Star Hedonist-Chapter 24: Drunk

"Weaklings... tsk."

Nyx scoffs as she watches Matteo slump over the table, passed out from the alcohol.

Jex was the first to fall when they opened the tenth bottle of wine, followed by Clara, and now Matteo.

Nyx can barely stay upright, her head swaying slightly from side to side, her vision spinning.

In front of her, Noct—apparently fine.

But his vision is blurry too. He doesn't know if Nyx is really swaying or if his eyes are playing tricks on him.

She drinks the last drop of wine from her glass and then stretches her hand out to grab the bottle in the center of the table.

Her fingers bump into it, and it nearly tips over, but Nyx reacts quickly, catching it.

"Oops!"

Noct can't help but watch her movements. She's incredibly quick and precise, even while drunk.

Nyx shakes the bottle in front of her face, seeing that just a finger of wine remains at the bottom.

"Looks like this is the end..."

She glances at Noct and smiles. Her expression is friendly but also enigmatic, giving her a unique charm.

"Here," she extends the bottle, and Noct offers his glass.

She pours half of what remains into his empty glass.

Next, she pulls the bottle back, but instead of pouring the rest into her own glass, she looks into his eyes.

He sees the sparkle in her eyes and smiles at her.

"You seem pretty happy."

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Nyx nods. "Mm~"

She takes a deep breath and smiles. "I really thought I was going to die back there. If it weren't for Clara... and you, of course."

Noct's smile grows even gentler—almost affectionate.

"You don't have to thank me."

"I know." Nyx nods and winks at him. "Like Clara likes to say..."

"Family." He says it first.

And Nyx nods. "Exactly."

She lifts the bottle and drinks the final drop of wine. Noct also finishes his glass before placing it on the table.

"Family..." Clara whispers, still leaning against Noct's shoulder, completely passed out.

He and Nyx laugh.

"These lightweights need some rest," Nyx comments.

She glances at Jex beside her. "I'll take Jex to her room. You bring Clara."

While Nyx struggles to lift Jex and prop the drunken girl over her shoulder, Noct simply picks Clara up in his arms like a sleeping princess.

Nyx rolls her eyes at him. "You're just showing off."

He smirks teasingly and walks toward the hallway. But then he glances at Matteo, still asleep at the table.

"And him?"

"Him?" Nyx shakes her head. "Unless you're gonna carry the old man in your arms too, he's sleeping there as punishment for not knowing how to drink at his age."

Noct shakes his head and continues carrying Clara. Nyx follows behind, awkwardly supporting Jex.

In a few minutes, they walk through a few of Safira's corridors and reach the girls' dormitory wing.

Jex's room is near the start of the long hallway, and while Nyx takes her in and settles her in bed, Noct continues with Clara toward their room.

Using Clara's access card, Noct enters the room and gently places the sleeping beauty on the bed.

Even unconscious, Clara's body reacts instinctively to Noct's presence—her arms wrap around his neck, pulling him down to lie with her.

Noct places a tender kiss on Clara's cheek, but since she's asleep, he doesn't do anything beyond that.

He isn't in the mood to sleep right now either, so he carefully slips out of her embrace, replacing himself with a pillow.

Clara inhales his scent on the pillow and snuggles into it, falling into a deeper sleep.

Noct may not want to sleep, but he stays there, just watching Clara—so serene, so beautiful.

There's a lot of empty space inside him, darkness and shadows, inside his mind and heart... but she fills it effortlessly with her warmth.

He doesn't even realize his lips are curved into a loving smile.

Knock-knock

Noct hears two light taps on the door. He already knows who's on the other side—only one person on Safira has steps so soft they're almost impossible to hear.

He walks to the door and opens it, finding Nyx on the other side.

Because of their height difference, she's staring at his chest before tilting her head up to meet his eyes.

Nyx's pale, flawless skin makes her look quite young, but her sharp gaze and cold expressions give her a mature, captivating air.

Thanks to all the wine they drank, her cheeks are rosy now—but that doesn't take away from her confident, mysterious posture.

"..." Noct stares at her with his usual confident, curious expression.

"..." Nyx returns the gaze, both of them silent.

Then she glances past him—at Clara on the bed.

"Clara's going to be asleep for a few hours after drinking that much..."

"..." Noct keeps eye contact with Nyx, making her slightly uneasy.

"But you don't seem like you're in the mood for a nap either..."

Nyx comments, then turns and starts walking toward the stairs, signaling for him.

"Come with me."

Noct glances at Clara—she's in deep sleep, rubbing her face into the pillow that still holds his scent.

She's not going anywhere right now.

So he locks the door and follows Nyx down the corridor.

Unlike Clara, who loves to sway her hips and proudly show off that perfect ass, Nyx is subtle and swift.

She walks quickly and silently, heading toward Safira's main elevator.

The pair step inside, descending to the cargo area, where Noct follows Nyx through a few more hallways until they arrive at a large reinforced metal door.

The elevated security on this door isn't just in its structure—it also has a complex scanner mounted beside it.

Nyx has to use a red access card, different from the standard private room keys, to unlock the door, revealing a large room behind it.

The first part of the room is made up of several raw metal tables and workbenches, all cluttered with tools, weapons, and guns.

There are also more weapons hanging on the walls, and dozens of crates filled with various devices—most of which Noct doesn't recognize.

A few side doors lead to other rooms, and those doors also appear to have high-security measures.

"This is Safira's arsenal," Nyx says as she walks toward one of the doors at the back of the room.

She heads straight for it and pulls out her access card again—but before using it, she shows it to Noct.

"Not everyone has access to this room, but we'll get you a card in the future."

He simply nods and watches as she unlocks the door, revealing another large room beyond it.

But this new room doesn't have many furnishings or objects—just a large square arena with the floor covered by a soft tatami mat, and some training tools on the walls like gloves and punching bags.

Nyx walks toward the only bench at the back of the room as she speaks.

"Elliott, Safira's captain before Diego, let me turn this old storage room into a training area."

Nyx grabs a pair of black gloves from the counter—the biggest she can find—and tosses them to Noct, who catches them easily.

"Our crew is always dealing with dangerous situations, and trouble tends to find us..."

While Noct stays confused, he watches Nyx put on a pair of small red gloves, perfect for her delicate hands—both the real one and the robotic one.

She steps up onto the arena platform, a proud smile forming on her lips.

"I consider myself a solid fighter, and I'm always willing to help crew members handle themselves in close-quarters situations."

Noct glances at the pair of gloves in his hand, still confused, then throws a confident look at Nyx.

She smiles back at him.

"Don't get me wrong—I know you can handle yourself. Clara told me how you took out those Crimson Nebula pirates with your bare hands..."

Nyx can't hide the admiration in her gaze as she speaks, making Noct smile even more proudly.

She laughs.

"And of course, I saw the video of you climbing that Vhorr'Ka like a maniac, haha~"

She finishes putting on her gloves and clenches her fists, raising them to show him.

"But I want a better idea of your skills..."

Her smile turns more mischievous, a spark of excitement lighting up her eyes.

"In a very close kind of way, if you get me."

Noct doesn't understand half of what Nyx just said, but he understands clearly what she wants:

To fight.

She sees a glint of hesitation in his eyes, but keeps her energetic smile.

"Come on," she says, bouncing lightly on her feet and throwing casual, playful punches in the air.

"It's just a friendly spar, I don't hurt my friends. Don't worry."

Noct doesn't see much purpose or fun in fighting without real danger—but Nyx clearly wants it, so... why not?

He puts the gloves on, noticing that the padding around the fists is thick and soft—obviously made to avoid injuring the opponent.

Nyx's grin grows more excited as she watches Noct put on the gloves and step onto the mat, standing right in front of her.

His posture is calm and cool—but she's visibly more energized, constantly stretching and moving her limbs.

"You've probably noticed I'm a bit drunk—"

She pauses and laughs.

"Okay, very drunk, actually, hehe~"

He smiles too—his body and senses are still affected by the alcohol as well, even if less intensely.

Nyx lifts a fist toward him, arm stretched.

"But don't underestimate me..."

She winks at him.

"I still fight better than anyone else around here."

"Maybe not as well as you... so let's find out!"

Noct lifts a fist just like her, and she bumps hers gently against his.

"Come on,"

"Show me what you've got, Noct!"

_ _ _

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