"We'll get him back, Cam."
"What are you still doing here?"
"Just training. I feel like... I owe it to the team, you know? For what happened with Blake."
"That wasn't your fault, Tori."
"Yeah, it was. You were right; I shouldn't have brought him here. I don't know what I was thinking."
"You were thinking Lothor hurt someone trying to get to you. You did what you thought was right."
"He set me up!"
"Blake? Why would you think that?"
"He just happened to be nearby when I was attacked? How likely is that? He had to be in on it--he probably ordered that alien to attack me in the first place!"
"If that's true, why would he try to stop it? Why take the hit for you?"
"That was part of his plan! He knew I'd feel guilty if he got hurt trying to 'save' me--he wanted me to bring him back here! You heard him this afternoon: they were just trying to find Ninja Ops."
"Yeah, well, I also heard what they said when they destroyed the frog. 'We're even'? You told me Hunter thanked you for helping his brother, and he said they owed you."
"So?"
"So if they planned the attack then Blake was never in any danger, and he and Hunter didn't owe you anything. They obviously thought they did, though. Enough to turn on their own alien to repay you."
"But... then why did Blake do it? If he was really risking his life, why do it to protect me? He and Hunter have tried to kill us often enough."
"They haven't tried to kill you. They've tried to destroy your powers."
"What's the difference?"
"The difference is that without your powers you're still alive. If Blake and Hunter wanted you dead they could have done it weeks ago. They knew who you were the whole time."
"...You really think he wanted to save me?"
"I think he figured out you couldn't morph the same time the frog did. The frog didn't care. Blake obviously did."
"Huh."
"There are easier ways to find Ninja Ops, Tori. They know who you are, and you come here every day."
"I guess..."
"I've got work to do. You should try to get some rest."
"Right... Hey, Cam?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks."
The holographic entrance flashed behind him, and the gust of wind abated the moment it closed. The difference in air pressure always made the transition somewhat ruffling, but this time he paid no attention as he stepped off of the water onto the shore. He was so preoccupied that he barely noticed the three skulking under the trees, but that didn't keep them from noticing him.
"Oh, man," Dustin groaned. "Busted!"
Cam looked up in surprise, only then realizing that the Wind Rangers were lounging in a decidedly non-preparatory way. They weren't getting ready to run; they were settling in to relax by the lake. And Dustin thought he had been sent to check on them.
Shane, on the other hand, got it immediately. "Man," he sympathized, squinting up at Cam. "You too?"
"Me too," Cam said with a sigh. "Apparently not being part of the team isn't enough to exempt me from my father's discipline."
"Dude, you're part of the team!" Dustin exclaimed. "You make things, and you fix... stuff."
Cam rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Gee, thanks Dustin."
"Plus you know how to get it done," Shane put in. "You're a pretty awesome ninja, man."
Cam just shook his head. "Not if my father has anything to say about it," he muttered. It all came down to fighting for them. Sure, they thought computers were great--when it meant there were more weapons available. Now, suddenly, Shane was impressed because he could throw a punch.
"Your father doesn't think you can fight?" Tori asked, her knees drawn up to her chest as she leaned back against a tree trunk.
"He can," Shane interrupted. "I saw him, and he's good."
Apparently that was all it took to get their respect. Not to mention their undivided attention. "My father doesn't think I should," he corrected wearily. The energy that had propelled him out of Ninja Ops was gone, fading in the face of their casual unity. He would never be a part of this group.
"Maybe that's because your computer skills are more valuable than all of us put together," Tori suggested, shading her eyes as she looked up at him. "You program the machinery, Cam. We just operate it."
He stared at her in surprise, shifting his gaze to Shane when the Red Ranger chimed in, "Yeah, man, you could take my place any day. But I could never do what you do."
Cam shrugged uncomfortably, not sure what to say to that. "Yeah, well..." He paused, eyeing them. "Are you guys going to run, or what?"
That evoked another round of complaints, the loudest of them being Dustin's. "Dude, do you know how cold it is out here?"
"Running will warm you up," Cam informed him. Part of the team or no, his father's promise of training was still fresh in his mind and he didn't really want to jeopardize that.
"We were fighting all day!" Shane was glaring balefully up at him. None of the three made any move to get up. "You know; you were there! You really feel like putting in ten miles on top of all that?"
He hesitated, trying not to think about the ache in his shoulders and the bruises that had already formed on his arms. He hadn't gone up against a real opponent since Lothor attacked the ninja school months ago. Most of his free time had been spent in front of the computer, lately.
"Come on," Tori coaxed, patting the ground on the other side of her tree. "We all deserve a break after today. Sit down and help me make Dustin feel guilty about stealing your camera."
"Hey!" Dustin exclaimed. "I didn't steal it! We were just borrowing it, okay?"
"I'm going to start putting library tags on all of my things," Cam grumbled, lowering himself to the ground beside Tori. "Next time you want to 'borrow' something, you can check it out first."
Dustin actually brightened. "Really?"
Cam rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the flush of warmth when he heard Tori giggle. "No, Dustin. Not really."
With a whoop, he leapt down the last three stairs to land directly behind Blake. He gave his brother a good-natured shove and laughed when Blake dug his heels in and shoved right back. The only things better than a clean board and fresh snow were a clean board, fresh snow, and the company of his brother on a well-deserved vacation.
They were almost out the door when something caught his eye, and he glanced back automatically. The Winds were still waiting for Dustin to finish adjusting his bindings, but he and Blake had no obligation to them. They might be a team now, but he wasn't about to let anything get between him and the mountain today.
Blake had stopped too, just inside the door, and had turned to see what held his attention. The Winds' tech support guy was sitting on a couch in front of the fire, laptop on his knees and a frown on his face. Staring intently at the screen, he didn't even seem to notice them.
"What do you think you're doing?" Hunter demanded. Didn't he see enough of his computer at home? What could possibly have made him bring it along on vacation with him? And why was he using it now?
Dark eyes glanced up, and the delay was almost worth it to see his double take. He clearly hadn't expected Hunter to stop, let alone try to converse with him. Blake hadn't either, if the way he was shifting around by the door was any indication.
"I'm working," Cam replied at last. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Looks like you're wasting a perfectly good vacation, to me," Hunter informed him. "What, do you bring your computer everywhere you go?"
Cam gave him an odd look. "Yes," he said simply.
"Come on, bro," Blake interrupted. "Let it go, all right?"
Perversely, that only made him more determined. "I just want to know why he has to be at a ski lodge to work," Hunter insisted. "Why come at all if you're just going to hole up inside and stare at your computer?"
Cam grimaced, and it was clear in that moment that he wasn't particularly happy about the situation himself. "Because Dad kicked me out, and I don't have anywhere else to go."
Hunter's mouth fell open. "What?"
"Of Ninja Ops," Cam clarified. "He banned me from Ninja Ops for the weekend, all right? The library's closed, and I didn't really feel like staying home all weekend. So here I am."
That explained his sullen demeanor on the ride up. "Yeah, so," Hunter prodded. "Why not take advantage of it?"
"I am," Cam said dryly. "Or I was, until you came along and interrupted me."
"Hey!" A clatter from the stairs announced the arrival of the rest of the Rangers, and the way they were talking over each other made it almost impossible to figure out they were saying. Eventually, though, he could pick out Cam's name and a general agreement with his sentiment.
They would take care of it, then. They knew Cam better than he and Blake did, after all. They would make sure he got out of this place and onto the slopes. He turned to join his brother at the door, ignoring the look Blake gave him.
He was surprised to find the Wind Rangers right behind him. Blake held the door for Tori, and Hunter stepped out of the way to frown back at the fireplace. Cam was bent over his computer again, completely ignoring them. What had just happened there?
"I'll catch up with you," he told Blake.
Shane and Dustin took advantage of the moment to shove between them, shouting out at the snow as they burst from the lodge. He could hear Tori laughing at them, knew Blake heard it too, but even as his brother hesitated he was frowning at Hunter. "What's the deal?" he wanted to know. "So he wants to play with his computer. What do you care?"
"I don't care," Hunter said, rolling his eyes. "I just think he needs to get over himself, that's all. The world's not gonna fall apart just because he takes a day off."
"Yeah, whatever, bro." Blake shook his head, clapping him on the shoulder as he pushed the door the rest of the way open. "When you get tired of banging your head against a brick wall for no reason, you know where to find me."
"Yeah," Hunter said with a smirk. He jerked his head toward the outside. "With her."
Unperturbed, Blake just grinned. "You know it!"
Then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him. Hunter dropped his gear on the floor and tromped back over to the fireplace. He flopped down on the couch beside Cam, deliberately making the cushions bounce. "Whatcha doing?" he inquired, peering over his shoulder as though they were the best of friends.
Cam leaned away, turning to glare at him as he did so. "What do you want?"
"I want you to put the computer away and have some fun," Hunter told him. "Stop acting like I'm the devil or something."
"I am having fun," Cam snapped. "Or I was," he added darkly.
"No, you just think you're having fun." Hunter pointed at the windows. "The real fun is out there. What do you have against snow?"
"What do you have against computers?" Cam retorted. "You have fun your way, and I'll have fun mine."
"You get to have your 'fun' every day of the week," Hunter countered. "It won't kill you to take a day off and try something new for a change."
"What do you care?" Cam was anything but receptive to the idea. "What I do or don't do is none of your business."
"It is if your obsession with work starts to affect your performance in Ninja Ops," Hunter said, pulling the Responsible Older Brother routine for all it was worth. "Why do you think your dad ordered you out? You have to relax or you'll put all of us in danger."
Cam was obviously not convinced. "Aside from the fact that you've never cared about any of us before, I don't know what I've done to make you think I'm not relaxing. This is relaxing, Hunter. This is as relaxed as I get. So go throw yourself down the mountain, or break a leg, or whatever it is that you think is relaxing, and leave me alone."
"Nope." Hunter shifted, making himself as comfortable as he could. "Sorry. Not gonna happen. I'm here as long as you're here, so if you're not going to come out and play, I'm gonna sit here and watch you until you do."
"Suit yourself," Cam said with a shrug. He turned his attention back to his computer screen, and Hunter smirked. Sliding closer, he looked over Cam's shoulder again. Cam didn't move.
Hunter leaned forward, putting one arm on the couch behind Cam. When this prompted no response, he transferred his arm to Cam's shoulders, head so close to Cam's that they were almost touching. Cam was stiff, gaze frozen to a single point on the computer screen, and his voice when he spoke was very quiet.
"If you don't get off of me this second," he said, almost casually, "I'll show you what it means to grow up at a ninja academy."
Hunter considered the screen. "Don't think you're special," he answered, just as softly. "You're not the only one who learned the kill points before he knew how to meditate."
"What. Do you. Want," Cam gritted, still staring at his laptop.
"I want you to come snowboarding with us," Hunter answered easily.
"I can't snowboard."
Hunter blinked, looking at him in surprise. "What?"
"I can't snowboard," Cam told his computer irritably. "Never learned, never cared. What's it to you?"
Hunter considered that, leaning back a little but keeping his arm around Cam's shoulders. He wasn't getting out of it that easily. "Do you ski?"
"No," Cam answered.
Good. Hunter preferred snowboarding anyway. "I'll teach you," he decided. "Let's go."
Cam turned to look at him. Only inches away, dark eyes bored into his, and for the first time that gaze was a little bit disconcerting. "If the Winds put you up to this, you can tell them I didn't think it was funny."
Hunter raised an eyebrow. Where had that come from? "You really are paranoid," he decided at last. "Look, we won't go anywhere near the other Rangers. All right? This has nothing to do with them."
Cam pulled away, shifting his computer onto the table as he stood up. "Then what is it about?" he asked, staring down at Hunter. He folded his arms, a distant look on his face. "I have better things to do, you know."
"It's about--" He stopped abruptly. Shit. What was it about? "I don't know," he realized, then frowned up at Cam. "Maybe I just want to see you be terrible at something for a change."
Cam tilted his head, and it could have been his imagination but he thought the guy almost smiled. Almost. Then the look was gone. "Flattery will get you nowhere," Cam informed him, deadpan.
Hunter smirked. That was almost funny. "Thought it might be less dangerous than the threats," he said, offhand.
This time, there was a fleeting but unmistakable quirk of his lips. "I really can't snowboard, Hunter."
"I'm counting on it," Hunter agreed, getting to his feet. "Come on. I promise not to take pictures."
As his virtual replicant disappeared into lines of holographic static, Cam shook his head in frustration. CyberCam drove him crazy. It wasn't that he wasn't brilliant, or different enough that his view of problems was actually useful. It was more that he was a constant reminder that Cam himself wasn't good enough.
He knew he didn't have time to do it all himself, and he wouldn't want to even if he did, but the thought that he couldn't rankled. The fact that he had created the program they depended on more and more wasn't much of a comfort. The creation was a one-time thing, while the dependence continued, even grew, from day to day. The fact that the program came up with solutions he wouldn't have considered was even more annoying.
And, when he admitted it to himself, the fact that he and CyberCam weren't as different as everyone seemed to think was just the last straw. He often caught CyberCam saying something he was thinking but, for the sake of team harmony, had refrained from speaking aloud. On top of that, it was no secret that most of CyberCam's hobbies were things Cam had always wanted to try but never had time for. Given that...
Well, the way the rest of the Rangers treated CyberCam stung. He told himself it was ridiculous to be offended, since he tried to distance himself from the virtual replicant as much as possible. They were just following his example. And if the Thunders in particular seemed to regard "distance" and "hostility" as synonymous, then that was just the way they reacted to everything.
He took his glasses off and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. Setting his glasses down beside the monitor, he stretched his arms over his head and closed his eyes for a minute. He'd probably been in here too long if he was back to brooding over the CyberCam issue. After all, CyberCam's original purpose had been to free up more of his time--
It was like some cosmic power had overheard his thoughts. Before he could even stand up, there were footsteps on the stairs, and he contemplated hiding out back until whoever it was went away. But no, then they would just call CyberCam, and if it were important he would end up right where he was now.
Whoever it was caught sight of him before they even reached the bottom of the stairs, and yes, it was definitely him they were looking for. "Hey, Cam!"
Hunter's voice. It just got better. "Yo," he said with a sigh. Maybe if he acted more like CyberCam, they would "distance" themselves from him too?
He actually smiled a little at the thought. Yeah, he was tired. His father would be thrilled that he was contemplating taking a break from Ninja Ops voluntarily. Maybe some lunch. Lunch would be good.
It didn't occur to him that Hunter had hesitated until he heard the other Ranger say warily, "CyberCam?"
Cam rolled his eyes. Was that really all it took around here? One little "yo" and suddenly you were someone else? "Yeah," he said sarcastically, not bothering to turn around. "What up, bro."
Hunter didn't answer right away, and his voice had cooled noticeably when he answered, "Where's Cam? I need some help with my bike."
"Isn't that more Dustin's field?" Cam asked irritably. He and CyberCam might not be so different, but they certainly didn't act the same. If Hunter, with his marginally more reliable powers of observation, didn't bother to notice the difference, what did that say the rest of the team?
"Not my moto bike," Hunter snapped. His impatience mirrored Cam's. "The Ninja Glider Cycle."
Cam turned, a retort on the tip of his tongue when he caught sight of Hunter. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have said anything, since to comment revealed that he had noticed, and to notice implied that he was looking. But Hunter hadn't even realized who he was talking to yet, and Cam couldn't resist needling him. "What," he said, folding his arms, "are you wearing?"
As expected, Hunter bristled. "What do you care?"
He didn't, of course. Hunter wore stuff like that all the time: pants that were too baggy, shirts that were too tight. It was hard for a guy as built as Hunter to look lanky, yet somehow he managed it with surprising frequency--and today was no exception. Cam considered the result with a smirk. "I'm just saying," he remarked, amused by the way Hunter's mouth thinned.
He was touchy today, Cam decided. He didn't know what made him mimic CyberCam, but his virtual replicant did have a way of making a point. "Dude," he said, resisting the urge to put the word in quotes, "the outfit's not exactly a babe magnet, you know?"
Hunter folded his arms across his chest. "Who says I'm trying to attract babes?" he demanded.
Hunter had set himself up for that one, and Cam's smirk grew. "So, what," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You saying you swing the other way? 'Bro'?"
Rather than the vehement denial Cam had expected, Hunter just shrugged. There was a guarded look in his eyes as he replied, "I didn't say that." Before Cam could process that, Hunter added, "But if I hear anyone else say it, I'm telling Cam your programming's messed and you need a total reformat."
Cam just stared at him. Hunter had not just admitted what Cam thought he had. As it sank in that, yes, in fact he had, Cam felt the corners of his mouth twitch. Hunter wasn't going to be happy when he realized who he was really talking to.
Apparently uncomfortable with the silence, Hunter prompted, "So? Where's Cam? What does a guy have to do to get some service around here?"
Cam bit back the most obvious and totally inappropriate response to that question, because, no matter who Hunter thought he was, there was no way he would get away with it. "He's right here," he admitted. "What'd you do to the Glider Bike this time?"
"Nothing," Hunter said defensively, his gaze darting around the room. "It just--"
"Maybe if you'd stop crashing it every time you took it out," Cam interrupted.
Hunter scoffed, not waiting for him to finish. "Talk to me when your twin bro stops crashing the chopper!"
Cam threw up his hands. Hunter still thought he was CyberCam? And how exactly was the chopper's single crash in any way comparable to Hunter's abuse of the Glider Cycle? "The chopper went down once! That bike's been rebuilt three times!"
"You sound like Cam," Hunter grumbled. It was a tossup as to which one of them was more exasperated by those words. "Spare me the lecture, okay? I just need the stabilizers checked. It was veering all over the place last time."
"It doesn't steer itself," Cam commented, turning back to the computer. He could do a diagnostic from here. "I hope you considered pilot error as a possible explanation."
"Yeah, very funny," Hunter muttered. He was more subdued than Cam had expected, not bothering to snap back at him. He leaned on the back of Cam's chair, though, which didn't strike him as strange until Hunter asked, "So where is Cam, anyway?"
Cam almost paused over the keyboard, but he managed to cover his surprise as several things dawned on him at once. One, Hunter was always directly behind his chair, no matter how many people were or weren't in the room. Two, Hunter was treating "CyberCam" a lot better than he typically did--at least when Cam was around to watch. And three, that was the third time Hunter had asked for Cam, despite "CyberCam's" willingness to help him.
He should tell him. He really should; this was stupid. He wasn't going to go around pretending to be CyberCam just to save Hunter some embarrassment.
But that was what it came down to, wasn't it. If he told Hunter now--not that he hadn't tried already--Hunter would probably be embarrassed. And really, did it matter that much? He would run the diagnostic for Hunter and send him on his way. And he would remember not to imitate the way anyone else talked for a while.
"I dunno," he said at last, deliberately casual. "Probably doing some 'real' work somewhere. You know how he is." His mouth quirked a little, and he added, "Couldn't get a life if his life depended on it."
"Yeah," Hunter muttered. "Tell me about it."
Cam's eyes narrowed. Hunter had better watch it, or not embarrassing him wasn't going to be much motivation. Luckily for him, the diagnostic flashed red and magnified a list of specs in the middle of the screen while the rest of the program continued to run in the background. Hunter had been right after all.
"Problem?" Hunter asked, leaning over his shoulder.
Cam glanced sideways, noting Hunter's proximity before his gaze returned to the screen. "Yeah," he said, not bothering to hide his surprise. "You're right. One of the stabilizers is malfunctioning."
"Can you fix it?" Hunter wanted to know.
Cam raised his eyebrows, but didn't deign to reply directly. "I could fix it from here if it was one of ours," he said instead. "I'll have to go replace it at the source."
A reflected flicker on the monitor indicated that Hunter was now looking down at him. "Can you do that?" he wanted to know. "I thought you were stuck in Ninja Ops now."
Cam snorted. Did they all think that? How did they think CyberCam came and went from the zord bays? "Dude," he said, emphasizing the word a little too heavily. "'Devoted to work' and 'incapable of leaving' are two totally different things."
Hunter grunted but didn't reply.
Realizing he might have been a little too vehement, Cam shrugged. "Not that you'd know, with the way Cam hangs around here," he said carelessly.
"Yeah..." He could hear Hunter's uncertainty as the diagnostic finished and found nothing else wrong. "You know, you really shouldn't bag on Cam like that."
Surprised, Cam turned around without thinking. Hunter dropped his hands from the back of the chair just quickly enough to look uncomfortable, and he crossed his arms. "What?" he demanded. "I just think, well... he did make you."
"What, one dad isn't enough?" he blurted. He was too disconcerted by a sudden--and fortunately fleeting--perception of CyberCam as his child to come up with anything more clever.
Hunter gave him an odd look, and Cam realized belatedly that of course CyberCam wouldn't consider Cam's father his own. Or... would he? Cam had never asked. But then, he'd never expected to be impersonating his own creation, either.
"How much like Cam are you?" Hunter asked abruptly.
He wasn't sure he liked that question. He definitely hadn't expected it, and he couldn't come up with any truly innocuous way of answering. Finally he just shrugged, smiling. "I am Cam," he said truthfully. "CyberCam is just Cam without the baggage. You know what I'm saying?" he added, not waiting for an answer.
Hunter went to follow him as he headed out of Ninja Ops. "Dude, I'll take care of the stabilizer," Cam told him. "You don't have to come."
"Maybe I don't want you working on that bike without me," Hunter countered.
Well, that was unexpected and potentially annoying. He was becoming less and less thrilled with this "CyberCam" act, and he had assumed it would end as soon as he'd sent Hunter on his way with assurances that his bike would be good as new the next time he needed it. Now it looked like that moment was farther in the future than he had thought.
"Whatever." He offered a shrug instead of a sigh. "Your waste of time, not mine." He hoped Hunter wouldn't wonder why he didn't just transmit himself to the zord bays. Cam couldn't transmit and CyberCam couldn't teleport, so if Hunter was going to accompany him, walking was the only option.
"So, what did you mean about Cam and baggage?" Hunter asked after a moment.
Cam tried not to groan. What was it with Hunter and his curiosity, today of all days? And what on Earth had made Cam put himself through this just to spare Hunter's feelings? He was obviously out of his mind. Hunter would never know or care about the trouble he was going to.
"Why are you so interested in Cam?" he countered, deciding that he wasn't the only one who should suffer here. "You hot for him or what?"
Hunter actually stopped in the middle of the hallway, and Cam made himself keep walking. What did he care? CyberCam wouldn't stop just because someone else did. CyberCam didn't even help out without being asked first, unless it amused him for some reason. And CyberCam definitely wouldn't pass up a chance to make fun of his least favorite Ranger.
Hunter's footsteps had resumed by the time he reached the access ladder, and he heard the Crimson Ranger on the rungs above him a moment later. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," he called, his matter-of-fact words drifting down the tunnel to Cam.
"Sure thing, dude." Cam paused to key open the next access, then continued down the ladder. Some mischievous impulse took hold, and he yelled up, "Denial only makes it worse!"
There was no answer. Hunter was startlingly easy to tease today, and he supposed he should thank Hunter for the misunderstanding that made it even simpler for Cam take advantage of it. He doubted he would have said half these things to Hunter without the guise of "CyberCam."
Hunter was right behind him as he climbed off the ladder onto the appropriate level, and Cam had only just noticed how close he was when Hunter literally shoved him into the wall. His arm was twisted around behind his back, his shoulder screaming as tense muscles made the hold even more painful. He was so surprised he didn't even resist.
"I don't know what you think you know," Hunter growled, his breath harsh in Cam's ear. "But if you say a damn thing to Cam, I'll find a way to make you pay." His fingers tightened on Cam's arm until the grip hurt almost as much as the position. "You got that?"
Cam managed to nod, gasping as Hunter released his arm and spun away without another word. With Hunter's back to him and nothing but pride standing in his way, he reached up to cradle his shoulder. He rolled it carefully, biting his lip as he watched Hunter walk away. Down the corridor, through the last door into the zord bay, and out of sight around the corner. He didn't look back once.
What was that about? He should be angry, furious, incensed at the treatment he had just received from the Crimson Ranger. But he couldn't muster up the appropriate outrage in the face of a sneaking suspicion he was trying very, very hard not to acknowledge. Just the idea that Hunter's reaction was rooted in something more than an unpredictable temper was--
He wasn't going to think about it. He didn't want to know. He really didn't.
Denial only makes it worse.
"Shut up," he snapped.
Great. Now he was talking aloud to a voice in his subconscious. A voice that was his, pretending to be a clone that pretended to be him. This day could not get any more bizarre. He hated to even think it, because every time he'd said something similar in the past, he had been proven dramatically wrong. But really...
He was going to have to follow Hunter at some point. He tried not to drag his feet, a little wary of what he might find in the zord bay. How long could it take to replace a stabilizer? He didn't doubt that he was going to set a new record doing it today.
Hunter was crouched down next to his bike when Cam finally wound his way around the auxiliary bay. He stopped, frowning as he considered the Crimson Ranger's motion. He looked like he was--
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Replacing the stabilizer," Hunter retorted. "What does it look like?"
Cam just stared at him. "If you could do that all along, what did you need me for?"
Hunter shot him a single glance over his shoulder before going back to his work. In that look was everything Cam had been trying not to acknowledge. Because of course Hunter could recognize a stabilizer malfunction when he saw one, and even if his ability to repair it was something new... well, it hadn't been CyberCam he was looking for in the first place.
"Look, you're not even doing it right," Cam said, irritated beyond reason by the whole situation. He strode over to the bike, dropping down beside Hunter and letting his hand hover until Hunter had released the faulty stabilizer. "Give me that."
Hunter jerked away. "What do you care?" he snapped, turning to glare at Cam.
"Believe me, if you crash this bike one more time I'll do more than 'care'!"
There was a fraction of a second between the realization that they were only a breath apart and the time when it would have been appropriate to turn away. The moment wasn't long enough. He didn't move. He wasn't the only one frozen in place, either. Hunter was staring right through him, and the thought of what might be running through his mind was more than a little frightening.
Finally, after what seemed an uncomfortably long time, Hunter spoke. "How much like Cam?" he asked again, very quietly.
Cam opened his mouth, but he couldn't think of anything to say. "Enough," he said evasively, looking away. He gathered himself to stand.
Hunter's hand on his chin shocked the intent out of him, and he couldn't pull away before Hunter's mouth covered his. Gentle, tentative, it was a kiss Hunter had no right to give and certainly no reason to expect returned. As horrified as he was, Cam would have sworn his breath completely deserted him as his entire body stiffened.
And yet, somehow, his lips parted and he held as still as he could, mouth welcoming what the rest of him said was unsought, insulting, and totally out of line. Hunter lingered, too close, and Cam's mouth brushed against his again. It wasn't... terrible. It felt strange. Scary. Exhilarating... like he was waiting for time to start again and with it the rush of inevitable recriminations.
Hunter drew back a little, blue eyes dark and unreadable as he scanned Cam's face. He didn't say anything, but his gaze dropped to Cam's mouth and his breath escaped in a silent puff. Closer, slowly, almost reluctantly, like he couldn't help it... Cam could only watch, mesmerized. He had never imagined Hunter like this.
Their mouths met again, more certain this time, stronger and maybe a little more insistent. There was no getting around it. They were kissing. He was kissing Hunter, and he was even sort of enjoying it. His breath caught in his throat as Hunter's tongue teased his lips. He closed his eyes, wanting to feel more than he wanted to see.
It wasn't a deep kiss, but he couldn't let it go, leaning into Hunter even as he pulled away and feeling the pressure willingly returned. They were balancing each other now, almost holding each other up as they crouched beside the forgotten bike. The give and take was more than he had expected, warmer and gentler and more considerate than he had thought Hunter could be. It drew Cam in, closer, wanting to see how far that warmth would go--
It wasn't just Hunter that was warm. By the time he realized that the heat in his chest wasn't natural it was almost burning his skin, and he jerked away from Hunter with a startled exclamation. Clawing at his training uniform, his fingers closed around his amulet and he yanked it free, dropping it even as it scalded his hand.
"What is it?" Hunter demanded, grabbing for him as he wavered and pulling him to his feet. More stable, he caught Cam's hand and turned it over before Cam realized what he was doing. "Are you--"
Cam snatched his hand away, too late to hide the angry red marks on his palm. CyberCam wouldn't burn. Hunter's gaze went from his hand to his face, a confused look that slid away to focus on the amulet on the floor. "What are you doing with..."
His voice trailed off, and Cam closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he found Hunter staring at him with a look of horrified disbelief. "Cam?" His expression belied the dangerous calm of his voice.
Cam didn't answer. There wasn't anything he could say. It had seemed, at the time, like the most harmless way out of an uncomfortable situation. Only in retrospect was it clear how wrong what he had done really was.
"Cam," Hunter spat, taking a step back. The disgust in his eyes hurt more than Cam's conscience. "What kind of mind games are you playing?"
"I didn't mean," Cam began softly. Hunter waited, but Cam already knew his actions were inexcusable. "I didn't mean to do it," he muttered, unable to hold Hunter's gaze any longer.
There was an indrawn breath, then silence. The moment stretched interminably. Cam swallowed hard.
"Fuck you," Hunter said bitterly. He turned and walked away without another word.
Cam just watched, eyes on Hunter's retreating figure until it vanished through the nearest exit. He dropped to one knee, then, lifting his amulet from the ground by its cord and touching it carefully. It was cool, room temperature, no trace of heat from it now. He had no idea why it had reacted the way it had, but he replaced it around his neck with a sigh and turned back to the bike.
Every thought in his mind was muted and numb. For once, his brain wasn't ticking along at its accustomed speed and the void left by his thoughts was actually something of a relief. He picked up the fallen stabilizer, knowing Hunter would need it eventually and equally sure the Crimson Ranger wouldn't be setting foot in the zord bay any time soon.
He set about replacing it, methodically, thoroughly, testing the bike as he went. It wasn't that he doubted the parts or the procedure. It was only...
It was the least he could do.
Kelly had seemed surprised to see him. He supposed he shouldn't let that annoy him--after all, how often was he here? It had nothing to do with him being in town on something that wasn't Ranger business... exactly. She didn't even know what he did with his spare time. She was just surprised to see him in a sport shop. Her sport shop.
Hunter's sport shop. He was sure Kelly wouldn't appreciate the possessive, but Cam was definitely out of his element here. And not just out of his element, but definitely in Hunter's. There was the distinct and uncomfortable feeling of stepping into someone else's territory.
He wondered suddenly if Hunter felt the same way when he entered Ninja Ops.
The only good part was that he wasn't actually inside. Kelly had directed Cam out back, to the alley where the van was parked, and that meant no reinforcements. Granted, Hunter's "reinforcements" typically consisted of Blake, and Blake was safely occupied with Tori at the moment, but Cam was quite sure that he didn't want an audience right now. If at all possible, he would approach Hunter without even Hunter himself as a witness, but such a scenario involved technical problems.
It was Hunter's day off. He should be at the track, but instead he was crouched down next to his bike in the shadow of the Storm Chargers' van, tinkering with something hidden from Cam's view. Cam couldn't help wondering if he was here because Dustin would be at the track. He couldn't be avoiding the entire team... could he?
"Hey," he said, when Hunter didn't look up at the sound of the door or his footsteps. "Kelly said you'd be out here."
Hunter didn't start, stiffen, or even so much as move his head to acknowledge Cam's words. Didn't he usually work on his bike inside? Good advertising for the shop, or something like that? Cam wasn't sure, but he thought Hunter's choice of location was unusual--he just didn't want to think too much about the reason behind it.
Then, his mind inquired reasonably, why are you here?
"You missed practice today," he said loudly, talking over the voice in his head. That was why he was here. Someone had to hold Hunter accountable, after all. "Dad wondered where you were."
There was no response. Hunter just kept doing whatever he was doing. Cam might as well have not been there.
He shifted uncomfortably, a little curious about what could hold Hunter's undivided attention for so long. "Blake said you weren't feeling well," he offered. He thought he saw Hunter's head turn just a fraction at the sound of Blake's name.
"Look," Cam said with a sigh. "You can't avoid Ninja Ops forever. It's not like anyone bought your little 'sick day' excuse--not with the way Blake was glaring. I think he would have tied me up and handed me over to Lothor himself if I'd given him the chance."
Hunter twisted around to reach for something, his eyes traveling up Cam's frame to his face as though he was surprised to see him standing there. "I'm sorry," he said, with a sneer that belied his words. "Did you want something?"
Cam's patience snapped. "Where do you get off, acting like this is all my fault! You kissed my clone, Hunter!"
Hunter was on his feet and in Cam's face faster than he could blink. It really was amazing how quickly someone that big could move when he was motivated. "Could you say that a little louder," Hunter demanded, "because I don't think they heard you in Angel Grove!"
He was happy to oblige. "You kissed my clone!" Cam shouted. He was determined not to let Hunter's proximity fluster him, but he could already see it would be a losing battle. He couldn't meet Hunter's eyes, gaze skittering away every time he tried, and if he could have backed up without losing face he would have done it in a second.
"I didn't kiss your damn 'clone,'" Hunter said crossly. It was hard to tell whether he was more annoyed by Cam's words or his volume. "I kissed you, and if you didn't like it you could have said something!"
"You didn't know it was me," Cam insisted, since there was no way he was going near that last statement.
"Bullshit," Hunter snapped. "You know how many times CyberCam's come on to me? Wait--let me think--never. I knew it was you the second you shouted at me for crashing the bike. I just didn't want to believe it."
Indignant and only one step away from truly horrified, Cam exclaimed, "I didn't come on to you! And if you knew it was me, why didn't you say something? The only reason I went along with that stupid charade was to keep you from being embarrassed!"
For the first time, that gave Hunter pause. "Excuse me?" he said dangerously.
"You obviously didn't want everyone to know what you told CyberCam--me, when you thought I was CyberCam," he amended hastily. "I tried to tell you who I was, but you didn't listen. So I figured it'd be easier to just keep your secret and let you think whatever you wanted."
Hunter rolled his eyes. "You didn't try to tell me who you were," he scoffed. "You started in with the 'yo' thing the moment I came in."
"I was being sarcastic," Cam informed him. "You do know what sarcasm is, right?"
"After knowing you I could write a book," Hunter shot back.
"But you still can't recognize it when you hear it?" Cam demanded. "What part of 'Cam's right here' did you not get? Was it the part where I was Cam, or the part where I was right there? Because it seemed pretty clear to me!"
"I think it was the part where you were calling me 'bro,'" Hunter snapped. "There was also 'dude,' 'yo,' and--what was the phrase? Oh yeah: 'babe magnet!' Not your standard vocabulary!"
In retrospect, maybe "babe magnet" had been uncalled for. But the reminder made him look, an assessing glance that flicked over Hunter before he could stop it. So quick that when their eyes met again he couldn't even remember what he had seen, except that he had been left with the impression that outright staring would not be out-of-place.
Not quick enough. Hunter was glaring at him, obviously having caught the look and just as obviously having misinterpreted it. "What was that for?"
Irritation flared again. "What, you're allowed to check me out and I'm not even supposed to notice?" He couldn't believe he'd just said that aloud, but it irked him to think that Hunter could have been staring at him for longer than he knew. What did he think when he did? Had anyone else noticed?
"Cut the crap," Hunter snarled. "I hate to break it to you, but you're just not funny when you're freaked out of your mind. Why don't you go back to practice, or Ninja Ops, or anywhere that isn't where I am, and we'll call it even."
"Who says I'm freaked out?" Cam demanded, bristling. "You can bully the others all you want, but you won't get rid of me so easily!"
Hunter was tall enough to loom over anyone he wanted to, and he was doing it right now--on purpose, Cam was sure. He couldn't even look at Hunter without looking up, and it was getting annoying. Especially since he didn't seem to have any problem staring Cam down, and Cam could barely meet his gaze without flinching.
"You're totally freaked out," Hunter declared. Was it Cam's imagination, or did he actually sound a little disappointed? His followup was grudging at best, like he didn't want to say it but was doing it for Cam's own good. "It'd be a lot easier if you'd just let me avoid you."
That was true. And why didn't he? Some sense of moral obligation? He felt the need to apologize for deceiving Hunter? He hadn't done that, so if that was his excuse he wasn't exactly making it plausible. Since when did he need an excuse, anyway? Maybe he wanted to see Hunter just because--
He wanted to see Hunter? Well, that was an unpleasant and decidedly unwelcome realization. Especially when Hunter was turning away, going back to his bike as though Cam was no longer worth his attention. And suddenly Cam was free to stare.
Hunter was... not hard to look at. Okay. So? He knew that. And maybe the idea that guys were attractive wasn't a completely foreign one. But... the idea that a guy would find him attractive? A guy like Hunter? It was out there. It was ridiculous. It was more like a joke than a serious possibility.
It was... not a totally unappealing thought.
"You know," Hunter said over his shoulder. "Me avoiding you kind of involves you not being where I am."
"Actually," Cam said without thinking, "that would be me avoiding you."
"Yeah, about that." Hunter paused long enough to look at him, a frown making his eyes even harder to read. "Why aren't you?"
"I don't know." It was the truth, but he shouldn't have blurted it out like that. Hunter kept him off-balance, but normally he had the familiarity of Ninja Ops to cover his uncertainty. Today he was out of his depth--in more ways than one.
"You don't know because you have better things to do?" Hunter pressed, his eyes hooded. "Or you don't know because..." He stopped. His frown deepened, and he looked away.
Hunter wasn't going to pretend it hadn't happened. It should have occurred to him sooner, but he had been so busy not looking at Hunter that he hadn't realized what Hunter wasn't doing. He wasn't ignoring him. He wasn't making fun of him. He actually seemed... well, almost as uncomfortable as Cam felt. If that was possible.
"I don't know," Cam repeated. Something about Hunter's awkwardness gave him the confidence to ask. "Why did you...?"
A corner of Hunter's mouth quirked when he trailed off, but he didn't take his eyes off of Cam. "I don't know," he echoed defiantly. Despite his tone, he was still watching... waiting.
Cam didn't know what to say to that. He shrugged a little, gaze dropping. "Right," he told the ground. "Well--sorry to bother you."
Hunter didn't say anything.
Cam started to turn away, stopped. "You hungry?" he blurted out, staring at the van instead of at Hunter.
"Not really." Hunter's reply was guarded, but there was a hint of amusement behind it that annoyed Cam. He was about to walk away when Hunter continued, "Why? You offering?"
Cam shifted uncomfortably, refusing to look at him. "I'm just--going to get some lunch. Since I'm out anyway. I thought maybe you could use a break too."
"Cam." That was all he said, just his name, and finally Cam turned around. He caught Hunter's eye, saw his expression lighten. He was still totally unprepared for Hunter's next question. "You asking me out?"
"No," Cam said defensively. It was automatic, and Hunter just raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Maybe," he muttered after a moment.
"Yeah." Hunter looked like he was trying not to grin. "That's what I thought."
There was nothing but silence. Finally, Cam couldn't stand it. "Well?" he demanded.
"Sure," Hunter said, as casually as though he hadn't hesitated a second. "Just let me clean up here." Apparently as an afterthought, he added, "You know, you're cute when you squirm."
Disconcerted, it took Cam a moment to catch on. Of course. Hunter's payback for the "CyberCam" incident. The teasing was mitigated by his ultimate answer, and frankly overwhelmed by uncertainty that hadn't eased with Hunter's agreement. He supposed if that was all the grief he got over it, he had gotten off lightly.
Somehow, though, he didn't think he'd heard the end of this yet.
"Get away from me with the chocolate sauce."
"It's not chocolate sauce," Hunter said innocently. "It's war paint. Where were you?"
"I was busy being horrified that you were telling them to wear their food rather than eat it," Cam informed him. "They're six, Hunter. They don't need that kind of encouragement. Half their food winds up on their clothes anyway."
"Yeah, see?" Hunter acted as though Cam had just agreed with them. "I taught them to be careful where they put it. Chocolate under their eyes is not the same as flying spoonfuls of ice cream, and believe me, that's the way they were headed."
His real problem, of course, was not that Hunter had drawn chocolate stripes on the kids' faces while they were supposed to be making ice cream sundaes. It was that Hunter was now trying to do it to him, and they really shouldn't be that close right now. All it would take was a few more seconds, and his self-control would be totally shot.
Hunter would laugh if he found out that Cam thought his way with kids was touching, adorable... sexy. But he did, and what he had expected to be an obligatory and annoying afternoon of babysitting--mitigated only slightly by Hunter's presence--had turned into something entirely different. While Hunter pissed off everyone from pre-teen on up just by being who he was, he became familial, solicitous, and startlingly affectionate in the company of anyone under ten.
It was a ridiculously powerful turn on.
"Hold still," Hunter was telling him. Cam had let him sneak up on him with no more than a token glare for his obvious intent. "It won't kill you to get in the spirit of things."
"We're supposed to be cleaning up," Cam pointed out, trying not to watch Hunter squeeze chocolate syrup onto his fingers. "I think the time for war paint is over."
Hunter applied chocolate to either side of his face with his thumb and forefinger. He dabbed the last of it on Cam's upper lip as he lowered his hand, smirking when Cam licked his lips automatically. "Shows how much you know."
They kissed gently, comfortably, but neither of them pulled away afterward. The moment stretched just long enough that the invitation was obvious. Cam leaned into him, craving touch in a way that he usually ignored, overlooked, or just... didn't. Today he wanted it, wanted to prove to himself that the affection Hunter gave the kids so easily was his too--his for the asking. His for the taking.
The muscles in Hunter's arms rippled, fighting their natural urge to wrap around him. He had learned caution when it came to holding Cam for any length of time. Usually Cam appreciated his restraint, but today he wouldn't have minded having the breath hugged out of him. He settled for kissing, mingled breath, and the taste of chocolate on his tongue.
He felt Hunter's fingers against his neck, clearly fighting a losing battle to keep his hands to himself. Only when it dawned on him that they were sticky did he object, reaching up to catch the offending hand as he drew away. "Are you trying to cover me with chocolate?" He was dismayed when his voice came out a lot huskier than he'd intended.
Hunter didn't seem to mind. Watching him through half-lidded eyes, he didn't bother to close his mouth as he smiled. "Wouldn't be such a bad thing," he drawled.
Cam lifted a hand, but it was Hunter's turn to stop him as he leaned forward. "I got it," he murmured, tongue flicking over Cam's skin. Cam tilted his head without thinking about it, closing his eyes as Hunter's mouth made its way across his neck. He wasn't convinced that would solve the problem, but at this point he didn't really care.
Fingers brushed against his mouth, and his lips parted involuntarily. He could smell the chocolate even before his tongue darted out to lick fingers Hunter hadn't bothered to clean. Hunter made a sound, and he felt teeth graze his skin as Hunter buried his face in Cam's shoulder. He smiled a little, taking two fingers into his mouth and sucking gently on them.
Hunter surged against him, his free arm locking them together as he rocked his body against Cam's. "Playing with fire," he growled, the warning made all the more real by the shudder in his voice.
"Yeah?" Cam breathed, the tone making his heart race. He continued to lick the chocolate off of Hunter's fingers, pausing just long enough to murmur, "What are you going to do? Burn me?"
Hunter actually choked, although it was an open question whether he was trying to stifle a groan or a chuckle. "God, Cam... we have got to get you and chocolate together more often."
Cam drew back, Hunter lifted his head, and before he knew what was happening he was pressed up against the counter with Hunter's tongue in his mouth and hands that were making no effort to be polite on his skin. He knew he was still wearing his clothes--he had to be--but when Hunter set his mind to making out he could make a winter jacket feel like nothing. T-shirts weren't even a challenge.
A scream from the next room made them break apart, and for a single moment it was just Hunter's heat pressed up against him and blue eyes burning into his. The childish scream was followed by the sound of running footsteps, and Hunter wrenched away from him. Cam gasped, trying to gulp enough air to even out his breathing.
One of the boys pounded into the room, a little girl in hot pursuit even as the boy took refuge behind Hunter. "I didn't do it on purpose!" he hollered, cringing as the girl put her hands on her hips and stamped her foot at Hunter.
"He knocked over my ice cream," she declared, her voice escalating as she glared at her cowering rival. "He says I should clean it up! I didn't knock it over!"
Hunter caught Cam's eye over their heads. "You, me, and chocolate," he said, as though the kids weren't even there. "Later."
The little girl was just staring at him, but the boy dared to take a step out from behind cover and look up at him curiously. "Why are you giving Sensei Cam chocolate?" he wanted to know.
"Because he helped me clean up a sundae when I made a mess with it," Hunter told him seriously. His gaze flicked to Cam just for a second, and he winked. "So now I have to do something nice for him, to thank him."
The boy gave his pursuer a dubious glance. "You think if I clean up her sundae, Melinda will do something nice for me?"
Hunter grinned. "She might stop chasing you," he said. "But I've got a better idea. I'll clean up the sundae if you'll make Melinda a new one. Cam can help you, okay? Melinda, you're going to have to show me where the ice cream spilled."
The girl was pouting. "But he won't make it right," she protested.
"Maybe next time you won't leave your ice cream sitting on the floor," Hunter countered. Melinda closed her mouth, and Hunter glanced over at Cam again.
He couldn't help it. If it had been anyone but a couple of six-year-olds, he wouldn't have done it at all. He licked one of his fingers, stuck it in his mouth--just like a little kid. Or not. He saw Hunter's eyes narrow, and he barely kept himself from smiling.
Hunter cleared his throat as he guided Melinda toward the door, making his voice as light as before when he spoke. "Don't think I'm gonna forget, Cam," he called over his shoulder. "I'll thank you for that later!"
"Crash this bike one more time, and I'm taking it away from you."
"..."
"Oh. Sorry. I thought you were--"
"Hunter. Yeah, I figured."
"Maybe you could get him to take some flying lessons. I've rebuilt this bike three times now."
"Tell me about it. I'm just glad we haven't had to rebuild him."
"It's only a matter of time."
"If you really thought that, you wouldn't have fixed it the first time."
"He'd never have left me alone if I hadn't."
"He doesn't exactly leave you alone as it is."
"..."
"I'm just saying... you're more open about it than you were."
"More open about what?"
"The two of you. You know. Being together."
"It was never a secret."
"Come on, Cam. It's still a secret."
"If anyone asked, I'd tell them."
"What about Tori? What if she asked?"
"Has she?"
"Maybe."
"Look, tell Tori whatever you want. I really don't care."
"If you say so."
"I do. Now if you don't mind? I've got a lot of work to do here."
"...He really thrashed it this time, didn't he."
"This time and every other time."
"Yeah. Well. Later, Cam."
"Blake."
"Yeah?"
"Why me? I mean, why come to me? Why didn't you ask Hunter?"
"I did. He told me to ask you."
"...If you see your brother, tell him to come down here and fix his own bike."
"Sure thing."
8. Four Times Cam And Hunter Convinced Their Teammates They Weren't Having Sex (And One Time They Didn't)
AKA, No Excuses.
"We didn't want to wake you up, bro." Hunter was earnest and apologetic and completely unbelievable, but Blake looked more surprised than suspicious. "We couldn't find anything in the dark. And you're kind of a bed hog, so."
They were all staying at a hotel during the X Games, with two rooms between the six of them. Cam had offered to share with Blake and Hunter as long as Tori didn't mind being in with Shane and Dustin. And Blake had already been taking up one of the two beds when they got back, so what else were they gonna do?
"I don't even own a tent," Cam said with some asperity. "Since I don't make a habit of pretending to be one with nature, I don't know where you expected me to sleep."
The guys' approach to what they called "roughing it" wasn't exactly low-impact camping. Of course everyone had their own tent. They'd convinced Tori and Cam to stay for dinner, and the campfire afterward, and once it was dark everyone seemed to sort of lose track of each other.
Tori had slept in the back of the van. Apparently most of them had assumed Cam would do the same. But, as Cam pointed out, Hunter had a giant air mattress and more space in his family-size tent than he knew what to do with. So.
"We had a couple of beers," Hunter offered the next morning. "Figured it was better not to drive anywhere afterwards. And the buses don't exactly run out into the mountains."
Cam had come over to the apartment while Blake and Tori were out on a date. He needed some time away from Ninja Ops, after all. So they hung out, watched TV, and yeah, he could have crashed on the sofa. But he didn't want to be in the way, and besides, he was a light sleeper. Blake would have woken him up when he came in for sure.
"What?" Cam wanted to know. "I was cold, okay? Next time you have to make emergency field repairs to the dolphin zord without your Ranger uniform to regulate temperature, you can make fun of me for wanting some extra body heat."
They had been under siege for three days straight, trapped between the zords and the kelzaks, and Tori's wasn't the only life Cam had saved with his recklessness. He'd gotten the job done, and he'd come back, and lately that was all they asked. If he'd passed up a mylar blanket in favor of another human being, well. They were under a lot of pressure.
Even after his temperature normalized, though, Hunter didn't let him out of his sight.
It probably said something about how wildly improbably the relationship was that their friends missed it for so long. It wasn't like they'd gone out of their way to keep it a secret. Their excuses were more for the sake of form than anything else, and sometimes they argued over whether anyone had actually believed them to begin with.
Then one day, Hunter wound up in one of the treatment rooms with a splinter. No, really. He'd been training. Shirtless. It was a hot day. And he'd slammed his hand into something. He didn't remember what.
Something wooden, Cam said. Obviously. It had broken. So he'd dragged Hunter in here, complaining all the way, and made him sit down on the patient bed while Cam dug the splinter out of his hand. Or his arm. Shoulder. Whatever.
He hadn't been able to see it that well, of course. It was a very small splinter. That's why he was on the bed with Hunter. To look for it.
The rest of the guys had piled into the doorway behind Tori, who was standing there with her hands on her hips as she mostly failed to keep a straight face. "Okay," she remarked. "We've cut you guys a lot of slack. But now?"
She eyed them, eyes dancing as she announced, "Now I am officially not buying this anymore."
Far from protesting, Hunter let out an exaggerated sigh. "Thank you," he declared. Glancing back at Cam, he added, "See?"
"If I recall," Cam murmured, not moving from where he was, "and I do... I was the one who said no one could be that blind."
Hunter scoffed. "You are so not winning this argument." He leaned in to kiss Cam, a gesture that took about half a second and less than two inches to initiate. Cam didn't resist.
Without turning around, Tori held her hand out to the side. Dustin shifted, patting his pockets absently before pulling out a five dollar bill. He slapped it into Tori's outstretched hand with zero complaint.
"Shane," Blake added.
Shane, on the other hand, grumbled loudly before handing over a ten. "I still say you had inside knowledge," he complained. "I should know better than to bet against family members."
Weirdly, it was Cam who chuckled, like he could see the exchange and knew exactly what had happened. "Fine," he whispered to Hunter. "We were both half right. Okay?"
"Less talk," Hunter growled. "More kissing."
After that, there were no more excuses.
It could have been a dare. It could have been the apocalypse. It could have been a dare about the apocalypse, he didn't know and he would probably never remember. And right now he really didn't care. Everything seemed so clear, so easy, so momentously and bizarrely real.
This was what it was like to be drunk. He knew that; there was some part of his brain that functioned objectively even under the influence of alcohol... it was just walled off from the part that controlled his actions. He said and did and understood things that were never so easy in everyday life.
They had been celebrating. Everyone had gone out to congratulate each other for surviving, for winning, and finally for graduating. Their younger teammates had graduated from high school shortly before they all earned elemental distinction as graduates of the Wind Ninja Academy, and the ensuing party had been proportionately emphatic. And curiously free of mind-altering substances.
Had it been Hunter's idea? A wave of drowsy contentment kept the question from mattering. They were old enough to drink, competitive enough to make it a game, and somehow alone in the whirl of light and laughter that followed. He still didn't know how they had ended up at the truck, but he was pretty sure neither of them had been behind the wheel at any point.
The back of the truck had been far more interesting than the cab. It still was. He laughed aloud at the sheer joy of the moment: cool air on overheated skin, the soothing chir of insects and mountain nightlife all around, rough blanket barely softening the creaky metal bed. The sweaty warmth that shifted beside him at the unexpected sound.
"You're goofy when you're drunk," Hunter's voice mumbled, muffled slightly as he spoke more to the blanket than to Cam.
"And you're sappy," he informed him. Or tried to... it came out oddly slurred, which made him frown because he knew he wasn't that far gone.
There was a funny faint sound from Hunter. "Yeah," was all he said.
The night gradually warped around him, sleep washing in to dull his perception even further. He stared at the sky for a long time, the moonlight making funny shadows through the leaves, and he was vaguely aware that not everything he was seeing was real. He drifted between drowsy and dreaming for a long time. The blanket was gone and back again, pulled up over his shoulders without any conscious effort on his part, and the solid body pressed against his helped keep the increasing chill at bay.
He couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy.
He couldn't remember the last time he had been this uncomfortable.
The sky was lighter than it had been a few minutes ago, and those were definitely birds singing in a disturbingly loud and cheerful way. His mouth felt dry and disgusting and his skin was crawling. He squeezed his eyes shut harder and struggled to find a more sleep-inducing position.
The moment he moved, the soreness in his hip made him groan. His head protested the mere fact of his awareness, which he thought was unfair considering how hard he was trying to deny it, and the rest of his body started to complain. This was really a horrible way to interrupt a perfectly good night's sleep.
"Owww." The painfully drawn-out moan from beside him made him open his eyes, which turned out to be a mistake. They snapped shut again almost immediately, but nothing could block out the knowledge of someone lying next to him.
"Aw, fuck," the voice muttered, only slightly more coherent than before. "Wha..."
It was Hunter. When he forced his brain to work through the murk he remembered something about moonlight shining on leaves. Blankets... definitely blankets. And were they--
He cracked an eye open tentatively, confirming his hypothesis. They were outside. In a truck. Hunter's truck, he thought, not that he had ever seen it from the bottom of the truck bed before. They were under a blanket. And he was really, really, almost positive that he was naked.
"Cam?" Hunter's voice was quieter now, and more deliberate. He had obviously assessed the situation just as fast. He was asking a question now, not reacting instinctively to sensory input.
What the question was, though, he didn't have the faintest idea.
He settled for a noncommittal groan, simultaneously acknowledging that yes he was awake and no he didn't want to discuss it. Maybe he could just lie here with his eyes closed and his heart racing in an alarming way that seemed to be making his headache worse until Hunter left. It seemed unlikely, given that this was probably the truck Hunter would be using to leave, but it was a fleetingly attractive thought.
The blanket shifted and the truck creaked, while the exhalation from above him indicated that Hunter had moved to a more or less sitting position. He wasn't thrilled that the blanket had slid off his shoulders, but moving enough to reach for it seemed worse. If he stayed right where he was, maybe this day would just go away.
The truck bed bounced a couple of time before rising slightly. Hunter was clearly not so reluctant. And... he really hated to think about it, but this was probably about as much privacy as he would get.
He peeled his eyes open, wincing in spite of himself. It probably wasn't even dawn yet but the light was unwelcome on several different levels. The only thing that motivated him to move was the fact that lying here was just as uncomfortable as sitting up promised to be.
Almost. He ignored the stab of pain that came with lifting his head, along with the various aches and stiffness that came from sleeping in the back of a truck, and tried to decide if he was really as badly off as he felt. He was in pain and incredibly thirsty--and naked, which wasn't something he took lightly--but on the other hand, he was mostly alone.
That encouraged him to find his clothes. Underwear, pants, shirt, in that order, and what had happened to his shoes? He flinched at the fragment of a memory that suggested he was lucky he'd found as much of last night's outfit close at hand as he did. He didn't want to think about it.
He leaned carefully back against the side of the truck, letting his head hang for a moment before pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead. It didn't do anything for the pain in his head, but it did block out some of the light. He decided he could probably stay like that for the rest of the morning.
The rustle of brush and uncertain footsteps didn't surprise him. Hunter's tentative tone did. "Hey," he offered warily. Like he didn't know what to expect.
Cam let out a sigh, not bothering to lift his head.
"Yeah," Hunter said, still quiet. "You, uh... you want some aspirin or something?"
He thought about that. Not because there was any question, but because the possibility that Hunter actually had some aspirin deserved consideration. After a moment, he held out his free hand wordlessly.
Something small and aspirin-like was placed in it, but before he could debate the dubious merits of trying to swallow it dry Hunter added, "I have water."
That made Cam open his eyes. He narrowed them immediately, partly because there was light and partly because Hunter looked like... he didn't know. He was wearing his jeans from the night before, the ones that were dark and shiny in a subtle way that made Cam wonder if there was actually glitter woven into them--and that was it. That was all he had on.
"Done this before?" The words were out before he could think, before he could stop them, and he saw Hunter's expression go from concerned to closed-off in the time it took to draw a breath.
"It's from the first aid kit," Hunter told him. His voice was just as quiet as before, but his tone was flat. "The aspirin, I mean. Not the water. I always have water in the truck."
The water bottle Hunter was holding out to him didn't waver, and he recognized it as the one Hunter stowed under the seat every time he got in. "I'm sorry," he muttered, and he meant it. Just because Hunter could have anyone he wanted didn't mean he did.
"It's okay." Hunter waited until he took the water to climb into the back of the truck. Something opened, shifted, and closed. Then there was silence.
He stared at the ground. Those were his sneakers, there, one by the tire and the other a little distance away. He should pick them up. Something made him reach for Hunter's t-shirt instead, and he looked at it for a few seconds before steeling himself to do something with it.
Hunter was leaning back against the storage bins at the front of the bed, knees pulled up loosely in front of him and his arms braced on top of them. He looked up when Cam climbed into the back with him, eyes going to the t-shirt in his hands. Cam hesitated, then surprised himself by setting the shirt down just out of reach and settling himself beside Hunter. Gingerly, he leaned back against the storage bins and crossed his legs.
Neither of them said anything for several minutes.
"How's your head?" Hunter asked at last.
His lips quirked. "Still attached." There was a brief pause before it occurred to him to add, "The aspirin hasn't kicked in yet." Another hesitation. "Thanks, by the way."
"Yeah, sure." Hunter's reply was a little too quick.
Finally Cam glanced over at him. He was starting to feel vaguely more like himself. And if Hunter's discomfort was anything to go by, he wasn't the only one. "This is really embarrassing," he mused.
For some reason, that made Hunter chuckle. "It's been worse," was all he said.
He frowned, but it didn't take him long to come up with the cause of their first date as an example. The thought coaxed a grudging smile onto his face. "What is it about us," he muttered, not expecting an answer.
"Clones and alcohol aside?" Hunter asked, mock-thoughtfully.
His lips twitched, the smile lingering, and he looked over again to find Hunter watching him. "If I take responsibility for the clone," he wondered, "will you accept blame for the alcohol?"
Hunter snorted. "Nice try. The club was your idea, and if I remember right you were also the one who promised Tori and Blake a thousand times that we'd call if we needed a ride, and not to worry."
Sudden realization hit, and he dropped his head back against the bins with a groan. Which prompted a flare of pain, forcing him to close his eyes and grit his teeth. "I didn't call my dad."
"He'd have called the others if he was worried," Hunter pointed out. He didn't sound totally sure.
"And they would have told him we went out drinking." Cam tried to remember what he'd done with his cell phone. He'd be lucky if his dad didn't already have the entire school out looking for them.
"Wait here."
The truck shifted, and he opened his eyes in time to see Hunter crawling out of the truck bed. It was a particularly nice view, and the thought almost made him close his eyes again. He really... he didn't know how he'd gotten here. To the truck, okay, that either, but mostly to the point of drunken sex with someone like Hunter. How had it even become a possibility?
The door to the cab slammed shut, and he winced at the sound. A moment later a gentle touch on his shoulder made him look around in surprise. Hunter had his own cell phone to his ear and he was offering Cam's to him with a small, oddly guilty smile.
Cam took it, but a glance at the display told him he had only one message--and it wasn't from his father. He caught Hunter's eye, but he just shrugged. "It's Blake," he offered, clearly referring to his own voice mail. "Checking in."
Cam's was from Tori. She told him Blake hadn't been able to reach Hunter, so she was trying her luck with him. Call me if you need anything, she told him, and don't do anything I wouldn't do. There was a pause then, and it was like she could see his eyebrows rise. Never mind, she added.
He hung up while Hunter was still listening to his voice mail. "Still Blake," he said, rolling his eyes when Cam looked at him. "Or Blake again. He called three times."
Cam set his phone down, leaned his head back, and waited. For what, he wasn't entirely sure. What were they supposed to do now? What were any of them supposed to do now? They had defeated Lothor. They had won. More than that, they had graduated. They really were on their own.
He felt a soft touch, almost a tickle, running across his arm. He let his head roll to one side, regarding Hunter with surprise. He had lowered his phone and was now braced against the outside of the truck, his fingers trailing idly over Cam's shoulder. "Hey," was all he said.
He swallowed. What could he say to that? To the touch, to the unspoken question, to the whole situation? They had slept together. It had meant maybe more than he realized, given that they were still stuck in the "do we talk about this or not" stage that he had expected to completely avoid. They were guys, after all. They didn't have to verbalize everything.
Yet here was Hunter, clearly unwilling to just get dressed and drive away. He was trying to prod Cam into saying something, apparently... but what? What did he expect?
"What do you want me to say?" Cam blurted out.
Hunter's hand on his shoulder stilled, but he didn't take it away. "Well," he said evenly, "I guess 'hey' back would be a start."
He almost smiled. It was such a bizarrely ambiguous thing to hear from Hunter. "Hey," he conceded, lifting his head reluctantly. It didn't hurt as badly as it had before.
There was a long moment, and then Hunter remarked, "I have a meeting with Sensei Omino today."
Just like that, it crystallized in his mind. "I don't want you to go back to the Thunder Academy," he said abruptly.
It could have sounded... well, like any number of things. Controlling, petulant, just plain silly. But he could hear the warmth in Hunter's voice when he replied, and he knew it had been the right thing to say. "Yeah, well. Maybe I don't want you to stay at the Wind Academy."
Cam considered that and found it a fair statement.
"You want to get some coffee or something?" Hunter asked, as casually as though they discussed this sort of thing every day. Life, the future, and breakfast. Together. It was both weird and comfortable at the same time.
He made his decision. "Yeah," he agreed. He sat up, reaching for Hunter's shirt and handing it to him over the side of the truck. "There's some camp showers at Bear Brook, just down the mountain."
"Nice." Hunter accepted his shirt, pulling it over his head without a hint of awkwardness. "I'm gonna call Blake, let him know I'm okay, and we can go."
Cam hesitated on the edge of the truck bed, then leaned back to grab his own phone before climbing out. "Sure." He had someone waiting on him too.
He listened to the phone ring while he made a half-hearted attempt at gathering up his sneakers. The sound of the line connecting warned him, and when his dad's voice replied he took a deep breath. "Hi, Dad, it's me.
"Yeah," he agreed a moment later. He was fine. "I'm with Hunter."
"Let's get married."
"...Excuse me?"
"Let's go to San Francisco and get married."
"Yeah. Very funny."
"I'm not kidding."
"..."
"Come on, they're gonna get shut down any day now. Let's go while we still can."
"Okay... back up a couple of years. Who said anything about getting married?"
"I did. Just now. I said, 'let's get married.' You weren't listening?"
"Did I miss the part where we talked about it?"
"That's this part, right now."
"You want to get married. Us. The two of us, married."
"If you were any quicker, I wouldn't be able to keep up."
"Why?"
"Because it'd be fun. Because we might not get another chance. Because San Francisco is the most gay-friendly place in the world right now."
"San Francisco has always been the most gay-friendly place in the world."
"Look, it won't mean anything. The licenses'll be denied as soon as they're sent in anyway."
"Marriage isn't a political statement."
"Right now? Sure it is."
"It shouldn't be. The government doesn't have any jurisdiction over the heart."
"But it gets to decide benefits, inheritance, and custody rights? It gets to define 'family'? It lets you get fired because of me?"
"...Doing it just because we can doesn't help anyone's cause."
"I didn't suggest it just because we can."
"You never brought it up before."
"Neither did you. Are you saying you don't want to?"
"..."
"Just say no. Say, 'no, I don't want to marry you,' and I'll drop it."
"I just... I don't want to do it like this, all right?"
"Is that a yes?"
"...Maybe."