Chapter 2

A Thousand Years – Trip and Dustin: Time Force

Warnings: Mentions of boy/boy and girl/girl relations. Chapter mentions Dustin/Cam, and Trip/Justin. Briefly references (kind of) Hunter/Shane, Kai/Leo, Angela/Joel, Jen/Katie.

Still raw and un-beta'd; all mistakes are still mine :)

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Do you think he'll like them?" Trip asked, fidgeting with the modifiers resting on the desk in front of him. "I mean, they're practical, so he'll like that, I guess-"

"Dude, he's going to love them."

Trip glanced up towards the monitor, meeting Dustin's earnest gaze uncertainly. He trusted Dustin – with everything he had, he trusted Dustin – but Trip couldn't help but feel doubt weighing on his mind.

He wanted to get this gift right for Justin, which was why Trip had contacted Dustin in the first place (not because he thought the similar-names thing would help, but Dustin seemed to understand people and their gifting needs), but even with the reassurance things seemed…precarious.

Justin was- even though they had been friends for a few years now, sometimes he remained as difficult for Trip to understand as he had been day one. Meeting Justin hadn't been like meeting the other Time Force rangers, or even any of the other ranger techs. Justin was like Trip - a prodigy - and even in that, he still stood apart from his peers. In Trip's case, he had always figured that was attributed to the whole 'last-of-his-species' thing. He didn't really understand how humans were supposed to act, but he was too young to remember how Xybrian's acted either, so he just sort of did the best he could.

He wasn't sure what the deal was with Justin though, aside from his young age. Shouldn't he be revered for his accelerated learning? Celebrated? Justin would get to do more in his lifespan than a more senior human being with the same intellect; shouldn't that be a constant source of excitement for the Turbo ranger? He could make more discoveries, help more people, he had more time (which was something Trip was thinking about more and more lately; time, time, time-), why shouldn't he be happy? Or, if not 'perpetually cheerful' (as Lucas had described Trip), at least confident?

Justin didn't doubt his abilities, but they didn't mold him, socially, as Trip would have expected them to.

In the end, Trip decided it was just a human thing- no, a Justin-thing, and stopped listing the things that confused him in favor of the stuff that…delighted him, he guessed, would be the best word.

(Lucas had laughed at that explanation, the one time Trip had gathered enough courage to admit it, but Katie and Dustin had both been supportive, the latter nodding thoughtfully that this was an appropriate response).

Trip liked Justin. He had always liked Justin; it was just hard to explain why. There was more to it than his intelligence. Because that was nice, to be able to talk about something and have someone there who wasn't perpetually confused, or asked Tripp very politely to stop speaking (there wasn't really a polite way to do it, and Jen had threatened to punch out the last person who tried), but it was more than that.

It was Justin's speed, his determination, his focus on doing the right thing. Sure, he grumbled and complained and emoted general displeasure (for a human), but since he always did the right thing, Trip knew it didn't matter. See, Justin was just like Eric. They both said all these things, things they didn't really mean, but their actions were always the right ones and that, for Trip, was what mattered.

There was this energy around Justin- more than what Trip's Xybrian senses detected – this urge to create, to gain, to know. Trip loved it, as much as he understood love. And he loved Justin, had always loved him.

Trip knew that humans did it differently. The few times he had tried to research the human concept of love, all that it entailed, he had been bombarded with so many conflicting messages that Alex had unplugged all of his computers and refused to grant Trip his access until he determined a more filtered approach to his dilemma.

In the end, Trip settled for talking to Dustin. And then Angela, and Kai, and Cam (it was quite intriguing to hear from both individuals in a relationship, but Trip had never informed them of the other's answers, even if they had been nearly identical). What it came down to was this: humans and Xybrian's loved differently.

Yeah, he knew it wasn't a surprising deduction, but it was true. Trip saw and he immediately understood that this person- their energy and their bearing and their– well, everything – he knew that was the other part of him. For humans, this was sometimes the case, Angela had explained, but generally those relationships were not very thriving. Humans needed time and understanding, humans could be greatly changed by their experiences, and while that was true for Xybrians-

Xybrian's were raised to embrace change, because at their core, at their other's core, remained the other half of their heart.

It was different for humans, but for Trip, he knew. He couldn't really explain it, but he knew.

That was why Trip wanted to do this right. Why he had to do it right. He already had a thousand years worth of cultural differences working against him, he couldn't mess this up just because of a difference in species. That was why he turned to Dustin as a consultant. If anyone would understand, it would be Dustin.

And maybe Cam, but Trip liked Dustin more. He smiled a lot.

"You trust me, right?"

Trip blinked, startled out of his contemplation as he met Dustin's earnest gaze in the monitor, the yellow ranger fretting with the cuff of his sweater distractedly.

"Of course," Trip replied. He was kind of confused why it had to be asked in the first place, he wouldn't have called Dustin otherwise.

Dustin nodded, taking the answer with a smile, and shrugged. "Then dude, from one guy dating a genius to one guy aspiring to date a genius-"

"Not date," Trip corrected. He didn't want to date Justin. After extensive quizzing on the subject with Lucas (and then receiving actually helpful information from Jen), Trip knew with complete certainty that 'dating' didn't fit the need he had with Justin.

The earth ninja furrowed his eyebrows, a familiar expression of confusion settling onto his features. "Not date?" he echoed, tilting his head to the side.

"Not date," Trip confirmed.

Dustin tilted his head the other way. "I thought you liked him."

"Love him." There was a distinct difference. "I love him."

"You love him," Dustin repeated, but he didn't sound confused this time. It was more like he was making it permanent in his head. "Okay. Well, if you love him, why don't you want to date him?"

This explanation, Trip knew.

"Dating is temporary," he clarified. "Dating has no set time limit. Dating can be ended. Dating has no official bearing."

"It does when other people want to make moves on your man," Dustin argued, frowning slightly.

Trip waved him off. "I'm not saying it's bad. Kai and Leo have been dating for a long time, they're happy together. You and Cam, Shane and Hunter; even Jen and Katie, who haven't been dating very long- they're all happy. I'm not saying it's not a satisfying experience."

"It just isn't what you want," Dustin summarized with a slow nod.

"Exactly." An eager smile spread onto Trip's face. This was why he had contacted Dustin. Dustin would know, would understand the human- Xybrian differences, but would never judge Trip for them, would never condescend.

It happened sometimes- less and less since they had gotten back from Wes' time period, but even a thousand years of progression couldn't end the deep-rooted desire to mock what was not understood. Trip didn't blame anyone for it, it was their only way of coping with some concepts, to make them into something more intelligible, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt, sometimes. That was why Trip practiced keeping a positive attitude. It made things a lot better.

It was another thing that made him really like Dustin and Katie. They were the best.

Excluding Justin, of course. Justin's superiority was inherent, and therefore need not be addressed.

"So what do you want?" Dustin asked, eyes wide, patiently waiting.

The answer, thankfully, had been covered in Jen's explanation of dating.

Trip's smile widened. "I want to marry him."

Marriage, Jen had elaborated, was the ultimate culmination of your efforts in dating. At least, generally speaking. Marriage was a formal claim of another person in the eyes of the law and the rest of society, a legitimate statement that an individual held the other half of your heart.

That was what Trip wanted.

Dustin blinked, a shocked expression that was…calm, somehow? Processing, that was it. He was processing, trying to understand what he had not expected.

"Dude…" he said slowly, after a brief pause. "Yeah, you definitely need to date him first."

"But-" Trip could feel himself deflating.

Dustin was supposed to understand, he was supposed to back Trip up, increase his confidence, not rain on his parade.

(Trip had never heard the expression before Hunter had mentioned it, and there may have been a very satisfying afternoon of practical application for better understanding with the Ninja Ops sprinkler system before Cam figuratively rained on the literal rain on their…parade. It was very complicated).

"No dude," Dustin shook his head. "Let me explain. I know what you're getting at, and I one hundred percent support you." Dustin lightly pounded one fist against his chest and held it up in solidarity.

Trip mimicked the motion, enthusiastically latching onto something he knew.

Dustin smiled. "See, I support you, but guys like Justin? They're like…" he trailed off, his face scrunching into a contemplative expression. "They're like Hunter!" he exclaimed suddenly, bouncing in his chair. "Yeah, see, and guys like Hunter, they'll love you from the beginning, right? But if they know they love you they freak out about it, so you have to kind of ease them into it."

"That makes sense," Trip agreed, nodding thoughtfully. He had noticed that Hunter wasn't the best with handling his emotions, but Trip had always assumed that had more to do with his perception of humans being skewed than it did with Hunter being Hunter.

"Yeah it does," Dustin grinned, his eyes bright as he continued his explanation. "Like, you know what you're in for when you get started; all you've got to do is stay with him long enough to realize, 'hey, we're totally married' and then you can get married." Dustin sat back, pleased with himself. "Even if you've been like, married the whole time. You just can't let him know it."

"That's figurative, right?" Trip asked. "Because if we really got married-"

"It's figurative," Dustin confirmed with a solemn nod. "You just have to sneak him into it bro, activate your ninja stealth. He'll get there."

Trip sighed, trying not to look too exasperated, and Dustin nodded sympathetically.

"I know, I know," he said. "It's a human thing. Gotta play by his rules, and then you can pop the question."

"What question?" The term sounded familiar, but Trip couldn't really place where and in what context he had heard it. He thought they were talking about dating.

"The marriage question," Dustin informed him enthusiastically. "When the time is right, you do something really special – for like, you guys; so maybe you do genius things? – and then you get down on one knee, pull out a ring-"

"There are rings involved?" Trip asked. He hadn't known it would be this complicated. Neither Jen nor Katie wore rings too often, they said it got in the way of their training, but he had seen Tori wearing something on her fingers from time to time.

"Yeah dude," Dustin replied. His curls bounced with his bobbed nod. "Like, an engagement ring."

"That's what you do before you get married!" Trip exclaimed, snapping. He had liked that part better than the dating-thing, when Jen had explained it, but she hadn't given him any details onto how you were supposed to get there. It probably had to do with the stealth-wooing Dustin mentioned. She was so smart.

"Yeah, you pick it out special, just for him, right?" Dustin said, both eyebrows lifting, his expression informative. "And then you get down on one knee, show him the ring and say 'Justin, will you marry me?'."

"And then what?" Trip's fingers were gripping tight against the edge of his desk in an effort to restrain his excitement. This was it; he was going to know how.

"And then he says yes," Dustin declared. "And you get married and live happily ever after."

"But I have to get him the ring first," Trip said, repeating Dustin's earlier explanation to help it sink in.

Sometimes, that helped.

"No," Dustin shook his head. "You have to date first. Then the ring."

"Oh- right, right," Trip waved at him distractedly, mind already turning over potential plans in his head. "And how long do we do that for?"

"Until you think he won't freak out over it," Dustin replied. Trip was beginning to think Dustin knew everything about relationships, or at least relationships with humans. He wondered why Lucas made fun of him so much for going to the earth ninja for advice. "Remember, he's got to know you're figuratively married before you can get literally married. It's a waiting game. Rough estimate, I would say maybe a few years?"

"Years?" It had already been years. Trip didn't want to wait more years.

He wanted to get married and get on to that happily ever after Dustin had mentioned. He wanted to share Justin's bed and run crazy experiments at four in the morning and he wanted to fight by the Turbo ranger's side without any complaint the next time there was a citywide catastrophe and time and the world and fate and reality was at stake, Trip wanted to be there. He didn't want to wait.

Dustin, because he knew – no matter what Lucas thought – gave Trip a sympathetic look. "I know dude. But hey, he's a smart guy. It probably won't take him long to figure it out."

"How long have you been dating Cam?" Trip asked, suddenly struck by a thought. He should start collecting data, project a possible period for length-of-dating based on his findings.

"Like, three years dude," Dustin replied. He was confused again, probably not realizing the value of his contribution.

"Do you have a ring?" Trip didn't see one right now, but he wasn't sure if having a ring necessitated wearing the ring. Maybe that was part of the legal declaration. Like, you got to wear the ring all the time, but you didn't have too.

"Nah, man." Dustin held his hands up for Trip's inspection, turning them to show off both sides.

"Does Cam have one?" Trip pressed. Dustin hadn't said they both needed rings, he had only said that you needed one to pop the question. If Dustin had done the asking, then maybe he didn't have a ring at all, but Cam did.

This was getting confusing again.

"No dude." Dustin shook his head. "I haven't given him one."

"Oh." Trip sagged back against his chair. Cam and Dustin had been dating for three years and they still weren't married, or even engaged. Everyone knew they loved each other, and no one talked like there was ever a possibility of them being apart in the future, so why didn't they have rings? It seemed so illogical.

Trip drummed his fingers along the edge of his desk aimlessly, his eyes trailing to the morpher modifiers resting in front of his keyboard. He had made them out of the same materials he had used to create the Electro Booster- with a few enhancements, of course. They were constructed to be super resistant to a wide range of temperatures and pressures, from deep space to the bottom of the ocean, volcanic to icy tundra. It had taken a long time to perfect the design, but it had been worth it.

He hadn't gotten a lot of time in for testing, but ideally the modifiers would allow for Justin and Trip to communicate over different time periods without the burden of the more cumbersome communication equipment. While Trip's post as a Time Force liaison with Bio Labs was about to become a more permanent placement, meaning less trips back to the 'future', he still wanted to be able to communicate with Justin whenever the need arose. Just in case.

It had taken hundreds of hours to get the fabrication process exactly how he wanted it, exactly how he needed it to be for him and Justin. He had made them with his own two hands.

Which gave Trip a thought.

"Do you want one?"

Dustin wasn't a tech. He understood mechanical basics (Trip had been trying to lure him into studying engineering to no avail), but the yellow ranger probably didn't have the ability to create his own ring to give to Cam.

"What?" Dustin blinked, startled, but Trip eagerly moved on.

"I can build you one, if you want," Trip explained, bouncing in his seat. It was the least he could do. "You can give it to Cam, and then you can be officially married. I mean, he knows you're figuratively married, right?"

They had been dating for practically ever, Cam had to know. He was almost as smart as Trip, and maybe as smart as Justin.

There was a pause, and more blinking, and it might have taken Trip a few moments to figure out it was happening because he had already begun to design the ring in his head. It would have to be super-durable, if Cam could potentially go into combat with it. Something resistant to most forces but not detrimental to the wearer- perhaps there could be some kind of buffer field to cushion the finger against-

"Yeah…I guess," Dustin said eventually, bringing Trip back to the conversation with a startle. What had they been talking about? "He knows. We just haven't, you know…"

Trip took in the yellow ranger's appearance, he was avoiding eye contact, looking off to the side, trailing off- all classic demonstrations of uncertainty.

Honestly, humans were so weird sometimes.

"I'm gonna make you one!" Trip declared. He already had it mostly figured out anyway. "I'll bring it to the reunion, and then you can do your…" Trip did some vague waving, hoping to communicate the entire 'special-dinner-on-one-knee-thing' without having to say it. "And then you can help ease Justin into dating. Deal?"

Dustin paused, considered this.

Then, he smiled. "Dude," he began, grin spreading across his face in triumphant victory. "You've got yourself a deal. But it's gotta be green, alright?"

Trip rolled his eyes. "Duh, I'm not dumb Dustin."

Katie would help him figure out the design, or maybe Jen.

On second thought, Captain Logan had to forcibly pull the pink ranger off of undercover camouflage detail after the whole leather jumpsuit debacle with the mutorgs, so Jen probably wasn't the best one to ask. He would stick with Katie; maybe make a few visits to Tori.

"My bad Trip," Dustin replied, but he was still smiling. Trip made a note to check the Ops' equipment next time he visited, the camera was pulling up a glossy kind of reflection in Dustin's eyes. He probably just needed to upgrade the lens or something.

Trip shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Now, how did you start dating Cam?"

If he was actually going to do this 'dating' ordeal - as strange as it was - he might as well get information from an experienced expert, right? Whatever Dustin had done seemed to be working fine for him.

"Oh, dude,"Dustin said, his eyes still showing that odd shine. "That was the easy part."

-:-:-:-:-:-

Endnotes:

If you've read 'Any Moment', then you know exactly how it was the easy part :)

Thanks to Mara Greengrass for reviewing the last chapter, and thanks to everyone for reading this far. This one's for you guys.

Until next time.