Chapter 26

Spread a Little Sunshine

I don't own Pippen.

I think I may have catered to the Cam/Hunter fans out there, but it was totally on accident.

Bucketfuls of LOVE to The Real Vampire for her beta-ing skillz. If you guys would like to improve your life, check out her story 'My Brother's Keeper', for a substantially more sane interpretation of team Ninja Storm :)

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"So," Hunter began, not bothering with simple things like pleasantries or opportunities for Cam to derail the conversation. "I need you and Shane to make up."

The tech deigned to grace him with a perturbed look before returning his attention back to the…thingy in his hands, giving it a few well placed stabs (or perhaps executing a very technical procedure that just looked like stabbing) before abandoning his screw driver altogether, reaching for a pair of green handled pliers resting against the table.

Hunter almost sighed in disappointment, but chose instead to throw a glare at the back of the green ranger's head. The least Cam could do was look a tiny bit surprised by his intrusion, or miffed about his comment on other's relationship with a certain red ranger, or aggravated at his standard blunt approach to conversation, or maybe he could have dredged up some of that anger Hunter knew the tech had reserved especially for him because of the whole made-out-with-the-lurve-of-his-life thing, but this entire cold-shoulder, complete apathy was just kind of insulting.

He thought their relationship was worse than that.

Hunter must be losing his touch; usually he could get Cam mad at him with the simple act of being present. Now the green ranger was going to make him put forth some effort.

How awfully inconsiderate of him.

"So," Hunter began again, sidling up beside Cam (past experience taught him that the green ranger was very strict about his personal bubble, but Hunter couldn't see any barbeque sauce nearby, so he figured he was cool) and leaned past his shoulder, staring at the side of his face intently. "You and Shane…"

He trailed off to allow the part of the green ranger that had that untamable desire to educate the ignorant to take over and fill in the rest, but Cam stubbornly refused, discarding his pliers for a wrench (what the hell was he building?).

Hunter stared on for a few more seconds, pondering the ramifications of leaning in closer, but decided not to push his luck. He settled his chin against Cam's shoulder, tilting his head to get a better view of the nuts and bolts of his doo-hicky.

"I'm not going to go away, you know," he informed him, tapping the metal lab table impatiently. "I don't have stuff to do."

He had taken care of that. Dustin had ever-so-helpfully taken over his shift at Storm Chargers (which Blake was going to complain about forever because they could barely make ends meet as it was) and all Hunter had to do was casually mention to Shane that the red ranger and Dustin hadn't gotten a lot of "alone" time (but with much more coddling and definitely no use of the phrase "alone time"), and the guy was all over spending the afternoon in the shop, doing whatever it was he and Dustin normally did back there.

For the longest time Hunter had thought "it" was making out, but the epic levels of repression streaming off the two of them was enough to disprove that particular theory.

Hunter was tempted to see how far he could push Cam, see how long it would take for the other to snap and address his presence so they could put aside their petty squabbles and get down to business. It wasn't fair; why did Cam have to be so easily aggravated? It was both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing, because it was as amusing as hell to test him. A curse, because he was more liable to be punch-y (too much time with Dustin) afterwards. Especially towards Hunter. And it wasn't like the crimson ranger couldn't take another punch to the face; he just didn't want to. Because, well, who liked getting punched in the face?

Did he dare, or did he not?

Was he a man, or a mouse?

Throwing caution to the wind, Hunter decided to go for it, sliding carefully behind the tech and purposefully pushing the other teen's foot out (to make his crotch a less tempting target for kicking). He wrapped his arms about Cam's waist, burrowing his head against the other's neck so he could emulate Dustin's cuddling and not because he ever kind of needed some physical interaction of his own. Not at all. If he did, there had to be better ways of getting it. Right now he would probably be better received by a polar bear than he would by Cam.

He smiled excitedly, unable to contain himself. Now Cam would make some witty comment or try to elbow him in the face and then they could fight/exchange words and then he could get closer to achieving his make-Shane-feel-better plan, which was light-years ahead of Shane's make-Cam-feel-better plan in a way that only his awesome could manage.

Or at least that would've been the case, had Cam reacted at all.

Hunter pulled his head back to look at the tech who was still…couldn't he just pick a tool and stick with it? What did the wrench ever do to him? If he was so smart why didn't he just invest in a multi-tool?

And why the hell was he still ignoring him?

What did he have to do, start dry humping him? Hunter wasn't that desperate. Really, he could cope, and he wasn't that suicidal either. If Cam wasn't dating Dustin (because the thunder ninja really liked that guy, it was almost impossible not to), Hunter probably would have risked frisking Cam, or groping him, to see how far the silent game would go, but he was pretty much at the end of his physical options.

That left plan number two, verbal instigation.

"I'm going to play under the assumption," he began, because no one was telling him anything and he needed to get his info somehow. "That you may or may not have strong emotional feelings for our very favorite red ranger."

The only response he received was a momentary delay in Cam's ratcheting, and immediate tension in his shoulders, but Hunter knew he was right.

It was a bold assumption, but the pieces added up if you took a step back and really looked at the situation. The timing made sense; if Shane really did everything he said he did it was entirely possible for Cam to develop feelings that were stronger than the cozy family vibe Shane had set out to make. Hunter couldn't blame the tech; Shane was a naturally likeable guy and he had been practically forcing himself on Cam. Through his screwed up understanding, Shane was helping keep Cam human, keep Cam healthy because he cared, and Cam took that caring and saw something deeper. Hunter didn't feel like delving into the territory of Cam always being gay as to Cam just loving Dustin and Shane - that was the green ranger's personal business - but he did need to establish some ground rules.

"And since you're not talking, I'm going to assume that I'm right," he murmured, locking his arms tighter around Cam's waist, a warning and a wake up call.

Cam snapped his head to the side instantly, not intimidated by blond's closeness. "That's none of your-"

"See," Hunter interrupted, knowing full well the next word would be 'business'. "That's where you're wrong."

Cam glared, eyes narrowing in a controlled rage that would have been a lot more impressive if his hand wasn't twitching.

"I love Dustin," he declared, words calm, voice level, but tone subdued and dangerous as though daring Hunter to disagree.

He didn't.

"I know," Hunter said, because he did; anyone with half a brain could tell that.

Cam froze again, obviously thrown by his answer.

"I don't doubt that," Hunter elaborated. This needed to be thoroughly established so they wouldn't spend the next half hour focusing on it.

That wasn't what he was here for.

Cam accepted his answer, but shifted the conversation in the wrong direction anyway, "Then why are you-?"

Were they really going back to denial? He thought they were both smarter than this.

Hunter rolled his head to the side casually, allowing Cam to get a better look at him. "That doesn't mean you don't like Shane either."

Yeah, he said it; he said the "L" word. The blond didn't miss the sharp intake of air at his assertive statement, though he did give Cam credit for recovering quickly. The tech shifted in his arms, redistributing his weight as he reached out for his screwdriver, using the tool to focus his attention. A perfect plan to minimize unintended physical reactions.

Since he was probably going to end up interrupting whatever Cam was going to say next anyway, Hunter steeled himself for the big dish, burying his lips against the skin just above the collar of Cam's shirt.

"Don't be selfish Cam," he whispered, hoping he didn't sound as ridiculously patronizing as he felt. "You can't have them both."

To be honest, the tech probably could. Odds were he could enrapture them both as easily as snapping his fingers (assuming Shane managed to pull his head out of his ass in anything less than five months) and then they would go off and be one happy unit of lovebirds who doted on each other in sickening ways. Hunter could see that; polygamy was a thing and those three were just broken enough to reject societal expectations – or at least the majority was, and that would be all that mattered in the long run.

If Cam really wanted it, and Shane ever managed it (and Dustin would follow along – the more the merrier and all that shit), it could be done.

And yet, Hunter couldn't allow that option in his mind because…because that option left him with a hollow pit in his stomach, knowing that everyone else could be at their optimum levels of happiness while he got left alone in the dust.

It was stupidly emotional in a way Hunter hadn't had to deal with in a long time, selfish and…depending, of all things, and Hunter added a note to the 'Con' column of hanging out with Shane so much, because this was not the type of bullshit Hunter needed to deal with anymore. There were more important things in life than isolation, and loneliness was not an unfamiliar companion, so the fact that such a notion could bother him now was a fact that was starting to tick him off.

Being alone had never bothered him before; people were unpredictable and uncontrollable and the moment you even surrendered the smallest part of yourself to someone else was the moment you painted a giant bulls eye on your chest and shouted, "Kick me fate, kick me good".

Staying disengaged was how you survived.

But now…

It was all their fault. Blake and Tori and Cam and Dustin being all lovey-dovey must have infected him. While he knew that the action of keeping Shane single wouldn't do anything to alleviate his loneliness, it sure as hell would be nice to not be labeled as the team's depressing extra wheel. It was like being the ugly sister, or the fat cousin or something. Everyone thought they were swell as a person but they were never going to get any dates ever so it pretty much sucked to be them and everyone else knew it.

Hunter was not going to let that happen to him (even if it was unarguable that he would never suffer from being "swell").

Also, the idea of dating one guy would probably take at least five months to sink into Shane's thick skull; Hunter didn't even want to think about how long it would take for two guys. Cutting this thing off now before it got started would probably be best for everyone. No confusion, no drama, and no sad Dustin.

Because it was pretty much unanimous that if Dustin was ever sad the world was going to end.

Hunter didn't make the rule, he just knew it.

He was snapped back to reality by the sound of the screw driver hitting the table. It was the only warning he got before Cam decided he was all for trying the kick-Hunter-in-the-crotch game. When he realized the crimson ranger had his legs locked, Cam settled for a backhand to the face. The blond reluctantly abandoned his hold on the tech and ducked behind the green-clad teen. Once released, Cam whipped around mind numbingly fast and before he could get too punch-y or kick-y or stab-y, Hunter pressed forward, trapping the green ranger against the table.

Yeah, honestly he didn't want to be all that close to this asshole if he could help it, but there was a modicum of satisfaction that came from the fact Cam was just as annoyed by the intrusion – perhaps more – and that in itself made it worth it.

The closeness might have been a risk, seeing as it could either instigate Cam or deter him, but Hunter was feeling lucky so he hoped for the latter, locking Cam's legs like he had earlier and grabbing on tightly to the lab table. He stared Cam dead in the eyes, foreheads touching, and started talking before they revisited their more violent pastimes.

He didn't like this, he didn't like this betrayer, he didn't like that he had allowed himself to feel a hint of comradery with this person, but he was here and he was in control, and he was going to lay down the fucking law.

"You can't-"

It was Cam who interrupted him this time, hands moving to fist against his collar. "What the hell do you know about love?"

Hunter didn't allow himself the time to think over Cam's accusation, because yeah, he knew shit about love, but working out the finer details of his understanding wasn't going to do jack diddly for anybody so he bulled through his hesitations, staring at Cam hard.

"I know if you love him," he murmured, voice warning ridiculously more omniscient than he would ever really be- love, like it was love- "If you love them," he revised, moving his hands to Cam's waist for no reason other than pissing him off. "You'll let him go."

Yeah…that sounded like a line Cam would believe. Hunter should have thought of it sooner, truthfully. Cam was a vagrant wanderer in regards to his emotions on a good day; throw in things like Dustin and Shane's insistent nosiness and of course he would convince himself it was love. Hell, maybe it was, maybe Cam actually loved Shane, in that ineffective, incomplete way the tech could actually manage, but by the end of it – if Hunter had a say in it (and he did, because he was an asshole and Cam didn't get to take down everyone else because of his incompetence when approaching emotions) – it wouldn't matter.

Cam had Dustin. Dustin adored Cam. There was a mutual devotion there so blatant and strong that Cam shouldn't get to mess up. That Dustin shouldn't have to suffer its sanctity being threatened, and Shane…

If anyone was going to drag Shane over to the dark side, kicking and screaming, it was going to be Hunter, because he had put in the god damn hours.

Not that Hunter would ever actually do that, but if such an instance were to occur, he would prefer it be done by his own hands.

He figured Cam, with his infinite fuck ups, could give him that much.

Hunter wouldn't have noticed the faint trembling beneath his hands if he hadn't trained so long to notice the smallest details. Cam was grieving, sharing an ache that Hunter could never begin to understand. Two months ago he wouldn't have lost any sleep over the ramifications of his actions, especially the sore feelings his gruff manner tended to instigate. Two months ago he never would have thought that someone like Cam would be able to ruin him any more than the world already had.

But the present demanded different of him, and Cam was hurt and confused and probably guilty and angry and indulging in every facet of the emotional spectrum and Hunter, cool, aloof, played-off-all-wrongs Hunter was hurting just a tiny bit with him.

He would gladly stab anyone in the neck who so much as hinted as such, but if Hunter allowed himself a rare moment of honesty, he knew that he was.

He would never say it aloud, and beyond this moment he would never think it again, but Cam had wounded him (like, seriously, aside from the anger). Hunter had allowed himself to emotionally invest in the other ranger, however little, and that had come back to bite him hard.

For mixed reasons, they would probably never be able to forgive each other for that.

Still shaking, Cam released his hold on Hunter's collar, dropping his hands down to curl around the edge of the lab table. He didn't lose Hunter's gaze, didn't retreat, he simply leaned forward carefully, speaking with absolute meaning, "I hate you."

The words echoed in Hunter's head, but he ignored any feelings they stirred up.

He answered back with the same brutal honesty that spoke from his very core. "I hate you too."

I hate all of you.

For making him care, for making him want to care, for having any kind of sway of his emotions.

For stringing him along.

For giving him hope.

For taking that hope away.

I hate you so much.

That was it then, they knew where each other stood, with each other, with the team. Cam had his ultimatum; Hunter had his "peace of mind", and soon Shane would get his friend back, and they could all go back to skipping along the merry road of sunshine and lollipops.

Hunter tilted his head, no longer needing to appear purposely threatening, and went back to looking at the side of Cam's face, restraining his hand's desire to circle around the other's waist (hormones, hormones and proximity, that's all it was). He did give himself one thing, just one (because he secretly hated himself too), since they were being so nauseating and honest. Grip tight against the green ranger's hips, Hunter trailed his lips down and gently kissed Cam on the cheek. It was their romanticism poisoning his brain; it was their drama and urgent trysts with melodrama that pushed for him to go for it.

Before Cam could punch him or respond or think anything beyond "Hunter. Jerk. Grrr.", the blond pulled back and threw on a cocky grin, slipping back into asshole-mode.

"Now be a good boy," he patronized, quickly earning that death-glare he had come to know and love, for however brief. "And play nice with Shane."

On that note he left, slipping out of Ninja Ops as quietly as he had arrived.

Cam wouldn't let him down. The tech wouldn't allow himself to.

And if he really "loved" Shane, he would stop treating him like such a dick.

Seriously, that was third grade stuff.

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Endnotes:

Until next time :)