Opposites ➤ Johnny Storm

Chapter Ten

I didn't want to go home. I'd thought of hurrying back to grab some stuff and get a hotel room so I could relax, but I didn't want a luxurious pity party. So instead I had a moving one as I walked around Brooklyn.

Despite being an adult, I spent a lot of my night at a table for one in the ice cream shoppe we went to as kids. I ended up eating my feelings for so long that not going into a sugar coma has to be one of my powers.

After feeling too judged for basically consuming my weight in dairy, I left to walk around again and maybe burn off a small fraction of the calories I just consumed. I wandered the streets aimlessly and eventually I found myself in front of the Baxter Building.

And of course the first thing I saw once I got inside was an angry Ben pinning Johnny against a wall. Hurrying over, I still didn't catch a word as Ben strode off leaving anger in his wake.

"What happened?" My voice sounded so tired, absent of the normal lift in it. Johnny looked up and I could tell he was about to apologize, or he would have.

"Have either of you seen Ben?" Since I had just arrived I let Johnny respond to his sister. 

"Yeah. Sunshine just left." Her face had worry etched into it and I could see she was almost as tired as I was. Anyone could. "Look, Sue, I'm sorry. I can't stay in this freak show. I gotta get back to the real world."

His words knocked me off balance. Without looking away from his sister, his hand shot out to grab my elbow like that time I tried to wear heels for some party Sue had dragged all of us too. He didn't even realize I was wearing sneakers and his hurtful words were what almost made me fall.

"Maybe we should all-"

"You're calling that the real world?"

"You're not Mom. Don't talk to me like I'm a little boy."

"Guys, let's just-"

"Maybe I would if you stopped acting like one. Do you even hear yourself? Who do you think you are?"

"Why is everyone on my ass? If you guys are jealous, fine. I didn't expect it from you." I know he was talking to Sue, but I felt that sting. I'm still mad at him for earlier, but I've cooled down some and don't want anymore fighting.

"You really think those people out there care about you? You're just a fad to them, Johnny."

"Let's try something new. You live your life, I'll live mine. Sound good?" He started walking away either oblivious or unfazed by how upset his sister was. "Oh, and just for the record-They love me!"

Once again, I gave her arm a squeeze and walked away. Earlier I'd chased after my brother to make sure he was okay, now I was chasing my friend, but I'm not sure what I'll do when I catch Johnny.

He was far away, his blonde head barely visible in the small crowd of people. I chased after him and caught up to him three blocks later.

I was within ten feet when the dam holding back my emotions broke. "Johnny!" Everyone on the block stopped at my loud voice sounding through the air. He looked at me surprised as everyone else kept moving.

It was like in those movies were everyone around moves, unfocused and blurry, and the couple in middle are clear as they walk to each other without breaking eye contact before they share the romantic kiss. Except Johnny was met with a hard slap across the face.

His head had jerked to one side from the force of my palm on his face. We both stood frozen in shock for a minute, neither believing I could actually hit him. He eventually he turned to me, rubbing his cheek. "A bit cliche, don't you think?"

"You don't deserve it?" The hard edge in my voice matched the slap. And I think that is what finally broke through Johnny's thick skull.

"No, I do." His expression begged for forgiveness, but this was one time I wouldn't just grant it to him. I'd originally gone after him to calm him down, but all I'd done was switch roles with him. As the stress from all the fights today fully crashed into me, I silently started towards a nearby park.

A few minutes later we arrived with Johnny following behind me the whole way. As I sat on a bench, I looked to him, "Talk."

With a sigh, he collapsed next to me and started to let me in on what's happening in his head. "I don't know what's going on! After I played that prank on you, I went to watch tv and it finally became too much, just sitting around for Reed to 'fix' us. How could I be fixed when for the first time I felt..."

"Like you were finally what you're supposed to be." He removed his eyes from the ground and looked at me with understanding.

"Exactly. At the X-games, all the attention felt so good. It was the first time this wasn't looked at like a bad thing. And when you all showed up angry, I got mad no else appreciated it."

"We were more angry about the whole 'Invisible Girl', 'The Thing' and of course trapping me in the pipes for an hour."

Despite the day we've had, he let out a small laugh. "I didn't think it'd take you that long! And I'll admit I got a little carried away in the interview."

"You may have started it, but we're all at fault to some degree. But we'll deal with all that later. Right now, I just want my friend back." I rested my head on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around mine.

"You got me. And this time, I won't just let you slip away. And as your friend, I demand you tell me why you're still upset despite being cuddled by the one and only Johnny Storm, professional snuggler."

I let out a short laugh as I turned to face him, but looked out at the playground next to us. "Everything's falling apart and I don't know if we can fix it."

"If anyone can, it's you." I looked back at him, to find him staring at me with a proud look in his eyes. Normally it was something that would have made me tease him, but that was before I looked past his shoulder.

"Oh my god, Johnny." I stood up and continued staring as I noticed him follow my gaze. He let out an loud curse and stood at the sight of the bright lights flickering over a tall building behind him.

"That's the Baxter Building, isn't it?" I looked at him with a nod as a million horrible scenarios filled my head. "We have to go, don't we?" Another slow nod in his direction. "After we fix it, we're finally gonna do it?"

I quickly rolled my eyes and ignored his last question. "We have to go." He pressed a quick kiss to forehead before grabbing my hand and running.