Bright Skies (Multi - Season Crossover/Power Rangers, prompt #81: Breakfast, T)
-Whining- Damn it. I needed to go to bed like, two hours ago. But the muses attacked. And they still don't want to leave. I wanna keep writing. Sleep isn't *that* important ... right?
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/: #81: Breakfast
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/: An effort to explain why B Squad went from being perfectly fine to at each other's throats in S.W.A.T. Which, admittedly, is an awesome set of episodes. Bridge being cute, and Cruger and Kat show vague hints of a relationship that's actually almost amusing and not just creepy. (The look she gave him when he told Z she fried the Quantum Enhancer was *priceless*. ^_^) And Sheep, 'cause phantom_blue wanted him in here.
(For those who are wondering, yes, Gracie is sadly no longer with Eric.)
"So, you know those B Squad Zords we were building?" Dustin began conversationally as he took a bite of his pancakes.
"You mean you finally finished them?" Eric asked dryly.
Dustin paused, blinking at him. "Yes and no, dude," he said finally.
"What he means is, we finished the Zords," Taylor broke in, rolling her eyes. "But that's not all we did."
"You didn't build another robot dog, did you?" Adam asked warily.
"Yeah, dude," Dustin returned, just as Taylor said "No." She rolled her eyes as he continued with "Why?"
"Yes he did, but that's not what we're talking about," Taylor informed them. She paused, making sure she had everyone's attention before she grinned. "We made them a Power-up."
Justin cleared his throat loudly, and Nerina frowned slightly.
"Well, us and Morpher Project," Dustin corrected. "But anyway, dudes, it's like, *totally* awesome!"
"But Jack already has a battlizer," Rocky pointed out.
"Exactly," Taylor agreed with satisfaction.
There was a pause as everyone just stared at her blankly.
She rolled her eyes again. "*Jack* has a battlizer. What about the rest of the team? It's about time someone who isn't wearing Red got a Power-up again, don't you think?"
Wes swallowed down his first response, his eyes flickering over Justin, Dustin, and Taylor each in turn. "Sounds like a great idea to me," he said finally, managing a smile. He elbowed Eric before he could make a comment.
"So, we made this super-cool Team Power-up, and dude, wait 'til you see the Zords," Dustin went on eagerly.
"They are pretty cool," Justin admitted, fighting a grin.
Wes laughed at him. "Your inner-geek is showing, Turbo."
He got a rude Aquitian hand sign in return.
"So, what are we going to have them do to earn it?" Zack asked, looking at them all.
"Earn it?" Wes echoed, giving the other man an odd look. "Why would they have to earn it?"
"We all had to earn our Power-ups," Shane pointed out.
Dustin frowned. "But dude, didn't Cam just - hey!" He glared at Shane as the other man stole his chocolate milk. "Dude, what was that for?"
Shane smiled at him innocently. "Yours looked better."
"Hey, Syd!" Adam called loudly, warning them all that they were no longer alone.
She barely stopped, glancing at the staff table distractedly. "Hi, Uncle Adam," she murmured, moving toward the buffet.
Wes raised his eyebrows as several others exchanged looks. "Is she okay?"
Rocky shrugged in response. "Who knows, man."
"Syd!" Z called as she walked in, sounding exasperated. "Would you wait up?"
"Everything okay, Z?" Justin asked as she started to pass him.
"Huh?" She paused, glancing at him, and blinked as she noticed how many people were looking at her curiously. "Oh. Uh, yeah. It's fine. Nothing to worry about."
Justin gave her a skeptical look.
She smiled a little. "It's fine, Dad. Really. I'll see you later, okay?" She leaned in to kiss his cheek before heading after her girlfriend.
Justin blinked for a moment, a hand going to his cheek. A slow smile spread across his face. "Okay," he murmured, despite the fact that she was already out of earshot.
"Are you sure you don't need aspirin or something Bridge?" Sky asked as he came in, trailing after his younger teammate. He still had his backpack slung over his left shoulder from spending the night at home, which meant he must have overslept again. Not that he'd ever admit it.
"I'm fine, Sky," Bridge sighed, one hand rubbing his forehead. "And I can't take aspirin, remember? It causes negative responses in my powers due to the chemicals affecting - "
"Right, sorry," Sky interrupted, cutting him off. "I forgot."
Bridge muttered something inaudible, waving absently at the staff table without actually looking as he headed for food.
Wes cleared his throat. "Morning, Sky."
"Morning, Dad. Morning, Eric," he answered without looking. Like the rest of his squad, he was too focused on the morning buffet to pay much attention.
Wes exchanged an amused look with Eric, who rolled his eyes.
Being that they couldn't talk about what was supposed to be a surprise at the moment, everyone busied themselves with small talk and eating. There was a moment to greet Jack as he entered, who seemed far more awake and less distracted than the rest of his Squad. If anything, the brief yawn as he waved was the only sign he gave of being anything less than, well, Jack.
So it came as a bit of a surprise when Jack suddenly yelled at the stop of his lungs and went scrambling back out of his chair.
"Sheep!" Sky gave his bag an exasperated look as the adults turned to see what was going on. "How did you get in there?" he demanded, carefully removing the small ball of black fuzz.
The tiny kitten stared at him with his usual pouty face and meowed loudly.
"Did you just call that cat Sheep?" Z asked, looking amused.
"Oh, he's so cute!" Syd cooed. "Can I pet him?"
Sky shrugged, moving slightly so Syd could reach out to pet the kitten without actually forcing him to hand him over. "He's Eric's. Dad got him for him. Don't ask me why he named him Sheep, it's his cat."
Yeah, Wes mused to himself, trying not to grin at the way Sky kept the kitten cradled carefully against his chest. Eric's. Right.
"Are you okay, Jack?" Bridge asked, looking warily at his squad leader.
Jack had backed away from them all, and was now hiding behind the barstool he'd been sitting on. "I-I'm fine," he stammered. "Just ... just keep that thing away from me!"
"What thing?" Syd wondered, scratching under Sheep's chin. "Oh, aren't you just the cutest?"
"That!" Jack pointed wildly at Sky.
Everyone looked down at the black fuzzball Sky was holding. "You mean Sheep?" Sky asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Cow, rooster, pig ... I don't care *what* you call that thing. Just get it out of here!"
"Jack ... " Syd tilted her head, looking amused. "Are you afraid of him or something?"
"Of course not!" Jack snapped back. "I just don't like cats, that's all!"
"But how can you hate that such a cute face?" Bridge wondered, leaning in to bump noses with Sheep. Sheep meowed again, and Jack shuddered.
Z paused, looking at Jack with an odd look in her eyes. "Sky, maybe you'd better take Dog somewhere else."
"His name is Sheep," Sky retorted. "It's not that hard to remember!"
"I don't care what it is, just get rid of it!" Jack shouted at him.
"Don't yell at me!"
"Guys, chill! It's not a big deal!" Syd protested.
"Look, can everyone just calm down?" Z demanded.
"Whatever," Sky snapped. "Fine. I'll take him home. Come on, Sheep," he muttered at the kitten, hitching it closer to his chest as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.
Sheep meowed.
"What was that about?" Syd asked Jack as soon as both Sky and Sheep were gone.
"I don't. Like. Cats," Jack ground out, still clutching the back of his chair.
"You gonna be okay, Jack?" Z asked carefully, reaching out slowly to put a hand on his arm.
He flinched away from her. "I'll be fine," he said after a moment. "I just ... let's just finish breakfast, okay?"
Syd frowned down at her food. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore," she murmured. "You guys finish without me. I'll catch up with you later."
Z looked up. "Syd, wait - " She growled in frustration as the blonde headed for the door, glancing back at Jack. "I gotta go. Call me if you need me, 'kay?" She went after Syd without bothering to wait for a response, shouting for her to wait.
Bridge looked up at Jack, who was slowly calming. "Toast?" he offered, holding out a plate.
Jack just looked at him. "Thanks, Bridge," he sighed.
The adults turned to look at one another. "So. More teamwork building?" Rocky suggested.
****
"So after all that, it turned out that Syd and Z were fighting because Syd was nervous about introducing Z to her mom?" Wes asked.
Sky nodded, still draped along the couch with Sheep curled up on his chest. He was *supposed* to be back at S.P.D. in an hour for curfew, but Wes wasn't exactly going to shove him out the door. "Something about wanting to officially have her mom meet her girlfriend, I guess. Anyway, she started nitpicking while she was trying to figure out how to ask Z about it, and Z took it as Syd trying to change her or something." He rolled his eyes. "So they were blowing the whole thing out of proportion. Again."
Wes fought back a smile. "And Jack?"
"Turns out he had a bad experience with a cat as a kid. He's scared to death of them. But since it's Jack, he'll never admit it," Sky explained, reaching up to scratch Sheep's head absently. He smiled faintly at the kitten as he began to purr. "I thought he was just being a jerk."
"And Bridge?" Wes asked, leaning over the back of the couch to stroke the kitten as well.
Sky shrugged a shoulder, frowning slightly. "I'm not really sure what his problem was. I know Jack said he and Bridge were talking the other night, which is why they've been so buddy-buddy the last couple days. But as for why he was being so testy, I really don't know."
"You think maybe he was reacting to the rest of you?"
Sky's frown deepened. "Maybe. That might explain all the weird questions. But it's not like he'd say anything if he was," he groused.
"True," Wes mused with a sigh. He kissed the top of Sky's head just because he could, ignoring the face he got in return as he continued to pet Sheep.
They both looked up at the bright flash of light.
Vanessa smirked at them, camera in hand. "Oh, that one's going on the wall in the lab at S.P.D. That was just *too* cute."
Wes looked at Sky. Sky's eyes flickered down to Sheep, and back to his father. Wes nodded, and stalked toward Vanessa.
"What are you two doing?"
"Eric, catch!" she called, tossing the camera moments before Wes reached her. "Adorably embarrassing pictures of Wes and Sky!"
Eric paused for a split second. Wes went after him, and he bolted.
"Don't let him get away, Dad!"
"Hide it, Eric!"
"Eric, give it back!"
"Gotta catch me first!"
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/: #81: Breakfast
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/: An effort to explain why B Squad went from being perfectly fine to at each other's throats in S.W.A.T. Which, admittedly, is an awesome set of episodes. Bridge being cute, and Cruger and Kat show vague hints of a relationship that's actually almost amusing and not just creepy. (The look she gave him when he told Z she fried the Quantum Enhancer was *priceless*. ^_^) And Sheep, 'cause phantom_blue wanted him in here.
(For those who are wondering, yes, Gracie is sadly no longer with Eric.)
"So, you know those B Squad Zords we were building?" Dustin began conversationally as he took a bite of his pancakes.
"You mean you finally finished them?" Eric asked dryly.
Dustin paused, blinking at him. "Yes and no, dude," he said finally.
"What he means is, we finished the Zords," Taylor broke in, rolling her eyes. "But that's not all we did."
"You didn't build another robot dog, did you?" Adam asked warily.
"Yeah, dude," Dustin returned, just as Taylor said "No." She rolled her eyes as he continued with "Why?"
"Yes he did, but that's not what we're talking about," Taylor informed them. She paused, making sure she had everyone's attention before she grinned. "We made them a Power-up."
Justin cleared his throat loudly, and Nerina frowned slightly.
"Well, us and Morpher Project," Dustin corrected. "But anyway, dudes, it's like, *totally* awesome!"
"But Jack already has a battlizer," Rocky pointed out.
"Exactly," Taylor agreed with satisfaction.
There was a pause as everyone just stared at her blankly.
She rolled her eyes again. "*Jack* has a battlizer. What about the rest of the team? It's about time someone who isn't wearing Red got a Power-up again, don't you think?"
Wes swallowed down his first response, his eyes flickering over Justin, Dustin, and Taylor each in turn. "Sounds like a great idea to me," he said finally, managing a smile. He elbowed Eric before he could make a comment.
"So, we made this super-cool Team Power-up, and dude, wait 'til you see the Zords," Dustin went on eagerly.
"They are pretty cool," Justin admitted, fighting a grin.
Wes laughed at him. "Your inner-geek is showing, Turbo."
He got a rude Aquitian hand sign in return.
"So, what are we going to have them do to earn it?" Zack asked, looking at them all.
"Earn it?" Wes echoed, giving the other man an odd look. "Why would they have to earn it?"
"We all had to earn our Power-ups," Shane pointed out.
Dustin frowned. "But dude, didn't Cam just - hey!" He glared at Shane as the other man stole his chocolate milk. "Dude, what was that for?"
Shane smiled at him innocently. "Yours looked better."
"Hey, Syd!" Adam called loudly, warning them all that they were no longer alone.
She barely stopped, glancing at the staff table distractedly. "Hi, Uncle Adam," she murmured, moving toward the buffet.
Wes raised his eyebrows as several others exchanged looks. "Is she okay?"
Rocky shrugged in response. "Who knows, man."
"Syd!" Z called as she walked in, sounding exasperated. "Would you wait up?"
"Everything okay, Z?" Justin asked as she started to pass him.
"Huh?" She paused, glancing at him, and blinked as she noticed how many people were looking at her curiously. "Oh. Uh, yeah. It's fine. Nothing to worry about."
Justin gave her a skeptical look.
She smiled a little. "It's fine, Dad. Really. I'll see you later, okay?" She leaned in to kiss his cheek before heading after her girlfriend.
Justin blinked for a moment, a hand going to his cheek. A slow smile spread across his face. "Okay," he murmured, despite the fact that she was already out of earshot.
"Are you sure you don't need aspirin or something Bridge?" Sky asked as he came in, trailing after his younger teammate. He still had his backpack slung over his left shoulder from spending the night at home, which meant he must have overslept again. Not that he'd ever admit it.
"I'm fine, Sky," Bridge sighed, one hand rubbing his forehead. "And I can't take aspirin, remember? It causes negative responses in my powers due to the chemicals affecting - "
"Right, sorry," Sky interrupted, cutting him off. "I forgot."
Bridge muttered something inaudible, waving absently at the staff table without actually looking as he headed for food.
Wes cleared his throat. "Morning, Sky."
"Morning, Dad. Morning, Eric," he answered without looking. Like the rest of his squad, he was too focused on the morning buffet to pay much attention.
Wes exchanged an amused look with Eric, who rolled his eyes.
Being that they couldn't talk about what was supposed to be a surprise at the moment, everyone busied themselves with small talk and eating. There was a moment to greet Jack as he entered, who seemed far more awake and less distracted than the rest of his Squad. If anything, the brief yawn as he waved was the only sign he gave of being anything less than, well, Jack.
So it came as a bit of a surprise when Jack suddenly yelled at the stop of his lungs and went scrambling back out of his chair.
"Sheep!" Sky gave his bag an exasperated look as the adults turned to see what was going on. "How did you get in there?" he demanded, carefully removing the small ball of black fuzz.
The tiny kitten stared at him with his usual pouty face and meowed loudly.
"Did you just call that cat Sheep?" Z asked, looking amused.
"Oh, he's so cute!" Syd cooed. "Can I pet him?"
Sky shrugged, moving slightly so Syd could reach out to pet the kitten without actually forcing him to hand him over. "He's Eric's. Dad got him for him. Don't ask me why he named him Sheep, it's his cat."
Yeah, Wes mused to himself, trying not to grin at the way Sky kept the kitten cradled carefully against his chest. Eric's. Right.
"Are you okay, Jack?" Bridge asked, looking warily at his squad leader.
Jack had backed away from them all, and was now hiding behind the barstool he'd been sitting on. "I-I'm fine," he stammered. "Just ... just keep that thing away from me!"
"What thing?" Syd wondered, scratching under Sheep's chin. "Oh, aren't you just the cutest?"
"That!" Jack pointed wildly at Sky.
Everyone looked down at the black fuzzball Sky was holding. "You mean Sheep?" Sky asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Cow, rooster, pig ... I don't care *what* you call that thing. Just get it out of here!"
"Jack ... " Syd tilted her head, looking amused. "Are you afraid of him or something?"
"Of course not!" Jack snapped back. "I just don't like cats, that's all!"
"But how can you hate that such a cute face?" Bridge wondered, leaning in to bump noses with Sheep. Sheep meowed again, and Jack shuddered.
Z paused, looking at Jack with an odd look in her eyes. "Sky, maybe you'd better take Dog somewhere else."
"His name is Sheep," Sky retorted. "It's not that hard to remember!"
"I don't care what it is, just get rid of it!" Jack shouted at him.
"Don't yell at me!"
"Guys, chill! It's not a big deal!" Syd protested.
"Look, can everyone just calm down?" Z demanded.
"Whatever," Sky snapped. "Fine. I'll take him home. Come on, Sheep," he muttered at the kitten, hitching it closer to his chest as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.
Sheep meowed.
"What was that about?" Syd asked Jack as soon as both Sky and Sheep were gone.
"I don't. Like. Cats," Jack ground out, still clutching the back of his chair.
"You gonna be okay, Jack?" Z asked carefully, reaching out slowly to put a hand on his arm.
He flinched away from her. "I'll be fine," he said after a moment. "I just ... let's just finish breakfast, okay?"
Syd frowned down at her food. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore," she murmured. "You guys finish without me. I'll catch up with you later."
Z looked up. "Syd, wait - " She growled in frustration as the blonde headed for the door, glancing back at Jack. "I gotta go. Call me if you need me, 'kay?" She went after Syd without bothering to wait for a response, shouting for her to wait.
Bridge looked up at Jack, who was slowly calming. "Toast?" he offered, holding out a plate.
Jack just looked at him. "Thanks, Bridge," he sighed.
The adults turned to look at one another. "So. More teamwork building?" Rocky suggested.
****
"So after all that, it turned out that Syd and Z were fighting because Syd was nervous about introducing Z to her mom?" Wes asked.
Sky nodded, still draped along the couch with Sheep curled up on his chest. He was *supposed* to be back at S.P.D. in an hour for curfew, but Wes wasn't exactly going to shove him out the door. "Something about wanting to officially have her mom meet her girlfriend, I guess. Anyway, she started nitpicking while she was trying to figure out how to ask Z about it, and Z took it as Syd trying to change her or something." He rolled his eyes. "So they were blowing the whole thing out of proportion. Again."
Wes fought back a smile. "And Jack?"
"Turns out he had a bad experience with a cat as a kid. He's scared to death of them. But since it's Jack, he'll never admit it," Sky explained, reaching up to scratch Sheep's head absently. He smiled faintly at the kitten as he began to purr. "I thought he was just being a jerk."
"And Bridge?" Wes asked, leaning over the back of the couch to stroke the kitten as well.
Sky shrugged a shoulder, frowning slightly. "I'm not really sure what his problem was. I know Jack said he and Bridge were talking the other night, which is why they've been so buddy-buddy the last couple days. But as for why he was being so testy, I really don't know."
"You think maybe he was reacting to the rest of you?"
Sky's frown deepened. "Maybe. That might explain all the weird questions. But it's not like he'd say anything if he was," he groused.
"True," Wes mused with a sigh. He kissed the top of Sky's head just because he could, ignoring the face he got in return as he continued to pet Sheep.
They both looked up at the bright flash of light.
Vanessa smirked at them, camera in hand. "Oh, that one's going on the wall in the lab at S.P.D. That was just *too* cute."
Wes looked at Sky. Sky's eyes flickered down to Sheep, and back to his father. Wes nodded, and stalked toward Vanessa.
"What are you two doing?"
"Eric, catch!" she called, tossing the camera moments before Wes reached her. "Adorably embarrassing pictures of Wes and Sky!"
Eric paused for a split second. Wes went after him, and he bolted.
"Don't let him get away, Dad!"
"Hide it, Eric!"
"Eric, give it back!"
"Gotta catch me first!"