Z/Syd
Syd was fuming. It just wasn't fair, darn it. It wasn't. Here it was, the most romantic day of the whole year, and she was stuck in the break room with the guys while the one person who should be showering her with gifts was nowhere to be found.
"It's not fair," she muttered bitterly, crossing her arms with another humph as she sulked.
There was a long silence as the four boys exchanged glances. After a silent debate, Jack finally sighed. "What's not fair, Syd?" he asked, trying not to sound as annoyed and disinterested as he felt.
Thankfully, Syd was too self - absorbed at the moment to notice. "It's Valentine's Day," she whined, pouting.
The group exchanged glances again. "It is?" Sam whispered.
"Of course it is," Bridge put in brightly, elbowing their teammate into silence before she heard him. "It's your favorite day of the year, Syd. Aren't you happy?"
Her lip quivered, and her eyes began to water. "No!" she burst out, sniffling and letting out a sob.
Sky and Jack both glared at Bridge in silent accusation. It was hard to tell through the helmet if the look Sam was giving him was actually a glare or not, but considering the circumstances, it was probably safe to assume it was. Bridge shrugged helplessly, looking apologetic. 'Sorry?' he mouthed.
Sky moved to sit beside her, setting a hand on her shoulder. Silently bracing himself, he forced out "What's wrong?"
"There's supposed to be romance, and flowers, and presents, and candlelight dinners, and big stuffed animals, and ... and ... " She sniffled again, fighting back the urge to wail. "But she's not even here. How am I supposed to have a romantic Valentine's Day when I don't even have a valentine?!"
"I'm sure there's a reason Z isn't here," Sky soothed, rolling his eyes behind her head.
They all loved Syd, really they did. But her drama queen tendencies were a bit much at times. And quite frankly, none of them were nearly so interested in Valentine's Day to begin with. It was hard to be sympathetic when they really didn't see what the big deal was.
"She said something about needing to get out for awhile today," Jack offered, not sure if it would help calm her down or not.
It didn't.
"She doesn't want to see me on Valentine's Day?!" Syd wailed, her voice increasing to a pitch that made Sky flinch back in pain as everyone else cringed.
"I'm sure that's not it," Sam offered, one hand on the side of his helmet as he tried to somehow muffle the sound ringing through its speakers.
"But it's Valentine's Day! It's supposed to be sappy and sweet and romantic! It's ... " She sniffled again, bowing her head as she tried to hide the tears that were starting to well in her eyes. She didn't mind letting the guys know she was upset and all, but crying ... That was something else. Something no one ever got the privilege of seeing her do.
She blinked a few more times, swallowing back the lump in her throat. It just didn't make sense. How could things with Z be so sweet and sympathetic one minute, and fighting like cats and dogs the next? Why did she keep bouncing back and forth between girlfriend and mortal enemy? Sure, Z was uncomfortable with getting too close sometimes, but it wasn't like she was asking to marry her or anything. She just wanted to spend some time with her girlfriend on Valentine's Day. Was that so wrong?
"Why do I get stuck with the girlfriend who hates romance?" she demanded.
"Uh ... Syd?"
"What?" she snapped, looking up at Bridge.
He pointed just behind her with a slight smile.
She turned, and stared in surprise.
In her left arm, Z carried a pink vase filled with yellow roses, the top of their petals brushed with pink. Double Delights, she remembered. A large pink bow with yellow trim had been carefully tied around the vase. Her right hand held a stuffed kitten in soft pink fur, with blue large eyes. "Happy Valentine's Day," she said softly.
Slowly, a smile grew on Syd's face.
Then she marched over and socked Z in the arm, receiving a raised eyebrow in response. "Meanie," she pouted. "Did you have to take so long?"
"Forgive me, Princess," Z mocked, bowing slightly. "I searched far and wide to shower you with the gifts you so richly deserve." With that, she shoved said gifts into Syd's arms with a scowl.
Syd humped indignantly, even as her gaze dropped down to her flowers. She smiled, leaning forward to inhale their scent. Pink and Yellow roses ... Combining their Colors definitely meant something different to a Ranger, and if that wasn't romance, then she didn't know what was.
"I'm taking these to my room," she announced, walking off without looking back.
Something dropped on her head after a minute, and she looked up at the stuffed kitty. She smiled again, and couldn't resist the giggle that burst out. "It's so cute!" she cooed. Another surprisingly sweet gift; she had a tendency to curl up and cuddle into the nearest person's lap when she fell asleep, especially when there was sunlight involved, and Z had teasingly nicknamed her 'Kitten'.
"Glad you like it," Z's voice was casual, but the grin she shot at her was pleased.
The gifts found the nearest table as the door to their quarters closed behind them, while Syd's arms wound their way around Z's neck. "How can I ever thank you?" she purred, batting her eyelashes.
Z's grin widened. "I can think of a few ways," she murmured, lowering her lips to hers.
