2. dare
They were addicted to dares. Every sparring session watched over by the careful eyes of Sensei and every simulation observed by the equally careful - but often filled with much more mocking - eyes of Cam were full of them. It had been discovered weeks into this tentative thing that they were calling a friendship and the unstable object they were calling their team that neither of them were the type to back down from something once dared.
It started out small, the team participating usually, daring each other to do handstands on Cam's tech table - filled with mysteries none of them could comprehend, or at least he'd like to make them think so - or wake up Sensei by throwing his food pellets at him. The dares soon grew to enormous proportions and fled past the boundaries of Ninja Ops and into the streets of Blue Bay Harbor.
Soon, epic dares were being declared and most of the team backed away anxiously, leaving Tori and Blake to fulfill them. Blake found himself distracted every time Tori settled down for a dare, the look in her eyes catching his attention and holding it hostage. Likewise, Tori felt incredibly unfocused while agreeing to dares set by Blake - watching him plot and his eyes light up mischievously sent the little 'Tori's in her mind swooning even as she found herself agreeing to whatever task he set for her. They never turned down a dare - to do so was to break an tacit agreement.
The habit died down after awhile, dares only mentioned occasionally for a reminiscent laugh or fond smile. Things became more serious, lives settled on the line - there seemed little time for fooling around, risking their own well being and wasting time.
When the battle was over, and the dust had settled and so had they - Blake found himself staring down at the petite blonde who had captured his attention long ago and still held it for ransom. He figured that part of the problem was that he wasn't really willing to pay up and focus on things other than her smile and her eyes.
When he told her he was leaving, he saw a shuttered look settle over her eyes and he cursed the fact that he was the reason. He wished for any explanation to come back as often as possible - he had already told his brother that he was forbidden to move, because if he visited him, he could visit Tori. He watched her carefully for any sign of anger or giving up. What he saw was determination.
"I dare you to come back," she whispered moments later, sealing the deal with a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. There was a flash of her usual bright smile before she set off down the stone path to return to celebrating with the others. Blake stared after her with something like amazement before touching the corner of his mouth in awe - a moment later he grinned.
Well. He had never been one to turn down a dare.