MHA # 2 | Thursday Evening

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie had actually enjoyed her half-a-week back at work. She'd done a little press (and like...things were going pretty well there, considering that she and Maeve were being lauded as heroes who had taken down a Nazi), she'd gone on an actual save last night, and today, she'd had a completely civil meeting about Citizen Starlight before she'd left to return to Fandom.

And because she thought she was funny -- and it was the first time she was coming home here, rather than visiting Diego -- she opened the door with a, "Honey, I'm home!"

The black cat on the couch gave her a bemused, slightly grumpy -- or was that just how cats looked? -- look.

And between how she was pretty sure Diego would never get a pet (especially without checking with her), the way the cat responded to his name, and -- let's be honest -- the expression on that cat's little kitty face...it didn't take long before she was sighing heavily. "I've heard this happens."

She pulled off her cape as she headed into the bedroom to change, texting Danny to let him know he could head over for wine at any time -- and, you know, while she was at it, probably best to let Rey know that their plans for a double-date this weekend looked like they'd changed.

And thus, she missed it when cat-Diego decided that her white cape was absolutely the spot to put his black, copiously-shedding self.

Naturally.

[expecting one but it can be open! Cat boyfriend modded with permission, of course. eta: contents of the Danny convo NFB, please!]

Comments

[hatesparadise]

"Maybe. Or maybe he's just his usual level of emotional octopus who doesn't like distance." Porque no los dos?

[defenderofdesmoines]

Indeed.

"Which, like, fair, but the distance sounds like a good thing," Annie noted. "We have a guest room if you need to get out of the apartment more."

It was a beautiful guest room with a little sign that had the wifi password, now! Just waiting for some angry child to destroy it!

[hatesparadise]

"That'll get him tracking me here and looking sad at you," Danny replied wryly. Because Steve.

Because Steve.

"But thanks. I just really hate how this all feels like being a teenager again."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Ugh, that was kind of adorable, actually.

"Teenagers don't usually talk this stuff out," Annie pointed out lightly. "So that'll help."

[hatesparadise]

"I'm pretty sure it's gonna spook him," Danny said, at least taking comfort in his wine. "But it needs to get done."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"He needs to learn to deal with being spooked," Annie said, not unkindly. "It'll be good for him."

For both of them, really.

[hatesparadise]

"Easy for you to say, you're on the outside," Danny said with a little huff of laughter.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Well, sure," Annie agreed. "But the alternative seems pretty...untenable."

It was either get spooked and deal with talking about this, or...again, string Danny along forever? No.

[hatesparadise]

"Really unfair how smart you're being about this," Danny informed her, tilting his glass in her direction to clink. "Considering your boyfriend is currently a cat."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"My cat boyfriend," Annie said, clinking her glass against his, "also does not enjoy difficult conversations about feelings. So I've had some practice."

And there was still so much she didn't even know!

[hatesparadise]

"Oh, the shit I've heard about his family that was probably only shared to horrify me," Danny said, gesturing over at where Diego was adorably curled up. "Almost makes Steve's stuff seem normal. Almost."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You haven't heard enough, then," Annie said lightly. "Not that it's a contest."

Steve's family sounded...messy, but at least he had, like, a first name.

"But we aren't doing them any favors by letting them just pretend they're always totally fine," she added.

[hatesparadise]

Yeah, but Doris. Doris was continuously terrible.

"Oh, this is Steve haven't been worked on for the past few years," Danny assured her. "He was way worse at the beginning."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That's saying something, wow," Annie noted, eyes widening slightly. "Diego's only closed off about certain things. But he's also really easy to read, so."

So it was easy to take note of emotional sore spots and navigate them as sensitively as she could. There was a reason Annie didn't ask a lot of questions about Ben.

[hatesparadise]

"Well, you know him," Danny said. "Steve can be an open book too if you know what to look for. Just takes a little effort."