Up was glad that X702 had agreed to his request for extra gym time. Now, at 9:20 every night Up could go have some alone time at the gym.
Up abandoned his guards at the door and turned the corner into the training room. Up was surprised yet happy that Taz was here, too.
"What're you doin' here?" Up asked. Taz jumped out of her skin.
"No hagas eso!" Taz cried. Up chuckled at her. "And X702 gave me this extra gym time. Y tu? Why are jou here?"
"Same thing as you, I guess," Up said.
Taz sighed. "As long as I've got jou here," she said. Up didn't know what she was going at, but he had a feeling that he didn't want to find out.
Up was right.
Taz launched herself into an attack, which caught Up by surprise. He fell back onto his butt as Taz laughed at him.
Up grunted and jumped back up, but not before taking a swipe at Taz's shins. Taz jumped over them easily. Taz kicked Up square in the chest, but this time Up was ready. He responded by colliding his fist with her jaw. Taz winced painfully, but it didn't faze her. She sent a string of hits to Up's torso, treating him as though he were a punching bag. He grabbed her fists, which fit perfectly into Up's hands, and twisted them behind her back. Taz was left pinned against Up's front side.
Up bent down and whispered into her ear, "Give up?"
"Nunca," Taz growled playfully. She dug the heel of her combat boot into Up's shin and spun out of his grasp. Up decided to play dirty and jumped over to the large barrel that held the foam bats. Up grabbed one of the bats and swung at Taz. She walked right into the moving piece of foam. The force knocked Taz backwards onto the floor. "Juegas sucio," Taz said.
She stole a foam bat as well and hit Up's rib. Up pushed his bat out to repel Taz. It quickly turned into one of the old-fashioned duels that the other rangers used to compete in back in the Academy. It was a favorite pastime of theirs to bet on who'd win, back then.
Up had only participated in those duels once, and that was against a puny little second year. Up crushed him easily, and it hadn't required much skill with the sword. But Taz, on the other hand, was even more skilled with the bat than she was at hand-to-hand combat.
Taz sent a series of hits to Up, and knocked him down to the floor once again. In a final attempt at victory, Up kicked Taz's ankles and sent her flailing down on top of him. She hit his chest with a thud.
"Yo gano," Taz smirked.
Up couldn't help but notice the close proximity of Taz. She smelled of honey-almond and sweat. Up somehow found the smell attractive. It showed that Taz wasn't afraid to kick some ass.
Up let the foam bat roll away from him, and he couldn't stop his hands from snaking around Taz's petite waist. Taz didn't seem to mind at all. She moved her hands to Up's chest and used them to support herself from falling flat.
Up smirked. He locked his ankles around Taz's and rolled them both over so that Taz was the one on bottom. "Oh, really?" Up asked playfully. Taz stuck her tongue out at him.
Up didn't want to ever move. He liked the feel of Taz's calloused skin against his own.
Up dropped his head down so that it laid next to Taz's. His face was buried in Taz's hair. It was soft beyond belief.
Taz's hands were resting loosely around Up's neck. She was content to never move again.
Up lost track of time in Taz's arms. He didn't know if they'd been laying there for a minute or for twenty. He didn't care, as long as it lasted longer.
Taz started to make slow circles with her fingertips on Up's back; it gave Up the chills.
"Can jou believe that it has been two months?" Taz whispered. Up was startled by that news. Had it really been two months already? "The trial is coming closer and closer by the minute."
Up knew he would regret it, but he pushed himself up out of Taz's hold on him so that his face was directly on top hers. "You gotta stop countin' the days, Taz. You're just working yourself up."
Taz huffed in frustration. She knew Up was right. "I know," she mumbled.
Taz fell silent, so Up decided to return to his previous position.
Up laughed to himself. So much for extra workout time, he thought.
Up closed his eyes; he really was tired. He hadn't slept much during their stay at X702. The place didn't settle well with him. Probably because it was a prison.
Up didn't think he would fall asleep, but his body had other plans. He heard Taz's breathing slow, meaning that she was asleep as well. The steady pattern of her chest rising and falling gently rocked Up to sleep.
Taz opened her eyes groggily. She felt a heavy, warm presence pinning her to the ground. Taz was startled to see Up laying on top of her, but then remembered what had happened before they fell asleep. Taz then realized that they were still in the training room. Why hadn't the guards come and got them when their session was over? Taz thought.
She turned and looked over at the digital clock on the far wall. 2:10, it read. They should've left over 3 hours ago. Taz wondered what had happened.
She gently shook Up's shoulders until he started to regain consciousness. "Wha'?" Up croaked.
"Levántate," Taz said. Up took notice quickly that he had been sleeping on top of Taz.
Up rolled to the side, freeing Taz. "Why're we still here?" he asked.
"I was wondering the same thing," Taz admitted. She crept over to the door to find out where the guards were.
Taz scoffed at their incompetence; they were asleep on the floor, like los bebés.
"Idiotas," Taz muttered. Up laughed.
"For the highest security prison the Galactic League has to offer, these guards sure do suck," Up said.
Taz couldn't agree more.
Up walked down a corridor in the back of the training room. Taz followed at his heels.
They could feel the heat before they saw it's source. It was a pleasant surprise to see the large hot tub in the middle of an otherwise empty room. Taz assumed the hot tub's purpose was to relax tense muscles.
"Shall we?" Up bowed like a faux-gentleman.
Taz chucked. "Sure."
Up pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. Taz pulled off her uniform's sweatshirt so that she only had on a dark tank top. Her and Up removed their shoes and socks. All they had on was their standard-issue gym shorts and a tank top for Taz.
Taz was the first to take a step in the tub. It felt good against her sore muscles. She settled in on the bench, and Up took a seat next to her. Taz leaned against Up's shoulder.
Up liked the feeling of Taz against him.
Up put his arm around her to pull her closer.
It didn't take long for Taz to fall back asleep. Up smiled and ruffled her hair. He decided to let her sleep while she could; Taz needed it.
A/N: I decided that I needed to get a post out on Lauren Lopez's birthday :) So HAAAAPPPPYYY BIRTHHHDAYYY LAURENNNNN!—on another note: midnight premiere of The Hunger Games movie ticket: purchased. Who else is going to witness the epicness?
Kateword