Bright Skies (Multi - Season Crossover/Power Rangers, prompt #18: Joker, T)
Not sure how happy I am with this chapter, really. I can't find anything wrong with it, and I have no desire to change anything. But somehow I'm just not as ... pleased with how it came out. -Sighs- Hopefully the next will be better.
I'm also slightly bummed because no one caught on to the sub-plot that's going to be brought up here. I need to work on my sense of subtlety. Either no one gets it, or they tell me I'm being too obvious. -Mutters-
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/: #18: Joker
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
Author's Notes/: It came to my attention while writing this that not everyone knows what a bellyblaster is - or don't call it that. I also discovered it's very awkward to describe. -Looks sheepish- For the purpose of this story, a bellyblaster is when you put your mouth against someone's stomach and blow, which makes this whiny-fart noise out of the side of your mouth, and tickles the other person.
Wes sighed and flopped back on a bench, wiping his forehead tiredly. Attempting to corral a trio of three-year-olds and one two-year-old was exhausting, especially when you tried to combine them with the outdoors. Even dividing the kids between the two of them still left him ready for a nap.
Thankfully, they'd managed to get them all interested in the sandbox. At the same time, no less. As long as he kept an eye out to make sure no one ate anything they shouldn't, he could finally take a break for a few minutes.
He glanced wearily to his right as Rocky dropped down beside him, looking considerably less tired. In fact, he seemed almost amused. "I hate you," he announced flatly.
Rocky snorted. "Sure you do, Wes. Sure you do."
"Right now I do."
"I could always go home and just let you be," Rocky offered. "You can take care of all of them by yourself."
He reached out to grip the other man's sleeve. "Don't you dare," he warned.
Rocky grinned. "Nah, don't worry. I'm not that cruel." He paused for dramatic effect, then added "To the kids."
Wes swatted him absently.
They sat in comfortable silence for awhile, watching the four kids. Sky seemed to be sculpting something, staring very intently at his project with the tip of his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth. Sydney was digging in the sand for no apparent reason, while Bridge seemed more than happy to help her do ... whatever it was she was doing. Elizabeth was working on her own project not far from Sky. After a moment she frowned, and a second Elizabeth began to pack in sand from the other side.
Wes suppressed a wince, his eyes darting around quickly to see if anyone had noticed the sudden addition of a twin to their little group. He slowly relaxed when no one appeared to have seen. They'd still have to talk to the kids about using their abilities in public again, though.
"Still dealing with it?"
He stiffened. "What?"
Rocky was watching him out of the corner of his eye. "You're still dealing with the kids," he repeated. His expression was almost completely closed off, something Wes had never seen on Rocky. "You still haven't accepted what they are and what they can do."
Wes closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing hard. At last he gave up, leaning forward to bury his face in his hands. "Everyone says Adam's the smart one," he muttered at last. It was the closest to an open admission he was willing to give.
"Adam *is* the smart one. I'm the observant one."
He didn't know how to answer that.
After a moment, there was a hand on his shoulder. "Your file says you fought mutants from the future in 2001," Rocky said quietly.
He took a deep breath. "I did."
"They're not the same thing."
His fists clenched. "I know they're not," he hissed, trying to hold back a sudden surge of anger. "I know there's a difference! But ... " He made a frustrated noise, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I try to remind myself of that every day," he said at last, keeping his voice deliberately soft. "I keep trying to make myself thinking of them like Katie, not like the criminals we were arresting. I know it's not they're fault that they're special, that they can do any of this. And I'm *trying*. I don't *like* feeling this way about my own son, Rocky."
To his surprise, the hand squeezed comfortingly. "I know you don't. That's why you're always fighting with yourself about it, because you feel guilty for having an issue with it. But it's really not your fault, Wes. You became a Ranger believing that mutants are your enemy. And now that you have to see them in a different light, it's not gonna happen overnight. There's nothing wrong with that."
"It's been three years. I should have gotten over this by now."
"Prejudice doesn't end overnight."
"It should," he grumbled, and he didn't care that it sounded unreasonable.
There was another long silence, and he lifted his head just enough to rest his chin in his hands. The kids were still all playing happily together. The other three hadn't even acknowledged the sudden appearance of Elizabeth's clone, just treated her as one of them. But then they had never been told that any of them were anything *less* than normal.
The only person that still had trouble believing that seemed to be him.
"You hear any news about Jaz yet?" he asked finally, pushing the thought away for now.
Rocky shook his head. "T.J. said nothing’s shown up yet. Kat keeps swearing it will, but so far he’s a pretty normal kid."
Wes smirked faintly. "As normal as he’s gonna get?"
Rocky laughed at that. "Yeah. I gotta admit, I’m kinda curious to know if he’ll end up like Teej, or more like his mom."
"Heaven forbid," Wes snorted, amused. "I don’t think T.J. could handle another Litania."
"That woman is one of a kind," Rocky agreed, smiling. "I used to wonder if T.J. would ever meet the right girl, let alone one that his team would actually approve of. Guess transferring to Japan was the right choice for him after all."
"Does Cassie know that?" Wes asked with a grin. "She’d never let him hear the end of it, after he kept using her as an excuse."
"Probably. And yet here we are, a couple years later, talking about T.J. and his family." Rocky’s smile turned fond. "It’s good to know he finally found what he was looking for."
Wes shook his head with a chuckle. "Litania’s definitely something special."
"Maybe he’ll get lucky and the new baby will end up just like her."
"Now that’s just cruel and unusual punishment."
"It’s T.J."
Wes paused, considering that, and shuddered. "Good thing they live over there and not here, then."
They heard a loud squeal from the sandbox, as Sydney threw a fistful of sand at one of the Elizabeths. The older girl glared and reached for her shovel. Wes started to move to intercede, but Bridge was suddenly waving something that he’d found in the air, distracting them both.
Sky, meanwhile, continued to ignore them all as his own sand pile grew.
"You ever wonder about Sydney?" Rocky asked. "I mean … " He shifted, looking uncomfortable.
Wes sighed, glancing at him with a slight shrug. "Who doesn’t? I think Ryan shocked everyone when he brought Nichole in."
"I’m not talking about Ryan introducing her," Rocky said quietly.
Wes sighed again, looking down at his hands. The day Ryan had walked into S.P.D. to introduce his pregnant girlfriend to Dana had stunned everyone; no one had even known he *had* a girlfriend. But the thing that Wes remembered most, and what he knew Rocky was referring to, was the way Carter had reacted to her.
They’d all wondered at some point or another about the tight friendship between Ryan and Carter. Sometimes it seemed that Carter was closer to Ryan than Dana, his own wife. It had surprised everyone when Carter hadn’t known Ryan had a girlfriend either, and he’d reacted with open hostility toward her.
Ryan and Nicole’s relationship had ended not long afterwards.
While they stayed in contact, Ryan was the one with custody of Sydney. It had been more than a bit of a shock to see Ryan as a single parent, and loving every minute of it. Nicole kept visitation rights, and she seemed content with that.
Things had been noticeably tense between Ryan, Carter, and Dana ever since.
At last Wes shrugged. "There’s not really anything we can do, except hope that they work out whatever’s going on between the three of them." He gave him a slight smile. "We can’t all be as understanding as the four of you."
Rocky grinned back. "What can I say? We are the perfect family situation," he boasted.
Wes swung at him halfheartedly.
They went back to watching the four kids again in silence. Wes studied them all, the way Bridge seemed to have a natural way to break up arguments between the girls. The way Elizabeth was already showing signs of her mother’s confident attitude, and even hints of the superior intelligence of both her parents. Sydney was only two, but she had a heart of gold and a beautiful smile, as well as Ryan wrapped utterly and completely around her tiny fingers. And then there was Sky, who when he wasn’t single-mindedly focused on something, seemed to hover between being one of them, and treating them all like pests. Vanessa claimed he had an overdeveloped ‘big brother complex’, which Wes had doubts about finding in a three-year-old.
But sometimes the four of them almost seemed to have a natural bond between them. He couldn’t exactly describe it, but he felt like there was something under the surface that wasn’t so easy to see. It sort of made him wonder if …
"Are you scared of the future, Rocky?" he asked suddenly, his voice barely a whisper.
The answer was immediate. "Terrified."
He glanced at him.
Rocky sighed. "You know, it's usually easy to pretend something doesn't matter to me. I can play off just about anything: my Ranger career, giving up my Powers, my relationship with Adam, when my family found out I'm gay ... But Bridge ... I can't pretend there's anything funny about Bridge."
Wes snorted in spite of himself. "That's odd - he's got your smile. And that weird way he laughs at nothing."
Rocky looked at him for a long moment, for a split second he thought he wasn't going to accept the change of subject. But then he humphed. "That's because he can see the humor in life. Unlike Sky, who takes everything too seriously."
"Hey, that's Nes' doing, not mine."
"As his father, it's your duty to correct that way of thinking," Rocky scolded.
Wes gave him an incredulous look. "How am I supposed to do that?"
Rocky grinned. "Easy." He stood, rubbing his hands together with an evil chuckle. Then he marched over to the sandbox, looming over Bridge. He reached down right as Bridge looked up, blinking, and seized him by the waist. Lifting him in the air, he quickly flipped the boy over, dangling his head above the sand.
Bridge squealed and giggled in delight.
"What in the world are you doing?" Wes demanded as he joined them at last, shaking his head in amusement.
"Daddy's helpin' blood go in my brain," Bridge volunteered, grinning wildly up at him. "He's makin' me smarterer!"
Sky snorted. "S'not gonna make you smarterer, dummy. Books make people smart."
Wes eyed his son. "Oh, I don't know Buddy," he commented, casually moving closer to him. "Maybe Rocky and Bridge have the right idea. We could always try it out on you and see."
Sky froze for a split second, and bolted.
Wes ran after him, easily catching his son and pulling him down on top of him as he tickled. Sky shrieked and laughed, squirming to get away. "Daddy!" he howled.
He gave him a bellyblaster.
Rocky may be the observant one, but he was still the funny one, too. And maybe he was right. Maybe he was overthinking it.
Sky struggled and nearly kicked him in the groin, and he gave him another blaster in retaliation.
I'm also slightly bummed because no one caught on to the sub-plot that's going to be brought up here. I need to work on my sense of subtlety. Either no one gets it, or they tell me I'm being too obvious. -Mutters-
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/: #18: Joker
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
Author's Notes/: It came to my attention while writing this that not everyone knows what a bellyblaster is - or don't call it that. I also discovered it's very awkward to describe. -Looks sheepish- For the purpose of this story, a bellyblaster is when you put your mouth against someone's stomach and blow, which makes this whiny-fart noise out of the side of your mouth, and tickles the other person.
Wes sighed and flopped back on a bench, wiping his forehead tiredly. Attempting to corral a trio of three-year-olds and one two-year-old was exhausting, especially when you tried to combine them with the outdoors. Even dividing the kids between the two of them still left him ready for a nap.
Thankfully, they'd managed to get them all interested in the sandbox. At the same time, no less. As long as he kept an eye out to make sure no one ate anything they shouldn't, he could finally take a break for a few minutes.
He glanced wearily to his right as Rocky dropped down beside him, looking considerably less tired. In fact, he seemed almost amused. "I hate you," he announced flatly.
Rocky snorted. "Sure you do, Wes. Sure you do."
"Right now I do."
"I could always go home and just let you be," Rocky offered. "You can take care of all of them by yourself."
He reached out to grip the other man's sleeve. "Don't you dare," he warned.
Rocky grinned. "Nah, don't worry. I'm not that cruel." He paused for dramatic effect, then added "To the kids."
Wes swatted him absently.
They sat in comfortable silence for awhile, watching the four kids. Sky seemed to be sculpting something, staring very intently at his project with the tip of his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth. Sydney was digging in the sand for no apparent reason, while Bridge seemed more than happy to help her do ... whatever it was she was doing. Elizabeth was working on her own project not far from Sky. After a moment she frowned, and a second Elizabeth began to pack in sand from the other side.
Wes suppressed a wince, his eyes darting around quickly to see if anyone had noticed the sudden addition of a twin to their little group. He slowly relaxed when no one appeared to have seen. They'd still have to talk to the kids about using their abilities in public again, though.
"Still dealing with it?"
He stiffened. "What?"
Rocky was watching him out of the corner of his eye. "You're still dealing with the kids," he repeated. His expression was almost completely closed off, something Wes had never seen on Rocky. "You still haven't accepted what they are and what they can do."
Wes closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing hard. At last he gave up, leaning forward to bury his face in his hands. "Everyone says Adam's the smart one," he muttered at last. It was the closest to an open admission he was willing to give.
"Adam *is* the smart one. I'm the observant one."
He didn't know how to answer that.
After a moment, there was a hand on his shoulder. "Your file says you fought mutants from the future in 2001," Rocky said quietly.
He took a deep breath. "I did."
"They're not the same thing."
His fists clenched. "I know they're not," he hissed, trying to hold back a sudden surge of anger. "I know there's a difference! But ... " He made a frustrated noise, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I try to remind myself of that every day," he said at last, keeping his voice deliberately soft. "I keep trying to make myself thinking of them like Katie, not like the criminals we were arresting. I know it's not they're fault that they're special, that they can do any of this. And I'm *trying*. I don't *like* feeling this way about my own son, Rocky."
To his surprise, the hand squeezed comfortingly. "I know you don't. That's why you're always fighting with yourself about it, because you feel guilty for having an issue with it. But it's really not your fault, Wes. You became a Ranger believing that mutants are your enemy. And now that you have to see them in a different light, it's not gonna happen overnight. There's nothing wrong with that."
"It's been three years. I should have gotten over this by now."
"Prejudice doesn't end overnight."
"It should," he grumbled, and he didn't care that it sounded unreasonable.
There was another long silence, and he lifted his head just enough to rest his chin in his hands. The kids were still all playing happily together. The other three hadn't even acknowledged the sudden appearance of Elizabeth's clone, just treated her as one of them. But then they had never been told that any of them were anything *less* than normal.
The only person that still had trouble believing that seemed to be him.
"You hear any news about Jaz yet?" he asked finally, pushing the thought away for now.
Rocky shook his head. "T.J. said nothing’s shown up yet. Kat keeps swearing it will, but so far he’s a pretty normal kid."
Wes smirked faintly. "As normal as he’s gonna get?"
Rocky laughed at that. "Yeah. I gotta admit, I’m kinda curious to know if he’ll end up like Teej, or more like his mom."
"Heaven forbid," Wes snorted, amused. "I don’t think T.J. could handle another Litania."
"That woman is one of a kind," Rocky agreed, smiling. "I used to wonder if T.J. would ever meet the right girl, let alone one that his team would actually approve of. Guess transferring to Japan was the right choice for him after all."
"Does Cassie know that?" Wes asked with a grin. "She’d never let him hear the end of it, after he kept using her as an excuse."
"Probably. And yet here we are, a couple years later, talking about T.J. and his family." Rocky’s smile turned fond. "It’s good to know he finally found what he was looking for."
Wes shook his head with a chuckle. "Litania’s definitely something special."
"Maybe he’ll get lucky and the new baby will end up just like her."
"Now that’s just cruel and unusual punishment."
"It’s T.J."
Wes paused, considering that, and shuddered. "Good thing they live over there and not here, then."
They heard a loud squeal from the sandbox, as Sydney threw a fistful of sand at one of the Elizabeths. The older girl glared and reached for her shovel. Wes started to move to intercede, but Bridge was suddenly waving something that he’d found in the air, distracting them both.
Sky, meanwhile, continued to ignore them all as his own sand pile grew.
"You ever wonder about Sydney?" Rocky asked. "I mean … " He shifted, looking uncomfortable.
Wes sighed, glancing at him with a slight shrug. "Who doesn’t? I think Ryan shocked everyone when he brought Nichole in."
"I’m not talking about Ryan introducing her," Rocky said quietly.
Wes sighed again, looking down at his hands. The day Ryan had walked into S.P.D. to introduce his pregnant girlfriend to Dana had stunned everyone; no one had even known he *had* a girlfriend. But the thing that Wes remembered most, and what he knew Rocky was referring to, was the way Carter had reacted to her.
They’d all wondered at some point or another about the tight friendship between Ryan and Carter. Sometimes it seemed that Carter was closer to Ryan than Dana, his own wife. It had surprised everyone when Carter hadn’t known Ryan had a girlfriend either, and he’d reacted with open hostility toward her.
Ryan and Nicole’s relationship had ended not long afterwards.
While they stayed in contact, Ryan was the one with custody of Sydney. It had been more than a bit of a shock to see Ryan as a single parent, and loving every minute of it. Nicole kept visitation rights, and she seemed content with that.
Things had been noticeably tense between Ryan, Carter, and Dana ever since.
At last Wes shrugged. "There’s not really anything we can do, except hope that they work out whatever’s going on between the three of them." He gave him a slight smile. "We can’t all be as understanding as the four of you."
Rocky grinned back. "What can I say? We are the perfect family situation," he boasted.
Wes swung at him halfheartedly.
They went back to watching the four kids again in silence. Wes studied them all, the way Bridge seemed to have a natural way to break up arguments between the girls. The way Elizabeth was already showing signs of her mother’s confident attitude, and even hints of the superior intelligence of both her parents. Sydney was only two, but she had a heart of gold and a beautiful smile, as well as Ryan wrapped utterly and completely around her tiny fingers. And then there was Sky, who when he wasn’t single-mindedly focused on something, seemed to hover between being one of them, and treating them all like pests. Vanessa claimed he had an overdeveloped ‘big brother complex’, which Wes had doubts about finding in a three-year-old.
But sometimes the four of them almost seemed to have a natural bond between them. He couldn’t exactly describe it, but he felt like there was something under the surface that wasn’t so easy to see. It sort of made him wonder if …
"Are you scared of the future, Rocky?" he asked suddenly, his voice barely a whisper.
The answer was immediate. "Terrified."
He glanced at him.
Rocky sighed. "You know, it's usually easy to pretend something doesn't matter to me. I can play off just about anything: my Ranger career, giving up my Powers, my relationship with Adam, when my family found out I'm gay ... But Bridge ... I can't pretend there's anything funny about Bridge."
Wes snorted in spite of himself. "That's odd - he's got your smile. And that weird way he laughs at nothing."
Rocky looked at him for a long moment, for a split second he thought he wasn't going to accept the change of subject. But then he humphed. "That's because he can see the humor in life. Unlike Sky, who takes everything too seriously."
"Hey, that's Nes' doing, not mine."
"As his father, it's your duty to correct that way of thinking," Rocky scolded.
Wes gave him an incredulous look. "How am I supposed to do that?"
Rocky grinned. "Easy." He stood, rubbing his hands together with an evil chuckle. Then he marched over to the sandbox, looming over Bridge. He reached down right as Bridge looked up, blinking, and seized him by the waist. Lifting him in the air, he quickly flipped the boy over, dangling his head above the sand.
Bridge squealed and giggled in delight.
"What in the world are you doing?" Wes demanded as he joined them at last, shaking his head in amusement.
"Daddy's helpin' blood go in my brain," Bridge volunteered, grinning wildly up at him. "He's makin' me smarterer!"
Sky snorted. "S'not gonna make you smarterer, dummy. Books make people smart."
Wes eyed his son. "Oh, I don't know Buddy," he commented, casually moving closer to him. "Maybe Rocky and Bridge have the right idea. We could always try it out on you and see."
Sky froze for a split second, and bolted.
Wes ran after him, easily catching his son and pulling him down on top of him as he tickled. Sky shrieked and laughed, squirming to get away. "Daddy!" he howled.
He gave him a bellyblaster.
Rocky may be the observant one, but he was still the funny one, too. And maybe he was right. Maybe he was overthinking it.
Sky struggled and nearly kicked him in the groin, and he gave him another blaster in retaliation.