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Practice Was something Jayden had been doing his entire life. Training was something he seemed to have a knack for. The outside world was so foreign to him, that he couldn't understand that people didn't devote their entire lives to training for something. The curtains began to open to the outside world to Jayden when the rangers first moved in, but it felt different when Antonio moved in. The rangers had their quirks that came from outside the Shiba house, like how Mike in his free time was always playing some game on some console Jayden had never seen before. Or how Mia used the radio in the House listening to all kinds of music from all different stations. But when Antonio Came in it felt like a flood of the world entering Jayden's little world contained in the Shiba house.
He looked to his team who didn't even flinch with all the new experiences and interactions Antonio brought in, and how they couldn't understand how he'd never done it before. He didn't have the same knack for the world they did. Even Ji had a grasp of what was happening.
And it really bothered him.
It started as a simple,
“Let's go to the movies, amigos!” from Antonio after an easy battle where everyone got excited when Jayden hadn't been to a movie theater since before Antonio left him as a child, and knew even less about any of the films playing.
Next, it was an amusement park, Antonio asked Ji if they could go, and before Jayden could ask what an amusement park even was Antonio and everyone else were dragging him out the door. The sights, sounds, and crowds were all overwhelming to him, and Jayden watched in what he would never admit was jealousy as his team ran from ride to booth to ride like this was normal. This wasn't Jayden's normal and it bothered him how effortless this was for everyone else and how it felt like he needed to practice to fit in among his own team. The team he leads.
Soon though their free time began to be eaten up as the Sanzu River rose and slowly began leaking into their world. Everyone knew they had to concentrate and give every battle, every practice Everything they had. Jayden was less bothered by, well, the outside world. He was in the world he grew up in, the world he understood. He couldn't fathom how lost he was going to be soon when Master Xandred was finally destroyed.
Every purpose Jayden had. Every second, hour, day, year led up to that moment. His entire world, everything he cared about, and thought About was finished.
Things were quiet in the Shiba house for the next week as the defeat of Xandred sunk in. Everyone thinking about what to do with their life. The outside world hit Jayden like a hurricane as everyone around him prepared To leave. It felt like a sick joke with everyone deciding to leave on the same day. But almost everyone arrived the same day, so he had some practice. Lauren had given everyone the Irish goodbye a couple of days earlier, it hurt, but Jayden hadn't had her in his life for very much of it so the weight of her leaving wasn't as heavy as everyone else leaving for their new different walks of life.
And like that. They were gone. It was only Jayden and Ji again. As much as he told Ji he was fine his body felt wrong. Empty. The house felt hollow.
Jayden fell into his old habits, practicing for something that wouldn't come. Ji watched on hoping Jayden would open his wings and see what the outside world had to offer, but that day never came.
Training buried his new thoughts, his new feelings.
He felt the same as he did when he saw his father for the last time, but this time more hollow.
Laying in bed after training his mind would betray him as he could only think about everyone and how they moved into, then on from him out of his world so effortlessly.
How he saw the slow change in how Mike looked at Emily, and how she did the same. And how he sometimes saw Antonio have a similar glint in his eye when inviting everyone out to his activities. But that sparkle dulled when everyone else agreed to come with. Jayden spent a lot of sleepless nights feeling abandoned by the people He thought cared for him.
Each day he spent training it felt like he spent longer staring into his ceiling, with the next day training harder.
Ji watched Jayden slowly begin to burn out, the flame in his heart being smothered by Jayden's own hands. Every time Ji offered to help, Jayden said he was fine, they both knew he didn't look it.
Each week passed as Jayden fell deeper and deeper into his hole.
The suffocation of the same walls trapped him as he filled with fear of the outside world. Everyone made it look so easy when it wasn't. They were all succeeding in their dreams, as Jayden knew he didn't have any anymore. He had nothing.
Some of the other rangers tried inviting Jayden out of his world, but they didn't have the same skill as Antonio did. With him out at sea, it was almost impossible to get a hold of him too.
The sleepless nights and thoughtless training became the new normal. What Jayden expected. Interactions And what-ifs tried to flood his mind but Jayden could fight them off till his body was too tired from training. He longed to be like the other rangers but he couldn't comprehend how to. He couldn't leave the Shiba house how hard he tried. The fence had become an impassable barricade. A mental evil stronger Than any Nighloks Jayden defeated.
Ji had begun to leave the Shiba house to try and find something, anything to help Jayden. First It was a day or two at a time, but then it started turning into an occasional week gone. Nothing Ji was trying to do would help. Jayden had trapped himself and refused to let others help him out. With Ji leaving it only made Jayden feel more alone. His only father figure was even moving on without him.
During one of Ji's trips Out of the house, Antonio finally returned from his across the world fishing trip. He'd been almost entirely no contact the entire trip and was excited to see all his friends again hanging around the Shiba house. It was the first place he chose to go after stepping off the boat he called his home.
He felt a little weird just waltzing in. He hadn't been here in half a year. Didn't even know if he would be welcome anymore but he didn't let that worry him. He was just excited to see Jayden and how he's gotten to know the outside world.
As he approached the Shiba house, pulling his luggage behind him up the hill, he could hear the distant sounds of Jayden training.
Jayden heard the doorbell ring. As he froze. He knew the person at the front door would have heard him training, but opening the front gate sounded terrifying.
He knew it wasn't Ji at the gate, because he doesn't ring the doorbell. Jayden's mind raced as he tried to convince himself to open the door, but he would rather wither away and hide.
Unfortunately for him, the doorbell rang a Second time.
Fear filled Jayden as he slowly walked to the door. He Was expecting the worst.
As the door stared him down his hand froze over the handle as everything began to crumble around him. His mind began to overtake him. He stood there silently with His mind screaming at him.
“Does the doorbell not work anymore? I don't understand how anyone wouldn't have heard me..” Antonio trails off to himself From the other side of the door as Jayden's heart starts beating a different tune as his body moves before his mind can stop him the front door swings open faster than it ever has before. As Antonio jumps to the sudden open door as the two of them stand there staring at each other for a moment.
“God, there you are mi amor! You scared me with the door-”
Jayden took a swing for Antonio's face, surprising Him as he barely dodged and grabbed Jayden's wrist holding it beside his head, lowering it to his neck. Stunned Antonio stared at Jayden confused at what he Did to deserve getting swung at instead of a hello, but as he looked into Jayden's eyes He could see conflict. Struggling what to say they stand there like that for an almost everlasting moment, with the Silence being broken with only a cut-off mi amor that gets cut off by Jayden shifting his hand to grab the back of Antonio's neck and pulling him into his face his other hand reaching out to grab his waist trapping Antonio in their now shared closeness. As Antonio lifts his face to look at Jayden's welling eyes, he subconsciously holds Jayden back, stunned by a sudden kiss, then a forehead barred into his shoulder.
“I'm afraid of the world outside without you” Jayden almost whispered as they both suddenly grabbed each other tighter.