His Worrisome Aching

Sometimes Jonathan had this nagging aching in his balls. It was dull and usually pretty mild, and it didn't happen all the time. Once in a while, though, the aching was really bothersome. He usually ignored it. But, at those times when the aching was stronger, he wondered if something was seriously wrong.

When he was in the shower, he felt around on himself a little, and noticed a place on each side that was touchy if he squeezed very hard. Jonathan was concerned...and, he was embarrassed. He was too embarrassed to tell his mom. And he couldn't just go to the doctor without his mother finding out, and then having to explain the problem. Maybe the aching would just go away on its own, eventually. He hoped it would, anyway.

He looked in the family medical book under 'diseases of the testicles'. Crap! 'Testicular cancer' was the very first condition listed. It happens most between ages 15 and 35. Crap! Jonathan closed the book without reading further. The blood drained from his face. He felt suddenly weak. Crap! He thought he was gonna die! Jonathan felt shaky as he lay down on his bed. Would his testicles swell up and turn black? Would he die an agonizing death? He had just graduated from high school, and his life was almost over! Jonathan lay on the bed, imagining the worst, and thinking about the things he'd never get the chance to do now that he was going to die.

After a while, the panic began to subside. Maybe, just maybe it could be something else. He looked in the biology book he had used for home-schooling. Nothing there. Mom hadn't spent much time on anatomy and biology. And when the pastor had had a little talk with him about men's stuff, about all he had told him was not to touch himself down there except to wash himself or to use the toilet. Jonathan timidly opened the medical book again, and cautiously found the place that described diseases of the testicles. There was other stuff that could go wrong, too, he read. Like sexually-transmitted stuff. He could rule that out, because he for sure had never had sex. Strangulation of a testicle. Crap, that sounded horrible! Jonathan shut the book again. All it mentioned were horrible diseases. After all, he tried to assure himself, his testicles just ached – and they didn't ache all the time, even.

How could he find out without his mom knowing? His cousin Sarah. She was almost a whole year older. They had shared the same home-schooling curriculum, and now Sarah was starting a home-study course on some kind of herbal doctoring or something like that. Their ultra-religious families were very big on herbal remedies. Jonathan could ask her – she had some books that came with her home-study course, and they probably would have some information.

"Sarah, can I come over to look something up in the medical books you just got?"

"Sure, Jonathan. What do you want to look up?"

"It's sort of...well...it's personal, Sarah," Jonathan stammered.

"Jonathan, how can I help you look something up if I don't know what it is?" Sarah asked.

Good point, Jonathan thought.

"OK, Sarah, but you have got to swear on the Bible that you won't tell. I don't want Mom to find out."

"Come on, Jon, tell me what it is so I can at least get out the right book for you."

"This is embarrassing, Sarah," Jonathan insisted. "OK. I guess I can trust you. It's my....um...my testicles. They ache a lot."

There was a pause before Sarah answered. "OK, Jonathan. I'll see what I can find in my books. Come on over and we'll check things out."

Sarah thought of herself as a medical student. Even though she was studying a correspondence course, she felt very proud of herself. Her family and lots of people in the neighborhood tried of avoid 'regular' doctors, and institutional medicine. They preferred to use midwives and reflexologists and herbal medicine. Sarah took her correspondence-studies in natural health topics very seriously.

Jonathan was 7 months younger than her. They had grown up living less than a mile apart. Their moms had home-schooled them and their brothers and sisters. There were other kids in the rural community who were home-schooled, too. Most of them went to the same conservative church congregation.

As she walked to the bookshelf, Sarah glanced out the window of her bedroom, and could see Jonathan walking up the road toward her house. He was wearing an oversized mesh basketball tank top and jeans. Even though he was her cousin, she still found him handsome. His shoulders were broad, and he had a killer smile. She admired his tanned skin and big muscles.

Looking through the box of paperback textbooks she had recently received in the mail, Sarah found two that should be helpful. One was an anatomy book. Another was a book about diseases. The books were written in very simplified terms, but to Sarah, they seemed just like the books that student doctors in big medical schools studied from. As she passed by the window again, she could see that Jonathan was almost to her house. She quickly sat down at her desk, and started to search the thin anatomy book. 'Reproductive Organs' was the title of the chapter. She found the pages that had pictures of men's genitals, and studied. Sarah had only older sisters, and had never seen a man. Well, once she had accidentally glimpsed her father while he was nude in the bedroom, but she had seen hardly anything. But Sarah knew that as an herbal doctor, she would have to learn to be responsible for people's health, and she was willing to learn. She read quickly, trying hastily to become an expert, as she heard Jonathan downstairs knocking on the door to the back porch.

Sarah raced down the stairs, opened the door, and greeted her cousin. Sarah was Jon's favorite cousin. He thought her long auburn hair was so pretty. While her parents were out of town at a church conference today, she had decided to wear some clothes that her parents frowned on. Sarah had short, snug denim shorts [instead of a modest skirt]. And she wore a white T-shirt that she had tied up to expose her belly. Her mother would simply die if she knew Sarah was having Jon to the house while she was so skimpily clad. As any teenager would, Sarah resented the strict dress codes imposed by her church. Skirts or dresses had to touch the knee. No sleeveless or low-cut tops were permitted Tight-fitting clothes were forbidden. Slacks were frowned upon, and her mother would not let her wear shorts, except around home.

Her mother knew Sarah had a few clothes like she was wearing today, but preferred to ignore the fact.

When her parents were out, for a few hours or longer, Sarah dressed the way she wanted. Sometimes she danced around the house in only her bra and panties. This spring, she had sneaked and bought a bikini once when she went to town alone. She kept it hidden away, and sometimes while her parents were out, she would lay in the sun. She found the feeling of the sun on her bare skin was quite invigorating.

Recently, Sarah even went nude a few times, when no one was at home. She loved feeling her body unrestrained by clothes. It felt good to let her breasts bounce freely. And there was something about how her skin felt when it was exposed to the air that thrilled her. Sometimes she stood in front of the mirror and admired her body. She was a pretty girl and she knew it. But with the home-schooling thing, and the ultra-conservative way of dressing, there weren't really any occasions that she could show off her beauty.

One evening, after she had showered, she wrapped herself in a towel, and went over and stood in front of her bedroom window to dry off. The shade was up. Of course, no one was outside, but her parents were downstairs. It exhilarated her to think that Jonathan, whose house she could see from her window, just might be looking in her direction.

"Come on upstairs, Jon. I got the books out," Sarah said as she ran ahead of him up the stairs. As Jonathan followed her up the stairs, he admired his cousin's legs and butt. It wasn't often he got to see a girl dressed this way.

Sarah grabbed the two paperback textbooks, and plopped down across her bed. "Let's look up your problem, Jon." Sarah motioned for him to come lie down next to her. "All I had time to look up was anatomy so far. Want to see that?"

"Uh...OK, Sarah. But I kind of know what I look like already."

Sarah thumbed through the book, looking for the picture she had studied only a few minutes earlier. "Yeah, but I don't know what you look like," she said. She giggled as she realized what she had said. "I mean, let's look it up so I can learn the medical names and stuff." Finding the anatomical drawings and pictures of men's genitals, she scooted the book closer to Jonathan.

"OK, show me where you ache, Jon"

"I already told you, Sarah."

"I know, but point to exactly where you hurt on these pictures."

Jonathan pointed at the testicles. "Right here, Sarah. On both sides. And I don't want Mom to find out about this, OK?"

Sarah took it very seriously. Her cousin Jonathan was her first patient. Even though she had only begun the home-study course, she was very sincere about her studies. "Listen, Jon. We'll look up stuff in these books, and figure it out. Maybe it's not anything serious at all."

Pushing aside the open anatomy book, she began to thumb through the index of the book that described conditions and diseases. Testicles, diseases of. She found the few pages that described problems with the testicles. Testicular cancer was at the top of the list. She pushed the book closer to Jon, so they could read it together. As they read it, they discovered that the sign is usually a painless lump on a testicle. "Do you have any lumps down there?" she asked.

"I don't know, Sarah," Jonathan replied nervously. "I just ache I think."

"Well, did you check yourself for lumps?"

"No. I don't know how. I mean, what am I supposed to be feeling for?" Jonathan's voice was nervous.

"Some kind of lumps, Jon. We'll figure it out. Let's read some more." Sarah pulled the book back to herself, and read on. "Have your balls...um...testicles changed size lately?" she asked, remembering to talk in a clinical way.

"I don't think so."

"You don't think so? What do you mean you don't think so? Don't you know, Jon?"

"OK, no, Sarah, they haven't changed size. Dang, this is embarrassing, Sarah!"

"Listen, if you don't want your mom to find out, you've got to let me try to help you. Got it?"

"Yeah...I got it"

"Are your...testicles both the same size?"

"I think so."

Sarah rolled her eyes at Jon's answers, and continued to read more about testicles. "OK, Jon, we have to find out about your testicles. You're going to have to let me examine you."

"What?! No way, Sarah! You're not going to examine me!"

"Jon, listen. There could be something badly wrong with you. And you're absolutely no help so far. So, I'm going to have to examine you, plain and simple. I'm studying herbal medicine, Jon. That's almost like being a doctor, you know. So, take your pants off and let me examine you," she said as she sat up.

He felt his face flush deep red as the idea of letting Sarah examine him. It would be embarrassing. But, what choice did he really have, if he didn't want his mom to find out? He stood up, with his back to her, and unfastened his belt slowly. Then he kicked off his shoes, as he slowly unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. Sarah admired Jonathan's backside as he let his jeans crumple around his ankles, then step out of them.

Jon's basketball shirt came down past his hips, but still, he cupped his hands over himself as he slowly turned to face his cousin, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Come closer Jon," Sarah said with a hint of a tremble to her voice. "Come over here so I can examine you."

Jon obeyed, feeling his heart pound and his skin flush again. Slowly, he walked toward her, until her face was right in front of his hands.

Jon's basketball shirt came almost to mid-thigh. "You're either going to have to take off your shirt or hold it up so I can see, Jon." Jonathan took of his shirt, exposing his well-built chest and flat abdomen. He was wearing white Y-front briefs. There was a thin line of hair extending from the waistband of his briefs to his navel, but otherwise his chest and belly were hairless. She stared a moment at the bulges in his briefs, then looked down at his almost hairless thighs and legs.

Sarah swallowed, and hoarsely said. "Pull your underpants down Jon, so I can have a look, " as she gazed intently at the bulges he made in his underwear. "Take them off, Jonathan," she repeated.

"Sarah! I'm not taking them off. I'm not going to let you see me totally naked." Jonathan felt himself swell a little at the thought of being completely naked to his cousin's view. Still, he had been raised in a very modest way.

"Jonathan, I have to examine you. I can't examine your...testicles...unless I can see them, now can I? So pull down your underwear." There was an essence of eagerness in Sarah's voice now.

Jon had an idea. "Sarah, what if I just kind of pull my underwear to one side, so you can examine me, so I wouldn't have to be totally naked?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "OK, Jon, whatever. Just do it so I can take a look."

Jonathan nervously pulled the crotch of his briefs to one side, allowing one testicle and then the other drop out. Sarah's face flushed and her pupils dilated as she saw them hanging freely now. She reached out and lightly touched the soft wrinkled skin of his sac. Jon felt himself swell more in reaction to Sarah's touch.

"OK, the drawing says this is your 'scrotum'." Sarah nervously ran her fingers over him, as she looked between the book and Jon's body. Then she timidly took a fold of the loose skin between her thumb and fingers. Jon shuddered. Looking up at his face with concern, Sarah asked, "Does this hurt?"

"No, Sarah."

"Are you sure?" she asked, as her fingers explored the skin "No pain or aching?"

"No, Sarah," Jonathan replied as he felt himself grow stiffer.

As her fingers investigated she loose skin, she looked closely at the wrinkles and tiny bumps. Not only was she excited to be doing her first examination, but Sarah felt another kind of excitement. "Well, if it doesn't ache, how does it feel?" She tugged a little at the hairy skin.

"Ummm, it feels...nice, Sarah." Jonathan grew stiffer still in response to his cousin's touch.

Sarah felt tingling between her legs and noticed her nipples tightening. She looked back and forth between the open anatomy book and her cousin. Sarah took one of Jon's balls in her hand and began to explore it. It was firm and rubbery, and it slid easily inside the sack of skin that the book labeled 'scrotum'. Using the fingers of both hands, now, she slowly explored the egg-shaped gland. "Does this hurt, Jon?"

Jonathan was growing larger and stiffer with each second Sarah examined him. "No, Sarah, it doesn't hurt," he said hoarsely. "That's where I ache, but it doesn't hurt to have you touch it."

"What about this," Sarah asked, as she took the other testicle in one hand. "Does this one hurt?"

Jonathan moaned softly. "No, Sarah, it....ummm...doesn't hurt either."

Holding one testicle in each of her hands, as Jon continued to hold the front of his briefs to one side, Sarah looked back at her books. She continued to feel carefully, and examined each testicle thoroughly. Sarah was trying to remain professional, but she was experiencing all sorts of sensations and thoughts. "Jon, your testicles are the same size, and I can't feel any lumps, so I guess it's not cancer or something bad." She continued to hold his balls. "And you said this doesn't hurt, right?" Her gaze alternated between his face, his balls, and the base of his swollen member she could see behind white cotton fabric.

Jonathan's mouth was dry. His cock was hard, and he could feel drops of wetness at the tip. He could hear his pulse pounding in his head. "No, it doesn't hurt Sarah. I told you it feels nice. Actually, it feels very nice."

After several more moments of traveling around his warm balls with her fingers, Sarah reluctantly let go of Jon, and gazed up into his eyes. The sensations she was noticing in her nipples and cunny were intensely exciting. "OK, I guess you can put them back in your underwear now," she said, with more than a little sadness in her voice. Then she lowered her eyes to watch his crotch again.

Jonathan let the fabric move back over his balls, tucking them back into his briefs. That's when Sarah noticed the full size of her cousin's erection. The bulge from Jon's penis was twice as big as when she had started her examination. In fact, the shiny and wet tip of it was barely visible above the waistband of his briefs now. She almost reached out to touch it, but restrained herself. There would be another opportunity, she thought.

"I guess you can get dressed now, Jon," Sarah said reluctantly, her voice now raspy from arousal.

He turned his back toward her, and stepped into his jeans. She watched him get dressed, still feeling urgently sweet sensations of arousal in her body. Sarah felt truly disappointed as she watched his jeans pulled up over his briefs. Jon turned back to face Sarah as he buttoned his jeans. When he zipped up, he felt the pleasant pressure as his erection was restrained behind the tight-fitting denim. Jonathan pulled his mesh shirt back on while Sarah watched, her eyes noticing the contours of his chest and belly, and his dark nipples.

Clearing his throat, Jonathan confessed to Sarah, "You know, when you were feeling them...examining me...it felt good. But now I have that aching there again." He frowned with a combination of perplexity and discomfort. "I wish I knew what's wrong, Sarah. There has to be something wrong I think – they shouldn't ache like this, should they?"

With concern evident on her face and in her voice, Sarah said, "Listen Jon, I'll do some reading this evening. Can you come back over tomorrow afternoon? I promise I'll read up on this tonight. Tomorrow afternoon Mom & Dad will be out, and ...I can examine you again...and maybe we'll figure it out, Jon. OK with you?"

Thoughts of Sarah examining Jon again flooded both their minds with anticipation.

"Sure," Jon answered quickly. "Tomorrow afternoon will work. We've got to figure this out, Sarah. You read up tonight, and you can examine me again tomorrow." He felt himself blush as the last sentence left his mouth.

Sarah stood up and gave her cousin a kiss on his cheek. "OK, Jon. See you tomorrow." She watched as he left her room, and heard him going down the stairs and out the door onto the porch. She wondered what tomorrow would bring.