knife_bender | MHA # 2 | Tuesday Afternoon

"They made you use a lie detector?" he asked.

Annie nodded. "I did a powers demonstration and they took all my stats -- I had to do that twice, 'cause they had to get a second camera -- I took a drug test, there was a lie detector thing, and then they interviewed me."

The interview had honestly been kind of the shortest part.

"That sounds pretty intense." Said the guy who had wires attached to his head while he slept as a kid so his dad could study him. "How are you feeling?"

Annie's answer to that was to walk over and lean her forehead tiredly into Diego's shoulder.

"Tired. Like I ran a marathon."

It had been a really long week. And now she still had to wait to see if she'd won.

Diego put his arms around Annie. "Want to order terrible food and not work out today?"

"I love you, and you have perfect ideas." Maybe no workout tomorrow, either. "Is there beer?"

But she was also going to wrap her arms up around him, too, before she went to locate sweatpants or beer or candy or a nap.

"Of course there is," he said, not making a move to actually get her one right now since there was hugging happening. "I love you too. I'm really proud of you."

Annie nestled her head a little more firmly against his shoulder. "Just for trying?" she asked, knowing it was true but kind of still needing to hear it. "Even if I probably didn't get it 'cause I broke their camera."

She had not, notably, called her mom yet.

"Yes, and for working your ass off all week," he said. "And I think breaking the camera can only earn you points."

"Maybe with you," Annie acknowledged. "I hope it did with them. But maybe they're pissed."

Probably not.

"I bet no one else broke a camera." Though, like, to be fair, no one else had electricity-based powers, as far as Annie was aware.

"So you'll be memorable at least," he said, pulling away slightly. "Come on, I'll order a pizza and you can get changed. I know you can't breathe in that thing."

"You're the best. And you're right, I can't," Annie told him with a little sigh, peeling her hoodie off and turning around. "Zipper help? Maybe if I make the team, they'll fit me with some kind of, like, special super fabric."

Clearly Homelander's suit was made of something special. A-Train's, too.

"That actually would be pretty cool," he admitted as he slid down the zipper of her dress. With his free hand he brushed some of her hair aside so he press a kiss against the back of her neck.

The sigh Annie let out was only partly due to her renewed lung capacity, and more to do with that neck kiss. She shifted, tilting her head to look back over her shoulder and give Diego a real kiss.

Like, she might have been the one auditioning, but she knew the last week or so hadn't been easy on him, either.

The real kiss was necessary, yes. It had been a long week for the both of them and this was the first time in days where he felt like he could totally relax.

Even if the waiting part was also going to cause some anxiety, but that hadn't hit him yet.

Annie turned so she wasn't craning her neck and could deepen the kiss a little, reaching her hands up to Diego's face.

"I couldn't have done it without you," she murmured, bumping her nose against his. "Like, whether I get it or not, you've been so great."

Like, he deserved some kind of Most Supportive Boyfriend trophy.

Diego smiled. "Well I expect the same from you if I ever try out for a big superhero team."

Which would never happen.

"Scale of one to ten, how likely do you think that is?" Annie asked, smoothing her hands down over his shoulders with a small smile.

She was going with like...maybe a two?

"Oh it's like a zero," he said. "I don't know if you know this, but I'm not great at teamwork."

"You're pretty great when it's just one teammate," Annie replied, going onto her toes to give him another, lighter kiss before pulling away so she could go locate sweatpants. "I owe you, seriously."

Especially if she actually got this job and things got harder.

"You don't owe me," Diego said, going for his phone so he could order delicious junk food. "But I will accept whatever affection you want to give me because you think you owe me."

"And that," Annie told him over a shoulder as she headed off to the bedroom, "you will get."

And a second later, louder, from the bedroom, "Like a lot of that."

Ignore how she was changing out of her very cute uniform and into the leggings and comfy shirt she had stashed here for sleeping. Like, it would just be comfy affection (which, like, Annie kind of needed more than anything right now, anyway.)

"I have no problem with that!" Even if he still thought she didn't owe him anything.

With the pizza ordered (he did love his phone and its apps making it so he didn't have to speak to people), he flopped down on the couch, totally ready to do nothing.

And a few moments later, Annie emerged resplendent in soft clothes, her hair piled up on her head and the vast majority of her makeup removed. She had been serious about that beer, too, so she made her way to the couch only after a detour to the kitchen.

"So like, Danny's gonna make me a cake," she shared, tucking herself right against Diego's side as soon as she joined him on the couch. "Regardless of whether I get it or not."

It was either a congratulations cake or a consolation cake. Either way.

"God, he sounds like my mom." Which was kind of a compliment but then again not one?

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