Standard Disclaimer: Don't own them; never have, never will. So sad. -cries-

A/N: This is a revision of the original piece. Added a few things here and there. I wasn't too pleased with the length of it.
A/N(2): The same timeline still applies. It takes place a month after the events in the on-going 'Forever Yellow: Dustin Brooks'.

Crimson Rock

"Your hand is sweating." Hunter broke the silence, easing the growing tension that I was feeling. He squeezed my hand a bit tighter, giving me the comfort that I was looking for. I knew he could sense that something was going on with me. Ever since we stepped from the end of the movie, I had been quiet for a good portion of the walk to dinner. "I've never known you to be the nervous type."

It was true to a certain extent; I wasn't the type to get nervous or at least show signs of my nervousness. I took everything in with an open mind. Heck, I was a ninja, a motocross racer (something Hunter and I had in common), and a Ranger to boot. I thwarted evil on a daily basis; I could deal with all of that. But here I was, stressing over an innocent holding of the hands in public. There was something definitely wrong with this picture.

"Yeah," I replied nervously, scratching the base of my head with my free hand. I felt embarrassed having my hand practically drenched in sweat. "Times like these I wished I carried tissues." Having an open relationship was very new to me. I wasn't much of the dating type in the past. Well, you had to be considered attractive to be able to have a date. And the days of junior high and forward, I wasn't a hit with the female population.

"It's the holding hands that bothers you, isn't it?" He sounded hurt, not looking in my direction when he spoke. His grip loosened, but not entirely. My heart leapt to my throat, feeling worse than what I already was. It wasn't my intention, but it was true; I was a bit uncomfortable with holding hands.

"No, that's not it," I tried to defend myself, my voice taking on a higher pitch. "Well, yeah, that's it, but it's not you. I'm just...new to this. This whole thing between us is new, Hunter." It was the truth and I couldn't give anything less to Hunter. It had been a month or so since I told him how I felt. And everything since then had its share of ups and downs.

Hunter and I were on our first date, which had been great for the most part. The movie was boring, some horrible excuse for an action flick. Hunter seemed to enjoy it though, shouting at the characters when they had done something dumb or predictable. But I didn't mind the movie; being in Hunter's company was a far better experience than the silver screen..

And now here we were, heading towards dinner. Hunter came up with the idea of walking. That and the fact we were being picked up later, leaving us without a form of transportation. Streaking sounded like a good idea, but we were in view of the public. And even so, Sensei was against it.

Attention diverted, Hunter had slipped his hand into mine. It was pleasant, yet weird. I tried to hide the shock in my eyes, but I think the sweat in my hand gave it away. I looked into his blue eyes, warm with a compassion I've never seen until now. I never thought Hunter to be an emotional guy, but the look in his eyes proved otherwise.

"That's my fault," he said, slipping his hand from my grasp. "I'm being too forward." Now it was my turn to be hurt. "If you're not ready for this, Dustin..."

I stopped in the middle of our walk, my eyes flashing with sadness. My mouth fumbled for the right words to say; my brain was working in overtime. "Hunter..." I looked around, spotting a bench nearby. I took his hand and pulled him in my direction. Before he took a seat, I started my plea. "Hunter, I want this as much as you do. Honestly. I'm sorry if I'm being a downer. It's not my intention. This is my first 'actual' date." I couldn't help but to blushed at my little secret.

Hunter nearly dropped his jaw. "You're kidding me, right? I thought that..."

I shook my head. "No, you're the first guy I've had the courage to even mention anything about my feelings to. Well, the only guy." I flashed him a smile. "It's lame; I know."

Hunter moved closer to me, wrapping a strong arm around my shoulder. I leaned into him, resting my head on his chest. "No, it's not lame. I figured you'd be the type to have the girls swooning all over you," he teased but he meant ever word. "You've never dated anyone?"

"I believe you're the one who is subjected to the swooning. Look at all the girls who drool over you at Storm Chargers," I laughed trying to switch the spotlight to him. I shook my head. "Not a single date," I replied. "You had to be popular or attractive to get a date, at least that's what I was told. And I was neither. A total dork." I laughed.

"You, a dork? That's hard to believe."

"Ouch. Just listening to that word brings back memories," I said with a laugh. But that was the only way to deal with it all; you had to have a sense of humor about things. I nodded. "Glasses and everything, Hunter," I said, forming a makeshift pair of glasses with my hands over my eyes. I laughed at my former impairment.

Hunter squeezed me a bit, letting his arm hang loosely against my shoulder. "Glasses? That I don't believe." He laughed, not that I didn't expect anything less.

"I'll have to show you sometime," I said. I stared down at the ground. "I think my sister likes you," I chuckled. "She talks about you non-stop. But I mean like as in a platonic way. You're mine and mine only."

"That almost made me blush...almost," he said, shooting a smile in my direction.

"Almost", I scoffed, sliding my hand over his leg. "If I can't get you to blush, no one can, dude. You're like a rock."

"Yeah, but I'm your rock. No one else's," Hunter assured me. I felt relieved, knowing that he wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon. He kissed me lightly on the forehead. "But enough talk; I'm hungry." Slipping his arm through mine, he pulled me up. "Where to?"

I slipped my arms around his waist and looked him in the eyes. "If you're going to be there, it doesn't matter where we go." I pulled him in for a kiss, regardless of who was looking.

As long as I had my rock, I would be okay with anything...