Bright Skies (Multi - Season Crossover/Power Rangers, prompt #49: Leaving it all behind, T)
I wasn't going to post this yet, but then
jadetate got me all excited about banners and stuff, so I gave in. -_-;;
This is the BannerBunny that hit me while thinking about Sky's heritage, and why he was so obessed with being the *Red* Ranger.
And once again, Eric bonds with Sky, while Wes feels jealous. ^_^
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force moving into S.P.D., multiple Rangers from each season
Characters/: Wes (Time Force), multiple Rangers from other teams (Literally too many to list)
Pairings/: Post - Wes/Eric, Rocky/Adam, Shane/Dustin, Hunter/Cam, Carter/Dana, Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, Carlos/Ronny, Jason/Taylor, Conner/Ethan, Justin/Rose, Tommy/Kimberly, Tyzonn/Mack, Cassie/OC, Nick/Maddison, Zack/Aisha, Trent/Kira, Post - Billy/Cestria. Future Ryan/Carter and Billy/Hayley. More couples will most likely be mentioned, but not shown.
prompt/: #49: Leaving it all behind
Rating/: T (For non - graphic mentions of people having babies and being violent with one another)
Disclaimer/: I don't own the Power Rangers, but if Disney's hiring any new writers I volunteer.
Summary/: When Wes' life starts to fall apart, an accident gives him a chance at a fresh start in New Tech City, with Space Patrol Delta. But even a new life has its ups and downs - and weird friends. Meanwhile, Eric tries to move on.
Warnings/: A mentally handicapped person living in a medical facility, angst, male and female slash, non-cemented couples (In otherwords, pairings that will be separated), children created by scientific means, character death
Author's Notes/: Many thanks to BlackCrimsonLight for the reason behind Dru's transfer.
Most of the lower Squads had come to see Dru off, in addition to the Drill Sergeants and D Squad itself. Wes was a little startled to see Bridge had come out; it was well known that he and Dru didn't get along, a fact that often put Sky in an awkward position. The rest of the Squad was no surprise, though only Sky and Charlie seemed to be truly distraught over their teammate's impending departure. 'The Deadly Trio' as Rocky liked to call them, were finally being separated.
To be honest Wes wasn't really surprised, although he did think it was a little unfair. While he agreed with Tommy and Cruger that the three of them should be punished for the stunt they'd pulled, he wasn't so sure they deserved to be separated for it. He was just as infuriated about it as anyone else; D Squad's best trainees or not, they still had no business trying to arrest criminals on their own when they *knew* they didn't have the experience or jurisdiction to do so. And the amount of damage to public property still had his head spinning. But forcing them to be separated was just ... wrong somehow.
He knew Dru's departure wasn't really Tommy's fault, though. When the report had reached S.P.D. headquarters, Commander Birdie had taken an 'interest' in the trio and the discipline for their actions. Rocky's submission to have Charlie promoted to C Squad had been pushed through alarmingly fast, Dru had been 'suggested' into the transfer program, while Sky remained a member of D Squad. The three had been devastated by the news, Rocky only slightly less so. D Squad had never lost its reputation as being the Squad for troublemakers and pranks, and The Deadly Trio had been three of his favorite cadets.
But in all honesty, Sky was the one that worried Wes the most as he observed him exchanging a handshake with Dru that looked like it had nearly cracked a few bones.
He paused, tilting his head slightly in thought. "Have either of you ever wondered about that friendship band?" he asked hesitantly, keeping his voice too low for anyone but the pair on either side of him to hear. "I mean ... why did Dru only give one to Sky and not Charlie? And the way he's always displaying it ... it's almost like a brand."
"Oh, thank god," Vanessa muttered, sounding relieved. "I didn't want you two hassling me for being the one to say it."
Eric sighed in annoyance. "You're both reading too much into it. It's just a friendship bracelet. Maybe he figured Sky needed it more or something. Besides, they've known each other longer than either of them have known Charlie. They've been together since H Squad; Charlie didn't transfer from KO-35 until F," he pointed out.
"That's true," Wes admitted.
"But why does Dru always show it off then?" Vanessa demanded quietly. "And the way he's *constantly* hanging on Sky?"
"Cultural thing," Eric returned cryptically. "Dru's always been touchy with people he likes."
"You seriously don't think there's anything between Sky and Dru?" Vanessa asked in disbelief, looking at Eric.
"I think they're best friends, and you're both blowing it out of proportion," he retorted. "I also think you're being rude. Our kid's losing his best friends, and you're both arguing about what his bracelet means."
Wes flinched slightly while Vanessa glanced over at Sky, who was now nodding to Dru as Charlie stepped back from him. All three hastily joined in the group salute as Dru grabbed his duffel bag and headed onto the shuttle, while Charlie and Sky watched him go.
"Well, at least Sky won't get into so much trouble now," Vanessa mumbled finally.
Watching as Bridge moved touch Sky's shoulder and stopped himself just before he did, Wes privately wondered if that was a good thing.
****
Wes sighed, trying not to think about his awkward attempts to comfort Sky after Dru had left, only to be brushed off with a claim of 'I'm fine' before he went to help Charlie move into her new room. Things were better between him and Sky, but they still weren't quite as close as they'd been Before. There were a lot of reasons for it he supposed, but he didn't like to think about them too often. For one, Eric tended to pop up during that train of thought, which wasn't a good way to keep up their somewhat repaired friendship.
"You brood a lot more than you used to, you know."
"I guess I have a lot more to brood about."
"Well, stop it. It's out of character for you."
Annoyance surged at the memory of Zhane's words, followed by another sigh as he stopped to lean against a wall. Much as he hated to admit it, Zhane was right - as usual. He'd thought he was getting better, but there were still times when dark thoughts tended to get the better of him. It was strange and it wasn't him, but he couldn't seem to stop.
The sound of blaster fire startled him almost as much as the voice that followed. "You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if it was on fire."
"I'm still learning!" Sky shot back hotly.
"No excuse," Eric returned. "You should learn to aim before you learn to shoot."
"You're the one who handed me the gun!"
"Hey," Eric said sharply. "It's not a gun. That's the Quantum Defender; there's a difference."
"It shoots the target when you pull the trigger. It's a gun."
"It's about to be a blaster you're not using if you don't start showing some respect."
"Well, *sorry*." Another blast.
"For crying out loud, who's been teaching you to aim?"
"My file says I'm better at hand-to-hand combat, but Rocky says I'll get better at targeting with practice."
"Practice starts now. Get over here."
A sudden ache filled Wes as he leaned back against the wall of the hallway for a moment. Sky couldn't talk to him about Dru, so he went to Eric. He tried to be glad that he'd at least found *someone* to talk to, but it still hurt. His son had always gone to him when he was younger, but now ...
"Is this how you got over Dad?"
The sudden question startled him even more than the first shot had, and he found himself raising his head to listen. He shouldn't; he knew this was something private between Eric and Sky, and he had no business being here. And he had a sneaking suspicion that he probably didn't want to hear the answer. But he couldn't bring himself to move away.
"That's none of your business."
Sky sighed. "Sorry."
There was a pause. "If you *have* to know, it's my standard way of dealing with exes," Eric grumbled. "It's great stress relief."
Wes found himself suddenly undeniably curious to know exactly what they were doing.
"So you did do it after Dad." Another shot.
"Sight the target along your arm, not just the gun. And no, I didn't."
Wes started, and Sky's confused question echoed his own. "You didn't?"
This time the sigh was Eric's. "No. I destroyed something else."
"Did you feel better afterwards?"
"Not really. But I got over it. The point of this is to think about all the things you hated about them while you shoot. It helps; trust me."
A deep breath. "Okay. Dru ... was unreliable. He never did what you expected of him, when you expected him to do it." Two quick blasts. "He was *constantly* getting me in trouble, and he always complained I needed to loosen up and pull my head out of my butt." Another longer round of blasts. "He never respected how serious I was about my goals. He always fought with Bridge - " The words broke off into a series of rapid-fire shots.
"And what exactly does Bridge have to do with Dru?"
An irritable sigh. "Bridge is still my friend, you know. More or less. Just because we're not dating doesn't mean I'm not going to look out for him."
"Is that what you call it?" Eric sounded smug. "I thought Dru and Charlie said it was 'babying'."
There was another longer sigh, followed by silence.
"You miss him already, don't you?" Eric asked softly, his tone surprisingly gentle.
"Maybe a little," Sky muttered. "I mean, it's not like we actually broke up. That's why he gave me this, so I wouldn't forget. And we'll talk as much as we can and stuff."
"But it's not the same as him being here."
"No." Sky sighed again. "Am I being stupid, Eric? I mean, Dru and I haven't even gone out for anywhere close to a year. But ... I just .... "
Wes started, his eyes widening. Sky was dating Dru? But hadn't Eric just said earlier that they were just friends?
His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he peeked around the corner into the room to see if Eric was at all surprised by the revelation.
Instead he saw Sky with his head bowed, looking miserable and guilty. Eric had stepped closer to rest a hand on his shoulder with a sympathetic expression. "You're not stupid, Sky," Eric told him gently. "You're lonely. You don't get to pick how fast or how close you get to someone - it just happens."
Feeling both incredibly guilty for intruding and hurt that not only had Sky not told him about his boyfriend, but that Eric had kept it from him as well, Wes pulled back to leaning against the wall for a moment and close his eyes.
"It's strange," Sky commented suddenly.
"What is?"
"Holding the same gun that my older brother used."
Wes' eyes shot wide with a pained wince, and he hurried down the hall again without hearing Eric's reply.
jadetate got me all excited about banners and stuff, so I gave in. -_-;;
This is the BannerBunny that hit me while thinking about Sky's heritage, and why he was so obessed with being the *Red* Ranger.
And once again, Eric bonds with Sky, while Wes feels jealous. ^_^
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force moving into S.P.D., multiple Rangers from each season
Characters/: Wes (Time Force), multiple Rangers from other teams (Literally too many to list)
Pairings/: Post - Wes/Eric, Rocky/Adam, Shane/Dustin, Hunter/Cam, Carter/Dana, Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, Carlos/Ronny, Jason/Taylor, Conner/Ethan, Justin/Rose, Tommy/Kimberly, Tyzonn/Mack, Cassie/OC, Nick/Maddison, Zack/Aisha, Trent/Kira, Post - Billy/Cestria. Future Ryan/Carter and Billy/Hayley. More couples will most likely be mentioned, but not shown.
prompt/: #49: Leaving it all behind
Rating/: T (For non - graphic mentions of people having babies and being violent with one another)
Disclaimer/: I don't own the Power Rangers, but if Disney's hiring any new writers I volunteer.
Summary/: When Wes' life starts to fall apart, an accident gives him a chance at a fresh start in New Tech City, with Space Patrol Delta. But even a new life has its ups and downs - and weird friends. Meanwhile, Eric tries to move on.
Warnings/: A mentally handicapped person living in a medical facility, angst, male and female slash, non-cemented couples (In otherwords, pairings that will be separated), children created by scientific means, character death
Author's Notes/: Many thanks to BlackCrimsonLight for the reason behind Dru's transfer.
Most of the lower Squads had come to see Dru off, in addition to the Drill Sergeants and D Squad itself. Wes was a little startled to see Bridge had come out; it was well known that he and Dru didn't get along, a fact that often put Sky in an awkward position. The rest of the Squad was no surprise, though only Sky and Charlie seemed to be truly distraught over their teammate's impending departure. 'The Deadly Trio' as Rocky liked to call them, were finally being separated.
To be honest Wes wasn't really surprised, although he did think it was a little unfair. While he agreed with Tommy and Cruger that the three of them should be punished for the stunt they'd pulled, he wasn't so sure they deserved to be separated for it. He was just as infuriated about it as anyone else; D Squad's best trainees or not, they still had no business trying to arrest criminals on their own when they *knew* they didn't have the experience or jurisdiction to do so. And the amount of damage to public property still had his head spinning. But forcing them to be separated was just ... wrong somehow.
He knew Dru's departure wasn't really Tommy's fault, though. When the report had reached S.P.D. headquarters, Commander Birdie had taken an 'interest' in the trio and the discipline for their actions. Rocky's submission to have Charlie promoted to C Squad had been pushed through alarmingly fast, Dru had been 'suggested' into the transfer program, while Sky remained a member of D Squad. The three had been devastated by the news, Rocky only slightly less so. D Squad had never lost its reputation as being the Squad for troublemakers and pranks, and The Deadly Trio had been three of his favorite cadets.
But in all honesty, Sky was the one that worried Wes the most as he observed him exchanging a handshake with Dru that looked like it had nearly cracked a few bones.
He paused, tilting his head slightly in thought. "Have either of you ever wondered about that friendship band?" he asked hesitantly, keeping his voice too low for anyone but the pair on either side of him to hear. "I mean ... why did Dru only give one to Sky and not Charlie? And the way he's always displaying it ... it's almost like a brand."
"Oh, thank god," Vanessa muttered, sounding relieved. "I didn't want you two hassling me for being the one to say it."
Eric sighed in annoyance. "You're both reading too much into it. It's just a friendship bracelet. Maybe he figured Sky needed it more or something. Besides, they've known each other longer than either of them have known Charlie. They've been together since H Squad; Charlie didn't transfer from KO-35 until F," he pointed out.
"That's true," Wes admitted.
"But why does Dru always show it off then?" Vanessa demanded quietly. "And the way he's *constantly* hanging on Sky?"
"Cultural thing," Eric returned cryptically. "Dru's always been touchy with people he likes."
"You seriously don't think there's anything between Sky and Dru?" Vanessa asked in disbelief, looking at Eric.
"I think they're best friends, and you're both blowing it out of proportion," he retorted. "I also think you're being rude. Our kid's losing his best friends, and you're both arguing about what his bracelet means."
Wes flinched slightly while Vanessa glanced over at Sky, who was now nodding to Dru as Charlie stepped back from him. All three hastily joined in the group salute as Dru grabbed his duffel bag and headed onto the shuttle, while Charlie and Sky watched him go.
"Well, at least Sky won't get into so much trouble now," Vanessa mumbled finally.
Watching as Bridge moved touch Sky's shoulder and stopped himself just before he did, Wes privately wondered if that was a good thing.
****
Wes sighed, trying not to think about his awkward attempts to comfort Sky after Dru had left, only to be brushed off with a claim of 'I'm fine' before he went to help Charlie move into her new room. Things were better between him and Sky, but they still weren't quite as close as they'd been Before. There were a lot of reasons for it he supposed, but he didn't like to think about them too often. For one, Eric tended to pop up during that train of thought, which wasn't a good way to keep up their somewhat repaired friendship.
"You brood a lot more than you used to, you know."
"I guess I have a lot more to brood about."
"Well, stop it. It's out of character for you."
Annoyance surged at the memory of Zhane's words, followed by another sigh as he stopped to lean against a wall. Much as he hated to admit it, Zhane was right - as usual. He'd thought he was getting better, but there were still times when dark thoughts tended to get the better of him. It was strange and it wasn't him, but he couldn't seem to stop.
The sound of blaster fire startled him almost as much as the voice that followed. "You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if it was on fire."
"I'm still learning!" Sky shot back hotly.
"No excuse," Eric returned. "You should learn to aim before you learn to shoot."
"You're the one who handed me the gun!"
"Hey," Eric said sharply. "It's not a gun. That's the Quantum Defender; there's a difference."
"It shoots the target when you pull the trigger. It's a gun."
"It's about to be a blaster you're not using if you don't start showing some respect."
"Well, *sorry*." Another blast.
"For crying out loud, who's been teaching you to aim?"
"My file says I'm better at hand-to-hand combat, but Rocky says I'll get better at targeting with practice."
"Practice starts now. Get over here."
A sudden ache filled Wes as he leaned back against the wall of the hallway for a moment. Sky couldn't talk to him about Dru, so he went to Eric. He tried to be glad that he'd at least found *someone* to talk to, but it still hurt. His son had always gone to him when he was younger, but now ...
"Is this how you got over Dad?"
The sudden question startled him even more than the first shot had, and he found himself raising his head to listen. He shouldn't; he knew this was something private between Eric and Sky, and he had no business being here. And he had a sneaking suspicion that he probably didn't want to hear the answer. But he couldn't bring himself to move away.
"That's none of your business."
Sky sighed. "Sorry."
There was a pause. "If you *have* to know, it's my standard way of dealing with exes," Eric grumbled. "It's great stress relief."
Wes found himself suddenly undeniably curious to know exactly what they were doing.
"So you did do it after Dad." Another shot.
"Sight the target along your arm, not just the gun. And no, I didn't."
Wes started, and Sky's confused question echoed his own. "You didn't?"
This time the sigh was Eric's. "No. I destroyed something else."
"Did you feel better afterwards?"
"Not really. But I got over it. The point of this is to think about all the things you hated about them while you shoot. It helps; trust me."
A deep breath. "Okay. Dru ... was unreliable. He never did what you expected of him, when you expected him to do it." Two quick blasts. "He was *constantly* getting me in trouble, and he always complained I needed to loosen up and pull my head out of my butt." Another longer round of blasts. "He never respected how serious I was about my goals. He always fought with Bridge - " The words broke off into a series of rapid-fire shots.
"And what exactly does Bridge have to do with Dru?"
An irritable sigh. "Bridge is still my friend, you know. More or less. Just because we're not dating doesn't mean I'm not going to look out for him."
"Is that what you call it?" Eric sounded smug. "I thought Dru and Charlie said it was 'babying'."
There was another longer sigh, followed by silence.
"You miss him already, don't you?" Eric asked softly, his tone surprisingly gentle.
"Maybe a little," Sky muttered. "I mean, it's not like we actually broke up. That's why he gave me this, so I wouldn't forget. And we'll talk as much as we can and stuff."
"But it's not the same as him being here."
"No." Sky sighed again. "Am I being stupid, Eric? I mean, Dru and I haven't even gone out for anywhere close to a year. But ... I just .... "
Wes started, his eyes widening. Sky was dating Dru? But hadn't Eric just said earlier that they were just friends?
His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he peeked around the corner into the room to see if Eric was at all surprised by the revelation.
Instead he saw Sky with his head bowed, looking miserable and guilty. Eric had stepped closer to rest a hand on his shoulder with a sympathetic expression. "You're not stupid, Sky," Eric told him gently. "You're lonely. You don't get to pick how fast or how close you get to someone - it just happens."
Feeling both incredibly guilty for intruding and hurt that not only had Sky not told him about his boyfriend, but that Eric had kept it from him as well, Wes pulled back to leaning against the wall for a moment and close his eyes.
"It's strange," Sky commented suddenly.
"What is?"
"Holding the same gun that my older brother used."
Wes' eyes shot wide with a pained wince, and he hurried down the hall again without hearing Eric's reply.