Chapter 9
Here's To Us – Wes
Warnings: Shenanigans, references to overindulging in alcohol, boy/boy action, references to boy/boy, girl/girl, and boy/girl relationships, mild brawling, good-natured teasing, and overall silliness. Features (here we go…) Wes/Eric, Rocky/Adam, Justin/Trip, Dustin/Cam, Tori/Blake, Shane/Hunter, Jen/Katie, with allusions to Danny/Max and Carlos/Zhane/Mike.
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Pandemonium never felt so sweet.
Wes smiled at the chaos erupting around him, taking in the clumps of people as they greeted each other, a variation of hugs, claps, high fives, and handshakes. It was a sea of color: reds, yellows, blues and more, all unified by bright rainbow nametags worn proudly by each ranger. Even if Wes hadn't been one of the planners for this modest shindig, it wouldn't have taken a lot of brain power to determine who was responsible for that choice. Kimberly had subcommittees with subcommittees, but thinking that those nametags could be the handiwork of someone other than Rocky and Dustin was ludicrous. Wes knew it, Kim knew it. Table cloths, lighting, and other decorations had been outsourced to professionals (thankfully), but it was hard to outdo the enthusiasm of those two rangers, especially with Cam backing them up.
It was a fight Wes had eagerly lost.
The menu had been preapproved by Kai, the only refined pallet among them (so claimed by Leo, and no one felt particularly bothered to argue it). There was plenty of comfort food- easy finger sandwiches and mini pizzas (much to the shuddered disgust of the former Turbo rangers- don't ask, really; don't ask), kabobs, rolls, buns- any and every carb imaginable. There was also a very thoughtful, if neglected, fruit and vegetable tray that had been supplied by Dana, who was more than happy to glare full-grown saviors of the universe into eating a balanced meal.
Carter, proving that he was smarter than the rest of them, had figured this out early on and cleaned out the strawberries as soon as the reunion had started. Last Wes knew of it, the red Lightspeed ranger was using them as bartering tools to instill good behavior in the other rangers, which was probably working more effectively than it should have been. Props to that guy.
A soccer ball went whooshing past Wes' head, and the blond fought a grin as he recognized the distinct crash of something very expensive being destroyed.
The blond didn't even bother following its trajectory, instead he schooled his expression into something scolding, and glanced over his shoulder. "Connor, Carlos; I told you to keep it outside."
The younger ranger in question shrugged sheepishly, eyes wide in an attempt to play innocent. Carlos, on the other hand, didn't even bother with the pretense; too busy laughing at the red Dino ranger, clarifying who was responsible for Wes' broken vase.
Adam, at the very least, had the decency to look apologetic from where he stood behind them.
While Wes looked upon the guilty trio, he could hear Kelsey swoop in behind him, most likely rescuing the prized soccer ball from inevitable confiscation. The yellow Lightspeed ranger exited the house with a mighty battle cry, making Connor turn with a jolt, his bashfulness immediately changing into excitement now that the game was on again.
"Children," Eric grumbled, looking out into the backyard as the impromptu soccer match turned into a real game of two-on-two. "That's all they are, the whole lot of them." In his peripherals, Wes could see Eric angle towards him, a beer bottle dangling casually from one hand. "Why do we do this again?"
"Because it's fun." Wes allowed a sly grin to steal onto his face. He knew Eric would hate it, wasn't entirely comfortable with this, with people in general, but for today everything seemed perfect. "Besides," Wes continued, bumping his shoulder against the Quantum ranger's. "You know you love it."
If Wes was looking at him, he knew his boyfriend – yeah, boyfriend; imagine that – would be rolling his eyes. Despite the display, Eric didn't protest it, because Wes was right.
Yeah, his boyfriend was really just a big softy.
"Heads up!" Tanya cheered, winding her way through the crowd. She had one hand on Chad and another on Jason, both bearing bemused grins as she relentlessly tugged them forward. "I've got two more for karaoke!"
"But I can't sing," Jason laughed, aiming hopeful puppy eyes onto the yellow ranger when she turned to look at him.
Kira, who was acting as Tanya's partner-in-crime for karaoke room recruitment, merely shrugged, and continued pushing the two taller rangers along. "We give points for enthusiasm. And besides, if we can survive Hunter's rendition of 'My Heart Will Go On', we're pretty much prepared for anything."
"Ugh." Eric shuddered at the memory. "That reminds me, I need another beer."
He paused before he turned to leave and Wes, who was still watching the retreating backs of the yellow rangers' karaoke victims, almost missed the soft peck against his cheek, feather light, only lasting for about a second.
Only almost, though. If there was one thing Wes had learned over his years of working with Eric, it was that while the Quantum ranger wanted you to believe he did everything in a straightforward and direct way, for the things that needed care, that he was worried about, he exercised subtlety.
And yeah, it did make Wes all warm and fuzzy inside to think that he qualified for that.
"Ugh, quit that goofy smiling Collins, you're getting worse than Danny." The voice and attitude were unmistakably Taylor's, and the former Wild Force ranger meandered up beside Wes slowly, taking in the rest of the room with a slow sip of her beer. "Frankly, I find it disgusting."
"And frankly, I find your declarations hilarious, because no one is more disgusting than Danny." Justin flanked Wes on his other side, giving Taylor's bottle a cursory look of envy before returning to his fruit punch. "And please, I shudder to even consider what worse-than-Danny would look like."
"That so?" Taylor lifted one challenging eyebrow. "Strange, considering how you seem to prefer dealing with the perpetual barrage of cheer otherwise known as 'Trip'. Speaking of-" She turned to look around the room, and smiled, a sly creep of a smirk that promised no good things. "I believe we have incoming."
Justin narrowed his eyes. "Incoming wha-umph."
Enter Trip, perfectly on cue, tackle-hugging his very favorite Turbo ranger (which, no matter how much Justin protested – as he was the only active Turbo ranger - the title that stuck). Wes, who had become quite familiar with Trip and Justin's reunions once the brunette finally accepted Bio Labs' job offer, had deftly stepped to the side, pulling Taylor out of range for any enthusiastically flailing arms. How Trip managed it, and hugging, and hopping…well, it was an art form, to say the least. Wes stopped trying to comprehend it long ago and settled for recording video of it for Jen. She had a montage slideshow edited together for raining days; it was a true thing of beauty.
Wes' attention was pulled away from preparing his camera by a thoughtful hum from Taylor. "Well, that's new."
"What's-?" Wes looked up, and completely lost any grasp he had on the human language.
Yeah, it was new.
It seemed that in addition to Trip's usual displays of 'I-missed-you-so-much, how-much, this-much' the green ranger had decided to throw kissing into the mixture. To a very receptive audience, it would seem.
It wasn't like anyone was particularly surprised that Trip and Justin were making out (that took care of that betting pool, it would seem), Wes just wondered when exactly they had started dating. Usually he noticed this kind of stuff.
Trip answered the question a second later, when he finally managed to pull himself away from Justin; face flushed and face the perfect picture of contentment. "I want to date you," he declared brightly. "And I want- oh, wait." Trip squinted down at his hand, and very clearly began reading something off of it. "I mean…will you date me?"
"Umm…" Justin, who Wes was pretty sure to this point had been reacting purely on impulse, still looked a bit dazed, like he was having trouble coming to terms with what had just happened. "…Yes?"
He offered it carefully, as though he wasn't sure if Trip was being serious. The expression caused something to tighten in Wes' chest, despite the lightness of the situation. It was an uncertainty the blond could empathize with.
"Yes!" Trip echoed, bouncing in place. He was still latched onto Justin though, causing the Turbo ranger to wobble precariously. "Dustin!" he called over his shoulder, ignoring the still confused eyes of his newly-gained boyfriend. "He said yes!"
"Did you say the words?" Dustin yelled from across the room, much to the dismay of Trent, who was standing right next to the Earth ninja.
"Yeah!" Trip shouted right back. "You're right, it was easy!"
Justin frowned. "What-?"
Trip cut off the question with another kiss; this one slower, sweeter, one that Justin melted into easily. It was good to see the doubt shift into something more confident, to see Justin get the bearings for something everyone else in the room had seen as inevitable.
"Who had money on them getting together at the reunion?" Taylor asked, elbowing Wes in the side. "I need to know who to glare at for the rest of the evening."
The blond thought about it for a second. "Adam, I think. Maybe Cam too."
"Insider information," Kim hissed as she passed by, surreptitiously taking pictures of the happy couple with her phone. "Doesn't count."
"It counts!" Dustin protested, having moved closer to take pictures of his own, much less subtly. His camera was bright yellow and covered in smiley-face stickers "He had as much information as anyone else. There is no inside."
The top of a cowboy hat peaked just above Kim's shoulder. "Liiies," Joel hissed, narrowing his eyes mischievously.
Dustin considered him for a moment, torn between the green offender and a true Kodak moment, then pounced.
"Outside!" Wes reminded with a laugh, and pretty soon Max and Zach were in on Dustin and Joel's mock battle for honor, tumbling out the French doors with guffaws and warrior cries.
"Ugh, not so loud."
It took Wes a few seconds to recognize Lucas, sunglasses firmly glued to his face and Bloody Mary clenched in one hand like a lifeline.
"Kendall, you're supposed to be hammered after the big party, not before," Taylor chided, smirking around the lip of her beer bottle.
"I finally understand that expression," Lucas said with a groan, rubbing at his temple pitifully. "We have medication, you know, to deal with this kind of stuff, but Jen's trying to teach me a lesson about drinking responsibly."
"The harpy," Taylor deadpanned. She had one hand digging into her pocket. In search of her phone, no doubt.
Lucas glared at her half-heartedly. "Laugh it up all you want." He paused, and then slouched, his posture unwinding as he leaned into Wes' side. "Don't worry about it Wes," Lucas said quietly, addressing the unvoiced concern. "It's a one-time thing, I promise. Just dealing with some…" Lucas swallowed, stirring his drink with a celery stalk in an apathetic manner. "Lot of stuff, going on right now, is all."
"Okay." Wes nodded, showing his support.
He knew Lucas would appreciate that more, and more importantly, he knew the blue ranger would call him if things got much worse.
The blond would make a note to ask Jen for updates, though. He'd fought by Lucas for a long time, and melancholy wasn't a normal look for him. Brooding maybe, but this, this was something different. Something worse.
"Hey, do any of you guys know if the Lost Galaxy team has shown up yet?"
Danny edged his way into their huddle quietly, one hand gripping a glass of ginger ale, the other laden with a plate of snacks. It always surprised Wes, how gracefully Danny could move for being such a big guy. Then again, Eric and Shane's physiques weren't anything to sniff at, and one of them was an honest to goodness ninja.
While Wes stewed over this, Taylor answered Danny's question. "Haven't seen 'em yet."
"I wouldn't worry about it Danny," Wes added, forcing what he hoped looked like a natural smile onto his face. "They have the farthest distance to travel, right? They should be here soon."
It had not gone unnoticed that Leo's team had yet to make an appearance. Danny wasn't the only one starting to get concerned (that honor went to Mike, who had arrived earlier to consult on some of Bio Lab's equipment tests), but for the most part the levity and excitement of this many rangers in one place at one time had managed to mask their absence. Hunter and Shane had noticed immediately, Carter and Andros too, but Wes didn't want to make a big deal of it just yet. Leo wouldn't want that.
It wouldn't stop Mike from worrying in his corner, Ashley, TJ, and Alyssa flanking his sides, each talking a mile a minute in an effort to distract the former Magna Defender, but it was a start. They could look into it later, when people wandered off to go to sleep. For now though, they could wait to see if Leo was making good on the promise to be 'fashionably late', and squash down all uneasy feelings that grew every hour that he didn't.
Danny smiled; it was timid, but true, and a little relieved. "Yeah, you're right Wes," he said, his grin widening. "I just really wanted to talk to Kendrix about this new pollination research study going on at-"
A startled cry over near the buffet table cut Danny off mid-sentence, and they looked over in time to see Jen point level up one very threatening finger.
"Zhane," she began quietly, her voice bearing a dangerous edge. "Put down the cheese tray, and no one gets hurt."
The silver Space ranger in question blinked owlishly, projecting an aura of total innocence that was somewhat hindered by the fact his cheeks were bulging with an assortment of refined cheeses, the tray clutched against his chest possessively.
Wes had seen Jen stare down hardened criminals with an undeterred focus that would make lesser men weep.
Seeing her use that same look on a potential dairy-thief was nothing short of hysterical. Seeing that same dairy-thief respond with a simple fluttering of his eyes…
It was safe to say, Wes was not the only person taking pictures.
Across the room, he traded a thumbs up with Katie, while Taylor made an unimpressed noise.
Jen tilted her head. "Zhane…"
The silver ranger took off, the tray held above his head like a trophy as he dashed across the room, spilling tiny blocks of cheese as he went. Jen took after him, a wicked grin plastered on her face. Zhane made it to about the door before the brunette tackled him about the waist, taking him out onto the lawn with a startled shout, the cheese tray forgotten behind them.
"At the rate we're going, this entire party's going to end up outside," Wes noted dryly.
He eyed the couch the ranger techs had said up base on – Cam, Angela, Billy, and the newly-inducted Ethan – had taken the brunt of the cheese spillage. Cam had managed to defend himself and Angela with his superior reflexes, but Billy and Ethan had been completely blindsided. It was odd, seeing the original blue ranger of Earth frozen still in total confusion, covered in small triangles of cheese. Beside him, Ethan was making the most of it and had confiscated some of Angela's crackers for his delivered snack.
"What happened?" Justin asked, deciding finally to come back up for air. Taylor made a disappointed noise, but said nothing, putting her phone away with a grumble. "Did we miss something?"
"Cheese!" Trip declared triumphantly, following Wes' gaze to the couch. "Oh hey, they're reviewing the newest set of blueprints for the Access Port, let's just-" Trip trailed off in a garble of techno speak, tugging Justin along behind him as he made a beeline for the couch.
Before he could completely escape, Lucas grabbed onto Justin's arm, giving him a slow once over. "Stewart, I'm only gonna say this once. You hurt him, I break your legs. Got it?"
"Got it." Justin nodded slowly. Between the lack of air, rapid changes, and mild confusion, Wes was surprised to see that the tech's answer was sincere and thoughtful, that he was giving Lucas' steady glare for as good as he got. "I'll be…I got it."
Satisfied, Lucas nodded. "Good." He gave Justin's arm one final clap, then released him, allowing the Turbo ranger to follow after his boyfriend.
What could Wes say, he was a big 'ole softy at heart too.
"I think this is even better than last year," Danny said around a mouthful of strawberry, lips slick with fruit juice. "Hey, did you have any luck tracking down those wizard guys?"
"Mystic Force," Lucas drawled quietly, the end of the celery making a definite snap as he broke it off with his teeth.
"Merrick's tracing down a lead, I think," Wes replied, eyes going over to the referenced Wild Force ranger.
Ever since the great Doompot Debacle with the Ninja Storm team, the veteran rangers had made a point of tracking down the newest ranger teams and getting them settled into their private communication network Kai had set up. It had been easy to do with Dino Thunder, who had a veteran ranger already present to get them informed, but for Mystic Force, things were proving to be a bit trickier. They were private, secluded.
Cole had mentioned something at the last red ranger get together about Merrick 'knowing' a guy from 'back in the day'. Wes hadn't pressed for details, but the Lunar Wolf Wild Force ranger had steadily been working his way towards contacting the team. Things were looking optimistic.
Currently, Merrick had taken up residence in a private corner of the living room with a few of the other quiet rangers. He and Ryan were nodding along to a story Trent was sharing, a thoughtful, almost shy look on his face as he worked out the right words. Behind him, with her back to the huddle, Karone was standing guard, keeping one shoulder pressed companionably against the white Dino Ranger's as she shooed any straying ears away.
"Do you think it will always be like this?" Danny asked, surveying the antics around them with amused eyes.
Wes followed his gaze, a feeling of fondness overtaking him as he looked on this group of crazy people, individuals bearing a unique form of insanity that he was privileged to call friends.
Outside, the soccer match/fight for honor/revenge tackles had transformed into something Wes would call extreme football. Jen had rallied one team, Kelsey and Joel flanking her while Carlos and Max played defense. Conner had taken lead of the others; doing an admirable job of focusing the chaotic forces of Dustin and Zhane to where they'd be most effective. Behind them, Adam and Zach worked in deadly synchronization, demonstrating how their connection went beyond just sharing the same morpher. There was fluid grace, leaping, bounding, and very, very much laughter.
Wes turned his eyes away just as Dustin executed a flying tackle into Max, losing control of the soccer ball completely in favor of serious noogies.
"Are Carlos and Zhane even playing the same game?" Danny asked, his voice full of laughter. Despite the question, his eyes were glued on Max, whose expression was somewhere between annoyed and murderous.
"I think they're playing tag," Lucas said dryly.
"I think they're letting loose some pent up frustration," Taylor added, turning her phone towards the windows. "At least, Carlos is."
"Makes you wonder how Andros does it." Wes smiled broadly, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Meditation," A quiet voice said from behind them. "A great deal of meditation."
"And Skittles," Cassie added, prodding Andros, the original speaker, into the circle. "Skittles are a truly amazing gift when it comes to settling disputes."
Lucas snorted, "Figures."
"Look, we all know they just need to get laid." Taylor rolled her eyes and fiddled with her phone, zooming for a better angle. "Just lock 'em in a closet and call it a day already."
Cassie laughed at the look of tired resignation on Andros' face. Or, as much as Andros could look resigned. It was very subtle.
While the red Space ranger wasn't the best at picking up human social cues (something he and Trip regularly bonded over), even he knew there was something greater between his teammates than petty annoyance.
Danny made a noise of disagreement. "What about Mike?"
"What about him?" Taylor challenged, propping a fist against her hip in a casually threatening pose. "Who implied he could not be included in the sex?"
Andros' expression took on a deeper shade of depression. "I would prefer if we talked about something else, please."
"There, there, Andros," Danny said, moving the Space ranger away from the circle with a sympathetic pat on the back, aiming him towards Carter and his strawberry refuge. "I'm sure they'll figure it out soon."
"Could be worse," Taylor called after their retreating backs. "You could have Hunter on your team."
"Hunter heard that." Said thunder ninja landed with quiet grace, dropping down from what Wes assumed was the ceiling. The blond stopped pondering after that, it would hurt his brain. "And Hunter would also like to point out that he was not that bad."
"That bad?" Lucas echoed. "Didn't you not talk to Shane for like, a month when you found out you liked him?"
"And made him cry?" Taylor added, raising her eyebrows.
Hunter shrugged these off with a vague wave of his hand. "That, my dear soul-crusher, is an exaggeration."
Shane glided past Hunter's back with a satisfied grin, ruffling his boyfriend's hair with one hand as he passed by. "He was the one that cried."
"Exaggeration," Hunter echoed with a deft nod.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
This came from Blake who was – as far as Wes could tell – strolling across the ceiling, hand-in-hand with Tori as they made their way towards the bay windows.
"Show offs," Lucas muttered as Hunter generously bestowed his brother with a one-fingered salute.
"Ah Lucas, green is very unbecoming on you," Cassie noted with a smirk.
Even through the glasses, Wes could see Lucas' steely glare. "I'm not jealous if it's true."
"I'm pretty sure you're still jealous," Wes said with a playful smile.
Lucas turned the glare onto him, opening his mouth to make some kind of protest, when Kira burst into the room, chest heaving and eyes wide.
"Everyone, Jason is about to destroy 'Don't Stop Believing' so if you want to leave this party with any fond memories of Journey, I suggest you get your butts outside."
She motioned frantically behind her, where the karaoke room inhabitants flooded out into the living room with a mixture of laughter and horror, some covering their ears as they steered towards the French doors leading into the backyard.
Over the chaos to escape the speaker's reach, Wes could hear Tommy griping to his younger teammate. "I told you he couldn't sing."
"But it couldn't have been that bad," Kira replied, the encapsulation of despair. "No one should be able to be that bad."
"Then, my dear, you have never met Jason," Rocky laughed, crowding up beside them. "We had to 'lose' Kat's karaoke machine during our Zeo days."
"Don't remind me," the pink ranger sighed, her Australian accent becoming somewhat wistful. "Adam did such a good job of it I couldn't find the thing for weeks."
Wes felt a body shuffle up beside him, and a head dipped near his shoulder. He didn't need to look to know who it was; Wes could feel the mischief pouring off of them with easy triumph.
"The trick is to pick songs they like," Jason whispered, finishing this off with a playful wink. Before Wes could say anything, the original Mighty Morphin' red was off, joining the herd as it moved outside, into the sunlight. Wes counted a grand total of eight seconds before he heard shouts of outrage from Tanya and Kira, but by then the red ranger had already joined in on the rowdy game of soccer, facing off against Adam and Zach with a vicious smirk.
Everyone else followed in suit easily, resituating under the warm heat of the sun. Some joined the chaos Jen had started, while others broke off into games of their own. It looked like Tori had started off a deadly match of tag with her team and the Ninjetti rangers, causing Dustin to abandon the battered Max in favor of streaking a yellow blur across the lawn, threading through people at dizzying speeds. He and Aisha bounded golden circles around each other, laughing and calling out words of encouragement.
The techs settled on the stone staircase, all crowding around Billy as he explained the graphics flashing across his tablet. Trip was nestled in Justin's lap, but Wes had the feeling that was more the work of the blue ranger's than it was his teammate's. He gave the Xybrian a cheerful wave when he glanced Wes' direction, and Trip returned it easily, the epitome of contentment.
"Part of me wants to hate him," Lucas muttered, a steady shadow by Wes' elbow. The Bloody Mary was about half empty now. "But I don't think I ever could, even if I tried."
Wes' eyes flicked to the side, sizing up his friend with a gaze that said 'Should I be worried?'.
Lucas shook his head. 'I'm fine, Wes'.
He wasn't, but he wanted to be.
Those updates from Jen would need to be frequent.
Another presence moved in on Wes' free side, but the blond didn't need to look to know who it was. He knew the familiar sound of those combat boots against too well to ever mistake them for anyone else but Eric.
"What the hell happened?" the Quantum ranger griped, fresh bottle of beer clasped in his hand. He must have gone to the far kitchen for some peace and quiet. "I leave you alone for five minutes and a brawl breaks out."
"An organized brawl," Wes corrected, grinning. "An organized brawl of joy."
Lucas and Eric groaned in unison, the former going so far as to roll his head back, glaring at the sky.
Over the rush of adrenaline, the blur of movement and traded blows, Wes could hear one voice above the rest, the embodiment of exasperation.
"Really people?" Justin was shouting, voice strained. "Do we have to do this every year?!"
Wes didn't see the tackle that silenced the Turbo ranger, but he had a distinct feeling it was green, and very samurai-like.
The answer to Justin's question wasn't difficult to determine, even if Wes had known it was rhetorical.
No, they didn't have to do this every year. But the plain truth of it was, they got to do this every year – as a privilege, a celebration of continued survival – and that-
That was worth it. That was true.
"Old age has made you soft, Collins," Lucas griped, staring into the bottom of his glass as though it held the answer to life's mysteries. "It's unbecoming."
"Glad to see that someone will always be too cool for school," Wes replied with a grin, earning two more despairing groans from his teammates.
Sometimes, it was nice to be the corny guy.
"You know," Lucas cleared his throat, swirling his half-eaten celery stalk in his drink lazily. "I think Danny was onto something."
"Don't buy into his flower-power crap," Eric snorted. "I don't care how nice a bouquet it is, some arguments cannot be settled by floral arrangements."
"Not that." Lucas rolled his eyes at the age-old argument. "I mean this." He gestured to the chaos on the lawn leisurely. "If it stayed the same…it wouldn't be so bad, I mean."
"Now who's getting sentimental?" Eric drawled.
Lucas flicked some tomato juice at the Quantum ranger. "Shut up, Meyers."
It was a mistake, but Wes would never be the one to tell Lucas because A) Lucas wouldn't listen anyway and B) the evil part of him really wanted to see where this was going.
Eric froze, eyes lingering on the tiny, almost nonexistent spatters of red against his arm like they were a personal affront to his very nature. Slowly, he turned his gaze towards Lucas. "Really Kendall," he said, his voice a gravely threat. "That's how you want to play it?"
Lucas smirked. "Can't stand a little liquid, Meyers? What are you, five-gah!"
His glass went sailing into the bushes as Eric caught him in a rough tackle, pushing the younger Time Force ranger over the edge of the stone patio and onto the grounds below with an ugly guffaw.
"Seriously?" Lucas squawked, taking the sudden change as gracefully as a mostly-hungover individual could, abandoning his usual cool. "Oh, it is on," he declared amidst the sounds of frantic wrestling. Wes prepared his camera again.
He never would have thought he'd see the day where Eric felt at ease enough to rough house, felt comfortable enough with his surroundings that he wasn't worried about be judged or looked down on to just…let go. The fact that it was here, with these people, in Wes' space-
It made everything just a little bit more surreal. In a good way.
Wes wandered over towards the rail of the patio, the karaoke track to 'Don't Stop Believing' a distant blare behind him, drowned out by critiques in the theories traded on the steps, fights in the bushes, and colorful gymnastics blurring in the sky, on the roof, the statues. Wes should just be glad they chose to set up in the living room opposite of the pool. That would have opened up a world of possibilities they were better avoiding.
"I mean it Meyers!" Lucas was shouting when Wes made it to the railing, his normally slicked back hair taking a beating to Eric's unforgiving headlock. "You pick a car, I pick a car, we go around the block and settle this like men."
"I'm good, thanks," Eric smirked, evading a flailing kick from Lucas easily. "Think I'll stick to street style."
"I got twenty bucks on Meyers!" Taylor shouted. She had one boot on a giggling pile of bodies, Kelsey and Katie playing along with whatever game the Wild Force ranger had started while Max squirmed beneath them, put off and annoyed.
"Sure, take the sober one," Rocky laughed, pausing on top of a statue, a struggling Blake tucked under his arm. "That seems fair."
"Put up or shut up DeSantos." Taylor grinned lazily. "We don't have time for your commentary."
"You know who my money's on?" Hunter landed on the grass with immeasurable grace, strolling towards the fighting Time Force rangers as though he hadn't just been performing impossible acrobatics at dizzying speeds.
He paused about eight feet away from them, his hands settling on his hips.
Wes took a picture of this for posterity.
"Alright," Taylor said, her stance resolute against Max's efforts to escape. "I'll bite. Who?"
There was a grin – evil and satisfied in one – and then Hunter lifted one eyebrow.
"Me."
He leapt into the fray with a shout, making Eric's mostly one-sided battle into an actual fight. Dustin followed not long after, and then there were more jumps, more cheers, more declarations of victory until the entire backyard was a mock battlefield of justice, rangers old and new trading blows with ease. No ill-intent, no real competitiveness, more like a bunch of children on a field day, taking pleasure in a rare moment of freedom and sunshine.
Carter sidled up beside Wes, offering up his plate of strawberries. "I suppose these are ours, now."
Wes smiled, placing his camera on a nearby table with care, and shrugged. "Probably not."
Carter turned, his brow furrowing with incomprehension, and Wes considered feeling guilty for about half of a second.
Then the half second passed, understanding settled onto the other man's features, and Wes pounced, strawberries flying everywhere.
It was a good day.
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Endnotes:
What is the 'Access Port' you ask? Why, stay tuned (to future stories that will hopefully be written some day) and you'll find out!
So…yeah, that's it. That's the big ole' ranger reunion. I made an effort to mention every ranger. True, I featured some (my favorites) more than others, but I tried to give everyone a moment to shine, or at the very least, exist.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story (double thanks to you Vamps, for being the most patient, and most supportive beta reader there is). It's been a great four years, and I hope for the future to be just as good, if not better. Any way it turns out though, it will all be thanks to you guys. You have my appreciation for joining me in this insanity. It's nice to not be alone :)
Until next time :D
"Your heart knows all things great and true,, the things mere brains can never know." - 'Look at the Sky', Urinetown