Close and Personal

"Ahhh…"

"Huhh…"

Nyx's breathing is heavy.

Her cheeks are flushed.

A drop of sweat rolls down her beautiful face.

Her eyes are glowing—focused on the person in front of her:

Noctis.

He can hear her heart beating at a rhythm faster than normal.

From that distance—just a meter away—he can even feel the breath coming from her mouth:

A mix of the fruity wine they drank so much of… and her own natural sweetness.

He can't help but be drawn to it, drawn to Nyx.

And it's in a way different than with Clara.

With Clara, he shares a powerful bond—pure feelings of affection, gratitude, and love.

With Nyx, on the other hand, he doesn't feel that same love. But of course, he can sense her friendship and gratitude.

Yet, what he sees most in Nyx's eyes is curiosity and mystery. Curiosity about him, and mystery about herself.

While Clara is as clear as crystal water, always expressing her emotions with cursing and dramatic flair—Nyx is enigmatic and subtle.

Even now, Noct doesn't fully understand the light in Nyx's eyes.

Anticipation? Curiosity? Excitement?

She wants to fight him—that's obvious.

But what does she expect from it?

"Come on, Noct."

Nyx leans slightly forward in front of him, arms raised in a fighting stance, her legs apart, ready to react.

But Noct stands there—rigid as a board, only his eyes moving, following Nyx's motions as she slowly circles around him on the mat.

Nyx doesn't look disappointed—instead, she smiles provocatively.

"Don't stay on the defensive now."

"Come on, I thought you were the kind of guy who takes the initiative…"

Noct keeps tracking Nyx's movements, and he has to turn his head slightly when she reaches his flank.

Her eyes are also on his body, analyzing every inch with visible curiosity.

The light in her eyes grows brighter, her lips curving more and more into gorgeous smiles.

A question keeps flashing through Noct's mind over and over:

Is she flirting with him?

The fact that he's not sure only makes it more interesting—makes her more interesting.

Nyx is clearly very interested in him, but is it just because of his strange nature?

If she were some old man with a dissection knife in a lab, he wouldn't find the situation even slightly appealing.

But since she carries her own kind of charm and intrigue, it feels fair enough—even if her interest is purely scientific.

"What are you thinking about so much?"

Nyx has circled Noct completely and now stands in front of him again.

"I'm right here, in front of you, waiting for you to do something and surprise me…"

"…"

"Maybe you're not understanding me, after all…"

He shows her his open hands and smiles—a confident, provocative smile.

"Oh?" She raises an eyebrow with curiosity.

"So you want me to start?"

"…"

He nods slightly.

Nyx laughs.

"Don't tell me this is some kind of male honor code?"

Before he can say anything, she shakes her head with a mock-disappointed expression.

"In the end, you're not so different from other men after all…"

Noct is confused. He thinks her disappointed expression is fake—but it changes so quickly, so subtly, he can't be sure of anything.

Nyx can't hide her teasing smile as she sees his confused expression.

She stretches one leg back and presses the front of her foot against the mat—a perfect stance to launch a powerful strike.

"If you're not going to start…"

Nyx's smile grows even wider, revealing her canines like a beast about to strike.

"Then I will!"

Nyx pulls her leg back with force and launches it toward Noct's head.

A high kick—superhuman speed.

Shooosh

Noct is surprised—Nyx can see it in his eyes, almost wide with shock.

Her smile grows in that half-second—so does his.

But his reaction is just as fast.

Whoosh

Bam

Noct easily catches Nyx's foot just a centimeter from his face.

He barely moves.

Just stands there.

So cool.

Smiling at Nyx— surprised by the strength of her kick.

Her beautiful, delicate leg—almost as strong as Javier's arm, which is three times thicker than Nyx's leg.

How? How can she be this strong and still so small?

Noct's eyes glow as he stares at her, clearly impressed.

Nyx's smile grows even more proud.

She also stays perfectly composed, even with one leg stretched to its limit and only her toes of the other foot keeping her balanced on the floor.

She looks like a kind of ballerina now—beautiful, radiant.

"Haha~!" she giggles.

"Surprised, big guy?"

Noct likes Nyx's confident posture.

He nods. "You're strong."

"You're stronger!" she replies excitedly.

Noct can see the admiration in Nyx's eyes—but it doesn't look like she's anywhere near done.

As if reading his mind, she smirks. "But we're just getting started."

As soon as she says it, her eyes light up and she uses her grounded foot to launch herself upward.

He's still holding one of her legs—but she uses that as leverage to start another airborne kick with her other leg.

Again, aimed straight at his head—with incredible power and speed.

What's the point of the gloves if she's kicking him in the face?

Noct finds that ironic, but he can't help but admire Nyx even more for her strength and boldness.

She's only attacking him this fiercely because she knows he can take her hits.

So he starts giving her more credit, too.

He releases her first leg and raises his arms to defend against the second high kick.

The gloves help—Nyx's strike is cushioned by the dense padding.

Bam!

But Noct still feels the raw force behind her kick exploding against his body with pinpoint precision.

Her strength really is comparable to Javier's—a brute with the strength of five average grown men.

That kick would have sent any normal person flying several meters back.

But not Noct.

He feels even more powerful after the full meal at the mess hall, his muscles pulsing with infinite energy.

Thud

He blocks the second blow again—almost without moving.

Cool as a mountain.

Nyx feels like she's kicking solid iron, and all the force she used rebounds through her own body.

But she reacts fast—using that force to flip herself backward in the air.

She spins in the air like an Olympic gymnast and lands on the ground in a low stance, knees bent, one hand touching the tatami.

She lifts her face and looks directly into Noct's eyes.

Her wild, excited smile is beautiful.

He's smiling too—like a predator—with just a glint of affection in the corner of his eyes.

"You're fast!" she praises.

"You t—" He tries to return the compliment.

But she doesn't let him, acting quickly.

Once again, Nyx launches a high kick.

Noct is already prepared and simply leans his upper body backward.

Just a centimeter—and Nyx's foot whooshes right past the tip of his nose.

He doesn't grab her this time, and she doesn't give him the chance—twisting her body and dropping low at the same time.

Shoosh

She sweeps her leg gracefully along the tatami—a low strike, a sweeping kick.

Nyx's movements are fast, precise, built for maximum efficiency.

Yet, they're so… graceful!

But Noct doesn't even seem to try. He simply lifts the leg Nyx is aiming at—just a few centimeters—to dodge the attack completely.

"Heh~!" Nyx's smile shines even brighter.

The effortless, cool way Noct dodges her strikes reminds her of how she fights the other crew members of the Safira.

All of them feel like children compared to her in a match.

But now she feels like the child trying to hit a master.

A challenge.

The kind that drives her crazy with excitement.

As her leg sweeps beneath Noct's foot, Nyx is already planning her next move.

She rises with a ready fist—a low punch, aimed dead center at his groin.

Brutal!

Whoosh

Noct reacts instantly, catching her metal fist with an open hand.

Incredible!

He's surprised to feel that her punch carries more power than her kicks.

His eyes glance down at her prosthetic—those sleek black metal plates, wires, and thin tubes wrapped in ultra-resistant synthetic fiber.

Carbon fiber muscle threads forming an arm as strong as Javier's—maybe even stronger. Noct isn't so sure anymore.

Nyx sees how Noct looks at her arm. He's clearly surprised—admiring.

That puts a different sparkle in Nyx's eyes. Her smile grows even more proud.

"Here!"

She brings in her other arm—this one with a flesh-and-bone fist, but no less strong, powered by the implants running through the rest of her arm.

Strong. Fast.

Bam!

Noct catches it with his other hand, both her small, delicate fists now held inside his large, powerful hands.

Their eyes meet, their smiles match.

Noct feels Nyx's body trembling—she's giving it her all, pouring every ounce of strength into it.

"I'm not going down that easily…"

She grits her teeth, still with that excited expression.

And she pulls.

She pulls her fists back—and as Noct holds onto them, she launches her entire body forward and upward.

"Huh?!" He's caught off guard.

She literally throws her body at him—and as he instinctively leans away, he sees her knees rising fast.

A double knee strike using his own grip as momentum!

Noct catches a glimpse of her face in that moment.

Her face looks even more beautiful, adorned with that thrilled, competitive expression.

Her eyes glowing.

He almost feels bad for dodging such a graceful move.

But he still does—releasing her wrists and simply letting his body fall backward.

"Oh?!" Nyx gasps in surprise.

From her perspective, he's just dropping—but he's smiling at her.

She smiles too.

After all, there's nothing she can do mid-air after launching herself like that.

With him falling, she flies right over him, both knees missing his body by a long shot.

But before his back touches the tatami, Noct's eyes gleam.

"Not letting you escape!"

His grin turns mischievous, and he extends a hand swiftly, grabbing Nyx's ankle in mid-air.

"Whah??"

She gasps as she feels his strength pulling her down—effortlessly.

In that position, there's nothing she can do except brace for it.

So she prepares herself to react, wondering—what's his move?

But nothing Nyx expects comes even close to what Noct actually does.

He surprises her—completely.

He pulls her to his side, and as her body hits the soft tatami, he rolls that way—covering her body with his own.

"Hey?!"

Before Nyx can react—he's on top of her.

She tries to raise her arms, but he grabs her wrists and pins them to the floor.

She lifts a leg, but he slides a knee between her thighs and uses his body to completely restrain hers.

Nyx realizes she can't move a muscle—so she exhales and lets her head rest on the mat.

"You got me." She lets out a breath—but her tone is still thrilled.

Noct stays over her, looking into her eyes. She looks so beautiful like this, even while sweaty and out of breath.

"I got you…" His eyes glow.

Her eyes glow.

The closer Noct looks, the more beautiful he finds Nyx.

Her small lips, slightly parted… her sweet breath, her delicate nose…

Even the tiny pink freckles on her fair skin are adorable.

Noct can't read Nyx's signals. She's not direct like Clara.

But that doesn't matter now.

Being this close… seeing Nyx like this…

He simply can't resist.

So he just lets go.

He lets his head follow Safira's gravity—and fall until their lips meet.

His movement is sudden—but not too fast.

Nyx sees him leaning in to kiss her.

She feels a sharp pang in her chest.

She wants to turn away from his kiss.

But… she just can't.

And before she realizes it, he's already kissing her.

Pressing his large, warm lips onto hers.

That feels…

Delicious.

Nyx's mind goes blank.

She lets her instincts take over for a moment.

And the result—her lips moving with his. Her mouth opening and letting his tongue in.

'Ahh~!' Nyx feels it.

And she remembers how Clara couldn't quite describe the sensation of that mysterious energy flowing into her body through Noct's kiss.

Now—Nyx feels that wonderful energy entering her own body.

It feels awesome.

_ _ _

Author's note: Thanks for reading! If you want to read more and advanced chapters, visit my patreon page: patreon. com/lamenthief