The remainder of the day went without further incident or mention of attempted pregnancies and babies. Johnny and Liv seemed to have relaxed a little, as they always did when they were with Steve and Lucy. By the time dinner rolled around, they were cracking jokes and laughing with each other, enjoying the companionship they'd built together over the last two years. Even Peggy had joined in, and Johnny and Liv seemed more relaxed with little Jamie, as well. But as evening turned to night, and Johnny and Liv retired to the guest room that was theirs whenever they were in New York, the uncomfortable silence returned, and Johnny knew it was time for a heart-to-heart chat with his wife.
For her part, Liv was trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence as she changed for bed, spending a ridiculous amount of time on brushing her teeth in the hope that the silence would resolve itself. Bella, for once, was behaving herself, lying down at the foot of the bed on the blanket they'd brought with them for that express purpose, while her owners danced around the main issue. "Lucy's getting better at cooking, isn't she?" Liv commented when she finally came out of the bathroom. "I think Peggy might be giving her lessons."
"Yeah, I remember when Lucy could burn water," Johnny remarked, with a weak smile, knowing they'd been dancing around the issue of children all evening, and now that they were alone again, a conversation about it seemed imminent. Johnny changed into a t-shirt and shorts for bed, like he did every night, no longer wearing his fire-resistant suit to bed. He had worked hard to learn control of his abilities, and it had been years since he'd woken up flaming in the middle of the night.
Pulling her brush brutally through her hair, Liv moved to sit on the edge of the bed, the elephant in the room threatening to suffocate her. But one thing she had learned since she'd met Johnny was to confront some things head on, and she knew pretending this issue didn't exist would only make it worse. Lowering the brush to her lap, she sighed softly. "Did ....did Lucy say anything about it?"
It was his turn to use the bathroom, the sound of the water turning on as he squeezed a ribbon of toothpaste out onto his toothbrush, hesitating a moment as Liv came almost to the point. "Yeah, she-she showed me what she thinks the problem is," he replied before sticking the brush in his mouth and scrubbing away at his teeth.
"And ....is it ....is it bad?" Perhaps talking about this while he was brushing his teeth was a bad idea, but she'd started now. Dragging the brush through her hair once more, she set it down and slid under the covers, curling up with her head on the pillow, her eyes on the shadow he cast through the bathroom door.
Even the Human Torch had to keep his teeth clean, and brushing gave him an extra minute or two to consider his words before he gave her a reply. He didn't even bother to try replying with the brush in his mouth, as the question was a serious one. Instead, he rinsed out his mouth before attempting a reply, only speaking once he was finished with the brushing. Was it bad" Good question. Yes, it was bad, but was it hopeless" That was the real issue, and in his opinion, no, it wasn't hopeless. "It's....complicated," he said as he wiped his face dry and returned the toothbrush to the holder.
Tucking one arm under the pillow, and the other about her own waist, Liv waited patiently for his reply, unaware of how young and vulnerable she looked, curled tightly in on herself beneath the sheets. She bit her lip, worrying at the little pillow of flesh before braving the only option left to her. "Complicated?" she repeated softly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, there's no easy or simple answer to that question," he replied, as he turned out the lights in the bathroom and made his way toward the bed, careful not to step on or trip over Bella on his way.
"Oh." It was just one syllable, but over time, Johnny had come to recognize several of Liv's "oh" sounds. This one was definitely in the dear god, it's all my fault category, expressing guilt and apology in one small utterance.
Johnny knew he had to be careful how he broached this subject and how he answered this question, but the sting of what Lucy had told him was still a little too fresh, though he was trying hard to be hopeful. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Olivia in any way, but he needed to be honest with her, too. He winced a little at the sound of her voice as she uttered that one small word, knowing her well enough to know she was on the verge of taking all the blame on herself when nothing was further from the truth. "It's not your fault, Livvie," he said, as he sat down on the bed beside her and reached over to brush her hair away from her face. "Lucy said it's no one's fault."
"Do you believe her?" It might have seemed an odd question to ask, given how close the twins were, but this was something Lucy hadn't spoken to Liv about. It had been left to Johnny to share this information, and to talk to his wife candidly about what it meant for them, even if it hurt to begin.
He had to consider that question a moment, as there were several ways he could answer it. He'd been over it in his own head, and while he knew it was because of him that she was having trouble becoming pregnant, he couldn't have predicted it when he'd stepped onto Reed's spaceship all those years ago. At the time, he'd only been looking for a thrill, an adventure. He'd longed to be part of something that was bigger than himself, and when Sue had asked if he wanted to go along, he'd jumped at the chance, never knowing it would change his life forever in ways he could never imagine. "It depends on how you look at it, but yes. It's no one's fault." He reached over to flick the lamp off and climb under the covers beside her, wrapping his arms around her the way he always did when they turned in for the night.
As soon as he lay down beside her, Liv rolled over, uncurling as she wrapped her own arms around him, tucked close in the low light of the deepening night. "So it's not something we can change, either of us," she said softly, feeling the bite of that revelation deep in her heart. She wouldn't be able to give him the baby he wanted. "I'm so sorry, Johnny."
For her part, Liv was trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence as she changed for bed, spending a ridiculous amount of time on brushing her teeth in the hope that the silence would resolve itself. Bella, for once, was behaving herself, lying down at the foot of the bed on the blanket they'd brought with them for that express purpose, while her owners danced around the main issue. "Lucy's getting better at cooking, isn't she?" Liv commented when she finally came out of the bathroom. "I think Peggy might be giving her lessons."
"Yeah, I remember when Lucy could burn water," Johnny remarked, with a weak smile, knowing they'd been dancing around the issue of children all evening, and now that they were alone again, a conversation about it seemed imminent. Johnny changed into a t-shirt and shorts for bed, like he did every night, no longer wearing his fire-resistant suit to bed. He had worked hard to learn control of his abilities, and it had been years since he'd woken up flaming in the middle of the night.
Pulling her brush brutally through her hair, Liv moved to sit on the edge of the bed, the elephant in the room threatening to suffocate her. But one thing she had learned since she'd met Johnny was to confront some things head on, and she knew pretending this issue didn't exist would only make it worse. Lowering the brush to her lap, she sighed softly. "Did ....did Lucy say anything about it?"
It was his turn to use the bathroom, the sound of the water turning on as he squeezed a ribbon of toothpaste out onto his toothbrush, hesitating a moment as Liv came almost to the point. "Yeah, she-she showed me what she thinks the problem is," he replied before sticking the brush in his mouth and scrubbing away at his teeth.
"And ....is it ....is it bad?" Perhaps talking about this while he was brushing his teeth was a bad idea, but she'd started now. Dragging the brush through her hair once more, she set it down and slid under the covers, curling up with her head on the pillow, her eyes on the shadow he cast through the bathroom door.
Even the Human Torch had to keep his teeth clean, and brushing gave him an extra minute or two to consider his words before he gave her a reply. He didn't even bother to try replying with the brush in his mouth, as the question was a serious one. Instead, he rinsed out his mouth before attempting a reply, only speaking once he was finished with the brushing. Was it bad" Good question. Yes, it was bad, but was it hopeless" That was the real issue, and in his opinion, no, it wasn't hopeless. "It's....complicated," he said as he wiped his face dry and returned the toothbrush to the holder.
Tucking one arm under the pillow, and the other about her own waist, Liv waited patiently for his reply, unaware of how young and vulnerable she looked, curled tightly in on herself beneath the sheets. She bit her lip, worrying at the little pillow of flesh before braving the only option left to her. "Complicated?" she repeated softly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, there's no easy or simple answer to that question," he replied, as he turned out the lights in the bathroom and made his way toward the bed, careful not to step on or trip over Bella on his way.
"Oh." It was just one syllable, but over time, Johnny had come to recognize several of Liv's "oh" sounds. This one was definitely in the dear god, it's all my fault category, expressing guilt and apology in one small utterance.
Johnny knew he had to be careful how he broached this subject and how he answered this question, but the sting of what Lucy had told him was still a little too fresh, though he was trying hard to be hopeful. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Olivia in any way, but he needed to be honest with her, too. He winced a little at the sound of her voice as she uttered that one small word, knowing her well enough to know she was on the verge of taking all the blame on herself when nothing was further from the truth. "It's not your fault, Livvie," he said, as he sat down on the bed beside her and reached over to brush her hair away from her face. "Lucy said it's no one's fault."
"Do you believe her?" It might have seemed an odd question to ask, given how close the twins were, but this was something Lucy hadn't spoken to Liv about. It had been left to Johnny to share this information, and to talk to his wife candidly about what it meant for them, even if it hurt to begin.
He had to consider that question a moment, as there were several ways he could answer it. He'd been over it in his own head, and while he knew it was because of him that she was having trouble becoming pregnant, he couldn't have predicted it when he'd stepped onto Reed's spaceship all those years ago. At the time, he'd only been looking for a thrill, an adventure. He'd longed to be part of something that was bigger than himself, and when Sue had asked if he wanted to go along, he'd jumped at the chance, never knowing it would change his life forever in ways he could never imagine. "It depends on how you look at it, but yes. It's no one's fault." He reached over to flick the lamp off and climb under the covers beside her, wrapping his arms around her the way he always did when they turned in for the night.
As soon as he lay down beside her, Liv rolled over, uncurling as she wrapped her own arms around him, tucked close in the low light of the deepening night. "So it's not something we can change, either of us," she said softly, feeling the bite of that revelation deep in her heart. She wouldn't be able to give him the baby he wanted. "I'm so sorry, Johnny."