Nagoya [a month later]

[momslilassassin]

Ben was still smiling as they walked away from the Portalocity terminal, his hand in Ender's. "That was a nice visit," he said. "Dad's really, really excited about becoming a grandfather, huh? I think the Ewok-themed nursery might be a bit much, though."

[OOC: For the boy!]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded again. "I'm always a little more...reckless."

[endsthegame]

Ender smiled a little. "Your little more reckless is good for me," he said, "I think time has proven that."

[momslilassassin]

Ben took that as an invitation to kiss him.

[endsthegame]

Ender sighed, relaxing into it. He slid his free hand into Ben's hair.

[momslilassassin]

"I love you a ridiculous amount," he murmured.

[endsthegame]

"I love you, too," Ender said. He kissed Ben's forehead. "You keep my hopes."

[momslilassassin]

"Yeah?" Ben replied, blushing slightly. "That's a big responsibility."

[endsthegame]

"Maybe," Ender said, "but I didn't have an awful lot of them before."

[momslilassassin]

Ben kissed him again. "Sweet talker."

[endsthegame]

Ender smiled. "Almost home," he said quietly. "Movie?"

Energetic Luke had been a little exhausting.

[momslilassassin]

"Movie," Ben agreed. "By ourselves. In the quiet. Heaven."

[endsthegame]

Ender smiled. "I'll even let you break out the pillow pile," he said.

[momslilassassin]

"And that's why we share a last name," Ben said, beaming. "Because you're the best."

[endsthegame]

"I can't fault that logic," Ender said fondly, and let go of Ben's hand so he could open up their front door.

[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled at him as he went into the house. "It's good to be home. Alone."

[endsthegame]

Ender tossed him a wry smile. "We've gotten spoiled with a house all to ourselves," he said. "Maybe next stop I'll set us up with Val again, just to keep us humble."

[momslilassassin]

Ben poked him hard in the shoulder. "No."

[endsthegame]

Ender poked him back. "If we're lucky, we'll be too busy with the baby anyway," he said.

[momslilassassin]

Ben leaned in and blew a raspberry into his neck. "Here's hoping."

[endsthegame]

"Brat," Ender said fondly. "Go get the pillows. I'll go queue up a movie."

Something nice and soothing about nature, maybe.

[momslilassassin]

"Want popcorn too?" Ben asked.

[endsthegame]

"Sure," Ender said, fully aware Ben would eat most of it.

He rifled through his vid file, selecting a nice nature documentary set in the wetlands.

[momslilassassin]

Ben put the popcorn on to cook and retrieved the pillows and their blankets from the other room and brought them into the living room.

[endsthegame]

Ender was there to take them from him, arranging them on the floor by the sofa - from which he took more pillows - until most of the immediate floor in front of the screen had been taken up with fluffy things.

[momslilassassin]

Ben returned with the popcorn and flopped into the little nest with a happy sigh. "Hi."