Chapter Eighty Seven
...
"Are you sure about this?" Layla asked, pacing the room in the lower Hive.
"A hundred percent," Zach confirmed. "C'mon, Lay, I'm your sidekick," he added when Layla continued to pace.
"Hero Support," Ethan corrected. "And we both want it. The benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and looking at the future logistics of what you and Warren plan to do, it will help with certain aspects if something goes wrong as well. Zach's likely to end up kidnapped at least once in the future, especially as your Hero Support."
"Hey, why'm I gonna be kidnapped? You could be kidnapped!" Zach protested.
"Because Layla's important to Warren and as her Hero Support, you can be used against both of them, whereas I can only matter to Warren and with my power, people might assume that I'm not even useful to him. You know how biased supers are against women; there are 'Damsel in Distress' classes, but no 'Dude in Distress' classes for a reason," Ethan added, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Zach frowned at Ethan. "You just said 'dude.'"
"Really, that's what you get from all of that?"
"What's going on? Why're you so worried that you're pacing a literal trench in the floor, hippie?" Warren asked, seeing the dirt giving way beneath his girlfriend's feet.
"See, that's exactly why it's useful! C'mon, Lay. Please?" Zach asked.
Seeing the confused expression on Warren's face, Ethan explained, "Zach and I want Layla to put her vines into us."
Zach scrunched up his nose. "Dude, it sounds seriously wrong when you say it like that."
"Why?" Warren asked, wondering if they somehow knew about he and Layla unlocking their powers' full potential.
"Logistical purposes. And for when Zach - or I - get kidnapped in the future," Ethan said, Zach grinning at his amendment.
"Why exactly are you getting kidnapped?" Warren asked with a frown. He took Layla's hand to still her movements and squeezed gently.
"Because we're your Hero Support; it's bound to happen," Ethan said practically, shrugging.
"I think it's a good idea. What about you, hippie?" Warren asked.
"I think you're giving too much control to me. You know what I can do with my vines, right?" Layla added, frowning.
"We were there when you put the vines in my dad, Lay; not to mention the entire student population at Sky High. We know, okay?" Zach said.
"You really don't. That's just the vines going in. I can control them anywhere at any time. I'm ninety-eight percent sure I can still control them while wearing power-repressing cuffs. You're placing a lot of trust in me; what if I screw up? What if they come back out?" Layla asked.
"You weren't so worried about the rest of the students," Ethan pointed out.
"I don't care about them."
There was a long moment of silence at Layla's admission, then Zach grinned brightly. "I knew you loved us."
"Of course I do," Layla said, rolling her eyes.
"I'll add flames. It'll help balance your vines, like the wrist brands," Warren added. "Unless you guys only want Layla's vines?"
"For some reason, getting a vine in me seems less painful than being set on fire," Zach said, his voice raising and his eyes widening.
"Will it cause any permanent damage?" Ethan asked, looking at Layla and Warren's wrists curiously.
"It didn't for me," Layla said, tugging her bracelets off to show her wrist properly.
"Did it hurt?" Zach asked.
"Like hell," Layla replied.
"Shit, shit, shit. Can you, I dunno, knock me out or something? I... I don't want to be conscious for this," Zach said, looking pale now.
"Like you said at the Sweet Spot: Layla's vines have thorns. They weren't painless going in either, y'know," Warren said, rolling his eyes.
"Shit. Whose idea was this anyway?"
"It was yours, Zach," Ethan reminded him gently.
Zach groaned, then clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut, holding out his arm. "Do it."
"We're not taking blood, Zach. Breathe, sit down, and calm down, okay?" Warren said, guiding him to a seat, squeezing his shoulder gently.
"Wait," Ethan said suddenly. "It shouldn't be so obvious; Mum will be suspicious if we go home with what looks like tattoos. You know she'll ask who gave them to us, if their needles were sterilised, and how much it cost, then probably try to sue the place for tattooing teenagers. We need to have them in an easily accessible place, but hidden from others."
"I'm not branding your ass," Warren deadpanned, Zach laughing.
Ethan rolled his eyes. "I was thinking my shoulder, actually. It's easily hidden by clothes and we can touch them even if our hands are bound."
"Not if they're bound behind your back," Layla said.
"That's true, but I can still touch my shoulder with my chin. Or does it have to be hand contact?"
"Skin should be fine," Layla mused, touching her wrist to her cheek curiously.
"Do you want me or Layla first?" Warren asked Zach.
"Uh. Can it be at the same time?"
"I want it at the same time, too," Ethan said.
"What are you guys talking about? 'Cause without context, it totally sounds like you're talking about having an orgy," Craig said from the doorway, grinning at them.
"Unfortunately, he's right," Adam said, wrinkling his nose.
"Honey refused to explain what's going on; care to share with the rest of the class?" Jewel asked.
"What are you all doing here?" Ethan asked in surprise.
"Honey picked us up. Wouldn't say why, just that it was important," Grant added with a frown.
"It is important. I'm after Zach and Ethan," Honey said, nudging her way into the room and smiling eagerly, like she was a kid getting an excessive amount of sugar and presents.
"I'm after Honey," Donny said quickly, grinning too.
"An explanation would be useful, y'know; not all of us are mind readers," Wendy said, nudging her boyfriend.
"Layla and Warren are going to brand us with their powers," Honey replied.
"Brand? You mean like cattle?" Ry asked, his eyes wide.
Honey winced. "Yeah, it's not a great term, but there's really nothing else that fits."
"Seriously? Tattoo doesn't work?" Wendy asked incredulously.
Honey shook her head. "A tattoo is static and usually specific to the person with it; a tattoo doesn't have the same connotations as this will. Whereas a brand is specific to the owner and implies ownership of the person - or animal - with it. Trust me, the difference will be important one day."
"Important is the understatement of the year," Donny muttered, rolling his eyes.
Honey levelled him with a pointed expression and in response, Donny mimed locking his lips shut and throwing away the key.
"So how much pain will this involve?" Craig asked.
"Enough that you'll all pass out. But it gets better once you're awake," Honey promised.
"We didn't pass out," Layla pointed out, frowning slightly. She truly didn't want to hurt her friends, even if she could see the point of how useful them having the brands would be.
"You weren't at your full powers then, and besides, this is two brands for us, not just the one," Honey replied.
Remembering how painful Warren's flames had been on their own, Layla couldn't help but wince at the thought of getting both flames and vines. "Are you really sure about this?" she asked, looking to her friends in turn.
Warren moved to stand beside her, taking her hand in his and squeezing. "We won't do it if you're not a hundred percent sure, and we won't judge if you want to leave now," he added.
"I'm sure, I just... I want a bed or something. Not that your tree chairs aren't comfortable, Lay, but if I'm gonna pass out, then soft and squishy would be a thousand times better, y'know?" Zach said, scratching his forearm.
"The training arena has mats. They're not soft, but they're still softer than the floor," Ry said, toeing the dirt.
Warren and Layla both nodded, all of them leaving to the training arena. Honey stopped Warren and Layla, murmuring something in their ears when the others were out of earshot.
Layla frowned. "You're sure?"
"A hundred percent," Honey confirmed, smiling.
"Super Jesus, no wonder you guys are gonna pass out. Fuck," Warren muttered, running a hand through his hair.
"We'll be all right, I promise," Honey said, hugging both of them.
Guiding them out to the training arena where their friends were waiting, Honey sat on the mat next to Ethan.
"All right. Zach, you're up first. You're sure about this?" Warren asked as he and Layla moved to stand behind Zach.
"Yep. A hundred and ten percent," Zach said with a bright grin.
Layla placed her hand on Zach's shoulder, Warren placing his hand on top of hers.
"Can you reach there with your chin?" Layla asked, watching as Zach moved his head to tap his chin on their hands. "All right, good. Ready?"
"Ready."
Layla and Warren both powered up and Zach screamed as fiery thorns dug their way into his shoulder, burrowing deeper and deeper until all he could feel was pain. It didn't seem inclined to stop, the fire burning white-hot and the thorns turning to spikes. Zach was vaguely aware that he'd powered up, his body shining brighter than it ever had before. Even after Magenta and Will had betrayed him, he still had been a shade or two less than this. Zach's eyes started to roll back in his head, the pain becoming far too excruciating for his body or mind to stay conscious through it. As he blacked out, Zach swore he felt something in the centre of his power, forcing open the last hidden essence in the core of his power, his eyes glowing right before he collapsed onto the training mat beneath him.
"Zach?" Ethan said, worried despite Honey's reassurances and the forewarning that they'd be passing out.
"He's all right," Layla promised.
"Just sleeping," Warren added.
"Yeah, that's what my parents said about Gram-gram," Wendy muttered, not quite under her breath.
Ethan reached out and laid a hand on Zach's ribs, sighing in relief when he felt Zach's body moving with each breath under his hand. "He's all right."
"Told you," Honey said, grinning.
"Ethan, are you sure?" Layla asked.
"About ninety-nine percent," Ethan said with a brief smile, his gaze going to Zach. "It's good he went first; I don't think he'd do it if he saw me pass out."
"We can feel him, Eth. He's just in shock at the pain, but he's really all right. I give you my word," Warren added.
Ethan nodded. "All right. A hundred percent."
Layla and Warren placed their hands on Ethan's shoulder, checked that he'd be able to touch their brands with his chin, then powered up. As the last kernel of Ethan's power cracked open, he collapsed into a puddle of water, Wendy and Grant both wincing at the sight of Ethan's form splashed across the training mat.
"A hundred percent," Honey said before they could even ask.
Checking that she'd be able to touch their brand, Layla and Warren powered up. They continued onto Donny, then Wendy, Adam, Craig, Jewel, and Grant, until there was only Ry left.
"You're sure?" Layla asked.
Ry licked his lips and shook his head. "Not really. Around ninety percent, to be honest. You... you're sure they're okay?" he asked, looking to his friends and seeing them unconscious. Honey was smiling despite the fact that she'd screamed herself hoarse.
Ry was still drenched after the indoor monsoon Wendy had created as she'd passed out, though he could see the others were already dry thanks to Warren warming them. Well, apart from Ethan, of course.
"We promise they're fine," Warren said, his voice firm and certain.
"We're not going to force you to do this, Ry. And we won't use our powers on you unless it's an absolute emergency," Layla added, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Ry frowned and looked to his shoulder, feeling the heat coming from Layla's hand. He expected that sort of heat from Warren, not her. "Why are you so hot? I'm wet, but I'm not cold."
Layla glanced to Warren, who shrugged and nodded. Letting go of Ry's shoulder, she lit her hand, flames flickering along her skin. "We shared our powers with each other. Beyond the branding," she added.
"Holy fucking shit."
Warren snorted. "Eloquent, Ry, really," he said, grinning.
"I... You... Seriously? How?"
"Similar to this, but... more," Layla said, wincing slightly at the inadequate explanation.
"Will this do the same? Will I get flowers or flames?" Ry asked curiously.
Layla shook her head. "Not from this. You should be able to recognise our flowers or flames, but you won't get our powers from this alone."
Ry took a moment to digest all of this new information, staring at the flames licking along Layla's skin. He didn't even think she realised that the flames were heading down her forearm. He could see Warren's fire brand on Layla's wrist, spinning gently in a way that was just as hypnotic as the actual flames on her hand, and Ry found himself nodding. "A hundred percent."
"You're sure?" Warren asked, looking just as surprised as Layla.
"Yeah, I really am. Can you just dry me off first? My binder's clinging like crazy," Ry admitted with a wince.
"Sure thing," Warren said, placing his hands on Ry's shoulders as Layla let the flames burn out.
A burst of warmth rushed through Ry's body, drying off his clothes and the binder under his shirt, and he rolled and moved his body to get comfortable before nodding once more. "Thanks. Okay, I'm good."
Layla and Warren placed their hands on Ry's shoulder, ensured he'd be able to touch the brand, and then powered up for the final time that day. As like the others, as his power opened up completely, Ry passed out, but unlike most of their friends, he didn't scream in pain once.
Warren and Layla checked over each of their friends in turn, ensuring that their mats or clothes weren't still wet from Wendy's monsoon, and double-checking that they were still alive and breathing. It wasn't that they didn't trust Honey, it was simply worry and concern that things might still go wrong, despite the seer's reassurances. When they were satisfied that everyone was really all right, Warren and Layla created a seat, and settled down together to watch over their friends.
...
Victor looked at his reflection in the mirror, tugging at the hem of his shirt. His mother had taken the twins again - with a day's warning at least, this time - and Craig, Adam, and Ry had been picked up Honey almost an hour ago. That meant that Victor had the house to himself. He'd finished his work allocation for the day - both Connor and Craig had enlisted Ethan's help to create a schedule for Victor that allowed him to work every day if necessary, but without overworking himself - and while he'd relished the time alone at first, Victor had found himself longing to talk to Connor instead. Aware that the other man was probably enjoying his own alone time, Victor had sent a text and tried not to hope for an instant reply.
Victor: I've finished my work for the day; Mother's taken the twins & the kids have all gone to Honey's for a movie marathon. How's your day looking? :)
Connor had replied almost ten minutes later and while Victor was unashamed that he practically pounced on the phone, he couldn't help but be grateful that no one was around to have seen him do that.
Connor: Just finishing at work myself; had to help Ollie with a promotional video for the new T-800 drug. Was planning on going through my tai chi sets. What are you doing with your free time?
Victor: I don't know. I don't usually have free time lol
Connor: Nothing on your list yet?
Victor: Plenty, but it's boring on my own.
Connor: Want company?
Victor: Yes!
Victor: If you don't mind, that is?
Connor: Always happy to spend time with you, darling. I'll be there in 20.
Victor: See you soon :)
Victor had spent the last fifteen minutes showering and changing his shirt several times. Jeans were fine, but his shirts all seemed to be too tight or loose, stained from the twins, or were his work shirts. He didn't seem to have any sort of shirt that was date-casual. Victor hadn't even known that was a thing before this moment.
When he was with Cara, it was easy because they hadn't exactly worn much as their dates went on, so it didn't matter what he wore as it'd end up on the floor sooner rather than later. Then they were married, the twins had come along, and Victor was working more often than not.
But Connor obviously meant what he said about going slow and letting Victor take the lead, and they'd barely done more than hold hands in the last two weeks. Victor still didn't know if he wanted more or not, but it wouldn't matter if he couldn't find a goddamn shirt to wear.
The doorbell rang and Victor cursed under his breath, grabbing one of the shirts off the pile on his bed, pulling it on and jogging down to open the door. Connor smiled at him, looking delectable in his suit pants and shirt, and Victor suddenly felt underdressed.
"Hello, darling. Can I come in?" Connor asked.
"Uh, yes. Hi. How are you?" Victor asked as he stepped back, opening the door wide.
"Happier now that I'm seeing you," Connor admitted, pressing a light kiss to Victor's cheek as he stepped inside.
"Oh. That's good," he replied, feeling ridiculous for being weak in the knees over a simple kiss.
"How are you?"
"Good. Happy to see you, too," Victor said, closing the front door and turning to face Connor.
They fell silent, smiling at each other.
"Can I - "
"Do you - "
They cut off at the same time, Victor gesturing for Connor to speak first. Connor smiled and took Victor's hand, squeezing gently. "Thank you, darling. I was just going to ask if I could kiss you? I've missed your taste," he murmured, gaze dropping to Victor's mouth.
Victor couldn't help but lick his lips, feeling a small thrill at the sight of Connor's eyes turning dark with lust in response. "Yes."
Connor smiled broadly and backed Victor up against the door, his thigh slotting between Victor's legs. For all that his movements were rough and demanding, his kiss certainly wasn't. Connor kissed Victor slowly, his lips gentle, as though he was tasting Victor rather than kissing him. Victor felt his eyes flutter close as their kiss deepened, Connor sliding his tongue into his mouth and licking at Victor's tongue, making him shiver in response. Connor's hands ran down Victor's arms, his touch light but commanding attention. Victor kissed Connor in return, slowly moving his hands to curve around Connor's waist and bring their bodies even closer together. He could feel every bump and curve of Connor's body pressed against his, and Victor could even feel Connor's dick throb against his thigh. He tightened his hands around Connor's waist, wanting to feel him completely. Instead, Connor pulled away, his lips pressing chaste kisses to Victor's mouth as though he couldn't help himself from another taste.
"We need to stop, darling, or I'm going to have my way with you over the stair bannister," Connor murmured, squeezing Victor's hips with his large hands.
Victor had to close his eyes at the thought of that: Connor holding him down and pressing into him, Connor thrusting into him with reckless abandon, Victor's body curled and his cock leaking over the railing. "What if I want that?" he asked, his voice husky as he opened his eyes to look at Connor.
"I'm more than happy to give you anything you want, darling. But you're not ready for that right now."
"I could be," Victor protested.
Connor smiled and kissed him once more. "I meant ready in a different way, darling. Being anally ready is just as important as emotionally ready, especially when it's your first time. I'd like time to prepare as well, and taking you over the bannister isn't something either of us want for your first time. Though we can certainly lead up to that," he said, a glint in his eyes as he looked Victor over.
"Oh. Uh... How do I... y'know, get ready?" Victor asked, feeling like a prepubescent teenager with the way his cheeks went bright red.
Connor couldn't help himself from kissing Victor's red cheeks. "I'll explain everything you need to know. Just don't judge me if I get hard during the explanation, okay?" he added with a laugh.
Victor shook his head. It was then that he realised he and Connor were moving their hips against one another, like they were both teenagers and rutting against each other to get off. "I, uh, I won't judge you if you won't judge me."
"Never, darling. Let's talk about this in the Swarovski room, shall we? I think I'd be more afraid of Edith's wrath than anything else I might want to do to you," Connor murmured, reluctantly stepping back and taking Victor's hand.
Victor burned brightly at the soft whining noise he made in response to the loss of Connor's body heat and the delicious weight no longer pressed against his body.
Connor smiled, pressed a kiss to Victor's hand, and guided him to the Swarovski room. Victor felt himself relax when Connor sat down and tugged him into his lap, wrapping his arms around his waist. Forcing himself to listen rather than let his mind wander as Connor explained what he'd need to do to prepare, Victor could feel his cheeks burning red again and he was glad they weren't facing each other for this.
...
Warren opened his eyes and took in the situation before him, blinking and uncomprehending for a moment longer than he'd like. He didn't even get a chance to sit up before his friends were looking over to him, aware of him in a way they'd never been before.
"I told you to keep quiet; you woke him," Wendy muttered, throwing a snowball at Craig.
So, they really were playing in a field of snow in the middle of summer. Good to know he wasn't going insane, Warren thought to himself.
Craig laughed, the noise muffled behind Jewel's hand, and he melted them both down just before the ball of snow hit them. It hit Grant on the chest instead and he grabbed a handful of snow, dumping it on Craig and Jewel when they reformed again. Jewel shook the snow off her hands, tiny jewels flying off instead of snow or ice. Wendy was creating small flurries around Donny, and Warren swore she was humming 'Let it go' as well. Adam, Zach and Ethan were pelting snowballs at Ry who was kicking and punching them before they could hit him.
Warren was about to open his mouth to ask just what on earth was going on when Honey's form flickered into existence beside him.
She grinned broadly at his stunned expression. "It worked, Warren. We've all got our full powers now," Honey said, nodding across the room where three of her alternate reality copies were throwing snowballs at Wendy and Donny. They all disappeared in an instant and Honey grinned as the retaliating snowballs hit against dummies instead.
"All of you?" Warren asked, sitting up carefully so he wouldn't wake Layla.
"Yes, all of us," she confirmed, grinning. "Zach, Ethan!" Honey called, waving them over.
Warren's eyes flashed blue as he glared at Honey, turning to see if Layla was still asleep. He sighed in relief when she only stirred briefly and continued to sleep.
"Dude, what the fuck?" Zach hissed.
Warren looked over to Honey and Zach, his eyes widening when he saw that Honey's shoulder and arm were on fire, her shirt in flames and burning away. Realising that it was his fault, Warren quickly retracted his power, standing to check over Honey.
"I'm okay. Just... ouch," she breathed, flexing her hands and looking to her now-bare arm. "My shirt took most of the damage," Honey reassured Warren.
"That's not the point, Honey. And most isn't all," he said, a reprimand in his tone as he carefully drew out the excessive heat and burns from her skin.
"Not too much more or I'll go numb," Honey said after a moment longer.
Warren nodded, checking Honey's arm one more time before he was satisfied. "Sorry, Honey."
"I know you are. Now, Zach, Ethan, time for show and tell," Honey said, grinning over at them.
"Aw, c'mon, Honey. I only just got rid of the headache," Craig groaned.
Zach snorted and started off with a soft glow, slowly growing in intensity until his body couldn't even be seen behind the light. Warren shielded his eyes, but before he could say or do anything, the light disappeared suddenly. Honey squeezed Warren's hand before he could make a comment, and he continued to watch as Zach started to glow again, but this time it was at a different frequency and wavelength, as the yellow colour became a rainbow instead. The light disappeared from sight a moment later, but Warren had the feeling that Zach was still glowing, just at a frequency he couldn't actually see. The tree chair beneath Layla started to grow in response to the light Zach was emitting, confirming Warren's theory. He sighed when he saw that Layla was awake after all, though he wasn't entirely surprised considering the bright light Zach had become; Warren was more surprised that they'd slept through the first demonstration of Zach's full-fledged power.
"Sorry, Lay. I didn't mean to wake you," Zach said, frowning and the tree shrinking back down now that he was no longer powered up.
"It's all right," Layla said with a smile. "That was amazing, Zach. Did I miss the others' demonstrations?" she asked curiously.
Ethan grinned. "Not yet, but I'm sure they'd be more than happy to demonstrate more than once," he said, then promptly melted down.
"Aw, man, not again," Zach groaned, even as his boyfriend inched closer towards him.
Warren and Layla both watched curiously as Ethan's watery form wrapped around Zach's ankle. At first, it seemed as though nothing happened, but then they realised that Zach was heavily sweating, water leaking from seemingly every pore on his body.
"Stop now, Ethan," Honey called, Ethan immediately withdrawing from Zach's body and reforming. "Wendy, can you fill up the glasses for Zach?"
"Sure," Wendy said, a dark rain cloud appearing overhead in an instant, rain pouring down in the next breath.
Despite the rain, the snow didn't disappear or melt away, instead the excess rain trailed along a small trench in the snow that headed to the training arena's bathroom, draining away. Several glasses were filled in a matter of seconds, and Zach sat down on the snow as Ethan melted the glasses down to carry them back to him.
"Are you all right?" Ethan asked, setting the glasses in front of Zach and watching as he gulped the first three down in quick succession.
"I'll be okay. Thanks for the water," Zach called to Wendy.
"No problem," she replied, gathering a large handful of snow to tip on Craig's head.
Before Wendy could let go of the snow, Grant powered up and the snow in her hands melted away to nothing. Around them, a large circle of snow disappeared completely, Jewel, Craig, and Grant dropping down into the pit.
"Ow, my ass," Craig groaned.
"Some warning next time, Grant," Jewel groaned, poking her boyfriend's shoulder and standing, rubbing her sore ass.
"I'll kiss you both better."
"You're gonna kiss my ass better?" Craig asked, snickering.
"Oh, that's it. I'm keeping you in that damn pit," Adam muttered, a wave of acid flowing out of his body and towards the pit.
Craig cursed and powered up as Grant powered down, snow turning to sand and Craig blasting it with flames as Jewel covered Grant to protect him from the heat. The liquid and heated sand turned to glass, stopping the acid from entering the pit. "You suck, dude!"
"Yeah, yeah. Get out of the pit already," Adam said, rolling his eyes and making the acid disappear.
"All right, we'll be right out," Jewel said with a grin, pressing her hand to the packed snow beside her, jewelled stairs jutting into the pit a moment later. "After you, babe; I'll check if your ass is all right," she said, winking at Craig.
He laughed and headed up the stairs without a second of hesitation. Jewel and Grant followed after him, the stairs disappearing a moment later.
"So, you guys are at your full power, right?" Craig asked.
"Yeah, why?" Warren asked curiously.
"He thinks you've been holding back," Donny said.
"Nah, I don't think it, I know it. C'mon, you've gotta be able to do more than a tree or fireball, right?" Craig said.
Layla laughed and before their eyes, a whole forest of palm trees grew out of the snow, towering over them. The snow was on fire a second later, the intense heat melting the layers of snow without harming the palm trees.
"Happy?" Warren asked, the last of the flames dying off and the trees disappearing.
"Ecstatic," Craig said, rolling his eyes. "Help me melt down the glass?"
Warren grinned and lit his hands. "I've got a better idea."
"Here, for the shop," Honey said, taking a sign from her alternate version and handing it to Layla.
For sale: glass vase by local artists
"Uh, thanks... Will taking it from the alternate you mess with that universe?" Layla asked, unsure how to phrase the question to make sense; it didn't even make sense to herself.
Honey shook her head. "They're alternate universes, not the main universe. Their universes don't exist for extended amounts of time while this one's still the main universe."
"I think that makes sense?" Layla said, frowning and shaking her head. "Thanks for the sign either way."
"No problem. Now, everyone power down and go to sleep; you've all got to get home by 9am," Honey called out.
"Aw, why?" Zach asked.
"Because I have to take Victor out clothes shopping before Edith gets back with Elijah and Elliot," Honey replied. "Now, sleep, or I'll make you."
"Yeah, fuck that," Craig muttered, taking Grant and Jewel's hands and leading them out of the training arena quickly.
Zach snorted and beside him, Ethan rolled his eyes and led his boyfriend out to their own room. Wendy and Donny left next, Donny turning red at his girlfriend's thoughts. Ry and Adam both pulled faces at each other, Ry yawning wide as he left. Adam shuddered bodily and headed upstairs to his soundproofed room, throwing a ball of acid between his hands on the way.
"Don't practice too long, okay?" Honey said to Warren and Layla, hugging them both before going to find an empty room for herself.
Grinning at each other, Warren grew a forest and Layla started weaving flames between the trunks carefully.
...
End of the eighty-seventh chapter.
