Paintball Love
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"Hey guys, I think this a shortcut!" a Gothic teenager called over to her friends and waved them over to a fence. Gwen, the goth teen, grabbed onto the wire of the fence and began climbing. Her two close friends, Courtney and Bridgette, followed after.

Bridgette gave the wired fence a strange look. "You sure?"

Gwen stopped, midway over the fence and thought back. "I think so," she murmured then jumped off the fence on to the ground. She turned to face the fence, waiting for her friends.

Bridgette shrugged and began climbing. Halfway over, Bridgette looked back at her concerned friend. "Courtney? You coming?"

"I don't know," Courtney got close to the fence, laying a hand on it. "This sure doesn't look like a shortcut. Besides, I thought we decided to walk so we could talk and not take shortcuts." Courtney looked beyond the wired fence, which revealed a forest-like acre. There was nothing but trees, but if you squinted, you could see a small building far off, beyond the trees.

"C'mon, Courtney," Gwen rolled her eyes as Bridgette jumped off, "I've been here before. Its a paintball field."

"What?"

"I've been here before with my brother. People play paintball here."

"What?" Courtney repeated.

"Courtney, even you know what paintball is."

"Yeah, but what if someone shoots us with paint balls!" Courtney argued, throwing her arms out.

Her two friends rolled their eyes. "If we run fast enough, I doubt anyone will see us. C'mon." Gwen turned away and began making her way towards the paintball field. Bridgette nodded towards Courtney and followed after Gwen.

Courtney sighed in frustration and climbed onto the fence. After jumping off of the fence, Courtney caught up with her friends. "If I get shot, you're paying for my outfit!" Courtney growled.

"Hey, no one made you come with us. Besides, paint comes off of clothes easily. Usually."

"Chill, Court. I think we should start running," Bridgette said, then turned to Gwen.

Gwen nodded. "Okay guys, if you look hard enough, there's the end of the field," Gwen pointed out. "Just keep running until you reach the end and hop over the fence. To help Court run faster, let's make it a race."

"How is that suppose to make me run faster?"

"You love competition."

"Well . . . I do. Okay, let's go-"

"Ready, set, go!" Gwen cried out and the three friends made a mad dash for the end of the field. For the beginning of the race, they all kept up with each other, until Gwen tripped over a tree root and brought Bridgette down with her.

Still running, Courtney grinned at getting into the lead and looked back at her friends helping each other up. "Guess I'm gonna wi-uhhhh!" Courtney fell to the ground and held on to her nose since she ran into something which seemed rock-solid. She looked up at the tall figure splattered with paint on his neck, head and legs, holding a paintball gun. Courtney gasped in shock. Of all the people she knew, of all the bad boys in her town, how could he be the one she literally ran into? "D-Duncan?"

Duncan. Courtney's worst guy enemy from school. Constantly, he teased her and called her annoying pet names, and annoyed her to her boiling point. Duncan's guy friends always teased her about liking him, but she refused to listen to them. Straight A, Type-A student Courtney did not want to like this juvenile delinquent. She avoided him as much as she could, but he always seemed to pop up anywhere she was - like now.

"Hey there, beautiful." Duncan's smug smirk made Courtney cringe.

She eyed the paintball gun in his hands and suddenly became worried. Then, she looked down at her outfit. Her new B Wear Braided Neck Banded Bottom Top and new boot-cut jeans. Courtney gulped and looked back at Duncan. "Duncan," she nodded. Don't say anything you shouldn't, Courtney, she thought to herself.

As Courtney got up and dusted herself off, Trent and Geoff appeared behind Duncan, wearing paintball goggles, just like Duncan. They also, like Duncan, had paintball guns. They smirked evilly at Courtney, until someone behind her called out, "Geoff!?"

"Bridge?" Geoff said back and looked around Courtney, to where Gwen and Bridgette were standing. "Ah, sweet! Hey, Bridge!" Geoff said cheerfully and walked past Courtney to see Bridgette. Trent noticing Gwen, approached her, eager to see her. They all began a conversation.

Courtney ignored them and looked back at Duncan. She frowned as he walked closer to her.

Putting his arm around her waist, he pulled her closer and asked, "So, what's a princess like you doing out here? I mean, its pretty dangerous and you couldn't last a second out here if anyone else saw you."

Courtney rolled her eyes and pushed Duncan away. "Gwen's idea. She said it was a shortcut to the video premiere. . . . And what do you mean, I couldn't last a second!?"

Duncan smirked. He loved making her angry. "I mean, you're pretty lucky to run in to us," Duncan said, and looked towards the other side of the paintball field. "Anyone else would have shot you. Oh, lookie there, someones aiming at you."

"WHAT!?" Courtney grabbed on to Duncan, basically hiding from said-person, for the sake of her expensive outfit.

Duncan looked a little shocked, realized what happened, and smirked down at Courtney. "Well, I can protect you, Princess. You know, if you want."

Courtney pushed away from Duncan. "Protect? Yeah right, you'll probably end up shooting at me."

"Oh, me? I am ashamed that you would even say that, Princess. But I guess if you think that . . ." Duncan trailed off and aimed his paintball gun at Courtney. " . . . I might as well."

"No!" Courtney squealed and jumped back, attracting the attention off the others. "Duncan, please! Who knows how long it will take to get the oil from the paint out!"

"Why shouldn't I?" Duncan asked, unable to hide his grin. He was certainly enjoying this. Courtney couldn't just roll her eyes and walk away, like she did numerous times at school. She couldn't call him 'an orge' or a 'Neanderthal' and push him away. Well, she could, but she didn't spend numerous hours babysitting for nothing (since Courtney's parents thought a real job would interfere with Courtney's studies, they refused she get one. Which meant Courtney was stuck with minimum wage).

"Dun-" Bridgette spoke up, until Geoff shushed her and whispered something to her. She kept quiet after that. The crowd (Gwen, Bridgette, Geoff and Trent) watched Courtney and Duncan, eager for a show.

"Well, why should you?" Courtney asked, trying to not let the fear show off in her voice. As a smirking Duncan approached her, she backed up in to a tree. If she didn't act the way he wanted, he'd shoot her for sure.

"Hm. Well I recall a certain someone calling me out of name."

"You call me out of name, all the time!" Courtney recoiled.

"I pretty sure I've never called you anything that you could consider an insult, Princess."

Courtney frowned. He was right. Princess, babe, sweetheart, sunshine, Miss C.I.T, hot-stuff . . . nothing she could recall was ever an insult. "I'm sorry for anything I called you."

Duncan smirked, but he wasn't satisfied. "Good girl, Princess. Now call me hot."

"Wait, what!?"

"You heard me, Princess," Duncan came close to Courtney's face. They were literally centimeters away from each others face.

"Get out of my face, Duncan," Courtney sneered, but didn't push him away. She didn't want to agitate him any, and besides, she secretly, deep down, liked him being so close. He felt . . . warm, and she felt protected, covered in goosebumps. She'd never tell him that, though. She couldn't, for the sake of her reputation. Good girls weren't suppose to like bad boys.

Duncan scoffed, but he stepped back. "Not something I'd expect from someone who doesn't wanna be splattered in paint, Princess."

Courtney looked over to Gwen and Bridgette for help, but they stood still. Smiles were plastered on both of their faces, knowing something Courtney didn't know. She glared, then looked back to Duncan. "What do you want, Duncan?"

"I want to get in your pants, Princess," Duncan's uni-brow wiggled, suggestively, "but I guess we can use baby steps."

"You really are a pig, Duncan," Courtney muttered, but sighed, "what is a baby step, what do I have to do?"

"Call me hot."

"You're hot," Courtney said quickly, and the small group of four gasped and laughed.

Gwen and Bridgette said in unison, "She actually said it!"

Courtney threw them death glares and they stopped. Duncan looked over towards his friends and said, "I'll take it from here, guys." Trent and Geoff nodded, respectively, and took Bridgette and Gwen along with them.

"Bridgette! Gwen! You both . . . so suck!" Courtney yelled after them through her teeth.

"Its okay, Courtney!" Bridgette called back and laughed a little.

After they were out of sight, Courtney looked back at Duncan. She sighed at his casual smirk. "I'll do anything you want, Duncan. Please just don't hit me." Courtney put her head down.

Duncan's smirk disappeared and was replaced with a frown. I can't believe she's giving up so easily . . . Wait! "Kiss me!" he blurted out into the silence.

Silence.

Suddenly, Courtney extended her leg, which came intact with Duncan's groin. "GAHH!" Duncan squealed and fell to the ground, bringing in his knees.

"How dare you even think that I would kiss you!" Courtney snarled at Duncan. "I mean, how stupid can you get! I am a damn C.I.T, for crying out loud! Why would I even want to touch a . . . a . . . you!?"

As Courtney went on, Duncan decided he wasn't going to listen to her yell at him. Even though he was still in pain, he managed to pull Courtney's ankle out from under her, causing her to land flat on her ass with a loud thud.

"Duncan, you jerk!" Courtney cried out and tried to push away his hand, which was still wrapped around Courtney's left ankle.

"You're gonna pay for what you did!" Duncan growled.

"Duncan, you-" Courtney stopped, mid-sentence as she realized that Duncan didn't have his paintball gun. She looked around, desperately. As Duncan noticed her expression change, he noticed he was empty-handed. He lied his head down and saw the paintball gun was feet away. Unfortunately for him, Courtney noticed as well. She jumped up and stepped forward, but again, Duncan grabbed her ankle.

Courtney fell on her face, the dirt filling her mouth. "DUNCAN!" she screamed as Duncan hopped up and jumped over her towards the paintball gun.

She's not ruining my fun just yet, Duncan thought, with a serious expression on his face. Courtney reacted by grabbing his ankle, as he did to her, and brought him down. Courtney jumped over him, which Duncan grabbed her ankle and she fell down. It seemed as if they were playing leap-frog. Finally, Courtney came in reach of the paintball gun and held it against her chest. Both Duncan and Courtney stood up.

"Ha!" Courtney called out, triumphantly, aiming the paintball gun at Duncan.

"Princess, before you, um, shoot, let me tell you that you might not like the outcome," Duncan said, calmly.

Courtney blinked. "Huh? Oh, screw it!" Courtney aimed again, and shot - or at least she thought. She pulled the trigger again and again, but nothing happened. "What's the matter with this thing!" Courtney called out in frustration, banging it again the tree.

"Its empty," Duncan pointed out, flatly.

Courtney stopped and dropped the paintball gun. Her head slowly turned towards Duncan as her death glare turned on full. "Excuse me?"

"Its empty. No more paint."

"DUNCAN, YOU JERK! You never told me it was empty!"

"You never asked," Duncan smirked.

"ARGGGH!" Courtney threw the gun at Duncan, but he dodged it. "You scared the crap outta me! I mean, I thought my clothes were gonna be - " Courtney finally realized that her clothes were stained - with mud and paint from when Courtney was under and on top of Duncan. "My clothes . . . "

Duncan's eyes widened. Oh, God, please don't cry!

"You did this," Courtney looked up from her clothes and on to Duncan. Her eyes were red.

"Princess - "

"You know how many damn hours I wasted on some stupids kids!?" Courtney screamed.

"Courtney - "

"A LOT, DUNCAN! A LOT!"

"Courtney, I can pay for new clothes, just please no waterworks!" Duncan put his hands out, as to grab Courtney, but she pulled away and turned away from Duncan.

"Yeah right. You probably wanted that."

"Want to see you cry?" Duncan asked in confusion, then he got a little angry. "Princess, never. I don't like it when a girl cries, but I hate it when you cry."

"Why?" Courtney whispered, her back still facing Duncan.

Ugh, I was hoping she wouldn't ask that, Duncan thought. "Because . . ."

"Why?" Courtney repeated.

"Just 'cause," Duncan got serious.

"'Cause why?" Courtney asked, annoyingly, impatient herself.

Duncan sighed. "Are you going to stop that?"

"When you tell me why."

Duncan didn't know what to say. "Because . . . " you'll get ultimate teasing, Duncan. From Courtney and her friends, and your friends. Don't say it, Duncan, she'll never let you forget it. "Because you're my princess." After he said that, he mentally kicked himself for sounding so cheesy.

Courtney was silent, so Duncan continued, "Okay, I call you Princess a lot, but I don't just say it because you're all prissy and girly and think highly of yourself. Its 'cause . . . I like you."

"I like you, too . . ."

"WHAT!? What did you say?" Duncan was in shock. Did he hear it right? He gently pulled Courtney's arm so she'd face him. Courtney's smile was revealed.

Duncan smiled. She hadn't smiled since he saw her.

"Say again, Princess?"

"Say what?"

"What you just said."

"I said nothing," Courtney whispered, but she was still smiling.

Duncan smiled back. He knew what he heard. "And I said nothing."

"I sure heard you."

"I sure heard you," Duncan retorted and smirked.

Courtney rolled her eyes. He's so bad, and not good for me. He's been in Juvi, and who knows what else. . . . But I really, kinda like him. I like his dangerous aroma, and his soft side. I like all of him. I can't help myself . . . Courtney's hand gently bumped into Duncan's hand, and he got the message.

He grabbed onto her hand. Goosebumps, for both of them.

"Get me out of here?" Courtney asked.

"Sure." Duncan held firmly on to Courtney's hand, hoping no one would see or shoot at them, and began leading her away. He decided to take off his paintball mask and place it onto Courtney. Just in case, he thought.

" . . . so, what about those clothes you promised?"

"I didn't promise you anything."

"Duncan!"

"Kidding, Princess. Kidding."

--

A/N: Awh, I like it when Duncan's shows his soft side. ;D
Hey, guys.
Sorry I took so long. :(
My Internet was being mean and decided to randomly disconnect numerous times throughout the day, and my mouse needs new batteries. Bleehhh.

I saw an episode of a cartoon involving paintball and got the idea for this.
I also remember paintball in TDI. What if Courtney and Duncan were on opposite teams, and Duncan was the hunter? ;)

I'd like to point out that in these one-shots, Courtney and Duncan's relationship won't always be the same.
Sometimes, she won't even know him.

Note: I like all the alerts & favorites, but I really like reviews.
C'mon.

PS: I'm horrible at chapter titles.