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Usually they liked to be on the same team during laser tag--if you know what I mean--but today they decided to play against each other. Gally chose the green team and Minho chose the blue team. After watching the safety video, they loaded up their gear, with the laser harnesses and attached laser guns, making competitive comments to each other. Their running shoes were all clean and ready to reflect the blacklight back as they ran-shuffled through the maze of the laser tag room. No running in here, at least, if you’re following the golden rules.
“You’re gonna lose Min, and you’ll have to clean the kitchen all week! Ha!” Gally taunted as Minho shook his head, tightening up his harness on his chest.
“I don’t think so Gally, I see some laser beams headed your way in the future, which means YOU’RE buying dinner tonight. Nice try though! I’m sure you’ll put in a valiant effort. I’m gonna be hungry though after I DUST you,” Minho retorted.
Gally started a reply back, “Listen here, shank--” but was cut off as the speakers declared 10 seconds until the game would start.
“10, 9, 8, 7, 6...”
Gally and Minho dug in their heels on either side of the starting door, waiting for it to lift open, glancing at their other teammates and opponents, getting in the mindset to go into the laser maze.
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BEEP.”
The heavy metal door lifted open and they were both through the gate like shots. Gally ran toward the left side up a ramp toward an elevated area. He took cover behind a raised parapet wall, with a view towards the central area. Minho dodge to the right, speeding towards a barricade covering the central and right side of the room, with reflective surfaces and openings interlaced throughout the shielding wall. He took up position around the corner and peeked out over his shoulder for any pursuers or laser assailants. This round, they were going to make the most of the 15-minute time limit.
The room was dark and smoky from the fog machines and multi-colored spotlights and blacklights. Minho peered through the haze, looking for the top of Gally’s head to shoot at. He raised his gun, keeping both hands on the sensors, waiting. As soon as it popped up, he aimed a shot to Gally’s shoulder pads. His harness blinked, and went into deactivated mode, the shot was true. “Ha! I got first hit, you can take that to the bank!” Minho cheered to himself, leaping back behind the wall, looking for his next target. Another person wearing a green light-up vest ran by, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Minho got him as he turned the corner, zap!
“Ah man,” exclaimed Ben, who was that unfortunate person. He sought shelter behind a lit column, waiting for the couple seconds of being stunned to be over. He made his way back towards his team’s base on the left back corner.
Gally, after sniping some enemy blue players, crouch-walked his way along the ramp down towards the back of the play area. He passed by Ben, giving him a nod as he recharged his gun. He was back out into the center of the action within seconds. He spied Minho at a corner blind spot farther towards the front, almost under where he had been camped at. He grinned, sure that he could ambush him, as his back was facing towards him. He hightailed it towards Minho’s position, aiming his gun and hitting him squarely in the back of his harness. It blinked and went off like crazy as Gally chuckled and ran by him, pecking him on the cheek as he want.
Minho could hear the chuckle as he went by, the kiss doing nothing towards his mood. He fumed as he waited for the lights on his body to stop flashing bright blue, giving away his position. He relocated, dodging to his left, away from the blind spot and towards his own team’s base. He high fived one of his own teammates as he passed by him, Frypan, and returned to the melee.
He spotted Gally about twenty feet away through the maze, in the midst of what looked like a laser beam war. Four players, two on each team, were duking it out in the center, sending shots careening every which way, with almost no accuracy. Few of the shots hit home, and most missed their mark, harmlessly going off into the fray surrounding them. Minho smiled to himself, watching his boyfriend dodge and weave through the obstacles and lasers, admiring his agility and remembering the first time he saw him play laser tag.
It was a few years ago, and also their first kiss. They had been under that very same elevated platform, but hidden by two adjoining walls, like in a little laser cave. They had both been on the blue team, just friends, and they had each other's backs. Or rather, Minho kept looking at Gally's back, which you could still see the muscles, even under the light-up harness and his shirt. It was like a new world opened up. He had always noticed Gally, but he'd never actually considered him, until then. Gally had just taken out an opponent, shooting him squarely in the chest, when he turned around grinning triumphantly and caught Minho's stare. His eyes seemed to crackle energy, piercing straight through Minho, like a laser. And they crashed together in an enthusiastic first kiss, right there in the laser maze. Neither was sure how many moments passed by, but nothing phased them, not even Thomas, who had been on the opposing green team then butted in and shot both of them on the shoulders. They didn't break apart from their kiss, their guns dangling uselessly from the vests onto the floor. He also vaguely remembered Newt showing up and seeing Thomas shooting at them, sighing exasperatedly and then shooting Thomas who was on his own team, for shooting them. "Don't interrupt them, you bloody fool! We've been waiting for this long enough! Get out of here, let's go let's go," he chanted, getting out of there, pulling Thomas in tow. Thomas, a dolt as always, followed him, but shot at them one last time first. All that went on, but Gally and Minho were entirely engrossed in one another. Newt and Thomas had left the cave, Newt dragging Thomas along, promising him his own kisses. Thomas pouted until Newt swept him up in their own makeout session. It had been quite hilarious, purposely ignoring them while committing their own suckface during the laser tag game. Minho smiled at the memory.
Then he guffawed out loud, as Gally was hit squarely in the chest and dramatically fell to the ground behind a low wall. He had a perfect view of him and his teammate crawling to retreat, as his teammate Winston was also hit.
“Nice one, Teresa,” Minho called out. She caught his eye and winked, before she sped off to find another poor soul to put out of action. As soon as Gally got up, freshly unstunned, Minho shot his gun, causing his lights to go haywire and be stunned immediately again. Gally gave him an exasperated look as Minho danced away, cackling in glee. Not quite as graceful as Teresa’s exit, but what can you do. He met up with another teammate of his, Thomas, and they quickly planned out a pincer movement to get some more green team members from the sides. They completed the movement and high fived as they split off, leaving the green Sonya and Harriet, stunned and out for the count, at least for the next few seconds. They got out of there, ready to face their next opponent they encountered.
Meanwhile, Gally was planning his revenge. “Ben, we gotta get this kid back! I can’t stand for this disrespect. I don’t care that he’s my boyfriend, let’s roast him!” Ben grinned, ready to go. They returned their base to regroup, gathering teammates as they went along. “Okay guys, it’s now or never. That clock is not going to stop, we gotta give it our all. Good luck out there, we got this!” Gally delivered his pep talk, under his breath, and intense look in his eyes. He was ready to win. “Let’s go!” He pumped his fist and the green players streamed out of their base, ready to wreak havoc on those annoying blue players. The next minutes were a blur, as shots were shot, lasers beamed, and harnesses blinked. Players went down in blazes of glory, then got back up seconds later, restored and ready to go again. This is what laser tag should be, exhilarating, competitive, and all out war. Minho and Gally were having the times of their life.
BUZZ
The buzzer went off, time’s up. The lights were brightened and everybody blinked as their guns started to fizzle out and not work anymore. It was time to go see who won.
They put their harnesses and guns back on the two rows of pegs and filed out, remembering their guns’ randomly picked nicknames. The scoreboard on the television display outside showed, GREEN TEAM WINS. Highest points scored by CRABAPPLE, ZOMBAE, and WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. That last one was a long nickname, but the gun seemed pretty well suited for Winston. Gally and Ben fist bumped for being the top two highest scorers on their team.
Minho shook his head in disbelief at the results. How could his team have lost?! He was the highest scorer of course, with his gun THE FLOW, but he thought Teresa and her BETRAYER gun would have helped them win too. Guess not, even with Frypan’s third highest score as DANCER. “Hey guys, we tried our best. At least we didn’t totally fail, just a few points short. Next time, y’all better bring it though!” Minho said, as they all grumbled and shot dirty looks at the green team’s direction.
As Minho and Gally exited the WCKD Laser Maze Tag building, they kept pushing each others shoulders, griping about the results. “You better clean ALL the dishes, I don’t want to see a speck of dirt on those plates,” Gally teased Minho.
“Nuh uh, you better believe I’m splashing you with the soap suds,” Minho replied, bristling at the directive.
“Don’t be a sore loser, Mean-hoe,” Gally shot back, grabbing Minho’s hand as it was coming to shove him again. He brought it to his lips and delivered a quick kiss to it, bringing it around his waist.
“Ugh, I can never be mad at you for long, even as annoying of a shank as you are,” Minho said, softening and holding Gally, as they made it to the car. “But you’re helping me with the pots and pans, you know those ones suck!” he commented, stepping down into the driver’s seat, buckling up.
Gally, in the passenger seat, said, “Yeah yeah, cause clearly you can’t do it yourself, or you don’t WANT to.” He chuckled to himself as Minho zoomed out of the parking lot, avoiding cars and curbs as he went. It was a good laser tag session, he quite liked the competition of being on opposing teams. They’ll definitely compete again next time.