Home Again, by shoujokakumei, Shane/Dustin
Title: Home Again (And Looking to the Future)
Author: shoujokakumei
Relationship: Shane/Dustin
Rating: PG
Notes/Warnings: The post-"Thunder Storm" fic I was TRYING to write with 'peace' but it turned into this, which puts it between 'commitment' and 'thrill' respectively on my fic timeline. Finished after I ran out of ideas for the SPD gift!fic I'm writing. Ah well. Slash, not mine.
Home Again (And Looking to the Future)
--
Shane collapsed onto the small couch in their apartment at the Academy's instructor dormitory. "Well, I'm pretty sure we can never go back to Hayley's Cyberspace, but I think this whole thing could have gone worse."
"I dunno, dude, she was pretty cool about us trashing her place," Dustin said, still standing by the doorway flipping absently through a new issue of a motocross magazine that had shown up in their P.O. Box in town while they were away. "I mean, once she knew what was actually going on, anyway. It's not like it was our fault or anything."
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure none of her customers knew what was going on. We got a few pretty weird looks at the race track." Shane knew they looked at least somewhat different in their ninja uniforms than in their civilian clothes, but they hadn't been wearing head coverings at the time, there had been an awful lot of people in the cyber cafe when they'd burst in looking for the Dino Rangers, and most of Reefside was all about the gossip that surrounded the weird goings-on of recent months.
"Hey, man, you were pretty hardcore on those surveillance tapes Hayley showed us." Dustin flipped the magazine shut and tossed it on the countertop. "They so knew we could totally kick their butts."
"Yeah, but who'd have guessed that Eric McKnight's twin brother is a Ranger?" Shane asked sardonically. He still couldn't believe it himself. "That kid flunked out of here in like, what, a couple of months?"
"He wasn't that bad.." Dustin had been against the boy's dismissal from the Academy, on the basis that if it wasn't for misfit students being given a second chance, the school wouldn't be standing, but he'd been very narrowly outvoted. "I think that whole group just, like, only practiced enough that only one of them could be good on any given day."
"Maybe so." Shane laughed. "A lot of the new kids are more enthusiastic than the old ones, though. I'd expect some of my more advanced students to put more into their training."
"Yeah, well, maybe it's cause they were trapped in those bubble things on Lothor's ship for like, eleven months." Dustin plopped down next to him on the couch and propped his feet up on the large, worn footstool that doubled as a coffee table."Meanwhile the new ones are all hyped up 'cause there was just practically an intergalactic war in their backyard."
Shane's expression fell abruptly at Dustin's mention of the captive ninjas - many of whom had been their friends and classmates before the attacks. Not all of them had opted to return to the Academy after their rescue and Lothor's defeat, but even though a majority had come back, many still suffered from varying degrees of emotional problems due to the months spent in interdimensional captivity.
"Sorry, dude, didn't mean to bum you out," Dustin continued, noticing that his lover was obviously distressed by the statement, "But it's the truth." He was sort of surprised that Shane hadn't figured that part out for himself.
Shane sighed. "I know. It's just not great to hear. I still think if I had done better we could have rescued them sooner."
Dustin tried to refrain from rolling his eyes. "Dude, it wasn't you. It was Tori and Blake and Hunter and Cam and me AND you, all together, and we did the best we could." He slid closer on the couch so he could snuggle up against Shane's side. "And do you really think Sensei would have told us we did good if it wasn't true?"
"I know, but -" Shane was going to say something before Dustin cut him off with a kiss as soon as the word 'but' was past his lips.
"No buts, bro." Dustin said solemnly. "All our students have a future because of us." He laid his head down on Shane's shoulder and hugged him tightly. "You included. Now, for somebody with an ego the size of San Angeles, you get way too critical of yourself, so will you let it go already?"
Shane couldn't help smiling a bit, and wrapped his arms around Dustin tightly, nuzzling the mop of dark hair that rested against his neck. "Sorry. I guess sometimes I still need reminding."
--
List of 22 - children
Author: shoujokakumei
Relationship: Shane/Dustin
Rating: PG
Notes/Warnings: The post-"Thunder Storm" fic I was TRYING to write with 'peace' but it turned into this, which puts it between 'commitment' and 'thrill' respectively on my fic timeline. Finished after I ran out of ideas for the SPD gift!fic I'm writing. Ah well. Slash, not mine.
Home Again (And Looking to the Future)
--
Shane collapsed onto the small couch in their apartment at the Academy's instructor dormitory. "Well, I'm pretty sure we can never go back to Hayley's Cyberspace, but I think this whole thing could have gone worse."
"I dunno, dude, she was pretty cool about us trashing her place," Dustin said, still standing by the doorway flipping absently through a new issue of a motocross magazine that had shown up in their P.O. Box in town while they were away. "I mean, once she knew what was actually going on, anyway. It's not like it was our fault or anything."
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure none of her customers knew what was going on. We got a few pretty weird looks at the race track." Shane knew they looked at least somewhat different in their ninja uniforms than in their civilian clothes, but they hadn't been wearing head coverings at the time, there had been an awful lot of people in the cyber cafe when they'd burst in looking for the Dino Rangers, and most of Reefside was all about the gossip that surrounded the weird goings-on of recent months.
"Hey, man, you were pretty hardcore on those surveillance tapes Hayley showed us." Dustin flipped the magazine shut and tossed it on the countertop. "They so knew we could totally kick their butts."
"Yeah, but who'd have guessed that Eric McKnight's twin brother is a Ranger?" Shane asked sardonically. He still couldn't believe it himself. "That kid flunked out of here in like, what, a couple of months?"
"He wasn't that bad.." Dustin had been against the boy's dismissal from the Academy, on the basis that if it wasn't for misfit students being given a second chance, the school wouldn't be standing, but he'd been very narrowly outvoted. "I think that whole group just, like, only practiced enough that only one of them could be good on any given day."
"Maybe so." Shane laughed. "A lot of the new kids are more enthusiastic than the old ones, though. I'd expect some of my more advanced students to put more into their training."
"Yeah, well, maybe it's cause they were trapped in those bubble things on Lothor's ship for like, eleven months." Dustin plopped down next to him on the couch and propped his feet up on the large, worn footstool that doubled as a coffee table."Meanwhile the new ones are all hyped up 'cause there was just practically an intergalactic war in their backyard."
Shane's expression fell abruptly at Dustin's mention of the captive ninjas - many of whom had been their friends and classmates before the attacks. Not all of them had opted to return to the Academy after their rescue and Lothor's defeat, but even though a majority had come back, many still suffered from varying degrees of emotional problems due to the months spent in interdimensional captivity.
"Sorry, dude, didn't mean to bum you out," Dustin continued, noticing that his lover was obviously distressed by the statement, "But it's the truth." He was sort of surprised that Shane hadn't figured that part out for himself.
Shane sighed. "I know. It's just not great to hear. I still think if I had done better we could have rescued them sooner."
Dustin tried to refrain from rolling his eyes. "Dude, it wasn't you. It was Tori and Blake and Hunter and Cam and me AND you, all together, and we did the best we could." He slid closer on the couch so he could snuggle up against Shane's side. "And do you really think Sensei would have told us we did good if it wasn't true?"
"I know, but -" Shane was going to say something before Dustin cut him off with a kiss as soon as the word 'but' was past his lips.
"No buts, bro." Dustin said solemnly. "All our students have a future because of us." He laid his head down on Shane's shoulder and hugged him tightly. "You included. Now, for somebody with an ego the size of San Angeles, you get way too critical of yourself, so will you let it go already?"
Shane couldn't help smiling a bit, and wrapped his arms around Dustin tightly, nuzzling the mop of dark hair that rested against his neck. "Sorry. I guess sometimes I still need reminding."
--
List of 22 - children