Pairing: Xephos and Lalna [Xephna]
A/N: Consider this an early Crimbus present. *Please don’t reblog to kin/rp/introject blogs!* Also, this takes place pre-relationship during Moonquest :] (Crossposted on ao3)
Lalna had been puzzled when he returned from mining and Xephos hadn’t been in Baked Bean Fort. Considering the man was a workaholic who practically never left his work station, Lalna had reason to be slightly confused.
He’d immediately pulled out his communicator and turned on the mic. “Xeph’? You here? I just got back.”
It only took a few moments for Xephos to answer.
“Yes! I’m sorry, friend, I didn’t expect you to be back yet. I’m by the edge of that nice forested area, where we found the sheep, do you remember?”
Lalna nodded to himself. “Yeah, I think so. I’ll be there in just a second.”
Technically, it ended up taking him more than just a minute to get to Xephos. He panted slightly as he arrived, missing his flying armor. Even a faulty flying ring would be better than this, he thought grumpily.
When Lalna approached he found Xephos surrounded by wildflowers, sitting cross legged and weaving them together. He brightened as Lalna approached.
“Good, got some more aluminum,” he hummed, emphasizing the last word. “Would’ve been better if Honeydew hadn’t decided to faff around the whole time.” He complained, only half-serious.
Xephos sighed. “Is he still down there?”
“Yeah, he wanted to stay down there a bit longer. I think he said he’ll be back by morning.”
Xephos nodded contemplatively. “Alright. I suppose he’ll do better by himself when he doesn’t have anyone to fool around with.”
Lalna nodded in agreement, and observed closer what Xephos was doing. The wildflowers surrounding him were in sorted piles, and atop his head was a flower crown. Another was in his hand, apparently still in the process of being made.
“Flower crowns?” Lalna asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
Xephos nodded and averted his eyes, his cheeks glowing with embarrassment. “Yes, Honeydew taught me how to make them a while back. I didn’t realize I’d been out here so long, we can go back in and get started working-“
Lalna interrupted him. “No, no! It’s okay, I don’t care. Honeydew’s not here to berate us, let’s embrace it.” He grinned crookedly.
Xephos snorted slightly at that. Lalna crouched down next to Xephos, inspecting the one on his head. It was blue and white, made out of forget-me-nots and daisies. A few sprigs of baby’s breath had been delicately intertwined into the main chain.
“They look really nice,” he complimented.
Xephos brightened. “Thank you! I could teach you how to make them, if you’d like,” he offered.
Lalna shrugged. “Sure. Whatever to not have to go work on that bloody rocket,” he grumbled. Xephos laughed again and Lalna felt himself grin at the sound.
Xephos hummed and studied Lalna for a moment. “Now your eyes are that lovely blue-green color, so we ought to choose flowers with colors that make them pop,” He said decisively, rising to his feet and beginning to hunt for flora.
Lalna startled. “You- you think my eyes are lovely?”
“Of course I do, why wouldn’t I?” Xephos replied matter-of-factly, not even looking up. Lalna felt his cheeks heat up.
“Oh, er, thanks,” he rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.
Xephos continued on rambling cheerfully, climbing his way through the wildflowers. “Now, see, we need ones that are the opposite of green and blue. What’s the opposite of green?”
“Right, yes, what flowers are purple…” He trailed off.
Lalna watched Xephos quickly pick out the flowers. He returned with an armful of different flowers, still babbling to himself. “…And we also want ones that have longer stems, they’re easier to weave, as well.”
He sat back down next to Lalna. “Okay, so I chose daisies, because they usually work well, and I found these purple ones, as well. I’m not sure what they’re called, but-“
“Cosmos,” Lalna interrupted. “Those are called cosmos.”
“Cosmos! Cosmos, cosmos,” Xephos repeated to himself in that way that meant he was trying very hard to learn a new Minecraftian word.
“So, daisies, cosmos, and then baby’s breath. They’re nice for detailing. Now to weave them together…” Xephos began demonstrating the process, his thin fingers nimbly wrapping the stems around the others and creating a chain faster than Lalna could have imagined. Lalna picked up a few flowers and began clumsily trying to mimic the motion, but found himself more so enamored by Xephos’ air of quiet concentration. The gentle purse of the man’s lips and knitting of his brow was familiar, but less stressed than usual.
It only took a few minutes and Xephos had finished the chain, expertly tying it off and smiling satisfactorily.
“There! Simple enough,” he beamed, presenting the finished crown for Lalna to look at.
Lalna looked down at the mess of crumpled stems in his hands. “Er, yeah. Maybe you could go slower next time? I didn’t quite catch what you were doing,” he said.
Xephos flushed with embarrassment. “Oh, right. Sorry, I guess I got distracted.” He admitted.
“Well, no matter- here.” Xephos smiled and gently placed the crown on Lalna’s head. His hand brushed a piece of Lalna’s hair out of his eyes and Lalna felt his cheeks heat up again. They stared at each other for a moment. Xephos’ eyes were glowing brightly with delight. Lalna’s face burned further still.
“Thanks, Xeph’,” he finally managed to say, hoping the flush on his cheeks wasn’t as obvious as it felt.
Xephos beamed. “Of course, friend. Would you like to try again? I’ll help you step by step this time.”
Lalna nodded and relaxed his shoulders. “Sure.”
Xephos began making another chain, talking as he went through each step. But Lalna found himself unable to concentrate on the instructions no matter how he tried. He sighed, finally relaxed and rested his chin on his hand.
“I think your eyes are lovely too.”
