Illogical

A/N: This story popped into my head after I recently watched the film again. I hope everyone likes the beginning of this tale. :) Reviews are always greatly appreaciated!

Johnny Storm would have been a lying bastard if he tried to say that he didn’t enjoy the change the gang decided to make in the apartment, or lair as he had taken to calling it. They’d moved his gym next to Reed’s laboratory during the remodeling process to make room for the call center they’d set up to monitor the city. Ben’s girlfriend took up there listening in on the frequency the police used. She also answered calls for them on the office line. This of course was an excuse of hers to stay closer to Ben. Ben had broken most of the walls of her apartment not to mention the doorway upon entering on his last visit. She had slowly began moving her things in, not that they didn’t have the room. Ben’s room was the largest due to extenuating circumstances. But back to the changes…Johnny didn’t mind them at all.

He put up a good front complaining that he didn’t like the large windows next to Reed’s laboratory, they blinded him when he came in early in the morning. Sue reminded him that he wasn’t a morning person. He was obliged to agree especially now that he woke up on principal at six in the morning and ran on the treadmill to begin his cardio workout. He wished for a moment that he was in his bed, sheets off warming himself into a deep sleep. But of course, he had to prove her wrong even if he woke up just once to do it. He swore now that today would be that one day. He’d been proving Sue wrong since they were kids and only fallen once when he made fun of her for not kissing a guy at the mall when they were fourteen. In his mind Johnny imagined himself walking up to the guy, a senior in a high school, and kissing him full on the lips. He remembered how he clammed up at her dare. She had only been joking but it would have been in his character to not care and go do it. Just like, it would have been in his character to have his phone ringing off the hook. He hadn’t had a date in weeks. He knew he had to pick up someone soon just to keep up appearances but as he looked up from the glowing red numbers of the meter on his treadmill, glancing into the laboratory he didn’t want to put forth the effort.

Inside the laboratory, Reed stood analyzing something in his little microscope. Sue walked around him jabbering on about something and Johnny knew Reed wasn’t listening. His lips moved in a perfectly formed ‘o’ at his findings. He was excited about something and Johnny enjoyed watching the expression flow through his face. His eyes lit then diminished as Sue shouted something as microscope started smoking. Johnny concentrated harder on Reeds face, even when bright light lit every line. Johnny could feel his muscles burning imagining Reed looking at him with the same expression. He imagined his lips touching his at that point something inside him snapped and Johnny couldn’t control himself. It wasn’t until cool water hit him hard in the face did he stop and as an effect roll back off of the treadmill onto the floor. The machine beeped wildly obviously unused to the speed Johnny had been running at. The rubber on the machine melted into the plastic that was also wet from the heat. Ben had to rip the cord out of the wall to stop the thing from exploding. To make things worse, dark smoke had engulfed the laboratory.

Reed and Sue stood outside, coughing and fanning themselves. Reed checked Sue over and pulled her to him. Somewhere in side Johnny wished it could be him. He looked up at Ben who sent him a hard look and yanked him to his feet.

“We need to go for a walk.”

Johnny followed him out, ripping at the burnt remains of his t-shirt. Ben slammed the front door shut then slammed Johnny into the opposite wall. Johnny rolled his eyes used to this usually when he replaced Ben’s toothpaste with Wasabi then never telling the secret of how he did it.

“Whoa Rocky,” Johnny barely got out. Ben released his grip on Johnny’s shoulders and somehow Johnny remained stuck in the wall more than a few feet off the ground.

“Don’t start with me, punk.”

Johnny rolled his eyes.

“I thought you were over this!”

Johnny’s closed tightly preventing the snappy response from escaping. His confusion lay bare on his face while Ben’s words rolled over him. Did he know?

“They’re back together now since the engagement. You said you were okay with this.”

Johnny rolled his eyes thankful that old Stone-Face wasn’t able to see through him.

“Reed’s never going to change he’ll still be head on into his work and my sister deserves better than that.”

“Johnny, that’s her business and her problem to solve,” Ben said with a shake of his head. Johnny knew this. He had reconciled himself with that fact long before the failed engagement came into perspective. Sue wasn’t his concern and on some level he felt guilty. Sue deserved a good guy. Sue deserved Reed but Reed did and always would have a way of being wrapped up in himself, almost the same thing he accused Johnny of being.

“I know,” Johnny tried to reassure Ben who glared at him as if he would love nothing more than to put him through the rest of the wall.

“Reed’s a good man you know,” Ben rumbled. Johnny looked away. He already knew that. He just never expressed it or at least never out loud.

“Maybe if you spent more time with him instead of looking in the mirror,” Johnny rolled his eyes at the mirror comment he was conscious about his face was all, “you’d see that.”

Johnny was tired of this. Ben was like the protective older brother from hell. Heaven forbid the man have a daughter, if that were possible, she’d never have a date. Reed was his best friend, Johnny knew this was to be expected on the other hand, he didn’t really need to put him three feet into a wall to prove his point.

“Anyway if you know what’s good for ya you’ll ease up off Reed and Sue, alright? They’ll figure it out. And hang out with Reed some; he’s not all chemistry and …chemistry.”


Johnny would have shrugged but he didn’t find it easy instead he raised a carefully crafted eyebrow and questioned, “Are you going to let me down or not. This is getting boring.”

“Little shit,” Ben growled figuring that everything he’d just said had gone in one ear and out the other. He turned and slammed his fist into the wall under Johnny’s left arm and returned to the apartment. Johnny sighed at Ben’s belief that he was completely inept. He closed his eyes and quickly burst into flame scorching the surface surrounding him and allowing him to drop to the ground. Once on the floor Johnny controlled the remaining flames and walked steadily back to the front door. On this opposite side, he could hear Sue and Reed arguing.

“Well, maybe he was making a point.”

“Sue are we really going to get into this now?”

“You’re damn right we’re going to get into it,” Sue challenged waiting for Reed to say something. He did, but it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

“I have to go.”

“Go? Where else could you possibly have to be right now?”

The door swung open and Johnny stepped back surprised at the hard look on Sue’s face. He’d never seen her that angry. Reed stepped around him not answering her question and anxiously pushing the button on the elevator a few feet away. Sue stepped out beside Johnny hands on her hips.

“Reed, answer me!”

“I’m going to get another telescope,” Reed said sending Johnny a withering look. Inside Johnny crumbled. Sue began crying the instant the elevator doors opened then closed enveloping Reed on a journey downstairs. Johnny huffed as Sue hugged him immediately feeling guilty for the pain he’d accidentally caused her and feeling even worse that he couldn’t get out of his mind how attractive Reed looked when he was really angry. To top it all off he was really thinking of taking Ben’s advice somewhat. There had to be something about Reed that would tick Johnny off. At this point Johnny would give anything to get rid of these feelings for the man his sister loved.