From Chilly Boulder to Room 204 [evening]

[momslilassassin]

Ben reappeared where he'd been on the 7th: in Chilly Boulder, but without his creepy visitors.

There was a napkin on the nearby table that read "remember" and Ben was flooded with memories of this place: dates with Tahiri after invasions, milkshakes and conversations with Karla, the various staff members who knew him by name after so many years of coming into this shop...

...and Ender, which was when Ben glanced at his phone, realized that it was now Sunday, and bolted for the dorms. If the sidewalks and trees along the way back weren't exactly how he remembered them, he didn't care. He had much more important things on his mind.

"Ender?" he called, opening the door to their room.

Please exist...

Comments

[endsthegame]

"Thank you for coming back," Ender murmured. "I think that's much more impressive."

He kissed Ben's temple, and then his cheek, and then his jaw.

[momslilassassin]

It was only then that how scared Ender had been began to really register for Ben. "I'm here now," he murmured, putting as much reassurance into those words as he could. "But you're welcome to check for yourself."

[endsthegame]

"I might take you up on that offer," Ender said softly, and kissed him on the lips this time.

[momslilassassin]

Ben sighed softly and wrapped his fingers through Ender's hair so he wouldn't move.

"Love you."

[endsthegame]

"Love you too," Ender said, with a tiny quirk of his lips.

It was instinct not to seem too visibly distraught, nor to show any of the bone-deep relief he was feeling. He knew Ben felt it anyway.

[momslilassassin]

Ben would eventually try to get what he'd missed while he'd been gone out of Ender, but reassurance seemed much more important right now.

He tipped backward against the pillows, pulling Ender down against him on the theory that more contact was better right now.

[endsthegame]

Ender's face wound up against Ben's collarbone, his eyes shut, his arm curling around his waist. "You're a little late," he murmured.

[momslilassassin]

"And I forgot to bring dinner," Ben added, kissing the top of Ender's head. "Forgive me?"

[endsthegame]

"Tomorrow's dinner had better cost twice as much," Ender said. "I demand value for my money."

He gave Ben a squeeze, and found his body gave a shiver of tension release in turn. "I think I missed you."

Understatement.

[momslilassassin]

And as much as it was Ben's instinct to deflect something this emotionally raw with humor, he didn't want to this time.

"Are you all right with that?" he murmured, stroking Ender's hair. "I know how you are about getting attached."

[endsthegame]

"Even if I wasn't," Ender muttered, "I don't think there's much I can do about it, is there?"

[momslilassassin]

"Probably not," Ben admitted, moving his hand to touch Ender's cheek. "I'm sorry I scared you."

[endsthegame]

"Going to apologise for the rotation of the Earth next?" Ender asked, reaching up to touch his hand.

[momslilassassin]

"Depends," Ben said. "Did that keep you sleepless for the last few days, too?"

[endsthegame]

"I'm not sure there was an Earth left to rotate," Ender said.

For all that he was exhausted, he didn't feel tired.

[momslilassassin]

Ben was feeling fairly wired himself. "What was left, kreetle?" he asked, twining his legs around Ender's.

[endsthegame]

"Special Collections, not much else," Ender said, dragging his face up and depositing it somewhere at Ben's neck.

[momslilassassin]

"And how'd you fix it?" he asked, tracing Ender's ear with his pinkie finger.

[endsthegame]

"Remembering," Ender said. "The arch-enemy of general forgetfulness."

He kissed Ben's throat and allowed himself, for just one moment, to wallow in it.

[momslilassassin]

Ben whimpered slightly. "That's nice," he said.

To the kissing, really, though being remembered was good too.

[endsthegame]

The thing about having your face pressed against someone's throat while they made noise was that you could feel it, too.

"I won't be able to sleep for a while yet," Ender heard himself saying.

He blamed the having his face pressed against Ben's throat.

[momslilassassin]

Ben trailed his fingers along the nape of Ender's neck--he couldn't seem to stop himself from touching him right now--and smiled. "Want me to find some food?"

He was pretty sure he wasn't going to be allowed to move.

[endsthegame]

"I'm not really all that hungry," Ender admitted. That... would probably crash in on him later.

He leaned up and kissed him again.

[momslilassassin]

Ben lingered in the kiss, taking the time to remember every little bit of it and how it made him feel.

He wondered when this had become his definition of home.

[endsthegame]

Ender reached up and tugged down the zipper of Ben's flight suit just enough that he could slip his arm around him properly - the body heat was nice, and a not exactly unwelcome reminder.