"It's ready." Felicia grabbed Harry's arm, feeling the shape of his bones.
"En," Harry responded softly, setting aside his thoughts.
Felicia suddenly hugged him tightly. Harry felt a bit of pain, but he didn't resist.
"Harry..." Felicia pressed her cheek against his chest, her voice coming out softly.
"Hmm..." Harry caressed her short chestnut hair, letting out a questioning hum.
"I'm worried about you, Harry," came her gentle voice again from against his chest.
Harry looked down at the woman in his arms and exhaled helplessly. Though he appreciated her worry, he didn't want Felicia to fret too much—there would only be more of these situations in the future.
"Felicia," Harry whispered.
"What's the matter—ah!" Felicia was pushed onto the sofa by Harry. Her hair fell in front of her eyes, and before she could respond with a startled cry, Harry had already leaned over her.
"Harry! What are you doing?" Felicia gasped when his lips brushed her cheek.
"Nothing," Harry said as he got up and pulled Felicia onto his lap.
"Harry!" she exclaimed again, embarrassed by the posture.
"Felicia," Harry called softly.
Slap!
"Ah! Harry!" Felicia felt the sting as he spanked her, her face flushing red with anger.
But Harry's expression didn't change as he continued.
Slap!Slap!Slap!Slap!
"Harry... huh!" Felicia's voice trembled, her chestnut hair hanging low to cover her flushed face. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Harry's hand began to ache, and he finally stopped.
Hearing Felicia's soft, restrained breathing, Harry's expression turned curious, as though he'd discovered something unexpected.
"Felicia," he said, lightly touching her trembling shoulder.
After a moment, Felicia finally stirred.
Harry stared at her profile intently, and she turned her face away to avoid his gaze. The air between them grew heavy.
"Felicia," Harry's voice finally broke the awkward silence.
"Hmph!" Felicia gave a small, defiant hum without looking at him.
"Don't be like this next time," Harry sighed, rubbing her slightly damp hair.
Felicia stayed silent for a moment before turning her head to meet Harry's light blue eyes.
"Trust me. I'll be fine—always," Harry said gently, turning her around to sit facing him, then wrapped his arms around her.
"Hmm." Felicia leaned weakly against his chest, her voice low and drowsy.
"Trust me," Harry murmured again.
...
As night fell, Osborne Industries gradually emptied of employees. But Harry couldn't leave as usual—after his afternoon with Felicia, he still had a pile of documents to finish. Now, he sat behind his desk, grimacing as he flipped through the paperwork.
"Felicia, let's handle the rest tomorrow," Harry said with a pout, looking at her.
"No," Felicia replied flatly, taking the reviewed document away and opening another one.
Just then, a bright light flared in the distance. Harry, facing the glass window, squinted at the sudden glow.
"That's coming from the Baxter Building," he said after a moment's thought.
New York's Baxter Building—at Madison Avenue and 40th Street—was home to the city's new superhero team, the Fantastic Four.
As the light at the top of the building grew brighter, a wide section of the city's streets suddenly blacked out, and the outage began to spread.
Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards, and the Invisible Woman, Susan Storm, had just ended their date and were walking home under the streetlights, laughing together. Suddenly, the power failure made the Baxter Building stand out starkly against the dark skyline.
"No... Baxter Building—it's Ben!" Reed realized instantly. Aside from the solar reversal machine he had built, nothing else could have overloaded the city's grid like this.
"What's wrong, Reed?" Susan asked, frowning at his sudden change in expression.
"Something's happened to Ben—he's activated the machine!" Reed shouted, stretching his arms to grab a lamppost, then slingshotting himself forward at incredible speed.
"Reed!" Susan called out, extending a hand, but he was already gone.
"Idiot!" she cursed under her breath, stamping her foot before taking off after him with long, determined strides.
Everything was unfolding exactly as planned.
...
"Still no call?" Harry muttered while signing another document.
"What?" Felicia looked up, puzzled by his quiet words.
"Ring—"
Right on cue, Harry's phone began to buzz.
"Here we go," Harry said, dropping his pen and picking up the glowing phone.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Osborne, we need your help," came a deep, weary female voice.
"Miss Storm, what's going on?" Harry asked calmly, leaning back in his chair.
"Mr. Osborne—ah!" The Invisible Woman suddenly cried out in pain, her words breaking off.
Harry pressed the phone closer to his ear, listening carefully.
"Susan... Invisible Woman... why not return to my side, as before?" a deep male voice said. Harry instantly recognized it—it was Victor von Doom.
"I... refuse," Susan's strained voice came through, clearly suppressed by something.
"I'm going, Felicia," Harry said as he hung up and opened the window.
"Go," Felicia replied simply, pausing her pen for a heartbeat before resuming her work without looking up.
"Yeah." Harry nodded, satisfied with her calm reaction, and leapt out of the Osborne Building in one smooth motion.
In the steel jungle where the city lights flickered back to life, a dark figure streaked swiftly between the towering buildings.
---
A/N: New Fanfic Is Out " Naruto: I'm Boruto Uzumaki"
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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