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“Can you pass that Rook?”
Rook wordlessly passed the plate of sliced Amber Ogia to Ben as he chewed his mouth full of food.
“Blonko, why does he refer to you with our last name?” Da spoke up. He was currently looking at Ben suspiciously as he failed to scrape the slices of Amber Ogia onto his plate, making a mess on the kitchen table.
Rook—Blonko swallowed all the food in his mouth as he thought up an excuse. “That is… how plumbers address each other.”
“Then why do you not do the same?”
Rook opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Young One. “Can we call you ‘Ten’?!”
“My last name isn’t actually ‘Ten’, it’s Tennyson,” Ben said.
Da narrowed his eyes at his son. “Why do you not call him ‘Tennyson’?”
“B-Because, I also work with his grandfather, who shares the same last name. So, to differentiate them, I call my partner by his given name.”
“Given? Not chosen?”
Ben chimed in with a mouthful of food, “On Earth, our parents give us our names.”
Da huffed. “Humans are so irresponsible that they do not even let their young choose their own names. How disgraceful.”
Ben awkwardly smiled at that before stuffing his face, trying to distract himself from the awkwardness.
Da continued, “On Revonnah, names are to be chosen, the first step into adulthood and choosing one’s identity, one’s path in life.” He glared at Ben. “It is also an intimate thing, to allow another to call one by their chosen name.”
Rook cut in, knowing where his father was going with that line of thought, “Ben gave me full permission to address him as such.”
“I see that, Blonko,” Da rolled his eyes. “He is your partner after all.”
“Oh, I’m not—” Ben started.
“Yes, my partner!” Blonko interrupted Ben before he could unknowingly get him into any more trouble.
“And you have not given him permission to use your chosen name?”
Blonko looked away. “I—I am still thinking about it.”
The family ate the rest of their meal without conversation, the only sounds being of sopping wet chewing. Ben couldn’t tell but Blonko’s face was flushed for the rest of the meal.
“What was your dad going on about?” Ben asked inside the Proto-TRUK, Rook taking the two back to Earth.
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Rook said, thinking back to the many lectures his father had given him before he left.
“He got so worked up over you calling me ‘Ben’.”
“Well… on Revonnah, calling someone by their chosen name is reserved for close relationships. Family, close friends…” Partners he didn’t say. “Ben isn’t your chosen name, so I have no problem with it.”
“Close friends huh…” Ben was quiet for a moment, enough to make Rook nervous.
“Does that mean I can call you Blonko?” Rook nearly lurched the steering wheel as he gagged at what Ben had just said.
“Woah! What happened?” Ben asked, clutching his seat.
“P-Please, don’t call me Blonko. I—I—I am not ready—” Rook breathed heavily, not expecting that from Ben.
“Oh… I thought we were close enough friends to… nevermind…” Ben looked sadly out the window.
“It’s not you, it’s just—I am not used to others outside my family calling me by my name,” Rook quickly excused. “It makes me—” Rook squirmed in his chair, fur frizzing up beneath his armor. A shiver spine ran up his spine, traveling all the way up to the back of his neck, flaring out the fur around his collar.
Ben watched Rook worryingly for a moment longer, before connecting the dots. Ben smiled devilishly.
Oh no.
“Ohhh, I get iiit. You don’t want me to call you that because it’s for looovers,” Ben cooed.
“Ben…” Rook hissed. He tried to prepare himself for what Ben was, very predictably, going to say.
Ben could hardly contain his giddiness as he slurred out, “Blooonkooo~.”
Rook tensed in his chair again. Hearing Ben say that made him uncomfortable under his suit. Rook struggled to keep his eyes on the implied space-road as he heard Ben purr his name.
“Blonko. Blonko. Blooonko.” Ben repeated. Rook squirmed even further into his seat, wishing he could eject Ben into space so he wouldn’t have to be teased anymore.
“Ben, please! You are going to make me crash!” he warned.
Ben laughed it off as he leaned back in his chair. “Oh man, I am gonna have so much fun with this.”
Rook narrowed his eyes at the vastness of space between Revonnah and Earth. “Then I will start calling you Tennyson from now on.”
Ben turned in his chair, “What? No! Don’t do that! Come on, I was just teasing!”
Rook kept his mouth shut as Ben whined, promising he wouldn’t do it anymore. Although Rook believed him, Rook did not say anything to him for the rest of the trip until they had reached Earth.