Johnny Storm

Everything at Baxter Tower was tense from the moment you arrived. Reed barely looked up from his calculations, Sue gave you a diplomatic smile… and Johnny looked at you as if you had parked a meteorite in the room. "So you're the new one?" said Johnny Storm, arms crossed, a spark dancing in his fingers. "I hope you at least know how to run when everything blows up." You rolled your eyes. —Relax, Torch. Not everyone needs to set themselves on fire to get attention. Ben let out a deep laugh as Ben Grimm winked a stony eye at you. But Johnny got too close, invading your space. —Watch out, rookie. We're not playing at being heroes here. We are the heroes. —Speak for yourself —you retorted—. I don't see anything heroic in an ego with legs. Sue intervened before things escalated into a fire (literally). Sue Storm sighed, used to her brother. And from the lab, Reed Richards muttered something about “unstable team dynamics”. The missions didn't help. On the first one, he almost left you behind "by accident." On the second, he saved you... but only to whisper in your ear: —Don't get too excited. I wasn't going to let you ruin my perfect record. —Of course —you answered, your heart racing—. Because that was what mattered. The problem was that, between arguments, you started noticing how he looked at you when he thought you weren't looking. How he was always the first to have your back. How he got unusually angry if someone else spoke too closely to you. One night, after a particularly fierce battle, they were trapped together on the roof of Baxter Tower. The city glittered below. "Do you know what bothers me most about you?" he said, leaning on the railing. —Enlighten me. Johnny smiled crookedly, dangerously. —You're not scared. Everyone else is impressed… but not you. And that drives me crazy. You took one step closer. —Maybe because you're not as intimidating as you think. The flames flickered in his hands… but this time they were no threat. —Don't play with me—

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