Trimberly

I'm Not Hitting On You

 Before becoming the Power Rangers, Kimberly and Trini had never had a real conversation. Kim hadn't even gotten Trini's name right, the first time they talked. She followed along with Kim and they occasionally walked home together when they and the boys parted ways. Their fight styles were different, but so complimentary at the same time. Of all of the Rangers, they were the most evenly matched of sparring partners.

Kim's flirty personality and Trini's near impenetrable shell made for an amusing partnership turned friendship. They traded bruises, bloody noses, and scrapes. It wasn't the kind of friendship KIm was used to and frankly she liked it much better. Her old friends were toxic, they brought out the worst in her. As a Ranger, Kim felt like the best version of herself around the other four. She attribute much of that to Trini.

"Are you doing okay today, babe?" Kim asked on a particularly gloomy Monday a few weeks after their penultimate battle with Rita Repulsa.

"Everything's just peachy and I am not your 'babe'." Trini replied with a completely flat facial expression.

"Literally nothing on your entire face is leading me to believe you, Trin. Try again." Kim refuted. "Is it your parents again?"

The taller girl knew things between Trini and her family had been more strained even than they usually were...and that was saying a lot. The shorter girl didn't normally let anyone in, but Kim could see the strain on her.

"Things with my parents...have not been great, but you knew that. Last night my mom caught me coming in late from training with you guys and she really lit into me. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep up this lie." Trini said with a groan. "The Rangers are the best thing I have in my life right now. I need this...this thing that we've been building. I can't give it up."

"I'm sure that you won't have to." Kim did her best to comfort her shorter friend. "And we wouldn't let you go without a fight."

Trini leaned into Kim's side and allowed the Pink Ranger to bear her weight for a moment. Finally, she took a moment to allow all of the built up tension to ease its way out of her body. Trini did her best to absorb all strength and peace radiating off of Kim she could. She was so much more content when she was with the other Rangers, especially Kimberly. Until she thought they might eventually be taken away from her; she hadn't realized exactly how much she needed them in her life.

Trini and Kim ducked into an out of use classroom when Kim began to feel the eyes on them. Trini buried her face in Kim's soft pink sweater to hide her bloodshot and teary eyes. She inhaled deeply through her nose and heavily out through her mouth. Kim's long fingers combed impossibly gently through Trini's thick black hair. The smaller woman sat up to meet Kim's eyes, her eyebrows creased in thought.

"I swear I'm not hitting on you, I just have to say, you smell really good." Trini said with a level of earnestness amazement that struck Kim to her core. She stared at the little Latina in shock and amusement. Her cheeks turned pink and she burst into peals of laughter.

"Thank you, Trini. You smell nice too. It's a nice change from training, right?" the grin Kim wore made Trini's embarrassment at her outburst very much worth it.

Trini pushed herself up and onto her tiptoes, all to kiss Kim's tinted cheeks before heading off to her next class. She was pretty sure she would get another detention for her tardiness, but that was par for the course. The Pink Ranger's cheeks weren't just pink at this point, they burned and she gently laid her fingers over where the soft, full, lips had just been. She thought for just a moment that it might have been pretty nice if Trini had been hitting on her. There were much worse things in life than falling in love with her best friend.