I don't own PRNS or any of the characters, nor do I make any money from this fiction.
Summary: Companion/sequel to Coffee. Sometimes things don't turn out the way you expect them to. Blake knows this better than most.
Notes:
This story isn't just a sequel, it's about growing up, and growing apart from the people you love. Because the ending you get isn't always the one you expect or the one you want, but it's there and it's yours.
Also, this is speculation on what the future for the team could be like. You don't have to agree with it, or even like it, but please respect my creative rights.
Pairings: past Blake/Tori, Hunter/Cam
Expectations
Things did not always turn out the way you expected them to. In fact, they hardly ever did. Blake knew that. Sometimes things were better…sometimes they were worse.
At four years old, he hadn't been expecting to be adopted. He was getting older. Even when he was that young he knew that the older you got, the less likely it was that someone was going to choose you.
He hadn't been expecting to be adopted, until a couple with a moody six year old boy had walked in. The aforementioned six year old boy had noticed Blake being picked on by the older children. He scared them off and Blake had smiled at him, grateful. Then the other boy had taken it upon himself to show Blake how to make shadow puppets until his parents were finished looking around.
Apparently that had been a big deal. His parents told him later that before he came along, Hunter had never shown any interest in anyone else. They believed Hunter had seen something special in him, and they had decided that he was the one they wanted to adopt.
Even now, years later, he felt an undying sense of gratitude to his older brother. The life he led wasn't one he'd ever been expecting, but he was happy.
He hadn't expected his parents to die—no, to be murdered. 'Die' implicated an accident, or natural causes. This had been no natural cause. At age eleven his world had been shattered.
Hunter had been the one to put it back together. Thirteen years old, and he had helped arrange a funeral with no bodies, had set up transfer of custody and living arrangements with Sensei Omino, and had moved them into the Thunder Academy. Hunter had spent every night in the same room as him on a little fold-out bed until Blake could go to sleep without nightmares.
Their parents' death had never been adequately explained to them. It had been a sore point between Hunter and Sensei Omino, who told them it had happened while their parents had been on a joint mission and glossed over the details. Hunter hadn't bought it. Blake had been more focused on getting past his grief and hadn't pushed for more information. Sensei Omino had taught them to focus their energy into their training, and the two of them rose to the top of their class. Blake had known they were being primed for something, but he hadn't found out what that something was until eight years later.
Ranger powers. Blake could hardly believe that Sensei Omino had chosen him to hold the Navy Thunder powers. Hunter had been an obvious choice. He was one of the best Thunder ninjas around, and even though he had a hot temper, underneath his façade of disinterest he was so focused it was scary. Blake, by comparison, was good but not the best, easily distracted by socializing, and, well…he cared too much. He was more prone to giving into his emotions during a battle, and sometimes he made stupid mistakes because of it.
At first he thought Sensei Omino had only chosen him because he and Hunter were a matched set. It was later on that he realized that yeah, that was part of the reason—he was one of the only people Hunter would stop and listen to—but that reasoning went both ways. Hunter could bring out the best in his fighting. And Blake was a pretty good ninja in his own right. The two of them worked incredibly well together.
Of course, they didn't have long to celebrate their achievement. Lothor attacked, and had told them that he'd done so because the Thunder Academy was in league with the Wind Academy, and their headmaster. Kanoi Watanabe.
The name hadn't meant much to Blake until Lothor had told them that Watanabe had killed his parents.
He hadn't wanted to believe it at first. It was ridiculous, right? An Academy headmaster killing two Thunder ninjas? But it made sense, once he thought about it. Why else would Sensei Omino not tell them what had happened to their parents? He might have covered up for another headmaster.
Also, Hunter was convinced, and Blake wasn't about to let him take up their vendetta by himself. He wanted to face the man who had destroyed everything he had known. He wanted to know why.
That brought them under Lothor's wing and to Blue Bay Harbor, a small town Blake had never even heard of. He had to leave behind his friends, his life. But in Blue Bay Harbor were the Wind Rangers, rangers apparently working for Watanabe, and so that was where they went.
Blake hadn't expected the Wind Rangers to be so…normal. Dustin was a motocross rider, and how could there be anything evil about that? He was a little spacey, but Blake had seen worse. Shane was a skateboarder who, while seeming hot-headed, managed to lead his team to victory again and again against Lothor. And Tori…
There was so much he could say about her. How pretty she was, how cool she was, how it was crazy that he had been attracted to a girl within seconds of meeting her. She was a distraction. He knew it, but it was a distraction he couldn't let go of. He knew he was jeopardizing their mission by flirting with her, but she just seemed so…right.
He hadn't expected to find that he and Hunter were really working for the enemy all along. The look on Tori's face as he and his brother had held Cam hostage…he'd never forget the anger and the hurt that had been there, because of him. Added the chase following their abduction of Sensei Watanabe, and the truth that was finally revealed to them…it was almost too much to handle.
That was why he and Hunter had taken off. The time away was good for both of them.
He hadn't expected to be brainwashed by Chuubo; to hurt Tori again, and to have Hunter forcibly turned so dark that once Blake regained his senses, he was completely and utterly terrified that he'd permanently lost his big brother.
But Hunter had come back, and they had joined the Wind Rangers. And Tori had forgiven him.
She was a distraction again, but this time it was better, because he could do something about it and she wasn't turning him down. His days passed by in a flurry of monster-fighting, hanging out with the others, riding, and chilling with Tori.
Well, he didn't really hang out with all of the others. The only time he saw Cam was in Ops, on a purely ranger-related basis. But Hunter…Hunter was another story.
He hadn't expected Hunter to be attracted to Cam, nonetheless to act on it. It wasn't the fact that Cam was a guy that surprised Blake, once he figured it out. Hunter was so picky that he was glad he'd found someone at all. It was that it was Cam. What did they have in common?
Whatever it was, it was serious, and he was a little disappointed in himself for not realizing what was going on until he heard the two of them talking after the whole love spell debacle. The two of them had left the room at one point or another, and Blake, wanting to escape Dustin and Shane's teasing, had left too.
"…I'm sorry," Cam was saying quietly to someone in the hallway. Blake stopped. There was only one other person not in the main room of Ops right now…
Sure enough, his brother replied, "It's fine." His tone was somewhat petulant, which meant that no, of course it wasn't fine. What was going on? Why was Cam apologizing to Hunter?
He decided, after a moment, to stay and listen. He had a feeling that he was on the verge of discovering something important.
Cam seemed to know that Hunter wasn't placated. "It's not fine," he countered simply. "She was the first person I saw once the arrow hit me, Hunter. That's the only reason why I went so crazy."
"Who's to say it wasn't a subconscious thing?" asked Hunter finally. "I mean, everyone knows that Blake is head over heels for her. Who's to say that you aren't too?"
That would be a problem, as Blake really didn't want to end up fighting Cam again. His bruises had bruises! He couldn't believe he'd ever thought of Cam as just nerdy tech support.
"I say that I'm not," said Cam, sounding slightly irritated for the first time. "I was gay before we started dating, you know."
What? What? Blake almost blurted the question out, but he forced himself to keep quiet. Hunter and Cam were dating? Hunter and Cam were dating? When had this happened? How had he missed it? And why hadn't Hunter told him?
"Yeah, when you were with Lukas," muttered Hunter grumpily, drawing Blake's attention back to the matter at hand.
Cam sighed. Obviously this was a long-standing sore point between them. "I told you, he just called to say hi, okay? It was no big deal."
"The first guy you ever had a serious relationship with just "calls to say hi" and it's not a big deal?" snapped Hunter. "Also, why didn't you tell me he was the guy we met when we went out for the first time?"
"…Because I thought you might react like this?" replied Cam rhetorically. "Look, if I liked Tori I would have done something about it, okay? You could at least trust that I wouldn't lead you on by dating you for so long or dating you at all, for that matter. And if I wanted Lukas back…that ship sailed a long time ago, so it's a non-issue. I'm dating you, I want to be dating you, and if your brother wasn't hiding around the corner I'd happily prove it to you."
Blake winced guiltily and stepped out of his hiding place to see Hunter staring at him in surprise. Well, that was fine, because Blake was surprised too.
"I'll leave you to it," said Cam dryly. "Next time, you might want to disguise your breathing better." He walked off, but not before squeezing Hunter's hand briefly. Hunter glanced after him with a faint smile before turning to Blake.
"Alright, let's have it," he said, sighing.
Blake frowned. "How long?" he asked.
"It'll be a month in three days," answered Hunter promptly.
Blake mulled that over. What had happened a month ago? "…When Cam became a ranger?" he asked.
"Same day he came back," confirmed Hunter. "We…went out for coffee."
There was obviously more to it than that, but Blake didn't think he wanted to know.
"You didn't tell me," he said, more than a little hurt by the fact. Since when did they keep secrets from each other?
Hunter winced slightly. "You were…occupied," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Besides, Cam wasn't sure about telling anyone. Sensei doesn't even know yet."
Because it wasn't just Hunter's decision to make, it was Cam's too. For the first time, well, ever, Hunter was a part of something that Blake wasn't. It was a disorienting feeling, and an unwelcomed one at that.
They were growing apart. The realization was so sudden and startling that Blake could only say, "…I didn't even notice…"
"That was kind of the point," muttered Hunter, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but here. "Look…are you cool with this, or not?"
Was he cool with the fact that he and Hunter weren't a matched set anymore? That they were separate people with different interests, and that Hunter had other priorities than being his big brother?
He forced his irrational jealousy of Cam away. "Yeah, bro. It's cool," he said, faking a smile. He'd gotten good at that as a kid, and even though Hunter gave him a suspicious look, he relaxed a little. He was going to let it go, at least for now.
"Thanks," he said finally.
"Yeah. What are bros for?" replied Blake, still reeling on the inside.
"I'm gonna go…finish talking to Cam. You won't tell the others, though?" asked Hunter.
"Not a word," managed Blake. Not a word, because how could Blake explain something he didn't understand himself?
"Appreciate it, bro. I'll see you later," Hunter said, clapping him on the shoulder before leaving him alone in the hallway.
It was a non-issue between them for the next few months. The fights got tougher and tougher, and Blake was just happy to see Hunter alive at the end of the day, regardless of their problems. Regardless of the fact that they were growing further away from each other with each day.
He let it go all the way until he and Hunter got into a fight. A major fight, over something as stupid as who won a race. Hunter accused him of cutting him off, Blake called him a sore loser, they argued over it, and then Blake finally snapped, "You didn't tell me you were dating Cam until I eavesdropped on you!"
Hunter didn't falter. "It was none of your business!" he retorted.
"Of course it was my business! I'm your brother!" said Blake angrily.
"Yeah? You kept your blade training a secret from me!" snapped Hunter. "I'm not the only one who kept secrets, Blake!"
"You didn't tell me you kept the Gem of Souls!" countered Blake. "Did you tell Cam that?"
"Cam found out when you did, and he was pissed off about it too, thanks!" snarled Hunter. "You probably didn't notice because you were too wrapped up in Tori!"
"My relationship with Tori is none of your business!" snapped Blake.
"Then why can you butt into my relationship with Cam?!" demanded Hunter.
Blake didn't have an answer for that, so he leapt to the next thing on his list—news he had just received this morning. Something else he had never expected.
"You're not testing for Factory Blue, and you didn't tell me!" he threw out.
Hunter flinched. "I was going to tell you…" he replied.
"Like you were going to tell me about you and Cam? Like you were going to tell me about the Gem of Souls?" demanded Blake. "Factory Blue was our dream, bro! We were gonna go pro! What are you going to do instead?"
"Something different!" said Hunter defensively. "I love riding, you know that! But…it's not me anymore, Blake. It's you. Factory Blue is your dream now, and as for mine…I'm still trying to figure that out."
"When did it stop being your dream?" demanded Blake.
"I don't know," said Hunter quietly. "But…I want something more permanent, bro. I don't want to travel all over the state. I don't want to only see the people I care about once every few months."
"You mean Cam," said Blake, resigned.
"I mean you, too," snapped Hunter, his temper briefly flaring up again. "The pro circuit isn't going to cater to our whims, Blake. They're not gonna keep us together just because we want to be. If one of us is sedentary, then our chances of getting to see each other more than once a year go up, and the one coming back will actually have a place to come home to."
Blake hadn't thought of it that way. "You're not stopping so I can go pro, are you?" he asked.
"No," said Hunter, shaking his head. "Look, I've been thinking about this for a long time. One day our time as rangers is gonna be up, and you know it. It's coming sooner than we think. And when I tried to imagine the future, and maybe the possibility of one of us not going pro…it was always me. I'm not going to stop riding, and maybe I'll tour once in awhile. But making a life out of it? It really isn't what I want. But it is what you want. I'm not going to ask you to stick around because I'm not going pro."
"…When did we grow so far apart?" asked Blake, after a few moments.
"…I don't know," admitted Hunter slowly. "At first, when you were the one growing up and away from me…I wasn't happy. I'd get angry, and I'd get jealous, but then…I don't know. I dealt."
"I was first?" asked Blake, confused. That was all wrong. Hunter was supposed to be first. He was older.
"You and Tori," was all Hunter said, and Blake finally realized that Hunter must have felt the same way about Tori that he did about Cam. He had called it 'distracted,' Hunter had called it 'occupied'…either way, he and Tori were something Hunter was outside of. Just like Cam and Hunter were something he had no business interfering in.
He may have grown up and away from Hunter first, but his brother had figured it out and dealt with it before Blake had even thought about trying. Because Hunter watched out for him, made sure that he was alright. Made sure that he was happy. But now his bro had found his own happiness, and who was Blake to begrudge him that, after all Hunter had done for him?
"I never thought about it like that," he admitted, all of his anger disappearing.
"That's because I'm smarter than you," Hunter teased him.
"Hey!" protested Blake, "I'm usually pretty good with people!" Just not when it came to himself and Hunter, apparently.
"So…is this okay with you?" asked Hunter, pausing for a moment. "I am sorry I didn't tell you before I declined, but…it was something I had to do."
"I get that," said Blake. Like he had wanted to prove himself in battle with the Thunder Blade before telling anyone that he'd been training with it. "And…I'm sorry too."
He was so used to having Hunter's complete attention that to have it divided between him and someone—anyone—else was disconcerting. But he wasn't a kid anymore. He didn't need his older brother to take care of him. And Hunter would always be there if he really needed him, just like Blake would drop everything in a heartbeat if Hunter was in trouble.
You didn't have to be with someone every day to care about them. You could fit other people into your life, and that was what they had both been figuring out. Siblings were close as children, but they grew apart as adults. And even if he and Hunter weren't telling each other everything anymore, even if they weren't in the same place…they were brothers. They would always be brothers.
The final battle came and went, and the team went their separate ways. Dustin, Shane, and Tori were teachers at the Wind Academy. Cam became head teacher there. Hunter was the head teacher at the Thunder Academy. Blake went pro and started racking up motocross victories.
The team didn't really see each other, not as one big group. In fact, when Lothor had come back and they had teamed up with the Dino Rangers, it had been the first time they had all been together since graduating.
Blake saw Hunter often enough, and Cam once in awhile when Hunter brought him by. Dustin's family moved out of town, and although Dustin still taught at the Wind Academy he started coming by less and less. Blake saw him once or twice at exhibitions, but there was never time for more than anything than a quick chat. Cam quit teaching after a year to go work in Silver Hills, with the Silver Guardians and their two co-commanders whom Hunter had mentioned as being former rangers too. Shane took Cam's place as head teacher, and he had meetings at the Thunder Academy once or twice when Blake stopped by. Tori eventually quit teaching and decided to go to college for journalism. They saw each other whenever possible.
Blake didn't know if he had expected the bonds between the team to last even when they weren't rangers anymore. Because once it was over, what did they all have in common, besides a ninja history that most of them didn't acknowledge in their everyday lives?
Hunter and Cam broke up a couple times over the next two years, but somehow they always seemed to drift back together. Blake was there to listen to Hunter rant about how Cam was so picky and stubborn and irritating, and he was always glad that Hunter wasn't able to see him smiling on the other side of the line. The two of them were surprisingly good for each other. And despite his brother's complaints, and despite the occasional major blowout, Cam was someone Hunter couldn't let go of. He wasn't surprised when the two of them moved in together. He'd expected that.
He hadn't been expecting his own break-up. He should have been…he and Tori saw each other less and less, and their conversations were getting shorter and less detailed…but when he was in town one weekend and stopped by to see her, he hadn't been expecting her to greet him with a serious expression.
"Can we…talk?" she asked hesitantly, and Blake got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
It wasn't that she wasn't still in love with him, she had explained tearfully, but he was gone so often and she was so busy with college…she didn't want to ask him to quit racing, and she couldn't lessen her own workload if she wanted to graduate on time, so really, it was better this way.
It didn't feel better. After nearly three years, they were breaking up? It was a major blow. Blake left feeling more upset and confused than he had in years, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He called Hunter.
Hunter was there in a half hour flat with hard liquor and a duffel bag. He stayed for the rest of the week until Blake was back on the circuit and he had to go back to the Thunder Academy.
After that, Blake buried himself in training and competitions. It was pathetic. Every blue-eyed blond reminded him of Tori, every wave he saw…he couldn't even drink water without thinking of her.
It got better with time, though. A month later he chatted with a surfer for a full half-hour without even associating his sport with Tori. Another month later, and he could sit by the ocean again without moping. Three months post-breakup, he accepted a drink from a girl sitting across the bar from him and his friends, and went on his first date since Tori.
It was…different. Jenna was a law student, liked rock music, and could hold a decent conversation about motocross. It had been a long time since he had been on the dating circuit. Maybe…maybe it was time he rejoined.
Three years later, and Blake was tired of racing. Not that he liked it any less, but at twenty-five years old, he was ready for something else. He just hadn't figured out what yet. Did he want to go back to school? Did he want to teach at the Academy?
He and Hunter were having lunch and discussing his options. During a lull in the conversation, Hunter said suddenly, "So…the commitment ceremony…"
"Yeah?" asked Blake. Hunter and Cam's commitment ceremony was currently in the planning stages. They had been together nearly six years (discounting brief periods of separation), Hunter had decided that Cam was it for him, and had asked him to 'marry' him. Apparently Cam's reaction had been to smirk and say that he'd been waiting for Hunter to ask. Blake wished he had that kind of security sometimes.
"Cam wanted to know if he could invite Tori," said Hunter, studying him. "But he said to tell you that if it's going to make you uncomfortable, he won't do it."
Blake smiled slightly. After he'd gotten over his initial jealousy of sharing his older brother, Cam had slowly but surely been adopted into his tiny family. It was nice to know that the feelings were reciprocated.
Tori. Could he handle seeing her again? It had been more than three years, after all. Of course, she had been his first love…but he thought he could handle it.
"Tell him thanks, but I think I'll be fine," he said at last. "Are the others coming?"
Hunter shrugged. "Cam's in charge of the invites," he said, obviously happy to leave it to his partner. "I think Shane might have already confirmed, but that's because Cam dropped his invitation off when he went to visit his dad."
Blake nodded and gave it no more thought as he and Hunter continued talking about what he wanted to do, if not race.
The commitment ceremony was held at the Wind Academy four months later. It was very Hunter-and-Cam—simple and quick. Blake was definitely a fan of short ceremonies.
And everyone showed up, too. It was the first time they had all been together in years. Blake clapped Dustin on the back, rapped knuckles with Shane, and then bounded over to his brother and Cam. He gave Cam a brotherly hug and told him teasingly, "There's no escaping him now."
"I may rue the day I became permanently attached to the Bradley family," agreed Cam wryly. His name change had been approved just two days before. Cameron Watanabe-Bradley. It was still odd to think about.
"You think you're funny," said Hunter, yawning, "But you only get away with it because I'm so ridiculously exhausted right now." Who knew that a wedding that wasn't even officially recognized took so much energy?
Cam rolled his eyes and gave Blake a smile. "I'll be around—I think my father's looking for me," he said, excusing himself.
Blake turned to Hunter and they grinned at each other, hugging. "Congrats, bro," said Blake sincerely, as they released each other.
"I thought we were never going to get here," said Hunter, obviously happy. "Thanks, bro. For everything."
Blake knew that the gratitude wasn't just for helping out with the ceremony. It wasn't just a thanks for helping, but for caring, for accepting…and for being there.
"What are brothers for?" he replied rhetorically, before he spotted Tori and halted. Hunter followed his gaze.
"Are you going to talk to her?" he asked.
"I don't really know what to say," said Blake, as she spotted him and waved awkwardly.
"Do you ever?" asked Hunter, amused. He clapped Blake on the back. "You'll be fine, bro. I'll see you later, okay?" Before Blake could respond Hunter was gone and Tori was fast-approaching.
"Hey, Blake," she said, giving him a small smile.
"…Hi," he managed at last. Yep, she was still Tori. Pretty, happy, friendly Tori.
"How have you been?" asked Tori hesitantly.
"Good," answered Blake. "You?"
"I've been good. I heard you stopped racing for Factory Blue," said Tori.
"It was time for a change," said Blake, shrugging. "I agreed to tour a little bit, but right now I'm going to school. Probably going to major in business." He was set to graduate in three years, if he worked hard enough. "What about you?"
"I'm almost done with my major," said Tori, "And I decided to minor in psychology. I've got an internship at a local magazine, too."
"Busy as always?" asked Blake, cracking a smile for the first time.
Tori's smile was a little less nervous this time as she replied, "Yeah, I guess. It's good, though. Definitely what I want to do, y'know?"
"Yeah," said Blake, nodding. "I get that."
"Hey, guys! Picture time!" called Shane, motioning them over.
"Let's go?" Blake asked her.
She nodded and they headed over to where Cam was trying to explain a camera to Marah. "I totally get it, Cousin!" she told him, pushing him to stand next to Hunter.
Blake tried to figure out where to place himself in the picture. Hunter and Cam were obviously standing together. Both of them looked irritated, obviously tired and ready to be left alone. Shane and Dustin were standing next to each other, Shane next to Cam and Dustin next to Tori, who was at the end of the line.
Hunter saw his gaze wandering and called impatiently, "Get your ass over here, bro! I can't stand here forever!"
Blake didn't have to pretend to smile as he stood next to Hunter and his brother slung an arm around his shoulders.
"Damn picture-taking," Hunter was muttering. "Why do we need a hundred pictures of Cam and I together? I see him every day; I don't need a reminder of what he looks like."
"They're not for you, stupid," Blake told him smartly. "They're so other people can look at your ugly mug and wonder what the hell Cam was thinking."
Neither of them noticed the flash going off as Hunter promptly pounced on him.
Just like old times, he would think later, as he looked back on the picture. Marah had captured them perfectly—he and Hunter were mock-wrestling, Cam looked somewhere between amused and exasperated, Dustin and Shane looked positively gleeful as they cheered on the sidelines, and Tori was laughing at their immaturity.
Blake knew a lot about what he hadn't expected in life, but if anyone had asked him what he had expected up until that point, he wouldn't have been able to say. It seemed like things had always been meant to turn out the way they had, and even though he knew that at one point he'd made all of these plans that were so different from reality, he couldn't even remember what they had been. He had friends, he had a job, he had a future…and of course, he had his brother.
He wouldn't change that for the world.
Don't hate me for breaking Blake and Tori up! Sometimes it happens in real life. There aren't always fairy-tale endings, and the point of this story wasn't so that everything could end up happily ever after with all the couples together and perfect. Blake is realizing that life is a difficult process, and looking back on his life he thinks about how he hadn't planned any of it--because you can't plan life. You can try, but you can't control other people, so it's never going to work.
Reviews are welcomed and appreciated, and I hope you guys enjoyed this. It's a different tone than Coffee, which is more about new beginnings, but it's the same idea of growing up and realizing that things change.