Author's Note: For the first time in four years, I'm back with a Power Rangers Dino Thunder one-shot! This was a new idea that I had to get written and posted so I could bring attention to a couple of things on my Fan Fiction Profile. I have two links there: one goes to the forums I set up on this site while the other goes to my LiveJournal. The forums are for me to post story ideas that I have that I wouldn't mind others writing should they like the idea, while the LJ is for me to post up raw ideas as I get them, elaborating when I can and just generally being a whiteboard for me to post story ideas. I urge my readers to check them both, and please feel free to give feedback on any of them, even if it's been years since I posted the idea! I have so many things going through my mind that I really would like someone to talk to about it…
Disclaimer: Power Rangers is currently owned by Saban, as far as I know. Power Rangers Dino Thunder was owned by Disney at the time. I own this particular story, if not the characters and concepts that it uses.
To say the last few months have been different would be an understatement. Before the school year started this year, Conner McKnight had only truly given thought to dating girls and playing soccer. That's not to say that he was a bad person; he was generally nice and easygoing, but he didn't go out of his way to help people, either.
Then the first day of school happened and he got detention.
The new principal was quite strict, and to be fair, he was skipping his first class. That he had detention with two others really didn't surprise him that much, though the ones who did were. When he heard why Ethan James had detention, he laughed, but when he heard why Kira Ford had detention, he couldn't believe it.
The trip to the museum wasn't what he had in mind, but the adventure they went on when they got there certainly did something to brighten the mood. Being chased by weird lizard-robots notwithstanding, finding a hidden cave with strange technology and colored rocks that give superpowers was actually quite cool. Learning that they would lead to the three of them becoming Power Rangers was even cooler.
At least until the day after they got their morphers; Ethan had invited them to his hangout, Hayley's Cyberspace, where he found out from the proprietress herself that the local club soccer team, Reefside Wave, was having open tryouts at that moment. This was the break he'd been waiting for, for years; then he got the call to duty and had to bail on the tryout, causing him to lose his chance. This really bummed him out, and he wanted to quit the team because of it.
Then he saved a little girl's life on what he was going to call his last outing as a Ranger. This opened his eyes to something more than just girls and soccer; that he could make a real difference out there if he only gave himself a chance. In that moment, many of his priorities shifted; helping people felt good.
So it was, on a relatively nice day in early spring that Conner found himself at the local park practicing soccer; his tricks having attracted a crowd of children. He was demonstrating some of his moves and even teaching a few of them that were already showing talent.
Of course, not even this can go uninterrupted; a swarm of Tyrannodrones appeared, causing a panic amongst the children. Conner attempted to draw them away with limited success, but fortunately his teammate Kira had arrived and helped to evacuate the children, leaving Conner free to concentrate on the fight.
When all of the children were clear, Conner jumped back and Kira joined him; they nodded to each other and morphed, giving them the power boost they needed to dispatch the 'Drones. Job well done, or so they thought, when a monster then appeared. They called their weapons and tried to fight back, but were overwhelmed; with no Ethan, they couldn't power the Shield of Triumph allowing Conner to tap into the Triassic Power.
Regardless, they fought, but were repelled repeatedly. Finally, the monster let out a wave of power that blew them both clear of the field of battle. They lost both morph and consciousness before they landed.
Conner was the first to wake up. He was sore all over and found that while he had sensation, he couldn't actually move from the spot he landed. Not that he would want to, though, as he found himself lying face up with Kira lying on him face down, and his left arm wrapped around her, her left arm across him.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this." He couldn't help but whisper; unknown to him, though, she had woken up just after him and heard exactly what he had said.
"How long?" Was all she could say. She understood what he meant by that, but couldn't figure out why he would feel this way, having never given any indication that his feelings were leaning that way.
"Huh?" He inwardly cursed at himself for not keeping that comment to himself. It was out there, now, and he had promised himself several weeks ago that he wouldn't lie to Kira; ever since he was honest about what he thought of that horrid music video she had made.
"How long have you wanted to do this?"
He was silent for a moment, getting his thoughts in order. Finally, he spoke up, "around three years, I'd say."
Kira couldn't believe that, and she said so. "No way that's possible; we didn't even know each other before this year."
Now he was in trouble, as he'd have to reveal what was among his deepest secrets. He steeled himself before elaborating. "Not true. We've been going to the same schools for years, and had a lot of classes together. I've known about you for a long time, and have always tried to hang around close enough when you've chosen to sing at school."
Was this the same Conner McKnight that she thought she knew? Obviously not, but if that's the case, then who is this Conner McKnight? "I get that we've been classmates for years, but what do you mean you've been listening to me?"
"I like your music. You know this now, but the fact is, I always liked it, even before we became Rangers. I've always… admired you. You know exactly who you are and aren't afraid to show it to everybody. I've never been able to do that, always hiding behind an image that everybody believes is me."
Kira absorbed this thought and silently contemplated her next question. When she got there, she said, "Okay, so what do you mean by hiding behind an image? You've always been the same, even after we became Rangers…"
This actually hurt a little, as she insinuated that he hasn't changed even a little, which he had. Before becoming Rangers, he never would have hung out with her and Ethan, he never would have tried to help those children learn his soccer tricks, and he never would have let anything get between him and playing soccer.
Conner huffed a little to himself before answering. "I'm a jock; you know as well as I do that everyone in school has preconceived notions about how jocks are supposed to act. When I first started getting popular due to my soccer skills, some people would look at me really oddly when I did things they weren't expecting. It was easier to just… go with it rather than break the mold and be myself."
Kira scrunched her eyebrows at this, being among the few things she could actually move at this time. "But why?" At his grunt, she elaborated, "Why do you go along with the image? Why not just be yourself?"
"Because… I was afraid, okay? It's just; it's scary to be out there where everyone can see and be contrary to all they think you should be. It's why I act the way I do around you guys in public, or even back when we first found the gems; it's a defense mechanism to keep to the image."
Kira knew he was holding back something; something related to what he first said when they woke up. He was afraid? Perhaps that's not the only thing that is scaring him…
"What else are you afraid of?"
He knew what she was asking about. The tone of her voice said it all. She wanted to know more about why he wants to hold her. Taking a few deep breaths, he begins to tell her the one thing he always believed he wouldn't. "I'm afraid… of telling you precisely what it is that I feel about you." There, he said it. Well, maybe not actually said it, but alluded to it in such a way that she can take the hint.
She's silent for several minutes after that. It is a rather big bombshell to take, after all. Getting her thoughts in order, she finally speaks up. "How long have you felt this way?" She knew her own feelings concerning the jock in red, but she really needed him to continue talking so that she could gauge how she would answer him.
"To be honest, I think it started as a small crush just after we started out at Reefside High School. It just grew from there, watching you play and just being yourself. When we became Rangers, I thought this might be my chance, but then I went and said some really stupid things that made me believe I lost that chance… Then we became friends and I didn't know what I could do without potentially damaging that friendship. I was afraid I would say something that would drive you away, or worse make you hate me." When she was silent after he finished, he added, "I promised myself that I wouldn't lie to you, ever. I'm sorry if this makes things awkward between us."
They laid there for several minutes, making no sound but their breathing. Kira had been thinking about what he had told her, and came to a decision of her own. "Two years ago." At a confused sound she continued, "I had seen you around the school, and being honest I had a small crush on you two years ago. But we never spoke; nothing came of it."
Conner wasn't sure what to say about this. Kira didn't give him a chance to, anyways. "When we became Rangers, I wondered about that old crush, but your attitude turned me away at first. I was wrong earlier, I'll admit to that; you have changed, but a part of me didn't want to see it. The part of me that remembered the old crush said that I could deny ever having it if you never changed from how you used to act."
This was news to him; a small glimmer of hope welled up inside of Conner. "How about now?"
This was it; the moment of truth for them both. The next thing Kira says will determine everything for the two of them. A choice is in front of her that will forever change them both.
One the one hand, she had been denying any sort of attraction for Conner McKnight for two years now, and had told herself she had moved on. Close to the beginning of the year, she had met a new guy that she found highly attractive. A part of her said that she would be missing out if she didn't give him a chance…
Then again, this was the same guy that tried to kill her and her teammates for several weeks last winter, had taken their mentor Dr. Oliver out of commission for much of that time, and when she had tried to help him, he ran away. Ever since he had joined the team, Trent had been nervous and on edge, like there was something he wasn't telling them; this was enough to make her unable to trust him.
Conner, on the other hand, was there for her in ways that she didn't even realize until this moment. Sure, his image was one that she didn't like very much, but now she knows that is just what it is: an image that he maintains due to fear of what people will think of him. The part of her that had a crush on him was growing, exponentially at that. This was the point that she knew what her answer was…
"Now?" She said, readying herself to rock both of their worlds. "Now, I think I've done enough denying. I just wish I could move right now so I could properly show you how I really feel…"
There it was, both of their feelings out in the open; their inability to move being the only thing to ruin the moment. They continued to lie there quietly, until finally the others found them. It was a joyous reunion, especially since it meant that they would be able to fix the issue with their temporary paralysis.
A silent agreement went between the two; that they would take the time to talk after this was all over, to really give each other the chance and to try and make it work out. Though they hadn't yet said the words, love could definitely be felt, and only they could determine if their relationship would stand the test of time.