#uhhh. this took much longer than i wanted because of those last two panels

[i-am-a-fan]

“Confrontation” -Lmk Pirate Au

Ko-fi … Masterpost

Edit: added asks answered by the comic

Text Undercut:

‘Mk’: That drop should have killed me. Thank the heavens for the bandana, huh, Wukong?

‘Mk’: Didn’t save the first wearer but you knew that, huh?

Shadow: You gave them my bandana?…

Wukong: Macaque…

[synnefo-nefeli]

Strange Days Drabble: Clay and Apollo

Hey everyone.  Just a little something I wrote up...not sure if this will go into Stranger Stories.  I just wanted to write something about Pre-Strange Days when Clay and Apollo in college.

Title: Stranger Stories: Clay and Apollo

Pairings: one-sided Claypollo, if you count someone having difficulty sussing out their actual feelings.

Rating: PG-13, for 19 year olds, being 19 year olds lol.

He pulled the key from its hiding place in the back of the fuse panel, thankful as always that some RA or security guard hadn’t discovered the copied key.  Most dorms at Ivy University had been upgraded to key card locks, but those were the nicer and pricier dorms with better security and a predominately Omega and female Beta population.   And there was no place that Clay wanted to be further away from at the moment.   

Apollo’s dormitory lay on the older part of the campus, built in the 1970s and forever trapped in that decade, with its painted cinder block walls, and old key and lock doors.  His friend could have opted for one of the nicer, more modern dorms- Apollo’s student loans would have provided for that- but Apollo, determined to get out of school as quickly and with as little debt possible, chose the cheapest living space possible that his scholarships and part-time job at the school’s law library could cover.

No light spilled from under the door, and his texts to Apollo, announcing that Clay intended to crash at Apollo’s dorm remained unread.

Either Apollo was still at work or his friend’s was being distracted by some video game or anime.  Regardless, if he was home or not, Apollo’s door was always open to Clay- as it always had been since the incident during their senior year of High School.

Clay’s extended family had arrived on his birthday, with marriage and breeding contract prospects for their heir.  One of his uncles had actually arrived *with* the father of one of the candidates.  The thought of being married off or prospect of having pups at the age of seventeen terrified him, and so Clay fled the first chance he had to Apollo’s room at the foster home.  

He’d stayed there until his father had assured Clay, that he had postponed any talk about breeding contracts or marriage arrangements for the foreseeable future.  That was 2 years ago, and he was well into college and of age...there was only so much longer Clay felt he could hold the vultures off his scent.

Clay fit the key into the lock and opened Apollo’s door, to find Apollo home, sitting on his bed with his laptop frantically typing away.  The stacks of paper surrounding his friend and the stale take-out boxes strewn around the room indicated that Apollo was in ‘the zone” for a while now.

“You know, you should at least knock- I could have had a guest over,” Apollo mumbled, eyes not leaving the screen.  

That statement made Clay laugh, the happy feeling a moment’s distraction from his current situation,

“Please- you’re a first year law student, who crammed his undergraduate into two years, and immediately started Law School a week after your Summer Undergrad Graduation. Also you work when you’re not in class or studying in the library- the likelihood of you screwing around- literally or figuratively,” Clay grinned,  throwing his backpack, duffle, and supplies, into the corner of the dorm’s small bedroom “is nil.”

Apollo greeted that statement with an eyeroll, and him scooting over on the bed in invitation for Clay.

He clambered up onto Apollo’s skinny twin bed, displacing the papers and an empty soda can, to nuzzle his friend.  Apollo made a weary sigh, but allowed it- Apollo always allowed Clay this sort of affection, and Clay despite having other Beta friends only sought out this sort of greeting from Apollo.

There was just something about his childhood friend that put Clay at ease, no matter how anxious or stormy Clay’s moods could become.  Apollo, despite attributing the ability to Clay, had a away of bringing out the best in others.

Apollo kept typing, “Doesn’t mean I couldn’t have been up to something on my own-”

Clay leaned on Apollo’s narrow shoulder, “Mmm...you know that I wouldn’t care if you were doing that- it’s only natural.  I’m an Alpha after all-”

The narrow shoulder shoved back at him, “Is that supposed to mean something to me?…” and went on typing, body posture allowing for Clay’s head to remain on Apollo’s shoulder while the other kept working.

“We-us Alphas and Omegas- used to mate out in the open in front of our packs...sex is a normal part of life, so why be shy about it? Wasn’t until you puritanical Betas became the majority population and spoiled all our fun….”

Apollo kept typing, failing to rise to Clay’s point,

“Once, some Beta diplomat to an Alpha kingdom nearly died of shock when he came into the throne room to treat, finding the King sitting up in his throne, cock out as their Omega concubines pleasured him.  And it wasn’t a show of dominance or whatever, it was just commonplace in the court, that you just took care of things right then and there in the open. With a partner or your hand-”

“Damn it, Clay!” Apollo yelped suddenly pounding on the “backspace” of his keyboard, “I started writing what you were saying-” then he mumbled, “Now that’s an impression for whoever reads this…

‘Dear Hiring Manager…” Apollo pretended, ‘ I believe I am the most ideal candidate because of my experience with the Alpha King and his cock…’”  he groaned, “I think I’d have to kill myself if I sent this out-”

Clay scanned Apollo’s screen...legal jargon there, ‘why believe I am the best candidate’ here… ‘my availability to work can be immediate…” then he remembered,

“Summer Associate applications?” Clay asked, “I thought you said that they weren’t due until next semester-”

“This one offers part-time during the semester and  full-time summer associate positions…” Apollo said quickly, “if I get picked I’ll have a rolling 3-month contract, with possibility to work through school and be hired after law school...it’s a really prestigious and competitive program with one of the best defense lawyers in the area...and it pays as if I were a barred junior-associate attorney.”

Clay whistled at that, “That should take a sizable chunk out of your debt. Where is this?”

“Gavin and Co. Law Firm...it’s down town but that’s a small inconvenience to pay for a great opportunity.  Mr. Gavin is turning out to be a legend…”

Clay noted both the excitement and waver in Apollo’s voice- he hadn’t sounded like that since finding out that his hero, Phoenix Wright, had been disbarred.  It was good to hear that Apollo had found another lawyer to inspire him on his pursuit towards his dream of becoming an attorney.

Apollo shifted beneath him, to finally look up at him, dry-eyed from staring at a screen all day,

“You’re warm,” his friend noted, raising a hand to feel at Clay’s forehead, “you sick?”

Clay shook his head, “No...it’s just you know...that time of the season…”  he looked at the time on Apollo’s computer.  It was almost time to take his pills… he had to be more careful over the next few weeks. Take his suppressants, eat, rest, go to class, keep a low profile and not run into an Ome-

A muffled buzz came from the depths of his bag, Apollo stared at the items, most likely noticing them for the first time, “Not that I mind you crashing here, but who are you running from? Family or-”

Clay slunk back, almost sheepishly, his back hitting against the cold cinder block wall, “Ah.  No one-” he rubbed at his neck- stupid of him to do so because he saw the muscles around Apollo’s eyes twitch and his friend subconsciously grab at the bracelet at his wrist,

He sighed, defeated, “Uhhh remember that cute Redhead from that party I dragged you to last spring?  The one at the Rugby House?”

Apollo rolled his eyes, “Which one- the one with the ‘big rack’ or the one with the ‘big green eyes?’”

“Green Eyes…Cassandra” Clay stammered, “I kinda hooked up with her-”

“I know you did…” Apollo snorted, “I thought it was only a one-time thing with her…”

“Me too…” Clay swallowed, “and then the Spring Season hit when we were both in chem lab that afternoon…and the next thing I knew we were back at her place and I kinda…”

“Kinda what?” Apollo’s tone was exasperated as he turned his attention back to his typing, “don’t tell me you knotted in her…”

When Clay failed to respond, Apollo’s sigh was deep, “C’mon Clay, you have to be more responsible than that-  I mean you’re the one who runs the moment your family starts badgering your dad about getting you a mate, yet the season comes and you go and knot up any Omega?”

Clay groaned, “I don’t know what happened- she just smiled at me and she smelled super good-” he buried his head in his hands, “you have no idea what hell I do through every four months...I think she used some sort of booster to up her pheromone game...I couldn’t resist her. One smile and the next thing I know, I’m under her-”

“I don’t need to the specifics-” Apollo coughed and then looked at Clay with concern, “She’s not pregnant is she?”

Clay shook his head, “No, she’s not...but she wants me to be hers for the season and I am really not interested in her-”

“Really?” Apollo’s tone of disbelief was sincere,

He rubbed at his neck, “I mean...I took care of her when her heat was bad and took her out a couple of times after our hook-up.  She was hinting that she wanted us to continue, and I turned her down...she was cute and all; a good time where it mattered...but not someone I was interested in pursuing.”

Clay sighed, that was always the problem in the end.  No matter how cute the Omega was or how much fun they had in bed, after the heat of the moment left, Clay found himself listless and uninterested.

His partners suddenly not measuring up to whatever odd standard Clay set for himself.  A standard Clay was unsure if he even knew what he wanted, although a niggling thought tugged not for the first time at the back of his mind  as he watched Apollo continue to work.

Things would be so much easier,if you had turned out to be an Omega…

Clay slid off the bed to grab the bag of assorted snacks he had stocked up on at the local Asian Grocery Store and 7-11 near campus.  Apollo may frown at how unhealthy most of the snacks were, but Clay needed his comfort food and calories to get through mating season. Plus he’d brought some things he knew Apollo liked.  A small offering for the imposition that Apollo would insist didn’t exist.

Apollo was family, the closest thing either of them had to a brother.  They protected eachother, but Clay couldn’t help himself in times like these about how much his life would be set, had his friend presented as an Omega.

Not that his family would object to him being with a Beta guy, if Clay so wanted it, but- that was the problem...when he thought about Apollo in terms of being a Beta, Clay knew that his feelings for Apollo skewed towards the familial.  

There was something, Clay supposed, alluring about binding Apollo to him and his family, if Apollo had been an Omega.  

His dad would have certainly loved it...Clay knew his father- perpetually sullen since the day his own mate died; hanging on each day only for Clay’s sake- was disappointed when Clay assured him that Apollo was indeed a Beta.  His dad loved Apollo, and would have loved to have had Apollo for a son-in-law, with grandchildren on the way for him to dote over.

Clay frowned at the thought.  It would have been perfect...but it wasn’t meant to be.  No use in impossibly daydreaming about having pups with Apollo.  And that was before the messy feelings of how he really felt towards Apollo came up- did he want Apollo as his mate because Clay loved him romantically?  Or was he only feeling this way towards Apollo because it was mating season, and Clay wanted an easy way to deal with stress of the season?

And if, Clay actually loved Apollo romantically, wanted Apollo sexually- there was the issue of progeny, Clay was the heir he would have to explain to his Beta husband why he needed to find an Omega to breed with...that his family wouldn’t accept adopting a child as Clay’s heir. Something, orphaned Apollo, raised in a predominately Beta community, would, not no matter how many ways Clay explained the little of his culture that interested Apollo, understand.

Clay pulled out a canned coffee and a bento box for himself and Apollo, deciding it was better to heat up their dinner then selfishly dwell on the inconveniences of Apollo’s Beta-ness .

“You okay?” Apollo asked, his eyes actually meeting Clay’s.  Apollo set the laptop aside and slid off the bed, legs wobbling Apollo walked feeling back into them.  

“Yeah,” Clay said handing Apollo one of the cans of coffee, “just thinking about what I need to get done over the next few weeks and how I’m going to do it without my rut bothering me,”

His friend eagerly cracked it open and chugged down the sugary caffeinated drink, “How can I help?”

 By being my Omega?  Clay shrugged, “Just make sure to kick my ass out of bed- these suppressants tend to make me sleep longer than usual, when I, y’know...don’t have an outlet.”

Apollo nodded, “I’ll let you know my schedule, so you can have some privacy-”

“Oh c’mon, Pollo, I am not going to beat it in your room and bed-”

Apollo snorted, “I hope not- I do have a shower, you know.”

Clay burst out laughing.  Apollo only smirked and added, “I’ll expect you to clean the shower afterwards...”

Well that was certainly one way to deal with a major problem during mating season.  It was safer here than jerking off in the gym’s showers or getting near any potentially in heat Omegas trying to burn off their heat through exercise.

“Thanks, Pollo.  You’re the best.”

Apollo only hummed, stretching a bit and letting out a tired noise.  Clay noted the way his friend’s faded sweatshirt rucked up to expose the skin of Apollo’s belly and the line of his left hip.

Clay swallowed and maneuvered around Apollo in the small space of the dorm to fish out his suppressants from backpack.

***

“How late are you planning to stay up?” They were back on Apollo’s bed and Clay was on his side, facing away from Apollo and the bright screen of the laptop.  The warmth of Apollo’s body brushed against Clay’s overly sensitized skin.

“Not much later,” Apollo mumbled, “gotta check this one more time-”

“You said that an hour ago,” Clay said, “you should get some sleep and then look it over in the morning with fresh eyes.”

“I’m too paranoid that I’ll miss any reference to King Alphas and their dicks.”

Clay snorted and it earned him an a sharp elbow from Apollo, “Give me a few moments and I’ll be there to cuddle.”

It was said sarcastically;  Apollo never actively encouraged Clay’s snuggling, rather he tolerated it after years of sleepovers where Clay ultimately “koala”ed onto Apollo while they slept.  Clay had tried to explain what “spooning” meant, but it only served to fluster his best friend.  So they left it at this-  the unspoken agreement that Clay would ultimately spoon Apollo in their sleep.

“You’re too good to me,” Clay mumbled as he shifted around on the lumpy mattress.  Beyond him the laptop closed and the nightstand lamp was shut; soon enough, Apollo was joining him under the covers, his back flush against Clay’s,

“What are friends for?” it came out half-earnestly, the rest a yawn.

Quiet for a few moments before Apollo spoke again, “I’ll help you with yours?”

“My what?” Clay turned to look over at his friend, whose eyes were already closed.

“Your internship application for the space center...you’ve started on it right?”

Whoops.  He’d forgotten about the application.  Normally he would blame it on the busyness of the season but he knew Apollo would spot the lie even with his eyes closed.  It wasn’t his fault- the internship was all but his, Mr. Cosmos and Starbuck had told him that...Clay only had to formally apply so the University could count it towards Clay’s program, as well as make him and the Space Center eligible for student program grants.

A sigh, “I’ll help you start it after I turn in my application to Mr. Gavin and before your brain turns to hormonal mush.”

Clay wrapped his friend in a hug- Apollo already half asleep that he didn’t protest the koala coming early, “thanks, Pollo,” Clay grinned and nuzzled Apollo.

Sweet.

Clay’s eyes opened at the scent he’d caught.  It was weak...but...sweet… he sat up, momentarily leaving Apollo to drift further into sleep, and sniffed again.  The scent was gone now.

A few minutes passed, before Clay deemed the scent to be gone.  He laid back down wondering what he had smelled.

Besides him, Apollo shifted, rolling towards Clay and curling up on his side.  Apollo looked so small and sweet like this, and again Clay found himself wishing that his friend was an Omega...Apollo certainly had the build and look of an Omega.

He allowed Apollo to cuddle up to him, before Clay wrapped his arms around Apollo once more and settled them under the covers.

On the edge of sleep, Clay thought he smelled the sweet scent again, but soon he’d joined Apollo deep in sleep.