Author’s Note: I received an anonymous request a while back to write the TRR gang playing paintball. I hadn’t been inspired until last weekend when I finally came up with this concept. This one is purely for fun and entertainment value with a smidge of Team Oliam dropped in here. I hope you enjoy!
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Now …. Please queue mental soundtrack to the “Rocky” theme from this point on. Makes this more entertaining. 😉
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“Is this really necessary, Warner?” Drake whined as he zipped up his beige coveralls.
“Drake, don’t be such a spoilsport! It’s going to be fun!” Emma responded enthusiastically while she finished dressing herself, then bounded over to her husband to straighten his collar. “Besides, how often do you get the chance to play war hero AND the opportunity to shoot objects at Olivia?” She smirked at his annoyed expression.
“Honestly, I’m a little afraid of how Olivia is going to respond when handed a weapon and free reign to shoot things at me and Maxwell.” Drake’s eyes widened a little at the horrific thought.
”Come on, it’s only paintball … it’ll be fun, you’ll see!” She winked as she brushed past him and out of the changing room to the field. Drake exhaled a long sigh of reluctance before finally turning to follow her to battle.
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“Now, we only have a few rules out here to ensure everyone’s safety … “ the referee continued his opening remarks. “Number one, no shooting at your opponents within 5 feet or anywhere above the neck. Number two, always wear your safety goggles. And last, be sure to have some fun and communicate out there. We’ll begin in five minutes … gentlemen you’ll be starting on the east field entrance and ladies on the west side. Listen for the whistle for the thirty-second countdown, and then the gunshot for the starting signal. To your starting positions, teams!”
“Well, I guess this is it!” Emma chirped cheerfully, pressing a quick kiss to Drake’s cheek. “Try to have some fun out there!”
“Oh, he’ll have fun, alright … you girls are going down!!!” Maxwell chided as he gripped Drake by the shoulders to march him towards the starting position. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to go strategize!” Maxwell led Drake over to where Liam was waiting, then the three men huddled to start planning their plays.
Hana waltzed over to Emma and placed a hand on her shoulder, silently watching as the males conversed with animated gestures. Olivia came up beside them, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed as she observed their prey. She let out a low chuckle. “These poor boys aren’t going to know what hit ’em.” She flung the paintball gun across her shoulder and turned to look at her sisters-in-arms. “Well … shall we, ladies?”
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The men heard the warning whistle and got into position on the east side, laser-focused on the playing field spread out in front of them. The man-made arena combined thick foliage, rocky terrain and open grassy clearings in a sporadic pattern, allowing for plenty of opportunities for an ambush. The gunshot echoed in distance and the three men started their slow and steady trek through the arena, each going their own direction; Maxwell down the right, Drake down the left and Liam straight down the middle. Their best strategy had been to split up, stay low and quiet and listen for the girls as they progressed slowly. After the many years playing soldier in the gardens at the palace, they were fairly confident they had the upper hand in this competition.
Maxwell quickly fatigued of his army crawl across the rough landscape, especially since he’d seen no sign of imminent danger so far. The field was eerily quiet after the sound of his comrades going their own directions had faded. He pressed himself against a large boulder at the edge of a clearing as he stood up, peering around for any sign of life. Once he was sure he was truly alone, he made a quick dash to the closest tree and ducked behind it. He continued zig-zagging between obstacles, trying to avert any watching predators just like he’d seen in the movies.
Just as he approached another clearing beside a cluster of trees, he heard a low whistle echoing through the branches. He dropped swiftly to his belly, searching through the trees for the source of the sound. Another whistle, this time closer … but he still couldn’t tell what direction the noise was coming from. The snap of a branch directed his attention above him, where he found Emma perched on a limb in the large oak above him. She whistled again and smirked as they met eyes. “Hi Maxxie.” She taunted him as he heard the click of the trigger, immediately followed by impact as the ammo met his round buttock.
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Drake waited patiently, curled up in a makeshift foxhole under the shade of a grove of trees. He had situated himself near the exit of the arena, hoping to take off any of the girls as they attempted to make their escape. So far, the arena had been extremely quiet until …
He heard someone marching noisily through the trees, not even attempting to remain hidden. He expected to see Hana or Emma approaching the exit, but rolled his eyes as he heard the low grumbles of Maxwell cursing under his breath. Of course, he thought. As his friend walked nearer to his hideout, hanging his head in defeat, Drake called out to him to get his attention. “Pssst! Maxwell, psst!” Maxwell looked around curiously, finally settling on the leaves Drake started rustling to catch his eye.
“Oh, hey Drake!” Maxwell called loudly.
“Shhhhh!” Drake scowled as he peered around for other intruders. “Keep your voice down!” He paused to examine the paintball victim head to toe, quirking an eyebrow as he observed the paint marks. ”Did you get shot in the ass???” He chuckled. “Who shot you, anyway?”
“Your lovely wife. A sneaky girl, that one. She caught me completely off guard.” Maxwell shook his head in dismay, but Drake couldn’t help the proud smirk that spread across his lips.
“Alright, get out of here before you give away my spot, Beaumont!” Drake whispered harshly, shooing Maxwell towards the exit.
Drake stayed in location for a few minutes, confirming that the coast was clear, before attempting to slink away to another secure hideout. He did a quick hop up and turned to run under the cover of the trees behind him, but found himself standing face to face with none other than his wife. She raised an eyebrow at him, gun poised and aimed at her target.
“Hi Honey.” A sly smile on her lips. “I figured that was your cute little ass hiding over here. I’d recognize it anywhere.” She winked while Drake rolled his eyes. “I really don’t want to have to do this, Drake …” she inched closer with gun still raised, but for some reason couldn’t bring herself to pull the trigger.
Drake grinned as he raised his hands in the air, walking hesitantly in her direction when- splat! Drake cringed and rocked forward as the wad of high-velocity paint splattered across his upper back. “Aggghhh!!!” He yelped as he turned around to see Hana walk out from behind a tree about 50 yards away, a mischievous gleam in her eye.
“Don’t worry, Emma, I did it so you didn’t have to.” Hana patted her friend on the shoulder, turning to face Drake. “Sorry Drake, but it had to be done.”
“I get it Hana, no hard feelings.” Drake reached his arm around awkwardly, trying rub the sore spot where Hana’s paintball had met her target. “But man, that was quite a shot! Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”
“Despite what you may think, Drake, we’re not all trained as samurais in Shanghai. I frequented the shooting range with my father growing up.”
“Of course you did …” he mumbled. “Alright, just do me a favor and go easy on Liam. You don’t want to hurt a king’s ego too bad. At least let him think he put up a good fight.”
“No promises!” Hana giggled, then grabbed Emma’s hand to find a new hiding spot and strategize.
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Liam traipsed lightly through the trees, sweeping the perimeter of his vision for any sudden movements. His ears were attuned to the subtle sounds of nature, peeled for any change in tone or volume. He heard a soft snap of a twig in the distance behind him as the wind swirled around him. He recognized the soft yet spicy fragrance that wafted to his nostrils immediately, causing the corners of his mouth to tug upwards in a grin. It was a scent he’d begun craving more and more recently. ”Hi Liv.” He turned to face her with a smug look on his face.
She glared back defiantly, her paintball gun aimed and ready to shoot at any moment. “Liam.” She acknowledged him plainly, neither forfeiting her tactical advantage or moving towards the trigger.
He took a tentative step in her direction and raised his hands in surrender. “Truce?” He asked, eyeing her carefully. “I was actually hoping to speak with you … in private.”
Olivia raised her eyebrows at his statement, then nodded as she lowered her weapon and removed her safety goggles. “How’d you know it was me, anyway?” She cocked her head as she questioned him.
Liam rested his own goggles on top of his head and smiled softly, taking a few steps in her direction. “Hmmm … lucky guess?” He tried, but by the expression on her face he could tell she wasn’t buying it. “I do know you pretty well, Olivia.” He stopped directly in front of her, peering down into her green eyes intently.
Olivia’s face remained emotionless, but inside she could feel her heart beating and the blood rushing through her veins. She let her guard down slightly as she welcomed his approach with a devious grin. “I suppose you do. We have known each other our whole lives.” She stared into his deep blue eyes as he hovered above her, then let her eyes wander down the faint stubble tracing his jawline down to his lips. She noticed how one side tipped slightly higher than the other as he smirked before he pursed them together, a telling sign that she knew meant he was nervous. The thought of Liam, nervous, with her … she snapped back to reality, trying to remember what it was they were talking about in the first place. “Ahem … so what is it you wanted to discuss, Your Majesty?” She asked in a sarcastic formal voice, a playful smile on her lips.
”Very funny, Liv …” Liam shook his head in amusement. “I wanted to know if you would like to have dinner with me sometime? Just the two of us.” There was a faint smile on his lips and a eager look in his eyes.
Olivia’s stomach fluttered in excitement at his invitation, but her face remained blank. “That’s an interesting proposition … but I won’t lie, I’m a little confused by this invitation now after all the years we’ve known each other. Especially since I was competing for your hand in marriage during the social season not long ago … what changed?” Her expression softened as she spoke, and she tilted her head inquisitively as she awaited his reply.
”After everything that’s happened in the past year … I’ve changed. You’ve changed. It just feels … right, now.” Liam paused studying her expression for any indication of her feelings. “So … is that a yes?” Liam held his breath as he waited.
Olivia couldn’t hold back the gentle grin that crept to her lips. “Yes, I would love that, Liam.” They stared at each other for a moment, lost between the familiarity of their life-long friendship and the unfamiliar territory unfolding in their relationship. “Well, we should probably get back …” she mumbled.
“Yes, I suppose we should.” Liam grasped one of her delicate hands in his, bringing it to press his lips gently across her knuckles. There was a twinkle in his eye as he beamed down at her, slowly backing away. “You wait here while I go out ahead. I don’t want anyone to see us covorting with the enemy.”
Olivia watched his tall, muscular frame as he paced off into the tree cover. “Hey Liam!” She called to him, before he was out of range.
Liam turned to face her again, a hopeful look of expectation on his face- splat! He hunched over as the impact of the paint-filled ammo hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He looked down at the yellow paint spread across his front in disbelief as Olivia watched from her position, wearing a proud expression. “You did say you know me pretty well, Liam. You didn’t really think I was going to let you off that easy just because you asked me to dinner, did you?”
Liam chuckled softly as he stared down at his chest. “No, I guess I should have expected this.”
“You know what they say … all’s fair in love and war.” She saluted to him with her free hand, then draped the rifle across her shoulder before brushing past him on her way to the arena exit.
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“So you ladies never told us … what was your strategy.” Maxwell asked his female friends while the whole crew shed their coveralls and retrieved their belongings from the lockers.
“Easy … we spread out, ran in quickly and found hiding spots … and then we waited. We knew you guys would be hunting for us like some prehistoric cavemen, so we waited for you to come to us. And it worked.” Hana grinned proudly at their successful plan.
Maxwell grumbled under his breath as undressed while Drake scowled in the corner while compiling his belongings. Liam had been relatively quiet since he’d returned defeated to the exit, but the expression he wore didn’t appear disappointed in the least. Emma turned to Olivia beside her and nudged her, whispering “So what happened with you and Liam, anyway?”
Olivia’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. “Nothing happened … he just caught me a little off guard.” She seemed lost in thought as she continued cleaning herself up.
Emma furrowed her brow, confused. “What? But you shot him?”
“Uhhh .. you know what I meant. I caught him off guard.” Olivia shoved her remaining belongings in her bag, quickly taking her leave before Emma could ask further questions. Emma gave a knowing glance to Hana, who winked back at her in return.
As the friends chatted outside waiting for their limo back to the palace, Emma sidled up next to Drake and tucked her arms through his. She peered up at him affectionately while he looked to the horizon and avoided eye contact. She gave him a playful nudge with her elbow, finally earning a subtle smirk in her direction.
“Oh, you missed a little paint here, Drake.” She stood on her tip toes to wipe a paint spot from his temple, then pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “You know, you may have missed some more spots … perhaps I need to give you a good scrub down when we get home.” She smiled mischievously when she saw the heat flash in his eyes as he focused on her.
Drake chuckled. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Besides, it’s the least you can do after you stood by and watched as your friend shot me.”
“Fair enough, Walker.” She squeezed his hand and dropped it to walk towards the limo. Drake watched his wife sashay over to the vehicle, admiring the subtle sway of her hips. She turned back and gave him a devilish look over his shoulder, winking quickly before ducking into the car door.
Drake sighed and ran his hand through his hair before following behind her. The thing he did for this woman … and he loved every moment of it.
END