MHA #2 | Wednesday Evening

[defenderofdesmoines]

No one had specifically asked Annie to try to stick to the island as much as she could lately, but she'd been doing her best. Partly because she wanted to, and partly because some things didn't need to be explicitly asked.

She had taken a quick trip to the tower earlier this week for some meetings she couldn't move, and seeing her teammates -- seeing one of her teammates, because let's be real, she really only had one teammate and then several assholes she also worked with -- gave her an idea.

An idea that she'd been working on via text message ever since, and was about to come to fruition here and now as she half-watched American Ninja Warrior and casually convincing herself that she could totally beat the dude on the screen's time (and she and Diego would absolutely destroy at the team version of this show, thanks for asking), and her phone gave a little buzz.

And when Annie looked at her screen, she couldn't suppress her smile at seeing that begrudging, all-lowercase answer. fine. "We're gonna have a visitor this weekend."

And now to convince her she didn't have to wear her breastplate.

[for the guy!]

Comments

[knife_bender]

"Really?" he asked. "All that over someone like Translucent?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Oh, it's less about Translucent himself and more about Vought getting that song stuck in everyone's head and monetizing me," Annie replied, shaking her head. "And my voice. Like, A-Train has a song coming out soon, too. It's a whole thing."

[knife_bender]

"Ugh. That dude doesn't deserve a song," Diego said. "I hope it flops."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"If it flops, that'll at least hopefully guarantee there isn't some kind of Seven group number." If that ever happened, Annie would be deeply jealous of Black Noir.

"If I had to do a concert, would you come?" she added, tilting her head up to kiss his jaw. "Be my groupie?"

[knife_bender]

"Absolutely," he said. "I'll wear my Starlight shirt and try to get backstage in hopes of meeting you."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'd maybe be able to hook you up with a VIP pass," Annie assured him, nuzzling lightly at his neck. "Which includes an autograph and a photo."

Because Annie for sure needed more excuses to take pictures of the two of them.

[knife_bender]

"Oh wow, that is VIP," he said, tilting his neck toward her. "I'm flattered."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'd even let you touch me in the photo," Annie added generously, smiling against his neck. "Maybe put your arm around me if you play your cards right."

Most photo ops with her male fans these days, she stood as far away as she could get away with and still be in frame.

[knife_bender]

"My arm is already around you," he said, running his hand down her arm to prove that.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Then maybe I already think you're a very important person," Annie replied, tilting her head up for a real kiss.

This, right here, was most of why she'd stuck around the island as much as she could the last couple of weeks. Distracting flirting and kissing and compliments. It was all she had to offer.

(Well, those things plus a terrible-idea party.)

[knife_bender]

The party could turn out great! Maybe.

Diego was well aware she had probably driven Ashley nuts with her schedule changes the last couple weeks, but he was grateful for it. He didn't think sitting by himself brooding over this would have gone well.

So he was very appreciative of the kissing, flirting and compliments.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie just kind of wished she could do more. But that was apparently what the guest room was for.

(Ignoring the guest room was also an act of love, if you asked her.)

You know what was also distracting and good for staving off brooding? Having Annie in one's lap, which she also couldn't do from New York. So don't mind her just shifting her way there, Diego. It was for everyone's benefit.

[knife_bender]

It was hard to brood while Annie was on his lap, it was true. He placed his hands on her hips, looking up at Annie with some definite heart eyes. "Hi."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Hi," she replied softly, looping her arms up around his neck. Hey, if this was what it took to keep him from brooding, Annie could just relocate more often to his lap. How sad for her. (And the heart eyes were a definite plus, as was obvious from Annie's reciprocal heart eyes.) "I was right; this is definitely a better spot than just sitting on the couch. I suspected as much."

[knife_bender]

"You are missing some ninja warrior antics," he pointed out.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Well, that just meant Annie had to squirm around in his lap so she could see the screen better. Maybe more squirming happened than was necessary, who could say.

"We'd both do better than that," she decided.

[knife_bender]

"We would break records," he agreed, leaning in to kiss her neck. "They might consider it cheating."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"They could check us for performance-enhancing drugs," Annie replied, tilting her neck towards him. "It's not our fault we're awesome."

Though actually Annie might show some interesting results, depending on whether Compound V would show up.

[knife_bender]

"We're innocent in all of this." Diego lightly bit down on Annie's neck before nuzzling against her. "You're great at this."

The whole distracting, comfort thing.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"At being in your lap?" Annie teased, hissing in a soft breath at the bite and tightening her arms around him in response. "I know, I'm like, amazing at it."

She knew what he meant. But flirting was also part of it.

[knife_bender]

"You are good at that," he agreed. "But also at the whole...being here, comfort thing. I don't know what I would have done without you."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie smiled slightly and shifted around a little so she could press a kiss to his temple. "Of course. I just wish there was more I could do."

Because yeah, comforting Diego, and distracting him, and fighting with Ashley to stay longer in Fandom -- done, done, done. But as far as being able to actually help with the situation, Annie's time travel capabilities were, you know. Limited to nonexistent.

[knife_bender]

"We're both in the same boat there," he said. "I hate feeling like the dumb jock waiting for the nerd to come up with a plan."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You're not a dumb jock," Annie assured him, having known plenty of dumb jocks -- Sean Jakowski -- in her time. "We could try to come up with, like, a plan B. In case Five's is...."

She lifted a hand from his shoulder to gesture towards the guest room with a raised eyebrow. "You know."

That.

[knife_bender]

Diego looked over at the guest room. "Do you know anything about time travel? Because I don't."