SNK Week 2k17 || AnimeTrashLord-007

Day One.3;; Survive||Annie x Bertholdt

    Bertholdt frowned as he looked around the arena. Most of his teammates were down, but at least all of his enemies had been eliminated. Everyone on the field glared at him and he could feel drops of sweat accumulating on his brow. Their negativity seeped across the expanse of broken blockades and the courage he had moments before during the heat of battle was lost. Envy oozed off every single person within the fenced area, even from his own teammates. He backed away from the myriad of intimidating eyes until he hit a wall. It would be a long day and he prayed their jealousy would dissipate once they exited the grounds and washed the paint off.

    “Hey, you,” a feminine voice called out to him, snapping him out of his reverie. He turned to face the woman, recoiling once his eyes met her cold, stern gaze. “You kicked all their asses?”

    He nodded, unsure of what to say. Her fringe framed her face, softening her otherwise harsh features. Her eyes were crystal blue and emotionless. She had blonde hair that was tied up in a bun and her demeanor screamed superiority alongside absolute authority. She continued to stare him down and though he towered over her, he felt small and weak. She wasn't a woman to be trifled with, that much was certain. He was already smitten.

    “I challenge you to a match. I'm the reigning champions in these parts-” she waved her hand in a lazy circle, eyes locking onto his, “-and I'd hate for people to think there's a new top dog around here.”

    She didn't waste time waiting for his response. Turning on her heels, she beckoned for him with a small wave over her shoulder before trekking across the field. With a single glare, she commanded the previous losers to get off her field. She meant business and Bertholdt couldn't help but feel concerned. He had come out here to have fun with his coworkers but that had backfired after he discovered his latent talent for paintball. Now a small but fierce woman wanted his head and he didn't dare refuse her.

    “Let me show you how a true warrior fights,” she called out from behind a concrete partition. He gulped as he heard her cock her gun. A few more seconds crawled by before she shouted the signal to begin.

    From the moment Bertholdt saw her glance through her scope, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and her lips parted just a hair, he had no doubt in his mind that he would lose. It was a close match, but she dominated every encounter they had on the field. No matter the distance, she kept him on the run. The match lasted twenty minutes before she took pity on him and stopped their game of cat and mouse. When he least expected it, he was pelted with paintballs from what seemed like every direction.

    He winced as he stood up once more, having tripped over his own feet once the final assault started. Glancing around the arena, he searched for those beautiful, icy pools he had spent a little too much time gazing into. He shook his head; he had let his guard down and his body was paying the price. Soon soft footsteps pattering along the pavement alerted the gentle giant to her presence.

    “You're amazing,” Bertholdt murmured, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided her piercing gaze.

    “Thanks, but most people call me Annie. And you are?”

    “B-Bertholdt,” he stammered, thrown back by her quick retort. “Perhaps we could, uh, have a rematch some time.”

    Annie smirked as she tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear. “Or we could just get dinner tonight instead.”