Just a cute little one-shot I came up with because I love to think of Cam like this :)
Enjoy!
~Deepika
Disclaimer: I don't own PRNS or any of the characters
It was dead silent when he had finished his rambling. It scared him; hell, it was more than scary, it was terrifying, like walking into a room full of rabid three year olds and Kelzacks. He looked at his teammates desperately, hoping for some sign of sympathy or understanding. Their faces were blank with shock, except Tori, who had known his secret for a while. It seemed like even the spirits from above were quiet; there was no sign, no omen, no nothing. It made the young man feel completely and utterly hated. Seeing the faces of everyone seemed to only make his already fast heartbeat beat faster. Nervously, he tugged on his collar and audibly gulped. This seemed to snap everyone out of their gaze. Seeing his obvious discomfort, Tori ran up, slinging her arms around his shoulder.
"This doesn't change anything Cam. We still love you, no matter who or what you are," Tori told him and Cameron Watanabe felt a bit of moisture well up in eyes. He wasn't one for sappy moments, but a vulnerable time like this, when he had exposed himself and made sure he had kept no secrets, his emotions were working overdrive. The last time Cam had cried was when he was young and his father had to explain to him why he had no mother and what had happened to her.
Meanwhile, as the rest of his group was silent, Hunter and Dustin were nodding slowly, knowing how it felt to be in his situation. Hunter was just like him, though he was with Kelly at the moment- it was quite cute, to be honest; Dustin thought he was, but one girl managed to prove him and his theory wrong. His relationship with Marrah grew strong every day, which brought warmth to the young Asian's heart. Blake smiled at Cam, walking up to his girlfriend and stood on the other side of him. Of all of them, Blake and Shane were the normal ones. Shane was still a bit hung up on Skyla while Blake and Tori were finally going out. It didn't take a genius who knew rocket science to figure out the obvious chemistry between the two blue rangers. Cam felt a pang of jealousy towards the attractive navy ranger; it must have been nice having a normal life, not really having to keep life changing secrets from his brother.
"Tor's right Cam. It doesn't matter who you are, you're still the same techno geek we know and love," he smirked as Cam rolled his eyes and unconsciously pushed his glasses up, earning laughs from the three boys and one girl. Cam nervously looked at the team's beloved red ranger; though shaky and unstable at first, the two had formed a nice relationship. He now saw that the red ranger was looking a bit awkward, fearing the worst.
"A-are you sure Cam? I mean, announcing something like this...being bisexual...it's...huge," Shane breathed out, and Cam looked down, ashamed. Of course the prim red ranger would never accept him. Who wanted a bisexual teammate?
"I'm sure Shane," the green samurai ranger responded, a tinge of anger apparent in his voice. "If I wasn't I wouldn't be announcing this. I've known for a while but I thought that you guys would be supportive," he frowned. Shane's eyes widened as he took in Cam's resigned face and his darkened eyes. After knowing Cam, Shane knew his eyes only got wider as he realized how much of a jerk the rangers must have been to Cam, for Cam to think of him this way.
"Cam, dude, of course I support this. Dude, you're one of my best friends. I've known you for a while and we've always had each other's backs. Nothing's going to change, and nothing will ever change our friendship. You're bisexual, so what? You're still the smart, amazing, sarcastic, reliable Cam we've known for ages. You're a little different but guess what? All of us are, just from being power rangers. Having a different preference towards sexes from others is how we were made; not everyone will be the same," Shane smiled and Cam felt more tears enter his eyes, but it wasn't from happiness.
Halfway through Shane's inspirational speech, Cam had looked up at his father only to see the elder Watanabe look somewhat disappointed and upset. Shane had trailed off when he saw Cam's eyes and looked from side to side, hoping to get help. "Dad?" Cam whispered, his voice hoarse with tears. Sensei did not answer, and instead, decided to streak away, leaving a disheartened Cam standing there.
Cam felt his legs go numb and wobble a little as he collapsed on the floor, sobs escaping from his throat. His father hated him. His father thought he was a freak. His father probably wanted to disown him and would probably come back and kick him out of the one place he could call his home. Everyone was at a loss for words as they watched the heart broken young man cry his heart out. It hurt them, since there was nothing they could do about it. Tori was especially upset, since she was the one who usually kept the group banded. "Oh Cam..." Tori morosely whispered as she knelt down beside him, rubbing his back. Dustin engulfed him in one of his famous Dustin hugs and Hunter knelt beside him, murmuring reassuring words. Without a word, Cam got up, hugging Dustin back and lightly brushing Tori off.
"Thanks guys, but I think I should go fix the fuse box," he said and took off. Dustin looked confused.
"But the fuse box is fine..." he asked and Tori shook her head in a "hello, duh!" manner and Blake whispered something in Dustin's ears. Dustin's eyes widened in understanding and he nodded, looking oddly serious and stalked away, dragging the others in the process.
The weather was beautiful, but it felt like crap to Cam. The now human elder sensei stood staring at the waterfall in deep thought. It hurt to look at him, being afraid of the rejection, being afraid of the yelling and the refusal to believe he was what he was. It hurt Cam, thinking of the way that his father walked out on him. It must have been shocking, knowing he had raised a bisexual samurai, something that no one could ever be proud of. It hurt him deep and he was afraid of going up to the man he loved with all his heart and soul and 22 autosomes. It hurt that he couldn't go up to the man who had raised him and given him everything he wanted; fulfilling his wildest dreams: becoming a Power Ranger. Taking a deep breath, however, he knew what had to be done. If he faced rejection...well, he could always move into his crush's house.
"You know, Miko always told me that there was something special about you, that you were different than the others." His voice startled Cam, and the younger Watanabe slowly walked over to his father. "And I always said that you were like the others," the elder Watanabe gave a small laugh of contempt. "She told me that she had seen the first signs of your sexuality when you were two and you kissed another boy on the cheek. I suppose, like every father, that I didn't want to admit that there was something wrong with my son. You were always supposed to be macho, yet you took over a new feminine sign and that scared me, since I thought that those qualities made you inadequate to become a samurai."
"Dad...please don't go on. I know this is hard for you," Cam interjected and Sensei looked up into the sky, hoping that Miko was sending down some sort of sign to help him.
"But it is something I must get off my chest Cameron," he patiently reminded his son. "Now, as I was about to say. Miko told me that there was nothing wrong with being bisexual. I am ashamed to say it, but a ninja must always come face to face with his guilt, regrets, and quarries. I was ashamed of you Cameron," Kanoi Watanabe said and Cam felt his heart shattered and he almost turned away, in fear of what was coming next. Here came the rejection, the pain, the sorrow. "Wait Cam! Let me explain," Kanoi interrupted. "As I was saying, I was ashamed of you. But as you grew up, you won your way to my heart. You were amazing at technology, and I could see you having a future of being a samurai. And then Miko died.
"It was like my world was coming apart by the seams. It was then that I turned to you and saw that you were still there. That you were still that remaining link to her. I promised myself, a ninja's promise, that I would forget everything and I would treat you like a normal person. I made sure that you were always comfortable and that you were never afraid to tell me something. I made sure to keep the remainder of our family strong; for Miko."
"You hate me don't you?" Cam blurted out and for the first time in many years, Kanoi Watanabe was caught off guard.
"Hate you? Cam, I could never hate you. You are my pride and joy, and I love you, just as any father would love his son. I would give my world to you Cameron, and I know you would give yours to me. You are my heart, my soul, my son. And that Cam, is why I could never hate you," Sensei smiled.
"Then why the look of disappointment Dad? I thought you hated me?" Cam felt his lower lip tremble and his vision became blurry as tears formed in his chocolate pools.
"Cameron, all my life I have taught you to be honest in everything. Hiding that secret, not telling me, made me upset because I thought you didn't trust me. That look of disappointment was for me, son. I couldn't help but think that I had gone wrong somewhere and had made a mistake while raising you," he replied and Cam blinked a few times, while letting the tears out, as he registered what his father was saying.
"Dad, you have raised me to be an honorable samurai. I love you so much, and it really hurt me because that look made me think that you rejected me. I mean, have you ever heard of a bisexual samurai? It scares me that I'm not normal, but I also have Hunter to talk to, don't I?" Cam smiled slightly and Kanoi walked over to his son, engulfing him into a huge hug.
"I love you Cam. Never forget that. Now...would you like to tell me who the person you like is?" Kanoi smiled and Cam's eyes became saucers as he stared at his father.
"Dad!" he whined and the pair laughed as five pairs of eyes stared at them, happy the father and son could have moments like these.