AN: This will most likely be updated sparsely, since I'm working on two other fics, and have a tendency to writer's block after a while on the same story (the reason for me even writing this). If it gets wildly popular by some strange chance, I will continue. If not, I will continue much slower.

"Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them." –Bill Russell

Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High

Chapter One: Layla

In the few months since homecoming, Will and Layla had come to spend even more time at the Paper Lantern, often doing their homework or spending the afternoon there with Warren. Warren didn't show it, but Layla always thought he enjoyed their presence, and he would often stop by to talk to them when he wasn't actively working.

Layla was absorbed in her own thoughts (it was getting late, and she did that) when Will asked her something. "Sorry," she said, flinching at her own silliness. "I wasn't listening."

"We're walking Warren home," Will told her, smirking a little. "C'mon!"

She was honestly rather tired. The nights were getting cooler, the leaves had mostly turned, and although there was beauty in fall as well, she was really more at home in the summer and early September. Mostly, she just wanted to go home, but Will was walking Warren home, and she didn't want to just leave. Not to mention, this was the first time in months Warren had agreed to let them even see his house, and she didn't want to miss the chance to find out more about her new friend.

"So, Warren, what's the occasion?" Will asked. Layla let him do the talking, even though he still seemed to have difficulties not making Warren uncomfortable. "You don't usually… you know, like us coming home with you."

Warren shrugged, looking away. "I… guess… I don't know."

Layla frowned. Will's parents had had a hard time with accepting Warren, maybe Warren was afraid of his mom doing the same thing? "Your mom is okay with Will, right?"

Warren pulled his shoulders together. "I don't live with my mom," he whispered, as if he just wanted to sink into himself and die. "Um… I guess that's why." As Will and Layla exchanged looks, they rounded the corner, and Warren nodded at a house across the street, seeming glad they were there and also uncomfortable that he couldn't turn back anymore. "That's where I live."

He rushed across the street with an obvious, 'Let's get this over with quickly,' attitude. Layla and Will followed, a bit slower. Warren slid a key out of his pocket, unlocking the door and pushing it in. "I'm back from work!" he called, letting Will and Layla in.

The house smelled something like baked apples, with a hint of pumpkin. It made Layla happy it was fall, and she wondered if the smell was seasonal. Either way, it was comfortable and homey, and Layla liked the house already. The paint on the walls was somewhat drawn on and scratched, but it had nice colors, and seemed to follow the fall motif, with a mixture of beige, reds and oranges. Layla kicked her shoes off and stepped onto the surprisingly warm tile.

As she surveyed the inner regions of the house from afar, she was aware of a scurry of voices, until one emerged louder than the others. "Get real, Warren, is that a social life? Righteous, dude."

The voice was oddly deep for the person it belonged to, a girl possibly a few inches taller than Layla herself. She had mid-length, jet-black curls and strikingly blue eyes. She was pretty, partly due to the makeup she was wearing, but her face had a sort of mischeviously demonic look that made Layla want to be slightly wary of her, even if she did seem likable. She wore a loose dress and a long necklace filled with small bells and beads.

She had her legs thrown onto the sofa, and was working on some kind of worksheet. "What're you doing?" Warren asked, rolling his eyes.

"Applying to be Medulla's lab assistant. Now that Miss Goody-Goody turned out to be an insane villainous who-" a shoe hit her in the head from an unseen part of the house. "I was gonna say 'who-knows-what,' hoser!" she screamed. "Anyhoo, the point is I might just get the position this time."

"Joy," Warren said. "I get to see you more times a day."

"Ahahaha-ha-HA," the girl said in a monotone. "Don't wig out."

"Guys, Coyote, Coyote, guys," Warren said, nodding to indicate who he was talking about.

"S'up, guys? Will Stronghold and Layla… something, it's not as famous, I'm afraid."

"Williams," Layla said quickly, looking at Warren questioningly.

"This is my foster sister. She's a junior, and Martin, who is somewhere over that way…"

"And without a shoe at the moment," Coyote added.

"…Is a senior. He's… not very social."

"Hi, Pot, meet Kettle. Oh, and the random munchkins you'll encounter randomly are also wards, and are collectively known as munchkins. At the moment they are peacefully avoiding sleep somewhere back there. Just throw things at them if they get too lo-" Another shoe flew out and clipped Coyote in the back of the head. "MOTHERF-" she screamed, poofing into a cloud of black smoke. A moment later, there was a muffled cry and the sound of a scuffle.

"Well… uh… She's an acquired taste," Warren said, awkwardly rocking back and forth on his toes. "My foster parents usually get home later in the evening, but you can stay to meet them."

Will shrugged good-naturedly. "Sure, I'd love to meet them, if we're not underfoot."

Warren laughed. "The munchkins are as underfoot as it gets, a few teenagers aren't gonna make much difference in the general chaos of things," Warren said. "We can stay in our room. I think Martin's going to be a little busy for a while."

"You guys share a room?" Layla asked curiously.

"Yeah. We only have three bedrooms, so it's sort of a puzzle where everyone fits. The girls' room is packed. Coyote sleeps under the bed."

"Really? Doesn't she mind?" Will asked.

"I think she likes it under there. She's sort of like our very intelligent pet dog. She even has the tail to prove it."

"She has a tail?" Will cried in utter amazement. "No way!"

"Yes way!" Coyote screamed from the other room. "It's soft!"

Layla and Will exchanged looks and burst into laughter. "She seems fun to have around," Layla told Warren, who grumbled slightly but nodded anyway.

Warren's room had two bunk beds. The two bottom bunks were messy and had homework, dishes, shoes and socks throw in them, while the top bunks were strangely neat by comparison, with matching covers and neatly fluffed pillows. The room was fairly small, and it was adorned by posters of rockstars, an electric guitar, and large speakers. It smelled a bit like burnt rubber, and Layla had to scrunch up her nose slightly.

"So, um, yeah, this is our room," Warren said, looking awkward again. He shut the door, and turned back around to watch them with an expectant look. "What do you think? You know, of the house?"

Layla almost found his nervousness funny, but she stifled the laugh and smiled encouragingly. "It's great!" she said. "It's very homey."

Will nodded. "Yeah, it's a cool place. I don't see why you were so scared to bring us here."

Warren grimace. "You don't mind that I live in a foster home?"

"Warren," Will raised his eyebrows. "We became friends after you tried to kill me and hated me for more than a month. You could live in a dumpster and we'd still be friends. I might expect you to shower, yeah, but I wouldn't care."

That made all of them laugh, and the conversation was quickly swept away. Layla stayed to meet the middle aged couple that Warren lived with, faintly registered that they were very nice, and then quietly excused herself. Will was enjoying himself, and so she let him stay and walked home on her own. As she did, she pondered on Warren. She didn't entirely understand him, and she thought that, as quickly as they had become close friends, Will didn't either.

The next morning, she went to school to find Coyote sitting on Medulla's desk with a smug look on her face. Layla still had plenty of time before class, so she went in to talk to Coyote. "So, I guess you got the position," she laughed.

"Absotively," Coyote said, ignoring the fact that 'absotively' wasn't a word. Now that she wasn't sitting on it, Layla could see her tail as it swung lazily around her head. It was as black as her hair, and looked like a cat's tail. "And I just talked to my best friend, which doesn't happen often."

"Oh?" Layla asked curiously. "Why not?"

"He's been out of school for a little while, you know," Coyote explained. "But he's coming back now, and it looks like… well, things are sort of working out," She paused, watching Layla pensively. "You know Speed, right?"

"Warren!" Layla yelled, running to catch up with him. It was between classes, and Warren happened to be alone. "Why didn't you tell me that Coyote hangs out with Speed?"

Warren's face turned sullen. "She hasn't 'hung out' with Speed since freshman year," he growled.

Layla widened her eyes slightly. "Well she's 'hanging out' with him now. She was all happy that he's coming back to school when I talked to her this morning."

Warren sighed. "Look, I don't what's up between her and Speed, but she stopped talking to him because he was a bully. Coyote is a little rough, but she's not a bad person. If she's happy about being Speed, it's because he's… I dunno, shaping up or something. Besides, they wouldn't let him out of prison if he was still being a total jerk, right?"

"Okay, okay," Layla admitted. "I did kinda get carried away. Besides, what does it matter if your foster sister hangs out with the school bully?"

"Well, Coyote in general is slightly disturbing sometimes," Warren shrugged. "And you're talking to one of the most judgmental guys in the history of the earth."

Layla laughed. "It's okay, we love you anyways."

Warren rolled his eyes. "Layla, you love everyone."