You were nervous about meeting the ape king, but you trusted Blue Eyes. He wouldn't introduce you if his father disagreed with his son dating a human. You supposed that's what it was, dating – you hadn't known him long but the time you spent together, and the way he glanced at you...
You smiled at him and he flashed an encouraging one back. He was undoubtedly handsome, with his earnest face and bright gaze, and you knew you weren't the only girl in your village who had an eye on the young chimp. Before the Simian Flu, it would have been deeply taboo; but things were different now. Old mores had fallen by the wayside. Besides, these were hardly "just" apes.
It had been a little over a year since first contact was made between your rag-tag group and the apes. There had been mutual tension at first, but a tentative alliance had developed. While the two settlements were a decent distance apart, resources were sometimes shared and encounters were frequent while hunting or foraging in the woods.
You'd never been to the ape colony, or met any of them aside from the handful that you'd met in the woods. Their settlement dwarfed your own village, at least four times larger both in size and population. Blue Eyes had described it to you, but still you marveled at the sophisticated structures and elaborate dwellings built up into the cliff. Most of the apes had already settled down to eat the evening meal but there were interested stares as you passed by, and you felt your cheeks redden at the focus on you.
As you walked side-by-side with Blue Eyes up to where a wide wooden ramp wound up the cliffside, Ash sauntered past, nodding in greeting to you then signing something to Blue Eyes with a teasing gleam in his dark face. Blue Eyes scoffed, a little embarrassed, and didn't respond. You knew the two were close friends, and whatever was said must not have been unkind.
The ramp led to a vast cave, extended by a covered roof of tightly lashed branches. Gourds and herbs and dried fruits in nets hung along the walls, and a bright fire crackled in the shallow blackened fire pit. As you took it all in an unfamiliar ape materialized out of the cave.
This is my father, Caesar, Blue Eyes signed.
It was poor manners to stare but you couldn't help but be riveted by the magnificent ape before you. His vivid green eyes were intense and flecked with gold, his brow stern and his shoulders broad. Both father and son were alike in height, but Caesar had the slight advantage, and stood just a hair or two above you.
Blue Eyes was giving you an odd glance, and you tore your attention away and smiled quickly, hoping your gawking was mistaken for shyness.
"Welcome... to our home," Caesar said, in a low, rough voice. Your signing was rudimentary and you appreciated his effort to speak aloud.
"Thank you." You paired your reply with the correct sign, and he nodded in approval.
As the three of you gathered around the fire and began to eat the fresh-roasted fish and berries, it was impossible to tear your eyes away from Caesar. It was clear where Blue Eyes got his good looks from, but his father's attractiveness was pure and undiluted, straight from the source. Caesar's features were rugged and arresting, his posture commanding and imbued with a natural confidence. You felt a pang of guilt for even noticing and forced yourself to angle your body subtly away from him and towards Blue Eyes, to curb yourself from sneaking peeks.
As you were finishing your fish a pair of young apes appeared at the cave entrance, hooting and gesturing to Blue Eyes. He scowled, and the signing between them was so swift you could hardly keep up. From what you could grasp, there was some kind of disturbance around the perimeter to the east, and Blue Eyes was protesting being dragged away.
I'm busy, he signed forcefully. He signed something in exasperation to Caesar, suspecting the summons was just a prank by his friends to pester and embarrass him in front of you. Caesar looked amused but responded that it was technically his patrol night any way so he was duty-bound.
"Must – go," Blue Eyes grates out to you, his words raspy with lack of practice. Sorry. Back soon, he finishes in sign, exasperated. I hope. If I'm gone long, please don't wait, go home without me before it gets too dark.
You smiled a goodbye as Blue Eyes left. Small talk wasn't your forte, and you shifted uncomfortably, unsure what topic to pursue; but Caesar didn't seem to mind the silence. Perhaps it was better this way. No speaking meant no clumsy discussions of lost love ones (Blue Eyes told you how his mother had died in childbirth years ago, something that you both had in common,) no faux pas (you weren't entirely sure about chimp etiquette,) and most importantly, no accidental flirting. You would never dare to blatantly flirt with Caesar but you wore your heart on your sleeve and sometimes couldn't stop what slipped out.
So that was how you sat, quiet and still together, popping the last of your berries in your mouth and watching the flames flicker in the pit.
Caesar was the first to break the hush. "You are... alright?" His face held a quizzical expression.
"What do you mean?" You should've just said yes and avoided any further conversation. Your discomfort must be showing on your face.
"Shy? Around ape?" He was trying to set you at ease. The corner of his mouth lifted in amused understanding. "Or around... father of Blue Eyes."
You couldn't help giggling. Apparently anxiety around meeting the parents was universal. He was right, but not in the way he thought.
"A little," you admitted, crossing your arms self-consciously over your chest. The movement inadvertently plumped your breasts, and if his eyes appeared to linger... well, that was probably just the dim light playing tricks on you.
"Hmm," was all he said, and he turned away in profile to you to gaze out into the twilight. The fires below were fading now, only a few torches lit near the gates, and the remainder of your own fire danced in its pit, smoke twirling away to be carried off by the stiff evening wind.
"Cold," he observed, eyes sliding back to you. He clenched two vertical fists on either side of his chest, in a simulation of someone shivering. You didn't know this sign, and you copied it.
"No fur," you said with a rueful shrug, rubbing your bare goose-pimpled arms, and his lips tilted again at the joke. Autumn was creeping in earlier than expected this year, and you hadn't thought you'd needed a jacket tonight.
Caesar rose without a word and disappeared further back into the cave, and when he returned he carried an unfamiliar brown bundle in his arms. As he moved closer you recognized it as some kind of pelt, and he grunted, "bear."
The fire's glow illuminated his features, thoughtful as he unrolled it and draped it over your shoulders, and an unexpected tickle of sensation unfurled low in your belly.
"Thank you," you murmured, burrowing into the fur's warmth. Curiosity sparked: what might Caesar's feel like? Blue Eyes was sweet, but shy, and you hadn't really touched each other aside from the occasional brush of shoulders or a hand up on a difficult patch of terrain. You had no real way of knowing what apes actually felt like. You wondered what Caesar's body might feel like beneath the fur, envisioning the warmth of his strong chest and sturdy frame –
You should be thinking that about Blue Eyes, not his father, you scolded yourself, grateful that the golden firelight hid your blushing. But you'd never felt this kind of pull towards Blue Eyes. As Caesar sat down across from you again you concentrated hard on the last of the flames. It wasn't long though before your attention was drawn, as if by magnets, up to him. To your surprise he was openly observing you, and didn't even bother to avert his gaze when you made eye contact. You supposed the alpha wasn't used to being challenged, and could look at whatever – or whoever – he wanted.
"Are you cold?" you blurted out lamely, trying to make some sort of polite conversation. A stack of firewood was behind you and you gestured to it. "I can get more if you... want." You trailed off awkwardly. "Do you get cold?"
"Yes," he said, furrowing his brow a little as if it was an odd question. Which it was.
"I just thought that, since apes have fur..." You tended to babble when you were jittery so you compressed your lips, willing yourself not to worsen an awkward situation.
Caesar emitted an almost inaudible chuff that maybe, just maybe, was a laugh. The display of humor from the formidable ape caught you off guard. But you sensed you were being laughed with, not at, and your own involuntary smile thawed your embarrassment.
"Fur not so... thick as bear," he informed you, tilting his head to one side. He paused before continuing, as if unsure whether or not to give voice to his next thought. "Never... feel ape fur?"
"No," you responded, then immediately realized what your denial had revealed about you and Blue Eyes.
He considered, then abruptly rose and came to sit beside you. Your heart beat out an erratic tattoo behind your sternum.
"Can touch," he offered in a deep rumble. You flushed again. Blue Eyes had told you his father was a firm believer in cooperation and understanding between humans and apes, so you supposed this must be Caesar's way of fostering it.
Well, you couldn't refuse now. That would be rude.
You parted the bear pelt and, tentatively, set your hand on his forearm. From what little contact you'd had with Blue Eyes, you assumed chimp hair to be coarse. But as you threaded your fingers through the thickness of it you found it was soft and dense beneath the rough outer layer. His muscularity was far beyond that a human man; as if it had a mind of its own your hand traveled up, against the grain of his fur now, along the powerful sinew of his arm.
He was staring at you now, his jaw hard and his eyes flaring with something you'd swear was...
Before you realized what was happening your foreheads were touching. His breathing was rapid, his eyes heavy-lidded and gleaming in the low light. It had been so long since you'd truly touched anyone, or been touched; the contact would've been intoxicating regardless but with the addition of your raw attraction to him, it made you almost light-headed.
Emboldened by the realization that he shared your desire, your hand slid to his bicep, then further up to curl around his strong neck. You had no time for guilt, or disbelief, or anything else before his arms slipped around you and pulled you onto his lap. You gasped as your thighs parted around his waist, knees on the hard ground, the bear fur falling aside as his big hands spread over the small of your back.
He'd been the picture of regal restraint earlier but now his eyes were a little wild. It frightened you, and thrilled you.
He drew you flush against him, slotting you tighter into his body. His breath was light and warm on your neck, ghosting over your jugular. It occurs to you that he could literally rip out the pounding vein with his fangs if he cared to. Instead he mouths at it, and you squirm at the little jolt of pleasure, letting your head fall forward onto his shoulder. He smells like pine needles and smoke from the fire.
"Anyone... can see," he murmurs, the words humming like electricity along your skin, and you nod. You start to detach yourself but instead he stands, still holding you bear fur and all, and carrying you back into the cave with one arm as if you weigh no more than a dried leaf.
As if knowing his nest of woven branches would not be comfortable for you he spreads the bear hide down in it with his free hand, creating a soft padding and depositing you on it. For a moment he looms above you, terrifyingly large; but as you reach for the hem of your shirt his eyes flash, and he moves in and over you, bracing himself on his hands and caging you in with his broad body.
You work off your shirt and bra with trembling fingers as he watches, chest rising and falling. The air is chill on your bare skin, and you shiver with both the cold and a sudden rush of prickling nerves. His gaze is searing as it rakes over your nude torso. Your hands fumble with the button of your cargo pants – but you can't stop now, the fire's in your blood and all rational thought has flown into the night and it feels like you've never wanted anything more than you want Caesar.
He cups one breast – has he done this with a human before? Does it matter? – and you arch up beneath his spreading palm, craving his big hands all over you. With no hesitation he lowers his head and closes his lips over your nipple and you clutch at his shoulders like a lifeline. He mouths along your rib cage, the bones seeming so fragile now, and reaches between you to yank off your pants and underwear with ease.
Naked beneath him, you feel a trickle of vulnerability, conscious of how small and frail you are in comparison to this powerful ape. His eyes burn with lust and he moves back onto you, bracing on his forearm now instead of his hand, his body completely obscuring yours.
The sensation of his fur on your exposed skin is erotic beyond your wildest imaginings and you run your fingers over his back, almost feverish with a rush of new desire. He plunges one hand into your hair, not at all gently, tangling the strands around his fingers and sinking his teeth into your neck – not enough to break skin but enough to make you gasp at the potential violence of those sharp canines.
You were aware these evolved apes had evolved genitalia to match, but it remained concealed in the fur until erect and thus you've never seen one. Your breath catches at the hot weight of his arousal on your inner thigh, at the impatient forward jut of his hips. Nervous but aroused, you part your legs further for him; no, you want more, and you lock them around his waist, needing to be closer, closest. He groans, his grip tightening in your hair, his muscles almost vibrating with his restraint – and then in one swift motion he scoops you up and flips over, settling you firmly atop him.
"You must," he grits out. The green of his eyes is almost completely eclipsed by his pupils, as black as the new moon. "My... strength is... too much."
His straining cock is human-like, dark and girthy, and he throws his head back with a growl as you circle your hand around it, pumping the satiny shaft in exploration. His hands almost span your waist and before you can take the initiative he lifts you onto him.
You cry out, scrabbling for purchase against his chest as you're slowly impaled on his cock. You're long past virginity but it feels like the first time again, the way he stretches you almost to the point of pain. You pant as you adjust to him, the burn fading to leave behind only swelling pleasure. His eyes are unblinking, so intense you can't tear yours away, your body so full it feels like you can barely move.
You dig your fingers in his fur as you cautiously roll your hips, moaning at the delicious friction. As you begin to ride him his grip on your waist is so tight it's hard to breathe but you're beyond caring. With each forward rock of your pelvis you moan; his own breath is coming in uncontrollable huffs, his body canting up to match your movements. That exquisite pressure is mounting but it's not quite enough, you need...
"More," you gasp. It feels incredible but you want him, need the thrust of his hips and his weight on you. You know he's holding back, you can feel it in the rigidity of his hands and the tension in his body. "Caesar..."
"Don't want to... hurt you." He shuts his eyes briefly as if to maintain his self-control.
"Please," you beg. You lean forward, breasts brushing his chest, sliding your hands up to his frame his jaw. "Please, Caesar..."
Maybe it's the intimacy of your pleading touch that sends him over the edge; maybe it's hearing you whisper his name, ragged with longing. But with a roar he rolls and slams you on your back with enough force to knock the wind out of you.
His hands circle and pin your wrists, crushing the fragile tendon and bone. He sets his own pace now, ramming into you with a force you didn't know was possible. Your eyes roll back with each purposeful thrust, your strangled cries sounding foreign to your ears, as if they came from someone else. His expression is feral, and you're helpless to do anything but be used by the ape king.
But still your pleasure is building again, to dizzying heights, and in his grasp you scream and shudder out your blinding climax, body bowing and legs clenching around him.
He comes with a growl, cock throbbing as he spills his release inside you. He buckles onto his forearms again, his breathing harsh against your neck. The pressure of his body is blissful but in some vague, hazy way you recognize he's still keeping his full weight off you. The only sound now is the blood rushing in your ears, and your shared breathing, and the faint song of crickets and nighttime insects in the woods.
As the glow begins to fade you realize, as if a bucket of ice water has been upended on you, that Blue Eyes could return at any moment. Fantasies of drifting off to sleep in Caesar's all-encompassing embrace dissipate like morning mist.
As if he could read your mind he withdraws – you feel empty, incomplete – and turns away, sitting on the edge of the nest with his broad back to you.
You stand up and start to gather your clothing, wincing with each step. Your underwear was torn in its removal, and you stuff the scraps into one of your pockets and yank your pants on. Caesar's warm seed is still sticky at the apex of your thighs.
"Injured?" You turn toward his low, questioning voice. He must notice the hesitation in your movements because his features are marred with concern, and a trace of guilt.
"I'm fine," you assure him. You want to settle into his lap, pepper his face with appreciative kisses – but that's silly, that sort of thing is for lovers and whatever this had been it was not... love.
You tug your shirt over your head, and once the fabric is out of your eyes Caesar is standing before you. His gaze roves over you, gentler now but still somber and sharp, then flicks beyond you to the entrance of the cave.
"You cannot... tell..."
"I know," you interrupt, understanding his meaning. His eyes are regretful, thinking of his son, but as they meet yours again they fill with a subtle but fierce possessiveness. It isn't what you expected to see, but it sends a frisson down your spine.
"I have to go," you explain. He nods; you both know Caesar's scent is all over you, and Blue Eyes would smell it in an instant if he got close. "I'll take a torch."
"No." The single word is decisive and final. "Come with me."
You follow him out into the near pitch-black, through the sleeping ape village and out to the horse paddock. Caesar unlatches the fence and weaves through the knot of horses to grab the halter of a massive black stallion. The animal snorts at being disturbed, but yields obediently as Caesar unwraps the reins from where they'd been tucked in the halter and leads it out of the gate. He leaps astride, wheeling his mount around with an ease born of much practice, and draws it up up before you.
Staring down at you in the darkness, his silhouette is utterly intimidating; if you'd encountered him under any other circumstance, you'd have been terrified.
He extends one large palm to you. The tilt of his head indicates the empty expanse of the horse's rump.
You hesitate only a moment before gripping Caesar's hand and settling your other on the horse's flank, bracing on the balls of your feet to jump. But he swings you up behind him as deftly as if you'd been weightless, and spurs the horse on before you have time to seat yourself. At the forward lurch you instinctively seize him around the middle.
His warm, solid frame is an anchor as the horse breaks into a steady trot, and he doesn't protest your tight hold on his fur. It would have been a long, dark walk back to your village and you're grateful not just for his consideration, but for the opportunity to remain with him a while longer.
You won't think about innocent Blue Eyes – won't think about what any of this meant. Not just yet. For now you just inhale Caesar's scent and absorb the memory of his body shifting against yours. It's may well be the last time.
You lace your hands together over his abdomen and rest your cheek on his strong back as together you ride off into the night.