Ars Amatorium: Kai/Leo
I know, I know, I've been bad for this, I haven't written any Kai/Leo in ages, but while I was offline I got some inspiration, resulting in these drabbles. I thought I'd put them up today, spare you guys from yet more challenge fics, which I still have a fair few of to go up. *eyes list of ficlets warily*
Distraction
(Tag to The Lost Galactabeasts, Part 1)
Leo went cold when he walked into the room and found that Kai wasn’t there. They’d found him, he should be here…
“Kai?”
“Yeah?” the voice that came back over his communicator sounded distracted and Leo wasn’t sure if he wanted to hug the other man for being alright or hit him for panicking him like this.
“Where are you? You and Damon are supposed to be taking it easy, and so far only Damon’s actually doing that.”
The green ranger was crashed out on his bed, in his oil covered uniform, snoring fit to wake the dead. Leo didn’t blame him, they were going to need all their strength for when the evil zords came back.
“I’m with Kendrix in the lab. We’re trying to decode the writing, see if it’ll give us any clues to those zords.”
“Kai,” Leo said pointedly. “That’s working. Not resting.”
“It’s hardly strenuous, Leo.”
“No, but when the two of you get working on something you don’t stop unless me or Maya drag you out.”
“Leo, we’re not that bad,” came the lighter, gently chiding, voice of Kendrix and he smiled a little.
“Yes you are. Consider this me dragging the pair of you out. Don’t make me come down there.” He didn’t need to hear the words to know that Kai was muttering under his breath, no doubt something highly uncomplimentary about him and his ancestry, which Leo couldn’t really disagree on, considering his parents. “I mean it.”
“Fine,” Kai snapped. “We’re hitting a dead end anyway.”
Leo nodded, even though the two couldn’t see him and closed the channel. He’d give them ten minutes and if they weren’t out the lab by then he’d go down there and physically drag them out. And if he had to sit on Kai to make sure he stayed put, he would.
Reaction
He didn’t know what it was, Leo mused, that made him throw himself between Kai and danger. It wasn’t as if Kai couldn’t take care of himself after all, he was a Power Ranger for God’s sake; and before that he’d had GSA military training. There was probably nothing Leo could do to protect Kai that Kai couldn’t do himself, and yet time and again he placed himself between Kai and the threat. He just couldn’t help himself, it was an automatic reaction. It was worse though, when sometimes he wasn’t fast enough and Kai went down anyway, but those times he was always the first to Kai’s side, making sure he was alright. One of these days he was sure Kai was going to snap at him for it.
Of course, sometimes it turned out that it had been the right move, like now. His heart dropped into his stomach as Kai landed hard on the floor, unable to get up fast enough or block the blow aimed at him, but that was what he was for, throwing himself between Kai and the enemy yet again.
Helm
Leo watched Kai out the corner of his eye. He’d been tense for days, eyes dark with things he couldn’t or wouldn’t talk about. There were so many things Kai couldn’t talk about, so many things that weighed on his shoulders, and Leo didn’t know how to help. Chief Helm Officer, Second in Command while Mike had been… away, Kai carried a lot of secrets, ones he wouldn’t even share with the other rangers unless there was no other choice and it weighed him down.
But there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t help if Kai wouldn’t let him. Perhaps it was all he could do to just be there when the secrets kept Kai awake at night, left him staring at the bottom of the bunk above them, wide awake. He hoped that being there would be enough.
Patience
Kai shook his head as Leo’s attention wandered yet again. Sometimes he wondered what it would take to keep Leo’s attention for longer than half an hour and decided it was probably more than he had. Leo was easily distracted, although he could be incredibly focused when he wanted to be, and it was probably just a matter of finding the right subject matter. Of course, knowing Leo that could be anything, and Kai wasn’t sure he was really willing to expend so much energy on something he might never have.
For now though, he decided he could be patient. For a bit longer.
Colour
(To the Tenth Power)
“Doesn’t it complicate things?” Andros asked curiously and Leo looked at him in confusion.
“Does what complicate things?” he asked and Andros shrugged.
“Being involved with your second in command. I know it’s not easy being involved with a teammate but…”
“Kai?” Leo repeated. “Me and Kai?”
Kai, deep in conversation with TJ, glanced over at the sound of his name and raised his eyebrows in question.
“You mean you’re not?” Andros blurted, then his cheeks flushed a dull red as he gestured at the blue shirt Leo was wearing over the red t-shirt. “I just…. You wear his colour so I just assumed…. I apologise if I offended you, Leo.”
“Oh, you didn’t,” Kai said easily, coming up behind Leo, hand coming to rest on his shoulder. “Leo’s just in denial over how obvious he is, that’s all.”
“Oh, that’s alright, then.” Andros looked relieved. “I didn’t mean to presume.”
“That’s okay,” Leo replied, sparing a glare at Kai. “Apparently I’m pretty obvious.”
“You wear a blue shirt,” Andros pointed out dryly. “It does imply certain things.”
“I guess it does,” Leo conceded. “Probably should have thought of that before.” Kai gave him an affronted look and Leo winced guiltily. “Not that it’s a bad thing.”
Kai shook his head and Leo gave Andros an abashed smile. “Where were we again?”
"Let me tell you a story”
“And that,” Leo finished, “was how we defeated Hexuba and saved the colony.”
The children of Maya’s village stared at him wide-eyed, mouths hanging open, enthralled by the stories the former red ranger was telling them.
“Weren’t you scared?” one asked and Leo smiled.
“Sure. But I had my team with me and I knew we could face down anything together.”
“Because of the Lights of Orion?”
“Because we’re a team,” Leo corrected. “And because we’re friends. I know that if I’m in trouble, there’s nothing they won’t do to help me, because we always come for each other.”
“And now it’s time for bed,” Kai said, standing at the edge of the clearing. “Your parents are here to take you home.”
Amid the protesting whines and sulks, the adults moved into the clearing, picking up children and taking the hands of others. Kai moved with them until he was standing next to Leo who was rising to his feet.
“You’re going to run out of stories eventually,” he said and Leo shrugged.
“Not for a while though. And I’m sure you’ve got a few I can use.”
“Oh really,” Kai replied dryly. “And I’m sure they’d work just as well with a change in the lead.”
Leo gave him a wounded look. “I’m hurt, Kai.”
“Of course you are.”
“Besides,” Leo continued airily, “there’s a lot of stories I’m not going to tell them.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Leo gave him a suggestive smirk. “They’re not old enough for one thing.”
Kai shook his head, smile playing faintly around his mouth. “I should hope that’s not the only reason.”
“Of course not,” Leo looked injured at the mere suggestion. “And anyway, I’m not in the mood for stories anymore.”
Kai raised an eyebrow, then glanced around the clearing. “Well, it looks like your audience is gone anyway.”
“It does seem that way,” Leo agreed. “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
Distraction
(Tag to The Lost Galactabeasts, Part 1)
Leo went cold when he walked into the room and found that Kai wasn’t there. They’d found him, he should be here…
“Kai?”
“Yeah?” the voice that came back over his communicator sounded distracted and Leo wasn’t sure if he wanted to hug the other man for being alright or hit him for panicking him like this.
“Where are you? You and Damon are supposed to be taking it easy, and so far only Damon’s actually doing that.”
The green ranger was crashed out on his bed, in his oil covered uniform, snoring fit to wake the dead. Leo didn’t blame him, they were going to need all their strength for when the evil zords came back.
“I’m with Kendrix in the lab. We’re trying to decode the writing, see if it’ll give us any clues to those zords.”
“Kai,” Leo said pointedly. “That’s working. Not resting.”
“It’s hardly strenuous, Leo.”
“No, but when the two of you get working on something you don’t stop unless me or Maya drag you out.”
“Leo, we’re not that bad,” came the lighter, gently chiding, voice of Kendrix and he smiled a little.
“Yes you are. Consider this me dragging the pair of you out. Don’t make me come down there.” He didn’t need to hear the words to know that Kai was muttering under his breath, no doubt something highly uncomplimentary about him and his ancestry, which Leo couldn’t really disagree on, considering his parents. “I mean it.”
“Fine,” Kai snapped. “We’re hitting a dead end anyway.”
Leo nodded, even though the two couldn’t see him and closed the channel. He’d give them ten minutes and if they weren’t out the lab by then he’d go down there and physically drag them out. And if he had to sit on Kai to make sure he stayed put, he would.
Reaction
He didn’t know what it was, Leo mused, that made him throw himself between Kai and danger. It wasn’t as if Kai couldn’t take care of himself after all, he was a Power Ranger for God’s sake; and before that he’d had GSA military training. There was probably nothing Leo could do to protect Kai that Kai couldn’t do himself, and yet time and again he placed himself between Kai and the threat. He just couldn’t help himself, it was an automatic reaction. It was worse though, when sometimes he wasn’t fast enough and Kai went down anyway, but those times he was always the first to Kai’s side, making sure he was alright. One of these days he was sure Kai was going to snap at him for it.
Of course, sometimes it turned out that it had been the right move, like now. His heart dropped into his stomach as Kai landed hard on the floor, unable to get up fast enough or block the blow aimed at him, but that was what he was for, throwing himself between Kai and the enemy yet again.
Helm
Leo watched Kai out the corner of his eye. He’d been tense for days, eyes dark with things he couldn’t or wouldn’t talk about. There were so many things Kai couldn’t talk about, so many things that weighed on his shoulders, and Leo didn’t know how to help. Chief Helm Officer, Second in Command while Mike had been… away, Kai carried a lot of secrets, ones he wouldn’t even share with the other rangers unless there was no other choice and it weighed him down.
But there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t help if Kai wouldn’t let him. Perhaps it was all he could do to just be there when the secrets kept Kai awake at night, left him staring at the bottom of the bunk above them, wide awake. He hoped that being there would be enough.
Patience
Kai shook his head as Leo’s attention wandered yet again. Sometimes he wondered what it would take to keep Leo’s attention for longer than half an hour and decided it was probably more than he had. Leo was easily distracted, although he could be incredibly focused when he wanted to be, and it was probably just a matter of finding the right subject matter. Of course, knowing Leo that could be anything, and Kai wasn’t sure he was really willing to expend so much energy on something he might never have.
For now though, he decided he could be patient. For a bit longer.
Colour
(To the Tenth Power)
“Doesn’t it complicate things?” Andros asked curiously and Leo looked at him in confusion.
“Does what complicate things?” he asked and Andros shrugged.
“Being involved with your second in command. I know it’s not easy being involved with a teammate but…”
“Kai?” Leo repeated. “Me and Kai?”
Kai, deep in conversation with TJ, glanced over at the sound of his name and raised his eyebrows in question.
“You mean you’re not?” Andros blurted, then his cheeks flushed a dull red as he gestured at the blue shirt Leo was wearing over the red t-shirt. “I just…. You wear his colour so I just assumed…. I apologise if I offended you, Leo.”
“Oh, you didn’t,” Kai said easily, coming up behind Leo, hand coming to rest on his shoulder. “Leo’s just in denial over how obvious he is, that’s all.”
“Oh, that’s alright, then.” Andros looked relieved. “I didn’t mean to presume.”
“That’s okay,” Leo replied, sparing a glare at Kai. “Apparently I’m pretty obvious.”
“You wear a blue shirt,” Andros pointed out dryly. “It does imply certain things.”
“I guess it does,” Leo conceded. “Probably should have thought of that before.” Kai gave him an affronted look and Leo winced guiltily. “Not that it’s a bad thing.”
Kai shook his head and Leo gave Andros an abashed smile. “Where were we again?”
"Let me tell you a story”
“And that,” Leo finished, “was how we defeated Hexuba and saved the colony.”
The children of Maya’s village stared at him wide-eyed, mouths hanging open, enthralled by the stories the former red ranger was telling them.
“Weren’t you scared?” one asked and Leo smiled.
“Sure. But I had my team with me and I knew we could face down anything together.”
“Because of the Lights of Orion?”
“Because we’re a team,” Leo corrected. “And because we’re friends. I know that if I’m in trouble, there’s nothing they won’t do to help me, because we always come for each other.”
“And now it’s time for bed,” Kai said, standing at the edge of the clearing. “Your parents are here to take you home.”
Amid the protesting whines and sulks, the adults moved into the clearing, picking up children and taking the hands of others. Kai moved with them until he was standing next to Leo who was rising to his feet.
“You’re going to run out of stories eventually,” he said and Leo shrugged.
“Not for a while though. And I’m sure you’ve got a few I can use.”
“Oh really,” Kai replied dryly. “And I’m sure they’d work just as well with a change in the lead.”
Leo gave him a wounded look. “I’m hurt, Kai.”
“Of course you are.”
“Besides,” Leo continued airily, “there’s a lot of stories I’m not going to tell them.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Leo gave him a suggestive smirk. “They’re not old enough for one thing.”
Kai shook his head, smile playing faintly around his mouth. “I should hope that’s not the only reason.”
“Of course not,” Leo looked injured at the mere suggestion. “And anyway, I’m not in the mood for stories anymore.”
Kai raised an eyebrow, then glanced around the clearing. “Well, it looks like your audience is gone anyway.”
“It does seem that way,” Leo agreed. “Shall we?”
“We shall.”