The house was still silent when Eugene clambered down from the loft, leaving the side of a softly snoring Billy. It had taken considerable effort to pry himself away from the Blue Ranger, his warm muscular body tucked under a thick quilt. But old habits die hard and the former Sentry was always up with the sun.
As he descended the ladder, he glanced down towards the old couch, relieved to see that Jamie was still sprawled across the cushions, his chest rhythmically rising and falling. Kimberly was curled up like a kitten on an easy chair she had tugged over to doze at Jamie's head.
Lightly jumping down from the last rung, Skull noted Jason and Tommy sleeping on bunched blankets by the kitchen doorway. The door to Jamie's bedroom was still shut and no noise could be heard coming from where the tyrant was cloistered. He tiptoed across the room and cracked the door carefully.
The bed looked like it had been ravaged by a tornado, the blankets tossed about haphazardly. A pillow lay on the colorful rug on the floor. The man himself was positioned upside down, curled in the fetal position and clutching a black button up shirt to his chest. His face was buried in the folds of the garment.
Raising a brow, Skull shook his head as he gingerly closed the door. Striding silently to the kitchen, he hoped Jamie wouldn't be offended if he began preparing breakfast. After last night's wildness, he doubted the man would feel the best this morning.
And the former Sentry had his fingers crossed that it was, in fact, Jamie that woke up and not a vengeful and bloodthirsty Red. Skull had no desire to harm Jamie; considering what Drakkon's pet was capable of, the notion was laughable. Perhaps not this morning, however, with the sedative still slowing his thoughts and reflexes.
Bear lifted his head from his paws at the approaching footsteps. His tail swished the wooden floor languidly.
"How are you feeling this morning, pal?" Skull cooed down into the shiny black eyes. "I think we all feel like we got a swift headbutt from the universe."
The large black and brown dog licked his muzzle as he watched the human pulling bacon and eggs out of the fridge. He had sensed Red's presence in the small dwelling and knew enough to give him a wide berth.
"I wonder what fresh hell awaits us today, Bear. The universe has been rather creative. And punitive."
Skull artfully arranged the bacon in a skillet before cracking eggs into another. His gaze went to the expanse of flowers and vegetables growing outside the window. He could see how this place appealed to Jamie. The quiet beauty, fragrant smells, the peace. What a welcome change from their days in Drakkon's barren palace!
Especially for a man who had been subjected to the things that Jamie had been forced to endure.
So engrossed was he with the view from the window, that the sound of approaching footsteps made him jump. One of the others was awake and he was eager to make conversation; turning to the doorway, he prepared to give a cheery good morning salute.
His jolly expression quickly dissipated at the sight of the lithe, grey-haired man rounding the corner from the living room.
Jamie's eyes widened at seeing Skull standing at the stove, his hand clutching the skillet full of hot bacon grease. He swiftly backed away; hands raised defensively.
"It's me! It's Jamie," he stammered frantically, bracing himself for the scalding pain of grease being splashed in his face.
Skull audibly sighed in relief, his tight grip on the handle relaxing.
"I think you just took five years off my life and I don't have many to spare," he quipped, his heart still racing at the sudden appearance of someone who's image still pervaded his nightmares.
Jamie slowly lowered his hands and gave the other man a sad chuckle.
"Sorry, I should have said something before I just strolled in like that. I know seeing me still unnerves you, Eugene."
The former Sentry sighed as he flipped the bacon slices over.
"It's hard sometimes," he admitted. "I still see Red sweeping around a corner, covered in blood and lunging for me and the other Sentries. And knowing he's still 'here', I keep waiting for him to jump out at me."
Jamie nodded; his expression mournful.
"I understand. Sometimes when I'm dealing with David, I get flashbacks from Jason and Red of Drakkon and the things that he did to them. And I'd be lying if I said that Tommy didn't make me quiver in fear on occasion. Please don't tell him that though. I don't want to hurt him," he murmured.
Skull managed a broad grin and mimicked zipping his lips.
"Scout's honor," he announced. "I think its going to take us both some time to 'acclimate' to each other, Jamie. It's nothing that you've done."
"I still feel responsible though. Red blocked me from a lot of his memories, I'm sure under the guise of protecting me. But I remember enough of the things he did. Especially to the Sentries."
He leaned against the door frame, his head bowed. Skull noticed that he had already changed his clothing into a form fitting grey shirt and dark jeans.
"I hope you don't mind I took the liberty of cooking breakfast. David acted like you'd still be pretty out of it this morning," he deftly changed the subject.
Jamie nodded and his mouth curled into a half smile.
"I am still really tired and my legs feel like they're made of lead, but I'm sure my animals are worrying themselves into fits waiting to be fed. Right, Bear?" he directed down at the dog as he patted his thigh.
Bear shoved his wet nose into Jamie's hand and his warm tongue lapped the skin happily.
"Better today, pal? Don't worry. Jasper's still on my shit list too," he soothed, reaching down to caress the animal's head. "I still can't believe her cheek yesterday."
The skillet clattered on the oven top and the former Sentry briskly prepared a plate for their host.
"Here. You need to eat too, you know," he advised. "Maybe getting some food in you will help."
Jamie gratefully accepted the offered plate; the delicious smells coming from the kitchen was what had awoken him in the first place.
"Thanks," he said, before hungrily digging in as he stood in the doorway. "I don't think I was able to eat enough yesterday with everything going on."
Skull laughed and slid into a chair at the kitchen table with his own plate.
"I can understand that," he teased. "You were a little busy."
Jamie was scooping up a forkful of eggs when his hand paused in mid-air, his gaze staring off at the ground. An odd expression graced his features and one brow lifted in confusion.
"Are you alright?" Skull ventured nervously.
Slowly, Jamie's dark eye glided to the other man's face.
"Can I ask you something, Eugene? I feel like I might be going crazy. Well, crazier."
Setting his utensils alongside his plate, he nodded, unsure what to expect.
"Ask away."
Turning his face back towards the living area, Jamie again appeared to be staring into space as he looked at a spot on the floor.
"I feel like there's something else going on. Something that's being kept from me," he mused, his voice soft and sad. "I thought I was imaging things before, but I'm almost sure I'm not now."
Skull pushed his chair out from the table and went to the doorway to see what it was that had transfixed the other man's attention.
Seeing what Jamie was gazing down at, he began to stammer, unsure how to answer. He carefully attempted to put some space between himself and their host just in case he wasn't taking things as well as he appeared.
The nervous man gave a light laugh, trying to break the tension.
Fuck, this was the last straw! No more secrets period!
As Jamie had reclined in the doorway eating his breakfast, he'd noticed a sleeping Jason and Tommy laying on soft blankets beside the entrance. Out of habit, and forgetting where they were, the two had apparently rolled together in a tight cuddle, legs entwined. The White Ranger's face was buried in the top of the Omega's dark hair.
No way to pass this off as a 'bro cuddle', if that was even a thing. This pose was very intimate. Skull didn't even want to attempt glossing over something that odds were Jamie was going to find out about eventually. The universe was yanking secrets out like rotten teeth and he, for one, was tired of things biting them in the ass.
"Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you're asking about Tommy and Jason? That's a very, umm, interesting story."
Jamie merely continued to stare down at the two men, only in his mind he saw himself and Drakkon snuggled up together in his large, opulently decorated bed. His chest and forearms were bandaged with white gauze, bright red splotches marring their surface. This cage fight had been particularly brutal, and he'd received severe injuries.
Whimpering as quietly as he could manage, Red squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking from the corners to roll down his temples. He felt he was somewhere in his early to mid-twenties when this incident occurred but again, time wasn't something he was ever sure about. It was still early in Red's existence and he hadn't yet garnered his ferocious reputation.
"Such a good boy," Drakkon cooed as he lay alongside his battered body. Cool fingers threaded through his dark hair lovingly.
Reaching down, his master produced a small bottle, resembling a flask.
"I have something special for you, my Red," he whispered, twisting the metal container open.
Then Drakkon's fingers were at his lips, pressing firmly as he coaxed them to part.
"Lift your tongue," he commanded primly.
At this point in their relationship, it was still master and pet; nothing sexual had yet taken place. At least not between Drakkon and Red. The pet was still being indoctrinated to his place and the groundwork being laid to bridge into a tighter and more intricate bond.
Obediently, he did as he was ordered. His master gently slid a smooth capsule under his tongue.
"This is a potent pain medication that I procured on one of my campaigns," he whispered. "It will allow you to rest more comfortably so you can heal properly. I don't share things like this with just anyone. But you are special, my pet."
Immediately, the effects of the alien medication began to take hold, causing the pet's breathing and heart rate to relax to a normal range. The overwhelming agony dulled to numbness as he stared up into Drakkon's hazel eyes.
"Thank you, master," he sobbed with relief, cuddling closer to the warlord's chest.
Shaking his head abruptly, Jamie picked up the sound of Skull's voice; the man was pointedly on the other side of the butcher block table but attempting to act nonchalant.
"Sorry, I zoned out for a minute," he managed as he continued to look down at the obvious lovers.
Skull kept a careful eye on Jamie's face as he decided to come clean with the whole lot.
"Tommy and Jason are partners. But they were afraid that their relationship might offend or hurt you. Just like you were trying to protect us, they wanted to protect you. Oh, and Billy and I are also in a relationship," he blurted out, muscles tensed as he waited to see Jamie's reaction.
Jamie's mouth moved but no sound came out as he struggled to process this new information.
"It's all on the table now. No more secrets. Cross my heart," Skull tried to playfully laugh but it fell flat.
At least there was no sudden explosive rage with Red bounding out to drag them all to hell. If anything, it was difficult to tell what the man might be thinking and feeling.
"Are you alright? Maybe you should sit down for a minute," he tried instead.
Jamie blinked several times before crossing to the sink to deposit his empty plate and fork.
"I need to go feed my animals," he whispered, brushing past an anxious Skull. Bear galloped along after him, jumping at his side but Jamie didn't appear to notice.
Once the former pet was outside, Skull hissed a curse under his breath.
"Fuck!"
He quickly rounded the corner into the living room where Tommy and Jason were still spooning dreamily. Nudging them with his boot, he gave a frustrated sigh.
Tommy's eyes fluttered open and he muttered in annoyance.
"What's going on?"
Skull spread his hands at the scene before him.
"Well the cat's out of the bag now," he advised.
Sitting up quickly, the White Ranger became aware of how he and his boyfriend were laying as well as noting the now empty couch where Jamie had been asleep.
"Oh, shit! Where did he go?" he worried struggling up from the floor.
Jason also sat up, hair mussed and still groggy.
"Where did who go?"
But Tommy was already up and moving into the kitchen in search of Jamie.
"He's outside with the animals. Maybe give him a minute," Skull suggested. "The good thing is he didn't break down, at least not in here. And Red didn't seem to have any input."
"Goddammit," the younger Ranger hissed. "I can't believe this."
Jason stretched and looked around in confusion.
"What's happening," he tried again.
Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Jamie knows about us."
The Red Omega's eyes widened in shock and he too looked around for Jamie.
"He's outside," Skull supplied again.
"I have to talk to him. We need to really clear the air," Tommy continued to fret.
Placing a hand on the distressed man's shoulder, Skull took a deep breath.
"Jamie might not even know what to think right now. Let him settle. Let Red settle."
"Alright," Tommy sighed.