#reporter!​pearl is a bit dumb sometimes but she’s amazing

[berrysquared]

Intro page on Pearl for the Superhero au!

Shes a reporter trying to find out Hotguys and Cuteguys identities (with the help of her dog Tilly who is trained in breaking and entering the police office to get classified reports). She also has a fanclub

Pearl and (detective) Fasle have a long-standing rivalry going on over who can crack a case faster and their current race is over the superhero identities

(Also very sorry for how long this took to post, i fooled around and had to do some woodworking for uni, will try to get things out faster <3)

[mahaliciously]

Atlantis

Rejoice children, for I have finally contributed to the Overwatch fandom with something other than memes.

I’m also choosing to contribute under the flag of my favourite pairing, sadly a rare one, but it’s okay because content is made to be created and I just loved every second of writing this thing!!

It unexpectedly turned out much longer than the initial headcanon suggested, but it’s definitely for the best since it constituted a solid character study for me that’ll help me for my future writings :D

SPECIAL KUDOS TO THE ANON WHO ASKED ME AFTER THE ONESHOT HERE IT IS AND TO THE LOVELY @xallyxcatxs​, @tart276​ and @gngu​ FOR THEIR NEVERENDING SUPPORT AND KETTLE NOISES LMAO

burn in cybun hell

And of course, special thanks to @b3tar3ad3r for the beta :D I recommend going to them in case you need help!

IF YOU LIKED THE ONESHOT, DON’T FORGET TO SUPPORT IT BY REBLOGGING IT OR BY CHECKING MY AO3, IT’S UP THERE AS WELL! O/

archiveofourown: click here!

Word count : 8915

She wouldn’t have been able to tell when her heart had started to ache at the thought of him, or when she’d started to miss her shots when she’d hear him laugh through the voice chat. Wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint the exact moment the stories he told her about his love conquests had started to sting, or when she’d stopped making fun of the girls he’d had wrapped around his fingers like rings.

‘yo d.va when u gonna invite genji and lucio again on one of ur streams??’

Hana Song briefly glanced at the Twitch chat before taking down an enemy to her left, swallowing a curse.

‘so trueeee,’ another message chanted. ‘genji was so cute i love his voice’

‘how about lucio? dat dude is a human puppy lmao’

‘rofl’

The chat box was hectic, messages piling up at an incredible speed, english and korean weaving all over the screen. It didn’t bother Hana who was used to the fraction of a second she had to keep up with the fleeting topics and requests. Her bubble gum popped as she eliminated another enemy with a headshot and she readjusted her camera.

“Aww look at this,” she chimed teasingly. “I used to like Lucio and Genji but it does seem like they’re causing my own fanbase to neglect me now.”

The chat exploded with new messages and she smiled for the camera. Inside, she was pretty much crumbling.

She had organised that last-minute stream in hopes to keep her mind off her budding crush and the existential crisis that had come along with it. Instead, her fans had been spamming her for more content with her friends, and by extension, with the one person she was trying to distract herself from.

She almost felt like sighing, though she knew the camera and the attentive eyes that were watching her wouldn’t miss it. She glanced again at the chat box.

‘just genji x d.va gameplay tbh he’s got some dope skills i want to see competition between them’

Her heart jolted in her chest and she missed. The split second was enough to take her down. The camera switched to the kill cam, a flashy crimson message announcing her death as she popped another gum bubble. She almost winced at the ridiculous come and go her character had made that caused its death killed. She’d hesitated.

It was over for her and she didn’t feel like spectating the rest of the game, so she reported her full attention to the chat. What was this ridiculous suggestion to stay in a room alone with Genji Shimada and play videogames until she died of a heart attack?

Impossible.

But it annoyed her more than it embarrassed her. Or maybe a bit of both.

Because she could have organised that a few weeks ago. She could have invited him over platonically, wrecked his ass and watched her entire fanbase cheer for her. Just like she would have invited Lucio today.

But now she couldn’t.

She wouldn’t have been able to tell when her behaviour had changed, but she could guess the trigger. Maybe that one drunk night they’d spent playing a certain dumb fps game was at cause. Maybe finding her intoxicated self on top of him was the reason she couldn’t stare at him anymore without thinking “I want to spend more time this close to him” and “He’s actually pretty cute”. Maybe that was karma getting back at her for all the girls she’d made fun of.

“Alright,” she announced to the camera, waving. “Sounds like that’s gonna be all for today! Stay cool buns, until next time... Love, D.va!”

She grinned, smile as practiced as it could be, fingers into her signature V right before she turned off her camera with her other hand. She only breathed then.

There was no way in hell she could allow herself to fall for the 24-year-old ninja.

Genji Shimada, playboy extraordinaire, was not the kind of guy she’d let herself be involved with romantically. He was one of her closest friends, too precious to lose over a crush, and her ego would never let her drop to the level of the many girls who pooled at his feet. They had a precise friendship that revolved around platonic, shameless flirting and the certainty that she was the girl he’d never have, he the guy who’d never pursue her. It was but a constant verbal sparring that rhythmed their every interaction. Sass against sass. The very origin of their friendship. Their daily dose of challenge.

Truth be told, he was a lot of great things. He was handsome, even with that ridiculous dyed hair of his, funny, a bit of an asshole but caring still, and he was amazing to hang out with. Along with Lucio, they consisted of a great trio.

Genji was the kind arrogant, Lucio the resident puppy, always happy and idealistic, supporting but probably with one of the greatest senses of humour she’d seen in years, and she was the diva, the princess. All three of them were pretty much a walking disaster. Their brains together only amounted to ridiculous ideas like using Lucio’s speed boost to race on a frozen lake and crash into the snow at the speed of fast, or making fidget spinners out of Genji’s shuriken. They’d gotten a bunch of bruises, but a lot of outweighing laughs and she cherished those two idiots more than she’d care to admit.

Becoming close friends with Genji irremediably led to discover that beyond the playboy reputation and the biting sarcasm, he was a loyal friend. He was boastful, barely ever serious. He was terribly friendly, making everyone at ease in matters of seconds, breaking down fights with a couple of jokes any chance he got. She suspected that was a safe reason that led the girls to run to him in bunches. He was quite like the sun. Summer-like. That, and there was his catastrophic flirting.

He was smooth, she’d concede. But ask her secondhand observer side and she could think of a bunch of hilarious pearls she’d teased him with over the years.

But he wasn’t a sun. Or maybe his rays shone so bright they blinded people and kept them from seeing the deep cracks he bore. Just like any human being. She knew that sometimes he liked to sit on his own because being so social exhausted him, she knew that his gaze got lost more often than he’d like to admit, lost in a whirlwind of doubts he bragged about not having. Like if he’d hurt someone with his raw, spontaneous humour, or if he could have done things better.

She knew he dreamed of travels and adventures, knew that he scolded himself for knowing his flaws but never fixing them. He was a child guilty of acting like a child.

And though she didn’t have the same issues as him, she understood them.

But what had definitely moved her was the intensity of his gaze on that night. There had only been the flashing lights of her screens, sculpting his features, maybe dotting his black eyes as he looked up at her. His cheeks had been almost as red as hers from the alcohol, indicative of the obvious drunkenness of her friend. But it shouldn’t have been weird seeing how they’d played drunk a bunch of times before. Definitely shouldn’t have. She’d been laughing, they may have been playing that game where he holds her wrists and she has to push him back because she was a very strong lady. And she’d been. He had still been holding her wrists in his hands, her own chestnut hair framing his face as she looked down at him. His gaze hadn’t been really focused, hazed by the liquor’s effect, but it had never left hers until he’d pulled her to him and his arms had slithered around her petite figure, wrapping themselves around her. It had taken her a moment to realise he was hugging her.

She’d felt his chest against her face, rising and dropping steadily, smelled his woody perfume mixed with sweat and booze and it should have felt familiar. There had been something in the beating of his heart against her ear though, and she’d loved the warmth of his arms, the little drum of his fingers against the small of her back before he’d said:

“I love you.”

Hana groaned at the memory, shaking her head to snap herself back to reality. It hadn’t meant anything. It had been a platonic confession. The kind they threw at each other to joke around, or to really appreciate each other as friends. Because love was way more than the eros and the grand amour. It was something she firmly believed should be told more without any over calculation.

But in the dim light of her room that night, tangled in a messy hug with her friend, lulled by his breathing and the buzz of her console, her heart had fluttered before she’d fallen asleep, and it had been her biggest mistake.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the 8-bit ringtone of her phone and a familiar contact picture lighting up the rectangular screen of the device.

“Hey there, frogman,” she picked up, trying to sound as enthusiastic as humanly possible.

She could feel Lucio roll his eyes before he even spoke. “It’s Mr. Frogman thank you very much.”

“Sure, frogman,” she replied, teasing. “What’s up?”

“Eh well, the usual,” the musician chuckled. “Just wondering if you have any time to kill with Genj and I?”

Once again, she hesitated. It wasn’t like her, but the bubble of unease that was growing in her chest was distracting her coherent thoughts. She opened her mouth, hoping that it would help her brain form a faster sentence, but she couldn’t decide whether to say yes or no. She knew that Lucio wouldn’t press if she refused, and she was afraid to be disappointed at the beep of her phone when he’d hang up.

She bit her lip. “I don’t really know… I could but probably not for long.”

“Feeling sick?”

“Not really, just meh,” she said with a humourless puff, chewing on her gum.

“Huh,” Lucio acquiesced. “Well we’ll get you better. Healing beats by yours truly and all.”

She really laughed this time. A small, but genuine laugh that cheered her up instantly.

“Okay fine, I’ll see you in 20.”

Swiftly, she jumped into her trainers and grabbed her headphones. That along with her phone and portable console were all she needed in her sweatshirt’s pockets to exit the flat and head towards their usual spot, the arcade square.

The weather was fairly nice for an autumn day. She’d grown used to the occasional chill and the complete closet confusion in the morning. She still loved the salted remnants of summer that floated in the air but preferred the calm and peace of office days. The streets were mostly empty, shops deserted from the jam of customers that came in the evenings and weekends, an occasional laughter from one of the nearby cafés would break the tranquility of the walk. As Hana approached the arcade, the city sounds shifted and fluctuated, roadworks and klaxons replacing the flutter of the trees and the exclamations of children in their courtyard, gasoline perfumes weaving with that of coffee and urine. The sun reflected on the glass windows of skyscrapers and towers, its rays slithering their way through the buildings to lit up the cold, shadowed avenues below as she hurried down the underground entrance. A puff of heat welcomed her when she walked down the stairs, the smell of rubber and iron filling her nostrils, chatter and screeching trains swallowing the noises of the city as she aptly made her way through the wide, tunnel-like corridors of the station. It was a common thing to use the tangle of underground networks to avoid the stoplights and the many avenue crossings, and to Hana, it was more convenient as every single crossroads below had far more indications than the streets and the boulevards above.

She let out a sigh when she finally exited the underground to find the flashy neons of the arcade facing her. Lucky for her, her usual spot with her friends was right outside the station, a little square lost between towering buildings that seemed to have forgotten its existence. As such, there was one old tree in the middle, a couple of broken benches, a café and the arcade. The location was meant to be in a fancy business neighbourhood, but the spot had become so hidden by the city’s continuous metamorphosis that it was mostly frequented by students and a few hippy omnics.

She spotted her friend’s ponytail on the first glance.

“Yo Lucio!” she called, grinning.

“Hana,” the young man exclaimed with a soft smile, pushing off his headphones as he stood up to greet her. “You ready?”

“To beat highscores? Always,” she said before looking around. “Where’s Genji?”

She nervously avoided eye contact as she asked the question, which was in itself a very bad idea since the whole point was for him not to suspect a thing. She scratched her arm and forced herself to look back at her friend, adding a smile for good measure. Lucio didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he frowned and focused his entire attention on her. In that instant, she could feel her own heart stumbling like a cartoon character, panic clutching it under the observing eyes of the musician. She caught her breath, widened her smile in hopes to get him off her back. Finally, he shrugged.

“Saw that college freshman from the other day and followed her inside.”

Ouch.

“Of course,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Typical Genji.”

“Right,” Lucio answered, raising a dubious eyebrow.

Sensing the danger, Hana grabbed him by the hand and pulled him after her and into the arcade. The air was cooler inside, due to the many air vents that peppered the walls. It was dimmer there, blues and pinks lighting the huge room and the machines, green strobes running around the walls and the floor. She glanced around and spotted Genji at a shooting machine, not so far from the entrance. There was a girl with him, more specifically in his arms as he seemingly showed her how to use the plastic gun to shoot the enemies.

From where she stood, Hana couldn’t hear much of their conversation, but she could see the way the girl’s shoulders shook in hilarity, the closeness of their two bodies, the way his thumb gently stroke the back of her hand. His mouth was on her neck, hovering, teasing until he pressed a quick kiss under her jaw. When she blushed, he flashed a satisfied smile, borderline smirk that Hana knew by heart. The girl smiled to herself, elated, and moved a bit closer to him. Too busy to flirt, she missed the shot and looked taken aback by the game over screen, causing Genji to chuckle in her neck and nuzzle her.

It was a sight Hana was used to. She’d seen him coax a thousand of girls before, walked on him making out with a thousand more and teased another thousand if they came asking after Genji. She found it funny, entertaining, didn’t mind the PDA. It had become the usual and he barely even flinched whenever she or Lucio would stumble upon him with a girl, almost said hi and asked about their day.

Well, they had limits. Wouldn’t barge in during more private activities.

It was therefore a sight she was used to. But now she was envious. Envious of the way the girl’s hair curled around his shoulder, her hand under his, the giggles that escaped her tangerine lips. She wanted his arm around her waist too, and his hair tickling her temples and his soft chuckle in her ear. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be one of those stupid girls she laughed at.

Her chest swelled with an all too painful sadness. Envy was a terrible emotion. It didn’t come with jealousy or directed anger, it just nibbled at her, brought doubts and fears and swallowed her whole as she sat alone in her room.

Envy was the very reason she was so upset with herself. For allowing herself to stoop so low, for wishing something she mocked so much. She shouldn’t be crushing on Genji. She shouldn’t wish to be a weak girl, a toy. He would probably be too afraid to ruin their friendship, so she couldn’t even stand where that girl did. He would try to reject her as gently as possible, probably feel bad, she would smile. She would understand that he valued her too much to play with her, that she deserved a real relationship, a caring boyfriend.

And yet… She ached for his touch, and it killed her inside.

She felt something around her hand snap her back to reality, and she glanced down to see that Lucio was tightening his grip. She noticed he was responding to her own steel-tight grasp and that she’d been crushing his hand for the past couple of minutes. She abruptly let go and wondered in panic if she’d outed herself to her friend.

“Wow they’ve brought a new machine!” she announced excitedly to hide her embarrassment, cheeks burning. “Sounds like a new highscore for me to set!”

In an attempt to convince him of her genuineness, she turned around and accompanied her exclamation with a little V sign and a wink:

“MVP D.va ready to rekt.”

“Get good D.va, I already set the highscore to beat.”

She jumped when she felt an arm around her shoulders. Only the familiar woody scent and silvery voice allowed her to put a name on their owner. That, and the more unsafe skip of her heart. She took a short breath.

“Do you hear something, Lucio?” she asked, looking away to dissimulate her sudden difficulty to breathe. “It sounds pretty distant, can’t understand a word. Could it be… A scrub?”

“Wow,” Genji gasped. “How could you call me a scrub? After everything we’ve been through.”

“I have sudden amnesia.”

“You mean you forgot our bonding episode over the delicacies of ramen?”

“Completely.”

Genji gasped again. Louder. More dramatically. The sight was funny, quite Genji-like, and just as expected, his honeyed chuckle followed the antic. Hana felt a little flick on her cheek and almost jumped when she felt his breath tickle her ear:

“You look out of it, could it be you’re jealous?”

She almost choked on her saliva as alarms started blaring in her head.

“Please do enlighten me,” she scoffed, not quite looking at him yet. “I can’t seem to catch what I’m apparently jealous of.”

She knew he was smirking as he leaned closer to her ear, murmuring:

“I saw you looking at us moments ago.”

“Saw me? You mean you look at other girls while flirting with one?” she tried, firming her trembling voice with a huff. “Aren’t you the one trying too hard to make me jealous?”

He laughed and she finally felt his weight on her lessen.

“Can’t blame a man for trying,” Genji conceded, shoving his hands in his pockets as he briefly greeted Lucio with a grin.

“Man you guys should totally sort out this tension you two have going on,” Lucio declared, crossing his arms with a little disappointed shake of the head. “The air is getting hard to breathe lately.”

He chuckled.

“Nah,” the ninja replied. “Might miss our back and forths. Genji and D.va, D.va and Genji, how could I ruin our mythical duo? We’re tension builders.”

“He can’t stand ramyun,” Hana commented. “I’m not going out with a wimp who can’t stand spicy food.”

Genji clutched his chest. “Shots have been fired. Lucio, I need healing.”

Their banter was interrupted by an excited squeal from behind Hana. Turning around, she saw the college girl excitedly skip in front of the arcade machine.

“Genji, look!” she exclaimed. “I did it! I killed the boss!”

“See,” Genji cheered, walking back to his companion. “Told you I had a radar for talented girls.”

The girl blushed lightly, flattered by the compliment. Hana watched her look up at him when he reached her, and she could’ve sworn the girl was dying to kiss him. The sight was painfully evident, and though she knew Genji would undoubtedly play with her for a few days before granting her wish, Hana felt repulsed by her obviousness. How much respect was there in not being hard to get?

She rolled her eyes and sighed, meeting Lucio’s gaze as she turned back.

“You totally like him,” he said, taunting her with the biggest shit eating grin.

“I totally don’t,” she protested.

“Oh come on,” he pressed, wrapping an affectionate arm around her shoulders. “You know you can tell Papa Lucio anything. Especially things he’s already figured out.”

“I don’t see what you’re talking about.”

“You totally do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“It’s okay, no need to beg me, fofinho. I’ll wingman you.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”

Lucio looked at her for a full second, studying her silently. “I’ll read that as a yes.”

“It’s not!”

D.va pulled her hood over her head, tugging at the fabric to cover half her face as she groaned. What was her life?

“We’re just friends and that’s how it should stay,” she declared, revealing her eyes from under the hood. “That’s just how we roll. You know it.”

A giggle erupted from where the lovey-dovey couple was standing and D.va couldn’t suppress a wince.

“I’m just a bit touchy lately,” she concluded.

Lucio watched her without a word. His gaze had softened, stance more relaxed as he closed the gap between them. He put his hands on her cheeks and squeezed them, giving her a funny fish face as he did so.

“You know,” he said with a smile. “Reality is the mirror of our very own consciousness. What we notice. Change, on the other hand, is what we realise. And maybe it’s our inability to fathom the entire picture that deceives us into thinking that everything is only what we’ve been, up until now, conscious of.”

She pouted, shoving her hands in her sweatshirt pockets, but didn’t answer.

“In other words… You gotta let the beat drop when it has to drop,” he added, laughing. “That’s always the best part of the song.”

This time, she couldn’t help the little smile that tugged at her lips. “That’s pretty deep, Mr. Frogman.”

“Of course it’d be,” he chuckled. “Wouldn’t be selling albums if it weren’t.”

“Still waiting for that autograph, by the way.”

“Still waiting for yours.”

She laughed. There was a part of truth in Lucio’s words, probably when it came to how focused she was on her own interpretation. But it was only in part, and she’d been brooding on her situation long enough to be overwhelmed by fears and doubts. She wasn’t convinced. The change had been too sudden, and it had probably affected her only.

Genji couldn’t be crushing back on her.

Her mulling was interrupted when Genji walked back to them.

“Hana, Lucio, let me introduce you to Aya,” the sparrow’s familiar, cheerful voice chirped. “I asked if she’d like to join us for the day, if you don’t mind of course. Lucky for me, she said yes.”

Oh how Hana knew where Genji was getting to. Knew that he hadn’t mentioned any friends whatsoever. Knew that he was toying with the poor Aya, and her expression as she realised it wasn’t a date was priceless. The little twitch of her smile as she tried to keep a polite face, tried to hide her disappointment. Her gaze lasted a bit longer on D.va, probably measuring how much of a competition she represented. It was petty, but necessary, and Hana was more than used to the calculating gazes of Genji’s conquests. Sometimes, she’d pretend her and Lucio were a thing to get them off her back, or on the contrary, taunt them shamelessly by flirting openly with Genji. The urge for the latter was the strongest in that instant, despite Hana’s emotional confusion. She was a gamer, a challenger, and her passion for games was the hardest to fight.

Pulling out her tongue, she V signed over her eye and stared directly at Aya, taunting.

“As for this beautiful lady,” Genji continued, battling to keep a straight face at Hana’s antic as he pulled Aya closer. “She’s a foreign student going for a history degree, and very probably my heart. I guess you can just call her Mrs. Shimada already.”

Hana rolled her eyes. “Here I thought that title was reserved for me.”

“Should’ve stated your claim on my heart before, darling,” he replied with a smirk. “You took your time and got caught off guard.”

“I don’t need flirting lessons from you, honey,” she scoffed.

“Graciously offering my help only to be brushed off like a mere peasant, do you see that Aya dear?”

The young woman made a tight smile, as though she didn’t feel comfortable with the faked tension. Still, Genji was surefooted and Hana watched him lean in to murmur something in Aya’s ear. It seemed to lighten the mood from the way her features relaxed and she wrapped herself around his arm.

Hana knew that Genji would never badmouth her, that she was sure of. But the intimacy stung, and it took her inhuman efforts to keep a smile plastered all over her face as she watched the two together.

“So how about that new arcade game?” Lucio asked in an attempt to break the tension. “Maybe we should grab something to eat first?”

“Totally,” Genji acknowledged with a strong nod. “I’m starving.”

The DJ gallantly offered his arm to D.va as they walked towards the food court. Gladly, she took it and instinctively moved away from the couple, rather focusing on the arcade machines and the various players. There were younger gamers, boys hanging out together to beat each other’s scores, girls gathering around dance machines or air-hockey tables. Many couples were meeting up at the arcade too, as it called for proximity and adrenaline. Their own voices gradually died in the mayhem of bgm and sound effects as they got closer to the snack bar. There were a few free tables, wobbly, missing a few chairs, but the group settled at one regardless.

It was Lucio and Genji who offered to get the orders, and soon Hana was left alone with the college girl. Though it should’ve been uncomfortable, both girls barely gauged each other, one checking her phone, the other pulling out her portable console to resume her platform game.

Despite the buzz around them, the silence that weighed on them was particular. None could tell if it was rivalry or just plain disinterest that filled the air between them. Not even them. It was just there. An unqualifiable silence.

“Do you think I should pursue this with Genji?” Aya asked finally. She’d said that without looking up from her phone, nails swiftly tapping the tactile screen as she typed.

Hana played with the stylus caught between her teeth, eyes glued on the jumping character of her game. She felt her heart skip a beat at Aya’s question, making her wary of herself.

“What do you mean?” she asked nonchalantly.

“Well,” the college girl elaborated. “You two seem pretty close. I’m not looking for anything serious, but I also don’t want to get caught into any drama between you guys. I have better things to do than play third wheel. So I’m asking for your opinion, because I don’t want to be a thorn in your side.”

Hana blinked.

No, she was supposed to say. Genji is a famous playboy, so it’s kind of our game to flirt back and forth. It’s got nothing to do with any feelings between us! I’m not crushing on him or anything like that. I’m just teasing you. Just enjoy your time with him. If it’s not you, it’ll be another girl.

It sounded more like an inner ramble than a potentially coherent answer. There was no way D.va could say that out loud without sounding like she was desperately looking for an excuse. It looked meek even to her.

Focusing back on her game, she didn’t answer immediately, rather clearing the level until she spoke again.

“There’s no way you could be a thorn in my side since there’s nothing going on between Genji and I.”

“Is it?”

“I don’t see why there should be.”

“Maybe there is,” Aya retorted, flashing a glance towards Hana. “At least from the way I see it.”

The gamer girl pressed the last jump button before the checkpoint and let her character fall into the river. Only then did she look up at the other girl and smirked.

“Are you shipping us, by any chance? Because we do have this one fanclub…”

Aya rolled her eyes with a little laugh. “That’s ridiculous. But it is true that you’d make a nice couple. Maybe Genji’s right. You’re the problem.”

Hana raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not my role to nudge,” the girl answered with a contrite shrug, smiling.

The girl’s smile seemed genuine, which felt weird considering all the mean glances D.va had grown used to over the years. It made it difficult to be upset at this strange girl, and Hana didn’t like one bit of it. It put her off guard, brought down her sarcasm defenses and made them inadequate.

She was confused. She didn’t know what any of Lucio or Aya’s words truly meant. It felt as though they knew so much more than they wanted to let on, and it drove her crazy. They were evasive, puzzling, and she couldn’t figure out a reasonable reason to justify it. A reason her defenses would appreciate. She liked clear objectives, clear instructions.

Not half sentences she couldn’t allow herself to interpret.

She couldn’t afford a game over.

“You shouldn’t bother yourself with interpretations,” she said, though her voice sounded smaller than she would’ve liked as she looked back at her console. “If you’re not looking for anything serious, Genji is the right pick. You’ll both enjoy it.”

Aya couldn’t answer as the boys came back, putting down their trays as they resumed their festive conversation, roaring with laughter. Under normal circumstances, Hana would have joined, bullying them to get them to share the topic. Obviously, they’d tease her, Lucio would pull his signature “Why are you so angry” line as she’d feign being mad. It would probably end with her challenging them to the arcade games in exchange for their apologies, with Lucio breaking the highscore of the dance machine, and Genji fighting body and soul to beat D.va’s shooting game score.

But this time, she was silent, focused on her own little game, barely caring about the surrounding noise. She had too much to sort out and only the repetitive jumps of the character emptied her mind from the anarchy of her thoughts.

She felt upset and confused, and not where she needed to be in that instant.

For the first time in ages, D.va, the outgoing cheeky world renowned gamer, ached for silence and solitude.

“Oh no, my smoothie is already empty.”

“Thirsty much, babe?” asked a playful Genji.

“Very funny,” Aya answered, probably rolling her eyes in amusement.

“Well I do hear that pretty often so… I think I can safely highlight that as one of my many qualities.”

Aya laughed and Hana almost cringed when she felt Genji’s leg under the table as he moved closer to the college girl.

“I’ll go get you a drink,” he announced finally, voice dripping with cajolery.

He stood up, his chair creaking as he pushed it back but was interrupted by Aya’s sudden exclamation.

“Hold on,” she said. “I’ll just come with you.”

And she did, couple walking away, arm in arm as they murmured things in each other’s ears. It was in that instant that Hana made the mistake to look up and meet Genji’s gaze, looking back at her even as he had another girl with him, even as he walked in the opposite way and had no reason to be glancing in her direction.

It had been fast, lightning fast but it had been enough to tighten the knot in Hana’s chest. The knot she’d been carrying ever since Lucio had implied that there could be more than friendship towards her from Genji’s part. The knot that had grown unbearable as Aya implied that she was a problem, that she was a coward. Because none of them knew how much she valued Genji, and how devastated she would be if she were to lose it all.

She felt dizzy, nauseous almost, the sounds around her merging into the most disastrous of cacophonies. She needed to leave.

“Lucio, I think I’m gonna go,” she managed to say as she stood up.

“Are you sure? We haven’t even played yet,” her friend replied, worry starting to paint itself on his face.

“Yeah, I just don’t really feel like it today.”

She smiled at him, shrugging. She was becoming a great actress, even though she knew Lucio was smarter than that. It also meant he wouldn’t press because he knew.

“Okay,” he said. “Just stay safe, okay?”

“I promise, I’m a big girl.”

She hugged him before leaving. A tight hug, the kind that didn’t really need any words, any language. The kind to which he responded with the same strength, if not more. It was comfortable, comforting, familiar. She needed the warmth and the understanding of her best friend, the calm drum of his heart to soothe her and the rugged texture of his dreadlocks tickling familiarly her cheek.

“Don’t worry too much about this, Bunny Hop,” he murmured in her ear as she pressed her face in his shoulder. “Everything comes in its own time.”

She didn’t answer, nor nod. She simply stood up, smile not leaving her face until she turned around and left, not even as she V signed to Lucio to signal that everything was okay.

Nothing was okay.

The walk to the underground station felt surreal, but the cool air of the evening soothed her nerves and made her sight less blurry, though her heart showed no sign of calming down. She took a deep breath as she entered the station, hurriedly walking down the stairs as she pulled out her underground card from her phone case. She’d decided that a packed train would be better than walking through the wide avenues of the city and risking to get run over by a car. She would squeeze in there and give free reins to her thoughts as the stations passed one after the other, people came and went, tunnels started and ended.

The train arrived shortly after she sat down and she scurried inside, apologising as she tightly tucked herself away between two passengers, the lack of space making it useless to cling to any hanging strap. She sighed deeply, pulling her headphones over her ears, scrolling down her music player as she waited for the door to shut down.

She hadn’t found a proper song when someone slipped inside the metro right before the doors closed, disturbing the careful arrangement of the packed vehicle as he made his way to a specific area of the train. She hadn’t planned to look up and glare at the newcomer for lack of interest, but her eyes definitely widened when she recognised his voice.

“Hana.”

It took her approximatively all her self control not to look up at him. Especially when she recognised the orange hoodie and the woody perfume that stood out despite the mixed scents of sweat and dust, she recognised the concerned tone in his voice and she wanted to be far away from there.

She hoped he would think she was listening to music and didn’t hear him. Hoped he would give up.

But the latter was far-stretched.

“Hana, I know you can hear me,” he said, reaching for her phone where no song was being displayed.

Without thinking, she pulled away before he could touch the device, shoving it in her pockets as she lowered her head further.

Fuck, she thought.

This was going horribly.

The train stopped at the next station, the pre-recorded voice repeating emotionlessly the name of the stop as the machine halted abruptly. The jerk sent D.va forward and into Genji. Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around her waist, protecting her from the wave of passengers who hurriedly left the train by fear of colliding with the hasty crowd who tried to get in, and Hana felt almost deaf from the erratic scramble of her heart in her ears.

“Look at me, Hana,” Genji asked again. His voice seemed firm, but in the jolt of the train starting, she could have sworn she heard a slight shake at the end. Whether it had been caused by the movement of the vehicle or something completely different, it would’ve been hard for her to tell, even less bring herself to ask. But when she didn’t answer, she heard him again:

“Please.”

It was way more than she could take. And for that exact reason, she was all the more terrified to look into his eyes.

“I did something wrong, right?”

She glanced at him at that exact second, shaken by the train’s inconsistent trajectory and the unbalanced passengers who bumped into her. Those should’ve mattered, even more so than the chest of the boy in front of her, even more so than the gleam in his eyes as he looked at her. That gaze shouldn’t be tugging at her heartstrings the way it did. That look of pure worry shouldn’t be this intense and genuine.

“No, you didn’t,” she breathed out, throat clogged.

He sighed. “Then why do you look so sad whenever you look at me?”

“I’m not sad,” she mumbled, looking away.

The train stopped again. It was Genji who bumped into her this time, pushed by the incoming passengers until D.va felt the metal of the pole grip against her back. The heat was more intense in this part of the train, probably due to the fact they were far from the doors now and people were the most concentrated where they stood. She almost lost her balance in the tangle of legs below, but held onto the pole to keep herself standing as the train started again. She vaguely wondered how many stops there would be until she’d be able to leave.

When Genji spoke again, she realised he was too crushed against her to be able to look at her, his breath tickling her ear as he seemed to think of an answer, almost stumble as he searched for proper words. She was about to break the silence, narrowly missing the murmur that eventually escaped his lips. The sound was drowned in the screech of the railways, in the cough of a nearby commuter and the whine of a little child in the distance. She hadn’t been supposed to hear him, but she had. It had been crystal clear.

“Why do you make this so hard for me?”

Maybe Genji’s right. You’re the problem.

“Do I?” she asked, tightening her grip around the pole.

He inhaled, taking in the sweet perfume of her hair as a self-deprecating chuckle escaped his lips.

“Yeah,” he said. “You do.”

“Then why not cut me off, if I’m so problematic?”

The train quivered again as it stopped at another station. She quickly glanced over his shoulder to see that she would be able to get off in two more. She tightened her grip around the pole and Genji took advantage of the new wave of passengers to put enough space between them and look at her. She didn’t meet his gaze.

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, increasingly fed up. “I just don’t know anything anymore. I’ve been struggling for weeks, trying to make sense of emotions that everyone around me seems to understand better than I do. No one wants to explain anything to me and it makes me feel like I’m being toyed with.”

He tilted his head, puzzled. “What emotions?”

She gestured frantically towards the both of them, using the little space she had and sighing all the while in frustration. She shouldn’t be getting this upset. “This… You, me, us.”

“Us?”

“And I just can’t sort anything out. All my attempts at fixing myself fall apart and I don’t know-”

“No, what about us?”

She looked at him then. He had tensed all of a sudden, his gaze intense, maybe expectant. It felt almost like he was hoping for something, hoping for a specific answer but she bit her lip, reluctant to deceive herself with unfounded interpretations.

“There is no us,” she asserted. “At least beyond our friendship.”

Hana would have been unable to describe the exact emotion that flashed in Genji’s eyes in that instant. Spontaneity would have wanted it to be disappointment, hurt, maybe sadness somewhere? Reason, however, couldn’t find any valid argument and she decided to overlook whatever misunderstanding there could be, preferring to blame her own treacherous mind rather than fool herself.

“Right,” he smiled, clearing his throat. “We’re just friends, of course! Wouldn’t want to retire from my playboy days so soon, eh.”

She raised an eyebrow, genuinely startled.

His eyes widened slightly before he looked away, the train’s motion briefly making him lose balance.

“I mean,” he spouted. “Should there be an us… I believe you’d deserve to be more than just another girl.”

If her heart hadn’t been loud enough before, Hana could have sworn she’d heard a gear or two pop out of their place as she struggled to keep herself from paling. No, her reaction was being ridiculous. He was doing exactly what she’d predicted he’d do if she ever confessed.

Remind her that she deserved more than a playboy, and that she didn’t belong with him. That he was nowhere near retirement and that he wouldn’t like her to waste her time on him.

The simple thought was enough to bum her a bit. It was something to anticipate a thing, another to take the impact. And she didn’t think she’d been ready for her pessimistic scenarios to turn out to be correct.

“Which further strengthens the idea that we’re not suited for each other as anything other than friends!” she announced with forced positivity.

She didn’t expect that Genji wouldn’t answer immediately, rather finding a sudden interest in the surrounding passengers he decided to contemplate. He looked back at her after what felt like ages and put on the widest grin he could.

“Definitely, you couldn’t have said it better,” he acknowledged, tensing a bit when the jolt of the train pushed him back into D.va. They were once again crushed against each other, but for the first time since they’d gotten into the train, Hana noticed the way her arms had instinctively wrapped themselves around his waist. She let go.

“So, how does this ‘us’ thing link to people knowing your ‘emotions’ more than you do and toying with you?” he asked after managing to position himself at a respectable distance.

“Oh well uh,” she stammered. “It’s just…”

Her voice trailed off for a lack of explanations. She nervously looked around.

“You know what? I have to go,” she mumbled as the train stopped again. It wasn’t her stop yet, but she needed to leave this place as soon as possible.

Hurriedly, she slipped under Genji’s arm and sneaked her way through the passengers, aiming for the door as the recorded voice repeated relentlessly the station name. It was more difficult than she’d assumed, the compressed bodies barely giving any space for her to leave, each passenger fighting to get in and off the train as quickly as possible.

She felt his hand on her wrist halfway through her escape.

“Hana.”

She tried to free herself from his grip, as the beep signaling that the doors would close soon resonated in the vehicle. But it was in vain.

She didn’t want that frustration building in her chest, or the growing panic that was blurring her sight. She wanted to leave and never have to confront Genji. This was a mess and she hated every second of it.

“Let me go,” she whined almost, still pulling her arm.

“Not until you’re okay!” Genji retorted and she knew he was shaking his head vehemently as he said so.

“Why would you even care?”

“Have I ever not cared?”

She bit her lip, unable to turn around and face him. She hated how right he was.

“Why shouldn’t I care, Hana? Give me one reason and I’ll do it. Right away. I’ll stop caring. Because I care way more than friends should and the fact that… No matter what I do, no matter what I try, I can’t get you out of my head… It’s driving me crazy.”

There was something in the way his voice cracked that made her turn around even as the train rattled again and weakened her balance. Grabbing the pole by the door, she looked at him and the hurt and regret caught in his eyes. There was that and it was although there was so much more than just his voice that had cracked, making her wonder why it was that his sentence just didn’t sound the way it should’ve. Wonder why it was that it made her heart skip a beat.

Maybe it’s our inability to fathom the entire picture that deceives us into thinking that everything is only what we’ve been, up until now, conscious of.

He briefly looked away, breathing out in irritation, fingers still around her wrist. Eventually, he closed the gap between them, pressing her against the plastic of the wall as he prudently cupped her face in his hands.

“Do you know how hard it is for me not to kiss you whenever I see you?” His voice was barely a murmur, lost between a sigh and a whisper. “Do you just have any idea of how hard it is for me not to kiss you right now and you’re asking why I would care?”

Her own consciousness seemed to slip away as she took in his words. She felt numb, but somehow still stood on her feet, as though her body had gone on auto-pilot while her own brain tripped. The sounds around her hadn’t vanished, contrary to what books and movies tended to suggest, nor had the heady smell of the underground or the flickering light of the wagon. But she was painfully aware of Genji’s presence and the weight of his gaze on her, dark and pained, albeit with a flicker of hope and nervousness.

She took a ragged breath, trying to make sense of the fluttering thoughts that invaded her mind. She had to say something, anything, but no words came to her as she only stared at the boy in front of her, his hands burning against her cheeks.

“You’re-” He looked away from her gaze, eyes running over her cheeks, her lips, her chin, as though they held the words he was so desperate to find. “You make it so hard for me to keep it to myself. I’m not brave. I’m not brave enough to risk losing you. I can stay your friend and banter with you back and forth if it means you’ll still call me to hang out. I don’t mind. But it’s so hard. And then you just- you start waving these signs that maybe you like me back, that maybe it’s not so wrong from me to be so wrapped. And I can’t trust myself, but I do, only for you to tell me there is no us and leave again.” He peered at her again and the grunt of the machine below their feet got louder. “Why?”

“I’m scared,” she finally whispered.

“What?”

“I’m scared of losing you.” She drummed nervously her fingers on the pole at her left, head throbbing, heart quaking. “I’m scared of the way my heart has started to run wild when you’re around, of the way I ache for your touch and the confusion and the feelings that build up in my throat whenever someone mentions your name. I’m scared of these feelings, because I don’t know how strong they are and if they’re worth me ruining our friendship over a no-tomorrow adventure. I hate myself for envying all these girls that strut about and end up in your bed, for wishing for what I abhor and what I mock. I don’t want to be them, and yet… It hurts so much not to know what to do.”

“Hana…”

His arms were around her before she could even comprehend what was happening, her face pressing tightly against his chest and the zipper of his hoodie. She felt his hands on her hair and his chin on her head, fingers soothingly playing with her brown locks. She could sense his heart pound against her face, hasty, and for the first time, she allowed herself to hug him back, her hands clinging to his vest like a lifeline as she inhaled his familiar scent.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled in his chest. “I’m being really lame and cheesy right now.”

“It’s okay.” His shoulders shook with the little chortle that escaped his lips and he pulled her closer. She heard his voice through his ribcage, as though there was only him to be heard in the train. “I don’t care. I love you.”

Again, her heart skipped a beat. Just like it had so many weeks ago, as he held her in his arms in a similar way. This time she smelled no booze and no sweat, only the soap of his clean clothes and the incense. She felt precious in his embrace, as though she would break or flutter away, and it felt strange because she’d grown up a soldier, trained by her ragged government. It felt strange, and at odds with her strong diva persona, but she liked the feeling of being protected.

It was supposed to be soothing, probably one of those sweet movie scenes with a ridiculous upbeat romantic music and a guitar in the background. Hollywood had definitely taught her a thing or two about snuggling and letting the credits roll, but right now, she was a disaster. A secret disaster. Her heart was scurrying through her chest, running around alarmingly, brain packing for Hawaii, throat begging to let out kettle noises Hana was desperately trying to stiffle.

There was very few words to express her current state of panic, and even less to describe the inhuman effort she was making at hiding it.

Because Genji Shimada had just said he loved her. Genuinely. And none of her half-baked scenarios had prepared her for the eventuality.

“People might start believing you if you say it so loud,” she scolded in a poor attempt to look nonchalant.

He slid a hand under her chin to make her look at him. “Would it include you if I do?”

Yes.

“What am I to you?” she asked carefully, drowning in the brown of his eyes as she urged herself to play hard to get.

“Much more than the girls you envy.”

“And why would I believe you?”

“I don’t know.”

He’d answered spontaneously, as though it was the most natural response to her question. It felt odd, and Hana realised she’d expected him to have a script readied. A series of smooth lines and compliments to every single one of her questions. She’d expected flowers and his regular Genji gear, but there was none of it and she felt dismayed. The train trembled again and jerked as it stopped, pressing Genji further against her as the usual crowd poured out. The placid voice repeated the name of the station. Her station.

The distance between their faces was negligible, and she only needed to tilt her head to feel his lips on hers. It could’ve looked like an accident. But her gaze was glued on his, on the warmth and tenderness and lit his dark pupils, and she couldn’t move. He was beautiful.

She needed to leave.

“Then why is it that my heart’s still running?”

She felt his mouth at the same time that she heard a sigh, something like defeat, escape him. She couldn’t tell if she’d kissed him or if he had, but as she brushed her lips against his, she tasted exhilaration and something that intoxicated her senses and her thoughts. He cupped her face in his hands and her own instinctively found the front of his shirt, pulling him closer as she tilted her head.

She heard the doors beep, then close, and the train resumed its chaotic journey, bumps and creaking sounds and heat surrounding them.

She’d missed her station.

But right now, as she tangled her fingers in Genji’s hair, it didn’t matter at all.

[jphbk1982]

Open Window Chapter 23: Ghosts

Ghosts "You can't be serious." Billy asked incredulously as he took in the sight in front of him. "I'm totally serious." Zack responded with a grin as he too examined the building before them. "No way.. no.. this is dumb." Billy rebutted. "You suggested we get out of the house..." Zack responded. "I did... but I didn't suggest we leave our house to come to this one.." Billy said as he gestured at the large house in front of him. As if right on cue with his gesture a rumble of thunder was heard and then a lightning flash that made him withdraw his hand from the air. "Come on.. it'll be fun." Zack said as he started to walk towards the house. Billy grabbed his arm and then stepped in front of him. "Exactly what part of exploring an old abandoned... supposedly haunted house is fun to you?" Billy questioned. "All of it." Zack replied with a smile. He pushed past Billy and then turned to him. "Surely you are not scared?" "No.. no.. I mean.. come on.. like I believe in ghosts and all of that." Billy countered. "Right.. and besides we are Power Rangers, we can't be chickens too." Zack teased with a chuckle. "Well see.. that's the thing.." Billy said as he jogged a bit to catch up with Zack who was moving towards the house. "I mean with what we have seen and experienced.. how do we know.. that um.. it isn't... you know.. haunted." "Well we don't, that's the fun of it." Zack replied as he made his way to the large steps leading up to the front door. "I mean... you've heard the stories about this place right?" Billy asked. Zack's grin responded for him. "Of course you have.. hence why you drug us out here." "Come on Billy.. I thought you'd get a kick out of this." Zack suggested. "Plus.. you know it'll be nice to just forget stuff for awhile." Billy watched as the grin on Zack's face fade slightly and then the teen began to ascend the stairs. A big part of Billy wanted to protest but the truth was, a bigger part wanted to hang out with his friend and help him have a good time. "Sure.. yeah I mean.. what's the worse that could happen right?" Billy asked as he followed Zack up the stairs to the front door." "That's the spirit." Zack responded as he reached for the door handle. "Yeah well.. I hope that's the only spirit around here." Billy said with a nervous chuckle as Zack opened the door. (****) "For real?" Tommy asked before he took a drink of his water bottle. He reached over and grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat off of his head before turning to Jason who had just sat got up off the weight bench. "Yep." Jason replied as he grabbed his own water bottle. "I can't believe they would trade him." Tommy said thoughtfully. "Me either, I think they are gonna suck this season but what do I know?" Jason said with a laugh. Tommy nodded in agreement and then retrieved his cell phone out of his pocket. "It's getting late." Tommy said as he noted the time. Jason glanced outside to see that darkness had fallen. "Looks like it." Jason responded before he picked up his cell phone to respond to a couple of texts he had gotten while working out. "I should head out, supposed to meet up with Trini for a late night movie." Tommy responded. "I gotta go home and catch a shower first." "Cool." Jason replied. "See ya tomorrow?" "Catch ya later." Tommy replied before disappearing out of Jason's garage. Jason turned and headed inside of the house. He hadn't much more got inside when he bumped into something. He glanced down from his phone to see it was Pearl. "Hey kid, what are you doing?" Jason asked. "Nothing." Pearl responded, although the look on her face betrayed her words. Jason knelt down in front of her. "What's wrong?" Jason questioned. "I um.." Pearl began and looked up to meet his eyes. "I was watching.." "Pearl.. you know what scary movies do to you." Jason gently interrupted her with a smile. She smiled in response to him. "I know.. but.." Pearl replied with a shrug. "I like them." "Sure you do.. until they send you running out of the room looking for me or mom and dad." Jason replied with a chuckle. He stood up and put an arm around Pearl. "Will you watch it with me?" Pearl asked. "Let me take a shower first and sure.." Jason answered. "If you think you can handle it." "I'll be fine." Pearl replied with a smile. Jason nodded and then headed off towards the shower. (****) "He's great." Kimberly said unable to contain the smile on her face as she lowered her cell phone. "Yes... I think this has been established." Mrs. Hart responded from the other side of the clothes rack. "You like him right?" Kim asked, although she knew the answer. "I do." Mrs. Hart replied. "I wonder about you though." "What do you mean?" Kim asked turning in confusion towards her mother as she stopped digging through the rack looking for a jacket. "Well, I just think that maybe." Mrs. Hart paused as she moved around the rack to be on the same side as Kim. "Maybe it's went beyond "like." "Oh." Kim responded as she considered her mother's words. She absentmindedly ran a thumb across the zipper of a jacket in front of her until her mom cleared her throat. "Sooo?" Mrs. Hart pried. "So?" Kim responded. "Don't do your mother like that." Mrs. Hart feigned hurt. "I mean.." Kim stopped and then smiled. "You are not wrong." "I knew it." Mrs. Hart replied with a satisfied grin. Kimberly just shook her head and turned to her mom. "I mean.. honestly.." Kim hesitated a bit. Her and her mother had always been close and sharing her feelings had never been a problem, but she had never felt anything like what she was feeling for Jason and it gave her pause. "Go on." Mrs. Hart said. "I think I might love him." Kim said softly as if she was trying to protect her mom's feelings somehow. "Oh honey.. I think you know you do and it's okay.. it's a good thing." Mrs. Hart replied. "Some of the boys you have dated.. gosh." "What?" Kim asked. "I mean honey.." Mrs. Hart replied raising her eyebrows at her. "Okay.. so once again you are not wrong." Kim said with a laugh. "But Jason seems different." Mrs. Hart stated as the two made their way across the store to the shoes. "He is very different." Kim replied. "I think even your dad has warmed up to him." Mrs. Hart said as she picked up a pair of shoes and examined them. "Yeah which is amazing in and of itself." Kim agreed as she too began to eye a pair of shoes. There was a silence between them as they both went about their way for a moment before Kim spoke again. "Do you remember your first love?" "Of course I do... you never forget those." Mrs. Hart responded. The fondness was very evident in her voice. "You wanna tell me about him?" Kim inquired. "I think you know him pretty well." Mrs. Hart answered as she turned to her daughter with a grin. "Dad?" Kim asked. "Yep." Mrs Hart answered. She examined Kim for a moment. "Don't be so surprised sweetheart.. sometimes the first love is the only one." Kim considered her words for a moment before she felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out to read a message from Jason explaining how his evening was going to consist of scary movies with his little sister. She smiled. (****) "Yep.. this place is as awful as I imagined it." Billy said as he pulled out a flashlight and shone it around the spacious foyer in front of him. "Oh come on.. I bet in it's day this place was something else." Zack responded as he looked around with his own light. "Yeah and now it's just a dusty death trap." Billy responded as he ran a finger across a chair nearby and examined the layer of dust on his finger. "Are you going to complain the whole time?" Zack asked as he walked over to a mirror and wiped off some dust. "Probably." Billy answered honestly. Zack just shook his head and chuckled. "I mean.. what's the plan.. we snoop around and examine some dusty old relics and then what?" "In your case I hope you run into a whole army of ghosts." Zack teased. "Funny." Billy responded as he moved to catch up with Zack who had moved towards a large set of double doors in front of them. He opened the door and shined his light inside. "This place is epic." Zack said as he walked in and glanced around. "So what's the backstory.. why is such a big expensive place just sitting abandoned?" Billy asked as he walked over to a piano and pushed a key. "The usual.. murder.. prison.. bank took it over.. couldn't sell it.. and here it is." Zack responded in one breath before he walked over to a fireplace and began feeling along the mantle. "What are you doing?" Billy asked. "Come on.. haven't you ever seen a horror flick.. there is always a secret panel in these old house and usually the button to open it is on the fireplace." Zack answered. "That's the movies Zack.. this is real life." Billy said. "Yeah.. superheroes are the movies too, but we got a few of them running around now too huh? "Zack countered. He sighed with disappointment as he did not find a secret lever or button though. "Is that the dude that owned it?" Billy asked as he shined his light above the fireplace and Zack stepped back to see what it was illuminating. "Probably." Zack replied as he saw a portrait hanging above the fireplace. "I mean.. even that is exactly like it is in the movies." "You know all of those legends about kids disappearing up here are just that right.. legends." Billy stated. Zack turned to him. "You trying to convince me or yourself of that bro?" Zack asked. "I'm not scared." Billy countered quickly. "Right." Zack responded. "If you did your research you'd see that's not entirely true." "What do you mean?" Billy asked. "During Goldar's initial attack.. a couple came up here to hide out.." Zack began as he walked over to a bookcase and began examining some of the books on it. "They um.. were some of the reported missing." "Are you saying this place done something to them?" Billy asked as he glanced around. "I doubt it.. I mean, chances are they just fled town." Zack answered as he sat a book down and then began to exit the room. He turned back to Billy. "Still though.. it makes you wonder." (****) "Yes Ma'am." Tommy said as he smiled politely at the woman in front of him. "It's going to storm... be safe and get home by midnight okay?" Trini's mother said to the two teens in front of her. "We will mom." Trini said as she turned to walk off the porch. She took Tommy by the hand and pulled him along with her. Once they were out of earshot from her mother he spoke. "She's not so bad." Tommy stated. "Oh shut up." Trini replied. Tommy laughed. "She is only like that when you are around." "Okay." Tommy said as he opened the car door for Trini and glanced up to see her mother still smiling at him. He smiled and moved over to the driver side of the car and got in. "She has always been so nice to me." "I know.. I don't get it." Trini said thoughtfully. "Gee thanks." Tommy responded. "I mean.. she's always been on my case but since you've came along.. I don't know.." Trini paused. Tommy considered her words for a moment and reached over to take her by the hand. "Listen.. you told me once.." Tommy began. He paused when Trini met his gaze. "That your parents, specifically your mom wasn't always supportive of your sexuality." "Yeah." Trini agreed with a sigh. "Do you think.." Tommy stopped. "Do I think she's happy I'm dating a guy and that's the explanation?" Trini finished for him. "I mean.." Tommy again hesitated. "It probably is." Trini responded. There was a moment of silence between them. "I'm sorry." Tommy finally spoke up. "It's okay." Trini responded. "Yeah it's fine.. let's go before we are late to the movie." "Okay." Tommy said as he started the car. (****) "Look.. I've played along this whole time.. but I draw the line here." Billy said as he stepped next to Zack. "Come on.. we got to check it out." Zack replied. "No.. we literally do not have to." Billy countered. Zack burst out laughing. "You know you never go to the basement.. never." "Well I don't always follow the rules." Zack countered as he pushed the basement door open. "I'm learning this." Billy responded as shined a light down the long staircase leading to the dark basement. "Come on.. after this we can go." Zack said. "Famous last words." Billy responded as he watched Zack start to descend the staircase. He reluctantly followed him. The steps seem to go on forever before he was finally on the bottom. Zack moved aside to allow him to step to the ground and he shined his light around. "Wow." Zack stated. "Weird." Billy replied. "It's completely empty." "Yeah.. that's crazy." Zack responded as he glanced around the completely empty and spacious basement. "I mean.. the house is full of junk but the basement is cleaned out, how much sense does that make?" Billy asked rhetorically. "None." Zack answered as he began to walk out to the middle of the basement. "This place would be even better than your basement for an arcade." "I guess." Billy countered as suddenly he felt even more creeped out than he had upstairs. "I'd love to know why this place has no stuff in it." Zack said as he walked across the room. "Probably best we don't know." Billy responded. "So there is nothing to see here right, let's get out of here." "Yeah.. I guess you are right." Zack said as he started to walk back towards Billy. He stopped mid step though and glanced above him. "Did you hear that?" "What?" Billy asked. His question was answered as he heard a creak on the floorboard above them. So much so he saw a trail of dust cascade down into the beam of his flashlight. Billy widened his eyes and glanced at Zack. "Someone is here." Zack whispered. "Let's get out of here." Billy replied in a whisper of his own, although due to his panic it barely came out that way. Zack ignored him and walked over to the foot of the steps leading up to the basement. He flicked his light off and gestured for Billy to do the same. Billy obliged and walked over to stand behind Zack. "What are we doing?" "Shh." Zack countered as he pointed up the steps to the very dim light coming from underneath the door leading down to the basement. Billy felt his heart begin to race as he saw some shadow play from underneath the door. "Zack... Zack.. we gotta go." Billy responded. "Relax..." Zack said turning to Billy. "It's probably just some more kids like us, exploring." "Sure.. or it's the devil." Billy replied. "Either way I don't wanna stick around and find out." "Just hold up for a moment." Zack said as he turned back around to the door. He watched the door for several moments before the knob began to turn. Billy ran to the middle of the room in a panic. "Come on Zack!" Billy said in his best frantic whisper. "Okay let's go." Zack agreed as he walked out to the middle of the room and both teens reached down to activate the teleportation feature of their communicators. After a couple of seconds Zack looked up at Billy. "Um.. Billy.. why are we not teleporting?" "I don't know!" Billy responded in a panic. He kept mashing the button in vain. He then began to look around for a place to hide. There was nowhere so he just ran over and pressed himself up against the wall. Zack followed suit and the two heard footsteps on the stairs but could not make out anyone coming down them. Both teens strained their eyes in the darkness to see if they could see who had entered the basement with them. They could see nothing, and that in and of itself was even more unsettling than if they did. For several moments the two stood perfectly still and waited. "Where is he?" Zack leaned over to Billy and whispered into his ear. Billy shrugged in response and then reached down once more to press frantically on his communicator. "There's no one here." "Wait Zack." Billy whispered as he felt Zack move away from the wall towards the center of the room. (****) "Why did they go in the basement bubby?" Pearl asked as she turned to Jason to see his face illuminated with the glow of the television in front of them. "They are dumb." Jason answered bluntly, prompting Pearl to giggle. Jason turned to her with a smile before he threw some more popcorn in his mouth. "The monster is always in the basement." Pearl deduced. "Yeah he is." Jason agreed. He felt Pearl scoot closer to him as the music picked up intensity on the movie. He smiled down at her as she turned away in anticipation that something was going to jump out. Jason glanced to the couch next to him to see his phone was lit up and he had a new text message. He picked it up and saw it was from Kim. It simply said "I love you." Jason grinned and responded with a similar text before Pearl screamed next to him, prompting him nearly to lose his phone. He glanced up to see the monster had made it's appearance and was chasing the teens around the basement. (****) "I still say we should have seen the other one." Tommy said as he got settled into the seat in the dim theater and turned to Trini who had already seemed comfortable and was taking a drink from her oversized and overpriced soda. "I was in the mood for a romantic comedy.. so sue me." Trini replied with a grin. "Well I was in the mood to watch something get blown up and some fighting and.." Tommy began. "Don't we get that enough in our own lives?" Trini questioned tilting her head at Tommy. "Good point." Tommy replied as he grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Still.. we could have watched a horror movie or something." "You'll be fine." Trini said as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Tommy smiled as her lips touched him. "Yeah.. I will." He replied before he turned and caught her lips before she pulled away. They kissed for a few seconds before the previews started on the movie, startling both of them. (****) "Come on Billy.. I think our imaginations just got the best of us." Zack said as he reached for his flashlight. Billy started to move from the wall just as Zack flipped his light on. Billy froze as the light illuminated what was in front of Zack. Zack saw Billy's expression and turned to see what was in front of him. He let out a yell as he saw the faceless black creature standing in front of him. "What is that?!" Billy exclaimed as Zack jumped back to stand next to him. "I don't know.. but I think it's morphin' time." Zack responded as he glanced at Billy and the two Rangers morphed. Once they did Zack held the light up once more to face the creature but it was nowhere to be found. "Where did it go?" Billy asked as he glanced around the room. The glow from their suits was illuminating the room along with their flashlights. He saw no sign of anyone. "Maybe it headed back upstairs.. come on." Zack said as he started to tentatively make his way towards the stairs. Billy followed suit, feeling empowered and emboldened by his suit. Zack reached the steps first and began to ascend them. Billy close behind and had made it a couple of steps when he felt something grab his foot. "Zack.. it's got me!" Billy exclaimed as he felt himself being jerked back to the ground. Zack turned to see Billy being dragged out of sight and he leaped down to the bottom of the stairs and shined his light to see the dark creature dragging Billy to the middle of the room. Zack ran towards it and watched in horror as the ground opened up beneath them and swallowed them. Zack attempted to stop but it was too late as he too found himself falling into the darkness below him. (****) "I'd say this was a productive outing." Mrs. Hart said as she glanced down at the various bags filling her trunk. "I agree." Kim said as she made her way around the side of her own car. "See you at home?" Mrs. Hart asked as she closed her trunk lid and walked over to the driver side door of her car parked next to Kimberly's. "I'm going to swing by Jason's first and then I'll be there. "Okay.. don't stay out too late.. your dad likes him now but let's not push it." Mrs. Hart joked as she opened her car door. "Got it." Kim said with a smile as she too opened the door to her car and jumped in. (****) "This movie is awful." Tommy whispered as he leaned towards Trini. "Shh." Trini responded as she watched the screen in front of her. Tommy nodded and leaned back in his seat and turned his attention back to the screen in front of him. He watched it for a few moments before the picture and sound went completely out. "What is going on?" Tommy asked as he fumbled in his pocket for his cell phone for some light. He finally found it and pulled it out and illuminated the area in front of him. "Storm must have knocked out the power." Tommy waited for a response from next to him but when one didn't come he turned his light around to see that the seat was empty. He furrowed his brow and stood up alarmed. He looked around the room to see that the other theater was now empty. There had not been very many people watching the film with them but what was there seemed to be gone now. Tommy gestured wildly with the light of his phone all around the room. "Trini?" Tommy called out as he didn't see a sign of anyone. Suddenly the room began to glow red and Tommy turned to see that there was something back on the screen. He felt his hear sink as the placed looked all too familiar to him. (****) Jason sat down on his bed and glanced out the window as a flash of lightning got his attention. He had finally gotten Pearl to go to sleep and his parents had just gotten home so he was considering calling it an early night tonight. He yawned a bit and stretched. He stood up and started to turn down his bed when he heard a noise behind him. He smiled and turned around. "Hey there." Kim said as she stepped through his window into the bedroom. "Hey." Jason greeted her before turning to her. "Going to bed already?" Kim asked. "I was considering it." Jason replied. "I can leave." Kim said. "Don't you dare." Jason responded with a smile before he pulled her into his arms. He bent down and kissed her. "I thought I'd stop by after shopping.. guess I was missing you." Kim said as she they broke the kiss. "Nothing wrong with that." Jason replied as the two sat down on the bed. "How did the movie go?" Kim asked. "Good.. I'm sure Pearl will have nightmares and be in here at some point tonight." Jason said with a chuckle. Kim laughed a little too and then glanced up at the open window. She squinted her eyes and then turned back to Jason. "Um.. what..." Kim said as she stood up. Jason followed her eyes and he too got a puzzled look on his face and stood up. Out the window was pitch darkness. Nothing could be seen but a darkness that seemed to almost be swirling around. "Kim.. maybe we should." Jason started but before he could finished he felt a powerful shove in his back and he was propelled towards the darkness. The last thing he saw before the darkness completely enveloped him was Kimberly next to him about to suffer the same fate. (****) "No.." Tommy said under his breath as his eyes darted in front of the screen in front of him. It did not take him long to figure out he was seeing the same hellish dimension he had barely escaped from. What troubled him the most though was that in the middle of the screen he saw Trini getting up off the ground and looking around very confused. "Trini." "Tommy." a voice from next to him spoke. He spun around to see Lord Zedd standing next to him. Tommy immediately morphed and took a step back. "Easy." "What are you doing here.. what have you done?" Tommy asked as he pointed towards the screen. "I'm going to kill her you know." Zedd said casually. This caused Tommy to cock his head at him. "What did you say?" Tommy asked. "I am going to kill her." Zedd said as he pointed to Trini. "Or rather my dimension will." "No.." Tommy said as he glanced at Trini and then charged at Zedd. Zedd caught him by the throat and slammed him up against the nearby wall. "You can fight me Tommy..." Zedd began. "Or you can save her." Zedd threw Tommy to the ground and stepped back. He gestured towards the screen. "You have been there before.. maybe you can help her.. maybe you can't." Zedd said. "Make your choice." "Zedd..." Tommy said between gritted teeth as he felt the anger boiling up in him. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Trini and then back across the room at Zedd. He slammed his fist on the ground before getting up and racing towards Trini, silently praying that once he went in he could make his way back out again.