Blue is not Namor's color...

CHAPTER 3

"I'm NOT wearing this," said Namor, throwing the blue uniform with the white circle and the black 4 on the floor.

Sue rolled her eyes in annoyance. Namor was as stubborn and temperamental as a child. His moods were so unpredictable, but the Invisible Woman had already suspected that his outfit harbored the potential for conflict.

Namor spent most of his time walking around the Baxter Building naked. Of course, only when the children weren't there. The reason was that in Atlantis, clothes were only worn on special occasions.

The only ones who were permanently clothed were the soldiers and guards. The Sea Folk loved beauty and didn't want to cover their faces with fabric. That's what tattoos and body jewelry were for.

"Listen, Namor..." said Sue, bending down to pick up the costume.

She smoothed the fabric.

"...as much as you're a pleasing sight to the ladies..."

Namor snorted in agreement. She knew that flattery and compliments could cool his temper. Even if only briefly.

"...on the surface, you can't be out fighting evil if you don't wear pants."

"You're so uptight and prudish," he said, folding his arms.

"Maybe, but the team decided you'd be a temporary member of the Fantastic Four, and by joining, you were, too." with clothes."

"I don't remember that," he grumbled as Sue pressed his superhero costume back into his hands.

Sue had gotten used to the sight of Namor naked and was sure she could never get tired of it. Thanks to his blue mother and black father, the King of Atlantis had a unique black skin color, reminiscent of the dark blue night sky. But nothing more than fleeting, secret glances had happened in Namor's presence in the meantime. Unlike the King of Atlantis, who liked to flirt and compliment her when they were alone.

It was nice to be desired by such an attractive man, but Sue was aware that Namor was a womanizer and probably had dozens of notches in his bedpost.

"The costume won't disfigure you."

Namor sighed, felt the fabric, and whispered something softly in his native language.

"What?"

"Blue isn't my color at all."

"But?"

"Green."

Their uniforms were blue simply because their spacesuits had also been blue during the accident.

"I'm wearing it. For your sake. But you'll thank me for it."

"Sorry?" Sue asked, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"I'm going to design a costume for you to wear," he grinned, struggling to get his leg tucked into his pants.

"I'm curious, but please, when choosing a costume, don't forget Namor..."

She walked to the door and glanced over her shoulder at him.

"...I never said I was uptight and prudish," were her last words before she left the room and closed the door behind her.

"I just can't figure it out," Reed murmured worriedly. As always, Sue found her husband in front of his computers. His large lab was filled with debris from the ship from Atlantis. Johnny and Ben had gathered some and even managed to salvage a few hard drives. Of course, the disks were badly damaged and incompatible with surface technology, but Mr. Fantastic didn't have mere mortal technology at his disposal.

"What's going on?" Sue asked, approaching the leader of the group.

"The data analysis. It's like trying to examine the multiverse through the eye of a needle made up of only unfamiliar shapes, numbers, and letters."

"You'll manage," she said, massaging his shoulders.

She saw a sequence of different data streams being analyzed and translated on the screen. He'd been working on it for days, and the percentage bar was still at 0.5 percent.

"What are you hoping to find?"

"I don't know," he said, and it was something he rarely said.

"Can't Namor help you?"

"He says it's all junk and the data is incomplete. He can only recognize isolated words."

"Maybe he's just hurting from the memory of those he's lost."

"Could be."

Reed gave several translation programs. He needed a separate program for almost every single letter.

"How's the king?"

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice?" Sue asked, surprised, giggling.

"More than a little," Reed admitted.

Now Sue was more than surprised. She wasn't used to hearing such honest words from him very often.

"I haven't missed how he's courting you," he said worriedly.

"Oh, Reed, you have to understand Namor too," she said, ruffling his brown hair.

He turned his chair to face his wife.

"He's locked up here, and I'm the only woman he has around. In Atlantis, women were probably all at his feet."

"As long as you're not at his feet."

"Those are new words from my husband."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Reed, darling. My love for you and our children is as strong as the Hulk," she said, giving him a kiss.

He replied.

"Why did you even agree to keep him on the team?"

"I don't completely trust him, and it's good that we're keeping an eye on him. King or not, he can be a powerful ally or a dangerous new adversary."

Sue, unfortunately, had to agree. Of course, Marvel's First Family was paramount when it came to trust and optimism, but their adventures had also taught them that not every enemy wore a cape and made malicious speeches.

"What's that?" asked Sue, whose attention was captured by a damaged sarcophagus. It was made of heavy metal, inscribed with bars and Atlantean runes.

From the ship, too. I don't understand its purpose since it's empty."

Maybe it's just an empty shipping crate," she joked.

"Unlikely," he said simply, returning to his computer.

"I'll go check on Franklin and Valeria."

"And he looks damn good too," he added.

"Really? I didn't even notice."