MHA #2 | Wednesday Evening

[knife_bender]

So the idea had been to go out to eat after spending time in a haunted corn maze (benefit of your anniversary being near Halloween), but by the time it was all over both Diego and Annie were too covered in dirt and straw to really be allowed into a place that wasn't Denny's.

Of course they could have had some self-restraint and not have gone so hard racing through the maze, but they wouldn't be Diego and Annie if they didn't.

That was fine. It had been a fun time, and pizza was always good. Especially when it was timed perfectly and dropped off at the apartment door just as they were getting back.

[For the person who's been his girlfriend for 365 days]

Comments

[knife_bender]

"That would be a tragedy," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Hold still, you've got more straw..."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Still?" This was what you got when you took corn mazes seriously, clearly, though Annie took the opportunity to not hold still, instead opting to tilt her head up to press a kiss against his jaw. "I guess taking some straw home with us is a better alternative to being brutally murdered with a chainsaw."

[knife_bender]

"That would have been pretty gruesome," Diego said, ignoring the straw in favor of tilting his neck to get more kisses. "You would have broken the chainsaw, though."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, probably," Annie agreed, though it was a little muffled by a kiss or two. "Bad surprise for that guy."

Again, great movie.

"The clowns were kind of worse," she decided. "Like, I know I can take a chainsaw, but psychological torture via clown? Yikes."

[knife_bender]

"The clowns are just creepier," he agreed, lazily running his fingers along Annie's shoulder. "Still, amazing idea for our anniversary. Way better than anybody else's."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Outstanding idea," Annie agreed with a happy sigh, nuzzling lightly at his ear. "I mean, I would have been happy doing anything as long as it was with you."

Again, you got a free pass to be cheesy as fuck on your anniversary.

(Though this also wasn't a real change from the other 364 days of the year.)

[knife_bender]

"Anything?" he repeated. "There's not one activity where you would draw the line?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Well, if you're gonna challenge me about it -- no, I sincerely think that even the most miserable thing would be more fun with you," Annie told him, pulling back to look at him. "Like, it might still suck to...I don't know, have to clean up sewage, but it would be better with you there."

A pause. "I mean, I'm glad we're not cleaning up sewage for our anniversary." Just in case, like, the island was listening or something.

[knife_bender]

Diego grinned. "No, I wouldn't want to either, but you saying that is very romantic."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Well, I mean it," Annie told him, smiling before leaning in to kiss him again. "Everything's better with you. My life is better with you."

[knife_bender]

"Mine is too," he said, sliding his hand against the side of her neck, wanting to keep her close. "I love you. I have a million reasons to want my siblings back, and getting to marry you is definitely one or a thousand of them."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I love you, too," Annie murmured, leaning into that touch and smiling. "It's, like, extra motivation to find your siblings. We get everyone back, throw a big party and make this thing legal as a reward?"

Sounded pretty great to her, actually.

[knife_bender]

"I love that plan," Diego said, leaning in to kiss her again.

It was a pretty great plan. Though likely not to go exactly to plan considering the people involved.

[defenderofdesmoines]

What? Things always went smoothly for them. Especially when his siblings were involved. There was like, no possible chance that this eventual wedding would involve somehow having to fight crime between the obligatory reading of First Corinthians and the vows.

Annie slid her arms up around his neck, staying close with a soft little exhale. And, like, the best thing about all of this was that there was no obligation at all to not stay close -- she lived here and this was their life and not just a one-day thing that they were celebrating, and she was just so happy.

So happy she was going to kind of see about moving into his lap, in fact. Some things were classics for a reason.

[knife_bender]

Her in his lap was basically one of Diego's favorite things, so there would be no complaints coming from him. He got both of his hands on her waist to keep her steady.

Falling would be bad. They would absolutely push through it, but what a delay.

[defenderofdesmoines]

They'd been through worse! They were tenacious when it came to things like sitting in laps. (Except that one week when the thermostat had been fucked and the shower had run cold and Five had shown up. That had been a real test of their tenacity, actually.)

It also just sort of made her think of the first time she'd ever gotten into his lap, since this was a day for being nostalgic over the past year, and thus Annie was already dipping her fingertips lightly inside his collar.

"So is it, like, a six knives kind of day?" she teased, trailing kisses over to his ear. "Or were you really worried about those clowns?"

[knife_bender]

"I could have taken those clowns without knives." So, yes, six knife day for sure. "I wouldn't embarrass you like that on our anniversary though."

Now on a different day...

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, if those guys had been actually dangerous and you'd had to take them out, that would have been, like, the opposite of embarrassing," Annie murmured before biting his earlobe lightly. "More of a, like, 'let me show Diego how private cornfields can be' situation."

Honestly, probably for the best that those had been actors, really.

[knife_bender]

"Is that something I have to look forward to on Thanksgiving?" he asked, sliding his hands under Annie's shirt.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Only if you aren't afraid of being cold," Annie replied, biting her lip as she shifted a little in his lap. "The Midwest gets colder than it does here. There might be snow."

Even more relevantly, the corn would actually probably be harvested and thus about a foot tall.

[knife_bender]

"Why do I have the feeling you have ways of keeping me warm?" he asked, moving to lift her shirt up and off.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, I do have my ways, and it's not just a line," Annie replied, giving him a playful little flash of her eyes as she lifted her arms so her shirt could come off. "Remember when we had the blizzard? And that time we burnt the pizza?"

She literally could keep him warm by being handsy, even!

[knife_bender]

"Those mid-west skills are very useful." Diego tossed Annie's shirt aside, immediately moving to run his hands along her newly exposed skin.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You have a few skills of your own that I'm a fan of." Annie was a bit preoccupied with trying to get Diego's shirt off, because this disparity was clearly very unfair, but she still couldn't help the appreciative little shiver she gave when he touched her.

[knife_bender]

Diego lifted up his arms, letting Annie pull his shirt off. And there was the harness with six knives in it. "What's your favorite skill?"