Disclaimer: I feel like labels would be more useful if we stopped attaching value judgements to them. Buena Vista owns the Power Rangers.

Define Gay
by Starhawk

He was so engrossed in zord specs that he barely noticed the perimeter breach that signaled an open door upstairs. Footsteps clattering on the stairs made him look up, though, and he frowned at the entrance log in surprise. Only belatedly did it occur to him to turn and see who it was.

Hunter sauntered into Ninja Ops, biker jacket rustling as he turned in a circle to survey the room without stopping. "Thought you'd still be up," he remarked, apparently satisfied with the emptiness of the command center.

Cam leaned back in his chair, knowing he should ignore this late-night visit and keep working. But his eyes were tired, and he might be more alert after a break. Besides, if Hunter was going to inflict his presence on unsuspecting teammates, he deserved a little harassment in return.

"What are you doing here?" Cam wanted to know, rolling his shoulders surreptitiously. He squeezed his eyes shut and open again in lieu of rubbing them, but Hunter wasn't paying any attention. "I didn't think you knew this place existed after dark."

Hunter hopped up on the nearest clear surface, and Cam opened his mouth to object. "Brought you something," Hunter said, before he could get a word in. Then there was something flying through the air toward Cam, and he caught it reflexively.

Mint mocha chip ice cream. He stared at the carton in surprise, trying to process not only the gift but the source. It was even green... it had to have been bought specifically for him. Was everyone around here obsessed with their color?

"Figured you'd need something with caffeine in it," Hunter said casually.

Cam transferred his startled gaze to Hunter, and the Crimson Ranger smirked at him. "Don't look so surprised. I hate to think of the damage you could do, working on this stuff half-asleep."

Cam folded his arms, the faintest echo of the other Ranger's smirk creeping onto his face before he realized it. "How do you know I'm not just playing computer games?"

"Are you?" Hunter looked more interested than incredulous. "Want an opponent?"

Cam just shook his head, smiling to himself. "You are so predictable."

Hunter shrugged it off. "Part of my charm," he said, straightening up and wandering over to the computer terminal. He grabbed one of the right-hand drawers, pulled it open, and started rummaging through it.

"Hey!" Cam exclaimed. His feigned relaxation evaporated the moment Hunter invaded his space. "What do you think you're doing?"

Hunter found what he was looking for, handing Cam a spoon and producing a second one a moment later. "How did you know what's in there?" Cam asked suspiciously, as Hunter reached for his ice cream.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hunter said, peeling the top off of the carton. "We've all seen you eat lunch in here. Try getting out more."

Cam ignored that remark, instead rolling his eyes when Hunter dug into the ice cream and removed a sizeable chunk. "Should have known you had an ulterior motive," he said dryly.

"Hey, I'm not that altruistic." Hunter stuck the spoon in his mouth and offered the carton to Cam.

"I didn't know you knew words like altruistic," Cam countered, laying on the sarcasm in an attempt to negate anything Hunter might read into him taking a spoonful of ice cream.

"Guess you don't know everything, then," Hunter replied. He tilted the carton back toward himself and scooped out another helping of the slightly melted ice cream.

He'd probably never get a better opening. "Yeah, speaking of that," Cam said, waiting until Hunter lifted his gaze to Cam's over his spoon. "Want to talk about this newfound gay tendency of yours?"

Hunter swallowed quickly, looking over his shoulder as though someone might have snuck up on them while he wasn't paying attention. When he was convinced the room was still empty save for them, he informed Cam, "I'm not gay!"

Cam snorted. "You kissed me, Hunter."

"So?" Hunter looked anything but convinced. "In case you hadn't noticed, you're kind of..." He trailed off, toying with his spoon.

"Kind of what?" Cam demanded, bristling.

Hunter gestured vaguely but didn't look at him. "Good-looking," he muttered at last.

At a loss, Cam could only stare at him. Finally he pointed out, "I'm a guy."

Hunter gave him an exasperated look. "You get to be the resident genius because of your amazing powers of observation?"

This obviously wasn't going anywhere. "You kissed me," he repeated. It was, after all, the only really important thing either of them had said since Hunter arrived.

"You kissed me back," Hunter retorted, poking the ice cream carton with his spoon.

"No I didn't," Cam snapped without thinking. Then he shook his head, annoyed that he'd let himself get drawn into trivial bickering. "Anyway, that's not the point."

"Oh?" Hunter gave him a skeptical look. "Enlighten me."

"The point is that you can't go around kissing guys and say you're not gay!"

"I don't go around kissing guys," Hunter shot back. "Just you."

Cam gave him an odd look. "Did you miss the part where we established that I'm a guy?"

"Look," Hunter said, clearly irritated. "I'm not exactly thrilled about this, all right? It's not like I meant to do it. I wasn't stalking you or anything. I just... I'm used to going with the flow."

"Going with the flow," Cam echoed incredulously. "What was it about sparring that made you think going with the flow involved kissing me?"

Hunter's mouth twitched in a half-smile, but he didn't say anything.

"What?" Cam demanded.

The smirk grew, and it was hard to tell whether Hunter was teasing or trying to compliment him. "You ever seen yourself spar?"

Cam gaped at him. He knew there had to be a neutral response to that question, but he couldn't think what it was. "What?" he managed at last.

Hunter's smile faded a little, and he studied the floor intently. "Look, do you want me to leave you alone? Cause if you do, just say so."

If the first question had been hard, this one was impossible. If he said no, Hunter would probably make his life miserable. If he said yes, he might very well make his own life miserable. He couldn't answer... but that wasn't an option.

"What, no snappy reply?" Hunter inquired. He had glanced up while Cam was debating with himself, and there was something in his eyes that looked suspiciously like amusement. "Never seen you speechless before."

"You never kissed me before," Cam retorted. He regretted it as soon as he said it, and Hunter didn't let the opportunity slip by.

"I should do it more often!" Hunter set the ice cream carton down and stuck his spoon in it, shrugging his coat closer over his shoulders. "You gonna stay up all night?"

Cam rolled his eyes. "What do you care?"

Hunter took his spoon away from him before he could protest, sticking it in the ice cream with the other one. "I care," he said evasively. He pushed the carton toward Cam and stood staring down at him for a moment. "Stand up."

Cam just frowned. "Why?"

Hunter shrugged. "Suit yourself." With that, he bent over and kissed Cam awkwardly. Then he was gone, crossing the room toward the stairs almost before Cam registered what he'd done.

"Hey!" He had no idea what to say when Hunter turned, so he settled for asking a question. "What would you have done if I'd said yes?"

It took Hunter a moment to figure that out. "You mean, yes you wanted me to leave you alone?"

When Cam nodded, Hunter grinned. It was an infuriatingly cocky expression, and Cam had the sinking feeling that he would be seeing a lot more of it in the future. "I'd have said too bad," the Crimson Ranger replied unrepentantly.

Cam shook his head with a sigh. "I was afraid of that."

"Think how I feel," Hunter shot back. His smirk remained in place, and it was hard to tell whether he was serious or mocking. "I'm not even gay!"

"Whatever," Cam grumbled. Some grudging sense of gratitude made him add, "Thanks for the ice cream."

"Don't mention it," Hunter said easily, backing toward the stairs.

Cam smiled a little, and that seemed to be all Hunter was waiting for. He zipped his jacket up and turned away, taking the stairs two at a time. Ninja Ops was quiet again, and maybe a little lonelier for his absence.

"Don't worry," Cam said under his breath, addressing someone who was no longer there. "I won't."