Hide and Peek: Second in the Chronicles of Soaked

Hide and Peek: Part II

Finders Keepers



Tseng woke up to the buzz of his phone alerting him to a text. Who the hell is texting me at this hour? Grumbling quietly to himself, the Wutaian man realized he didn't even know when he'd fallen asleep. He hadn't had the energy to look for his puppy, but the intent had been to stay awake until he returned. Obviously, that hadn't happened. So the TURK opened his phone and read the message.

The bell for the first round has rung. Finders keepers.

The Wutaian man was understandably perplexed. What is Zack thinking? What is the point of these games? But he was a TURK--and he'd been challenged. TURKs only ever backed down if they were looking for a weaker spot to target.

Rising, Tseng dressed and started looking for his puppy, phone in his pocket.

---

Zack Fair was infinitely grateful for both his SOLDIER senses* and the tech Reno had lent him. It made this a mostly one-sided game, and that was exactly what he wanted. Tseng wouldn't know what had hit him--okay, that was a lie, he'd figure that out pretty damn quick, along with just who had hit him. But he wouldn't be prepared for it.

The puppy slid over the nearest hallway via vent, more pleased than ever before about everything required to pull off the intricate pranks Reno's sly side so enjoyed. It wasn't a challenge to move soundlessly over naturally creaky metal, though only because his redheaded pranking partner had spent days drilling the technique into him. So he slithered to where he wanted to go, checked the cameras to see his raven-haired lover heading exactly where he'd predicted, and settled his back to the wall a little ways away from the door. When the doorknob clicked softly as the TURK turned the handle, Zack waited until he could tell where the Wutaian man held his upper half by the angle of his elbow, then struck.

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The first thing Tseng saw when he opened the door was an empty room. This was disappointing because surely his puppy would realize that the cameras would tell him exactly where the SOLDIER was at any given time.

The second thing he noticed was a blur, heading in his direction, and a strange buzzing sound.

Then the impact hit, electricity jolted, and Tseng swore in his mind even as he sank to the ground. Damn! Now I know what happened to one of Reno's missing EMRs....

---

Zack lowered the EMR and turned it off again. Smiling grimly, he hoisted the fallen TURK--and took him right back to the bedroom. He fussed with getting his lover tied just right, pulled out a set of toys and some lube, and went to a much more fun kind of work than killing monsters.

---

A groan made its way to Tseng's ears. It took a second for him to realize it was him making the noise. He coughed once, breath lodging in his throat as he stopped the sound. What in Leviathan's name? The raven-haired TURK frowned minutely, unsure why he was bound.

There was a sign hanging up between the bed posts closest to him. His neck twinged as he glanced upward, sending a tingle of electricity through his spine again. That's right. He.... Why the hell would Zack knock me out with an EMR? But his eyes focused on the sign. It was a scoreboard.



Zack: 1

Tseng: 0



Underneath the score were the words, If you figure out why I'm doing this before I tell you, I'll cede the win. If you don't...well, finders keepers.

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*Well they're not spidey senses. XD