"What about the bike?"

Cam paused, giving him a blank look. "The bike?" he repeated. His voice was dangerously calm, and Hunter winced. Oops.

"Well, you know," he muttered, rolling his head against the back of the chair to look away. "When you have a minute."

"We came within two minutes of retrieving your body," Cam remarked conversationally. "One hundred and twenty seconds. You would have been dead. And you want to know about the bike?"

Hunter considered this, weighing the odds of him coming up with anything that would avert Cam's wrath against the satisfaction of making the Green Ranger scream. He figured the former was so unlikely that he might as well enjoy the latter.

"I knew you'd be here," he said at last, staring up at the ceiling. "Nerds of a feather, and all that."

Cam paid no attention. "Haven't you ever heard of waiting for backup?" His voice was suddenly muffled, as though he had ducked underneath something. "What good does it do to call me if you're not going to wait for anyone to show up?"

"It makes you feel better?" He wished he could see what Cam was doing, but he didn't have the energy to lift his head. "And it keeps Sensei off our backs."

There was the sound of something being slammed against metal, and suddenly cold fire flooded through his brain and poured into his body. His bones ached from the ice while his skin felt like it was burning off, and every muscle in his body protested the violent intrusion of energy. He groaned, twisting against the restraint, fighting the feeling itself as it began, with agonizing slowness, to release him.

The first thing he was aware of, beyond the blazing numbness in his veins, was Cam's concerned face hovering above him. He thought he mustered a smile, but his whole body was slumped against the chair like it was the only thing giving him form. That was a great feeling. Wasn't the machine supposed to fix that?

"Sorry," Cam was saying. "I should have warned you. I'm sorry; I didn't know it would hurt like that."

Hunter tried to answer, then cleared his throat and tried again. "If I didn't know better," he rasped, bracing his arms against the sides of the chair, "I'd think you were worried about me."

"Don't be ridiculous," Cam scoffed, but that look was still there in his eyes. "Can you get up?"

He forced himself to sit up straight, and was a little surprised when his spine cooperated. Still, no reason to pass up an opportunity. "Help?" he muttered, reaching for Cam.

The worry on Cam's face was obvious now, but he clasped the outstretched arm without a word. Hunter hated asking for help, but he knew Cam wouldn't offer without prompting. And they were alone, here...

He didn't have to feign the stagger that brought him to Cam's side, and the Green Ranger wrapped an arm around him automatically. Hunter smirked, strength returning with every second. He turned his face toward Cam's, and Cam's eyes widened at his expression.

Cam disentangled himself with enviable ease, shoving Hunter away before he could do more than leer. He stumbled, coordination not quite what it should be, but he caught himself with a chuckle. "Spoilsport."

Cam looked torn between indignation and disgust. "If you did that just to get me--"

"Hey, relax," Hunter interrupted, holding up his hands in self-defense. "No, it wasn't an act. Yes, I'm fine now, thanks for asking!"

Cam's expression softened a little, and his gaze flickered up and down Hunter's frame--just once, and what he wouldn't give for that look to be a little more appreciative. But the small smile on Cam's face made up for a lot.

"Good," the Green Ranger said at last. "I'll take a look at that bike, then."

"Now he looks at the bike," Hunter grumbled, a little disappointed that he didn't rate any more sympathy than that. How often did they get to pick each other up after a battle and personally check for injuries? He didn't think Blake had left them alone because he was worried about the others.

Cam raised an eyebrow at him, but he hadn't turned away either. "Do you want me to check out the bike or not? It was your idea."

"I'd rather you checked me out," Hunter groused, throwing a good-natured punch at Cam's shoulder.

Cam caught the punch with his left hand and didn't let go. "You seem fine to me," he remarked. His tone was even, but the smile was back on his face.

"Yeah?" Hunter took a step toward him, and then, when Cam didn't move, another one. "Don't you want to make sure?"

"Fine," Cam said with a sigh. There was no reluctance in his tone, though, and his fingers clasped Hunter's loosely as his fist relaxed. "Convince me."

Hunter grinned. "Thought you'd never ask." His free hand caught Cam's shoulder and he pressed his mouth to Cam's before the Green Ranger could change his mind.

Yeah, that was better... Cam wasn't exactly an unwilling participant, and Hunter dared to slide his hand around behind Cam's neck. He didn't push, letting Cam kiss him this time, and he shuffled a little closer--

Cam drew back just as they came close enough to touch. Something flickered in his eyes, uncertainty maybe, and he looked away. "I'm convinced," he said abruptly, turning toward the bike.

Damn. Cam wasn't a big hugger. Hunter had managed it once, when he had taken the other by surprise during a group moment. But despite the fact that Cam had let himself be kissed several times since then, he apparently didn't like to be held. Hunter couldn't figure it out, since he personally didn't mind wrapping himself around people he cared about and squeezing the breath out of them.

"I do something wrong?" Hunter asked, folding his arms and giving the bike a critical stare. Cam was often moody, and he was as likely to roll his eyes as kiss back when Hunter tried to put the moves on him. But it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Look, the others might need us," Cam snapped. "Did you ever think of that?"

"Actually, I was kind of out of it while you were explaining the plan," Hunter said dryly. "Want to run it by me again?"

"Shane and the others distract Motodrone," Cam said curtly. "Blake and I get you."

"So far so good," Hunter remarked. "But if you get me, what do I get?"

Cam ignored him. Hunter crouched down beside him, studying the bike more carefully. "Hey, this has my symbol on it!"

"There's a reason he followed you when you and Blake split up," Cam muttered. "He wanted you specifically."

Hunter grunted, not impressed. "Too bad for him."

"Lucky for you," Cam corrected, "Blake knew where to look for you."

Hunter snorted. "Like you couldn't have tracked me."

"Not once your Power had been drained," Cam shot back. "You were off the radar. Totally gone. Two more minutes and--"

"Yeah, yeah, you said," Hunter interrupted. "So can I ride this thing or what?"

Cam stared at him, just long enough for Hunter to wonder what he'd said. With Cam, it was always an open question. But then the Green Ranger pushed himself to his feet, going around the other side of the bike before nodding to himself and stepping back. "Yeah," he said reluctantly. "It looks fully powered and--mostly safe."

Hunter couldn't repress a smirk. "Mostly, huh?" Cam's definition of "safe" was thorough and uncompromising when it came to anyone other than himself. "So you're saying my grandma could ride it with her eyes closed."

Cam grimaced at him. "Try not to hit anything."

"Try not to make that face so often," Hunter retorted, swinging one leg over the bike and getting a feel for its balance. "Be a shame if it froze that way."

"Hunter." Cam caught the nearest handlebar just as he reached for it. He paused uneasily, not quite meeting Hunter's questioning gaze. "Just... be careful, all right? He almost got you once."

He couldn't resist. He lifted his hand to Cam's face, knuckles brushing against his skin. Cam jerked away, more startled than anything, he thought, and Hunter smiled a little. "You got it," he said quietly.

He fired up the engine, dropped it into gear, and headed for the busted door before Cam could answer.