Heero ran a nervous hand through his thick brown hair. This hadn't been what he was expecting; not at all. When she had said she wanted to go out on a date, paintball with their friends was the farthest thing from his mind. Yet, here they were, wrapped in the vests and helmeted. He didn't like this idea; not one bit, but she had been most insistent.

"This is all Duo's fault!" He muttered. The braided idiot had discussed the idea of a group activity for their crew of friends to celebrate the anniversary of the end of the Eve Wars.

"Come on, Heero! I think the Princess would get a kick out if it!" The braided fool said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Paintball?" Relena asked. Duo went into the gory details and, much to Heero's dismay, she seemed not only intrigued by the idea, but excited.

"I think it sounds wonderful! Let's do it, please?" Those eyes. That tone. He was helpless.

He acquiesced to her request on the condition that she be on his team and by his side at all times.

So, of course they divided up, men against women. Heero frowned as she walked off, blue ribbon on her arm reminding him that, for today, his lover was his adversary. She stopped suddenly, turned and ran to him, pressing her lips to his in a deep kiss.

"For luck." She said before joining the other women.

He feared for her. Paintball was no laughing matter. Though hardly fatal, the round ammunition did leave welts on those who were sadly under protected. He tried to make sure she had adequate padding, but it still worried him. Did she even know how to handle a gun? True, paintball guns were slightly different, but the principle was the same.

As the game wore on, he found that she was, in fact, quite proficient with her weapon and even managed to tag out Duo! He made the mental note to ask her about where she had picked up those apparent skills. However her luck seemed to run dry. He watched as Wufei and Trowa both took aim at Relena's exposed back. Whether out of habit or out of instinct he did not know, but he found himself calling her name as he ran between her and her assailants. The unmistakable feeling of their paintballs hitting his back alerted him to the fact that he was, unfortunately, the victim of friendly fire while protecting the enemy. She called out his name as he fell to the ground and his friends' hysterical laughter echoed behind him. As he looked at her, he stood, and wiped off the dirt from his legs. She gave him the most sheepish, guilty grin

"Heero." Her smile widened. "You saved me." He returned her smile. "Thank you." She kissed him gently. He returned her kiss, adrenaline feeding the growing fire of need for her. She pulled back and stared into his eyes. "I love you."

"Go." He stated and patted her ass playfully as she retreated. However, when he turned his back to rejoin his teammates, he felt another paintball hit him squarely between his shoulders. He turned to see her standing there, a large, triumphant smile on her beautiful face.

"Sorry, Heero." She called to him. "But all is fair in love and paintball." Heero could hardly believe it. His girlfriend had betrayed him! He gripped his gun tighter. She might have won this round, but the day was far from over. He let the many possible ways he could pay her back play through his mind: all of them involving her on their bed, naked and vulnerable.

He put his visor back down and smiled.