Letting Go (Harry Styles AU)

Chapter 28: Body Art

Harry Styles

"Hey Na...holy shit!" I yelped, flinching as a small object soared right past my ear. I turned slightly to the left and literally had to pull it out of the door behind me. "A dart? What the hell?" I held it up to the redhead, eyes wide.

She laughed, a slightly sheepish grin spreading to her cheeks. "Sorry Harry." She shrugged, picking up another dart from the table, "thought you were an eighth grader."

Before I could search her expression for a scrap of sanity, she turned around and threw the dart at the opposite wall of the arts and crafts room. A giant white bedsheet was hanging down from the ceiling, almost touching the floor. In the middle of it hung three giant pieces of posterboard with a bunch of balloons attached. Nat's latest dart hit a blue one dead on, popping it and sending a smattering of blue paint in nearly every direction. I tilted my head and walked towards her carefully in hopes that she wouldn't try and use me for target practice again. It was just like how they did it in The Princess Diaries.

Not that I liked that movie or anything...

"Are you channeling Mia Thermopolis?" I asked, trying to ignore how sad that actually sounded coming out of my mouth. Placing the dart on the table right next to her, I saw a small smirk on her lips before she threw another one, just missing a yellow balloon.

She frowned. "Damn."

Now I was starting to wonder if she just missed my face or if she actually aimed for the door. Something tells me I didn't want to know the answer. "You didn't seem to have any problems when you threw a marker at my nose." I reminded her as she barely missed a red one. Yeah, she was totally aiming for my face back there.

"Well that was a much larger target." Her tone became defensive and she hurled another dart at the board. This time it pierced a purple balloon, the pop resounding across the room. Warning signs were going off everywhere - mad redhead with acute aim throwing sharp objects. Beware. But, of course, I didn't listen.

I scowled, my hand going to my nose in protest, almost expecting it to still throb at the touch. "Was not!"

She grinned, her blue eyes full of mischief. "Please." She faced me, her hand reaching out for my nose and tapping it on the end. "I could see that a mile away." She stated, her hands moving to her hips.

My eyes narrowed on hers. "Oh really?" Two could play at this game. I wasn't going to throw a dart at her face- let's be honest, I wouldn't have missed -but I had the next best thing. I left her with a smug grin and walked casually over to the filled balloons on the floor. Let's see, what goes with red? I picked up a green one and stood across the table from Nat. One jump and it would be all she wrote.

"You wouldn't." She glared. But her body betrayed her mouth, already moving behind the table in preparation for what was about to come.

She really shouldn't have said that. I snickered, poking a hole in the top of the balloon with a dart. "Wouldn't what sweetheart?" I asked sweetly.

"Shit." Her face paled at the sight of the green paint starting to drip along my fingers. I stepped right and she did too, wincing when her foot hit the floor. Her limp was definitely more pronounced than yesterday and the thought almost me made me stop the whole thing altogether. But then again, it also meant that she couldn't run away from me and I had her trapped. Besides, this was going to be fun.

"If you do this, I swear I'll get you back twice as hard." she warned, hobbling backwards.

I smirked, eyeing the balloon in my hand with a devilish grin. "Challenge accepted." I hopped over the table and landed half a foot in front of her. She tried to turn away, but I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back into my chest, squeezing the balloon over her head. She squealed as the green paint dripped into her hair, running down her face and all over her navy tshirt.