Among Friends
"Dustin! What happened to your face?" Tori cried as he walked into Ninja Ops.
He grinned as everyone turned to stare at him. "It's not as bad as it looks." he assured them. His right eye was blackened, his cheek bruised, and faint scratches marked his hands and the bit of his neck that showed.
"Let me guess. We should see the other guy?" Cam asked dryly.
As if cued, Shane entered. He bore the same scratches as Dustin, with a bandaged nose and bruises on his forehead and temple. "Hey, guys!" he said cheerfully.
Tori stared, her gaze moving from him to Dustin and back again.
Dustin turned to greet him with a bright smile, which faded at the condition of his face. "Dude, how's your nose?" he asked, looking concerned. "It's not broken or anything, is it?"
"Nah. Just sore." Shane replied with a grin. "Your eye's probably worse. How long did your mom make you ice it after she kicked me out?"
Dustin rolled his eyes. "Practically all night! I kept trying to take it off so I could sleep, but she'd come in and put it back!"
"You two wanna fill the rest of us in?" Tori interrupted, raising an eyebrow.
Dustin flashed her another grin. "We just got into a little fight last night, that's all. No big deal."
Shane snickered. "Your mom didn't make is sound like no big deal." he teased.
Dustin cringed, giving him a slight glare. "Dude, low blow!"
"Sorry, sorry." But he looked unrepentant, trying to hide another grin.
Dustin socked him playfully in the shoulder.
"Perhaps this may continue at another time?" Sensei rebuked mildly.
Both boys winced. "Sorry, Sensei." they chorused.
As everyone turned their attention to the guinea pig for the day's lesson, Shane's hand lightly brushed Dustin's, holding his fingers for the briefest of moments. When he glanced at the other out of the corner of his eye a few minutes later, the smile on Dustin's face lit the entire room.
****
"Let me get this straight." Tori looked at Shane with an expression that said she didn't know whether to be amused or exasperated. "You brought Dustin home looking like *that*, and his mom didn't feed you to the dogs?"
Shane looked sheepish. "She did kick me out, even if she was polite about it."
She shook her head. "You got off *so* easy."
Blake looked at them curiously. "What do you mean? What's so big about Dustin's mom?"
"Nothing's wrong with my mom." Dustin asserted immediately, sounding a bit defensive.
"She's just slightly overprotective." Tori informed him with a grin.
"And shrieky." Shane put in.
Tori gave him a disapproving look, but she was trying not to smile. "Eccentric."
He wrinkled his nose. "And uptight."
"They get the picture already!" Dustin broke in, looking annoyed. "Geez, if you guys hate my mom so much, why do you bother coming over?"
"We don't hate her Dustin." Tori soothed.
"She's just kinda...out there." Shane said awkwardly. "Not that it's a bad thing...or anything. She's just...well, your mom."
"You don't see me bagging on your parents." Dustin grumbled, obviously offended now.
Tori squeezed his arm. "You know we didn't mean it like that."
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah." he sighed.
"You okay?" Cam seemed oddly concerned.
He hesitated, then shrugged. "I dunno. I just...gotta talk to her about something, and I don't know how she'll take it."
"Talk to her about what? Tori asked curiously, not noticing as understanding dawned on Hunter's face. Blake and Cam, who did notice, both looked at him suspiciously.
Dustin took a deep breath. "I'mgonnatellherI'mgay."
She sighed and shook her head, giving him a gentle, teasing smile. "One more time? In English?"
"I'm gonna tell her I'm gay." His voice was just above a whisper.
Blake paused, Cam raised an eyebrow, and Hunter tried to look indifferent as though he hadn't known already. Shane was doing his best to keep from taking Dustin's hand right then and there and comforting him until that distraught look left his face. Tori just considered him for a moment. "What made you finally decide to tell her?"
He fidgeted, refusing to look anyone in the eyes. "I wanted her to know 'cause...I have a boyfriend." The last part dropped down so low it was barely audible.
Tori frowned. "What?"
"He wants her to know because he has a boyfriend." Shane was somewhat surprised at how even his voice came out.
She turned to stare at him for a long moment before her gaze shifted back to Dustin. Her eyes widened abruptly. "You..."
Dustin nodded, gaze still low.
"About time."
Everyone turned to stare at Cam. "Say what?" Shane demanded.
Cam humped, crossing his arms. "You don't spend all your time monitoring training simulations and battles without learning a thing or two about someone. Besides, Ninja Ops *does* have security cameras."
Dustin slowly turned a subtle shade of pink.
Blake looked back and forth between the rest of the Rangers. "Am I the only one who didn't know about this?"
Hunter shrugged, a smirk on his face. "What can I say, Bro? You barely handle your own relationship enough to see anyone else's."
Blake glared. "Very funny."
Hunter's smirk widened. "I thought so."
"So...you guys are all cool with this?" Dustin ventured tentatively.
Cam gave him an amused look. "I'm not a hypocrite."
Hunter slung an arm around Cam's shoulder, ignoring the annoyed stare he was given in return. "Me, neither." he declared.
"Already told you I don't care; I just want you to be happy." Tori said dismissively.
Dustin's gaze shifted to Blake, who was frowning. "Dude?" he asked nervously.
"Man, all my friends are gay." Blake sighed suddenly.
Tori snickered as everyone stared at him. "At least you'll always have good fashion sense?" she offered.
He snorted. "With Hunter around? Have you seen what he wears?"
"Cam's worse." his brother shot back. "He has that green and crimson Hawaiian shirt."
Cam rolled his eyes. "Will you stop obsessing over that shirt? It was a gift from a friend in college. There's no hidden meaning behind it, and it's not *that* ugly."
"Your cyber twin wears a beanie and camo." Hunter informed him. "You have no right to question the fashion police."
As the four bickered back and forth, Shane moved closer to Dustin. "I think they're cool." he murmured, taking his hand and giving it a slight squeeze.
Dustin gave him a shaky smile. "Now I just gotta talk to my folks."
Shane just squeezed his hand again. There wasn't much to say at that, and he silently hoped it would turn out well. He didn't want to see Dustin's heart get broken.
"Dustin! What happened to your face?" Tori cried as he walked into Ninja Ops.
He grinned as everyone turned to stare at him. "It's not as bad as it looks." he assured them. His right eye was blackened, his cheek bruised, and faint scratches marked his hands and the bit of his neck that showed.
"Let me guess. We should see the other guy?" Cam asked dryly.
As if cued, Shane entered. He bore the same scratches as Dustin, with a bandaged nose and bruises on his forehead and temple. "Hey, guys!" he said cheerfully.
Tori stared, her gaze moving from him to Dustin and back again.
Dustin turned to greet him with a bright smile, which faded at the condition of his face. "Dude, how's your nose?" he asked, looking concerned. "It's not broken or anything, is it?"
"Nah. Just sore." Shane replied with a grin. "Your eye's probably worse. How long did your mom make you ice it after she kicked me out?"
Dustin rolled his eyes. "Practically all night! I kept trying to take it off so I could sleep, but she'd come in and put it back!"
"You two wanna fill the rest of us in?" Tori interrupted, raising an eyebrow.
Dustin flashed her another grin. "We just got into a little fight last night, that's all. No big deal."
Shane snickered. "Your mom didn't make is sound like no big deal." he teased.
Dustin cringed, giving him a slight glare. "Dude, low blow!"
"Sorry, sorry." But he looked unrepentant, trying to hide another grin.
Dustin socked him playfully in the shoulder.
"Perhaps this may continue at another time?" Sensei rebuked mildly.
Both boys winced. "Sorry, Sensei." they chorused.
As everyone turned their attention to the guinea pig for the day's lesson, Shane's hand lightly brushed Dustin's, holding his fingers for the briefest of moments. When he glanced at the other out of the corner of his eye a few minutes later, the smile on Dustin's face lit the entire room.
****
"Let me get this straight." Tori looked at Shane with an expression that said she didn't know whether to be amused or exasperated. "You brought Dustin home looking like *that*, and his mom didn't feed you to the dogs?"
Shane looked sheepish. "She did kick me out, even if she was polite about it."
She shook her head. "You got off *so* easy."
Blake looked at them curiously. "What do you mean? What's so big about Dustin's mom?"
"Nothing's wrong with my mom." Dustin asserted immediately, sounding a bit defensive.
"She's just slightly overprotective." Tori informed him with a grin.
"And shrieky." Shane put in.
Tori gave him a disapproving look, but she was trying not to smile. "Eccentric."
He wrinkled his nose. "And uptight."
"They get the picture already!" Dustin broke in, looking annoyed. "Geez, if you guys hate my mom so much, why do you bother coming over?"
"We don't hate her Dustin." Tori soothed.
"She's just kinda...out there." Shane said awkwardly. "Not that it's a bad thing...or anything. She's just...well, your mom."
"You don't see me bagging on your parents." Dustin grumbled, obviously offended now.
Tori squeezed his arm. "You know we didn't mean it like that."
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah." he sighed.
"You okay?" Cam seemed oddly concerned.
He hesitated, then shrugged. "I dunno. I just...gotta talk to her about something, and I don't know how she'll take it."
"Talk to her about what? Tori asked curiously, not noticing as understanding dawned on Hunter's face. Blake and Cam, who did notice, both looked at him suspiciously.
Dustin took a deep breath. "I'mgonnatellherI'mgay."
She sighed and shook her head, giving him a gentle, teasing smile. "One more time? In English?"
"I'm gonna tell her I'm gay." His voice was just above a whisper.
Blake paused, Cam raised an eyebrow, and Hunter tried to look indifferent as though he hadn't known already. Shane was doing his best to keep from taking Dustin's hand right then and there and comforting him until that distraught look left his face. Tori just considered him for a moment. "What made you finally decide to tell her?"
He fidgeted, refusing to look anyone in the eyes. "I wanted her to know 'cause...I have a boyfriend." The last part dropped down so low it was barely audible.
Tori frowned. "What?"
"He wants her to know because he has a boyfriend." Shane was somewhat surprised at how even his voice came out.
She turned to stare at him for a long moment before her gaze shifted back to Dustin. Her eyes widened abruptly. "You..."
Dustin nodded, gaze still low.
"About time."
Everyone turned to stare at Cam. "Say what?" Shane demanded.
Cam humped, crossing his arms. "You don't spend all your time monitoring training simulations and battles without learning a thing or two about someone. Besides, Ninja Ops *does* have security cameras."
Dustin slowly turned a subtle shade of pink.
Blake looked back and forth between the rest of the Rangers. "Am I the only one who didn't know about this?"
Hunter shrugged, a smirk on his face. "What can I say, Bro? You barely handle your own relationship enough to see anyone else's."
Blake glared. "Very funny."
Hunter's smirk widened. "I thought so."
"So...you guys are all cool with this?" Dustin ventured tentatively.
Cam gave him an amused look. "I'm not a hypocrite."
Hunter slung an arm around Cam's shoulder, ignoring the annoyed stare he was given in return. "Me, neither." he declared.
"Already told you I don't care; I just want you to be happy." Tori said dismissively.
Dustin's gaze shifted to Blake, who was frowning. "Dude?" he asked nervously.
"Man, all my friends are gay." Blake sighed suddenly.
Tori snickered as everyone stared at him. "At least you'll always have good fashion sense?" she offered.
He snorted. "With Hunter around? Have you seen what he wears?"
"Cam's worse." his brother shot back. "He has that green and crimson Hawaiian shirt."
Cam rolled his eyes. "Will you stop obsessing over that shirt? It was a gift from a friend in college. There's no hidden meaning behind it, and it's not *that* ugly."
"Your cyber twin wears a beanie and camo." Hunter informed him. "You have no right to question the fashion police."
As the four bickered back and forth, Shane moved closer to Dustin. "I think they're cool." he murmured, taking his hand and giving it a slight squeeze.
Dustin gave him a shaky smile. "Now I just gotta talk to my folks."
Shane just squeezed his hand again. There wasn't much to say at that, and he silently hoped it would turn out well. He didn't want to see Dustin's heart get broken.