(The Next Day)
Johnny Storm woke in the morning, stretched, and started working out. His room had a few rock band posters, a guitar hanging on the wall, a Playboy calendar, several weights scattered on the floor, and some albums on a shelf. It looked like your typical tough guy's room.
This is Johnny Storm, the most popular guy at Empire...
Since the semester began, everything had been going well for Johnny Storm. He got in on a scholarship as a member of the football team. However, he didn't choose this path because he liked sports — he did it to ease the burden on his aunt.
The story of the two siblings is a tragic one; they lost their mother early on, and their father became obsessed with gambling, which ended very badly.
They were taken in by their aunt, and she's been looking after them ever since.
Both Johnny and Susan try to be independent. One way to do that is by earning a scholarship to avoid the huge costs of college. But even that isn't enough, so both of them have considered getting part-time jobs. Unfortunately, Johnny's explosive and aggressive temper and Sue's cold attitude have cost them several opportunities.
In other universes, Susan "Sue" Storm had chosen to become a model at this point in her life. Considering her natural beauty, it would've been a great option. But that didn't happen in this world. Maybe it was because of her complete indifference toward people — or maybe for some other reason.
Johnny stopped training, left his room with a towel, and went to shower. He and Susan also lived close to Empire University, so they saw no reason to stay in the dorms.
When he arrived at the bathroom and opened the door, he found his sister brushing her teeth. She looked at him coldly.
"Johnny… you're my little brother, but if you come into the bathroom without knocking... again"
Johnny felt a chill run down his spine. "Sorry, sis."
Sue walked past Johnny, giving off an aura of danger. He watched her disappear before stepping into the shower to get ready for school. Today, he had a goal.
...
(One hour later)
Johnny walked through campus looking for someone — someone whose presence had become an obstacle to the life he was trying to build.
Johnny had a good life. He was popular, had friends, and more importantly, the two most important people in his life were doing okay — or at least, they were until now.
"Look, it's Johnny…"
"He must be pissed."
"Shut up! Do you want to get killed?"
"He doesn't seem that scary…"
"That's what Bradley thought — the huge guy, regional karate champion. He tried to flirt with Johnny's sister right in front of him. Didn't even see what hit him before he passed out."
"Isn't that obsession with his sister a bit much?"
Johnny heard the whispers, even if he pretended not to. Or rather, he didn't have time to deal with those idiots. Still, it was obvious that Johnny's way of "protecting" his sister was... excessive. But like they say — no one really knows what goes on behind closed doors.
Johnny Storm grew up depending on his sister and his aunt, which made him value them deeply. However, this strange overprotectiveness originated somewhere else — something to do with the fact that even though she was a year older, Sue was in the same academic semester as him.
'I know I don't have the right to control who my sister hangs out with, but I know the idiots and bastards around here — many of them are my friends. Sue's beautiful, and more than a few guys would kill to get her in bed. But I'm not gonna let that happen!'
Johnny knew his sister well. Other than a few friends, she never showed interest in forming close relationships. She was a cold girl, a strong girl, and Johnny knew she didn't need his protection. Even so, he owed everything to her and wanted to repay her by watching over her. One day, she'd meet a good man, and when that day came, Johnny would back off. But until then? No chance.
'There he is!'
Johnny almost lost sight of Allen. 'This guy's like a ghost. If I wasn't looking for him, I wouldn't even notice he was there.'
Johnny observed Allen — a discreet young man with a lazy yet confident look. And yet, he didn't seem arrogant. It was strange. His appearance stood out because of his eyes and hair, but his clothes were plain — not the kind worn by someone trying to impress others.
"Maybe I jumped the gun the first time I saw him."
Johnny Storm already knew about Allen. The first time he saw him in the cafeteria, he tried to pick a fight — but it didn't go his way, and he ended up with a sprained ankle. Fortunately, it wasn't serious. Johnny wasn't a bully — at least, that's what he told himself. He just got way too aggressive with anyone who got close to Sue. But after recovering, he took a step back and thought things through. Allen was different from the other idiots. At the very least, he didn't seem like a scumbag just trying to get Sue into bed.
With that in mind, Johnny decided to take a different approach. He began following the guy named Allen to find out what kind of person he really was.
Based on the way he walked or where he went, Allen just seemed like an ordinary student. When Johnny reached the classroom, he peeked in discreetly — and there he was, boldly sitting next to his sister. People were glancing at them, but neither seemed to care.
'Sis...'
Johnny gritted his teeth seeing that guy so close to his sister. But then he noticed something else — his sister was talking to him of her own free will. That surprised Johnny. Sure, he cared about her, but it's not like he stopped her from making friends. Still, Sue was always so cold and never showed interest in socializing.
'This is different than with Victor...' thought Johnny.
Johnny had known about Victor, but that guy was a weirdo — always gloomy and kind of dangerous. When Johnny confronted him, Victor swore he had zero romantic interest in her. And Sue had told Johnny that Victor was an elegant psychopath and that she didn't romantically see him.
Johnny had tried to accept that his sister was a bit weird. It took some effort, but he eventually stopped seeing it as a bad thing. However, right in front of his stunned eyes, his sister was talking cheerfully — or at least in a lively way — with a guy. She even smiled a few times. That's something Johnny knew was incredibly rare.
...
Johnny clenched his teeth and kept following the pair. They went to the library and started reading in silence — until Susan made a sarcastic comment about a book. But when she got an unexpected reply, her eyes widened, and then she laughed.
'My sister… is laughing…' Johnny thought in disbelief.
Even rarer than seeing Sue smile was seeing her laugh.
...
In the cafeteria, it was more of the same. While to others their interactions might've seemed casual — like acquaintances or friends — to Johnny, seeing his sister spend that much time with someone felt surreal.
Johnny wanted his sister to have friends and to be more social if possible. But… but.
'Why does it have to be a guy?!'
...
After a small joke, Susan stared silently at Allen. These "silences" were strange — as if the girl were analyzing, evaluating, or thinking about a question she couldn't answer.
Kurumi – Mmm she's a really strange girl... I don't feel like she's a crazy obsessive like Albedo-san or a dangerous goth like Wednesday-san kuhihihi~
Albedo – Ara, do you want to die?
Wednesday – …
As for Allen, he didn't think Susan was a Yandere either; at least there was no madness in her eyes. Her eyes were more melancholic and dark like the world didn't matter to her. Allen felt a lot of pity for Susan (Allen still thought she was a bullied girl), which is why he spent so much time with her. And, of course, he had already told Gwen, MJ, and Felicia what he was doing.
A couple of minutes passed until the girl gave a very faint smile, tilting her head to the side.
"Can I see your hand?"
Allen had already grown used to her silent gaze, and even though Sue's request was rather peculiar, he saw no reason to refuse.
He gave a half-smile. "Alright, but I don't think palm reading—"
Sue blinked silently. Allen, even though he hadn't known her long, was already beginning to understand her a little, so he simply extended his hand. She took it and began to examine it.
Sue's fingers moved across Allen's palm. It didn't take long before she frowned. Then she looked at Allen before turning her attention back to his hand. A large, sturdy, strong hand, although it had no calluses or scars, she noticed that the hand was used a lot in manual activities. Sue used her fingers to compare the size difference but then changed her expression to doubt, confusion, and then satisfaction.
'What a strange girl...' Allen thought with a smile a little softer than usual for a friend.
Sue seemed absorbed, and she spent a few more minutes with an expressionless face. Once she appeared satisfied, she let go of Allen's hand and grabbed her milkshake from the table to take a sip.
"…"
Allen raised an eyebrow but didn't ask what her purpose had been.
All of this was seen by Johnny, who had his mouth open in disbelief. But just like Allen, he couldn't figure out what was going through his sister's head.
Was this attraction? Did that girl see Allen as a man, or as some kind of creature to study?
Johnny couldn't answer those questions.
'Still… physical contact with a guy? That's not something my sister would ever do.'
Johnny didn't even know if he should be mad, or if he should step in.
"For a moment, I thought you were going to ask me to cut off my hand and give you..." Allen laughed, but Sue looked at him silently and Allen's smile faded, "I'm not going to give it to you..."
"Tsk..." Sue made a frustrated face, but seeing Allen's face of disbelief, she laughed, "Easy, I don't have that hobby, haha."
"You Little... hahaha"
...
"..." Watching the two of them together, Johnny felt like maybe he shouldn't interfere. 'I guess this day has come…'
Johnny turned around and left, heading back to his friends to prepare for practice before the upcoming state championship. Johnny wasn't as smart as his sister—he had to build a future through football, even if he didn't love the sport.
...
Johnny began to practice, but while throwing the football through the air, his mind was elsewhere.
He felt jealous of Allen. How dare he steal his sister? However, if he could see his sister every day as happy, as she was in the cafeteria, he could accept it.
'You better not hurt her, bastard… huh?!'
Johnny froze in the middle of the field, just as a play was starting, which caused him to get tackled hard. His coach scolded him, but none of that mattered because, in the distance, he saw the same guy he'd mentally entrusted his sister to (even though nothing was going on between Sue and Allen, and Sue didn't even know); he was hugging a beautiful white-haired girl. They looked very much in love and were kissing without a care in the world.
And it wasn't a simple kiss—it was long and passionate. Johnny's blood boiled like never before.
It was one thing for some guy to flirt with Sue, but cheating on her?
That was a level of audacity Johnny would never forgive.
He stood up with a murderous glare as if Allen were a cheating bastard who had strung Sue along for ten years and left her in the streets with three kids for some mistress.
"What the hell are you doing, Storm?!" the coach shouted.
"Johnny?!" his friends yelled.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
Johnny, losing all sense of rational thought, charged like a rabid dog toward Allen and Felicia, who looked in his direction, still hugging each other.
"Allen~" Felicia looked at Allen but denied knowing the guy.
"...?" Allen, for his part, had no connection to Johnny, and with Sue, they were barely friends. And thanks to the spell, it was unlikely this guy even had a problem with him.
Johnny ran, forgetting he still had the football in his hand. Even though it wasn't an official play, some of the players instinctively reacted and tried to stop him. But Johnny Storm was running so fast, he looked like a cheetah.
Allen complimented the guy while Felicia cuddled against his chest. "This guy's fast and has a strong will. At this rate, we're going to win the championship…"
Felicia purred, "Hmm~ since when do you care about sports?~"
"I don't. But I respect people who push themselves to reach their goals."
"AHHH! How dare you!"
Johnny couldn't comprehend how such a despicable man could exist. Just an hour ago, he was holding Sue's hand (well, technically she was the one holding his), and now he was using that same hand to hold another woman by the waist.
"My sister doesn't deserve this!"
Johnny crossed the goal line but wasn't planning to stop there. He was going to run off the field, jump Allen, and beat him down. He didn't care if he got expelled—nobody was going to hurt Sue while he was alive.
"Ah!"
What Johnny hadn't accounted for was a gorilla-sized player coming out of nowhere and slamming into him so hard that he knocked the wind out of him, broke a rib, and left him unconscious.
'Damn you… this isn't over…' Johnny swore on his mother's grave that he would not let this womanizer get his hands on his sister.
He was the quarterback—his main job was to throw the football as far as possible so someone else could catch it. So getting tackled by a wall of muscle and fat wrecked him.
"It's a dangerous sport…" Felicia muttered, slipping her hands inside Allen's coat to warm them up.
"Well, no one said being a star was easy…"
Allen nodded respectfully at the downed player, unaware that a massive misunderstanding had just been born.
…
(DC World)
Zatanna remained silent inside Lux Bar. She hugged her knees, knowing she was lost.
Zatanna's father had been a magician she admired—a man who taught her the secrets and wonders of magic. But one day, he disappeared. She searched for him for a long time, until Allen revealed to her that her father was in Hell, and it wasn't that he didn't want to see her, but that he couldn't; because of a curse cast by a witch.
"We were never supposed to see each other again…" Zatanna murmured.
She had made a deal with Allen, but she didn't want to put him in danger. Even though their interaction was brief, there had been a flash of feelings that kept her from taking advantage of him. That, and Zatanna's nature, is more aligned with that of a superhero.
With that in mind, she asked for help from the one being she should never have asked.
The Devil...
Not in a metaphorical, philosophical, or literary sense, but the actual Devil—the only being said to have true free will. The one who had faced entities capable of ending the Multiverse without flinching. The one who could create and destroy at will—who had even created his own world outside of God's will.
A being so powerful he could erase someone like Dr. Manhattan without even breaking a sweat…
That's who Zatanna went to.
The deal was simple: "Help me free my father, and in return, I'll give you all my magic."
Zatanna was willing to give up being a magician if it meant saving her father.
But she didn't expect Lucifer to reject her with these words:
"I have no need for your insignificant power."
That's right—to the Devil, one of the most powerful sorceresses in the DC universe was no more than an ant.
Zatanna was ready to give up… but the Devil made her a different offer.
"I'll help you for free, on the condition that if you fail, your soul will be mine."
The Devil smiled.
"Don't worry, I'm not really interested in you… but there's something you possess that caught my attention."
At the time, Zatanna didn't know what that was.
But now that he mentioned the contract with Allen, she understood.
Zatanna bit her lips until they bled—she hadn't wanted it to come to this.
"I'm sorry…"
The lonely girl fell silent in that place…
===
A/N: To be honest, there are more than a few people who would react like this if their sister got together with a guy like Allen. 😂
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