Sweetness in the Palm of His Hand

The wall clock ticked, drawing the time out.

The two of them held each other tightly, neither saying another word.

In the living room where their souls had just collided, words seemed unnecessary.

Aemeath remained straddling Lu Yan's lap, her arms wrapped tightly around him and her cheek resting quietly against the crook of his neck.

Lu Yan held her around the waist, feeling the slight rise and fall of her breathing.

It was a peace unlike any he had ever known.

There was no more fear of gain and loss, no more cautious probing, only two hearts laid bare to each other, beating at the same rhythm in such close proximity.

Aemeath carried a faint, sweet scent.

It wasn't perfume, but her own distinctive fragrance.

Lu Yan breathed it in greedily, feeling the nerves that had been taut for years because of his inferiority complex finally relax completely.

"A-Yan~"

Aemeath suddenly gave a soft, catlike hum in his arms. Without lifting her head, she gently nuzzled the side of Lu Yan's neck with the tip of her nose.

"Hmm?"

"Your heart's beating so fast." Aemeath's voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

Her fingers traced circles on Lu Yan's back. "Are you still savoring that kiss just now?"

Lu Yan's ears grew a little hot.

He tightened his arms around Aemeath's waist, holding her closer, and confessed with a soft laugh:

"Yes. It was the first time Aemeath took the initiative to kiss me, after all. I might never forget it for the rest of my life."

"Hmph, smooth talker." Despite her words, Aemeath pressed herself even more clingingly against him. "There'll be more in the future, every day."

"If you dare get tired of them, I'll tie you up and kiss you a hundred times a day."

"I couldn't ask for more." Lu Yan closed his eyes, enjoying her almost obsessive possessiveness.

He didn't know how long they held each other. Only when the sunlight had quietly shifted across the floor did Aemeath move her slightly numb legs.

"A-Yan~"

Aemeath finally lifted her head from the crook of his neck and studied his face. "Does your stomach still hurt? We were so intense just now... um, did that aggravate it?"

As Aemeath spoke of how intense they had been, her cheeks flushed uncontrollably. Clearly, she had remembered how her kiss had been almost like a bite.

Lu Yan looked at her shy yet concerned expression, unable to suppress his smile.

He reached down to feel his stomach and was somewhat surprised to discover that the agonizing cramps and stabbing pain had vanished without a trace.

"It's much better. Actually, it doesn't hurt at all anymore," Lu Yan said truthfully.

He wasn't just trying to reassure her. Perhaps Aemeath's focused massage earlier had worked, or perhaps the weight had been lifted from his heart, allowing his body to heal itself as his mind relaxed. At that moment, his body felt lighter than ever before.

"Really?"

Still a little worried, Aemeath reached out and gently pressed his abdomen twice through his sweatshirt. "You mustn't lie to me. If you dare put on a brave face, I'll... I'll really get mad!"

"I'm really not lying to you." Lu Yan took her little wandering hand and kissed it. "Really, I'm not. Aemeath's sweet magic worked wonders. It's cured me completely."

Only after hearing his assurance did Aemeath let out a long sigh of relief. Her tense little face lit up with a brilliant smile again. "That's good!"

Lu Yan glanced at the wall clock. It was two thirty in the afternoon.

There was still a long time before dinner, and he had already finished the drawing assignment Venus had given him that morning.

A long afternoon that was completely free of work pressure and belonged entirely to the two of them.

The realization made Lu Yan happy.

"Since my stomach doesn't hurt anymore, and I don't have any work scheduled this afternoon..." Lu Yan looked at the girl in his arms. "Want to play something? I remember there's a game console."

At the word "game," Aemeath's eyes lit up instantly.

"Yes, yes!" Aemeath nodded vigorously, her voice full of eager excitement.

She immediately jumped off Lu Yan's lap, transforming from a clingy kitten into an energetic young girl in an instant.

Without even stopping to put on her slippers, Aemeath ran in her white stockings to the boxes they hadn't had time to unpack after the move and began rummaging through them.

Lu Yan watched her energetic figure and the pink high ponytail swaying with her movements. He smiled and shook his head, then got up to help.

Before long, the two of them dug a game console and two controllers out from the bottom of a box.

Lu Yan deftly connected it to the huge LCD television.

He found a classic game on the console, The King of Fighters.

"Wow~ the art style is so nostalgic!" Aemeath plopped down on the carpet in front of the television, excitedly gripping the joystick controller with both hands and staring intently at the screen. "A-Yan, how do you play this?"

Lu Yan sat cross-legged beside her, their shoulders pressed tightly together.

"It's a fighting game."

Lu Yan pointed to the characters on the screen and explained patiently, "The joystick on the left controls movement and jumping. The buttons on the right are for light punches, heavy punches, light kicks, and heavy kicks. You can use different combinations of directions and buttons to unleash a character's special moves."

"Mm-hmm, I got it." Aemeath only glanced at the move guide in the upper right corner of the screen.

She confidently moved the joystick and selected Mai Shiranui.

"I'll pick her!"

Aemeath glanced at the character on the screen, then looked down at her own equally ample bust, a satisfied smile curling her lips. "I feel like we really have something in common."

Lu Yan choked a little at her words and smiled helplessly. To go along with her, he chose the classic Kyo Kusanagi.

"Ready-Go!"

With a shout from the in-game announcer, the match officially began.

Lu Yan had assumed this was Aemeath's first time playing an old arcade game like this. To make sure she enjoyed herself, he decided to go easy on her at first and let her get used to the controls.

Controlling Kyo Kusanagi, he made only a few tentative moves rather than immediately engaging her up close.

But he had forgotten that Aemeath had played fighting games before.

Aemeath's hands flew over the joystick and buttons, producing crisp clicking sounds.

There was nothing awkward about her movements.

On the screen, the red-clad kunoichi rapidly closed in under Aemeath's control.

Then a precise low kick interrupted Lu Yan's attempt to defend himself.

"A-Yan, if you go easy on me in a fighting game, you're going to pay for it~"

Aemeath's lips curled into a smug, mischievous grin.

The next second, Lu Yan learned what it meant to be comboed to death from full health.

Aemeath's fingers drummed out an intensely rhythmic beat on the buttons.

Brilliant flame effects filled almost the entire screen.

"K.O!"

Bright red letters flashed across the screen.

Lu Yan's character fell to the ground, his health bar instantly emptied, while Aemeath's character was still at full health.

The whole thing had taken less than ten seconds.

The living room fell silent for two seconds.

Lu Yan held the joystick and stared at the screen in disbelief.

He was no expert, but back in the day, he had at least beaten players from half a floor of his dorm.

"Hehe~" Aemeath put down the joystick and turned to Lu Yan, her face full of pride.

She leaned close to him like a proud kitten claiming credit from its owner after winning a battle. "Well? A-Yan, aren't I amazing?"

"You really are." Lu Yan gave a wry smile and shook his head.

He knew Aemeath was smart, but her terrifying ability to learn and speed of reaction still astonished him.

"Looks like I can't go easy on you anymore. I'm going to get serious now."

"Bring it on! But..." Aemeath's eyes darted, and she reached out a slender finger to touch Lu Yan's lips.

"Just playing like this is boring. Why don't we add a wager?"

"What kind of wager?" Lu Yan looked into her eyes, so close to his, and his heart skipped a beat.

"If I win, you have to agree to one condition." Aemeath smiled like a little devil luring an innocent young man astray. "Any condition."

"And if I win?"

"If you win, I'll agree to one condition from you!"

Aemeath puffed out her chest, looking utterly righteous, though a barely perceptible glimmer of anticipation flashed in her eyes. "Even if A-Yan makes some... somewhat excessive, naughty demands, I'll obediently do as he says."

Her words were devastating enough on their own, and paired with her gorgeous face and sizzling figure, Lu Yan felt that if he had been eighteen, he would probably already be bleeding.

"Ahem... All right, it's a deal." Lu Yan forcibly looked away and focused on the screen again.

A man's damnable competitive streak, along with his pride and his desire not to be looked down on by her, made him instantly concentrate with all his might.