NICKY WOKE TO THE SOUND OF SOMETHING HITTING THE GROUND. He groaned as he was shocked out of his dream—what it was, he couldn't remember—catching wind of the muffled sounds coming from Rhett's room. He sighed, shaking his head as he crawled out of bed, unable to go back to sleep.

Opening his door, he found that the noise was even louder. He felt his face grow warm as he neared the man's door, raising his hand, ready to knock and ask them to keep it down. Of course, just as he was about to, a feeling of guilt washed over him, causing him to drop his hand.

Rhett was finally happy now. For the longest time, the man had been just making his way through a world that hadn't remembered him in a life that wasn't what he had ever planned for himself. Steve was good for him. Steve was amazing for him, and he didn't want to take any part of that away.

So, despite the noise, Nicky headed back into his room. He had work to do anyways, and the hum of his computer fans would be more than enough to distract him from whatever it was Steve and Rhett got up to in the other man's room.

He sighed as he sat down at his desk, pulling out another roll of his graph paper. While it has been brought to his attention that he could get much more done with a drawing tablet and his computer screens than laboring over physical paper, he was much too sentimental and paranoid to change his ways and run the risk of getting hacked.

After the close call with Adrian Toomes, he didn't want anyone to ever catch wind of his side business ever again.

Speaking of business partners, before he was able to get started brainstorming—that was done in notebooks, but it was nice to have the paper out in front of him, it gave him motivation—he received a call from one of his burner cells.

"Hello," he greeted, immediately smiling despite no one being able to see him on the other end; people could always hear smiles.

"Green? It's Richards. You wanna drop by, we could use your help."

He grinned at the sound of the ever tired, but driven Reed Richards, a man whom he had befriended by accident. Their accounts on how they met were very different from each other's, so they've given up trying to get it right, but one thing they knew for certain was that Reed could not handle his alcohol and Nicky was most likely a thief in another life.

After affirming that he would be right there, he hung up, jumping to his feet and changing into more socially acceptable clothes. Meaning he threw on a maroon button up and a leather jacket Steve had given him on the grounds that he promise not to tell Rhett that he did, only remembering pants when he was just about to exit the loft.

"Where you going?" Rhett asked, peering out of his room, hiding the rest of his room from Nicky's gaze, not that he was even looking in the man's general direction.

"Manhattan. Baxter Building. How's Steve?" Nicky asked, jumping into the jeans which were, unfortunately, one of his tighter ones.

Rhett pulled back for a moment before reappearing. "I think I wore him out. Or he's just faking and I'm totally in for it once I close this door."

"Don't close it 'til I leave," Nicky commanded, "My virgin ears don't need that."

"I still don't get how you're a virgin—" Rhett began, and Nicky practically ran away, bolting out of the loft, stopping just to check that he had all his things and respond to Rhett's hurried 'stay safe!'

He loved Rhett, he really did, but sometimes the man wasn't as aware as he thought he was, which was no fault of his own; Nicky would talk to him about it someday, but not that day.

º º º

"Yo, Reed, why's there a cute guy asking for you?"

Nicky couldn't take his eyes off Johnny Storm. In all the years he had been working with the Fantastic Four, he'd never had the pleasure of meeting the boy in person, always handing over the weapons he made for him to Reed, going through the middle man to avoid being too connected and run the risk of making himself a target. So being in the teenager's presence was something of a pleasant surprise.

"Let him in and, Johnny, please don't bother him," Reed sighed, speaking through the intercoms linking the various floors belonging to the team, "I'll be with you in a second, Nicky, make yourself at home."

"Wait, Nicky," Johnny began, whirling around to stare at him with wide eyes, "No way! You're the guy Harry's always talking about."

"I could say the same about you," Nicky said immediately, his smile only widening when the boy blushed a bright red, the tips of his hair igniting every so slightly.

"Does he really?" Johnny asked, sounding much more insecure than Nicky would ever expect from him, "I mean, he's kinda really cool and, I mean, I'm hot, but I don't know how cool he is with talking about me."

"I'm friends with his friends," Nicky began, moving towards the dining table, needing to sit, "And I'm also friends with him. And we've all come to the conclusion that you're one of his favorite topics and he actually has to stop himself from talking about you all the time and annoying his friends."

"You know his friends?" Johnny asked, tilting his head and smiling, "They're pretty cool. I mean, I haven't really talked to any of them a lot, but I don't really have a lot of friends that I haven't met because of the hero biz, so it's cool to have people like me without needing the flames."

Nicky smiled and listened quietly as the boy rambled, nodding along and making small comments whenever he could tell the boy wanted, just to let him know that he was still listening. That was what he did for a living, might as well do it for free as well.

"—and so I just don't get why everyone thinks I'm dumb because I like cars, I mean, I am dumb, but that's not because I like cars, you have to be really smart to figure out cars, have you seen how they work, it's intense."

Nicky nodded earnestly, feeling the need to speak. "No one should shame you for your interests and, yes, cars are very difficult to understand, especially if you're trying to fix them and take them apart. And, Johnny, from what I've gathered from the time you've been talking, you're a very smart boy."

The teenager ducked his head, peering up at Nicky through his lashes. "You think so?"

Nicky nodded, lifting his head from where it was propped up on his fist. "Well, yeah, you have a great grasp on the law and while you were complaining about now needing to be homeschooled, you were able to explain really complicated physics concepts. You're very bright, you just don't give yourself enough credit."

The boy smiled, his cheeks a light pink. "No wonder Harry likes you."

Nicky didn't have to ask him what he meant to understand. As much as the boy tried to hide it, Nicky knew that the heir to Oscorp had a bit of a crush on him, if the way he had heard him perk up at the very mention of his name was any indication. It was flattering, really, though he had to wonder how Johnny felt about his boyfriend's feelings.

The two fell into a silence, neither sure of what to say. Nicky's thoughts immediately wandered over to Reed, who still had yet to come out and meet him. He wondered if he forgot that he had invited Nicky over in the first place, though his visit wasn't completely for naught, as he had learned a good deal about Johnny; he truly enjoyed his job and just because he wasn't getting paid didn't mean he wouldn't listen.

"Are you seeing someone?" Johnny asked, tilting his head, and Nicky couldn't help but laugh uncomfortably, glancing around the room, searching for nothing in particular.

"Why do you ask?" he countered, wishing that he hadn't asked, because the conversation was reaching areas that, as an adult, he wasn't sure he wanted to be a part of.

Johnny seemed to realize it as well, immediately backtracking. "Dude, wait, don't think that I'm like asking 'cause—no, no, I mean, you're cute as hell, but you're way too old for me. Well...I mean, not now, but I'm asking 'cause I've just been on about Harry non-stop, I figured I'd ask you."

Nicky relaxed, slumping in his seat. "Oh thank God. Well, um, no, I am not seeing anyone. Like dating, that is. I'm very alone."

That shocked a laugh out of Johnny, the boy immediately covering his mouth, trying to seem apologetic. Nicky just grinned, shaking his head, and the boy pulled his hand down, grinning widely as well.

"I didn't think I'd find someone who could smile as wide as me," Johnny commented, tilting his head, "That's wild."

Nicky shrugged, leaning back. "This is still a fairly new development, when I was your age I never smiled."

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? But you look like you smile all the time."

The older man shrugged. "I do smile all the time, but it wasn't always like that. You weren't born liking cars."

Johnny tilting his head, humming. "I mean, my first toy was a car, but I get what you're saying, man."

Nicky shook his head, still smiling, and looked up when he caught movement down the hallway. "Reed," he greeted, standing up to greet the tired looking man, "How are you?"

"I'm alright, and yourself?" Reed asked, motioning for Nicky to walk with him, the younger man pausing to say goodbye to Johnny who asked him to come back and visit, already heading to his room, smiling to himself.

"I'm good," Nicky hummed, raising an eyebrow when they both entered the elevator, "Where are we headed to, did you need my help with something?"

Reed had the decency to look embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck and tugging at his shirt collar. "Yes, but not with any actual work...you've already done what I'd called you over for, you're really a natural."

It didn't take Nicky very long to understand. "Oh...is Johnny okay, did something happen? He didn't mention anything substantial to me."

"Sue's just been worried," Reed explained, sighing, "So have I. Johnny's been a lot happier with Harry around, but I think us taking him out of school hasn't had the effect we intended, he's not himself lately. He's not itching to go out and fight when we're called, he's very apathetic."

"But you know he'd be resistant if you set him up for formal appointments," Nicky finished, nodding, "I get it. I'd be happy to drop by once or twice a week, I can talk to him while we're 'working' in the lab, so he won't catch on."

"Thank you so much, Nicky," Reed breathed, nearly slumping over with relief, "It's just been nerve-wracking. After all, he was still in middle school when everything happened, we've always worried about him."

"They just keep getting younger and younger, huh?" Nicky commented, and Reed nodding, the two stepping out of the elevator. "Well, I'm happy I could help. From what I can tell, Johnny just needs something to keep his mind off things."

Reed shrugged. "We love Harry, but Sue will throw a fit if she finds him in Johnny's bed in the morning."

Nicky felt his ears warm. "That's not what I meant, Reed. They're children."

"I know," the man said, reaching over to pat his shoulder without needing to move, his arm stretching out, "I just thought I'd say since I see the boy walking over right now. I need to get back to work, but thank you again, Nicky."

With that, the man walked away, Nicky turning around just in time to catch sight of Harry walking in. He smiled at the boy, watching as his face lit up the moment his eyes landed on him.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, looking around the Baxter Building, and it was then that Nicky realized Harry didn't know his side job.

"Uh, well, I'm friends with Reed and I figured I'd drop by and formally meet your boyfriend," Nicky drawled, hoping that the boy wouldn't see through his lie.

Thankfully, if he did, he made no indication of it, instead groaning and tugging at his hair. "I was gonna introduce you guys! I mean, I know you kinda saw him once, but there was gonna be a formal introduction, we were gonna bring apology flowers."

Nicky smiled, shaking his head. "It's okay, Harry, I'm not upset. Johnny really likes you. You were literally all he could talk about."

Harry blushed, ducking his head. "Really?"

Nicky's smile only grew as he watched Harry mirror Johnny's exact reaction to hearing the same thing. "Yeah. Now go on before your boyfriend burns the place to the ground. I gotta get home and do nothing all day."

Harry laughed as he ran off and Nicky was hit with a pang of both pride and hurt. The kind of hurt at the realization that he wanted what two teenage boys had, what his roommate had. He wanted to feel what they felt, to have someone who would react the way he would to the very mention of their name, to be cared for and, dare he say it, loved.

But that was not his life and he was not about to hold anything against the people who had the privilege and blessing to experience what he wanted. He was fine with listening and being happy for them. Somewhat happy. But happy enough.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Ya'll thought I was gonna name drop this early on. You thought wrong! No, I had an idea where I would sprinkle it in everywhere, but then I was like "it's not impactful at the end then" so it's time to find synonyms of almost.

I was gonna have Sam in this chapter, I seriously was, but then the Fantastic Four called and I couldn't just cut Nicky's bonding scene with Johnny short. I hope this wasn't alienating to people who haven't read Lonely Hearts, I like to think this was more focused on Nicky and Johnny Storm who is a canon character, so I mean, I like to think this was alright? Really, I wanted to show Nicky's relationship with others who aren't part of the Avengers and how willing he is to just listen to people.

I hope you weren't upset at this chapter, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!