2 Months Later
Baxter Building
Johnny sat inside the reinforced metal test chamber, looking far too relaxed for someone strapped into a box designed to contain a human flamethrower. Outside, Reed, Sue, and Ben watched anxiously through the thick glass.
Johnny raised a hand and wiggled his fingers. Flames danced across his skin, bright orange at first, then spreading until his entire body glowed like molten lava.
Reed's eyes widened as the readings on his monitors spiked. "Johnny! Tone it down!" he barked into the intercom, sweat beading on his forehead.
Johnny grinned, voice echoing from the box. "I can go hotter."
Sue groaned, hand on her hip. "Johnny! Just tone it down!"
But Johnny ignored her. The flames grew more intense, the heat searing the metal walls of the box. Tiny rivulets of titanium began to melt, dripping like molten silver onto the floor. Sparks flew, and Reed's computers started smoking. "Johnny! Calm it down!"
Johnny laughed, the sound crackling with heat. "Nope. I'm just getting started!"
Finally, Reed slammed a large red button. With a hiss and a splash, dense foam shot into the box, covering Johnny in a thick, frothy layer of fire-suppressing material. Smoke and steam hissed around him.
The chamber door hissed open. Johnny emerged, dripping foam, hair sticking up like he'd survived a volcanic eruption.
"Fuck y'all. You guys are cramping my style," he muttered, shaking off the foam.
Sue's eyes widened as she read the monitors. "Johnny! You were at 4,000 Kelvin! Any hotter and you'd be approaching supernova!"
Johnny's grin only widened. "Sweet."
Sue threw her hands up. "No, not sweet! That's the temperature of the sun!"
Reed adjusted his glasses, voice tight with panic. "Not only could you kill yourself, Johnny, but you could set fire to Earth's atmosphere. You could destroy human life as we know it!"
Johnny gave a casual thumbs up. "Got it. Supernova bad."
With that, he spun on his heel and headed for the showers, flames sputtering and dying out as the foam evaporated.
Sue exhaled slowly, watching the foam-slicked, fiery-haired whirlwind that was Johnny Storm vanish down the hall. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her expression a mix of frustration and worry.
Ben rubbed the back of his neck and let out a low whistle. "You know… that kid's got power. Crazy, insane power. But man… he's a handful."
Sue's jaw tightened. "A handful? Ben, that was ….he was at 4,000 Kelvin. He could've burned the building down. Or the city. Or…" She trailed off, shuddering at the thought.
Ben nodded slowly. "Yeah, I saw the readings. But that's Johnny. Always pushing it. Always testing limits. That's how he is. You know, reckless, wild… but damn, he's got heart."
Sue gave a dry laugh. "Heart doesn't help if he melts half of Manhattan before breakfast."
Ben smirked. "I mean, you were telling me two months ago you'd never thought you'd be babysitting a fire-wielding human torch. And now look at us. You've got the best seat in the building for a one-man fireworks show."
Sue groaned. "I'm supposed to train him. Help him control his powers. Keep him from literally destroying everything around him. And he treats it like… like a game!"
Ben leaned closer, voice softer. "Sue… he's nineteen. You can't keep treating him like a kid forever. He's going to make mistakes. You just… gotta be there when he does. Guide him, yeah but babying him? That won't work anymore."
Sue looked at him, frowning. "I know, Ben. I know that. But… he's my brother. I can't help but worry every second he's out there."
Ben chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Yeah, I get it. But here's the thing you've gotta let him learn. Let him burn a little. Literally." He gestured vaguely at the smoke still curling from the hallway.
Sue sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I just hope the world's ready for him. And I hope he doesn't burn it down before he figures it out."
Ben smirked again, a warm, brotherly grin. "He'll figure it out. Eventually. And until then… well, you and I get front-row seats. Lucky us."
Sue let out a frustrated groan, though a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Front-row seats, huh? That's one way to look at it."
Ben shrugged. "Yep. And don't worry. He may be fire and chaos incarnate, but he's your brother. He's got a good heart under all that flame. Most of the time, anyway."
Sue rolled her eyes, muttering, "Most of the time… yeah, I guess that's something."
Ben patted her shoulder. "Exactly. Now come on let's go check the monitors before Johnny decides the next thing he wants to melt is the ceiling."
Sue groaned again, but the small grin on her face betrayed that despite all the chaos, she knew he was right.
Timeskip
Johnny leaned against a lab console, flames flickering casually across his fingertips. "Hey, Reed… I was thinking."
Reed didn't look up from his holographic schematics, eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "I'm terribly sorry, Johnny, but I'm rather busy recalibrating the thermal dampeners from your last… incident."
Johnny grinned, undeterred. "Yeah, yeah, that was a fluke. Totally under control. Anyway… I need a suit."
Reed finally looked up, eyebrows shooting to his hairline. "A… suit?"
"Yes. A superhero suit. Something sleek, something cool, something that says: 'Yes, I'm on fire. And yes, I know it.'" Johnny snapped his fingers, sending two small fireballs orbiting above his palms.
Reed pinched the bridge of his nose. "Johnny, you just burned through a reinforced test chamber. And now you want me to design a suit to… enhance this chaos?"
"Not enhance," Johnny said, leaning closer, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Control. I want control. Plus, think of the science, Reed. Materials that can withstand 5,000 Kelvin, heat-resistant polymers, fire-dampening alloys, maybe even adaptive thermoregulation…."
Reed's interest piqued despite himself. "You're… seriously considering the engineering and thermodynamics of a full-body heat-resistant suit?"
Johnny grinned. "Exactly! That's why you're perfect for this. I'm appealing to the science side of your brain."
Reed hesitated, glancing toward the observation window where Sue was reviewing sensor readings. "Johnny… I'm not sure Sue would… well, you know…"
Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Reed. You know she's protective. But this is for science. Think of it as… applied thermophysics. A real-world experiment. And you love experiments, don't you?"
Reed's lips twitched, a reluctant smile forming. "You do have a point."
Johnny leaned back, flames flickering along his arms. "And think of the cool factor. Fire, flight, heroic deeds… all in one package. You get to build something incredible, and Sue can't yell at you for not doing science. Win-win."
Reed shook his head, exasperated but intrigued. "Fine. But we do this carefully. One wrong alloy or miscalculated heat coefficient…"
Johnny saluted dramatically. "Trust me, Professor Richards. I'm a human torch. Literally. You won't regret it."
3 Weeks Later
The lab lights dimmed. Johnny stepped forward, and the suit shimmered under the glow of the overhead lamps.
It was sleek, a full-body suit of dark red, hugging him like a second skin. Gold accents traced his shoulders, forearms, and boots, echoing the flames he commanded. A distinctive yellow emblem burned bright on his chest, hinting at the fire within. A utility belt hugged his waist, sleek and tactical, ready for anything.
Johnny flexed, flames curling over the golden trims without damaging the suit. "Reed… I love it. I love it!"
Reed adjusted his glasses, running simulations on his tablet. "Thermal resistance is optimal. Mobility is unrestricted. Fire output is fully contained. You…uh…you won't burn down your own suit. At least… not immediately."
Johnny threw a triumphant pose. "I am officially… The Human Torch."
Sue stormed into the lab, arms crossed, eyes blazing. "What on earth is going on in here?"
Johnny spun, flames flickering harmlessly along the gold accents of his new suit. "Science, Sue! Pure science!"
Sue's glare could melt steel. "Science?! Johnny, you're in a full-body flamethrower suit, hovering around the lab, and Reed, you helped him design it!"
Reed adjusted his glasses, shifting uncomfortably. "I… I just wanted to ensure optimal thermal regulation. Safety….."
"Safety?!" Sue snapped. "Safety is not letting my brother play human candle in the middle of the lab! You two are insane!"
Johnny stepped closer, flames crackling along his arms. "Oh, come on, Sue. Don't act like you don't love it. Admit it you wanted me to finally be responsible with my powers!"
Sue's jaw tightened. "I do want you to be responsible, Johnny! But this…this reckless display isn't responsibility. It's idiocy!"
Johnny crossed his arms, flames flaring brighter along the suit. "Idiocy? This is training! Learning control! This is me becoming… a superhero!"
Sue pinched the bridge of her nose. "Johnny, you are not a superhero yet. You're a nineteen-year-old human torch who thinks he's invincible!"
Johnny's grin faded. His eyes glimmered gold as smoke twined around his shoulders. "Oh, so now I'm just a kid, huh? Got it. The perfect big sister lecture, coming at me full force. Thanks, Sue."
Sue's expression hardened. "I'm not trying to insult you. I'm trying to keep you alive! But clearly, you don't care."
Johnny flared his hands, flames licking higher. "Care? Of course I care! But I'm tired of being caged, of being treated like a science experiment!"
Sue stepped forward, voice sharp. "You're not a science experiment! And I am not caging you! You're just…."
"Too hot to handle?" Johnny interrupted with a smirk, flames swirling around him.
Sue groaned. "Johnny!"
The tension crackled in the air like static electricity. Johnny's chest flared, the emblem on his suit glowing brightly. He threw his arms out, letting the flames burst around him.
"I'm done listening!" he yelled. "I'm taking off!"
Before Sue could react, Johnny shot upward, fire trailing behind him. The ground shook, smoke and heat curling off the lab floor.
Reed froze mid-step, tablet hovering in his hands. "He… he just flew out the building…"
Ben stared after him, mouth slightly open. "Uh… wow."
Reed's fingers hovered over the console, completely frozen. "This… this wasn't in any simulation. He's…he's actually flying. At… controlled altitude… Oh my God…"
Sue slammed her fists on the desk, exasperated. "Johnny! Come back here right now!"
But Johnny was gone, a streak of red and gold blazing across the sky. The lab fell silent except for the faint echo of his laughter carried on the wind.