#johnny storm reader insert

Every year since you turned 16 years old, you received a gift handpicked from your soulmate at midnight on New Years Day, like everyone else. Unfortunately, no gift was allowed to include something helpful like your name or address (you’d tried multiple times, but the gifts always ended up vanishing into thin air as soon as you attempted to drop it off at the post office), so gifts were supposed to be strategically picked. Something to give insight into who you are, and how you valued your future relationship.

When the two of you were still teenagers, the gifts were lacking a bit in sentimentality. You simply weren’t sure what to send a stranger that you were supposed to spend the rest of your life with, and it seemed he hadn't been sure either. They’d consisted of vacation souvenirs, a photograph of your pet, random knick-knacks.

But as you both got older, the gifts became a bit more special. Two years ago he sent you a vinyl of Frank Sinatra’s “The Best Is Yet To Come,” and you played it on repeat for months. The following year, you sent him a vinyl of Etta James’ “At Last,” a sort of thank-you for the vinyl he’d sent you. It was the song you always imagined would be playing the day of your wedding day. This year, you sent him a leather bracelet you made, and you couldn’t wait to see what he got you this year.

Because last year’s gift from your soulmate was a bit…odd.

It was a collectible action figure of Johnny Storm.

And your best friend Violet had not shut up about it for the entirety of the last year.

“Totally, that’s why your soulmate gave you an expensive collectible of his action figure,” she retorted.

You sighed, picking at the pieces of popcorn in your hand. How many times have you had this conversation? “Maybe he just works for the Fantastic Four. Or he’s a fan.”

“Whatever you say,” she singsonged. “It really wouldn’t be that weird, though. Your firm works closely with them anyways.”

She had a point, but it was still outlandish. You were a communications assistant at a PR firm that worked directly with the superhero group, but you were pretty low on the food chain, and you’d never had contact with any of them. 

“Yes, I work at a PR firm with hundreds of employees, most of which would be chosen over me to speak with the world’s most famous superheroes.”

“You never know, all employees could call out sick one day and you’ll be the only one left. Then you’ll have to talk with them!”

You shook your head, a chuckle escaping you at the sheer ridiculousness of the conversation. “It’s easy for you to joke about because you don’t have to deal with any of this. You already have your person.” 

Violet was one of the lucky ones who found her soulmate when she was really young, 18 to be exact. Once she met him, she got to exchange her gifts in person. Given that you were halfway through your 20s and not any closer to finding yours, you were just a tad jealous. You couldn’t be too upset, though, because her soulmate Mike always let her spend New Years Eve with you. It had become your yearly tradition, and he never came between that.

“I’m just trying to be optimistic!” Violet threw her hands in the air, shrugging her shoulders.

“By trying to convince me that my soulmate is an unattainable, insanely attractive superhero that dates a different girl every week?” 

Violet opened her mouth to respond, but the newscaster’s voice on the television interrupted your conversation. 

“So, Johnny, any hopes for the new year? Maybe to finally find that special soulmate?” 

Violet gave you a look, but you ignored it, your eyes now glued to the screen. Johnny and his fellow superhumans were all bundled up a mere half hour away in snowy downtown New York City, the big Apple that was set to drop in 3 minutes gleaming high above them in the background. 

Johnny gave the man an easy grin. “That would certainly be nice, Chris. I’ve been dreaming of her since I was a teenager!”

Violet nudged your shoulder with a knowing grin, which you returned with another eye roll.

“But, then again, you’d have thousands of hearts to break!” The news camera panned over to the crowd of screaming women standing behind a gate nearby, several of whom were holding up “I <3 Johnny” posters. 

You shook your head. There’s no way he could be yours. As if you could compete with that.

The camera cut back to Johnny, who gave the girls a wink and chuckled as they went wild. “Well, Chris, that’s just the way it’ll have to be. Once I meet my soulmate, she’ll be it for me.” 

“And she will certainly have her hands full,” Sue cut in, leaning towards the microphone. Johnny playfully shoved her away, a smirk still on his face as Reed watched and shook his head. You smiled watching the interaction; they seemed like such a fun group.

“Do you have any hints as to who this lucky lady might be?” The newscaster, Chris, asked. “Tell us what you got her for her gift this year.”

Johnny looked surprisingly unsure at the question, his hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck. “Ah, I’d rather keep the gifts between her and me. Y’know, privacy and all that. Plus, I think that might be considered cheating at finding my soulmate, right?” 

Before Chris could say anything, Ben interrupted from beside Sue. “Well look at that, Johnny following the rules for once!”

Bickering broke out between the Fantastic Four, and the newscaster went back to the camera. “Well, there you have it, folks! Johnny Storm is a softy for his sweetheart, whoever she may be. Let’s hope the new year brings them both together. And now, it is time for the one minute countdown! Let’s bring on the new year!”

Your heart started pounding the way it always did at the one-minute mark. Violet grabbed your hand as you both watched the Apple slowly make its way down.

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…

“Happy new year!”

You and Violet exchanged a hug before tossing popcorn towards the ceiling, laughter filling the air as she danced wildly around your living room. 

“Now go look! I can’t stand the suspense any longer!”

You grinned, suddenly ignoring the superheroes celebrating on your television screen, and ran to your front door. 

And there it was, sitting perfectly on your doorstep.

A perfectly wrapped, light blue box with a white bow on the top.

You wasted no time in swiping it up and running back inside to your living room, haphazardly slamming the door behind you.

“What is it what is it what is it,” Violet chanted, her eyes glued to the gift. 

You quickly untied the bow and opened up the box, an audible gasp leaving your lips at what was inside. 

A little black box.

“Oh my god, is it a ring?” 

You swallowed, your heart pounding. “Don’t be silly, how would he even know my ring size?”

She shrugged. “I dunno, he probably guessed. You can always get it resized once you meet if it doesn’t fit. Now open it before I do!”

You opened the box and immediately let out the breath you were holding. 

It was a small, silver band with the most stunning stone you’d ever seen. In fact, you’d never seen anything like it.

Sitting in the middle of the shiny silver band was a round, black, shining stone with flecks of red inside it that seemed to glow when you held it up in the light. It almost looked a little like tiny specks of lava.

“Holy crap,” you muttered, unable to keep your eyes off of it.

“Holy crap is right,” Violet agreed. “That thing is gorgeous. What kind of stone even is that?” 

“I have no idea.” You wasted no time in trying it on, and positively beamed when you found it fit on both ring fingers before you settled on putting it on your right. You weren’t sure if it was supposed to be an engagement ring or more of a promise ring, and it felt odd to act as if you were engaged to someone you didn’t actually know, even if it’s your soulmate. One day I’ll be able to put it on my left hand, you thought. 

Violet gathered up her things, preparing to head out for the night. “It’s beautiful,” she remarked, smiling at you. “And it’ll be even more beautiful when Johnny Storm puts it on your left hand.”

You threw a pillow at her as she headed out the door. 

“Happy New Year!”

***4 months later***

“I look ridiculous. Do I look ridiculous?” You paced around your living room, wringing your hands nervously. 

Tonight, you were going to a gala. But not just any gala. A gala at the Baxter Building.

The Fantastic Four was hosting a massive charity event/gala, and invited everyone who worked closely with them or for them. Which included your PR firm. 

Technically, not everyone in your firm was allowed to go, as your company had too many employees. But you practically begged your boss to go, and she finally relented and bought you a ticket (only because it was coming out of your paycheck).

You knew it was stupid. Outlandish. Laughable. Impossible. But you had to admit that the possibility of your soulmate being involved with the Fantastic Four was something you hadn’t stopped thinking about since New Years Eve. You knew there was no way it could be Johnny Storm, but it wouldn’t be too insane of an idea to think your soulmate could work closely with the group in some other way. And you didn’t want to waste this opportunity. 

“You look incredible, don’t be silly.” Violet grabbed your black heels that matched your sleek, black, form-fitting dress and handed them to you. “But there’s one little thing missing.” You furrowed your brow, looking down at yourself as you put your heels on. Violet gave you a knowing look before walking over with the little black box you’d been given 4 months ago. “Your soulmate won’t be able to pick you out without this, yeah?”

You took a deep breath, steeling yourself as you slipped the ring onto your right ring finger. “I can’t believe I almost forgot.”

“Yeah, if I didn’t know any better I would’ve thought you were nervous or something.” 

You laughed, rolling your eyes. “Alright, I better get going before ‘fashionably late’ turns into ‘embarrassingly late.’”

Violet squealed, heading out the door with you. “It’s going to be amazing. No matter what happens! Even if you don’t meet him tonight, at least you’ll get to see the Four up close.”

You nodded, giving your best friend a salute before getting in your car. 

You can do this, you told yourself.

***

“Oh, I so cannot do this,” you whispered to yourself.

The lobby of the Baxter Building was completely full of people, none of whom had a familiar face. Everyone was dressed to the nines and looked incredible, and everyone seemed to know each other…except for you. Unfortunately, you didn’t even know where to go. 

Suddenly, a beeping sound rang out from beside you. You looked down, and a little robot was staring up at you. You looked around to see if anyone else was seeing this, but no one paid you or the robot any mind. 

“Um, hello?”

The little robot made another beeping sound before rushing away, and you had a feeling he wanted you to follow him.

You followed him over to the elevator, where he pressed the button for you before rushing away once more. “Fascinating,” you whispered, shaking your head in disbelief. 

Before you knew it, the elevator doors opened and revealed the main event. You walked forward a few steps to the balcony overlooking the gala being held right below. It was an incredibly large, lavish home, with even more people roaming about than in the lobby. Jazzy piano music combined with the sound of hundreds of people conversing played all around you. Everyone looked at ease with a drink in their hand. It was dizzying. You began gnawing at your bottom lip as you made your way to the stairs, a habit you only picked up when you were really, truly anxious. Bracing yourself, you picked up your gown in your hands to avoid tripping in your heels, and slowly made your way down the stairs in an effort to find a single person you were familiar with. 

***

“You’re lying, Ben.”

“I’m not lying, you’re just mad you can’t hold your liquor like I can.”

Johnny Storm was in the corner of the gala with a drink in his hand, bickering with Ben over how many alcoholic drinks he could down before actually getting wasted.  

“No human being on planet Earth can down that many shots and not feel anything.” He stared at Ben incredulously. 

Ben deadpanned. “We’re not exactly regular human beings, Johnny.”

“Yeah, well no, but even I can’t down ten shots and not feel like I’m about to—“

Johnny looked up as he was talking, and suddenly forgot how to speak. 

Because walking down the stairs, wearing his ring, was you.

“Face it, Johnny. You’re a lightweight.” Ben chuckled and took a sip of his drink, not even noticing that Johnny had stopped speaking. 

“Ben.” Johnny stared at you, mesmerized as you seemed to almost float down the stairs. 

“Do you really want to play this game? Because I can get the bartender right now and she’ll settle this.”

“Ben.” He still couldn’t take his eyes off of you. You were stunning, more beautiful than he could've imagined.

“Alright, fine, I’ll get the bartender—“

“BEN!” 

Ben startled, finally looking at his friend and furrowing his brows. “Jesus, what?”

“My soulmate is over there.” Johnny looked more serious and panicked than Ben had ever seen him, but Ben couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head.

“Yeah, sure, Johnny. Go talk to your ‘soulmate’ so you get out of losing a drinking contest.”

Johnny rubbed a hand down his face in frustration before leaning in closer, lowering his voice. “Ben, I’m serious. She’s wearing the ring.”

Ben blinked. Oh. “Really?”

Johnny nodded furiously, eyes looking all over the room, looking panicked. “Yeah. Yeah. Oh my god, it’s her. Holy shit. Holy—“

“Johnny.”

Ben placed his giant hands on Johnny’s shoulders, steadying him. “Look at me. You’ve wooed how many women over the years? And this woman in particular was literally made for you. You’ve waited your whole life for her. Go to her.”

Johnny swallowed harshly, nodding and sniffling briefly. “Yeah. Yeah, I got this. I’m Johnny Storm. I can go talk to my soulmate. Totally. Absolutely.”

Ben bit back a laugh, taking Johnny’s drink from him. “Yep. You are Johnny Storm. Now go get her.”

***

You gave up on finding anyone you knew from your PR firm. It was too loud, the lights too dim, the place too crowded to even think straight. So, you did the only thing left to do: head for the bar.

Bottom lip still trapped between your teeth, you made your way over to the bar when a voice called out from directly behind you. 

“Uh, hi.” 

You turned around at the oddly familiar voice, and there was Johnny Storm, staring at you with wide, nervous eyes and a small, apprehensive smile. 

Holy shit. Holy shit. Say something, you idiot! “Hi,” you breathed out, your brain suddenly turning back on long enough for you to return his small smile. Why was he talking to you? What was happening, why was he—

“Uh, I think…I have something of yours,” he said. Before you could ask him what he meant, he rolled up the sleeve of his black button down shirt and revealed the leather bracelet you had made, wrapped around his wrist.

Suddenly the room seemed all too quiet. You swore you stopped breathing. “Oh my god.” 

Johnny laughed breathlessly, his smile growing wider. “I know.” 

You couldn’t even think straight. This was real, this was happening, and Violet is never going to let you live this down. “That’s…the bracelet I made for my…”

“Soulmate,” he finished for you, his smile turning into something a little smaller, more boyish and shy. “Yeah. And that,” he pointed to the gem on your finger, “is the ring I had made for my soulmate.” 

You looked down at the shining gemstone before looking back at him. Your heart was pounding in your throat. “You had it made? Where did you find this stone? I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s so beautiful.” 

Johnny beamed. “I found it on a different planet, uh, some planet called Sakaar. I’d never seen anything like it either, so I had it melted down into a gemstone…for you.”

You were now smiling so wide your cheeks were starting to hurt. Your head shook in disbelief, because of course it wasn’t even from this world. “It’s incredible. And…god, I can’t believe it’s really you.”

Johnny’s grin grew until he couldn’t take it anymore, and suddenly you were in his arms. His cologne and strong arms filled your senses, and you felt like you were about to explode as your arms wrapped around his neck. 

“Jesus, I’ve waited so long for you,” he murmured in your ear, one hand cradling the back of your head and the other wrapped around your waist. He pulled back, eyes flitting between yours. “Will you come with me?”

You would follow him anywhere, you decided then. “Yeah.”

Johnny smiled and grabbed your hand. “C’mon.”

You were dizzy with adrenaline as you and Johnny weaved through the crowd until you reached a door, and suddenly you were being pulled into his bedroom. He shut the door behind the two of you, and you gasped as you took it all in.

Because, decorating his shelves, was all of the presents you had sent him over the years. 

“Oh my god, the Turks and Caicos turtle!” You laughed loudly as you wandered up to the turtle bobble head you had sent him from vacation when you were 17. “I cannot believe you kept this.” 

Johnny was simply beaming as he took all of you in, watching you stare in wonder at all of the mementos. He could not believe you were really here, in front of him, in his bedroom. “Of course I kept it. I kept everything.”

You turned and looked at him. “So did I.” 

He quirked a brow, smirking. “Even the Johnny Storm action figure?”

You busted out laughing. “Well it is a collectible, of course.” 

“Sue made fun of me relentlessly for that one. Ben did, too,” he shook his head, chuckling. “I wasn’t sure if I should send it or not. Didn’t know if it was too on the nose or self-centered, y’know? But I wanted to give you as much of a hint as I was allowed.”

“My best friend was absolutely ecstatic. She knew it was you from the second she saw it, but I kept trying to convince myself that you were just a fan or something.” 

Johnny swallowed nervously then, looking a little unsure. “Is it—is it okay that I’m…y’know, me?”

You furrowed your brow. What woman would not be okay with this? “Of course. It’s more than okay, why wouldn’t it be?”

Johnny walked over and sat down on his sofa, his hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, the whole superhero thing could be a deal breaker for some. And I know I have a…reputation.”

You followed him, sitting down next to him. “Hmm, well I distinctly remember Johnny Storm saying that once he met his soulmate, she’d be it for him.”

Johnny turned to you then, eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You watched my New Years Eve broadcast?”

You nodded, giving him an assuring smile. 

He dramatically flopped backwards onto his sofa, making you laugh. “God, you really are my soulmate.”

Before you knew it, two hours had gone by. Two hours of sharing life stories, childhood memories. The two of you were laying on the floor, side by side, laughing about some of the gifts you’d exchanged over the years.

“What’s your favorite gift though? In all seriousness,” you asked, turning your head to the side to look at him. He was beautiful, and you could barely believe he was really yours.

“Hm.” Johnny looked up at the ceiling, eyes squinting in thought. “I love the bracelet you made me this year; I never take it off. Buuuut I think my favorite is the vinyl you gave me a couple years ago.” 

You smiled, sitting up on your elbow to prop your head up. “Yeah?” 

Johnny sat up to mirror your position. “Yeah. I played it nonstop the first few months after I got it. Ben threatened to break my record player.” You both laughed before Johnny suddenly looked serious and stood up. You sat up, furrowing your brow.

“What is it?”

Johnny bowed dramatically, holding his hand out for you to take. “My lady, may I have this dance?”

You giggled, taking his hand and allowing him to help you up. “Why yes, I think you may.”

Johnny grinned, muttering a “one sec,” before putting the Etta James record on. The very one you had given him several years ago. The sweet, slow melody filled your ears, and Johnny placed his hand in yours, his other wrapping around your waist. He pulled you close, and the two of you began to slowly sway. 

At last

My love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song

Your chest swelled with emotion as he pulled you even closer. His lips brushed your temple as you swayed in time, neither of you speaking, just taking in what you both had waited your entire lives for. 

I found a thrill to press my cheek to

A thrill that I have never known

Johnny pulled away then, his eyes never leaving yours as he took your right hand in his. Slowly, he pulled the ring off your right ring finger and gently placed it on your left. Your heart was pounding wildly in your chest, your eyes unable to look away from him. He swallowed nervously, a question swimming in his blue eyes, a “Can I?”

You leaned in, nudged his nose with yours in a silent, “Please.”

His lips gently met yours, and the entire outside world melted away. Your heart sang as his thumb brushed your cheek and he kissed you harder, a quiet, needy whimper escaping his throat. Your hands slid down to wrap around his lower back, bringing him even closer. It was everything you’d ever dreamed of, and it really was with Johnny Storm.

And here we are, in heaven

“This is not funny Susan!” He warns. She tries to cover her smile as she looks at him. Ben holds in his laughter as well. The cover of the magazine was a picture of Johnny from a talk show he went on earlier that week…where he talked about himself…a lot. The cover read:

Human Torch? More Like Human Trainwreck

“Why would someone say this about me?!” He groans and starts pacing. Sue just sighs.

“It’s not that bad” She tries to make it better. Johnny just glares at her.

“Oh it’s not that bad, huh? That’s not even the worst part! Turn to page 5.” He directs. Ben picks the magazine up and turns to the directed page. More pictures of Johnny and an article about him.

If you tuned into The Morning Spark this week hoping for some inside scoop on the Fantastic Four’s latest mission, you probably walked away with secondhand embarrassment and a ringing reminder that Johnny Storm’s favorite topic has never been “saving the world.” It’s Johnny Storm.

The man slid into that studio chair like he was arriving at his own coronation, flashing that camera-ready smile that could blind a small village. And when the host lobbed their first question — something soft, something sweet, something about world safety — Johnny pivoted so fast you could hear the ego shift.

“Oh, the mission?” he laughed, brushing a hand through hair that definitely took a team of stylists, “Yeah, yeah, we handled it. But can we talk about how great I looked in that new suit?”

And that was the tone for the next twenty minutes. Not a word about the collapsing skybridge his team actually repaired. Not a hint about the giant burrowing mech-worm tearing through Midtown (shoutout to Ben and Sue for literally stopping that thing with nothing but grit and trauma bonding). Not even a crumb about Reed nearly spraining his entire torso stretching himself into a human slingshot to redirect debris.

Johnny? Johnny posed.

He talked about his hair.

He talked about his jawline.

He flirted with the staff.

He winked at the host so aggressively we’re still checking for HR paperwork.

And when the host did bring up the mission — the one where the team had to stabilize the magnetic core inside a toppled broadcast tower — Johnny’s contribution was, allegedly, “moral support.” Translation: he hovered nearby, flames on low, basically using his powers as mood lighting.

And honestly? Fair.

Look, Johnny Storm is undeniably pretty — face-card never declines, hair bouncing like it’s in a shampoo commercial filmed on the sun. But if you’re out here thinking you can fix him, or date him, or even get a text back? Girl, no. Run. Flee. Escape like Reed escaping a conversation about emotions.

Johnny Storm is a wildfire with an ego problem — gorgeous, blazing, destructive, and absolutely not OSHA-approved. For those considering him romantically: you deserve someone who knows how to extinguish drama, not create it.

To Reed, Sue, and Ben: thoughts and prayers.

To the rest of us: stay hydrated, stay sane, and keep a safe distance from the Human Torch.

You will get burned — and he won’t even notice.

“Well damn” Ben said, closing the magazine.

“Exactly!” Johnny huffs. “I helped during that attack! Did no one see me help the civilians find shelter?! And I did not just talk about me during that talk show!” Sue and been look at each other then back at him.

“You kind of did” Sue told her brother. Johnny groaned and ran his hands down his face.

“Whoever wrote this is so stupid! Whoever wrote this clearly doesn’t know a hero when they see one.” He paces back and forth, contemplating what to do. Then he gets an idea. He yanks the magazine from Ben’s hand and flips to the back. He finds all the credits and his eyes flick down to where it says Fantastic Four News his eyes scan until he finds the writer for that category. Once he finds the name he immediately says it out loud, nothing but hate in his tone. He was going to make her pay.

The Flare Magazine headquarters was absolutely buzzing this time of day. As for their soon-to-be journalist of the year, she was just getting back from her lunch break. She held her purse on her elbow, coffee cup in her hand, sunglasses still on as she clicked through the office in her royal blue Jimmy Choo’s. She buzzed into her floor, she greets the front desk worker who stops her to tell her that she had someone waiting in her office for her. She hummed, she wasn’t expecting anyone today.

She walks farther into the office, passing a few of her colleagues who give her a polite nod. She rounds the corner and spots her office door, her name plate shiny and gold perched on the door. She opened the door and is immediately greeted by an all too familiar back. She grins, seeing him look at her degrees that hung like trophies on the wall. She clears her throat and he turns around. She raises her glasses and perches them on her perfectly styled hair.

“Good Afternoon, Mr. Storm. I didn’t know you had an appointment.” She smirked. His breath was caught in his throat. He wasn’t expecting someone so captivating to write something so horrible. He cleared his throat, feeling a little flustered now.

“I’m sorry ma’am, i should’ve called first. However this was urgent.” He regains his confidence and sits down in the chair across from hers. She walks around her desk to her side. He can’t help but notice the confident sway of her hips.

“Oh I knew it would be” She placed her purse in its respective location and sat her coffee on her desk. She didn’t take a seat yet though. She takes her glasses off her head and fidgets with them for a second. Johnny noticed the mischievous smirk she gave. Oh she knew what she had done. And she couldn’t care less.

“I’m sorry Miss,” he trails off until he finds her last name off her degrees and says it. “But I think you may have gotten the wrong idea about me. See I’m not this playboy that everyone thinks I am” he explains. She just hums and tilts her head.

“See, I would believe that…if only I was one of your hopeless fan girls.” She throws her glasses down on the table and starts circling her desk. “See Mr, Storm, I’m one of the top journalists here at Flare Magazine, did you know that?” She asks, stopping right behind him.

“No” he says, growing heavily impatient with her.

“Well now you do, I’m actually nominated for Journalist of the year this year.” She continues as she walks around to the small space in front of him. She leans on her desk, her legs now in between his spread ones. He now had full, up close, view of her body in that dress of hers. It clung to her curves in a tasteful way, still office appropriate, but sexy nevertheless.

“Do you think that I would be where I am if I wrote a bunch of crap and sent it to the editors?” He doesn’t respond, just glares at her. “Mhm, right.”

She leans forward a little, examining his face.

“Like I said in my article, you sure are pretty…” He doesn’t understand why his body reacted the way it did. His heart rate picked up, his palms were sweating, and his eyes scanned her face. Hot damn, she was gorgeous. From the color of her eyes to the pout of her lips. Gosh they looked so soft. He wonders what they would feel like wrapped around his-

Wait, no. No, No, No. He is not going there. This is the same woman who dragged him with her article.

“However, pretty only gets you so far, Torchy. Your lack of heroism shines way brighter than your perfect smile. And, I’m so sorry, but if you came here expecting me to drop on my knees and apologize for writing the truth…” She now braces her hands on the arms of his chair, her face so close to his now. “You have another thing coming for you, Mr. Storm.”

He could feel the shift in his eyes before he could even say anything. This woman was horrendous, she was absolutely disgusting. He couldn’t believe she would write what she did about him. He leans forward, hands grabbing her arms and lightly pushing her back up. He backs her back into the table slowly.

“Listen here, I want you to fix this mess you made. I don’t deserve to have my name slandered when all I have ever done for this city is risk my life. You don’t understand or know anything. So I suggest you erase this. Otherwise, that journalist of the year award will go down the drain because I will make sure you do not have a job at any company, ever.”

She does nothing but giggle and shrug his hands off of her. She raises one of her hands and toys with the collar of his shirt.

“How cute…you think I’m scared of you.” She lightly shoves him back. “You may be this city’s “hero” but you don’t have that kind of power. I’ve worked here for longer than this city has known you as the Human Torch. You can’t get rid of me.” He feels as if he was about to blow up. He has to make sure he doesn’t have any flames on just yet. She was right, he can’t get her fired. He can’t do anything about this. Plan A didn’t work. She can’t be charmed.

“You are a cold blooded woman” He glares. She just smirks.

“That’s why I am where I am. That’s why I can live the lavish life I dreamed. Because I stopped caring about the appearance and looked for truth.” She pushes off her desk. “Now unless you have an appointment, Mr. Storm, I have to ask you to leave.”

All he can do is shoot her one last look of hatred and turn towards the door. This wasn’t over, not in the slightest. She was going to pay.

It’s a shame though, she was so hot.

It’s been days. The article is still out, it’s still taunting him. Thank god he has such loyal fans. Otherwise he would be screwed. His family, however, is staying out of it. They don’t agree with some of it…but he is a bit of a playboy. No one can deny it. Reed felt bad though. He knew that this messed up Johnny’s image just a bit. So he decided to try and fix it.

He found Flare Magazines contact information and called them. He asked to speak with the writer of the article and was re directed to her line. She picks up and introduces herself.

“Who am I speaking with?” Her sincere voice sounded like honey, but he knew that was the professionalism part of her job.

“Hi ma’am, this is Reed Richards. I was calli-“ she cut him off before he could even finish.

“Ahh Mr. Fantastic, what a pleasure. I sure hope this call has nothing to do with my article on your dear brother in-law.” She smirks, kicking her feet on her desk. Reed sighs on the other end.

“Look, some of it was true, yes. However, you don’t truly know him. He is much more than that.” He tries to reason. He hears her groan on the other end.

“Mr. Richards, I’m sorry, but I had a job to do. I pulled my content from the resources that were available. And those resources didn’t help his case. When people read my work, they read it because they know I don’t lie. That is what I built my entire career off of. So, once again, I’m sorry. But I need you, and your family to stop calling me and this office about this matter” Reed almost gives up, until he gets an idea.

“Okay, wait. I have an idea that can give everyone what they want.” She almost hangs up, but this peaked her interest. She hums and he continues.

“What if you follow him around for a few days? You know, immersive journalism. You can get what you want, while also seeing that Johnny is way different from what you originally perceived.” He offers. He knew Johnny would hate this, but if it helps the situation, he’s gonna have to do it. She thinks for a second, she really doesn’t like doing this, but if it gets them to stop nagging her about it then she’ll do it.

“What’s in it for me?” She asks

“Other than an exclusive interview with the Fantastic Four?” He responds. She scoffs.

“Mr. Richards, my schedule is very busy. I’m not sure I will have time for something that isn’t going to come with some form of compensation.” Reed rolls his eyes, no wonder Johnny hates her. He groans.

“I’ll mention your amazing work to your boss and tell them to give you a bonus.” She thinks, Mr. Fantastic telling her boss that she is an amazing journalist and telling him to give her a raise seems like a great step towards Journalist of the year.

“Deal” she accepts. How hard could it be? She knows that Johnny is going to prove her right, and now she gets more money just to prove it.

The sun was shining through the big window in Johnny’s room. He was sound asleep, trying to snag just a few more minutes of peaceful slumber. All of that was ruined with a sharp knock on his door. He groans yelling something about five more minutes. There was another knock that makes him groan louder. He finally gets up and walks towards his door.

“Damn it Sue, just let me sle-“ he expected to see his sister, or Reed, or Ben, he’ll even H.E.R.B.I.E. The last person he thought would be standing there was her. With her little mischievous grin, in her black dress that hugged her perfectly, heels clearly brand new and probably some expensive brand. She saunters in with her pen and notebook in hand.

“Rise and Shine, Mr. Storm. We have work that needs to be done.” He rubs his eyes hoping this was just a nightmare. A big, extremely hot, nightmare. And of course, it wasn’t. She was very real and very much standing in the middle of his room.

“Why the hell are you here?!” He asks, trying to figure out what witch he pissed off to curse him like this. She just smiles and looks around his room.

“Well, Reed had this amazing idea that I should come and stay with you guys for a few days just so I can truly understand Johnny” she says in a fake sincere voice. Johnny rolls his eyes, taking a mental note to murder Reed later.

“So you’re staying here just to write another article about me?” He crosses his arms over his chest. She hums and takes a few steps towards him.

“Hope you don’t mind. I mean, after all, you did want me to clean up the mess I made, right?” Those were his words, but coming out of her mouth sounded different. Good different. It sounded almost…sexual. His eyes drop to her mouth again. God, her mouth was so pretty. Her eyes were too, and her hair. He can just imagine his hands gripping it as she suc-

No. He can’t be thinking this. Not about her. Anyone else but her. She was awful. She was a hazard. That was the best word for her. Hazardous.

“Once you see how great I actually am, I want you out. Do you understand?” He says in a low demanding voice. She feels her thighs squeeze together at his tone. Lord, she hated that he was so full of himself. If he wasn’t, maybe she would fall to her knees like every other girl in the city. Her eyes look him over. They landed on his arms, the arms that were currently crossed. The arms that flexed, showing his biceps. Damn, she could just imagine his arm wrapped around her neck as he fu-

What the hell? Johnny Storm? No, absolutely not. She diverted her gaze and cleared her throat. Finding some composure, she turns back to him. Her little smirk comes back to her face.

“Yes sir” she mockingly salutes him. He tried not to audibly groan at her words. She slowly walks past him, lightly brushing his shoulder with hers.

“Oh but, Mr. Storm?” He turns his head to meet her gaze. Their faces are so close. If they leaned in anymore their lips would collide. He hums in annoyance, trying not to show her the effect she has on him.

“Make sure you’re on your best behavior. Wouldn’t want me to make another mess, right?” She was mocking him. Teasing him. She walks away, he watches her and tries not to admire the sway of her hips. Or her ass in that dress. Fuck. He hated her.

He hated everything about her. He especially hated how turned on he just got at her words.

Despite the morning that he had, Johnny was actually having a good day. It was all going smoothly. Obviously she was following him everywhere he went. Her heels against the floors were starting to make his ear hurt. He wanted her gone, but he knew that she was the only one who could fix the public image he now has. He just wished that she could have done it outside of his home.

He was currently in his room, working on modifying the teams suits. She was sitting on his bed, watching him carefully. She was staring to get bored. Maybe this was a bad idea. She groans and tosses her pen and notebook aside. His eyes snap to her.

“What?” He asks as if he was annoyed by her, which he was.

“This is getting boring. Can’t you just accept that I was right and move on?” He scoffs and shakes his head.

“You just can’t seem to understand that you don’t know everything. Maybe you need to accept the fact that you’re a know it all” her teasing persona changes and she immediately glares at him.

“It’s not being a know it all if it’s true.” By now, he’s had enough. He slams his designs down and stand up.

“You’re a real pain in the ass, you know that?” She doesn’t falter, she stays in her position on his bed, using her hands to lean back and prop her up. She rolls her eyes.

“Not the first time I’ve heard that, Torchy” She responds.

“You don’t get it. I bust my ass everyday. I have to constantly try to earn my spot on this team and I’m already here. You don’t see that though, you don’t see how hard I work. All you see is the girls and the looks and the one mission that didn’t capture me rescuing civilians.” Her confidence falters a bit at his words. She hates to admit it, but he’s right. She only saw that one mission after she got assigned to the new section of the magazine. She only saw a pretty face and fan girls. She straightened up a bit.

“Then why don’t you show that side of you? When I watched that talk show, all you did was talk about the superficial things.” He sighs and she can see him calming down.

“Keeping this…confident, flirty, thing I have going on is what keeps me likable. People don’t want to know that I shut down when I feel like I did a shit job. People don’t want to know that I kick myself for every mistake I make.” That’s when she sees it, that flicker of humanity that she was looking for all along. Right now, he’s not narcissist, playboy, Human Torch. He’s just Johnny. Someone who fights to feel like he belongs. She feels like a total bitch now.

“I get it…” She says, his eyes snap back to her, confused a bit. “Being a woman working in a man’s world has always felt like that for me. I’ve had to fight to get to where I am now. It’s hard, working my way up the ladder. But I’m finally here…that’s why I needed to write something that kept my reputation as the star journalist.” Johnny sees the attitude she used to have completely fall when she says this. He sees the side of her that earned her job. Despite her cold demeanor, she’s still human.

“Guess we both kind of misunderstood each other” he hums, as if he made a discovery. He looks her up and down, she does the same. The tension was so thick. They were across the room from one another, but both of their gazes were hot.

He imagined it would be like to walk across the room and push her farther down onto the bed. What she looks like under that dress, what her moans would sound like. He wonders how her lips would feel against his, what her legs would feel like wrapped around his waist.

She can’t help but think about his body on top of hers. What his hot skin would feel like. What his hands would feel like. God his hands, they made her thighs squeeze at the sight. Her eyes drift down to his jeans, she can see a faint out line of his bulge. Holy fuck, was he turned on right now? Oh my god, was she turned on right now?

Before the tension could grow anymore, Ben opens the door and tells them it was dinner time. They snap out of their trance and immediately straighten up. Ben mutters something about them being weird before walking away. Johnny just shakes his head, as if that would help the fact he was just eye fucking this reporter that he supposedly hated.

Johnny couldn’t get her out of his head. She was constantly clouding his thoughts now. That little moment they had kept replaying in his head. God he hated her, why would she do this to him? She made him see a side of her that he actually felt sympathy for. Damn it she was just so hot too. And he was still so turned on.

Throughout dinner, he tried to hide the obvious bulge in his pants. He was painfully hard. He need release. After he sort of helped clean up, he immediately ran to his room. He thought he swung the door shut, but he was too in his head to check. He started palming himself through his pants. Fuck, he hated you. So much.

He hated your perfect smile, your perfect eyes, perfect hair, perfect body. He hated all of it. He hated it because he didn’t hate it. He craved it. He needed it. He needed your mouth, your hands, your body.

He doesn’t think twice before unzipping his pants and sitting on his bed. He needed release. He wrapped his hand around his rock hard cock and slowly starting moving it up and down.

“Fuck…” he softly groans. He was in his own little world. He didn’t even hear the click of heels beside his bedroom door. She came looking for him to wrap up her day of watching him. She stopped by the cracked door, she knew she shouldn’t have looked. She should’ve knocked. But the door was cracked and then she heard a soft moan…of her name.

She looked through the crack to see Johnny…masturbating…and moaning her name. She should walk away, she should burst in and call him disgusting. She totally should, but fuck. He was just so hot. And his dick…god her mouth was watering.

“Ahh, fuck” he moaned as he got closer to finishing. That was her signal to walk away. She quickly ran off and into the guest room she was staying in. Meanwhile, Johnny softly moaned her name as he finished. His breathing was heavy as he came down from his high.

He fucking hated her so much.

The next morning, she woke up with a mission. Not only was she going to do the best damn job of her life, but she was going to get Johnny to admit she turned him on. She knew what to do, she’s seduced many men in her life. It’s not hard to do. Men are easy.

She got dressed in her favorite royal blue dress. It was a little loose around the top, but the skirt was what made it sexy. It was short, not too short, but enough to make a man’s head spin, it also hugged her hips and ass just right. The color was also just absolutely stunning on her. She would usually wear some form of tights with this dress…but not today. Her legs were on fully display. Her soft skin was glowing.

She styled her hair and did her makeup in the way she knew would make him fold. She stepped into her heels and now she was ready for the day. She had her usual confident walk as she entered the kitchen for breakfast.

“Good Morning you guys” she grins at everyone. By now, Reed, Sue, and Ben had grown tired of her being there. Not because they hated her, but because Johnny did. And they were annoyed at his complaints. Johnny had his back turned to her, pouring some cereal into a bowl. He rolled his eyes at the sound of her voice. He felt her behind him.

She leaned up and looked over his shoulder.

“Simple man, huh Torchy?” She says. He doesn’t look up from his task.

“Oh fuck you.” He snaps back. It was a little less hateful today, more annoyed that she was that close.

“Yeah? Is that what you were thinking about last night?” She whispered, his eyes widened and he finally turns to look at her as she walks away. That’s when he sees what she was wearing. His eyes immediately drop down to her lower half. Hot damn…

“Earth to Johnny!” Ben yelled and Johnny snapped out of his trance.

“What?” He clears his throat.

“I asked if you were okay” he laughs, giving a knowing look. Johnny glances at her, she has her mischievous smirk. Of course she does, she knew what she was doing. Wait, did she see him last night? Fuck, oh fuck. He was absolutely fucked (and not in the way he wanted)

The day goes on, same as the day before. She follows him around as he goes about his life. This time, it feels different. She was teasing him. All day.

He would try to insult her, she’d turn it around and make it sound sexy. She would stand a little too close to him. She would make comments about his appearance and play it off like an insult. She knew what she was doing to him.

He fucking hated her.

“Have you changed your mind about me yet?” He asked abruptly as she was standing behind him, watching him watching him read. She grins.

“Hmm…I don’t know.” She knew she did. She knew that he wasn’t just some fuck boy to her anymore. He was actually…sweet. And stupid hot. Johnny rolled his eyes and stood up. He took slow steps towards her.

“You sure you don’t know?” She slowly backs away.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asks innocently. Her back hits the wall and he’s only two steps away from her. He tilts his head and looks her over.

“You seem to have a way with your words. It’s like everything you say is alluding to something else.”

She just shrugs and bites back her smirk.

“I don’t know what you mean, Torchy” That was his signal. He could see the look in her eyes. He slowly stepped forward, bringing his arm up to cage her in.

“You know what I mean…” he leans in close, face inches away from hers. “You know what you do to me…and that’s why I fucking hate you.” He whispers as his free hand goes to lightly trace up and down her arm. She feels the spot in between her legs start to soak her panties. His voice, his his voice.

She decides to just say what she thinks.

“If you hate me so much then why were you jacking off to the thought of me?” She asks with such a sultry tone. His pupils dilate at her words. He was embarrassed that she saw that, but she didn’t look like she minded.

“I hate you so much, because the thought of you turns me on.” His hand that was in her arm goes up to fully cage her against the wall now. Her face drops to something that shows she isn’t playing around anymore. She had what she needed to hear.

“I hate you too, Johnny.” Her saying his name is the final push. He didn’t even think before leaning in those few extra inches and crashing his lips in hers. It was heated, it was messy, and it was oh, so hot. Her hands drop her pen and notebook and fly up to grip his shirt and pull him closer. He drops his hands to her waist and uses his body to press her into the wall.

The kiss was anything but soft and sweet. It was full of hunger. Teeth clash, and she lets out a soft moan as Johnny slips his tongue past her lips. They fucking hated each other. One of her hands drifted up to run through his hair.

They need to breathe at some point, she’s the first to pull away. He starts pressing warm, wet, kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

“I can really see how much you hate me” she giggles. He squeezes her waist, mumbling against her neck.

“Shut up” he leans up, lips finding hers again. His hands drop to grab her thighs, hoisting her up into his hold. His lips never leave hers as he walks them over to his bed. He gently lays her down, hand cradling the back of her head.

He presses his body farther into hers. She feels how hard he is as he grinds into her. She moans, the friction driving her insane. His hands travel all over her body, as if he was trying to memorize every curve. Her hands fall to the hem of his shirt, pushing up to try and get it off.

He pulls back enough to rid himself of his shirt. She looks him up and down, earning a little smirk from him.

“Still hate me, baby?” She leans up, nose bump his.

“So fucking much” Her lips find his again. His hands find the zipper of her dress, he helps her get rid of it. He looks down at her lacy set she had under the dress this entire time. Fuck, he just wants to devour her.

She grins but before she could make a comment he starts pressing the same warm kisses down her body. His mouth finds the waistband of her panties and pulls back. Teasingly slow, his fingers hook through them and slide them down. He kisses back up her thighs, slowly.

She tilts her head back with a soft moan as he gets closer and closer to where she needs him. He can see her arousal, and he just can’t help himself.

“You hate me so much that you’re dripping wet for me, huh?” He teases. She wanted to tell him to fuck off, but before words could leave hers mouth, his tongue licks a strip through her soaking wet folds.

“Oh fuck-“ she moans. The sounds go straight to his core. She was so fucking sexy when she moaned. He needed to hear more. He starts devouring her pussy, eliciting more moans from her.

“Fuck-…Johnny…” she moans through her heavy breathing. The way she said his name, it just made him want to make her cry it out all night. He slips two fingers into her, his mouth now focusing on her bundle of nerves. The new feeling draws more moans from her.

“Keep making those sexy noises, baby” he directs against her pussy. The vibrations making her even closer to the edge.

“Johnny! Fuck, don’t stop!” He grins, her cries just sounded so pretty.

“You close?” He asks, she nods. She already had a fucked out look across her pretty face. He couldn’t wait to actually fuck her now. “Come on, baby. Come on my face, let me taste you.”

With a few more licks of his tongue and thrust of his fingers, she hit her climax. Her walls clench around his fingers and her moans slow down. When she’s fully released, he removes his fingers and lifts them to his mouth.

“Taste so good” he tells her. She lays back, catching her breath from her amazing orgasm. She gives Johnny time to undo his belts and drop his pants. She looks up, seeing his rock hard cock. God, it was even better than yesterday. She doesn’t have time to think before he spreads her legs a bit for him.

He leans over pressing a kiss to her jaw before moving his mouth to her ear.

“Just say no and I’ll stop right now.” She hates to admit that turned her on even more. Basically asking to fuck after he just ate her pussy was kind of hot. She shakes her head.

“I want to” He searches her eyes for any signs of discomfort. When he finds none, that was his sign to go all the way. His tip finds her entrance and she whines, needing him.

“Patient, baby.” He teases. She wants to snap back, but he pushes into her. The stretch made her head tilt back.

“Fuck!” She moans, her hands look for anything to grab. Johnny’s free hand grabs hers. He holds her hands above her head as he starts to draw back slowly. He pulls back until just the tip was in her. She thinks he’s just being slow to annoy her, she was going to say something, but then he slams back inside her. He sets a brutal pace.

“Such a pretty pussy, it’s a shame you have such a bad mouth.” All she can do is moan, despite wanting to say some smart shit back, she felt too good to care. “Talking shit about me, but now look at you. Basically begging for me to fuck you”

“Holy fuck” she moans, his cock hitting that spot deep inside her. He lets out a laugh.

“What are you gonna write after this, huh?” He teases. “You gonna write about how good my cock is making you feel right now?” He was being an asshole, and he knew it. He just loved the way that his words made her clench around him.

“Tell me you love it” he leans down to whisper in her ear. “Tell me you love how I’m fucking you.” She’s now a fucked out mess under him.

“I love it” she moans, he just chuckles.

“You love my dick but hate me? Funny isn’t it?” She really wanted to wipe the stupid grin off his face, but he was unfortunately right. She was getting so close, she needed him to keep up.

“So close…please” He laughs, his hips slowing down. She whines, trying to grind back down for friction.

“You want me to make you cum again?” She’s nods. He doesn’t move, he stays still, just smirking down at her.

“Damn it, Johnny! Stop being a piece of shi-“ his hard thrust cut her off. Making her cry out.

“If i would’ve known fucking you shuts you up then I would’ve done it sooner.” He pounds into her, making the headboard hit the wall repeatedly. “Would’ve bent you over your desk and made you re think that article.” His word just push her closer and closer. He was getting close himself too.

“You gonna cum for me, baby?” She just moans in response. He gives her a few more hard thrust before her walls clench around him and she comes crashing down. She cries out as she comes around him. This only drives him closer. His pace doesn’t falter as he gets himself off.

He groans into her neck as he gets closer. He barely pulls out. He paints her stomach with his cum. His head tilts back and god he looks so hot like that. He falls down next to her on the bed. Both of them trying to catch their breaths.

No one wants to speak, to break the silence. They just had sex, but they hated each other. Why would they fuck like that, if they hated each other? Johnny was so confused. She snaps him out of his thoughts.

“I’ll get them to take the article out of the magazine, and I’ll re write it” she says. His head snaps over to her. She rolls her eyes. “I’m not doing it because you just railed me. Everything you said and did yesterday made me change my mind. You are way more than what I thought, Johnny” he smiles, an actual genuine smile.

“Yours not so bad yourself. I think I just thought you were some fucked up reporter who was looking for a new way to make a big check.” She laughs. He looks down at her cum painted stomach and laughs.

“We should probably get cleaned up.” He goes to get up when her hand flies to his arm.

“We could…but, why clean up if we’re just gonna make another mess?” There’s that look again, god she was gonna be the death of him. He grins and rolls over on top of her.

“You’re such a hazard” he grins.

“You love it” she grins, nudging his nose with hers.

“I fucking hate it” with that, he crashes his lips into hers.

Safe to say, the article was taken care of…multiple times.

The two of you had been making out for god knows how long, and your head and heart were spinning. All you could focus on was how good his lips felt against your skin, the way your body seemed to innately know that this man was made for you, the only thought rattling around in your brain was “he’s mine, he’s mine, he’s mine.”

His lips finally started trailing lower at the same time your hands did, and that’s when a knock sounded at his door, startling you both out of your stupor. 

“Johnny?”

The two of you barely had any time to react before Sue Storm was opening the door, a surprised expression on her face when she walked into the room. Your hands were on Johnny’s chest, his on your waist, and Sue gave Johnny a knowing look. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Johnny had a guest,” she remarked, a small smirk on her face. 

Johnny placed his hands on your shoulders, walking you forward with an excited look on his face. “Why, dear sister of mine, this is not just any guest. This…is my soulmate.”

Sue blinked in shock, her eyes suddenly taking you in fully, before she laughed in delight. “Oh—oh my god! I don’t know what to say, I mean…wow, it is so great to finally meet you!” She immediately rushed over to give you a crushing hug, granting a quick kiss to your cheek. “I’m Sue Storm,” she said, grinning.

“I’m Y/n,” you said, breathless and blushing. “It’s an honor to meet you.” 

Sue gave you one last look and smile, squeezing your arm affectionately before turning to her brother. “Well I really hate to interrupt this, but the gala’s about to end and the firm wants us to say our goodbyes to the guests.” 

Johnny nodded, and Sue began to head out of the room before turning around briefly. “It’s truly so wonderful to meet you, Y/n.”

You smiled. “You too.” 

Sue left the door open a crack after she left, and Johnny turned to you then, holding your hands in his. “Would it be okay if you hung back in the crowd? I honestly don’t think I want to share you with the world just yet.” He smiled nervously, thumb brushing the back of your hand.

Reality truly set in at his admittance. The world. The whole world would soon find out who you are, what your life is like, who you are to Johnny. Your life may never be truly private again…and the fact that Johnny had even considered that was something you genuinely appreciated. You weren’t quite ready to be shared with the world either. 

“That’s completely fine. I don’t think I want you to share me quite yet either.” 

Johnny smiled. “I’ll find you after?” You nodded, and he placed a quick kiss to your hand before jogging after Sue.

Whew. You couldn’t stop smiling, your mind still reeling from your brand new reality. Never in your wildest dreams was your soulmate ever actually Johnny Storm. You briefly considered pinching yourself, but not even your dreams could feel as real as Johnny’s lips against yours. 

You took a deep breath, steeling yourself before walking out of Johnny’s room and back to the gala. You realized, walking towards the middle of the crowd, that you felt completely at ease now. Because now, it felt like you belonged here. 

“Attention,” Reed Richards appeared from above on the balcony overlooking the crowd as he tapped the glass he was holding, and Ben, Sue and Johnny appeared beside him. You could see Johnny scanning the crowd in search of you. Once he found you, he gave you a grin and a wink, making your heart skip a beat.

“Thank you all so, so much for being here with us tonight. I truly feel like we’re going to change lives with the amount of money we have raised. I want to give a special thank you to our incredible PR firm for putting this all together for us; You all are amazing, and we truly appreciate every one of you. Now unfortunately for Sue and I, baby duty awaits, so we’ll have to call it a night.” A chuckle rang through the crowd. “Goodnight everyone, get home safe!”

The crowd finally began to disperse, and you walked over to lean against the wall as you waited for Johnny. 

“Y/n?”

You looked up, and finally someone from your PR firm had found you. Your boss.

“Hey, how was your evening?” You asked.

“It was lovely. How was yours? Everything you ever dreamed of?” She smirked. She was the person you begged for a ticket, so you were certain she figured you were a superhero fangirl. 

“Uh,” you began, when you spotted Johnny jogging down the steps, making a beeline for you. You tried to hide your smile, because she truly had no idea just how loaded that question really was. “Yep, totally,” you said, trying to sound sarcastic. “I really do appreciate you getting me this ticket. You have no idea what it means for me.”

“No problem. Just remember it comes out of your paycheck for the next 6 months!” She said as she walked away. 

Johnny finally made his way to you as the last of the crowd finally made their way out of the building.

“Hi,” he said, beaming at you and taking your hands in his.

Your grin could probably split your face in two. “Hi.”

Johnny opened his mouth to speak, when another voice rang out. 

“Who’s this?”

Reed Richards made his way down the stairs with an intrigued look on his face, Ben and Sue following close behind with knowing smiles.

“That’s Johnny’s soulmate,” Ben and Sue said simultaneously. They both turned to each other in confusion.

“How’d you know that?” All three of them asked each other at the same time. 

You giggled. “Does that happen a lot?” You leaned in to ask Johnny quietly. 

“More than you would expect,” he murmured.

Reed finally approached you, holding his hand out for you to shake. “Reed Richards. It’s…a pleasure to meet you.” He looked between you and Johnny, the gears turning in his head as if he was trying to figure you and your dynamic out. 

You shook his hand, nervous butterflies twirling in your stomach at being in a room alone with the most famous superheroes on the planet. “The pleasure is all mine, truly.” 

“So, when did you two meet?” He asked. 

“Tonight,” Johnny replied. “I spotted her wearing my ring.” 

“And he had on the bracelet I made him this year,” you added. 

Reed gave you a small smile. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations to you both!”

“Alright, it’s my turn,” Ben suddenly interjected, walking over towards you before giving you a sweet, crushing hug and lifting you in the air, a surprised laugh escaping you. “It’s so great to meet you, Y/n.”

“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Johnny asked, staring at you with pride. “I can’t stop staring at her.” 

Ben, Sue and Reed all exchanged surprised but happy looks. Johnny had always been forward with women in the past, but never so much so in front of his family. “That she is, Johnny,” Ben agreed. “That she is.”

Sue walked over to you and placed a hand on your back, ushering you towards the kitchen. “I know it’s late, but could I make you something to drink?”

“I would love that.”

You and Sue made your way over to the kitchen while the guys hung back, watching the two of you talk. 

“So, how do you feel, Johnny?” Ben asked.

Johnny was still staring at you in wonder. “I’m in love,” he sighed. Ben chuckled, and Reed raised his eyebrows in surprise. Johnny pointed a finger at Reed defensively. “Don't say it. I know you're about to say something like 'Johnny, you only met met her a few hours ago' but—“

“It’s okay,” Reed interjected. “I wasn't going to say anything because that’s how it’s supposed to feel with your soulmate. It’s just..strange to hear you talk like that is all.”

“I know,” he agreed. “But man, it’s…wow.” 

“You certainly have a way with words, Johnny,” Ben teased, earning him a glare. 

“Boys?” Sue called out from the kitchen table next to you, earning the men’s attention. “You three gonna stand there and stare or would you like to join us?” 

All of you sat around their kitchen table, and you were surprised to realize that this all felt…normal. Comfortable, even. Like this is the way it was always supposed to be, despite the fact that you were sitting with people who saved the world on a daily basis while you had sat back and watched on your television screen. 

Reed was the first to speak, his eyes on the shining ring sitting perfectly on your left hand. “So you two are already engaged?” 

You and Johnny looked at each other and smiled bashfully. “We are,” he answered, his hand finding yours under the table. 

Reed was quiet, clearly having a million thoughts running through his head by the second.

“What are you thinking?” Sue asked, her eyes narrowed at her husband. “I know that look.”

“Nothing!” Reed exclaimed, holding his hands up in the air innocently. “It’s just…a bit quick is all.”

Johnny’s hand tightened around yours, almost protectively. 

“Reed, I don’t remember us even really talking much right after we first met. We were too busy…” Sue trailed off, giving him a look.

Johnny grimaced. “Okay, did not need to know that.” 

Sue laughed, shrugging. 

“Look at em’, Reed,” Ben said, gesturing to the two of you. “They look like they’ve been in love for years. Johnny’s practically got hearts comin’ out of his eyes.”

Johnny wiggled his eyebrows at you, making you laugh. “It’s true. I already feel like I’ve known you my whole life.” 

“And I, personally, have never heard Johnny talk like this with anyone else,” Sue pointed out with a smile. 

Reed looked at the two of you again before finally giving a small nod and a smile. “I do have to agree on that.” 

Johnny raised your interlocked hands to kiss your knuckles. 

“So Y/n, tell us about yourself?” Sue asked.

An hour later, the five of you were laughing hysterically, sharing life stories and memories. Mostly embarrassing ones of Johnny, to your amusement. It was the most at ease around a group of virtual strangers you’d ever felt. But they weren’t strangers, not really. This…this was now your family.

“His fly was down the whole time,” Ben managed through laughter. “Didn’t tell him until after the camera’s stopped rolling.”

Johnny was smiling despite his blush. “Yeah, thank you again for that, by the way.” 

All of you were still laughing when a knock sounded at the front door. “Ah, that’d be the babysitter,” Sue said as she got up to answer the door.

Johnny leaned towards you then, muttering to you, “How are you? You okay?” You were suddenly very aware of the warm hand now on your upper thigh. 

You nodded, giving him a smile. “I’m perfect.” 

He winked at you. “That you are.” 

Sue wandered back into the kitchen, her babbling 8 month old son on her hip. “Babysitter said he just woke up from a nap, so he’ll be up for a while. He’s basically nocturnal at this point.”

Reed, Johnny and Ben stood up to greet their little guy, and you tentatively followed. 

“How’s my favorite little magic baby, huh?” Johnny exclaimed, grabbing Franklin’s foot and tickling it, making him giggle.

Sue turned towards you. “Franklin, this is Y/n,” she started, trying to get Franklin to look at you. “She’s gonna be your auntie someday.” 

You slowly approached him, giving him a warm smile and a wave. “Hey, little guy. You are so adorable.”

Franklin babbled happily and held his arms out towards you, surprising you.

“I think he wants you,” Sue grinned. “Do you want to hold him? Are you comfortable?” 

“Yeah, I’d love that.” 

You took little Franklin in your arms, laughing as he placed his little hands on your cheeks and giggled. You bounced him on your hip, talking nonsense to him as you slowly began walking around the room with him. 

“Johnny,” Sue said quietly as she stood next to her brother. “She’s perfect. Seriously.” 

Johnny swallowed, watching you play with his nephew in your arms. “I know. It’s a little scary, honestly. But I’m…I’m really excited. I wanna do this.”

Sue smiled. “I felt the same with Reed. Once you meet your person, everything starts happening all at once. But just…enjoy it. Take in every moment for what it is, and let yourself feel the way you feel. You’re supposed to feel totally in love and terrified at the same time.” 

Johnny looked down at his sister, giving her a small smile that she returned. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Promise.” She squeezed her brother’s shoulder before making her way over to you, gently taking Franklin from your arms. “You two have had a very big night, and it’s getting pretty late, so we’ll leave you two alone.” 

“It was so amazing to meet you all,” you said. “Thank you so much for being so welcoming.” 

“Don’t mention it,” Ben said. “You’re part of the family now.” 

Sue came over and gave you one last hug, Reed giving you a nod and a smile, and the four of them all went to their respective quarters. 

“So…” you began, biting your lip as you looked up at Johnny. 

He placed his hands on your hips, squeezing them gently. “So…”

Tension suddenly grew in the air, butterflies swarming your stomach as your mind wandered back to the way he’d been kissing you a few hours prior. “Um, I know it’s late, so I can head out…”

Johnny shook his head. “Stay. Please? I mean you could stay forever, if you wanted, but at least the night—”

You laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I’ll stay.” 

“YES.” He dramatically pumped his fist in the air before sweeping you off your feet and into his arms, bridal style, and walked you to his bedroom. 

“Oh shit, wait,” you exclaimed as he put you down. “I gotta call Violet so she doesn’t think I’m dead.” 

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead.” Johnny went over and closed his bedroom door, and you didn’t miss the fact that he actually locked it this time. He plopped down onto his bed and laid on his side, head propped up on his elbow, watching you as you placed your phone to your ear. 

“Violet? Hey, yeah I’m fine,” you began, mindlessly wandering around his room.

Johnny flopped backwards, his head hitting his pillow as he stared up at his ceiling while you spoke with your friend. This was, hands down, the best night of his life. You, the person he prayed to the universe for, dreamed about his whole life, were finally here. You were beautiful, and not just that, but you fit in with his family perfectly. It was abundantly clear that you were made for him, and Johnny had never been happier. Not even being in space could compare to the joy he was feeling now. 

“Ow,” you exclaimed, capturing his attention. He sat up and saw you holding your phone away from your ear, the sound of high-pitched screaming coming through the phone making you laugh and shake your head. “Vi. Violet! Yes, I know you told me so….Put you on speaker? Fine, hold on.” You pulled the phone away from your ear again and pressed the speaker button. “Alright, you’re on speaker.”

“Johnny Storm?”

Johnny looked at you, quirking a brow as he spoke. “This is the one.”

“Holy shit!” Your friend exclaimed from the other line. “Listen, I just wanted you to know that I totally knew it was you the whole time! I tried to tell her but she refused to listen to me!”

Johnny laughed as you ran a hand down your face in exasperation. “I appreciate that, Violet. I only wish you could’ve brought her to me sooner.” 

Violet squealed, and you bit your lip at the hungry stare he was suddenly giving you. 

“Um, Violet? Listen, I gotta go now,” you said, your voice a little higher pitched than normal, your eyes still trained on your soulmate’s. 

“Ohhh I get it, you two are gonna bone now,” Violet laughed through the speaker. 

“Violet!” You smacked your forehead, white hot embarrassment creeping up your neck while Johnny laughed out loud. “I’m hanging up now.”

“BYE, HAVE FUN BANGING A SUPERHE—“ You immediately hit the “End Call” button.

“I’m, uh. Sorry about her.”

Johnny chuckled, moving to sit on the edge of his bed. “Don’t be.” The silence that followed was charged with something else now, his eyes wandering freely over your form. “We could, y’know. If…you wanted.”

You decided to play coy. “Could what?”

Johnny looked around the room as if it were obvious. “Bone.”

You busted out laughing as you walked over and stood between his legs. Your hands found either side of his face, your thumbs affectionately brushing his cheeks. “How romantic.”

“Sorry,” Johnny muttered sheepishly, his hands coming up to rest on your waist. “New to the whole ‘soulmate’ thing.” 

You smiled. “I am too. But we can go at our own pace. However slow or fast we want.” 

Johnny swallowed thickly, his hands squeezing your waist. “And…how slow or fast would you like to go?” 

Your heart was pounding in anticipation, desire beginning to swirl in your lower belly. You couldn’t deny that all of this felt right, and timing be damned, you wanted him. So you said nothing, instead answering by leaning down and capturing his lips in a deep kiss. 

Johnny immediately let out a groan against your lips that sent heat directly to your core. He pulled you towards him by your hips until you were straddling him, your dress now hiked up around your waist and his hard length hitting your core perfectly. Your fingers carded through his hair when he kissed you harder, his tongue sliding against yours as he bucked his hips up into you. 

“Johnny,” you whimpered, grinding down against him.

“God, yeah, say my name like that again,” he panted, his hands roaming over every inch of your skin that they could reach. 

You bit your lip, forehead resting against his as you continued to grind against him. His cock was rubbing against your clit with exact precision, desire growing hotter in your lower belly. “Johnny,” you panted into his mouth, your hands gripping his shoulders tighter. 

He grunted, his hands roughly squeezing your breasts in response. “Please let me see you,” he breathed out, staring up at you with wide, needy eyes. 

You got off his lap and stood up, removing the straps from your dress and letting it slowly fall down to your ankles with a quiet thud, leaving you in a strapless bra and lace panties as you kicked off your heels.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. He got down onto his knees on the floor then, his hands slowly moving up your thighs as he stared up at you reverently. “Most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

You swore your heart fluttered inside your chest. There was Johnny Storm, on his knees for you, staring up at you like you were the answer to every prayer he’s ever had. And truly, you were. You were about to respond when he suddenly began pressing sweet, sloppy kisses to your inner thighs, and your brain immediately went fuzzy. His fingers went to the edge of your panties, yanking them down to your ankles before you stepped out of them. 

Your lower half now bare before him, your instinct was to hide yourself. But Johnny was having none of that, his hands gently swatting yours away. “No no no, please don’t hide from me, princess,” he muttered, eyes locked onto your core. His thumb pressed against your clit, the flash of sensitivity jolting you forward, your hands on his shoulders steadying you. “So fucking pretty, every part of you. Can’t believe this pussy is mine.”

Swoon. 

Johnny replaced his thumb with his lips, his mouth wrapping around your sensitive bud and sucking hard. Your knees damn near buckled from the sensation, his wet, hot mouth wasting no time in tasting you completely. He licked a broad stripe through your soaked folds, a guttural groan escaping him at your taste. Your fingers tightened in his hair, instinctively pulling him closer to you, and his hands went around to squeeze your ass. 

“Fuck,” he panted, pulling away just slightly. “You wanna ride my face, princess?

Jesus H. Christ. You nodded vigorously, and Johnny lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. He stood up, practically ripping his shirt and pants off and kicking his shoes off before laying back down on the bed, staring up at you expectantly. 

You bit your lip and grinned as you made your way over and climbed on top of him. You shut your eyes as his hot breath hit your core, the desire coursing through your veins making your heart race in anticipation. 

Johnny placed his hands against your ass and practically shoved you against his mouth, wasting no time in eating you like a man starved. At any other time, the sounds escaping your lips would’ve made you embarrassed. But you couldn’t care less, not when they seemed to spur Johnny on even more. Every whine, every moan that you let out had him bucking his hips up in the air, desperate for some kind of friction. You leaned backwards instinctively, hand reaching out and gripping his hard cock through his boxer briefs. 

“Fucking shit,” Johnny grunted against you, bucking up into your hand. His lips were relentless against your clit now, the wet sounds of his tongue against your soaking wet core unbearably hot.

“‘M close,” you whimpered, your hips bucking forward and grinding you against his mouth. The coil low inside your belly was winding tighter and tighter, you just needed…

Johnny hummed against you, and the vibrations from his mouth were exactly what you needed to fall over the edge. Stars exploded behind your eyes as the pleasure coursed through you, his tongue working you through it with one hand still on your ass and the other grabbing at your breast.

Both of you panted as you came down, tired yet energized smiles on your faces. You climbed off of him and moved lower on the bed to straddle his legs, your face now inches from the tent in his underwear. You smirked at him.

“Jesus, sweetheart,” he muttered, his head falling back onto the pillow. “You—you don’t have to…”

“I know,” you interrupted. Your hands gripped the bottom of his boxer briefs, pulling them down until his cock sprang free. You swallowed, staring greedily at him. He was genuine perfection, and you wanted to taste him now. 

Johnny felt like he had just died and went to heaven. You were staring so prettily up at him, almost innocent-looking, like you weren’t about to suck him off. He briefly thought that he probably looked stupid, his mouth hanging open in anticipation for what you were about to do, but then he found that he didn’t care. He was too focused on your pretty little mouth and the dirty things you were about to do with it. 

You leaned down and licked the entire length of his cock, one hand gently cradling his balls, the other gripping his thigh. The desperate, choked groan that came out of him had your pussy clenching, the sound spurring you on. You opened your mouth wide and took him all the way, hollowing out your cheeks and sucking hard. Johnny gasped, his hands finding their way to your hair as his hips bucked forward of their own accord. He was desperately moving the hair out of your face so he could see you, watch you move perfectly over his length. You set up an easy rhythm, relaxing your throat as much as you could as tears hit the corners of your eyes. He was trying so hard not to lose control, his hips jerking as you took him all the way, your hand still playing with his balls. 

“Wait wait wait,” he panted out suddenly, trying to gently pull you off of him. “I’m not gonna last if you keep doing that. ’s too good.”

You swallowed and nodded, wiping your mouth with a smile that made his cock twitch. 

“C’mere,” he muttered, holding his arms out for you. You climbed over his body and into his arms, kissing him once more. 

“Johnny,” you whispered against his lips. “Want you so bad.” 

He nodded, biting his lip. “I got you, baby girl.” 

He rolled over so you were underneath him now, his fingers interlocking with yours as he kissed you. You spread your legs wider for him, your free hand roaming the expanse of his back. He pulled away then, stopping just to look at you. You moved to place your hand on his chest as he breathed heavily, and you could feel his heart racing.

“I’ve thought about this for so long,” he admitted, his eyes roaming across your face. “Imagined what it would be like. What you would be like.” 

You reached up and placed your hand on his cheek, your heart warming at the way he nuzzled into it, his eyes briefly fluttering shut. “Me too. But it’s so much better than I could’ve thought.”

He smiled, his eyes twinkling as he looked at you. “Yeah, you are.” He kissed you again then, his hand gliding down to hike your thigh over his hip. “Are you okay?”

You nodded, unable to wait anymore, your hips bucking up desperately against him. “Please.”

The tip of his cock nudged against your entrance, and the breath you were holding escaped you while you relaxed into the sensation. He leaned down to rest his forehead against yours as he pushed deeper, your walls stretching deliciously to accommodate him. 

“God, you feel fucking incredible,” he grunted, eyes shut tight as he worked himself in. 

You cried out in relief as he bottomed out, the pleasure unbelievably intense, more than you’d ever experienced. This is what it’s always supposed to be like, you briefly thought. He set up an easy pace, pumping into you leisurely to allow you more time to adjust to him. His hands and mouth were everywhere, unable to get enough of you. All of your senses were on fire, and you needed more. 

“Faster,” you pleaded, lifting your hips upward to drive him deeper.

He lifted his head to look up at you, a flash of a grin on his face. “Yeah? You want it harder too, princess?”

You nodded, and he wasted no time in giving you exactly what you asked for. He was fucking into you now at a punishing pace, so deep, so hard, that his headboard began slamming into the wall with his every thrust. 

The sounds in his bedroom alone were almost enough to make you come. The headboard hitting the wall, Johnny’s desperate panting and needy groans, the wet sound of skin slapping against skin. The pressure inside your lower belly began to build once more, your hips meeting his with every thrust.

“I’m so close,” you whimpered, desperately clawing at his back.

He nodded against your forehead. “Yeah, yeah—fuck—me too.” He reached down to rub your clit, and that was all you needed for the dam inside you to break. The pressure built and built until it exploded, your hands gripping him tight as you shouted his name. He followed you over the edge moments later with a cry of your name, spilling into you until there was nothing left. 

The two of you caught your breath for several minutes, your head resting on his chest as his breathing finally evened out. He brought your hand up to his face, kissing your knuckles. 

“I know this is crazy,” he said quietly. “But I think I love you.” 

You beamed. If it were any other person but your soulmate, it would be crazy.

But it wasn’t. It was the only thing in the world that actually made sense. 

You looked up at him and saw the vulnerability and nervousness in his eyes. Your thumb brushed his cheek, your heart squeezing with affection as he leaned into it once more. “I think I love you too.” 

Johnny’s smile threatened to split his face in two before pressing a sweet kiss to your lips. 

The two of you laid together in comfortable silence for several minutes until your eyelids started to feel heavy, the weight of the day finally getting to you. “Sleepy.”

Johnny nuzzled into your hair. “Me too. Sweet dreams, princess.”

The next morning, Johnny woke up before you did. Your back was to his chest, his arms wrapped around your middle, your hands tangled with his. His heart fluttered. It wasn’t a dream, he thought, smiling. 

Carefully and slowly, he untangled himself from you and left the bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him. He tiptoed to the kitchen where Ben was having a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. “Morning,” Johnny greeted cheerfully, opening all of the cabinets and drawers. 

Ben furrowed his brow, turning around to look at Johnny. “Uh, morning, what are you doing?”

Johnny didn’t even turn to look at his friend as he searched for all the ingredients, pots and pans he needed. “Gonna make breakfast in bed for Y/n.”

“You’ve never cooked a day in your life.” 

Johnny glanced over at his friend, a sly grin on his face. “I know. That’s why you’re gonna help me.”

Ben sighed, shaking his head but standing up anyway. “Alright. But only on one condition.”

“What?”

Ben looked at Johnny with a knowing, unamused expression. “You let Reed install the 100% soundproof walls in your room that he’s currently in the lab working on.”

Johnny furrowed his brow. “What? Soundproof walls, why?”

Ben stared blankly.

Oh. 

Johnny grinned sheepishly, the tips of his ears turning red.

“Deal.”

*

He smirked, mirroring your quiet voice when he spoke. “I can’t help it, you’re so pretty.”

Butterflies swirled around your chest as you grinned and pulled him closer, his nose touching yours. “You are so pretty.” You kissed him, silencing whatever counter he was about to offer. 

He pulled away first after a few seconds and looked at you again, his eyes narrowing in thought just slightly before resuming the tracing of your arm with his fingers.

You poked his stomach. “What are you thinking about?”

Johnny paused and captured your hand in his, the expression on his face suddenly more serious, his eyes vulnerable. “Move in with me.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. You had been with your soulmate for four months now, and though the two of you had been engaged basically the entire time, you’d never talked about moving in together. Truthfully, both of you had been too busy trying to hide your relationship from the public. And it was tricky.

Not only were reporters, paparazzi and the public constantly lingering around the Baxter building and pretty much every corner of NYC, but they were also constantly pestering Johnny in interviews about his latest relationships. Before Johnny had met you, the press had only mentioned his soulmate in interviews a handful of times due to the fact that he almost always had a different woman on his arm. But, obviously since he met you, he was no longer being photographed with droves of women. For the last four months, the only photographs taken of him were him alone or with the other members of the Fantastic Four. And the press was starting to notice. 

The worst instance of pressure from the media was when Ted Gilbert, a popular late night television host, had Johnny on his show last month. 

“So, Johnny, I can’t help but notice you haven’t been around as many women lately.” 

You and Violet watched from your living room, your hands wringing together nervously in anticipation of the direction this interview was suddenly going in. 

Johnny chuckled, looking at ease as he sat in the armchair across from Ted. “Ah, yeah, I’ve been a little too busy lately for the dating scene.”

Ted quirked his brow, flashing a smirk. “Are you sure it’s not because you’ve met a special someone?”

“Oohs” and “aahs” erupted from the live audience, and you shared a nervous look with Violet.

Johnny swallowed, a look of surprise briefly flashing across his face before he schooled his features into placidity. He forced out a chuckle. “Ah, I’m fairly certain, Ted.”

“Ehhhh, I’m not so sure…” 

You rolled your eyes. Who does this guy think he is?

“Why’s that?”

Ted leaned in, folding his hands together. “Well, you haven’t been photographed with a single woman in the last few months. If I may be so bold, that seems very out of the ordinary for you. I just can’t help but wonder if it’s because of a little special someone, that’s all. Like a *soulmate* kind of special…” 

You could see in Johnny’s eyes, even through the screen, that he was irritated. But the several years of PR training from your firm kept him calm and collected. “I’ve certainly dated my fair share of women, I’m not denying that. I’m just taking a break right now to focus on my family, my nephew. But when I do stumble across my soulmate, I’m sure you’ll have it figured out before I even do.” 

Johnny had been lightly scolded by your boss afterwards for being “sassy,” but you had supported him. You’d personally been seeing the toll the press took on the Fantastic Four, and you couldn’t blame him for getting slightly argumentative with such invasive questions. The superhero group loved their fans, considered them a second family, but the constant prying certainly did a number on them.

Thankfully, you had yet to be spotted and identified. The only people who knew you were Johnny Storm’s soulmate was the Four and Violet. You and Johnny had done a very good job of being discrete, usually in the form of late night visits to your house with him wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses to avoid any recognition. And being with him was amazing, it really was. Half of you didn’t care that you were essentially having to sneak around with your soulmate because you were just thankful you’d found each other at all. 

But the other half of you just wanted to be with him. In the daylight, on the street, in a restaurant, at the movies. You just wanted to be with him. Go on dates in public. And you knew that it would never be normal, it would never be two regular people out on a date being left alone, but you were okay with that. You had come to terms with the fact that you would be photographed wherever you went, that strangers would constantly talk about you and to you. The world would be watching. And at this point, you were ready, as long as it meant you were finally free to be with him. 

“Really?” You sat up, and he followed. “You know that means we’ll have to tell the world about us, right? Keeping this a secret won’t really be doable anymore.”

Johnny nodded. “I’m getting a little tired of sneaking around.” He sighed, looking down and picking at his bedsheets with a furrowed brow. “I’ve loved getting to have you all to myself, but I also just want to be able to.. to be with you, you know?”

You smiled because of course you knew. “I completely agree.” 

Johnny continued as if he hadn’t heard you. “And I want to be able to keep you safe. If you’re here with all of us, it would help me breathe easier, I think. And I know you wouldn’t just be moving in with me, obviously there’s my sister, and my brother in law, and my nephew, and Ben, but you’re my family now too, so it just—“

“Johnny,” you chuckled, taking his hand and bringing his focus back up to you. “I’m with you. 100%. I would love to move in with you.” 

Johnny beamed, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really?”

“Duh.” 

He immediately stood up on his bed, fists raised in the air. “MY SOULMATE IS MOVING IN WITH ME!”

Your laughter was interrupted by the sound of Sue yelling from the kitchen. “Johnny, can you please keep it down? It’s 8 in the morning! Your nephew is trying to sleep!” 

Johnny remained standing on his bed as he faced his bedroom door. “I CAN’T KEEP IT DOWN BECAUSE Y/N IS MOVING IN WITH US.” He looked down at you with a grin as you both waited for her response. 

“FINALLY!” 

***

“We’re going to need some safety protocols for this, obviously.” 

After you and Johnny had announced to the rest of the team that you were moving in, Reed had called you all in for an “emergency” family meeting in the lab. 

Johnny sat beside you, one hand in your lap fiddling with the engagement ring on your finger and the other drumming an invisible tune on his thigh. He playfully rolled his eyes. “Aaand here we go.” 

“Announcing Y/n’s existence to the world is automatically going to put her in danger, Johnny,” Reed said plainly. “We have a lot of enemies, enemies that could use her to get to us. We need to have some protocols in place to keep her protected. She doesn’t have powers like we do.” 

Johnny swallowed harshly, sharing a look with you as he subconsciously squeezed your hand in his. “Protocols like what?” 

“I’m glad you asked.” 

Reed flipped over the chalkboard to reveal dozens of equations and drawings that had your eyes bugging out of your head. You couldn’t understand for the life of you what any of it meant, and his writing completely covered the entire board. 

Reed went on to explain all of the added surveillance around the Baxter Building, along with newer ways to track their most notorious adversaries, and even some kind of…cannon?

“Sorry, did you say coma cannon?” You asked, finally speaking up.

Johnny chuckled aloud, shaking his head and ignoring the glare Reed was giving him. 

Reed paused, looking uncomfortable before glancing at Sue. “Yes, I…well I  originally created it to subdue Franklin during his nightmares. His powers are a bit…unpredictable as of late. But I thought it may be a good idea for you to keep on hand when we’re away, should anything happen.” 

“And when were you going to tell me you created a cannon gun to put our son into a coma during nightmares?” Sue asked, arms crossed and brow quirked as she leaned against the wall. 

“Probably don’t wanna know,” Ben said, bouncing Franklin on his knee.

Reed scratched his forehead awkwardly, clearing his throat. “Y/n, do you have any questions?” 

All eyes were on you. To be honest, you really didn’t even know if you had any questions. You thought you had mentally prepared yourself for the massive publicity about to come your way, but you felt a little out of your element now. Knowing you’ll likely be in danger is one thing, but hearing it straight from Mister Fantastic’s mouth is quite another. 

“I’m a little overwhelmed,” you admitted. Your nerves calmed just slightly when Johnny pressed a reassuring kiss to your knuckles. 

“We’ll protect you,” Johnny said, looking into your eyes. “I promise.”

“Nerves are very understandable,” Reed said. “I’m sorry to overload you with all of this; I just want to make sure the two of you are prepared. And if it makes you feel better, I’m going to have HERBIE stay behind with you when we’re away on our first few missions after your announcement.”

You smiled and nodded. Honestly, it did make you feel better. Over the last few months, you had watched HERBIE help the Fantastic Four with countless tasks, and you had even started to understand him a little bit. A few weeks ago HERBIE told you he had spotted Johnny’s ring on your finger the night of the gala, and that’s why he had approached you, helping you onto the floor where Johnny was located. Who knew the little guy had set everything in motion that night?

“Thank you,” you said earnestly.

Ben piped up from his spot on the other side of you. “So, when are you two gonna make the big announcement?”

*

Two weeks and one move-in later, you were backstage at the Ted Gilbert show, heart racing and hand gripping Johnny’s in a vice.

“Hey,” Johnny muttered from beside you.

Your eyes were glued to the live television audience sitting in their seats mere yards away from your spot behind the curtain. You swallowed harshly, not even realizing Johnny had spoken to you until he stepped into your field of vision, his eyes looking at you with concern.

“Baby, you’re shaking.” He gently placed his hands on your cheeks. “Breathe with me, okay? In, and out.”

You followed his instructions, shutting your eyes and breathing on his count, but it did nothing to calm your pounding heart.

Johnny nervously glanced over at his sister, who was leaning on the hair and makeup counter backstage. She gave him a sympathetic expression and shrugged. He looked back to you. “You know we don’t have to do this, right? We can just go home, call it a day.” 

You shook your head, opening your eyes. “No, we’re going to have to do this sometime. Might as well be now, right?” 

His thumb stroked your cheek. “Only if you’re sure. Just say the word and we’re out of here, okay?” 

You nodded, opening your mouth to respond when Ted Gilbert himself approached the two of you. 

“Ah, so this is the soulmate that has won Johnny Storm’s heart!” He gave you a big grin, holding his hand out for you to shake. “Ted Gilbert, lovely to meet you.”

Forcing a smile onto your face that you hoped didn’t look petrified, you took his hand, shaking it. “I’m Y/n, it’s nice to meet you.”

Ted looked at Johnny knowingly, pointing a finger at him. “Didn’t I tell you I knew you’d found your someone?”

Johnny fought the urge to roll his eyes but acquiesced, only so Ted would walk away. 

“Your boss lady should be here any second,” Ted spoke to you as the camera man on stage loudly started counting down. “Good luck out there!”

Ted moved the curtain aside and the audience went wild, standing up in their seats and clapping for their favorite television host. He seemed to bask in their attention, hands waving and a grin on his face. The countdown finally reached the 10-second mark, and you suddenly felt like you were about to vomit. 

“Y/n!”

Your boss, Lynne, approached from behind, a warm hand on your shoulder and an excited smile on her face. Honestly, you weren’t close with her, but just seeing another familiar face that knew exactly how much this moment meant soothed your nerves slightly. “You really did need that gala ticket, didn’t you?”

That made you laugh out loud, grateful for the momentary distraction. “Had to meet my soulmate somehow.”

She chuckled, reaching out to shake Johnny’s hand in greeting. “Apparently so! How are you feeling?” 

“3…2…1, you’re live!”

You turned around at the sound of the cameraman and saw the “ON AIR” sign suddenly glow red, and Ted Gilbert began his routine greeting. You gulped. “Terrified.”

Lynne gave you a sympathetic smile, ushering the two of you a few feet away from the curtain to avoid being heard. “I understand. But the world loves the Fantastic Four, they love Johnny Storm. It’s inevitable that they’ll love you, too.” 

Johnny pulled you close, wrapping an arm around your waist. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her.”

You inhaled through your nose and out through your mouth in an attempt to steel yourself. “I hope you’re right.” 

“Just be yourself. That’s what got you Johnny in the first place,” she said, giving you a wink.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have got a major news story to break to you all today with some very special guests,” Ted began from the stage. 

Lynne gestured for you and Johnny to step up onto a round platform behind the curtain. “Places, everyone,” she whispered. 

“If you all remember, a few months ago I had the one and only Mr. Johnny Storm on our stage.” The audience whoop’d and hollered, and Ted waited for the audience to calm down before he resumed speaking. “And I told him I had my suspicions that he had found his special someone, his soulmate, do you all remember that?”

You interlocked your fingers with Johnny’s, knees shaking as you stood on the platform. You gave him a pleading look, but pleading for what, you didn’t know. You could barely form a coherent thought, you were so anxious. 

Johnny squeezed your hand, taking your other in his as well. “I love you so much, you know that?” You nodded. “I’ve got you. I’m right here.”

“I love you too.” He snuck a quick kiss to your lips at that, giving you that signature grin that always made you swoon.

“Well, folks, it turns out I was correct. Johnny Storm has indeed met his soulmate, and the two of them are HERE TODAY!”

The audience sounded shocked, you swore you heard a couple of young girls yell out a desperate “Noooo!”, but then the surprise turned to excitement, and clapping and cheering erupted. 

Johnny nudged your shoulder, smiling. “See? They love you already.”

“Ladies and Gentleman, let’s hear it for Johnny Storm and his lovely soulmate, 

Y/n L/n!”

The curtains opened, and bright shining overhead lights burned your eyes. You squinted, your hand coming up to shield your eyes as you blinked furiously. Johnny kept his arm around your waist, his free hand up in the air to wave at the audience as he gave them a charming smile. The audience members were all cheering wildly, or so you were assuming, because you couldn’t hear anything over the sudden ringing in your ears. 

Johnny helped you off the platform, his hand never leaving your lower back as he walked the two of you over to Ted. On the stage you could make out three cushioned chairs, where you were meant to sit down. I need to sit down, you thought suddenly. Your heart was in your throat, knees feeling weak, buzzing still in your ears, your eyes barely able to see as they still fought to adjust to the blindingly bright lights. 

You faintly registered Johnny waving to all the audience members for a few more moments before taking your hand in his and helping you sit down. A muffled voice rang out from beside you, but it didn’t completely strike you until Ted Gilbert put his hand on your shoulder. The buzzing noise in your ears suddenly turned to silence as you blinked, your focus now on the television host to your left as Johnny remained on your right. 

Ted was looking at you like he was waiting for you to respond, but you had no idea what he said. “I’m sorry?” 

Ted chuckled, and the audience’s laughter followed. You flushed, embarrassment creeping up your neck. God, this is already going horribly, you thought. 

“Looks like someone’s a little nervous,” Ted teased. You could feel Johnny’s hand squeeze your knee, grounding you. “How about we give Y/n another round of applause, yeah?”

Ted and the audience erupted in claps, Johnny giving you a reassuring smile from beside you, which you attempted to return. 

Ted held his hand up after a few moments, silencing the crowd. “Y/n, I have to say, it is pretty incredible to have you here today. I think I speak for everyone when I say we really didn’t expect Johnny Storm to settle down anytime soon!”

It felt like all of your PR training and schooling had gone out the window. Your mind went blank. You had no idea what to say, honestly. You opened your mouth, searching for the words, blood pumping wildly in your ears as you searched for a response.

“I didn’t expect it either,” Johnny said from beside you. You exhaled in relief. “But as soon as I saw her, I was done for. I haven’t been the same since.” 

The audience let out a collective Awwww at his words.

“Adorable! Can you tell us how you met? Y/n, I’d love to hear your perspective especially. It’s not every day you run into a superhero!”

1…Inhale through your nose…2…exhale through your mouth…

“I met him at a fundraiser,” you said, the steadiness in your voice shocking even you. “I work at the PR firm that represents the Fantastic Four. I had to beg my boss for a ticket.”

Several members of the audience chuckled, and you felt yourself relax just a tinge. Maybe they don’t hate me?

“Did you have any idea that Mr. Storm was your soulmate?” 

You shook your head, placing your hand over Johnny’s. “I had no idea. I only knew that my soulmate had some kind of connection to the Fantastic Four.” 

Ted leaned in, curious. “How do you mean?” 

You looked over at Johnny, who gave you an encouraging nod. “Well, um, a couple of years ago on New Years I was sent an…interesting gift from my soulmate…” Johnny chuckled from beside you, and you found yourself mirroring his smile at the memory.

“Tell us what it was!” Ted exclaimed. 

“It was a Johnny Storm collectible action figure.” 

The audience erupted in laughter, and you couldn’t help but giggle. Your nerves were finally settling, your nervous system no longer on overload as you watched your soulmate laugh with ease from beside you. 

Ted was eating this up. “An action figure of yourself, Johnny? A little on the nose, don’t you think?” he teased. 

You took the opportunity of not having all eyes on you to look out at the audience, your eyes squinting again as they adjusted to the darkness out in the seated crowd. Your eyes landed on a man with dark hair and a goatee who staring at you like he knew something you didn’t, a smirk on his face that sent chills down your spine. You blinked, turning away from him to face your soulmate instead. 

Johnny laughed again, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah, yeaaaah…trust me, Ben and Sue did not let me hear the end of that one.” 

Laughter continued to ring through the audience. “How long have you two been together now?” Ted asked. 

“About 5 and a half months.”

“See!” Ted exclaimed, looking at the audience. “Didn’t I tell you I knew?” 

Johnny let out a chuckle, one you knew immediately was fake. “That you did. But we wanted to get to know each other outside of the spotlight, y’know, without any pressure or outside opinions.” 

Ted nodded solemnly. “You know, Y/n, I’m just dying to hear what this has been like for you. A regular person whose soulmate is not only a superhero but also a little bit of a heartbreaker. How did you feel when you realized he was the one?”

You gulped, feeling all eyes on you. You looked at Johnny, his sweet and encouraging expression grounding you. “Honestly, this has been the best time of my life,” you said, confidence growing as the audience aww’d once more. “Johnny did have a reputation as a ladies man, I knew that before I met him. But that’s not the Johnny I’ve come to know as my soulmate. He’s romantic, he’s funny, he’s kind and respectful. He’s been completely dedicated to our relationship and I could not be more thankful to have ended up with the best soulmate I could’ve asked for.” 

Ted dramatically placed his hand over his heart as the audience clapped loudly at your response. Johnny was looking at you like you hung the moon and the stars, his smile brighter than the lights shining down on you.

“Is that not the sweetest thing you all have ever heard?” Ted asked the audience. “Johnny, what about you? What has it been like to finally settle down?” 

Johnny’s eyes were glued to yours, his hand moving from your knee to interlock your fingers together. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He paused, waiting for the audience to calm down, eyes still flitting between yours. For a moment, you were able to drown out everything and everyone else. It was just you and him. “Meeting her changed everything for me, in the best way. She immediately fit in with the family. She’s perfect. It feels like I’ve known her my whole life.” 

Your eyes turned glassy at his response, your heart soaring at his words. Truthfully, you were still getting used to being the Johnny Storm’s soulmate, and hearing him talk that way about you and your relationship meant everything to you. He meant everything to you. Without thinking, you leaned in for a sweet kiss, one he met you halfway for. His hand cradled your cheek as he kissed you back, butterflies exploding in your stomach while the audience cheered. 

“Truly wonderful,” Ted replied with a grin. “When can I expect to see my wedding invitation in the mail?” He laughed along with the crowd.

Honestly, you and Johnny hadn’t even talked about it yet. You were still unpacking at the Baxter Building, and you’d spent all your time as of late preparing for this interview.

“We’re working on it,” Johnny replied. “Y/n’s getting settled in with us at home, so that’s what we’re focusing on for right now.”

Ted sat up a bit straighter at this admission. “Ah, so you two have moved in together? Big step!”

You and Johnny both nodded. “It is, but it’s one we are very excited about.” 

“Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say, congratulations! It has been so wonderful to have you here and to hear your story. Everybody, let’s give one last round of applause for the future Mr. and Mrs. Storm!”

The three of you on stage stood up as the audience cheered and clapped. You tentatively waved at the crowd, a small smile on your face as you looked into the audience. Your eyes immediately found the man again, and he was still staring you down, clapping with that unsettling grin on his face. Uneasiness pooled in your belly and you frowned and looked away, taking a step closer to Johnny. 

After waving your goodbyes, you, Johnny and Ted finally walked backstage past the curtain, the audience’s cheers growing muffled the further away you walked. You were about to speak up about the man you saw when Sue came running up to you, engulfing you in a hug. 

“You did it! That went so well. How do you feel?” 

Truthfully, you felt exhausted. A giant weight was now lifted off your shoulders, but you couldn’t ignore the feeling of dread lingering in the pit of your stomach. “I’m, uh, glad it’s over.” 

Sue laughed, a reassuring hand on your upper arm. “I’m sure.” 

“You did amazing, baby,” Johnny said, beaming with pride as he hugged you and lifted you off the ground in a twirl. “I told you they’d love you!” 

You laughed, squeezing him back. “I guess so.” 

“I know so,” Ted remarked from behind you, Johnny and Sue. He smiled as Johnny gently placed you back onto the ground, and you all turned around to face him. “You did wonderful. Anyone with eyes can see how in love you both are.” 

Your boss, Lynne, walked over then with a warm expression. “I couldn’t agree more. That went better than I could’ve hoped.” 

After several minutes of exchanging pleasantries, Johnny whisked you into the air and in his arms, bridal style. You squealed, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Well, if you’ll all excuse us, my future wife and I have some business to attend to.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Sue sighed and pinched the space between her brows as the others laughed. “Inappropriate!”

***

A few days later and you were adjusting to your new life in the spotlight. Honestly, it wasn’t as scary as you thought it might be. The public appeared to be pretty supportive, people smiling and waving at you on the street, a few strangers here and there asking for your autograph. It was incredibly strange, but also a bit exciting. Because now, you could be with Johnny wherever and whenever you wanted. Now, you were free. 

You were currently lounging on the living room couch in the Baxter Building, legs crossed and resting on the coffee table. Johnny and Ben were bickering in the kitchen as per usual, Johnny pestering Ben as he attempted to make dinner. Sue and Reed were in the lab, apparently taking the opportunity of Franklin spending the night with a babysitter to discuss the infamous coma cannon. 

You grabbed the remote, flipping through channels until you landed on The Sophia Culbert Show, another popular live television show. You were about to click past it until you heard your name, freezing you in place.

Sophia Culbert, the host, was sitting at her desk talking with another woman you didn’t recognize. “What do you think about Y/n? Has to hurt a little bit seeing your famous ex finally meet his soulmate.” 

You paled, swallowing nervously as you took in the woman sitting across from Tessa. Johnny’s ex. She laughed, flipping her blonde hair behind her shoulder. “I’m not worried about it. I mean, do we seriously think *she* is his soulmate?”

Sophia raised her eyebrows, grinning at the drama evidently about to play out. Your heart dropped to your stomach, unable to look away.

“You don’t think Y/n is really Johnny’s soulmate?”

The woman, Johnny’s ex, you repeated to yourself, smirked. “I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“First of all, look at her, and then look at me. Clearly she is not Johnny’s type,” she laughed, and to your horror, so did the live audience. “But also, did you watch their interview? They haven’t even talked about a wedding date. It’s obvious he’s stalling.” 

Tears burned at the back of your eyes, your hands clenched into fists. She was obviously jealous, the rational part of you knew that, but her words hit at your deepest insecurities. 

“Whatcha watching?” Johnny asked from behind you with a box of cereal in his hand, jumping over the back of the sofa to sit beside you. He looked at the tv and grimaced. “Ew, why are you watching this?”

You were silent, still staring at the screen as the tears you fought back finally slipped down your cheeks. 

He turned to you at your lack of response, and his face fell. Instantly he scooted closer to you, his fingers on your chin, gently turning your head towards him. “Hey, hey hey, what’s wrong?” 

You shut your eyes, bottom lip trembling as the words continued from the screen. 

“So you don’t think Johnny is going to marry her?”

“Not a chance. Like I said, Johnny is stalling this. I think this whole ‘soulmate’ thing is just a PR stunt.”

Johnny’s head whipped towards the television at the words, his worried expression turning angry as he grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, muttering a what the hell. “Sweetheart, look at me.” 

You obeyed, glassy eyes looking up at him. 

“Don’t you listen to that bullshit for even a second. I dated that girl for maybe a week, and now she’s using this to get her 15 minutes of fame.” You nodded, sniffing and wiping a tear away. Johnny looked heartbroken as he took in your sad state. He hated seeing you like this, hated that as soon as you were starting to adjust to the public, this happens. He took your hands in his. “I would marry you in a second, you know that, right?” 

“Yeah,” you said quietly.

“I would,” he said with conviction. “I know we haven’t talked about it yet, but that’s only because I wanted you to get settled in here and get used to the public first. But I would marry you tomorrow, if that’s what you wanted. Hell, I’d marry you today. Do you want to get married right now? Seriously, because—“

“Johnny,” you interrupted, laughing despite yourself and wiping away your tears. “It’s okay. I would marry you today, too, but I want to have a real wedding.” 

Johnny smiled at the sound and sight of your laughter, his shoulders sagging in relief. “Yeah?”

He wrapped an arm around you, pulling you against his chest. You took his hand, kissing his palm. “Yeah. It doesn’t have to be big or anything, just our families and friends.”

“You can have whatever you want, sweetheart. I think that sounds perfect.” 

You looked up at him, leaning in to kiss him when an alarm on his watch started going off. Frowning, you sat up and heard Ben’s watch going off in the kitchen as well. 

“Shit,” Johnny mumbled. 

“Is that—?“ 

“Duty calls,” he replied with a nod, an apologetic look on his face. 

Reed and Sue ran into the living room already wearing their suits, a worried expression on their faces. Johnny immediately stood at attention, and Ben jogged into the living room to join. 

“I’ve got some bad news,” Reed began. “The Frightful Four have escaped from prison.” 

“What?” Johnny exclaimed, his hands clenching into fists. 

“That’s not possible,” Ben said, shaking his head.

Reed offered no explanation, instead simply saying, “We have to go. Now.”

You stood up, hands wringing together nervously as you looked to your soulmate. 

Johnny turned to you, quickly pressing a kiss to your lips as he took your face in his hands. “It’s okay. HERBIE will stay with you, and I’ll be back before you know it, okay?” 

Your heart was pounding. The Fantastic Four had had a few minor battles since you’d gotten together with Johnny, but for some reason this felt different. More urgent. And you couldn’t ignore the dread in the pit of your stomach. 

“Who are the Frightful Four?” you asked.

“Johnny, let’s go!” Sue called. You saw her, Reed and Ben hovering by the front door, waiting for Johnny.

Johnny turned to you, a pleading look in his eyes. “I don’t have time to explain. But it’ll be alright, okay? I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

He turned and ran towards his family. “I love you,” you called out after him.

Johnny turned around and blew you a kiss, winking at you. “I love you more.”

And then they were gone. 

HERBIE appeared from beside you, placing a little robotic hand on your arm and beeping quietly at you. You sighed, slumping back onto the couch. “Thanks buddy.”

**

An hour had passed, and there was still no sign of the Fantastic Four. Your mind had been spinning nonstop, and you had been sitting by the windows overlooking the city since they left, hoping for any glimpse of them. But there was nothing. 

You sighed, looking over at HERBIE, who had been watching you. “How about some wine?”

HERBIE beeped in agreement, following you to the kitchen. You opened the cabinets in search of a wine glass, your back to the little robot in charge of watching over you. 

“Where the hell are the wine glasses,” you muttered to yourself. There were so many collectible Fantastic Four dishes and glasses that you couldn’t get to the real glassware. Your eyes landed on a tiny Johnny Storm action figure in front, and you picked it up, pressing a little button on the side. 

“Flame On!” The little figurine exclaimed. 

You grinned, a chuckle escaping you before you put it back in the cabinet. “There you are,” you exclaimed, finally finding a wine glass in the very back. 

A clang suddenly erupted from the living room then, and you whirled around, nearly dropping the wine glass you just picked up.

“Hello?” You called out. Peering from around the opened cabinet, you looked for HERBIE, but saw him nowhere. You swallowed, heart nervously skipping a beat. “HERBIE?” 

You slowly walked out of the kitchen, leaning to the side to peek around the corner. “Johnny?” 

Nothing.

You continued walking into the living room and gasped as you peeked over the sofa. HERBIE was on his side, his back panel opened with cut wires sticking out in all directions. 

“Hello, Y/n.” 

You dropped your wine glass with a yelp. You looked up, and standing in the shadows by the staircase in front of Johnny’s room, was…the man from the audience. 

You were too shocked and terrified to even notice the shards of glass that cut your foot open when the wine glass landed on the ground. Your hands were shaking, adrenaline and fear pumping in your veins. “You,” you whispered. Suddenly you wished very much that you had listened to Reed and kept the coma cannon close to you. But it was unfortunately still in the lab.

The smirk that the man had worn the day of your interview only grew. He took a step towards you, out from the shadows. “You recognize me?”

You swallowed. “Yes. You were…in the audience.”

“I was,” the stranger replied, continuing to make his way closer to you. You took several steps back. 

“Do you know who I am?” he asked. 

You shook your head. 

He smile was all teeth. 

“That’s alright, dear. You will.” 

***

Johnny landed on the balcony of the Baxter Building, putting his flames out as he waltzed into the living room. “False alarm,” he called out to you. “Turns out it was a bogus tip, so the Frightful Four have not broken out of prison—“

Johnny froze, his eyes landing on HERBIE on the ground. Immediately he looked up, scanning the living room for any sign of you or another threat. Instead, his eyes landed on shards of broken glass…and… “Blood,” he whimpered. He could feel bile rising up and catching in his throat, panic setting in. “Y/n?!”

Ben, Sue and Reed finally opened the front door, exhaustion and irritation lining their features. “I don’t get it,” Ben said. “We’ve never received a bogus tip.”

Johnny was suddenly in front of them, panting, a terrified expression on his face. “Y/n’s gone.” 

“What?!” 

All of them followed Johnny to the living room and took in the scene before them. Broken glass. Blood. HERBIE on the floor, wires disconnected, motionless. 

“Look,” Sue exclaimed, pointing to a small piece of paper placed carefully on the coffee table.

Johnny ran over and grabbed it, scanning it. “It’s a set of coordinates.” 

“Well then, let’s go get her,” Ben urged.

“Wait,” Reed called out. “We need to think about this, guys.” 

Johnny scoffed in disbelief. “Think about what? Somebody took my soulmate, Reed, and they gave us the coordinates to go get her. We’re leaving. Now.” Johnny immediately began running towards the balcony.

“You don’t think this is a trap?” Reed asked, incredulous.

Johnny whirled around. “Of course it’s a trap!” He yelled, his arms out in frustration. “You think I don’t know that? I—“ Johnny stopped speaking suddenly, his eyes narrowing as realization set in.

“What is it?” Sue asked.

“God damn it,” Johnny yelled again, crumpling the piece of paper in his hands and kicking the leg of the coffee table. He paced, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I know who took her.” 

“Who?” Reed, Ben and Sue demanded. 

Johnny sunk onto the sofa, his head hanging low in his hands. “Who else would send a fake anonymous tip about the Frightful Four escaping prison, just to get us out of the house and take my soulmate?”

Johnny was met with a few seconds of silence before Sue gasped, realization setting in.

You were supposed to be making breakfast together. Johnny had woken up uncharacteristically early, sleepily murmuring about bacon and pancakes from scratch. You were on bacon duty, and he was on pancake duty. Supposed to be on pancake duty, that is.

You felt his grin against your skin, his hands playfully squeezing your hips. You could feel him everywhere, his body enveloping your own. “That’s the point.” 

“You’re gonna make me catch on fire if you push me any closer to this stove,” you pointed out, turning around in his arms to face him. 

Johnny quirked a brow at you. “Obviously I wouldn’t let that happen.” 

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you kissed him deeply, the corners of your mouth turning up at the needy groan he released. His hands travelled lower, squeezing your ass as the tent in his pants pressed against you. 

“I thought you wanted breakfast,” you sighed against his lips, your eyes remaining closed as he began kissing a trail down your neck once more. 

He pulled away from you then and gave you a wicked grin. “I do.”

“Then let me finish—“ 

“I will,” he interrupted, a gleam in his eyes as he slowly moved down your body. His hands felt hot against you as they slid downward until he was crouching before you, his mouth level with your heat. “And now I’m gonna eat my breakfast.”

Oh.

You swallowed, white hot desire spreading low in your belly as adrenaline coursed through your veins. “W-what if someone comes in?!”

Johnny’s deft fingers dipped below the waistline of your yoga pants before yanking them down to your ankles, your panties in tow, and you wordlessly stepped out of them. His tongue wet his bottom lip in anticipation as his eyes stayed glued to your exposed core. “Better stay quiet, then.” 

You were about to say his name in a scolding manner, the rational part of you that was hanging on by a thread screaming in your mind that you could be caught by any one of Johnny’s family members any second. But then his hot, wet tongue licked upwards through your folds before zeroing in on your clit, and all coherent thought was lost. His name came out as a pathetic whimper instead. 

Johnny wordlessly lifted one of your thighs off the ground and placed it over his shoulder, the new angle allowing him better access to your dripping cunt. “Oh,” you groaned, eyes rolling back into your head. The tip of his tongue was pushing against your clit deliciously, alternating between flicking and pressing against your bundle of nerves. Your hips jerked forward on their own accord, fingernails digging into his scalp just the way you knew always drove him crazy. A needy, loud whine escaped you as he groaned, the vibrations sending tingles all the way up your body. 

“Hush,” he pulled away for only a millisecond to scold you before diving back in, his long tongue now pushing past your entrance. 

Damn him. He knew all too well that whenever he did that, you were going to get loud. 

You gasped, body jerking forward. “Oh fuck, Johnny you—you can’t do that,” you panted, eyes shut tight against the sensation. 

Johnny didn’t answer. Instead, his arms wrapped around your ass and pulled you impossibly closer, his mouth practically devouring you.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” you chanted, the fact that you were getting louder every second as completely lost on you as you were to the sensations. That coil in your belly wound tighter with every passing moment, your muscles tightening in anticipation of your release. 

Johnny hummed against you once more, fingers kneading your ass as he kept you close. You fell over the edge seconds later, his name falling from your lips in a desperate, loud chant. 

And then you heard your name.

You froze, Johnny stilling beneath you.

“I heard yelling, uh, are you okay?”

Shoving Johnny’s head away from you, you whirled around, stunned to see a concerned Ben standing in the living room. You silently thanked every star above that the kitchen counter was completely blocking you from the waist down.

“I, uh, I’m fine!” You squeaked, chest still heaving as you wiped your brow.

Ben quirked a brow, gesturing to the pan smoking behind you. “Your bacon is burning.” 

Johnny shot up from the ground without thinking, stepping over to turn the stove off. “I got it!” 

You and Ben stared at Johnny, jaws slack. 

Johnny turned around and looked between you and his brother in law before wiping his dripping mouth haphazardly. “What?…Oh.”

You looked at Ben.

Ben looked at you.

Ben looked at Johnny. 

“No…” Ben trailed off, shaking his head as he pointed between you and Johnny. “No no no, you did not. In my kitchen?!”

Johnny grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Technically it’s everybody’s kitchen.” 

Ben threw his arms in the air. “EXACTLY!” He continued to shake his head as he walked away. “Freakin’ animals, you two!”

You and Johnny cringed, yelling out “Sorry’s” that went ignored. 

“Are they okay?” You heard Reed call out from the upstairs. 

“Reed, whatever you do…do not go in there.” 

You and Johnny stood in stunned silence for a few moments before Johnny gave you a knowing grin.

Since the moment they met, Wittman seemed determined to make Johnny’s life hell for reasons unknown. They’d battled multiple times now, and Johnny always came out on top. He didn’t understand why Wittman even bothered, given his terrible track record, but Wittman was relentless, apparently. He had escaped prison multiple times before, but this last time had seemed to stick for a while there. It had been years since Johnny had even thought of Wittman.

But he was back, and this was different.

Before, Johnny never had to worry about anybody else when dealing with Wittman. He knew he was the intended target and always dealt with the adversary himself. Even if Sue, Reed or Ben had intervened, he still didn’t have to worry, not really. He knew the others could hold their own.

But you. You were different. You were innocent, caught in the crosshairs just as your relationship had gone public, and Johnny was feeling like a fool.

A terrified, lovesick, naive fool.

Had he really thought he could just exist peacefully and safely in the world with his soulmate, with everyone knowing exactly who she was to him? He really, truly thought he could find happiness and keep it safe from harm, knowing who he was, what his job was?

Fool.

His leg bounced restlessly while he sat back on the couch, hands folded together tightly in his lap as he fought the urge to punch Reed Richards right in his stupid, superhero face.

“If we just slow down for a second we can come up with a plan—“

“Reed, I swear to god I am trying to be patient, but if you don’t let me go save my girl right now I’m going to hit you.” Johnny sat up a little and was glaring daggers at his brother in law, his hands now clenched into fists as they rested against his thighs.

Reed sighed, pinching the space between his brow as he searched for the right words. Sue placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder, a silent plea to please hush for a sec.

“Look, the kid has already dealt with this guy plenty of times,” Ben intervened gently. “How about we try following his lead?”

Johnny stood up and clapped his hands together, gesturing to his friend. “See? He gets it.” 

Reed opened his mouth. “But I—“

Johnny walked up to Reed and put his hands on his shoulders, stopping him with the intense look in his eyes alone. “Reed. What Wittman wants is me. I know that, and you know that. So that’s what I’m gonna give him. I’m not letting some asshole who calls himself the Wizard lay a finger on my girl. Now you can come with me if you want, or you can stay here and keep trying to come up with a ‘plan’. Either way? I’m out of here.”

Johnny clapped his brother in law on the back before turning around and taking off into a sprint, leaping off the balcony outside. His body erupted in flames as he soared through the air, leaving a faint trail of smoke behind him.

Reed sighed, rubbing an exhausted hand down his face. 

Sue gave him a sympathetic look. “I’ll get the car.”

***

The first thing you realized when you gained consciousness was that your head hurt. It was the kind of headache that felt like someone was pounding the back of your head with a jackhammer, the kind that had you squinting your eyes against the throb.

You sat up slowly, wincing as you gingerly cradled the back of your head and opened your eyes. A flash of anxiety rushed through your system at the sight of fresh blood on your fingers when you pulled your hand away. That can’t be good.

“Ah, you’re awake,” an eerily familiar voice rang out from behind you, making you jump. 

Whirling around, you came face to face with the man from the television audience once more, only now he was on a small screen on the wall, and his appearance had changed slightly. This time he was wearing a blue suit and purple helmet that encompassed his entire head and neck, his face the only part of him still visible.

He watched in quiet amusement as you took in your surroundings. You were alone in a small, grey room, nothing on the walls save for the tv screen and some kind of device in the corner of the ceiling that closely resembled a school bell. 

“Truthfully, I wasn’t planning on physically harming you so soon, but you started to wake up in transit. Couldn’t have that.”

Your brain felt fuzzy as you tried to figure out what was going on, flashes of memory fading in and out in your mind. You remembered waiting for Johnny to return, something about a group called the Frightful Four. But then…then he appeared in your home. He had whipped out some kind of device that sprayed a blast of air in your face that had you choking; it had burned your lungs as you inhaled it, and that was the last thing you remembered. You had no recollection of starting to wake up after he had taken you, and no recollection of being hit.

“What do you want from me?” You finally spoke, voice raspy like tires on gravel. You would killfor some water, you realized then. How long had you been out?

“Not from you, necessarily. From your soulmate.” 

The gears in your brain started turning, slowly but surely. You were being used as bait. “Why?”

He smirked. “Because I can. Because I want to wipe that smug little smirk right off his face when he realizes he cannot best me again, not this time. Not with his precious soulmate at stake.”

You narrowed your eyes, staring at this strange figure on the screen. You turned his words over in your mind, and one word in particular gave you pause. “‘Again'?”

His nostrils flared as he grimaced. “The Human Torch and I have battled before.” 

“And you lost.”

His eyes narrowed as if in warning. "I was put in prison. But I escaped, bided my time for the perfect moment. And that’s when I saw you.” 

You shivered. “You were there when we announced our relationship. How long have you been watching us?” 

“I’ve been watching the Torch since I escaped prison 7 months ago. Imagine my delight when I watched him start walking across town every night in a meager disguise to go to a strange apartment.” His grin grew as your frown deepened. “I saw you and I knew. I just knew my moment had finally come.” 

Tears burned in your eyes as the realization hit you—you hadn’t been safe since the moment you and Johnny met. He had been watching the two of you the entire time. Would you ever be safe? Were there others watching, biding their time? The thought pissed you off. “So, what? This is all because your precious little ego couldn’t take a hit from a superhero?”

“Careful, girl,” he snapped, gritting his teeth. “Your little Torch is nothing but an entitled brat. Everyone fawns over him, and for what? Because he was involved in a little space field trip gone wrong? No. He’s a gnat, and I will be the one to put an end to his existence. And then? Then I’m coming for the rest of you.”

Your heart pounded wildly against your ribcage. “Who are you?”

The man looked delighted that you had finally asked. “I am Bentley Wittman, known by many as ‘The Wizard.’”

You scoffed out a laugh without thinking. I seriously let myself get kidnapped by a guy who calls himself ‘The Wizard’?

And that’s when the rage really hit you, a white hot anger that started at the back of your neck and spread in a flash throughout your body. Your hands clenched into fists. How dare he try to ruin the best thing that had ever happened to you?

“You must not be known by that many, because I’ve never heard of you,” you bit back. 

He quirked a brow as if amused by your sudden temper. “No? Then I’ll just have to make sure you never forget.”

Before you could even blink, a thin vapor began to swirl around the ceiling. You stared with wide eyes, searching for where it had come from, when the vapor began spreading throughout the room. The same substance that he had sprayed you with earlier. “No,” you whimpered. You grabbed your shirt and held it over your nose and mouth in an effort to keep from breathing it in, but you could feel the same burning in your lungs as before. 

“Yes,” he said, laughter in his voice. 

Spots filled your vision as your mind went hazy once more, your body beginning to sway. “No,” you repeated, your body slipping on the cold floor. 

His cold, callous laughter was the last thing you heard before it all went dark.

***

Johnny’s feet hit the gravel as he landed at the exact location of the coordinates, his flames dissipating. The sun was hot in the sky above him, and he squinted against the light, trying to understand what he was looking at. 

“A freakin’ cave,” he mumbled as Sue, Reed and Ben got out of the Fantasticar behind him. 

The cave was huge, sitting tall and alone on the outskirts of Manhattan. It looked like any old cave, truthfully, only the entrance was a large metal door with a touchscreen panel beside it.

Sue squinted, holding her hand over her eyes to look at her younger brother. “What’s the plan?”

“I want you guys to just stay out here while I go in. If we’re not out in 30 minutes, come get me.” 

“That’s your plan? We can’t just—“ Reed started, but Johnny interrupted. 

“Reed. I need you to be my backup just this once. I can’t afford to be worrying about you guys too.”

“Johnny, we can help you. You don’t have to do this alone,” Sue urged. 

Johnny closed his eyes and searched for patience, inhaling deeply before opening them again. “I know that. That’s why I’m telling you to come get me if I’m not out of there with her in 30 minutes.”

“But—“

Johnny didn’t respond and instead turned around and silently walked towards the cave entrance. His eyes scanned the touchscreen panel beside the metal door that hummed quietly with electricity underneath it. He knew Reed could probably figure out how to disarm it in minutes without alerting Wittman, but he really didn’t have the time. Or the patience. 

“Johnny, what the hell!” 

Johnny ignored the yelling from his sister as he simply melted the panel, door handle, and its hinges. With a swift kick, he sent the door crashing down to the floor with a loud bang. He turned around to look at the rest of his team, not missing the way Sue swallowed nervously at the look on his face. He was more serious than she’d ever seen him.

“30 minutes.”

They watched as Johnny stepped inside and disappeared down the hallway.

“We’re not really waiting 30 minutes, are we?” Ben asked. 

Sue and Reed shared a look.

“No.”

***

This damn cave was a maze. 

A seemingly endless, bleak hallway of twists and turns with no end in sight. Just plain grey walls and the faint hum of electricity. Every time he tried to retrace his steps, the floor plan seemed to change.

Johnny looked at his watch and almost growled in frustration. It’d been 10 minutes already and he had no idea where he was going, no idea where you were being kept. No closer to any answers. He didn’t have time for this.

Call it reckless, call it desperation, call it impatience, but Johnny made a snap decision to simply announce himself as he continued to make his way through the cave.

“Wittman!” He yelled, wincing slightly at the way his loud voice echoed off the walls. He knew this was a little stupid. He could picture the faces of the rest of his team now if they could see what he was doing. But he was desperate to get to you; he didn’t care what it took. He knew he could beat Wittman even on his worst day, so what difference did it really make? “It’s Johnny! I’m here, you asshole. Come and get me.” 

The quiet hum of electricity suddenly got louder and louder until it went silent. Johnny froze, eyes looking in all directions for a potential threat. And then there was a click, like a microphone had turned on.

“Mr. Storm.”

Johnny whirled around, expecting to see Wittman right behind him. But there was nothing, just more empty hallways. 

And then the sound of a chuckle. “I must say, I’m quite enjoying the sight of you wandering aimlessly through my maze.” 

Johnny’s eyes scanned the ceiling as he continued walking once more, searching for any signs of cameras or speakers. But there was nothing. 

“Where is she, Wittman?” Johnny demanded through gritted teeth. 

“Ah, your soulmate. She’s here. Somewhere.” 

Johnny turned a corner and ran straight into a wall. He took a step back and stared for several seconds, not believing what he was seeing. A dead end? There was no way. He ran a hand down his face, frustration rising with every passing second. 

“Not there, though.”

He growled, staring up at the ceiling. “Damn it, Wittman, I’m right here! I know I’m the one you want so stop the bullshit. You wanna fight? We can fight. Just let her go.” 

“Mmm, I don’t know. I think I’m having more fun watching you squirm.” 

Johnny was seconds away from seeing red. Not wasting any more time, he held his hands up and began blasting the dead end with his flames. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Mr. Storm,” Wittman’s voice echoed in warning.

Johnny ignored him, instead turning up the heat and watching in disbelief as…nothing happened. The flames simply dissipated as soon as they made contact with the wall. 

He heard Wittman huff through the microphone.

“I warned you.” 

Johnny heard a faint hiss from above him. He glanced up and extinguished his flames as a thin layer of smoke began curling all around the ceiling before falling down like snow around him. “What the hell—“ He choked on his inhale, the mist burning his lungs. He began hacking, trying desperately to clear his lungs but it was too late, the mist was all around him, filling his chest. He knelt down, trying to fight against the rising dizziness, but when the black spots entered his vision, he knew he was in trouble. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

Your face was the last thing he thought of before he hit the ground.

***

Sound was the first of his senses to return to him. Silence, save for that constant, muted thrum behind the walls. He was still in the cave.

Sight was the second sense that returned. He blinked the blurriness away as he slowly opened his eyes and sat up, taking in his environment. 

A small room with the same grey walls as the hallway maze, the only decorations a small television screen and some sort of school bell in the corner of the ceiling. He turned around then, and his heart just about lurched out of his chest at what he saw.

It was you.

You were laying on your side, your form curled into a ball with your back to him. And then he saw the dried blood on the back of your head, and all rational thought went out the window. Johnny scrambled over to you, ignoring the lingering dizziness in the outskirts of his vision.

“Y/n!” He gently turned you over, checking your face and body for any other signs that you’d been hurt. You were unconscious, and the sight of it coupled with your head injury had Johnny almost frantic. He brushed your hair back from your face, his hands gently patting your cheeks to rise you. “Baby, it’s me. Please wake up. Please, I’m begging you.” He leaned down and listened to your chest, feeling relieved when he could hear your quiet breathing, your heart still steadily beating.

“She’s quite alive.”

Johnny whipped his head up and saw Bentley Wittman himself appear on the small screen on the wall. Wittman looked as smug as ever, wearing a smirk as he watched his nemesis fret over the love of his life. 

Johnny clutched you in his arms protectively. “What the hell did you do to her?”

“Careful with her head,” Wittman mocked. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have gassed her down again while she was already concussed…”

Johnny looked downright murderous. “You motherfucker.”

Wittman, on the other hand, appeared delighted. “Ohhhh, such language! You really do love her, don’t you?”

Johnny closed his eyes, swallowing the fear that repeatedly rose and fell in his chest like waves. He was starting to panic; the realization that he had completely lost control of the situation was finally hitting him. He’d never been so wrong, never totally underestimated a counterpart like this. The very idea that he or his soulmate could’ve been captured by the Wizard was completely absurd, and yet here he was, trapped in a cave with you unconscious and not a single clue as to how to get out. Not an inkling as to what Wittman really even wanted anymore. For the first time, Johnny Storm felt utterly powerless. 

Wittman started laughing as if Johnny had told the world’s funniest joke, his eyes staring gleefully at the Human Torch so helpless through his camera screen. Johnny’s eyes burned, his arms still gripping you like you were his lifeline. “My god, what a pathetic sight. I’ve really won this time, haven’t I? You’re going to cry? This is more than I ever could’ve hoped.” 

Johnny’s nostrils flared as fury rose in his chest. He was about to stand up and do something, anything, when he felt you stir in his arms. He looked down at you and suddenly all else fell away. He breathed your name like a prayer, one arm still cushioning you against his chest and the other reaching up to cradle your cheek in his hand.

You woke slowly, your eyes opening to a silhouette of a figure that looked identical to your fiancé. “Johnny?”

He nodded vehemently, a watery smile on his beautiful face as he affectionately rubbed his thumb against your cheek. “Yeah, baby, it’s me.” 

You blinked the haze out of your eyes, the vision of your soulmate becoming clearer in front of you. It really was him. Your heart swelled, relief and the feeling of safety flooding your system. “You came.” 

“Of course I did. You’re my girl.”

You grinned, reaching up to place your hand on his cheek, affection swirling in your chest at the way he melted into your touch.

“How adorable.” 

You immediately froze, your brow furrowing. That…sounded like Wittman. But if Johnny was here with you, then Wittman couldn’t be—?

Johnny stared at you, swallowing nervously as he watched you piece together the situation at hand. You sat up and looked around, wincing at the ever-present throb in the back of your head. You heard Johnny mutter a “Careful” to you, but you barely registered it as you took in your surroundings.

You were still in the grey room. Wittman was still on the screen wearing a mocking expression. And Johnny was watching you like he was ashamed.

“Yes, you’re still here I’m afraid.” Wittman spoke like he’d known exactly what you were thinking. “The famous Human Torch couldn’t rescue his own soulmate.” 

“Shut up,” you snapped, taking Johnny’s hand.

Wittman ignored you. “Now that you’re both awake, I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen next. I know you think you’re going to use your powers and fly off into the sunset, but you can’t. You see that bell up there?” He paused, watching yours and Johnny’s eyes flick to bell attached to the corner of the ceiling. “That’s a bomb. A bomb that is going to go off if you, Mr. Storm, raise the temperature by even a single degree. So I highly suggest not using your powers to try and get out of here.” 

Shit. You turned and looked at Johnny, your heart breaking at the look on his face. You’d never seen him look like that, so…angry. Terrified. Broken. Your soulmate was only ever easy smiles, carefree yet still determined when it came to his job. So this? This felt very wrong.

“Why are you doing this?” Johnny asked quietly. “You wanted me, and you got me. What is your endgame?”

Wittman quirked a brow. “You really haven’t figured it out?” Johnny said nothing, instead continuing to glare at the villain on the screen. “I want to break you, Johnny Storm. I want to bring you to your lowest. Your weakest. I want you to see yourself for what you truly are: Nothing. And no one. A ‘superhero’ that couldn’t save his soulmate, nor himself. That’s my endgame…and my plan is working perfectly. So now, I will watch. I will watch you try and fail over and over again to escape, and I will watch you break.”

Johnny remained sitting on his knees. His hands were clenched in rage, but still, he said nothing. His eyes remained glued to the screen, but they’d glazed over. You knew he was taking in Wittman’s words, his mind elsewhere. 

You stood up and walked over until you were right in front of the television screen. “You’re wrong. You’re nothing and no one, and you can’t stand the fact that Johnny is everything.” 

Wittman frowned, his eyes narrowing. “We’ll see.” 

And the screen went blank. Silence flooded the room.

You turned around and knelt down in front of your fiancé, taking his face in your hands. His glassy eyes stared down at the floor, his mouth pulled into a frown. “Johnny, look at me.” 

He did as you asked, looking at you like a kicked puppy. “You are not nothing. You are Johnny fucking Storm, and we’re going to get out of this. Together. Do you hear me?” 

“I’m so sorry,” he said quietly, shaking his head and placing his hands over yours. “I should’ve seen this coming, I should’ve known and I should’ve protected you. I’m a goddamn superhero, and yet I couldn’t—“ 

“Stop,” you interrupted. “You’re not a psychic, Johnny.” 

“I should’ve known,” he said again. “Reed warned me about this, but I just thought…” He closed his mouth, shoulders slumping.

“Reed warned us, remember? But to hear about potential dangers and actually experience them is…a whole different thing, isn’t it?” 

Johnny looked at you again but stayed quiet. And that’s when it really hit you. Was it devastating that you and the person that was quite literally made for you couldn’t exist like a normal couple? Yes. Was it terrifying that you may never really be safe again? Definitely. But would that make you change anything? If you could trade Johnny for guaranteed safety, would you? No. Even after everything, you’d do it all over again as long as it meant Johnny was yours.

“I would never trade you as a soulmate for anything, Johnny Storm. I don’t care if I’m never fully ‘safe’ ever again.” 

“Don’t say that,” he pleaded, voice breaking. “I hate that I’ve dragged you into this…this life that you didn’t ask for. I can’t stand the thought of you risking your safety just to be with me. I’ve been going out of my damn mind since you were taken.”

“Johnny…I know we don’t have any control over who our soulmate is. But if I did, I’d still choose you. And I will continue to choose you. Every single day, for the rest of our lives. It’s you, or it’s nothing.” 

A tear escaped Johnny’s eye at your words, which you were quick to wipe away. He placed his forehead against yours, lacing your fingers together. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” 

“I promise you, we are going to get out of this,” he said, conviction lacing every word. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “The others came as backup, so if we can’t figure something out, they’ll come for us, okay?”

You nodded against him. “Okay.”

***

“Alright, I’m officially about to go insane,” Ben grumbled.

Ben, Sue and Reed were walking through the grey hallways, Sue in between them with her hands on their shoulders, making the three of them invisible. They’d been wandering aimlessly for an hour with no end in sight, and they were starting to lose hope. Every time they’d hit a dead end and turned around, it was like the hallways had changed, making it impossible to figure out where they were or had been. 

“You’re telling me. My arms are about to fall off from exhaustion,” Sue grunted.

Reed turned the corner and stopped abruptly, ignoring the “oof” from Sue as she ran into him. 

“Another dead end.”

“Yep, I’m going to go insane!” Ben exclaimed.

Sue sighed, stretching her neck. “We can’t keep doing this, Reed. Something has to give.”

“I know. We should’ve run into someone by now. It’s just—none of this makes sense.” Reed faced the wall again, staring at it as he tried to think through his next move. “Wait…” He trailed off, sliding his hands over the wall before knocking in various places. 

“Uh, what are you doing?” Ben asked.

“Listening…” Reed trailed off, knocking a few more times before an elated laugh escaped him. “Ha! I figured it out! It’s hollow. This isn’t a dead end, there’s another hallway behind it.”

“How do we get past it?” Sue asked.

Ben cleared his throat. “Stand back.”

Sue scoffed. “You’re just going to bust through it? So much for not announcing our presence."

“Do you have any other bright ideas? I think we’re past the point of caring whether we’re seen or not—it’s been over an hour and not a hint of Johnny or Y/n. I don’t like it.”

Sue said nothing, instead taking her hands off of their shoulders and stepping back with Reed, all of them visible now.

Ben took a deep breath, shaking his head. “Alright, Johnny. For you, it’s clobbering time.”

***

“I really thought they’d be here by now,” Johnny muttered, his head hitting the back of the wall he was sitting against from beside you. It had felt like an eternity that you’d both been here, and still, no one had come. 

You swallowed, biting your nails nervously. “Do you think Wittman could’ve gotten to them?”

Johnny shook his head, scoffing out a laugh. “I wanna say no, but I really don’t know. I’ve been wrong about everything else so far.”

You took his hand in yours. “Can you fly without your flames?”

He shook his head again, frowning.

You briefly wondered if you could get on Johnny’s shoulders and reach the bell that way, but the ceiling was still too tall.

“I think I’ve got a plan,” Johnny suddenly said, though he didn’t look any less dejected. “But it’s risky. It’s…well it’s a backup plan, honestly.” 

You sat up. “I think we’ve reached the point of backup plans. What is it?”

Johnny turned and looked at you with a grimace. “Uh. I throw a fireball at it and try to melt the hammer on the bell.”

Your eyebrows flew to the top of your head. “But he said—“

“I know, if the temperature rises even one degree, it goes off.” Johnny then lowered his voice to a whisper in case Wittman was listening, which was likely. “I can throw fireballs at super speed.”

“But we don’t know how quick the bell can detect the rise in temperature.”

Johnny gave you a knowing look. “That’s why it’s risky.” 

You rubbed your hands over your face. It was quite a risk, but it was the only thing either of you had come up with. Ben, Sue and Reed still hadn’t shown up, and you had no idea if something happened to them. It wasn’t like you had any miraculous powers to help you. The way you saw it, this was the only remaining option. “Okay. Do it.” 

He took his hands in yours and tried to give you a reassuring smile. “Do you trust me?”

Your answer was immediate. “Always.”

Johnny leaned in and pressed a kiss to your forehead before leaning down and capturing your lips in his before you could react. His hands cradled your face, pulling him against you like you were his anchor. “I love you,” he muttered against your lips as he pulled away.

“Love you more.”

He gave you a wink as he stood. “Not possible.” 

He turned around and walked closer to the wall with the bell, staring up at it. His heart was pounding in anticipation, every nerve in his body alight. This was it. The do or die moment, literally. Everyone he cared about was on the line. 

He closed his eyes, willing all thoughts to focus on his target. Holding his hands up and out towards the bell, he counted down in his head. 

3…

2..

1.

You shut your eyes on instinct, a flash of red lighting up behind your eyelids, and then…

Silence.

Opening one eye, you looked up and saw the hammer had melted on its way to slamming into the bell. The bell remained fully intact. 

“It worked,” you exhaled with a grin. “Holy shit.” 

Johnny turned around with an elated smile on his face. “It worked!” 

(x)

You stood up and ran to his arms, giggling as he lifted and twirled you around. “My hero.” 

Johnny beamed at you, opening his mouth to respond when a furious Wittman reappeared on the screen. 

“I wouldn’t look so smug,” he sneered, eyes wide and angry. “Not only are you still trapped, but you must really take me for a fool. You think I wouldn’t create a separate controller for the bomb?” You and Johnny both froze as Wittman held up a black box with a red button and pressed it before either of you could react. A rhythmic beeping began ringing out, and a manic grin spread across his face at your terrified expressions. “Yes, you hear that? That’s the countdown. You’ve got, ooooh, about 90 seconds before it goes off. Say your goodbyes.” 

Johnny was momentarily stunned before he roared, punching the wall. “God damn it, Wittman! Please, just take me, okay? Kill me, whatever, I don’t care just please let her go!” He gently shrugged you off of him as you desperately pleaded with him to stop. “I’m not playing anymore, Wittman!” 

But Wittman ignored him. “I suggest you spend what precious seconds you have left with your soulmate instead of begging me for a mercy that will not come.” He paused, laughing and shaking his head. “You have no idea the gift you’ve given me today, Mr. Storm, truly. Thank you.”

And then the screen cut to the timer. 75 seconds left.

Johnny immediately burst into action, throwing as many flames as he could into the walls and the ceiling in attempt to burn through them. “Come on, come on,” he muttered. “Come on!” 

But nothing happened. The flames kept dissipating as soon as they hit the ceiling, just like they had in the hallway. 

“Johnny,” you called out to him, tears in your eyes. 

He ignored you, the flames continuously erupting from his hands and disappearing into nothing. 

“Johnny, stop.” 

But he didn’t stop. Not until you placed your hands on his shoulders and lowered his arms.

He fell to his knees. 

You fell to yours right in front of him, taking his face in your hands once more and whispering his name again.

He looked up at you, tears now falling from his eyes, his lower lip wobbling as he placed his hands over yours. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” 

Your own tears were flowing freely now. You did your best to give him a smile. “I’m not.” 

He shook his head in disbelief. “Why—“

“I told you already. I wouldn’t trade you for anything, Johnny. Not even after this.” 

Johnny whimpered, his voice breaking at your admission. Even after being assigned a death sentence, you still chose him. “God, you’re just…you’re just the love of my life, you know that?” 

You laughed through the tears despite everything, nodding. “You’re the love of my life too.” 

He kissed you then, pouring every single emotion into it that he possibly could. “Best damn thing that’s ever happened to me,” he muttered against your lips. 

50 seconds. 

Neither of you were speaking anymore, instead just holding onto each other in a vice grip, your forehead against his. You supposed, in the grand scheme of things, going quickly with your soulmate wasn’t the absolute worst way to go. 

“Johnny!”

The two of you looked up, and there on the screen was Sue, a panicked but determined expression on her face. Behind her was Reed, who’d stretched and wrapped himself around a raging Wittman to tie him to the chair he was still sitting in. Ben was beside her, his eyes glued to the screens in front of him as he worked to make a way out for you. You exhaled in relief at the sight of them.

“Sue?!” Johnny exclaimed. 

“We got Wittman but we can’t stop the bomb. Grab the bell, Ben’s gonna lower the back wall. Fly out to the left, then go down the hall and make two rights and you’re out. Take the bomb up and let it blow once you’re outside the atmosphere. Y/n, follow after him and we’ll meet you outside.” 

You both nodded urgently, Johnny wasting no time in flying up and carefully removing the bell from the ceiling. Ben slammed a button and the back wall began lowering into the floor, and that’s when Bentley Wittman yelled.

“STOP!” 

All of you froze. 

30 seconds. 

Bentley Wittman looked stricken, frantic. “If you do this, if you put me in prison again, I will never stop. I will neverlet you rest, I will neverstop looking for you. You will never find peace. So long as I am alive, I will escape, I will look for you, and I will find you and your soulmate. I will make your lives a living hell, I promise you that.”

Johnny stared, the gears in his head turning as he mulled over what Wittman was really saying. 

20 seconds. 

“Johnny??” Sue demanded. 

He blinked. “Let’s go,” he said suddenly, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the exit. 

“Johnny,” Ben called out. “You want us to—“

Johnny turned around for half a second. “Leave him.” 

“But—“

“I said leave him!” he yelled. “Run!” 

10 seconds.

Johnny scooped you up into his arms and set the rest of his body aflame,  soaring through the maze of hallways and following Sue’s directions until he saw daylight coming through the hole in the wall that was once the cave entrance. Sue, Reed and Ben ran around the opposite corner, all of you sprinting out of the door and as far away from the cave as you could get. 

“Sue, a little help!” Johnny called out. 

2 seconds.

Sue immediately formed a forcefield around the 5 of you, and that’s when the explosion rang out.  

The ground shook with the force of it, the sound deafening in your ears. Johnny instinctively covered your body with his as you shut your eyes and covered your ears, leaning into him. There was a flash of light across your eyelids, and then…nothing.

Sue took away her forcefield once all of the dust and rocks settled. You opened your eyes, and your mouth fell open at the sight before you. What was once a ginormous cave was now just a bunch of rubble and dust, and not a single trace of the one who’d taken you.

Bentley Wittman was no more.

***

Upon your return home to the Baxter building and thanking your superhero family relentlessly for helping to save your lives, Reed had your head checked out and found that you had received a grade 2 concussion from Wittman. Johnny had looked straight up murderous at the news, but Reed assured him that with adequate rest, you would be just fine.

“Just…no crazy funny business for a couple weeks, okay?” Reed had said, awkwardly clearing his throat and looking at anywhere but the two of you.

Johnny had choked on his own saliva at what his brother in law had insinuated, your cheeks burning in embarrassment. “Yep, thanks for the awkwardness, Reed! We’ll be going now.”

You’d immediately retreated to your bedroom, you and Johnny now just a mess of tangled limbs in your shared bed. From the moment you’d escaped the cave, Johnny had seemed physically unable to keep his hands off of you, like he was afraid that if he let go, you would vanish. 

Your head was currently resting against his chest, taking comfort in the soothing sound of his steady heartbeat beneath your ear. His eyes were staring at a spot on the wall as his fingers played with your hair, alternating between halfheartedly braiding it and just simply combing through it. The silence was comfortable, but you knew what Johnny had on his mind. He’d had a far away look in his eyes since you’d both left the cave, and you knew why.

“Hey,” you spoke, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Hmm?”

You sat up and turned around to face him. “Are you okay?” 

He swallowed, looking away from you. “I’m fine.” 

Frowning, you gently took his chin in your hand, turning him so that he’d face you. “You didn’t kill him, Johnny.”

He sighed. “I didn’t save him, either.” 

“He didn’t want you to,” you reminded him. “I don’t think he could live with himself knowing you beat him again, honestly.” 

“I know.” Johnny rubbed his hands over his face. “Still sucks though.”

“I know,” you agreed. “But it doesn’t make you any less of a hero.”

You could tell by the look on his face that it still bothered him. You knew that as a general rule, Johnny didn’t kill people. Not even the supervillains. So you knew he was wrestling with his decision to leave Wittman behind, despite it being—in a weird way—merciful.

You sat up more and moved to straddle him in an effort to pull his focus towards you and away from his self doubt. You couldn’t stand the sight of him so dejected, so deflated, even after saving you. You’d put your life in his hands today and he had taken care of you, like you knew he would. You just needed him to see that.

His hands automatically went to your hips, the action making you smile softly. “You’re my hero, Johnny Storm.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up, just slightly. “Yeah?”

You nodded, running your hands up and down his chest before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his neck. “You came for me.”

He hummed, fingers squeezing your hips as you continued kissing his neck, your lips moving towards that one spot underneath his ear that always made him putty in your hands. “I’ll always come for you,” he muttered as his eyes fluttered shut, his voice getting huskier with every press of your lips against him. 

You smirked, pulling away just slightly to look at him. “Oh yeah? You’re always gonna come for me?” 

Johnny swallowed, desire coursing through him at the double meaning behind your words. He was starting to grin now. “Always have, always will.” 

You leaned in and kissed him then, your tongue slipping into his mouth. Your hands slid underneath his shirt, your thumbs swiping over his nipples. 

“Shit,” he gasped into your mouth before pulling away. “Wait, wait, remember what Reed said?” 

You sat up and pouted. “I don’t wanna think about Reed right now.”

“Sweetheart,” Johnny huffed out a laugh, shaking his head and playfully poking your stomach. “He said no funny business. You’re concussed.”

“Nooo, he said no crazy funny business,” you corrected, leaning down to nibble at his ear, not missing the way his eyes rolled back into his head. He was just too easy. “So we won’t do any gymnastics this time. Simple.”

Johnny turned his head and captured your lips in another heated kiss. “Alright fine, I can’t argue with that. But I’m on top. For safety reasons.” 

You smirked, gently climbing off of him to switch spots with Johnny, your head now resting back on the pillow as you looked up at him. “Yes sir.” 

“‘Sir’ huh?” Johnny quirked a brow at you as he climbed above you, his fingers toying with the waistband of your sweatpants. 

You bit your lip, fighting a grin as you nodded. He yanked down your sweatpants with your panties in tow, your breath hitching at the cold air hitting your increasingly wet core.

“Hmmm,” he hummed, his big hands spreading your thighs open for him. He licked his lips as he stared at your cunt before glancing up at you. “You like calling me that, don’t you?” His index finger swiped between your folds and gathered your slick, the action causing your back to arch as you gasped. “Jesus, yeah you do. Fuckin’ dripping for me and I’ve barely touched you.” 

You whined, hips bucking towards him impatiently. 

Johnny’s smirk only widened. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna give it to you, princess. Just gotta get a taste first.” His mouth was on you before you could even react, his hot, wet tongue sliding expertly against your entrance before his lips wrapped around your clit. 

Your back arched almost violently at the sensation, his lips sucking harshly on your clit sending pleasure jolting through you. “You’re so good, Johnny,” you panted, fingers carding through his blonde hair. “So fucking good.” 

Johnny hummed against you before pushing his middle and index fingers past your entrance and curling upwards, and you weren’t even sure if the sound you made was human. His fingers and mouth worked you over diligently until you could feel that burn in your lower belly start to grow hotter. 

“F-fuck, Johnny, I’m close.” 

He pulled away for half a second just to tell you to look at him, and when you obeyed, your climax hit you harder than you’d anticipated. The sight of him buried between your thighs, wide eyes staring at you like you’d hung the moon for him while simultaneously doing something so filthy had immediately sent you over the edge. Tears burned at your eyes at the intensity of it, wave after wave of pleasure sending your hips jerking against his mouth. He worked you through it until you began to squirm from sensitivity. 

“Fuck,” you panted, huffing out a laugh as you caught your breath. “Come here.” Johnny beamed, haphazardly wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he moved over you and captured your lips in a kiss that made your toes curl. You reached down past his boxer briefs and gripped his almost throbbing cock, grinning against his lips at the choked sound he made. “Never got to thank you properly for saving my life.”

His head fell to your shoulder, his breathing getting heavier as his hips bucked into your hand. “I’d do anything for you,” he panted. “Burn down the world just to get to you.” 

Your heart squeezed in your chest. You pulled back a little, your eyes searching his beautiful face. 

“I’d do anything for you too,” you breathed. “Most perfect soulmate I could’ve asked for.” 

Johnny’s eyes turned glassy at your confession. He knew you loved him as much as he loved you, but truthfully, today had been the worst day of his life. He’d felt like a failure. But the way you were looking at him now, like he was your world, your rock, the only one you could picture your life with, maybe…maybe he really was still a superhero. Your superhero. 

Johnny kissed you hard in response, letting his actions say what he knew words just couldn’t. He was so utterly and completely in love with you that sometimes he didn’t know what to do with all of it, like it was overflowing out of him. He motioned for you to sit up so he could slip your shirt over your head before taking his own off as well, his hands now exploring and memorizing every inch of you as if it were the first time all over again. He shook his head as if in disbelief. “Just fuckin’ beautiful.” 

Your chest was damn near heaving in anticipation, desire swirling in your belly all over again just from the way he was looking at you. “Need you, Johnny.” 

He nodded, leaning in to kiss your neck before positioning himself at your entrance. “I got you. Always got you.” 

And then he pushed in, both of your mouths falling open at the delicious burn as your walls stretched to accommodate him. A guttural moan escaped you as he bottomed out, your eyes burning from the pleasure. Every time he hit home it was like he was always meant to be there, like he truly was made for you. It was always unlike anything you’d ever felt, and it was just so overwhelmingly good.

Johnny let out a desperate noise as he pulled back and snapped forward again, your nails digging into his back. “Y-you always feel so incredible.”

Your hips pushed up to meet his every thrust as he set up an easy rhythm, neither of you in any hurry to reach the finish line. You could tell Johnny wanted to take his time at first, his hands gliding over every inch of you like you were something precious and fragile. His lips peppered kisses all over your neck and chest as if he just couldn’t stop—and he couldn’t, he was fucking addicted to you. 

“Baby,” he panted, placing his forehead against yours as he picked up his pace a few minutes later, the headboard starting to hit the back wall again with every thrust. “Need you to come with me, okay?”

You nodded frantically, the coil in your belly already winding tighter at his quicker pace. His hand slipped down between you and rubbed your clit just the way he knew always had you unfolding for him, and you were gone in seconds. “Fuck, I’m—“

“Yeahyeahyeah,” he chanted, finger working diligently as he kept his pace and continued to fuck up into you with precision.

And then you were both falling over the edge, Johnny groaning loudly as he buried his face in your neck and spilled into you, your mouth singing his name like a prayer. Completely spent, you held each other until your breathing returned to normal, Johnny gently resting on top of you. It was comfortable, like he belonged in your arms. Your fingers combed through his hair as his fingers gently ran up and down your arm. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled quietly after a few minutes. 

“What ever are you sorry for?” You asked, sitting up a little. 

He rested his head on your chest, eyes looking up at you. “That you were taken because of me. That you were hurt.”

“It’s not your fault.”

He sighed before pressing a kiss to your stomach and sitting up fully to take your hand in his. “I’m never gonna let anything else happen to you. I promise.” 

“Johnny, you and I both know you can’t promise that,” you said gently. “And that’s okay with me. As long as I get to be with you, that’s all that matters.” 

He frowned, but deep down…he knew you were right. Being soulmates with a superhero, danger came with the territory. Johnny knew that now, and he was determined to be more prepared from now on. Reed was right—there were definitely more safety protocols in your future. 

Johnny pressed a long kiss to your knuckles. “Then I promise I will always protect you to the best of my ability. And I promise I will always come for you.”

You scooted closer, curling against him and resting your head on his shoulder. “My superhero.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. You had been with your soulmate for four months now, and though the two of you had been engaged basically the entire time, you’d never talked about moving in together. Truthfully, both of you had been too busy trying to hide your relationship from the public. And it was tricky.

Not only were reporters and paparazzi constantly lingering around the Baxter building and pretty much every corner of NYC, but they were also constantly pestering Johnny in interviews about his latest relationships. Before Johnny had met you, the press had only mentioned his soulmate in interviews a handful of times due to the fact that he almost always had a different woman on his arm. But, obviously since he met you, he was no longer being photographed with droves of women. For the last four months, the only photographs taken of him were him alone or with the other members of the Fantastic Four. And the press was starting to notice. 

The worst instance of pressure from the media was when Ted Gilbert, a popular late night television host, had Johnny on his show last month. 

“So, Johnny, I can’t help but notice you haven’t been around as many women lately.” 

You and Violet watched from your living room, your hands wringing together nervously in anticipation of the direction this interview was going in. 

Johnny chuckled, looking at ease as he sat in the armchair across from Ted. “Ah, yeah, I’ve been a little too busy lately for the dating scene.”

Ted quirked his brow, flashing a smirk. “Are you sure it’s not because you’ve met a special someone?”

“Oohs” and “aahs” erupted from the live audience, and you shared a nervous look with Violet.

Johnny swallowed, a look of surprise briefly flashing across his face before he schooled his features into placidity. He forced out a chuckle. “Ah, I’m fairly certain, Ted.”

“Ehhhh, I’m not so sure…” 

You rolled your eyes. Who does he think he is?

“Why’s that?”

“Well, you haven’t been photographed with a single woman in the last few months. If I may be so bold, that seems very out of the ordinary for you. I just can’t help but wonder if it’s because of a little special someone, that’s all. Like a *soulmate* kind of special…”