Stark Industries, Monday

[endsthegame]

Ender. Stark Industries. His laptop.

With every day that passed uneventful in Ben's universe, he grew a little more sure something was about to happen. The intel that came in kept pointing out strange whispers in the GA Navy, and Ender... well, Ender felt he needed to start planning ahead on this one.

It might be a little easier, though, if the floor wasn't currently full of irregularly shifting tomatoes.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"Ho, kreetle," Ben said, walking in and squishing a tomato as he walked. "...Ew."

[endsthegame]

"Be careful," Ender called from behind his desk. "Sometimes they move."

[momslilassassin]

"They're sentient?"

[endsthegame]

"I wouldn't go that far," Ender said, shutting his laptop. "No real life signs. Just... moving."

[momslilassassin]

"I'd say that's weird but Gamorr has moving mushrooms," Ben replied, laughing.

[endsthegame]

"Mmm. Just think of how embarrassing it would be if you broke your neck because of a tomato," Ender said.

[momslilassassin]

"You wouldn't come up with a better story to tell?" Ben asked. "You'd go with 'thus lies my boyfriend, dead of produce'?"

[endsthegame]

"'Fraid so," Ender said. "Bring forth the food, mind this produce, for it might surely spell your doom upon a head of lettuce."

[momslilassassin]

Ben burst out laughing. "Just for that, I'm tempted not to give you your lunch."

[endsthegame]

"If I was really desperate for lunch, I'd skin a tomato," Ender told him. "So your threat has only marginal value."

[momslilassassin]

"Yeah, but what kind of lunch is tomatoes?" Ben replied, slipping into his usual seat.

[endsthegame]

"A healthy one," said Ender, who immediately reached into the lunch bag to get... a plastic fork.

Twenty seconds later, it had pierced a tomato by Ender's seat.

[momslilassassin]

Ben burst out laughing. "A fearless hunter," he teased.

[endsthegame]

Ender held up the tomato-on-a-fork. "At least I won't go hungry."

[momslilassassin]

"In case I die horribly of produce and can't fight the wild take-out places?" Ben teased.

[endsthegame]

Ender chuckled. "Now you're getting it," he said.

[momslilassassin]

Ben leaned in to kiss him. "Also hi."

[endsthegame]

"Hi," Ender said, ruffling Ben's hair as he pulled back.

[momslilassassin]

"How's your morning been, aside from the tomatoes?" he asked, smiling.

[endsthegame]

"Very quiet," Ender admitted. "It shouldn't make me nervous, and yet..."

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded. "It feels too quiet?"

[endsthegame]

"More like trouble brewing than actual quiet," Ender agreed.

These days, that mostly just made him want to leave, but he could hardly abandon his responsibility here, even if he could.

[momslilassassin]

"I didn't know bad feelings were contagious," Ben replied, digging through the lunch bag for a sandwich.

[endsthegame]

Ender laughed softly. "They're not," he said. "But we all have instincts."

[momslilassassin]

"I've learned to trust yours a long time ago," Ben said, smiling at him.