Work Text:
It was a record-breaking high temperature for the third day in a row in Angel Grove. One hundred and two degrees and a low of eighty-nine with no sign of the heat breaking. The rangers have taken to moving from each of their houses to soak up the air conditioning until a parent kicks them out and they go to the next house. They started at Jason's but his dad didn't want to deal with them and Pearl and her friends so they went to Trini's where pretty much the same thing happened with the twins and June. They would have been fine at Billy's house but Candece was out of town and didn't want Billy there without adult supervision, so now they're at Kim's.
Well three of them are. Zack has had to work most of the week and Trini has been MIA since they got kicked out of her house. She's probably with one of the soccer girls or Tommie asked her to hang out at their mansion that none of them have ever been to but Trini and Zack. Kim looks around her living room and sighs. Billy is on his phone, posting funny memes on Twitter about how hot it is, and Jason is on the floor, Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned and face laying on top of the air vent. Kim is in a similar dress but she has a bikini on underneath, they had plans to go to the community center's pool but every time they went, the pool was filled. They would have gone to the quarry but the water wouldn't have been cool or clean and that worried Billy. Jason starts to whine into the air vent making his voice garbled but somehow still echoing.
"Kiiiiiimm I thought we were going to the pool today?"
"It's not my fault your work id couldn't get us first in line. And get your face out of the vent you're corrupting the air with your breath."
"Ooh, good word Kim."
"Thank you, Billy. Anyway, do you want to go to a movie?"
"We saw them all yesterday. Ice cream at Ernie's?"
"If I eat any more ice cream I'll become one. Grocery shopping? They have air conditioning and we can walk around without buying anything for a while before they have to kick us out?"
"I would rather go to the mall and deal with walking through those crowds. We need to find something to do before I'm forced to go home and watch Pearl."
Kim rolls her eyes at starts to fire back a response but her phone vibrates in her hand. It's Trini calling so she sits up and answers for her girlfriend.
"Hey, baby what's up?"
"Nothing just with Tommie and making them pay up on a bet. Two questions, are you with the guys and are you doing anything right this moment?"
"The first one is yes the second one is no. Can I ask a follow-up question?"
"Depends, do you want to come over and use Tommie's pool?"
"Tommie has a pool?! Why am I just hearing about this if you've been there since Tuesday?"
"Because they didn't have it built until recently and she had to lose the bet before I could tell you. Do you want to come over to use the pool? I'm in that swimsuit you bought me."
"The one from TomboyX? With the rainbow trim?"
"Yep. First time wearing it, and I don't think a picture will do it justice."
Kim bites her lip and looks at the oblivious boys deciding without even asking. Not like they would say no anyway.
"Send me the address I'll gather the boys."
"Great. Also, Zack and his mom are here and they're making dinner so pack enough clothes for an overnight stay."
Before Kim can process that sentence the line goes dead and the boys are now looking at her, finally noticing that she walked out of the living room to talk to Trini. She slides her phone into her back pocket and smiles at the two of them. A moment later she feels it vibrate again, knowing it's Trini with the address, turning her smile into a smirk.
"Want to go to the pool?"
"Kim I swear we just had this discussion about why we couldn't go to the community pool."
"What if I told you it's not the community pool. Want to go or not?"
Billy interjects and speaks for Jason. He was silent during their first argument but it's too hot for him to deal with their bickering for the third day in a row.
"Yes we do, take us to the pool please."
"Okay then go back to your houses and back an overnight bag we're going to Tommie's."
"Tommie has a POOL?! Why are we just now hearing about this???"
"That's what I said but according to Trini, it was just built. Don't worry about the why and just go pack a bag and meet me back here when you're done."
The boys leave back out into the heat while she heads upstairs to pack as Trini told her to. Most people would be weird about their significant other being friends with their ex but not Kim. To be fair she is connected to Trini's emotions with an alien mental link but it's not even that. She just trusts that Trini wouldn't do that to her like Trini trusts her. She's been cheated on before and this relationship feels different than her last one, more authentic and solid. Kim hears her phone vibrate pulling her out of her thoughts and into different thoughts of her girlfriend when she sees the message from Tommie.
GreenEyedDragon: so you can be prepared [image attached]
The picture is of Trini in the swimsuit Kim bought her, a pair of patterned boy shorts a matching bikini top and both have rainbow trim around the waistband. Her first reaction is to clench her fist but she stops herself so as to not destroy her phone for the fifth time in one year. Plus Billy is supposed to be working on a solution for their problem of always breaking their phones they just haven't tested it yet.
PinkyTheBird: I ALMOST BROKE MY PHONE FUCK OFF
GreenEyedDragon: get your ass over here then and stop breaking your phones
Kim rolls her eyes but instead of bickering with Tommie, puts her phone down and finishes packing. She braves the heat and heads out to her car, thankful that she drives a jeep and took the doors off before it got hot. She picks up the boys and drives out to the other side of town to Tommie's house. They pull up to the mansion with their mouths all agape, they knew Tommie's father was rich but not THIS rich.
Tommie meets them at the door smirking at their astonished faces as they let them in.
"Welcome to my home, please close your mouths as you enter the foyer."
"Tommie this place is ...Billy give me a word."
"For what?"
"Big."
"Well, there's huge, gargantuan, gigantic, large massive, enormous, immense, elephantine-"
"Didn't we fight an alien named Elephantine?"
"Yes, the giant elephant that Zack went head to head with his Zord."
"Best Kaiju battle ever!"
"Okay, weeb."
Billy continues to list synonyms for the word big as Jason listens with hearts in his eyes and Tommie and Kim stand nearby waiting and talking. When it seems that Billy isn't going to be stopping any time soon Kim decides that it's time for the pool.
"So the pool?"
"Oh yeah come on, Zack and Trini are already in the water. Come on Billy you can walk and talk."
They follow them on a makeshift tour through the place. Billy, finally done with his synonyms, does the math and realizes throat Tommie could have squatters and never even know it.
"That would explain why Zack is always here. Anyway, there's also a bowling alley downstairs so when we're done with the pool we have options other than movies in the theater."
"God I just hated every word that came out of your rich ass mouth."
"You can leave if you hate it so much. Fend for yourself in this heat."
"Actually-"
"No she can't, she drove us here."
"Relax Red, it's just jokes."
"Jokes like that aren't funny. Especially in this heat, I'm not leaving here until the weather breaks."
Tommie shrugs, cool with having people in their house for once instead of being alone with their thoughts. It’s the main reason why they so quickly let Zack and his mother move in, not like their father would notice if they had squatters as Billy mentioned earlier. They open the door to the pool area and the other rangers see a grotto-style pool with a built-in waterfall and a jacuzzi. Zack is sitting on top of the waterfall and Trini is nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, guys what took you so lo- ahhhh!”
That is until Trini comes up behind Zack and throws him in the water with a shriek and yell respectively. They both come for air laughing and start splashing each other before Trini notices her girlfriend.
“Hey, babe. Put your stuff down and come in, the water feels great.”
“Are we not going to talk about the wrestling move you just pulled on Zack?”
“You sound like I did that randomly and that this isn’t how Zack and I normally act. Now get in the water before I throw you in too.”
Not needing to be told twice the three of them drop their things on nearby lawn chairs and jump in the pool. Trini was right the water did feel great on their overheated skin and they all enjoy it in their own special ways. Kim when she's in the water, floats on her back and wades around but frequently gets out to show off her diving skills. Billy finds a pool float and coast around in the water, steering with his feet like Tommie is also doing. Jason sinks to the bottom of the pool and just sits there until he runs out of breath then he comes back up and goes back down again.
They stay in the water for hours before finally getting to eat and do something else. After eating the meal Zack's mother made they watch movies in the theater and bowl after a much needed nap. They're all lounging around on couches around midnight happy and a little delirious, Trini is braiding Billy's hair for bed after she so expertly braided her own and Tommie's curly hair. Zack has that look in his eyes, his idea look that Jason come to dread because it means nothing but trouble for him.
"This was fun, thanks for inviting us Tommie."
"No problem, if I didn't lose that bet I wouldn't have. Thank your girl not me."
"What was the bet about?"
"Wait why wouldn't you have invited us on your own but you invited Trini?"
"I didn't invite her, I just went outside to find her in my fucking pool. Told she could have asked first but it was fine and she could stay since I was here by myself. And the bet was about that new show on HBO being gay, I said it wouldn't be and she said the opposite. She won so she got to invite you guys."
"We should throw a pool party!"
They all turn to a smirking Zack wondering how long he was sitting on that when he speaks again.
"We could charge at the door, Trini and I could run a concession stand like at the community center, they would be allowed to go in to use the bathroom, and Kim could be the lifeguard! It would be great!"
There's silence following the excited rambling Zack just spewed out where they all mull over the idea and they could do it with the right amount of planning but ultimately it's Tommie's decision because it's their house.
"Okay we can but not tomorrow, we need to get supplies first, I'll have Archie make a list of the things we'll need after breakfast."
"God that was the most pretentious thing you've ever said."
"Fuck off Kim!"
Everyone goes to sleep after that with plans for their responsibilities for this party they're planning. Once they have a menu, and a list of other supplies they will need they make the trip to the nearest Costco to buy a shit ton of corn, and the other things Trini and Zack will need in the kitchen. Kim makes a flyer for the event and Billy tweets it out on his somehow verified Twitter account. They make sure to note that guests are to pay at the door, for food, and to bring their own towels. The flyer also notes that this party is for high school students only and if you are above the age of eighteen you will be turned away at the door. They also enlisted the help of the school's resident radio host and DJ Tanya Sloan to handle music for a small fee that Tommie could handle on their own.
They buy out at least three grocery stores of their ice and sodas, sticking to cans not bottles and they finally have everything they think they will need. Jason and Billy spend the majority of that Thursday moving and building things for the party Friday. They build a DJ booth with a shade and fan for Tanya,a few tables for Trini and Zack to work on because there was already a grill outside, and like five VIP tents for their friends. Kim spends most of the day printing out menus and helping wherever she can which looks like cleaning the pool.
The party goes off without a hitch, they make a ton of money and only turn away two people at the door for not really reading the flyer and bringing younger siblings with them. Tanya keeps the party jumping all day with her tunes and they don't run out of any food. There was almost an altercation between Amanda, Harper and Tommie when they charged them extra at the door and called it the "bitch tax" when they asked why. A few people get in free, like Z, Kat, Tanya's boyfriend Adam, and the entire soccer team gets a tent and a discount on food. Jason and Billy act as makeshift security guards stationed by the door and the food respectively.
Friday and once the last guest is gone they're back on those chairs where Zack proposed the idea to do this in the first place tiredly watch Billy count all the money they made. They decided that Tommie's portion will go to any damages and Archie for dealing with as he said "other people's filthy children" and the rest will be split five ways.
"Okay, I counted this twice and with the entry fee and the concession costs we made eight hundred and forty five dollars. Which is about one hundred and forty dollars and change to each of us."
All of them stare unblinking at the large quantity of money as Billy starts to count out their shares one by one until there are six separate piles of money. He hands a stack to each of his friends, leaving one for himself, and sighs happily already thinking of the things he will get with his money. The shock wears off of Trini first as she slowly tucks her money away, takes Zack's out of his hands and puts it in a safe place and tackles him in a bear hug.
"That was the BEST IDEA YOU'VE EVER HAD!"
The others start laughing deliriously at the display and out of sheer exhaustion. They all pass out after putting their money away happy and one hundred and forty dollars richer as they hear it start to rain outside. A sign that the freak heat wave is finally coming to an end.