/JADE/
"Eat lead, you pathetic human!" I holler loudly, holding my finger down on the trigger.
"Jade? Hey! You're supposed to be aiming for the zombies!" I snort and swing my plastic gun around, getting a head shot at a fat hot dog vendor.
"We're losing accuracy points because of you!"
"Well I'm having fun." I smirk, watching a woman hit the floor and get dragged away. "I'm creating bait while we escape. It's a genius plan really."
"Hit that guy! Hit that guy! No - not him!" Tori growls and tries to wrestle my gun from me. "He had a wife!"
"Not anymore."
I laugh maniacally, pumping the barrel of my shotgun as I blasted human after human which got in my way. Even though she was grimacing and complaining, I could tell Tori was secretly enjoying herself by the way the corners of her lips were twitching.
"Fat zombie! There's a fat zombie getting away in the limo!" I turn my attention back to the game as Tori yelps, pushing her aside to take my aim. "We gotta help the driver!"
"Don't worry. I'll help him."
"Jade! ...You weren't supposed to shoot him!" She wails and I smirk, shoving the toy gun back into the holder.
"Hey, I never said I'd help in a good way."
"You're unbelievable." She gives me a little shove, our individual scores tallying up on the board. I burst out laughing.
"Tori, your shot accuracy rate is 44 percent. 44 percent. What were you aiming at? Trees?"
"Hey! At least I wasn't aiming at civilians!"
"Obvious zombie logic: You kill everyone and then there's less chance of them turning into zombies."
"But then there's no survivors! There's no around!"
"Even better."
Tori grumbles and pushes her gun back in the strap, a little pout on her lips. I'm suddenly tempted to kiss it away, barely resisting the urge to press her up against the slot machines and shake them until all of the coins dropped out. She must know what I'm thinking because her tongue is absently tracing her bottom lip, a hand reaching out to wrap around my wrist...
"C'mon I saw a crane machine over this way!"
I roll my eyes. "Ugh. Crane machines are a total rip off. You know the claw is programmed to grab on every one hundred or so tries. So some sucker might get lucky and then get addicted. It's psychological. " Tori ignores me, tugging us both over to the largest machine in the arcade, the claw itself was giant but I knew that despite it's inviting size, it wouldn't grab anything.
"But look at all the prizes, Jade! We could win a giant bear, or a panda, or a big fluffy bunny-"
That got my attention.
"Bunny? Move." I shove her out of the way and draw out a handful of quarters, pumping them into the machine without noticing how much I was actually spending. The tries totaled up to an impressive sixteen. Sixteen tries for a bunny. I knew Tori was grinning at me, she probably thought it was adorable. I'd have to warn her of the consequences if she ever told anybody about this moment - after I'd won my bunny of course.
"I thought you said crane machines were a total rip off?"
"Shut up. I'm concentrating."
"Someone wants a bunnyyy..." I hear Vega sing song right next to my ear.
"I said quiet. Or I'll stuff your head in a slot machine and pull the lever."
Tori shuts herself up quickly, but the stupid grin is still on her face. We'd barely spent a whole official month together and I was sure my ability to actually intimidate her had shrunk considerably. But I didn't care. I could be myself around Tori and yes, I'm aware that is one of the most awful, cliched lines to use but I meant it. I had no other way to explain it. I hadn't completely neglected my defenses, but I wasn't exhausting myself by holding up the walls.
We both watch the claw maneuver and clunk around behind the glass, barely trying to grip so much as a fluffy tail.
"You're so cute when you're concentrating." She leans in to peck my cheek. I'm thankful it's dark to hide my blush.
"I don't care how long we have to stay here. I want a bunny." I toggle the crane over an inch and hit the button.
Tori's pressed so close to the machine that her nose is squished against it, her excited breath fogging up the glass.
"Oh my God - Jade. Jade. I don't wanna jinx it but the claw has the bunny." Tori is instantly by my side, her whole body frozen, afraid that if she moved it would affect the crane. I hold my breath, nails digging into my palm in pure hope.
The claw was making it's way back to us, the big bunny swinging precariously in it's grip.
I watch the claw arms shuddering, struggling to let go, wanting to deny me of my prize...
Tori jumps before I do, punching her fist in the air. "Yes! Yes! You got it, baby!" She claps and jumps around in excitement, crouching down to pull the humongous prize out of the machine. The alarms are sounding off in victory and I can see the staff members looking over and judging us, but I didn't care. I knew I'd remember this moment whenever I needed to feel happy.
Tori can't stop smiling and neither can I, both of us cuddling the large ball of fluff like proud, protective mothers. I'm still grinning like an idiot when Tori's lips press against mine, the bunny squashed between our bodies. I feel her arms wrap around my waist and I deepen the kiss, the rattling and pinging of the arcade games instantly fading away.
I moan quietly, Tori's fingers working their way into my hair and my hands slip down to grab her by the waist. It's difficult to move around with the giant bunny and our kisses soon turn into laughter, almost playfully wrestling each other until Tori pulls the bunny away to sit him on a machine.
"Let's put Benji up here."
I pause. "Benji?"
"Yeah...uh, Benjamin Bunny. Benji for short."
"You're such a dork." I mutter and she grins, now able to fully wrap me up in her arms for a proper kiss.
"Oh my God. You were right, Kenzie! Vega is a dyke!"
"See? I told you so. I knew those rumors were true!"
Tori hears the voices before I do, breaking away from my lips so fast I was sure she'd have whiplash. I switch my focus to glare at the two ganks. An obnoxious blonde and her less attractive looking sidekick. They couldn't have been older than 17.
"I always knew she was a queer and there's the proof! She was kissing some goth girl!"
"Gross!" They both giggle and I take a menacing step forward, hatred burning in my eyes.
So these were the pathetic weasels that used to torment Tori at Sherwood.
"I wish hadn't just eaten because I think I'm gonna be sick." The blonde drawls and I have the instant desire to cut her tongue out. My fingers twitch for my scissors, spying a security guard moving in from the sidelines.
"Disgusting!" The blonde sneers and links arms with her friend, walking off with her head held high in the air. I was sure if I threw my scissors, it would at least take a good chunk out of her scalp.
"Fuck you both." I spit acid and turn back around, but the place where Tori had been standing was now empty and a pit of dread fills my stomach.
"Oh no, baby..."
A/N: Just a little tease of Tori's back story and protective!Jade. Tori's run away and Jade has to find her quickly because now Tori's the one whose battling with her inner emotions and the past. R&R (+Bonus: add your crane machine stories)I once won two stuffed animals at the same time.
True story.