Conner Sucks at This
Title: Conner Sucks at This
Fandom: Power Rangers
Pairings: Conner/Tommy
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1390
Summary: "Why are you here again?" Tommy asks.
Conner sort of wishes he could just disappear and not have to be around for the rest of this. But, of course, that doesn't happen. Instead he has to stand there listen to Kira say, "Because Conner sucks at this, that's why."
A/N: Written for second_batgirl for V.day; set in Unexpected 'Verse.
"Why do you want to go to Angel Grove?" Tommy asks, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl firmly in place. "You don't know anyone there."
Conner gives him a dirty look. "It's your high school reunion," he snaps. "Why do you think I want to go."
Tommy rolls his eyes. "High school reunions suck. Trust me, when you're old enough to go to one you'll understand."
"Are you going?"
Tommy nods.
"Then I'm going."
Tommy's scowl gets angrier. "No, you aren't. And that's the final."
Conner lets out a long, angry sigh. Then he nods, giving up the fight. There will be a better time and place. And, hell, he doesn't even want to go to his own high school reunion. So he can't say that Tommy doesn't have a point.
*
"I thought you said we were going somewhere romantic," Tommy says and Conner is hard pressed not to snap that it is romantic, damn it.
Instead he smiles tightly and says, "This is where we had our first kiss, remember?"
Tommy's brow crinkles in the way that it does when he's trying really, really hard to say something he'll regret. "Oh."
"Yeah. I thought..." Conner sighs. This isn't going to work. "Never mind. Want to catch a MMA fight? I'll order pizza and we can try out that pumpkin ale I bought last week."
"Sounds good." Tommy slings an arm over Conner's shoulders and plants a loud smack of a kiss on his cheek. "You're a softie," he teases as they head back to the car.
Conner doesn’t feel much like a softie, though.
*
"Conner! What are you doing here?" Tommy's voice is surprised, almost too surprised.
Conner grins in spite of it and says, "Came to pick up you up for a hot night on the town. You interested?"
Tommy grimaces and looks over his shoulder. Conner looks over it too and sees nothing worth looking at. He frowns as Tommy returns his attention to him. "I'm sorry, babe. I've got plans."
"You got plans?"
"Yeah."
Conner waits for Tommy to elaborate. When he doesn't, Conner sort of loses it. "Dude, I just drove three hours to get here. And all you can say is 'you've got plans.' What the fuck is that about?"
"Hey, you didn't say you were coming." Tommy's hands go up defensively. "If I had known I would have fit you into my schedule. But I didn't. You never said a thing about meeting me at this conference. So I made other plans. It's not a crime, Conner."
It takes all of his restraint not to point that a surprise, by definition, is not something you plan out. Instead he says, "Whatever," spins on his heel and stomps back towards his car.
"Conner, stop." Tommy sounds pissed, but Conner ignores him. If he really wanted Conner to stop, he could do something to make him.
Conner shoves his hand deep into his pocket, making a fist around the gift box inside of it. His head hurts as he thinks about the table for two he booked at that waterfront restaurant Kira had raved about. He thinks about the carefully crafted speech he had planned. And he think about the two other times he hasn't been given the chance to say it. "Something's got to change," he says to himself as he angrily unlocks his door. He slams it behind him and peals out.
*
Conner isn't good at being a boyfriend. He knows this. And normally, not to be an ass or anything, he just doesn't care. Because, well... Being a boyfriend isn't really something he wants to be. He likes it when he is, but he's not crying in his soup when he's not. But this time, well, this time it's different.
Because this time instead of being in a "I like kissing you but I can totally find someone else with nicer arms and less Daddy issues" head-space, he's in a "damn, I want this forever" place. And while that is pretty damn awesome, it is also pretty damn scary. Which is why he is here, sitting at this tiny little table with a cup of tea clasped in his hands and trying to explain things to four of the most terrifying women in history.
He finishes up spilling all of his secrets and then stares down at the table, wondering why his heart isn't on the table alongside the finger sandwiches and crumpets. A soft touch on his arm has him glancing up in Kira's worried-but-smiling face.
"Don't worry," she says, "we've got this."
The other women nod sagely and for the first time in nearly a month, Conner feels like he isn't walking towards a messy and unpleasant breakup.
*
“Kim! And Kat!” Tommy sounds surprised and pleased. “Come on in, make yourselves at home.” He swings the door wide and Conner freezes in the middle of clearing the table.
He watches is horror as the two women walk in and take Tommy at his word, settling themselves on the love seat. It’s been a long, long two weeks since he had his own personal moment of weakness and he had started to hope that maybe, just maybe, the girls would decided to ignore it. The way he begged them to. But if Kim and Kat were here then...
No sooner has he thought it than the bell rings again.
Tommy gets up, looking faintly puzzled and answers it again. "Hayley! What a surprise," he says faintly, his eyes flicking to Conner.
She ignores him as she breezes into the room. "Oh good. You're already here. That means all we need is..."
"Me," Kira says from the still open doorway. "You can close the door now, Dr. O., we're all here now."
Tommy closes it slowly, giving Conner an expressive look. "Why do I feel like I'm the only one surprised by this gathering?"
"Oh, no," Kat says with a smile. "Conner was in the dark on this too."
"Well, as in the dark as someone who reaches out to other people and then dodges all their calls and emails can be," Kira clarifies, with an expressive look of her own.
Conner clears his throat a tad awkwardly. He opens his mouth, but Kira stops him with an upraised hand. "No. Anything you say will just makes things tens times worse." She turns to Tommy, eyes narrowed. "Same goes for you, Dr. O."
"Kira," Hayley says, her voice tinged with amusement and the hint of warning.
Kira lifts a shoulder. "You got to be firm with them," she says by way of explanation.
Kim lets out a snort of laughter. "I knew I always liked you."
"Why are you here again?" Tommy asks.
Conner sort of wishes he could just disappear and not have to be around for the rest of this. But, of course, that doesn't happen. Instead he has to stand there listen to Kira say, "Because Conner sucks at this, that's why."
Tommy looks sort of ill. "What's going on, babe?"
"I, uh," Conner looks at the floor.
"Oh Christ, you're dumping me. Aren't you?" Tommy's voice is panicked. "Damnit, Conner. Don't do this. I know you haven't been happy lately, but don't do this. We can fix things, I swear we can." He dashes a hand through his hair. "Is that why they are here? In case I fall apart and need putting back together?"
Conner's jaw drops. "No! You got it all wrong. Dude, Tommy, I'm not breaking up with you. I'm asking you to marry me." He pulls out the box that has been living in his pocket for the last four months and sheepishly hands it over. "I love you, dumbass. And I want to be with you forever."
Tommy doesn't say a word, just crosses the room, tugs Conner into his arms and kisses him like there's no tomorrow. And suddenly Conner doesn't think he sucks at this at all.
Fandom: Power Rangers
Pairings: Conner/Tommy
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1390
Summary: "Why are you here again?" Tommy asks.
Conner sort of wishes he could just disappear and not have to be around for the rest of this. But, of course, that doesn't happen. Instead he has to stand there listen to Kira say, "Because Conner sucks at this, that's why."
A/N: Written for second_batgirl for V.day; set in Unexpected 'Verse.
"Why do you want to go to Angel Grove?" Tommy asks, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl firmly in place. "You don't know anyone there."
Conner gives him a dirty look. "It's your high school reunion," he snaps. "Why do you think I want to go."
Tommy rolls his eyes. "High school reunions suck. Trust me, when you're old enough to go to one you'll understand."
"Are you going?"
Tommy nods.
"Then I'm going."
Tommy's scowl gets angrier. "No, you aren't. And that's the final."
Conner lets out a long, angry sigh. Then he nods, giving up the fight. There will be a better time and place. And, hell, he doesn't even want to go to his own high school reunion. So he can't say that Tommy doesn't have a point.
*
"I thought you said we were going somewhere romantic," Tommy says and Conner is hard pressed not to snap that it is romantic, damn it.
Instead he smiles tightly and says, "This is where we had our first kiss, remember?"
Tommy's brow crinkles in the way that it does when he's trying really, really hard to say something he'll regret. "Oh."
"Yeah. I thought..." Conner sighs. This isn't going to work. "Never mind. Want to catch a MMA fight? I'll order pizza and we can try out that pumpkin ale I bought last week."
"Sounds good." Tommy slings an arm over Conner's shoulders and plants a loud smack of a kiss on his cheek. "You're a softie," he teases as they head back to the car.
Conner doesn’t feel much like a softie, though.
*
"Conner! What are you doing here?" Tommy's voice is surprised, almost too surprised.
Conner grins in spite of it and says, "Came to pick up you up for a hot night on the town. You interested?"
Tommy grimaces and looks over his shoulder. Conner looks over it too and sees nothing worth looking at. He frowns as Tommy returns his attention to him. "I'm sorry, babe. I've got plans."
"You got plans?"
"Yeah."
Conner waits for Tommy to elaborate. When he doesn't, Conner sort of loses it. "Dude, I just drove three hours to get here. And all you can say is 'you've got plans.' What the fuck is that about?"
"Hey, you didn't say you were coming." Tommy's hands go up defensively. "If I had known I would have fit you into my schedule. But I didn't. You never said a thing about meeting me at this conference. So I made other plans. It's not a crime, Conner."
It takes all of his restraint not to point that a surprise, by definition, is not something you plan out. Instead he says, "Whatever," spins on his heel and stomps back towards his car.
"Conner, stop." Tommy sounds pissed, but Conner ignores him. If he really wanted Conner to stop, he could do something to make him.
Conner shoves his hand deep into his pocket, making a fist around the gift box inside of it. His head hurts as he thinks about the table for two he booked at that waterfront restaurant Kira had raved about. He thinks about the carefully crafted speech he had planned. And he think about the two other times he hasn't been given the chance to say it. "Something's got to change," he says to himself as he angrily unlocks his door. He slams it behind him and peals out.
*
Conner isn't good at being a boyfriend. He knows this. And normally, not to be an ass or anything, he just doesn't care. Because, well... Being a boyfriend isn't really something he wants to be. He likes it when he is, but he's not crying in his soup when he's not. But this time, well, this time it's different.
Because this time instead of being in a "I like kissing you but I can totally find someone else with nicer arms and less Daddy issues" head-space, he's in a "damn, I want this forever" place. And while that is pretty damn awesome, it is also pretty damn scary. Which is why he is here, sitting at this tiny little table with a cup of tea clasped in his hands and trying to explain things to four of the most terrifying women in history.
He finishes up spilling all of his secrets and then stares down at the table, wondering why his heart isn't on the table alongside the finger sandwiches and crumpets. A soft touch on his arm has him glancing up in Kira's worried-but-smiling face.
"Don't worry," she says, "we've got this."
The other women nod sagely and for the first time in nearly a month, Conner feels like he isn't walking towards a messy and unpleasant breakup.
*
“Kim! And Kat!” Tommy sounds surprised and pleased. “Come on in, make yourselves at home.” He swings the door wide and Conner freezes in the middle of clearing the table.
He watches is horror as the two women walk in and take Tommy at his word, settling themselves on the love seat. It’s been a long, long two weeks since he had his own personal moment of weakness and he had started to hope that maybe, just maybe, the girls would decided to ignore it. The way he begged them to. But if Kim and Kat were here then...
No sooner has he thought it than the bell rings again.
Tommy gets up, looking faintly puzzled and answers it again. "Hayley! What a surprise," he says faintly, his eyes flicking to Conner.
She ignores him as she breezes into the room. "Oh good. You're already here. That means all we need is..."
"Me," Kira says from the still open doorway. "You can close the door now, Dr. O., we're all here now."
Tommy closes it slowly, giving Conner an expressive look. "Why do I feel like I'm the only one surprised by this gathering?"
"Oh, no," Kat says with a smile. "Conner was in the dark on this too."
"Well, as in the dark as someone who reaches out to other people and then dodges all their calls and emails can be," Kira clarifies, with an expressive look of her own.
Conner clears his throat a tad awkwardly. He opens his mouth, but Kira stops him with an upraised hand. "No. Anything you say will just makes things tens times worse." She turns to Tommy, eyes narrowed. "Same goes for you, Dr. O."
"Kira," Hayley says, her voice tinged with amusement and the hint of warning.
Kira lifts a shoulder. "You got to be firm with them," she says by way of explanation.
Kim lets out a snort of laughter. "I knew I always liked you."
"Why are you here again?" Tommy asks.
Conner sort of wishes he could just disappear and not have to be around for the rest of this. But, of course, that doesn't happen. Instead he has to stand there listen to Kira say, "Because Conner sucks at this, that's why."
Tommy looks sort of ill. "What's going on, babe?"
"I, uh," Conner looks at the floor.
"Oh Christ, you're dumping me. Aren't you?" Tommy's voice is panicked. "Damnit, Conner. Don't do this. I know you haven't been happy lately, but don't do this. We can fix things, I swear we can." He dashes a hand through his hair. "Is that why they are here? In case I fall apart and need putting back together?"
Conner's jaw drops. "No! You got it all wrong. Dude, Tommy, I'm not breaking up with you. I'm asking you to marry me." He pulls out the box that has been living in his pocket for the last four months and sheepishly hands it over. "I love you, dumbass. And I want to be with you forever."
Tommy doesn't say a word, just crosses the room, tugs Conner into his arms and kisses him like there's no tomorrow. And suddenly Conner doesn't think he sucks at this at all.