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In the aftermath of saving the town, Zack doesn’t know what to make of everything that’s happened. He expects everyone to disappear back into their lives from before. It was a couple of weeks of intense trauma that bonded them together. Their new abilities as Rangers, as this force tasked with protecting the Earth, wasn’t something they had signed up for. It had fallen into their laps. It’s why when Jason shows up to drag his ass in for detention or Kim texts him to ask how his mom’s doing or Trini’s quiet presence by his side or even Billy’s constant attempts to talk at him floor him. No one’s made an effort to get to know the kid with the fast smile and the easy quip before now.
Zack’s pretty certain he’s not going to graduate with the rest of them. There’s too many missed days of classes, too many detentions, and not enough money to afford all the trappings that come with making sure he walks. He doesn’t talk about it because what would the point be? They’re off to college in a few short months and what has he got to look forward to? Nah, better to let it ride and let them think what they want to think. Someone’s got to stay behind and watch over the town, right? And what’s he going to do? Leave his mom behind and go off to college where he can’t be here to make sure she takes her medicine or eat what she can for the day?
He’d been at detention yesterday with no prompting from Jason for once. The raised eyebrows he’d gotten as he’d sauntered in and dropped into the seat next to their fearless leader had been completely worth it. Trini had kicked his chair and shoved a juice bottle into his hands. The quick smile he’d flashed her had been as much relief as gratitude. The last thing he needed was someone else to notice that food typically wasn’t a regular thing for him and losing his Saturdays to detention didn’t help matters.
Currently, he’s sprawled under a pickup truck that has something rattling around the engine the owner doesn’t like. It should be a quick fix but not today. Everything’s going wrong. His mother hadn’t slept well last night, which mean Zack hadn’t slept well either. He’d been up too worried about her coughing and how frail she was looking. When she’d finally settled into sleep for more than an hour, he’d bolted for the mountaintop. To remind himself that in the end, he’s just a small speck in the grand scheme of things. That the universe was even bigger than this and that somehow he’d manage. Maybe.
The kick to this foot has him pushing out from under the truck with the urge to punch the asshole who’d done it. He blinks when he sees Jason’s face grinning down at him.
“What?”
That earns Zack a shrug. Whatever Jason’s doing here can’t be too important. There’s no tension lining his shoulders or that frown marring his face.
“How much longer you got?”
Zack tilts his head back at the truck then pushes himself to his feet.
“No idea, dude. I have no idea what’s causing the rattling in the engine the driver’s complaining about.”
He runs a hand over his forehead and scowls when Jason smirks at him. He probably left a smear of grime across his skin but whatever. They’ve both been covered in worse when they were fixing Jason’s truck. He walks over to the table behind Jason and picks up a rag to wipe off his hands.
“What’re you doing here?”
“Can’t come and hang out? Maybe help out with this thing.” Jason waves a hand at the truck. "If you forgot, I’m not too bad with a wrench either.”
“With me poking and prodding you the whole way!”
Jason shoves him with a laugh then pulls his backpack off his shoulder. The bag he pulls out of it smells heavenly and Zack’s stomach growls embarrassingly. The smile he plasters on turns slightly brittle when he turns back to Jason while he leans back with his hands curled around the edge of the table.
“You hungry? I grabbed some lunch from the diner in town. They had their chili special and went overboard on the sides.”
Jason has his head down determinedly pulling out everything in the bag and setting it on the other work table beside him. Zack’s got his suspicions it wasn’t simply that but they’d had a good day in detention yesterday. He hadn’t fought with their fearless leader in over a week and he’d like to keep it that way but….
“I can take care of myself, dude. You guys don’t have to heap the pity party on me.”
Jason faces him sharply. Zack can’t make heads or tails of the look on his face. It’s part anger, part disappointment, and part sadness. It’s nothing Zack wants at all. He shoves off from the table and moves to stalk past Jason.
“Look, why don’t you take your food and go find Kim or something. Go enjoy it with her and let me get back to work.”
Jason grabs his arm and holds him in place. Zack could break free if he wanted, but not without fucking up the garage and everything in it. Their strength’s great for fighting out of this world threats but when fighting with each other it’s nothing but a liability unless they’re in the ship.
He snarls. “Let. Go.”
Jason’s blue eyes latch on to his. They're filled with fierce determination and the fire that does make him their leader, willing to challenge Zordon and everything else in their lives with every fiber of his being. His voice is covered steel.
“Helping out a friend isn’t a pity party. You’d do the same in my place.”
Zack wrenches his arm free with a bark of laughter and backs away from Jason with his hands up.
“Yeah, believe what you want, fearless leader.” Zack smirks at him. “If it wasn’t for the coins, you’d never have known I even existed.”
“What the hell is your problem, Zach? Why’s it so hard to believe that we want to make sure you’re okay?”
Zack laughs again even as Jason moves towards him. It’d be easier if they hadn’t been hanging out after everything. It’d be easier if he hadn’t started respecting their stupid fearless leader. It’d be easier in a lot of ways if he hadn’t started appreciating the quiet support all of them were giving him. It didn’t make it any easier for him to open to them even if he’d been the one to suggest it around the campfire. It’s different when your life’s on the line, when the world’s existence is what you’re worrying about.
He has no intention of letting Jason near him. It’s going to lead to punches being thrown again and that had ended so well the last time. Trini still won’t stop giving him crap about it along with pointed comments about how the two of them are too damn alike. They just can’t see it. Whatever. Crazy girl has no idea what she’s talking about.
He realizes he’s backed himself into a corner when the truck’s hood is to his left and Jason’s closing in on his right. There wasn’t as much space to squeeze between the wall and the truck like he’d thought there was. That’s when Jason pounces. He uses their enhanced speed to grab him, box him back against the wall, and to ensure he’s not going to go anywhere he presses his whole weight against him.
“I don’t care how long it takes but I’m going to get it through your thick skull that we’re friends. We’ve been through something that no one else is ever going to understand. And the only way we’re going to keep getting through it is if we make sure we’re alright.”
Zack arches an eyebrow and leans back into the wall, all too aware of how close Jason is, how he smells, and the heat coming off him.
“Whatever you say, fearless leader.”
Jason growls and what happens next Zack wasn’t expecting in a million years. Not after everything. Not after the way Jason and Kim had been making eyes at each other since the beginning. Not after everything he’d heard over the radio comms. Jason leans in and kisses him, rough and hard, pushing for a fight that Zack instinctively gives him. It’s written into who they are. Zack knows it’s written into his DNA. When it’s over, too soon, Zack blinks back at him in stunned surprise. What the hell is he supposed to do with that?
“I care, you idiot,” Jason huffs against his lips.
This changes everything and changes nothing. It only makes things more complicated. Zack already has enough complicated in his life.
“You have a shitty way of showing it.”
Jason shoves him harder back into the wall with a grin tugging at his mouth. Dust scatters over them and they both look up in alarm.
“No, I don’t. You’re just shitty at recognizing it.”
Jason steps back and Zack pushes off the wall carefully. They both watch the ceiling for any more signs of imminent collapse. Zack looks at Jason again and the shy smile he’s giving him doesn’t make sense. Nothing makes sense any more. Maybe they can pretend this didn’t happen, but if he knows Jason and he does enough at this point to know that isn’t happening.