Brooke woke up with a yell, instantly bolting upright. Her side instantly stung at that action, and her chest heaved. She felt sweaty as her eyes snapped around the room, and she felt as her claws grew in and upper lip curled around her canines. Her senses started to kick in, and she felt Jayden sitting beside her, him instantly waking up due to her yell. The warmth of his body helped her calm down some, and one of his arms was wrapped around her waist, his other hand was gently stroking her hair. It was calming, and Brooke felt her panic disperse at the feeling of being held by him and having Amaris curled at her feet. It was much better than the bloody battlefield than her nightmare depicted.
She still smelt the blood and the smoke, and Brooke saw Jayden's collapsed figure when she closed her eyes. Serrator had been hovering over him, and she was useless, silver chains wrapped around her arms and legs. They had burned her skin- but the pain was secondary as she watched Serrators staff swing down and collide with Jayden's neck. Her scream had died in her throat, and she had watched him die. She had watched him bleed out, and he had just shot her a small smile. Like everything was going to be fine, which hadn't been the case. He had died, and she did nothing. Brooke could only watch.
"Red," Brooke whimpered, tears rolling down her cheeks, and Jayden stopped stroking her hair. "I watched you die. Serrator- Serrator killed you. And I- I- just watched." She choked out, shifting her position so that she was facing him, gold eyes welling with tears.
"Hey, hey. I'm right here, I'm not leaving. You're safe, I'm safe." Jayden reassured Brooke, and he could make out her figure thanks to the faint glow coming from Amaris. Who had woken up when Brooke had yelled, and she was now watching intently, keeping violet eyes trained on the silver ranger.
Who latched herself onto Jayden, Brooke wrapping her arms around his torso tightly. He felt her claws prick his skin through his shirt, but he didn't care much, returning the hug. They said nothing, Brooke only letting out choked sobs, and Jayden rubbing small circles in her back. He understood her nightmares all too well- he had his fair share of them throughout the months. Watching his friends and teammates die never got easier, and he didn't know what to really say, so Jayden just held Brooke as she shook. He provided himself as a source of physical affection and comfort, and she seemed to latch onto him, but he wasn't complaining.
After ten minutes or so, Brooke eventually calmed down. She drew in a shaky breath, tightening her grip on Jayden slightly. "Thank you." She thanked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Of course. I'm always here, and I'm not leaving you anytime soon." Jayden replied, and Brooke let out a weak laugh.
"God, you're the best," Brooke murmured, pulling away. Thanks to her heightened eyesight, she could make out the features of his face, and she gently cradled Jayden's face in her hand. She could feel the warmth radiating off of his cheek, and that caused her to break into a small smile. "Are you embarrassed?" She teased, and he presumably shot her a glare.
"You're really something," Jayden grumbled, his face burning. It was due to the fact Brooke was praising him and mixed with the way she was somewhat straddling his lap didn't help. Still, he wasn't complaining, he just wasn't used to it. "How quickly you can go from upset to teasing me amazes me." He commented, and god did he want to kiss her. It was the prime opportunity to, in all honesty, but Jayden stopped that thought process before it could even start.
"I had to act this way for Maxx. He would always get angry when he saw me upset- not at me, but at James. To prevent him from doing something stupid, I just had to snap out of it quickly," Brooke replied, chewing on her bottom lip as her eyes flashed. "Thanks for dealing with it." She thanked, stroking Jayden's cheek with her thumb. It was even warmer now, and she didn't really know what had gotten into him. But, he was still here.
"No need to thank me," Jayden stated, stammering as he tried to find the words to say. Why was this so awkward for him? He didn't really know. "You're… you're interesting." He mumbled, and Brooke let out a quiet laugh, dropping her hand to her side.
"Good interesting or bad interesting?" Brooke wondered jokingly, and then made a noise of surprise when she felt calloused hands cup her face gently.
"It depends on the day," Jayden retorted after he regained his composure (and his confidence), and Brooke pretended to pout, her eyes flashing. It was times like these that he always enjoyed, happy memories that made fighting the war not too terrible. "Mostly good, though." He added, and Brooke hummed in response.
They were more physically affectionate with each other than Brooke was with anyone she had dated- and that realization dawned on her. Did that mean anything, or was it just because they were both touch starved? It wasn't like it was bad, but it was just confusing. Maybe she was just overthinking this due to the pain, and Brooke summed it up to that. She tried to ignore the way she was straddling Jayden's lap, her cheeks burning as she thought of the implications. She didn't bring it up, because he didn't say anything, but still. It was almost three in the morning and she was sitting on his lap while he was stroking her face. It wasn't embarrassing, it was just foreign. Even for her.
"You're muttering to yourself and your face is warm. What're you thinking about?" Jayden teased, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she averted her gaze from him.
"I- I don't like it when you use my tricks against me, Red," Brooke fired back, deflecting the question. Because she didn't want to go down that road anytime soon. Especially now. "I need to take some pain meds though, that's what I need to do." She thought aloud, reaching over and flicking on the lamp.
She felt as Jayden's hands dropped from her cheeks to her hips, and the light revealed how red his face was. All the confidence he had left his body, and his gaze landed anywhere but Brooke's face. Well, now they were here. The light broke any tension- which was romantic and somewhat sexual, and it left the two just embarrassed. They just stared at each other for a moment, Brooke's eyes flashing multiple times.
"Y'know what, let's just go back to sleep," Brooke announced, getting off of Jayden's lap and sitting on her side of the bed. She reached for the bottle of painkillers and cursed silently at her shaking clawed hands. She didn't even know why- it's not like she was new to being physically affectionate with someone. It was just Jayden. "If you, uh, feel uncomfortable- you don't have to stay. It's, uh... It's up to you." She added and kicked herself for the part of her mind that wanted him to stay.
"No!" Jayden blurted, and Brooke nearly spit out her water, forcing the two painkillers down. "It's not that- I… yeah." He trailed, and she smiled. It was frazzled, like they both didn't know what they were doing.
Which they didn't, the red and silver rangers just staring at each other for a minute. "Yeah," Brooke repeated in agreement, turning off the light and laying down quickly. "G'night, Red." She mumbled as she pulled the blankets over her head, Jayden following suit.
The two laid there awkwardly for a couple of minutes, their faces burning. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a spin-sword, and it stayed that way until Jayden broke the silence. "Can- can I hold you?" He stammered, cringing at the fact that his voice rose in pitch ever so slightly. Well, tonight is going great, he thought as he waited for a response.
After a painful silence that left Jayden regretting every action he's ever made, Brooke spoke. "Yeah. Please." She was barely audible and rolled over so that she was facing him. It took a couple of moments, but then they were back into their usual position, Brooke laying her head on Jayden's chest, who had an arm around her waist. His heart was pounding in his chest, and she could hear it, but this time, she didn't say anything. It was already bad enough.
It was just a matter of time until the painkillers kicked in and Brooke shut her thoughts off. She was waiting for that, and she eyed Amaris. The white wolf was just watching the two, violet eyes shining in amusement without saying anything. At least she knew that Amaris wouldn't tease her, because Brooke would impale herself at that point. Finish the job that Serrator started, and kill the nighlok's ego by killing herself. Which wasn't a good thought process to be having, but it was better than sitting in her own embarrassment. Which eventually subsided, and she heard as Jayden's heartbeat evened out and slowed. It wasn't long before he actually fell asleep before Brooke did, which was surprising for her.
His heartbeat was calming, and Brooke found that it was the only thing she could focus on. The pain meds started to kick in, and she let herself fall asleep, a small smile on her face.
The rustling of blankets woke Brooke up, and she cracked a grey eye open. Her vision slowly adjusted to the light that was now filtering into her bedroom through her thin curtains, she took a moment to regain her bearings. She felt Jayden nudge her gently off of his chest, and she instantly made a noise of annoyance, latching herself onto his side. She felt cold- freezing, actually, and she pulled the white comforter and her grey blanket tighter around herself and Jayden. Who was rather nonchalant about the whole thing, him looking down at Brooke with a small smile.
"Good morning," Jayden greeted, and Brooke didn't respond, only wrapping her arms around his torso. "Everything alright?" He could feel her shaking, and that caused a sense of worry to swirl in his gut.
"I'm cold," Brooke complained, and Jayden knit his brows at that. It was rather warm under the blankets, and she was pretty much stealing his body heat, so there was no real reason she should be cold.
"I can stay here for a little bit," Jayden offered, brushing some of Brooke's fluffy hair away from her face. His fingertips brushed her forehead, and he felt his eyes widen some. "Brooke, you're burning up." He breathed out, pressing a palm to her forehead. It was incredibly hot, heat radiating off of her skin.
"Eh?" Brooke responded groggily, looking up at Jayden with unfocused eyes. "I'm cold." She repeated herself for emphasis, and Jayden frowned slightly.
"You have a fever, let's get you something that'll help," Jayden explained, and Brooke knit her brows, peering at him skeptically as he got out of bed. "What is it?" He wondered as she pushed herself up, adjusting her position so that she was sitting upright.
"I don't get fevers. I don't get sick, it's a wolf thing." Brooke stated, scanning her bed. She spotted Jayden's hoodie and pulled the red fabric out from under Amaris, shrugging off Jayden's flannel.
Jayden raised his eyebrows at that. He didn't know that, but now it obviously wasn't the case. "It might be your body trying to fight off some infection because you're injured," He mused, Brooke pulling his hoodie over her head. "Let's get you something to help with it, then you can go back to bed, alright?" He offered, gently grabbing her hand and pulling Brooke off of her bed and onto her feet.
She stood there for a moment, blinking slowly and trying to wake herself up. She eventually did so, turning her attention to Jayden, or rather, the sweatpants he was wearing. They were proudly displaying the name and logo of a political rock band, and Jayden honestly looked out of place wearing them. "Band merch doesn't suit you." Brooke teased, her voice groggy, and he looked down at the sweatpants and then at her.
"Glad to see you're awake," Jayden grumbled in faux annoyance, Brooke laughing faintly in response. He still remembered last night- and the painful awkwardness that made him want to skewer himself but chose to ignore it.
"Glad to have you here," Brooke responded, and Jayden felt his face heat up again. Which he instantly screamed at himself for, because now wasn't the time. "Anyways, ibuprofen helps with fevers, right? I have some." She asked, and Jayden was glad she didn't look back at him as the heat on his face subsided.
"Yeah," Jayden confirmed, and Brooke hummed in response, making her way into her closet. "What're you doing?" He questioned, raising a brow as she came out with a small leather backpack in hand.
She didn't respond directly, only setting the backpack on her desk and unzipping it. "Running away stash, I always keep it with me- just in case," Brooke answered, fishing out the bottle of ibuprofen from where it was wedged in between a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. With a quiet cheer, she pulled out the bottle, turning her attention to Jayden. "Why're you giving me that look?" She asked, her eyes flashing. His blue eyes were full of something akin to sympathy, and it confused her.
"You're safe here, you know that, right? I won't let anything happen to you." Jayden blurted, and Brooke's eyes widened, flashing and turning grey-gold.
"Thanks, Red. I know," Brooke spoke softly, looking down at the leather backpack with a bittersweet smile. "I feel safe here, I just always have this with me. It keeps me from getting paranoid. Don't worry, I'm not leaving anytime soon." She promised, returning her attention to Jayden and shooting him a gentle smile.
"Good. I want you here," Jayden replied, a certain happiness filling his chest as Brooke broke out into a genuine smile. "Another thing- how do you know how much of something to take? You said before that normal doses don't work on you, right?" He wondered, and Brooke shivered as she peered down at the label, knitting her brows.
"Usually, I just double the dose and hope for the best- I don't know what the fuck my body does half the time. So, I figured as long as it doesn't kill me, it should be harmless," Brooke shrugged, her eyes flashing as she shivered and unscrewed the cap. Thinking for a moment, she poured four ibuprofen into her hand and set the bottle back on her desk. Noticing Jayden's expression, she quirked a brow. "Don't tell me you're judging me now. At least I'm taking care of myself." She remarked with a grin, then popping the pills into her mouth, downing them with water.
Jayden only shook his head with a small smile. "You're really something," He murmured, then turned his gaze to the digital clock on Brooke's desk. Reading the time, he cringed. He knew he had to leave soon. "I have to go." He announced, and Brooke frowned, her eyes flashing multiple times.
"That's stupid," Brooke commented, picking up one of the pillows on her bed and flinging it at him. Jayden caught it with ease, throwing it back on the bed walking over to where she was standing. "You're leaving me in a time of need, Red. You being a heater would be very helpful right now." She joked, and truthfully, Jayden wanted to stay. But he knew he couldn't.
"I have to, you know that," Jayden retorted, wrapping Brooke into a hug, which she instantly returned. "Get some rest." He murmured, feeling as Brooke shivered, burying her face into the crook of his neck.
The two stayed like that for a couple of moments, until Brooke stepped away, holding out a hand. "The moon disk, if it's alright." She explained, and Jayden nodded. Amaris disappeared in a flash of silver, the purple disk appearing in the red ranger's hand in a flurry of red particles. The blood once coating part of the disk had been cleaned off, and Jayden handed it to Brooke, who took it.
The disk disappeared and Amaris appeared in a flash of silver. The white wolf was obviously annoyed about these turn of events, her ears flattened to her head and her fur bristled. Brooke crouched down, and then winced, standing up again quickly. Jayden eyed her in concern, and she waved her hand in dismissal.
"I'll be okay, don't worry," Brooke yawned, sitting on the side of her bed. Amaris jumped up and laid her head on Brooke's thigh, who pet her with a small smile. "Go get your jeans before the others start asking questions. You can just throw the sweatpants in the laundry." She urged, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a smile.
"Will do," Jayden replied, Brooke shooting him a thumbs up.
As he got changed, Brooke got into bed fully, Amaris curled up beside her. She was lazily petting the wolf, just going over the past couple of days and organizing her thoughts. She knew she shouldn't be- but she was grateful for the small break she got to have. However, Brooke knew that she would have to step up her game again, and train harder. She hadn't really thought of Serrator, the nighlok just left a negative presence in her mind. Still, the nagging fear was still there, and he needed to be dealt with. The despair symbol also needed to be dealt with, but she knew she wouldn't get very far if she overworked herself. So, she allowed herself a day to recover and the slashes made by Serrator to scab over. Brooke didn't know what the nighlok's plan was, but he would be dealt with. She made the silent vow to be the one to land the finishing blow, and maybe that'll help with the feeling of her mother's ghost following her. Maybe it'll lessen the weight on her shoulders.
She was just dozing off when the bathroom door opened. Brooke heard Jayden's familiar footfalls, and she had a small smile on her face when he looked down at her. "You look happy." Jayden pointed out, and she nodded, letting out a yawn.
"It'd make me happier if you could stay." Brooke yawned, reaching out a hand. Jayden instantly took it, rubbing small circles into the back of her hand with his thumb.
"I'd like to stay, but I've got to go train," Jayden mused, shooting Brooke a playful glare at her comment of "boring". "Get some rest, and feel better. Yell if you need anything." He urged, and Brooke nodded, closing her eyes.
"Yessir, will do. Thanks for everything." Brooke yawned, releasing her grip on Jayden's hand. She let her arm just fall, landing on her white comforter with a dull thump.
Jayden smiled fondly, brushing some hair away from her face. "Of course, I know you'd do the same for me. And I'll always be here for you," He murmured, kneeling on the side of her bed and pressing a light kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well." His voice was barely above a whisper, and he then left the room, casting one last glance at Brooke before shutting the door behind him.
When Brooke woke up for the third time, she actually felt somewhat well-rested. Not fully, and she was still cold- but she felt less terrible than she did this morning. The morning with Jayden flashed through her mind, and she felt as a small smile grew on her face. The forehead kisses were nice, and sleeping beside him was always nice. He was nice.
Letting out a yawn, Brooke stretched her arms over her head. She just allowed herself to lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. It felt like back when she was younger- on summer break and not having a real care in the world. Back then she didn't have to worry about nighlok that killed her mother and was out to kill her. It was an easier time, but it was almost boring. Being a ranger gave her a sense of excitement, and something to truly live for, other than her friends and family. Plus, she got to meet Jayden, so maybe the blood, sweat, and tears were worth it. Of course, this was all if she mastered the despair symbol, therefore completing the cage symbol, in time. If not, Brooke might just end it all at that point. Ask Xandred to kill her.
"Wow, okay. Going too far, Brooke." Brooke chided herself, rolling over on her side and grabbing her phone off of her nightstand.
Turning her phone on, Brooke read through her notifications. It was nothing really important- just social media of her old school acquaintances messaging her. Apparently, there was a rumor that she went missing- and Brooke let them talk. She didn't respond to the messages or even read them, as it would just lead to a barrage of questions that she couldn't answer. Casper was her only friend that knew of her being the silver ranger, and she planned to keep it that way. Speaking of, Brooke replied to his good morning text, watching in amusement as the typing bubble instantly popped up. They instantly went into their usual banter, and Brooke found herself in a happy mood as she got out of bed.
Getting dressed in a grey hoodie, jeans, and Casper's leather jacket, Brooke laced up her military boots, leaving her room. Amaris was still asleep, now splayed out on her bed- and Brooke let her sleep, casting one last glance at the white wolf before closing the door behind her. Ruffling her hair, she walked down the hall, her footsteps silent on the wooden floor. She had planned to get something to eat and hunt down Jayden, but Brooke found her interest peaked when she spotted Mia, Mike, and Emily peeking around a doorframe. Silently walking over, she quirked a brow at Mike, who nodded in the direction of Antonio and Ji.
The older man was flipping through an archive, pointing at various symbols, Antonio nodding along. The gold ranger had his morpher in one hand and a fishing spool of neon green line in the other, him subconsciously fiddling with it. The four other rangers just watched them in silence for a couple of moments, sharing looks of confusion. Antonio was, technically, the "problem child" of the Shiba House, and it was out of character for Ji to be so close with the gold ranger.
"Wow, it's strange to see those two all buddy-buddy," Emily remarked, her brows knit in confusion.
Mike nodded, a box of cat food in his hand. "Yeah, but what are they doing with the light zord?" He wondered, and Kevin, upon hearing them, looked at the four, shaking his head in disapproval. Still, the blue ranger said nothing, only returning his attention to the Art of the Samurai book.
"Maybe your technology can harness the power of the zord." Ji mused as Antonio punched in numbers into his morpher.
Harnessing zords? Brooke thought, her eyes flashing as she chewed on her bottom lip. She had to admit that she knew little on zords, as that was Antonio's expertise, but the robotic animals were interesting. She would like to learn more- but she knew she had no time for stuff like that. So, Brooke just shoved those thoughts away.
"I gotta know," Mike declared, shoving past the three girls, who all shared looks of amusement and worry. "Hey, guys, what's up?" He loudly greeted as he walked into the room, Ji instantly holding out a hand and shushing him.
Who instantly stopped in his tracks, but Brooke could see the figurative lightbulb going off above Mike's head as Antonio reached for more trail mix. The green ranger looked at the almost empty bowl and then the box of cat food on his hand, a grin growing on his face. Putting his plan in motion, he quickly grabbed the bowl of trail mix off of the table, filling it up with cat food and then returning it to its original spot.
"There's no way Goldie's gonna fall for that," Brooke declared, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes flashed. "It smells different." She added, tapping the toe of her military boot on the floor quietly, watching Antonio with an amused expression.
"But we don't have the same sense of smell that you do." Mia pointed out, and Brooke chewed on her bottom lip, nodding slowly. Still, there's no way Antonio would fall for that. Or so she thought.
On complete and utter autopilot, Antonio grabbed a large handful of cat food and shoved it in his mouth. He was seemingly unfazed by the taste as well, and the three girls shared amused looks with each other, smiles growing on their faces. Mike was silently cheering, and he looked back at the three with a triumphant expression, who laughed quietly. Antonio reached for another handful of "trail mix", but Ji grabbed his wrist lightly, stopping him.
"Antonio, I think we should go fishing now," Ji announced, and Mike's smile instantly faded. The green ranger instantly booked it for the exit, walking quietly.
"Great, sure could use a break." Antonio loudly complained, and Ji grabbed the bowl of cat food.
"Hey, Mike," Ji called, holding out the bowl of cat food, and Mike instantly stopped in his tracks. "Have some." It was more of a command than an offer, and Mike slowly turned around as Ji lightly shook the bowl.
Having a look of fear mixed with disgust on his face, Mike reached into the bowl. Grabbing a small amount of cat food, he hesitantly put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. He had an expression of pain on his face but still tried to act enthusiastic, nodding at Ji. The older man had a shit-eating grin on his face, and the green ranger slowly turned back around, starting his walk of shame. That was when Brooke went back to her main task of finding Jayden.
Which was quite easy, as the red ranger usually had a set routine. Plus, Brooke could make out the faint smell of smoke and his cologne, following the scent to the outdoor dojo. She found him training, per usual, practicing some moves with a training sword on a dummy. She sat on the steps that connected the Shiba House to the outdoor dojo, grey eyes trained on him without really realizing it. Something about it was attractive, at least to Brooke, watching the way the muscles in Jayden's arms flexed as he swung the training sword with precision. It was obvious he knew what he was doing, his moves strong and confident. It was…
Realizing the road of thoughts she was going down, Brooke instantly tried shutting off that thought process. Tearing her eyes away from Jayden, she quickly pulled out her phone, pretending to act busy while her face burnt in embarrassment. Those were the wrong thoughts to have, and she was just glad Amaris was asleep, so that the white wolf didn't read them. Brooke realized she was going down a road that she couldn't stop walking- what was once a harmless crush was becoming full out pining mixed with not-so-innocent thoughts. Which was bad, and she didn't know how to stop it. Usually, she just confronted the problem head-on, asking the guy she had a crush on out on a date. But it was an entirely different case here, as Jayden was her roommate and her leader. It was wrong, so very wrong, and she knew if Jane Wolfe could smite her- she would've. It was getting to the point where it was embarrassing, and Brooke resisted the urge to claw her eyes out.
She was still cold, and the fever added to her annoyance. Despite the layers she wore, and the fact it was summer, Brooke shivered, nearly throwing her phone in frustration. But, she didn't, only setting it next to her and running a clawed hand over her face. Still, Jayden's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Hey, you're awake," Jayden greeted, and Brooke nodded, standing up. She shoved her phone back into the pocket of her leather jacket, silently walking over to him. "Anything remarkable happening?" He questioned, leaning on his training sword as Brooke stopped in front of him.
"Yeah, actually. Been up for like, forty-five minutes, and I've watched both Mike and Goldie eat cat food," Brooke snickered, her traditional grin growing on her face. "I'm not gonna give you context, either. It's better that way." She joked, noticing Jayden's raised eyebrow look. He only smiled slightly and shook his head, noticing the thick hoodie and leather jacket she was wearing.
"I take it your fever hasn't broken yet." Jayden mused, and Brooke's smile faded, her shrugging half-heartedly.
"It's whatever, I guess," Brooke muttered, her eyes flashing as she took a seat on one of the concrete benches. "My body's finally getting the rest it needs, but…" She trailed, and Jayden took a seat next to her.
"But?" Jayden echoed, and Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face. She shouldn't be bothering him with this, so she didn't.
"It's nothing, just thinking," Brooke replied, deflecting Jayden's worry. It was appreciated, it always was, but she felt like she took enough of his time. She didn't want him to get sick of her.
Jayden frowned, the crease above his eyebrow appearing. It was annoyance- the annoyance he carried when he didn't know something. "Brooke, you can talk to me." He reminded Brooke, who nodded but wore a sheepish smile.
"I know, and I appreciate it. It's nothing against you, I just don't feel like talking about my feelings right now. Thanks, though, I always appreciate it." Brooke thanked, shivering. She pulled Casper's leather jacket tighter around her body, annoyance flickering across her features for a moment.
"Of course-" Jayden started, but he was cut off by Antonio crashing through the doors of the Shiba House.
"Hey, we're going fishing!" Antonio called to Brooke and Jayden, toting his cooler that held his fishing supplies behind him. His two childhood friends shared a look of amusement at that, Brooke drawing her knees to her chest as a way to trap in her body heat.
"No, we're not," Ji was hot on his tail with the light zord in hand, killing Antonio's mood instantly. "We need to keep working on this," The older man stated, raising the light zord slightly for emphasis. "But we need privacy." He added, and Antonio let out a quiet sigh.
"Okay." Antonio agreed reluctantly, following behind Ji as they walked towards the gates.
The two left the Shiba House, the red and silver rangers sharing the same small smile of amusement. Jayden rose from his seat, and Brooke let out a yawn, resting her chin on her knees. The two went into a comfortable silence- well, it wasn't necessarily silence. Jayden ran towards the training sword with a yell, and Brooke watched him with half-lidded eyes. She didn't even know why she felt tired, she's gotten more rest than she's had in a while, but she summed it up to the fever. Which was annoying, incredibly so, and Brooke debated putting on another layer. Still, she decided against it, shifting instead. The brown wolf laid on the concrete bench, her tail hanging off of it as gold eyes closed. The sun warmed her fur- and she wondered why she didn't do this more often. With her wolf form, she technically could nap anywhere, her fur acting as a blanket of sorts. Which was nice, and Brooke found herself falling asleep quickly.
After a couple of minutes, Jayden put his training sword out of the rack, shaking the tension out of his arms. His blue eyes scanned the outdoor dojo and sparkled with adoration as his gaze landed on wolf-Brooke. Who could barely fit on the bench, as wolves were much bigger than he thought they would be, but still fast asleep regardless. Walking over, he pet the brown and white fur in between her ears, the brown wolf cracking open a gold eye. Once she deemed it wasn't a threat, wolf-Brooke fell asleep again, her tail wagging slowly.
Smiling fondly, Jayden then turned his attention back to the training dummy, shifting into hand-to-hand combat. Which was a set routine as well, the familiar motions soon being the only thing he focused on. That was until he flipped over the dummy, landing on his feet as the gap sensor started blaring. His eyes snapped to the glowing sensor and then wolf-Brooke, who stirred and hopped off the bench, stretching. He knew she was in no condition to fight, and Jayden just hoped she made this easy for him.
"You should stay here," Jayden advised as Brooke shifted back, and the silver ranger shot the red a glare. "Brooke, I'm serious. You'll hurt yourself further." He argued, and she said nothing for a moment, knitting her brows as her eyes flashed.
Brooke weighed her options- and she didn't like either of them. She could go against Jayden's orders and fight, which could spell disaster if it was Serrator again. Because, with her luck, it honestly could be. Or she could stay at the Shiba House, and that just made her feel weak. Which was stupid- very much so, but she knew it was the better bet. Worst-case scenario she took another nap.
Turning to Jayden, Brooke let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I will. Stay safe." She agreed hesitantly, flashing Jayden a small smile and watching as he nodded, then running into the Shiba House to presumably go change.
Shoving down the irrational feelings of inadequacy, Brooke walked into the Shiba House as the others ran out. At least she had the place to herself, and while the others were out saving the world, she made herself lunch.
Upon reaching the area where the gap sensor went off, Jayden felt his lips twitch into a small frown as he furrowed his brows. The light zord laid in the grass a couple of feet away from Antonio's cooler- the objects' owner nowhere to be found. Ji wasn't around either- and Jayden had a feeling that it wasn't the two just taking a break. It was something worse than that, but he shoved those thoughts aside. Worrying about it would get him nowhere, so he just focused on the task at hand.
"Ji, Antonio…" Mike muttered, picking up the light zord from where it was discarded on the grass.
"They would never leave this behind." Mia pointed out, her brows knit in confusion.
"I think someone must've ambushed them," Kevin concluded, and Jayden nodded, his face almost emotionless.
"I think you're right." Jayden agreed, scanning the area. There were no signs of anything that could lead to Ji or Antonio, and he let out a quiet sigh. That meant they had to presumably call on Brooke, because of her wolf senses, but he didn't want to see her more hurt.
"This is all my fault," Mike mumbled, looking down at the light zord and the four other rangers. Which was strange- it was as if they were back at the beginning, when it was just the five of them. "They wouldn't have come here if I hadn't been messing around." He added, green eyes holding something akin to guilt.
"You finally figured that out, huh?" Kevin mocked, and Jayden bit back his annoyance, a tension headache forming.
He didn't like infighting- he never had. It was something Jayden didn't know how to deal with and was relatively common between the blue and green rangers. Which didn't make things any better. "Enough," He commanded, his voice taking on a much harsher tone than he meant to. Still, it got the point across. "All that matters now is finding Ji and Antonio." He tried not to show his worry- and the gears in his head turned as he came up with a battle strategy without the silver and gold rangers present.
"Should we get Brooke?" Emily wondered hesitantly, her eyes lingering on Jayden for a moment. "I mean, she tracked down the other nighlok." She reminded the team, who all looked conflicted.
"Brooke's not doing well at the moment, I don't want to put her in any more harm than necessary," Jayden replied, instantly shutting the idea down. "Let's just try to find something that will help lead us to Ji and Antonio." He urged, ignoring the team's knowing looks.
Ten minutes passed, and the five rangers stood at a door that led to a series of tunnels underground. Jayden tried turning the lock and made a quiet noise of annoyance when he found the door was locked. Well, that definitely meant something, and he turned to the four others. "Anyone know how to pick a lock?" He questioned, and Mike's eyes widened when four pairs of eyes landed on him.
"Why're you all lookin' at me?" Mike exclaimed, and Kevin shrugged nonchalantly.
"You seem like the type," Kevin answered, and Mike grumbled something under his breath. "Do you know how to?" The blue ranger pressed, and the green shook his head.
"I don't. But, if we're stereotyping, Brooke most definitely knows how to. I mean, she's got the "I pick locks" vibe," Mike mused, and green eyes met blue. "I know she's not one hundred percent at the moment, but she's our best shot. We need Miss Werewolf right now." He defended against Jayden's silent questioning, and after a couple of moments of silence, the red ranger nodded.
He said nothing, only taking his samuraizer out of his pocket and flipping it open. Dialing Brooke's familiar number, Jayden brought the device up to his ear. She picked up on the first ring, her voice somewhat groggy as she spoke. "Missing me already?" She greeted teasingly, and Jayden heard the faint sounds of blankets rustling. That made him feel guilty, extremely so, but he shoved that aside.
"Do you know how to pick a lock?" Jayden blurted, and Brooke made a noise of surprise, the line going silent for a couple of moments.
"...Yeah. Why? Everything okay?" Brooke questioned, her teasing tone turning into one of concern quickly.
"We need your help to track down Antonio and Ji. I'm sorry-" Jayden started, but Brooke cut him off quickly with a faint laugh.
"No worries, Red. Wolf girl is gonna save the day for you all, just give me like two minutes."
"Thanks, Brooke." Jayden thanked, and Brooke hummed in response, and he heard the sounds of her presumably getting out of bed.
"No need to thank me, I'm here to do my job," Brooke replied, letting out a yawn. "See ya soon." With that, the line went dead, and Jayden shut his samuraizer. He turned his attention to his teammates, Mike having a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Told you so." Mike teased, and Jayden rolled his eyes.
He opened his mouth to retort, but, in a flash of silver, Brooke was standing next to him. She looked tired, but still wore her traditional grin. Her grin fell when grey eyes surveyed the area, eyes flashing and turning grey-gold as she glanced at the lock. "Oh, this is easy. I'm surprised you don't know how to do this, Mike," She mused, ignoring Mike's comment of "shut up" as she pulled out her wallet. "It's an entry doorknob, and you can just slide a credit card in and circumvent the lock. Or, in my case, a school I.D." Brooke explained, taking her old school I.D. out of her wallet. She'd never thought she would have to use it to circumvent a lock to find her missing mentor and teammate, but hey, it came in handy for something.
Sliding the I.D. between the door and doorjamb just above the door handle, Brooke slid the I.D. downwards and inwards. She wiggled the I.D. some, but soon it pressed against the latch, and she let out a quiet cheer as she opened the door. It took a minute max, and she was rather proud of herself as the door swung open. Putting her school I.D. back into her wallet, Brooke beamed at the others as she shoved her wallet back into her pocket.
"Why'd you even learn to pick a lock?" Mike asked, and Brooke shrugged.
"Thought it'd be fun. I got bored a lot before I met you guys," Brooke answered, waving her hand in dismissal. "So, I'm assuming you want me to track Goldie and Ji down?" She wondered, and Jayden nodded.
"Yeah, if you're well enough to do so. You don't have to push yourself." Jayden agreed, his eyes shining with worry. Brooke found it endearing, the fact that he cared about her made her happy.
"It's fine. I'll be careful," Brooke reassured Jayden, shooting him a small smile. Then, she dug her samuraizer out of her pocket. Flipping the device open, she activated the brush portion, the silver and red rangers nodded at each other. "It's showtime." She announced, the team following suit and flipping open their samuraizers.
"Go Go Samurai!" The six called in unison, drawing their respective symbols. Activating them, the six rangers morphed into their usual suits. Brooke then shifted, the brown wolf leading the way as the team ventured into the tunnel system.
The walls and floors were concrete, and wolf-Brooke wrinkled her snout at the scent of mildew. Still, she picked up on Antonio's and Ji's scents easily- the ocean and green tea respectively, sniffing the air and starting to walk. However, she stopped when she noticed the others weren't following her, and she padded over, letting out a whine of confusion.
"It's too dark in here to see," Kevin complained, and wolf-Brooke sat on her haunches.
It was fine for her- though she did forget that the five others didn't have a sense vision like she did. Their lack of ability to navigate was almost amusing, and gold eyes glittered with a mix of pride and mischief. Wolf-Brooke's tail wagged slowly, and Jayden noticed this, a small smile appearing on his face underneath his red helmet.
"Heh, I can fix that," Mike replied to Kevin's complaint, and the rangers' voices echoed off the concrete walls. The green ranger raised the light zord some, and it lit up, illuminating everything in a yellow glow. It was almost… comforting.
"Thanks, Mike," Jayden thanked, then turning his attention to wolf-Brooke. "Lead the way." He urged, and the brown wolf stood, padding down the concrete halls again.
The five rangers' footsteps echoed, and the brown wolf's claws clocked on the floor as the six walked. Wolf-Brooke was alert, her tail held high and ears perked as she sniffed the air, making sure they were on the right track. Jayden was walking beside her, and he glanced at the area that the claw marks once were. A sense of worry arose, but he brushed it aside, trying to focus on the task at hand. Feelings like that would get him nowhere, and he just let out a quiet sigh. Wolf-Brooke presumably heard him, because she glanced at him, gold eyes sparkling with worry, still, he said nothing, the two walking in silence.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Mia broke the silence, her voice filled with worry as she glanced over her shoulder.
"This is beyond creepy- but, I'm sure Brooke will let us know if anything smells off." Emily agreed but still tried to lighten the mood. Wolf-Brooke let out a bark of agreement at that, her focus unwavering from the bath in front of her.
The tunnel was lined with exposed pipes, but small square lights were on the wall. They were on, surprisingly, but gave the tunnel a strange sense of dread. Brooke shifted back, the smell of rotten milk and death filling her nose as she sniffed the air. "Moogers- presumably. Guessing by the intensity of the smell, it's a large number of them." She explained, resting her hand on her Wolf Kunai from where it was sheathed on her belt.
On cue, the sounds of moogers rushing the six rangers filled Brooke's ears. Grey eyes snapped to the end of the hall, and she unsheathed her Wolf Kunai, as the moogers ran closer. Soon the battle began, and she couldn't lie to herself. With the injuries on her side, it was somewhat difficult to fight. She had to be careful of her movements, as the wrong ones caused pain to flare up and she didn't want to risk opening any of the scabs. So, the silver ranger stuck by the red's side, the two cutting down moogers, the monsters falling with squeals.
"Hey, check out the light zord! It's flying all on its own!" Jayden announced as he cut down a mooger that Brooke kicked in his direction.
The light zord was flying around, slamming itself into moogers and causing them to fall. However, the light zord then fell to the ground, and a mooger kicked it. The zord was sent hurtling through the air, it having powered off when it hit the ground.
"Oh no, Lightie got drop kicked!" Mike exclaimed, cutting down moogers and trying to make his way over to the fallen zord.
However, the number of moogers wasn't stopping, and Brooke quickly changed out her Wolf Kunai for her katanas. The dual swords were longer and gave her the ability to cut down more moogers, but she let out a hiss when she slashed. Her side felt like it was being stabbed, but Brooke tried to ignore it as she regrouped with Jayden.
"We keep cutting them down-" Kevin started, and Emily finished for him.
"But there's no end to them!" The yellow ranger finished, her and the blue ranger fighting side by side.
"If I can take out these fish faces, I have a feeling the light zord could help us!" Mike thought aloud, Mia running over and cutting down moogers when he got overwhelmed.
"Don't worry, I've got your back! It's time to make your move!" Mia urged Mike, and that's what he did.
The green ranger rushed forward, and with calls of "pardon me" and "excuse me", he cut down moogers, trying to make his way over to the light zord. He eventually made his way over and picked up the fallen zord with his free hand, holding his spin-sword on the other. "Hey, I think there's something in the light zord!" He commented, and Jayden told him to hit it. He did so, and a dark red disk flew out of the light zord and straight onto Jayden's spin-sword.
"Nice! Shark Attack Mode!" Jayden called, spinning the dark red disk. A large burst of red energy appeared, taking out the moogers surrounding him and Brooke as a red cape appeared on the red ranger. It was like the one for super samurai mode- with the forked ends and all, but was red with white shoulder pads. His spin-sword changed as well, the body of the sword becoming dark red, and the blade resembling a bright red shark that had a bright blue outline.
Brooke was grateful when he rushed forward to take on moogers with his new sword, as it gave her time to breathe. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, and her side throbbed in steady tune with the beating of her heart. Her fever also broke, so under her ranger suit, Brooke could feel the sweat rolling down her back and forming at her hairline. She was pretty sure the scabs reopened as well, but she tried to ignore it. She just focused on Jayden, watching as he called out shark-related puns and swung his sword around. Which grew longer and seemed to move on its own, taking out multiple moogers.
The monsters died in a large explosion, and Brooke made her way over to Jayden. She didn't say anything about the pain she felt, only pushing it aside. Sheathing her katanas and shifting, she was glad that injuries in her human form didn't pass over. The brown wolf started running down the halls, and nearly stopped in her tracks when Amaris' voice filled her head.
"Keep watch of your injuries, my dear. Do not overwork yourself." Amaris advised, and Brooke didn't even think up a response. She just stayed quiet, leading the charge as they ran through the tunnel.
The team emerged from a cave, and below them was an army of moogers. Some of them held banners and everything, and Brooke's eyes widened underneath her helmet. She knew she couldn't deal with that many, but didn't say anything. The six rangers radiated annoyance and slight worry, just inspecting the army below them without saying a word.
"Didn't we already fill our quota for the day?" Mike thought aloud, annoyance laced in his tone.
"They expected us across the valley, they seemed more focused there. They most likely wanted to catch us by surprise and overwhelm us," Brooke remarked, her eyes flashing underneath her helmet. "It's just poor planning, I guess- they didn't know the layout of the tunnels." She snickered, and the five others heard the twinge of pride in her voice.
"Sure, but if we charge down there, we'll still be outnumbered one hundred to one." Emily blurted, and a small smirk grew on Jayden's face underneath his red helmet.
"True, luckily I have a better idea," Jayden announced, and that's when the second battle began.
Jayden took to the skies in the samurai battlewing, and the five others started to make their way over to where Antonio and Ji were. It was quite easy, all they had to do was dodge the battlewing's blasts and moogers, and soon the six made it over to the nighlok. Who was rather displeased about the turn of events, muttering to itself.
"Ugh, I can't believe they avoided my trap! I thought they could only spot us by coming through that pass!" The nighlok growled, and wolf-Brooke returned with her own, shifting back.
"Should've planned for the wolf on the team," Brooke snickered, drawing her Wolf Kunai and spinning it in her gloved hand. "Silver ranger, ready." She called softly, hearing as the battlewing soared overhead.
"Surprised to see us?" Mike mocked, cutting down multiple moogers with his Forest Spear. "Green ranger, ready."
"Hey guys, you're free," Mia greeted Antonio and Ji, cutting through the ropes that held them both captive. "Pink ranger, ready." She stated, readying her spin-sword.
"Blue ranger, ready!" Kevin declared, firing off a shot with his Hydro Bow. It hit the nighlok's hand, which held Antonio's morpher, and the morpher was sent flying through the air.
Emily jumped up and caught it, performing a flip and then landing on her booted feet. "Yellow ranger, ready! Catch!" She threw the morpher to its owner, Antonio catching the morpher with ease.
"Gold Power!" Antonio called, his ranger suit appearing on his body in a flash of gold. "Thanks for having my back," He thanked, patting his own back for emphasis. "Gold ranger, ready!" He called, and the nighlok growled.
"How in the world did you figure out my trap?!" The nighlok exclaimed, making a move to run away.
However, it was stopped by Jayden, who held his shark spin-sword out from where he was standing beside Brooke. "Not so fast," He mocked, and it was kind of cute. Or at least Brooke thought so, and she wore a smile underneath her helmet as the nighlok made a noise of fear and fell to the ground. "And red ranger, ready." Jayden finished the call, the seven rangers circled around the nighlok, holding their weapons at the ready.
"Rangers Together, Samurai Forever!"
"Rangers to the left of me, rangers to the right of me…" The nighlok trailed, letting out a growl. "You make me spitting mad!" The monster exclaimed, turning to the silver and red rangers and spitting some sort of purple gunk at them.
The two rangers cut through the attacks, explosions happening behind them as the gunk hit the ground. With that, the battle began. Jayden seemed to be on some sort of power-trip thanks to Shark Attack Mode, and Brooke found that amusing as she cartwheeled over a mooger's attack and cut it down. The rest of the team was handling the moogers with ease as well- even Ji, who was watching the seven like he did when they were training. The light zord also took care of its fair share of moogers, Antonio then wielding the zord like a weapon. Which it was, in a sense.
The nighlok tried attacking the gold ranger and the light zord, but Antonio fired off a scattershot at close distance. The multiple attacks caused the nighlok to fall to the ground with a yell, and Jayden instantly ran forward to take care of the nighlok himself. That caused both of his childhood friends to share amused looks underneath their helmets, the silver ranger standing next to the gold.
"I'm surprised you're fighting so soon," Antonio remarked, and Brooke laughed breathlessly as her chest heaved.
"Yeah, me too. Leader's orders, I guess," Brooke replied after she caught her breath. She watched Jayden handle the nighlok with ease, then turned her attention to Antonio again. "With every new disk you make or whatever, you fuel his red ranger complex, Goldie. You're boosting his ego too much." She joked, but, in reality, she liked Jayden's puns and taunts that he did when he was confident. They were funny- and somewhat adorable.
Antonio laughed in response, the silver and gold rangers watched as the red successfully defeated the nighlok with the help of the shark disk. The nighlok died in a large explosion and soon returned into its second form, cackling. "I've got my eye on you, rangers! You're done for!" The monster threatened, and the seven went into the routine that they've done countless times before.
The wolf armor and samurai megazords stood side by side, the two robots fighting the nighlok as it rushed forward. The wolf armor megazord got hit, both Brooke and Antonio rooting their feet to the cockpit as it shook. They both clutched onto their control panels for dear life, Brooke feeling a sudden wave of nausea surface. Which wasn't normal- so she summed it up to her injuries coming back to kick her ass once more. And that was less than ideal. Still, she swallowed back her bile, turning her attention back to the battle at hand.
The nighlok was a heavy hitter, and the samurai megazord had been knocked to the ground. Which had become a bad habit, as it was the second time back-to-back it had been knocked down. The wolf armor megazord moved to attack, but the nighlok kicked up a large amount of dirt in the robot's face.
"What the-" Brooke muttered, cutting herself off with a yelp of surprise.
"I've got your golden boy and silver girl, rangers! What are you going to do now?" The nighlok sneered, it having one arm wrapped around the wolf armor megazord. That had the megazord pinned in place, and Brooke and Antonio found themselves stuck.
"Back off!" Antonio snapped, and Brooke nearly laughed, the two rangers regaining their footing. They both tried to come up with an idea to escape, but was snapped out of their thoughts when Jayden's voice came through the comms.
"Don't worry, we'll blindside it! Megablade: Activate! Super Mode!" Jayden promised, Brooke and Antonio sharing a look. The red ranger unfolded his megablade, sticking the black box on the end. He then attached the shark disk to his control panel, spinning the dark red disk, and the shark zord disengaged.
"Jayden, now!" Antonio commanded, and the shark zord somehow ran forward. It bit the nighlok's leg, and that caused the monster to let go of the megazord, the silver and gold megazord moving quickly. "Okay guys, let's finish this!" The gold ranger called, and he and the silver ranger unfolded their megablades. The original five formed the samurai shark megazord, the seven rangers launching off their respective attacks.
"Wolf Claymore: Finishing Swing!"
"Shark Zord: Slash!"
The two attacks hit the nighlok and caused it to explode, the megazords striking their victory poses. The cockpits of the two megazords went up in cheers, and Brooke found herself mouthing along as Jayden called the final line once again.
"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."
After defeating the nighlok, the seven hit the ground and demorphed. The team sharing their usual after-battle banter as they started their walk back to the Shiba House. Brooke felt bad, but the nausea subsided somewhat, leaving her with just a headache. She was coated in sweat, her hair sticking to her forehead as she tried to regain her bearing. At least it was over, and she stopped both Jayden and Antonio from walking away by grabbing their wrists. Her two childhood friends turned to face her, blue and brown eyes widening as they took in Brooke's pale face and queasy expression.
"I'm gonna head back with Amaris, I don't feel that well," Brooke explained, feeling as sweat dripped down her back and face. "Just wanted to let you two know so you don't think I'm missing or something." She added, shooting the red and gold rangers weary smiles. Amaris also appeared at Brooke's side, violet eyes showing slight worry, but it was soon replaced by her usual motherly look.
"That's fine, we'll meet you back there," Antonio responded, patting Brooke on the back comfortingly. Which she accepted, but her eyes still flashed as she took in Jayden's expression.
It was one of guilt, and his blue eyes shone with worry. "I'm sorry-" Jayden started, but Brooke cut him off by shaking her head.
"Red, if you apologize one more time for something that isn't your fault, I'm gonna scream. It's okay, my fever broke in the middle of everything. I just overworked myself, which is common, but…" Brooke trailed, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm starting to ramble, but, it's fine. You did nothing wrong, I chose to fight. I promise, alright?" She finished, her eyes flashing, and when Jayden nodded, she smiled faintly. "Good. I'll see you guys at home." With that, she and Amaris disappeared in a flash of silver.
"You worry about her too much," Antonio mused, and Jayden shot him a glare as the two started walking back. "I get it, though. I remember that crush you had on her when we were kids, and, by the looks of it, that hasn't gone away." He teased, Jayden rolling his eyes as heat rose to his face.
"Are you just going to mock me?" Jayden grumbled, averting his gaze from Antonio, who laughed faintly. Still, he said nothing, and Jayden let out a heavy sigh. "She's just… interesting. I don't know how to explain it, but- having her around makes me happy. I want to have her around for a long time." He confessed, mumbling as his face burned. Still, he got the feelings out that he's had to stuff down for a while now. And while it was embarrassing, it was also relieving.
Antonio hummed in response, the two walking in silence for a couple of minutes. "Never thought I'd see the day," He stated, and Jayden raised his eyebrows, the heat on his face subsiding. "I thought you'd let your red ranger complex go to your head by now." He joked, and Jayden let out a groan of annoyance, playfully shoving his friend, who burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Brooke was never more glad to be in her bedroom. Silently thanking Amaris, which the white wolf heard, she shrugged off Casper's leather jacket and her hoodie. Throwing the leather jacket over on her desk chair and the hoodie in the laundry, she breathed a sigh of relief when the air conditioning hit her skin. However, that sense of bliss didn't last. She looked down at her side, wincing at the crimson that stained the white bandages. Still, it could be dealt with, and Brooke sat on the edge of her bed and untied her boots, pulling them off and flinging them across the room. She also got new clothes to wear- a black t-shirt with some ripped grey jeans and set those on the counter as she got ready to take a shower.
Unwrapping her side, Brooke gagged at the smell of blood that instantly assaulted her senses. Inspecting the gashes, she was pleasantly relieved when she found them already almost scabbed over. Ah, the joys of wolf healing. That meant she could be back in battle condition sooner than she thought- because she knew needed to get stronger still. Weakness wasn't an option, it never was.
After taking a shower, dressing her side, and then getting dressed, Brooke laced up her doc martens. She didn't know if the others were back yet, but there was no harm in trying. After brushing her hair, she silently walked out of her room, her senses perking at the familiar scents the rangers carried filling her nose. That meant they were back, and she followed the smells to the outdoor dojo, where the six rangers, plus Ji, were seated at the outdoor dining table and eating trail mix. She made her way over, Mia noticing her presence and breaking into a caring smile.
"Brooke! How're you feeling?" Mia asked, and Brooke smiled faintly, strands of her damp hair framing her face.
"Better. Not a hundred percent yet, but better." Brooks replied, taking her usual seat next to Jayden. Who discreetly grabbed her hand underneath the table and gave it a comforting squeeze, her returning it.
"Against impossible odds, you got the job done. You saved us," Ji praised, standing up from his seat to address the six rangers. "And I for one, am eternally grateful." He added, taking his seat, and Antonio nodded.
"That makes two of us," Antonio agreed, eating more trail mix. "So, is the shark disk great, or what?" He asked, his brown eyes shining with pride, and Brooke subconsciously tightened her grip on Jayden's hand.
Which he didn't mind at all, him rubbing small circles into the back of Brooke's hand with his thumb. "You truly outdid yourself this time." Jayden praised, using his free hand to raise his glass of water as a toast, Antonio beaming.
"Oh no, now he's going to be even more full of himself." Kevin joked, and Brooke held back a teasing remark about the "red ranger complex". She only shot a teasing look at Jayden, who responded with raised eyebrows. Still, she said nothing, and he squeezed her hand in response.
Meanwhile, Mike seemed to have another one of his ingenious ideas, the box of cat food sitting next to him. He quickly grabbed the now-empty bowl of trail mix, filling it with cat food and holding it out to Antonio. "Hey Antonio, how about some more snacks?" He offered, and Brooke laughed under her breath.
"Ah shit, here we go again." Brooke joked so only Jayden could hear, and he rolled eyes with a faint smile in response.
Antonio looked somewhat skeptical at Mike's offer, but then nodded. "Thanks." He thanked, reaching forward to grab a handful of cat food.
However, before he could do so, Ji practically ripped the bowl out of Mike's hand. "Forget the trail mix, I'll warm you up something in the kitchen." He offered, walking away before Antonio could find out what the "trail mix" already was. The team burst into quiet laughter at that, Antonio looking at the six other rangers quizzically.
"What?" Antonio wondered, scanning the others, and Mike shot him a cheeky grin.
Brooke glanced at the two then Jayden, grinning at him. "I may tease you, but at least I don't make you eat cat food." She joked, and he shook his head with a faint smile.
"I'm just glad to see you okay." Jayden murmured, and Brooke's grin turned into a much more genuine smile.
"Of course, Red. I'm not leaving anytime soon." I'm not leaving you.