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Hunter was gone.
Not physically, but he might as well have been.
Cam was sitting in front of his computer console in Ninja Ops, staring at the screen, but seeing nothing.
True, they still fought Lothor’s kelzaks and monsters side by side, and the Crimson Ranger still came by Ninja Ops to train, but he never lingered after the sparring sessions anymore.
About a month ago Hunter had graduated from Blue Bay High School, and he and Blake had moved back to Blue Bay Harbor not long after that. After living at Ninja Ops for a little over six months, the brothers were financially back on their feet and able to afford renting a furnished apartment in town. It wasn’t anything grand, and it wasn’t in the best part of town, but it was definitely better than where they had been living before.
They were extremely grateful to Sensei and Cam for letting them stay at Ninja Ops, and were downright apologetic about leaving, but Sensei had understood.
‘As for me...’
Cam took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Hunter had told Sensei all kinds of reasons why they were moving back into the city. ‘Need to be back on our own, need to be closer to Storm Chargers, now that we are working there full-time’, etc.
But only he and Cam knew the other reason. Cam sighed as the memories once again flooded his mind...
The practice room downstairs at Ninja Ops was illuminated only by one fat candle. The two of them on the padded mat, still dressed in their jeans, but with their bare chests pressed so tightly together that not even a nail file would have fit in between.
They were oblivious to the chill in the room, the heat of their bodies making the air around them feel more like July than October.
Hunter’s lips were moving down Cam’s throat, over his collarbone and onto his chest. When he found the nipple, he latched on, and Cam could not stifle the moan that escaped his throat as Hunter’s lips and tongue teased him mercilessly. Automatically, Cam’s hand went into the blond hair, holding Hunter’s head in place. Another playful nip sent a wave of pleasure down Cam’s spine, and he felt his body reacting almost instantly. And the way Hunter was draped over him, he must have felt it as well. In the flickering candle light, Hunter’s sapphire eyes were glazed with passion as he looked up at Cam, searching his face for...permission. Then those lips went back to Cam’s chest, slowly trailing lower, over his stomach, lower...
And then it happened again. Cam felt himself tense, and what had felt so right just a moment ago now once again turned to awkwardness. “Hunter, no, wait, I...”
Hunter stopped immediately, as he always did, but his shoulders sagged as he moved off him.
‘Shit!’ Cam thought when he saw the disappointment in Hunter’s eyes. The blond man ran a frustrated hand through his hair and sat back on his heels. Cam couldn’t bear to look at him. Hunter had been so patient with him since the Thunder Rangers had moved into Ninja Ops, and Cam and Hunter had gotten to know each other - and the practice room at night - much, much better. Aware of the fact that this was Cam’s first relationship with another man, Hunter never hurried him, or tried to make him do anything he didn’t want to do, but the Thunders had been living here for almost six months, and Cam and Hunter had met in the practice room so many times after dark...
‘What’s wrong with me?’ Cam almost said out loud. He was so confused, his body contradicting his mind every time Hunter touched him. He loved kissing and hugging Hunter, but anything beyond that... simply scared him.
“Cam,” Hunter’s voice was cutting through his thoughts. “You are giving me too many mixed signals.” The dejected tone of voice made Cam wince.
“I don’t know how...I’m not sure what to do around you, Cam.”
“I’m sorry,” Cam whispered, staring into the candle light. Hunter was right, of course.
“Look, I know this is new for you, but, Christ, I don’t know how much longer I...”
Hunter let his voice trail off. Cam watched out of the corner of his eye as the thunder ninja reached for his T-shirt and pulled it back over his head.
Suddenly Hunter’s palm was on his cheek. Cam looked into his boyfriend’s eyes. There was no anger there, just...resignation. And that made Cam feel like crap.
“I think you need some more time to think about this,” Hunter said quietly. “You know I’m not going to rush you. When you’re ready, you know where to find me.”
A quick, chaste kiss to his lips, then Cam was alone on the mat, and the chill October air in the room finally registered.
Cam shivered.
********************
Cam could not sit still anymore. He looked at his computer screen and sighed. “Not like I’m getting any work done, anyways.”
He shuffled into the kitchen to get himself a bottle of water. But while he leaned against the refrigerator, sipping, his eyes traveled around the little area.
And the images came again...
The three of them in here, working together to prepare a chicken stir-fry. Not long after they had moved in, Cam realized that the Bradley brothers’ cooking skills did not extend much further than ‘Open can, heat in microwave.’
So he had offered them some free lessons on the condition that they clean up the mess afterwards. Not long after that, either one of them, sometimes both, had always been willing to help Cam with the dinner preparations.
And it had been fun. Not just fixing dinner, but actually having company to eat with.
Sensei had enjoyed the friendly bantering around the dinner table, too. Sometimes he even joined in, letting them make fun of his guinea pig food when Blake tried to ‘spice it up a bit’ with hot sauce.
He also missed the occasional late-night chats he had with Hunter, whom he sometimes found in the kitchen following up on a snack attack.
‘Hey, this smells odd. What did you fry up?”
“Fish sticks.”
“You are having...fish-stick sandwiches???”
“Yeah, you want one? There are a few sticks left over.”
“This is so weird that I’m actually gonna try it. Hand it over.”
“It’s an acquired taste, but you get used to it.”
“What ever made you think of cooking up something like that?”
“It’s cheaper than lunchmeat.”
Cam hadn’t been able to argue with that logic. Thinking of that conversation, Cam suddenly felt himself become hungry. For fish sticks.
Shaking his head, he walked back into the control room, passing the low command table where Blake and Hunter had always sat while doing their homework, or studying.
‘Or, in one case, where Hunter had almost died three months ago...’
Cam shuddered at the recollection.
The entire Power Ranger team had been up against one of the toughest monsters Lothor had ever sent. The creature was not only huge and ugly, it apparently also had had the ability to shoot very powerful energy beams.
Hunter and Blake had fought side by side against the few kelzaks the monster had brought along, when suddenly the creature had launched a beam directly at the Thunder Rangers. Hunter had seen it coming and threw himself in front of his brother. The beam caught him, but instead of flinging him backwards, it had latched onto him and pulled him several feet into the air. The Crimson Ranger’s cries resonated in the air as the monster greedily sucked his elemental energy out of him.
The team ganged up on the creature, renewing their attacks with desperate ferocity, and after a minute, they succeeded in beating it down enough to release its grip on Hunter.
The Thunder Ranger had fallen to the ground like a sack of flour, demorphing in the process. Cam was by his side instantly, but Hunter was unconscious. The rest of the gang defeated the monster and rushed towards their fallen comrade. Cam could see the fear in Blake’s eyes. “Cam...”
“He’s breathing, but we have to get him back to Ninja Ops immediately.” Cam had responded, trying not to let his own anxiety show. He had called CyberCam for an emergency teleport that landed them in Ninja Ops with Hunter on top of the command table, still completely unresponsive. Cam ran to get his medical scanner.
“That freak has drained him of almost all of his elemental energy,” he said grimly, looking at the scan results. “A minute longer, and...” he left the sentence unfinished.
“Can you do anything for him, Cam?” Blake asked anxiously. The Navy Ranger was cradling his brother’s head in the crook of his arm.
Cam searched his mind frantically. Just don’t panic! He was no trained medic, and this was a very serious situation.
“Dude, we’ve got to, like, take him to a hospital, or something.” Dustin said. The yellow Ranger looked ready to freak out, and Shane and Tori didn’t look much better.
“And do what, Dustin?” Cam snapped. “It’s not like we can just walk into an emergency room and ask the doctors if we could borrow one of their defibrillators to ‘recharge our friend here’...” Recharge!
“Of course!” Cam locked eyes with Blake. “He needs to start recharging his elemental energies immediately, because otherwise he won’t be able to come out of unconsciousness. For that we need to jump-start his regenerative system somehow, and the only one who can give him this boost is you, Blake.”
Blake blinked only for a moment before he understood. He gently put his brother’s head down onto the table and moved around until he was kneeling beside him. “What do I do?”
Cam wished he was as sure as he sounded. “Concentrate on your energy, then jolt him, but not too much.”
Blake took Hunter’s hands into his own. “But how many times, and how do I know when to stop?” Blake looked downright frightened.
Cam shook his head helplessly, almost choking on his own worries. “I don’t know.”
Blake turned his head, looking at his brother with a mixture of fear and determination. Then he closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Hunter’s hands. A second later Hunter’s body was jolted violently as the surge of energy from Blake transferred into his body. Cam monitored Hunter’s reaction via his scanner.
After another shock, Cam spoke up. “His heartbeat is increasing and his vital signs are getting more stable.” He put a hand on the Navy Ranger’s shoulder. “This might be enough for now, Blake.” The relief in Cam’s voice was evident.
Blake released his brother’s hands and sat back heavily. Tori was at his side immediately, putting an arm around him. “You ok, Blake?”
Blake looked pale. “Yeah, just kinda drained myself now.”
Cam knew it was much harder for the Thunder Ninjas than for the Winds to use their elemental powers in their unmorphed state. Blake had every reason to feel weak.
Cam took up Blake’s earlier position at the head of the table, cradling Hunter’s head. After a moment, the Crimson Ranger stirred, his eyes fluttering halfway open.
Dustin and Shane let out happy yelps, and even Cam had a hard time keeping his elation in check as he helped Hunter into a sitting position. Thanks to all the spirits!
“Wh...what’s going on?” the Thunder Ranger slurred weakly.
Cam grinned down on him. “Well, let’s just say you had us worried there for a while.”
Hunter’s gaze went to Blake. “Bro...?”
“I’m all right, man.” Weak as he was, Blake was still grinning from ear to ear.
Cam was looking back and forth between the two Bradleys. “I think you both could use some major rest now. Do you think you can get up, Hunter?”
But his question was met with silence. Hunter’s head had fallen onto Cam’s shoulder, fast asleep. “Guess that answers that question,” Cam mumbled to no one in particular.
Shane helped Cam carry Hunter into the guestroom. There they laid him out onto his bed. “He’ll probably be sleeping for the rest of the day and night.” Cam announced to the rest of the gang.
Tori tucked in Blake, and a little while later the Winds left Ninja Ops, promising to be back first thing tomorrow morning.
Cam knew he needed get some rest himself, but the events of the day had him wired beyond any hope of sleep. He found himself checking on Hunter (and Blake) so often that after a few hours he simply gave up the pretense, took off his shoes and climbed into bed next to the Crimson Ranger. ‘Just for precautionary measures’.
When Blake awoke some time later, he found Cam curled up next to Hunter with his hand placed on the Thunder’s chest, as if to monitor his heart beat even in his sleep.
With a knowing grin, the Navy Ranger turned around and went back to sleep.
***********************
He had never told Hunter this, but what had happened to the Crimson Ranger that day had scared the living daylights out of Cam. The feeling of his limp body in his arms, the thought of loosing him...
‘There are times when I really wish I could just turn off my brain,’ Cam thought miserably as he stood in the control room, still gazing down onto the table while his senses slowly returned to the present.
“The only entire night Hunter and I ever spent together, and he’ll never remember it,” he mumbled to himself.
“What did you say, son?” Sensei looked up from his spot next to the pagoda in his habitat.
“Oh, nothing, Dad,” Cam replied quickly. He returned to his computer console, but he knew that he wouldn’t get any work done. Way too distracted.
Besides, he had more important things to take care of.
Cam had spent a mostly sleepless night yesterday thinking about the future. His future, and especially Hunter’s part in it. He missed Hunter. Missed him more than he had thought possible. Cam still couldn’t believe he had just let him leave. He remembered watching Tori’s van retreat into the woods, carrying the Bradleys and all their meager possessions back into town. And he vividly remembered how his heart had ached at that sight. The night before the move they had met in the practice room, but Hunter had been reserved, not going any further than gentle, caring kisses, and for once it was Cam who found himself longing for more, but he had not followed up on it, blaming it instead on ‘last evening’ emotions. Now he knew better, and every night since then he had paid the price for it, a price that included dreaming about azure eyes, a wickedly sexy smile, and incredibly sensual lips.
With a determined effort, Cam wrenched his thoughts away from the memory of those dreams, and back into reality.
Last night, he had had a revelation: Cam Watanabe, ever the introvert, up till now completely comfortable with being alone, actually craving his solitude at times (what had Hunter called it? ‘Only Child’ Syndrome), now found himself utterly lonely.
But he was going to do something about that.
Casting a side glance at his father, Cam reached into the top drawer of his desk, withdrew a CD, and quickly slipped it into the pocket of his windbreaker. Time to go...
It had taken a lot of tossing and turning last night, but he had at last come to a decision, and it had surprised him just how much better he felt after his mind was made up. Now to follow up on that decision meant taking a trip into town. He was more than ready.
“Dad, I’m going to run some errands in the city,” he called out, careful to sound casual about it. “Do you need anything?”
Sensei had declined, and Cam had to remind himself to walk, not run, up the stairs and out of Ninja Ops.
Once he arrived in Blue Bay Harbor, he went straight to his first destination, an inconspicuous-looking gray brick building. He entered without hesitation, and when he left it again two hours later, he carried a folded sheet of paper in his hand.
‘So much for part one,’ he smiled, rubbing the crook of his left arm absentmindedly, where the cotton wad was still taped over the tiny puncture mark. ‘Now on to part two.’
***********************
Hunter was on a roll. He had just passed the rider in the Number Two position, and there were only three more laps to go. Now he only needed to get closer to Blake...but his little brother had a lead of more than half a lap. ‘If I move to the inside some more, take the corners a little tighter...’
Suddenly, at the edge of his peripheral vision, he saw a flash of green. A forest-green windbreaker. A very familiar forest-green windbreaker!
But by now he had already shot by that spot. Hunter sped up, not concerned with reaching Blake anymore. He just wanted to get around the lap and back to that spot.
He was still there, in the exact same place, windbreaker flapping in the breeze.
Cam.
Hunter could not let his eyes stray from the track, but he tilted his helmet just slightly to the right, acknowledging Cam’s presence. During a race, the adrenaline was always high, but now Hunter’s heart was starting to beat just a little faster.
He rounded the track again, but when he passed the spot, Cam was gone.
He finished the race in second place, just behind Blake.
Hunter forced himself to smile and accept the congratulatory slaps on the back from his fellow riders, but his eyes were darting in all directions.
Cam was nowhere to be seen. ‘Why had he been here, then?’
Hunter took the first opportunity to split, right after the prizes had been awarded. Still pondering Cam’s sudden appearance - and disappearance - he went to retrieve his backpack from his locker. But when he opened the door, he found the bag unzipped.
“What the...?” he mumbled and quickly looked through its contents to see if anything was missing. What he found was that not only was everything still there, something had been added. With a frown he pulled out the CD.
Just listen, was written in black across its surface, and Hunter recognized the flowing handwriting immediately.
‘But how had he gotten it in here?’ The answer hit him before the thought was even finished and Hunter smiled a grim smile as he looked at the simple key lock he had on his locker. Of course, such a mere lock was no problem for Cam Watanabe, Green Samurai Ranger and techno wizard.
The one he had missed every hour of every day since he had moved back into Blue Bay Harbor. Hunter stared at the CD, not daring to let the spark of hope he felt ignite.
Cam, who drove him crazy in more ways than one with his incredible knowledge of just about everything, his cockiness about it, his bossy attitude, his beautiful eyes, his warm, sensual lips...
Hunter, with his good looks and charming demeanor – or loud and obnoxious attitude, depending on who one spoke to – had never had any problems attracting the attention of whomever he was interested in at the moment, whether male or female. This had resulted in a few relationships over the years, but just about all of them had been short-term, and the ease with which he had always walked away from these relationships had never really fazed him. Attraction had so far never equaled connection for him.
This time had been very different. He had left a big part of his heart behind when he moved out of Ninja Ops, and it had been very unsettling for him when Cam just...let him go.
Hunter knew beyond any doubt that Cam cared about him, because he had been on the receiving end of Cam’s TLC countless times. But Cam was confused – and scared, even though he would never admit it.
Bottom line was that Cam needed time to sort out his feelings, and Hunter was determined to give him that time. Except that waiting had been getting harder and harder lately. But now, with this mysterious CD here...
‘With my luck Cam just decided to pursue a career in country music and wants me to critique his demo CD,’ he thought darkly.
During the six months of ‘cohabitation’ in Ninja Ops, Hunter had found out that Cam had quite a few unexpected talents; playing country songs on his guitar was one of them.
Kissing was another talent in which he definitely excelled.
Or haircutting. Hunter grinned at the echo of that memory...
Ninja Ops, about two months ago. Hunter was getting seriously distracted. He was trying to study for his history exam, but Cam had been staring at him from his computer console across the room for a full minute now. Hunter never looked up, but was aware of it nevertheless. Ninja senses came in handy sometimes. Finally he did look up.
“Should I be flattered or annoyed at your staring, dude?” he said with a lopsided grin.
“Sorry,” Cam actually looked a bit embarrassed. “I was just...thinking something.”
Hunter grinned mischievously. “Would that ‘something’ have anything to do with the practice room after curfew?”
“No,” Cam replied, cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink. Sensei was currently not in the control room, so they were free to talk. “I was thinking that...well...you need a haircut.”
“No, not really,” Hunter ran a hand through his longish banks. “I can still see.”
“Barely.”
“Hey, if I had ten bucks to spare, I would already have been to a barber.” Hunter replied. “I could cut it for you,” Cam offered.
Hunter waved his hands in front of him defensively. “Oh no! Last time I had a home haircut, it ended up with an emergency after-hours visit to the barbershop. And that came out to twice as much.”
As if on cue, Blake walked in. “Hey, guys.”
“Speaking of Edward Scissorhands...” Hunter grumbled, and Cam chuckled at the mental picture that came into his mind.
Blake frowned. “Hu?”
“Just relaying that haircut disaster. You know, when...”
“You still moping about that?” Blake rolled his eyes. “You blew that whole thing way out of proportions back then, bro. It didn’t look that bad.” Blake turned to Cam and shrugged innocently. “I did the best I could with the tools at hand; what can I say?”
“I should have never let you near me with those hedge shears you called scissors.” The dour look on Hunter’s face was downright comical, and Cam couldn’t help but laugh.
He rose from his chair and headed towards his room. “Well, I have the real tools, so don’t worry, ok?” He grinned at Hunter’s groan.
A few moments later he was back with scissors, comb and towel.
Hunter gave a resigned sigh as Cam draped the towel around his shoulders. “I hope you know how to forge a signature on the apology slip for me missing school tomorrow,” he grumbled.
Cam gave him an encouraging clap on the shoulder. “Didn’t I tell you not to worry? It won’t come to that, trust me.”
And it didn’t. Hunter actually had to admit, when looking in the mirror a short while later, that Cam really had done a pretty darn good job.
“Check it out, Blake,” Cam said with a complacent grin. “There actually is a half decent-looking guy under all that hair.”
”If pale and blond is your type, then yeah, I guess so,” Blake grinned back and winked at Cam. The Navy Ranger was the only one who knew about their relationship, because the Bradley brothers didn’t believe in keeping secrets from each other.
But it had not been right from the beginning...
Blake hadn’t been sure about it until one night when Hunter had tried to creep back into their room after a late night make-out session to find his brother sitting up in bed, looking straight at him.
Busted!
“Mind telling me where you’ve been for the past...” Blake pointedly glanced at his wristwatch. “...two hours? Oh, and before you answer, let me just tell you that the ‘bathroom break’, ‘snack attack’ and ‘I got lost in Ninja Ops at night’ excuses won’t work this time.”
“You mean I’ve already used all those up?” Hunter replied jokingly, trying to sound way more lighthearted than he felt. But he wasn’t fooling Blake, who just kept on looking at him until Hunter plopped next to him onto the bed with a sigh. He was still thinking about how much to tell Blake when his little brother decided to make it easy for him.
“Bro,” he said, gazing at Hunter intently, his brown eyes warm and caring. “It’s cool. Really. Whoever makes you happy, man.”
They exchanged a long, silent look and Hunter saw the sincerity in Blake’s eyes. He reached out and enveloped him in an affectionate brother-hug that Blake gladly returned.
“Thanks, bro,” he mumbled.
“No sweat.” Blake grinned and gave Hunter a friendly shove in the direction of his own bed. “Let’s get some sleep, ok?”
A little while later Hunter was poised at the edge of sleep when Blake’s voice cut through the darkness. “Hunter?”
“Hmmm?”
“Don’t take this wrong, ok? I’m just curious...”
Hunter waited.
“Why Cam?”
It had taken Hunter a minute to respond. “Blake, believe me, if I knew the answer to that, I’d be sleeping much better tonight.”
‘That free haircut ended up costing me quite some time in the practice room later that night,’ Hunter reminisced with a smile which was quickly replaced by a frown as the by now familiar feeling of loss and loneliness wedged itself into his heart again.
It wasn’t like they had broken up, but it sure felt like it nowadays.
The revving of a bike engine outside the locker room snapped Hunter back into reality. He blinked rapidly, then stuffed the CD back into his backpack.
Suddenly, he was in quite a hurry to get home.
**********************
Thirty minutes later, Hunter stepped through the front door of the Bradley apartment.
Or their semi-bachelor pad, as Blake called it. In the two weeks they had been living here, Tori had visited half a dozen times. Cam hadn’t been here once.
Hunter went straight for the stereo system and popped in the disk. The display showed only one track. He pressed ‘Play’, and a moment later, the sultry, whiskey-smooth voice of Macy Gray filled the small living room. Hunter’s eyebrows arched in surprise at the first few notes of “I Try”.
Games, changes and fears,
When will they go from here?
When will they stop?
I believe that fate has brought us here
And we should be together
But we’re not.
Hunter’s heart started to accelerate again. He stared at the CD player as if it were the sole piece of furniture in the entire apartment.
I play it off, but I’m dreaming of you
I’ll keep my cool, but I’m fiendin’
I try to say goodbye and I choke
Try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it, it’s clear
My world crumbles when you are not near
Afraid that his legs, which by now had seriously begun to wobble, wouldn’t carry him any more, Hunter sank onto the couch. Cam was sending him a huge message here!
I may appear to be free,
But I’m just a prisoner of your love.
I may seem all right and smile when you leave
But my smiles are just a front.
“Took the words right out of my mind,” Hunter mumbled, the first onset of a smile beginning at the corners of his mouth.
I play it off, but I’m dreaming of you
I’ll keep my cool but I’m fiendin’
I try to say goodbye and I choke
Try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it, it’s clear
My world crumbles when you are not near
Here is my confession,
May I be your possession!
Boy, I need your touch
Your love, kisses and such.
With all my might I try,
But this I can’t deny.
Cam had made his decision! As the feeling of joy and relief washed over him, he let out the breath he had been holding with a ‘whoosh’. It came out as a mixture of exhalation and chuckling. Hunter was glad he was alone.
I try to say goodbye and I choke
Try to walk away and I stumble...
The apartment door opened and Blake walked in to find his brother sitting on the edge of the couch, staring at the CD player as if hypnotized, a goofy smile on his face. He didn’t even seem to have heard his little brother come home.
“Hey, Macy Gray!” the Navy Ranger exclaimed. “This is such a cool song, but I didn’t know that was your style, bro.”
Hunter’s head snapped around, and he stared at his brother with a faraway expression.
Blake frowned. “Uhmm, Earth to Hunter. You ok, man?”
But Hunter was already on his feet, grabbing his jacket from the back of the couch.
“I gotta go!” he grinned as he shot by Blake and out the door.
Blake was puzzled. Not typical Hunter-behavior. Then his eyes went towards the now silent CD player. He opened the cover, saw the CD in it, and recognized the hand writing as well.
Blake smiled. So Cam finally called. In a way.
************************
The cool October breeze, heavy with the scent of the sea, felt good on Cam’s face. He sat on a large boulder in the concealed training cove by Ninja Ops, gazing out over the ocean, trying to slow down his racing mind. Not much luck on that yet, though.
Normally, the softly lapping waves were a calming sight for him, but today he lacked the inner tranquility to appreciate their serenity.
After returning from the race track, Cam had attempted to get some work done on the Tsunami Cycles’ upgrades, but his mind just wouldn’t stay on the task.
Hunter had seen him; that much was sure. ‘But had he listened to it yet?’ Cam wondered.
After a few unsuccessful attempts of code writing, he finally decided to get some air, and that had led him here, to this spot. Normally a good place for thinking, but today he wanted anything but to think. He just wanted to sit here...and wait.
Cam closed his eyes. ‘Maybe with some meditation...’
Soft footsteps on the sand, coming closer, a familiar voice, the only one he cared to hear right now. “You know, if you scoot over, there would be space for two on that rock.”
Cam smiled, opened his eyes and looked up at his boyfriend, who was watching him in return, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets, his trademark lopsided grin plain on his face. Cam moved, and Hunter sat down close to him. For a moment, neither one spoke.
Cam broke the silence first. “Congratulations on your race.”
“Are you kidding? I hate second place,” Hunter replied with mock disgust. “And how did you know the turnout anyways? It’s not like you hung around to see it.”
“I stayed long enough,” Cam said with a mysterious smile.
Hunter nodded. “Obviously.” Then he turned his head a bit more towards Cam and said what the Samurai Ranger had been waiting to hear. “I got your message.”
Cam inclined his head, looking somewhat nervous. “Hope you didn’t think it was too cheesy.”
Hunter shook his head, and Cam was surprised to see the smirk replaced by a serious expression. “Wasn’t cheesy at all.”
The Thunder Ninja shifted, just a little bit, and that movement pressed his thigh against Cam’s for a brief moment. It was only a subtle touch, but it was the first contact they’d had in two weeks, and they were both intensely aware of that. They looked at each other, and the longing in Hunter returned with a vengeance.
All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around this man and stay locked in that position until Christmas, but before he could do that, they had to get a couple of things out of the way. So he kept the wings of hope tucked in tightly and waited, watching Cam’s face.
Cam was the one who had sent the message; it was his call.
But apparently, Cam had something else in mind, since he reached into the leg pocket of his olive cargo pants, withdrew a twice-folded sheet of paper and wordlessly handed it to Hunter.
The Thunder Ninja took it with a quizzical look, but he knew better than to ask. His eyes dropped to the letterhead of the paper: Harbor Bay Clinic.
Hunter frowned, throwing Cam a quick, uneasy glance. Was he sick?
But Cam just lifted his chin, indicating to him to continue reading.
Hunter read through the content of the sheet...and then read it again. And even though his hands stayed steady, his heartbeat certainly was not.
He was looking at the negative results of Cam’s HIV test. Dated from this morning.
“Cam, what is this?” The moment the question left his mouth, he felt stupid for asking.
And he couldn’t tell from Cam’s expression whether he thought the same. “It’s the test result...” he began, but Hunter held up his hand. “Let me re-phrase this: Why?”
Cam’s eyes flickered with controlled emotions as he responded simply, “Because I want us to be safe when...the time comes.”
His hunch confirmed, Hunter was nevertheless taken aback by Cam’s symbolic gesture.
It was a huge step for the samurai, for he had just committed himself to the next level in their relationship. The wings of Hunter’s hope expanded to their full circumference, and he was emotionally airborne, joy expanding outward in his chest until it felt as inflated as a balloon. Yet he felt the need to explain to Cam the huge grin the Green Ranger undoubtedly saw on his face. With another quick glance at the address of the clinic, he handed the sheet back to Cam. “I’ll go there tomorrow, then.”
Then he reached out and surprised Cam by taking his hand, and his grin turned serious. “Cam, I want you to know that this goes much deeper than sex for me, ok? I want to be with you, spend time with you, and whether that means ending up in bed or just watching movies on the couch all night...either way would be ok with me. We’ll go at your pace.”
Cam’s almond eyes narrowed. “And just how long would you wait?”
Hunter avoided his gaze. “As long as it takes.” Suddenly, the Crimson Ranger found the gentle pacific waves intensely fascinating.
But Cam wasn’t deterred. “Hunter?”
“Yeah?” Hunter answered the ocean.
“You were worried, weren’t you?” Cam probed. “Worried that I’d break this off.”
Hunter just shrugged, still looking away.
Cam squeezed their still interlaced hands. “There was never a reason to worry about that.” “You sure?” Hunter wanted to know, now finally turning his head. “I know this whole thing is...well...weird for you.”
“Was,” Cam corrected him. “I mean, it’s still strange at times, but...” Cam made it a point to look straight into Hunter’s eyes. “It’s something I’m looking forward to getting used to.”
Hunter returned the gaze, blue eyes shining. “I’m glad.”
Suddenly, that look turned into a somewhat abashed expression. “Look, I suck at metaphors, but... I understand your hesitancy, and your confusion. You are leaving the familiar path you’ve walked on all your life so far.”
“The road less traveled?” A slight, amused smile played around Cam’s mouth.
“Or, in your case, the road never traveled.” Hunter’s smile mirrored Cam’s for a moment, then he turned serious again. “I don’t want to sound all mushy and stuff, but I just want you to know that you will never be alone on that path, ok?”
With a lump in his throat, Cam nodded solemnly, not quite trusting his voice. And for a while they just sat side by side in silence, holding on to each other, until Cam continued the metaphor line. “But there’s one more stone in the way, and I have to move it aside before we can go on.”
Hunter threw him a quizzical glance. “The others?”
Cam shook his head. “No. I think they have shrunk down to pebbles, because I’m pretty sure they’ll be ok with it,” he replied. “I’m talking about a stone I’ve been pushing ahead of me for months now.”
Hunter nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. “A stone with brown fur and the nasty habit of bouncing off people’s heads?” he grinned, trying to make light of Cam’s impending task. Cam nodded, but his own smile came out just a bit too crooked and insincere. Hunter could feel the nervousness coming off him like a rising tide. He squeezed his partner’s hand. “Want me to come with you?”
Cam’s expression was grateful. “Thanks, but that’s something I have to do on my own.”
Cam pulled himself up. Hunter, unwilling to let go of his hand yet, rose with him, and the two men embraced without hesitation. The Samurai Ranger hugged the Crimson Ranger just a little tighter, as if to draw strength from him. Then, with a heavy exhalation, he turned towards the tunnel that led back to Ninja Ops, but Hunter held him back and pressed his mouth to his lips for their first real kiss in weeks. Cam’s eyes fluttered closed, felt the familiar heat rising in him again when Hunter’s tongue thrust into his mouth. He molded his body tightly onto the blond man as he gave himself over to the delicious sensation that was...Hunter. God, he had missed him!
And Cam knew. Knew without a doubt that, whatever his father’s reaction would be, he could not, would not, ever walk away from Hunter again.
Only when the need to breathe became too obvious did they pull away reluctantly.
“I’ll be right here, waiting, ok?” Hunter said huskily.
“Ok.” Cam’s glazed eyes were slowly returning to normal as he disentangled himself out of the Crimson Ranger’s embrace and started towards Ops.
Hunter’s eyes followed Cam until he had disappeared into the tunnel. Then he plopped onto the sand with a sigh, ready to wait.
****************************
Nearly an hour later he was still sitting in the same spot, so absorbed in the task of just staring at nothing that, when a small voice suddenly addressed him with “Your mind seems far away, son,” he almost jumped out of his skin.
Hunter looked around for the source of the voice, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Sensei standing in the sand, almost right next to him.
“I’m sorry, I did not mean to startle you, Hunter,” the guinea pig said.
“No, no need to apologize, Sensei,” Hunter said quickly, “I just didn’t expect you here.”
That was the truth. Sensei never left Ninja Ops, or at least Hunter had never seen him outside the control room; not voluntarily, anyways.
So was it a good or a bad thing that he was here now?
“No offense, Sensei, but what are you doing out here?” Hunter asked warily.
Sensei inclined his brown head. “I came to get you, my son.”
My son... Hunter peered at Cam’s father, but guinea pigs were hard to read, especially this one.
Sensei must have seen the uncertainty in the Thunder Ninja’s eyes, for he held up his paw. “Cam and I had a very honest and insightful conversation in which many things were finally revealed. Some of them surprising, yet none unexpected.”
None unexpected? “What do you mean?” But even though Hunter feigned ignorance, he was afraid he already knew the answer.
“A ninja’s greatest attribute is the mastery of stealth, Hunter.” A sly smile spread across Sensei’s furrowed face. “And while the two of you have most certainly improved your skills in that regard over the past six months, you have not yet excelled in them.”
Despite his best intentions, Hunter felt himself blush.
Fortunately, Sensei decided to overlook his student’s obvious embarrassment. He suddenly leapt up and landed squarely on Hunter’s right shoulder. His voice was close by the Crimson Ranger’s ear. “A father’s love manifests itself in many forms, Hunter. My son has made an important decision about his life. I trust him, and I believe that he has chosen his companion well.”
Hunter turned his head. It was rare to see an unguarded emotion such as plain happiness on the young man’s face, but now Sensei was treated to just such a sight.
“Cam should be finished preparing tea by now,” the Wind Ninja teacher continued. “Let us go inside. We shall drink and speak of the future, and of family.”
Sensei had giving them his blessing! Hunter closed his eyes and sent a quick, silent ‘Thank You!’ up towards the heavens before he rose from the sand.
“I would like that, Sensei,” he replied sincerely. “Thank you.”
He swallowed hard and added, “For everything.”
The guinea pig just patted the Crimson Ranger’s shoulder with his tiny paw.
Hunter was almost at the tunnel entrance before he became aware of the figure waiting just inside the murky darkness.
Cam met Hunter’s gaze, smiled, and held out his hand.
Together they turned and slowly walked down the tunnel towards Ninja Ops, the waiting tea... and their future.
THE END