The Weight of Us [Fantastic Four/Avengers Fic]

Chapter One

Oyster Bay, New York

October 2002

The first time Skylar Young meets Reed Richards, she saves his life.

Well, to say she 'saved his life' may be stretching the truth a bit, but Skylar was sure an eight year old couldn't survive the severe beat down he was receiving for long. Even in her third grade mind, Skylar wondered how her fellow classmates could just walk past the struggle without sparing a glance—their small minds too focused on getting one last game of tag in before the buses arrived to take them home.

Skylar closed her copy of The Cosmic Connection—a gift from her Mother to cheer her up during the grueling divorce process—before getting up from the bench and making her way towards the bundle of trees. Clutching her book to her small chest, Skylar tucked a stray chestnut strand of hair behind her ear, as if a 'neat look' would stop these bullies. They don't notice her at first, and Skylar wonders if this is a sign that she should run, but decides against it; her parents taught her to be brave, and that was what she was going to do.

"Excuse me?" Her voice is timid, and gets lost in the sounds of punching and kicking. She ignores the shaking of her hands as she yells a bit louder. "Hey!"

That makes them stop. The trio of bullies turn to face her—their slightly-taller physique telling Skylar that they a grade above herself—with raised eyebrows, wondering why anyone would dare to stop their fun. The victim takes this time to catch his breath, his head tilting to the side in hopes to get a look at the idiot who decided to play the part of his savior.

"Can we help you?" One of the bullies ask, crossing his arms.

Skylar gestures to the boy on the ground. "You...you can help me by leaving him alone."

The bullies share a quick laugh, and Skylar realizes that she may be way over her head in this situation. Yet, she stands her ground, waiting for the boys to finish their chuckles like an impatient teacher waiting to continue a lesson. The second bully's smile fades.

"You're serious?" She nods. "Why would we do that?"

Skylar remembers a time in second grade in which a boy gave her a bruise. She didn't want him to get in trouble for the accident, but when an adult thinks a little girl was hurt on purpose, the punishment was swift.

"Because I'm not afraid to bruise myself up a bit just to blame it on you three."

The third bully scoffs. "You're lying."

She looks up at one of the trees. "I wonder how big my bruise would be if I were to get 'pushed' out of that tree." Skylar then looked at the trio. "I'm sure Ms. Lang wouldn't be happy with whoever left a mark on one of her favorite students."

"You're insane." The first bully shook his head before looking at his crew. "Let's get out of here."

Skylar watches as they walk away, making sure that they have no plans to come back. When she sees them taking homage on one of the benches, she turns to see the victim sitting upright, his hands shaking as he puts his dirty glasses back on. Skylar puts herself on his level by getting on her knees, not caring about the dirt that is seeping into them.

"Are you okay?" She asked, but Skylar was sure she already knew the answer.

It's the first time Reed is able to truly look at his savior. Her hazel eyes are staring at him, full of concern as she licks her chapped lips. Her chestnut hair stops just above her shoulders, and he can see a loose beret hanging within the strands. She's pretty, and Reed wonders why she would step in to help him when girls never really came to his aid before.