TW: None..

Title: ~The Other Half~

It would’ve been perfect. It should’ve been. When Honeydew went off to the moon, it left the two alone. Perfect for spending time together, more privacy to give each other kisses and little presents. Honeydew could survive on his own, right? Xephos was going to make sure it was perfect for the two of them. 

But it wasn’t. 

Lalna seemed…… distant. He always spaced out, and occasionally snapped at the other two. When Honeydew left, it seemed to get worse. Xephos even saw bruises and cuts suddenly appear overnight on Lalna’s arms and legs, occasionally on his face. He always seemed to distance himself from others. 

The two were alone in the Baked Bean Fort, the day after Honeydew was left on the moon. Lalna was working on building something, while Xephos was going through chests. He noticed how Lalna would pause in his work and stare in space. His fists would clench and unclench, and then he’d resume work. 

Closing the chest, Xephos walked over to his boyfriend and tapped him on the shoulder. Lalna jumped and spun around, pointing his colorful sword at the other’s chest. Xephos put his hands up in surrendor. 

Lalna paused as he realized the other was Xephos, and clenched his teeth together as he lowered his sword. 

"Xeph," Lalna said, his tone stern. "Don’t sneak up on me like that." He began to turn around to resume his work on the bench, but Xephos put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Can we talk?" Xephos said, feeling Lalna tense under his grip. "Just for a minute? Then you can return to whatever you were doing." 

Lalna sighed before setting the materials down. He turned to Xephos with his arms crossed. “What do you want to talk about?” 

Xephos also crossed his arms and looked the other in the eye. “What’s been going on? The past few weeks you’ve been acting strange.” 

Lalna didn’t speak for a moment. He looked at everything else besides Xephos. “Just don’t worry right now, okay?” He gave a small smile, and began to turn to the table again. 

"Then when should I worry?” Xephos said, his tone harder now. Lalna froze, but didn’t turn around. 

"You shouldn’t worry," Lalna said quietly. "Just dont." 

"How?" Xephos asked, his voice growing louder. The kind approach was over. "I always worry about you, Lal. What’s going on?” 

Lalna sighed in frustration before turning back around. “Xeph, let’s not do this now.” 

"Then when?!” Xephos snapped, making Lalna flinch. “When should we talk? Now’s perfect, in my opinion.” 

"Just-" Lalna said, cutting off to think. "Just leave me alone, for now." 

"We’ve left you alone long enough!" Xephos said. 

"Why can’t you trust me?!" Lalna yelled, walking away with his fists clenched.

"I do trust you! I’m just-"

"Watching me? Making sure I don’t go crazy at any second? Yeah, that sounds a lot like you don’t trust me." Lalna turned away. 

“‘Crazy at any second’? What do you mean?” Xephos asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Lalna tensed again, but refused to turn around. “I don’t know.” 

"What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’?" Xephos asked, putting a hand on the other’s shoulder. 

Lalna shrugged the other’s shoulder off and walked to the bed. He bit his lip, trying to think of an answer. 

"What happened to you?" Xephos asked quietly. 

"I just need to sort things out," Lalna said, hurt by the other’s words. 

"Will you tell me?" Xephos asked, stepping closer to the blonde. "You’ve been away from us for too long." 

"Just leave me alone," Lalna tried his earlier plea. 

"For how long, Lalna?" Xephos asked, his voice rising. "You’ve been gone too long. We need you. I need you." 

Lalna bit his lip as he avoided his lover’s stare. Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach, and it didn’t help that the little voice in his head kept chanting him on. 

"Just go!" Lalna suddenly yelled, spinning around to meet Xephos’ gaze. 

Xephos flinched at the sudden fierceness in Lalna’s tone. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to be with you.” 

"Go!" Lalna yelled again. 

"I’m staying," Xephos said, his voice firm. "Whatever is bothering you, Lalna, I’m going to figure it out." 

“SHUT UP!" Lalna screamed. Xephos stood in fear as Lalna’s eyes seemed to invert in color. His pupils teal, the cornea black. The scientist’s hand raised, and landed with a proud smack! on Xephos’ cheek. 

Xephos fell to the floor, not from the impact, but from shock. He placed a hand on his stinging cheek while looking shocked at Lalna.

Lalna stood, also shocked, at what happened. His eyes returned to the normal colors, and he stared at his hand, to Xephos, and back at his hand. 

"Lalna-" Xephos began.

"No," Lalna said, not to Xephos, but to himself. "Oh god, no." He turned around and ran out the door, muttering to himself. 

Xephos stood up, his cheek forgotten, and ran out the door following Lalna. 

He looked around before seeing the blonde scientist running towards the air craft. Xephos ran over and grabbed onto the other’s arm, making him yelp. 

"Lalna!" Xephos said, and Lalna closed his eyes. "Where are you going?" 

Lalna slowly opened his eyes, and looked at Xephos cautiously. He almost whimpered when he saw the red mark swelling on the other’s cheek. 

"Xeph," Lalna said, his voice wavering. "I’m so sorry." 

"I just want to ask something," Xephos said, his grip still on the other’s arm. "What is wrong?" 

Lalna closed his eyes and accidentily let out a choked sob. “I-I….. There’s this thing. In my head. He’s called Livid. I don’t know how, but he suddenly appeared, and he takes control when I get mad. He’s….. He’s been threatening me. Threatening you.” Lalna looked up into Xephos’ eyes, and realized his own was spilling tears. “He threatened that when he takes control, he’d kill you.” Xephos’ eyes widened, and then pulled Lalna into a hug. 

"You don’t hate me?" Lalna asked. 

"No," Xephos said. "I love you." 

Lalna smiled and hugged the other back. 

"But what are we going to do?" Lalna asked. "Livid is still there." 

"I’ll make sure you’re not mad," Xephos said. "If you ever feel like Livid is taking over, come get me. Okay?" He pulled away to look in Lalna’s eyes. 

"Okay," Lalna said. "I love you." 

"I love you too." Xephos said, and leaned down to give the other a soft, warm kiss.

~~

TW: Song!fic ... Song on the side/above

Title: ~Cosmic Love~

It would’ve been perfect. It should’ve been. When Honeydew went off to the moon, it left the two alone. Perfect for spending time together, more privacy to give each other kisses and little presents. Honeydew could survive on his own, right? Xephos was going to make sure it was perfect for the two of them. 

But it wasn’t. 

Lalna seemed…… distant. He always spaced out, and occasionally snapped at the other two. When Honeydew left, it seemed to get worse. Xephos even saw bruises and cuts suddenly appear overnight on Lalna’s arms and legs, occasionally on his face. He always seemed to distance himself from others. 

The two were alone in the Baked Bean Fort, the day after Honeydew was left on the moon. Lalna was working on building something, while Xephos was going through chests. He noticed how Lalna would pause in his work and stare in space. His fists would clench and unclench, and then he’d resume work. 

Closing the chest, Xephos walked over to his boyfriend and tapped him on the shoulder. Lalna jumped and spun around, pointing his colorful sword at the other’s chest. Xephos put his hands up in surrendor. 

Lalna paused as he realized the other was Xephos, and clenched his teeth together as he lowered his sword. 

"Xeph," Lalna said, his tone stern. "Don’t sneak up on me like that." He began to turn around to resume his work on the bench, but Xephos put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Can we talk?" Xephos said, feeling Lalna tense under his grip. "Just for a minute? Then you can return to whatever you were doing." 

Lalna sighed before setting the materials down. He turned to Xephos with his arms crossed. “What do you want to talk about?” 

Xephos also crossed his arms and looked the other in the eye. “What’s been going on? The past few weeks you’ve been acting strange.” 

Lalna didn’t speak for a moment. He looked at everything else besides Xephos. “Just don’t worry right now, okay?” He gave a small smile, and began to turn to the table again. 

"Then when should I worry?” Xephos said, his tone harder now. Lalna froze, but didn’t turn around. 

"You shouldn’t worry," Lalna said quietly. "Just dont." 

"How?" Xephos asked, his voice growing louder. The kind approach was over. "I always worry about you, Lal. What’s going on?” 

Lalna sighed in frustration before turning back around. “Xeph, let’s not do this now.” 

"Then when?!” Xephos snapped, making Lalna flinch. “When should we talk? Now’s perfect, in my opinion.” 

"Just-" Lalna said, cutting off to think. "Just leave me alone, for now." 

"We’ve left you alone long enough!" Xephos said. 

"Why can’t you trust me?!" Lalna yelled, walking away with his fists clenched.

"I do trust you! I’m just-"

"Watching me? Making sure I don’t go crazy at any second? Yeah, that sounds a lot like you don’t trust me." Lalna turned away. 

“‘Crazy at any second’? What do you mean?” Xephos asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Lalna tensed again, but refused to turn around. “I don’t know.” 

"What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’?" Xephos asked, putting a hand on the other’s shoulder. 

Lalna shrugged the other’s shoulder off and walked to the bed. He bit his lip, trying to think of an answer. 

"What happened to you?" Xephos asked quietly. 

"I just need to sort things out," Lalna said, hurt by the other’s words. 

"Will you tell me?" Xephos asked, stepping closer to the blonde. "You’ve been away from us for too long." 

"Just leave me alone," Lalna tried his earlier plea. 

"For how long, Lalna?" Xephos asked, his voice rising. "You’ve been gone too long. We need you. I need you." 

Lalna bit his lip as he avoided his lover’s stare. Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach, and it didn’t help that the little voice in his head kept chanting him on. 

"Just go!" Lalna suddenly yelled, spinning around to meet Xephos’ gaze. 

Xephos flinched at the sudden fierceness in Lalna’s tone. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to be with you.” 

"Go!" Lalna yelled again. 

"I’m staying," Xephos said, his voice firm. "Whatever is bothering you, Lalna, I’m going to figure it out." 

“SHUT UP!" Lalna screamed. Xephos stood in fear as Lalna’s eyes seemed to invert in color. His pupils teal, the cornea black. The scientist’s hand raised, and landed with a proud smack! on Xephos’ cheek. 

Xephos fell to the floor, not from the impact, but from shock. He placed a hand on his stinging cheek while looking shocked at Lalna.

Lalna stood, also shocked, at what happened. His eyes returned to the normal colors, and he stared at his hand, to Xephos, and back at his hand. 

"Lalna-" Xephos began.

"No," Lalna said, not to Xephos, but to himself. "Oh god, no." He turned around and ran out the door, muttering to himself. 

Xephos stood up, his cheek forgotten, and ran out the door following Lalna. 

He looked around before seeing the blonde scientist running towards the air craft. Xephos ran over and grabbed onto the other’s arm, making him yelp. 

"Lalna!" Xephos said, and Lalna closed his eyes. "Where are you going?" 

Lalna slowly opened his eyes, and looked at Xephos cautiously. He almost whimpered when he saw the red mark swelling on the other’s cheek. 

"Xeph," Lalna said, his voice wavering. "I’m so sorry." 

"I just want to ask something," Xephos said, his grip still on the other’s arm. "What is wrong?" 

Lalna closed his eyes and accidentily let out a choked sob. “I-I….. There’s this thing. In my head. He’s called Livid. I don’t know how, but he suddenly appeared, and he takes control when I get mad. He’s….. He’s been threatening me. Threatening you.” Lalna looked up into Xephos’ eyes, and realized his own was spilling tears. “He threatened that when he takes control, he’d kill you.” Xephos’ eyes widened, and then pulled Lalna into a hug. 

"You don’t hate me?" Lalna asked. 

"No," Xephos said. "I love you." 

Lalna smiled and hugged the other back. 

"But what are we going to do?" Lalna asked. "Livid is still there." 

"I’ll make sure you’re not mad," Xephos said. "If you ever feel like Livid is taking over, come get me. Okay?" He pulled away to look in Lalna’s eyes. 

"Okay," Lalna said. "I love you." 

"I love you too." Xephos said, and leaned down to give the other a soft, warm kiss.