The car slowed to a crawl as they approached the destination Tommy had in mind.
"Over there," he pointed to the right.
Jason turned to look through the window; a black wrought iron fence gave intermittent views of a large, dilapidated three story building. Sunlight glittered off broken panes of glass, most of the grounds were overgrown with clumps of twisted weeds, and the whole aura of the place was one of isolation and emptiness. The dark grey clouds steadily accumulating behind it didn't help.
"What is that place," Jason found himself whispering, unable to tear his eyes away from the haunting scene.
Tommy slowly pulled the car up to the front gate off the main road, the tears crunching over the gravel entrance. The Red Ranger turned questioning eyes to his lover.
"In the early 1930's, this hospital was constructed to house and treat the insane." The Green Ranger's face showed his fascination with the crumbling, red brick structure. "There were a lot of rumors about the way patients were abused here. Unwanted treatments and surgeries," Tommy continued.
He sighed. "They finally closed the place in the 70's. Left everything behind. Surgical tools, strait jackets, restraints…. All of it."
Jason felt a cool chill over his face and the hair on the back of his neck went up. "How do you know all this?" He really wanted Tommy to start driving again; this place was spooky as hell. A feeling of unease was starting to set in.
"There's a broken door to an old entrance they used to transport the patients from the hospital when they died. Comes out up by a dirt road at the back." He pointed. "I found it about two years ago when I was running away for the millionth time."
"You lived in Reefside?" Jason paused, disturbed by the image of a young Tommy alone in a God-awful place like this.
"Originally, yes." He stared out the windshield, old emotions playing out over his face; each moved fluidly one after the other. His fingers began to tap impatiently on the steering wheel as he started to become agitated.
The Red Ranger swallowed nervously. It seemed like the Green Ranger was starting to break from all rationality; whether it was an effect of Rita's spell, he didn't know. To him, it looked like Tommy might slowly be losing his marbles.
A scattering of plump rain drops fell heavily on the windshield and broke the Green Ranger's trance. He startled slightly, then continued with his train of thought.
"We lived in a house not too far from here. Good ole Linda, Don, and Tommy Oliver." He giggled. "Not exactly pillars of the community. Linda screwed around with every swinging dick that even slightly acknowledged her existence. Dapper Don couldn't put down the bottle and enjoyed driving his car on the sidewalk. And me? Well, I was well known for my shining personality." He raised his arms in a mock curtsy.
If only people knew why you were acting out, Jason thought sadly. He remained quiet, letting the Green Ranger empty himself of these painful memories. Hopefully it was cathartic for him.
"Finally everyone had enough. Don drove his car into the side of a McDonald's during the lunch rush. Luckily, no one died but some people got hurt. Linda screwed the wrong woman's husband and was about to get her dumb ass shot. Basically, we packed our shit and got out of dodge."
Jason's eyes were large as saucers. This was nuts. How chaotic and traumatic the Green Ranger's life had been!
"And they were allowed to adopt a child?" He was stunned these two individuals met the rigorous requirements involved.
"They weren't that bad then; they could hide it."
Rain fell harder and heavier as they both sat looking at the abandoned insane asylum.
"And they wanted to bring a child into their messed up lives?" The Red Ranger felt anger simmering in his chest.
"They thought they could buy respectability. But like they said. I was a huge disappointment." He snorted. "Until I turned 15 and Linda took a shining to me. I think when that happened is when I found this place. And good ole Don beat my ass every day since I was six. For anything and everything."
Tentatively, the Red Ranger reached out a hand to Tommy's shoulder. "I meant what I said back there. I'm so sorry for what you went through. You didn't deserve that."
Tommy stiffened a bit. "And I meant what I said. Save your tears. I'm not the hero in this tragedy. I'm the avenging angel. The only tears will be for the Power Rangers when they fall."
Abruptly, he turned the key in the ignition and sped the car backwards out of the drive and back onto the road. He took off down the pavement, tires squealing.
"Tommy!" Jason yelled, panicked.
The Green Ranger then power braked, jolting the Red Ranger forward into the seat belt then immediately back into the seat. His head bounced painfully off the door frame. He sat panting, his hands trembling as he tried to hide them.
"No more talk about my past, Red. It's not safe for you." He stared forward, his jaw set. His eyes slowly went to Jason's pale face and wide eyes, his mouth open drawing shuddering breaths. Jason's hand went to the side of his head; his fingertips came away bloody. The Red Ranger's expression reminded him of his dream and he felt guilt.
"I'm sorry, Red. I lost my temper again. Seems like that's what I do best."
His heart still hammering in his chest, Jason closed his eyes and collected himself. Definitely not opening that can of worms again.
Slowly, the car started forward again, this time at a much more normal speed. Tommy reached into the armrest and pulled out a few napkins. "Hey," he said softly, nudging Jason's arm. Opening his eyes, the Red Ranger spied the proffered napkins.
"Is your head alright?" Tommy looked over at Jason and for a minute, the Red Ranger thought Tommy might cry.
"I'm ok; just hit the door frame," he answered as he put pressure to the cut.
"I'll pull into the next gas station so you can clean up. I doubt you want to go into the restaurant bleeding," he offered quietly.
A few minutes later, the car was turning into a self-serve station. Tommy parked and sat in the car while Jason made his way inside to inquire about the restroom. The Green Ranger watched as his lover darted through the rain to the glass door; again he admired the Red Ranger's body clad in the well-fitted jeans and old leather jacket, his dark hair spiked. He smirked to himself.
Ever since he'd started screwing the Red Ranger, the other boy had started developing some of Tommy's mannerisms and dress. Wonder if the other Rangers notice anything different about him? Jason was definitely dressing less jock-ish than when Tommy first met him; that preppy-little wardrobe of his had added a few punk pieces.
The Green Ranger suddenly seriously began to question what was going on between them. At first, he desired nothing but executing every single Ranger with maybe a week's worth of torture for Red before brutally killing him publicly. Then when he discovered that the Red Ranger was Jason Scott, he'd thought he'd do a little surveillance. See what he could learn about his new enemy.
The first time Tommy teleported to Jason's room, he'd casually looked through his closet and every drawer of his dresser, inspected photos arranged around the room, even took a peek at his movie collection. A quick observation of various sports trophies. He really didn't touch too much.
Then after the initial confrontation, when Jason had so arrogantly taken him on, he'd went back; he wasn't really sure why. He teleported in again and again. Each time, he found himself acting a little more bizarre although at the time, it all seemed perfectly reasonable.
The Green Ranger had thought it perfectly normal to meticulously go through Jason's underwear drawer, to sit on his bed and remove his helmet so he could drink in the Red Ranger's scent on his pillow, or recline fully on the bed and wonder if Jason got any action here or if he only jerked off.
This led to a new line of investigation, one he hadn't shared with Jason. The image of Jason laying on his bed in the exact same spot as he was now laying and slowly stroking himself caused the Green Ranger to harden. He'd actually looked around for evidence and did manage to find a half empty bottle of lotion; this discovery had brought him immense joy. Knowing something about the Red Ranger that he didn't know he was aware of made him feel superior. Before leaving the final time, he'd went to Jason's bathroom and smelled each bottle of cologne and even his shampoo.
Through this whole experience, Tommy even learned something about himself. He'd discovered that despite his acting like a giant douche bag, underneath it all he was a very sensual man, easily aroused by his senses. He'd never thought this would go much further with Red than molesting him while they fought. The night he stood over his bed, watching his enemy sleep, the Green Ranger had even dared to reach out a gloved hand and seductively stroke Jason's body. The initial plan was to pin him down and violently stab and slash him. But his fingers had a mind of their own and they traced the hard muscles of his chest, over his nipples to his stomach. The Red Ranger had started to become erect as he slept, small moans slipping past his lips. When he'd started to awaken, Tommy had quickly teleported out, confused by what he'd done.
But Red had upped the ante when he'd actually responded favorably to his advances at the Juice Bar. That was a shocker. He'd never thought things were progress to this point. From death to sex to…. What? Obsession? Love? Even if he wasn't the Green Ranger, he was so fucked up he doubted he knew how to have a normal relationship with anyone.
Suddenly, the passenger door open and Jason was settling in, buckling his seat belt. Drops of rain clung to his hair and skin, intensifying his scent. Tommy closed his eyes and allowed himself to drink it in. It was his own personal catnip.
"Tommy? You alright," Jason was worried. The Green Ranger had sat out here with nothing to do but brood; sometimes he reminded Jason of a storm in the form of a man.
Tommy's eyes opened and he reached a hand out to caress Jason's face. "Of course, I'm alright. You're the one who scrambled his brains," he teased, his thumb stroking the Red Ranger's cheek.
"It's just a small cut. Didn't help it was on my scalp. Those bleed like crazy," Jason replied, nuzzling into Tommy's hand. "I think getting lunch will make me feel much better," he added teasingly.
"I think that can be arranged. We're not far off now." Reaching down, he tightened Jason's seat belt protectively.
Then they were pulling back out onto the road, headed for their first public lunch together.