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𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬. "Tell Will congrats!" a young boy said as he walked by you.

You frowned in slight shock, Ariella too sharing a confused glance with you. "Is my brother seriously considered a God around here now?" you scoffed.

"Well, no one ever fights against Warren Peace and lives to tell people about it," Ariella shrugged, eyes widening slightly when you glanced at her. "Except for you! Would you look at that? Now you guys have something in common!"

You groaned aloud, pinching your eyes shut in annoyance. "Great, cause that's exactly what I want - my little brother with a huge ego."

"Guess you gotta make some room on that pedestal," she smirked, wrapping an arm around your shoulder when you rolled your eyes.

Entering the hallway, you saw Will up ahead, conversing with one of the teachers. The woman smiled and nodded, pointing towards a classroom you knew all too well before leaving your brother to himself.

"Will," you called, and he turned, smiling at you as you approached.

"Hey, take a look," he started, handing you the piece of paper in his hand. Quickly inspecting it, you found his timetable to have changed to all superhero classes, including senior classes. 

"You're in my physic analysis class," you frowned.

"Really?" Will beamed, glancing down at the paper. "Great, I'll have a seat buddy."

You didn't respond, instead watching him with a silent befuddled frown. His eyebrows furrowed as he glanced between you and Ariella, the latter simply pursing her lips and shaking her head.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna go now," Will slowly spoke, to which you didn't respond, still staring at him. "Alright... Bye... Love you..."

"Oh, my God, girl," Ariella snapped her fingers in front of your face, snapping you back just as Will turned around to walk away. 

"Did I zone out?"

"Yep."

"Shit," you sighed, rolling your eyes. "This is seriously getting to me, damn. I don't want Will to be in my classes."

"You can't control this, Y/N," your friend said, offering a reassuring smile. "And this is going to be really overwhelming for him, and I think he just needs his sister to help him."

You stared at her for a moment before letting out a begrudging sigh. "When did you become so wise?"

"Since when did you whine?" she retorted with a smirk.

After classes, you found yourself sitting at lunch, glancing between Will and Gwen who were sitting across from you. "When did you two become buddy-buddy?" you questioned, pointing at them with your fork.

"She saved my butt in class," Will answered.

"Did she?"

Gwen slightly shrunk back due to the venomous look in your eyes; you were visibly disturbed by how close she was growing to your younger brother. 

"Guys! Hey, guys! Over here!"

Will's shouting pulled you back, and you looked over, finding Layla and his friends approaching with their lunch trays. They looked confused at the sight of Will sitting with you and your friends, the group approaching with smiles.

You went to greet Layla as she came to a stop beside you when Penny suddenly shifted herself to use up the remaining seats. Her variants batted their eyelashes innocently as they looked at the group. "Sorry. All full," Penny shrugged.

"Penny," you hissed, the girl glancing at you in wonder.

"That's okay, uh... I think I see an empty table over there," Layla mumbled with a nervous grin. "Come on, guys."

"No offence, Will, but we are not running a loser outreach program, okay?" Penny snarked once the group left.

Her clones laughed at her statement, and you rolled your eyes, flicking your wrist up. In response, the juice box on Penny's lunch tray flipped, the liquid inside rising from the opening and spilling onto her pants.

Penny gasped, and her variants immediately disappeared, warping back towards her body. "Y/N!" she cried.

"Wasn't me," you shrugged. 

"I'm sorry," Gwen frowned, turning to face Will. "Penny can be a little full of herself sometimes."

Will watched her for a moment, before offering a slight smile. The gesture was accepted by the girl before she turned away to speak to Penny. Ariella made quick conversation with you as Will looked away, gulping slightly when he made eye-contact with Warren from across the cafeteria.

The older boy lifted his gaze from the book in front of him, eyes squinting as he stared at Will, the freshman glancing away uneasily and opting to stare at his milk carton instead.

About fifteen minutes later, you rose from your seat as everyone began congregating in the hallways to gather their class supplies from their lockers.

"Your brother has a staring problem."

You glanced away from the stacked textbook and notebook in your arm to look up at the sound of a voice.

Warren stood across from you, dark brown eyes downcast to watch you - screw the height difference.

You sighed, leaning against your locker after closing it, "And you just have problems. Plural."

"Tell your brother to mind his own business," Warren spat out, taking a step closer to you. You wouldn't deny that the boy was intimidating, but you still remained in your place. 

The proximity was close, closer than you've ever been to him before, and the smell of smokey birch overwhelmed your senses. His glare was as dark as it was accusatory as he spoke, "Now you're staring."

You blinked, seemingly snapping out of whatever trance you were in, letting out a scoff to try and distract from the fact that maybe you were staring.

"Just because I have eyes, does not mean I'm staring, Peace," you muttered. "What'd you do when Lydia Martins glances at you with her three heads?"

Warren sneered, rolling his eyes as he walked away. You could only watch his retreating form with a smirk, but it soon faded when your name was being called.

"Y/N! Y/N!"

You looked over, finding Will rushing towards you, fear rolling off of his body in waves. "What's wrong?" you questioned.

"Oh, my God, I'm so screwed!" he exclaimed, hands flying to his cheeks as he dragged his fingers down his face.

"Okay, okay, calm down," you soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're not screwed. I'm sure whatever you did can be fixed."

"Not what I did, what Zach did!" Will frowned, glancing over his shoulder where his friends were quickly approaching.

"Look, man, I'm sorry, but something had to be done!" his friend cried, lifting his hands in surrender. "Lash and Speed were going to-."

"Lash and Speed," you hissed out lowly. 

"Oh, shit," Will whispered upon seeing the fire in your eyes. "Wait, wait, I have to explain."

"No need," you interrupted, "They'll be dead by morning."

"I've turned her to the dark side," Zach mumbled as he stared at you in fear.

"I have to play Save the Citizen against them in order for Ethan to not get toilet-dumped ever again," Will spoke up, snapping your attention back to him. 

"But they rarely lose, Will," you frowned in worry. "As much as I hate to admit, they're really too good at playing the villains."

"I know, and that's why I need your help. Since I'm freshman, I can ask a senior for aid during the game if I get in trouble," your brother explained.

"So, you want me to join?" you shortened.

"Pretty much, yeah," he shrugged.

You mulled it over in your head for a moment before letting out a sigh. Will let out a relieved breath, knowing that you had silently agreed.

"You seriously need to shut your mouth sometimes," you suddenly snapped, finger pointing accursedly at Zach.

The boy's face became cherry red in an instant, his hand whipping up to his forehead to salute you. "Yes, ma'am. I'll work on it!"

Every Friday, the school had a collective P.E session in the second period. You found yourself in the gym, sitting alongside Ariella and Gwen, the girls sandwiching you as they spoke excitedly about the game before you. 

Lash and Speed won once again, the dummy civilian 'killed' by the turning spikes. It was nothing new when it came to the sadistic pair, the cheering of the crowd only enlarging their egos.

The whistle blew, Coach Boomer's voice echoing in the gym, "Ramirez, Hamilton! Your citizen has just mulched because you failed to defeat your villains," he derided. "Alright, new round. Speed, Lash, you wanna be heroes or villains?"

"Villians," Speed smirked with a shrug of shoulders.

"Ooh, there's a surprise," Boomer mocked. "Alright, who do you want to beat next?"

"Alright, we'll take little Stronghold, and uh..." the boy started, pointing towards your younger brother who shrunk into himself with a worried frown.

"Let's see..." Lash continued, before pointing towards the far off stands. "And we pick Peace!"

Your eyes widened, your head whipping to watch Warren begrudgingly stand from his brooding position. He walked down the steps, tossing a glance over his shoulder. He met your eyes for only a moment, before turning his attention back towards your brother.

The pair strapped on their gear, before Boomer called out, "Stronghold! As a freshman, you are allowed to pick one power-inclined student to help you and Peace. Who will it be-?"

"Y/N!" he squeaked out, pointing wildly towards you.

"Oh, how sweet," Boomer sighed, writing down your name on his clipboard. "Y/N Stronghold, come on out!" You sighed, standing and walking down the stairs as students cheered for you. "Finally, an interesting game."

"Hey, that's so unfair!" Lash exclaimed, gesturing towards your approaching figure. "She's literally the highest scoring student on campus!"

"Well, at least young Stronghold has some brains when picking teammates," Boomer shrugged.

You strapped on the leg, chest and arm protectors, the fibre feeling unfamiliar to your bare skin, due to not having played Save the Citizen in forever. 

"Hothead! Strongholds! You're the heroes!"

From the sidelines, Gwen waved excitedly at Will, who returned it with gusto. Warren glanced between the pair, before hissing out, "Hey! Get your head in the game!"

You suddenly walked by, moving towards Will to try and reassure him, but your brother could only watch as Warren's gaze followed your body like a deer in headlights.

He accidentally made eye-contact with Will, whose eyebrows were raised with the slightest smirk. "Hey, get your head in the game," Will repeated.

Before Warren could incinerate Will, Boomer was speaking, "You have three minutes to immobilise your opponents and save the citizen!"

"Save me!" the automated voice of the dummy exclaimed, its body dangling above the revolving spikes.

"Ready!... Set!... BATTLE!"

The spikes began rapidly spinning upon the start of the battle, and you watched as Lash elongated his arms, Speed leaning against them before propelling forward. His body was a blur as he zig-zagged towards you, Warren and Will, and judging by their faces, they were going to be no help in this round.

"I have to do everything myself," you muttered to yourself, before waving your hands in front of you. Water appeared to your will, and you forced the liquid to rush across the gym floor.

Speed let out a yelp as he slipped, his arms flailing about before he landed on his ass, shaking his hand from the impact.

Lash moved his arms forward, quickly wrapping them around Warren who was too busy watching you, his cackle obnoxious as he question, "Ha! What now, Peace?"

As a response, Warren willed his fire powers to engulf his entire body, the flames scalding Lash's arm as he cried out in pain. "Hey, Coach, that's a foul! Call something on that!" Lash exclaimed, looking up towards Boomer.

The man merely laughed, smacking his knee. Will had his eyes on the civilian, taking a step forward in pursuit of it, but Speed was quicker - he always is - and slammed your brother to the ground. 

"Are you blind, ref?!" a student called out whilst others booed.

"Come on, Will!" you exclaimed in annoyance, rushing towards him and lifting him off the ground. 

"I'm trying, okay?!" he whined.

"Not hard enough!" you retorted.

Too busy berating Will, you didn't notice Speed rushing towards you until you felt his grimy hands land on your waist. "Got ya, princess!" he snarked, tossing you up into the air. 

"Y/N!" Will shouted in fright as you began descending.

You were readying your powers to maybe try and cushion your fall using the water, but you were closer to the ground then you thought. Bracing for impact, you squeezed your eyes shut, awaiting-

"Hmph!" 

Your eyes snapped open, revealing the sight of...

"Warren?" He glanced down at you, and it seemed you both could only watch one another. 

"Oooh, love on the battle field!" Boomer exclaimed, the crowd cooing in delight. Immediately, you and Warren were brought back to reality, and his arms abruptly folded into themselves, your body suddenly upheld by nothing.

"Ow!" you yelped.

"My bad," he shrugged.

"Asshole."

"Hey, I just saved your ass!"

"Uh, guys!" The pair of you snapped your heads to find Will trying to tie Lash up, his frantic gaze meeting your eyes. "A little help here!"

"You stop Speed, I'll help Will!" you informed before running towards your brother. Warren didn't answer, instead looking around trying to search for Speed, or at least his blur.

"No, wait, stop!" Lash exclaimed as Will tried to hold him down. You stepped forward, grabbing one of his arms as you shared a smug glance with your brother. You nodded to each other, running around the pole and tying Lash's arms so that he was stuck in a knot.

Warren found Speed, the boy rushing around the arena as he tried to evade the balls of fire hurdling towards him. Peace let out an angered breath, before his gaze fell on Will. "Hey!" he shouted, grasping the freshman's attention. "Save the citizen!"

As Will rushed off, you looked over at Warren, expecting to see Speed crying like a child due to being beaten, but the sight before you was more frightening than you cared to admit.

Speed was running around Warren in rapid circles, the boy's flames slowly diminishing due to the loss of air. His hands moved towards his throat, clawing at it as if that would help stimulate oxygen. 

"The vortex sucks away the oxygen. No oxygen, no flame," Mr. Medulla explained for the conjoined class.

You weren't sure why, but... you ran.

You ran so quickly, your arms lifting and in response, water rushed from around the gym, students exclaiming in wonder as water flowed from all around them, the liquid honing towards your call. 

You let out a yell as you tossed your arms forward, the water making a direct hit for Speed. Immediately, both him and Warren were drenched, the villain slipping on the slick wood floor. 

You willed the water to move, sending the boy skidding towards the barriers. "Wait, wait, wait!" Speed shouted, slamming hard into the glass wall and nearly shattering the glass of it.

"Will, go!" you yelled, turning around to face your brother. 

Immediately, he rushed forward, leaping over the spinning spikes and grabbing the civilian dummy. The rope snapped due to the impact, and Will skidded to a stop, his eyes wide as he realised your team had won.

"Time! She's alive!" Boomer shouted, the crowd cheering even louder. "Heroes win!"

Will beamed with pride for him and his team, turning around to find you kneeling down beside Warren. He watched as the older boy glossy eyes were trained on you as you hesitantly placed a hand on his back.

"Are you okay?" you asked gently.

"Fine," he gruffly answered, letting out another cough.

You pursed your lips as you watched him, not being able to help yourself, "I said stop Speed, not let him take your breath away," you mocked with a smirk.

"It's not like I enjoy loosing all oxygen," Warren rebuked with a dark scowl.

But the sound of your laughter was enough to make it disappear. He did a double-take when he heard it, looking over at you in astonishment. Not once did you ever be happy in presence of Warren, much less laugh.

He'd make it his mission to hear it again.

"You're welcome for saving you, hothead," you smiled as you stood. "And thanks for saving me."

Warren could only mutter to your retreating figure as you made your way towards the students and Will. The student-body clamoured around you, congratulating you and your brother on the victory.

"...Anytime."