The stale air hung thick and humid within the cramped room, a stark contrast to the cheerful birdsong filtering through the grimy window. Inside, an oppressive stillness blanketed the space, broken only by labored breaths.
Inside the room, Lyra perched on the edge of a thick blanket covering every inch of her body, but Nox sprawled on the sofa, sweat beading his brow. His chest heaved up and down, his ribcage visible under every breath, As his hands rested on his exposed thighs.
Nox felt his lungs were burning as if he was in the desert.
How can this body be so weak? After a round of sex and I am out of commision? He thought to himself bitterly. Looks like he needs to work out some more. To improve physical condition.
Lyra's eyes were fixed at Nox; she gazed at his thin physique and his ragged breathing and her eyes flickered with light. After a while, she opened her pink lips and called him out with the same expressionless look, "Nox..."
"HUh? What's up Lyra?" Nox heard her and gazed at her with eyes filled with uncertainty. After their sex, Lyra just stood up and sat in the corner by herself covering her body.
Seeing her actions, Nox remembered that it was her first time after all. So it's normal if she is emotionally unstable and needs some personal time.
Afterall no matter how cold and Illogical she may appear, in the end she is but a girl too. She needs some personal time and guidance in such scenarios thus he was ready to comfort and answer any questions she may have.
Lyra adjusted the strand behind her ears and while looking at Nox with Ice blue eyes she said softly, "I want to do it again...."
"It's normal … eh? What do you say?" Nox changed his words midway, his eyebrow raised in confusion. Initially he wanted to say, 'It's normal if you are confused..' But when his brain registered her words, he was baffled.
'Do it again? Do what? Solve differential equations? Bake a soufflé? Reenact the Battle of Hastings? Girl please complete your dialogue, It's very vague...'
'Wait a minute… Could it be that she wants to…?' A possibly emerged in Nox's mind as the corner of his mouth twitched in surprise.
"I want to copulate once again. Like I said before, I need more data in order to find linking between physical intimation and increase in productivity. So, I need to try it a few more times. Are you ready?" Saying till, Lyra shifted her body and crawled toward Nox blanket still covering her body as her eyes were fixated on Nox boxer.
"W-Wait! We can't do it again…" Nox hurriedly stopped her as he inched backward in fright. He felt his body was already breaking apart. If he were to engage in another round, he might end up like a deflated balloon, lying limp and lifeless on the floor.
"Why not? You seem to enjoy it very much too, right? Don't you want to experience that same thing again? From what I have read, in ancient times, human males wanted to do this activity all day without stopping. So why are you acting so differently from the text?" Lyra did not stop as she crawled toward Nox while saying this.
Nox's face turned a sickly shade of green as Lyra finished speaking. 'Damn historians, don't they have anything else to record?' he thought grimacing, 'And damn those Scribes. How can they write history with such bias? If framed like this, it seems like men are nothing but sex-crazed wildebeests.'
He looked to his right and saw that he was already on the edge of the sofa, any further, and he would fall down. Should I stand up and leave? But I want to rest some more….
Nox thought to himself bitterly. He looked to his left and almost had a nosebleedRight now, Lyra's face was mere inches apart, and from his vantage point, he could almost see her tantalizing cleavage and the smooth, baby pink skin peeking through.
At this moment, he felt his body heating up, blood rushing toward his lower body, and his eyes went wide in astonishment.
'You're still active?' Nox mentally scolded his traitorous lower region, giving it a nickname that shall not be repeated. 'How dare you even entertain the idea of another round? Are you daft? Do you not understand the state of utter exhaustion we're in?'
'It's like a cheap lawn mower engine trying to power a Formula One race car. There are only two outcomes in this scenario: either it won't work at all, or it'll explode in a glorious display of smoke, shrapnel, and disappointment.'
"Cough! Cough!" Nox ignored his lower body's treacherous urgings and feigned a cough, turning to Lyra with a concerned expression. "Lyra, you know, after the first time, a woman should take some rest. After all, the first time, the hymen breaks, and it can be quite painful, so it's best to recover and not overexert oneself. The days are long; we can do it again some other time, right?"
Nox tried his best to coax Lyra while averting his gaze, lest he truly succumb to his baser instincts and become nothing more than a lowly lawnmower in her presence.
"Hymen? Oh! Don't worry about that. My hymen broke long ago during combat training..." Lyra pressed harder, snuggling against Nox and gazing up at him.
Nox's breath caught in his throat as he felt something soft and supple pressing against his chest. He tried to regulate his breathing and tried to be calm while thinking.
'Hair is dead, nails are dead, it's all a walking graveyard inside that pretty outfit…'
"No! I won't compromise, You need rest and that's it." Sweat prickled Nox's brow. Facing down a horde of goblins seemed preferable to admitting his current limitations. He would rather face a thousand perils than admit to Lyra that he was too exhausted to engage in another round. The mere thought of vocalizing such weakness was too embarrassing to bear.
"And don't you have other things in your schedule to do? Like Yesterday."
Distraction! Anything to change the subject…
"Do you have any problem with me staying here?" Lyra blurted out.
Nox was surprised after hearing her reply. Initially, he expected some analytical and precise answer. He looked at her and saw her face flickering with raw emotions and something that almost never appeared since her appearance... anger!
It was the first time Nox saw emotions on her face, and anger, on top of that. But just as the emotions appeared, they disappeared too.
But just as emotions appeared it disappeared too, Lyra recovered her normal composure and said with the same tone, precise and short, even emotionless, "Indeed, I have a lot in my schedule. I will leave now."
She turned her head, her back facing Nox, her gaze lowered as a myriad of emotions churned within her. She thought, 'Why did I say that? It's not like me... It was almost instinctive... and why am I angry?...' 'What he said wasn't even worth getting angry over...'
'It seems there are some problems with me, which are making me irrational... impulsive... Maybe a side effect of sex? It's indeed possible...'
'I should leave now to examine myself...'
As Lyra made a move to stand up, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her shoulders from behind. Nox's warm breath tickled her ear as he leaned in close, a smile in his voice. "Of course, you can stay here all day long and I won't complain..."
His embrace enveloped her in warmth and a comforting familiarity. Lyra's heart fluttered at his unexpected closeness.
"Treat it like your own house..." Nox paused, his expression turning wry. "Oh! But you'll be responsible for your own food. I'm low on rations right now."
A soft chuckle rumbled in his chest as he added, "And don't you want to do it? If you feel okay then it's fine, let's do it. For research purposes..."
Lyra gazed up at Nox, taking in his warmth and joking smile. A tender feeling bloomed in her chest, spreading outward until her whole being felt aglow with ardor.
'What is this feeling?' Her mind raced with questions about the new, exquisite emotion. 'I don't know what it is... But I feel so good...'
A warm smile spread across Lyra's face- It was like a delicate flower unfurling its petals to greet spring. Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she gazed up at Nox, With a teasing lilt to her voice, she replied, "You want to do it again? With that frail body of yours, you might just collapse if we give it another go..."