Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]-Chapter 230 - Gentle caresses

The man grabbed her tight pulling hana close.

"What the—?!" she gasped, instinctively swinging her other hand in a punch.

But the man caught that too, his grip unrelenting.

"Feisty beauty," he sneered, pulling her toward him. His breath reeked of something stale and metallic.

"Let me go!" Hana shouted, struggling, but his strength overpowered hers.

Jai didn’t think. He didn’t hesitate.

He launched forward, fists tight, and aimed straight for the man’s face. "Get your hands off her!"

His punch connected with a sharp crack—but the man only staggered back a step, then turned with a wide grin, his grip loosening just long enough for Hana to yank herself away.

"Oh? Another one?" the man said, clearly amused now.

Then Jai was grabbed—his wrist twisted viciously behind his back until pain shot through his arm. With a cruel shove, he was slammed face-first into the cold, cracked wall of the corridor. Dust and old paint crumbled from the impact.

"Pretty too," the man murmured behind him, pressing his body against Jai’s back. "I’ll make do with you today." He murmured rubbing against his butt, breath hot against his neck.

Jai’s eyes widened. He couldn’t move. His heart thundered in his chest

Rage, helplessness, and shame filled his being.

His lips parted, but no sound came out.

Yuki was screaming.

Hana’s voice was hoarse with fury.

And then—

A scent.

Deep and sharp. Smoky-sweet, like a forest on fire at dusk. Agarwood.

It filled the air in an instant, thick and unrelenting.

Jai could barely register it before the pressure on his back vanished.

And then he was there.

Shao moved past them in a blur.

His fist crashed into the man’s face with a sound that echoed off the cold walls.

"fuck!!!" the man stumbled back, barely catching himself before Shao lunged again—shoulder first, slamming him hard into the opposite wall.

The plaster cracked with the impact.

Jai could barely move. His back still ached where the man had twisted his arm. His pulse thundered in his ears as he watched the man fall, only for Shao to straddle him and drive his fist down again.

And again.

And again.

The man barely had time to react. His arms flailed once, maybe twice, but Shao had no mercy. The rhythm of the strikes was steady and terrifying.

Jai saw blood splatter across the floor, across Shao’s knuckles. It sprayed in small, dull arcs with every hit. But Shao didn’t slow. His shoulders trembled, his face was tight with fury, jaw clenched, lips pulled into a grimace that wasn’t even human anymore.

He looked like someone who had been holding too much for too long—and now it was spilling out of him with every bone-breaking punch.

"Shao!" Jai called out, voice tight. "Stop!"

Nothing.

Hana held Yuki tightly, turning the girl’s head into her shoulder.

Neither dared speak.

Because Shao...Shao was too far gone.

"Shao, that’s enough!" Jai tried again, louder, stepping forward, but it was like yelling into a storm.

The man on the ground was barely conscious. His head lolled with every hit, and Shao’s hands were slick with blood.

Jai had no choice. He ran forward and dropped to his knees beside them. "Stop it! You’ll kill him!"

Still, the fists kept falling.

So Jai did the only thing left—he reached out and cupped Shao’s face.

"Shao," he said, voice shaking. "Look at me."

For a moment, it was like touching fire. Shao flinched under his touch—but Jai didn’t pull back. His hands were firm, grounding. "Shao. It’s me."

Their eyes met.

The madness didn’t vanish instantly.

Shao’s breathing was ragged, and his chest heaved like he had just come up from drowning.

"He touched you," Shao said, barely above a whisper, but the words came out raw. Choked.

Jai’s breath caught.

"I know," he said softly. "But I’m okay now. You got him away from me. I’m fine."

The tension in Shao’s shoulders loosened just a bit. His fists were still clenched, but they’d stopped moving. He blinked slowly, like waking up from a nightmare.

"Come on," Jai whispered, carefully taking Shao’s hand.

Shao let himself be pulled to his feet.

They didn’t speak as they walked away from the mess. The hallway behind them smelled like blood.

Jai held onto Shao’s wrist gently, like he was afraid to let go too soon. Hana followed with Yuki pressed close, her mouth a thin line.

None of them looked back.

And Jai never once let go of Shao’s hand.

Jai dragged Shao by the wrist and dragged him to the old gym building’s bathroom. The door creaked shut behind them with a dull thud.

He turned the tap on with a flick, letting the water run cold before yanking Shao’s hands under it. The blood, half-dried and dark, began to swirl red into the sink basin.

"Why do you have to dirty yourself with that man’s filth?" Jai muttered under his breath, not daring to look up. His hands scrubbed roughly. "I could’ve handled it. I would have. You didn’t have to..."

Shao said nothing.

He didn’t need to. The heat of his stare was heavy—unmoving and constant—like gravity itself was centered on Jai.

"Don’t lower yourself like that. For someone like him..." Jai’s voice softened near the end, almost cracked. His fingers slowed as they brushed over the knuckles, stained and bruised. Shao’s skin was warm under the cold stream, the blood coming off in deep crimson streaks.

And then Jai looked up.

For a second, he forgot how to breathe.

Shao’s black eyes met his—still wild, but no longer with rage.

Now there was something else there.

Something darker.

Deeper.

The scent of agarwood surrounded him like smoke curling into his lungs. It was overwhelming, almost dizzying.

And then it happened.

Shao’s calloused finger brushed lightly over the side of Jai’s hand. Gently.. intimately grazing against the his fingers.

But Jai froze.

He drew in a sharp breath, his fingers tightening reflexively on Shao’s wrist.

A trembling bloomed somewhere in his chest and spilled into his limbs.

It was so gentle... but his body reacted like it was a strike.

His heart thudded once—hard.

He jerked his hand back, his throat dry. "I–I’ll wait outside. You clean up—"

But before he could step away, Shao moved.

A shadow fell over him. Jai found himself caged between the cool tiles and the taller man’s frame. His back pressed against the sink counter, and Shao was in front of him, silent, unreadable, dangerously close.

Jai’s breath hitched. His eyes widened.

He didn’t speak. Couldn’t.

Shao reached down took his wrist. And then his fingers slid along the length of his arm, from wrist to elbow.

Jai bit his lip—hard.

It wasn’t rough.

Shao’s touch was intimate. Like he was touching something sacred.

Jai’s knees weakened.

And then Shao turned him gently toward the sink. Wordlessly. His hand cupped his arm again, lowering it into the running water. And there—on his arm—was a faint streak of blood he hadn’t noticed.

Shao wiped it away with his thumb. Soft. Tender.

Jai didn’t know what to say.

He couldn’t.

Every part of him felt like it was unraveling under that single, slow caress.

Like Shao’s touch was unraveling knots he didn’t even know existed in him.

His chest ached. His face felt hot.

He tried to hold himself together, but something in him was already melting.

Shao didn’t move away. Didn’t let go.

And Jai... didn’t ask him to.