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spirit-whump · 7 months

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whumptober2023 No. 2: “I’ll call out your name, but you won’t call back.”

Thermometer | Delirium | “They don’t care about you.”

Fandom: Power Rangers Jungle Fury

Whumptober on my ao3

tw: abuse (implied and discussed, not in the text itself)

“Did you know?”

RJ opened his eyes and, to Rose’s irritation, smiled when he saw her standing in front of him - like he wasn’t in a prison cell waiting to fight to the death, like she wasn’t one of the people responsible for his imprisonment in the first place.

She never understood him. She had never wanted to. She had refused to let him get under her skin. She hadn’t let him get under her skin. Even if she had maybe been softening to him over the past few weeks, even if she had let herself not feel totally uncomfortable with him around, Rose hadn’t let him get to her. She hadn’t.

So why did him smiling at her make her feel so uncomfortable?

“That’s a very vague question, little serpent,” RJ said, putting his hands together and resting his chin on his fingertips. “I know a lot of things. It’s possible I may know what you’re talking about, if you’re willing to share.”

“You know what I’m talking about,” Rose snapped, fists tightening. “Did you know that I wasn’t on your side? That I wasn’t really a ranger?”

RJ’s smile fell.

“Ah, that.” RJ tapped his fingers together. “Not at the beginning, although I admit to thinking there were some holes in your story.”

“And you didn’t bother to double check my story? To make sure I was who I said I was?”

There was a small clatter nearby. Rose spun towards the noise at once. No one was there, just a mouse scurrying across the floor away from a pebble it had knocked across the rocky floor. She gathered herself together and turned back to RJ, though she kept her eyes over his head rather than on him.

“You okay?” RJ asked.

“Forget that. Answer the question. You didn’t double check my story?”

RJ shrugged. “No. I figured one extra student was like a curly fry you find mixed in with regular fries - unexpected but welcome.” He smiled that stupid smile of his, the one that he meant to disarm her and make her feel safe, but it wasn’t working. It was never going to work here, when at any moment someone could find her talking to the prisoner and assume the worst of her, when at any moment her lord could call for her and demand to know why she had procrastinated her mission for so long, when anyone who wanted to could knock her around just for fun. It was never going to work here.

Rose felt her stomach clench. She grit her teeth. He didn’t understand the gravity of his situation. “So, when did you figure it out? You figured it out, right?”

“Uh, a few weeks ago, I suppose.” He scratched his stubble. “You said your old master had the snake spirit, but there hasn’t been a master of the snake spirit teaching at any Pai Zhuq monastery in ten thousand years. I did some research, started watching where you went with the cameras. I connected the dots.”

Rose’s jaw dropped. For a moment she was so stunned she couldn’t even be angry.

And then that moment passed and she felt her insides start twisting.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She yelled, grabbing the cell bars and holding on so tight it almost hurt. Good, a small part of her said. “You knew for weeks? You let me stay in your home, learn from you, fight evil with the others, and the whole time you knew?”

A thought struck her and Rose recoiled, staggering back and looking at RJ with disgust. RJ looked back at her with- with-

-with concern. It was the same face he made every time she pushed herself too hard in training and exhausted herself, the same face he made when she came into work with bruises on her ribs so bad she could hardly walk, the same face he made when she was feeling just a little sad. He was looking at her with concern and worry when he was inside a cage because of the people she chose to align herself with.

“Was it a trick?” she spat, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Luring me into a false sense of security? Let me guess, the team knew the whole time too and you were all playing me for a fool.”

“No, no, Rose,” RJ said soothingly, holding his hand out to her. “The team didn’t know. I never told them.”

“Why?” Rose cried. “Why didn’t you? I was your enemy and you let me stay? You kept my secret? Why would you do that for me? I betrayed you!”

RJ looked at her for a long time. Rose glared down at him.

“Remember when you first came to us?” he finally asked.

“Of course,” Rose said, eyes narrowing. “What of it?”

“You were scared.”

“What?” Rose said, startled. “No I wasn’t.”

“You were,” RJ said. “You were scared of me. I remember. You never wanted to be alone with me. You told Casey to be careful around me. You always expected the worst of me and whenever I showed you respect or kindness, you didn’t know how to react. And you were scared of the others, too. You kept thinking they’d turn on each other and on you. You were waiting for them to turn on you.”

Rose stayed where she was, feet planted firmly, even though she wanted nothing more than to just run away. She didn’t want to hear this.

“I saw that you were scared,” RJ said. “Scared and angry, and always expecting the worst in others, but especially in me. And you would say things about your life, your old master, that made me realize that what you needed more than anything was someone you could trust. A place you could be safe. I wanted to give that to you no matter what, and that didn’t change when I figured out Dai Shi was the reason you acted like that.”

RJ was looking at her in a way that was just- just sad. She couldn’t stand it. He didn’t understand her. He didn’t understand anything. He didn’t get it.

“Dai Shi wasn’t the reason I acted like that, or however you thought I acted,” Rose said, fists clenched and shoulders tense. “Humans were. My human teachers were. They were the ones who treated me like I was nothing, like I was just- just trash, or worse, an animal to be beaten and trained until I was perfect enough for them.

“Do you know what your order did to me?” Rose asked. “What they did to me as a child? They found me on the streets and took me in, and decided I should forever be grateful, and they could do whatever they wanted after that. My teacher would beat my arms and legs if I didn’t have the proper stance. He had me punch the ironwood trees outside the school all through the night until I couldn’t feel anything because he wouldn’t let me be weak. If I was sick he had me train anyway, until I collapsed and needed rest, and he would have me make up for that wasted time later. And do you know what the other masters did? Nothing.”

Rose lifted her head and glared down at RJ defiantly. Balling her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. Pressing her lips together so they wouldn’t tremble. Steeling herself so she wouldn’t falter, even as RJ stared at her with nothing but devastation in his eyes. He didn’t get to pity her. She wouldn’t let him.

“When I left and joined Dai Shi,” Rose said, struggling to keep her voice even, “it was more of the same, but at least that was expected. At least they didn’t pretend to be the good guys. At least with Dai Shi I will be protected eventually. If I had stayed with the order, I’d never have that.”

RJ was still looking at her like that. Like he cared. Like he was scared for her. Upset for her. She hated it. She didn’t need it. She didn’t deserve it. He was in prison because of her and her betrayal.

Her stomach rolled. Itt would be so much easier if he just hated her.

Rose turned around, ready to leave. She had gotten the information she’d needed, even if it wasn’t what she expected.

“I’m sorry,” RJ said.

Rose froze.

“I’m sorry,” RJ repeated. “That never should have happened to you. I’m sorry any master thought they could do that to you. It was wrong.”

Rose didn’t turn around. “An apology doesn’t change what happened. You didn’t do anything.”

“No, I guess not.” RJ was quiet for a moment, but Rose stayed where she was, sensing he wasn’t finished.

“Those bruises you got,” RJ said. “After all your morning runs. Those came from here, right? From Dai Shi and the rest.”

“What does it matter?” Rose said. “I told you they weren’t any different.”

“They’re not,” RJ agreed. “But we are. Theo, Lily, Casey, Fran. Me. Right?”

Rose didn’t respond. They both knew the answer to that.

“Some roses can survive even in harsh winters, but they still need warm environments to thrive,” RJ said.

Rose left without a word. She didn’t want to hear another one of RJ’s proverbs.

He didn’t understand. Even if he would let her come back, the others wouldn’t. She’d seen the looks on their faces when her true allegiance had been discovered. They’d never trust her again. It was better to be here, with the ones she knew would never care about her, than try to go back to the ones who had and never would again.

#whumptober2023 #no.2 #they don't care about you #power rangers jungle fury #fic #abuse mention tw #spirit whump #emotional whump #trauma reveal #tw abuse #team dynamics #my ocs #rose #rj power rangers #surprisingly the guy in the cage is not the one getting whumped

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amberbeach · 1 month

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'AFTERMATH'

The chill of the space beside him alerted RJ that you were no longer sleeping beside him and had been gone for at least ten minutes. He sat up, looking around the room, the moon outside peeking in through the curtains granting enough light that he could see you weren't in your bedroom. He glanced at the clock as he got out of bed and quietly made his way to the living space, finding it was encased in darkness.

He looked around in confusion until he heard a noise from downstairs in the pizza parlour. A smile formed on his lips as he headed downstairs to the kitchen where he found you spreading sauce on the pizza dough you had made.

RJ chuckled, startling you, and you looked at your husband when he approached you. "Let me guess, midnight snack?"

"What? I'm eating for two now." You placed a hand on your bump, and RJ smiled as he stood behind you, placing his hands on your arms while kissing your cheek.

"Here." He took over the cooking, and you helped add toppings, looking over at him.

"Did I wake you?"

He shook his head, "The bed was cold."

He didn't have to elaborate for you to realize why he had started looking for you. It had been months since the incident, but the look in his eyes told you that it was still very much on his mind. RJ could never shake the fear that overcame him when he found you were gone. It took him back again and again and revisited him in his sleep. The night you were taken by Dai Shi, who stole your animal spirit to make himself stronger, haunted him every day since.

You frowned, observing your husband, whom you had met at the academy. You got married weeks after graduation and have been together ever since, and there was no greater test than helping him mentor three teenagers who could save the world.

You couldn't imagine how it must've been while you were gone. RJ had spoken about it after a nightmare, and you discussed his need to be closer to you once you returned. You knew that if the roles were reversed, you would've lost your mind with worry. And since your pregnancy, RJ was more protective than ever.

You approached the Purple Ranger, wrapping your arms around his waist, pressing a kiss to his shoulder after he placed the pizza in the oven. He smiled softly as he turned to you, and you rested your head on his chest as you stood in the lit kitchen, in his warm embrace.

"I'm sorry. I never thought - "

RJ shook his head, "I know. It seems silly now, months on, but I can't shake that feeling." He pressed a kiss to your head, meeting your gaze when you lifted your head to look up at him. "I thought I'd lost you. And I couldn't survive that." He placed a hand on your cheek, and you sent him a small smile.

"Do you remember what I told you at our wedding?"

"No matter what happens, we'll always have each other."

"Which means when - if - something happens to me, I'll haunt you forever."

RJ cracked a smile, and you smiled when he began to chuckle. He kissed you tenderly before walking to the oven to check on the cooking pizza. You placed your hand on your stomach in surprise, a smile forming on your lips.

"RJ," You called softly, gaining his attention.

He met your gaze, glancing at your hands. "What's wrong?"

"They're kicking." You told him.

He approached you, and you held his hand on your stomach. Moments later, he felt pressure against his hand, and he smiled brighter than you had seen in a while.

You met his gaze when he placed his hands on your cheeks and kissed you tenderly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

That night before time ticked by into the early hours of the morning, you headed upstairs and back to bed. RJ laid on his side while you sat with your back against the headboard, sharing the pizza you made as you added to the list of names you liked for both genders.

After the pizza was finished, RJ shifted until his head rested on your lap, and you smiled softly, combing your fingers through his hair, leaning over to turn off the lamp to allow your husband to succumb to sleep, knowing it didn't come easy to him lately.

While you still felt the void left by the absence of your animal spirit, it was nothing compared to the prospect of losing each other. And you were thankful that he and the Rangers had found you when Dai Shi went to extraordinary lengths to hide you away. He was growing stronger, but you knew the final confrontation between him and the Rangers was coming soon. And as you looked down at your husband you silently wished for him not to come to harm, and the Rangers.

Right now, you were still healing through the aftermath.

#robert james #robert james x reader #robert james imagine #robert james imagines #rj #rj x reader #rj imagine #rj imagines #power rangers jungle fury #power rangers jungle fury imagine #power rangers jungle fury imagines

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