A/N: Hi everyone! I was a huge MMPR fan back in the day, but it's been probably over a decade since I've really sat down and watched the show (youtube is changing that though), so I'm trying to get back into the MMPR swing of things. But I really wanted to write a story for it with a brief glimpse into Billy and Trini's friendship. So, if you read please review and let me know what you think!
"Someone needs to tell him."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's been getting worse and worse each day."
"I know. And it's been getting kinda embarrassing being seen with him."
"Ugh, it's not even a flattering pattern."
"Come on guys, it can't be that bad."
The Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar was fairly busy for an early Saturday morning, teenagers taking up every exercise machine or piece of gymnastics equipment or simply mingling with friends. Trini Kwan, Jason Scott, Zack Taylor, Kimberly Hart, and Tommy Oliver were taking a break from their ritualistic training, sipping smoothies and discussing the only missing member of their group, Billy Cranston.
"Tommy, you haven't seen him too much lately. It's awful," Kim bemoaned.
"Yeah," Zack agreed. "By comparison, Bulk and Skull look like high fashion models."
Jason snorted into his drink, trying his best to rein in his laughter when he noticed Trini's leveling glare.
"He just succumbed to the fad, like everyone else; he'll get over it soon enough."
"I don't know Trini, he seems pretty into it."
"Please Kim; this is Billy we're talking about. He'll realize how illogical it is soon enough."
"Maybe he needs a little push in the right direction," Tommy declared, turning to the pretty Asian girl. "You're our best bet Trini; just get him to go back to his old style."
"Yeah, nerd-chic," Zack chimed in.
Trini glared.
"Come on," Jason prodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a charming smile. "You know Billy only listens to you."
Kim gasped suddenly, waving to the figure that had appeared in the doorway. She turned back towards her best friend. "Please Trini?"
Casting a quick glance at the teenage boy descending on their table, the girl in question sighed. "Fine, I'll see what I can do."
She smiled up at Billy as he greeted the others and took his usual seat next to her. She took the opportunity to take in her friend's appearance. Billy's hair, although slightly fluffy, was neatly combed and the lenses of his glasses caught a bit on the fluorescent lights of the gym. He was dressed head-to-toe in his trademark blue and that was part of the problem.
She wasn't sure when it had happened exactly, but somewhere in the last couple of weeks Billy had taken an almost obsessive liking to the clothing fabric known as flannel. The trend was inescapable thanks to the mainstream success of Nirvana; even rich housewives were wearing it in an effort to look 'cool.' It hadn't been a problem in the beginning, after all Jason and Tommy were regular wearers of it, but Billy had always been more reserved in his clothing choices.
This morning he had taken his newfound affection for the trend to new heights. His usual overalls were covered in strategically sewn on flannel patches and he was wearing a blue flannel long-sleeved shirt over them. Absently, Trini wondered whether or not they made flannel short-sleeved shirts or if Billy had thought that that, instead of his current cotton tee, would've been in bad taste.
"Are you all-right?"
Billy's concerned, softly whispered question brought Trini out of her trance. She smiled broadly at him; beneath all of the flannel her Billy was still there.
Glancing around, she noticed their other friends had gone back to their morning workouts leaving her alone to do her appointed job and confront Billy's fashion misstep.
"I'm fine, but aren't you sweltering?"
"No, not at all," Billy responded, until his eyes met hers and he blushed. "Maybe a little."
"That's what I thought. Flannel and the California sun and heat aren't the smartest mix."
At the small dig at his intelligence, Billy's eyebrows creased and a slight frown graced his features.
"Well, I've learned that life isn't always about the logical," Billy sighed, "No matter how much I want it to be."
"Billy…"
"This look is the latest trend and it is about time I made an effort to fit in."
"Since when have you cared about fitting in and being cool?"
Billy sighed; he had wanted to be subtle about trying out this new look, but apparently he hadn't been nearly as stealthy as he had thought. He had hoped no one would notice if he phased flannel into his wardrobe slowly; then no one would question his reasons either.
"I'm just tired of being invisible," he admitted quietly.
Trini reached out and grasped one of his larger hands in one of her slender ones, running her thumb over his knuckles in a soothing manner. "You are not invisible. You're one of us Billy and we wouldn't trade you in for anything or anyone in the world."
Although he was nodding, Trini could tell he didn't believe her.
"You and me," she began, quickly adding, "and the others, we're like puzzle pieces. We're unique on our own, but never truly reach our real potential until we're together. Without you Billy, there would be a gaping hole in our collective puzzle picture. You're an indispensable team member and friend, don't ever doubt that."
Squeezing her hand, Billy smiled shyly.
"Thanks Trin. I think this experiment was a rare miscalculation on my part."
"We're all entitled to a few," she joked.
The other Rangers, who had been pretending to be so wrapped up in their own conversations and workouts that they conveniently missed the Blue and Yellow Rangers heart-to-heart, chose that moment to make their presence known again.
"So," Kim said, collapsing on Billy's lap and giggling at his blush, "are you like gonna stop pretending to be Kurt Cobain finally?"
"Affirmative; I apologize for my awkward transgression."
"No need," Jason reassured. "You may be a genius Billy, but you are human. We've been trying to think of a way to let you down gently for about a week now; we're just glad this worked and we don't have to stage an intervention."
"So," Zack interrupted, as Billy shed his flannel long-sleeved shirt and folded it neatly, "who's up for an afternoon at the beach?"
"You know I can never turn down an opportunity to work on my tan," Kim stated, hopping off of Billy's lap and sashaying over to Tommy.
"Yeah, we're in," Tommy agreed. "Jase and I have some unfinished volleyball business to take care of anyway. You're going down man."
"Oh we'll see about that."
"What about you two?" A look of understanding crossed between Trini and Billy before she answered Zack's question.
"Actually, I think we'll pass this time. The mall is calling our names."
Kim quirked a perfectly manicured eyebrow, as Billy practically stuttered out an explanation.
"I've been so encompassed with this flannel experiment that it appears most of my wardrobe has become permeated with it."
At the other Rangers blank stares Trini elaborated.
"Billy needs new clothes because most of what he has now has some aspect of flannel stuck to it."
"Oh, then yeah, go and fix that."
Kim's blessing was followed by the Rangers mass exodus from the gym and to their cars. Agreeing that carpooling was the best way to get to the mall, Billy climbed into the passenger seat of Trini's little car. As she adjusted her seatbelt, he toyed with the blue flannel shirt in his hands nervously.
"Thank you Trini."
"For what?"
"For always believing in me implicitly."
"Well that's what friends are for Billy. I care about you, you know that."
Knowing Billy wasn't the most skilled at expressing his feelings, Trini accepted his comfortable silence as a response. She smiled at him before removing the shirt from his hands and throwing it in the backseat.
"Now, lets go make you you again."