flame on!

"If we're so "inferior," how come we pretty much always win?" Johnny Storm, The Human Torch, not a thief, not a spoiled kid, not a quitter, a h e r o .

[hopesumners]

Astonishing X-Men #07

[cftorch]

staturestinger:

Cassie was fortunate that her family was so expansive. Thanks to Scott’s status as an Avenger, several superheroes had essentially adopted her as their own, including Tony Stark, Clint Barton and Carol Danvers. They were all people she loved dearly, and while she was currently not at her best mentally, she was trying very, very hard to fake it for them. Obviously, she also had the Young Avengers, and since she was a kid, Johnny Storm. Few people were that lucky, and yet, every time she remembered that her dad was no longer among them, Cassie was about ten seconds away from a breakdown. It made her feel incredibly ungrateful although she knew that none of them would judge her for it. If anything, they would attempt to comfort her, and somehow, that made it even worse. She was living for Scott’s memory and he would never want her heartbroken. “I think that’s the best idea we have,” she agreed. “Hey, want me to grow and quickly get him a hotdog? Spock looks so hungry, Johnny,” she said, laughing as the dog continued to drool in the direction of the ice cream. “You don’t have to be,” Cassie replied. Johnny was a very confident person on the outside and honestly, she was proud of him. (Too bad his confidence wasn’t the whole way through.) “You were definitely going to,” Cassie disagreed. Johnny was not above asking her to grow his penis! “Um, once,” Cassie admitted, blushing as she spoke. Luckily, the topic quickly changed to Johnny and she was relieved to hear that he was happy. “I’m so glad,” she said honestly, beaming at Johnny. “Um, you didn’t ask me truth or dare,” Cassie pointed out.

Johnny had had an older sister all his life. In a lot of ways, it defined him, made him who he was. He was Sue Storm’s kid brother, and whereas a lot of people might have resented that, he clung to it. Sue was his family, and for a long time, he hadn’t had nearly enough of that. Cassie had given him the chance to have a younger sister, to have someone look at him in a way similar to how he looked at Sue. They weren’t actually siblings, of course, and they recognized that, but they were close enough to claim the title. They were close enough for Johnny to recognize that Cassie was maybe not completely okay after returning from the dead, close enough for him not to push her to talk about it any more than she’d offer up willingly. “He’d probably like that,” Johnny agreed. “We can run and pick him up one after we’re done here. Don’t let his face fool you, Cass. He pretty much always looks like he’s starving. It’s a trick.” Spock was pretty good at sneaking food from unsuspecting people. It really was a talent. “Thanks,” he replied, flashing her a grin. A lot of people were annoyed by his confidence, but Cassie never seemed to be. “Okay, I was going to,” Johnny admitted with a shrug. “Wait, seriously? How did it go? Why only once?” He had a million questions in an instant, though the subject danced around. “Me, too.” For a long time, he hadn’t been sure he could be happy. It was nice to be proven wrong. “Uh, we’re not playing truth or dare. You told me it was truth or truth.”

[cftorch]

thcscarletwltch:

Years ago, Wanda would have never had the confidence to attend a party of this size. Not only was Wanda paranoid that her magic would rise to the surface, but she had never done well in crowds. Even now, pressed close to Johnny’s side, her heart was hammering in her chest. No one posed any obvious threat to her or her friends like the soldiers in Sokovia did, clutching funs tightly to their chest, but crowded spaces were never something Wanda could entirely adjust to. New York and its overpopulation had certainly helped Wanda control her nerves whilst surrounded by strangers, as did learning various coping techniques, but she doubted that she would ever entirely enjoy parties and similar events like Johnny did. Luckily, both Johnny and Wanda were willing to compromise.

“You usually do have fancy things to give me when we’re home,” Wanda pointed out fondly. Johnny was always very enthusiastic whilst they were in private (and occasionally in public as well). A smile crossed Wanda’s face when Johnny gave her a quick kiss and she leaned her head against his shoulder, making herself as comfortable as she possibly could surrounded by strangers. “I would love to hear it more,” she decided. Johnny’s love was never something Wanda doubted, he showed it in a  variety of ways, including the fact that he was standing beside her rather than in the centre of the party, demanding attention. Wanda never doubted Johnny’s love for her, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t love to hear him repeat the sentiment a hundred times a day. “I think we could definitely do that,” she said with a laugh. “Or I can buy you the comfiest pillows I can find,” Wanda offered. If it made Johnny happy, it was money well spent. “We could always create our own kind of hibernating. Sleeping, eating leftovers, and doing more than sleeping,” Wanda suggested, her arms tightening around Johnny as she spoke.

Unfortunately, their time was quickly interrupted, and the crowd hushed. Wanda immediately tensed and her arm tightened around Johnny protectively. Unsurprisingly, the list was put on display, as Wanda suspected it would be. Doom was not an honest man and the list was a powerful weapon. “I think we should definitely take them to go,” Wanda agreed, flinching as shouting began. “What’s the quickest way out?”

If Johnny had one overwhelming fear, it was being alone. As a kid, he’d been alone a lot, left that way by his father when he went off to gamble their savings away, but his aunt when she couldn’t stand his energy anymore, by his sister when she had to work to support him. He hated the silence, hated the overwhelming vastness of any empty space. It was part of why he’d insisted so intently that he be allowed to tag along with Sue, Ben, and Reed when they went off into space. He’d sold it as wanting to see the stars, pretended that he was interested in being a part of galactic history or whatever, but in reality, he just couldn’t stand the idea of being alone on Earth. Environments like this one were a dream. The sound of the crowd reminded him that he was far from alone, comforted him even when nothing else made sense. He would have given it up for Wanda, of course, would have stayed home if she’d asked him to, but she never would have. Similarly, he wouldn’t have forced her to come to the party if she hadn’t wanted to. Instead, they instinctively met somewhere in the middle, sticking to the edges of the crowd together.

“I’m very fancy,” he told her with a grin, wriggling his brows once more. He knew he was a lot -- he’d been called insatiable by more than one ex -- but Wanda didn’t seem to mind it. She didn’t just accept it, she seemed to enjoy it. He grinned as her head dropped onto his shoulder, putting an arm around her. “I’ll say it more,” he promised. It was an easy promise to make, though it never had been before. In the past, admitting you loved someone had seemed like nothing more than a way to set yourself up for more pain when they left you. But Wanda wasn’t leaving, and Johnny knew it. For the first time pretty much ever, he felt entirely secure in his relationship. “We can steal pillows and buy them,” he decided because, really, stealing them from their friends was half the fun. “Oh, I like the sound of that hibernation. Bears have it all wrong, yours is the way to go.”

As it turned out, on top of being a massive, backstabbing douche, Victor von Doom was a hell of a cockblock. Johnny and Wanda went from relaxed and going on about staying in bed for days at a time to tense and uneasy. Wanda’s proximity and the presence of the crowd kept Johnny from getting too hot, but he was metaphorically burning with anger. “I’d offer to fly us, but it’d melt the cheese,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

[cftorch]

ghostrider-reyes:

@cftorch

“Yeah, Gabe, I’m on my way back–just got caught up at work, I promise.” Robbie says into his cellphone as he hurries down the street, taking little care for the shoulders he clips or the people that get jostled out of the way. It’s nearing curfew which means that demons and people who think they’re entitled to go after unregistered heroes are going to be out in full force soon–and Robbie needs to get home to Gabe before he even thinks about going out to deal with that, or before the choice gets made for him. “It’s only gonna be a couple minutes, but can you do me a favor and lock the door until I get there? All right bud–” He stops in the middle of his sentence when he rounds the corner and sees a group of men surrounding a teenager who appears to be cowering, clearly terrified as they sneer and demand that he show them his powers again, that they’ll personally escort him down to the Panel offices to register as a freak. 

He tells Gabe as quietly he can that he’ll call him back, approaches slowly as he zips his trademark jacket up to the neck. “There a problem here gentlemen?” He says cautiously, shoves his hands into his pockets. One of them, not the guy making taunts but one of the most physically intimidating among them, turns towards him and snorts “Keep walking, kid.” Robbie tries to peer around him, just to make sure that the teenager is okay and they haven’t resorted to physical violence yet, which earns him a hard clip across the face and a “Didn’t I just tell you to keep walking?” 

He wipes at the fresh cut across his cheekbone with the back of his hand and grits his teeth hard, already feeling the flesh staring to melt away from his face. “You shouldn’t have done that cabrón.” He seethes, sees someone else round the corner in a mirror of what Robbie had done moments before in his periphery–it’s a blip on his radar at that point, he’s already got the guy who hit him locked in a penitence stare. “You know what’s good for you compañero, you should run.” It’s directed both at the newcomer, and the teenager who doesn’t think twice before agreeing. 

Intelligence was something that had surrounded Johnny for pretty much his entire life. Sue was all kinds of smart, even if she often pretended she wasn’t. She could out-think just about anyone she came across with ease, and as a kid, Johnny had been so impressed by her. Reed, of course, was an absolute genius, probably the smartest man on Earth. It didn’t end there. Peter was off inventing things for Stark, MJ had more brains than anyone gave her credit for, Ben wasn’t actually as dumb as a pile of rocks even if Johnny would never admit that. Intelligence was something pretty much everyone in Johnny’s life had heaps of, but Johnny? He’d never been much of a smarts guy.

That was probably why he was out in the streets so close to curfew, probably why he had no intention of heading home anytime soon. Most people with a brain in their head would’ve been home and locked away by now, especially with Doom’s recent bullshit making public opinion of heroes even more shaky, but Johnny? Johnny was, as always, more than willing to throw himself in the midst of the chaos if it meant keeping anyone safe. And, by the sounds of it, there were plenty of people to keep safe tonight. He heard the commotion before he saw it, heard snippets of yelling and insults hurled back and forth. Picking up his pace, he rounded the corner with flames licking up his elbows ready to go ---

--- And stopped pretty much immediately. 

Someone had beaten him to the proverbial punch, it seemed, but that wasn’t rare. New York was full of heroes, all rearing and ready to protect whoever needed protecting. New York was not, however, full of men with flaming skulls in the place of their heads. Johnny figured he was entitled to a little staring at that! He wasn’t exactly unnerved by the sight; he was a man capable of covering his entire body with flames and allowing them to carry him through the sky in flight, after all. No, if anything, he was impressed. Raising a brow as the kid who’d been on the ground ran off, Johnny took a step forward. “That’s a neat trick,” he told the man. “What are you planning to do with it here, huh?”

[cftorch]

thcscarletwltch:

Genuine relationships were always difficult to maintain. For years, Wanda had never understood how to prioritize herself and her needs. Pietro had been the centre of her world, but through Johnny’s influence and emphasis on her mental health, Wanda was slowly beginning how to understand her own needs. It was part of how he had helped her to become a far better person, someone learning to love themselves slowly, although she certainly had her struggles. She was in therapy for them, she was learning more about her powers, but unfortunately, none of those were cures for the mental illness Wanda had been combating since her parents’ death (most likely — it could have been long before. She truthfully couldn’t imagine herself without some struggle.) That being said, being with Johnny never once felt difficult. They worked at their relationship, they were always striving to communicate better and fulfill each others’ needs wherever possible, but it was a pleasure to be with Johnny Storm and wake up beside him every morning, and it was not an honour Wanda intended to take for granted.

“Morning,” Wanda repeated, unable to hide the smile on her face. They had been waking up together like this consistently for quite some time, but it never got old. Zasha’s whining on the other side of the door, however, was a little exhausting. “No, I’m the luckiest person on the planet,” she replied seriously, leaning her head against Johnny’s gently. “You can save your ideas for later,” Wanda said with a laugh. “I was thinking we could explore our powers together a little bit,” her voice had an edge of nervousness to it, unsure about how Johnny would respond.

Ever since the Fantastic Four crash-landed their rocket back on space, Johnny had sort of been required to be something he wasn’t. Reed had done what he could to keep the military off their backs, but that meant having very public personas that wouldn’t scare people, wouldn’t make them uneasy. Johnny had been putting on a show since he was a teenager, never pausing for a moment. He was fake, and some days, he worried there was nothing real about him. It had always made relationships hard, if not impossible. Nobody wanted someone who wasn’t real, and loving someone who was made up only of plastered on smiles and feigned joy was exhausting. It was rare for Johnny to find someone he felt truly comfortable being himself around, rarer for him to relax enough to be himself all the time, but he’d found it in Wanda. With her, Johnny was more real than he ever thought he could be. She loved the version of him that few people even knew, and she made no secret of it.

He offered her a sleepy smile as he sat up, rubbing at his hair and stretching his back. He glanced to the door as the whining started, snorting and shaking his head. “I’ll fight you for it,” Johnny told her jokingly, going in for another quick kiss as she leaned her head against his. “You sure you wanna wait?” There was a teasing lilt to his tone. At her suggestion, he paused uncertainly. He’d always known his powers were dangerous, had suffered through nightmare after nightmare of burning the people he loved. He had a good control over them, but when he was exploring him, it slipped from time to time. He couldn’t control the range of a nova blast, couldn’t know how far away from him someone needed to be. “I don’t know,” he said, clearly unsure. “I just... I’m scared of messing up, you know? I don’t want to hurt you.” Wanda’s powers were immense and incredible, but she was so comfortable around him that he feared her instinct wouldn’t kick in if something went wrong.

[cftorch]

thcjackpot:

In the whole world, there were two people that MJ trusted most of all, and that was Tony and Johnny. There were no two people that she trusted more, and since they had registered and the Panel no longer entailed bureaucratic involvement, the idea didn’t seem so terrible. She wasn’t giving anything up in the long run, only gaining help and friendships through it. When Daisy joined as one of the Panel heads, it became even more tempting, and after Doom’s dramatic request that all heroes list, MJ could no longer ignore her instincts. Tony was, of course, the person who ultimately convinced her. She was sure that Johnny would have done the same thing, but her best friend occasionally took things personally where Tony didn’t. In the end, it’d been an easy choice, and moments like this made MJ relieved that she’d made it.

As Johnny bursted out laughing, MJ couldn’t help but join him. Honestly, the sight was hilarious and totally pathetic. There was no way that it could end well! “I hope no one would do that sober, but I also don’t know if I’d be surprised that they tried,” she admitted. New Yorkers were cutthroat and when faced with demons, had enough confidence to try to fight back. That being said, MJ really hoped that they were drunk. “I have my phone,” she replied with a grin. Pulling it from her suit, MJ flew down towards the men trying to pick a knife fight a demon and began snapping some excellent, humiliating shots. “I got lots,” she said to Johnny. “You wanna go save them now? It’s really hard to motivate myself,” she admitted.

Everyone’s views on registration differed, and Johnny understood that. He understood it far better after his discussion with Wanda, understood that the same things that drove him didn’t necessarily drive everyone else. He didn’t mind if his friends didn’t register, but he was still relieved when they did. The Panel wasn’t the same as it had originally been anymore, no one was being arrested for refusing to sign, but the public was still a fickle sort of thing. They'd still attack whoever they felt wasn’t being honest enough, still go after whoever they felt deserved it, and if registering meant that his friends were as safe as they could possibly be, Johnny wanted nothing more. This part, the flying around the city with his best friend in a government approved mission, was just bonus.

Their laughter mixed together, carried up by the wind, but didn’t seem to attract the attention of the idiotic drunks or the demons they were going after. “In New York, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve done this sober a million times,” Johnny snorted. Sure, he attacked the demons from time to time, but he had superpowers. He wasn’t going after a hoard with a pocket knife. “Hey, take one of me with them!” He called, swooping down after her and posing in front of the scene. At this point, the drunk men had taken notice of the heroes, but they didn’t seem particularly concerned. “Ugh, yeah, I guess we should save them.”

[cftorch]

osborngcblin:

Harry has approximately a thousand bigger things to worry about before he worries about what Johnny Storm thinks about him, or about a relationship he has no business being so concerned about. The only reason he’s even in Harry’s frame of reference is because Harry had gotten lost in his anger and his grief–which he’s fully aware of and regrets nearly hourly–not that Storm needs to know that. His annoyance is by far the best entertainment Harry is going to get tonight, and truth be told–Harry far from hates anyone that Peter clearly cares about so much, and he’s grateful that while he was away getting his life in order his best friend had a shoulder to lean on. He chooses to ignore the comment about his jacket, clearly better than the other involved in this conversation even being last season, settles a half smirk, half smile on his face. “I’m sorry to have missed her delightful and charming company, though she’s clearly a woman with her priorities in order.” He takes a sip of his drink and chuckles. 

“I’ve been doing company business,” He says slowly, an effort to keep the annoyance out of his voice and his disinterested mask in place. He could have brought someone easily enough–there are plenty of people who would have jumped at the chance to spend an evening on his arm–he just–doesn’t trust himself enough yet. He did enough damage to the people in his life, people that he loved, and he can’t just forget that so easily–and he’s still carrying around the hurt done by his father, the hurt he’s done to himself. He’s not a person that someone could fall for at the moment, and he’s not sure he could find that in himself for someone else. “And I couldn’t subject anyone to listening to that all night. I suppose you could effectively say I’m dating Oscorp at the moment.” He takes another drink, smiles easily. “But if that’s what it takes to stay ahead of Stark and Wayne, I’m more than happy to do it. You’d probably enjoy looking at some of our new prototypes, I’m sure I can match whatever Richards has in that building of his.” 

Maybe it was petty, Johnny’s distaste for Harry. It wasn’t as if Johnny didn’t have friends other than Peter, wasn’t as if he didn’t refer to complete strangers as his best friend when he’d had one too many at the bar, but he never meant it. Unlike Johnny, Peter didn’t really seem capable of being fake. When he referred to Harry as his best friend, he meant it with all the same sincerity he held when applying the term to Johnny. It wasn’t his fault that made him a little jealous, wasn’t his fault that he liked to be the most important person in any given room and got uneasy when he wasn’t. If anyone was the bad guy here, it was Harry! He should’ve been smart enough to know that Johnny had the ‘best friend’ title all squared away regardless of who’d known Peter longer. “She’s got great priorities,” Johnny replied, all bright smiles and dazzling charm. “And impeccable taste.” He was good at this, the schmoozing with people he didn’t necessarily like. It was something he’d learned before he’d been a superhero, back when his biggest problem was making everyone in the world like him. (Nowadays, that was more like his third biggest problem.)

“Oh, yeah, it must be hard with so many people looking to run Oscorp out of business.” The dig wasn’t exactly a subtle one, but no one had ever accused a man whose hobbies included blazing across the night sky fully engulfed in flames of subtlety. “Oh, buddy. You should never repeat that to anyone else. I think that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard, and I once heard the Thing try karaoke.” He snorted, taking another sip from his own drink and sparing a glance around the party. Stark was present somewhere, he was sure. That guy was typically at every party Johnny went to. Wayne, too, was a likely attendee. Rich guys loved their gatherings, it seemed. “Yeah, Reed’s pretty much ahead of the curve. Plus, most of his designs are kinda specialized. I’m sure making a fireproof phone isn’t exactly a priority for most people. Kinda turns a guy off window-shopping.”

[cftorch]

invisiblewomcn:

At the beginning of the Fantastic Four, the enemies had been easy to face. They had been impersonal, they were aliens with faces that looked nothing like humans, they were giant Kang the Conquerors who wanted nothing more than everyone on earth dead. It was clear to see where the line was drawn, and Sue could keep a straight head the entire time. The only challenge was her physical power. As the years progressed, though, and the Fantastic Four made a name for themselves, the villains adapted. They started to mess with their minds. Psycho Man turned her against her team, transformed her into something she never wanted to be. Victor – he felt like something personal too, even if he wasn’t an opposing force to the Fantastic Four (yet).

People thought that Johnny was the one who made the most mistakes with his romantic life, but right now he was in a loving, committed relationship with an amazing woman, and Sue’s ex was a diabolical, egotistical president. There really wasn’t a comparison there. She thought about telling creepy pick up line that particular factoid, but refrained. “Believe me, I would love for you to set him on fire. I need something to distract from my overwhelming feeling of foreboding.” Sue took a sip of her drink, looked over at her brother with a small, fond smile. “Maybe he will redeem himself with a rousing speech,” Sue said. She didn’t speak again, listening carefully, until the list appeared on the screen. “Maybe not,” she added, looking out over the rim of her champagne glass, draining the last of it. “Okay, time to go to work. How does a guy on fire and an invisible woman calm down a mob?” It almost sounded like the beginning of a joke!

When it came to powers, Johnny had always known where he stood. He was less without his powers than he was with them, would go from being a hero to a nobody if they were ever permanently taken away. Ben, too, had always had a clear stance, though it was entirely on the other side of the spectrum from Johnny’s. He’d never quite known where Reed or Sue stood, though, and part of him was afraid to ask. If they’d known what the end result would be when they’d stepped into that rocket, would they still have gone? The idea that they wouldn’t, that they would have stayed behind to pursue normal lives, was somehow terrifying. Johnny already hated knowing that the best moment of his life had been the worst of Ben’s, and while he might be able to stomach knowing it had been the worst of Reed’s, he didn’t think he could go on if Sue felt the same.

Sue had always been his guiding force, showing him the right way to do things ever since he was a little kid. When he was in high school, young and angry and stubborn, she’d been the one to refuse to allow him to drop out. She made him do all his homework, made him go to class, made him march across that stage to get his diploma. Sue had always made Johnny a far better person. If not for her, he probably would’ve been in prison for punching the president weeks ago. “Really?” Johnny’s face brightened at the idea of setting Bar Creep on fire, though the idea was quickly abandoned when a much more tempting target took the stage. “Maybe I should set him on fire,” he murmured, glaring daggers at the stage as Doom exited. “Uh. Make a perimeter? A distraction? Offer up a free s’mores station? You’re the brains here, sis.”

[cftorch]

ofelements:

Spending time with Johnny always made Crystal feel less alone and less inadequate. Without Medusa present, she was in a position where she was leading the inhumans, and while she did her best, Crystal was aware that it paled in comparison to anything Medusa would be capable of. The loneliness stemmed largely for that, though she was the People’s Princess, she wasn’t able to be honest and open with the public. That being said, things were getting much better for the inhumans, T’Challa had done incredible things for them, and their morale had raised at the prospect of having new inhumans among them. Johnny didn’t soothe Crystal’s public, but he did soothe her, and she liked to think that was an important aspect of ruling. Without calmness and confidence, you were weak, and that created panic.

As Crystal opened the door, having peeked through the hole after Johnny originally knocked, she smiled brightly. No matter how unexpected her ex-boyfriend’s were, she was always ecstatic to see him standing there. “Why are we setting stuff on fire?” Crystal asked, making it obvious that she had agreed to Johnny’s request the moment he asked. There were few things that she denied Johnny (although unfortunately, one of them happened to be her relocating to Earth for any significant period of time, thus ending their relationship.) “That was a yes, by the way,” Crystal added with a smile.

Crystal had always understood Johnny on a level no one else seemed capable of. Like him, she struggled with the desire to be loved, struggled with losing those she cared about and wondering if she was to blame. This understanding had provided them with a connection that had been wonderful back when they were a couple and heartbreaking the moment they weren’t. Now that they’d become friends, it was somewhere in between. It wasn’t quite as incredible, but it didn’t make his chest ache quite as painfully anymore. He figured in time, they’d be able to just be happy around one another, with none of the pain that came with wondering what might have been. In the meantime, he could use that understanding to help him better understand himself. 

He returned her smile with one of his own, raising his brows with a whistle. “You been decorating? It looks great!” He knew the apartment was a big deal to Crystal, just as she’d known his was a big deal to him when he’d first left the Baxter Building to get his own place. “Do we really need a reason to set stuff on fire? C’mon, Crys, it’ll be fun!” His smile widened a little before falling, and he shook his head, shrugging a shoulder lightly. “I’m still trying to figure out what I can do. I kinda hit a rough patch when I decided the best way to do that was to go off on my own, so I’m... reevaluating.” He brightened considerably when she agreed, throwing an arm around her easily. “I was thinking we head out into the wasteland, face off against some demons.”

[cftorch]

flyboylantern:

@cftorch

When Hal was younger, he used to demand that his father tell him bedtime stories about Chuck Yeager–about the flight where he broke the sound barrier. Martin was always more adherent to the facts, but all Hal really wanted to know about was that moment of breaking through–of flying so fast that sound itself couldn’t catch him, that light and time and the sky itself broke open for those fractions of seconds. Hal’s never wanted that more than he has being trapped here—lately he flies as close as he can without stalling, and imagines shattering the whole illusion like a pane of glass–of burning green light in the vacuum of space and finally being able to breathe again–racing the stars in their movements just because he can. 

He’s hovering just now, where the air is thinner and everything starts to get soft around the edges. He flexes the fingers on his hand, the ring a constant reminder that he needs to get out of here. He doesn’t care how much willpower it takes anymore, he’s past pulling his punches–he’s the man without fear, he is the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, and it’s about damn time he started acting like it. “Beware my power, asshole.” He says under his breath, grits his teeth in determination. “Ring, give me atmospheric breakdowns–I wanna know what’s keeping me here, all the way down to the chemical formulas–there’s gotta be someone here who can make sense of it.” The ring showers green light over a section of the sky–but his attention shifts when he feels a sudden warmth from beneath him, sees white flame flash of light. 

“Damn it,” He huffs and figures that he sure as hell better check out whatever that was. He dives towards the ground where he saw the flash and sees what used to be several demons, all smoldering and in various states of ash. “Now this is what I call a party, screw whatever Doom was trying to pass off!” 

Freedom had been something Johnny took for granted most of his life. He hadn’t had it easy growing up, hadn’t had money or parents or an abundance of people who’d loved him, but he’d always been free. He’d always been able to do what he wanted within reason, and he’d never realized what a gift that was. He started to figure it out after the Fantastic Four’s first space flight, when the military was talking about imprisoning them and Sue was looking nervous and everyone was dodging whatever questions he tried to ask, but even then, he’d kept his freedom. Reed had figured out how to get them off and they’d been all right. 

For a while, he’d figured he was sort of untouchable, figured his powers made it impossible for anyone to take his freedom away. No one could stop him from flying, from shooting up into the sky and leaving a trail of flames behind him. Then,of course, came the Skrulls. They stole his freedom with ease, snuffed it out as if it was nothing, made it look simple. Freedom became a little more precious to Johnny then, and it seemed cruel that he’d lost it again so easily after the invasion was over. Wherever they were now, whatever had happened to New York, it had stolen his freedom once more. And Johnny was pissed. 

He’d been taking it out on the demons more than a little, though he knew that probably wasn’t fair. It wasn’t their fault that there was suddenly a city in the middle of their wasteland, but Johnny still fought them without much discrimination. He sort of lost himself in the motions, sort of moved on instinct. He didn’t pay much mind to the people around him, didn’t even realize he wasn’t alone until someone landed nearby. “Well, I’m all about parties,” he grinned, flashing the man a bright grin as he flamed off. “And I’ve got no plans to expose a list of people I promised everyone would stay private, so... Bonus!”

[cftorch]

thcscarletwltch:

In many ways, Johnny and Wanda balanced each other out. Johnny enjoyed being the centre of attention, he was energetic, impulsive, and in many ways, struggled with his feelings. Wanda was much more subdued, she preferred watching crowds, deeply connected with humanity, and she was very in touch with her emotions. Together, they made an excellent couple, and in their relationship, compromises were made. Johnny would prefer to be in the middle of the crowd, entertaining guests Wanda assumed, but he looked content at her side. It meant the world to her, reminded her that she loved everything about Johnny, including his flaws (as long they didn’t harm him).

“The fanciest cheeses,” Wanda repeated, grinning. “I’m going to give you the fanciest massage when we get home,” she informed him. As Johnny winked at her, she laughed and kissed his cheek fondly. “I know you love me,” she replied without hesitation. There was never a moment when Wanda doubted that. Johnny was as affectionate and loving as she was, a relief, considering how badly Wanda needed those displays. She picked one of the cheeses from the plate and sighed contentedly, leaning her head against Johnny in the process. “Okay, we’ll start eating pasta and collecting pillows to hibernate with.” Thanks to her boyfriends superpowers, they wouldn’t need blankets. “What do you think this party is really about?” She asked, glancing around the crowd. Doom was nowhere to be seen, but there were countless guests.

At parties like this, Johnny typically made time to speak to everyone. He’d always had a bad habit of valuing attention over true feelings, had never quite cared what people actually thought of him as long as they were pretending to care. Since he’d begun dating Wanda, his priorities had shifted a little. She’d been adamant that he was worth caring for, reminding him constantly that he deserved friends who really cared for him rather than ones hoping to profit off his fame. He wasn’t sure he’d ever truly be in a place where he cared nothing of what the world thought of him, but thanks to her, he cared far less than he once had. It showed in the way he only spoke to a few strangers at the party, was made clear in the way he returned to the edge of the crowd to stand with her rather than making his usual rounds throughout.

“I’ve got something fancy to give you when we get home, too,” he replied, wriggling his brows suggestively. His smile widened at the sound of her laugh, and he gave her a quick peck on the lips before she pulled back. “You sure you don’t need me to say it more? I could stand to say it more.” It hadn’t always been an easy phrase for him to vocalize, but with Wanda, it was simple. His love for her was a simple fact, obvious and undeniable as the blue in the sky or the green in the grass. He hoped it was as obvious to her as it was to him, hoped there was never a time when she was uncertain about it. “Mmm, you know, Peter has this pillow in his bed that I’ve been meaning to snatch for a while now. You think we could stop in and take it before he gets home?” He flashed her a grin, bright and humorous. “I always kinda figured if you and I spent a couple months in bed together, it’d involve a lot more than sleeping.” It took Johnny a moment to notice the hush that fell over the crowd, but when he realized it, he glanced up to the stage to make note of Doom’s arrival. “Looks like we’re about to find out,” he observed, nodding towards the man. It all happened in an instant. One minute he was talking, the next the list was out on display. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, if Johnny was being honest; he’d sort of been expecting it from the beginning. It was part of the reason he’d put his name on it. “You think we should take these cheeses to go?”

[cftorch]

thcscarletwltch:

As a woman accustomed to invulnerability, Wanda understood why Johnny felt like he was untouchable against the demons. Her shields protected her from bullets, lasers, and all other attempts at harm. Her hexes were enough to leave the majority of enemies forsaken, like with the demons no avoiding their general vicinity. Johnny’s powers were similar, protecting him and explosive enough for enemies to understand how truly outmatched they were. It sounded egotistical, but that was the reality of their capabilities, and it was not something that Wanda had ever taken entirely for granted. The fights Wanda chose to battle alone were ones she was confident she would win (or believed in enough to die for) but Johnny had no such feelings about the demons. If Johnny was out here, attempting to discover the limitations of his powers alone, Wanda assumed it was due to fear or desperation to understand why the demons could harm him. Perhaps if she were less panicked by the thought of losing people, a fear worsened after losing Pietro and made the choice to have children in the future, Johnny risking his life would have been something Wanda could approach reasonably. Being harmed wasn’t his intention, Johnny had no death wish, but instead, Wanda was terrified and angry that he had put himself into such a dangerous position needlessly.

Worst of all was that she and Johnny had made promises to each other that prevented such behaviours. They were both unnecessarily reckless, and with similar fears, they had made important promises that solidified their relationship and trust. Having those broken was admittedly difficult, Wanda put intense trust in Johnny’s hands, but he didn’t seem to understand how crucial it was for Wanda to know that he was safe. “Not right now,” she repeated, her voice lacking some of its earlier venom. Rage rarely lasted for Wanda, anger was an emotion she had always shied from due to the nature of her powers, but sadness was familiar. “I can handle anymore that come and you don’t need to be flamed on to create fire,” Wanda replied. Distance was most likely a defence mechanism for Johnny, but when Wanda felt isolated and angry, but closeness had always helped her cope with conflicting emotions. Unfortunately, it didn’t appear like Johnny was willing to make any consolation. At times, it felt like she was making more compromises than he was willing, and this would once again have to be one of those times, she supposed. Throughout the years, Wanda had grown accustomed to that. “And creating novas doesn’t make you invincible,” Wanda replied coolly. “You can explore your powers with people capable of handling whatever you’re capable of that can help you fight thousands of demons if you choose to exit the city limits. You’re risking your life by being out here and it doesn’t even seem like you care.” When Johnny mentioned not wanting an audience, Wanda’s jaw tightened. “Then find a safer place to practice,” she replied, knowing there was little else that she could argue on that point. “They can burn you,” she replied. “I was there so don’t try to claim that you won’t get hurt.” After a brief pause, Wanda asked, “Were you going to tell me that you chose to do this or were you hoping I’d never find out?” 

Johnny knew he was being stubborn, knew it was stupid to insist on the things he insisted on, but he couldn’t stop himself from doing it all the same. He wasn’t exactly confrontational, but he’d never shied away from confrontation, either. He’d always been more akin to a forest fire than a woodstove, always caused damage more easily than he’d provided warmth, and he knew it. Still, Wanda had always accepted him, always given him space when he needed it and direct contact when he didn’t. She always knew what he needed long before he did, always knew when to come in close and when to stay away. Sometimes, Johnny hated himself for it. Her life would be easier without him, simpler if she’d run at the first sign of trouble the way his significant others tended to do in the past. After all she’d been through, Wanda deserved warmth instead of destruction, and Johnny wasn’t sure he could ever realistically provide her with that. Part of him didn’t even know why he was out here, had no idea why he could never say no to the first stupid idea that popped into his head. He’d made her a promise, and for all that he’d intended to keep it, his lack of impulse control had other ideas.

It was a problem he’d always had, one that had defined who he was since the beginning of his superhero career. He’d followed a near stranger on an unsanctioned space trip on a whim and, by all rights, should have died for it. It’d been reckless, it’d been dangerous, it’d been stupid, and it’d been the best thing that ever happened to him. It didn’t exactly provide him with a shining example of why he ought to learn impulse control. This wasn’t that, and he got that. Flying out into a desolate wasteland alone to fight demons wasn’t going to end with him finding an actual purpose for his life. Breaking a promise he’d made to his girlfriend wasn’t going to transform him into someone worthy of affection. On a logical level, Johnny knew that. Unfortunately, logic had always been Reed’s strong suit rather than his, and that didn’t seem like it’d be changing anytime soon. He shifted as Wanda spoke, all the anger in her tone replaced with something more like disappointment. It reminded him of when he was a kid, when Sue would come home to find whatever shit he’d gotten into that day, or get a look at his report card. ‘You’re mad, right?’ He’d ask in a small tone, uncertain. ‘Not disappointed? ‘Cause when you’re disappointed, that’s much worse.’ He’d rather have someone angry with him than disappointed in him, rather see rage than disenchantment. Holding up his hands in a motion of surrender, he flamed off. Immediately, he felt naked, defenseless. It was a lot quieter without the sound of the flames raging around him, a lot less bright. Part of him had always hated flaming off, always hated the moment the world went from bright and warm to dull and cold. 

“For all I know, it could,” he replied. “I don’t know... I mean, I didn’t even know I could do that. Reed, y’know, he’s got his theories about everything, but he didn’t... He was always too worried about safety, before.” It had been easy to accept, easy to recognize that, for the first time in his life, someone other than Sue cared about whether or not he was all right. Someone was concerned for his well-being without being required to. Maybe a lot of Reed’s concern for him had stemmed from his own guilt in the beginning, but Johnny had clung to it all the same. He clung to Wanda’s just as tightly, offering up excuses and hypotheticals because he couldn’t stand for her to be angry, hated the idea that he’d upset her. “I do care. I’m doing this because I care, because I don’t want ---” He broke off with a sigh, rubbing a hand across his face and trying not to think of the rows of Skrulls coming after him, of the anger in his gut burning hotter than the flames around him. If he’d known more about his powers then, could he have prevented himself from getting caught? If he’d had more experience creating novas, could he have saved Wanda the heartache of realizing that he wasn’t himself, of believing he was dead on some alien spacecraft? “Nowhere is safe anymore. At least out here I know I won’t be the reason it’s not safe.” It was hard to feel safe in the city after everything that had happened there, hard to feel at ease when he’d been attacked in the streets, seen his father die in the floor of his own apartment. Safety and New York didn’t exactly go together on the best of days, but here lately, it was even more intense. “Yeah, they can,” he agreed, because there was no sense denying that. “I want to know why. I wanna know how I can be on fire and be totally fine, but one of these things touches me and it hurts. I want to understand that.” Sighing, Johnny shrugged a shoulder, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I would’ve told you if I’d figured anything out.” 

[cftorch]

thcscarletwltch:

@cftorch​

It was no secret that Wanda and Johnny were rarely apart these days. After Pietro’s betrayal and their positive pregnancy test, they had only gotten closer, Wanda comforted by his presence in ways she couldn’t fully explain. However, there was one thing they rarely did as a team and that was practice their powers. Fire was destructive, magic was unpredictable, and together, it had always struck Wanda as a dangerous combination. Slowly, her opinion was starting to change. She trusted her abilities and she had honed her control impeccably throughout the course of a year, and Johnny was beginning to learn the full extent of his abilities. Currently, Wanda was attempting to understand more about reality bending, and together, they could find truths about themselves. Perhaps it was dangerous, but they also spent their free time battling demons and similar threats. There was nothing she and Johnny weren’t capable of together and there was no one she trusted more with the secrets of her abilities.

Johnny was still asleep when Wanda made the decision to ask whether he would be willing. After getting Johnny a cup of coffee, Wanda gently touched his shoulder and when he awoke, she smiled brightly. “Good morning,” she greeted him before pressing a quick kiss to Johnny’s lips. Wanda had grown accustomed to waking up beside Johnny, but she never once took it for granted. Every single day, she felt like the luckiest woman alive to be his girlfriend. “I have an idea,” she informed him as she handed him the cup of coffee. Honestly, she wasn’t confident Johnny would be as enthusiastic about her plan as Wanda was, but without the suggestion, it would never happen.

There was nothing better than going to sleep next to the person you loved every night and waking up with them at your side every morning. Johnny had never really experienced it until Wanda, never understood just how incredible it could be. She was good at that, good at teaching him about wonderful experiences he might have missed out on otherwise or how to have a great experience without causing problems for himself down the line. They’d been through a lot throughout their relationship -- experienced one another’s powers firsthand, dealt with tragedies and gut punches alike, took everything the world had to throw at them and come out the other end still swinging -- but Johnny liked to think it had all served to make them stronger. Wanda, he knew, made him a better person, and he liked to think he made her better, too.

He woke up to a light touch on his shoulder, smiling sleepily as he sat up. Mornings weren’t really his thing, but he found he enjoyed them a lot more with her by his side. “Morning,” he replied, voice husky and tired. He returned the kiss with a smile, taking the coffee as she offered it to him. “I’m the luckiest man alive,” he mused, taking a sip. As she spoke, he looked up over the brim of the coffee, flashing her a grin and wriggling his brows suggestively. “Just one? I’ve got a bunch of ideas.” 

[cftorch]

staturestinger:

Honestly, Cassie was unbelievably lucky with the people she had in her life. Scott had been the most incredible father anyone could ask for, Johnny was the best not-brother she could ever think up, and Kate was a seriously wicked best friend. She couldn’t imagine anyone luckier in the world — at least as far as connections went. Her ‘vacation’ hadn’t been lucky, and her dad’s ‘vacation’ wasn’t either. Cassie guessed luck only lasted for so long. Forcing a smile despite the sudden turn in her thoughts, Cassie paused to consider Johnny’s question. “I don’t think dairy is good for them,” she replied slowly. “They say not to let dogs have cheese because of that, right?” She wasn’t a pet owner for that reason exactly, Cassie could not remember what was good or bad for animals. It was a complicated, long list! “Yeah, I’ve always tried to get you to do every embarrassing thing and you did them all,” Cassie quipped. Johnny was a real daredevil, he did anything and everything specifically to prove that he could. She had learned not to doubt him! When Johnny wrapped an arm around her, Cassie let herself relax for a moment, dropping her practiced routine. It was brief, but freeing nonetheless. Hopefully she could do a little more of that as time went on — they said time healed all wounds. “Um, don’t you dare ask me to make your dick grow,” Cassie replied, not missing a beat. “But FYI, I can make anything grow!” She hadn’t tried on penises, it seemed a little dangerous, but she was sure it was possible. “I’m ready for an ice cream river,” Cassie promised. As Johnny strategized, she debated on a question briefly before settling on an easy one. “Are you happy just overall? With the FF? Wanda?”

When it came to family, Johnny had gone from having next to nothing to having it made. He’d spent so much of his life with just Sue, spent so much time with a family that began and ended with one person. Now, he had so much more. He had Ben and Reed, who were the best brothers anyone could ever want. He had Peter and MJ, who weren’t quite siblings but fell somewhere into the family zone anyways. He had Wanda, who was incredible in every way. And, of course, he had Cassie. She was just about the closest thing to a younger sister that he’d ever had, and when he thought he’d lost her, he’d been devastated. He was lucky to have her back now, lucky that every now and then, the things he lost didn’t stay gone. “Maybe?” He sounded uncertain. “That sounds right. Just to be on the safe side, I figure we’ll keep him away from it.” It was always better to be safe than sorry in situations like this, he knew. “I’m not good at shame,” he admitted with a shrug. Johnny didn’t embarrass easily, something everyone who knew him was intimately aware of. Cassie’s moment of relaxation was just that -- a moment. Still, it was more than she seemed to be getting lately, and that had to count for something. “I wasn’t gonna!” He lied quickly, though that had definitely been his intention. “I’m just --- I’m curious. Have you ever tried it?” It was a fair question! Maybe he was inheriting some of Reed’s scientific curiosity! Glancing back at Cassie, he offered her a smile. “I am,” he told her honestly. “The FF have always made me happy, and Wanda... She’s incredible. How about you? Are you happy?”

[cftorch]

thcjackpot:

Honestly, singing with the Panel was always something that MJ imagined herself regretting. It had been built up in her head as something dangerous, a threat to the safety of her privacy, but in reality, it had just helped organize Iron Spider further. Honestly, MJ was incredibly relieved by that. She had been a street hero in the beginning, hoping to stumble upon the next person she saved, and while MJ had perfected that chance encounter, having specific missions was a relief. Working alongside Johnny was a dream, too, and she genuinely did want to support Tony. With the two of them having signed the Accords and Daisy helping to run the Panel, it was essentially a dream come true. Being afraid of it had been useless, a total waste of time. Johnny was still a member of the Fantastic Four, MJ was still a member of the Young Avengers, but together, they kicked ass. (They normally worked together, too, thank god.)

“I’m being serious,” she said, trying to stifle her laughter. They were superheroes, meant to be saving people, not laughing at their stupidity. To be fair, when people threatened literal demons with knives, it was humiliating. “They have to be drunk,” MJ agreed. “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen, Johnny. Should we save them? We probably should, but oh my god. I don’t know if I wanna deal with that, Johnny!”

At first, Johnny had been adamantly against the idea of registering. He loved his freedom, refused to do anything to jeopardize it even for a moment. It changed, of course, when the Panel stopped being a bunch of bureaucrats and instead became a group of heroes who were just trying to do right by people like them. Suddenly, Johnny didn’t mind registering, and he didn’t mind encouraging his friends to do the same. Maybe part of that was a little selfish, driven by his desire to see the people he loved more often, but part of it was because he believed in the Panel now, thought it was the right thing to do. MJ seemed to agree, and Johnny was thrilled for it. Working alongside her was pretty much his ideal situation and, more than anything, made what they did more fun and less stressful.

“Oh my god,” he laughed, making no effort to prevent the sound from escaping. If the people below were stupid enough to take knives to a demon fight, they kind of deserved to get laughed at! “Nobody does that shit sober,” he agreed, crossing his arms over his chest and hovering in place thoughtfully. “I mean, I guess we should. I kinda wish I had my phone on me. Do you have your phone? Take a picture for Instagram. If we have to save them, fine, but they at least need to be publicly shamed. For, like, consequences!” His teammates were always all about consequences, usually for Johnny after he’d done something particularly stupid. If he had to deal with that kind of stuff, these dumb drunk guys should, too!

[cftorch]

invisiblewomcn:

Parties were a lot more fun these days than they ever had been when Sue was a child, or even when she was in college. Johnny could blend in seamlessly with a crowd, could immediately find himself at home with a group of people that he had only met mere moments before, but Sue had always felt more comfortable with those that she knew. In the past few years that had changed, she had come out of her shell massively and found that she had a good time doing it, but tonight, in a place that she was more suspicious of than anything else, she was keeping to circles that she knew well already.

That was why when she felt arms wrap around her shoulders from behind, Sue almost let out a sigh of relief. She turned around to her brother, looping her arm around him too, excusing herself from the guy that had been rather pathetically attempting to talk her up. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see you,” she told her brother seriously as she led them both towards the snacks table he was describing. “That guy literally just asked whether my hair felt as cool as it looked. Who thinks that isn’t a creepy thing to say?” She sighed, but Johnny’s enthusiasm was infectious, and she found herself smiling as she lifted a few of the snacks onto a paper plate. “He’s really gone all out, huh?” Sue looked around the party with a discerning eye. “Surprising he could pull this off, considering how weird he was in college.”

After years of relying on her entirely, Johnny knew Sue well enough to know exactly what she needed at any given time. As a child, he knew when she needed him to be quiet so she could work on her homework in peace, knew when she needed a distraction from said homework that allowed him to be loud, knew when she needed him to set something on fire and when she needed him not to do that. Tonight, he could see she needed a rescue, and he was more than willing to provide that. They’d been saving each other long before they were superheroes, after all.

He flashed the guy who’d been attempting to pick her up a bright smile, raising a brow. It had been a little easier to scare creeps like that off when he was a kid -- no one ever wanted the added complication of a kid with a hookup, especially when Johnny, always the actor, had batted his lashes and asked the men if they planned on being his father -- but the whole ‘protective brother who can also set himself on fire’ bit went pretty far, too. The man looked a little stiff as he turned away, and Johnny couldn’t help but snort. “Oh my god,” he laughed, following Sue’s lead to the snacks. “What a creep. You need me to set him on fire? You haven’t let me set anyone on fire in forever, sis. I’m getting kinda antsy.” He loaded his paper plate with more snacks than he could realistically eat, figuring he’d claim that setting yourself on fire burned a lot of calories. “He seems like the kind of guy who likes going all out,” Johnny murmured, making a face that demonstrated just what he thought of Doom. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the man took to the stage, and Johnny couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Great. Now what?”

[cftorch]

kindkara:

@cftorch

The yellow sun was no Rao, but it woke Kara up like nothing else. Linda made a joke once about Kara getting turned into a rooster rather than a flying, invulnerable superhero, though the joke had taken a little time to land. Every day, like human clockwork, Kara woke up as soon as the first rays streaked across the sky, and then there was no going back to sleep, not when she could bask in the sunlight and for all intents and purposes, charge up like a battery.

A hungry solar battery.

“You’re up early,” Kara observed when Johnny Storm flew near enough to hear her. The Shake Shack in Grand Central was luckily open by the time Kara was craving a bite to eat, and seemed now used to the idea of Supergirl’s eager, morning patronage. She offered Johnny a handful of fries, surprised to see him around now. He seemed like the type to sleep all day and party all night, while fitting superheroics in between. “Breakfast?”

Typically, Johnny wasn’t a morning person. He’d always been prone to staying up late, always loved the night far more than the day. He might not be entirely the party animal that the papers claimed he was, but it wasn’t exactly rare for him to crawl into bed at six in the morning covered in sweat and glitter and sleep it off for the next day or so. It was something he’d accepted a while ago as just part of who he was, and anyone who judged him for it wasn’t someone he really needed in his life.

He wasn’t so much up early as he was out late, flying around the city in his FF uniform and searching for something to do. Spotting Kara up ahead, he flew up next to her and hovered nearby with a grin. “Haven’t slept,” he admitted with a shrug. “But I will take some of those fries. Gimme.” He grabbed a handful of the fries, warming them up and stuffing them into his mouth all at once. “Where’d you get these? They’re great.”