HEARTS AFLAME

by

serennog

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Summary: When Warren Peace returns to Sky High as Coach Boomer's replacement, seemingly broodier than ever, Eva Armstrong: English teacher, resolves to figure him out once and for all. Set approximately ten years after the film. WarrenOC.

Disclaimer: The characters you recognise are the property of Walt Disney Productions. Those you don't are mine.

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.:Chapter One – Back to School:.

As was routine, Sky High's faculty met for a general conference on the Friday prior to the beginning of the new academic year. Normally, these annual meetings were executed with an air of weary disinterest and a tangible longing for a swift conclusion and swifter escape. Today however, Eva Armstrong: English teacher of the school's Alias Sector, was more than a little surprised to find classroom A1 buzzing with anxious expectation rather than the routine drone of idle chit-chat she had long come to associate with these pre-semester assemblies. Eva turned to Professor Medulla, who had kindly offered her a ride in his newly-acquired '57 Fairlane with Jet Control while she awaited the return of her own automobile from a specialist shop in Japan (an offer she suspected was born of the need to show off as opposed to compassion in any shape or form), a single brow raised in query.

"Don't tell me you didn't read the memo?" the scientist adopted his best satirical tone, normally reserved for the dimmer of his students. If she had a fraction more confidence Eva might have given a sarcastic retort, but instead fought back a blush.

"Memo?"

Medulla heaved a long-suffering sigh. "The Coach Boomer fiasco. Ring any bells?"

It clicked then, but apparently her epiphany hadn't come swiftly enough for the professor's satisfaction – he impatiently ushered her into the room, and to one of the few empty seats in the back row.

What Eva had heard regarding Boomer over summer vacation she'd dismissed as rumour, but was quickly realising there might have been more to the gossip than she'd initially thought. What she'd understood was that the Coach had experienced a moment of enlightenment while having suffered a nasty knock to the head during a game of ball with his telekinetic son. From that instant of dazed reflection the man had, by all accounts, decided his job of fifteen years was a complete waste of time, and that resignation was the only way to go. What came after was a muddle of outrageous theories – one being that he'd bought himself a ranch up-State and was currently breeding mutant porcubits (half porcupine – half rabbit).

Whether the story was true, word for word, was a matter of debate, but with a quick scan of the classroom Eva was able to determine that Coach Boomer was the only absent staff-member (and also Principal Powers herself who had, strangely, not yet arrived). Eva pushed her dark-rimmed glasses further up the bridge of her nose as the contemplated the implications of Boomer's abdication – the first and most troubling being: who exactly would supervise Power Placement the following week? Had Principal Powers managed to find a replacement at such short notice?

Apparently not. The woman in question entered the room sporting a particularly grim expression, which Eva took to be a bad omen – and, on noting the same, every teacher hushed down immediately. Eva was certain she would have been able to hear a pin drop.

The Principal sauntered to the front of the class, leaned against the teacher's desk and offered her audience a distinctly strained smile before proceeding with her usual welcome speech followed by a reminder of the impending arrangements for the coming year. The entire spiel deviated only minutely from her talk of a year past. A half hour went by, and no mention was made of the former coach or the now vacant position. Consequently, the majority of staff were growing restless – Eva herself included.

It was at roughly this point that the classroom's door swung open, and every head snapped keenly in its direction. What Eva saw then would be seared into her memory for years to come…

Standing in the doorway was a familiar leather-and-denim clad stud, his handsome, stubbled face betraying no emotion whatsoever – let alone the embarrassment or guilt one would expect of such a blatant example of tardiness.

"Mr Peace." Powers addressed the newcomer with clear disapproval. "You are…" a glance at her wristwatch, "…forty minutes late."

"Transport troubles," he replied, unfazed, and Eva felt her heart skip a beat on hearing that raw baritone voice she had practically fainted over as a schoolgirl. That said, he closed the door and took a seat on the other side of Medulla from herself, legs splayed in such a tantalizing pose that it had a number of the present female body shamelessly ogling. Eva averted her gaze before it could be counted as indecent, nervously twirling a pen between her fingers while struggling to suppress a blush at the recurring mental image of her old classmate lowering that strong, lithe body into a chair. So not professional, she inwardly berated herself, returning her attention to Powers.

"Well." The Principal clapped her hands once, eager to continue. "As you've probably already noticed, we have ourselves a new faculty member. Mr Warren Peace – more commonly known as Blaze: Captain Might's Companion Hero – will be taking over from Coach Boomer." She needlessly indicated the man with an elegant swipe of the hand. "And Miss Armstrong." Eva very nearly dropped her pen at the unexpected address, but somehow managed to cover her alarm with an inquiring look. "If I correctly recall, the both of you were in the same year while students here?"

Though she couldn't see him, Eva could feel his eyes on her – no doubt an attempt at recognition, but she made no move to satisfy his curiosity, going so far as to tilt her head a fraction so that her hair fell to veil her face. "Yes. Only briefly, however." How she succeeded in keeping her voice level, she would never know.

"Of course." With that, Powers continued the conference, her manner considerably airier than previous.

Throughout the Principal's monologue, Eva occasionally felt her skin crawl through observation, and once dared a quick glance in Warren's direction. As she'd guessed, he was looking – and as earlier, his expression gave absolutely nothing away. What tickled her mind, though, was whether the gossip shrouding his current circumstances were as true as those concerning Boomer…

…and how exactly would she be able to answer the question without incurring his legendary wrath?

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A/N: For those of you just joining us, Captain Might is Will Stronghold (if you hadn't guessed already).