Post by Kim on Apr 2, 2008 17:38:11 GMT -5
Last Revised: September 18, 2005
Summary: A day at the Carnival proves rather interesting.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, wish I did, then lots of things would be different.
AN: Response to a challenge by BloomingViolets. Needs to include Syd and Sky-ness, Teddy Bears and Scooters. Don’t ask me where she came up with those --grins-- We were just commenting on how we wished there were more Syd and Sky fics and then challenged each other. No time limit, no word limit.
--
“Bumper cars?” Four heads shook no in response.
“Ferris Wheel?” Again, not everyone wanted to go on it.
“Midway?”
“Now that has possibilities,” Z responded to Jack’s suggestion. They’d just spent the last twenty minutes standing in line for and going on the Zipper and the Ring of Fire. Even now, Sky and Jack were standing on either side of Sydney, holding the Pink Ranger upright. The poor girl had gotten overly dizzy riding with Jack on the Zipper and then to make matters worse, she’d ridden with Sky on the Ring Of Fire and had nearly fallen out of her seat because she was so small and the bar wasn’t down enough. Z mused that it had been a good thing Sky was right next to her and was able to keep her from falling out.
“I just wanna sit down, please,” Syd cried out softly, alarming the others. Jack and Sky shared a look over Syd’s head. Quickly, Sky bent down and hoisted the petite Pink Ranger into his arms and carried her to the nearest bench, sitting her down when they got there. Z and Bridge went to the closest drink vendor and bought five bottles of water before racing back to their friends. Jack sat on the bench with Sydney, his hand rubbing circles on her back while the Pink Ranger sat with her head between her knees, her hands held tightly by Sky, who was kneeling in front of her, softly stroking the tops of her hands with his thumbs.
“Here,” Bridge murmured to Sky, handing the Blue Ranger a bottle of water.
“Sydney?” Sky asked, trying to get her to sit up and drink the water.
Syd whimpered, causing Sky’s heart to race faster. “Syd?”
“If I sit up Sky, it’s not gonna be pretty,” she whimpered again.
Jack continued to rub Syd’s back while Bridge and Z stood to the side, and Sky tried to figure out what to do. Sighing, he handed Jack the bottle and then leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Syd. Slowly and gently, he sat on the ground, pulling her into his lap, reaching for the water bottle Jack held. The Red Ranger handed it over quickly and watched with baited breath as Sky took the bottle and touched it to Syd’s cheek.
“If you drink the water, it’ll make you feel better,” he told her softly. He was so concerned about her well being that he never realized he’d let his guard down and was showing a side of himself to his teammates they never saw, not even Bridge and Syd.
“If I swallow anything, it’s just gonna come back up,” she cried miserably, the world still spinning. Normally she could handle the rides at the amusement park, but for some reason, she just wasn’t able to hold her own today. However, the warmth and strength she felt in Sky’s hold was slowly calming her down, making her drowsy even.
Jack grinned, watching Sydney rub her face slightly against Sky’s chest. He’d known there was something between them for a while now, he just wasn’t sure either of the realized it. “Bridge, Z, why don’t you two head over to the Midway, we’ll join you when Syd’s able to stand again.”
“You sure?” Z asked, crouching next to Sydney and Sky to look at the Pink Ranger.
“Jack’s right, no use in you guys hanging out here,” Sky smiled at his yellow teammate. “Besides, the less people who see Sydney get sick, the better she’ll feel.”
Z frowned, noting the Pink Ranger must be really sick not to even utter a comeback at Sky’s retort. “Syd?”
“Go ahead Z,” she mumbled, feeling okay enough to take the bottle of water from Sky’s hands and drink a sip. “The guys are right, you and Bridge aren’t gonna have any fun seeing me get sick, if I get sick.”
“We’ll meet you guys by the basketball game at the entrance to the midway in twenty minutes, alright?” Jack asked. Bridge and Z nodded and then meandered off.
“Feeling better?” Sky whispered in Syd’s ear. The Pink Ranger nodded and leaned against him, holding the water bottle to her forehead. “No more rides that go upside down today, I promise.”
Sydney managed a weak smile but then lay her head back against his shoulder, content to have the world around her moving instead of her own body moving.
“Still dizzy Syd?” Jack asked, not really wanting to intrude on the quiet moment but feeling kinda left out.
“Yeah, thanks Jack,” she told him softly, sighing. “Sky?”
“Hmm?”
“I think I’m ready to stand up on my own now.”
Sky looked doubtful of her ability to do that just yet, but with Jack’s help, got her up and standing. She still seemed wobbly, so Sky slipped his arm around her waist, hoping to steady her. Jack stood back away from them for a moment and watched them. They were so oblivious to the way they were around one another that it was almost comical.
“We ready to go join Z and Bridge?”
Syd nodded slowly, as did Sky, before the three of them turned and headed off in the direction of the midway.
--
“Looks like you’re feeling better,” Z commented when she and Bridge saw the others.
Syd still looked pale, but at least she was up and walking and not whimpering. “Guys, I don’t wanna do anymore rides for a long while.”
“How about lunch?” Bridge asked, only to be swatted on the arm by Z. “What?”
“She’s still sick, goofy. The last thing she probably wants to look at is food.”
Jack’s stomach took the opportunity to growl. “Bridge’s right though, food sounds good.”
“Why don’t you three go grab something and Syd and I will wander around the games for a while,” Sky suggested.
“Okay,” Z smiled, at them, seeing how well they fit together. She knew if she gave them some time alone, they’d might actually crumble and tell one another. “Let’s go you two.”
“You can go with them, and leave me on a bench until you come back, I know you’re hungry too,” Syd murmured softly, thinking how unfair it was to Sky that he was stuck with her when he probably wanted to be having fun.
“I’m not gonna leave you alone, Syd. I’m not all that hungry, those rides kinda got to me too,” Sky admitted sheepishly. “Come on, let’s go find something calm for you to do.”
--
The two of them walked along the massive midway, looking for something to do that didn’t involve a lot of moving for Sydney. When they were passing one of the games, Syd let out a cry of delight. “What’s wrong?” Sky asked, instantly alert.
“Look Sky!” she pointed to a booth across from where they were standing. It was one of those ones where the object is to knock over the milk jugs with a baseball. “Those stuffed animals are so cute!”
Shaking his head, Sky steered them over so Syd could take a closer look. Gingerly, Sydney slipped out of his arms and moved closer to examine one of the smaller toys. “They’re cute!” she gushed softly, reaching a finger out to caress the top. They were white teddy bears wearing the uniforms of the SPD Rangers. “I wish I could get one.”
“Why don’t you try the game?” Sky asked suddenly, looming over her shoulder. “It doesn’t involve a lot of movement.”
Syd pouted. “I would, but I’ve never been good at this one or others like it. I can just never seem to get the aim with the ball. Oh well, come on, let’s go look around.”
When she turned to see what Sky was doing, Sydney noticed he was paying the booth operator a few dollars, and then taking the three baseballs that were handed to him. “Sky, what are you doing?”
“I’m gonna play, what’s it look like?” he grinned.
“Alright Sir. If you knock them all over, you get one of the big ones. Knock over three or four and you get one of the medium sized ones, and knock over one or two, and you get a small one.”
Sky nodded and stepped back, tossing the ball a little in his hand before he closed his eyes and remembered everything his dad had ever taught him about baseball. He threw the ball with such force Sydney was surprised he didn’t dislocate his shoulder.
“Oh! Too bad, only one. You get a small bear.”
Sky grinned, picked up the next ball, and repeated. This time he knocked three of the bottles off the stand. “A medium sized bear.”
Nodding, Sky grabbed the last ball and repeated his process, this time knocking all five bottles down. “Wow! Pretty good, Sir. You get three bears, on of each size.”
Sky laughed. He chose a medium sized bear wearing Z’s uniform and handed it to Syd, who grinned. “We’ll give that one to Z.” Turning back, Sky selected a small Blue Ranger one and a large Pink Ranger one.
Sky handed the Pink Ranger one to Syd, who smiled, but refused. Sky looked hurt until she stepped closer to the vendor. “I’d like the large Blue Ranger, pleas,” she told the vendor, who nodded and smiled.
The Blue Ranger looked on, shocked, but smiled none the less. “Then let’s trade the small one in for a Pink one, please.”
The vendor laughed and switched the bears, handing them to their owners. “Thank you, Sky, he’s adorable.”
Sky laughed and took the yellow one from her, tucking it into his free arm with the pink one before discretely taking Syd’s free hand. “Come on, let’s go find something else to do until the others are done eating.”
--
“I wonder where they are,” Z asked as she and Bridge walked hand in hand. She looked over and saw Jack staring off into space and looped her arm through his.
“Guys! Look!” Bridge cried out, causing Z and Jack to look in the direction he was pointing in. They watched as Syd pointed to the bear wearing the Blue Ranger uniform before she took it and tucked it into her arms, and then let Sky take her hand.
“I knew it!” Z laughed happily. “Those two have been dancing around each other for months now! It’s about time!”
Jack and Bridge merely grinned and shook their heads. “So, do we join them?” Jack asked.
“Or do we tail them and watch?” Bridge finished.
“We tail them, and watch, and then we’ll join them. Let’s let them get it out of their systems first,” Z laughed.
--
“I wonder where the others are?” Syd asked out loud, not really directing her question to Sky.
“Why? You don’t like being in my company?” Sky asked, slightly offended.
“I DID NOT SAY THAT!” she argued, tugging her hand from his and smacking him lightly in the shoulder when she saw he was grinning before reaching down and taking his hand again. “I just wondered where they were. Eating can’t take that long, can it?”
“Depends, how hungry were Jack and Bridge?” Sky asked. The two of them knew that the Red and Green Rangers were like bottomless pits some days when it came to food.
“OOH! Sky, look!”
The Blue Ranger looked over to where Syd was pointing and smiled. There was a group of clowns standing outside a tent. One was making balloon animals for the kids, one was doing magic tricks, and two of them were playing with a small, clownish painted scooter.
“Wanna go look?” he asked amusedly. Sydney nodded vigorously, obviously feeling much better. The pair walked over, Syd skipping much of the way, all the while swinging their connected hands back and forth.
“Well, well, what a pretty girl we have here!” one of the clowns laughed as Syd approached. “How are you today, Lass?”
Syd grinned. “Good. How are you?”
“Fine, is what I be. Would you care for an animal?” he asked, gesturing to the balloons he had in his hand.
Sydney nodded. “Will you make me something with a blue and pink one?”
The clown laughed and nodded before beginning the task of blowing up the first balloon, a pink one. After he had it blown up and tied, he quickly moved through twisting and turning it.
“So, Lad, is this ye first date, or perhaps an anniversary?” the clown asked Sky, who look startled and blushed.
“Um, neither, we’re here with friends.”
The clown nodded, making a face that said ‘Yeah Right’, though he winked at Syd, who was blushing as bad as Sky. “Here ye go, Lass, a pretty pink crown for a pretty pink princess.”
Syd smiled and let go of Sky’s hand to grab the crown, which she put on her head before taking the Blue Ranger’s hand again. It seemed so natural to her, to have his large, calloused hand holding her much smaller one.
Working quickly, the clown twisted and folded and molded the blue balloon into a shape, before presenting it to Sydney in a flourish. “And a beautiful blue dog, to guard the pink princess.”
Syd smiled, noting that it looked remarkably like the dog on the front of their SPD uniforms from a certain angle. “Thank you, Mr. Clown.”
“Ye welcome, Lass. Now, Laddie, take care of her!” the clown scolded teasingly, making Sky blush, though the Blue Ranger nodded and turned to steer Sydney away from the clowns. Just as the couple turned, the scooter the two clowns had been messing with shot out of their grips, and headed straight for Sydney.
“SYD!” Sky cried, yanking her arm, causing her body to stumble toward his.
--
“Oh no!” Z cried out in alarm, as the trio watched the scooter run out of control and almost knock Sydney over. With a unspoken decision, the trio ran over to their friends.
“Syd!” Jack called, crouching down near the two prone bodies. Sky had spun Syd into his arms, dropping the stuffed toys, and had made sure when the two of them hit the ground, Syd was falling on him. The scooter lay a few feet away, it’s wheels still running, while a crowd was gathering around the two downed Rangers. “Sky?”
“Owie!” Syd muttered, pushing up from where she’d landed on Sky. “Sky? Are you alright!” she frantically asked when she noticed he wasn’t moving. “SKY!”
“I’m fine…” he gasped, sitting up once Sydney was off him. Immediately, his concern for Syd overrode the aches. “You okay?” he asked rapidly, his hands coming up to touch her face and her arms.
Sydney grinned at him and nodded. “My crown and my doggie got popped.”
Sky was so relieved she was ok that he started laughing hysterically at her comment, pulling her close to him for a hug, his lips grazing her temple softly.
“Geesh you two, we leave you alone for a half hour and you get into tons of trouble,” Z muttered, helping Sydney up while Bridge and Jack helped Sky.
“I’m sorry Lass, is there anything we can do to make up for it?” the clown asked, worry etched on his features.
Syd shook her head and then grinned. “How about a free ride on the Ferris wheel for the five of us?”
“Done.”
--
“Why do they get to sit in one car while we’re stuck crammed in this one?” Jack complained, though he was secretly happy for Sky and Syd. They’d been pinning for each other for forever, just like Z had said, and it seemed a nice romantic ride on the Ferris Wheel just might get them to open up to one another, on top of all the other things that had happened during the course of their carnival adventure.
After the incident with the scooter, the five of them had gotten a pass from the clown to ride the Ferris Wheel before they went home. Passes in hand, they’d gone around to play some more games. Then they’d had dinner, and had hung around the pavilion a while, listening to the live band and dancing. Now they were on the Ferris Wheel at last call, before they headed to the jeep and back to the Academy.
“Because you doofus!” Z shot back, snuggling closer to Bridge, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. “We want them to stop dancing around each other, and if you were with them, it wouldn’t work.”
“Aww nuts,” the Red Ranger complained, then grinned. “He’d better kiss her during this ride, or I’m gonna knock some sense into his head, literally.”
Meanwhile, in the basket above them, Syd and Sky sat together, Sky’s arm wrapped around Syd’s shoulders as they waited for the ride to start.
“Today was fun,” Syd yawned, snuggling her head on Sky’s shoulder and enjoying the warmth of his arm around her.
“It had its moments, didn’t it?” Sky asked, looking down at her, feeling happier than he had in a long time. Who knew he’d ever feel this way about his best friend of all people. He never imagined he’d fall in love, let alone with Sydney.
“Yeah. Thank you for my stuffed animal, Sky, he’s so adorable.”
Sky grinned. “You’re welcome,” he told her as the ride took them up, allowing them to see the boardwalk where the carnival was. After about the second pass around, Sky bit his lip and squeezed Syd’s shoulders.
“Hmm?”
“Syd?”
“Yeah?” She looked up at him, the blue of his eyes darkening with the night sky.
“Can I kiss you?”
Sydney looked shocked, before a bright smile erupted onto her face, her head nodding slightly in answer. Leaning forward, Sky’s warm lips carefully sought out hers. The moment they touched, it was like fireworks going off inside each of them. Little did they know, there were actual fireworks going off around them, courtesy of the carnival’s celebration of its last night in town.
“Oh wow!” Sydney gasped softly when they pulled apart.
“I’ll second that. Syd?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
Again, Sydney looked shocked, before she smiled at him again. “Sky?”
“Yeah?” he asked, only slightly worried what her response would be.
“I love you too.”
Summary: A day at the Carnival proves rather interesting.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, wish I did, then lots of things would be different.
AN: Response to a challenge by BloomingViolets. Needs to include Syd and Sky-ness, Teddy Bears and Scooters. Don’t ask me where she came up with those --grins-- We were just commenting on how we wished there were more Syd and Sky fics and then challenged each other. No time limit, no word limit.
--
“Bumper cars?” Four heads shook no in response.
“Ferris Wheel?” Again, not everyone wanted to go on it.
“Midway?”
“Now that has possibilities,” Z responded to Jack’s suggestion. They’d just spent the last twenty minutes standing in line for and going on the Zipper and the Ring of Fire. Even now, Sky and Jack were standing on either side of Sydney, holding the Pink Ranger upright. The poor girl had gotten overly dizzy riding with Jack on the Zipper and then to make matters worse, she’d ridden with Sky on the Ring Of Fire and had nearly fallen out of her seat because she was so small and the bar wasn’t down enough. Z mused that it had been a good thing Sky was right next to her and was able to keep her from falling out.
“I just wanna sit down, please,” Syd cried out softly, alarming the others. Jack and Sky shared a look over Syd’s head. Quickly, Sky bent down and hoisted the petite Pink Ranger into his arms and carried her to the nearest bench, sitting her down when they got there. Z and Bridge went to the closest drink vendor and bought five bottles of water before racing back to their friends. Jack sat on the bench with Sydney, his hand rubbing circles on her back while the Pink Ranger sat with her head between her knees, her hands held tightly by Sky, who was kneeling in front of her, softly stroking the tops of her hands with his thumbs.
“Here,” Bridge murmured to Sky, handing the Blue Ranger a bottle of water.
“Sydney?” Sky asked, trying to get her to sit up and drink the water.
Syd whimpered, causing Sky’s heart to race faster. “Syd?”
“If I sit up Sky, it’s not gonna be pretty,” she whimpered again.
Jack continued to rub Syd’s back while Bridge and Z stood to the side, and Sky tried to figure out what to do. Sighing, he handed Jack the bottle and then leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Syd. Slowly and gently, he sat on the ground, pulling her into his lap, reaching for the water bottle Jack held. The Red Ranger handed it over quickly and watched with baited breath as Sky took the bottle and touched it to Syd’s cheek.
“If you drink the water, it’ll make you feel better,” he told her softly. He was so concerned about her well being that he never realized he’d let his guard down and was showing a side of himself to his teammates they never saw, not even Bridge and Syd.
“If I swallow anything, it’s just gonna come back up,” she cried miserably, the world still spinning. Normally she could handle the rides at the amusement park, but for some reason, she just wasn’t able to hold her own today. However, the warmth and strength she felt in Sky’s hold was slowly calming her down, making her drowsy even.
Jack grinned, watching Sydney rub her face slightly against Sky’s chest. He’d known there was something between them for a while now, he just wasn’t sure either of the realized it. “Bridge, Z, why don’t you two head over to the Midway, we’ll join you when Syd’s able to stand again.”
“You sure?” Z asked, crouching next to Sydney and Sky to look at the Pink Ranger.
“Jack’s right, no use in you guys hanging out here,” Sky smiled at his yellow teammate. “Besides, the less people who see Sydney get sick, the better she’ll feel.”
Z frowned, noting the Pink Ranger must be really sick not to even utter a comeback at Sky’s retort. “Syd?”
“Go ahead Z,” she mumbled, feeling okay enough to take the bottle of water from Sky’s hands and drink a sip. “The guys are right, you and Bridge aren’t gonna have any fun seeing me get sick, if I get sick.”
“We’ll meet you guys by the basketball game at the entrance to the midway in twenty minutes, alright?” Jack asked. Bridge and Z nodded and then meandered off.
“Feeling better?” Sky whispered in Syd’s ear. The Pink Ranger nodded and leaned against him, holding the water bottle to her forehead. “No more rides that go upside down today, I promise.”
Sydney managed a weak smile but then lay her head back against his shoulder, content to have the world around her moving instead of her own body moving.
“Still dizzy Syd?” Jack asked, not really wanting to intrude on the quiet moment but feeling kinda left out.
“Yeah, thanks Jack,” she told him softly, sighing. “Sky?”
“Hmm?”
“I think I’m ready to stand up on my own now.”
Sky looked doubtful of her ability to do that just yet, but with Jack’s help, got her up and standing. She still seemed wobbly, so Sky slipped his arm around her waist, hoping to steady her. Jack stood back away from them for a moment and watched them. They were so oblivious to the way they were around one another that it was almost comical.
“We ready to go join Z and Bridge?”
Syd nodded slowly, as did Sky, before the three of them turned and headed off in the direction of the midway.
--
“Looks like you’re feeling better,” Z commented when she and Bridge saw the others.
Syd still looked pale, but at least she was up and walking and not whimpering. “Guys, I don’t wanna do anymore rides for a long while.”
“How about lunch?” Bridge asked, only to be swatted on the arm by Z. “What?”
“She’s still sick, goofy. The last thing she probably wants to look at is food.”
Jack’s stomach took the opportunity to growl. “Bridge’s right though, food sounds good.”
“Why don’t you three go grab something and Syd and I will wander around the games for a while,” Sky suggested.
“Okay,” Z smiled, at them, seeing how well they fit together. She knew if she gave them some time alone, they’d might actually crumble and tell one another. “Let’s go you two.”
“You can go with them, and leave me on a bench until you come back, I know you’re hungry too,” Syd murmured softly, thinking how unfair it was to Sky that he was stuck with her when he probably wanted to be having fun.
“I’m not gonna leave you alone, Syd. I’m not all that hungry, those rides kinda got to me too,” Sky admitted sheepishly. “Come on, let’s go find something calm for you to do.”
--
The two of them walked along the massive midway, looking for something to do that didn’t involve a lot of moving for Sydney. When they were passing one of the games, Syd let out a cry of delight. “What’s wrong?” Sky asked, instantly alert.
“Look Sky!” she pointed to a booth across from where they were standing. It was one of those ones where the object is to knock over the milk jugs with a baseball. “Those stuffed animals are so cute!”
Shaking his head, Sky steered them over so Syd could take a closer look. Gingerly, Sydney slipped out of his arms and moved closer to examine one of the smaller toys. “They’re cute!” she gushed softly, reaching a finger out to caress the top. They were white teddy bears wearing the uniforms of the SPD Rangers. “I wish I could get one.”
“Why don’t you try the game?” Sky asked suddenly, looming over her shoulder. “It doesn’t involve a lot of movement.”
Syd pouted. “I would, but I’ve never been good at this one or others like it. I can just never seem to get the aim with the ball. Oh well, come on, let’s go look around.”
When she turned to see what Sky was doing, Sydney noticed he was paying the booth operator a few dollars, and then taking the three baseballs that were handed to him. “Sky, what are you doing?”
“I’m gonna play, what’s it look like?” he grinned.
“Alright Sir. If you knock them all over, you get one of the big ones. Knock over three or four and you get one of the medium sized ones, and knock over one or two, and you get a small one.”
Sky nodded and stepped back, tossing the ball a little in his hand before he closed his eyes and remembered everything his dad had ever taught him about baseball. He threw the ball with such force Sydney was surprised he didn’t dislocate his shoulder.
“Oh! Too bad, only one. You get a small bear.”
Sky grinned, picked up the next ball, and repeated. This time he knocked three of the bottles off the stand. “A medium sized bear.”
Nodding, Sky grabbed the last ball and repeated his process, this time knocking all five bottles down. “Wow! Pretty good, Sir. You get three bears, on of each size.”
Sky laughed. He chose a medium sized bear wearing Z’s uniform and handed it to Syd, who grinned. “We’ll give that one to Z.” Turning back, Sky selected a small Blue Ranger one and a large Pink Ranger one.
Sky handed the Pink Ranger one to Syd, who smiled, but refused. Sky looked hurt until she stepped closer to the vendor. “I’d like the large Blue Ranger, pleas,” she told the vendor, who nodded and smiled.
The Blue Ranger looked on, shocked, but smiled none the less. “Then let’s trade the small one in for a Pink one, please.”
The vendor laughed and switched the bears, handing them to their owners. “Thank you, Sky, he’s adorable.”
Sky laughed and took the yellow one from her, tucking it into his free arm with the pink one before discretely taking Syd’s free hand. “Come on, let’s go find something else to do until the others are done eating.”
--
“I wonder where they are,” Z asked as she and Bridge walked hand in hand. She looked over and saw Jack staring off into space and looped her arm through his.
“Guys! Look!” Bridge cried out, causing Z and Jack to look in the direction he was pointing in. They watched as Syd pointed to the bear wearing the Blue Ranger uniform before she took it and tucked it into her arms, and then let Sky take her hand.
“I knew it!” Z laughed happily. “Those two have been dancing around each other for months now! It’s about time!”
Jack and Bridge merely grinned and shook their heads. “So, do we join them?” Jack asked.
“Or do we tail them and watch?” Bridge finished.
“We tail them, and watch, and then we’ll join them. Let’s let them get it out of their systems first,” Z laughed.
--
“I wonder where the others are?” Syd asked out loud, not really directing her question to Sky.
“Why? You don’t like being in my company?” Sky asked, slightly offended.
“I DID NOT SAY THAT!” she argued, tugging her hand from his and smacking him lightly in the shoulder when she saw he was grinning before reaching down and taking his hand again. “I just wondered where they were. Eating can’t take that long, can it?”
“Depends, how hungry were Jack and Bridge?” Sky asked. The two of them knew that the Red and Green Rangers were like bottomless pits some days when it came to food.
“OOH! Sky, look!”
The Blue Ranger looked over to where Syd was pointing and smiled. There was a group of clowns standing outside a tent. One was making balloon animals for the kids, one was doing magic tricks, and two of them were playing with a small, clownish painted scooter.
“Wanna go look?” he asked amusedly. Sydney nodded vigorously, obviously feeling much better. The pair walked over, Syd skipping much of the way, all the while swinging their connected hands back and forth.
“Well, well, what a pretty girl we have here!” one of the clowns laughed as Syd approached. “How are you today, Lass?”
Syd grinned. “Good. How are you?”
“Fine, is what I be. Would you care for an animal?” he asked, gesturing to the balloons he had in his hand.
Sydney nodded. “Will you make me something with a blue and pink one?”
The clown laughed and nodded before beginning the task of blowing up the first balloon, a pink one. After he had it blown up and tied, he quickly moved through twisting and turning it.
“So, Lad, is this ye first date, or perhaps an anniversary?” the clown asked Sky, who look startled and blushed.
“Um, neither, we’re here with friends.”
The clown nodded, making a face that said ‘Yeah Right’, though he winked at Syd, who was blushing as bad as Sky. “Here ye go, Lass, a pretty pink crown for a pretty pink princess.”
Syd smiled and let go of Sky’s hand to grab the crown, which she put on her head before taking the Blue Ranger’s hand again. It seemed so natural to her, to have his large, calloused hand holding her much smaller one.
Working quickly, the clown twisted and folded and molded the blue balloon into a shape, before presenting it to Sydney in a flourish. “And a beautiful blue dog, to guard the pink princess.”
Syd smiled, noting that it looked remarkably like the dog on the front of their SPD uniforms from a certain angle. “Thank you, Mr. Clown.”
“Ye welcome, Lass. Now, Laddie, take care of her!” the clown scolded teasingly, making Sky blush, though the Blue Ranger nodded and turned to steer Sydney away from the clowns. Just as the couple turned, the scooter the two clowns had been messing with shot out of their grips, and headed straight for Sydney.
“SYD!” Sky cried, yanking her arm, causing her body to stumble toward his.
--
“Oh no!” Z cried out in alarm, as the trio watched the scooter run out of control and almost knock Sydney over. With a unspoken decision, the trio ran over to their friends.
“Syd!” Jack called, crouching down near the two prone bodies. Sky had spun Syd into his arms, dropping the stuffed toys, and had made sure when the two of them hit the ground, Syd was falling on him. The scooter lay a few feet away, it’s wheels still running, while a crowd was gathering around the two downed Rangers. “Sky?”
“Owie!” Syd muttered, pushing up from where she’d landed on Sky. “Sky? Are you alright!” she frantically asked when she noticed he wasn’t moving. “SKY!”
“I’m fine…” he gasped, sitting up once Sydney was off him. Immediately, his concern for Syd overrode the aches. “You okay?” he asked rapidly, his hands coming up to touch her face and her arms.
Sydney grinned at him and nodded. “My crown and my doggie got popped.”
Sky was so relieved she was ok that he started laughing hysterically at her comment, pulling her close to him for a hug, his lips grazing her temple softly.
“Geesh you two, we leave you alone for a half hour and you get into tons of trouble,” Z muttered, helping Sydney up while Bridge and Jack helped Sky.
“I’m sorry Lass, is there anything we can do to make up for it?” the clown asked, worry etched on his features.
Syd shook her head and then grinned. “How about a free ride on the Ferris wheel for the five of us?”
“Done.”
--
“Why do they get to sit in one car while we’re stuck crammed in this one?” Jack complained, though he was secretly happy for Sky and Syd. They’d been pinning for each other for forever, just like Z had said, and it seemed a nice romantic ride on the Ferris Wheel just might get them to open up to one another, on top of all the other things that had happened during the course of their carnival adventure.
After the incident with the scooter, the five of them had gotten a pass from the clown to ride the Ferris Wheel before they went home. Passes in hand, they’d gone around to play some more games. Then they’d had dinner, and had hung around the pavilion a while, listening to the live band and dancing. Now they were on the Ferris Wheel at last call, before they headed to the jeep and back to the Academy.
“Because you doofus!” Z shot back, snuggling closer to Bridge, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. “We want them to stop dancing around each other, and if you were with them, it wouldn’t work.”
“Aww nuts,” the Red Ranger complained, then grinned. “He’d better kiss her during this ride, or I’m gonna knock some sense into his head, literally.”
Meanwhile, in the basket above them, Syd and Sky sat together, Sky’s arm wrapped around Syd’s shoulders as they waited for the ride to start.
“Today was fun,” Syd yawned, snuggling her head on Sky’s shoulder and enjoying the warmth of his arm around her.
“It had its moments, didn’t it?” Sky asked, looking down at her, feeling happier than he had in a long time. Who knew he’d ever feel this way about his best friend of all people. He never imagined he’d fall in love, let alone with Sydney.
“Yeah. Thank you for my stuffed animal, Sky, he’s so adorable.”
Sky grinned. “You’re welcome,” he told her as the ride took them up, allowing them to see the boardwalk where the carnival was. After about the second pass around, Sky bit his lip and squeezed Syd’s shoulders.
“Hmm?”
“Syd?”
“Yeah?” She looked up at him, the blue of his eyes darkening with the night sky.
“Can I kiss you?”
Sydney looked shocked, before a bright smile erupted onto her face, her head nodding slightly in answer. Leaning forward, Sky’s warm lips carefully sought out hers. The moment they touched, it was like fireworks going off inside each of them. Little did they know, there were actual fireworks going off around them, courtesy of the carnival’s celebration of its last night in town.
“Oh wow!” Sydney gasped softly when they pulled apart.
“I’ll second that. Syd?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
Again, Sydney looked shocked, before she smiled at him again. “Sky?”
“Yeah?” he asked, only slightly worried what her response would be.
“I love you too.”
