Love Like War (LGBT) ✅

Chapter 1.5

1.5

He was running, breath coming hard and fogging up his visor, but he couldn't risk taking it off because he knew they'd go for a headshot if given the opportunity. They were already taking their sweet time with the chase, knowing he was cornered prey, and the helplessness of the situation gave him a sick feeling in his stomach. He hated it.

Rough hands grabbed him by his uniform, dragging him down and behind a temporary shelter, doing nothing to stop his frantic heartbeat. He brought up his gun on instinct, despite knowing he wouldn't shoot someone at point blank, and it took him a while before he could see past his helmet and notice the black camouflage the other player was wearing. His team, then.

"I thought I was the last one."

"I'm not an idiot, Aiden, I do know how to play paintball."

He recognised the voice easily, grinning at her. "Selena!"

She grinned back, knocking up her visor so he could see her. "Who else could survive this long? I think we both knew we picked the short straw when we were assigned to the black team."

"Yeah, let's never take one for the team again."

"Oh, I don't about that," she said, a small smile gracing her features. "It's kind of fun when it's just us and our friends rather than all the other kids, even if Joey is a competitive ass."

"You don't have to worry about him, I shot him at least three times in the chest."

"You did? He's going to be so sore about that tomorrow!"

"He's already sore about it now." Aiden grimaced. "I think he told them all to make sure I wouldn't be able to get up for soccer practice tomorrow."

"Sounds painful, we should probably not let that happen."

"So, all guns blazing, then?"

"All out."

Aiden wasn't going to lie and say they killed it because it had been a damn close call but Selena wasn't kidding when she said she knew how to play paintball. They slowly whittled down the blue team, mostly out of luck than any sort of technique or skill until eventually it was four against two. Between the cramp in his legs and their fading adrenaline, the odds still should have been too much. They weren't.

"Good game." Joey knocked fists with him, catching them as they trailed out of the woods. "Although I heard from Patrick that you spent a disproportionate amount of time hiding behind Selena."

Aiden shrugged, because that was close enough to the truth. "Yeah, essentially."

"That's kind of pathetic."

"I kind of won."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Whatever, you're coming round mine afterwards, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good, remind your girlfriend, won't you?"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Sorry, you're right," Joey said, "she's clearly the guy in your relationship."

"I'll hurt you."

Joey smirked. "Try it. I'm your captain, I'm fairly sure I can court martial you for that."

Aiden shook his head, not deigning to reply, and went to stand near Selena who was stripping out of her uniform, sighing when she saw some of the paint had managed to soak through to her jeans. It was a bright neon green mixed with some yellow splashed across her knees so she must have made the rookie mistake of kneeling on some unused pellets.