The Path of Least Resistance, by scifislasher, Jack/Sky/Bridge
Title: The Path of Least Resistance
Author: scifislasher
Rating: G
Relationship: Jack/Sky/Bridge
List of 22: Animals.
“Why not?”
“Because we are not having something that looks a giant spider in the apartment, that’s why.”
“But--”
“No, Bridge.”
“Jack--” Bridge tried, appealing to the third member of their trio.
“Sorry, I’m with Sky on this one. No bugs. And why are we even having this conversation? We don’t need a pet.”
“But--”
“We don’t.”
“Okay, so no bugs, but what about a dog?”
“No.”
“Sky! Why not?”
“Because dogs take work and none of us has the time. Besides it’ll just stay cooped up in the apartment all day, which wouldn’t be fair. Anyway, I agree with Jack, we don’t need a pet.”
“What about a cat?”
Jack frowned as Sky went from ally to wavering, his formerly certain expression disappearing as he bit his lip slightly. He gave Bridge an accusing look. “Now look what you’ve done,” he said. “He wants one now.” Instead of denying it, Sky looked vaguely guilty.
“Cats aren’t a lot of work, Jack,” he pointed out.
Jack scowled and folded his arms. “No.”
“Why not?” This time it wasn’t Bridge.
“Because. They’re expensive, you know, all that food and shots and stuff. Not to mention the fact that they bite, and they have fleas and everything.”
“You can get stuff for that.”
“Ex-pen-sive. None of our wages are that great, you know.”
“Jack--”
“No. And that’s final.” Turning away from the pet store in the shopping centre, Jack headed towards the grocery store, foot firmly down on the subject.
***
A couple of months after the incident, Jack was just kicking his shoes off when there was a quiet murmur from the living room. His eyebrows rose slightly as he noted that for once both Sky and Bridge were home before he was, then he frowned as his ears picked up the gentle cooing noises also coming from the living room. What was going on?
He walked through the wall in an attempt to catch the two off guard, but all he got for his trouble were two startled exclamations and a shield flying towards him that disappeared just before impact as Sky realised who it was.
“Jesus, Sky, watch what you’re doing with those things. Who did you think it was?”
Sky winced a little. “Sorry. Wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”
“Sky, it’s half six, what’s ‘soon’ about it?”
“Half six?” Both Bridge and Sky glanced at the small wall clock in surprise. “Oh yeah.”
“So. What’s going on in here?”
“Nothing.”
“What makes you think there’s something going on?”
“Why would we be doing anything--”
“We’re only--”
“Quiet!” Jack bellowed over the sudden dissembling and he was treated to two pairs of distinctly guilty-looking blue eyes. “Okay, shall we try that again?”
“Nothing.”
“Really.”
“Honestly, there’s nothing…”
“Ah ah ah. Enough! Bridge, what are you trying to keep under the sofa?”
Bridge’s foot froze mid-poke. “Um, nothing.”
Jack raised an eyebrow.
“Really.”
There was a moment of silence as Jack regarded his two definitely guilty-looking lovers, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He didn’t have to wait long as, into the heavily charged silence, there came a faint ‘mew’.
“What was that?” he asked, voice carefully even. They hadn’t, he told himself firmly. They hadn’t.
The pair winced. “Um… a kitten?” Sky offered awkwardly.
They had.
“Why is there a kitten in our apartment?”
The red and blue rangers exchanged looks and that was followed by more bouts of them talking over each other, until finally Sky got to the point. “Look, she’s had her shots already, she doesn’t have fleas and she’s already house-trained. Why not?”
Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Jeez, Sky, why don’t you just try ‘she followed me home, can I keep her?’”
Sky folded his arms in defiance, but didn’t deign to grace the comment with a reply.
“Come on, Jack, what’s not to like?” Bridge asked into the quiet. “She’s really adorable, see?”
Jack turned away before he could set eyes on the thing as Bridge picked it up. “Yeah, they’re cute ’til they grow up and then they start biting you and everything.”
“You’re really hung up on that, aren’t you?” Sky commented. “They’re not that bad.”
Jack sniffed derisively. Obviously Sky had never gotten on the wrong side of one in dark alleys. He’d learned to stay away from feral animals, both Terran and alien, because they were crazy, and if Sky and Bridge thought they could just--
“Come on, Jack,” Bridge repeated. “She’s here already.”
Jack glanced across at the former green ranger, blue eyes brimming with innocence, and down at the creature in his hands. Scrawny, with big, big eyes, it was kinda cute and--
“Damn it!”
He shouldn’t have looked. Those big, big eyes practically begged ‘love me’ and they easily broke down his defences.
“Damn it,” he repeated, hands dropping to his sides in defeat. “Okay. Fine. You win. She stays.”
“Yes!” Bridge hissed in triumph, as he started a small impromptu dance in the middle of the room, kitten held firmly in his hands.
Sky simply smiled, a rare, truly happy smile and Jack knew he’d lost this argument before it had even begun.
“It’s not having a ridiculous name or anything. Nothing exotic, nothing sappy or fluffy or anything like that.”
“Don’t be stupid, Jack,” was Sky’s slightly offended response. “We were just talking about that when you came in.”
“Right. That’s why you were both on your knees with your asses in the air, making cooing noises.”
“We weren’t cooing.”
“Oh you so were.”
“Were not.”
“Were too.”
“Were not.”
“Guys, do you mind?” Bridge, ever the peacemaker, was giving them both equally stern looks and they subsided, Sky still muttering something under his breath, something Jack pretended he didn’t hear.
“Good. How about ‘Fidget’?”
“No!”
“No!”
Author: scifislasher
Rating: G
Relationship: Jack/Sky/Bridge
List of 22: Animals.
“Why not?”
“Because we are not having something that looks a giant spider in the apartment, that’s why.”
“But--”
“No, Bridge.”
“Jack--” Bridge tried, appealing to the third member of their trio.
“Sorry, I’m with Sky on this one. No bugs. And why are we even having this conversation? We don’t need a pet.”
“But--”
“We don’t.”
“Okay, so no bugs, but what about a dog?”
“No.”
“Sky! Why not?”
“Because dogs take work and none of us has the time. Besides it’ll just stay cooped up in the apartment all day, which wouldn’t be fair. Anyway, I agree with Jack, we don’t need a pet.”
“What about a cat?”
Jack frowned as Sky went from ally to wavering, his formerly certain expression disappearing as he bit his lip slightly. He gave Bridge an accusing look. “Now look what you’ve done,” he said. “He wants one now.” Instead of denying it, Sky looked vaguely guilty.
“Cats aren’t a lot of work, Jack,” he pointed out.
Jack scowled and folded his arms. “No.”
“Why not?” This time it wasn’t Bridge.
“Because. They’re expensive, you know, all that food and shots and stuff. Not to mention the fact that they bite, and they have fleas and everything.”
“You can get stuff for that.”
“Ex-pen-sive. None of our wages are that great, you know.”
“Jack--”
“No. And that’s final.” Turning away from the pet store in the shopping centre, Jack headed towards the grocery store, foot firmly down on the subject.
***
A couple of months after the incident, Jack was just kicking his shoes off when there was a quiet murmur from the living room. His eyebrows rose slightly as he noted that for once both Sky and Bridge were home before he was, then he frowned as his ears picked up the gentle cooing noises also coming from the living room. What was going on?
He walked through the wall in an attempt to catch the two off guard, but all he got for his trouble were two startled exclamations and a shield flying towards him that disappeared just before impact as Sky realised who it was.
“Jesus, Sky, watch what you’re doing with those things. Who did you think it was?”
Sky winced a little. “Sorry. Wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”
“Sky, it’s half six, what’s ‘soon’ about it?”
“Half six?” Both Bridge and Sky glanced at the small wall clock in surprise. “Oh yeah.”
“So. What’s going on in here?”
“Nothing.”
“What makes you think there’s something going on?”
“Why would we be doing anything--”
“We’re only--”
“Quiet!” Jack bellowed over the sudden dissembling and he was treated to two pairs of distinctly guilty-looking blue eyes. “Okay, shall we try that again?”
“Nothing.”
“Really.”
“Honestly, there’s nothing…”
“Ah ah ah. Enough! Bridge, what are you trying to keep under the sofa?”
Bridge’s foot froze mid-poke. “Um, nothing.”
Jack raised an eyebrow.
“Really.”
There was a moment of silence as Jack regarded his two definitely guilty-looking lovers, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He didn’t have to wait long as, into the heavily charged silence, there came a faint ‘mew’.
“What was that?” he asked, voice carefully even. They hadn’t, he told himself firmly. They hadn’t.
The pair winced. “Um… a kitten?” Sky offered awkwardly.
They had.
“Why is there a kitten in our apartment?”
The red and blue rangers exchanged looks and that was followed by more bouts of them talking over each other, until finally Sky got to the point. “Look, she’s had her shots already, she doesn’t have fleas and she’s already house-trained. Why not?”
Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Jeez, Sky, why don’t you just try ‘she followed me home, can I keep her?’”
Sky folded his arms in defiance, but didn’t deign to grace the comment with a reply.
“Come on, Jack, what’s not to like?” Bridge asked into the quiet. “She’s really adorable, see?”
Jack turned away before he could set eyes on the thing as Bridge picked it up. “Yeah, they’re cute ’til they grow up and then they start biting you and everything.”
“You’re really hung up on that, aren’t you?” Sky commented. “They’re not that bad.”
Jack sniffed derisively. Obviously Sky had never gotten on the wrong side of one in dark alleys. He’d learned to stay away from feral animals, both Terran and alien, because they were crazy, and if Sky and Bridge thought they could just--
“Come on, Jack,” Bridge repeated. “She’s here already.”
Jack glanced across at the former green ranger, blue eyes brimming with innocence, and down at the creature in his hands. Scrawny, with big, big eyes, it was kinda cute and--
“Damn it!”
He shouldn’t have looked. Those big, big eyes practically begged ‘love me’ and they easily broke down his defences.
“Damn it,” he repeated, hands dropping to his sides in defeat. “Okay. Fine. You win. She stays.”
“Yes!” Bridge hissed in triumph, as he started a small impromptu dance in the middle of the room, kitten held firmly in his hands.
Sky simply smiled, a rare, truly happy smile and Jack knew he’d lost this argument before it had even begun.
“It’s not having a ridiculous name or anything. Nothing exotic, nothing sappy or fluffy or anything like that.”
“Don’t be stupid, Jack,” was Sky’s slightly offended response. “We were just talking about that when you came in.”
“Right. That’s why you were both on your knees with your asses in the air, making cooing noises.”
“We weren’t cooing.”
“Oh you so were.”
“Were not.”
“Were too.”
“Were not.”
“Guys, do you mind?” Bridge, ever the peacemaker, was giving them both equally stern looks and they subsided, Sky still muttering something under his breath, something Jack pretended he didn’t hear.
“Good. How about ‘Fidget’?”
“No!”
“No!”