A/N

[This is posted as a separate story (titled More Than a Friendship) on my AO3 account, but since it can't be linked as a series here I'm posting it as a second chapter to Just Best Friends.]

Warren wanted Will and Layla to be happy, really he did; sometimes he just couldn't quite keep the jealousy and bitterness at bay when watching them together. He still couldn't believe that he played a big part in setting them up together, and in his darker moments he wished that he hadn't. Those thoughts would instantly leave him feeling guilty, because they were both his friends and he shouldn't resent their happiness…

When Will started staring at him increasingly often, he struggled not to read anything into it. Will couldn't have feelings for him – he was happily in a relationship with Layla, after all! There must be some other explanation, and he couldn't allow his own misplaced feelings to play tricks on his mind.

However, as the situation continued, Warren found it more difficult to not hope that Will was developing feelings for him. Will had begun to guiltily look down and avoid eye contact with both Warren and Layla as soon as he caught himself staring at Warren. He also became visibly nervous in Warren's company, and Layla sometimes wore a wistfully thoughtful expression when looking at Will.

Early one Monday morning he got a text from Will asking to meet him in front of Warren's locker as soon as he arrived at school. The text made him smile. Will always had that effect on him – he just hid it well in public.

Warren hurried to meet Will once the bus landed at school, and found him standing awkwardly in front of his locker. He seemed lost in thought and didn't notice Warren's arrival, so Warren gently called his name to get his attention. Will's head jerked upward from where he had been staring at the floor.

"Warren, hey – umm…" Will looked about nervously.

"Will, is everything alright?" The words had barely left Warren's mouth before Will blurted out:

"Layla and I broke up."

Warren just stared at him. His mind went through shock, joy, and guilt for feeling joy, before finally settling on concern.

"Oh god, Will, are you okay?" Warren asked with genuine concern – making sure that Will was alright was his top priority.

Will blinked. "I… Yes; I'm okay. It's strange and I really hope our friendship recovers, but she broke up with me because I don't see her as more than a friend. My best friend, but we'll always be just best friends – I can't think of her as anything more."

"I thought I was your best friend?" Warren joked, giving a hesitant smile: Will seemed oddly alright.

Will took a deep breath. "Well, yes… But lately I've been hoping you could be more than that…"

Warren's heart skipped a beat. That couldn't mean what he thought it did… Could it? Before Warren could get sucked into a whirlwind of thoughts, emotions, and doubts, Will continued speaking:

"A while ago I started to realize that I didn't feel about Layla the way I should while dating her. At the same time I found that I did have those feelings for someone – just not for her… She's beautiful, has an amazing personality, and I love her – but more like a sister than a girlfriend. Those feelings were directed at you, Warren."

Will cast his eyes downward, as though afraid of what he would see if he looked at Warren. Warren struggled to find words – he was simultaneously happier than he could remember ever being and terrified that he misunderstood or it was some sort of joke. Logically he knew Will would never be that cruel, but somehow that didn't lessen his fear at all.

"I… Will – God, I'm bad at this." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I like you a lot and I'm honestly still trying to wrap my head around the idea that you could have feelings for me too."

Will looked up to meet Warren's eyes, hope now shining through the vulnerability.

"Really?" He asked excitedly. "You like me too? Do you want to go out with me? How does this work? My last two relationships weren't too successful – though parting as friends is a step up from a psycho with an evil plan who ended up in prison…"

Warren stared at Will with fond exasperation, shaking his head. "You think I know anything about relationships and emotions? I would definitely like to go out with you, Will, and we'll figure out everything else as we go along."

Reaching forward to squeeze Will's hand, Warren suggested: "How about we go somewhere after school today? You could fly us somewhere quiet with a nice view."

Will looked at their joined hands in awe. "Definitely, that sounds great! I'll think of somewhere perfect! I wish I could control time to make school end faster…"

Warren laughed, something he seemed to do a lot in Will's presence lately.

As could be expected, the rest of the day seemed to drag by at a frustratingly slow pace and Warren had work to do during lunch, so he wouldn't get to see Will until the end of the day. When the last class finally ended, Warren could barely force himself to walk at a reasonable speed rather than run to meet Will. It wouldn't do for Warren Peace to be seen running frantically across the school grounds – his reputation of being dangerous and aloof didn't need to be damaged any more than it already was.

He found Will already waiting for him, and gave him a hug before allowing Will to pick him up and fly off the school grounds. Neither spoke much during the flight, rather just enjoying the intimacy of the situation. Warren had never really been close enough to appreciate Will's cologne before, and took a moment to just breathe in Will's scent.

Will took them to a beautiful meadow somewhere in the countryside – Warren hadn't been paying enough attention to know more about their whereabouts. Really it didn't matter though: they had it all to themselves.

Warren couldn't keep his eyes off Will. This whole situation still felt like a dream – he half expected to wake up any second. He was shaken from his thoughts when Will shyly reached over to take his hand.

An unbidden smile crept onto his face as he looked at their joined hands. He sat down on the grass, gently pulling Will down next to him.

"Can I kiss you?" Warren asked softly, looking straight into Will's beautiful eyes.

Will instantly nodded his consent and they both started leaning toward each other. Time seemed to slow before their lips finally met and Warren instinctively closed his eyes. Will's lips moved against his, opening to give access when Warren swiped his tongue across them. He deepened the kiss and pulled Will closer against him, craving as much contact as possible.

When the need to breathe became too much to ignore, he pulled away just far enough to gasp for air. He could feel Will's breath ghosting over his face and couldn't think of anything more perfect than that moment.

Warren and Will remained entwined together on the soft grass in the meadow, basking in each other and their new relationship. Eventually they would have to return home and face the world. Warren knew he would need to speak to Layla – both thank and apologize to her, and make sure she was doing alright. For the moment, however, nothing else mattered. They had each other, and hopefully would face everything together from now on.