I Wanna Call You My Baby
It began as a simple case of mistaken phone identity. All the Rangers were currently engaged in a group scenario wherein waves upon waves of putties would attack in different formations—all save for Kimberly, who was currently on the sidelines after a particularly rough blow to the head. She had been busy admiring
staring, she was staring
at Trini, when she heard the distinct sound of a phone going off. Without a second thought, she reached down and grabbed what she assumed to be her own, but all cellphones looked the same these days, and Trini had left hers near Kim's when she went to spar. The Lack of sound to make an exact distinction between the two didn't help (phones were kept on vibrate in the pit, courtesy of Zordon and his hundred-foot-glare), so there was a fifty percent chance that it was her own.
Kimberly cast one quick glance towards Trini, smiling as the petite girl delivered a powerful kick to the groin of one unsuspecting putty, before focusing on the message in front of her. The message that, upon closer inspection, was decidedly not for her eyes, because there was no way in hell that this phone was hers. No, based on the text flashing up at her, this phone could only belong to one person—the subject of all of Kimberly's fantasies as of late—the girl currently wrapping her strong arms around Zack's neck in a powerful headlock.
The more Kimberly stared at the message, the more her stomach churned anxiously, threatening to expel everything she had eaten that morning. She read the contact's name repeatedly, until it ceased to have meaning.
Ashley.
Who the fuck was Ashley, and why was she sending Trini such a text? A text like—
and there it was again. The taste of bile in her throat at the mere suggestion of Trini engaging in such an act with someone who was not Kim.
Kimberly placed the offending object down softly, resisting the overwhelming urge to hurl it across the room, just to hear it shatter. She had to get out of there quickly, before anyone—
"Are you feeling okay, Kimmy?"
Shit.
"You look a little pale."
Of course it would be Billy who would notice; sweet and innocent Billy, who was completely undeserving of the ire she felt.
"Sorry Billy, head is bothering me a bit. I'll catch you guys later." Simple enough, and fortunately, they all seemed to believe it. Except that wasn't exactly true. Kim would have liked to believe that she had everyone fooled, had she not made the mistake of looking in Trini's direction. The smaller girl's eyes were sharp, her penetrating gaze easily seeing through the lie. Kim didn't give Trini a chance to call her out, instead opting for grabbing her bag and making a hasty exit.
The walk home was agony. With each step towards her destination, a new question emerged to torment her. How long had this been going on? Was it serious? Would Kim be forced to meet this girl on the basis that she and Trini were friends, and that's what a supportive friend would do? If that was the case, Kim would have to respond with a resounding fuck that. She couldn't handle standing there awkwardly while Trini introduced some girl
ashley, what a stupid name
as her…what? Girlfriend? Partner? Lover? It would be too much, and Kimberly was certain that she'd deck her.
The worst part about this entire ordeal was that Kim was fully aware that she and Trini weren't together; that was the cold truth, and it was a lot to choke down. Kim knew that, realistically, she had absolutely zero say in who Trini was seeing, but it didn't make it hurt any less. She had been using the past few weeks to build the courage to tell Trini that somewhere along the way feelings had developed. If the light touches and prolonged eye contact were any indication, Trini had started to feel the same way.
Except no. She apparently hadn't, because of that text; that goddamn text that made Kimberly's insides feel like mush, and not in the good way like the time when Trini had bitten her lower lip while staring at Kim's.
While her thoughts were busy spinning out of control, her body had been on autopilot, apparently having the knowledge to lead her home even as her mind had deserted her. She walked through the halls feeling displaced, like she wasn't actually there, existing. But the truth was she did exist, and in doing so, had to do the things she normally did; such as meet the Rangers tomorrow for their sparring session in the Pit.
Using the excuse that her head was bothering her was out of the question; the freaky healing ability that each Ranger possessed had taken effect, the injury to her head now a distant memory. She'd have to face this problem like any almost-adult would—she'd just ignore Trini until she stopped feeling this way. It would take some time, of course, and in the meantime the Rangers would be unable to morph because the weird connectivity between them all would be out of sync, and the world might go to shit due to the appearance of a new big bad, and jesus Christ she just couldn't catch a break.
She'd worry about it tomorrow. This was the only acceptable conclusion she could come to, or she was bound to lose what was left of her sanity.
Morning arrived at a torturously slow pace. Kimberly had been afforded no reprieve from the night; there was no whimsical dreamland to welcome her, only her scattered and near obsessive thoughts to keep her company. Unable to find a comfortable position, she had tossed and turned, finally settling for staring at the dark ceiling. Her thoughts mirrored the night perfectly, dark and all encompassing. She had moved on from cursing the girl's name to berating herself for not saying something to Trini sooner. Perhaps if she had, it would have been her name listed above that provocative text.
It didn't matter, really. She couldn't continue to torture herself by considering all the things she should have done differently; no, she'd let Trini be the torturer, the Yellow Ranger needing only to exist to perfect the art. Kimberly would have to see her, hear her voice, smell her perfume when she got close, all the while knowing that she belonged to another. Yeah, today was going to be a blast.
Kimberly was the last to arrive. A large part of her hoped that no one else would be there, that maybe they all came down with some strain of super virus—but there they were, all of them staring expectantly.
"Whoa, look what the cat dragged in. Rough night?"
She was going to argue with him, but Zack was right in his assessment. It was a rough night, and she probably looked like shit. But that didn't mean he had to call her out on it.
"Blow me, Taylor."
Billy had the decency not to say anything, only trying to convey his worry with a kind smile. Jason looked like he wanted to ask her how she was, but opted instead for calling them into formation. Trini…well, Kim wasn't looking at her; she had yet to cast a glance her way, and was planning on keeping it as such.
"Okay Kim, you weren't here for this so I'll say it again; Billy is with me, Zack is with Alpha, and Kim you're with Trini."
Before she could utter out any kind of response, the pairs all went their separate ways, leaving Trini and Kimberly alone in their corner of the Pit. Based on the minor scuffle of feet that she heard, Trini was moving into position; Kimberly would have known for sure, but she had yet to make eye contact with the shorter girl.
"Princess, you good to start?"
She used to love the sound of that nickname coming from Trini's mouth; the slight teasing lilt made her feel as though they were both sharing some intimate secret—but now it made her feel lightheaded and nauseous.
Trini was obviously waiting for some sort of reply, and Kim had no choice but to give in. Against her better judgement, she raised her head to meet Trini's eyes, a minor shockwave wracking her body as she became the center of attention to those brown pools.
She nodded slightly, and then they were off. Punches were thrown, legs were raised in various styles of kicks, and Kimberly's mind was a million miles away. She could feel the heat coming from Trini's body as they came together, she could see the light sheen of sweat beginning to form on her forehead, and she could hear the girl's exertion. She had been fine until she heard Trini grunting; the animalistic noises she was making were too much, and Kim's mind wandered to the bedroom. Was this how Trini sounded when she was in bed with—
Stars. There were stars in her eyes as Trini's foot connected with the side of Kim's head, instantly knocking her to the ground.
"Kimberly! Are you alright? Jesus, I thought you saw that coming."
Trini immediately kneeled to help the fallen girl, but was swatted away when she attempted to inspect Kim's head for any signs of severe injury.
"What the hell is your problem today? You're unfocused, you're distant. What's going on?"
Kimberly wanted to keep her mouth shut, really, she did.
"Why don't you ask Ashley?"
There was no taking it back once it was said, but there was the option of getting the hell out of there as quickly as possible. Kim hopped to her feet, swaying a bit as her head began to pound in unison with her erratic heartbeat. She made it exactly three steps before Trini's hand grabbed her upper arm roughly.
"What the hell are you talking about? Why would I ask-wait. How do you know about Ashley?"
Kim felt so tiny under Trini's scrutinizing look, wanting nothing more than to disappear into oblivion.
"Kimberly."
The Pink Ranger looked everywhere but at Trini as she spoke. "I saw the text."
Trini placed her finger under Kim's chin and gently lifted her head so that they were eye to eye.
"What text was that, exactly?"
Receiving only silence in return, Trini sighed deeply and grabbed her phone.
"Fine. Be difficult. You don't want to tell me, that's cool, I'll find it myself. Blah blah…appointment, blah blah-oh. Oh. Could this be it?
'You were so tight last night, I think I could really help in stretching you out."
Kimberly raised her head and glared, immensely disliking the fact that Trini could sound so amused while Kim felt so miserable. And then Trini was laughing.
"What the hell is so funny?" A small part of Kim felt betrayed at the idea that Trini could so easily dismiss her feelings about a situation she deemed pretty damn important. Trini paused to wipe the tears from her eyes, the last of her laughter finally subsiding.
"You. You're so clearly jealous, and I think it's funny. Ashley is gay."
Kim's head whipped around to shoot Trini an incredulous glare.
"Really? That was supposed to make me feel better? Really, Trini?"
"Ashley is also my physical therapist."
Kim's jaw clenched angrily as she imagined some beautiful blonde's hands all over Trini's muscular body.
"And Ashley is a dude."
And then her jaw dropped, perfectly mimicking a fish out of water.
"You couldn't have told me that from the start?!"
Trini smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "Hell no. You were being a brat, and you kind of deserved it. So, speaking of that text, what exactly did you think it meant— "
"You know damn well what I thought, we don't have to talk about it."
Trini's smile disappeared, an uncharacteristic look of maturity replacing the grin, making her seems years older.
"We don't have to. But I really think we do. Don't we, Princess? You kind of—well, you kind of lost your shit for a bit, didn't you."
Kimberly swallowed roughly and nodded. There was no point in keeping it to herself anymore, especially since this seemed to be the opportunity to admit that which she couldn't before—and the opportunity to do it before she lost Trini again.
Kim glanced around at all the other Rangers, relieved to see that they were still engrossed in their own sparring matches. It wasn't that she didn't want them to know, it was just that she wanted this moment for herself and Trini only, lest she lose her courage again.
"I wanted to tell you this sooner, really, I did, but I guess a part of me liked what we had going on. The back and forth thing we had was great, and this part of me thought you'd wait for me to figure myself out, but then I saw the text and I realized that I should have said something, so I could—"
"You could what, claim me for yourself?"
Kim let out a hiss as she inhaled sharply, the possessive part of herself wanting to admit that yes, she wanted to claim the smaller girl, make it known she belonged to her, but also—
"So I could call you my girlfriend. I mean, if that's something you want, too. I want to take you out and get to know you better, and see where this thing goes—because I really think we could have a thing, and it would be like fireworks, Trin."
Trini looked Kimberly up and down, her intense scrutiny making the pink ranger feel like she was some new strain of virus under a microscope. Finally, the shorter girl stepped forward, her body mere inches from Kimberly's own. She had to stand on her toes to do it, but the result was electric; Trini's breath upon her ear, Kim's neck flushing as each warm puff assaulted her skin.
"You can take me out tonight. And Princess?"
Kimberly's response was choked, her voice laden with lust.
"Yeah?"
Kim's breath hitched as she felt Trini's lips make contact with the shell of her ear.
"Play your cards right, and you'll find out just how tight I really am."