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He sat bolt upright in bed. The thunder had been loud enough to shake the windows. Shaking windows in the Baxter Building usually didn’t bode well for its occupants and it took longer than it should have for him to truly believe that the storm was the only culprit. Get blasted into space or the Negative Zone one too many times and it can make you jumpy.
He listened to the rain pound on the windows, taking a few deep breaths and trying to slow his heart down before lying back down. His head had barely touched the pillow when a tiny voice crept through the darkness. “Unca Johnny…”
“Val?” She was standing in the door way, teddy bear clutched tightly and rubbing her eyes. “How’d you get out of bed, honey?”
“Scared.” He swung his feet onto the floor and she quickly wrapped herself around one of his calves. He reached own pulling the tiny girl into his arms. Her eyes went wide as another crack of thunder pierced the air. Unshed tears made her eyes shine in the dark. Another loud boom found her burying her face in his chest. A small sob escaped her lips.
“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head and cuddled her close. “The storm can’t hurt you.”
“Promise?” She looked up at him, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“Yeah, baby girl. I promise.”