Love The One You're With
Okay, this probably needs more work than I've given it, but I just don't have the time right now to devote to it. I'm anxious to get my other prompts done too! I might one day go back and revise it, but for now, here you go.
Title: Love The One You're With
Fandom: Power Rangers RPM
Pairing: Scott/Ziggy
Summary: Scott and Ziggy bond over the unrequited love they feel for others. They find themselves growing closer than either ever could have expected.
sequel to The Only Education Worth Having. You don't have to read that one first to understand this one, but it might help for reference.
Rating: G
Warnings: brief and minor mention of child abuse, no details... somewhat angsty, then sappy
Disclaimer: Not mine, alas.
Scott pounded his fists into the bag. He should be wearing gloves. He knew he should. His knuckles would be torn to shreds without the gloves if he didn’t stop soon. But he was so angry. Jealousy raged through him and if he couldn’t punch Dillon in that smug unobservant little face, he could work out the emotions on the punching bag. Even if it did destroy his hands.
“They’re not worth it, y’know,” a voice drawled behind him. He stopped punching and rested against the bag. It moved under his weight so he hugged it to hold it still. Ziggy was leaning in the doorway.
“Excuse me?” he asked. Ziggy smirked.
“They. Are not. Worth it,” he said, annunciating every word with random punctuation.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Scott replied, forcing confusion on his face. He knew exactly what Ziggy was talking about, and he knew Ziggy knew it, but maybe Ziggy would play along anyway. It would be so much easier that way.
“Summer and Dillon. This makes how many dates? Four? Five? You’re going to ruin your hands over them and they’re just not worth it.” Scott looked down at his hands still clenched tightly in fists. The knuckles were already cracking, bruised and sore.
“It’s nothing,” he tried as an excuse. Ziggy clearly didn’t believe him, the impertinent little bastard with his overly tight pants and thin little smirk.
“You are feeling the same anger and pain I am. Don’t lie, I know you are.”
“I’m just training, Zig,” he said, standing up straight. Sweat trickled down the side of his face and he absently wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He couldn’t help the hiss that escaped when the salty sweat brushed against the split skin of his knuckles. Ziggy was at his side in an instant, pulling at his hand until Scott relented and just let him tug it up to examine it. He clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“C’mon. Stop injuring yourself and come with me.” Ziggy tugged him towards the door and he stumbled under the unexpected force of the pull. Ziggy was stronger than he looked.
“Where are we going?” he asked. Ziggy didn’t let go of his hand.
“Out. Just you and me.” He turned and sniffed at Scott’s sweaty form. “Okay, shower first. Then out. I’ll buy us ice cream and we can wallow in our mutual self pity. It’ll make us feel better.” Scott suppressed the giggle but couldn’t hold back the smile. Okay. He’d go along with it. He wasn’t one to turn down free ice cream, after all.
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It had been a month. An entire long, agonizing, depressing, nauseatingly sappy month. Summer and Dillon now had regular date nights. At first it was every Friday night. Then they moved it to every Wednesday night. Then it became every Wednesday and Friday. And for every date they had, Ziggy dragged Scott out somewhere. Sometimes they had ice cream, like that first night, letting the creamy sweetness act as a balm to their wounded egos. Sometimes they had pizza and refused to talk about why they were out. Sometimes they went to a movie just to try and forget it altogether. Occasionally they’d just wander the park together, ranting and raving, or making jokes until the other was doubled over in tears from laughing so hard.
The first date night had gone so well that Ziggy had sworn they’d do it every night Summer and Dillon did. He’d taken to calling them anti-dates. They weren’t dating, and they weren’t dating their respective objects of lust, but they were going out on what most people would consider dates. But it wasn’t a date. It was an anti-date. Scott was secretly glad they kept it up. At first Ziggy had to drag him out, but after awhile he had started to enjoy their time together. He was even beginning to look forward to them.
He had really grown very close to Ziggy over the past month. Surprisingly close. Of all the people on his team to form a bond with, Ziggy was the last one he would have guessed. But they got along amazingly well. They were good friends. Ziggy knew how to cheer him up when nobody else could. Ziggy intuitively knew what he needed, be it comedy or silent companionship. Ziggy just knew. Scott was still kind of amazed by how well things were going for them.
And tonight was the night he was really looking forward to, had been all week. Tonight was going to be new and exciting, a first for both of them. He’d spent hours planning, even longer getting ready. He’d made sure everything was perfect from his hair right down to his clothes. It was going to be brilliant.
“So where are ya takin him tonight, Ziggy?” Scott overheard Flynn ask. He was just coming downstairs and stumbled into their conversation. Flynn was leaning against his Hummer while Ziggy waited over by Scott’s car. He’d dressed up, too.
“We’re going to try that little seafood place down by the beach.” Ziggy replied, the excitement evident in his voice. Scott was glad to know Ziggy really was looking forward to it, too.
“Och, you’ll have to let me know how it is, yeah? I was thinking of taking Gemma for a date there myself.”
“I’ll let you know. Don’t know about the date thing though.” Ziggy rubbed his chin in contemplation and Scott would have laughed if it wouldn’t have interrupted them.
“Innit a date, of sorts?” Flynn asked. He seemed genuinely curious, though Scott wasn’t sure where it was coming from. He thought it was pretty obvious why he and Ziggy left base every time Summer and Dillon did.
“No, it’s an anti-date.” Ziggy winked at Flynn as he noticed Scott come around the cars. Flynn opened his mouth, but Scott spoke before he had a chance.
“Ready to go?” Scott asked. Ziggy nodded, a wide smile spreading across his face. He slid into the passenger seat as Scott flipped his keys, walking around to the driver’s seat. He waved goodbye to Flynn and headed out, unable to wipe his own smile off his face.
“I’ve been wanting to try this place for awhile now. Thanks for going with me,” Ziggy said. Scott chanced a quick glance off the road and over at his passenger. Ziggy was sitting sideways in the seat, just watching him. His hair had been tamed into something that resembled waves and it hung around his face in little flyaway wisps. He was wearing a pair of dress slacks and a shirt that was two sizes too big. It billowed in all the wrong places, only serving to make Ziggy look even scrawnier than he already was.
“I love seafood. This is a great place for our anti-date night.” Scott was surprised at just how excited he really was. He’d washed his car so it’d look especially nice. He’d taken a long shower, shaved, even had his best suit dry-cleaned just for tonight. They’d been planning it for a week. Ziggy hummed noncommittally and Scott wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but they were pulling into the parking lot.
It didn’t take long to get a table. The place was dimly lit and not very crowded, so the atmosphere was very intimate, very personal. Scott was starting to doubt the not-a-date line they kept giving the others. They didn’t talk about Summer or Dillon, but they didn’t talk about much of substance either. Scott found himself wanting to change that, wanting to know more, but dinner was over far too soon. They needed someplace private, but spacious.
“Want to go for a walk on the beach? It’s still early,” he suggested. Ziggy nodded and, after paying the bill, they headed around the back of the building. Ziggy tugged at his shirt for about the millionth time that evening and Scott stopped him before they left the parking lot.
“Bothering you?” he asked.
“It doesn’t fit. I had to borrow it from Gem. He’s the closest to my size but...” Ziggy pulled on the sleeves. Even borrowing from the next smallest male on the team, the shirt didn’t come close to fitting. Scott reached over and fingered a button, popping the top two open with one hand.
“Take it off. Leave it in the car.” Ziggy didn’t protest, just stripped the shirt off and tossed it in the passenger seat. Before he even knew what he was doing, Scott found himself smoothing the wrinkles in Ziggy’s tight undershirt. He smoothed the shoulders and then gently tugged at the sides, pulling down near Ziggy’s waist. His skin burned pleasantly whenever he touched Ziggy and he was surprised to find he didn’t want to stop. Ziggy was breathing hard though, his pupils dilating wide, and it made Scott jump back. He tried not to think about what that meant.
They were quiet at first, just walking side by side and listening to the waves crash against the sand. Scott kept chancing glances over at Ziggy before looking back down at the sand. Ziggy had his hands shoved in his pockets and he seemed lost in thought. Scott didn’t disturb him, though there were a million questions he wanted to ask.
“Scott? What was it like for you, before all this, before Venjix and the end of the world? What was it like growing up?” he finally asked. It wasn’t quite what Scott had expected, but he’d go with it.
“It was kind of rough. Dad’s so military, y’know? Always has been. We moved around a lot before coming here, so that was rough. Never any friends, really. Dad and I butted heads a lot. Mom was good at keeping the peace, but she died when I was seven. I can barely remember her, just a voice really, and her scent. Anyway, after she was gone it was just Dad, Marcus, and me. Marcus became our peacemaker until. Well. Now it’s just Dad and me.” Scott had never really talked about his mom. He didn’t necessarily hold back the information, but he didn’t volunteer it either. It still hurt all these years later, but he wanted to tell Ziggy. He wanted Ziggy to know.
“What about you, Zig? What was your childhood like?” Ziggy shrugged a little and Scott wasn’t sure he was going to answer at all, but he finally spoke. He was so quiet though, Scott had to slow down and move closer just to hear.
“Lonely. And crowded at the same time. I spent most of it in an orphanage. St. Hedwig’s Home for Orphaned and Abandoned Children. The only place left that would take the rejects, the undesirables, the kids nobody else wanted. We lived in the abject poverty the government was gracious enough to give us.” Ziggy laughed in bitter defeat, his voice thick with sarcasm. He ran a hand down the front of his white undershirt, noting the lack of dress clothes. “I’m used to not ever having anything.”
“But… you’ve talked about your grandmother. She used to knit.” Scott was confused. He knew Ziggy had talked about his grandmother. He was sure of it. He’d catalogued it away in his brain since it was so rare Ziggy said anything that was actually meaningful or personal.
“I… made her up. I wanted to have a real family that loved me, but all I ever had was my mom. So I made up people. Then the state took me away.” Scott was floored. Everything he knew about Ziggy, and admittedly it wasn’t much, was being turned on its head right now. His mind was running just to keep up, to reconcile it all.
“Do you remember your mother?” he asked quietly. Ziggy wouldn’t look at him. He stopped walking and stared out at the ocean, his eyes far away from the beach they currently stood on. Scott reached out and squeezed Ziggy’s shoulder in reassurance. He was surprised to feel the smaller man trembling under his touch.
“I remember her. She was angry, when she was there at all. I don’t remember smiling or laughter and the only smell I can remember from her is alcohol and cigarettes. I remember being alone. I remember being hungry. But the pain. Mostly I just remember the pain.” Ziggy screwed his eyes shut tight and took a shuttering breath. Scott just stood, holding tight, hoping to anchor him.
“No child should ever have to feel what I felt. No child should ever have to go through that. I wanted to save them all.” He looked at Scott with wild eyes, eyes full of pain and desperation, and things suddenly clicked into place in Scott’s mind. He understood now. Ziggy finally made sense. All the seeming contradictions righted themselves. The time spent in jail and the charity events. The arrests and handcuffs and rap sheet, breaking the law over and over again, and yet still seeming so innocent. Joining the cartels and then just giving away all the medical supplies. Everything Ziggy did had seemed one big contradiction after another, but now. Now it made sense.
“That’s why you joined the cartels.” Scott whispered. Ziggy nodded and Scott slid his hand down Ziggy’s arm to rest at the small of his back. Ziggy stopped trembling and leaned back, almost imperceptibly, into the touch.
“I’ve never told anybody that,” he said, exhaling in a forceful rush as if he’d been holding his breath.
“Not even Dillon?” Scott asked. He was surprised. Ziggy and Dillon told each other everything.
“Not even Dillon.” Scott took that small nugget and held it close. Ziggy told him something that even Dillon didn’t know. It was special. It was sacred. It was a little piece of knowledge and he was going to cherish it. Ziggy reached out and took Scott’s hand in his own. They walked in silence for another half an hour, hand in hand.
At the car, Scott steeled himself for what he wanted to do. He was pretty sure, based on Ziggy’s reactions earlier, it would be welcome. But he wasn’t sure he was quite ready to admit it himself. Ziggy had long ago accepted his attraction to other men, that much was obvious months prior when Scott had accidentally stumbled upon him late at night, pining for Dillon. But Scott was just coming to the realization that men could be just as enticing as women, or at least that Ziggy could. It was difficult.
Ziggy stood by the passenger door, waiting for Scott to unlock it, but Scott just stared at him. Ziggy opened his mouth to ask what was wrong and that’s when Scott took his chance. If he didn’t do it now he might never get the courage to try again. He dove in and captured Ziggy’s lips in a kiss. It was quick, it was sloppy, and it was far from romantic. Ziggy was too surprised to react in time to kiss back and Scott was too nervous to really do it right, but it was a kiss all the same. When he pulled back, Ziggy blinked at him a few times as a blush rose up his cheeks, adding some colour to that pale skin.
“What was that for?” Ziggy finally asked. Scott shifted from foot to foot suddenly feeling like an inexperienced teenager.
“Thought it might be welcome?” He hadn’t meant it as a question. Ziggy smiled.
“If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with?” Ziggy asked. Scott smirked.
“Something like that.” Ziggy chuckled and leant forward, carefully catching Scott in a slower, better planned kiss. Scott slid his tongue through the space Ziggy left with open lips and closed his eyes. Ziggy reached up and tangled his hands in Scott’s curly hair. It felt like a bolt of electricity running through his skin at every spot Ziggy let his fingers linger. The kiss, the touches, it was intoxicating. This could definitely work.
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Summer and Dillon dropped a date night. Things seemed tense between them, but they still went out sometimes, still spent time together, and tried to regain that mushy sap from the beginning of their relationship.
Scott and Ziggy didn’t drop a night. They added a third anti-date night a week instead, choosing to leave the garage on Sundays as well. Only they didn’t go out for dinner or dessert or movies. Ziggy took Scott to the Corinth orphanage every Sunday night. Ziggy took Scott to meet the woman who raised him, Nurse Valentine, who now ran the only orphanage in Corinth. Scott’s heart ached at how overcrowded it was there.
He knew things were different between them now. Something had shifted. Something had changed. Ziggy spent time with Colonel Truman without trembling in fear. He’d even seen Scott’s baby pictures. Scott had heard all the sordid details of Ziggy’s rather colourful past in Nurse Valentine’s care. She approved of him, saying he’d be a good influence on “her wayward boy” and something inside Scott had melted at the thought. He’d smiled for days afterward. The relationship was no longer one of mutual self pity, wasn’t comfort in the face of love lost anymore. They’d suffered the pain of the only education worth having, and in doing so, had found each other.
Scott began gravitating towards Ziggy during any free down time, not just during their anti-date nights. They laughed, they talked, and sometimes they just sat together in comfortable silence. Despite his reticence at being physically affectionate in front of the others, he found it so difficult at times to not touch Ziggy that he just gave in to little touches, nudges, here and there. Nobody said a word about it. They were closer than ever and Scott found himself thinking less often of Summer and more often of Ziggy. Ziggy rarely, if ever, spent time with Dillon. They didn’t even talk about them anymore.
It was that, and that alone, which seemed to be the root cause of the problems between Summer and Dillon. He was testy, angry, and frustrated. Summer would come crying to Scott for comfort. She didn’t understand why Dillon was so short tempered lately, and Scott was pretty sure Dillon didn’t understand it either. But he knew. He got it. Ziggy found somebody else, had moved on, and Dillon wasn’t handling it well.
It all came crashing to a head one afternoon. He wasn’t even doing anything in particular, but he could hear them all the way through to the training room. The voices were muffled, but there was obvious yelling. He grabbed his towel and headed towards the main bay of the garage. If his team members were fighting, he needed to stop it.
He was shocked at what he found. Everybody, literally everybody, was standing around just staring. Summer was backed against Flynn’s Hummer like a deer caught in headlights. She was closest, like she’d tried to grab Dillon and pull him away at some point. Dr. K was in the door to her lab, her mouth hanging open. Gem and Gemma were leaning over the balcony with a bird’s eye view and even Flynn was in the kitchen, a smoothie in his hand but forgotten in the shock.
Dillon and Ziggy were in the middle of the room, the center of attention. Dillon was taunting him, taking out all his confusion and frustration on Ziggy. This wasn’t the playful banter Ziggy had put up with before. This was downright cruel, meant to hurt. And Ziggy wasn’t sitting back and taking it any longer. Ziggy was yelling, screaming really, at Dillon. Ziggy never yelled like that. He never raised his voice in anger. Scott knew he was terrified to get angry, afraid of what he would do if he lost his temper because of his family history. He could see Ziggy trembling. Scott stepped forward and put his hands on Dillon’s chest trying to distract him, to get him to back off.
“Calm down, guys. What’s going on?” he asked. He could hear Ziggy panting behind him, but he fixed his eyes on Dillon instead.
“Stay out of it, Truman.” Dillon said through gritted teeth, eyes never leaving Ziggy. He was so angry; it was evident in the way he held himself, the tense muscles, but especially in the flash of his eyes.
“It’s okay, Scott. I got it.” Ziggy’s voice wavered and Scott was overcome with the need to protect him.
“No, it’s not okay. Let’s talk this out like adults, okay?” he said. He’d just turned to look at Ziggy when Dillon spoke again.
“What, no Mommy to save you, so you have to rely on Big Bad Red instead?” Ziggy flinched, the words cutting deep. Of all the things about Ziggy to attack. Scott saw red. He turned to Dillon and pushed him. Hard. He stumbled back towards Summer, who now just looked terrified of everything. She jumped out of the way, unwilling to catch him.
“That was uncalled for, Dillon,” he said. Dillon shifted into a defensive stance.
“Not your concern, Scott. Now back off.”
“It is my concern. You need to stand down and go cool off. We can talk about it when you’re calmer.” Ziggy hadn’t said a word, and Scott took a protective stance directly in front of him. Dillon smirked, thinking he’d found another angle of attack.
“What are you, Truman, the over-protective boyfriend?” Dillon turned his taunts on Scott. At least he’d backed off Ziggy. Scott wouldn’t let him get the upper hand. He stood up straight and held his head high.
“Yeah, I am. Now leave him alone.” A glass shattered to his left. Flynn had dropped his smoothie and it broke on the counter. A gasp echoed around the room. Nobody had quite been expecting that.
“What?” Dillon whispered in disbelief. His entire demeanour changed.
“You heard me.” Scott took a step back towards Ziggy and reached behind him. Ziggy took the hint and shuffled towards him, grasping at his hand and entwining their fingers. Dillon slowly stood up straight and lowered his fists, staring at them. The anger rushed out of him and he suddenly looked very lost and hurt.
“Ziggy?” he asked quietly, eyes locked on Ziggy’s for confirmation. Scott looked between the two and Ziggy shifted a little closer before nodding in affirmation. Dillon’s face twisted in visible pain and Scott was surprised to see the glint of tears in his eyes. Dillon shook his head in disbelief and turned away, running his hands through his hair while making a little keening noise in the back of his throat. Scott took a step forward, away from Ziggy, and reached out a hand. Before he knew what was happening, Dillon turned around and knocked him flat on the floor with a swift punch to his jaw.
Ziggy knelt down quickly, clinging tightly to keep him sitting upright. Summer was at his other side in a flash and he saw a blur of blue as Flynn launched over the counter to stand in front of him, blocking him from any further attack. It wasn’t necessary though. Dillon had turned and stomped to the Fury, peeling away from the garage and everything he’d just been confronted with.
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Scott rested back on the couch, a bag of frozen peas on his jaw. Summer was on his left holding his hand. She kept apologizing. Ziggy was curled into his right side, twirling Scott’s curls around his fingers. When the pain subsided from a pounding throb to a dull ache, Scott lifted his head and tipped the bag of peas into his right hand.
“Summer, your boyfriend has some issues,” he moaned. She squeezed his hand.
“I think my soon to be ex boyfriend is in love with your boyfriend. I’m sorry,” she said. Scott released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, allowing her to curl into him just like Ziggy had.
“I’m sorry, Summer. I know it hurts.” Ziggy said. He didn’t stop twirling Scott’s hair and he tried to focus on that feeling instead of the ache in his jaw.
“I think once he confronts it, he’ll feel better. I just don’t think I can be with somebody who’s in love with somebody else,” she hummed. Scott and Ziggy exchanged a guilty look.
“If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.” Scott said, repeating Ziggy’s assessment of their situation with their first kiss. They smiled, but Summer looked aghast.
“I don’t think I could do that. I’d rather strive for real love than pretend.” She sounded horrified. Ziggy tugged on a curl.
“It can become real love.” Ziggy said. Scott dropped the peas in his lap and turned slightly to look at Ziggy. He was careful not to shift Summer too much. They had new information now. Things needed to be readdressed.
“We know how he feels about you now. If you want to go to him, I won’t hold you back,” he said. He held his breath waiting for an answer. He didn’t want to let Ziggy go, but the only reason they’d gotten so close was because Ziggy loved Dillon and they thought that was it. Now they knew better.
Ziggy was quiet and wouldn’t look him in the eyes. Scott’s heart skipped a beat.
“He had his chance. I won’t lie and say part of me doesn’t still love him. But I found somebody who appreciates me. I’m happy. I want to stay, if you’ll have me.” Scott let out a huge sigh of relief. Ignoring the pain, he bent down and kissed Ziggy. He felt Ziggy reach around him and grab for Summer’s hand.
“Aw, you guys!” she exclaimed. Scott felt her hand, clinging tightly to Ziggy’s, fall into his lap next to the cold peas. Scott released Ziggy’s mouth and smiled down at them both. Ziggy leaned over him and kissed Summer on top of her head.
“Hang with us, Summer. You’ll be okay.” Scott laughed heartily. They’d all be alright this time.
Title: Love The One You're With
Fandom: Power Rangers RPM
Pairing: Scott/Ziggy
Summary: Scott and Ziggy bond over the unrequited love they feel for others. They find themselves growing closer than either ever could have expected.
sequel to The Only Education Worth Having. You don't have to read that one first to understand this one, but it might help for reference.
Rating: G
Warnings: brief and minor mention of child abuse, no details... somewhat angsty, then sappy
Disclaimer: Not mine, alas.
Scott pounded his fists into the bag. He should be wearing gloves. He knew he should. His knuckles would be torn to shreds without the gloves if he didn’t stop soon. But he was so angry. Jealousy raged through him and if he couldn’t punch Dillon in that smug unobservant little face, he could work out the emotions on the punching bag. Even if it did destroy his hands.
“They’re not worth it, y’know,” a voice drawled behind him. He stopped punching and rested against the bag. It moved under his weight so he hugged it to hold it still. Ziggy was leaning in the doorway.
“Excuse me?” he asked. Ziggy smirked.
“They. Are not. Worth it,” he said, annunciating every word with random punctuation.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Scott replied, forcing confusion on his face. He knew exactly what Ziggy was talking about, and he knew Ziggy knew it, but maybe Ziggy would play along anyway. It would be so much easier that way.
“Summer and Dillon. This makes how many dates? Four? Five? You’re going to ruin your hands over them and they’re just not worth it.” Scott looked down at his hands still clenched tightly in fists. The knuckles were already cracking, bruised and sore.
“It’s nothing,” he tried as an excuse. Ziggy clearly didn’t believe him, the impertinent little bastard with his overly tight pants and thin little smirk.
“You are feeling the same anger and pain I am. Don’t lie, I know you are.”
“I’m just training, Zig,” he said, standing up straight. Sweat trickled down the side of his face and he absently wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He couldn’t help the hiss that escaped when the salty sweat brushed against the split skin of his knuckles. Ziggy was at his side in an instant, pulling at his hand until Scott relented and just let him tug it up to examine it. He clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“C’mon. Stop injuring yourself and come with me.” Ziggy tugged him towards the door and he stumbled under the unexpected force of the pull. Ziggy was stronger than he looked.
“Where are we going?” he asked. Ziggy didn’t let go of his hand.
“Out. Just you and me.” He turned and sniffed at Scott’s sweaty form. “Okay, shower first. Then out. I’ll buy us ice cream and we can wallow in our mutual self pity. It’ll make us feel better.” Scott suppressed the giggle but couldn’t hold back the smile. Okay. He’d go along with it. He wasn’t one to turn down free ice cream, after all.
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It had been a month. An entire long, agonizing, depressing, nauseatingly sappy month. Summer and Dillon now had regular date nights. At first it was every Friday night. Then they moved it to every Wednesday night. Then it became every Wednesday and Friday. And for every date they had, Ziggy dragged Scott out somewhere. Sometimes they had ice cream, like that first night, letting the creamy sweetness act as a balm to their wounded egos. Sometimes they had pizza and refused to talk about why they were out. Sometimes they went to a movie just to try and forget it altogether. Occasionally they’d just wander the park together, ranting and raving, or making jokes until the other was doubled over in tears from laughing so hard.
The first date night had gone so well that Ziggy had sworn they’d do it every night Summer and Dillon did. He’d taken to calling them anti-dates. They weren’t dating, and they weren’t dating their respective objects of lust, but they were going out on what most people would consider dates. But it wasn’t a date. It was an anti-date. Scott was secretly glad they kept it up. At first Ziggy had to drag him out, but after awhile he had started to enjoy their time together. He was even beginning to look forward to them.
He had really grown very close to Ziggy over the past month. Surprisingly close. Of all the people on his team to form a bond with, Ziggy was the last one he would have guessed. But they got along amazingly well. They were good friends. Ziggy knew how to cheer him up when nobody else could. Ziggy intuitively knew what he needed, be it comedy or silent companionship. Ziggy just knew. Scott was still kind of amazed by how well things were going for them.
And tonight was the night he was really looking forward to, had been all week. Tonight was going to be new and exciting, a first for both of them. He’d spent hours planning, even longer getting ready. He’d made sure everything was perfect from his hair right down to his clothes. It was going to be brilliant.
“So where are ya takin him tonight, Ziggy?” Scott overheard Flynn ask. He was just coming downstairs and stumbled into their conversation. Flynn was leaning against his Hummer while Ziggy waited over by Scott’s car. He’d dressed up, too.
“We’re going to try that little seafood place down by the beach.” Ziggy replied, the excitement evident in his voice. Scott was glad to know Ziggy really was looking forward to it, too.
“Och, you’ll have to let me know how it is, yeah? I was thinking of taking Gemma for a date there myself.”
“I’ll let you know. Don’t know about the date thing though.” Ziggy rubbed his chin in contemplation and Scott would have laughed if it wouldn’t have interrupted them.
“Innit a date, of sorts?” Flynn asked. He seemed genuinely curious, though Scott wasn’t sure where it was coming from. He thought it was pretty obvious why he and Ziggy left base every time Summer and Dillon did.
“No, it’s an anti-date.” Ziggy winked at Flynn as he noticed Scott come around the cars. Flynn opened his mouth, but Scott spoke before he had a chance.
“Ready to go?” Scott asked. Ziggy nodded, a wide smile spreading across his face. He slid into the passenger seat as Scott flipped his keys, walking around to the driver’s seat. He waved goodbye to Flynn and headed out, unable to wipe his own smile off his face.
“I’ve been wanting to try this place for awhile now. Thanks for going with me,” Ziggy said. Scott chanced a quick glance off the road and over at his passenger. Ziggy was sitting sideways in the seat, just watching him. His hair had been tamed into something that resembled waves and it hung around his face in little flyaway wisps. He was wearing a pair of dress slacks and a shirt that was two sizes too big. It billowed in all the wrong places, only serving to make Ziggy look even scrawnier than he already was.
“I love seafood. This is a great place for our anti-date night.” Scott was surprised at just how excited he really was. He’d washed his car so it’d look especially nice. He’d taken a long shower, shaved, even had his best suit dry-cleaned just for tonight. They’d been planning it for a week. Ziggy hummed noncommittally and Scott wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but they were pulling into the parking lot.
It didn’t take long to get a table. The place was dimly lit and not very crowded, so the atmosphere was very intimate, very personal. Scott was starting to doubt the not-a-date line they kept giving the others. They didn’t talk about Summer or Dillon, but they didn’t talk about much of substance either. Scott found himself wanting to change that, wanting to know more, but dinner was over far too soon. They needed someplace private, but spacious.
“Want to go for a walk on the beach? It’s still early,” he suggested. Ziggy nodded and, after paying the bill, they headed around the back of the building. Ziggy tugged at his shirt for about the millionth time that evening and Scott stopped him before they left the parking lot.
“Bothering you?” he asked.
“It doesn’t fit. I had to borrow it from Gem. He’s the closest to my size but...” Ziggy pulled on the sleeves. Even borrowing from the next smallest male on the team, the shirt didn’t come close to fitting. Scott reached over and fingered a button, popping the top two open with one hand.
“Take it off. Leave it in the car.” Ziggy didn’t protest, just stripped the shirt off and tossed it in the passenger seat. Before he even knew what he was doing, Scott found himself smoothing the wrinkles in Ziggy’s tight undershirt. He smoothed the shoulders and then gently tugged at the sides, pulling down near Ziggy’s waist. His skin burned pleasantly whenever he touched Ziggy and he was surprised to find he didn’t want to stop. Ziggy was breathing hard though, his pupils dilating wide, and it made Scott jump back. He tried not to think about what that meant.
They were quiet at first, just walking side by side and listening to the waves crash against the sand. Scott kept chancing glances over at Ziggy before looking back down at the sand. Ziggy had his hands shoved in his pockets and he seemed lost in thought. Scott didn’t disturb him, though there were a million questions he wanted to ask.
“Scott? What was it like for you, before all this, before Venjix and the end of the world? What was it like growing up?” he finally asked. It wasn’t quite what Scott had expected, but he’d go with it.
“It was kind of rough. Dad’s so military, y’know? Always has been. We moved around a lot before coming here, so that was rough. Never any friends, really. Dad and I butted heads a lot. Mom was good at keeping the peace, but she died when I was seven. I can barely remember her, just a voice really, and her scent. Anyway, after she was gone it was just Dad, Marcus, and me. Marcus became our peacemaker until. Well. Now it’s just Dad and me.” Scott had never really talked about his mom. He didn’t necessarily hold back the information, but he didn’t volunteer it either. It still hurt all these years later, but he wanted to tell Ziggy. He wanted Ziggy to know.
“What about you, Zig? What was your childhood like?” Ziggy shrugged a little and Scott wasn’t sure he was going to answer at all, but he finally spoke. He was so quiet though, Scott had to slow down and move closer just to hear.
“Lonely. And crowded at the same time. I spent most of it in an orphanage. St. Hedwig’s Home for Orphaned and Abandoned Children. The only place left that would take the rejects, the undesirables, the kids nobody else wanted. We lived in the abject poverty the government was gracious enough to give us.” Ziggy laughed in bitter defeat, his voice thick with sarcasm. He ran a hand down the front of his white undershirt, noting the lack of dress clothes. “I’m used to not ever having anything.”
“But… you’ve talked about your grandmother. She used to knit.” Scott was confused. He knew Ziggy had talked about his grandmother. He was sure of it. He’d catalogued it away in his brain since it was so rare Ziggy said anything that was actually meaningful or personal.
“I… made her up. I wanted to have a real family that loved me, but all I ever had was my mom. So I made up people. Then the state took me away.” Scott was floored. Everything he knew about Ziggy, and admittedly it wasn’t much, was being turned on its head right now. His mind was running just to keep up, to reconcile it all.
“Do you remember your mother?” he asked quietly. Ziggy wouldn’t look at him. He stopped walking and stared out at the ocean, his eyes far away from the beach they currently stood on. Scott reached out and squeezed Ziggy’s shoulder in reassurance. He was surprised to feel the smaller man trembling under his touch.
“I remember her. She was angry, when she was there at all. I don’t remember smiling or laughter and the only smell I can remember from her is alcohol and cigarettes. I remember being alone. I remember being hungry. But the pain. Mostly I just remember the pain.” Ziggy screwed his eyes shut tight and took a shuttering breath. Scott just stood, holding tight, hoping to anchor him.
“No child should ever have to feel what I felt. No child should ever have to go through that. I wanted to save them all.” He looked at Scott with wild eyes, eyes full of pain and desperation, and things suddenly clicked into place in Scott’s mind. He understood now. Ziggy finally made sense. All the seeming contradictions righted themselves. The time spent in jail and the charity events. The arrests and handcuffs and rap sheet, breaking the law over and over again, and yet still seeming so innocent. Joining the cartels and then just giving away all the medical supplies. Everything Ziggy did had seemed one big contradiction after another, but now. Now it made sense.
“That’s why you joined the cartels.” Scott whispered. Ziggy nodded and Scott slid his hand down Ziggy’s arm to rest at the small of his back. Ziggy stopped trembling and leaned back, almost imperceptibly, into the touch.
“I’ve never told anybody that,” he said, exhaling in a forceful rush as if he’d been holding his breath.
“Not even Dillon?” Scott asked. He was surprised. Ziggy and Dillon told each other everything.
“Not even Dillon.” Scott took that small nugget and held it close. Ziggy told him something that even Dillon didn’t know. It was special. It was sacred. It was a little piece of knowledge and he was going to cherish it. Ziggy reached out and took Scott’s hand in his own. They walked in silence for another half an hour, hand in hand.
At the car, Scott steeled himself for what he wanted to do. He was pretty sure, based on Ziggy’s reactions earlier, it would be welcome. But he wasn’t sure he was quite ready to admit it himself. Ziggy had long ago accepted his attraction to other men, that much was obvious months prior when Scott had accidentally stumbled upon him late at night, pining for Dillon. But Scott was just coming to the realization that men could be just as enticing as women, or at least that Ziggy could. It was difficult.
Ziggy stood by the passenger door, waiting for Scott to unlock it, but Scott just stared at him. Ziggy opened his mouth to ask what was wrong and that’s when Scott took his chance. If he didn’t do it now he might never get the courage to try again. He dove in and captured Ziggy’s lips in a kiss. It was quick, it was sloppy, and it was far from romantic. Ziggy was too surprised to react in time to kiss back and Scott was too nervous to really do it right, but it was a kiss all the same. When he pulled back, Ziggy blinked at him a few times as a blush rose up his cheeks, adding some colour to that pale skin.
“What was that for?” Ziggy finally asked. Scott shifted from foot to foot suddenly feeling like an inexperienced teenager.
“Thought it might be welcome?” He hadn’t meant it as a question. Ziggy smiled.
“If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with?” Ziggy asked. Scott smirked.
“Something like that.” Ziggy chuckled and leant forward, carefully catching Scott in a slower, better planned kiss. Scott slid his tongue through the space Ziggy left with open lips and closed his eyes. Ziggy reached up and tangled his hands in Scott’s curly hair. It felt like a bolt of electricity running through his skin at every spot Ziggy let his fingers linger. The kiss, the touches, it was intoxicating. This could definitely work.
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Summer and Dillon dropped a date night. Things seemed tense between them, but they still went out sometimes, still spent time together, and tried to regain that mushy sap from the beginning of their relationship.
Scott and Ziggy didn’t drop a night. They added a third anti-date night a week instead, choosing to leave the garage on Sundays as well. Only they didn’t go out for dinner or dessert or movies. Ziggy took Scott to the Corinth orphanage every Sunday night. Ziggy took Scott to meet the woman who raised him, Nurse Valentine, who now ran the only orphanage in Corinth. Scott’s heart ached at how overcrowded it was there.
He knew things were different between them now. Something had shifted. Something had changed. Ziggy spent time with Colonel Truman without trembling in fear. He’d even seen Scott’s baby pictures. Scott had heard all the sordid details of Ziggy’s rather colourful past in Nurse Valentine’s care. She approved of him, saying he’d be a good influence on “her wayward boy” and something inside Scott had melted at the thought. He’d smiled for days afterward. The relationship was no longer one of mutual self pity, wasn’t comfort in the face of love lost anymore. They’d suffered the pain of the only education worth having, and in doing so, had found each other.
Scott began gravitating towards Ziggy during any free down time, not just during their anti-date nights. They laughed, they talked, and sometimes they just sat together in comfortable silence. Despite his reticence at being physically affectionate in front of the others, he found it so difficult at times to not touch Ziggy that he just gave in to little touches, nudges, here and there. Nobody said a word about it. They were closer than ever and Scott found himself thinking less often of Summer and more often of Ziggy. Ziggy rarely, if ever, spent time with Dillon. They didn’t even talk about them anymore.
It was that, and that alone, which seemed to be the root cause of the problems between Summer and Dillon. He was testy, angry, and frustrated. Summer would come crying to Scott for comfort. She didn’t understand why Dillon was so short tempered lately, and Scott was pretty sure Dillon didn’t understand it either. But he knew. He got it. Ziggy found somebody else, had moved on, and Dillon wasn’t handling it well.
It all came crashing to a head one afternoon. He wasn’t even doing anything in particular, but he could hear them all the way through to the training room. The voices were muffled, but there was obvious yelling. He grabbed his towel and headed towards the main bay of the garage. If his team members were fighting, he needed to stop it.
He was shocked at what he found. Everybody, literally everybody, was standing around just staring. Summer was backed against Flynn’s Hummer like a deer caught in headlights. She was closest, like she’d tried to grab Dillon and pull him away at some point. Dr. K was in the door to her lab, her mouth hanging open. Gem and Gemma were leaning over the balcony with a bird’s eye view and even Flynn was in the kitchen, a smoothie in his hand but forgotten in the shock.
Dillon and Ziggy were in the middle of the room, the center of attention. Dillon was taunting him, taking out all his confusion and frustration on Ziggy. This wasn’t the playful banter Ziggy had put up with before. This was downright cruel, meant to hurt. And Ziggy wasn’t sitting back and taking it any longer. Ziggy was yelling, screaming really, at Dillon. Ziggy never yelled like that. He never raised his voice in anger. Scott knew he was terrified to get angry, afraid of what he would do if he lost his temper because of his family history. He could see Ziggy trembling. Scott stepped forward and put his hands on Dillon’s chest trying to distract him, to get him to back off.
“Calm down, guys. What’s going on?” he asked. He could hear Ziggy panting behind him, but he fixed his eyes on Dillon instead.
“Stay out of it, Truman.” Dillon said through gritted teeth, eyes never leaving Ziggy. He was so angry; it was evident in the way he held himself, the tense muscles, but especially in the flash of his eyes.
“It’s okay, Scott. I got it.” Ziggy’s voice wavered and Scott was overcome with the need to protect him.
“No, it’s not okay. Let’s talk this out like adults, okay?” he said. He’d just turned to look at Ziggy when Dillon spoke again.
“What, no Mommy to save you, so you have to rely on Big Bad Red instead?” Ziggy flinched, the words cutting deep. Of all the things about Ziggy to attack. Scott saw red. He turned to Dillon and pushed him. Hard. He stumbled back towards Summer, who now just looked terrified of everything. She jumped out of the way, unwilling to catch him.
“That was uncalled for, Dillon,” he said. Dillon shifted into a defensive stance.
“Not your concern, Scott. Now back off.”
“It is my concern. You need to stand down and go cool off. We can talk about it when you’re calmer.” Ziggy hadn’t said a word, and Scott took a protective stance directly in front of him. Dillon smirked, thinking he’d found another angle of attack.
“What are you, Truman, the over-protective boyfriend?” Dillon turned his taunts on Scott. At least he’d backed off Ziggy. Scott wouldn’t let him get the upper hand. He stood up straight and held his head high.
“Yeah, I am. Now leave him alone.” A glass shattered to his left. Flynn had dropped his smoothie and it broke on the counter. A gasp echoed around the room. Nobody had quite been expecting that.
“What?” Dillon whispered in disbelief. His entire demeanour changed.
“You heard me.” Scott took a step back towards Ziggy and reached behind him. Ziggy took the hint and shuffled towards him, grasping at his hand and entwining their fingers. Dillon slowly stood up straight and lowered his fists, staring at them. The anger rushed out of him and he suddenly looked very lost and hurt.
“Ziggy?” he asked quietly, eyes locked on Ziggy’s for confirmation. Scott looked between the two and Ziggy shifted a little closer before nodding in affirmation. Dillon’s face twisted in visible pain and Scott was surprised to see the glint of tears in his eyes. Dillon shook his head in disbelief and turned away, running his hands through his hair while making a little keening noise in the back of his throat. Scott took a step forward, away from Ziggy, and reached out a hand. Before he knew what was happening, Dillon turned around and knocked him flat on the floor with a swift punch to his jaw.
Ziggy knelt down quickly, clinging tightly to keep him sitting upright. Summer was at his other side in a flash and he saw a blur of blue as Flynn launched over the counter to stand in front of him, blocking him from any further attack. It wasn’t necessary though. Dillon had turned and stomped to the Fury, peeling away from the garage and everything he’d just been confronted with.
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Scott rested back on the couch, a bag of frozen peas on his jaw. Summer was on his left holding his hand. She kept apologizing. Ziggy was curled into his right side, twirling Scott’s curls around his fingers. When the pain subsided from a pounding throb to a dull ache, Scott lifted his head and tipped the bag of peas into his right hand.
“Summer, your boyfriend has some issues,” he moaned. She squeezed his hand.
“I think my soon to be ex boyfriend is in love with your boyfriend. I’m sorry,” she said. Scott released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, allowing her to curl into him just like Ziggy had.
“I’m sorry, Summer. I know it hurts.” Ziggy said. He didn’t stop twirling Scott’s hair and he tried to focus on that feeling instead of the ache in his jaw.
“I think once he confronts it, he’ll feel better. I just don’t think I can be with somebody who’s in love with somebody else,” she hummed. Scott and Ziggy exchanged a guilty look.
“If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.” Scott said, repeating Ziggy’s assessment of their situation with their first kiss. They smiled, but Summer looked aghast.
“I don’t think I could do that. I’d rather strive for real love than pretend.” She sounded horrified. Ziggy tugged on a curl.
“It can become real love.” Ziggy said. Scott dropped the peas in his lap and turned slightly to look at Ziggy. He was careful not to shift Summer too much. They had new information now. Things needed to be readdressed.
“We know how he feels about you now. If you want to go to him, I won’t hold you back,” he said. He held his breath waiting for an answer. He didn’t want to let Ziggy go, but the only reason they’d gotten so close was because Ziggy loved Dillon and they thought that was it. Now they knew better.
Ziggy was quiet and wouldn’t look him in the eyes. Scott’s heart skipped a beat.
“He had his chance. I won’t lie and say part of me doesn’t still love him. But I found somebody who appreciates me. I’m happy. I want to stay, if you’ll have me.” Scott let out a huge sigh of relief. Ignoring the pain, he bent down and kissed Ziggy. He felt Ziggy reach around him and grab for Summer’s hand.
“Aw, you guys!” she exclaimed. Scott felt her hand, clinging tightly to Ziggy’s, fall into his lap next to the cold peas. Scott released Ziggy’s mouth and smiled down at them both. Ziggy leaned over him and kissed Summer on top of her head.
“Hang with us, Summer. You’ll be okay.” Scott laughed heartily. They’d all be alright this time.