Elliot's Apartment, Dallas, 1963 | Early, early morning

[defenderofdesmoines]

Was it a good thing that Annie now had so much experience cauterizing wounds that it hadn't taken her much time at all to get the skin on Diego's abdomen fused back together? For right now, it felt like good thing, at least. To her surprise and concern, he hadn't woken up in the process -- he'd stayed completely out (though breathing), all throughout the removal of his clothes (and when she was less worried, those institution-issued tighty whities were getting some commentary), and cleaning and dressing and briefly burning the wound.

Eventually, Annie had fallen into a restless doze at his side, though the slightest movement had her waking up and reaching to check on Diego every few minutes. And good thing, too, since this most recent time when Annie woke with a start as Diego shifted on the mattress, she noticed immediately that his wound had reopened.

"Shit." She should have gone back over that once she'd established he wasn't badly hurt anywhere else, really. Guess she'd have to do it now.

She moved to press a hand into Diego's chest, prepared to hold him steady in case this time he actually did wake up when she burned him, and moved her other hand low to his abdomen. The lamp in the room gave a soft hum, and Annie's hand illuminated, white-hot enough to re-seal that wound for good this time.

Sorry, Diego. Hopefully he stayed out for a little bit longer.

[for the stabbed guy who is, unfortunately for him, not staying out a little bit longer.]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie sighed in spite of herself, because the beard on her neck felt kind of great, and reached an arm across him while carefully avoiding his injury. "You're hurt," she pointed out softly, as though one of them being hurt wasn't practically an aphrodisiac for these two, even without the whole separation factor.

[knife_bender]

"And when has that stopped us before?" Diego asked, lifting his head to give her an amused look.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Neither of us has ever been stabbed before," Annie pointed out, glancing worriedly down at his wound.

It looked fine. Burned, and he'd have a hell of a scar, and she would absolutely dress it for him. But maybe later. Before she fell asleep, for sure.

"What if I hurt you?" This really was a big flashback to when she'd had to cauterize his arm, but at least Annie's worries were a little more legitimate this time.

[knife_bender]

"We'll be careful." And quiet. Because this wasn't your apartment, guys.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Well, with Annie involved, it didn't especially matter how verbally quiet they were, anyway. It was going to be noticeable. Particularly given that they'd shacked up with an electronics enthusiast, of all people.

"I'm going to be gentle," Annie warned softly, but she was also leaning in to kiss him again. After all, it was thanks to her insistence while injured that they could still claim that a pawn shop bathroom was the grossest place they'd ever done it.

[knife_bender]

Yeah, Diego didn't realize they were in an electronics store but he was gonna find out soon, most likely.

Diego leaned up slightly to meet the kiss. He appreciated the warning, if only because it was an indicator he was going to have to be patient even though it could not be stated enough it had been three months for him.

The slight twinge in his gut as he moved was a reminder of why they had to be careful.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Yeah, because if that thing opened again, he was going to be awake for the whole thing while Annie cauterized it again. So that was probably a pretty good incentive to observe a little patience.

Though not that much patience, since Annie was already pulling back slightly to pull up her cute little early-60s sweater. "I love you."

Probably something he didn't mind hearing after three months away from her, too.

[knife_bender]

If the dopey little smile he gave her was indication, yes, he had missed that a lot. "I love you too."

Missed saying it too.

"1960's clothes suit you." Much better than the stuff he had been wearing so far.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Yeah, I might have to go through a whole vintage phase when we get back to the present," Annie replied, peeling off her sweater and tossing it off.

It hit that frosted-glass window, which was...maybe not the best for the discretion factor? Annie winced -- oh well -- before leaning back in to kiss Diego, one of her hands already moving to slide along his arm as her other reached back to unclasp her paradox-inducing bra.

[knife_bender]

Diego could not give a single fuck about the frosted-glass window. Once Annie pulled her sweater off Diego was sliding his over her stomach and hips, enjoying being able to touch her again.

He did his best not to move too much doing it. See, he was listening.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Well, if he didn't hold still, Annie might just have to do it for him.

(That was a recipe for probably not being quiet. Or gentle.)

Annie hummed softly into the kiss, discarding her bra (more discreetly than her sweater) and reaching her hand up to cup Diego's face as she kissed him. And maybe play with the beard a little, since she was already thinking she needed to know what she'd be missing if they cut it down a bit.

[knife_bender]

Diego smiled into the kiss, happy that she was enjoying his new look so much. He hadn't intended for it to happen, but he was enjoying it more now.

He moved one of his hands up to her chest, squeezing lightly.

[defenderofdesmoines]

It was just so new! And Annie had kind of figured he would eventually just decide to grow it out after hearing about it so much, and she certainly would have preferred that for Diego -- but this way meant that she got to see his new look abruptly, without the transition of watching it all grow in.

She slid her hand up into his hair, enjoying the newness of that, too, while her opposite hand moved to cover Diego's. 'Gentle' was apparently going to mean at least a little bit sappily romantic, probably.

[knife_bender]

Yeah there had definitely been some awkward growing out time. Only Lila was there to laugh at him.

"I missed this," he murmured. "I missed you so much."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I can't imagine what it was like," Annie replied softly, moving her hands away only because she had to deal with her stupid pants. But at least she'd remembered them early! And Diego's had been dispatched hours ago! And she was going to try to keep kissing him while she got these off, as best she could. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you for that long."

And considering he hadn't known what had happened to her, or to Five, and he still hadn't found his other siblings when he'd ended up here -- Annie's heart kind of broke for how Diego must have felt in those first few days. And it made her just want to try to make up for her absence by being extra clingy, now. (But in a gentle way.)

[knife_bender]

It was extremely useful he was already pretty much naked. One upside of being stabbed!

"Helped I couldn't physically escape," Diego said lightly. "I'm glad you didn't go through the same thing."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Me too. But we're going to make up for lost time like I did," Annie assured him with a light little smile, shimmying out of her (similarly-paradox-inducing) underwear while she was at it before leaning back in to kiss him with more focus.

[knife_bender]

"Am I allowed to get completely naked too or is that too much movement?" He was so bad at the keeping still thing.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I think it's maybe just enough movement," Annie decided with a little laugh. "Especially if I help."

And she was very willing to do that -- even if it did mean pulling away from kissing him temporarily so she could shift position to straddle his legs and hook her fingers in the top of his underwear. Purely so he wouldn't move too much, of course, and not at all because she thought he deserved the pleasure of actually getting to watch her undress him after three months.

(Okay, but it was mostly the moving thing, though.)

[knife_bender]

"Well I'm not gonna complain about that," he said, lifting his hips up. Carefully. "I'm not moving to tighty whities permanently, for the record."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That's fine, but they're cute," Annie assured him, carefully peeling said tighty whities down and biting her lower lip appreciatively. "You look good in white. Also in nothing."

Look at her appreciate all that nothing right now, in fact, as she wasted no time in discarding his underwear and climbing back up to straddle his thighs.

[knife_bender]

"Don't get used to it," he said, leaning up on an elbow to kiss her again. "The white, not the nudity. You can get used to that."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie leaned in to meet him halfway, pressing her body against his -- gently -- as she smiled into the kiss. "The nudity's even better than the white," she promised, her hand finding its way back up into his hair.

She kind of couldn't get enough, and this was an area where maybe she didn't have to be so gentle? She gave an experimental little tug, just to see if Diego liked it.

(She had a prediction.)

[knife_bender]

Diego let out a surprised (but not unhappy) noise, that tapered off into a soft moan. "Do that again."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Oh, that reaction was hot, and pretty much exactly what she'd hoped for.

Annie did as requested, tugging a little harder on his hair as she slid her opposite hand up along his arm with an appreciative sigh. "Like that?"