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Everyone knew the story by now. Reed Richards (one of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th century), Sue Storm (his wife), Johnny (Sue’s brother), and Ben Grimm (a friend of Reed’s and a great fighter pilot) went into space and came back… different. They each developed unique abilities – Reed could stretch any part of his body, Sue could turn invisible, Johnny could produce flames and fly, and Ben’s skin turned into rock which made him strong and indestructible. Over the course of a few months, plenty of journalists interviewed them about their experience and newly-acquired powers. Those same journalists even came up with a neat name – the Fantastic Four.
But they only spoke about the science behind it all. No one took the time to really get to know the family behind the Fantastic Four. You wanted to change that. You wanted to show the more personal, human side of them. You wanted everyone to know that underneath it all they were still a regular family. That was your pitch when you initially talked to Sue over the phone. She whole-heartedly agreed and, before you knew it, you had scheduled an all-day interview at the Baxter Building.
You were so excited, which turned into nervousness throughout the week.
What if they turned out to be horrible people?
What if they were boring?
What if you were a horrible or boring journalist?
All of these and more doubts plagued you even as you laid in bed the night before the interview. You closed your eyes and tried to push all these thoughts from your mind, praying for sleep to come to you. You’d need all your beauty rest for the big day that awaited you.
From the moment you shook hands with Sue Storm, all your doubts flew out the window. Talking with her was like talking to an old friend. You two sat on the couch and you took extensive notes as she talked about her life, her relationship with her family and Johnny, and her marriage with Reed. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.
Speaking of Reed, you met him next. He was in his lab working on some equations when Sue gently pulled him away to talk to you. He was a bit awkward with his answers, clearly being more used to talking about science rather than anything personal. You were still patient with him, , absorbing anything and everything he gave you, even if most of it was vague. That’s when Ben came in.
You had seen photos of Ben in other news outlets, both before and after the family’s trip to space, but you were still surprised when you saw him up close in his rock form. You quickly got over it once he started regaling you with tales of having Reed as a friend, the many dumb things they had done together over the years, and his own stories about growing up in New York and being a pilot. He also showed you his recipe for spaghetti and tomato sauce, which was on the menu for the family dinner that night.
As Ben led you to the kitchen, you met Herbie, the family’s robot. He was a bit skittish around you at first, but he soon warmed up to you. You thought he was so cute and helpful.
“Thank you, Herbie,” you said as he cleaned your knife so you could chop some more vegetables for the salad and listen to Ben’s stories. You were having such a good time that you were no longer taking notes, your pen and notepad forgotten on the far side of the kitchen counter. Everything was so memorable, though, you had no doubt you’d be able to recount it all once you sat down to type it up later.
“Honey, I’m home!” you heard someone call out as the elevator doors opened and closed. The voice sounded young and energetic. You had a fairly good idea of who it could be; there was only one person you hadn’t talked to yet. “Mmm, dinner smells good, dear!” he continued, turning the corner to the kitchen. Sure enough, it was Johnny Storm.
As soon as he saw you, he stopped in his tracks. This allowed you to get a good look at him. He was on fire in most of the magazine photos you saw of him, which meant that you didn’t know what he really looked like. He was the male version of his sister – striking blonde hair and equally-striking blue eyes. He was downright handsome, so handsome that your heart skipped a beat. You shook the thought from your mind and tried to maintain your composure. Johnny was trying to do the same, but failing.
“Uh… hi,” he said, his hand weakly coming up to give you an awkward wave.
“What’s with you, Johnny?” Ben asked with a smirk. “You’re acting like you’ve never seen a pretty girl before.”
His observation made you and Johnny blush hard. Ben then came over and took the knife from you.
“I can finish up here, kid,” he said. “Why don’t you give Johnny the third degree? Maybe you’ll get some good dirt before dinner’s ready.”
“Dirt?” Johnny asked as you picked up your pen and notepad.
“Nothing bad, I swear!” you exclaimed, your carefully-crafted composure breaking instantly. You regained it once again as you quickly went up to Johnny and held out your hand for a proper handshake. “I’m a reporter for the Daily Bugle. I’m interviewing you to show your more personal side to the public.”
Johnny quirked an eyebrow at your phrasing. Realizing your mistake, you retracted your hand and backtracked. “Not like that! I just want to show the public how relatable you are. And it’s not just you! It’s all of you. But I’ve already interviewed the others, so all that’s left is… you.”
You stood there in heavy silence. You admittedly dumped quite a bit on him and you assumed he needed a moment to process everything. In reality, Johnny was processing how lovely your voice sounded.
“Okay,” he finally said blankly.
You smiled nervously and turned to the family table. “Would you like to sit here and get started?”
“Okay,” he repeated. You slowly moved to take a seat and Johnny followed you. Ben couldn’t help but think of a puppy following its owner at the sight.
Once you both got comfortable (as comfortable as you could get, given the tension between you two), you cleared your throat and began.
“So, the first question I’ve been asking everyone is, ‘What is one thing you want the public to know that they don’t already?’”
Johnny just stared at you, not really thinking about the question. He was thinking about how beautiful you looked with just the light coming from the kitchen. You were different from the other journalists who wanted an interview. They were all old, to the point, not amused. You, however, seemed warm, open, like he could tell you anything.
“Here’s something no one knows – he sleeps with a teddy bear!”
Except that.
You and Johnny whipped your heads around to see Herbie making noises akin to laughing at Ben’s joke. Johnny’s mouth hung open but produced no sound. You stifled your own laughter, not wanting to add to the poor man’s potential embarrassment.
“I, uh… I don’t sleep with a teddy bear,” Johnny finally got out.
Your burst into giggles.
“It’s okay!” you insisted. “I still have my bunny rabbit from when I was a girl. My dad gave it to me for Christmas before we moved to New York.”
Johnny cracked a smile at that. He reiterated, “Well, I mean, I do have a teddy bear, but it was meant for Sue. I won it at a fair when we were little. It has a blue bow with bright yellow stars. Out parents tease us now that it was an early sign of us going to space.”
“So, you two have always had a passion for space?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘passion.’”
“What would you say you’re passionate about then?”
“Cars. I think the newer models look so cool. I’m actually working with Reed on creating a car for the family.”
“Really?” you asked, your eyebrows raised.
“Yeah!” Johnny leaned forward and motioned for you to do the same. He whispered, “It’ll look like the ones out now, but it’ll have some neat features. I’m hoping we can get it to fly.”
Your eyes grew big with wonder. “Wow! That sounds amazing!”
Johnny smiled widened with pride. “Thank you. But, can you not put that in your notes? I want it to be a surprise.”
“Of course,” you nodded. “Do you have any other interests?”
You certainly caught my attention, Johnny said in his mind. Before it could come out of his mouth, though, he decided to redirect with, “Well, on my off-days I like going to the movies.”
“Do you have any favorites?”
“I like the ones with action, like Ben-Hur.”
“He also likes those cartoon ones! Tell her how you cried like a baby during Sleeping Beauty!”
“I did not!” Johnny glared at Ben, which made the rock man chuckle and Herbie laugh again.
You admitted, “I certainly cried during Sleeping Beauty. It was beautiful.”
Johnny refocused on you, softening at your confession. “You like movies, too?”
“Sort of. I’m more into live shows. I really want to go see Camelot on Broadway.”
“Me, too! I heard it’s good.”
“My friend saw it with her family last week and said it was spectacular.”
Before you could continue, you heard the front door open. Reed and Sue entered arm in arm.
“I hope these two haven’t been giving you any trouble,” Sue said with a grin.
“Not at all,” you assured her. “I was just getting started on Johnny’s part of the interview.” You turned to look at the clock. It was 7pm. You then turned to see Ben putting the finishing touches on dinner. “But it’s getting late and I know that this is family time. I should probably be heading home.”
“Are you sure?” Sue asked. “You’re more than welcome to stay for dinner and finish afterwards.”
“Yeah, kid,” Ben agreed, bringing over the finished salad. “I mean, you helped me with all this.”
You blushed at their insistence but still began collecting your things. “No, no, I understand how important this is to you all. I don’t want to encroach on that. I can just come by another time this week. I’ll call to schedule, of course.” You held out your hand to Sue. “I appreciate you letting me interview you all. Ms. Storm.”
Sue nodded and shook your hand. “You’re welcome.”
You then turned to Reed to grant him the same gesture. “Dr. Richards.”
“A pleasure,” he said with a smile.
You then turned to Ben. “Mr. Grimm.”
“Ben, please,” he said.
“Ben,” you nodded. “And Herbie…” you addressed the robot, who lifted his hand up to offer a wave. You returned it with a giggle.
There was just one person left. “Mr. Storm. Johnny.”
You extended your hand to him, which he took after a beat. His hand felt warm, but you couldn’t tell if it was his power or if that was how he naturally was. You let go first and were about to head for the elevator when he suddenly stepped in front of you.
“I can lead you out… to the front… of the building… if you like.”
Your mouth formed a small “O” at Johnny’s forwardness. He looked at you with a mix of hesitancy and hope.
“Um… yes,” you finally answered. “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” he said with a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He let you take the lead to the elevator, turning around to quickly say to the others, “Go ahead and start without me!” Had he waited a second longer, he would’ve seen Sue and Reed looking at each other (although she seemed to have more of a clue as to what was going on than him), and Ben looking at Herbie with his own knowing look.
Johnny was supposed to lead you to the front of the building, but then the two of you got to talking a bit more in the elevator about what a shame it was that your interview got cut short. This led to you revealing some of the questions you didn’t get a chance to ask, one of them being, “What’s your favorite place in the world?” He stated that the answer was actually really close by and asked if you would join him. You agreed, and he pressed some buttons to make the elevator go up instead of down.
After what felt like a long time (“So many floors,” Johnny joked), the doors eventually opened. The cool air of the New York night hit you square in the face. You were outdoors, on the roof. Johnny walked out first and turned on a side switch. Some lights came on to light the way. He then led you to a picnic table that sat a good distance away from the ledge. As you got closer to it, you could see that it was close enough so you could see all the buildings, traffic, and people down below. You marveled at the sight.
“Welcome to my favorite place in the world,” Johnny said. “Ever since I was a kid, I loved to see the city come alive at night. I always wondered what it would look like from up high. Now I get to see it every day.”
“I can see why it’s your favorite place,” you said under your breath. “This is an amazing view.” You slowly sat down, taking everything in. Johnny sat next to you, but he wasn’t looking at the sights. He was looking at you and thinking about how you looked good in this lighting, too.
He hastily looked away before you caught him. Why was he acting like this? It’s not like he’d never been with a girl before. He’d been out plenty of times with all different types of girls. There was something about you, though, that just… clicked for him.
Normally, he would act on his feelings, be bold and ask you out. But you weren’t a normal girl. You were special, and not just in that way. You were here to do an interview, a job. You had been so professional so far. Johnny needed to do the same. So, he shoved his feelings down and cleared his throat.
“So, what else did you want to ask me?”
You tore your gaze away from the view below and blinked at him. Oh, yes, the interview. You reached into your bag for your pen and notepad and picked up where you left off. You asked him all sorts of questions.
“What’s your favorite food?”
“Anything that’s hot and tastes good.”
“Do you watch any television?”
“Yes. I love the comedies. I hope to meet Dick Van Dyke one day.”
“Besides the car, do you have any other ideas for your family?”
“I’m trying to get Reed to make uniforms for us. Maybe in blue. It’d go great with my eyes, don’t you think?”
You giggled at that particular response.
There soon came a lull in the conversation, during which he looked out at the city in seemingly deep contemplation.
“Penny for your thoughts?” you dared to ask.
He turned back to you. “Remember earlier when you asked me what I wanted the public to know that they don’t already?”
You nodded, setting your writing utensils down on the table. You wanted to give him all your energy and attention.
He took a deep breath.
“I don’t know who I am in this family.”
You looked at him confused.
“I mean, Reed is super smart. Ben is really strong. Sue has such a big heart. I guess I don’t really know where that leaves me. I do what I can, sure, but I don’t know if it amounts to much.”
Your confusion soon turned into sympathy. You found yourself setting aside your professional instincts to gently take Johnny by the hands. He was surprised at the action but didn’t stop you. You took your own deep breath.
“Johnny Storm, in the short amount of time I’ve talked with you, I can tell that you are smart, strong, and have heart in your own way. You have a great energy about you. You are so funny, which makes you so charming. You’re forward-thinking. And I can see that you love your family very much, even when Ben gets on your nerves. And I’m not saying all of this as someone trying to get dirt for some big article. I’m honestly telling you that you are your own person, Johnny.”
Johnny looked into your eyes and tried not to get lost in them as he tried to find even an ounce of doubt. He didn’t find it. “Thank you,” he whispered. He did find, though, that your hands were getting cold.
“Is it getting a bit chilly out here to you?” he asked, letting his thumbs go back and forth over the top of your hands. His gentle movements made your heart skip again.
“J-Just a little,” you managed to say. He didn’t even think before pulling his hands away.
“Maybe this will help.”
After a bit of concentration, Johnny’s hands caught on fire. You gasped and nearly jumped back to safety before you remembered that this was his power. He could control it. You moved back to him, holding your hands fairly close to the flames. You were mesmerized at the sight. As you stared at his hands, Johnny stared at your face, noting how it was lit up by his fire and seemed to light up on its own.
“This is nice,” your voice pulled him back to reality, “but I was honestly fine with just holding hands.”
He let out a small “oh” before letting the fire die. After giving him time to cool off, you went back to holding his hands and he went back to rubbing yours with his thumbs. You both sat like that for a while.
It suddenly hit you, “Your dinner must be cold by now.”
“I can heat it up, remember?” Johnny asked with a smirk.
You mentally smacked yourself in the head. “Of course.”
Johnny let out a breathy laugh. This is nice, he thought. And before he could stop himself, he said, “Speaking of dinner…”
He abruptly stopped. Is this a bad idea?
You stared at him in anticipation. He gulped.
Well, no turning back now.
He gathered all his strength and finished his sentence, “I was wondering if I could… take you out sometime.”
Your eyes widened in surprise. He clarified, “I talked a lot about myself tonight, and I know that’s the point of the interview, but I really want to get to know you more.”
That made your eyes widen even more. He clarified again. “I like you. I really like you. And I would’ve asked you out as soon as I saw you, but you’re… different. Different from any girl-person I’ve ever met. And I didn’t know how to deal with that, except that I wanted to be respectful of you. And I know that you’re here for a job and I respect that, but I figure that since we’re done with the interview, we’re under no reporter-client privilege anymore. Is that the right term? Like how doctors can’t have relationships with their patients?”
You stood there with your mouth hung open in shock. Just when you thought you had figured Johnny Storm out, he threw you for so many loops. A laugh couldn’t help but fall from your mouth.
Johnny looked at you with confusion, which turned into concern, which evolved into shame. He slowly pulled his hands away.
As soon as he did that, you stopped and immediately went to cradle his face.
“Johnny… Johnny…” you started, trying to bring him back to you. You stared directly into his eyes, and with all your heart you said, “I’d love to go out with you.”
That was your loop just for Johnny. His own eyes widened and his mouth hung open. “Can I kiss you?” he suddenly asked.
You answered by slowly pulling him towards your lips. It was feather-light at first, then it became firmer. Your hands continued to hold Johnny’s face as his hands went to your waist. He didn’t need his powers to create the warmth between you two. You stayed like that for a good long while, eventually breaking apart for air. Johnny’s hands slowly crept up to meet yours and brought them back down. You sat in comfortable silence until it hit you again.
“It’s getting late. I should really be going home. And your family must be getting worried.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. He got up first and, like a gentleman, held his arm out for you. You graciously took it and walked with him to the elevator.
As you rode down to the first floor, you asked, “So, what exactly are we doing for our date?”
“I was thinking we could finally see Camelot,” Johnny explained. “And maybe, if you’re up for it, we can talk about it over a nice burger afterwards. I know a great place that stays open late.”
“That sounds perfect. Add ‘romantic’ to your list of qualities, Mr. Storm.”
Johnny blushed before quipping, “And to your article?”
You contemplated it for a second. “Maybe. Or maybe I’ll keep it that tidbit to myself for now.”
You and Johnny chuckled before finally making it to solid ground. He made sure to walk you all the way to the front door, and he may or may not have slowed down a little so he could stay with you for a couple more minutes. When you reached your destination, you turned around.
“I look forward to hearing from you, Johnny.”
“I look forward to reaching out to you, and reading your article. Be kind, yeah?”
“How could I not? You and your family are so… fantastic.”
Johnny rolled his eyes and you giggled madly.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I couldn’t resist!”
Johnny then leaned in to give you a quick kiss. “You’re lucky you’re pretty fantastic, too.”
You blushed before finally stepping out of the Baxter Building and into the real world. You managed to hail a taxi and rushed to catch it. Before you got in, you turned back to the building. Johnny was holding the door open to look at you one more time. You waved each other goodbye and went your separate ways.
You let out a huge breath as you got comfortable in your seat.
What a fantastic interview with a fantastic family. Hopefully, it’d make for a fantastic article.
For now, you needed to prepare yourself for a fantastic date with a fantastic man.