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For once, the hothead blond was quiet, fidgeting against the brick wall as he waited. This was one of the most reckless ideas he'd ever followed through with and he was John Storm: the king of reckless ideas.
He'd seen Victor chase his sister for years. It was annoying more than anything, honestly. At least Johnny knew when to drop it… usually after being slammed into a wall or three. But never years. He kind of preferred the red carpets and fame to real romance anyway, if anyone actually bothered to ask. It was way easier to just put on a smiling face and bask in that superficial adoration than try to summon up the emotional energy for a real connection. It was simpler to be Johnny the Disaster. Johnny the Airhead. Johnny the Accidental Homewrecker because he was horrendously easy to lead on.
So, when he'd received an encrypted message that his brother-in-law had immediately cracked and confiscated, of course Johnny had flown off in a huff to follow the directions.
It was a difficult pattern to break after every lecture Reed screamed at him.
Johnny hugged himself, tightening the leather jacket around him. Oh, he was not used to this kind of anxiety not being immediately waved away by a distraction. But… Doom. He'd been pranking and fighting against Victor since he was, well, a kid. He'd always been a figure of animosity in Johnny's life.
A politely-worded invitation to meet with a romantic leaning was a little out of left field.
"Richards did not frighten you off. Interesting."
Johnny turned toward the dark part of the alley, not for the first time impressed by the imposing figure in dull metal and billowing green.
"Uh… yeah. Um…" He shook himself. "Victor, what the hell is this about?"
Doom's helm was unreadable as he advanced on the lithe pyromancer.
God, why did Victor have to constantly go out of his way to be a walking enigma? It was so frustrating!
"Can I not request a pleasant conversation with an old friend?" asked the villain, extending a gauntleted right hand. Johnny recoiled.
"Seriously? 'Old friend?' Spit it out, Victor!"
They eyed each other for a moment, Johnny struggling not to start steaming.
"You were never one for proper pleasantries nor conversation," said Doom, arm still outstretched. "I have had an epiphany that came to me during our last confrontation."
Johnny crossed his arms, trying not to think about the bruises on his back from the Doombots. "So? What's it got to do with me?"
"It was deeply upsetting to see you struck."
Johnny balked. "Come again?"
Victor towered over the slighter man, palm still up in a gesture of neutrality. "When you collided with one of the-"
"Let me correct that!" Johnny interjected. "You mean when you sent one of your bots to spray foam on me and knock me out of the sky. Continue."
Lordy, he wished that he could read the mask…. or at least see Victor's eyes.
"As I was saying," continued the villain. "When you were… incapacitated and hit the ground, I found myself… concerned… for your welfare."
Johnny merely stared at him, mouth slightly ajar.
"No."
"Storm-"
Johnny held up both hands, looking anywhere but Victor, backing away. "I am… not doing this! This is…" He abruptly turned on his heel, igniting just enough to skim the ground before a firm grip on his collar yanked him back down. An arm coated in metal and stronger than steel locked him in a chokehold, not even acknowledging the fact that Johnny was now fully on fire.
Guess that Reed wasn't the only one who was good at making everything fireproof.
The flames fizzled out as Johnny saw black spots in his vision, going limp as he struggled to breathe. The arm around his throat loosened, a heavy, metal hand coming to rest on his forehead, jerking his skull back with the other arm securely around his chest.
"Are you finished?"
Johnny held very still, shocked into silence.
"Your emotional outbursts responses are going to get you killed," Doom muttered. "Really, have you learned nothing from your life?"
Johnny clung to the arm, vaguely wondering if he could fit his fingers between the plates of the armor long enough to burn. Victor shook him.
"Whatever nonsensical thing is going on in that head of yours, let it go. I know you, Storm. Drop it and listen." Doom held out the hand not securing Johnny, casting a portal to his throne room. The pyromancer dug his heels into the pavement.
"You're seriously going to add more kidnapping to your supervillain sheet?" he hissed.
"Diplomatic immunity."
Johnny's shoulder slammed heavily into the carpet and stone as Doom shoved him through. He glared up at Victor, huffing as the portal disappeared.
Well… he was in for a long flight fi he could break out.
"The hell do you want?"
Victor sighed, waving the bots away, every door locking behind them. Johnny let his forehead drop into the crook of his arm in an anemic attempt to hide.
This is why the other three in the team had the rule of "no one fights Doom alone."
And Johnny had broken it.
"You are a stubborn, ridiculous hothead, John Storm. All will be made clear if you would just stay still and listen!"
Johnny flinched heavily as the final word rang down like thunder. Why did it always come down to stuff that he was lousy at?
"You are well aware of my… intentions for your sister. I thought that it was love. Apparently, it is obsession. I needed a target. Sue was… too good to pass up." Victor took a knee beside the smaller man, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I have felt… nothing when Sue falls. Not for years. Nothing at all. And yet you fell…"
Johnny curled up tightly into a ball. "You finally moved on from my sister? Good. You've been mooning over her since I was ten. Throw a fricken parade…" He instinctively threw an arm up over his head as Victor loomed over him.
"Charming, but not the point," Doom said in a much quieter voice. "Johnny, I have misled myself for years. Do you understand? Years. If you would permit me, I would like to court you."
"Like you 'courted' Sue?"
Doom's wheezing chuckle echoed above him. "No, nothing like Sue. That was not courting. That was…" He sighed. "That was cruelty. I told you: it was not love. But I believe what I feel for you is affection."
Johnny slowly unfurled himself, blinking up at the expressionless mask. He could almost see the glint off an eye through the slits.
"Don't do that. Don't start this again, Victor!"
Doom patted Johnny's jacket lightly. "You would not even give me a chance?"
The hero sat up, a white-hot stab of anger flickering over his face. "You put my head through a wall, dude! More than one! You've almost killed me. Okay? I've almost died way too many times. Cause of death: you, Victor!" He began hyperventilating, comprehending Doom's meaning for the first time that night. "Now you want to ask me on a damn date? What is your deal, Doom?"
Victor sat down fully, taking Johnny's hands in his. "To put it bluntly and ineloquently? Yes. Think about it, Storm: aside from your family and Ben, what is your longest stable relationship? Who has been your unrelated constant?"
The throne room was silent. Johnny began trembling violently, shaking his head… but not making any effort to remove his hands. Sparks flickered and flashed out of his eyes and through his hair. He took a shuddering breath.
"Why? Why do you always, always have to be right?" he groaned. "Every time…"
He lay back on the carpet, trying to stop the room from spinning.
"You know that I really have a huge problem with the idea of even liking you, right? I don’t' think I've liked you since we went to space."
The mask tilted to the side. "Still so childish…"
The younger man pulled a face. "You're the one who started this, Doom. You want me so bad? Fine. You're gonna have to deal with all the stupid that comes with it."
The chuckle echoed around the room as Doom transferred both of Johnny's hands into one of his, reaching up to release the latches keeping the mask in place. Dark eyes seemed to bore into Johnny's soul as the hero took in his face, sitting up on his elbows.
"Does that hurt?"
Now it was Doom's turn to blink. "Pardon?"
"I live with The Thing and I like racing Ghost Rider, dude. Scars don't freak me out that much. But, it does look painful. Does it hurt?" Johnny's face was open and honest as he took in the confusion. "What? Did you think that I was gonna swoon? I've fought, like, actual monsters. Well, you're kind of a monster but in the sense that you've violated the Geneva Convention. That's got nothing to do with your face."
Doom threw his head back, letting out a booming laugh. "I have needed this," he said, wiping his eye. "To answer your question, no. These have not hurt for years. I made breakthroughs in pain management through a mixture of magic and science." He gently tapped Johnny's chin. "I have not laughed genuinely in a long while; not out of triumph, but humor. You make it effortless."
The free hand drew Johnny forward into a chaste kiss, the other pulling the rest of him closer. Johnny turned his head, breaking the contact.
"What is it, Storm?"
Johnny fidgeted with a plate on the back of Doom's gauntlet. "I know I can move fast, and this is a lot even for me, but are you sure about this? Do you really want the hassle of dating me?"
Powerful hands tugged him into a deeper kiss, effectively silencing him while Doom locked him into a secure embrace.
Johnny melted into the supervillain's arms, letting his frazzled mind go numb.
Well, there were worse ways to end a truly terrible decision.