Archive of Our Own ^beta

“The cloaking device is up,” Johnny announced, zipping into the control room just as Ben was finishing his own work.

“Good to hear,” Ben said, punching a few buttons before turning to greet his husband. He barely had the chance say hello before Johnny pulled him into a deep kiss, one with such intensity that even Ben was left surprised.

“Home security put you in the mood, Storm?” Ben ribbed him when they at last separated.

“Hmm.” Johnny waggled his eyebrows at him. “That’s an idea, you know. Christening each and every room of the house. Then doing it all again. Just to make sure it was all done properly, of course.”

Ben snorted. “You’ve got a one-track mind.”

“And it’s always focused on you.” Johnny gave Ben a milder kiss, this one just on the cheek.

Taking a moment of silence, Ben just held Johnny tightly and gently stroked his hair. After becoming the Thing, he hadn’t thought it would be possible to get married and settle down like he’d always wanted. But now here he was, with Johnny Storm as a husband and with a home in the country that sat right beneath blue skies and before wide-open plains. Sure, the house needed to have state of the art security measures, including an invisible shield barrier, and most of the interior had to be custom-engineered for his strength and Johnny’s flames. But even if it wasn’t the typical house with a white picket fence in the suburbs, he was still happier than he could have ever imagined.

“I’ve got some news about our house, though,” Johnny remarked.

“Don’t tell me you’ve already invited everyone here for a housewarming kegster,” Ben groaned.

“No.” Johnny gave Ben a sly smile. “I don’t think I’ll be doing any drinking for a while.”

Ben guffawed. “What, have you become a teetotaler?”

“No, but . . .” Johnny reached for Ben’s hand and placed it on his own abdomen. “In about eight months, we’ll both be becoming fathers.”

Ben’s eyes widened, barely daring to believe Johnny’s words. “You’re—?”

“Pregnant,” Johnny confirmed happily. “What do you think, Ben? Will we make it as parents?”

“Don’t see why not. We’ve made it this far.” Ben gave Johnny’s hand a squeeze before pulling him into a hug.

They got the dog only about a month after Johnny revealed his pregnancy. Johnny brought him back after helping out with tornado relief in the Midwest, and Ben himself had only just returned from dealing with floods down in the South.

“I’ve already gotten him checked out by a vet,” Johnny assured Ben as he dumped kibble into one of their good china serving bowls. “He’s healthy. They estimated he’s about ten months old, so he probably still has a little bit growing to do.”

Ben looked at the dog, which looked innocently back at him, tilting its head as it gave him a friendly doggy smile. Even though it was about the size of a typical German Shepherd, it still had the telltale signs of being a puppy, with a slim form that had yet to fill out and an oversized ears and paws that it had yet to grow into.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt for our kid to have a pet, Ben reasoned. Privately, he’d always thought it might be nice to have a dog, but he didn’t want to look like to too much of a softie. Johnny would take full advantage. “What kinda dog is he?”

“Not sure,” Johnny admitted, giving the dog a scratch on the head. “The vet thought maybe a cross between a bull mastiff and a rottweiler, but that sounds like it might be a little too small to be our guy.”

“Well, at least our kid will never need to ask us for a pony,” Ben commented dryly. “You got a name picked out?”

“Lockjaw,” Johnny replied promptly, and when Ben responded with a quizzical stare, gave only a shrug. “What? I noticed that I couldn’t really play fetch with him because he never gave the stick back. He just kept his jaws locked around it. That was the first thing about him that really stood out to me.”

“Okay, okay,” Ben conceded. “I’ll make you a deal. We keep the dog, and you can name the dog, but I get to name our child.”

As if giving his approval of the arrangement, the dog took that moment to leap into Ben’s lap and begin licking his face, seemingly undeterred by its craggy surface.

“What are—ugh—get off—” Ben sputtered, trying to carefully but firmly push the dog away. Noting Johnny wasn’t doing a thing to help, he sent his husband a glare.     

Johnny just threw back his head and laughed. “It looks like Lockjaw agrees to your deal, so I guess I will, too.”

Ben arrived home just in time to say goodnight to Yancy as Johnny was putting her to bed.

“Glad you could make it,” Johnny said with a smile as he carried their daughter, just past a year old, over to Ben so he could give her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

“G’night, sweet pea,” Ben whispered to her, stroking her blonde hair.

“Nee,” Yancy murmured drowsily. She didn’t fuss when Ben carefully laid her down in her crib.

“She was tuckered out,” Ben observed once they left the room and retired to the couch. “Usually she’s real excited to see me.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Daddy, it’s not a burn on you,” Johnny said teasingly. “Yancy got some big news today, that’s all.”

Ben let out an amused scoff. “Do I get to find out what this news is, or is it a top secret matter that only you and our baby girl get to know about?”

“Well, I suppose I can let you in on it, given your involvement.” Johnny grinned at him. “Yancy’s going to be a big sister. I’m pregnant again.”

“You’re kiddin’ me,” Ben breathed. He gathered Johnny into his arms. “We get to have another kid?”

“Prepare yourself for another round of domestic bliss,” Johnny told him with smirk.

“Who says the first one ever stopped?” Ben retorted, tucking Johnny’s head beneath his neck and holding him close.  

Yancy’s laughter intermingled with Lockjaw’s joyous barking as she sailed down the hill, the customized toboggan her aunt and uncle had designed for her racing across the packed snow with barely a bump until the sled slid to a halt at the bottom of the slope. The dog galloped all the way behind her on her trip down, and Ben was there to meet them both.

“One more time!” Yancy begged Ben, her blue eyes wide as she pleaded with him. “Just let me go down the hill one more time, okay, Daddy?”

“The hill will still be there after lunch, kiddo,” Ben told the four-year-old fondly. “Come on, let’s go and see your dad and brother.”

Easily lifting Yancy up off the ground with one massive hand, he used the other hand to grab the sled, carrying both daughter and toboggan up the small hill to the other members of their family waiting at the top.

“Special delivery,” he announced as he deposited a giggling Yancy onto the picnic blanket where Johnny was just finishing feeding lunch to two-year-old Daniel.

“Papa!” Yancy exclaimed, diving against Johnny for a hug and borrowing against him. His abnormally high body temperature was very helpful in helping his children recover from the cold after playing in the snow. “Did you see how fast I went down the hill?”

“I did,” Johnny confirmed as he handed her a sandwich. “I was amazed Daddy was able to catch you and bring you here with how fast you were going.” He winked at Ben.

“Yeah, well, given how often I had to chase you down, I got plenty of practice,” Ben grumbled, but he gently took Daniel from Johnny with one hand and then pulled Johnny and Yancy close with his other arm, holding all three of them against him protectively.

Seeing the four of them grouped together, Lockjaw raced over and took his own place with them, settling at their feet and wagging his tail happily.

Warmth surged through Ben’s chest as he gazed at them, and he was filled both happiness and pride. Here was his family, the family he’d never thought he’d get have. A husband, a dog, and two kids—soon to be three, he reminded himself, still awed at the prospect, as he rested a hand on the slight swell of Johnny’s abdomen and shared a tender look with him.

It might not have happened exactly how he was expecting. But even if it meant being normal again, Ben wouldn’t have traded them for anything in the multiverse.