Annie Hargreeves (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
defenderofdesmoines) wrote2020-12-23 11:09 am
defenderofdesmoines) wrote2020-12-23 11:09 am
Des Moines, IA | Wednesday morning
Unlike when she'd been home for Thanksgiving, when there had been things to do and events to go to, Annie's Christmas break with her mom was - thus far - very quiet.
It was actually pretty hard without as much to do, because it meant talking. And talking, unfortunately, meant lying. Annie had always been so close with her mom, but things were - different, now that she didn't live here. The distance had changed something - maybe it was that Annie didn't see her mom every day, or that Fandom was - you know, Fandom, or maybe it was just that Donna didn't control her daughter's entire world, anymore.
There was a stilted quality to their conversations now, even as Annie tried desperately to keep the topic on neutral things.
"I actually saved a bunch of people last week," Annie shared after another conversational dead stop as she poured herself a second cup of coffee, just after breakfast, and took it to sit by their Christmas tree. "Um, there was this - team of bad guys, attacking the school on the island." Bears, team of bad guys - po-tay-to, po-tah-to.
For the first time since Annie had been home, Donna actually seemed interested. "Really? Annie, that's wonderful. Press coverage?" And don't mind the way she had disapprovingly eyed the amount of the coffee creamer Annie had added to her cup. Annie was sure trying to ignore it.
Well. The radio station had talked about last weekend, so - "Yep," Annie told her with a nod.
"You know, I tried to get in touch with that woman at Vought, to see if I could come see you," Donna was saying from where she was straightening one of the ornaments on the tree. "She wasn't answering her phone - "
"Yeah, that happens," Annie told her, maybe a touch too quickly. "They seem really busy."
"But that's so good to hear, honey," Donna added, still clearly aglow from hearing about the saves, since that was what was important.
"And - I've made a bunch of friends," Annie added slowly, a little hesitant. "It's like, a really nice place. Everyone's been wonderful."
Donna's smile faltered just a hair, and Annie knew her mom well enough to see it, but her tone stayed upbeat. "Well, that's great to hear, too. Tell me about your friends."
Annie knew what she really wanted to hear. "I have a few good girlfriends - I train a little bit with one," only inasmuch as she'd failed Rey's obstacle course, but sure, "and we threw a Christmas party together a few weeks ago. And I've made friends with the local police, too. They're all really sweet."
All like...four of them, plus the troopers. And 'really sweet' was not an accurate description of at least half of those men on any given day.
"Well, they better be. They have to cooperate with you, after all," Donna chuckled as she rinsed out her own mug. "And I suppose if there aren't any other heroes around the island, it's good to make friends with law enforcement. Don't know how I feel about you throwing a party, but - that's really nice, Annie."
It was so, so not the case that there were no other heroes around the island.
"No guys?" And now Donna's tone was a little less warm, which was so unsurprising that Annie could have probably done an impression herself.
Annie sighed, and then decided she'd hesitated too long to be able to play it off. "There's a guy, yeah," she said, crooking a little, shy smile at her mom, shrugging hesitantly. "It's still pretty new but...I really like him, Mom."
"Well, what's he like?" While Donna was crossing over to sit with her daughter, and smiling, even, Annie knew better than to really trust this enough to open up that much. This had always been a particularly tricky minefield to navigate. "Anyone I'd know?" And yep, there it was.
"Um, no. He's a cop," Annie said slowly, which was a wonderful, wonderful way of just side-stepping everything that was important about Diego and the many things she liked about him, and what they did together (....not that), because there was absolutely no way she was explaining alternate universes today, or ever.
And right on cue, Donna looked disappointed. "He's not another hero?"
"Not like me," Annie said evasively, in a way that could just be mistaken for, like, police were the real superheroes, or something.
"Mm. I thought you said you were through with normal boys, after -"
"I know. But you'd like him," which was absolutely the biggest lie she'd told this entire time. Donna would find a dozen things to dislike about Diego within thirty seconds of meeting him.
"I'm sure he's great, Annie, I just don't want you to get distracted. You know how it happens, and with your schedule.... Are you keeping up with your training?" Donna asked, pivoting seamlessly, even as Annie nodded with a little, resigned sigh.
"Yes, Mom. I've gotten my mile time back under six minutes."
"Well, that's great to hear. Have you talked to Countess recently?" Donna asked, before actually tsking aloud as Annie reached for one of the Christmas cookies that their neighbor had dropped off. "The Register just did a feature on the Young Americans, I still have the paper. You know, I bet you could do a team-up with them, this weekend, if you asked - "
And that was where Annie had left the conversation - without a cookie - because her mom knew what had happened with Michael, and just...it was hard enough lying about the baseline stuff (CANDY CANES CHASING HER ALL WEEK, FOR GOD'S SAKE) and it just became harder when she knew she couldn't even talk about the relatively normal, really great stuff - the reasons she was staying in Fandom, if she was truly honest.
So, now, having exited the house to ostensibly go on a run (thankfully not needing her own set of ugly-ass running cleats since there was just a light dusting of snow), Annie found herself on the playground around the corner where she'd played as a child, and took a seat on the swings to check her messages.
And maybe just, like, play on her phone and kind of wait out her mom. If she got home late enough, they could just have dinner and go to bed and there might not be any more questions, at least.
[open for calls/texts/etc!]
It was actually pretty hard without as much to do, because it meant talking. And talking, unfortunately, meant lying. Annie had always been so close with her mom, but things were - different, now that she didn't live here. The distance had changed something - maybe it was that Annie didn't see her mom every day, or that Fandom was - you know, Fandom, or maybe it was just that Donna didn't control her daughter's entire world, anymore.
There was a stilted quality to their conversations now, even as Annie tried desperately to keep the topic on neutral things.
"I actually saved a bunch of people last week," Annie shared after another conversational dead stop as she poured herself a second cup of coffee, just after breakfast, and took it to sit by their Christmas tree. "Um, there was this - team of bad guys, attacking the school on the island." Bears, team of bad guys - po-tay-to, po-tah-to.
For the first time since Annie had been home, Donna actually seemed interested. "Really? Annie, that's wonderful. Press coverage?" And don't mind the way she had disapprovingly eyed the amount of the coffee creamer Annie had added to her cup. Annie was sure trying to ignore it.
Well. The radio station had talked about last weekend, so - "Yep," Annie told her with a nod.
"You know, I tried to get in touch with that woman at Vought, to see if I could come see you," Donna was saying from where she was straightening one of the ornaments on the tree. "She wasn't answering her phone - "
"Yeah, that happens," Annie told her, maybe a touch too quickly. "They seem really busy."
"But that's so good to hear, honey," Donna added, still clearly aglow from hearing about the saves, since that was what was important.
"And - I've made a bunch of friends," Annie added slowly, a little hesitant. "It's like, a really nice place. Everyone's been wonderful."
Donna's smile faltered just a hair, and Annie knew her mom well enough to see it, but her tone stayed upbeat. "Well, that's great to hear, too. Tell me about your friends."
Annie knew what she really wanted to hear. "I have a few good girlfriends - I train a little bit with one," only inasmuch as she'd failed Rey's obstacle course, but sure, "and we threw a Christmas party together a few weeks ago. And I've made friends with the local police, too. They're all really sweet."
All like...four of them, plus the troopers. And 'really sweet' was not an accurate description of at least half of those men on any given day.
"Well, they better be. They have to cooperate with you, after all," Donna chuckled as she rinsed out her own mug. "And I suppose if there aren't any other heroes around the island, it's good to make friends with law enforcement. Don't know how I feel about you throwing a party, but - that's really nice, Annie."
It was so, so not the case that there were no other heroes around the island.
"No guys?" And now Donna's tone was a little less warm, which was so unsurprising that Annie could have probably done an impression herself.
Annie sighed, and then decided she'd hesitated too long to be able to play it off. "There's a guy, yeah," she said, crooking a little, shy smile at her mom, shrugging hesitantly. "It's still pretty new but...I really like him, Mom."
"Well, what's he like?" While Donna was crossing over to sit with her daughter, and smiling, even, Annie knew better than to really trust this enough to open up that much. This had always been a particularly tricky minefield to navigate. "Anyone I'd know?" And yep, there it was.
"Um, no. He's a cop," Annie said slowly, which was a wonderful, wonderful way of just side-stepping everything that was important about Diego and the many things she liked about him, and what they did together (....not that), because there was absolutely no way she was explaining alternate universes today, or ever.
And right on cue, Donna looked disappointed. "He's not another hero?"
"Not like me," Annie said evasively, in a way that could just be mistaken for, like, police were the real superheroes, or something.
"Mm. I thought you said you were through with normal boys, after -"
"I know. But you'd like him," which was absolutely the biggest lie she'd told this entire time. Donna would find a dozen things to dislike about Diego within thirty seconds of meeting him.
"I'm sure he's great, Annie, I just don't want you to get distracted. You know how it happens, and with your schedule.... Are you keeping up with your training?" Donna asked, pivoting seamlessly, even as Annie nodded with a little, resigned sigh.
"Yes, Mom. I've gotten my mile time back under six minutes."
"Well, that's great to hear. Have you talked to Countess recently?" Donna asked, before actually tsking aloud as Annie reached for one of the Christmas cookies that their neighbor had dropped off. "The Register just did a feature on the Young Americans, I still have the paper. You know, I bet you could do a team-up with them, this weekend, if you asked - "
And that was where Annie had left the conversation - without a cookie - because her mom knew what had happened with Michael, and just...it was hard enough lying about the baseline stuff (CANDY CANES CHASING HER ALL WEEK, FOR GOD'S SAKE) and it just became harder when she knew she couldn't even talk about the relatively normal, really great stuff - the reasons she was staying in Fandom, if she was truly honest.
So, now, having exited the house to ostensibly go on a run (thankfully not needing her own set of ugly-ass running cleats since there was just a light dusting of snow), Annie found herself on the playground around the corner where she'd played as a child, and took a seat on the swings to check her messages.
And maybe just, like, play on her phone and kind of wait out her mom. If she got home late enough, they could just have dinner and go to bed and there might not be any more questions, at least.
[open for calls/texts/etc!]