Fic: Cracked Friendship
Written for the Angst Bingo.
Title: Cracked Friendship
Prompt: Wild Card (I went with Abandoned)
Fandom: Power Rangers Mighty Morphin
Pairings: None
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine. Saban's, I believe.
Kim clenched the phone in her hand until her knuckles turned white. She looked at it and tried not to throw it as far away from herself as possible. She wasn’t angry, but she wasn’t sure how her call would be taken. She hadn’t talked to anyone from her old group since before she gave Tommy the letter and she knew that they wouldn’t understand even if she had been willing to explain it. She wasn’t ashamed by the letter. It had to be done. Jason had warned her when he found her in Florida that the transition wasn’t going to be easy, but she didn’t understand what he’d meant at first. He’d just kissed her forehead and told her to call him when she was ready.
She’d never be ready. That’s what she’d learned from everything. Billy and her had been so upset when the others didn’t call as much. Tommy had too, of course, but it was a little different for him. He was missing Jason more than Trini and Zack, but the five original Power Rangers had grown up together. She’d gone to every one of Trini’s birthday parties since they were six. She’d won a dance competition with Zack. Jason had cheerfully played with her in the backyard as they practiced gymnastics and martial arts respectively. Billy had had conversations with Trini that still made her head spin. Zack and he had managed a good prank or two in their younger years using Zack’s enthusiasm and creativity mixed with Billy’s knowledge and practicality. Jason had constantly protected Billy throughout the years, but more importantly, encouraged him that he could handle it. Billy, in turn, had made certain that Jason knew just how smart he really was when the athlete had turned to him for help.
That said, they just expected that their friends were busy and were doing what they could. She never would have imagined that they were avoiding her. She’d talked to Tommy about leaving when she was making her choice. He’d been encouraging and loving and perfect about it. He’d managed to encourage her enough to go without her feeling like he didn’t care. Billy had encouraged her too, but years of experience had told her that he was more uncertain about it. She couldn’t blame him. He’d finally insisted she go since they weren’t far away from graduating and they’d have to split up then anyway.
All of which was why she was holding the phone now. Trini, Zack, and Jason weren’t too busy. They’d been hurting from not being Power Rangers. They’d had a support system of each other in place. She’d heard Aisha had left, but she hadn’t heard from her and Kim knew that pain. She needed someone who understood her inside and out and who wasn’t hurting like she was. She finally dialed the number and waited. “Hello?”
“Billy?” She asked, hoping she was recognizing his voice.
“Kim,” he answered. His voice was a little cold and distant, causing her to wince. Jason hadn’t warned her about that, but he hadn’t really done anything like she had. If he knew, he’d probably be furious with her about it and groan that he hadn’t meant to encourage her to end her relationship. “What do you need?”
There was almost a sigh there as if he were expecting her to ask him for the world and she paused her entire conversation. Yes, she was hurting but she was starting to think he was too. “Billy, are you alright?”
“I’m well,” he answered and she heard the slight snap. This wasn’t the friend that she’d left behind. “We haven’t heard from you since the letter incident.”
“You know about that?” She asked.
“We do talk,” he answered. “And Adam read it in front of everyone.”
Kim paled as she realized the implications of that. “I didn’t know.”
“Hence my comment about you not talking to anyone,” he answered. “So, what do you want?”
Kim held the phone quietly, pushing back her hurt feelings. “I needed to talk to someone. And you’re not fine. What happened?”
There was silence from the other line for a bit and she was almost worried that he’d hung up on her. “There were only five crystals,” he answered. “I stepped down.”
“Are you alright?” She asked, realizing why he was in a bad mood.
“I am helping in other capacities,” he answered. She held back her sigh. She didn’t know when he’d lost his powers, but it wasn’t hitting him full force yet.
“It’s not the same,” she said. “I don’t understand how you can still be there!”
“They require my help,” he answered, though she could hear the uncertainty. “And I won’t lose anyone else.”
Kim felt the proverbial knife in her heart twist at that. “It’s not that I don’t love you, Billy…”
“Then what?” He asked. “You didn’t even call, Kim.”
“I couldn’t be around any of you. It just… hurt,” she tried to explain. “It hurts so much, Billy. I don’t understand how you can stay.”
“They require me to be here at the moment,” he repeated. Kim was starting to wonder just how often he repeated it to himself. “You could have called. Have you even spoken to the others?”
“Jason tracked me down,” she admitted. “He explained things to me. I think they’re finally getting to a point where they’re ready to talk.”
“It’s been years,” Billy informed her. She paused.
“How long have you been without the Power?” She asked.
“A few weeks now,” he answered. She was silent before she answered.
“Okay. Give yourself another few weeks, maybe a month. If you still don’t understand, I’ll accept I was completely in the wrong,” she answered. “Because I miss you.”
He didn’t answer right away. “Fine.”
He hung up soon after and Kim hung up feeling no better than before she’d called.
***
Kim dashed to the phone as it rang. She’d been talking pretty consistently with Jason, Trini, and Zack for the last month since she’d called Billy. Zack had offered to come visit her even which she was looking forward to. They were still finalizing plans and they were all trying to fix the relationship that had gotten damaged at the time. It was slow going and Zack had promised to leave if it got to be too much for her. She grabbed the phone, quickly pressing the on button. “Hello?”
“Kim?” She recognized Billy’s voice, but it was almost broken. She recognized the pain and her heart nearly shattered. She said the only thing she could think of.
“Teleport me,” she said before he could continue. There was silence on the other line. “Zordon will understand.”
“That is not why we have a teleporter,” he reminded her. She just rolled her eyes even if he couldn’t see it. Somehow, just that sentence made her feel a bit better.
“You need someone to talk to. He did it for me,” she informed him. “He’ll understand.”
“I know,” Billy said. “He’s encouraging me to do so. I just don’t know if I should.”
Kim was silent for a minute before she continued. “Let me help.”
Silence was on the other end of the phone and for a minute, Kim was worried that he’d hung up on her. After ten seconds, she felt the familiar sensation of being transported and she relaxed as she landed in the unfamiliar settings of their base. She glanced around, walking over to where her uniform was set up and just staring at it for a minute. She nearly jumped when she felt a hand touch her arm.
The Power Chamber was empty, Zordon and Alpha having taken their leave for the moment and it didn’t take Kim to figure out why. She recognized the pain on Billy’s face that matched her own, Jason’s, Trini’s, and Zack’s. Jason had told her: Like reacts to like. This wasn’t something Zordon could help with, though he’d tried for a long time with each of them and Kim had seen the guilt their mentor hadn’t completely been able to mask.
He looked at her and she opened her arms, wrapping them around him. She ignored the wince she felt from him. He looked at her. “Does it get better?” He asked.
Kim paused before answering. “I don’t know. Billy? The next time someone offers you a reason to leave her, even for just a little bit, take it.”
Billy didn’t answer her, but she felt the slight nod against her shoulder. She could only hope he wasn’t lying to her because right now, the only comfort they offered each other felt like a lie.
Title: Cracked Friendship
Prompt: Wild Card (I went with Abandoned)
Fandom: Power Rangers Mighty Morphin
Pairings: None
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine. Saban's, I believe.
Kim clenched the phone in her hand until her knuckles turned white. She looked at it and tried not to throw it as far away from herself as possible. She wasn’t angry, but she wasn’t sure how her call would be taken. She hadn’t talked to anyone from her old group since before she gave Tommy the letter and she knew that they wouldn’t understand even if she had been willing to explain it. She wasn’t ashamed by the letter. It had to be done. Jason had warned her when he found her in Florida that the transition wasn’t going to be easy, but she didn’t understand what he’d meant at first. He’d just kissed her forehead and told her to call him when she was ready.
She’d never be ready. That’s what she’d learned from everything. Billy and her had been so upset when the others didn’t call as much. Tommy had too, of course, but it was a little different for him. He was missing Jason more than Trini and Zack, but the five original Power Rangers had grown up together. She’d gone to every one of Trini’s birthday parties since they were six. She’d won a dance competition with Zack. Jason had cheerfully played with her in the backyard as they practiced gymnastics and martial arts respectively. Billy had had conversations with Trini that still made her head spin. Zack and he had managed a good prank or two in their younger years using Zack’s enthusiasm and creativity mixed with Billy’s knowledge and practicality. Jason had constantly protected Billy throughout the years, but more importantly, encouraged him that he could handle it. Billy, in turn, had made certain that Jason knew just how smart he really was when the athlete had turned to him for help.
That said, they just expected that their friends were busy and were doing what they could. She never would have imagined that they were avoiding her. She’d talked to Tommy about leaving when she was making her choice. He’d been encouraging and loving and perfect about it. He’d managed to encourage her enough to go without her feeling like he didn’t care. Billy had encouraged her too, but years of experience had told her that he was more uncertain about it. She couldn’t blame him. He’d finally insisted she go since they weren’t far away from graduating and they’d have to split up then anyway.
All of which was why she was holding the phone now. Trini, Zack, and Jason weren’t too busy. They’d been hurting from not being Power Rangers. They’d had a support system of each other in place. She’d heard Aisha had left, but she hadn’t heard from her and Kim knew that pain. She needed someone who understood her inside and out and who wasn’t hurting like she was. She finally dialed the number and waited. “Hello?”
“Billy?” She asked, hoping she was recognizing his voice.
“Kim,” he answered. His voice was a little cold and distant, causing her to wince. Jason hadn’t warned her about that, but he hadn’t really done anything like she had. If he knew, he’d probably be furious with her about it and groan that he hadn’t meant to encourage her to end her relationship. “What do you need?”
There was almost a sigh there as if he were expecting her to ask him for the world and she paused her entire conversation. Yes, she was hurting but she was starting to think he was too. “Billy, are you alright?”
“I’m well,” he answered and she heard the slight snap. This wasn’t the friend that she’d left behind. “We haven’t heard from you since the letter incident.”
“You know about that?” She asked.
“We do talk,” he answered. “And Adam read it in front of everyone.”
Kim paled as she realized the implications of that. “I didn’t know.”
“Hence my comment about you not talking to anyone,” he answered. “So, what do you want?”
Kim held the phone quietly, pushing back her hurt feelings. “I needed to talk to someone. And you’re not fine. What happened?”
There was silence from the other line for a bit and she was almost worried that he’d hung up on her. “There were only five crystals,” he answered. “I stepped down.”
“Are you alright?” She asked, realizing why he was in a bad mood.
“I am helping in other capacities,” he answered. She held back her sigh. She didn’t know when he’d lost his powers, but it wasn’t hitting him full force yet.
“It’s not the same,” she said. “I don’t understand how you can still be there!”
“They require my help,” he answered, though she could hear the uncertainty. “And I won’t lose anyone else.”
Kim felt the proverbial knife in her heart twist at that. “It’s not that I don’t love you, Billy…”
“Then what?” He asked. “You didn’t even call, Kim.”
“I couldn’t be around any of you. It just… hurt,” she tried to explain. “It hurts so much, Billy. I don’t understand how you can stay.”
“They require me to be here at the moment,” he repeated. Kim was starting to wonder just how often he repeated it to himself. “You could have called. Have you even spoken to the others?”
“Jason tracked me down,” she admitted. “He explained things to me. I think they’re finally getting to a point where they’re ready to talk.”
“It’s been years,” Billy informed her. She paused.
“How long have you been without the Power?” She asked.
“A few weeks now,” he answered. She was silent before she answered.
“Okay. Give yourself another few weeks, maybe a month. If you still don’t understand, I’ll accept I was completely in the wrong,” she answered. “Because I miss you.”
He didn’t answer right away. “Fine.”
He hung up soon after and Kim hung up feeling no better than before she’d called.
***
Kim dashed to the phone as it rang. She’d been talking pretty consistently with Jason, Trini, and Zack for the last month since she’d called Billy. Zack had offered to come visit her even which she was looking forward to. They were still finalizing plans and they were all trying to fix the relationship that had gotten damaged at the time. It was slow going and Zack had promised to leave if it got to be too much for her. She grabbed the phone, quickly pressing the on button. “Hello?”
“Kim?” She recognized Billy’s voice, but it was almost broken. She recognized the pain and her heart nearly shattered. She said the only thing she could think of.
“Teleport me,” she said before he could continue. There was silence on the other line. “Zordon will understand.”
“That is not why we have a teleporter,” he reminded her. She just rolled her eyes even if he couldn’t see it. Somehow, just that sentence made her feel a bit better.
“You need someone to talk to. He did it for me,” she informed him. “He’ll understand.”
“I know,” Billy said. “He’s encouraging me to do so. I just don’t know if I should.”
Kim was silent for a minute before she continued. “Let me help.”
Silence was on the other end of the phone and for a minute, Kim was worried that he’d hung up on her. After ten seconds, she felt the familiar sensation of being transported and she relaxed as she landed in the unfamiliar settings of their base. She glanced around, walking over to where her uniform was set up and just staring at it for a minute. She nearly jumped when she felt a hand touch her arm.
The Power Chamber was empty, Zordon and Alpha having taken their leave for the moment and it didn’t take Kim to figure out why. She recognized the pain on Billy’s face that matched her own, Jason’s, Trini’s, and Zack’s. Jason had told her: Like reacts to like. This wasn’t something Zordon could help with, though he’d tried for a long time with each of them and Kim had seen the guilt their mentor hadn’t completely been able to mask.
He looked at her and she opened her arms, wrapping them around him. She ignored the wince she felt from him. He looked at her. “Does it get better?” He asked.
Kim paused before answering. “I don’t know. Billy? The next time someone offers you a reason to leave her, even for just a little bit, take it.”
Billy didn’t answer her, but she felt the slight nod against her shoulder. She could only hope he wasn’t lying to her because right now, the only comfort they offered each other felt like a lie.