Vought Tower | Monday Evening

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie had had work today, and while her spot on Good Morning America had gone really well, honestly -- she was getting better and better at the whole press thing with every interview -- the Make-a-Wish event this afternoon had put her in a fantastic mood. Like. Not if she dwelled on the whole...why of it, of course, but just being there and meeting so many kids whose days all just seemed made when she'd gotten there -- it was the kind of thing that made Annie feel like she was actually making a difference, not just cashing checks.

And, as an added benefit, she'd had enough time to get back to the tower and change into her civilian clothes before going down to -- gasp -- actually meet Diego in the lobby! So he didn't have to ride the elevator with some fucking weirdo she worked with on Valentine's Day, at least! (And instead, Annie just had to hope that whoever viewed the elevator security footage valued their job enough not to try to sell it to tabloids or something!)

Now, she was watching on as Diego did something that they had discussed a couple weeks back, and made this apartment just a little bit more his space, too.

"How many of those do you think it can hold?" she asked, already impressed at how well he was hiding the knives he was stashing in her chandelier. They blended right in, who knew.

[for the guy putting knives in a chandelier, of course, and NFB for distance, natch.]

Comments

[knife_bender]

"Now I'm little jealous our headboard at home doesn't have a mark," Diego said, moving closer so he could put his arms around Annie. Now would they actually take off their pants before it became inconvenient?

[defenderofdesmoines]

Unlikely.

"That could be arranged," Annie replied, threading her arms up around his neck and leaning up to kiss him.

Clearly they just needed another excuse for champagne.

[knife_bender]

They could be come classy champagne people! And have to redo the drywall in their entire apartment, probably.

Diego wrapped his arms around Annie's waist, pulling her closer so they were pressed together. All about enjoying that mutual shirtlessness.

"What is your policy on eating food in bed?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Here? It's 'I have a housekeeping team, so I don't care,'" Annie murmured between kisses, trailing her fingertips along his shoulders with a pleased little hum. (Though she would probably try to leave them extra money or something if they really made a mess.) "You feel nice."

Lest he think she wasn't appreciating all the mutual shirtlessness. Somehow.

[knife_bender]

"So do you," he murmured, running one of his hands up her back. "You should get the strawberries and bring them to bed, I have to grab something."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Is it the surprise?" Annie asked, biting her lower lip a little in anticipation as she took a reluctant step away to do as told and grab the strawberries.

She knew full damn well it was probably the surprise, yes. She was just. You know. Kind of excited. Friday night had been kind of weird -- so many sex toys that she didn't know how to use! -- but it had also led to some brave conversation on her part, and maybe she was a little eager.

[knife_bender]

"It might be." Yeah it totally was. "Gonna grab the rest of the champagne too."

Because champagne + strawberries = Best kind of Valentine's cliché.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You're so smart," Annie told him with a bright, genuine smile. "That's a really good idea. I might even have, like, an ice bucket in the bar?"

It wasn't like she did a lot of entertaining here, so she didn't use it often, but there totally was an ice bucket in the bar despite that question mark.

Being a cliché on Valentine's Day -- right down to all of this strawberries-and-champagne-having taking place in bed because they couldn't keep their hands off each other, per usual -- was kind of the best, honestly. Maybe it was a cliché for a reason.

[knife_bender]

"Lemme check." Diego padded back out into the living room, both to check the bar and grab his--ahem--Valentine's surprise out of his coat pocket. It was good thing he hadn't taken off his pants yet since he had a convenient place to put it until it was time to broach the subject.

He returned a few moments later, bucket in hand with champagne bottle already in it. "Found it! That bar is stocked. Does Vought think it's going to be a never ending party in here?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, I'm kind of the weirdo there," Annie admitted, smiling at him from where she'd stretched out on the bed with the strawberries. She had also, intelligently for once, ditched her jeans before crawling onto the bed. Underwear seemed kind of to be the appropriate outfit at the moment? Just a hunch? "'Cause, like, I think with most heroes it is a, like, 24/7 party?"

And with Annie it was the occasional visit from a friend or two, slightly less-occasional visits with Diego, and mostly just her on her lonesome in this apartment, padding around in pajamas and watching Housewives on her big TV with a single beer.

[knife_bender]

Well now Diego was imagining Black Noir with a martini and it was just weird.

Of course all thoughts of that quickly went away when he saw Annie in her underwear. "Now that's a good idea."

Diego placed the bucket on the nightstand, moving to take his own pants off. That was, of course, when a pair of handcuffs fell out of the pocket of said pants.

Whelp. There was the surprise.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Look what you brought!" Okay, yeah, surprised she was not -- but Annie was thrilled to see those handcuffs, clearly. "Planning on making a lot of arrests during your visit?"

She thought she was funny. And also she clearly didn't think these were for actual police business, given the way her smile was sort of vacillating between eager and nervous and nervously eager.

[knife_bender]

"Maybe just one arrest in particular," he said with a grin. He kicked off his pants and picked up the handcuffs to toss them on the bed. "You mentioned an interest."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I might have an interest." One she had not been subtle about, no. She reached to pick up the cuffs, examining them curiously. (She had seen handcuffs before, of course, but -- you know. Context was everything.) "So they're for me?"

She was not picky, here. It would be nice to have him all restrained and at her mercy with her hands actually free for once, but the idea of being handcuffed herself was kind of thrilling in a totally new-to-Annie kind of way.

[knife_bender]

"You, or me," he said, getting up on the bed. "Which would you prefer first?"

He figured this was more out of her comfort zone than his, and figured she should make the choice.

[defenderofdesmoines]

It was definitely something out of her comfort zone -- but then, she had spent over a year testing the ever-expanding boundaries of that comfort zone with Diego. So while she was a little shy when she looked from the handcuffs to Diego, she didn't hesitate very long to answer.

"Maybe me first?" she asked, leaning in to kiss him. "And you can show me how it's done?"

And she would do her best not to break the handcuffs in response.

[knife_bender]

"I'm by no means an expert," he said with a slow smile. "But at least we know you'll be able to get out of them quick if the building catches on fire or something."

He gave her another kiss before reaching for a strawberry. "However, I am eating one of these first."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Good idea," Annie agreed with a smile, reaching for her champagne in addition to a strawberry. Alcohol -- specifically, alcohol that would go right to her head and help loosen her up a little -- seemed like it was also a good idea. "We need to keep our strength up."

[knife_bender]

"Well you won't be exerting much energy," Diego teased. "As you will be a little tied up."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I have a feeling," Annie replied, coloring slightly and mostly addressing her strawberry, even as she scooted a little closer to Diego, "that you're still going to keep me pretty busy."

[knife_bender]

"Maybe just a little busy," he said, leaning in to press what might have been a slightly sticky kiss against her neck. Blame the strawberry for that one.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Look, stickiness was just going to be part of the evening. Part of bringing food and drink -- even romantic, kind of sexy food and drink -- into the bedroom.

"I don't know if I've told you recently," Annie murmured, shifting to press a slightly-sticky kiss of her own to his shoulder, "how, like, ridiculously hot you are."

She probably had. And also there was that whole thing with actions and words and all, but the champagne was kind of doing its thing, and she felt like saying it right now, too.

[knife_bender]

"I recall hearing it once or twice," Diego murmured, slowly running his fingers up one of her legs. "But I think you're the hot one. I mean, we're both hot, obviously, but you more so."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You make me feel like I'm hot," Annie told him softly, following it up with a bite to the spot she'd kissed. It was one thing to spend your whole life knowing you were objectively beautiful, like Annie had, and another entirely to feel like someone found you hot.

And Diego pretty much always made her feel hot and then some, which went right to her head for a confidence boost even more than the champagne had.

[knife_bender]

Diego ducked his head to kiss Annie properly, feeling overwhelmed by those words. He didn't have a lot of confidence in his way with words, and it made him feel good to know that he made her feel that way.

"Done with the strawberries for now?" he asked softly. Look, sticky kisses and hands he could abide but crushed strawberries were a little much for him.