Bring It On! - Chapter 40

Chapter 40.

“Give me the clothes. I’ll do it. I can handle at least that much.”

Jay finally pushed himself halfway up. His fever-clouded eyes couldn’t quite focus, the gaze dull and unfocused. What did he think he could do in that state? I stared at his face for a while. Even through his pain, there was a stubbornness in his expression.

“Don’t you trust me?”

When I asked, a flicker of embarrassment crossed Jay’s eyes.

“It’s not that…”

“Are you worried I might… do something inappropriate to your body?”

Jay rubbed his face with one hand, then pushed back the fringe that had fallen over his forehead.

“I don’t care if you do something inappropriate.”

“Then what’s the problem? Just lie down.”

The moment I lightly pushed against his chest, he let out a choked “Hhk!” and his body shuddered violently. Startled by his unexpected reaction, I snatched my hand back like I’d touched a hot stove. 

Had I gotten that strong? I didn’t think I’d pushed him that hard.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“…Don’t touch me.”

“How are you going to change clothes in that condition? Even if you’re uncomfortable, just turn a blind eye for today. I’m not going to help you again after this, no matter how nicely you ask.”

“I told you, I don’t need your help.”

Normally, with this much persuasion, he’d just sigh and say, “Fine, whatever,” but today he was being stubborn to the bitter end. Sure, he could be shy about pointless things, but when it came to physical contact, he was usually more liberal than a Hollywood actor. 

Kissing me whenever he wanted, clinging to me all night. And now he was suddenly embarrassed to show his body? It was strange. Could he have some sort of serious complex? The thought struck me suddenly.

“Don’t worry. Even if you’ve got a big hairy mole on the inside of your thigh, I won’t tease you. I’ll keep it a secret from Suho.”

Panting, Jay raised one eyebrow and glared sharply at me.

“What?”

“This is no time to be embarrassed. I wasn’t going to tell you because I didn’t want to shock you, but…”

“Hey, wait. Even if I’m in agony, we’re clearing this up right now.”

“You’ve got a suspicious lump on your thigh.”

“……”

“I can’t cut it out right here and now, but I at least need to check it.”

I placed my hand on the swollen mound protruding from his thigh. My palm was filled with heat radiating from the firm flesh. Jay’s body jolted hard, and he quickly grabbed my wrist with one hand.

“Khht…!”

It was only after touching it that I realized. This wasn’t some venom-swollen lump. But by then, it was already too late. The hot mass in my hand throbbed violently, swelling like a living thing. 

I even saw the blunt tip straining against his pants, darkening the fabric with dampness, before I yanked my hand away in shock.

“Aaagh!”

What I’d just kneaded like dough was his penis. When I yelped and clutched my wrist, Jay quickly grabbed my hand and wiped my palm with his own.

“That’s why I told you not to touch me.”

“No, you—why…”

I couldn’t comprehend why the guy who’d been lying there half-dead from pain had something that engorged. But Jay didn’t look all that surprised. It was almost like he’d been through this before. I stared at him in disbelief.

“How long has it been like this?”

With a pained expression, he answered defensively, “Don’t worry about it.”

Even if he tried to act unaffected, he couldn’t completely hide the fever that had overtaken his whole body. He lowered his head to conceal the pain twisting his features. His quick, shallow breaths grew harsher.

Thinking back, it was strange. The guy who usually kissed me whenever the mood struck had been unusually restrained today. I couldn’t shake the suspicion that his current state had something to do with it.

“Why the hell are you hard right now?”

“Don’t make me sound like some kind of animal… Forget it, just drop it.”

“It’s the poison, right? You’re not normally like this.”

“It’ll go away with time.”

“Was it like this even when you passed out? Is there nothing I can do to help?”

Cold sweat ran down his perfect forehead. He looked so unbearably pained, enduring the agony and the feverish heat raging inside his body. His flushed face, crimson with desire, was revealed in the torchlight.

“The best way to help is to do nothing. Don’t touch me, don’t talk to me.”

“…”

“Don’t even look at me.”

After setting all my boundaries, he lay back, staring at the ceiling. I thought he should at least change his clothes, but the words wouldn’t come out. I couldn’t risk giving him any unnecessary stimulation while he was suffering from the heat.

I sat two steps away, stealing glances at Jay. Even after a significant amount of time had passed, the arousal on his thighs showed no signs of subsiding, and his breathing became more precarious. His ragged breaths dissipated into the cold air.

He spent most of his time with his eyes forcibly closed, enduring some kind of impulse, and occasionally turned his head to look at me. Each time his heated gaze touched the side of my face, it felt like a sharp sensation scratching my skin. 

When I grew flustered, Jay would chew out a curse and close his eyes again.

“Haa, ha…”

Creak, I opened the door a little. The freezing cold night air rushed into the shelter. However, it was instantly warmed by the sticky heat of Jay’s breathing. The sheer intensity of the heat radiating from him was incredible. 

Would it be okay to just leave him like this? Waiting for time to solve the problem seemed impossible given his serious condition. If the soaring fever didn’t subside, he could suffer from dehydration and even damage to his brain and other organs.

…It was because of me.

If I hadn’t volunteered to make a map on my own, Jay wouldn’t have to go through this. This whole thing was my reckless idea, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch the situation worsen with my hands tied.

My goal was singular. To save him first. My personal beliefs, my pride, and my embarrassment were all pushed aside.

As I, who had been sitting at a distance, began to move, Jay became keenly aware of my presence. Before he could sit up, I sat down on his abdomen, pinning him with my hips. His eyes, half-glazed with fever, widened dramatically.

“Ngh, get off!”

“I’ll help you.”

I reached my hand back and gripped his swollen arousal once more. As soon as my palm touched it, the flesh pulsed with heat. Jay couldn’t even close his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut and letting out a lewd moan. 

His long eyelashes fluttered, and his prominent Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, but none of that mattered now. My mind was filled with a single thought. How to make Jay better, and quickly.

“Haa, shit, for real…”

His chest heaved. He cursed under his breath with a heavy sigh.

“Is this how you want me to touch you? How is this?”

Recalling his self-gratification in front of the tree, I clumsily moved my hand. But instead of finding relief, Jay’s face twisted even more in pain. He bit his lower lip hard and covered his eyes with one arm.

“Haa, take your hand off.”

“I’m doing this with a lot of courage, so please cooperate. Should I go a little faster?”

I worked my hand vigorously up and down the arousal wrapped in his clothes. Jay’s lower body convulsed roughly, and he soon pressed down on my back with his large hand. As my body was instantly tipped forward, I instinctively braced myself by placing my hand next to his face.

My hair brushed his cheek and fell down. Jay’s eyes, as we met, were wet with a dark, primal desire. His rationality was half-gone, and it seemed he was barely holding back his impulses by mustering all his mental strength. But even this looked like something he couldn’t endure for much longer.

“I’m asking you this for the first and last time.”

“…”

“Are you sure you won’t regret this?”

His low, cracked voice tickled my lips. I simply nodded. In truth, there was nothing to regret. This happened because of me, so I had to fix it. There was no more to it than that.

“I can’t stop now. You chose this, so you have to handle all of it.”