Just Like Always
Summary - [Deleted Scene from New Beginning]. Even after ten years apart, there are some things that don't diminish over time. And you fall back into your old ways, just like always.
Billy pulled at the neck of his sweater vest, trying to keep it from clamping into his Adam's Apple any more than it already had. He frowned, looking down at himself. Or maybe it was the dress shirt beneath and not the sweater vest.
Kimberly would've said it absolutely was the sweater vest and that no one has worn one in the last twenty years. And yet, she'd immediately turn it around and say that he was the one who could bring it back in style and make it cool again. Honestly, he thought she was lying, but Kimberly was the most fashionable of them all.
Like you really need to think about how you look at a time like this, Billy thought. Scornfully, Billy shook his head. Caring about his appearance at all was ludicrous. There were many more important things in life than what his appearance looked like. He liked himself just fine, didn't have too many complaints though didn't quite enjoy the way his eyes squinted when he was concentrating on something…which was caught numerous times in pictures.
Self-conscious anxiety would flow though him when he'd see photos given back to him when he looked like that, it'd been something that'd happened since he was a child. Even when under the darkened haze of the visor of his helmet, he'd find himself squinting, as if it'd make him see clearer—something his contacts aided with.
But that day found himself putting on his glasses rather than sticking in his contacts. He stared at them for a moment then slid them onto his nose. It made him appear more unassuming, he rationalized. That he kept good company. Avalon had made a comment about it before they'd left the house that morning.
"You'd think you were the one who was potentially going to jail, mate. Not me."
It wasn't funny, but it had broken the unspoken tension around them. As they sat on the bus, rumbling into downtown Angel Grove—with Zack lamenting he wished they could teleport there—Billy glanced around. Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Trini, and Tommy all sat in the nearby seats, dressed as nicely as he was. Bailey, on the other hand, was getting a ride with Conner and the other rangers. Almost as if they were simply going to a reunion function at Angel Grove High.
Almost immediately, he flashed back to their many times in high school where they'd gone to dances, plays, and other function to support their classmates and enjoy school. How long ago had it been that they'd been able to truly relax? Not very, if Tommy had managed to stumble across his own students who'd become rangers and drag him back into the spandex suit to protect the city.
"Like it's going to make a difference to what they already think," Avalon commented when she spotted her friends after they met up at the Youth Center—which still looked the same, though modernized, after many years away from Angel Grove, seeing them all dressed to their best.
"Putting your best foot forward has always yielded good results," Billy pointed out.
Avalon merely smiled, shaking her head. "You don't have to come with me," she said. "It's just a hearing. I can go by myself."
"We're all going to be there for you, Av," Jason said gently yet firmly.
"Yeah, we're not going to let you go through this alone," Kimberly added, squeezing the orange ranger's hand. "And you know Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Trent are going to be there, too."
Avalon's smile pulled at the right corner of her mouth, turning into a smirk. "I meant you lot don't have to come with me on the bus." She turned her gaze toward Billy. "I reckoned you'd still be mad about what happened to your truck, yeah?"
Billy did his best to keep his irritation from showing. Of course, the one time Avalon insisted on driving—he was usually the one who took the reins, not quite trusting her to see the road due to her lack of height-resulted in her managing to get his truck stuck in a drainage ditch, bending the axles of his front tires, rendering it useless.
The bus it was.
Sweat dripped down Billy's back, he shifted back and forth, hoping he'd remembered to bring a can of deodorant in the bag that sat by his feet. Always be prepared. He'd never lasted more than a week in the boy scouts, the bullying over his intelligence was that bad, but it was still something he continued to follow.
His gaze shifted to the side, finding Avalon sitting calmly next to him, looking at something on her cell phone. How she could be so calm, he wasn't sure, but greatly admired. His gaze flickered to the 'V' tattooed on the inside of her wrist, the final initiation that set her into the street gang, The Vipers. The group that eventually led her and the other rangers to her hearing that day, to determine if she'd be charged before testifying at the trial against Chase and the others.
She looked calm, cool, and collected. As if nothing was amiss. The only sign of change was the way she'd decided to dress. Despite being a decade older than her teenage self, on a daily basis Avalon typically continued to dress similarly to the past; her attire, which typically consisting of a leather jacket over any combination of her ranger color, orange, and darker makeup with her long hair loose around her shoulders had been forgone for a lighter spread of makeup spread over her face that made her youthful freckles stand out—and continue to have her carded at R-Rated movies and when buying an alcoholic drink, her hair pulled back into a ponytail with two large strands framing the sides of her face, and a sleeveless orange blouse tucked into a dark skirt.
She kept her head down, looking and smiling at something on her phone. Every few seconds, she'd chuckle to herself before, finally, smiling up at him and angled her phone so that she could show him what she'd been laughing at. But Billy didn't notice it, didn't pay attention to the video that'd played, simply stared at her.
The status of their relationship was odd to say the least. Since he'd abruptly left Angel Grove to go to a Peace Conference then to MIT, they hadn't spoken. For almost ten years they hadn't said a word to each other. And she was justified in her being angry at him for it, he'd been cowardly and ran away all because he couldn't handle the feeling of not being a ranger anymore, to know everything he'd worked for was…gone. Because he didn't feel useful, because he felt that there was nothing more for him in life. So he left, and tore apart something that'd been very important to him all because he couldn't face how he was truly feeling.
They'd gotten things out in the open, spoke about their feelings and now…Billy wasn't quite sure what to think of their relationship. He was sure she was still angry at him in some way, many ways. There were many things she still wanted to say to him and he deserved. And yet, she continued to warm up to him as the days passed. He'd missed her while he was gone and it was almost torture to keep himself from talking to her, to keep himself from thinking about her as the days passed. It became easier as the days went on, though it weighed over him.
He wasn't naïve enough to believe things would be exactly the same way they'd been before, and yet…they'd fallen back into their former relationship quickly. Avalon made fun of him at nearly every turn and he took it, gave it back when needed, and continued to be a calm, supportive force when needed. He was the first she talked to about her upcoming hearing when she became worried.
And now, as he sat next to her, Billy couldn't help but notice how strong she'd continue to become over their years apart. She didn't keep things inside and work on them herself, she relied on her friends and family to help her through. (Though her newfound ranger powers probably helped her as well). Nevertheless, Billy couldn't stop himself from leaning in and placing the ghost of a kiss on her cheek, just below her temple but above her cheekbone.
A reassuring gesture.
Yet, the second his lips left her skin and he got a good look at the surprised expression on her face, he'd realized what he'd done. A flush crept up Billy's face and he looked away from her, pressing his glasses up his nose. How silly. One gesture to reassure a friend and the next thing he knew, he was back to his teenage self, mentally beating himself up for his impromptu gesture.
He clenched his hands in his lap. So much progress in life; graduated high school early, ran the Power Chamber with the Zeo powers, created the Turbo powers, was a speaker at a Peace Conference, went to MIT, helped create the Lightspeed Rescue powers, and continued to keep in touch with those at NASADA as ranger encounters continued. All that success within his life…and he, a twenty-seven year old man, turned into a teenage boy with no sense of what he'd been doing and the consequences of what he'd done.
Billy clenched his hands even tighter, focusing on the pain that erupted in his hands. He deserved it, he supposed. After all the pain he'd put her through. Billy jumped when he felt Avalon's hand reach over and curly over his, the steadiness of her contrasting the shaking in his. He glanced at her and Avalon smiled back at him.
Billy relaxed, smiled back at her.
Funny, he was supposed to be supporting her, and she was the one there for him.
Just like always.
A/N: This came to me last night. Hope you all enjoy.