Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The weeks following Rita’s attack on Angel Grove were peaceful. Too peaceful. Everyone was used to the small-town bustling with as much excitement that a port could be expected to offer; boat horns sounding off, seagulls calling to one another, and, of course, people talking to one another carefree. But that was all gone. Not even the seagulls could be heard anymore.

This deceptive peacefulness was a bubble over the issues. A charade created out of fear. And no one could even bring themselves to talk about the dead.

It was hard to watch, to listen to, to read about. Especially when you had been one of the ones that had added to the amount of damage done. Even if it had been for the greater good.

So many people had been displaced after the attack that the town had to create temporary living quarters just so that they would have a place to go. Jason would walk by one of those disaster camps every day on his way to school and stop, no matter how late he was, checking on how the residents from his town were doing. It was a painful reminder of what had happened barely a month ago, and what was still happening.

Because they still had to deal with the random puddies spawning thanks to the remnants of Goldar that had seeped into the ground. One had even surfaced during school hours. None of the rangers had even known until they had been dismissed from class and, by the time they found the thing, it had already destroyed three of the few previously undamaged buildings that had remained standing in the city.

It was all so bitter sweet for him. On one hand, they had saved the planet. But there was a guilt that came with it that was painful on a personal level; one that they could only share with each other. But none of them did. And it made Jason feel like he was going a bit crazy. Maybe he was the only one feeling this way and, if his teammates could avoid feeling this guilty, he’d be happy for them.

Thinking that never made any of the dreams any easier, though. Since the attack, Jason had been plagued with nightmares. They always varied, but all of them had one theme in common; death. So many times he had seen old friends and neighbors, murdered violently by Rita or some other dark, faceless, entity. So many times he watched his entire town turn to rubble. And so, so, many times he had been forced to watch as one of his teammates, one his best friends, die before his eyes. Unable to do anything to save them. Unable to stop his remaining friends from blaming him. Unable to keep them from leaving him alone to deal with his grief.   

He had had one such dream last night. They had all been fighting one abnormally large putty and Jason had somehow missed that it had been able to grow right in front of his eyes. Then he had given Trini the order to attempt to take out one of its massive arms. But, right as she had jumped, the putty grabbed her, midair, and crushed her before dropping her to the ground. Leaving her an empty shell of broken bones and crushed organs.

When he was finally able to rouse himself from his dream, he bolted up and looked over at his clock. It had been four in the morning and, knowing that he would be unable to get back to sleep, Jason went to The Pit to train. Hoping that the more he fought the simulated putties, the less likely it would be that he’d get someone killed.

When he got there, Alpha had tried telling Jason he needed sleep; saying that he was detecting high levels chemical imbalances indicating depression and anxiety induced from sleep deprivation. But he ignored the android and told him to just turn the putties. However, before Alpha could, Zordon’s voice broke over the com, telling Jason that he needed to stop pushing himself and listen to Alpha, citing the fact that the Ranger leader had been there to train at three-am the previous day and one the day before that.

Jason remembered letting out a dry laugh and bitterly telling Zordon he couldn’t stop him from that wall he was trapped in. Zordon ordered Alpha to not turn on the simulations after that. With a clenched jaw, Jason then stormed out of The Pit, trying to ignore how worried Alpha somehow managed to looked.

After that Jason wandered around the city. Going through the rubble and roped off areas, looking for some sign of salvation. Something that would make it easier for him to fix all of this. He did that until he noticed the sun rising and realized he needed to get his shit together so that he could make it to school before he was late.

When he reached Angel Grove High, he saw all the other Rangers waiting for him outside the school as other students filed into the building around him. He nodded at them and forced a smile.

“Hey, what’s up, guys?” He said as he gripped tightly onto the strap of his backpack.

Billy stared at him for a moment, frowning. “You didn’t sleep.” He said, no question to it. It made Jason grip the strap on his backpack tighter.

“Ah, don’t worry about it, I was just up late trying to get that book report done I have for English today.”

“We don’t have a book report due today.” Kimberly mumbled, clearly confused and concerned. “Jace—”

“Yes we do. On Frankenstein.” He tried to keep any stiffness out of his voice.

“That’s...not due until the end of the month.” The Pink Ranger said quietly, the concern growing in her voice.

Jason wanted to say something, but when he noticed Trini looking over at Zack, clearly worried, something in him snapped.

“Stop looking at each other! There’s nothing wrong with wanting to get shit done early!” His outburst made all the other Rangers jump and gawk at him. And, when Jason saw Billy shirking back, clearly upset from the yelling, it made his stomach churn.

“Dude...” Zack muttered, his voice conveying his concern, but also his irritation at Jason’s actions.

Jason looked away from the group and brought his hands up to scrub his face, hoping that it would erase the image of Billy looking distressed because of him.

“I’m sorry.” He said, barely above a whisper, before looking back at the rest of his team, refusing to look any of them in the eye. “I’m sorry. I just...I really did have a lot going on last night and I’m exhausted. I didn’t mean to snap at you guys.”

“I can help you with homework, if you like.” Billy offered, making Jason feel even worse.

He looked over at the Blue Ranger remorsefully. “No, Billy, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” The other ranger gave a slight nod before glancing away, clearly in thought.

A tense silence fell around the group for a few moments until the bell for class rung and they all headed towards the building.

Kimberly, Zack, and Billy all walked ahead while Jason fell back, not wanting to bother them anymore. However, Trini lingered behind next to him. The Red Ranger frowned before looking over at the girl next to him. As Jason stared at Trini, he could feel his eyes clouding over in sadness as memories from last night’s dream came flooding back. She glanced back over at him with a worried frown before sighing and looking straight ahead again.

“Get some cover-up. It’ll help with the dark circles. It’s what I use.” She said as the rest of the group vanished down another hall. Jason tenses and stopped in his tracks. The Yellow Ranger barely took two steps forward before turning back to look at Jason with the same tired look he knew he had.

“Come over to my place tonight. We’ll talk about it.” Jason didn’t try to argue against that idea. Trini then stepped into her classroom and the Red Ranger lingered back.

Yeah, the peacefulness around them truly was deceptive.

Chapter Text

Trini tried her best to keep an eye on Jason for the rest of the day. It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to do considering the only period they had together was physics. And that was the last class of the day. But, until then, she stuck close by him in the hall; doing her best to make it to his classrooms before he’d be gone and would then walk with him to his next. Even if it was in the opposite direction of her own.

They didn’t talk during their short trips from class to class, but she’d wrap her arm around his in support and gently lean on him. Usually this was a position reserved for a girlfriend. But Jason didn’t seem to care. She even felt him leaning back against her sometimes. It was like they were holding each other up so that they could both get through the day. There was a mutual understanding between them. One that they needed now that they both knew what each was going through. And what they needed was each other so that they could keep their heads above the water Rita had tried to drown them in.

By the time they got to physics, Jason looked like death. And Trini felt like it, but they pushed through. Afterwards, Jason walked her to her locker and she got her books out, shoving them into her backpack.

Trini was about to ask Jason what time he’d come over when they noticed Billy walking up behind them.

“Are you two dating?” He asked them and Trini turned to look at Billy, noticing his brow was furrowed in confusion.

“No, Billy, we’re not dating.” Jason said wearily.

“Kim saw you two today. We were trying to give you both space, but we don’t know what’s going on.”  

“Don’t worry about it.” Trini said as she zipped up her back pack and shut her locker. She then did her best to give Billy a reassuring smile. “We’re okay. Jason and I just have a physics project we need to work on. We’ve just been moaning and groaning about it together today.” Trini felt a sharp pang in her chest as she lied to Billy. Even though it was nothing major, she still hated doing it. But she knew she needed to cover for Jason.

Billy looked contemplative for a moment before nodding and looking between them. “Oh, okay. Are you sure you don’t want my help? I’m free tomorrow night.”

Trini looked over at Jason and saw a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Sure, Billy. How about we get the whole team together and just have a study date.”

Trini smiled back at Jason before looking back at Billy. “I’d be down. We could all go to the mountain. Should be nice out there to study.”

Billy smiled more and nodded his head rapidly as he looked between the two of them. “Sounds cool! Do you want me to ask Zack and Kim?”

“Yeah, give us a call later and tell us what they said, yeah?” Trini asked and pulled the strap of her backpack higher up on her shoulder.

"Sure! I’ll call later tonight. Probably around eight? Or probably eight-thirty would be more likely.”

“Sounds good, Billy.” Jason said, his voice lighter than it had been all day.

Billy smiled at the two of them before heading back down the hall towards his own locker. Once he was gone, Trini looked back at Jason, still smiling lightly.

“So, boss, we still on for my place?” Trini noticed how Jason flinched when she called him ‘boss’ and made a mental not to try and avoid calling him that for a while.

“Um, yeah. If you’re sure?”

“Positive.”             

“Then I’ll grab the bus that heads towards your way.” Jason said as he moved away from Trini’s locker so he could go get his own things. Trini stuck by him though and started to follow him back down the hall.              

“Trini,” Jason said, stopping in his tracks, “You don’t have to—”             

 “Yeah, I do.” She said pointedly before placing her hand on Jason’s shoulder. “And forget the bus, just grab a ride with me. My dad won’t care.”              

Jason let out a heavy sigh before nodding. The two of them finished walking down the hall and, once Jason had everything he needed out of his locker, she led Jason out of the school to where her dad picked her up. When they reached the back parking lot, her dad as already there waiting.              

The two of them walked up to the car and Trini walked around to the driver’s window. Her dad then rolled down the window and furrowed his brow.              

“Everything okay?” He asked and Trini smiled and nodded at him.              

“I was hoping Jason could come over for the night. We have a big project we need to work on. It’s going to take a while.” It was easy to tell her dad the same lie she had told Billy. It almost frightened her, but at least she was used to keeping the truth away from her parents.              

Her dad frowned. “The night? As in the whole night?”              

“Trini—” Jason tried to interject, but she cut him off.              

“Don’t worry dad, I’ll leave my door completely open all night.”              

Her dad still looked unconvinced, but he nodded nonetheless. “Okay. That’s...okay with me. But we still need to ask your mother.”              

Trini smiled at her dad before turning back around, giving Jason a smug smile as her dad unlocked the doors and rolled up his windows              

“You never said anything about all night.” Jason said quietly and quickly before they had to get in the car.              

“Hey, better to be with someone than alone for these things.” Trini said as Jason opened the back door for her and she got inside, grabbing the inside handle for herself and closing the door before Jason had the chance to do it for her. Jason walked around the other side of the car and got in and her dad drove them back to her place.              

Once there, the three of them all got out. When they got to the door, her dad unlocked it and let them inside. As they walked in, Trini’s mom hurried into the room and towards the door.              

“Trini, how was your day? What did you do? How’d—oh,” she stopped herself once she saw Jason and stood a bit straighter. Trini heard her dad slowly close the door behind them and she could almost imagine the tentative look he was giving her mother. “Jason Scott.”              

Jason shifted awkwardly next to her and gave her mother a half wave. “Hi.”              

“Trini asked if Jason could...stay over tonight. Apparently, they have a physics project to work on.”  Her dad said from behind her and she heard him toss his keys into the bowl they had sitting by the door. After that, the room filled with enough silence that you could have heard a pin drop.              

“The night?” Her mom let out a dry laugh. “I don’t think—”              

“She said they would leave the door open all night for us. It sounded reasonable to me.” Sometimes her dad had her back, but her mother still gave him a steely eyed look before looking back at her.              

“You know how I feel about you hanging out with this...delinquent.” She said as he waved her hand in circles, motioning in Jason’s direction. “And now you want him to spend the night here?!”                

Trini clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes at her mother as a wave of embarrassment washed over her. She didn’t expect her to say that. Apparently, Trini had given her mother too much credit.              

“The boy is right in front of you, Maria!” Her dad said, exasperatedly.              

“He is and he knows what he did!”              

“Mom—!”              

“Ma’am, can I say something?” Jason asked tentatively and Trini realized in that moment that she was once again leaning against him.              

Her mother gave Jason a sharp nod in Jason’s direction and crossed her arms.              

“I do know what I did. It was wrong and I’ve...I’ve been doing my best to repent for my mistakes. And your daughter has been there for me and helped me through it all. And if you’re worried about me getting her in trouble, I would never do that. She means too much to me.”                

The silence was back again and Trini had to fight back a grin that was trying to break out as she watched her mom flounder after hearing what Jason said.              

“Just let the boy stay.” Trini heard her father say.              

“Fine.” Her mother looked back at her. “But, I am checking on you two every hour.”              

“That’s perfectly fine, ma’am. Thank you.” Jason said.              

Trini gently grabbed onto Jason’s arm and pulled him towards the stairs. “Come on, let’s go get to work.”              

After dragging Jason upstairs to her room, they put their backpacks down and Trini quickly went over to her dresser and opened the top drawer, pulling out a thin tube of cover-up. She turned back around and threw it in his direction. Even in his sleep deprived state, Jason easily caught the makeup.              

He eyed it in confusion before looking back at Trini with the same confused look, making her laugh.              

“It’s not your color, but it’ll be better than the purple you’re sporting.” She said before walking back towards her backpack that was on her bed and opening it up to pull out some of her folders. “I can’t believe you got my mom so flustered, it was great.” Trini laughed again before looking back at Jason.              

“Didn’t realize she had so much against me.” Jason muttered before doing the same thing with his backpack and then followed Trini over as she sat on the floor by her bed.              

“Eh, she has something against every one of you. Kim’s too risqué, Billy does too many dangerous things, and Zack’s...well, Zack.” She looked back over at Jason. “Don’t take it personally. I’m just glad you shut her down.”              

“Why did you want me to spend the night?” Jason asked and Trini watched as he furrowed his brow in confusion.              

“Two reasons.” Trini held up one finger to make her point. “One, we can’t talk about shit until they go to bed and,” she held up a second finger, “two, I don’t think you want to be alone again tonight. I sure as hell don’t want to be.” He voice had barely been above a whisper, but she knew Jason had heard her when she saw his eyes cloud over.              

“You’re right.” He said back to her before nodding. “So, what do we do until then?”              

“I don’t know about you, but I actually have homework to work on.” Jason laughed for the first time all day and nodded.              

“Yeah, I should probably work on that too.”              

Trini watched as Jason opened up one of his folders and grabbed a few papers out of it. In a few hours, night would fall and, a few after that, her parents would be sleeping. Then both of them could get everything off their chest so that it hopefully wouldn’t knock back into them again and take their breath away.

Chapter Text

Jason could see where Rita had slammed Trini into her wall. Sure, it had been plastered over and repainted. But you could still make out the faint outline of where her body had made contact thanks to the discoloration between the fresh paint against the original. And they had been in Trini’s room all afternoon and into the evening; she had even brought food up into her room so Jason didn’t have to come face-to-face with her mother again. It gave Jason hours to trace the outline with his eyes and memorize every dip and curve it had. He made special note of how high up Rita had raised Trini up off the ground before throwing her into the wall.

How the hell was he supposed to protect everyone when he hadn’t even been able to keep Trini safe in her own home?

As the hours ticked by, Jason had a vague idea of how late it was getting. At one point, Trini’s dad had come in, smiling lightly at him, as he handed Jason a sleeping bag. He then said something about going to bed and that they should turn it in too before leaving the room.

Once he was gone, Jason saw Trini stand up off the floor and stretch. A few of her joints made a sickening popping sound that made him feel nauseous.  

“I’m going to put a poster over it.” The Yellow Ranger said, walking over to her wall and gently touching it. “I want something ironic though. Maybe a picture of The Hulk. What do you think?” She looked back at Jason with a small smile as she crossed her arms.

Jason wasn’t amused. “You actually want to be able to laugh about all of this?”

Trini’s smile faded “No. But I have to do something. We both do.” She came back over towards him and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Like what? What can we do?” There was a bitterness in Jason’s voice and he hoped that Trini didn’t think it was directed towards her.

“Couldn’t tell yah. All we’ve got is each other. And the rest of the group when we’re ready. Who knows, maybe they’re all feeling the same way. Maybe we all just don’t know how to start the conversation.”

“You knew how to start just now.”

Trini watched Jason quietly, her eyes scanning him over. It felt like she was assessing him; measuring him up for whatever reason.

“Nah, you did by staring at my wall. Actions speak louder than words.” She said before walking over to the bed and sitting down next to Jason, once again looping her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder. It made comforting warmth spread through him.

“I never picked you for the touchy-feely type.” He said quietly, leaning his head against hers.

“I’m not.” Trini said with a laugh. “I just like knowing you understand.”

“You seem so much better at handling this, though.” Jason moved his hand to Trini’s knee, squeezing it gently in further support.

“Eh, you learn how to hide things like this.” Trini muttered as she gently tugged on his arm. “I remember...when I first started having dreams about other girls...it’d wake me up and I’d force myself to stay awake after that, because I didn’t want to have another one.”

Jason furrowed his brow. An urge to protect Trini started to bloom from the comforting warmth she had given him. But, once again, he felt like he didn’t know how to help. It made his jaw clench.

“What’s wrong?” Trini asked, worriedly, as Jason felt her move her head away from his shoulder. It forced him to move his own head up and he turned to look at Trini. The worry that had been in her voice was visible in the creases of her brow. It was then that he realized he had gone stiff as a board.

“I just know one day I’ll slip up again and I won’t be able to...protect you. Any of you.” His voice was strained and he heard it crack slightly. It was a blatant display of emotion that he wasn’t used to showing and it made him feel open and raw. But Trini was making him feel safe and he knew she wouldn’t judge him for being emotional.

“Jason, it’s not your job to protect us.” Trini said softly. “Your job’s to guide us so that we can protect ourselves.”

He shook his head, but forced himself to relax again. “That’s not what it feels like.”

“I know, Red. But it’s not like you have extra powers or somethin’. We’re all equals, you’ve just got a fancy label and that’s all it is.” Trini gently pulled her arm away and turned to look at Jason straight on. “And, believe me, labels ain’t worth it.”

There was a voice in the back of Jason’s head telling him that Trini was right. And he knew she was, but being marked the leader was never that simple. It couldn’t be. He had already been a leader once for a team that worshiped him and, when he failed them, they had abandoned him.

Now the stakes were even higher. Now he was on a team that truly mattered; one that was designed to save the world. And if he failed, someone would get killed. It had already happened once and, next time, there would be no do-overs.

“We gotta head to bed before my parents get pissed that I’ve still got my light on. We can keep talking though-”

“No, it’s okay.” Jason said to cut Trini off. “I’ll set the sleeping bag up, you get ready for bed.”

Trini frowned for a moment before nodding and getting up off her bed. “All right.”

She didn’t sound convinced that it was the right thing for her to do, but she walked off down the hall to where she had told Jason the bathroom was, and left Jason alone. He wasn’t convinced it was the right thing either, but he didn’t feel like he could talk anymore. His brain was hazy from the ever-present lack of sleep and he didn’t even know what else he could say. He got off of Trini’s bed and grabbed the sleeping bag, making sure he moved it around to the other side of the bed, so that she wouldn’t trip over him during the night.

By the time he heard Trini coming back from the bathroom, Jason was already laying down. He had tricked himself into thinking that he was simply feigning sleep so that Trini wouldn’t say anything else to him. But, in reality, he was already drifting off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Trini didn’t know how long she had been awake. She hadn’t checked her clock to see what time it was before she had laid down, but now the red numbers were trying to tell her that it was almost two in the morning. With a sigh, Trini turned onto her side, facing the side of her room where Jason was lying and looked down at him.

That was when she noticed it. Every muscle in Jason’s arm was completely tense to the point where they were trembling. And, as she leaned over more, she could hear pained whimpers and pleas coming from the Red Ranger.

Trini didn’t even need to think twice before throwing her covers off so that she could get on the floor next to Jason. She quickly, but carefully, stepped over him before kneeling on the ground next to him.

Jason’s face was completely twisted with fear and it broke her heart. She might not have known him for very long, but she knew he didn’t deserve this. His heart was too big and he cared too much to be going through this torture.

Reaching out, she gently put her hand on his shoulder and shook it.

“Jason? Jason, wake up.” She shook him a bit harder as he continued to mumble, but it didn’t take long for him to wake up. Startled, he flailed his arms slightly and Trini had to move back so he didn’t accidentally hit her.

As he calmed down, he stared to catch his breath and brought his hand up to rub his face. Trini moved back closer to Jason and reached out again, placing her hand on his bicep. The cool flesh was clammy and that was when she noticed the front of Jason’s ever red t-shirt was drenched in sweat.

The Red Ranger took one last deep breath before pulling his hand away from his face. He stared off at the wall and narrowed his eyes, his dark circles even more present in the moon glow coming in from her window.

“What was it about?” Trini asked, quietly, as she sat back, crossing her legs underneath herself.

The Yellow Ranger watched as Jason closed his eyes tightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed heavily.

“Zack. There was some...weird rock creature. Coiled around him like a snake and it...” Jason trailed off, letting out a shaky breath.

Trini furrowed her brow in worry and sadness before leaning forward and unzipping the sleeping bag.

“Trini?” Jason muttered, clearly still half asleep.

“Move over a bit, would yah?” She said and Jason slowly closer to Trini’s bed. The Yellow Ranger then laid down on her back, half way on the open sleeping bag. Trini watch at Jason’s face scrunched up in confusion as he looked down at her. With a dramatic roll of her eyes, she then out stretched her left arm so that it was around Jason’s back. “Now get back down here.”

Jason frowned and hesitated for a moment before slowly and awkwardly moving so that he could lay down with distance between them. Before he could lay down completely with his back pressed up against Trini’s bed, she moved over so that his head came to rest on her shoulder and her arm wrapped about the back of his neck, cradling him.

“Isn’t this weird?” Jason asked tiredly as he shifted his shoulder so that he wasn’t laying too much on Trini’s arm and wrapped his own arm around her chest.

“Shut up, no it’s not.”

There was a long pause between them and Trini almost started to believe that Jason had actually fallen asleep again. But then she heard him sigh and he gently pulled her closer.

“What are your dreams like?”

The Yellow Ranger flinched slightly, not expecting Jason to ask her that, but after everything he had shared with her, telling him what she’d see in her sleep was only fair.

“Kimberly.” She muttered. “In her Zord when it was on fire. She’s right in front of me telling me she can’t breathe and I can’t do jack shit. All I can do is fucking stare until I can’t see her through the flames anymore.” She felt Jason gently tighten his hold on her again and she tilted her head to rest it against his.

“I’m sorry.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “You don’t deserve this.”

“Neither do you.”

After that they were completely silent. And, as she stared up at her ceiling, Trini felt Jason’s breaths even out. Soon, she felt herself following his rhythm and her eyes started to close.

It was the first time in weeks that she didn’t see flames in the night.

Chapter Text

Zack was the first one to reach the school. It was nothing new, he usually liked being the first one there. Somehow, knowing he was early made him feel like less of a failure.

He took his usual seat on the third step leading up to the school entrance and leaned back on his backpack as he waited for the rest of the group to show up. After about ten minutes, he finally saw Kim walking over and smiled at her.

“Don’t you look comfortable.” She said, grinning, as she took a seat down next to him. He shrugged and continued so smile.

“Who says school can’t be relaxing?”

Kim rolled her eyes and shook her head as she took her backpack off and put it between her legs.              

“You going up the mountain with us tonight?” He asked as Kim leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.              

“Yeah, I think we need it. It’s been too long since we all got to just hang out together.”              

“We were all together last weekend—”              

“Training doesn’t count.” Kim looked over at him with a smirk as she raised her eyebrow. Zack laughed and nodded slowly.              

“I got you. I got you.” He said as he took a deep breath and stared off at the cement surrounding the school. The sun still hadn’t completely risen and there was a thin haze over hovering over the ground. The farther out he looked out past the school the less he could see. The irony was the hazy fog covered up all the still visible rubble and pop-up shelters you could see from behind the school. It made everything almost look normal again.              

“So, do you think they’re going to talk to us about it?” He heard Kim ask and he looked back over at the girl.              

“Jason and Trini, you mean? I don’t know. They’ll tell us what’s up when they tell us.” He said and, for a moment, he felt the bitter pang of jealousy. Why he was jealous, he had no clue. He didn’t have long to think about it though.

He heard Kim sigh heavily and watched as she shook her head.

“You don’t think they’re actually...I mean...do you?” She asked, disjointedly, and furrowed her brow, giving Zack a look of confusion and he swore he saw a hint of sadness too.

“Homegirl and Jace? No, there’s no way.” He said, smiling reassuringly. “So, don’t worry, the door’s still wide open for you. With either of them.” Zack was grinning again, but the pang returned in his chest. He quickly pushed it back before he became even more confused by it.

Kim kept her brow furrowed, but she smiled.

“Seriously,” Zack continued, “Ask one of them out. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Uh, I don’t know? We break up and our fighting destroys the Power Rangers thus leading to the eventual end of humanity.”

Zack couldn’t help but laugh. If it was one thing he was bound and determined to teach Kim, it was how to let loose. The girl was fun, but after everything that had happened it was hard to get her to do something for herself. All she could see any more were the possible destructive outcomes of her choices and not any of the good ones.

“Plus...I like both of them. It’s not fair that I ask one of them out when I still have a crush on the other. Is it?” He knew she meant that last part as a statement. She wasn’t actually asking him what he thought because the Pink Ranger already knew what he would say to her. But he had to say it anyway.

“You never know unless you try, Kimmy.” She gave Zack a half grin and rolled her eyes.

The two of them sat in silence after that, but it wasn’t long until the Black Ranger saw Jason walking up with Trini. It wasn’t until they were standing right in front of him that he realized he had his jaw clenched. He quickly relaxed with a smile and nodded at the two of them.

“Look at you two. You know, if you stick together like that people are going to start talking.” Zack said and he really hoped he sounded like his normal, witty, self.

He must have, because Trini just rolled her eyes before giving him a deadpan look. “And since when do I care about the gossip around this place?”

“Touché, homegirl, touché.”

“Hey, where’s Billy? He’s usually here by now.” Jason said, his brow furrowed in confusion. Zack frowned as he watched the other teen look around the school entrance like he’d see Billy hanging around somewhere else without them.

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him since he called last night.” Kim said and Zack looked over at her, watching as she stood up to help Jason look around. “It is weird that he’s not here yet. Do you want me to call him?” She looked back at Jason, her hands on her hips.

“Dude probably just blew up his alarm clock or something and didn’t know what time it was.” Zack said with a shrug. Jason didn’t look amused though. He was looking back at the Black Ranger with a frown, crossing his arms in the process.

It stung a bit. Not because he didn’t think he deserved it. Half his reactions to something possibly serious probably deserved that reaction. But Trini and Kim hadn’t even batted an eye at what he had said. Hell, he didn’t even understand why he was reading so much into it, but all he knew was that Jason was the one he felt like he was failing. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Look,” Zack muttered as he stood up with the rest of the group. “Billy’s a smart dude. If anything was wrong, he’d call us.”

He waited for Jason’s reaction, however he never got one. Everyone was turning to look over towards the parking lot and Zack could see Billy running up towards them.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late. There was a putty a block away from the school, so I took it out.” Billy said cheerfully as he came to stand next to Trini.

“You did what? Billy, you should have called one of us!”

Zack didn’t understand why Jason sounded so frustrated. And, apparently, no one else did either, because, as he looked around, he noticed they were all giving Jason the same look of confusion. However, out of all of them, Trini looked the least confused and went to touch Jason’s arm.

“Jason—”

“No.” Jason said, cutting Trini off, shaking his head. “No, from now on, no one is fighting any putties alone.”

“Dude, we’ve fought literally hundreds of putties. I think we can handle one or two on our own.”  Zack said, trying to somehow possibly smooth over the situation.

Instead, Jason looked back at him with narrowed eyes. “It’s an order.”

“I’m sorry.” Billy quietly muttered, clearly still confused as to what was making Jason sound angry. Heck, Zack was beyond confused too.              

“It’s...okay, Billy. Just, be more careful from now on, okay?”              

“Sure, Jason. We all will be.” Billy said and Zack finally noticed a look of relief cross Jason’s face as he nodded at the Blue Ranger.              

“Thank you.”              

An awkward air of silence fell between them for a moment before the first bell for class rang and they all started to file inside. But Zack stood back for a moment and turned to watch everyone else as they headed in the building.              

Hopefully tonight would help make things better. They’d all be chilling out on top of the mountain and just having some fun. Honestly, since Rita, Zack thought that they might have even forgotten was ‘fun’ was. So, he kept his fingers crossed that everything went off without a hitch and he’d get to see everyone smiling and laughing again. Especially Jason.

Chapter Text

It was late by the time they all got up to the mountain. Billy had said it was supposed to be a study date for all of them, but everyone seemed to have silently agreed that they would get all their homework done first before heading up. The last thing they all needed as a group was to get together only to do more work.

It was dark by the time Kim had finished her homework and she got a text from Zack. He had been the first one up there and sent Kim a text saying that he had the beers and was going to get the bonfire started. The end of the text asked her if she could bring up some of the camping chairs he knew she had. She replied with a simple ‘Sure!’ and headed up towards the mines.

By the time she got there, Billy and Jason had made it up and they were all sitting on the ground with Zack.              

The Black Ranger quickly got up off the ground and headed over to her to help her with the chairs.

“Our hero!” Zack exclaimed and winked at her as he took the chairs and winked at her. She rolled her eyes and followed him back to the fire.

Billy and Jason got up too and they each took a chair from Zack and set them up. Jason too a second one from Zack and set it up for Kim while Zack set up the fifth one for Trini for when she got there.              

“Thanks.” Kim said to Jason, smiling at him, before she took a seat. He smiled lightly back and sat down in his chair next to her.              

“Has anyone heard from Trini?” Bill asked, looking around the group to see if anyone had the answer to his question.              

“I haven’t heard from homegirl since lunch.” Zack said as he shook his head.              

“She said something about having to babysit until seven, so she should be up here soon.” Jason said to Billy. The Blue Ranger smiled and nodded, however Kim could see Zack tensing out of the corner of her eyed.              

“Dude, what’s going on with you and homegirl? I didn’t think you’d be her type.” Zack asked, a clear tenseness in his voice. It made Billy shift uneasily at Kim’s other side. The Pink Ranger reached over and gently placed her middle and pointer fingers against his wrist, letting the rest of her fingers fall onto the arm of his chair. She knew it would be the right amount of touch to show her support without making Billy even more uneasy.              

“There’s nothing going on with us.” Jason said sharply and he began to glare at Zack. “What’s your problem?”              

Zack sunk down into his chair and stared down at the fire. He didn’t say anything back to Jason.              

“So, who wants to crack open the beers?” Kim said, trying to defuse the situation, looking between Jason and Zack. She watched as the two of them shared a tense glance before the Black Ranger got up and grabbed a beer out of the six pack that was laying there and used his ring that functioned as a bottle opener to pop the cap off. They had found out the hard way that a bottle opener was still necessary when Billy had tried to twist a cap off a soda and the top part had shattered. Thankfully he was okay, but he had still lost a nice white shirt to the mess of brown cola.

Zack passed the now open beers off to Jason with a blank expression before going back to grab two more and opening them as he brought them over to Billy and Kim. Kim took hers, smiling, and Zack smiled lightly back at her. He walked back over and then grabbed a beer for himself before sitting back down.              

“I have an idea.” Billy said, finally smiling. “I was looking around on the internet for something for us to do and the site I was on suggested ‘Never Have I Ever’. I thought it might be a good conversation starter!” Talking about his idea had clearly perked him up and he shifted his gaze between everyone in the group.              

Kim smiled over at him before looking at Jason and Zack for their reaction and saw that the two of them were smiling as well.              

“Sounds like it’ll be interesting.” Zack said, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Never know what you might find out about someone when you play that.”              

“Think we should wait for Trini?” Kim asked and the rest of the group agreed that they should.              

They filled the time before the Yellow Ranger showed up with simple chit-chat. How were classes going? Had they been up to anything interesting? What was going on at home? It was just the basics, but it had been a good way to kill some time. Kim noticed that Jason was keeping his answers short and simple, but at least he was talking and that seemed like the important thing.              

It wasn’t long after that that Kim saw Trini coming up the hill. She looked over at the other girl and smiled brightly. Trini gave her the same smile in return and waved at her.              

“Hey!” Kim said. “How’re your brothers?”              

“They’re annoying little ankle biters. But they’re cool. Sorry I’m late guys.” Trini grabbed a beer and walked over to Zack. The Black Ranger laughed lightly and popped the cap off for her.  She then grabbed the open seat between Billy and Zack and pulled one of her legs up into the chair.

“Did I miss anything good?”

“Billy suggested playing ‘Never Have I Ever’.” Kim said with a smirk as she continued to look at Trini.

Trini raised an eyebrow at her and grinned back before looking over at Zack. “Homeboy must be rubbing off on Billy.”

Kim heard Zack laugh dryly and looked over to see him outstretching his arm as he took a mock bow, bending over in his seat. “I take that as a compliment.”

“So, who’s going first?” The Pink Ranger asked before looking around

“Go for it, Billy. It was your suggestion.” Jason said.

“Sure! Okay, um...oh! Never have I ever snuck into a movie.” He said and Kim looked around again to see if anyone took a drink. Trini took one and Zack laughed.

“Nice, homegirl, what’d you see?” He asked, leaning forward to put his elbows on his knees.              

“I snuck in to see Wolf of Wall Street because it was rated R. I did buy a ticket to Hunger Games though to make up for it. Okay, so who’s next?”              

“You can go since you were the only one who drank.” Zack said, still grinning. It made Kim smile more again. It was nice to see everyone like this.                        

“Okay, well, never have I ever kissed a boy.” Trini let out a dry laugh and Kim rolled her eyes. She took her drink, but apparently missed something, because the rest of the group let out a few ‘ooo-s’ and she heard Jason say ‘no way.’              

When she looked back over, she saw Zack wiping his mouth and she felt her own eyes go a bit wide.              

“You’ve been holding out on me with that one, homeboy!” Trini said excitedly.              

“Details!” Kim found herself saying and she sat up straighter in her chair.              

Zack laughed dryly and rolled his eyes. “From which time?”              

“Wow.” Kim heard Billy mutter next to her and she glanced over at the Blue ranger, noticing he too was smiling at Zack.              

“How come you never told us?” Jason said, sounding almost confused. Kim watched as Zack licked his lip and looked over at Jason blankly.              

“Guys.” Kim tried to quickly butt in before the two of them started something again, but neither one of them seemed to be listening to her.              

“Tell you what,” Zack said, pointing his beer at Jason, “I’ll tell you my shit, if you start talking about what’s been going on with you, dude.” At least the Black Ranger didn’t sound angry or like he was trying to start something. Kim let out a small sigh in relief.              

Jason remained quiet for a few moments and Kim watched him look over at Trini. He looked sad and almost scared.              

“Jason,” Billy cut in, “come on, man. We’re here for you.”           

There was silence for a few moments before Jason let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his face roughly with his hand before letting it rest over his mouth.              

“You got this, Red.” Kim heard Trini say, reassuringly and she watched as Jason glanced back at the other girl again before closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair, pulling his hand away from his mouth. He still looked like he wanted to be sick.              

“I...I’ve started having dreams.” He said, bitterly as he glared down at his beer like it had somehow betrayed him. “Really fucked up one where I get one of you killed and everything fucking falls apart.”              

Everyone fell silent for a moment and Kim looked over at the bonfire, quickly being remined of how hot her Zord had gotten when Goldar had hit her with molten gold, how Billy had thanked them all for being his friends, how Jason looked at her before they fell into the pit, and how terrifying it was when they had lost Zack over the intercom.              

She wanted to be sick too, now. But not because of the memories. She could live with them. She had been living with them. It was hearing about how they had scarred Jason so deeply that was affecting her.              

“I have them too.” Trini said, breaking the silence. And hearing that the Yellow Ranger was having them too made her want to throw up even more. How had she missed something so dark hovering over her friends?              

“And that’s what Jason and I were doing yesterday. I pulled this shit out of him and we were sympathizing with each other.”              

The silence returned, but it didn’t last long. Kim saw Zack get up and walk over to Jason, holding his hand out to the Red Ranger. Jason looked at Zack’s hand in confusion for a moment before grabbing it. They locked thumbs together and Zack pulled up with enough force to help the other ranger out of the camping chair.              

They locked eyes for a moment before the Black Ranger looked over at Trini. Kim didn’t see the other girl’s reaction, but Zack smiled lightly at her before moving his hand to Jason’s shoulder and nodding off in the direction leading back down the mountain.              

“Come on, dude. Let’s talk.” Jason continued to stare at Zack in confusion, but he didn’t resist as Zack guided him away from the group.              

“We’re...all going to be okay, right?” Billy asked and Kim finally pulled her gaze away from the direction Zack and Jason had gone off in to look at him. Trini had done the same and the two girls made eye contact briefly before they both turned their attention back to Billy.              

“Hey, we got this. Go, go, Power Rangers, right?” Trini said, stretching her leg out so that she could gently tap Billy’s foot with her own.              

Kim really hoped that Trini was right.

Chapter Text

“How far away are we walking?” Zack heard Jason ask from behind as they continued to walk along the outskirts of the mines.

“Not too much farther. I just want to show you something.” Zack said and they two of them continued to walk in silence. As they went along the path, the Black Ranger made it a point to listen to the steady footfalls of Jason’s feet. He found it comforting to know that the Red Ranger was willingly following him after the tense days that had had between each other.              

They reached the peak Zack knew well and he sat on the edge of one of the cliffs with their legs hanging off. Over the horizon, the Melody Mobile Home Park was visible. Along with the disaster relief camps.              

Jason sat down next to him and remained quiet. After a few, short moments, Zack couldn’t stand the silence anymore and let out a loud sigh.              

“You see it all, right?” Zack muttered.              

“Why’d you bring me up here?” Jason asked and the Black Ranger could hear the crack in his voice.              

“It’s barely a spec in the distance, but,” Zack outstretched his arm and pointed out into the far distance, “I know my home is over there. And...a few miles away are the-”              

“I can see them.”              

The silence between them returned and Zack glanced away from the horizon. He understood why Jason didn’t want to talk about the camps. It was a hard thing swallow. They had tried so hard to save their town. But it was futile once Rita raised Goldar.

Sure, they had saved the world. But a lot of people had lost everything in their personal world. But Zack knew that was something that was fast approaching in his own life. Even though he didn’t want to admit it.              

“Zack, seriously, what was the point of this?”              

“The point is I’m angry.”              

“At what?” Zack could feel Jason looking at him as he spoke and he turned his head to see the other ranger glaring at him lightly. But behind the darkness was confusion.              

“So,” Zack said as he leaned back and once again looked out across Angel Grove, “I don’t care how shitty this sounds, but I don’t think it’s fair. All the people who are getting this...free aide and help while I have to struggle to pay for everything my mom needs just to stay alive a little while longer.” The Black Ranger sneered and shook his head. “Some days I get so fucking bitter over it I throw rocks off this ledge. And they go pretty damn far thanks to our ranger shit.”              

Jason didn’t say anything. But the tense air that Zack expected to feel never came. Instead he felt the Red Ranger move closer over to him. He wasn’t quite sure what it actually meant, but Zack choose to think it was a silent sign of support.                

“But, I know they’re going through losing everything they did and some lost friends and family too, but, at the end of the day, they’re being helped. They have people around for them. And I might be angry for a dumb reason, but I know that no matter what happens...you guys are here for me and—”              

“Not if I get one of you, or all of you, killed.” Jason’s reply was quiet and Zack had almost missed it. But the tremble in the other teen’s voice made it clearer in the silence of the still night air.              

“Look, I get that we’re risking our lives, but we’re all doing that willingly.” Zack turned to look at Jason. Even in the dark he could see the muscles around the Red Ranger’s jaw clenching in an attempt to force back emotions. “We can’t blame you for what could have or what can happen. And you’re good at what you do, dude. You don’t...bark orders at us and you know we can take care of ourselves. At least you did. So, what changed? Why do you think you’re going to get us killed?”              

“We already all almost died and Billy did die. We’re not going to get any do-overs again.”              

Zack hesitated for a moment before reaching over and putting his hand on Jason’s leg. He didn’t care if it seemed weird. It didn’t feel weird and he knew Jason need the support. Emotions were never Zack’s strong suit, though, and he hoped that the physical touch could convey what he truly needed it to with his inability to form it all into the right words he should say.              

“Last night, you died, you know? In my dream.” The Red Ranger said and Zack looked him in the eyes, watching as the other teen’s pain slowly broke him down.              

“Did I at least go out in a cool way?”  Zack flinched when he saw how appalled Jason was starting to look. The words had just slipped out of his mouth before he really knew what he was saying. He was too used to making the wisecrack remarks.

“Sorry, I swear I’m taking you seriously, dude. It’s not cool that you’re having dreams like that. But,” Zack sighed lightly and glanced away for a moment to gather his thoughts before looking back, “we are all here for you. We’re going through this shit together and none of us are angry about that and we’re not angry at you for anything that’s happened. So, don’t be mad at yourself for us.”

“And what about in the future? There’s no guarantee—”

“There never is. Mortality is the only fucking guarantee in this life. You can’t make us immortal. And you’re not either. We’d all feel exactly how you would if you died.”

The Black Ranger watched as Jason’s eyes looked him over. He wasn’t quite sure what the other teen was looking for, but it was clear it was something he needed. And Zack knew he probably did have it. Whatever it was.

It wasn’t long before Jason’s eyes fell away. But instead of pulling back, he leaned forward until his forehead was resting on the Black Ranger’s shoulder. It was contact that Zack hadn’t been expecting and he tenses up briefly, but he soon relaxed and tilted his own head so that it was resting with Jason’s.

“When I was on the football team, I did everything myself. I made the plays, I followed through with them, I took charge. That way if we failed it was my fault. They didn’t have to blame themselves.” The cracking in Jason’s voice had returned and Zack ignored how the sleeve on his t-shirt was starting to feel damp. “But we have so much more at stake.”

The Black Ranger moved his hand from Jason’s leg and moved it carefully, so that Jason wouldn’t think he was pushing him away, and wrapped it back around the other teen’s back.

“You can’t stop us from risking our lives. Just like we can’t stop you from doing it. And we aren’t your asshole jock friends. We aren’t going to let you carry the whole team. There’s no fucking way, dude. So, you’re going to have to let us help you through this until you understand that.”

“I know. Trini’s already trying.” Zack tensed again briefly, but shook it off before Jason could notice it.

“How’d homegirl figure you out?”

“Apparently, she knows what it looks like when someone hasn’t slept in three days.” Jason said as he finally pulled away from Zack’s shoulder and the Black Ranger did his best to ignore the fact he already missed the contact. He made up for it by not moving his arm away from Jason’s back.

“We’ll help her too. Neither one of you needs to be going through this shit. You should have told us sooner. Both of you.”

“I know.” Jason said quietly before sighing heavily and shaking his head. “And I’m sorry if she’s the reason why you’ve been pissed at me.”

Zack felt his eye twitch as he contemplated what Jason was saying to him. He had been hoping that the Red Ranger would glance over the fact things had been tense after talking about all of this.

“Dude, I’m not pissed at you, I was jealous. Crazy girl never got that close to any of us and, honestly, neither have you. Felt like you two were going to pull away from us.” Zack finally said as he gently tightened his grip on Jason’s shoulder and the Black Ranger heard the other teen hum under his breath in contemplation.

“We wouldn’t do that. It’s like you said, we’re all in this together, right?” He finally said and looked back over at Zack. It made the Black Ranger smile.

“You know it, dude.” Zack tugged on Jason’s shoulder, pulling him closer into a sideways hug and the Red Ranger laughed lightly. It was a beautiful sound to hear.

Once everything calmed down again, the air around them once again grew serious. Zack knew this wasn’t something any of them could fix for Jason, or Trini, overnight. But they needed to start somewhere with all five of them.

“So, did you need to be home tonight?” Zack asked Jason and the Red Ranger furrowed his brow in confusion.

“No, why?”

“I was thinking maybe we could all sleep up here tonight. Under the stars, you know? It might help. Shit, at the very least, it’d be worth a shot and we could have some fun.”

Jason was quiet for a moment before he smiled and nodded at Zack.

“You know, what? I’m in. Let’s go see if everyone else is.” Jason started to get up and Zack reluctantly let go of him. The Black Ranger then followed suit and stood up with Jason and the two started heading back towards where the campfire was.

The night was starting to shape up better than Zack was even hoping it would.

Chapter Text

Jason had been gone for a while, so when Kim saw them walking back up the trail towards the camp together she let out a sigh in relief. She was glad both of them had decided to come back and one hadn’t been chased away. Or thrown off the cliff. A smile then crossed her lips when they got close enough for her to see that neither one of them was sporting any black, blue, or crimson marks. Even better.

“That was fast.” Trini muttered from next to her and she felt the Yellow Ranger’s leg brush against hers as it swung back and forth over the arm of the camping chair.              

“Everything okay, guys?” Billy asked.              

“Yeah, everything’s good, dude. Don’t worry about it.” Zack said, giving Billy a reassuring smile.              

Zack and Jason came back over and sat back down in their chairs. Jason wasn’t really looking at anyone, but Kim noticed he looked more relaxed than she had seen him in a while.              

“So, if it’s cool with you guys, I was thinking maybe we could all spend the night up here. Jason said he was in.” The Black Ranger said as he leaned over, grabbed a stick, and threw it into the fire.              

Kim shrugged as she thought about it. She should probably go home so she didn’t have her parents complaining about her staying out, but she didn’t care. Spending time with the rest of the group was more important to her.

“Sure.” She said. “I’m totally in.”

“I have to call my mom, but I’m sure she’ll let me stay.” Billy said.

And that left Trini. She was silent for a while, so Kim looked over at her. She was looking down at the fire with a blank expression on her face. Clearly caught between wanting to staying and wanting to avoid her parent’s wrath.

“Come on, homegirl. Wouldn’t be the same without you.” Zack said and Trini looked over at him. Her blank expression slowly changed into a light smile.

“All right. I’ll stay.” She said and Kim felt the other girl’s leg brush against hers again. It hit Kim that maybe that had become a nervous habit. Maybe, underneath it all, she was worried about Jason and Zack while they were gone and maybe now she was worried about what would happen when she’d go home again. And, if that was it, Kim was happy to be the one to give Trini the subtle comfort she needed.

“Awesome!” The happiness in Zack’s voice made Kim smile again. However, as she looked back at Jason again, she noticed he had once again zoned out. It made her want to hug him and never let go.

Everyone else must have been thinking the same thing because the Pink Ranger noticed how everyone else was giving Jason the same look of concern Kim felt creasing her own face.              

“So, I’ve got a place where I was thinking we could stay out here tonight.” Zack said, cutting in again before tension could fill the air form silence.              

“If it’s that abandoned hut you like to call ‘Home Base’ I’ve changed my mind and I’m going home.” Billy said and Kim laughed under her breath.              

“No, dude. Even better.”              

“Okay, now I’m scared.” Kim laughed again at Billy and she swore she heard Jason laugh lightly too.

She glanced over at Zack and saw him roll his eyes as he grinned. “Come on.” The Black Ranger got up and started folding up his chair. Kim got up with him and quickly followed suit. The rest of the rangers soon started doing the same and she heard one of them tossing dirt into the fire to make sure it went out completely before they walked away.              

Once they started hiking, Zack walked ahead of all of them. Jason wasn’t far behind him while Billy and Trini hung back with Kim.              

“Do you think Zack will tell us who he kissed?” Billy said quietly and Kim turned her head to furrow her brow. She had already forgotten about that. Meanwhile Trini let out a light laugh.              

“What?” Billy looked between her and Trini with his brow furrowed. “I’m curious!”              

“Sure you are.” Kim saw Trini grin before looking over at her. Kim smiled back before shaking her head and looking away from the other two rangers.              

They all walked together in silence for a while until Zack stopped and turned back to look at everyone.              

“Let me guess, homeboy. You took a wrong turn a mile back and now we’re lost?” The Yellow Ranger asked and Kim looked just in time to see Billy looking at Zack nervously.              

“We’re...really not lost, are we?”  Billy rubbed his hands against his pants, clearly worried that Trini was right. Before Kim could reassure him that the other girl was just being a wiseass, she heard Zack laugh and turned to look at the Black Ranger.              

“No way, dude. Relax. I just wanted to turn and watch everyone’s reaction when they see this place.”              

“We’ve been walking around up here for month now and you really think we haven’t seen it all?” Kim asked with a smile. Zack rolled his eyes as he smiled back before stepping to the side and motioning for the other rangers to walk ahead of him.

The four of them all glanced between each other before shrugging and walking past Zack to see what he was talking about. After clearing a couple of bushes, Kim looked past Jason’s shoulder to see a fairly deep valley. It wasn’t as deep as the gold mining area, but it still has enough of a dip to it that it reminded her of the hills she’d roll down as a kid. The entire center of it was also nothing but grass and the trees seemed to form a perfect circle around it. Kim was only used to seeing either the sparse patches of grass around sandy dirt or the dense forest by the river. Not this.              

“That’s...really cool.” Kim muttered before looking back over to Zack, who was staring out at the patch of land now along with them. “This place is so different.              

“Yeah, it’s green.” Trini said mater-of-factly. “But I like it.”              

“This...must be like that place in Romania.” Billy said as he glanced around. “They have a forest there where there’s this giant circle where nothing grows and no one can figure out why. We are really close to the zords though and the ship. So maybe something like this actually has something to do with it there too!” The Blue Ranger talked quickly and with such enthusiasm that Kim couldn’t help but smile at him. The amount of knowledge he had never ceased to amaze her and she loved watching him express it in such a passionate way.              

“Tight...maybe that means there’s something freaky going on in Romania too. Buuut, for right now, let’s just chill.” Zack said as he started to head towards the valley.              

“Wait...what are we going to do for, like, blankets and pillows?” Jason finally spoke up as he grabbed Zack’s shoulder before he could completely walk past them.              

Kim saw Zack give Jason his trademark smirk. “Don’t worry, dude. I’ve been coming up here for a while. I’ve got some things stored up here. This isn’t my first time sleeping in this place.”              

The Pink Ranger smiled weakly when she heard Zack mention how he slept up here. It clearly meant he still didn’t sleep at home a lot. And, she might have yet to meet his mother, but she could only imagine how much she worried. She hoped that one day soon Zack would be sleeping at home again, but she didn’t know how likely that was to happen.              

“Alright, well, this is your area, homeboy. So, keep leading the way.” Trini said and the group once again started following Zack down into the valley.              

Kim fell behind the rest of the group to watch them all walking in front of her. Something about seeing everyone together was relaxing and she felt more at ease than she had in weeks. A small smile graced her lips as her gaze fell to Jason. Hopefully they could get him feeling more at ease again soon too.