A Special Evening

[Olivia Storm]

It was Saturday, Johnny's busiest day at the Wonderplex, but he'd managed to finagle some time off from the Avengers and had a little surprise in store for both twins in honor of their birthday. Or was it birthdays? He'd made a few stops on the way home from the amusement park and was heard clambering up the stairs to the apartment he shared with Liv on the fourth floor. Hearing voices from inside the apartment, he knew they were already home and grumbled a little to himself that his plans had already gone awry.

Arms full of packages, he was unable to get the door open without dropping something, so he kicked at the door with a foot in an attempt to get their attention. "Hey!" he called. "It's me, Johnny! Can somebody get the door?"

"Why, is it running away?" That had to be Lucy, if the somewhat raucous laughter that followed it was anything to go by. There was the sound of a gentle slap on bare skin, and Lucy yelped in the midst of her laughter. "All right, all right, I'm coming," she complained cheerfully in response to an incoherent comment from her sister, and a moment later, both twins appeared in the hallway, faces alive with almost identical smiles.

Liv's smile, however, softened to the familiarly tender affection that Johnny always got to see no matter where they were, and she was the first to move, skipping barefoot along the hallway to grab the door for him. On her heels, Lucy came to lean on the wall with a grin as her sister kissed his cheek in welcome.

"So chaste," she teased the pair of them. "You mean you don't mount and ride the minute he walks in through the door, Liv?"

"Lucy!" Liv's mortified embarrassment was palpable as the inevitable blush made itself known, one hand rising to cover her mouth as she closed her eyes, not daring to look at Johnny in the wake of this humiliating announcement from her twin.

Completely unembarrassed by this bit of teasing, Johnny was more concerned with getting his packages through the door without dropping them, smiling warmly at Liv's greeting kiss as he pushed his way past them into the apartment.

"Most nights we barely make it past the door, Luce," he teased back, fully aware his boast was going to further embarrass Liv, but he just couldn't help himself. "Maybe we should charge admission and then you can watch." He smirked at the older twin, having no problem telling them apart, since it was obvious from Liv's reaction to his arrival home which twin she was. "How was your date? I hope you didn't have dinner yet because I'm cooking tonight."

Of course, as far as he was concerned, he was cooking every night, but not necessarily in the kitchen. He made no notice or comment about Liv's lack of glasses, assuming she was wearing her contacts.

"Oh god, you're as bad as each other," Liv groaned softly, closing the door securely as Johnny brushed past with his bundles. She was laughing, though - it was hard not to giggle along when Lucy was in a mood this silly, and it sounded as though Johnny was going to play along just as enthusiastically.

Lucy's hand lowered to clamp onto her sister's wrist, making Liv yelp as she was dragged along the hall behind Johnny. "Hey, everlast," the elder twin grinned, poking Johnny in the back. "Got something I want you to do before you do anything else."

Liv rolled her eyes, tugging on her captive wrist. "At least let him get settled, Luce," she complained quietly. There was a momentary pause as something sank in belatedly. "Wait ... you're cooking tonight?" Her soft gaze turned to Johnny in delighted surprise.

He tossed a glare at Lucy, not only at the moniker she'd hung on him but at the poke in the back. "Mind if I free my arms up first, Miss Bossy? And I'm sorry, but no sex on an empty stomach." From the smirk on his lips he was trying to hide, it was pretty obvious he was only teasing and not really annoyed. He dumped the packages on the kitchen table and, arms finally free, turned to face Liv. "Yeah, I'm cooking. It's part of the surprise." He looked between the twins, smile fading. "Don't tell me... you already ate, right?"

Over the sound of Lucy's wild snickers, Liv hurried to reassure Johnny, one gentle hand reaching to squeeze his wrist even as she was pulled in front of Lucy. "Oh, no, we didn't eat," she promised her lover warmly. "Lucy wanted to -" Her sister's hand landed over her mouth.

"Enough with the food talk," Lucy declared imperiously. "Johnny, look deep into her eyes. Really deep. And pay attention, don't just zone out and start thinking about her boobs." She waved her hand in front of her sister's face until Liv batted that hand out of the way, giggling at the ridiculous set up as Lucy added, "Notice anything?"

Of course, as soon as Lucy mentioned the word "boobs" Johnny's gaze darted immediately to that particular part of Liv's body, a small smirk on his face. "I happen to like her boobs. Yours aren't bad either," he teased the other twin a moment before furrowing his brows, clearly confused about what was going on between the two twins.

At first glance, he noticed nothing different about Liv, except for the fact that she wasn't wearing her glasses. Assuming she was wearing contacts, he waited until Liv had batted Lucy's hand out of the way and leaned close to Liv to peer deeply into her eyes. "What am I supposed to be looking for? I don't see anything diff-" He broke off, as he suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute."

Lucy's grin was just visible in his peripheral line of sight, growing wider by the second as the penny dropped. Liv, on the other hand, was silent, almost tense with patience as she waited for Johnny to make the connection between what he was seeing and what her sister had arranged. Even when she wore her contacts, there was always that distracting glimmer of a lense over her eyes, noticeable especially when you knew it was there. But not so today ... there were no lenses, no contacts, no glasses.

"Well?" Lucy asked impatiently, resting her chin on Liv's shoulder as she studied Johnny studying Liv. "What do you think?"

Johnny was silently peering into Liv's eyes, trying to make the connection as to what was different. He'd looked into her eyes many times, both with and without the contacts. When wearing them, if he looked close enough, he could always see a faint but visible outline of the lenses against her iris, until today.

"You're not wearing contacts," he said, stating the obvious. "Where are your glasses?"

He knew Liv was horribly near-sighted and couldn't see past her own nose without lenses of some kind, so if she wasn't wearing contacts or glasses, how was it that she was presumably seeing so clearly? He stepped back a pace and then a few paces further. "You can see me?"

[Olivia Storm]

Liv's smile turned startlingly impish for a moment, echoing the cackling triumph on Lucy's face as the elder sister stepped back to lean in the doorway, thoroughly enjoying the reaction just as she'd said she would. The younger twin nodded as Johnny stepped back. "Every detail, absolutely clear," she told him through an ever widening smile, catching her lower lip between her teeth as her hands swung a little nervously at her sides.

"She's not going to need lenses or glasses again," Lucy added with a conquering smirk, affecting a sultry pose against the doorframe that was ruined by her laughter. "You may thank me however you see fit."

Johnny's attention was on Liv, despite Lucy's brazen self-congratulatory bragging, which he was ignoring for the moment to focus on Liv. He held up two fingers and waved them in the air to test her claim of clear vision. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He wasn't going to go much farther than that, at least, not with Lucy around. He'd thank Lucy later... somehow.

"Two," Liv informed him with a warm smile, appreciating his lack of immediate belief. Hell, she hadn't believed it herself to begin with. "And your forefinger still has a smear of oil down the inside of the second knuckle."

Eyes widened in obvious surprise, more so at the knowledge she could actually see him clearly from clear across the room than at the realization that he had missed a spot of motor oil when cleaning up after the show. "I do?" he asked, glancing at his finger to confirm her claim. "I do."

Looking back at her, his expression changed again, and you could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He wasn't stupid by any means, but it took a moment for him to fully understand the implications of what had happened. "Did you have laser eye surgery?" He took a guess, which being from 21st century Earth, seemed a logical explanation.

There was a moment of silence as Liv shrugged, lifting her hands in helpless ignorance. "I really don't know," she admitted quietly, more amused by her ignorance than upset by it, knowing that Lucy was just itching to leap in with an explanation. "I thought I was getting a head massage."

True to form, Lucy did jump in at this point, already bored with their back and forth discussion. "I took her to an elven healer who specialises in eyes," she informed Johnny with a certain amount of glee. "One of the guys at the hospital suggested him when I asked about fixing eyes permanently with magic."

Johnny's attention now turned to Lucy as she broke in to explain what she'd arranged. "Magic?" he echoed. God, this place just kept getting stranger and stranger, even to him, and he was starting to wonder if anything surprised him anymore. "You mean like... Lord of the Rings kinda elves or the kind that make toys kinda elves?"

He dropped his hand and closed the distance between himself and Liv, peering into her eyes again to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. "You really don't need glasses anymore?"

"Uh ..." For the first time since he'd met them, Johnny was treated to the sight of the always confident Lucy wavering, turning her gaze to her sister in a silent wish for help.

Liv chuckled softly back at her sister, offering that help without question. "In this case, it was Norse mythology kind of elves, but Lord of the Rings would be closer than Santa," she said, lifting her eyes back to Johnny to find him close to her once again. Her smile softened for him, as it always did. "That's what he said. My sister bought me perfect eyesight for my birthday - how do you top that?"

"That's..." The implications started going through his head. No glasses or contacts meant what? She could see clearly all the time, which meant she was free to do things she might not have been able to do before and it also meant she'd be able to see him clearly all the time. In bed, in the shower, on the bike, everywhere and anywhere. He had to smile at her question. It was definitely an awesome gift. He'd have to remember to thank Lucy later. "You don't. Unless..." He grinned, lifting a finger. "...you're me and bought a cake."

He stuck his tongue out at Lucy. Yeah, birthday cake and perfect vision didn't really compare, but he couldn't help but tease her anyway.

Before Liv could say anything to that, Lucy had stuck her own tongue out at Johnny and interrupted yet again. "No eating it off each other until after I leave, thank you very much," she snickered, flashing Johnny a wink. Yes, the present had been as much for him as it was for Liv, but how else was she supposed to convince him once and for all that everything was completely cool between them? "You said you were cooking, anyway. What, exactly, are you cooking?"

As her blush made a reappearance, Liv curled her arms around Johnny's waist, hugging him affectionately even as she hid her face in his chest, deeply embarrassed by how easily her sister could wander into conversational topics that involved sex, even when Lucy wasn't the one who was going to be involved herself.

Surprised himself at how easily the three of them were getting along now that things had been sorted out between them, he broke into an easy-going smile, arms going around Liv to hug her back. He hadn't told Liv about Lucy's visit a few nights ago, feeling it hadn't been really necessary to tell her, but that one visit had served to clear things up between himself and Lucy and ease the tension between them.

Though their relationship had changed, he found himself just as fond of her as he'd been when they'd first met, perhaps even more so because of the way she seemed to care about her sister, and he found himself gushing. "You're an awesome sister, Luce. Liv is lucky to have you."

And he was lucky to have them both, one as a friend and one as a lover. A small pang of homesickness stabbed at his heart, missing his own sister, but he pushed it aside. He wasn't giving in to that today, not when there was celebrating to do.

"I know." Never let it be said that Lucy was less than aware of her own special qualities, but her acknowledgement of her awesomeness was tempered by her chuckle. "So, food?"

[Olivia Storm]

As Lucy moved to investigate the bags and packages Johnny had brought in with him, Liv's arms tightened around him, recognising that peculiar quality of silence that hid a moment of emotional uncertainty - after all, she was prone to them herself. Her head tipped back, her body rising onto her toes to touch a gentle kiss to his lips as she whispered, "Love you."

He smiled back, whatever momentary melancholy he was feeling dispelled by her kiss and her declaration of love. It was her quiet thoughtfulness that had drawn him to her to begin with. It wasn't that Lucy didn't share that quality, but he'd realized that his relationship with Lucy had been built mostly on mutual physical attraction and lust, whereas with Liv, they'd connected on a deeper level. He smiled into her kiss, returning it. "Love you, too."

If not for Lucy's poking around in the bags, he might have lingered in Liv's arms a bit longer, but he didn't want her ruining his surprise and broke away from his lover to intercept her nosey sister, playfully slapping at a hand as she tried to investigate. "Ah, hands off! It's a surprise." If Lucy did get a glimpse of anything in the bags, it was mostly groceries.

"Ouch!"

Indignant, Lucy opened her mouth to protest, only to let out a loud yelp as Liv tackled her away from the collection of packages and bags, both women laughing like children as they wrestled in the far corner of the kitchen. "Yes, behave yourself, Lucille," was clearly audible for a moment before Liv's mouth and nose were covered firmly with Lucy's hand, the elder looking positively scandalised at what had just been allowed to slip free. Her other hand rose to point at Johnny.

"You ever call me that, I'm going to do something dire to you involving the lake," she promised her sister's lover with a warning grin.

Johnny chuckled at the two siblings, and there was that small stab of homesickness again. He wondered briefly what Sue was doing and if she was worried about him. "Don't worry, I won't... Lucille," he teased with a grin, happy that at least, he wasn't alone here anymore. He had Liv and Lucy and Ben and a few others who he counted as friends. He started unpacking groceries, pulling various things from the bags. "If you two wanna help, you could set the table."

"In other words, you want us out from underfoot," Lucy translated with a grin, releasing Liv finally.

The younger twin opened the cutlery drawer, elbowed out of the way by her sister until she staggered sideways into Johnny, embarrassed once again. "Sorry," she apologised in a giggling tone, looking up at him. "Are you sure there's nothing else we can help with?"

There was a snort of laughter from Lucy as she disappeared out through the door with her hands full of cutlery and plates. "I am helping, speak for yourself!"

He crouched down to pull a frying pan out of the cupboard and set it on the stove, smiling down at the younger twin when she bumped into him. "Nope, I've got it covered. This isn't gonna take long." He grabbed a white-paper wrapped package, waggling his brows at her. "I hope you like steak." He unwrapped the package and tossed a strip steak cut to perfection onto the pan. "New York strip Johnny Storm style." He grinned as he flicked a finger, producing a flame, warning. "Stand back!"

Liv's giggles emerged once again at his flamboyance, even as she ducked and scurried out of the way to linger in the doorway, fully intending to watch dinner being cooked in what had to be a unique way.

"Wait, what?" Lucy's voice called from the main room. "What am I missing? Wait for me!" There was a clatter as she gave up on setting the table and barrelled to the kitchen doorway, hanging over Liv's shoulder with an identical grin to watch Johnny showing off.

Fortunately for the twins, he hadn't decided on flamb?. "There's a bottle of wine in there, if you want to open and pour." Now that he was cooking, he wasn't too worried about them seeing what was in the bags. He'd already bought and hidden Liv's birthday present some place where she'd never find it. Who needs a stinking grill when the Human Torch is around? He shot a blast of carefully controlled flames at the steak, searing it to perfection.

Once one steak was finished, he transferred it to a plate, and started on another, until there were three perfectly seared steaks all ready for eating, the smell of charred beef permeating the kitchen. No, he didn't worry about marinating or seasoning or any of that, confident his "cooking skills" would suffice.

When Liv failed to move, Lucy turned her head to look at her sister, unable to miss the adoration writ large in her sister's newly healed eyes as Liv watched Johnny. "Oh god," she groaned teasingly, poking at her sister's shoulder for a moment before slipping past to rescue the wine and a trio of glasses. "You might have told me she was in love with you, everlast."

"I thought you knew," he grinned back at Lucy, a softer smile to Liv as his gaze drifted that way. "Now, shoo, both of you." He shooed them both from the kitchen with a wave of a hand, extinguishing the flames first so he didn't set the apartment on fire. "I'll be right out." He turned to busy himself with finishing up cooking, while they relaxed.

"I am awesome, I am not omnipresent," was Lucy's cheeky reply as she ushered Liv out of the kitchen. Away from Johnny, it appeared that Liv regained her senses enough to join in with laying the table and generally tidying the main room. The sisters' quiet chatter filtered indistinctly through to the kitchen as they passed the time, waiting patiently for Johnny Storm's culinary surprise.

When he finally rejoined them a short time later, he brought out three plates of perfectly-cooked steaks, along with baked potatoes, garden salads, and fresh bread, all of which he'd picked up at the market. He set each plate in front of them, as well as one for himself. He left the cake in the kitchen for later, as well as Lucy's present. Once everything was on the table, he took his seat and picked up his glass, intending on making a toast.

"To family and fresh starts," he told them both, holding up his glass. "And to the two prettiest girls on all of Rhydin. Happy birthday." Admittedly, he wasn't very good at making toasts or being sentimental, but he hoped they'd read his meaning between the brief words.

[Olivia Storm]

His reappearance was met with a flurry of activity, both girls scrambling up off the couch where they'd eventually settled to wait and all but falling into seats at the table, offering up those identical smiles that suggested there was something mischievous being planned between them. For once, though, they were innocent; Liv was excited about a family meal, and her excitement was rubbing off on Lucy wildly.

"Whaddya know, Liv, you hooked a chef!" the elder twin chuckled, breathing in the mouth-watering smell of the food as she lifted her glass, tapping Liv's foot with her own to get her little sister to do the same. "Family and fresh starts," they both echoed, with Lucy adding in a surprisingly sombre tone, "And absent friends."

The two women held one another's gaze for a moment, a rare moment of quiet sobriety as they shared something very personal, something Johnny was privileged to witness. Yet almost before the moment had begun, it was over, and the smiles had returned.

Liv lowered her glass, stroking her bare toes against Johnny's shin under the table. "This looks delicious, Johnny."

Johnny glanced between them, completely oblivious of any plans they might have been making in his absence and just as ignorant of what was being privately and wordlessly shared between them.  He noticed the shift to sobriety, however brief, but let it go for now, choosing to let them have their secrets. They were sisters, after all, and twins no less. No matter how much he loved each in his own way, he knew there was a special bond between them that he could never really share.

He took a sip of the wine and lowered his glass, smiling at Liv's compliment and clearing his throat a little when he felt her toes against his leg. At some point, he'd taken off his jacket and left it in the kitchen and was now wearing jeans and a blue shirt layered over his uniform. "It looks delicious because it is delicious."

"I'd suggest you put your money where your mouth is, everlast, but I don't think I'd be able to get out the front door fast enough," Lucy chuckled as she lifted her knife and fork. She wasn't unaware of what was going on under the table, but she wasn't going to draw attention to it.

Beside her, Liv was already eating, releasing a sound not entirely alien to Johnny's ears in wondering bliss at the perfectly done steak. "I'm never cooking again," she threatened her lover. "You're going to have to feed me every day."

He took up fork and knife and started in on the steak, famished from the afternoon spent at the Wonderplex. He maintained a higher metabolism than most people and as such, it took a lot to keep that metabolism going. He chuckled at them both, blue eyes dancing with amusement. "Are you sure it's food you want me to feed you or something else?" He smirked wickedly. He would have returned the favor beneath the table but he was wearing boots.

Despite the blush, Liv actually owned the question aimed at her for once, swallowing her mouthful to blow Johnny a sweet kiss over the table as she took another sip from her glass.

Lucy stared at them, her disbelieving gaze flickering back and forth in amazement. "My god," she laughed teasingly, "you've managed to turn my sister into a brazen hussy." She grunted as Liv's elbow caught her in the ribs, chuckling once again.

"Hardly brazen," the younger objected quietly, at odds with the slow creep of her bare foot into Johnny's lap. "Well ... am I a hussy, Johnny, or do I need to work on that a little more?"

He felt her foot creep onto his lap and couldn't help but smile, assuming the less brazen twin would do nothing more than rest her foot there. "You're getting there," he told her, doing nothing to encourage or discourage any brazen behavior from her, wondering if he was corrupting her and if he was, if that was such a bad thing. He pierced another slice of steak, bringing it to his mouth with a grin. "I've no complaints."

Less brazen she might be, but what Johnny didn't know was that Lucy had spent an informative hour earlier teaching her younger sister a trick or two. He was reaping the benefits as Liv's small toes wriggled between his thighs.

"No complaints at all?" Lucy asked in disbelief. "Seriously, you deflowered a virgin and you have no complaints? Where were you when I lost my cherry?"

Liv rolled her eyes, giggling at her sister's blatant flirting. "He would have had to fight through your seven boyfriends for a chance at it, remember?"

He coughed suddenly as a bit of steak lodged in his throat when he felt Liv's toes wriggling between his thighs and stimulating a reaction he wasn't quite expecting while at the dinner table, especially not from Liv. Someone was certainly corrupting her and he assumed it was her sister. A superhero he might be, but even superheroes needed to breathe and a bit of steak lodged in one's throat could definitely pose a problem. Ironically, despite all his abilities, one little tiny piece of steak was all it took to defeat a superhero. He tried to cough again, but nothing came out, clutching at his throat and looking slightly panicked.

His sudden choking pulled the twins out of their minor heated debate, two pairs of brown eyes focusing on the superhero sat across from them. Liv's expression turned worried almost immediately, concern painting her eyes as her foot slithered from his lap, assuming it was entirely her fault. "Johnny?"

Lucy, on the other hand, glanced between Liv and Johnny and grinned, rising to her feet. "I did say not to do this when he was busy," she told her sister, settling behind Johnny. Practised arms wrapped about him and heaved firmly up and into his diaphragm, a textbook perfect operation of the Heimlich manouevre.

Thankfully, Lucy was in the medical profession and knew exactly what to do, the bit of steak immediately dislodging from his throat and shooting across the room like a small missile on fire, crashing into a coffee mug someone had left on a table and sending it smashing to the floor. Once his airway was clear, he heaved a breath, coughing a few times to catch his breath and pointing emphatically at the small bit of flaming meat that was threatening to set the apartment on fire. Not again.

Thankfully for his peace of mind, Liv was already on fire duty. She'd witnessed the strange things that happened to everyday objects in Johnny's hands, already up and following the trajectory of the flaming gobbet of steak to extinguish the flames and drop the charred bit, along with the shards of pottery, into the waste bin.

Lucy leaned on Johnny's shoulder, grinning as she watched her sister patter about. "So ... she was doing it right then?"

[Olivia Storm]

He was still trying to catch his breath and nodded silently up at Lucy. It wasn't so much what Liv had done that had shocked him into choking but when she had chosen to do it, with her sister right there. He darted a glance at Liv, relieved that she'd been right on that small fiery threat. "Sorry," he managed to croak, reaching for the glass of wine. He was mostly in control of his particular talents, but he had his moments, and he felt bad about interrupting dinner.

"Don't be." Lucy patted him on the head affectionately, resuming her seat as Liv returned to the table.

The younger twin leaned down to kiss Johnny's cheek, hugging her arms around his shoulders as her lips touched his ear. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I wasn't thinking."

He watched one twin pat his head and depart, followed by a hug and apology from the other. He took a sip of his wine, his voice slowly returning to its usual tone. "It's okay," he assured Liv with a small smile. "I just wasn't expecting it."

He turned his gaze toward Lucy and gave her a knowing glare, realizing she'd been giving her sister sex tips. "As for you..." He waggled a finger at her, threateningly. "I'd spank you but you'd enjoy it too much."

Blatantly unrepentent, Lucy just flashed a grin back at him. "You can't tell me you weren't enjoying it," she countered cheerfully. "Sit down and eat your dinner, Liv. And keep your feet to yourself this time."

Blushing as much with embarrassment as with the humiliating knowledge that she'd been told off, Liv slithered back into her chair in silence, her gaze fixed firmly on her plate.

He watched as Liv slunk away, feeling horrible for making her feel bad, taking the blame on himself for the incident, and right there and then, he decided there was only one way he could cheer her up. He got up from his chair, tossing his napkin on the table. "Wait here. I'll be right back." He headed, not to the kitchen, but the bedroom.

Liv's head snapped up as Johnny left the table, her eyes following him out of sight before turning to her sister. "What did I do now?"

Lucy studied her for a long moment, one brow rising in affectionate exasperation. "You really need to learn how not to take things so much to heart, midget," she told her younger sister gently, stroking a hand through her hair. Her lips curved in a faint grin. "Might be worth it, though ... maybe he's going to do a strip tease for you."

No, not a strip tease. Not now. Maybe later, when Lucy wasn't there to watch. No, he had something else in mind and when he finally emerged from the bedroom, he held a small carefully green gift-wrapped box tied up with a white satin now. "I wasn't going to give you this until Tuesday, but..."

He glanced at the package in his hand and then at both sisters, an almost questioning glance to Lucy before turning his attention to Liv. He knelt down in front of her and held out the box. If Lucy looked at his face, she'd notice that same look of adoration for Liv that she'd seen earlier on her own sister's face for Johnny. "This is for you. I love you. Happy birthday."

If Lucy had any doubts about Johnny's feelings for her sister, that look on his face, as well as this simple gesture, should help to reassure her that he was sincere in his feelings for her and had no intentions of hurting her.

Catching the glance in her direction, Lucy found herself smiling in approval, surprised that Johnny felt the need to query his impulsive actions against her approval or disapproval. The adoration for Liv was, admittedly, a bit of a sting against Lucy's pride, but she was far better at hiding her own hurts than her sister was.

Liv stared at Johnny for a long moment, her mouth fallen open as she twisted in her seat to face him where he knelt. "Johnny ... you didn't have to get me anything. You weren't even supposed to know it was my birthday," she added, flashing a rather fierce glare at her sister as her fingers closed about the little box, delicately undoing the satin ribbon as a reluctant smile touched her face.

He wasn't really aware of Lucy's hurt pride, but even if he was, he'd have found it difficult to hide what he was feeling for Liv. In his own way, he loved them both, but Liv had touched his heart in a way no one else had before, and he hoped Lucy understood. He watched in silent but anxious anticipation as Liv unwrapped the box, tense with nervousness. Inside the box, she'd find a small green glass frog, as close a match as possible to the one she'd lost in the fire.

The room seemed to fill with nervous tension as Liv unwrapped the little box, both Johnny and Lucy focused entirely on her as she lifted the lid free. "Oh ..." Suddenly trembling fingers lifted the little glass frog clear from its nest, raising it before soft brown eyes abruptly painfully vulnerable as unwanted tears dripped free. "How did you know?" she asked in a tiny voice, her gaze meeting Johnny's with deeply felt wonder. A very soft sob escaped in a  hiccup of sound, her lips parting in a shining smile as her arms opened, her body lunging forward to hug Johnny tightly, pressing her murmuring thanks against his neck as she clung to him.

He wasn't sure what the trinket meant or how important it was to her, but he went with Lucy's suggestion, trusting her judgment as she knew her sister best. His gaze would have darted to Lucy, but his back was to her and Olivia was holding onto him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her to hold her close, both touched and relieved by her response to his gift. It hadn't cost much, but it seemed to mean a lot to her, and that was all that mattered.

He held her close, feeling Lucy's eyes on them, a little self-consciously. "I didn't," he told her quietly, too honest to take total credit for the gift. "Lucy suggested it."

Lifting her eyes to her sister, Liv didn't need to say thank you - Lucy already knew, could already tell from the look on her little sister's face how appreciated the little gift was. But it was Johnny who had got the little frog, and Johnny who was going to get the full force of Liv's thanks. It took a long while for her take her arms from around him, sitting back with a beatific smile as her fingers gently wiped the remnant of her tearful reaction from his skin. "It doesn't matter what she suggested," she murmured softly. "You gave it to me. It means a lot."

[Olivia Storm]

He looked up into her face, so like Lucy's and yet all her own, and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "I almost lost you once, Liv. I'm never gonna lose you again." He was referring to the fire and the fear he'd felt when he'd realized she was still in the building. It wasn't the flames he had feared, but the fact that her life was in danger and that he might lose her before he had a chance to tell her how he felt about her.

A little lost in the moment, he cleared his throat, remembering Lucy was there witnessing this tender moment and not wanting to embarrass himself or make her feel uncomfortable. He turned to Lucy, a smile on his face. "I didn't forget about you either, Lucille."

Lucy had actually managed to detach herself from the situation, her attention firmly on the wine glass in her hand as the lovers shared their moment not more than two feet away from her. However, hearing that hated name spoken aloud brought her gaze straight back to Johnny, her eyes promising retribution. "Swear to God, Johnathan, call me that again and I will dunk you in lake," she answered with a warm smile of her own.

Behind Johnny, Liv wiped her face dry, cradling the little frog tenderly in her palm for a moment longer before setting it down on the table. She would have to explain just why it meant so much to her soon ... but not now. She didn't want Lucy to hear that explanation.

Johnny laughed, moving to his feet, the choking incident thankfully forgotten, which had been his goal. "Be prepared to do CPR because I can't swim," he smirked back at Lucy. He waggled a finger at them both again and backed toward the kitchen. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." And into the kitchen he darted to fetch another surprise or two.

Out of the room, he missed the warm embrace shared by the sisters; the loving stroke of Lucy's hand over Liv's hair as the younger squeezed the elder gratefully. They were very close, even if it didn't show very often, sharing a grin as they leant back to wait for Johnny to reappear.

He'd agonized over a gift for Lucy, not having much money to spend. He'd never been very good at gift-giving, or so he thought, and he didn't want to ask Liv for help, so he'd gone with his gut, choosing something personal and yet not too personal. Out he came with a gift bag slung over one arm, carrying a birthday cake complete with candles. And yes, he broke into song. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, Luce and Liv, happy birthday to you!"

To their credit, the girls joined in with him, singing as much to one another as for Johnny's benefit with something that might almost have been the harmony erupting from Lucy's throat before she dissolved into cackling laughter once again. Liv broke into delighted applause for the safe arrival of the cake, tears forgotten easily as the evening moved on to Lucy's turn to be the centre of attention.

"Let me guess ... death by chocolate cake," Liv giggled quietly, smacking Lucy's hand as her sister reached out to try and gouge a finger's worth out of the icing.

"Is there another flavor worthy of birthdays?" he asked, grinning widely as he set the cake on the table. His concentration broken, one of the candles went out. "Crap. Anyone got a match?" He waited a second for a reaction and then chuckled. "Just kidding!" He reached out and relit the candle with a flick of a fingertip. The candles, if they bothered to count them, numbered exactly 25.

He laughed as Liv smacked Lucy's hand and set the gift bag on the table. "You wanna blow them out before I have to relight them again?" he asked, his question directed to either or both.

He'd successfully brought both twins to a minor giggling fit playing with the candle flames, and that last question was a challenge waiting to happen. Liv and Lucy locked gazes for a moment, very similar smiles breaking forth a split second before they both took huge breaths in and blew hard over the candles. And judging from the flicker of Lucy's gaze to Johnny, she didn't trust him not to reignite the flames as soon as both girls ran out of breath.

Under other circumstances, Johnny might be tempted to do just that, but not today. This celebration was too important to all of them to cheapen it with a practical joke. Instead, he handed over a knife, reaching to set it in both of their hands and guide the knife to the cake to cut the first slice, not favoring one or the other. "Make a wish," he told them both, smiling warmly.

"Already have," Liv answered, not even bothering to fight Lucy for rights to the knife. Lucy had always been more exciteable about celebrating their birthday than she had, as evidenced by the enthusiasm with which the poor unfortunate cake was sliced into and served out. As Lucy licked her fingers, Liv rose to her feet with a tender smile, rising onto her toes to kiss Johnny lovingly. "Oh look, it came true."

Johnny smiled while he watched the twins, his expression softening when Liv rose to her feet to kiss him. Was it any wonder why he'd fallen for her? He brushed his too-warm fingers against her cheek lovingly and returning her kiss, feeling just a little self-conscious of Lucy's presence. He didn't want her to feel like the third wheel, where he was concerned, but he couldn't hide what he was feeling for her sister. "I hope I never disappoint you," he told her quietly.

"Just try not to choke every time she spreads her sexual wings in your direction, I don't think disappointing her is going to be a problem," Lucy answered before Liv could. It was very difficult to make the bolder Broderick feel left out or like a third wheel - she had a lot of experience at being in the couple in a trio, and was genuinely enjoying not being a part of the couple for once.

As Liv laughed, tucking herself under Johnny's arm with her own wrapped around his back, Lucy trained her eyes on the Human Torch. "Is that for me?" she asked, pointing at the gift bag before wriggling her fingers with a comically greedy grin. "Gimme."

One arm wrapped around Liv, he plucked up the gift bag, holding it just out of reach, enjoying teasing Lucy as much as she'd allow. "Say please." Though he was smiling, he was privately nervous as all hell that he'd made a mistake and that she wouldn't like what he'd bought her.

Pouting playfully, Lucy rose to her own feet, her heels putting her on a level with Johnny for once as she laid her hands on her hips. It was like talking to a full grown woman with the face of a two-year-old, made worse when she opened her mouth to speak with an outrageous lisp. "Oh, pwease, Mithster Sthtorm, pwease can I have my berfday pwesent now?"

[Olivia Storm]

He broke into laughter, a swell of happiness filling his heart, and he threw an arm around the other twin pulling them both in close for a mutual hug. "I love you both. You know that." This was what it was supposed to feel like to be with family, and as far as he was concerned, they were his family now, for as long as he remained on Rhy'Din. He kissed one on the brow, then the other. It didn't even matter which one he kissed first. He did love them both, one almost like a sister and the other with something indefinable.

Two pairs of arms wrapped around him as well, squeezing with equal strength, but unfortunately Lucy just wasn't in the mood to be sweet and coddled. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough with the lovey dovey," she grinned, wriggling her fingertip into the indent of his navel as Liv giggled again, laying her cheek against Johnny's shoulder. "Present. Gimme."

He was tempted to swing the gift away from her grasp and make her chase him down for it, but he was afraid if he did, things would get out of hand and his gift would be broken. "Oh, fine," he relented. "I guess I've made you wait long enough. Greedy." One arm around Liv, the other holding out the bag, he was unable to stop her from poking at his navel and he laughed again, jerking away, betraying his own ticklishness.

Identical twins, while not telepathic by any means, certainly had a link that was almost impossible to decipher. Liv's gaze met Lucy's as Johnny jerked away from the tickle, and something passed between the girls.

"Get him!" Lucy declared cheerfully, more for Johnny's benefit than anything, making a grab for the bag as Liv twisted to wriggle her fingers against his ribs and into his navel, snickering cheekily.

Startled by the sneak attack, he shrieked, breaking into laughter again, this time because he was being tickled, backing away as he tried to catch Liv's hands to stop her from torturing him. "I'll get you for this, Lucy!" Oh, yes, it was Lucy he'd make pay for this, not Liv. "Payback's..." he found himself falling ass over teakettle onto the couch, laughing uncontrollably.  "...a b*tch!"

"What? I'm not the one tickling you!" Lucy's expression was a picture perfect representation of innocence as she lowered herself back into her seat at the table, fingers gently picking her present open. She glanced up in time to see Johnny fall down onto the couch, and because he had hold of Liv, her sister topple down on top of him with a loud squawk of laughter. "D'aww, you're such a cute couple!"

Inside the bag was a box, which was gift-wrapped in light blue paper with a white ribbon that matched Liv's. And inside the gift-wrapped box, Lucy would find a coffee mug wrapped in blue tissue paper, with a message he thought might mean something special to her.

As the couple wrestled on the couch, Lucy drew her present free from the tissue paper that nested it, able to read the message emblazoned upon it without interruptions. Her cheeky smile softened as she read the words, recognising more in them than Johnny might have first realised. Raising the mug to rest it against her cheek, she smiled over at the pair on the couch, warm and waiting for a spare moment to say thank you.

Johnny was stilll laughing on the couch, arms circling around Liv now that she had fallen on top of him so she wouldn't fall, his feet hanging over the back of the couch. Once he was sure she wasn't going anywhere, he let go of her, reaching for her hands to pin them behind her back if he could. With any luck, they wouldn't end up on the floor, but that was highly unlikely.

Almost upside down, Liv was giggling wildly as Johnny reached to pin her arms, feet flailing just as wildly as she wriggled in his grasp. "No ... no! No tickling me!" she objected in a laughing squeal, one hand caught behind her back while the other wriggled up beneath his shirt to continue her torture.

He wasn't going to give up that easily, even if she was driving him crazy, finding his ticklish spots and taking complete advantage. Well, two could play at that game. He only had one arm free to tickle her with, going for her left side, even as he was trying to wiggle away from her and suddenly they were both on the floor with a loud thud, her on top of him. The neighbors in the apartment below them seemed to have had about enough and banged on the wall to warn them to quiet down. He tried to muffle his own laughter, but failed.

"All right, all right, keep your hair on," Lucy shouted at the floor, stamping back as the neighbors banged for quiet. "Let them enjoy themselves, you sad old farts!" Pressing her face into Johnny's chest, Liv just about managed to muffle her own howls of laughter, finally rolling off him to lie at his side in a breathless heap as she struggled not to let her giggles take charge all over again. Lucy leaned over the back of the couch, grinning down at the pair of them. "You know, you two look about a inch from screwing," she commented mildly through her grin. "Maybe I should leave you to it."

"Not until you eat your cake!" Johnny grinned up at Lucy from his back, having to crane his neck to see her. He was smiling happily from ear to ear, and not really ready for the evening to end, those he knew it couldn't last forever. He moved closer to Liv and laid his head in her lap. "Grab the plates. We'll have a picnic on the floor," he suggested, ignoring the insistent pleas of the downstairs neighbors, who were probably getting a little annoyed with their noisy neighbors.

"Just a sec." As Liv pushed herself to sit up, leaning back on her hands as she grinned down at Johnny in her lap, Lucy moved to the nearest window, pushing it open and leaning out. "Oy! You down there!"

There was a pause, and the clear sound of the downstairs window opening. A male voice shouted back. "What?"

Lucy offered him a bright smile. "Sorry about the noise - birthdays, you know?"

Liv curled her own hand over her mouth, muffling her snickering laughter as the man called back. "Little bit of warning next time, all right?"

Lucy flashed a grin back at the pair on the floor, leaning out the window once more with a wink and a nod. "Promise. Have a good night!"

Johnny smirked again and tossed Lucy a thumbs up, then stretched out an arm to thump the floor a few times just for good measure, snickering mischievously. "Maybe you should go downstairs and pretend to be Liv. Offer them both a slice of cake," he suggested, looking quite comfortable stretched out there on the floor, his head in Liv's lap.

[Olivia Storm]

"Let them eat cake!" he declared, feeling in a totally silly mood. And along with that declaration, he swung a fist in the air as if to emphasize his words. He had taken the fourth floor apartment for a reason - it afforded him easy access to the roof.

"See, I knew you'd take the first chance to get rid of me," Lucy laughed, moving back to the table to load one arm with the plates and step toward the pair on the floor, lowering herself down onto the couch. "Besides, if I go down there, I might end up sleeping with the neighbours, and then what will poor little Liv do?"

The younger twin's jaw dropped, genuinely gobsmacked by this suggestion as she took a plate from her sister. "You wouldn't!" she gasped, shocked at the thought. "I'd never be able to look them in the eye again!"

Lucy cackled, flashing her sister a wink. "Oh, it gets better," she promised, laying Johnny's plate on his stomach. "Everlast here would have to put up with the whole building knowing his girlfriend is kinkier than he is."

Johnny narrowed his eyes up at Lucy, reaching to steady the plate of cake on his stomach. "I'm not kinky!" he exclaimed. Okay, maybe just a little, but the entire building didn't have to know that, let alone Liv. "Fine, don't give them cake, then. I was just trying to be neighborly!" Yeah, sure he was. He actually felt a little bad for the couple who had the bad luck to have an apartment below theirs and had to listen to all his comings and goings at all hours of the night, but that was another story.

Catching the twinkle in her sister's eyes, Liv stroked her fingers through Johnny's hair. "She'll behave," she assured her lover. "We can apologise properly tomorrow. When she's not here."

Lucy stuck her tongue out at Liv, chuckling as she took a huge bite of her cake. "Oh ... mmm ... I take it back," the elder Broderick moaned happily. "This cake is kinkier than you, Johnny."

"Chocolate is an aphrodisiac, Luce," he warned teasingly, looking up at Liv and opening his mouth for a taste of cake, feeling happy and at peace, enjoying their company, and the feel of Liv's fingers in his hair, soothing.

He knew his girlfriend rather too well, really. Liv had already broken a piece of the rich chocolate cake off her slice to pop between his lips as soon as his mouth opened in silent request, giggling softly at the look on his face. "So are oysters, sweetheart, but I don't think we want to watch her eating them," she pointed out, her giggles growing slightly more evil as Lucy made a gruesome face at her.

"Are we really going to start sharing embarrassing stories, Livvie?"

He wrapped his lips around the fork, moaning in agreed appreciation of the sweet chocolate confection. "Oh, that is good," he declared with a mouthful of cake, darting a curious glance at Lucy, catching a hint of a shared secret between them that he knew nothing about. "What embarrassing stories?" he asked, opening his mouth for another forkful of cake.

"Liv, don't you -"

Ignoring her sister's warning, Liv cut across Lucy's objection as she fed more cake into Johnny's open mouth, licking icing from her own lips as she spoke. "Well, when she was seventeen, she read somewhere that eating oysters makes you horny," the younger informed Johnny with a wide grin. "Turns out they just make Lucy vomit. All over her date."

Oh, this was too good - both the cake and the embarrassing secrets. Fed more cake, he licked some icing from his lips, coughing once as he swallowed while chuckling at Liv's story. Oh, no, choking once a night was enough. He wasn't going for a repeat performance. He swallowed the cake down and smirked over at Lucy, feeling a little pity for her. Very little. "So, do they? Make you horny, I mean." Not that he needed any help in that department.

"Not as horny as having a shower with the guy to clean him off afterwards," Lucy smirked, flashing her sister a warning look. "Besides, do you really want to be listening to a woman who, at the same age, considered an evening spent bouncing around her bedroom singing along to The Labyrinth soundtrack was better than having an actual boyfriend?"

As Liv went bright red, Lucy cackled cheerfully, watching as another mouthful of cake went into Johnny's mouth. "Oh, no, this is a better one - she wouldn't actually strip off at all without being wrapped in a towel first as soon as she realised she had boobs."

Johnny laughed again, his laughter quickly muffled by the cake Liv was feeding him. He had to wait until he had swallowed that forkful of cake before he could comment further, gaze turning to Liv with smile. "She does have nice boobs, but then..." He smirked, turning back to Lucy. "So do you." And with that said, he grabbed hold of the plate of cake that had been resting on his stomach and rolled to his feet. "If we're sharing embarrassing stories, I should probably tell you one of mine."

"Hey, no mentioning my boobs!" Lucy laughed, pleased when Liv didn't bristle or go quiet at Johnny's teasing but joined in with the giggling. "As far as you're concerned from now on, Mister Storm, I stop from the neck down, got it?"

As Johnny got up, Liv lay down, her own slice of cake forgotten and only half-finished as she tucked her hands under her head. "Unless you ask her for help buying me clothes, and even then, no touching," the quieter added in a playful tone.

"Right, only eye contact. Got it," he grinned back at Lucy as he made his way to the table to refill their wine glasses. He set the plate of half finished cake on the table and reached for the bottle of wine. "Most embarrassing moment. Geez, so many to choose from. I'd have to say it's the time I asked this girl out for a date, only to find out later, she was a he."

[Olivia Storm]

"No!" The reaction from both twins was so similar as to be almost completely indistinguishable, from the wide eyes, the incredulous smiles, and the amazed expressions.

But it was Liv who cracked first, bursting into beaming giggles at the mental image of Johnny wrapped up in a man's arms. "What gave him away ... was it the beard?" she asked sweetly, and this time it was Lucy whose jaw dropped in laughing incredulity.

The elder twin twisted to level an accusing look at Johnny. "What have you done to her?"

He smirked over at Liv, what he could see of her from behind the couch anyway, setting the bottle down and lifting his glass for a long swallow of wine. Embarrassing stories required alcohol, though in order for him to actually feel anything, he had to drink quite a bit of the stuff. He laughed upon hearing Lucy, lifting a hand in supplication. "I haven't done anything, I swear! All I did is steal her cherry!"

"Oh, please, you hardly stole it," Liv countered, sitting up to grin over the back of the couch at him. One glass of wine was apparently enough to strip away quite a few of her inhibitions. "I gave it to you, wrapped up in a pink ribbon with a Get Out of Jail Free card."

A loud snorting noise betrayed that this was a little too far for Lucy, who had fallen onto her back on the couch to press a cushion over her face as she laughed deeply at her sister's newfound confidence.

"I don't recall any ribbon and we were definitely not playing Monopoly,"  he countered, taking another swig of wine. Granted, it was cheap wine, nothing fancy, but it all tasted the same to him. "In fact, I seem to recall it going something like this..." He set the glass down and pressed his hands to his chest, raising his voice a few octaves in an attempt to mimic Liv. "Oh, Johnny... please... Take me, Johnny, take me!" He was obviously exaggerating for Lucy's benefit and having a good time teasing Liv.

As Lucy's laughter turned into howls of delight at Johnny's play-acting, Liv grabbed another cushion off the couch to throw it at him, laughing amid her own embarrassment despite the familiar blush stroking over her cheeks once again. "I'm not the one who had to go flying around the city with a hard on because he couldn't think of anything to say the day before!"

"What?!" He ducked, the cushion just barely missing his head, as he made a grab for the wine glass and there it went, spilling all over the table. "Crap," he muttered, grabbing a napkin to blot up the mess. "Why is it my fault I had a hard on? I was trying to be a gentleman!"

The sudden quiet was enough to bring the cushion down from over Lucy's face. Her eyes went straight to Liv, recognising that uncertain expression only too well. Her little sister thought she'd gone too far. "Oh, so you can dish it out, but you can't take it, huh?" Lucy asked Johnny, her voice deliberately light as she sat up to poke at his back. Not quite quick enough, but at least when Liv made her escape it was to the kitchen and not to the bedroom. The kitchen meant she would be coming back to clean up the mess.

There was a knock on the wall from the downstairs neighbors again, and Johnny stomped a foot on the floor. He narrowed his eyes, not quite understanding what he'd done wrong, but feeling bad about it anyway. Why did everything always have to end this way? Why couldn't he just keep his big mouth shut?

"Sorry," he told Lucy quietly, setting the glass down and lowering his eyes shamefully. "I'm an a*s. I'll go apologize," he said, turning for the kitchen. He hadn't meant anything by his remark. He'd just let things get out of hand. He wanted to kick himself in the ass now for ruining everything.

"Don't be sorry." Lucy rose to her feet, reaching to catch at his arm as she spoke quietly. "Johnny ... word of advice." She waited until she had his attention on her once again before continuing. "She really doesn't know anything about being in a relationship. She loves you, and that's got her scared. Every time she does something that seems to get a negative response from you - even if it's just knocking over a wine glass - she's going to take it too much to heart. So don't apologise; just make sure she knows that little upsets aren't going to send you running for the door."

He looked up, expecting a lecture from Lucy or at least admonishment, but instead he was receiving insight into Olivia's nature. She was the sweetest, gentlest, kindest woman he'd ever met and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. "It wasn't her fault. I'm not mad about that," he told her, trying to figure it out. "I'm not going anywhere, Lucy. I..." He paused, unsure if he should admit his feelings to the other twin, but she probably already knew. "I love her."

Lucy's smile deepened. "I know that, and you know that. She doesn't quite believe it yet," she told him quietly, patting his arm. A buzz went up from her bag, and she rolled her eyes, swearing to herself. "Bollocks ... Sorry, I should have mentioned I'm on call tonight." Rummaging to find her pager, she pulled it out of her bag, switching it off. "Do you mind if I use your phone quickly?"

Her smile was met with a penitent frown, glancing toward the buzzing going off in her bag and then nodding his head at her question. "Yeah, sure... you don't have to ask, Luce. I'm just gonna..." He turned sideways and gestured toward the kitchen. "...check on Olivia." He turned for the kitchen and peeked his head in. "Is it safe to come in without being killed?"

God, he hoped he hadn't made her cry. He didn't know what he was going to do if she was crying. He felt horrible enough as it was.

Liv was stood by the counter, her back to the door. Thankfully for Johnny's peace of mind, she wasn't crying, but it was a near thing. She just didn't know what she'd done to upset him, and she hadn't wanted to sit there feeling stupid and small while Lucy tried to cover for her sudden turn in mood. Hearing Johnny behind her, she swallowed hard, forcing the tightness in her throat away before she answered. "Of course, why wouldn't it be?"

[Olivia Storm]

The thing was that she hadn't upset him, not in the least, but what had started as teasing as gotten out of hand, and he felt horrible for having embarrassed her in the first place. He wasn't stupid enough to not recognize the fact that she was close to tears, which was almost as bad as crying, and he went to her, looking as full of remorse as he felt, reaching to take her hands in his. "I'm sorry, Liv. I'm an idiot. I just got carried away. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
   
Her hands slid into his for a brief moment as she turned, pushing her way into his arms with a shake of her head. "No, I'm sorry," she murmured softly. "I spoiled things, and everything was really good, and I ..." Drawing in a slow breath, she tipped her head back to look up at him. "It was a lovely surprise, as well," she said quietly, her lips curving in a guilty smile. "I'm just not very good at this."

He furrowed his brows down at her, arms wrapping around her as she found her way there, heart heavy with guilt and remorse. "Not very good at what?" he asked, confused, wanting to understand. Relationships? It was him who wasn't very good at that, who'd never managed to maintain a lasting relationship with anyone for long without screwing things up.

"Being a girlfriend." One thing you could always count on Liv for was total honesty, no matter how silly she felt actually saying something. One shoulder rose and fell lightly, the guilt easing out of her smile as his embrace reassured her that she hadn't done any irreparable damage. "I should clean up, that wine will stain the carpet."

He wasn't budging, making no move to let her out of his arms, stained carpet or not. He only sighed and pulled her closer. The party was obviously over, and that was fine, but he didn't want it to end on a sour note. "I'm not very good at this either," he admitted quietly, resting his forehead against hers. "I've screwed up every relationship I've ever been in." Case in point - Lucy.

Unaware that Lucy was lingering in the doorway, waiting patiently for the right moment to interject and take her leave, Liv tightened her arms about Johnny's waist, gazing into his eyes tenderly as he spoke. "I'm too sensitive," she said finally, her voice very soft as she admitted to this. "I always think everything is my fault. And I don't get angry, I get upset. Which isn't fair on you. I really don't burst into tears over every little thing, I promise."

And since she was baring her soul, it was only fair that he bared his in return. "I've got a big mouth. I get carried away and say and do stupid things I don't mean without thinking. And I've got a temper, but I'd never intentionally hurt you, Liv. I promise." Blue eyes pleaded with her to believe him, unaware that Lucy was in the doorway eavesdropping.

"Oh, no, I know that!" Untangling one hand from his back, Liv curled her palm to his hot cheek, rising on her toes to brush a gentle kiss to his lips. "I just know I'm not making it easy for you, and I really don't want you to feel like you have to be a certain way or I'm going to cry all over you. I promise, Johnny, I will get better at this. And I really am very sorry I spoiled the evening."

He smiled down at her, at the tender touch to his cheek and the kiss to his lips. "You didn't spoil anything, Liv. Promise. And I love you just the way you are, so stop worrying." He brushed a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose, his fingers linked at the small of her back.

Reassured as only Johnny could, Liv relaxed in his arms, the tension in her smile melting away until she was once again warm and careless of consequences, nuzzling close to him. "I love you back," she whispered against his lips, but whatever tender moment there might have been was rather abruptly derailed by Lucy flinging her arms around them both and planting loud kisses on first Johnny's cheek and then her sisters.

"Well, I love your front and your back," she grinned to him. "But not as much as hers."

Johnny smiled, Liv's declaration of love reassuring him and chasing all the guilt and worries away. He pressed his lips to hers, warm and gentle, and then abruptly felt another pair of arms wrapping around them both. He smirked, remembering he'd left Lucy in the other room to make a phone call, chuckling with amusement when she teased them both. "I love you both." He smooched both their cheeks, first Lucy, then Liv. "And I'm lucky to have you."

"Well, as much as I love you, I'm going to have to do the love you and leave you think," Lucy smiled, ruffling Johnny's hair. Somehow, she managed to insinuate herself between them to wrap Liv up in a warm hug, murmuring another thank you for her birthday present before releasing her little sister.

As Liv stepped away, warm and smiling at her sister's antics, Lucy flung her arms around Johnny to murmur her goodbye to him. "Thank you for my mug," she grinned against his ear, kissing his cheek as she stepped back, one hand rising to tweak his nose. "And I expect to have at least one more slice of that cake saved for me, so watch it, everlast."

"Wait..." He overheard the murmuring of thanks to her sister. "I know what you got Liv, but what did Liv get you?" he asked, gesturing from one to the other with a hand, since Lucy had broken up their snuggle. Johnny blinked as Lucy was suddenly and unexpectedly hugging him. He smiled, brushing her hand away at the tweaking. "I'll try not to gorge myself," he teased back, smirking.

"Oh, I'm just going to see my favourite band in the history of forever," Lucy told him, offering nothing more in explanation as she winked, tweaking Liv's nose again before she turned away, her belongings already wrapped over her arm. "Okay, lovelies, I've got to dash. If you really love me, you'll hope that I'm not about to get bled on by an old woman who can't look after her varicose veins."

Liv snorted with laughter, moving to follow her sister into the hallway and to the front door. "You have such a way with words, Luce."

Johnny chuckled at Lucy's parting remarks. "Just read the mug, Luce." He at least tried to be encouraging, not wanting to think too hard about the visual she had painted with her words. It was too gross. He let the two of them have a private moment while he went about cleaning up the mess, starting with the spilled wine.

[Olivia Storm]

Whatever passed at the door certainly seemed to have finished off the process of cheering Liv up. Her return was heralded by the jangle of keys in the lock, and a quiet that could be counted in footsteps, before she came up behind him, arms wrapping about his waist as her lips touched behind his ear. "You're far too good to me, you know."

He smiled when he felt her come up behind him, turning to face her and sliding his arms around her waist again. "I think you've got that the other way around, Miss Broderick. You're the one that's too good to me."

She giggled softly, reaching up to loop her hands behind his neck, drawing him down to her as her lips covered his. "Thank you for my frog," she whispered softly, combing her fingers through his hair. "It's incredible; I can't believe Lucy even noticed, much less that you'd have found one so similar."

He shrugged his shoulders as she kissed him and thanked him, leaning a little bit into her embrace. "It was all Lucy, really. She told me how much it meant to you." All he'd done was chase all over half of Rhy'Din to track one down that looked similar. "I'm glad you like it," he smiled, resting his forehead against hers once again.

The time had come for that explanation, something she couldn't put off any longer. Swaying in his arms, Liv nestled close, blessing her sister all over again when she realised just how close she could get to Johnny without worrying about poking him in the eye with the frame of her glasses now.

"You remember I told you my father died a few years ago?" she asked with a soft smile. "Well, obviously, he was my foster father. The only one I really connected with. When I was sixteen, I got very depressed; I kept comparing myself to Lucy, and I never came out of that looking good. I thought I was repugnant, since the only boys who wanted to spend time with me were paying me to do their homework for them. Anyway, James - my foster father - he caught me sobbing into my pillow a few times, and eventually he bought me a glass frog. He told me I'd have to put up with a whole world of frogs before I found my prince, but that it would be worth it."

Her smile softened, touching a tender kiss to his lips before she continued. "No one had ever really taken the time with me before, it had always been about Lucy because she made the biggest fuss. James was right; he was always right, and he always made time for me. But the frog was all I had to remember him by." Her arms tightened around Johnny once more as she hugged him. "Thank you for giving him back to me."

Johnny had assumed the frog had something to do with the saying that you had to kiss a lot of frogs before you found your prince, but he hadn't realized just how precious that little figurine was to Liv or the full meaning behind it. Now that he knew, he not only understood her a little better, but found his heart once more going out to her, filled with compassion, touched by her story, realizing the little figurine was not just a trinket, but a keepsake, a symbol of her affection for the man who'd come closest to being a father. It was a way of remembering him, as well as reminding herself that she had just as much to offer as Lucy.

He wasn't sure what to say to all that, pulling her in to hold her close. Was he her prince or would he end up being just another frog? His thoughts turned to family again, thinking about his own father for a moment. Even though their stories were different, in a way, they were both orphans, both knowing what it was to have only one sibling for family.

Drawn in close to him, Liv curled her arms about his neck once again, closing her eyes simply to revel in the naturally unnatural heat of the man she loved as he held her so tenderly. She breathed him in, slow and confident, letting her breath ghost over his neck for a moment.

"I'm sorry about your father." He didn't even bother to call him foster father. Some relationships, he knew, ran deeper than just a connection of blood and shared genes. "He sounds like a good man."

A good man, Johnny thought sadly. He'd been ashamed of his own father for so long, it was hard to think about. He let out a sigh, feeling her breath against his neck, suddenly feeling a little melancholy, just wanting to hold her close and forget about life for a while. "What do you say we wait until later to clean up?"

There was a pause before she answered, her smile obvious against his skin as loving mischief colored her voice. "Only if I get to practise some of those things Lucy was trying to teach me about earlier," she murmured, tipping her head back to meet his gaze with cheeky invitation. "Without causing you major bodily harm."

He laughed softly, picking his head up to look at her, a soft smile on his face, eyes warm with affection. "So long as you don't try to use your feet again," he teased. While he'd appreciated her attempt to tease him, he was hoping for something other than her toes teasing him.

Giggling, Liv drew him down to her again, smothering her own laughter in tasting him. This kiss was just as loving, just as warm, but with real purpose behind it, the slow eager burn of desire that he'd been teaching her to relish as much as control over the past couple of weeks. "I don't need to be discreet anymore, do I?" she murmured teasingly, her voice gently breathless as she grinned against his lips.

"There's no one here but you, me, and the neighbors," he grinned back, their noses touching, a soft press of lips against hers, igniting a flame that was full of both love and desire. Her kissed her slowly, leisurely, thoroughly, like they had all the time in the world, savoring those lips against his, a soft sigh matching hers when he finally broke away. "Let's go to bed," he told her quietly. Even if all they did was lay there together, it would be enough for him.

[size=9]((Days late, but hey, who cares? ::grins:: Thanks to Johnny's player, as always, for being awesome!))[/size]