Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other recognizable media. They are the property of their respected owners.

Part of my schmoop_bingo thing on LJ. Prompt: "I love you" first

Accidental Slip

The sound of a ball bouncing echoed through the darkened, empty Garage. Dillon and Ziggy sat on the catwalk, tossing each other the tennis ball Ziggy had found tucked away in a back room of the building. Dillon had, like most nights, been unable to sleep. Ziggy, like every other time Dillon had problems at night, was keeping him company, unmindful of the fact that he was losing sleep he, unlike Dillon, couldn't actually miss. The younger man prattled on absently about something he probably wouldn't even remember if asked, knowing it would be better than to just allow Dillon to sit there in silence.

Dillon's eyes were distant as he caught the ball again and bounced it back. Ziggy's words were a comforting drone in the background, silencing any ill thoughts that tried to appear. Slowly, he came back to himself, blinking over at Ziggy. The younger man didn't seem to notice Dillon's sudden awareness. Dillon frowned tightly, staring at the dark rings that surrounded Ziggy's eyes. It made little difference to him how long he stayed awake so he hadn't noticed when the nights started blurring together, hadn't noticed as Ziggy became more and more lethargic from lack of sleep.

"Ziggy." He called, bouncing the ball back. The sound of his voice startled Ziggy so much that he missed the ball as he came towards him. Dillon remained silent, watching in amusement as Ziggy scrambled after the ball before it had a chance to roll off the walkway and down into the rest of the Garage. Once the ball was firmly held in Ziggy's hands again, he asked, "Aren't you tired?"

Ziggy looked up at him and shrugged. "A little. Doesn't matter." He replied.

Dillon frowned. Ziggy could be doing himself a lot of harm by staying up like this. "Why are you helping me like this?" he asked as Ziggy tossed him the ball again.

"I'm kind of in love with you." Came Ziggy's absent-minded reply, with gaze focused completely on the tennis ball. Dillon froze, letting the ball hit the wall behind him and roll away. Ziggy's eyes followed it for a moment before his brow furrowed and he looked up at Dillon. "Did I seriously just say that?" he asked, his voice tight and high-pitched. Dillon could only nod, too shocked to say anything.

Ziggy closed his eyes. "Ah. Well… shit." He muttered to himself. He slowly cracked one eye open to look at him again. "Can we just forget I ever said that?" he asked.

Dillon didn't reply, just continued to stare at the younger man. He was supposed to forget that? How? That wasn't something anyone forgot anytime soon. Ziggy must have read some of that in his expression because he stood abruptly. "Right." He whispered. "Good night." Then Ziggy dashed towards his room.

He was on his feet in an instant, grabbing Ziggy's arm before he could get his door open. "You love me?" he demanded. Ziggy flinched slightly, turning his head away. "Ziggy?"

Ziggy looked back at him and sighed heavily. "I love you." He confirmed then winced. "Well, sort of. Kind of. It's complicated. I should shut up, shouldn't I?"

Dillon's breath escaped in a rush. "Good." He said, making Ziggy blink. Before the younger man could respond, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Because I kind of love you too."