The Bet
by
falconcranelove
Disclaimer: Not mine, even though I keep hoping Disney will sign over the
rights.
Rating: T
Summary: Sky makes a bet with Jack and loses. Syd finds out.
AN: Just a little ficlet that was inspired by another ficlet I read in
another fandom. Hopefully you’ll think it’s cute, I do. LOL
- - - - -
“You’re on.” Sky stuck out his hand to shake on the deal, sealing the bet they’d just made.
Jack was grinning, knowing he’d just won something huge. “There’s no backing out once we shake.”
“Oh, I won’t need to back out of anything. I’m going to win this bet,” the Blue Ranger said, a confident smile on his handsome face.
They shook hands and turned to see Bridge, who was trying not to laugh. “What kind of bet did you just make?”
“One I’m going to win,” said the Red Ranger.
- - - - -
It was a few nights later, when Syd came across the Blue Ranger sitting alone in the common room. He didn’t see her approaching, as he had his head down reading something he held in his left hand. She peeked around his shoulder to see what he was reading so intensely, only to get the surprise of her life. ‘How to care for your new tattoo’? Sky’s getting a tattoo? Never thought of him as the tattoo sort of person.
“Sky?” she touched his shoulder as she walked around the end of the couch, only to pull her hand back quickly when he flinched away from her. Eyes wide she said, “Are you okay?”
He looked at her for a moment, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Did I hurt you or something?” she asked, concern evident in her tone.
He gave her a reassuring smile, “Not really. Just a little tender there, that’s all.”
She moved to sit beside him, “When did you get hurt? What happened?”
“It’s nothing really Syd, I’m fine,” he sighed. He really didn’t want to admit the real reason his shoulder was sore, so he prayed she’d drop it. He should have known better.
“Are you sure? Did you at least have someone check it out?”
Sky closed his eyes and said, “No, I didn’t have to have it looked at, there’s nothing to look at.” He opened his eyes and looked into hers. Taking a deep breath he decided he’d just have to tell her so she’d stop being worried. “Promise not to tell anyone?” When she nodded yes, he continued, “I lost a bet Syd, and had to get a tattoo because of it. It’s on my right shoulder; that’s why it’s a little tender. It’s really not a big deal.”
Syd looked at him as if he’d grown a second head, “A tattoo? You? Mr. SPD Handbook Monitor got a tattoo?” At the dirty look he shot her at the use of that nickname, she laughed. “Will you let me see it?”
“No, I’d rather not. I don’t want anyone else to know about it.”
“Oh come on Sky, please? Let me see it. I won’t tell anyone about it. It’ll be our little secret,” she held her right hand up, “Promise.” When he still wasn’t saying yes, she pouted. “Pleeeeeeease?”
With a deep sigh he finally agreed to let her see it, and was rewarded with a huge smile from Syd. He pulled his shirt up and over his head, missing Syd’s eyes taking in his muscular chest. Turning his back to Syd, he placed his shirt in his lap. He sat there a moment waiting for her reaction, only for her to never say anything. He turned his head so he could see her, wondering why she’d been so quiet. He saw the stunned look on her face, and wondered what she was thinking.
“Well?.... what do you think? Is it bad?”
“No. Sky it’s beautiful,” she stared in awe at the colorful tattoo he now sported on his shoulder. The tattoo consisted of four dragons -one red, one blue, one green, and one yellow, each dragon’s snake-like body was intertwined with the dragon beside it, forming a circle. In the middle, intertwined through all four of them, was a pink dragon. The design was reminiscent of a Celtic circle, in the way they formed a never ending circle. It really was a beautiful piece of art.
“I wanted something that meant something now, and will mean something to me forever, so I chose something that would incorporate all our colors. I can’t think of anything that will mean as much to me in life, as us all being Rangers together. So there’s a dragon for each of us, and they’re all entwined, as the five of us are in each others’ lives.”
“Sky that’s beautiful,” she graced him with a gentle smile. Syd studied the design more intensely, and found that it really did fit Sky somehow. Hesitantly she reach her hand out and ever so gently ran her fingers over the skin surrounding the tattoo. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she couldn’t help but want to touch it. “Did it hurt?” she whispered.
He had seen her reaching her hand out and closed his eyes in preparation for her touch, thinking it would hurt. He should have felt pain, but found her gentle touch somehow soothing. He shivered from the feel of her skin touching his. “Not really. It was a bit uncomfortable, but as far as pain, we’ve had worse as Rangers.” He enjoyed the feel of her fingers as they traced around the outside edge of the tattoo.
Syd would never know what compelled her, but she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss above the tattoo, and as her lips lingered for a moment, she felt the goose bumps on his skin, and the slight hiss as he sucked in a quick breath. She found she was pleased at his response, and smiled to herself.
“What was that for?” he quietly questioned, at a loss to explain her actions, or his reaction to it.
“I don’t really know,” she replied. “I just felt like doing it.” She swept her gaze all over his back before bringing her eyes back up to his. “I don’t normally go for the tattooed look, but something about yours is very sexy.”
He turned around to face her once again, brow raised, “Sexy huh?” He couldn’t help the smirk that crept across his face.
She leaned forward so only a few inches separated them, “Very.” With a quick flick of her eyebrows, Syd rose from the couch and turned to head to her room, a small smile gracing her lips.
Sky let out a breath when she turned away. He knew he’d felt an attraction to Syd for a while now, but never before had he felt such a desire to kiss her as he had a moment ago.
Syd took a few steps before stopping and turning to face Sky. “What kind of bet did you lose anyway?”
Damn, he thought, She had to ask, didn’t she? “Oh, it was just a silly little bet, no big deal,” he tried to make it sound like it wouldn’t be an interesting story.
She looked suspiciously at him before walking the few steps back, “You got a tattoo for losing, I’d say it was a pretty big. You don’t end up with tattoos over ‘silly little bets’. What was it?”
By the way she stood, arms crossed, he knew she wouldn’t let it go until he told her. He knew her well enough to know when she was determined to know something, she got her way. Sighing he stood, “Remember our training the other day? Jack’s little ‘mini Olympics’? Well, he bet me that you would beat me in our next training exercise.” He couldn’t look at her as he admitted that. She was quiet so long that he had to look at her to see her reaction.
Syd wasn’t sure she heard him right, so she waited for him to continue. When all he did was look at her, she said, “What? You bet what?”
He rolled his eyes, and said, “Jack and I made a bet that you would beat me during the next training. That was before I knew what the training was going to be. Jack set me up.”
Syd giggled at that comment. “Well, you should have known better Sky. Do you really think that Jack would have made a bet with you if he wasn’t going to win?” She shook her head at him, “You really should have known better. And I should be totally offended that you’d take a bet saying you’d beat me too.” She glared at the Blue Ranger, only to not be able to hold it long, and burst out laughing. “Serves you right,” she smirked, and pointed at his shoulder.
He found himself returning the grin, even though she was laughing at him.
“Let me see it again.” She waited for him to turn around, and touched it again. “So, you got this because of me, huh?”
“Um, I guess you could say that,” he was puzzled at her choice of words.
“Cool.” She smiled. “So, it’s like it’s my tattoo too.”
He had to laugh at the expression on her face. “Well, I guess if that’s what you want to think…” Syd suddenly got a serious expression on her face, and Sky could only hold her gaze and wonder what thoughts were running through her pretty little head.
“It is. What I want to think anyway.” She took the last step that was separating them, and went up on her toes, running her left hand up Sky’s chest until she could reach up and pull his head down to her.
Sky let her pull him down, wondering just how far she would go. He held her gaze until she closed her eyes right before her lips touched his. He closed his as well, as he enjoyed the feel of her soft lips. Sky raised his hands until they were on either side of her head, and he angled it to have better access to her lips. They shared a brief, yet passionate kiss, before they parted, both breathing heavily.
She gave him a smile as she backed away, “It’s a great tattoo Sky. Very sexy.”
He only grinned as she turned and left. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that he’d lost the bet after all.
fin