Notes: (see chapter one for all notes and disclaimers)
-
When Tori finally caught up to him, Blake was already crouching by the edge of the lake, staring gloomily at the ripples in the water. She dropped down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey."
He gave her a half-smile. "Tori. Hey."
The hand lingered against the navy blue shirt. "You okay?"
A sigh. "It's Hunter." Tori nodded sympathetically as Blake continued. "Sometimes I wish he would just back off a little. He's so damn protective all the time.
"It's not that I don't love him, I do: he's my bro and all. But he should let me make my own mistakes, stop hovering over me every two seconds. I'm not a kid anymore! He doesn't have to be big-brother Hunter all the time, I can take care of myself just fine."
Tori's voice was uncharacteristically hesitant as she answered. "Blake, he just wants to be sure you're okay."
"Yeah, I know." He exhaled in frustration. "But couldn't he do that without…"
"Do you just not want you to take care of you anymore?"
Blake's head snapped around to face Tori. "I didn't say that! That's not what I meant at all!"
Tori edged closer to him. "So what do you mean?"
"Just that…just that…" Blake stared at his hands, defeat in his voice. "I just wish he'd stop trying to take care of me and start taking better care of himself, okay?"
A moment of silence, and then "That's it?"
"'That's it'?!" Blake's voice was indignant. "What do you _mean_ 'That's it'?"
"I _mean_", Tori said evenly. "That if that's _it_, you should just go ahead and TELL him what you told me."
He considered it for a moment. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because. Because…that's just not what we do." He finished lamely.
"It could be." She insisted.
"Maybe." Blake seemed to consider this for a moment, before breaking out into a genuine smile. "Thanks, Tori."
"No prob." She returned his smile, inching even closer. He brought his hand to her face and brushed away a few stray strands of blonde hair, moving his face closer to her's. She held her breath in anticipation, closing her eyes.
Only to be interrupted by the sound of incessant beeping.
Blake and Tori both let out collective breaths of irritation at the interruption, exchanging glances that clearly indicated apologies and "we'll continue this later", and proceeded to answer the beckoning call.
-
Cam followed Hunter to the Rec room at Ops, cornering him against the couch where he sprawled. "Okay Hunter, what gives?"
"Nothing." the answer a mumble. "Go 'way."
"No such luck. Time to share."
Hunter glowered at him, but Cam met his glare unflinchingly until Hunter finally broke eye contact and seemed to find something extremely interesting about the baggy pants he was wearing.
Relishing his small victory, Cam moved to sit down on the couch. Since there was no room, as the entire expanse of the furniture was occupied by sprawled out gangly boy in crimson, he opted to sit down on his sullen teammate's legs instead, and was rewarded with a jostle and a yelp. "Worried about Blake?"
"Maybe."
"Hunter." It came out a warning.
"Okay, okay. I'm worried he won't need me anymore, okay? You happy now, dude?" Another glare, this one effectively ignored.
"Blake? Not need you?" Cam couldn't believe his ears. "You're kidding me, right?"
Hunter's silence gave him the answer he needed, and Cam sighed. Hunter really was dense sometimes.
"That's never going to happen. Blake will always need you. He needs you now. He'll need you on his wedding day to do up his tie. He'll need you when he's going through his mid-life crisis because he's balding and growing a beer gut and wants to talk to someone who's already been through that." Cam chuckled; the half-smile Hunter gave him, despite the commentary, not lost on him.
"However, you're going to have to realize that Blake's not a boy anymore. He's a kid, sure, but he's not a boy. And you, you're just a kid, too. You don't have to hover over him all the time – he'll be okay."
"He's all I have though. I have to take care of that." Hunter's voice came out as soft and unsure as Cam had ever heard it.
And for a moment, Cam thought he might be feeling an unfamiliar sensation in his chest and stomach.
"That's not true. It's not. You have so much more than that, now. Friends. Family. Blood ties mean nothing, Hunter. You should know that better than anyone." Cam took a deep breath. "It's about those who care. You have us too. And you will always, always have Blake."
Hunter was silent for a few moments, seemingly contemplating what Cam had just said. And then gave him another one of his patented half-smiles.
"Thanks, bro."
"Don't mention it. Seriously. And now, can we please leave this world of melodrama?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay."
A moment passed.
"Um…Cam, dude?"
"What?"
"You're still sitting on me."
"Oh. Um." Cam's cheeks reddened, but made no motion to move. "Sorry."
"Don't be. I don't really mind, just felt like pointing that out."
"Great. Just great. You know what? I'm comfortable and not moving. Consider it payback for having to sit through your episode of angst."
"Fine, whatever. You're the one who's going to be sore from sitting on my legs."
The beeping of their devices interrupted their light banter. They glanced at each other.
"Duty calls." Cam shrugged as he pushed himself up and extended a hand to help pull Hunter up off the couch.
-
When Tori finally caught up to him, Blake was already crouching by the edge of the lake, staring gloomily at the ripples in the water. She dropped down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey."
He gave her a half-smile. "Tori. Hey."
The hand lingered against the navy blue shirt. "You okay?"
A sigh. "It's Hunter." Tori nodded sympathetically as Blake continued. "Sometimes I wish he would just back off a little. He's so damn protective all the time.
"It's not that I don't love him, I do: he's my bro and all. But he should let me make my own mistakes, stop hovering over me every two seconds. I'm not a kid anymore! He doesn't have to be big-brother Hunter all the time, I can take care of myself just fine."
Tori's voice was uncharacteristically hesitant as she answered. "Blake, he just wants to be sure you're okay."
"Yeah, I know." He exhaled in frustration. "But couldn't he do that without…"
"Do you just not want you to take care of you anymore?"
Blake's head snapped around to face Tori. "I didn't say that! That's not what I meant at all!"
Tori edged closer to him. "So what do you mean?"
"Just that…just that…" Blake stared at his hands, defeat in his voice. "I just wish he'd stop trying to take care of me and start taking better care of himself, okay?"
A moment of silence, and then "That's it?"
"'That's it'?!" Blake's voice was indignant. "What do you _mean_ 'That's it'?"
"I _mean_", Tori said evenly. "That if that's _it_, you should just go ahead and TELL him what you told me."
He considered it for a moment. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because. Because…that's just not what we do." He finished lamely.
"It could be." She insisted.
"Maybe." Blake seemed to consider this for a moment, before breaking out into a genuine smile. "Thanks, Tori."
"No prob." She returned his smile, inching even closer. He brought his hand to her face and brushed away a few stray strands of blonde hair, moving his face closer to her's. She held her breath in anticipation, closing her eyes.
Only to be interrupted by the sound of incessant beeping.
Blake and Tori both let out collective breaths of irritation at the interruption, exchanging glances that clearly indicated apologies and "we'll continue this later", and proceeded to answer the beckoning call.
-
Cam followed Hunter to the Rec room at Ops, cornering him against the couch where he sprawled. "Okay Hunter, what gives?"
"Nothing." the answer a mumble. "Go 'way."
"No such luck. Time to share."
Hunter glowered at him, but Cam met his glare unflinchingly until Hunter finally broke eye contact and seemed to find something extremely interesting about the baggy pants he was wearing.
Relishing his small victory, Cam moved to sit down on the couch. Since there was no room, as the entire expanse of the furniture was occupied by sprawled out gangly boy in crimson, he opted to sit down on his sullen teammate's legs instead, and was rewarded with a jostle and a yelp. "Worried about Blake?"
"Maybe."
"Hunter." It came out a warning.
"Okay, okay. I'm worried he won't need me anymore, okay? You happy now, dude?" Another glare, this one effectively ignored.
"Blake? Not need you?" Cam couldn't believe his ears. "You're kidding me, right?"
Hunter's silence gave him the answer he needed, and Cam sighed. Hunter really was dense sometimes.
"That's never going to happen. Blake will always need you. He needs you now. He'll need you on his wedding day to do up his tie. He'll need you when he's going through his mid-life crisis because he's balding and growing a beer gut and wants to talk to someone who's already been through that." Cam chuckled; the half-smile Hunter gave him, despite the commentary, not lost on him.
"However, you're going to have to realize that Blake's not a boy anymore. He's a kid, sure, but he's not a boy. And you, you're just a kid, too. You don't have to hover over him all the time – he'll be okay."
"He's all I have though. I have to take care of that." Hunter's voice came out as soft and unsure as Cam had ever heard it.
And for a moment, Cam thought he might be feeling an unfamiliar sensation in his chest and stomach.
"That's not true. It's not. You have so much more than that, now. Friends. Family. Blood ties mean nothing, Hunter. You should know that better than anyone." Cam took a deep breath. "It's about those who care. You have us too. And you will always, always have Blake."
Hunter was silent for a few moments, seemingly contemplating what Cam had just said. And then gave him another one of his patented half-smiles.
"Thanks, bro."
"Don't mention it. Seriously. And now, can we please leave this world of melodrama?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay."
A moment passed.
"Um…Cam, dude?"
"What?"
"You're still sitting on me."
"Oh. Um." Cam's cheeks reddened, but made no motion to move. "Sorry."
"Don't be. I don't really mind, just felt like pointing that out."
"Great. Just great. You know what? I'm comfortable and not moving. Consider it payback for having to sit through your episode of angst."
"Fine, whatever. You're the one who's going to be sore from sitting on my legs."
The beeping of their devices interrupted their light banter. They glanced at each other.
"Duty calls." Cam shrugged as he pushed himself up and extended a hand to help pull Hunter up off the couch.
