Sneaky Business — Tala X Julia

The clang of blades filled the air as the bladers took over the training room. Tala had just finished his friendly battle with his final Novae Rog attack, against Julia, who stood opposite him, arms crossed, pretending to pout.

Tala smirked. "Good match."

Julia rolled her eyes but smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Good job." Then, without warning, she gave him a sly wink.

Tala's brows twitched upward, a hint of amusement glinting in his lavender eyes. Julia's boldness was nothing new, but today, the spark behind it was a little… sharper.

Julia casually scanned the room. Tyson and Daichi were wrestling on the floor like toddlers, Hilary asking both of them to stop, about to burst. Max and Ray were cleaning their blades. Kenny was buried in his laptop, talking stats with Emily and Mariah. Spencer and Bryan were arguing over who broke whose parts during yesterday's match. And Kai was nowhere to be found, as usual.

Perfect.

Julia tilted her head toward the hallway, barely lifting a finger, subtly beckoning Tala to follow. Without hesitation, Tala trailed after her, calm as ever, hands shoved into his pockets like he wasn't about to commit something far more mischievous than just checking the hallways.

They found themselves in a rarely-used corner of the house, tucked behind a wall near the back door. Dimly lit, quiet, and secluded. The kind of place where they'd been before—but this time, something in the air was different.

Before Julia could even turn fully, Tala had her backed against the wall, one arm beside her head, caging her.

Julia blinked. "Took you long enough."

Tala's lips twitched. "I walk at my own pace."

"Oh yeah?" she challenged, smirking.

Tala leaned in, voice dropping low. "You always this reckless, princess?"

Julia's heart skipped. "Reckless? I'd call it resourceful."

"You dragged me out here like you planned this."

She shrugged, playful as ever. "Maybe I did."

Tala chuckled darkly. "Not just a pretty face, huh?"

Before she could shoot back another snarky remark, Tala dipped in, his lips barely brushing against hers, testing. Julia gripped his jacket collar and pulled him fully in.

Their lips collided with heat. What started slow quickly escalated, the tension snapping like a stretched wire. Tala's hand slid down her waist without permission, settling firmly on her hip, pressing her tighter against the wall. Julia's fingers tangled into his hair, pulling softly, eliciting a low groan from him.

"You've been teasing me for days," Tala murmured between kisses, eyes half-lidded. "Was that your plan?"

Julia grinned against his lips. "Maybe I like getting reactions out of you."

Tala's free hand didn't hesitate to explore lower, resting with practiced ease on a spot that was definitely not appropriate for casual contact. Julia gasped but didn't pull away—in fact, she bit his lower lip in return.

"Careful," Tala warned, pressing his thigh between her legs without shame. "You're playing with fire."

Julia, cheeks flushed, smirked. "Maybe I like the heat."

Their kisses turned hungrier. Tala tilted her head to the side, lips trailing to her neck, where he nipped lightly. Julia shivered, gripping tighter onto him as his hand sneaked beneath the hem of her shirt, fingers brushing teasingly against the bare skin of her waist.

Her breath hitched. "Tala…"

"Say it," he dared, eyes glinting.

Julia's answer came in the form of pulling him impossibly closer, lips crashing into his again. His hand slid up her spine while the other firmly cupped the back of her thigh, raising it slightly against him. Julia arched instinctively, letting him press deeper.

Their bodies molded together, heat radiating between them, breaths mingling. Julia's mind spun—this was way past their usual flirting. This was dangerous, intoxicating, and thrilling.

Tala's lips returned to her neck, leaving a heated trail of kisses, each one lower than the last. Julia's fingers gripped his shoulders like a lifeline, but neither of them planned to stop.

Then—

"...You two done yet?"

The deadpan voice cut through the haze like cold water.

Both Tala and Julia froze mid-make-out. Slowly, like a bad horror movie, they turned their heads only to see Kai standing with his arms crossed, mauve eyes staring blankly at them.

Julia's face turned crimson. Tala blinked twice, genuinely surprised.

Kai raised a brow. "In the middle of the house? Like horny teenagers?"

The silence was deafening. No witty retorts. No smooth recoveries.

Kai sighed, brushing past them to pick up a water bottle like he'd just caught someone leaving dishes in the sink. "At least pick a room with a door next time."

Julia's jaw dropped. Tala blinked again. Was that… advice?

Before either of them could respond, Kai was gone, leaving them to simmer in mutual shock.

Julia clutched Tala's jacket. "Did… did Kai just—?"

"Yeah."

"…Advise us?"

"Yeah."

Julia covered her face with both hands. "I'm going to combust."

Tala, still recovering from the absurdity, sighed heavily. "Only Kai can do this."

But when their eyes met, Julia couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. Tala's serious expression cracked into a small smirk. Slowly, deliberately, he stepped back into her space.

Julia peeked through her fingers. "You're not seriously—"

Tala cut her off with another searing kiss, rougher this time, as if making up for the ridiculous interruption. His hands returned to their wandering, gripping her ass and pulling her flush against him again.

Julia gasped but melted instantly, fingers tugging his hair as they deepened the kiss.

"Someone could still walk in," Julia whispered breathlessly, though she wasn't exactly resisting.

Tala kissed the corner of her mouth, trailing down her jaw. "Then let them."

Her breath hitched.

He kissed her again, slower this time, savoring, until they were both breathless once more.

When they finally pulled apart for real, Julia's lips were swollen, Tala's breathing uneven.

Julia, still flustered, muttered, "We're idiots."

Tala smirked. "Maybe. But I don't hear you complaining."

Julia grinned, cheeks blazing, but said nothing as they quietly snuck back into the main hall like nothing happened.

Little did they know, Kai wasn't the only one who noticed.

From the far side of the room, Bryan, sitting with crossed arms, narrowed his eyes. "Tch. About damn time."

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(End)

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Sooooo how do clever y'all think Tala and Julia being sneaky was? I think it's not very clever, lmk what you think in the reviews XD