A/N- I felt you needed the warm hug. :D Also yes. Caramel Mocha is a THING.
Chapter 28: Hot And Cold
Even though Reed had said his stupid portal machine would only take about a day to test, what actually happened was that the Fantastic Four got lost in a different universe for a couple weeks, so by the time Johnny got back, not only were K and Logan back - and in vastly better moods for their time spent alone together - but the X-Men had just gotten back from their own mission. And he'd missed out on Sammy's first birthday, which was disappointing.
But unlike the Four, the X-Men hadn't been spending their time exploring a different universe. They'd been responding to a mob that had sparked up on the mere accusation that a young girl in the town was a mutant. She wasn't - but that hadn't stopped the mob.
The X-Men had broken it up but gotten pretty beat up themselves when they were trying to keep things from escalating too far. Ororo was nursing a black eye, Piotr was fussing over Ilyana's limp, Jamie had a solid concussion, someone had grabbed Kurt's tail and had twisted and dislocated it if not broken it, and Bobby had just gotten his arm set in a sling. The whole team was cut and bruised up, but they'd stopped a murder without making the riot even worse, so they were feeling alright.
When Bobby saw Johnny, he didn't even consider how things looked before he came to the door and grinned, giving him a one-armed hug. "Long time no see. I thought Reed might have turned you all into ants or something," he teased. "What, you get lost?"
"What the hell happened to everyone?" Johnny asked. "Why … I know you guys were putting up with some crap but this … is kind of next-level. Who'd you tick off?"
"Oh, this?" Bobby turned to look back at the team. "No, you should see us when we fight, like, weapons departments and evil egomaniacs. This is just wear and tear. I only broke my arm because I de-iced because I was freaking out the girl we were trying to rescue; that's all."
"I thought you were just rescuing people ... "
"Um, yeah, we are," Bobby said. "Usually from mobs trying to kill them. I told you about how Scott and I almost got killed when we first met, right?"
"I thought you were blowing it out of proportion! I didn't realize you were getting attacked for trying to help people."
"Trying to help mutants," Bobby said. "That's the problem." He grinned, checked over his shoulder, and then kissed Johnny's cheek. "It's fine. We get banged up more than this when some of Magneto's old followers decide to harass us thinking they can bust their boss out. Which they can't." When Johnny still looked wide-eyed, Bobby grabbed his hand with his good hand and pulled him out of the doorway. "Hey, come on, if you had a bad mission, that spot behind the barn is still a thing…"
"Yeah," Johnny said distractedly. "Why don't you … just … finish getting patched up and I'll sign your cast, huh?"
"I'll give you the Sharpie first or Hank will put his John Hancock on it too big for everyone else," Bobby said. "Come on. No one's going to care if you come with me. Pretty sure most of the team has figured it out anyway."
Johnny hedged as he looked around the crowd of battered X-Men. "Al-right," he said slowly.
Bobby grinned a little wider at that and stole a kiss. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you anyway. I know you've got cameras on you literally all the time, but how big a hit do you think you'd take if we were seen out in public together together?"
"I was just wondering about that myself," Johnny said. "Kind of."
"Yeah?" Bobby brightened up. "What're you thinking?"
"I was wondering if it might help you."
"Me?" Bobby tipped his head to the side. "I don't follow. I'm well-aware that I'll be the 'also pictured'. Which is too bad, because I'm fabulous."
"Yeah, but … no offense, Bobby, your team is like the butt end of a bad Rodney Dangerfield joke. You're doing good work, and I can't understand why you're getting the run around like you are."
"People just hate mutants, Johnny," Bobby said. "That's kind of the whole reason the team exists. If people weren't treating mutants like crap, we wouldn't be out there stopping them from doing that thing."
"Yeah, true," Johnny said, though he let the conversation fall to silence for a moment. "I think I need to think over how to handle this."
"Okay," Bobby said, then squeezed Johnny's hand. "Just as long as you don't use that as an excuse to totally ghost me like I did to you. It would be karma? But still."
"Yeah … no." It took a moment, but Johnny managed a smile.
"Seriously, are you okay? You look like you're trying to turn into a Summers or something."
"Hey, I get back from space and you're doped up on morphine and sporting a broken arm. I'm entitled to a little whiplash."
"Aww, you're worried about me," Bobby said with a crooked smile.
"And you're high," Johnny laughed finally.
"Yes. Yes, I am," Bobby agreed and then leaned over to steal a kiss. "So you don't need to worry so much. I'm feeling great."
Johnny was a little stiff at that. He was simply unused to letting anyone see the two of them like this, and it showed in a nervous laugh. "I'll bet you are."
"He'll be feeling better when he stays off his feet too," Hank said mildly - not even commenting on the obvious flirting between the two of them. "So if you know anyone who wants to sit with him and play video games…"
"I don't know how many bones you've broken, Hank, but 'feeling better' isn't how I'd describe it," Johnny said.
"I was a football player; I know," Hank said with a smirk.
"Then you either didn't really get hurt or they spoiled you with the good stuff," Johnny teased.
"Oh, absolutely," Hank said, grinning over at Johnny. "And that, of course, is why I spoil my friends when they are also injured."
"Good to know," Johnny laughed, though he took a seat nearby and still out of Hank's way. "You know, sometimes I wonder why you haven't been drafted to another team. Brainiac kid like you ... working on an MD …"
"Actually, I was offered a place with the Avengers, but I want to finish my degree first before I take on any more responsibilities," Hank said with a shrug.
"Oh wow," Johnny laughed. "I guess I'm not the only one that thought that way."
"Hank, my guy's hitting on you; make him stop," Bobby whined - obviously joking and still feeling pretty good, though Hank snorted under his breath and turned to Johnny with an open expression.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Storm, but you are just not my type," he said with a straight face - which had Bobby busting up laughing as soon as he said it.
For a moment, Johnny just stared at him in total disbelief, though for as entertained as Bobby was … he couldn't really get defensive.
Hank was grinning as he finished up with Bobby and then headed to the last of his patients - Kurt's X-rays had just come in on whether his tail was sprained or broken - which left Bobby and Johnny in relative privacy. At least as private as the medical wing could provide.
"You know, I'm glad you're back," Bobby said at last after a moment, though he was starting to drift off under the influence. "More fun with you around."
"You really are high," Johnny teased quietly. "You're right, but you're high."
"Still right, though."
Johnny laughed quietly. "That's what I said. Oh my God, just go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
Bobby grinned even wider at that before he let out a loud yawn and, not long after that, did in fact go to sleep.
Considering how high Bobby had been before, he and Johnny hadn't actually made any official decisions about going public with their relationship, though they were at least a little more open around their friends and family. Bobby had sort of blown that with being openly affectionate for the whole team to see - and he felt bad about that, he did. But he also didn't.
After all, he'd hated having to lead the double life, and at least being open about who he liked in the privacy of the school felt better than hiding all the time.
As for their public life, though… that was still the subject of some debate. They kept thinking maybe they'd be more open and then backing off that decision, vacillating between the two options practically three times a day - three times an hour on the worst days.
They still hung out in public, of course. They just couldn't figure out when to start doing it as a couple.
The two of them had headed out to the usual spot in a little coffee shop nearby like they did most afternoons, and Bobby headed over to grab a table before things got too busy while Johnny waited for their order to come up at the end of the counter. As he usually did, Johnny was leaning on the counter and watching what was going on - people watching, smiling at the couple of people that recognized him right off and basically being a ham. But the whole tone of the shop seemed a little off. That or he was getting paranoid. It hadn't been too long since there had been mutants in the news getting beat down - and even less time had passed since the last hate crime about a pair of young men out west had been beaten down in the street.
But Bobby didn't see what Johnny saw.
Just outside of the shop, there was a young lady who looked normal except for the long tail that ended in a bit of fluff. And somehow or another - Johnny didn't see how - a pair of guys had gotten her to show the tail. She had to have had it hidden away …
He shook himself out of his moment of trying to figure that out when the young men went from simple sexual harassment to getting more physical as they pushed the young mutant between them toward an alley. Johnny didn't think about it for any longer than it took for him to kick away from the counter - already starting to flame up before he could shed the leather jacket he was wearing.
By the time he got out to the alley, the two guys had managed to amass a small crowd of onlookers - none of whom were actually helping the young mutant and instead seemed to be cheering the guys on as they pushed, shoved, kicked, and hit her, starting to ramp up with every turn they took like it was some sick game. A few people were even laughing - though Johnny was focused on the terrified girl.
As instantly recognizable as Johnny was, a few of the people in the crowd were already looking his way, too, though they seemed to think he was going to side with them, already grinning at him as one guy in particular called out, "Here for the show?"
"Just here to break it up," Johnny replied. "Come on, guys; you have to have something better to do than act like this."
"Muties a little below your paygrade?" one of the guys who was holding the girl with the tail said, the sneer obvious in his tone.
"See … if that was the case, no one would ever need to talk to you," Johnny said, still trying to keep a half-friendly look, even if he was ready to try going supernova just then. "Leave her alone. What'd she do anyhow?"
"Do?" the second of the girl's assailants snorted. "You can see the tail, can't you? We can't let them take over."
"Yeah, I was wondering about that," Johnny said. "I'll bet she didn't have her tail out when you came across her, so how'd you see it?"
"Not a crime to look for a good time," the guy replied, though judging by the look on the girl's face, it had absolutely not been her intention to show him anything.
"Yeah, no," Johnny said, starting toward the guys holding her. "If you gotta drag her into it, you're doing it wrong, guys." He'd gotten all the way up to them before one of the creeps tried to shove Johnny back, though that was a mistake even before it had really started, since Johnny was just waiting for it. He returned a punch - laced with fire, not to burn the guy but to scare the crap out of him. And though the fight broke out a little more cleanly then - with the girl managing to slip away - that meant the guys Johnny had started fighting were mad about losing their game too.
"You're on their side?" one of them half shouted at Johnny.
"I'm not siding with someone that's trying to force girls into heading into an alley."
"Doesn't matter. No one wants to sleep with a mutie anyway. We're just conducting a public service."
"Yeah?" Johnny shouted, not bothering to even try to control his temper by that point. "Is that why you had to move in a pack? Like a bunch of mindless animals? That girl didn't do anything to get your ugly faces following her."
"You're just as bad as they are if you're sticking up for 'em!"
As things escalated, Johnny lost his focus … which was just really bad timing on his part, since some of the crowd that had gathered was in support of the idiots in the alley. As Johnny moved to avoid getting hit by one of the creeps trying to rush him, someone on the street threw a brick and clipped him in the back of the head.
In a serious display of Murphy's Law, of course, that was exactly when Bobby had stepped outside to see what was going on, so he saw Johnny go down - and he saw the creeps he'd been fighting. Bobby didn't need to know more than that before he threw up a wall of ice between Johnny and everyone else and skated quickly over to the unconscious Human Torch.
Johnny was still warm to the touch, but Bobby picked him up anyway, steaming a little where he had Johnny's arm around his shoulders. Still, he wanted to get him away from the crowd, and Johnny was cooling off anyway, so by the time Bobby had skated them both out of trouble and Johnny was starting to rouse, the steam had stopped, too.
"Hey, so, if you wanted to take on an angry mob, you could have told me, and I'd have totally helped," Bobby said. They were most of the way toward the Baxter Building at that point, and he was ready to get Sue involved to check out the head wound, but first, he had to tease Johnny.
"I wasn't … really thinking about that?"
"Yeah? What were you thinking about? All I know is some guy threw a brick at you."
"I was trying to help the girl they were dragging into an alley," Johnny said, then looked frustrated. "Didn't see the guy with the brick."
Bobby frowned at that. "Do we need to go back? I didn't see the girl…"
"She slipped out when I hit the guy."
"Good. Because you're kind of bleeding from your head, man. We need to get that looked at."
"Good thing I know a place," Johnny teased. "Or two."
"Yeah, we're already headed toward the Baxter Building," Bobby said. "Your sister's gonna freak. But she'll freak a little less when she hears you were defending a girl's honor. Gotta be the hero, right?"
"It wasn't that," Johnny said, sounding mad all over again.
"Okay, you're gonna have to walk me through it, then, because 'girl in an alley' seemed like a straightforward hero thing to me."
"I saw her on the street," Johnny said in a sigh. "She was getting pushed around by a pair of creeps … had a few more trailing behind her." He shrugged. "I didn't really think too much of it until I realized she had a tail. Kinda like a lion, you know? That was when I realized how freaked out she was, okay?"
"Oh man," Bobby said, finally catching on, since he'd seen more than a few incidents like that play out too.
"Exactly. I didn't really … think about it before I headed out."
"Yeah, guys like that… makes total sense why you got hit too. They don't like it when you take sides, especially not our side," Bobby said, rolling his eyes, though after a beat, he turned his attention back to Johnny and bit his lip. "You okay?"
"Fine," Johnny said. "I didn't need those brain cells anyhow."
"Yeah, well." Bobby frowned and tried to look Johnny over a little better. "I'm sorry, man. You're not even a mutant…"
"I'm not worried about it," Johnny said. "Not really. They were just mad I screwed up their hate crime."
"Yeah." Bobby was starting to get quieter as they got closer to the Baxter Building. "Hey, you're not getting flack for hanging out with me, are you? I mean, I'm an X-Man. Everyone knows we're mutants…"
"I don't know," Johnny said. "I've always kind of ignored the negative crap anyhow."
"You can afford to," Bobby muttered under his breath, then shook his head as he skated to a stop on top of the Baxter Building, still with Johnny's arm around his shoulders. "C'mon. Your sister's gonna want to baby you. You know that's her whole purpose for being."
"Ugh. If that were true, she wouldn't have married who she did."
"I hear that." Bobby shook his head - though as expected, it took next to no time for a worried-looking Sue to meet them and start asking what had happened, even as Johnny insisted he was fine.
"Someone threw a brick at him," Bobby said. "It's fine. He says he doesn't need those brain cells. He's pretty enough not to need to be smart."
"It's not as bad as it sounds," Johnny said, holding up one hand.
"Right. Then why is the news reporting that you were badly injured in a mutant-driven riot?" Sue asked, then quickly held up one hand. "Not that I believe it, especially since the one picture they've got from the scene is you and Bobby. But still."
"Did they get my good side?" Johnny teased. "You know I hate it when they don't."
"Really, Johnny?"
"He really does hate it," Bobby confirmed, which had Johnny snickering at the look on Sue's face.
"I don't think it was that bad, Sue," Johnny said.
"They've got a hysterical lady on the news claiming you were kidnapped by a terrorist X-Man," Sue said.
"Oh, well, if that's the case, I need a ransom," Bobby said dryly.
"I guess I'm in trouble," Johnny said. "She'll never pay it."
"Too bad for her. Guess I'm keeping you."
Johnny snapped his fingers and did his best to look properly put out.
Bobby smirked at that, though he let that drop while Sue directed them to where Johnny could get properly patched up, and by the time Johnny had a clean wrap around his head, Bobby looked downright pensive. Which wasn't his usual look.
"I don't know about this," he said at last, letting all his breath out in a whoosh. "They were ready to beat you down for sticking up for a mutant you'd just met, let alone one you're dating." He rubbed the back of his neck without meeting Johnny's gaze. "And that's before you add in the fact that I'm a guy."
"Wait … are you worried about me?"
"Well, yeah," Bobby said, gesturing to Johnny with one hand. "And with good reason! Look what happened!"
"It was a fluke thing," Johnny said. "Just a few jerks, that's all."
"Yeah, but that's an everyday thing for me," Bobby said. "And… I dunno. You don't deserve this crap."
"What? And you do?" Johnny shook his head. "This can't be the way most people react, Bobb-o."
"That's not what I meant," Bobby said. "It's just… come on. You were upset when I got hurt. I'm allowed to return the favor!"
"You are. It's adorable."
Bobby grinned at that and leaned over to kiss him. "Yeah, I am."
