Marvel Oneshots And Crack

Ghost Rider: Alternative Scene

Johnny doesn't miss his date with Roxanne. Instead, he transforms in the restaurant.

Johnny POV

In retrospect, maybe I should have worn a suit to a restaurant with white tablecloths. A guy like me, decked out in leather, didn't really fit. But whether I wore a goddamn banana suit or wore lingerie, everything would have gone perfectly fine if I'd never showed up.

Roxanne beamed when she saw me walk up, one hand clutching a bag of jelly beans in my pocket, the other clutching leather.

I stood in front of the table, unsure of myself. My last date was...well...with her. "Hey. You look so good."

Roxie giggled. "Thank you. You look spiffy as usual. You can sit down, you know."

Oh. Yeah. I did so, removing my jelly beans from my pocket. I heard her giggle, and I offered her some jellies. "Want some?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Please tell me you're not going to only eat jelly beans this whole time?"

I watch waiters pouring wine for other customers. "Oh no. More like it'll replace the wine."

She gave me a strange look, and I explained, "Alcohol gives me nightmares, so I avoid it."

Roxie shook her head, chuckling at me and my jellies. I defensively hugged the bag of jelly beans. "Hey, don't tease me or my candy."

It's then I noticed how everyone else was dressed in the restaurant. I flicked an invisible spot of dust off my shoulder. "I think I mighta dressed down for this occasion."

She waved a hand. "Oh, don't worry about it, Johnny. I'm guessing you rode your motorcycle here? I feel better about you riding around in leather than a suit."

"Hello, what can I get for you two tonight? Some wine?"

Roxie gave the waiter a dazzling smile. “I’ll take some of the cherry wine on special.”

“Alright, cherry wine comin’ right up! What will you have, sir?”

The waiter turned to me, and I glanced at the menu, suddenly feeling a bit warm. Was my face heating up? Maybe it was just warm in there. “I’ll have, uh...sweet tea.”

“One cherry wine and one sweet tea, got it! I’ll take your menus, thank you, thank you!”

We handed him the menus, him frowning at the slight smell of burnt plastic permeating the air. “Must be the kitchens.”

He left, and I exhaled, feeling sweat form on my brow. “Boy, it’s warm in ’ere, isn’t it? Are you warm? I am.”

Roxanne frowned in concern, eyebrows creasing in the middle of her forehead. “Johnny, are you getting sick? You might have a temperature. You can absolutely go home if you’re not-”

I shook my head immediately, ignoring the dizziness that came with it. “No, no, I rode all the way out ‘ere just to see you, you drove all the way over here, it’s just overheating, it happens-”

My hand found hers, trying for some subtle hand holding. But something very odd happened. Evidently the heat was concentrating in my hands, because she winced and yanked her hand back so hard an empty glass tipped over. My head was spinning, and a dull, hot pain was starting behind my eyes. My voice sounded strange to my ears. “What just happened?”

“Your hand got really hot and...oh god, I’ve got a little welt. Uh, okay, I think you’re running a very high fever or you have really high blood pressure, or...something is going on. I think you need medical attention.”