This is for @jewelishness for the lyrics prompt request Bleyton and number 46: “I never claimed to be a saint.” I hope you like it.
The weapon still felt strange and clumsy in her hands as Peyton pressed herself against the black wall of the tire maze and listened for any warning that her enemy was approaching. Were those footsteps or the pounding of her own heart in her ears? Was the breathing that sounded so harsh and loud her own or his? She knew that he was toying with her. She’d seen what he was capable of first hand. She’d seen him shoot the four men who meant to kill her and him both–saw him shoot them each straight through the heart with incredible precision. She also knew that even if he was trying to give her a fighting chance it was going to take something unexpected from her to win against him. Her gaze flickered upwards to the basement ceiling and the flourescent lights hanging above them.
Peyton tried to remember where the breaker box was located, as she slunk between two desk sized inflatable barriers. Her hopes were buoyed by sounds from the far corner, suggesting that Blaine was currently making his way through Floyd’s office. Blaine had built the layout of the maze to represent the layout of her offices after she’d told him about all the threats that the city government had been receiving since the wall went up. Surely, she could use her familiarity with the surroundings to her advantage. It was ostensibly the point of the layout afterall.
Blaine dropped into a crouch with a muffled “hmph” as the lights above him went out, pitching him into complete darkness. His first instinct was to call out to Peyton and ensure she was okay, but this was obviously her handiwork. There was nobody else in the room with them, and the absence of a surprised cry from her was damning proof. There was nothing he could do but feel and stumble his way through the dark to the breakers, and somewhere along the way Peyton was lying in wait for him listening for the noise of his approach. It was a clever ploy, if he did say so himself.
Blaine crept along the left-hand wall, feeling his way as he moved carefully towards the power box from memory. He held his drawn gun pointed upwards and ready to bring to bear. Every turn that didn’t end in ambush was both a relief and the burden of knowing the attack was still to come. It came as he entered the mockup of the reception area, a barrage of paintless paintballs assailed him bouncing off his goggles, his torso, and his arms as he tried to duck towards the cover of the “receptionist’s desk”. The shots were wild, but numerous enough that many of them hit. The rubber balls pelting off his body stung.
“All right! You win! You win!” Blaine yelled. He could hear Peyton’s victory whoop as he left his paintball gun with her and headed towards the breakers. Peyton was shielding her eyes but still celebrating when he turned back towards her and slid his goggles off. “You stole my moves,” Blaine drawled with a placid grin.
“I never claimed to be a saint,” Peyton smirked. “I stole your move… but it was a good move.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and she flicked her eyebrow upwards.
“Oh, I’m not upset. I’m impressed. The point is survival and self-defense. Seize anything that gives you an advantage. Might have to get you some nightvision goggles,” Blaine answered, his voice growing thoughtful.
His soft eyes raked over her, and his cheek crinkled into a dimple as his lips drew upward on one side. “Just keep in mind that if you’d been using the tranquilizer gun that dosage might have been okay for a zombie, but for a human it would probably defeat the purpose of having a non-lethal weapon in the first place.”
“I wasn’t fighting a human though. I was fighting you,” Peyton pointed out. She paused, her gaze growing heavy. She slid her fingers between his, and Blaine dropped his eyes to look at their linked hands. He straightened as she rested her head against his shoulder. She felt his gaze come to rest upon her face and looked back into his questioning eyes. “Thank you,” she said simply, “…for all of this. Thank you.”