{Chapter: 37 - I'm The Unofficial Therapist For All Beautiful Women}
"Yes, I'm sure he's not a bad person. Just emotionally removed—tethered more to quantum math than to the people who love him. And yet," Aiden said softly, "you're still not happy. You're here. Sitting with a stranger. Trying not to cry. That says a lot."
Susan looked down at her hands. She didn't argue.
Aiden's voice dropped to something gentler, steadier—like he was speaking to her soul now. "You don't have to orbit around anyone else's gravity. Not Doom. Not Reed. Not Johnny. Not the team. You are not a side note in someone else's story. You're Susan Storm. A force of nature. You've been breaking quietly for a long time. You know how many people would trade everything just to stand at your side?"
"Apparently one did," she murmured bitterly, "and he turned into a tyrant in a metal mask."
Aiden chuckled low. "Yeah, Doom's a tragic, egomaniacal mess with great fashion sense. But even he saw something extraordinary in you. Problem is, he wanted to own it. Reed wants to study it."
Susan's eyes snapped up. "And what about you? What would you do with it?"
Aiden leaned forward, gaze locked on hers. "I'd worship it. Then I'd step back and let it shine however it wanted to."
A long pause.
Then Susan let out a shaky breath, covering her face with both hands. "You really are trying to be my therapist."
"No," he said quietly. "I'm trying to be your friend. One who won't let you bottle up all this pain until it explodes in a fiery disaster. You know how dangerous suppressed emotions are. We've both seen it. Mutants lose control. Heroes fall. You? You crack the sky open when your heart breaks."
She didn't deny it.
"I get it," he continued, "you love Reed. You always have. But love shouldn't feel like drowning in silence, Sue. And this version of you—guarded, guilty, exhausted—it's not just hurting you. It's hurting the people who love you. Maybe that involves even him.
Susan's throat tightened. "You're saying I should give up?"
"No," Aiden said, firm but kind. "I'm saying you shouldn't die while trying to stay alive in a relationship that's forgotten your heartbeat. You can choose to stay, if that's what you want. Or you can choose to walk away—not in hate, but in love. Love for yourself. For the woman you used to be. The one who danced. The one who laughed. The one who sashayed down the catwalk like they owned it at fashion week. The one who made even the Invisible Woman impossible to ignore."
She wiped at her eyes, voice trembling. "And if walking away breaks him?"
Aiden leaned forward again, hand resting palm-up between them—not reaching, just open. "Then it breaks him. And he'll rebuild. Like all brilliant men do. But you? You'll finally stop bleeding in silence. And that will be worth everything."
There was a long, heavy pause. Then Susan let out a breath she'd been holding for too long.
"You really are trying to be my therapist," she said with a weak smile.
"No," he said softly. "I'm trying to be your friend. The one who reminds you that your pain matters. The one who sees the cracks even when you hide them behind sarcasm and politeness. The one who says, 'It's okay to not be okay.'"
Her eyes misted again, but she laughed through it. "Dr. Emotional Support. I should put that on your business card."
"Please. I'm basically the honorary therapist for emotionally complex, dangerously beautiful women. If there were a merit badge for 'Most Likely to Be Cursed for Excessive Charm,' I'd be wearing it next to my 'Unofficial Heart Healer' pin. It's all on my résumé—right under 'Can Handle Trouble in Heels.'"
She chuckled. "You're ridiculous."
"And yet here you are. Smiling again."
Their eyes met. And lingered.
"For what it's worth," Aiden added, "I'm not here to save you. Just to remind you that you don't have to save everyone else while drowning. That's not your job. You can let go."
Her hands slid down, revealing misty eyes and a tentative smile. "So what do you suggest, Dr. Emotional Support?" She exhaled slowly. "And do what? Where would I even go?"
"Anywhere. A vacation. A retreat. Go on a vacation. Seriously. Leave the Baxter Building. Leave Reed. Leave Johnny. Go somewhere—Hawaii, Paris, that planet you mentioned in passing once that has floating islands. Somewhere you want. Alone. Not to run, but to breathe. And maybe… scream. Cry. Dance. Surf. Just feel. Be Susan—not the sister, not the girlfriend, not the heroine. Just you. And then… come back. If you want. But on your terms."
She looked at him. Quiet. Tired. Moved.
"And if I don't come back?"
He smiled. "Then I'll know you finally found peace."
A long beat.
She wiped her eyes. "So, what happens if I come back?"
"Then," he said, standing and offering a hand to help her up, "you can come back. Not for them. For you. Because you'll know what you want. And you won't let anyone drag you back into silence again."
Then Susan reached out and took his hand.
"I don't know if I'm ready," she whispered.
"You don't have to be. Nobody is ready for anything. Just don't ignore the part of you that's already trying to leave."
"You really think I can do that?" she asked.
"I know you can. The only thing stronger than your powers, Sue, is your heart. But it's time you stopped letting it be a silent partner in someone else's life plan."
She smiled, this time fuller, bolder. "You're dangerously good at this."
He winked. "Healing broken hearts is a hobby. Making them beat again? That's art."
She shook her head, lips twitching. "You're insane."
"And yet here you are. Smiling again while holding my hand."
For the first time in longer than she could remember, Susan Storm didn't feel invisible.
She felt… seen.
Their eyes lingered a moment longer than necessary.
For the first time in a while, Susan Storm felt like she could breathe.
After sitting there in silence, their fingers gently entwined, neither of them spoke. The quiet between them wasn't empty—it pulsed with all the unspoken words, the pain, the regrets, the warmth of simple connection. For the first time in a long while, Susan felt something that resembled peace. Aiden's presence wasn't demanding or suffocating—it was steady, present, kind.
She may not want to admit it, but his words deeply affected her.
Then, like a wave cresting unexpectedly, Susan moved.
Without warning, her head tilted, her lips pressing softly to his.
Aiden's eyes widened. Shock flickered across his face. But just a second later, he gently turned his head away, breaking the kiss before it could deepen.
Susan froze.
Realization hit her like a slap. Her breath caught as if she'd been dunked in ice water. Tears welled in her eyes, overflowing before she could stop them.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, horrified by her own impulse.
But Aiden—ever steady—reached out and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear. His voice was soft but firm.
"Hey… don't take this the wrong way," he said gently. "Susan, if I'm being honest… having you would be a dream. I'd be the luckiest bastard in the world. But right now? Your heart's not where it needs to be. Not yet."
Her lip trembled, eyes filled with confusion, vulnerability, a hundred emotions clashing inside.
"I meant what I said before," Aiden continued, still holding her gaze. "You need to find yourself again first. Heal. Breathe. Scream if you have to. But don't leap into another ship when you're still patching holes in the last one. That's not love—that's drowning."
He paused, his voice dipping even softer, gentler. "I don't want to be another lifeboat you climb into because you're sinking. I want to be the shore you swim toward because you chose it. Because you're strong enough to reach it on your own."
He drew in a quiet breath, eyes steady. "I want all of you, not the fragments left behind by someone else. And I won't take advantage of a woman whose heart is still in pieces—emotionally vulnerable—that's not the man I am, and that's not the kind of love you deserve."
"I want all of you, Susan—the version of you that stands tall, not the one still learning how to breathe through the wreckage. And as much as I care for you, I won't be the man who kisses a heart still bleeding just to feel something for himself. That's not love. That's selfish. And that's not the kind of man I am."
Susan broke, her shoulders trembling as she finally let the tears fall without restraint. Aiden just pulled her into a quiet embrace, pressing a kiss to her cheek—tender, reassuring.
When she finally calmed down, wiped her eyes, cleaned her face and now something was different. She wasn't whole—but she was clearer. Lighter. Like a burden had finally been spoken aloud.
They stood together, hands still loosely linked.
As they began walking out of the room, Susan sniffed, her tone lightly teasing but hoarse. "You know Johnny's going to set your shoes on fire. If finds out about this"
Aiden smirked, brushing off imaginary soot from his shoulder. "Ah yes, the fiery little brother trial. Comes with the territory. Besides, if I didn't upset at least one member of the Fantastic Four, would I even be doing this right?"
She gave a tired laugh—and it was real this time.
Then Aiden's voice sobered again, his expression turning thoughtful as they reached the hallway. "Alright. Time to reduce the hostility levels from both your team and SHIELD. I'll help. Again."
He glanced at her sideways with a playful grin. "Though you owe me one hell of a vacation after this. I'm thinking Hawaii. You, me, zero drama. Just sun, silence, you in a sexy bikini
and maybe a few floating cocktails."
Susan bumped her shoulder against his, the gesture more fond than flirtatious.
"Let's survive this week first," she murmured.
Aiden nodded. "Deal. But after that… no more living like you're dying inside. You deserve more than that. And so does anyone who truly loves you—including Reed."
Susan didn't respond right away.
But she looked at him—really looked—and something in her gaze had shifted. The pain was still there, but it wasn't swallowing her anymore. It had shape. Boundaries. It no longer owned her.
"I'll find my way back," she said finally, voice quiet but steady. "Not for anyone else. For me."
Aiden's smile was warm, proud, maybe even a little relieved.
"Now that's the Sue Storm I was waiting to meet."
And side by side, they walked into the chaos. Not as savior and victim. Not as a rebound and rescuer.
But as two people standing in the aftermath, daring to believe in healing.
Together.