Johnny knew this visit to see his sister was long overdue. He was almost dreading it for some reason, though he wasn't sure why. Sue had always been something of a maternal figure for him, practically raising him after his mother had died. She had always found him too brash, too reckless, too flamboyant. An angry kid who'd turned into a rebellious teenager, especially after his father's arrest. No one had let him down the way his father had, and Johnny had never been able to forgive him, not even after his death. Going back to see Sue brought back all those old memories, but that's all they were anymore - just memories, and memories couldn't hurt you unless you let them.
The Baxter Building was the same familiar edifice in the middle of New York, with the same welcome, the same elevator. It seemed as though some things never changed. Except one thing had. The penthouse was occupied now, not by the Fantastic Four, but by the Richards family - Reed, Sue, and their son, Franklin Benjamin. The last time Johnny had spent any significant amount of time with any of them had been his own wedding day a little over a year ago. But for all that Sue did not seem to understand her little brother, she'd managed to get something right. When he walked out of the elevator, there was no absent-minded, half-hearted greeting from Reed, no garbled gurgle from a toddler who was far too ambulatory for his parents' peace of mind. Just Sue, running to embrace her little brother and hold him tight for a long moment. "God, it's been too long, Johnny."
Johnny was a little taken aback by the unexpected warmth of his sister's greeting. As far as Johnny was concerned, Sue was the only family he had left, but while the two had always been close, they had also been known to disagree on just about everything that meant anything to Johnny. But Johnny had changed. He wasn't the same cocky hothead he'd been when he'd left for Rhy'Din. He'd been forced to grow up and had finally realized that all Sue had ever tried to do was protect her baby brother and try to keep him safe. "It's good to see you, Sue," Johnny replied, hugging her close, holding tightly to his last living blood relative, other than his young nephew.
"I can't believe how much I miss you these days," she said, drawing back with a fond smile. Not exactly entirely positive, but then Sue had never really been able to compliment him without adding a backhander at the same time. "Where's Liv" How are you guys" Come on in, you know where everything is." She turned, gesturing for him to follow her to the kitchen. "I threw Reed and Franklin out for the afternoon. It's just us."
"I miss you, too," Johnny replied, only just realizing how much he meant it. "Liv is, uh....She's with Lucy," he stammered as he stepped into the old familiar penthouse that had once been home. "She thought we needed some time alone," he admitted, though Liv couldn't have known that Reed and Franklin wouldn't be there, unless she'd been in touch with Sue ahead of time.
And knowing his wife, she probably had. Liv seemed to know what he needed before he did most of the time. Sue smiled a little secretively, heading into the kitchen. "So she spends time with her sister, and you spend time with yours, is that the idea?" she asked him mildly, flicking the coffee pot on. It was one of the few things in the kitchen she'd prevented Reed from tampering with - even making toast had become something of a minefield since her husband had started tinkering with domestic appliances to fill his time.
"Something like that, I guess," he replied as he stepped further inside, noticing both the things that had changed and those that had remained the same. It seemed quieter without Ben and Reed there, and Johnny wondered if they missed him even a little. Sue had, anyway, or so she said. He found an old framed photo of himself and his sister and picked it up to take a closer look, quietly reminiscing. "You didn't have to kick them out on my account."
"Are you kidding" Reed's had his head in some government research for the last month. It was kick him out with his son for one afternoon, or threaten divorce." She smirked, a hint of the silly Sue he'd known when they were kids shining through as she rummaged for cups. "Besides, I miss my baby brother. Can you really blame me for wanting you all to myself for this visit?"
"I won't argue with that. Reed has never liked me much anyway." He frowned, wishing he hadn't said it. He wasn't even sure if it was true. He and Reed had certainly had their differences, but that was in the past, and he wasn't that Johnny Storm anymore. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he apologized as he returned the photo to its proper place.
Sue sighed, leaning on the counter, her expression tired. "Johnny, it's not that he doesn't like you," she tried to reassure her brother without telling him off. "It's just ....Reed's always been focused. He spends so much time on projects and advancing the cause of science, and now on whatever it is he's doing with S.H.I.E.L.D. ..." She shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it. You're just so different in your approach to things, maybe you'll never get each other."
"Are you both working for S.H.I.E.L.D., or is Nick Fury only interested in picking Reed's brain?" Johnny asked, regretting the question as soon as it was out of his mouth. He sighed. "Look, I didn't come here to argue or to lecture you about S.H.I.E.L.D., but be careful, Sue. I don't trust them."
"I'm not leaving my son without both his parents, and you can bet Fury would come up with a way to get both of us on some mission," Sue assured him. "I'm not on his payroll, and Reed's only a consultant. In theory. You know Reed."
"So, are you the Fantastic Two now?" Johnny asked, trying hard not to sound too sarcastic. "Doesn't really have the same ring to it." He'd made the choice to go to Rhy'Din, all on his own, and Sue had encouraged it, probably hoping he'd learn some responsibility and grow up. Well, she'd been right about that anyway.
"Hey, I only just shook off Invisible Girl, remember that one?" Sue laughed, poking at his belly. It had been Johnny who had pegged her with that nickname, and it had taken years to convince people to at least call her the Invisible Woman. "We're just ....raising our son. If people need us, we go, but there's less focus on our powers these days. I think probably because of the Avengers." She finally got around to pouring out coffee. "How's Rhy'Din?"
"Yeah, Tony Stark has a way of doing that," he remarked, having met the man and finding him even more full of himself than Johnny was, and that was saying something. They'd come to something of a truce, but Liv's sake, but Johnny wasn't a big fan. "Rhy'Din is Rhy'Din, I guess. I stepped down from active duty with the Rhy'Din Avengers. They don't really need me, Sue." He sounded a little bitter about that, but he believed he had found his true calling and was doing something much more useful with the Fire Brigade.
"What?" Sue turned to look at him, outraged on his behalf. "They invited you to that ....that dung heap of a city, and they don't even make use of your talents" God, what the hell is wrong with them' You should come back to New York, we always need you. And I'm sure Liv could find something to do ....keep house, maybe."
Johnny touched his sister's arm, as if to try and calm her down. Who was the hothead now" "It's not that, Sue. It's just....There are enough superheroes in Rhy'Din. I decided I could put my talents to better use with the fire department. It's kind of right up my alley, you know?"
The Baxter Building was the same familiar edifice in the middle of New York, with the same welcome, the same elevator. It seemed as though some things never changed. Except one thing had. The penthouse was occupied now, not by the Fantastic Four, but by the Richards family - Reed, Sue, and their son, Franklin Benjamin. The last time Johnny had spent any significant amount of time with any of them had been his own wedding day a little over a year ago. But for all that Sue did not seem to understand her little brother, she'd managed to get something right. When he walked out of the elevator, there was no absent-minded, half-hearted greeting from Reed, no garbled gurgle from a toddler who was far too ambulatory for his parents' peace of mind. Just Sue, running to embrace her little brother and hold him tight for a long moment. "God, it's been too long, Johnny."
Johnny was a little taken aback by the unexpected warmth of his sister's greeting. As far as Johnny was concerned, Sue was the only family he had left, but while the two had always been close, they had also been known to disagree on just about everything that meant anything to Johnny. But Johnny had changed. He wasn't the same cocky hothead he'd been when he'd left for Rhy'Din. He'd been forced to grow up and had finally realized that all Sue had ever tried to do was protect her baby brother and try to keep him safe. "It's good to see you, Sue," Johnny replied, hugging her close, holding tightly to his last living blood relative, other than his young nephew.
"I can't believe how much I miss you these days," she said, drawing back with a fond smile. Not exactly entirely positive, but then Sue had never really been able to compliment him without adding a backhander at the same time. "Where's Liv" How are you guys" Come on in, you know where everything is." She turned, gesturing for him to follow her to the kitchen. "I threw Reed and Franklin out for the afternoon. It's just us."
"I miss you, too," Johnny replied, only just realizing how much he meant it. "Liv is, uh....She's with Lucy," he stammered as he stepped into the old familiar penthouse that had once been home. "She thought we needed some time alone," he admitted, though Liv couldn't have known that Reed and Franklin wouldn't be there, unless she'd been in touch with Sue ahead of time.
And knowing his wife, she probably had. Liv seemed to know what he needed before he did most of the time. Sue smiled a little secretively, heading into the kitchen. "So she spends time with her sister, and you spend time with yours, is that the idea?" she asked him mildly, flicking the coffee pot on. It was one of the few things in the kitchen she'd prevented Reed from tampering with - even making toast had become something of a minefield since her husband had started tinkering with domestic appliances to fill his time.
"Something like that, I guess," he replied as he stepped further inside, noticing both the things that had changed and those that had remained the same. It seemed quieter without Ben and Reed there, and Johnny wondered if they missed him even a little. Sue had, anyway, or so she said. He found an old framed photo of himself and his sister and picked it up to take a closer look, quietly reminiscing. "You didn't have to kick them out on my account."
"Are you kidding" Reed's had his head in some government research for the last month. It was kick him out with his son for one afternoon, or threaten divorce." She smirked, a hint of the silly Sue he'd known when they were kids shining through as she rummaged for cups. "Besides, I miss my baby brother. Can you really blame me for wanting you all to myself for this visit?"
"I won't argue with that. Reed has never liked me much anyway." He frowned, wishing he hadn't said it. He wasn't even sure if it was true. He and Reed had certainly had their differences, but that was in the past, and he wasn't that Johnny Storm anymore. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he apologized as he returned the photo to its proper place.
Sue sighed, leaning on the counter, her expression tired. "Johnny, it's not that he doesn't like you," she tried to reassure her brother without telling him off. "It's just ....Reed's always been focused. He spends so much time on projects and advancing the cause of science, and now on whatever it is he's doing with S.H.I.E.L.D. ..." She shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it. You're just so different in your approach to things, maybe you'll never get each other."
"Are you both working for S.H.I.E.L.D., or is Nick Fury only interested in picking Reed's brain?" Johnny asked, regretting the question as soon as it was out of his mouth. He sighed. "Look, I didn't come here to argue or to lecture you about S.H.I.E.L.D., but be careful, Sue. I don't trust them."
"I'm not leaving my son without both his parents, and you can bet Fury would come up with a way to get both of us on some mission," Sue assured him. "I'm not on his payroll, and Reed's only a consultant. In theory. You know Reed."
"So, are you the Fantastic Two now?" Johnny asked, trying hard not to sound too sarcastic. "Doesn't really have the same ring to it." He'd made the choice to go to Rhy'Din, all on his own, and Sue had encouraged it, probably hoping he'd learn some responsibility and grow up. Well, she'd been right about that anyway.
"Hey, I only just shook off Invisible Girl, remember that one?" Sue laughed, poking at his belly. It had been Johnny who had pegged her with that nickname, and it had taken years to convince people to at least call her the Invisible Woman. "We're just ....raising our son. If people need us, we go, but there's less focus on our powers these days. I think probably because of the Avengers." She finally got around to pouring out coffee. "How's Rhy'Din?"
"Yeah, Tony Stark has a way of doing that," he remarked, having met the man and finding him even more full of himself than Johnny was, and that was saying something. They'd come to something of a truce, but Liv's sake, but Johnny wasn't a big fan. "Rhy'Din is Rhy'Din, I guess. I stepped down from active duty with the Rhy'Din Avengers. They don't really need me, Sue." He sounded a little bitter about that, but he believed he had found his true calling and was doing something much more useful with the Fire Brigade.
"What?" Sue turned to look at him, outraged on his behalf. "They invited you to that ....that dung heap of a city, and they don't even make use of your talents" God, what the hell is wrong with them' You should come back to New York, we always need you. And I'm sure Liv could find something to do ....keep house, maybe."
Johnny touched his sister's arm, as if to try and calm her down. Who was the hothead now" "It's not that, Sue. It's just....There are enough superheroes in Rhy'Din. I decided I could put my talents to better use with the fire department. It's kind of right up my alley, you know?"