My Impractical Hurricane – 4
Role model? Aww…I'm all teared up now…no, don't look at me! Go! Just go read! I really appreciate the feedback. You guys are awesome.
One potato, two potato, three potato—floor.
And thusly, as Reed found out, hash browns were not nearly as easy to make as some people had suggested. Perhaps he had gotten a little full of himself. He learned early on in life to make eggs, and he had arrogantly thought, 'What else to breakfast is there?' It was only later that he realized, after factoring in pancakes, waffles, toast, and various other items, that the first meal was not only the most important meal of the day, but also the most dangerous. With a grumble, Reed tossed a towel on it. Right next to the egg he'd dropped, and the coffee he'd spilled.
Admittedly, he was starting to feel a little lonely. He had slept until ten this morning, which was rather early compared to when he usually dragged his sick and feeble body out of bed as of late. It was currently noon, and here he stood making breakfast while Ben and Sue—and most likely Alicia—were out doing various shopping. Ever since this whole super power instant fame thing, Reed couldn't help but notice that such public tasks took hours longer than they used to. If he so much as bought a stick of gum, he was liable to hear about it in the paper the next morning. God forbid Johnny buy condoms or Sue buy tampons without the general public erupting in a volcanic meltdown at the moral seams of society. Reed stayed out of the public eye as much as he could, though that only served to further heighten the hysteria surrounding him. Fans said it gave him some sort of mysterious edge. He remembered fondly a time when he could grab a quick burger at McDonald's without the mothers of America shaming him for his bad example.
He finally managed to fix himself a plate of reasonable breakfast. He thought about making something for Johnny, but in the end, decided that a sick and hung-over stomach could only bare witness to so much. He settled for a plate of plain toast in hopes it wouldn't make him gag. He at least thought Johnny would be waking up by now. He suddenly heard a series of coughs from down the hallway, and confirming his suspicions, a very sick and trembling Johnny emerged from his room. "…Sue?" he called out, his voice husky and cracked.
"Not here." Reed answered back, and Johnny quickly grabbed his head.
"What…? Er…Where're…what time's…" Johnny attempted to get at least one question out, one hand over his forehead as he came trudging into the kitchen.
"The others are out shopping." Reed said quietly, eying Johnny in a wary fashion as the younger sat at a stool against the counter.
"You don't have to yell…" Johnny moaned, thunking his head down onto the counter and rubbing his temples tenderly. "Why are you here…?"
"Someone has to watch you." Reed muttered. "You want some toast? Here." Reed pushed the plate towards him and Johnny slowly rose up a little.
"Ohhhh God…" Johnny whimpered, bowing his head back down again.
"Okay, fine, not now." Reed conceded and pulled the plate back. He paused, palms resting on the counter as he stared at his comrade. "Well…here. Drink some orange juice then." Reed rounded the counter and went to Johnny's side, prodding him and holding the glass out for him to take.
"Get away from me with that…" he moaned, trying to edge away with his head down in his arms.
"Look, Johnny, you've got to at least drink something. After all that happened last night, you need to—"
Johnny suddenly looked up, his hands frozen near his head and his eyes very worried and confused as they met Reed's. The look on his face was enough to shock Reed into silence. What was that all about? Johnny eyed the orange juice, and then Reed again, swallowing. "What do you mean after what happened last night? What happened last night?"
"You don't remember?" Reed blinked. "…Of course you don't. But let me tell you something, I don't ever want to see you that drunk again."
Johnny sneered and took the juice miserably, looking down into the glass at the swirling orange vortex. "Okay, so I had a few…dozen…shots. Shoot me."
"Part of me wanted to…" Reed said as he set two aspirin down next to Johnny's hand.
"Well what happened?" Johnny demanded again, looking up at him with almost angry eyes.
"What do you mean what happened? I put you to bed." Reed shrugged.
"You what?" Johnny's grip tightened on his glass.
"Well should I have left you on the floor?"
"What did you do to me?" Johnny ordered, jabbing a finger at him.
"What did I do to you?" Reed threw up one arm incredulously. There were plenty of times where he felt Johnny could use a good whack upside the head. This was one of them.
"Yeah, what did you do?" Johnny downed the aspirin with a heavy gulp of orange juice, a funny sort of look on his face as he swallowed.
"What the Hell are you accusing me of, Johnny?" Reed's temper rose. Well if this wasn't the last time he helped Johnny when he needed it… "You were sick. I took care of you."
"What do you mean took care?" Johnny growled back.
"What the Hell do you mean by that?" Reed boomed out, once and for all. "What, you think I took advantage of you or something?" he added sarcastically.
"Did you?" Johnny followed.
Reed's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, staring at Johnny in disbelief. "…You…can't…be serious." Was all he could say.
Johnny pushed his glass away indignantly and seethed as he stared up. "How am I supposed to be sure? Y-y-you goddamn kissed me before!"
"WHAT?" Reed stiffened up, and he was sure for a second that his eyes had just fallen out of his head. Johnny was blaming him? Johnny was blaming him! No no no no—No! The audacity to accuse him of initiating that! And what the Hell happened to 'it never happened'? "You were the one who kissed me!" Reed retaliated furiously, gesturing a thumb to himself.
"I was not!"
"Yes you were!"
"You pinned me to the damn ground! You wouldn't let me up!"
"You're the one who started that stupid wrestling match in the first place!"
"Yeah well I didn't think you were gonna try and switch it up to tongue wrestling!"
"There wasn't even any tongue!"
"Don't sound so disappointed!"
"Don't flatter yourself!"
"It was you!"
"It was you!"
"It was you and you know it!"
"Johnny, for the love of—" Reed growled and snatched a hand to the back of Johnny's neck, locking lips in an instant and practically shoving his tongue down his throat. The kiss was like something straight out of a hardcore porn video. It was hard, aggressive, and nearly choked the both of them with its force, and all Johnny could do was utterly freeze.
Reed jerked back and tore his hand away, glowering at Johnny angrily. "There! That was me kissing you! Compare and contrast!"
Johnny was gaping back up at Reed like a gutted fish, mouth hanging open and hands frozen into place on the counter and the air respectively. His cheeks were flushed crimson.
Reed's own actions just began to sink in for him, and the anger abruptly dropped out of his face like a baby giraffe dropping out of the womb.
Johnny suddenly bolted from the table, back to his room. A few minutes later, the distinct sounds of vomiting could be heard. Somehow, however, in the back of Reed's seriously screwed up brain, a part of him hoped that just meant the orange juice was disagreeing with him.