I was sixteen when I first worked on a farm in the summer. And if I told you that I didn’t miss it, I’d be lying.

At age five, I remember running through the fields of grain when we stayed at my grandpa’s, never knowing that he was one of the last farmers to even get a harvest until he too watched his land get bulldozed to make room for the government's last attempt to grow something that could feed the starving third ring. Us.

I guess it was kind of silly to be on the farm, since nothing grew anymore by the time I arrived. We barely had enough to feed the animals, let alone ourselves.

But not all nights were bad.

The stars were magical there. I often wish upon them when I was left alone as a “why not” moment in my life.

I wanted those crops to grow and to see those animals thriving as hope for a future worth sticking around for.

But we don’t always get what we want.

Not on Earth.

Not in space.

I knelt in the zero gravity world with the map of the entire ship in my hands. We found it after breaking into the Captain’s Quarters a few hours ago. Lucky me, the man was about my size.

My boot kept me from floating off with their fake gravity powers, sticking me well onto the shell of the wounded beast.

A few steps away was the stranger I found with it, moving with better ease with that wounded leg of his. He managed to find his own suit in storage, though it was a little big on him.

It’s been ten hours since we met, spending most of it on gathering supplies, locking up the rooms of the dead, and questioning everything we stumbled upon.

Starting with a signal that can be triggered from the outside.

“When there’s damage, there’s a signal that goes out,” Hayden translates. “Letting the Mother-ship know there’s trouble.”

“Mother-ship?”

Hayden shrugged. “If we find a weak point, we can tamper with it to let them know we’re here.”

“Best idea we got. If we can actually find a spot to do it.” I traced my finger along the map, pressing where we were.

He lowered himself to my level, his wounded leg stretched out while he folded the other one. Watching me, he asks out of the blue, “Tell me about Earth.”

“Hmm?”

“Your planet. Tell me something about it.”

“Why this all of a sudden?”

He shrugged again. “Just curious.”

I filed through what I had on the topic, landing on, “We have trees.”

“Trees.” He repeats.

“Yeah. I mean we did, at some point. There’s a few somewhere if one wishes to look.”

“I bet they’re beautiful.”

And they were. That’s what my father says. “But the mountains,” I say, leaning back from me hovering over the notes, “I think they’re even prettier, especially in winter, mystic in a way. Like a whole new world was like, right there.”

“Why did you leave it then?” He asked.

“Reasons. Hopes. That sort of stuff.”

He tried to go back to the notes but I flicked his helm screen playfully to get his attention. He jumped, startled.

“It’s your turn.”

“I got nothing to say.”

“How about something you remember?” I prompted.

Hayden didn’t answer at first, being distracted by the stars surrounding us, or just didn’t want to look at me. “Voices. I remember voices telling me things. The ship, it feels familiar but not the same time. And humans...I don’t think you’re the first one I’ve met." He fumbles with his fingers, unable to rake them through his hair like he always did when something bothered him or he’s stuck on a thought. Probably both right now. "The rest stays blank. I don't know who I am, Kohl."

I reached out and squeezed his hand. "It's alright. I didn't mean to upset you."

Hayden:

I felt Kohl letting go before I could squeeze back. His attention was now to the notes, something I was trying to do before he flicked me.

Are humans always this weird?

"I think we should get going." I say. He gave a nod in agreement, helping me up once he got to his feet.

We spent the next half hour scooping for a break in the panels. I was about to call it quits when Kohl announced that he found something to my left. I came over to see a panel barely hanging on, scraping along the others.

Kohl was already exposing the main frame.

“Should we shoot it?”

He snorted, looking up at me. “Sure, sweetheart.” He steps back to give me clearance.

I pulled out the blaster and aimed, firing three shots into the mainframe, sparks flying and wires getting free with more ease than I expected.

Our suits went crazy, telling us what we wanted to hear. A new signal was beginning to broadcast to a ship not so far away.

“Huh,” said Kohl. “You really know your way around a blaster.”

I handed it back to him but he refused it.

“Keep it,” he says, “you’ll have better use out of it than I ever will.”

“You don’t know how to shoot?”

“I rather not.”

Kohl:

I should shave (not like I could grow a decent beard or anything) and shower.

I peeled off my suit after finding a bathroom and turning on the water. I made the unfortunate decision of looking in the mirror.

“Bleh,” I said to myself, seeing the dark cycles under my eyes. At least the bathroom looked nice. It was like how the fifties imagined space but with more fur rugs and pink.

The communicator beeps on as I flung my shirt where my suit happened to land, knowing exactly who caught me before a shower scene.

“Hello again,” I say when she fully connected.

“Busy?”

“Nope,” I grumbled.

“Bad mood?”

“I found a mirror.”

There was an audible whence of sympathy through her teeth, “Vain little peacock found his most un-fabulous moment. And it’s with your date too.”

“It’s nothing like that.”

“Come on, you really think I’ll fall for that? A lot can happen in ten hours.”

I rolled my eyes, “Anyway, good news. There’s a ship that caught our signal so hopefully they care enough to check it out.”

There was silence on her end and for a second I thought we lost connection. “Boo?”

“Is it safe. No pirates?”

“Well, it's hard to tell in the dark wide universe. I hope not. I don’t think Hayden would make it out unscathed with that face of his. Yet again, he might just bite their dick off if they tried anything.”

“Comforting. I was thinking about you, though. The guy who hates violence. Your alien boyfriend has it covered.”

“Glad you have faith. And he’s not--”

She hangs up before I could finish like the classy lady she was.

I left the bathroom once if felt worthy of the world again, my hair dry enough and found a clean t-shirt and pj bottoms.

I found Hayden in the now cleaner kitchen, making something he was reading off in a cookbook, holding the pot when a rumbled rippled through the ship as another section broke off.

All I was missing was a tie, “So where’s the kids?”

He looked utterly confused, leaving the joke dead on the floor and I to wave off what I just said. “I made soup.”

“Smells good.”

He made me a bowl, watching me take it. I thanked him when I got a spoon.

“Try it.” He says, crossing his arms and putting his weight off his injured leg by leaning on the counter.

I obliged. The taste hit me harder than I expected, making me cough out a lung. Hayden looked horrified.

“It’s good, strong flavor,” I placed the rest on the other counter, treating it like it was flammable, trying to learn how to breathe again.

“You don’t like it.”

“I think you’re wonderful.” I avoided, finding water and coffee (I sniffed for it). I poured a cup, observing his ease on eating the rest of the food.

It could be worse, I thought, I was lucky enough to save a damsel.

He glanced at me as we let the moment float freely between us, like a chance for this to go in either direction.

I didn’t know which one I would’ve preferred. How would one follow up after almost getting killed off by soup of your could be space lover.

A kiss apparently.