#cftorch

The majority of New York definitely looked like aliens — the ones before the demons, Skrulls — hadn’t ravaged the entirety of the city. The cleanup had been quick, but there were sectors where only a brick wall here and there stood on the outside of town. Honestly, she wasn’t sure whether that was actually the Skrulls’ fault or a gift from the demons. It was awfully close to where the city abruptly ended and barren wasteland began, though MJ hadn’t personally had the privilege of witnessing the demons standing shoulder to shoulder. God, she honestly was avoiding that invite at all costs. She was a proud hero, she liked to consider herself fearless, but MJ was aware of her own limitations, and she was nowhere near strong enough to live through that literal hellhole. But she was strong enough to hang out next to it… although that was more of a coincidence than an intentional decision. Out of curiosity, MJ had wanted to see whether her and Johnny’s favourite boutique had withstood the New York City relocation. Unfortunately, it was in shambles. Fortunately, she was still with her best friend, and both of them were recovering from their respective shit hands.

“So, no shopping,” MJ said, handing Johnny a latte. Starbucks, of course, had survived, but like hell would MJ sit in there when there was a partially ruined park to hang out in. Privacy was important when she was with Johnny (most of the time)! “But I do have something weird to tell you about,” she informed Johnny with a grin. “I have like weird electro-things in my blood now. Apparently it helps get the Iron Spider on my body no matter where I am. Here, I’m gonna show you,” MJ announced. Holding out an arm dramatically, she hoped it would actually work. When the metal came soaring towards her, covering her arm only, MJ bursted out laughing. “See? I told you this is weird!” Honestly, despite her attempts at learning, her control over the Iron Spider was pretty touch and go. She could fly, patrol, but she wasn’t sure how all of the tech worked yet. Out of curiosity, MJ pressed a button and pointed her arm out towards the barren wasteland. When webs went flying out of her hand, she pursed her lips. “I wonder if that’s gonna hit anything,” MJ mused.

Johnny Storm wasn’t the immediate person Ororo wanted to seek help from, but after a young mutant, capable of creating lava in their hands, demanded to meet the Human Torch, she had little choice in the matter. Gemma, as the young woman burned incredibly hot, most likely altering the molecules around her, had informed Ororo that unless she met her ‘absolute favourite superhero, she was staying right here.’ Thirteen year olds were incredibly stubborn and incredibly difficult, but helping mutantkind was well worth it, Ororo reminded herself as she arrived at Johnny Storm’s home. The situation could also be far worse. Gemma was willing to comply as long as her request was filled, and the Human Torch happened to be a superhero Ororo was friendly with. (She wished Gemma’s ‘absolute favourite’ was the Invisible Woman instead, but unfortunately, she wasn’t in a situation where she could bargain.)

As she entered the apartment, Johnny was sitting on the couch, surrounded by two dogs and a giant mess. “Hello,” she greeted, turning off the TV with a forced smile. “I have a mutant that needs your help,” Ororo said, moving forward to pet the pitbull. “Her name is Gemma, she’s thirteen years old, and currently burning a hole through the floor in her home. She can create lava, but unless she meets the Human Torch, Gemma refuses to come with me.” Ororo sounded as frustrated as she felt, and unfortunately, she could imagine Johnny’s elated (and egotistical) reaction. “I can handle the heat myself, but I can’t force a young mutant to learn how to control their abilities. All you will have to do is essentially perform a meet and greet.”

Johnny Storm had entertained Felicia on more than one occasion, they had spent several absolutely riveting parties hidden away in coat closets, but Felicia was completely through with the Human Torch! In case anyone was concerned, it was before he committed to Wanda Maximoff, something that still headlined gossip rags, although Felicia wasn’t sure why. Her daily exploits were much more exciting than his domesticity. Her decision to stop tracking Johnny down for entertainment originated after he disappointed her with one orgasm, and she was aware she deserved far better than that.  

Unfortunately, they seemed to frequent similar places, and when she saw him running across a street, waving enthusiastically at a group of paparazzi, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. He always sucked up the spotlight, it was a very disappointing fact about New York City. Felicia didn’t hate Johnny by any means, but she definitely deserved an apology! As she walked across the street, deciding to inform him of that fact, a cab suddenly pulled out and was seconds away from hitting the Human Torch.

God, her days always ended up so weird!

Before Felicia could contemplate her decision, she ensured that the odds were in her favour, and shoved Johnny out of the way, landing harshly on top of him. “You owe me a really fancy bottle of wine,” she informed him. “And you can cover the dry cleaning bill,” she added, glancing down at the stains on her jacket.

Occasionally, Karen needed a drink. After a day spent rifling through political reports from 2016, reading about Doom’s campaign — or lack thereof — she reasoned that she deserved one. Victor von Doom, president of the United States, wasn’t the most upstanding guy. There were records of him attacking local superhero groups, and from what she read, the majority of his campaign was simply making promises on national TV and put relatively little work into being elected. It was seriously disturbing, but without any proof of corruption or fraud, Karen was still at square one: searching. Luckily, she was damn good at finding what she was looking for, especially when she had the support of the New York Bulletin. After all, she had been the one to uncover the truth about Frank Castle.

Alone at Josie’s, she glanced around, momentarily wishing that she had Foggy and Matt for company. They spent some of Karen’s favourite nights here together, and honestly, she would never deny that she largely frequented the bar for the sake of nostalgia. Maybe it wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism, but she missed her family, and she liked to believe that they felt exactly the same. As the music suddenly livened up, she look up at the bar, taking a tip of her beer, and balked at the sight of Johnny Storm dancing. Reactions to his presence seemed to be mixed considering that some people were cheering him on while others were snatching their drinks and retreating into corners. For her part, Karen remained seated, brow furrowing, and then he jumped onto her table… and immediately fell. Considering that she had briefly dated the Human Torch, she couldn’t say that she was surprised it was her luck that he happened to fall on her table. Sometimes she swore God was punishing her in really creative ways, even though he was a nice guy! Really, it was nothing against Johnny, she just did not know how to react. “Um,” Karen said, forcing a friendly smile on her face. “I’ll get you some ice for your… wherever got injured,” she said scrambling up. “Also, hi again!”

Getting into Johnny’s house was pretty easy when no one was home. Typically, the balcony door was open, most likely because both Wanda and Johnny were technically capable of flight. With web slingers, it was a breeze to get into, too, and MJ knew Johnny wouldn’t mind. He did it all the time at both of her homes! It was inevitable that she get him back for it. Once she was inside the apartment, Zasha was immediately jumping up, demanding attention, and MJ noticed another dog, a bulldog, hanging back, watching. On the bright side, it didn’t attack, but on the down side, Johnny had not mentioned another dog. As MJ pet Zasha, ensuring to pay proper attention to the very demanding dog, MJ singlehandedly sent a very strongly worded text message urging Johnny to get the hell back to his apartment.

When he arrived ten minutes later, she gestured to the bulldog dramatically. “Who the hell is this adorable dog? If it’s yours, I’m gonna be so mad, Johnny. You never told me you got a new dog. To repair our friendship, I want you to name him Watson, after me, not the detective dude.” Honestly, MJ had never felt so hurt in their years of friendship. She loved dogs! “And I want custody of Zasha on… Wednesday’s.” As she spoke, she wrinkled her nose at Zasha, and immediately got licked in the face. “I should get a dog, too,” MJ mused.