#Fantastic Four: First Steps | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

xobunni0 · 13 days ago

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‘𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝑰’𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔.’ Johnny storm x f!reader

having Johnny meant sharing him with the world, you can’t help but feel jealous. • fluff, hurt/comfort

the morning sun came in softly through your lace curtains. you sat at the foot of your bed, a towel spread beneath your feet to protect the carpet from any spills. your pin curls were still perfectly secured under a row of pastel pink hair rollers from the night before. you wiggled your toes, one foot already stretched out with a foam separator between each one, concentrating hard as you brushed a coat of polish over your nails

you hummed softly. your tongue poking out the corner of your mouth, you didn’t want to mess up a single toe. you wanted to look perfect for when Johnny saw you

the television flickered in the background, as some morning program rolled on. you weren’t really paying attention until

“Johnny Storm”

your head instantly perked up, eyes wide, brush pausing mid stroke. you turned up the volume on the small remote beside you

the reporters voice was full of excitement

“the city’s heart throb, Johnny Storm, is lighting up more than just the sky this summer.”

you mouth parted slightly as they cut to the footage, a huge billboard towering over the busy street. and there he was. Johnny, your Johnny. shirtless, nice tan, wearing swim trunks that hung low on his hips, lower than they should’ve, thanks to a little dog tugging them down with its teeth

the slogan read in big, bold letters

“TAN, DON’T BURN.”

you stared for a second, lips parted in awe, cheeks warming. he was so… Johnny. so effortlessly handsome, so smugly charming. you could practically hear that cocky little laugh of his in your ear

your breath came out in a dreamy little sigh

“Oh, Johnny…” you whispered

your heart quickened the way it always did when you thought about him. the man who always pulled your tights up for you after dates, who warmed your cold hands in his, who tucked your curlers so carefully each night. he was yours in the quietest, sweetest ways. the world might’ve seen the human torch, the heart throb, the show off. but you knew the real him. the one who let you fall asleep on his chest to your favorite records, the one who kissed you so tenderly

you set the polish down carefully, and leaned closer to the screen like he might see you. like he was right there on the other side, looking just at you

“Such a showoff” you mumbled with a small giggle

no matter how big his billboard got, no matter how many girls stared up at it wide eyed, you were the one he came to. you were the one he kissed goodnight

the reporters voice carried on with excitement

“and- wait a second, folks what’s this?”

the camera jolted, shaking slightly as something streaked across the sky fast, unmistakable. within seconds, a trail of flames curled up into the corner of the screen and came up right across the edge of the billboard

“There he is, folks! Johnny Storm himself!”

the flames burned harmlessly at the edges of his shirtless image on the billboard. and then the camera shifted quickly finding him hovering above the crowd

he was dressed in his fantastic four uniform, the white and blue stretching clean over his lean body, the number 4 bold across his chest. his gloves were still steaming slightly from the flame. he gave a little salute to the crowd, then flashed one of his smirks

you squealed without meaning to, giggling as you kicked your feet

“Johnny…” you cooed, head tilting as you watched him take it all in, your polish brush wobbled a little in your hand, you couldn’t focus, too caught up in that smile of his

but you weren’t the only one

“I love you, Johnny!”

the squeals and shouts came loud from the television, the camera showing the growing crowd below. dozens of girls, all waiting for a look, a wave, anything

the way they screamed for him made your smile fade

the polish brush paused mid stroke again, a small frown tugging at your lips. you reached for the remote and turned the volume down, suddenly not wanting to hear the girls anymore. not wanting to watch the way they looked at him

you let out a small huff and tried to go back to painting your nails, but the polish smeared this time, a smudge streaking over your toe

“Shoot” you muttered, brows pinching together in frustration

your head dipped, the rollers bouncing slightly. the little jealous feeling in your chest pressed down heavier now. you knew it was silly, knew he loved you, only you. he kissed your forehead every night before you fell asleep, helped you button your dress, spun you slow in the kitchen when your favorite song came on. but it was hard sometimes. knowing how the world saw him, how much of him they wanted

you began carefully wiping away the smudge with the edge of a tissue

you weren’t mad at him. just… sensitive. a little insecure. it was hard not to feel small when the whole world screamed his name, when girls dreamt about him the way you did

and you should’ve guessed, you should’ve known the second he lit up that billboard and flashed that cocky smirk, that he was already making his way to you. he never missed a moment to show off and make a quick escape to the one place he knew he’d really be seen. not by the crowd, not by the cameras, but by you.

still, you were back to angrily painting your nails, brows furrowed, lower lip caught between your teeth. you weren’t even humming anymore, your favorite polish now being applied with a bit too much force. you were still thinking about those girls, the way they squealed like they knew him, like they had a chance

“Ugh” you muttered under your breath, barely noticing the faint glow on your window

two soft knock’s broke your train of thought

your hand froze, peeking up. you turned toward the window, and there he was

sitting on the roof just outside, legs stretched out casually, leaning back on one hand, his blonde hair a little messy. he wasn’t in the flashy suit anymore just a snug white tee, that little blue “4” stitched right over his heart, and dark pants rolled at the ankle like he’d come straight from somewhere and didn’t stop to change. his cheeks were flushed, eyes warm and wide the second they landed on you

a big, boyish smile spread across his face, full of adoration and a little mischief, like he knew what you’d seen, what you were thinking, and had rushed here to fix it

your heart tugged in your chest but you held strong. you raised an eyebrow, tilting your chin as you stayed seated at the foot of your bed. you still hadn’t forgiven him, you weren’t mad at him, just… upset about the whole thing. how the world never let you keep him all to yourself

another knock

“Sweetheart” he called, voice muffled through the glass but still a little teasing, a little sweet

you let out a soft sigh, careful as you rose, balancing on the heels of your feet to not smudge your still wet toes. you undid the latch and pushed it up slowly

Johnny was already halfway to stepping in before you could even say anything, swinging one leg over the sill and slipping into your room like he belonged there

“Look at you” he said low, eyes trailing from the curlers on your head to the pout on your lips, his hand immediately finding your waist “God, you’re beautiful”

he leaned in, lips parting to kiss you but you turned your head, giving him your cheek instead, eyes still slightly narrowed in that unimpressed look

he didn’t push. just grinned like he expected it, and gave you a big, exaggerated kiss on the cheek with a loud mwah!

then, like he owned the place, he strolled toward your bed and flopped right onto it arms out, sighing dramatically

“Man” he groaned, sinking into your pillows “Do you know how boring it is standing in front of a crowd pretending I don’t wanna be here instead?”

you stood there, arms crossed, trying not to smile, biting the inside of your cheek

his eyes peeked open, already watching you with that soft little grin

“cmon doll” he said, reaching one hand out toward you lazily “don’t be mad. you know I only set that billboard on fire so I could get here faster.”

that almost got you, almost got you

but you weren’t going to let him win that easily

you glanced down at his outstretched hand for half a second before brushing right past it with a huff. you sat back on the edge of your bed ignoring how close he was now and went right back to painting the last of your toes, your fingers holding the brush delicately like nothing had just happened

Johnny propped himself up on his elbows, clearly amused. he wasn’t bothered by the cold shoulder, not when he knew what this was. he’d seen it before. your cute little tantrums, the silent treatment you gave him when you were trying not to smile. he knew you were going to crack soon, he was just waiting.

you were quiet now, focused, back to humming softly as you dipped the brush into the polish again. the record player spun lazily in the corner of your room, the soft tune of a love song faint in the background

Johnny tilted his head at you

“What are you singing?” he asked even though he knew exactly what was playing

“A song” you replied simply, not even looking his way

he bit back a grin

“You kept your rollers in” he noted “Need my help to take them out?”

“I can do it” you replied

still no eye contact

“Cheer up buttercup” he teased gently

and that’s what did it

your eyes narrowed just a little, your lips twitching as you mocked in a high pitched voice “I love you, Johnny!”

you scoffed a little, scrunching up your nose

Johnny blinked pretending like he was shocked “That’s what this is all about?” he asked “You’re mad ‘cause people love me?”

“I’m not mad” you said far too quickly, focusing way too hard on not messing up your last toe

Johnny sat up fully, scooting closer behind you, arms suddenly wrapping around your waist and pulling you back against him without warning

“Johnny my hair!” you squealed, half laughing, as your head bumped back against his shoulder

he just chuckled, hugging you tighter

“You jealous baby?” he whispered near your ear, voice low and teasing, his breath warm against your cheek

“No” you said flatly

but the pout on your lips betrayed you completely. that little frown, your lashes lowered as you avoided his eyes, trying so hard not to give in

Johnny pressed a kiss to your cheek again, softer this time

“Trust in me when I say” Johnny murmured, voice softer now, his arms still wrapped around you “I’m yours.”

you blinked slowly, his lashes brushing your cheek, and your voice came out quieter than before

“I know, Johnny…”

and you did. somewhere deep down, beneath the jealousy and the world that always wanted him, you knew. but that didn’t mean those feelings didn’t still creep in sometimes, didn’t grow more when you heard girls scream his name like they had any right to it

“There’s no ‘but’” he cut in gently, but firmly. he knew you too well, knew how quickly you used your heart over your head “No ‘maybe’ or ‘what if.’ none of that, okay?”

he shifted closer behind you, nose brushing along your temple, his voice even lower as he whispered everything you needed to hear

“There’s no one else but you. no one I want. no one I see.”

his words were warm and slow and just for you “Can’t take my eyes off you, the sight of you leaves me weak.”

you breath caught softly, the brush still in your hand long forgotten now

“I don’t hear the way they say my name” he continued “I don’t feel it… not like I do when you say it.”

he leaned in a little closer “Nobody says it like you”

that made your heart quicken and your face warm. he said it so easily, like there wasn’t a doubt in the whole world about how he felt

the moment felt so intimate, so personal, just for the two of you

“I didn’t mean to upset you” Johnny said, his voice so full of guilt and sweetness “Didn’t like seeing that pout.”

your pout was already gone. you lips now parted slightly

“I love you” he said truthfully and certain, right against your ear

you shifted slowly, enough to glance back at him over your shoulder. his eyes were waiting there for you, blue and gentle and entirely yours

you didn’t answer instead, you gave him the kiss you’d rejected earlier, the one he never pushed for. this time, your lips met his sweetly, full of affection. you kissed him, your hand reaching up to his cheek, your eyes closing

and he melted into it instantly

because even when the ugly thoughts crept in, when the jealousy made your heart ache and your voice snappy you knew..

Johnny Storm was yours, and more than that he loved being yours

𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 𓊆ྀི 𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐞𓊇ྀི

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rosygaze · 2 months ago

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busy woman

pairing: johnny storm x assistant!reader

summary: you’re way too busy at your new job to even remember to eat sometimes. but you could spare a minute or two to pretend not to like it when johnny flirts with you. inspired by busy woman by sabrina carpenter!

word count: 3.9k+

note: help wanted part 2 is here! thank you for all the love on part 1 🫶🏻 i’ve been working on this for like three months and she’s finally here 🥹 i’m definitely planning more stuff for these two but i may need to see the movie before more parts come out lmao who knows! enjoy !!!

< prev part

“Excuse me. Sorry.” You weaved and dodged the hoard of busy employees rushing in different directions. With the looming deadline on the horizon, the facility resembled an ant colony more than an office. Each person had a single goal and that was to get that rocket up in space.

While you couldn’t solve a complicated equation or weld metal, you quickly learned that you were pretty good at being an assistant. You had already built a system and connections with other departments that made it easier for you to do your job. Sue seemed to like you, at least you hoped she did cause it’s only been a month and you realized that you really liked working here.

Currently, you were on your way to deliver the stack of folders in your arms. Across the floor, you spotted the long chalkboard filled with various symbols and numbers that you would probably never understand. Dr. Reed Richards stood at one end, a piece of chalk hovered over the board. You approached him.

“Dr. Richards?” He flinched a little as if you pulled him out of a number-induced trance. “Sorry to disturb you.”

“Ah, you didn’t. You saved me, actually. I needed a break. This equation’s been racking my brain for weeks now.” Dr. Richards crossed out a string of numbers and letters.

“It does look pretty tricky.”

“Tricky’s one way to describe it.” He rubbed his stubbled jaw while he stared at the board in thought.

“I don’t wanna keep you for too long. Sue wanted you to have these documents.” You handed him the stack of files. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly at the mention of his wife.

“Thank you.” He flipped through them and picked out a single folder. “Has she mentioned anything about tonight?” He glanced at you expectantly.

“She’s very excited for your date.” You grinned. Over the past few weeks, you’ve been a firsthand witness of Sue and Reed’s relationship. The sweet nothings they would mumble to each other when they thought you were out of earshot, the extra slip of paper slipped in between stacks of folders, the way they seemed drawn to each other in a crowd.

Definitely didn’t make you feel more single than you already were.

Nope.

“Great.” Dr. Richards smiled shyly. You tried to ignore how red his face had gotten. “You tell her I’ll be done in a few hours and that I promise to be on time.”

“I will.”

“You’re the best.” Dr. Richards turned back to his board and immediately started scribbling. You took that as your sign to go back to your desk. Again, you weaved and dodged the crowd to get back to your desk and get started on yet another task. You were listing down to-dos in your head when you spotted a man by your desk. You sighed and braced yourself for impact.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Jonathan Storm called out as he saw you approaching. He was leaning on the front of your desk. One leg crossed over the other, arms bracing his weight behind him. Big, handsome grin on his face.

“Johnny.” Your voice clipped as you walked around him. You started typing on your computer, trying to ignore him in hopes that he would leave you alone before he could see how flustered he had made you with two words and a smile.

“Busy?” He turned and put his forearms on the edge of your desk, eyes burning a hole in the side of your head.

“Kinda.”

“Gunning for employee of the month?” Johnny picked up a pencil from your cup and started tapping it against the side of your monitor.

“Maybe.” You spared a glance at him. “Do you need anything from Sue?” You tried to divert the attention away from you.

“No, I don’t need anything from my dear sister today.” Johnny sighed and plopped down on the seat you kept in front of your desk for any visitors.

“Then what are you doing here?” You stopped your typing and you fully faced him.

“Wanted to see my favorite assistant.” He shrugged.

“I’m not your assistant.” You scoffed.

“No? Then I just wanted to see you.” A sly grin spread across his lips like the Cheshire cat. You blinked at him for a second, two. Allowing yourself to indulge in his attention until you remembered who he was, who you were, where you are.

You pulled your eyes away from his and looked down at your desk.

“Johnny… You can't say things like that to me.” You strained.

“Why not?” He asked you.

“Cause you work here.” You threw your hands up in exasperation. Could he really be this dense? “And I work here. For your sister, might I remind you.“

“What does that have to do with anything?"

“You can’t…you know.” You moved your hands in the air awkwardly.

“What?” He was goading you now, big brown eyes boring into yours.

“Flirt with me.” You said through your teeth.

“But I want to.”

“But you can’t.”

“You don’t want me to?”

“I-“

He had you cornered. Damn him.

“How about this? I’ll try my absolute best not to flirt with you.” You glared at him but he never wavered. He continued to blind you with that signature Storm smile. “And you can pretend not to like it. Deal?”

“Johnny.”

“Seems like a pretty sweet deal to me.” Johnny put his arms out as if to say ‘See?’. “Just as pretty as you are.” He added with a wink.

“Johnny!” You exclaimed. You couldn’t stop the flush that spread over your body even if you wanted to. Before you could tell him off again, you heard Sue’s voice calling you from inside her office. “This isn’t over.” You pointed a finger at him and narrowed your eyes.

“Oh, I hope not.” Johnny simply smirked and slid down on the chair as if he were lounging on the beach.

The keyboard clicked and clacked away as you typed out a report. The office had gotten quiet, people started leaving a couple of hours ago. Even Sue had passed by your desk and told you not to stay that late. You promised you wouldn’t. You just had a couple more things to do and you could call it a day.

But you thought about how you would save so much time tomorrow if you got a few more things done today. So here you were, neck aching and hands cramping, checking off yet another one of your to-dos.

You rolled your neck around to relieve some of the ache. You really needed to be more conscious of your posture.

“If you keep staying here this late, I think they’re gonna start charging you rent.” A voice echoed through your empty office, making you jump. Your relief turned into annoyance when you saw who it was.

“Johnny, you scared me!” You put a hand to your pounding chest.

“You’re working in a dark office all alone and you get scared by little old me?” Johnny dropped down in the seat in front of you again. “But, don’t you worry. Johnny’s here now and he’s gonna keep all the scary monsters away.”

“My hero.” You said dryly but a smile tugged on your lips. “Nothing better to do tonight?”

“Just keeping you company.” He shrugged. “And making sure you don’t stay here overnight. Do you realize how late it is? You shook your head and checked your watch.

“It’s already 10pm?” You gasped. The nearest window to you was a couple of desks away so you didn’t realize just how late it had gotten. You swore you weren’t working that long.

“Didn’t see the sun setting?”

“Not really.” You mumbled sheepishly.

“Did you leave this desk at all today?” Johnny raised a brow at you.

“Yeah, Sue had me pick up some reports from her earlier.” To which you took to your desk, sat down, and typed out reports for.

“And?”

You rattled your brain. “And… I used the ladies’ room a couple of times.”

Johnny made a ‘tsk’ sound and plopped a brown paper bag on your desk. “Eat up, busy bee.”

“What is this?”

“Food.” He reached inside and tossed something your way. You awkwardly caught it and saw that it was a burger wrapped in parchment paper. “I'm pretty sure you haven't had anything to eat the whole day.”

“How’d you know that?” You said, voice barely over a whisper. Your stomach grumbled as if it remembered what hunger was. Meanwhile, Johnny was already digging into his own burger.

“Well, I’ve been watching you for a couple of weeks now. I know you get so focused on your work that you skip meals.” He picked up a fry from the bag and popped it into his mouth. “And when I saw your car in the parking lot, I figured you'd be in here for another hour or so, so I went and picked up some burgers for us. Lo and behold, here you are. Glued to your desk.”

You were quiet for a second. Since you started here, Johnny had been pestering you. He was nice, of course but he had a knack for catching you at your busiest and talking your ear off. He annoyed you most days, made you smile on others.

Today. Today, he made you smile. Johnny noticed that you were working late and brought you food. You could cry but you weren’t sure if it was because you were touched or hungry.

“You've been watching me? Stalker.” You unwrapped your burger and took a bite. He rolled his eyes at you.

“That's all you got? No ‘I love you, Johnny! You saved me from starving to death!’?”

“Thank you, Johnny. You saved me from starving to death.” You continued to eat your burger and looked Johnny dead in the eye.

“I think you got that first part wrong.” Johnny lifted his brows, expectantly. He wanted to hear the words ‘I love you, Johnny�� come out of your mouth. Fat chance.

“Mm,” You moaned exaggeratedly around your burger, making Johnny shift in his seat. “This is so good. It wiped my memory. Who are you again?”

Johnny chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Go eat your burger.”

A-choo!

You sneezed into a wad of tissue that you’d crumpled into your hand. You wiped your nose and stuffed it into your skirt pocket. There was a bug going around and you did everything in your power to keep it away from you. You took your vitamins, overloaded yourself with fruits and vegetables, stayed far away from anyone who tried to clear their throat.

And yet. It got you.

You sniffled miserably and went back to taking notes on the engine test Sue asked for. It was hard to focus when you had a pounding headache and a round of coughs threatening to spill out. Shake it off.

“You feeling okay, hon?” A gruff voice asked. You turned and saw the kind, worried eyes of Benjamin Grimm.

“I’m fine, Ben.” Your voice was hoarse.

“That runny nose and wad of tissues sticking out of your pocket says otherwise.” He pointed a finger down.

“That’s nothing.” You shoved your hand in your pocket and pushed everything down.

“If you say so.” He nudged your arm with his elbow. “Take it easy at least.”

You smiled gratefully. Ben looked rough and mean on the outside, piercing blue eyes and a mouth of a sailor to match. You were pretty intimidated by him when you were first introduced but you quickly learned that he was just a big sweetheart once you got to know him.

The two of you continued your work. Ben was helping you make sense of all the technical jargon. After a couple of minutes of note taking, your vision started to get hazy and you wobbled on your heels.

“Okay, let’s take a break.” Ben stated. He gripped your arm and gently pulled you down to a nearby chair. You wanted to protest but he cut you off. “No, no. Sit down. I’ll get you some water.”

You tried to call out to him but that round of coughs you were suppressing finally made itself known. When you were done, you sunk down in your chair. I hate this. You thought. God, you missed the days when your nose wasn’t clogged.

“Hey, so I stayed in last night. Crazy, I know. Who am I?” You groaned. Johnny was gonna rip you a new one. You sat up and put on the most “I’m not sick!” expression you could muster, even slapped your cheeks a few times to get some color back in them. Johnny strolled up, carefree as always. “Anyways, I watched that movie you were talking about last week and- whoa, wait.” He stopped in front of you. Johnny scanned your face with an intense gaze.

“Hi, Johnny.” You said, sweetly, but he just narrowed his eyes at you.

“What’s wrong?” He questioned.

“Nothing’s wrong. How was the movie?” You tried to distract him.

“No, no, no. You look pale.” Johnny put one hand on the back of your chair and bent down to be closer to you. Your face was heating up. You were going to chalk that up to the fever you were probably developing…and not because of his face so close to yours. “Did you forget to eat again?”

“I had lunch.”

“She’s sick!” You looked over Johnny’s shoulder and saw Ben coming back with a glass of water in hand.

“Ben!” You groaned.

“Sick?” Johnny immediately grabbed your face with both hands. “You’re burning up, sweetheart.” Johnny’s voice was soft. His thumb brushed your cheek with a featherlight touch. You leaned into his palm for a fraction of a second. Blame it on your flu-ridden brain.

“Johnny, it’s okay.” You matched his tone.

“What the hell are you doing here? Go home.” He gave you an incredulous look. He took one of his hands away from your face and reached back for the glass of water from Ben. “Drink.”

You took big gulps. You didn’t realize how dehydrated you’d become. “I’m not going home.”

“I’m taking you home.” Johnny put his hands on your forearms and pulled you up gently but firmly.

“You don’t know where I live, Johnny. And I’m not leaving.” You shook your head which was a big mistake. You felt light-headed again and wobbled. Johnny gripped you even tighter while glaring at you.

“Sue!” Ugh. You heard your boss’ heels clack behind you. You turned your head much slower this time. “Your assistant has the plague and refuses to go home.”

“The plague?” Sue raised a brow.

“He’s being dramatic.” You corrected him. Sue put the back of her hand to your forehead and tsk-ed.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve given you the day off.” She crossed her arms.

“We have so much to do.” Your argument was getting weaker every time.

“It can wait til tomorrow. Today, all I want you to do is to rest until you feel better.” She pointed at you.

“But-“

“No buts.”

Fight’s over.

“Fine.” You conceded with a pout.

“I’ll drive her home.” Johnny put an arm around your shoulder and guided you to a walking pace.

“Feel better, hon!” Ben called out to you. You waved back to him.

“Did you like the movie though?” You asked Johnny.

“Loved it.”

The copy machine was slower than usual today and you were getting impatient. You had a pile of 30-page reports that needed 4 copies by tomorrow morning and you were only at number 3. It didn’t help that you picked the wrong pair of heels today and they were pinching your toes. Never, ever wear pointy heels at work.

You fed another piece of paper through the machine and put your weight against it while you tried to alleviate some of the pain on your feet. You rolled your ankles a few times on each side while grabbing the warm piece of paper and placed it with the rest of the copies. That was the last of copy 3. You pulled out the original pages and started the process one last time.

Sighing, you put the first page in. You looked around the office. It was pretty empty at this time, but there were a few stragglers that you knew would start packing up soon. The machine whirred while you took a headcount of who was still here. John, William, Shelley, Johnny….

Wait.

Your eyes snapped back to your desk where a certain blonde was in his usual seat. A smile tugged on your lips and you may or may not have started speeding up your copying. Once the final page shot out onto the tray, you gathered all of your papers and walked back to your desk.

Johnny was mindlessly fiddling with the pens you kept in a mug on your desk. He had his back to you so you would be able to surprise him for once.

“I think people are starting to notice that you spend more time at my desk than you do at yours.” You giggled when he flinched.

“Well, the view here is much better than mine.” He recovered quickly and shot you an easy smile. You shook your head, letting the flirty comment wash over you.

You pulled out the puncher and punched holes through the reports. You opened your box of paper fasteners and started to arrange your copies into their respective folders. Sparing a glance at Johnny, you saw that he was tapping a beat on your desk with a pensive expression on his face.

“Is everything alright?” You asked.

“Why wouldn't it be?” Johnny tried to keep it light but you heard the edge in his voice.

“You're just…” You dragged, trying to find the right words. “Quieter than usual.”

“‘s been a long day.” He let out a long breath. Johnny’s brows furrowed and the corner of his lips turned downwards.

“I heard you went out into the field today.” You fastened the last report into its folder and gave Johnny your full attention.

“Keeping tabs on me?” A ghost of a smirk graced his lips.

“Part of the job.” You shrugged. “Did something happen?”

“I’m grounded.” Johnny said after a beat.

“What?”

“I’m not allowed to fly for a month.” He stopped his drumming and placed his palm flat on the wood.

“Why would they do that?” Johnny was one of the most competent pilots in the program. It made no sense to suspend him like this.

“You know that the new jets came in this week, right?” You nodded to answer his question. “Well, they asked me to test those bad boys. See how fast they’d go. And that’s what I did.”

“That doesn’t explain why they’d ground you though.” You tilted your head in confusion.

“Well, they only wanted me to go up to a certain speed but I knew they could go faster. I could go faster.”

“Did you?”

Johnny smiled, the first genuine one of the day. “I did. Going that fast. Nothing better than that. You just feel so…free.”

“That sounds amazing.” You couldn’t help but smile with him.

“It was. Until I landed.”

“What did they do?”

“Insubordination. That’s what they called it. The jet was fine, by the way. It was built to go that fast. The admiral just has a stick up his ass. I let him know that too.” Johnny said through gritted teeth, hand curling into a tight fist. You could see a flush of red on his cheeks and his breaths getting shallower.

“How long ‘till you can fly again?” You wanted to reach out and touch his hand but you held yourself back.

“A month.” He scoffed.

“Okay.” You sighed in relief. “You’ll still be able to join the launch.”

“Ha, they can try to replace me.” Johnny jabbed a finger on his chest. “They won’t find someone else.”

“Oh, I know. The team wouldn’t let that happen.” You paused. “Neither would I.”

Johnny’s eyes crinkled. “Going soft on me now, sweetheart?”

“Just cause you’re all mopey today.” You teased. “I am sorry, Johnny.”

“Ah, it‘s not your fault.” He waved a hand at you. You frowned.

“But you’re upset and you’re my friend so still. I’m sorry.” You rambled.

“I’m your friend?” He asked, sounding way too happy about it.

“I think so. Do you think we are?” Your voice got quiet, feeling shy all of a sudden.

“I do.” Johnny nodded.

A warm, fuzzy feeling came over you. You didn't know when it happened, but Johnny had become a staple in your life. It was so easy to talk to him. You found yourself drawn to him in a crowd, saving seats for each other every time there was an office-wide meeting. Then of course, you found yourself here on most days. Sitting at your desk, talking about everything and nothing. Some days, Johnny would just sit there and wait for you to finish working. He’d talk your ear off but you realized it was just to get you to stop working and go home.

Johnny was a friend. And a pretty good one at that.

“Do you wanna go get something to eat? I think we both need to get out of this place.” You logged off your computer and shut it down.

“Asking me out?”

“As a friend.” You gave him a pointed look.

“Uh-huh, sure.” He played along, nodding sarcastically. “Unfortunately, I’ve got plans tonight so I’m gonna need a raincheck on that.” A part of you was disappointed but you brushed it off.

“That’s okay. Next time?” You slung your bag over your shoulder.

“Next time. But, thank you.” Johnny locked eyes with you. “For listening.”

“Any time.” You smiled at him. “Ready to go?”

“You go ahead. I forgot something in my locker.”

“Okay, I’ll see you Monday?”

“Drive safe.”

You navigated out of the building and pushed the doors open. Fresh air filled your lungs, something you often take for granted after being in a stuffy office all day. The parking lot was fairly empty. You could see your own car a few rows down and spotted Johnny’s fire red convertible parked close to the door.

What you didn’t expect to see was the woman leaning against it.

You recognized her. She worked here too but in a different department. She didn’t pay you mind when you walked past, too caught up with finding something in her bag. You looked away before she could catch you staring but your brain was going a hundred miles an hour.

Did she know Johnny? Of course, she knows Johnny. Everyone knows him. What was she doing by his car? And most importantly…

Why was this bothering you so much?

Eventually, you made it to your car and started the engine. As you were pulling out of the driveway, you caught a glimpse of Johnny coming out of the building. In the rearview mirror, you watched him walk up to the woman, kiss her cheek, and open the passenger door for her.

You pulled your eyes away and focused on the road ahead. An uncomfortable feeling settled in your gut. You felt a little nauseous but you ignored it, just like you ignored the green-eyed monster that was slowly making itself known.

Whatever.

You were too busy to have a crush on anyone, anyways.

Much less on someone like Jonathan Storm.

next part > (to be continued)

#johnny storm x reader #johnny storm #fantastic four #fantastic four: first steps #joseph quinn #she speaks

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