Story Title: Return
Author: Mathais
Rating: T
Fandom: Power Rangers Samurai
Warnings: Slash
Pairings: Antonio/Jayden
Summary: In the aftermath of their win, Jayden struggles to return to daily life.
Disclaimer: I don't own the elements and characters of Power Rangers Samurai; they belong to Saban.
Notes: Written for WerepuppyBlack for Alpha's Magical Fic Exchange 2013. Prompt at the end of the story. I hope you enjoy this; this is my first time writing Power Rangers Samurai and I hope I hit the right notes!
OoOoO
Jayden woke up to a silent house. As he carefully rearranged his bedding with the comforting familiarity of routine, he couldn't help but stretch out his senses, hoping for a hint of anything—but no, there was nothing.
Oh, how the habits of a decade could be brought low by a single year.
A single year that had been one of the most frustrating ones he'd ever lived but also probably one of the best in his life.
Jayden continued his morning routine, drifting through his morning practice to the sound of his wooden sword's swings under Ji's careful watch. By the time he finished his morning shower and sat down to a simple breakfast, he knew that he wasn't going to shake his lethargy any time soon.
Breakfast was still far too quiet, even with the scrape of his spoon against his bowl and the chirping of the birds in the trees. Jayden finished his food in record time, and as he was cleaning the remains, Ji spoke. "I think we can skip training today."
"You said that yesterday too," Jayden said.
"And it's no less valid today than it was yesterday," Ji replied. "You've been pushing yourself even harder than usual."
What else was he supposed to do though? For the longest time, being a samurai had been not just a lifestyle but his entire life. There was nothing in him but to train.
"I've caught up on all my school work." It was taking him longer than usual to get a college degree, doing the entirety of it part time so that he could keep watch for the Nighloks. It was a mixture of Japanese History and Business for reasons entirely his own, but it was another thing Jayden was proud of and did to his utmost ability.
"I didn't mean work." Ji folded his arms in front of him, a deliberate pose that Jayden knew from long experience and a part of him still feared. "You need to relax, Jayden."
"Exercise is relaxing for me," Jayden protested. There was nothing like the sweat and burn from a good workout, tiring out both body and mind until he fell into a blissful haze for the rest of the day.
"Your body is still recovering from all the fighting we did, even with symbol power helping recovery," Ji said bluntly.
Jayden was thankfully too in control over his reactions to let out the wince he could feel. He nearly tore his bicep a couple days ago, and Ji wouldn't let it go.
"Jayden, please, just rest today. For me, if nothing else."
Though he remained with his even tone, Jayden could hear the undercurrent of exhaustion in Ji's voice. A touch of guilt welled up in him, and his shoulders slumped, just a little. "All right, Ji, I'll rest today."
"Thank you," Ji said. "I'll be in my room if you need me."
Jayden watched as his surrogate father walked away, leaving him alone. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
In and out. In and out.
It's all right, he could do this.
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Reading was no good. He got ten pages in before he had to toss the book away. He kept looking for the scritch-scratch of another book beside him.
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Television never really interested him. The low hum of the artificial voices on screen only echoed on the empty walls. There was no one to answer back.
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Strumming on his new guitar gave him reprieve for about half an hour. His fingers stuttered when he remembered the cheerful lilt of a flute, and he could find no rhythm when he returned.
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Was the house always so quiet?
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Ji caught him doing pushups and gave him a scolding that left his ears red like he was a little kid again. He didn't dare push.
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Even meditation fled from him. He couldn't sink into that comforting place in mind and soul. After five minutes of frustrated attempts with what once came easily to him, Jayden was forced to admit defeat. There would be no peace in this case. Ji found him inelegantly sprawled out in his room, tossing a ball in the air with a deeply unhappy look on his face.
"I drew a bath for you," Ji said. He was gone again before Jayden could look over, but Jayden took the tacit apology for what it was.
It turned out a hot soak was almost exactly what he needed. With a groan of pure pleasure, Jayden sunk beneath the lip of the water. Breathing in the steam sent a tingle throughout his entire body, a wave that loosened his tensed and aching muscles. He hadn't realized how much he was unconsciously vibrating until he stopped and relaxed for what felt like the first time in an eternity.
Lying down in the tub, hair plastered to his face and beads of sweat on his skin—it was glorious in ways that Jayden couldn't voice. The drip of the faucet against the water echoed loudly in the bathroom, but Jayden didn't care.
It wasn't silence. It wasn't emptiness. He didn't have to look for ghosts here.
Finding respite that had so long eluded him, Jayden dozed off.
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Jayden jerked awake when the door to the bath crashed open.
"Hey amigo—oh shit, don't shoot!"
Jayden honestly didn't know how his samuraizer came to be in his hand, but he was halfway through a blasting symbol before he recognized that voice. "Antonio?"
Yep, there was Antonio, cowering outside of the door, hands over his head. When he realized that he wasn't about to be sent flying, Antonio popped up with a grin. "Hey Jayden!" That grin turned into a playful leer when his eyes refocused. "Hello there!"
Jayden abruptly remembered about his current state of dress or lack thereof. He focused every portion of his immense will to not blush.
By the widening of Antonio's grin, Jayden knew he didn't succeed.
Gathering up every last scrap of his dignity, Jayden said dryly, "Antonio. I didn't know you were back."
"Well, I promised, didn't I?"
Antonio's smile was infectious, and Jayden felt his lips twitching. "That you did."
"You're probably going stir crazy in here. C'mon, let's go out for a night on the town!"
There was such an earnest expression on Antonio's face that he just had to laugh and acquiesce. "I should probably get dressed first."
"I dunno, you look pretty good like this." Leaning against the doorway, Antonio waggled his eyebrows.
This time, Jayden laughed freely and threw his bundled up shirt at him. Antonio sputtered as Jayden shut the door firmly in his face, drying up and dressing in peace. When he emerged, Antonio was bouncing lightly on his feet and wrapped an arm around his shoulders the instant he could.
"Ready to go?"
"Let me tell Ji," Jayden said. With his blessings, Antonio dragged out of the house for what felt like the first time in a month.
To be honest, Jayden wasn't exactly sure what they did. There was an awful lot of sightseeing despite living his life here. Despite his strict diet, Antonio convinced him into eating from nearly every street cart they came across. The entire time, he chattered about his cruise and the things he saw and the people he met. Jayden was well and truly sated by the time they took a walk by the river in the fading daylight, Antonio still as bouncy as ever.
Jayden hummed in pleasure, heat curling through his stomach to leave him in a soft daze. He bumped shoulders with Antonio as they passed by a bench. "Want to take a seat?" Antonio agreed with a huge smile, and Jayden didn't let him get away with putting a friendly distance between them; he pressed their sides together as soon as they sat down. Antonio was warm next to him, and he found that he couldn't protest Antonio's arm wrapping around his shoulders.
"You came back," he whispered.
"I like said, amigo, I promised," Antonio said.
"...I miss everyone," Jayden said softly, like ripping out a bit of soul. Speaking about his feelings was always difficult. "I thought... It's been so long since—"
Antonio made a noise of understanding. "I'm here now though. I came back, right? I'm always going to come back."
But coming back meant leaving and... Jayden didn't know how to voice it. He didn't know what to say.
It'd been so long since he had the opportunity to do more than wistfully dream. He wasn't sure how to want any more.
But he wouldn't be a Power Ranger, a samurai—he couldn't be Jayden Shiba—without a massive amount of burning courage.
"Don't go."
Antonio looked at him in surprise.
"Don't go," Jayden repeated and dragged Antonio down to eye level, bumping noses with him. "It's no good without you."
It took some time for Antonio to process this, but Jayden refused to back down. He stared into those eyes, those eyes that had always gazed at him with warmth and affection, and tried to pour all of the things he couldn't say.
Antonio closed that minute gap between them. Mouth pressed against his, Antonio whispered, "I'm here."
And Jayden smiled as he kissed Antonio back.
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"You did check your messages, right?"
"W-what?"
They stumbled back home after an hour of snuggling by the river, carrying take-out for Ji. As Jayden placed the food in the kitchen, Antonio rummaged through the cabinets and gave a noise of disappointment when he couldn't find the snacks he was looking for.
"The others have been complaining that you haven't been answering them. Just wanted to make sure that you remembered."
Jayden grabbed his samuraizer. 67 unread messages stared at him accusingly from the screen. "Oops."
Antonio rolled his eyes and draped over his shoulder again. "What have you been doing these past two weeks?"
"Honestly, I just did a lot of training."
"You need a life."
"...yeah, yeah, I do."
"Jayden Shiba, admitting weakness?"
Jayden rolled his eyes this time and shoved Antonio away. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."
Antonio only grinned. "Want to help me unpack as you answer those messages?"
Jayden snorted but didn't decline the offer. Using one hand to drag Antonio close, the other dialed Kevin's number, and Jayden heard his friend's surprised but warm voice for the first time in what felt like far too long.
The house wasn't so quiet anymore.
Jayden could live with that.
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Prompt: So the mission is done and they've saved the world from the Nighloks... Antonio comes back for Jayden.