Rocky Beginnings

Because I'm only human, okay?!

Warnings: Mentions of boy/boy pairings.

Summary: Remember that time Tommy forgot to tell Rocky about the Serpentera mission? Yeah, he didn't either. But Rocky did. Rocky will never forget.

Notes: This is a prompt me and my pal Kei Luna Shoryu (check out her stuff, by the way, there are good reads there) came up with while we were pondering the extent of the Tommy-Jason-Rocky-TJ bromance. There is nothing you can say to convince us they don't have an unstoppable gossip-circle going on, and Kei was the one who proposed Rocky's reaction to being left out of the 'Forever Red' mission. As a result, this happened.

This is a follow up to Kei Luna Shoryu's 'The Call', which you should definitely read if you want a taste of adult-Rocky contemplation. It is good business :)

Much love to Kei for coming up with the prompt and helping with the dialogue! You are the best, schnookidoops, let no one tell you otherwise.

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The weariness that settled over Jason was almost comfortable, the familiar tinges of a mission successfully completed combined with the fading ebbs of adrenaline created a cocktail he hadn't tasted in a long time, one that the restless fighter in him had come to welcome with open arms.

Based on the similar looks of tired satisfaction littering the other red rangers' features, Jason could easily surmise he was not alone in this. Serpentera had been a dangerous foe, one that he hadn't been entirely sure they could defeat, but Tommy had been right. The combined efforts of the reds – their differing power sources along with their upgraded battle modes – had been enough, thankfully. The victory they took today was monumental, so really, when TJ had un-ironically suggested the only proper way to celebrate was with pizza, who was Jason to deny him?

The wait staff hadn't even looked twice at the group of athletic men who had commandeered the large back booth, even with four of them being public rangers. Carter, Wes, and Eric had positioned themselves in the portion of the booth safely tucked behind one of the restaurant's pillars without prompting, and everyone else had piled in behind them. Leo took up Eric's other side with Andros next to him, and Cole – the rookie – in the middle, whose looks of awed amazement aimed at Tommy right beside him would never stop being hilarious. TJ had taken it upon himself to capture the Wild Force ranger's expression for posterity's sake from Tommy's other side with the camera that he had enough foresight to bring along, and Jason – the most average looking of the group, took up the other end, opposite of Carter.

Aurico had politely declined their invitation for pizza, citing he had a long way to travel in order to return home. Jason didn't begrudge him for it, even if he would have liked to have gotten to know the red Alien ranger better.

It wasn't a bad bunch, all-in-all. The group was drastically different from any other team – the lack of balance provided by the other ranger types was glaringly obvious (no level-headed blues or bright and bubbly yellows to ease some of the cockiness away) – but still, they were good guys. Every one of them had faced the same struggles, every one of them had faced the same crisis of how-do-I-keep-myself-and-these-other-people-alive-and-save-the-world-and-I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing.

Most of them were fortunate enough to have mentors to guide them along the way (Jason's mind briefly turned back to Zordon, but that was a hurt that didn't need to be reviewed today – Andros had done what was necessary, they all knew that), but there was still a sense of relief to be provided when you knew you weren't the only one out there learning things the hard way.

It was a good day.

Even with the poking jests and jumbled voices recounting their part of the battle over baskets of cheesy bread, even with the sugary taste of soda dancing on their tongues and Tommy's mild chiding of 'Water too guys, gotta rehydrate" nothing really took their battle senses out of commission, so when the doors of the pizza establishment were thrown open – out of their eyesight – they immediately had nine warriors on high alert all crammed into a large plastic booth.

There were many possibilities for the intrusion that flickered through Jason's mind – a general they had somehow missed, a backup plan they hadn't accounted for – but a very angry Rocky DeSantos had not been one of them.

Not at all.

There weren't a lot of reasons Jason could immediately think of for Rocky's fury – the Ninjetti ranger could be mad that they started without him, but really, Rocky was way too laid back to likely give a shit.

It wasn't like he hadn't known about it, Jason was sure Tommy had called the other red on the way over to the restaurant so he could get all the details on the Serpentera mission and be formally introduced to the other reds since he hadn't been with them from the beginning.

Maybe Rocky was here to gripe about being left behind? But that didn't seem like him either. Jason and Tommy had both agreed that they needed someone to stay on Earth in case their mission failed. Should the worst occur…the other rangers would need a rallying point to organize against the threat of Serpentera, and Rocky was the only long-time veteran who they felt would have the…disposition to stay strong in the face of their loss.

It had been an ugly argument between Jason and Tommy, forcing strategy over their emotions to reach the conclusion that both of their suits – their powers – would be better served on the moon.

Much though they hated it, Rocky had been deemed the designated survivor.

But he wouldn't be mad about that. Tommy had spoken to him, he had-

Based on the quick retreat of all color from Tommy's features, Jason was willing to bet the good doctor had freakin' forgotten to share this tidbit of information with Rocky.

God damnit. Jason loved Tommy, he really did. The guy had a lot of good qualities. Was he an inspirational fighter? Yes. A good leader? Sure.

Despite his doctorate and multitude of educational certifications, was the man organized? Hell no.

He forgot. They went off on a desperate moon mission to stop an evil zord and Tommy had forgotten to tell the guy who was in charge of launching the counterattack in case they met their untimely demise.

…this was why Tommy needed to get over himself and win Kim back. Or get his own Adam. Someone.

Rocky stormed onto the scene with the dramatic flair of someone who was capable of great overacting provided the proper motivations, and in this instant, he was very properly motivated.

He didn't start off quietly. Jason wasn't expecting him to.

"What the hell, Jason?!" Rocky braced both arms against the front of the table and leaned like he was in some kind of mobster movie where intimidation ruled supreme. "You fight a giant monster on the moon and I don't get to know about it until you go get pizza afterward?"

Beside Jason, Tommy had given up all pretense of ruminating in his guilt and was stifling his laughter with the heel of his palm. TJ – the traitor – muffled his own guffaws by turning into Tommy's shoulder, and together they were a duo of very unhelpful ranger failures.

The one look that Jason spared the others captured a range of expressions from bewilderment, annoyance, to mild concern (thanks Carter), all of them trying to determine who the crazy Hispanic man ripping out the original red ranger was.

Jason knew why Rocky went to him instead of Tommy. Because Jason knew if important information had to be passed along through Tommy, he should ensure it actually made it there because both Rocky and Jason (and hell, TJ) knew what a scatterbrain the red Zeo ranger could be. Knew it. Lived it. Had heart attacks over it. It was their struggle.

So when Jason made the slight miscalculation that Tommy could actually adult his way through a situation unsupervised, he was the one who was going to pay for it with dramatic-Rocky-time.

Alright, that seemed fair enough.

Casually, without taking his eyes off of the raging Ninjetti ranger, Jason nudged TJ over to clear up a free spot in their booth, gesturing to it with a lazy, open palm. "We can get you pizza if you want."

Rocky considered him with a critical look that promised this would not be so easily rectified. Still, it didn't stop him from accepting Jason's meager peace offering and plopping down next to the red Mighty Morhpin' ranger, snatching up an abandoned menu with deft fingers. "I want double pepperoni."

Across the booth, Eric was watching the exchange with obvious skepticism that Wes – the natural mediator – was trying (and failing) to make less apparent.

"I can't believe this nonsense," Rocky continued, stuffing an entire cheesy roll in his mouth and talking around it like the multitasker he was. "You found a way to invite Leo, but not me."

At this, the Lost Galaxy ranger in-question immediately perked up, the smile he had worn from watching Eric's expressions dropping off his features when he turned to face Rocky. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

Instead of verbally replying, Rocky vaguely gestured towards TJ, who had made the shift from Tommy's shoulder to the table in front of him, hands cradling his head and failing to muffle his giggling laughter. "Come on," Rocky was still staring down Jason. "I'm at least on the same planet."

Unable to help himself, Jason grinned slyly. "Leo was readily available."

"I was readily available!"

Jason's mischievousness was rewarded with bits of half-chewed bread decorating his cheek and shoulder, but he honestly wasn't all that upset by it. Most of the fury that had propelled Rocky here had been abated when he'd found them all safely accounted for. By now, Jason knew that Rocky's anger was more for show than anything else, something he could use to harp on Tommy later, when any other big missions needed to be planned.

"You got Wes!" Rocky continued, which was enough to pull the blond's attention from the Quantum ranger to Rocky with wide eyes. "And Eric! Come on."

TJ thumped a hand against the table, almost like a referee in a wrestling match, counting down the seconds to his surrender, but Rocky only took this as fuel to spur himself on.

"TJ, this betrayal will never be forgotten." The ninjetti ranger placed a hand solemnly against his chest, his eyes hard and serious on the Turbo ranger. "Never."

"Alright, enough," Jason laughed. It felt good. "I'll admit, I assumed you were with Adam."

Because those two were only attached at the hip always, much though Rocky would deny it. If anything could make Rocky feel better about missing out on a mission, the cheerful presence of his beau should do it. They got dreamy eyes when they thought about each other. TJ had gotten it on camera once. It was really something.

Rocky leveled a look at Jason that could only be described as 'unimpressed'. "And Leo wasn't with Kai?"

Cue Leo choking on his soda – the red Lost Galaxy ranger choosing an inopportune moment to take a sip of his drink – and Andros' concern was turned from Rocky's interruption to thumping Leo on the back.

TJ only laughed harder in the crook of his arms – the dirty gossip monger – and Jason made a note that maybe they shouldn't talk about other teams' personal business until they had actually met them.

He knew it was a lost cause, but perhaps putting up a token effort would stop the disease of unimpeded nosiness from spreading. Jesus, if the pink rangers ever learned about the gossiping of their red counterparts the world would never hear the end of it.

Either Rocky had ordered on his way to the table – which was unlikely – or the wait staff had a particular manner for handling conflict resolution, because one of the waiters set a beer down in front of Rocky before whisking away to the realms of less boisterous restaurant patrons.

"I'm on his tab!" Rocky gestured towards Jason, though who he expected was listening, Jason did not know. He didn't get much time to think about it before his immediate vision was filled with serious-face Rocky. "You pulled Cole from his team and I was literally just cooling my heels."

Jason cocked an eyebrow. "Speaking of – how was the hot spring?"

Adam had checked in with Tommy before planning the trip, which was a testament to the original white ranger's confidence in their abilities that the reds would be able to get the job done without disturbing the lives of the other rangers. They had always hoped for the best, but had things been truly perilous, Rocky would have been monitoring the situation more closely from the NASADA headquarters. Luckily, it had not come to that.

Just as Jason had expected, the mere mention of his trip with Adam had the fight completely evaporate from Rocky's body, and just like that he was another one of the guys, contently shooting the breeze and unwinding among colleagues. "Very nice, actually. I highly recommend them."

Jason raises his own beer in a silent toast. "Then – no offense – but I'm more scared of Adam than you."

TJ, finally under control and lifting his head to contribute to the group, nodded sagely. "Truth."

It spoke to how long they had known each other that Jason, Tommy, TJ, and Rocky all exchanged high fives upon the completion of that statement. No one could really argue the inefficiency of fearing Adam, it was just wise.

Across the table, Eric – who had yet to meet the wrath of an ill-intending Adam Park – furrowed his brows in a way that his teammate probably found really endearing. Okay, so Jason wasn't much better than TJ. He never claimed as much.

Time for a distraction.

Jason turned back to Rocky. "Just eat TJ's pizza. We all know he won't."

"We promised I wouldn't have to eat it," TJ groaned – Tommy joining him for dramatic effect. They had all been subjected to the horrors of TJ's 'hey, one time I got baked into a pizza' story (one time, one time was too many and that was his go-to ice breaker because if that delicious cheesy-tomatoey goodness was spoiled for him then he was going to spread the hate), none of them were particularly desperate for another retelling.

As if on cue, the waitress made her triumphant return with their order – four large pizzas (Jason would be embarrassed but he knew what a super metabolism could go through, and they would probably be ordering seconds) and, for TJ, a burger and fries. And a milkshake.

Damn, Jason should have gotten one of those too. Well, there would be time for dessert later.

"Then I believe we have an accord," Rocky declared, snatching up two slices of pizza from the nearest platter. The red Ninjetti ranger had never been particularly finicky with his toppings, so Jason wasn't surprised that he didn't so much as glance at his selection before biting into it. "So, details, gimme them."

And that was all there was to that.

Jason can't help but grin as he launched into the retelling of their mission, and neither he nor Tommy (nor TJ, who seemed content to bury his face in his cheeseburger and be done with them) felt the precise urge to introduce Rocky. Watching Wes and Cole's faces wrought with concern as Rocky carefully pulled answers from them was a rare kind of entertainment that needed to be savored like a fine wine. Andros appeared to be the only one really unaffected by the grilling, more absorbed in the recounting of the others' battle perspectives, and at once Jason felt a kind of fond pride fall over him that he had the privilege of knowing these rangers.

They deserved this. It was hard to think it sometimes, but they deserved this.

TJ resurfaced from his burger just in time to completely derail the conversation into fun anecdotes at Leo's expense that were probably shared with him in quiet confidence, which was really just- his mistake man. Wes was already learning firsthand how hard it was to keep things from Rocky (Who would then share it with Jason. Who might tell Tommy. Might.)

At least with Jason, it was a definite guarantee, he had some boundaries.

"It was so bad," TJ laughed, going so far as to wipe a tear from his eye as he went on to recap Leo's eventful lovelife to the group. "The puppy love was so strong, and Kai didn't even notice."

"Who won the pot for when those two actually got together?" Jason asked, trying to throw Leo a bone by pulling everyone's attention towards himself.

TJ grinned, and if he noticed Leo's halfhearted glare, he didn't show it. "That would be Rocky."

"It's a gift." Rocky holds both hands open in a loose shrug, as though to say 'what can you do'. "You," he pointed a knowing finger at Jason. "-can make all the relationship assumptions you want, my friend, but it's nothing without a proper sense of timing."

Eric, who had suffered the conversation with as much grace that his naturally-grim disposition allowed, seemed to perk up at this. "Does that mean we finally get to put a name to you?"

"Yep." Rocky was more proud than bashful, not that Jason had ever expected any kind of hesitation from him. "Rocky DeSantos, red Ninjetti ranger."

"Nice to meet you?" Cole offered it with an air of one who was not necessarily sure they were telling the truth, but Jason gave him props for at least trying.

He probably didn't know who the Ninjetti team was. A lot of people confused them with the original Mighty Morphin rangers because their secondary suits were so similar.

Across the table there was a shift, Wes angling in towards Eric for a private conversation that would probably be a lot more successful were they not all individuals with enhanced senses. "Remember the good old days, when we thought we'd only see the Lighstpeed Rescue team that one time?"

"I remember having to give the Titanium ranger a ride," Eric grumbled, glaring down at the table. "That was a great time."

On the outer side of the booth, Carter's usual composure gave way to a flush. "I'm really sorry about that."

Eric was gritting his teeth now. "It's in the past."

"That sounds like a good story." Leo seemed to perk up at the prospect of someone else's life being the center of focus. "How about we talk about that instead of-"

"Hey, did I ever tell you guys about the one time Leo got Kai flowers?" TJ asked in his usual boisterous voice, despite the fact that most of the people at the table had only met Leo that day, and had no idea who Kai was. "He makes Kai a bouquet – with his own two hands, you know, picks it himself – and then presents it to him with so much pride."

Rocky leaned into Jason's side with a giggle. "It's like I'm almost there."

"TJ is gifted that way," Jason agreed.

"-and then," the Turbo ranger continued, showing no signs of hearing them. "Instead of whatever Leo had been expecting-"

"Appreciation." Leo was pouting now. "You know, like, a tiny bit of appreciation."

"-Kai just gives Leo a lecture on 'improper use of colony resources' and Damon taped the whole thing."

Rocky gave a dramatic gasp. "So we actually can be there."

"Who's Damon?" Cole asked around the slice of pizza dangling from his mouth. The red Wild Force ranger had taken to eating his crust first, cradling it with the backs of his hands, making him look like some kind of feral wolf cub.

"My team's green ranger." Leo gave the answer with no hindrance to the stink eyes he was throwing at Cole.

It wasn't all that unreasonable, seeing as the newest rookie should be the center of attention, not Leo but…well, TJ knew Leo and Leo's trials better than anyone else, and he knew better than to try messing with Jason or Rocky. Tommy was, of course, right out of the question because of TJ's initial overwhelming fanboyness towards the Zeo ranger, but Jason and Rocky only brought up that hilarity when they were really drunk.

"Hey," Leo perked up, a smile sliding onto his face. "Why don't we talk about Wes' awesome beret? What are your thoughts, Eric?"

He leaned into the Quantum ranger with an exaggerated wag of his eyebrows. On the other side, as if it was his cue, Wes quietly groaned into his hands.

Eric, who probably wasn't the most social type (unless he was bragging about the Q-Rex, then the gloves were off), missed the implication that he must spend a lot of time staring at Wes with a bland expression. "It's part of the uniform."

"You don't have one," Leo pressed.

"I'm not the leader of the Silver Guardians." The unimpressed side-eye was strong with Eric, who didn't seem to know how to handle the potential nuisance that was Leo.

It also brought Wes back out of his hands, head lifting to pin Eric with a look that was a shade more earnest than determined. "First of all, we are co-leaders of the Silver Guardians and secondly, I only got stuck with the hat because you refuse to wear it."

"I did my time," Eric allowed, raising his beer bottle in a silent toast. "That thing's awful."

"Well, if that's the case…" Leo trailed off as his features twist into a look of extreme concentration as he set to work on the paper children's menu he had requisitioned when they had entered the restaurant. The coordinating crayon set was mostly neglected save for the red crayon, which he used to liberally coat his flimsy paper until the entire thing was about as red as it could be.

A silence fell over the group as they watched the Lost Galaxy ranger fold his abomination into a makeshift paper hat, and with all the enthusiasm of Rocky on a sugar high, he offered it to Eric.

"You shouldn't be left out," Leo declared with a wink. "If red hats indicate leadership."

Eric scowl deepened. "Put that anywhere near my person and it is going to suffer."

"Forget that," Rocky declares, diffusing any rising tension the only way he knew how. "Show me how to make one of those."

And that was the story of how a table of veteran rangers (and Cole) ended up making a bunch of badly-colored paper hats out of children's menus. The waitstaff didn't so much as bat an eye at their rowdy table, or grace their presence with any color crayon other than red. All at once, Jason understood why TJ had recommended the place, even though he hated pizza.

There was something to be said for a view of Tommy walking Cole through proper folding technique, the young ranger beaming all the while. Seeing the look of intense focus on Andros' face as he attempted to keep his creases neat and effective, Leo alternating between soft words of encouragement for the Space ranger and egging Eric on to do better, 'Don't you know what a bi-corner hat looks like? Jeez, no wonder you stick to caps'. Listening to Wes' gentle spiels of laughter as he watched his teammate's progression, his chortles shifting into a surprised exclamation when Carter delicately placed a paper hat atop the blond's existing red beret, the Lightspeed Rescue ranger's amusement silent, but oh-so thoroughly conveyed.

They were a great group of guys.

Jason wouldn't have it any other way.

With everyone's attention divided as it was, Jason felt no reservations when he leaned into Rocky, assessing the Ninjetti ranger's nimble fingers while they expertly folded the paper menu. "See, you didn't have to do any of the hard stuff and you got a hat. Admit it, I'm a good friend."

The corners of Rocky's lips quirk in a way that wasn't rueful, in a way that let Jason know all had been forgiven. "Just as long as you admit I was left out because I was the only one you trusted to be the last resort."

"Nothing to admit there, bud." Jason slung an arm across Rocky's shoulders, already done with his own poorly-made hat. "It goes without saying you're the one we trust to rally the rest of the troops."

"And by that, you mean rally Adam?"

Jason laughed and damn, did it feel good. "Also goes without saying."

They had nearly died that day. They nearly died every time they suited up for one of these things, which was something Jason hadn't really thought about in a long time. The fact that it had simply become a burden to bear, unaddressed but feasible, said something about all of them.

When he was a teenager, when this had all just started and it was a trial just to stay afloat, to keep moving, keep surviving – forget the future, he had to get through the now – he never would have conceived this legacy. He never would have been able to guess what Zordon's random selection would lead to but-

But he was so, so glad for it. So glad for Rocky and, hell, even glad for Tommy.

The guy was a terrible trouble-magnet, but he was Jason's trouble-magnet (and subsequently Rocky's, then Adam's) and they loved him for it.

They'd probably love him a little bit more if he like, wrote shit down on a post-it note every once in a while, but even with his faults, they loved him just the same.

Besides, Rocky would get to rag on Tommy for at least five years because of this stunt, and satisfaction like that could not be bought in a store my friend.

Jason knew that much from experience.

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Endnotes:

Kei brought up the point that the most logical reason for Rocky to be left out of the 'Forever Red' mission was to act as a contingency, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Makes a lot more sense than 'he just wasn't available', even if that was what technically happened to the actor :)

On Cole's "Nice to meet you?":

The question here is not Cole doubting Rocky actually being a ranger, it's more along the lines of overwhelming-bewilderment-Tommy-idol-RIGHT-THERE feelings combined with this stranger who was still kind of yelling at them, and Cole not being entirely sure if it is nice to meet Rocky. Like, is the ninjetti ranger like this all the time?

Important questions.

Until next time :)