With a whoop, he leapt down the last three stairs to land directly behind Blake. He gave his brother a good-natured shove and laughed when Blake dug his heels in and shoved right back. The only things better than a clean board and fresh snow were a clean board, fresh snow, and the company of his brother on a well-deserved vacation.

They were almost out the door when something caught his eye, and he glanced back automatically. The Winds were still waiting for Dustin to finish adjusting his bindings, but he and Blake had no obligation to them. They might be a team now, but he wasn't about to let anything get between him and the mountain today.

Blake had stopped too, just inside the door, and had turned to see what held his attention. The Winds' tech support guy was sitting on a couch in front of the fire, laptop on his knees and a frown on his face. Staring intently at the screen, he didn't even seem to notice them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hunter demanded. Didn't he see enough of his computer at home? What could possibly have made him bring it along on vacation with him? And why was he using it now?

Dark eyes glanced up, and the delay was almost worth it to see his double take. He clearly hadn't expected Hunter to stop, let alone try to converse with him. Blake hadn't either, if the way he was shifting around by the door was any indication.

"I'm working," Cam replied at last. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Looks like you're wasting a perfectly good vacation, to me," Hunter informed him. "What, do you bring your computer everywhere you go?"

Cam gave him an odd look. "Yes," he said simply.

"Come on, bro," Blake interrupted. "Let it go, all right?"

Perversely, that only made him more determined. "I just want to know why he has to be at a ski lodge to work," Hunter insisted. "Why come at all if you're just going to hole up inside and stare at your computer?"

Cam grimaced, and it was clear in that moment that he wasn't particularly happy about the situation himself. "Because Dad kicked me out, and I don't have anywhere else to go."

Hunter's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Of Ninja Ops," Cam clarified. "He banned me from Ninja Ops for the weekend, all right? The library's closed, and I didn't really feel like staying home all weekend. So here I am."

That explained his sullen demeanor on the ride up. "Yeah, so," Hunter prodded. "Why not take advantage of it?"

"I am," Cam said dryly. "Or I was, until you came along and interrupted me."

"Hey!" A clatter from the stairs announced the arrival of the rest of the Rangers, and the way they were talking over each other made it almost impossible to figure out they were saying. Eventually, though, he could pick out Cam's name and a general agreement with his sentiment.

They would take care of it, then. They knew Cam better than he and Blake did, after all. They would make sure he got out of this place and onto the slopes. He turned to join his brother at the door, ignoring the look Blake gave him.

He was surprised to find the Wind Rangers right behind him. Blake held the door for Tori, and Hunter stepped out of the way to frown back at the fireplace. Cam was bent over his computer again, completely ignoring them. What had just happened there?

"I'll catch up with you," he told Blake.

Shane and Dustin took advantage of the moment to shove between them, shouting out at the snow as they burst from the lodge. He could hear Tori laughing at them, knew Blake heard it too, but even as his brother hesitated he was frowning at Hunter. "What's the deal?" he wanted to know. "So he wants to play with his computer. What do you care?"

"I don't care," Hunter said, rolling his eyes. "I just think he needs to get over himself, that's all. The world's not gonna fall apart just because he takes a day off."

"Yeah, whatever, bro." Blake shook his head, clapping him on the shoulder as he pushed the door the rest of the way open. "When you get tired of banging your head against a brick wall for no reason, you know where to find me."

"Yeah," Hunter said with a smirk. He jerked his head toward the outside. "With her."

Unperturbed, Blake just grinned. "You know it!"

Then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him. Hunter dropped his gear on the floor and tromped back over to the fireplace. He flopped down on the couch beside Cam, deliberately making the cushions bounce. "Whatcha doing?" he inquired, peering over his shoulder as though they were the best of friends.

Cam leaned away, turning to glare at him as he did so. "What do you want?"

"I want you to put the computer away and have some fun," Hunter told him. "Stop acting like I'm the devil or something."

"I am having fun," Cam snapped. "Or I was," he added darkly.

"No, you just think you're having fun." Hunter pointed at the windows. "The real fun is out there. What do you have against snow?"

"What do you have against computers?" Cam retorted. "You have fun your way, and I'll have fun mine."

"You get to have your 'fun' every day of the week," Hunter countered. "It won't kill you to take a day off and try something new for a change."

"What do you care?" Cam was anything but receptive to the idea. "What I do or don't do is none of your business."

"It is if your obsession with work starts to affect your performance in Ninja Ops," Hunter said, pulling the Responsible Older Brother routine for all it was worth. "Why do you think your dad ordered you out? You have to relax or you'll put all of us in danger."

Cam was obviously not convinced. "Aside from the fact that you've never cared about any of us before, I don't know what I've done to make you think I'm not relaxing. This is relaxing, Hunter. This is as relaxed as I get. So go throw yourself down the mountain, or break a leg, or whatever it is that you think is relaxing, and leave me alone."

"Nope." Hunter shifted, making himself as comfortable as he could. "Sorry. Not gonna happen. I'm here as long as you're here, so if you're not going to come out and play, I'm gonna sit here and watch you until you do."

"Suit yourself," Cam said with a shrug. He turned his attention back to his computer screen, and Hunter smirked. Sliding closer, he looked over Cam's shoulder again. Cam didn't move.

Hunter leaned forward, putting one arm on the couch behind Cam. When this prompted no response, he transferred his arm to Cam's shoulders, head so close to Cam's that they were almost touching. Cam was stiff, gaze frozen to a single point on the computer screen, and his voice when he spoke was very quiet.

"If you don't get off of me this second," he said, almost casually, "I'll show you what it means to grow up at a ninja academy."

Hunter considered the screen. "Don't think you're special," he answered, just as softly. "You're not the only one who learned the kill points before he knew how to meditate."

"What. Do you. Want," Cam gritted, still staring at his laptop.

"I want you to come snowboarding with us," Hunter answered easily.

"I can't snowboard."

Hunter blinked, looking at him in surprise. "What?"

"I can't snowboard," Cam told his computer irritably. "Never learned, never cared. What's it to you?"

Hunter considered that, leaning back a little but keeping his arm around Cam's shoulders. He wasn't getting out of it that easily. "Do you ski?"

"No," Cam answered.

Good. Hunter preferred snowboarding anyway. "I'll teach you," he decided. "Let's go."

Cam turned to look at him. Only inches away, dark eyes bored into his, and for the first time that gaze was a little bit disconcerting. "If the Winds put you up to this, you can tell them I didn't think it was funny."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. Where had that come from? "You really are paranoid," he decided at last. "Look, we won't go anywhere near the other Rangers. All right? This has nothing to do with them."

Cam pulled away, shifting his computer onto the table as he stood up. "Then what is it about?" he asked, staring down at Hunter. He folded his arms, a distant look on his face. "I have better things to do, you know."

"It's about--" He stopped abruptly. Shit. What was it about? "I don't know," he realized, then frowned up at Cam. "Maybe I just want to see you be terrible at something for a change."

Cam tilted his head, and it could have been his imagination but he thought the guy almost smiled. Almost. Then the look was gone. "Flattery will get you nowhere," Cam informed him, deadpan.

Hunter smirked. That was almost funny. "Thought it might be less dangerous than the threats," he said, offhand.

This time, there was a fleeting but unmistakable quirk of his lips. "I really can't snowboard, Hunter."

"I'm counting on it," Hunter agreed, getting to his feet. "Come on. I promise not to take pictures."