MHA # 2 | Tuesday Afternoon

[knife_bender]

For all of his outward confidence, there was a little part of Diego that was nervous for Annie today. He knew she had everything to be part of a big superhero team, but her universe had some weird ideas of what a superhero should be. So, yes, he might have been doing some anxious pacing around the apartment waiting for her to get back.

At least with this audition over he could stop feeling guilty when he ate something that wasn't kale around her.

[For the girl!]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

"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?

[knife_bender]

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

[defenderofdesmoines]

"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.

[knife_bender]

"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."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"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.)

[knife_bender]

"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.

[defenderofdesmoines]

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.

[knife_bender]

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

[defenderofdesmoines]

"In a nice way," Annie replied, apparently deciding it would just be a compliment. "German chocolate, which is like, the best kind of cake, eff-why-eye."

Annie had not yet really considered that if she got into The Seven, she'd probably never even be allowed to look at cake again. It would be so sad.

[knife_bender]

"It is pretty good," he agreed. "Just so long as he doesn't dress like my mom, I mean it in a nice way."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Unless your mom is into chinos, I think we're safe there," Annie replied, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "And if she is into chinos...let me help her." Because Grace, no.

[knife_bender]

"She's definitely not," Diego said. "Picture what a housewife in the 1950's would wear and that's it."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Like with the floofy skirt and an apron and everything?" Annie was less surprised than she probably should have been, honestly. At this point, that sort of fit with everything else she'd heard.

[knife_bender]

He nodded. "Exactly. And heels, always. It's actually kind of weirdly sexist that Dad did that, now that I'm thinking about it."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Okay, look, Annie was never, ever, ever going to wonder about it aloud, but that kind of detail made her wonder what Diego's parents' relationship was like. Liiiiike. Had he built her just for the kids?

Gross.

"That is weirdly sexist," Annie agreed. "Maybe it's, like, what he grew up with? I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you don't know your grandparents to compare."

[knife_bender]

"You are correct there," he said, putting an arm around Annie's shoulders. "You know, once Klaus stole a pair of Mom's heels to wear, fell down the stairs and his jaw was wired shut for eight weeks. Eight blissful, quiet weeks."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, walking in heels is an art form, and stairs are kind of the trickiest." Along with uneven surfaces. "But eight weeks, holy sh -- wow. I bet he was in like, the height of his form after he got it unwired."

Seriously, no talking and all liquids for two months? Poor Klaus.

[knife_bender]

He smiled. "Have you cursed at all since February?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You would've heard if I did." Annie cuddled a little closer, smiling. "All my closest slip-ups happen around you."

For some reason.

[knife_bender]

"I am very sorry about that." Lies.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I don't believe you're remotely sorry," Annie told him, pressing a kiss to his jaw. "For what it's worth, if I had given up sex, I don't think my willpower would have been as strong."

[knife_bender]

"That is good to know," he said. "And I am still very thankful you did not give up sex."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Kinda defeats the purpose of giving up something for Lent if it's something the Bible tells you not to do anyway," Annie pointed out. "Summer keeps trying to get me to swear, too. Different from how you do."

Just, like, to be clear.

[knife_bender]

"That's a relief." There was a knock at the door and Diego got up to grab the pizza. "How excited are you to eat something covered in cheese?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Oh my God, I might, like, pass out with joy," Annie told him, not exaggerating at all. "I barely remember cheese."

But no, for reals, she was going to end up in some kind of gleeful pizza-induced coma.