Chapter One

"I was just thinking..." began Dustin, but Hunter cut him off angrily.

"Well don't! You shouldn't try and do things you're no good at." The second's silence was long enough for Hunter to regret the words, but Dustin turned and walked out of Storm Chargers before he could even begin to form an apology. This was why he usually kept quiet; when he opened his mouth he ended up saying things he regretted.

There was dead silence from everyone else in the shop who'd heard.

Tori walked over to Hunter and slapped him.

The girl knew as many martial arts moves as he did, and yet there were some things she thought were best dealt with by a slap. Hunter accepted the stinging cheek without a response. He knew he deserved it.

Dustin had only been trying to be a friend. He'd been concerned. And Hunter had gone and insulted him by way of thanks.

Hunter didn't say anything, though it was a little late for things to be mended by his usual silence. He walked out of the shop after Dustin, wishing for the past five minutes back so he could do them over.

The stupid things came out of his mouth so easily. The apologies were harder.

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Dustin was crouched on the ground, staring at his bike but too angry and upset to try tuning it. He knew his friends thought of him as an airhead, but no one had actually called him stupid to his face before. He fought down the furious tears and hated himself for the fact that crying came far too easily for him.

He knew he wasn't exactly the smartest guy around. He'd never be up to Cam's standards, but acting a little spaced out didn't make him an idiot. Did it?

He wondered if all his friends thought of him as stupid. What if they only let him hang around with them out of pity? Maybe they all laughed at him behind his back. Poor, idiotic Dustin.

A shadow fell across him.

"Hey." Dustin recognised the voice and didn't look up. He pretended to be inspecting the tires.

"Look, Dustin, I..." began Hunter. He trailed off. Dustin still didn't look up. Hunter already thought him an idiot, no sense making him think he was a wimp as well. Dustin furiously blinked back the tears. There was no way in hell he'd let Hunter see he was so close to crying!

"I'm no good at this," Hunter said. "If it were Blake I'd insulted, we'd spar and he'd be mad enough to hurt me by accident and then everything would be fine."

Was this an apology? It didn't really mean anything though, did it? It didn't change the fact that Hunter called him stupid. That Hunter thought he was stupid.

"If you were a girl, I'd buy you flowers and take you to dinner. I don't know how to apologise to my friends."

"Look, Dustin," he went on, when Dustin refused to even look up from the bike, "I didn't mean it. I was angry and the words just came out. I don't think you're stupid."

Dustin wanted to believe him. He hoped Hunter hung around with him because he enjoyed his company, not because he was secretly laughing at him. He knew he couldn't match Hunter on the track but he desperately wished that the Thunder Ranger didn't look down on him in other ways too.

"Damn it, Dustin, say something. Let me know what to do to make things right."

Dustin smirked at the idea that occurred to him. "I believe you suggested dinner."

There was a short silence, then Hunter asked, "And the flowers?"

"I'll leave that up to you." Dustin finally turned round and looked up at Hunter with a slight grin, "Nowhere cheap, mind."

Hunter grinned back. "Deal. Seven o'clock tomorrow."

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Storm Chargers was closing up for the evening. Blake had drawn the short straw today and was sweeping the floor while Kelly closed up the cash register. Tori was still hanging around, despite the fact that she didn't actually work here.

"Mind if I borrow the changing room to get cleaned up?" Dustin asked. He took his bag through. Blake finished with the floor and started pulling down the blinds. The door opened, despite the closed sign, to allow Hunter in.

Blake blinked in surprise for a moment at the sight of his brother. Hunter had forsaken his usual apparel of t-shirts stained dirt colours by motor cross and was wearing smart trousers and a black shirt with crimson trim. In one hand was a bunch of yellow roses.

"You got a date?" Blake asked.

"Um, not exactly."

Dustin emerged from the changing rooms, his t-shirt also traded for a real shirt.

"You ready?" Hunter asked, offering the flowers.

"So you did get flowers," Dustin said with a grin, taking the roses and sniffing them.

"I may be late home," Hunter called over his shoulder at Blake as the two left the shop.

Blake stared after the long after they'd disappeared from sight, his mind not quite able to process what he'd just seen. Hunter and Dustin? And roses?

Tori came to stand beside him. "So, evil, alien, mind-altering spell?"

"Maybe."

"Think we should talk to Cam?"

"Definitely."