disclaimer: i don't own power rangers.
notes: so i'm really enjoying the megaforce rangers but they desperately need more unmorphed time to let us get to know the characters beyond the surface stereotypes, which is why i wanted to write a fic with these kids to try and get a sense of who they are. hope it works!
takes place during the christmas special.
Troy still wasn't quite sure how he'd ended up lost in the mall. He had vague recollections of Noah getting absorbed in a video game store that was selling something geeky, and Jake rushing off to a jewelry store sometime after they lost Noah, but what he doesn't remember is how he ended up first, in a women's lingerie store by accident, and then in an attempt to escape the haven of pink underwear, lost inside a flower shop.
Who even had a flower shop in a mall?
He was nearing the point of frustration where he was ready to whip out his morpher, regardless of potential civilians wandering around, and call one of the others to come rescue him, or maybe just morph, damn the consequences, and find a way out of this maze of sweet-smelling flowers. Luckily, a familiar voice managed to startle him out of his confusion-induced musings in time.
"Troy, what are you doing here?" Emma asked, laughing as she neared him. Troy grinned sheepishly; most likely, she was laughing because he looked so utterly frustrated at being surrounded by potted plants and cut roses. "Where are Jake and Noah?"
"I don't know," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "They're…somewhere. I kinda lost them near that line of clothing stores. Jake's off shopping for Gia, anyway."
"Of course," Emma smiled, rolling her eyes as she linked her arm in his. "You look a little lost. Let's get you out of here, yeah?"
"Thanks," he said gratefully, offering her his most sincere grin as she pulled them both down the aisles and to the elusive exit. "I don't know how I ended up here. What are you in here for?"
Emma held up a bouquet of pink and white flowers from her shopping bags. "Something extra for my mom's present," she explained, letting him inhale the sweet scent of the flowers. "She loves flowers. But you knew that already."
Her smile was warm when aimed at him, and Troy felt his cheeks heat up as she looked at him. "Yeah, I did," he smiled. "I'm sure she'll love your present."
Emma giggled. "Speaking of presents, did you get your Christmas shopping done?"
"Um," Troy laughed, looking away. "Not quite. I got lost after Noah and Jake ditched me, remember?"
"That's no excuse," she chided playfully as they finally reached the doorway to the shop. Troy sighed in relief; he'd been searching for the stupid thing for what felt like hours, though it was probably closer to fifteen minutes. "Come on, I'll help you. Who do you have left to buy for?"
"Uh, just…well, just you and Gia," he said with a nervous grin. "I mean, I got Jake and Noah video games already, but I – I didn't know what to get you guys."
Emma laughed as they re-entered the main mall, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't be silly, you don't actually have to get me anything!" she said. "Gia and I were just teasing you guys for being slow. If you just get her a necklace or something, you should be good."
Troy frowned at her. "But I want to get you something. You're one of my best friends."
Emma hesitated, biting her lip. "Oh, Troy, you're sweet, but I honestly don't want anything – just having you guys around is good enough for me."
Troy raised an eyebrow at her, smiling. "This is Christmas, not Valentine's Day, Emma," he teased. "You don't have to be so cheesy."
"Shut up," Emma laughed, shoving him with her shoulder. "Christmas is the perfect holiday for cheesiness, I don't care what you say. Come on, let's head over to Starbucks to wait for the others. If you really want to give me something, buy me a peppermint latte."
"Peppermint, really?" Troy made a face at her, which earned him another smack. "There's a reason it's only around during the holidays, you know."
"Don't be stupid," she chided, leading him over to the mall's Starbucks. "The reason is because it's just too good for us mortals the rest of the year."
"Delusional," he muttered good-naturedly under his breath, and Emma stuck out her tongue at him. Troy offered her his most charming grin in apology, but Emma didn't seem to see it, because she looked up instead and let out a small gasp.
"What's wrong?" he asked, or began asking, as he followed her gaze upwards, expecting something ridiculous or evil or both, considering the course of their lives over the past year. What he found seemed to be a curious mixture of both ridiculous and evil – mistletoe hanging right above them.
"Sorry," Emma said with a nervous laugh, tucking her hair behind her ears out of habit. "I was just surprised, um, we – we don't have to do anything. Obviously. I mean, it's the mall."
"Right," Troy agreed calmly, watching her face closely for any signs of what she wanted. "I mean, we could. If we wanted. If you wanted."
Emma blinked at him. "If I wanted? To kiss you?"
The way she said it made the idea seem half-ludicrous and half-obvious, so Troy wasn't exactly sure where to go from there. Luckily, the problem was partly solved by the other Rangers appearing at their sides – Gia apparently had located Noah and Jake from the depths of the mall.
"Hey, guys, were you going to get coffee, because I could so go for a white mocha or – " Jake began enthusiastically, only to be cut off by Gia smacking his arm. "What?"
"Dude, they're under mistletoe," Noah replied for Gia, turning a questioning look onto Troy and Emma, the latter of whom was purposely avoiding his gaze by now. "Uh, are you two gonna – "
"No," Emma said quickly. Troy sent her a puzzled look, trying to untangle the lead-like disappointment unfurling in his stomach. "I mean – well – "
"We were just heading to Starbucks," Troy interrupted to save her, reaching out and taking her hand to draw them both out from under the mistletoe. Before he could get very far, though, Gia stopped him.
"Whoa, now, you can't just forgo tradition like that!" she said insistently, sending Emma a meaningful look that Troy couldn't quite decipher. "You have to kiss, come on!"
"Gia," Emma began reluctantly, only to be hushed by her best friend. "Troy doesn't want to – "
"I didn't say that," Troy interrupted, his brow furrowed as he looked at Emma, who finally met his gaze with a blush on her cheeks. "I said if you wanted to, we could. It's just a kiss."
Emma blinked. Gia dropped her head to her hands and muffled a groan. Jake and Noah exchanged worried looks. Troy stared at them all, feeling a little like what he imagined Robo Knight did when he was around humans – sometimes, being the new kid was a pain.
"Right," Emma said slowly, and then she reached over, curled her fingers into his shirt and yanked him in for a kiss unlike any he'd ever had before. Not that he got a lot of kissing done at his old school, but he'd had a few – nothing like Emma, though. Nothing like Emma and the way she made him feel like every nerve in his body was on fire, like his stomach was filled to the brim with butterflies, like the sun was always going to shine.
If he hadn't needed air, Troy was pretty sure he wouldn't have parted from her at all. But they did, and Emma pulled back with a half-embarrassed, half-pleased look on her face before turning away and taking Gia's arm to stop her friend from saying anything too embarrassing.
Troy, left behind, looked over at Noah and Jake, who were watching the two girls whisper to each other as they walked away just like him. "Did I – did I miss something?" he asked, a little dazed.
Noah patted him on the shoulder; Jake shrugged helplessly. Comforted that they were at least as clueless about girls as he was, Troy turned back to join Emma and Gia at a table, trying not to think of how it had felt to have Emma's lips on his, her hands on him –
Now he really needed to get her an awesome Christmas gift.
notes: if you read this far, please let me know what you thought in a review! and don't favorite without reviewing, please and thank you.