Have you thought of who would be a good fit for Casey at all? :0
Yes, I already have her ship planned and I'm pretty sure I've alluded to it in Once and Always, as well as hinted at it a few times in other posts I have on here
One of the main things I changed, for the story to make more sense, is when Av gets her power coin/becomes the orange ranger. It takes a little bit more time than the first version did
A/N: Took me long enough to answer this one, lol, according to tumblr you sent it in 2021. But we're here now so here you go! Lol Also, I immediately thought of a lighter piece of this ages ago, but when writing it now a bit more of a somber yet peaceful note took it's place. So it's a bit unorthodox of the usual thought of "encouragement" is.
A/N: I also didn't tag anyone in this because I'm going to tag them when I reblog it from my PR tumblr account.
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Avalon reached out and gently stroked her fingers across Billyâs cheek. Tender and affectionate. All the while she studied his relaxed face, relaxed after finally finally falling asleep. The worry had eased from between his eyebrows, the hashness of his jaw had lessened.
He breathed softly as he lay next to her, cheek pressed into the rolled back sleeve of his dress shirt. His tie had been discarded the moment he hit the front door after the service, immediately breaking away from his fatherâs grief to combat his own.
Sheâd simply followed Billy to his room, stretching out on the bed next to him, tucking her black dress around her knees. Briefly having the thought that it was strange to see herself and her brightly colored friends in the monochromatic dress code. As if Rita had finally found a way to pull the plug on their happiness and watch it swirl down the drain with glee.
Avalon tucked her body closer to Billyâs, watching as his eyelashes fluttered, eyes twitching beneath the lids. Something about REM sleep, Billyâd rattled off on a tangent about it once before, side-stepping their almost daily bickering of him drinking coffee as a breakfast and her staying up all night.
All at once, his eyes flew open and he sucked in a sharp breath, startling Avalon so badly in the moment that she nearly put her fist through his nose. Surprised to find her hand extended, Billy looked at her, working to take in deep, calming breaths.
Slowly, the blue ranger grasped her hand and pulled it forward, placing it against the fabric of his dress shirt, against his chest where his heart thudded; sprinting as fast as his wolf zord could pound the pavement.
Avalon looked at him expectantly, for once not having a smart thing to say to lighten the mood. Didnât have a snarky remark that would make him roll his eyes and laugh. It wouldnât have been the right time for it. Instead, she watched him, watched his dilated pupils shine with the tears that worked its way up as the seconds passed.
He pressed his larger hand over hers, holding it firmly against his chest.
She could feel him shaking.
He was scared, she realized.
The orange ranger moved closer to him, her breath over his face, his over hers. She leaned in. Her lips met his and his world was okay again, she could feel his heartbeat slow as his shoulders relaxed.
She pulled away and looked him in the eye, voice soothing and reassuring as she said, âIâm right here.â
Another point of my Avalon re-write is figuring out her relationships with the other rangers. A majority of it is the same in that she's still the same Av, but isn't nearly as aggressive as she was before. In terms of her relationship with Billy, the re-write version of Av is more vulnerable and soft toward him. Like, you get to see more moments on their friendship/leading up to the two "lone wolves" getting together that are sweet and really show their attraction to each other.
Still has moments of Av teasing Billy/making fun of him being "good"
âDo we⊠do we kiss now orâŠ?â Jayden/Bailey?
A/N: I got this back in 2019 and I'm only just responding to it. I suck, I know, lol. Also, I'm sort of cheating because it's my Happy New Year ficlet for them but fixed some dialogue...meaning I answer this before even remembering it was in my inbox! Lol, I'm so sorry!
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He was sure it was Emilyâs and Mikeâs idea to have the New Yearâs Eve party. Though he was sure Kevin, Mia, Antonio, and Lauren werenât too far behind. But it was definitely the yellow rangerâs idea.
She was always into things like that. As they had grown closer as a team, as a found family, she insisted on them celebrating every time they managed to defeat a Nighlock. And it was fun, something theyâd started shortly before their tenure as rangers ended. They celebrated Halloween and Christmas, but had never celebrated the New Year together, so why not start now?
Those were the exact words on the letter Jayden had received from Emily, two weeks before they were to arrive at his house. Why she hadnât just texted him, she wasnât sure. But knowing Emily, she wanted to honor the essence of the day by sending official invitations. As it was, Jayden was excited to see his team again. He, Lauren, and Antonio had been the only ones who stuck around Panorama City, and even then, Anotino and Lauren were almost constantly on some sort of fishing trip.
It was a weird match made in heaven, his best friend and sister getting together. But it made sense all the same. When Antonio wasnât spending his time training with Jayden, he was seen teasing Lauren and trying to get her attention. And Lauren, having had missed so much of life training as the true Samurai Red Ranger, was excited to be able to explore the world. It was a win-win, and the relationship they formed along the way seemed to be working out well for them. Antonio was his goofy self and Lauren laughed at all his jokes.
It was nice to see. And Jayden had seen it amongst the others as well, heâd always known Mike and Emily had a crush on each other since starting as rangers. He focused on his duties but wasnât blind. It was more a of a sense ofâŠcuriosity to see how they would get together. They always seemed to be a little too shy to say anything. Kevin and Mia were a little different, Kevin was so focused on his line of duty as the blue ranger that it seemed to not even occur to him that Mia was into him until he started to loosen up a little.
Even then, Mike had to be the one to spell it out for him. Jayden remembered the night of sitting in the room Mike and Kevin shared and how Kevinâs eyes had grown wide and the almost squeaked âWhat?â acme from the blue rangerâs mouth when Mike simply said, âDudeâŠyou know Mia likes you, right?â
So, Jayden wasnât surprised when he saw the ranger couples heading up to the house on the day they arrived. Mike had his arm draped over Emilyâs shoulders in that cool, nonchalant way that was simply Mike, Emily beaming at his side. (Though that couldâve been from the sheer excitement of seeing her friends again). Kevin and Mia were sweet, holding swinging hands between them as they strolled up to the house. And Antonio and Lauren brought up the rear, carrying fishing poles and laughing about something along the wayâŠto the point Jayden and Ji heard them long before they came into view.
So for the next few hours they caught up with each other, following Emilyâs and Miaâs orders of where the decorations and food was supposed to go for the perfect set up. Soon after, Jayden went to take a shower and change clothes, then came back to Emily starting to hand out the party blowers and hats they were to wear.
Lauren was the first one to bring it up. âWhenâs Bailey supposed to get here?â
Ji looked at his watch. âAny minute now,â he replied. âShe had to take care of some work before coming over.â
âI canât wait to see her!â Mia said, clasping her hands together. âItâs been so long.â
âYeah, we canât start until weâre all together,â Emily said, practically wiggling in excitement. âWhatâs a new yearâs party if weâre not all together?â
âA regular party?â Mike said, making her gently roll her eyes.
âSheâll be here, Em,â Kevin said. He shared what looked to be a secret smile with the others. âWe know that she wouldnât be able to resist coming.â
At that, it seemed that all eyes turned Jaydenâs way. At least, he noticed it on the lift of his cup to take another sip of his sparkling cider. Jayden slowly lowered it, his eyes shifting back and forth. âWhat?â He asked.
âNothing!â Was the quick, and unbelievable reply.
Jaydenâs face screwed up in light confusion. Unlike everyone else, heâd seen the purple samurai ranger around as she hadnât left Panorama city once the Nighlocks had been defeated. It made sense, she was finishing up her studies and her work at the university and had the job at the coffee shop she held onto. The same coffee shop that Jayden frequented when the urge for some caffeine hit him. Every now and again he would catch her on her lunch break and the two would talk over their orders, talking about what Bailey was studyingâand Jayden never understoodâand his travels with Ji on their motorcycle trips.
Nothing much more than thatâŠas far as he knew.
Though the others seemed to insist that something was going on. Maybe he just didnât get it. They enjoyed each otherâs company and alerted each other if there were any strange readings that my indicate evil things coming up. Sometimes they met up just to spar so that they wouldnât get too rusty. ButâŠthat didnât necessarily mean anything was going on.
There was a lot of catching up to do that Jayden needed to do as a person. He was advanced in a lot of ways but stunted in many others. That wasnât to say he hadnât joined in the conversation when the boys were talking about which ranger girls were cute. Objectively, he thought they were, and could at least say he thought his sister deserved someone but had never really been attracted to someone.
That he knew of.
Is that what it meant when he felt a little overconfident while equally a little nervous, got annoyed when he wasnât being paid attention to? Wasnât that just being a leader?
âMia, why do you look like youâre about to burst?â Jayden asked, watching as Mia ran her hands over each other. Partially as a subconscious means to take the attention off him, and partially because he noticed the bit of high energy from the pink ranger who was usually very calm.
She lifted herself to sit on her hands. âNo reason,â she replied with a warm smile.
He didnât quite believe her, but Mia also wasnât one to lie very often.
âHey everyone!â
All attention moved away from Jayden as Bailey Mitchell; the purple samurai ranger swept into the room with a bounce to her step. Thankful for the distraction, Jayden held back as the other rangers got up and gave her excited hugs. He didnât really need to greet her; he saw her regularly. Nevertheless, he gave a small smile and a wave when her gaze swept his way.
So, the party became full swing. With food, laughter, and games going as the night went on, with the TV that Mike had eventually convinced Ji to invest in, set to the news to watch the countdown for the ball to drop. Eventually, the conversation moved to the guys in the living room while the girls were in the kitchen. As soon as Laurenâs ponytail disappeared around the corner, Mike turned to Jayden with a head whip so quick that Jayden lightly flinched.
He didnât especially like the look on the green rangerâs face.
âSo?â Mike asked, his lips pulled back into a smirk. âAre you going to kiss Bailey once the ball drops?â
Jayden blinked in surprise, confusion, andâŠanxiety. âKiss?â
He knew the traditions surrounding Halloweenâhe wistfully watched the other kids go around the neighborhood dressed up and getting candy while he was still training. He understood Christmasâit was the holiday that Ji insisted they didnât let pass by. But New Yearâs wasnât anything special to as far as he knewâŠhe and Ji were usually on watch in case Nighlocks appeared to want to catch Panorama off-guard in the wee hours of the early morning.
But it wasnât simply the fact that the tradition was lost on him that made him hesitate, but the fact that the red ranger had never kissed anyone before.
If it were possible, the Shiba house had gotten louder the closer it got to midnight.
In a way that Bailey hadnât been used to for most of her life. As a kid she remembered holidays with her mom and sister being just the three of them. In Angel Grove it was just her and Avalon for a while. After having met the other rangers, they were swept up in holidays festivities to the point that the first holiday they spent with their new friends Avalon and Bailey were overwhelmed.
Over the years, they went back to smaller celebrations, mostly herself, Avalon, and her brother-in-law, Billy. All the teams and friends sheâd met over the years, they consistently became spread out as the years went on and their ranger duties were no longer needed.
So, the opportunity to see her friends from the Samurai team again was an exciting opportunity. And a good way for her to get her head out of the academic world she threw herself into, wanting to finish her degree. Honestly, she probably could have graduated early and even skipped grades when she was young, she remembered when Avalon had suggested it to her. But Bailey, unlike Billy, had turned it down. As smart as she was, she enjoyed her friendships as much as she enjoyed learning and wanted to stick with her peer group.
Plus, she hadnât been to a party since the housewarming Max had thrown with his boyfriend. The rest of the staff of the coffee shop was there, but no one else she knew. And it was weird, she never realized how comfortable sheâd become in the ranger life until it was gone. Like she was watching every one from an overhead vantage point rather than being there.
But in the Shiba house she felt more comfortable. It was a home to her, and should have been with how much time she spent there. Despite knowing Emily had spearheaded the party, she was a little surprised to see Ji and Jayden getting so into the festivities. Theyâd always been so serious about things as they were fighting the Nighlocks.
Even birthdays seemed to be blips on the radar.
It was a nice change of pace to see how relaxed everyone was. Jayden had talked about it a few times before, when holidays had never happened, and Jayden had grown to not be disappointed.
It was fine. Lots of things changed after his mother passed away and that was just one of the many new things Stiles had adjusted to.
That new yearâs eve, the house was full and it made Bailey smile.
The night went on, soon it was almost midnight and Bailey decided to get some more food from the kitchen. Anything to keep from watching as the clock went ticked on, aware that the party was slowing downâthough Emilyâs excitement for the new year wasnâtâand everyone was getting ready to bring in the new year.
Where sheâd be the only one without someone to kiss. Hell, even when she was a kid she at least had Fred to kiss. And then Carter that one time. And that one girl that one year, though she wasnât entirely sober for that one. And Max, of course, being the good friend that he was. And those kisses didnât count anyway, it was different when you were celebrating new years as an adult.
It was a thing.
And it clearly was a thing since Mia, Emily, and Lauren had all talked about how excited they were with their new yearsâ kisses coming up. Mia, surprisingly, was especially excited about it. Then again, she was the one who had been the most into romance and weddings, so it wasnât that weird. Lauren was a little better than Jayden, having traveled and been with Antonio for so long that she was able to experience multiple holidays and festivities in different cities and countries. The new years kiss wasnât foreign to her but she was still enthralled with the idea as it was.
Then again, as far as Bailey knew, everything seemed to excite Lauren. She hadnât seen a girl smile at life as much since sheâd met Kimberly.
And, of course, Emily had MikeâŠ
âThere you are!â
Bailey looked up as Emily scurried into the kitchen, her ballet flats tapping against the floor as she went. âCome on! The ballâs about to drop! You need to be there!â
âOh, no, IâmâŠâ Bailey wasnât able to get the rest of her words out before she was yanked back into the living room.
Stuck, Bailey stood just in the doorway of the living room, trying to stay inconspicuous. Her eyes flickered over the countdown on the TV screen. She sighed, slightly disappointed. By that point sheâd figured she would have had things figured out, had a boyfriend to spend the holidays with. It was hard to leave from spending Christmas with Avalon and Billy, but seeing her friends was a good reprieve. It was nice to see their marriage going well, something they both deserved after how hard they fought for it.
But she didnât want to cramp their style. New years was for couples and friends and she was content to sit in her apartment before having been invited out. And it wasnât like she wasnât used to not having someone to kiss. Sheâd been so much of a nerd in her formative years that people didnât really look her way.
Still, it was hard to see Mike and Emily, Kevin and Mia, and Antonio and Lauren pair up.
But that was fine, she was happy for them. The small smile that came to her face proved as much.
Still, she couldnât help but feel every nerve in her body ignite on fire when she realized Jayden was standing close to her, head bent toward the floor. As if he had the same idea she had, of ducking into the kitchen when he got the chance. Still, Bailey couldnât help but glance at him from the corner of her eye; the tall, brooding, red ranger that he was.
And who she had a crush on since, almost, the first time she looked at him. Of course, sheâd denied it like crazy, she never liked people telling her things about herself rather than her figuring it out on her own. But her own will could be stubborn. Anyway, she was smart, she recognized a crush the moment her heart rate had started to increaseâŠand it couldnât quite be ignored when all of her co-workers would coo and squeal in her ear whenever âSad Guyâ came in to order.
Not that it mattered anyway, Jayden was remarkably straightforward with what he wanted. And the only thing he wanted was to defeat the Nighlocks and finish what his father started. Everything outside of that wasnât anything that even crossed his radar. So even when she admitted to herself she liked him she knew it was a moot point.
For two reasons 1) A guy that good looking would never be interested in herâshe still remembered the embarrassment of what happened with Conner, and 2) Nothing seemed to turn him on more than morphing.
But it was more than that; when he relaxed, he was nice, real. He was able to be himself and not âJayden the red rangerâ. Plus, the irony wasnât lost on her, she made fun of Avalon for having a thing for Jason way back when. Having a thing for the red ranger must run in the family.
Bailey glanced at him again then froze, seeing that he had glanced at her at the same time and their eyes met. He shifted a little closer to her, still far enough away the distance wasnât questioned but close enough she could reach out and touch him if needed.
âSo, uh, you, uhâŠâ Jayden cleared his throat. âDonât have anyone to kiss?â
Baileyâs face screwed up in confusion, and slight offense. That was aâŠweird conversation to start. And one that she didnât really want to have. But it also wasnât something she wasnât used to with Jayden Shiba. Heâd been so engrained in a life of battle that regular social cues and situations was foreign to him. Sheâd seen him stumble over showing more than surface level interest to people he came across.
âGuess not,â she replied.
âI donât either.â
At that, Bailey rolled her eyes. Now she got it. Understood why the words seemed so foreign in Jaydenâs mouth probably came from Mike. So much so that when she looked over at the green ranger, he quickly looked away, as if the ceiling had suddenly become so interesting. Part of her wished she was back with her sister.
It took a second for her to realize Jayden was still speaking to her.
âUh, maybe, uh, we could, uh, kiss each other?â
Bailey blinked in surprise, working to let the words roll through her head and make sense of them. She stared at him, at the side of his face as he continued to look at his feet. This was Jayden, the red ranger who would race into battle without a second thought. Who had almost gotten himself killed out of a sense of pride and wanting to protect his team.
And he wasâŠnervous.
It almost didnât compute.
It certainly didnât make sense.
Jayden was still talking. âDo we⊠do we kiss now orâŠ?"
Baileyâs brain short-circuited as she tried to work out what to say in response. Part of her was excited, another part of her was working through the mathematical probability that he was, in fact, asking an honest question and not messing with her.
Jayden frowned, lightly lifting his chin at her silence. âIf you donât want toâŠyou donât have toâŠâ
Bailey quickly crunched the numbers and found the probability of him making a fool of her was a lot less than her panicked 50:50 odds. The thought made her smile a little, and give her more than enough courage to reach out and place her hand on the back of Jaydenâs neck and slide in toward him. She saw his face before she closed her eyes, a soft look of surprise and self-consciousness before moving forward to meet her.
She could hear the cheering of the new year around her but focused on nothing but her lips dragging over his, his tentative pressure on hers, and the sound of her heart thumping in her ears. She pulled back a little, finding Jayden eagerly pushing toward her again.
His lips against hers were clumsy, but he caught on quickly after a few seconds. Heâd always been a quick study. For a second, panic moved into Baileyâs head, wondering if he was only offering due to pressure from others or from the holiday, but then he brought his hands up to gently rest on her lower back and he kissed her again and it went away.
They don't pull back for a long, long time.
Enough so they miss Mia announcing her engagement at the new year.
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