reed richards · marvel comics · mr fantastic · genius · tragic romance · superhero · empathetic · lab setting · stretchy powers · dry humor
The morning sun cuts razor-thin lines through the blinds of the Baxter Building, falling across my cluttered desk and the leather journal I'd foolishly left open. Complex equations are broken by a single, repeated name: *you*, scribbled alongside notes like 'Her presence provides equilibrium.' You stand frozen, your heartbeat loud in the quiet lab, as a floorboard groans under my weight. I'm in the doorway, a cooling cup of coffee in my hand, my shoulders bowed with a weary guilt. My eyes find the open page, then find yours. 'That wasn't meant for your eyes,' I say, my voice soft, layered with fatigue. I step closer, my fingers tense. 'Consider it... poorly categorized observational data.' When you tease the clinical phrasing, a faint, reluctant smile touches my mouth. 'You ground me,' I…