Celia

From the mischievous smirk on Chase and the way Gio's holding the laser gun like it's second skin, I know we're doomed.

"We request Oscar," I say outside the laser tag room.

"Um, I'm still going over the rules," stammers the girl who was in the middle of telling us not to run, not to touch each other, and whatever else.

"Shh." Gio pins me with his gaze. This guy has a problem with control and isn't even aware.

"Yeah, Oscar come over here!" Ari reaches her hand between our groups, interrupting the flustered woman again.

"We get it, sorry. These two don't know how to behave." Gio forces a smile.

"Daddy's getting angry," Chase looks down, trying so hard not to lose it.

"Well, then... okay. The last thing you need to know is that when you tag⁠—"

"Kill." Ari and I say at the same time.

"Kill...right, when you kill the poor victim, their jacket will light up and their gun will shut down for about ten seconds while they descend to hell and return."

Ari nods, determination narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm on their team." Oscar hops over, standing beside us.

I grin slowly. "Get ready to cry, bitches."

"Language," Gio snaps.

"Die, bitch," Ari says and I pale.

We go inside a black room that's dim with neon, flashing lights. It drowns us in the dark, with only the lights on our guns and jackets indicating how close we might be.

It's only clear who's before you when the lights flicker on and off, allowing you to notice their built and height. The loud action music muffles our voices and raises the adrenaline high.

"Let's make this more interesting," Chase yells as we form a circle, "the losing team has to do whatever the winners ask!"

"Deal!" Ari agrees before I can say no. "You'll eat Luna's poop!"

"Not what I want to eat when it comes to pussy, but okay," Chase mutters in Gio's ear, earning a hard smack across the head.

The announcement sound goes off, starting a countdown.

"Run!" Oscar screams and dashes the opposite way, Ari and I follow. "Over here, over here!" He hides behind one of the walls, pressing his back against it as we huddle.

"What's the plan, Chief?" Ari asks below me, tightly holding the gun.

"We stick together, okay? Watch each other's backs," Oscar whispers, eyes wide. "Those two are mad when it comes to competition, we have no chance but to hide until the game is over⁠—"

Chase's evil cackle cuts him off as he jumps behind us and shoots us all. Gio pops his head over.

"Dad! That's not fair, we're still strategizing!" Ari cries out.

"Cry me a river, girl." Chase flicks his imaginary hair over his shoulder, blowing the nonexistent smoke from his gun.

"You got to be faster, honey." Gio chuckles, grinning ear to ear. "I'm counting on you, okay?"

"Okay! I'll kill you real bad!"

"You better!"

Our guns light up and we go insane shooting each other.

"Oscar, I'm on your team!" I yell when he kills me.

"Sorry, I'm a little color blind..."

"But you know it's me!"

Chase cackles after killing Oscar, running away. "You won't find me, suckers!"

With Ari the only one not dead, we all look at Gio who looks like a scary giant in front of her.

"Can I kill you?" Ari innocently asks, eyes sparkling.

Gio smiles, raising his hands in surrender.

"Pew, pew, pew!" Ari shoots him, disabling his gun.

"Good job, baby!" He bends to high-five her while she jumps up and down, squealing yay.

"Look at you breaking the rules." I raise my eyebrow at him.

"Look at you following them," he counters on his way out, like it pleases him to provoke me!

Man, I'm out of shape.

We've been running for maybe five minutes, but it feels fifty. All I want to do is hide somewhere.

Gio's jacket is too big to tie around my waist, so it's just hanging off my shoulders. Something about the way I swim in his clothes makes me feel so small and fragile. It makes me want to burn it and keep it at the same time.

Sadist Chase and Gio appear every ten seconds wherever I hide and kill me. Ari gets to kill Gio every time, which is so adorable, but somehow I can't get a shot. Every time I think that I might, he somehow always gets me first.

On the other hand, Chase is like a monkey on Redbull and cocaine. He makes me pant and scuttle side to side, trying to keep up as he spins and jumps all around me.

"This is not a circus, be normal!" I yell, slightly disturbed.

"Aha!" Oscar jumps like my savior and starts shooting at Chase as I cheer for him.

Poor Ari skips between us at that moment and Chase dives his arm through her vest, lifting her like a human shield and making us kill her.

"Hey! That's not very nice!" Ari yells at Oscar and me as we stand with our mouths hanging.

"You call this teamwork? You guys suck!" Chase laughs, killing Oscar.

My eyes fall on him like a deer stuck in the headlights, waiting to be next, but Gio beats him to it. He's not even standing anywhere near.

"Just wait to see what we're going to make you do, losers..." Chase smiles, head low like a villain as he joins Gio behind him.

"Let's go," I roll my eyes and pinch Oscar's cardian, making him yelp.

I drag him and Ari to a corner and squat us down. "Okay, listen. We have five minutes left before the game's over. You two go after Chase, Ari stay behind Oscar. Gio won't kill you, so he'll be looking for me."

"Where will you be?"

"I shall find shelter."

"Good luck, my friend." She raises her palm and I touch it with mine.

"They're coming!" Oscar peeks behind the wall and we scuttle.

By some miracle, I make it out alive and go in the opposite direction, somehow find a small incline leading to the second level. I dash up with my thighs on fire and pulse hammering.

The idea of either Chase or Gio popping behind the walls is enough to make me pee myself, but I try to stay strong and find a place to hide.

Towards the end of the floor, the balcony narrows into a triangle as it meets the wall, and there are a couple of fake walls around it. It's too dark to distinguish, but the neon lights outline the edges as I hide behind one of them.

From here, I can see everyone below me like rats in a maze. So I start shooting at Gio and Chase. I duck after each kill, laughing at their arguments and angry exclaims.

But joy doesn't last too long though, because Gio seems to figure that I must be on the second level and strides in my direction.

My pulse drops with dread and by the time I attempt to move an inch, he's already in front of me— legs in a wide stance, gun pointing at me.

"Any last words?" he smirks.

"I hurt my ankle," I whimper, holding my ankle.

"Lies."

"I'm serious..." I sniffle, unbuckling my vest as I sit back. "Just kill me, I'm done."

Gio lowers his gun. "You serious?"

"Yeah..." I pout, not looking up. "I let Ari down. That's why I came here to hide."

"Aw, come here, let me help you up." He takes my hand and lifts me up. I try so hard not to smile at how masculine yet safe his hold is.

"Can you stand up alright?" He focuses on me and I blush from the intensity. What was my plan?

"I, uh, can I, can I lean against the wall? I can't stand."

"Of course." He casually picks me up from my shoulders and sets me down by the wall. Like I'm a book or something. Here you go. Returning it.

"How'd you hurt it, anyway?" He looks down at my ankle as if he doesn't have me trapped between a wall and his strapping form. Hello, oxygen. We'd like some down here.

"Gio! Gio help me! I need you!" Chase cries out downstairs.

Gio whips around and points his gun out of the balcony, shooting his daughter and best friend.

"Thanks, man!"

"You're welcome!" He turns to me, voice gruff. "Do you need me to carry you down?"

"L-like a bride or something?"

The neon paint behind me outlines his rugged, serious face, making my heart beat faster.

"No, like a fucking stray animal," he says then seems to finally notice the position we're in.

His throat bobs as he rakes over my clenched legs in my denim shorts, the glistening perspiration on my breasts, my hair wild over my shoulders and his jacket draped low on my arms.

Then he puts the gun to my chest.

"You lying to me?" he asks, making my mouth fall open.

I chuckle breathlessly and look down at the gun.

"No, how could I?" I put my hand around it, wrapping each finger slowly over its length as I look at him under my lashes. "You're so big and scary, I wouldn't dare to get on your bad side..."

His speechless reaction is enough to make me smirk, but I don't want to risk my chances.

"Don't believe me? Kill me, then." I arch my neck, pushing the gun deeper in my chest. "But before you do, there's something you should know."

I grab onto his shoulder and stand on my tip toes, making him lower the gun by his side.

He puts his hand on my lower back to hold me steady and I have to fist his shirt to not lose myself in its warm and unraveling temptation.

Accidentally, I let my lips brush against the side of his neck then over his ear as he stays still.

"You're dead," I smile and pull the trigger, killing him. The announcement that the game is over blasts on the speakers as the lights turn on.

"You lied to me..." Gio furrows his brows, looking down as he lets me go.

"Yeah, so did you." I smirk, touching my lips that still tingle from him. "You big, big liar..."

He clenches his jaw, glaring at my lips, seeming angry at himself as I step around him.

I flip his jacket over my shoulders, throwing him a peace sign as I back away. "Peace out, sucker!"

~ A/N~
Hope you guys liked this chapter! Reminder to vote to give this story an algorithm boost ^_^

This chapter must be dedicated to @arabellaolivia for being a baddie brat queen. Thank you for your support and sassy energy ❤️