Secluded in the bedroom away from the others, David lay in the dark listening to the assembled group discussing Jamie's current predicament. Following the whole debacle in the bathroom, the tyrant had been dressed and plopped into bed by Skull, the only one comfortable with even attempting the dangerous task.
"I think its best if we have some space right now. Even if that stunt was an accident, you aren't in a position where you can afford misunderstandings," the former Sentry advised, his voice surprisingly calm to David's astonishment.
"It really was an accident," he tried again, unsure if he was just wasting his breath. "Yes, I reacted in anger to something he said, but I didn't know he'd end up injecting himself with that shit."
Skull sighed and stared down at the man in the bed.
"That sometimes happens when you try to act cute. Someone gets hurt."
"And I wish it was me instead of Red," David retorted, crossing his arms as he lay back on the pillows. He felt himself on the edge of tears again and seethed at himself for his weakness.
Placing his hands on his hips, Eugene studied the odd man in the bed. This was not the Drakkon of old, who raged violently and unpredictably. The man before him seemed defeated, sad, and pathetic.
Well, he'd always thought of Drakkon as pathetic but for different reasons.
"It's not like you don't know why we all 'dislike' you, David. Or why we mistrust you. At any point you could have stopped what you were doing to us, but you bulldozed on. People died, people are traumatized, people are homeless and starving. All you wanted was power," Skull pointed out.
"Even when you had everything and everyone you wanted, it wasn't enough. You had riches and treasures beyond all imagination. I imagine those objects were 'cold comfort', weren't they? Those feelings of power and superiority never lasted, so you went on to the next punishment, the next spectacle."
David was silent, eyes watery and cheeks and nose reddening.
Skull's voice never raised, never snarled or hissed, yet the words hurt far worse than if he had. Bravely, he sank down on the side of the bed beside his former master.
"I remember how you were before you turned into the great Lord Drakkon. We didn't live far from each other actually. I remember seeing the cop cars in your driveway, seeing you pulling weeds by hand out front when it was scorching hot, heard the yelling when I rode past on my bike."
Skull shook his head sadly.
"I almost stopped by a time or two. You and I seemed to have a lot in common as far as having the worst luck of the draw when it came to 'parents'. Mine largely ignored me and I had to fend for myself."
David spoke up softly.
"I rather wish mine had let me be. I was unlucky enough to have their undivided attention for many years before they gave up on me," he admitted, realizing that of all the others, Skull would be the best one to understand his abusive upbringing.
Adjusting himself to face David, the man heaved a sigh.
"Your old man was something else," he agreed, memories of the angry, aggressive man screaming at a cowering Tommy replaying themselves. "He sounded like a real bastard."
"He'd be proud of that title, Skull," the tyrant whispered. "He never wanted children, but his old lady did. I'm not sure why because they always pointed out what a disappointment I was to them. Never good enough. Before 'dad' picked up that nasty booze habit, he expected perfection always. He was so controlling I could barely eat without getting a 'correction'."
Skull chuckled sadly.
"I see where that word came from now."
David pulled a disgusted face.
"Looking back, I adopted several of his phrases and ideas. I didn't even realize it at the time. Expecting perfection and controlling everyone around me."
The tears slipped from his lashes now.
"I just didn't want to be left again. No one wanted or loved me, I was a waste of time. Even my own birth parents threw me away. The only thing I ever got was punishment, ridicule, disdain, laughter, pointed fingers. Pills upon pills and doctor after doctor to 'fix' me. My old man said he was going to beat the evil out of me."
A corner of his mouth turned up in a half-hearted smirk.
"You killed him, didn't you? Before you even revealed yourself as the Green Ranger," Skull asked, although it seemed like pretty common knowledge.
Now, David's mouth curled into a full grin, the tears running beside his lips.
"I wanted to see him try to beat the evil out of the Green Ranger. It was rather enjoyable, watching him struggle against me, terrified of this 'alien being'. I made it last though. And when that bitch walked through the door, I did the same."
His blurry eyes locked onto Skull's.
"Don't think me worse because she was a woman. That disgusting whore found herself a new 'toy' once puberty kicked in and dad suffered severe 'whiskey dick'. If only old dad knew what she was up to at night," he growled.
Skull could only nod sadly. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. But nothing could be done to change what had already happened and he pointed that out to David.
"Where do we all go from here?"
"I don't know," the former dictator admitted. "As far as I myself am concerned, it doesn't matter. Once Jamie is safe my fate will be either locked in a maximum-security hospital for what little time I have remaining or Red will rip me to ribbons. If I have to pick, I'd rather die while my mind is still somewhat intact. And in some way, maybe this will help my darling heal a piece of his broken psyche."
"You say you're in love with Jamie. I'm not saying this specifically to be an asshole, but do you know what love is? I only ask because its not something you have experience with or appear to understand," Skull ventured, his brow raised. "How do you know its love and not just wanting an eternal companion back in your thrall?"
David looked thoughtful.
"I'm not sure. I don't want Jamie to go back to being a pet, that's not what my daydreams are about," he whispered, before catching himself with a frustrated hiss.
"Daydreams?" Skull asked, his voice easy and nonjudgmental.
The tyrant relaxed somewhat with that intonation.
"I don't know. Just imagining what it would be like to have my love on my arm, like you and Billy, Tommy and Jason, and Kimberly and Bulk. To live a normal life without all the batshit crazy history between us. I want the day to day interactions, like…" he trailed off, feeling foolish.
Skull pulled himself up off the mattress with a grunt.
"You are a lot different than I remember from the palace, I'll give you that. As least what you're saying and admitting to. I guess I can believe that bathtub incident was an accident. You had ample time and opportunity before we showed up to do something if you were going to."
He frowned.
"Unless this is your most elaborate fuckery to date?"
Yanking the quilt up to his chin, David sniffed.
"How would my brain disintegrating be any sort of 'end game' I'd desire? I'm missing my legs below both knees and I shit in a fucking bag hooked to my gut. That's hardly a win, Eugene."
Skull nodded in concession. What the man said was true; this was hardly the way the asshole would want to end up. Not able to walk or shit normally, no riches, no cowering, fearful populace to reign over.
"I suppose it wouldn't be. But I need to get back out there and check on Kim. She's refusing to go to sleep until she's sure Jamie will be alright," he said, followed by a deep yawn.
"He will be, Eugene. It's just going to take some time for the sedative to wear off especially since its not one he's had before. It would have been longer if he'd gotten the whole thing."
Giving the tyrant a sappy salute, Skull turned and crossed out into the living room where the Ranger Slayer sat in an easy chair she'd pulled up beside the couch. Jamie was snoring heavily, his thick hair drying in peculiar tufts as Kim ran her hand over his head tenderly.
"I can't believe this," she muttered, hearing her companion approach. "That asshole just can't help himself, can he?"
Skull knelt by the armrest and stared at the unconscious man.
"I don't think he knows any other way," he offered. "We had a bit of a heart-to-heart while I was getting him ready for bed. Not that we're going to start having sleepovers and braiding each other's hair any time soon, but I can understand how he went down the path he did."
Kim huffed in frustration.
"I know he has a laundry list of issues, but those issues became OUR issues. All our loss and misery over one fucking person," she hissed.
Skull raised a hand and hooked a thumb toward the doorway, reminding Kim that David would be able to hear their conversation.
The Slayer didn't exactly care. The tyrant needed to hear their grievances and feel the blistering sting of their anger. But the hour was late and she was exhausted.
"Billy's up in the loft waiting for you," she volunteered instead. "Jason and Tommy are over there."
The White Ranger and the Red Omega were dozing on a soft bundle of blankets a respectful 'best friend' distance apart across the room.
"Don't stay up too late. Who knows what fresh hell awaits us upon the morrow!" Skull cheekily warned, wagging his finger. "We're knee deep in shit and continuing to sink, I'm afraid."