"Are you guys fucking dead or what?" Yawning, Ender sat up and stretched. Slowly he remembered everything that had happened the past few hours, and realized it was probably Bonzo swearing at them. He roused Mazer, then went to open the door. "You actually talk through it or just sleep for 5 hours?"

"5 hours?"

"Ender you either sleep forever or not at all. 5 hours. We," Bonzo pointed at Mazer, who glanced back at him and turned right back around. "still need to talk."

"Mhm." Ender sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. Immovable object, meet Unstoppable Force. He's dating your kid and he hates your guts.

"First off, I going to swear and say fuck whenever I want."

"Absolutely not."

"Wow!" Ender threw his hands up, frustrated. "You two not only completely missed the point, but led with the stupidest issue you could!" Closing the door, he sat Bonzo down and swiveled Mazer around to face him. "Mazer, I want you to tell me why you hit Bonzo."

"He accused me of upsetting you, and causing your death. Again."

"Bonzo why do you keep making these claims?"

"Well you came to me crying, and he keeps acting like he didn't see any of that shit coming-"

"I didn't! Other candidates had far worse reactions to the early rounds of training! Ender was actually considered incredibly tame!"

"Oh my god if hand-eating is tame why were you even going forward with the program? If nothing else you'd burn out all of your commanders on one battle!"

"That was supposed to be the last one! Everything else Ender would do would be minuscule at best compared to that!"

"So?!"

"Stop." Ender said quietly. "Mazer, do you enjoy arguing with a pre-teen?"

"*sigh* No."

"Bonzo do you have to say fuck?"

"No."

"Are you scared Bonzo might hurt me Mazer?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you scared that Bonzo's temper might get the best of him and he'll hurt me?"

"I-yes sometimes. He's very rough, and dare I say possessive." Ender nodded, turning his back to Mazer.

"Bonzo do you think Mazer is controlling and dismissive of your concerns over what happened to me at Eros?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Ender got up, heading to the door. "You have the basics. Hammer it out."

"Que?"

"Ender that's not how you-" But Ender was already gone, off to check the ansible and paint the ship. Bonzo looked back at Mazer, both equally uncomfortable. Eventually though, Mazer leaned across the way and slowly slid Bonzo's helmet off. He flinched, his recent accident still weighing on his paranoia. "You wear this because of what happened?"

"Yes."

"Ender doesn't like it when you do, does he?"

"No, he likes to look at me for some reason."

"He loves you a lot, you know." Bonzo just nodded.

"We didn't just take him up there to torture him. He saved the world."

"A world he never got a chance to be a part of." Mazer stared at the floor, then back at Bonzo. Graff had told him Bonzo had been a sweet boy before Battle School. That he was helpful, that he cared. But after he came to Space, little by little he worsened till he got himself killed. Mazer could see that rage Graff had talked about, swearing at his work and Mazer, his constantly red face and poor temperament. But he could see the gentle boy his monitor had caught too. When he talked to Ender, his little pats and coos, something he'd gotten from his mother. That smile, full faced, when something worked caused his enthusiasm to become contagious, a broken face not even enough to damper his joy. It almost annoyed Mazer that he was both. It was easier when he could see a clear way someone swung, how'd they act later. It scared him that Bonzo was so voiltile, almost to the point he couldn't trust him around Ender. But they were here together, and Ender deserved peace in his own home, so Mazer would make this work.

"I know Eros was hard on him. I didn't realize it till his death just how much harm we'd done. I think that's why you hate me." Bonzo avoided Mazer's gaze, and he took that as a yes. "You want to protect him. I get that. But that doesn't give the right to insult me, to show up randomly and curse me out. For as much as I'm guilty of, so are you."

"He was so happy to have you back. But he was scared too. Back before we started dating, when we'd fight and yell, he sought me out because he couldn't stand being alone. Who's fault do you think that is?"

"And yet you act like none of your torture had any effect on him."

"It made him a better commander in the end, and we've already settled such things."

"So did Eros."

"I don't want to hate you."

"Surprising." Mazer muttered.

"But you haven't trusted me since day one. I love him just as much as you do, and I want him to be happy too! And yes, I'm sorry for being rude, and accusatory and down-right nasty! But I can't have Ender coming to me in tears because what's essentially his Grandpa just looked at him like his very existence disgusts him!"

"I have told you time and time again that wasn't Ender's fault!"

"But it hurt him anyway!" Bonzo screamed, fist pounding on the table separating the two. "Ender can't differentiate between you looking at him and you fucking flashing back! He takes things personally! Hell, back in the old days, I knew even the slightest glare could weigh on him! I know how much it hurts him because I did it on purpose!" He broke down sobbing, Mazer watching as all the guilt over how Bonzo had hurt Ender before seemed to pour out him. He rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, Bonzo just crying harder. Minutes passed, Bonzo's tears slowing to nothing but a few wet dribbles, Mazer keeping him steady as his small frame shuddered with every sniff. "I did it on purpose Mazer. What right do I have to accuse you when I made his life hell because I wanted to?"

"You've changed."

"How do you know?"

"You admitted you were wrong for doing it in the first place."

"And?"

"That's more then I've done."

"I'm sorry I've been so rude about everything. I'll try not to swear around you."

"I'm sorry I hit you, and I'll be more careful with my actions."

"Can we go back out now?"

"Yes." Slipping Bonzo's helmet back on, the two headed to the launch deck. "Everything's finished, 'cept for a few cosmetic changes to replace old matri-ENDER WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Ender jumped and turned around, face and hand streaked with orange paint. The once bare ship was now covered in the Dragon emblem, streaking red's and browns highlighting the snarling dragon. "Um, well, it was all bare and we had some paint on board for some reason and I just thought-"

"Do they have green?" Bonzo yelled, already picking up a brush.

"Yeah!"

"There's nothing I can do to stop you is there?"

"Yep!"

"*sigh* Hand me some red." And so they painted, long green lizards and orange dragons, the wide red wings of the Strike Force on the ship's head. Mazer finished the interior, sewing up old leather and wiping off the dusty controls. Standing back, it looked rather silly, but it was theirs and that was all that matters. "Bed." Mazer said, pushing the boys out of the launch deck.

"What?" Ender asked, placing the lid back on the paint.

"We're flying out tomorrow. We all need to be ready."

"Can I fly?" Bonzo pleaded.

"Oh absolutely not." Stealing a glance over to the large window to the side, Ender saw the little blue orb he'd come from. It seemed so weird to be going back, but it filled Ender with excited longing. Lying in his bed, he sent one last message to the Earth kids before drifting off.

We're coming. I promise – Ender Wieczorek