Starks [at least for now], Friday, September 24

[momslilassassin]

Ben was hardly a stranger to how Stark's was set up, but it was the first time he'd been in the shop unsupervised, which was why he might look like most kids would in a candy store.

...no one ever accused him of being all that normal.

He was behind the counter bright and early that morning, fiddling around with a mouse droid and eager to earn his paycheck so he could get rid of that damn arm tattoo help the community with their technology woes.

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[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled at him over his coffee mug. "At least until they see the state of your sock drawer."

[endsthegame]

"Maybe if I bring it to class, Holmes'll get over it."

[momslilassassin]

"Doubtful," Ben teased. "It's an interesting class, at least, even if the teacher is a bit abrasive."

[endsthegame]

"I'll give you that," Ender said, and stretched his legs out. "It's a little odd being on this side of the desk," he confessed. "So, Jedi Skywalker, what will you fix for me today?"

[momslilassassin]

"What do you have that's broken?" Ben replied, unwrapping his sandwich.

[endsthegame]

"Nothing yet," he said, "But I have a mouse droid back home that could probably be revved up to do dinner as well as breakfast."

[momslilassassin]

He laughed. "Are you too lazy to leave the room for two meals a day now?"

[endsthegame]

"You got me used to a certain standard," Ender said, without batting an eye. "Very dangerous."

[momslilassassin]

"I'm a terrible influence," Ben said. "Ask anyone. I sway all in my path to caffeine addiction and a life of idleness."

[endsthegame]

"You're like a plague," Ender agreed. "We could drop you in war zones and just wait until the virus spread."

[momslilassassin]

"It'd be two happy, well-fed and slightly hyper armies you'd find behind me," Ben replied.

[endsthegame]

"And god help us all," Ender said, solemnly.

[momslilassassin]

Ben reached out to muss Ender's hair. "You could only be so lucky."

[endsthegame]

"Oh, hardly," Ender said, grinning. "It's the only use for a little pipsqueak like you." He brought up his coffee as a pretext for dodging any further mussing.

[momslilassassin]

"I think you're mistaking me for some other Ben you know," he replied with a smirk. "Some short Ben."

[endsthegame]

"You'll always be a pipsqueak to me, no matter how much bigger you get," Ender announced.

Though he was starting to hit the growth spurt that might put Ben back to 'smaller' status.

[momslilassassin]

It would be a sad, sad day for Ben when he realized he wasn't going to hit his grandfather's height.

"Well, I never liked you either, kreetle," Ben declared.

[endsthegame]

"I wish I could say that hurt," Ender said, "But it didn't."

[momslilassassin]

"I'd try harder, but I don't care that much," Ben replied. "Thanks for lunch, by the way."

[endsthegame]

"Don't mention it," Ender said, poking at his own sandwiches. "Turnabout is fair play, if you're going to start making an honest living."

[momslilassassin]

"I should write that down," Ben said. "Embezzling is a no, then."

[endsthegame]

"No embezzling," Ender agreed, "And no other forms of fraud, if it's okay with you."

[momslilassassin]

"I think I can manage to remember," he replied before taking another bite from his sandwich. "Anything else? Phone answering etiquette, maybe?"

[endsthegame]

"Try to remember that most people calling in don't know their Skywalkers from their Joneses," Ender said, with a straight face, "So lead in with the store's name."

[momslilassassin]

"Clearly those poor uninformed souls should adopt me and take me away to a land where no one cares about my last name either," Ben replied.

Because Ben had reacted so well in Ender's world where no one cared who he was. Truly.