Chapter Text
The Baxter Building practically hummed with excitement as the talk of a new, young intern led almost every conversation. Johnny thought it was a bit underwhelming of a topic, “I mean, we always get new interns, just because this one is a bit younger than normal doesn’t really seem like something to make a big fuss about,” he said to himself under his breath as he grabbed a cereal box from a counter.
With every attempt to shake the idea of this intern, he just seemed to dig deeper into thought. He didn’t know if they were a boy or a girl, if they were around his age, younger, or older, what they were particularly interning in, or just what they looked like. Would they be nice or stuck up, their ego inflated by working with “Mr. Fantastic” or another pathetic nerd; too nervous to get down into the nasty, hands-on stuff if Reed required it?
Johnny made his way over to the couch, eating his cereal straight from the box (like he usually did). After pondering the topic for a few minutes, Reed and Sue walked past the couch, and Reed reminded Johnny that, “I need you today in my lab, to meet the new intern and be an extra pair of hands in case I need them.”
“Of course, Dad,” Johnny said with a turn of his head to smirk teasingly at Reed before jumping over the back of it to join the two as they walked into their room of the living quarters, forgetting the cereal box on the couch to be cleaned up by H.E.R.B.I.E. or another one of the members of the Fantastic Four later.
“So, what’s up with this intern I’ve been hearing so much about? Give me the rundown if you will,” he said to Reed as the three made their way up the spiral staircase leading to the married couple’s bedroom, Sue in front with Reed and Johnny behind her.
She walked into the room with a smile as she urged Reed to talk to Johnny instead of just ignoring him and going on with his business like he wanted to. He obliged with his wife’s pushing and sighed before turning on his heel at the door to talk face-to-face to the younger man, “Well, I won’t say much to ruin the surprise,” he said with jazz hands to dramatize the topic before continuing, “but he’s about your age, and he’s a bright young man. He has the potential to be a good addition to my lab team, I think.”
Johnny spied Sue through the crack between Reed and the doorframe, watching the two men to ensure Reed was being nice to the kid.
His attention turned back to Reed, and he smirked before saying, “Won’t even tell me his name?” Reed responded by closing the door the rest of the way, leaving Johnny at the top of the stairs to scoff and throw his hands in the air dramatically before descending the flight of stairs, grumbling to himself.
Making his way through the halls of the Baxter Building, Johnny eventually arrived at his room, opening the door and walking in. After going through his closet of slacks and t-shirts about 50 times (Reed had personally made his whole wardrobe fireproof in case of casual “flame-ons”), he finally decided to go with a navy blue button-up and white jeans.
Johnny found a black belt and shoes at the bottom of the closet. to test whether they were old and not fireproof or newer and fireproof, he casually produced flames from the skin of his fingers as he held one. When the rubber and fabric didn’t melt in his palm, he decided that they were okay to wear.
Once he arrived at the lab after descending the elevator, Reed, Sue, Ben, Reed’s normal lab partners, and the seemingly new intern were already there talking to each other around a rectangular countertop.
All eyes immediately turned to him, including the chocolate button eyes covered by the new intern's glasses. “I see I’m last to joining the party…” Johnny says, looking away from the group for a moment before looking back, his eyes landing on the stranger.
“As always…” Ben retorted with a roll of his eyes, receiving a knowing look from Reed and a scowl from Johnny as he leaned against a counter next to where Sue was standing.
“Looking over your tardiness,” Reed started before Johnny interrupted.
“Tardiness? Didn’t know I was back in high school.” The intern let out a small chuckle that he tried to hide by clearing his throat, but Johnny caught it and smirked, his ego stroked by this small laugh.
“This is Peter Parker, he’s going to be helping with whatever is needed around the lab.” Reed continues, paying no mind to Johnny’s interjection. “Peter, this is…”
“Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch, the youngest astronaut of our time, Susan Storm’s baby brother, blah blah blah, welcome to the team, Parker,” Johnny interjected again, finishing Reed’s sentence along with adding a few titles of his own as he extended his hand for the new intern to take.
Peter smiled at Johnny as he took his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you!” and after a moment of awkward silence, he added. “Mostly good things, of course…”
“Mostly?” The blond said, looking to Ben and Reed with an eyebrow raised, and Peter chuckled, a real, warm laugh.
“You know how they talk, Johnny,” Sue said, interjecting before Reed or Ben came to their own rescue and dug themselves into deeper holes while putting a hand on Johnny’s shoulder.
Reed rolled his eyes at Johnny. “Now, what we’re working on today is calculating the…” But his words were lost to Johnny as his attention remained distracted by the new intern, taking in his features and studying him like he was about to take the hardest test of his life.
His eyebrow raised as he saw a red sliver of fabric peaking out from above the collar of Peter’s white button-up.