It's Been So Long Since I've Seen a Man This Close

When I opened my eyes that morning, my throat was raw again.

The light coming through the window was gray. Dust still hung in the air. I sat up and my side gave a dull throb — after yesterday, that was getting off easy. I picked up the water bottle and shook it. There was so little left I could see the bottom. I took a single sip and screwed the cap back on.

I'd finished the canned food yesterday. My stomach was empty, but I could still move.

I stepped out into the apartment hallway. The stairs were half-collapsed, so I picked my way down carefully. The first floor was a wreck of debris. Outside was quiet — just the wind, and the occasional clatter of falling concrete.

I picked a direction. Yesterday I'd come south. Today I'd try east. I needed to find water. A river, or at least an intact basement.

I'd been walking maybe an hour when a small commercial strip came into view. Fallen signs blocked the street. One building still had a sign hanging crooked that read "Pharmacy." The shutter was open. I went inside.

The shelves were almost empty. Someone had clearly already stripped the place. Still, a few bottles of water sat in the corner, coated in dust. I picked one up and sniffed it. Seemed fine. I stuffed three bottles into a scrap of cloth that passed for a bag, and found a pack of fever reducers besides.

That's when I heard someone behind me.

I turned. A woman.

This time she was alone. Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, maybe. Long hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing a torn hoodie and shorts. Her legs were caked with dust. A short knife hung in her hand. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me.

"...A man?"

That word again.

I sighed.

"I'm just passing through. I grabbed a few supplies. That's all."

She lifted the tip of the knife slightly. But she didn't look like she was about to attack. She was just looking me up and down. Her gaze moved from my face to my neck, to my chest, then lower. Slow. Relentless.

"How old are you?"

That question again.

"Thirty-two."

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. She bit her lip. The knife stayed where it was, but something in her eyes shifted. Not that her guard was dropping — more like it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tilting in a different direction entirely.

"You alone?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't we... travel together?"

The sudden offer made me frown.

"I'll pass."

"Why? Two's better than one. I'm alone too."

She took a step closer. The knife didn't come down. As the distance closed, a strange tension filled the air. The way she was looking at me was too blatant — like she was appraising merchandise.

"Not interested. Just let me through."

I tried to step around her. She blocked my path. The knife pointed my way, but her hand was trembling. Not from fear. Something else.

"Wait. I just... I want to check."

"Check what?"

Instead of answering, she came another step closer. She tucked the knife into her waistband. Empty hands now. Somehow that was worse. She reached out and grabbed my wrist. Not a strong grip. But she wouldn't let go.

"Can I touch you?"

A hollow laugh escaped me.

"Are you insane?"

"It's been... so long since I've seen a man this close. Please."

Her voice dropped. Her eyes looked wet. Thirsty, almost. Same as the woman yesterday. But this time it was more direct.

I tried to pull my wrist free. Instead she pressed her body against me. Her chest brushed my arm — soft. Under the hoodie, I couldn't feel any underwear. Her body heat came through immediately.

"Let go."

"Just a little. Just a little, I swear."

She rested her face against my shoulder. Her breath hit my neck, hot. Her hand slipped under my clothes. The feel of her palm against my stomach was strange — cold, but carrying heat. Her fingers moved slowly, tracing the lines of muscle.

I clenched my teeth. I could have pushed her off. But my body had gone strangely rigid. She pulled my shirt up, exposing my stomach. She looked down and drew in a small breath.

"It's really... a man's body."

I heard her murmur. Her hand went lower. Fingers hooked on the waistband of my pants. That's when I snapped out of it and grabbed her wrist.

"That's enough. Let go. I mean it."

She looked up. Her eyes were completely unfocused. Cheeks flushed. Lips slightly parted. Suddenly she pressed her face against me, and her lips touched my neck — warm, with the faint scrape of teeth. At the same time, her hand went into my pants.

The contact was direct. She wrapped her hand around my cock. I wasn't even fully hard yet, but her fingers started moving slowly. Up and down. Friction.

"Haa..."

A small moan escaped her, face buried in my neck. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Her hand grew more aggressive. Her thumb rubbed over the head, and the stimulation hit me directly. I clenched my jaw. I needed to push her off. But my body was responding. I could feel the blood rushing downward, and she could feel me getting harder in her palm.

"It's... getting bigger."

She murmured, her voice cracking with excitement. Her hand moved faster. I could faintly hear saliva pooling in her mouth. She dropped to her knees and yanked my pants and underwear down together. Exposed flesh flinched in the cold air — then something warm wrapped around it immediately.

Her mouth.

She took me into her mouth. Heat and wetness enveloped me completely. Her tongue moved — licking over the head, sliding down the shaft. Saliva spilled from the corners of her lips. She started working her head back and forth, taking me deep, pulling back, taking me again. Wet friction sounds mixed with the slick noise of spit. Short, ragged breaths escaped through her nose.

I leaned back against the wall. My hand went to her head. I'd meant to push her away, but my fingers were gripping her hair. She grew more aggressive, sucking me down, coating everything in saliva. Stimulating the underside with her tongue, then taking me deep again. I felt myself hit the back of her throat. I could feel her fighting the gag reflex. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes. She didn't stop.

The stimulation kept building. Heat gathered in my lower abdomen. My legs trembled slightly. She gripped my hips and tried to take me even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deeper. Spit ran down her chin. Wet sounds filled the pharmacy.

"Stop... haa, fuck."

The words wouldn't come out right. She pulled off for a moment, then focused her tongue on just the head — wrapping her lips around it, sucking, then teasing with the tip of her tongue. Her other hand started gently massaging my balls. Dual stimulation. My mind went blank.

Suddenly she stood up. She pulled the hoodie off over her head. No bra. Her breasts were exposed — not too big, not too small, a firm, solid size. Her nipples were already hard. She dropped her shorts too. Nothing underneath. She was already so aroused that the insides of her thighs glistened.

She pushed me down onto a low shelf, then spread her legs and climbed on top of me. One hand gripped my cock and pressed it against her entrance. The heat was immediate. She was already soaked. She lowered herself slowly.

I started going in.

A tight heat wrapped around me. Hot, wet, narrow. She clenched her teeth and slowly lowered her hips. When she took me to the hilt, we both let out a short moan. She planted both hands on my shoulders and started moving — up and down, slow at first, then faster. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh, mixed with wet, slick noises.

"Haa... ah, fuck..."

Rough breaths and moans burst from her mouth. Her breasts bounced. I reached up and grabbed them — soft, but with a spring to them. When I pinched her nipples between my fingers, she slammed her hips down harder. Her insides clenched around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me like a spasm.

I thrust up from below and felt myself sink even deeper. She threw her head back and moaned. Her hair was plastered to her skin with sweat. The pace picked up. The slap of flesh got louder. The pharmacy filled with the sound.

Then a strange sensation flickered through me.

Her body went slightly rigid. Her eyes widened. Inside, she suddenly clenched much tighter — as if something had reacted. She stopped moving and looked down at me. Her expression was strange. Pleasure mixed with confusion.

"What was... that just now."

She murmured. But her stopped hips started moving again, more violently this time, like she was trying to take control. I grabbed her waist and thrust up hard from below. Every time I drove in deep, she let out a short cry. Her insides kept convulsing — tightening, releasing, tightening again.

I could feel the climax approaching. Heat gathered in my lower abdomen like it was about to explode. She came first. Her hips convulsed hard, and her insides clamped down like crazy. I felt hot fluid spilling out. She dug her nails into my shoulders and swallowed a moan. That tightness pushed me over the edge. I thrust up hard and came, the sensation of hot fluid pumping out transferring directly. She took it, hips trembling.

For a while neither of us could move. Just ragged breathing. She slowly lifted herself off. As I slipped out, mixed fluids ran down her thighs. She looked down at it and smiled faintly. A strange smile.

"...You're a real man."

I heard her murmur. She picked up her hoodie and put it on, then her shorts. I pulled my pants up. My body was still shaking. I didn't know what that sensation had been — that feeling when she'd climaxed and something had suddenly reacted. Similar to those armed women yesterday.

She grabbed a bottle of water and tossed it to me. I caught it and drank. My throat opened up.

"What's your name?"

She asked suddenly.

"Not telling."

"I'm Suyeon. Remember that. Next time I see you... I might not just let you go."

She said it with a smile. But her eyes weren't smiling. They were closer to greed. She picked up her knife and walked out of the pharmacy. Her footsteps faded.

I sat there for a moment. My legs were still weak. I couldn't believe what had just happened. My body reacting suddenly, that strange sensation flickering through, the woman reacting strangely too.

I got up and gathered the remaining water. I left the pharmacy. The sky was still gray. Dust was falling.

I started walking east again.

Something sat uneasy in a corner of my mind. The words she'd left kept circling. Next time I see you, I might not let you go. And that word I'd been hearing since yesterday: A man? Piece by piece, they were trying to fit together like a puzzle.

No way.

Were young men in this world... really almost gone?

I shook my head. I couldn't conclude that yet. But one thing was certain. Traveling alone was getting more dangerous. The way women looked at me wasn't normal. And something strange was happening to my body.

The sun was past its peak. My stomach started to hollow out again. I took another sip of water and picked up my pace.

I needed to go farther today. Somewhere more remote, away from people. Especially women.

But some part of me already knew. The time I could keep avoiding this was running out.

Dust mixed with the wind and blew past. I kept walking.