Summary: "Laser tag? What's that?" Tao asked, blinking at Ik-han's question.

Set after season 4?

Birthday fic for colorcodedpeacockquills :)

Practice Run

By Dark Ice Dragon

"Laser tag? What's that?" Tao asked, blinking at Ik-han's question. He could guesstimate, but it was better to make sure in case he had the wrong idea.

Shinwoo gaped at that. "You don't know what that it? Real gun battle! Not like Counter-Strike."

"…With real bullets?" That didn't seem right…

Shinwoo shook his head, waving the flier in his hand. "Lasers! But now you have to come! Everyone else is!"

Tao peeked at the nobles behind the children, seeing Miss Seira and Regis nod. Well, if everyone was going…

He grinned. "I'll get the others to join too."

"Awesome!"

xOx

Tao tackled Takeo and M-21, slinging an arm over their shoulders. "Sooo-"

"No," M-21 said.

"I didn't get to say it yet!"

"You don't have to for us to know you're about to drag us into something again," Takeo said, sighing.

"But they're all awesome ideas! And so's this one."

"That's what you always say."

"Because it's true." Tao huffed, flicking their necks. M-21 batted his hand away with a snort. "Anyway, the children are going to play laser tag this weekend and they want us to join."

"What's that?" Takeo said, and Tao took his arm off Takeo's shoulder to retrieve his phone from his pocket.

"A fun training exercise by the looks of it." Tao pulled up the most relevant tab. "We'll be in two teams, trying to get to the other team's base to capture it."

"With guns?" Takeo asked, peering at one of the example pictures.

"Yup! Toy guns. No bullets – just lasers. You wear a vest that tracks if you've been 'hit' or not.'"

"Hmm…"

"So you two wanna join?"

Takeo and M-21 shared a look.

"All right."

Tao beamed at them.

xOx

"So how are we going to pick teams?" Shinwoo asked, humming as they walked to where they would play laser tag. Takeo, Tao and M-21 walked behind the children, listening to their conversation. The tactic worked well for when they wanted to learn about unwritten rules before they tripped over them, Takeo had found.

"The usual way," Ik-han said. "We both pick one each until there's no-one left."

"Good idea."

"Then Regis is on my team," Ik-hand said, and that was the usual start to how the teams were picked.

"I choose Seira."

"I pick hyung," Ik-hand said. That wasn't a surprise either.

Tao grabbing Takeo's arm and declaring, "Takeo's on our team too!" was though.

"Hey!" Shinwoo span around and pointed at Tao. "Foul! You can't pick two at once!"

"We just did!" Tao didn't let go of his arm and Takeo sighed, not trying to remove him, used to his antics.

"That means we get to choose two as well and hm…" Shinwoo looked at M-21. "We get ajussi and Yuna."

Tao looking over to M-21 and grinning at him distracted Takeo from paying attention to the rest of the conversation. This match was going to be interesting, to say the least.

xOx

Takeo frowned at the gun in his hands. It was too small and far too light in his hands. His vest didn't fit as well as his DA-5 one either.

There was no chance these would be mistaken for real guns at a glance, especially when Takeo knew that if he flexed too hard, the plastic would snap in his grip.

Tao nudged his elbow and Takeo lifted his gaze. He must have started to be obvious.

"Heh, you've seen his score in Counter-Strike, right? Of course I wanted Takeo on our team!" Tao said, and he must have been distracted enough to miss Ik-han's question. "And we work great together too!"

It was too public to mention Tao couldn't hack in this situation, but Tao nudged him again anyway.

It wasn't long until they were in the field, and as soon as the buzzer went, Takeo and Tao left together.

Takeo's first instinct was to go to high ground and Tao trailed after him as he scrambled up one of the walls. He perched there once he got to the top. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, everything becoming a wash of grey as he waited to see the lighted vests of the other team.

A cluster of red lights zipped closer and Takeo held his gun up, waiting for the perfect moment. There was a flurry of sound and elsewhere blue lit up a part of the field.

As the red shooter celebrated (a sloppy mistake that would cost them their life), Takeo took aim and shot.

Red light haloed Shinwoo's surprised face and Takeo's eyes snapped wide.

Shinwoo didn't fall, wasn't blown off his feet by the shot like so many countless others Takeo had seen before.

He was still alive.

Takeo didn't move when he heard Tao climb up behind him.

"You okay?" Tao asked, touching his back.

"…Yeah." The creak of plastic in his hands was good. That meant he wasn't holding a real gun, that other people wouldn't die if he shot from it. Smoke didn't fill his senses, clogging his nose or made his eyes water. And there was no screams of fear or pain. Takeo could hear surprised yells, but laughter followed it. Just like at home.

"Let's get down from here, huh?" Tao said, and Takeo closed his eyes, nodding. "So you're a soldier rather than a sniper."

That made sense. Get away from his usual habits. Takeo wanted to jump off the wall, but they were still in a public area.

"It's against the rules to climb the barriers anyway, heh," Tao said as they went down.

"I thought you didn't care about the rules in games?" Takeo said, trying to focus away from his mission mindset.

"I don't, but I don't want to get in trouble here either."

Takeo left out a long breath when they were on the ground again, his shoulders relaxing.

"Do you think we should keep a look out for M too?" Tao mused, peering around a corner.

"I'm not sure." Takeo adjusted his grip on his gun. "He didn't use guns, and Raizel-nim and Miss Seira will look out for him."

Tao nodded.

Takeo jerked, hearing the whoosh of a gun firing close to them. Both Takeo and Tao's vests lit up, displaying a number that ticked back one before disappearing again.

Takeo heard a giggle and saw brown hair flit around a corner.

Yuna.

They were just playing a game and no-one was dying. It didn't matter if he missed his 'target' or if he was hit. It meant they might lose the game, but the consequences for that was the same compared to failing a mission.

Takeo exhaled again, rolling his shoulders.

"Mm? What're you planning?"

He smiled at Tao. "Just to break my training." He didn't have to be perfect here. It didn't matter if he was seen or heard, and he didn't have to hit the perfect shot on the first try.

He was here to have fun.

"Heh, good." Tao slapped his back. "C'mon, let's go!"

xOx

The first person they found was Raizel-nim. He wasn't hiding, just walking through the field, his gun by his side.

Takeo didn't have to confirm with Tao to leave him alone, thought Tao did wave when Raizel-nim looked across at them.

xOx

Takeo heard the click of the trigger before the laser and dived out the way. He hadn't heard anyone coming, which meant one of two people on the other team.

Tao gave covering fire, hollering, "I saw ya, M!"

That answered that question.

M-21 didn't retort and Tao yelped, ducking behind the wall again. His vest flashed anyway.

"Avenge me, Takeo!" Tao said, before wheezing with laughter.

Takeo heard a muttered "Shit" and then scrambling footsteps away from them.

Takeo gave chase, not using his full speed and neither did M-21.

They were heading towards another pair shooting at each other. Ah. Miss Seira and Regis' hair still stood out in the dim light.

Takeo skidded to hide behind another wall as Miss Seira's gun pinpointed on him.

There was a flurry of more shots and in the break for reloading, Takeo dipped out again. Right into Miss Seira's shot. They shared a smile, which was interrupted by Regis shooting at her and Tao charging in again with a yell.

xOx

Tao laughed as he hung off M-21's shoulder after they were called off the field. "We won!" he crowed, waving his gun in the air with his free hand.

"Thanks to Suyi." Takeo tilted his head at her in acknowledgement and she smiled back. She had been the one to capture the base.

"Aah, that was fun," she said.

"Yeah, it was!" Shinwoo said, grinning. "Let's do it again next week!"

Now that Takeo knew what to expect, that didn't seem too bad.