lovely_ambition (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lovely_ambition) wrote2006-06-27 05:05 pm
lovely_ambition) wrote2006-06-27 05:05 pm
Entry tags:
Title: They Say It's Your Birthday
Title: They Say It's Your Birthday
Fandom: House MD/Fantastic Four
Characters: Robert Chase, Johnny Storm
Prompt: 091. Birthday
Word Count: 1,921
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Part of a universe in which Chase/Johnny Storm will happen. Many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
metaphoracle for the idea.
Johnny nudged Rob in the calf, trying to evoke an answer. With the man's thirtieth birthday approaching, it was like pulling teeth to get him to talk about his birthday, so Johnny was trying to focus on something else. Like, the past. "Come on," he begged, tugging the covers up to keep them both warm. "Happiest birthday of yours. Gimme."
Rob sighed, but leaned into Johnny's touch, smirking.
"Oh, come on. Don't make me tickle you," Johnny warned, completely serious. Rob turned onto his side, facing Johnny - as they did share the same pillow - and gave him a genuine grin, which belied good news. "Okay, that's a start. Tell."
"I was turning six," Rob announced, nostalgically and just truly happy. "I mean, things went to shit after, and they weren't so great before, but I just remember my sixth birthday was different." He smiled widely. "It was…something else."
His grin was infectious and soon enough, he had Johnny grinning widely.
"So, no surprise party?" Johnny bemoaned, switching the subject.
Rob's groan of protest was worth the question and the conversation quickly devolved into a tickling and shouting match, the both writhing and causing the sheets to tangle easily and quickly.
*
"Reed?" Johnny begged, hands clasped together. "Reed, come on. Please? I want to go back for Rob. I need it just this once. Please!" He was trailing after Reed like a puppy dog around the top floor of the Baxter building, his eyes ravenous on just the one machine. The time machine. Reed continued on with his maintenance, making notes about all the machines, Johnny following each step. "Think of it this way. I'll be out of yours and Sue's way!"
Reed turned at that. "Well, actually, when you put it that way…"
"Great," Johnny announced excitedly, hefting his already-packed bag of clothes and toys. "1984, whenever you're ready. This date exactly." Reed gave him a mildly annoyed look, but mildly annoyed was still aces for Johnny. He nearly bounded into the machine and closed his eyes. "Melbourne, here I come."
*
Time travel had a tendency to make Johnny a little nauseous and he always came out of it wondering just what person in their right mind would do such a thing voluntarily for. Luckily for him, Johnny nearly tripped right over his reason. He had wound up on the familiar stretch of beach that he had once surfed on, and there under an umbrella and clutching a tiny stuffed puppy was a little blonde boy, shifting and tossing and turning. He was adorable, but man, was he tiny. Johnny slowly knelt down and watched him restlessly toss and turn, crying out sharply. "No," he pleaded in a soft and tiny voice. "Mummy!" he pleaded. Looked like he was having some kind of nightmare, poor kid. Johnny slowly tugged him into his lap, trying not to wake him too abruptly.
"Rob," Johnny gently whispered. "It's okay, it's just a nightmare. You can wake up."
Rob stilled in his arms and he slowly looked up at Johnny, blue eyes widely and brilliantly staring up at Johnny, his blonde hair all a mess. He was small, even for a little kid, and he was staring up at Johnny like he was a hero.
"Hi," he mumbled sleepily, sounding confused. "Who're you?"
Johnny thought fast, just curling Rob tighter in the process. "I'm Johnny. I'm your cousin from the States." He stroked a wayward blonde hair. "You were having a nightmare. You okay?"
Rob stared up at him, wrapping his arms around his waist as much as he could. "You should meet Mummy. She's throwing me the big party. See?" He pointed with a small hand towards tables and banners and streamers on the beach. "I'm going to be six!" Rob announced proudly. "You have to come!"
Johnny accepted Rob's excited hand as he tugged him up and over to the house.
"Mummy!" Rob called out loudly. "Mummy, come quick!"
Johnny was nearly stopped in his steps when Rob's mother came out from the house. She was a dead look-alike for Rob when he'd been a woman that time. Johnny swallowed hard. "Mrs. Chase, hi. I'm Johnny Storm. Second cousin on Rowan's side."
She gave Johnny a curious look, even as Johnny swept Rob into his arms and held on tight. "I wasn't aware we had American friends dropping by." She plastered on a bright smile. "No matter. Come along in and settle yourself at home."
"With me!" Rob announced eagerly.
Mrs. Chase laughed warmly. "Yes, with Rob, if you'd like. He's a spare bed in the room." There was something that flickered over her face, that spoke volumes about just why Rob had an extra bed in his room, because maybe Mommy had to use it when Daddy kicked her out at night.
"I'll take anything there is," Johnny accepted graciously, hefting his backpack over his shoulder and taking Rob's hand as it was stuck out to him. "Thank you," he called back to Mrs. Chase before he was stubbornly tugged forward. He ascended familiar stairs and let Rob lead him into a boy's paradise of a room.
Rob was nattering all the way up about how he wanted a puppy for his birthday and how Daddy had said maybe and Mommy had said maybe too and he went on and on about it as he showed Johnny the spare bed. Johnny bounced on the bed and watched as Rob launched himself over, hopping up and down behind Johnny.
"Did you bring me a present?" Rob asked eagerly.
Johnny tapped his bag, grinning. "Sure did." Rob nearly tackled him with a hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek and Johnny stopped to wonder just how this kid turned into the adult that Johnny loved so damn much. Must have been a hard life growing up. Rob settled in, resting his cheek on Johnny's shoulder and plopping himself down beside him. "You'll like it, I promise."
"Okay," Rob agreed pleasantly, smiling warmly up at Johnny. "I'm gonna go see Mummy," he announced, grasping his stuffed animal again and dashing off. "Bye!" he shouted from the hallway, already dashing down the stairs.
Yeah, Johnny was going to have a hard time leaving this place.
*
Johnny lingered in the back on the day of the birthday, not really wanting to intrude on happy memories and also, he really didn't want to create a paradox. Reed would sort of yell at him for that. He watched Rob gleefully open presents and smile up at his mother and his father, eat cake and get icing on his nose - Johnny couldn't help but be there for that, just to brush it off with his thumb - and watched as he went from gleeful to euphoric when his mother handed him a small golden retriever. "His name is Flash," she whispered cheerfully. "Take good care."
Johnny headed for the beach and sat there in the low-tide as the excitement died down, trying to reconcile this version of Rob with his own.
Soon enough, he heard quiet whimpering and a happy voice telling the dog to 'be good, Flash!' and Rob was standing above Johnny, beaming away. "I got a puppy!" he announced happily, sitting cross-legged beside Johnny. "Mummy said it was because I was a good boy while Daddy was gone."
Johnny grinned, handing Rob a misshapen wrapped gift.
"For me?" he asked in eager awe, eyes as wide as saucers. "You did get me a gift!" he nearly squealed with excitement, unwrapping it ravenously while Flash pranced and barked around him. Rob slowly took out the teddy bear with a little Fantastic Four logo on the side and stared at it happily, clinging it close before wrapping his arms around Johnny and hugging him tightly. "Thank you," he said, very grateful and serious. "It's gonna be Johnny," he announced with a decisive nod. "After you."
Johnny smiled genuinely, pulling Rob into a tight hug and closing his eyes tightly. "You're a good kid. You know that, right? Any parent would be lucky to have you."
Rob let out a pleased laugh and hugged Johnny tightly. "Johnny," he wheedled. "Will you stay with us here?"
Johnny pulled away, feeling his heart actually breaking into about a million pieces at the way Rob was looking at him. "I can't," he finally said, voice hoarse. "I have somebody I have to get back to. Somebody I love."
"Your wife," Rob said obediently with a nod.
Johnny gave a wicked grin at that. "I don't think you could really call this person my wife."
"But you love her?" Rob said, confused. "And if you love somebody, you marry them. Like Mummy and Daddy." He had a determined set to his face and his eyes were glinting with stubbornness. "Do you love them lots, Johnny?"
"More than the world," Johnny agreed, ruffling Rob's hair. "But we're not married. We just love each other very much, and that's okay with us. One day, you're going to understand. Okay?"
"Okay," Rob agreed politely. "But I don't want you to go." His eyes were wide and looked watery and crap, but if Rob started crying, Johnny was going to be a mess of unmanly tears. "Please?" His voice was softer, more serious, like he just realized that Johnny was actually about to leave. "Johnny, please?" And he was actually beginning to cry, a choked sound in his throat. "I want you to stay," he sniffled, hiccupping. "Please," he begged desperately, tugging on Johnny's sleeve.
Johnny tried his damnedest not to cry, just collected Rob up in his arms and hugged him tightly. "One day," he promised. "One day, I'm coming back. When you're older. Okay? I promise."
Rob sniffled. "Okay. Only if you promise."
Johnny nodded, but didn't let go of Rob, not even when the dog slowly lay down in the sand and the sun slowly went down into the horizon.
*
Johnny barely had it together when he arrived back home to the present and to his Rob. He arrived back in the middle of the night and wiped his nose with his sleeve, heading inside to find Rob asleep in bed, an old ratty teddy-bear tucked under his arm. Johnny let out a small sound of surprise as he crawled into bed and wrapped his arms so tightly around Rob that he probably couldn't breathe.
He stirred awake and peered over his shoulder blearily. "Johnny? What's wrong?" He turned, kissing Johnny's cheeks as Johnny sniffled and burrowed into Rob's chest. "Hey," he laughed softly. "You okay?"
"I came back," Johnny promised, kissing him on the lips. "I promised you and I came back. He took the bear and held it up. "Remember? I gave this to you. You were six and I gave it to you and you named him Johnny and I love you, Rob," he swore, his words constant and quick. "I love you so much, you know that, right?"
"That was you?" Rob asked slowly and quietly. "You were…" Realization slowly dawned on him and he stared at Johnny. "That was you," he realized, kissing Johnny firmly. "I adored you even then."
"Yeah?" Johnny laughed, still a bit sniffly. "Goes both ways. You were adorable."
Johnny kissed Rob's neck, holding him tightly and watching the clock shift from 11:59 to midnight. He kissed Rob on the lips lovingly and mumbled, 'happy birthday,' to him, pulling him close. Because he never intended on leaving, not this time around.
THE END
Fandom: House MD/Fantastic Four
Characters: Robert Chase, Johnny Storm
Prompt: 091. Birthday
Word Count: 1,921
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Part of a universe in which Chase/Johnny Storm will happen. Many thanks to
metaphoracle for the idea.Johnny nudged Rob in the calf, trying to evoke an answer. With the man's thirtieth birthday approaching, it was like pulling teeth to get him to talk about his birthday, so Johnny was trying to focus on something else. Like, the past. "Come on," he begged, tugging the covers up to keep them both warm. "Happiest birthday of yours. Gimme."
Rob sighed, but leaned into Johnny's touch, smirking.
"Oh, come on. Don't make me tickle you," Johnny warned, completely serious. Rob turned onto his side, facing Johnny - as they did share the same pillow - and gave him a genuine grin, which belied good news. "Okay, that's a start. Tell."
"I was turning six," Rob announced, nostalgically and just truly happy. "I mean, things went to shit after, and they weren't so great before, but I just remember my sixth birthday was different." He smiled widely. "It was…something else."
His grin was infectious and soon enough, he had Johnny grinning widely.
"So, no surprise party?" Johnny bemoaned, switching the subject.
Rob's groan of protest was worth the question and the conversation quickly devolved into a tickling and shouting match, the both writhing and causing the sheets to tangle easily and quickly.
*
"Reed?" Johnny begged, hands clasped together. "Reed, come on. Please? I want to go back for Rob. I need it just this once. Please!" He was trailing after Reed like a puppy dog around the top floor of the Baxter building, his eyes ravenous on just the one machine. The time machine. Reed continued on with his maintenance, making notes about all the machines, Johnny following each step. "Think of it this way. I'll be out of yours and Sue's way!"
Reed turned at that. "Well, actually, when you put it that way…"
"Great," Johnny announced excitedly, hefting his already-packed bag of clothes and toys. "1984, whenever you're ready. This date exactly." Reed gave him a mildly annoyed look, but mildly annoyed was still aces for Johnny. He nearly bounded into the machine and closed his eyes. "Melbourne, here I come."
*
Time travel had a tendency to make Johnny a little nauseous and he always came out of it wondering just what person in their right mind would do such a thing voluntarily for. Luckily for him, Johnny nearly tripped right over his reason. He had wound up on the familiar stretch of beach that he had once surfed on, and there under an umbrella and clutching a tiny stuffed puppy was a little blonde boy, shifting and tossing and turning. He was adorable, but man, was he tiny. Johnny slowly knelt down and watched him restlessly toss and turn, crying out sharply. "No," he pleaded in a soft and tiny voice. "Mummy!" he pleaded. Looked like he was having some kind of nightmare, poor kid. Johnny slowly tugged him into his lap, trying not to wake him too abruptly.
"Rob," Johnny gently whispered. "It's okay, it's just a nightmare. You can wake up."
Rob stilled in his arms and he slowly looked up at Johnny, blue eyes widely and brilliantly staring up at Johnny, his blonde hair all a mess. He was small, even for a little kid, and he was staring up at Johnny like he was a hero.
"Hi," he mumbled sleepily, sounding confused. "Who're you?"
Johnny thought fast, just curling Rob tighter in the process. "I'm Johnny. I'm your cousin from the States." He stroked a wayward blonde hair. "You were having a nightmare. You okay?"
Rob stared up at him, wrapping his arms around his waist as much as he could. "You should meet Mummy. She's throwing me the big party. See?" He pointed with a small hand towards tables and banners and streamers on the beach. "I'm going to be six!" Rob announced proudly. "You have to come!"
Johnny accepted Rob's excited hand as he tugged him up and over to the house.
"Mummy!" Rob called out loudly. "Mummy, come quick!"
Johnny was nearly stopped in his steps when Rob's mother came out from the house. She was a dead look-alike for Rob when he'd been a woman that time. Johnny swallowed hard. "Mrs. Chase, hi. I'm Johnny Storm. Second cousin on Rowan's side."
She gave Johnny a curious look, even as Johnny swept Rob into his arms and held on tight. "I wasn't aware we had American friends dropping by." She plastered on a bright smile. "No matter. Come along in and settle yourself at home."
"With me!" Rob announced eagerly.
Mrs. Chase laughed warmly. "Yes, with Rob, if you'd like. He's a spare bed in the room." There was something that flickered over her face, that spoke volumes about just why Rob had an extra bed in his room, because maybe Mommy had to use it when Daddy kicked her out at night.
"I'll take anything there is," Johnny accepted graciously, hefting his backpack over his shoulder and taking Rob's hand as it was stuck out to him. "Thank you," he called back to Mrs. Chase before he was stubbornly tugged forward. He ascended familiar stairs and let Rob lead him into a boy's paradise of a room.
Rob was nattering all the way up about how he wanted a puppy for his birthday and how Daddy had said maybe and Mommy had said maybe too and he went on and on about it as he showed Johnny the spare bed. Johnny bounced on the bed and watched as Rob launched himself over, hopping up and down behind Johnny.
"Did you bring me a present?" Rob asked eagerly.
Johnny tapped his bag, grinning. "Sure did." Rob nearly tackled him with a hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek and Johnny stopped to wonder just how this kid turned into the adult that Johnny loved so damn much. Must have been a hard life growing up. Rob settled in, resting his cheek on Johnny's shoulder and plopping himself down beside him. "You'll like it, I promise."
"Okay," Rob agreed pleasantly, smiling warmly up at Johnny. "I'm gonna go see Mummy," he announced, grasping his stuffed animal again and dashing off. "Bye!" he shouted from the hallway, already dashing down the stairs.
Yeah, Johnny was going to have a hard time leaving this place.
*
Johnny lingered in the back on the day of the birthday, not really wanting to intrude on happy memories and also, he really didn't want to create a paradox. Reed would sort of yell at him for that. He watched Rob gleefully open presents and smile up at his mother and his father, eat cake and get icing on his nose - Johnny couldn't help but be there for that, just to brush it off with his thumb - and watched as he went from gleeful to euphoric when his mother handed him a small golden retriever. "His name is Flash," she whispered cheerfully. "Take good care."
Johnny headed for the beach and sat there in the low-tide as the excitement died down, trying to reconcile this version of Rob with his own.
Soon enough, he heard quiet whimpering and a happy voice telling the dog to 'be good, Flash!' and Rob was standing above Johnny, beaming away. "I got a puppy!" he announced happily, sitting cross-legged beside Johnny. "Mummy said it was because I was a good boy while Daddy was gone."
Johnny grinned, handing Rob a misshapen wrapped gift.
"For me?" he asked in eager awe, eyes as wide as saucers. "You did get me a gift!" he nearly squealed with excitement, unwrapping it ravenously while Flash pranced and barked around him. Rob slowly took out the teddy bear with a little Fantastic Four logo on the side and stared at it happily, clinging it close before wrapping his arms around Johnny and hugging him tightly. "Thank you," he said, very grateful and serious. "It's gonna be Johnny," he announced with a decisive nod. "After you."
Johnny smiled genuinely, pulling Rob into a tight hug and closing his eyes tightly. "You're a good kid. You know that, right? Any parent would be lucky to have you."
Rob let out a pleased laugh and hugged Johnny tightly. "Johnny," he wheedled. "Will you stay with us here?"
Johnny pulled away, feeling his heart actually breaking into about a million pieces at the way Rob was looking at him. "I can't," he finally said, voice hoarse. "I have somebody I have to get back to. Somebody I love."
"Your wife," Rob said obediently with a nod.
Johnny gave a wicked grin at that. "I don't think you could really call this person my wife."
"But you love her?" Rob said, confused. "And if you love somebody, you marry them. Like Mummy and Daddy." He had a determined set to his face and his eyes were glinting with stubbornness. "Do you love them lots, Johnny?"
"More than the world," Johnny agreed, ruffling Rob's hair. "But we're not married. We just love each other very much, and that's okay with us. One day, you're going to understand. Okay?"
"Okay," Rob agreed politely. "But I don't want you to go." His eyes were wide and looked watery and crap, but if Rob started crying, Johnny was going to be a mess of unmanly tears. "Please?" His voice was softer, more serious, like he just realized that Johnny was actually about to leave. "Johnny, please?" And he was actually beginning to cry, a choked sound in his throat. "I want you to stay," he sniffled, hiccupping. "Please," he begged desperately, tugging on Johnny's sleeve.
Johnny tried his damnedest not to cry, just collected Rob up in his arms and hugged him tightly. "One day," he promised. "One day, I'm coming back. When you're older. Okay? I promise."
Rob sniffled. "Okay. Only if you promise."
Johnny nodded, but didn't let go of Rob, not even when the dog slowly lay down in the sand and the sun slowly went down into the horizon.
*
Johnny barely had it together when he arrived back home to the present and to his Rob. He arrived back in the middle of the night and wiped his nose with his sleeve, heading inside to find Rob asleep in bed, an old ratty teddy-bear tucked under his arm. Johnny let out a small sound of surprise as he crawled into bed and wrapped his arms so tightly around Rob that he probably couldn't breathe.
He stirred awake and peered over his shoulder blearily. "Johnny? What's wrong?" He turned, kissing Johnny's cheeks as Johnny sniffled and burrowed into Rob's chest. "Hey," he laughed softly. "You okay?"
"I came back," Johnny promised, kissing him on the lips. "I promised you and I came back. He took the bear and held it up. "Remember? I gave this to you. You were six and I gave it to you and you named him Johnny and I love you, Rob," he swore, his words constant and quick. "I love you so much, you know that, right?"
"That was you?" Rob asked slowly and quietly. "You were…" Realization slowly dawned on him and he stared at Johnny. "That was you," he realized, kissing Johnny firmly. "I adored you even then."
"Yeah?" Johnny laughed, still a bit sniffly. "Goes both ways. You were adorable."
Johnny kissed Rob's neck, holding him tightly and watching the clock shift from 11:59 to midnight. He kissed Rob on the lips lovingly and mumbled, 'happy birthday,' to him, pulling him close. Because he never intended on leaving, not this time around.
THE END
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"Please?" His voice was softer, more serious, like he just realized that Johnny was actually about to leave. "Johnny, please?"
*Wibbles all over the place*
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Thank you for reading!