell backward onto Sjin and the pair collapsed on the grass.

For a second they just sat, staring at the smoking hole at their feet, breathless and both surprised to be alive.

"Are you okay?" Sjin asked, leaning over Xephos' shoulder.

"Yeah, I think so. Are you?"

"Yeah, thanks to you," Sjin answered, his head dizzy. The landscape seemed to still be moving.

Xephos turned hearing his dazed tone, and one look at Sjin had him searching his pockets for food. He found some bread, and handed it to the man. "Eat something," he said. "Doesn't Sips ever feed you?"

Sjin laughed and took the bread gratefully. "I'm just always so busy," he mumbled in between mouthfuls.

Xephos looked into the shadows that surrounded them, taking hold of his sword again, feeling safer with it pressed into his palm. "We should move, there might be more monsters," he said, scrambling to his feet and grasping Sjin's free hand to pull him up. "Christ, you're freezing!" Xephos exclaimed, "Come on, let's get in the factory."

"But Sips will-" Sjin started.

"Come on," Xephos repeated, and hearing his tone, Sjin didn't argue.

They half-walked, half-staggered back, Xephos digging a tunnel under the basalt wall while Sjin filled it in with dirt behind them, all the time worrying about what Sips would say. Sjin wasn't cut out for feuds, he didn't even dislike Lalna really, he just liked to tease him, and he smiled at the memory of the scientist's face as he flew above his head holding his flying ring, dangling it just out of reach.

The factory door stood open, the glow of yellow lanterns spilling out ahead of them. Xephos held his sword firmly, and went in first, checking for monsters. "Clear," he called to Sjin, who peeked his head round the door uncertainly before coming in, and closing it behind him.

Xephos felt himself relax at last, just a little, at once aware of his own breathing as he put down his sword on a nearby chest, the weight of his tiredness asserting itself.

"What were you even doing out there, Sjin?" he demanded, turning to look at the man.

"I could ask you the same question," Sjin teased, but seeing Xephos' face, he quickly added "Well, I was on the night shift, and then I heard them behind me... I didn't have any weapons on me, so I ran."

"Night shift?" Xephos asked sceptically, quirking an eyebrow.

"Hey, someone's got to work the machines, check the dirt filters..." Sjin replied, his voice trailing off as Xephos rolled his eyes.

"He's going to work you into the ground, Sjin."

"Only if I'm good," Sjin grinned, his flirtatious streak forever unperturbed.

Xephos sighed, throwing up his hands as he turned his back on Sjin. "You deserve better," he muttered under his breath.

Sjin smiled, and came up behind him, saying quietly "If I didn't know better, I'd think you missed me," wrapping his hands around Xephos' waist, and resting his head on the man's shoulder. He felt the man freeze at the contact, before Xephos relaxed a second later, placing his hands over Sjin's.

"You're still bloody freezing," he half-grumbled, taking Sjin's hands in turn and rubbing them between his own, bringing them to his lips and breathing warmth onto them.

Sjin nuzzled his neck, enjoying Xephos' smell and ignoring the thin grey layer of gunpowder dust clinging his skin, before Xephos impatiently turned in his embrace to face him. As their eyes met, Sjin kissed him, and begrudgingly at first, Xephos kissed back, the taste of wheat still on Sjin's tongue.

Sjin's hands searched for the buttons on Xephos' shirt, before Xephos pulled back, and whispered, breathless, "Not here, Sjin."

"Where?" asked Sjin, his voice urgent.

Xephos' eyes searched the room, thinking. The sky was beginning to turn pink. Lalna and Honeydew would be up soon, and the factory would begin to tick over for another day, full of life and watchful eyes. Through the hole for the solar pipes, Xephos saw the red lights of the turtle station, and an idea formed in his head. He took Sjin's hand, and tugged him towards the small gap in the wall. "There," he said, pointing, his voice triumphant.

Sjin smirked, nodding, and they crept out of the factory, and climbing a rubber tree whose branches dangled over the wall, dropping onto the other side. They waded waist-deep through the river hand in hand, and when they reached the station, they collapsed behind the computer in each other's arms, shivering and giggling. Sjin kissed him hungrily, his tongue searching out Xephos' as their hands peeled off their wet clothes, their naked skin glistening in the first light of the day, and the warmth of their bodies seeming like the only thing left in the world.

***

As Xephos walked into the factory nearing lunch time, he felt himself swaggering, and smiled to himself.

"Where were you?" Honeydew asked, looking down from the scaffolding above, one hand on the condenser.

"Yeah, we were worried!" Lalna added, gliding down to the factory floor, his ring humming.

"I just went to Pig Island-" Honeydew's face seemed to open for a moment - "Still no pigs guys."

"Damn it, we need to fix this!" Honeydew said, annoyed. Easily distracted, thought Xephos, but Lalna kept looking at him, unconvinced, sure he'd seen the edge of a fresh bruise just beneath Xephos' collar.

Credit to myranium on Ao3