Gung Ho and More
The pair sat down, both reaching for towels. Neither could stop smiling. They'd actually done it. They'd managed to work together.
"Man, that was awesome," Jason said, wiping his face.
"Yeah. Definitely proved we can work as a team," Tommy agreed.
"Hey you guys, do you want get a smoothie to celebrate?" Kimberly called to the pair.
"Sure, why not," Jason answered and Tommy nodded in agreement. They joined the rest of their friends at a table.
"Here you go. Smoothies on me. Great job you two," Ernie said, slapping Jason and Tommy on the back.
"So…you think Rita is done making those Super Putties or are we going to have to keep those new weapons around just in case?" Zach asked, leaning in close so no one else would hear.
"I think we need to be ready for whatever she throws at us. Keeping them on reserve would be a wise move," Billy answered.
Soon the conversation turned to school and mundane things. The group slowly began to break up.
"Hey Kim, can I walk home with you?" Trini asked.
"Of course. Come on, let's head out before it starts to get dark," Kim answered and the two girls disappeared around the corner.
"I need to get going as well. I promised Curtis I'd hang out with him tonight," Zach added and grabbed his back.
"You guys rocked today," he added as he waved goodbye. All that remained was Billy, Jason and Tommy. They sat in silence as they finished the last dregs of their smoothies.
"Thanks for coaching us Billy," Tommy said.
"It was fun. I'm glad you learned to work together," Billy sighed. Jason stared at his empty glass, tapping his fingers on the edge. Billy got the strange feeling that he should make an immediate exit.
"Well I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," Billy mumbled and departed. As soon as Billy was out of sight, Jason heaved a sigh of relief.
"You ok, man?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah.. I just…" Jason trailed off.
"You just what?" Tommy probed.
"Nothing. Hey…I'm going to go for a run in the park. You want to join me, partner?" Jason asked. Tommy nodded his head and stood up.
Shortly the two guys found themselves in the park, feet pounding against the pavement. They matched each other stride for stride, the cool night whipped against their bare chests until Jason stopped short, bending over. Tommy slowed down and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"You're not tiring out on me are you?" he asked with a smirk.
"Are you kidding?" Jason laughed and grabbed Tommy by the arm. Together they went tumbling down a small incline and landed behind a clump of bushes, Jason pinning Tommy down.
"What was that for?" Tommy asked, trying to fight his way out from under Jason.
"I don't know. Guess I felt like doing this," Jason answered, leaning forward and placing a swift kiss on Tommy's lip. In one motion Tommy had knocked Jason's weight from under him and rolled free.
"What the hell was that?" Tommy demanded, backing away from Jason. He just lay on the ground for a minute, taking several deep breaths.
"Sorry…I couldn't help it," Jason mumbled, pushing up from the ground.
"Couldn't help it? Has Rita been messing with your head or something?" Tommy spat.
"What? No…" he answered, feeling suddenly very guilty for what he had done. Maybe Tommy wasn't ready to know the truth.
"Then what the hell possessed you to do that?" Tommy shouted. In two strides Jason closed the gap between them.
"Look…I'm sorry ok. I should have said something first. But I figured you'd freak out," Jason began.
"But I see the way you look at Kim and…I know it would never really work out between us," he continued.
"Wait a minute. The way I look at Kim? I don't look at her any special way. She likes me remember. I never said anything about liking her back," Tommy interrupted.
"I couldn't say anything around the rest of the team. I sort of…don't want them to know," Jason breathed. Tommy licked his lips and ran a hand through his hair. This was all way too crazy.
"This is crazy. I…how long have you…felt this way?" Tommy babbled.
"Since you moved here. That first time we faced off in that competition. To be honest…after we found out you were the Green Ranger…I sort of couldn't stop thinking of all the things that could have happened in the Dark Dimension," Jason admitted, blushing a little.
"I…I don't know what to say," Tommy murmured.
"I know this is really big and everything…but I don't know. Winning that trophy together. I was so hyped up on adrenaline I thought I'd just go for it," Jason rambled.
"Jase I get it," Tommy interrupted, sinking to the grass. Jason sunk back to the ground as well, arms tucked under his head. They fell into silence for a while until Tommy couldn't stand it anymore.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly. Jason turned his head in Tommy's direction and cracked a little smile.
"How hot you look right now," he answered confidently.
"Is that so?" Tommy snickered, inching closer to Jason.
"You're tempting me right now, you know that," Jason said with a laugh.
"What are you going to do about it?" Tommy teased. In two seconds flat Jason had once more pinned Tommy to the ground.
"Funny…I never pegged you for a top kind of guy," Tommy snickered.
"Shut up," Jason spat, leaning down again. This time Tommy didn't fight him. They lay there for quite some time until finally Jason came up for air. Tommy couldn't help but smile up at him.
"What are you smiling at?" Jason asked.
"Nothing…I just had an idea," Tommy answered, trying to shrug.
"Yeah? What kind of idea?" Jason pressed.
"Well…I have a little challenge for you," Tommy said with a wink.
"I'm all ears," Jason said.
"A little karate practice. If you beat me…well you'll get yourself a little surprise," he said, smirking.
"And if you beat me?" Jason asked.
"Just hope you win," Tommy whispered and Jason got up. They bowed to each other and face off. Tommy did two round house kicks and Jason managed to dodge them with ease. On his third kick Jason caught Tommy by the leg and spun him to the ground.
"Come on. Give me a little fight," Jason said. Tommy kicked himself off the ground and landed a punch to Jason's forearm.
"That's more like it," Jason called and watched as Tommy ran towards a nearby tree. He disappeared up the trunk and did a back flip off of it. He landed behind Jason and pinned Jason's hands behind his back with one hand.
"Surprise," Tommy hissed against Jason's neck. Tommy's other hand began to snake around Jason's stomach and beneath the fabric of his pants. Jason, initially taken by surprise, was starting to realize what was going on. Before he could protest he felt Tommy's lips on his neck. Jason felt his body shake a little at Tommy's actions. Suddenly his throat went dry as he felt Tommy toying with his boxers. He swept his leg out and sent Tommy flying.
"What's wrong with you?" Tommy spat.
"I…I'm not ready for that," Jason said, taking several calming breaths.
"It's not anything crazy," Tommy protested.
"I said no," Jason repeated firmly.
"Ok…I'm sorry. I guess I got a little ahead of myself," Tommy apologized. Jason just nodded.
"It's getting pretty late. I should get going," Tommy murmured.
"Yeah…me too," Jason agreed as they headed back to the main path.
"You want to meet before school tomorrow? Go for a little run?" Tommy asked, wrapping an arm around Jason's shoulders.
"What do I get if I say yes?" Jason asked.
"This," Tommy breathed, pulling Jason into a kiss. When they finally pulled apart, Jason looked a bit dazed.
"And if I say no?" he questioned.
"Well I think you know what you'd be missing," Tommy answered.
"You drive a hard bargain. I'll meet you by the sentinel statue at seven," he said as they parted ways.