Rated M for Everything. Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.
Please Read and Review.
-x-
CHAPTER FIVE
The Name of the Game
Club NEON
Saturday, June 23rd , 2:13am
Los Angeles, CA
2010
Steam seemed to rise as they spilled through the double doors of the downtown club. A thousand bodies worth of alcohol, sweat, and cologne wafted after them.
"Oh, is that what it smelled like from the inside?" Kim grimaced.
"I'm starving," Rocky said.
"There's a diner a few blocks south, " Zack pointed.
"Time check?" Trini asked. Jason looked at his watch. "Quarter after two."
Kat sighed. "Already?"
Zack snickered at his companions. This was hardly late for him anymore.
Trini reached for Jason's phone inside his back pocket. "I'm gonna check in with Adam and Tanya…"
"Who's sober enough to eat for me?" Aisha groaned. Rocky slipped an arm around her waist.
"Oh, fine. Twist my arm…" He smiled down at her. Aisha laughed and reached up to sneak a kiss.
The group started walking down the street toward the diner, the decision to eat and sober up some more came wordlessly. Rocky and Aisha leading the way as their voices and laughter echoed off the buildings.
Trini snuggled into Jason's hold as she waited on the phone. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Hey," she whispered at the other end, "How it's going?"
Tommy walked a few steps behind them, hands stuffed into his pockets as he took in the scenery.
Billy and Kat walked hand in hand, idly stopping to look inside the windows of the stores they passed.
Zack and Kim hung at the back, arms threaded.
"Thank you for an amazing evening, Zack."
"My pleasure. You had fun?"
Kim nodded. "So much fun."
"Then my job here is complete," he laughed.
"Are you sure you're not a mob boss?" She asked playfully, "Me and the girls have a bet going."
Zack snickered. "I wish I was a mob boss."
She turned to him conspiratorially. "The point guy for a secret, underground ring of crazy flavored shot suppliers?"
Zack laughed. "Yes."
Kim snorted and leaned into him.
Zack shrugged. "This is just what club promoters do. You gotta be everywhere. Checking in, schmoozing, paying for shots, saying hey to everybody..."
He looked back at her. "You remember Mambo back in Geneva?"
Kim giggled. "I remember Luca Müller…"
Zack laughed. "Jor gurlfrint Keems is zo teeny, I vant to poot her een my pocket."
Kim nodded seriously. "He actually did try to put me in his pocket."
Zack shook his head. "I was there for one of their Latin Dance nights, and, you know me. Thought I'd just do my thing and impress the ladies, right? But the club was dead. Nobody was showing up to these things. I felt like it was my job to fix it. I talked to everybody who looked important. Ended up bringing in a dozen or so people. It wasn't huge but in less than two hours I'd doubled the crowd. Owner found me and put me touch with Bell Blaser—"
Kim's eyes went wide. "Oh my god, from Blaser Presents?"
Zack smirked. "You know them?"
"Bell is Coach Schmidt's daughter-in-law!"
"Shut up! You serious?"
Kim nodded excitedly. "She came to watch the Pan Globals. She loved my floor routine so much she wanted to use the footage in a campaign ad for some sports drink or something."
"Man, this is a small world, I'm telling you."
"Well so, what happened then? You met with Bell?"
Zack nodded. "Yeah, and I explained why I was even in Europe in the first place, how us meeting was sort of a fluke, but that I had a background in dance and just really dug the club scene and you know, felt like more people should be going to these things. She told me about a new place they were trying to help out here in LA, and I knew I wasn't gonna stay in Switzerland forever so, I took the job and that's when I moved back. The club got shuttered, but my work got noticed and then I met Akil who hooked me up with NEON."
"And Akil owns the club?" Kim guessed.
"He owns a bunch of clubs. All the clubs I promote, but I work with NEON the most."
"And how many is that?"
"12, total. In any other city, he'd have taken over by now."
Kim's eyes widened. "12? You're responsible for promoting 12 different clubs?"
"Not alone. Akil's got a whole team. But ya know, loyalty is sort of the name of the game. Brands expect it if you want to keep a mutually beneficial relationship, performers expect it. Club owners definitely expect it. And this is all obviously so you can get customers to be loyal to your club."
"So you like, sort of have to schmooze and be everywhere when you're at the club?"
Zack nodded. "If I'm not constantly making money for somebody else, I won't get my money."
He shrugged. "Like I said, Akil's got a whole team. I'm totally expendable. But we've become pretty tight in the last few years and you know, my work is impeccable so—"
Kim laughed. "Yes it is. You are a natural salesman. And I say that with complete affection."
Their laughter subsided. They watched their companions walking in front of them.
Zack nudged his chin to motion up ahead. "So, what's happening there?"
Kim knew he meant Tommy. She gave him a sideways glance. "I don't know what you're referring to…"
Zack smirked. "You two are just gonna play it like this, huh? No matter how long it's been, no matter what else you got going on, who else you got going on…"
She was starting to regret having told him about her life the past few years. Zack had always had her number when it came to these types of things. He could nose out a secret better than Trini. She'd only gotten the jump on him once in high school, when she'd managed to convince him she'd forgotten his 15th birthday.
She supposed it was what made him so good at what he was doing now. His unparalleled charisma and infectious energy notwithstanding, Zack was sharp as an eagle, and sly as a fox. He was also remarkably resilient
Kim could recall his constant pursuit of Angela Charles back in high school, which by today's standards might get him called out. But he was never untoward, and always backed off when she asked him to. No. It was more that, he never got mad at her rejections, never assumed any sign of reciprocation meant she now owed him one. It was her prerogative. If she one day decided to give him a chance, he'd happily show her a good time. If she never came around, that was cool too.
His self worth never seemed tied to whether or not anyone liked him. Which ironically is what made everybody like him. But it also made it hard to take him seriously sometimes. So seemingly breezy was he, one might take for granted just how earnest and observant he could actually be.
"Am I a terrible person? Asking Erik for a time out?"
Zack shrugged. "Not if you both agreed to it. And from what you told me, I mean, you two were engaged for what? Three years? And still no plans to get married?"
"Honestly I think that had more to do with Erik. He's all across the globe all the time for work, sometimes for months. He applied for a resident job at the Gardens but he's waitlisted. He's too valuable at what he does right now. Anyway, us waiting had nothing to do with—whatever else I'm figuring out right now. Not at first."
"Tommy's been divorced less than a year," Zack reminded her.
"I know," Kim sighed. "I just—I just needed to know if—if what I felt from seeing him at the wedding was just envy or like, heartbreak…"
"Can I be honest with you?" It was a rhetorical question. Kim barely had to nod.
"Even if it's all good and you're both feelin' it— it could look to the outside like you're fickle. Or like—"
"Not loyal?" She snickered. "Great…"
Zack unthreaded their arms and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I feel ya. This is why I gave up this game a long time ago. But I feel ya."
-x-
Weiss Guys Diner
Saturday, June 23rd , 2:38am
Los Angeles, CA
2010
"Is this it?" Aisha looked up. WEISS GUYS.
The buzzing sign looked to be on its last leg, a crack in the diner's logo spilling out brighter from the source. The windows and glass door were blacked out, two hand-written paper signs taped to the glass.
The landscape had changed dramatically in the several blocks they'd travelled. The diner tucked inside a battered storefront shared by a laundromat and what looked like apartments on the second floor. A chain link fence blocked off a razed spot of property next to the brick building. Traffic still zoomed by, and the city still illuminated in the distance, so the gang exhaled knowing they hadn't completely lost their way.
Tommy stepped up beside Aisha, "Don't be a wise guy. Be a Weiss Guy. Open 24 hours," he read the signs on the door.
They shared a skeptical look and turned back to the group.
"Zack, is this normal?" Kim asked.
"Should we try someplace else?" Trini suggested.
"Whatever, I'm hungry," Rocky said, brushing past his friends.
A little bell chimed as he swung open the door.
Aisha rolled her eyes, "Boy, I am not trying to be a widow…" She stormed after him.
The rest of them eyed each other as they followed them inside, one by one.
A collective sigh escaped the group as the door shut behind them. It was dingy. A greasy spoon if ever there was. And while currently empty, save for them, it was not abandoned as the outer façade might have suggested. Faint music could be heard, and there was the unmistakable heat and smell from a grill.
The diner was narrow but long, in a shotgun style floor plan. A couple longer booths with a few chairs off to the left side, while the entire right side wall held a bunch of shorter booths pushed together to create a bank that ran from the front window and all the way to the wall that separated the dining room from the kitchen.
The walls were a pale, lemon yellow. Though they might have been white at one time. Years of grease and smoke undoubtedly stained the painted brick. The vinyl of the booths also yellow, though there's were more like an overripe banana. The florescent lights too, cast everything in a grungy glow.
A short counter stood in front of the pickup window. A portly man with slicked brown hair popped up from behind the metal portal.
"Yeah. Skeech he be right with you." The larger man disappeared once more.
Rocky was already seated in of the longer booths. Jason and Zack helping him to push together the two tables while Kim and Billy went to steal a few extra chairs.
Aisha slid in next to Rocky, followed by Kat. Billy took a seat in one of the chairs across from them, while Tommy took the other. Jason and Zack offered Kim and Trini the other booth as they took the two remaining chairs.
"I hope they serve onion rings," Rocky bounced in his seat. "All I want is a giant burger and onion rings. Oh! And a milkshake."
Aisha looked thoroughly annoyed. Tommy smirked at the other man. He reminded him of Miles in that moment.
To that thought, Tommy patted himself down and checked his phone.
"Do you think a place like this serves breakfast all day?" Trini wondered, "Cause that sounds great right now."
Kim nodded. "Ooh, yeah. Hash browns, eggs over easy?"
"I'd get them hard boiled if I were you," Jason quipped, nodding to the general filth of the place. "Unless you enjoy food poisoning…"
Billy pushed the bridge of his glasses back onto his nose. "Zack, are you familiar with this establishment or was it's mere existence known to you?"
Zack sprawled out in his chair, resting his left arm on the back of Jason's, "Nah, man. Just heard it was here. Some of the people who work at the club get done so late, most other places are closed by the time they leave."
"But not this place!" Kim gave an exaggeratedly cheerful thumbs-up.
Billy looked up as Tommy laid his hand on his shoulder, "I'll be right back. Order me a coffee if the guy shows up."
Billy nodded. Kim watched him as headed for the door.
"Is he okay?" Kim asked.
Billy shrugged. "He appeared to have received some form of communication that required an urgent response."
Kim nodded, still watching the door.
"Okay, here's waters for you."
Skeech, they assumed, arrived at the head of their makeshift banquet with a tray of water glasses. A lanky man, slightly younger than the other, with a moustache far too large for his slim face and bored look in his eyes. His head wrapped in a faded red bandana, a pen tucked behind one ear.
He placed them down in succession, expecting the table to assist him in conveying them further down the line.
They did. He fisted a handful of straws from his apron pocket and tossed them onto the table. Trini and Zack being the closest to where they fell, divided the straws in two bundles and passed those down to the group as well.
Skeech chomped on his gum. "Okay, I take orders. You first blonde cutie," he said, pointing down to the other end.
Kat frowned. "Wait—who, me?"
Zack looked up at him. "We didn't get any menus."
"Skeech, budalla. I say we got two full boots." The older man came charging at him, grabbing a stack of menus from the front counter.
Skeech rolled his eyes. "Yeah two full boots, Eddy. But you not say menus."
Eddy shot him a glare before turning back to greet the table.
"Ah, nice morning," Eddy effused. He handed off the menus. "Please forgive my friend. He not uh, light bulb."
Kim snorted as her hand shot up to stifle her laugh. Trini nudged her with an elbow.
Jason and Billy shared an amused look as Zack spoke up. "No worries. What's your name?"
Eddy pointed to himself. "Me, I am Eddy. Is short for Edono."
Zack shook the man's hand. "Nice to meet you Eddy, I'm Zack. Short for Zachary but only my mom calls me that so—"
Eddy laughed, his large cheeks rounding into a smile. "Ah. You have God name like me."
"Oh yeah?"
"He has remembered," Eddy explained, "This is you, what it means."
"And what does Edono mean?"
"Ah, in Albania, I am like Love God, yeah?"
More than just Kim snickered this time. Eddy motioned to the menus. "Uh, please, please. See what's good you want. We give you time. Skeech can take orders. And I will cook, ok?"
"Thanks, Eddy."
"Okay," Eddy nodded, "Skeech!" He roughed the younger man by the sleeve, "You take what they drink now." He wrested the empty tray from the man.
Skeech snapped his gum and took out his order pad as if it weighed a ton.
Eddy looked back at the table, "No charge for drinks. Food, yes. I'm sorry. I like you. I make up for this one," he pointed to Skeech, "But uh, I'm still here for business."
Zack nodded. "Absolutely. Thank you."
Eddy bowed his head. "Okay." He glared one final time at Skeech and headed back into the kitchen.
Skeech barely opened his droopy eyes as he poised his pen.
"You want drinks?"
Billy raised his hand. "Tommy requested a coffee—"
Skeech popped a loud bubble, "I don't know whose Tommy but ok. One coffee."
Billy spoke up again. "And I'll just have—" He blinked to see Kat mouth something to him.
"We'll have two cokes, please," he finished, gesturing between him and Kat.
Skeech made the note and pointed at Aisha. "You cutie, go."
Aisha scowled. "Diet coke."
Skeech nodded, skipped Rocky and pointed to Kim, "You cutie, go."
Jason barely hid his laugh this time. More so for the indignant face Rocky made as he was passed over. Rocky had been the one most hopeful, but now he looked furious.
"Excuse me I—"
Skeech held up a forceful hand to stop Rocky's protests. "Hey you. I go Ladies first."
Rocky balked. "Wha—but you took Tommy and Billy's order!"
"I don't know whose Tommy and Billy. But now, you shout at me, I go ladies, guys and then you last."
Rocky pouted and slumped against the booth.
Skeech looked back at Kim. "This guy," he said, thumbing to Rocky, "He don't know."
Kim nodded along, amused by the nonsense but feigning a grave sincerity. "Totally," she said, "and I'll also take a coffee."
"You coffee too super cutie?" Skeech pointed to Trini.
Trini shared a smirk with Jason at her new appellation. "Yes please."
Skeech nodded. Zack, ever the planner, already had his and Jason's order at the ready.
"Two more coffees."
"Okay big mouth thirsty boy, and now we come to you."
Rocky glared up at Skeech. "I don't suppose a lovely establishment such as this has milkshakes by chance?"
Skeech smacked his gum again. He seemed to be waiting for something. He shouted over his shoulder, "Eddy! We lovely establishment such as this have milkshake?"
They turned as they heard Eddy call back. "Vanilla only! No cream! Nuts okay."
Skeech turned back. "Vanilla only. No Cream. Nuts okay."
Rocky fumed. "Great."
Skeech rolled his eyes. "I make drinks and come back shortly."
Zack spared his friends a glance. "I'm so sorry."
They burst into a fit of laughter. Except for Rocky, still sore. "I don't even think I'm hungry anymore."
Aisha rubbed his shoulders. "Oh boy. Its serious now, folks."
Jason glanced at his watch. "It is nearly three now, guys."
Kim shot a look to the door. Tommy hadn't returned. She bit her lip.
Trini buried her head in her hands. "Oof, and we still have to drive back home."
"I'm just gonna—go check on Tommy," Kim said, shooing Trini up as she made to stand.
Jason smiled at his wife as she sat back down. "Don't worry super cutie, I'm driving."
Trini shot him a faint smile.
"What should we do?" Kat asked, "I wasn't all that hungry before we got here but now I was looking forward to a bite of something."
"So was I." Rocky huffed.
"Should we cancel our drinks and just get going?" Trini wondered.
Aisha scoffed. "Are you kidding? After all that?"
"At least maybe we could get 'em to go…" Zack suggested.
"Oh, Eddy's gonna be so disappointed, " Kat frowned.
Jason shook his head with a laugh. They heard a crash from the kitchen.
The two men appeared in the window. Eddy shouted. Skeech laughed. Eddy smack Skeech across the head, yelled something that was most definitely an insult and dragged him out of sight.
Trini looked back at the group suspiciously. "Those two seem awfully familiar?"
Rocky looked confused. The rest caught it almost immediately.
-x-
Kim wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn't all that cold, just a guarded instinct.
She blocked the light from a passing car's headlights. Sighing in relief as she walked further down and saw him tucked inside the entry alcove of another storefront a few feet down.
He was leaning up against a door, his head back and eyes closed. She approached him cautiously. The sound of heels against the sidewalk alerted him, his eyes shot open as he lowered his head.
Kim gave him a tiny wave. "Hi. "
He shoved off the door and pulled her into a hug. Her face buried in his chest.
She didn't know what it was for, but he clearly seemed upset. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed.
"You were gone for so long, I got worried—"
He exhaled loudly. She looked up at him, "You ok? Bad phone call?"
He nodded. "Bad phone call."
Her eyes went wide. "Your dad? Miles—"
"They're fine." He shut his eyes again.
Kim sighed. "Oh thank god…"
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, you guys order yet or—"
She snickered. "Oh, you have missed so much."
He pulled back to look at her, a smile creeping onto his face. "Why, what happened?"
She laughed and rested her forehead against his chest. "We just ordered our drinks. Half of us don't even know if it's worth it to stay for food. It's nearly three in the morning and we still have to drive back to Reefside…"
She looked back up at him. "They were still debating what to do when I came to find you."
He shrugged. "I don't care, I'll do whatever." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they started back.
She held on to his waist, looking up at him as they walked. She had a feeling who the phone call might have been from, if his face was any indication.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
He shook his head. "Not right now."
She nodded.
He reached over her head to hold the door as she slipped under. The bell chimed again as the florescent lights assailed their eyes from the recent exterior darkness.
The gang looked up, happy to see them both. A bevy of drinks in paper cups sat among them.
"So we're going?" Kim asked, coming to stand behind Jason and Zack at their seats.
"We ordered four baskets of fries to go, quickest thing we could get." Jason explained. "I just paid."
Kim nodded as Zack handed her a coffee. "We're just waiting on the food."
"And Rocky's drink," Aisha glared at her husband.
Rocky balked. "I ordered a milkshake, and I'm not leaving 'til I get it."
She scoffed. "Have fun drinking your spit shake."
Rocky grimaced. "Oh, come on—"
Jason snickered. "You did kinda piss Skeech off…"
"You guys suck," Rocky grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. "Whatever, I'll still drink it…"
Billy handed off a coffee to Tommy, "The temperature might no longer be ideal. If it ever was at all."
Tommy nodded. "Thanks."
"Was your correspondence sufficient?"
Tommy smirked. "No. But it's fine."
Billy frowned but said no more. He nodded and clapped a hand on Tommy's shoulder.
"Skeech!" Eddy yelled out, "Fries up. You have Milkshake?"
Skeech popped up out from the back and came to stand beside Eddy.
"Why you yell? I'm stand beside you."
"You have milkshake?"
"No."
Eddy glared at him. "What you mean, no? Two boots waiting. They pay and want to go. Why you just stand there?" He pushed the younger man out of his way.
Eddy came busting through the swinging door, grumbling as he loaded the food into the Styrofoam clamshells before setting them inside two plastic bags.
Eddy's scowl turned to a smile as he carried over the bags to their table. "Four fries. I add extra. And milkshake is coming. No charge!"
"Thanks Eddy," Jason nodded.
Eddy nodded and bustled back to the door. Skeech narrowly avoided the smack as he slid past. He smirked, before the door swung out and hit the back of his head.
He grumbled and stomped over to their table. "Milkshake for big mouth."
"Finally," Rocky rolled his eyes and reached for the cup.
Skeech pulled it just out of reach. "I make special just for you."
Rocky scowled and yanked the cup away. The group made to stand, more than ready to leave.
"Eddy, thanks again, man!" Zack called out. Eddy popped up from behind the window once more.
"Yes. Nice morning to you, Zack! Thanks to you for choosing Weiss Guys!"
Zack clapped a hand on Skeech's shoulder.
"Skeech, it's been real." He tried to give the man a high five.
Skeech puzzled at the move but nodded. "Yes. Ok."
Aisha was already pulling Rocky out the door, Billy and Kat close behind. Jason scooted past Kim and waited for Trini, plastic bags in hand.
Tommy offered Kim his arm. She accepted, glancing over her shoulder as she gave Eddy and Skeech a smile and waved goodbye.
Skeech scrambled after them, pushing his way between Tommy and Kim.
Tommy glared as the man bumped him backward. Zack turned to see the hold up behind him. Skeech flashed Kim a crooked smile.
"You smile at me, cutie. You have husband?"
Kim blinked. "Excuse me?"
Tommy stepped in front of the guy with an arm out to block him. "Hey man, back off."
Skeech sneered. "This thick neck husband?" he thumbed back at Tommy.
"Skeech!" Eddy shouted, shuffling over to pull him away. "Budalla, why you make me look bad?"
The trio watched as Eddy smacked the skinny man upside the head. "You embarrass me now in front of Zack and his friends."
Eddy turned to them. "I'm sorry. Skeech think every lady, she smile at him, she want husband."
Kim waved him off. "Thanks Skeech, I'm flattered."
Her gave her another goofy grin. Zack bit his tongue as Kim buried her laugh into Tommy's chest.
Tommy shook his head. Who the hell were these guys?
"Good night, fellas. Thanks again," Zack said with a nod, pulling on Kim's arm before her giggling insulted someone.
Tommy hung back a beat longer, staring down the two men before heading for the door.
Kim's laughter exploded once exposed to the early morning air. Zack nudged her with his shoulder. "You have zero chill."
Their friends were a few feet ahead. They stopped and turned as they heard them finally emerge from the diner.
Tommy came up beside Kim, Zack just a few steps ahead of them as they caught up to their friends. All of them, trying to explain the bizarre epilogue they'd just experienced.
"This has been, without a doubt, one of the strangest nights I've ever had," Trini shook her head.
"And the longest." Kim said. "I can't remember the last time I stayed out this late."
"You cutie, go." Kat mocked. Aisha joined in, "You big mouth thirsty boy."
They all laughed hysterically.
"Guess we'll all be sleeping in today," Jason mused, lifting Trini's hand to kiss her knuckles.
Rocky slurped his drink noisily. Billy came up beside him.
"Well, Rocky I see you've overcome your previous apprehension regarding the possible contamination of your beverage."
Rocky paused to briefly reconsider the shake. He shrugged and resumed his slurping.
The gang kept walking in scattered, amiable conversations as they journeyed back to where the evening had begun. It had been a long night, and not just in the chronological sense. The drive home would most likely not yield any significant discussions. All of them too exhausted to contribute anything profound. Whatever had occurred this evening that merited a deeper conversation would just have to wait until tomorrow. Err, later that day. At least those charged with driving had sobered up by now. One less worry for the moment.
Tommy looked back down at Kim. She caught his gaze and smiled, threading her arm through his.
Zack glanced over his shoulder, a pithy comment about the events of tonight on his lips. He smirked as he watched the two for a moment.
He shook his head with a sigh and let them have their privacy.
Rocky looked up from the last of his shake, "Hey, did Eddy and Skeech remind you guys of Bulk and Skull?"
-x-
