Aboard the Jade Shadow [Tuesday, Fandom time]

[momslilassassin]

Ben was grabbing a quick snack as he waited in the galley for his father to finish docking the ship on the first human-majority planet they'd seen in months and taking the chance to catch up on more reading about the Aing-Tii Monks. As soon as they restocked their supplies and checked for physical mail (Ben hoped that Tony's package would catch up with them here), they'd be heading into Aing-Tii space, which was a challenging enough flight that Luke Kriffing Skywalker looked slightly apprehensive about it.

Ben stopped being nervous by remembering that if Jacen had been able to do it, Luke would be able to do it better.

...it had never been said that Ben could not be very petty if the occasion called for it.

[OOC: Open for calls, texts, visits from the boy who's in space with him, care packages from home full of YA gay literature...]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"And you're treating yours like they're lost, too," Ben replied quietly. "Even when they were right in front of you."

[endsthegame]

"I think it's been made fairly clear what they want from me, Ben," Ender said, sounding tired. "And for that matter, what I'd like you to do is drop it."

[momslilassassin]

Ben was struck with simultaneous urges to give Ender a hug and smack him really hard in the head, so he ignored both.

"Okay," he said finally. "But if you ever change your mind about talking--"

[endsthegame]

"I have a very annoying Jedi monkey living above me," Ender said, dryly.

[momslilassassin]

"A very annoying empathic Jedi monkey living above you," Ben corrected with a tiny smile, "who, as strange as it is for you to deal with, actually cares about your feelings."

Even as he misinterpreted the big ones.

[endsthegame]

"Well," Ender said, a little dryly, "This inmate thanks you for your attention."

[momslilassassin]

"Not always," Ben said with a tiny smile.

[endsthegame]

"That's the problem with being in an asylum," Ender said, "No getting away from all the nosy primates."

[momslilassassin]

Ben's smile wavered for a second. "I can always head back to my old room," he offered.

[endsthegame]

Ender shot him a fondly exasperated look. "Don't," he said. "I'm just being a terrible grouch."

[momslilassassin]

"I'd noticed," Ben said, reaching out to poke Ender gently in the ankle.

Because clearly rough-housing would ease the tension!

[endsthegame]

Well, at least he'd put his shirt on? "Though you are being exceptionally bothersome, Jedi," Ender said, aborting a kick at Ben's hand about halfway in.

[momslilassassin]

"I'm kind of gratified it took this long to reach that level," Ben said, grinning at him and keeping his hands to himself (for once). "I thought you would have tried to bury me in rocks on Dorin."

[endsthegame]

"Oh, I thought about it," Ender said, "But your father was already a little ornery, and the disappearance of his only son might've made him slightly crabbier."

[momslilassassin]

Ben stuck his tongue out. "I'm glad you put some thought into it."

[endsthegame]

"One of us has to," Ender said, getting back up.

[momslilassassin]

Ben made himself comfortable on Ender's bed like the lazy teenager he pretended to be. "This next planets should have a nice variety of rocks for you to drop on me if you change your mind."

[endsthegame]

"I'm not pelting you with sentient creatures," Ender said, coming up with his dress uniform jacket on his next poke-around. He held it up. "Well, I won't be needing this for a while."

[momslilassassin]

"Probably not," Ben agreed with a smile. "I don't think we'll be attending a lot of dances."

[endsthegame]

"Or chauvenistic military events," Ender said, "Though I don't think Tony found my box of insignias. I'm terribly sad." He looked at the jacket one more time. "I can't keep myself from wondering who thought the half-length jacket was a good idea."

[momslilassassin]

"Someone blind?" Ben suggested helpfully. "It's not that terrible, relatively. Twi'lek dress uniforms involve loincloths and capes."

[endsthegame]

"Yes, I think we definitely dodged a bullet there," Ender said, folding up the jacket.

[momslilassassin]

"No one needs Graff in a loincloth," Ben agreed. "Or Dink, for that matter."

[endsthegame]

"And I thought briefs were just too little," Ender deadpanned. "I'll stick to our dress code."

Oh, great. Now he felt stupidly reckless.

[momslilassassin]

"If you want a pair of lightsaber boxers, all you have to do is ask," Ben said as the subtext flew over his head.