girl whatever

Which was laughable, considering who he was. Johnny Storm had never had “normal” a day in his life, even before the powers. 

Maybe that’s why he craved it so bad. Or…maybe it was just a quarter life crisis. 

He didn’t exactly know when it started, but suddenly he wanted to know what it felt like to walk through a lobby where no one greeted him like he was the president. To buy laundry detergent and groceries and whatever people who don’t have a Herbert to do it for them, well, have to do. To have a mailbox in a locker with a little key, and no need to go through a dozen levels of security clearance just for some fan mail.

Maybe that’s why he found himself going through rental listings at two in the morning in the darkness of his room. Half laying on his round bed, one arm raised up in flames to illuminate the newspaper in front of him. 

This is ridiculous, he thought. He told himself he was just looking. Killing time. He wasn’t going to do it, he was just thinking about it. Swear to God he was not actually going to do it. But an ad caught his eye. 

Roommate Wanted

Apartment in Brooklyn, Park Slope. Two bedrooms, one bathroom. Looking to split rent 50/50. 4th floor. Girls only, unless you’re famous, then we can talk. Call after 7pm if you’re interested. 

“Unless you’re famous,” Johnny chuckled, re-reading the ad, and the name attached to it. 

The ad was pretty vague, but Johnny recognized the location. Safe neighborhood, no rooftop pools in that area, and definitely no doorman. 

It was perfect. 

The next day he counted the hours until 7pm came. He wanted the full experience, so instead of using the fine piece of technology on his wrist to call the number he saw on the ad, he took some coins from Franklin’s piggy bank in exchange of a generous twenty dollar bill–you’re welcome buddy–and found himself a random telephone booth at Central Park, just in time. 

Big breath, here goes nothing. 

-

The landline phone hung on your kitchen wall rang exactly at 7:01pm. You cleaned your hands with a napkin, leaving a bowl of heated leftovers on the counter before picking up. 

“Hello?” You said, holding the phone between your ear and your shoulder. 

“Hey! I’m calling for the apartment ad, I’m very interested.” 

The voice on the other side of the line surprised you. So far only women have called you and unfortunately none of them had agreed with the rental fee. “Uh, sure…what’s your name?” 

“I’m Johnny Storm,” he said immediately.

Okay, pause. Is this guy being for real right now? 

“…Right,” you said after a moment, dragging your words and fiddling with the tangled cord. “And…you’re looking for an apartment?” 

The disbelief in your voice made Johnny sigh. Only when the words left his mouth he realized how ridiculous his name probably sounded. But what else was he supposed to say? He wasn’t planning on hiding who he was, even if it was just a call. That felt wrong.

“Yeah…listen I–uh…I know this may seem a little off, but I’m looking for a place for…personal reasons, and your ad caught my eye. I really like the area and I can definitely pay rent on time.”

He chose to leave out the fact that he could actually pay rent four years in advance. That seemed a little overkill. 

“I swear I don’t set couches on fire, not unless you ask,” he added with a nervous laugh, but his whole body relaxed when he heard the chuckle you left out. “And you said being famous was the exception so…can we talk about it?” 

You contemplated for a moment. To be honest? It seemed too good to be true. On the other hand, you had nothing to lose…and you wanted to go back to your dinner. So you just shrugged. 

“Alright,” you said, “I’ll tell you what, Johnny Storm. There’s a café a few blocks from the apartment, called “Geta’s”. Let's meet there, Saturday at noon. If you’re actually who you say you are, you’re paying for coffee. If you’re not, I’m calling the cops.”

“Geta’s” Johnny grinned. “Roger that. I’ll be there.”

You weren’t actually planning on calling the cops. Or well, you hoped you didn’t have to call them. 

Worst case scenario, some random guy was pretending to be Johnny Storm, and you’d have to ditch the clown and go back to answering calls. Best case? Well…you hadn’t really considered that one, because come on. Johnny Storm, Manhattan’s golden boy, Mr. Baxter Building himself, apartment hunting in Brooklyn?

Absolutely not. 

Still, you got to the café ten minutes early. Picked your favorite table by the window, with a good view of the street and a close exit in case things get weird. You ordered your usual drink, a side of mini croissants, and the wait began. 

You were mid sip when you heard the familiar ring of the bells above the cafe’s door. 

"Mr.Storm!" someone called from behind the counter, way too cheery to be greeting a conman. “Welcome to Geta’s!”

Your head snapped up, and…yup. There he was. 

Johnny Freaking Storm. Golden hair, golden everything. A pair of sunglasses perched on his head, paired with some designer jacket and perfectly fitted pants and that pearly white smile you’d only seen on billboards. 

He looked unfairly good in real life. 

He nodded to the barista, who was currently having a mini stroke behind the register, then turned his gaze toward the tables, looking for…you? 

Right, yeah. You. 

You raised your hand awkwardly, giving a tiny wave that said yep, that’s me, the girl who didn’t think you’d actually show up. He smiled wider at your stunned expression, and strutted straight to you, sliding onto the chair across from you.

“I didn’t actually think Johnny Storm was going to show up today,” you blurted out, making him chuckle. 

“I get that a lot,” he said, shrugging. 

“Do you…want a mini croissant?” 

“Only if they’re not poisoned,” he joked, narrowing his eyes playfully. 

“Right. You’re the Johnny Storm. You probably have someone test the croissants for you.”

“That would be Herbert, yes,” he nodded cockily, getting another chuckle out of you. 

This time you narrowed your eyes at him, trying to process the entire fever dream. He just tilted his head, matching your face expression in amusement. You shook your head and leaned back a little, crossing your arms. 

“Okay, I feel like I need to say this out loud so I know I’m not hallucinating. My apartment is not in Manhattan. It’s not a penthouse. I don’t live next to models or celebrities. Are you sure you replied to the right listing? Or is this just you…pulling a bit? Like a prank show? Because I really do need a roommate.”

Johnny chuckled, shaking his head. 

“No cameras, I promise,” he reassured. “I know where the listing said it was. Park Slope. Two bedrooms. 4th floor. You said girls only unless you’re famous, which, considering…”

He leaned back with a shrug, gesturing at himself.

“Yeah but that was a joke. I mean you could, I don’t know, live anywhere. Somewhere crazier like…the moon or space in general,” you gesture vaguely, because him living in another galaxy sounds more realistic than him sharing a couch with you. 

He seems to find it funny, at least, but something in his face softens before he lets out a sigh. 

“Listen, I know this is weird but…I’m not joking. I don’t want a penthouse. I’m not looking for anything “crazy” or fancy or with zero gravity. I just…want something a little quieter. A little more normal, you know?”

You raised your eyebrows, still skeptical. “Well, Johnny, life in an apartment building is not necessarily “quieter”,” you chuckle. “Normal? For sure. But you’re telling me the big Human Torch, who flies over the stadium to see the Mets, wants normal?”

He shrugged, but there’s no cockiness to it anymore. 

“I know. Shocking, right? But I do," he said. “I mean, the tower’s great and all, but it’s…a lot. And it’s all I’ve known for most of my life. Cameras, tech, Reed in general, it just…never stops. It always feels like everything needs to be perfect, you know? I kind of want a door I can lock and a couch I don’t have to share with a 500 pound rock man. Maybe just with…a normal roommate."

You stared at him in silence. If there was anything you learned from Johnny Storm in that short interaction, it was that he had the bluest of eyes, and the way they were looking at you, like he needed to be understood by some random girl he just met, made something in your heart clench. 

Still, you had questions. You weren’t going to be swooned into giving away half your apartment.

“A normal roommate…” you drawled, still waiting for the punchline of this whole situation. “So, you don’t mind the fact that I have a regular job and I don’t throw superhero parties?”

That makes him grin again. “Well, I was kind of hoping you threw superhero parties. But that’s okay, I can tell spidey to meet me somewhere else.”

You rolled your eyes, but you were smiling. Okay…maybe you’re getting a little swooned. You looked down at your drink, trying to play it cool. 

“And you know I probably won’t scream when you come out of the shower shirtless or whatever?” 

Johnny grinned wider. 

“I mean, you can. You’d have shirtless privileges as long as you don’t go around selling pictures of me.”

That makes your smile grow. Damn him. 

You really tried to stay skeptical. Tried to keep a cool head and ask more serious questions. But shit, they weren’t lying about the Storm charm. 

And the sad truth was…you liked it. The way he made you laugh. The way he was looking at you. Not just in a flirty, over the top Johnny Storm way. He seemed genuine, not necessarily trying to impress. You could tell he was truly interested…maybe even hopeful. 

And I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? You really needed a roommate like, yesterday. 

“Okay, Johnny Storm,” you shrugged. You had nothing to lose. “Wanna go see it?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to fly up the fire escape?” You tease, eyeing the four flights of stairs ahead of you as you walk into the building. 

“Please. I’m going for the full normal experience, remember?” He gives you a smug little smirk.

You snort, then pretend you don’t hear him panting by the third floor. But all the amusement goes away as you open your front door, totally not freaking out about the fact that Johnny Storm–your potential roommate–is about to come inside. 

Time for the house tour. 

The apartment is not that big, not like anything in New York is anyway, but the layout looks decent under the soft light coming through the windows. The ceilings are high, the wood floors shine when the sunlight hits them right and the open kitchen is small but cozy. 

Johnny walks in with an unreadable expression in his face. Still, you can’t help but look at it the way he must be seeing it now; the single couch in the living room with carefully picked mismatched throw pillows, the thrifted coffee table you sanded and painted yourself, the small black and white TV, the organized mess on every surface but…it’s home. It’s been home for a year now. 

He turns around in a slow circle, taking it all in, eyes landing on a small desk by the window with a typewriter on it and stacks of paper all around it. He wanders over there, leaning a hand on the window frame as he looks out over the rooftops. 

The view isn’t breathtaking, not at all like the one he’s used to back home, or the one he sees when he flies over the city, but it’s beautiful nevertheless. Lived in. Rows of shoulder to shoulder red brick facades, dozens of arched doors with molding and tall trees lining up the street. 

Standing here, he feels small. In a good way. 

“It’s actually very nice,” he says, turning to you with a smile. 

“Thanks…” you say. Relief washing your features. “Does it meet the great Johnny Storm’s expectations?”

He shrugs playfully, eyes darting across the floor like he’s looking for something. “I’m still expecting at least one cockroach cameo.”

You gasp in mock offense, but can’t fight the smile on your face. 

“Give it time.” 

You gesture for him to follow you into the mini hallway to access the rooms, separated by a bathroom in the middle. 

“This one’s my room,” you say, pointing to the one that faces the front street. “Yours would be the one on the left. It has good light in the morning.”

He hums, peeking inside the empty room. “I like that.”

“And then…there’s a smaller third one next to yours. I’m using it for storage, and I wasn’t planning to fill it but…I was actually going to talk with my new roommate about considering renting it too. But–” 

“How much more do you need to make it work?”

“What?”

“Well, if you’re gonna have to bring in a third roommate, then I assume the math doesn’t quite work yet. I can do more than 50/50,” he offers like it’s nothing. 

“Johnny…”

“60/40? 70/30? Just tell me what you need, I got it.”

“That’s not really the point,” you say softly, shaking your head. “Look–I just…I’ve loved this apartment for over a year now but rent went up and it’s been a bit tough finding someone who can help afford this place. The building is nice but people’ve been turning me down when hearing their part. So, I thought I might have to split it in three. But I’m not trying to take advantage of anyone, of you...it’s just a big deal for me, living here you know?” You shrug, suddenly feeling self conscious. 

“You’re not taking advantage of me if I want to help,” he says, just as softly. “Seriously. I like it here. This whole thing I’m trying is…kind of a big deal for me too.”

Your shoulders relax a bit, and a smile tugs at your lips. 

“So you really want to live here?”

Johnny looks at you like obviously, before that cocky grin sneaks into his face again. “I already committed to the stairs. I’m invested now.”

That gets a laugh out of you.

“Well,” you smile, stepping toward him, extending your hand, “then I guess we are roommates, Johnny Storm.”

“Roommates,” he nods, sliding his warm hand into yours. 

“Better than the moon, then?” You tease.

“Way better,” he smiles. And oh, that smile is trouble.

Four months later.

Living with a celebrity has been…surprisingly uneventful.

No paparazzi hiding behind the trees, no fans camping outside the lobby, no wild afterparties. In fact, it’s been almost too normal…if you ignore the fact that your roommate is technically flammable.

Johnny hasn't set anything on fire. Not on purpose, at least.

The kitchen had two close calls. Both were an attempted murder breakfast. He claimed the stove was not user friendly because “it has no lights like the one at home”, so you had no choice but to ban him from using it unsupervised. 

Still, he tries. On some nights when you come home dragging your feet from work, he’s already waiting by the TV with takeout bags in hand and his sweater sleeves pushed up as if he made the meal himself.

You’ve also noticed his little communicator/watch thingy beeps every Wednesday at 8 pm for family dinner back home. He flies off the fire escape, only to return a few hours later with something delicious like Ben’s lasagna or Herbert’s infamous cheesecake (you’ve learned he’s actually a droid and not a private chef.)

“Figured you could take some for lunch tomorrow,” he’d say casually, placing whatever he brought carefully in the fridge.

Oh, and the fridge! We have to talk about the refrigerator. A ridiculous piece of fine technology he barely managed to fit through the apartment door. It’s framed in shiny silver, with curved glass doors you didn’t even think was possible a fridge could have. He said he had a similar one at home, and figured your place could use something with the same aesthetic. 

His words. 

And you still remember the day he moved in like it was yesterday. He arrived with an obnoxiously big truck that had to return half full to the Baxter Building, because he overestimated the space he was moving into. 

The bed was the funniest, for sure. Or at least…the attempt to get it in. It took him forty whole minutes of directing two movers to realize his round, ridiculous, king sized bachelor bed would simply not fit through the apartment door, let alone his designated bedroom. Not by angle, not by disassembly, not even with your upstairs neighbor offering unsolicited advice from the stairwell.

Funny times. 

Your favorite part of that day, though? When Johnny took out a shiny, white sphere-shaped turntable out of a blue velvet lined case with more care than you've ever seen a man apply to anything in your life. 

He brought his entire record collection too. Countless boxes of them. He even had custom shelving made for the living room, right above the small tv stand. The wood midcentury curves contrasted perfectly against the brick wall, and were packed to the brim with all his colorful records. Johnny was very proud of it. Back then he’d even said they were for “shared enjoyment,” and you took that to heart. 

Johnny hadn’t noticed how many romantic records he owned until you started wearing them out. He doesn't mind at all, he’s caught himself smiling more than once when he hears you play one without asking for permission anymore. He even keeps your favorites on the shelf closest to the turntable. 

Cause that’s what roommates do. 

He admits it’s a little weird, sharing a space with someone who’s not family or you’re not romantically involved with, but he likes it so far. The simplicity. Sure there’s no cabinets that open with a clap of his hand or a rocketship parked in his backyard, but there’s walking out of his room for a midnight snack only to find you already there making some tea, humming in your pjs under the soft glow of the refrigerator light. That, until he lifts his hand and starts bragging about his flames heating your tea faster than a kettle. There’s watching you spend an entire Sunday hunched over your desk, giving the poor typewriter a run for its money while you play Sinatra in the background.

You also notice things about him. Cause that’s what roommates do. 

Johnny likes dancing. It’s not a rare occasion to find him swaying his hips to Marvin Gaye or Michael Jackson in the middle of the living room when you get home at night. He’s been trying to master the moonwalk, which you discovered one day you arrived early from work (he’s getting there.)

Johnny likes to be active. He gets very fiddly when he’s not saving the world, so he always has to be doing something. Whether it’s cleaning his custom golf clubs, doing push ups in the middle of the living room, or trying to figure out a rubik’s cube Franklin can solve in less than five minutes, but who’s counting?

(Not Johnny.) 

He has an unhealthy obsession with cereal, but we all have guilty pleasures, don’t we?

Johnny also pays the bills. All of them. You’ve tried to argue, even tried to pay some as soon as the receipt came, only to find out he’d already done it because it gets automatically drawn from his bank account. He even goes grocery shopping like you have a pantry the size of the entire apartment. 

“No Johnny, you can’t keep buying in bulk, we don’t have space for all that stuff!!”

And…he’s still The Human Torch. 

He disappears sometimes. You just hear the beep of his watch and he’s gone in a yellow blur. You’ve learned not to worry. Not because you’re not worried, but because he always comes back. 

It’s your new normal. It’s easy. Domestic in a way you didn’t expect after the last…person you lived with. You’re not sure how much longer you can keep deflecting the question that pounds your head every now and then. Is this–whatever this is–the best mistake you’ve ever made?

“What do you do for a living anyways?” Johnny asks, his attention going from the movie to your spot on the floor next to the couch.

It’s almost 9pm on a random Tuesday. You’re folding some laundry into baskets after Johnny convinced you into joining him watching “The Godfather.”

“You see me leave every day with a lanyard that says New York Times, Johnny,” you chuckle, still focused on the shirt you’re folding. 

“Yeah, but with the way you abuse that typewriter at night I’d think you’re running a secret gossip column about me or something.”

You finally look up, only to find him munching his popcorn in amusement. You reach for his bowl to steal some, he pretends to pull it away only for a second, only to extend it closer to you with a grin. 

“Sure Johnny, because I have nothing better to do than write fan fiction about you for the Flaming Heart’s club zines,” you snort, shaking your head, but his tilts in confusion.

“...What’s a fan fiction?” 

The question makes your wrist full of pop corn stop mid-air.

“Uhm…you’re better not knowing,” your voice comes out a little too high pitched, trying to brush it off.

“Right…” he says hesitantly, making a mental note to get the next Flaming heart’s club issue. 

“I write for the paper’s lifestyle section,” you say, trying to stir the conversation away from that topic. Fortunately, he seems to perk up at that. “But it wasn’t always like that, I actually started writing about sports.” 

“Sports?” He asks, lowering the tv’s volume and turning his body more towards you. “You never talk about that.”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly passionate about it. They hired me for whatever they needed. And they needed someone to write about the Mets.”

“The Mets…so you’ve seen me there?” He wiggles his eyebrows, making you roll your eyes playfully. 

“I covered four seasons Johnny, four. I think I saw the human torch painting the game score on the sky a few times,” you chuckle, wiping your hands on your shorts to grab another piece to fold. “Don’t think I could watch another one, though.” 

“Do you hate them?”

“I don’t hate them specifically but…I can’t really stand being in a stadium anymore. My head hurts and it makes me feel sick. It’s so loud, and the games last so long. I had no idea they were that long.”

He tries to be serious, he really does because you’re opening up, but the words leave his mouth before he can stop them. 

“That’s what she said.”

You look at him stunned for a second, before you both burst into laughter. Of course. But you don’t get mad. If anything, it helps ease some tension off your shoulders.

“Okay, okay, sorry,” he apologizes after a moment, clearing his throat when your laugh subsides. “So, lifestyle then?”

“They moved me last year. Which is better…I guess.”

It’s not just your hesitant tone that makes Johnny soften, but the way you start to fold a pair of socks like your life depends on it. His gaze goes to your desk by the window, still stacked with mountains of papers and the cup of tea you forgot to take to the sink last night. 

“That still doesn’t explain the aggressive typing at midnight,” he adds, prying a little more. “Unless you’re too passionate about throw pillows or vitamins or whatever a lifestyle column is about, but by the way you told me about it…I’m guessing that's not the dream, right?” 

You chuckle at his analysis, but there’s more sadness in it than amusement.       

“I want to write novels,” you admit quietly. “Romance, actually.”

That makes his eyebrows go up.

“Oh, now that makes sense,” he says with a teasing grin.

You whip your head toward him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Oh come on,” he laughs, leaning back on the couch to look at the ceiling, gesturing dramatically in the air. “The girl who listens to love songs repeatedly, wants to write romance novels? Not very surprising.”

You gasp, nudging his knee so he looks at you. 

“May I remind you those are your records I’m playing?”

“Oh, please. You put them on more than I do.”

You try not to smile, but with Johnny…you’ve learned that’s impossible. 

“Yeah, well, it’s not my fault you’ve got a softie’s taste in music,” you tease, going back to your stupid pile of clothes when he finally looks at you, feigning offense.

“I will not tolerate slander in my own home.”You both fall into soft laughter again, before he decides to turn the volume back up, not really caring about what he might’ve missed. Romance novels, huh. He’s definitely using that against you later.

It’s supposed to be another random Tuesday night. 

You’ve called it a day, and intend to sit back and relax and enjoy your evening. You’re about to walk out of your room to make some tea for bed, when you hear the familiar rustle of Johnny’s keys on the front door, but it’s not just his footsteps you hear. 

No, there’s a giggle. A girl giggle. 

“Oh my god, you weren’t kidding about the stairs!” She says, followed by a breathless little laugh. “Wait…this is it?”

You’re still in your room where you can't see them, but by the sound of the girl’s voice, she’s not exactly impressed about the place Johnny Storm brought her into. But he doesn’t seem to mind, instead, you can hear his footsteps going toward the turntable, probably rummaging through his “setting the mood” shelf. 

“Yep. This is where I live.”

There’s a brief pause, where you assume the girl is looking around trying to find a camera that would explain this is just a bad prank.

“…Really? I thought you lived in a penthouse,” she says, laughing nervously again. “I don’t know, something with a view, at least?”

“Nope,” Johnny says, and you can hear the unbothered smile on his face. “This is home.”

She doesn’t say anything back, but you’re guessing she’s probably trying to smile politely like her life depends on it. After all, she’s not stupid enough to waste the opportunity of spending the night with the human torch.

You don’t know what makes you step out of your room, maybe curiosity killed the cat, but you regret it the moment you see the girl Johnny brought home. The brunette looks like her face belongs in a billboard as much as he does. She’s still standing by the door, shifting awkwardly, and her eyes widen when she sees you walk out in pj’s. 

“Oh hey!” Johnny says quickly, gesturing between you with a little laugh before she spirals. “This is my roommate. And this is, um…Paige.”

You smile, just enough to be polite, crossing your arms over your chest to try to keep at bay whatever you’re feeling.

“Hi, Paige.” That’s all you can manage to say. Johnny pretends going back to choosing a record, but he watches you from the corner of his eye. 

Paige straightens on her spot, smiling way too cheerfully for the expression of bewilderment she had just seconds ago. “Hi! I love the place. It’s so…cozy.”

You nod, ignoring the way she looks up and down at you, and decide it’s wiser to forget about that tea.

“Nice meeting you. I’ll uh…leave you both to it…” you mutter, before doing the only thing a sane person would do. 

Retreat to your room, shut the door, and pretend you don’t exist. 

You decide to go back to your plans of enjoying the evening, and curl up with a good book in bed–thinking a glass of wine wouldn't be the worst idea–when you hear music coming from the living room. And it’s not just any song. Of course it’s not.

The opening sultry sequence is unmistakable, so instantly recognizable that your eyes go wide as your head snaps toward the door. 

“I’ve been really tryyyyyyin’, baby…”

“No fucking way,” you whisper to yourself.

“Tryin’ to hold back this feeling for so looooong…”

You rush to the door, pressing your ear to the wood to confirm you’re not hallucinating. Johnny really is shooting his shot with Marvin Gaye in the background. 

Way to set the fucking mood. Literally.

“Oh my God,” you slap a hand over your mouth to stop the disbelieving laughter bubbling out of your chest. “That’s his move?”

You can’t help it. You have to see this. You crack the door open just enough to take a peek of the living room. The record spins on the turntable, as Johnny stands in front of the couch Paige is sitting on. 

“Let’s get it on…”

And girl, Johnny’s getting it on. He has his arms up in front of him, elbows bent, fists and eyes closed, completely surrendering to the groove. He rolls his shoulders seductively, and his hips are doing a slow sway that makes your jaw drop to the floor. 

He’s performing, right in the middle of your apartment, and you’re not sure if you should be horrified or turned on. 

The girl on the couch is surely eating it up. She giggles, covering her mouth like this is the most charming thing she’s ever seen. Johnny throws in a little hip circle, that feels unnecessarily dramatic in your humble opinion, but she squeals louder, clapping as she melts under his mating spell.

“Let’s get it on…let’s love, baby…”

You can’t believe him, you can not believe him…and yet, your lips twitch at the way he’s completely unaware of how stupid he looks because he’s too busy having fun doing his weird seduction ritual. 

Of course this is how he flirts. Of course he dances like that. And of course people fall for it.

You shake your head, smiling despite yourself. Paige laughs again, and Johnny grins wide, clearly proud of himself. He offers his arm to her with a wink, leaning forward, and she takes his hand with a delighted gasp that seems to seal the deal. 

That also means you’ve seen enough. 

You close the door softly, pressing your back against it as the music and the giggles muffle behind it. You tell yourself that you should be annoyed. You should be rolling your eyes. But god help you, there’s this weird tender feeling blooming on your chest, and you hate it. Because even when he’s being ridiculous, even when he’s dancing to Marvin Gaye for someone else…You still find him stupidly endearing.

-

Unfortunately, Johnny’s wasn’t the only performance of the night. 

Oh no, you wish you could go back to the stupid mating dance instead of…this. 

First you just heard the creak of a bed. His bed. Followed by a sound that could only be described as a high, breathy, and absolutely overdone…moan. A performative moan. The walls are thin, not paper thin, but still enough that every exaggerated sound from his guest bleeds through. 

“Oh my goood, Johnnyyy…”

You try covering your ears with your pillow, hoping it’ll help muffle the show Paige is putting on next to your room. But no, this girl is committed. She’s moaning as if she’s trying to convince someone. Anyone. Everyone. 

God, what if your neighbors think that’s you?

Your groan is muffled by the pillow. This is torture, absolute torture. You know Johnny must be good in bed. That’s not the problem. The problem is that she sounds like she’s aware she has an audience.

You lift yourself on your elbows to glance at the clock and sigh at the time. 1:07 a.m.

Who goes on a date on a Tuesday? 

Granted, if you were fucking Johnny you probably wouldn’t mind the day, or the hour–alright STOP right there. That’s not the point! 

You plop back down, exhausted, but sleep doesn’t come easily. You just stare at the ceiling, counting the cracks you’ve never bothered to notice before, in an attempt to ignore Johnny’s muffled groans. 

You tell yourself it’s fine. You tell yourself you’re a grown adult who can handle the fact that her roommate has a sex life. There was never a rule against Johnny bringing someone home. He lives here. He pays for almost everything for God’s sake. He’s allowed to bring anyone wants. 

It's just…you were naive enough to think he wouldn't.

Girl, whatever.

Wednesday’s morning sun hits you like a slap in the face. 

You couldn’t sleep well, not with the symphony next door. So you forced yourself up from bed and got ready for work by a miracle. Now, yawning and barely keeping your eyes open, you drag your feet toward the kitchen to find some salvation in the form of caffeine, but you don’t make it two steps outside your bedroom before you collide directly into something solid. 

And wet. And warm. Too warm. 

Johnny. 

Who was just stepping out of the bathroom with water dripping down his golden skin. A white towel hangs low on his hips. Like low low. His clenched fist barely keeps it in place. Blonde hair sticking in strands to his forehead. 

You freeze in place. 

“Morning,” he says, smirking, “You okay? You look like you just saw a very handsome man.”

You don’t really hear him. And you absolutely do not stare at his chest, his abs, or the water trickling down his happy trail. But you do notice the hickeys adorning his glistening pecs. Bright and fresh and mocking you.

“It’s okay if you want to scream.” His teasing voice makes you roll your eyes as you shove past him. 

“Put on some damn clothes, Storm.”

Johnny lets out a chuckle, leaning over the bathroom’s door frame with his arm. 

“Why? You looked like you were enjoying the view,” he adds, and just to show off more, he steams the water off his body in a matter of seconds. “You know, you can just say I’m hot. I’d be flattered, really.”

He expects you to say some witty remark, or give into him with a laugh like you always do, but you give him the cold shoulder treatment. Then you distract yourself by stabbing the buttons on the espresso machine he brought in just last week. Johnny notices not only that, but your sudden aggression toward the cereal box and the bowl you set a little too harshly onto the counter. He frowns, stepping slowly into the kitchen. 

“Hey…wait, are you–“

“I’m not mad,” you say, still not looking at him.

“I didn’t say you were,” he shrugs, lifting one hand innocently before smirking again. “…but are you not though?” 

“I’m just tired, okay? Some of us had to sleep last night instead of entertaining their very loud…guest.”

“Ohhh,” he clicks his tongue, grin only growing bigger. “So this is about last night. That’s what you’re mad about.”

“I said I’m not mad!” You snap.

There’s a few seconds of silence where Johnny debates turning around and hiding in his room before you throw a knife at him or something, but since he apparently has no survival instinct, he leans closer, tilting his head inquisitively at you. 

“…Are you sure?” 

You set your palms on the counter with a sigh. But instead of going for the knife in the drawer to your right (very tempting) you step away from him. 

“Johnny–listen I’m not mad that you brought someone over,” you start explaining, a little hesitant because wow, this is awkward. “You live here too and you can bring whoever you want. It’s not about that.”

“Okay…” he drags the word, waiting for the but.

“It’s just…it was a weeknight, alright? I have work today and I could barely sleep.”

You see the shift in Johnny’s face when he takes in your exhausted features, your slumped shoulders and the lame work outfit you didn’t seem to care much about. His brows furrow in something that looks like concern as a mild pink paints his cheeks. That’s when you straighten up, shaking your head in an attempt to take it back as sudden embarrassment takes over you.

“Sorry, that probably sounded dumb. Swear I’m not trying to police your sex life–you’re an adult! You can…you can do whatever you want, whenever you want–” you fumble through your words, but this time Johnny is the one shaking his head as he steps closer to you, so close that you can feel the warmth radiating off his bare chest.

“Shit. I didn’t even think–you’re right,” he says, scratching the back of his head as he turns redder. “I’m sorry…I should’ve thought about that. I really didn’t mean to…make you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t, not in the way you think,” you reassure, lowering your eyes to the bowl on the counter with a little shrug. “Maybe I just didn’t need to hear…all of it. You know?”

He nods a little too quickly. “Yeah yeah, totally, I get it. This uh–this roommate thing’s still new to me, but I’ll be more careful next time. Promise.”

Next time. Promise. You’re not sure why that didn’t make you feel better. Next time. Next time you’ll–

“Thank you,” you mumble, feeling Johnny’s gaze fixed on you as you nod and turn away from him toward the coffee machine again. 

Johnny hums, and decides to retreat back to his room, bare feet dragging over the wood floor. The roommate thing is not necessarily new new to him, but living in a shared apartment with thin walls is. At least back at home no one complained about his night endeavours anymore after Reed installed a soundproofing system specifically for this purpose. 

He stops right outside his room, his hand resting on the doorknob when he turns to you with that charming smile he wears when he knows he’s done something wrong and he needs to fix it. 

“Lunch tomorrow?” He asks casually, almost laughing at the way your head snaps up toward him with wide eyes. “To make it up to you. It’s your day off.” 

The perplexed expression on your face doesn’t change. 

“You…know?” You tilt your head, narrowing your eyes at him. 

“You marked it on the calendar with a little face next to it.” He grins, shrugging cockily. 

“I didn’t–” Your eyes land on the calendar next to the landline phone on the wall, and sure there is a little smiley face next to your circle. “You drew that there!” you accuse with a small laugh he follows.

“Whatever. It’s still my treat, what do you say?”

“But…Paige won’t be mad?” you tease, and he bites back a chuckle as he shakes his head. 

“She was just a one time thing.” 

His expression doesn't falter, but something about the quickness of his reply makes your heart do something stupid again. 

“Then…yeah, guess I’d like that,” you say softly. 

“Good. I’m picking the place,” he nods with a smile.

You definitely don’t stare at his back as he disappears into his room.

“I got sunshineeee, on a cloudy day…”

The music coming from the jukebox is lively, and matches the bright diner Johnny brought you to. He’d tried hailing a cab to get there, but you dragged him toward the subway, where he insisted on getting his own card to cover your fare at least.

He adored the subway, though! That poor innocent soul. 

You weren’t really sure where he was taking you, but you liked the place he chose. 

“Can I get you anything else, honey?” The waitress asks Johnny after scribbling down your order. A kind middle aged woman with bright red lipstick, who has apparently known Johnny since he was a kid. 

“That’s everything for now. Thank you, Glinda,” he smiles, sending a wink her way. 

She laughs, shaking her head, used to him doing that every other day. Then her gaze travels between you two with a smile you can’t quite decipher. 

“You two are cute,” she says suddenly.

“We’re not–”

“Thanks!” Johnny cuts you off, and before you can protest, he nudges your foot under the table until Glinda leaves. He chuckles when he sees you narrowing your eyes at him. “Let her believe it. We’ll get better service.”

“Huh. Did that work with Paige too?” You tease with a tilt of your head, and Johnny raises his eyebrows in surprise. 

“Wow. So we’re doing that today?”

You shrug, a laugh escaping your lips. “I’m just saying, if I’m gonna be one of your girls of the week, I should know if you’re using the same techniques.”

“Oh don’t worry, you’ll meet the rest of my harem later and you can ask them yourself,” Johnny plays along, making your grin widen. “But if it makes you feel better, you’re the first one I’ve ever brought here.”

Something about the comment makes something flutter in your stomach. You look around, and this is definitely not the place you imagine the girls Johnny dates hanging out. No wonder he hasn’t brought them here, after all,  this is just a casual “I fucked too loud the other day and I need you to forgive me” spot. 

“How do you know this place?” You ask. 

“Sue used to bring me here when I was little,” he explains, smiling softly as he recalls the memory. “Best burgers in the city. I didn’t want to eat anywhere else." 

You smile, and shake the bad thoughts away, grateful to be the first one he decided to share this space with besides his sister. 

Your food arrives eventually, and the conversation flows easily between you, just as if you were sitting on the floor of your living room. He always shares stories about his missions that seem too good to be true, and when you share stories from your job, the craziest thing you can tell him is the absurd HR drama of the week. 

“...I guess you'd say

What can make me feel this way?...” 

The music fills the restaurant, and the food is so good, you can’t help the delight on your face.  

“Oh my god, you weren’t lying about these,” you say, a little muffled, after the last glorious bite of your burger. 

Johnny chuckles, nodding like ‘I told you so’. You’re too busy tasting heaven to notice when he leans forward on his booth, and before you know it, his hand is reaching toward your cheek, wiping some leftover sauce with a napkin. 

“There you go,” he says softly. 

The gesture is so sudden that you freeze on your spot and stop chewing, but Johnny looks unbothered as ever, leaning back again with both arms resting on the edge of the booth like that was nothing. You stare at his relaxed position, and finish swallowing what was in your mouth, trying to ignore the lingering feeling of his warm fingers grazing your skin. 

“Thank you,” you manage, clearing your throat. 

“Anytime,” he shrugs, flashing you another one of his pearly white smiles. 

“...My girl (my girl, my girl)

Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl)...”

-

“Well, I think that should cover the noise,” Johnny says, following behind as you enter the apartment after getting back from the diner. 

“Fine. Apology accepted, Storm.” You roll your eyes, but can’t help a smile as you go straight to the living room. 

You plop down onto the couch, and Johnny throws himself beside you. There’s a comfortable silence for a few seconds, one he couldn’t wait to ruin by opening his mouth. 

“Don’t worry, next time I’ll keep it down,” he says nonchalantly. “I can be considerate.”

Maybe he meant it as a joke, you tell yourself. Next time. It really shouldn’t bother you, but it’s the second time he says it like the idea of having another woman on his bed is as casual as eating a burger. 

Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t–

“Well, hopefully the next one doesn’t fake it so loudly.” 

The words left your mouth before you could think about their impact. Johnny turns fully toward you, straightening up on the couch. 

“I’m sorry, what? Did you just say Paige was faking it?” 

You consider getting up and ignoring the conversation altogether, but that would make you look worse than you already do. 

“I didn’t say any names,” you try to brush it off. 

“You absolutely meant Paige,” he retorts. “And she wasn’t faking it.”

“…Okay,” is all you say, pursing your lips together. Johnny narrows his eyes. 

“You don’t believe me,” he says defensively, and it’s a little hard not to laugh at Johnny's genuine offense.

“Well, did you believe her?” You ask, raising your eyebrows.

He looks at you like you’ve gone mad. “Yes, of course I did! I’m very attentive with those things. I would know.”

“Okay then,” you shrug, leaning forward to take the tv remote from the coffee table, but he beats you to it, and hides it behind him. “Johnny!”

“No! Don’t patronize me,” he points at you with his finger, “I pay attention, okay? I’m not saying I’m Casanova–”

“You kind of are.”

“Well not the point,” he glares at you, but you just bite back a smile and wave your hand for him to continue. “What I mean is, women don’t fake it with me.”

He says it with such conviction, that all you can do is bite the inside of your cheek to not burst out laughing. I mean, of course certified hot stuff™ Johnny Storm would believe that. 

“Okay–”

“Stop saying okay!” He groans dramatically, running his hands through his hair like this is physically wearing him out, and then holds them in front of you. “You wanna hear the details? Fine. She said she came ten times.”

“Ten times?”

“Yeah.”

“Johnny.”

“What?”

“Ten??”

“Yes. Ten,” he says proudly, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Did you also come ten times?” 

He goes quiet for a moment, his mouth opening and closing in offense. You raise your eyebrows and nod with your head, prompting him to talk. 

“No that’s…that’s impossible,” he huffs. All you have to do is give him a look. See? “Okay–stop. It’s different for women.”

“Yeah, I know it is. That’s why you don’t understand,” you sigh, trying to sound nicer now because despite everything, you’re not trying to humiliate him. “Listen, I’m sure you’re good in bed, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen for us. And sometimes girls don’t want to stop everything and explain that in the middle of it, so they fake it to be…polite.” 

He looks flabbergasted to say the least. 

“Polite? So you’re saying faking orgasms is what, being generous with us?”

“I think she was very generous, making you believe it was twelve times.”

“I said ten,” he snaps.

“Right, ten. God forbid I say an unrealistic number.”

Johnny narrows his eyes at you, but your amused smile doesn’t falter. That’s the moment when the devil on his shoulder whispers something to him, and a glint appears in his eye. 

“Well, what about you, then?” He asks casually.

“What about me?” You narrow your eyes. 

“Do you have to fake it a lot with the guys you are with?”

“Johnny…” you laugh, rolling your eyes at how he turned it around.

“I’m just saying,” he smirks. “You seem to know a lot about it. Did you have to do it a lot?” He’s teasing, you know it, but there's a bit of genuine curiosity under all that. 

“Like I said, sometimes it just doesn’t happen for us,” you shrug, chuckling again but it doesn’t reach your eyes this time, “my last partner was…attentive. So I didn’t have to. At least…not at first.”

“Your last partner?"

You hesitate for a second, then nod.

“We were together for five years.” 

“Five years?” Johnny straightens up, unconsciously sliding himself closer to you on the couch. “You were with someone for five years?”

“Yeah. I actually thought I was gonna spend the rest of my life with him,” you smile sadly. “His name is James.”

Johnny hates James. 

He’s not sure what to say besides that. You’ve never told him this before, and God, that look on your face…makes him watch you more carefully now. No more teasing, no smirk. 

“Did it end badly?” He asks softly. You shake your head.

“It wasn’t ugly per se, just…sad. We didn’t want the same things anymore,” you sigh, he just listens. “We had dreams, you know? Big ones. Penthouse in Manhattan, fancy dinners, skiing holidays. He wanted to go into politics, make it to congress, I wanted to become a New York Times best seller. So, we’d agreed we didn’t want kids or the whole marriage thing. Just success,” you chuckle, because it sounds so foreign to you now. “But after so many years together I changed my mind. I wanted a family. I wanted…more. I wanted to live the love I was writing about.”

“And he didn’t,” Johnny adds quietly. 

“No. He didn't. Didn't think we could have both.” You meet his gaze, and you see true concern there, so you smile. “It’s been about a year since we called it off. I’ve healed a lot since then. Found this place and made it home.” you say, as if he’s the one who needs reassurance. 

Johnny’s heart burns under his chest. He’d never stopped to think about the life you had before him. There was a whole imagined future that someone destroyed, and he had no idea.

“I heard he made it to congress last month,” you add, toying with the hem of your shirt. “Guess that leaves me here, still writing in my pjs thinking I can make it big one day,” you chuckle, but Johnny doesn't find it so amusing. 

“Hey. Don’t say it like that,” he says softly, shaking his head. “You’re doing it. You’re writing, maybe not in some fancy tower office or bestselling list yet, but you’re on your way. I’ve seen you type for hours on that thing,” he points at the typewriter by the window. “And you’re going to find someone who wishes the same things as you. You deserve someone who wants to give you all that, and more.”

“Yeah…maybe,” you nod. He huffs, nudging your leg playfully with his support.

“Definitely.”

This time you let yourself smile genuinely. You’re not sure why you let yourself share all of that with Johnny. Surely, he’s never had to worry about success, and there’s a line of girls who would gladly marry him anyday. But the way he’d looked at you, so…earnest. You deserve someone who wants to give you all that, and more. His words echo in your head, but maybe you shouldn't dwell on it. He was just being nice–

“It’s a little quiet in here, isn’t it?” His voice snaps you out of your thoughts, and when you turn to look at him, he’s got his devilish smile back on.

You narrow your eyes, but he just raises from the couch and walks toward the turntable. 

“I say, we need some music to lighten up,” he half turns to you without stopping, winking. 

You snort, shifting on the couch to peek at what vinyl he wants to play, but he purposefully covers it with his body. You don’t have to guess for long, because a familiar groove fills the apartment when he drops the needle.

“Johnny, you can’t be serious right now,” you chuckle when you recognize the tune. 

He turns away from the turntable, and he already has that mischievous glint in his eye, making a “come here” motion with two fingers. His hips start moving to the rhythm as he walks toward you, and you have to bite back a smile. 

“Come on, I already heard your sad story. Let’s dance now.” 

“My sad story?” You gasp in exaggerated offense. “Oh you're dead, Storm.”

“Yeah?” He grins, stopping right in front of you but never halting his moves. “Why don’t you stand up and show me you can move, then?”

“I won’t–” 

“Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I'm a woman's man no time to talk…” he cuts you off, singing and pointing at himself. His voice comes out so high it matches the record, and you cover your mouth to hide your smile. He keeps dancing to the groove, “And now it's all right, it's okay. And you may look the other way…” you do just that, but Johnny slides to stay in your line of sight. 

“…Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother

You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive…”

You cover your face, peeking through your fingers. He keeps moving so easily, so unashamed, and for a moment it feels too familiar. It’s just like the other night, except today, you are the girl he’s dancing to. 

“Ah ah ah ah, staying alive…” Johnny channels his inner Travolta, and busts out the signature disco move: left hand on his hip, the other moving up and down in the air as the chorus hits. You can’t hide the delight on your face anymore. A giggle escapes out, and he just smiles brighter, stopping his move only to offer his hand. “Come on, dance with me.”

You want to say no.

“Scared of a little fun?” He teases.

It’s a trap. It’s a trap. But he’s standing right there with his hand outstretched, hips swaying to the beat, and those impossible blue eyes daring you to stop thinking about fake orgasms and failed relationships and just join the moment. He looks so ridiculous, yet you’re rising up from the couch before you can really think about it. 

Johnny cheers approvingly, stepping back to give you space, and you let yourself go. Your own moves are looser, less practiced than his, but still good enough to raise to the challenge. You shake your hair playfully, spinning around so Johnny is standing behind you as you join the rhythm. You sway from side to side in opposite directions, catching brief glances of each other’s faces. He lets out a low whistle.

“Ohhhh she dances,” he praises, eyes shamelessly trailing your movements.

“Shut it,” you shoot back. 

And you both dance. 

“…Well now, I get low and I get high

And if I can't get either, I really try…”

The apartment fills with music and laughter, and you get lost in your own Saturday Night Fever extravaganza. At some point he reaches for your hand again and twirls you, making you stumble into him, and you collide chest to chest. The song keeps playing, but it fades out when his bright blue eyes set on you. 

You’re breathless, and you try to play it cool, but it’s impossible when he’s right there.

“You’re smiling,” he says teasingly, but you don’t try to hide this time. 

“Only because you’re ridiculous,” you manage. 

Johnny shrugs smugly, making you yelp when he steps back and spins you around faster than before, then prompting you to dance again. “Then be ridiculous with me.”

As you both laugh and surrender to the rhythm, you come to the realization that you could learn to love this.

The dancing. 

It’s Friday night, and you decide to give dating a chance again. It’s about time after all.

You smooth down your outfit, fix your hair one last time, and give yourself a final look in the mirror of your room. It’s been a while since you actually dressed up for something that wasn’t work, and god, it feels good to remember you still have it in you.

You step out of your room hoping to leave without making too much of a fuss, when you come across a shirtless Johnny leaning on the breakfast counter, wearing his human torch pj pants– way too low to be considered PG– and eating from the cereal box in his hand. Only the glow from the refrigerator bathes the kitchen in a pale golden hue. 

Not an unfamiliar sight at all, yet…you always find yourself staring longer than you should. For Johnny, however, watching you come out of your room looking like that as you leave a trail of expensive perfume he’s sure you’ve never worn before, is unfamiliar. 

“Wow,” he says, straightening up against the counter, a teasing smile on his face. “She actually cleans up nicely.”

You snort, looking around for your coat and pretending you don’t feel Johnny’s burning gaze on you when you put it on. 

“Date night?” he asks. His voice definitely didn’t come out higher than normal.

“...Yeah,” you mumble, fixing the collar of your coat. “Guy from work. He’s um…we’re going dancing.”

“Dancing? People still do that?” He teases. Hypocrite.

“Ha. Ha. Very funny Storm,” you retort, walking to the door to grab your keys on the little hook next to it. “Please don’t burn the place while I’m out.” 

“I can’t promise anything,” he shrugs unapologetically, rounding the counter as if to walk toward the couch in the living room, but he really just wants to get a better look at you before you leave. “You look very beautiful.” 

His words make your hand freeze over the doorknob. There’s something about the softness in his voice that knocks the breath out of your chest. You turn around to look at him with a small smile.

“Thank you, Johnny,” you say, but before you can reach the knob again he perks up.

“Wait–he’s not coming up to get you?”

“No…he said he’d be outside at 8,” you shrug, but Johnny doesn't seem to take it as lightly as you do. If anything, you’d say he looks scandalized to say the least. 

“Yeah–no. That’s not happening,” he shakes his head, dropping the cereal box on the counter as he walks towards you. 

“Johnny–”

“No way I’m letting you wait outside alone in the cold while some guy honks his car like he’s doing you a favor,” he says, walking ahead to open the door. “I’ll wait with you.”

“...You’re only wearing pants.”

“Yeah, and they’re my favorite pair,” he deadpans. “Let’s go.”

“Okay…” you shrug, but can’t fight the smile tugging at your lips as he guides you outside the apartment. “Thank you,” you whisper, when he offers his arm to help you down the multiple flights of stairs. 

Date night hasn’t even started and you’re already flustering. 

Once you’re in the lobby, Johnny doesn’t seem to mind the fact that he’s standing shirtless and barefoot next to the glass doors. If anything, he’s more interested in seeing who this mystery man is, if he even has the decency of at least walking inside to get you. For a moment he just stares at you from the corner of his eye, resisting the urge to send another compliment your way. 

The clock ticks, minutes go by, and you’re still smiling but the slight waver of your stance doesn’t go unnoticed by Johnny. 

He glances at you, then at his watch. 8:15. Shit.

"Are you sure he said eight?" Johnny asks carefully. 

“Yeah. Eight. Michael called me yesterday to confirm it,” you nod, eyes still glued to the street outside. 

Johnny hates Michael. He hates him so much and he doesn’t even know him. But he forces a reassuring smile for you.

“Maybe traffic?”

“Yeah,” you agree too quickly. “You know how it is on a Friday.”

He just nods, and turns back to the street. He doesn’t feel the bite of the cold, but he notices the way you wrap your arms around you. He silently steps closer to you, increasing his body temperature so can share some with you. You don’t say anything, or even move, but time does. 

8:25.

You shift your weight from side to side, trying to come up with something to at least make the silence a little less awkward, but nothing comes out. 

8:30.

Johnny’s gaze turns to you again, and you fear he sees the moment of cruel acceptance in your face. Why did he have to wait with you? This would be less embarrassing if he’d just stayed upstairs so you had time to come up with an excuse less pathetic than “I was stood up.” 

At 8:40 you decide it’s been enough of this humiliation, so you exhale, turning back to the stairs while avoiding Johnny’s eyes. 

“Well, he probably got caught up in something,” you shrug, trying to sound casual. A shaky laugh escapes your lips. “Maybe an emergency. Or maybe he just didn’t want to come...”

“I don’t think–”

“I’m gonna go back,” you cut him off, clearing your throat. “I’ll just change and order something. It’s no big deal.”

Johnny doesn't have time to offer his arm this time, because you’re already halfway up the stairs ahead of him. So he follows behind, no questions asked.

The hurt is not even about the guy who didn’t show up, because you haven’t known him long enough for this to be a proper “heartbreak”, but you hate that you got all dressed up and hopeful. How you let yourself believe someone might want to see you that badly. Oh he’s gonna hear it from you on Monday. 

And now you’re walking back upstairs with your roommate in the front row of the whole shitshow.

Your roommate who held the door open and helped you down the stairs.The one who hasn't made a single joke about the situation even when you’re sure he’s never had to worry about being stood up in his entire life. The one who said you looked beautiful with such softness in his voice that your stomach still flips thinking about it. 

Your roommate who also happens to be Johnny Storm. 

And the worst part? 

Part of you wishes he was the one who stood you up. Because at least then, it would’ve meant he wanted to take you out in the first place.

God, you’re being ridiculous. 

You don’t really want to talk when you approach the apartment. Johnny closes the door behind you with a soft click, and you don’t even bother turning the lights back on since the idea of ordering something doesn’t seem that appealing anymore, instead, you bend down to take your shoes off. Your night ended before it could even begin anyways. 

“Goodnight, Johnny.” 

You don’t wait for a reply as you straighten up and make a beeline for your bedroom, but you stop when you feel his warm fingers wrap gently around your wrist, the same one holding your shoes.

“Wait,” he says softly. “Just…wait.”

He lets go almost as quickly, his brief touch a mere ghost feeling on your wrist as you watch him walk with determination toward the turntable in the living room, flipping through the basket of records on rotation you keep next to it. You’re about to open your mouth to tell him you’re really not in the mood for this, but he beats you to it. 

“Ah ha!” He celebrates when he finds the one he was looking for, but from your spot it’s hard to recognize the cover in the darkness. He places the record on the player, and turns to you a little bit shyer. “This isn’t, you know…a fancy dance floor. But I figured you deserved your dance anyway.” 

His dashing smile is soft and lopsided and even a little sheepish as he waits for your response. Your heart thumps so loud and quickly you struggle to process everything you feel in that moment, and the sting in your eyes doesn't help either. 

You stay speechless, but Johnny doesn't mind, he only turns again to drop the needle on the vinyl before walking to your spot.

You expect the melody to come out of the turntable to be lively, something ridiculously sexy or extravagant like the other day, but when you recognize the soft chords of a guitar, you have to stop yourself from gasping. 

“I know I stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me…”

Frank Sinatra's voice dances across the apartment, just as Johnny stops in front of you and extends his hand with a soft smile. 

“What do you say? Wanna dance under the glow of our ridiculous fridge?”

A chuckle escapes your lips. To think that you would’ve expected him to mock you for what happened, but no, he’s offering you a dance instead. Again. Words are foreign to you still, but you drop your shoes to the floor and take his hand.

“And if we go some place to dance I know that there's a chance you won't be leaving with me…”

His hand finds your waist, and yours land over his bare shoulders almost instinctively. You start to sway to the melody, glassy eyes meeting his piercing blue ones. His face is washed by the faint glow coming from the kitchen, enough to look ethereal as he guides your hips from side to side. His body is hot beneath your touch, and you find it hard to coordinate your moves with the unsteadiness of your breathing. 

“And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink or two…”

The record choice doesn’t help your state either. That song. That damn song. The one you’ve been playing every Sunday morning. The one you sing along to in the middle of typing as you try to recreate that love with your words. The one you reach for when the apartment’s too quiet and you don’t want to be alone with your thoughts. 

This is not like the other day. This…this is everything. 

“And then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid like ‘I love you’...”

Johnny breaks eye contact to spin you around softly, almost letting out a tiny huff when your chests collide back together. That’s familiar. His grip on your waist tightens ever so slightly, and your fingers find their way to play with his hair. 

You don’t want the moment to end. And neither does he. So you keep going, careful not to let your face bury into his bare chest, as you sway barefoot under the refrigerator light. 

“The time is right, your perfume fills my head

The stars get red and, oh, the night's so blue…”

Maybe getting stood up wasn't so bad.

“And then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid like ‘I love you’...”

Maybe this is exactly where you’re supposed to be.

The next time you decide to try dating, it’s with a better man. A totally normal, grounded, emotionally available man who shows up at your doorstep when he says he will.

Joseph has brown eyes and brown hair. A warm voice with an accent that had you internally giggling and kicking your feet when you were introduced at a work event. He’s sweet and listens and laughs at your jokes and doesn't have a superhero suit in his closet. 

Nope, he just works in finance. 

That’s good. That’s smart. Joseph’s normal. He doesn’t light on fire at will. And he's oh, so handsome. Which is why, after many successful dates, you knew you wanted more with him. 

Johnny hasn't been home on a Saturday night since he moved in. You don’t know exactly where he goes; missions, friends, clubs, space? Who cares, Saturday is his disappearing act, so you were counting on having the apartment to yourself.

So when Joseph said I’d love to come inside after kissing you against the front door, you said sure with a little grin and the warmth of two glasses of wine running through your veins. You fumbled with your keys a little, giggling when Joseph’s hands roamed down your waist when you opened the door…only to find him on the couch. 

Johnny.

Wearing sweatpants and a white t-shirt with a 4 logo. Bowl of popcorn in his lap and a movie glowing on the screen. His head whips in your direction when he hears your little messy entrance, and smiles a little too wide for someone who just ruined your plans entirely.

“Heeey,” he beams, leaning back on the couch as his eyes narrow at the man standing behind you.

“Hi,” you say, clearly taken aback. “...You’re home.” 

“Yep.”

Ugh. Can’t a girl get laid in peace? 

“Everything alright?” Joseph asks hesitantly, clearly not expecting to find Johnny Storm on your couch.

“Yeah–yeah, sorry. Come in,” you step aside, gesturing awkwardly between them. “This is uh–Johnny. My roommate.”

“That’d be me,” Johnny throws a salute in his direction. “And you are?”

“Joseph,” he flashes a confident grin, tightening his grip around your waist. “Nice to meet you, torch.”

Johnny nods at him, eyes traveling to his hand placement, and you swear you catch his posture faltering for a second, the thousand alarms going off behind that perfect smile. So she doesn’t like blonds…

“Don’t you uh…have somewhere to be?” You ask, gesturing with your eyes toward the door in a silent plea, but he just shakes his head, smiling wider and leaning back onto the couch. He even has the audacity to laugh when you glare at him.

“Oh please, don’t mind me here! I’ll just finish my movie.”

Your eye twitches. So he wants to stay? Fine. You’re not leaving either. 

“Well!” you say a little too enthusiastically, one hand reaching for Joseph’s to pull him toward your bedroom.  “Don’t mind us either, then.”

He shrugs, pretending to turn to the TV again but you feel him watching as you walk away. 

“Don’t forget the walls are thin!”

You don’t turn around or answer to him, just tug Joseph inside your room and shut the door. You twist the lock and try the knob a few times, just in case. 

It doesn’t take long before Joseph is all over you. You’d already been worked up on the way there and the drinks fogging your mind helped you ease the nerves. This is what you wanted after all, a normal night with a normal man. A very sexy one at that. 

His roaming hands are warm and his mouth finds places that have you leaning on the wall behind you so you don’t fall apart completely. 

You really try to be quiet. Respectful. Because unlike him, you’re not trying to put on a show. Seriously, what was he thinking? He’s gone every single Saturday and today he chooses to “watch a movie”. I swear to God, he can be a pain in the ass when he wants to–

Okay, maybe let’s not think about Johnny Storm when another man is on top of you. 

But your bed creaks, just like his that night. You tell yourself to relax, to let go, yet you bite your lip and keep your sounds low. Careful little breaths barely muffled by Joseph’s neck. That is, until it starts to feel too good, and the moans slipping out stop being something you can control. 

Outside, the movie is still playing. Johnny, however, doesn’t even know what’s going on in that screen anymore. He turns the volume up and tells himself that whatever is happening inside your room is none of his business. 

You brought a guy home, big deal. 

It explains why you’ve been giggling on the phone late at night and disappearing every now and then all dolled up. Not that he has noticed, really. You have every right to do whatever you want, with whoever you want. Really. He’s even glad this guy didn’t stand you up like the last one. You deserve to be happy.

Even if he’s not happy right now. Because he really shouldn’t be listening to you like that. 

She’s faking, he thinks immediately, when the sounds start to slip past the walls of your room. You have to. There’s no way that guy is that good. 

Something in his stomach twists when the sounds you’re letting out just prove your theory from the other day: he’s an idiot who can’t tell. 

But he would know with you, he would–no. 

He stands up so abruptly the plastic bowl of popcorn goes flying from his lap, making a mess all over the woodfloors. Whatever, he’ll deal with that later. Right now, he has to leave, or he’s gonna die in this house. And in a whoosh of raging fire, he’s gone.

Weeks went by, and Johnny never brought up that night. Just like you never brought up finding the TV still on and the popcorn all over the floor next morning. 

You both went back to normal. You kept seeing Joseph and Johnny went back to disappearing on Saturdays. You even had a feeling Johnny was seeing someone too, and confirmed it the day you found a pink bra peeking out of his laundry pile. 

So you were both dating…other people. Big deal. 

Despite that, things didn’t really change between you. Because at night? You still came home to each other. You still ate takeout together on the floor, still watched movies, still bickered over who jammed the garbage disposal. 

Normal, normal, normal. Just like tonight.

“So, when are you moving in with your boyfriend?” Johnny asks playfully, setting down an empty noodles box on the coffee table. 

For a second you choke on your last bite of noodles, and cover it up with a cough that has him looking at you amusingly. 

“It’s a little early for that,” you shrug casually, fiddling with your chopsticks on the empty box.

He nods, serious for only a second before he sighs dramatically, putting one hand over his heart and the other over his eyes. “And here I was, thinking it was because you liked living with me too much.”

This time you snort, shaking your head. The worst part is that he might not be wrong about that, but don’t tell him that I said that!

“Don’t flatter yourself, Storm,” you scoff instead. 

“Oh, come on,” he whines, pushing your thigh with his foot. “I’m great to live with. I know you’d miss me if I left.”

I might wither and die.

“I would not,” you say firmly. “What is there to miss, the burnt toast and the bra’s in the laundry?” You tease. 

“Those aren’t mine,” he says seriously. 

“Well thank you for clarifying that, Johnny. I was really having doubts if you were a C cup or not,” you shake your head, and this time you can’t fight the laughter that flows so easily between you. “And for the record, if there’s anything I’d miss, it's the refrigerator, or your vinyls.”

He snorts and rolls his eyes, standing up to take the empty box from you and walk toward the kitchen to throw it away. You can’t help but glance in his direction, and heat warms your cheeks when he turns around and catches you staring. But the teasing never comes, no, only a sweet smile, softly illuminated by the fridge in question. 

You look away before you say something you're not supposed to. 

Wow, look at that! Another Saturday Johnny didn’t disappear. Why? Because this morning Johnny decided to casually announce that the Fantastic Fucking Four were dying to see your shared apartment and finally meet you, the roommate, tonight.  

So yeah, he had you running like a headless chicken all day from store to store–dragging him along, of course–to have everything decent for them. He even bought a dining table with express delivery and ever faster assembly service, since your thrifted coffee table wasn’t gonna fit his fantastic family. 

Perfectly normal Saturday. 

“Johnny, does your sister have a preference for napkins?” You ask, holding up as many brands as you can, the fancy ones, but when you turn to him, he’s in deep conversation with that watch thingy he has.

“No, it’s a family thing…” he says to the person on the call. “...I know, baby. But I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, alright?...Come on, don’t be like that…” 

You move farther away when you realize who he’s talking to, but when you watch him from the corner of your eye, he looks like he’s trying to bargain something with a toddler. A few minutes later, he sighs and hangs up, and you pretend to read the back of two napkin brands like your life depends on it. A casual whistle was the only thing missing.

“So…” he says nonchalantly when he reaches you, or at least that’s how he thinks he’s coming off like, “…Vicky is coming tonight too.” 

He smiles, even if he’s ready for you to snap at him since it was just supposed to be his family. But you just purse your lips together. 

Of course she’s gonna come. The bra girl. 

“Great!” you say, maybe a little too fast, then clear your throat because you have bigger things to focus on. “Now help me with the napkins, I don’t want your family to silently judge us for having the wrong ones.”

Johnny’s shoulders sag in relief and amusement. “My family doesn't have a preference, it’s just napkins,” he says, but then he eyes the multiple brands on your hands and feels as lost as you are. “You know what, let me ask Herbert to be sure.”

You should get extra points for not passing out when he introduced you to his family. Especially when Sue Storm hugged you like you’d known each other your whole lives. Johnny had then decided to give them a full tour of the small place, and you’d made yourself scarce with the excuse of putting away the dessert Ben brought. The truth is, you just needed a moment to process the fact that four superheroes were in your apartment right now. 

You tried not to think about how crammed it looked right now, since the sitting area had been reduced due to the space the new table took. If they noticed, it never showed in their kind faces. 

Just as expected, his family was as golden as him. 

You’re sliding the dessert tray into the fridge when you hear the soft click of heels behind you. Turning around, you find Sue standing there with crossed arms and a curious smile. She’s dressed in cashmere and a pair of boots that probably cost more than your rent. You look over where Johnny is, proudly showing them the view, completely unaware that his sister had left the audience. 

“So, this is the girl my brother hasn’t stopped talking about,” she says, drawing your attention back from Johnny. 

“Oh…me?” You ask a little confused, closing the fridge and wiping your hands on your legs. 

“Unless there’s another roommate with a fondness for love songs and typewriters, I think I’ve got the right one,” she says teasingly, and you notice she has the same spark in her eye Johnny does. 

Wait, she…she knows those things? 

You resist the urge to glance at Johnny again, and nod. “Oh yeah, I just..thought maybe you meant Vicky,” you chuckle nervously.

“Vicky…?” She tilts her head with a frown, trying to place the name, but then she shakes her head. “No, he’s only ever mentioned one girl. His roommate…and that’s you. He says he likes the–” she cuts herself off, finding the right word. “...Balance, this place gives him.”

“He said that?” This time you can’t keep from looking at him, demonstrating to Reed how comfy our worn couch is. Our. Sue nods. 

“He didn’t really have that growing up, you know. The world’s always been loud for Johnny, and it felt like he was always chasing something. But now…” she looks around the apartment with a big sister smile, “he’s still chasing things, but he has somewhere stable to come back to. And I’m glad it’s here.”

You let the words sink it for a moment, as you swallow the lump in your throat. Sue’s eyes soften, and she reaches to squeeze your hand reassuringly. The brief moment breaks when the bell rings, making you both jump and then laugh at each other’s reactions. You clear your throat, and walk toward the little intercom by the wall. 

“Yes?” you ask.

“Hi! It’s Vicky!” a bright voice rings louder than the bell itself.

“Come on up,” is all you say, pushing the button to open the lobby door. 

A good glass of wine doesn’t sound like a bad idea right now. 

Sue lifts a brow curiously from her spot when she sees you pour yourself a cup and then one for her, but you just flash a smile and excuse yourself, smoothing your clothes and fixing your hair before opening the door. 

And there she is…Vicky. Golden hair, golden everything. Just like Johnny. Just like…his world. 

“Hi! Oh my god, the stairs always get me,” she exhales with a little giggle, and yet not a single bead of sweat on her forehead or a piece of hair out of place. “I brought appetizers!” she beams, holding up a tray.

“That’s so nice of you,” you smile politely, but narrow your eyes when you realize they look a little suspicious. “Are those–”

“Oh, shrimp bites! They’re to die for.”

You barely manage to keep your polite expression in place, ready to explain that Johnny hates shrimp and would rather die than be in the presence of it, but the king of Rome itself materializes next to you before you can. 

“V!” His voice comes out way more affectionate than it did at the store earlier, as he approaches her. “You made it, baby.”

You step aside just in time to witness him plant a loud smooch to Vicky’s cheek, and that’s the perfect moment to take a big sip of your drink. Or maybe not, because the second you get distracted, Johnny reaches for the tray.

“Well, don’t mind me,” Johnny says, popping one of the little shrimp abominations into his mouth before you even bring your glass down. But you look just in time to see the exact moment his eyes go wide when he chews, and his entire soul leaves his body. 

Vicky, absolutely oblivious to the horrors Johnny is going through, has already set her gaze on something behind you. 

“Oh J, this must be your sister!” she squeals. She barely gives you time to balance your glass as you catch the tray she tosses to you, shouldering past you to wrap Sue in a big hug.

Johnny has never been more grateful to throw his sister under the bus, using the distraction to discreetly spit the whole bite into a napkin, wiping his tongue dramatically and trying very hard not to gag. You bite back your amusement as you walk up to him, placing the tray gently on his hands. He immediately scowls at it, looking up at you in betrayal.

“Here you go,” you grin, taking a sip of your wine as you walk away toward the couch where the rest of his family is.

Sue looks past Vicky, who keeps yapping away about how much she’s heard about Johnny’s big sister and can’t believe they haven’t met yet so she had to come tonight, and finds Johnny looking in the direction you took off. 

Interesting.

–

After brushing his teeth twice, Johnny had survived the shrimp fiasco, and everything was going well so far. Vicky had sat on his lap as you all got to know each other, chatting away in the living room. Honestly, he’d actually planned this to be just his family and…you. But then things happened, and well, seems like he wasn’t the only one with surprise guests. 

His gaze followed you as you excused yourself from the conversation, to open the door to Joseph (🙄) with a bright smile on your face. Of course. It’s only fair you invited him too. Not that Johnny cares anyways. 

Joseph walks in wearing a loose black suit, with his stupid wavy brown curls tousled by the stairs trials, and holding a stupid bouquet of flowers in his hand. 

“Hi, darling,” he says with a warm smile, meant only for you. “You look beautiful.”

Your soft laugh dances through the room as he steals a kiss from you. Johnny turns back to the conversation. He doesn't notice how he sits up straighter on the couch or how he sets his drink down a little too hard on the coffee table. He doesn't even notice when Vicky leaves his lap to go to the bathroom. But what he definitely notices is the moment your smile turns from genuine to polite, when you get handed flowers he knows you don’t like.

He knows that, because you scowl at them every time you pass them by the supermarket, so why doesn’t your boyfriend know?

Joseph leans in to kiss your cheek now as he steps inside, and you lead him toward the kitchen. Johnny notices how you set the flowers down on the breakfast counter instead of looking for a vase to display them. 

“So…” Ben, who’s sitting to his right, nudges his arm. “Are we not gonna talk about it?” He mumbles.

“About what?” Johnny whispers back, still looking at you.

“About how her boyfriend looks exactly like you.”

“What?” Johnny’s head jerks toward him, looking baffled as Ben just shrugs with a knowing smile.

“Just saying, man. It’s like seeing you with brown hair…and lawyer shoes.”

“No it’s not. We do not look alike.” Johnny scoffs.

“You do.”

“We don’t.”

“Do too.”

“Do not.”

Ben leans back with a grin. He enjoys rage baiting Johnny whenever he can, but there’s truth in his words. Johnny looks back to his alleged doppelgänger and shakes his head. 

“Seriously?” He says. Ben chuckles, and shrugs. Johnny rolls his eyes, and leans toward the armchair his sister is sitting at, “Hey Sue, psst.”

Sue looks away from her conversation with Reed, and lifts her eyebrow at Johnny. 

“C’mere,” Johnny says, patting the spot on his left side. Luckily, she excuses herself from her husband and takes the spot. Ben and Johnny turn to her expectantly, whispering, “Okay, do not say yes just to annoy me, but…do you think I look like him?”

“Who?” 

“Joseph,” Johnny deadpans. “Do I look like Joseph?”

Sue tilts her head, pretending to be analyzing the British man making you laugh in the kitchen, but there’s a knowing smile creeping on her face. 

“Oh…a little,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. 

“A little??”

“Well, yeah. He’s like you, if you had brown eyes…and less of a tan…or a cute accent…” she says, watching her brother grow more scandalized by the second. 

“A cute accent?” Johnny mocks. “Please. He sounds like a knockoff Beatle.”

Sue and Ben share an amused look. 

“I don’t think he’d be a singer. He has more…actor vibes,” Sue taunts, adding fuel to the fire inside Johnny’s veins. 

He almost choked in offense. 

“Okay, so he’s an actor now? He doesn’t even have that kind of face,” Johnny huffs, reaching for his drink again because what kind of fuckery is this. 

“So you’re saying you don’t have that kind of face either,” Ben adds, this time Sue snorts, shaking her head. 

“I do have that kind of face. The face. He doesn't because we don't look alike.” 

“Sure, Johnny.”

Sue stands up before he can protest like a toddler again. “I’m gonna help her with the food,” she announces, winking mischievously at them and walking away. 

“Oh I love these napkins!” 

He hears her say when she reaches the new shiny table setup. 

That makes you perk up from the kitchen. Right in that moment, your gaze moves from Joseph to Johnny, and you smile proudly at him like “told you so.” Johnny smiles back, but before he can get up and say anything about how much influence he actually had on the napkin choice, a pair of long legs trap him on his seat. 

“What did I miss, babyboy?” Vicky asks as she plops down on his lap again, wrapping her arms around his neck to play with his hair. 

Reed and Ben pretend to look everywhere else. Johnny just smiles, taking another sip from his drink. 

–

Vicky had left earlier than anticipated, claiming a friend called her to get her out of a shitty date, or something like that. Johnny didn’t really ask. 

He has to admit he was a little nervous about this whole get together. Afraid that they would be too much. But he wanted nothing more but to brag about his apartment and his roommate, and the little life he’d managed to build for himself. Even if their world had always been filled with big things. This could’ve gone wrong in many ways, but all things considered, he finds himself smiling when his eyes land on you. 

He's standing close to the front door, and seeing you confidently showing Sue, whose kitchen had been designed by Reed–the king of gadgets himself–the tiny spice rack you installed last week, made something inside him flutter. 

“Hey, man. Have you been to a lot of Mets games?” A familiar British accent startles him. 

The fluttering dies immediately. 

Joseph has stepped beside him, glass in hand and that stupid smile plastered on his face. He forces himself to look away from you. You’re close to them, but not enough to hear the conversation. 

“I mean, yeah. It’s kind of hard not to, I can fly,” Johnny replies drily, but Joseph just laughs easily. 

“Right, right, of course,” he says, glancing toward the kitchen, mirroring the way Johnny was just looking at you seconds ago. “Sometimes I forget she lives with a superhero...” 

Johnny chuckles, shrugging nonchalantly (he’s actually trying very hard not to puff his chest right now.) “Why do you ask?” 

“Ehh…just wanted to know if you got any recommendations for seats? I’m still new to the city, but I’ve been told not to miss the games,” he shrugs. “I’d like somewhere not too close to the cameras, if possible. I’m not…really into all that.”

“The cameras?” Johnny frowns. 

“Yeah, the whole crowd cams, people watching you all the time, that whole thing.”

Johnny listens and tries not to judge. But see? This guy could never be an actor. Or a Beatle. Johnny could, shame there’s not a blonde Beatle. Ohhh, but there’s always wigs though! He’s sure he could rock one, with his bone structure and all–

“Mate?” 

Johnny snaps back to reality, and just flashes a golden smile. 

“There’s cameras everywhere, mate,” Johnny replies, “but I can hook you up with the good tickets, if you’d like. How many do you need?”

“Oh wow that–that’d be perfect, yeah, thank you,” he says, not really expecting that. “Just two, man.”

“…Are you going with a friend?” Johnny narrows his eyes, but Joseph chuckles, shaking his head. 

“I’m taking her,” he says, gesturing at you with his glass. 

Fuck. 

“You…are taking her to a game?” 

“Yeah. It’ll be fun on her day off.”

Johnny knows when your next day off is. He painted another happy face next to your mark on the calendar just to make you smile. He also knows that you like to spend those free days curled up at home, certainly not at a freaking stadium. 

He knows because it mattered to you when you told him. He remembers because you matter to him. 

“Did you…ask her if she likes baseball?” Johnny pries carefully. 

“Not really. I mean, I figured she’d be fine,” he says, a little defensively. 

There’s a few seconds of silence where Johnny debates to keep quiet, but that has never been one of his strengths, so he ends up blurting, “She doesn’t like going to the stadium.”

“Really?” Joseph frowns, eyeing him. 

“She told me once that all the noise makes her sick. And I get it…it’s not the most comfortable place to be,” Johnny chuckles, trying his best to sound casual about it. 

“Oh,” Joseph says. For a moment it looks like he’s contemplating, but after thinking about it for exactly three seconds, he shrugs. “Well… she can bring earplugs or something. It’s just one game.”

Johnny’s not sure if his eye twitching was only a product of his imagination, but given the lack of acknowledgement on Joseph’s face, he figures he managed to keep his emotions at bay. This is not what you deserve. This is not what he wants for you.

Don’t flame on right now. Do not flame on right now. Do not–

“You know what? I can get you access to the VIP suite, so you two can be more comfortable,” he offers instead, plastering on his best plastic Ken smile. 

He’ll get you the best suite, with shade, AC and all the unlimited appetizers you could ever need. If that makes the experience a little more bearable for you. 

“Yeah I guess that would work, thanks, mate!” Joseph says, patting Johnny’s shoulder, but regretting it immediately. He retracts his hand with a hiss, switching the glass to that one to help cool it as he laughs nervously. “Jeez. You’re burning up, man.”

He’s boiling up, actually. But he manages to tone down his temperature, patting Joseph’s cold shoulder firmly before walking toward the kitchen where you’re laughing at something Sue just said.

 Just the sight of you manages his temperature to calm down. 

“Everything alright?” You ask curiously when he steps beside you with a suspicious smile, noticing the way Joseph kept opening and closing his hand as he headed toward the bathroom. 

“Peachy,” Johnny smiles innocently.

“Mhm,” you hum, narrowing your eyes at him. Even his sister eyes him suspiciously, but Johnny ignores her. 

“Is there anything I can help you here with?” He asks casually, gesturing to the pots simmering on the stove. 

“Nope! But maybe you can pour some more wine for our guests," you say quickly, stirring him away from the stove for everyone’s safety. Sue bites her lip. 

“Roger that,” he says, diligently opening a new bottle on the breakfast counter.

Johnny notices Sue leans in to whisper something in your ear that makes you throw your head back and laugh, before whispering something back to her. 

He can’t fight the smile on his face when he realizes you’re talking about him, but it dies down when his eyes land on the flowers Joseph brought you on the counter. The conversation with him is still making fire run through his veins, and this just added more to it. 

Safe to say, Johnny now hates Joseph too. 

To be continued…

Thank you so much for reading! Feedback is always appreciated 💗

Which was laughable, considering who he was. Johnny Storm had never had “normal” a day in his life, even before the powers. 

Maybe that’s why he craved it so bad. Or…maybe it was just a quarter life crisis. 

He didn’t exactly know when it started, but suddenly he wanted to know what it felt like to walk through a lobby where no one greeted him like he was the president. To buy laundry detergent and groceries and whatever people who don’t have a Herbert to do it for them, well, have to do. To have a mailbox in a locker with a little key, and no need to go through a dozen levels of security clearance just for some fan mail.

Maybe that’s why he found himself going through rental listings at two in the morning in the darkness of his room. Half laying on his round bed, one arm raised up in flames to illuminate the newspaper in front of him. 

This is ridiculous, he thought. He told himself he was just looking. Killing time. He wasn’t going to do it, he was just thinking about it. Swear to God he was not actually going to do it. But an ad caught his eye. 

Roommate Wanted

Apartment in Brooklyn, Park Slope. Two bedrooms, one bathroom. Looking to split rent 50/50. 4th floor. Girls only, unless you’re famous, then we can talk. Call after 7pm if you’re interested. 

“Unless you’re famous,” Johnny chuckled, re-reading the ad, and the name attached to it. 

The ad was pretty vague, but Johnny recognized the location. Safe neighborhood, no rooftop pools in that area, and definitely no doorman. 

It was perfect. 

The next day he counted the hours until 7pm came. He wanted the full experience, so instead of using the fine piece of technology on his wrist to call the number he saw on the ad, he took some coins from Franklin’s piggy bank in exchange of a generous twenty dollar bill–you’re welcome buddy–and found himself a random telephone booth at Central Park, just in time. 

Big breath, here goes nothing. 

-

The landline phone hung on your kitchen wall rang exactly at 7:01pm. You cleaned your hands with a napkin, leaving a bowl of heated leftovers on the counter before picking up. 

“Hello?” You said, holding the phone between your ear and your shoulder. 

“Hey! I’m calling for the apartment ad, I’m very interested.” 

The voice on the other side of the line surprised you. So far only women have called you and unfortunately none of them had agreed with the rental fee. “Uh, sure…what’s your name?” 

“I’m Johnny Storm,” he said immediately.

Okay, pause. Is this guy being for real right now? 

“…Right,” you said after a moment, dragging your words and fiddling with the tangled cord. “And…you’re looking for an apartment?” 

The disbelief in your voice made Johnny sigh. Only when the words left his mouth he realized how ridiculous his name probably sounded. But what else was he supposed to say? He wasn’t planning on hiding who he was, even if it was just a call. That felt wrong.

“Yeah…listen I–uh…I know this may seem a little off, but I’m looking for a place for…personal reasons, and your ad caught my eye. I really like the area and I can definitely pay rent on time.”

He chose to leave out the fact that he could actually pay rent four years in advance. That seemed a little overkill. 

“I swear I don’t set couches on fire, not unless you ask,” he added with a nervous laugh, but his whole body relaxed when he heard the chuckle you left out. “And you said being famous was the exception so…can we talk about it?” 

You contemplated for a moment. To be honest? It seemed too good to be true. On the other hand, you had nothing to lose…and you wanted to go back to your dinner. So you just shrugged. 

“Alright,” you said, “I’ll tell you what, Johnny Storm. There’s a café a few blocks from the apartment, called “Geta’s”. Let's meet there, Saturday at noon. If you’re actually who you say you are, you’re paying for coffee. If you’re not, I’m calling the cops.”

“Geta’s” Johnny grinned. “Roger that. I’ll be there.”

You weren’t actually planning on calling the cops. Or well, you hoped you didn’t have to call them. 

Worst case scenario, some random guy was pretending to be Johnny Storm, and you’d have to ditch the clown and go back to answering calls. Best case? Well…you hadn’t really considered that one, because come on. Johnny Storm, Manhattan’s golden boy, Mr. Baxter Building himself, apartment hunting in Brooklyn?

Absolutely not. 

Still, you got to the café ten minutes early. Picked your favorite table by the window, with a good view of the street and a close exit in case things get weird. You ordered your usual drink, a side of mini croissants, and the wait began. 

You were mid sip when you heard the familiar ring of the bells above the cafe’s door. 

"Mr.Storm!" someone called from behind the counter, way too cheery to be greeting a conman. “Welcome to Geta’s!”

Your head snapped up, and…yup. There he was. 

Johnny Freaking Storm. Golden hair, golden everything. A pair of sunglasses perched on his head, paired with some designer jacket and perfectly fitted pants and that pearly white smile you’d only seen on billboards. 

He looked unfairly good in real life. 

He nodded to the barista, who was currently having a mini stroke behind the register, then turned his gaze toward the tables, looking for…you? 

Right, yeah. You. 

You raised your hand awkwardly, giving a tiny wave that said yep, that’s me, the girl who didn’t think you’d actually show up. He smiled wider at your stunned expression, and strutted straight to you, sliding onto the chair across from you.

“I didn’t actually think Johnny Storm was going to show up today,” you blurted out, making him chuckle. 

“I get that a lot,” he said, shrugging. 

“Do you…want a mini croissant?” 

“Only if they’re not poisoned,” he joked, narrowing his eyes playfully. 

“Right. You’re the Johnny Storm. You probably have someone test the croissants for you.”

“That would be Herbert, yes,” he nodded cockily, getting another chuckle out of you. 

This time you narrowed your eyes at him, trying to process the entire fever dream. He just tilted his head, matching your face expression in amusement. You shook your head and leaned back a little, crossing your arms. 

“Okay, I feel like I need to say this out loud so I know I’m not hallucinating. My apartment is not in Manhattan. It’s not a penthouse. I don’t live next to models or celebrities. Are you sure you replied to the right listing? Or is this just you…pulling a bit? Like a prank show? Because I really do need a roommate.”

Johnny chuckled, shaking his head. 

“No cameras, I promise,” he reassured. “I know where the listing said it was. Park Slope. Two bedrooms. 4th floor. You said girls only unless you’re famous, which, considering…”

He leaned back with a shrug, gesturing at himself.

“Yeah but that was a joke. I mean you could, I don’t know, live anywhere. Somewhere crazier like…the moon or space in general,” you gesture vaguely, because him living in another galaxy sounds more realistic than him sharing a couch with you. 

He seems to find it funny, at least, but something in his face softens before he lets out a sigh. 

“Listen, I know this is weird but…I’m not joking. I don’t want a penthouse. I’m not looking for anything “crazy” or fancy or with zero gravity. I just…want something a little quieter. A little more normal, you know?”

You raised your eyebrows, still skeptical. “Well, Johnny, life in an apartment building is not necessarily “quieter”,” you chuckle. “Normal? For sure. But you’re telling me the big Human Torch, who flies over the stadium to see the Mets, wants normal?”

He shrugged, but there’s no cockiness to it anymore. 

“I know. Shocking, right? But I do," he said. “I mean, the tower’s great and all, but it’s…a lot. And it’s all I’ve known for most of my life. Cameras, tech, Reed in general, it just…never stops. It always feels like everything needs to be perfect, you know? I kind of want a door I can lock and a couch I don’t have to share with a 500 pound rock man. Maybe just with…a normal roommate."

You stared at him in silence. If there was anything you learned from Johnny Storm in that short interaction, it was that he had the bluest of eyes, and the way they were looking at you, like he needed to be understood by some random girl he just met, made something in your heart clench. 

Still, you had questions. You weren’t going to be swooned into giving away half your apartment.

“A normal roommate…” you drawled, still waiting for the punchline of this whole situation. “So, you don’t mind the fact that I have a regular job and I don’t throw superhero parties?”

That makes him grin again. “Well, I was kind of hoping you threw superhero parties. But that’s okay, I can tell spidey to meet me somewhere else.”

You rolled your eyes, but you were smiling. Okay…maybe you’re getting a little swooned. You looked down at your drink, trying to play it cool. 

“And you know I probably won’t scream when you come out of the shower shirtless or whatever?” 

Johnny grinned wider. 

“I mean, you can. You’d have shirtless privileges as long as you don’t go around selling pictures of me.”

That makes your smile grow. Damn him. 

You really tried to stay skeptical. Tried to keep a cool head and ask more serious questions. But shit, they weren’t lying about the Storm charm. 

And the sad truth was…you liked it. The way he made you laugh. The way he was looking at you. Not just in a flirty, over the top Johnny Storm way. He seemed genuine, not necessarily trying to impress. You could tell he was truly interested…maybe even hopeful. 

And I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? You really needed a roommate like, yesterday. 

“Okay, Johnny Storm,” you shrugged. You had nothing to lose. “Wanna go see it?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to fly up the fire escape?” You tease, eyeing the four flights of stairs ahead of you as you walk into the building. 

“Please. I’m going for the full normal experience, remember?” He gives you a smug little smirk.

You snort, then pretend you don’t hear him panting by the third floor. But all the amusement goes away as you open your front door, totally not freaking out about the fact that Johnny Storm–your potential roommate–is about to come inside. 

Time for the house tour. 

The apartment is not that big, not like anything in New York is anyway, but the layout looks decent under the soft light coming through the windows. The ceilings are high, the wood floors shine when the sunlight hits them right and the open kitchen is small but cozy. 

Johnny walks in with an unreadable expression in his face. Still, you can’t help but look at it the way he must be seeing it now; the single couch in the living room with carefully picked mismatched throw pillows, the thrifted coffee table you sanded and painted yourself, the small black and white TV, the organized mess on every surface but…it’s home. It’s been home for a year now. 

He turns around in a slow circle, taking it all in, eyes landing on a small desk by the window with a typewriter on it and stacks of paper all around it. He wanders over there, leaning a hand on the window frame as he looks out over the rooftops. 

The view isn’t breathtaking, not at all like the one he’s used to back home, or the one he sees when he flies over the city, but it’s beautiful nevertheless. Lived in. Rows of shoulder to shoulder red brick facades, dozens of arched doors with molding and tall trees lining up the street. 

Standing here, he feels small. In a good way. 

“It’s actually very nice,” he says, turning to you with a smile. 

“Thanks…” you say. Relief washing your features. “Does it meet the great Johnny Storm’s expectations?”

He shrugs playfully, eyes darting across the floor like he’s looking for something. “I’m still expecting at least one cockroach cameo.”

You gasp in mock offense, but can’t fight the smile on your face. 

“Give it time.” 

You gesture for him to follow you into the mini hallway to access the rooms, separated by a bathroom in the middle. 

“This one’s my room,” you say, pointing to the one that faces the front street. “Yours would be the one on the left. It has good light in the morning.”

He hums, peeking inside the empty room. “I like that.”

“And then…there’s a smaller third one next to yours. I’m using it for storage, and I wasn’t planning to fill it but…I was actually going to talk with my new roommate about considering renting it too. But–” 

“How much more do you need to make it work?”

“What?”

“Well, if you’re gonna have to bring in a third roommate, then I assume the math doesn’t quite work yet. I can do more than 50/50,” he offers like it’s nothing. 

“Johnny…”

“60/40? 70/30? Just tell me what you need, I got it.”

“That’s not really the point,” you say softly, shaking your head. “Look–I just…I’ve loved this apartment for over a year now but rent went up and it’s been a bit tough finding someone who can help afford this place. The building is nice but people’ve been turning me down when hearing their part. So, I thought I might have to split it in three. But I’m not trying to take advantage of anyone, of you...it’s just a big deal for me, living here you know?” You shrug, suddenly feeling self conscious. 

“You’re not taking advantage of me if I want to help,” he says, just as softly. “Seriously. I like it here. This whole thing I’m trying is…kind of a big deal for me too.”

Your shoulders relax a bit, and a smile tugs at your lips. 

“So you really want to live here?”

Johnny looks at you like obviously, before that cocky grin sneaks into his face again. “I already committed to the stairs. I’m invested now.”

That gets a laugh out of you.

“Well,” you smile, stepping toward him, extending your hand, “then I guess we are roommates, Johnny Storm.”

“Roommates,” he nods, sliding his warm hand into yours. 

“Better than the moon, then?” You tease.

“Way better,” he smiles. And oh, that smile is trouble.

Four months later.

Living with a celebrity has been…surprisingly uneventful.

No paparazzi hiding behind the trees, no fans camping outside the lobby, no wild afterparties. In fact, it’s been almost too normal…if you ignore the fact that your roommate is technically flammable.

Johnny hasn't set anything on fire. Not on purpose, at least.

The kitchen had two close calls. Both were an attempted murder breakfast. He claimed the stove was not user friendly because “it has no lights like the one at home”, so you had no choice but to ban him from using it unsupervised. 

Still, he tries. On some nights when you come home dragging your feet from work, he’s already waiting by the TV with takeout bags in hand and his sweater sleeves pushed up as if he made the meal himself.

You’ve also noticed his little communicator/watch thingy beeps every Wednesday at 8 pm for family dinner back home. He flies off the fire escape, only to return a few hours later with something delicious like Ben’s lasagna or Herbert’s infamous cheesecake (you’ve learned he’s actually a droid and not a private chef.)

“Figured you could take some for lunch tomorrow,” he’d say casually, placing whatever he brought carefully in the fridge.

Oh, and the fridge! We have to talk about the refrigerator. A ridiculous piece of fine technology he barely managed to fit through the apartment door. It’s framed in shiny silver, with curved glass doors you didn’t even think was possible a fridge could have. He said he had a similar one at home, and figured your place could use something with the same aesthetic. 

His words. 

And you still remember the day he moved in like it was yesterday. He arrived with an obnoxiously big truck that had to return half full to the Baxter Building, because he overestimated the space he was moving into. 

The bed was the funniest, for sure. Or at least…the attempt to get it in. It took him forty whole minutes of directing two movers to realize his round, ridiculous, king sized bachelor bed would simply not fit through the apartment door, let alone his designated bedroom. Not by angle, not by disassembly, not even with your upstairs neighbor offering unsolicited advice from the stairwell.

Funny times. 

Your favorite part of that day, though? When Johnny took out a shiny, white sphere-shaped turntable out of a blue velvet lined case with more care than you've ever seen a man apply to anything in your life. 

He brought his entire record collection too. Countless boxes of them. He even had custom shelving made for the living room, right above the small tv stand. The wood midcentury curves contrasted perfectly against the brick wall, and were packed to the brim with all his colorful records. Johnny was very proud of it. Back then he’d even said they were for “shared enjoyment,” and you took that to heart. 

Johnny hadn’t noticed how many romantic records he owned until you started wearing them out. He doesn't mind at all, he’s caught himself smiling more than once when he hears you play one without asking for permission anymore. He even keeps your favorites on the shelf closest to the turntable. 

Cause that’s what roommates do. 

He admits it’s a little weird, sharing a space with someone who’s not family or you’re not romantically involved with, but he likes it so far. The simplicity. Sure there’s no cabinets that open with a clap of his hand or a rocketship parked in his backyard, but there’s walking out of his room for a midnight snack only to find you already there making some tea, humming in your pjs under the soft glow of the refrigerator light. That, until he lifts his hand and starts bragging about his flames heating your tea faster than a kettle. There’s watching you spend an entire Sunday hunched over your desk, giving the poor typewriter a run for its money while you play Sinatra in the background.

You also notice things about him. Cause that’s what roommates do. 

Johnny likes dancing. It’s not a rare occasion to find him swaying his hips to Marvin Gaye or Michael Jackson in the middle of the living room when you get home at night. He’s been trying to master the moonwalk, which you discovered one day you arrived early from work (he’s getting there.)

Johnny likes to be active. He gets very fiddly when he’s not saving the world, so he always has to be doing something. Whether it’s cleaning his custom golf clubs, doing push ups in the middle of the living room, or trying to figure out a rubik’s cube Franklin can solve in less than five minutes, but who’s counting?

(Not Johnny.) 

He has an unhealthy obsession with cereal, but we all have guilty pleasures, don’t we?

Johnny also pays the bills. All of them. You’ve tried to argue, even tried to pay some as soon as the receipt came, only to find out he’d already done it because it gets automatically drawn from his bank account. He even goes grocery shopping like you have a pantry the size of the entire apartment. 

“No Johnny, you can’t keep buying in bulk, we don’t have space for all that stuff!!”

And…he’s still The Human Torch. 

He disappears sometimes. You just hear the beep of his watch and he’s gone in a yellow blur. You’ve learned not to worry. Not because you’re not worried, but because he always comes back. 

It’s your new normal. It’s easy. Domestic in a way you didn’t expect after the last…person you lived with. You’re not sure how much longer you can keep deflecting the question that pounds your head every now and then. Is this–whatever this is–the best mistake you’ve ever made?

“What do you do for a living anyways?” Johnny asks, his attention going from the movie to your spot on the floor next to the couch.

It’s almost 9pm on a random Tuesday. You’re folding some laundry into baskets after Johnny convinced you into joining him watching “The Godfather.”

“You see me leave every day with a lanyard that says New York Times, Johnny,” you chuckle, still focused on the shirt you’re folding. 

“Yeah, but with the way you abuse that typewriter at night I’d think you’re running a secret gossip column about me or something.”

You finally look up, only to find him munching his popcorn in amusement. You reach for his bowl to steal some, he pretends to pull it away only for a second, only to extend it closer to you with a grin. 

“Sure Johnny, because I have nothing better to do than write fan fiction about you for the Flaming Heart’s club zines,” you snort, shaking your head, but his tilts in confusion.

“...What’s a fan fiction?” 

The question makes your wrist full of pop corn stop mid-air.

“Uhm…you’re better not knowing,” your voice comes out a little too high pitched, trying to brush it off.

“Right…” he says hesitantly, making a mental note to get the next Flaming heart’s club issue. 

“I write for the paper’s lifestyle section,” you say, trying to stir the conversation away from that topic. Fortunately, he seems to perk up at that. “But it wasn’t always like that, I actually started writing about sports.” 

“Sports?” He asks, lowering the tv’s volume and turning his body more towards you. “You never talk about that.”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly passionate about it. They hired me for whatever they needed. And they needed someone to write about the Mets.”

“The Mets…so you’ve seen me there?” He wiggles his eyebrows, making you roll your eyes playfully. 

“I covered four seasons Johnny, four. I think I saw the human torch painting the game score on the sky a few times,” you chuckle, wiping your hands on your shorts to grab another piece to fold. “Don’t think I could watch another one, though.” 

“Do you hate them?”

“I don’t hate them specifically but…I can’t really stand being in a stadium anymore. My head hurts and it makes me feel sick. It’s so loud, and the games last so long. I had no idea they were that long.”

He tries to be serious, he really does because you’re opening up, but the words leave his mouth before he can stop them. 

“That’s what she said.”

You look at him stunned for a second, before you both burst into laughter. Of course. But you don’t get mad. If anything, it helps ease some tension off your shoulders.

“Okay, okay, sorry,” he apologizes after a moment, clearing his throat when your laugh subsides. “So, lifestyle then?”

“They moved me last year. Which is better…I guess.”

It’s not just your hesitant tone that makes Johnny soften, but the way you start to fold a pair of socks like your life depends on it. His gaze goes to your desk by the window, still stacked with mountains of papers and the cup of tea you forgot to take to the sink last night. 

“That still doesn’t explain the aggressive typing at midnight,” he adds, prying a little more. “Unless you’re too passionate about throw pillows or vitamins or whatever a lifestyle column is about, but by the way you told me about it…I’m guessing that's not the dream, right?” 

You chuckle at his analysis, but there’s more sadness in it than amusement.       

“I want to write novels,” you admit quietly. “Romance, actually.”

That makes his eyebrows go up.

“Oh, now that makes sense,” he says with a teasing grin.

You whip your head toward him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Oh come on,” he laughs, leaning back on the couch to look at the ceiling, gesturing dramatically in the air. “The girl who listens to love songs repeatedly, wants to write romance novels? Not very surprising.”

You gasp, nudging his knee so he looks at you. 

“May I remind you those are your records I’m playing?”

“Oh, please. You put them on more than I do.”

You try not to smile, but with Johnny…you’ve learned that’s impossible. 

“Yeah, well, it’s not my fault you’ve got a softie’s taste in music,” you tease, going back to your stupid pile of clothes when he finally looks at you, feigning offense.

“I will not tolerate slander in my own home.”You both fall into soft laughter again, before he decides to turn the volume back up, not really caring about what he might’ve missed. Romance novels, huh. He’s definitely using that against you later.

It’s supposed to be another random Tuesday night. 

You’ve called it a day, and intend to sit back and relax and enjoy your evening. You’re about to walk out of your room to make some tea for bed, when you hear the familiar rustle of Johnny’s keys on the front door, but it’s not just his footsteps you hear. 

No, there’s a giggle. A girl giggle. 

“Oh my god, you weren’t kidding about the stairs!” She says, followed by a breathless little laugh. “Wait…this is it?”

You’re still in your room where you can't see them, but by the sound of the girl’s voice, she’s not exactly impressed about the place Johnny Storm brought her into. But he doesn’t seem to mind, instead, you can hear his footsteps going toward the turntable, probably rummaging through his “setting the mood” shelf. 

“Yep. This is where I live.”

There’s a brief pause, where you assume the girl is looking around trying to find a camera that would explain this is just a bad prank.

“…Really? I thought you lived in a penthouse,” she says, laughing nervously again. “I don’t know, something with a view, at least?”

“Nope,” Johnny says, and you can hear the unbothered smile on his face. “This is home.”

She doesn’t say anything back, but you’re guessing she’s probably trying to smile politely like her life depends on it. After all, she’s not stupid enough to waste the opportunity of spending the night with the human torch.

You don’t know what makes you step out of your room, maybe curiosity killed the cat, but you regret it the moment you see the girl Johnny brought home. The brunette looks like her face belongs in a billboard as much as he does. She’s still standing by the door, shifting awkwardly, and her eyes widen when she sees you walk out in pj’s. 

“Oh hey!” Johnny says quickly, gesturing between you with a little laugh before she spirals. “This is my roommate. And this is, um…Paige.”

You smile, just enough to be polite, crossing your arms over your chest to try to keep at bay whatever you’re feeling.

“Hi, Paige.” That’s all you can manage to say. Johnny pretends going back to choosing a record, but he watches you from the corner of his eye. 

Paige straightens on her spot, smiling way too cheerfully for the expression of bewilderment she had just seconds ago. “Hi! I love the place. It’s so…cozy.”

You nod, ignoring the way she looks up and down at you, and decide it’s wiser to forget about that tea.

“Nice meeting you. I’ll uh…leave you both to it…” you mutter, before doing the only thing a sane person would do. 

Retreat to your room, shut the door, and pretend you don’t exist. 

You decide to go back to your plans of enjoying the evening, and curl up with a good book in bed–thinking a glass of wine wouldn't be the worst idea–when you hear music coming from the living room. And it’s not just any song. Of course it’s not.

The opening sultry sequence is unmistakable, so instantly recognizable that your eyes go wide as your head snaps toward the door. 

“I’ve been really tryyyyyyin’, baby…”

“No fucking way,” you whisper to yourself.

“Tryin’ to hold back this feeling for so looooong…”

You rush to the door, pressing your ear to the wood to confirm you’re not hallucinating. Johnny really is shooting his shot with Marvin Gaye in the background. 

Way to set the fucking mood. Literally.

“Oh my God,” you slap a hand over your mouth to stop the disbelieving laughter bubbling out of your chest. “That’s his move?”

You can’t help it. You have to see this. You crack the door open just enough to take a peek of the living room. The record spins on the turntable, as Johnny stands in front of the couch Paige is sitting on. 

“Let’s get it on…”

And girl, Johnny’s getting it on. He has his arms up in front of him, elbows bent, fists and eyes closed, completely surrendering to the groove. He rolls his shoulders seductively, and his hips are doing a slow sway that makes your jaw drop to the floor. 

He’s performing, right in the middle of your apartment, and you’re not sure if you should be horrified or turned on. 

The girl on the couch is surely eating it up. She giggles, covering her mouth like this is the most charming thing she’s ever seen. Johnny throws in a little hip circle, that feels unnecessarily dramatic in your humble opinion, but she squeals louder, clapping as she melts under his mating spell.

“Let’s get it on…let’s love, baby…”

You can’t believe him, you can not believe him…and yet, your lips twitch at the way he’s completely unaware of how stupid he looks because he’s too busy having fun doing his weird seduction ritual. 

Of course this is how he flirts. Of course he dances like that. And of course people fall for it.

You shake your head, smiling despite yourself. Paige laughs again, and Johnny grins wide, clearly proud of himself. He offers his arm to her with a wink, leaning forward, and she takes his hand with a delighted gasp that seems to seal the deal. 

That also means you’ve seen enough. 

You close the door softly, pressing your back against it as the music and the giggles muffle behind it. You tell yourself that you should be annoyed. You should be rolling your eyes. But god help you, there’s this weird tender feeling blooming on your chest, and you hate it. Because even when he’s being ridiculous, even when he’s dancing to Marvin Gaye for someone else…You still find him stupidly endearing.

-

Unfortunately, Johnny’s wasn’t the only performance of the night. 

Oh no, you wish you could go back to the stupid mating dance instead of…this. 

First you just heard the creak of a bed. His bed. Followed by a sound that could only be described as a high, breathy, and absolutely overdone…moan. A performative moan. The walls are thin, not paper thin, but still enough that every exaggerated sound from his guest bleeds through. 

“Oh my goood, Johnnyyy…”

You try covering your ears with your pillow, hoping it’ll help muffle the show Paige is putting on next to your room. But no, this girl is committed. She’s moaning as if she’s trying to convince someone. Anyone. Everyone. 

God, what if your neighbors think that’s you?

Your groan is muffled by the pillow. This is torture, absolute torture. You know Johnny must be good in bed. That’s not the problem. The problem is that she sounds like she’s aware she has an audience.

You lift yourself on your elbows to glance at the clock and sigh at the time. 1:07 a.m.

Who goes on a date on a Tuesday? 

Granted, if you were fucking Johnny you probably wouldn’t mind the day, or the hour–alright STOP right there. That’s not the point! 

You plop back down, exhausted, but sleep doesn’t come easily. You just stare at the ceiling, counting the cracks you’ve never bothered to notice before, in an attempt to ignore Johnny’s muffled groans. 

You tell yourself it’s fine. You tell yourself you’re a grown adult who can handle the fact that her roommate has a sex life. There was never a rule against Johnny bringing someone home. He lives here. He pays for almost everything for God’s sake. He’s allowed to bring anyone wants. 

It's just…you were naive enough to think he wouldn't.

Girl, whatever.

Wednesday’s morning sun hits you like a slap in the face. 

You couldn’t sleep well, not with the symphony next door. So you forced yourself up from bed and got ready for work by a miracle. Now, yawning and barely keeping your eyes open, you drag your feet toward the kitchen to find some salvation in the form of caffeine, but you don’t make it two steps outside your bedroom before you collide directly into something solid. 

And wet. And warm. Too warm. 

Johnny. 

Who was just stepping out of the bathroom with water dripping down his golden skin. A white towel hangs low on his hips. Like low low. His clenched fist barely keeps it in place. Blonde hair sticking in strands to his forehead. 

You freeze in place. 

“Morning,” he says, smirking, “You okay? You look like you just saw a very handsome man.”

You don’t really hear him. And you absolutely do not stare at his chest, his abs, or the water trickling down his happy trail. But you do notice the hickeys adorning his glistening pecs. Bright and fresh and mocking you.

“It’s okay if you want to scream.” His teasing voice makes you roll your eyes as you shove past him. 

“Put on some damn clothes, Storm.”

Johnny lets out a chuckle, leaning over the bathroom’s door frame with his arm. 

“Why? You looked like you were enjoying the view,” he adds, and just to show off more, he steams the water off his body in a matter of seconds. “You know, you can just say I’m hot. I’d be flattered, really.”

He expects you to say some witty remark, or give into him with a laugh like you always do, but you give him the cold shoulder treatment. Then you distract yourself by stabbing the buttons on the espresso machine he brought in just last week. Johnny notices not only that, but your sudden aggression toward the cereal box and the bowl you set a little too harshly onto the counter. He frowns, stepping slowly into the kitchen. 

“Hey…wait, are you–“

“I’m not mad,” you say, still not looking at him.

“I didn’t say you were,” he shrugs, lifting one hand innocently before smirking again. “…but are you not though?” 

“I’m just tired, okay? Some of us had to sleep last night instead of entertaining their very loud…guest.”

“Ohhh,” he clicks his tongue, grin only growing bigger. “So this is about last night. That’s what you’re mad about.”

“I said I’m not mad!” You snap.

There’s a few seconds of silence where Johnny debates turning around and hiding in his room before you throw a knife at him or something, but since he apparently has no survival instinct, he leans closer, tilting his head inquisitively at you. 

“…Are you sure?” 

You set your palms on the counter with a sigh. But instead of going for the knife in the drawer to your right (very tempting) you step away from him. 

“Johnny–listen I’m not mad that you brought someone over,” you start explaining, a little hesitant because wow, this is awkward. “You live here too and you can bring whoever you want. It’s not about that.”

“Okay…” he drags the word, waiting for the but.

“It’s just…it was a weeknight, alright? I have work today and I could barely sleep.”

You see the shift in Johnny’s face when he takes in your exhausted features, your slumped shoulders and the lame work outfit you didn’t seem to care much about. His brows furrow in something that looks like concern as a mild pink paints his cheeks. That’s when you straighten up, shaking your head in an attempt to take it back as sudden embarrassment takes over you.

“Sorry, that probably sounded dumb. Swear I’m not trying to police your sex life–you’re an adult! You can…you can do whatever you want, whenever you want–” you fumble through your words, but this time Johnny is the one shaking his head as he steps closer to you, so close that you can feel the warmth radiating off his bare chest.

“Shit. I didn’t even think–you’re right,” he says, scratching the back of his head as he turns redder. “I’m sorry…I should’ve thought about that. I really didn’t mean to…make you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t, not in the way you think,” you reassure, lowering your eyes to the bowl on the counter with a little shrug. “Maybe I just didn’t need to hear…all of it. You know?”

He nods a little too quickly. “Yeah yeah, totally, I get it. This uh–this roommate thing’s still new to me, but I’ll be more careful next time. Promise.”

Next time. Promise. You’re not sure why that didn’t make you feel better. Next time. Next time you’ll–

“Thank you,” you mumble, feeling Johnny’s gaze fixed on you as you nod and turn away from him toward the coffee machine again. 

Johnny hums, and decides to retreat back to his room, bare feet dragging over the wood floor. The roommate thing is not necessarily new new to him, but living in a shared apartment with thin walls is. At least back at home no one complained about his night endeavours anymore after Reed installed a soundproofing system specifically for this purpose. 

He stops right outside his room, his hand resting on the doorknob when he turns to you with that charming smile he wears when he knows he’s done something wrong and he needs to fix it. 

“Lunch tomorrow?” He asks casually, almost laughing at the way your head snaps up toward him with wide eyes. “To make it up to you. It’s your day off.” 

The perplexed expression on your face doesn’t change. 

“You…know?” You tilt your head, narrowing your eyes at him. 

“You marked it on the calendar with a little face next to it.” He grins, shrugging cockily. 

“I didn’t–” Your eyes land on the calendar next to the landline phone on the wall, and sure there is a little smiley face next to your circle. “You drew that there!” you accuse with a small laugh he follows.

“Whatever. It’s still my treat, what do you say?”

“But…Paige won’t be mad?” you tease, and he bites back a chuckle as he shakes his head. 

“She was just a one time thing.” 

His expression doesn't falter, but something about the quickness of his reply makes your heart do something stupid again. 

“Then…yeah, guess I’d like that,” you say softly. 

“Good. I’m picking the place,” he nods with a smile.

You definitely don’t stare at his back as he disappears into his room.

“I got sunshineeee, on a cloudy day…”

The music coming from the jukebox is lively, and matches the bright diner Johnny brought you to. He’d tried hailing a cab to get there, but you dragged him toward the subway, where he insisted on getting his own card to cover your fare at least.

He adored the subway, though! That poor innocent soul. 

You weren’t really sure where he was taking you, but you liked the place he chose. 

“Can I get you anything else, honey?” The waitress asks Johnny after scribbling down your order. A kind middle aged woman with bright red lipstick, who has apparently known Johnny since he was a kid. 

“That’s everything for now. Thank you, Glinda,” he smiles, sending a wink her way. 

She laughs, shaking her head, used to him doing that every other day. Then her gaze travels between you two with a smile you can’t quite decipher. 

“You two are cute,” she says suddenly.

“We’re not–”

“Thanks!” Johnny cuts you off, and before you can protest, he nudges your foot under the table until Glinda leaves. He chuckles when he sees you narrowing your eyes at him. “Let her believe it. We’ll get better service.”

“Huh. Did that work with Paige too?” You tease with a tilt of your head, and Johnny raises his eyebrows in surprise. 

“Wow. So we’re doing that today?”

You shrug, a laugh escaping your lips. “I’m just saying, if I’m gonna be one of your girls of the week, I should know if you’re using the same techniques.”

“Oh don’t worry, you’ll meet the rest of my harem later and you can ask them yourself,” Johnny plays along, making your grin widen. “But if it makes you feel better, you’re the first one I’ve ever brought here.”

Something about the comment makes something flutter in your stomach. You look around, and this is definitely not the place you imagine the girls Johnny dates hanging out. No wonder he hasn’t brought them here, after all,  this is just a casual “I fucked too loud the other day and I need you to forgive me” spot. 

“How do you know this place?” You ask. 

“Sue used to bring me here when I was little,” he explains, smiling softly as he recalls the memory. “Best burgers in the city. I didn’t want to eat anywhere else." 

You smile, and shake the bad thoughts away, grateful to be the first one he decided to share this space with besides his sister. 

Your food arrives eventually, and the conversation flows easily between you, just as if you were sitting on the floor of your living room. He always shares stories about his missions that seem too good to be true, and when you share stories from your job, the craziest thing you can tell him is the absurd HR drama of the week. 

“...I guess you'd say

What can make me feel this way?...” 

The music fills the restaurant, and the food is so good, you can’t help the delight on your face.  

“Oh my god, you weren’t lying about these,” you say, a little muffled, after the last glorious bite of your burger. 

Johnny chuckles, nodding like ‘I told you so’. You’re too busy tasting heaven to notice when he leans forward on his booth, and before you know it, his hand is reaching toward your cheek, wiping some leftover sauce with a napkin. 

“There you go,” he says softly. 

The gesture is so sudden that you freeze on your spot and stop chewing, but Johnny looks unbothered as ever, leaning back again with both arms resting on the edge of the booth like that was nothing. You stare at his relaxed position, and finish swallowing what was in your mouth, trying to ignore the lingering feeling of his warm fingers grazing your skin. 

“Thank you,” you manage, clearing your throat. 

“Anytime,” he shrugs, flashing you another one of his pearly white smiles. 

“...My girl (my girl, my girl)

Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl)...”

-

“Well, I think that should cover the noise,” Johnny says, following behind as you enter the apartment after getting back from the diner. 

“Fine. Apology accepted, Storm.” You roll your eyes, but can’t help a smile as you go straight to the living room. 

You plop down onto the couch, and Johnny throws himself beside you. There’s a comfortable silence for a few seconds, one he couldn’t wait to ruin by opening his mouth. 

“Don’t worry, next time I’ll keep it down,” he says nonchalantly. “I can be considerate.”

Maybe he meant it as a joke, you tell yourself. Next time. It really shouldn’t bother you, but it’s the second time he says it like the idea of having another woman on his bed is as casual as eating a burger. 

Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t–

“Well, hopefully the next one doesn’t fake it so loudly.” 

The words left your mouth before you could think about their impact. Johnny turns fully toward you, straightening up on the couch. 

“I’m sorry, what? Did you just say Paige was faking it?” 

You consider getting up and ignoring the conversation altogether, but that would make you look worse than you already do. 

“I didn’t say any names,” you try to brush it off. 

“You absolutely meant Paige,” he retorts. “And she wasn’t faking it.”

“…Okay,” is all you say, pursing your lips together. Johnny narrows his eyes. 

“You don’t believe me,” he says defensively, and it’s a little hard not to laugh at Johnny's genuine offense.

“Well, did you believe her?” You ask, raising your eyebrows.

He looks at you like you’ve gone mad. “Yes, of course I did! I’m very attentive with those things. I would know.”

“Okay then,” you shrug, leaning forward to take the tv remote from the coffee table, but he beats you to it, and hides it behind him. “Johnny!”

“No! Don’t patronize me,” he points at you with his finger, “I pay attention, okay? I’m not saying I’m Casanova–”

“You kind of are.”

“Well not the point,” he glares at you, but you just bite back a smile and wave your hand for him to continue. “What I mean is, women don’t fake it with me.”

He says it with such conviction, that all you can do is bite the inside of your cheek to not burst out laughing. I mean, of course certified hot stuff™ Johnny Storm would believe that. 

“Okay–”

“Stop saying okay!” He groans dramatically, running his hands through his hair like this is physically wearing him out, and then holds them in front of you. “You wanna hear the details? Fine. She said she came ten times.”

“Ten times?”

“Yeah.”

“Johnny.”

“What?”

“Ten??”

“Yes. Ten,” he says proudly, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Did you also come ten times?” 

He goes quiet for a moment, his mouth opening and closing in offense. You raise your eyebrows and nod with your head, prompting him to talk. 

“No that’s…that’s impossible,” he huffs. All you have to do is give him a look. See? “Okay–stop. It’s different for women.”

“Yeah, I know it is. That’s why you don’t understand,” you sigh, trying to sound nicer now because despite everything, you’re not trying to humiliate him. “Listen, I’m sure you’re good in bed, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen for us. And sometimes girls don’t want to stop everything and explain that in the middle of it, so they fake it to be…polite.” 

He looks flabbergasted to say the least. 

“Polite? So you’re saying faking orgasms is what, being generous with us?”

“I think she was very generous, making you believe it was twelve times.”

“I said ten,” he snaps.

“Right, ten. God forbid I say an unrealistic number.”

Johnny narrows his eyes at you, but your amused smile doesn’t falter. That’s the moment when the devil on his shoulder whispers something to him, and a glint appears in his eye. 

“Well, what about you, then?” He asks casually.

“What about me?” You narrow your eyes. 

“Do you have to fake it a lot with the guys you are with?”

“Johnny…” you laugh, rolling your eyes at how he turned it around.

“I’m just saying,” he smirks. “You seem to know a lot about it. Did you have to do it a lot?” He’s teasing, you know it, but there's a bit of genuine curiosity under all that. 

“Like I said, sometimes it just doesn’t happen for us,” you shrug, chuckling again but it doesn’t reach your eyes this time, “my last partner was…attentive. So I didn’t have to. At least…not at first.”

“Your last partner?"

You hesitate for a second, then nod.

“We were together for five years.” 

“Five years?” Johnny straightens up, unconsciously sliding himself closer to you on the couch. “You were with someone for five years?”

“Yeah. I actually thought I was gonna spend the rest of my life with him,” you smile sadly. “His name is James.”

Johnny hates James. 

He’s not sure what to say besides that. You’ve never told him this before, and God, that look on your face…makes him watch you more carefully now. No more teasing, no smirk. 

“Did it end badly?” He asks softly. You shake your head.

“It wasn’t ugly per se, just…sad. We didn’t want the same things anymore,” you sigh, he just listens. “We had dreams, you know? Big ones. Penthouse in Manhattan, fancy dinners, skiing holidays. He wanted to go into politics, make it to congress, I wanted to become a New York Times best seller. So, we’d agreed we didn’t want kids or the whole marriage thing. Just success,” you chuckle, because it sounds so foreign to you now. “But after so many years together I changed my mind. I wanted a family. I wanted…more. I wanted to live the love I was writing about.”

“And he didn’t,” Johnny adds quietly. 

“No. He didn't. Didn't think we could have both.” You meet his gaze, and you see true concern there, so you smile. “It’s been about a year since we called it off. I’ve healed a lot since then. Found this place and made it home.” you say, as if he’s the one who needs reassurance. 

Johnny’s heart burns under his chest. He’d never stopped to think about the life you had before him. There was a whole imagined future that someone destroyed, and he had no idea.

“I heard he made it to congress last month,” you add, toying with the hem of your shirt. “Guess that leaves me here, still writing in my pjs thinking I can make it big one day,” you chuckle, but Johnny doesn't find it so amusing. 

“Hey. Don’t say it like that,” he says softly, shaking his head. “You’re doing it. You’re writing, maybe not in some fancy tower office or bestselling list yet, but you’re on your way. I’ve seen you type for hours on that thing,” he points at the typewriter by the window. “And you’re going to find someone who wishes the same things as you. You deserve someone who wants to give you all that, and more.”

“Yeah…maybe,” you nod. He huffs, nudging your leg playfully with his support.

“Definitely.”

This time you let yourself smile genuinely. You’re not sure why you let yourself share all of that with Johnny. Surely, he’s never had to worry about success, and there’s a line of girls who would gladly marry him anyday. But the way he’d looked at you, so…earnest. You deserve someone who wants to give you all that, and more. His words echo in your head, but maybe you shouldn't dwell on it. He was just being nice–

“It’s a little quiet in here, isn’t it?” His voice snaps you out of your thoughts, and when you turn to look at him, he’s got his devilish smile back on.

You narrow your eyes, but he just raises from the couch and walks toward the turntable. 

“I say, we need some music to lighten up,” he half turns to you without stopping, winking. 

You snort, shifting on the couch to peek at what vinyl he wants to play, but he purposefully covers it with his body. You don’t have to guess for long, because a familiar groove fills the apartment when he drops the needle.

“Johnny, you can’t be serious right now,” you chuckle when you recognize the tune. 

He turns away from the turntable, and he already has that mischievous glint in his eye, making a “come here” motion with two fingers. His hips start moving to the rhythm as he walks toward you, and you have to bite back a smile. 

“Come on, I already heard your sad story. Let’s dance now.” 

“My sad story?” You gasp in exaggerated offense. “Oh you're dead, Storm.”

“Yeah?” He grins, stopping right in front of you but never halting his moves. “Why don’t you stand up and show me you can move, then?”

“I won’t–” 

“Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I'm a woman's man no time to talk…” he cuts you off, singing and pointing at himself. His voice comes out so high it matches the record, and you cover your mouth to hide your smile. He keeps dancing to the groove, “And now it's all right, it's okay. And you may look the other way…” you do just that, but Johnny slides to stay in your line of sight. 

“…Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother

You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive…”

You cover your face, peeking through your fingers. He keeps moving so easily, so unashamed, and for a moment it feels too familiar. It’s just like the other night, except today, you are the girl he’s dancing to. 

“Ah ah ah ah, staying alive…” Johnny channels his inner Travolta, and busts out the signature disco move: left hand on his hip, the other moving up and down in the air as the chorus hits. You can’t hide the delight on your face anymore. A giggle escapes out, and he just smiles brighter, stopping his move only to offer his hand. “Come on, dance with me.”

You want to say no.

“Scared of a little fun?” He teases.

It’s a trap. It’s a trap. But he’s standing right there with his hand outstretched, hips swaying to the beat, and those impossible blue eyes daring you to stop thinking about fake orgasms and failed relationships and just join the moment. He looks so ridiculous, yet you’re rising up from the couch before you can really think about it. 

Johnny cheers approvingly, stepping back to give you space, and you let yourself go. Your own moves are looser, less practiced than his, but still good enough to raise to the challenge. You shake your hair playfully, spinning around so Johnny is standing behind you as you join the rhythm. You sway from side to side in opposite directions, catching brief glances of each other’s faces. He lets out a low whistle.

“Ohhhh she dances,” he praises, eyes shamelessly trailing your movements.

“Shut it,” you shoot back. 

And you both dance. 

“…Well now, I get low and I get high

And if I can't get either, I really try…”

The apartment fills with music and laughter, and you get lost in your own Saturday Night Fever extravaganza. At some point he reaches for your hand again and twirls you, making you stumble into him, and you collide chest to chest. The song keeps playing, but it fades out when his bright blue eyes set on you. 

You’re breathless, and you try to play it cool, but it’s impossible when he’s right there.

“You’re smiling,” he says teasingly, but you don’t try to hide this time. 

“Only because you’re ridiculous,” you manage. 

Johnny shrugs smugly, making you yelp when he steps back and spins you around faster than before, then prompting you to dance again. “Then be ridiculous with me.”

As you both laugh and surrender to the rhythm, you come to the realization that you could learn to love this.

The dancing. 

It’s Friday night, and you decide to give dating a chance again. It’s about time after all.

You smooth down your outfit, fix your hair one last time, and give yourself a final look in the mirror of your room. It’s been a while since you actually dressed up for something that wasn’t work, and god, it feels good to remember you still have it in you.

You step out of your room hoping to leave without making too much of a fuss, when you come across a shirtless Johnny leaning on the breakfast counter, wearing his human torch pj pants– way too low to be considered PG– and eating from the cereal box in his hand. Only the glow from the refrigerator bathes the kitchen in a pale golden hue. 

Not an unfamiliar sight at all, yet…you always find yourself staring longer than you should. For Johnny, however, watching you come out of your room looking like that as you leave a trail of expensive perfume he’s sure you’ve never worn before, is unfamiliar. 

“Wow,” he says, straightening up against the counter, a teasing smile on his face. “She actually cleans up nicely.”

You snort, looking around for your coat and pretending you don’t feel Johnny’s burning gaze on you when you put it on. 

“Date night?” he asks. His voice definitely didn’t come out higher than normal.

“...Yeah,” you mumble, fixing the collar of your coat. “Guy from work. He’s um…we’re going dancing.”

“Dancing? People still do that?” He teases. Hypocrite.

“Ha. Ha. Very funny Storm,” you retort, walking to the door to grab your keys on the little hook next to it. “Please don’t burn the place while I’m out.” 

“I can’t promise anything,” he shrugs unapologetically, rounding the counter as if to walk toward the couch in the living room, but he really just wants to get a better look at you before you leave. “You look very beautiful.” 

His words make your hand freeze over the doorknob. There’s something about the softness in his voice that knocks the breath out of your chest. You turn around to look at him with a small smile.

“Thank you, Johnny,” you say, but before you can reach the knob again he perks up.

“Wait–he’s not coming up to get you?”

“No…he said he’d be outside at 8,” you shrug, but Johnny doesn't seem to take it as lightly as you do. If anything, you’d say he looks scandalized to say the least. 

“Yeah–no. That’s not happening,” he shakes his head, dropping the cereal box on the counter as he walks towards you. 

“Johnny–”

“No way I’m letting you wait outside alone in the cold while some guy honks his car like he’s doing you a favor,” he says, walking ahead to open the door. “I’ll wait with you.”

“...You’re only wearing pants.”

“Yeah, and they’re my favorite pair,” he deadpans. “Let’s go.”

“Okay…” you shrug, but can’t fight the smile tugging at your lips as he guides you outside the apartment. “Thank you,” you whisper, when he offers his arm to help you down the multiple flights of stairs. 

Date night hasn’t even started and you’re already flustering. 

Once you’re in the lobby, Johnny doesn’t seem to mind the fact that he’s standing shirtless and barefoot next to the glass doors. If anything, he’s more interested in seeing who this mystery man is, if he even has the decency of at least walking inside to get you. For a moment he just stares at you from the corner of his eye, resisting the urge to send another compliment your way. 

The clock ticks, minutes go by, and you’re still smiling but the slight waver of your stance doesn’t go unnoticed by Johnny. 

He glances at you, then at his watch. 8:15. Shit.

"Are you sure he said eight?" Johnny asks carefully. 

“Yeah. Eight. Michael called me yesterday to confirm it,” you nod, eyes still glued to the street outside. 

Johnny hates Michael. He hates him so much and he doesn’t even know him. But he forces a reassuring smile for you.

“Maybe traffic?”

“Yeah,” you agree too quickly. “You know how it is on a Friday.”

He just nods, and turns back to the street. He doesn’t feel the bite of the cold, but he notices the way you wrap your arms around you. He silently steps closer to you, increasing his body temperature so can share some with you. You don’t say anything, or even move, but time does. 

8:25.

You shift your weight from side to side, trying to come up with something to at least make the silence a little less awkward, but nothing comes out. 

8:30.

Johnny’s gaze turns to you again, and you fear he sees the moment of cruel acceptance in your face. Why did he have to wait with you? This would be less embarrassing if he’d just stayed upstairs so you had time to come up with an excuse less pathetic than “I was stood up.” 

At 8:40 you decide it’s been enough of this humiliation, so you exhale, turning back to the stairs while avoiding Johnny’s eyes. 

“Well, he probably got caught up in something,” you shrug, trying to sound casual. A shaky laugh escapes your lips. “Maybe an emergency. Or maybe he just didn’t want to come...”

“I don’t think–”

“I’m gonna go back,” you cut him off, clearing your throat. “I’ll just change and order something. It’s no big deal.”

Johnny doesn't have time to offer his arm this time, because you’re already halfway up the stairs ahead of him. So he follows behind, no questions asked.

The hurt is not even about the guy who didn’t show up, because you haven’t known him long enough for this to be a proper “heartbreak”, but you hate that you got all dressed up and hopeful. How you let yourself believe someone might want to see you that badly. Oh he’s gonna hear it from you on Monday. 

And now you’re walking back upstairs with your roommate in the front row of the whole shitshow.

Your roommate who held the door open and helped you down the stairs.The one who hasn't made a single joke about the situation even when you’re sure he’s never had to worry about being stood up in his entire life. The one who said you looked beautiful with such softness in his voice that your stomach still flips thinking about it. 

Your roommate who also happens to be Johnny Storm. 

And the worst part? 

Part of you wishes he was the one who stood you up. Because at least then, it would’ve meant he wanted to take you out in the first place.

God, you’re being ridiculous. 

You don’t really want to talk when you approach the apartment. Johnny closes the door behind you with a soft click, and you don’t even bother turning the lights back on since the idea of ordering something doesn’t seem that appealing anymore, instead, you bend down to take your shoes off. Your night ended before it could even begin anyways. 

“Goodnight, Johnny.” 

You don’t wait for a reply as you straighten up and make a beeline for your bedroom, but you stop when you feel his warm fingers wrap gently around your wrist, the same one holding your shoes.

“Wait,” he says softly. “Just…wait.”

He lets go almost as quickly, his brief touch a mere ghost feeling on your wrist as you watch him walk with determination toward the turntable in the living room, flipping through the basket of records on rotation you keep next to it. You’re about to open your mouth to tell him you’re really not in the mood for this, but he beats you to it. 

“Ah ha!” He celebrates when he finds the one he was looking for, but from your spot it’s hard to recognize the cover in the darkness. He places the record on the player, and turns to you a little bit shyer. “This isn’t, you know…a fancy dance floor. But I figured you deserved your dance anyway.” 

His dashing smile is soft and lopsided and even a little sheepish as he waits for your response. Your heart thumps so loud and quickly you struggle to process everything you feel in that moment, and the sting in your eyes doesn't help either. 

You stay speechless, but Johnny doesn't mind, he only turns again to drop the needle on the vinyl before walking to your spot.

You expect the melody to come out of the turntable to be lively, something ridiculously sexy or extravagant like the other day, but when you recognize the soft chords of a guitar, you have to stop yourself from gasping. 

“I know I stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me…”

Frank Sinatra's voice dances across the apartment, just as Johnny stops in front of you and extends his hand with a soft smile. 

“What do you say? Wanna dance under the glow of our ridiculous fridge?”

A chuckle escapes your lips. To think that you would’ve expected him to mock you for what happened, but no, he’s offering you a dance instead. Again. Words are foreign to you still, but you drop your shoes to the floor and take his hand.

“And if we go some place to dance I know that there's a chance you won't be leaving with me…”

His hand finds your waist, and yours land over his bare shoulders almost instinctively. You start to sway to the melody, glassy eyes meeting his piercing blue ones. His face is washed by the faint glow coming from the kitchen, enough to look ethereal as he guides your hips from side to side. His body is hot beneath your touch, and you find it hard to coordinate your moves with the unsteadiness of your breathing. 

“And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink or two…”

The record choice doesn’t help your state either. That song. That damn song. The one you’ve been playing every Sunday morning. The one you sing along to in the middle of typing as you try to recreate that love with your words. The one you reach for when the apartment’s too quiet and you don’t want to be alone with your thoughts. 

This is not like the other day. This…this is everything. 

“And then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid like ‘I love you’...”

Johnny breaks eye contact to spin you around softly, almost letting out a tiny huff when your chests collide back together. That’s familiar. His grip on your waist tightens ever so slightly, and your fingers find their way to play with his hair. 

You don’t want the moment to end. And neither does he. So you keep going, careful not to let your face bury into his bare chest, as you sway barefoot under the refrigerator light. 

“The time is right, your perfume fills my head

The stars get red and, oh, the night's so blue…”

Maybe getting stood up wasn't so bad.

“And then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid like ‘I love you’...”

Maybe this is exactly where you’re supposed to be.

The next time you decide to try dating, it’s with a better man. A totally normal, grounded, emotionally available man who shows up at your doorstep when he says he will.

Joseph has brown eyes and brown hair. A warm voice with an accent that had you internally giggling and kicking your feet when you were introduced at a work event. He’s sweet and listens and laughs at your jokes and doesn't have a superhero suit in his closet. 

Nope, he just works in finance. 

That’s good. That’s smart. Joseph’s normal. He doesn’t light on fire at will. And he's oh, so handsome. Which is why, after many successful dates, you knew you wanted more with him. 

Johnny hasn't been home on a Saturday night since he moved in. You don’t know exactly where he goes; missions, friends, clubs, space? Who cares, Saturday is his disappearing act, so you were counting on having the apartment to yourself.

So when Joseph said I’d love to come inside after kissing you against the front door, you said sure with a little grin and the warmth of two glasses of wine running through your veins. You fumbled with your keys a little, giggling when Joseph’s hands roamed down your waist when you opened the door…only to find him on the couch. 

Johnny.

Wearing sweatpants and a white t-shirt with a 4 logo. Bowl of popcorn in his lap and a movie glowing on the screen. His head whips in your direction when he hears your little messy entrance, and smiles a little too wide for someone who just ruined your plans entirely.

“Heeey,” he beams, leaning back on the couch as his eyes narrow at the man standing behind you.

“Hi,” you say, clearly taken aback. “...You’re home.” 

“Yep.”

Ugh. Can’t a girl get laid in peace? 

“Everything alright?” Joseph asks hesitantly, clearly not expecting to find Johnny Storm on your couch.

“Yeah–yeah, sorry. Come in,” you step aside, gesturing awkwardly between them. “This is uh–Johnny. My roommate.”

“That’d be me,” Johnny throws a salute in his direction. “And you are?”

“Joseph,” he flashes a confident grin, tightening his grip around your waist. “Nice to meet you, torch.”

Johnny nods at him, eyes traveling to his hand placement, and you swear you catch his posture faltering for a second, the thousand alarms going off behind that perfect smile. So she doesn’t like blonds…

“Don’t you uh…have somewhere to be?” You ask, gesturing with your eyes toward the door in a silent plea, but he just shakes his head, smiling wider and leaning back onto the couch. He even has the audacity to laugh when you glare at him.

“Oh please, don’t mind me here! I’ll just finish my movie.”

Your eye twitches. So he wants to stay? Fine. You’re not leaving either. 

“Well!” you say a little too enthusiastically, one hand reaching for Joseph’s to pull him toward your bedroom.  “Don’t mind us either, then.”

He shrugs, pretending to turn to the TV again but you feel him watching as you walk away. 

“Don’t forget the walls are thin!”

You don’t turn around or answer to him, just tug Joseph inside your room and shut the door. You twist the lock and try the knob a few times, just in case. 

It doesn’t take long before Joseph is all over you. You’d already been worked up on the way there and the drinks fogging your mind helped you ease the nerves. This is what you wanted after all, a normal night with a normal man. A very sexy one at that. 

His roaming hands are warm and his mouth finds places that have you leaning on the wall behind you so you don’t fall apart completely. 

You really try to be quiet. Respectful. Because unlike him, you’re not trying to put on a show. Seriously, what was he thinking? He’s gone every single Saturday and today he chooses to “watch a movie”. I swear to God, he can be a pain in the ass when he wants to–

Okay, maybe let’s not think about Johnny Storm when another man is on top of you. 

But your bed creaks, just like his that night. You tell yourself to relax, to let go, yet you bite your lip and keep your sounds low. Careful little breaths barely muffled by Joseph’s neck. That is, until it starts to feel too good, and the moans slipping out stop being something you can control. 

Outside, the movie is still playing. Johnny, however, doesn’t even know what’s going on in that screen anymore. He turns the volume up and tells himself that whatever is happening inside your room is none of his business. 

You brought a guy home, big deal. 

It explains why you’ve been giggling on the phone late at night and disappearing every now and then all dolled up. Not that he has noticed, really. You have every right to do whatever you want, with whoever you want. Really. He’s even glad this guy didn’t stand you up like the last one. You deserve to be happy.

Even if he’s not happy right now. Because he really shouldn’t be listening to you like that. 

She’s faking, he thinks immediately, when the sounds start to slip past the walls of your room. You have to. There’s no way that guy is that good. 

Something in his stomach twists when the sounds you’re letting out just prove your theory from the other day: he’s an idiot who can’t tell. 

But he would know with you, he would–no. 

He stands up so abruptly the plastic bowl of popcorn goes flying from his lap, making a mess all over the woodfloors. Whatever, he’ll deal with that later. Right now, he has to leave, or he’s gonna die in this house. And in a whoosh of raging fire, he’s gone.

Weeks went by, and Johnny never brought up that night. Just like you never brought up finding the TV still on and the popcorn all over the floor next morning. 

You both went back to normal. You kept seeing Joseph and Johnny went back to disappearing on Saturdays. You even had a feeling Johnny was seeing someone too, and confirmed it the day you found a pink bra peeking out of his laundry pile. 

So you were both dating…other people. Big deal. 

Despite that, things didn’t really change between you. Because at night? You still came home to each other. You still ate takeout together on the floor, still watched movies, still bickered over who jammed the garbage disposal. 

Normal, normal, normal. Just like tonight.

“So, when are you moving in with your boyfriend?” Johnny asks playfully, setting down an empty noodles box on the coffee table. 

For a second you choke on your last bite of noodles, and cover it up with a cough that has him looking at you amusingly. 

“It’s a little early for that,” you shrug casually, fiddling with your chopsticks on the empty box.

He nods, serious for only a second before he sighs dramatically, putting one hand over his heart and the other over his eyes. “And here I was, thinking it was because you liked living with me too much.”

This time you snort, shaking your head. The worst part is that he might not be wrong about that, but don’t tell him that I said that!

“Don’t flatter yourself, Storm,” you scoff instead. 

“Oh, come on,” he whines, pushing your thigh with his foot. “I’m great to live with. I know you’d miss me if I left.”

I might wither and die.

“I would not,” you say firmly. “What is there to miss, the burnt toast and the bra’s in the laundry?” You tease. 

“Those aren’t mine,” he says seriously. 

“Well thank you for clarifying that, Johnny. I was really having doubts if you were a C cup or not,” you shake your head, and this time you can’t fight the laughter that flows so easily between you. “And for the record, if there’s anything I’d miss, it's the refrigerator, or your vinyls.”

He snorts and rolls his eyes, standing up to take the empty box from you and walk toward the kitchen to throw it away. You can’t help but glance in his direction, and heat warms your cheeks when he turns around and catches you staring. But the teasing never comes, no, only a sweet smile, softly illuminated by the fridge in question. 

You look away before you say something you're not supposed to. 

Wow, look at that! Another Saturday Johnny didn’t disappear. Why? Because this morning Johnny decided to casually announce that the Fantastic Fucking Four were dying to see your shared apartment and finally meet you, the roommate, tonight.  

So yeah, he had you running like a headless chicken all day from store to store–dragging him along, of course–to have everything decent for them. He even bought a dining table with express delivery and ever faster assembly service, since your thrifted coffee table wasn’t gonna fit his fantastic family. 

Perfectly normal Saturday. 

“Johnny, does your sister have a preference for napkins?” You ask, holding up as many brands as you can, the fancy ones, but when you turn to him, he’s in deep conversation with that watch thingy he has.

“No, it’s a family thing…” he says to the person on the call. “...I know, baby. But I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, alright?...Come on, don’t be like that…” 

You move farther away when you realize who he’s talking to, but when you watch him from the corner of your eye, he looks like he’s trying to bargain something with a toddler. A few minutes later, he sighs and hangs up, and you pretend to read the back of two napkin brands like your life depends on it. A casual whistle was the only thing missing.

“So…” he says nonchalantly when he reaches you, or at least that’s how he thinks he’s coming off like, “…Vicky is coming tonight too.” 

He smiles, even if he’s ready for you to snap at him since it was just supposed to be his family. But you just purse your lips together. 

Of course she’s gonna come. The bra girl. 

“Great!” you say, maybe a little too fast, then clear your throat because you have bigger things to focus on. “Now help me with the napkins, I don’t want your family to silently judge us for having the wrong ones.”

Johnny’s shoulders sag in relief and amusement. “My family doesn't have a preference, it’s just napkins,” he says, but then he eyes the multiple brands on your hands and feels as lost as you are. “You know what, let me ask Herbert to be sure.”

You should get extra points for not passing out when he introduced you to his family. Especially when Sue Storm hugged you like you’d known each other your whole lives. Johnny had then decided to give them a full tour of the small place, and you’d made yourself scarce with the excuse of putting away the dessert Ben brought. The truth is, you just needed a moment to process the fact that four superheroes were in your apartment right now. 

You tried not to think about how crammed it looked right now, since the sitting area had been reduced due to the space the new table took. If they noticed, it never showed in their kind faces. 

Just as expected, his family was as golden as him. 

You’re sliding the dessert tray into the fridge when you hear the soft click of heels behind you. Turning around, you find Sue standing there with crossed arms and a curious smile. She’s dressed in cashmere and a pair of boots that probably cost more than your rent. You look over where Johnny is, proudly showing them the view, completely unaware that his sister had left the audience. 

“So, this is the girl my brother hasn’t stopped talking about,” she says, drawing your attention back from Johnny. 

“Oh…me?” You ask a little confused, closing the fridge and wiping your hands on your legs. 

“Unless there’s another roommate with a fondness for love songs and typewriters, I think I’ve got the right one,” she says teasingly, and you notice she has the same spark in her eye Johnny does. 

Wait, she…she knows those things? 

You resist the urge to glance at Johnny again, and nod. “Oh yeah, I just..thought maybe you meant Vicky,” you chuckle nervously.

“Vicky…?” She tilts her head with a frown, trying to place the name, but then she shakes her head. “No, he’s only ever mentioned one girl. His roommate…and that’s you. He says he likes the–” she cuts herself off, finding the right word. “...Balance, this place gives him.”

“He said that?” This time you can’t keep from looking at him, demonstrating to Reed how comfy our worn couch is. Our. Sue nods. 

“He didn’t really have that growing up, you know. The world’s always been loud for Johnny, and it felt like he was always chasing something. But now…” she looks around the apartment with a big sister smile, “he’s still chasing things, but he has somewhere stable to come back to. And I’m glad it’s here.”

You let the words sink it for a moment, as you swallow the lump in your throat. Sue’s eyes soften, and she reaches to squeeze your hand reassuringly. The brief moment breaks when the bell rings, making you both jump and then laugh at each other’s reactions. You clear your throat, and walk toward the little intercom by the wall. 

“Yes?” you ask.

“Hi! It’s Vicky!” a bright voice rings louder than the bell itself.

“Come on up,” is all you say, pushing the button to open the lobby door. 

A good glass of wine doesn’t sound like a bad idea right now. 

Sue lifts a brow curiously from her spot when she sees you pour yourself a cup and then one for her, but you just flash a smile and excuse yourself, smoothing your clothes and fixing your hair before opening the door. 

And there she is…Vicky. Golden hair, golden everything. Just like Johnny. Just like…his world. 

“Hi! Oh my god, the stairs always get me,” she exhales with a little giggle, and yet not a single bead of sweat on her forehead or a piece of hair out of place. “I brought appetizers!” she beams, holding up a tray.

“That’s so nice of you,” you smile politely, but narrow your eyes when you realize they look a little suspicious. “Are those–”

“Oh, shrimp bites! They’re to die for.”

You barely manage to keep your polite expression in place, ready to explain that Johnny hates shrimp and would rather die than be in the presence of it, but the king of Rome itself materializes next to you before you can. 

“V!” His voice comes out way more affectionate than it did at the store earlier, as he approaches her. “You made it, baby.”

You step aside just in time to witness him plant a loud smooch to Vicky’s cheek, and that’s the perfect moment to take a big sip of your drink. Or maybe not, because the second you get distracted, Johnny reaches for the tray.

“Well, don’t mind me,” Johnny says, popping one of the little shrimp abominations into his mouth before you even bring your glass down. But you look just in time to see the exact moment his eyes go wide when he chews, and his entire soul leaves his body. 

Vicky, absolutely oblivious to the horrors Johnny is going through, has already set her gaze on something behind you. 

“Oh J, this must be your sister!” she squeals. She barely gives you time to balance your glass as you catch the tray she tosses to you, shouldering past you to wrap Sue in a big hug.

Johnny has never been more grateful to throw his sister under the bus, using the distraction to discreetly spit the whole bite into a napkin, wiping his tongue dramatically and trying very hard not to gag. You bite back your amusement as you walk up to him, placing the tray gently on his hands. He immediately scowls at it, looking up at you in betrayal.

“Here you go,” you grin, taking a sip of your wine as you walk away toward the couch where the rest of his family is.

Sue looks past Vicky, who keeps yapping away about how much she’s heard about Johnny’s big sister and can’t believe they haven’t met yet so she had to come tonight, and finds Johnny looking in the direction you took off. 

Interesting.

–

After brushing his teeth twice, Johnny had survived the shrimp fiasco, and everything was going well so far. Vicky had sat on his lap as you all got to know each other, chatting away in the living room. Honestly, he’d actually planned this to be just his family and…you. But then things happened, and well, seems like he wasn’t the only one with surprise guests. 

His gaze followed you as you excused yourself from the conversation, to open the door to Joseph (🙄) with a bright smile on your face. Of course. It’s only fair you invited him too. Not that Johnny cares anyways. 

Joseph walks in wearing a loose black suit, with his stupid wavy brown curls tousled by the stairs trials, and holding a stupid bouquet of flowers in his hand. 

“Hi, darling,” he says with a warm smile, meant only for you. “You look beautiful.”

Your soft laugh dances through the room as he steals a kiss from you. Johnny turns back to the conversation. He doesn't notice how he sits up straighter on the couch or how he sets his drink down a little too hard on the coffee table. He doesn't even notice when Vicky leaves his lap to go to the bathroom. But what he definitely notices is the moment your smile turns from genuine to polite, when you get handed flowers he knows you don’t like.

He knows that, because you scowl at them every time you pass them by the supermarket, so why doesn’t your boyfriend know?

Joseph leans in to kiss your cheek now as he steps inside, and you lead him toward the kitchen. Johnny notices how you set the flowers down on the breakfast counter instead of looking for a vase to display them. 

“So…” Ben, who’s sitting to his right, nudges his arm. “Are we not gonna talk about it?” He mumbles.

“About what?” Johnny whispers back, still looking at you.

“About how her boyfriend looks exactly like you.”

“What?” Johnny’s head jerks toward him, looking baffled as Ben just shrugs with a knowing smile.

“Just saying, man. It’s like seeing you with brown hair…and lawyer shoes.”

“No it’s not. We do not look alike.” Johnny scoffs.

“You do.”

“We don’t.”

“Do too.”

“Do not.”

Ben leans back with a grin. He enjoys rage baiting Johnny whenever he can, but there’s truth in his words. Johnny looks back to his alleged doppelgänger and shakes his head. 

“Seriously?” He says. Ben chuckles, and shrugs. Johnny rolls his eyes, and leans toward the armchair his sister is sitting at, “Hey Sue, psst.”

Sue looks away from her conversation with Reed, and lifts her eyebrow at Johnny. 

“C’mere,” Johnny says, patting the spot on his left side. Luckily, she excuses herself from her husband and takes the spot. Ben and Johnny turn to her expectantly, whispering, “Okay, do not say yes just to annoy me, but…do you think I look like him?”

“Who?” 

“Joseph,” Johnny deadpans. “Do I look like Joseph?”

Sue tilts her head, pretending to be analyzing the British man making you laugh in the kitchen, but there’s a knowing smile creeping on her face. 

“Oh…a little,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. 

“A little??”

“Well, yeah. He’s like you, if you had brown eyes…and less of a tan…or a cute accent…” she says, watching her brother grow more scandalized by the second. 

“A cute accent?” Johnny mocks. “Please. He sounds like a knockoff Beatle.”

Sue and Ben share an amused look. 

“I don’t think he’d be a singer. He has more…actor vibes,” Sue taunts, adding fuel to the fire inside Johnny’s veins. 

He almost choked in offense. 

“Okay, so he’s an actor now? He doesn’t even have that kind of face,” Johnny huffs, reaching for his drink again because what kind of fuckery is this. 

“So you’re saying you don’t have that kind of face either,” Ben adds, this time Sue snorts, shaking her head. 

“I do have that kind of face. The face. He doesn't because we don't look alike.” 

“Sure, Johnny.”

Sue stands up before he can protest like a toddler again. “I’m gonna help her with the food,” she announces, winking mischievously at them and walking away. 

“Oh I love these napkins!” 

He hears her say when she reaches the new shiny table setup. 

That makes you perk up from the kitchen. Right in that moment, your gaze moves from Joseph to Johnny, and you smile proudly at him like “told you so.” Johnny smiles back, but before he can get up and say anything about how much influence he actually had on the napkin choice, a pair of long legs trap him on his seat. 

“What did I miss, babyboy?” Vicky asks as she plops down on his lap again, wrapping her arms around his neck to play with his hair. 

Reed and Ben pretend to look everywhere else. Johnny just smiles, taking another sip from his drink. 

–

Vicky had left earlier than anticipated, claiming a friend called her to get her out of a shitty date, or something like that. Johnny didn’t really ask. 

He has to admit he was a little nervous about this whole get together. Afraid that they would be too much. But he wanted nothing more but to brag about his apartment and his roommate, and the little life he’d managed to build for himself. Even if their world had always been filled with big things. This could’ve gone wrong in many ways, but all things considered, he finds himself smiling when his eyes land on you. 

He's standing close to the front door, and seeing you confidently showing Sue, whose kitchen had been designed by Reed–the king of gadgets himself–the tiny spice rack you installed last week, made something inside him flutter. 

“Hey, man. Have you been to a lot of Mets games?” A familiar British accent startles him. 

The fluttering dies immediately. 

Joseph has stepped beside him, glass in hand and that stupid smile plastered on his face. He forces himself to look away from you. You’re close to them, but not enough to hear the conversation. 

“I mean, yeah. It’s kind of hard not to, I can fly,” Johnny replies drily, but Joseph just laughs easily. 

“Right, right, of course,” he says, glancing toward the kitchen, mirroring the way Johnny was just looking at you seconds ago. “Sometimes I forget she lives with a superhero...” 

Johnny chuckles, shrugging nonchalantly (he’s actually trying very hard not to puff his chest right now.) “Why do you ask?” 

“Ehh…just wanted to know if you got any recommendations for seats? I’m still new to the city, but I’ve been told not to miss the games,” he shrugs. “I’d like somewhere not too close to the cameras, if possible. I’m not…really into all that.”

“The cameras?” Johnny frowns. 

“Yeah, the whole crowd cams, people watching you all the time, that whole thing.”

Johnny listens and tries not to judge. But see? This guy could never be an actor. Or a Beatle. Johnny could, shame there’s not a blonde Beatle. Ohhh, but there’s always wigs though! He’s sure he could rock one, with his bone structure and all–

“Mate?” 

Johnny snaps back to reality, and just flashes a golden smile. 

“There’s cameras everywhere, mate,” Johnny replies, “but I can hook you up with the good tickets, if you’d like. How many do you need?”

“Oh wow that–that’d be perfect, yeah, thank you,” he says, not really expecting that. “Just two, man.”

“…Are you going with a friend?” Johnny narrows his eyes, but Joseph chuckles, shaking his head. 

“I’m taking her,” he says, gesturing at you with his glass. 

Fuck. 

“You…are taking her to a game?” 

“Yeah. It’ll be fun on her day off.”

Johnny knows when your next day off is. He painted another happy face next to your mark on the calendar just to make you smile. He also knows that you like to spend those free days curled up at home, certainly not at a freaking stadium. 

He knows because it mattered to you when you told him. He remembers because you matter to him. 

“Did you…ask her if she likes baseball?” Johnny pries carefully. 

“Not really. I mean, I figured she’d be fine,” he says, a little defensively. 

There’s a few seconds of silence where Johnny debates to keep quiet, but that has never been one of his strengths, so he ends up blurting, “She doesn’t like going to the stadium.”

“Really?” Joseph frowns, eyeing him. 

“She told me once that all the noise makes her sick. And I get it…it’s not the most comfortable place to be,” Johnny chuckles, trying his best to sound casual about it. 

“Oh,” Joseph says. For a moment it looks like he’s contemplating, but after thinking about it for exactly three seconds, he shrugs. “Well… she can bring earplugs or something. It’s just one game.”

Johnny’s not sure if his eye twitching was only a product of his imagination, but given the lack of acknowledgement on Joseph’s face, he figures he managed to keep his emotions at bay. This is not what you deserve. This is not what he wants for you.

Don’t flame on right now. Do not flame on right now. Do not–

“You know what? I can get you access to the VIP suite, so you two can be more comfortable,” he offers instead, plastering on his best plastic Ken smile. 

He’ll get you the best suite, with shade, AC and all the unlimited appetizers you could ever need. If that makes the experience a little more bearable for you. 

“Yeah I guess that would work, thanks, mate!” Joseph says, patting Johnny’s shoulder, but regretting it immediately. He retracts his hand with a hiss, switching the glass to that one to help cool it as he laughs nervously. “Jeez. You’re burning up, man.”

He’s boiling up, actually. But he manages to tone down his temperature, patting Joseph’s cold shoulder firmly before walking toward the kitchen where you’re laughing at something Sue just said.

 Just the sight of you manages his temperature to calm down. 

“Everything alright?” You ask curiously when he steps beside you with a suspicious smile, noticing the way Joseph kept opening and closing his hand as he headed toward the bathroom. 

“Peachy,” Johnny smiles innocently.

“Mhm,” you hum, narrowing your eyes at him. Even his sister eyes him suspiciously, but Johnny ignores her. 

“Is there anything I can help you here with?” He asks casually, gesturing to the pots simmering on the stove. 

“Nope! But maybe you can pour some more wine for our guests," you say quickly, stirring him away from the stove for everyone’s safety. Sue bites her lip. 

“Roger that,” he says, diligently opening a new bottle on the breakfast counter.

Johnny notices Sue leans in to whisper something in your ear that makes you throw your head back and laugh, before whispering something back to her. 

He can’t fight the smile on his face when he realizes you’re talking about him, but it dies down when his eyes land on the flowers Joseph brought you on the counter. The conversation with him is still making fire run through his veins, and this just added more to it. 

Safe to say, Johnny now hates Joseph too. 

To be continued…

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