For once, Hunter didn't say anything while the data stream reoriented itself and whirred through the rest of the entries in a matter of seconds. Cam figured he was probably fortunate, since Hunter had yet to find anything flattering to say about his current activity. Actually... if he thought about it, Hunter hadn't said much of anything. He'd made a lot of snarky remarks, but the point of his visit was still lost on Cam.

"Done," Cam announced, sending the confirmation file to Hayley before logging out of the system altogether. He glanced at the time automatically, dismayed to find that the afternoon was almost gone. Had Hunter really been here that long?

He turned around, fully intending to ask what had brought Hunter here in the first place. The question died on his lips as he caught sight of the appraising look on the other Ranger's face. For some reason, it reminded him of Hunter's remark about Tommy being a chick magnet.

"I wouldn't know," he'd said.

And Hunter had answered, "Too bad."

He was going to ask. He had to.

Before he could manage, though, Hunter beat him to it. "You know," the Crimson Ranger said conversationally, "I didn't stop by just to bug the heck out of you."

"Oh?" Cam raised his eyebrows, the sarcasm familiar in a way that Hunter's expression wasn't. "Figures; you couldn't have done it half as well if you'd tried."

Hunter didn't smirk. "Look, you said you don't like people messing with your head, so I'm just going to say this straight out. If I get a fist in the face for it, well, maybe I deserve it."

Hunter's self-deprecating air was so unusual that Cam couldn't help being worried. "What are you talking about?" he asked warily.

This time, the corner of Hunter's mouth did quirk. He seemed to find Cam's caution amusing. "Came to ask you out," he said. His voice was so even that the words didn't register right away.

"What, you mean..." Cam stumbled a little, surprised to find himself at a loss. There wasn't any way he could have misunderstood, was there? "On a date?"

"Yeah, on a date. Something with which you might be familiar," Hunter drawled, echoing Cam's earlier words. His gaze flicked to the now dormant computer screen behind Cam, and he added insolently, "Or maybe not."

There were a lot of things he could have said then: some of them suitably sarcastic, others annoyingly obvious. He was startled, though maybe not as startled as he should have been, a little confused, and more interested than he had any right to be under the circumstances. He was also hungry enough to make a difference, and Hunter wasn't the only one who could be casual.

"If it involves dinner," Cam decided, getting to his feet, "then I'm in."