Disclaimer: I promise to put them back where they belong when I'm done.
He walked into the kitchen on Saturday morning and made a beeline for the refrigerator. He was rummaging through the second drawer when he heard someone give a gentle cough from behind him. He turned half expecting to see an angry Dr.O glaring at him, but the sight that awaited him was much more pleasing to the eyes.
"Hey," he said, slamming the fridge shut and placing the carton of Milk he had stolen from it on the counter.
"Morning," replied Kira as she casually strolled into the room.
Conner eyed her carefully, his gaze glued to her small frame and the tight little yellow dress clung to her every curve. She seated herself at the table and crossed her legs deftly in front of her, her slender toned legs showing as the hem of the dress rode up just a bit. He swallowed hard and forced himself to look elsewhere before she caught him staring. He searched through a few drawers before he came up with two spoons and another cereal bowl.
Casting her a demure smile, he placed the utensils between them on the table and let himself fall nonchalantly into his chair.
"You want some," he asked.
Kira smirked and took the proffered box of Fruit Loops.
"You look awful nice for a Saturday morning," said Conner between spoonfuls of sugary goodness. "You got a date or something," he asked, eyeing her with a new sense of suspicion and more than a sudden pang of jealousy.
The Yellow Ranger gave a noncommittal shrug as she finished pouring her cereal and reached for the milk. Her cheeks were tinged pink as she filled the small blue bowl to the rim and set the carton back on the table before she took the first bite of breakfast. She chewed slowly, clearly ignoring Conner's question as she swallowed and took another spoonful.
"So, what did you make on your Science paper," she asked in an effort to change the subject.
"I made a B," he replied, "but I think Dr. O was just being generous because we both know I suck at science."
Kira stifled a laugh at his words. He was right of course. He was bad at science…and most other subjects if truth be told. Conner was definitely not an academic, he was a jock, but at the same time, he wasn't nearly as dumb as the façade he wore. Kira had a sneaking suspicion that he could have been in the upper portion of the class if he really wanted too. But that was the problem. All Conner really wanted was to play soccer. It was his passion – his only passion.
"You know, graduation is only a month away," ventured Kira, "have you applied for any universities yet?"
Conner swallowed the cereal in his mouth before responding, "Yeah, actually I have."
He glanced up to gauge her reaction before continuing, "And believe it or not I got accepted to UCLA."
He smirked triumphantly into his spoon as he heard her choke on her fruit loops. "With a full-athletic scholarship," he added just for theatrics.
"Well," she stammered, clearly taken aback by some part of this news. "Congrats then." A small smile slowly began to spread across her face as she tilted her head sideways to get a better look at her partner-in-crime. "I'm really proud of you, Conner."
He scrutinized her earnest expression, finding a certain comfort in her friendly gaze, and suddenly it was his turn to blush.
"Thanks," he replied, unsure of what to say next.
She nodded and pushed her spoon through the now soggy mess in the bowl. The expression on her face made Conner wonder if something was wrong. She looked thoughtful, yet troubled. He entertained the idea of asking her if she wanted to go to dinner with him sometime, because deep inside he knew that soccer wasn't his only real passion in life; his other passion was sitting across the table from him, but he'd never allow himself the luxury of divulging that information to anyone. Not even the object of his affection…he didn't really know how to put his feelings into words…so he choose to play the part of the annoying jock, while secretly wanting nothing more than for her to look at him, really look at him, and see the real man that he kept hidden deep inside. But even now, sitting across from her and sharing small talk over two soggy bowls of Fruit Loops he couldn't bring himself to say the words aloud. They rattled around in his head but somehow never found their way to his tongue.
"What about you," he asked after a momentary lull in the conversation.
Kira smiled, albeit sadly. "Me? I'm moving to New York as soon as Graduation's over. I've got my eye on a record company…but I'm not so sure the feeling's mutual."
Conner nodded and absentmindedly shoved another spoonful of gooey cereal into his mouth. "They'd be crazy not to sign you," he confessed with a teasing laugh. "You have a beautiful voice, and who wouldn't want to buy an album with a face like yours plastered all over the cover?"
Kira stared at him for a moment before joining in on his laugher. "Thanks Conner, but unfortunately, not everyone in New York has such great taste as you."
"That's too bad," he said, getting up and taking his bowl to the sink. He stared out of the small window at the early morning light streaming across Dr.O's back yard. The stars had long since disappeared, chasing twilight across a pristine blue sky, and the fog that had shrouded the sleeping world around them had finally lifted. The sun shown down in all its glory, bathing the world in a myriad array of beautiful colors, the most vibrant of which, were the little yellow daisies that grew wild around the steps leading to the back porch.
Smiling, he turned back around to face her, "You know, you never answered my question before."
She laughed, but a hint of scarlet spread across her features. "No, Conner, I don't have a date. I just…felt like dressing up today. That's all."
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her, an unconvinced look telling her quite clearly that he wasn't buying that line.
She smiled at him but didn't respond. Instead she walked away and disappeared into the living room. He was tempted to follow her, but another form walked into the kitchen and he felt any hope of being alone with Kira fade away with the last of the fog.
"Don't you two have homes?" Asked Tommy as he shooed Conner away from the sink and grabbed a clean bowl.
The Red Ranger shrugged, "sure, but we don't have Fruit Loops."
Tommy glared at him through sleep filled eyes but the effect was ruined as a yawn escaped him. "I'll buy you a box," he replied, "if it'll keep you from breaking into my house on Saturday morning and drinking all my milk!"
Conner laughed and headed for the living room, "Admit it Dr. O, you'd miss us if we stopped coming by."
There was an incoherent curse aimed in his direction, but Conner didn't catch it as he was too busy leaning against the door frame and watching a certain Yellow Ranger relaxing on the couch…
And, if he was to be completely honest with himself, he'd miss the special early morning rendezvous' with Kira.