Bullet Points

Campaign

Tong Nian was almost one hundred percent certain she was one of the only people in the world who could dare to describe Han Shangyan as cute.

The computer prodigy also very much doubted that the moniker would sit very well with the K and K boss, but that was neither here nor there. The fact that the grisled man with an expression like thunder would bristle at her term of endearment did not make it anything less than true. In fact, Gun's dual ability to be devastatingly handsome and also breathtakingly adorable in a single breath was actually an endorsement. Tong Nian sighed happily, albeit silently, inhaling as deeply as possible as a sense of total contentment enveloped her from head to toe. Life was good...

Her inquisitive, honey brown eyes were star bright as they flitted hungrily across her seatmate's face, drinking in every line and curve that had relaxed into unconsciousness. It had been almost half an hour since the CTF legend had lolled lazily against her shoulder with a breathy groan. Nian Nian had never anticipated such an action in her wildest dreams. The girl could scarcely breathe, her lungs were so tight and her every nerve ending was deliciously on fire. Her heart was in her throat, fluttering like a caged bird, but it felt incredible. Indescribable, even. Nian Nian had never seen Gun God with his defences deactivated and she was terrified to move so much as a muscle lest she scare him away. It didn't matter that her own eyes were heavy lidded, the pull of the sandman beyond tempting; she had so much more important things to do than slumber. It was only once in a blue moon that Little Squid was lucky enough to catch more than a fleeting glimpse of a resting Big Boss. Nian Nian intended to make the most of it.

It was amazing how even something as mundane as a bus ride could be transformed into something magical by his mere presence.

It hadn't been long since the pair had started dating and things could still be a little tentative from time to time; nevertheless, Little Squid believed that she had taken to the art of romance like a duck to water. Slowly but surely, the gruff Big Boss was thawing out, the shards of ice that pumped through his veins evaporating and allowing brief glimmers of humanity to illuminate her heart. Underneath his stony facade, there was a man crying out for love, Nian Nian just knew it. Han Shangyan had even taken the initiative to invite Nian Nian along on a K and K team building exercise, so maybe he was now finally including her in his exclusive inner circle? Han Shangyan, Tong Nian and paintball - it was what dreams were of made of and she was determined to prove herself! It mattered little that she had the hand eye coordination of a toddler who had eaten too many Gummi Bears - Tong Nian would make her Gun proud if it was the last thing she ever did!

It made Nian Nian almost ridiculously smug to realise that she was the one who had snagged his attention and that she alone had the privilege of witnessing Gun untriggered. As far as she could tell, the naturally acerbic CTF legend was finally beginning to loosen up around her. Admittedly, his smiles were still few and far between, but hey, progress was progress! The tiny prodigy was slowly learning to breach the razor edged perimeters that Han Shangyan had erected around his heart. It was something of a struggle figuring out how to navigate the strange new terrain that was relationships, but she was getting there. It went against her very nature, but Nian Nian was actively trying to respect the idiom slow and steady wins the race. Determination was key. It was a steep learning curve, but the results were totally worth the effort on her part.

In a way, getting close to Han Shangyan was akin to playing his favoured game, Tetris; in theory, all Nian Nian had to do was be persistent and scale the right amount of building blocks to make the walls between them disappear. Fortunately, Tong Nian was nothing if not tenacious; if any person in the world stood a chance at reaching the same level as Han Shangyan, it would be her! Little Squid was startled from her rose tinted reverie when the weary male shifted unexpectedly with a low grumble, his head burrowing sleepily against the soft skin between her neck and shoulder. The air fled from her lungs as cool breath ghosted against her flesh, leaving tingling goose bumps behind. Nian Nian gulped silently as she fought valiantly against her drooping eyelids, willing herself to refrain from squirming. She didn't want to miss a second of the unexpected intimacy that Gun had unconsciously initiated between them. It was a miracle her frantic heartbeat hadn't awoken the sleeping beast already but she prayed to the CTF gods that he would never move. It felt so... right.