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The residence of the Baxter Building is relatively quiet this morning. Some of the world, however, has been awake for hours. The smell of baked oats emanates from the oven. Smoke would probably fog the room if it weren't for the open windows along the south wall.
Sitting at the kitchen table, dressed in her Fantastic Four uniform, Sue sits asleep with her head down on the table. A pigeon perches on the side of the table. Another perches on the counter. And half a dozen others around the room. The windows have been open for some time…
*
Normally, upon getting home this… late? early? whatever… Johnny would use the door. Normally, however, he doesn't see the faintest little whiffs of smoke coming from the residence's open windows on his way back.
Which explains why several pigeons are sent into a panic as a flaming man comes zipping up the side of the building to cast an alarmed look in through the open window. Blinking once, Johnny ducks in through the window and hits the floor no longer in flames, making a quiet-but-speedy beeline for the oven with a quietly hissed "Aish."
*
…which is precisely the point at which Reed appears, blearily rubbing at his eyes. Some how his preferred flannel button-up pajama shirt and pants manage to appear to be distinctly too large for him. Probably just grabbed the first one off the shelf he liked the look of and called it a win. "Do I smell breakfast?" he asks curiously, which tells you approximately what has become the norm for food around the tower.
*
The sound of activity causes Sue to stir, but not quite wake as Johnny deals with the oven and the burnt oats that waft ominously from the oven. She straightens and rubs her eyes blearily as she stretches in her seat. Her arms rise to her sides and then her eyebrows lift as the smoke catches her attention. <What time is it?!>
The nap wasn't on purpose. Apparently. She pushes away from the table to join Johnny at the oven. "Uh… yes! I — " she blinks hard and realizes the pigeons that have taken up residence in their home. "Uh…"
*
<You might want to hold your breath for a minute,> Johnny asides to Sue as he turns the oven off, his tone affectionately teasing. He braces for a facefull of smoke before opening the oven door and, with bare hands, reaches in to retrieve the oats. Because he can. "We, um. Might need to run out for some donuts," he calls towards Reed.
*
Reed cranes his neck— far in excess of the craning a normal person does— to get a look at the kitchen.. um… incident. "Could be," Reed agreess in a mild tone and manages to give sue an only moderately awkward good-morning-peck on the cheek in front of her brother. It's become a little more common of late, these things. "Long night?" he inquires of Sue.
*
Sue scrubs her face hard as she coughs hard despite the aside. Her hand waves the smoke to and fro and she tries to step towards the window to get a breath of fresh air. "At least the whole place didn't go up in flames," she murmurs quietly to herself. The peck to her cheek earns a vague smile of appreciation, but the kitchen-circumstances bear their weight. Her shoulders sink with a vague sense of defeat (and the mention of donuts), but Reed is cast a weak smile, "Something like that." Her throat clears, "I woke up early. And went for a walk," in her uniform. She shoots the pair the brightest smile she can muster, which, isn't all that convincing.
*
The oven door is carefully bumped closed again and Johnny slides the tray onto the stovetop to cool off, his nose wrinkling. Well. At least they have some charcoal? He turns just in time to see Reed give Sue her peck on the cheek and, after a brief moment of thought, he eyes Reed expectantly and pats his own cheek with a pair of fingers.
"I don't suppose this walk took you by campus," Johnny says to Sue, leaning back against the counter and loosely folding his arms. On the one hand, it isn't really a question. On the other, he doesn't seem upset at all.
*
As the rest of his body catches up with him, Reed grins and patpats Johnny on the cheek in response. "Your sister buys me dinner first," he notes critically, and moves to fetch a drink from the fridge. He's not buying the smile so much, but he's willing to play the conversation straight to a degree. "Morning walks are good. Clears one's head." He selects some juice, straightens up to drink it. "Was the walk productive?" Okay, so he's willing to talk around it a bit.
*
Sue treads to the counter and briefly inspects the oatmeal as she passes by, prompting a rather irritated wrinkle of her nose. She, however, directs her attention to one of the pigeons on the counter that she attempts to direct to the window, "Shoo! Shoo!" The coaxing is met with pigeon apathy and a vague frown… until psionic energy bursts at the pigeon and pushes it out the window with considerable force. Her throat clears and she shrugs at Johnny's statement. "Not today."
But the walk had taken her there some time ago. "It wasn't as productive as Friday," she notes quietly. "But productive enough." She treads to the fridge and takes out a single apple. As she stares at the piece of the fruit, she wonders, "Reed, do you still have contacts with the military?"
*
Johnny just pouts at Reed, leaving his arms crossed over his chest. <This punk. How many times have I brought dinner home?> he says with a sniff of disdain and a slow, disappointed shake of his head.
His eyes follow Sue with quiet amusement as she deals with the pigeon, but it fades as she returns to the fridge and asks Reed about… that. Well. Johnny raises an eyebrow and cocks his head at Reed, staying quiet.
*
Reed just gives Johnny a somewhat apologetic splay of— well, a hand, drinking his juice with the other. "Of course," he informs Sue. "They come around every so often hoping I'll have something I'm willing to let them use. Is this about the binder?" His tone clearly implies he already knows the answer and is asking anyway.
*
<I'll be sure to tell Heather that your tastes run very different than herself,> Sue says to Johnny with a shrug. Reed's question, however, causes her head to chin to drop into a strange nod as she takes a really crunchy bite of her apple. She chews pensively, swallows, and then, with her eyebrows drawing together, offers, "The fellow staying with Heather," her eyebrows lift, "he escaped from the Coney Island facility." Her cheeks flush a pale pink. "And he has files… from a Louisiana facility." She takes another bite of the apple, around which she notes, "Wi-sh," talking around food is hard, "aye 'ave copies've."
*
"Louisiana?" Yeah, normally, Johnny would be inclined to continue teasing his sister and offer up a rebuttal — but not right now. The playful smirk is gone, replaced by a thin, worried frown as his eyes flick between her and Reed. "…what kinds of files? More of the same?"
*
Reed nods thoughtfully. But he doesn't look very surprised at the information. "Alright," he muses calmly. "So what do you need me to reach out to the US Military for?" Because you don't ask that kind of question without a favor in mind.
*
Sue's lips purse at Johnny's question. "Basically," she replies. "Lots of details. Phone records. Science things." Her shoulders feel heavier. "A bit of this and a bit of that." But Reed's question earns a pensive look, "The man at the top is named William Stryker, and apparently, has gone underground. David," Heather's guest, "is trying to track him down to fix things." Her jaw tightens. "But the operation is huge and Stryker can disappear. I was wondering if — " her face scrunches together at the implied favour.
*
Johnny's eyebrows go up. Fix things. Right. He's pretty sure he knows what that means, since — if these things were left up to him — he knows how he'd try to 'fix things.'
*
Reed doesn't need to remind Sue that he doesn't really approve of that kind of 'fixing things'. So he doesn't. And honestly, given the enormity of what's already been done and likely will in the future… his usual ideals regarding these situations ring a little hollow. Instead, his expression goes a little flat at the name Sue supplies. Stryker. Should have known.
"I… think I can find a sympathetic ear or two I can tug on," Reed allows. "In the military or in Congress. It is an election year next year," Reed notes mildly.
*
Sue isn't sure what she feels about fixing things either, but the reply gets a sharp nod. The apple is set on the counter and she strolls over to Reed to peck his cheek lightly. "Thank you," she offers. "I'm not sure…" how she feels about it "…but I can't just…" her shoulders shrug.
After a moment, she finally confesses, "I've been following my committee around invisibly to see who did it." Her eyes roll at her own actions and then, with a hint of irritation, another one of the pigeons receives a small invisible push (of psionic rather than physical) energy to shoot it out the window.
*
While three of the Fantastic Four discuss the matter at hand, another comes to the fore in the shape of a red and blue costumed fellow hitting one of the broad windows of the Baxter Building, perhaps a floor down from where the trio are speaking. It's just a blur through the air, then a 'thwop!' of impact as the wall-crawler lands on all fours against the glass like a moth hitting a windshield.
It might be something that comes to the attention of those within, perhaps there are alarms for just such an occurrence, or perhaps there's just enough sound carried from glass window to glass window. But whatever it is, it may well come to their attention rather quickly that there's a man crawling around on side of the building and occasionally he's stopping to rap his knuckles against the glass.
"Hello?" He asks as he tries to peer through a window, hands shading his gaze over his brow as he presses his goggles to the shine of the glass. "Anyone in there?"
He crawls a bit further along and then lifts his voice. "I uhh, would go in through the front door, but the costume makes me sort of stand out…" He tries another window. "Hello? I'm looking for Johnny Storm."
*
Still no love from the family for poor Johnny. The nerve of some people. "It may not have been anyone on your committee, Seo," he notes gently, straightening up and moving to help shoo the pigeon back towards the open window. G'wan, scat. "I mean, that's most likely, but if you hadn't been destroying your pages between revisions, it might've been -" Wait.
Brow furrowing, Johnny steps right up to the open window and leans out to peer outside, one hand coming up to shield his eyes from the sun. He heard a thump and he's pretty sure he heard a voice — aha!
"Up here!" Johnny calls cheerfully, waving down towards the bug on the proverbial windshield. Is Reed still in his pajamas? Whatever, his problem, not Johnny's. "You're up bright 'n early, buddy. Don't suppose you have donuts?"
*
"Could go either way," Reed agrees, tilting his head as Johnny heads for the window and yells out of it. Some quick mental arithmetic, and Reed leaves his drink on the counter, transferring himself to his room in what is essentially a single VERY long-legged step. Must change for company. "Committee member bribed to hand over promising research, a plant in the form of a janitor going through their desks at night… quite a number of possibilities."
*
"I know," Sue replies honestly. "But if I figure it out — " the rest is left unspoken. "I was so careful with my drafts." Pause. "Except the latest," which has gone missing. Her nose wrinkles, "That reminds me, do either of you know where it went?"
The noise at the window perks Sues attention and her eyes flit between Johnny and the new arrival. Her head cants to the side and she watches her brother carefully, "So. You know Spider-Man?" Pause. "Of course you know Spider-Man. You know everyone." She ticks her head towards the coffee maker (which does actually have coffee), "It's early. Can I get you a cup of coffee," she squints, "Mister… Man?" because it seems weird to call him Spider-Man proper when they haven't even met.
*
A flip, a jump, and fingertips catching at that window sill all lead to Spider-Man appearing before them, holding himself up like some nosey neighbor checking over the backyard fence. His goggles whir faintly as the eyelets widen and he looks between the people. One hand lifts in a small wave, "Hey guys."
First he looks to Johnny. "Oh hey, no. Should I have?" He leans back as he crawls up and perches on the edge of the window, balanced on the balls of his feet and his forearms on his knees. "I can go get some?" He gestures with one webbed hand. "There's this place on the corner of 37th that has great crullers."
But then he gives a wave to Sue and Reed. "Oh no, just call me Spidey. I hope I'm not interrupting or anything. I just ask Torch if I could stop by." He looks a bit sheepish, somehow in that mask, as he looks between them. "I was hoping to get like five minutes of Mr. Fantastic's time if that's alright."
*
The question regarding Sue's most recent draft is met with a very innocent look from Johnny and not a single word. Oh, he definitely knows what happened to it, doesn't he?
He takes a quick step back to clear the window for Spider-Man to come through — or just perch in, that's cool, too. "Cooking our own breakfast this morning was a bit of a bust," Johnny admits, holding up his hands. "But it's cool, we'll probably just go out after you bend Reed's ear about that thing."
*
Reed re-enters the room, now clad in his Four uniform like Sue, and tugging a lab coat on over it. Jammies just aren't appropriate attire for company. For SUNDAY SCIENCE!… yes, acceptable. But not company. He casts a look between Sue's question and Johnny's response. Oh, he's not touching that one. "Just breakfast table-talk," he notes. "What can the Four do for New York's most popular menace this morning?"
*
Sue levels a look at Johnny's apparent innocent. <Joon, you will give it back to me upon which time I will decide what to do with it.> Although, it's plausible she's already decided and it's a grim decision.
"Spidey then," Sue replies. "I'm Sue." An eyebrow is arched at her brother being called Torch, and she notes, "Joon is already incorrigible. You can call him Johnny." And she motions towards the no-returned Mister Fantastic, "And he's Reed." Because code names are for the papers and greater public, not the kitchen table.
The chatter about breakfast, however, just has her muttering quietly to herself, <Aish> as she directs her attention to another of the pigeons that has invaded their home. Again, invisible energy punts the pigeon out the window in an array of feathers. That was stronger than she intended.
*
Slipping to the side eerily just in time to avoid the flutter of feathers that is a pigeon projectile, Spidey looks back towards Sue and cocks an eyebrow… though kind of hard to tell with that mask on. His smile, however, is a little more easily discerned as it's heard in his voice as well. "Ok… Sue. Johnny." For some reason he pauses at Reed as if not sure if he should presume, but then he says it, "Reed. I won't take up too much of your guys' time then."
He gingerly slips off the window sill and is now standing about a foot into the room, one hand grabbing the other arm's elbow as he looks arond the place. "Appreciate you taking the time. But right, so to the heart of the matter and all."
Spider-Man then turns towards Reed and says, "So." He pauses for a moment, then spreads his hands. "Reed. I know a lot of people think I'm a mutant type person. And hey, nothing wrong with that. But part of my schtick is not entirely super powered. The webs I use, I sort of…" He scrunches up one eye as he tries to explain. "Invented them. But I've been having some practical problems with them."
He takes a moment to look at Sue and Johnny, as if apologizing for what may be a bit of technical jargon before he looks back to Reed. "The formula is dependent on a broad spectrum of compounds, some of which are pretty easily available. Some of which are sort of… not. Thing is with my whole… deal. It's kind of hard to compare notes with someone without them maybe trying to learn too much about me. If you get me. Soooo…"
*
<Seo, I will give it back to you after you have assured me you will not be destroying it out of hand,> Johnny replies to his sister in a light, conversational tone, though the look he gives her does involve two very challengingly-raised eyebrows. <Until then, it is a secret~>
Johnny does not, at any point, dispute the fact that he is incorrigible. He just shrugs his shoulders at Spider-Man as if to silently say 'fair enough,' and stays quiet while he explains what he's come to see Reed for… which, amusingly enough, has his eyes sliding right back over to Sue.
*
Reed actually seconds Johnny's glance at nearly exactly the same time. "Of course I'm happy to help— and I can guarantee you we are not very interested in who you are under the mask. I'm sure he's a decent enough fellow," Reed muses. "Sue is our resident chemistry expert, particularly when it comes to organics. I'm not half bad, but she's put in the time and effort to do the truly brilliant work." And could use a project that won't be misappropriated, perhaps.
*
<I make no assurances. About anything.> But then the science-jargon begins and Spider-man's apologetic expression actually prompts Sue's eyebrows to lift before she turns to eye Reed for a few beats. But after sending the look to Reed, it's Johnny who really gets her attention: <Aish. This punk.>
Her chin drops to her chest and her hands clasp lightly in front of her as she finally returns to the apple she'd abandoned on the counter. But then Reed is calling attention to her skill and her cheeks flush a faint pink at the compliment. "Of course," she says all-too-sweetly with a saccharine smile, "I'm sure Reed would be," her eyelashes bat, "happy to assist if you can't handle beings schooled by a woman. He is exceedingly talented. And," she lifts a single finger, "decidedly male. With multiple doctorates." She loudly bites into the apple with a resounding crunch.
*
"Oh? Is that tr…" He stops in mid response as Peter turns his head to the side to look in Sue's direction just in time to catch the comment in all its lovely vitriol. And he freezes. One can almost imagine his face behind that mask. The raised eyebrows, the pained flared nostrils, the curved down corner of his mouth as he realizes what he just did.
Oh he tries to offer some hint of explanation, "I'm sorry. The article I read didn't…" He looks towards Reed and Johnny. Uh oh, no eye contact. He looks back towards her. "It just said…" But then he holds up his hands. "I mean…"
A breath is taken and then he says, "Wow, so I'm all set for breakfast, this foot tastes super yummy."
He turns his wrist over and slides the glove down a bit, revealing the web-shooter as he says, "I would love your insight. Sue. Though if you'd like me to go umm, jump off a bridge then… hey! I have practice." He would try to offer an apologetic smile, but yeah, mask.
*
As Sue verbally lays into Spider-Man, Johnny just quietly brings one hand up to rest over his mouth, his other hand lightly cupping his elbow. But his eyes are on Spider-Man, and oh, man, is it painfully obvious that he's brought his hand up to help hold back a fit of the giggles.
Welcome to the family, Spidey.
"A lot of the articles are really bad," Johnny asides to Sue, struggling to keep the laughter out of his voice. But then he sees a glimmer of metal and his eyes go right to Spider-Man's web-shooter, his expression brightening as he abandons his spot at Sue's side to go have a peek. Is he sparkling? He might just be sparkling.
"Oh, this looks good — did you build this yourself, too?" Johnny asks curiously, awkwardly twisting and craning his neck as he inspects the web-shooter. Personal space? What's that? Absently, he brings his own hands up, miming what he can remember of the gesture Spider-Man had used when shooting off his webs — "Oh, so the trigger is there…"
*
Meanwhile, Reed finds something absolutely fascinating to study intently in the corner of the room. What is it? Perhaps some stucco resembles the face of Issac Newton. He winces slightly when he hears Korean he recognizes, and then Sue lays into Spidey in English. Don't worry, Spidey. Reed will never admit he heard this. He cannot speak for Johnny.
Speaking of… "…and Johnny and Ben handle most of our mechanical fabrication needs."
*
The saccharine smile remains as Spidey reacts to Sue's too-sweet reprimand. She continues to bat her eyelashes at Johnny's observation about the articles, and her lips curve up higher. "Of course," she replies sweetly to her brother. "Why would a Korean woman have any skills beyond those of the Secretary?" Her eyes flit towards the burnt remnants of breakfast, begging questions about her own domesticity.
"She couldn't possibly be bilingual, scientific, creative, or eloquent — that would be," her nose wrinkles, "absurd." Her eyes roll emphatically, "Journalism is ludicrous."
It's only then that she redirects her attention back to Spider-Man. Her lips twist to the side indecisively, and she finally strides to look at the web shooter her brother admires, "What seems to be your trouble," pause, "Mister Man." Pause. "And you may call me Ms. Storm."
*
"Hey, no. I don't… I mean, I don't think like that. I mean…" Peter looks actually rather paniced for a moment, then he says authoritatively. "I have an aunt." As if that were enough evidence to prove his innocence.
Yeah that doesn't seem to entirely fit the bill. His lower lip swells a bit and it might be discerned that he's biting it as he then is thankfully saved by Johnny's curiousity. He casually flips one of the cartridges from that metal apparatus and begins to unbuckle it from his arm. The web-shooter is extended towards the Human Torch, while he offers in the other hand the webbing in its small metal canister towards Sue.
"If you'd maybe take a look at this, I'm going to practice being quiet and mortified."
That canister is fairly interesting, able to compress the contents rather well and keep it contained with no stress to the steel. It has a small nozzle on the end that requires the web-shooter for it to be used fully though if she were inclined she could probably get a rather nice small sample free.
When Johnny starts to examine the shooter in earnest, however, he breaks his promise at being quiet and says quietly. "Yeah, see the triggering mechanism… you press there and variable pressure… and the nozzle you can adjust for a wide or narrow stream."
*
"Aw, c'mon, Sue. He did apologize," Johnny says gently, resting a supportive hand on poor, poor Spider-Man's shoulder. "It's at least half my fault for not asking what he needed before inviting him by, but the cops were coming." He pauses and looks askance at Spidey's face. …on second thought, that might not have entirely helped.
Johnny is just. Gonna. Yeah. He graciously accepts the web-shooter with a quiet "Ooh, thank you," as he brings it up to inspect. He isn't literally rubbing his nose on it, but it's a close thing.
The quiet explanations for how it works earn an equally quiet, appreciative "Oh, I see," from Johnny. "What do you have worked out to keep the nozzle from clogging up? Or do you just have to be really good about remembering to clean it out?"
*
Reed tucks his hands in his coat pockets, sidling over to peek over Sue's shoulder at the webbing cannister. whatever he's said about his expertise, it's not like he's a rank amatuer or disinterested. He considers echoing Johnny's sentiment that maybe she could go a little easy on the guy, but decides that'd be too much like ganging-up on her. So instead… he glances up at Spidey. "A supply issue is simple enough to deal with, but an alternative formula might be a better long-term solution." He looks towards Sue. "Well. If there is an alternative to be had."
*
The comment about having an aunt prompts Sue's chin to lift curiously. She's not entirely sure what that means, but the information does seem to at least give her pause — if only because her own aunt has become rather central in her life. Being urged to move beyond the entire situation only spurns her ire. Johnny receive a rather pointed look from his sister, but no words — Korean or otherwise. The sweetness finally drains from Sue's expression as she accepts the webbing.
She holds the canister up to her eyes and flicks it, emitting a quiet ping from the metal container. Her lips purse lightly and she eyes the nozzle mechanism. The pinpoint trigger has her eyes squinting to bring it into focus, and she prods it lightly with the tip of her fingernail.
The small sample is retrieved and lifted to the light for further inspection. Her jaw works to admire it with the engagement of an intrigued scientist. Despite herself, Sue's mind works around the formula. Her fingertips engage the sample and she asks, "What kind of base? Keratin like spider silk?" Her teeth toy at her lip carefully and her head rocks with indecision. "Because if it's not, that might be the key — what kind of tensile strength does it have, Mister Man?"
*
Touching a fingertip to the tip of his nose, Spidey then points to Johnny and says, "Religiously. Sometimes I don't do my homework, but I have to remember to keep up with…" He falters perhaps as he realizes he might be saying too much. And how old is he again? But he looks askance towards Reed and his head bobs a bit. "Exactly."
Johnny might notice that if he rotates the wrist a bit an automatic refill mechanism would slide another canister into place and then he could actually have a loaded web-shooter to play with, wouldn't that be fun! But the nozzle is pretty interesting as it's clearly geared to press a small needle shaped object into the canister to exert gentle pressure to cause it to shoot forth, then the nozzle shapes the stream. A rather utilitarian design but elegant in its simplicity and executed rather well.
Looking to Reed he says, "I was thinking maybe taking the webbing back to forumla might be a good idea. Right now it has some limitations. Though the tensile strength is pretty nice." That's as close as he comes to tooting his own horn.
But then he turns back to Sue with a nod, "Keratin, collagen. That's where I started, I mean… figured the spiders had to be doing something right, right?" She might hear the hopeful smile in his voice, then he adds. "But I dug across the insect kindgom for other polypeptides. And I ended reading this study about the plaster and proteins that African termites use…"
His tone trails off a bit sheepishly, then he adds. "Oh approximately fifty metric tons." He's smiling at that, "But it only lasts for about 57 minutes."
*
The note about homework doesn't even make Johnny bat an eyelash. "We could probably make a few adjustments to make it easier to clean, maybe even automate it for you," he muses thoughtfully and, after a moment's thought, he extends the device towards Reed with a questioning arch of both eyebrows. "We might need to fabricate a few parts, though. Don't want to put any additional bulk on these things."
*
The elevator door dings and the doors open. Who could be visiting? Nobody! It's someone returning home! Walking past the initial foyer area of said elevator, Ben 'The Thing' Grimm's footsteps can be heard before he's even seen. "We've got company." It's a statement on his part, he doesn't seem phased. "And pigeons. We running experiments on…" He sniffs around. "We running experiments on pigeons and burnt food?" He asks, obviously curious.
Removing his rather large fedora, he approaches the group, holding out a large stone hand toward Spider-Man. "Ben Grimm." He introduces.
*
Reed stretches his arm about twice its resting length to take the web shooter from Johnny and look it over. "Perhaps," he muses, turning it over and working the action on some of the mechanical bits. "But until we've got a formula, we won't really know what's necessary. The device supports the webbing, not the other way around. So that's the place to start."
He perks up as Ben returns. "Ben! Welcome back. You're just in time to miss the chemistry talk," he notes in a teasing voice.
*
"Reasonable," Sue replies as she lightly shakes the canister. "Well, we could get it to the lab and turn it down to its component parts. It might be more of a bond issue…" She taps the canister lightly with her finger. "It'll take some time," she finally resolves before directing her attention towards the stairs, "but I may be able to work something up if you let me," she lifts the canister in the air, fully meaning keep this.
Her eyes narrow slightly and she offers, "Mister Man," because he's still not Spidey, "if you wish to collaborate on this, you're welcome to come by during the week. I'd be happy to have you upstairs to work together. I'm assuming you'll want to keep the mask," her eyebrows knit together, "so I'd have to insist staying away from anything that could light on fire. And you'll need to wear a lab coat over," the costume. It's an olive branch extended out of courtesy and obligation to her team.
Ben, however, earns a broad grin until mention of breakfast and the pigeons — both of which are her fault. She attempts to keep the smile on her lips, but it definitely doesn't reflect in her eyes.
*
As Ben arrives, the Spectacular Spider-Man turns away to face him and his approach. He's a good chunk shorter than the ever-lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing, and the guy pretty much out-masses him by an order of magnitude. So it looks a touch comical as he takes the proffered grip and returns it with a shake of his own, and if not holding the guy's hand then a finger will do as he says, "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Grimm."
A good handshake later and he steps back, "I just wanted to thank you guys for taking the time and all," A glance is given to Johnny and to Reed, but it's to Sue where he focuses. "That would be great, ma'am." Uh oh. He said ma'am. But he means well with it. "I have to…" He lifts a hand and jerks a thumb behind him, "Go be a city-wide menace… sort of… thing."
But then he takes a breath and adds, "But really. That sounds great. Ms. Storm." With that said he starts to back towards the window again, perching on its edge for a moment. "Thanks again, guys. I'll come back later." And most likely, unless he stuffs his foot in his mouth again, he flees!
*
Peter leaves, heading towards Baxter Building [O].
*
Peter has left.
*
Johnny does not wince at the ma'am, but he does casually slide back around to stand next to Sue and lays a light hand on her arm. Steady on, big sister. "He's really a very nice guy," he quietly assures her, peering after Spider-Man as he returns from whence he came. Yoiks, and away~
Then he's offering Ben a sunny smile. "My fault," he immediately says with a loose wave towards the burnt food and pigeons. "They were cleaning up after me when the webhead dropped in, which was… also my fault. Really, though. He's a good guy," he promises, turning to return to the stove. Now that the food's cooled off, it's safe enough to deal with.
*
"And right in time for the engineering talk, by the sounds of it." Ben grins at Reed. "Just the kind of timing I like!" He chuckles softly. The change from happy to happy-yet-not-happy in Sue does catch his attention, somewhat, but that will have to be dealt with after the guest is gone.
He offers a little smile to Peter. "It's nice to meet ya…" Guy he doesn't know the name of. When Peter is off through the window, he shakes his head. Rarely a dull moment around here. "Well then, on this note, and on Johnny's horrible cooking note, anything I should know about the visit? Or should I start collecting the pigeons? I've always wanted to try to train carrier pigeons. You think these ones could learn?" He asks, his tone playful.
*
Reed being Reed, he actually thinks about the question. "I'm not sure they use common pigeons for that…" he muses. "But maybe. I mean, you could perhaps—" he pauses, shakes his head. "No, that's ridiculous," he decides, almost to himself. Welp. We lost him to questions of pigeon intelligence.
*
The word ma'am prompts Sue to arch a wry eyebrow. "If we can help him, we will," she returns to her brother and pats the hand at her arm. "Nice or not, he wants to help the city. That's commendable." Sue can be diplomatic from time to time. "The city doesn't need him to be nice. They need him to be good. Heroic. Just. And if he's all of those things? Well."
Johnny's acceptance of blame for the burnt food and the pigeons has Sue's eyebrows lifting. "No," she states offhandedly, <I'm a grown woman. I can admit when I'm wrong.> Her throat clears and she turns back towards Ben, "Johnny is being chivalrous for his sister. No, I am to blame for both destroying breakfast and letting the pigeons in. It's been…" she smiles weakly, "a morning."
*
<Fiiiiine,> Johnny sighs, but he continues about his chosen task of cleaning up the mess on the stove all the same. "Spider-Man was all me, though. I should have asked what he needed help with," he says lightly, rolling his eyes at himself. "Then he might not have eaten his own foot so hard." It was kind of funny, though. The webhead's reaction, not Sue's.
*
"I really should stress the expertise distribution around here during interviews," Reed notes, settling into a chair with his juice and the paper. "I don't know that it will make a difference, though— writers love a figurehead to lavish praise on. They don't understand teams at all." he sounds a little offended about the whole thing. But Reed likes facts, not narratives.
*
"Ridiculous? Coming from the man who could probably be tied up using his own appendages? I think we need to redefine the word ridiculous around here. Just a suggestion." Ben says with a laugh. He tilts his head, furrowing his brow at Sue. "You should've just let Johnny take the blame. I would've believed it." The grin on his face indicates that he's, of course, joking. "I shouldn't've mentioned it though. But if you need my rocky fingers to scrape anything off of anything else, let me know! But I'm definitely serious about the pigeons. I am not mad about them. I want to use them for something!"
Ben turns to Reed again and smiles. "Reed. Reed, Reed, Reed. I feel like we've had this conversation about writers before. Multiple times. Or am I thinking of something else, but somewhat similar?" He walks over to where Reed sits, looking over him at the paper.
*
"Assumptions are easy," Sue offers quietly with a quiet sigh as she looks over the metallic canister still in her possession. "He's obviously bright," she offers about Spider-Man, "he couldn't have managed this," she looks down at the canister, "if it weren't true." She sighs quietly, <Was I too hard on him?> a blunt question seeking out an equally blunt response.
A small nod is issued towards Reed, "It's fine. I think," her jaw tightens, "even if you managed to draw attention to these two, the news cycle would rather me be invisible than remotely successful."
"The pigeons need to go," Sue replies to Ben. "I can handle it though — " with some energy.
*
Johnny looks towards Sue as he's dusting his hands off on the front of his t-shirt, his brow furrowing slightly as he considers her question. <Only after he'd apologized,> he decides, offering her a wry smile. <But it was kind of great. Don't worry,> he adds quickly, stepping over so he can give her a quick peck on the top of the head. <He'll live.>
Straightening, Johnny casts a curious look between the others in turn. "Since breakfast didn't work out… should I go pick some up?" he asks, thumbing towards the window.
*
"C'mon. It's not like I usually ask for things like this. Besides I'll uh…I'll get a cage built on the roof or something." Ben tells Sue. "Don't think of it as me cleaning up a mess, Sue. Think of me dealing with the pigeons as an investment. An investment in my future as a bird enthusiast and possible pigeon courier entrepreneur. Besides," He tries to make his big, rocky face as worthy of sympathy as possible. "What harm is there in letting me do this? I'll even trap all the pigeons. You don't have to do a thing."
*
Reed shoots Sue a mild look over the rim of the paper. "I have to admit… a pigeon coop is likely to be the most normal thing on the roof." Newspaper rustle. "Plus, you could take it as an opportunity to try out that bubble containment idea."
*
Johnny's question has Sue reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "Thank you, baby brother, but I might like to go for another walk." Or stalk. "But I'm betting other folks are still hungry…" she looks back towards Ben and Reed.
Sue moves on the no-pigeon scale as Ben explains how important the pigeons are to him. And then he's winning Reed over onto the pigeon side. Her shoulders relax, her lips quirk into an odd smile, and her eyes roll lightly, "You have to take care of the coop," her eyes narrow a little. "Every day." She sighs and lifts a hand, and a forcefield forms around one of the pigeons closest to her. "When can you get a coop by? I can help move them once you have something sorted."
She smirks at Reed. "And yes, I could try to create a biobubble. In principle it works."
*
<I don't know why he wants them,> Johnny muses in an aside towards his sister, loosely folding his arms as he peers towards Ben. Yeah, just peer right at him and speak a language he doesn't understand, that's fine. Glancing to Sue, he reaches up and taps the side of his nose. <I suspect shenanigans.>
With a sigh, he spins on his heel and starts for the window, rolling his shoulders. "Well I'm hungry, and if you don't want company on your walk, I'm gonna go get some donuts." Johnny looks back towards Reed and Ben. "Do you guys want anything?"
*
"That's right, Reed! The most normal thing up there, it'd be! Plus, she has really wanted a chance to somehow test that blowing bubbles idea, hasn't she?" Sure, Ben didn't actually mean 'blowing bubbles', but it just sort of slipped out. He smiles at Sue as she agrees.
"Great! I could probably make arrangements for a coop later today, if all works out? I know some people!" How he knows bird coop people is a whole other story. "You know, Sue, you sound like you don't know that I, too, have had projects that require intensive labor and continual and frequent checks. I've got this." He smiles widely. "Now, I've got to call a guy about a coop."
Glancing toward Johnny, he looks at him with furrowed brow. When asked if he wants anything, he shakes his head. "I'm good. Have a good flight!"
*
"Two chocolate crullers and an apple fritter," Reed replies promptly, turning a page of his paper. A pause, and he peeks at Sue around the edge of said paper. "Unless you want company, but I presume you had something rather more covert in mind than hauling an overly-stretchy boyfriend around," he notes, disappearing back into the newsprint.
*
As an aside, with a serene smile towards Johnny, Sue notes, <Oh, I definitely suspect shenanigans. We almost eternally have shenanigans.> And just as she's offering Johnny her arm to link with because once in awhile company can be useful on a walk, Ben tells her brother to have a nice flight. Her eyes widen. "Do not encourage him to fly. He is incorrigible!"
As she works up the scold, however, Reed casually drops the word boyfriend into the room. Her body tenses and her mind draws an utter and complete blank. And so she stands there, bewildered, with her arm offered to link with, like a crazy person.
*
Oh, this is too good. Rather than going out the window, Johnny just closes it — which will trap the remaining pigeons inside for Ben. He's helping!
Then, Johnny comes up next to Sue and slides his arm through hers, smiling far too widely as he does so. For a long moment he peers towards Reed, hidden behind the newspaper, before he leans forward in order to peek at his sister's face.
<Do you want to break the news to Aunt Margay, or shall I?> Johnny asks happily.
*
It seems that one little word has caught the entire room off guard. Ben, disregarding the pigeons and their future coop for now, walks back toward Reed and pats him gently on the back. "Hey there buddy." He scratches his forehead lightly and clearlys his throat. "Heeeey Reed. Hey pal. Buddy?" He raises his rock-brow and offers an awkward smile. "Remember yesterday in the lab when I said, 'Hey, you should eat. Let me grab you lunch.' And then muttered 'And then I need to talk to you about Sue.' And you said, 'What?' And I said, 'I'm gonna grab you food.'? You remember that?" He clears his throat. "Well…I need to talk to you about Sue and how to broach the subject of a relationship."
*
Reed tilts his head back to peer at Ben upside-down. "…I remember 'what' and 'food', yes." He absorbs the rest, and gives Ben an odd look. "You think so?" He might be being just a touch sarcastic, there. It's hard to tell with Reed. Sometimes he gets a little subtle about humor. And sometimes he is legitimately missing key elements of his environment.
*
Still rather confused as she's having her arm linked with Sue rather pliantly falls into step with her brother. Her lips close, her eyebrows draw together, and her jaw tightens as her brain finally reboots. "What," she breathes quietly. Her head tilts to the side and she finally turns to face Johnny, <What.> because that's worth repeating. <I feel like I should know I have a boyfriend. Probably. Likely before Aunt Margay.> Pause. <Right?>
*
<Seo. You're the one who kissed him,> Johnny wisely observes as he begins to lead Sue right past Reed and Ben, and towards the front door. She can come with him to buy donuts in her uniform — he sees no reason why that would be ridiculous. <Unless — you don't want him to be your boyfriend. I suppose he could have misinterpreted it~>
*
"Look, Reed. I think you two should be together. Honestly, I do. But uh…" Ben shakes his rocky head. "I'm not stopping you two from dating, being boyfriend and girlfriend. But sometimes you need to talk about it…together…in private. Really discuss it. You know, 'I like you. You like me. Should we be dating? Do you want to be my girlfriend? Do you want me to be your boyfriend? What's the deal with jello?' Those are the important questions! …Except for maybe the jello one. But you know what I mean?" He watches Johnny and Sue for a moment and says, "Sue might been a bit of air. But I think you two should have a real serious discussion when she gets back. Maybe go over those questions I mentioned."
*
Reed opens his mouth, raising a finger. Then pauses. Closes mouth. Lowers finger. Adopts a thinking pose. Strokes his chin. Squints.
"…I'll talk to her when they get back," he decides.