"Dustin?" Tori said with alarm. Cam turned from the console. The other three were who knew where -- probably doing something delinquent, knowing them, though to be fair Hunter'd looked exhausted and was probably hiding an injury or two. Shane was probably badgering him into letting Blake fix him up.
Tori was at the table, frozen with her homework half out of her backpack. Dustin, however, was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room from Tori, eyes closed, and he was shuddering so hard Cam could actually see his hair moving.
"Dustin," Tori said again as she stood up, but she sounded more confident this time, and she usually knew how to handle Dustin. So Cam turned back to his work. He had to get the zords repaired before the next battle, or they were all in trouble. He didn't have the luxury of falling apart, no matter how much his brain kept reliving that horrible moment when the monster's giant claw had sliced through his screen and had barely missed taking his head off. He didn't need comfort. He was Cam. He was fine.
Sounded like Tori had kissed him on the forehead. "I know. I know. It's okay now, though, right? We're all safe. Come sit with me."
Cam kept working, secure in the knowledge that they were doing just fine without him. They didn't need him, after all, and he badly had to get this work done. He ignored the soft little noises behind him as the two of them (presumably) settled themselves on the little couch Shane had insisted belonged in Ninja Ops. Even though it wasn't very Ninja-y or very Ops-y. He ignored Tori explaining to Dustin that she'd been freaked out, too, because that was the closest they'd all come to losing, and it was okay for him to be freaked.
However, it was a LOT harder to ignore when he felt a gentle hand on each shoulder. He looked up, bewildered, and saw Dustin on his left, Tori on his right. Surely he wasn't slipping so badly that he hadn't heard them approach?
. . . yes, apparently he was. "What?" he said, trying not to sound too terse. He had work to do, but they were his friends, after all.
"You just typed the same thing eight times," Tori said gently. "We were watching you. Come sit with us?"
Dustin nodded, ran an affectionate hand through Cam's hair, then apologetically smoothed it back down again. "Sorry. Seriously, will you sit with us? Just for a little while, 'kay? We kind of need you."
"We do," Tori said. "We really do."
Cam looked at the screen. Huh. He really HAD typed the same line of code eight times. "Well," he said reluctantly, "I guess the basic zord repair programs are running okay. I can give you a few minutes."
Only because they needed him, and he was part of a team, and Dad always told him that teamwork was important. That was the only reason why, of course.
He let them lead him over to the couch, and he let them sit him in the middle, then plonk themselves on either side. Dustin's head was on his shoulder minutes later, and Tori's arm was around him. To his horror, he found himself relaxing, and then to his complete and utter horror, he found himself shaking.
Tori pressed a kiss against the top of his head. "It's okay. Freaked us out when that claw nearly got you, too."
Dustin hugged his arm. "Yeah, 'cos you totally need your head."
All right, FINE. So maybe he needed a little comfort, too.
Tori was at the table, frozen with her homework half out of her backpack. Dustin, however, was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room from Tori, eyes closed, and he was shuddering so hard Cam could actually see his hair moving.
"Dustin," Tori said again as she stood up, but she sounded more confident this time, and she usually knew how to handle Dustin. So Cam turned back to his work. He had to get the zords repaired before the next battle, or they were all in trouble. He didn't have the luxury of falling apart, no matter how much his brain kept reliving that horrible moment when the monster's giant claw had sliced through his screen and had barely missed taking his head off. He didn't need comfort. He was Cam. He was fine.
"I just. . . " Dustin murmured behind him, voice shaky.
Sounded like Tori had kissed him on the forehead. "I know. I know. It's okay now, though, right? We're all safe. Come sit with me."
Cam kept working, secure in the knowledge that they were doing just fine without him. They didn't need him, after all, and he badly had to get this work done. He ignored the soft little noises behind him as the two of them (presumably) settled themselves on the little couch Shane had insisted belonged in Ninja Ops. Even though it wasn't very Ninja-y or very Ops-y. He ignored Tori explaining to Dustin that she'd been freaked out, too, because that was the closest they'd all come to losing, and it was okay for him to be freaked.
However, it was a LOT harder to ignore when he felt a gentle hand on each shoulder. He looked up, bewildered, and saw Dustin on his left, Tori on his right. Surely he wasn't slipping so badly that he hadn't heard them approach?
. . . yes, apparently he was. "What?" he said, trying not to sound too terse. He had work to do, but they were his friends, after all.
"You just typed the same thing eight times," Tori said gently. "We were watching you. Come sit with us?"
Dustin nodded, ran an affectionate hand through Cam's hair, then apologetically smoothed it back down again. "Sorry. Seriously, will you sit with us? Just for a little while, 'kay? We kind of need you."
"We do," Tori said. "We really do."
Cam looked at the screen. Huh. He really HAD typed the same line of code eight times. "Well," he said reluctantly, "I guess the basic zord repair programs are running okay. I can give you a few minutes."
Only because they needed him, and he was part of a team, and Dad always told him that teamwork was important. That was the only reason why, of course.
He let them lead him over to the couch, and he let them sit him in the middle, then plonk themselves on either side. Dustin's head was on his shoulder minutes later, and Tori's arm was around him. To his horror, he found himself relaxing, and then to his complete and utter horror, he found himself shaking.
Tori pressed a kiss against the top of his head. "It's okay. Freaked us out when that claw nearly got you, too."
Dustin hugged his arm. "Yeah, 'cos you totally need your head."
All right, FINE. So maybe he needed a little comfort, too.
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This is really cute. I love what you've done with them here. Thank you xox
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