A/N - I don't own Sky High, etc. Wrote this with intention of it being a oneshot, but I may consider expanding the story in the future.
Summary - Warren is on the verge of becoming a villain after doing the unthinkable. An old friend comes in and causes him rethink everything. Set a few years after Sky High, when they're in their early 20's or so. Rating due to language and a character death, possible lemons later on as well.
He needed to die. He was going to die at my hands. I was going to make sure of it this time.
I have him pinned down, completely at my mercy. My knees press into his thighs, and his wrists are pinned down under my hand. He struggles under my grip, but I don't let up.
I've never felt a rage like this before. It's like I'm not even in control of my own brain, like someone flicked a switch and caused me this bloodlust.
I wince in brief pain from the bruise in my ribs that he gave me during our tussle. I wouldn't be surprised if he cracked one of my ribs in the process. But the adrenaline flooding my veins is helping me to ignore the waves of pain. Blood drips from my nose, landing on his face below me.
"Warren, you're better than this," the man grimaces. I growl, letting my long hair fall into my eyes as I lean forward. I can feel the fire building behind my eyes, and I know he can sense it too. His eyes widen in fear as I press his wrists down harder, heating my palm up just a little. Just enough to let him know what I'm capable of.
I grab his chin with my free hand and make him look into my eyes.
"You killed my father, Commander. Now I'm going to kill you."
I press my right palm into his sternum, feeling his heart racing underneath the skin. At least for a few more moments.
He may have super strength, but I'm nearly indestructible as well. Being able to temporarily deactivate his powers meant that I was finally able to overtake him. Get him right where I wanted him.
I start to light up my hand, causing the man to writhe in pain underneath me, a futile attempt to escape my grasp. Instead, I push harder and build the fire that now grows from my hand.
The exterior of his supersuit starts to melt away, followed by his chest underneath. The stench of burnt skin burns my bloody nose, but I do my best to ignore it.
The Commander screams in pain, crying out for the help that will never come. I watch as burn marks spread across his chest, melting his suit and skin in their wake.
I keep my hand in its place until I see the white bone of his ribcage below me. His movements slow, and finally stop.
Once I'm positive he's dead, I let the flame on my hand flicker away, and I pull back from where my palm rests against his sternum. I stand to look at my handiwork below. I'm treated to the sight of the Commander, once the world's greatest superhero with the world's biggest god complex, dead at my feet with a charred hole in his chest.
I smile. Whoever said revenge was best served cold?
Hurried footsteps to my right cause me to glance up. I smirk, knowing exactly who it is.
"Stronghold," I growl menacingly, causing the boy to stop in his tracks. He looks up to the source of the voice, and is obviously surprised to see his old friend lurking in the shadows before him. Someone he hasn't seen in the years since we grew apart in high school.
"Warren?" he questions. I say nothing in return. Confusion flashes across his eyes as to why I'm here. He looks like he's fighting for the right words. "Um, h-have you seen—" he starts to ask, frantic, when he finally sees the body on the floor.
He collapses to the floor at his dad's side. "Dad?!" he screams, not even touching him, probably for fear of damaging him even more. He fists his fingers in his hair, in complete disbelief. But by the look in his eyes, I can tell he already knows the truth.
He looks up at me, his eyes wet with tears. "What did you do to him?" he whispers.
"I gave him what he deserved. My father died in that prison that your dad sent him to."
"So you killed him, too?" he asks, the fury rising in his voice.
"Your dad was nothing more than a selfish murderer," I say, advancing on the boy. He stands and starts to back away from me. He puts his hands up defensively, but doesn't use his powers on me. At least, not yet.
"What does that make you then?" He glances behind him as he walks, making sure not to run into anything. Then he turns back to me.
"A villain." His eyes widen when I say it. In reality, it almost hurts me to speak the words aloud. It's not what I wanted for myself, not after seeing what my dad has done, but if that's how people were going to see me my whole life anyway, may as well let them get what they want. Especially with the evidence right here next to us. "You know it. The world already knows it. Your dad was just the catalyst to finally make me cross over."
Stronghold lets out a surprised gasp when his back collides with a brick wall, much sooner than he expected. He whips his head around in fear as I stalk closer to him.
"Warren, what happened to you?" he asks, his voice now shaking. He holds his arms close to his chest for protection. I don't know what changed in him since we first met, but it's like he doesn't want to use his powers on me at all. He's thrown me around a cafeteria before, and I've seen him battle Royal Pain. I know what he can do. "We were friends once, I know this isn't you. You're not a villain."
I let my hands light up at my side, the flames casting an orange glow on Stronghold's scared face. "I really wish everyone would stop saying that." His eyes widen when he sees the fire licking up my arms, and moves his hands to protect his face. I raise my arm, ready to destroy the boy who I used to once call my friend. He cowers below me, not even trying to fight back. Maybe seeing his father dead made him forget that he has powers at all.
I'm about to release the fireball at him when my arm snaps backwards, a rough rope wrapping itself tightly around my wrist.
No, not a rope—a vine.
My hesitation gives Stronghold the window to run away, towards where his dad's body lies. "Shit," I mutter. I start to chase him when a second vine wraps around my free wrist. Both vines pull backwards, my arms straight out to the side. They pull so hard that I feel like my shoulder muscles are going to give out and my arms are going to snap right out of the socket. I cry out in pain. I fight back, using every bit of strength I have to break the taut vines and get free of the bounds. I light my arms on fire, trying to burn the vines away, but nothing happens. The vines are basically fire resistant.
She's gotten so much more powerful. I'm more surprised by that than I should be.
"Let me go, hippie!" I yell, not even looking back at her. I strain to get the words out as I continue my attempt to break free.
For a moment, she doesn't respond. The only sound in the room is my echoing grunts of pain. But after a tense few seconds, she speaks. "Stop fighting me, Warren," she says calmly. Meanwhile, the vines under her power are anything but calm. She pulls on them a little harder, sending another wave of pain through my already damaged body.
I ignore her, and keep fighting. I feel another vine circling my neck, crawling up my back and wrapping loosely around my throat. I swallow, knowing what she's going to do with that vine next.
"I'll say it again, Warren. Stop fighting me."
I give one last attempt to pull my arms forward and out of the vines, but when I do, she tightens the vine around my neck. I try to take a breath to recuperate from the exertion, but nothing happens. No air is going through. I try to cough out of instinct, but I can't even do that with the vine there.
I close my eyes and throw my head back in anger. I know she'll kill me if I don't stop.
My throat burns from the tight vine and the lack of oxygen. I give in to her power, and slowly let my arms drop to my side. As I do, she loosens all the vines on me just a little bit, allowing me to take in a ragged breath.
I fall to my knees in defeat, hanging my head and putting my chin against my chest. I can feel the rough vine scratching against my neck as it slithers away. I barely even notice as her vines gently pull my wrists behind my back, tying them together like a pair of earthy handcuffs.
I stay like that for a moment, not sure what to do next. If I move at all, she'll just restrain me again with her fire-resistant vines.
I just killed the Commander, and was about to kill Stronghold, too. There's no denying what I am now.
It's not what I want to be. It was as if a rage took over me, and I couldn't control the anger I felt. Kind of like when I first fought with Stronghold in the cafeteria, but on a much larger scale.
When I open my eyes again, she's standing directly in front of me. Slowly, I lift my head to see her looking down at me with fierce eyes. Eyes I haven't seen in years, baring straight into my hardened soul.
She looks just as beautiful as she did back in high school. Back when she showed me that maybe I could be a hero, and not this villain I've now become.
That went down the drain when she and I stopped spending any time together. Before I knew it, years had passed since we had spoken.
No matter what path I take in life, villain or not, this girl will always be my kryptonite. Even with the distance between us, I never stopped thinking about her. I never stopped loving her. Only she could make me feel completely powerless like this.
"Layla," I whisper, the defeat evident in my voice. Instead of saying anything, she gets down on both knees in front of me. For a moment, we just look at each other, taking in the faces that have both aged a little over the past few years.
"Hi, Warren," she says just as softly, a slight smile crossing over her face. She puts a gentle hand on my knee in greeting.
"You shouldn't be here," I tell her.
"And you should?"
As hardened as I've become over the years, a few tears still manage to slip down my face. I lower my head again. "This isn't me," I whisper, taking a shallow breath and shaking my head. "Something in me took over-something just snapped. I—"
I stop speaking when she puts her fingers under my chin and lifts my head to face her. I can't meet her eyes. She doesn't deserve to see me like this.
She deserves so much better than me.
"Look at me," she instructs. I just clench my eyes shut harder and shake my head again. "Warren."
It takes me a moment, but I listen this time. Her eyes looks so soft, like a bed of fresh flowers. She looks… disappointed in me. But not angry.
"I know this isn't you. You put on that facade back in school, but you and I both know it was all for show."
"I just killed the Commander," I admit to her. "I never wanted to kill anyone. I didn't want to become my dad. But it's like his voice was in my head, telling me to do it. To make a name for myself, to make him proud, no matter what it takes."
She closes her eyes for a moment and sighs. Then she looks at me again. But when she doesn't say anything, I continue.
"I didn't realize how much I needed you, Layla. You... you keep me calm. Grounded. Not this villain I've become."
She pulls my face in a little closer at those words. "Listen to me. You are not a villain."
I shake my head again, frustrated. "Did you not see what I just did?" I say. "I killed—"
"I know," she cuts me off. "I know what you did. And yes, I'm sure there will be consequences for that. But you know how I know you're not a villain?" I look at her quizzically, urging her to continue. "You have a heart. You're on your knees, telling me how guilty you feel for it. Villains don't feel guilt over the destruction they cause."
I don't want to be seen as a villain, but once the news spreads that I killed the Commander, I know it's going to happen.
For a moment, I can't help but blame my dad. For putting this reputation on me, when all people can do is make assumptions about me because of it.
My thoughts are interrupted when I can feel Layla staring at me. I open my eyes to meet hers. Bright green eyes are watching me with an intensity that I can't even describe. Her face is so close to mine.
She leans forward and presses her lips to mine. A fire rages through me unlike anything I've ever felt as I kiss her back. Her hands are still on my cheeks, and she pulls me closer to her, opening her mouth more in invitation. I deepen our kiss as much as I can despite the vine restraints that are keeping my hands behind my back. She hasn't released those yet, and honestly, I don't blame her.
I've kept these feelings for her inside for so many years now, and this kiss is just the start of the floodgates that are straining to open. Circumstances be damned, if I didn't have my hands bound like this, I'd probably ravish her right here on this dirty floor until she screamed my name in pleasure.
Faint sirens off in the distance cause me to snap out of my daydream and pull away. Layla hears them too and closes her eyes. She leans her forehead against mine, stroking her hand over my hair.
I glance over to where the Commander's body lies still. Stronghold isn't there with him anymore. He must have escaped while Layla and I were talking and called the authorities.
The sirens are getting closer. I know they're here for me. We don't say it, but we both know we're about to run out of time.
"So what now?" I whisper, terrified about what the future may now hold.
"I'm not sure. But I'll stay with you as long as I possibly can."
"Layla?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you. I always have. I'm just sorry I never told you sooner. Maybe we wouldn't have drifted apart over the years, and I wouldn't have gone down this path."
She smiles and pulls me in for another quick kiss. I want to kiss her forever, until they shoot me dead right in this spot, but she pulls away. The doors at the other end of the large room fly in, and boots echo on the floor as the men approach us.
"I love you, too, Warren. Never forget that."
"I won't."
Rough hands grab me and yank me up from the ground, tearing me away from the one person who could keep me from becoming a villain.