It's not really that weird.

Really, it's not. Even if Zach goes into a sort of coma-like state of shock, and Will keeps stuttering and pointing, and Layla's eyes are huge, and even Magenta looks shocked – that doesn't make it weird, right?

After all, Ethan and Warren bonded, sort of, over their defeats of Speed and Lash. And that was the deepest bond Warren had with any of them, to begin with. After all, he had only interacted with Layla with the intention of annoying Stronghold.

And, on a different level, they bonded again, being the only two of the gang not in a new relationship. Yeah, they'd both gotten in a few dances at Homecoming, but neither Warren nor Ethan had some sort of instant (or not very instant, actually) love connection Homecoming night. Neither of them came to school on Monday dating someone.

Layla and Will. Magenta and Zach. It inevitably left Ethan and Warren hanging out on the others' date nights, and then, as they got to know each-other better, more frequently.

Ethan talked a lot, and Warren barely did; but Warren actually understood all of what Ethan said, which was something new. And Ethan was a bit of a wannabe, whereas Warren just was, which added a touch of hero-worship to the relationship. They got to know each-other pretty damn well after a while, though neither of them ever mentioned it to anyone else.

It was only when Warren became virtually unapproachable (even for him) one week, and only Ethan knew that it was the five-year anniversary of Baron Battle's capture, or when Ethan became oddly obsessed (even for him) with fixing a B he had in one class to an A, and only Warren knew that he was so crazed about it because he was no good at social relationships, and so had to be the best academically instead – even though that one shouldn't have been too hard for the others to figure out – it was only at those moments when it occurred to anyone to wonder how well they knew each-other. And even then, they dismissed it, and didn't wonder long.

And probably that was what led up to everything, and when Ethan didn't get a date to Homecoming the second time around, either, Warren was the one who knew it without him saying anything (actually, Ethan had lied and said that he did have a date, but Warren still knew). And Warren, who could have easily gotten a date had he only wanted to, but he didn't (which was one of the things that added to Ethan's hero-worship, because it meant that it was more okay if he didn't have one either) – Warren showed up at Ethan's house Homecoming night, and instead of letting him go alone, took him out to a park near his house, and kept him there until the dance was over. They swung on the park swings and talked, and sat in silence a good portion of the time, and then Warren walked him home.

On Monday, when Ethan found himself questioned by Layla as to why he hadn't showed up at the dance – she'd looked all over for him – Warren stepped in. He and Layla had already fought over his going, until Layla finally agreed that making Warren go to one school dance against his will, even before they were friends, had used up all of her friendship points for a while.

"He wasn't at the dance," Warren had suddenly said, halfway through Layla's sentence, "Because I don't like them."

"What does that have to do with – "

Warren smirked. "Well, if I don't like dances, why would I take my date to one?"

Then he'd stood and walked off, one hand catching Ethan by the collar and dragging him along, too. Ethan had kind of shrugged and waved goodbye as he stumbled backwards behind Warren, until they were out of the cafeteria and well down the hallway.

Warren shoved him into an empty classroom, then pulled out a book and proceeded to ignore Ethan as he babbled on in confusion. Then he finally looked up, right as Ethan was running out of things to say, and awarded Ethan with one of those dazzling grins that so few saw.

"Done yet?" he'd asked, and Ethan had nodded. Warren had nodded too, and then they shared their first kiss in an empty classroom at Sky High. It was short, because the gang caught them in the middle and all appeared to be incredibly shocked, but Warren just smirked and left the room, book in hand, and Ethan just smiled.

Really. That's not too weird.

Right?