Three, by Schuyler
Title: Three
Author: Schuyler
Pairing/Character: Will/Layla, Will/Layla/Warren
Rating: R
Summary: Three moments from two years.
Layla thought Warren was hot. Will was completely okay with that. He just hadn't meant to tell her. They were lying on the roof and holding hands and playing Who Would You Be Dating If You Weren't Dating Me. Will had been saying nice things about Magenta and Layla had said it wasn't so bad when she was pretending to go to Homecoming with Warren. He had been kind to her in his own way, and he was interesting to talk to, and he has hot. Will hadn't meant to agree with her, not out loud and not so enthusiastically. Layla turned her head to look at him and Will stared straight up at the sky and tried not to blush. "Why, Will Stronghold..."
"It's not like that! I swear." Layla wouldn't let go of his hand and she seemed completely calm.
"Will. It's okay if it's like that."
He really hadn't meant to say anything. He hadn't. The fact that he sometimes got flustered when Warren said something nice to him, or that he couldn't help watching Warren when he thought no one was looking was supposed to be a secret. He'd managed to keep it a secret for two years. That was pretty good. And then he'd just blurted it out to Layla, who knew him better than anyone. "It is?"
She nodded and looked up at the stars again. "I've seen you looking." Will blushed. He couldn't help it. Layla was smiling. "I think it's cute."
"Oh, great."
Will was starting to like Chinese food. They certainly spent a lot of time at the Paper Lantern. The place was mostly empty, but Will and Layla had no intention of leaving just yet. He was on his fourth fortune cookie. He'd gotten the number 7 on the back of every fortune so far. "Do you think seven is my lucky number?" he said around a mouthful of cookie.
She scrunched her face up in a frown, looking at him as though he'd lost it. He turned around the slip of paper and held it up so she could take it from his hand. She snatched it away from him, her fingers deliberately brushing over his, and then settled back. "Your greatest asset is your keen sense of others." Layla looked up at him and he thought she was fighting back laughter.
"I think only the first one actually counts." Warren had appeared at their table out of nowhere. "The rest are just cookies."
"Hey," Layla said brightly as he refilled her water glass. Will caught it just out of the corner of his eye as she touched him, her fingers barely brushing across the hem of his shirt. She was the only person that was allowed to touch Warren, even if he was often cross about it, and Will had sworn long ago not to be jealous. Warren smiled at her, kindly, and then he turned the smile towards Will.
Will tried vainly to fight the creeping blush and stammered a little. "Hey. Could you - can you sit down for a bit?"
"Sure," Warren said, and Will felt somehow rewarded.
Will was nearly asleep. "I think I'm going to quit school."
"What?" His shocked voice was followed by Layla's squeak. He would have gotten up, but Warren's warm hand was brushing back and forth on his upper arm and Will didn't think he ever wanted to get up again. He tilted his head up and saw Layla, on Warren's other side, sitting up and trying to stare him down. It was slightly less impressive, because she was in her underwear, but slightly more impressive because the creeping ivy that hung over her bed was growing ominously towards Warren.
Will was too sated and relaxed to move. It had been nearly a year that the three of them had been gathering most afternoons at Layla's to do their homework and fool around. Will's favorite days were these, when the homework load was light and the fooling around was exhausting enough to warrant a nap pressed together in Layla's bed before they went their separate ways. Layla was always up for a cuddle and Warren was usually sleepy enough for the half hour before and after to be sweet and pliant.
"You're two weeks from graduation!" Layla said.
"That's just it. I'll be assigned a sidekick that's neither of you and then expected to save the world." He reached up to brush her loose hair back over her shoulder. "Very little time for afternoon meetings when you're saving the world." Layla almost certainly was going to point out the holes in his plan, so Warren leaned up to kiss her and Will shifted with him. Will liked watching them kiss. Layla could be all anger and biting, but Warren's kisses had a tendency to undo her, make all of that anger disappear and she would go sweet and needy for him. The ivy on the wall retreated towards the ceiling.
As soon as Warren pulled back to smile at her, she started talking. "You've been working for years for this. You can't just..." Layla was silenced as Warren cupped the back of her head in his hand and pulled her into another gentle kiss. Will clasped his hand loosely around Layla's. When Warren broke away again, she was silent.
"Maybe I won't, okay?" Warren said. "I'm just letting you two know, I'm not looking forward to it."
Will could see Layla starting to think about it then, about what Warren was saying and what it would mean. But she let herself be pulled down to the mattress again, still holding on to Will's hand across Warren's stomach. Will knew that look on her face that said she was processing hard. "Layla." He whispered, but she just stared off toward the wall. "Layla." She heard him the second time, surprised and blinking and looking right at him. Will smiled. "We'll talk about it later. It's naptime." Layla smiled wide at that. Will knew that she loved naptime just like he did. She squeezed his hand and laid her head beside Warren's, close enough that she could have licked his ear.
Warren's hand had taken up the stroking motion against Will's arm again. Will closed his eyes and let it lull him to sleep.
Author: Schuyler
Pairing/Character: Will/Layla, Will/Layla/Warren
Rating: R
Summary: Three moments from two years.
Layla thought Warren was hot. Will was completely okay with that. He just hadn't meant to tell her. They were lying on the roof and holding hands and playing Who Would You Be Dating If You Weren't Dating Me. Will had been saying nice things about Magenta and Layla had said it wasn't so bad when she was pretending to go to Homecoming with Warren. He had been kind to her in his own way, and he was interesting to talk to, and he has hot. Will hadn't meant to agree with her, not out loud and not so enthusiastically. Layla turned her head to look at him and Will stared straight up at the sky and tried not to blush. "Why, Will Stronghold..."
"It's not like that! I swear." Layla wouldn't let go of his hand and she seemed completely calm.
"Will. It's okay if it's like that."
He really hadn't meant to say anything. He hadn't. The fact that he sometimes got flustered when Warren said something nice to him, or that he couldn't help watching Warren when he thought no one was looking was supposed to be a secret. He'd managed to keep it a secret for two years. That was pretty good. And then he'd just blurted it out to Layla, who knew him better than anyone. "It is?"
She nodded and looked up at the stars again. "I've seen you looking." Will blushed. He couldn't help it. Layla was smiling. "I think it's cute."
"Oh, great."
Will was starting to like Chinese food. They certainly spent a lot of time at the Paper Lantern. The place was mostly empty, but Will and Layla had no intention of leaving just yet. He was on his fourth fortune cookie. He'd gotten the number 7 on the back of every fortune so far. "Do you think seven is my lucky number?" he said around a mouthful of cookie.
She scrunched her face up in a frown, looking at him as though he'd lost it. He turned around the slip of paper and held it up so she could take it from his hand. She snatched it away from him, her fingers deliberately brushing over his, and then settled back. "Your greatest asset is your keen sense of others." Layla looked up at him and he thought she was fighting back laughter.
"I think only the first one actually counts." Warren had appeared at their table out of nowhere. "The rest are just cookies."
"Hey," Layla said brightly as he refilled her water glass. Will caught it just out of the corner of his eye as she touched him, her fingers barely brushing across the hem of his shirt. She was the only person that was allowed to touch Warren, even if he was often cross about it, and Will had sworn long ago not to be jealous. Warren smiled at her, kindly, and then he turned the smile towards Will.
Will tried vainly to fight the creeping blush and stammered a little. "Hey. Could you - can you sit down for a bit?"
"Sure," Warren said, and Will felt somehow rewarded.
Will was nearly asleep. "I think I'm going to quit school."
"What?" His shocked voice was followed by Layla's squeak. He would have gotten up, but Warren's warm hand was brushing back and forth on his upper arm and Will didn't think he ever wanted to get up again. He tilted his head up and saw Layla, on Warren's other side, sitting up and trying to stare him down. It was slightly less impressive, because she was in her underwear, but slightly more impressive because the creeping ivy that hung over her bed was growing ominously towards Warren.
Will was too sated and relaxed to move. It had been nearly a year that the three of them had been gathering most afternoons at Layla's to do their homework and fool around. Will's favorite days were these, when the homework load was light and the fooling around was exhausting enough to warrant a nap pressed together in Layla's bed before they went their separate ways. Layla was always up for a cuddle and Warren was usually sleepy enough for the half hour before and after to be sweet and pliant.
"You're two weeks from graduation!" Layla said.
"That's just it. I'll be assigned a sidekick that's neither of you and then expected to save the world." He reached up to brush her loose hair back over her shoulder. "Very little time for afternoon meetings when you're saving the world." Layla almost certainly was going to point out the holes in his plan, so Warren leaned up to kiss her and Will shifted with him. Will liked watching them kiss. Layla could be all anger and biting, but Warren's kisses had a tendency to undo her, make all of that anger disappear and she would go sweet and needy for him. The ivy on the wall retreated towards the ceiling.
As soon as Warren pulled back to smile at her, she started talking. "You've been working for years for this. You can't just..." Layla was silenced as Warren cupped the back of her head in his hand and pulled her into another gentle kiss. Will clasped his hand loosely around Layla's. When Warren broke away again, she was silent.
"Maybe I won't, okay?" Warren said. "I'm just letting you two know, I'm not looking forward to it."
Will could see Layla starting to think about it then, about what Warren was saying and what it would mean. But she let herself be pulled down to the mattress again, still holding on to Will's hand across Warren's stomach. Will knew that look on her face that said she was processing hard. "Layla." He whispered, but she just stared off toward the wall. "Layla." She heard him the second time, surprised and blinking and looking right at him. Will smiled. "We'll talk about it later. It's naptime." Layla smiled wide at that. Will knew that she loved naptime just like he did. She squeezed his hand and laid her head beside Warren's, close enough that she could have licked his ear.
Warren's hand had taken up the stroking motion against Will's arm again. Will closed his eyes and let it lull him to sleep.