Chapter Text
It had been ten years since the rangers faced off against Rita. After high school they had all gone their separate ways, so they decided to pass down the mantle of the power rangers to another team.
They all tried their best to keep in touch, but it was a difficult with them all being in different places. Trini moved to Florida where her extended family lived. Billy went to college in New York city, where he got a job as an engineer. Kimberly was working in Seattle to become a pediatric surgeon. Zack and Jason were the only ones still residing in Angel Grove. Zack became a nurse at the local hospital, and Jason worked as an assistant at a physical therapy clinic.
It had been nearly a decade since they were all together in one place at the same time. They still remained friends and stayed connected through phone calls and social media updates, it was just that the distance and everyone's busy lives stopped them from actually getting together face to face. But now, Trini and Kimberly were getting married, and every one of them made it a priority to celebrate their love back in the place where it all started, the small town of Angel Grove.
So now, Trini, Kimberly, Zack, and Jason sat around a fire at the mines telling stupid jokes and goofing around, just like they used to when they were teenagers.
Trini sighed and looked around at her friends. She took a sip of her beer, emptying it, and tossed it back in the cooler. "I can't believe we're back together like this." She said fondly.
Kimberly gave a fond laugh at Trini. Jason knew that Kim knew her fiance all too well. Trini was three beers in, which meant she was starting to get sappy. He could tell that Kimberly wanted to poke fun at her and make a joke about how sentimental Trini gets when she drinks, but they were all feeling the same way, Trini was just the only one to say it out loud.
"I can't believe it either," Kimberly sighed.
Jason smiled at his friends. "I missed you guys. I can't believe you two left me to hang out with Zack all by myself."
Zack rolled his eyes and reached out to lay a playful punch on Jason's arm.
"What he's trying to say is that he's happy we're all together again." Zack said picking up a rock and throwing it in Jason's direction. "You can say that without insulting me Jason."
They all just laughed and Jason basked in the familiarity of the interaction. At first, Jason was nervous about the rest of the group leaving, and him having to spend time with Zack alone. The two of them were good friends, but they never really spent a lot of time hanging alone in high school. But, the two of them only became closer in the years after the rest of the team moved away. Zack and Jason had hung out in the mines a bunch of times, but it wasn't the same feeling as being back there with the whole group.
Kimberly nodded, and then glanced at Jason. "Well...we're not all together. Billy's flight doesn't get in until tomorrow."
Jason could tell that Kimberly was trying to be subtle by dropping Billy's name so casually, but despite it being a general statement, it was obviously directed at him. The three of them all looked at Jason, who had gone quiet and was avoiding eye contact with all of them. Zack and Trini gave each other knowing glances as the silence lingered for a while.
Zack mumbled something about hoping the flight goes well to break the silence, but it didn't do much to break the tension that was in the air. The former red ranger could feel his friend's eyes on him, as they attempted to get a gauge on his feelings.
He looked up from where he was kicking around a rock. "Why are you all staring at me?"
Jason already knew the answer to his question. He had gone rigid at the mention of Billy's name, and despite his efforts to appeal calm and collected in front of his prying friends, his emotions were written all across his face.
"Jason." Trini replied firmly.
"What do you expect me to say?" He shot back defensively. "I think it's good that he's coming for the wedding."
They all just nod at their friend. Even after ten years, they knew that when Jason got defensive, he was hiding his emotions, and it was best not to pry. It wasn't like Jason wasn't warranted in his feelings. Anyone would be feeling a lot of emotions knowing they were going to have to spend a few days in close proximity with their ex.
"When was the last time you saw him?" Trini blurted out, which resulted in a look from Kimberly that gets shrugged off. She would typically care more about not prying, but it was obvious that she was tipsy.
"About ten years ago." Jason replied, and kicked the rock that he was pushing around hard enough for it to roll across the ground and off the cliff that they’re sitting on. The thought of a decade passing made him sick to his stomach. Saying the years out loud made him realize how long he had been hung up over his high school boyfriend.
"Ten years!?" Kimberly looked at Jason shocked. "But he's visited angel grove dozens of times since he left."
"Yeah but lover boy here always seems to miraculously disappear every time Billy comes into town." Zack said pointing at Jason.
It was true, Jason had always found away to be out of town or especially busy when he knew that Billy was going to be there. There were countless times when Billy came to visit and Zack invited Jason to spend time with the two of them, but Jason always had an excuse to why he couldn't.
"What?" Jason put his hands up, feigning innocence. "I was busy."
Kimberly rolled her eyes “You really avoid him every time he comes into town?"
Jason just sighed and nodded his head in response.
"You know he doesn't hate you right." Trini added, but Jason wasn't so sure if that was true.
Jason just nodded in response. He's the one that told Billy to leave. He told him that there's nothing worth staying in Angel Grove for, not even their relationship, so, why wouldn’t Billy hate him?
His friends give him a look that he wasn't sure if it was out of pity or annoyance, but one thing that he did know was that they were dying to know what happened between him and Billy. Even after ten years Jason didn't explain why he broke up with Billy. His friends knew that he was the one that ended it, and that Billy was devastated.
“You guys were just so inseparable,” Trini shrugged. “I never understand what happened.”
Jason took a large swig of his beer. He stared off into the darkness of the outside as if there might be something out there that would save him from this conversation. He spent so long avoiding these feeling from resurfacing, and now it all felt like it was spilling out faster than he could handle.
"I wasn't going to hold Billy back," Jason sighed. "He got into a great school. I was dumb, I thought that he might try to stay here because of me."
"So you just ended it." Trini nodded. It didn't seem judgmental, if anything it seemed like she was validating his actions. Even though she and Kimberly weren't together in high school, Jason had a feeling that Trini knew where he was coming from when he talked about not holding his partner back. It was probably the reason that Trini never exposed her feelings until years later.
"Yeah, what kind of cruel and unusual punishment would it be, if he stayed in this crap town because of me..." Jason sighed.
“Hey shut up, some of us actually like this town” Zack shot back, glaring jokingly at the other boy.
Jason knew that Zack was right. After his friends moved away, Jason pitied himself for not going off to college or moving somewhere new, but he realized that he liked his hometown. It wasn't anything fancy, but there was a real community here, and he had a job where he got to help people everyday.
“Hey it’s a great town,” Jason said. “But Billy just so extraordinary, this town can’t handle it.”
Jason had a fond look on his face. He thought about Billy, and all the things that he was probably accomplishing. Jason felt pride. Even though they weren't together anymore Jason knew that Billy was thriving, and it made him happy.
“Geez Jason,” Zack laughed. “By the way you talk about him it sounds like you’re still in l-“
"Zack!" Kimberly hissed, kicking Zack. Zack had gone through more beers than Trini at this point, and if Jason wasn't so heartbroken over talking about Billy right now, he probably would've found their antics amusing. Jason appreciated Kimberly, who was basically acting as a moderator for Trini and Zack, making sure that they didn't push Jason too much. But, Jason also didn't mind that his friends were prying. He had pushed down his feelings for so long that he never let himself realize that what Zack was saying was true.
"I am." Jason admitted. "I know it's crazy, but I think I am still."
Jason's admission was met with wide eyes and shocked faces, and the silence that lingered in the air made him feel immediate regret for saying it. This was someone that he hadn't seen for ten years, and he felt crazy for still having these feelings.
"Hey who knows," Kimberly smiled and placed a hand on top of Jason's "Maybe he feels the same way and it'll be you and Billy getting married next."
Jason knew that Kimberly was being sincere. But for his sake, he couldn't let himself go down that rabbit hole. The chances that Billy still had feelings for him after ten years of no contact were slim, and Jason wasn't going to even let himself imagine the two of them getting married.
"He probably doesn't even remember my name." Jason scoffed. "I bet he's already married to someone he met in college. Someone who's way smarter than me."
Zack scoffed and rolled his eyes at Jason in amusement. He looked at Trini who found Jason's comment just as amusing.
"What?" Jason shot back.
"Well," Trini started. "I know for a fact he's not dating anyone. And you would know that too if you kept any type of contact with him."
Jason felt a smile forming on his face. He tried to appear unfazed about the revelation, but relief was plastered all across his face.
"How do you know?"
"Because we talk," Trini shrugged. "But, I'll be honest with you, he did have a serious boyfriend a few years ago, but they broke up."
Jason stiffened up a little, at the thought of Billy being in a serious relationship. He didn't even know what serious entailed. He wondered if Billy considered marrying that guy. What would happen if they were all getting together for Billy's wedding instead. If he would even be invited to Billy's wedding. He couldn't imagine a scenario where he did attend Billy's wedding to somewhere else that didn't result in him getting wasted and running up to alter, ruining the whole thing.
"Soo that means Billy is single." Kimberly said, snapping Jason out of his thoughts. Jason was so convinced that when he saw him, Billy was going to be in some perfect relationship, that he hadn't even allowed himself to consider the possibility that Billy might be just as single as he was.
Maybe things could work out after all.