[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ZfvPPwT.png[/img][/center][b]Central Park, New York[/b]

[color=#ffffff]Guy Gardner snaked his way through traffic in a nondescript black sedan with Ben Grimm in the back. In the Thing’s large orange hands was a tablet which he was staring at with rapt attention. Johnny Storm had gone AWOL from the Baxter Building – despite express orders from Maria Hill not to do so – and worse still he had done it in the most public way possible.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Splashed across every TV screen in New York was Johnny yucking it up with Spider-Woman. The fire symbol he had blazed in the sky had put NYPD, SHIELD, and the national media on high alert so soon after the Silver Surfer’s sudden appearance. Thankfully Johnny had made it clear that he was far from a threat before the National Guard had been called in – but that hadn’t stopped the media from following him every of the way since parting with Spider-Woman.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Guy and Ben had spent every second of it on the Torch’s tail. Finally they had tracked him to Central Park. The last Ben had seen was Johnny disappearing into the park. Gardner pulled the sedan to a sudden, very illegal stop by the side of the road and leapt out of the driver’s seat.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Ben climbed out of the back seat and began to follow after the SHIELD agent.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Guy stopped dead in his tracks the second he noticed Grimm following after him. [/color][color=#b6d7a8]“What the hell are you doing?”[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“What?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Gardner wagged a disapproving finger at Ben.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“It’s bad enough that the kid’s face has been plastered all over the news for the past couple of hours, the least thing we need is your ugly mug right there alongside it.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Grimm’s arms crossed. His rocky forearms scraping against one another sounded like knives being sharpened. Passengers in cars that were passing by had begun to notice the hulking rock creature – and a few tourists had begun brandishing their phones in his direction.[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“You’ve got another thing coming if you think I came all this way just to sit in the car, Carrot Top.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]It was clear from Ben’s voice that he wasn’t in the mood for a debate – and every second that Guy spent trying to figure out how to convince him to get back in the car was another that he was out in the open. Mindful that he already had one dressing down coming his way for letting Johnny out of his sights, all Gardner could do now was try to minimise any more damage.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“Goddamnit,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Guy said with a heavy sigh. [/color][color=#b6d7a8]“Alright, well at least cover yourself up or something.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Gardner ran round to the back of the sedan and opened the boot. He rummaged around for a few seconds before producing a large brown overcoat and fedora. Ben eyed the items suspiciously for a few moments and then threw the coat over his shoulders and plonked the hat on top of his rocky head. With that done, the pair of them made their way into the park.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“Central-[i]frickin[/i]-Park,[/color][color=#ffffff]” Guy muttered disbelievingly as they entered. [/color][color=#b6d7a8]“It’s like the kid is [i]trying[/i] to get on the Führer’s shit list.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]They passed through the park easily enough. Despite Ben’s huge frame, he went all but unnoticed outside of a few particularly observant tourists. Most were preoccupied staring down their camera viewfinders or phone screens. For a short while, Ben almost remembered what it was like to feel normal again.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]A good fifteen minutes or so of searching went by before they reached Bow Bridge. There stood at its apex was Johnny Storm. In one hand was a large hotdog that was slathered in more sauces and toppings than Ben could make out. In the other Johnny was holding an even larger ice cream. It was half-melted, cream dribbling down his fists, but that didn’t seem to deter him from taking alternate bites from each hand.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The bridge was so thick with tourists that Johnny didn’t see Guy or Ben until both of them were on him.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Guy jabbed an accusatory finger directly at the centre of Johnny’s chest. [/color][color=#b6d7a8]“What do you think you’re playing at, kid?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Johnny’s blue eyes widened with shock. He was about to mount a defense but the words died in his throat when his eyes made contact with Ben. The shock dissipated and those eyes, until recently so steeped in sadness, brightened. Laughter forced its way up and out of Johnny’s lungs.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Storm’s ice cream-covered hand pointed in Ben’s direction. [/color][color=#ea9999]“Who the hell invited Al Capone?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]A thick vein appeared on Gardner’s forehead. He was about to open the floodgates on Johnny until one of Ben’s large hands shoved him aside with so much force that he almost fell over the side of the bridge. Johnny stepped back, suddenly worried by Ben’s sudden movement, but wasn’t nearly fast enough to evade him.[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“You’re laughing!”[/color][color=#ffffff] Ben shouted as he wrapped Johnny in a tight bear hug. [/color][color=#f6b26b]“You’re [i]actually[/i] laughing again!”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]All the air went rushing out of Storm the Younger’s lungs as Grimm, gripped by the throngs of joy, squeezed tighter and tighter. Johnny tried to speak but wasn’t able to form words with all the pressure on his chest. Instead he clubbed at Ben with his hotdog-holding hand. Ketchup, mustard and relish had all but covered Grimm’s shoulder before he cottoned on and released him.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]A feeble laugh escaped from Johnny’s lungs despite his being doubled over and gasping for air. [/color][color=#ea9999]“You almost killed me, you big dummy.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]A bashful smile appeared on Ben’s face. He wrapped an apologetic arm around Johnny’s shoulder and hugged him. Johnny let out a wince as if to signal that the hug was too tight again and Ben chuckled.[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“Heh, sorry kid.”[/color][color=#ffffff] Ben smiled. [/color][color=#f6b26b]“I just … I guess I hadn’t realised how long it’d been since I last heard you laughing. Y’know, [i]properly[/i] laughing.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The crowd of tourists had now turned towards the three of them. Ben’s raised voice was distinctive enough even without the rocky skin – and the trench coat Guy had wrapped him in was no longer providing sufficient cover. Ben looked at Gardner with a shrug of the shoulders, took off the fedora, and plonked it on Johnny’s head with a smile.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Guy rolled his eyes, wrapped his hands around one of Johnny and Ben's biceps, and dragged them away from the bridge.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“Alright, alright, this is all very heartwarming but all three of us are going to be looking at a lifetime of solitary confinement on The Raft if we don’t get out of here before the stormtroopers show up. So how about we have this conversation on the drive back to the Baxter Building?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Johnny nodded along begrudgingly to the request as the three of them made their way back to the sedan. He wiped his hands clean of ice cream on Ben’s coat and handed him what remained of his hot-dog. Still hungry from the morning, Grimm shovelled it down. As the pair of them climbed into the back of Guy’s car Ben looked towards Johnny with a smirk.[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“So … what’s going on with this Spider-Woman chick? Did you get her phone number or something?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Storm’s face screwed up with displeasure at the thought of it. [/color][color=#ea9999]“What? No way! That’s disgusting. What kind of guy do you take me for?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]In the front seat Guy adjusted his rearview mirror and let his eyes rest on Ben and Johnny for a few seconds. Stressed as Gardner was as the thought of another shouting match with Hill surely coming, it didn’t detract from the moment. When he’d picked them up, Ben and Johnny had been broken men – and here they were laughing and joking like they didn’t have a care in the world. How long that lasted remained to be seen.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Guy started the car and pulled away from the kerb.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]From the back he heard Ben chuckle. [/color][color=#f6b26b]"Don't worry, Spidey blowing you off's gonna be the least of your worries once Suzie's through with Hill."[/color]