Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Again this is SLASH, so if you can't handle it, no one is forcing you to read it.
Reviews are much appreciated, and thank you to those of you who have reviewed!
Summary: So who is Tommy's secret lover? If you haven't figured it out already we are going to find out now.
A/N(11.28.11): Updated to fix a few errors. No major story changes.
Chapter 3
Tommy's Apartment several hours earlier- Adam's phone call)
Closing his phone, he let out a half sigh, half chuckle as he thought about the conversation he'd just had. He really couldn't believe what he just told Adam. Revenge? Was that what this whole scheme was about? No, It couldn't be. He'd gotten over the whole letter thing even before their discussion/argument they had after the tournament following their trip to Muranthias. It did bring back some of the suppressed feelings associated with that dreadful day, but that was long over with now. He was very content in his current relationship. They both were. Although it will be kind of fun to see the look on her face once she realizes what really happened after she'd left to go back to Florida. I hope she will be as understanding as the rest of the gang.
He really was happy with his current partner. So much in love that he couldn't think of any place he'd rather be than in the arms of his lover. All of their friends had accepted them with open arms. He was happy they had, but honestly it wouldn't have changed his decision if they hadn't. Suddenly a muscular arm wrapped around him from behind the couch he was sitting on, bringing him out of his thoughts. He leaned back to meet his lover's lips for a soft gentle kiss.
"Who was on the phone?"
"Adam. You'll never guess what he told me."
"What's that?"
"Kim's back in town, and she coaxed Adam into asking her to join us on our camping trip."
"Oh she did, did she?"
"Yes, and I told Adam to go along with it until she figures out we are together. I still think after that last e-mail, she wants to try to get me back."
"You're being paranoid, evil and scheming, but paranoid."
"I am not, Jase, seriously. You read it, and you even thought it sounded like that."
"Okay, but that was months ago!"
Tommy sighed and relaxed against Jason's shoulder, who had moved to sit next to him on the couch during their discussion.
"You seriously don't want them to tell her that we are together until she finds us making out behind the trees?"
"Behind the trees? Hell, I think she'll figure it out long before then. We're hanging out at the Youth Center for awhile the afternoon before we leave to make sure we have everything and get somewhat organized. As long as she tags along, she's bound to find out before we leave. That's the plan anyway."
"Care to inform me on this little plan of yours, my love." Jason said, his eyebrows raised in curiosity. Tommy chucked, then told him about the plan that he and Adam had devised. When he was finished, Jason couldn't help but laugh. The plan was a little rough, but it was brilliant. Kim wouldn't know what hit her.
"She is gonna flip! I can't wait to see the look on her face."
"I know, me either."
Tommy wrapped his arms around Jason's neck, scooting closer to the other man as he, in turn, wrapped his around Tommy's waist. He leaned forward slightly, brushing his lips against Tommy's in a feather-like kiss, and looked him in the eye. "I love you."
"I love you too, Jase."
It had taken them quite some time to come forward with their feelings for each other. For Jason, it started shortly after Tommy's second stint as the Green Ranger, before he lost those powers for good. He knew he felt something for the Green Ranger but he wasn't sure what it was exactly. When he realized what he felt, Tommy had run off, and he felt like it was at least partially his fault. He put his feelings for his bro aside, hoping that they might go away. He thought that maybe it was just him feeling sorry for Tommy because his powers were temporary, thanks to the green candle, and there was nothing they could do to bring those powers back.
He was all too thrilled to find out that Tommy had been chosen as the White Ranger. However, he could no longer ignore his feelings for his bro and new leader of the rangers. Not jealousy, like his friends thought, because Zordon made Tommy the new leader. He was glad Tommy got the position. He knew Tommy would make a great leader. His team would be in good hands. For some reason, he figured Zordon made this decision because he knew about the Peace Conference before the three rangers had known they'd be chosen.
The feelings he had for his bro were much more that friendly, or even brotherly. He was more than slightly embarrassed the first time he dreamt of Tommy. He woke up breathing hard, and noticeably aroused. They were friends. He couldn't think of him like that. He set off to the Peace Conference in hopes of ridding himself of the feelings toward his bro. However, he soon realized that hiding those feelings only made them worse. The more he would talk to Tommy, the stronger those feelings would get.
It was during his time in Switzerland that he started to explore different aspects of his sexuality. He knew his feelings toward Tommy would not go away but he never thought that he would ever get a chance to share them without being ridiculed and belittled. He believed he would no doubt lose his best bro if he were to express how he felt about him.
Tommy was much in the same boat as Jason but didn't actually discover he had those type of feelings toward him until Jason joined their team as the Gold Ranger. They may have been there before then, but he never really thought about it until then. He had tried his best to ignore them until Jason became ill due to the Gold Ranger powers reacting in his system. Tommy found out that his bro could die, and it was then that he realized how deeply his feelings toward Jason ran. He did not act upon them, however. Instead he tried to push them aside, figuring they just sympathy feelings, not wanting his best friend ever to die because of a reaction to an alien ranger power.
It was not until Jason and Kim had been kidnapped by Divatox that the feelings he had suppressed came to a head. He knew that when they rescued their friends from evil that he had to stop hiding his feelings and express them to Jason. He just had to find the right time. Hopefully he would understand and not laugh or run away from him and never look back. He hoped that their friendship ran deeper than that. He had no idea that the other man had been having the same difficulty as himself. Jason had been there for him through so much. He stayed up with him during the constant nightmares after they had broke Rita's evil spell on him. That was when he realized that no matter what, Jason was going to always play a special part in his life. No one had ever been so willing to stay and comfort him. Of course his parents would have, but being that it was ranger related, he could not bare to confront them on it.
Jason had also been there for him after he had lost his Green Ranger powers the first time. He knew Jason felt so guilty that he could not retrieve the Green Candle from Goldar. The red-clad teen had tried to console his friend, making sure he knew that no matter what he was still part of the team, and part of their group. They would never exclude him from anything, unless of course they had to go fight evil monsters, that which required powers that unfortunately Tommy no longer had. Tommy felt so bad about not having powers when he lost the Green powers for good that he left his friends without any notice. When he came back as the White Ranger he realized how selfish he was for leaving them like that. He promised them he would never do anything like that again.
Tommy had called Jason in Switzerland after receiving the dreaded letter. He cried for what seemed like forever over the phone to his bro. Jason had been more than willing to give Tommy all the support he could offer from so far away. He refused to hang up the phone until he was sure that Tommy was alright. He knew how much Kim meant to Tommy, and that the letter could have easily sent him over the edge. Jason didn't want to even think about what Tommy might have done if not for him offering his comfort and support, even though from across the world. They were on the phone to each other for over 2 hours, until Tommy had no more tears left to cry, and practically passed out on him over the phone from exhaustion.
Jason knew the best thing he could do for his bro was to come back and be there for him. He left the Peace Conference as soon as he could, and returned to his hometown. He hadn't intended on becoming a ranger again when he returned, but when Tommy told him the situation he could all but refuse. He felt sorry for Billy though. He knew how much being a ranger again meant to him.
During his stint as the Gold Ranger, Jason had intended on coming forward with his feelings for Tommy only to find out that he and Kat had starting casually dating. He left soon after he had recovered from the trauma that had come from taking the powers. He could not stand to look Tommy in the face knowing how much he cared for him. just to see him with someone else. He was not aware that Tommy and Kat were merely friends who, even though it seemed as if they were dating, were actually just hanging out, keeping each other company so to speak. Tommy had tried to make it work with Kat at first, but soon realized it was a combination of his broken heart and his hidden feelings for Jason that made him seek out Kat. Shortly after their first date, Kat seemed to figure out that Tommy's heart just wasn't into it. She confronted him about it and after some gentle coaxing, Tommy told her about how he was not sincerely over Kim, but also that he had conflicting feelings toward Jason. He then swore her to secrecy.
After being sacrificed to Maligore and turned against their friends, Jason had felt similar guilty feelings about being turned evil. Feelings which Tommy knew all too well, and was more than willing to be there to comfort his bro. It was during those few days after they returned to Angel Grove from Muranthias that Jason came to terms with why he was feeling so down in the dumps. Jason felt he had confess how guilty he felt about almost killing Tommy and being turned evil. He was more than grateful that Tommy and Kim were able to save him from falling into the volcano. It seemed that almost dying made him realize what was really important. He knew he had to confess his feelings to Tommy, only Tommy beat him to the punch.
~*~FLASHBACK~*~
Sitting on Jason's bed that night, Tommy decided it was now or never. He had seen the look in Jason's eyes as he comforted him, reassuring him that it was not his fault and that it was over. That nobody blamed him for what happened on the island. He had been so scared when Jason had fallen into the volcano and knew he had to save him. He realized at that moment he could not live with himself if Jason had not survived, and didn't know how he felt about him. That's when he decided it had to be done. That night seemed like the perfect night to confess his feelings for the former red ranger when Jason called him over because he was having trouble sleeping.
'Okay, I can do this. Here goes nothing.' he thought to himself.
"Uh Jase, there's something I have to tell you." Tommy said looking him in the eyes.
"What is it, bro?"
Tommy gave a deep sigh "I'm not sure how to say this exactly, but before I pour my heart out to you, I need you to promise me that you will let me finish all I have to say before you say anything, and after I'm done, no matter what, you will try to not let this affect our friendship."
"Tommy, bro, there is nothing on this earth that would ever change that, no matter what it is. And I promise not to interrupt."
"Okay, here goes…I discovered something about myself, and genuinely came to terms with it about 4 months ago. I've been having these feelings. I wasn't sure what it was at first but after really analyzing it I realized that I'm bi-sexual. And these feelings I have been having have all been for you."
'Okay, did he seriously say what I think he just said?' Jason thought to himself as he sat on the edge of his bed staring at Tommy in disbelief of what he just heard his bro confess. Tommy paced the floor in front of him awaiting Jason's response, his arms crossed over his chest, both definite signs he was incredibly nervous.
"Can I speak now?" Jason asked. Tommy just nodded preparing for the worst.
Jason got up from his bed and walked over to Tommy, placing a hand on each of Tommy's muscular biceps and looked deep into those chocolate eyes he loved so much.
"What would you say if I told you that the feeling is mutual."
"What? Are you serious?" Tommy replied in obvious surprise.
Jason simply smiled and nodded then said, "Although I've felt these feelings since before I left for Switzerland. I wasn't sure what it was at first but then realized it and came to terms with them about a year after arriving at the Peace Conference. I was so afraid to tell you because I was so sure that you would never feel the same way. I knew you loved Kim, then there was Kat…"
"Jase, Kat and I were never an item." Tommy interjected.
"I know that now, but at the time I was just jealous and it seemed like you were."
"Kat was merely a rebound from Kim, and a way for me to hide my feelings for you. She figured it out after our first date."
"That sounds like Kat. She was always very perceptive."
Jason led Tommy back over to his bed to sit down. Tommy sat beside his best friend with his hands in his lap looking at the floor. He was still surprised that Jason had been feeling the same as he had, but both had been too afraid to tell the other. They sat there in silence for quite some time, each trying to sort out what had just happened.
"So what are we going to do now?" Tommy asked after the silence became too much. He wasn't sure what exactly would happen now that their feelings had come out. This was all so new to him still. He wanted nothing more than to act on his newly expressed feelings for his bro, but was afraid to make the first move.
Jason turned to look Tommy in his eyes. He could tell his bro was still quite nervous, and more than likely waiting for him to move first. He chuckled to himself. This was so typical of Tommy. He placed his hand on top of his bro's and gave it a gentle squeeze then spoke.
"Do you want to give 'us' a shot?"
"There's nothing I want more." Tommy said with a smile, as a wave of relief washed over him. This was like a dream come true.
The boys embraced each other in a tight hug. It felt so good to have everything out in the open. Like a huge weight had been lifted. They stayed like this just enjoying the moment; their hands resting on each others' backs. Tommy laid his head on Jason's shoulder while running a hand up and down his back. Jason did the same but after a few moments wanted to feel Tommy's bare skin. Something he had wanted for so long. He cautiously slid one hand underneath Tommy's shirt to gauge his reaction. Other than a small but content sigh, Tommy did nothing. Jason took this as an okay to proceed. He slid both hands under Tommy's shirt and began gently caressing his warm, soft skin.
After several minutes, they sat up looking at each other. It was clear to them that things would be different for them from now on. This was the start of something that they both wanted more than anything. The love for each other reflected in both sets of eyes. They decided it best to just follow their hearts instead of their heads. Now it was a battle of who would cave first. Jason, being the more outgoing of the two, made the first move. He leaned in tentatively, again gauging Tommy's reaction.
Apparently Tommy had the same idea, or read Jason's mind, because he leaned into Jason at the same time and their lips met in a soft, gentle, yet cautious kiss. The spark they got from just that small simple kiss was so powerful that they just had to go back for seconds. This time the kiss was much more passion-filled and much firmer than the previous one. When the two young men pulled away, they were a bit out of breath. They simultaneously smiled at each other in relief. The tension had been broken. They finally confessed their feelings toward each other, and, in the end, the outcome was even greater than either had expected.
~*~End Flashback~*~
They had come a long way from the nervous couple they started out as. A short time later they came out to their friends, which was about two weeks after the night they got together. They then began openly expressing their love for each other. They didn't care what everyone else thought. They had each other, and that was all that mattered.
A/N: Please R&R everyone. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but flames will be extinguished. Coming up in CH4: The gang meets at the Youth Center and Kim find out Tommy's secret. How will she react? Can she accept their relationship? Or will it ruin the camping trip? CH 4 will be posted no later than this weekend.
