Of Scoops, Slices and Sunsets
Disclaimer: Still no ownership of the Power Rangers…
Chapter 3: Release
RJ swore that he was at his wits end and that wasn't something he associated with himself for several years. He felt smothered.
He felt trapped.
The thing was, he wasn't even in a confining place, nor was he even claustrophobic. He was standing in the kitchen of Jungle Karma Pizza, not entirely present as he struggled to complete the order in front of him but he couldn't calm his mind.
All he could focus on was the fact that he had woken up on this beautiful, sunny day and was unceremoniously bitch slapped with the reminder that he, Robert James was a mentor to three teenagers. Okay, technically they were all legal adults but they were still so young when it came to the ways of the world. And yes, he was including Theo in that regard despite the guy's best efforts to seem more mature than his friends.
Seriously though, of all people, RJ was a mentor.
Honestly, what was Master Mao thinking?
His stomach dropped, his heart clenched. And there it was, what had been upsetting RJ all morning.
Master Mao was gone.
The former teacher of the Order of the Claw had been killed in a horrific accident that had also resulted in the unleashing of Dai Shi, a tremendous force of darkness and evil. An event that sent three grieving and confused students stumbling through his door.
In the long run everything felt so fast, so sudden. RJ felt as if he'd had no time to process everything, he had to throw himself into teaching, into training new employees and a brand new team of Power Rangers.
Who were also teenagers.
Spirits they were wonderful but they were also a handful. They were lazy and moody and could be so dramatic without listening to a single word he said, particularly about his damned chair!
It was like they were his kids. Kids that he hadn't even signed up for, thank you Master Mao!
With a violent sigh, RJ stepped away from the ball of dough he was half-heartedly rolling out and raked his fingers through his hair, gripping the brown locks tightly. It was too much, it was all too much.
He needed a break, he needed to get out.
He needed to hide.
The question of the matter was where to go. Upstairs was out; any one of his students could find him easily. He couldn't really leave the restaurant either, in case a Rin Shi decided to pop up.
A place came to RJ's mind. It was an odd choice for hanging out but it was the perfect place for hiding. No way any of his employees would find him there.
Poking his head out of the kitchen, RJ was relieved to find that the immediate area beyond was empty, his mind too frazzled to realize that he probably should have asked for someone to step in and cover for him.
As casually as he could manage, he made his way over to the side of the staircase where there was a white door that was camouflaged within the white wall. Grasping the door knob, RJ opened it to reveal a small supply closet. With a near desperation, he dove inside.
Sinking to the floor and curling up into himself, surrounded by the strong scent of cleaning supplies, RJ silently screamed.
He had no idea how long he'd been hiding, but RJ knew that he wasn't feeling any better and therefore had no inclination of leaving the supply closet and interacting with people. Apparently someone out there had other ideas.
The door opened and he stiffened.
"Oh!"
RJ relaxed slightly at the sound, recognizing the voice. Fran had found him. The one person he honestly didn't mind finding him, the one person that deep down, he didn't mind being weak around. He kept his head lowered however, far too emotionally drained to even look up.
Fran opened her mouth for a heartbeat, and then closed it. She didn't know what to say. RJ looked so exhausted and it was clear to her that he was hiding; most likely without wanting to be discovered.
Which she had done.
Oh dear.
Putting as much kindness into her voice, hoping that he didn't hear pity instead, Fran told him, "I never saw you."
She started to step back and close the door when he stopped her.
"N-no...Fran..." She looked back, her heart aching when she saw how vulnerable and unsure he was. "Don't go."
She waited patiently, not saying a word.
RJ hesitated for a long moment before managing to gather the emotional strength to continue talking. "Would..." He swallowed against a dry throat. "Would you stay with me? Please?"
Fran didn't even pause as she closed the door behind her, stepping further into the room as she did. She sat herself across from him, matching his cross-legged pose, hands resting in her lap.
She didn't say a word, merely watching RJ who had dropped his gaze as soon as he saw that she wasn't going to leave. Silence rang in the supply closet, neither occupant willing to break it just yet.
"I feel trapped," RJ finally whispered.
Fran remained silent, sensing that it was for the best that RJ speak his piece in its entirety but when he didn't elaborate on why he felt trapped, she remarked in as casual a voice she could manage. "You are the one who asked me to stay here with you and this supply closet isn't that big."
RJ's lips quirked up a tiny bit. "That's true."
"But clearly not what you meant."
He shook his head. "No." He sighed deeply, roughly raking a hand through his hair. He looked up at her apologetically. "It's...complicated."
"Is there any way for you to un-complicate it?"
"Maybe." RJ looked thoughtful. "I'll try."
Fran did her best to not fidget and to keep any trace of impatience from her face, knowing that she couldn't push RJ for answers. It was more than enough that he was willing to trust her with whatever was troubling him and she didn't want to cause him to shut down because of her eagerness to help.
"Okay," RJ finally spoke after a few minutes. "There's this school...an academy if you will. It's old and prestigious, so to speak and for many of the students, it's their home for nearly their entire lives. It was for me, until about seven years ago."
"So, it's a boarding school?"
"Yes, but it's more than that." RJ paused, clearly picking his words carefully. "The...classes... are steeped in tradition but they also really help one find themselves; or, they do a very good job trying." He smiled slightly as he thought of his world traveling friend, Dominic, who was searching for his identity beyond the school's walls.
RJ looked up at Fran, "I take it you can put together that I went to this school."
She gave a small grin. "I can."
"My dad went there," he told her. "As did my grandpa and I think, my great-grandfather did too."
"You're a legacy student?"
"Yeah," RJ admitted. "But that's a story for another time. I just wanted to lay down the foundation for this story."
"Alright."
"Y'see, Casey, Lily and Theo were all selected for this...graduate program that actually I wasn't supposed to be their teacher for. At least...not yet."
Fran frowned, brow furrowed in confusion. "So what happened that you had to take them on sooner than you planned?"
RJ seemed to sag as he thought of why he had to take on three students when he wasn't quite ready for them. Fran's heart ached as she took in the sadness etched on her friend's face. He just looked so tired.
"There was an attack on the academy," RJ told her quietly, giving a slight nod in acknowledgment of her sharp gasp. "Their teacher was fatally wounded and before he passed, he instructed them to seek me out." RJ finished with a flourishing gesture towards himself.
Fran's eyes were wide, her lips parted, but no sound was issued from them. Just what kind of academy did RJ and the others attend in the past? A dying teacher telling Lily, Theo and Casey to seek out their new teacher. It honestly sounded like a plot point out of a mystery novel.
It sounded dangerous.
Swallowing any nerves at the information RJ bestowed her, Fran exhaled heavily, unaware that she had been holding her breath. "My goodness," she whispered. "I guess you're feeling a bit overwhelmed."
"A bit's an understatement."
"Did you know their teacher well?"
"He was my teacher, too."
Fran looked at him contemplatively. "You haven't been able to take the time to mourn, have you?"
"No."
The broken whisper had Fran fighting back tears as she opened her arms. RJ immediately accepted the silent invitation and crawled into her embrace, wrapping his own arms around her torso, burying his face into her shoulder.
He sobbed as soon as he felt her arms come to rest against his back. He cried for the loss of Master Mao, he cried for the pressure of being a master when in his heart, he still didn't feel ready. He cried from exhaustion and he cried for the mere release of letting all of his burdens out.
Fran didn't say a word as RJ wept. She didn't even shush him. She merely hugged him a little closer as she rubbed his back and gently rocked him. She stroked his hair, carefully removing streaks of flour from the strands and hummed softly.
RJ sniffled as he caught his breath, his chest feeling lighter than it had in days. He let out a shaky sigh as he slumped against Fran, closing his eyes as she carefully wiped away any stray tears. "Thank you," he breathed.
"Do you feel any better?" She tentatively asked.
"Mhm."
"Do you want to talk about anything right now?"
He shook his head in the negative and said, "I just want to stay right here, if that's okay with you."
"It's okay with me."
The two friends stayed in their embrace, the silence only punctuated by RJ's congested breathing. After several minutes, he finally spoke, "I'm a mess."
"How so?"
"I don't always feel like I'm worthy to be their mentor, to even be a mentor," RJ began. "Hell, I feel more like a single father or an older brother who's raising his siblings even though technically they're legal adults because they just feel like my kids. And I'm their boss on top of all that.
And I dragged you into this which I feel bad about because we're all taking advantage of you to be quite frank which you definitely do not deserve and—"
"Breathe, RJ."
RJ took a deep, gasping gulp of air, his body sagging with his exhale. He jolted slightly when he felt Fran gently touch his cheek, guiding his gaze to her own.
She watched him intently, reassuring herself that he wasn't about to spiral into a panic attack. "Have you ever taken the time to just breathe?" She asked him. "Has anyone ever told you that?"
"I mean, I meditate," RJ said. "And I do yoga."
"Do you ever simply do nothing? Just breathe and be?"
He frowned as he thought about it before shaking his head. "Not really."
"It could be a help." She suggested gently.
"Maybe."
"Would you try it?" Fran asked. "Just breathe and relax. I guess that is technically meditation... but I want you to not concentrate on anything."
RJ cracked a small smile. "That too, is meditating, Fran. But I appreciate the sentiment."
Fran returned his smile before remembering something else that he had mentioned. "Oh and for the record, RJ? You didn't drag me into anything. You asked for the help and I accepted. I mean, I took over for you when I didn't even have the job a few months ago because you had to run out and Jungle Karma was a one man show at the time."
"And now it's become a one woman show," RJ said with a wince. "I still think that we're taking advantage of you."
Fran was quiet for a minute, arranging her words in her head just so. Now here was hoping that she could actually articulate them without sounding petulant or unmoved. "Sometimes the rushes can be a bit much," she admitted. "But I always assumed that you had a lot of deliveries to handle or...or grocery shopping or something."
A wry smile pulled at her lips. "If you're going to tell me that you all are having fun or going out for ice cream while I'm here at work, I might cry even though I love working here."
RJ buried his laughter into her shoulder. "No, no...that's not it, I promise. Thank you for saying that you love working here though." He regarded her gleefully. "I may never have an employee of the month thing though. How can I, when you're pretty much the employee of the century?"
Fran blushed and ducked her head at that. "Now that's reaching a bit," she blustered. "But thanks."
"That is so not reaching," RJ protested. "I seriously mean it. Without you, I'm pretty sure not only would Jungle Karma have sunk—"
"Because I was such a regular customer?"
He made a face at her words. "Because you've been here? Helping me? Because without you, I would have been knocked further off balance and probably would have exploded at my students. And we both know how out of character that could have been."
"You're human though, RJ." Fran pointed out. "You of all people know there's no such thing as perfection and not even you are immune to anger."
RJ shot her an exasperated look. "Would you please just take the compliment and know that you complete us?"
Her blush returned with a fierce vengeance. "Keep talking like that RJ and a girl could develop a crush on you. I take it you're feeling better?"
"Loads," RJ agreed with a sigh. He decided to push aside the crush comment for now. He was still feeling slightly off-kilter as far as emotions went and he knew that Fran would just see any banter on his part as deflecting the situation.
"Are you ready to go back to the restaurant proper and at least check on your students if not work?"
"Not particularly," he admitted with a wince. Deep down, RJ knew that he was being unfair to the three, but he also wasn't ready to show them that their mentor had moments of vulnerability. One day he would let down those walls, just not today.
A growl interrupted whatever Fran had been about to say. RJ groaned, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. "On second thoughts..."
"Um, a-actually RJ..."
He looked up at Fran, seeing her blush as she wrapped an arm over her stomach. "I think that might've been me."
Swallowing down his laughter, RJ lightly asked, "Skip breakfast this morning?"
"That would explain why it feels like my stomach is trying to crawl up my throat," she mused without looking at him.
"That's some imagery there," RJ snickered. "C'mon, let's get you some food." He gently extricated himself from Fran's embrace as he carefully stood; shaking away the pins and needles feeling that was starting to creep up his legs.
He then held a hand out, helping her up once she took it. When she was on her feet, RJ tugged Fran into another tight hug. "Thank you Fran," he murmured. "I already said this, but you keep me in balance. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Fran smiled shyly and RJ was certain that he could feel it. "I guess you're stuck with me then."
"Just so long as you're okay with being stuck with me."
She beamed at him, "Always."
Sorry for putting RJ through this! The romance side of things will be coming soon!