Never Have to be Alone
Title: Never Have to be Alone
Fandom: Power Rangers: Jungle Fury
Pairing: RJ/Fran
Genre: Angst/Romance/Humor/Friendship
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Psh, the show, nor the song, Sweetest Goodbye, by Maroon 5, belong to me, deal with it! I did
Warnings: Language, kissage...um...dumb people?
Summary: She was gone, and he was left behind. He wanted to be happy.
Author's Notes: Meh. Consider this my fucking protest against the JF finale. I call fucking bullshit, man! But whatever, writers never listen to me anyway. This was fun to write until I got near the end, which I had to retype numerous times because my lappy would shut off, or I would think I saved when I was nodding off, so I never saved at all, and…yeah. That’s why the ending might seem abrupt. Oh well! At least I mostly had fun with it! And that’s all that matters…right? -coughs- Well, hope you guys enjoy it. Fight the man! No Dom/Fran! Moar RJ/Fran…you know you want it!
------=-----
Where you are seems to be
As far as an eternity
Outstretched arms, open hearts
And if it never ends then when do we start?
------=-----
He sighed in irritation, looking up at his ceiling, surrounded by inky darkness. The loft felt incredibly empty with Casey and Dominic gone. But more than that…she was gone, and he was left behind. He wanted to be happy. Dai Shi was gone, the war was over, Lily and Theo were on their way to happiness, Jarrod and Camille were good, things were good now. So why did he feel like all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die? He gave another sigh, rolling over to open a drawer of his nightstand, pulling out a picture. She was wrapped in his arms, a surprised look on her face, and a pleased blush staining her cheeks. It had only been a few months into their friendship, and he had made sure to let her know that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He was there to stay.
So what if she had left? So what if he had read all the signs wrong? So what if he hadn’t been the one she had chosen? As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered. He made a face, who the hell was he kidding? It fucking hurt. He wasn’t used to being miserable like this, and he hated it. He shoved the picture underneath his pillow, pulled the covers over his head, and tried to get some sleep.
------=-----
He noted that her smiling demeanor had faded as soon as she had came to stand in front of him. Had he done something wrong? Hadn’t he looked happy enough for them? He tried not to frown, he didn’t like being unsure, but it was a feeling he was used to associating with her. She looked up at him, her bag at her feet, and she didn’t say a word when she launched herself into his arms. He didn’t hesitate, never did for her, and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. “I’ll miss you most of all.” She whispered into his neck, breath warm on his skin.
He breathed in her scent, never wanting to let her go, “The feeling’s mutual.”
He didn’t want to speak his next words, didn’t want to break the silence, or ruin the moment, but it gnawed at his insides, and he had to know, “You’re coming back, right?”
She looked up at him, a mixture of shock and amusement in her eyes, but amusement eventually won over, “Of course I am, RJ! My family’s here, my friends are here, my job…you. There’s no reason for me to stay away for good.”
He wanted to laugh from the relief he felt, but instead gave a sheepish smile, “Dom just has a way of convincing people to do stupid things.”
“Speaking from personal experience?”
“That’s a story for another day.”
“Well, there’s another reason for me to come back, no way would Dom tell me.”
He just pulled her even closer, about to speak when a horn sounded from outside, “Oh, there’s Dom with the taxi.” She tried to sound cheerful, but didn’t quite make it.
He let her pull away just a little, but wasn’t quite willing to let her go just yet, the strangest urge to cry clogging his throat. He hadn’t cried since he thought he had killed his dad to save everybody else. He cleared his throat, forced himself to speak, “Don’t let Dom talk you into doing stupid crap, watch out for him too, even if he doesn’t get you into trouble, it’s pretty much guaranteed he’ll get himself into trouble without supervision, but make sure you have fun yourself and-”
“Breathe, RJ,” She grinned, and he couldn’t help but return it, “I’ll be fine, promise.”
He nodded, “I know, you’re smart like that,” he kissed her forehead, finally letting her go, as she picked up her bag, “I’ll be here when you get back.”
She gave a brilliant smile, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek, “Thanks, RJ.”
He watched as she left, into Dom’s waiting arms, and he turned his head away, swiping the tears off of his eyelashes before they could fall, crushing the need to cry once and for all.
------=-----
Two weeks gone, four to go. She had been gone for two entire weeks, and he still felt like he was missing the other half of his soul, but luckily, he was pretty good at hiding it behind a constantly cheerful demeanor. Except that all changed when he was cleaning off the tables after the lunch rush, rain pattering against the windows, mimicking his mood. He didn’t know he was giving off depressing vibes until Lily spoke up, “RJ?”
Her voice started him out of his thoughts, “Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
He turned to face her, giving her his usual I’m-so-cool-and-wise-like-a-Master-should-be smile, “Sure I’m sure, Cheetah Master, don’t worry about me.”
She narrowed blue eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest, “I don’t believe you.”
He resisted the urge to frown, he remembered when his cubs were actually not smart-assy with him, too bad they were fellow Masters now, “You don’t need to believe me.” He stated smoothly, before going over to another table.
“RJ…please, talk to me.”
Her words made him pause, brought up the memory of the brunette pleading with him to talk to her, so he wouldn’t leave them, so he wouldn’t leave her. He gave a sigh, slumping into an empty booth, Lily sitting across from him. He didn’t want to talk about it, bring up his feelings, even if the others were on equal ground with him now, he still considered them his cubs and it felt more than slightly weird to talk to them about his feelings. Still, it’s not like he had anyone else to talk with and it was eating him up inside. She seemed to sense what he was feeling and gave him a sympathetic look, “You miss her.”
He gave a laugh that sounded bitter around the edges, “More than you know.”
“You know she’ll be back, she said she would.”
He shrugged, “It won’t be the same.”
“Why do you say that? She’ll still be the same girl she’s always been.”
He shook his head, pulling off his cap to run a hand through his hair, “You don’t get it.”
“Then explain it to me, RJ.” She wasn’t used to seeing her former Master like this at all, and it was weirding her out.
He looked over at her, green eyes so full of pain that it broke her heart, and she couldn’t stop herself from reaching over to grasp his hand. He gave her a weary smile, squeezing her hand, “There’s nothing to explain, I’ll be fine.”
Before she could say anything else, he was standing up, pulling his cap on, “I better finish cleaning up, the 2:14 rush is coming up.”
She sighed, watching him with saddened eyes. She couldn’t figure out what was up with him. Maybe Theo would have a clue.
------=-----
“Hey, T,” she greeted her boyfriend (and that still took some getting used to), pecking him on the cheek when he smiled up at her, “has RJ been acting kind of…” she trailed off, looking for the right word.
“Strange?”
“Exactly.”
“He’s always like that, Lil.”
“Yeah, but I mean more than usual…not in his quirky way but like…” she frowned, “he’s just been so sad.”
He shrugged, “Well, what do you expect? His best friend’s gone again and he took his other best friend with him, guy’s got a right to be a little down in the dumps.”
She gave a sigh, moving over to help him with the dishes, “I guess you’re right.”
He peered over at her, “Are you alright, Lil?”
She nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine, I just feel bad for RJ.”
“He’s a big boy, he’ll be fine.”
“I hope you’re right.”
------=-----
He dipped his head down, catching her lips with his, as she sighed and twined her fingers into his hair. He smoothed his hands down her sides, stopping at the hem of her shirt, he pulled back just enough to tug her shirt off, and she returned to kissing him, catching his bottom lip between her teeth. She shoved his shirt off of his shoulders, and he pulled her closer, skin-to-skin, whispering against her lips, “Welcome home.”
She grinned, eyes bright, warm and full of love, “It’s good to be back,” she pressed a kiss to his jaw line, “it’s even better being with you.”
He pressed a kiss to her nose, causing her to giggle, “Feeling’s very mutual.”
She laced her fingers with his, “I missed you.”
He raised her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles, “Don’t leave again.”
She nipped at his neck, drawing a moan from him, “I won’t ever leave again.”
“Promise?” His voice was small and hesitant.
She pulled back to look at him, brown eyes serious, “I promise.”
He nodded, “I’ll hold you to that then.”
------=-----
When Casey came to visit JKP, he took one look at RJ helping Flit serve customers before stalking into the kitchen, “What’s up with RJ?”
Theo gave him an irritated look, “Nice to see you too, Casey.”
“Sorry, Theo,” he gave a sheepish grin, “hey guys.”
“What do you mean, Case?” Lily questioned as she slid a pizza into an oven.
“He’s all…” The Tiger Master frowned, “depressed.”
“See?” Lily turned to face Theo, “I told you something was up with RJ!”
He made a face in return, “Just because Casey thinks something’s up doesn’t necessarily mean something’s up.”
It was Casey’s turn to make a face, “I was right about Jarrod.”
“One time doesn’t count.”
“But it was an important one time!”
“Guys, guys, stay on topic.” Lily intervened.
“Anyway,” he gave a look to Theo, which he easily returned, “I’ve never seen RJ like this.”
“Yeah, me neither, not even about his dad.” Lily added.
“He seems fine to me.” Theo frowned.
Casey heaved a sigh, before turning his attention to Lily, “Your boyfriend’s dense.”
“I know,” she sighed, “he can’t help it though.”
“I am not!” Theo protested, “but I still don’t see anything wrong with RJ.”
“Told you, he’s depressed.”
“He misses his friends. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No, it’s not just that…there’s something else to it.” Lily mused.
“When did he start acting like this?” Casey tried to visit his friends as much as possible, but he was still getting used to teaching and didn’t have as much time as he’d like.
“The day after they left.” She remembered how he seemed to be acting like his usual eccentric self, but there was an underlying current of bitterness to it.
“I’m telling you guys, you’re overreacting.” Theo interjected.
They both ignored him, “It can’t just be him missing them though.”
“Definitely not, he’s acting like they’re never coming back again.”
“Anything else?”
“Well…he keeps rearranging her books when he thinks nobody’s looking.”
Realization dawned on Casey and Lily recognized the look, “What? What’d you figure out?”
“We’re idiots.” Casey muttered.
“I’m not.” Theo added, and they ignored him again.
“It was right in front of us the whole time!”
“What? Casey, don’t keep us in the dark like this!”
“It’s not just his friends he’s missing…” Casey trailed off meaningfully and Lily’s eyes widened.
“He’s missing her! He thinks she’s never coming back!”
Theo rolled his eyes and just decided to go back to work, they weren’t going to listen to him anyway. “We have to fix this, Lil.”
“You’re right, Case,” she nodded, eyes filled with determination, she would make sure her boss was happy again, “and I know exactly how we can start.”
------=-----
He really misses you. He’s acting like the world is going to end at any minute. He keeps rearranging your books, or reading them on his off-time, and you know any other day he’d be catching up on his reality shows. He needs you here with him. Now, I’m not saying to rush home or anything, you should definitely enjoy yourself, just…call him or something, okay? Let him know you didn’t drop off the face of the Earth. It’s weird seeing him like this, he’s always got a reason to be cheerful. Not recently though. Not without you.
Love,
Lily.
She frowned at the letter, folding it up and shoving it into her full knapsack, Lily was lucky the letter came in when it did, since she was about to leave that very day. The bathroom door opened, steam escaping into the room as Dominic stepped out, running a towel over his damp hair, as he pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers, before grinning over at her, “Almost ready to go?”
His voice started her out of her thoughts, and she smiled up at him, “Yeah, just need to pack a few more things, and I’ll be ready.”
He gave her another grin, reaching over to plant a kiss on her forehead. She just barely repressed the wince. It felt all wrong for reasons unknown to her. She went back to packing her things, trying to take her mind off of the letter. She didn’t want to worry about RJ, not now, not when she was with a guy she actually stood a chance with in a place that she had never been to before. It was like a dream come true. Except, if she was being completely honest with herself, it wasn’t. “Hey, this yours?” Dom questioned, holding up a plain wooden box.
Her eyes widened, how could she have almost forgotten that? His question was answered when she nearly pounced on him, snatching the box out of his hands, causing him to wince slightly, “I take it that’s important?”
She ran a hand over the smooth hand before shoving it into her bag, “It’s a present.”
He didn’t have to ask who it was for, he already knew, she wouldn’t consider anything for anyone else so important, so special. He rubbed his neck, the heavy feeling of awkwardness settling over them like a heavy blanket. He decided it was best to just change the subject, they were supposed to be having fun, not doing…this, whatever this was. “Anything else left before we hit the road?”
She gave him a tiny smile, thankful the subject change, “Nope, ready to go.”
“Alright,” he shouldered his backpack, “let’s go then.”
------=-----
RJ stomped up the loft stairs after a long day of work, he had no idea why it had been so busy, it wasn’t even Thursday! All he wanted to do was recline in his chair with one of her books, at least, that was the plan until he froze at the top of the steps, eyes narrowing. “Hi, RJ!” Flit waved cheerfully.
And it wasn’t the fact that Flit was in his loft that bothered him, he was used to it, no, it wasn’t that at all, rather…”Get out of my chair.”
Flit raised his eyebrows above the ever-present sunglasses he had taken to wearing, “Did I do something wrong?”
“Get out of my chair.” He hissed, pausing after each word to make sure they sunk in.
His eyes widened and he hastily jumped out of the chair, “RJ, my dear friend,” he started cautiously, “what’s the problem?”
Honestly, he had no clue. He had been utterly cranky and more possessive than usual for reasons unknown. He hadn’t meant to snap at Flit by any means, but couldn’t quite bring himself to apologize, instead sitting in his chair, “Nothing’s wrong.”
Flit took a moment to ponder over his options. He could go the safe route and just go downstairs and hang around or whatever, or, he could be incredibly brave (or incredibly stupid depending on who you asked) and help his friend out. Well, Flit was known for his courage back in the day, part of why he had fought Camille, so, why should this be any different? He failed to remember that Camille had won and trapped him in her stomach as a fly for centuries. He settled himself in front of RJ, and peered at him as he read his book. So what if his gaze was hidden behind his sunglasses? Nobody could take him staring at them for a long period of time, surely RJ would be no different.
He hid his triumphant smile when he was proven correct and RJ broke, “Why do you keep staring at me?”
“I want to help you.”
“…well, you can’t.”
He tilted his head to the side, “I think I can if you let me.”
RJ made a face, “I think I’ll pass.”
“Okay then.” So Flit resumed his staring.
Minutes passed before RJ sighed, usually he was much better at ignoring people than this, but his mind was somewhere else and he just really wanted Flit to go away, “If I let you ask me one question, will you let me go back to reading?”
“Sure!”
“Alright then, ask away.”
“Why didn’t you stop her?”
Out of all the questions in the world, that wasn’t the one he was expecting, “…what?”
“Why didn’t you stop her from leaving? Everybody could tell you wanted to.”
He clenched his jaw, refusing to look up from the book that belonged to her, “Because I wasn’t going to stand in the way of her happiness.”
“But you make her happy.”
“Obviously not happy enough.”
He shook his head, obviously confused, “Why would you think that?”
He finally looked up, green eyes dark with so much pain that it made Flit’s heart feel like it was being crushed, “Because she chose him.”
------=-----
“Guys, I need your help.”
Jarrod and Camille exchanged a worry-filled glance. It was never a good thing when Casey requested their help for something, trouble always tended to follow. “Help with what?” Jarrod asked cautiously.
“You both like RJ, right?”
“Sure…he’s a good guy.” Jarrod raised an eyebrow.
“When he wasn’t kicking our asses.” Camille added.
“We kind of deserved it though.” Jarrod pointed out.
“True, but that doesn’t mean it was fun.”
“Well, there was that one time when Dai Shi stole some of his spirit energy.”
“Oh yeah, that-”
“Guys! Stop straying,” Casey wondered if this was how Lily felt whenever she had to get them back on-topic, “look, the reason I asked is because RJ’s really depressed right now.”
“RJ?” Jarrod repeated in disbelief, “RJ never gets depressed…ever.”
“Everybody gets depressed, Jarrod.” Camille stated.
He shook his head, “Not RJ.”
“Exactly,” Casey nodded, “he needs a really good reason to be so down in the dumps.”
“So what’s the reason? You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t know.”
“He misses her.”
The duo didn’t have to ask who her was, it was obvious. Camille sighed, “So what do you want us to do about it?”
Casey’s eyes brightened in a way that made Jarrod move closer to Camille, standing in front of her slightly, as if he could protect her from whatever dumbass plan Casey had cooked up, “Well, it’s like this…”
After he told them the plan and they had hesitantly agreed to it, Camille slumped against Jarrod, groaning slightly, “We’re screwed, aren’t we?”
He gave a wry laugh, slipping his arms around her, “Most definitely screwed.”
------=-----
“I told you guys this was really fucking stupid.” And for Theo to curse, it was definitely really fucking stupid.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time…” Casey replied weakly.
“Why did I listen to you?” Lily groaned.
“The same reason we did,” Jarrod grumbled, “because we’re fucking idiots.”
“Thank goodness I was never his student.” Camille muttered in a stage-whisper, at Jarrod’s side as always.
“I think we should clean up,” Casey suggested, letting his gaze sweep over the pizza parlor, “yeah, we should definitely clean up.”
Theo frowned, “I shouldn’t clean up at all, I never wanted any part of this!”
“Still, T, you did take part in it, even though you complained the entire time.” Lily pointed out.
“Yeah, whatever happened to teamwork?” Casey questioned, grinning.
Jarrod, once again, stepped slightly in front of Camille, knowing how Theo was when he got well and truly pissed, his companion gave him a questioning look, but didn’t speak up. “Are you kidding me? Teamwork, Casey? Like you have any right to talk about fucking teamwork?” Despite his short stature, Theo really was scary when he was angry.
Casey’s eyes widened and he backed up a few steps, “Look, Theo…”
“Don’t try to placate me, Casey, this is all your fault! Just because you don’t have to work here anymore doesn’t mean we don’t!”
Casey wisely decided to keep his mouth shut about the fact that Theo and Lily didn’t have to work at JKP anymore either. “T, stop, let’s just clean up before RJ decides he doesn’t want to play nice anymore and devour us.” Lily laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Like he was playing nice before?” Camille raised her eyebrows.
“You can’t really blame him though…” Jarrod pointed out.
“Maybe laying out pictures and reminders of his times with her and Dom wasn’t the best of ideas…” Casey finally admitted.
“Now what would ever give you that idea?” Theo deadpanned.
“Who would’ve guessed he was going to trash the place though?” Lily frowned at the carnage. Stools were turned over on their sides, pictures were shattered, books were scattered, everything was turned upside-down. When it had happened, it was like an explosion, sudden, loud and powerful. Even Jarrod and Camille had been afraid of him.
“Well, we’ll just have to fix this.” Casey nodded, and they knew he wasn’t just talking about his former place of business.
“Casey, you’re a great guy, really,” Jarrod started, “but if you try this again, I’ll make you wish Dai Shi was back.”
Casey winced, “Alright, never mind then,” he cleared his throat, pasting on a cheerful smile, “how about we clean this place up?”
------=-----
“Hey, this is RJ, obviously I can’t come to the phone right now…hm…wonder why, I hope I didn’t set the bathrooms on fire again, ooh, or maybe I blew up one of the ovens…that would be bad, I mean, I thought the last time was bad, considering I burnt off my eyebrows, and-oh right, message. Okay, right, so, leave a message, and I’ll probably get back to you. Maybe. Unless you’re trying to sell me something, then this number is no longer available!”
She sighed deeply, tossing her cellphone back into her pack. No answer from him. She had left a message for him though, at least it was something, and that was better than nothing. She missed him. She missed him so much it actually hurt. She didn’t think she could ever feel pain like what she was feeling at that moment. Dom turned to look at her, his expression saddening, “You’re not happy, are you?”
Was she that damn obvious? She lowered her head with a sigh, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he gave her his best smile, “the whole point of this was to make you happy, but…I can’t do that, can I?”
“That’s not true! You do make me happy.”
“Just not in the way you need.”
She blinked by back sudden tears. Why did it feel like they were breaking up when they had never even been together? “I’m sorry.” She repeated, for lack of anything better to say.
He sighed, pulling her into his arms, “You don’t have anything to apologize for,” he kissed her forehead, “c’mon, let’s go, we’ll catch the next flight out of here.”
“Wait, what? Why? We still have two weeks left, and-”
“Hey, I’m not gonna get my ass kicked ‘cause I made you miserable,” he grinned good-naturedly, “we can always do this again.”
“You promise?”
“Promise.”
“…I miss him,” she breathed out, “I miss him so much.”
“And I’ll get you back to him, soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Dominic.” She breathed out, kissing him on the cheek.
“Anything for you.”
------=-----
He twisted one of his many bracelets between his fingers, his mind far away as it had been for the past four weeks. He couldn’t take this anymore. He was going out of his fucking mind. His pack had just been trying to help him, let him know he wasn’t alone, remind him of the good times, and before he knew it, his wolf had taken over, tore the place apart, and he still couldn’t bring himself to apologize. He frowned, he was being such a total asshole. Damned if he could help it though. He sighed, ran a hand through his shaggy hair and decided he should, at the very least, give it a try. He owed his friends that much.
He trooped down the loft stairs, letting a slow grin overcome his features when he saw the place had been totally cleaned. Jarrod and Camille were in a booth together, sitting across from each other, heads so close together, their foreheads were touching. Casey and Theo were sitting on the counter, backs turned to him, arguing about something or other, while Lily just rolled her eyes, not even bothering to try to play the mediator this time. Something swelled up in his chest, it was almost like old times, and it made him feel…almost right again. Jarrod was the first to notice him, raising his head up to give him a small smile, which RJ returned in kind, Camille turned to give him the same smile, and the trio noticed him, Theo and Casey falling silent, and Lily looking at him with those blue eyes of hers.
“I’m fine, guys, no need to walk on your toes around me.” He informed them, complete with hand gestures.
They all gave a collective sigh of relief, and he grinned, before adopting a serious expression, “Guys…I just wanted to apologize.”
“RJ, it wasn’t your fault!” Lily stated.
“Your animal spirit took control,” Camille drummed her fingers against the tabletop, “wolves are known to do that.”
“Particularly your temperamental wolf.” Jarrod reminded him.
RJ made some sort of huffy noise in Jarrod’s direction, “What I’m trying to say is, I apologize for my behavior, and my wolf’s. I was being an ass.”
“That you were.” Camille agreed.
“Camille!” Jarrod admonished.
She shrugged, “I was just agreeing with him.”
RJ laughed, not one of the fake ones he had been giving, but a real, honest laugh, and it made their hearts feel lighter. They all proceeded to crowd around the counter, so engrossed in their conversation that they barely heard the bells over the door jangle. RJ frowned, “The shop’s closed…and locked…”
“Guys?”
He thought maybe he had stopped breathing at that moment, and the others seemed to part for him like the Red Sea, allowing him to see her image clearly. And there she was, bright brown eyes, eye loose around her face, flushed cheeks, loaded backpacks, and RJ rushed over to her, relieving her of the items. “Thanks, RJ.” She gave him a smile.
“We didn’t expect you back so soon.” Casey said.
“Yeah, you’re not supposed to be back for another two weeks.” Theo frowned.
“Not that we’re complaining or anything!” Lily stated.
Jarrod and Camille merely waved at her, and she gave a smile in return. “It’s good to be back, I just…missed you guys.”
“I…I mean, we missed you too.” RJ cleared his throat.
“Where’s Dom?”
She noticed the way his eyes darkened at the mention of his name, and decided to change the subject, “Is there…anywhere quieter we can go?”
His eyes softened, “Yeah, come on.” He led her away, into the kitchen and up the stairs to the loft.
“I hope this works out.” Theo sighed.
“It will. You’ll see.” Lily stated.
------=-----
Before he could really even properly welcome her, a box was shoved into his hands. He blinked at the box, then at her and back again. The box reminded him vaguely of the box he kept his morpher in, except smaller and flatter. He quietly opened it, a grin filled with awe crossing his features. Inside was a black leather cord, attached to it were beads and small disks, surrounding a pewter charm that had a picture of a wolf on it, howling at the moon, a feather engraved next to it. “Is this…for me?”
“Who would it be for?” She teased, then frowned, “You don’t like it.”
He laughed, pulling it on, letting it join the other necklaces adorning his neck, “I love it, thank you.”
“I’m glad, I saw it and thought of you.”
He couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into his arms, holding her close. It had been so damn long since he had held her last. She sighed lightly, burying her face into his shirt, breathing in his scent, “I missed you.” He whispered into her hair.
“I missed you too.”
“Did you have fun?”
“…not as much as I thought I would.” She admitted.
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She wriggled out of his grasp, leaving him empty and cold.
She wasn’t telling him the whole truth, she was hiding something, and he intended to find out what it was, “What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
He grasped her wrist, pulling her back towards him, “Just tell me the truth, please.”
“…he wasn’t you, okay?”
“…what?” He thought maybe he had heard wrong.
“Dominic wasn’t you and he never has been, that’s why I couldn’t have any fun, I was miserable.” She pulled her wrist away, glaring up at him, “Are you happy now?”
Usually he’d be upset and confused at her anger, well…okay, yeah he was confused, but mostly, he just wanted the truth, “What do you mean?”
“I just…I thought I’d have a better chance with him, I mean, you were never going to cross that line. From the moment we met, you just saw me as another person to protect, and a good friend, and I always appreciated it, but-”
The rest of her words were cut off by soft, warm lips pressed against her own. She blinked in surprise before she let her eyes close, sighing lightly as she kissed him back. His wolf howled in pleasure, a spark of ‘finally’ slipping around his mind. When she pulled away from air, her eyes were positively befuddled, it was quite endearing, “W-what was that?”
“A kiss.”
“Don’t be a smarty-pants,” she huffed, “you know what I meant.”
“Seriously, Fran, it was a kiss, something wrong with that?” He grinned.
“N-no, I’m just…confused.”
“Yeah, well, you explained it to me, you thought I didn’t want you, and you were wrong, I thought you wanted my best friend, and I was wrong.”
She sighed, shaking her head, “We made a big mess of things, didn’t we?”
He laughed, “There’s always room to fix things, mate of mine.”
She hid her grin in his neck, “Mate?”
“You’re mine, and I’m yours, that’s just the way it is,” he smoothed a hand over her hair, “complaining?”
“Not at all, just…surprising.”
He sat down in his chair, taking her with him, deciding he very much liked the surprised look on her face, “I’m used to surprises with you around.”
“Sorry I was gone for so long.”
“No apologies, we’ll just have to make up for lost time.” He grinned, before kissing her again. He could definitely get used to this.
------=-----
Dominic grinned, going down into the kitchen and then out into the main area of the parlor. The voices of his friends quieted and then stopped altogether, silence filling JKP. He raised an eyebrow, “Don’t stop the party on my account.”
Jarrod merely gave him a curious glance when he sat down next to his old roommate, “You know this is all your fault, right?”
He shook his head, confused, “What is?”
“This is.” Camille waved a hand in the general direction of the place.
He looked over to where she was indicating, but saw nothing, “It’s…clean,” he frowned, “So?”
“Exactly.” Theo muttered.
“RJ had a bit of an epic melt-down, and it’s your fault.” Lily chirped.
“Actually, it was more like Casey’s fault.” Camille corrected.
“That too.”
“Oh c’mon, guys!” When he was met with stony silence, he sighed, before pasting on his best, cheerful, I’m-too-cute-and-innocent-to-EVER-get-in-trouble look, “If it makes you feel any better, RJ and Fran are together now.”
“Good for them,” Theo deadpanned, “Now who’s going to pay for all the damaged goods?”
Nobody noticed Casey sneaking out until Dominic caught a flash of red sliding out the door, and he roared out his ex-teammate’s name, hopping out of the booth to give chase. Camille sighed, shaking her head, reaching out to grasp Jarrod’s hand, “What did we step into?”
“From what I can tell, pure insanity.” Jarrod grinned good-naturedly.
“Welcome to our world.” Theo grumbled, going back into the kitchen.
“You’ll get used to it…eventually.” Lily laughed, joining them at the table.
Everything was right now, this was how it was supposed to be, and they wouldn’t change it for the world.
------=-----
Fandom: Power Rangers: Jungle Fury
Pairing: RJ/Fran
Genre: Angst/Romance/Humor/Friendship
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Psh, the show, nor the song, Sweetest Goodbye, by Maroon 5, belong to me, deal with it! I did
Warnings: Language, kissage...um...dumb people?
Summary: She was gone, and he was left behind. He wanted to be happy.
Author's Notes: Meh. Consider this my fucking protest against the JF finale. I call fucking bullshit, man! But whatever, writers never listen to me anyway. This was fun to write until I got near the end, which I had to retype numerous times because my lappy would shut off, or I would think I saved when I was nodding off, so I never saved at all, and…yeah. That’s why the ending might seem abrupt. Oh well! At least I mostly had fun with it! And that’s all that matters…right? -coughs- Well, hope you guys enjoy it. Fight the man! No Dom/Fran! Moar RJ/Fran…you know you want it!
------=-----
Where you are seems to be
As far as an eternity
Outstretched arms, open hearts
And if it never ends then when do we start?
------=-----
He sighed in irritation, looking up at his ceiling, surrounded by inky darkness. The loft felt incredibly empty with Casey and Dominic gone. But more than that…she was gone, and he was left behind. He wanted to be happy. Dai Shi was gone, the war was over, Lily and Theo were on their way to happiness, Jarrod and Camille were good, things were good now. So why did he feel like all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die? He gave another sigh, rolling over to open a drawer of his nightstand, pulling out a picture. She was wrapped in his arms, a surprised look on her face, and a pleased blush staining her cheeks. It had only been a few months into their friendship, and he had made sure to let her know that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He was there to stay.
So what if she had left? So what if he had read all the signs wrong? So what if he hadn’t been the one she had chosen? As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered. He made a face, who the hell was he kidding? It fucking hurt. He wasn’t used to being miserable like this, and he hated it. He shoved the picture underneath his pillow, pulled the covers over his head, and tried to get some sleep.
------=-----
He noted that her smiling demeanor had faded as soon as she had came to stand in front of him. Had he done something wrong? Hadn’t he looked happy enough for them? He tried not to frown, he didn’t like being unsure, but it was a feeling he was used to associating with her. She looked up at him, her bag at her feet, and she didn’t say a word when she launched herself into his arms. He didn’t hesitate, never did for her, and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. “I’ll miss you most of all.” She whispered into his neck, breath warm on his skin.
He breathed in her scent, never wanting to let her go, “The feeling’s mutual.”
He didn’t want to speak his next words, didn’t want to break the silence, or ruin the moment, but it gnawed at his insides, and he had to know, “You’re coming back, right?”
She looked up at him, a mixture of shock and amusement in her eyes, but amusement eventually won over, “Of course I am, RJ! My family’s here, my friends are here, my job…you. There’s no reason for me to stay away for good.”
He wanted to laugh from the relief he felt, but instead gave a sheepish smile, “Dom just has a way of convincing people to do stupid things.”
“Speaking from personal experience?”
“That’s a story for another day.”
“Well, there’s another reason for me to come back, no way would Dom tell me.”
He just pulled her even closer, about to speak when a horn sounded from outside, “Oh, there’s Dom with the taxi.” She tried to sound cheerful, but didn’t quite make it.
He let her pull away just a little, but wasn’t quite willing to let her go just yet, the strangest urge to cry clogging his throat. He hadn’t cried since he thought he had killed his dad to save everybody else. He cleared his throat, forced himself to speak, “Don’t let Dom talk you into doing stupid crap, watch out for him too, even if he doesn’t get you into trouble, it’s pretty much guaranteed he’ll get himself into trouble without supervision, but make sure you have fun yourself and-”
“Breathe, RJ,” She grinned, and he couldn’t help but return it, “I’ll be fine, promise.”
He nodded, “I know, you’re smart like that,” he kissed her forehead, finally letting her go, as she picked up her bag, “I’ll be here when you get back.”
She gave a brilliant smile, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek, “Thanks, RJ.”
He watched as she left, into Dom’s waiting arms, and he turned his head away, swiping the tears off of his eyelashes before they could fall, crushing the need to cry once and for all.
------=-----
Two weeks gone, four to go. She had been gone for two entire weeks, and he still felt like he was missing the other half of his soul, but luckily, he was pretty good at hiding it behind a constantly cheerful demeanor. Except that all changed when he was cleaning off the tables after the lunch rush, rain pattering against the windows, mimicking his mood. He didn’t know he was giving off depressing vibes until Lily spoke up, “RJ?”
Her voice started him out of his thoughts, “Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
He turned to face her, giving her his usual I’m-so-cool-and-wise-like-a-Master-should-be smile, “Sure I’m sure, Cheetah Master, don’t worry about me.”
She narrowed blue eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest, “I don’t believe you.”
He resisted the urge to frown, he remembered when his cubs were actually not smart-assy with him, too bad they were fellow Masters now, “You don’t need to believe me.” He stated smoothly, before going over to another table.
“RJ…please, talk to me.”
Her words made him pause, brought up the memory of the brunette pleading with him to talk to her, so he wouldn’t leave them, so he wouldn’t leave her. He gave a sigh, slumping into an empty booth, Lily sitting across from him. He didn’t want to talk about it, bring up his feelings, even if the others were on equal ground with him now, he still considered them his cubs and it felt more than slightly weird to talk to them about his feelings. Still, it’s not like he had anyone else to talk with and it was eating him up inside. She seemed to sense what he was feeling and gave him a sympathetic look, “You miss her.”
He gave a laugh that sounded bitter around the edges, “More than you know.”
“You know she’ll be back, she said she would.”
He shrugged, “It won’t be the same.”
“Why do you say that? She’ll still be the same girl she’s always been.”
He shook his head, pulling off his cap to run a hand through his hair, “You don’t get it.”
“Then explain it to me, RJ.” She wasn’t used to seeing her former Master like this at all, and it was weirding her out.
He looked over at her, green eyes so full of pain that it broke her heart, and she couldn’t stop herself from reaching over to grasp his hand. He gave her a weary smile, squeezing her hand, “There’s nothing to explain, I’ll be fine.”
Before she could say anything else, he was standing up, pulling his cap on, “I better finish cleaning up, the 2:14 rush is coming up.”
She sighed, watching him with saddened eyes. She couldn’t figure out what was up with him. Maybe Theo would have a clue.
------=-----
“Hey, T,” she greeted her boyfriend (and that still took some getting used to), pecking him on the cheek when he smiled up at her, “has RJ been acting kind of…” she trailed off, looking for the right word.
“Strange?”
“Exactly.”
“He’s always like that, Lil.”
“Yeah, but I mean more than usual…not in his quirky way but like…” she frowned, “he’s just been so sad.”
He shrugged, “Well, what do you expect? His best friend’s gone again and he took his other best friend with him, guy’s got a right to be a little down in the dumps.”
She gave a sigh, moving over to help him with the dishes, “I guess you’re right.”
He peered over at her, “Are you alright, Lil?”
She nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine, I just feel bad for RJ.”
“He’s a big boy, he’ll be fine.”
“I hope you’re right.”
------=-----
He dipped his head down, catching her lips with his, as she sighed and twined her fingers into his hair. He smoothed his hands down her sides, stopping at the hem of her shirt, he pulled back just enough to tug her shirt off, and she returned to kissing him, catching his bottom lip between her teeth. She shoved his shirt off of his shoulders, and he pulled her closer, skin-to-skin, whispering against her lips, “Welcome home.”
She grinned, eyes bright, warm and full of love, “It’s good to be back,” she pressed a kiss to his jaw line, “it’s even better being with you.”
He pressed a kiss to her nose, causing her to giggle, “Feeling’s very mutual.”
She laced her fingers with his, “I missed you.”
He raised her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles, “Don’t leave again.”
She nipped at his neck, drawing a moan from him, “I won’t ever leave again.”
“Promise?” His voice was small and hesitant.
She pulled back to look at him, brown eyes serious, “I promise.”
He nodded, “I’ll hold you to that then.”
------=-----
When Casey came to visit JKP, he took one look at RJ helping Flit serve customers before stalking into the kitchen, “What’s up with RJ?”
Theo gave him an irritated look, “Nice to see you too, Casey.”
“Sorry, Theo,” he gave a sheepish grin, “hey guys.”
“What do you mean, Case?” Lily questioned as she slid a pizza into an oven.
“He’s all…” The Tiger Master frowned, “depressed.”
“See?” Lily turned to face Theo, “I told you something was up with RJ!”
He made a face in return, “Just because Casey thinks something’s up doesn’t necessarily mean something’s up.”
It was Casey’s turn to make a face, “I was right about Jarrod.”
“One time doesn’t count.”
“But it was an important one time!”
“Guys, guys, stay on topic.” Lily intervened.
“Anyway,” he gave a look to Theo, which he easily returned, “I’ve never seen RJ like this.”
“Yeah, me neither, not even about his dad.” Lily added.
“He seems fine to me.” Theo frowned.
Casey heaved a sigh, before turning his attention to Lily, “Your boyfriend’s dense.”
“I know,” she sighed, “he can’t help it though.”
“I am not!” Theo protested, “but I still don’t see anything wrong with RJ.”
“Told you, he’s depressed.”
“He misses his friends. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No, it’s not just that…there’s something else to it.” Lily mused.
“When did he start acting like this?” Casey tried to visit his friends as much as possible, but he was still getting used to teaching and didn’t have as much time as he’d like.
“The day after they left.” She remembered how he seemed to be acting like his usual eccentric self, but there was an underlying current of bitterness to it.
“I’m telling you guys, you’re overreacting.” Theo interjected.
They both ignored him, “It can’t just be him missing them though.”
“Definitely not, he’s acting like they’re never coming back again.”
“Anything else?”
“Well…he keeps rearranging her books when he thinks nobody’s looking.”
Realization dawned on Casey and Lily recognized the look, “What? What’d you figure out?”
“We’re idiots.” Casey muttered.
“I’m not.” Theo added, and they ignored him again.
“It was right in front of us the whole time!”
“What? Casey, don’t keep us in the dark like this!”
“It’s not just his friends he’s missing…” Casey trailed off meaningfully and Lily’s eyes widened.
“He’s missing her! He thinks she’s never coming back!”
Theo rolled his eyes and just decided to go back to work, they weren’t going to listen to him anyway. “We have to fix this, Lil.”
“You’re right, Case,” she nodded, eyes filled with determination, she would make sure her boss was happy again, “and I know exactly how we can start.”
------=-----
He really misses you. He’s acting like the world is going to end at any minute. He keeps rearranging your books, or reading them on his off-time, and you know any other day he’d be catching up on his reality shows. He needs you here with him. Now, I’m not saying to rush home or anything, you should definitely enjoy yourself, just…call him or something, okay? Let him know you didn’t drop off the face of the Earth. It’s weird seeing him like this, he’s always got a reason to be cheerful. Not recently though. Not without you.
Love,
Lily.
She frowned at the letter, folding it up and shoving it into her full knapsack, Lily was lucky the letter came in when it did, since she was about to leave that very day. The bathroom door opened, steam escaping into the room as Dominic stepped out, running a towel over his damp hair, as he pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers, before grinning over at her, “Almost ready to go?”
His voice started her out of her thoughts, and she smiled up at him, “Yeah, just need to pack a few more things, and I’ll be ready.”
He gave her another grin, reaching over to plant a kiss on her forehead. She just barely repressed the wince. It felt all wrong for reasons unknown to her. She went back to packing her things, trying to take her mind off of the letter. She didn’t want to worry about RJ, not now, not when she was with a guy she actually stood a chance with in a place that she had never been to before. It was like a dream come true. Except, if she was being completely honest with herself, it wasn’t. “Hey, this yours?” Dom questioned, holding up a plain wooden box.
Her eyes widened, how could she have almost forgotten that? His question was answered when she nearly pounced on him, snatching the box out of his hands, causing him to wince slightly, “I take it that’s important?”
She ran a hand over the smooth hand before shoving it into her bag, “It’s a present.”
He didn’t have to ask who it was for, he already knew, she wouldn’t consider anything for anyone else so important, so special. He rubbed his neck, the heavy feeling of awkwardness settling over them like a heavy blanket. He decided it was best to just change the subject, they were supposed to be having fun, not doing…this, whatever this was. “Anything else left before we hit the road?”
She gave him a tiny smile, thankful the subject change, “Nope, ready to go.”
“Alright,” he shouldered his backpack, “let’s go then.”
------=-----
RJ stomped up the loft stairs after a long day of work, he had no idea why it had been so busy, it wasn’t even Thursday! All he wanted to do was recline in his chair with one of her books, at least, that was the plan until he froze at the top of the steps, eyes narrowing. “Hi, RJ!” Flit waved cheerfully.
And it wasn’t the fact that Flit was in his loft that bothered him, he was used to it, no, it wasn’t that at all, rather…”Get out of my chair.”
Flit raised his eyebrows above the ever-present sunglasses he had taken to wearing, “Did I do something wrong?”
“Get out of my chair.” He hissed, pausing after each word to make sure they sunk in.
His eyes widened and he hastily jumped out of the chair, “RJ, my dear friend,” he started cautiously, “what’s the problem?”
Honestly, he had no clue. He had been utterly cranky and more possessive than usual for reasons unknown. He hadn’t meant to snap at Flit by any means, but couldn’t quite bring himself to apologize, instead sitting in his chair, “Nothing’s wrong.”
Flit took a moment to ponder over his options. He could go the safe route and just go downstairs and hang around or whatever, or, he could be incredibly brave (or incredibly stupid depending on who you asked) and help his friend out. Well, Flit was known for his courage back in the day, part of why he had fought Camille, so, why should this be any different? He failed to remember that Camille had won and trapped him in her stomach as a fly for centuries. He settled himself in front of RJ, and peered at him as he read his book. So what if his gaze was hidden behind his sunglasses? Nobody could take him staring at them for a long period of time, surely RJ would be no different.
He hid his triumphant smile when he was proven correct and RJ broke, “Why do you keep staring at me?”
“I want to help you.”
“…well, you can’t.”
He tilted his head to the side, “I think I can if you let me.”
RJ made a face, “I think I’ll pass.”
“Okay then.” So Flit resumed his staring.
Minutes passed before RJ sighed, usually he was much better at ignoring people than this, but his mind was somewhere else and he just really wanted Flit to go away, “If I let you ask me one question, will you let me go back to reading?”
“Sure!”
“Alright then, ask away.”
“Why didn’t you stop her?”
Out of all the questions in the world, that wasn’t the one he was expecting, “…what?”
“Why didn’t you stop her from leaving? Everybody could tell you wanted to.”
He clenched his jaw, refusing to look up from the book that belonged to her, “Because I wasn’t going to stand in the way of her happiness.”
“But you make her happy.”
“Obviously not happy enough.”
He shook his head, obviously confused, “Why would you think that?”
He finally looked up, green eyes dark with so much pain that it made Flit’s heart feel like it was being crushed, “Because she chose him.”
------=-----
“Guys, I need your help.”
Jarrod and Camille exchanged a worry-filled glance. It was never a good thing when Casey requested their help for something, trouble always tended to follow. “Help with what?” Jarrod asked cautiously.
“You both like RJ, right?”
“Sure…he’s a good guy.” Jarrod raised an eyebrow.
“When he wasn’t kicking our asses.” Camille added.
“We kind of deserved it though.” Jarrod pointed out.
“True, but that doesn’t mean it was fun.”
“Well, there was that one time when Dai Shi stole some of his spirit energy.”
“Oh yeah, that-”
“Guys! Stop straying,” Casey wondered if this was how Lily felt whenever she had to get them back on-topic, “look, the reason I asked is because RJ’s really depressed right now.”
“RJ?” Jarrod repeated in disbelief, “RJ never gets depressed…ever.”
“Everybody gets depressed, Jarrod.” Camille stated.
He shook his head, “Not RJ.”
“Exactly,” Casey nodded, “he needs a really good reason to be so down in the dumps.”
“So what’s the reason? You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t know.”
“He misses her.”
The duo didn’t have to ask who her was, it was obvious. Camille sighed, “So what do you want us to do about it?”
Casey’s eyes brightened in a way that made Jarrod move closer to Camille, standing in front of her slightly, as if he could protect her from whatever dumbass plan Casey had cooked up, “Well, it’s like this…”
After he told them the plan and they had hesitantly agreed to it, Camille slumped against Jarrod, groaning slightly, “We’re screwed, aren’t we?”
He gave a wry laugh, slipping his arms around her, “Most definitely screwed.”
------=-----
“I told you guys this was really fucking stupid.” And for Theo to curse, it was definitely really fucking stupid.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time…” Casey replied weakly.
“Why did I listen to you?” Lily groaned.
“The same reason we did,” Jarrod grumbled, “because we’re fucking idiots.”
“Thank goodness I was never his student.” Camille muttered in a stage-whisper, at Jarrod’s side as always.
“I think we should clean up,” Casey suggested, letting his gaze sweep over the pizza parlor, “yeah, we should definitely clean up.”
Theo frowned, “I shouldn’t clean up at all, I never wanted any part of this!”
“Still, T, you did take part in it, even though you complained the entire time.” Lily pointed out.
“Yeah, whatever happened to teamwork?” Casey questioned, grinning.
Jarrod, once again, stepped slightly in front of Camille, knowing how Theo was when he got well and truly pissed, his companion gave him a questioning look, but didn’t speak up. “Are you kidding me? Teamwork, Casey? Like you have any right to talk about fucking teamwork?” Despite his short stature, Theo really was scary when he was angry.
Casey’s eyes widened and he backed up a few steps, “Look, Theo…”
“Don’t try to placate me, Casey, this is all your fault! Just because you don’t have to work here anymore doesn’t mean we don’t!”
Casey wisely decided to keep his mouth shut about the fact that Theo and Lily didn’t have to work at JKP anymore either. “T, stop, let’s just clean up before RJ decides he doesn’t want to play nice anymore and devour us.” Lily laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Like he was playing nice before?” Camille raised her eyebrows.
“You can’t really blame him though…” Jarrod pointed out.
“Maybe laying out pictures and reminders of his times with her and Dom wasn’t the best of ideas…” Casey finally admitted.
“Now what would ever give you that idea?” Theo deadpanned.
“Who would’ve guessed he was going to trash the place though?” Lily frowned at the carnage. Stools were turned over on their sides, pictures were shattered, books were scattered, everything was turned upside-down. When it had happened, it was like an explosion, sudden, loud and powerful. Even Jarrod and Camille had been afraid of him.
“Well, we’ll just have to fix this.” Casey nodded, and they knew he wasn’t just talking about his former place of business.
“Casey, you’re a great guy, really,” Jarrod started, “but if you try this again, I’ll make you wish Dai Shi was back.”
Casey winced, “Alright, never mind then,” he cleared his throat, pasting on a cheerful smile, “how about we clean this place up?”
------=-----
“Hey, this is RJ, obviously I can’t come to the phone right now…hm…wonder why, I hope I didn’t set the bathrooms on fire again, ooh, or maybe I blew up one of the ovens…that would be bad, I mean, I thought the last time was bad, considering I burnt off my eyebrows, and-oh right, message. Okay, right, so, leave a message, and I’ll probably get back to you. Maybe. Unless you’re trying to sell me something, then this number is no longer available!”
She sighed deeply, tossing her cellphone back into her pack. No answer from him. She had left a message for him though, at least it was something, and that was better than nothing. She missed him. She missed him so much it actually hurt. She didn’t think she could ever feel pain like what she was feeling at that moment. Dom turned to look at her, his expression saddening, “You’re not happy, are you?”
Was she that damn obvious? She lowered her head with a sigh, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he gave her his best smile, “the whole point of this was to make you happy, but…I can’t do that, can I?”
“That’s not true! You do make me happy.”
“Just not in the way you need.”
She blinked by back sudden tears. Why did it feel like they were breaking up when they had never even been together? “I’m sorry.” She repeated, for lack of anything better to say.
He sighed, pulling her into his arms, “You don’t have anything to apologize for,” he kissed her forehead, “c’mon, let’s go, we’ll catch the next flight out of here.”
“Wait, what? Why? We still have two weeks left, and-”
“Hey, I’m not gonna get my ass kicked ‘cause I made you miserable,” he grinned good-naturedly, “we can always do this again.”
“You promise?”
“Promise.”
“…I miss him,” she breathed out, “I miss him so much.”
“And I’ll get you back to him, soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Dominic.” She breathed out, kissing him on the cheek.
“Anything for you.”
------=-----
He twisted one of his many bracelets between his fingers, his mind far away as it had been for the past four weeks. He couldn’t take this anymore. He was going out of his fucking mind. His pack had just been trying to help him, let him know he wasn’t alone, remind him of the good times, and before he knew it, his wolf had taken over, tore the place apart, and he still couldn’t bring himself to apologize. He frowned, he was being such a total asshole. Damned if he could help it though. He sighed, ran a hand through his shaggy hair and decided he should, at the very least, give it a try. He owed his friends that much.
He trooped down the loft stairs, letting a slow grin overcome his features when he saw the place had been totally cleaned. Jarrod and Camille were in a booth together, sitting across from each other, heads so close together, their foreheads were touching. Casey and Theo were sitting on the counter, backs turned to him, arguing about something or other, while Lily just rolled her eyes, not even bothering to try to play the mediator this time. Something swelled up in his chest, it was almost like old times, and it made him feel…almost right again. Jarrod was the first to notice him, raising his head up to give him a small smile, which RJ returned in kind, Camille turned to give him the same smile, and the trio noticed him, Theo and Casey falling silent, and Lily looking at him with those blue eyes of hers.
“I’m fine, guys, no need to walk on your toes around me.” He informed them, complete with hand gestures.
They all gave a collective sigh of relief, and he grinned, before adopting a serious expression, “Guys…I just wanted to apologize.”
“RJ, it wasn’t your fault!” Lily stated.
“Your animal spirit took control,” Camille drummed her fingers against the tabletop, “wolves are known to do that.”
“Particularly your temperamental wolf.” Jarrod reminded him.
RJ made some sort of huffy noise in Jarrod’s direction, “What I’m trying to say is, I apologize for my behavior, and my wolf’s. I was being an ass.”
“That you were.” Camille agreed.
“Camille!” Jarrod admonished.
She shrugged, “I was just agreeing with him.”
RJ laughed, not one of the fake ones he had been giving, but a real, honest laugh, and it made their hearts feel lighter. They all proceeded to crowd around the counter, so engrossed in their conversation that they barely heard the bells over the door jangle. RJ frowned, “The shop’s closed…and locked…”
“Guys?”
He thought maybe he had stopped breathing at that moment, and the others seemed to part for him like the Red Sea, allowing him to see her image clearly. And there she was, bright brown eyes, eye loose around her face, flushed cheeks, loaded backpacks, and RJ rushed over to her, relieving her of the items. “Thanks, RJ.” She gave him a smile.
“We didn’t expect you back so soon.” Casey said.
“Yeah, you’re not supposed to be back for another two weeks.” Theo frowned.
“Not that we’re complaining or anything!” Lily stated.
Jarrod and Camille merely waved at her, and she gave a smile in return. “It’s good to be back, I just…missed you guys.”
“I…I mean, we missed you too.” RJ cleared his throat.
“Where’s Dom?”
She noticed the way his eyes darkened at the mention of his name, and decided to change the subject, “Is there…anywhere quieter we can go?”
His eyes softened, “Yeah, come on.” He led her away, into the kitchen and up the stairs to the loft.
“I hope this works out.” Theo sighed.
“It will. You’ll see.” Lily stated.
------=-----
Before he could really even properly welcome her, a box was shoved into his hands. He blinked at the box, then at her and back again. The box reminded him vaguely of the box he kept his morpher in, except smaller and flatter. He quietly opened it, a grin filled with awe crossing his features. Inside was a black leather cord, attached to it were beads and small disks, surrounding a pewter charm that had a picture of a wolf on it, howling at the moon, a feather engraved next to it. “Is this…for me?”
“Who would it be for?” She teased, then frowned, “You don’t like it.”
He laughed, pulling it on, letting it join the other necklaces adorning his neck, “I love it, thank you.”
“I’m glad, I saw it and thought of you.”
He couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into his arms, holding her close. It had been so damn long since he had held her last. She sighed lightly, burying her face into his shirt, breathing in his scent, “I missed you.” He whispered into her hair.
“I missed you too.”
“Did you have fun?”
“…not as much as I thought I would.” She admitted.
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She wriggled out of his grasp, leaving him empty and cold.
She wasn’t telling him the whole truth, she was hiding something, and he intended to find out what it was, “What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
He grasped her wrist, pulling her back towards him, “Just tell me the truth, please.”
“…he wasn’t you, okay?”
“…what?” He thought maybe he had heard wrong.
“Dominic wasn’t you and he never has been, that’s why I couldn’t have any fun, I was miserable.” She pulled her wrist away, glaring up at him, “Are you happy now?”
Usually he’d be upset and confused at her anger, well…okay, yeah he was confused, but mostly, he just wanted the truth, “What do you mean?”
“I just…I thought I’d have a better chance with him, I mean, you were never going to cross that line. From the moment we met, you just saw me as another person to protect, and a good friend, and I always appreciated it, but-”
The rest of her words were cut off by soft, warm lips pressed against her own. She blinked in surprise before she let her eyes close, sighing lightly as she kissed him back. His wolf howled in pleasure, a spark of ‘finally’ slipping around his mind. When she pulled away from air, her eyes were positively befuddled, it was quite endearing, “W-what was that?”
“A kiss.”
“Don’t be a smarty-pants,” she huffed, “you know what I meant.”
“Seriously, Fran, it was a kiss, something wrong with that?” He grinned.
“N-no, I’m just…confused.”
“Yeah, well, you explained it to me, you thought I didn’t want you, and you were wrong, I thought you wanted my best friend, and I was wrong.”
She sighed, shaking her head, “We made a big mess of things, didn’t we?”
He laughed, “There’s always room to fix things, mate of mine.”
She hid her grin in his neck, “Mate?”
“You’re mine, and I’m yours, that’s just the way it is,” he smoothed a hand over her hair, “complaining?”
“Not at all, just…surprising.”
He sat down in his chair, taking her with him, deciding he very much liked the surprised look on her face, “I’m used to surprises with you around.”
“Sorry I was gone for so long.”
“No apologies, we’ll just have to make up for lost time.” He grinned, before kissing her again. He could definitely get used to this.
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Dominic grinned, going down into the kitchen and then out into the main area of the parlor. The voices of his friends quieted and then stopped altogether, silence filling JKP. He raised an eyebrow, “Don’t stop the party on my account.”
Jarrod merely gave him a curious glance when he sat down next to his old roommate, “You know this is all your fault, right?”
He shook his head, confused, “What is?”
“This is.” Camille waved a hand in the general direction of the place.
He looked over to where she was indicating, but saw nothing, “It’s…clean,” he frowned, “So?”
“Exactly.” Theo muttered.
“RJ had a bit of an epic melt-down, and it’s your fault.” Lily chirped.
“Actually, it was more like Casey’s fault.” Camille corrected.
“That too.”
“Oh c’mon, guys!” When he was met with stony silence, he sighed, before pasting on his best, cheerful, I’m-too-cute-and-innocent-to-EVER-get-in-trouble look, “If it makes you feel any better, RJ and Fran are together now.”
“Good for them,” Theo deadpanned, “Now who’s going to pay for all the damaged goods?”
Nobody noticed Casey sneaking out until Dominic caught a flash of red sliding out the door, and he roared out his ex-teammate’s name, hopping out of the booth to give chase. Camille sighed, shaking her head, reaching out to grasp Jarrod’s hand, “What did we step into?”
“From what I can tell, pure insanity.” Jarrod grinned good-naturedly.
“Welcome to our world.” Theo grumbled, going back into the kitchen.
“You’ll get used to it…eventually.” Lily laughed, joining them at the table.
Everything was right now, this was how it was supposed to be, and they wouldn’t change it for the world.
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