IN TRUE COLIN FASHION, he finds himself checking Google for answers. First, he'd searched for ways to debunk the feelings he'd been feeling, desperate for anything else that could explain them.

Unsurprisingly, there aren't a lot of helpful results for that. On the other hand, there were quite a lot of articles and forum discussions on topics like "liking someone you used to hate," "my childhood enemy confessed to me," "how to stop liking someone," and even "how to make your feelings disappear," although the last one seemed to be intended for people going through breakups.

Fortunately for him, Sadie has finally moved out of their apartment. That, at least, makes it easier for him to wrap his head around these new and confusing feelings. He's hoping, quite vehemently, for them to disappear now that he no longer has to exist around her too much.

He needs a game plan. Or maybe he needs to come to terms with the reality of his feelings for her. To have them make sense. After all, knowing the enemy is the first step to defeating it. Plus, being around someone–anyone–for too long, it's only natural to start growing attached to them, and it's highly likely for that to fade when you no longer have to interact with them so much.

Second, and probably more importantly, it's his lack of experience. He has never dated nor has he ever liked anyone for real. Sure, there had been pretty girls who caught his attention here and there, but never enough to have them consume his thoughts. It's not surprising, then, for someone like Colin to end up having feelings for the first girl to confess to him–even if said confession is a couple years too late.

Lastly, he could still be confusing his feelings of protectiveness for like. He'd spent weeks looking after Sadie, checking in on her without her noticing, making sure she's eating right and sleeping well. But then again, would the thought of her kissing Drew make him feel so bad if he was simply feeling protective?

It has been two weeks since Sadie moved out. He bumps into her from time to time, in between lectures and sometimes during lunch. Every single time, he pretends he hadn't seen her, sometimes not so subtly. He's also kept up with checking in on her classes in secret, ignoring the fluttery feeling in his stomach when he sees her face.

It's like he's transported back to freshman year, with him doing everything he can just to make sure they would never cross paths, except this time, it's more complicated. Now, it's like he's conflicted between wanting to see her and wanting to never, ever see her again.

He stays stuck in this limbo phase of wanting something and wanting to not want it, and the days pass both quickly and excruciatingly slow.

Soon, it's time for Halloween–and they'll be spending it with Sadie.

He's only just starting to get used to her absence and he's not quite sure how he'll handle being around her again. He could make a lame excuse and not go with them. He might just reinstall League of Legends and play with shitty frames on his laptop–which is a horror that might just be apt for Halloween.

He could do that, but he doesn't.

Despite all his musings, the truth is that he wants to be around her again. Even if it's just for this night.

It might even help him, he justifies it to himself. Kinda like exposure therapy.

They decided against flashy costumes, knowing it will get in the way of laser tag. Perry dressed as Ken from Barbie, though they were still waiting for Sadie to get to the apartment so she can "contour his abs," whatever that meant. Drew went with jeans and a plain black tee with the print LIFE, and he has with him a bag full of lemons to give out to people throughout the night.

Colin couldn't really be bothered to make an effort so he just put on a tee with a Batman logo and called it a day.

A knock from the apartment door makes Colin look up from his phone.

"That must be Sadie," Perry says, taking another look at the mirror to fix his hair, before opening the door.

She steps in, wearing a tight-fitting shimmery green dress and fairy wings on her back. She had gold accessories all around her–on her hair, around her neck, her arms. Colin wants to look away, but his eyes decide they would rather stare at her instead.

"Wow." Perry steps back, looking her up and down. "You look absolutely–wow."

Sadie turns around, before giving him an appreciative smile. "Thank you. My friends and I wanted to take fairy-themed photos earlier."

"Hi, Sadie." Drew steps out from his room. "Lemon?"

She takes a moment to read his shirt, then nods approvingly. "That's actually so cute. I'd pass on the lemon, though."

Drew smiles at her before putting the lemon back in his bag. "You look pretty. You might have a hard time playing laser tag later though."

"I can kick your asses just fine," she says. "Might have to remove my wings though."

Sadie turns to Colin. Their eyes meet for the first time that day and Colin has to suck in a breath, looking away as quickly as he can. His thoughts are going haywire, just from her mere presence. Exposure therapy, he reminds himself, trying his best to calm down.

"Sit there so I can work my magic," she says to Perry.

"Yes, fairy godmother."

"Can I help?" Drew asks.

"Sure. I'm gonna need help with blending."

"Hey, Colin, grab that camera and take some photos," Perry says, pointing at a white Instax that's currently on the counter. "Make sure to get my good side."

There must be no limit to Perry's vanity, he thinks to himself, but he's happy to have something to keep himself busy with; something to keep his mind off Sadie and her stupid curls, which are framing her face just right, making her look like some kind of character from a video game.

He grabs the camera and takes a moment to fiddle with the controls, making sure he's got it right. Cindy has the same model back home, a gift she'd gotten on her fifteenth birthday, so he's quite familiar with it.

He looks through the viewfinder, carefully framing the shot, then snaps a photo. The flash goes off, and Perry complains that he wasn't ready.

"It's just a test shot," Colin lies. The photo slides out of the camera with a slight hum. He takes it and waits for the colors to develop, and soon faint traces of Sadie start to appear on the white film.

When he's sure none of them are looking his way, he puts it in his pocket. A little something for himself.

* * *

"Really, Colin? A Batman shirt?"

These are Sadie's first words to him in over two weeks. This is also the first time they're left alone together, with Drew and Perry waiting in line to order food. Colin should have volunteered to go instead, but Perry beat him to it–sending a teasing wink his way–before dragging Drew with him.

"What's wrong with it?" he asks in reply.

"Nothing. Would have been nice to see you in costume, is all." She crosses her arms on the table, leaning slightly forward. The overhead light makes the golden glitters on her face more obvious, and it's only now that he first sees the fake, pointy ends attached to her ears, poking out through her curls.

God, she was annoyingly breathtaking.

"Maybe a Dracula costume?" She tilts her head. "Something dark, a little edgy."

He says nothing. Partly because he doesn't trust himself not to fumble his words, and partly because he doesn't really know what to say to this.

"Oh, wait, I know. You'd make a really good Phantom of the Opera."

Not quite well-versed in theater, he reluctantly asks, "Isn't he kinda creepy?"

"I don't know. He's kinda–sexy, I guess?"

"And you want me to look sexy?" he can't help but say.

Sadie seems very taken aback by this. Not gonna lie, Colin himself can't believe he'd blurted those words out either and starts coughing awkwardly to the side.

"I'm just saying," she says, albeit a little flustered, "that something like it would have suited you."

"Bcause I'm... creepy?"

"That's not what I meant."

So... he's sexy? He almost asks her, but he bites back the words. He clears his throat. "We're just playing laser tag. I didn't want to bother with a costume. Why are you so dressed up anyway?"

She looks down at herself, self-consciously touching her hair. "Is it too much?"

"No," he says, maybe a little too quickly. "It's fine."

"I haven't had the chance to really dress up in the past few months. The girls and I thought it would be fun to get ready together."

You look great. The words are trying their best to claw out of his throat, but he forces them down. "Aren't the wings uncomfortable?"

"A little. Wanna try wearing them? A fairy Batman can't be any worse than what you are now."

"I thought you wanted me to look sexy."

Sadie lets out a surprised laugh, looking at him like he just grew horns out of nowhere. "I never said that."

Her laugh sounded so genuine and natural and a stupid, stupid part of him is elated to hear it. It's contagious enough that he has to try and hide a smile.

"Something's different about you today, Colin."

"Who's Colin?" He points at the logo on his shirt. "I'm Batman, remember?"

"Right." She nods, then gestures vaguely at him with one hand. "I like the new hair, by the way."

Now it's his turn to be self-conscious of himself. He runs a hand through it, still feeling that strangeness when you'd just gotten a haircut and the ends of your hair feel too short than you're used to. "It was growing too long."

"Yeah. It looks better that way. Reminds me a bit of high school Colin."

Did she like him in high school too? Or did it stop in middle school? He thinks back to that night, when she offered to answer any question he might have. Maybe he should have asked her after all.

Sitting across from her, hearing her laugh and exchanging words back and forth are all things he never ever thought he'd enjoy.

"How have you been?" he finally asks her.

Her brows lift at the question. Perhaps she did not expect him to actually care, now that she's moved out. "I'm okay. Better, I think."

"How's the new apartment?"

"Really good," she says. "I'm not finished decorating yet, but you should drop by when I'm done. I'll even show you my plants."

"And–um–your classes? Everything okay?"

She squirms in her seat, though it wasn't his intention to make her feel bad about the question. "They're okay, I guess? I hope."

Colin wipes his palms on his jeans. He looks down, fighting the urge to heave a deep breath in. Before he can think better of it, he says, "If you need help, or notes, or whatever, you can ask me."

"It's okay. Drew has been helping me."

His head snaps up. "What?"

"We've been studying together, at the Beehive."

Even now that she has moved out? Just the two of them? Colin thought Sadie and Drew were only hanging out because, well, what else would they do, when they were living together? Guess he thought their closeness stemmed from their proximity, and that it would disappear now that she has moved out.

He can almost picture them now, studying next to each other at the Beehive, Drew telling her she's pretty and touching her hair or whatever. An unpleasant feeling settles in his gut.

"You're free to join us, if you want."

"Do you want me to be there?"

"Why not?"

That's not enough, he realizes. He wants her to want him to be there. He wants her to say she'd rather study with him instead of Drew, who isn't even her type anyway. He wants her to–

He wants her.

His thoughts come to a full stop.

Thankfully, Drew and Perry arrive with the food. Colin didn't even realize his fists were clenched under the table, his fingernails leaving indents on his skin. It doesn't help that Drew automatically takes the seat next to Sadie, like it's natural for the two of them to sit side-by-side like so, shoulders almost touching.

Perry nudges him with his foot. "You okay?"

He nods, but he is far from okay. How can he be, when his brain is telling him one thing, and his heart another? When he's never wanted something so bad, but he can't decide between hating it and wanting it all the more?

* * *

After dinner, they head straight to the laser tag place. They take a cab to get there, and thankfully, the queue isn't too long despite the crowd that seems to be forming. There are more people than Colin had originally expected, and the four of them wait in line, appreciating some of the more elaborate costumes that they've seen that night.

Drew's been handing out lemons here and there and Perry has been snapping photos on his Instax. He even managed to find someone dressed as Barbie, and Sadie took photos for the two of them.

"Let's take one for you guys," Perry says out of nowhere, pointing to Colin and Sadie. "Stand there for a sec."

Colin glowers at his friend, but the guy simply gives him an innocent smile. He takes a step back and raises the camera, only to put it back down, frowning.

"Sadie, can you stand a bit closer?"

Sadie obeys. "There?"

Perry checks again, then shakes his head. "Still a bit out of frame. Just a bit closer."

This time, when Sadie sidles closer to him, their arms touch. Colin nearly jolts away. He can smell her perfume now, and he didn't realize how much he missed the scent until just now. Warmth spreads from where his skin is touching hers and it's all he can do to stay upright.

"That's perfect. Smile!"

The flash goes off.

Colin isn't smiling, for sure. Heck, he was probably frowning. Sadie steps away just as someone in a Kylo Ren costume walks by, jostling her accidentally. She loses her balance and Colin instinctively puts a hand on the small of her back.

"Sorry," Kylo says, shooting both him and Sadie an apologetic look, before walking away.

Colin lets his hand fall away when she's steady enough, but there was something about being regarded like Sadie was Colin's–like they should apologize to him as well for causing her any trouble–that made him feel... good. Really good.

Is this what it means to like someone?

"Thanks," Sadie says to him, before looking back at Perry. "Can I see the photo?"

Perry shakes the picture, as if that would make it appear faster, and Sadie steps closer so they can wait for it together.

Drew, apparently done with handing out lemons to passersby, walks over to Colin. "I should've bought more lemons. I'm almost out."

"People actually accept them?"

"Why not? Some girls even found my costume cute and gave me their numbers. Oh, there was one guy, too."

Colin is suddenly acutely aware of how attractive Drew must be to other people. He's easy to talk to and surprisingly dependable, and yet he also kind of makes you want to take care of him. Even if he wasn't their ideal type, it wouldn't be too difficult to get people to like him.

Clearing his throat, Colin says, "I heard you've been studying with Sadie. You've really grown close."

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I like hanging out with her."

Does he like her, then? Drew hasn't given any indication that he might be into her thus far, but considering how stupidly inexperienced Colin is about these things, he might be wrong. Colin considers the very real possibility that Drew and Sadie might start dating.

Wouldn't that be better for Colin, though? To have her be unavailable and unattainable so he wouldn't have to agonize about his own feelings?

Sadie and Drew have this natural chemistry together, after all. The image of them (not) kissing resurfaces back to Colin's memory, and all of a sudden, he's overcome by this urge to grab poor, unsuspecting Drew by the collar and–

And then what?

"Look, Colin, it turned out really well!" Sadie exclaims, making her way to where Colin and Drew are standing.

Colin looks at the photo. The two of them are side-by-side, him towering over Sadie. Thankfully, his expression was more neutral than he'd expected. She looked almost ethereal next to him. He kinda wishes he dressed up a bit more, feeling silly now that he's looking at his poor excuse of a costume next to hers.

He also realizes, at that moment, how much he prefers this image to any image of Drew and Sadie together.

"We're up soon." Perry walks over to them, slipping his camera in his bag. "We'll do 2v2, for two rounds of deathmatch. Sounds good?"

"Sounds great. How should we team up?" Sadie asks.

"I'll go with Colin," Perry stands next to him, draping an arm over Colin's shoulders. "You guys can pair up."

Colin's brows raise. He'd expected Perry to partner him up with Sadie, just to torment him. He doesn't complain though. He doesn't think he'd be able to focus much and play well if she's around.

"I'll ask the counter if they can look after my wings."

"Yeah, I don't think they'll fit in the locker," Perry says. "I'll put the camera away too. Any of you need to put anything in the lockers?"

"My lemons." Drew hands his bag to Perry. "And phone."

Colin hands his phone and wallet as well.

"Be right back."

It takes another ten minutes for their session to start. A technician in a Jason costume explains the basics to them before they're led to their respective team's respawn point. They have fifteen minutes to pretty much shoot each other and the team with the most kills wins.

For the Halloween special, they added bonus items that players can collect throughout the session and exchange for candy and merch after the session.

"I hope this doesn't ruin my abs." Perry frowns as he puts on his laser tag vest, securing the strap buckles with a click.

Colin snorts. "You've taken enough pics anyway."

"I beg to disagree."

When it's time to put on the headband, which has sensors to capture when you've been hit with a headshot, Perry sighs out loud. "My hair."

"You'll be fine."

"I spent nearly a whole bottle of hairspray to get it to look this good," he grumbles, but puts it on anyway.

When he's done, he turns to Colin, who's already inspecting his gun, feeling its weight in his hands.

"What's your plan anyway?"

"Um, shoot enemies on sight?" Colin replies.

"I meant–when are you gonna ask Sadie out?"

It's Colin's turn to sigh. "Can we just focus on the game? I'd like to win."

"Fine. If I score more than you, you gotta tell her your feelings."

"Please. You won't be scoring more than me."

Perry grins. "So you do have feelings for her."

Colin's cheeks redden, but before he can say something back, an automated voice tells them to get ready, counting down for the match to begin.

"Well, good luck, partner," Perry says with a pleased smile. As the countdown reaches zero, he winks and steps into the battle zone. "I hope you get her."

The double meaning isn't lost on Colin. He has half the mind to shoot Perry right then and there, but there's friendly fire damage so he stops himself, though just barely.

Barricades and walls lined with neon lights of every color greet them. The place has three arenas, but they got placed into the smallest one since there's only four players. Still, it's more spacious than one would expect, with a lot of structures to use as cover.

The two of them move covertly from one barricade to another, footsteps silent. He's ducking low, but his eyes are scanning for traces of movement. They cover each other's backs as they reach what seems to be the middle ground.

He can still hear faint traces of the music from the lobby, as well as the other ongoing sessions in the other arenas. But apart from that, it's silent. He thinks he sees a red light shift to his left and he instinctively aims to the spot.

A few beats pass. His eyes stay focused, holding the angle and scanning the area nearby. He's just about to look away when he finally ducks out of cover.

"Nine o'clock!" he says, shooting, and Perry follows suit.

All hell breaks loose as the four of them finally make contact, alternating between shooting and ducking for cover. Drew dies first, with a headshot from Colin.

"Aw, man," they hear him say as he walks back to the spawn point.

"Go, go, go." Colin nudges Perry so they can rush Sadie while she's alone.

She's fast, though, running to get into a better position while waiting for Drew to come back. Colin's on the chase, making sure to follow her movements, trying to shoot her when she's open. He's pretty sure he lands a few solid shots, so she'll be low on health soon.

They advance, more rushed than stealthy this time. He thought she would just hide until reinforcements returned, but she surprised him by peeking out. He doesn't react fast enough and she gets a headshot on him.

"Dammit," he says, running back to base.

"You'll never get me!" Sadie yells, and even without seeing her, he can see the smile on her face.

"Just you wait!" he answers.

He returns just as Perry's heading back.

"Wait for me before you engage," he tells Colin.

He nods in reply, then moves into a safer but hopefully unexpected position. He can hear their footsteps getting closer and he presses himself against the wall. He sees Perry get into position on the opposite side, setting up a crossfire.

Drew comes up first, but he manages to dodge Colin's shots.

"He's hit!" Perry yells, on the move now.

Colin follows suit, still on the lookout for Sadie. He spots her first this time and shoots without hesitating. Their eyes meet and Sadie flips him the finger before heading back to respawn.

The game gets messier and messier the longer they play, foregoing tactics, running after each other, yelling and laughing and shrieking.

"You'll be sorry for that!" Perry shouts when he dies again.

"Bring it on, loser!" Drew yells back, only to die after a headshot from Colin.

With just the two of them temporarily left in the battlefield, Colin surveys the area for Sadie, masking his movements as he shifts from one corner to another. He's breathing hard from all the running and he makes a conscious effort to close his mouth to hopefully silence his breaths.

He rounds another corner and Colin finally sees her, but he isn't nearly prepared for what comes next. One second, he's about to shoot her, and the next, she's suddenly charging at him, tackling him with such force that he nearly falls back on his ass. He catches her, taking a few steps back until he feels his back touch the wall.

She has him backed up in a corner, startled, but he quickly recovers and readjusts his right hand, attempting to shoot her. Sadie seems to realize this, her eyes widening in panic, but before Colin can make a definite move, she makes hers.

Only it's not what he expects.

Her lips crash into his, warm and soft, and she tastes vaguely like strawberries. It's intoxicating, so fucking intoxicating, that his eyes slowly flutter close, almost involuntarily, and though his confusion intensifies, his lips seem to make up his mind for him as they begin to move in sync with hers.

She runs her tongue across the bottom of his lips and he shivers, leaning back against the wall, growing unsteady as she deepens the kiss. He mirrors her movements, trying to make up for his lack of experience, his thoughts jumbling up as his heart pounds against his chest, loud enough to drown out the sound of the laser tag game around them.

She pulls away first.

He blinks rapidly, dazed, and before he can even get ahold of himself, she's already stepping away from him. He realizes, belatedly, that she's pointing a gun at him. That she's pointing his gun at him. Realization dawns on him and his eyes dart to his now empty hands. When he looks back at her, she shoots him square in the chest.

His jaw drops open as he looks down at his vest. He hears her laugh and looks up to see her tossing her head back, looking happier than she'd ever been in the past few weeks.

When she catches his eye, she flashes him a mischievous grin. "Wanna go for another round?"

She tosses his gun back to him. Colin almost misses it, still reeling from what had just happened. She walks away and repositions, leaving him breathless in the dark.

"What are you doing?" Perry hisses when he finds him. "Go respawn. We still have three minutes left."

Colin moves in a daze. He's become sluggish, his breathing even more uneven now than it was before. He can hardly hear anything save for the pounding in his ears, his heart in overdrive.

Did that seriously just happen?

He tries to get his head back in the game, though it's a lot harder than anything else he'd ever had to do. His thoughts keep circling back to her lips; how soft they were and how good it felt. But why would she kiss him? Was it simply just to disarm him long enough to shoot him?

Righteous anger starts to replace the confusion. He lets it spread, using it as fuel to get him to refocus on winning again. It must be working–his shots become more precise, his adrenaline pushing him forward.

He advances without Perry, all rage, no tactics, and eventually he finds himself face to face with Sadie once more. She happens to be in the middle of reloading and she looks up at him in panic, eyes wide.

"Wait," she says, backing away. "We can talk about this."

"I don't think so," Colin says, closing the distance between them, his gun aimed directly at her.

She has a hand up, as if to stop him.

It could be his anger, or it could be a momentary lapse of judgment. More likely, it's just the overwhelming desire that makes him do it.

He drops his gun and pulls her in, hands grabbing her waist to press her flushed against him. She gasps, dropping her own gun in surprise. Their faces are inches from each other and for a moment, the whole world stops. He stares into her eyes, searching for something, waiting for a reply.

She says nothing, but her eyes drop to his lips.

It's enough.

He closes the distance between them, and when his lips meet hers, he thinks, this is just payback. But Sadie's hands reach up to knot themselves behind his neck, and all the rage just dissipates, replaced by a hunger from deep inside.

He moves his hands to cup her face, prompting her to tilt her head back. She does, her fingers moving through his hair. She starts taking the lead and he's more than happy to let her, knowing she's more experienced than him–hating that she'd kissed other guys before him.

The thought sends a wave of unwarranted anger and he steps even closer, pressing her against the wall, needing her to be closer. Needing more of her. He's rewarded when he feels her hands fisting in his hair, pulling him closer like she wanted the same thing. He tries his best to learn from her movements and when their tongues touch for the first time, his knees almost give out.

A buzzer goes off and they spring apart, both breathing hard, staring at each other.

"Who won?" he hears Perry ask, footsteps coming closer.

"Dunno," Drew replies. "I'm hungry again."

"Colin? Sadie?"

Clearing his throat, Colin picks up his gun and runs a hand through his hair. "Here," he calls back, careful not to look at Sadie as he starts making his way toward the exit.

She hears him following behind.

"There you are," Perry says when they spot each other.

"Did we win?" Colin asks him, hoping his voice doesn't sound odd.

"I'm not sure. Maybe the results are posted outside."

"Yeah," he says, but truth be told? Colin does not give a single fuck about who won.

He lets himself be dragged with them, incapable of getting his thoughts to zero back into the present. He moves along in a stupor, the sounds around him muffled in his head and the rest of the conversation is lost on him.

They were just about to leave the building when Perry grabs Colin's elbow, forcing him to stop.

Grinning from ear to ear, Perry points to his face. "You have lipstick and glitter all over you. Might want to wipe it off first."