HAHA. Here is another story about Ben and Reed in college.
I do not own any Fantastic Four characters.
College Days: It takes Two to Tango The weather was beyond beautiful. It was drop dead gorgeous as Ben Grimm walked back to his apartment on 56th Avenue. He was just coming back from having lunch with Debbie, a close friend of his. Ben sighed as he looked up at the clear, sunny blue sky. You know, today's a good day for some frisbeein', Ben thought. He crossed the street to his apartment in high spirits, whistling "Zippity-Doo-Dah". But Ben cheery mood didn't last. When he saw smoke coming out of every window in his apartment, he decided Reed must have gotten himself into trouble again.
The next second, the six foot ten college student with piercing blue eyes and massive shoulders barreled into the apartment yelling.
"For Pete's sake, Reed, what on earth are you doing?!"
A tall, lean young man with handsome features and dark hair looked up from his project. Ignoring his roommate's angry outburst, he smiled and said, "Hello, Ben. I've got some great news for you."
Ben fanned smoke out of his eyes. He groaned.
"Reed, what're you doin'? You scared the dickens outta me, I thought you'd set the place on fire. What's this thing you're working on anyway?"
"Well, it's a device that will create realistic illusions of high quality using special multicolored lasers to project the image."
"Oh." Then suddenly Reed laughed and shook Ben.
"Ben, I have got to tell you. Today Dr. Mcaffredy came up to me asked me if I would like to do a demonstration of my illusion apparatus at his party this weekend! He also said you could come. Can you believe our luck?! Just think, Ben, my inventions being displayed in public for the first time!"
For a moment Ben stalled and blinked. He had been taken by surprise because 1) Reed had never shaken him and 2) he'd never seen Reed quite that excited, except when he was on the brink of a brand new discovery.
"Yo, that is good news, man. Congrats, pal." He slapped Reed on the back.
"How does some frisbeein' in Central Park and then dinner at the Olive Garden sound as a celebration?"
Reed smiled. "Sound's like a plan."
Frisbeeing in Central Park was the most fun that Reed had had in a long time. But after two hours of it, Reed was rather worn down and sweaty. Laughing, he told Ben he was dead beat. Sticky with sweat and burning hot, they sat down at a picnic table near the playground.
Breathless, Reed heaved a sigh, "Boy, I haven't played frisbee for longest time."
"Good to get back at it again, isn't it?" They laughed and drank from their water bottles. Suddenly, Reed felt someone tugging on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw a little blonde girl. She was crying.
"Where's my mommy? I'm lost," she said.
"Oh, well, I'll try to find her. Where did you last see her?"
"I don't know." Reed sighed. "Well, I don't think I can help you--"
Ben glared at Reed and elbowed him hard. "It's okay, little miss. We are gonna find your momma." he said, smiling."Now just take my hand, and we're gonna go look for her, okay?"
"Okay," she sniffed. Ben took the little girl's hand and started walking.
Reed shook his head and ran after him."Ben, what are you doing? You don't anything about kids, you don't even have the slightest clue where her mom is!" he whispered urgently.
"Look who's talkin'! You don't know anymore than me. Besides, you don't have to know that much to help a little girl find her mom. Her mom can't be far anyway. I'm just tryin' to be polite," Ben answered in a low voice.
Just then, the little girl looked at them and said, "I gotta go potty."
"Well, then, go."
"I can't."
"Why not?" She started crying again.
"I can't, I can't," she bawled. "You do it."
Reed was utterly baffled. "Do what?"
She cried more. "I gotta go," she moaned.
Reed looked at Ben, but he only threw his hands in the air. Reed tried again. "Little girl, what do you what me to do?"
"Help me go potty!" she shrieked.
Reed groaned. "Oh, it doesn't take much does it, Ben?"
"Shut up."
"Well, you're going to take her because--"
"No way, Reed. She asked you to help her, not me."
"Yes, but you're the one who offered in the first place!"
"D'oh! Reed, just-"
"I'm gonna pee-pee in my pants!!" she screamed.
"Fine, fine. I'll take her to the women's bathroom, and you stand outside and make sure no one comes in," Reed said.
"Geez, Reed--" So Reed took the little girl to the bathroom while Ben stood outside the door to make sure no one came in to see Reed making a fool of himself. But Reed and Ben were not in luck, for the very next person who wished to enter the women's bathroom was Susan Storm.
"Oh, hey Ben! What's up? Why are you standing outside the women's bathroom?"
"Oh, am I? Well, hadn't realized! I was just, uh, takin' a stroll in the park, you know?"
"Well, I gotta go to the bathroom. So, you kinda need to move," she said smiling.
"So, you wanna like buy some ice cream or something?" he said, glancing at a snack shack not far away.
"Uh, sure. After I go to the bathroom." She reached for the door handle. Ben swiped her hand away.
"Uh, nice day isn't it?" he chuckled nervously. She frowned.
"Ben. I have to go, so please move. Do you have a problem with me going to the bathroom?"
"No! I don't. Really."
"Oh really? Hey look! It's Debbie!"
"Debbie? Where?" he cried, looking about wildly. When he turned around, she was gone.
Meanwhile, Reed was in the bathroom trying help the little girl maintain her balance on the toilet.
"Now, just grab on the toilet seat--yeah, like that," Reed said.
"Then just lean back a little--" The little girl's posterior slipped into toilet. She whimpered. Reed sighed.
"Not like that!" He tried to hoist her up, but she just slid farther into toilet. He groaned, and once again attempted to place her properly on the toilet. But this time, as he bent over to pull her upward, he backed into the stall door. Which he had forgotten to lock. At that moment, the door of the women's bathroom swung open and in walked Susan Storm. When Reed turned around to close the stall door, he saw her. Reed nearly fell on top of the little girl in surprise.
"Reed? What are you doing?" Sue asked, puzzled. But before Sue could say anything else, Reed ran out of the bathroom. What's going on? she thought. Consequently, she noticed the little girl still sitting on toilet.
"Oh, do you need help, honey?" She nodded and sniffled.
Meanwhile, Reed and Ben were walking back to their apartment. "I swear, that was probably the worst thing that's happened to me all month," Reed sighed wearily. Ben patted him on the back.
"Hey buddy, it's okay. I'm sorry about what happened, I shouldn't have let Susie in."
"No, it's alright, Ben. It was a mere coincidence that she happened to come along, and I have to admit her 'Debbie' trick was quite clever." Ben laughed.
"She got me good that time." When they arrived at the apartment, they showered and Reed checked the mail. As soon as they were both finished, they headed for the Olive Garden. After a hearty dinner at the Olive Garden, Ben was ready to hit the sack. But by the way Reed was approaching him, he could tell he wasn't going let him sleep just yet.
"Ben, I need to talk to you," he said tentatively.
"What? I'm dead tired, so make it quick," Ben groaned.
"Well, while I was checking mail, I found a formal invitation to Dr. Mcaffredy's party this weekend wedged underneath the door. So I opened it, and it turns out that Dr. Mcaffredy is requiring that if you are man, you must escort a lady to the party. It's not a option, Ben. Dr. Mcaffredy is member of the elite society! Her parties could only be expected to be so formal!"
"So, why don't you ask Suzie to go with you?"
"Ben, you know I can't do that. If I can't even ask her out, there is no way I could ask her to let me escort her to a party. Besides, she told me yesterday that she was going out of town this weekend."
"Fine. You don't have ask Suzie. You could ask Karen. I'm sure she would be glad to go with you."
"Ben, Karen has a boyfriend. They go out every weekend, too, because other than that they don't get to spend much time with each other."
Ben thought hard for a moment. Well, there was Debbie, but she was his. But there weren't any other girls he or Reed knew that he could think of. That would be willing to go with him, of course.
"Well, what're you trying to get at here? You wanna back out of the party? Geez, why didn't you tell me about all this before, like when we were at The Olive Garden?"
"Because I had an idea that has now become a solution to my problem."
"What?"
"Ben, I need you to go with me as a girl."
"Are you outta your mind?! That's an absolute no, right here, right now."
"Ben, listen to me, please. If you go with me, you won't need a date, and I won't have to worry about finding a girl to go with me. I've thought about it, alright. I know that I have implements downstairs that will make you look like a girl without makeup. And I promise you, it will not cause any pain whatsoever."
"I still don't think so."
"Ben, please, it's not even for a whole day!" Reed looked so desperate, it was hard not to feel sorry for him. The guy really wanted to go, didn't he? Ben thought. Unfortunately, Ben really didn't want to stick his limb out this far.But wasn't that what best friends were for? It couldn't be all that bad. At least he didn't have to wear makeup. "No pain, no gain" didn't even apply.
"Fine, but if this backfires, we are in huge trouble. Especially you."
Reed beamed. "I knew I could count on you, Ben."
All week Reed and Ben prepared for the party on Saturday. First, Reed introduced Ben to the contraption he would be using to give him a feminine look. Next, he explained to Ben how to put it on and how it would function. After that, they went to the mall to buy a dress for Ben to wear. While at the mall, Reed informed Ben that he would need to also wear a wig because his device could not mimic female hair efficiently.
Ben groaned, "Aw, come on, Reed. You know I wouldn't be caught dead with a wig."
Reed shook his head, smiling. "Well, you wouldn't be caught dead being a girl either, now would you?"
Ben didn't say anything, but he let Reed buy him a wig. Finally, the fateful day of the party came. Twenty minutes before the party commenced, Ben found himself in the bathroom staring quite aghast at his reflection of a beautiful womanly figure. I can't believe I'm doing this, Ben thought. Ben stepped out the bathroom, wondering where Reed was. He hadn't seen the guy at all since after he'd gotten back from football practice. He took a good look around downstairs, as there always was a good chance he would be down there, performing some freaky experiment. But not this evening. Reed must be upstairs, Ben thought.
Sure enough, Reed was upstairs, fussing over his appearance. Ben laughed to himself. Reed could be overtly conscientious sometimes. Sometimes it was annoying, other times it made him laugh, such as now.
"Reed! What're you doing? The party starts in five minutes!"
"I'll come in a minute, Ben."
"Okay, but if you don't come down in a minute I'm leaving without you."
Hence, Ben went down to the car. Soon, Reed joined him and they were off to Dr. Mcaffredy's. When they arrived, Dr. Mcaffredy was standing in the doorway, waiting. Smiling, she greeted them both warmly.
"I am most honored to have you here, Richards. I have to say I am quite excited for the demonstration," she said.
Reed smiled in acknowledgement. "Why, thank you, Dr. Mcaffredy."
They proceeded into the ballroom. A waiter politely offered them both champagne. Smiling, they thanked him and accepted. Reed looked at Ben and said, "Shall we dance?"
Ben shrugged. "Why not?" he replied. A couple not far away gave them suspicious looks.
Reed shot him a look. "Ben!" he whispered urgently.
Ben frowned. Then he got it. "Oh, sure, a dance would be great!" he said in a strained, high pitched voice. However, his attempt seemed to have made Reed even more uneasy. Subsequently, he decided that it was probably best to stay quiet for the rest of the time.
About an hour later, Reed left Ben to give his demonstration. But Ben did not attend it, he didn't need another lecture he didn't understand. Instead, he stayed in the ballroom talked to some of the hot girls there. But a group of cute girls at a party didn't stay unnoticed among the opposite sex for long. Uh oh, Ben thought when he saw one of his football buddies approaching them. He tried to leave, but one the girls stopped him.
"What are you doing?" she asked, "This guy's the hottest football player ever! Don't you want your chance? I think you guys would be a fantastic match!"
Ben wouldn't have minded the suggestion if his football pal hadn't thought the same. Smiling, he asked Ben if he would like to dance. Ben politely declined by saying that he wasn't familiar with the classical Argentine tango, "El Choclo".
He laughed and said, "That's okay, tangos are easy. I'll teach you," and before Ben could further protest, he swept him onto the dance floor. Great, where's Reed when I need him? Ben thought. He was beginning to feel increasingly uneasy. He knew this particular football player pretty well, he was familiar with his talent of getting a girlfriend in ten minutes or less and his shockingly hot temper. I gotta get outta here, Ben thought.
"Well, would you look at the time! I'm sorry, but I have to go," Ben said. His friend seemed reluctant to let him go.
"Can you just stay for a few minutes? I just wanted tell you that you're the most beautiful girl I've seen in really long time. And, well, I like you a lot," he said, leaning towards him and closing his eyes. Ben felt panic rising in him like tsunami right before it breaks. Adrenaline surged violently through him. Which was normally not a good thing because when he got adrenaline rushes, his instinctive reaction was to launch a punch that could take Coach out (this had happened). Suddenly, his buddy was no longer in front of him.
Ben heard someone saying, "Excuse me, but I believe she is my date!" Ben was relieved. But his pal wasn't about to leave.
"When pigs fly, dweeb! She's mine, so if you want her, you'll have to go through me first!"
At that moment, his friend socked Reed so hard in the stomach that he went flying into table full of food. However, the guy wasn't done yet. He came charging at Reed, red-faced with biceps bulging from clenched fists. But Ben wasn't about to just stand there and watch his best friend get beaten into pulp. He stepped in front of Reed, easily blocking the football guy's barreling charge.
"Sorry pal, but I don't let anyone do that to my best friend!" Ben yelled.
For a moment, his football friend stared at him. "Ben?" he said, blinking. "You bet that's who I am! I am Ben, the best quarterback of the football-"
Ben looked down at himself. Sure, he'd blocked the blow. But not without shorting out Reed's contraption. So now he was back to Ben, wearing a red tube dress that had split all the way down the middle, exposing the top part of his plaid boxers. Ben suddenly became incredibly embarrassed. Oh man, he thought. He glanced at Reed. The wig he had been wearing had fallen awkwardly on Reed's head. Crap! I knew this wasn't going to work out, he thought. Suddenly, everything that had just happened became too much for him to bear. Abruptly, everything began to fade away into blackness……
Subsequently, Dr. Mcaffredy came over to see what exactly was happening. Just in time to see Ben pass out on top of Reed. Throwing the wig off his head, Reed scrambled to his feet.
"Dr. Mcaffredy, I hope you understand that I would explain, except the time has come for us to leave. I'm afraid we can't stay a second longer. Good-bye, and thank you for having us," Reed said hastily. With that, he grabbed Ben around the waist and dragged him out the door. Oh, well, at least the demonstration went all right, Reed thought. No sooner had he reached the doorstep, he saw Susan walking down the sidewalk toward them. Oh no, he thought. He quickly dragged Ben into the hedges bordering the sidewalk.
Fortunately, Sue's attention had been focused on the blond teenage boy behind her.
"Come on, Johnny," she called. Reed shook Ben, desperate.
"Ben! Wake up!" Ben did not stir. Snatching up a hose, Reed sprayed his friend full in the face. Ben woke with a shout.
"What the-" he cried.
"Ben, be quiet!"
"Wha-- why?"
"Just be quiet!!"
Susan seemed unaware of their presence, but the teenager had cast a glance their way. Reed couldn't help but wonder who the young man was. Oh, he must be her boyfriend, he abruptly realized with a sudden sinking feeling. Dr. Mcaffredy greeted Sue and the teenager warmly.
"Suzie and Johnny, it's such a pleasure to see you two!"
"It's good seeing you too, Aunt Lisa," Sue replied as they exchanged a hug.
"Susan, I didn't think you'd make it to my party, being out of town and all, but you must have really made an effort to make it back on time!"
"Yeah, I heard Reed Richards was making a demonstration, and I really wanted to see it. Did it miss it?"
"Oh, sorry, Suzie, you missed it. You missed him too, he left a couple minutes ago."
"Oh, well, at least I made to the party, right?" But she seemed rather disappointed.
"Well, I'm sure you'll feel better after something to eat and drink," Dr. Mcaffredy said as she escorted Sue inside. But the young man who had been with Sue lingered behind. Looking around, he frowned.
"Hello? Is anybody out here?" he called.
But when no one responded, he shrugged and went inside. Reed glanced at Ben. He was laughing.
"Man, if Suzie knew--"
"Ben, don't you dare. You're never going to tell her, ever. No matter the circumstances."
"Even if you guys get married?"
Reed paused. "No. Although I doubt that would happen."
Ben just laughed.