Eric, Hunter and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.

This story is by Cmar, with input and betaing by MzDany. It's a followup to 'TimeStorm' and contains slash (m/m pairings). Based on background events in MzDany's C/H slash series and Cmar's 'Red Fire' slash series.

Playing With Fire

- - -

"Look, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Not everybody can do it, especially at first." Hunter watched Eric scowl and tried to keep his face neutral. Sympathy was probably not what the older man was looking for, and any hint of gloating would be even worse, even though he felt considerable satisfaction at knowing he was better at something than the famous Quantum Ranger.

"You seem to be able to do it just fine," Eric growled.

"Yeah, but I've been practicing since I was a kid."

"You're still a kid." At least the hint of a smile came with the taunt.

"Yeah, well, since I was a little kid. All of us started as children. It takes years to master an elemental force, and it's even harder when you start as an adult."

"Right. Sure." Eric got up from the floor they had both been sitting cross-legged on, and moved away a few steps to stretch.

Hunter leaned back, propping himself on his hands, rolling his neck and closing his eyes, concentrating on centering himself. Even here, in an empty training room in the Wind Ninja Academy, padded and insulated on all surfaces as a precaution against the sometimes uncontrolled forces unleashed during these sessions, today it wasn't easy to balance his mind.

This was supposed to be a social visit, after all. He was supposed to be spending some valuable and rare time alone with Cam - only to discover his lover had been drafted at the last minute to replace an instructor who had fallen ill. Then Eric Myers had shown up, arriving without warning and asking questions about Sensei's announcement about him on the beach outside Silver Hills.

'I sense a very rare elemental ability in you; the power of fire...'

Hunter frowned. Figured that someone like Eric would be a fire ninja - not that he was a ninja at all, at this point. Still, to have the power of fire... When Sensei, who had his own classes to teach, had asked Hunter to step in, find out the extent of Eric's talent and give him a first lesson, he had been both reluctant and curious. He had never even met a fire elemental before. It was also an honor to be asked to teach one, and he had to admit he was flattered.

At this particular moment, he would have been glad to do without that particular honor, as he looked up at Eric's tense back. Did the guy have what it takes to learn to control his own power? Could he find the path; could he balance the destructive force of fire with the coolness of self-discipline...? The only thing that made Hunter not give up on him immediately was Eric's undeniable drive and determination - although those qualities could be an obstacle as well as an advantage.

"I don't think this is going to work," Eric muttered.

"Maybe it won't." Hunter met Eric's dark eyes as he swung around. "Not everyone who has the powers can get in touch with them, bring them out. Not everyone can learn to control them."

"But why... Oh, never mind." Eric looked away.

"Why is nothing happening?" Hunter couldn't keep a little smirk from his face. "You're used to being able to do things, aren't you? I mean, you're used to having things come easily."

"What the hell does that mean? I trained in martial arts since I was a little kid. You think that was easy?"

"Maybe 'easy' is the wrong word. Still, it's not the same thing as martial arts. Some similarities, yeah, but an elemental power doesn't involve any physical strength or skill, which is probably easier for you than for most people. It's not something you're trying to do with your body. It takes - I don't know - the ability to let your element take you over, and control it from within. To feel it, work with it, merge with it, instead of trying to make it obey."

"Whatever. Maybe this was a bad idea."

Hunter sighed inwardly, inclined to agree with him. Still... "As long as you're here, let's try one more time. Come on and sit down."

Eric gave him a stony-faced look and seemed about to refuse, but then he nodded. "Okay. Just one more time." He returned and sat, facing Hunter and crossing his legs again.

"Give me your hands." Hunter thought he saw a trace of reluctance as he moved Eric's hands into position, flat and with palms together, his own enclosing them, holding them lightly. "Now close your eyes. Empty your mind. Just concentrate on nothing, and relax. Breathe evenly and deeply."

Easier to say than do... Hunter was glad he wasn't the student here as he continued to murmur instructions and watched Eric's face. Up close, eyes closed, his harsh expression softening in relaxation, he really wasn't a bad-looking guy. In fact, he was pretty amazingly attractive, now that he'd started acting like a decent person instead of a jerk. Hunter's eyes drifted lower, over the tank top and sweatpants his new student had borrowed... comfortable clothing helped concentration, at first... but who would have known Eric was hiding such an incredible body under that Silver Guardians' uniform... Sternly Hunter told himself to stop that line of thought right now, before it went any further.

"Okay... when you feel calm and relaxed, when all you see is darkness, imagine there's a flame there, in the distance. Just a small, flickering flame." Hunter waited, seeing Eric nod slightly after a few moments. "You see it?"

"Yeah. A candle in the distance."

"Good. There's nothing else, just that candle. Now you're moving closer to it, watching the light. You start to feel a little warmth."

"Warmth..."

"Think about the warmth, and the light. The flame. It's burning, not consuming anything, existing all by itself, just burning in your mind."

"In my mind..." It was a soft sigh.

Hunter let himself slide into contact with his own power, mentally reaching out to Eric through their linked hands as the sound of distant thunder seemed to echo inside his head. The faint image of a flickering candle appeared in his mind. "That's it... Now it's getting bigger, hotter... You can guide it. You can feel the flame getting higher..."

He felt it coming before it happened, and instinctively flinched, his fear only making things worse as Eric reacted to it. An instant later there was a flare of light, an intense wave of heat, as flames shot up between them. Hunter yelped as a fireball flashed out from their hands, expanding and enveloping him for a heart-stopping moment. He let go and threw himself back, falling onto the padded floor as the flames disappeared as suddenly and completely as they had come.

"Hunter... Shit!" There was the smell of singed hair and cloth. Dazed, Hunter blinked up... and then Eric was on top of him, straddling his hips and frantically patting at his smoking clothes.

"It's okay," he managed to gasp. "It's okay, I'm not hurt."

"Are you sure? Man, I thought you caught on fire!"

"Yeah, I'm sure..."

Eric was leaning over him, very close, the weight of that solid, strong body he had admired was pressing him down, shifting in interesting ways as the other man scanned him up and down anxiously, a big, square hand was gripping his shoulder, a hand that would feel so good if it was touching other places...

To his utter mortification, Hunter felt his body reacting. And Eric felt it too, judging by the way his eyes widened slightly before he abruptly rose to his feet. In another instant he was holding a hand down, his face carefully blank.

Hunter scrambled up without the offered assistance, feeling heat flood his cheeks. He cursed the way blushes show up so easily on fair skin as he turned away. "I'm - uh - I'm fine," he mumbled.

"Yeah, I guess so." There was only a trace of sarcasm in Eric's voice, but it was enough.

"I think this lesson's over," Hunter said, torn between shame and anger. "I have to meet Cam anyway." He emphasized his lover's name just slightly and cast a glare at Eric before turning and starting for the door.

"But - what happened? I mean with the fire... what did I do wrong?" Eric's voice sounded genuinely confused and concerned.

Hunter stopped. He still had a responsibility here as a teacher. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's hard to control the elements, especially when you're just starting out. I should have done a better job guiding you." He glanced back and sighed. It was really his own fault. He hadn't expected anything and had let himself get distracted. That burst of actual flame, brief and formless as it had been, had really been quite impressive. "Actually it's pretty amazing that anything happened. You have the ability really strongly. It could be developed into a powerful weapon - if you're careful. The elements take a lot of control, and for some reason fire is more difficult than most."

"And dangerous, like Sensei said. Could this happen again? I mean, accidentally?"

"Not without someone to channel the power for you like I did, not without a lot more training." Hunter turned to the door again, adding, "If you want to go on with it, Sensei can teach you better than I can."

"Hey, kid..." Again, Eric sounded... genuine, without the usual almost-hostility that kept people at a distance.

"What?"

"Don't be embarrassed." There was a smile in his voice as he added, "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah, right," Hunter muttered, his anger returning, even though he knew it was mostly anger at himself. "Look, I'm with Cam. Only Cam. It was just... I don't know. So don't, like, feel like it was personal or anything, okay?"

"Oh, come off it, kid."

Hunter turned around. "What the hell do you mean? You really think I have the hots for you or something? Man, I don't even like you."

Eric sighed. "No, that's not what I meant. Look... what the hell do you think goes through my head when I see a good-looking guy? Including you, by the way." He smiled slightly, eyes raking over Hunter in a way that made his cheeks flame again. "I look at men. I think about what it would be like, with this one or that one. You can't help it, and it doesn't matter if you like them or not, it's just - physical."

"Yeah, well, maybe that's okay for you," Hunter muttered, "but I love Cam and... Yeah, I can't help looking, but not - you know, what happened now."

"And I love Wes, and he trusts me, and I'm not about to do anything to mess that up. But sometimes-" Eric's eyes went down, making Hunter blush yet again. "Sometimes the guy downstairs has his own ideas, especially when you're only twenty years old. You can't help that either. As long as you don't give in to those ideas, what's the problem?"

"Well, I guess..."

"So there you go. Nothing to be ashamed of." Eric grinned and started for him, slapping him on the shoulder as he passed on the way out.

Hunter had to admit - only to himself - that he was feeling calmer a few minutes later as they emerged into the soft light of dusk. He also had to admit that he was starting to think Wes was a very lucky man, in more ways than one. Of course, he had his own reason to consider himself lucky... The day was almost over. Cam should be finished with his class by now. They could have dinner at a restaurant in town, and then come back, relax, go to bed early for some quality alone time.

"Thanks for the lesson," Eric said, holding a hand out.

This time Hunter took it. "No problem. And listen..." He hesitated. "I didn't mean it, about not liking you. I do like you. I mean, I don't like you like you, but..."

"Never mind, kid." Eric chuckled. "I know what you mean. Thanks."

Hunter grinned, and tried to sound more professional, not to mention adult, with his next remark. "Are you going to come back for more training?"

"Maybe. If Sensei has time."

"If he doesn't, you can always come by the Thunder Academy."

"Another lesson with you? I dunno."

"Why?" Hunter felt vaguely hurt. "I am a professional teacher, you know, even if I'm kind of young."

"It's not that."

"What, then?"

"Hey, like I said, you're a pretty hot-looking guy." As he started for the Academy exit Eric added with the flash of a grin, "And sometimes it's not a good idea to play with fire."

- End -