C: Johnny - Blog Posts

Mantis felt a warmth spread through her as Johnny wrapped his arm around her, the comfort of his presence grounding her. She let out a soft, contented sigh, leaning into him. "Thank you for sharing that with me," she said quietly, her antennae twitching gently as she spoke. "It's comforting to know I'm not alone in feeling this way. I didn't have a family for a long time, and it's still strange to think of the Avengers as my family, but I'm grateful for everyone in the tower." She turned her head slightly to look up at him, her eyes bright with sincerity. "If you ever feel like it's too much, you can always talk to me. Okay?"

"I get it. I was speaking from experience. I do, too." He looked up to see her already looking at him and smiled, shifting when she put her head on his shoulder so he could move his arm around her. "That was weirdly insightful this early in the morning while eating donuts," Johnny teased, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "I'm glad you feel like that, though," he continued, a moment later. "I know it's hard for a lot of people. It was for me." He dropped his head to the side, resting against hers. "Still is sometimes and I have my dad and stepdad here."

"You're right, Johnny. I do tend to overthink things sometimes," she admitted with a sheepish smile. "It's comforting to hear that I've fit in well with everyone here. I still feel like an outsider at times, but knowing that I have friends like you makes it easier." Her gaze lingered on his a bit longer before glancing around the common area, her eyes landing on the Avengers' emblem on the wall. "And you're right about not being normal. But I've learned that being different can be a strength." Mantis turned back to Johnny, her eyes sincere. "Thank you for reminding me that I have all of you. It means a lot." She leaned in a bit closer, resting her head on his shoulder as she picked at the rest of her doughnut. "And I'm glad to be here with all of you. Normal or not, it's nice to feel like I belong."

"I get that," Johnny nodded. "Self-imposed responsibility is a bitch. And you've had to think like that your whole life" He looked over at her and shrugged. "But you have a whole team of people around you now. You don't have to let the weight of everything weigh on just you anymore." He looked up at her, laughing at what she said next. "You are very welcome for that. And the doughnut." Johnny smiled. "Stop overthinking so much, though. You've fit in with all of us perfectly. We're not exactly normal anyway."

Mantis accepted the doughnut with a grateful smile, picking off a piece and popping it in her mouth before responding. "I know," she said sheepishly, her eyes meeting his. "It's just hard for me to turn off that part of my mind sometimes. I just, I don't know, feel responsible for everyone's well-being, especially when they're trusting me to provide a safe space." She paused, considering his words. "But you're right. Next time, I'll try to relax more and enjoy the party, promise." Mantis took another bite of her doughnut, smiling softly to herself. Not that long ago, she was mostly alone, only Ego to keep her company -- not that he ever thought of her as an actual person. Now that life seemed like it belonged to someone else. "Thank you, by the way. For this," she motioned with the doughnut, "and for helping me adjust to Earth."

Johnny smirked at her reaction. "Mhm. Double." He reached over her to get one of the doughnuts he brought in, nodding along to what she said. "Yeah, I think everyone had a pretty good time." He shifted so he was facing her after the doughnut was in hand and gave her a look, though it was halfhearted, at best. "And that's why I barely saw you all night. You can't do that, Bug. There's people whose jobs it is to take over for us when we're off-duty." He nudged her teasingly again, before handing over the one he'd gotten specifically for her. "So, next party no patrolling."

Mantis beamed at the praise, her antennae perking up even more. She returned the shoulder bump with a playful nudge of her own. "Double points? Wow, I feel so special!" she said teasingly, glad that everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. "I'm glad nothing bad happened. I was worried that something might go wrong. It was really hard to focus on the party at times, I found myself more patrolling than partying more than once."

Johnny smiled and shook his head. "You had nothing to be nervous about. You did good, Bug." He sat down beside her and gently bumped her shoulder with his. "Mhm, it was fun. Your extensive research on all things related to Earth parties paid off. And," he continued, nodding at her. "Nothing bad happened. That's been a constant at every other thing we've had as of late, so I think you get double points for that one."

"Thank you, Johnny," she replied, her voice filled with genuine gratitude. "I was nervous, but everyone seemed to have a good time." She tilted her head, studying Johnny's expression. "Did you really think it was good? I hope I didn't miss any important Earth party traditions."

"So," he started as he walked into the common area of the Avengers' quarters, bringing breakfast for both of them. "How do you feel after throwing your first party on Earth?" Johnny sat the food down on the table. "You did good." ; @guardianmantisx

"Well, I have been here for a few months now, it's about time I start acting more human." Mantis teased with a smile. As she focused, a gentle, glowing energy flowed from her fingertips, intending to ease the tension and soreness, replacing it with a feeling of relief. "There," she said softly, "feeling better?"

"Oh, damn. Look at you. Turning all human on me. No sympathy." But Johnny was smiling up at her as he said it. He raised a brow when she lifted her hand and shifted to look up at her. "Wait, seriously? Where have you been all my life? Yes, do it."

Mantis giggled softly, setting her water bottle down. "What's that saying you humans are so fond of? No pain, no gain? Wasn't this the goal, then?" Holding her hand up, she tilted her head to one side. "If you want, I can help. Easing discomfort is kind of my specialty."

@guardianmantisx asked: 💤  for  a  lazy  starter

"I can'tttttt do anything else," he complained as he crossed the gym to where she was sitting. Johnny plopped down beside her and laid his head in her lap, pouting up at her as he said, "I hurt in places I didn't know existed."

Mantis grinned at Johnny's reassurance, feeling a surge of confidence as they swayed to the music. Her antennae twitched with excitement, picking up the rhythm of the song as she followed Johnny's lead. Despite the unfamiliarity of Earth's customs, she found herself enjoying the moment, her worries melting away with each step. "Oh, well, this really isn't too difficult at all," she commented after a moment. "Thanks for dancing with me," she said softly, meeting his gaze with gratitude shining in her eyes. "It's really nice to just forget about, you know, everything that's happened. Even if only for a moment."

He smiled and took her hand, leading her to the middle of the dance floor. "I have danced with worse. I promise." Johnny kept his hand in hers and placed his other at her waist. "Besides, this is type of fancy ass dance isn't really custom anymore, so I think a lot of are out of our comfort zones." He smirked, "You're doing fine."

A squeal of delight escaped the tiny alien as she put her hand in his. "Well then, let's go," Mantis giggled in response, leading him to the dance floor. It was nice, to be able to relax like this after weeks of being on edge, even if she wasn't exactly familiar with all of Earth's dancing customs she found the activity to be quite enjoyable. "Sorry if I step on your toes. I'm still learning, but I'll follow your lead as best as I can!"

He laughed and set his glass down, reaching out to take her hand. "Why are you begging me? All you had to say was let's go."

Mantis listened intently to Johnny's words, feeling a sense of warmth and understanding wash over her. She appreciated his efforts to comfort her, even if she still struggled to fully grasp the complexities of human emotions. As he stopped walking and held both of her hands in his, she couldn't help but be touched by his sincerity. "Thank you, Johnny," she murmured, her voice soft yet filled with genuine gratitude. "Your words... they help." She offered him a tentative smile, her trust in him growing with each passing moment. "And yes, I understand what you mean," Mantis dropped her gaze momentarily, processing his words. "I'm just glad to know it doesn't mean I'm a bad person... I want to believe Tony is a good person, he's never given me a reason to think otherwise. This was just a lot."

"Yeah. Well, I mean it was kinda the first big thing that happened for you down here," he mused, giving her a small, but reassuring, smile when she finally looked up at him. But then Mantis continued and he stopped walking, the amusement fading and giving way to a more concerned expression. "You should be able to, yeah. But you saw something that scared you and made you have doubt. That's okay, babe." Johnny lifted his his free hand and held both of hers in his own as he came to a stop in front of her. "It's a normal reaction to what happened. And it was freaky as hell. Being worried about it is only human." Johnny wrinkled his nose, almost immediately catching himself. "You know what I mean."

Mantis nodded slowly, her expression a mixture of vulnerability and gratitude as she squeezed Johnny's hand back, drawing comfort from his reassuring touch. "Yes," she admitted softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was… unsettling." Her gaze drifted to the ground for a moment before she met Johnny's eyes again. "But I'm glad we made it out alright. It was still very odd to see the Iron Man suits attack people like that. What if it happens again?" She bit her lip, pausing briefly. "Not to mention it's made me doubt Tony a bit, and I hate that feeling the most. He's a teammate, I should be able to trust him."

Johnny gave her a mock pout when she hesitated, but took her hand when she did reciprocate and gave it reassuring squeeze. "It's fine if you're not," he said, easily, fingers lacing around hers as he led her out. "No one's fine all the time." Johnny looked over at her. "Is it because of what just happened?"

As Johnny approached, she hesitated for a moment before tentatively extending her hand towards him. "The park sounds nice," she agreed, her tone soft and uncertain. "But what if I'm not fine?" Her antennae twitched with uncertainty as she followed him, hoping for reassurance in the midst of her newfound doubt.

"Well, that was a lie." Johnny gave her a knowing look and left the door so he could walk over to her. He made grabby hands towards her. "Come on. Let's go to the park or something. Get you some fresh, not Stark-owned air." He smirked. "You'll be fine."

She wasn't good, but she did her best to put on a smile and nod at the question. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Mantis said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I've just been on edge since the whole thing at the gala. I'm worried whoever did it is still out there, and since we don't know who they are...." she trailed off with a slight sigh. "It's just nerve wracking."

"Uh." Johnny stopped at the door and looked at her. And then he looked out into the hall. "I was just going out for coffee..." Johnny turned back at her. "You good?"

Mantis's smile grew tense at the mention of splitting up siblings, the comment having stirred up her mixed emotions about helping Ego with his mission to find a Celestial heir and what he'd done to those that didn't share his abilities. "Siblings are important, I'd never break them up if it could be avoided," she replied, doing her best to keep her emotions from bubbling over onto him. The sadness Ego brought upon her was the last thing she'd wish on anyone. "And don't tempt me with the zoo idea! The zoo is amazing, I'd live there if I could. Animals have such interesting emotions, and their feelings are much simpler to understand sometimes. It sounds like a dream, honestly."

He snorted softly and leaned his head against hers as they walked. "You can justify it if there's a sibling pair. Can't split up siblings." Johnny tilted his head enough to look down at her and smirked, only lifting it completely when they got to the ice cream shop. Reaching out to open the door for her, he continued, "Seriously, though. I'm excited for you. I think it'll be really good. And look, if this whole superhero thing doesn't work out for either of us, I'm totally down for opening our own zoo."

Wrapping her arm around his, she rested her temple against his shoulder. The thought of walking out with twelve animals sounded like a dream, like those videos she'd seen of famous people playing with an entire litter of puppies while they answered questions. Mantis had only watched those videos for the puppies, of course; she had no idea who the people were, but they looked quite happy. "I think we'll start with one and see what happens with that. Maybe two..." she paused, biting back a smirk. "Okay, three tops! But really, I can't go too crazy."

Johnny laughed and grabbed her hand, running alongside her as if they actually were running from someone, and not just skipping out on a mandatory meeting. "Mission accomplished. Good job, agent." He smirked and gave her a wink as he dropped her hand, holding his arm out for her to take instead. "Oh yeah?" Johnny led her across the street, in the direction of the ice cream shop. "I think it'll be really good for you. Well, maybe," he added, teasingly. "You might come out with twelve instead of one."

With how badly she was craving ice cream now, there was no way she would let anybody stand in their way. As Johnny looked around cautiously, Mantis poked her head around the corner, observing the surroundings with heightened awareness and anticipation. "The path is clear for now," she whispered. "We can make a run for it! Come on, Johnny! Ice cream awaits!" Mantis didn't hesitate to take the lead, darting towards the door, her movements quick and agile. As they reached the exit, she shot a mischievous grin at Johnny before slipping through. "Freedom tastes as sweet as ice cream," she remarked with a satisfied smile, happily twirling in the sunshine. "We make a great team, you know. This was a very successful mission, and we've definitely earned our treat. I think I might get rocky road..." Although she was never really sure what flavor she was getting until she was in front of it. "Oh, by the way! I've decided it's time for me to get a pet of my own. Peyton has cats at home, and I really enjoy their company. Plus, having a pet is all part of the human experience, right? That's what I'm here for!"

"Right? They're the best kind of missions. Super spy mission." Johnny smirked when she got down and made herself as small as possible, only trailing after her when she gave him the green light to do so. "Mhmm. Safe zone is totally the ice cream shop. And everyone here is our enemy because they're going to keep us at work and from going to the ice cream shop." Johnny looked to the door and back again. The path was clear. He knew the place was full of cameras, but whatever. The safe zone was calling. He'd deal with it later if someone caught them and actually thought it was worth it to raise hell about. 'We can make a run for it?" Johnny looked back at Mantis, completely serious. "Think we should risk it?"

"Oh, a stealth mission! I love those," Mantis giggled softly. As they crept into the hallway, she lowered into a crouching position to appear as small as possible. She couldn't contain her excitement, her antennae twitching with anticipation. With each step, she moved as silently as she could, eyes wide and scanning the surroundings. So far it seemed as though the hallways were deserted, making the game all too easy. Pausing at a corner, Mantis poked her head carefully to ensure nobody was in their path. "Coast is clear," she whispered, motioning for Johnny to follow as she pushed forward, excitement building as their chances of winning looked better with every step. She so hoped they won this game. "Where are we headed when we get out of here? Where's the safe zone? Oooh, is it the ice cream shop? That would be the best prize!"

Johnny opened his mouth to mention the door was going to slam, but Mantis caught it before he could. He snorted softly when she tiptoed over to him, tilting his head to look at her. He glanced back at the door, and then to her again, before answering, in a quiet voice, "Everyone who isn't us is it." He smirked and took her hand, tugging her back towards the door. Cracking it open and nodding into the seemingly empty hallway, Johnny continued, "And we have to get out quietly and quickly before anyone sees or hears us."

Mantis quickly caught the door before it slammed shut behind her, making sure to ease it closed before tiptoeing over to him. "So, we're playing hide and seek? I love this game!" She found a spot that was out of view should anyone else open the door, hand covering her mouth to stifle her giggles. "Who's it?"

"If you're coming in here, be quiet about it. Because I'm definitely not hiding from a mandatory meeting."

She tilted her head, her large eyes blinking in contemplation. "Oh, fostering," Mantis repeated, while absentmindedly petting Luna. The pup was content in her lap, her head flopped to the side so her tongue was hanging out of her mouth. Mantis was glad that Johnny had brought them in, they were quite amusing. "That sounds like a good plan, even if it would be hard to say goodbye to them when they get adopted." Giving the dog one last scratch behind the ear, Mantis looked back at Johnny. "Think we should take this play date to the park?"

"Yeah, of course." He smiled at her and nodded. Johnny moved so Noelle could curl up on his lap. "I get that. It's like having a fluffy toddler around," he smirked, ruffling the puppy's hair, looking up at Mantis. "There's a thing called fostering, though. It's when dogs at the shelter need a home, but they stay with foster families while they wait to be adopted. So that way you could get the feel for having one, but it's not permanent. You can try it out."

Mantis smiled warmly as she considered the idea of adopting a furry friend, the notion of forming a connection with a small Earth creature intrigued her. "I think I would like that. Would you go with me to pick one out?" Not that she was looking to get one right at that moment, although she probably wouldn't need much coercing to change her mind. She was quite enjoying the companionship of her new friends already. Having one around all the time sounded very pleasant. "You know, when I'm ready for one. I don't think I'm quite there yet."

"Yeah. Tell me about it. It gets everywhere." The white fur on his hand after he ruffled Luna's fur was evident of that. He smirked when she curled up on Mantis's lap and looked up at her. "They've been coming with me on days we aren't out on a mission, so feel free to whenever. Just not permanently, because my husband would hunt you down," he teased and sat beside her, gently bumping her shoulder. "You should totally adopt one, though."

Mantis could hardly contain the squeal that escaped her as she sank to the ground, allowing the puppies to run up and jump all over her. "They're so fuzzy!" she giggled, the warm glow from her antennae an evident sign of her excitement. Her hands found a spot behind Luna's ear, the dog leaned into her palm as Mantis gave her a light scratch. "Oh, they're so sweet... Careful, I might steal them from you." She paused, tossing Johnny a playful smirk. "Actually, I think they're telling me they want to come with me."

"Yesss," he smirked and reached over to take her hand, tugging her out to lead her to the next room. Both puppies were making themselves comfortable in the common area of the Tower. "The white one is Luna and the black one is Noelle," Johnny said, as they walked in. He dropped her hand so she could go over to them. "Noelle's only a few months old. Her sister's a little older, but not much."

Mantis's eyes widened with excitement at the mention of puppies, her antennae quivering with anticipation. "Puppies? I would love to meet them!" She'd only seen a few dog-like creatures during her travels through space, but to actually meet one? It was an actual dream come true, as they'd quickly become one of her favorite creatures of Earth. Second possibly only to cats. Leaving her pillow fort behind, Mantis jumped up with a happy squeal, ready to greet her new best friends. "What do you call them?"

Johnny laughed when he walked inside, shaking his head at her antics. "You're actually so adorable it's ridiculous." He smirked at her. "I could join you, but I brought two someones for you to meet and I think they'd go crazy with the teddy bears." He nodded to the door. "I told you I had puppies way cuter than the videos."

Mantis had created the ultimate haven of fluffiness, she sat proudly surrounded by an array of plush cushions and soft blankets, hugging a teddy bear tightly to her chest. "Come join me in the fluffiness," she exclaimed, patting the cushion next to her. The room seemed to radiate with a serene charm, with plush toys adorning the space it added an extra touch of whimsy. "I've created a fluffy haven and it's quite delightful. Feel free to share in the coziness and tell me about your day! And look! I have snacks, too!"

🥰 for a fluffy starter for @j-stcrm