Story Title: Coming Out

Author: Mathais

Rating: T

Fandom: Power Rangers

Warnings: Slash

Pairings: Justin/Fred

Summary: Justin comes out to his friends and family.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters/elements of Power Rangers; I believe it's Saban's at this point.

Notes: Done for queer_fest 2012. Prompt at the end of the story. I apologize for the quality; I had more difficulty than I thought with this prompt.

OoOoO

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"...I'm gay."

A significant pause.

"I understand." A fatherly hug around trembling shoulders. "I don't love you any less, Justin."

Burying unshed tears in a strong chest, "Thank you," tumbling from shaking lips. "I'm going to tell my friends now."

"You have my support."

"Thanks, Dad."

"No problem, Justin."

OoOoO

Justin stepped into his room with a heavy sigh.

...that had been one of the most nerve-wracking things he had done.

His hands shook as he grabbed his phone, thankful that he had the number on speed dial.

"Fred here," the voice on the other end said. "How's it going, Justin?"

"I told my dad."

Fred immediately went quiet.

"He was good about it," Justin continued as he slid down his door, eyes closed. "I mean... he felt guilty for so long, so I knew there was a good chance he'd do that."

"But it's nice to hear it all the same," finished Fred. "My dad was the same way." Fred's voice was soft and kind, and it loosened that clenched part of Justin's chest that had tensed in fear that this secret was too much for his dad.

"I'm going to tell my other friends soon," Justin said.

There was a pause on Fred's side.

"...Holy shit," he whispered.

A tired smile quirked Justin's lips. "I don't do things half-way."

Fred chuckled. "I know." His voice drifted over the connection, warm, low, and deep. The sound caressed Justin's body and made his toes curl. "I've got your back. The others too."

"Thanks," Justin whispered.

He could hear Fred's smile over the phone.

OoOoO

Justin immediately discarded the idea of telling his first team right away. Kat and Tommy were likely to freak out (in a good way, granted) and smother him and... yeah. He was worried about how Adam would react, and Tanya had always been iffy about the concept of homosexuality. And, yeah, Rocky would probably be all right with it, but it didn't make it any less embarrassing when it was Rocky. Yeah, no, his first team had always seen him as an inexperienced kid at first, then a helpful but still young teammate after.

He decided to go to his second team. From the start, he'd had Senior Ranger status (even if that had been all of half a year), so they didn't quite view him the same way the others had. Additionally, they acted as Earth's diplomats in the intergalactic community, so they had a broader exposure to culture.

He approached Carlos first, as he was the one he was closest to of all the second Turbo team.

Due to Carlos's celebrity status and Justin's relative anonymity, they couldn't quite meet up in public. But they did have the Astro Megaship at their disposal, so the next chance they got, Carlos teleported Justin on board and they shared tea in the cafeteria.

Justin preferred his strong, black, and in a heavy mug, while Carlos sweetened his with honey and milk and drank from a cup with a saucer.

"So, what's up?"

Justin took a sip of his tea, liking the bitter taste in his parched throat. Licking his lips and staring straight into Carlos's eyes, he said, "Remember how Cassie's been nagging me about getting a girlfriend?"

"If she's bothering you that much, you know that you can just shut her down, right?" Carlos immediately replied. "She won't take offense if you're a bit blunt with her."

Unwillingly, Justin felt a small smile cross his lips. "She's probably one of the bluntest Pinks Earth's ever had."

Carlos smirked as well. "Can't argue with you there."

Justin took another sip of his tea. Part of him wanted to just let this banter continue, but he knew he had to continue on. "It's not about that. It's just... I doubt I'd be getting a girlfriend anytime soon." When Carlos opened his mouth, Justin held up his hand to forestall what was no doubt a firm reassurance that he just needed to find the right girl. "No, it's just that I'm gay."

Pulse racing in his ears, he stared down into the murky depths of his drink. He didn't want to see Carlos's response, didn't want to know what Carlos thought. He remembered Carlos as his soccer coach, who, in spite of his position over him, never treated him as weak or helpless. He didn't want to see Carlos, who had become one of his big brothers, possibly react poorly.

A situation that remained unobserved did not collapse into a result. A future unseen remained malleable, moldable, changeable. By not looking, Justin could still believe that everything was all right.

He heard the delicate clink of a teacup on a plate. "I thought as much."

Bewildered, Justin looked up. "Huh?"

"You were kind of obvious a couple years ago," Carlos admitted. "You kept looking at Nico. I thought it was because you didn't have a lot of friends, but the way you looked at him was different than that."

Justin felt himself flush brilliantly. "I—that—" Nico had been his first crush, the start of his acknowledgement of his homosexuality. To realize he'd been so blatant—oh God, that was why Nico had always smiled at him weirdly around that time.

"It's nice to have confirmation though," Carlos said. "I don't mind." There was a smile on Carlos's lips, and Justin realized that Carlos had said those words to defuse some of the tension. Knowing that Carlos had done that, Justin felt another weight come off of his shoulders.

"Thank you," he said.

Carlos tilted his head to the side. "I'm glad you came to me about this though."

Justin laughed lightly. "Yeah. I trust you."

"Friends forever," Carlos said softly, and they bumped fists.

"You said I was obvious," Justin continued, this time hesitantly. "Does anyone—?"

Carlos coughed and looked aside. "Erm, there may have been small bets among our mutual teammates?"

Justin buried his face in his hands. "I'm kind of worried to hear about what," he moaned.

His friend quickly told him who bet on what outcome, and, armed with this knowledge, Justin set about informing them of the results.

OoOoO

"Cassie, I'm not bisexual and into Kayla," he said over the phone, taking a certain amount of relish in Cassie's disappointed whimper.

"She's a nice girl, though, isn't she?" Cassie fast-talked. "I mean, she's a martial artist like you, and Rocky trained her—"

"—and you're still not winning that pot money because of me," said Justin sweetly.

"Damn."

OoOoO

"Teej, I love you like a bro and all, but Nico's straight."

"At least I got the sexuality right," TJ grumbled. "Are you absolutely sure? Maybe he's just—"

"—and, no, I'm pretty sure," Justin cut him off. "There were some issues with maga—"

"—bisexual? Pansexual?" TJ cut him off this time, wanting nothing to do with the combining Justin and the sort of illicit material he himself had partaken in as a teenager. Yeah, the thoughts alone were enough to make TJ sweat and think of Tommy and Kat's retribution.

"Nope, not even questioning," Justin said promptly. "Felt nothing after—" and he clammed up, because he promised to take that secret to the grave. "Anyway," Justin coughed, "I'm gay even though you all apparently knew my liking for boys."

"If it helps," TJ said, "I don't think any of the others know. They missed your completely obvious pining for Nico."

Justin rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

OoOoO

"I'm gay, not asexual," Justin told Ashley over coffee.

Ashley pouted. "You never seemed all that interested in sex, so I thought..."

"There's a difference between being too busy for it and uninterested," Justin said. "I'll have you know that I have a decent enough sex life."

"And there goes my bet," Ashley sighed. "At least, I hope so. It's a thing, right?"

"We're committed," Justin confirmed. "And, no, I won't say who."

"No gossip either?" Ashley rolled her eyes. "You ruin all my fun. You're being safe right? I don't know if we've given you the safe sex talk for guys yet—"

"—LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Justin all but shoved his fingers into his ears to avoid Ashley's knowledge on the subject.

OoOoO

Justin crossed Ashley off of his list and thoughtfully looked down at who remained, ignoring Fred on the other side of the room. He'd broken out into laughter when Justin related his tale, and it didn't look like he was going to stop anytime soon.

Tommy, Kat, Adam, Tanya, and Rocky.

All of whom tended to see him as a child.

He hummed softly and tapped his pencil on Rocky's name.

He'd never served on Rocky's team, but the fact that Rocky had given him his place obviously meant something. And he was the closest to Rocky out of all of them, before and after.

He kicked Fred on his way out for good measure.

Justin met with Rocky over lunch, taking part in their usual banter. Halfway into their meal, he said, "I'm gay, can you pass the pepper?"

Rocky dropped his fork into his pasta. "What?"

Justin refused to look up from his soup and repeated, "I'm gay. Can you pass the pepper?"

"Oh, okay then." The pepper shaker was nudged in front of him, and Justin looked back up.

He shouldn't be feeling this way, especially after how well it had went with the second Turbo team. He still found himself repressing tears, because this was Rocky, who had helped him through one of the most tumultuous periods of his life. If Rocky didn't accept him...

"Hey, hey, it's all right." Rocky was smiling.

...he wasn't running away.

...there was no disgust.

"I understand. It's fine," Rocky assured him in what felt like sunlight shining through his tears. "I mean, I kind of thought so, with that kid you always hung out with. I think his name was Nico?"

Justin groaned, all of his fears instantly wiped away by pure misery. "Was I really that obvious?"

Rocky grinned. "If it helps, it's only because I spent a lot of time with you."

"Am I going to have any more surprises?" Justin grumbled as he shoved a spoonful of soup in his mouth, petulant.

"I don't think the others have a clue," Rocky said.

Justin scowled and returned to his food.

But not before Rocky said, "I've got you," and forced Justin to keep from breaking into a smile.

OoOoO

Justin barely escaped the safe sex lecture Tanya got into when he talked to her.

At least it meant that she fully accepted him, but he really didn't need all of the lecturing and the talking and the demonstrations.

She then cornered him when he tried to wiggle his way out of another try and said softly, "I knew some people back in Africa who had AIDS. When time jumped forward again, I remembered that they hadn't made it. I know it's not because you're gay, but I just... I just want you to be safe. I don't want that to be you."

Justin quieted. He stared into Tanya's eyes and saw the resolve hidden behind the heartbreak.

With that, he stopped trying to escape. Even though he'd been through all of this before, he sat through it.

Because it was something that Tanya needed to do, and Justin would grant her that.

She had him in her heart, after all.

OoOoO

Justin's first stumbling block came with Adam, who had abruptly quieted after Justin admitted his sexuality.

Adam had disappeared for a few moments and came back looking like he was desperately wishing for a glass of something hard.

"Y-You're gay?" Adam asked again.

His words met like an ice pick to the spine. Justin tried not to be bitterly disappointed when he said, "Yeah, I am."

"But you didn't seem—" Adam trailed off. "I mean, you looked like—" he tried again but failed.

"I can assure you that I haven't been attracted to a girl so far," Justin said coldly.

"Are you sure?"

"No, I'm just fucking around with you," Justin snapped as his defenses rose. "I mean, really, this is all some fantastic ploy to make you feel uncomfortable." And he did what he did best when pushed into a corner.

He retreated.

The next day, he found a box of chocolate chip cookies at his door with a note on top that read, "We need to talk."

Justin listened to Adam's apologies and his desire for time. He gave Adam that much, but it didn't stop the ice from coloring his tone. It didn't stop the building anger from tensing his muscles until he had to bow out of the conversation and punch one of the bags at the gym until his knuckles bled.

It didn't stop the betrayal from welling up inside of him, which lingered even as Fred wrapped his hands up with a knowing gaze.

OoOoO

"What's up with you and Adam?"

And that was Kat coming from behind him, ever the peacemaker of the group. Justin looked up from the device he was working on (nothing dangerous, but he liked his scanners) and was completely unsurprised with her appearance. She may have been a dancer and a swimmer, but the time she'd never quite shaken the cat part of her personality, and she liked to slip in and out of places like a ninja (to the point where the actual ninja teams were impressed up until they remembered that Kat had been a ninja Ranger too). Justin wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with Kat's mothering, so he looked back down and said shortly, "I'm gay and Adam has issues." Bitterness invaded his tone, and maybe it would ward off Kat too. Maybe she'd leave him too...

A moment of shocked silence on Kat's part before her arms surrounded him. "I'm sorry about him. I can talk with him if you like."

Justin simmered in anger. He honestly wanted to just ignore it all, but he couldn't quite... His head kept telling him that yeah, Adam would probably get over it with time, but it didn't help the sting in his heart that had him burying his face in Kat's arms as if it were five years ago and he was still shorter than her.

Her subtle warmth mixed in with her approval did him good.

The edge of darkness around her that reminded him that some spells couldn't work without something already being there did him something better.

OoOoO

Tommy sputtered into his coffee when he said he was gay. He then sputtered again when he found out that he was the last to know.

Which had turned into a half-hour rant on how he was the leader and why was he the last to know and dammit not even Kat had told him.

Justin waited patiently for Tommy to wind down when Tommy suddenly said, "You're dating someone, aren't you?"

Justin's stomach dropped. "Uh..."

"You are! I remember you asking for first date stuff!" Tommy exclaimed. "That means you're dating someone!"

"Not necessarily," Justin mumbled, but it was a token protest.

"Who are you dating?" Tommy demanded. "I need to know if he's good enough for you."

"Erm, uh..." Justin flushed brilliantly. "I'm dating Fred. Fred Kelman."

"Fred?" was Tommy's shocked reply. "Dammit, you're dating Fred? I didn't know he was gay either!"

"We tried not to spread it around," Justin said.

"We're dealing with Adam," Tommy dismissed, "but it's my job to deal with Fred. He's usually at the Youth Center right about now, right?"

"Tommy?" Justin asked warily when Tommy shot to his feet. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Making sure he treats you right," Tommy said and marched off.

"Holy crap, Tommy, he's my boyfriend! No, don't do this, please! Goddammit, Tommy, leave him alone!"

OoOoO

Justin pulled Fred into his arms that night. "I'm so sorry about Tommy."

Fred chuckled nervously. "Uh, yeah... I don't remember him being that scary."

Justin hummed a little. Tommy liked to hide it underneath all that affability and kindness, but he was also one scary-ass motherfucker when he put his mind to it. A guy who'd been turned evil that many times obviously had something like that in him.

"He's a little protective," Justin agreed.

They sat in comforting silence, Justin enjoying Fred's warm body against his.

"So the entire family knows, huh?" Fred murmured.

Justin grunted his acknowledgement. "I don't do things half-assed," he said.

"No, you don't," Fred agreed and kissed him on the cheek.

Justin hummed his delight. They weren't going to do anything but hold each other tonight, and Fred's breathing soon evened out into sleep.

In the end, Justin didn't think he could have asked for more from this excursion. Most of his family by blood and by Rangering was fine with him, and Adam was (slowly) coming around. He had an awesome, supportive boyfriend who Tommy hadn't scared off (though it was a near thing), and now that he started (openly) dating, most of them now saw him in an older light.

As Justin drifted off to sleep, all he could think was, yeah, this was good.

OoOoO

Prompt:

Justin Stewart: He's always been the youngest ranger and some of his teammates still treat him as a child. How does this affect his coming out to them?