Stark Industries, Monday

[endsthegame]

Jellyfish.

For some reason beyond Ender's understanding, today, what greeted him at Stark's was not any type of fruit or broken machinery, but a large bowl with two jellyfish in it. The bowl took up most of the space on his desk, and the jellyfish... jellied in it, minding their own business.

Ender sat down and looked at them for a while, then chose to follow their example.

Okay then.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"Ho, kreetle," Ben said, walking in with sandwiches and milkshakes. He stopped and stared at the jellyfish. "Please tell me that's no one I know."

[endsthegame]

"If it is, I don't know," Ender said truthfully. "They don't look like Howard, anyway."

[momslilassassin]

And now Ben was leaning in to see if one of the jellyfish had a mustache. Your fault, Ender.

[endsthegame]

"Try and make sure you don't get stung," Ender said dryly.

[momslilassassin]

"I think the gremlin bite a few weeks ago reset my clock of things trying to eat me," Ben said, but he kept a safe distance back just in case. "This is weird."

[endsthegame]

"They're jellyfish," Ender said, slanting a look at him. "They're not genuinely inclined to eat people."

[momslilassassin]

"Have they met Skywalkers before?" Ben asked.

[endsthegame]

"I don't know," Ender admitted. "Has your grandfather ever wound up with random jellyfish in his office?"

[momslilassassin]

"Not that he's ever mentioned," Ben said with a smile, "but there's a lot Granddad doesn't talk about."

[endsthegame]

"And some of it's even harmless. Who knew."

[momslilassassin]

Ben snorted. "That's family," he said a little ruefully. "Big on secrets."

[endsthegame]

"Depends on which one of you you talk to," Ender noted. "Jaina's always seemed pretty straightforward."

[momslilassassin]

"True," Ben admitted. He thought about it. "I'm probably one of the least helpful ones to talk to, really."

[endsthegame]

"You almost sound proud," Ender said, sounding amused.

[momslilassassin]

"Well, I'm the furthest point in the family timeline," Ben said. "I should keep some secrets, right?"

[endsthegame]

"I'm starting to wonder if you enjoy it," Ender said, gently putting the bowl aside so it didn't overtake the whole desk. "Practicing your Jedi mystique, perhaps."

[momslilassassin]

Ben waggled his fingers mysteriously. "I promise to always let you in on my plans," he said more seriously. "None of that 'you'll know when to act' poodoo."

[endsthegame]

"And if you pull the Force on me," Ender said, "I'm allowed to point out I wasn't born into that claptrap."

He was joking. About calling it claptrap, anyway.

[momslilassassin]

Ben leaned in to give him a quick kiss. "That's why I come up with more evidence than just the Force before I tell you something."

Which made him a more deliberative Jedi than his father.

[endsthegame]

"I'm not exactly averse to you consulting it when you need to," Ender said, with a slight smile. "I know it's not all hot air."

[momslilassassin]

"Well, I'd get the 'you're too stupid to be left unsupervised' look of yours if I said that the Force told me to ask you to prom," Ben said, smiling.

And not just because the Force didn't work that way.

[endsthegame]

Ender blinked, then chuckled.

"But you have a series of logical arguments to serve up alongside it?" he prompted.

[momslilassassin]

"Well, it's our last year, so logically, we should make at least an appearance," Ben began. "It's also a fairly major event for students of this time period and country, so it's a cultural opportunity as well." His cheeks went pink. "And you look really, really good in your uniform, so if you don't want to go, if you put that on, we might be late in arriving."

[endsthegame]

Ender cupped his cheek and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. "Sound and logical reasoning," he said. "I'll think about it."

Now he was just teasing.

[momslilassassin]

"And if you say no, I still have a few days to find a different date," Ben teased back, nipping Ender's lower lip.