WARNING: This chapter contains smut. This will be clearly marked and is skippable (though this is not recommended).
Orion
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon behind the heavy, grey clouds when Orion's forest-green eyes snapped open to face another day, the sound of chirping birds and the soft pattering of rain outside their hut pulling him from his deep slumber. Behind him, he could feel the warmth of his mother's body against his back and hear both of his parent's steady breathing as they slept. Roy's snores were quiet but deep and Orion could barely feel his father's fingertips against his back as the older ape rested his huge arm across mother's smaller frame.
Mother always slept in the middle, seeking warmth from her ape family in the cold, dark night. It had been like that for as long as Orion could remember and yet he still marvelled at how cold her skin could become without his father's protective embrace. It made him wonder how the humans they had encountered kept warm in the night – with no apes to hold them.
Despite the nest's comforting warmth, Orion knew that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep and decided to sit up and stretch his long, hairy arms above his head instead. The action made the bones in his back pop pleasantly into place and he very nearly groaned in satisfaction at the feeling. This always helped waking him up completely in the morning and was a great way to start the day - something he had learned by copying Lydia for years now.
Looking down at his parents, he found that mother was sleeping with her back to him, cradled in father's huge arms with her head tugged neatly under his hairy chin. In turn, Lydia's own arms were folded between the two, fingers digging into Roy's thick fur on his chest. They both wore an expression of peacefulness which made Orion smile affectionately.
If his parents weren't enough proof that humans and apes could live together in harmony, then he really didn't know what else could be.
The thought promptly made Blue Eyes' recent behaviour darken Orion's bright, happy mind. He noticed how his friend had rudely brushed off Caesar and stormed off during the evening meal and had shared a worried look with Ash immediately after. Orion had wanted to go after Blue Eyes and hit him upside the head for being so boneheaded and disrespectful to his parent – if he'd done the same to his own father, the younger adolescent was sure Roy wouldn't have been nearly as lenient as Caesar.
Sure, a lot of pressure rested on Blue Eyes' shoulders simply by the fact that he was Caesar's son and heir, and sure, the young ape could probably do with more validation from his father – the Ape King didn't exactly hand out praise in abundance.
But right now, Blue Eyes was acting like a spoiled ape child who had been served his first proper meal rather than his mother's milk and was throwing a hissy-fit about it.
The humans being in the forest and Caesar's unwillingness to send them away didn't help matters and Ash's recount of the conversation he had had with the Ape Prince when Malcolm first approached the colony only served to further Orion's worry.
He had had his doubt himself about the humans, having only known his own mother, who had shown him nothing but kindness. But even she had taught him about what humans were capable of. The greed, deceit and pride that rendered most of them incapable of facing the current reality – that civilization as they once knew it would never come back and that they were desperately clinging on to a withered branch that would never again hold their weight.
Mother had seemed… disappointed when she spoke of the group's wish to repair the dam. When Orion had inquired about it last night, she had told him that while it might bring them back the electricity they wanted, it would also serve to maintain the illusion that humanity could go on as it previously had.
Trying to go back to what once was with so few humans left. She had described it as trying to fill a dried-out river with only a small pail of water.
Orion understood that, but still couldn't help but admire the tenacity of these newcomers. Malcolm, especially, had a sincerity in his eyes that the young ape recognized immediately, even from a distance. And Orion was sure that was what had made Caesar give them a first and a second chance at fixing the dam. Also, he was clearly a stubborn human that would do everything for his family – not unlike mother at all.
Orion was quite sure Lydia wouldn't be too appreciative of that comparison. It didn't make it any less true, though.
Out of the corner of his eye, the young ape saw his father stir slightly and decided to get up and head out for the day. His parents could probably do with some alone-time and he didn't exactly fancy being an accidental spectator to another of their more… intimate moments.
The adolescent shook his head as he rose, calling the dogs to him from their lounging positions by the door. He had walked in on his parents only once before, quite by accident and, luckily, without them noticing. From then on, he had been more cautious before entering the hut in the evening.
It's not that he found it embarrassing or odd in any way that his parents were intimate together like that. He knew from his friends that this was quite a normal occurrence for mated couples.
It was just that he had never been… conditioned to deal with it. His parents had, first of all, always moved such activities to the cave that adjoined their hut (yes, he knew very well what was going on in there, thank you very much. He was young – not stupid) and furthermore, his parents weren't exactly… normal, as far as relationships go.
He heard father stir in the nest again, and turned from his way to the door in time to see the older ape's hand sneak up under Lydia's old t-shirt against her side, making the woman sigh quietly as she was pulled gently from sleep. Roy's eyes were still closed, but the wrinkles between his brows were beginning to deepen, signalling that the ape was waking up steadily.
Orion took that as his cue to get out, the dogs hot at his heels, excited at the prospect of getting out to stretch their legs. Blaze was, as ever, the more energetic of the two and bolted out the moment the animal skin was pulled to the side against the doorframe. Storm was more dignified, loping out beside Orion, but still with her shaggy tail wagging happily. The adolescent ape had begun to take more and more care of the dogs as he had gotten older, and they now obeyed him almost as well as they did Lydia.
He was quite proud of that achievement, really.
Only a few other apes had woken up at this hour and Orion relished in the quiet of the early morning atmosphere. It wouldn't be long now until he'd be going to the human camp with Caesar and his group of apes who had been selected to help. Mother was going too, today, since Ellie wasn't required to be with Cornelia all day after administering the Ape Queen's medicine, which left her free to join her human companions. Thus, Lydia wasn't required to guard Cornelia in the presence of the newcomer and was free to help the humans finishing their work as well. Orion had practically begged to come along, which both mother and Caesar had been reluctant to allow at first.
Luckily, his persistence had paid off.
He wasn't afraid of the humans – after all, the one with the gun had been banished and the others seemed to have kept their word about not bringing weapons.
Orion was more curious than anything, really. He wanted to observe these strangers. Maybe even get to know them. Mother had only briefly described the group's members, but Orion's interest had peaked the moment he got to know that a human boy was with them – and adolescent in age, like himself.
He wanted to see this human.
It didn't matter that Blue Eyes, upon learning this, had regarded him with a look of betrayal. Or that Ash had sent him a slight look of worry.
Today was going to be a good day.
He was determined to make it so.
Roy
"You know… You could have waited until he was out the door, Roy." Came Lydia's groggy voice as she sighed into his fur. There was no real bite behind her utterance and the large ape huffed amusedly into the woman's dark hair.
"I. Did not. Exactly. Push him out. Of the nest." He murmured back, letting his hand slide further up under Lydia's shirt. "Did I?" He added as his rough thumb grazed her nipple, making her gasp.
Her breath tickled against his collarbone and he struggled to suppress a shudder going through his entire body. She chuckled quietly at his response.
"I guess not. But you might as well have… He's gotten quite good at leaving exactly when the mood strikes you, recently." She tilted her head up to regard him with a raised eyebrow, a mixture of amusement and suspicion clear on her face. Roy only shrugged indifferently and pecked her lips tenderly as a reply.
(Smut Begins Here)
Her hands clutched against his chest as he cupped her breast entirely, moaning at the rough texture of his huge palm. It prompted her to kick off the animal pelt covering her lower half and hook her bare leg around his hip, pressing her pelvis against him.
He was already hard.
The arm under her head, which he had draped around her shoulders, pulled her flush against his chest and forced her to deepen the kiss. Truly, the feeling of her soft, smooth body against his always had him thirst for her in seconds and the way her kiss-swollen lips worked against his own only served to amplify his urgent need for her.
She moaned softly against his mouth and steadily rocked her hips against his own, probably soaking her panties, if the spiking scent of her arousal was anything to go by.
He reached the hand around her shoulders up to bury his fingers in her soft locks and pulled her head backwards, exposing the tender flesh of her throat to run his tongue against it tenderly.
"You need. This." He spoke hotly against her jugular.
It wasn't a question, but a statement. She had been stressed for the past few days, what with all these problems going on with the human visitors. It made her uneasy and had her pass out the moment she hit the comforting pelts of the nest in the evening, only to pull her out of her slumber several times during the night. She was in dire need of letting off some steam.
And Roy would gladly help.
"Yes." She sighed in agreement, reaching up to cradle his head in her hands and press his face closer to the column of her throat. He bit it softly in response, his canines gently scraping along the delicate skin. He knew he couldn't leave a mark in such an obvious place, but a few teasing bites wouldn't do any harm.
The hand toying with her breast reached down to tug at her panties and she squirmed out of them like she'd done so many times before and immediately hooked her leg around his hip once again. He didn't let her press her pelvis against him again, though, as he reached down between them to toy with her clit with one finger. A strained groan left her throat with the action and Roy smirked against her neck.
"Fuck…" She cursed as her hips jutted impatiently against his hand. She was already slick against his fingers and Roy mused that she must really be needing this to be ready so soon.
"In. A moment." He said lowly. Teasingly. She let out a breathy laugh at this, which soon turned into a rather loud, keening whimper as he reached his hand further to sink one, large finger into her heated, soaking wet core. He groaned deeply from within his throat at the feeling of her walls clamping down on his digit and began to slowly pump in and out of her in a steady rhythm. Her hips came down to meet his movements and she moaned his name sensually through the quiet morning air.
Her grip on the back of his head tightened ever so slightly as she slowly worked towards completion by his hand, a thin sheen of sweat covering her skin, shiny in the morning sun's first, weak rays of light. He pushed her with his torso to make her lie on her back and took a moment to marvel at her beautiful form as she was laid out before him, thighs open wide and chest heaving as he continued to pleasure her. The look on her flushed face was one of pure bliss, lips parted and her blue eyes darkened under heavy lids.
He could look at this all day if only the world would let him.
"Roy…" She whimpered quietly, arching her back and exposing her pert breasts to him invitingly. He could hardly refuse her.
Reaching his head down, Roy opened his mouth over one of her breasts and ran his warm, wet tongue over a dusky nipple before enclosing most of the mound in his mouth. At the same time, he pressed his thumb against her sensitive clit. The combination promptly made Lydia keen loudly and scrape her nails against his neck and shoulder with desperate hands.
After that, it didn't take long for her to reach completion, her entire body pulled taut before shuddering violently as pleasure washed over her. Roy was always fascinated by how she came undone – the myriad of expressions crossing her face in mere seconds, hands moving frantically for purchase and her slick walls clamping down on his digit as if she was never going to let him go. She was truly an amazing creature to behold.
It took a few moments of harsh panting before she began to come down from her high, a satisfied grin stretching across her face when she cracked an eye open to look up at him.
Roy chose that moment to withdraw his hand from her core, reaching up to suck his finger clean of her essence all the while making sure to maintain eye contact with his mate. His nostrils flared at her scent and he hummed deeply in his throat. She was sweeter than any honey found in the forest and he savoured the taste until it was completely gone from his finger.
Lydia's eyes widened at his actions for only a fraction of a second before a devious smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, you're such an ape." She teased before she grabbed onto his shoulders and flipped him onto his back, making him release a startled 'oomph' as he hit the soft padding of their nest. She was on top of him in a flash, looking down through long lashes as her hands ran up his chest, against the grain of his dark fur. He had expected her to do this, as she had made this move so many times before, but it still managed to send a thrilling sensation of excitement through him every time it happened. There was just something enticing about letting her be the dominant one that had him willingly hand over control the instant she made the move. The mere thought caused heat to pool in the pit of his stomach.
To submit to this beautiful, lithe female, who had somehow managed to work her way into his heart so long ago.
He let out a gritty moan as one of her hands reached down to grab hold of his throbbing shaft.
"I think you need this too…" Lydia spoke in a sultry voice which always succeeded in rendering him speechless. He just managed to nod in reply as she lowered her hips to rub her core against his tip, forcing him to inhale harshly at the feeling.
She was so warm against his cock and he could barely keep from crushing her hips in his powerful hands as he reached forward to grab her. She let herself sink onto him, sheathing his member in her tight heat and let out a quiet grunt of satisfaction at being filled by him. It made his chest swell with male pride and his lips pull back to bare his fangs as he tried to restrain himself from just rutting his hips upwards into her. It was made especially difficult as she began to rock back and forth against him, the muscles of her stomach visibly working underneath the skin. Roy let his eyes wander further upwards, towards her breast, which bounced gently in time with her movements. Her tattered t-shirt had bunched on top of her breasts, offending Roy's eyes and prompting him to reach up to pull it off her.
Lydia seemed to be onto what he was trying to do, however, and quickly moved to grab his hands. Roy's eyes shifted to hers in slight confusion but she did not offer any verbal explanation. At the same time, she leaned forward so the t-shirt slid down to cover her torso once more, making the male ape growl lowly in his throat.
The lusty smirk painted across her face immediately captured his attention, though, and he quietly obliged as she placed his hands against the collar of her shirt, closing his hands around it as she gently instructed him to with her hands. She was still moving her hips against him while this was happening, which made it hard for him to concentrate on what she was trying to convey.
Still, the look in her eyes told him she was about to introduce him to one of those human mating customs which usually sent him reeling with undiluted want, so he kept his eyes trained on her as best as he could.
And Lydia did not disappoint.
"Rip it." She panted, licking her lips. "Tear it off, Roy."
His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he complied. Eagerly so.
Soon enough, the sound of tearing fabric resonated through their hut as Roy's hands pulled the piece of clothing apart, once again revealing her full breasts to him as it split down the middle. The ape male watched with lust-darkened eyes as the thin threads holding the flimsy fabric together were pulled taut across Lydia's breasts and stomach, before finally reaching their limit and snapping in half. There was something about getting to tear apart the offending piece of clothing that tugged at Roy's more feral instincts, seeing it come apart under his hands, punishing it for concealing his mate from him night after night.
Goodness, how was he so lucky to find a female like this? To find someone who knew just which strings to pull to make him lose himself in their coupling so thoroughly that he sometimes even forgot his own name?
He sat up and lurched forward once the remnants of the tattered shirt slipped down her form and wrapped his long arms around her so tightly she gasped. Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he lifted her up until only the tip of his cock was still inside her, only to slam her down onto him again immediately after. She cried out in pleasure with the action and quickly grabbed onto his shoulders so tightly he was sure her nails were digging into his skin under his fur.
He didn't mind at all. It was just another way for her to mark him as hers.
His lips found hers in a heated kiss, his groans mingling with her whimpers as he continued to piston into her with a strength she could never hope to match. She was supposed to be in charge in this position, but at this point, she was just along for the ride as he sheathed himself inside her again and again.
He felt her walls start to convulse around his member and was struck by the urge to claim her, his eyes trailing down to land on her shoulder, where he usually placed his bruising marks on her. It was easily concealed by her coat on most days and thus, went unnoticed by the other apes in the colony.
Not that Roy had the wits about him to consider this fact at the moment. His mind was fogging as his primal instincts were slowly taking over his actions and moments later, his formidable canines were pressed against Lydia's shoulder with such force that he was sure it would leave four prominent, purple bruises. He coupled the action with one powerful thrust, slamming Lydia down onto his member.
That did it for both of them, and they careened towards the peak of orgasm together with the action – Roy releasing a guttural groan against his mate's shoulder and Lydia letting out several wanton moans beside his ear.
A few, stuttering thrusts into her trembling heat later and Roy pulled his mouth from her shoulder, his green eyes seeking hers as he panted harshly. His arms, once wrapped tightly around her midsection, now retreated so he could run his hands soothingly up and down her back as she came down from her second high. Lydia's legs were quivering from the strain of their recent activities and her hands had yet to release their tight grip on his shoulders.
It always took a little longer for her to calm down the second time around.
He welcomed it as a chance to observe her on top of him, beautifully dishevelled and completely spent.
(Smut Ends Here)
When she finally had gained enough composure to open her eyes and look at him, it was with a smile gracing her feminine features. He returned it as she leaned down to press her forehead against his, a satisfied sigh leaving both of them.
Suddenly, a soft chuckle emitted from her throat which had him raise a brow at her in question.
"You were right. I needed this." She stated simply, an amused glint visible in her blue orbs.
He huffed out in mock-indignation as he pulled back to see her properly.
"Of course. I was right." He rolled his eyes at her. "I know you. Well." Lydia actually laughed out loud at this. Years of living together had caused certain habits and mannerisms to rub off on him – one of them being Lydia's sarcasm. It never failed to amuse her.
"You sure do, love." She replied, reaching up to caress his cheek affectionately. Roy felt his chest tighten pleasantly at the term of endearment and he leaned into the warmth of her hand.
That's when they were both made aware that the village had, at last, woken up, when hooting and screeches signalled Ellie's arrival at the village entrance. Caesar had agreed that the human woman would be escorted to the village to administer Cornelia's medicine. Then, she was to be lead back to help with the dam-repairs, Lydia and Orion in tow.
Yet another thing Roy knew his mate had been worried about. Orion meeting other humans. She was afraid that they'd leave him with a bad impression of humans which he'd eventually end up projecting back at Lydia. Even if she had always told him why they had avoided humans on their journey to the colony, Orion had never associated this fear with his human mother.
Now, she was afraid that actually meeting them would make him somehow see them in relation to Lydia and distance himself from her as a result – just like Blue Eyes had begun to do because of Koba's horrible recounts of his time in the labs.
Roy had tried to explain to her that Orion was smarter than that. He loved Lydia as only a son could love his mother and there was no way meeting a few humans, good or bad, would change this sentiment. Lydia had seemed somewhat convinced at his words, but he knew that this worry would continue to gnaw at her until this was all over.
All he could do was support her and try to protect his family from whatever consequences meeting these humans might result in.
A disappointed sigh left Lydia as she lowered her eyes to his lips, drawing circles in the fur on his chest with her index finger.
"We should get up and face the day…" She spoke quietly.
He nodded solemnly and pecked her lips before lifting her off him. His animalistic strength made it easy to do and he set her gently beside himself in the nest.
Looking down at himself, his groin had become rather messy from their intimate activities and he rose to go and clean himself with the water running through the cave in the back of their hut.
The cool water pulled him completely out of his post-coital haze and helped him get into the right mindset for the rest of the day. Caesar had once again charged him with protecting the village and Roy intended to stay vigilant until his king returned with his mate and son.
When he had dried himself off with an old pelt, Roy returned to the hut to find Lydia fully dressed, bow and quiver across her back, knife strapped to her thigh and backpack in her hand. She had elected to bring it with her in case she was in need of spare clothes or if she'd need to catch them some fish for dinner in case their day at the dam would stretch into late evening – the net they had made from the fabrics of her old clothes was quite impressive, but could be impractical to carry by hand.
She smiled fondly at him as he trudged over to lay his long arms around her waist, pressing his forehead against hers once again.
"Come back. Safe." He spoke teasingly. "In one piece."
She rolled her eyes at him but pecked his lips all the same.
"I'll do my best."
And so, they let go of each other and headed for the door, ready to face another day.
