The Portal on Shakespeare [a week later]

[momslilassassin]

A mattress had been bought for guests, the house had been scrubbed from top to bottom and then bottom to top, and Ben, even though he knew that Luke wouldn't care in the slightest, had stressed out about what they'd have for dinner for the last three days.

Now he was a half-hour early for the time his father had sent him for the portal, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet.

He was excited and terrified in almost equal measure.

Sounds like a fun vacation, huh?

Comments

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

Luke smiled. "Thank you," he said quietly. Something dawned on him.

"With the portals dumping people from your dimension out--your parents can't visit, can they?"

[endsthegame]

"No," Ender said. "But they're busy enjoying being grandparents to my brother's children. I don't need to disturb them."

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

Luke frowned. "I don't think they'd view you as a disturbance."

[endsthegame]

"They haven't seen me since I was six," Ender pointed out.

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

"You're their son," Luke countered. "It's not a replacement--grandchildren taking the place of a son. Parenthood doesn't work that way."

[endsthegame]

"Either way, sending a letter is as much as I can do," Ender said.

Whether he would... well, he was genuinely thinking about doing so for the first time in years of telling people 'sure, I'll write them'.

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

"Are you going to?" Luke asked, focusing bright blue eyes on Ender's face.

[endsthegame]

"Probably," Ender said evenly.

He had experience telling a similar pair of bright blue eyes just that.

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

"Have you yet?" Luke asked.

[endsthegame]

"Not yet," Ender said, and opened the fridge to rummage around for something to eat.

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

"Since you went on the ship, or since you went to Battle School?"

[endsthegame]

"Since I went to Battle School," Ender said, taking some cheese out of the fridge.

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

"So it's not really a probably, then," Luke replied.

[endsthegame]

"It's an 'I might'," Ender said, shutting the fridge.

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

"You sure it's not a 'probably not, stop bugging me, Luke?'" Luke asked, sipping from his mug again.

[endsthegame]

"Now that would be rude," Ender pointed out, digging around for the bread.

Welcome to having a Wiggin sort-of-child-in-law, Luke.

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

Luke smiled. "We're family now. You can be rude."

[endsthegame]

"I don't make a habit of it," Ender said. "Not even with Ben, and we're rather close, last time I checked."

If Luke had been anyone else, he'd have said 'and he's seen me naked'.

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Ender, for not saying that. Luke had erected a mental barrier when it came to what happened when Ben and Ender left for the night.

"They'd like to hear from you," Luke said quietly. "I haven't met them, but I'm sure of it."

[endsthegame]

"I'll write them," Ender promised.

He didn't mean a word of it.

[notsoreckless.livejournal.com]

Luke looked disappointed.

"Why not?" he asked, answering the emotions rather than the words.

[endsthegame]

"God save me from Jedi powers," Ender sighed, and took his sandwich into the living room.

[momslilassassin]

"Why?" Ben asked, strolling into the room at that moment in clean clothes and freshly washed hair. "Ooh, sandwich?"

There wasn't a lot of depth to their range of food choices, but Ben liked sandwiches, so he didn't notice.

[endsthegame]

Ender handed it to him without missing a beat. "Good morning," he said.

[momslilassassin]

Ben kissed his cheek, took a bite and handed it back. "Thank you. Morning. Is there coffee?"