BASED OFF OF MARVEL'S FANTASTIC FOUR BY 20TH CENTURY FOX.
* ° ▪︎ • . • ▪︎ ° * ° ▪︎ • . • ▪︎ ° * ° ▪︎ • . • ▪︎ ° *
"Playing with fire doesn't necessarily get you burned."
"In this case, I believe it does."
"It overwhelms me at times, the flame. It's...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
( prologue ! ) - the worst birthday ever -
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When it came to birthdays, Rebekah Richards threw the best parties. For her eighth birthday, she asked for a petting zoo in the backyard. For her thirteenth, it was tickets to a Backstreet Boys concert. Her sweet sixteenth was in celebration of her final year of high school, so everyone from the freshman class to the senior class was invited.
It was no different on her twenty-first birthday. She had just received her first doctorate degree in medicine from Harvard, and she wanted to celebrate in the best way possible--having drinks with friends and family.
Rebekah planned her party the way any average girl turning twenty-one would. Her apartment was filled with people from school and was decorated with pink and black streamers. The dress she picked out was a shimmering silver that made her skin glow. She made sure that her favorite restaurant was able to cater and the drinks were overflowing.
But the party didn't go as planned.
She had met a few people from class that she became friends with, but they weren't exactly close. Rebekah's best friend was someone she'd known for a long time. The brother of her uncle's girlfriend was someone she really got to know. Johnny Storm was every girl's dream guy. He was incredibly attractive, and he had a great personality.
"So how does it feel to be able to legally drink?" Johnny asked her as they sat on the edge of her balcony after the party had ended. Reed and Sue were starting the cleaning process inside and told the two of them to go away. Johnny and Rebekah knew that they were probably making out in a dark corner somewhere.
Rebekah took a sip from the bottle of wine they were sharing. "Well, you don't have to sneak them to me anymore, so that's a plus."
Johnny laughed and took the bottle from her, taking a few swigs. He held it in his hands for a few seconds after, staring down at it. "I, uh, I got you something."
Rebekah turned her head to him as she threw her hair into a low messy bun, a single eyebrow raised. "I thought I said-"
"-no gifts. Yeah, I know. I just didn't listen," Johnny said.
This made Rebekah giggle, the alcohol fogging her mind. "As per usual. Okay, fine. What did you get me?"
Johnny reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, shiny object. He held it up by its chain--a necklace with a tiny pendant no bigger than a quarter.
"The yin?" Rebekah asked, looking at the black symbol.
Her best friend shrugged. "The yin and yang symbols mean female and male, moon and sun, water and fire, cool and warm. At least that's what the guy in Chinatown told me when I bought it. It made me think of you since you're so level-headed. That, and they complement each other."
Rebekah looked at him, her eyes shining.
"I did a little research. The principle is that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites. Like you and me. Separately, they're in chaos. Together, they bring harmony," Johnny reaches into his pocket again and pulls out his keys. The yang is on his key chain. "You and me, Bex--we'll always be inseparable. We're different, but we fit together."
"Johnny," Rebekah whispered as he reached around her to put the necklace around her neck. She swallowed, the alcohol and their close proximity raising a blush to her cheeks. Johnny may not be the brightest in some areas, but he's no idiot. Rebekah just didn't think it would take him this long to figure out that she's had a crush on him for all those years.
Johnny's eyes met hers, and Rebekah wasn't sure if it's the alcohol or just a random burst of confidence when she leaned forward to kiss him.
Their lips were a hair's breadth away when Johnny pulls back. Rebekah froze, staring at the fabric of Johnny's shirt.
"What are you doing?" Johnny asked softly, not angry but in a confused tone.
Rebekah furrowed her brows, equally confused. "I thought you knew. I thought that's why you were telling me those things about the yin and yang."
"Knew what?"
Her heart dropped into her stomach. "That I've been in love with you since we were fifteen. Well, longer than that, I think. I only realized it at fifteen."
"Oh," Johnny blinks. "Oh. Oh, Bex, I-I didn't know. I-I don't--I'm sorry. I can't."
Johnny left abruptly, leaving Rebekah in shock. Everything was blocked out. The only sound was the blood pounding in her ears, and she only felt numbness from her fingertips to her toes.
Reed and Sue were not in some dark corner but tying up bags of trash when Johnny stalked through the living room and left without saying a word. They exchanged silent glances before going to the balcony.
Rebekah sat on the edge where she had before, the bottle of wine clutched in one hand as she chugged the rest down her throat. When she finished, her green eyes were glassy.
"I screwed up," she said before breaking down into tears.
