Watching figures move around on an infrared screen was both fascinating and frustrating.  It was nigh on impossible to tell who was who in the glow of red that indicated patches of body heat and the residual warmth, or lack thereof, in the room.  Faces staring intently at the monitor, Luna, Yesung and Henry crowded behind Seunghyun who tolerated their combined presence with admirable patience and a hint of amusement.

                “Oh!  There’s Tao!” Luna pointed animatedly before jerking her hands back to her chest with an apologetic wince at the seated coms officer.

                “Eh?  How can you tell?” Yesung frowned, lip curling in annoyance when he couldn’t discern one from the other yet.

                Henry hummed to himself and pointed at the screen thoughtfully, drawing the elder male’s attention before Luna could respond.  “It’s the way he walks.  Sort of hunched forward and on the balls of his feet,” he smiled, miming the action in his spot, taking steps in the air without actually moving anywhere.

                “Exactly!” Luna beamed, bouncing in place before she quieted down and leaned closer again, eyes trained on the dark elf as he prowled around the other five figures in the room carefully.

                “Why are they doing this again?” Yesung asked scratching his head in puzzlement before he gasped, “Oh!  That one’s Siwon!  I’ll bet you anything that’s Jonghyun he just about ran into,” he snorted.

                “Or Amber,” Henry reminded him with a quick shrug.  “They are about the same height.”

                “Ouch,” Seunghyun commented dryly though an amused smirk tugged at his lips, visible only if they leaned forward to get a glimpse of his otherwise stoic and attentive expression.

                “It could be Sungmin,” Luna offered, glancing up at her companions before she returned to the screen, gasping in surprise when one of the figures moved swiftly and promptly decked another one, dropping them to the ground in a matter of seconds.

                “Oooohh,” Henry winced with the other two, hissing at the likely bruise that would incur.

                “There goes twinkle toes,” Seunghyun sighed, leaning forward to turn on the microphone so he could speak into the sectioned off shooting range.  “Joon’s down guys.  Time out while he gets out of your way.”

                “He’s not gonna be happy he was the first to go this time,” Luna cringed, scratching the side of her face.  “Oh!  They’re going again,” she clapped when the red heat signature disappeared from the room, leaving the other five in their positions.

                “Seriously though.  Why are they practicing like this?” Yesung asked again, annoyed no one had gotten back to him the first time.

                “Sungmin,” Seunghyun responded, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his body.

                “Oh boy.  Fearless Captain back to his ‘Be prepared for everything?’ training,” Yesung scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

                “You could say that,” Henry nodded, smiling at Luna who was silently cheering on Tao as he prowled around the other military members.  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you wanted them to lose,” he leaned in and murmured into her ear.

                Luna squeaked and stood up straighter, shaking her head in immediate disagreement.  “Not really, but he is outnumbered,” she pointed out.  “And he’s as blind as they are,” she added, recalling quite clearly how unnerving it had been to be lost in total darkness herself.

                “Look look!” Yesung pointed out, grabbing onto Henry’s arm as Tao engaged with another figure.  “Duck!  Dodge!  Do something!” he muttered, glaring at the screen when the as yet unknown member grappled with the dark elf, aided briefly by another figure before they all split apart in a flurry as the other two figures moved closer, apparently unsure how to assist or whom…

                Unarmed as they were, they were still allowed to speak but in the absence of light, it was incredibly difficult to orient oneself towards the believed direction of a target or ally.  “Siwon better move…” Seunghyun commented, leaning forward in preparation as Tao found his bearings first, prowling around the noisier soldiers with wary caution.

                “I think Sungmin’s got a bead on him though,” Henry murmured, patting Luna and Yesung’s shoulder excitedly.

                “Or not…” Yesung groaned when Siwon was pounced on, dropping him from behind while the blindfolded Tao scampered lightly to the side and launched himself into what was probably Amber.

                “Well, he does live in the dark,” Luna shrugged with a nervous glance at her companions.

                “Siwon and Amber are down,” Seunghyun announced in a neutral tone before he turned the mic off and swiveled around to look up at his observers.  “I think the Captain just likes being the last man standing here.  Aside from Tao.  But that’s just idle speculation,” he chuckled, spinning back around as if he hadn’t said anything.

                The trio behind him laughed and smiled at the statement and settled in to watch the rest of the practice session. As predicted, Tao managed to take out both Jonghyun and finally Sungmin at the very end, though the Captain did put up a decent struggle, both awkwardly exchanging practiced blows in the absence of sight.

                “Time to go then,” Henry chuckled, giving Luna a gentle shove while he tugged on Yesung’s sleeve to get the elder male to follow along.

                Behind them they heard Seunghyun announcing, “Lights are coming on in three… two… one…”  The warning was necessary for Tao who was hyper sensitive to the light unless he was in his human guise and in training sessions, he relied heavily upon his natural form; claws included.

                The entertained trio arrived as the other six were debriefing and discussing how things had gone.  A barefoot Tao with shaggy black hair that constantly fell into his eyes was pointing out the things that kept giving the others away.  “Your steps are too heavy with boots,” he pointed at Siwon, kneeling to tap on the heavy combat footwear he had insisted upon appearing with today.  “And you… jingle,” he added, brow furrowed while he searched Joon’s person for whatever had been rattling when the other male moved.

                “Oh damn,” Joon grumbled, picking at his dog tag necklace.  “It’s always something,” he sighed, blowing his bangs up gustily.

                Catching sight of them, Jonghyun grinned and waved the trio over.  “So!  How did it look from the outside?” he winked, leaning to the side as he nodded at the newcomers while Sungmin eased up enough to give them a single wave.

                “Red,” Yesung answered in his usual snarky manner.

                “It’s always hard to tell who’s who,” Luna explained, waving at Tao who looked up and smiled shyly back at her.  “Except for Tao,” she added, clasping her hands in front of her while she pursed her lips together, suddenly self-conscious.  “He moves different,” she explained, feeling her face starting to flush at the continued attention.

                “We’re starting to figure you guys out by the way you move and you’re easy to tell anytime anyone gets near you, Siwon,” Henry grinned, pointing at the taller male who shrugged with gloved hands, the fingers of the fabric missing.

                “I almost had him this time,” he just shrugged, clapping Tao’s slender shoulder firmly.

                “It was a good run,” Amber joined the conversation, slinging an arm over Jonghyun’s shoulder as she pretended to punch him in the ribs.  “Now if someone could tell friend from foe…” she teased, throwing another mock punch.

                “Hey!” he complained, reaching around to smack his fingers against her forehead.

                Amber squawked at the treatment and gave him an incredulous look until Joon between them, throwing his arms around both their shoulders.  “Now children…” he chided, flashing a cheeky grin.

                “Joon!” they both answered at the same time, hitting him in the ribs with their elbows in a mutually agreed upon gesture.

                “Ugh!” he groaned, falling over theatrically and curling up on the ground as if mortally wounded.  “I’m dying,” he gasped, writhing where he lay.

                “Hopeless,” Sungmin chuckled with a shake of his head as he glanced over at Tao and the rest of the civilians speculatively.

                “Come on, Joonie,” Siwon grinned, leaning down to bodily pick the ‘wounded’ male up and sling him over his shoulder.  “Let’s get some chow.  It’s almost lunch time anyway.”

                “Wonnie!” Joon complained loudly, propping his elbow against the broad back as he rested his chin on his fist, sighing in resignation.  Laughing at his predicament, Amber and Jonghyun hurried over to flank them, speaking across Siwon’s body in animated gestures.  Unable to resist, Joon used his free hand to swat Siwon in the rear before they’d cleared the door, the sharp sound followed quickly by his startled and indignant yelp.

                “Yah!  I will drop you,” he warned in a tone that was both serious and entertained.

                “So.  Are they getting better then?” Sungmin asked of Tao as the group departed, wincing when he heard another smack followed by an actual pained groan the next time around.  He never did learn…

                Tao nodded his head and chirped in agreement.  “Much better since the first time.”

                “It doesn’t look so hard,” Yesung scoffed with a gesture towards the shooting range.  It was the easiest place to use for such purposes and had next to nothing they’d have to move so setup was a breeze.  Plus, whoever was on duty could just turn the lights on or off as necessary and switch over to infrared to keep an eye on things in the absence of it.

                “That’s because you’ve never tried it,” Luna frowned at him, crossing her arms over her body.

                “That would be interesting to see how you’d fair against civilians though,” Sungmin pondered with interest.

                “Eh?” the other four glanced at the captain in obvious surprise.

                “Seriously?” Henry asked, eyeing Tao uncertainly.

                “Yes.  I have to wonder if Tao isn’t as good as he is because he’s on high alert with potentially hostile targets in the same room,” he shrugged.  “I don’t doubt you’d still be the last one standing, mind you,” he smiled with a nod towards the dark elf.  “But I must admit I’m curious if you would behave differently against untrained persons in a similar environment.”

                “I would not mind trying,” Tao nodded, giving the others a shy and disarming smile.  He ducked his head further when he looked at Luna who had both hands balled into fists in front of in nervous excitement.  She wasn’t a huge fan of the dark but she had to admit she was intrigued too.

                “You’re on,” Yesung pointed at the dark elf before pumping his fist once, up for the challenge.

                “Who knows?  Maybe it’ll be fun,” Henry agreed in amusement, giving his shoulders a shrug as he opted to go along with the direction he’d been pulled in.

                “Alright then.  I’ll head up to let Seunghyun know what’s going on.  Just try to act normal and try not to hurt them,” he added with a shake of his finger towards Tao.

                “I won’t,” he promised easily, bowing towards his newest soon to be opponents.

                “I don’t know if I’m scared or excited or both,” Luna admitted in a hurried whisper as she spoke while Sungmin was leaving.

                “You don’t have to be afraid, Luna.  I won’t hurt you,” Tao smiled at her, giving her shoulder a warm squeeze with his hand.

                “Well I hope the same could be said for us,” Henry interjected in amusement, watching the way Tao practically jumped as if he’d forgotten the other two were there.

                “Of course,” Tao spoke, removing his hand quickly so he could wave them after, padding on quiet feet towards the metal doors.  Henry, Luna and Yesung followed, the latter crowding closer to the other two the further they wandered into the room while Tao led them towards the open area beyond the shooting stalls.  “Over here.  Even when all the lights go out, there’s still a red dot up there,” he pointed towards the doorway, “so you can see where to go if you have to walk out.”

                “And at least there’s nothing to trip over,” Henry admitted with a relieved grin, noticing the targets had been removed so there was nothing in the area but empty space.

                “Yep, though I’ve heard the Captain mention he might be adding some for additional obstacles,” Luna nodded, jumping and grabbing hold of both Henry and Tao’s sleeves when the overhead speakers crackled.  “Sorry,” she whispered, prying her fingers loose and threading them together as the two laughed while they listened to Sungmin instead of Seunghyun.

                “Alright.  We’re going to be cutting the lights off shortly.  Go ahead and put on your blindfold, Tao,” he instructed, the receiver clicking when he cut his transmission short, giving the dark elf time to get adjusted.

                Pulling the dark cloth from his pocket, Tao made sure it was folded the way he wanted before he tied it around his forehead, ready to pull it into his eyes as needed. “Shh,” he placed his finger to his lips as he smiled at Luna, giving her a quick wink before he took several large steps back, setting up distance between them.

                “Good.  Now Luna.  Henry.  Yesung.  You’ll want to spread out away from each other and prepare yourselves.  It gets pretty dark when the lights first go off and you’ll have about thirty seconds to get used to it before Seunghyun will let you know when it’s time to move.  Understood?” he explained like it was completely routine.

                Well, maybe for him it was…  “Yep!” Luna chirped while Henry and Yesung echoed her agreement, glancing at Tao who simply gave a thumbs-up sign before giving them one final grin and pulling the blindfold down.

                “I think he’s up to something,” Yesung commented to Henry as he leaned over and spoke in a quiet voice, yelping when the lights suddenly went out.  “That’s not funny, Sungmin!” he scowled in the darkness, his voice echoing in the infinitely more intimidating space.

                “In fifteen seconds, you’ll hear a soft buzzer,” Seunghyun’s deep, calm voice emerged from the void, slightly burred from the transmission effect.  “We’ll be monitoring you from here and when one of you is downed, I will let you know.”

                Holding completely still with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, Luna blinked wide eyes in the murky darkness and strained to hear or see anything.  The only difference she was able to discern was the tiny red dot at the other end of the room and she was pretty sure she could hear Yesung muttering under his breath nearby.  Given the situation, it was hard to stifle a giggle of her own.  She wasn’t partial to the dark but she was almost one hundred percent certain that she had nothing to be afraid of here.  Especially because it was Tao.  That did prompt a giggle and she smacked her hand over , squeaking quietly, leaving her hand where it was when the buzzer sounded.

                A few seconds of relative silence passed and Luna took a couple tentative steps forward, hands swinging out stiffly before her.  She paused when she heard Yesung mutter, “This isn’t so bad.”

                “Shh,” Henry urged as nothing more than a disembodied voice.

                Luna took a quick breath when she could have sworn she felt a breeze as something whispered past her.  “Tao?” she hissed so softly she barely heard her own voice.

                “Yah!” two shrieks rent the darkness.

                “Henry!” Yesung yelled as the other male complained in a similar manner.

                “I wasn’t trying to step on your feet!” the younger male muttered, obviously distracted.

                “Guys!” Luna hissed, trying to get their attention without giving herself away.

                “Shh!”

                “This is my spot!”

                “Fine!  I’m going over here then.”  That had to be Henry.

                Blinking at the sudden silence, Luna frowned and wondered what they looked like from Sungmin’s vantage.  “Yah!  He touched me with his claws!” Yesung yelled, heavy footsteps pounding harshly against the metal floor as he panicked in the darkness.

                “Yesung!” Henry and Luna cried, taking a tentative step in the direction they thought his voice was coming from.

                “Oof!” he groaned, the sound muted but not hurt.

                “Tao.  You’re not supposed to take your blindfold off,” Sungmin chided over the speaker.

                “I didn’t want him to get hurt,” Tao explained easily.  “Come on, Yesung.  I will help you,” he urged, obviously giving the other male a guiding hand.

                Yesung shuddered but didn’t complain.  “Ugh!  You’re so creepy when I can’t see you,” he bemoaned, the light from the door opening and closing revealing where Henry and Luna were as well as Tao who had already slipped his blindfold back in place.

                Was time supposed to pass this slow when you couldn’t see or hear anything?  Luna didn’t know but she could hardly hear her feet as she inched forward and was infinitely more aware of her heart pounding loudly in her ears.  Waving blindly again, she searched her immediate vicinity by feel, positive she looked foolish.  “Henry?” she asked after another few seconds had passed, freezing with another quiet squeak in the back of as a chill ran up her spine.  “Tao?” she hissed in a breathless voice.

                “Found ya!” Tao laughed, his announcement followed immediately by a piercing cry from Henry who at least didn’t or couldn’t run.

                “Oh my god,” he gasped, laughing with mild hysteria.  “You about gave me a heart attack,” he breathed, both relieved and shaken.

                “Sorry,” Tao giggled, clearly not.

                “Alright Henry.  Head for the red dot.  See it?” Seunghyun announced calmly.

                “Neh.  I’m going.  Good luck, Luna!” he encouraged, still somewhat breathless.

                “Thanks, Henry,” she answered, blinking in the direction of the red dot and then wincing when the door opened to let her friend out.  It was incredibly bright in comparison to the total darkness she experienced when it closed again though.  Being the only one left in the room with Tao was both exciting and somewhat scary, but not in a bad way.  She bit her bottom lip nervously and turned around in a small circle, wondering why he hadn’t found her first.  Well, she hadn’t been quite as loud as them but she had thought he’d passed right by her.  At least it felt that way.

                He hadn’t planned it this way, had he?  Oh!  What if he had?  She scowled at the thought which quickly melted into one of tentative happiness.  It wasn’t the ideal situation by any means and she couldn’t see anything at all but it was just her… and Tao… in a room together.  Contrived or not, it was still true.

                “Is that your heartbeat?” a quiet voice whispered nearby, making her gasp.

                Luna took a quick step away, not sure if she was heading towards him or away from him, and flushed.  Could he seriously hear her heartbeat?  Thinking about it made her pulse increase and she was rather glad the lights weren’t on to reveal her blushing.  “No,” she shot back in a quiet whisper, curious if Sungmin or Seunghyun could hear their vocals or if they’d need to project.

                “I think it is, Luna,” he replied, his voice a mere whisper of sound.  She pouted at his response and then blinked when he asked her, “Can you find me?”  His quiet voice shifted around her, changing fluidly though she couldn’t hear his footsteps.

                “You’re toying with me,” she remarked in amused disbelief, still keeping her voice low.

                “Am I?” he smiled back, the expression obvious in his tone.

                “Ugh,” she huffed, determinedly taking a step in the direction she thought he was in.

                “That’s right,” he encouraged, now on the other side of her.

                “Tao…” she grumbled, taking another step after him.  When he didn’t say anything back, her brow furrowed and she blinked curiously.  “Tao?”  Another step into the darkness, her foot landing softly with rubber meeting metal in a quiet scuff.  “Tao,” she called in a low singsong tone this time, hands swaying in the space in front of her.

                “Here,” he whispered as if right beside her.

                Luna gasped and whirled around, her hands dragging across his body so that she gripped at his shirt reflexively.  “Found you!” she grinned in exultation, even if he had led her right to him.

                “Oh?” he murmured smugly before she felt his fingers under her chin, tilting her face up as his other hand pressed into the curve of her spine, drawing her against his body with her hands trapped between them.  Luna inhaled softly before she felt gentle lips capture hers in a tender kiss, eyelids fluttering from the exchange that was unexpected, breathtaking and utterly intoxicating.

                Lacking the ability to see, it seemed as if her sense of touch was heightened, making the heat of his body against hers warmer; the pressure of his fingers against her back firmer; and the feel of his lips moving carefully against hers electric as shivers traveled up and down her spine.  She sighed softly into the kiss, closing her eyes as she relaxed against him, hands sliding up his chest to rest on the tops of his shoulders, content to enjoy the sensation.

                “That’s cheating you know,” Seunghyun commented dryly over the coms, startling the pair so that they jumped apart, flinching from the lights returning without warning.

                “Oww…” Tao groaned, clapping his hands over his eyes as he struggled to transform back into his human guise, lacking the protective cover of the blindfold since he’d apparently pulled it up at some point during the exercise.

                Flushing hard, Luna alternated between fanning herself and trying to rub the spots out of her vision.  “Well then.  Um…” she spoke, not sure what to say, completely and pleasantly flustered.

                “I was going to say Luna won that round, but now I’m not so sure,” the coms officer chuckled, turning off the receiver with a definite click.

                “Luna?” Tao asked, ducking his head to glance at her from under long lashes, his human guise back in place while he played with his fingers in front of him.  When she turned to focus on him, he went on, “Are you mad at me?”

                Luna blinked in surprise, taken aback by the question.  “Wha…?  I’m…  Why…?  No!” she finally managed to get out, flustered and utterly incapable of giving a coherent response, but she was certainly not mad.  Giddy was a closer approximation, even if Seunghyun had been privy to the exchange.  Her face flushed further when she thought about whom else might have been looking in.

                Tao just blinked at her, confused by the mixed signals.  “Are you alright?”

                Finally, she just bit her lip and nodded, stepping close to grab his hand in hers.  “Ah huh,” she chirped at him, finally getting a hold of her embarrassment.  “But next time, no peeking,” she pointed at him with her index finger, expression serious for all of half a second before she grinned again, catching him up completely in her bubbly happiness.

                “Neh,” he agreed with a shy smile, ducking his head to walk beside her as they headed for the door, their fingers still lightly threaded together.

(a/n: So I'm finally back with something fluffy.  Ugh!  Took me way too long to figure out what I wanted to write for these guys.  >.>  Sorry for the delay but I hope it was enjoyable and I'll see what I can do in the meantime for any other oneshots!  Thanks  for reading!  <3)