Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Johnny didn’t hate Reed--he didn’t even really dislike the man, but as Sue’s little brother, he had an obligation to be mean sometimes. (Usually, typically, normally, that meant being mean to the sibling. But their family was anything but typical or normal, so no way would he do that. He was way too scared of Sue.) 

Reed was an easy ‘target.’ A mature, stoic genius (maybe too much of a genius for his own good), the older man almost never showed any anger at Johnny, though he was certain Reed would get very annoyed at times. 

Ben was no better. Despite his size and rough exterior, he was even worse than Reed--gentle, humorous, kind. (Don’t tell him he said that.) No matter how much he provoked Ben, the other man always sent back a quippy remark to rival his own.

Though he would never admit it, he would do anything for them. If one day Sue decided she wanted a home on another planet, he’d be the first one on the ship, the first to start building the house. If Reed shared he needed a test subject for something, he’d be the first to be the self-declared guinea pig. If it was Clobbering time for Ben, Johnny would volunteer as the punching bag. (Okay. That’s stretching it. He wouldn’t be a punching bag. But whatever. The points have been made.) 

Simply put: Johnny cared more about his family than himself. And he was fine with that. That didn’t mean he couldn’t mess with them, though.

- Sunday, 7:04 pm. 10 hours and 4 minutes before the blast.

The family dinner table was adorned with a delicious meal. Chicken, potatoes, a salad, and jello for dessert. 

“Wouldja pass me a chicken leg?” Ben asked as Sue and Reed chatted away about their days. Probably romantically gazing into each other’s eyes. Johnny smiled, mischief sparkling in his eyes. He took the paring knife and sliced the leg off of the whole-roasted chicken, seeing Ben’s squinted gaze in the corner of his eye--watching him, waiting for him to pull off some sort of trick. When he finished cutting the meat, he held up the leg victoriously and tauntingly waved it close to his mouth. “This chicken leg?” Ben’s jaw tensed as the fiery man took a large bite of the leg, slowly chewing, never breaking eye contact.

“You son-of-a-” “Boys,” Sue chimed in. She gave Ben a quick look, but saved her ‘scolding face’ for Johnny, who visibly shrank at the sight. “There’s another chicken leg!” he defended, his voice squeaking as he put his hands up in surrender. Sue gave him another look and slapped him lightly across his shoulder, while Reed silently gave Ben the chicken leg he’d been asking for. Johnny poked the bear; the two best friends knew better than to intervene. 

“Ow! Why’re you hitting me? I didn’t do anything to you!” Johnny looked at Ben for a split second, who made a mocking face at him. But before anyone saw it, he went right back to his rocky, neutral complexion. The blonde looked at Reed and Sue, his mouth open and hands raised. “Did nobody see that? He just made a face at me.”

Reed smiled before turning his attention to his, apparently, very entertaining dinner plate. “Just eat your food,” his sister warned, a fire in her eyes - brighter than the fire Johnny could light himself on. 

He swallowed quickly. “Yes, mom,” he replied, dramatically chewing his food. Even if he was already in trouble, he couldn’t help but add fuel to the fire. It was in his nature. 

“...The chicken tastes really good, though. You did a good job,” he mumbled, the statement directed to Ben. 

“Thank you,” he replied pointedly, “H.E.R.B.I.E gave me a hand.”

“Good job!” Reed turned to the little robot, who beeped a thank you in response. 

Sue just shook her head, smiling. Her family.

- Monday, 4:44 pm. 19 minutes before the blast.

The whole day had been fairly mundane. Reed spent all day in his lab, doing nerdy stuff. Sue spent all day looking at papers and documents, doing politically nerdy stuff. Ben had been out and about in the city, probably trying (failing) to talk to that pretty girl he’s interested in, doing romantically nerdy stuff. And then there was Johnny, the greatest one of them all, who didn’t have much to do other than listen to his records and talk to (bother) H.E.R.B.I.E. 

He was walking over to the cupboard, excited to eat some cereal, when his watch started buzzing. The rest of the family appeared shortly after, and they all walked over to the balcony to see what the alert was.

“Johnny?” Sue asked expectantly. “On it!” he said before bursting into flames and flying off to do a quick surveillance of the city. Some man in a cape was floating (not flying, because calling..whatever that was “flying,” would quite frankly be disrespectful) around, screaming at people to “bow to their new king.”

Flying back, he relayed the message to his family, who were fully suited and ready to go. “Just another bad guy wanting to be king of New York. Nothing we can’t handle,” he winked, following the fantasticar. 

“Name yourself,” Reed exclaimed to the floating man. 

“My name..” he paused, looking deeply at all the Fantastic Four. “..Is the Sorcerer.” 

Johnny couldn’t help the laugh that exited his mouth, earning a look of warning from Reed. “Like S-O-U-R-C-E-R-E-R?” he asked, spelling it out. Sue turned to him as if he were an idiot, while the floating man looked back at the Human Torch with such offense, such disgust, that Ben almost laughed. 

“Now why on earth would he spell it like that? ” she asked as the Sorcerer responded, “That would be pronounced like, SOUR-SIR-ER. So. No. Obviously not.”

“It really wouldn’t be. Pronounced like that, I mean,” Reed stated. 

“Yeah, English wasn’t always my strong suit, but even I know that,” Ben added. 

“Johnny probably didn’t even pass English, but at least he knew it would sound like ‘source.’” He placed his large hand on the blonde’s shoulder, almost knocking him off balance. “Excuse me?” he gawked. “I passed English! I did so well, in fact, that I took it twice!” Reed raised his eyebrow, “Sounds like you failed it the first time.”

“Well, Johnny could have passed the first time. He sabotaged himself on purpose. Bombed just the right number of tests so he’d barely fail. He most definitely should have gone forward, but he had a thing for the teacher. It was all very calculated, you’d be proud, babe,” Sue interjected, turning to her husband. “Wow,” Ben laughed, shaking his head.

“Sue,” he said through gritted teeth, annoyed at his sister for exposing him. The blonde woman only shrugged her shoulders, “What? It’s the truth.”

Just then, the Sorcerer sent a blast at Reed, who stretched his torso to move out of the way. 

“Do you humans really think you can disrespect me like that?” he yelled, his voice booming with anger.

Ben pointed to himself, giving the man an ‘am I included in this conversation?’ face while looking back at his team. “So, does that mean he can disrespect you?” Johnny asked. “Technically, we’re not really humans anymore either,” Sue chimed in as Reed seemed to toss the idea around in his head before agreeing with them. 

“So, does that mean we can disrespect you?”

“Hold on,” Ben questioned. “If he’s a sorcerer, he’s still a human.” He turned to the floating man. “You’re a human.”

“Enough,” he screamed. “You’ll pay for this. Your people will pay.” With that ominous threat, he spoke in a language nobody understood.

Casting some spell, he disappeared. Seconds later, he reappeared. With about 100 clones. All charging directly toward them.

Ben rolled his eyes. “Great job, Johnny. You poked the bear!” “Me?!”

“Boys! ” Sue yelled, fighting off one of the clones.

“Sorry, Sue,” they said in unison.

“We aren’t even making a dent,” she told Reed. “Every time we ‘kill’ one of them, another appears. We have to find the Sorcerer - the real one,” her husband responded.

“Split up!”

Blasts, force fields, kicks, and punches were thrown all around the group, failing to find the original Sorcerer.

“‘Nothing we can’t handle,’ he said,” Ben huffed out, mocking Johnny’s statement from earlier.

The blonde rolled his eyes, “Well, I’m sorry, I looked at the dude for one minute! How the hell was I supposed to know he could clone himself?”

“What even is this guy? Is this all from his Sorcer-ing?” Ben asked, lifting a car to throw at one of the men.

“You mean these guys?” Johnny quipped, emphasizing the ‘s’ while blasting one of the clones with fire. 

Sue’s voice crackled over the coms, “Johnny, a little help over here.” “Coming!” 

She was protecting a group of pedestrians with her force field. “Can you fly these kids to safety?” The blonde gave a two-fingered salute in response, “Alrighty, guys, who’s up for a little ride?” 

While the Human Torch flew them to safety, Sue joined her husband to defend him while he calculated who the real  “sorcerer" was.

“Oh, geez,” she heard Ben say, as he was surrounded by at least 20 clones. “I’m coming, Ben!” She ran over to help him when Reed finally figured it out.

“The real one has a green emblem on,” he shouted out. Johnny watched from the air, blasting fire at any clones near him. He spotted Sue and Ben, fighting together. He continued to look, green emblem, green emblem, green emblem.

Gotcha! There he was, the real Sorcerer. And he didn’t even notice Johnny.

But he noticed Reed. 

Who was now far too occupied with the clones.

Fear pulsed through his veins as the Sorcerer cast another spell, miraculously pulling out a knife from thin air. Aiming directly for his brother-in-law.

He didn’t think. Flying as fast as he could, he pushed Reed out of the way - then they were met with a blast that knocked them both over. 

“Johnny! ” Reed yelled, his eyes blown wide as he hovered his hands over the blonde. “Hang on. Hang on,” he said frantically, desperately trying to rack his brain for a solution.

Johnny looked down at his torso, the knife sticking out as if he’d been stabbed.

He was stabbed.

Oh god.

He’d never been stabbed before. Much less stabbed by a wizard.

He groaned in pain, his breathing fast and hitched. He would never do this again. (That was a lie.)

Sue turned around to see what the commotion was, seeing her brother on the ground.

No. Not Johnny.

She screamed, a horrible sound. Something deep, primal--maternal. Her powers sent explosions around them, each clone bursting into thin air. Finally, she got to the Sorcerer, her eyes wild. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she whispered. 

And somehow, that was scarier than her scream.

She used her powers to bring him back down, watching him struggle. And once he was on the ground, Ben followed suit - knocking the man unconscious. “Go,” he said. “I’ve got him. Go check on him.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. She rushed over, falling to her knees next to her husband. She turned to him, her eyes wide with concern. With shaking hands, she lifted Johnny’s head to rest on her thighs as she ran her finger through his hair. “What- what happened?” Her brother groaned again, squirming slightly. “Shh,” she comforted. “Reed?”

Her husband didn’t respond; he stretched his arm to reach the fantasticar - pulling out a first aid kit.“I need to take out the knife, okay?”

“Do you- really- have to-” Johnny bit out, sweat beading on his forehead. 

Before he could say anything else, the knife was quickly, painfully, removed from his body. Screaming in anguish, he felt his body burst into flames. Sue didn’t flinch, her flame-proof suit protecting her hands and legs. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Reed apologized. “I need to use the gauze to stop the bleeding.”

“What the hell happened?” Ben asked, finally arriving. Sue looked back, “What about..?” “It’s handled. You don’t have to worry about him,” he nodded. 

Once the gauze had stopped the bleeding, Johnny stared up at his sister - stars in his eyes. “I don’t.. Something’s wrong. Not just the being stabbed part,” he bit out. “It hurts.” He sounded so achingly young, that Sue couldn’t help but try to push her tears away. “Hold on, baby, I've got you. I’m right here.”

That was the last thing he heard before unconsciousness blissfully came to save him. 

“Johnny!” Sue screamed, shaking him slightly. Reed bent down to check if he was breathing, his heart hammering in his chest. After what felt like ages, relief flooded his senses. “He’s breathing. We need to get him home. Ben, get the car.”

With the help of the family, they were able to get him back to the Baxter Building. He was stable. Unconscious, but stable. Every single medic ensured he would recover.

But they weren’t out of danger just yet.

Johnny  wasn’t out of danger yet. 

Chapter Text

- Tuesday, 1:03 pm. 20 hours after the blast.

“I’m telling you—he said that something was wrong,” Sue insisted, following the medbay nurse. He tended to her brothers IV, tone ever so slightly annoyed - toeing the line between professionalism and exhaustion. “Mrs. Richards, I understand. Your brother was stabbed. Delusion & hysteria is common, especially when the body experiences such trauma. He’ll be okay, according to our expertise.” 

She tensed her jaw, biting the inside of her teeth as she narrowed her eyes. The nurse visibly shrank. 

She opened her mouth to speak, when she felt her husband's hand on her shoulder. 

“David, why are you upsetting my wife?” he asked coolly, facial expression daring him to answer. He had allowed their medical staff to monitor him while he left to go pick up supplies from his lab.

“Mr. Richards, sir, I’m simply letting her know that Mr. Storm will make a full recovery.”

Sue cut in, turning her full attention to her husband. “Reed, he said something was wrong. And he wasn’t talking about the.. wound.” 

The stretchy man nodded, gently rubbing her back. “David. If my wife says that something is wrong, something is wrong.” 

David nodded hastily, “Yes, sir. My apologies, ma’am. We’ll run more tests.” 

Reed put a hand up, “I’ll run the tests. You’ve done enough.”

Directing his wife away, they walked into the elevator—Sue casting a look at her brother to ensure he was safe.

The brunette broke the silence. “We can fire him, you know.” She laughed softly, placing a kiss on his lips. “We have far more capable nurses. I just don’t want us to miss anything.” 

“We won’t. I won’t. From now on, I’ll take over his monitoring. I shouldn’t have left him with the medics in the first place,” he said, softly.

“We hired the best of the best, so we thought,” Sue hummed.

She watched her husband swallow, “I’m supposed to be the best of the best.” She frowned, cupping his cheeks in her hands, “Oh, sweetie. You are, we know this.” He only shook his head, “No. Not just.. this. I mean- I.. that blast was meant for me. And he just- it shouldn’t have been him,” he finished lamely. Defeated.

“I don’t blame you, and he wouldn’t either,” she said, matter-of-factly. “It’s in his nature. The fire in his soul to protect, to defend—it’s as bright as the fire he controls outside his body. It’s not your fault, Reed.”

He didn’t believe her.

The elevator dinged, opening up to his lab.

Wordlessly, he stepped out. 

“Eat some lunch, Ben is making that soup you like.” With one last kiss, she grabbed his hand, letting their fingers linger as he pulled away. “I’ll be back soon. With some food for you, too.”

And the elevator doors closed shut. 

“Sues, your soup is here. I’ll get another bowl ready for Reed. Is he in his lab?” 

Sue walked past the large man, placing a light kiss on his cheek. She took her seat at the counter, slowly stirring the hot liquid. “Reed’s being..” 

“Reed,” they both said simultaneously. They both sighed, silence overtaking the pair. The light click-clack of Sue’s spoon hitting the side of the bowl and the soft sound of stirred liquid from Ben pouring out a serving for Reed became magnified. 

“How are you holding up?” Sue asked. 

“I’m,” he began, taking a deep breath. “..managing. I hate seeing him like this, y’know? I hate seeing my family hurt.” 

Sue nodded, bringing her bowl to the sink. “Yeah,” she whispered. 

- Tuesday, 3:08 pm. 22 hours and 3 minutes since the blast. 

Ben silently sat near Johnny’s bed in the medbay, unsure of what to say or do. He was almost afraid to touch him. The same fear he had after being turned into..The Thing - filled with the paralyzing notion that he was too..

Inherently dangerous.

Too rough. Too strong. Too big. 

Dangerous. Perhaps he was more scared of himself than other people were.

But Johnny, Johnny was different. Johnny was fearless. Reckless. He didn’t think before he acted, for better or worse. Johnny didn’t care how Ben looked. How dangerous he was. Because, for one, Johnny thrives off self-declared fearlessness. Sometimes Ben thought maybe he was just too stupid to see him as dangerous. (Who was he kidding. He knows that isn’t true.) 

Because under that fiery temper and rambunctious attitude was a boy with a soul on fire for helping others. And a flaming heart for love. 

Johnny didn’t see Ben any differently. He was the same jackass. The same piece of shit. The same brother.

And Ben supposes that’s what’s been most valuable to him.

As a person who’d gone through so much change - physically, emotionally, hell, his DNA changed - having something, like a family, consistent meant more to him than they’ll ever know. And at the end of the day, Ben knew Johnny. He knew that under his fiery persona were the same human emotions the entire family dealt with. 

Yet Johnny was consistent. Johnny was cruel yet kind. Fearless yet terrified. Reckless yet thoughtful.

Johnny was everything at once. So to see him reduced to..

(He wasn’t going to say nothing. Because Johnny would be fine.) 

..is hard.

Fear seemed to grip his chest, twisting his lungs. He put his hand next to the blondes, just brushing their pinkies.

That was all he could bring himself to do. And in the back of his mind, he thought of the Sorcerer. Anger bubbled inside of him, but he remained composed. Maybe the fucking douchebag deserved a visit from prison.

Maybe he’d let Sues go in first. (Then again, she’d probably kill him before Ben could even look in their general direction.)

Speaking of Susan.

She walked in, her light blonde hair tied behind her head. Heels clicking ever-so-softly as she gracefully made her way to the pair. She placed a quick kiss on Ben’s head before doing the same for her brother. Her slender hands hovered over his face, and she gently pushed some of his hair to the side. “I know you’d kill me if I let you sit here looking like this,” she smiled. Pulling up a seat next to Ben, she began talking to Johnny as if he could respond.

She updated him on the day, from Reed firing nurses from the medbay, to Ben’s delicious soup - the day had been incredibly mundane. Ben listened attentively, still not finding any words.

So, while Sue talked off, Ben stayed quiet - and Reed. Well. Reed was doing his best. From his lab.

It wasn’t until an hour later that the oldest Storm sibling stood up from her chair. She had been working on..some sort of important document. Ben wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure of a lot of things, right now.

She hugged her younger brother. And Ben really, really, wasn’t expecting that to be what set her off. Before he could react, she wept - loudly. A horrible, muffled cry - as if she were suppressing it. Her breathing hitched as she turned sharply on her heel, frantically wiping her face. “Sues?” he prompted quietly. Ben gently rubbed her back as she cried.

“It’s not the same,” she replied, voice cracking even as she whispered. She shook her head, “It’s not the same. He always- always hugs me back. His hand cupped around my neck, protectively. It’s been like that ever since we were kids. And he’ll be okay, I know this, but I just- I can’t help but-”

“Think of the worst,” entered a new voice. They both looked up at Reed, who had just arrived at the medbay, witnessing some of his wife's breakdown. 

Sue only nodded, biting down on her lip so she wouldn’t cry again. Reed planted a quick kiss on her lips before sending a look of gratitude to his best friend while she hugged Ben, sniffling as she asked, “Are you okay?”

He paused, glancing over at Johnny’s unconscious form. “I will be. We will be.”

- Wednesday, 3:53 am. 1 day since the blast. 

Reed stood over Johnny, eyes looking back and forth from his chart and the boy in front of him. “It’s been too long,” he whispered to nobody. “It’s been too long,” he repeated.

Slowly, gently, and meticulously, he lifted the blanket and Johnny’s shirt up, hoping to check the wound.

The dressing was doing fine, but he changed it anyway. He took note of the bruising around his stomach, sort of lining both the wound and Johnny’s abs. There was no doubt in his mind that it was caused by whatever that blast was, as he had been sporting his own bruises too. 

“C’mon, buddy, work with me here,” he said again - to nobody in particular. “You’ve got to wake up. You’re worrying your sister out of your mind.” He sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. He fiddled with Johnny’s IV and took his blood for another test. The machine he’d started to build sat idly in the corner of the medbay. Once he was finished ensuring the youngest Storm was safe, he’d get back to building it. Hopefully, it would show them what the hell was going on.

He’d sent Susan to bed hours ago, practically begging the woman to get some rest. The monitor beeped softly as he and H.E.R.B.I.E. worked on his machine. His wife's words echoed in his brain.

"He said that something was wrong."

Hopefully, his new invention would explain what, exactly, 'wrong' was.

With that, came a memory of her utter despair, fear, and panic when Johnny had passed out. He held her in his arms, tight - his hand cupped around her neck in the same way Johnny did it. And he let her cry all her anxiety out. His wife was so strong. But if she were to lose her brother.. 

Well.

Reed didn't know if he himself were strong enough for that. Much less Sue. His wife, who had raised him. Spent her whole life nurturing and caring for him.

He was welcomed by another memory from the first time Johnny had been injured in a battle. Sue's iris' shook in terror, in the same way it had the day of the blast (it was worse. It was much worse this time.) despite him only breaking his foot. She insisted Reed run every test, give every medication he could- and she watched like a hawk. She had Ben cook all his favorite meals, shutting down the complaints as Johnny only wanted to eat fucking cereal. She even attempted to help Johnny move into his room, with him, obviously, because he's Johnny Storm, protesting against it. "I can fly, Sue. You don't need to practically carry me." However, any protest left in him was quickly shut down by Sue's mom stare.

With only the memories and the unconscious man next to him for company, the room was eerily quiet. Even more so as Reed dealt uncomfortably with how..grave the situation felt.

Johnny was always moving. Buzzing with energy. He couldn’t sit still. He had to be included in everything lest he’d start pouting. And Sue would give in far too easily to those large baby blues. Reed couldn’t blame her, he supposed. After all, she raised him as her own - despite being his sister. Johnny was a force of nature - literally and figuratively. 

He was broken out of his thoughts when his dear robot assistant dropped a box of screws, causing all sorts of clinking and clanking.

And Reed definitely heard H.E.R.B.I.E. mutter something along the lines of, “oh, fuck me.” He stretched his arms so he could clean up his mess, shaking his head.

He attempted to warn his robot, “Language, H.E.R.B.I.E.” As Johnny muttered, “nice,” at the same time.

He became aware of two things. 1. He wasn’t hearing things.

And 2. Johnny definitely taught their robot how to swear. Amazing, just wonderful. 

Foul robot language and minuscule mess aside, Reed’s head shot up quickly at the sound of his brother-in-law. “Johnny,” he breathed. “Are you in any pain? What are your symptoms? Do you recall where you are, and what happened last?” Questions continued to flood outside of his mouth before he could stop, only taking a deep breath and swallowing hard when Johnny looked up at him in pure confusion, his bright eyes glazed over, slightly unfocused.

Stupid. Leave it up to him, the so-called smartest man in the world, to fuck up at a time he really shouldn’t be fucking up.

Nice job, Richards. Overwhelm the kid. That's exactly what he needs right now.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I- does anything hurt?”

Johnny smiled softly, his head almost lolling slightly - as if it were too heavy to hold up.

Save that question for another time.

“Yeah. I’m tired, I’ll sleep it off,” he mumbled, sounding almost short of breath.

“I’d really advise against that, you’ve been out for-” Before Reed could finish protesting, he was out like a light. He had H.E.R.B.I.E. clean up their mess after warning him that they’d be having a conversation about language very soon, and he gave Johnny some more enhanced pain medications. Hoping to ease his discomfort. H.E.R.B.I.E. gave a couple of beeps to announce his departure, and Reed was left with the blonde again.

He placed a shaking hand over his, gently rubbing his knuckles with his thumb. “It shouldn’t have been you. Get well. I promise, I swear, everything will be okay.”

With one last check on his vitals, Reed exited the room.

Chapter Text

F4FS/Johnny Storm Edits

When Reed had shared that Johnny had woken up the night before, Sue’s first reaction was to tell him off for not getting her (to which he responded, “He was up for less than 5 minutes, babe, I’m sorry.”) and her second was to rush into the Medbay.

She sat by his side, quietly - their hands intertwined. She watched as his eyelids fluttered, just on the cusp of opening. When they were finally open, and she was blessed with the sight of his blue eyes, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

“Hey, you.”

He glanced up at her, smiling softly. “Sue.”

She squeezed his hand, “Right here, my pyromaniac. Right here.” He attempted to sit up when Reed stretched his hand over to lightly put it on Johnny’s chest. “Stay still, I’ll just recline the seat upward - okay?” 

He nodded in response, his sister still holding his hand. “How long?” he asked, once he was sitting more upright. 

“Over a day,” Sue responded. He grimaced, smacking his lips. “Sorry.” “No. None of that, we’re just happy you’re awake.”

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to ask you some questions, Johnny,” Reed prompted, not wanting to overwhelm the boy, who only nodded in response. He asked him about his symptoms, and what he remembered, and how he felt - Johnny would be lying if he said he didn’t zone out at times. 

But he was finally awake, and the boulder of fear that sat tightly in Sue’s stomach began to crumble. 

-

A few days later, Johnny was cleared to leave the medbay. Despite Sue’s protests. Everything..seemed to be going alright.

Until it wasn't. 

He’d been in the family room, resting on the couch when Sue walked by. “Hey, how are you fee-”

She paused, taking a good look at the younger blonde. His face was pale and sweat beaded at his forehead. He didn’t look coherent - he didn’t look like he was there.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, immediately putting a hand to his forehead. “You have a fever - you’re burning up!” 

..The irony was not lost on her.

“Hm..?” he asked, his eyes slowly making their way up to her. She frowned, deeply. And Johnny didn’t like when she made that face. Their dad didn’t either. “Susan, your face will stay that way if you keep doing that,” he’d say. The difference was, Johnny didn’t like that face because he didn’t like seeing her upset. Their dad, well, he had other priorities after their mom died.

“Reed,” she called out. He wasn’t nearby. “H.E.R.B.I.E. - go get Reed for me,” she told the little droid who beeped in response.

“Don’t call him,” Johnny said, his eyes closing slowly. “Heyheyhey, don’t go to sleep.”

“M’ tired,” he muttered. “Just. Stay awake, a little longer. For me.”

He could never disobey her for long.

So, he stayed awake until Reed arrived, running his bloodwork yet again, and placing some cooling rags on him. They all hoped it was just a fever, a temporary issue.

But days after that, there was no change. And his mysterious illness had started to take its toll on not only himself but the entire family. He moved slowly. Lethargically. He didn't bother messing with Reed or Ben. He didn't draw attention to himself by dramatically declaring how bored he was. 

All the characteristics that made Johnny, Johnny, were just.. lost. Buried under sheer exhaustion. 

They had started arguing - Ben, Reed, and Sue. For a while. About his treatment. About his condition.

“He’s just getting worse, Reed,” she whisper-yelled. “What the hell is going on?” Ben added. “The kid looks more and more-” “Sickly,” Sue added. “Every day,” Ben finished. 

“He’s spacing out. More than usual.”

“And he isn’t eating enough.”

“The bags under his eyes are huge.”

“He’s so pale.”

“Did that machine you built find anything?”

Sue and Ben continued to go back and forth as Reed’s thoughts rushed at millions of miles an hour.

“I don’t know!” he exclaimed, surprising the two with his outburst. “I. Don’t. Know. I’ve done every single blood test. I’ve ruled out every single infection. I- I’m failing him. ” “Reed,” Ben started. “You aren’t failing him. You’re doing your best with the situation. We all are.” Sue only nodded, rubbing his arm. “I’m going to go check on Johnny. We’re being a bit loud.” Reed apologized, stating he shouldn’t have blown up like that.

Ben and Reed stayed inside the room as they continued to converse about the..situation. When they heard Sue scream at the top of her lungs. Casting a look of terror at each other, they ran to see what had happened. She sat on her knees on their balcony, her hands trembling as they hovered over her brother’s unconscious body on the ground. What on earth was he doing out here?

Reed could only be grateful he hadn’t passed out when he was in the air. Fear constructed his chest, just entertaining the thought that Johnny could have died. Again. And- they might not have even known.

He checked his vitals, reassuring his wife that he had only passed out. He didn’t suspect any head injuries from the way he was positioned, but gently pulled up his shirt so he could see if he tore any of his stitches.

He couldn’t help but gasp at the sight. “Reed?” His wife echoed. “What- what is that? What’s happening?”

Ben stood behind them, waiting for an answer. 

“I- I don’t know.”

Reed knew a lot of things. But none of that mattered. Because the truth is, in this situation, he was helpless.

And he hated being helpless. He was always a do-er. If he had a problem, he’d find an equation and solve it. And if there wasn’t any equation, he’d make one. Then solve it. 

Find an equation. 

The skin around his wound was still purple, too deep to be from what Reed had thought was bruising. 

He just needed to find an equation.

And from there, were these..black vein-looking things. Twisting around his abdomen, mirroring the sight of roots from a plant.

Except Reed was sure that it didn’t sustain life. Rather, it looked like it was taking it. 

Taking Johnny’s life.

Think, Reed. 

“I’ll kill that motherfucker,” he heard Ben say.

His head shot up.

“That’s it.” Suddenly, it became obvious. He had been preoccupied looking at it from a scientific perspective, from a medical perspective, that he lost track of the sorcery.

His best friend and wife gave him a questioning stare, begging him to explain further. “The knife- it must have been.. There must be some sort of spell. We need to bring him back to the medbay.”

And so, they brought him back inside. After he finally woke up, Ben and Reed left the two blondes while they came up with a game plan for traveling to the prison the Sorcerer was at - hoping to get answers. 

To say Sue was angry would be an understatement. She was livid.

The two shared a knowing look as they listened to the Storm siblings argue in the other room. They learned that Johnny had gone off to fly - secretly - before coming back to the Baxter Building and consequently passing out on the balcony. 

“I cannot believe you, you- idiot!” Johnny sat, listening to his sister’s scolding until he had enough.

“It’s not a big deal,” he argued. Her eyes widened as she stared him down, “Not a big deal? Not a big deal? You passed out. On the fucking balcony. I found you there. And your wound is purple- and you have black veins across your body- and I thought you were-”

Exhaustion had taken its toll on Johnny, emphasizing anger that really, truly didn’t exist. He just didn’t know how else to respond. “Well, I wasn’t! You all keep looking at me like I'm broken. Like I did something stupid! And you were all arguing, about me, and I needed to get out! So, grow up Susan!” From outside, both Ben and Reed flinched. That was a mistake. Reed almost felt the need to go inside and defend his wife, but he knew she was more than capable. It would probably make things worse if they went inside, anyway. So, they let this argument run its course.

They’d learn to do that, Ben and Reed. The Storms didn’t argue much, but when they did..they argued. Both very capable, intelligent adults (some more adult than others), they knew exactly what to say to each other and when. For better or worse. It was best to let them hash it out together, usually ending with Sue initiating the apology, and Johnny offering some sort of peace offering.

Today, they almost doubted there would be any apology or peace offering.

“NO!” she screamed. “You don’t get to say anything right now, Johnathan! And you don’t get to speak to me like that, like I’m not your sister.” She threw her hands up, frustrated. “Because you do things like this. We look at you like you did something stupid, because you did  - and you don’t think of the consequences, you don’t think of how it will affect the team, the family. Ben and Reed. And me,” she said, voice wavering - almost seething. “Do you know what it would do to us? To me? You can’t just- act, with no regard for yourself, or your wellbeing. You- And I’m not talking about the balcony anymore!” 

“I did it for you!” he yelled back, matching her tone - standing up and lifting his chin up to challenge her, despite how difficult it was to keep his head up. “Because your husband  was in danger!”

And he hated the way he yelled, he hated the way he felt, he hated the look on his sister’s face - her jaw trembling as her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. He never wanted to make her cry. He never wanted to upset her. He was only trying to help. Do the right thing. But every time he tried, it just reinforced the idea that he simply wasn’t good enough. He couldn’t even rescue people properly, apparently. What kind of superhero was he if he fucked this up?

His hand shook as he pointed to Sue accusingly, “Your husband. Your world. He’s my brother now too, y’know!”

She looked at him with anger burning in her eyes, “Is that what you think? That Reed is my only  world?” She bit off the last word, her voice hoarse from screaming. Johnny did his best not to roll his eyes, “Yeah,” he yelled. “I do!” Because what else would he be?

She scoffed, “You're my world too, Johnny!” Louder than she had ever spoken before, and Johnny couldn’t help but physically flinch from the sheer volume. 

Her voice cracked as she continued, going in and out of visibility as she often did when she was really, really angry. “Reed, and Ben, and you. You’re my world. If something happened to Reed or Ben, I would be devastated. I wouldn’t know how to go on. But if something happened to you? I don’t think I could go on. You have to understand this. You- you were my baby first. You were mine, first. And I don’t know where on earth you’re getting this- absurd idea that there’s a fucking hierarchy I’ve established. Because there isn’t. Because your,” it was her turn to point accusingly, “life is just as valuable as anyone else on this team. You act like everything is some sort of ultimatum - either it's your life or someone else's. You're so quick to jump there. Haven't you ever realized we can save you both? This isn't some fucking game where you can trade your life for someone else's, over, and over, and over again. This is real life. And real life has consequences - consequences that would kill me to live through!”

She was full on crying now, and Johnny just felt bad.

Well, he felt a lot of things. Anger - at himself for upsetting his sister. Guilt - at himself for upsetting his sister. Exhausted - from..everything. And fuck, did being stabbed hurt.

She bowed her head, gracefully, as she cried. In the same way she’d always done when they were kids. She’d hide her face, allow her tears to fall in a manner where nobody else would see. She turned around, sniffing in a particularly uncharacteristic way.

She was always the strong one.

And Johnny couldn’t help but feel responsible for breaking her.

“I just-”

“Not now,” Sue interrupted. Still going in and out of visibility. Whispering. At her wits end, Johnny assumed. He’d drained her till she couldn’t argue back.

He’d drained her in the same way the Karman Line drained the flames off his body when he flies too high. 

I just want to keep you safe, he wants to say. But he didn’t realize that that wouldn’t help the situation if he had spoken. Because that wasn’t what she was worried about. He still didn’t realize what the point of her anger was. 

He swayed.

She didn’t make eye contact with him as she rushed to help him into bed.

Then wordlessly, she left the room. And Johnny was alone.

Until Reed walked in.

“She’s just worried. Give her time,” he said softly. As if it were that simple, as if it were easy. “Ben will talk with her in the morning, before he leaves to pay a visit to the Sorcerer.”

Johnny nodded, but sleep tugged at his senses while he hissed from the wound. He knew he could ask Reed for some pain medication. But part of him didn’t want to. Not from pride, not from fear.

Reed read his mind, somehow. “This will help you sleep better,” he stated, adding something into his IV.

In the corner of his eye, he watched Reed take a seat next to him. He wanted to protest. To prove he didn’t need babysitting. That the balcony was a stupid, stupid mistake he wouldn’t make again.

But sleep proved to be too enticing. And his eyes closed shut. 

Chapter Text

He was cold. 

Johnny rarely felt cold. Not since..

That was the first sign that something was wrong. Well, second, if you count getting stabbed.

Whatever it was, it moved in stages. Like the seasons of the year or the phases of the moon - only less beautiful and more..

He couldn’t find the word. All he knew was it fucking sucked. 

He could hear the family arguing in the other room. About him. He squeezed his eyes tightly, wishing they would stop. 

They didn’t.

All he wanted to do was waltz in there, throw on a big smile and laugh at them for arguing about something so pointless. He wasn’t sure he could even will himself to smile. Every movement felt as if it took thousands of breaths, thousands of jolts of energy. 

It was all too much. The pain on his side that never lessened, never dimmed - an ever growing discomfort, permanently embedded into his nerves. The ringing in his ear, the chill going down his spine, the ‘whisper-screaming’ from his sister that was more screaming than whisper - and he needed a break. Without a second thought, he jumped off the balcony - and it felt relieving: like when you have a pain in your neck that goes away after you crack it, or when you get to scratch an itch. 

Flying was comforting. Flying was warm. The flames on his body burned bright, warmth seeping into his body. He hated being cold. He hated being in pain. He hated being useless. He hated whatever was happening to himself. 

He saw stars as he flew, figuratively and literally, knowing he had to get back to the Baxter Building before anyone noticed he was missing. As if right on cue, the second his feet hit the ground he felt his knees crumble. 

And his vision doubled before everything went black. 

When he had woken up, Sue was staring straight at him - her eyes wide and trembling. He argued with her that night. And Reed had stayed instead of her, to babysit him, because he was useless and couldn’t be left alone for 5 minutes without doing something stupid. Reed told him they were going to visit the Sorcerer - but something came up. An issue with the system, and Ben wouldn’t be allowed to visit until a few days later.

He spent the next day entirely with Reed in his lab. Doing all sorts of tests that Johnny didn’t bother to pay attention to.

“The poison seems to have caused a disruption in your system, on a molecular level, which explains why both your powers and your body are going haywire. I think.. I think it’s draining you somehow. I’ll have to run another-” he began, stopping as Johnny began to sway. “Whoa, easy kid.” he placed a steadying hand on the blonde as the younger man bent down on his knees, calloused hands on the cold floor of Reed’s lab. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice soft.

Johnny shook his head to get the focus back into his eyes. “Sorry. Just- got dizzy for a sec. It’ll pass,” he squeezed his eyes shut, deciding that darkness would be better. He heard Reed swallow, and he could practically feel the guilt burning off him. “ I’m sorry. That blast was meant for me. You shouldn’t have pushed me out of the way. You didn’t even know what he was hitting me with. He could’ve-”

The blonde felt a jolt of anger spark through him. Was Reed seriously lecturing him about saving him? He scoffed slightly, interrupting him before he could say more. “Really, Reed? A lecture, now? Ungrateful, much? Can’t you just say thank you?” he said, grinding his teeth in pain. 

He could’ve killed you .

The other man stuttered, caught off guard. “No. I didn’t mean it like that. It wasn’t supposed to be- I’m not ungrateful, I- thank you. I apologize. This wasn’t the time nor the place. I’m sorry. Very sorry.” Slowly and carefully, Reed helped him stand up again--leading him to sit on the cushioned seat. 

“I don’t know why I said that. I don’t know why I can’t stop taking things the wrong way. I don’t know what’s happening to me.” Johnny said quietly, holding his head in his hands. 

Reed swallowed, understanding he was not only referring to the moment but his previous argument with Sue, as well. “Johnny..it’s..understandable to be sensitive,” he began, intentionally choosing his words carefully. Usually, he was the first to lay out the truth - the facts - exactly as they were. 

This, however, was a delicate situation. And Reed understood that. 

He looked at the blonde, fondness and heartbreak shining in his own eyes as he hardly recognized the young man in front of him. His eyes were sunken, exhaustion lining his facial features. No longer was there a bright sparkle of determination, pride, and bravery in his bright blue irises. His lips were chapped and dry. His usually bright, dimpled, mischievous smile was nowhere to be found. His skin was pale and sickly, lacking the normally sun-kissed tan Johnny had become accustomed to having. 

But perhaps the worst part of it was the aura that surrounded him: no longer blazing, no longer adventurous, no longer alive.  

No. Reed refused to say that. Because Johnny was right in front of him. Alive. His spirit, his flame, was just.. no longer active. Yeah. Active was a better word. Johnny wasn’t dead, he was just..shutting down.

Because despite the fact that everything about him seemed to scream that he’d given up, Reed knew he hadn’t, if not for himself - for the family. But that didn’t make the battle any easier for the youngest Storm.

He swallowed as his eyebrows creased in concern. He looked down. The veins had darkened, now visible even beneath his white shirt. Johnny looked like he was dying. 

And that scared Reed.

That really, really scared him.

He took a deep breath. He was never good at this. 

Reed was never good at speaking directly from the heart. Never good with emotions, because emotions weren’t facts. Emotions were unpredictable. There was no formula, no equation, no rulebook or guide to emotions. 

He was never quite that good with Johnny, either. He often bit his tongue, too afraid to say something he’d regret. He never quite understood him, and perhaps it was their polar opposite personalities, their diverging mindsets, or something as simple as their age gap.

He could never be who Johnny wanted, who he needed. It was easier to leave that to Sue. Leave the emotions to her. Leave the lightharted banter to Ben. 

And Reed? Well, Reed spoke in statistics and theories that Johnny didn’t always receive well. Johnny understood, because despite what people thought, Reed knows that he’s more intelligent than he lets on. So Reed didn’t always have those moments with him. He didn’t comfort him with gentle words and affirmations on a particularly bad day like Sue would. He didn’t make him laugh when his anger or heartbreak burned brighter than his flames like Ben would.

And he was okay with that. Because at the end of the day, they still loved each other. They were brothers with an unspoken, permanent bond neither of them could break. 

Even though he didn’t act on it, he still observed. Reed knew that if you wanted Johnny to listen, really listen, you had to speak from the heart. You had to ground him with physical touch - a hand on the back of his neck, his shoulder, his back. Something to prove they were there. To convince him to stay and listen regardless of how he seemed to buzz energetically from place to place, subject to subject. 

Reed realized it was painfully obvious: it wouldn’t take much to convince Johnny to stay still. There he stood, a shell of himself. 

Quieter. Smaller.

The blonde still looked at him, waiting for him to continue. A certain meekness in his expression that Reed never wanted to see again. 

And so he swallowed, willing the words to leave his throat. He cupped his hand on the side of his cheek - a form of physical touch far more intimate than he’d ever used on the boy. Neither of them commented on it.

He stared directly into his eyes. “We’re all high-strung - hell..I’m afraid, Johnny. We all are. And fear is..” 

He couldn’t help but want to add a fact, quote a study, share a form of data, of statistics - scientific proof of the effects of fear. But he didn’t need to. Because the proof he needed was right in front of him, inside him. 

“ Constricting . It takes, and takes, and takes. It takes our hope. Our patience. The things that make us, well, us. We act out on it, and that isn’t an inherently bad thing. It’s.. inevitable. Fear is both our own personal evil and the tether to our innate sense of humanity. Sometimes we aren’t rational out of fear of losing something. And- and to fear to lose something is to love something. It’s okay to be scared, Johnny - god knows we’re terrified. You almost died. He almost killed you.”

Johnny tried to make a joke, to distract Reed from the way he wanted to cry both out of physical and emotional exhaustion, to distract him from the way his body trembled if he so much as breathed incorrectly (as if you could even do that), to distract him from the guilt that was so very obviously eating him alive.

No humor left his mouth.

“It was rude. I shouldn’t have said that. I know what you’ve been doing for me. I know you’re trying to save..” he paused, gesturing to himself - particularly his abdomen wound.

Reed shook his head in response, “You’re tired and in pain. I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you. Besides, you’re right. I meant what I said when I apologized.” He took his palm and put it against the younger man's forehead. “Let’s take a break from tests. Think you can make it back to the room? Or should I get Ben?” 

Johnny weighed the options in his mind. The thought of getting up made him nauseous. The thought of being carried off to his room by Ben made him even more nauseous. He could try to make it himself. But if he passed out again, that’d be so embarrassing. 

“Can I just..stay here?” Reed’s face creased with concern. “On the couch?” Johnny nodded sheepishly. 

“If you’d like. Can I get you anything?” the older man asked, walking over to dim the lights. When he finished, he came back to the fiery blonde, who was lying down with his hands over his eyes. “No. This is good. Thank you,” he mumbled. 

“No, thank you. I mean it. Get some rest, okay?” Just as Reed began walking away, Johnny gripped his forearm—his eyes still closed. The scientist stopped in his tracks. 

“Johnny?” 

“I’d do it again. For you. Ben. Sue,” he said simply, quietly - letting go of his arm. Reed put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head in protest, “I know, buddy.” 

He spent the night after that back in the medbay - Reed was worried about..something. 

He and Sue still hadn’t spoken.

It was morning now. Late morning, Johnny guessed, according to the way the sun peeked through the blinds.

Reed was still with him in the medbay room - a room he’d gotten accustomed to staying in.

Was it cold in there?

Reed sat in the chair, his head bowed as he slept.

It was really bright. 

Reed was catching up on some much-needed rest - he’d been working around the clock to determine what had been going on with him.

He couldn’t breathe. 

Reed could probably do with more sleep. The bags under his eyes began to grow. 

“Reed,” he wheezed - and he hated it. Hated how selfish he was for waking his brother-in-law up. The man was up in an instant (was superhearing one of his powers, too?). “Johnny?” he asked, concerned.

“Wrong.” he bit out. He burst into flames. “Something’s wrong,” he whispered - desperate.

Reed watched in shock as Johnny’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, his body convulsing. He couldn’t even touch him - luckily, the fireproof bed and blanket he’d designed years ago seemed to be holding up.

“Fuck!”

He subconsciously held up a hand from the sheer amount of heat radiating off of his brother-in-law, watching the digital clock on the wall to time the seizure. 

He stretched his hands to grab whatever antiseizure medication he had H.E.R.B.I.E. stock a few months ago - preparing the Levetiracetam injection as he continued to make note of the time.

After what felt like hours, the seizures had stopped, leaving a glossy-eyed Human Torch gazing at him. 

And how it broke his heart to see tears fall, his face void of any emotion.

God. He hoped there was no brain damage.

“You’re okay,” he said, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying his best to soothe him. “It’s gonna be okay. Can you answer me? Are you in any pain?” Reed swallowed hard, ignoring the way fear bubbled in his throat - catching his breath. 

“What..happened..?” he managed to ask. Still looking up at Reed.

The older man took his hands, “You had a seizure. You- you burst into flames.” The boy didn’t respond, he simply closed his eyes - more tears falling.

“Hey, hey, kid..” Reed began, not knowing where to go - what to say.

Johnny was on the gray bed, his white shirt almost soaked from sweat. He was limp, his eyes so sunken, so tired, his jaw tense from pain. “Everything hurts,” he whispered.

Reed didn’t say a word, fiddling with some sort of medication. He injected it into his IV. “This should help you, I’m sorry.” 

“Want me to get Sue?” he prompted - knowing her presence always seemed to comfort the younger man. That suggestion seemed to bring him physical pain as he flinched, turning away.

“She doesn’t want to talk to me right now,” he said - and he hated how small he sounded. How small he felt. He squeezed his eyes as tears threatened to fall.

“No,” Reed shook his head. “The other day, she needed a break from the conversation. She cares about you regardless, but sometimes she needs time to cool off. As we all do. But I’m quite certain she would want to be aware of what just occurred.”

Reed didn’t understand, Johnny thought to himself. Didn’t understand that the face and tone she’d been using was the exact same to the one she’d use when they were kids - when she was really, really angry and needed a few days to be able to speak comfortably with him again. One of their worst arguments resulted in the silent treatment from both of them for a week. This argument was somehow much worse. He could only expect silence for longer. 

Rationally, he knew that his sister would never do such a thing. Their week of no contact had only occurred because both of them, competitive in nature, didn’t want to be the first to give in. (Sue had.) And he knew, truly knew, that Sue was better than him - that she’d be the first to run in and cry to him about how sorry she was, she’d run in and instantly greet him with kind words of understanding (not yet forgiveness, not until a proper apology had been brought up—she had standards, after all. There was a reason she was politically active), she’d come in and push the hair out of his face and linger her fingers on his cheek for too long, and she’d make everything better. 

He knew this. 

And he knew that saying ‘she didn’t want to talk’ with him was a stupid excuse for his true feelings: he didn’t deserve her. Not right now. 

Not ever, really.

He didn’t deserve her when he was 6 and got in trouble for tripping her, only to end up being comforted by her after crying from the guilt. 

He didn’t deserve her when he was 13, screaming at her for being ‘too strict’ - to which she yelled back, “Well, mom’s dead. So somebody has to step up!” He didn’t deserve her when he responded with something that stayed with him forever - often plaguing his mind with guilt: “I never wanted you to! I never asked you to!” He certainly didn’t deserve her when she stood in front of him, her jaw trembling as she lifted her chin to look confident, “I want to. I chose to. I chose to take care of you. And I won’t ever take that back.”

He didn’t deserve her when he was freshly 16, after the accident, when he uncontrollably lit on fire. He didn’t deserve the way she taught herself to control her force fields simply so she could sit next to him.

He didn’t deserve a lot of things.

He couldn’t help but feel like he didn’t deserve this pain, either.

When had his ears started ringing?

“..ny.”

“..ohnny.”

He regained his focus. 

“Johnny.”

“Stay with me, alright?”

He nodded. Where else would he go? He vaguely heard Reed talking, explaining something, in that hushed voice he used when he didn’t want Johnny to hear. He couldn’t hear him even if he wanted to. It was all muffled. But the pain meds were doing their job, so he couldn’t complain.

Ben stood at the door, nodding solemnly. When had he gotten there?

They switched places, Reed exited the room as Ben took a seat near his bed. “Jeez, pal,” he said. 

“You’re telling me,” he shot back weakly.

They sat in silence.

Meanwhile, Reed searched for his wife, who was drinking her coffee at the kitchen table. “He give you much trouble last night?” She asked, trying to joke despite.. Despite the fact that Reed knew they hadn’t spoken in a couple days.

She heard him take a deep breath - methodical, calculated - the type of breath you take when you’re preparing to give someone bad news. The same type of breath the doctors had taken before announcing that her mother was dead.

She froze.

“Reed, please,” she begged, standing up to run to the medbay. “He’s alive,” he said - stopping her spiraling. “He- he had a seizure this morning. I was able to treat it, but he’s in extreme physical and emotional distress.”

Her eyebrows creased. “Emotional?”

“He’s.. very upset about the other night. So upset, he didn’t want me to tell you.”

Anger pierced her gaze, “He what? ” she bit out, harshly. “He didn’t- want me to know he had a seizure ?”

He rubbed a hand down her arm, “Not because he was angry with you,” he said quickly - attempting to defuse the situation he’d practically thrown gas and a lighter on. “He’s worried. Worried you didn’t want to talk with him. I explained that you, well, would never do such a thing. He isn’t in the mindset to receive anything right now, babe.”

Where Reed expected her to coach herself out of anger, she instead took a seat - burying her face in her hands as she cried softly. 

Last night, she had mirrored that exact same position with Ben - sharing her feelings about what sparked the whole silent treatment incident.

“He thinks I don’t care about him, Ben,” she expressed - at a loss. “I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’m terrified. I’ve always known what to do. Always. From when my parents let me hold Johnny for the first time, I just knew that I had to keep him safe. I knew I had to read about babies - what they could eat and drink and do without getting hurt. When our mom died, I knew I had to step up. I knew I had to be in charge of planning and cooking the meals. I knew I had to help Johnny sign up for classes and take him to his doctor's appointments ‘cause our dad would forget. From the second I met you and Reed - I knew you were going to be our family. I’ve always known. But right now? I’m so lost right now. I’m so lost,” she finished, defeated.

Ben listened actively, nodding at her. “It’s okay to not know, Sues. These past few days have been filled with the unknown. Hell, these past four years have been filled with the unknown. You couldn’t have known about the accident or how it would change us. But that wasn’t a bad thing. Look what came out of it. Look at the things we do for people because of it. Not knowing isn’t the end of the world. Nobody knows what’s happening with Johnny. And we’re all scared to death because of it. But it won’t stop us from doing what we need to do - finding a cure. One step at a time. Discovering the unknown. Together.”

She replayed the memory. It’s okay to not know. 

One step at a time. 

As a family. 

“I need to see him.”

-

She stood by the door, hesitance hindering her body from moving. Ben noticed quickly, getting up from his spot. Reed took a glance at the 3 of them. “Ben, we should head to the Supermax. We’re going to have a word with the Sorcerer.” He gave his wife a quick kiss before the two best friends left the siblings.

The tension in the room was thick. No one dared to make a noise or move. The antiseptic in the air pierced their noses in the same way guilt pierced their hearts.

“I’m sorry.” 

The statement was said softly, genuinely. 

Sue looked at her brother - so small in the bed. She turned away, as if looking at him was too painful. “I’m sorry too,” she responded - taking a seat.

She took his hand, giving it a quick squeeze. His skin was cold and clammy under hers. He hadn’t been cold since..

He returned the squeeze, much, much weaker. A testament to how this..illness, wound, spell, whatever, had affected him. As if his entire complexion wasn’t enough. 

“You.. you didn’t want me to come?” Sue asked, heartbreak glistening in her eyes.

“No!” he said, quickly - sitting up. 

Bad idea. He winced, the sudden movement sending a jolt of pain down his body. He hissed, lying back down.

“No,” he continued, sternly. “I just.. I guess I thought you wouldn’t want to come. I’ve been an ass to you.”

She shook her head, pursing her lips together. “Yeah. But you’re my baby brother. You’re bound to be an ass to me at some point. Lord knows you’ve been one to me in the past,” she smiled slightly. “I will always want to come. Even if we’re in the worlds biggest fight - there isn’t a planet where I wouldn’t want to make sure you’re okay. There isn’t a universe where an argument would stop me from loving you, Johnny.” 

He nodded, but she was sure he didn’t believe the words that exited her mouth. “I shouldn’t have been rude to you.”

“Stop apologizing. It’s okay. I don’t care about that right now,” she hummed, hand gently stroking his cheek.

They didn’t speak much after that. No light-hearted jokes, no banter. Comfortable silence. The air felt looser - the weight on their hearts lessening.

-

Meanwhile, as Ben drove the fantasticar to the prison, Reed was running calculations in his mind. How on earth would they convince someone so evil to..help them? 

“What do we know about this guy?” he asked Ben, who gripped his hands tightly on the wheel. “He’s got a kid, who died when she was Johnny’s age. Her name was Vanessa.”

“That’s it - that’s how we convince him to give us the cure,” Reed exclaimed as Ben nodded in agreement.

When they arrived, they were let in by the guards, watching as the Sorcer was led into the room with his hands and feet chained - stripped of his weapons and magic.

“Mr. Fantastic?” He asked, genuinely shocked to see him. “But how? I- I stabbed you. I poisoned you!” he exclaimed, anger in his eyes. 

Reed took a steadying breath, the only thing grounding him from knocking the lights out of the other man. “You didn’t. It hit my brother-in-law instead.” The sorcerer rolled his eyes. “So, you’ve come to gloat? To brag that you’re fine, while I’m in this prison?”

“No, I’m not fine,” he stated, his voice low. Dangerous.

“Puh-lease, you’re going to tell me you’re not happy that you avoided getting stabbed and poisoned? You know, it’s a painful experience. I would know - I created it!”

The room went silent quickly after Ben slammed a hand down on the metal table, leaving a large indent. “He’s a kid!” he yelled at the villain.

“He’s 19, just like Vanessa! He’s got his whole life ahead of him, just like Vanessa!” The name of his late daughter seemed to snap him into a trance - shock lining his features. “You motherfucker,” Ben continued, taunting him. “You’re killing him. You’re doing exactly what your wife did to your daughter.”

“Don’t,” the man cut in - his face trembled as tears began to fall. “You’re no better than your wife,” Ben spat. 

“I AM BETTER,” he screamed, his eyes feral and wild. “BECAUSE I DIDN’T KILL OUR CHILD!” 

“But you’re killing ours,” Reed whispered - interjecting. “My wife practically raised him. He’s hers. Her baby. Her Vanessa . So prove it. Prove that you’re nothing like your wife. Prove that you’re a better person and help us save him.”

-

The elevator dinged as Ben rushed through, “Everything okay, matchstick?” Sue met his eyes, nodding. “He’s okay. No further episodes.”

Relieved, Ben let them know that the Sorcerer had given them what they needed. “Reed is in his lab right now, creating the cure. It’ll just be a few minutes, he said. You’re gonna be okay, pal,” he smiled despite his rocky complexion. Sue let out a cry of relief, hugging Ben. “I don’t know what you did,” she whispered, “but I have a feeling it’s because of you. Thank you.”

Reed joined them, syringe in hand. Even after the cure was administered, he wasn’t miraculously healed. It was a long process. The sorcerer's poison worked in stages, and it was only unfortunate that the cure did, too. 

Recovery is always long and painful. 

Having a family to lean on makes it bearable.