momslilassassin | Ender's Swingin' Bachelor Pad, Naboo [Wednesday, Fandom time]

Entry tags:

Ender's Swingin' Bachelor Pad, Naboo [Wednesday, Fandom time]

The nice thing about how time worked on Naboo was that even a few days away from Fandom meant that Ender and Ben had gotten almost a week to themselves to unwind.

Now the fridge was restocked, the rooms were prepared and the droid Ben had made was bustling industriously around getting rid of dust bunnies.

Ben and Ender were ready for their Fandom (and other universes!) invasion.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

What if Karla promised not to ever tell them about anything wrong ever again? Could she get a secret method to communicate with them, then?

"I am fully committed to keeping him facial-hair free," Karla said, shaking her head. The only thing she could remember about that weekend was Ben's dead animal glued on his face. "You have my word on it."

"Without alcohol," Ender said firmly. "Maybe I should come along next time."

Oh god.

Somehow, Ender didn't think Jane would go for that, Karla.

"Good," he said, with quiet honesty. "I'd rather not see a repeat of that."

His reasons not to talk about it had kind of evaporated after he and Ben got together; he just wasn't usually inclined to bring it up.

Karla actually raised her head up to look at Ender. And tried very hard not to laugh. "I don't know whether to take you up on that or not," she mused. "On the one hand, I'd probably pay to see you there. On the other, I wouldn't have any fun if you were bored out of your mind while we were there."

"We could make conversation," Ender offered, mouth turning up into a tiny smile. "I'd hardly turn that down."

Awww, Jaaaaaaaane! C'mon! Please? Pretty please? With sugar on top? Karla would be your best friiiiiiiend!

"I don't either," she said, brushing her bangs out of her way. "I don't even remember it and I'd still prefer not to have it repeated. I treasure your happiness--but not just happiness." Her expression clouded over as she tried to word her thoughts. "More than happiness; your emotional well-being, I guess. If that makes sense?" She sighed in frustration. "I'm not saying it right."

"No, you're saying it well enough." The smile on Ender's face was fleeting, but definitely genuine. "Thank you, Karla. The feeling is mutual, of course."

He looked up at the sky. "I remember a fair deal about that weekend. More than I've told you," he said. "I should've taken it as a clue much sooner than I did."

"Only if you promise I can shove credit vouchers into the teensy undergarments of the pretty males dancing for our attention," Karla said.

"I solemnly swear not to stop you," Ender said.

Or watch the males.

Probably.

"I am?" Karla looked equal parts relieved and dubious. "I'm glad that you've learned to translate Karla-babble, then."

His lessons in dealing with her would probably stand him in good stead for his future as governor, if nothing else.

"Do you mind telling me some about it?" she asked, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "I remember being angry at you and sad for Ben--" and annoyed at Raven and Jono both "--but I don't remember why."

Even Ender's inner chimp would probably be tempted. At least a little. Maybe.

"And we might decide not to invite Ben and Warren along with us," Karla declared. "Because I am the maturest and so there."

Ender sighed. "I'd followed my original plan and left without doing anything, and then assumed communication would be impossible after my departure," he said. "I'd expected it to work. Instead I stranded Ben in a twilight zone between universes that didn't fit him."

"The maturity runneth over," Ender agreed. Dryly.

"They started it," Karla retorted.

Maturely.

"He was in mine," Karla said softly, remembering her conversation with Ben after that weekend. "Serving in my Court. And...I think I knew that it wasn't what he wanted. It was just the least bad of all of his options."

"Sometimes he went home," Ender said. "Sometimes he'd go to Tony's universe. He was angry with me, but... we sorted it out."

Ahem.

Karla's expression suggested she could guess how they'd sorted it, but she wasn't going to say anything. Because she was a good friend.

"Can I ask you something fairly intrusive and personal?" she asked instead. "About why you finally agreed to let Ben come with you?"

Ender rubbed the back of his neck. "Sure."

It wasn't about sex, Ender! Promise!

"Did you invite him along just to save him?" Karla asked quietly. "I mean, it's not that I doubt you love him, far from that. But I know love isn't necessarily enough of a reason for you to ask him to come with you. But if you thought that you could protect him from Luke or a lifetime of pining..."

Ender shook his head. "It's not about protection, Karla," he said. "I want him to thrive-- I want him to know what it's like to make his own decisions and take control of his own life, to find a life that's fulfilling for him. I gave him the choice because he needed a choice, because he hasn't had one in too long."

He smiled briefly. "I hope that makes sense."

Karla nodded. "It does, and it sort of answers my question, but..." She bit her lip again, glancing away to bring order to her thoughts. "If you hadn't seen what he would have been like, would you still have invited him? Assuming that you two had figured things out before this summer anyway. Even if you'd accepted that he loves you and you love him, would you still have asked him if you hadn't seen that possible future?"

"Yes," Ender said simply. "I don't have to see the future to know the Jedi life as Luke dictates it isn't made for him. I certainly don't need it to know he's seen too much war and he deserves a chance at something better. I asked him before I made any kind of move - really even conceptualized doing it - for a reason."

"I'm glad," Karla said with a nod, and then paused. "You think he'll be useful, too, right? I mean, you aren't just bringing him for his benefit. Not that I think you'd bring him along just to have a live-in lover, obviously you think he'll be useful, I just want..." She made another frustrated face, usually she was much better at speaking than this. "...I guess I just want to know that you're not bringing him along just for his benefit. That you're doing it for both of you."

"I'm bringing him along because he feels it's the best option for him right now, and I agree," Ender said. "It's not a decision that's about my wants and needs, precisely. But it's a happy side-effect that his and mine seem to overlap in this case."

He shrugged gently. "For as far as it'll take us," he added. "Nothing is writ in stone."

"You invited him along and he chose to come because it's the best option for him, compared to all of his other possibilities," Karla murmured. "The fact that you love each other isn't exactly irrelevant, but not the deciding factor either. Is that true?"

In fact, the more she thought about it-- "If you thought he was only going because he loved you, you wouldn't have invited him, would you."

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 14 of 18

Ender's Swingin' Bachelor Pad, Naboo [Wednesday, Fandom time]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day Two: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day Two: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day Two: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day Two: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day Two: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day Two: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day Two: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day Two: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]

Re: Day One: Daytime [Lake Country]