Butterflies and Metal Pieces (Jason & Trini, Power Rangers)
Title: Butterflies and Metal Pieces
Fandom: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Friendship: Jason & Trini (with hints of Jason & Tommy friendship as well)
Prompt: "I think I'm going to be sick."
Rated: G
Word Count: 5,916
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They've been owned by various companies over the years. I think the current one is Disney, but these Rangers were owned by Saban. I'm pretty sure, anyway.
Author's Notes: This is set a couple of weeks before Zedd arrives, so it's the late part of season one. This also would've been done sooner if I hadn't had to move and had to wait so long for my internet connection to be straightened out...
“Whoa, it looks like everyone is here tonight!” Kim breathed out as the six of them approached the entrance to the mall. There was hardly so much as a parking space left, as they'd found out when they'd had to circle it three times before finally spying someone leaving. Virtually every square inch of Angel Grove Mall was occupied.
“Well, school starts up again in a couple of weeks,” Trini reminded her friend. “That's probably what has everyone out. And there's a couple of new releases playing, too.”
Zack leaned over from around Jason to grin at the black-haired girl. “Which reminds me, which one did you want to see? You know it's your turn to choose.”
Trini considered thoughtfully as they slid their way through the throng. It was her turn; her birthday was the closest one on this trip, and in their long-standing tradition, that gave her the right to pick which movie they saw. “I'll have to see just what's playing first,” she decided. She never liked making snap judgments. They could go wrong in horrible ways, even with something as innocent as choosing which movie to go see.
Kim looked around, trying to get a view of the stores through all the people around her. Given her height, that wasn't exactly the easier thing to do, but she had a way around it. “Tommy! Can you see if there are any sale signs around the department stores?”
“Like you don't already know.” Tommy chuckled as he peered over the heads of those around him and tried to see what she wanted. “I think there's a couple. It's hard to tell from here.”
“Well, that's where I'm going.” Kim eyed the thick crowds a little ruefully, but with a grin playing around the corner of her lips. “Anyone else want to come?”
“I'd like to, Kimberly, but I wanted to check to see if a book I ordered has come in yet.” Billy shook his head in negation. Kim looked at the others, a hopeful gleam to her eyes, but Zack was also turning her down.
“There's this great new tape at the music store. I've been wanting to get it for months now,” he told her. “But I can catch up with you after that.”
“I've got something I need to get first, too,” Tommy answered before Kim even managed to ask him directly. He fingered his ear a little, where the earring that usually graced it was. “I lost my earring the other day after a workout and I need to get a new one.”
“I'm going over that way too,” Trini put in. “One of my aunts sent me a gift certificate for it for my birthday. I might well go on and use it.”
Tommy nodded and glanced at Jason. “Want to come along?”
“Sure, no problem.” Jason shot a quick look at the fitness store, but shrugged. He could go there any day. Besides, the last time he'd checked, they hadn't had anything he really wanted.
The six of them split up quickly, once they'd agreed to meet back at the movie theater in a couple of hours. It didn't take all that long for Tommy, Trini, and Jason to lose sight of their friends in the crush of the crowd, either. Tommy suspected that Kim was putting her small size to good use at the moment to get to the sale she wanted. He'd seen her doing it before.
Trini started towards the store, both guys only a few steps behind her. Jason glanced over at his friend for a moment. “What made you decide to get your ear pierced?” He'd wondered about that off and on, but a moment to ask had never really arrived, at least not until now.
Tommy flushed a little and ducked his head. “Would you believe I did it to annoy my dad?”
Both Jason and Trini looked at him in disbelief. “You did it to do what?” Jason repeated. As far as he'd seen the two of them, Tommy and his dad got along almost as well as he and his dad did. Sometimes even better.
“It was about two months before we moved to Angel Grove,” Tommy told them. “We'd had a fight about something. It wasn't even all that important, now that I think about it, but I wanted to make him even madder.” He shook his head ruefully. “The only thing that I thought would do it was getting this pierced.”
Trini looked as if she wanted to laugh, but just too polite to do so to his face. Jason was having to hold it in by the skin of his teeth as well. “Did it work?” He did manage to ask that, though.
“Not really. He was kind of surprised, but that was it. Didn't really say all that much about it.” Tommy shrugged and fingered his ear again. “I decided I liked it like that and kept it.”
Jason nodded, apologizing almost absent-mindedly as he tried to avoid knocking down an old lady. They would have to have picked the most crowded day in months to all go there, he mused. At least this particular store wasn't as thickly thronged about as some of the others were.
Trini tugged the gift certificate out of her purse and took another quick look at it, then started to explore, skimming for whatever she could use it on. Tommy headed right over to the earring selection, tossing the original up and down in his hand as he tried to make a choice. Jason hovered a little on the outside of the store, not actually having entered it yet.
“Aren't you coming in?” Tommy asked without even looking up from his browsing. “Nothing's going to eat you, you know.”
Jason rolled his eyes some. “It's not really my kind of store, you know. I don't mind hanging out with you guys, it's just...” He didn't know how to explain it. There wasn't anything wrong with the store, he just felt uncomfortable being around so much small merchandise. He didn't always feel like this. Even being in a china shop didn't do it to him. It just felt as if he moved the wrong way, he'd break something.
“Come on, it's all right.” Trini looked over from the far side and beckoned him in. Jason hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside, feeling bizarrely in need of a Putty attack or something that he could take out his sudden nervousness on.
When he'd taken several steps inside and nothing whatsoever had happened, the tension started to ease out of him. This was just a store, after all, and he was a trained martial artist. He grew more and more certain if he did knock over something, he could catch it before anything could happen to it.
Nerving himself a bit more, he walked over to where Trini was examining several inexpensive necklaces hanging on the wall. “See anything you like?”
“Not really,” she murmured quietly, gaze flicking briefly over to the clerks. “This isn't really my favorite kind of store either. I don't think my aunt really knew that when she sent it.”
He looked over the selection, and had to agree with Trini. The jewelry displayed here wasn't exactly the best looking. Some of it was gaudy, some just not what he'd expect Trini to get, and a few things just were plain repulsive. In fact, he doubted Rita Repulsa would even wear some of them.
There had to be something there, though. There was no use in letting a perfectly good gift certificate go to waste. He looked around, then moved over to some of the other items, in the hopes he could find something that would fit her.
“Hey, Jason, what do you think of this?” He turned to see what Tommy wanted, and saw the Green Ranger holding out a rather lovely set of peridot earrings. He could definitely see Trini wearing them.
“I think they're just right for you.” He grinned at Tommy, receiving a set of rolling eyes in return. “Hey, Trini, I think Tommy found what you're looking for.”
Trini came over to see what they had and smiled the moment she got a good look at it. “That's just perfect. Thanks, both of you.”
“No problem.” Tommy shrugged and looked back at the selection of gold and silver earrings he'd been looking through. “Hey, Jase, have you ever thought about getting your ear pierced?”
Jason blinked a couple of times, not certain if he'd heard that right. “What did you say?”
“I said, have you ever thought about getting your ear pierced.” He grinned quickly at his leader. “Who knows, you might even wind up with a girlfriend if you did.”
Tommy had rolled his eyes at him moments earlier, now Jason did the exact same thing back at him. “Yeah, whatever. No, I haven't thought about it. It's not really my thing, you know.”
“You might want to think about it.” Tommy picked out a set of earrings that looked almost identical to the one he usually wore and started towards the register, Trini just ahead of him. “Seriously. Am I right, Trini?”
She looked back at them, an amused tilt to her head. “I hadn't honestly thought about it. Maybe you should ask Kim's opinion. She'd be a little better qualified, I think.”
Jason winced inside at the thought. As much as he liked Kim, he had a feeling that she'd probably go and agree that getting his ear pierced was the right idea. He knew his parents wouldn't care; they'd already mentioned it shortly after meeting Tommy. His mother had found Tommy's own earring quite pleasing, though there was no way that Jason was ever going to tell his best friend that. He absolutely wished that his mother hadn't told him that. There were things not even the saviors of the world needed to know.
All he could hope for at the moment was that Rita didn't decide this situation called for some kind of massive ear piercing related monstrosity. With all the times she'd used other things in their lives to stir up trouble, he fully expected to be staring down the Piercing Pest or whatever it would be called before the day was out. He almost considered asking Tommy if he knew if Finster had anything like that in his collection. Only the fact he wasn't certain if Tommy would know stopped him. The former evil Ranger didn't always remember things from when he'd been under Rita's spell, and sometimes he remembered things Jason was certain he would've liked to have forgotten.
Come to think of it, there were a few things he didn't like thinking of about that time either.
With a quick shake of his head, he moved closer to Trini once she'd left the register. He wasn't going to start dwelling on that. It was enough that he had to go over it in his nightmares at least once a month or so. There were other things to think about at the moment. “So, made any decisions about that movie yet?”
“Getting your ear pierced?” Kim eyed Jason for a moment as they came out of the movie theater, then shrugged some. “If that's what you want to do, Jason.”
He groaned; this was turning out to be just what he'd feared, if not worse. Almost as soon as they'd rejoined everyone else for the movie, Tommy had brought up the whole earring question, wanting everyone else's opinion on it. “No. I said Tommy asked if I wanted to. I told him no.”
“Why?” Kim glanced over at her boyfriend, then back to Jason. “It looks good on him, and I bet it would on you, too.”
“I just don't want to,” Jason declared. He wasn't all that certain, other than that, on what his reasons were. He didn't really think he needed any other than that. Just because Zack and Tommy both wore them didn't mean he had to.
Trini shook her head at her friends. “Leave him alone, guys. If he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to.”
“Thanks, Trini.” Jason hoped they'd drop the subject now. It was already getting late, and the roads between the mall and the rest of Angel Grove were going to be crowded with people going home. “So, everyone ready to go?”
A chorus of variations on 'yes' was his answer and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. They wouldn't bother him while he was driving. He didn't know why Tommy was so insistent about it. He didn't usually get like this.
“Hey, Jase?” Tommy touched his shoulder to get his attention, an apologetic look to his eyes. “I'm sorry if I'm nagging you too much about this. I was just...” He looked away for a moment, then back at Jason. “I'm just sorry.”
Jason grinned at him. “Don't worry about. Who knows, maybe I will do it.” It really wasn't the thought of getting his ear pierced that bothered him, as much as it was everyone being that curious about him doing it. He wondered just what Tommy had been about to say before changing his mind. Nervous? What would Tommy be nervous about?
Tommy nodded as the two of them put a bit of distance between themselves and the other Rangers. He lowered his voice quietly and said, “I'm just a little worried about...you know, my powers. I try and think about other things and sometimes I get a little too thinking about them. If you get what I mean.”
Well, that made some kind of sense. “Hey, we'll find a way to get you fixed up. Don't worry about it.” He patted Tommy on the shoulder and pulled out his keys once they made it to his car. The others caught up as he got everything unlocked, and everyone settled inside. Zack, Kim, Tommy, and Billy piled into the backseat, squirming around until everyone was as comfortable as they could be, while Trini slid into the front passenger seat.
The ride home was every bit as quiet as he could've hoped for, and soon the only people left in the car were himself and Trini. Since they lived with a block of each other, she'd just walk home from his house. They'd been doing it like this ever since the first of them had achieved their driver's license.
“Did it really bother you all that much?” she asked as he drove towards his house. It was almost the first thing she'd said since they'd left the mall, and it took a moment for him to figure out what she was referring to.
“I'm not sure,” he finally said. “It's nothing I've ever really thought about seriously. Even when Zack got his, I didn't think about it.”
She nodded, touching her own ears briefly, where the peridots she'd bought now resided. “If you did want to get it done, I'd go with you. Sometimes it can help to have someone along, if you're not sure. Or if you are, and think you might go a little weak in the knees when it happens.”
Jason couldn't help but grin. “You think I'd wimp out cause of getting my ears pierced?” It was probably one of the weirder things he'd heard since the day they'd been first teleported to the Command Center.
“Hey, you never know. It can happen to anyone,” Trini shrugged. “Some people have even been known to faint. It's got nothing to do with how tough you are.”
Faint from getting your ear pieced? It didn't seem all that likely. From what Zack had said, it was a total breeze. You just sat down, they cleaned the ear off, marked it, there was a quick flash, and there the earring was in your ear. It didn't seem anything to worry about.
Maybe I should do it. He couldn't think of any real reason not to do it. Even 'not wanting to' didn't seem to cover it anymore. He wasn't certain he didn't want to, the more he thought about it and got used to the idea.
“I'll think about it,” he said at last, pulling into his driveway. His parents were still awake; he could tell from the lights on the living room. He'd told them he'd be home right around now, so he knew they weren't going to be giving him the Look they did when he was late. “I'll see you tomorrow, Trini.”
She nodded and got out of the car. “No problem. Like I said, if you decide to do it, let me know and I'll go with you.” She grinned at him. “Maybe it could be your own early birthday present to yourself.” She waved and headed down the street towards her own home.
An early birthday present. It wasn't that bad of an idea. His birthday wasn't for two more months, and they'd be in the middle of football season then. He was looking forward to playing on a team that would be at least half-way made up of Power Rangers. I hope we don't get called off to fight Rita's goons too much. There wouldn't be that much they could do to explain it if they did.
Still, that was then and this was now. Did he want to get his ear pierced? With every moment, the thought became a little more attractive.
He walked inside, heading right for the living room. “Hey, Mom, Dad,” he nodded at his parents as he stretched out on the couch. “Have a good day?” He'd spent most of his with his friends, first at the Youth Center, and then to the mall for the evening.
“It was lovely. Do you want something to eat?” His mom asked, and he shook his head.
“I ate while we were at the mall.” He sat up a little and looked at them. “Mom, Dad, what would you think if I got my ear pierced?”
Both of them looked at each other, then at him. “Do you want to?” His dad wanted to know. Jason ran the thought through his mind several times before he answered.
“I'm pretty sure I do. I didn't think I did when Tommy brought it up when we were at the mall, but it's been going through my mind ever since, and now...”
His dad nodded a little, a touch of gentle amusement on his face. Jason wouldn't have been too surprised to find him thinking it was just one of those teenage things that he'd change his mind about in a few weeks or sooner. “If it's what you want, then. Just...nothing too gaudy, please?”
“I won't. I was thinking about having something like Tommy's.” That wasn't entirely true. He hadn't quite gotten far enough along in the thought to decide what it was he wanted. But it sounded good to tell his parents regardless.
“That's good, then,” his mom nodded as well. “You're going to have it done at one of those places at the mall, right? You wouldn't do it yourself?”
Moms. She had to worry about him. “No, mom, I wouldn't. And I've got enough money saved up to pay for it myself.” He'd been needing to replace one of his barbells, but he could make up the money by doing some extra chores for Ernie. It wouldn't take all that long.
“When were you going to do it?”
Jason thought about his father's question once again before he answered. He didn't want them to think this was some kind of a spur of the moment thing. It wasn't, not quite, after all. It was more or less a spur of the day thing. If that were the kind of thing one could call it. “Maybe tomorrow. I'd have time to get used to it before school opens up again.”
“All right, then,” his dad nodded at him. “If you're sure about it, then go ahead. If you don't like it, it's a lot easier to get rid of than a tattoo or something like that.”
Jason had to agree; if he did change his mind, he could just let the hole in his ear heal over and not have to worry about it. But he didn't think that he would be changing his mind. It wasn't quite on the order of becoming a Power Ranger, but he was beginning to have the feeling that this was one of those things it was right to do.
The talk turned to more ordinary things after that, what else he'd done during the day, what his plans for the rest of the summer were, where he'd had to run off to during dinner with his grandmother the previous weekend...
He tried not to answer that one with too much of a lie. He hated having to lie to his parents in the first place, but the promise he'd made to Zordon was inviolate. Maybe I can tell them some day. He'd like that. He was certain they'd be proud of him no matter what, but to be able to be completely honest, the way he'd been before that Saturday in the Youth Center, would be wonderful.
Once he'd made a suitable kind of excuse for that, he started to stretch a little. “I think I'm going to go to my room for a while. I'll see you later.”
“Don't do anything I wouldn't do in there,” his dad teased. His mom whacked her husband lightly on the arm, and the two of them fell to playful squabbling as Jason went to his room and closed the door behind himself. He leaned against it for a few moments, breathing quietly, before he went to the window and looked out into the darkened neighborhood.
The conversation he'd just had on his parents still fluttered about the edges of his mind. He really did want to be able to tell them so much. He knew the reasons why he couldn't, but that didn't stop the wanting.
But, for now, there were other things that he had to think about. He touched his ear for a moment, and wondered what it would be like to do that and feel metal there instead. He'd know by this time tomorrow night, and he looked forward to it more than he'd thought he would. All he had to do now was call Trini and let her know that he'd made up his mind. He could, and would, do that in the morning. It was a little late to be calling now.
Instead, he settled himself by the window and just watched as the stars twinkled above.
The mall wasn't quite as crowded on an early Saturday afternoon as it had been on Friday night. Jason breathed just a little better seeing that. He still half-suspected Rita was going to attack any second with an earring related beastie of some kind, and the less civilians around, the better he felt about the whole thing.
“This shouldn't take too long,” Trini said as they headed for the same store they'd been in the previous night. “I hope you're ready for this.”
“So do I,” Jason murmured quietly. He hadn't changed his mind, but as they drew closer, his stomach did make the acquaintance of more than a few butterflies. It was something he wouldn't have ever told anyone, even if they'd asked. He hadn't felt this nervous when he'd run into Goldar while still under the spell of the Crystal of Nightmares.
There was already someone sitting in the chair when they got there, with the clerk bringing the piercing gun up to her ear right then. Jason fought back a sudden surge of nausea as the trigger was pulled, and an earring was suddenly in the girl's ear. She winced a little and offered a brief smile to the clerk.
“That did pinch a little,” she said. “Just like you said it would.”
“But it doesn't last that long,” the clerk pointed out. She looked over at Jason and Trini and smiled. “I can be right with you, once I'm done here.”
Jason nodded some. “There's no rush.” He checked out the selection of starter earrings at the counter, telling the butterflies in his stomach to get the blazes out of there. Like butterflies real and imagined, they paid no attention and kept right on fluttering. He was really going to have to have a talk with his nerves one of these days.
He glanced over just in time to see the clerk piercing the girl's other ear, and gritted his teeth a trifle. I am not going to be sick. It would probably feel entirely differently once he was the one sitting in that chair anyway.
Once the other girl was gone, all the products for tending to her new adornments safely clutched in her hands, the clerk came over to Jason and Trini. “So, what can I help you with today?”
“I want to get my ear pierced.” Jason declared, touching his right ear. “This one.”
The clerk nodded a little. “All right.” She named the price, then asked, “Which one of the starters did you want? And you know about cleaning the piercing, and keeping it disinfected?” Her eyes flicked briefly over to Trini, then back at him.
“Yes, my friends have told me all about it,” Jason agreed. They had, over and over, not only when Zack had first had his done, but when he'd told them he was going to get this done today after all. Tommy had even told him a horror story about a cousin of his who had forgotten to do so, and even forgotten to remove the earring from her ear, until the skin had actually grown over the back of it.
“My uncle told me that you could probably have heard her screaming clean across the country when he pulled it out,” Tommy had told him. “There was pus, blood, you name it. She still hasn't gotten them repierced.”
He was just as glad that Tommy hadn't told him that before he'd gone home. He might've had a few second thoughts. But now he wasn't going to worry about it. He wasn't some thirteen year old girl who would forget to do what was necessary. He was a Power Ranger, and even better, he was fifteen. And all of his friends would nag him about taking care of it anyway.
“All right, sit down then, and I'll see about getting you taken care of,” the clerk told him once he'd indicated which of the starters he wanted. It was a simple golden post, and he rather liked the way it gleamed in the shop lighting. It would more than likely look different outside, but he was convinced he'd still like it.
Trini came over to stand on his other side as the clerk fiddled around with a few other things. “You still sure about this?”
“Yeah. I'm not gonna back out now.” Jason wouldn't have put it that way out loud, but it was now a little tied into his ego. If he could fight Rita's monsters, he could handle a little pain and a little metal in his ear. He'd been telling himself that ever since he'd made the decision.
“Let's see here.” The clerk came back over with a small black-tipped pen and leaned to look more closely at his ear. “Since you're only getting one done, we don't need to make certain they're both even, but I want to be sure this is where you want it to be.” She eyed his lobe with a professional air, then carefully marked it and held a mirror so he could take a look. “What do you think? Is that good enough or should we try somewhere else?”
Jason glanced at the mirror and tried to make some kind of a decision. It looked fine enough to him, but he looked over at Trini for a touch of support. “What do you think? I like it there.”
“Fine to me.” Trini agreed. The clerk nodded, put the mirror away, and loaded up the punching gun with the earring Jason had chosen. His fingers clenched a little on his knee, but he didn't move. If Tommy and Zack, and who knew how many other guys and girls alike, could deal with this, then so could he. The story Tommy had told him about his cousin whirled through his head, as did what Trini had told him the previous night about people getting sick when they were pierced.
He was not going to get sick, though. He could control himself. He grinned at Trini as the clerk came back over, and he felt the cool metal touching his ear. His fingers tightened even more over his knee, and he forced himself not to close his eyes. Instead, he paid strict attention to the wall of jewelry on the far side of the store.
Zpp! There was a sudden pinch in his ear, and then it was over. His ear felt a little heavier, a little stranger, and he realized almost absently that it had happened. His ear was pierced. He reached up to touch it, and the clerk stopped his hand.
“Careful with that. It's still going to be sensitive for a while.” She held the mirror up again so Jason could get another look, seeing what it looked like now that it was in.
Not bad. He liked the way it looked with his recent haircut, too. They combined to give him a slightly more mature look that he enjoyed. “Thanks!”
“That's what I'm here for.” The clerk grinned at him as he started to get up.
And he promptly sat back down, his stomach churning and his vision swimming before him. “I think I'm going to be sick,” he murmured without even thinking about it. The clerk patted his shoulder.
“No, you're not, you just think you will. It happens. Just sit down for a couple of minutes and you'll be fine.” She looked over at Trini. “You might want to think about getting him something to eat to settle his stomach once you're done here.”
“Just what I was thinking.” Trini agreed. “We can hit Ernie's after this, if that's okay with you, Jason.”
He nodded a little; anything that involved him not having to move a whole lot was what he wanted at the moment. Everything he'd told himself about not being sick vanished. What mattered was not being sick right now and keeping it to a roiling stomach.
Jason managed to take several breaths and to keep himself under control long enough to stand up after a couple of minutes and pay for everything. Trini, to her credit, said nothing whatsoever about having told him so. He wasn't all that certain if their positions had been reversed if he could've held back from that. He liked to think he would have. But he'd just had it proved to him that what he thought and what could happen were easily capable of being two different things.
“You'll be fine.” She patted him on the arm as they headed out of the store. “One of Ernie's specials will get you straightened out.”
Jason nodded, though he wouldn't have turned down a good hamburger right at the moment. The scents coming from the food court as they passed weren't always his favorites, coming as they did from fried and fast foods, but he didn't mind splurging once in a while. I'd better wait, he told himself. His stomach was a little steadier, but better safe than cleaning up a mess.
“It does look good on you,” Trini told him, grinning a little. “I bet at least a couple of girls I know will like it, especially once school's in again.”
Jason laughed and shook his head. “That's not why I did it.”
“I know. But that doesn't mean they're not going to like it.”
Just to be on the safe side, Trini drove them back over to the Youth Center, where the rest of the team would be waiting for them. Jason stared every now and then into the side mirror, turning his head so he could get a look at the earring. It felt strange sitting there, but that would be a matter of getting used to. He glanced briefly at the bag of supplies he'd brought with him from the store, and was at least grateful their bags were a respectable white plastic instead of some kind of pink. Not that there was anything wrong with pink at all, of course...
“Hey!” Everyone waved as they entered the Youth Center, and Zack grinned widely, standing up to get a better look at Jason's ear.
“That looks good, man, that looks real good!” The Black Ranger declared. “Girls are going to go wild about it. They always do over a guy with an earring.” He shot a quick look over at Angela, who only grinned back at him.
Kim leaned over to get a look at it as well. “Zack's right, it does look good. And we'll make sure you take care of it.”
“I can remember on my own, you know,” Jason told her. He knew it wouldn't do any good. They would tell him anyway.
A sudden beep interrupted the congratulations, and the whole group quickly gathered their things and made for their usual spot of hiding. “What is it, Zordon?” Jason asked. He wished Rita had at least waited another day or so before she'd struck again. She'd never been that considerate, though.
“Rangers, one of Rita's monsters is attacking people in the park. You must morph and fight Papa Piercer at once!” The voice of their mentor came over the communicator. Jason groaned softly. He'd known this was going to happen.
“All right, we'll be right on it,” was all he said, then looked at the others. No matter what, this was their job. He at least hoped he would be able to keep his stomach together enough to do it. He didn't think having a nausea attack over the enemy was a good idea. “It's morphin' time!”
The End
Fandom: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Friendship: Jason & Trini (with hints of Jason & Tommy friendship as well)
Prompt: "I think I'm going to be sick."
Rated: G
Word Count: 5,916
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They've been owned by various companies over the years. I think the current one is Disney, but these Rangers were owned by Saban. I'm pretty sure, anyway.
Author's Notes: This is set a couple of weeks before Zedd arrives, so it's the late part of season one. This also would've been done sooner if I hadn't had to move and had to wait so long for my internet connection to be straightened out...
“Whoa, it looks like everyone is here tonight!” Kim breathed out as the six of them approached the entrance to the mall. There was hardly so much as a parking space left, as they'd found out when they'd had to circle it three times before finally spying someone leaving. Virtually every square inch of Angel Grove Mall was occupied.
“Well, school starts up again in a couple of weeks,” Trini reminded her friend. “That's probably what has everyone out. And there's a couple of new releases playing, too.”
Zack leaned over from around Jason to grin at the black-haired girl. “Which reminds me, which one did you want to see? You know it's your turn to choose.”
Trini considered thoughtfully as they slid their way through the throng. It was her turn; her birthday was the closest one on this trip, and in their long-standing tradition, that gave her the right to pick which movie they saw. “I'll have to see just what's playing first,” she decided. She never liked making snap judgments. They could go wrong in horrible ways, even with something as innocent as choosing which movie to go see.
Kim looked around, trying to get a view of the stores through all the people around her. Given her height, that wasn't exactly the easier thing to do, but she had a way around it. “Tommy! Can you see if there are any sale signs around the department stores?”
“Like you don't already know.” Tommy chuckled as he peered over the heads of those around him and tried to see what she wanted. “I think there's a couple. It's hard to tell from here.”
“Well, that's where I'm going.” Kim eyed the thick crowds a little ruefully, but with a grin playing around the corner of her lips. “Anyone else want to come?”
“I'd like to, Kimberly, but I wanted to check to see if a book I ordered has come in yet.” Billy shook his head in negation. Kim looked at the others, a hopeful gleam to her eyes, but Zack was also turning her down.
“There's this great new tape at the music store. I've been wanting to get it for months now,” he told her. “But I can catch up with you after that.”
“I've got something I need to get first, too,” Tommy answered before Kim even managed to ask him directly. He fingered his ear a little, where the earring that usually graced it was. “I lost my earring the other day after a workout and I need to get a new one.”
“I'm going over that way too,” Trini put in. “One of my aunts sent me a gift certificate for it for my birthday. I might well go on and use it.”
Tommy nodded and glanced at Jason. “Want to come along?”
“Sure, no problem.” Jason shot a quick look at the fitness store, but shrugged. He could go there any day. Besides, the last time he'd checked, they hadn't had anything he really wanted.
The six of them split up quickly, once they'd agreed to meet back at the movie theater in a couple of hours. It didn't take all that long for Tommy, Trini, and Jason to lose sight of their friends in the crush of the crowd, either. Tommy suspected that Kim was putting her small size to good use at the moment to get to the sale she wanted. He'd seen her doing it before.
Trini started towards the store, both guys only a few steps behind her. Jason glanced over at his friend for a moment. “What made you decide to get your ear pierced?” He'd wondered about that off and on, but a moment to ask had never really arrived, at least not until now.
Tommy flushed a little and ducked his head. “Would you believe I did it to annoy my dad?”
Both Jason and Trini looked at him in disbelief. “You did it to do what?” Jason repeated. As far as he'd seen the two of them, Tommy and his dad got along almost as well as he and his dad did. Sometimes even better.
“It was about two months before we moved to Angel Grove,” Tommy told them. “We'd had a fight about something. It wasn't even all that important, now that I think about it, but I wanted to make him even madder.” He shook his head ruefully. “The only thing that I thought would do it was getting this pierced.”
Trini looked as if she wanted to laugh, but just too polite to do so to his face. Jason was having to hold it in by the skin of his teeth as well. “Did it work?” He did manage to ask that, though.
“Not really. He was kind of surprised, but that was it. Didn't really say all that much about it.” Tommy shrugged and fingered his ear again. “I decided I liked it like that and kept it.”
Jason nodded, apologizing almost absent-mindedly as he tried to avoid knocking down an old lady. They would have to have picked the most crowded day in months to all go there, he mused. At least this particular store wasn't as thickly thronged about as some of the others were.
Trini tugged the gift certificate out of her purse and took another quick look at it, then started to explore, skimming for whatever she could use it on. Tommy headed right over to the earring selection, tossing the original up and down in his hand as he tried to make a choice. Jason hovered a little on the outside of the store, not actually having entered it yet.
“Aren't you coming in?” Tommy asked without even looking up from his browsing. “Nothing's going to eat you, you know.”
Jason rolled his eyes some. “It's not really my kind of store, you know. I don't mind hanging out with you guys, it's just...” He didn't know how to explain it. There wasn't anything wrong with the store, he just felt uncomfortable being around so much small merchandise. He didn't always feel like this. Even being in a china shop didn't do it to him. It just felt as if he moved the wrong way, he'd break something.
“Come on, it's all right.” Trini looked over from the far side and beckoned him in. Jason hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside, feeling bizarrely in need of a Putty attack or something that he could take out his sudden nervousness on.
When he'd taken several steps inside and nothing whatsoever had happened, the tension started to ease out of him. This was just a store, after all, and he was a trained martial artist. He grew more and more certain if he did knock over something, he could catch it before anything could happen to it.
Nerving himself a bit more, he walked over to where Trini was examining several inexpensive necklaces hanging on the wall. “See anything you like?”
“Not really,” she murmured quietly, gaze flicking briefly over to the clerks. “This isn't really my favorite kind of store either. I don't think my aunt really knew that when she sent it.”
He looked over the selection, and had to agree with Trini. The jewelry displayed here wasn't exactly the best looking. Some of it was gaudy, some just not what he'd expect Trini to get, and a few things just were plain repulsive. In fact, he doubted Rita Repulsa would even wear some of them.
There had to be something there, though. There was no use in letting a perfectly good gift certificate go to waste. He looked around, then moved over to some of the other items, in the hopes he could find something that would fit her.
“Hey, Jason, what do you think of this?” He turned to see what Tommy wanted, and saw the Green Ranger holding out a rather lovely set of peridot earrings. He could definitely see Trini wearing them.
“I think they're just right for you.” He grinned at Tommy, receiving a set of rolling eyes in return. “Hey, Trini, I think Tommy found what you're looking for.”
Trini came over to see what they had and smiled the moment she got a good look at it. “That's just perfect. Thanks, both of you.”
“No problem.” Tommy shrugged and looked back at the selection of gold and silver earrings he'd been looking through. “Hey, Jase, have you ever thought about getting your ear pierced?”
Jason blinked a couple of times, not certain if he'd heard that right. “What did you say?”
“I said, have you ever thought about getting your ear pierced.” He grinned quickly at his leader. “Who knows, you might even wind up with a girlfriend if you did.”
Tommy had rolled his eyes at him moments earlier, now Jason did the exact same thing back at him. “Yeah, whatever. No, I haven't thought about it. It's not really my thing, you know.”
“You might want to think about it.” Tommy picked out a set of earrings that looked almost identical to the one he usually wore and started towards the register, Trini just ahead of him. “Seriously. Am I right, Trini?”
She looked back at them, an amused tilt to her head. “I hadn't honestly thought about it. Maybe you should ask Kim's opinion. She'd be a little better qualified, I think.”
Jason winced inside at the thought. As much as he liked Kim, he had a feeling that she'd probably go and agree that getting his ear pierced was the right idea. He knew his parents wouldn't care; they'd already mentioned it shortly after meeting Tommy. His mother had found Tommy's own earring quite pleasing, though there was no way that Jason was ever going to tell his best friend that. He absolutely wished that his mother hadn't told him that. There were things not even the saviors of the world needed to know.
All he could hope for at the moment was that Rita didn't decide this situation called for some kind of massive ear piercing related monstrosity. With all the times she'd used other things in their lives to stir up trouble, he fully expected to be staring down the Piercing Pest or whatever it would be called before the day was out. He almost considered asking Tommy if he knew if Finster had anything like that in his collection. Only the fact he wasn't certain if Tommy would know stopped him. The former evil Ranger didn't always remember things from when he'd been under Rita's spell, and sometimes he remembered things Jason was certain he would've liked to have forgotten.
Come to think of it, there were a few things he didn't like thinking of about that time either.
With a quick shake of his head, he moved closer to Trini once she'd left the register. He wasn't going to start dwelling on that. It was enough that he had to go over it in his nightmares at least once a month or so. There were other things to think about at the moment. “So, made any decisions about that movie yet?”
“Getting your ear pierced?” Kim eyed Jason for a moment as they came out of the movie theater, then shrugged some. “If that's what you want to do, Jason.”
He groaned; this was turning out to be just what he'd feared, if not worse. Almost as soon as they'd rejoined everyone else for the movie, Tommy had brought up the whole earring question, wanting everyone else's opinion on it. “No. I said Tommy asked if I wanted to. I told him no.”
“Why?” Kim glanced over at her boyfriend, then back to Jason. “It looks good on him, and I bet it would on you, too.”
“I just don't want to,” Jason declared. He wasn't all that certain, other than that, on what his reasons were. He didn't really think he needed any other than that. Just because Zack and Tommy both wore them didn't mean he had to.
Trini shook her head at her friends. “Leave him alone, guys. If he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to.”
“Thanks, Trini.” Jason hoped they'd drop the subject now. It was already getting late, and the roads between the mall and the rest of Angel Grove were going to be crowded with people going home. “So, everyone ready to go?”
A chorus of variations on 'yes' was his answer and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. They wouldn't bother him while he was driving. He didn't know why Tommy was so insistent about it. He didn't usually get like this.
“Hey, Jase?” Tommy touched his shoulder to get his attention, an apologetic look to his eyes. “I'm sorry if I'm nagging you too much about this. I was just...” He looked away for a moment, then back at Jason. “I'm just sorry.”
Jason grinned at him. “Don't worry about. Who knows, maybe I will do it.” It really wasn't the thought of getting his ear pierced that bothered him, as much as it was everyone being that curious about him doing it. He wondered just what Tommy had been about to say before changing his mind. Nervous? What would Tommy be nervous about?
Tommy nodded as the two of them put a bit of distance between themselves and the other Rangers. He lowered his voice quietly and said, “I'm just a little worried about...you know, my powers. I try and think about other things and sometimes I get a little too thinking about them. If you get what I mean.”
Well, that made some kind of sense. “Hey, we'll find a way to get you fixed up. Don't worry about it.” He patted Tommy on the shoulder and pulled out his keys once they made it to his car. The others caught up as he got everything unlocked, and everyone settled inside. Zack, Kim, Tommy, and Billy piled into the backseat, squirming around until everyone was as comfortable as they could be, while Trini slid into the front passenger seat.
The ride home was every bit as quiet as he could've hoped for, and soon the only people left in the car were himself and Trini. Since they lived with a block of each other, she'd just walk home from his house. They'd been doing it like this ever since the first of them had achieved their driver's license.
“Did it really bother you all that much?” she asked as he drove towards his house. It was almost the first thing she'd said since they'd left the mall, and it took a moment for him to figure out what she was referring to.
“I'm not sure,” he finally said. “It's nothing I've ever really thought about seriously. Even when Zack got his, I didn't think about it.”
She nodded, touching her own ears briefly, where the peridots she'd bought now resided. “If you did want to get it done, I'd go with you. Sometimes it can help to have someone along, if you're not sure. Or if you are, and think you might go a little weak in the knees when it happens.”
Jason couldn't help but grin. “You think I'd wimp out cause of getting my ears pierced?” It was probably one of the weirder things he'd heard since the day they'd been first teleported to the Command Center.
“Hey, you never know. It can happen to anyone,” Trini shrugged. “Some people have even been known to faint. It's got nothing to do with how tough you are.”
Faint from getting your ear pieced? It didn't seem all that likely. From what Zack had said, it was a total breeze. You just sat down, they cleaned the ear off, marked it, there was a quick flash, and there the earring was in your ear. It didn't seem anything to worry about.
Maybe I should do it. He couldn't think of any real reason not to do it. Even 'not wanting to' didn't seem to cover it anymore. He wasn't certain he didn't want to, the more he thought about it and got used to the idea.
“I'll think about it,” he said at last, pulling into his driveway. His parents were still awake; he could tell from the lights on the living room. He'd told them he'd be home right around now, so he knew they weren't going to be giving him the Look they did when he was late. “I'll see you tomorrow, Trini.”
She nodded and got out of the car. “No problem. Like I said, if you decide to do it, let me know and I'll go with you.” She grinned at him. “Maybe it could be your own early birthday present to yourself.” She waved and headed down the street towards her own home.
An early birthday present. It wasn't that bad of an idea. His birthday wasn't for two more months, and they'd be in the middle of football season then. He was looking forward to playing on a team that would be at least half-way made up of Power Rangers. I hope we don't get called off to fight Rita's goons too much. There wouldn't be that much they could do to explain it if they did.
Still, that was then and this was now. Did he want to get his ear pierced? With every moment, the thought became a little more attractive.
He walked inside, heading right for the living room. “Hey, Mom, Dad,” he nodded at his parents as he stretched out on the couch. “Have a good day?” He'd spent most of his with his friends, first at the Youth Center, and then to the mall for the evening.
“It was lovely. Do you want something to eat?” His mom asked, and he shook his head.
“I ate while we were at the mall.” He sat up a little and looked at them. “Mom, Dad, what would you think if I got my ear pierced?”
Both of them looked at each other, then at him. “Do you want to?” His dad wanted to know. Jason ran the thought through his mind several times before he answered.
“I'm pretty sure I do. I didn't think I did when Tommy brought it up when we were at the mall, but it's been going through my mind ever since, and now...”
His dad nodded a little, a touch of gentle amusement on his face. Jason wouldn't have been too surprised to find him thinking it was just one of those teenage things that he'd change his mind about in a few weeks or sooner. “If it's what you want, then. Just...nothing too gaudy, please?”
“I won't. I was thinking about having something like Tommy's.” That wasn't entirely true. He hadn't quite gotten far enough along in the thought to decide what it was he wanted. But it sounded good to tell his parents regardless.
“That's good, then,” his mom nodded as well. “You're going to have it done at one of those places at the mall, right? You wouldn't do it yourself?”
Moms. She had to worry about him. “No, mom, I wouldn't. And I've got enough money saved up to pay for it myself.” He'd been needing to replace one of his barbells, but he could make up the money by doing some extra chores for Ernie. It wouldn't take all that long.
“When were you going to do it?”
Jason thought about his father's question once again before he answered. He didn't want them to think this was some kind of a spur of the moment thing. It wasn't, not quite, after all. It was more or less a spur of the day thing. If that were the kind of thing one could call it. “Maybe tomorrow. I'd have time to get used to it before school opens up again.”
“All right, then,” his dad nodded at him. “If you're sure about it, then go ahead. If you don't like it, it's a lot easier to get rid of than a tattoo or something like that.”
Jason had to agree; if he did change his mind, he could just let the hole in his ear heal over and not have to worry about it. But he didn't think that he would be changing his mind. It wasn't quite on the order of becoming a Power Ranger, but he was beginning to have the feeling that this was one of those things it was right to do.
The talk turned to more ordinary things after that, what else he'd done during the day, what his plans for the rest of the summer were, where he'd had to run off to during dinner with his grandmother the previous weekend...
He tried not to answer that one with too much of a lie. He hated having to lie to his parents in the first place, but the promise he'd made to Zordon was inviolate. Maybe I can tell them some day. He'd like that. He was certain they'd be proud of him no matter what, but to be able to be completely honest, the way he'd been before that Saturday in the Youth Center, would be wonderful.
Once he'd made a suitable kind of excuse for that, he started to stretch a little. “I think I'm going to go to my room for a while. I'll see you later.”
“Don't do anything I wouldn't do in there,” his dad teased. His mom whacked her husband lightly on the arm, and the two of them fell to playful squabbling as Jason went to his room and closed the door behind himself. He leaned against it for a few moments, breathing quietly, before he went to the window and looked out into the darkened neighborhood.
The conversation he'd just had on his parents still fluttered about the edges of his mind. He really did want to be able to tell them so much. He knew the reasons why he couldn't, but that didn't stop the wanting.
But, for now, there were other things that he had to think about. He touched his ear for a moment, and wondered what it would be like to do that and feel metal there instead. He'd know by this time tomorrow night, and he looked forward to it more than he'd thought he would. All he had to do now was call Trini and let her know that he'd made up his mind. He could, and would, do that in the morning. It was a little late to be calling now.
Instead, he settled himself by the window and just watched as the stars twinkled above.
The mall wasn't quite as crowded on an early Saturday afternoon as it had been on Friday night. Jason breathed just a little better seeing that. He still half-suspected Rita was going to attack any second with an earring related beastie of some kind, and the less civilians around, the better he felt about the whole thing.
“This shouldn't take too long,” Trini said as they headed for the same store they'd been in the previous night. “I hope you're ready for this.”
“So do I,” Jason murmured quietly. He hadn't changed his mind, but as they drew closer, his stomach did make the acquaintance of more than a few butterflies. It was something he wouldn't have ever told anyone, even if they'd asked. He hadn't felt this nervous when he'd run into Goldar while still under the spell of the Crystal of Nightmares.
There was already someone sitting in the chair when they got there, with the clerk bringing the piercing gun up to her ear right then. Jason fought back a sudden surge of nausea as the trigger was pulled, and an earring was suddenly in the girl's ear. She winced a little and offered a brief smile to the clerk.
“That did pinch a little,” she said. “Just like you said it would.”
“But it doesn't last that long,” the clerk pointed out. She looked over at Jason and Trini and smiled. “I can be right with you, once I'm done here.”
Jason nodded some. “There's no rush.” He checked out the selection of starter earrings at the counter, telling the butterflies in his stomach to get the blazes out of there. Like butterflies real and imagined, they paid no attention and kept right on fluttering. He was really going to have to have a talk with his nerves one of these days.
He glanced over just in time to see the clerk piercing the girl's other ear, and gritted his teeth a trifle. I am not going to be sick. It would probably feel entirely differently once he was the one sitting in that chair anyway.
Once the other girl was gone, all the products for tending to her new adornments safely clutched in her hands, the clerk came over to Jason and Trini. “So, what can I help you with today?”
“I want to get my ear pierced.” Jason declared, touching his right ear. “This one.”
The clerk nodded a little. “All right.” She named the price, then asked, “Which one of the starters did you want? And you know about cleaning the piercing, and keeping it disinfected?” Her eyes flicked briefly over to Trini, then back at him.
“Yes, my friends have told me all about it,” Jason agreed. They had, over and over, not only when Zack had first had his done, but when he'd told them he was going to get this done today after all. Tommy had even told him a horror story about a cousin of his who had forgotten to do so, and even forgotten to remove the earring from her ear, until the skin had actually grown over the back of it.
“My uncle told me that you could probably have heard her screaming clean across the country when he pulled it out,” Tommy had told him. “There was pus, blood, you name it. She still hasn't gotten them repierced.”
He was just as glad that Tommy hadn't told him that before he'd gone home. He might've had a few second thoughts. But now he wasn't going to worry about it. He wasn't some thirteen year old girl who would forget to do what was necessary. He was a Power Ranger, and even better, he was fifteen. And all of his friends would nag him about taking care of it anyway.
“All right, sit down then, and I'll see about getting you taken care of,” the clerk told him once he'd indicated which of the starters he wanted. It was a simple golden post, and he rather liked the way it gleamed in the shop lighting. It would more than likely look different outside, but he was convinced he'd still like it.
Trini came over to stand on his other side as the clerk fiddled around with a few other things. “You still sure about this?”
“Yeah. I'm not gonna back out now.” Jason wouldn't have put it that way out loud, but it was now a little tied into his ego. If he could fight Rita's monsters, he could handle a little pain and a little metal in his ear. He'd been telling himself that ever since he'd made the decision.
“Let's see here.” The clerk came back over with a small black-tipped pen and leaned to look more closely at his ear. “Since you're only getting one done, we don't need to make certain they're both even, but I want to be sure this is where you want it to be.” She eyed his lobe with a professional air, then carefully marked it and held a mirror so he could take a look. “What do you think? Is that good enough or should we try somewhere else?”
Jason glanced at the mirror and tried to make some kind of a decision. It looked fine enough to him, but he looked over at Trini for a touch of support. “What do you think? I like it there.”
“Fine to me.” Trini agreed. The clerk nodded, put the mirror away, and loaded up the punching gun with the earring Jason had chosen. His fingers clenched a little on his knee, but he didn't move. If Tommy and Zack, and who knew how many other guys and girls alike, could deal with this, then so could he. The story Tommy had told him about his cousin whirled through his head, as did what Trini had told him the previous night about people getting sick when they were pierced.
He was not going to get sick, though. He could control himself. He grinned at Trini as the clerk came back over, and he felt the cool metal touching his ear. His fingers tightened even more over his knee, and he forced himself not to close his eyes. Instead, he paid strict attention to the wall of jewelry on the far side of the store.
Zpp! There was a sudden pinch in his ear, and then it was over. His ear felt a little heavier, a little stranger, and he realized almost absently that it had happened. His ear was pierced. He reached up to touch it, and the clerk stopped his hand.
“Careful with that. It's still going to be sensitive for a while.” She held the mirror up again so Jason could get another look, seeing what it looked like now that it was in.
Not bad. He liked the way it looked with his recent haircut, too. They combined to give him a slightly more mature look that he enjoyed. “Thanks!”
“That's what I'm here for.” The clerk grinned at him as he started to get up.
And he promptly sat back down, his stomach churning and his vision swimming before him. “I think I'm going to be sick,” he murmured without even thinking about it. The clerk patted his shoulder.
“No, you're not, you just think you will. It happens. Just sit down for a couple of minutes and you'll be fine.” She looked over at Trini. “You might want to think about getting him something to eat to settle his stomach once you're done here.”
“Just what I was thinking.” Trini agreed. “We can hit Ernie's after this, if that's okay with you, Jason.”
He nodded a little; anything that involved him not having to move a whole lot was what he wanted at the moment. Everything he'd told himself about not being sick vanished. What mattered was not being sick right now and keeping it to a roiling stomach.
Jason managed to take several breaths and to keep himself under control long enough to stand up after a couple of minutes and pay for everything. Trini, to her credit, said nothing whatsoever about having told him so. He wasn't all that certain if their positions had been reversed if he could've held back from that. He liked to think he would have. But he'd just had it proved to him that what he thought and what could happen were easily capable of being two different things.
“You'll be fine.” She patted him on the arm as they headed out of the store. “One of Ernie's specials will get you straightened out.”
Jason nodded, though he wouldn't have turned down a good hamburger right at the moment. The scents coming from the food court as they passed weren't always his favorites, coming as they did from fried and fast foods, but he didn't mind splurging once in a while. I'd better wait, he told himself. His stomach was a little steadier, but better safe than cleaning up a mess.
“It does look good on you,” Trini told him, grinning a little. “I bet at least a couple of girls I know will like it, especially once school's in again.”
Jason laughed and shook his head. “That's not why I did it.”
“I know. But that doesn't mean they're not going to like it.”
Just to be on the safe side, Trini drove them back over to the Youth Center, where the rest of the team would be waiting for them. Jason stared every now and then into the side mirror, turning his head so he could get a look at the earring. It felt strange sitting there, but that would be a matter of getting used to. He glanced briefly at the bag of supplies he'd brought with him from the store, and was at least grateful their bags were a respectable white plastic instead of some kind of pink. Not that there was anything wrong with pink at all, of course...
“Hey!” Everyone waved as they entered the Youth Center, and Zack grinned widely, standing up to get a better look at Jason's ear.
“That looks good, man, that looks real good!” The Black Ranger declared. “Girls are going to go wild about it. They always do over a guy with an earring.” He shot a quick look over at Angela, who only grinned back at him.
Kim leaned over to get a look at it as well. “Zack's right, it does look good. And we'll make sure you take care of it.”
“I can remember on my own, you know,” Jason told her. He knew it wouldn't do any good. They would tell him anyway.
A sudden beep interrupted the congratulations, and the whole group quickly gathered their things and made for their usual spot of hiding. “What is it, Zordon?” Jason asked. He wished Rita had at least waited another day or so before she'd struck again. She'd never been that considerate, though.
“Rangers, one of Rita's monsters is attacking people in the park. You must morph and fight Papa Piercer at once!” The voice of their mentor came over the communicator. Jason groaned softly. He'd known this was going to happen.
“All right, we'll be right on it,” was all he said, then looked at the others. No matter what, this was their job. He at least hoped he would be able to keep his stomach together enough to do it. He didn't think having a nausea attack over the enemy was a good idea. “It's morphin' time!”
The End