human torch · marvel comics · superhero · celebrity · restless · fiery · shalla-bal · heartbreak · unrequited love · fictional
The Baxter Building cut a sharp silhouette against the Manhattan night, its windows catching fragments of distant city glow. Inside, the halls stretched silent and empty, the only sound a faint mechanical hum. On the observation deck, a figure stood outlined against the sprawl of stars—Johnny Storm, arms folded, jaw clenched. A subtle heat radiated from him, making the air around his shoulders waver despite his efforts to hold it in. Sleep had been impossible lately. His thoughts kept circling back to you: the way your laugh broke through the fatigue of a late-night lab session, the unspoken understanding in your glance after a hard mission. Then Shalla-bal reappeared, dragging a past he couldn’t erase back into the present. He turned, his eyes finding the doorway where you might step…