Vought Tower | Wednesday Afternoon

[knife_bender]

After one night of not sleeping, Diego had headed to New York to see if maybe a change of scenery would help with the issue. Turns out, it did. He had no reason to go back to Fandom anytime soon, so he decided to make himself comfortable. Here he had sleep and, now that people knew who he was, had free reign to use the tower's amenities.

Which mostly meant the gym. Usually when Annie was working he'd spend most of his time in there, and leave abruptly when a non-Maeve shaped person from the Seven came in. Today it was A-Train that cut his workout short. He hated that guy.

"You back yet?" Diego called out as he opened the door to Annie's apartment.

[For one!]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Hey, if it ain't broke," Annie sighed ruefully, tugging off a gauntlet and reaching for Diego's hand. That shower idea had sounded like it had some merit. "I'm not going to be done with these damn rehearsals until probably Friday at the earliest, but you don't have to stay with me the whole time if there's any news from Fandom."

Namely, any news from Five. Annie doubted Diego would rush back at anyone else's behest, unless the town was falling in a hole again or something.

[knife_bender]

"I somehow doubt there will be some big breakthrough before then," he said, taking her hand. "So long as I don't actually have to watch the rehearsals then I'll be around."

But he was gonna watch the actual show for suuuuuure.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Well, hopefully she wouldn't have to do anything humiliating on it, like sing a Britney Spears song.

"As long as it's not boring," Annie checked worriedly, as though Diego did not have full run of a skyscraper outfitted for superheroes to entertain him. Not to mention an entire city. "I love having you here, though. And it's nice not having to worry about the press as much."

It turned out that promising your manager to reveal your secret boyfriend when the time is right took a whole lot of heat off of it. (And Elena's departure and Deep and Cassandra's wedding had taken a lot of the focus off of Starlight's Mysterious Love Life, TM, in a stroke of luck.)

[knife_bender]

"This place is the opposite of boring," he assured her. "So long as I don't run into your coworkers I barely even have to leave the building to find stuff to do. And your bed is comfy."

And also Annie herself was there, but Diego figured that was a given reason.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Oh yeah, you like my bed here?" Annie teased, deciding he deserved another kiss for that comment. "It is pretty comfortable." And, coincidentally, one of Annie's favorite places to hang out with Diego when he was at the tower with her. "How do you feel about my shower?"

[knife_bender]

"You know, I don't think I've been in there enough to form an opinion." Which was a big ol' lie. "I think I should be in there more. For research."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Well, you can't just go forming opinions without a full picture," Annie replied, leading the way through her bedroom to the bathroom -- which, of course, was as sparkly and gold-and-white and over-the-top luxurious as the rest of the joint -- and reached in to turn on the water before presenting her back to Diego. "Zipper?"

She knew she didn't need to ask for help, but she liked the ritual all the same.

[knife_bender]

Diego stripped off his own shirt before moving to help Annie with her zipper. "Did I ever thank you for letting me stay here? I've been feeling like enough shit trying to time travel, but not being able to sleep was the last straw."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'm just glad to help," Annie told him, peeking over her shoulder at him with a little smile. "If my comfy bed is helping you rest, then stay here as much as you need. Do you think it's, like, tied together?"

Annie's stress often manifested in an inability to sleep, so she could easily see that being the case here.

[knife_bender]

"I can't be sure if it's tied together," he said, pulling the zipper down slowly. "But I can't be a very good battery if I'm tired."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I wonder if there's a way to get him more battery power," Annie mused, shifting her hair over a shoulder and playing with it idly as she thought. "'Cause like, in my case, I can magnify the power from something small, but it sure helps to have a lot of power to draw from. Maybe he needs more some kind of...extra power injection. Like jumping a car 'cause the ignition isn't turning over on its own."

But that was hard, considering that the other obvious candidates for this job were all lost in time and all.

[knife_bender]

"Like another sibling," he said, frowning. "Yeah, I thought about that too. More power of love and friendship needed."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Or maybe just someone else with powers," Annie suggested, turning to slip her top off while frowning in thought. "Ideally someone who's pretty close to Five so it's not like, weird or invasive to ask them to help, and so there's at least friendship to work off of, since that seems important."

...or someone close to both Five and Diego with powers, Annie. If only you all knew someone like that.

[knife_bender]

"Oh my god we are so stupid." Like, the dumbest. And they haven't even called Olga Feroga yet!

[defenderofdesmoines]

"What?" Annie asked, it still not clicking for her. All those times she insisted Diego was smart were about to pay off, because she was going to feel like an absolute idiot in a second. "Do you think that Belle girl has powers?"

Five seemed to have exactly one friend, so might as well start there.

[knife_bender]

"No--well, I don't know, I never talk to that kid," Diego said, waving his hand. "You. You have powers. And I like you!"

He loved her, even!

[defenderofdesmoines]

"...oh my God, Diego." Annie was the dumbest person on the planet. Her powers even literally used batteries, and this hadn't occurred to her in all these metaphorical-battery talks. "And I like yo -- no, I love you, but I do at least like Five!"

Don't tell him, but she maybe loved him, too. Like an annoying little brother, or a grandfather. Kind of both.

[knife_bender]

A brofather, if you will.

"It could work." Maybe. "I mean, we have no other ideas, why not give it a shot?"

Which is exactly what he would tell Five when he made a face about this.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"What's the worst that can happen?" Annie asked, wide-eyed and excited about this now. "Like, I end up tired and nauseous too? Pff."

If it would help, she'd willingly be tired and nauseous for weeks on end. (And would kind of get her wish there, actually.)

"You are so fucking smart," she added, leaning up to cup Diego's face and kiss him.

[knife_bender]

Well, he didn't know if he was that smart, but he was going to accept the kiss anyway. "Call me smart if it works."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'm gonna call you smart for thinking of it, and you can't stop me," Annie replied, giving him another kiss for emphasis. "I have a genius boyfriend."

No, seriously, she felt so dumb herself for not thinking of that, so she was going to just keep buffing him up on this count. Maybe forever.

[knife_bender]

Diego grinned. "We can celebrate my genius in the shower."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"It's a multitasking shower," Annie replied, returning that grin as she peeled off her bra and started wriggling her dress and various skirts off. "Man, maybe I can try and get out of work for the rest of the week now that we have a good reason beyond, like, rehearsals for this stupid show sucking."

Spoiler: she would not be able to get out of work this week, and that was probably a good thing considering she was about to go AWOL.

[knife_bender]

"I mean, I support you getting out of work any time," Diego said, kicking his own shorts off. "You don't even need a reason as far as I'm concerned."

But Vought would probably want one, Diego.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You can help me think of something to tell them, then," Annie suggested, leaning in to test the water as she kicked off her tights. "I'm not sure they trusted my last excuse."

Possibly because she'd been fried from a straight week of nonstop sex, and then their future teenage children showing up as a chaser.