Disclaimer: part 1.
Aftershocksby Smittysgirl
chapter 2
Tori walked towards the dorms and Cam watched her go. She'd left without him, again, but it was because she wanted to be with the others.
Why did he expect this to go any differently? She took pity on him, it was as simple as that. Even calling her beautiful, lazy slip of the tongue though it was, elicited nothing more than vague compassion.
How long had he loved her? How long had he gazed upon her radiant majesty and wished fervently that she would just once gaze upon him with that same adulation? How long had it been since he realized the vast groundswell of potential in her?
With a sigh Cam headed back towards the male dormotories.
"They left without me," Tori said, a note in her hand.
Taking the profered paper, Cam had to strifle a laugh. Dustin, hurting for nachos, had bolted less than five minutes later. Shane had held out for another ten before leaving. They said they'd bring Tori a doggy bag, but somehow Cam doubted anything would survive the car ride back to the academy.
"I'm sorry about this. I didn't mean to keep you."
"I don't mind. I guess getting rip-roaring drunk isn't in the plans for tonight." She leaned on the wall. "I guess I'm going to stay here, then."
"Who says the two aren't mutually exclusive?"
Two in one night? Great track record, Watanabe. There's how many ways she can misconstrue that statement, none of them particularly positive?
"Thanks, but I don't think Sensei's too big on hard liquor, even in the teachers' quarters."
Oh, there's no way you're getting out of this without threading the needle tightly.
"No, I mean - I have a decent enough bar in my quarters. If you really want to get drunk, you're welcome to it. Assuming you don't mind the company of a bitter old man, I mean."
Smooth, Watanabe. Smooth.
"Cam, you're not old."
"Old enough. I know how it is at your age, you know."
"You weren't saving the world at my age."
"Touche. So you want to get schnauckered with your friend and teammate Cam?"
"Why not?" she asked.
"Great. I assume you know the way."
Tori woke up slowly, covered in green blankets, and winced at the light.
"Ughhhh," she groaned. "Wha'imezits?"
She could barely see a figure in green gliding about the room. "Six. In the morning."
"'hankgod." She paused. "W'enzclazz?"
"Eight." the figure said. He handed her something reddish dark.
She dutyfully drank it, not thinking about what the contents might be or why she was supposed to have it.
"Ugh! Z'awful." she spat.
"Do you intend to teach class or not?" the figure asked.
What was left of her enebriated brain obliged, swallowing it in one gulp. She hacked for a few moments and pulled the sheets back over her head.
"I'll be back," the figure promised.
She mumbled in reply and tried to force herself back to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come. So she concentrated on making the room focus. She could vaguely make out a poster for some classic punk band on the far wall and congratulated herself on being able to decipher English again.
Maybe in the next two hours she would be human enough to remember exactly what class she was teaching.
The figure returned, carrying a steaming bowl. The thought of food sent an immediate serge of revolution through her, and she burrowed further underneath the covers.
"Get up, Tori," the figure said. "You've got to be awake for your Fundamentals class."
"tell'mah'msik."
"Dad will try to come to your quarters with chicken soup. You really don't want him to do that."
Dad? She bolted upright, displacing her cloth womb. "Cam?"
"Steady. You're in my quarters."
"I... you... how much did I drink?"
She lowered her gaze from his nightstand lamp, and the sight of her bare breasts snapped her into a greater state of alertness.
"Let's just say you wanted to get rip roaring drunk, and succeeded."
She closed her eyes and forced a deep breath. She wasn't going to panic. She'd seen enough teen comedies to know this sort of thing had some precedent in the real world. And she could find time to regret it later.
"I, um, I just have one question."
"Yes?" Cam asked. It had to be Cam. It was a blur, but it had to be Cam.
She swallowed. "How was I?"
"Um...." Cam seemed to be at a loss for words.
She tried to smirk, but lacked the motor skills. "I, um, apologize."
"So do I. I... shouldn't have done...."
"Cam, no. It's not anyone's fault."
"Do you remember what happened last night?" Cam asked.
"I remember us coming here to get drunk, and then - Teddy Pendergrass."
"Pretty much," Cam agreed uncomfortably. "I got up at four. That's the only reason I'm here and sane. Plus I don't have any classes today."
She coughed. "What WAS that you gave me?"
"Herbal remedy for hangovers," Cam said. "I figured you'd need it for today."
"That and a long, long shower." She felt her forehead. "Ook."
"Do you think you can stand up?" Cam asked.
"One way to find out." Her eyes had acclimated enough to the light that she could finally meet his gaze. "Be ready if I teeter."
"Right," Cam said as she tentatively stood up. She felt the floor wobble beneath her.
She pitched forward and immediately found herself swept into his arms. In that second, the feel of tactile contact brought it all back.
Her drunken decree that she would die a lonely old spinster.
The feel of their bodies together as they cried - for what, and who was comforting who, she couldn't decipher.
His lips pressed to her naked...
She squeaked, jerking free from his grasp.
"Cam, I... we... I..."
She managed to grab onto something as she looked forlornly at Cam. She had... she had said.... Cam was looking away, as if he couldn't face her.
She didn't know how she was supposed to feel. She wasn't ashamed, and she didn't regret what had happened, but...
"Cam, what I told you?"
"You were drunk. We were drunk."
She fought back tears. "You meant it. I never would have... I didn't mean to take that from you. Not that way."
"It doesn't matter," Cam said. He picked up something from the floor and regarded it. "You'll have to borrow one of my shirts."
She realized, suddenly, it was the remains of her academy uniform. He'd torn through pleather to get to her.
"I don't even remember doing this," Cam said. "It must be some after-effect of the power...." He looked at her. "Hold on." He seemed anxious to dart to his closet.
She swallowed. "Cam, wait." She unsteadily rose back to her feet.
Cam paused, though she swore she saw panic in his eyes. "What?"
"Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"What?" Cam asked. He made abortive motions as if to head for the closet, but he otherwise seemed paralized.
"You love me." She was surprised by the strength in her voice, a strength that belied her near total desire to bolt for the toilet and void the contents of her stomach for a week.
"You love me, and I think I have a right to know."
Cam looked down. "I've loved you for a while, Tori. It's just ...Ê Blake ...."
"I - I'm flattered, Cam. I really am. And I hope you know how much I've always loved you -"
His hand immediately shot up in protest. "As a friend. Please add that adendum, or at least allow me to. I can't bear anything else right now."
Tori blinked. "You what? After we just did what?"
"you had ... whatever it is you had with Blake. I couldn't intrude on that, Tori! Not for something that was going to die on the launchpad."
"I had a right to know! To make the choice of what we did with that knowledge!" She collapsed back upon the bed in frustration. "I think I deserved to REMEMBER my first time."
"Tori, we were drunk."
"Was that what it was going to take, Cam? I thought I was your best friend. I thought we shared everything."
His fingers tensed for a moment.
"You were in love. You were a student. I didn't feel - there was an improprity...."
"Funny, I don't recall you having a problem with all the time we spent together."
"Tori - It wasn't like that. You weren't in a position to understand."
"I seem to recall we went through a BUNCH of positions, Cam!"
"Tori, you and I were DRUNK!" Cam exclaimed, his voice steadily rising.
Her fists slammed into the pillows. "THAT DOESN'T EXCUSE YOU LYING TO ME!"
"No, you know what there's no excuse for? There's no excuse for how you'd brush me aside to go chasing after Blake, when you're smart enough to know a crush like that wouldn't last. When you KNEW that you'd get your heart broken someday. There's no excuse for how you always precluded me from group activities. I was never part of this team, Tori. It was you and I, and it was you and the rest of them. And I was okay with that, but I wasn't okay with the notion that you were embarassed by our friendship! You..." He let out an inarticulate growl of rage. "You're BETTER than all of this. You're the smartest, kindest, gentlest woman I know. You were everything I ever needed or wanted in a partner, and you're EIGHT FUCKING YEARS YOUNGER THAN ME! If you want to act like it's my fault for not telling you, be prepared to accept the burden of blame for being a sixteen year old girl when we met! I was trying to SHIELD you!"
"From what?" she demanded.
"From this! From having to accept the fact that you're repulsed by me, and what... what we did..." His hand slammed against his bookcase, sending brickabrack flying.
Tori winced, at the noise, if nothing else. "Stop it, Cam!"
"I... I..." He deflated. "I'm sorry. I'm going to take off for a while. Get ready for class. There's oatmeal on the desk, though I doubt you'll want to eat it now. Just..." He choked. "Never mind."
He was out of there before she could say anything more. She wobbled back down onto the bed.
