momslilassassin | Room 204 [early afternoon]

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Room 204 [early afternoon]

If he was being very honest with himself--which Ben tried to be--he wasn't exactly feeling like going to a dance tonight. The months he'd spent with Bean and Petra had been mentally and emotionally exhausting, and watching Achilles get executed hadn't exactly been a highlight.

And he was very, very worried about Ender. Under the guise of messing with his hair--which had gotten long and fairly stupid looking--he glanced at Ender in the mirror and waited for his roommate to say something.

[OOC: For the roomie!]

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There was a short silence.

"I took care of some holes in Bean's plans," Ender said, finally. "Maybe not enough. I don't think any of it is enough."

Ben sneakily slid his hand across Ender's shoulders in a one-armed hug. He knew there wasn't a point to telling Ender it wasn't his fight.

"Your adjustments'll save lives," he said softly.

"It doesn't matter. They're going to tear each other apart," Ender said, distantly. "And there's only so much I can do."

Ben's grip tightened just a little bit. "I know."

"I wish I was already in the colonies," he said, rubbing at his brow. "Then this, all of this, would be a matter of the past, of already done and gone, and I could just let go and leave them to their futures."

"Where this wouldn't hurt any more?" Ben guessed.

Ender laughed; it was rueful, and probably not too reassuring. "Where my responsibilities would be safely passed off to someone else," he said, "I was never very good at avoiding them otherwise."

No, that laugh wasn't all that reassuring. "You could always stop checking your mail?" Ben suggested, knowing even as he did it was an option that neither of them would take.

"While Peter is trying to run the planet?"

Ben snorted. "You heard Graff. Peter's the good guy now."

His hand moved down to rub circles on Ender's back.

There was a simple, childish instinct pressing at the back of his head, telling him to turn around and maybe dig his nose into Ben's shoulder and let go.

But those connections had been cut a long time ago, and so Ender's back merely remained a sturdy presence under Ben's hand. "It's Peter," he said, "He'll do whatever he has to to expand his base of power. Maybe when he has the Earth, he'll be satisfied. Probably not."

Ben's hand kept moving anyway. "I didn't like him," he offered. "I'm sure you're shocked."

"Terribly so," Ender said, dryly. "What with him being so charming, and all."

If there was anyone they could agree to dislike in Ender's world, it'd be Peter.

Which was why Ben had started there.

"I don't think Karla is cut out for subtle politics, though," he said with a small laugh. "She made me look both understated and patient."

"I figured there was more of a reason for Peter to lock her out of operations entirely beyond her 'beestings'."

Ben's hand moved lightly across Ender's back, searching out tightened muscles with the instincts of someone who carried their stress in their back as well. "She told him to his face exactly what she thought of him," Ben said with a slightly scandalized giggle.

"Oh," Ender said, "I can't see where that could possibly go wrong."

Some of his muscles were slowly relaxing. It didn't take away the fact that his posture was still obviously strung tight for action.

"Yeah," Ben said wryly. "I wasn't sure if he head was going to pop off before or after he tossed us into holding cells for being annoying. That's when he shipped us off to Bean. I'm sure he viewed it as equally punishing for all sides."

"If it's any consolation," Ender said, a note of dry humor in his voice, "I think Bean appreciated you slightly less than you did him."

Ben's hand stopped moving for a moment, pausing at the small of Ender's back. "Really?"

"No," Ender said, sneaking him a glance from the corner of his eye, "But it was worth saying it for the look you just gave me."

Ben's fingers struck out to tickle Ender's side. "I've just decided. I didn't miss you that much, kreetle."

Big liar.

Ender finally pulled away - a perfectly normal response, considering the tickling. "It's good to know I'm appreciated just that much."

"Who else would I bring coffee to?" Ben said, stretching his legs out on Ender's bed.

Edited 2010-02-17 17:04 (UTC)

"Aravis?"

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momslilassassin - 2010-02-18 20:22 (UTC) - Expand

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