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]

"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?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"It's like our first time," Annie said fondly, looking down at the harness before leaning in to kiss Diego again.

Both to stall a little, even if she had her answer right away, and to also demonstrate that answer. "And -- you're really good with your mouth."

And if she kept that a little nebulous, well -- he was good with his mouth in a lot of ways. She liked how he talked, for example! (And also if he'd asked when she wasn't shirtless and perched in his lap, her answer might have been different.)

[knife_bender]

"Well thank you," he teased lightly, leaning in to nip at Annie's neck. "My favorite skill of yours is...your hands. You're good with your hands."

Which could also be not dirty!

[defenderofdesmoines]

Totally could! Never mind how that prompted Annie to slide those very hands along his shoulders and down his chest with a pleased sigh. "Thank you," she murmured, hunting around so she could undo his harness. "I pride myself at being really skilled with my hands."

So skilled that she could figure this thing out without looking at all, now, ta-da. Why look when she could instead press kisses to the side of Diego's head and into his hair?

[knife_bender]

"You've gotten so good at that," he murmured. "Better than I am, I think."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'm not sure you're quite as motivated as I am when it comes to getting things off you," Annie teased, tossing the harness aside so she could slide her hands along his chest appreciatively.

[knife_bender]

"That is a very good point," he said, laughing lightly. "By that logic, I should be better than you at unhooking bras."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, you probably are." That was mostly just a bit of ego-stroking and flirting, since Annie could probably take her own bra off one-handed and asleep. "But I know for sure you're better at getting me out of my Starlight dress."

She'd recently developed a system for doing it on her own out of necessity, and it wasn't exactly the most graceful of solo operations.

[knife_bender]

"That took a lot of practice." It really, really had. How things had changed over a year.

Since it had been brought up, Diego did move to unhook Annie's bra a moment later.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Remember after we fought bears and stuff?" Annie asked, sliding her bra off her shoulders and tossing it aside before leaning back into him. "And you got to learn how complicated that thing really is?"

And Annie had had to learn, for the first time, that she was going to have to deal with Diego being hurt on occasion. A lot had changed over the year.

[knife_bender]

"That was a learning experience," he murmured, leaning in to press a kiss against her chest. "And I think we ended up just like this, if I remember correctly."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Very much like this." In an apartment she didn't live in anymore, which was also part of what had changed over the year.

Annie shifted eagerly against him, trailing her fingertips appreciatively along his arms and shoulders. "We were still kind of new to this, then." And the fun thing was that over time they'd gotten better at it, and had figured each other out, but it had never gotten boring or stale. (There had been something of a rough patch in the spring, certainly, but Annie felt like all of that, even, had just made the relationship stronger.)

[knife_bender]

"We were. I like to think we were quick learners." He would elaborate on that some more, but he was a little busy taking one of Annie's nipples into his mouth. Which was probably better than talking.

[defenderofdesmoines]

It was, and it was also a really good demonstration how well he'd retained what he'd quickly learned, and those mouth skills Annie liked so much.

Annie moved just enough to straddle Diego's lap, sending one hand sliding up into his hair and the other trailing her nails down his back as she gave a happy little whimper. Of course, one thing no one had learned over the last year: to wait on this step until pants were off to alleviate frustration, but oh well. She wanted to be closer to him now.

[knife_bender]

One year in and patience was definitely something they needed to work on. It also did speak to how much they wanted each other still even a year in.

"You feel so good," he murmured before running his teeth lightly over that same spot.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You always do," Annie sighed, arching her back encouragingly and finally dislodging that straw in her hair in the process.

It also probably spoke to how much they wanted each other that she couldn't care less, at the moment.

"I think we've gotten worse about making it to the bedroom, though," she noted, her voice only wavering a little bit as she scratched her nails along his shoulders.

[knife_bender]

Let's be real, they've done this while way dirtier and beat up.

"We're just being creative," he insisted, leaning up to kiss her again.

[defenderofdesmoines]

And they would again!

"Creative," Annie echoed in a murmur, sliding her hands up to cup his face, brushing her thumbs over his cheekbones like the romantic -- but not entirely distracted from imminent sex -- idiot she was. "You're so smart."

[knife_bender]

"I have my moments," he said, still feeling that warmth whenever Annie complimented him on his brains. "If I were smarter I would have taken your pants off before we got into this position."

[defenderofdesmoines]

She meant it every time. Maybe it was mostly just idle flirting right now, but she still thought he deserved to hear it as often as possible. Especially since, more often than not, he was better at coming up with plans than she was.

"We're just creative about pants," Annie teased, rolling her hips down against his before kissing him again.

[knife_bender]

Diego let out a little noise as his hips made contact with hers. That little bit of friction was nowhere near enough, but it was a nice prelude of what was to come. "And how do you suggest we creatively get out of our predicament?"