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Hollow, but satisfied.
This morning had been one of the better ones Wolf has had in a while. Waking up after the night he slept with Snake almost always was, especially after a heist as intense as they did just the other night. The whole gang had to plan, do stakeouts, and map out the targeted place and all that, which was the reason Wolf and Snake didn’t have much time alone with each other as much as they wanted to. Not like they were lovers or anything, Snake made it very clear from the start that there would be no feelings involved in this friends with benefits thing they had, other than pleasure and maybe a little bit of pain.
Well, that was fine with Wolf. Being feared made it hard to find people who’d be willing to fool around with no strings attached, so Wolf only had the internet and his paws to relieve himself when he felt frisky. Their little arrangement only began when Snake caught Wolf in the bathroom rubbing his pent-up tension out while watching two men go at it on his phone. Snake said nothing, only closed the door behind him and helped Wolf out.
He was in bliss and it only got better since then. Snake was surprisingly amazing in bed and Wolf felt all the frustration he had kept inside disappear like Snake did every morning. But Wolf didn’t mind, Snake left Wolf’s urges sated each time, like a particularly bad itch that’s been scratched away, much to his relief, and Wolf couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Or at least, he thought so.
Lately, Wolf found himself glancing every other moment at Snake when the other wasn’t looking. It wasn’t anything new because Wolf had a habit of watching people since reading body language and facial expressions were necessary in their line of work. What’s different though was that Wolf wasn’t watching Snake out of necessity, though he has no need to in the first place, he was just staring at Snake because he wanted to. Observing every move his best friend made, how Snake so often narrowed his eyes, the slight downward curl of his lips, to the rigidness that came unnaturally to a creature as flexible as a snake. And yet despite those, came the thoughts of how handsome Snake looked, Wolf may be biased but no one else pulled off wearing a Hawaiian shirt like Snake did. Eyeing his best friend wasn’t all of it though, Wolf always found himself gravitating towards Snake, making all sorts of jokes because as rarely as Snake laughed, he had a beautiful one, looking for excuses to touch because Snake secretly liked physical contact, and caressing heated scales and whispering words of praise and encouragement because Snake was amazing even if Snake himself says otherwise.
Satisfied, but hollow.
Another waking day spent alone after a heated night. The sunlight was warm but Wolf felt cold in his bed. He never really cared much for early mornings before but now they felt depressing, spent alone recounting every gasp and moan that’ll never mean anything more beyond casual fun. Wolf knew he was digging his own grave thinking about Snake like this, but he couldn’t help himself from falling for his best friend. Wolf knew he was falling hard and fast for Snake and it’ll hurt because Snake wouldn’t be there to catch him, but he couldn’t help himself because being with Snake, felt so good, even if only for a little while. Still, that little while wasn’t enough, yet Wolf can’t— won’t— do anything about it in fear of making Snake pull away. So he just bears the pain and grins like he always did before, many, many times before.
But maybe the hurt showed on his face, façade cracking under the eyes of his gang; a band of misfits, their dysfunctional but tight-knit family. Shark’s, Piranha’s, and Webs’ concerns made Wolf smile, but it was strained. If Snake noticed something different with Wolf, nothing was ever mentioned. So he never brought it up, maybe Wolf will get over these feelings. If Snake really wanted nothing more from Wolf, then he’d be a decent friend and respect what Snake wanted. Wolf only wished that being a friend wasn’t killing him inside.
Hollow.
Wolf felt a painful tightening in his chest when his paw fell onto the empty space beside him. The bed was even colder this time, Snake must’ve left earlier than he usually did. It wasn’t a surprise since Wolf was hardly enthusiastic the night before because he had to stop himself from taking hold of Snake and never letting go. The intoxicating lust he always had when Snake squirmed within his grasp changed to something more searing and real that screamed at him to not just have another casual hookup but to make love to Snake. Wolf’s sensations went into overdrive then at such an intimate thought and had to end the night quickly. Make love. The words were heavy and they left a lingering heat within Wolf that he wasn’t able to shake off through the week. Unfortunately, he was so distracted that he almost messed up the quick robbery he and Snake decided to do on impulse. Oh, it was embarrassing to imagine, the notorious big bad Wolf caught during a small-time theft because he was busy ogling his best friend and literal partner in crime. Luckily, Snake’s quick thinking got them through the worst of it and, unsurprisingly, Wolf got an earful from Snake right after.
That wasn’t the end of it though, Snake had caught Wolf staring multiple times and harshly told him to stop. The touches he laid upon Snake outside the bedroom became more frequent that even casual ones had Snake pulling away. Every other moment Snake found the most trivial things to argue with Wolf about and Wolf, with his pride, never backed down. Wolf knew that Snake saw the ever-growing spark between them, regardless of how long it had begun. He knew that Snake understood Wolf was coming onto him and yet continued to ignore it for reasons Wolf couldn’t understand. The atmosphere around the two had become thick and tense suddenly, and neither of them dared to address the cause, one more than the other.
Still, Wolf was determined, if not stubborn. He knew their situation was bound to end in a flaming train wreck of a disaster… or wind up really, really good. And if Snake wasn’t going to end what he started, then Wolf will, one way or another.
Satisfied.
Wolf’s eyes fluttered open as the early morning sun bathed the room in a comforting, bright glow. Some strange heat settled in his guts as the last dredges of sleep left his consciousness. A smile grew on his face as his paw brushed against something, or rather, someone curled up beside him. Literally. Wolf’s eyes drifted down towards Snake’s coiled form sleeping away on the other side of the bed. Snake wasn’t as close as Wolf would’ve liked but hey, Snake was right there looking peaceful as the sunrise cast an almost heavenly glow upon his scales.
Another burst of warmth flooded through Wolf’s body. It’s as if the heavy coldness that clawed at his chest thawed and filled the hollow emptiness with the fulfilling sensation of—of… well, he wasn’t sure what the feeling was yet but it felt good. And right here, right now, Wolf felt the most satisfied than he had been for the first time in a long time.