Chapter 21: Arc 2 Part 8
Author: 橘子
Auray helped Qiao Chen’s sopping wet body transition from the water onto the sh.o.r.e. Everything Auray was wearing, from his fatigues to his backpack, was waterproof. So he was completely dry except for the hair on his head.
The two men found a simple hiding place within the woods. They stopped and set up camp for the night. Dusk was quickly approaching, and it would have been too dangerous to continue forward during the night. Another reason for stopping so soon was that Qiao Chen didn’t have any strength left to carry on.
In order to lighten his load so he could swim more efficiently, Qiao Chen tossed nearly everything he had on him. All he had left was what he was wearing: a set of white inner wear. Since he was still wet, the clothes stuck onto his skin. And due to the cloth being white and wet, his body and skin tone were very visible.
After Qiao Chen recovered his breath from the swimming that river, he finally noticed Auray’s eyes staring. He followed Auray’s gaze and realized that his appearance wouldn’t have been different than if he had been buck naked.
Qiao Chen looked back up at Auray and hounded, “What are you looking at? You’re just openly taking advantage of me like that, huh? Take off your clothes and give them to me.”
Auray took off his jacket and handed it over to Qiao Chen, and Qiao Chen quickly grabbed it. He wanted take off his wet clothes and find a way to hang them to dry. It’s way too uncomfortable to wear wet clothes. He was just about to undress when he saw Auray still staring. Qiao Chen shoved Auray’s face to a different direction and snorted, “Still looking?”
Qiao Chen turned around and took off his wet clothes. Auray’s eyes were fixed upon Qiao Chen’s back. Qiao Chen was a female, so he should have averted his eyes out of common courtesy and respect. However, his eyes were glued to Qiao Chen’s body.
Auray continued to stare at Qiao Chen’s tight waist line. You can’t tell that he has muscles beneath those clothes. His b.u.t.t is round and tight too. His eyes continued downward. Then there’s those pair of legs. Those slender, long, and thin legs.Auray endured the sudden impulse to caress Qiao Chen. He raised his view up and instead focused on Qiao Chen’s back while he undressed.
Auray’s jacket was long enough to reach Qiao Chen’s thighs. Qiao Chen was completely bare under the jacket.
First, he found an inconspicuous place with some lower branches. Then, he hung up his clothes to dry. Finally, he helped Auray set up the area for the two to take shelter and rest for the night. Branches and leaves from nearby trees were used to build a makeshift tent. The dirt floor was also eventually covered with thick branches and leaves as well.
Auray took out ready to eat field rations,. The rations didn’t taste very good, but they were packed with nutrients and calories to quickly replenish energy. By the time the two filled their stomachs, it was completely dark. They needed to wait until day broke before they could resume the mission.
They were both issued a sleeping bag, but Qiao Chen tossed his backpack when he swam across the river, so they were now forced to share the one. They were able to squeeze into the single sleeping bag, but they had to lie very close to each other. If the other person hadn’t had been Auray, then Qiao Chen would have said something and wouldn’t have shared the sleeping bad with them either.
Qiao Chen lay on his side of the sleeping bag. Auray’s chest was touching his back. Qiao Chen could feel Auray’s strong masculine aura. It was faintly alluring. Both parties were still wearing clothes, but they were practically glued together. Qiao Chen was on edge. He felt hyperaware of his surroundings and jittery.
During the day, Qiao Chen had to swim across the wide river. He used up most of his physical strength and was exhausted. He wanted to just sleep and recover, so he forced himself to calm down and ignore the person behind him. However, right as he was on the cusp of slumber, he felt something hard rise up and b.u.mp him in the back. Qiao Chen’s eyes shot open, and he immediately jolted awake from his sleepy state.
He turned around and angrily yelled at Auray, “I always had the impression that you were a gentlemen- someone with honor. I never would have guessed that you were just a scoundrel hiding in the shadows!”
“This is just an instinctive bodily response. It can’t be controlled by the brain.”Auray quickly defended.
“Who are you trying to fool? What part of the human body isn’t controlled by the brain? If your brain didn’t have any thoughts in the first place, then how would the body even have such a reaction?”
“I can’t control what thoughts go on in my brain.” Auray said in a serious tone. However, the words themselves weren’t very convincing.
“You’re a soldier. Don’t you have even an ounce of self control?”
Auray didn’t have a response. His greatest strength was his self control, so he hadn’t trained in this aspect. However, with the situation now, it wasn’t like he didn’t want to control it.
“Is it the same way with other people? You stick closely to them and then a reaction pops up?” Qiao Chen asked.
“No it hasn’t and doesn’t.” Auray answered.
“So you’re specifically targeting me? Then tell me why you’re only doing this to me. Don’t I deserve respect?” Qiao Chen deliberately questioned.
“Your a.s.s looks really good…”Auray suddenly spoke.
Qiao Chen chuckled and face-palmed. He didn’t hit his forehead very strongly, but there was still a crisp sound of a slap. Finally, he said, “I honestly thought you were a serious, honorable person. I never expected you to actually be so shameless on top of being a scoundrel.”
Auray didn’t speak. In the darkness of the night, he just stared at Qiao Chen’s face.
“Are you just going to push it on me for the rest of the night? How can I sleep like this?” Qiao Chen questioned.
Auray turned to his other side. With his back facing Qiao Chen, he stretched his hand down between his legs, and started pumping.
“Dirty pervert.” Qiao Chen muttered. Then he also turned around and lie on his other side. The two had their backs facing each other.
It didn’t take long before tiredness overtook Qiao Chen, so he fell asleep. Auray also fell asleep, but he didn’t fall into a deep slumber and remained somewhat vigilant.
As the night progressed, the temperature in the woods became much colder. It was so cold that Qiao Chen’s body subconsciously burrowed into Auray’s arms. Auray wrapped his arms around Qiao Chen and acted as a human blanket and heater.