imaginaut

now she's back from that soul vacation, making her way through the constellations. she checks out mozart while she does tae-bo, reminds me that there's ROOM TO GROW.

[invisibilityiskcy]

APHRODITE

Why not bring some love and peace to Halloween this year? (Plus, Sue wanted an excuse to wear a big pink dress and glitter.)

[invisibilityiskcy]

akahxllcat‌:

She wasn’t sure what was the hardest part about dedicating your life to fighting crime, though press events were often times one of the less convenient aspects. Patsy forgot long ago what it was like to live a private life, one where she wouldn’t have to constantly worry about what she said or how she said it. When people approached her on the street, while shopping, or at book readings, it was easy to be friendly and engaged. Although she always wanted to make a good impression with fans, when there was nobody broadcasting an interaction to a city of millions, said interactions tended to be low-pressure. As anyone might guess, plastering a smile usually worked wonders, as did adopting a more serious look when appropriate. Today she might need to fluctuate, sprinkling in the optimism that people might be looking for, but bearing in mind that not everything could be sugar-coated.

“I know what you mean.” Whenever Patsy needed to be at any sort of event, she kept her expectations low, but there was always an impressive crowd. She wondered if everyone on the street even knew what they were waiting for. New Yorkers tended to be curious, especially when it came to large gatherings. “People just like to feel heard. It’s different when they actually get to ask the questions, you know? I’m not sure we’ll have the answers they want, but it’s better than sitting at home watching the news.” Hopefully, anyways. Events like this could always turn hostile without much prompting. While Patsy usually felt that her work as Hellcat was appreciated, people also loved to blame superheroes whenever anything went wrong. They could never do enough.

Being a superhero was extremely difficult. Anyone who said that it wasn’t was lying, either to other people to save face or to themselves because they wanted to prove something that they should never even have to consider. Saving people seemed like it would be an easy decision, the right thing was supposed to come simply, but situations were rarely black and white. The good guys weren't always good, and the bad guys weren’t entirely evil, either. It would be a lot easier if they were, if Sue could ignore all the good time she remembered with Doom, long before he turned on her and her family. There were few who managed to maintain optimism. Honestly, Sue doubted that she could if not for her family, and her son in particular. Patsy always seemed to have a smile on her face, and Sue knew that had to be an act some of the time, but it was nice to see when everyone else was, to put it bluntly, losing their shit.

“Have you done a lot of these kinds of things?” Sue asked Patsy curiously. “Obviously not super-hero panels specifically, but public events?” Sue knew as much as anyone else did about Patsy Walker, and Hellcat as an extension. There were books out there, but Sue liked to learn things first hand, from a friend’s mouth rather than her written words. Sue was old fashioned! “I guess I would stop in the street too if the options were getting my opinion heard or eating an off brand, salmonella ridden hoagie,” Sue said, looking over at the food carts with slight disgust. She wiped the expression off quickly, well aware she would become the next meme if she wasn’t careful.

[invisibilityiskcy]

antthievery‌:

@invisibilityiskcy

Becoming a father at a very young age instilled a man with certain attributes. Scott wouldn’t call himself responsible (the felony on his record kind of ruined that idea), but he understood responsibility, at least. He knew how to make sandwiches with the crust cut off, knew which pizza places had the fastest delivery times, knew which playgrounds back in Coral Gables had the fastest slides. Being a father had taught him a lot more about life than any other title he’d ever held.

It had also instilled him with a love of children. While he’d once been terrified of kids, raising Cassie had taught him that even if it was scary, there was nothing more rewarding. Cassie had grown up now, off superhero-ing on her own in a totally terrifying way, but Scott’s love for kids remained. Luckily, he had superhero friends who still had little kids and were always looking for a babysitter! Unluckily, some of those kids were apparently evil geniuses. Scott glanced up as Sue entered the room, smiling sheepishly. “Okay,” he said defensively, raising his hands and hoping she somehow wouldn’t notice the huge mess behind him. She’d probably made a mistake letting him watch Franklin at her place, but his, ah… ‘temporary housing’ wasn’t exactly kid friendly! “Before you get mad, it was all Franklin’s idea. The kid’s — He’s scary convincing, Sue! I think he has mind control powers. I’m the victim here!”

When the Fantastic Four first returned from the cosmos, they were kept under tight lock and key. When the world was put in danger the FF had to jump into the forefront, and that brought up many, many debates, most of which Sue never wanted to relive, but others that brought up interesting points. People considered what they would've done if they had been given the powers that the FF had. Many would use invisibility to torment the people that made their lives hell, to get away with creepy things that no one else really wanted to hear about or consider, or most commonly, to commit crimes and get away with it. After all, it was perhaps the most obvious use of her abilities, though Sue had always been much more focused on defence and protection, besides that one shoplifting incident in high school that she still felt guilty for today.

Scott was one of the people who had asked for her assistance on many less than legal outings, but today it was a much simpler transaction - or so she thought. Nothing, though, was simple with Scott and her son. “Is that … a tiny floating sheep?” Sue asked, mouth dropping open slightly as she looked over Scott’s shoulder. She could easily make him invisible and look right through him, but she didn’t particularly want to see the entire scope of the situation. “What the hell did you give him? Please tell me it was nothing with a button. He loves pressing buttons, Scott, that was in the babysitting manual!”

[invisibilityiskcy]

oftorch‌:

Growing up, Johnny had always known his family situation was different than everyone else’s. The other kids his age had parents who watched over them, but Johnny didn’t. He could barely remember his mother’s face at all, only remembered his father as moments of drunken anger and a distance he couldn’t comprehend. Where other kids had moms and dads to tell them what time to go to bed and what to eat for breakfast, Johnny had Sue. He’d understood that this wasn’t the norm, but he’d never minded it much. Unlike his father or his aunt, Sue didn’t resent him simply for existing. She didn’t neglect him for hours at a time, didn’t respond to his requests for attention with annoyance and anger. Sue loved him, and Johnny had always known that. Everything good about how he’d turned out came from her. He told Franklin once, when his nephew was spending the night at his place, that he was a lucky kid. You’ve got the best mom anybody could ever ask for, he’d told him. Of course, Franklin had been too young to understand it, but Johnny knew he’d realize it sooner rather than later, just like Johnny himself had.

“I would love to hear all about it just as soon as me and your mom get all this figured out,” Johnny told his nephew with a grin, reaching over to ruffle the kid’s hair. Franklin giggled, looking pleased at the attention, and Johnny couldn’t help but wonder if that was what he’d looked like as a kid. He’d been that small once, hadn’t he? It felt like a lifetime ago now. Thanks to the Negative Zone, he guessed it kind of was a lifetime ago. “Yeah, it’s fuu — messed up. You’re lucky you haven’t been hit yet. It’s pretty realistic.” He grimaced at the last part, thinking of Annihilus sneering over him, ordering him over and over again to doom his world. In the Negative Zone, Johnny never broke. In the realistic nightmares caused by the fear toxin, he did sometimes. It was part of the toxin, he knew, making him see things that weren’t there and react differently than he otherwise might, but knowing that didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

Johnny could see in Sue’s eyes the exact moment the toxin hit her. He knew his sister well enough to catalog every shift in her composure, every beat of her heart. He saw the fear etch itself on to her face and, suddenly, he hated whoever’d done this shit even more. He followed her eyes to the empty sky, realizing what she was seeing the moment the name left her mouth. Shit. Doom was always going to be complicated for all of them, he knew. “Sue,” he tried, taking an uncertain step towards her. “Sue, he’s not there. It’s just us. We’re safe. We gotta… We should get away from all these people, yeah?” It was inevitable that the gas would affect them, but they ought to be away from the public when it happened. Superpowers and fear rarely mixed, but adding in a bunch of equally frightened civilians was just a recipe for disaster. 

People always talked. It was one of the mainstays of life as far as Sue was concerned, just as they would always judge the Fantastic Four no matter what they did for the city and the world as a whole. People would always judge her brother for his various flings before he found the love of his life, they would always criticise Reed for what he did and what he failed to do, they would always gawk at Ben when he walked down the street, and they would always judge Sue as a mother. That was why her family was so crucial to her. Besides loving them and knowing that they would always have her back, more than anything they were connected by the incident on that space journey, the fated ‘disaster’ that Sue had long since considered one of the greatest moments of her life. Surely it was pivotal, like her mother’s death, and her father’s imprisonment, and the day she decided fuck it and took Johnny to college with her regardless of the consequences.

She had never regretted it, and she doubted that she ever would. In fact, having Johnny with her those years was pretty much the only thing that kept her sane. If people wanted to judge her for being a mother while being a superhero, then they clearly didn’t know what kind of perspective it gave her. Sue couldn’t help but grin at Johnny and Franklin’s interaction, feeling her heart warm in her chest. “We can invite Uncle Johnny over for dinner tonight, okay?” Sue called over. Franklin nodded enthusiastically in response and Sue smiled, mostly at the thought that Johnny would have to suffer through her cooking voluntarily now instead of by necessity. When Johnny spoke as if from experience, Sue furrowed her eyebrows together, looking over at him. “Are you alright? Is Wanda okay?” Her thoughts always went immediately to the most important people in her life, and making sure they were seeing straight.

And then, suddenly, she wasn’t seeing anything but her son, blood caked in his hair, and her brother with tears in his eyes. “He is here!” Sue said, her voice hitching up higher than she was entirely proud of. Doom was a bastard, one of the men she hated the most in the world, but she was determined he would never see the effect he had on her. “You need to flame on, Johnny! You need to …” She stopped, keeping her eyes locked on Johnny’s. They were kind, familiar, as if they were reaching out to her. Then, she felt a hand on her own, and she looked down to see Franklin. “Mom?” Franklin said.

Sue swallowed thickly, taking her son’s hand in hers. “You promise me,” she said fiercely, looking at Johnny, “you promise me Doom’s not here? Don’t lie to me Johnny. Don’t you dare lie to me.” She wasn’t sure why he would, but right now, paranoia and fear gripped her heart. She had been lied to by everyone else in her life at one stage or another - why not her brother right now? (No, that wasn’t fair, why was her mind going there?)

[invisibilityiskcy]

rescuedmyself‌:

The temporary break from the toxin’s hold was certainly a welcome one. Like everyone affected, Pepper had been on edge ever since the fear toxin made itself known, and nothing she did could push the feeling away for long. She knew the current reprieve would last only as long as they remained inside Sue’s force field, and she knew they couldn’t do that indefinitely, but for the moment, she felt better than she had in days. It certainly stood for something, the literal breath of fresh air doing wonders to clear her mind. Unfortunately, they couldn’t offer the same reprieve to those around them. Outside the force field, Pepper saw citizens in obvious states of panic. Widespread knowledge of what the fear toxin was and what it did at least kept people from frequent attempts to physically attack their hallucinations, but knowing something wasn’t real didn’t make it any less terrifying.

Turning to Sue, Pepper offered her a small smile and raised her brows. “Well, you know. This toxin has the whole city in disarray. It’s made the office… hectic.” She’d sent out a mass email to employees the first day of the whole mess, letting everyone know that any absences from work until the crisis was solved wouldn’t be counted against them in any way. Some people had taken her up on the offer and stayed home, but Stark Industries was a company full of scientists, and scientists wanted answers. “Some of our biologists have teamed up looking for a way to fend off the toxin, but it’s slow going. It’s hard considering everything that’s going on. I told them they don’t need to come in, but… Well, you know how those scientific minds work.” Sue probably knew better than most, considering she was on a team with Reed Richards.

Sue had always been a fixer. That part of her had been referred to in a multitude of ways over the years, some positive like caring, compassionate, and concerned with others, some negative like controlling, perfectionist, and single-minded. She imagined that if she were to trace it back to the beginning it would be something to do with the fact that her father, though he had attempted pathetically in her opinion to redeem himself before his death, had never fixed anything after her mother passed away. Franklin Storm Sr. had all the power in the world to do good - he had gone to medical school to achieve just that - but rather than take Mary’s memory and live to fight on another day, he had been paralysed by the fear of losing more people, and the pain of losing the person that was closest to him.

Sue had always promised herself that no matter what happened with her son, she would never be the kind of parent who was stuck like that. The fear toxin threatened that promise, but Sue had never been so easily persuaded to drop something she had given her word on. “I can imagine,” Sue said with a frown coming onto her face. “I work on a floor with some very dedicated employees who barely leave the Baxter, so the majority of my closest colleagues were unaffected. They built sleep pods last year, Pepper, that’s how intense they are.” Sue would have been the same if she didn’t have a kid, she knew that, and she was endlessly grateful Franklin kept her in perspective. “Oh, I know,” Sue said. “Reed didn’t eat for a week once because he kept saying he was mere minutes away from the eureka. Mere minutes away, Pepper. For a week.” Sue couldn’t keep herself from smiling fondly, though. Scientists grew on you, Pepper knew that too!

[invisibilityiskcy]

queenofchcos‌:

Motherhood had always been something that Wanda wanted, although she was hesitant to admit it. After growing up the way she had, without parents, alone with Pietro, it was difficult to imagine a large, happy family. It wasn’t until she was with Johnny that she realized it was possible, and now that she had, Wanda couldn’t imagine anything that she wanted more. It wasn’t possible now, as she had discussed at length with Johnny and passively with both Sue and Pietro, but in the future, they would have children. It was a dream that Wanda clung onto, especially at times like these when the public had turned against her. Franklin was a reminder of that dream, too, and the time she got to spend with him was always some of the happiest in her week. Luckily, Sue happened to be one of Wanda’s closest friends and luckily, as a result, Wanda had earned her trust to take care of Franklin.

A smile crossed Wanda’s face at Sue’s reply and she couldn’t help but laugh. “I am quoting yourself back to you,” she informed Sue seriously. It was a line that Wanda had heard Sue repeat countless times, and one that she wasn’t sure she agreed with, although that suspicion was brought on due to her lack of experience in academia. Idly, she wondered if that bothered Sue, especially now that Wanda was essentially a member of her family. “There are alternate schools you could enrolling him in,” she pointed out. “I’ve heard of ones where the kids work at their own pace, but he may be graduated early that way. It’ll also be less socializing for him.” Understandably, Wanda had looked into options to further her own education and in the process, had stumbled onto America’s strange, diverse education system. “Bruising, mostly, but that was from small feats of magic,” Wanda replied. Absentmindedly, she touched her hand to her wrist and then her arm where another bruise had appeared. “I imagine that if I did more intense displays, the injuries would be worse,” she admitted quietly. After a moment, she lifted her left sleeve and allowed Sue to examine the injuries. “What kind of tests?” She asked, a note of hesitation in her voice. Magneto had always instilled fear of science into Wanda, claiming that the world would want to be rid of her abilities. Sue wasn’t like that, she reminded herself. “That’s incredible!” She said excitedly, smiling warmly at Sue. “Have you studied what your shields can handle, firepower wise?” If not, Wanda could help with that.

As Sue progressed to higher level education she found more and more women who remained convinced that there was no part of them that wanted families. They prioritised their careers, they were invigorated by them, and they found purpose in providing for other people that they may not even know through life-changing research. They chased awards, accolades, and sophisticated parties. They spent their days and nights in the lab, sleeping on their workbenches when it got too late to even bother driving home. Sue had never been one of those people. She was a hard worker, biotechnology was her passion, and she often got carried away with a project, but having a child was something that seemed a given to her. She had been raising Johnny since she was still a kid herself. It was a part of Sue, just as much as it was a part of Johnny, and she wanted to find that part of herself again.

“At least you’re preparing me for the inevitable,” Sue said with a laugh. “Franklin is definitely going to be a little lawyer in the making.” Intelligence made kids even harder to deal with, honestly. “I do want to keep him as normal as possible,” Sue admitted, “but then a few other parents said that is holding him back, which I don’t want to do either.” Sue nodded, looking more closely at Wanda’s wounds. There was nothing unusual about them besides their cause, they were clear and obvious signs of trauma. “That makes sense,” Sue said. At Wanda’s question, Sue stopped surveying the injuries, and reached instead to squeeze her upper arm. “Nothing you wouldn’t be comfortable with,” Sue replied. “Observation, perhaps checking you in a scanner to see if there is any residual energy in your blood after you cast spells. I would tell you everything that’s happening, and you could say no at any time.” Wanda had bad experiences, something Sue understood completely. “Only in practice,” Sue admitted, “but never for a prolonged period of time. It would be good to know what I can do without duress added into it.” Adrenaline skewed results, Sue was more than aware of that.

[invisibilityiskcy]

multiversalticket‌:

“I’ll figure out a way to look at you regardless,” America replied, breaking into a grin now. She figured it was probably impossible to see Sue when she didn’t want to be seen, even for someone as resourceful as America. Sue had a way about her, an uncanny ability to achieve whatever she set her mind to. It was something America admired, even if she didn’t voice her admiration aloud very often. “Who have you been practicing it on, though? Richards, Grimm, and your brother? None of them exactly have wills of steel, Sue.” Especially not when it was Sue working to persuade them of something, America would wager. She figured the men of the Fantastic Four didn’t need much convincing to agree with Sue, largely because they were a fairly intelligent group of people.

America had always figured Sue was capable of pretty much anything. Even if you ignored her powers — which were intense and incredible, seemingly with very little limitation to them — she was beyond smart, and seemed to be able to adapt to just about any situation with ease. She was a superhero, a title difficult enough to carry on its own, but she was a mother on top of that. She was more, too, was a sister and a genius, a scientist and a teacher. She wore about a million different hats, and she balanced each of them well.  “The kind from the box? You’re not fooling me.” She’d had Sue’s cooking! That wasn’t a reward! “I’ll take the favor, but you can expect it to be a big one!” She’d probably never actually collect. Sue was one of few people America would kick open portals for without expecting anything in return.

“Don’t tell me there’s a universe out there where anti-invisible goggles are a thing, or I’ll be out of business,” Sue retorted. Reed had spent nearly a decade at this point surveying Sue, trying to explain her invisibility, and he had done an amazing job. Physics was not her area of expertise, but she knew enough through her various research projects to understand what he was saying - that she shifted through wavelengths to make her imperceptible to the human eye. There were ways around that, surely, but so far no villains had been able to find them, and at least she would still have her shields. “My son, too!” Sue argued, unable to keep herself from laughing. “I convinced him yesterday that fruit salad is absolutely delicious, and way better than a burger. He went along with it for a solid three minutes.” It had been a new record, and something Sue was proud of!

Franklin had been a surprise, he had been a difficult little guy to bring into the world, but there wasn’t one part of her son that Sue regretted. He was one of the biggest blessings in her life, along with the powers that had been bestowed upon her by what she believed to be fate, and the family that surrounded her. She was insanely lucky, she had a wide support system, and a hundred and one intellectually stimulating projects going on at any one time. America was a little more detached considering the extent of her dimension hopping power, and that was why Sue was so determined to make sure the girl knew that she had a home at the Baxter regardless of how long she was away. That kind of thing was important, Sue knew. “I can’t decide whether to be offended or not,” Sue said. She wasn’t sure if she cared about cooking enough to bother being irritated! “Are we good to go now, or do you want to debate the terms of our arrangement a little more?” Sue asked, a grin on her face as she spoke.

[invisibilityiskcy]

oftorch‌:

Throughout the years, Johnny and Sue had formed a certain system when it came to expressing emergent situations to one another. It was something that far predated Franklin, though it had come into use a little more often since his birth. There was no way Johnny could ever repay his sister for stepping up to raise him after their father’s arrest, but he figured helping her out with her own son was a start, and he was determined to do it. It was a task he probably would’ve taken on regardless, of course. Franklin had his uncle wrapped around his finger pretty much the second he was born, and he seemed to know it. So the emergency text system he and Sue had invented years ago suddenly expanded to include Franklin-related emergencies. Johnny was pretty sure the hamsters were part of the newly expanded system, but with the drama of the fear toxin clawing at him, he couldn’t recall exactly what it meant. He knew enough to head towards where Sue was as quickly as he could manage.

Unfortunately, given the situation, it wasn’t quick enough. “I’m sorry, did you not notice the absolute shiiiiiiiii —- uh, crapshow going on in the city right now?” Watching his language around Franklin was something he’d been actively working on ever since his nephew informed the sitter that she was a ‘fucking shithead’ a few years back, but it was sort of a difficult thing to achieve. He was only human, dammit! “Okay, first of all, you gotta tell me all about that in detail right now. Like, this very second. Please.” Yeah, sure, the city was in chaos, but Sue had gossip about a billionaire pissing himself! Johnny’s priorities were exactly where they needed to be, dammit! “Second, there’s some, uh, stuff going on. In the city. I don’t know what it is, sis. It’s some kind of… gas, I think.” He paused for a moment, rubbing at the back of his neck. “It makes people see things they’re scared of.” He hoped Sue wouldn’t ask for details, mostly because admitting that the toxin had affected him too was only going to make her worry. He’d always hated when she worried, and he hated it more now that she had Franklin. She should be worrying about her actual kid, not her dumb kid brother!

He recognized the exact moment the fear hit Sue, flinching at the change in her expression. Somehow, he’d hoped she was immune to it. It was stupid, he knew — she’d been through the same solar storm that he had, and he definitely wasn’t immune — but he’d wanted it for her all the same. Sue deserved better than to have her worst fears projected in front of her face. Reaching out, Johnny grabbed Franklin and gathered him into his arms, half because he was hoping the lack of added weight would allow Sue to concentrate a little easier and half because his heart was pounding in his chest and holding his nephew made it slow a little. “I think your skillset’s a little better for that than mine. If I burn us a path through a bunch of civilian’s, the Bugle’s gonna have a field day no matter what’s going on in the city..” 

Teaching moments were the cornerstone of parenting, at least according to the self help books Sue had absolutely poured over when she had taken on the responsibility of raising Johnny. They were the moments when you realised ‘shit, I actually have a defining impact on a living human being’s life,’ and also moments that made the whole thing worth it, at least if they landed. With Johnny, they had rarely landed. Sue adored her brother, but he had a very specific way of doing things, and there was little she could do to change that. (Franklin, as it turned out, was exactly the same, like Johnny in more ways than she could count.) At the very least she could say that he listened to her lecture on swearing, or else he saw the glare she sent him despite everything else going on.

“Yeah, Mom!” Franklin called down to Sue, a grin on his face that made you think the Mets had just won. “Do you want me to tell Uncle Johnny while you do the shield thing?” Sue turned back to the situation at hand, just in time to avoid her brother or her kid seeing her roll her eyes and ask for strength. “Maybe another time, dear,” she shouted over to her son, “me and Uncle Johnny are a little busy right now, and he wouldn’t be able to enjoy it!” Of course, Sue knew that her brother could enjoy hearing about public embarrassment of billionaires even if they were battling against the entire Skrull army, but that was beside the point. “Oh,” Sue said, looking at the people currently thumping against the other side of her shield. “This all makes a lot more sense. I know the term ‘super villain’ kind of says it already, but whoever did this is one sick puppy.”

Sue was just about to ask whether Johnny had been affected - there was an unusual waver in his voice, something only someone who knew him as she did would recognise - when she felt her heart pick up. Her eyes went from Franklin in Johnny’s arms to Doom, who had appeared suddenly, inexplicably, beside them. Rationally, Sue realised this must be what Johnny was talking about, but Doom’s gaze was so intense that it was hard to remember that. “Victor, don’t!” Sue called, immediately diverting all of her attention to forming a disc under her feet, getting her up to Doom’s level. “If you hurt them, you can never come back from this. Do you hear me?” Unperturbed, Doom raised his hand in a way that always meant he had a terrible trick under his sleeve, a spell that would ruin their week if not their lives. Sue moved to form a bubble around Johnny, but her powers faltered. “Victor, please! You don’t want to do this. That’s my brother! That’s my son. Look at me, come on!”

[invisibilityiskcy]

rescuedmyself‌:

Being Tony Stark’s CEO and the main financial backer to the Avengers certainly gained Pepper some interesting connections. She’d always cherished each and every one of them, even those that tended to leave her with a fair amount of extra work to be done. There were few people she adored more than Sue Storm, few people she respected as completely. Sue was, like Pepper, an entirely self-made woman. There were some differences between them, of course — Pepper didn’t have children, and had never raised one the way Sue had been forced to raise her brother — but the similarities spoke louder than the differences. Any time Pepper got the opprotunity to have a conversation with Sue, she jumped at it… even if it meant jogging. 

“It definitely was,” she agreed with a weary smile. Sue’s invisibility powers allowed them to run without worrying about panicked New Yorkers attacking them, and Pepper was beyond grateful for that. Unfortunately, the fear toxin continued to spread throughout the city, and there wasn’t much that could be done to stop it. They were all grasping at straws here, struggling to go on with their day to day lives. “I’d love to get lunch. You know I’m never too busy for you, Sue.”

Sue wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that she would be able to keep the fear toxin at bay indefinitely. As much as she wanted to prevent any of New York’s citizens from being traumatised with their worst terrors brought to life, she knew that was impossible, and so she had to focus on those closest to her. As they jogged, they were made invisible to the naked eye, and a shield visible only to Sue shimmered around them, protecting them from the atmosphere. She had made it large enough to ensure they had more than enough oxygen in there to prevent suffocation - a lesson she had learned, to many people’s detriments, a long time ago - and she was confident that she had protected herself and her friend adequately.

Despite that, it was hardly nice to see others suffering while she was still well. “How have things been going for you recently?” Sue asked. The air was getting a little thin, but would hold out until they got to the nearest restaurant. “I imagine the company is up to its eyeballs trying to figure out what’s going on in the city. The Baxter is a bit like a pen filled with headless chickens, if we’re being completely transparent here.” Ha! Transparent. Johnny would love that one.

[invisibilityiskcy]

multiversalticket‌:

“I’ll look at you however I want,” America shot back, though she couldn’t bite back a smile as she said it. She absolutely adored Sue Storm, but the woman pretty much always had something up her sleeve. It was who she was and, honestly, America wouldn’t have had it any other way. Unsurprisingly, Sue folded like a house of cards after only a single quirk of America’s brow. America snorted at the statement, shaking her head good naturedly. “I won’t hold my breath,” she teased lightly. “Spit it out, Storm, what am I here for?”

Really, the Fantastic Four were just about the only other people in 616 who did the whole multiversal thing. Since the Torch was obviously far too insufferable for America to willingly spend time around, Richards rarely left his lab, and Grimm was a rocky mess on his best days, Sue was the absolute best person to relate to when it came to problems of the multiverse. America absolutely adored her, and it was always nice to have someone who actually understood the whole ‘burgers on Earth-317 are to die for, but it’s overrun by space robots’ dilemma. That didn’t mean America worked for free, of course. Crossing her arms over her chest, she raised a brow and tilted her head. “What’s in it for me?” They both knew she’d do it in the end, of course. America loved Franklin as much as she loved Sue, and she’d do just about anything for the kid. Still, she was gonna milk it.

“Only if I’m visible,” Sue replied good-naturedly, a smile on her face as she did so. There was no part of her that doubted America would find some kind of way to see her even when she was invisible, if only to prove a point. Both of them were stubborn in that way, and it was part of the reason why their friendship continued to flourish. There was a certain tenacity that was required to jump through a portal while not knowing exactly where you were going to end up. “You really undermine my subtle art of persuasion, America. I’ve been practicing it for a good thirty years at this point!”

Sue often worried about balancing life as a super-hero, and her role as a mother and protector. She was concerned almost every day that she would become like her father, the absent parent figure that showed up occasionally only in therapy sessions, but she liked to believe that she was giving Franklin the kind of life that few kids could even dream of having, dimension hopping included. “Well, I will obviously make you some of my famous macaroni and cheese,” Sue said, knowing rightly that was the only dish she made that wasn’t charred at the edges, and even that was only blind luck. “Other than that, I’m free to suggestions. Are you in the market for a favour from the Invisible Woman, America? I promise she’s good for it!”

[invisibilityiskcy]

queenofchcos‌:

Superheroes rarely had time to relax, though it made little difference to Wanda. Growing up, she had never found tranquil moments unless she and Pietro were tucked away deep in the forest, hidden away in log cabins. Unfortunately, she could only recall them doing it once or twice. As an Avenger, she was too preoccupied with the next threat or surrounded by loved ones to calm herself entirely. By nature, Wanda was a caretaker, eager to provide for every feasible need. It made her mind busy, albeit in a different way than Sue’s was. Of course she and Wanda had similarities, Sue was also loving by nature, but her intellect was something Wanda couldn’t fathom. “It looks irritating,” she agreed.

Curiously, Wanda peered over Sue’s shoulder. She was fluent in English, but not in a meaningful way where she could answer complicated English questions, age irrelevant. Wanda’s lack of education occasionally shone through. “Because teachers like to challenge young minds,” she suggested hopefully. Sue was aware of her background, Wanda knew she didn’t expect any genuine answer. “Does Franklin like school?” Wanda had always been curious about what a routine was like, but she couldn’t imagine having one. “I always want to come over to visit you,” Wanda replied, her tone implying that was obvious. Johnny’s sister was like family to her, plain and simple. “I’m so relieved that your expectations are so low,” she said lightly. Wanda picked up her juice and took a small sip, considering her reply. “I think magic may be injuring me,” she said honestly. Johnny was panicked about it, Sue deserved to hear it from her in case it spread. “Is there anything new with you?”

There were times, though Sue was hesitant to admit it to anyone including those that she was closest to, that she believed she had to be a terrible mother. Her father had been absent for the grand majority of Sue’s life, which was a blessing compared to the time he actually spent at home, but no child could grow up normally when they became the head of the house at the age Sue had. She was so busy on a daily basis that seeing Franklin for a few hours without interruption was a blessing. Franklin never complained, but perhaps he was too young to. Sue knew her son was doing well, and that he loved her, but maybe she tried to overcompensate now and again, more than aware of what she sacrificed to be a hero.

Having people like Wanda around was vital. Johnny loved her, Franklin adored her, and honestly, Sue wasn’t sure she could trust anyone else besides Peter and the other members of the FF to take care of the two people that mattered the most to her in the world. “I wonder if this is how frustrated parents feel when I say that exact line to them in meetings,” Sue said with a small smile. “He’s bright,” Sue replied. “He understands all of the material, and he makes friends easily, but he also likes to push boundaries. School is a little too restrictive, I think, especially for someone with his abilities.” Sue was more than aware that Franklin needed more specialist assistance than public school could provide. At Wanda’s words, Sue frowned, turning to face her more on the sofa. “What kind of injuries?” Sue asked. “I have spent a lot of time looking at how our abilities affect our bodies. The knowledge might not be relevant, but I could try to run some tests?” In their lives there were few things that they could fix, but having the offer of support had to help somewhat. Sue would do anything to help the woman she had long considered a sister. “Nothing particularly exciting. I did manage to maintain a small shield for a little over a day, though, and it didn’t take all of my focus to achieve. It only works when I’m around other members of the FF, though.” It was a peculiar phenomenon, and one she was eager to explore further.

[invisibilityiskcy]

gwenchem‌:

Sue Storm was coming over, and Gwen’s place was a mess.

She could’ve blamed it on the Captain, but lately, Gwen didn’t have it in her. She’d clean it up. Visions of his death in the street, mowed down by bullets, was haunting her. She saw others every now and then, too; Peter and Harry and MJ and Cindy, broken beyond repair and gone, all gone. Not even the medicine she scored with Cindy lasted longer than a few hours. Whatever the toxin was, Gwen was infected.

She almost believed Sue’s messages to be a mistake, but they looked real enough. So she swept up, organized the mess into some semblance of order, and piled up her notes on her own behavior for Sue to examine. Being objective about her condition was getting harder, but maybe Sue would understand them. Gwen just hoped the toxin wasn’t contagious. The Invisible Woman could keep everybody safe from each other and themselves by thought alone—Gwen didn’t want to consider what a frightened Sue Storm could do.

“Oh, great, thank you,” Gwen answered, ushering Sue inside. She was talking about—about her son, and the Thing, and not in a frightened, off-kilter way…she wasn’t affected, from what Gwen could tell, only for Sue to confirm as much just a moment later. That’s a relief. “I’m happy to help,” she told Sue, wringing her hands behind her back. Of all the times to have open of the city’s leading minds in her apartment, when Gwen was ill and out of sorts. “I’ve recording what I…see,” she admitted, gesturing to the pile. Would she infect Sue by touching her? How could Sue study her without getting infused with the toxin herself?

“I’m pretty sure I’m infected,” she added, giving Sue a nervous laugh. Sue hadn’t commented on her father being in the kitchen, so that must mean that he was still at work, and not here, bleeding out. “You’re not seeing that—uh, that cop near my pantry, are you?”  

Being pushed back into the terrified state of mind that Sue had so desperately tried to get out of growing up was something that was more than a little concerning, but luckily, her shields seemed to be holding the worst of the effects at bay, as long as she put them in place before going outside. That being said, there were only so many people that Sue could assist in that manner. Her powers were growing every day, but she could still only focus on maintaining complete protection around several people at once, not thousands, as the situation required. That meant that she had to make the hard decision of prioritising her family, her son in particular, and that didn’t sit right with Sue, it didn’t sit right at all.

“I knew you would be,” Sue said with a gentle smile. She had met Gwen only a handful of times before, knew more of her through word of mouth than anything, but the picture that she had in her mind didn’t involve a wavering voice. After seeing how her brother was affected, and feeling panic grip her as well, Sue didn’t have to look far to know what happened. “Do you mind if I take a look?” Sue asked, gesturing to the papers. “I know it’s very personal.” So many were reluctant to share their fears, understandably, which made it difficult to work out the similarities between cases.

When Gwen admitted that she was infected, Sue frowned, and reached out to squeeze Gwen’s arm comfortingly. “We don’t need to do this right now,” she said. “I have a few tests I can run back at the Baxter, if you need some time.” Sue didn’t even have to look at where Gwen’s gaze went to. She had analysed threats the second she walked in - habit, mostly - and knew they were alone. “No, I don’t. We’re alone, but I know it is extremely …” She trailed off, trying to think of a word. None seemed big enough. “Vivid,” she finished, rather lamely.

[invisibilityiskcy]

neighborhoodwebhead‌:

Times like these, Peter wished that he hadn’t dropped out of university. Despite being a genius in the technical sense, and okay, Peter could admit that he had his moments, his education was far from complete. Right now, that was abundantly clear, unable to find anything about the fear toxin, what its cause was, or an antidote to it. He had made some attempts, that much was obvious, but these days, Peter worried he was better suited to action than a laboratory. Because Sue Storm was one of the most intelligent women in the world, Peter did not mention his self-doubt to her, but he did appreciate the fact that she let him lounge on the FF’s couch whilst she worked.

“No one’s cracked the Da Vinci code yet,” Peter pointed out good-naturedly. If anyone could it, he was willing to bet his money on the geniuses within the Baxter Building. Technically, Peter was among them, but that didn’t necessarily mean that his brain was great use. “Hey, probability’s more than we had before,” he pointed out with a grin. “Where are we headed? This is amazing, Sue!” Man, he was so lucky to have the Storm’s in his life, and it was moments like these that Peter felt like a million bucks because of his relationship with Johnny and Sue.

Science and magic both had their place in the world these days. The fear toxin seemed to belong exclusively to the former category, and that meant that Sue could do something to help understand its effects, and hopefully cure the people of the city from its poison. She was a mother, she combated monsters in the night on a regular basis, and reassured Franklin that there was nothing to be afraid of because she would keep him safe. As a member of the Fantastic Four, that promise extended to humanity as a whole, and Sue was determined to ensure that no one lived in fear. The Invisible Woman’s shields could help to dampen the effects somewhat, but she could hardly protect the whole of the city. No, this situation called for a scientific, logical mind to give her a starting point, which is why she knew bouncing ideas off Peter was one of the best options she had.

“What do all codes have in common?” Sue asked, a smile on her face as she did so. “Patterns. Everything has patterns. Jonathan Crane has done this before in Gotham, many times. If we find the similarity between the areas affected, then we know what he needs to disperse the toxin.” It was on that basis that she had formed her probabilities, so she was hoping it was correct. “I figured that a high point would be the most likely origin, right? So what’s the highest point in the city that has space for a man to set up some kind of apparatus?” Sue grinned at Peter. “The One World Trade Center has the highest spire, but 432 Park Avenue is the highest flat roof. I figured you would know a way to get us there that avoids the panicked civilians.” No one knew how to swing around New York like Spider-Man, after all! “Oh stop,” Sue said with a grin. “Okay, don’t. Keep saying how amazing I am until the moment we figure this thing out.”

[invisibilityiskcy]

@oftorch

It was pretty much a given that when you were a single parent, you were going to be extremely busy. Sue had never doubted that fact, and she had also never been afraid of it. Inactivity was what grated at her, after all, ad luckily she had never had a significant period in her life where she was haunted by it, and it didn’t seem to be anywhere in her near future either. Luckily, Sue had an absolutely amazing support system, which was an absolute blessing. Today, Sue was running more than a little late, which always had the tendency to stress her out. She was a prodigal scientist, she was a literal super-hero, and that meant that she was more than capable of getting her kid to school on time! As it turned out, this morning certain circumstances had gotten in the way, which had her putting in a distress call - three hamster emojis, behind which a story that Sue didn’t want to recount lay - to her darling brother.

“Did you stop for bagels on the way here?” Sue asked, holding Franklin, who was thoroughly enjoying the entire situation, in an invisible dome far above all the drama. With her other hand, she had formed a shield between her and several civilians who clearly thought she was something horrific and terrifying (if she hadn’t had her coffee this morning, maybe she could understand that, but she had got a cup on the way, so she knew something else was going on). “You know, I’m beginning to think Tony didn’t just call me five times in a row to beg me not to tell you about him peeing in the suit.” Oops! It was out now. 

Now that she had her brother by her side who, despite common misconceptions, was entirely capable of dealing with anything the world threw at him, Sue was able to dedicate more of her brain power to figuring out what was going on. Increased perspiration, wide eyes, enhanced reaction times, they all pointed to one thing. “These people are terrified,” Sue said, and just as the recognition hit her, she began to feel her own breathing speed up. “Oh no, not today,” she muttered, forming a bubble around her head, hoping that would be enough to stave off the effects for a time. “We need to work through these guys fast! I’m not making my son late for school!”

[invisibilityiskcy]

@gwenchem

There were few in the city - indeed, in the world as far as Sue knew - that had the level of integrity and intelligence Gwen Stacy possessed. Many spoke of her in the highest regard, and Sue had always taken her friends’ word as gospel, but besides that Sue had formed the same opinion within moments of hearing about the woman’s accomplishments. At a young age she had been uninspired by promises of wealth and a powerful position, and instead took a chance coming to work for a friend, doing work that would help people, but didn’t provide half the salary. If there was anyone Sue could trust to help her look over some of the fear toxin samples she had collected, it was Gwen!

“I come bearing gifts,” Sue announced with a smile, holding up a bag from the local Chinese in one hand, and a paper bag filled with samples in the other. “Franklin is with his dad and Ben is taking over my patrol for tonight, so that means I have all the time in the world to work through these, if you’re up for helping me out.” Gwen was always inquisitive, eager to help and learn, and that meant Sue was confident she wouldn’t hesitate. “Have you been affected by the fear toxin at all? My shields seem to protect me somewhat, but I’m not planning on tempting fate by staying out too long.”

[invisibilityiskcy]

@multiversalticket

“Don’t look at me like that,” Sue said with a grin, pushing against her friend’s shoulder jokingly as she spoke. “Can’t I just be here to spend time with a friend? Why do you always assume that I have something up my sleeve?” It was entirely possible that America knew Sue far too well by this point, and recognised that sitting still was about as foreign to her as the many wonderful universes she had explored with the Fantastic Four, perhaps more so after her years of experience. “Okay, so I did come to ask you something, but I swear, one of these days I will genuinely just be here for a movie night, and then you’ll probably pass out from shock!”

Sue leaned forward on the sofa, putting everything she had into making the suggestion sound like something America would be into. She had a lot riding on this, after all! “We brought Franklin with us - accidentally, may I add - the last time we went past Earth-90214, and he absolutely fell in love with the Fogey style. His birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and I really wanted to grab him an outfit in the style to wear to his party. Don’t worry, all his friends are nerds too, he’ll definitely be the coolest one there.” It was important to consider these things, after all! “I would try to go myself, but dimension hopping is much more your speed. What do you think?”

[invisibilityiskcy]

@akahxllcat

Growing up, Sue had almost exclusively relied on her uncanny ability to remain in the background, and to avoid the attention of her father, which was so often something that anyone would attempt to escape out from under. If she could go back and tell herself that she was the face of the Fantastic Four now, the one that appeared on national television and took interviews with hundreds of reporters a year, she probably would’ve laughed in her own face, but life had a funny way of surprising you. The public had a vested interest in their heroes, and that extended to their private lives. Luckily, today Sue was with someone who was even more well versed in the whole media circus, the one and only Patsy Walker.

“I really didn’t expect this big of a turn out,” Sue said, taking a moment away from doing her makeup to look at the crowd gathering on the street outside the hotel. “I mean, it’s just another Q&A. Anything pertinent has been shown on TV already, or announced by the President. Are they expecting us to say we’ve found the cure for world hunger, Patsy? I fear they might just be disappointed if they are.” Of course, Sue was more than convinced that the two of them could accomplish such a massive feat - they merely needed more than twenty four hours to prepare for it.