WARNING: This chapter contains nudity and smut! The beginning and ending of the smut will be clearly marked, and while it is not recommended, is skippable.
Caesar
The sky was covered in grey, bleak-looking clouds as Caesar looked for Lydia. He had been told that she had just returned from her hunting trip and he would like to talk with her about how they should arrange themselves tomorrow in terms of hunting grounds. He wanted to get out as fast as possible the next day, since he hadn't sent out any hunting parties for quite some time, as they'd had plenty of meat to last the village for an entire week. For the last couple of days, though, supplies had been running short, and they really needed to get out there again now. Therefore, he thought he would get the planning out of the way so they could waste less time coordinating themselves in the morning.
She had returned early today, he noted. And with only two hares and a buck. A large one, to be sure, but still only one.
The king just hoped that the two smaller groups he had sent out earlier would have more luck. Otherwise it would be a measly evening meal. One buck was barely enough to feed one fourth of the village.
But he had much confidence in Koba and Rocket, who had hand-picked the members of their respective hunting parties for the day. Roy was part of Rocket's group, as per usual. They had yet to return.
As his thoughts strayed to the slightly younger male, Caesar felt only a deeply rotted respect. Roy was patient and wise while also being strong and determined. This made him a good hunter, adding to the skill he'd gained from a year on the road with his mate.
Yes, Caesar thought, that was what they were. His wife had confirmed it about two months ago, after a rather… intimate talk with Lydia, Rain and Tinker. He had resisted the urge to press for details, though. It was not his place to snoop into their personal affairs.
Women…
He shook his head as he passed the gates and ventured up the hill a bit away from the village. Lydia often went there to clean herself off or take a swim in the small waterhole further up the hill. It was secluded and quiet, and since the apes didn't swim themselves, the human woman pretty much had the sight to herself. The Ape King had often found her sitting with her feet dipped into the water, perched on the trunk of a tree that had fallen halfway into the pond long ago. Sometimes he would sit with her for a while there, conversing about every topic that came to mind, like he often did with Maurice.
Caesar had found out long ago that Lydia was pleasant to converse with, and he usually walked away after their talks with a bit more knowledge than when he first set out.
The walk up the hill was steep in some places, but it didn't bother the Ape King, who trudged along quietly.
Too quietly for Lydia to hear, as Caesar exited the thick bushes surrounding most of the tranquil waterhole. Too quietly for the human woman to notice the ape stop dead in his tracks, his wide, green eyes fixed on her form in the water.
Her very naked form, that is.
She had her back turned to him, the water reaching up to about the middle of her rounded buttocks.
Caesar was transfixed as he saw how the little droplets ventured down her smooth skin, her muscles flexing underneath as she moved her arms to scrub her skin with a wet cloth. He noted how her dark hair, soaking wet, clung in thick strands to her naked body, reaching down just above the spot where two dips appeared on her lower back.
Her shape was slender and her skin pale in the weak light fighting its way through the grey clouds high in the sky above them. The surface of her body wasn't completely void of imperfections as a few small scares could be seen along her back and shoulders, evidence of her active, and sometimes dangerous, life. It did nothing to discourage Caesar from further admiring the human woman as he felt his large fingers twitch involuntarily in anticipation.
What it was exactly he was anticipating, he scarcely knew himself.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, however, he reasoned that he should leave before she noticed him there. Saving both from embarrassment, he should return to the village and wait for her to finish her task. Yet he couldn't move a muscle and kept ogling her for far longer than what could ever be considered accidental.
He could just about make out the outline of her breast as she turned slightly and he couldn't help a sudden, sharp intake of breath.
Lydia froze at the sound before turning her head quickly, her blue eyes widening in horror.
"Caesar!" She yelped before she quickly lowered herself into the water until only her head, neck and shoulders were visible, splashing water all around her. She then turned fully towards him, cheeks red and her head bowed in embarrassment.
"I… I didn't hear you coming…" She said. She didn't lift her gaze to meet his.
Caesar felt like, what was the human saying? A deer caught in the headlights? Yes, that was it. He was caught.
And since she wasn't looking at him, he'd had to speak up.
Well, shit.
"I. Did not. Know. You. Were bathing." He managed to say in his usual, raspy voice. "I apologize." It seemed only fair. He should really have known that she might be doing just that.
She finally lifted her gaze and smiled slightly, though her cheeks were still tinted red.
"It's ok. I should have told someone I went to bathe… You couldn't possibly have known."
Perhaps, he thought, but I could have turned away. I could have left. I should have left.
Lydia lifted her head further, looking slightly worried.
"How much did you-?"
"Not. Much." He interrupted before she could finish. Ok, that was a lie. He had seen a lot. Though he somehow figured she'd be more embarrassed if he'd also seen her naked front, which he hadn't. So, technically, it was also a truth.
A small voice inside his mind argued that he was fooling himself. He had not seen as much as he'd wanted. That was the difference.
He quickly choked that voice before it had a chance to fester, instead focusing on what he'd originally come resolve with her.
"I came to ask where you hunt tomorrow. To plan ahead." He signed quickly, only to worry if she had even seen it. He didn't trust his still-developing voice at this point.
"Oh, um… I think I will take the western path, if that's okay with you…" She said in a small voice.
He didn't blame her for her hesitancy. He, better than most apes, understood humans' sense of modesty. After all, he'd grown up with tv like most American children, and when Caroline had moved into the Rodman household, he had also learned that women were usually a lot more prone to it than men.
And yet he couldn't find it within himself to be sorry for what he'd witnessed.
She was beautiful, after all.
"That will be fine. Then I will take my hunters east." So much trouble for such a small amount of planning. Usually, they'd go into more details. How far away each would go, how many apes Caesar would bring with him, who Lydia could take to help her carry the prey back home.
This would have to do, though, if they both wanted to get back to the village with their dignity and good relation intact.
"I will go back, then… And sorry about this…" He added as he turned around and left, hearing only her quiet "cya" as he entered the bushes again.
He went back to the village at a much slower pace than when he'd been going towards the waterhole, despite going downhill now. He had to calm his racing heartbeat.
As well as… other things…
Caesar grinded his teeth together, frustrated with himself.
The Ape King could not deny that he found her form attractive. Human women were very different from ape women, certainly, but he had grown up knowing only the former for eight years of his life. He had grown accustomed to it. The slender shape of human females, their long legs and always full breasts, contrasting ape females', which were only like that when they had small infants to take care of.
Still, it was wrong of him to think like this about her. Caesar had his wife, his wonderful, loving wife who he desired with a burning passion. On top of that, Lydia had Roy, who would probably not appreciate Caesar's stares at his mate, Ape King or not.
This was madness. A one-time slip-up reawakening something he had buried within himself long ago. It didn't help matters that she was also kind and intelligent, traits he'd picked up on long ago, but which only now seemed to enhance the beauty he had just witnessed.
He shook his head as he tried to clear his mind of her image.
It just wouldn't do. He'd have to face her when she got back from the waterhole. He'd have to face her every day as they planned hunts, as she visited Cornelia, as she approached him about the village's growing garden and whatnot.
He sighed as he re-entered the Ape Colony.
It was going to be awkward for the next few days, of that he was sure, but he was determined to make the best of it and act normal.
And NOT tell anything to anyone else.
Especially not Roy.
Lydia
Lydia hadn't wanted to tell Roy about the incident at the waterhole earlier that day. It had been awkward enough as it was. Caesar had not dared look at her for the rest of the day, even at the evening meal.
Luckily for the both of them, nobody seemed to notice the king's sudden avoidance of her. She thanked her lucky stars for that.
She just hoped it would blow over quickly and they could get back to normal. She treasured her talks with Caesar at the waterhole, as well as the times she had woken up and gone out to just sit and look at the stars. He would sometimes come down and sit with her, himself unable to sleep for one reason or another, and they'd talk long into the wee hours of morning.
In the end, though, she felt that she needed to be honest with Roy. She had told him everything about herself so far, things no one else alive knew.
He hadn't been pleased about the whole thing, to say the least, even if he appeared calm and collected on the outside, Lydia knew he was simmering on the inside. He respected Caesar and deep down, he also knew that it was an honest mistake on the Ape King's part. An accident.
Still, it didn't keep him from feeling possessive, which became quite clear as they laid together in their nest later that night.
Orion was fast asleep and had been pushed gently to the far side of the extra-large, padded nest when Lydia had first felt Roy's hand run up her side gently.
She had always felt awkward being intimate with Orion so close, but she also didn't want to kick him out of the nest and make him sleep by himself. Apes slept together. So, whenever the urge struck, Orion would simply be carefully nudged to the far side of the nest, huddled in furs to replace his mother's warmth.
Thank goodness he was a heavy sleeper.
She was lying in her side with Roy spooning her from behind, his warm body pressed firmly against her back. She wore only her panties and a loose, salvaged t-shit that had seen better days. The skins she usually covered herself with for warmth had been discarded a while ago.
(Smut Begins Here)
This was the position they usually went for when neither wanted to move from the nest. And after a long day's hunting, that was often the case.
Lydia made a pleased noise as Roy's rough hand fondled her breast, the other reaching up to cover her mouth. Another arrangement of theirs. They had found out that Lydia could be rather vocal when caught in the throes of passion, and while she knew Roy did enjoy this, it was no good when trying not to wake up Orion.
Also, Lydia did find it rather hot on some strange level, to have his rough palm cover her mouth like this.
Roy's lips found the back of her neck and he began to lick along her shoulder and up her jugular, behind her ear, where he began to nibble at her sensitive skin. She whimpered as she exposed her neck more to him and a low growl came from his throat while she clawed helplessly at the soft fur-padding of their sleeping-area.
The hand on her breast began to travel slowly down her stomach, his fingers splaying across the expanse of skin sensually. When he reached her abdomen, he pulled her backwards, towards his pelvis, as he thrust forward with his own hips. She felt the bulge of his evolved, rather human-like member press against her rear and arched her back with a moan, muffled by his hand. The movement curved her so that his member slid down under her buttocks, now jutting hotly against her still-clothed core.
At the same time, his fingers finally reached their destination underneath her panties, the rough pads on his fingers rubbing against her clit. She grabbed his arm for purchase as his hand worked her most sensitive spot and he began to rut his pelvis against her impatiently.
It was all she could do to hold on to reality as he closed his mouth around her shoulder, teeth scraping dangerously against her skin.
He was beginning to be rough, she noted. Rougher than usual.
Roy
His fingers began to work her at an almost frantic pace and his touch was becoming harsher. As were the thrusting of his hips. He just couldn't help himself.
He had tried to be gentle, he honestly had.
But the mere thought of Caesar seeing her naked made his blood boil and the possessive, more primal side of him fight to get out.
Logically, he knew Caesar posed no threat to his relationship with Lydia. Both males were with their own respective partners, who they were each raising a child with. It was ridiculous for Roy to feel this way about the incident.
Since their arrival in the Ape Colony, Roy had on occasion overheard some of the other males' musings as to what it might be like to be with a human, some even mentioning Lydia by name. It was usually the younger ones with no established mates of their own. Youths who could never hope to best Roy in a fight if push came to shove.
He could, however, sympathise with their curiosity and the pull towards Lydia's exotic looks, so different from the females of their own species. It was one of the things that had drawn Roy to her in the first place.
Even if he had rejected the notion at first. Vehemently so.
And so, though it did stir something possessive in him when this happened, when they speculated openly on the feel of his mate's soft, naked skin, her curves and her luscious hair, he also knew that one scathing look from him would send them reeling.
These youngsters posed no threat. That was why it had never bothered him to this extent before.
Also, they had never had the pleasure of seeing her naked body. Much less did they have the gall to even try and catch a glimpse.
But it was different with the Ape King.
Instinctively, Roy recognised that Caesar was an older, capable male, with size, experience and rugged looks on his side. Not only that, but he was the leader of the colony. If anyone could have imposed on Roy's mate, it would be Caesar.
The mere thought, no matter how ludicrous and unlikely, made Roy's hair stand on end like a feral cat's, ready for a fight.
It was probably why he didn't notice Lydia squirming uncomfortably in his arms. He was so caught up in his possessive, jealous musings that he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until he accidentally pressed way too harshly against her clit, making her yelp loudly in pain and surprise and immediately pulling Roy back to reality.
They both stiffened momentarily as the pained sound left Lydia, and their widened gazes turned to Orion's form, waiting for a reaction.
The young ape only stirred slightly within the furs keeping him warm in his parents' absence.
The adults breathed a sigh of relief, glad that their son hadn't been woken by the loud noise.
Suddenly, however, realisation struck Roy, dousing his relief immediately.
He had hurt Lydia.
In their most vulnerable, intimate moment, he had let himself get carried away because of his own foolish imaginings. His jealousy and possessiveness had gotten the better of him and in turn, he had let go of his control over his strength. Like he had always feared he would with her.
Lydia propped herself up on an elbow and turned her head to look back at him in the darkness, after he had pulled his hand from her abdomen. He mimicked her position behind her, holding her gaze in the low firelight filtering through their glassless windows. Oh, how he just wanted to lower his head in apology as the floor opened up to swallow him whole.
He couldn't remember ever feeling so ashamed of his own actions before.
When she moved to stand up without a word, Roy was sure she was on her way to leave the hut for one of her nightly outings. She often did that when she couldn't sleep, rather than tossing and turning in the nest for hours.
He couldn't blame her if she wanted to leave for a bit to think on what had happened. The incident with Caesar earlier today hadn't been her fault at all, and Roy knew she had been more than a little embarrassed because of it. Him being angry about it to such a degree that he'd accidentally hurt her, during intimacy no less, was probably not helping either.
Instead of leaving, however, she baffled him as she moved towards the back of their hut, into the cave which had cleverly been integrated into their home. It had been used for storage before their hut had been built, but now served as a backroom they could retreat to on those sweltering hot days of summer. A few of the other huts on the cliff-like hill on one side of the village had a similar design, including Maurice's.
Roy and Lydia, however, used the cave for other things than just cooling off. It had a small stream of water running through it, which Lydia often used to wash herself during winter, when the waterhole on the hill was frozen. Most of the time, though, the two would retreat to the cave on nights when the mood called for more than a lazy rut in the nest. It provided privacy and had room for more than just the curled-up position their sleeping-area restricted them to.
Roy loved those nights the most. When they'd explore each other's bodies, and let themselves be consumed by passion without fear of waking Orion. He'd be left in the nest on those occasions, fast asleep in his bundle of furs.
But this was not one of those nights, surely? He had hurt her, after all. She couldn't possibly still want it now.
"Come on." Lydia whispered while stretching out her hand for Roy to take.
He did as he was told, though still utterly confused. They walked in the darkness of the cave for a couple of minutes before they reached the place where the roof opened slightly, water dripping down onto the cave floor and trickling down further into cracks in the ground. Pale moonlight shone through the opening in the roof of the cave as well, providing just enough light for them to see each other more or less clearly.
Lydia halted then, as they reached a somewhat flat plateau there, and turned to Roy. She leaned close to him until their torsos met and reached up to run her fingers through the hair on his chest while looking intently into his eyes.
"I think we need to resolve something, Roy." She spoke softly, her breath hot on his lips.
He nodded for her to continue.
"What happened today at the waterhole between me and Caesar… is of no importance."
He huffed at that, grabbing her by the waist and running his hands up her back underneath her tattered shirt. He pulled her impossibly close and stared into her eyes meaningfully.
"He. Saw you. Naked…" Roy spoke darkly. He talked more often than most of the apes because of Lydia, but it was still a work in progress.
"He saw my backside, at most." She corrected calmly. "We both know it's only a problem to you because it was him and not someone else. He's the only one who could possibly threaten you in terms of size and age." Lydia deadpanned.
Really, Roy wondered sometimes if this woman could read his mind or if she really did understand apes this well.
He wouldn't be surprised if both were true.
"I won't lie, Roy. Caesar is attractive," he only got to let out the beginning of a growl before Lydia grabbed his jaw, harshly at first, to gain his attention, then softly as she ran her fingers through the thick hair on his jaw. "but he is the husband of one of my best friends, he has a child, he is the leader of the colony… and he isn't you."
She was so close that Roy could almost taste her breath.
"I am your mate, Roy. It is you I return to every day. It is you I am raising Orion with. It is you who gets to see me at my most vulnerable."
She leaned her head forward, brushing her lips against his, adding in a breathy whisper.
"It is you who gets to do this…" She captured his lips in a searing kiss, a gesture so foreign to him when their relationship had first started, but now a thing he welcomed readily. He responded immediately.
Before he had a chance to take things further, though, she pulled away and stepped backwards, out of his embrace. He reluctantly let her go, sensing that their "resolving of things" wasn't over.
"Sit down. I want to make sure you understand this completely." She said with feigned sternness, pushing him down by his shoulders. He complied, watching with predatory green eyes as she moved further backwards, just out of his reach.
Lydia slowly, sensually rid herself of the two pieces of clothing she wore and tossed them aside uncaringly. Then, she sat down in front of him and leaned back against a sloping rock behind her, legs spread towards him invitingly.
"Stay there." She said softly to Roy, who was quivering with pent-up desire from earlier, which was only getting worse as she began to knead her own breasts while staring at him with half-lidded eyes.
He watched, breathing harshly through his nostrils as his hardening member ached between his thighs. He couldn't rightly tell if this was her torturous punishment for his mistake earlier or a delicious lesson he had to attend to make him understand her commitment to him.
His eyes stayed trained on her form either way, as she began to inch one of her hands down her body at an agonizingly slow pace. Her long, slender fingers caressed the skin of her stomach softly, her nails occasionally scraping lightly against it. Her other hand kept kneading her breast, her movements slow and deliberate as she stared at him. It made pleasant shivers race up and down his spine and his hands clench with restraint.
Finally, her fingers reached her core and she leaned her head backwards, closing her eyes in pleasure and moaning softly. Roy could hardly contain himself at the sight and gulped harshly.
"Only you get to see me like this…" She said breathlessly as she worked herself up, her hips rocking slightly in rhythm with her fingers.
"It is you I think about while doing this…" She was beginning to pant harshly and Roy let his fingers stray over his straining member. Several minutes of this felt like hours to Roy and still, she panted words of devotion every once in a while, willing him to understand.
This was the most enticing thing he'd ever witnessed, but if he didn't get some relief soon, he feared he'd go crazy.
Her face contorting in bliss as she pleasured herself in front of him, her breasts moving up and down in time with her harsh breaths, her fingers slipping in and out of her wet core repeatedly. He was seconds away from moving over and just take her then and there when he heard it. The sweet sound of his name falling from her parted lips.
"Oh, Roy…" She panted. "Come here…"
And he snapped. He got the message now. She was his.
He surged forward the moment the command was voiced. Kneeling between her open legs and grabbing her wrist gently to remove her fingers from inside her.
He'd finish this.
Leaning over her, he rubbed his aching member against her folds before thrusting forward in one, smooth movement. Her legs wrapped around his waist instantly and she moaned loudly, throwing her head back.
Roy placed his mouth against her exposed throat, licking along the pulsing vein as his strong, hairy arms wrapped around her smaller torso, squeezing her tightly against him.
He didn't move his hips at first, content with just feeling her heat around his member and knowing he, and only he, had the privilege of feeling this.
Soon, though, Lydia's hips began to jut impatiently against his and she voiced his name warningly beside his ear.
Right, Roy thought amusedly, she didn't work herself to an almost-orgasm only for him to stay still inside of her. It was time he showed her that her commitment to him wasn't misplaced. That she could count on him to take care of her needs.
With that thought in mind, he began thrusting his hips at a steady pace, leaning forward to make sure his abdomen pushed against her clit with each thrust, providing her with the friction she needed so badly to reach her peak. Her moans were louder than when she'd pleasured herself and Roy revelled in the feeling of her hands grabbing the dark hair that covered his body with building frantic need. Her grip was firm, but not so much that it was painful and his quiet grunts of bliss reverberated against the walls of the cave with each move of his hips. There was a sense of urgency in her movements beneath him, her breath harsh and eyes hazy as she tried to focus on his face. Roy imagined he wasn't doing much better.
"Mine." He whispered gruffly as he lifted his head to look at her, their foreheads meeting and breaths mingling as they panted. Her lips met his after she gave him an affirmative nod.
He grunted and groaned against her lips with every delicious thrust, at one point grabbing her hip with one large, powerful hand to aid her in reciprocating his movements.
He had started out with a steady rhythm, intent on making this last as long as possible. He succeeded in his endeavour for quite some time, until he felt her walls convulse around his straining cock, making his movements become irregular and frantic.
Soon, she gave a cry of pleasure as she reached her peak, tightening around his member and forcing his own release from him. The sound he felt coming from his throat was not quite a roar, but not quite a groan either.
Roy gave a few more powerful thrusts as he finished completely, each weaker than the last, until he let his head fall against the side of her throat with a deep sigh. He could feel her fingers run lazily through the fur on his back, a gratified hum coming from her, and he couldn't help but smirk against the side of her neck.
(Smut Ends Here)
When he lifted his head to meet her eyes, he made sure the look on his face told her that he understood.
Caesar seeing her naked didn't mean a thing. Even if he had seen her front too, it wouldn't have meant anything. It was Roy who got to spend the nights with Lydia, getting caught up in the throes of passion with this gorgeous female. It didn't even matter that she was human and he was not.
He loved her all the same.
Lydia
The two returned to the hut to find Orion huddled up the same way they'd left him. He seemed utterly unbothered by their absence, which Lydia was more than a little relieved about. She didn't want him to wake up and think they'd somehow abandoned him in the middle of the night.
They laid down and Lydia pulled her adoptive son back towards her, kissing the top of his head affectionately.
"Lydia…" Roy's voice sounded quietly behind her in the nest. She turned slightly to look at him, in case he'd rather sign than speak out loud.
Roy was propped up on one elbow, looking down at his family with a strange mixture of affection and thoughtfulness on his face.
"It does not. Matter. That Caesar. Saw you… True…"
She steeled herself for a possible argument. She thought he'd gotten the message back in the cave, so why did he continue down this road?
"But… I respect Caesar…So if I am. One day. Not here to. Take care of you. Take care of Orion. I want you to find. Male like him. To do it." He said sincerely. "To keep you. Happy." He finished while brushing his fingers gently against her cheek.
The thought of Roy not being with her, for one reason or another, made Lydia's heart ache. Him bringing it up only doubled the pain.
Yet she knew he only said it because he loved her. He wanted her to be happy, even if he wasn't there to make it so. She didn't know if she would be able to do that, however, should such a tragedy actually happen. She had never been with anyone else than Roy. He knew everything about her. She felt safe with him. He was home.
She nodded simply, too tired to discuss it further, and leaned up to touch her forehead against his, breathing in his musky scent.
"Goodnight, Roy." She whispered affectionately.
He laid down and pulled her close to his chest, burying his face in her hair before replying.
"Goodnight. My Lydia."
