Pete woke up to the sound of their camp leader yelling for them to get ready through that big red loud hailer of his. Pete hadn't realized he had fallen asleep with his head resting on Vegas' chest, and the latter's arm wrapped snugly around him.

Upon closing look, Vegas was actually quite handsome. Well, it wasn't like Pete hadn't noticed before but it's different when you're this close you know. The way his brows curved perfectly like crescents, his skin tanned like the golden sun and his lips red as cherry - it's no wonder the girls (and guys) love him.

"Am I that good looking?"

Pete was snapped out of his thoughts when Vegas awoke with his tentmate staring so intently at him.

"Sorry!" Pete squeaked in embarrassment as he pulled away immediately. His cheeks turned crimson.

Vegas let out a satisfied chuckle. What a great way to start the day of teasing Pete. "I won't be surprised if you're mesmerized by my looks." His eyebrows arched with confidence. "I am the notorious playboy for a reason."

Pete scoffed, rolling his eyes at the man's narcissistic comment.

"You sure are."

After a quick breakfast, they started on their first activity of the day - a paintball battle which everyone was excited for except Pete.

"I hope all of you have a restful night!" Porsche said. "We'll kick off the day with the ultimate paintball battle which I'm sure all of you are gearing up for." This got the students more hyped up for the event as cheers erupted.

"But..to make things more interesting-" Porsche paused for a moment of suspense. "We're gonna separate the pairs into 2 teams."

The crowd was intrigued by this new arrangement and whispers grew louder as they await for further instructions.

"There will be 2 teams of 6 on the battlefield at once. This means we will have 6 pairs, and your tent mate will be assigned to the opposing team."

Pete's face instantly fell as fear crossed his face. Does that mean he and Vegas were going to be...enemies? Pete took a side-glance at Vegas. Unlike Pete who has extremely poor hand and leg coordination, Vegas was athletic and agile. The paintball battle was easy as a piece of cake to Vegas.

But the rules were fixed and neither Pete nor Vegas could do anything about it so with great reluctance, Pete got himself equipped for the battle. Everyone had to wear this bulky vest and a helmet for safety measure and Pete was already sweating underneath the gear which weighed a ton.

"I'm so dead." Pete sighed and Arm, who was on the same team as him, couldn't agree more. Pol was not an easy target for him either.

If his situation isn't precarious enough, Achara was on the same team as Vegas and he was certain he was going to be her target. Judging by how competitive she is, Pete was already on the losing end of the battle.

Despite his disinclination, the battle started anyway and before Pete had known it, it was his turn.

"Susu na." Vegas cheered as he walked past Pete into the battle course.

Pete and Arm were determined to stick together and Arm suggested taking the corner where it was more secluded. Holding out seemed to be the only option the two had.

The game commenced shortly after with Porsche's blow of a whistle and immediately people started firing their shots.

"Geez!" Pete expressed as his eyes flickered with terror. "Why are people taking this so seriously?"

"You tell me." Arm, who was as paranoid, was turning back every second to make sure he wasn't being ambushed all while trying to take cover.

"Should we go somewhere else?" Pete yelled in panic, having managed to dodge an attack just seconds before. He could see Achara taking her aim, so he hid behind the pillar and her bullet was just centimeters short of hitting his vest.

"Where to?" Arm responded. Pol was hot on his tails too and he was inching closer by the minute.

"I don't know!" Pete groaned, his eyebrows knitted seemingly complementing the next course of action while Arm was trying to run for his life.

"Hey! You can't just leave me here." Pete exclaimed as he caught sight of Arm taking flight. They were supposed to stick together.

"I'm trying not to but Pol is bent on getting me." Arm argued, as he ran for the nearest shelter he could find leaving Pete behind.

Pete tried to follow behind but Achara was coming so close, her shots more intense than before after she had missed a few. Pete cussed internally as he looked around frantically for cover. Now that Arm was gone, and people were getting eliminated from the game it was only a matter of time before he got too which he was fine with - as long as it wasn't because of Achara. He would've hated to lose to her.

Then, luck seemed to be on his side. Just not too far away from where he was, there was an abandoned hut. According to Porsche, if they were lucky, they could find ammo in places like these and from what Pete could tell it did seem like a perfect spot to hide.

So with a deep breath, and after surveying his surroundings paying particular attention to signs of Achara, he bolted as quickly as he could to the hut. By the time he had gotten there, he was a sweaty mess. He crouched to catch his breath but not after making sure that he wasn't seen or being followed.

Fortunately for him his efforts paid off and truly after a few ransacking here and there, he managed to find a few ammo and gas bombs he could use. He stuffed whatever he could into his little haversack bag of his, and was just about to find a hiding spot in the hut when he heard footsteps coming behind him.

Almost instantly, Pete turned around swiftly, pointing his gun at the intruder with shaky hands. Standing in front him was Vegas and his triumphant smirk plastered on his face, his arms up in surrender.

"Chill out. It's me." Vegas declared, dropping his gun to the floor. "I've come in peace."

Pete let out a sigh of relief before lowering his gun down at his tent mate. "Quit sneaking up on me like that." Pete said with a hint of annoyance.

Vegas laughed in amusement seeing the panic on Pete's face.

"What are you laughing at?" Pete asked as he watched Vegas warily, careful of his movement.

"At how adorable you are of course, what else?"

Heat rushed into Pete's face before averting the latter's teasing gaze. He's got you again, Pete thinks grudgingly to himself.

The two were just starting to get comfortable when Vegas' eyes went round, his muscles tense before he raised his gun up.

Pete was inevitably taken aback. Was Vegas going to shoot him? But it seems like his fear was unfounded when Vegas grabbed him by the wrist with urgency.

"What-" As soon as the words left his mouth, shots started flying mercilessly in his direction. Pete turned his head to see who the attacker was and unsurprisingly, it was Achara.

"He's our enemy!" Pete could hear Achara screaming at the top of the lungs as she chased the two.

Right, Vegas was on their team, Pete thinks to himself. Pete gazed down at Vegas' tight hold on his wrists as the two fled. But why was he...protecting him?

After what seemed like a few twists and turns, Vegas had no other choice but to take shelter in a burrow they had come across as Achara was close behind. Pete didn't resist, well, he was just trying to process whatever that was happening - but the next thing he knew he was being shoved into a burrow that was barely big enough for 2.

"Vegas-"

"Shh." Vegas held his index finger to his lips as he peered out cautiously. Achara was pacing back and forth trying to look for Pete whom she was sure she had seen running in this direction. She has 10 minutes left on the clock before the battle ends and she is dead set on defeating Pete.

Pete was bewildered but also somewhat...uncomfortable in this newly found situation he was in. Vegas was barely inches apart from him, as the two were squashed together sitting face to face in a burrow God knows where it is and a 'killer' hot on his wheels.

"She's still here." Vegas whispered. "We'll just need to hold out for 10 minutes."

Pete nodded mindlessly though he didn't actually care about the competition now, not when his heart was pounding hard against his chest, and blood was rushing to his ears at the two's proximity that was a little too close for his comfort.

Pete was trying his best to scoot back as far as he could but his back was plastered against the wall with no room for adjustment and...Pete wasn't sure when or how but his eyes were locked with Vegas'. While Pete's eyes were filled with part embarrassment and part terror, Vegas' eyes glinted with something more.

Vegas never looked more affectionate than he is now as his golden brown orbs flashed with endearment and like clockwork, the two somehow found themselves leaning closer and closer as the seconds ticked behind them. Vegas had his gaze fixed on Pete's lips and Pete had his eyes on Vegas', completely mesmerized without a care of his surroundings or, the fact they were stuck in a burrow with a 'killer' on the loose.

Vegas tilted his head slightly and Pete had his eyes closed in anticipation. But before Vegas could close the gap further, the timer went off and Pete's eyes shot open like he had snapped out of a trance.

Indeed, the countdown was a cruel reminder that this was the reality they were living in, not a fantasy Pete wished he had because it was only in dreams like these that Vegas was his, dreams he allowed himself to indulge in sometimes even if it was just for a while. 

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a/n: let me know what you guys think! tbh pete's just super insecure and also kinda confused with these feelings he has for vegas asdfghjkl (guess vegas has to work a little harderr)  🤭