This scene was brought to life because of Sia and her amazing music. If you have the time, listen to the namesake of this chapter, the song is sublime, like her voice.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fantastic Four or its characters (This includes baby Franklin Benjamin Richards.)
xx
SSC
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Elise could not suppress her grin as she watched Johnny balance baby Richards on his lap. She was sitting beside him, observing them carefully.
They sat in the common lounge room of the Baxter Building. Elise was dressed in a red polo shirt and a dark blue jean skirt. Johnny looked boyish a pair of jeans that matched hers in colour and a grey Velvet Revolver t-shirt.
Franklin was around three months old, diapered and shirtless. His gibbous blue eyes were focused up at his uncle's face. Elise couldn't stop staring either.
Johnny was grinning in a toothy way, but then his expression changed drastically. His dark eyebrows curved up in amazement, his eyes squinted, his cheeks puffed with air and his lips pursed.
"Who is the cute baby? Who is the cute baby?" He asked continuously while bouncing the child on his lap. Franklin's legs that straddled a small expanse of Johnny's lap pulsed at each movement.
"Yes you are. Yesh you are."
Eli shook her head at his antics.
"Johnny I don't think you need to keep reminding him he is the cute baby, just to make him smile. He might turn out all conceited like you." She teased from beside him. She reached out and gently played with the infant's tiny fingers.
Johnny gave her a slanted look, his comical expression turning into happiness. She was startled by this. She was expecting a dead-panned look.
"Maybe he should. "He said, his eyes twinkling in mischief "and then he could meet a fine girl like you to keep him grounded."
She fell silent for a moment, the apples of her cheeks colouring a charming pink. He grinned, pleased by the reaction he had caused.
"You should still stop it, you are embarrassing him." She grumbled in denial "And me."
She averted her attention to the baby. Franklin was watching her in a wide-eyed curiosity. He had a mope of downy chestnut brown hair, like his father's. His chubby cheeks were always a charming pink blush and his thin lips were twisted pensively. She wondered how he could breathe from such puny nostrils attached to the cutest button nose she had ever laid eyes on. She smiled and then hunched closer.
"A goo goo." She cooed. Laughter bubbled up in his tiny body and escaped his lips in shrieking giggles. Johnny stared in amazement and Eli smiled, smugly.
"See? It doesn't take much." She noted glancing at her boyfriend. Johnny pouted, disappointed that he wasn't the one who entertained his nephew.
"Oh? Well in that case you should hold him."
"No wait I—"Johnny had abruptly placed the baby on to her lap before she could utter a complaint. She pressed her lips down into a thin line. The baby smiled, toothless and innocent, his small hands pressed together.
"He just keeps staring at me." She whispered timorously, unable to look away. Johnny laughed and shifted closer to her. He reached out and hooked his finger under the child's free hand, pressing the tip of his finger into its soft palm.
"It's a baby, Smiles. Not Chucky." He stated shaking the chubby arm. Franklin gripped tightly at the index finger, staring at it like he wanted to chew on it. "Come on, it's been two months and you still haven't held him."
"I didn't want to drop him, he is so tiny." Elise defended meticulously.
"Well you are sitting now."
Elise couldn't argue with that. She couldn't tell him babies frightened him, it sounded silly. But she knew he was secretly aware, considering he hadn't tried to force her into spending time with the child. She was more comfortable watching him from a far.
"Hey Franklin." She greeted ineptly. He blinked his large eyes, his thin sandy lashes fluttering. "You have very pretty eyes, much like a certain person I know."
"Oh?" Johnny inquired, gracing her with a darkly sensual smile. She rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm and shifted on the couch.
"I was talking about Sue." She said, while posing her bare feet on the edge of the coffee table. Her thighs acted as a backrest for the babe.
"No you weren't." He corrected in an all knowing tone that both infuriated and aroused her. She sighed and looked to the baby, taking in its cherubic face with a doting eye.
"What I tell you Frankie? Conceited." The baby's lips quirked up, as if secretly understanding her. Eli grinned. Maybe he was wise beyond his years, just like his father.
Johnny watched them secretly. He knew she was enjoying the infant's presence than she cared to admit and he knew he loved it more than he cared to confess. But he didn't want to say anything and risk rushing anything. Neither of them was ready yet, too content with the slow pace of their relationship.
Normally the idea of children with a girl he was seeing made him want to flee for the hills. Now he wasn't so opposed to the idea.
"Hey sweetie." Ben appeared in his pebble like form. Johnny, Elise and little Franklin simultaneously looked up.
Johnny remembered Ben fretting about the baby being afraid of him. But so far, Uncle Ben was Franklin's third favourite person. Next to his father and mother of course, but then again, she provided him sustenance.
The baby giggled again at the sight of his Uncle Ben, amazed by the bright body of orange. Grimm grinned instantly and Johnny continued to pout. Why couldn't he make Franklin laugh?
"Hey." Eli greeted merrily. Ben took a seat beside her. The settee groaned a little despite its metal skeleton.
"So Alicia and I are taking over babysitting duties tonight, to give Susie and Stretch a night off. You two are welcome to join us." The Thing stated chivalrously while his gaze was focused on the child. Elise smiled and looked to the baby, bouncing him on her lap again while toying with its arms.
"That sounds great. I was looking for a chance to challenge you at pool again." She replied.
"That's a little ambitious sweet heart, how about poker instead?" Ben suggested tauntingly her enthusiasm was instantly deflated.
"As fun as that sounds." Johnny plucked the baby up from the underarms and brought him back onto his lap. Franklin didn't complain. He was fascinated by the large Velvet Revolver logo on Johnny's t-shirt.
"Smiles and I have plans."
"We do?" Elise inquired, her eyebrows furrowed in mystification.
"Yeah, did you forget?"
"Forget what?"
"Babe, it's been a year." He said in a soft chiding tone. Her dark winged brows shot up in wonder.
"No, it was a year two months ago. I remember, we celebrated that." She murmured the last part secretively. Johnny chuckled and leaned over to her side.
"No, that's the year you counted. The one I count is our first date."
"Oh." She wasn't expecting that, she suddenly felt abashed.
"What?" Alicia suddenly appeared, wearing a casual white t-shirt and blue three quarters "It's already been a year?"
Johnny nodded eagerly as Elise bit her lip, a little embarrassed by the attention.
"Didn't you two get together last July?" Ben wondered.
"Actually it was June." Elise corrected, exchanging surreptitious looks with her boyfriend.
Ben dead-panned as Alicia settled on to his lap.
"Why did I ask that?" He questioned out loud. Alicia giggled at the glum tone of his voice.
"I still can't believe he managed to be faithful for a year." Susan's voice chimed in as she entered the living room. Her messy blonde pony tail, ragged clothes and the bags under her eyes truly reflected how tried she was.
"Hey! I am right here." Johnny argued as the baby grew restless at the sight of his mother. Susan rolled her blue eyes at her younger brother's irritated rebuttal. She then picked up the spluttering baby into her arms and cradled him against her body.
"Still, you guys must have had bumps in the road of looooove." Reed added appearing after his wife.
His usually neatly brushed head of hair was messy mop that was stuck up in certain places. A light shadow of stubble littered his jaw line and over his upper lip, he held a mug of steaming coffee by the handle. He was dressed his navy blue pajamas with a royal blue robe draped over his broad shoulders.
"Well there was this one incident that happened sometime last August." Elise mused thoughtfully as the Richard's settled on the couch opposite them.
"Ah yeah August." Johnny recalled in turn.
"What did you do block head?" Ben was quick to snap, the Human Torch practically jumped at his loud exclamation.
"Hey Pebbles you can't beat me up for something that already happened."
"It wasn't a big thing; I mean he didn't cheat on me or anything." Elise cut in easing them both.
"Well what did happen?" Alicia inquired, staring off into a distance.
"Why do you guys want to know so badly?" Eli demanded, her gaze narrowing in on the rest. Reed and Susan exchanged furtive looks. Ben shrugged and Alicia struggled to find a reason. Franklin was as oblivious as any three month old would be. He was more fascinated by the emergence of Charcoal. The dog sniffed curiously at the baby's bare feet that were posed on Susan's knee. When Franklin giggled Charcoal's tail wagged gleefully.
"It's just so interesting, how did you man an honest man out of that clown?" Her uncle's jab at Johnny made them all laugh.
"I guess keeping people in line is in the genes." Eli added with a cheeky smile that her boyfriend found hard not to be charmed by.
Ben grinned proudly at his niece "That's my girl."
"No seriously though, what happened?" Richards asked, his mouth hovering over the brim of his mug. The rest eagerly nodded waiting for Elise to recite the story. She shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny.
"Well uh." She looked to Johnny out of desperation and indecision "Do you want me to tell them?"
"I have no problems babe, the story ended well." He said in a surprisingly nonchalant manner.
She smiled at his words and playfully rammed her shoulder into his side "I remember that part vividly."
His blue eyes gleamed in a desire that she echoed in the depths of her emerald orbs.
"Yeah yeah alright." Ben grumbled cutting into their heated ogling "Just get to the point before I feel like sanitizing the very air I breathe." Alicia giggled and lovingly palmed the breadth of her boyfriend's chest.
"Well it was just after that benefit." Elise said reluctantly looking away from Johnny.
"Which one?" Susan inquired like the reminder itself was tedious.
"I don't know. There were so many boring benefits. I don't even know how Reed managed to drag us into that one." Elise muttered in disdain earning a dejected look from the scientist in question.
"He promised to let us borrow the Fantasti-car." Johnny reminded quickly.
"Oh yeah." She drawled out fondly. Johnny and she had taken full advantage of the opportunity, even picked up Kevin along the way.
"So anyway..."
They listened intently as Elise began to narrate the incident.
Ten Months Ago...
The apartment door swung open in a bang. Charcoal was startled out of his sleep at the sound at the entrance.
Elise marched in, her arms swinging stiffly at her sides at each resentful stride she took in the foyer. She was wearing a long ankle length black dress. The silk skirts held a liquid shimmer at each rigid movement of her legs. The hem of the attire hitched around the wedges of her heels.
Johnny came trailing in after her wearing one of his many formal suits. The ebony coat of the tuxedo emphasized his broad shoulders and was buttoned at the breadth of his torso. His walk was a lot calmer yet (in his own way) meek. He shut the door silently with one hand, his attention still focused on his irate girlfriend.
Despite her obvious irritation with him Johnny still couldn't stop admiring her. She seemed like a wrathful goddess in her lovely dress.
Her back was still turned to him. Most of her skin was bare to him due to the style of the dress. His gaze feasted on the expanse of her back, admiring the tense, taut muscles down the sinuous line of her spine. Two thick straps of material was what held the dress to her body, they crisscrossed over her shoulders and intersected at the middle before leading to either side of her waist. He had been fantasizing about trailing that path all night, wondering about the mechanics of the dress prior to getting her alone and undressing her.
But from the rate of which the evening was spiraling into a chaotic argument, Johnny didn't hold on to much hope.
"Come on Smiles, just talk to me."He spoke, purposefully making his voice low and almost like a caress.
She spun around to face him. His attention immediately fell to sweet heart neckline of her dress. Her olive skin gleamed under the soft light within her apartment that made her ample cleavage even more delicious to the eye. His entranced stare moved up to her face. The tight black curls of her hair framed her face beautifully. Johnny knew she wasn't a fan of unnecessary accessories, despite Susan's insistency of clipping back a few of her unruly strands. Johnny wanted her hair that way, wild and free, despite the elegant appearance in her floor length gown.
She kicked off her heel, the foot wear skidded across the foyer and stopped by his feet.
"Your tone needs to change from innocent to pure guilt because I am not going to look at you until you accept responsibility for your actions." She snapped, her height trimming to solid two inches now that she had removed one heel. She was focusing on prying off the other by the heel using her toes.
Johnny sighed and approached her, his long legs allowing him to cross the room in a manner of seconds.
"Look at me, please."
"NO." She bit back turning her back on to him again.
"This is what you do." She continued to rant while using her fingers to unhook the chain of the silver necklace she was wearing. "You do shit like this and then you force me to look in to those blue eyes of yours and I forget why I was mad in the first place."
She managed to pry off the chain and then slammed it down on to the marble counter of the breakfast bar. Johnny sucked in a deep breath, well she wasn't wrong. He didn't want to fight. Not when he was having an internal battle not to take her right there on the kitchen counter. She looked so gorgeous. He could hardly contain himself, but at each movement she made to strip herself made him feel like his heart was breaking.
"Actually we have universe altering sex and then you forget why you were mad at me." He reminded teasingly.
She fell silent, her shoulders stiffening further. Johnny tensed in turn and immediately cursed himself, why did he have to go say that?
He reached out to her but she glided into the living room before he could stop her.
"I am not looking at you." She repeated firmly.
"Come on Smiles." He called out in exasperation, his arms flying up in surrender "I didn't even say anything to him."
She stopped her purposeful strides at the center of the living room. Johnny wondered if she intentionally made it so that the couch was between them.
Charcoal being the witness to many of their arguments, knew it was safer if he didn't emerge from his spot on his favourite pillow. So the wise Dane remained perfectly still and watched the debacle.
She fixed her seething emerald gaze on to him again "Yes, of course you didn't. But you know tux's always spontaneously catch on fire."
Her quick sarcastic wit took him aback for a second.
"The man was asking for it." He muttered.
"How was he asking for it?!" She boomed.
"He was trying to grab your ass." Johnny thrust a wide open palm in her direction, gesturing to her form.
She stared gaping at him for a moment and Johnny prayed that she saw sense in his actions. But then the shock twisted into an expression of pure fury.
"And you don't think I can take care of myself?"
Johnny groaned irritably at her rebuttal, wondering if any of his intentions would seem heroic to her.
"Have you forgotten that you are not the only one with super powers?" She hissed.
"No I have not." He responded, resisting the urge to eye roll. Of course everything he said would come out as a question to her ability as a super. "I don't think that reporter will either."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Her body was trembling in a suppressed anger.
He meant that last sentence to be an internal statement, now it was out in the open he couldn't retract it. He sighed and lowered his chin, knowing the argument was about to get a lot worse. He wasn't planning on bringing up the incident that occurred last week. But when it came to pivotal moments such as this with Elise, nothing stayed hidden.
He raised head and met her stare bravely.
"What I mean is you have nerve accusing me for acting out on my jealousy when you are not so subtle yourself."
Her anger simmered down to a look of defiance. He knew she knew his meaning when she abruptly turned her head to the side. The diamond studs he bought her that she wore, winked at him. The large flat screen TV was in her background, reflecting Johnny's silhouette in a dark shadow.
"That was different." She grumbled.
"How was that different?" He demanded.
"You were encouraging her." She judged effortlessly.
"No I wasn't." He bit back defensively "I was being charming."
Elise's mouth fell open. She hated that he used that word with such ease, like it was his getaway ticket out of everything. Her mouth snapped shut in sheer outrage. Gritting her teeth murderously, her fingers curled into a fist at her sides. Johnny was suddenly aware of the way the air had picked up around them.
"I know charming, I've been at the receiving end of charming. That was NOT charming."
Johnny frowned but he didn't disagree with her, even when her incensed gaze was daring him to. She knew she was right and she was. His scowl deepened the wheels in his mind turning. She wanted a fight? She wanted to point fingers? I'll just give her that then.
He grabbed the lapels of his jacket and shrugged it off his brooding shoulders.
"Alright I'll admit it." He said while folding the coat over the kitchen stool then turning to her again "I wanted test to see if you even remembered your boyfriend. Considering Jason State-abs was the only person you noticed that whole interview."
She gaped in disbelief. That was his basis for flirting with the leggy blonde reporter? Just because she dared to take in interest in another man's profession?
"Hey, Jeff is a boxing legend." She corrected passionately with a threatening movement of her hand "And I was in awe I was not attracted to him. Plus he wasn't a past screw I was flirting with, you were wrong to do what you did."
Elise blinked rapidly. She hated that when she got too worked up around him that wetness in her eyes was always an occurence. The Human Torch didn't have a response that time, he simply stared. She could see the way his jaw muscles were clenching in a suppressed raged.
She growled and racked her fingers through her hair, fighting the urge to kick the couch out of frustration.
"Is that your solution to everything when I dare to avert my attention from you? To flirt and get me jealous?" She demanded mercilessly. Her mind provokingly flashed her mental images of Johnny and the interviewer.
The way she ran hand up his strong arms, how un-sly she was when she pressed a long leg against his and flashed him a million dollar smile at him. Of course Elise wasn't unaccustomed to Johnny receiving attention by the female species, but it was the first time he had ever acknowledged it.
"No, of course not. I just—"His voice lost its strength abruptly. Elise was growing impatient from his silence, why did he have to take so long to gather his words?
Johnny watched the glossy tiles under him for a moment before addressing her again "It was the first time you were interested in a guy that eyed you like he wanted to pound you over the head and drag you back to his cave."
He wasn't making it up. Johnny remembered the way "Jeff" basked in the attention Elise had provided him. Of course her hushed questions were regarding his career as a professional boxer. But he had taken it to mean she was interested in him in a more active way. Johnny hated Jeff's smug smile and the way he would lightly touch her on the shoulder. Of course she was oblivious to it .She just thought he was being friendly.
His statement startled her a little. The vicious words she had prepared to say dissolved in her mouth. A breath she had been holding in escaped her lips in a frustrated sigh.
"I am a fan of his, that's it. It wasn't like I was going to encourage his advances." Elise made sure to enunciate each word on order to get her point across. Her tired gaze took a turn for the accusatory as he fixed it on him again "You however, did."
His gaze dropped like a contrite child "You are right. I am sorry."
His apology disarmed her for a moment. She was expecting him to be defensive.
"And it's not like that was the first time." She added, this however spurred his annoyance again.
"What the heck does that mean?" He hissed taking quick steps to the back of the couch and then planting his hands on the head of the seat.
"It's like everywhere we go we always run into some woman you had screwed."
"It's not like I planned for them to be there."
"Yeah but you plan to use them in an attempt to get me to react?" Her question was rhetorical, but Johnny still attempted to answer it by opening his mouth.
"Do you get off on it?" She quickly cut in before he had a chance to speak "I would never do that to you."
Maybe it was the truth in her statement or the hurt in her trembling voice, but Johnny was forced to swallow his retort.
"I know. I'm sorry I was stupid I didn't—"He caved "I wasn't thinking."
She was weakened by the tender look on his chiseled face. The shadows seemed to add to the intense despair in his heaven-blue eyes. She could see him second guessing himself. She didn't like making him vulnerable because it revealed this raw, naked emotion in him that threatened to swallow her whole. She knew that feeling anywhere, having been in that situation countless times herself. The roller coaster of emotions in the night was beginning to take a toll on her
Her squared shoulders slumped mimicking his defeated look. Her arms slackened at her sides. Her dress felt too tight, the light make-up Sue had applied suddenly felt heavy on her face. Her lips were chapped from the yelling and tasted metallic from the lipstick. She grimaced at the flavor, her lips held down in a grim line.
She didn't want to condemn him for his past, she had demons of her own that she still battled. Things she had done in the past she had wished she hadn't. Johnny wasn't the same person he was then, he had changed in the two years she had known him. He had grown. They both had.
She eyed him unsurely, he was an eerie silent. The kind of silence he would indulge when he was at the precipice himself off from her. She didn't want that. She wanted him to know that they were allowed to make mistakes.
She fought the trembling in her legs and continued to stand strong.
"I don't blame you for your past. I mean it's in the past." She began to speak, her voice considerably softer "We've been great until now, but I don't like getting angry and I don't need you to be someone who does that to me. Seeing you, the idea of you being with someone else that isn't it me, that bothers me."
"I know, I get it." He said raising his head to meet her eyes. He was leaning his weight on to his arms that were erect on the cushion top of the couch.
"The idea of you being with anyone else but me bothers me too. I didn't mean to set that guy's tuxedo on fire but you look so gorgeous tonight." She didn't miss the way his haunted gaze travelled over her form, she trembled in yearning. He sighed and straightened his posture, the want in his face dissolving back into a mask of stern focus "and I wasn't the only one who noticed and things just got out of hand. You have to admit the guy was asking for it."
Elise supposed he had a point. She couldn't even remember the guy's name, but he remembered his annoying presence, cutting into each conversation she attempted to have with a guest at the benefit. She didn't encourage him, Johnny however—
"I—" She bit her lip, resisting the urge to speak her mind. She was too tired to get into another argument.
"Never mind." She concluded averting her attention to Charcoal.
"What?" Johnny demanded, his keen ears had picked up the slip of her lip "Smiles what is it?"
"Nothing forget it it's done." She insisted, her far away gaze was directed on to Charcoal. As if knowing she was in her thoughts, Charcoal didn't make a move to approach her.
Johnny sighed. She was doing it again, keeping things from him to avoid conflict. He already knew what would happen next. She would recoil into herself and then walk past him and into her bedroom. Then she would change out of her clothes, wrap her towel around her and then disappear into the bathroom. She would emerge, clean and refreshed like nothing had happened while the words she had wanted to say would linger in her subconscious.
Then the echoes of her resentment would emerge in another argument. He wanted the vicious cycle to end, he wanted to work through it, and he wanted it for them.
"Just tell me." His tone was commanding and stern. It was enough to jar her out of her thoughts and coax out her irritation.
Good, Johnny wanted that. She confessed more when she was angry at him.
"There is no point telling you, because it's not something you can do." She snapped.
"What can't I do?" He questioned challengingly. She hesitated, but the indignation was where fire met gasoline. He stared at her wordlessly, his confident stance proving to her that he would wait till the dawn of the next day until she told him exactly what she wanted.
She gave in.
"You can't promise to not do it again and I don't want to ask you to because you agreeing would be to please me, not because you think it's wrong." She immediately regretted speaking. She heard how she sounded in her own head. So pushy and demanding. Memories of her witnessing the fights between her parents as a kid began to resurface. She remembered the ultimatums her mother had placed on her father. Elise always blamed her mother for it. She used to be convinced it was what drove her father away.
It took a lot of self acceptance and talking to Kevin to make her realize that her mother was right. Even though she had spiraled into depression in the end, her mother still had the courage to demand what she wanted. Even when it meant her father leaving. But she didn't know if she would survive Johnny leaving her, she was still vulnerable from what happened with Jeremy.
"Just forget it." She snapped, shrinking back into her bravado and pushing back her self-loathing "I sound like a mother talking to—"
"I won't do it." He cut into her vicious rant.
"Don't just say it because you want us to stop fighting." Her father did that, her father lied.
"I'm not. I won't do it because I love you."
Her mind went blank, she wasn't sure for how long but it felt like an eternity. She could feel surface of her skin, hear her heart hammering erratically in her chest.
"What?" She stammered out, she wasn't sure she heard right over the pounding of her heart in her ears.
Johnny stood stock still, not speaking for a great length of time. Elise was oblivious to the stretched silence. He gulped down the weight in his throat. He couldn't believe he had just said that, so recklessly too. He had imagined uttering those words some point during a romantic dinner. Sure it was all he could think about since she was stabbed but he wasn't planning on just throwing the confession on her.
Damage control, damage control! His mind chanted encouragingly.
Oh well, there is no turning back now.
He took a deep breath, allowing the air to fill his lungs and arm him with the courage for the long apology he was preparing to utter.
"I know it was wrong." He amended with a shake of his head "I was being an idiot and I didn't think about how it could hurt you and the last thing I want to do is hurt you and I don't want to hurt the one I love and—"What the hell are you tensing up for you idiot, you already said it once, you can't make it worse by saying it again.
"I love you." He was shocked by the conviction his words held "The other girls they don't matter. They don't even come close."
Elise was stunned for the longest time. Charcoal was frantically glancing between the two.
Johnny was paling, pending her response.
The heated air around suddenly condensed, threatening to suffocate them with the intensity.
Her chest heaved behind the curve of her dress, and then she pushed off the balls of her feet. She hitched her dress up over her legs as to not obstruct her path. Then she put one foot in front of the other. Climbed up the couch like they were a short set of steps and then leapt into his arms.
Johnny caught her reflexively. Her hands cupped his face lovingly, her strong legs winding around his waist. His body was forced forward from the sudden weight but he found balance, clamping her under her thighs.
She kissed him, with so much fervor that his knees threatened to buckle.
His pulse beat like native war drums as he eagerly returned the kiss, his lips parting to accept her. Her fingers dragged up his soft hair, nails scrapping gently against his scalp. The action elicited a groan of encouragement.
"I love you." She breathed staring deep into his eyes "I love you so much I just—" Her shaky whisper trailed off. She pressed another kiss to his lips before looking to him again. Her emerald gaze a light with tormented need.
"You drive me insane."
He chuckled, despite the seriousness in her expression. At the sight of his mirth, she smiled too.
"The feeling is mutual babe, believe me." He forced her up so he could position his arms under her derriere. He grabbed his left wrist, steadying her weight on his arms.
"It's a good crazy though." He added lovingly. She nodded agreeably, her touch gentle on his skin.
"Yes, good." She murmured leaning over and pressing her warm mouth to the side of his face, thumbing the breadth of his sharp cheek bones.
"Very good." She insisted, nuzzling his cheek. Johnny grinned and sought her lips, her body quivered when their mouths met.
The air picked up around them again, this time it was softer, like an autumn breeze. Neither of them was aware of it of course, being too lost in each other. But Elise knew of her unconscious exertions whenever he was around. He brought it out in her, she didn't know the science behind it but it didn't matter. She liked the dramatic flair it added to their love life, she was pretty sure he did too.
He carried all the way to her bedroom, kissing the entire while. She heard the slam of the door when he kicked it shut with the heel of his foot.
They stripped each other slowly that night, taking the time to admire the heat of skin on skin.
Elise couldn't stop smiling, so much so that her face hurt. Her heart was swelling with a happiness that burned through her veins. Seeing her irreplaceable smile he would lightly bump his forehead against hers, whispers words of sweet endearment while slowly lowering her on to the mattress.
'''''''''''''''''
"Wow." Ben breathed in wonder as the rest absorbed the tale. Elise averted her gaze to her lap, her cheeks a flame. She obviously left the part about what happened after Johnny had confessed his feelings. It still felt like she had shared an intimate part of her life.
Johnny continued to grin quite contentedly, until a sudden sniffling noise cut into the silence.
"Susie, are you crying?" Reed asked in concern while balancing Franklin on his lap. Susie was furiously wiping at the tears that streamed down her cheeks.
"I am sleep deprived okay!" She cried defensively. No one dared to question her.
" Aw honey." Keeping one hand on his child, Reed stretched the other all the way around his wife and gathered her to his side.
Elise and Johnny stifled their laughter. They couldn't believe they made Susan cry. The blonde shot them disapproving looks.
"That is so sweet, aw." Alicia cooed beaming adoringly "Say it again."
"Would love to, kids. But we have reservations." Johnny announced, getting to his feet before stretching a hand out for Elise to take.
"We are going now?" She asked unsurely, grabbing his hand and he pulled her up to stand beside him. "I am not even dressed for dinner."
"Oh you don't need to be dressed for this one."
"Oh ew, get out." Susan ordered, her pretty features scrunched up in disgust. She thrust an arm in the direction of the elevators.
"I'll pound you for that later." Ben grunted too lazy to get up from his comfortable position on the couch. Johnny grinned like a innocent school boy as Elise rolled her eyes at his amusing behaviour.
"Bye guys." She waved an open hand while the other was gripping his hand.
"Night." He added with a wink for charming measure.
They left hand in hand. The ones in the living room waited till they disappeared behind the bend of the long wall before looking to each other.
"Wow, Johnny saying the L word that isn't lesbian." The elder Storm stated in a monotonous fascination.
"Or lunch." Reed added Susan nodded in agreement.
"Character development you guys." Alicia chimed excitedly from Ben's lap.
"So, do you hear wedding bells?" Alicia suddenly asked eagerly, hoping to start an interesting discussion. She expected dismissal retorts but since it's been a year, they weren't so quick to fire the idea.
"I don't know. It's hard to say. They act like such teenagers at times. Just yesterday I walked in on—"
"Oh God, please don't." Ben exclaimed, grimacing at the incomplete words Reed left hanging in the air.
"It's not what you think." Richards stated frankly.
"Oh." Ben's disgust disappeared, waiting for Reed to resume the story.
"I found them in the kitchen. Johnny was sitting marshmallows on fire and Elise had created some pinwheel in the air with them. It was very strange."
"Well at least they amuse each other." Alicia mused smiling joyfully, they nodded in cheery concurrence.
