Title: Vestibule
Relationship: Jack/Sky
Rating: PG-13? Language
Warning: Missing scene from "Shadow Part 1" at the very beginning, after their first round of fights.
Written for Starhawk's Power Rangers Slash Challenge, which can be found at the livejournal comm prsw22.
8 friendship—"A friend is a lover, literally considering the origin of the word."
9 hallways—"an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open"
17 public dining
22 watermelon
"What the hell was that out there?"
Jack kept walking, passing a squad of D level cadets as he headed for the common room.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
Picking up his pace, Jack was unsurprised when the taller Blue Ranger grabbed his arm from behind and pulled him into an empty lab. Jack could have just phased through the wall and kept going, but Sky wasn't going to drop it until he had his say.
Sighing, Jack phased his arm away and walked farther into the room, turning to Sky with a bored expression.
"I take it you're having some issues with the mission."
Glaring, Sky crossed his arms as the door slid shut behind them. "Yeah. How about your apparent death wish?"
"Relax, man. I had it covered." Jack waved him off with a grin. "I can take care of myself."
"You were calling for back up, and instead you sent Syd to help us." Sky's eyes narrowed. "That's not exactly having things under control."
"I still won."
"You didn't know that when you ordered her away."
Jack stared at him, then gave a hollow laugh as he said incredulously, "You thought I couldn't do it. What, even after all this time, you still think I'm not fit to be a ranger?"
Sky's head reared back. "I didn't say that."
"Then what are you saying?" He demanded.
"I'm saying, there were three of us and two of you. We could have waited until you were finished. Instead, you placed yourself in unnecessary danger."
"So? Danger's what we do." Fed up, Jack waved off any more of Sky's protests and pushed past him. "Look, I'm team leader. I made a decision. Things turned out okay."
The door opened, but Jack paused at Sky's next words.
"What if it doesn't turn out okay next time? What if next time you don't have things covered?"
Softly uttered, but heartfelt, and Jack focused on his boots for a moment before squaring his shoulders.
"I'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen. Train harder, or something. I can take care of myself, Sky." He stepped out into the hallway, purposefully ignoring the whisper behind him.
"That's what he thought, too."
The words followed him back to the dorms, echoing inside his room until even flipping through his comics wasn't enough to distract him. He was supposed to be having downtime, dammit. Bad enough there was all the problems with Cruger now. He didn't have time to be arguing with his team. With Sky, who was just being his arrogant bastard self.
He didn't have a death wish. He was just doing his job. Just because Sky thought he could take care of himself—That Sky was worried he—That didn't mean--
He tossed his comic to the side and sat up on the edge of his bed. Well damn.
Walking. He was going to go for a walk. Maybe check up on the lower cadets and make them run laps or something.
He was halfway to the training grounds when Z caught up to him. Falling easily into step, she gave him an obviously cheerful smile and laced her hands behind her back. The effect was creepy.
"What?" He demanded grumpily.
"You sure are quiet today. We couldn't find you after the debriefing."
"Yeah, well. I don't like being ordered to do nothing when there's a criminal planting towers the size of skyscrapers around the city." He took the next corner sharply, hoping she'd leave him alone.
"Uh-huh."
"That's it."
"I believe you."
"Yeah."
They walked on in silence, passing through one of the corridors overlooking the side courtyard. A figure in blue sitting off to the side caught his eye, and Jack's scowl deepened.
"I made the best decision I could out there," he said abruptly, shoving his hands in his uniform pockets. Z studied him.
"No one's questioning that, Jack." Her tone was unreadable. When Jack snorted, she raised an eyebrow and purposefully looked away. "Unless this has something to do with why Sky disappeared right after the debriefing, too."
Jack glared at her, then waved his hands in frustration. "He's always second guessing me. Always watching me, judging me. I thought we'd gotten past that."
"I think you are, and you know it." She flicked him on the arm. "He's your 2IC. Of course he's going to be watching you, but it's pretty obvious the two of you are getting along way better than before. As for the whole judging thing; it's Sky, he's always going to have a stick up his ass. He was probably born that way."
"He implied that I acted rashly," Jack deadpanned.
Z snorted. "And you didn't? C'mon, Jack. You've definitely improved your leadership skills, but you and him have very different ideas about field decisions. You go with your gut, and it probably comes across as impulsive to him." She sighed, looking at Jack sympathetically. "Was he being a big pain in the ass?"
"I have no clue what to do with him," he muttered, scuffing his shoe on the floor tiles. "I never say the right things."
Stopping, Z squeezed his arm reassuringly. "I'm sure he's just as frustrated about being grounded as you are..." She paused, then added casually. "Maybe the two of you should just avoid each other for a while."
Jack didn't reply, instead looking in the direction they were heading. They were nearly at the end of the corridor. It was an alarmed emergency exit. Z glanced at him sideways.
"Do you even know where you're going?"
Sighing, he turned around and started trudging back the way he had come.
Sky was bent over a book, perched on one of the stone benches scattered around the courtyard. Glancing around nervously, Jack was glad there were only a few cadets in the far corner playing a game of lightball.
Sauntering up to the bench, he stopped and waited for Sky to look up. When the other man did, blue eyes wary, Jack took a deep breath and said, "Look, I'm sorry you're upset, but it was a tough call and I did what I had to do."
Sky squinted up at him, marking his page and shutting his book. "Yeah, I know. It's just—"
Breaking off, Sky looked out over the city, and Jack wearily sank onto the bench next to him.
"I wish we had more manpower," Sky said abruptly, running his fingers over the book's cover. "We have the Shadow Ranger now, but I'm getting the impression that Cruger has other priorities besides helping us."
"Yeah, I picked up on that, too." Jack leaned his elbows on his knees. "But what can we do? I'm sure he'll help out if we're really in a bind."
Sky gave a noncommittal grunt and set his book aside. It wasn't his SPD manual for once, Jack noticed with surprise. It was obviously well-read, though, and old. While Sky stared at the horizon, Jack gazed at him, and thought that maybe he understood the other man more than he realized.
He wanted to say something reassuring, something that would bolster morale and keep Sky from brooding, but—But he could say all that he wanted, and Sky wouldn't believe him until they were back out on the streets, anyway. The two of them, they both needed to be moving, needed to feel like they were constantly doing something. They weren't really cut out for lounging around, no matter how much Jack wished it was true. It honestly wasn't anymore.
Standing up and stretching, he asked the other man with a cheeky grin, "How's a game of lightball sound?"
Sky stood as well, book in hand, and arched an eyebrow at him. "Isn't it getting rather late?"
"So? We don't have a curfew." Bouncing on his toes, Jack said slyly, "Of course, I'd understand if you were too tired. We can't all have my stamina."
Rolling his eyes, Sky shook his head and nodded back towards the building. "How about dinner instead? Someplace other than the mess hall."
Grinning, Jack bounded for the courtyard doors. "I know the perfect place. Cheap food, loud music. It'll drive you nuts."
Sky looked put-upon, but he followed anyway. "Lead on, then."
For once, Sky wasn't ready before Jack, but that was due to the fact that Bridge had tried to set their room on fire once again with his new waffle-making computer. Yelling at him had taken up most of Sky's preparation time, so he quickly changed out of his uniform and into civilian gear. He had hoped to get to the common room first, but impatient knocking on their door heralded the other ranger's arrival.
"You're not ready yet? I swear, you're gettin' as bad as Syd, Sky," Jack complained as Bridge opened the door for him. He wrinkled his nose. "Is that smoke I smell?"
Sky glared as he yanked open the lone drawer holding his shirts. "I would have been ready earlier, but Genius over here was making waffles."
"We've almost perfected it," Bridge said, ignoring Sky's glare and going over to pat his computer lovingly on the monitor. "I just need to come up with a way for the waffles to butter themselves."
"Right," Jack said dryly with an indulgent smile. Looking at Sky, he blinked. "You're wearing that?"
Sky glanced down at his pressed khakis and finished shrugging into his sweater. "Yeah. What's wrong with it?"
"How about the fact that you look like a total tool," Jack drawled.
"Excuse me?" Sky snorted incredulously. "At least my clothes don't have strategically torn holes."
Amused, the other man crossed his arms over his 'designer' (ie: purposefully ratty and worn looking) shirt. "You went to prep school, didn't you?"
That put Sky on the defensive. "So?"
Sighing, Jack looked at Bridge in commiseration, but Bridge was busy crawling under his computer desk and muttering. Besides, the Green Ranger had no fashion sense anyway so Sky didn't pay much attention to his opinion.
"So," Jack said with a teasing frown. "We're going out to have fun, not get mugged."
Coming to stand next to Sky, he rummaged through the carefully arranged drawer. "Let's see what we have to work with. Hmm. SPD, SPD, SPD. Something an old man would wear. SPD, SPD. Sensing a theme. SPD. Huh—"
He held up an old printed t-shirt, a gag gift Dru had given Sky for his birthday their first year at the academy. Sky had never picked anyone up when they went out carousing during his "wild and crazy" days, which Dru had teased him for endlessly, but Sky had never explained to his best friend why he wasn't interested in the girls at the clubs. He'd worn the black t-shirt to bed pretty much every night for over a year and it was worn thin with faded red lettering proclaiming, 'Available Tonight: Limited Time Offer.' Jack dangled it in front of him.
"Ooh, the hidden life of Sky Tate. And here I was beginning to think your entire wardrobe was SPD issued…"
Glaring, Sky snatched the shirt out of his hands. Smoothing it out on his dresser top, he started to re-fold it. "I haven't worn this in a while. It probably doesn't even fit anymore."
"Looks like it should. Might be a little tight, though." Jack smirked at him, and Sky frowned repressingly back.
"I'm not going out in public looking like a rent boy," he muttered.
"Well, you're definitely not 'Available,'" Jack said quietly. Smug, he reached out to tap the red letters. "Besides, I like the color."
Simple words shouldn't have made him feel so strange, but Sky wasn't sure how to respond and he just looked away. Picking the shirt up by the shoulders, he let it unfold.
"Uh, guys," Bridge called out meekly from under his computer desk, breaking the silence. "No offense, but please stop. I can read auras and I have to live here, too."
Inhaling the wrong way, Sky blamed his red face on the coughing fit that followed. Jack just burst out laughing.
"All right, man." He smiled at Sky. "I'll wait out in the hall so we don't traumatize Bridge any more."
Once the door was shut, Sky quickly changed into the t-shirt, not turning around. When he was finally ready to leave, he paused at the edge of his roommate's computer desk. He stared at the laces of Bridge's boots as the other man's legs flailed every which way and he couldn't think of a single thing to say.
"We're not—" He finally croaked out, but was cut off.
"It's okay, you know," Bridge said suddenly, tone casual as he applied a screwdriver to something under the console. "I don't think anyone else has noticed. Well, maybe Z because she and Jack have that Hive mind thing going on, but I don't think she cares. Of course, if everything ended badly then she might just duplicate herself and gang up on you, but that probably wouldn't be too terrible. I mean, just think; a dozen Zs running around…"
While Bridge trailed off, pausing in his work to stare into space, Sky tried to speak again, but no words would come out.
"And Syd might have, but that's only because the two of you have been almost civil to each other recently and you've only questioned Jack's authority, like, once a day instead of twenty times, so it's probably more like suspicion on her part than confirmed fact. Cruger might be able to tell, though. I wonder if he has the same senses as a real dog? Or does he just resemble one, but have a completely different biological structure? He i does /i have scales, so maybe he's more reptilian than canine—"
"Bridge." Sky said tightly. When the Green Ranger looked up at him innocently, curious, Sky found that he couldn't yell. Instead, he just took a deep breath and gave a small smile. "Thanks."
"For what?" Bridge blinked, scratching at his scalp with the screwdriver. He shrugged before Sky could respond and returned to his hardware. "Just don't stay out too late."
Sky left before his eccentric roommate could throw anymore non sequiturs at him.
Bouncing impatiently, Jack started walking as soon as Sky entered the hallway. His manic grin made the discomfort from the room fade away, replaced by a more general anxiety.
"What?" He demanded once they'd reached the lobby and Jack hadn't stopped smiling.
"This is gonna be great!" Was the chipper response, which didn't bode well for Sky.
Sighing, the taller ranger shoved his hands in his pockets and followed as Jack led him farther into the seedier part of town. It was weird to be out in his civvies, he realized. He hadn't really worn anything except SPD issued gear in months, except for that one undercover gig.
"Here we are!" Cackling, Jack pushed a metal door in a side building open and beckoned for Sky to get a move on. While the place wasn't exactly at Piggy's standards for a great dining experience, it certainly wasn't what Sky was expecting. The large flashing sign above the door proclaiming karaoke night didn't inspire feelings of confidence, either.
Before he could say anything, though, Sky was seized by the other man, who was chatting with the hostess.
"…And this here's my good friend Sky," Jack was saying with his most charming grin. Sky raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"Oh? You've got a good friend, now?" The hostess, a gaudily painted blonde, said with interest. Sky shifted uncomfortably as she pinned him with a fuchsia-rimmed gaze. "In that case, cover's on the house tonight, Jack darling. Have fun…"
Grinning smugly, Jack thanked her, held his own hand then Sky's out to be stamped, and continued dragging Sky deeper into the club. The haze-filled hallway lead into what looked like an open dance floor and stage, and Sky slowed his steps.
"I thought we were getting dinner?" He asked sourly over the strains of some awful pop song.
"We are." Jack tossed over his shoulder, still holding Sky's wrist and pulling. "They have the best burgers--"
The shorter man stopped abruptly as someone pushed out into the hallway from a side door, and Sky bumped into him. Quickly, he put his hands out to keep his balance and found himself with a grip on Jack's waist.
Jack looked back at him with a smirk. Tucking his hands back in his pockets, Sky glared and walked forward of his own volition. There was a dance floor and stage, but there were also booths and tables on the far side, with a neon-lit counter that looked like a bar but had food menus posted above it. The place was crowded with more people than Sky had expected and the music was so loud he could barely hear himself think.
"C'mon," Jack shouted as he brushed past him, threading through the horde of people to head for the counter. The bartender was smiling at Jack when Sky finally elbowed his way to the bar.
"—haven't been around lately. We were getting worried," the Trubian was saying.
"Nah, we're cool. We went legit; have real jobs now and everything." Jack said with his carefree grin. Beside him Sky rolled his eyes, and the bartender glanced at him, eyebrow going up.
"Can I help you?" The man asked, decidedly less friendly. Before Sky could respond, though, Jack waved him off.
"He's with me, Dy," Jack smirked.
"Well then, what can I get you two?"
"Let me see…" Jack made a production of studying the boards. "I'll have one cheeseburger with everything on it and a plain burger with just onions and mayo. Oh, and a watermelon smoothie."
"The usual, then," Dy chuckled while Sky gave Jack a disbelieving look.
"Watermelon smoothie?" He asked before he could stop himself.
Jack gave him a superior look. "Don't knock it till you've tried it."
Shrugging, Sky looked up at the menu. "That won't be anytime soon. Can I have a regular cheeseburger and strawberry smoothie, please?"
Looking between the two of them, Dy laughed. "Two smoothies, coming right up."
While Dy prepared their drinks, Jack bobbed to the beat next to Sky, staring at the stage, and the taller ranger allowed himself a moment to study his distracted companion. It wasn't until he glanced at the bartender that he realized he was being observed as well. Dy grinned devilishly at him. Sky swallowed and looked away.
Presenting the smoothies with a flourish, Dy waved them off. "Go have a seat and Sherry will bring your food out."
"Thanks, man." Jack rapped his knuckles on the bar surface, then grabbed Sky by the wrist again and pulled him towards the booths in the back. Fortunately a corner one was open and Jack threw himself at it before anyone else could claim it. Sitting down more sedately on the other side, Sky tried not to grimace at the cup rings on the table and the decided lack of springs in the seat cushion.
"Hey, I like this song," Jack proclaimed as a new singer took the stage during the opening strains of a club remix. After a moment of the cringe-worthy performance, Jack winced. "Damn, they always have to butcher the good ones…"
"I never thought of you as a karaoke fan…" Sky commented absently.
"I'm not, really." Jack looked away, voice casual despite the set of his shoulders. "Me and Z know the owner. He'd let us hang out here for free a few nights a week during the winter."
"Ah," Sky murmured, not sure how else to respond.
"We got by," Jack said in the same nonchalant tone. "But I guess it's pretty different from prep school…"
"Boarding school, actually," he corrected automatically, then frowned down into his smoothie. As he'd feared, Jack perked up curiously.
"So you not only went to private school, you lived there?" The shorter man said with a disparaging undertone. "What, was it like military school or something? That why you're the poster boy for SPD?"
Determinedly, Sky stared at the Aploosian warbling on the stage. Shifting in his seat, Jack leaned forward.
"Sky?"
"Yeah, it was a military academy," he finally ground out. He glanced at Jack, a challenge in his eyes. "I didn't exactly make things easy for my mother after dad died, so. It was the best place for me to be."
Instead of being offended by his aggressive stare, Jack just flopped back in the booth and snorted. "Huh. Sounds rough. But I guess that explains your obsession with following rules."
Shrugging, Sky changed the subject. "Speaking of which, did you let command know where we are?"
"We've got our morphers. They can reach us."
Exasperated, Sky frowned. "Jack—"
"Relax, Sky." Jack grinned at him. "Try to have some fun for once, okay?"
The underlying plea made him sigh and slouch in the booth. He watched the stage appraisingly while Jack watched him, and he tried not to let it get to him.
"You know," he finally said. "He really does suck."
"Maybe you should get up there then," Jack taunted evilly.
Sky gave him the 'Are you really a moron?' look. "I think not."
"Yeah," the other man said with a mock-contemplative expression. "I couldn't really see you up there, either. You'd probably be all stiff and off-key, and sing something no one's heard of."
He couldn't help laughing. "Not gonna work."
"Aw, c'mon—"
"No."
Their food arrived, delivered by a harried looking waitress who might have grunted something at them, but it was hard to tell over the music. She left before they could say anything anyway.
The burger was as good as Jack had promised, but Sky couldn't help grimacing as Jack slurped down his drink.
"Wanna try some?" Jack asked with a grin.
Sky shook his head. "That's so disgusting."
A familiar voice responded before Jack could. "It's not that bad actually…"
Z plopped down into the booth next to Jack and beamed at them. "Imagine meeting you here!"
Sky just gave Jack a look, and the other man shrugged. "Hey, Z. Thought you were staying in tonight?"
His voice had a bit of an edge to it, but Z wasn't really paying attention as she stole one of his fries.
"That was the plan, but then Syd was whining about not being able to perform for an appreciative audience anymore, so naturally I thought to bring her here."
"Naturally," Jack drawled.
"Can you believe they have pineapple smoothies here?" Syd demanded as she appeared at the edge of the table, Bridge in tow behind her. At least the Green Ranger had the grace to look apologetic as Syd made shooing motions at Sky until he slid over to make room.
Finding himself pressed against Jack's side in a booth made for four, not five, Sky was debating whether he resented the intrusion of their teammates or not. When Z and Syd started arguing over what song to choose, he decided he did.
"Sorry, guys," Bridge leaned over to them, speaking quietly. "They threatened me with bodily harm."
The gymnast yelped suddenly, clutching at his leg under the table while Z glared at him. Syd conveniently chose that moment to push her way out of the booth, heading for the DJ, and an awkward moment at the table ensued.
"So," Z said brightly. "Cruger sounded especially mysterious today, don't you think?"
"Doesn't he always?" Sky said grimly.
"Sometimes he sounds angry," Bridge suggested. "Well, actually, I think he sounds angry most of the time. Or frustrated. And annoyed—"
"We get it," Jack cut him off, then responded to Z's original comment. "He probably knows more than he's letting on. Like usual. But there's nothing we can do, right?"
Before Z could answer, Sky pointed at the stage. "Looks like Syd talked them into bumping her up in line."
As the blonde took the stage, the other rangers turned to watch and Jack caught Sky's eye. Shrugging apologetically in a 'Hey, what can we do?' kind of way, he casually let his hand fall next to Sky's knee, fingers warm through the khaki pants. Sighing but not really holding it against anyone, Sky shrugged back and relaxed into the booth.
If he just happened to lean into Jack's shoulder for the rest of the night, no one commented.
