It bothers me how I've found almost no Paola Santiago fanfic bits across my three platforms so here we go-

And yeah, Paolte is the ship name I came up with for Paola and Dante

𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹

After Paola and Dante's 'little misadventure' in the cactus field, Señora Mata thought it would be a good idea for them to learn a bit of martial arts, just in case they didn't have a dagger or a magical shoe to protect themselves with.

Or, you know, a little demon puppy or an army of lost children.

Dante had taken a liking to the practice right away, but Pao held a bit more of distaste for it. Mostly because it was one of the few things Dante could beat her at.

Emma would've joined them, but her parents hadn't liked the idea.

Gone were the days when Pao and Dante would spend hours in his room playing video games. They still held their regular tournaments now and then, but more often, they would go out behind the apartment complex and spar. Paola was determined to beat him in at least one of these matches.

She was still working on that.

"Ready to get beaten again, Pao?" Dante called.

Pao smirked. "In your dreams."

Dante rolled his eyes. "You said that last time, and I still won."

Paola swiftly advanced and attacked him, and from there it was a violent but practiced sort of dance.

Dante kept throwing out suggestions and corrections at Pao, at which she rolled her eyes and attacked him with twice the determination as she'd had before.

Somewhere after a few minutes, Dante threw a punch, and Pao ducked, sweeping her leg out under him and catching him by surprise. Dante fell on his back onto the dusty ground, (Pao swore she heard an oof! from him) and she wasted no time pinning him there.

Her grin was triumphant. "I win!"

After the initial shock, Dante also developed a smile, although it was more sinister. Pao should've seen it coming when he suddenly flipped them over, placing himself on top.

He smirked. "Or did you?"

"Hey!" Pao squeaked, trying to squirm out. The fact that his face was so close to hers didn't help as her heartbeat raced and butterflies rose in her stomach.

Dumb oxytocin hormone levels, she thought to herself. She could feel the heat on her cheeks. Go away!

"What?" Dante asked innocently. "It's not my fault you're such a lightweight."

Pao really wanted to slap him or something, but her wrists were pinned down and no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't escape. So she settled for glaring daggers at him, but his stupid smirk was unrelenting.

"Sometimes I really don't like you," she muttered.

"What was that?" Dante asked, though Pao had no doubt that he'd heard her just fine.

"I said-" she struggled to get him off her in a new burst of fury. "Get off me!"

"Say it first," he said teasingly.

"Say what?" She glared at him again, knowing exactly what he wanted.

"Say I win," Dante said, the smirk still ever present. Slapping him was sounding better and better to Pao by the second.

"Fine," Pao groaned. "You win, for the sixteenth time in a row."

Yes, she'd been keeping count.

Dante leaned down, and before Pao could ask what he was doing, he swiftly kissed her on the cheek and got up off her.

Pao laid there frozen, staring at him as he dusted himself off.

He noticed her staring and grinned. "Well, are you gonna get up or what?"