Constants and paradoxes

When Franklin arrived in the timeline he’d chosen, the Fantastic Four had just defeated Galactus and saved the world. Reed and Sue had no idea that, in a few years, Franklin would be taken by his grandfather Nathaniel, raised in another era and that there would be nothing they could do about it. But Franklin wasn’t here to stop it. He didn’t want to change what had happened, even though he could have erased those painful years for everyone, including himself, and replaced them with something beautiful. Sometimes fate was necessary. Sometimes suffering was what shaped things. And, truthfully, Franklin didn’t long for the idea of a real, loving family. He knew his parents loved him, knew they had tried everything to find and save him.. and that was enough. In that sense, his grandfather had never managed to manipulate him or convince him otherwise. Still, the young Richards had a goal, one he kept to himself, one he didn’t fully understand yet. He had locked away most of his powers, set to return only when the time was right, and even his memories of that knowledge had faded when he crossed into this unfamiliar timeline. They said revealing yourself to the past as a traveler from the future was dangerous, that it could throw everything off balance, but Franklin himself was chaos incarnate. He understood how to bend physical laws, and he knew how to restore equilibrium.

When he entered Baxter Tower, a smirk tugged at his lips. Early childhood flashbacks stirred in his mind, and of course, nothing had changed, it was exactly as he remembered. His father was buried in his work, as always, while his mother was likely out with his younger self. It wasn’t hard to bypass security, his DNA was close enough to Reed’s that the systems accepted him. The familiar scent of hot circuitry and chemical compounds filled the lab. He shrugged off his long coat, stood behind his father, who hadn’t noticed him yet, and raised an eyebrow before clearing his throat.

“Before you ask.. yes, it’s a time paradox. No, you can’t solve it, and yes, I already tried to build the equation, but equations don’t matter much in the time I come from. I just wanted to see if you still hide in your work when things get emotionally complicated. Apparently, you do... and I’m guessing you still will in twenty-one years.”

There was no reproach in his tone, it sounded more like teasing. Franklin was emotionally perceptive, deeply empathetic but dry in his humor. It was something he had over his father, and he used it now to break the ice. Reed slowly turned around. Even though the situation was absurd, he didn’t seem startled. He adjusted quickly, analyzing this anomaly the same way he would a complex formula. He recognized his son instantly, older, hair dyed darker, but unmistakable. The angular features from him, the softer ones from Sue, and those slightly mischievous eyes reminiscent of Johnny. A father, no matter how strange, always knows his child.

“I suppose that means I’ll lose you eventually,” 

Reed said, his voice seemed way to calm. 

“And the fact that you’re here means I don’t have myself to blame for it.”

He exhaled, studying him like an equation he didn’t quite want to solve.

“Then I guess it’s up to me to listen this time.”

Something in his chest tightened, a small, painful flicker, but it didn’t reach the surface. Franklin smirked lightly and shrugged.

“I’m not here to fix or rewrite family matters, or to give you clear answers. Honestly, I don’t even know exactly why I’m here. But it’s not about changing the future, Dad, sorry to disappoint... I know you’ll overanalyze everything anyway, and I can’t stop you.. but for now, I just need a place to stay. Not here, not near my younger self. And no confrontation with Mom or the others yet. I need to acclimate to this dimension first. I want to explore this world, blend in with people... I’m not here to fight and  also not alongside the Fantastic Four.”

Reed clasped his hands behind his back, hiding the tension that betrayed his unease.

“I could set you up in the research unit outside the city, the old think tank in the Catskills. It’s isolated.. no one would find you or bother you. The systems would only respond to your genetic signature. You’d have all the room you need to... adjust.”

His voice stayed calm, but Franklin caught the faint tremor under the last word.

“I won’t tell your mother. Not yet, but... you know I’ll have questions. A lot of them.” 

He sighed. 

“And I hope you’ll answer at least one of them someday. "

Franklin let out an amused laugh and straightened his shoulders.

“I’m not going to live in a lab, Dad. Being cut off from a world that still has so much to offer? That’s your thing, not mine. Don’t worry, though, I know all the people, all the heroes who’ve got your back. I’ll find one of them and stay there. Win-win: I get freedom, and I’m under the care of someone who understands all this stuff.”

Reed’s jaw tightened. The thought of his son, his older son, living under someone else’s protection scratched at his ego. But he accepted it.

“If that’s what you want. Will you tell them the truth? I can give you a list... just don’t be surprised if some of them are too busy, or too cautious. Many of them have lost their trust in strangers.”

Franklin clapped him on the shoulder, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth.

“Let me worry about that. I’m good with stubborn types. I’ll tell them the truth.. in my own way. And Dad, don’t worry... I won’t make you look like an asshole.”

 He grinned boyishly.

 “Funny word, isn’t it? People use it like an insult, but everyone’s got one, and they serve a purpose.. just like pussies.”

Reed’s eyes widened. He said nothing.

“Aaaaanyway... thanks, Dad. I’ll make sure to answer a few of those questions someday. I’ll be back. And until then...”

 Franklin smiled faintly. 

“Silence is golden.”

He grabbed the list and left the tower without another word, amusement flickering in his expression as he stepped out into the city. There was a lightness to him, a curiosity. He walked with the ease of a young man facing a world still wide open before him, not yet knowing where he’d go... but for now, that was exactly the point.