Power Rangers in Space, Andros/Cassie Chan, Alpha Set
Fandom: Power Rangers in Space
Pairing: Andros/Cassie Chan
Theme Set: Alpha
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Read at your own risk.
Author's Notes: Power Rangers and related characters, machines, places, and weapons belong to Saban, Levy, and affiliated American and Japanese corporations.
01. comfort
When Andros discovers that Cassie’s parents refuse to understand her desire to study and perfect her music, he gives her as a birthday present an intricately carved flute from his home planet and tries not to flush under the brilliance of her smile.
02. kiss
He almost kisses her underneath a star-filled sky, but the howling of wolves and his own conscience stops him before he makes a most grievous mistake.
03. soft
He touches her whenever he can, reaching for her wrist in the direst of situations, the rapid pulse under her soft skin reaffirming that they are both alive.
04. pain
Pain mars his delicate face as he recounts memories of KO-35, and Cassie takes his hand and squeezes it tightly, forcing him back to the present and away from the sadness and violence that has tarnished the past.
05. potatoes
Cassie knows she has created a monster when Andros requests that she makes French fries for dinner the rest of the week.
06. rain
They huddle underneath the umbrella and avoid looking at one another, both afraid that if they should the other would see the yearning that can no longer be hidden.
07. chocolate
Andros’ stomach clenches as he watches Cassie’s tongue flick out and lick the tips of her chocolate-covered fingers.
08. happiness
She is happiest at his side, whether working on the Mega Ship or exploring unknown planets, hiding her affection for him under the pretense of pursuing information in the interest of science.
09. telephone
Andros longs to use the telephone to call Cassie on the days she is away visiting her relatives, but he lacks her number and is unwilling to ask her for it; likewise, it seems wrong to ask one of the other guys for it.
10. ears
Cassie's ears turn pink under his piercing gaze, and Andros realizes that perhaps his feelings are not unrequited after all.
11. name
As he kisses her he whispers her name, his heart skipping beats when her breathless sighs confirm that this was actually happening.
12. sensual
There is nothing more sensual than watching Cassie comb her hair, her fingers untangling black strands as her eyes meet his in the bedroom mirror.
13. death
Being apart kills him as much as it kills her, but not as much as the shame that overcomes them both whenever they contemplate too long what would happen should their friends find out about their affair.
14. sex
Desire courses through both their bodies like molten lava that never cools, but while they can distort logic and reason to justify their stolen kisses and whispered devotions, they stop at consummating their relationship under uncertain conditions, neither one willing to bear the crushing guilt that would descend upon them should they go so far.
15. touch
He limits the number of times he reaches out to touch her, acutely aware that two pairs of inquisitive eyes have been scrutinizing them for a while.
16. weakness
After Andros leaves Cassie alone in the engine room, Carlos approaches her, and she is weak under her friend's knowing gaze, confessing her sins readily but with regret so intense the Black Ranger sets aside his anger to comfort her with an embrace.
17. tears
Cassie cries as she tells Andros about her confession to Carlos, and the Red Ranger tells T.J. weeks later, no longer unable to delay the inevitable.
18. speed
The speed at which Ashley leaves the room is inhuman, and both T.J. and Carlos give chase, leaving behind a devastated Cassie and an even more remorseful Andros.
19. wind
The words Ashley flings at them are stronger than the winds of a storm, lashing at Andros like a whip and cutting Cassie deeper than she ever thought words could.
20. freedom
They consummate their relationship on a distant planet, letting go of their fears of the familiar and the unknown as they disrobe under a sky as dark as ink, the air warm and scented by the magnolias that grow in the crevices of glittering gray rock.
21. life
Never before has Andros thought it possible for a mere touch to give life, but every time Cassie takes his hand in hers he feels more alive in that second than he had the second prior.
22. jealousy
Cassie knows that it is dumb of her to be jealous of the time Andros spends with Ashley discussing routine maintenance on the Mega Ship, but a part of her fears that whatever made him choose Ashley in the first place will make him choose her again, so she bites the inside of her cheek and stays silent, concentrating hard on the controls in front of her.
23. hands
His hands are everywhere on her body, urgent and forceful, the need to prove to her that there will never be any one else for him the only goal of this mid-afternoon rendezvous.
24. taste
To Cassie, nothing tastes sweeter than a kiss from Andros after he's been away.
25. devotion
Sometimes Andros wants nothing more than to hear Cassie say that she is his, but that desire dissolves like sugar in water when she breathes against his mouth - actions are louder than words.
26. forever
His mother's ring is as heavy in his hand as the thoughts in his head.
27. blood
He winces at the sight of bright red blood against pale skin and promises to inflict ten times as much pain on the bastard that did this to her.
28. sickness
His quest for justice has made him sick and dehydrated, and though her own wounds have not yet healed, Cassie tends to Andros lovingly, wiping his brow, changing his bandages, and supplying him with liquids, never moving from his side lest he wakes and finds her absent.
29. melody
Cassie conveys in fluid notes the love she feels for Andros, peeking at him through a curtain of hair as she plays the piano with a gracefulness that surprises everyone in the room.
30. star
Cassie's sharp intake of breath catches his attention, and he turns around just in time to see the shooting star fade from the sky.
31. home
Despite Cassie's pleas to do so, Andros doesn't make a permanent home on earth; after all this time the planet is still new to him, exciting and terrifying at the same time, the people invoking in him a desire to fit in as well as a desire to remain firmly detached - he can't help but think about his home planet, its rocks flung across the galaxy, disappearing into the unknown regions of space.
32. confusion
Confusion is written all over her face when she opens the door and finds him standing outside, his bags over one shoulder, his eyes warm but resolute.
33. fear
The couple fears the reaction of her parents, who have said nothing throughout dinner, but when her dad pulls Andros aside, clamps him on the shoulder, and tells the young man to take care of his daughter, neither one can prevent the huge smiles that spread across their faces.
34. lightning/thunder
Cassie clings to him like a baby koala, her eyes squeezed shut as lightning brightens the darkened room and thunder shakes the window panes.
35. bonds
When she can't sleep at night she watches him and wonders if their bond is stronger than the ones that tie her to Earth and him to duty.
36. market
Andros makes it his job to go to the market on Sundays so that Cassie can sleep in, but he doesn't tell her that he uses telekinesis to cut the time spent shopping in half so that he can hurry home and return to her side.
37. technology
Cassie buys him a cell phone for his birthday, and he kisses her until their lips are bruised, overripe peaches, unable to vocalize why this present means so much to him.
38. gift
His hands shake as he gives her the carefully wrapped present, sweat breaking out along his brow and trailing down the sides of his face as he apprehensively awaits her reaction.
39. smile
Their friends throw a surprise engagement party for the two of them, and Cassie cries at the sight of their smiling faces - time does heal all wounds.
40. innocence
They decide not to have children right now, not until Cassie graduates from Julliard and Andros is secure in the knowledge that their children's innocence won't be corrupted by evil denizens or false persons hoping to capitalize on their lineage.
41. completion
During a pause in the celebration, Andros leans over and whispers in his wife's ear that she completed him a long time ago, that the celebration going on in front of them happened inside of him the first time their lips met.
42. clouds
The clouds are dark and heavy with rain, but so long as there is no thunder or lightning, they couldn't care less.
43. sky
Andros overhears a man telling his girlfriend that the love he has for her is as vast as the sky, and he pulls Cassie to the side and lectures her on the definition of sky, baffling her until he makes her promise that she will never compare their love to a sky, but to the expanse of space that can be viewed through it.
44. heaven
Cassie laces her fingers through his and draws him close, brushing across his lips the lightest of kisses before leaving the airport to follow her dream, leaving behind her protector, friend, husband, and lover and their own miniature version of heaven they had created in her one bedroom apartment.
45. hell
The two weeks Cassie's away at Julliard are hell, and he tells her this… right before announcing that he will be joining her in New York City until she graduates.
46. sun
Cassie awakes before the sun rises to prepare for school, Andros awaking with her and slowing her down by offering to wash her back and massage her shoulders, two offers she can't refuse.
47. moon
Cassie wishes they could make love in the glow of the moon every night.
48. waves
Cassie rests her head against Andros' shoulder and watches the waves crash against the shore, content with her life and the man she has chosen to share it with.
49. hair
Despite how annoying it is to have her hair trailing down her back, Cassie wears it down because that is the way Andros likes it.
50. supernova
For their fifth anniversary, Andros takes her to another planet, this one with pearl-white sand and green-blue water, to watch a supernova in all its glory, and Cassie watches along with him in awe, her hand coming to rest on her stomach as she decides to wait until his attention is no longer captivated by the brilliant array of colors to announce her pregnancy.