011. midnight lovin'

CHAPTER ELEVEN, midnight lovin'!

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"𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐍, 𝐖𝐄'𝐕𝐄 gotta finish the translation for tonight." Lacie tugged on Johnny's arm as he filled his bowl with cereal in the kitchen. The pair of them had taken a break after their shoulders and back ached from being hunched over papers and wearing headphones for hours.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Johnny said through a mouthful of food, keeping his voice low as it was way past midnight and translations should definitely be the last thing on their mind at this hour.

Johnny and Lacie laughed and bumped shoulders with each other as they ventured towards Johnny's room, his t-shirt large on her frame and brushing against her bare legs that her small sleep shorts exposed.

With his headphones resting around his neck, Johnny glanced at Lacie with a smirk and jokingly tipped his bowl of cereal towards her, making her flinch before she slapped him on the arm.

"You're such a dick!" She exclaimed as he laughed with his mouthful of food. The pair rounded the corner and nearly collided with Ben who stormed towards his room.

"Woah! Missed a spot." Johnny teased as Ben's beard was abnormally large. The man sighed and gestured towards his razor, "Curfew Friday. Now I look like an idiot!"

Johnny squinted his eyes and pointed to Ben's chin, "Beard is cool." He muttered and returned to wander towards his room. Ben furrowed his brows, "Seriously?"

Lacie smiled at his nervous face, "Just trim the edges tomorrow and it'll look great--" Her advice was cut off as Johnny turned back and hauled her over his shoulder with one arm.

Lacie yelped as he carried her and shouted apologies to Ben as Johnny led her away, "I've booked this time with her. You can have her tomorrow, Ben!" Johnny shouted behind him as he kicked his bedroom door shut and gently placed Lacie on the ground.

From the other side of the door, Ben sighed and shook his head, "You'd think with the world ending that they'd hurry up and date."

In Johnny's room, he set his bowl down on the table and engulfed his hand in flames, walking over to the board the pair had made. It was covered in translation, analysis and little drawings Lacie had done that Johnny didn't have the heart to throw away.

Lacie walked over to Johnny's bed and laid on her stomach, a sheet in her hand of translations that she could read provided by Johnny's flame.

Frostbite tore her eyes away from the words and stared at Johnny's back, watching as his back muscles tensed underneath his white t-shirt that she swore was slightly see-through. Lacie's brain wracked for a conversation starter, but she couldn't muster up enough courage to do so.

Johnny felt Lacie's eyes on him and he kissed his teeth before turning around, "Do you ever think about the future? You know, when we confirm we have one?"

Lacie raised her brows and looked at the blonde standing across the room, "In what context?"

Johnny put down what he was holding and moved to sit next to Lacie on the bed, causing her to lean on her elbows and turn her body to face him. "It's just..." Johnny started, "You're good with Franklin. Do you see yourself as a mother along the way?"The woman's heart warmed as his sincere words got to her, "Probably," She answered and saw him nod slowly yet never took his eyes off her. Lacie nudged his leg, "What about you? You wanna beat Reed at something else?" She teased and smiled as Johnny chuckled.

"I wouldn't mind a mini me running around." Johnny shrugged and kept the smile on his face.

Lacie chuckled and raised her eyebrows, "And reeking havoc?"

"Then I would know that they're definitely my child." Johnny ran his hand through his hair as Lacie shuffled closer with a grin on her face.

Lacie leaned her body in Johnny's slightly, him feeling her shoulder move as she laughed and looked through her lashes up at him. "It's more of who would want a child with ice DNA in their body." She sighed.

Johnny swallowed, "Right. Your boyfriend would have to have some..." He looked down at her and his words slowed the longer he held eye-contact with her, "Experience in that area."Lacie nodded, "Right." The two stared at each other and slowly edged their bodies closer, the sound of fire crackling from Johnny's hand breaking their silence.

When neither of them made the risky move, Lacie tutted and slid off Johnny's bed, "It's late." She murmured and tried to hide her disappointment, "I'm gonna head off to bed."Lacie stood and walked towards his door, swallowing the feeling of dread that was looming in the pit of her stomach; partly from Johnny's lack of making any move towards her, and from her heart thinking he really wanted her.

"We wouldn't make any sense..." Johnny's voice made her freeze in his doorway. Lacie turned to see him standing also with his hands wiping sweat on his plaid bottoms, "Would we?" His voice cracked slightly.

Lacie tilted her head and felt her heart pick up, "'We?'" Johnny's feet moved before he could think and he approached Lacie's retreating figure, her steps slow as she walked to the comfort of her own bed.

"I mean," Johnny's footsteps pattered via his sock clad feet, "If we were together, hypothetically speaking, of course."

Lacie nodded and pressed her lips together to stop the smile from creeping on her face as she could see Johnny frantically explaining with hand gestures in the corner of her eye, "Obviously." She responded.

"We'd drive each other crazy!" Johnny exclaimed and bumped into a chair, the feet screeching against the hardwood floor. Although, he didn't actually care when he was trying to tick off something on his list.

Lacie shrugged as if it was obvious, "We do that anyway, Johnny." He nodded quickly behind her, "We'd constantly be at each other's throats!"

Lacie chuckled and shook her head, "I find you annoying now, let alone in a relationship."

Johnny waved his hands around and hopped into step with her, exclaiming, "Proving my point! We'd be awful together!"

"Are you following me?" Lacie stopped in her tracks and turned around with a smug grin on her face. Johnny, oblivious to her movements via his rant, crashed straight into Lacie.

Johnny stumbled back and placed both of his hands on Lacie's shoulders to readjust themselves. Lacie looked at his hands with her tongue over her teeth and Johnny cleared his throat, awkwardly brushing his hands down Lacie's arms as if he was fixing her outfit.

The Human Torch scoffed and tried to act nonchalant, "No, of course not. Why would I be doing that?"

"We were just in your room. Mine's on the other side of the building." Lacie stated, her face amused as the superhero fumbled under her gaze.

Johnny shrugged, "Call it a coincidence." Lacie breathed out a laugh and placed her hand on Johnny's chest, smoothing out his white t-shirt and letting it linger there for a moment.

She looked up at him and licked her lips, "Goodnight, Johnny." She lightly pushed his chest and turned into her room, opening the door and ready to crawl under her covers.

Johnny watched her move and didn't budge under her touch. His fingers fiddled with the pocket of his trousers and he felt the familiar outline of a folded piece of paper; tracing the indents and the bulge the ink had caused.

"I don't think we'd be all that bad together, actually..." Johnny cleared his throat.

Lacie turned slowly and rested her back against the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest and picking the skin around her fingers, "No?"

Johnny shook his head and took a step closer to her, "To some extent, Lace." He leaned down to her height, "We'd make sense together."

Lacie raised one eyebrow and didn't flinch away when Johnny gravitated towards her, "How's that?" She asked, her voice low as her breath got caught in her throat slightly.

Johnny smirked and rested one hand behind her head against the wall, his taller height towering over her own. "Fire and ice," He pointed between them, "Don't you see the connection?"

Lacie laughed and leaned her head against his propped up arm, looking downwards and shaking her head. She sighed to herself as she realised she had become a victim to Johnny Storm's flirtatious manner and decided she should protect her ego over her rational feelings.

She mocked a laugh and pressed her back further into the frame, trying to create any sense of space between them. "Very funny, Johnny." She mumbled and tried to not show him how much she was faking her smile.

Johnny's smile fell off his face at her mannerisms and he shook his head at her, eyes never straying from her face, "No. I'm being serious."

Lacie swore she felt her heart skip a beat as she glanced up at Johnny, his face lacking any humour and complete with honesty. She had never seen him so sincere before which made her throat dry up as she took a deep breath.

She let silence linger in the air for a moment before she cleared her throat and fiddled with the edge of his shirt that was wrapped around her torso, "I guess you could say we'd work" Her voice bordering on a whisper.

"Totally," Johnny's voice lowered, "It's more of a question of why aren't we already together." His free hand lowered to catch Lacie's as it picked at the hem, her fingers tangling with his and slowing their movements.

"People already assume we are." Lacie added and pushed her back off the doorway, her chest brushing against Johnny's and she could see his breath hitch at the subtle contact.

Johnny licked his lips and Lacie saw his eyes flicker up and down her body, "The attraction is there." Johnny whispered and felt his heart race as Lacie's cheeks blushed red.

Lacie bit back a smile as if Johnny didn't say something, his face definitely told the whole story. Lacie pressed her lips together, "Yeah, you're not... the ugliest person I've ever met." She breathed out a laugh and watched Johnny look down, shaking his head and chuckling.

Johnny sighed with a smile, "And you're one of the most beautiful people I've ever met."

Lacie squinted her eyes, "One of?"

"The most." Johnny answered instantly, not a single threat of lying on the tip of his tongue as he refused to tear his eyes off the woman pressed against him.

Neither of them had noticed that as they were talking, they were slowly edging themselves closer and closer to each other. Lacie could feel his breathing against her chest, the rise and fall of his own the only thing keeping him sane as Lacie looked up at him through her lashes.

Lacie's hands raised to rest on Johnny's chest, scrunching up the thin fabric of his t-shirt under her fingertips. "I'd argue we'd made a good couple." She whispered.

Johnny suppressed a grin, but his burning cheeks exposed exactly how he was feeling. "We look good together." He nodded between the pair.

"We already know everything about each other." Lacie quipped a response, adding onto Johnny's reasoning.

"No awkward stage that we all dread," Lacie breathed out a laugh at Johnny's answer, reminding herself of the many times she had come home from a date and ranted at Sue about how painfully awkward it was and how all they wanted to talk about was her superhero duties. "I know you on every level... apart from one."

Johnny's voice trailed off and Lacie's chest tightened, "That one being..." Her voice was barely audible, so quiet that only Johnny could hear due to their close proximity.

Johnny smirked slightly and tilted his head, "You know what I'm talking about."

Lacie swallowed harshly and she cursed herself as she realised that if she wasn't pressed against Johnny right now, she was sure her legs would have given out. "It's like a waiting game." She said.

"Like we're waiting for one of us to make a move." Johnny said quietly.

"Yeah..." Lacie breathed out and blinked as she watched Johnny's eyes flicker down to her lips.

They stood there for a moment against each other, hearts beating out of their chest and cheeks flushed a rosy pink. Lacie internally begged Johnny to lean in more, to press his lips against her own because she didn't have the guts to do so. Even if one of them took the

smallest step closer, their lips would practically brush anyway, so Lacie willed with every fibre of her body for him just to take one more damned step.

The tips of Lacie's mouth perked up, "That's a long list of pros and cons, Johnny."

He reciprocated her smile and whispered back, "I think I can name more pros."

The tip of Lacie's nose shaded a light blue, something that rarely happened when she was nervous and extremely vulnerable; the ice flowing through her body flush against her skin. Johnny's heart skipped a beat as he noticed this, he had never seen her do it to anyone before; he decided that when it happened as her celebrity crush came on screen, it didn't count.

Lacie's heart sank slightly as their silence stretched and Johnny made no effort to edge closer, wondering if she had completely misread this entire situation and if Johnny was like this with any conventionally attractive woman.

Lacie sighed and patted Johnny on the arm, "I should go to bed."

Johnny's figure stilled and he stumbled back slightly, "Right, me too. And this was--"

"It was..." Lacie's voice trailed off. She couldn't exactly put whatever this was between the two of them into words, and it would probably break her heart to do so as the distance between them stretched.

Running her hands down her face, Lacie's disappointment was laced in her tone, "Night, Johnny."

Johnny watched her retreating figure walk through her doorway and place a hand on the door, "Night, Lacie." He nodded back and turned away.

With a heavy heart, Lacie reluctantly shut her bedroom door and stared at it for a moment. She stood and waited on the spot, praying Johnny would burst through the door and sweep her into his arms; but as time passed, that dream slipped from her grasp.

Her footsteps willed to open the door, but her consciousness took a hold of the situation and protected her sanity.

Lacie sighed and walked over to her bed and sat on its edge, running her hands through her hair and falling back. As she collided with the soft duvet, she squeezed her eyes shut and mumbled, "Shit." To herself.

She had to get ready for bed. It was late and the world needed her to be somewhat alive tomorrow, despite her bruised ego forcing her to remain where she was.

A soft knock on the door made Lacie lift up her head from the bed and furrow her brows. She ignored it initially, thinking that as it was so late, whoever needed her would get the message and assume she was asleep.

But by the second knock, Lacie knew this person was here for a reason. And needed it now.

Groaning, Lacie pulled herself up and she trudged over to the door and swung it open. What she didn't expect was a messy haired Johnny Storm to be standing on the other side of it, hands twitching and chest heaving as if he had just been pacing.

Lacie tilted her head at the man in front of her, "What are you--"

Her sentence was cut off by Johnny's lips pressing against her own.

Lacie gasped into his mouth and one of his hands cupped the back of her head, while the other squeezed her hip. Johnny's lips were soft against her own as he sighed into the kiss, as if he had been waiting for this moment for ages, like he had been holding himself back.

Lacie's hands immediately threaded through his blonde hair, the softness of it familiar as he had always been one to steal her conditioner. The hand that was on Lacie's hip slipped under his t-shirt that she was wearing, brushing against her bare skin.

He groaned into the kiss as the contact sent shivers down his spine and was quick to bend down and sweep Lacie into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist.

Lacie pulled away from the kiss, seeing his lips chasing hers as she held his head in her hands. Johnny smiled at her with swollen lips, "God, you drive me crazy." He mumbled before his head dove into the crook of her neck and peppered kisses there.

The kisses grew more frantic and Lacie threw her head back, "We already established that, Johnny."

Johnny lifted his head and kicked the door shut behind him, "I know," He mumbled and reconnected their lips, "But this time it's a good thing." He said through kisses and felt Lacie grin against his lips.

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authors note!

...oh hey guys x

lowkey me bc they finally kissed

i'm so painfully obsessed with them and feel sick that i get to control their fate... take the power away from me istg

BUT WHAT DID YOU THINK????

i'm a total sucker for this trope and had to incorporate it somehow lol

i promised a triple upload in one day and you have received, i loved doing it and we've only to 40 mins left of the film what if i cried

SEE YOU MY POOKIES