The show at noon had gone well, though the turn out could have been better, at least in Johnny's eyes. His heart wasn't really in it, though he didn't let anyone else know that. As far as they were concerned, he was his usual brash self. The stunts, as dangerous as they were, came off without a hitch. He'd been working hard for weeks, practicing stunts in between patrols of the city. It didn't leave a lot of downtime, but it kept him busy and out of trouble and kept his mind off other things, like home and the twins, for starters. Whatever glitches he'd encountered with the stunts had been worked out until everything was perfect. It had to be perfect. He couldn't afford to make any more mistakes. There had been a small group of press present after the noon show. They had asked him some questions and taken some photographs, and then there had been a few autographs to sign. Once that was done, he had a few hours to himself before it started all over again.
The crowd had finally dispersed and he was left with a small crew working on setting up the next show before taking a break for lunch. It had turned out to be a nice day outside, and he was currently found crouched over his bike, making a few minor mechanical adjustments. He was wearing a green uniform today, in honor of St. Patty's Day. It had been Race's idea, not his. Bright green, a little flashy, the color didn't really suit his blond hair and blue eyes.
He didn't quite have that time all to himself. Someone had been waiting for him outside the arena where he had performed, hands tucked into her pockets, nervous energy radiating from her tense posture. Lucy had spent a very uncomfortable week or so being constantly hounded by her twin to make amends, to at least try and speak to Johnny. The phone calls had been a failure, since he had apparently either been screening his calls or ignoring the thing altogether. All that was left to her was to track him down, and even that had proved almost impossible. Until the posters had gone up for the Human Torch's display at the Wonderplex. If Johnny was going to be there, then so would she. Which was how she found herself trying very hard not to pace back and forth as she watched him work on his bike, willing him to turn around and notice her.
His concentration was nothing short of intense as he worked on the bike, tweaking this and that, making sure everything was in order. One minor slip up could prove disastrous, not only for him, but for the crew and the onlookers. Everything had to be perfect, and though he trusted his crew, he liked to do things himself. After a long while spent making adjustments, he finally straightened and grabbed a towel off the handlebars to wipe his hands. He'd test her out and then go grab a bite to eat and if he was lucky maybe grab twenty winks before the next show.
He wasn't going to notice her. She was going to have to speak up. And that was hard. It took a moment, but finally Lucy cleared her throat, plunging in at the deep end with, "Hello, Johnny. Want to incinerate me now, or later?"
It wasn't so much the mention of his name that drew his attention, but the voice that had said it. He jerked his head toward the twin, wondering for a split second which one she was, but that seemed obvious enough by her greeting. Lucy. The fringe of bangs and the somewhat guilty expression on her face gave her away. Ever since his disastrous date with her sister in the park, he'd been avoiding both sisters, refusing even to answer Lucy's calls, letting them go straight to voice mail. He wasn't exactly surprised to see her. He figured she'd hunt him down sooner or later, but he wasn't really prepared for it either. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. Come here to ask my forgiveness or rub my nose in my own stupidity?"
"Both and neither?" she suggested quietly. Lucy drew in a slow breath, letting it out in a huff before she took a step forward. It was definitely her; Johnny knew enough of both twins to know that Liv wouldn't be able to take that step, or even be able to speak. "We need to talk."
"Talk. I'm listening." He turned his back on her and climbed onto the bike, straddling the seat. She was on his time clock now, and he didn't have a lot of time to waste. He finished wiping the grease from his hands and threw the rag aside while he waited for her to tell him whatever it was she'd come there to say.
There was a pause as she gathered together what she wanted to say in mind. Then her eyes, dark and warm and solemn, lifted to lock with his, willing him to see the sincerity in her as she spoke. "I was wrong. I turned one moment of irrational jealousy into a stupid, childish game that not only hurt you, but my sister as well. I'm a selfish, immature brat who hasn't ever had anyone not give me my own way. I thought I was better than you, that I should teach you how to be rather than learning how you are." She let out another low sigh, glancing down at her feet as she scuffed her toes in the dirt. "Look, Johnny, I know you probably hate me now, and that's fine, I deserve that. But stop ignoring Liv's calls. She's worried about you, and she's going to make herself sick if you don't at least speak to her once. That's all I'm asking ....not for forgiveness, or for another chance, no matter how much I want one. I just want you and Liv to stop hurting."
Anger flared momentarily, eyes burning, boring into hers like blue flame, and then she spoke and all the anger melted away, turning to pain and regret. As sweet as Liv was, she wasn't the one that he wanted. "So, you're going to just step aside and sacrifice anything that might have been between us so your sister can be happy' Is that how it works" Have you ever stopped to think even once about how I might feel about all this" About what I might want?"
Lucy stared at him for a long moment. "Wow," she said finally. "You really don't know how to listen, do you?" Rolling her eyes, she let out another huffing sigh. "Did I once say that I want you to date Liv and make her happy' Did I" All I want that has anything to do with my sister is for you to stop ignoring her and making her upset! I'm not asking you to forgive me, I'm not asking you for anything, because that would be the selfish thing to do - I would be using your sensibilities to give myself a second chance to do things right a second time around, and that would be worse than what I've already done to you!" Realising she was shouting, Lucy flushed, glancing at the passers by who were staring at her in embarrassment. "This is this, this is my apology, this is me. The ball's in your court, Johnny. If you want something, go ahead and make a play for it, but don't expect me to validate any excuse for you to keep on feeling bad and hurting my little sister in the process."
He stared at her while she carried on, her voice raising enough to catch the attention of a few passersby, but he didn't seem to notice or care. He heard her out, trying hard to listen, really listen, to hear what it was she was trying to tell him. He quietly took it all in, once again feeling that attraction toward her that he had when they'd first met. He sensed a fire in her, a burning passion, a love for life and the desire to live it to the fullest, not unlike himself. Why couldn't she see how similar they were? Was she blind or was it just his imagination' "Get on," he told her finally, scooting forward a little on the bike to give her room.
She'd been breathless when she'd finished, the passion in her little speech not entirely born of anger or guilt or desperation to make him understand because, frankly, that suit he was wearing really did leave very little to the imagination. And when he answered, she didn't hesitate, surging forward without a second thought to fit herself confidently against his back, not even asking for a helmet this time. Not needing one.
He didn't need a helmet either, or bother with one, the decision to take her for a ride too spontaneous to worry about such details as safety, his own or hers. Once she had settled herself on the bike behind him, he took off, a few of the crew members and passersby shouting at him as he drove past, but he ignored them. He'd be back in time for the second show. Until then, his time was his own. Once they were free of the crowd, he headed toward the exit and out onto the open road, unsure where he was headed. Anywhere, nowhere, it didn't matter. It was a perfect day for a ride, the sun shining brightly, a warm breeze blowing through their hair.
The crowd had finally dispersed and he was left with a small crew working on setting up the next show before taking a break for lunch. It had turned out to be a nice day outside, and he was currently found crouched over his bike, making a few minor mechanical adjustments. He was wearing a green uniform today, in honor of St. Patty's Day. It had been Race's idea, not his. Bright green, a little flashy, the color didn't really suit his blond hair and blue eyes.
He didn't quite have that time all to himself. Someone had been waiting for him outside the arena where he had performed, hands tucked into her pockets, nervous energy radiating from her tense posture. Lucy had spent a very uncomfortable week or so being constantly hounded by her twin to make amends, to at least try and speak to Johnny. The phone calls had been a failure, since he had apparently either been screening his calls or ignoring the thing altogether. All that was left to her was to track him down, and even that had proved almost impossible. Until the posters had gone up for the Human Torch's display at the Wonderplex. If Johnny was going to be there, then so would she. Which was how she found herself trying very hard not to pace back and forth as she watched him work on his bike, willing him to turn around and notice her.
His concentration was nothing short of intense as he worked on the bike, tweaking this and that, making sure everything was in order. One minor slip up could prove disastrous, not only for him, but for the crew and the onlookers. Everything had to be perfect, and though he trusted his crew, he liked to do things himself. After a long while spent making adjustments, he finally straightened and grabbed a towel off the handlebars to wipe his hands. He'd test her out and then go grab a bite to eat and if he was lucky maybe grab twenty winks before the next show.
He wasn't going to notice her. She was going to have to speak up. And that was hard. It took a moment, but finally Lucy cleared her throat, plunging in at the deep end with, "Hello, Johnny. Want to incinerate me now, or later?"
It wasn't so much the mention of his name that drew his attention, but the voice that had said it. He jerked his head toward the twin, wondering for a split second which one she was, but that seemed obvious enough by her greeting. Lucy. The fringe of bangs and the somewhat guilty expression on her face gave her away. Ever since his disastrous date with her sister in the park, he'd been avoiding both sisters, refusing even to answer Lucy's calls, letting them go straight to voice mail. He wasn't exactly surprised to see her. He figured she'd hunt him down sooner or later, but he wasn't really prepared for it either. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. Come here to ask my forgiveness or rub my nose in my own stupidity?"
"Both and neither?" she suggested quietly. Lucy drew in a slow breath, letting it out in a huff before she took a step forward. It was definitely her; Johnny knew enough of both twins to know that Liv wouldn't be able to take that step, or even be able to speak. "We need to talk."
"Talk. I'm listening." He turned his back on her and climbed onto the bike, straddling the seat. She was on his time clock now, and he didn't have a lot of time to waste. He finished wiping the grease from his hands and threw the rag aside while he waited for her to tell him whatever it was she'd come there to say.
There was a pause as she gathered together what she wanted to say in mind. Then her eyes, dark and warm and solemn, lifted to lock with his, willing him to see the sincerity in her as she spoke. "I was wrong. I turned one moment of irrational jealousy into a stupid, childish game that not only hurt you, but my sister as well. I'm a selfish, immature brat who hasn't ever had anyone not give me my own way. I thought I was better than you, that I should teach you how to be rather than learning how you are." She let out another low sigh, glancing down at her feet as she scuffed her toes in the dirt. "Look, Johnny, I know you probably hate me now, and that's fine, I deserve that. But stop ignoring Liv's calls. She's worried about you, and she's going to make herself sick if you don't at least speak to her once. That's all I'm asking ....not for forgiveness, or for another chance, no matter how much I want one. I just want you and Liv to stop hurting."
Anger flared momentarily, eyes burning, boring into hers like blue flame, and then she spoke and all the anger melted away, turning to pain and regret. As sweet as Liv was, she wasn't the one that he wanted. "So, you're going to just step aside and sacrifice anything that might have been between us so your sister can be happy' Is that how it works" Have you ever stopped to think even once about how I might feel about all this" About what I might want?"
Lucy stared at him for a long moment. "Wow," she said finally. "You really don't know how to listen, do you?" Rolling her eyes, she let out another huffing sigh. "Did I once say that I want you to date Liv and make her happy' Did I" All I want that has anything to do with my sister is for you to stop ignoring her and making her upset! I'm not asking you to forgive me, I'm not asking you for anything, because that would be the selfish thing to do - I would be using your sensibilities to give myself a second chance to do things right a second time around, and that would be worse than what I've already done to you!" Realising she was shouting, Lucy flushed, glancing at the passers by who were staring at her in embarrassment. "This is this, this is my apology, this is me. The ball's in your court, Johnny. If you want something, go ahead and make a play for it, but don't expect me to validate any excuse for you to keep on feeling bad and hurting my little sister in the process."
He stared at her while she carried on, her voice raising enough to catch the attention of a few passersby, but he didn't seem to notice or care. He heard her out, trying hard to listen, really listen, to hear what it was she was trying to tell him. He quietly took it all in, once again feeling that attraction toward her that he had when they'd first met. He sensed a fire in her, a burning passion, a love for life and the desire to live it to the fullest, not unlike himself. Why couldn't she see how similar they were? Was she blind or was it just his imagination' "Get on," he told her finally, scooting forward a little on the bike to give her room.
She'd been breathless when she'd finished, the passion in her little speech not entirely born of anger or guilt or desperation to make him understand because, frankly, that suit he was wearing really did leave very little to the imagination. And when he answered, she didn't hesitate, surging forward without a second thought to fit herself confidently against his back, not even asking for a helmet this time. Not needing one.
He didn't need a helmet either, or bother with one, the decision to take her for a ride too spontaneous to worry about such details as safety, his own or hers. Once she had settled herself on the bike behind him, he took off, a few of the crew members and passersby shouting at him as he drove past, but he ignored them. He'd be back in time for the second show. Until then, his time was his own. Once they were free of the crowd, he headed toward the exit and out onto the open road, unsure where he was headed. Anywhere, nowhere, it didn't matter. It was a perfect day for a ride, the sun shining brightly, a warm breeze blowing through their hair.