75 Godiva Street | Late Morning

[knife_bender]

It had been a long and sleepless, but satisfying, 4 weeks with the twins at home. They were turning a month old on Friday, and Annie and Diego finally decided it was time for them to be introduced to the rest of the world. Diego would miss their little family bubble they had for a month, but he had to admit he was looking forward to talking to adults again.

They had sent texts out to various people inviting them over if they so wished (he was not about to force people to see his children), and ordered a pizza now that they were done with the healthy food Donna had supplied them with. The twins were dressed in cute outfits that they probably wouldn't put up with a couple months from now.

Of course Maggie immediately spit up on her little dress but he figured people were gonna have to get used to that like he had over the last couple weeks.

[Open post, if you think you got a text you did]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

Yeah he'd really kind of started parenting on Hard Mode, there.

"And our backs, since that's also the point of the cuddly thing," Annie pointed out, miming a baby carrier. "But I think we're both gonna end up with, like, killer biceps no matter what."

Hell yeah, that was an optimistic thought. Come out of the other side of baby-motherhood with Queen Maeve arms.

[knife_bender]

"And then we could bench press the kids," he joked. "Just mix in family time and gym time together."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"And then we'll get them conditioned to where they can bench each other," Annie noted thoughtfully. "You know, when they're older."

Kindergarten, at least.

[knife_bender]

"Holy shit that'd be so cool." Probably only cool to them. And Steve. "You know what I'm excited for? Making a kid-friendly ninja warrior setup in the backyard."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Wouldn't exactly mind a mom-friendly one to start," Annie joked. (Half-joked.) "And like, imagine -- I know you didn't do the public school thing, honey, but our kids are going to have such good recess skills."

Like, they were for sure going to be first and second picks for dodgeball their entire gym class careers.

[knife_bender]

"What counts as a recess skill?" Was it fighting? Because usually between lessons Diego and his siblings would be fighting.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Being able to lift up a classmate," Annie offered immediately, thinking back. "Hand-eye coordination. General agility. Like, most kid games involve dodging and running or, like, climbing."

Oh, no, her precious breakable kids. For the first time ever, Annie saw a benefit to the whole Compound V thing -- she'd never once worried her mom by climbing a tree. (Unless a dress was in danger of dirtying.)

[knife_bender]

"Oh then, yeah, our kids will totally kick ass at recess skills," he said. "...and I'll be jealous I can't join them playing dodgeball."

Mostly because he'd give some child a concussion nailing them in the head with a ball.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You would have been wildly unfair at dodgeball as a kid," Annie told him, shaking her head.

Annie's dodgeball advantages had even mostly just been good -- like, normal-good, not Diego-good -- aim, and a lack of bruises.

[knife_bender]

"Yeah, but I'm on the same playing field now," he said. "Except for the height. And weight. And training."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Maybe we need, like, an adult dodgeball league," Annie suggested thoughtfully.

And by 'league,' she meant Diego and Steve. Maybe herself once she was back on her feet. And then surely there were other weirdos who, like, took this kind of a thing as a class over the summer, right?

[knife_bender]

"But there's a downside to that," Diego said. "I'd have to talk to other adults."

Like, he was grateful for the adult conversation now, but he was still Diego.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Less than you'd think," Annie replied, waving a hand. "It's not exactly, like, a team sport with a lot of discussion involved."

At least, in her experience.

[knife_bender]

"That's true, you're just hitting people in the face with a ball." He did realize you could hit other parts of the body, yes.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Sometimes," Annie said, as though gently breaking bad news, "they outlaw hits to the face specifically."

For some reason.

[knife_bender]

"Well I'm definitely not joining that league." Go figure. "But that'd be good for the kids."