Disclaimer: I don't own them. Saban does.
AN: I don't have a beta at the moment so if I've missed something in my editing or you have any critique please let me know.
Jason knew just how much Trini hid about herself. It had to do with the way she was raised. Despite all the martial arts training, despite all the encouragement to go out there and be the best she could be, at heart she would always hide herself.
It was her mother's doing. her mother's insistence on teaching her how to be a "proper woman." A proper woman must be meek and courteous. She must never show up the men around her or make them feel as if they are somehow less. She should be able to cook and fold napkins and know the language of the fan. She should be demure and never raise her eyes or her voice to a man.
It was why, even though Jason secretly knew Trini was a better fighter than him, he always won most of their matches. And getting her to win any of them at all had been a task, something that generally only happened when other people weren't around. It was why, although she was the best basketball player out of any of them, one of the best he had ever seen, she rarely ever played, had to be coaxed into playing, and held herself back. As she did in most sports. The one exception she had made to this was to teach Billy how to play basketball and he was quickly becoming an amazing player.
It broke his heart some days, to see her holding herself back. Yes, she could fold napkins into the most amazing figures. Yes, her cooking was delicious. No, he had never seen whatever she did with the fan but he was sure it was amazing too. But she was worth so much more than this.
Becoming a Power ranger had been a blessing. Behind the helmet, Trini no longer felt the need to hold herself back. She fought like Jason knew she could, she screamed and slashed her way through monsters. She saved their lives on a regular basis. Behind the helmet, Trini was a force of nature.
She was his best friend, after Zack. And Zack didn't always "get him" like the way Trini could. He and Trini were both from families with martial arts backgrounds, both had people expecting too much of them, both...the same in so many ways. Sometimes they could talk without saying a word. One look was all it took and they knew they understood each other perfectly.
He knew the others didn't quite understand the relationship they had. Trini wasn't allowed to date and he respected her and her parents too much to try to get around that. It didn't make them any less was very zen about the idea of the future, which made him zen about it too. Maybe one day they would be like any other other couple but that day wasn't now. There were more important things to worry about.
He knew she would always be there for him and he would try always being there for her. He would fight for her as best as he was able. Against monsters and her parent's expectations.
To Jason, Trini was the most amazing person in the world. He only wished she would let herself show it.