Chapter Text
They’re pretty much dating, right? That’s what Trini thinks, though she doesn’t want to get her hopes up or just assume.
Even though all signs point to them being romantically involved.
Because what kind of best friend leaves her own house at three in the morning to come over for cuddles? Certainly not a straight one, that’s for sure.
Or how after school on Tuesdays are reserved for the two in the booth at Krispy Kreme, full of lingering glances and smiles so intimate it leaves Trini feeling light-headed when they finally part ways after being walked home?
She’s pretty much convinced that there’s something between them that goes beyond friendship, but she’s never been one to verbally express her feelings, so she doesn’t say anything when Kimberly laces their hands together or lets a kiss goodbye fall suspiciously close to her lips.
She just simply lets it be.
Things are better this way — Trini receiving a daily dose of affection; something she usually despised, without having to actually address the intense feelings brewing in the pit of her stomach.
And as far as she can tell, Kimberly doesn’t seem to mind the lack of talk around whatever they are, no matter how much the boys tease them about it, so there’s really no need for them to sit down and spill out all their emotions, right?
So, call Trini surprised when the two of them are sitting alone in Kimberly’s room, attempting to complete a biology assignment due in a couple of days, with little to no contact being made. No matter what they’re doing, Kimberly always finds a way to be in her proximity, but now is different.
Trini is sprawled out on the bed, while Kimberly decided to occupy her desk across the room, back facing the smaller girl. There’s pretty much no conversation going on, and usually Trini wouldn’t mind because small talk makes her uncomfortable, but she’s so used to the other making little comments every now and then to herself that now the silence is unwonted.
Okay, yeah, this isn’t right.
She wants to say something, anything that will break down the sudden wall that’s been built between them but words have never really been her strong suit, so she’s stuck with blankly staring at the back of Kimberly’s head, too busy focusing on how her raven hair gleams in the sunlight coming in from the window instead of the inner turmoil happening right now.
Kimberly just has that affect on her.
“Everything okay, Trini?” The voice and question startles her into a wide-eyed expression, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t of. Next thing she knows Kimberly is looking back at her, brow raised with a faint trace of playfulness in her features.
“I think I should be the one asking you that.”
There’s another span of uncomfortable silence once her words are out there, and the carefree expression she’s come to know and love is nowhere to be found on Kim’s face, replaced with a look of uncertainty.
Kimberly shifts her gaze away from Trini, biting her bottom lip like she usually does when she’s contemplating on what to say, something that hardly ever occurs. It makes Trini nervous, afraid even of what’s about to come.
“I’m fine.” Trini can see straight through her reply and lets her know this by the fixed stare she gives. It doesn’t take long for Kimberly to understand this and within seconds, she’s tilting her head and releasing a heavy sigh.
“Actually…. There is something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about..”
That leaves Trini more apprehensive than before. Even without saying it, she knows what this is about. She can’t decide which is worse; the overbearing silence or the fact that there’s now a conversation she’s absolutely dreading.
“It’s about us.” Kimberly exhales loudly as she stands up from the desk and moves to sit on the edge of the bed, turning so that she’s now fully facing Trini. It’s clear to see that whatever is on Kimberly’s mind is really gnawing at her.
“Alright. What’s up?” Trini tries to speak as calmly as possible, despite the storm of nerves that is currently residing in her abdomen.
Another beat of stillness transpires after her question is out there, hanging between them. It’s a simple question, one that is straightforward, but still Kimberly looks so insecure and unsure of herself, like this is the hardest thing she’s ever done in her life.
Like they didn’t spend a good eleven days suffering bruises and other injuries during training to become a power ranger and save the universe from complete destruction.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” she pauses, possibly even falters in her words at the exact moment their gazes meet, and it takes everything in Trini to stop herself from reaching over and offering some sort of comfort.
To skim her fingers over the smooth surface of Kim's cheek and tell her everything will be okay, that she knows what she’s going to say and then they’ll fall into an embrace.
But she can’t do that. She’s been one to make the first move, whether that be out of fear or insecurity, it’s just never been her.
“I’ve been thinking about us,” Kimberly finally looks at her, a subtle smile playing at her lips, and all the breath is taken out of Trini’s lungs from the way she appears so ethereal.
“Maybe it’s time you and I—“ Her sentence is interrupted by the loud sound of buzzing coming from Kimberly’s phone left on the table, reverberating through the room.
It’s too consistent and distracting for her to continue, so with a frustrated sigh, she leaves her spot from the bed and puts a stop to the incessant humming from her phone.
“It’s Jason.” How ironic, Trini thinks with a roll of her eyes.
“Jason, this better be good.” Kimberly answers, making sure her annoyance of him calling is well known.
The tongue-in-cheek nature quickly vanishes when their beloved Red Ranger starts talking, so loudly in fact that Trini can hear him and she’s on the other side of the room.
It’s a few minutes of Kimberly only nodding her head and the occasional ‘yeah’ and ‘okay’ before she finally hangs up the call.
“What did he say?”
“We have to go to the ship, like, right now. Zordon has news for us.”
The words have no heaviness behind them, yet Trini is still hit with an immediate sense of alarm. Her whole body goes into a rigid posture, the only emotion covering her countenance being distress.
Her thoughts go straight to the glowing of green and the marks left behind on her neck and down her collarbone; straight to Rita.
It’s illogical to worry, she knows this, because Rita was slapped into space by herself and Jason. No trace of her left behind except for the green power coin.
But no matter what, the trauma of having her one place of safety invaded is always there.
Inescapable.
Kimberly, being the most in tune with the yellow ranger (apart from Zack), is able to easily tell when she’s hit with that panic and knows exactly how to calm her down.
All it takes is her presence and few words.
“Trini, hey, I’m sure it’s nothing to do with Rita, okay? Remember, she’s somewhere far away in space, and we’re here.” Before she even realises it, Kimberly has returned to her spot beside her and her tensed hand is taken into the gentle grasp of the other girl’s.
Almost instantly she’s regained her composure.
“Yeah, yeah. You’re right. It’s probably just about us slacking in training or something, even though we’re in that stupid pit almost everyday.” She remarks playfully, trying to push the thoughts of green and gold out of her mind and instead on pink.
A pink sky with a pink pterodactyl soaring through it.
“Knowing Zordon, that wouldn’t surprise me. He’s so uptight for a head on a wall.” That earns a light laugh out of Trini; the tension from only seconds ago being forgotten about.
“How about we continue our talk later and head down to the ship? I don’t think Jason wants to be kept waiting.”
Although she would rather stay here and hear what Kimberly was about to say before they were rudely interrupted, she knows she’s right. Jason and the other two are probably already there and the last thing she wants to listen to right now is a lecture about their duty from the Red Ranger.
That they should always be on time when it concerns the five of them, because it’s their responsibility as Power Rangers.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
Their hands remain laced together as they leave through the window, out of habit, and start making their way to the quarry.
———————
“What took you guys so long?”
Jason questions sternly once the two girls are in view from over the hill, hands now apart. His voice suggests that he’s irritated, but Trini knows by now that there’s really no ill feelings behind his tone.
“We made a pit stop.” Kimberly answers with a nonchalant shrug, tossing the former quarterback a napkin from their local donut store.
“Aw, and you two didn’t save any for us?” Billy joins in with a small frown, not even realising the light severity of the conversation and annoyance emitting off of Jason. Of course, the blond’s mood doesn’t stay the same when their Blue Ranger is involved.
“They probably only got one and shared it because they’re in love.” Zack all but singsongs his remark and she can feel her cheeks rising in heat because of it.
“Shut up, loser.” Trini has her hand raised into a fist and goes to lightly punch his shoulder, but just approaching him with a scowl is enough to get him to take back his words.
For someone who’s so tiny, she sure does have that menacing look down.
“Alright, stop it. Zordon has been kept waiting long enough. Let’s go.” It isn’t hard to miss the way Jason’s lips twitch into a vague smile, despite his words sounding sombre.
Zack’s first to go down the crater, shouting something about being the ‘best’ ranger before he’s entirely engulfed by water.
Trini makes a mental note to kick his ass next training session before following him.
Once they’re (relatively) dry, they walk on to the ship and to command base.
“Rangers,” Zordon’s voice booms throughout the entire room once they’re all standing in front of them.
The lack of presence of one particular robot is noted, and Trini finds this odd. Alpha Five is always there when they arrive, often too cheerful than what is actually needed.
She doesn’t have time to dwell on the absence as Zordon is speaking again, his voice far too emphatic to be ignored.
“There’s something I need to inform you about.”
“Straight to the point, huh, Wall-dad?” Zack interjects with that usual sarcastic tone he's well known for, but the comment pretty much goes unnoticed as Zordon looks over them.
This causes Trini to go back to overthinking; agitated about whatever he has to tell them.
"Is it about Rita?" Kim asks as if she can sense the torment her fellow ranger beside her is currently undergoing.
Zordon's pixelated face is difficult to distinguish, but there's a moment of silence, a moment that goes on for too long and Trini thinks that her worst nightmare is coming back to haunt her.
That she's going to have to face the one thing in this entire universe that managed to crawl underneath her skin and break down all the resilience she spent years building.
"No." One word is all they're given in response and somehow it's enough to lock those fears away for the time being. No telling when they'll be set free again.
"This is something entirely different."
Another pause.
Trini thinks that Zordon enjoys being melodramatic just to frustrate them, like a typical suburban dad would do.
"Rangers, I'd like to welcome a new member to your team."
The doors behind them open and as if on cue, all five of them turn around at the same time to the sight of Alpha Five, except he isn't alone.
Standing tall by his side is a girl clad in a green jacket, ebony hair tied back into a ponytail and eyes so brown it's impossible not to fall into a trance by them.
At least, that's what Trini thinks.
"Welcome, Tommi Oliver. The Green Ranger."