New York certainly was something of an eye opener for a magically inclined teenager who had never been outside of Rhy'Din City in her lifetime. Fliss wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to react to the crowded, noisy streets, the crush of people, deeply grateful that Liv and Johnny had hemmed her in on both sides. She would never forgive herself if she set fire to something by accident here, where the explanation would be so much harder to give. She couldn't help being nervous, though - she was being taken to meet the rest of her new family's family, namely Captain America and his wife, son, and friend, and later on in the week, Mr Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, and their son, too. It was ever so slightly nerve-wracking.
Holding tight to Johnny's hand, trusting him to keep a lid on any sparks she let off, Fliss swallowed hard as Liv took a quick step forward, opening a gate to lead the way toward a large house. "Are we here?"
"We're here!" Johnny announced, confirming the fact that they'd arrived at their destination. He gave Fliss' hand a little reassuring squeeze as Liv stepped forward to take the lead. This was her sister's house, but it was also the home of Johnny's boyhood hero, both of whom had become close friends. "Don't be nervous. They're gonna love you!" he told her, leaning over to give her cheek an affectionate and unusually warm smooch. Bella let out an expectant bark as if to let the inhabitants of the house know they had arrived.
"Even if I set fire to their house?" Fliss whispered as they followed Liv and Bella to the door. She had expected Liv to ring the bell and wait, but hadn't counted on just how close the twins were.
Liv produced a key and let herself in, gesturing for the others to follow her as Bella announced herself with a loud bark. "Lucille, you have guests!" the younger twin called with a grin, laughing as her sister called her something not very complimentary from what sounded like her lab in the basement.
Johnny chuckled at Fliss' ever-constant worry. "You're not gonna set fire to the house!" he told her, confident in her growing sense of control over her abilities, even if she lacked confidence in herself.
"Olivia Storm, one of these days I am going to feed that grin to you backwards," Lucy was threatening as she stalked up the steps from the basement to greet them, but the grin on her own face was bright and warm. She swept her little sister up in a hug that lifted Liv's feet off the floor, winking at Johnny and his little friend over her sister's shoulder.
Fliss' jaw dropped. She'd been warned that Liv's sister was her identical twin, but it was different actually seeing them. She leaned close to Johnny, talking out of the corner of her mouth. "How'd you tell them apart?"
"The hair's different," he whispered back, tilting his head conspiratorially toward Fliss, adding, "And Lucy is bossier." Anyone who didn't know better might have a hard time telling the twins apart, but Johnny had been around the pair long enough to know the differences, however slight. "Where's Steve?" Johnny asked, flashing a grin over at Lucy. "You holding him captive in the house somewhere?" he teased.
"In here!" a male voice called from the kitchen.
"Oh, he's convincing the other man in my life that carrots are the best thing ever," Lucy clarified as Steve called out to make himself known, finally releasing her sister with a chuckle. "Bossy, am I?" she added, poking Johnny in the chest. "Sure you want to go there, Everlast?"
Beside Johnny, Fliss found herself giggling. While Liv was all softness and easy to love, she couldn't help but be impressed by a woman who was completely unafraid to treat Johnny Storm like an errant teenager himself. Liv flashed her a warm smile, encouraging the teen to relax a little more.
"Bossy! I didn't say bossy," Johnny interjected, looking as guilty as sin. He had never been a very good liar. "I said, uh, flossy. Meaning you floss a lot." Yeah, right, not likely. Johnny was smiling warmly, despite Lucy's admonishment. "You're not bossy, Luce. You're....what?s the word" Assertive!"
"A bully," Liv piped up cheerfully, nudging her sister as Lucy spluttered at both of them with playful indignance.
"You are both very lucky that I love you," she informed her sister and said sister's husband, turning her warm grin onto the teenager lurking behind Johnny. "You must be Felicity. I'm Lucy."
Fliss bit her lip, feeling shy and awkward, but managed to smile a little in answer to the warm welcome. "Nice to meet you, Lucy," she stuttered softly, holding tighter to Johnny's hand as Lucy chuckled and stepped back, leading the way to the kitchen and the other members of the household.
Johnny chuckled at Liv and Lucy's banter. There had been a time when he had almost come between them, but that time was long past. They were family, and Johnny had become part of that family, along with Steve and now Fliss. "Come on, Fliss. There's someone else I want you to meet." Now that she'd met Lucy, he led her by the hand into the kitchen to meet his own personal hero, who was almost as much his twin as Lucy was to Liv.
"Oh, hey, Everlast," Lucy said over her shoulder, "I have a theory to run by you, when you have a second." That was all she said, but the cheeky look in her eye suggested that she'd been making her sister's fertility a priority recently. Stepping into the kitchen, she pulled a truly awful face for the benefit of her son, who laughed aloud and threw his handful of carrot sticks at random and with force.
Liv was giggling as she moved to greet Steve, hugging her brother-in-law with far more ease these days than they had first shown around each other. "You look like you're under siege," she teased the big man, tweaking little Jamie's nose affectionately.
Holding tight to Johnny's hand, trusting him to keep a lid on any sparks she let off, Fliss swallowed hard as Liv took a quick step forward, opening a gate to lead the way toward a large house. "Are we here?"
"We're here!" Johnny announced, confirming the fact that they'd arrived at their destination. He gave Fliss' hand a little reassuring squeeze as Liv stepped forward to take the lead. This was her sister's house, but it was also the home of Johnny's boyhood hero, both of whom had become close friends. "Don't be nervous. They're gonna love you!" he told her, leaning over to give her cheek an affectionate and unusually warm smooch. Bella let out an expectant bark as if to let the inhabitants of the house know they had arrived.
"Even if I set fire to their house?" Fliss whispered as they followed Liv and Bella to the door. She had expected Liv to ring the bell and wait, but hadn't counted on just how close the twins were.
Liv produced a key and let herself in, gesturing for the others to follow her as Bella announced herself with a loud bark. "Lucille, you have guests!" the younger twin called with a grin, laughing as her sister called her something not very complimentary from what sounded like her lab in the basement.
Johnny chuckled at Fliss' ever-constant worry. "You're not gonna set fire to the house!" he told her, confident in her growing sense of control over her abilities, even if she lacked confidence in herself.
"Olivia Storm, one of these days I am going to feed that grin to you backwards," Lucy was threatening as she stalked up the steps from the basement to greet them, but the grin on her own face was bright and warm. She swept her little sister up in a hug that lifted Liv's feet off the floor, winking at Johnny and his little friend over her sister's shoulder.
Fliss' jaw dropped. She'd been warned that Liv's sister was her identical twin, but it was different actually seeing them. She leaned close to Johnny, talking out of the corner of her mouth. "How'd you tell them apart?"
"The hair's different," he whispered back, tilting his head conspiratorially toward Fliss, adding, "And Lucy is bossier." Anyone who didn't know better might have a hard time telling the twins apart, but Johnny had been around the pair long enough to know the differences, however slight. "Where's Steve?" Johnny asked, flashing a grin over at Lucy. "You holding him captive in the house somewhere?" he teased.
"In here!" a male voice called from the kitchen.
"Oh, he's convincing the other man in my life that carrots are the best thing ever," Lucy clarified as Steve called out to make himself known, finally releasing her sister with a chuckle. "Bossy, am I?" she added, poking Johnny in the chest. "Sure you want to go there, Everlast?"
Beside Johnny, Fliss found herself giggling. While Liv was all softness and easy to love, she couldn't help but be impressed by a woman who was completely unafraid to treat Johnny Storm like an errant teenager himself. Liv flashed her a warm smile, encouraging the teen to relax a little more.
"Bossy! I didn't say bossy," Johnny interjected, looking as guilty as sin. He had never been a very good liar. "I said, uh, flossy. Meaning you floss a lot." Yeah, right, not likely. Johnny was smiling warmly, despite Lucy's admonishment. "You're not bossy, Luce. You're....what?s the word" Assertive!"
"A bully," Liv piped up cheerfully, nudging her sister as Lucy spluttered at both of them with playful indignance.
"You are both very lucky that I love you," she informed her sister and said sister's husband, turning her warm grin onto the teenager lurking behind Johnny. "You must be Felicity. I'm Lucy."
Fliss bit her lip, feeling shy and awkward, but managed to smile a little in answer to the warm welcome. "Nice to meet you, Lucy," she stuttered softly, holding tighter to Johnny's hand as Lucy chuckled and stepped back, leading the way to the kitchen and the other members of the household.
Johnny chuckled at Liv and Lucy's banter. There had been a time when he had almost come between them, but that time was long past. They were family, and Johnny had become part of that family, along with Steve and now Fliss. "Come on, Fliss. There's someone else I want you to meet." Now that she'd met Lucy, he led her by the hand into the kitchen to meet his own personal hero, who was almost as much his twin as Lucy was to Liv.
"Oh, hey, Everlast," Lucy said over her shoulder, "I have a theory to run by you, when you have a second." That was all she said, but the cheeky look in her eye suggested that she'd been making her sister's fertility a priority recently. Stepping into the kitchen, she pulled a truly awful face for the benefit of her son, who laughed aloud and threw his handful of carrot sticks at random and with force.
Liv was giggling as she moved to greet Steve, hugging her brother-in-law with far more ease these days than they had first shown around each other. "You look like you're under siege," she teased the big man, tweaking little Jamie's nose affectionately.