New Story--Glimpses (aka 'Under The Stars' prompt for Alpha's Magical Fic Exchange)
Story: Glimpses
Summary: Glimpses of loves found and lost on the Astro team over the years.
Chapter 1: Ashley & Andros
Description: Ashley takes Andros for a walk on the beach.
Rating: T (for later chapters)
Author Note: So this is my submission to Alpha's Magical Fic Exchange (hosted by prficathons) , for my snowflake, phantom_blue . While trying to decide which of her four prompts to write however, my brain turned it into a linked bunch of one-shots that ended up extending far beyond those four prompts. (In fact, I think I have somewhere around 11 or so planned thus far.) So, she will eventually get all of her prompts and more in what will be a big damn self-indulging fic. (Well, almost self-indulging? *giggles*)
So, I give you Glimpses, short stories from the lives of the Astro Rangers over the years. Yes, this is a 'how they all end up together' fic, cause I can't seem to come up with an *actual* plot for this to actually make sense. Expect lots of slash and polyamory to ensue. :D
Extra thanks to tsukino_akume for helping me get through this prompt.
Nights in Angel Grove were always more fun when you had someone to spend them with. Particularly when that someone was a stripey-haired alien who saw and appreciated everything on Earth in ways that Ashley had never stopped to think about. Earth had been all she had known up until a few months ago, but since going to space and meeting Andros, her perspective of her home had changed. She found herself looking at things the way Andros was seeing them and the "alien-ness" of Earth to him.
Nothing seemed too alien tonight, and for that, she was grateful. She hadn't wanted Andros to feel uncomfortable, but she wanted to take him somewhere she'd known for most of her life in return for him taking her to see Haley's Comet up close. The beach was more serene and private at night, and a perfect place for a evening stroll.
The last colors of dusk had long darkened and faded away, and the waning moon glistened on the waves crashing on the shore. After only a little prodding, she'd convinced Andros to take his shoes off and they'd wandered down the beach a good ways, before climbing onto a large rock when it obstructed their path.
Brushing the sand off her feet, Ashley glanced sideways at Andros. He had settled down on the rock beside her, and was leaning back on his elbows and gazing up at the sky.
The breeze teased his hair and she reached out to tuck the strays back. The motion caught his eye and he smiled at her as her fingers lightly brushed across his ear.
She must have stared a little too long, Andros's smile faded into a frown, and she blushed, looking away.
"No, I- What are you thinking about?" His voice sounded more amused than offended and Ashley felt a giggle bubble up within her.
"Isn't that my line?" She laughed and then blushed once more, twisting a piece of hair around her finger. "I was thinking about how pretty you look in the moonlight."
Even in the dim light, Ashley could see him blush as his gaze fell on the waves gently crashing against their rock. "I don't look any different than I do in the daytime."
"Well, you're pretty then too," she giggled. "I've just never seen you in the moonlight before. The soft lighting and the shadows make you even prettier."
If it was possible, Andros was blushing even more than before. He threw his gaze back upward as he whispered a barely heard, "Thanks."
Ashley smiled, and poked him. "So what were you thinking about, when you were looking at the sky a few minutes ago? You looked..." She shook her head fondly, searching for the right word. "Thoughtful... Peaceful."
He opened his mouth, about to answer, before closing it and looking at her. "I was thinking about home." He shrugged as he leaned back, once more scanning the sky. "The stars are so different here, it's a completely different sky."
"I guess I never really thought about that before," she replied. Letting her eyes rove across the sky, she tried to imagine looking up at a foreign starry sky on KO-35. "Did you stargaze a lot on KO-35?" she continued, leaning back next to him.
She felt him shrug. "When I was little. ...I loved looking at the stars. Used to do it all the time."
"Why'd you stop?" she asked gently.
"Karone."
"Oh," she whispered, as she sat up, crossing her legs under her. "I'm sorry."
Andros' lips quirked but he didn't say anything more.
For a long moment, they merely listened to the waves crashing onto the shore. Ashley had gone back to looking at the stars, searching for a constellation she recognized. She suddenly found herself wishing she'd taken that astronomy class with Cassie and Carlos last semester.
"At home we have names for different star groupings," Andros' soft voice broke through the serene atmosphere, but didn't disturb it.
"Constellations? That's what we call them here. We have them too. Most of them are named for their shape, or named after people." She shook her head and laughed. "Carlos pointed out several of them to me last year, but I couldn't find most of them."
She spotted the Big Dipper on the horizon, just starting to rise over the ocean, and tapped Andros on the leg before she pointed. "You see those stars over there?" She glanced back to see him nod, and continued, "That one's the Big Dipper-though I think it's supposed to be a bear, if I remember right. I've never been able to see the bear."
"I see it," he replied.
Ashley turned toward him. "What constellations do you know?"
"I don't know any of the ones in this galaxy," he admitted, glancing up at the stars. "But at home, we have ... " He stopped, a forlorn look flashing across his face, before he shook his head.
Ashley winced. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I just-"
"No, it's okay. I like this. It's...nice, out here with you."
"Really? It's not too..."
"It's beautiful. Peaceful. Reminds me of KO-35." He must have caught her chagrin, cause he leaned forward and put his hand on her knee.
"I *do* like this. I'm glad you brought me here."
Ashley smiled. "Do you wanna head back? The others are probably expecting us by now."
Andros nodded and pushed himself to his feet, turning to help Ashley up. Stepping down off of their rock, Andros threw one more look out at the horizon.
"Maybe someday I can show you the stars on KO-35."
Ashley's smile brightened, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Someday," she whispered, leaning her head onto his shoulder as they walked back down the beach.
The orange-tinted flash came moments later as they vanished, casting a glow on the rock now a good ways away, and then all was dark once more. The stars twinkled, and the warm glow of the moon reflected off the waves, ever crashing on the shore.
Summary: Glimpses of loves found and lost on the Astro team over the years.
Chapter 1: Ashley & Andros
Description: Ashley takes Andros for a walk on the beach.
Rating: T (for later chapters)
Author Note: So this is my submission to Alpha's Magical Fic Exchange (hosted by prficathons) , for my snowflake, phantom_blue . While trying to decide which of her four prompts to write however, my brain turned it into a linked bunch of one-shots that ended up extending far beyond those four prompts. (In fact, I think I have somewhere around 11 or so planned thus far.) So, she will eventually get all of her prompts and more in what will be a big damn self-indulging fic. (Well, almost self-indulging? *giggles*)
So, I give you Glimpses, short stories from the lives of the Astro Rangers over the years. Yes, this is a 'how they all end up together' fic, cause I can't seem to come up with an *actual* plot for this to actually make sense. Expect lots of slash and polyamory to ensue. :D
Extra thanks to tsukino_akume for helping me get through this prompt.
Nights in Angel Grove were always more fun when you had someone to spend them with. Particularly when that someone was a stripey-haired alien who saw and appreciated everything on Earth in ways that Ashley had never stopped to think about. Earth had been all she had known up until a few months ago, but since going to space and meeting Andros, her perspective of her home had changed. She found herself looking at things the way Andros was seeing them and the "alien-ness" of Earth to him.
Nothing seemed too alien tonight, and for that, she was grateful. She hadn't wanted Andros to feel uncomfortable, but she wanted to take him somewhere she'd known for most of her life in return for him taking her to see Haley's Comet up close. The beach was more serene and private at night, and a perfect place for a evening stroll.
The last colors of dusk had long darkened and faded away, and the waning moon glistened on the waves crashing on the shore. After only a little prodding, she'd convinced Andros to take his shoes off and they'd wandered down the beach a good ways, before climbing onto a large rock when it obstructed their path.
Brushing the sand off her feet, Ashley glanced sideways at Andros. He had settled down on the rock beside her, and was leaning back on his elbows and gazing up at the sky.
The breeze teased his hair and she reached out to tuck the strays back. The motion caught his eye and he smiled at her as her fingers lightly brushed across his ear.
She must have stared a little too long, Andros's smile faded into a frown, and she blushed, looking away.
"No, I- What are you thinking about?" His voice sounded more amused than offended and Ashley felt a giggle bubble up within her.
"Isn't that my line?" She laughed and then blushed once more, twisting a piece of hair around her finger. "I was thinking about how pretty you look in the moonlight."
Even in the dim light, Ashley could see him blush as his gaze fell on the waves gently crashing against their rock. "I don't look any different than I do in the daytime."
"Well, you're pretty then too," she giggled. "I've just never seen you in the moonlight before. The soft lighting and the shadows make you even prettier."
If it was possible, Andros was blushing even more than before. He threw his gaze back upward as he whispered a barely heard, "Thanks."
Ashley smiled, and poked him. "So what were you thinking about, when you were looking at the sky a few minutes ago? You looked..." She shook her head fondly, searching for the right word. "Thoughtful... Peaceful."
He opened his mouth, about to answer, before closing it and looking at her. "I was thinking about home." He shrugged as he leaned back, once more scanning the sky. "The stars are so different here, it's a completely different sky."
"I guess I never really thought about that before," she replied. Letting her eyes rove across the sky, she tried to imagine looking up at a foreign starry sky on KO-35. "Did you stargaze a lot on KO-35?" she continued, leaning back next to him.
She felt him shrug. "When I was little. ...I loved looking at the stars. Used to do it all the time."
"Why'd you stop?" she asked gently.
"Karone."
"Oh," she whispered, as she sat up, crossing her legs under her. "I'm sorry."
Andros' lips quirked but he didn't say anything more.
For a long moment, they merely listened to the waves crashing onto the shore. Ashley had gone back to looking at the stars, searching for a constellation she recognized. She suddenly found herself wishing she'd taken that astronomy class with Cassie and Carlos last semester.
"At home we have names for different star groupings," Andros' soft voice broke through the serene atmosphere, but didn't disturb it.
"Constellations? That's what we call them here. We have them too. Most of them are named for their shape, or named after people." She shook her head and laughed. "Carlos pointed out several of them to me last year, but I couldn't find most of them."
She spotted the Big Dipper on the horizon, just starting to rise over the ocean, and tapped Andros on the leg before she pointed. "You see those stars over there?" She glanced back to see him nod, and continued, "That one's the Big Dipper-though I think it's supposed to be a bear, if I remember right. I've never been able to see the bear."
"I see it," he replied.
Ashley turned toward him. "What constellations do you know?"
"I don't know any of the ones in this galaxy," he admitted, glancing up at the stars. "But at home, we have ... " He stopped, a forlorn look flashing across his face, before he shook his head.
Ashley winced. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I just-"
"No, it's okay. I like this. It's...nice, out here with you."
"Really? It's not too..."
"It's beautiful. Peaceful. Reminds me of KO-35." He must have caught her chagrin, cause he leaned forward and put his hand on her knee.
"I *do* like this. I'm glad you brought me here."
Ashley smiled. "Do you wanna head back? The others are probably expecting us by now."
Andros nodded and pushed himself to his feet, turning to help Ashley up. Stepping down off of their rock, Andros threw one more look out at the horizon.
"Maybe someday I can show you the stars on KO-35."
Ashley's smile brightened, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Someday," she whispered, leaning her head onto his shoulder as they walked back down the beach.
The orange-tinted flash came moments later as they vanished, casting a glow on the rock now a good ways away, and then all was dark once more. The stars twinkled, and the warm glow of the moon reflected off the waves, ever crashing on the shore.