Red Queen Oneshots

•Laser Tag•

Lights flashed, feet pounded against the floor, beams of brilliant light shot against the darkness.

"The next Laser tag team may enter now."

The room was a sickly yellow color, as if it'd been bright long ago, before it faded against the dirt and grime. We sat down in the chairs lining the wall, with worn cushions torn at the edges.The worker tossed the vest onto me, tightening the buckles and handing me the gun. He was quick, less than a minute later he had Kilorn buckled in, along with my three brothers, Bree, Tramy, and Shade. The old TV flickered to life in front of us, playing a cheesy backstory of aliens and wars with the rules of the game. The acting was unbearable, which earned multiple snickers from Kilorn and Bree.

"Captain! You have to win this!" yelled the actor, "We can't lose this battle, we have to win!"

The worker leaned against the wall. He had seen this video dozens of times already today, and another group of rowdy teens wasn't enough to pique his interest. My brothers were too busy whispering jokes to each other to hear the rules, and Kilorn's sorry attempt at paying attention was instantly brushed away when he overheard them. I rolled my eyes, listening to the rules even though I wouldn't follow them. The video ended, the worker repeating his lines as he began to open the door.

"-And most importantly, have fun!..." sighed the worker.

I shot a look at all of my brothers and Kilorn,"If you injure anyone in this game, I will personally beat your ass."

"Oh c'mon-" said Shade, a boyish grin on his lips,"If anyone gets into trouble over games, it's you Mare."

I huffed, readjusting my grip on the plastic gun,"If you keep that up, you'll be the one getting hurt."

Shade brought a hand to his chest, playing hurt, but before he could say anything, a buzzer rang out, and the doors to the arena swung open. We all rushed into the dark room. The only lighting was neon, with walls and hiding places sprouting from the floor, blocking wherever the other team was. I slipped into the shadows of one of the hiding areas. It was easy to slip through the room without being noticed, but the added coverage was nice.

I danced from spot to spot, not staying behind one wall for long before peeking around the corner and moving forward. A fight song played from the speakers all over the room, hiding the noise of footsteps. I could already tell Bree and Tramy didn't go for a stealthy approach, the pounding of their feet shaking the floor.

I went to another spot, and checked for any signs of people. I ducked back behind, the sound of a blaster going off as the beam barley missed me. I pressed the reload button on my gun, readying it against my chest as I whipped around the corner, firing at whoever tried to shoot me. They fired back, hitting me before I could even make them out. None of my shots were hitting, and the stranger wasn't letting up.

I heard a laugh, glaring at them as their face came into view. He was pale, with dark curls and a mischievous smirk. I wanted to smack it off his face.

"First time?" he chuckled, landing another hit on me.

I snarled, aiming again, shooting, and, surprisingly, not missing. "What was that?" I called, a smirk of my own forming on my mouth. He scoffed, reloading his gun as he ducked behind a wall.

"Don't get too cocky-", he laughed, "You're still losing."

As soon as his eyes left me, I ran forward, following him and turning the corner. I turned into the area he was hiding in, pointing my gun and hitting him two more times as I ran away, "Who's losing now?"

He was still crouched down with his gun in his hands as I disappeared into the maze of walls, but his smirk followed me.

I ran around the room, running into Shade as he shot at a tall girl with silver hair. I didn't interfere since Shade didn't look like he needed help, and judging by the string of curses coming from the girl he was fighting, I was right. He shot me a side smile, but when he did the girl was able to land a hit on him.

"Go Evangeline!" cheered a red-headed girl beside her. They both started leaning in for a kiss, prompting me and Shade to leave them be.

"That would've been easy points", Shade sighed.

"That girl could knock you out in one punch."I said as I began to weave between the endless walls, leaving Shade and his laugh behind.

The next few minutes were just a blur of bright lights and the bland walls dividing the room. I was trying to stay on the outskirts of the room to avoid running into someone head on, and it worked, to an extent. I didn't realize he was behind me until we were only a few feet apart. I spun around, only to be met with the guy I had shot before. No- this guy was taller, and had darker skin than the one I shot. Maybe it was just the lighting playing tricks on my eyes. But the stranger in front of me wasn't as lean as the one I'd battled.
I pressed my back against the wall, fumbling with my gun as he closed our gap with only a few steps. He flashed a sly grin, dipping his head down and pressing his lips against mine. I was being kissed by a complete stranger in the middle of a laser tag battle, and even though I prepared for a lot of scenarios before- this wasn't one of them. I dropped my gun, hearing it clatter against the floor. One of his hands slipped behind my waist, pulling our bodies closer together.

I was annoyed, especially because he forced himself on me without asking, but I was too distracted to care, he definitely wasn't the worst kisser, and his smell made the whole arena melt away. The small click of a reloaded blaster went off. I didn't pay it much attention.

He broke the kiss, both of us breathing heavy. He was leaning over me, my back pressed against the wall. I was trying to speak but my mouth couldn't form words. I didn't realize what was happening, but before I could figure out, he raised his blaster and shot me twice. I stood, shocked, as he turned and began to walk away. He chuckled, looking over his shoulder. "My name's Cal-", he called.

"I'm Mare-"I huffed, still unable to process what had just happened.,"Do you do that to every girl you play against?"

"No", Cal said, "But I knew you'd beat me in a regular fight."

I rolled my eyes, unable to stifle a laugh. He smiled back at me, already halfway behind another wall. "Wanna chat after the battle, Mare?" he said, emphasizing my name.

"I'll think about it."I teased, picking up my blaster. "If your team can beat mine, I may even consider giving you my number. His eyes widened as if he was surprised his plan had worked, but quickly regained his composure.

"I'll hold you to it", he called, leaving me alone as the last few minutes of the battle raged on.