Chapter Sixty

...

Ten minutes later, Warren and Layla were alone.

"Did you know Frieda was going to do this?" Warren asked, watching as Layla closed and locked the front door.

"Yes. I asked her, in fact," Layla added.

"Why?" Warren asked.

"I wanted to give you your last present alone," she said. "I was also being selfish; I wanted you to myself for the rest of the night," Layla said with a smile, tugging Warren close to kiss him.

"Are you my present?" he asked against her lips, his hands warm on hips.

Layla laughed and kissed him once more before pulling away. "Not exactly. Come on, it's upstairs," she said, taking his hand and heading up the stairs to her room.

Warren let Layla guide him to her chair, watching as she sent a vine under her bed to retrieve something. It returned a moment later, curled around something too small for him to see properly. Layla took the item from her vine, hidden in her hand, and she smiled as she covered Warren's eyes with her hand.

"I could've closed my eyes, hippie."

"I know, but this is more fun," Layla said against his ear, her lips curved into a smile.

Warren licked his lips, anticipating another kiss, but then the chair was spun around abruptly and Layla took her hand off his face. Shaking his head at the sudden disorientation and light, Warren looked at his present.

The item must have been a USB because he was facing Layla's computer and a document was open on the screen in front of him.

"What's this?" Warren asked, scrolling and skim-reading through the document.

"Every idea and plan I've thought of," Layla said. "It's not set in stone, of course, and some might not even happen, but... it's all there. You'll never be surprised, or find something out later than the others; you have everything right there."

At her words, Warren stopped scrolling. He went back to the top of the document and started to read properly.

Layla tried not to let her nerves get the best of her; Warren's face was showing nothing.

Did he like it, did he hate it? Did he think it was a stupid present, or that she was silly for giving it to him as a present? Did he want her body rather than her mind?

"I can feel you stressing, hippie. Go get ready for bed, I'll tell you what I think when I'm done, okay?" Warren said, taking her hand to press a kiss to her palm, his lips burning.

Feeling somewhat better, Layla headed to the ensuite to brush her teeth and hopefully occupy herself until Warren was ready.

As Warren read over Layla's plans, he couldn't help but feel impressed. She had thought of things he hadn't even considered yet: plans for the future, plans that involved him heavily, others that relied on their friends, small manipulative things to continue to discredit and destroy Magenta and Will's relationship with each other and those around them, plans for when things went wrong, as well as plans for if - when - they went right. Some of it was beyond anything they could achieve, some of it could have been completed that week if they wanted, while some more was a year or longer away.

Warren knew that by Layla gifting this to him, showing him everything she'd thought and planned for, showed just how much she trusted him. It was more than a simple birthday present. Layla could have kept it all to herself, only told him what was necessary as each day and plan arrived, but instead, she was trusting him with all of this information. With this, they would truly be equals from this point on.

If anything ever went wrong between them, if he somehow decided to be vanilla, Warren would know every single plan she'd ever devised. He could completely ruin her with this information, and he knew that Layla was giving him an out; if something happened to make him change his mind about the permanent path he was on, he had enough details of her plans and ideas to exchange it for safety, for a lesser sentencing. With this information, just as he'd promised his mother, Warren knew that he wouldn't be in Maxville's Super Penitentiary for long.

His hands shook at the realisation and Warren focused on his breathing, inhaling and exhaling in careful, measured motions to calm himself again. Warren knew that no matter what, he was never going to betray Layla or her trust in him.

"Ready now?" Layla asked from the ensuite doorway, looking hesitant.

Warren nodded and he felt her relief on his wrist as she walked over to him.

"What do you think? It was either this or an oxygen tank," she added with a grin.

"An oxygen tank?" Warren echoed, surprised.

Layla shrugged. "Ethan had the right idea; it's lightweight and would fuel your power."

Warren laughed and shook his head. "I think I'd prefer this, hippie. Some of the plans are really detailed; I mean, some are literally impossible, but... thank you," he said, tugging her down to kiss her. "It's an amazing present."

Layla smiled brightly. "I'm glad you like it. I should've waited to give it to you tomorrow, since I'm dying to know what you think in more detail," she said with a sigh. "But I also want to have my way with you and I think that wins."

"What?!" Warren asked, almost choking.

She grinned and kissed him again. "Go get ready for bed. I'll put the USB in your bag."

Warren didn't exactly run to the ensuite but it was a near thing. Layla just laughed when he returned to the bedroom a moment later to get his toothbrush.

Layla curled a leaf around the USB, ensuring that the leaf was strong enough that it wouldn't be damaged by anything in Warren's bag and would also stop would-be thieves from destroying it. When she was satisfied that only she and Warren would be able to open the leaf to get to the USB inside Layla put it away in his school bag as promised.

"What exactly do you mean by having your way with me?" Warren asked as he returned from the ensuite. "It hasn't been six months yet."

"Counting down, are you?" Layla asked with a grin.

"Not to the day, but... yeah, mostly. Teenage hormones and a vivid imagination'll do that," Warren admitted, putting his toothbrush away before walking over to the bed.

"Don't need much imagination," Layla murmured, looking over Warren's bare chest and tight black briefs.

"So how are you going to have your way with me?"

Layla smiled brightly and held her hand out for Warren to take. He took her hand and allowed himself to be pulled down onto the mattress. Layla straddled him and kissed his breath away. "I get to kiss and touch you, but you don't," she murmured.

"You're using me? On my birthday?" Warren added, trying hard not to smile when Layla's expression fell. Tugging her down so she was pressed against his body, Warren kissed her hard, lips and teeth and desire burning. "I didn't mind last time, I don't mind now. Use me, hippie."

Too distracted by his kiss, the first half of Warren's words didn't register in her mind. Layla smiled brightly when she heard 'use me, hippie' and proceeded to do exactly that.

Her vines crawled up the length of Warren's body, wrapping around his wrists and binding them to Layla's intricately designed metal headboard. Layla sat up and back, her legs bracketing his thighs. She ran her fingertips along the slight bumps of his abs, watching his face as she made her way up his stomach, chest, caressing his cheek gently.

A small amount of concentration had her hands lighting up, the flames dying a second later but the heat remaining. Pressing her hands to Warren's body, Layla grinned when he moaned as her warmth spread throughout him, warming the vines in his body as well.

She used a vine to tie her hair back then kissed him eagerly, Warren straining against the vines to touch her, to hold her against him. Layla smiled against his lips, then tilted his head back gently so she could bite and mark his neck, moving down to the curve of his shoulder, pressing more biting kisses to his skin.

"Fuck," Warren hissed when her mouth closed over his nipple, her teeth tugging.

Layla grinned, he could feel it, then let go of his nipple to lick lightly before moving to his other nipple to do the same. This time, however, she squeezed and thumbed against his free nipple, Warren's toes curling against the mattress. Layla finally stopped teasing his nipples, sitting back to view her handiwork. Warren could feel the heat of her pressing against his skin and had to bite his lip to stop from begging for more, for everything.

"Are you okay?" Layla asked softly, pressing her thumb against his lip so he'd release it from his teeth.

Warren looked up at her with dark eyes, then licked her thumb and sucked it into his mouth, curling his tongue around it immediately.

"Oh," Layla said faintly, her cheeks turning red, the blush continuing down her neck and spreading across her chest like a rose unfurling at the first sign of sunlight.

Warren could become obsessed with that blush, could watch it spread, could spend hours teasing it further along Layla's pale skin until she was red from tip to toe. He sucked harder on her thumb, feeling the scratch of her nail against his tongue and revelling in the sudden burst of pain as Layla curved her thumb harder.

Hitching his hips so Layla would fall forward, Warren grinned at her as she braced herself against his shoulder to stop from falling completely. Layla smiled wickedly, tugging her thumb out of his mouth and wiping the wetness on his plump lip. Then she braced herself on both of his shoulders, her fingers curving against his skin until her nails created small crescent marks.

Warren kept his knees bent so Layla was pressed firmly against his crotch, and he could feel the heat of her even more intimately against his hard cock. She obviously noticed what he was doing, glancing down to where their bodies were pressed together, but she didn't move away. No, instead, his fiery tease of a girlfriend started to move her hips against him, ever so slowly grinding down against his crotch until that heat was all he could feel, her nails still digging into his shoulders.

The noise that Warren made wasn't anything he'd heard before. It didn't even sound human, but then he was coming hard between them, his briefs wrecked in an instant.

Breathing heavily, Warren watched Layla, who was staring down at him in a mix of shock and pleasure with wide eyes and a smile.

"Fuck, Layla. Let me out of the vines. Let me touch you," Warren said, his voice wrecked.

Layla licked her lips, pressed a kiss to his mouth, then reached up to undo the vines. Warren let her guide his arms down, the short duration not enough to give him complete pins and needles but enough to create a tingling sensation. Flexing his fingers, Warren responded to Layla's kiss, his groan swallowed as she guided one of his hands between her legs. She was wearing knickers, but they were soaked through. Warren turned them over abruptly, his fingers curling and pressing the fabric between her labia firmly.

"Can I?" he asked, his breath warm against her shoulder.

"Yes. Please," Layla added breathlessly.

Warren moved her knickers aside, returning his fingers to their position and sliding into the wet heat of her pussy, one finger tight inside of her. He pressed his thumb against her clit, holding it there for the moment as he carefully worked a second finger inside Layla. Taking his time to feel her, to tease her as she'd teased him, to learn every inch of her. Beneath him, Layla's eyes were closed tightly, her lip caught between her teeth, and that beautiful blush creeping across her torso to her shoulders.

Fuck, he loved her so much.

Warren bit down on her shoulder as he slid a third finger into her, Layla's fingers curved against his shoulder blades. She scratched her nails down his back as he worked three fingers in and out of her at an unhurried pace, the pad of his thumb still hot and firm against her clit. When he could see her blush through her flimsy shirt, Warren curved his fingers and started to move and flick his thumb against her clit, watching as her blush deepened and her body started to writhe beneath him, desperate for release.

"Come on, Layla. Cum for me," Warren said breathlessly.

Another curve of his fingers and his nail against her clit, and Layla was orgasming beneath him, her body taut like a string and her scream ringing in his eyes. His cock twitched at the sight of her like this, just for him, because of him. He ignored his own response for the moment, waiting until Layla's pussy stopped clenching around his fingers before sliding out of her. Warren made sure she was watching, her eyes focused on him clearly, before putting his fingers in his mouth to lick them clean.

Layla sat up and pulled Warren to her, kissing him and sharing her taste between them, her tongue licking against his.

"Fuck. Let me get us cleaned up," Warren murmured, wincing when he realised the ejaculate in his briefs was starting to dry and would be painful if he waited any longer.

"Hurry back, I want to cuddle," Layla said with a bright smile.

Warren kissed her once more before leaving for the ensuite. Waiting for the water to warm so he could wet a cloth, Warren saw that his reflection was covered in bite marks and the beginning of bruises. His wrists had two loops of red around them from the vines, and as Warren turned slightly, he could see the long scratches down his back from Layla's nails.

"You're lucky I don't bruise easy, hippie," Warren called out with a grin.

Layla was in the bathroom a moment later, blinking in the bright light, and saw what she'd done to Warren. Looking at her own reflection, Layla saw the hickey on her neck and tugged her shorts down to see Warren's handprint on her hip.

Warren stripped out of his briefs and cleaned himself up, Layla's cheeks turning red as she saw what he was doing. Taking her cloth from the basin, Layla wrung it out.

"Let me."

"Hmm?" Layla asked.

Warren grinned at her reflection. "I'll clean you up. I promise to be gentle," he added with a wink when he saw her blush spreading.

"Okay."

Warren set his cloth in the basin and took the damp one from Layla's limp grasp. "Shorts and underwear off, hippie."

Layla bit her lip, but pushed her shorts and knickers down, her fingers clenched in the hem of her singlet. Warren kissed her mouth gently, sat her on the basin and spread her legs with a warm hand. Layla's breath caught at the cold bench beneath her contrasting to Warren's warm hands. He kissed her shoulder, then swiped at her wet thighs with the clean warm cloth.

"Not too hot?" Warren asked, Layla shaking her head in response.

Continuing to clean her gently, Warren kept his gaze on Layla as she watched him intently. With a final swipe, Warren put the cloth in the basin with his own to rinse them out properly. Grinning to himself, Warren wrapped his arms around Layla to do this, her laughter in his ear as she hugged him in return. Wringing out the cloths, Warren grew a vine to let them dry out overnight, and he pulled back slightly to kiss Layla's mouth lightly.

"Ready for bed now, hippie?"

Smiling at him brightly, Layla nodded. "I call dibs on small spoon," she said.

"We might need underwear first, or I might wake up fucking your thighs."

Layla's mouth dropped to an O and Warren lifted her easily, turning off the bathroom light before carrying her back to bed. He dropped her inelegantly, Layla letting out a surprised cry which Warren ignored in favour of getting underwear for them out of her dresser and his bag.

When they were both clothed, Warren climbed over Layla to get into bed, tucking her against his chest and wrapping an arm around her torso.

"Love you, Warren. Happy birthday," Layla added, pressing a kiss to his hand.

"Thank you. Love you, Layla," Warren replied, kissing her shoulder before settling down to sleep.

...

A few hours ago, across Maxville, Will was having dinner with his parents. He could see how exhausted his mother was, and even his father looked like he was fighting off a headache, but he needed to know. Will couldn't stop the words of his friends going through his head: isn't Westville your territory? Why did they go to the Super Museum without you? Why did they go when Magenta was so certain that she hadn't asked them to go?

"So... How was your day?" Will asked, poking at his dinner with his fork.

There you go, a simple question that was in no way confrontational. Just a kind, caring son asking about his parents' day.

"Busy," Steve replied, touching his temples as though he could still hear the screaming of thirty children echoing in his mind.

"Three house showings, a deal for a paddock on the outskirts of Maxville, and we stopped by the Super Museum this morning. Your father and I spent about an hour entertaining thirty children and the media," Josie replied with more detail when she saw that Will actually seemed interested in their answer.

"Oh. Which Super Museum?" Will asked, hoping his voice didn't go up an octave like he thought it had.

"The one in Westville. Magenta's younger brother was there, in fact," Josie replied with a smile.

"Oh, I didn't know that," Will lied. "The Super Museum in Westville? You went without me?"

Steve frowned. "You were at school, Will."

"Westville's my territory, though. Isn't it?" he asked, looking between his parents.

"Yes, but you still need to get your education. Taking time off to visit fans isn't acceptable; you'd miss too much of your classwork," Josie said.

"I can catch up," Will replied.

Josie set her son with a hard stare, the kind she used when villains weren't following the proper script and knew better. "After your mid-term results, we both know that's not true. Your grades have slipped since you took on the mantle of Airborne, Will. You need to be better than the rest of your class, better than the rest of your school. You are a public-facing super now, Will, so you need to be smarter."

"I am smart!"

Josie bit back her response, knowing it would be useless and was probably a result of her exhaustion and impending migraine. Her silence, however, was damning enough.

"You don't think I'm smart?" Will asked incredulously.

"Of course I do. You're smart, but we know that you don't always apply your smarts," Josie said, hoping her genuine tone would be enough to pacify her son. "If you had a sidekick, you could..."

"I don't want a sidekick. I can do this on my own."

"I thought the same thing when I was your age, Will," Steve said. "Then I got a sidekick after graduation. Saved my life once. Maybe twice. Sidekicks are useful, especially when they're loyal. They'll do whatever you say," he added, pointing his fork for emphasis.

Will frowned. Mr. Boy didn't seem useful, though Will did like the idea of someone doing whatever he said without arguing. These days, it felt like a rarity for anyone to do what he wanted these days. (Will ignored his upcoming birthday party which he'd asked for and Josie had organised within an hour.) "How do I get a sidekick though? I only have permission to leave class for Westville emergencies; I can't get that permission for another student, can I?"

"As we're busy with your birthday party for the rest of the week, how about I discuss it with Principal Powers on Monday?" Josie offered, glad that the whole Super Museum thing seemed to be behind them.

Will thought about it and then nodded. "All right. Thanks, Mum."

"You're welcome."

"Can you let me know if you go to the Super Museum again? I want to promote Airborne more in Westville; the last citizen I saved called me Airhorn," Will said with a frown.

Josie immediately kicked Steve so he wouldn't laugh. "Of course, Will. We'll let you know if we go to the Super Museum again," she promised, silently promising herself to not go to the museum again during school hours.

...

Layla woke up in Warren's arms, her body warm and slightly sweaty from their shared body heat. She licked her lips as she moved to stretch her body, feeling the ache from their activities the night before. Her vines had taken some of the larger and noticeable bruises, but the one on her hip was still there, and Layla poked it curiously, a brief ache blossoming in response.

After showering and getting ready for school, Layla headed down to the kitchen to organise breakfast and set the coffee machine for Warren. As she ate her toast, Layla thought back over the night before, the memories warming her and passing the time pleasantly.

Warren came into the kitchen when Layla was rinsing her plate off, showered but not completely awake. He took the cup of coffee from the machine, sitting at the kitchen bench and sipping slowly.

Layla looked at Warren, trying to determine if he'd kept his bruises or let his power heal them. She remembered the sight of her nail marks on his back, the biting bruises on his nipples, the intense look between them as he'd cleaned her as gently as promised.

Warren opened his eyes to look over to her, taking in the light blush on her cheeks. "Think of something else, would you, hippie? I just wanked in the shower; I can't get it up that fast."

Layla blushed at his words. "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about; I'd just prefer not to be walking around with a hard-on for the rest of the day," Warren murmured.

"Which bruises did you keep?" Layla asked, unable to help herself.

Warren's mouth twitched up into a slow grin. "You'll see later."

"You're loving this, aren't you?" she asked, pouting.

Warren held out a hand for her. Layla took it with a slight frown, letting him pull her close, his legs bracketing her hips. "Absolutely," he said, the taste of coffee against her lips.

Layla groaned and buried her head against the curve of his shoulder and neck. She was tempted to bite him, but refrained, relaxing as Warren stroked up and down her spine with warm fingertips.

"I've still got the travel coffee mug here, right? I'll take it to school; I might actually wake up before 10 o'clock," Warren said, tugging Layla back to press a kiss to her lips, the taste of coffee lingering.

Layla licked her lips and then headed to the cupboard to get Warren's travel mug and fill it for him. Warren put two pieces of bread in the toaster, taking out peanut butter and jam from the fridge.

"I'll get our bags; be right back," Layla said, kissing his shoulder before heading upstairs.

Unable to stop her thoughts from drifting back to the night before when she was in her room again, Layla let her vines take on the emotion so Warren wouldn't be affected. As she did, Layla focused on the memories themselves without the emotion attached, and realised the words she'd missed the night before: I didn't mind last time, I don't mind now. Use me, hippie.

When had she used Warren before?

"Thanks, hippie," Warren said when she sat their bags on the stool beside him. "Everything all right?" he asked, seeing that she was distracted.

Layla shook her head. "Last night, you said that you didn't mind me using you last time. What did you mean?"

Warren swallowed the bite of toast and washed it down with some coffee. "Last year. You using me to make Will jealous."

Layla opened and closed her mouth a few times.

"You didn't realise?" Warren asked, already knowing the answer.

Layla shook her head. "I didn't... I didn't think of it as using you. I just... was just trying to get what I wanted."

Warren snorted and set down his coffee mug. "Yeah, you getting what you wanted, screw everyone else and their own feelings."

"No, I..." Layla trailed off, biting her lip. "Shit."

"You're lucky I like it when pretty redheads use me," Warren said with a grin, taking another bite of his toast.

Layla's frown gave way to a grin of her own. "I'll let Craig know."

Warren almost choked on his toast, laughing.

When he'd calmed himself and stopped choking, Layla draped herself over his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry, Warren. I didn't think about you or your feelings; I shouldn't have used you like that."

"It's all right, hippie. It was manipulative and wrong, yeah, but I still went along with it."

"Why did you, if it was manipulative and wrong?"

"Did I mention the pretty redhead?" Warren replied with a grin, finishing the last of his toast. "Fucking with Will was a bonus, really."

Layla laughed and kissed him again.

"Speaking of fucking with Will, I think we can adapt one of your ideas," he said.

"Ooh, what are you thinking?" Layla asked.

Feeling the rush of desire from his wrist that was just as strong as Layla's desire from her thoughts of the night before, Warren grinned and detailed his plan.

...

"Super Jesus, how many times does this thing need to update?" Will muttered under his breath, clicking the appropriate buttons before shoving his phone in his pocket.

Heading into home group, Will sat in his seat next to Larry. He barely refrained from waving at Mr. Medulla cheekily since he was a full five minutes early for the first time that week. It was only Wednesday, but it was better than being five minutes late, right?

"What did your parents say?" Ben asked behind him, sitting with Lisa.

Realising that saying that his parents had agreed to take him the next time they went to the Super Museum wouldn't be enough, Will knew that he didn't want to admit it was really to boost their popularity because Ben and Lisa would want to know why it wasn't at an all-time high in the first place. Will shrugged. "They did it as a favour to Magenta, since they knew her brother was going to be there."

"Wow. That's really nice of them," Lisa said.

"Yeah. They must like Magenta," Larry said with a nod.

"Yeah? They do," Will agreed quickly. "You guys excited for the party?" he asked, hoping it would be as easy to redirect his friends' attention as it was to redirect his parents.

"Yeah, I'm gonna whoop your butts at laser tag," Ben said, grinning.

Will almost sighed in relief as the conversation continued without needing his input, not even annoyed when Mr. Medulla practically snapped at them to be quiet.

...

Magenta agreed to the update on her phone, quickly hiding it in her pencil case before Mr. Boy noticed. While Mr. Boy was usually docile and easily intimidated, he hated it when students were on their phones during class. He didn't get the memo that home group wasn't class. Behind her, Zach stifled a laugh at something, and Magenta looked over her shoulder to make sure he hadn't seen her using her phone in home group.

Zach was reading something in a book that was propped up to hide most of his desk, which meant that he was probably hiding his phone as well. In the desk next to him, Ethan reached out and poked Zach's shoulder, setting off more of Zach's laughter, the noise unsuccessfully muffled behind his hands.

"Mr. Brighton, what's so funny?" Mr. Boy asked, trying to sound stern and failing.

"N-nothing, Mr. - hic - Mr. Boy," Zach said between hiccups.

Mr. Boy's frown deepened, then Ethan raised his hand, drawing Mr. Boy's attention away from his boyfriend. It was such an obvious ploy that Magenta wondered how Mr. Boy missed it.

"Mr. Boy, have you ever been to Japan?" Ethan asked. "I read about the Commander defeating the Ninety Ninjas, and I thought that happened when you were still his Hero Support?"

Despite his usual eagerness to talk about his adventures and travels with the Commander, Mr. Boy shook his head abruptly. "It was a long time ago. And look at that, we're out of time for home group," he said, leaving without waiting for a response, even though there were another five minutes left before classes started.

Curious but not willing to ask Ethan - he was friends with Warren Peace, and Will Stronghold wasn't friends with Ethan or Warren anymore - most of the Hero Support took out their hidden phones to search for information themselves.

Magenta's phone had finished updating and she looked along with her classmates. Eventually, they found the video for the opening of Japan's Super Super! ride and heard the Commander reprimanding and firing Mr. Boy as his sidekick.

Magenta shifted on her chair uncomfortably at the video, hoping that whichever Hero she ended up with wouldn't drop her so publicly. If she ended up with Will, she wondered if he'd fire her in the same way. Being Will's sidekick was obviously a dream, since Magenta knew he could have his pick of any sidekick, current or even graduated already. He'd probably go with someone blonde and pretty like that reporter, or smarter than Magenta and with bigger...

Her phone buzzed in her hand and Magenta looked at the message, warmth spreading through her chest when she realised it was from Will.

Date this Friday at the Paper Lantern, 8pm?

Magenta smiled at Will's usual to-the-point text messaging style. His birthday party was on Saturday, but he must have wanted a date with just the two of them to celebrate together.

He was sweet when he wanted to be, Magenta thought with a smile as she replied with 'yes!' and a smiley face.

Behind her, Zach started laughing again and this time, Ethan didn't stop him. The bell rang and everyone left for their first class. Zach curved his arm around Ethan's shoulders as they went to class together, Ethan talking about the day's weather report.

...

End of the sixtieth chapter.

I hope you liked the updates!