30_ways fic: "Empathy", G, gen/fluff
Title: Empathy
Author: Mary (shurimon & shurifanstuffs on Livejournal)
Fandom & Pairing: Power Rangers SPD, Bridge/Sky
Theme: #29 See The World My Way
Rating: G
Summary: After a freak accident causes the Rangers to have each others' genetic powers, Sky sees firsthand just how difficult it can be to be Bridge.
Disclaimer/Author's Notes/Spoiler Warning: The idea that Bridge was seen as possibly autistic when he was a baby came (to me, at least) from kikos_ai.
None of the Rangers noticed anything was wrong until they demorphed after confining yet another alien criminal that day.
It all started when Sky, upon demorphing, suddenly turned pale, blubbered a little, and hid in a corner of Delta Command, cramming his hands into his jacket pockets. Jack was about to ask him what was wrong when he sneezed, and there were suddenly two Jacks standing there. It soon became quite apparent what had happened when the others attempted to use their own powers. Syd found herself able to make a force field instead of her usual ability; Z walked right through the center computer console; and Bridge took a glove off, grabbed the little piece of iron from Syd's belt, and nearly overbalanced when he swung his heavy iron fist.
"That alien you were just fighting must have switched your genetic powers around somehow," Kat theorized, sounding amused at the idea as she watched them.
"I wondered what that energy blast he kept hitting us with was doing," said one Jack.
"Yeah, all it did was make me feel a little tingly," said the second one. "How could it have switched our powers around if they're in our genes, though...?"
"Could we stop wondering how it happened and concentrate on finding a way to make us go back to normal, please?" Sky interrupted, his voice hoarse. "I... I got Bridge's powers-"
"-and you're not used to them," finished Bridge kindly, handing Sky his beloved leather gloves. "Here, you're definitely going to want to wear these." Sky looked dubious, but he slipped them on, and immediately looked relieved.
"All of you go to the rec room and stay there," Commander Cruger ordered them after a whispered conversation with Kat. "It could be dangerous for you to be around others with powers you are not used to. Close the door, and I'll send out word that nobody is to disturb you. Miss Manx and I will interrogate the prisoner and see if there is a way to change you back."
When the Rangers had complied, shutting themselves in the rec room, Sky retreated to a corner once more and watched his teammates, all of whom seemed excited about having new powers, if only temporarily. Jack promptly attached signs to the backs of each of his selves, proclaiming himself to be "Jack 1" and "Jack 2". Z kept sinking into the walls and popping out unexpectedly, attempting to scare the others. Syd made a mockery of Sky's usual closed-off behavior, punctuated with making shields of various sizes, which the others couldn't penetrate. Bridge (Sky observed with an odd pang of guilt and sadness inside his chest) was marveling at simply being able to touch things with his bare hands, not needing gloves.
For his part, Sky had no idea what to do with himself, as he was not excited by the idea of experimenting with Bridge's powers. He'd nearly fainted upon demorphing and seeing everything around him surrounded by eerie, swirling colors of every shade and variation imaginable... ghostly images of events, people, things, passing by in front of his eyes... and the feeling that others were trying to intrude upon his mind, clamoring, a jumbled, disjointed mix of voices that he heard as distantly as if they were playing on a badly-tuned radio. The gloves helped, but didn't seem to shut out everything entirely.
"It's not easy, is it?" Sky jumped when Bridge addressed him, startled from his thoughts. "Not being able to touch ANYTHING without a barrier in-between your skin and the world," Bridge went on, sitting down next to him. "Seeing- feeling so much when you take that barrier away. Maybe even things you don't want to." Sky felt another sad pang in his chest at the slight bitterness in his friend's voice. He could only speculate what would occur with actual physical contact without the gloves, and wasn't going to try and find out. He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat.
"I... I don't really know what to say," he admitted.
"My mama told me a few years ago that before she found out about my powers, she thought I was autistic. I took forever to learn how to talk... shied away from touching things... especially other people," Bridge plowed on, ignoring Sky's discomfort... perhaps without his powers, it wasn't so obvious... or maybe, he realized, Bridge had been waiting to spit this out for a while, but had never found a good opportunity to. "But the real reason was I couldn't find ways to describe things and express myself with words rather than feelings. And, of course, touching people made me see and feel a lot of things I couldn't understand. It was simply by accident that we found out that wearing gloves helps suppress my powers, too- thankfully when I was still young. And it was years before I figured out most of what I could do with them, and developed fine control. Being used to them helps, of course. My mind seemed to work to build up mental barriers and... ways to cope on its own. I don't get overwhelmed when I have to take my gloves off, because my mind can process everything, block out whatever I don't need." Sky stared at him, shocked at all of this new information.
It makes sense, though, he thought. Of course he's had these ever since he was born. Just like I would unintentionally make shields when I was a toddler and threw temper tantrums.
"Why did you tell me this?" Sky finally asked, and Bridge shrugged.
"I guess I did because I'm hoping that since you've gotten a small glimpse of what it's like to be me, then you'll be able to understand me better. And, you know, won't be so quick to make fun of me or reject what my powers make me see." Bridge's voice was easy, his smile light, but Sky thought he could feel tinges of all sorts of emotions from him, too- anger, hurt, hope, relief- and wondered if it was the powers or just his own imagination.
"I'm sorry, Bridge," Sky finally mumbled. "For... well, everything I've ever said to you..."
"It's okay, really," said Bridge. "Describing what my powers are like isn't the same as actually having them, so I never did expect any of you to truly empathize with me or get the way I think and act. Honestly, I can see how I'd be a frustrating person to figure out. I think it's impossible to understand me unless you're me, in other words. And if you were me, then I'd be you, and we wouldn't really know the difference, would we, because I'd be you and you'd be me and maybe we would never know what it was like to be the other..." Bridge grinned at the look Sky gave him. "Even with a power switch, you're still the old Sky. ...I don't think I'd like you any other way." Sky raised an eyebrow, but Bridge's grin merely widened. "Hmm... I've always wondered. What else can Syd's powers absorb besides iron and stuff?" With that, he stood up, walking across the room to try absorbing the sandwich Jack 2 had just made in the synthesizer with his hands. Sky merely shook his head and didn't watch.
Switching their powers back turned out to be a big hassle... because, while the alien criminal was willing to change them back when promised a reduced sentence, the power switches were quite random. It took more than an hour before everyone was back with their proper powers, and the Rangers were sent off to bed, chatting excitedly about the short time they'd been switched... all except Sky, whose conversation with Bridge and time spent with his powers had left him with a lot to think about.
In the days following, the others noticed a big change in Sky. No longer was he so quick to question, argue with, and downright insult his fellow cadets. He could also be seen telling others off when they started to poke fun at or became frustrated with Bridge's rambling way of speaking and thinking, telling them to at least try and see things from his perspective. Sky would gruffly brush them off whenever they asked why he'd started behaving this way, however.
"It's empathy," said Bridge wisely to Jack, Z and Syd as the four ate dinner together about a week after the incident. "I guess he got an overload when he had my powers."
"Wonder if that alien would be willing to switch again so he can become even more tolerable?" Jack joked, and the others all groaned aloud in response.
"No thanks," said Z. "What if he got my powers this time? Can you imagine two Skys?" Jack made a face and shook his head, Bridge and Syd laughed, and the subject changed. When the friends had gone their separate ways, Bridge went to look for Sky, as he'd never shown up to the meal; indeed, he'd been very scarce all day, and when the others had seen him, he'd looked lost in contemplation. Bridge asked around and scoured the whole base, finally finding Sky in a small conference/sitting room near the top. It was a good place to go to be alone, as its location was pretty out-of-the-way, so it was rarely occupied.
"Hey," said Bridge, and Sky, who'd pulled a chair up to the wall of windows along one side of the room, glanced over his shoulder and gave a tiny smile.
"Hey."
"What are you doing all the way up here?" Bridge questioned, grabbing a chair and sitting alongside Sky, relieved that his friend didn't move to get up, as it meant he was ready for company.
"Thinking."
"About what?" Bridge prodded.
"About... about when I had your powers," said Sky, and Bridge looked at him, silently inviting him to go on. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since it happened. It really made me take a good, long, hard look at my attitude and the way I treat people, especially you. I've been trying to be nicer since then."
"We've noticed," said Bridge quietly, smiling softly. "It suits you better, believe me."
"Really?" Sky asked, raising an eyebrow and returning the smile. "...I think so, too. I mean, we've been a team for months now, and there's really no reason for me to keep distancing myself from you guys and treating you like you're... well, anything but my friends. And you like you're anything but my best friend."
"No, there isn't," Bridge agreed. "...I'm glad you see that."
"...Yeah." The two watched the slowly-setting sun in silence for quite a while. Bridge secretly slipped a glove off and could feel a strong sense of contentment and peace radiating from Sky. Then, without even really thinking about what he was doing, he grabbed Sky's hand to hold it. The Blue Ranger didn't flinch, or even look down, instead returning the gesture.
It was dark before the two made the trek back to their dorm room, ignoring the noises of surprise and delighted coos from Jack, Syd and Z as they passed through the rec room, still holding hands. They broke apart to get ready for sleep in their own beds... but, Bridge thought as slumber consumed him a few minutes later, maybe that wouldn't last too much longer.
Stranger things had happened.
(crossposted to 30_ways)
Author: Mary (shurimon & shurifanstuffs on Livejournal)
Fandom & Pairing: Power Rangers SPD, Bridge/Sky
Theme: #29 See The World My Way
Rating: G
Summary: After a freak accident causes the Rangers to have each others' genetic powers, Sky sees firsthand just how difficult it can be to be Bridge.
Disclaimer/Author's Notes/Spoiler Warning: The idea that Bridge was seen as possibly autistic when he was a baby came (to me, at least) from kikos_ai.
None of the Rangers noticed anything was wrong until they demorphed after confining yet another alien criminal that day.
It all started when Sky, upon demorphing, suddenly turned pale, blubbered a little, and hid in a corner of Delta Command, cramming his hands into his jacket pockets. Jack was about to ask him what was wrong when he sneezed, and there were suddenly two Jacks standing there. It soon became quite apparent what had happened when the others attempted to use their own powers. Syd found herself able to make a force field instead of her usual ability; Z walked right through the center computer console; and Bridge took a glove off, grabbed the little piece of iron from Syd's belt, and nearly overbalanced when he swung his heavy iron fist.
"That alien you were just fighting must have switched your genetic powers around somehow," Kat theorized, sounding amused at the idea as she watched them.
"I wondered what that energy blast he kept hitting us with was doing," said one Jack.
"Yeah, all it did was make me feel a little tingly," said the second one. "How could it have switched our powers around if they're in our genes, though...?"
"Could we stop wondering how it happened and concentrate on finding a way to make us go back to normal, please?" Sky interrupted, his voice hoarse. "I... I got Bridge's powers-"
"-and you're not used to them," finished Bridge kindly, handing Sky his beloved leather gloves. "Here, you're definitely going to want to wear these." Sky looked dubious, but he slipped them on, and immediately looked relieved.
"All of you go to the rec room and stay there," Commander Cruger ordered them after a whispered conversation with Kat. "It could be dangerous for you to be around others with powers you are not used to. Close the door, and I'll send out word that nobody is to disturb you. Miss Manx and I will interrogate the prisoner and see if there is a way to change you back."
When the Rangers had complied, shutting themselves in the rec room, Sky retreated to a corner once more and watched his teammates, all of whom seemed excited about having new powers, if only temporarily. Jack promptly attached signs to the backs of each of his selves, proclaiming himself to be "Jack 1" and "Jack 2". Z kept sinking into the walls and popping out unexpectedly, attempting to scare the others. Syd made a mockery of Sky's usual closed-off behavior, punctuated with making shields of various sizes, which the others couldn't penetrate. Bridge (Sky observed with an odd pang of guilt and sadness inside his chest) was marveling at simply being able to touch things with his bare hands, not needing gloves.
For his part, Sky had no idea what to do with himself, as he was not excited by the idea of experimenting with Bridge's powers. He'd nearly fainted upon demorphing and seeing everything around him surrounded by eerie, swirling colors of every shade and variation imaginable... ghostly images of events, people, things, passing by in front of his eyes... and the feeling that others were trying to intrude upon his mind, clamoring, a jumbled, disjointed mix of voices that he heard as distantly as if they were playing on a badly-tuned radio. The gloves helped, but didn't seem to shut out everything entirely.
"It's not easy, is it?" Sky jumped when Bridge addressed him, startled from his thoughts. "Not being able to touch ANYTHING without a barrier in-between your skin and the world," Bridge went on, sitting down next to him. "Seeing- feeling so much when you take that barrier away. Maybe even things you don't want to." Sky felt another sad pang in his chest at the slight bitterness in his friend's voice. He could only speculate what would occur with actual physical contact without the gloves, and wasn't going to try and find out. He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat.
"I... I don't really know what to say," he admitted.
"My mama told me a few years ago that before she found out about my powers, she thought I was autistic. I took forever to learn how to talk... shied away from touching things... especially other people," Bridge plowed on, ignoring Sky's discomfort... perhaps without his powers, it wasn't so obvious... or maybe, he realized, Bridge had been waiting to spit this out for a while, but had never found a good opportunity to. "But the real reason was I couldn't find ways to describe things and express myself with words rather than feelings. And, of course, touching people made me see and feel a lot of things I couldn't understand. It was simply by accident that we found out that wearing gloves helps suppress my powers, too- thankfully when I was still young. And it was years before I figured out most of what I could do with them, and developed fine control. Being used to them helps, of course. My mind seemed to work to build up mental barriers and... ways to cope on its own. I don't get overwhelmed when I have to take my gloves off, because my mind can process everything, block out whatever I don't need." Sky stared at him, shocked at all of this new information.
It makes sense, though, he thought. Of course he's had these ever since he was born. Just like I would unintentionally make shields when I was a toddler and threw temper tantrums.
"Why did you tell me this?" Sky finally asked, and Bridge shrugged.
"I guess I did because I'm hoping that since you've gotten a small glimpse of what it's like to be me, then you'll be able to understand me better. And, you know, won't be so quick to make fun of me or reject what my powers make me see." Bridge's voice was easy, his smile light, but Sky thought he could feel tinges of all sorts of emotions from him, too- anger, hurt, hope, relief- and wondered if it was the powers or just his own imagination.
"I'm sorry, Bridge," Sky finally mumbled. "For... well, everything I've ever said to you..."
"It's okay, really," said Bridge. "Describing what my powers are like isn't the same as actually having them, so I never did expect any of you to truly empathize with me or get the way I think and act. Honestly, I can see how I'd be a frustrating person to figure out. I think it's impossible to understand me unless you're me, in other words. And if you were me, then I'd be you, and we wouldn't really know the difference, would we, because I'd be you and you'd be me and maybe we would never know what it was like to be the other..." Bridge grinned at the look Sky gave him. "Even with a power switch, you're still the old Sky. ...I don't think I'd like you any other way." Sky raised an eyebrow, but Bridge's grin merely widened. "Hmm... I've always wondered. What else can Syd's powers absorb besides iron and stuff?" With that, he stood up, walking across the room to try absorbing the sandwich Jack 2 had just made in the synthesizer with his hands. Sky merely shook his head and didn't watch.
Switching their powers back turned out to be a big hassle... because, while the alien criminal was willing to change them back when promised a reduced sentence, the power switches were quite random. It took more than an hour before everyone was back with their proper powers, and the Rangers were sent off to bed, chatting excitedly about the short time they'd been switched... all except Sky, whose conversation with Bridge and time spent with his powers had left him with a lot to think about.
In the days following, the others noticed a big change in Sky. No longer was he so quick to question, argue with, and downright insult his fellow cadets. He could also be seen telling others off when they started to poke fun at or became frustrated with Bridge's rambling way of speaking and thinking, telling them to at least try and see things from his perspective. Sky would gruffly brush them off whenever they asked why he'd started behaving this way, however.
"It's empathy," said Bridge wisely to Jack, Z and Syd as the four ate dinner together about a week after the incident. "I guess he got an overload when he had my powers."
"Wonder if that alien would be willing to switch again so he can become even more tolerable?" Jack joked, and the others all groaned aloud in response.
"No thanks," said Z. "What if he got my powers this time? Can you imagine two Skys?" Jack made a face and shook his head, Bridge and Syd laughed, and the subject changed. When the friends had gone their separate ways, Bridge went to look for Sky, as he'd never shown up to the meal; indeed, he'd been very scarce all day, and when the others had seen him, he'd looked lost in contemplation. Bridge asked around and scoured the whole base, finally finding Sky in a small conference/sitting room near the top. It was a good place to go to be alone, as its location was pretty out-of-the-way, so it was rarely occupied.
"Hey," said Bridge, and Sky, who'd pulled a chair up to the wall of windows along one side of the room, glanced over his shoulder and gave a tiny smile.
"Hey."
"What are you doing all the way up here?" Bridge questioned, grabbing a chair and sitting alongside Sky, relieved that his friend didn't move to get up, as it meant he was ready for company.
"Thinking."
"About what?" Bridge prodded.
"About... about when I had your powers," said Sky, and Bridge looked at him, silently inviting him to go on. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since it happened. It really made me take a good, long, hard look at my attitude and the way I treat people, especially you. I've been trying to be nicer since then."
"We've noticed," said Bridge quietly, smiling softly. "It suits you better, believe me."
"Really?" Sky asked, raising an eyebrow and returning the smile. "...I think so, too. I mean, we've been a team for months now, and there's really no reason for me to keep distancing myself from you guys and treating you like you're... well, anything but my friends. And you like you're anything but my best friend."
"No, there isn't," Bridge agreed. "...I'm glad you see that."
"...Yeah." The two watched the slowly-setting sun in silence for quite a while. Bridge secretly slipped a glove off and could feel a strong sense of contentment and peace radiating from Sky. Then, without even really thinking about what he was doing, he grabbed Sky's hand to hold it. The Blue Ranger didn't flinch, or even look down, instead returning the gesture.
It was dark before the two made the trek back to their dorm room, ignoring the noises of surprise and delighted coos from Jack, Syd and Z as they passed through the rec room, still holding hands. They broke apart to get ready for sleep in their own beds... but, Bridge thought as slumber consumed him a few minutes later, maybe that wouldn't last too much longer.
Stranger things had happened.
(crossposted to 30_ways)