Moctezuma, Christmas Day

[momslilassassin]

After wishfully believing Val would let them sleep in after their trek to the local cathedral to celebrate Midnight Mass with the rest of their neighbors (yeah, no way. She was up at 5:30, just like every other morning), Ben was--in the spirit of the season--bringing Ender and Big Val giant mugs of coffee from the kitchen while Little Val gleefully made confetti from wrapping paper in the living room.

The house was smelling promisingly of pork and chicken tamales--they were trying to embrace the local traditions this year, and Ben was always in favor of experimenting with anything food related.

"Merry Christmas," he said, heading back into the living room levitating two coffee mugs in front of him as he held his own in his hand. Force powers were so handy.

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[endsthegame]

"Merry Christmas," Ender agreed.

He held up a particularly ridiculous Santa hat. "Our little helper just popped by to insist you wear this," he said.

Well, both of them, but he didn't feel the need to point that out.

[momslilassassin]

"You singular or plural?" Ben asked, sitting down as far away from the Santa hat as he could get.

[endsthegame]

"Stop trying to get out of it," Ender said, tossing the hat his way.

[momslilassassin]

"You're just jealous I'm going to be able to pull this hat off," Ben said.

There was no way Ben was going to look good in this hat.

[endsthegame]

"No, I look forward to you putting on that hat," Ender said, grinning.

"I'm just going to enjoy my coffee over here," Val announced, hiding her smile behind the mug.

[momslilassassin]

[OOC: Ugh that smile is unfair.]

"Hat!" Val said, clapping her hands. "Then my turn!"

"Then it's your turn," Ben agreed, smiling and jamming the thing onto his head. He looked ridiculous.

[endsthegame]

Ender laughed softly. "Okay," he said, reaching into his pocket, "Please hug your dad for a picture, Val..."

He raised his communicator, camera ready.

[momslilassassin]

"You're so lucky you're cute," Ben faux-threatened Ender, hugging Val tightly and smiling.

[endsthegame]

"Ah, but you're cuter," Ender said, snapping a few pictures in rapid succession. "Hence the pictures."

[momslilassassin]

"It's so weird how more pictures are taken when I'm wearing something stupid, though," Ben said teasingly.

[endsthegame]

"They're all good family memories," Ender said, lowering the camera. "And remember how many of them involve Val in embarrassing poses, too."

[momslilassassin]

"I do love that picture of her wearing the dumb hat from two planets back," Ben admitted.

[endsthegame]

"Or the one with the fancy spork," Ender reminded him.

[momslilassassin]

"Think we can get that one framed for the hallway?" Ben asked, grinning.

[endsthegame]

"We can probably even blow it up so large, she'll never look us in the eye again," Ender said, smiling.

[momslilassassin]

"What an astral Christmas gift," Ben said, ignoring Val's stink-eye.

[endsthegame]

Ender laughed softly. "Don't worry, Val," he said. "In a week or three, we'll get started on your brother, and you can push the humiliation onto someone else."

[momslilassassin]

"Nah, we'll just have twice the embarrassing photos," Ben said.

[endsthegame]

Ender smiled. "But shared misery..."

[momslilassassin]

"Just as childhood should be, right?" Ben asked, laughing.

[endsthegame]

"They might gang up on us," Ender pointed out.

[momslilassassin]

"They're going to be brilliant like you," Ben said. "Of course they'll gang up on us. But it'll take a few years before they'll be able to out strategize us."

[endsthegame]

"And those days will pass in a rush, and then where will we be?"

[momslilassassin]

"Hopefully loved enough by them not to be left tied up in a basement without transport off the planet they leave us on?"

How optimistic, Ben.

[endsthegame]

Ender laughed softly. "Look at her face," he said. "Keep dreaming."