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Lives Together, Worlds Apart (Johnny Storm x Reader)

Summary: You're a little in love with your best friend, Johnny Storm, even as he keeps you at arms length. But when it comes to the intricacies of "his world" versus "yours," you need to remind him that you've always been able to handle yourself.

Pairing: MCU!Johnny Storm/Fem!Reader (inspired loosely by Dorrie Evans from the Marvel Comics and specifically Strange Tales #113)

Word Count: 10k

Themes: Friends to Lovers, Crushes, Retro Futurism, Unexpectedly Heavy, Angst, Miscommunication, Existentialism, Secrets, Discussion of Superheroes/Superpowers, Johnny's a bit of an ass, R is a bit of an ass too, References to Marvel Comics/MCU, Fluff, the corniness of the MCU and early Marvel comics

Notes: Man, I have been sitting on this one for a year. Seriously, July 31st 2025. Then life happened. But the idea has been sitting in my head for a year and why not just let it out because I would like to inevitably move onto my Johnny and Gwenpool QPR comedy bullshit.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

New York City, October 1963 - Earth 828

"Crazy. I'm crazy for feeling so lonely..."

Patsy Cline's voice seemed to mock you as it echoed through the automat. You, indeed, felt crazy for feeling so lonely and so blue as you sat by yourself, idly sipping your coffee and staring at the door expectantly. To anyone else, it would've looked like you'd been stood up.

But that was, of course, not the case. Right? Because on the subject of being blue, your lunch partner was simply too important to be on time.

Johnny Storm, your best friend, was always late. However, he would argue that you were always early. That was the whole shtick, the whole basis of your friendship. Ever since you were kids and he'd trudged behind wanting to read books in the reading circle while you were eager to make it out to the playground for recess.

Before he'd become a hero and a common household name, you'd always been the one to wait around for him. So why would now be any different?

Lunch with a friend--even his best friend--was never going to take precedence over someone needing to be saved or ribbon cuttings at City Hall or interviews with Teen Living for their heartthrob issue. Or family. You definitely were not as important as the family. You'd never asked to be either, even though you might as well have been part of it. The Storms had lived next door all your life, and Sue was practically as much of a sister to you, as she was to Johnny.

"Sue asked about you the other day," he told you the last time you'd met up. A lifetime ago, it seemed. "Wanted to see how you were doing since you moved into the city? See if you needed any help getting acclimated."

"I left Glenville months ago," you reminded him with a laugh. "Pretty much since you guys moved into the Baxter Building. Didn't you tell her I've been taking classes at Metro College? Or that I got a job window dressing at Macy's?"

"Oh..." He paused and frowned for a second, and then went back to his malt. "Uh...well, yeah. I guess...maybe she asked a while ago and I'm just remembering now..."

"Johnny!"

"What? It's not like you need anything," he shrugged dismissively. "You're alright? Aren't you? You're always alright." You had stared at him in disbelief, and he just sat there entirely unfazed. "If there was something wrong, if you needed something, you would tell me. And you didn't, because you never need m--anything anymore. End of story. Problem solved. Come on. Let's talk about something else. Something better."

He'd distracted you then by changing the subject; he asked you about your classes, your assignments, and all of the little things you did at work that week, seemingly infinitely interested at everything you had to say. And in return he told you about some of the things he'd been doing. Flying here and there, fighting villains that threatened the city. Nothing you didn’t already know just by watching the news, but you listened nonetheless, wanting to hear his direct recollections.

He especially made flying seem so whimsical.

You had to give it to him, he at least never made you feel like your life was any less exciting or important than his; whenever you had his attention, nothing could tear him away. In hindsight, though, it got you hot under the collar with irritation. It was easy to ask questions and act interested when faced with someone in the moment, but Johnny admitted he never worried about you, because you never needed anything. Which wasn't true, of course. You needed him. Needed his jokes and his wit. And knowing that he didn't seem to care brought about a bitterness that threatened to dull the edges of your bright, previously technicolor friendship into a boring, unwanted sepia.

Until the very moment he walked in.

Then forget about Technicolor, your life was suddenly in VistaVision. FantastiVision.

You perked up at the sight of him, suddenly becoming bright and smiling as you waved as soon as he walked through the door. It was clear to see that he smiled when he spotted you, too, despite the baseball cap and sunglasses he was sporting to hide from his adoring fans. Fans who noticed him, regardless of his disguise, if the way he was stopped by a few such fans was any indicator.

As he stopped to shake hands and sign autographs, you had a moment of intense clarity and self reflection.

Why had you brightened so much at the sight of him? Why were all your grievances suddenly forgotten? Why had the anger at always being made to wait, at always being put in second place, evaporated when he simple smiled at you?

And why was your heart fluttering and your hands going cold?

"Oh no," you muttered. It didn't take long to come to the realization. "Oh...no."

You were his best friend, a companion since childhood, a constant presence in his life since practically the beginning. Through thick and thin, a confidante and a support system whenever he needed it. For the most part, he was the same to you.

Only...you were mousy little you and he was brilliant, magnificent, fantastic him.

"Oh no." You slumped in your seat.

And you were in love with him.

Patsy still crooned overhead as Johnny finished schmoozing his fans and continued on towards you.

"I'm crazy for trying, and crazy for crying, and I'm crazy for loving you."

"Shut up Patsy," you grumbled and grabbed a menu from the little holder on the table so you could use it as a prop to keep your hands from shaking.

"What's up with you?" Johnny questioned as he slid into the booth, across from you.

Shoot.

You went through the motions of rolling your eyes and pressing your lips together in an annoyed pout, like you would all the other times he was late.

"I'm dying of embarrassment because you thought this--" You reached across the table and flicked a finger against the bill of his hat, sending it flying off his head. "--was gonna help stop you from being noticed."

"It works sometimes," he shrugged and took his sunglasses off too. He blinked his big, blue eyes as if to feign innocence.

Surely, now that you realized that you weren't just Johnny's Best Friend but his Best Friend Who Was A Little Bit In Love With Him, you noticed the way his hair swooped just so now that it was free from his cap, or that his eyes sparkled in the light of the Automat. When had he gotten so handsome? Had he always been? Yes, of course he’d always been; you’d known plenty of people who’d mooned over his looks. But not you. Never you. Ok, maybe just his smile? Why was this happening now?

You tried to channel your previous annoyance a little more.

"It would work better it you weren't always wearing that signature Fantastic Four Blue. Don't you own any other clothes?" you snarked at him, pointing out the all blue ensemble he'd chosen.

"I do but I like blue," he said, suddenly defensive. "I look good in blue. What's wrong with blue?"

He did look good in blue. That was maybe part of the problem.

You took a breath to say something, and then you decided that your stubbornness, both real and exaggerated, would only lead to some kind of fight. You only saw him once every few weeks, if that; you didn't want it to be spent bickering. So you simply shrugged it off--shrugged everything off, including the little flicker of infatuation that was now notably present in the back of your mind--and you buried your face in the menu.

"Nothing," you told him. "It's nothing."

There was a long, drawn out pause before he groaned. "You're mad at me. I missed something; did I miss something? Your birthday?"

You couldn't help the sarcastic laughter that came out of you.

"Do you not know when my birthday is?" you questioned.

"Uh...no I do, it's..." He fidgeted in his seat for a moment and then snapped his fingers and pointed at you triumphantly. "It's in a few weeks. I didn't miss it."

"Wow, what a relief," you snarked and flipped the menu over. "Look at that. Pumpkin Pie is available during Counter Service Hours."

"Is it because of that?" He thumbed over his shoulder, and you looked up to see a few women a few booths down whisper and giggle as they looked back at you. No, not you; as they looked at him. "Honey, you know I have to go through the whole song and dance whenever I'm in public! Kissing babies, signing autographs."

"I have never seen you kiss a baby."

"Ok, just the signing autographs part then. It's all part of a day's work saving the city."

"I'm gonna see if they have any BLTs," you said, ready to get up and excuse yourself to peruse the little glass windows full of menu offerings.

He was quick to grab your wrist before you could pass him, and you froze. You were always shocked that he wasn't hot to the touch, given the fact that he could combust into pure fire and plasma in the blink of an eye; as a matter of fact, you suddenly felt hot. Your heart raced, and you wondered if he could feel the panic in your pulse as he ran his thumb back and forth over your skin.

But, you deflated a little when Johnny Storm, The Human Torch, heartthrob of the Fantastic Four disappeared before your eyes and nervous, silly Johnny-Blue-Eyes that you knew since Kindergarten--your best friend--took his place.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I know how ridiculous the whole hero thing is sometimes. I can't help it. It's the only thing interesting about me anymore, I guess. But. This is our time. Just the two of us. And you...you always seem like you're in a rush to get it over with as soon as I get here. So, sometimes...I figure I might make you a little jealous. So you want to stay, and then you wait a little longer before you have to leave."

Your gaze softened and his cheeks turned pleasantly pink at the admittance.

"I always want to stay," you told him, truthfully. "And I’ll always wait for you. I always have, and I always will. You're my best friend. Even when you're a half hour late."

You watched his lips purse as he tried to keep his goofy smile at bay.

"Sorry," he repeated. "Would it make you feel better if I didn't sign anymore autographs if I'm on my way to see you?"

You rolled your eyes and pulled your hand free from his grasp.

"Fine."

He was on his feet immediately, throwing an arm over your shoulder as he smiled. Entirely unbothered once again, motormouth running.

"Deal. Now let's get some lunch, I'm starving. Do you think the chicken pot pie is fresh? I have so many things to tell you! Remember when I was gonna talk to Reed about upgrades to the rocket? Oh, how’re your classes going? Sue wants to invite you to dinner…”

Days passed uneventfully after your lunch with Johnny. It wasn’t anything new or out of the ordinary, outside of the realization of your feelings for him.

Feelings. That was a good word. You didn’t want to admit again that it was love. Or attraction. Or infatuation. Or anything of the sort. You honestly tried to keep it all buried, but…what was it that they said about Pandora’s box? Once it was open, you couldn’t shut it again?

The more you ignored it, the more it simply manifested in other ways.

That included making sure you were home in time to watch him soar across the sky for the opening segment of the nightly news on Channel 4. Or feeling your cheeks get hot when his picture was plastered on an advertisement for gum, of all things, at every news stand you passed.

Ok maybe you also bought a pack of that gum, which came with a surprise Fantastic Four trading card. And maybe you were a little disappointed relieved you got a card featuring Sue.

It was a cute little card, though; some holographic ink made it seem like she was disappearing right before your eyes. You put it next to an old photo of you and Johnny when you were younger, with a teenage Sue holding your hands as she babysat you both.

Speaking of which, her invitation to dinner was accepted happily. Although she insisted you didn’t need to bring anything, you still made a cheese ball with bacon crumbles and buttery club cracker bits rolled atop it. It wouldn’t hold a candle to whatever menu Ben concocted but you were pretty proud of the fruit of your efforts.

“Don’t let him know I told you the food is good,” Johnny mumbled in your ear as he led you up to their living space in the Baxter Building.

He impatiently jabbed his finger into the button as the elevator soared upwards, and in the close proximity you noticed how put together he looked. He was in a stylish blue shirt you'd never seen before, with pressed slacks, and he had...cologne? Since when did he wear fancy cologne? You'd dressed up too, in a nice dress you'd gotten at work. It was only right since you were a guest. You wondered if he always dressed up for Sunday dinner with the family.

Sue was one for tradition and formality though. Sunday dinners with all of the family recipes were standard even when they still lived in Glenville, a remnant she wanted to preserve from when their parents were alive. You were curious how it had changed since then.

You’d visited once before, of course, after the incident. They’d all spent time quarantined in Rocket City for months before they returned to New York; you’d been one of the first ones to see them as they settled into their new headquarters.

It had been cold and impersonal, then. Now, it was…

“Home,” Sue beamed as she showed you around. “Of course, if Reed had it his way, there would be more lab space but who wants to live in a lab? It needed more of a personal touch.”

"It definitely has it," you agreed, gesturing to all the little knick-knacks on shelves, comfortable furniture, and subtle lived-in qualities. Night and day from the sterile environment it had been before.

On you went, seeing everything the place had to offer. Johnny cleared his throat and wedged himself between you and his sister as you reached his room and Sue opened the door. You’d gotten the slightest glimpse of a brightly colored pop-art portrait of him on the wall—

“That isn’t pretentious at all,” you joked.

“It was a thank you gift!” He argued as he shouldered through.

—and an absolute mess of clothes thrown on every available surface, before he slammed the door shut.

“You don’t have to give her the grand tour. What’re you gonna show off next? The laundry room? H.E.R.B.I.E’s charging nook?” He asked, annoyed in a very brotherly manner. “There are cooler things to see.”

“I thought you called dibs on that room because it had the best view of the city, Johnathan,” Sue challenged him, arms crossed over her chest. “What’s cooler than that?”

"Why don't we take a look all of the deeply personal things in your office, Susan," he hissed right back.

"With pleasure."

Of course, the personal things in her office were things you'd seen before. Pictures of the Storms growing up in Glenville, pictures of their parents before they passed. You were surprised to find even a few pictures of you in there, including one of you and Johnny at high school graduation.

You leaned closer to the framed picture and stared at the younger version of the two of you. More specifically, you looked at the way Johnny looked at you and you couldn't help but let your heart flutter. While you beamed at the camera, he was just...looking at you. It was an expression you'd never really seen on his face before.

Full of softness and fondness and lo--

No, that wasn't it. Looking back, with the realization of how you felt now, sure you could paint everything in a different light. Unfortunately for you, Johnny always looked like that, in awe with the world around him. It was an exciting day for you both. You remembered how energized he was at that time, shortly after Sue and Reed had agreed to let him train for the rocket mission. College plans put on hold so he could be the first Eagle Scout to reach the moon, he'd boasted when he told you.

It wasn't all that long ago but it felt like a lifetime.

Speaking of a lifetime, as you moved on from the photos, you saw the evidence of Sue's lifetime's worth of achievements she'd had in a few short years. There were cut out articles, and even a framed draft of the Future Foundation charter. She happily answered all of your questions, and told little anecdotes of the various diplomats they'd entertained here at the Baxter building. It was fascinating.

"All in a days work?" You asked.

"Yeah but it's hard when it's such stiff company; you have to follow so many customs. I have to be Susan Storm, mediator and delegate extraordinaire."

"Suck up extraordinaire," Johnny teased, earning a glare from his sister.

"Sometimes, I just want to be Sue. Not a hero, or a peace-keeper, or anything else. That's why we make sure to prioritize down time, together."

"Yeah, the Sunday dinners must be a good break in the action," you agreed.

Sue leaned her head in and softly continued. "I know you're busy with school, but we do miss you. You're always welcome, not just for dinner. Anytime."

"Uh," you nodded, blankly. "Thanks. I'll try."

"You're Johnny's oldest friend, practically part of the family. I still worry that you're not eating your vegetables. I was so happy when Johnny said you finally agreed to come tonight, only took two years of asking."

You frowned. "What do you me--"

“There’s a pinball machine!" Johnny shouted, then, at your side in an instant. "You love pinball!”

"Uh?" You looked back and forth between the siblings, confused. It was strange, as you witnessed an unspoken argument between them. Lots of creased brows and widened eyes. What the hell was going on? You cleared your throat. "I-I do? I don’t think I’ve ever played.”

There was one last jump of Johnny's eyebrows before he put his hands on your shoulders and steered you back to the living area.

“Did I say you love it? I mean you're gonna love it. Lemme show you how to play.”

He corralled you back out of Sue's office and down the hall.

"What did she mean?" you asked him quietly. "Two years?"

"I think she means its just nice that you're finally here..." He responded with a soft smile, but you noticed it didn't quite reach his eyes.

You tried to laugh it off as silly, but you knew it for what it was. A lie. From that moment, there was a shift. You both knew it, and because you both knew it, that made things all the more obvious that something was wrong. He hovered, he was guarded, he answered all of the questions you had before any of the others got the chance. At first, your delusional little heart questioned if he just wanted to keep you all to himself. But, you soon realized that it was like he was keeping them separate.

It only got worse throughout dinner, as it seemed like he was intent on hiding aspects of their new lives from you. It wasn't even the exciting parts; it was like he was hiding what seemed like everyday occurrences.

Ben took hot vessels out of the oven without even thinking about gloves. Reed's arm stretched across the room to prevent a wine glass from falling off the counter. Sue used her force fields to float all of the dishes from the kitchen to the table, setting each place-setting impeccably.

And Johnny...lit the candles on the table with matches.

"No ‘flame on?’" you joked, trying to keep the mood light.

"It's not that special," Johnny shrugged as he shook his hand to extinguish the match. He looked around at the rest of the family, who all stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “What? ‘Johnny is a freaky fire guy, he can’t light a match like a normal person sometimes?’ Is that it?”

You watched the way his shoulders hunched as he visibly made himself smaller under the scrutiny. You quickly closed the distance and put a comforting hand on his arm.

"It's ok if you wanna use your powers,” you softly said. “You don’t need to behave differently around me. You’re still you. It’s not like it's a secret."

There was still some turmoil in his eyes as he took a breath and straightened up.

That it was, though, wasn't it? A secret. Aside from what you heard on the news or the little bits from Johnny himself, you really didn’t know much about their fantastic new lives. He kept both aspects of himself apart, his super heroism and…you. He didn’t want them to mix.

It suddenly made what was otherwise a pretty good night so far, feel forced. Fake. Like you were only there as a courtesy, and that you didn't belong. That feeling was only reinforced about halfway through dinner.

Reed was excited to tell his ideas to someone who didn’t have to hear them everyday. As an art major, you didn’t entirely understand everything he rambled on about but you followed a well as you could. Back when he and Sue had first worked together, and especially when they started dating, Johnny hero-worshipped Reed; you’d gotten enough secondhand science lessons from your friend as he awed over everything his eventual brother-in-law had to say.

But don’t ever let Reed hear about that. Actually, don't let any of the other three know how much he looked up to them.

“…there’s so much more to do than just commercial inventions. But those silly things pay for R&D for the more experimental prototypes. Anyone can make a levitating barbecue.” Reed barely at as he spoke, his hands waving animatedly.

“Really? Lemme just go and get my anti-gravity generator from the garage,” Ben mumbled under his breath and winked at you. You shoved a bite of pot roast into your mouth to keep from laughing.

“Quantum mechanics is where the real excitement lies. Teleportation devices, cosmic uh, uh,” he snapped his fingers. “Gates is the word I'm looking for. Cosmic gates that can create wormholes and essentially fold space onto itself. Not only allowing us to make it out into space but…”

He was interrupted by a loud, chirping noise that came from the matching watches that adorned their wrists.

You watched the way they jumped into action like it was second nature, before any of them—hell, even you—realized you were still sitting at the table with roasted carrots still skewered on your fork. Barely any time went by as they ran out of the room and ran back, and the four of them skidded to a halt, trademark suits, ready for whatever threat faced the city.

And you just sat there.

“Uh,” you stood from the table, chair legs scraping against the floor as you did. “I can…put away the leftovers and do the dishes while you’re gone.” It was a dumb offer, you knew that.

All four heroes stumbled over each other as they told you that you “didn’t need to” and “not to worry about it.” Ben even offered to “sit this one out” to make sure you got home safe.

You were about to turn down the offer, tell them you'd get a cab home, but Johnny shouted.

"I'll take her home!"

You stared at him in shock, not expecting him to offer.

Reed, Ben, and Sue didn’t wait for the two of you to hash it out before they were out the door, ready to face whatever crisis awaited. That left you and Johnny to stand there, staring at one another awkwardly. He fidgeted under your gaze, which you took to mean that he was anxious to leave.

“You don't have to stay," you told him, offering what you hoped was an out.

"Someone has to make sure you get home safe," he insisted.

"I'll be fine."

"There's all kinds of weirdos out there; let me call you a cab, at least."

"What if they need you?”

"Eh, they've got it covered." He said it with suspicious nonchalance, betrayed by the fact that there was another chirping sound from his watch. He repeatedly slapped a hand against it to get it to stop.

"You sure?" you laughed as he got visibly irritated when the watch wouldn’t shut up.

“Yeah! I’m sure!”

"Because I can get myself home safely. It's no problem.”

"No, it's ok. Ben was gonna take you, I can do it instead."

"And I was about to turn Ben down too," you said matter-of-factly. "If the city's in danger, you have to go. I’m not as important as...I dunno, the Puppet Master wreaking havoc in Times Square."

The watch finally went quiet and Johnny stared at you incredulously.

“Is that what you think?” He let out a laugh that seemed more like a scoff. “Because I know you're Miss Know-It-All, but you’re dead wrong there, Honey. You’re important to…to us. To the whole family.”

It was a breaking point that you didn't know you had, as all of the bitterness and suspicion you'd had throughout the night bubble up inside you. You couldn't help it. It cracked when it reached the surface, and you let out a sarcastic laugh.

"I'm important to the family?" you asked. "The family."

"Uh. That's what I said."

"Is that..." You tried to calm down, tried to keep it in. "Is that why you haven't told me that I've been invited to Sunday dinners for the last two years?"

He was quick to respond. Too quick. "Sue never said that."

"Yes she did," you insisted. "Right after she made it seem like I've been too busy to stop by."

"You have been busy." He gestured vaguely out the window, towards the city. He stumbled over his words. "I-I'm sure you have plenty of other things to do than to come to dinner. I mean, you have other friends you go out with. You have all of your classes. You...you have a job."

You clenched your teeth. "Where do I work, Johnny?"

"What does it matter?" He shrugged.

"I think it does if you think that my job and my classes and my other friends are more important to me than you are."

"Aren't they?" He asked. The watch chirped again and he struggled to yank it off his wrist. "You have a whole life that you're making for yourself. Meanwhile I'm just...the same old guy you've known since Kindergarten."

"Yeah," you scoffed. "Same old Johnny. My best friend, except wait, I rarely get to see him anymore because he's too busy with...with space rockets, and the Dating Game, a-and newspaper interviews and golf. When did you start playing golf? I had to read it on a magazine cover."

He smugly snapped his fingers and pointed at you, childishly trying to get the upper hand. "If you read about it, why have you never asked?"

"Why didn't you just tell me?" You stomped your foot on the carpeted floor, equally as childish. Actually stomped your foot. "You never tell me anything anymore!"

You watched him fight a flurry of emotion; he’d always been an open book when it came to how he felt. From pain, to anger, he opened and closed his mouth as he searched for the right thing to say. You expected him to yell at you. To say some scathing remark, like he had in the numerous little arguments you'd had over the years. Instead, he went unexpectedly blank, eyes hard and mouth pressed shut.

You let out a sarcastic laugh and wrapped your arms around yourself.

"Case in point," you muttered. "I get to see you once every few weeks, if that, when you can pencil me into your schedule. Do you know how many times we've rescheduled because of you? I know more about the things you do from a Saturday Morning Cartoon and the news than I do from your own mouth."

"I just want to protect you--" he tried to interject, but you wouldn't let him.

"And I don't come to dinner because you couldn't be bothered to tell me I'm invited! You're acting like I'm moving on with my life and not waiting for you; I only ever wait for you even when you."

"That's right." His voice was full of a kind of sarcasm that you took to be more mocking than anything else. "You always wait for me. You don't need me. You can take care of yourself."

"Well, you're not exactly not exactly there all the other times I schlep myself across the city for one thing or another. You keep leaving me behind. Forgetting me while you go and do more important things. Like...like signing autographs or kissing babies."

"You said it yourself, I've never kissed any babies!"

"Kissing beautiful women then, I don't know!" You shouted. "But I guess I need to realize that I don't need you to be there. I can take care of myself.”

His forehead creased and there was a look of intense pain in his eyes.

"Fine,” he mumbled. “You can take care of yourself."

"Good," you nodded, "now go and save the world."

He returned the nod stiffly, pivoted on his heel to head towards the balcony doors, and then he paused. His shoulders stiffened, his hands clenched into fists, and then his head turned slightly back towards you.

"You know, just because you can take care of yourself doesn't mean that you...that other people can't...that you have to push..." His nostrils flared slightly and then he shook his head. "Actually, nevermind."

You didn't even get a chance to ask him what he meant before his entire body was engulfed in flames and he was soaring out of the open balcony doors, into the sky.

All you knew was a dark, blank, nothingness.

Life wasn't like the movies; if you got knocked out cold, you didn't dream.

Little by little, you started regaining consciousness. The back of your head hurt, your limbs were stiff. No, not just stiff, you were immobile. You tried to move and you only found a scratchy resistance at your wrists and ankles.

Your eye snapped open, vision slightly blurry, but you didn't recognize your surroundings. It was a greenhouse, with an array of botanicals and vast panes of glass that made up the ceilings and walls. Vines and lush greenery climbed upwards, and a with cursory glance around you found flowers of all shapes and colors. It was warm and humid, almost hazy, which added to the discomfort of being tied up; pipes that criss-crossed overhead led to sprinklers that released a constant, fine mist of water.

At least, you hoped it was water, because aside from the obvious smell of peaty, wet earth, there was a sharp chemical smell.

Most notably, though, was a wall of flickering video monitors, in front of which stood a person whose body was covered with a high-collared cloak. They were muttering to themselves, then laughing maniacally.

Your still-hazy mind flashed to the few episodes of Fantastic Four cartoon you'd caught--the catchy intro song echoed as an unwanted earworm--and especially the vaudevillian foes that were featured. They wore similar things as your apparent captor, didn't they? Masks and high collars and capes. It slowly occurred to you that this place was not just a greenhouse; no, it clearly was a lair.

You began to panic as you put two and two together and the fog of unconsciousness cleared a bit more. Why wouldn't you? You'd been knocked out, brought to a lair, and tied up for some reason that was probably not hard to deduce considering you'd been leaving the Baxter building when you got nabbed.

In hindsight, you should have at least let Johnny call you a cab instead of fighting with him and forcing him away. Or even H.E.R.B.I.E, who had rolled after you, chirping and beeping as you left with barely controlled tears stinging your eyes.

You'd just needed time to think, and a long walk normally did the trick. You could think and overthink and by the time you'd make it back to your apartment, you'd have figured it all out.

How were you supposed to know that you were gonna get into trouble?

How were you supposed to guess that Johnny was right?

Damn him.

Well, now was time for you to put your money where your mouth was an take care of yourself, wasn't it?

You tested the strength of your binds. Pieces of thick twine had been threaded through holes in the metal slab you were laid out on; they didn't seem all that strong, and they weren't tight, you could shimmy a hand out if you tried.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A nasally voice sounded from the direction of the monitors, and your head snapped up to your captor.

He took a few steps closer and you frowned as you recognized his face. Not one of the Fantastic Four's previous nemeses, no; it was...

"Mr. Smithers?" You asked.

...the old man who used to tend to the garden of your parents house. And the Storm's.

"In the flesh," he flashed a menacing grin.

"What are you...why are you..."

You stammered, trying to figure out why your old gardener had kidnapped you. You only ever knew Sam Smithers as the kind man who made sure the apple tree was pruned and all the flowers your mother loved were in bloom. There was one spring where he had told you and Johnny that the flowers all bloomed faster if you talked to them and the two of you had spent every afternoon naming them and having conversations.

One day, well into your adolescence, he stopped coming around.

"Revenge," he cackled, finally answering you. "Revenge against the Fantastic Four."

"Why do you want revenge against them for?" You pulled at your restraints. "What did they do to you?"

"Well, revenge, more specifically, against one Mr. Reed Richards. Who got me fired from my job tending to the plants at the Storms home, and then eventually yours. I was on the brink of scientific discovery," Smithers announced, revealing a device in his hand. A gun, by the looks of it, with a flared barrel. "How to talk to plants, communicate with them on an intelligent basis. Control them."

You blinked at him, still not understanding.

"And...take over the world?" You frowned.

"Of course not!" He shouted. "I wasn't just a gardener, I was an academic! I took odd jobs to supplement my income. And Reed Richards already had such strong academic ties. One word from him that my experiments were absurd and I lost my grants, my research was dismissed. My life's work, gone in the blink of an eye, because plants aren't as important as stars or zero gravity toasters."

You felt for the man, you really did. You understood that he felt like his ambitions were ruined. Still, the little sarcastic devil on your shoulder made you mutter.

“It’s actually a barbecue.”

Smithers shouted in rage and turned his ray-gun towards the plants that surrounded you. They seemed to vibrate as they were blasted with some type of purple, radioactive energy beam.

“I’ll get my revenge,” he shouted. “And since you're such a good friend of the Fantastic Four, you're the perfect start. The perfect bait.”

From a mass of leaves, two trees emerged, bark breaking off to form arms and legs. You stared at them in awe, absolutely baffled by the existence of humanoid trees. Of course, that was before they rounded on you; their spindly, hand-like branches stretched and grew and you panicked as they got closer.

What would you do? What could you do?

You could scream and cry and beg, or you could try to reason your way out of this. You told Johnny that you could take care of yourself, now was the time to put your money where your mouth was.

"I'm sorry!" You shouted, wrenching your eyes shut just as the branches scratched against your skin. As luck would have it, they stopped. You breathed heavily and cracked an eye open, seeing just how close they'd gotten. You swallowed and stared past them, at the weary old man who stood there with nothing to lose. "I'm sorry that all happened to you. You were always kind, always had the wellbeing of your plants in mind.

"I'm sorry that Reed was an ass," you continued tentatively. "That's...that's kind of how he is. Maybe it's how everyone is. Everyone hurts each other blindly, without realizing what damage they'd cause."

Tears dripped down your cheeks as you momentarily thought about your argument with Johnny. There was definitely some kind of misunderstanding there, made worse by words that were meant to scathe and burn. From the both of you.

As you paused, the branches grasped you tightly all of a sudden, and you tensed, expecting the worst.

"You’re not a killer, you’re a scientist!" You shouted, and the branches receded again. "Look at how far your work has come. Even when Reed Richards tore it apart, you still did all of this. You achieved all of this, and you could still achieve more. But not if you kill me."

You were suddenly ripped free from your restraints as their spindly limbs pulled you upright and held you aloft. You were suspended in mid air, branches circling your waist. But it wasn't violent, as you'd expected; the tree-minions were gently releasing you.

You'd done it. You'd taken care of it yourself, saved yourself.

Well, you would've if a blast of fire didn't incinerate them.

You were unceremoniously dropped onto the ground as they disintegrated and Mr. Smithers screamed in rage. He fired off his ray gun again, and the plants around you began to quiver and you watched, dumbstruck as The Human Torch himself soared through the air.

“Hey, honey,” you could see Johnny’s handsome smile through his burning visage. “Sorry I’m late! Got a little held up by the Puppet Master.” He winked and surged forward.

"You..." Your mouth opened and closed like a fish. You tried to ignore the way your heart thudded in your chest at the sight of him, especially since he was ruining your escape plan. "You idiot!" You shouted after him, but he was to busy burning through all of the vegetation he could get close to. "I had it under control! Ugh!"

You half-expected the rest of the Fantastic Four to burst through the doors of the lair, but it was only Johnny, wreaking absolute havoc as Mr. Smithers tried to stop him via plant control. You tried to run after him, wave your arms--do something--to try and stop him from ruining the poor man's work.

It turned out that Smithers had that under control though, expecting a bit of fire.

The longer he was in flight, the slower Johnny got, and the dimmer he burned. Until suddenly, he was on the ground, sodden from the ever-present mist of water and chemicals that permeated the greenhouse.

"Flame on!" He tried to shout to reignite himself. "Flame...What the heck is this? My fire is being doused!"

"I had a feeling one of you would be arriving to save the day soon enough," Smithers laughed. “Setting foot right into the Plant Man’s trap. Tree roots! Imprison him!”

The concrete ground below you started to crack as roots and vines broke through, heading right for Johnny’s prone form. He was quickly overwhelmed, arms bound to his sides as Smithers—no, Plant Man—put a booted foot on his chest and rolled him onto his back.

You couldn’t help the panic that flooded you again. Not for your own life this time, but Johnny’s. You built up the courage inside of you, telling yourself that you could do this, you could take care of this, and then you pushed yourself to your feet. You knelt down and picked up a broken, partially burned tree branch and brandished it over your shoulder like a baseball bat. Then you approached, slowly, footsteps as soft as you could, carefully avoided all of the vines and roots as you got closer.

“This is proof that my experiment works! And it only took the downfall of one of Richard’s little disciples as the price to pay. I’m sorry you have to be the thing that uproots his life—argh!”

You were not as gentle with it as you could have been; no, you wound up and swung the branch against the back of his head, sending him toppling to the floor. He was a big man, and he went down like a log. Even so, he had an iron-tight grasp on the ray gun, and his fingers twitched around it.

“Sorry, Mr. Smithers,” you muttered as you brought the branch down onto him again, causing the ray gun to knock from his grasp. Then again, as you crushed it to bits.

Once you were sure that he was out cold, and the ray gun couldn't be used anymore, you fell to your knees and crawled over to Johnny. The roots had loosened, no longer possessed by the sentience the ray gun had given them, but Johnny still struggled against them. You started untangling and ripping through the twisted plant matter to free him.

He froze and stared at you in shock.

"You're alright?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah," you shrugged and smiled at him. "Unlike you. But it's ok, I had it covered. Told you I could take care of myse--"

As soon as he was free from the vines, he grabbed you by the shoulders and shouted in your face.

“Are you kidding me?!” He shook you.

“What? I didn’t know you were coming to save the day.” You tried to reason, intentionally holding your tongue at the sarcastic remark about the way you actually ended up saving him.

“Unbelievable.” Johnny rolled his eyes and grumbled.

He let you go and got to his feet and started pacing. Meanwhile you sat there and watched as he worked through whatever internal conflict he was struggling with.

“He…” Johnny pointed at Mr. Smithers unconscious form and then kept pacing. “I…” He pointed at himself then, your brows jumped in expectation. He kept pacing still, then finally rounded on you.

“You’re so determined to take care of everything yourself, you won’t even let me save you when you’re in trouble!”

Your jaw dropped and you scrambled to get to your feet. “Excuse me?! How was I supposed to know you were coming? How did you even know I was here?"

"H.E.R.B.I.E saw Smithers grab you as you left. Obviously. It only took so long to comm me because I'd taken my watch off while we were arguing."

"Serves you right for being such a hot head," you mocked. "I can't believe you're mad at me because of that."

“No, I’m mad at you for…” He stopped himself, had another moment of conflict, and then nodded. “No, yes, that’s exactly why I’m mad.”

Blessedly, you noticed this time. Noticed for the first time that he wasn't just lying to you, he was holding something back. Now that you took longer than a minute to analyze it, you thought of how many times he had. You thought it had just been at dinner but the floodgates were suddenly open.

Every time he tripped over his words, every time he changed subjects, any time he distracted you. It was all a lie of omission. Your best friend lied over and over. Even tonight, when you’d been fighting, he’d stopped himself from saying something before you’d flown off. If you had gotten the chance to walk home like you’d wanted to, you probably could’ve pondered it out.

Instead, here you were. In the aftermath of an abduction and partially successful rescue mission—just the two of you—and you were gonna hash it out. You didn’t care if your friendship was over at the end of this, damn your freshly realized feelings for him, there was no other time.

You poked a finger into his blue-clad chest.

“No!” You ground out. “What were you gonna say? Before? You’re mad at me for…”

“For not letting me be the hero.” His eyes darted away from you. “Now let me go and get the others so we can take Plant Man away—“

He tried to step around you but you wouldn't let him.

“Tell me or...” you hesitated.

Or? Or, what? A simple "or else" wouldn't cut it; either you could sweep this under the rug and go back to pretending everything was normal or this was going to be the defining moment in your friendship.

Your throat got tight as you continued. “Or…or I’m never talking to you again.”

He batted your hand away and rolled his eyes.

“Wow, what a threat,” he scoffed, ready to fly away.

“It is a threat!” You chased after him. “Johnny I'm serious. This is it. No more phone calls, no more lunches, nothing.”

“Is that a real loss for you, honey?” He rounded back on you and had his finger in your chest this time. “Because I seem to recall you complaining about how you always wait for me earlier. So, if anything, this is just your best chance at getting rid of dead weight.”

“What?" you squeaked. "What are you talking about? You're my best friend and I'm trying to get you to tell me the truth for once! You’re not dead weight, Johnny!"

"Aren't I?" He questioned. "What am I doing with my life?"

It was a record-scratch moment. Actually, the record was flying off the stereo at this point. You stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Are you...you've gotta be joking!" You exclaimed. "What are you doing with your life? You're literally one of the greatest heroes of New York City, if not the world. You've been to space, you're on the cover of a million magazines, you have a Saturday Morning Television show and a standing guest spot on the Ted Gilbert show. You have a fan club!"

"So?" He shrugged. "All of that? It's because of this." He held his hand up and let it ignite in bright flames. "One insignificant moment--"

"It's pretty significant if you ask me," you muttered.

"--and my life changed forever. No more college plans, no more...I don't know. And that's just the thing, I don't know! I'm stuck. I can't do anything on my own, it's all tied to this. All of it. I'll never not be Johnny Storm, Human Torch, part of the Fantastic Four, ever again. The best part about it is saving people, innocent people, but it's all in a days work. It gets boring helping old ladies cross streets. Can you believe that getting captured by this guy was exciting?

"I can't even get Reed to agree to go back into space," he continued. " to do something important. Ever again. Even when he wants to do experiments, he doesn't want to involve me. I wanted to be a scientist too, in my own right. I had plans! And now they're," he waved a hand and the flames extinguished. "Gone."

Your heart broke for him as he rambled on and on, and especially as he wrenched his eyes shut. He hunched partways over and ran his hands over his face. You didn't hesitate to close the distance and pull them away, holding them tightly as he squeezed back.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" you asked gently. "You could've...I'm always here for you."

"You'd just gotten a new start too," he whispered. "You've always been so hopeful at what the future could bring. And I wanted to protect you."

He'd said it before, at the Baxter Building. You thought that he meant he was trying to the world had become, but instead it was what his world had become. Your Johnny, who seemed like he had no cares in the world, was holding the weight of a world lacking any real purpose on his shoulders, and he didn't want to burden you.

"Have you told anyone else?" you asked. "What about Sue?"

"I've tried. She's doesn't really understand. You've seen all the good she's done since our lives changed; she'd tell me something about the responsibility we have now. She'd be right. She's always right."

"She is," you agreed, then pulled him forward into a hug. His arms tightened around you, almost unbearably tight.

"I'm sorry, Johnny," you whispered after a moment. "I'm sorry it all happened this way."

"Its ok. I don't want a sorry."

"Well too bad."

You felt him huff with a short laugh, then take a breath...then let it out. You pulled away so you could look at him, only to find him avoiding looking at you.

"What? What is it?" you insisted. "Don't hold back."

"The rest of the world moved on," he finished. "They always do. They all stop for a second, to fawn over the Fantastic Four, and then they all move on. Nothing can stop them. And I try not to let it get to me...but you keep moving on too."

"I told you I'd always wait for you," you reminded him.

“You can’t even wait for me to protect you! You have to pick up a stick and beat the son-of-a-gun to death before I can even walk through the door.” He scrunched his nose in thought. "Alright, I might actually be a little angry that you didn't even wait for me to save you."

"Oh for--you're fine." You rolled your eyes and tried to push him away. "You are right, you're the same Johnny you've always been. Johnny the dramatic jerk."

"Johnny your best friend?" He stepped forward and held fast, brow raised in question.

"Johnny my jerk of a best friend," you agreed. "But still my best friend."

Reed, Ben, and Sue arrived shortly after, finding you, Johnny, and a still-conscious-but-now-tied-up Smithers. They heard the whole story of what happened and stared in disbelief when Johnny told them how you saved him.

"What I don't understand is how this happened when Flame Brain was supposed to take you home," Ben commented, earning bashful looks from the two of you.

They chose to take Smithers into the police station, while Sue insisted Johnny take you home.

"And no fighting this time," she scolded you both.

Johnny offered to fly you home, which you nervously denied, unsure about how you could possibly avoid being burned. He gave you a raincheck for a day you didn't get kidnapped and almost killed by a man out for revenge, and then accompanied you on the ride home.

The two of you stayed mostly silent, right up until you were standing at your door.

"You know, I've never seen your apartment before," he commented.

"I've invited you over plenty of times," you argued. "You were always too busy."

He winced and apologized softly, and just when you were about to let yourself in, he grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you back.

"Remember...all of the plans I said I had earlier?" he started softly.

"Yeah," you nodded. "What about them?"

“I had plans with you too. We had plans. We were supposed to go to Metro College together."

"Of course I remember."

"We had classes picked out and everything."

"You know you can still take classes if you really want to," you told him. "No one is stopping you. Hmmm...maybe a gaggle of fangirls. But I'll fight em off for you. Or better yet, tell them how much of a nerd you are."

"Forget about the classes for a second," He shook his head, and then dropped his hand from your wrist so it was holding your. "I might've had some other plans for us too."

"Oh yeah? As long as it isn't golf, then we can do whatever you want."

"Except we can't."

"Why not?"

"Because..." He took a breath. "Because I'm kind of a coward. And a liar. And a jerk, like you said before."

You frowned and asked, "what are you talking about?"

He fidgeted under your gaze, avoided looking at you for as long as he could, then took a breath and let it all out in one rapid sentence.

"Do you remember when you called to tell me about that great guy in your history class who asked you to lunch?”

You blinked, took a minute to digest what he said, and thought about it.

“Barely?” You shrugged. “Plenty of people ask me on dates. Nothing ever gets anywhere.”

You swallowed the words you wanted to say, that you always compared them to him. Even subconsciously, before you knew you loved him as more than a friend. But this was neither the time nor the place.

"You ask people on dates too," you added quickly. "And it's never worked out. What does that have to do with anything? I thought you said you had plans for the two of us."

“It matters, I promise. But try to remember what happened with that guy specifically."

"Sure, that guy. I don't even remember his name, but fine." You gestured for him to keep going.

"It was right after you moved to the city, right when you started classes. But he couldn’t even be bothered to take you someplace you wanted to go,” Johnny recounted. “You told me on the phone. It was some dinky little lunch counter that reminded you of I Love Lucy? And I asked where you’d wanted to go instead.”

Recollection hit you then, “And I said Horn and Hardart.” The Automat. Where you always got lunch with Johnny. “Oh god, that’s right. And you offered to take me! That’s how it started!”

“Well, yes that's how our outings started, but I took you because…” He looked away from you for a second, a blush dusting his cheeks. “Well, I was planning to say it was a better date than that guy came up with but I chickened out. Then it just just became our place."

"Where you're always late," you teased lightheartedly.

"Our place where you were always annoyed that I was late," he agreed. "But I was only ever late because I was pacing outside trying to figure out how to tell you how I feel.”

The slight smile you had on your face melted off at those words. Suddenly, your heart was pounding in your ears and your throat was tight. He finally looked back at you and his confession made your jaw actually drop.

“Leave it to New York’s Greatest Hero to not even be brave enough to tell his best friend that he’s in love with her.”

“W-what?” You stuttered.

“I’m in love with you,” he repeated. “I always kept it to myself because…well, everything happened and you clearly know how I felt about it now. I figured if I told you then, I might just end up pushing you away more than it already seemed like you were. I just don’t want to keep it a secret anymore.”

Then he let out a snort. “You know, maybe this ‘being open about your feelings’ thing works. It feels good to finally say it after all this time. I’m in love with you.”

He loved you, he loved you, he was in love with you!

You couldn't wrap your head around it, it was too good to be true. And once again, in hindsight, it made all the sense in the world. Oh god, he was in love with you and you'd never realized! Hell, you'd barely realized that you were in love with him too. How stupid could you be?

“But why?” You asked.

“Uh, have you met you? You’re pretty great.” He paused for a second. "And actually, I'm pretty great too. We're already best friends and know everything about each other. So it works out pretty swell for both of us."

"No, but why are you telling me?" You shook your head. "How did you know I felt the same way?"

His confidence visibly wavered, that boyish smile that threatened the corner of his mouth suddenly gone.

"I guess I didn't know." He tried to pull away. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't...I guess I thought...especially now that you know everything else..."

Your eyes went wide as you realized how that made it sound.

"No!" You shouted, and his eyes snapped up to yours. "No. That came out the wrong way. I guess we both need to work on our communication skills."

"Is there a class for that at Metro College?" he joked dryly.

You tightened your hand in his and then brought the other hand up to gently cup his cheek.

"I meant to say, that I love you too."

“Really?” He asked.

“Maybe I haven’t realized it for as long as you had. Especially after the incident and everything, I was probably worried you were moving on too but, yeah. I’m in love with you, Johnny.”

And then there was that smile. Big and bright and magnificent and fantastic, just like him.

Then it was like the stuff of dreams, the way he leaned in and brushed his nose against yours. So softly and tentatively, like this was the way he was asking for permission instead of saying it out loud. This way you might not say no.

And you didn't want to.

So you closed the distance, lips softly slotting together. Your heart beat faster as you sighed, and he hummed pleasantly, arms immediately circling your waist so he could pull you closer. One of your arms draped over his shoulder and the other rested gently over his heart, thumb brushing back and forth against the knit texture of his supersuit.

Eyes closed, you enjoyed the feel of him surrounding you. His soft lips on yours, the scent of him, the strength of his presence.

And then you started getting hot.

No, not hot-under-the-collar hot, but actually sweating. You popped an eye open and pulled back in shock, trying not to as you saw the entire top of his head on fire.

"Johnny!" You exclaimed, smacking your hand against his chest to try and get him out of the daze he was in. You tried, unsuccessfully, to hold back your laughter.

"Huh-what?" He blinked and you pointed at the top of your head. Immediately, the flames extinguished and he looked a little bashful. "Well that was a helluva kiss, you're lucky you didn't set my heart on fire, honey."

"Cornball," you joked.

"It's ok, we just need to work on that," he laughed.

"We, huh?" You snorted.

"Yeah, we. You're stuck with me now, honey. Can't get rid of me." He rocked you back and forth, arms tightening around you. "How does that sound huh? The rest of our lives, together. I can't see a picket fence, though. Sue was right. I've got the best view from my roo--"

You surged forward and kissed him again to get him to shut up, then laughed at his dopey, lovesick expression as you pulled away.

"Jokes on you," you whispered. "I've always been stuck with you."