hey there idk if you’re taking requests or anything but if this is also more of a question idk up to you but i’m curious will we ever get a pm!luke castellan proposal to five star they are so cute i love them
hiii anon! technically i'm not writing for luke at the moment, but i can't lie, i stay up at night thinking of pm!luke and five star. if inspiration strikes, i will 100% write this because i love them and their relationship so much.
p.s. it makes me so happy to know that people love pm!luke and five star as much as i love them <3
hiii. i just wanted to say that i hope you get through ur writers block soon, and we will still be here when you do!! missing luke and five star, haha. best wishes
we are sooo back (maybe)
s2 got me thinking about pm! luke and five star so much. if luke doesn’t get a happy ending irl, i’ll make sure he gets on in the pm! universe.
lukecastell4n: well-deserved break. congrats back-to-back champ. my five ⭐️
yn_yln: i love you.
lukecastell4n: i love you more baby
travisstoll: oh so fuck the rest of us ig
connorstoll: no deadass bc are we not ALL on vacation together right now
chrisr0driguez: connorstoll i think we ALL sing headass
silenabeauregard: my favs
liked by lukecastell4n.
chrisr0driguez: right so im not convinced ur actually reading that book
yn_yln: chrisr0driguez he’s not
lukecastell4n: yn_yln don’t expose me?!?
travisstoll posted a story!
travisstoll: my long lost sister
tagged yn_yln.
yn_yln replied to this story!
yn_yln: careful connor might get jealous
travisstoll: let him be
travisstoll: he hogged the blankets in our villa last night
yn_yln: 😭😭😭
yn_yln: still cant believe they messed up your reservation and gave you a king bed instead of two twin beds
travisstoll: i need to get a gf bro i swear
travisstoll: pmo one of your teammates
yn_yln: no.
read by travisstoll.
clarisselarue posted a story!
clarisselarue: moments before disaster (we were playing uno and travis was about to win but luke hit him with a +4 card so travis pushed him off the boat)
tagged lukecastell4n, travisstoll, and others.
yn_yln replied to this story!
yn_yln: OH MY GOD THAT WAS HILARIOUS
clarisselarue: DEADASS I COULDNT STOP LAUGHING
lukecastell4n replied to this story!
lukecastell4n: not funny. didn’t laugh.
clarisselarue: ur gf sure did 😛
lukecastell4n: she hates me i think
clarisselarue: real
lukecastell4n: NO?!??
yn_yln: i can spend forever here
tagged lukecastell4n.
lukecastell4n: that can be arranged
lukecastell4n: say the word and i’ll make it happen
lukecastell4n: me and u on a beach forever and ever, with nothing else to do, sounds like heaven
yn_yln: pretty sure ur fans would murder me if i was the reason u moved to an island and never made music again
lukecastell4n: yn_yln they have two albums to listen to they’ll survive
p0isonedmercuryf4n: lukecastell4n NO WE WONT
yn_yln: lukecastell4n told ya
lukecastell4n posted a story!
tagged yn_yln.
yn_yln reposed this story!
yn_yln: im kinda in love with him 🫠
lukecastell4n replied to this story!
lukecastell4n: just kinda? :(
yn_yln: get a grip 🙄
lukecastell4n: oh so u hate me
yn_yln: oh my god
yn_yln: i love you, you dork
lukecastell4n: :D
lukecastell4n: how do u feel about a beach proposal
lukecastell4n: for research purposes of course
yn_yln: as long as the right person is asking, i don’t mind where the question is asked
lukecastell4n: noted
yn_yln: i do want an oval diamond on a gold band tho
lukecastell4n: who do u think i am baby
lukecastell4n: your ring is already in production
yn_yln: ur so stupid 😭
yn_yln: there’s no way
lukecastell4n: 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
yn_yln: luke what do u mean
read by lukecastell4n.
yn_yln: babe?
read by lukecastell4n.
yn_yln: HELLOOOOOO?
read by lukecastell4n.
yn_yln: the answer is yes, btw. in case u were wondering. it will always be yes.
lukecastell4n: easiest question to ask, hardest wait of my life. isn’t that such a funny thing? five star, something in my bones told me that my life would forever be changed when you walked into it. little did i know the biggest change would be me. i am a better person because of you. your love for the people you hold close reminds me that good things do happen in the world. and selfishly, reminds me that i’m worthy of experiencing those good things, too.
thanks for saying yes. thanks for all the laughs. thanks for all the kisses. thanks for all the memories. thanks for being by my side all these years; but most importantly, thanks for allowing me the honor to be by yours. i love you endlessly.
silenabeauregard: OH IM SO SOFTTTT. congratulations to you both! 🥹
travisstoll: YES! congrats! welcome to the poisoned mercury fam officially yn_yln
connorstoll: HUGE! CONGRATS LUKE AND YN
poisonedmercury: congratulations to the happy couple!
olympusrecords: congrats to you both!
yn_yln: my fiancée 🫶🏼 i love you.
lukecastell4n: my fiancée 🙂↕️ i love the sound of that almost as much as i love you.
creator limited comments on this post.
tagged lukecastell4n.
yn_yln: still doesn’t feel real, but that’s a pretty normal feeling when i’m with you. sometimes i still have to pinch myself because you and our love feels like something out of the movies. i’ll forever be in love with you.
p.s this was the easiest yes of my life.
clarisselarue: MY BEST FRIEND IS ENGAGED IM IN ACTUAL TEARS
silenabeauregard: YOU AND ME BOTH SISTER
clarisselarue: lukecastell4n don’t get it twisted im still her #1 love. i was here first
yn_yln: well yes!
lukecastell4n: yn_yln who got u the ring tho 🥱
yn_yln: lukecastell4n fair play
travisstoll: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
connorstoll: THE ANNOUNCEMENT WE WERE ALL WAITING FOR CONGRATULATIONS GUYS!!
chrisr0driguez: congratulations! can’t picture two people more perfect for each other than the two of u
dionysus_produces: congratulations, kid! when i see u next i’ll reenact how nervous luke was when he asked for my blessing
lukecastell4n: mr. d u promised that would stay between us
dionysus_produces: well…. welcome to the family kid 😉
clarisselarue posted a story!
my best friend is getting married! it feels like yesterday when we were roomies at unc, giddy over our new boyfriends. i am so so happy for you.
tagged yn_yln.
yn_yln replied to this story!
yn_yln: thank you clar. i love you so much. i can’t believe this is happening
clarisselarue: girl bffr
clarisselarue: there is no universe that exists in which the two of you don’t get married and live happily ever after
clarisselarue: it was inevitable that he asked!!!!
yn_yln: 🥹🥹
yn_yln: WAIT I JUST REALIZED WE GET TO WEDDING PLAN TOGETHER?!?
clarisselarue: SHUT UO UR SO RIGHT.
clarisselarue: oh wow our fiancées are about to get soooo sick of us
yn_yln: oh well 🤷🏻♀️
yn_yln: no take backs
liked by clarisselarue.
chrisr0driguez posted a story!
welcome to the engaged club, my brother! glad to have you here.
tagged lukecastell4n.
lukecastell4n replied to this story!
lukecastell4n: my best man 🤝
chrisr0driguez: my best man 🤝
yn_yln posted a story!
luke surprised me with our favorite people after our engagement 🥹 i’m so lucky.
tagged lukecastell4n.
mama_c replied to this story!
mama_c: congratulations to you both! i couldn’t ask for a better daughter in law. so glad i got to be there with you two tonight. xx love you both so much.
yn_yln: thank you, mama c! i love you!
silenabeauregard replied to this story!
silenabeauregard: you are so so so loved, angel girl. thank you for having me and charlie join on your special day!!!
yn_yln: lena please 😭 ur one of my bridesmaids
yn_yln: u will get an official ask soon
yn_yln: there’s no way luke wouldn’t have told u and charlie about this. he knows how much i love u guys
silenabeauregard: stop i’ve already cried so much
silenabeauregard: i love you!!!!
dionysus_produces replied to this story!
dionysus_produces: congratulations again, kid. me and your mom are so happy for you.
yn_yln: thanks for flying out to be here, dad. it means a lot. i love you guys.
dionysus_produces: as if i’d miss this. i love you too, sweetheart.
lukecastell4n replied to this story!
lukecastell4n: i cannot wait to marry you
yn_yln: mrs. castellan has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
lukecastell4n: well-deserved break. congrats back-to-back champ. my five ⭐️
yn_yln: i love you.
lukecastell4n: i love you more baby
travisstoll: oh so fuck the rest of us ig
connorstoll: no deadass bc are we not ALL on vacation together right now
chrisr0driguez: connorstoll i think we ALL sing headass
silenabeauregard: my favs
liked by lukecastell4n.
chrisr0driguez: right so im not convinced ur actually reading that book
yn_yln: chrisr0driguez he’s not
lukecastell4n: yn_yln don’t expose me?!?
travisstoll posted a story!
travisstoll: my long lost sister
tagged yn_yln.
yn_yln replied to this story!
yn_yln: careful connor might get jealous
travisstoll: let him be
travisstoll: he hogged the blankets in our villa last night
yn_yln: 😭😭😭
yn_yln: still cant believe they messed up your reservation and gave you a king bed instead of two twin beds
travisstoll: i need to get a gf bro i swear
travisstoll: pmo one of your teammates
yn_yln: no.
read by travisstoll.
clarisselarue posted a story!
clarisselarue: moments before disaster (we were playing uno and travis was about to win but luke hit him with a +4 card so travis pushed him off the boat)
tagged lukecastell4n, travisstoll, and others.
yn_yln replied to this story!
yn_yln: OH MY GOD THAT WAS HILARIOUS
clarisselarue: DEADASS I COULDNT STOP LAUGHING
lukecastell4n replied to this story!
lukecastell4n: not funny. didn’t laugh.
clarisselarue: ur gf sure did 😛
lukecastell4n: she hates me i think
clarisselarue: real
lukecastell4n: NO?!??
yn_yln: i can spend forever here
tagged lukecastell4n.
lukecastell4n: that can be arranged
lukecastell4n: say the word and i’ll make it happen
lukecastell4n: me and u on a beach forever and ever, with nothing else to do, sounds like heaven
yn_yln: pretty sure ur fans would murder me if i was the reason u moved to an island and never made music again
lukecastell4n: yn_yln they have two albums to listen to they’ll survive
p0isonedmercuryf4n: lukecastell4n NO WE WONT
yn_yln: lukecastell4n told ya
lukecastell4n posted a story!
tagged yn_yln.
yn_yln reposed this story!
yn_yln: im kinda in love with him 🫠
lukecastell4n replied to this story!
lukecastell4n: just kinda? :(
yn_yln: get a grip 🙄
lukecastell4n: oh so u hate me
yn_yln: oh my god
yn_yln: i love you, you dork
lukecastell4n: :D
lukecastell4n: how do u feel about a beach proposal
lukecastell4n: for research purposes of course
yn_yln: as long as the right person is asking, i don’t mind where the question is asked
lukecastell4n: noted
yn_yln: i do want an oval diamond on a gold band tho
lukecastell4n: who do u think i am baby
lukecastell4n: your ring is already in production
yn_yln: ur so stupid 😭
yn_yln: there’s no way
lukecastell4n: 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
yn_yln: luke what do u mean
read by lukecastell4n.
yn_yln: babe?
read by lukecastell4n.
yn_yln: HELLOOOOOO?
read by lukecastell4n.
yn_yln: the answer is yes, btw. in case u were wondering. it will always be yes.
i was peacefully searching a playlist on spotify and had a typo to which i stumbled upon poisoned mercury's optimism don't come easy (unless it's with you) after months and now im down the poisoned mercury rabbit hole again 💔 I MISS LUKE AND FIVE STAR SO MUCH ITS NOT FUNNY ANYMORE
this is so real. i went down a pm! rabbit hole last night and was hit with a longing for my pm! babies. i miss them so so much.
friends to lovers; use of princess as a pet name and as a joke.
johnny storm masterlist
johnny loves space. johnny loves women.
it was a phrase that the media-- and truth be told, johnny-- loved to use when talking about johnny storm. many people believed that the phrase came to be when the fantastic 4 rose to fame, post-cosmic radiation. but contrary to popular belief, the first utterance of the phrase was in johnny's childhood bedroom when he was fourteen.
he just turned fourteen three days before and he invited you over, his best friend, to hang out and celebrate. the celebration consisted of pounds of candy bars, scary movies that sue let him watch twice a year (once on his birthday and once on halloween), and culminated in reading sci-fi comic books in his bedroom.
he was going on and on about missy anderson, the popular girl in your shared biology class. it seemed like in the 72 hours since turning 14, johnny's perception of women did a complete 180. he'd grown out of his "girls have cooties" phase and ran full-steam ahead to fantasizing a life with a white picket fence with missy.
you flipped the pages of the comic book and rolled your eyes, "johnny loves space, johnny loves women."
johnny paused his enthusiastic rant and gave you a toothy smile, bits of crushed, rainbow jelly beans stuck to his teeth, "exactly."
safe to say that in your nearly decade-long friendship with johnny storm, you'd been on the receiving end of his long-winded, declarations of love for women. you couldn't pin-point exactly when the annoyance for his blabbering turned into something more personal. somewhere along the way, johnny talking about other women made your chest hurt.
which brings you to today.
"i'm just saying, it's like everyone else in the world can have fun but johnny?" he groaned, exasperated. "johnny can't even think about having fun."
you looked up from the book you held up for show. you couldn't concentrate on the novel in front of you, not when johnny was talking about his sex life-- or according to him, lack thereof. jury's still out on if that's the truth. "you know it annoys the living hell out of me when you talk about yourself in the third person."
"i know," he beamed, "that's why i do it."
"johnny, you have a long line of women at your doorstep," you sighed, shutting the book before placing it on his bedside table. "choose one. take them out on a date and fall in love. it's simple."
johnny plopped down on his bed beside you, sock clad feet bumping against yours as he made himself comfortable, "weren't you listening to me, princess? reed thinks that the minute i get in a relationship, i lose all focus."
the silly childhood nickname made a shiver run down your spine. the nickname began as a joke that you stopped finding funny about the fifth time he used it.
it was junior year of high school. you made the terrible mistake of stopping by the storm residence to pick up your calculus notebook that you forgot the day before during one of yours and johnny's study sessions. this wasn't a rare occurrence. you were at his house so much that sue had designated their spare bedroom as yours.
typically, you'd just wait until the next school day to get your things. johnny would bring it to school or you'd stop by after classes and end up staying over to watch a movie or play a video game. but you had a math final first thing monday and you needed the weekend to study.
the problem was, you were on your way to your cousin's fifth birthday party. her princess-themed birthday party. you showed up on johnny's doorstep in a pink, frilly dress that took up the entirety of his porch steps. he opened the door and his eyes instantly widened.
with a cheeky smirk on his face he said, "here you go, princess."
and the nickname stuck.
he cleared his throat and attempted a reed impression, "johnny, we can't have you distracted. the world is counting on you."
you shrugged, "he's got a point."
"whose side are you on?" he questioned, poking your side with his finger. his smile returned to his face as he heard your giggle echo throughout his room, "he acts like it was a million years ago when i nearly sacrified myself to save the world, but sure, i get too distracted."
you frowned, the dread you felt the first time ben told you about johnny's heroics came back ten-fold. it never gets easier, not really. you couldn't imagine a life without johnny. he was your best friend. you'd grown up together. he's been a part of your life longer than he hasn't.
but above all, you loved johnny. more than a friend should. the thought of almost losing him without telling him how you felt nearly had you confessing your love for him when he returned to the baxter building battered and bruised. nearly.
"i hate it when you talk about that," you mumbled. it was silly in the grand scheme of things for you to be upset over it. after all, it's not like it was you who was risking your life for the greater good.
johnny grabbed your hand and placed your palm on top of his beating heart. the warmth from his body blanketed you in a sense of comfort. his voice softened, "hey, i'm right here. see?"
ben narrowly avoided a lecture from him when he found out that ben told you what he almost did. johnny tried not to talk to you directly about his actions out there because he knew it made you upset. sometimes you still found out through the grapevine-- newspaper stands, tv reports, people chatting on the streets-- but johnny rarely told you about what he was up to out there. he never said anything unless you asked.
so when he found out that ben told you what johnny almost did to save franklin and the rest of the world, johnny marched to ben's room, fuming like never before. he was ready to scream at ben until he burst into flames. that was until he saw you come out of the elevator, tears in your eyes and a sigh of relief that he was okay, leaving your lips.
johnny placed your hand on his heart and whispered in your ear that he's alive and he's okay and that you can't get rid of him that easily. with you in his arms like that, he forgot about everything else in the world.
johnny felt himself shiver as your thumb rubbed against the area where his heart lays. the pressure of your touch made johnny's knees buckle, and he thanked his lucky stars that he was lying in bed with you or else his legs would've given out from under him.
you glanced at the clock and cursed, "i gotta go, j,"
johnny sat up, eyebrows furrowed as he watched you scramble to put your shoes back on, "wait, you're not staying for dinner? ben is making bolognese."
"i can't tonight," you said, apologetically, "maybe next week? i have to finish this report for work before 9am tomorrow and between you and me, i haven't started."
"c'mon princess, stay for dinner," he pleaded, getting up to block you from leaving his room, "it'll be two hours tops."
"i really can't," you sighed, giving him a sad smile, "but i hope reed eases up on you and you get to have your fun, or whatever."
he snorted, giving you a hug before you made your way out of his room, "ha."
"i'll see you soon, okay?"
"call me if you need the company."
"you'd be a distraction."
johnny smiled, his heart thumping in his chest, "you know me so well."
too well, you wanted to say.
you knew everything about johnny. you knew when he was upset, when a joke someone makes at his expense strikes a nerve. there's a slight crease that appears between his brows and he sucks in a breath before letting out a forced laugh. you knew that putting a hand on his upper arm or touching his elbow, a reminder i'm here, helps him breathe normally again.
you knew when he was happy, so over-the-moon joyous that he lets out a full belly laugh. his smile is all teeth and he somehow always finds you from wherever he is in the room. his eyes lock with yours and he looks at you with a wondrous glint in his irises.
you knew when he was scared. his voice shakes, the tiniest bit, so slight that people who didn't know him well enough wouldn't catch it. but he would stutter once, twice if it really got to him, and you would know then. johnny storm was always sure of himself, he never stuttered. he would touch you, a hand on top of yours, knee brushing against your own, something, anything, just to ground himself.
when you opened the door, you found sue outside in the hallway. she was fumbling with the door of the bathroom, all while holding a basket of laundry by her waist.
"hey sue," you greeted, walking over to give her a hand.
"hey," she smiled, uttering a quick thank you as you bid your goodbye. "you're not staying for dinner?"
"nah, i can't," you grimaced, "work stuff, but next week, though!"
"i'm holding you to that!" she called out as she watched you retreat to the elevator to leave the baxter building.
sue extended her body to watch you go down the elevator. once she was certain you were no longer on the floor, she dropped the basket on the bathroom counter and marched into johnny's room.
"oh hey," johnny greeted, placing the book you left on his bedside table down on the empty space on the bed where you laid. "is dinner finished already?"
sue leaned over and flicked johnny's ear, "you" - flick- "stupid" -flick- "fucking" -flick- "boy!"
"ow!" johnny, shot up from bed, holding his now red ear, "what the hell sue?!"
"why would you tell her that you're looking for someone to date?!"
johnny's eyes widened, "why are you listening in on my conversations?!"
"i'm your older sister," she dismissed, "it's my job to be nosy."
"jesus," he shook his head, leaning against the cabinet across the room. he wanted to create some distance in case sue decided to attack again. "what's it to you anyway, sue?"
"why would you tell her you're looking for someone to have fun with when she's in love with you?!"
his eyes widened. his heart stopped. a million thoughts rushed through his mind all at once. he had to grip the corner of the wooden cabinet to steady himself. then he laughed, "no sue, you got it all wrong. it's the other way around, remember? i'm the one in love with her."
it was his worst kept secret. he officially told his family post-galactus. they looked at him blankly, not saying a word. it made johnny nervous for a second, until reed spoke, "johnny, we knew this."
"clueless, the lot of you," she groaned, "she's in love with you, too!"
against his better judgement, johnny laughed again. it was no laughing matter, per se, but he couldn't believe it. he waited for sue to continue speaking, as if her last words were the punchline to a sick, twisted joke. but sue looked at him genuinely, like this was something she was certain about.
"what?" johnny pushed himself off the cabinet and walked over to sue, arms crossed against his chest, "w-what? did she tell you that?"
"i promised her i wouldn't say anything," sue replied, "but i also promised you i wouldn't say anything and it's just too many secrets for me to keep. especially since it doesn't even need to be a secret because you're both in love with each other."
johnny was running out to his balcony to fly to your apartment in a heartbeat. he'd never flown through the city so fast, not even when the world was ending and everything was falling apart from under him. he was positive he'd make it to yours before you even step off the subway platform.
when he arrived at your fire escape, the lack of lights and noise from inside confirmed his assumptions. he opened your living room window and stepped inside, like he'd done hundreds of times before. johnny wiped his sweaty palms against his pants, cursing silently when he realized that in his rush, he forgot to put some shoes on.
he didn't have time to dwell on that, however, because he heard your keys jingling. then the door opened and he saw you. you jumped at the image of someone in your home, but smiled brightly when you realized it was johnny.
you chucked your keys on the counter, eyeing him up and down, "the world better not be ending again, j, because that's the only reason i could think of as to why you're in my apartment with no shoes on, by the way, after you saw me less than 20 minutes ago."
he walked closer to you, "how long?"
you tilted your head, questioningly, "how long what?"
"how long have you been in love with me?"
you gulped, face draining of all color. you took a slight step back, but it didn't matter, because johnny closed the space once again. your eyes flickered to the open window, to the ticking clock, to the half-full mug of coffee you forgot on your kitchen table. you were looking at everything but him.
"i don't know what you're talking about."
"princess," he reached his hand out tentatively, holding your jaw to make you look at him, "please answer the question."
"i don't know."
"you don't know what i'm talking about or you don't know how long?" he asked, stepping closer. "which is it?"
"the latter."
"hmm," johnny hummed, "d-do you think you've been in love with me as long as i've been in love with you?"
you blinked, staring up at him with wide eyes, "you're what?"
"i'm in love with you," he said, definitively. "thought that was obvious."
"given that our conversation before this was you talking about wanting to have sex with someone, i would argue that it wasn't that obvious."
"so i'm an idiot," he chuckled, bumping his nose against yours, "you knew that though."
you leaned in closer, "i did."
johnny licked his lips, hands traveling lower until they settled on your waist, "you weren't supposed to agree that i'm an idiot."
"when have i ever lied to you, j?"
"seems like you lied about being in love with me, for one."
"are you gonna kiss me or what?"
johnny bit back the smile threatening to appear on his face. and then finally, finally, he placed his lips against yours. you let out a whimper at the feeling that made johnny's head spin. he pulled you with him until you both fell on your couch.
the kiss lasted longer than either of you intended for your first kiss, but neither of you wanted to pull away. when you eventually did, you were perched on his lap, arms around his neck.
in the bliss of it all, johnny peppered kisses across your face, making you giggle.
"by the way, reed did say he didn't want me to date anyone because he thinks i'll get distracted," he began. he looked up at you and rubbed his thumb against your cheekbone as he saw your worried expression. "but he said the only exception is if i get my shit together and finally ask you out. he says you're the only one he trusts to keep me in line."
you laughed, throwing your head back as johnny watched with fondess in his eyes. his palms were sprawled against your lower back, keeping you from falling off the couch. "well, i'll tell him that i'll try my best."
"princess, please," he scoffed, nuzzling his head in the crook of your neck, "you've been keeping me in line since the day we met."
synopsis: johnny forgets to hang up the phone and you accidentally hear something not meant for your ears. (roughly based on sugar talking by sabrina carpenter)
johnny storm masterlist
"is that y/n?" you heard sue ask in the background.
johnny walked over to the kitchen counter, standing a few feet away from his sister as she fed mushed apples to franklin in his high chair. he removed the phone from his ear and clicked on the speaker button, "baby, say hi to sue."
"hey, sue," you beamed, "how's it going?"
"as well as it could be with a toddler," she replied, sighing. she wiped the corner of franklin's mouth with his bib, the baby happily babbling away at the attention he was receiving. "what about you? it's been a while since i've seen you around."
"yeah, i'm at a work trip in london right now. i'll be back tomorrow and i think johnny is picking me up from the airport."
"babe, c'mon," johnny scoffed, leaning over to give franklin's cheek a soft pinch. he rested his elbows on the kitchen counter, holding his phone in his left hand. "of course, i'm gonna pick you up from the airport. i haven't seen you in like a week. i might die if i don't see you the minute you land on our side of the pond."
"yuck," sue joked, "keep it in your pants, storm."
"yeah, j, you sound a little dramatic right now."
johnny rolled his eyes, but his smitten smile told a different story. he took the phone off speaker and placed it by his ear again, "you call it dramatic, i call it the truth."
"well, the people of new york can't have you dying so i suppose you should pick me up tomorrow."
"does 'the people of new york' include you?" he bit his bottom lip, trying his best to hide the lovestruck smile on his face that sue would most likely tease him over after he gets off the phone with you.
"if you're on time to pick me up, yes."
"oh, baby, i'm there two hours early with a bouquet of flowers and a welcome home sign."
sue narrowed her eyes at johnny as she heard the faint sound of your laughter through the phone. johnny's cheeks grew a light shade of pink at the sound. johnny was down bad. it was cute.
"alright, j," you replied, "i gotta go, but i'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"counting down the hours, babe."
you hummed, "bye."
"bye, baby." johnny placed his phone face down on the counter.
he thought he clicked on the button to end the call, but alas, you were still on the other line. you were about to end the call yourself and send him a text telling him he's such a klutz sometimes, but then you heard his voice on the other side of the line.
you thought that it was him realizing his mistake. you thought that he would pick up the phone again and say goodbye one more time.
but you were wrong.
"i like her, you know," sue said, though her voice was muffled. "she's good for you."
"yeah, she is." johnny replied.
you felt bad listening in on their private conversation, but it was also nice to know that his family approved of you. you'd been seeing johnny for close to five months now. it was still a secret to the rest of the world, but his family knew about you.
you've had multiple sunday night family dinners with them. you practically cemented your place at the table. you had chores that you signed up for (johnny washes the dishes and you dry them). franklin makes grabby hands at you when you visit.
in all sense of the word, you were already a part of the family.
sue spoke again, "is she coming to the mayor's gala next week?"
you blinked. you've talked to johnny every day since you started dating. he never mentioned anything about a gala. surely it just slipped his mind.
you listened intently.
johnny paused, "i haven't asked her."
"johnny, we've known about this for two months," sue reprimanded, "you need to tell her soon so she can get everything in order on her end. it's a big deal. i'm sure she'd like to prepare for it."
"i don't know if i should bring her."
sue's eyes buldged out of her head. she placed the mushed apples and spoon down on the counter, placing her now empty hands on her hips, "what do you mean?"
"i mean, it's casual, you know?" johnny started, "i don't know if it's a good idea to bring her to something so public."
you pulled the phone away from your ear. tears began to well in your eyes. you hurriedly clicked on the 'end call' button and the line went dead.
"this is why you don't eavesdrop on people's coversations," you muttered to yourself. you haphazardly rubbed your eyes, wiping your cheeks free of the tears that slipped past.
johnny thought you were casual. johnny doesn't want to be seen with you in public.
the realization dawned on you like a cold wave. whatever you thought you had with johnny was one-sided. he wasn't planning dates every week or introducing you to his family or picking you up from the goddamn airport to show you he was serious about you. from the information you just learned, he does this for casual.
the thought of it made you sick.
on the other side of the dead line, johnny winced at his sister's booming voice.
"johnny, what the hell are you talking about?!" she exclaimed, confusion etched on her features. "what do you mean this is casual between the two of you?"
johnny groaned, running his fingers through his hair, "god, of course it's not casual to me. but i don't know what this is to her. i don't know if she even wants to be public with me. she knows what that territory comes with."
sue softened, "have you talked to her?"
"no," he responded, "and i don't know if i can."
"of course you can, johnny," she placed a comforting hand on his arm, "what's stopping you?"
"i'm scared." johnny admitted, looking at sue. "what if i lose her over this? what if she says that this isn't something that she signed up for? the media, the public, the scrutiny? i'd rather have her in secret with you guys than not have her at all."
"hey," sue placed a hand under his chin, cradling his face like how she used to when he was younger. "you need to talk to her. right now, you're making the decision for her and that's not fair. you need to give her the chance to decide what she wants for the two of you."
"i know," he muttered, "but it's scary."
"mhm," she hummed, giving him a sisterly smile, "but if it's any consolation, i have a feeling she'll stick around."
"thanks, sue," johnny said. "i'll talk to her tomorrow."
"good." she picked up the food again and sat beside franklin to continue feeding him. the baby smiled at johnny, quietly telling his uncle that he's got this.
johnny placed a kiss on the top of franklin's head and made his way to his room. he picked up his phone that was forgotten on the counter. his heart jumped at the notification from you.
from: babe <3
'hey, on second thought, you don't need to pick me up tomorrow. i think i'll be too tired so i'll just go straight to my apartment.'
johnny frowned at your text, his fingers quickly swiping on the screen to call you again. he chewed nervously on his bottom lip as each call went straight to voicemail.
he plopped on his bed, typing a quick response to your message.
to: babe <3
'i can take you straight to your apartment, baby. no worries.'
he waited patiently for your response, but never got one.
--
the thing about johnny storm is that he's a stubborn individual. it's one of your favorite things about him. once he's made his mind up about something, it takes an army and half-- or in your case, a bat of your eyelashes and a peck on the lips-- for him to change his mind.
however, when you walked out of the airport gates and saw a man with a sign saying 'welcome home, baby!,' holding a bouquet of roses and three heart-shaped balloons, you didn't love his stubbornness at the moment.
he had a baseball cap on his head, perfectly masking him from the public. if it wasn't for his over-the-top attempts of welcoming you home, he would've blended in with the crowd easily.
you didn't want to see johnny. especially not right now when you spent the entire flight home bawling your eyes out and drinking the plane's mini bar dry. the flight attendants cut you off from the wine list by hour two.
johnny beamed as he walked closer to you, arms outstretched to engulf you in a hug. you tensed at the feeling of his arms around you. it felt so nice. you missed being with him while you were away, but the nagging voice in your head continued to replay the words you overheard on the phone.
it's casual.
johnny pulled away, immediately grabbing your bags from your grasp. he handed you the flowers and balloons, "don't worry baby, i'll take you straight home so you can rest. i can just drop you off and we can hang out another time, or we can hang out at yours, if you want? we can just nap or watch a movie. whatever you want to do."
"i thought i told you you didn't need to pick me up," you said, self-consciously tugging at your clothes. you weren't really dressed nicely. you were in sweatpants and a hoodie-- which you realized then was actually johnny's. it's not like he's never seen you in this state before, but you were hoping that the next time you saw johnny you'd be dressed to the nines so he could see what he was missing out on.
it's casual.
johnny unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for you. johnny leaned on the door, "yeah, i know, but i wanted to anyway."
he shut the door before bustling away to put your things in the trunk, including the balloons that took up too much space in the car. as he shut the trunk, johnny took a deep breath.
he practiced what he was going to say to you (with some workshopping from sue) and to say that he was out-of-his-mind scared would be the understatement of the year.
johnny made his way to the driver's seat. before he put the car in drive, he turned to you, "i missed you."
his words sent a pang of hurt in your chest. you closed your eyes, craning your head to look away from him. johnny's eyebrows furrowed, lips forming a tight line. he was expecting a different response. the entire week you've been gone was spent on the phone with him between work meetings and client calls.
"babe? everything okay?"
you wiped your face with the sleeves of your hoodie, cursing silently when johnny's scent hit your nose. you gulped, "johnny, it's fine. you don't have to pretend anymore. i know."
"woah," he turned the engine off, unbuckling his seatbelt so he could face your properly. "what are you talking about?"
"stop it," you groaned, "i already know, okay? you don't have to pretend you're actually into me like this."
"hey, hey, what?" johnny asked, panicked. he reached over to hold your hand, flinching when you pulled away the minute his fingers touched your skin. "babe, what do you mean pretending?"
mustering up all your courage, you faced him. johnny's heart shattered at the sight of your watery eyes and wobbling lips. he wanted nothing else but to hold you and kiss your tears away.
"i heard you on the phone while you were talking to sue," you whispered, the last shred of dignity you had left leaving your body. "look, i know it was wrong of me to listen to your conversation but i couldn't help it, okay? i'm sorry for that."
"what are you apologizing for?" he questioned, "i don't care that you heard what i said-- wait, what exactly did you hear?"
"you said that we're casual." the words left a bitter taste in your mouth.
"wha-" johnny looked bewildered, then he realized that you only heard up to that with his conversation with sue. "oh my god, baby. no, no, no. you got it so wrong."
"how wrong could i be?" you spat, patience running thin that he was still keeping up this facade.
"babe, did you hear the rest of that conversation?"
"i didn't really think i needed to hear more about how i'm casual to you. you made it pretty clear."
against johnny's better judgment, he let out a chuckle, "oh, my love. i don't know you don't see it, but i am head over heels in love with you."
you blinked, "what?"
"if you listened a little longer, you would've heard me saying that nothing about this is casual to me, but i thought that you thought this was casual," he explained, a bashful smile on his lips. "you would've heard me tell sue that i'm terrified of bringing up going public with you because i'm scared that you won't want to and i'll lose you."
"oh."
"and then you would've heard sue tear me a new one for not communicating with you," he laughed, slowly inching his hand closer to yours. he let out a breath of relief when you didn't pull away. "i practiced all night what i was gonna say, but obviously that flew out the window the minute this conversation happened."
"oh," you felt stupid not being able to say anything else but that, but your mind was racing a hundred miles a second. you spent over half a day believing you and johnny were practically over. and now, here he is in front of you, telling you that it's the complete opposite.
"yeah," johnny mumbled, "for the record, this isn't casual to me and i hope it isn't for you either because i gotta tell you babe, i'm so gooddamn, foolishly, wholeheartedly in love with you."
you pursed your lips, swatting his upper arm with a snort, "damn you, j."
"there you are, baby," johnny said, fondly. he held the side of your face in his palm, humming as you nuzzled your face in his warm touch. "let's try this again. i missed you."
"i missed you, too," you whispered, placing a barely-there kiss to his palm. "i'm sorry for how i acted."
"don't be sorry," he assured, "i understand. i probably would've been more heartbroken if i was in your shoes."
you unbuckled your own seatbelt and leaned over the console. you placed your lips on his, sighing in content at the familiar feeling. he placed his hands on either side of your face, holding you close. you pulled away, "for the record, i'm so goddamn, foolishly, wholeheartedly in love with you, too."
johnny's face lit up like a kid on christmas morning. he bumped his nose against yours, "want me to take you home?"
"take me to yours," you replied, "so i can shower and get ready to go shopping. i heard that there's a gala next week? i'm not against showing up uninvited."
johnny laughed, warmth blooming in his chest, "i already rsvp'd for two when i first got the invite two months ago. i was hoping you'd join me, i was just too chicken to ask."
you tilted your head to the side, love oozing out of your pores, "yeah?"
"yeah," he confirmed, "i've been sure about you from the start, baby."
"hi, my name is luke castellan and i'm the lead singer of poisoned mercury," luke smiled brightly at the camera, "and today i'm joined by a special guest, my lovely, lovely, girlfriend. wanna introduce yourself baby?"
"hi, i'm y/n. i play for the unc field hockey team," you said, shuffling your cue cards out of nervous habit. when luke first approached you with the idea of doing this couples interview for gq, you were hesitant. it wasn't a secret that you stayed out of the spotlight all of your life, which proved to be difficult at times given your dad's fame. but since making your relationship public, the general public opinion has been positive and you decided it was time to step out of your comfort zone.
luke didn't force you to do the interview. he understood why you chose to keep to yourself and he was fine with that. but he would be lying if he said that he didn't nearly jump for joy when you agreed to the interview. after all, he was able to fulfill his contractual duties for his job while spending time with you, instead of choosing one over the other. and he got to talk about you for an hour, which he did in interviews anyway.
"nuh uh, don't do that, five star," luke shook his head, a playful smile tugging on his lips, "she doesn't just play for the team, she's the reigning back-to-back NCAA champion and current MVP."
you laughed, putting your face in your hands, "you're embarrassing me and we just started!"
"get used to it, baby," he replied before turning his attention to the camera again, "today, we'll be doing the couples quiz. wanna start?"
"sure," you looked down at the first card in your pile, "what was our first date?"
"oh, good question," luke leaned back in his chair, looking mindlessly at the ceiling while he formulated his answer, "well, i say that because-- do you want the answer to what was our first real date as a couple? or first date before we got our shit together?"
you smiled at him fondly, "both."
"well, our first date, which was not a date at the time, was at an arcade back when we were at camp and our first official date, which did not happen until months into our relationship– believe it or not everyone, there are not many date spots in montauk– was over winter break in los angeles. we went to nobu because you wanted to try it and we watched the sunset there. then we realized the portions at nobu are so small and we were hungry after dinner so we went to in-n-out and ate in my car.”
“is that correct?” the interviewer asked from behind the camera.
you nodded, playfully rolling your eyes, “yup. one point for you, i guess.”
“nope, that’s not fair. i should get two because i remember both.”
“that is not how the game works, castellan!”
“whatever, but in my heart i do have two points,” he stuck his tongue out at you, scrunching his face up in an adorable way that made you want to lean over and kiss him. “okay, five star, your turn. how did we meet?"
"we met because you were an insufferable little shit and you crashed my favorite alone spot and would not leave me alone."
"ha!" luke laughed, "insufferable, sure. i would prefer handsome and persistent, but that's just me."
the interviewer cocked her head to the side, "care to elaborate on that y/n?"
"gladly, so you guys can hear about just how annoying this boy is," you said, no bite to your tone. "there's this spot at camp half blood, which is my dad's music camp, where me and luke met, that i've been going to for years. i go there to get away from the noise of everything and i was having a tough summer then so i really needed some alone time. unfortunately, mr. castellan here found me and decided to sit next to me and annoy me. then we found out we were gonna be cabin mates and the rest is history."
"so your first impression of luke was that he was annoying?"
"yes."
the interviewer laughed, sensing that it was the truth, but now it couldn't be further from how you felt about him. she turned to luke, "and what was your first impression of her?"
"she was the most gorgeous girl i've ever seen."
"shut up," you groaned, hiding your face again. luke said the sentence with no hesitation. he didn't think about what he was going to say. it was almost like it was rehearsed, but it wasn't. neither of you knew what the questions were going to be beforehand. when luke said things, it just felt true.
luke shrugged, "you don't have to believe me but that's really what i thought. you were sitting there by yourself in that unc field hockey hoodie with your eyes closed for a second. you looked like you were so relaxed and just so beautiful. i don't know, five star. there was just something about you that pulled me to you. usually, i leave things up to fate, but i knew this one, with you, i just couldn't. turns out fate was working in my favor anyway by putting us in the same cabin."
it seemed like the rest of the room disappeared as you turned your attention to him, "i didn't know you had so much fate in the universe."
"i believe in karma," he started, "i was also having a pretty rough start to the summer and i figured, the universe was gonna give me some good karma soon. i didn't realize it would be the best kind of karma. i found you."
you groaned, using the cue cards to hide the redness of your cheeks, "fuck off, castellan. you're such a sap."
"guilty," luke laughed with his whole chest, shoulders hunched over as he struggled to get his next words out, "okay. let's get back on track. what is your favorite activity we do together?"
"this is gonna sound like a cop out answer but honestly, everything," you answered, tilting your head to the side to give him a soft smile. "we're apart more often than we're together with our schedules and i think i just treasure the time we do get to spend with each other, no matter what we're doing, y'know?"
"agreed," he affirmed, fondness dripping from his voice. "i mean it's been really hard to see each other in person, like you said with our schedules conflicting, but i also really love the fact that when we do see each other, it's like no time has passed at all."
"yeah," you looked down at the cards on your lap, "okay final question: where do you see us in five years? woah, loaded question, this one."
"oh, that's easy," luke waved off, placing his own cards down on the table beside him. "rings on both of our fingers, me still looking oh so helplessly in love with you, and you and a mini-us being my biggest fans but simultaneously also being the ones who humble me the most."
forgetting that you were in front of a camera, your eyes welled up with tears of joy, "you answered that quick."
the charming smile you fell in love with appeared on luke's face once more, "i've been thinking about this since i met you, five star. i had this answer planned out for months, i was just waiting for you to ask the question."
bonus: comments on the video
'oh my god he's so down bad'
'he's so in love with her it literally hurts'
'YN IS GOD'S FAVORITE'
'she's always giving him shit but she looks at him like he hung the stars in the sky im soft'
hey there idk if you’re taking requests or anything but if this is also more of a question idk up to you but i’m curious will we ever get a pm!luke castellan proposal to five star they are so cute i love them
hiii anon! technically i'm not writing for luke at the moment, but i can't lie, i stay up at night thinking of pm!luke and five star. if inspiration strikes, i will 100% write this because i love them and their relationship so much.
p.s. it makes me so happy to know that people love pm!luke and five star as much as i love them <3
everyone was joking about trump dying today and I think that's really horrible and cruel. PLEASE do not joke about trump dying unless it's true and confirmed!!! I got really excited and then when I found out he was still alive i was really disappointed!! like that's so mean to do to people
"hi, my name is luke castellan and i'm the lead singer of poisoned mercury," luke smiled brightly at the camera, "and today i'm joined by a special guest, my lovely, lovely, girlfriend. wanna introduce yourself baby?"
"hi, i'm y/n. i play for the unc field hockey team," you said, shuffling your cue cards out of nervous habit. when luke first approached you with the idea of doing this couples interview for gq, you were hesitant. it wasn't a secret that you stayed out of the spotlight all of your life, which proved to be difficult at times given your dad's fame. but since making your relationship public, the general public opinion has been positive and you decided it was time to step out of your comfort zone.
luke didn't force you to do the interview. he understood why you chose to keep to yourself and he was fine with that. but he would be lying if he said that he didn't nearly jump for joy when you agreed to the interview. after all, he was able to fulfill his contractual duties for his job while spending time with you, instead of choosing one over the other. and he got to talk about you for an hour, which he did in interviews anyway.
"nuh uh, don't do that, five star," luke shook his head, a playful smile tugging on his lips, "she doesn't just play for the team, she's the reigning back-to-back NCAA champion and current MVP."
you laughed, putting your face in your hands, "you're embarrassing me and we just started!"
"get used to it, baby," he replied before turning his attention to the camera again, "today, we'll be doing the couples quiz. wanna start?"
"sure," you looked down at the first card in your pile, "what was our first date?"
"oh, good question," luke leaned back in his chair, looking mindlessly at the ceiling while he formulated his answer, "well, i say that because-- do you want the answer to what was our first real date as a couple? or first date before we got our shit together?"
you smiled at him fondly, "both."
"well, our first date, which was not a date at the time, was at an arcade back when we were at camp and our first official date, which did not happen until months into our relationship– believe it or not everyone, there are not many date spots in montauk– was over winter break in los angeles. we went to nobu because you wanted to try it and we watched the sunset there. then we realized the portions at nobu are so small and we were hungry after dinner so we went to in-n-out and ate in my car.”
“is that correct?” the interviewer asked from behind the camera.
you nodded, playfully rolling your eyes, “yup. one point for you, i guess.”
“nope, that’s not fair. i should get two because i remember both.”
“that is not how the game works, castellan!”
“whatever, but in my heart i do have two points,” he stuck his tongue out at you, scrunching his face up in an adorable way that made you want to lean over and kiss him. “okay, five star, your turn. how did we meet?"
"we met because you were an insufferable little shit and you crashed my favorite alone spot and would not leave me alone."
"ha!" luke laughed, "insufferable, sure. i would prefer handsome and persistent, but that's just me."
the interviewer cocked her head to the side, "care to elaborate on that y/n?"
"gladly, so you guys can hear about just how annoying this boy is," you said, no bite to your tone. "there's this spot at camp half blood, which is my dad's music camp, where me and luke met, that i've been going to for years. i go there to get away from the noise of everything and i was having a tough summer then so i really needed some alone time. unfortunately, mr. castellan here found me and decided to sit next to me and annoy me. then we found out we were gonna be cabin mates and the rest is history."
"so your first impression of luke was that he was annoying?"
"yes."
the interviewer laughed, sensing that it was the truth, but now it couldn't be further from how you felt about him. she turned to luke, "and what was your first impression of her?"
"she was the most gorgeous girl i've ever seen."
"shut up," you groaned, hiding your face again. luke said the sentence with no hesitation. he didn't think about what he was going to say. it was almost like it was rehearsed, but it wasn't. neither of you knew what the questions were going to be beforehand. when luke said things, it just felt true.
luke shrugged, "you don't have to believe me but that's really what i thought. you were sitting there by yourself in that unc field hockey hoodie with your eyes closed for a second. you looked like you were so relaxed and just so beautiful. i don't know, five star. there was just something about you that pulled me to you. usually, i leave things up to fate, but i knew this one, with you, i just couldn't. turns out fate was working in my favor anyway by putting us in the same cabin."
it seemed like the rest of the room disappeared as you turned your attention to him, "i didn't know you had so much fate in the universe."
"i believe in karma," he started, "i was also having a pretty rough start to the summer and i figured, the universe was gonna give me some good karma soon. i didn't realize it would be the best kind of karma. i found you."
you groaned, using the cue cards to hide the redness of your cheeks, "fuck off, castellan. you're such a sap."
"guilty," luke laughed with his whole chest, shoulders hunched over as he struggled to get his next words out, "okay. let's get back on track. what is your favorite activity we do together?"
"this is gonna sound like a cop out answer but honestly, everything," you answered, tilting your head to the side to give him a soft smile. "we're apart more often than we're together with our schedules and i think i just treasure the time we do get to spend with each other, no matter what we're doing, y'know?"
"agreed," he affirmed, fondness dripping from his voice. "i mean it's been really hard to see each other in person, like you said with our schedules conflicting, but i also really love the fact that when we do see each other, it's like no time has passed at all."
"yeah," you looked down at the cards on your lap, "okay final question: where do you see us in five years? woah, loaded question, this one."
"oh, that's easy," luke waved off, placing his own cards down on the table beside him. "rings on both of our fingers, me still looking oh so helplessly in love with you, and you and a mini-us being my biggest fans but simultaneously also being the ones who humble me the most."
forgetting that you were in front of a camera, your eyes welled up with tears of joy, "you answered that quick."
the charming smile you fell in love with appeared on luke's face once more, "i've been thinking about this since i met you, five star. i had this answer planned out for months, i was just waiting for you to ask the question."
bonus: comments on the video
'oh my god he's so down bad'
'he's so in love with her it literally hurts'
'YN IS GOD'S FAVORITE'
'she's always giving him shit but she looks at him like he hung the stars in the sky im soft'
synopsis: johnny forgets to hang up the phone and you accidentally hear something not meant for your ears. (roughly based on sugar talking by sabrina carpenter)
johnny storm masterlist
"is that y/n?" you heard sue ask in the background.
johnny walked over to the kitchen counter, standing a few feet away from his sister as she fed mushed apples to franklin in his high chair. he removed the phone from his ear and clicked on the speaker button, "baby, say hi to sue."
"hey, sue," you beamed, "how's it going?"
"as well as it could be with a toddler," she replied, sighing. she wiped the corner of franklin's mouth with his bib, the baby happily babbling away at the attention he was receiving. "what about you? it's been a while since i've seen you around."
"yeah, i'm at a work trip in london right now. i'll be back tomorrow and i think johnny is picking me up from the airport."
"babe, c'mon," johnny scoffed, leaning over to give franklin's cheek a soft pinch. he rested his elbows on the kitchen counter, holding his phone in his left hand. "of course, i'm gonna pick you up from the airport. i haven't seen you in like a week. i might die if i don't see you the minute you land on our side of the pond."
"yuck," sue joked, "keep it in your pants, storm."
"yeah, j, you sound a little dramatic right now."
johnny rolled his eyes, but his smitten smile told a different story. he took the phone off speaker and placed it by his ear again, "you call it dramatic, i call it the truth."
"well, the people of new york can't have you dying so i suppose you should pick me up tomorrow."
"does 'the people of new york' include you?" he bit his bottom lip, trying his best to hide the lovestruck smile on his face that sue would most likely tease him over after he gets off the phone with you.
"if you're on time to pick me up, yes."
"oh, baby, i'm there two hours early with a bouquet of flowers and a welcome home sign."
sue narrowed her eyes at johnny as she heard the faint sound of your laughter through the phone. johnny's cheeks grew a light shade of pink at the sound. johnny was down bad. it was cute.
"alright, j," you replied, "i gotta go, but i'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"counting down the hours, babe."
you hummed, "bye."
"bye, baby." johnny placed his phone face down on the counter.
he thought he clicked on the button to end the call, but alas, you were still on the other line. you were about to end the call yourself and send him a text telling him he's such a klutz sometimes, but then you heard his voice on the other side of the line.
you thought that it was him realizing his mistake. you thought that he would pick up the phone again and say goodbye one more time.
but you were wrong.
"i like her, you know," sue said, though her voice was muffled. "she's good for you."
"yeah, she is." johnny replied.
you felt bad listening in on their private conversation, but it was also nice to know that his family approved of you. you'd been seeing johnny for close to five months now. it was still a secret to the rest of the world, but his family knew about you.
you've had multiple sunday night family dinners with them. you practically cemented your place at the table. you had chores that you signed up for (johnny washes the dishes and you dry them). franklin makes grabby hands at you when you visit.
in all sense of the word, you were already a part of the family.
sue spoke again, "is she coming to the mayor's gala next week?"
you blinked. you've talked to johnny every day since you started dating. he never mentioned anything about a gala. surely it just slipped his mind.
you listened intently.
johnny paused, "i haven't asked her."
"johnny, we've known about this for two months," sue reprimanded, "you need to tell her soon so she can get everything in order on her end. it's a big deal. i'm sure she'd like to prepare for it."
"i don't know if i should bring her."
sue's eyes buldged out of her head. she placed the mushed apples and spoon down on the counter, placing her now empty hands on her hips, "what do you mean?"
"i mean, it's casual, you know?" johnny started, "i don't know if it's a good idea to bring her to something so public."
you pulled the phone away from your ear. tears began to well in your eyes. you hurriedly clicked on the 'end call' button and the line went dead.
"this is why you don't eavesdrop on people's coversations," you muttered to yourself. you haphazardly rubbed your eyes, wiping your cheeks free of the tears that slipped past.
johnny thought you were casual. johnny doesn't want to be seen with you in public.
the realization dawned on you like a cold wave. whatever you thought you had with johnny was one-sided. he wasn't planning dates every week or introducing you to his family or picking you up from the goddamn airport to show you he was serious about you. from the information you just learned, he does this for casual.
the thought of it made you sick.
on the other side of the dead line, johnny winced at his sister's booming voice.
"johnny, what the hell are you talking about?!" she exclaimed, confusion etched on her features. "what do you mean this is casual between the two of you?"
johnny groaned, running his fingers through his hair, "god, of course it's not casual to me. but i don't know what this is to her. i don't know if she even wants to be public with me. she knows what that territory comes with."
sue softened, "have you talked to her?"
"no," he responded, "and i don't know if i can."
"of course you can, johnny," she placed a comforting hand on his arm, "what's stopping you?"
"i'm scared." johnny admitted, looking at sue. "what if i lose her over this? what if she says that this isn't something that she signed up for? the media, the public, the scrutiny? i'd rather have her in secret with you guys than not have her at all."
"hey," sue placed a hand under his chin, cradling his face like how she used to when he was younger. "you need to talk to her. right now, you're making the decision for her and that's not fair. you need to give her the chance to decide what she wants for the two of you."
"i know," he muttered, "but it's scary."
"mhm," she hummed, giving him a sisterly smile, "but if it's any consolation, i have a feeling she'll stick around."
"thanks, sue," johnny said. "i'll talk to her tomorrow."
"good." she picked up the food again and sat beside franklin to continue feeding him. the baby smiled at johnny, quietly telling his uncle that he's got this.
johnny placed a kiss on the top of franklin's head and made his way to his room. he picked up his phone that was forgotten on the counter. his heart jumped at the notification from you.
from: babe <3
'hey, on second thought, you don't need to pick me up tomorrow. i think i'll be too tired so i'll just go straight to my apartment.'
johnny frowned at your text, his fingers quickly swiping on the screen to call you again. he chewed nervously on his bottom lip as each call went straight to voicemail.
he plopped on his bed, typing a quick response to your message.
to: babe <3
'i can take you straight to your apartment, baby. no worries.'
he waited patiently for your response, but never got one.
--
the thing about johnny storm is that he's a stubborn individual. it's one of your favorite things about him. once he's made his mind up about something, it takes an army and half-- or in your case, a bat of your eyelashes and a peck on the lips-- for him to change his mind.
however, when you walked out of the airport gates and saw a man with a sign saying 'welcome home, baby!,' holding a bouquet of roses and three heart-shaped balloons, you didn't love his stubbornness at the moment.
he had a baseball cap on his head, perfectly masking him from the public. if it wasn't for his over-the-top attempts of welcoming you home, he would've blended in with the crowd easily.
you didn't want to see johnny. especially not right now when you spent the entire flight home bawling your eyes out and drinking the plane's mini bar dry. the flight attendants cut you off from the wine list by hour two.
johnny beamed as he walked closer to you, arms outstretched to engulf you in a hug. you tensed at the feeling of his arms around you. it felt so nice. you missed being with him while you were away, but the nagging voice in your head continued to replay the words you overheard on the phone.
it's casual.
johnny pulled away, immediately grabbing your bags from your grasp. he handed you the flowers and balloons, "don't worry baby, i'll take you straight home so you can rest. i can just drop you off and we can hang out another time, or we can hang out at yours, if you want? we can just nap or watch a movie. whatever you want to do."
"i thought i told you you didn't need to pick me up," you said, self-consciously tugging at your clothes. you weren't really dressed nicely. you were in sweatpants and a hoodie-- which you realized then was actually johnny's. it's not like he's never seen you in this state before, but you were hoping that the next time you saw johnny you'd be dressed to the nines so he could see what he was missing out on.
it's casual.
johnny unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for you. johnny leaned on the door, "yeah, i know, but i wanted to anyway."
he shut the door before bustling away to put your things in the trunk, including the balloons that took up too much space in the car. as he shut the trunk, johnny took a deep breath.
he practiced what he was going to say to you (with some workshopping from sue) and to say that he was out-of-his-mind scared would be the understatement of the year.
johnny made his way to the driver's seat. before he put the car in drive, he turned to you, "i missed you."
his words sent a pang of hurt in your chest. you closed your eyes, craning your head to look away from him. johnny's eyebrows furrowed, lips forming a tight line. he was expecting a different response. the entire week you've been gone was spent on the phone with him between work meetings and client calls.
"babe? everything okay?"
you wiped your face with the sleeves of your hoodie, cursing silently when johnny's scent hit your nose. you gulped, "johnny, it's fine. you don't have to pretend anymore. i know."
"woah," he turned the engine off, unbuckling his seatbelt so he could face your properly. "what are you talking about?"
"stop it," you groaned, "i already know, okay? you don't have to pretend you're actually into me like this."
"hey, hey, what?" johnny asked, panicked. he reached over to hold your hand, flinching when you pulled away the minute his fingers touched your skin. "babe, what do you mean pretending?"
mustering up all your courage, you faced him. johnny's heart shattered at the sight of your watery eyes and wobbling lips. he wanted nothing else but to hold you and kiss your tears away.
"i heard you on the phone while you were talking to sue," you whispered, the last shred of dignity you had left leaving your body. "look, i know it was wrong of me to listen to your conversation but i couldn't help it, okay? i'm sorry for that."
"what are you apologizing for?" he questioned, "i don't care that you heard what i said-- wait, what exactly did you hear?"
"you said that we're casual." the words left a bitter taste in your mouth.
"wha-" johnny looked bewildered, then he realized that you only heard up to that with his conversation with sue. "oh my god, baby. no, no, no. you got it so wrong."
"how wrong could i be?" you spat, patience running thin that he was still keeping up this facade.
"babe, did you hear the rest of that conversation?"
"i didn't really think i needed to hear more about how i'm casual to you. you made it pretty clear."
against johnny's better judgment, he let out a chuckle, "oh, my love. i don't know you don't see it, but i am head over heels in love with you."
you blinked, "what?"
"if you listened a little longer, you would've heard me saying that nothing about this is casual to me, but i thought that you thought this was casual," he explained, a bashful smile on his lips. "you would've heard me tell sue that i'm terrified of bringing up going public with you because i'm scared that you won't want to and i'll lose you."
"oh."
"and then you would've heard sue tear me a new one for not communicating with you," he laughed, slowly inching his hand closer to yours. he let out a breath of relief when you didn't pull away. "i practiced all night what i was gonna say, but obviously that flew out the window the minute this conversation happened."
"oh," you felt stupid not being able to say anything else but that, but your mind was racing a hundred miles a second. you spent over half a day believing you and johnny were practically over. and now, here he is in front of you, telling you that it's the complete opposite.
"yeah," johnny mumbled, "for the record, this isn't casual to me and i hope it isn't for you either because i gotta tell you babe, i'm so gooddamn, foolishly, wholeheartedly in love with you."
you pursed your lips, swatting his upper arm with a snort, "damn you, j."
"there you are, baby," johnny said, fondly. he held the side of your face in his palm, humming as you nuzzled your face in his warm touch. "let's try this again. i missed you."
"i missed you, too," you whispered, placing a barely-there kiss to his palm. "i'm sorry for how i acted."
"don't be sorry," he assured, "i understand. i probably would've been more heartbroken if i was in your shoes."
you unbuckled your own seatbelt and leaned over the console. you placed your lips on his, sighing in content at the familiar feeling. he placed his hands on either side of your face, holding you close. you pulled away, "for the record, i'm so goddamn, foolishly, wholeheartedly in love with you, too."
johnny's face lit up like a kid on christmas morning. he bumped his nose against yours, "want me to take you home?"
"take me to yours," you replied, "so i can shower and get ready to go shopping. i heard that there's a gala next week? i'm not against showing up uninvited."
johnny laughed, warmth blooming in his chest, "i already rsvp'd for two when i first got the invite two months ago. i was hoping you'd join me, i was just too chicken to ask."
you tilted your head to the side, love oozing out of your pores, "yeah?"
"yeah," he confirmed, "i've been sure about you from the start, baby."