He chuckled, scooping up another spoonful of cold, gooey sweetness. "Not me. My roommate, Ben, but it's about time he get a place of his own anyway. And yes, I'm sure. I mean, until you get your own place." He didn't want to push her, thinking she might not take well to the idea of them "living in sin". He was trying to take things as slow as possible and do it right this time.

The pink on her cheeks this time was entirely his fault for planting the image of them living together in her mind. And as much as Liv might want to seem mature and ready to take her time, she really wasn't. "No, I ....I'd like that," she smiled her shy smile from behind her spoon, catching a falling drip on the end of her tongue before closing her lips around the spoon itself. "Thank you."

He shrugged his shoulders non-chalantly, as if it was nothing. "I can't let you go homeless, can I?" He smiled, and licked his spoon again, sighing when he looked into the carton and found his sundae had turned to a pile of mush. "Ice cream and me don't get along too well."

"And your room-mate really won't mind?" Even the fate of someone she didn't know seemed to worry Liv. Then Johnny drew attention to what was now his fudgey-milky drink, and she couldn't help laughing a little in sympathy. "Oh dear ....Here, have some of mine." She didn't hand over the carton, guessing accurately that it was his natural heat that had melted his treat, but loaded up her spoon to feed him a fresh, unmelted mouthful with a grin.

He smiled at the offer, leaning in and opening his mouth like a dutiful child waiting for his mother to feed him. Once he had the ice cream in his mouth, he leaned back, mumbling a satisfying noise that sounded like, "Mmmmmm." Ice cream was a rare treat with him. It always melted before he could get more than a few licks or spoonfuls in. He'd experimented with all different ways of trying to keep it cold while he ate it, but nothing ever seemed to work very well. Ice cream, it seemed, was the bane of his existence.

That quiet sound of pleasure that rumbled from him as he enjoyed that mouthful of the frozen sweet brought a fascinated glimmer to the soft brown eyes that watched him from behind those thick glasses. Liv didn't think she'd seen anything as sexy as the sight of Johnny eating ice cream and instantly lost interest in eating it herself, inching closer to offer him another spoonful with an eager smile of her own. "You know, I would mention how sexy you are, but I think you already know."

He didn't reply to that remark, instead just opening his mouth to eagerly await another mouthful of that delectable and rarely enjoyed treat. He leaned in and wrapped his lips around the spoon to lick up the chocolatey goodness, looking like he'd just died and gone to heaven. "Oh my god, that's good," he said as he savored the mixture and swallowed it.

Her mouth fell open just enough to release a slightly shaky breath, the heat in her face rising inexorably as she scraped the last spoonful from the little carton in her hand. Erotic wasn't a word she'd ever applied to food before; after this, she was likely to seek out ways to get ice cream down his throat just for a repeat of this experience. The spoon returned to his lips, her gaze intent on his without realising it.

It was almost an erotic experience, at least for him. Ice cream. Something so many people took for granted. Not even a cone kept the mixture cold long enough for him to enjoy it. He had even ventured into a freezer once or twice, but had quickly learned that by doing so, usually only melted whatever else was in there with him. He licked the spoon clean of the remaining ice cream, sighing as contentedly as if he'd just had sex. Well, sex was easy enough to come by. Ice cream, not so much. As soon as it was gone though, he frowned, feeling guilty that his had melted and he'd eaten most of hers. "Sorry. I get a little carried away sometimes."

"Oh god, don't apologise for that." The husk in her tone was new, something entirely borne of watching Johnny find nirvana with ice cream. It seemed to take a great deal of effort to tear her eyes away from his face, displaying her ever-so-slightly breathless profile to him as she set the empty carton down on the nearby table. She closed her eyes for a moment, attempting to get a grip on herself as her fingers flexed against the edge of the table, the flush on her cheeks creeping down over the rest of her skin. "God, that was incredible," she whispered, her eyes opening but not quite brave enough to meet his gaze just yet.

He smiled, no laughter this time, a little surprised at her reaction to his eating ice cream. No one had ever really reacted that way before, and he hadn't realized how erotic the experience could be. "It will be incredible," he told her quietly, reaching over to turn her face toward his, noticing the way her skin flushed with embarrassment and perhaps something else. He smiled softly at her, not meaning to sound like he was boasting, but promising her that if and when it happened, when she was ready, he'd make sure she enjoyed it.

For once, she wasn't embarrassed at all, her breath coming faster as his fingers touched her face. Her body leaned toward his, absorbing the promise with eager, only slightly nervous anticipation. "I know," she heard herself murmur in answer, her faith in him and his abilities unshakeable. The tip of her tongue slipped free of her parted lips to wet them, a hopeful, shy action that was qualified as her patience finally ran out. "Oh god, Johnny, please kiss me. Please."

What red-blooded American man could resist that' He sure as hell couldn't. She was too adorable, too eager, too innocent to resist. In truth, he'd never met anyone like her, so different from the women he usually dated, so few of them ever seeing past the public personae that was The Human Torch to try and get to know the man that was Johnny Storm. Lucy, he realized had probably been no different. There had been a time when Johnny would have been fine with that, but ever since he'd met the Broderick twins, he'd found he wanted something more. All of these thoughts went through his head as he leaned close, fingers sliding around to the back of her neck to pull her close, lips pressing tenderly against hers before tentatively parting her lips with his tongue and daring to go one step further.

If he'd thought the ice cream had melted fast, it was an eternity in comparison to how quickly Liv melted into him under the tentative daring that marked his kiss. Her hand rose, skimming up over his chest to smooth over his shoulder, looping her arm about his neck as she leaned close into him. Her breathless response was touched with the softest suggestion toward a moan, not at all eager to have the kiss end anytime soon as she revelled in the heat and comfort and sheer pleasure that was Johnny.

Encouraged by her response, he deepened the kiss, his tongue in gentle exploration of her mouth, while his lips meshed with her, trying to go as slowly and gently as he could, though he heart was beating wildly inside his chest. Closing his eyes, he thought he might mistake her for Lucy, but though they looked alike, everything about her was different, including her kiss.

The longer the kiss went on, the less Liv wanted him to be slow and careful of her innocence. She felt almost on fire, sensation burning deep inside her enough to make her squirm, unwittingly writhing against him as her arms tightened. Learning from the way he kissed her, she slowly began to reciprocate in kind, and just like last night, she slithered over to straddle Johnny's lap, wanting to be closer than this but not knowing how to get there. Another soft moan vibrated from her throat as her fingertips hesitantly caressed against his neck and jaw.

He only dared go so far, worried about going too quickly, wanting to take his time. She seemed eager enough, but he didn't want to rush things. He didn't want the candle to burn out too quickly, like so often happened, but slowly and deeply, allowing it to grow into something more meaningful than merely sex. Restraint wasn't a trait that came easy to Johnny, and her obvious desire wasn't helping matters any. If she got any closer, it was going to become all too obvious just how much he wanted her in return. After a moment, he pulled slightly away, breathless, his temperature obviously rising, searching her eyes for some deeper meaning.

She gasped as his lips left hers, her forehead coming to rest against his as slowly her eyes opened, soft brown gazing into the clear piercing blue of his. A faint laugh broke free, urged out by her breathlessly guilty pleasure in his closeness. "Sorry," she murmured, swallowing hard as she brought her libido back under control once again. "My turn to get carried away."

He smiled a bit wistfully, brushing her hair back from her face with his fingers, tenderly, a sign of his growing affection for her. "It's okay. I just don't want to rush things. I want..." He trailed off, searching for the right words, unaccustomed to opening up to anyone. But he'd already taken a chance and opened up to her once and hadn't scared her away. "I want this to work."

"So do I." Her response didn't need thinking about, it didn't even need to be assembled with the right words before she let them trip off her tongue. Her lips touched his gently just once more as her fingertips lingered at his jaw, and she took control of easing back, giving them both the distance they needed not to get carried away again. "You're ....you mean a lot to me, Johnny. I'm scared I'm going to mess this up."

He frowned worriedly, assuming he'd been the one to screw things up with Lucy, and now he was worried about doing the same with Liv. He'd had girlfriends before, and one way or another, they'd always ended up breaking his heart. It was one of the reasons he hesitated about letting anyone get close again. Still, no matter the reasons, he always laid the guilt on himself. "It won't be you who screws it up."

She eyed him with quiet uncertainty, sensing his worry even without the frown decorating his brow. "So ....you just assume that we won't last?" she asked very gently. "That somehow everything that's happened in the past means that right here and now we don't have a chance of a future together?" Despite the sting of hurt that came with that realisation, she didn't let go, settling more snugly across his lap as her fingers stroked into his hair. "I don't believe that. We are going to last, Johnny; we do have a future together. I don't care who says otherwise."

He knew his track record wasn't that good, but that didn't mean he couldn't change, that she wasn't worth changing for. "You mean a lot to me, too, Liv," he admitted, looking back at her, her touch soothing his worries a little. He paused for a moment, frowning thoughtfully. "You ever want something so badly, but no matter what you do, it keeps slipping through your fingers?"

"Johnny ..." His name was a gentle whine on her lips as her cheeks flushed dark once more, lit up with embarrassment more at the rather physical reaction to his interest in her fantasies than the fact of having them. "I ....I wouldn't know how to ..." She trailed off, biting at her lip once again as her gaze began that inevitable flicker betwee his eyes and his mouth.

He relented, having pity on her, or just not really needing to know, his expression softening, no longer quite so brash, letting her see the gentler more caring and vulnerable side, a side she'd seen hints at several times before. "It's okay, Liv. I'm sure when it happens, it will be awesome." He brushed a gentle kiss against her lips to reassure her and back up his statement. Awesome wasn't really the word he wanted, but it was the word that first came to his lips. Special was more the word he was looking for. Amazing. Memorable. Exhilirating.

Asking a virgin to detail what went on in her head was going a little far, but Liv didn't seem to mind that he had asked her. Equally, she was incredibly relieved that he hadn't pushed it, which probably explained the enthusiastic response to his reassuring kiss. Her hand rose to stroke her fingers against his jaw, savouring the heat that radiated from him in wonder. "So, um ..." Am I ever going to stop blushing around him' A heavy sigh heaved her chest up and down before warming his lips with her breath. "What were we talking about?"

He admired her blush, finding it adorable, as well as the outfit she was wearing, so different from her sister, so much more down to Earth, it seemed, and so different from anyone he'd ever fallen for before, but maybe that was a good thing. A thought crossed his mind, a worry, something that he thought was most likely just a leftover concern from past relationships, but something he needed to ask her about, if only to lay it to rest. "You're not crushing on me because....you know..." He paused, frowning a little. "Because I'm famous." He might not be so famous on Rhy'Din, but he was back home in his own world, and while he enjoyed the notoriety and had used it on occasion to date girls, he was longing for a more meaningful relationship.

A faint frown crossed her own face as he asked that, bemusement mixing with uncertainty to create an interestingly comical expression. "Uh ....will you be very offended if I tell you I don't recognise you as someone famous" Have I completely missed some kind of important cultural reference from back home?" Another difference - Lucy had known Johnny Storm was a superhero; Liv didn't have the faintest idea.

"You never had posters of me tacked to your walls as a teenager?" he asked, but then he realized that they were about the same age. He'd become famous at the ripe old age of about sixteen, at least back home in New York, but that was in his universe and he wasn't even sure if she was from that same Earth.

Liv was genuinely surprised. She hadn't realised that Johnny was famous, or that she should know who he was, although in retrospect that would explain why Lucy had been so exasperated while explaining who the Human Torch was. "I didn't really do that," she admitted a little awkwardly, still a little ashamed of her late development. "I had M.C.Escher's 3-D room on my wall, and a poster of the Milky Way. The posters on Lucy's side of the room made me uncomfortable, all those eyes watching me getting changed."

Johnny sighed in relief and actually chuckled at her description of her own walls and Lucy's, further proving the distinct difference between the twins. "It's okay, Liv. I'm not offended. I'm actually a little relieved."

She didn't question his relief, guessing that it had something to do with a learned assumption that all women who were interested in him only did so because of his celebrity. "And you ....you don't mind that I'm just ....ordinary?" she asked in kind. "There's nothing special about me, I'm just ....Well, I'm just me."

"Liv..." He sighed, his expression softening once again, blue eyes warm with sympathy and affection. "You are not ordinary, believe me. You are..." He had to pause a moment to search for the right words to describe how he thought of her. "You are special, at least to me." He threw caution to the wind and kissed her again, tenderly, trying to keep a lid on his passion.

He couldn't have known how wonderful it was to be described as special, how much more amazing that it was him describing her as such. Liv had spent a lifetime being the ugly twin - which is rather difficult when you're identical - always in Lucy's shadow; Johnny had just brought her straight into the light. Her arms looped around his neck as he kissed her, hugging for a moment before she drew back. But only long enough to slip her glasses from her nose, preferring the freedom to kiss him without either of them worrying about being poked with the sharp corners of her spectacles.

He smiled again as he watched her pull those glasses off her face, the only thing that came between them at the moment, other than their clothing. He kissed her again, once her glasses no longer separated them, not having to worry about nose leaving splotches on the lenses, his arms looping around her waist to hold her close, but allowing her wiggle room, once again, trying to go slow and keep himself and his rising temperature in check, as much as possible.

There was a quiet clatter as her glasses skittered over the surface of the table, forgotten the moment they left her fingers as she resumed the curl of both arms around his neck, the restless play of her fingers over his back and up over his neck and jaw as her lips parted beneath his. He'd left her wiggle room - she wiggled, but it wasn't to get away, simply another sign of her quietly frustrated longing. If Johnny wasn't careful, they were going to end up in a highly compromising position in her hospital bed.

Being careful wasn't exactly Johnny's strong suit. In fact, he was by nature impulsive and reckless, not really putting a lot of thought into what he did. It was, however, what made him who he was and had served him well in the past. Plunging without thought of his own safety into dangerous situations were what had made him a hero and had probably saved Liv's life in the first place. It was going against his own nature to be careful, but for her sake, he was trying. He didn't want to break her heart; she was too important to him.

Liv didn't notice the sound of the door being closed this time, the tact of the nurses on duty never failing when it came to giving patients privacy if it was needed. The fiery heat that welled up between them was only partly fuelled by the delicious burn of his skin against hers, a breathless gasp escaping her lips beneath his as she shuddered lightly in his grasp, almost lost in the shivering desire for more.

His temperature was rising by the minute, fueled by her obvious desire. It was one thing to be with a woman who wanted you but to whom you were only one of many, quite another to be with someone who had never been with anyone and wanted only you. He kissed her again and again, until he was breathless, and then he pulled slowly away, not wanting to rush things or push her too quickly. "Liv..." he muttered, reluctantly disengaging his lips from hers to take another breath. "Slow down."

His innocent companion whimpered softly as he drew his lips from hers, reluctant to even open her eyes much less let Johnny slip away. But Liv, for all her naivety, was sensible. She'd always been sensible, almost too sensible, and that sense of going too far, of taking that risk was what drew her back from the brink. "I'm sorry," she heard herself murmur, her gaze lowering to his chest as her hands retreated, as breathless as he was and less aware of why. "I didn't mean ...I'm sorry, I ..."

"Knowing Lucy, it'll be bright pink and shaped like your cock." Again, Liv's mouth had run away with her, her eyes snapping open to look up at him in guilty mortification once again as her hand closed over her mouth. "Oh, please tell me I didn't say that out loud."

Thankfully, he wasn't eating any ice cream when she said that or he might have choked. Instead, his jaw dropped open and he broke into a fit of laughter, actually relieved that she wasn't quite the chaste innocent virgin he thought she was, at least, not completely. He was looking at her now with undisguised amusement on his face. "Sorry, but you did."

"Oh god ..." Her hands rose over her face, her head lowering into her knees bent up as she giggled, appalled and amused by herself as much as by his reaction to her slightly loss of control over her tongue. "There goes my sweet and innocent persona, I suppose."

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." He made a zipping motion across his lips, silently promising not to tell a soul, muttering incoherently with closed lips that her secret was safe with him.

Her giggle grew louder as she lowered her hands, reaching over to poke at his belly. "You're such a tease, Johnny Storm," she accused him laughingly. "My mind wasn't this filthy before I met you!"

He smirked again, replying back with zipped lips pressed tightly together. Whatever it was he was trying to say was completely incomprehensible, blue eyes dancing with mirth and mischief.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Grinning behind her glasses, Liv moved to crawl into Johnny's lap, still poking and tickling at his ribs and stomach as she gently knocked him onto his back. "You do realise that if you're gagged, I can do what I like and no one will come to your rescue, don't you?"

He laughed a little too loudly as he got knocked onto his back, not terribly ticklish but amused by her attempt to subdue him. If he wasn't careful, he was going to get kicked out. It was probably past visiting hours as it was. "And you call yourself a virgin, ha!"

She knew he was laughing to humor her now, but it wasn't any kind of insult. Besides, straddling him as she was, he didn't really have any secrets to keep from her in that moment as she blushed once again. Leaning down, she touched her lips to his fondly. "That's just a technicality. You've been doing erotic things in my head for weeks now, I don't think I really count as an innocent virgin anymore."

He grinned up at her from his back, amused by this other side of Liv. He knew she had it in her somewhere. She just needed someone to bring it to light. "Oh, baby....Those are just fantasies. Wait til you get a taste of the real thing." He waggled his brows at her teasingly, his hands sliding up her bare legs, brushing the edges of her shorts.

That teasing brush of palms and fingers up along the slender curve of her bare thighs was rewarded with a deep flush that painted not just her cheeks but the rest of her skin a rosey shade of pink. The verbal tease ....well, that brought a wide, if shy, grin to her lips as she touched the tip of her nose to his fondly. "Keep teasing me, and I won't be able to wait."

"You think the nurses would kick me out if I wanted to stay the night?" he asked uncertainly, the tone of his voice changing, quieting a little, dreading the thought of spending another lonely night in his apartment without her. His fingers merely brushed the edge of her shorts, going no further, blue eyes watching as he touched her nose to his, moved by that simple gesture of affection.

The turn of her grin softened to a smile as he spoke, her hands rising from where they lay against his ribs to smooth the backs of her fingers over his cheeks. "Only if you wear me out," she warned him softly, the tip of her nose stroking against his in unthinking affection. "I meant what I said, though. I'd like you to stay, if that's what you want."

His own smile softened. As much as he wanted her - and it was pretty obvious that he did - he was in no hurry this time around. He'd been honest when he'd told her that she meant too much to him to screw things up. All he really wanted at that moment was just to be there. He'd stayed by her side all night after bringing her in. Lucy and the nurses practically had to force him to go home, but going home meant being alone, leaving his heart here with her. "I probably shouldn't," he started, frowning at up. "But I don't want to leave you." I never want to leave you again, he thought to himself.

Liv was quiet for a long moment, gazing into his eyes without seeing the frown. All she saw was the softness in his expression, deeply moved by the thought that it was for her. She didn't want him to regret anything; neither did she want to let him see her afraid. Her lips touched the tip of his nose this time as she nuzzled close. "Not to do anything," she murmured affectionately. "Is it stupid of me just to want to sleep next to you?"

His hands moved away from her thighs to her hips, where they rested lightly, heat radiating from his body to hers, his expression betraying his feelings of longing, her question only fueling his desire to stay. "No." He reached up to push her hair back from her face, his fingers grazing her cheek lovingly. "I want the same thing."

Her smile could well be likened to the sun rising when he said that, the almost imperceptible tension in her body relaxing completely. "I'm glad." Slowly she leaned down to kiss him again, her lips gentle and undemanding against his as her fingers echoed the stroke of his against his own cheek. "So, um ....what now?"

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, smiling warmly up at her, eyes soft with affection. "Now, we get close and see what happens next." One step at a time, after all, and he was in no hurry.

"I suppose I should take my glasses off again, then," she laughed softly, feeling silly that she'd needed to ask at all. There was still a little reluctance as she leaned back, slipping free of him to step from the bed, self-consciously tugging the hem of her shorts down over her backside as she turned to find the light-switch.

He chuckled again. "Maybe you should get contacts or something. I might steam up your glasses." He smirked impishly up at her. She was adorable, glasses or not, but they could be a bit awkward at times and he wanted her to be able to see him clearly. He kicked off his sneakers and pulled the blankets back, settling himself onto one half of her tiny hospital bed. Hopefully, he wouldn't find himself on the floor, like he had with a certain twin.

"I do have - well, I did have contacts," she corrected herself with a light shrug, a click beneath her fingers plunging them into semi-darkness, the only light that of the lamps out on the street outside the window. The familiar clatter of plastic on plastic betrayed that she'd taken off her glasses again, hesitantly lowering to the tiny bed with him.