DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sky High or any of the characters from it. Also, I'd appreciate it if you gave me ideas for other 'firsts' in your reviews. I'm planning on doing a 'first Christmas'.
"Oh, I wish it was spring!" Layla gushed, looking at the various plants growing all around her. "They have a magnolia garden and they come in all sorts of colors." She reached out to touch the prickly branch of a fir tree. "There's white, which you always see, but there's also deep red and pink. Oh, they're so pretty."
"Well, if you want them to bloom you could always use your powers."
"Shh. People could hear!" She looked around, slightly paranoid even though they were the only ones in the near vicinity.
"I doubt anyone would care, but whatever you say." Warren shrugged and the two of them made their way down the path. A sea of deep, rich green surrounded them.
"Austrian pine!" She shouted, then squealing with delight. He had never seen anyone so excited over plant life. "And there's a Fraser Fir!"
"Looks like a Christmas tree, to me." Warren examined the tree Layla seemed seconds away from literally hugging.
"Hey," He slung what looked like a backpack off of his shoulder. "Hungry for lunch, yet?"
"Yeah, actually I really could go for something. I sorta skipped right over breakfast." Layla looked curiously at the backpack , wondering what he had for them to eat. "What'd you bring?" She peered over.
"You'll see. Is there a bench around or a table?" Warren surveyed the immediate area, but all he saw was the path they were on and lots of evergreens.
"In the display garden. We can sit there." She smiled a little, waving for him to follow her as she took a fork in their path towards the visitor's center of the arboretum.
It didn't take Layla's knowledge of botany to appreciate the beautiful plant life all around them. Warren couldn't name any of the trees, shrubs, vines or flowers, but he knew they were beautiful and he enjoyed looking at them. He wondered for a moment what it was like to have the power to create and give life to plants. He had seen Layla cause seeds to sprout spontaneously and grow into young plants, but all he ever did was burn things. Yes, it was a useful power especially in battle, but it was, more or less, destruction. Was that what he was destined to be? A destroyer of things? A villain like his father, Baron Battle? He shook his head, trying to focus only on the beauty around him. The flora, Layla… They were lovely distractions from depressing thoughts.
"What'cha thinking about?" Layla couldn't help but notice that Warren's smile had faded from his face. Her mind was full of worries. Was he bored by their nature walk? Was he bored with her? She scolded herself, thinking that she could have done something to prevent that smile from ever leaving his face. She wanted him to be happy.
"Nothing." It was a lie, but an understandable one. He didn't want to bring Layla down. He wanted this to be a wonderful experience for her. She nodded, knowing that he wasn't being honest but also knowing that prying into his life would only cause resistance.
"Here!" Layla pointed to the building only yards away. In the spring or even summer the Arboretum was always packed with botany-freaks and nature-lovers because of its famous flowering plants. They had flowers of every kind and flowering trees all thriving in this climate. Now, though, almost Christmastime, the only flowers blooming were those planted in the greenhouse which adjoined to the visitor's center. Layla didn't mind. She found beauty in plants even when they weren't in bloom.
Warren opened the door leading into the visitor's center and was greeted with a gust of air warmed by the greenhouse. He stepped inside, holding the door open for Layla in a display of chivalry. She stepped inside, looking around at all of the blooms and taking in a breath of flower-perfumed air.
"Wow." She leaned over to sniff a cluster of lilacs. Warren took a seat on a nearby bench, unzipping his backpack and pulling out various Chinese takeout boxes then setting them next to him. Layla took this as her cue to sit down.
"You brought takeout?" He responded with a nod. "From The Paper Lantern?" Another nod. Layla smiled, peeking inside one of the boxes. She secretly hoped that he didn't bring all meaty dishes, but decided that verbally voicing her concerns would be impolite.
"I've noticed that you avoid meat like the plague, so I got vegetable fried rice for you and egg rolls for me." Warren held a hand over the white box stuffed with veggies and rice, heating the contents so they wouldn't be lukewarm and nasty. He pulled a plastic fork from his bag and handed the food and the utensil over to Layla.
"Wow, Warren," She accepted the things he'd given her. "Thanks, and I really, really mean it." Layla smiled appreciatively, taking a bite of her food as Warren heated up his egg rolls.
"I thought you'd like it. All of this, I mean." He gestured to their surroundings, then taking a bite of food. He was lucky to work at a place that gave him free food as part of his salary. He also considered himself lucky because he knew that Layla's favorite place to eat was The Paper Lantern and he often saw her there when he was at work. This would remain a secret, of course, because no guy ever really wants to let on how much he really adores a girl.
"Oh, I do. I love it." It was better than any date Will Stronghold had ever taken her on. Will had a fondness for action movies and sports while Layla didn't really enjoy either. This was practically magical. It was as if Warren had gotten into her head and seen everything she adored. All that was happening was wonderful.
Layla reached over to the nearby tendrils of what she assumed was a columbine and made it bloom into a blossom of deep burgundy and light, ethereal pink. She plucked it and handed it over to Warren who eyed it, confused.
"I just thought I'd…" She shrugged, slightly embarrassed. Layla scolded herself like she often did when her actions didn't cause the desired response right away. She thought that Warren was thinking she was stupid or silly, but her mood quickly lifted as Warren smiled, sniffing the flower.
"Nice one, hippie." He tucked the flower in his shirt pocket. There was a short silence as both of them ate, every once in a while casting a glance in the other's direction. In that way they were sort of awkward when they were together, but for the most part it was like poetry or magic.
"What do you think you'd be doing if you weren't at Sky High?" Layla looked at him curiously, taking a bite of rice and waiting for an answer.
"I think that I'd probably be lost. Having super powers is like having your identity handed to you on a plate."
"I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit." She scrunched up her nose, disagreeing that Warren would be lost. Maybe he didn't see it, but Layla knew that he was strong and knew what he was doing. Maybe it would take some work, but she knew that he had a good head on his shoulders and would find his path even if he hadn't been gifted with fire.
"Well, thanks. I think." He shrugged, swallowing a bite of egg roll. "How about you?"
"I'd probably still be a zany-yet-composed environmentalist." She grinned playfully. Warren couldn't help but smile, too. If he had been a plant, Layla would have been his sun. He thrived on the warmth she radiated.
"What are we?" Layla tilted her head, looking over to Warren.
"What do you mean?" He thought he knew what she was asking, but he wanted to be sure before he jumped to any conclusions.
"Well, I know at the very least that we're friends, but I…" She shook her head a little, not knowing if she should just burst out and reveal her feelings for him or not. She knew how she felt about him, but didn't really know for certain if he reciprocated those feelings for him. Layla had known ever since that night Freshman year at the Paper Lantern when he first sat down and talked with her, but she was only realizing it now.
"I'd like it if we were more than friends." He stated it simply, hoping that he would get a good response from Layla.
"I think I'd like that, too." Her smile widened a little bit. Was it official, then? She certainly hoped so. No one made her feel the way that Warren did. It all seemed so right.
Warren scooted closer to her on the bench, setting his egg rolls aside. For a moment he just looked at her. He really looked at her. He picked apart every detail of her appearance which he loved so much, paying special attention on her lips and eyes. Her eyes were brown if you only gave her a quick glance, but if you really examined them you would see golden flecks near her pupils and prominent green bits all over the iris.
He could have lost himself in her eyes if her lips hadn't caught his attention as well. Her lips were naturally redder than most. At first he'd thought that it was makeup, but her lips were just as rosy now as they had been when he'd seen her sans makeup in her robe and slippers. They were pouty without looking like she'd had collagen implanted into them and most of all they were begging to be kissed. Warren couldn't ever deny that request.
Warren leaned in until he felt her breath on his mouth. He nipped her bottom lip gently before taking it between his lips, sucking ever-so-gently and kissing. He was about to pull away, take in her reaction, but Layla put a hand on the back of his head, pulling him even closer and returning his nip.
She traced the very tip of her tongue over his lower lip, then planting a kiss just below his mouth. The kiss deepened more every second. No one was in the visitor's area with them to see their passionate display of affection, but even if there had been a crowd nearby Warren and Layla would still be kissing.
It was good that they were alone, though, because as their kiss became more intense more and more of the flowers surrounding them began to bloom. The leaves and the tendrils of the columbine Layla had caused to bloom just minutes ago were now thriving and tickling the skin of their faces. Layla didn't mind and it didn't even seem like Warren noticed.
"Ow!" Layla pulled back, jerking her hand away from his. He pulled back, only then realizing that he'd ignited his arms during their kiss. She giggled nervously, hoping that he wouldn't be upset with himself over a simple mistake like that, but his expression suggested that he was slightly angry with his own inability to control his powers.
"Sorry." He spoke in a low voice, looking away from Layla for a moment. "I guess I just lost myself, there."
Layla smiled, putting her unburned hand on his shoulder and leaning in to kiss him lightly on the mouth.
"I'm fine. See?" She held up the hand he'd burned with his touch. It was a little red and sore but there was no real harm done. Warren took that hand and planted a gentle kiss on the skin that had been burned.
This was the beginning of something truly wonderful.