The one where Kim pretends to be Trini's girlfriend because the fake dating trope makes me weak
~
Kimberly Hart had never been more sure of anything in her life. She hated Biology with every fibre in her body, it was final. She was sitting at her desk with her hands clutching her hair tightly and wondering what the hell was going through her mind when she decided to take the AP Bio 12 class. Clearly nothing, otherwise she would've had enough sense to choose something easier like Home Ec or Photography or literally anything else. But, there she was, studying for a midterm that she knew absolutely nothing about and— wait, was that a grey hair?
Oh god, Biology was making her age faster too.
She let out a loud groan and dropped her forehead onto her desk with a soft thud. Silence filled her bedroom. She curled her arms to cushion her head and let her eyes fall shut as her thoughts began to wander. She felt the sudden sleepiness creep up on her until there were a few taps on her window that startled her out of her daze. It wasn't a surprise when she saw Trini on the opposite side of the glass, the shorter girl had been having trouble sleeping as of late and had found solace in Kim's bedroom more often than not.
Kimberly pulled the window pane up and allowed her best friend to climb into the house, tugging her forward into a light hug.
"Hello, Ms. Gomez, and to what do i owe this pleasure?" She asked with a cheeky grin, ignoring the way her heart fluttered at the giggle Trini let out.
"Am I not allowed to visit my best friend now?" Trini retorted with her ever-present smirk and Kim snorted.
"Well, normally that would be acceptable, however, when it's almost 2A.M. i know that something's up."
Trini put her hands up in surrender and took a seat at the edge of Kim's bed. "Alright, you caught me," she conceded. "I need to ask a favour."
"Ask away, little yellow," Kim chuckled when Trini scowled. The name used to be triggering for Trini, reminding her of her encounter with Rita in the dead of night, but she found that if she turned it into a joke, it helped her to move on, so Kim knew she was safe. She laid her head down on the girls lap and saw her hard edges melt away into the soft marshmallow Kimberly knew she really was. She hummed as Trini began running her fingers through her hair lightly and let her eyes fall shut.
"So, my cousin is getting married next week," Trini began and Kim let her continue because she already knew this information. "It's gonna be a pretty big thing, and he said to invite a plus one if i want..." She trailer off. Kim cracked one eye open and looked up at the yellow ranger expectantly. "So I was wondering if you'd go with me?"
Kim hummed, not understanding why it took Trini forever and half to spit out the simple question.
"Yeah, of course, T. I'd love to," she smiled, but it faltered when Trini still looked nervous.
"Okay but, like, there's one more thing. You have to pretend to be my girlfriend," she rushed out and Kim sat up, feeling nerves bubble up in her stomach.
"Wh-what?"
"I mean, you don't have to!" Trini was quick to add on. "It's just that I don't want to keep getting hounded about who i'm dating, when i'm going to start dating, if i need tips on getting someone to date, and there's going to be, like, a lot of family there, which is like, a lot of questions about my romantic life, you know? And i'd rather-"
"Trin, breathe," Kim giggled at her flustered best friend, putting a hand on her arm. "I don't mind. I'd love to. But.." she hesitated. "Isn't your mom kind of like, not so accepting of the whole gay thing?"
Trini sighed and nodded. "Yeah, but this is my dad's side of the family. And after the divorce and everything I don't really have to worry about that with him anymore."
Kim nodded, knowing that the divorce was still a sore subject for Trini and, not wanting to make the girl uncomfortable, she decided to lighten the mood.
"You know," she began, wiggling her eyebrows, "I'm pretty hot. I'd totally wanna fake date me too." She ignored the way her heart dropped at the word "fake" and instead focused on the snort that came from Trini followed by the eye roll and a sarcastic "yeah, sure thing, Princess."
"I have one condition!" Kimberly exclaimed suddenly. Trini looked at her expectantly. "You need to give me your study guide for the bio midterm," she said with a smug smirk.
"Yeah sure," Trini shrugged. Kim thanked her by tackling her and squeezing the life out of her smaller friend. Friend, she reminded herself sadly. She shook off the sadness and immediately felt guilty. Having Trini in any way was more than she deserved.
"Okay get off me you weirdo!" The yellow ranger squealed and pushed Kim off of her, kicking her shoes off in the process before turning around and snuggling right back into the warm body.
"Who's on who now.. Weirdo," Kim smirked and then shook her head when Trini didn't respond. "T, I have to study."
"I told you i'll give you my study guide. It's impossible to fail with that," Trini mumbled into her shoulder.
"Wow, cocky much?"
"I'm a lesbian, now sh, sleep."
Kim stifled her laughter against her fist and tried not shaking too much as she stopped laughing. she moved to turn her lamp off and cuddle back into Trini.
"Goodnight... babe," the shorter girl said with a chuckle and Kim was thankful for the darkness and the fact that Trini couldn't see her bright red face.
This girl is going to be the death of me, she thought.
Try as she might, she was unable to get to sleep as she felt Trini's warm body against her. The smaller's girls breathing evened out after a few minutes, signalling that she was asleep, but Kim's mind was running.
Her feelings for Trini weren't anything new. She had always been enticed by the yellow ranger from the moment she learned her name. Having been surrounded by fake people throughout her entire high school experience, it was a huge shock to meet someone as straightforward as Trini. The girl kept Kim on her toes with her bluntness and the way she never backed away from confrontation. It was refreshing.
Along with the feelings of admiration for Trini's unashamed way of communicating came the slow burning feelings of holy shit this girl makes my heart implode.
(Kim was never the best with words.)
With each sleepover, each study session, and each Krispy Kreme date, Kimberly felt herself becoming more and more infatuated with Trini. It was a helpless thing, really. She saw herself slipping, felt herself falling, screamed at herself to stop but she couldn't do anything about it. She was stuck in a bubble of yellow and the only person to blame was Trini Gomez.
-
The next day, Trini and Kim arrived to training together and it was Hell, to put it lightly. Once the boys found out about the girls' fake relationship, they used every opportunity to tease Kimberly, having extensive knowledge on the heart eyes the pink ranger sent to her yellow best friend on a daily basis. Most of the teasing came from Zack and Jason. Billy was a sweetheart and just smiled at her sympathetically because, for someone that was apparently incapable of picking up social cues, he sure knew how to read Kim's distress.
That's what led her to spilling her guts to the blue ranger.
"Kimberly Hart!" Billy grinned as she sat down across from him in the public library. Kim mirrored his smile because honestly, that boy owned her heart. Well, whatever part Trini didn't already possess.
"Hey, Billy," she smiled. "Can I talk to you about something?"
He nodded and turned to face her with an encouraging smile and Kim found herself telling him everything. She told him about how nervous Trini made her feel, how her fingertips shook and her heart soared every time the other girl so much as looked in her direction. She told him how it was terrifying that she had never felt this way for something, and how she was just coming to terms with the fact that she was bisexual and was suddenly thrust in the midst of all these... feelings for her, very female, best friend. She explained the apprehension she had to being Trini's fake girlfriend, even for a day because she was absolutely petrified at the prospect of Trini figuring out her true feelings. She told him everything and he listened and nodded and smiled and when she stopped, tears glistening in her eyes, he finally spoke.
"Kimberly?"
"Hm?"
"You and Trini are very good together as friends, and you will be as more than friends. Why are you scared of her finding out about your feelings? It's just Trini."
Kim opened her mouth, closed it, and then furrowed her brows. She thought for a moment and when she decided she knew the answer to his question, she spoke.
"She's never been just Trini to me."
-
"So, the Almighty Kimberly Hart is coming out as a big fat lesbian now, huh?" Kimberly heard from behind her and she groaned.
"First of all, i'm not fat. And second, i'm bisexual," she corrected. Zack let out a chuckle as he took a seat next to her on the cliff.
"Wouldn't dream of actually calling you fat, Pink. And good to know you've come to terms with your gay side," he added, "you being in the closet was starting to make me claustrophobic. You know, Ranger connection and all."
Kim looked at the black ranger for a beat before she punched his arm and let out an obnoxious laugh. It subsided into a small smile, and then her mouth formed a thin line as the nausea that accompanied her thoughts of her Trini Feelings came rushing back to her.
"You good?" Zack asked.
"Yeah, uh, just nervous i guess."
"Nervous? Of Trini? Is that a gay thing? To be nervous of elves— Ow!" Zack exclaimed when Kim punched him again, this time fixing him with a glare.
"She's not an elf," she said petulantly.
"She's pretty small."
"It's cute."
"Whipped."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Oh my god, i'm leaving," Kim huffed while Zack chuckled. She stood up and dusted off her pants.
"Tell Santa's little helper i said hi!"
"Fuck off!"
-
Kim sat down across from the tiny source of her anxieties in the newly renovated Krispy Kreme and tried not to throw up. Trini was so beautiful it was literally sickening.
"So, what's our backstory then?" She asked, a way to occupy her thoughts otherwise she was sure she'd stare at the girl across from her for an eternity.
"We don't really need to be too elaborate i guess. My dad already knows we're friends so we can just say one day you pulled your head out of your ass and told me you were totally, completely, head over heels in love with me," Trini responded with a bright grin that Kim began to mimic until the meaning of her words settled.
"Hey! Why can't you be in love with me?" She asked childishly.
"Because we already know i'm irresistible," Trini shrugged. "I turn heteros to the dark side, what can i say? It's a talent."
Kim stared at her incredulously for a moment before bursting into laughter. She tried to ignore the truth behind Trini's words so she could say her next piece without much hesitation.
"Actually, I'm bisexual," she corrected for the second time that day.
"Oh? See! It already worked," Trini continued her egotistical charade for another minute, complete with the smirk that made Kimberly's heart speed up. She really thought Trini was the most beautiful girl on the planet. Everything was perfect from her cute little nose to her full lips to her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
"You are such a dork."
"Yeah, but you like it for some reason."
"True," Kim sighed before her eyes shot wide open and she choked on her own spit for a moment. If Trini caught her slip up, she didn't say anything, instead opting to give her a concerned look that she gave a sheepish smile and a measly thumbs up to. "Anyway, are there any special things i need to know about or do as your girlfriend," she internally freaked out when she realized she hadn't implied it was fake or pretend, but Trini didn't comment on it.
Stop overthinking it, Hart.
"I don't know, actually. You already know pretty much everything about my weird aunts and uncles so i think you're safe in the family department." The yellow ranger paused as she thought of anything important they may need to discuss to make their plan foolproof. "Oh! PDA, what about that?"
"I'm game for anything I guess, whatever makes it believable." She cringed, hoping it didn't come off as too eager, but she relaxed when Trini just grinned along.
"Perfect. You're the best pretend girlfriend anyone could ask for."
Kim wished the comment didn't make her blush.
-
"Oh my god, you look fine," Jason said for what felt like the millionth time. He was laying on Kim's bed with his head hanging off, looking at the distressed girl upside down.
"Fine? FINE?" Kim exclaimed. "I have to look great, Jase. I don't want T's family thinking she has a slob for a girlfriend!"
Jason took a deep breath before rolling over and getting off the bed. He stepped toward the pink ranger and put his hands on both of her shoulders.
"You look beautiful in this dress. The colour compliments your skin tone wonderfully and the shape makes your ass look great, but not great enough to be inappropriate for a family gathering. Trini's family will love you and Trini's going to be all over you by the end of tomorrow night," he told her gently, smirking at the end. Kim rolled her eyes at his last statement but hugged him anyway.
"Thank you," she said genuinely. "And this really does make my ass look good, huh?"
"Oh definitely."
Kim wandered back to her closet to change into more comfortable clothes as Jason took his seat on her bed once again.
"I'm so scared," she admitted meekly.
"Of what? Trini's family?"
"No, not really. Just of, like, the whole situation. I really like her and I'm just worried that this is gonna wind up hurting me or something," she said as she stepped back out into her bedroom, looking crestfallen and falling on her stomach next to Jason. "I'm such a pussy."
"You are not!" Jason exclaimed, standing up and pointing an encouraging finger at her. "You're Kimberly Hart, the Pink Power Ranger, and you're going to kick this crush in the ass because anybody you like would be lucky to have you and the fact that you like Trini just makes it that much better because she's already in friend love with you, you just have to show her that she can be in Gay love with you too."
"Yeah!" Kim said, standing up and high-fiving the boy. "I totally got this, I just have to stop being such a pussy first."
"... Yeah."
-
"Oh god, oh god, oh god," Kim mumbled under her breath as she knocked on the door of Trini's house. Her palms were getting sweaty as she felt a wave of nerves wash over her. It was the day, she was officially Trini's pretend girlfriend.
The door swung open to reveal Trini's father grinning down at her, already in his dress shirt with his tie hanging around his neck.
Kim may have been a few minutes early.
"Kim! So nice to see you, I feel like it's been ages," the man greeted warmly. Kim felt her nervousness ease up slightly at the kindness.
"I know, I've been really busy with school." She shrugged with an apologetic smile.
"Studious, huh? Good." He nodded and told her Trini was in her room so she could go up.
As she headed up the stairs filled with anxiety and hesitance, she was bombarded by two little bodies wrapped around her own.
"Kimberly!" One of them shouted with glee and a grin immediately came to her face.
"There's my two favourite twins," she grinned down at them, ruffling their hair slightly. "Don't you two look handsome." The boys puffed their chests out slightly which earned a boisterous laugh from the pink ranger.
Mateo tapped her shoulder lightly and she leaned down to his height. Then he whispered, "is it true that you're dating Trini?"
Kim grew red and hot and nervous all over. Oh how i wish it was, she thought.
"Yes, you booger, it's true," she lied instead.
"I knew it! You owe me $5!" Max cheered as he ran down the hall back into his bedroom. Mateo groaned as he followed behind him begrudgingly. Kim grinned at the brothers' antics before making her way to Trini's room.
"Knock, knock," she said as she entered the room, knowing that the formality of actually knocking was unnecessary.
"Hey," Trini greeted with a bright smile. Her eyes raked over Kim and her smile fell into... Something else. Her mouth was still slightly open until she looked back up and met Kim's eyes and then she shook herself out of it. "Uh, you look. Wow. You look really pretty," she said.
Kim felt herself get red right to the tips of her ears as she smiled bashfully at the floor.
"Thank you," she giggled, "so do you."
"I'm not even dressed yet," Trini rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, well, you always look beautiful." She was proud of the blush that crept onto Trini's cheeks at that. "So.." she continued. "The twins just came and asked if we're really dating. Have you been telling them about me... baby?" She tried it out and immediately grinned when Trini's got even more pink, her colour looked good on the girl.
"Well, of course, why wouldn't I?"
Kim giggled at her answer before plopping down on her bed.
"Hurry up and get dressed you're going to get us late!"
Trini quickly stripped out of her sweatpants and t-shirt, turning around to grab her dress from her closet and Kim thanked whoever was listening that the smaller girl hadn't seen her face because holy shit Trini was so hot and was it even possible to be that toned?
Yeah, she was definitely bisexual.
Trini came out of the closet (no pun intended) fully dressed and Kim was willing her mouth to close but, wow, the girl was beautiful.
"Trini, you look so... Holy crap. That's really nice. I mean, you're really nice— i mean! You look really nice." Kimberly squeezed her eyes shut after she finished tripping over her words and then cracked one open when she heard a small chuckle from across the room.
Trini had a faint blush on her cheeks but she did a good job at not letting it affect her.
"Thank you, Kimberly Hart," she winked. Kim's cheeks turned light pink to match the blush of her dress but she smiled regardless. "Now, shall we?" Trini asked, holding her hand out for the taller girl.
"We shall."
They shared a smile and walked hand in hand downstairs where they met the three other guys in the house. Kim volunteered to drive herself and Trini to the wedding venue so it wouldn't be such a crammed car.
"I think Kim just wants alone time with Trini," Max giggled to Mateo.
"Gross, who would want alone time with her."
"Hey! You're such a little jerk," Trini laughed. "For your information, Kim happens to love spending alone time with me," she said, looking to Kim for backup.
"Oh! Yeah, one hundred percent," she nodded like a well-behaved dog. Then she put her hand up to block Trini's vision of her face before shaking her head and mouthing 'No I don't' to the younger boys, sending them into a fit of giggles.
"You're the worst," Trini said with feigned anger, shoving Kim lightly.
"Yeah but you like me anyway."
"True," Trini winked and something about it felt so real that Kim had to remind herself that it was all part of the charade.
So, they got into Kim's car and they drove off to the address that was in the GPS and it was quiet aside from the soft music playing from the speakers.
"Kim?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you, again. For doing this, I mean. I'm sure you could've been doing something much more fun than being my fake date to a wedding right now," Trini laughed, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes and Kim heard the insecurity laced in her voice.
"Hey," she said with furrowed brows. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere other than by your side right now." It was the truth and, even though it was scary as hell to admit, it was worth it for the bright smile and kiss on the cheek she was rewarded with.
"You know," Trini said as they walked into the hall together, hand in hand. "I'm totally glad you decided against wearing heels today."
"And why may that be?"
"Because this way i'm a little taller than you and it makes it more believable that I'm the top in this relationship."
"Why couldn't I be the top?" Kim asked, pretending to be scandalized.
"You? A top? That's funny, Kimmy." Trini began laughing as though it was the most ridiculous idea ever.
"Hey, jerk!" She shoved the yellow ranger lightly. "I could totally top you."
"Yeah, sure, okay, Pillow Princess," Trini snorted.
"I'm not a pillow princess you ass!"
Kim was very ready to continue their argument, however Trini's uncle was walking over to them and she really didn't think talking about who would top who in bed was an appropriate thing to discuss around him.
"Ah, Trini, mija. How are you?"
"I'm good, Tío," Trini said with a grin, hugging the older man.
"And you must be Kimberly." Trini's uncle said with a warm smile. "Trinity has told us so much about you."
"It's nice to meet you," Kim said with her prettiest smile. "And she has, huh? She's been talking about me a lot lately, apparently," she added on, nudging the girl next to her lightly before giving her a peck on the cheek. It was icing on the cake because her uncle looked thoroughly convinced and Kim had to take a deep breath, remembering that their relationship needed to be something to be convinced of because it wasn't real.
Not yet, at least, she promised to herself.
"Well, how could I not tell everyone that I have the most wonderful girlfriend in the world?" Trini spoke with a shy smile.
"You two are so precious," her uncle said kindly before saying something about appetizers and walking away from them.
Trini turned to face her and wrapped her arms loosely around her waist.
"Hm, you're good at that," she said with a wink. "That conversation would've been a lot longer if I showed up single."
Kim laughed before giving her a light hug and she almost choked when Trini kissed her softly right beneath her ear.
"Let's go meet the rest of the family, baby," Trini teased with a giggled.
This is gonna be a long ass night, Kim thought to herself.
-
By the end of the reception, Trini had snuck at least 5 glasses of champagne from one of the younger waiters that she flirted with until he caved. The sight of the yellow ranger batting her eyelashes at the boy made something flare inside of Kim, but as soon as Trini came back to her, plopping down in her lap, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and whispering "God, straight boys will do anything if you flirt enough. I love being gay", Kim calmed down and relaxed her tense muscles.
The two girls were seated in Kim's car driving back to Trini's house when the smaller girl spoke up.
"My entire family loved you. Whenever we weren't together they were all like 'Your girlfriend is so pretty', 'She's so respectful', 'She's hilarious!', 'Trinity how did you get a girl like that'. I'm starting to think it would've been better if I told them i was still single," the tipsy girl jested.
"You're just mad that I'm such a good fake girlfriend."
Trini hummed in response, getting quiet once more.
"Trin? You good?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, totally. Just sleepy."
"Okay well we're here. Time to get the princess to bed."
"Hey! Princess is my thing," Trini pouted and Kim felt her heart clench at the sight. She really wished the girl could stop being so damn cute all the time.
Trini was already tiny as hell, but that paired with Kim's Ranger strength, it was like picking up a feather when she picked Trini up to carry her to her room. When they got upstairs and Trini was sitting at the edge of her bed, she let out a deep sigh.
"Trini, come on. What's up, buttercup?" Kim asked worriedly, wondering if she upset the girl somehow. Trini's mouth quirked up at the name as she stared hard at the ground before getting up to her feet and making Kim take her seat on the bed.
"Listen, I know I'm drunk, but someone just got married today and that's like.. like good luck or something, you know what they say." Kim had actually never heard that before and she was certain Trini hadn't either, but she let the girl continue regardless. "So, I gotta say this, Kimmy. You know, I thought that thinking in colours was a part of being a Ranger, like, because we're all connected and all that shit. But then i realized, I think it's just me because all i can fucking think about is pink! Pink is in everything did you know that? It's like I-I literally can't get away from it! And.. and I don't even want to get away from it because it's so beautiful and you're so beautiful and you're pink and you're all I can think about and you're everywhere, Kimberly Hart." Kim's breath hitched at the sudden clearness to Trini's drunken ramble.
"You," she continued, "are everything to me. I knew that we all became close because of that Ranger bond shit but you're different. You're Kimberly and.. and I like you, Kim. Like, a lot. and.. and.. yeah, Trini trailed off blushing.
Kim was freaking the fuck out in her head. It was so much at once and all she could think was Trinity Fucking Gomez liked her.. in a gay way! She couldn't put her words together properly and instead said the first thing she thought of.
"I like it when you blush, you look good in my colour."
Oh my god.
Trini turned and even darker shade of pink and, knowing that her words would fail her if she tried speaking again, Kim stood up and walked over to the shorter girl. She let her hands fall to Trini's hips and pulled the girl closer to her.
"I like you too, Trini Gomez," she whispered in her ear before pulling her in and connecting their lips.
She felt Trini reach around and grasp the back of her neck, pulling impossibly closer, as if she was trying to fuse them together, make them one. Kim basked in the feel of Trini's soft, full lips pressing against her own and when she felt the yellow rangers tongue tracing the seam of her lips she let out an involuntary moan and immediately pulled back.
"Oh, that's so embarrassing," she whispered to herself. Trini giggled and looked into her eyes with her signature smirk.
"And you said you could top me."
Kim rolled her eyes and pressed their lips together once more. Yeah, she could get used to that.
-
Kimberly Hart had never been more sure of anything in her life. She was totally, completely, head over heels in love with Trini, it was final.
Oh, and she aced her bio midterm that monday, which was made a million times more satisfying when she was rewarded with a kiss from her girlfriend.
"Knew you could do it, Princess."
"Shut up and kiss me."
"Hm, maybe you could top me after all."