Fireproof (Owen Grady, Not Completed, Jurassic World)
Angels (August Walker, Mission: Impossible)
Rebel (Armitage Hux, Star Wars)
Spider (Bucky Barnes, Marvel)
Love Me Harder (Druig, Marvel)
By Fandom and Character:
(Click on the link to be taken to a secondary masterlist to search by character. Some links will redirect to a singular character masterlist if I've only written for 1 character.)
Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader
Summary: Steve decides to surprise you for your birthday, but he has ulterior motives – he really just wants to kiss you.
Warnings: DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS 5!
Word Count: 1.2k
A/N: Happy New Year! I haven't written for Steve since 2019 – a whole six years ago. But with Stranger Things Season 5, I really wanted to write for him again. It took me a while to finally do it (just sobbed my way through the finale) but I finally wrote for Steve again and it was so much fun. I hope that anyone who reads this will enjoy it and I really intend to write more for Steve this January!
Steve Harrington doesn’t do well when you’re not around.
He’s getting better at dealing with it – or so he thinks. He’s gotten out of the habit of calling your work at 1:30 every day, the time you always have your lunch break, just to hear your voice for even a second. He doesn’t show up at your doorstep the second you get home from work and lets you have your alone time before he calls and asks if he can come by.
He’s definitely doing better.
Except for today, that is.
It’s your birthday and he wants nothing more than to be with you… and to kiss you. It takes all the strength in his body not to pick up the phone at 1:30 to call you at work. He’s already heard from you today anyway – he’d called your house before you went to work to wish you a happy birthday. But that wasn’t enough. He knows it’s stupid, to be yearning for a kiss so badly that he’s considering driving to you just for one. But when you’d kissed him yesterday, it was barely a peck! He’s been thinking about it ever since and all he can think about is the brief taste of your lip balm and how much he’d wanted it to be longer.
He’s sitting on his bed, staring at the clock waiting for it to be even a minute closer to you finishing work when he decides to just go. You’ll appreciate the surprise, surely! It’s your birthday – everyone loves surprises on their birthday and you love Steve. A win-win, right?
When he pulls up outside of your work, he checks the time again and sees that it should only be another four minutes until you finish. It’s the longest four minutes of his life as he waits, eyes glued to the entrance. As soon as it hits 5pm, he’s out of his car, moving to lean on the hood. You’ll see him easily, considering he’d found a park only two cars away from your own car.
It’s only a few minutes later when he sees you walking out of the entrance with a few other people. You wave goodbye to them and then start walking towards your car. Steve notices the smile on your face and the way your hair blows in the breeze. You look beautiful – more than beautiful. He still has no idea how he managed to get so lucky with you.
Your smile grows as you spot him, still leaning on the hood of his car, and you can’t help but take off at a run to get to him sooner. You’ve been counting down the minutes all day until 5pm, when you could finish work and go and see Steve, only for him to show up here and surprise you for your birthday.
“Steve, what are you doing here?” You call when you’re not too far from him.
He grins at the excitement on your face. “A little birdy told me it’s your birthday, so I had to come and see you as soon as I could. It’s the most important day of the year. Should be a national holiday in my opinion.”
“Oh, shush,” you laugh, finally reaching him and running into his arms. You wrap your arms around his neck and he’s quick to pull you close to him, arms around your back as he lifts you up off the ground a little bit.
“Happy birthday, gorgeous,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. “I couldn’t stay away any longer. I just needed to see you today, make sure I tell you in person. I know we’re going out this weekend but it’s not the same.”
You pull away from the hug, Steve finally setting you on the ground again. “Well, aren’t you just the sweetest man in Hawkins, Steve Harrington. Thank you. I was already going to come and see you, but this is better…” you start to trail off, noticing the way Steve is looking at you. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Steve cups your face in one hand, his thumb gently trailing over your cheek as he looks at you. He’s not sure what sort of look he’s giving, but he knows what he’s feeling. “Cause I wanna kiss you so bad but I didn’t think through the fact that we’d be outside your job when I thought about surprising you.”
It’s impossible not to smile at that. You’d kissed him probably only 24 hours ago, when he’d stopped by on your lunch break yesterday to give you a sandwich from your favourite deli in town, and yet here he was, looking at you like he’d been yearning for your kiss for hundreds of years, judging by the hungry look in his eyes. To be fair, yesterdays kiss had only been a peck through the window of his car.
You look around, checking to see if the coast is clear, and can’t spot any of your coworkers. “It doesn’t matter,” you shake your head. “Just kiss me, Harrington.”
Steve looks a little apprehensive. He glances around, doing exactly what you’d just done without even knowing why – he doesn’t even know what your coworkers look like. “Sweetheart, maybe we shouldn’t–”
“I won’t ask twice, Harrington.”
He doesn’t hesitate after that, quickly scooping you towards him again. One of his hands rests on your waist, gripping tight, the other still gently resting on your cheek as he finally kisses you. It’s the kind of thing Steve hopes he never gets used to. The taste of the lip balm on your lips, the smell of your perfume, the feeling of your hands, one of them resting on his hip, finger latched through one of his belt loops and the other pressed to his chest. He could kiss you all day and it would never be enough, he’s sure of it.
His hand slowly moves from your cheek to behind your neck so he can deepen the kiss, apparently forgetting about the very public location outside of your job. When he’s kissing you, that’s the only thing that exists to him.
Neither of you want to break apart and when you do, you’re both breathing heavily. It’s been days since you’ve kissed like that, with that much heat and that much intensity. Steve wants to pull you right back to him and do it all over again, but he’s not sure how much more self control he has left and he doesn’t exactly want to take things further with you in the parking lot outside your job.
“Was that worth the wait?” You hum, eyes meeting his as you try and catch your breath.
“Every damn second,” Steve confirms.
“Was that my birthday present, then?”
Steve swipes his thumb up and down your cheek again, just enjoying the feeling of your soft skin. His other hand is still holding your waist tightly, as if you’d ever want to take a step away from him after a kiss like that.
“Think I’ve got something better for you at home, what do you say?” He asks, tilting his head to the side.
Smiling, you lean in and brush your lips over his again. “Just don’t break the speed limit on your way there, Harrington,” you murmur before gently kissing him again but pulling away before either of you get too invested in it.
“No promises,” Steve manages, still a little breathless. He licks his lips, just to get the taste of your lip balm once again, trying to hold onto it for the time it’ll take him to drive home. He knows it’s going to be one of the most painful drives of his life, but knowing what waits for him at the end of it will make it all worth it.
We're only two hours away from midnight here in Australia, so I just wanted to pop on and wish everyone a very Happy New Year 💗
I know I haven't been posting on this blog for a few months now, but posting all my Joaquín, Bob and Johnny fics on here in the first 7-ish months of the year was such a highlight of 2025 for me. There was nothing I loved more than writing fics and posting them for all of you. Seeing all the comments and reactions seriously made my day on more than one occasion and it means the world to me. If you read even one of my fanfics this year, thank you. I hope I've been able to brighten at least someones day with my fics, and if my fics are part of the reason you had a better 2025, then I'm beyond happy.
I hope everyone is celebrating safely and happily and that you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve and New Year! I will absolutely be back writing in the New Year – have some Steve Harrington ideas up my sleeve already, just need to get through the New Year rush at work and get some time off before I can actually write them 😂
Anyway, just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who's read my fics in 2025. Especially the Joaquín ones. Having a little group of people on here who loved whenever I wrote for him was so special and I'll always treasure that. Happy New Year, everyone! 🥳🎉
definitely wanna write again for steve harrington soon!! just need to get motivation back after working every day during christmas and up to new year hahah
It's almost 6:00pm on Christmas Day here in Australia, so I just wanted to pop in and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate! Thank you all so much for the love you've given me and my writing this year. It means so very much to me.
I really hoped to write some more Christmassy fics, for Joaquín especially, this December, but I've been working so much in the lead up to Christmas that I've only managed to write and post one. I'm glad so many of you have enjoyed that one though! I hope all of those who celebrate Christmas have/had a very happy, joyful day and thank you so much for reading my fics in 2025 💗
prettier than the damn christmas tree | joaquín torres x reader
Pairing: Joaquín Torres x Reader
Summary: When you catch Joaquín shaking the presents under the tree and trying to figure out what his gifts are, you find a way to coax a confession out of your new husband.
Warnings: Nothing, I think?
Word Count: 1.2k
A/N: Surprise! I've been wanting to post on here again for a long time and I really wanted to post some Joaquín Christmas fics for you guys since I know so many of you have been missing my Joaquín fics and I just randomly wrote this little fic this evening and ended up being really happy with it. It can absolutely be read as a standalone but kind of works as a follow up to this fic about Joaquín loving to hear you call him 'husband'! I really hope I can write some more Christmas fics this month, but until then – please enjoy this little fic and enjoy reading about cutie Joaquín again (and let me know if you have any Christmassy fic requests!) 💗
“Joaquin, I told you not to shake the boxes!” You exclaim, standing in the doorway of the living room and staring across the room at your husband, crouched on the ground in front of the Christmas Tree, holding one of the presents you’d gotten for him. “It might be breakable.”
He looks up at you, sprung, and greets you with a sheepish smile. Carefully, he places the box back down in front of the Christmas Tree with the rest of the presents and gets to his feet. “I wasn’t shaking it… I was just inspecting the wrapping.”
You raise your eyebrows. “Inspecting the wrapping?”
It isn’t your first Christmas with Joaquin, but it is your first Christmas being married and your first Christmas living together, meaning for Joaquin, it’s a prime opportunity to try and decipher what the presents you’d bought him are before he opens them all on Christmas. He’d never gotten the opportunity before, since he’d been too afraid to look at the presents under your tree whenever he’d slept over at your apartment before he’d married you, not wanting to see something he shouldn’t… but now he had free reign.
It’s not your first time dealing with Joaquin trying to get himself out of trouble, though.
Joaquin grins, walking towards you and wrapping his arms around your waist, resting his hands on the small of your back and tugging you towards him. “Yeah, I needed to see how the expert wrapper did their job so I could up my game this year. Now that we’re living together, I can’t be doing half hearted wrapping jobs anymore, angel. I don’t wanna ruin your aesthetic.”
For a second, his lie almost sways you. The sweet look in his eyes as he looks down at you, the small smile on his lips. It’s just as distracting as it always is, but there’s no way you’re letting Joaquin win today.
“Did you shake the box?” You ask, tilting your head to the side a little in question.
He stares at you just the same as before, finding the head tilt more than endearing. “No, angel. I didn’t shake any boxes. I told you, I was just looking at your immaculate wrapping.”
“Husband,” you continue. “You’d tell me if you did shake the box, right?”
The sound of you calling him husband has just the intended effect on him. Joaquin groans and throws his head back, squeezing his eyes shut. You know exactly what you’re doing to him by calling him that in a moment like this.
“Okay, I shook one box but I couldn’t hear anything, angel. I didn’t break anything!”
You’re trying hard not to smile at him as he meets your eyes again, his eyes a little darker than before thanks to you calling him husband, but it had worked. You’d gotten the confession out of him, just like you knew that you would.
“You sure about that?” You ask, a small smile slowly making its way onto your lips even as you try not to show it. “Cause if we get to Christmas morning and you open it and it’s broken, I’m not buying you a replacement. It’s our first Christmas being married. You wouldn’t wanna ruin that, would you, my dear husband?”
Joaquin groans again, but this time he pulls you closer instead, leaning down and burying his head in your neck, nuzzling you. “This isn’t fair, angel. You’re trying to kill me on Christmas.”
“It’s not Christmas for another fourteen days, actually…”
“At this point, I’m not even making it till Christmas, angel.”
You’re properly smiling now, unable to stop yourself, but Joaquin can’t see it since his head is still firmly nuzzled in your neck. You move your hands to his arms and gently push him backwards, away from you, smiling even more as he makes a small noise of irritation.
“Why are you smiling?” He asks as soon as he sees your face. “You’re torturing me.”
You push him again, back towards the Christmas Tree, until he’s standing next to it, a cute pout on his face and his cheeks a little flushed. “Okay, stay there for one sec, baby.”
Joaquin watches, confused, as you step away from him a few steps. He’s got no idea what’s going on – one second you’re scolding him for shaking one of his Christmas presents, then you’re making him flustered by calling him husband and now you’re pushing him away again? He has no idea what’s going on in your brain and honestly, barely even a coherent thought in his own brain, thanks to you calling him by his new favourite name.
You pull your phone out of your back pocket and take a photo of Joaquin standing beside the tree. Instantly, you know you’ll probably make it your new lock screen later. He looks adorable in it, the small pout on his lips as he looks at you, frustrated and confused.
“Angel, what are you doing?” He asks, furrowing his eyebrows and crossing his arms over his chest as soon as you take the photo. He wonders what he can do to make you delete it.
“Just admiring how pretty my new husband looks with the Christmas tree beside him, that’s all.”
There’s absolutely no chance of Joaquin staying beside the tree the second those words leave your mouth. He takes two steps and he’s in front of you again, taking your face in his hands and pressing his lips to yours. He can feel you smiling into the kiss, which just spurs him on even more. Especially when your hands fist the back of his shirt.
He has absolutely every intention of pushing you back a few steps to the couch and having his way with you, but then the doorbell rings and the moment is paused. He pulls away from you reluctantly, a few moments after the doorbell rings just so he can have a few extra moments, breathless, and blinks down at you and your already swollen lips.
“And that,” you murmur against his lips, “will be the delivery man with another present for you. I’d better go and answer the door.”
Joaquin shakes his head. “I don’t need it. Don’t answer the door.” He doesn’t care about more presents right now, nor the fact that there’s someone at your door. All he wants is to start kissing you again and hear you call him husband again. Christmas is the last thing on his mind.
You place your hands on his chest and gently push away from him. “That’s not very festive of you, Joaquin,” you smile teasingly. “Can’t be leaving the hardworking delivery man outside in the cold weather.” You start to walk away from him, towards the hallway to the door.
“It’s not fair to leave your husband alone right now either, angel!” Joaquin calls after you.
He hears you laugh as he flops down on the couch, still a little out of breath and beyond frustrated. “Don’t shake any of the presents, Joaquin. I mean it,” you reply. As if he could think of anything right now other than the sound of husband on your lips and the fact that you thought he was even prettier than the damn Christmas Tree.
~
Joaquín Torres Tag List (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!)
hey girly you okay? It's been a minute since you updated. I hope you're doing well 💗
hi! thank you so so much for checking in 🥹 it means a lot. everything is totally okay! i just haven't really been writing/had the motivation to write for a while. been dipping in and out of various fandoms (starting to get into f1 this month...) and have been doing a lot of travelling to concerts as well, which has taken a lot of energy! (saw n.flying live a little over a month ago, which are the group where my username comes from – their song, moonshot – and it was the most amazing experience ever. they even played my favourite song for me because i asked??? and then i just had the worst post concert depression ever.) really do wanna get back into writing and i really always meant to, i just got distracted and had zero motivation. maybe with stranger things coming out at the end of the month that will bring back some inspiration?? especially since i've been rewatching since season 1. who knows though. i really don't wanna make any promises and let anyone down 🥲 this reply is probably wayyy longer than it needs to be but basically – yes, i'm doing okay and thank you so so much for checking in! 💗
okay, i did not end up getting to sydney and seeing the fantastic four in imax 🥲 we had a freak snowfall where i live, ended up losing power for 50 hours and had no phone reception or internet for almost two days. it has been a very chaotic and very draining couple of days and i am exhausted. but i'm gonna take myself to the cinema in my city over the next few days to see the fantastic four again (and try and make up for the fact that i couldn't see it in imax like i wanted to) and then i will hopefully be writing more for johnny 💗
I'm off to Sydney for the weekend and I'm gonna be seeing The Fantastic Four in IMAX and I'm lowkey more excited about seeing it than I am about the actual reason I'm off to Sydney 😂
Well, F4 in IMAX isn't happening cause it's actually snowed here where I live in Australia today and they have cancelled all flights and closed the airport so... 😭🥲
I'm off to Sydney for the weekend and I'm gonna be seeing The Fantastic Four in IMAX and I'm lowkey more excited about seeing it than I am about the actual reason I'm off to Sydney 😂
Pairing: Johnny Storm x Reader
Summary: Seeing Johnny Storm playing with his nephew, Franklin, makes you realise just how much you want to have children with him.
Warnings: Reader has the ability to fall pregnant and carry a child but I don't think I mention any specific pronouns, references to sex.
Word Count: 2.5k
A/N: Thank you all so much for the response on my first Johnny fic that I posted last week. I didn't expect it at all and I'm so grateful for that. I've been trying to write another one ever since but I just haven't had the motivation to write anything until I had this idea this afternoon and then somehow just managed to fire it out tonight! I'm so happy with how it turned out so I hope you all enjoy it and I promise there's more Johnny fics coming soon! 😊
The first time you saw your fiancé with his nephew, Franklin, you knew you were in trouble.
You’d seen him with babies before – people in New York had been, in the past, known to give Johnny their babies so he could kiss them. There was a trend at one point, where if your baby was kissed by Johnny Storm, they would grow up strong and well-liked. Johnny just liked it because it meant he got to kiss cute babies.
But seeing him with his nephew is different. You’re standing back stage at The Ted Gilbert Show, which the Fantastic Four are starring on again. Franklin is one year old and mischievous as ever, and clearly taking advantage of his uncle Johnny’s playfulness.
You watch as Johnny plucks Franklin out of Ben’s arms and swings him high up in the air. Franklin is giggling and you smile at the sight of it. He’s easily one of the cutest babies you’ve ever seen, and the fact that his smile is because of the love of your life makes it even sweeter.
There has been plenty of talk about the future with you and Johnny, when one day you wanted to have children of your own. But saving the world and having children don’t go hand in hand, and you know Johnny is worried about it. He admires Sue and Reed for the way they’re able to handle parenthood alongside their jobs but a part of him wonders if he’ll ever be able to do something like that himself, no matter how much he wants a child of his own with you. He’s also just too afraid to change the dynamic of the team even further.
Sue comes up beside you. You don’t realise she’s there till she speaks. “If Franklin is sick on him after being thrown around like that, I really hope that someone around here is filming,” she hums, nudging your shoulder gently. There’s a smile on her face as she says it. “Though, I’m surprised Reed hasn’t stepped in and stopped this already. He’s been very protective lately.”
“For good reason,” you give Sue a look, as if she’d forgotten about the man last month who had attempted to tunnel underneath the Baxter Building to get inside – just to see the famous Franklin Richards in person. That hadn’t ended well for him. He was currently in a jail cell somewhere in the city, so far away you don’t even know where.
You turn back to look at Johnny as he swings Franklin around again and then pulls him in close to his chest. He presses a kiss to the top of the boys head and your heart melts a little in your chest. You don’t notice that you’re smiling until Sue pulls you up on it.
“What’s that smile for?” She asks, eyebrows raised.
“Hm?” You glance at her, not wanting to look away from Johnny for too long. You want to make sure you remember every moment of the way he’s playing with Franklin and how it makes you feel… warm and happy and… there’s longing, too. Longing to have a memory like this, but featuring your own child rather than Franklin. Longing that also features immense attraction to Johnny that makes you feel a certain type of way that Sue doesn’t need to know.
“The way you’re smiling at my brother and my son…”
Franklin is giggling again as Johnny holds him in the air and starts running around with him, making noises like he’s a plane, zooming through the air.
“It’s just sweet, that’s all,” you shrug, crossing your arms over your chest. This is not the time to tell Sue that right now, what you really want to do is jump her brothers bones and have a child of your own with him.
Sue looks at you for a moment, unconvinced, but then the staff are telling them there’s two minutes to show time and to get into their places and she’s being ushered to the stage by one of the assistants.
You’re meant to be babysitting Franklin for this television appearance. Sue and Reed don’t mind showing him off from time to time, but they also want to keep things private and having Franklin on television with them always raises questions about him. Does he have powers? What are they? Is he going to join and make them change the name to the Fantastic Five, even though he’s barely even a year old? All questions none of them want to have to answer, especially on live television. You never mind when you have to look after Franklin anyway – he’s always an angel for you.
Johnny comes running over to you, still holding Franklin in the air and making plane noises. He comes to a halt in front of you, quite literally screeching to a stop, sound effect and all, and brings Franklin back down, resting him on his hip. Your heart beats a little quicker at the sight of how natural it looks on him, looking after a child.
“It’s time for your aunty to look after you now, kid,” he says to Franklin, who is already pre-occupied trying to pull out a chunk of Johnny’s hair. “Okay, ow. That hurts. Do you have super-human strength? Of course you do, you’re a magic baby. Duh.”
You smile and extend your arms to take Franklin off of him. He doesn’t have long till he needs to get up on stage to be ready for the program to start, but unsurprisingly, Johnny doesn’t seem to be in much of a rush.
He kisses the top of Franklin’s head again as he passes him over to you, and then leans in and kisses your cheek. “Wish me luck?” He asks, lips quirked up into a small smile.
“You don’t need it, but you know you always have it.”
Johnny flashes you a grin as one of the staff starts counting down from 10 and then turns around, running back towards the stage and taking his place next to Reed. He catches your eye just before the countdown finishes and sends you a wink.
You stand side-stage and watch as the Fantastic Four do their interview with Ted Gilbert, answering questions from adoring fans in the audience. You sway side to side with Franklin, comfortably holding him as he rests his head on your shoulder and naps.
Then, you hear an audience member direct a question to Johnny that makes your heart skip a beat. There are always questions from fans that they never expect, and personal questions are never unexpected, but this one takes you by surprise.
“Johnny, we need to know. Have you started planning your wedding? Everyone is looking forward to seeing what sort of event it’ll be, and have you started thinking about another little member of the Fantastic Four joining the family?”
If you’d been drinking, you’re sure you would have choked on it, having heard someone mention the very thing you’d been thinking of only minutes earlier. It’s only natural that the public was going to start thinking about such a thing now that you were engaged and had been for a few months, but that didn’t mean that such a question was appropriate to ask.
You listen in carefully to hear Johnny’s answer.
“No, no wedding planning yet,” he admits. “Honestly, we’re just trying to soak in the feeling of being engaged for a little bit. There’s no rush. Of course, we’d love a little one of our own, but we’re really just taking each day as it comes.”
The answer is so perfect it almost sounds rehearsed, but you know it’s not. For a man that you know is hesitant when it comes to both children and discussing his personal life with the public, you think he handled it rather well. Even though you could hear the strain in his voice that told you that it was the last question he wanted to be asked.
Once the interview is over and they all exit the stage, Sue immediately comes over to you and carefully removes the sleeping Franklin from your shoulder. She thanks you for taking care of him as she and Reed head back stage to change out of their suits and get back into their clothes to head home.
Johnny walks up to you, arms open wide and a grin on his face. “So, how’d I do?”
“Hm, your public speaking could do with some work,” you shrug, trying to keep the smile off your face as he wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you into his side.
He rolls his eyes and presses a kiss to the side of your head. “You’re full of it, gorgeous.”
“Only full of love for you.”
Johnny laughs at that as you start to walk alongside him, one of his arms still wrapped around your waist, his hand resting on your hip as you all head back to the dressing room.
“Did you watch the whole thing?” He asks, glancing over at you as you turn a corner.
“I did,” you confirm. “Franklin fell asleep on me though, so I’m afraid to say he didn’t see his heart-throb uncle answering all those questions from his die-hard fans. But there’ll still be time for you to teach him how to respond in a similar situation.”
He smiles, shaking his head. “So, you heard all the questions?”
You stop, turning to face him. His hand remains on your hip. “Yes, Johnny. I heard the question that lady asked about if we’ve been planning the wedding and if we’re going to have a baby.” You figure it’s better to just rip off the bandaid and confront the question that Johnny is so clearly trying to ask you without saying it.
Johnny sighs and rests his other hand on your hip, tugging you a little closer to him. It makes the moment feel more private, as if you’re not in the middle of a crowded hallway of one of the biggest television shows in the country.
“Did I say the right thing?” He asks, voice soft. “It felt so wrong to answer a question like that without you up there with me. I mean, it’s easy enough for me to say ‘Yeah, we’d love to have a kid’ when I’m not the one that has to carry and give birth to it. When it comes to conceiving a baby, my job is pretty easy. I’m not the one that has to grow it.”
You sigh and tug Johnny out of the main hallway and into a small, empty hall just off to the side. “Honey, I could hear in your voice how much you hated answering that question,” you admit. “But you said the right thing. You told them what they want to hear. They don’t need to know the ins and outs of our wedding planning or if we’re pregnant or not. But for future reference, I am more than happy to carry and give birth to our child.”
Johnny tightens his grip on your hips and swipes one of his thumbs back and forth, a comforting mechanism for both you and him. “Is this you telling me you’re ready?” He asks, eyebrows raised as he meets your eyes. You can see the apprehension in them.
“I know how you feel about having children, Johnny,” you start, “but I saw the way you were with Franklin earlier. You’re a great uncle to him, and I know you’d be a great father one day too. Even if it’s terrifying to try and be a father and a superhero at the same time.”
“Thank you, baby,” he hums, leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of your mouth. The words mean more to him than you realise, but he can’t help but focus on the second thing you said. “You were watching me and Franklin? I thought I saw you talking to my sister.”
You nod. “I was, but I was watching you at the same time.” You scrunch up your nose as you think of the way Johnny had looked, playing with his nephew, and the way it’d made you feel. “I always find you attractive, Johnny Storm, but seeing you playing with Franklin… honestly, it’s one of the times I’ve found you most attractive.”
The cocky smile that appears on his face almost makes you regret your words, until he re-adjusts his grip on your hips and tugs you closer to him so your chest is pressed up against his and your lips are only inches away from his.
“You think me playing with my nephew is attractive, huh?” He smirks.
“Oh, get that look off your face, Johnny,” you huff out a laugh, trying to play it cool even though you’re pretty sure your heart-rate has skyrocketed and it’s taking every ounce of self control to not throw yourself at your fiancé right now in this deserted hallway.
He leans in and brushes his lips over yours for only a second before he mutters a few words that make you feel weak at the knees. “Maybe we should head home and get to work on creating a little one of our own, then.”
You’re fighting to hold onto the last bits of restraint when his lips meet yours. His arms wrap around your back, holding you close to him as he kisses you, your breathing heavy already. It’s when one of his hands starts to drift a little too low that you remember where you are and, regretfully, pull away from the kiss.
You press your hands against Johnny’s chest to push yourself away from him and give the two of you some distance. Laughing, you shake your head. “Johnny Storm, what the hell was that?”
He leans back against the wall behind him and crosses his arms over his chest. “That’s me saying that I’m ready if you are, babe.” He says it casually, as if they’re not words that set your heart on fire and make you feel like you’re on cloud 9.
You open your mouth and then close it again. “You can’t– you can’t just say that!”
“And why not?” Johnny tilts his head to the side, that stupid smile still on his lips.
“Well… we’re in public!”
“Baby,” he says, standing up off the wall and walking over to you. “I just told the entire country that one day, we wanna have sex and make babies together and you think that someone overhearing us in the back corridors of The Ted Gilbert Show is a big deal?”
You gasp, trying not to laugh, and lunge towards him, putting a hand over his mouth to shut him up. The man doesn’t have an inside voice most of the time and even though he’s right and he had essentially just told everyone that on live television, you don’t want someone to overhear you and make things awkward the next time the Fantastic Four is asked back.
You can feel him smiling underneath your hand as he reaches up and takes your wrist gently, removing your hand from his mouth.
“Shall we go home?” He asks, eyes twinkling and an amused smile on his face.
“Yes,” you murmur, “but no funny business.”
Johnny chuckles, manoeuvring his hold on your wrist so he can take your hand instead. “Of course not,” he agrees. “Not until we’re safely back in our bedroom with the door locked.”
Pairing: Johnny Storm x Fem!Reader
Summary: When you and Johnny Storm started fooling around, he made sure to tell you that it was going to be nothing serious. Well, at least until he broke his own rule and fell in love with you.
Warnings: Mention of food, a make-out session and references to sex (but nothing explicit), no spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps!
Word Count: 2.9k
A/N: I literally haven't written in like a month and a half, even though I have been trying. I've been in a massive slump. I assumed Pedro Pascal would help me out of it when I saw Fantastic Four this morning, only for me to come out of the film entirely in love with Johnny Storm (and Sue... I really want to write for her too). And then I ended up writing almost 3k for Johnny, so... me writing for Joaquín, Bob and now Johnny is so telling. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. Johnny is fun to write for and I look forward to exploring his character more if people want me to write more for him! Requests are always open 😊
When you first started seeing Johnny Storm, he had only one condition: that nothing between the two of you was to be serious. It was a fling, nothing more. You were fooling around and having fun. Johnny had a reputation to uphold – one that he took great pride in, being known as a ‘womaniser’ across the city and the world.
He was the first one to bend his own rule, though, when he saw you the second time… and then the third, the fourth and so on. He never thought too much of it. The two of you always had a great time and you worked well together in more ways than one. What was the problem with that? Johnny wasn’t planning on settling down (he’d seen enough of his sister and brother-in-law’s life to know that wasn’t in the cards for him yet). But he liked you, he liked spending time with you… and so what if the worst part of his day was when he had to say goodbye to you?
It was one day when he watched you walking away and hailing a cab to head back to your own apartment that he realised that he hadn’t just bent his rule, he’d broken it completely.
Johnny Storm was, against his will, in love.
As he walked back towards the Baxter Building, his eyebrows furrowed, he knew that somewhere along the way things had gone terribly wrong. Johnny Storm didn’t fall in love. He was a womaniser! He loved women, he loved spending time with women, he loved falling into bed with women and not having to think about having a relationship with them.
But then you came along and changed him before he knew what was happening.
The next morning, he was sitting in the kitchen, a box of Lucky Charms in his hands, though he hadn’t eaten any since he’d sat down. All he was doing was staring across the room, frowning at the wall. Ben, mid-way through making breakfast, was concerned.
“Are you sick?” He asked, trying to break Johnny’s focus.
Johnny blinked and sat the box of Lucky Charms on the table, glancing over at Ben. “No.”
“You haven’t even opened the cereal.”
He looked down at the box, noticing for the first time that it was still sealed. When was the last time he’d gotten a box of Lucky Charms out of the cupboard and not broken straight into them? Ben hadn’t even had to berate him about him ruining his appetite this morning.
Oh, he was so done for.
Johnny let out a groan and threw his head backwards, leaning over the back of the chair.
“You sure you’re okay?” Ben asked as he flipped a pancake.
“No,” Johnny groaned again. He looked over at Ben as he put the pancake on the top of an already very tall stack. “Have you ever been in love, Ben?”
Ben stared at him, almost burning another pancake in the process. “Why are you asking?”
“Just… that’s not important!”
“Sure, kid…” Ben shook his head and flipped another pancake.
“Are you gonna answer my question?” Johnny pressed.
“No.”
Johnny groaned again and pulled himself up from the seat. There was no way he was going to discuss this with Sue or Reed, so Ben was his best bet… but actually saying the words out loud were so much more difficult than he’d expected, especially since Ben didn’t seem to be particularly open to the conversation either.
“I give up,” he huffed, starting to walk from the room. Breakfast could wait. He could reheat the pancakes later. Since he hadn’t touched the Lucky Charms, he supposed he didn’t have much of an appetite anyway. The only thing he could think about was you.
The way you’d felt in his arms the night before, the feeling of your lips on his, the way your hair looked, spread out over his pillow, the way you smiled at him when he made cheesy jokes, especially in moments when he shouldn’t be making cheesy jokes.
“Johnny,” Ben called out, just as Johnny was about to leave the room. He turned around, looking over at where Ben was still standing behind the stove. “Just be honest with yourself. No ones reputation is more important than their feelings.”
For a moment, Johnny only stared at Ben. Had he somehow understood everything Johnny had been feeling without him having to say a word? Did he know that Johnny was stressed over his reputation undoubtedly about to come crashing down because he’d fallen in love? He couldn’t… none of his family had even met you. He was always careful about sneaking you in and out so that no one could ask questions.
But then again, you were the only girl he’d brought back to their home. With every other girl he’d seen before you, he’d gone to them. But somewhere along the way with you, he’d started bringing you home instead. And it had been a long time since he’d been with anyone but you.
Back in his room, he found himself staring at his calendar, trying to figure out if he could move things around so he could see you again sooner. Ben’s words were on repeat in his mind. No ones reputation is more important than their feelings. Maybe he was right. Johnny had briefly considered ending things with you after he realised he loved you. But then he thought about it more and decided that never seeing you again would hurt more. That even the idea of being with someone that wasn’t you felt like a betrayal to both you and himself.
It was a few hours later, the sun just starting to set over New York, when he decided he had to do something about all of this sooner rather than later. He should have been getting ready to have dinner with Ben, Reed and Sue, but instead he was getting dressed to leave the Baxter Building and go to you. He’d been to your apartment before, back when you’d first started fooling around a few months ago.
Still, as he stood in front of your door, his hand raised to knock on it, he was terrified. What if you turned him away? What if you were busy? What if there was someone else inside your apartment? You two had made it clear from the start that you weren’t exclusive. There was nothing stopping you from seeing other people. It was Johnny who, somewhere along the way, had decided to focus only on being with you.
His hand was still raised, about to knock, when the door swung open and his eyes fell on you. The way your hair framed your face, the outfit you were wearing and the way it hugged every part of your body perfectly, the colour of your eyes and the look in them – surprise at seeing Johnny Storm standing in the hallway, but also… relief? Was that what that was?
“Johnny,” you said, eyes wide.
“Hi,” he replied. As if that one word said everything.
“Hi.”
For a moment, there was just silence as the two of you looked at each other. One of your neighbours exited the elevator and walked to their apartment, watching you the entire way. Once their door was closed, you finally broke the silence.
“What are you doing here?” You asked, glancing at his hand which was still in mid air, hovering like he’d been about to knock on your door. “We saw each other just last night.” As if you weren’t quietly thrilled to see him again. As if you hadn’t been daydreaming every moment you weren’t with Johnny about a moment just like this.
He noticed the way you looked at his hand and immediately dropped it, wiping his sweaty palm on his trousers. Why was he nervous all of a sudden? Johnny was never nervous when it came to you. He certainly hadn’t been nervous last night when he’d had you in his bed.
“Can we talk inside?” He finally asked, managing something other than hi. He didn’t want to have this conversation in the middle of the hallway. “Unless you have plans.” You were going out by the looks of it.
You nodded, stepping back to let Johnny into your apartment. Your ‘plans’ had only involved leaving your apartment to get some fresh air and maybe some alcohol at the bar on the corner. Anything to try and get your mind off of Johnny Storm and the night you’d had with him last night. Anything to try and get the fact that you were falling in love with possibly the most unavailable man on the planet.
You closed the door behind Johnny after he was inside your apartment and insisted that he make himself comfortable. Following him into your living room, you sat down on the couch beside him, folding your hands together in your lap. This conversation clearly wasn’t going to be anything good, judging by the look on his face.
Perhaps he’d gotten an inkling of a feeling about the way you’d been feeling for him. Maybe last night, you’d said something in the heat of the moment that you didn’t remember – something that made him want to end things with you. Maybe, after being with you for so long now, he was ready for a change. He’d probably had many conversations like this in the past with various other women. You weren’t special.
“Whatever it is you’re here to say,” you began, “just say it. No hard feelings.”
Johnny was having trouble making his thoughts coherent, though. You were in front of him again, your knees almost touching his, and his eyes kept flickering to your mouth without them meaning to. He was having to use all his self control not to lean over and kiss you. That wasn’t why he was here, even though he was secretly hoping that would occur at some point in the night, if you didn’t tell him to get out and banish him from your apartment after he said what he had come here to say.
You watched him, noticing the way his gaze was flickering and the way one of his knees had started to bounce up and down – something he tended to do when he was worried. Unable to stop yourself, you reached over and put a hand on his knee. He looked down at your hand immediately, eyes narrowing in on it, on the feeling of the warmth of your hand through the thin material of his trousers.
Something came over him at that small act of touch and before he knew it, he was acting on instinct. He leant towards you, his hands moving to cup your face as he pressed his lips to yours. The pressure had you leaning back against the pillows of the couch as he kissed you. You groaned a little into his mouth, one of your hands moving to fist in the material of his sweater as his lips moved against yours.
Even though you’d kissed less than 24 hours ago, the feeling was unlike anything. There was nothing in life that you could have ever compared it to. The way his lips felt against yours made you feel like you were on fire – which was amusing considering his super powers. Maybe it was even some kind of effect from his powers. You didn’t really care.
Johnny pulled back from the kiss, breathless, and squeezed his eyes shut, his forehead falling against yours. This was not the plan. He wasn’t coming here to kiss you. He was coming here to confess to you. To ask you to be in a proper relationship with him, not to just fool around with him whenever you both desired that.
“Johnny,” you muttered, one of your hands moving to cup his cheek. You could see that whatever was going on inside his brain was troubling him. You’d thought he was coming here to break things off with you, but judging by that kiss you’d been very wrong. “What’s going on?”
Briefly, he captured your lips in his again, his teeth pulling a little on your bottom lip before he pulled away again. One of his hands had moved down to grip your waist during the kiss and the heat coming from it felt almost dangerous.
“I broke my own rule,” he murmured, lips only inches away from yours.
“What rule?” You breathed, desperately trying not to get your hopes up. There was only one rule that you knew of when it came to your relationship with Johnny Storm: nothing is to be serious. It’s all just for fun.
“This isn’t just a fling anymore,” Johnny admitted, eyes still shut tight. He couldn’t bring himself to open them because if he did, yours would be the first thing he’d see and they’d tell him everything. If you were hurt by his words, he knew he’d never forget the look in your eyes and he wasn’t sure he could live with himself if you were. There was every chance that you only wanted this to be a fling, too. That you wanted nothing serious from Johnny, just like you’d agreed on the first time you slept together.
“What?” You were barely able to get the word out. It was nothing more than a breath and if Johnny wasn’t hovering so close to your face, you’re certain he wouldn’t have even heard you.
Johnny took a breath. “I don’t want to only see you when we fool around,” he started. “I know we agreed on this not being serious at the start. But if you’re open to it, I want to try this for real. An actual relationship.”
He said the words quickly, like he was worried that if he stopped, he wouldn’t be able to keep going. He needed to get them all out before he could chicken out or before you could interrupt him and break his heart, something he believed was a real possibility.
Because his eyes were still closed, he didn’t see the smile appearing on your face. You reached up and ran your thumb along his cheek gently. “Johnny, open your eyes.”
He opened one eye slowly, still worried, and then the second one. His gaze instantly went to your lips, his heart beating faster as he looked at your smile. “You’re smiling,” he murmured. “Does that mean–”
“Yes, Johnny. It does,” you confirmed, stroking his cheek again softly, just happy that he’d finally opened his eyes and therefore opened himself up to you. He hadn’t been afraid to end things with you at all. He’d just been afraid of what you were going to say to him.
“Oh, man,” Johnny laughed, pressing his lips to yours again briefly before pulling away from you properly and standing to his feet. He threw his hands in the air and cheered loudly.
Laughing, you sat up. “Johnny, I have neighbours!”
“I don’t care,” he shook his head, reaching down and wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you up into his arms. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, still laughing as he spun you around in a circle. “I’m the happiest man alive right now!”
“I can see that,” you replied, amused.
Johnny put you back down on solid ground and couldn’t help but kiss you again, dipping you in the process and making sure to hold the back of your head so you didn’t hit it on the coffee table. He loved kissing you before, but now he was going to have a hard time stopping.
“I was concerned,” you said once Johnny had stood you up again and finally detached his lips from yours. “I thought you were coming over here to break things off with me. That you had started to suspect I had feelings for you that were too serious for just a fling.”
He shook his head, arms still around your waist, hands splayed across your back as he held you pressed against his body. “If I’d suspected that, it would have made things a lot easier for me,” he admitted. “I was terrified you were going to end things with me if I confessed. We agreed that this wasn’t going to be anything serious when we started this.”
“Are you sure you want something serious?” You had to ask. Johnny Storm was notorious for not having anything serious with the women of New York City.
“Every time I thought about anyone but you these last few months, it felt like I was cheating on you. My reputation doesn’t matter nearly as much to me as you do.”
A smile came to your face again. “That has to be one of the most attractive things you’ve ever said, Johnny Storm.”
“Oh, yeah?” A cocky smile appeared on his own face. “Gonna do anything about that?”
You rolled your eyes before kissing him. You could feel his smile against your lips as he tightened his grip on you, hands warm against your back. He was completely yours to kiss now – even though he had been for months without you realising it.
“So, I was thinking,” Johnny muttered in-between quick kisses, “we should just stay in tonight… maybe on this couch… maybe we don’t leave it for a couple hours…”
“Aren’t you meant to be having dinner with your family tonight?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll make it up to them. Tonight, I just want you.”
Thanks for all the love on my Johnny Storm fic 💗 I am definitely gonna be writing more for him, and probably Sue and Reed too. I just need to see the movie again to get a better grasp on his character. I'm seeing it in IMAX next weekend but hopefully I can see it again before that too! I have started another fic and planned another one out. I hope you'll all continue to enjoy my Fantastic Four fics!
I know I've said many times over the past two months that I'm going to be writing again, but every time I've actually sat down and tried to write, it's been impossible to get words onto the page. Add that with some health issues I've been dealing with, family illnesses, work, travel I've been planning and trips I've been going on and it's been a chaotic few months. But things are definitely changing, and fics are coming soon. 💗
Would love to write for the new Superman movie too, but I've only seen it once and I didn't connect with it like I hoped to! So I definitely need to watch it again to decide how I really felt about it and see if it's something I'd be open to writing for!
Anyway, more Johnny Storm and Fantastic Four fics coming soon. I also just rewatched Thunderbolts so I'd love to get back into writing for Bob and I'd like to try writing for John Walker too, but I don't wanna put too much pressure on myself right now so I'm gonna take things day by day and take inspiration when it comes! 😊
Pairing: Johnny Storm x Fem!Reader
Summary: When you and Johnny Storm started fooling around, he made sure to tell you that it was going to be nothing serious. Well, at least until he broke his own rule and fell in love with you.
Warnings: Mention of food, a make-out session and references to sex (but nothing explicit), no spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps!
Word Count: 2.9k
A/N: I literally haven't written in like a month and a half, even though I have been trying. I've been in a massive slump. I assumed Pedro Pascal would help me out of it when I saw Fantastic Four this morning, only for me to come out of the film entirely in love with Johnny Storm (and Sue... I really want to write for her too). And then I ended up writing almost 3k for Johnny, so... me writing for Joaquín, Bob and now Johnny is so telling. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. Johnny is fun to write for and I look forward to exploring his character more if people want me to write more for him! Requests are always open 😊
When you first started seeing Johnny Storm, he had only one condition: that nothing between the two of you was to be serious. It was a fling, nothing more. You were fooling around and having fun. Johnny had a reputation to uphold – one that he took great pride in, being known as a ‘womaniser’ across the city and the world.
He was the first one to bend his own rule, though, when he saw you the second time… and then the third, the fourth and so on. He never thought too much of it. The two of you always had a great time and you worked well together in more ways than one. What was the problem with that? Johnny wasn’t planning on settling down (he’d seen enough of his sister and brother-in-law’s life to know that wasn’t in the cards for him yet). But he liked you, he liked spending time with you… and so what if the worst part of his day was when he had to say goodbye to you?
It was one day when he watched you walking away and hailing a cab to head back to your own apartment that he realised that he hadn’t just bent his rule, he’d broken it completely.
Johnny Storm was, against his will, in love.
As he walked back towards the Baxter Building, his eyebrows furrowed, he knew that somewhere along the way things had gone terribly wrong. Johnny Storm didn’t fall in love. He was a womaniser! He loved women, he loved spending time with women, he loved falling into bed with women and not having to think about having a relationship with them.
But then you came along and changed him before he knew what was happening.
The next morning, he was sitting in the kitchen, a box of Lucky Charms in his hands, though he hadn’t eaten any since he’d sat down. All he was doing was staring across the room, frowning at the wall. Ben, mid-way through making breakfast, was concerned.
“Are you sick?” He asked, trying to break Johnny’s focus.
Johnny blinked and sat the box of Lucky Charms on the table, glancing over at Ben. “No.”
“You haven’t even opened the cereal.”
He looked down at the box, noticing for the first time that it was still sealed. When was the last time he’d gotten a box of Lucky Charms out of the cupboard and not broken straight into them? Ben hadn’t even had to berate him about him ruining his appetite this morning.
Oh, he was so done for.
Johnny let out a groan and threw his head backwards, leaning over the back of the chair.
“You sure you’re okay?” Ben asked as he flipped a pancake.
“No,” Johnny groaned again. He looked over at Ben as he put the pancake on the top of an already very tall stack. “Have you ever been in love, Ben?”
Ben stared at him, almost burning another pancake in the process. “Why are you asking?”
“Just… that’s not important!”
“Sure, kid…” Ben shook his head and flipped another pancake.
“Are you gonna answer my question?” Johnny pressed.
“No.”
Johnny groaned again and pulled himself up from the seat. There was no way he was going to discuss this with Sue or Reed, so Ben was his best bet… but actually saying the words out loud were so much more difficult than he’d expected, especially since Ben didn’t seem to be particularly open to the conversation either.
“I give up,” he huffed, starting to walk from the room. Breakfast could wait. He could reheat the pancakes later. Since he hadn’t touched the Lucky Charms, he supposed he didn’t have much of an appetite anyway. The only thing he could think about was you.
The way you’d felt in his arms the night before, the feeling of your lips on his, the way your hair looked, spread out over his pillow, the way you smiled at him when he made cheesy jokes, especially in moments when he shouldn’t be making cheesy jokes.
“Johnny,” Ben called out, just as Johnny was about to leave the room. He turned around, looking over at where Ben was still standing behind the stove. “Just be honest with yourself. No ones reputation is more important than their feelings.”
For a moment, Johnny only stared at Ben. Had he somehow understood everything Johnny had been feeling without him having to say a word? Did he know that Johnny was stressed over his reputation undoubtedly about to come crashing down because he’d fallen in love? He couldn’t… none of his family had even met you. He was always careful about sneaking you in and out so that no one could ask questions.
But then again, you were the only girl he’d brought back to their home. With every other girl he’d seen before you, he’d gone to them. But somewhere along the way with you, he’d started bringing you home instead. And it had been a long time since he’d been with anyone but you.
Back in his room, he found himself staring at his calendar, trying to figure out if he could move things around so he could see you again sooner. Ben’s words were on repeat in his mind. No ones reputation is more important than their feelings. Maybe he was right. Johnny had briefly considered ending things with you after he realised he loved you. But then he thought about it more and decided that never seeing you again would hurt more. That even the idea of being with someone that wasn’t you felt like a betrayal to both you and himself.
It was a few hours later, the sun just starting to set over New York, when he decided he had to do something about all of this sooner rather than later. He should have been getting ready to have dinner with Ben, Reed and Sue, but instead he was getting dressed to leave the Baxter Building and go to you. He’d been to your apartment before, back when you’d first started fooling around a few months ago.
Still, as he stood in front of your door, his hand raised to knock on it, he was terrified. What if you turned him away? What if you were busy? What if there was someone else inside your apartment? You two had made it clear from the start that you weren’t exclusive. There was nothing stopping you from seeing other people. It was Johnny who, somewhere along the way, had decided to focus only on being with you.
His hand was still raised, about to knock, when the door swung open and his eyes fell on you. The way your hair framed your face, the outfit you were wearing and the way it hugged every part of your body perfectly, the colour of your eyes and the look in them – surprise at seeing Johnny Storm standing in the hallway, but also… relief? Was that what that was?
“Johnny,” you said, eyes wide.
“Hi,” he replied. As if that one word said everything.
“Hi.”
For a moment, there was just silence as the two of you looked at each other. One of your neighbours exited the elevator and walked to their apartment, watching you the entire way. Once their door was closed, you finally broke the silence.
“What are you doing here?” You asked, glancing at his hand which was still in mid air, hovering like he’d been about to knock on your door. “We saw each other just last night.” As if you weren’t quietly thrilled to see him again. As if you hadn’t been daydreaming every moment you weren’t with Johnny about a moment just like this.
He noticed the way you looked at his hand and immediately dropped it, wiping his sweaty palm on his trousers. Why was he nervous all of a sudden? Johnny was never nervous when it came to you. He certainly hadn’t been nervous last night when he’d had you in his bed.
“Can we talk inside?” He finally asked, managing something other than hi. He didn’t want to have this conversation in the middle of the hallway. “Unless you have plans.” You were going out by the looks of it.
You nodded, stepping back to let Johnny into your apartment. Your ‘plans’ had only involved leaving your apartment to get some fresh air and maybe some alcohol at the bar on the corner. Anything to try and get your mind off of Johnny Storm and the night you’d had with him last night. Anything to try and get the fact that you were falling in love with possibly the most unavailable man on the planet.
You closed the door behind Johnny after he was inside your apartment and insisted that he make himself comfortable. Following him into your living room, you sat down on the couch beside him, folding your hands together in your lap. This conversation clearly wasn’t going to be anything good, judging by the look on his face.
Perhaps he’d gotten an inkling of a feeling about the way you’d been feeling for him. Maybe last night, you’d said something in the heat of the moment that you didn’t remember – something that made him want to end things with you. Maybe, after being with you for so long now, he was ready for a change. He’d probably had many conversations like this in the past with various other women. You weren’t special.
“Whatever it is you’re here to say,” you began, “just say it. No hard feelings.”
Johnny was having trouble making his thoughts coherent, though. You were in front of him again, your knees almost touching his, and his eyes kept flickering to your mouth without them meaning to. He was having to use all his self control not to lean over and kiss you. That wasn’t why he was here, even though he was secretly hoping that would occur at some point in the night, if you didn’t tell him to get out and banish him from your apartment after he said what he had come here to say.
You watched him, noticing the way his gaze was flickering and the way one of his knees had started to bounce up and down – something he tended to do when he was worried. Unable to stop yourself, you reached over and put a hand on his knee. He looked down at your hand immediately, eyes narrowing in on it, on the feeling of the warmth of your hand through the thin material of his trousers.
Something came over him at that small act of touch and before he knew it, he was acting on instinct. He leant towards you, his hands moving to cup your face as he pressed his lips to yours. The pressure had you leaning back against the pillows of the couch as he kissed you. You groaned a little into his mouth, one of your hands moving to fist in the material of his sweater as his lips moved against yours.
Even though you’d kissed less than 24 hours ago, the feeling was unlike anything. There was nothing in life that you could have ever compared it to. The way his lips felt against yours made you feel like you were on fire – which was amusing considering his super powers. Maybe it was even some kind of effect from his powers. You didn’t really care.
Johnny pulled back from the kiss, breathless, and squeezed his eyes shut, his forehead falling against yours. This was not the plan. He wasn’t coming here to kiss you. He was coming here to confess to you. To ask you to be in a proper relationship with him, not to just fool around with him whenever you both desired that.
“Johnny,” you muttered, one of your hands moving to cup his cheek. You could see that whatever was going on inside his brain was troubling him. You’d thought he was coming here to break things off with you, but judging by that kiss you’d been very wrong. “What’s going on?”
Briefly, he captured your lips in his again, his teeth pulling a little on your bottom lip before he pulled away again. One of his hands had moved down to grip your waist during the kiss and the heat coming from it felt almost dangerous.
“I broke my own rule,” he murmured, lips only inches away from yours.
“What rule?” You breathed, desperately trying not to get your hopes up. There was only one rule that you knew of when it came to your relationship with Johnny Storm: nothing is to be serious. It’s all just for fun.
“This isn’t just a fling anymore,” Johnny admitted, eyes still shut tight. He couldn’t bring himself to open them because if he did, yours would be the first thing he’d see and they’d tell him everything. If you were hurt by his words, he knew he’d never forget the look in your eyes and he wasn’t sure he could live with himself if you were. There was every chance that you only wanted this to be a fling, too. That you wanted nothing serious from Johnny, just like you’d agreed on the first time you slept together.
“What?” You were barely able to get the word out. It was nothing more than a breath and if Johnny wasn’t hovering so close to your face, you’re certain he wouldn’t have even heard you.
Johnny took a breath. “I don’t want to only see you when we fool around,” he started. “I know we agreed on this not being serious at the start. But if you’re open to it, I want to try this for real. An actual relationship.”
He said the words quickly, like he was worried that if he stopped, he wouldn’t be able to keep going. He needed to get them all out before he could chicken out or before you could interrupt him and break his heart, something he believed was a real possibility.
Because his eyes were still closed, he didn’t see the smile appearing on your face. You reached up and ran your thumb along his cheek gently. “Johnny, open your eyes.”
He opened one eye slowly, still worried, and then the second one. His gaze instantly went to your lips, his heart beating faster as he looked at your smile. “You’re smiling,” he murmured. “Does that mean–”
“Yes, Johnny. It does,” you confirmed, stroking his cheek again softly, just happy that he’d finally opened his eyes and therefore opened himself up to you. He hadn’t been afraid to end things with you at all. He’d just been afraid of what you were going to say to him.
“Oh, man,” Johnny laughed, pressing his lips to yours again briefly before pulling away from you properly and standing to his feet. He threw his hands in the air and cheered loudly.
Laughing, you sat up. “Johnny, I have neighbours!”
“I don’t care,” he shook his head, reaching down and wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you up into his arms. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, still laughing as he spun you around in a circle. “I’m the happiest man alive right now!”
“I can see that,” you replied, amused.
Johnny put you back down on solid ground and couldn’t help but kiss you again, dipping you in the process and making sure to hold the back of your head so you didn’t hit it on the coffee table. He loved kissing you before, but now he was going to have a hard time stopping.
“I was concerned,” you said once Johnny had stood you up again and finally detached his lips from yours. “I thought you were coming over here to break things off with me. That you had started to suspect I had feelings for you that were too serious for just a fling.”
He shook his head, arms still around your waist, hands splayed across your back as he held you pressed against his body. “If I’d suspected that, it would have made things a lot easier for me,” he admitted. “I was terrified you were going to end things with me if I confessed. We agreed that this wasn’t going to be anything serious when we started this.”
“Are you sure you want something serious?” You had to ask. Johnny Storm was notorious for not having anything serious with the women of New York City.
“Every time I thought about anyone but you these last few months, it felt like I was cheating on you. My reputation doesn’t matter nearly as much to me as you do.”
A smile came to your face again. “That has to be one of the most attractive things you’ve ever said, Johnny Storm.”
“Oh, yeah?” A cocky smile appeared on his own face. “Gonna do anything about that?”
You rolled your eyes before kissing him. You could feel his smile against your lips as he tightened his grip on you, hands warm against your back. He was completely yours to kiss now – even though he had been for months without you realising it.
“So, I was thinking,” Johnny muttered in-between quick kisses, “we should just stay in tonight… maybe on this couch… maybe we don’t leave it for a couple hours…”
“Aren’t you meant to be having dinner with your family tonight?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll make it up to them. Tonight, I just want you.”
