momslilassassin | Naboo [Monday, Fandom time]

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Naboo [Monday, Fandom time]

Ben and Ender were still hosting houseguests, and since the speeder hadn't been destroyed the day before, it meant it was time for Cultural Opportunities In Town!

...or Twi'leks dancing around poles.

Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to.

There was plenty to see in Theed before then, of course, as it would be kind of tacky to watching dancing girls at lunch. Or so Ben assumed.

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"Peter or Ender?" Ben asked.

"Peter," Topher said quickly.

"Of course I won't," Ben assured him. "It's probably just easier to pretend you've not seen anything."

"No, um, he was there," Topher explained, misunderstanding what Ben meant. "I mean. I sort of. Walked in."

He hesitated, then blurted out, "I just -- I don't want him to be mad that other people know." There. Honesty. More quietly: "Did Tony tell you, or Karla?"

"Tony, but not about the feed," Ben said. "I knew about the footage before Peter did and told him it was coming." His eyes met Topher's. "But no one else ever needs to know about it."

Topher shook his head quickly. "No, of course not." Because Peter would probably be furious. Quietly, to make sure he understood, he checked, "You, um. You mean the shower stuff. Right?"

"Right," Ben said, looking both pained and angry. He'd never, ever forgive Graff for putting Ender into that position.

"Other people wouldn't understand."

Topher nodded.

Then, quietly, because he felt like it would go a long way with Ben: "I get it. I mean. I think I do."

"You do?" Ben echoed. "How so?"

"It just... sucks, not having friends," Topher summed up less than eloquently. "Peter said some asshole in the military told the teachers to just let that happen. Like, distance him." He glanced down. "I can see him needing to, you know. Protect himself."

Ben nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. He'd spent years being protective of Ender's secrets while spending those same years slowly chipping away at the damage Graff had done to him.

"Never push him too far," he said finally. "He doesn't lose. He's psychologically incapable of it. He will offer you a dozen different chances to walk away, but if you don't, well--"

He shrugged. "You've seen it."

Ben would take how completely Ender would fall apart after making that choice to the grave.

"Yeah." He had. There was a pause, and then: "I don't, like, blame him or anything, is what I mean. Judge him. Any of it."

"You wouldn't be here if you did," Ben said quietly, "but other people won't react that way."

Memories of visiting Ender in the hospital and of the reunion when Ender's nickname had become a curse, flooded his mind.

"Other people are idiots," Topher said, sounding surprisingly fierce for a moment. "But I won't say anything. Is it just you who knows?"

"I'm the only one Ender told directly," Ben said, and if that sounded a little protective and jealous, well, it was.

"Anyone else who knows has also kept their mouth shut. This doesn't need to be island gossip. Ever."

"Duh," Topher said. "Seriously. Not saying a word." And only partially because the only person he would tell happened to already know. Topher noted the intensity in Ben's expression, hesitated and then said with what was almost a smile, "You... really care about him. A lot. Don't you?"

Edited 2011-12-20 17:33 (UTC)

"I really do," Ben replied quietly.

Being emotionally forthright wasn't really his forte, but he tried to expand a little bit on it. "I'm trying to show him every way I know how that he's not on his own."

Topher thought about how sucky his childhood had been, and how even now that he had actual friends, they still didn't care that much about looking out for him. He still got punched sometimes, and threatened. Then he thought about Ender, and how much worse he must have had it.

"That's nice of you," Topher said at last, meaning it. "I bet it helps."

Wistful? Him? Never.

Ben tilted his head as he watched Topher. "You okay?"

Welcome to the perils of knowing an empath, Topher.

"What? Yeah. Yeah, no, definitely." Liar. "This bag is just really heavy."

"Oh, right, you have a portal to catch," Ben said, blushing slightly. "Sorry to have held you up."

He paused, then asked, "Why were you worried I'd heard something from Karla?"

"Oh, no problem," Topher dismissed. Hoisting the bag back over his shoulder and starting to head out, assuming Ben was following, he said, "Um. She just, like. Said that you'd probably be really mad. If you found out."

Ben crossed his arms over his chest as he thought about it. "I'm not thrilled," he said finally, "but Peter had access to the court-martial and everyone on his planet now saw at least a truncated version of what happened. I can't stop history from repeating."

He learned that the hard way.

"I can't vouch for how rational I'd be if someone decided to broadcast the footage for everyone to see, but you're not going to do that."

"You're not gonna, like. Poison me or anything?" Said half-jokingly, but there was something else behind it.

Ben fought the impulse to facepalm. He was going to have to talk to Karla. "I'm not going to poison you," he said flatly.

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