Title: we'll take the trail marked on your father's map
Summary: Almost kisses and near misses – Five times Tyler and Shelby miss their target, and one time they get it right.
01.
Despite any and all evidence to the contrary, Shelby was not a klutz.
So, she was a little overenthusiastic about the things she cared about: dinosaurs, history, robotics and dinosaurs. Maybe that led to her not being as attentive to other things – taking orders, serving them to the correct tables, the flames of the open grill.
It wasn't her fault that she was distracted.
She knew exactly who was to blame.
It was Tyler Navarro and his equal enthusiasm for her research on the caves where they first found their energems. Kendall had sent her back to the kitchens when she'd tried to ask her about it, but Tyler, he'd cracked a wide smile and flipped two burgers at the same time – a new trick he'd learned and would be happy to teach her, he'd said.
Of course, Shelby had no interest in learning it.
What she was interested in was Tyler's input on her research and especially the way he lit up, and nodded as cheerfully as he always did. He'd have been ready to go back out to the caves with her, right then and there, had Shelby not leaned towards him to squeal in delight.
She'd slipped on a wayward pickle – not her fault; it was Chase's in all likelihood. Tyler easily caught her before she fell into the grill, which was great because Shelby had no interest in being roasted and served as Koda's next burger.
It was also pretty great when he kept holding her hand even after he'd lifted her away from the grill like she was as light as air.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Tyler asked quite seriously.
She stared at him for a moment. Just a moment, but it felt longer than that. Shrugging, she said, "Well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?"
Tyler pulled her to her feet. He let her take a moment to settle herself, but she saw the mischief settle in as well. She was not surprised when, with a grin, he handed her the spatula.
"Only one way to find out. You're on grill duty now."
Savior or not, Tyler Navarro was kind of the worst.
02.
It was a rather bumpy road. Tyler didn't mind it at all. He had driven down much bumpier roads. And walked. And ran and fell flat on his face, earning himself a bruised cheek and scraped knees - and a hug from his dad when he picked the six year old Tyler up off the ground, cleaned his scrapes and sent him running back off. But he hugged him first and said very seriously, "Some paths are meant for walking, Tyler."
Some are meant for driving, Tyler thought. As much as he did not mind the way his jeep jumped on every pothole and raised mound of dirt and grass, Shelby minded every second of it.
Tyler would never have laughed at her for her discomfort, but the way she glared and pouted at him made a smile tickle the corners of his mouth. He held back the laugh until the levies broke when she declared, "This is deliberate sabotage, and I will not stand for it."
Amidst his uncontrollable laughter, he managed to ask with only minimal pauses, "Sabotage of what?"
"My comfort. My ability to keep the museum food down. My dignity!"
He took his eyes off the barely there road to look at her. As he expected, her arms were crossed against her chest, and she was turned in her seat as best she could while still belted in. Shelby's mouth was set in a hard line that Tyler knew well. Her serious face.
He drew his eyes back to the side and put on his serious face as well.
"You're far too happy about this," Shelby said, but the amusement had returned to her voice as well.
Tyler had slowed the car down to an almost crawl. At this rate, they'd probably get there faster if they had walked.
He'd rather not have had Shelby throw up in his car, however. Or sabotage her dignity, whatever that meant. She was always dignified to him. Even when her big exits and dramatic moments were usually halted in realization of things needed - which usually meant the keys to his car. She didn't let this spoil her moment, even when she was kicked on her butt by one of Sledge's alien lackeys.
A few bumps in the road could never defeat her.
Even when Tyler had to stop short to avoid a pot hole wide enough to swallow his car that seemed to appear seemingly out of nowhere, and Shelby flew into him. Their shoulders shoved together, their knees hit hard enough to bruise.
"Are you alright?"
Shelby had her seatbelt off even faster than he did to check his pulse. It was a bit of a shell shock. Her hands were weirdly cold.
Tyler looked into her worried eyes, and smiled.
Shelby let out a deep breath. Her worry turned deadly. "Good, because you nearly killed us! You told me you did your research, and yet no mention of possible sinkholes."
Still leaning over him and with her fingers still pressed to the pulse in his neck, she tapped impatiently.
Her skin felt warmer.
"Oops?"
She threw her hands in the air and slid back down in her seat. Belting herself back into safety, she bemoaned, "What am I going to do with you?"
She looked at him out of the corner of her slit eyes.
"If we get swallowed by a sinkhole and get mummified for 65 million years, the future will not stop me from kicking your butt."
Tyler keyed the engine. It roared into life and, as he reversed the car so he could spin it around the chasm, he grinned into the rearview mirror.
"Onwards, then. The future awaits!"
It made her laugh and this time, when their knees banged together, it didn't hurt at all. If they did get swallowed by a sinkhole this morning, Tyler was certain that even 10 trillion years into the future, he'd remember that.
03.
They had never done a move like this before.
It came as natural to them as all their moves in the past. It felt like that first moment when they suited up outside the caves and took down the Ice Man.
They were completely in sync as they locked elbows, and Tyler held and spun her while she chest-kicked every Vivix that surrounded them. One by one they fell under their combined might.
Tyler wondered if their minds were linked, and if she could feel how happy he was just to stand there and watch her take them all down.
He couldn't see a smile under her helmet, but arms still linked, she slapped him a high-five and said, "No one can resist me!"
Minds linked or not, in that moment, they were completely in sync.
04.
What Shelby most loved about days when Sledge's minions didn't fall from the sky to wreak havoc on them in search of Energems they would never get, was definitely not that she was forced to work a full shift, but that she could have these hours to herself. To read and create, whether it was just an idea on how to refine their energem locator or something more concrete, a new addition to their zords that she and Kendall could combine forces and intellects to build.
She liked having the quiet to herself.
But she didn't mind when Tyler came rushing in, in all his unquiet glory, and declared it to be a movie night.
She didn't even make him do much wheedling this time; it was his favorite movie after all. Although watching Tyler beg was fun. He had the look and demeanor of a very cute puppy. No puppy could whine quite like he did - and his puppy eyes were more puppyish than theirs if that were even possible.
"If this is your favorite movie, why didn't we watch this one first?"
Riley's question was a good one, but Shelby prided herself in being the one to know why - and of course, she said even before Tyler could, "He wanted to warm us up to it first. Test the waters, build it up."
Tyler stared at her. He broke into an excited smile and jumped up in his seat - a literal puppy turned human. "You're awesome,"
"I know," Shelby replied with a whip of her hair.
Koda groaned as it smacked him in the face. Her shoulders slipped down and she gave him a toned down smile. "Sorry!"
"Shelby hair...sting, but...smell nice."
They were halfway through the movie - a film about three brothers who learn how to be ninjas from their grandfather and save him from some bad guys almost as terrible as Sledge. Seated between Koda and Tyler, Shelby was so comfortable that the only thing that could make it better -
Tyler leaned in, and Shelby did an inner fist bump because his shoulder was now at the perfect height for her to make it her pillow.
His muscles were not soft at all, but he was so comfortable anyway. A new favorite pillow. She could fall asleep like this.
Her eyes opened when Koda jumped up and shouted, "Amazing!"
She didn't jump up because Tyler's arm was wrapped around her and his hand was stroking her upper arm. The sleeve had ridden up while she was sleeping, so he was touching bare skin. She didn't have goosebumps; her body had become too used to his touch.
Shelby wondered how long she had been asleep.
"Third one, now?"
Question answered, she turned her face up towards Tyler's without pulling away from his shoulder. He smelled nice. Not sweaty for once.
"Hello, sleepyhead," he said. His voice was much softer than usual. He looked half-asleep too. She imagined that this was what he looked like when he woke up.
She was a mess when she woke up. He was just...cute.
"I missed your movie, sorry."
He slid his arm over her shoulder and back to his side. Shelby felt cold immediately. Too uncomfortable, now. She started to stand when Tyler said, "It's alright that you fell asleep. We can watch it again."
And again. And again.
Shelby would be sick of it if he didn't make those puppy eyes and his shoulder wasn't her perfect pillow.
05.
Tyler's head was harder than rock.
Shelby found this out the hard way when they were thrown together by the latest Sludge man (Chase had dubbed Sledge that; the rest was history that would probably end up an exhibit in their very museum, with his luck, that her great-great-great grandchildren would hopefully look at and call it overrated.) Their heads slammed together. Shelby swore she saw lights but when she reopened her eyes all she saw was Tyler.
He had the nerve to look wounded. It was his head that nearly brained her. Tyler ran his hand over his face, and since he'd been thrown into a mud puddle, it made him look like one of those ladies who did those beauty face masks.
As hurt as she felt, Shelby laughed and couldn't stop, even when Chase, Riley, and Koda - having disposed of their villain for now - tried to help her up.
That was what got her. In her moment of distraction, Tyler, as dizzied as he was, was able to latch onto her arm and pull her down with him.
Covered in mud, Shelby fixed Tyler with her battle eyes.
"Bad move, Red."
In the end, they were all mud covered. No longer rangers of any color but the reddish-brown of the mud.
She lay on Tyler's stomach, laughing with a mouth full of gross mud. His muscles shook beneath her as he did the same.
06.
He knew by Shelby's look that she was bewildered by his kitchen shirtless-ness.
Also by the way she squinted her eyes and said, "Why are you shirtless?"
Tyler flipped two burgers, caught them and spun them into their buns. With a dramatic twirl worthy of Shelby, he said, "Training can be done anywhere. Even in the kitchen."
"Near open flames."
He shrugged. "I'm not hot."
"You are!"
He missed his next flip. The burger burned. It didn't just burn. It charred. For a moment, he nearly reached his hand into the flame, but Shelby had crossed the distance and she now smacked his hand away.
"Okay, hotshot, don't be stupid. Don't play with flames."
He wasn't stupid. Tyler knew deflecting when he heard it.
"And why shouldn't I? I'm hot."
Shelby opened her mouth to speak, shut it without saying a word. Tyler knew he won.
He would've reveled in his victory had Shelby not leaned up on her toes, cupped his head and kissed him. It was a short kiss. It made his head spin. It made him want to jump.
It made him stupid. "You're hotter."
He didn't mind because Shelby laughed and kissed him again. A short kiss. It still made his head spin. It still made him want to jump, but this time, it didn't make him stupid.
Tyler used the tongs to get the once burger, now rock onto the counter. Tyler stared. Shelby stared.
They were in sync when Shelby said, "I wonder if Koda would eat it."
"Only one way to find out."
Koda's Coda
They found out the hard way that no, Koda would not eat a burnt burger when, instead of trying Tyler's rock, he ate the two burgers meant for Shelby's table instead.
Shelby was in the midst of explaining that it'll be just another minute (or ten) when Chase skated by.
Laughing he said, "Did you really try to feed Koda that rock? Even Riley's not that gullible."
He tapped Shelby on the cheek and kept on going, and if she could catch him she would have got him back for that. She made plans to do it later, lots and lots of plans that involved him getting his much deserved comeuppance.
But Tyler found her first and lifted her up in his now, shirt covered arms (a pity, really) and kissed her hard and long.
So, her revenge simply became telling Riley what Chase said. She sat back and watched Chase crash and burn, and ended the evening with her head on her favorite pillow, watching 3 Ninjas for the hundredth time.
(Koda was the one to say that, 65 million years into the future, they would probably still be doing the same. Not a single one of them disagreed.)