Solangelo One Shots

Laser Tag part 2

I had a request for a part two of last week's one shot and also I really wanted to write this one, so here you go!

Will's POV

I met Nico just inside of the place we had first met; Cupid's Laser Tag Arena and snack shack. Rain battered on the metal roof, almost like ping pong balls hitting a table. I was afraid that he wouldn't show after I had been standing in the lobby alone for five minutes, looking through the large crowd of people, talking and eating and playing the arcade games that lined the outer edges of the room. I considered calling him when I heard the bell above the door chime and saw him step into the building, shaking droplets of water off of his black hair. I watched him glance around the room and I caught his eye, giving him a slight wave before quickly letting my hand drop to my side. He walked over and I felt a slight wave of nausea as he stood by my side, my hands clammy as I wiped them on my jeans. Last time it was so much easier, just me and him on opposite sides in the near pitch blackness of the laser tag arena, confidence filling me as I held the laser gun over his body. The connection I had felt between us had changed when I had asked him out, and we had gone from exhilarating tension to the awkward first date chills I had felt so many times before. 

"There's a game starting, should we go in?" Nico asked. I heard a slight tremor in his voice as he spoke, and my heart sighed in relief as I realized that he must have been just as nervous as I was. Hopefully, the nervousness between us would disappear once we stepped into the laser tag arena. We signed up for a game, and were put on a team with a huge group of people I didn't recognize. From the way they were talking I could guess that they were all family and I felt Nico shrink closer to me, our hands brushing as he looked for someone he recognized. I could feel the hairs on my arm stand up and my cheeks redden and I glanced down to see Nico staring up at me, a slight grin on his face. 

"They don't look like they'll be much help," Nico said, pointing at a boy who looked to be about thirteen, currently shooting his younger sister with his gun while she tried to get her mom's attention. "It looks like it'll be up to us to win this thing. Are you ready for the challenge?" he had a smirk on his face, the same smirk he had worn when he won the last game we played together. I couldn't help but love that smirk. It was one of the things that had attracted me to him in the first place."I mean, I'm willing to work hard to win this game. Can I count on you to help me?" It was at that moment the walls opened up, the doors opening to reveal the arena, black as the night with some of the obstacles lit up in neon lights. Suddenly I felt my nervousness melt away, replaced with anticipation, and another strange feeling that I couldn't quite place. It was along the lines of pure joy and romance and whatever that feeling was called, I was sure that Nico had something to do with the cause. 

"You can count on me," I said, grinning. I couldn't see well in the dark, but I was sure that he was grinning, too.

The family we were paired up with didn't seem to have a plan so when the buzzer sounded and we heard cheers from the other team Nico and I were running, catapulting ourselves over the obstacles with our laser guns in hand. Nico was fast and agile, navigating the course with ease. I realized how he had managed to win the last round we had been in. He was like a cheetah in the forest, on its way to hunt down its prey. He must have realized that I was having trouble keeping up with him because after about a minute he stopped, sitting against a wall with his head turned in the direction of the other team's side, gun clutched tightly to his chest. "You're really fast," I panted, trying to catch my breath without gasping. Taking subtle breaths wasn't working as well as I had hoped so I took in greedy gulps of air while Nico let me rest, his eyes trained on our surroundings the entire time. Around me the neon lights glowed, casting a pale yellow shadow onto Nico's sharp features, illuminating his sharp jawline, small nose and dark brown eyes. I was having trouble tearing my eyes away from him, but I was forced to cut my gaze when he looked at me, frowning. "Do you hear anything?" he asked.