Stand Clear of the Atomizer (ReedSusie)

[Reed Richards]

Location: The Baxter Building laboratory
Date: Two Months before The Avengers
Time of Day: Afternoon

Reed Richards was not a violent man. In fact, he wouldn't hurt a fly if he could get away with it (instead, he'd bottle them up and send them to Henry Pym for study). However, smashing atoms had become an excellent stress reliever for Mr. Fantastic.

And boy, today he was stressed.

Reed had been sitting at his desk chewing on a pen for an hour this morning, trying to figure out how Tony Stark had discovered a new element before he had. Granted, Reed was working on multiple projects that all required a lot of attention, but still!

Geniuses got jealous too sometimes.

Then, while totally forgetting to eat breakfast, Reed was working on a set of goggles that would allow him to see into the Negative Zone without actually going there. But, the glass on the goggles wasn't thick enough, and it cracked when he'd turned the power on. Now he had to wait two weeks for a replacement.

After a few failed attempts to create a shrinking and growing serum similar to that of Alice and Wonderland (which he'd seen with Susan the other night), Reed had given up and was now smashing atoms to see what would happen.

He had no idea that anyone else was in the room.

[Susan Storm]

Susan had known the moment she stepped into the rodom that her boyfriend was stressed. Really, she had expected him to be. The man could take strong offense to being bested in the field. And as far as he was concerned, Tony Stark had done that.

Reed wasn't likely to let it go any time soon.

Sometimes, it bothered Sue that Reed would probably take Tony flirting with her better than he took Stark finding something just a hair earlier than he did. She just had to shake it off as best she could. She'd known Reed for a long time, and he was hardly going to change.

Around lunch time, she had decided to check on him.

"They aren't bumper cars, you know," Sue murmured. "I think you're the first person I've seen smash atoms for recreation."

After a brief pause, she added, "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

[Reed Richards]

Hearing Susan's voice suddenly caused Reed to jolt up. Even now, he found that Sue had the strongest effect on him upon arrival. Even Ben's booming voice couldn't shake Reed unannounced, he could even shake off Johnny trying to mess with his concentration while he was working. But Sue? Not at all. Reed Richards was completely off his guard around her, he had been since the day she'd started working in his various labs over the years.

"Oh! Hello Susan," Reed started, looking up from his magnifying devices. He smiled as she announced her lack of surprise, "Well, if one must relieve stress, I think it best that some sort of benefit come out of it, be it study or exercise." Of course they both knew that even if Reed were exercising, he'd still be studying somehow.

He thought about her comments for some kind of means of deflecting into a more interesting conversation, "Interesting fact about bumper cars, did you know they've been around since the 1920s? One of the very first types of amusement themed rides."

That didn't mean he was off the hook, after all, Susan had caught him slacking off when he should have been making scientific breakthroughs. He smiled sheepishly and said, "Well anyway, I was just, looking for new elements in atoms." Was that pettiness? Bad form Reed. He checked his watch and let out a real smile, "Oh looking, it's noon already. The day flies. What have you been up to today Susan?"

Flawless deflection.

[Susan Storm]

Susan just shook her head, biting back her smile. She didn't mention that there were so many other ways of relieving stress, and so many other ways of finding recreation. Reed was anything but a typical man.

"New elements? Not the god particle or anything, then?"

There was more to science than competition, but she wasn't going to bring that up just now anymore than she would acknowledge the bizarre sidetrack into bumper car history.

"I finished sorting through the notes you left me."

A teasing smile before adding, "I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch?"

[Reed Richards]

"I finished sorting through the notes you left me."

Reed perked up suddenly, "Oh! I needed those notes! I'm working on something absolutely incredible Susan. It's a robot with artificial intelligence, it'll be able to help me in handling things that are too dangerous for a person to touch, like anti-matter. I call it the Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-type, Integrated Electronics. Or something like that."

He sounded far too proud of the long name than he should have been. That was Reed though, any kind of scientific achievement seemed to set him off on a long-winded rant.

"I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch?"

"Well," Reed started, "I was going to start working on the Humanoid Experimental Robot-"

The sound of a growl stopped Reed. He looked around the room, "What was that?" Failing to realize that he had yet to eat within the past fourteen hours, Reed's stomach was rebelling against any more science until it was full. Finally figuring out what it was, Reed rubbed the back of his head and said, "Well, I suppose a little lunch wouldn't hurt. What do you have in mind Sue?"

[Susan Storm]

Her amusement didn't fade much, even as he started rambling about yet another project whose details she didn't quite grasp. The concept made sense, but the proof is in the pudding, and Sue simply didn't have the same utter devotion to science that her boyfriend possessed.

She really couldn't say much, considering his genius was a factor that played in her initial attraction to him. Well, her current attraction as well, but it was a much larger factor in the beginning....

Susan knew more about him now, and it was his other quirks that kept her working so hard for this relationship.

"Worry about 'something like that' later," Sue advised after his stomach growled. Still, his agreement was never certain on anything that involved leaving the Baxter Building.

"Nothing fancy, just something simple. Even a hot dog or something."

Nibbling at her lower lip for a moment, Sue added, "You look like you need a bit of a break."

[Reed Richards]

Reed did need a break, as much as he wouldn't admit it, he hadn't stopped working since he had gotten out of the shower early in the morning. Sometimes, it was a surprise if Reed remembered to shower at all. His hair was a big mess, because he didn't have the time to comb it properly, and he was wearing his trademark lab coat over his uniform, which was the only set of clothing he had that could stretch as far as he could. He thought about Sue's offer for a few moments before smiling.

"Let me change out of my lab clothes, then we'll get out of here, I could stand a few hours out in the sun. I suppose."

Ben was here, but Johnny was out and about, something about extreme sports, or something else, whatever. Reed figured if something came up, they'd be able to come back to the Baxter Building soon enough. He nodded to Sue before heading for the staircase that led to their room, his legs leaving about five seconds after his torso did.

He would do that every now and then, forget to bring half of his body when he was going somewhere. When Reed said that Sue made sure his head stayed in place, he meant it. It was too easy to swing all around his lab because of his abilities, making his work easier, and yet even more distracting.

Within a few moments, Reed was able to slip into a blue suit rather than his blue uniform. Changing clothes fast was easy when you could fit into anything, he tended to shop a size smaller than he used to, as it seemed that he hadn't gained a single pound in two years, in fact, because of his body's state, he didn't retain as much water weight.

Returning to Sue, Reed broke out into a smile, "What the weather like? It's still spring, right?"

[Susan Storm]

Even knowing how easily Reed could be distracted, his agreement to join her was worth gold to Sue. She watched him wind his way out of the room, coughing lightly as he managed to bring all of his body with him.

Making a quick dash, Sue grabbed a light overcoat and her wallet. Carpe diem. What were the chances of her needing to go invisible if they were only going out for a bit of food and a little sun?

Deliberately choosing not to answer her only question, Susan hovered in the doorway.

"Yes, it's spring. You're not too far behind yet."

She held out a hand towards him, "I'm rather impressed. You know the season, were indulging in a recreational activity, and actually agreed to take a lunch."

Impishly, Sue added, "I might ask Tony to beat you in scientific achievements a bit more often if this is the result."

She knew Tony Stark mostly by reputation. His nickname simply fit in place better than any sort of proper 'last name' basis.

[Reed Richards]

"I'm rather impressed. You know the season, were indulging in a recreational activity, and actually agreed to take a lunch."

"Well," Reed started, letting the word drag a bit, "Sometimes I just need to get out, otherwise I'd lose perspective." That was a laugh, Reed hadn't had any perspective other than a scientific one since 2007. As Mr. Fantastic, Reed was still using science to fight crime. At that, he and Susan were far from street-level crime fighters. Ben and Johnny certainly saw more action than they did, and Sue more than he, not that Reed kept score or anything.

No, Reed wasn't always big on the crime fighting. Leave that to the man in red, the one in Hell's Kitchen. Something with a D, Reed would remember eventually.

"And, I'm famished too. The body rebels, it's my major weakness. That and getting frozen."

"I might ask Tony to beat you in scientific achievements a bit more often if this is the result."

"If there's one thing Tony Stark doesn't need, it's an attractive blonde telling him how wonderful he is." More often than not, and perhaps a major flaw of his, calling Susan attractive only came in an off hand remark, the closest Reed got to compliments unless his mind was completely on Susan. He'd work on it, promise.

[Susan Storm]

Tilting her head slightly, Sue let him try and explain away his agreement into categorized neat boxes. His mind was so precisely logical that it was all too easy for her to find avenues in his thinking processes that might bother her. A product of over analyzing. She acted much more off her feelings than Reed, but she was getting better at understanding that his logic did not mean he was impervious to emotion.

She could accept that.

Still, the words 'Pepper isn't blonde' were half past her lips when she realized 1) Tony Stark's secretary wasn't likely to spend her time praising him. The man had enough adoring public for that, and therefore 2) Reed must have meant her. Blinking rapidly a few times in surprise, Sue cleared her throat and turned to step out the door.

"Come on then, rebel. Before we miss spring altogether."

[Reed Richards]

Reed actually smiled a bit. When Sue was in a teasing mood, Reed typically found that he was more cheerful as well. She had some kind of strong emotional effect on him even in the most normal of conversations, of course, Reed had studied their relationship for years. Sue might have thought all his study was scientific, but certainly his feelings for Susan were also a wonderful opportunity for a first hand social study as well!

His arm stretched forward as he walked to catch up with Susan, hand slipping into her's neatly.

"What do you think about going a little further than usual Susan? Perhaps to somewhere more involved? Korean perhaps." Reed preferred to see his food prepared in front of him, a side effect of having Victor von Doom as a college rival.

"Or Japanese even? I think I've finally got chopsticks handled."

[Susan Storm]

Their fingers interlaced without trying, bringing a slight smile to her face. One that soon merged into a quiet laugh at Reed's suggestions.

"Skipping the contents of a New York hot dog sounds fine with me."

Especially when it would be marginally harder for him to dash right back to the Baxter Building the moment inspiration struck, as it sometimes did. Sue was rather possessive of the one on one time she managed to have with him, whether he knew that or not.

"Japanese could sound good," she acknowledged, mentally readjusting their course.

[Reed Richards]

When Susan agreed with his choice Reed grinned, "Fanta- Wonderful." He avoided using fantastic because of the puns that were implied. He used to say it quite often, but after too much of Johnny Storm's teasing, Reed had weened himself off the word for the most part. Every now and then it would slip out.

"Japanese it is then. There's a place on Lexington Avenue that Ben has been on my case about going to." If there was one thing Ben Grimm liked to do, it was try and push Reed into taking Susan out more. Reed always promised he would, but it didn't work out most times. Now was a good chance, so why not? It might even get his large friend off his case for a few days.

Raising his hand a bit higher than his normal arm length would allow, Reed hailed a cab. One of the perks of his powers, when Reed wanted to be seen, it was difficult to miss him.

When the cab pulled over, Reed reached from the curb and pulled the door open, "After you Susan."

[Susan Storm]

So she had Ben to thank for this. Bless that man. He'd had the hardest lot of all of them, but despite that, he still looked out for the rest of the team. Physically and emotionally.

"I'll have to thank him later," Susan murmured, rolling her eyes a bit at Reed's use of his mutation to hail down a cab. Probably best not to comment on that, all things considered.

Instead, she slid inside the door he had so chivalrously held.

"Lexington Avenue, please," Sue requested once Reed was inside as well.

[Reed Richards]

Reed chuckled lightly as he heard her comment., "Well, I suppose you could, but it was still my idea to go." As they rode off into the bustling city, Reed's eyes focused on his girlfriend, "I might take the day off today," he said uncharacteristically, "It's rather nice outside, and I could take some notes on New York weather, perhaps estimate the patterns for the next year or so. Something different to breath and refocus."

It was unusual for him, obviously, but Reed was going to explore some new studies. If Stark was going to keep up with him on an elemental level, Reed needed to find something else out there in nature that Stark wouldn't be able to keep up with him in.

Was that petty? Reed hadn't realized that he had that in him.

His eyes went back out the window again before he realized something. He'd just asked Susan to spend the day outside of the Baxter Building with him. Random date was most certainly random!