"Anyone-- ever tell you-- to get your mind out of the gutter--?"

Ender was in absolutely no position anymore to pretend like that didn't work for him.

Ender sighed. "Brat," he murmured. "You'd look pretty."

"Sometimes you make my brain melt," Ender murmured.

He was definitely out of it. "All the questions shut up."

"You were talking," Ender breathed against his neck, giving Ben another squeeze before speeding up his hand, too.

Well... Good in a different way, that's for sure.

The kisses Ender was pressing to Ben's throat had gone from being somewhat focused to being open-mouthed and sloppy. Not that he cared, really.

"Love you," he said. "Love you love you..."

Ender buried his face in Ben's neck and made the quietest little noise, letting go.

"You're messy again," Ender pointed out.

Not the point.

"Not what I meant, but good to know," Ender muttered, groping around a little clumsily for the box of tissues he'd dropped.

Ender finally located the tissues, wiping Ben off as economically as he could.

"The mouth on you, Skywalker," he said, tossing the tissue away and lazily reaching for another one.

Ender kissed his cheek. "I'd say 'sexy', but besides being an odd word, you'd probably flail," he said.

Ender felt a brief, mild twinge of guilt that he was right here, warm and - relatively - safe, while his people...

... were probably showering off the excitement right now.

He exhaled, flattening his palm on Ben's chest. "I did," he said. "The blushing's cute too."

Ender shifted a little until he was comfortable, curled into Ben's grasp but with his head on the pillow.

"Hope I return the favor," he said.

"Sleep well," Ender said quietly, tugging up the blankets.