Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Wow, 99 reviews. Guess I'd better update, huh? Sorry for the looooong wait guys. Hope this can start to make up for it. I will answer a question, as it probably won't be mentioned much for a while, but the white substance on Johnny's legs was because he was raped. No questions are immature, by the way, because ignorance is bliss.
Burn It All Up
Chapter 7;
Johnny
It had been six weeks before Johnny had woken up lucid enough to carry out a full conversation. Not that he was much of a conversationalist right now. Johnny kept his head down, for the most part, and his answers tended to be one worded, unless a full sentence was required. Even Reed, the most anti-social of the group, had never acted in such a way. It was unnerving that Johnny had become so submissive. And while they could never have known what was to happen, they all silently blamed themselves.
The blonde stared silently up at Baxter Building, gripping tight to Reed's hand. It had been decided after many a game of rock-paper-scissors and multiple calls of "Best Two-out-of-Three" that the science geek would be allowed to bring the teen home. It wasn't that they hadn't wanted to all be there, they just hadn't wanted to overwhelm Johnny.
FLASHBACK'No!' the blonde shrieked, heaving his broken body away from the trio, 'NONONONONO!'
'Shhh, Johnny, it's us. No one can hurt you now,' Reed told the traumatized teen gently. Johnny's only response was to continue shreiking, tears streaming down his face as he fought to escape.
A nurse had come in, drugging his with some type of sedative or another, and escorting the trio firmly, yet gently from the room. After that, only one person had been allowed in the room at a time.
END FLASHBACK
'Johnny?' Reed asked gently, shaking the boy from which ever reverie he was currently experiencing. The blond started, then looked up at Red from under his lashes, silently asking his question.
'Are you ready to go inside now?' the older man asked the blonde. Johnny glanced quickly at the building, as though afraid that it would bite him, then returned his gaze to Reed. Hesitating, he frowned, lips puckered into a slight pout, before he nodded.
'Ben and Sue are waiting,' Reed told him, as Johnny wrapped a second hand around the first. The blonde allowed himself to be pulled along, partially behind him, and leaning close as if for protection. Reed's heart clenched painfully as he briefly compared the previously outgoing Johnny to this new, shell of a boy. Furious with himself for doing that to the blonde, even subconciously, he shoved the thoughts from his mind. It did no good to dwell on the impossible.
Sue greeted them at the door to their part of the building, glancing worriedly at the blonde still plastered to Reed's side, before forcing a cheerful smile back onto her face.
'Hey, guys. You're early. I just ordered a pizza. Let's hope that we get to it before Ben does,' she told them, winking conspiratorially at them. Reed grinned back as Johhny's lips quirked in response. He knew about the relationship between Ben and Sue, yet found it didn't really bother him. As long as Sue was happy then he wouldn't complain. However, if Ben hurt Sue, he'd find himself set on fire in his sleep for the rest of his life. A spark of Johnny's old fire flashed in his eyes and Reed felt suddenly more relieved than he had in weeks.
Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for Johnny.
Me