In which Sky feels funny...

[spd_blue]

[For spd_red but anyone who wants to play with a loopy Sky is more then welcome. Also, feel free to change the setting if you like.]

Looking back on the fight, Sky didn't remember getting hit with anything. Sure, he got some of the alien's weird smelling smoke to the face but he thought his shields had blocked most of it to the point that he hadn't even worried.

And even later, he still didn't think anything was wrong. In fact...he felt pretty darn good. He felt loose and relaxed and he couldn't wipe the happy smile off his face.

That should have been anyone's first clue that something was wrong.

The second was the fact that he was sitting in the common room, attempting to have pleasant conversations with everyone in the room. At least those who would talk to the Blue Ranger who usually only talked to his teammates. And was still beaming.

Comments

[handstandsfortruth]

Bridge sighs again and stands up straight to pace a bit before he gives up and goes to his old stand-by, planting his hands firmly on the floor and throwing his legs into the air.

He balances like that for a moment, contemplating, then tilts his head up to keep his eyes on Sky. "Okay, you generally don't want to get close to anyone. Which is fine, if maybe not entirely the most mentally healthy choice you could make, considering the reasons. But it's your choice and you're an adult, so you generally, for the most part, usually keep yourself closed off even from people like me, who can tell what you're feeling even if you're not thinking it our saying anything out loud. And today, after the fight with the monster, suddenly you're being very open and very friendly and getting very close to me, at least, and maybe some other people, and it's different. It's not usually how you act. And it's also something you might regret, when we get you back to normal. Get it?"

[spd_blue]

Sky tried, he really did, and the struggle showed on his face. He understood, or as much as he could in his current state.

"So...you don't want me to act like this anymore?" He asked in a soft, conflicted voice. He liked the way he was feeling, it made him happy...but if it would make Bridge happy, he'd try to act 'normal'. Except normal didn't sound very good.

[handstandsfortruth]

Bridge let gravity take over and toppled forward again, rolling easily to his feet.

"I just want you to be Sky." He admits finally. "If that means grumpy and sullen and refusing to spend time with the team, well, then, that's Sky and I'm used to that. But if that means chipper and happy and willingly eating my toast, that's okay too. I just don't know how you'll feel."

[spd_blue]

"Being Sky doesn't sound very fun," admitted the currently out of Sky. "Can I just be chipper and happy and willingly eating your toast Sky right now?" Frankly, he didn't care how he'd feel later, he just knew this is how he felt right now.

"I can leave you alone if it's bothering you?" He really didn't want to, he liked being around Bridge, but he would if it would make Bridge happy. Why couldn't everyone be happy?

[handstandsfortruth]

Being Sky didn't look very fun, most of the time, either.

"You can be whatever Sky you want to be whenever you want to be. You have to be some kind of Sky, and you can be the Sky you want to be."

Bridge smiled and shook his head. "I don't want you to leave me alone. I want you to do what you want to do. What do you what to do, Sky?"

[spd_blue]

"Then you are okay with being this Sky right now?" He asked, just to make sure. Bridge had been so worried so he wanted to check. "Because I really don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you. I like being with you, Bridge."

[handstandsfortruth]

"Yes, I am okay with you being this Sky." He reiterates. Then he glances around and shakes his head. "But maybe not in here. Maybe we could go back to the common room? Or to our room? There's really nothing to do in here unless you want to watch me work, but I can't really do anything without Boom and I'm really not in the mood to work anyway."

[spd_blue]

"Let's go back to our room. Little more privacy." If Bridge was so worried what people thought of him like this, Sky figured back in their room was safer. Either way, as long as he got to stay with Bridge, he was happy.

[handstandsfortruth]

"That's a good idea, Sky." Bridge grabs Sky's shoulder with a firm friendly grip, then leads him back out of the lab, grabbing a stack of toast as he goes, just in case Sky's still hungry.

Kat still hasn't called them back down to her lab, so he leads Sky right to their room and flops down on his bed.

"Do you want to talk about something? Or... I don't know, take a nap?" Usually Sky would probably balk at the mere suggestion of taking a nap while technically on active duty, but who knows today?

[spd_blue]

Sky let Bridge lead wherever he wanted, unusually docile. When they entered there room, Sky looked at his side and frowned.

"Has it always been so bare?" There were some pictures and books and training equipment, but not much else. Except the model airplane on his desk. That was cool!

But then he moved to sit on Bridge's bed, near his feet. "We can talk! What do you want to talk about?" He ignored the nap comment completely.

[handstandsfortruth]

Bridge is admittedly relieved when Sky doesn't even bother responding to the nap comment. That would have been a little too out of character, even for today.

"Well, yeah, it's always been so bare." He says, glancing around the room. "You like it this way. Regulation."

He tilts his head. He can't remember the last time Sky sat on his bed, even when they were casually talking. Bridge never sat on Sky's bed, out of common courtesy to Sky. His aura clung to the sheets and pillow, enough that Bridge didn't want to take any chances. "What do you want to talk about?"

[spd_blue]

"Huh. I guess it's very...neat." Just not very interesting or fun, like Bridge's side of the room.

How else were they supposed to talk? The other side of the room was too far for best friends. "Well, what's going on with you? Anything interesting?"

[handstandsfortruth]

"Neat is another way to put it, yeah." Bridge can't help but stretch out to punch Bridge lightly on the arm.

"I dunno. Just work, you know. Sometimes doing stuff with Bridge, sometimes training. I try to spend time with everyone." He gives Sky a mildly reproachful look. "You could try it sometime. Even when you're not feeling super positive. Might be good, like, as a team building exercise."

[spd_blue]

Sky could only laugh, leaning playfully away from the punch.

"You really think I don't spend a lot of time with people?" He actually took a moment to think about it. "I...guess. I spend a lot of time with you, don't I?"

[handstandsfortruth]

"I know you don't spend a lot of time with people." Bridge points out. "You're always either training, or sometimes you'll be there, in the common room with the rest of us, but you won't say anything, you'll just be reading. Just sort of... there, not participating." He smiles a bit and shrugs. "And I guess you spend more time with me than anyone else, but where else would you sleep?"

[spd_blue]

That wasn't the answer Sky was hoping for. He thought about it for a moment, before he asked his next question. It was asked with simple curiosity, no self-pity involved, at least for the moment.

"I don't sound like a very good friend. How are you still my best friend? Do I have any others at all?"

[handstandsfortruth]

Sky's voice was soft and not accusing at all, but Bridge can tell that there's more to the question than just curiosity. And he clears his throat before he reaches out, wrapping a gloved hand gently around Sky's wrist.

"You're my best friend because... because you only make fun of me sometimes, instead of all the time. You're my best friend because you've known me longer than even Syd has. You're my best friend because you know what I can do, and more than that, you know how I can't control it, but you never once went above my head to try to get our rooms changed around so you didn't have to share a room with someone who can sometimes feel your dreams even when he doesn't want to."

He swallows and pulls his hand away and looks towards the wall. "And you have lots of friends, Sky, even if you don't know it. We're all Rangers, and we're all B Squad, and, yeah, we're all friends."

[spd_blue]

As Bridge spoke, Sky looked down at the hand on his wrist before back up at his friend. It did relieve him somewhat that he was capable of being a friend when he was 'normal'.

But the way Bridge said all of it sounded kind of sad. So, in a mirror gesture of Bridge's earlier, Sky grabbed carefully grabbed his wrist, but didn't stop there. He tugged until he could wrap Bridge in a hug.

"I like sharing a room with you, Bridge. I can't imagine living with anyone else. And I know you don't have control over your powers when you sleep, which is why I could never leave. I couldn't trust anyone else to be in here with you when you are so vulnerable."

[handstandsfortruth]

Sky grabbed Bridge's wrist and Bridge reflexively tensed up for a second, but even in his addled state Sky was conscious of his necessary safeguards and managed not to trigger anything... untimely.

Hugging Sky isn't exactly an entirely new experience, but Bridge can't remember off the top of his head when the last time was that Sky was the one initiating the hug. He shakes his head and puts his arms carefully around Sky's waist, tilting his head so his chin rests on Sky's shoulder. He's not about to say no, after all, and who cares how long it's been? Now is the important part, and right now Sky is hugging him, and not only that, but saying things that Bridge always secretly hoped were true, but he never knew for sure because Sky wouldn't normally say them out loud, at least not where Bridge could hear.

He smiles. "Thanks, Sky."

[spd_blue]

No, it wasn't something Sky could normally admit out loud, if anything because he was protective of Bridge. He didn't want anyone to know how little Bridge could control his powers while asleep so they couldn't judge him for it. But he thought he implied it by his actions at least.

There was something freely about being able to say it out loud for once. Especially if it got a smile like that from his friend. "Thanks for being my friend, Bridge."

[handstandsfortruth]

Bridge relaxes somewhat into Sky's hug. Yeah, it's not typical, at least not anymore, it's not usual Sky. But it's not so unfamiliar as to be worrisome, because he still hugs a lot like he did when they were kids.

"No one else would put up with me." He points out softly.

[spd_blue]

Sky hugs as he does everything, as he's always done everything, the very best that he can. But he still gives a small sigh of relief when he feels Bridge relax and smiles over his shoulder.

"From the sound of it, it's the other way around. And I couldn't trust anyone else with you. If they hurt you, whether they meant to or not, I wouldn't forgive them, or myself." It might sound a bit extreme but Bridge would know what he meant. With Bridge's powers, he needed someone who was aware of themselves at all times, so he could have some peace without his powers picking up someone else all the time. Someone could do a lot of damage in such close quarters if they weren't careful. And, Sky was protective of Bridge. He couldn't help it.

[handstandsfortruth]

This is a view Bridge had never considered. He'd know Sky for so long that he mostly figured Sky stuck with him out of a sense of obligation. And Bridge had stuck with Sky mostly because he felt like he had to watch out for Sky too. He was so brooding all the time, mostly because of what happened to his father, but Bridge knew who he was inside, who he was hiding so no one got too close enough to hurt him if they left. And he wanted everyone else to know carefree Sky, happy Sky who was almost as good at playing pretend as Bridge was. It was his solemn duty as best friend to make sure people liked Sky, despite his cool exterior.

But protecting Bridge from any... unwarranted intrusions into his mind, that's a thought Bridge hadn't considered, and he pulls back from the hug so he can meet Sky's eyes.

"Thanks, Sky." He says seriously. "That really means a lot to me."

[spd_blue]

And Sky appreciated everything Bridge did for him. He knew, more then he let on, about why Bridge kept close to him but he couldn't say it. He just didn't have the words nor was he sure it would be believed with how he acted. But it still meant the world to him. More then enough to earn the protection Sky felt Bridge needed.

"You mean a lot to me Bridge." Sky said, just as seriously as he met the other's eyes. "It's the least I could do."

[handstandsfortruth]

Bridge grins at Sky, a wide smile he can't really control or keep from creeping over all his features. It probably looks pretty comical, but Bridge doesn't care, and he's pretty sure Sky doesn't care either, at least at the moment.

"You too, Sky. Never forget you're my best friend, alright?"