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So Peter Parker, nerd with a camera who somehow gets all the girls, is Spiderman. Cool. Cool, that makes sense. Totally. (It does NOT make sense, but maybe if Johnny tells himself it makes sense enough times, he'll actually believe it.) They're sitting up at the edge of the Statue of Liberty, like he and Spidey sometimes do, and Spidey - again, just to recap, secretly Peter Parker all along - is sitting without his mask, proving once more that he really is secretly Spiderman. Somehow. Johnny's going to need at least 48 hours to really believe it. Both that someone as nerdy looking as Parker can somehow be Spiderman and that someone can be lucky enough to have as perfect a life as Spiderman's and Peter Parker's all in one.
But for the moment, Johnny decides he's going to just be in absolute disbelief of the Spiderman news. In the middle of Peter answering him about how he kicked butt and took pictures at the same time, Johnny decides that he needs to prove to himself just one more time that this is actually happening and Peter Parker really is Spiderman and this isn't all just one big prank. So he does what makes the most logical sense and pushes Peter off where they're both perched, just to watch him use his web shooters to catch himself and bring himself back up to the top.
"What was that for, Storm?" Peter asks, scowling at him when he sits back down again.
"Just double checking that you're really Spiderman," Johnny explains. He shrugs, unapologetic. "I'm still processing over here, Spidey. Parker. Spidey Parker."
"If I were going to lie about being a superhero, I'd say I was one of the ones who gets paid," Peter grumbles.
Which... Fair. "All right. No more pushing you off city landmarks. I'm still going to need a day or two, but I'll believe you. Oh man! Didn't you once lose Reed's internship for giving Peter Parker the access code? Except you were Peter Parker all along, so you didn't give away any secrets at all. Wait til Reed finds out about this one."
"Uh... Reed already knows, actually," Peter admits.
And it's one thing to get his world shaken to the core by finding out Spiderman's secret identity. It's one thing to suddenly find himself with one of the most highly valued secret identities in all of New York. New York's best kept secret and look at him. That's enough excitement for one day. So finding out that Reed of all people know before him? His poor heart almost can't take it. "Reed knew? Reed?! Oh, c'mon, Parker. Of all the FF members, you tell Reed first?"
"Science bro solidarity, Johnny!" he insists.
"Yeah, whatever. I'm not going to forget this one, Parker. You better not be in need of some unstable molecules or flames or a very handsome mechanic anytime soon, because I'm definitely going to say no," Johnny warns.
"Good thing I don't plan on needing any of those things anytime soon." Peter laughs.
"No one ever does," he says ominously, shaking his head. "And hey, I'm still totally mad at you, webhead, but if I know and if Reed knows... maybe you could come by for dinner sometime. You can chat with Reed about science, I can take a look at the Spider-mobile again. Franklin loves Spidey for some weird reason, so he'd be over the moon to meet you."
"Well... I probably shouldn't keep telling everyone my secret identity, even six year old boys, but... Yeah. Dinner sounds great, Johnny. Thanks for the invite."
***
Having Spiderman as Peter Parker over for dinner is a very strange experience. Johnny's still used to the friendly rivalry he and Spidey have, which feels like kind of a dick move knowing that he's the same person as Peter Parker, who he's also been kind of a dick to in the past, and that apparently has envied him for a long time over all the things he has. Johnny doesn't often try to be on his best behavior, but this definitely falls under one of those times. Of course, best behavior for him is probably still something that could be very much improved on him. But at least it's something, he supposes.
Peter shows up right on time, dressed in his civvies and looking just as nerdy as Johnny remembered him. Since finding out the big secret, he'd wondered if maybe he was misremembering what Peter looks like. Surely, Parker wasn't actually as soft and breakable looking as Johnny remembered him. His head had been playing tricks with him. But no, here he is, face to face with Peter Parker actually as Peter Parker for the first time since finding out the secret and Peter looks every bit like Johnny remembers him. Like he'd fit in much better in Reed's lab than hanging out with Johnny.
Reed actually does welcome him into the apartment with open arms, probably excited for someone to geek out about his latest experiments with. Franklin just interrupts their pleasantries to barrel straight into Peter's legs and stare up at him eagerly. They'd told Franklin that Peter is Spiderman's personal photographer, which is technically true, but apparently, even that is enough get Franklin excited. One would think living with a superhero team would have made Franklin less likely to hero worship any other vigilantes to this extent, but nope. Franklin is definitely head over heels in love with Spiderman.
"Is it true you know Spiderman?" he asks, looking up at Peter with big, eager eyes.
"Yup." Peter, to his credit, doesn't look completely freaked out about the child hanging off him, like Johnny probably would in his shoes. "I told him I was coming over to meet you and he was pretty excited to hear about his biggest fan. He gave me this for you."
From his pocket, Peter pulls out an old Spidey mask, signed in Sharpie along the back, and hands it to Franklin. Damn. Johnny has to admit he's good. If he's this charming with the ladies, no wonder he'd always gotten so many girls Johnny had wanted to chase after. Franklin is staring at the thing in wonder, looking as though he doesn't believe he's really holding a piece of Spiderman's uniform in his hands. He probably doesn't.
"This is awesome!" he finally squeals. "Thanks, Mr. Peter! And tell Spidey I say thanks too!"
He puts it on immediately. It's adorably big on him, but Franklin doesn't seem to mind as he goes to run around the apartment, hopping around on couches to feel more like a real Spiderman. Poor Sue has to chase around near him, putting out force fields to catch him whenever he gets a little too brave with one of his jumps. And if it's not Sue catching him, then it's one of Reed's stretched out arms, a sight which Johnny will never not find hilarious. He goes over and gives Peter a friendly pat on the back.
"Well, if your plan was to make my nephew like you more than me, I think you've officially succeeded," Johnny informs him.
Peter chuckles and shrugs, as sheepish as Johnny has always remembered Parker being. "I just figured he'd like it and it was laying around gathering dust anyway. Much better in his hands than mine."
"I'll fist fight you for the favorite uncle title. Don't think I won't," he warns, but leaves it at that, because he's mostly joking. Mostly.
Peter, unfortunately, seems to take that as a sign to be as obnoxious as possible and spends all dinner telling Franklin every cool story of behind the scenes Spiderman he can think of. By the end of it, Franklin looks like he’s just about ready to pack everything up and move in with Peter. So much for favorite uncle. Just after dinner, while Reed and Sue get the kids to bed, Johnny gathers up all the dishes with Peter.
“Franklin’s a lost cause, but at least let Val still me as her favorite? You’ve gotta give me something to work with here, Parker!” Johnny insists.
“I’ll lay back a bit. It’s just fun!" Peter shrugs. "You’re so easy to rile up.”
“Yeah. Some people would say I’m a bit of a hot head.” Johnny winks when he says that, just to make sure they're both aware that he knows exactly how terrible a joke it is.
At least Peter laughs. "Oh, man. I'm supposed to be the one that makes terrible jokes, not you! Don't go and steal Spiderman's brand, Storm."
"Maybe I should! As payback for stealing my nephew," he threatens.
When everything is gathered up, he takes it to the kitchen to rinse off in the sink. Peter follows close behind, still laughing at his terrible pun. He wasn't going to make their guest help with the cleaning up, but hey, Johnny's certainly not going to reject the help. So he puts everything down in the sink and gets the water running while he puts away some of the things still cluttering the counter. Peter rolls his sleeves up so he can wash off some of the plates. It's then that Johnny spots it, the soul mark just below Peter's elbow. It's a small, intricate collection of interlocking circles and shapes, and would probably seem complicated and unmemorable to most. Except Johnny recognizes it very well. After all, he has an identical mark in the same spot and has seen it every day of his life.
The polite thing to do when discovering one's soulmate is to point it out and show each other the marks and then go off to get coffee or champagne and celebrate while getting to know each other. What Johnny does is stutter out a halfhearted excuse about needing to use the bathroom and then runs off to find Sue. He nearly runs straight to her in his haste as he rounds the corner full speed.
"Sis! I need big sister advice. Urgent." He grabs her shoulder and steers her towards his bedroom, because he doesn't want anyone overhearing.
Sue stares at him, not all too amused at being dragged around like that. "You'd better have a good excuse for that."
"I do. The best excuse actually. Parker just rolled his sleeves up out there and..." Johnny's not really sure what to say, so he just rolls his own sleeve up and gestures to the twin mark on his own arm.
It gets the message across, it seems, because Sue's eyes widen. "Really?" she asks, reaching out and running her fingers along his skin. "And you thought the best course of action was to run away? Oh, Johnny."
"What else was I supposed to do?" he exclaims.
"For starters, tell him the truth. I thought you of all people would be excited. You love any excuse to charm people," she points out.
Johnny sighs. That's true and as a child, he'd always hoped that his future soulmate would be a romantic match. Sure, friends were good and the deep friendship of platonic soulmates is something plenty of people would love to have, but Johnny's always been a bit of a romantic at heart. In his head, finding his soulmate was often accompanied by him immediately pulling out all his charm and sweeping this person off their feet. Instead, he'd ran off to hide and dragged his sister along with him for moral support. Perhaps not his best moment.
"I don't know. Of all people, I didn't expect it to be Peter Parker. And of all people I expected Spidey to be, I didn't think that would be Peter Parker either. I need more time to prepare mentally!" he explains.
"Well, you don't have it," she says, pushing him back out into the hallway and guiding him back to the kitchen. "Peter, my brother here has something he needs to tell you. I'll leave you boys to it."
And with that, she disappears, seemingly content to ignore the way Johnny is glaring at the back of her head. She'd probably gotten a bit too used to it during their teenage years, unfortunately. Maybe next time they get involved in some time travel mess, he'll find his teenage self and warn him not to overdue the glares, so they won't lose their edge. For now, though, he just has to deal with this all. He feels painfully awkward, just standing there while Peter stares at him expectantly, and once again, he can't find the words, so he simply rolls his sleeves up and show Peter the mark.
Peter probably recognizes it just as quickly as Johnny had, but he looks back and forth between his own arm and Johnny's for a moment, struck by disbelief. "Oh."
"Yeah. Who'd have thought, huh?" Johnny says, chuckling awkwardly and hoping that Doom will attack at any given moment so they have something else to focus on instead of this.
Unfortunately, no Doom Bots come falling from the sky to attack the building. It's just him and Parker, standing in a heavy silence and wondering what one's supposed to say after finding out, after years of knowing each other, that they've been soulmates all along. It's a very specific situation to suddenly find oneself in, not one that anyone had ever bothered giving Johnny any advice or frame of reference on. Peter doesn't seem to be faring any better, at least. He pulls up a chair from the breakfast bar and goes to sit down.
"Well. This is certainly a new development," he says. Johnny doesn't even make fun of him for stating the obvious, something Peter should be very grateful for. Not that Peter pauses long enough to let him do so. He continues, "How do you feel about it?"
"How do I feel about it? Well, jeez, Parker, I was sort of wondering the same about you," Johnny says. And yeah, trust Peter to be the polite kind who enquires about his feelings first instead of giving him anything to work with. Johnny's signature moves all rely on molding himself to the other person. Something that doesn't work very well when Peter's reaction is so subdued.
Peter shrugs. "I mean... It's crazy. Of course it is. Meeting soulmates is always overwhelming and confusing. But you're Johnny Storm. You're one of the world's most famous bachelors, kind of infamously a playboy. I'm just... you know. Broke vigilante by night, nerdy and equally broke grad student by day. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think about you, is it?"
"I mean... There's still people who have platonic soulmates and aren't settled down," Johnny points out and then immediately regrets it.
"Yeah." Peter winces. "Is that what you're hoping? Which is, you know, totally fine. Just wondering."
"No! I mean, I don't know. I kind of wasn't prepared for all this. Everyone always talks about meeting their soulmate while they're still perfect strangers, so this whole 'we've known each other for years, but I just found out your name and hey, surprise, you're my soulmate' thing is a little jarring." He sighs.
"Yeah... Listen, no hard feelings. We can figure it out. I think right now we both need a little time to process and decompress, so how about I head home and we text later?" Peter suggests.
Johnny feels like the biggest dick in the world, but he nods. He escorts Peter out the door and double checks that he has his number, then goes to finish up cleaning from dinner. He's sure it's completely a coincidence that the rest of the team is sitting veeery quietly in the living room, perfect eavesdropping territory, and avoid eye contact with him when he enters. Johnny grumbles a bit as he tosses himself on the couch for some melodramatic sulking, as usual.
"You guys are the worst. I was clearly floundering! You couldn't even give me a hand?" he whines.
"Y'were the post-dinner entertainment. I didn't wanna interrupt," Ben explains. To his credit, he doesn't even flinch when Johnny throws a fireball in his direction, already used to it.
Sue chastises him for fire inside the apartment, but also says, "For what it's worth, I think it went pretty well, Johnny."
"Pretty well." He snorts. As if. He doesn't buy that. "If by pretty well you mean, could have been much more of a disaster, then sure, it went pretty well."
"Well, you know what they say. First, do no harm," Reed points out.
God. Johnny really needs to look into getting his own apartment because this whole place? Totally killing his vibes. And right now the last thing he needs is his vibes being killed.
***
A few days later, Johnny still doesn't feel particularly good about any of this, which is... a shame. He'd hoped it was all just initial panic and after a good night's rest, he'd figure out some way to handle this with all his usual charm. But no, 72 hours later and he's just as unsure as when this had all started. Sue had been insisting since the first night that the best thing to do is to just talk to Peter and right now, Johnny's starting to suspect she might have been right. Unfortunately. Johnny might love going in unprepared and winging everything when it has to do with a mission, but when it comes to wooing and seducing people? Unprepared is not at all Johnny's style.
The whole flustered aesthetic might work for some people, but not Johnny. Still, the longer it's been, the more awkward it feels, so he just bites the bullet and decides to figure the rest out on the way. He sends Peter a message asking to meet up and drives there like a normal person, despite the urge to show up flying and in full Fantastic Four gear, like some sort of armor. It would have been the only bit of confidence he has, but Peter vetoes that with the, admittedly very good, argument that it would raise too many questions about Peter's identity.
So there he is, going up the stairs like a normal person and knocking and the door and waiting to be let in and wearing the simplest hoodie he could find. A far cry from how Johnny usually goes out, all done up in as nice as he can find and in some sort of Fantastic Four gear or another, so he can attract as much attention towards him as possible. This is like being in a whole new world. It doesn't make it any easier to accept this new, bonded for life in some way or another with Peter Parker thing. Johnny's doing his best to be optimistic about the whole thing, but boy is it hard.
He knocks on Peter's door once he finally gets to his door and waits impatiently to be let in. Unsurprisingly, Johnny's been a bit on edge about this whole thing. When Peter peeks his head out the door frame, Johnny quite impatiently pushes the rest of the way in. "Hey. So. I realize this is mostly my fault for defaulting on all my expert ghosting techniques, but we should probably talk about this."
"Yeah... Look, I know this isn't exactly ideal or what you had in mind, but... I mean, it doesn't have to mean anything. For all we know, it could just be a reference to us teaming up as supers or something," Peter says.
He's very much Peter Parker right now, awkward and unsure of himself, without the confident ease Johnny's come to expect from Spiderman. Not surprising either, considering how Johnny's been acting lately. He's not aiming to be known as the most polite member of the Fantastic Four anytime soon, but he knows he's been a bit childish. "Listen, I've been a dick. It was just a lot all at once, you know? Spiderman is Peter Parker, Peter Parker is my soulmate, Spiderman is my soulmate. Lots to process all at once, but I shouldn't have given you the cold shoulder either."
"Hey, getting the cold shoulder from a guy on fire is pretty impressive, I think," Peter says, nudging Johnny's arm amicably as he walks past him to sit on a rickety couch.
"Oh, man," Johnny groans. "There's the bad jokes Spidey I'm used to. I was starting to miss him."
“He tends to only come out when I’m wearing spandex from head to toe,” Peter explains.
Johnny nods in understanding as he sits next to Peter on the couch. “You know, I never understood how you could go around with a mask on. I never look better than in all the saving the world action shots. You’d probably have everyone in the city going gaga over you if your costume had no mask on it. I mean, look at this fluffy hair.”
Peter’s reflexes win this time, letting him duck out of the way before Johnny can successfully ruffle up his hair. But Johnny does notice that he is blushing, so he counts it as a win anyway. Peter shrugs. “It would be dangerous to anyone around me if my identity is public. Besides, I’m way too busy between grad school and superheroing to have a relationship.”
“I guess it’s not so easy when it’s not a full time job,” Johnny agrees. He’d never had to think about that, which he supposes is an example of one of the ways he’d gotten very lucky in this whole superhero business.
"Nope. My bank account is practically begging me to hop onto the state sponsored superhero business, but... well, my morals have won out so far," Peter explains, shrugging.
"You're really the full package when it comes to a hero, huh? Brave, handsome, funny, and morally upstanding," Johnny observes. And he says it as a joke, but really, he's impressed. If he didn't have his sister and the Fantastic Four's steady supply of money, he's not so sure that he'd be as noble about the whole gig as Peter is. In fact, he's pretty sure that he wouldn't be.
Peter laughs and teases, "You coming onto me, Storm?"
"Actually..." Johnny clears his throat uncomfortably and shifts uncomfortably on Peter's sofa. He's not used to feeling awkward when it comes to things like asking people out on dates, but here he is. "That's sort of what I came here for. I wanted to ask you out. Not all soulmates are romantic and maybe we're not, but I want to at least give it a try. See what happens and see if we work better as friends or partners. If you're up for it."
"Oh. I guess I just figured I'm not really your type. But... yeah. That would be nice. I'd love to go out some time, Johnny. I bet you know every trick in the book to woo a little spider off his feet, huh?" Peter asks, chuckling.
"Oh, yeah. Totally. Prepare to be wowed, Spiderman. Like never before." In reality, Johnny has absolutely no idea what he's going to do, but he'll figure it out later. For now, he just hopes enough fake charm will hide how dubious he feels. He grabs a sticky note from among the mess on Peter's coffee table and jots his phone number down. "Send me a text from your non superhero phone. I'll reach out with plans once I have them. Sound good?"
"Sure. Did you come to my apartment just to ask me out, Johnny?" Peter asks, eyeing him up curiously.
Johnny shrugs as he stands up, which is answer enough on its own. "Maybe. I'm more handsome in person than in text. Don't make weekend plans, okay? I'll text you."
And with that, Johnny leaves - out the front door again, despite how badly he wants to flame on and disappear through the window so he can speed back to the relative safety of Baxter Building. He feels like the biggest idiot in the world and he's sure that Peter thinks so, too, but that evening, he receives a message from Peter with a heart emoji, which is definitely a good sign, right? (And analyzing emojis is definitely a sign something's gone wrong in Johnny's life, but here they are anyway.)
***
As it turns out, planning a date between two superheroes, particularly when one of them is famous and the other keeps his secret identity under wraps, is very, very difficult. First of all, Peter is only available during the most ridiculous of hours because of his class, work, and patrolling schedules. Then there's Peter's worry of the attention that being spotted with Johnny might get him and his ever present paranoia that someone will connect the dots and figure out who he is. That combined with Peter's general distaste of New York nightlife means that Johnny's usual plan of taking dates out for fancy dinners then a night of clubbing will definitely not work.
Johnny is very, very out of his depth here. He's not sure he buys this whole soulmate thing, if the universe saw fit to make his soulmate someone he feels so awkward around, instead of one of the many women he can charm without so much as lifting a finger. When he expresses those doubts to his sister, she says it's probably just because he's not used to caring so much and that it's more likely a sign that he really does feel deeply for Peter, even if he doesn't realize it yet. Johnny thinks that's just what they tell themselves to justify being awkward messes all the time. Still, though, even if she definitely has a completely wrong outlook on the world and awkwardness between soulmates, he has to admit that she can be helpful, because she arranges a private dinner for him and Peter on one of the restaurants in the lower floors of Baxter Building, so they can get together and have a proper date without some superhero paparazzi plastering pictures of him and Peter all over the next morning's tabloids.
It's also very helpful, as it makes Johnny's trip to the restaurant as simple as just getting on an elevator, which means he has plenty of time to change outfits several times and second guess everything he's doing. He's changed pants three times and shirts at least double that, not to mention how long he's spent fussing over his hair, until Sue storms (ha!) into his room to put an end to it.
"Johnny, this outfit looks just as good as all the ones before it. Not to mention, you already tried it on about four outfits ago," she insists, pulling him away from his mirror and putting her hands on his shoulders. "You look great. Peter already knows you, anyway. He knows what you look like all dressed up and he knows what you look like banged up and disgusting after a battle. And he still agreed to come meet you for a date. Not to mention he's your soulmate. It'll be fine, I promise. Just stop fussing and go be yourself."
"Ugh, are you giving me the same pep talk you'd give Franklin if he was going on a playdate with fellow kindergarteners? Come on, Sue, have a little respect for me," Johnny complains, though he does thoroughly appreciate the support. He just has a reputation to keep.
Sue can see right through him as always and just rolls her eyes, instead of taking any offence to it. She straightens out his collar and pushes him out his bedroom door. "Go. You'll be late."
Johnny checks the time and shit, he really is about to be late, which is ridiculous, considering how nearby he is. Thankfully, he still gets there before Peter, who arrives some ten minutes after they'd agreed upon, looking out of breath and flustered. Johnny has to admit it's kind of adorable. He tries to get up to pull out Peter's chair for him, be a gentleman and all that, but Peter is too fast for him and plops himself down on a chair with a long sigh before Johnny can even stand up.
"Hey. I'm so sorry I'm late. I left my apartment on time, I swear, but then I saw someone getting mugged on my way here and I had my suit on anyway, so I couldn't just leave them, and then I forgot where I'd hid my civilian clothes and then..." Peter trails off with another sigh. "Well, I'm here now."
"Late to a first date because you just had to stop and save someone. God, you really are the perfect superhero, aren't you?" Johnny laughs. He's glad he's not the insecure type, or he would definitely feel morally inferior anytime he spends time around Peter. Which will, hopefully, be a rather common occurrence.
Peter shrugs. "With great power and all that. It's not a big deal. Anyone would do it."
"I'm not so sure about that. I think we're lucky you're the one who got bit by that spider and not just some regular guy," Johnny says. And then, after seeing how Peter glances at the waiter, lingering nearby for whenever they're ready to order, he adds, "My sister definitely made sure everyone here had to sign about a million non-disclosure agreements, don't worry."
"Right..." Peter nods slowly. "I guess you've never had to even think twice about any of this, huh?"
"It was already pretty high profile when we went into space, so I don't think we could have ever hidden this from the world, even if we wanted to. Never thought much about it, I guess. It must be nice, to be able to turn it off sometimes," he notes.
"It is. I like not having to always be Spiderman. Though it would also be nice to get a little more appreciation. Or a paycheck from time to time," Peter laments, sighing.
"Yeah..." Now, Johnny definitely lives more than comfortably now, and maybe that combined with the fame does sometimes make him come off a little disconnected from the world, but he does remember perfectly well what things were like after his father disappeared, when it was just him and Sue trying to get by. Sue had always tried to make it so Johnny didn't even feel any of the hardships, but he wasn't blind. He knew things hadn't always been easy. It's why he knows to be careful with what he says next, frowning a bit and juggling different alternatives over in his mind. "You know, Peter... The team's not really looking for a fifth member, but we do have resources for more than just the four of us. And plenty of space here in the building, too. If you ever need anything - superhero stuff or even just a place to crash or something to eat when things get too much - this place is always open."
"Thanks, Johnny, but I can't ask that from you. I get by on my own," Peter promises.
Johnny nods, quickly, lest Peter get the wrong idea and end up offended and this whole date ends up a disaster. "I know that. I just... Want you to know that you don't have to just get by on your own. Not if you don't want to."
"That's... Thanks. That's sweet. But if we're going to give a relationship a proper try, and I do want to, I don't think it's best to start off with one of us feeling like he owes the other anything like that. You know?" Peter shrugs a bit.
"I know. But I'd offer to help even if we weren't soulmates. I think you're pretty great, Spiderman. I guess I don't always show it in the best way," Johnny admits.
"Pretty great, huh?" Peter repeats, smirking up at him. Johnny recognizes it as more a way to change the subject than anything else, but he plays along with it, for Peter's sake. "Tell me more about how I'm pretty great. I normally just hear about how I'm a menace to the city."
"Eh, I think Jameson would say that about me and the other three, too, if we hadn't gotten lucky enough to be rich and mostly government approved. Don't listen to him. This city loves you," Johnny insists.
"Well... Doesn't always feel like it. But thanks, Johnny. It is nice to hear every once in a while," Peter agrees, nodding.
Most of dinner is spent similarly, exchanging stories about the superhero life with all its ups and downs. Peter has more horror stories than Johnny when it comes to things like other New Yorkers or authorities interrupting his patrolling, but Johnny would like to think he does for pretty solid competition when it comes to talking about the worst villains they've had to face. After all, Doom always makes for great stories after battle.
Johnny enjoys their time together more than he expected. Part of him is still reeling about Spidey and Peter being the same person and even more so about them being soulmates and having spent so long around each other without knowing, but know it's more of a subdued shock than the rampant disbelief it was before. It's too early to say it to even himself and definitely too early to say it to Peter, but Johnny thinks he might soon be able to see some sense to it all. Maybe even as more than just platonic soulmates.
(But then again, maybe that's just Johnny's ever romantic streak talking. He'll wait at least a few weeks before starting to come up with dramatic declarations of love.)
***
Unsurprisingly, a relationship between two superheroes is one where both of them are busy a large amount of time. If Peter has a few days off from work and his lectures, Johnny will be halfway across the galaxy fighting aliens. And when Johnny has a break from saving the universe, Peter will usually have some huge paper due or need to get some good pictures of himself in action for the Bugle. Texting is always their safest bet and even then, some days they only get a few messages across because they don't even have time to check their phones.
Still, Johnny supposes he's glad that this is a problem Peter has as well, so he doesn't have to deal with an angry civilian who doesn't understand the time constraints of the job. At least with Peter, when half a week goes by without any contact, they both just laugh it off and show off scars from whatever super villain they'd been fighting. It's definitely not conventional and it definitely makes things a little more complicated, but somehow, Johnny can't imagine doing things any differently between them. It's what he'd once imagined he might have had with Crystal, if they hadn't had all the extra baggage between them from coming from two different worlds.
But Peter isn't Crystal. He's not an Inhuman Royal, he doesn't have to disappear to fulfill a duty to his people, he doesn't have any hangups about Johnny being human. He's Peter Parker, attractive nerd in graduate school with an old camera working for an awful boss at the Bugle. But also, he's Spiderman, responsible for saving countless people countless times and one of the most annoyingly morally upstanding heroes out there. It's still a bit jarring in Johnny's mind to think of them as the same person, but it's no longer so impossible to conceive it. Somehow, it makes sense now. Of course the down on his luck graduate student is Spiderman. Of course Spiderman is a morally upstanding nerd in a shitty Queens apartment. It makes such perfect sense now, he's not sure how he hadn't figured it out earlier.
He makes the mistake of talking about this with Sue, who just gives him a few meaningful glances and tells him he's starting to fall in love, with the same proud older sister tone of voice she'd used during all of his milestones growing up after they'd lost Dad. Johnny doesn't necessarily think it's untrue, but he does bristle at the suggestion, with the same sort of annoyed embarrassment as when he'd been a teenager. Still, he has a feeling she's not entirely wrong and he can't help but consider it while flying around the city in search of Peter one late night - early morning, really, because Peter patrols at absurd hours.
He finds Peter perched upon a building, looking as dramatic as ever in his suit, and he goes to land next to him. They haven't seen each other in a few days, both caught up with their superhero duties, so even though they've only recently started to officially date and refer to each other as boyfriends, Johnny can't help but tug him closer and pull Peter's mask up enough to give him a kiss. Maybe Peter doesn't feel at all like Johnny does, they haven't talked nearly enough about feelings, and maybe Johnny's just making a fool of himself, but nothing's ever felt quite as right as coming back to Peter after a few days away. Like coming home. (Like, admittedly, what Johnny thinks the deep, true love between soulmates must feel like.)
Peter kisses him back, but lets out a grumble when he pulls back. "You know, Johnny, when you come in flames blazing like that, you're pretty much announcing to every criminal within three blocks that I'm up here. What if I was trying to bust up some secret meeting or something?"
"Then I melt all their tires while they try to drive away. Simple," Johnny answers, shrugging.
"Always a simple answer with you." Peter laughs. "Good to see you're back from outer space. I tried to take the Spider Mobile out for a spin and wound up crashing into a gargoyle without my trusty copilot."
Johnny stares at him for a minute, trying to discern whether it's true or not, but it's always hard to tell through the mask. "...seriously?"
Thankfully, Peter just bursts into laughter again. "No, but your face was great. I'd never risk ruining a perfectly good gargoyle. Those are definitely my favorite city landmarks."
"I'm more partial to bodegas myself. But, hey, I'm glad no gargoyles were destroyed in my absence," Johnny says.
"Your flying in probably scared away all the petty criminals in the area. Want to get some late night food while you tell me everything about your trip to outer space? Because I'm still totally jealous," Peter says, tugging the rest of his mask down once more and using his web shooters to start heading out of the roof.
Johnny follows behind him as he swings along. "Where do you even keep your wallet? That suit is skintight."
"Oh, you're definitely paying," Peter corrects.
His mask wrinkles up in a way that probably means he just winked, but Johnny can never be sure. Johnny rolls his eyes, which is probably also hard to spot behind all the flames. "Of course I am. Well, what does my knight on shining web slingers want for a late night snack?"
"Buy me a falafel wrap and I'll love you for the rest of our lives," Peter promises.
It's clearly a joke, but hits a little close to home anyway, so Johnny changes the subject before he can put his foot in his mouth. "You should come next time. On our next space mission, I mean."
Peter nearly misses the next building he aims at from how flustered he gets. "Seriously? I would love that! It's not fair that some heroes get to travel all over the galaxy while some of us are busy here busting up drug deals."
"Well, consider yourself one of those heroes who travels around the galaxy from now on," Johnny promises.
He should definitely have talked to Reed before pretty much offering Peter a pseudo spot on the team, but Peter looks so happy, he can't even bother to feel bad about it. Plus, when they go back to a secluded rooftop with their food later, Peter kisses him a dozen times, between his excited babble about stars and planets and space travel, which is definitely the most adorable thing Johnny's ever seen in his life. And yeah, he's starting to fall in love with Peter, if he's not already in love. And nope, he's definitely not going to admit that to Sue soon, because she'll never let him hear the end of it. But here on a rooftop hearing Peter get excited about outer space? Yeah, he's happy to admit it to just himself here.
***
Taking Peter to space was maybe not Johnny's best idea. Not because Peter doesn't enjoy it. He does. Johnny's pretty sure he's never seen Peter so excited about anything. Only, the sort of missions that take the Fantastic Four into outer space tend to be more dangerous than the average criminal Spiderman takes down while on patrol and seeing Peter fighting with them makes Johnny very, very nervous. It's not as though they haven't fought together before, but Johnny now spends half his time looking over his shoulder to make sure Peter is okay and finding excuses to fight closer to Peter so he can be nearby to provide backup when needed.
It's probably a bit pathetic and Sue definitely spends half the time giving him knowing looks, but Johnny doesn't care, because Peter makes it back home safe and sound and without so much as a singe mark on his suit. (Okay, fine, maybe one tiny burned piece of his suit, but because Johnny had gone to grab his shoulder while still flamed on, not because he'd gotten hurt.) And Johnny's absolute relief when they're finally home and he knows Peter is safe and in the clear... Yeah, he knows he's utterly in love and that there won't be any coming back from this. Maybe this whole soulmate thing is onto something, because Johnny would have never in a million years even considered going after someone like Peter Parker, but here he is.
While the rest of the team is changing out of their uniforms and taking their post mission showers, Johnny drags Peter over to his own quarters and gives him a big hug. He feels a little pathetic, being so caught up and nervous over nothing at all, but he can't help it. This is probably just what being grown up and in love feels like. "I'm glad you're okay. You gave me kind of a scare there, getting caught up in alien crossfire."
"Pfft, give me alien crossfire over a couple of riled up Queens thugs anyday," Peter jokes. "I was fine the whole time, really. But it's sweet to see that you care."
"I do care. A lot. I think I'm in love with you, Petey," Johnny admits. His ears feel hot, but it's definitely because of his powers and not because he's blushing.
"I know," he answers.
Totally not what a guy wants to hear when he's just confessed his love to someone. Johnny frowns a bit. "You definitely know how to mess with someone's confidence..."
"It's a Star Wars reference, you big doofus," Peter laughs. He leans up and gives Johnny a quick peck. "I love you, too. Even if you are an annoying jock sometimes."
"Better an annoying jock than a big nerd, you nerd," Johnny scoffs.
And yeah, he would have never thought about giving Peter Parker or Spiderman a chance, but he's glad he did. No one's really quite sure what sort of higher power or strange forces of the universe are at play in bringing soulmates together, but when Johnny inevitably meets them in some sort of wacky alien adventure, he's going to make sure he buys them a drink for bringing him together with his little Queens nerd.