Theme Challenge: Bridge & Z
For the Ars Amatoria Ranger Romance Themes Challenge
Challenge #9: Yield
Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own 'em.
A/N: Uh…set anywhere in the later half of the season, I'd say. Only…Omega/Sam isn't really around. Well, I suppose he could be, just not in this story. LOL. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one…
Yield
"Man, rain sucks." Jack declares, slouching back on the lounge room's couch. Sky raises an eyebrow as he works on a crossword, but doesn't even look up at him.
"That was profound. Why are you a Ranger? You should take up philosophy." He tells Jack sarcastically. Jack's head lolls to the side as he sticks his tongue out at Sky, and Bridge laughs from his place on the floor.
"Shut up. Rain does suck. First of all, there's nothing on TV—"
"I don't think that's the rain's fault, Jack—"
"—second of all, I'm sick of Lightball, and lastly, we can't go outside, which means no fun stuff like Frisbee or whatever." He sighs thoughtfully. "There is the mud course. I bet it's extra muddy because of the downpour…"
"Don't even think about it, Jack. I'll murder you in your sleep," Syd says from her seat by the window. She shakes her paintbrush at him. "Now stop moving. I can't capture your essence properly if it keeps moving like that." Jack sighs, and does as he's asked. Of course, he's bored, so he just keeps talking.
"Seriously, though. There's not much to do when it's raining."
"You could try reading. There's a novel idea."
"Shut up, Sky. Anyway, as I was saying…uh, this sucks! I can't go outside and do anything!"
"You could kiss in the rain."
All three boys look up at Syd's comment, and she looks at them expectantly. "What? It's romantic, you know. To be kissed in the rain." The three boys stare at her, eyebrows quirked, and she shrugs. "Well, that's what Z said once. I guess it's in some romantic movie she likes. I mean, I've never done it. Personally, it's much too messy for me." At that, Sky rolls his eyes and goes back to his crossword, obviously done with the conversation. Jack laughs and leers at Syd, uttering some halfway-lewd comment that makes her giggle and flick paint at him flirtatiously.
Meanwhile, Bridge gets up, stares thoughtfully out the window, and with no segue, says, "I'll see you guys later," and heads out of the room, followed by curious gazes from his fellow Rangers. Jack scratches his head.
"You know, sometimes I wonder just what the hell his thought processes are like."
Syd mutters a sarcastic barb about Jack's 'thought processes', or lack thereof, and Jack gets up, inciting a tickle-fight. Bridge's abrupt departure is soon forgotten.
He finds her dozing on her bunk, her headphones—like always—firmly in place.
"Z," he says, shaking her shoulder gently. She blinks a few times, disoriented, and mutters something incoherent. Bridge doesn't give up, and even goes as far as to gently take off her headphones, which she protests.
"Z, wake up. I…I have to show you something."
She grudgingly squints up at him.
"What, Bridge? Make it quick, I was napping."
"Um…it's not here. Come with me."
"What…? Bridge, what do you have planned?"
"It's a secret," he says, smiling and pulling her out of bed. "Oh, and put some shoes on."
"What? Bridge!" But she obliges, and he takes her hand and leads her through the halls. She rubs the sleep from her eyes as he tugs her along.
"Where are we going? Bridge?"
He just smiles a secret smile. "You'll see."
He pushes open the double doors at the front of the Academy, and she pulls at his hand in protest.
"Bridge, it's pouring down rain. Why are we going outside? We'll be soaked!"
"You'll see!" he repeats, and looking into his sparkling eyes she yields to him, letting him pull her through the doors and into the downpour. She was right, of course; in less than a minute, both of them are soaked to the bone, Bridge's green T-shirt sticking to him like a second skin, Z's hair plastered to her forehead. Bridge doesn't seem to notice, though, and grins wildly at her, his own hair a crazy mess dripping into his eyes. She lets out a half-laugh, half noise of frustration.
"Bridge, what—"
He kisses her. At that moment, he cuts her off, kisses her, cupping her cheek perfectly in his hand, his other hand firmly around her waist, drawing her close. Awakened, she is shocked still; she cannot believe that this is Bridge and he is kissing her—he's kissing her!—he is kissing her!
And he's a damn good kisser, too. She melts with the rain against his skin; she yields to him again, slipping her arms around his neck and letting him kiss her as if this is the only chance they'll ever get to fit like this—fleetingly, she makes a mental note to not let it come to that—and god, where did he learn to kiss like this? His mouth works gently on hers; his tongue is soft and not too wet and he tastes like rain and chocolate—mint?
The thought flies away as his mouth leaves hers, and she leans forward, already missing the feel of it. She leans too far; her knees buckle and she literally falls into his arms. He catches her easily and sets her on her feet again; she notices the beginnings of a blush on his cheeks.
"How—what—why--?" she sputters. It seems that he has stolen the words from her mouth; she can't seem to form sentences. He bites his lip nervously and turns.
"I'm sorry!" he calls through the rain. "I shouldn't have—"
"No!" she manages to say, grabbing his arm. He blinks at her through the curtain of water. "I mean, yes. I mean, no, don't be sorry. And yes, you should have." He gives her a shy, nervous smile which she finds endearing and—dare she say it?—adorable.
"Yeah?" he asks, staring at the ground. She cups his cheek in her hand and forces him to look at her.
"Yeah." And now it is she who kisses him, kisses him senseless, taking all the words he's built up to say and dissolving them in an instant. He reels as she presses her body warm into his; he can barely keep himself standing upright. He never imagined that this would really happen—he was expecting a slap across the face and a hurried apology…but a kiss like this…never in his entire life. He'd only dreamed…
"Bridge," she murmurs his name huskily against his own lips, and he thinks maybe he is still dreaming.
"Bridge," she repeats, and he leans his forehead against hers, eyes still closed—Please let this not be a dream…
"Bridge, can I ask you something?" she finally says, and he nods, their foreheads still connected. The rain is cold against his bare lips as she continues, "why…? I mean, why did you—how did you—where did that come from, exactly? Not that I'm complaining, of course." she punctuates her statement with a smile and kiss to the corner of his mouth, and he blinks, shyly smiling at her.
"Well, um…it's kind of random, actually. We were in the lounge, being all bored and stuff, and Jack complained that it was raining, and so we couldn't do anything. And then Syd said that kissing in the rain was romantic—actually, she said that you said that kissing in the rain was romantic. And it was raining. And…well, I wanted to kiss you. So…"
"You wanted to kiss me? Why didn't you just say so?"
He gives her an exasperated look. "Z, you can't just outright tell someone you want to kiss them. Even I know that's a little weird."
She laughs, throwing her head back, letting the rain course down her face. "Yeah, well, weirdness or not…" she leans in to him, impossibly close, leaving one kiss on his jawbone and another on his earlobe. Then she whispers, "I want to kiss you, Bridge."
He does not answer, but crashes his lips to hers. The rain courses down in sheets; their bones are quivering, from cold or something else, neither is sure.
"We're going to catch a cold," she mutters breathlessly as he leaves gentle kisses on her neck.
"Don't blame me. This was your idea," he tells her, cupping her face in his hands. She gives him an indignant look.
"Excuse me, but who was the one who dragged me out here in the pouring rain? Don't try to make this my—"
He properly kisses her, and she instantly melts.
"Okay, you win. Kiss me again…"
He's not one to argue with that.
"It's been like, almost an hour. I wonder where Bridge went." Jack muses, clicking the channel button on the remote every so often. Sky shrugs.
"Who knows? Knowing him, he's conducting some crazy experiment or something out in the pouring rain."
Just to check, Syd glances up from her easel and out the window she's sitting near. What she sees makes her smile widely.
"I'll say he is," she says, pressing a hand to her mouth. Jack and Sky look up, curious.
"What do you mean, Syd?" Jack asks, tossing down the remote and moving to the window. Sky follows soon after, and their jaws drop at the sight of Bridge and Z, drenched but still standing in the pouring rain, mouths crashing, arms wrapped around each other. Syd laughs at the astonished looks on her teammates' faces.
"You see? I told you it was romantic!" she crows, and immediately starts on a new painting, one in shades of rain, green, and yellow…
Sigh…rain kisses are romantic…LOL I love you all, hope you enjoyed!