MHA # 2 | Tuesday Evening

[knife_bender]

Yesterday was a...success? If one could call beating the shit out of a guy in a stupid looking uniform a success. It hadn't really done a lot to make Diego feel better overall, but at least he felt like he did something other than sit there twiddling his thumbs.

Now he really didn't have much to do until class on Friday (where he was determined not to go down so easily next time!), so he was having a quiet evening in with American Ninja Warrior on TV and a protein shake because his cooking skills were non-existent and that counted as dinner.

[For the gf, but open before she gets there if you'd like! And now NWS]

Comments

[knife_bender]

"You sound real sorry," he joked, lying down now that he was sure he wasn't going to be attacked by more ice. "At least it kept me from falling asleep right away."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie stretched out beside him once she was cleaned up, giving a contented sigh. "I mean, that's an interesting strategy for the future," she noted, lightly skimming her foot along his leg affectionately. "Next time you fall asleep right after sex, I'll go get ice cubes."

Spoiler: no, she would not, because Annie usually fell asleep right there with him on those occasions.

[knife_bender]

"Do I get to try the same thing on you if you fall asleep right after sex?" he teased.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That seems fair," Annie decided, foolishly, as she leaned over to press a kiss to his shoulder.

[knife_bender]

"Good." Not that he would ever take advantage of that, oh no.

He gave her a smile, reaching out to run his fingers along her arm. "I love you."

Even if she did laugh at him a moment ago, yes. That was real love right there.

[defenderofdesmoines]

She laughed at the situation, not at him. Important distinction!

"I love you, too," Annie sighed, relaxed and content in a way she wouldn't have predicted when she got here. Like, tomorrow -- and the day after, and probably the day after that -- was going to suck, and she was still worried about...you know, everything, but this had all helped. "You know I kinda realized it when you got shot in January?"

And here they were a few months later, able to just say it freely back and forth in light of her own gunshot injuries, aww.

[knife_bender]

That just made him smile again. "You hid it very well with those disapproving looks you were giving me."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Well, that's why I was so disapproving," Annie replied, leaning over to kiss his smile. "Made me realize just how much I care."

And then she'd talked herself out of saying anything for a solid month.

[knife_bender]

"I think that's around when I knew I loved you too," he admitted.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"And neither of us said anything until knife garters were involved," Annie teased, nestling as close as she could without putting any pressure on her welts. "That was silly of us."

Particularly of her, since it wasn't even like she hadn't been pretty sure he felt the same way.

[knife_bender]

"I kind of like how it happened," Diego said, shrugging a shoulder. "It lines up with how we started dating."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"In the middle of chaos?" Annie replied, but her smile was soft.

She wasn't going to say it -- clearly she had learned nothing, but there was also being all in and then there was casually planning a future they hadn't really discussed yet -- but at this rate, were they going to get engaged in the middle of a crime scene? Maybe married while the island was having one of its freakouts?

You know, like, probably.

"At least we both have always kind of known what we were getting into," she added. Even if no one probably had 'dealing with Homelander stalking us' on their bingo card or whatever.

[knife_bender]

"Well we made the crime fighting thing pretty clear right off." Quite violently, in fact. "That helps."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That was a much easier test of my skin," Annie noted, gingerly poking the welt on her stomach. "For the record."

Like, those knives had practically tickled in contrast to this.

[knife_bender]

"Thank god for that," he said, running his finger lightly over the welt. "You probably wouldn't have gone out with me otherwise."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, you were cute enough for me to get over knives," Annie replied, shifting slightly at his touch. "I'm willing to say you're cute enough that I would have gotten over bullets, too."

[knife_bender]

"I think you're trying to flatter me, but I like it," he said, kissing her again.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Is it flattery if I believe it's true?" Annie wondered softly, reaching her hand up to cup his cheek. "More like stating some facts."

With, you know, the benefit of hindsight, because not only was he cute but he was sweet and thoughtful and so good at sex that Annie wanted to time-travel back to the end of October and tell her past self that taking things slow was stupid.

[knife_bender]

"I'm going to blush," he murmured. Okay, no, it took a lot to make him blush. And usually it was out of anger.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Even cuter," Annie replied, snuggling a little closer. "I love making you blush."

Helped that she usually saw it in non-angry contexts.