Title: Set Up
Characters/Pairings: Jason/Trini; Tommy/Kim; Rocky/Aisha; mention of Adam/Tanya; Kat Hillard
Rating: Strong PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own them. can't sue me. You know the deal. I'm not looking to make a profit off of writing this piece, so blame Saban for that (lol).
Settings/Classifications: Romance, Humor, Alternate Universe, One Shot, Valentine's day fic, Minor Language.
Spoilers/Notes: Set around 2002
Summary: Jason and Trini like each other, but are afraid of telling each other how they feel. Well, leave it Kim to set them up on a blind date so they could finally reveal their feelings to each other.
Author's Note: So, with Valentine's day happening right now, I decided to write a light, fluffy, one shot featuring some of my favorite couples from the Zordon era, plus, it's a good way for me to keep my creative juices flowing because of my story "At Every Turn" is still in progress. I hope you like this one.
Enjoy and happy reading!
Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!
X
Scott Residence
Malibu, California
February 14th, 2002 (Valentine's Day)
"Jason, my favorite big bro in the whole wide world, what are you doing tonight?" Kimberly Hart-Oliver sing-songed as she walked into her big 'brother's' living room and found him working on his notes for his upcoming meeting at the real estate office the next morning.
The original red ranger just rolled his eyes and ignored his little 'sis'. He knew she has something up her sleeve and if it involves setting him up on yet another blind date with another girl, well, she can forget. The last date he went on was a complete and utter disaster; with the woman constantly bragging about how much money her father has and how beautiful she looked...over and over and over again. He just wanted the night to be over with because he was so bored with her.
Ever since he broke up with his longtime girlfriend, Michelle Wright a year before, Jason just wanted to take a break from dating and focus on his career as a successful real estate agent. Now, as his best friend from childhood is trying to set him up on yet another blind date, the original red ranger knew it's gonna be disaster.
"Whatever it is, you can forget it, Firebird. I'm not going on another blind date," he told her right off the bat.
She feigned shocked as she sat down at the table. "What makes you think I'm gonna do that?"
"You just asked me what I'm doing tonight? And you're looking at it. I'm taking a break from dating to focus on my career. So, you might as well call whoever you got me set up with and tell her thanks, but no thanks," he replied, rolling his eyes.
Kim huffed as she reached over and grabbed the paper work away from him. "Jase, I can't believe you're saying that. I mean, yes, breaking up with Michelle was a bitch, but you can't run away or hide from it forever. And, besides, the girl I'm trying to set you up with is different."
"That's what you said the last time," he mumbled underneath his breath.
"Okay, yes, the last girl was a total ditz, I'll admit, but this one's the real deal. She's smart, kind, beautiful, has a smile that would light up a room, long beautiful dark hair and she's very athletic. I think you're really gonna like her," she replied, trying her best not to reveal the person's name.
Jason rolled his eyes once again. "Yeah, it's not gonna happen. I'm keeping my ass at home, drink away my sorrows and work."
"Big bro, I'm not gonna stop until you agree to this date. Do you know the lengths I had to go through in order for her to agree to meet you?" Kim said, causing Jason to arch his eyebrow up in confusion.
"You did what?!" he asked, almost screaming.
"Uh, yeah, I told her that you agreed to meet her at Mario's in few hours," she said sheepishly.
"Are you kidding me right now?! I told you I'm not going! Furthermore, I'm meeting Trini and the rest of the gang for brunch tomorrow morning, so forget it," he replied, slamming his hands down on the table. Kim quickly noticed the sparkle in Jason's eyes when he mentioned Trini's name, which meant that this plan she and the rest of the team has cooking up must work or else it'll spell a complete disaster for all of them.
"Aw, come on, Jase. Just meet her at the restaurant and if things don't go well, you can leave and I won't set you up on anymore blind dates ever again. Just do this for me, please?!" she pleaded, even getting down on her knees to empathize her promise.
Sighing deeply, he lowered himself back down on the chair and ran his fingers through his short wavy brown hair. "Alright, fine. I'll do this for you. But, no more, okay? I'm getting a headache from even thinking about this."
"Bro, I love you and all, but don't ever mention Rita again," Kim said as she got up, grabbed his arm, dragged him out of his chair and led him to the bedroom so he could prepare for his umpteenth blind date tonight.
Phase one of her brilliant plan in bringing her two best friends together was complete. Now Kim hoped that Trini will be easier to convince to go on this blind date.
X
Kwan Residence
Los Angeles, California
February 14th, 2002 (Valentine's Day)
"I can't believe I even agreed to go on this date. I mean, what if he turns out to be ugly?" Trinity Jade Kwan called out from the bathroom as she stared at herself in the mirror and was shocked to see how dolled up and gorgeous she turned out to be.
"Girl, you have nothing to worry about. This man is fine beyond belief. Not to mention smart, successful and very single," Aisha Campbell-DeSantos said as she, Tanya Sloan-Park and Katherine Hillard sat on Trini's bed in her bedroom; waiting for her to come out.
"I hope you're right. I mean, it's been a long time since I've been on a date and after my breakup with Josh, I was seriously considering giving up on finding love altogether," Trini said, still staring at her reflection in the mirror. Truth be told, blind dates really don't suit her very well; especially since she went through a very nasty breakup with her last boyfriend, she had really considered pressing the 'delete' button on dating permanently. She was more focused on her career as a top notch lawyer, but seeing how happy her friends are, well, to be honest, she was jealous.
All Trini wanted was to be loved and cherished by a man who would treat her right. She didn't ask for much concerning relationships, but just to be treated with the proper love and respect was all she wanted and needed. There was a time that she thought she found it with a man who she has known forever, but either he was too oblivious or didn't even know that she's harboring serious feelings for him.
Well, tough luck for the both of them because now, she was going on a blind date with someone she has never met before and Trini has a good feeling tonight's not gonna end well for her.
Little did she know, her fortunes will change for the much better after tonight.
After checking herself in the mirror one more time, she walked out of the bathroom and went right into her bedroom, modeling her knee length black sequined dress in front of her friends.
"Well, how do I look?" she asked, twirling around a few times.
Kat gave Trini her thumbs up. "You look beautiful. I think this guy won't be able to take his eyes off you."
"I agree; he's not gonna wanna take his eyes off you. Hell, I'll even say that after seeing you, he's gonna wanna take that dress off you," Tanya jumped in, winking at the original yellow ranger.
Trini just rolled her eyes. "Let's not go too far. I'm just meeting him for dinner. My gut's telling me it's not gonna end well for me."
"Oh, don't be such a Debby Downer, Tri. Go and have a good time. You really need to get over Josh and what better way to do that than to meet someone new," Aisha replied, tucking a strand of hair behind Trini's ear so that her hair, which was pinned up neatly, was in proper place.
"I'm not being a Debby Downer and we need to stop watching Saturday Night Live. I'm just being realistic, that's all. Now, I better get going. Just lock everything up when you get ready to leave," Trini said as she grabbed her purse off the dresser, checked herself in the full length mirror one more time, waved at her friends and left her apartment, leaving them alone.
"I do hope things work out," Tanya mumbled underneath her breath.
Kat ran her fingers through her long blond hair and sighed. "Me, too. I hope Kim's plan work out."
Aisha nodded her head as the three ladies walked out of Trini's apartment. "I feel the same way. Because, if it don't, well, let's just say we're gonna be dealing with a very angry red ranger when it's all said and done."
All three ladies shuddered just thinking about it.
X
Mario's Restaurant
Los Angeles, California
February 14th, 2002 (Valentine's Day)
It turned out to be a busy night at this popular Italian restaurant, thanks to the holiday, so a lot of couples were occupying tables from left to right. Jason was sitting at the bar, nursing a glass of Jack Daniels and waiting on his date to show up; all the while watching various couples, ranging from young to old, being all lovey dovey with each other and enjoying the romantic atmosphere of this intimate setting. He wanted to roll his eyes because he couldn't believe he agreed to this blind date, however, he had no idea that his life was about to change after tonight.
As he took a swing of his scotch, he failed to notice that Trini has shown up at the restaurant just a few minutes later. As soon as she stepped inside, she immediately began looking for her date by maneuvering her way through the crowd; mumbling apologies to anyone she ended up bumping into. As she kept maneuvering her way through the crowd, she noticed a tall, dark and handsome man sitting at the bar, nursing a glass of liquor and seemingly dead to the world. Trini quickly came to the conclusion that he must be her blind date and began to smile. She headed right to the bar and immediately made her presence felt in front of him.
"Hello? Are you my date for this evening?" she asked right away. He turned around in his seat to find out who was talking to him and was immediately shocked at who she was.
"Trini?!" he asked, not believing his ears.
She had her own shocking look on her face. "Jason?! What are you doing here?!"
"I'm here on a blind date, thanks to Kim setting me up. What about you?" he asked as he made room for her to sit down next to him at the bar.
"Same here. I'm supposed to meet someone on a blind date as well, thanks to Kim, Kat, Aisha and Tanya setting it up for me," she explained, laughing softly.
He leaned over and laughed right along with her. "I think it's safe to say that we've been set up."
"I think you're right," she giggled softly as she placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, if I were to kill Kim for doing this, would you help me hide the body?" he joked as he motioned the bartender over.
"Sure, but it'll cost you. I don't work cheap," she joked right back.
"Duly noted. Um, you look really beautiful tonight, Tiger," he complimented, causing her to blush something terrible.
"Thank you, Rex. And, I must say, you don't look too bad yourself," she complimented right back, squeezing his shoulder gently.
"Thank you. Uh, I do have a confession to make and it has something to do with us," he said, looking sheepish.
Trini was looking worried as she leaned over to him. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I can handle it."
"Okay, well, it's like this: I've been dying to ask you out for a long time, but for some reason, I always chicken out. I didn't think I had a shot; especially since my last relationship went completely bust. So, as much as I wanna kill Kim for setting me up on another blind date, I'm also very grateful to her because I'm here with you. However, if you don't feel the same way, I completely understand; given that you just went through a breakup of your own," Jason confessed softly.
"Really? You really mean that?" Trini asked, trying her best not to smile because she's been having the same thoughts and feelings about her childhood friend for a long time.
"I really do. So, I was hoping we could continue this. I even have a reservation if you like to have dinner with me," he said, his million dollar smile flashing right in her face.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly. "I like that very much. And, for the record, I feel the same way."
And, with that, the date went on and they were having such a good time. Throughout the night, they constantly flirted with one another, feeding each other bites of their food and they couldn't keep their hands off each other. When a slow romantic song began to play, Jason escorted Trini onto the dance floor in the middle of the restaurant and gently took her in his arms; swaying along with the melody. She snuggled close to him and felt herself floating on air because this has turned out to be a perfect night. And the fact that she was spending her evening with the man she loves made it even better.
Fortunately, the night was not over yet.
On their way home from the restaurant, he had some soft jazz music playing on the stereo as they allowed a comfortable silence to linger between them. Jason reached over and took Trini's hands into his gently and, when they reached the stop light, he looked over his shoulder and winked at her; causing her to blush something terrible once again. She had to pinch herself because she landed such a gorgeous hunk of man candy like Jason Lee Scott.
When he parked his car in front of her home in Los Angeles, he got out of his car, jogged right over to the passenger's side and opened the door, being a perfect gentleman. She smiled brightly as she climbed out of his vehicle and took his hand into hers.
"Well, aren't we being a gentleman tonight?" she teased, winking at him.
"My mama taught me right, gorgeous," he replied, raising her hand up to his lips and kissing it gently, making her mind swirl.
"Mr. Scott, flattery will get you somewhere. Now, continue being a gentleman by walking me to the door," she replied, her smile never leaving her face.
"With pleasure," he said, squeezing her hand softly. Together, they made their way up to her front porch and stood in front of her front door, facing each other, with hopes that this night will never end.
"I had such an amazing time with you tonight, Jason. It's been a while since I was treated like a lady," she told him, grinning from ear to ear.
He squeezed both of her hands softly and smiled brightly at her. "Well, the pleasure's all mine, gorgeous. You should be treated like a lady and I was more than happy to show such a good time tonight. I hope we can do this again soon."
"Definitely. So, uh, are you gonna kiss me goodnight?" Trini winked at him; silently hoping that he would kiss her until he leaves her breathless.
"It would be my pleasure," he replied before he leaned over and planted his soft lips on hers, causing her to close her eyes and saw fireworks exploding in the back of her eyelids. She still could barely comprehend the fact that Jason Lee Scott, the original red ranger and original leader of the power rangers was kissing her.
Needing so much more, she opened her mouth and allowed his tongue to slip past her parted lips. Gasping softly, she wrapped her hands around his neck and pressed herself closer to him; deepening the kiss even further. His hands gripped her hips tightly, feeling the passion boiling between them and realizing that he needed more contact. He could never get enough of kissing her, touching her, being near her. Fortunately for him, she was feeling the exact same way.
When air finally became a problem, they reluctantly pulled apart. Their foreheads were touching as they were breathing heavily, but the temperature was still reaching its boiling point between them.
"W-would you like to come in?" Trini asked breathlessly, as she struggled to open the door.
Jason chuckled softly as he kissed her forehead gently and helped her unlock the door. "I'd love to, Tiger."
"Good. Because I definitely could go for a night cap," she purred as she finally got the door opened. Their mouths fused together once again as they finally went inside her house and closed the door behind them.
Needless to say, neither one of them got any sleep that night.
X
Kwan Residence
Los Angeles, California
February 15th, 2002
Weak sunlight blanketed the dimly lit bedroom as two people, a dark haired man and a raven haired beauty, laid entangled in her bed, sleeping like angels. The man woke up after the sun completely engulfed his face, causing him to squint and doing his best to block out the sun beaming down on him. Jason finally woke up a few seconds later and yawned, then he looked over and grinned when he saw Trini snuggled close to his side, resting her head on his broad chest and her arm draped over his stomach. He leaned over and kissed her nose lightly, causing her to scrunch up her face for a second before she snuggled much closer to his side. When he kissed her again, that's when she finally woke up and when she looked up at his gorgeous face peering down at her, she allowed a warm smile to etch her face.
"Mmm, good morning, Rex," she said softly, her smile never leaving her face.
He grinned at her as he squeezed her close to him. "Good morning, Tiger. How did you sleep?"
"Wonderfully. I can't remember sleeping this well for so long. 5 times, though? I never thought you would have this much stamina," she giggled softly.
"You weren't too shabby yourself, gorgeous. Come on, how about I make us some breakfast?" he suggested as they both got out of bed and began getting dressed. Trini reached down and grabbed Jason's shirt off the floor, then she slipped it on over her body, causing him to whistle in appreciation.
"Damn, Tiger, my shirt looks so much better on you than me," he teased, causing her body to react.
"Anything to take it off me, right?" she sassed, causing him to reach over and grab her by her arm, then he yanked her toward him and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"It's working, right?" he asked before he leaned down and captured her lips with his, kissing her passionately and making her mind swirl.
"Mmm, you keep kissing me like that and we'll see," she said breathlessly when they reluctantly pulled apart.
"Come on, Tiger, let me feed you," he said as they made their way out of the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen.
Jason and Trini constantly flirted with one another as they were cooking. So much so, that he hoisted her up on the counter and proceeded to kiss her passionately, making her mind swirl once again. They were so engrossed with one another that they barely noticed their friends showing up at the front door; for their scheduled brunch date.
"I hope everything's okay. Trini didn't call us to see how her date was," Aisha said, looking worried.
"Same thing with Jason. I never got a call from him to see if his date was okay. Something tells me I shouldn't had set him up," Kim said, looking solemn.
Tommy Oliver, Kim's husband, wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder and kissed her temple gently. "Aw, don't worry about it, beautiful. I'm sure everything's okay."
"Yeah, let's just talk to him and see what's going on," Rocky DeSantos, Aisha's husband replied as he reached over and banged on the door.
"Damn, Ape boy, what are you doing; banging on the door like you're the damn police?!" Aisha hissed, punching him on his shoulder.
"Ow!" Rocky bellowed, rubbing his sore arm and looking at his mama bear with a shocked look on his face, just as Jason finally opened the door.
"Okay, I'm gonna assume that Rocky was the one who banged on the door like he's the damn police and waking up the entire neighborhood. All I can say is, what the hell?!" Jason said, looking pissed.
"I'm sorry, bro," Rocky said, looking somewhat ashamed.
"Listen, I know I was supposed to meet you for brunch today, but something else has come up and I can't get away from it. Or, more like I can't get away from someone. I'll catch up with you guys later," Jason said, trying to close the door quickly. Kim, with her quick reflexes, stuck her foot out to prevent him from closing it and narrowed her eyes at her big 'bro'.
"You got company? Where is she?" she asked, grinning evilly.
"In the kitchen, cooking up a plan on hiding your body," he replied, grinning right back.
"What?!" Kim shrieked, looking at her husband for some much needed help, but he gulped and looked completely nervous and scared. Even Rocky and Aisha was scared.
"Yeah, so I'd watch my back if I were you, pinkie. However, I wanna thank you for setting me up because I had the best night of my life. And she would like to thank you as well," Jason replied, widening the door and allowing the person to make her presence felt. Kim, Tommy, Rocky and Aisha could only smile at the person standing in front of them; wearing Jason's shirt and looking as happy as she could be.
"Hi, guys," Trini said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well, glad to see things have worked out between you two," Aisha beamed, winking at the original yellow ranger.
"Oh, yeah, things have definitely worked out," Trini giggled before she grabbed Jason by his shoulders and pulled him down for a deep, passionate kiss; causing the two couples to groan.
"Come on, guys, little kids could be seeing this," Kim said, covering her eyes in annoyance, but still happy to see her two best friends being happy and in love.
And they wouldn't have it any other way.
The End!
Happy Valentine's day, everyone!
New chapter of "At Every Turn" is coming your way soon! Be on the lookout for it.
Please review!