anm3mi

[anm3mi]

4ever missing my tumblr days✊✊ (it’s been over a year)

sorry for the inactivity, but it's finals month and i'm trying to pass🏃🏃

[anm3mi]

it's been almost 3 months, i'm so sorry💀💀

sorry for the inactivity, but it's finals month and i'm trying to pass🏃🏃

[anm3mi]

sorry for the inactivity, but it's finals month and i'm trying to pass🏃🏃

[anm3mi]

[anm3mi]

[anm3mi]

I LOVE THIS SM OMGGGG

hello! would you consider writing modern avatar stuff? if ur cool w that can i request modern human neteyam relationship headcanons?

wait hold the phone yes i would actually ! wanted to hold off on posting this to include headcanons about what modern!neteyam would be like in a relationship, but i’m so eager to come back ! instead here’s some background about him & reader leading up to the relationship (part 2 pending if you guys want it) ! headcanons under the cut & for all intents + purposes, i picture college-neteyam ! additionally, in my brain, it’s canon that teyam as a human would be poc, hence the reference pictures i included below ! <3

so i definitely see neteyam having a very soft aesthetic, he’s such a sweetheart tbh

fs think that the two of you would have a meetcute in university & then end up being college sweethearts

his major is something specific like environmental engineering or child psychology ? he’s definitely really smart and excels in all of his classes !

which brings me to how the two of you would meet ? perhaps he’s taking an elective course in pottery and your major is in art with a concentration in three dimensional composition

the class is considered a lab, so the professor emails out the syllabus and students come and go as they please during class hours to work on their compositions.

halfway thru the sem, you and teyam stumble upon each other in the storage room between two classrooms, fetching different pieces that need to be glazed + fired.

“sorry, you can—”

“nah, you first—”

you laugh and neteyam’s smiling because WOW you’re really cute + had he known that someone as lovely as you was in the same section as him, he’d probably hang around the classroom more.

from that moment on, neteyam’s always lingering during the class’ meeting time, even if he’s already finished with his projects for the week because he wants to get to know you SO bad, but he’s way too shy.

(probably still canon that he’s phenomenal at literally everything, but i think it’d be so cute if he had 0 legitimate rizz bc he’s so used to kinda just bein’ him and pulling bc he’s a jack of all trades type of guy)

“what are you making?” you ask him one day and he snatches his airpod out of his ear so quickly even though he’s not listening to anything.

“ashtray” he answers quietly, a lil self-conscious because he’s come to find out that you’re absolutely amazing at sculpting and while you do this for your future, he does it is as a pastime / elective to graduate. “but like i don’t smoke or anything yknow, i just thought that i’d be a good thing to–”

you’re staring at him with the corner of your mouth quirked and he shuts up quickly, scratching the back of his neck nervously as he slumps on his stool.

“you should score using a crosshatch,” you tell him simply. “makes the pieces stick together better.”

he looks down at where he’d been scratching the damp clay laterally and your hands hover over his, head tilting to the side.

“can i?”

oh yeah, yeah! sure,” he splutters, leaning back a little to watch you work your magic.

can’t help but watch the way your fingers work over the clay, knuckles smudged with glaze and dust coating the silver of your rings.

he watches your hands, but soon he’s watching your face because you’re concentrated so hard on making sure you’re using your best technique for the little ashtray.

lo and behold, the pieces stick together so perfectly and smoothly, ready to be fired in the kiln, and neteyam’s grateful.

“thanks,” he sighs almost dreamily.

“yeah, of course. glad to help,” you tell him.

when you return to your own project, you slam back the rest of your melting drink and neteyam’s eyes are squinting the get a read on what it is you order.

you’re pleasantly surprised when you turn up to pottery the next session to work on a new project, and neteyam’s there with two coffees, one next to his wheel, another near yours.

“what’s this?” you hum, tying your apron with a messy bow.

“a thank you,” he says shyly. “for helping me last time.”

your eyes widen when you see your favorite; a chai with almondmilk, vanilla, and a shot of espresso.

“how’d you…”

“it’s what you were drinking…” he responds. “last week. i think.

“oh…” you trail off, cheeks hot because he noticed ???

“you don’t have to—”

“NO!” you yelp, a tad loud. some of the other students working on a few last minute projects peer at the two of you and teyam’s grinning like an idiot when he sees the way you tuck your hair behind your ear and reach for the drink. “this is good! it’s great. thank you so much. i actually missed my run this morning.”

“yeah, of course,” he sighs, rolling his lips together as the two of you kinda get off to a clunky start.

the silence between the two of you is a lil awkward, but you decide to break the ice since teyam’s technically played his hand and the ball’s in your court.

“are you an art major ?” you ask.

“uh, nah,” he'd say, rubbing his sweaty palms on the thighs of his baggy jeans because HE SHOWED UP TO CLASS 15 MINUTES EARLY and the agony of not knowing if you’d show up made him so nervous. “environmental engineering.”

your eyebrows raise ever so slightly, lips forming an ‘o’ bc wow that must mean he’s super smart.

“wow, that’s insane,” you say quietly. “what made you take pottery ?”

“only elective that didn’t make me wanna claw my eyes out,” he laughs nervously. “what about you ? what’s your major ?”

you seem to mull over your thoughts for a moment, obviously a little hesitant to answer.

“3d art...nothing special...” you trail off.

neteyam begins working with the slab of clay waiting for him in the center of the wheel, cheeks going hot because the words leave him before he can stop them.

“no, no. i think that’s really cool. art is a really challenging passion to have & i admire people willing to dive in full stop.”

the comment makes you smile, fingers pliant over the wet clay.

neteyam wants to DIE because he can’t read whether or not your smile is genuine or if you’re grimacing because he’s the biggest idiot ever.

he supposes it’s the former when you two are parting ways, signing the attendance log and you decide to bite the bullet and write your instagram handle on the bottom corner of the page and tear it off to hand to him.

he’s barely able to get a ‘thank you’ out before you’re racing out the door with your gifted coffee in hand.

you’re so giddy when you run out of the building and your phone pings in the front pocket of your satchel and you see that teyam.sully has followed you.

after that day, you two become really friendly !

neteyam frequently dms you about class, but eventually, he starts sending you vids and memes, saying that they made him think of you.

it becomes so obvious to both of your friend groups that you’re crushing on each other, but both of you are too painfully shy to say anything despite every green flag.

soon, looking forward to seeing each other during class turns into neteyam subtly asking you to hang out.

you make a comment about one of his hoodies and he mentions that he thrifted it.

“wait really??” you’re pausing your work to look at him. “i love thrifting!”

he smiles wide, word vomiting before he can stop himself.

“yeah? i know a couple of good places if you’re down.”

you say yes, DUH !

looking back at it, maybe that’s your first date because he picks you up from your dorm & bc you guys live in a fairly walkable city, you commute to the thrift and you’re SO giddy because the backs of your hands keep brushing every time some impatient pedestrian pushes by you guys on the narrow sidewalks.

you guys end up spending HOURS and teyam’s internally screaming because you find a shirt that has a peeling heart with the phrase ‘if lost return to wife’ and he happens upon the match to it a couple aisles down that says ‘i'm the wife’.

when you’re not looking, teyam buys the shirts and stuffs them in his canvas bag.

DUDE IS WHIPPED.

he wants you SO bad.

after the thrift, you guys get pizza, and after that, ice cream, and JESUS he doesn’t want the day to end because being with you is so easy.

over the course of the rest of the semester, the two of you make it a routine to hang out at least once a week and you’re always looking forward to it.

dates excursions include; trips to the museum to see recent exhibits, weekly pizza parlor dinners, study sessions at the 24 hr cafe a block from the school (in which he always walks you home after), park days where he reads books on environmental sustainability and you secretly draw portraits of him.

in these times, he learns that you want to become an art teacher, your favorite cereal is froot loops with the marshmallows, your all time show is amazing world of gumball.

almost cries laughing when he finds out that you have a secret pet turtle you hide in your dorm named franklin.

acknowledges that he’s falling, but falls even harder when the florist who owns the flower shop you two always pass hands you the prettiest little bundle of flowers and you spend the entire trek to the park, handing out individual stems to couples, children, and the elderly, telling them to have a beautiful day.

it all comes to a head near the end of the semester when he realizes that he can’t keep dancing around his feelings for you and the feelings he’s almost certain you have for him.

tells you to clear your schedule for the upcoming friday night and dresses a little nicer than usual when he picks you up.

brings you two to the planetarium in the city and, instead of watching the exhibit, he spends the entire time watching how you light up.

he knows in his gut that you could be it for him.

he’s loved getting to know you and spending so much time with you.

he’s so immersed in this feeling throughout the entire night.

probably wipes his sweaty palms over the thighs of his pants before shakily taking your hand as the diagram of the constellations shift.

can’t help but smile when your fingers squeeze his and you seem to shift closer to him as the narrator starts the presentation.

and he’s especially quiet after the exhibit, fingers still twined with yours as the two of you walk down the bustling sidewalks of the city center.

two of you probably stop by a dessert cafe and sit outside on a bench in the spring air, enjoying the buskers as you share a little cake.

you’re talking about home and how you’re excited to see your family again and he can’t help but imagine bringing you home to meet all his siblings and his parents because he knows that they’d absolutely love you and—

you’ve paused your speaking, thumb brushing the corner of his mouth and he’s SHORT CIRCUITING.

“shit, that was weird i’m so—”

his palm cups your jaw, thumb on your cheek, pad of his pinky and ring finger soft against your neck.

“can i?” he whispers.

TRIANGLE METHOD !!

he glances at one eye, gaze dropping to your lips before glancing at the other.

you already know what he’s referring to, could feel the romantic tension between the two of you since the beginning, but only become sure of it in the recent weeks.

”can you what?” you swallow.

he breathes a short laugh because the knowing smile that quirks your lips is a dead give away.

“can i kiss you?” he asks softly, absently setting your abandoned dessert somewhere behind him on the bench.

“yeah,” you’d nod, leaning into him. “please.”

before the two of you go your separate ways for summer holiday, he shows you the shirts he bought at the thrift store the first time around, but insists on keeping the shirt that says ‘i'm the wife’.

neng © 2023

[anm3mi]

kicking my feet 'n giggling rn🤭🤭❣️❣️

Of Duty and Desire | Epilogue | Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

A/N: hello my loves! Here is the final part of this fic, thank you so much for all the kind words!!! This has been a labor of love, and your support means the world to me 🥰 as much as I enjoy writing for writing’s sake, knowing it makes y’all happy makes it all the sweeter. I don’t rlly have any more Neteyam fic ideas, but I do have a seed of an idea for a Ronal/Tonowari backstory fic, and if that’s something that you’re interested in, y’all should lmk 🤔 anyways, enjoy this plotless, domestic, day-in-the-life epilogue

Word count: 4.1k

Warnings: some spiciness but nothing explicit

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

A large splash outside of your pod startled you out of your sleep. You blinked your eyes blearily as you took a deep breath. Outside, the sky was a dim gray, indicating the eclipse was ending and the morning was just beginning.

You tried stretching to wake yourself further, but you found that your body was trapped against the heavy weight of your mate. One of his arms was wrapped tightly around your waist while his face was buried in your hair, and your legs were tangled together.

You frequently woke up like this. Even after nearly three years of being together, Neteyam seemed as drawn to your body in his sleep as he did when he was awake. You savored the feeling of his warm skin against your back, and you wished you could fall back asleep again, but you knew it was time for you to get up.

Slowly and reluctantly, you pushed yourself up from where you had been laying. Neteyam's arm still rested on your waist, and you had to gently push him off of you. He withdrew it and shifted with a sigh, still unconscious.

You looked back down at him with a small smile. Three years still hadn't taken away the way the adoration you felt for him. You loved waking up next to him every morning, and you loved falling asleep with him every night.

You leaned over to place a kiss on Neteyam's forehead. Your movements must have pulled him from his sleep because he began to stir. Without opening his eyes, he tilted his head up to search for your lips with his. You smiled and moved down to kiss him gently.

"It's so early," he mumbled against your mouth, his voice low and raspy from sleep. "I know," you replied quietly. "But I promised to join the first catch today, remember?" He hummed in response, and he brushed his fingers against your waist.

"Stay a little longer," he implored, his eyes still closed. You chuckled at him. "I can't," you replied. "I gave my word I would help." He heaved a large sigh, his fingers still brushing your skin. "Don't go," he muttered quietly.

You shook your head at him with a smile. "You could come with us," you suggested. He hummed again. "I am not yet awake," he replied with a faint smile.

An idea formed in your head, and a slow smirk grew on your face. You turned your body toward him and crawled onto his lap, straddling him. You saw how his breathing changed just from your movement, and his eyes finally blinked opened to look up at you.

"Maybe I could help wake you up," you suggested innocently. The smirk that grew on his face mirrored your own, and his hands wandered up your thighs to rest on your hips. "I like that idea," he murmured in a low voice.

"Is that right?" You asked in a teasing tone before rocking your hips against his. He didn't respond, grunting softly instead as his body tightened in reaction to the friction between you. You ran your hands over the hard muscles of his torso up to his chest, and you could feel how his heartbeat quickened under your palm.

You leaned over and kissed him, and this time, his lips parted to receive yours eagerly. You continued slowly grinding against him, and he groaned at the feeling. His hands gripping your hips encouraged your movements as he slipped his tongue into your mouth.

"You wore me out last night," you murmured with a sly grin. "I would have thought you needed more sleep after what we did." He hummed quietly, a smirk growing on his face as the memories of your moans replayed in his head from the previous night. "What do you mean?" He asked mischievously. "I could've kept going." You chuckled, and you were sure he was telling the truth. He had impressive stamina.

Sliding your hands up to his neck, you began slowly pulling away from him. As you had wanted, he chased after your lips, sitting up slowly as his arms wrapped around your torso. "I think we should do this every morning," he mumbled between kisses. You smiled against his lips, knowing that he was not going to like what you were going to say next.

"You know what I think?" You asked as he trailed his kisses down your neck. "Tell me what you think," he whispered against your skin, his voice growing breathy in anticipation. You savored the last few seconds of his touch before replying, "I think you are awake now."

His lips paused, and when he looked back up at your face, you planted one last, chaste kiss on his mouth before rolling off of his lap. He looked confused as you stood up and stretched before he realized what you meant. That was all the action you were going to give him.

"Why would you do that?" He groaned. You chuckled at his distress. "I told you," you replied, "I am helping with first catch. Since you are awake now, you can help, too." Neteyam was not amused, and on his face, you could see the lust still burning in his eyes.

"I'm going to get you for that," he promised in a low voice. You smirked. "I'm counting on it," you shot back before climbing down the net ladder to your living space and walking out into the dim morning light.

Outside, there were already a couple early-risers out in the water. They were spread out along the shallow parts of the water with cast nets in hand. Walking out to the beach, you were greeted by the sight of Tsireya.

You were forever grateful for her friendship. After the Rite of First Blood, everybody changed in the way they treated you, and the clan held a visible animosity toward Neteyam for his victory. No doubt it would have stayed that way for a long time had Tsireya not been there to shut down nasty gossip and treat the two of you respectfully. Thanks to her, people no longer stared at you when you were with Neteyam.

She had always been like a sister to you, but that status was more official now that she was Lo'ak's mate. Her parents—specifically Ronal—had not been very happy when they asked for their blessing, but ever since you left your role, they had become more open to listening to what their children wanted from life.

They both had forgiven you for what had happened, but it had take Ronal quite a while before she spoke to you again. She held on to her animosity for nearly two years before she realized that she was the only one left still angry at you. Aonung had moved on with the new tsakarem, and Tonowari could see that you were happier than ever now.

"Does Lo'ak know you are here?" You asked Tsireya with a smile as you stepped into the water behind her. She turned at the sound of your voice, her growing belly sticking out just enough to be noticeable. "I told him yesterday I would be here," she said with a shrug. "It is not my fault if he does not remember."

You laughed. "I know exactly what you mean," you replied. You watched as she threw her cast net gracefully out in the water. "We better hope Lo'ak does not find out you are actually doing work," you teased with a knowing smile as she pulled in her catch. She sighed in mild exasperation. Her mate had been treating her like she was a fragile sea shell ever since discovering that she was with child, and you could plainly see that Tsireya was growing tired of his diligent oversight.

As if on cue, the sounds of someone cutting through the water interrupted your conversation, and you turned around to find Lo'ak wading into the water with you. "Good morning," you greeted as he passed you toward Tsireya. "Morning," he mumbled, still half-asleep apparently.

Coming up behind Tsireya, he placed a kiss on her temple as he gently took the ropes of the net from her hands. "Let me do it," he told her. She huffed at him but let him take it. "I can fish perfectly well on my own," she argued. "I have done it longer than you." Lo'ak gave her a soft smile. "I know," he acknowledged. "But I want to do it for you."

Tsireya sighed and gave you a pointed look. You couldn't help but smile at her. Even though you knew she didn't enjoy all the coddling, you couldn't deny that you found Lo'ak's concern at least a little endearing. He was so excited and nervous to be a father, and it showed in how much he doted on Tsireya.

"I hope my brother isn't still sleeping," Lo'ak told you as he pulled in Tsireya's catch. You smirked as you replied, "He was awake when I left."

"He is still awake," a voice called out behind you. You turned to find that Neteyam was already in the water stepping towards the three of you. You gave him a coy smile and said, "There you are." Neteyam looked at you with a face that said he still wasn't over the stunt you pulled earlier, but he still came in and gave you a quick kiss.

The four of you spread out across the shallow water (Lo'ak reluctantly gave in to Tsireya's insistence on helping). When you brought your nets in, those who were preparing the food for the morning took over, and it gave those who helped with first catch a break before first meal.

Neteyam pulled you firmly by your hand back to your home, obviously eager to get you alone to resume what you had started earlier. You both headed back to your pod, and you couldn't help but smirk as he pulled you up to the more private pod above your living space. "We are going to need to go back out soon," you told him as you followed him up the net.

Neteyam didn't respond as he stepped up the ladder quickly in front of you. As soon as you stepped up into your room, he pulled you into a heated kiss. "Not until I'm done with you," he whispered in a low voice that made your heart quicken.

You smiled against his mouth as you wrapped your arms around him. He pressed forward, and you took a few steps back before moving to lay down. He followed after you eagerly and planted his hands on either side of your head. "I've spent all morning thinking about how to get back at you," he murmured as he gazed down at you. "I think I know just the way."

His lips moved down your neck, kissing the tattoo that now marked the skin there and reached down to connect to the tattoo on your chest. You hummed at his heated touch and at the promise of more. He moved his hands to trace down your body, causing your breathing to grow shaky. When he reached your thighs, he gently push them open, raising his head up from your neck to smile deviously.

Before he could make another move, a young voice called from below, "Neteyam!"

You both froze, and Neteyam closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. You had to stifle a giggle at the poor timing of the situation and at Neteyam's clear aggravation at being interrupted for the second time that day. You both stayed quiet as you listened closely, praying that you could be alone.

"Neteyam!" The voice called again, more insistent this time, and you had no doubt who it was. Neteyam dropped his head against your shoulder and groaned softly in defeat before calling out, "Tuk, please, we are resting." You shot him a skeptical look and mouthed, "Resting?" He shrugged at you weakly, and you rolled your eyes.

The floor of your pod wobbled a little, indicating that Tuk was climbing up the net ladder. Neteyam quickly rolled off of you, and you turned your body away from him to seem as though you had actually been resting. In a few seconds, Tuk's head appeared, and she pulled herself up and into your pod.

"Why are you still sleeping?" She demanded to know. "Everybody is up already." You could hear the sigh Neteyam heaved before he replied, "We were up with the first catch. We just wanted to relax for a while before eating."

Tuk plopped down right between you and Neteyam, blissfully unaware of what she had interrupted. "You promised that you would help me make a new knife," she reminded her brother. The youngest Sully, though still a child, was quickly growing bigger and older, and she felt that she had outgrown her small dagger from the forest.

Neteyam sighed again and rubbed his hand over his face. "Tuk, the sun has not even been out for an hour," he pointed out. "We will get to it later." Tuk's shoulders slouched in disappointment. "You always get so busy in the day," she argued. "Please, can we work on it now?"

Neteyam closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his patience. "It will take a long time to make a new knife," he explained in a level voice. "It will not be finished for a while." You could see that all he wanted was for his sister to leave so that he could resume feeling your body under his. You wanted it too, but you knew arguing with Tuk was a losing battle.

"Come on, Neteyam," you said, nudging Tuk playfully. "Surely you can spare an hour to help her, at least to get it started." Tuk beamed at you and faced her brother eagerly and expectantly. Neteyam shot you a peeved look before closing his eyes again and muttering, "Fine, let's go."

Tuk sprang to her feet triumphantly as Neteyam sat up from the floor reluctantly. She didn't even bother checking that her brother was following her before she began climbing back down to your open living quarters. Neteyam moved much slower than she did, and before he headed down, he gave you one last, hot kiss that left you wanting more.

"I am definitely going to get you for that," he whispered in a restless voice. You smirked and replied in a silky voice, "Can't wait." His jaw clenched, and you knew he was fighting hard not to take you right then and there. With a huff, he pushed himself off the ground the follow after his sister.

They must've still been working by the time you went out to eat. Your eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find your mate's distinct hue amongst the rest of the people, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, you noticed Tsireya and Lo'ak sitting together across from Aonung.

Walking over to join them, you raised a hand to your head in greeting toward Aonung, and he didn't hesitate to reciprocate the gesture. It took a long time for you to mend your relationship with him, and it had mended like a broken bone; it was functional, dependable even, but it will never be as strong as it once was, and when it came under strain, old pains would resurface.

What had helped most was when someone else was finally chosen to take the role you had abdicated. You knew from Tsireya that Tonowari and Ronal were much more conscious of giving Aonung a say in who would be his tsahik, and the woman he had chosen was confident and willing. Since then, his grudge against you and Neteyam had softened, but there would always be remnants of bitterness from him towards your mate for besting him in combat.

It wasn't long before Neteyam finally showed up with Tuk in tow. "Where have you been?" Tsireya asked Neteyam as he sat down at your side. With a small sigh, he answered, "Tuk insisted on starting her new dagger this morning."

Your friend smiled as she leaned her head against Lo'ak's tattooed shoulder. "How sweet," she said. With a coy smile, you agreed, "I think so, too." Neteyam shot you an unamused glare, and you had to look away to keep from giggling.

"I am going with a group to collect the reef clams," Tsireya informed you. "Would you like to come?" You considered her offer before nodding and saying, "I would love to." You enjoyed spending time in the reef, and with spending it with your friend made it even better.

After eating, you went with her to dive in the reef with the gill mantles on your back to give you breath. You began foraging through the dense sea grass to collect the reef clams that were scattered across the sea floor. The group was small, just you, Tsireya, and a couple others. You weren't sure how long you were out there before you were surprised by Neteyam appearing out of the corner of your eye.

'I came to help,' he signed to you when he saw your questioning face. You smiled at him. You knew he just wanted to spend time with you. He found a gill mantle and began searching for sea clams through the grass with the rest of your group.

You reached for another one but paused when you noticed the swaying leaves of sea nettle mingled amongst the grass around it. Regretfully, you left the clam where it lay, deciding that it wasn't worth the pain of getting stung. As you drifted away from the abandoned clam, Neteyam swam by and noticed it.

Either he didn't see the nettle or thought he could avoid it, but whatever the case, he reached his hand toward the clam. You looked back at him right as his arm flinched away from the nettle. His face immediately grimaced in pain, and you moved over to him in concern. It was difficult to inspect his arm clearly in the water, so you pointed up to the surface.

He understood instantly and nodded before kicking up to the surface with you. When you broke above the water, Neteyam inhaled sharply from the burning sting that ran from his hand all the way up his forearm. "Are you okay?" You asked as you pulled off your gill mantle from your back. With a bitter chuckle, he shook his head and muttered, "I didn't even see it."

You grabbed his hand to inspect it, but covered in water, it was difficult to see. An idea popped into your mind as you thought of how to help him.

"I have a little bit of the oil for stings," you told him with a sly smile. "I think we should go back home so I can take care of this." Despite the pain he was in, you could tell by his eyes that your words sparked his interest. "I think that is a good idea," he replied with a smirk.

You both swam back towards the beach without explaining to anyone why you were leaving. When you arrived back at your home, you crossed over to where you kept a small jar of the medicinal oil for his sting. Before you could even turn around, Neteyam snaked his uninjured arm around your waist and began kissing your neck from behind.

You couldn't help but sigh and lean back into him for a moment. "So impatient," you murmured with a smile. "I actually have the remedy for you." He sighed softly before reluctantly pulling away.

You turned to face him, and you gestured to the floor as a silent demand for him to sit down. Obediently, he moved to sit on the floor, and you followed suit across from him. You took his arm and began inspecting it for any remnants of the nettle.

"Touching sea nettle," you muttered in a chastising tone. "I thought you knew better than that." He still wore his smirk as he watched you examine his hand. "Do you remember the last time I touched nettle?" He asked.

You didn't take your eyes off of his hand as a smile tugged at your lips. "Of course, I do," you replied, still smiling. "That was the first time I met you." He hummed quietly, and you couldn't help but look up at his face. He was looking down at you tenderly, clearly replaying the memory from all those years ago when you sat across from him holding his hand exactly the way you were doing now.

"You were so beautiful," he said softly. "I couldn't stop staring." You rolled your eyes at him playfully and muttered under your breath, "Skxawng." You had heard this story before, but you never grew tired of listening to him retell how he fell in love with you.

You poured the oil over his hand and slowly began massaging his palm. As you worked, you reflected fondly on the first time you met Neteyam. You remembered how his obvious staring had flustered you a little, his eyes studying you silently as you rubbed your thumbs over his skin. He was doing it now, too.

"From that first day, I knew I was in trouble," he continued, the fingers of his free hand tracing over your leg softly. His touch sent chills over your body, and you looked up at him with a crooked grin. "And it got you into even more trouble eventually," you added pointedly, rubbing the oil up his forearm.

His lips pulled into a tender smile. "It was worth it," he replied softly, gazing into your eyes with adoration. "You were worth it. You were worth everything."

Even after three years together, he still managed to make you heart flutter with his words. You couldn't help but smile even more, and you pulled him forward by the arm in your hands and kissed him. It was sweet and loving, conveying every word you could say and every feeling that you felt.

His hands ran over your thighs softly before he grabbed your legs and pulled them towards him, causing you to fall softly backwards onto the floor with a startled laugh. Neteyam moved forward and hovered his body over yours as he kissed you passionately.

"Now, if you or anyone else interrupts," he muttered against your mouth, "I am going to lose my mind." You giggled as he continued moving his lips against yours. "People are going to notice that we're gone," you told him quietly, but you knew he didn't care. Neither did you.

He chuckled at you. "As long as they don't disturb us," he said, smirking down at you.

With a smile, you brought your arms up to wrap around him as he continued kissing you. You never tired of these moments with him. You never would. His love and devotion was constant, and though it had been difficult facing the initial backlash of choosing to leave your role, there was never a moment together that you regretted.

You closed your eyes and sighed in contentment as Neteyam moved his mouth down to kiss your jaw. He must have been able to tell you were lost in thought because he whispered, "What are you thinking about?"

With a smile, you replied, "You."

He hummed. "What about me?" He questioned in a low voice as he lazily kissed down your neck, and you could tell that he was smiling as he asked. You knew he was expecting a scandalous answer, but instead, you told him, "I'm thinking about how happy you make me."

His lips paused, and he moved his head to look back at you. He held your gaze as a gentle smile grew on his face, and he brought a hand up to hold your face. "That is all I ever wanted," he murmured reverently before kissing you again. You smiled against his mouth and let go of your thoughts as he began exploring your skin with his hands and his lips, eager to worship your body.

You closed your eyes to enjoy his sensual touch. You relished these moments, his sweet words and his body on yours. It was difficult to recall the time when he wasn't in your life, and it was even harder to imagine how it would have been without him. Now, you spent every day with the one you loved without the regret or guilt that had plagued you for so long. Happiness and peace had taken their places, and you found that Neteyam was right.

It was worth it

______

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[anm3mi]

you liking my post had me giggling and kicking my feet fr <3 😭🤭

you deserve it babe‼️‼️‼️

[anm3mi]

hi babe, your masterlist isn't working for me.

hii, i re-upload the link just in case and it works fine, but i just noticed some of my works open up in chrome instead of the app and i have no idea what's up with that??

[anm3mi]

—hold my hand, don't be scared.

Inspired by that one Tiktok I saw of Chan not letting go of Seungmin's hand. NOT BETA READ.

"My fingers are getting crushed," you informed the sulking man who sat in front of you. There were wrinkles on his forehead and his eyes were downcast, stubbornly refusing to meet yours. A pout settled on his lips, one that was so adorable you wanted to kiss it off, however, the owner of said lips was still angry at you. 

This was how Neteyam Sully dealt with you when he's angry—with silence. He never shouted, he never argued, he never dared to even lift a finger to physically harm you. 

"You're going to break my bones, love," you said, smiling at him. When Neteyam did not reply, you sighed. You expected this much.

On any other day, you would have humored him. You would have allowed him to hold your hand while praying that he wouldn't break the bones in your fingers with his tight grip. You would have waited for his anger to simmer down and let him release his hold all on his own accord. Not today though. You had a duty to comply with. You were supposed to hunt for tonight's dinner with the other members of today's hunting party beside you. You were sure he was waiting for you at the entrance of the cave already.

"Fine, don't talk to me. At least let me go. The hunting party must be waiting for me already. Please, baby?" you said. You tugged your hand but Neteyam wouldn't budge. He responded with further tightening his grip, his knuckles turning white. You winced, nervously laughing at the pain. 

"Neteyam," you said. You kept on pulling but he resisted your efforts. Oh Eywa, you shouldn't have skipped strength training so much. 

"Neteyam," you said his name again, your voice lowering. You slightly bent down and slapped his shoulder repeatedly. "Let go."

Finally, he looked up to you. His eyes flashed a warning, his jaw tightening. You slapped yourself mentally when you couldn't stop the intrusive thought that said: he looks handsome when he's angry. You averted your gaze, suddenly feeling shy. You were weak for the man.

Your tugs turned weaker as he fixed you with a gaze. 

"Stop," he said after his long silence. "No."

"Neteyam, please, I have to go."

"Should have thought about that before doing what you did," he grumbled in annoyance before he returned his gaze to the ground again, however, he still didn't let go of your hand. 

"Neteyam," you said his name again and it borderlined a whine. "I really have to go."

You lifted your hand to affectionately pat the top of his head. It was a move you knew he loved; he always craved it from you. Every time you do it, he always leaned closer, chasing the warmth of your palm. But when you did it, he avoided your hand. You tried again. He avoided it again. 

Eywa, save me. You could only pray. He's really, really angry.

You sighed deeply as you retracted your hand. You placed it on your waist, your hips jutting out on one side as you leaned most of your weight on one leg.

"Speak," you demanded. "Speak and be out with it. I want it done now."

He met your gaze fiercely. All the lightheartedness you formerly had disappeared and what replaced it was pure seriousness. 

"Are you going to speak?" you asked. He still said nothing, piercing your soul with his intense gaze. 

"I'll take that as a no then," you said. "Then, I'll speak. I know you're angry at me because Lo'ak and I went cliff diving together—"

Neteyam's scowl deepened.

"—and I know you always said it was dangerous. But Lo'ak's fine, okay? We're fine. We had fun. And we are never going to do it again."

"Cliff diving? Fun?" he asked. "You went cliff diving near a Toruk's nest, got in a chase, fell off your ikran, and you two almost became a meal for the Toruk. Fun?"

He gestured to the scratches and wounds littering your back, torso, arms, and legs that you acquired after falling off your ikran. Looking at them brought a feeling of pain in his chest as if there was something squeezing his heart. 

"Fun?" he asked incredulously. 

"Would you be angry if I said yes?"

He pursed his lips, trying to restrain the colorful words from leaving the cave of his throat. A skxawng. That was what you and Lo'ak were. Absolute skxawngs. The type of skxawngs with so much stupidity that they could not even differentiate between fun and danger. It was like your brains stopped aging along your physical bodies and remained that of a child's.

"Neteyam," you called his name again when he looked away from you. You licked your lips crouching down so your face would be on the same level as his. You tucked a finger under his chin and gently tipped it so Neteyam could meet his gaze. The annoyed pout on his lips didn't disappear and you leaned forward to kiss it. 

You saw his eyes widening in surprise before it closed, the tension on his shoulders loosening. You pulled away and the annoyed look he had was replaced with that of disappointment. The kind of disappointment that always reflected in his eyes when you pulled away from the kiss too quick for his liking.

Your other hand sought his, and you dragged it over the place where your heart lied. Your eyes didn't leave his.

"You feel it?" you asked. "It's beating. It's still beating. I'm okay. I'm alive. So stop being angry because I am okay."

He slumped forward, his forehead falling onto your shoulder.

"I almost lost you today," his voice was not above a whisper. You barely even heard it.

"But you didn't."

"I almost did," he replied. "Can you and Lo'ak almost getting killed? Please? I'm begging you at this point."

You chuckled. You turned your face to the side and kissed the side of his head.

"I'll try," you said. "So can I go now?"

The answer was quick: "No. You can't go out. You're still hurt."

"They barely hurt."

"No."

You groaned. 

"I got the biggest scare of my life today after Lo'ak flew in with your unconscious body. Let me have this," he said. "Don't go out without me. Don't fly without me. Don't go hunting without me either."

"You're demanding quite a lot."

"Try seeing the love of your life lying lifelessly like a corpse in your brother's arms. Let's see if you won't start begging them to be safe," he said. "I think I'm going crazy."

You sighed again. The third time this hour. 

"At least, let me tell the hunting party that I won't be joining so they won't wait for me," you said. "You can do that much, right?"

There was a pause. You felt him nod against your shoulder. 

"Alright, let's go."

You didn't join the hunting party the next few weeks. Your own choice. Neteyam had the tendency to overthink so when you leave the safety of the cave without him, you knew that his mind was probably making up scenarios and it would drive him crazy. That worrywart. He was lucky you loved him a lot.

You had to constantly assure Neteyam that your wounds were fine; you swore you saw him carrying a salve with him since the accident. He still couldn't stare at the wounds, slightly grimacing if his eyes landed on them. 

You made a reminder to yourself to take care of yourself more—to lessen the addiction to adrenaline. You couldn't make promises though. Being a troublemaker ran deep in your veins. It was just unfortunate for the chief's son to love a troublemaker like you. 

[anm3mi]

RANDOM CHAT MEMES ─ AVATAR ⊹ ִֶָ (PART IV.)

contents. gn!reader, humor

notes. does anyone else suddenly get the urge to just hit someone or is it just me and my raging mental issues?? anyways😁😁 love y'all

previous | masterlist | next

tag list. @k----a27s @neteyamyam @lovelyygirl8 @glacial-snowflakes

[anm3mi]

Of Duty and Desire | Chapter 5 | Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

A/N: sorry this took so long!!!! I wish I had a good excuse but really it was just writers block. Anyways, I appreciate your patience, I love you all <33

Word Count: 6.8k words

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

When you woke up the next day, you had a few blissful seconds where everything felt normal. You stretched as the light reflected on your face, and you enjoyed the sounds of the village waking up for a moment. Then, the memories of the previous night hit you all at once, and all the guilt came rushing back.

Memories replayed in your head over and over again. His hungry lips trailing down your neck, your eager hands pulling him close, the sound of your heavy breathing echoing around you. It was like a dream that never should have come to life.

You ran your hands over your face. This was not good. You thought you could still be friends, that you could maintain some form of friendship with him, but last night was clear evidence that it wasn't possible. Being alone with him, seeing him with the blue-green cast of colors on his face, and hearing him say how much he wanted to be with you had all been too much for you to think and act rationally.

Now, you had to get up and go about your day pretending as if nothing had happened. And that's exactly what you did.

You threw yourself into your chores, doing everything in your power to distract yourself from the night before. You even asked Ronal for more work when you finished your chores in record time. It was terrible for you to look her in the eye knowing that if she found out about last night, she would unleash a flood of fury on you.

Everything was going relatively smoothly up until late in the afternoon when Aonung found you on the beach mid-errand. "I've been looking for you," he stated as he came up behind you. You looked up at him in alarm, your heart speeding up anxiously. "Oh?" you managed to reply quietly, trying to appear unfazed by his presence.

"I am about to leave with Rotxo and the others," he explained. "There is still time for you to join if you'd like." The anxious tension in your chest subsided somewhat at his question. You had forgotten that he and the others were planning on going hunting, even though they had talked about it just last night. You also remembered that Neteyam had also been invited to go as well.

Forcing a smile, you replied, "Thank you, but I think I will stay inside the sea wall today." Aonung shrugged casually. "Very well," he said. "We'll be back by eclipse." You nodded and watched him walk off, taking a breath to steady your heart.

You needed to figure out some way to reconcile what had happened between you and Neteyam, but you didn't know what to do. You knew how upset Aonung would be if you confessed what you had done with Neteyam and how you felt about him. You knew how upset Ronal would be if she knew that you were in love with someone other than her son. To stay silent would mean you would be eaten up by guilt, but to speak would surely mean severe consequences.

You wouldn't mind facing the repercussions of your actions. In fact, you felt that you should, but you hesitated out of fear of what would happen to Neteyam. If you were to be in trouble, you still had some level of protection through Ronal's connection with your mother, but with Neteyam, there was no doubt that your mentor would be angry enough with him to try something as drastic as excommunication. You would never be able to forgive yourself if he had to face punishment like that.

Shaking yourself from your thoughts, you headed back to the village. You returned to distracting yourself through work, braiding, weaving, and organizing anything you could find. You hadn't even realized the hours that had flown by until you stepped outside to go diving for sea grass.

You had initially planned on swimming out to the edge of the sea wall on your own, but now, you considered taking an ilu. Glancing at the sky, you figured you had less than an hour before eclipse. After deliberating for a moment, you decided that it was enough time for you to gather what you needed without one. As much as you enjoyed riding, swimming on your own was more relaxing.

Swimming out to the edge of the sea wall, you became distracted from your thoughts by the graceful creatures darting around you. Nothing cleared your mind from plaguing thoughts better than floating in the warm water while the glowing dots and stripes of the sea animals swirling around you.

You swam down to the sea floor where the sea grass swayed lazily with the movement of the water. You began pulling up the grass from its roots, tying each bundle tightly before placing it in your pouch. While you were gathering, you were blissfully unaware of a creature nestled in the grass around you.

Reaching for another handful of grass, you touched the fin of what you quickly learned was a viper ray. Defensive and vicious, viper rays typically avoided the reef and rarely came in past the sea wall. Though they were beautiful to watch, being so close to one was dangerous. Their venomous sting had been known to kill Na'vi in the past, and even if it wasn't fatal, it was definitely a very painful experience.

Your touch startled the hiding creature. Faster than you could process, the viper ray whipped around and slashed its thick tail at you, swiping across your ribs.

You immediately flinched and released much of the air you were holding. The pain was immediate, a deep burning sensation that outweighed any sort of injury you had ever experienced. The viper ray darted away back into the grass, leaving you clutching your side as you felt you air supply depleting. Desperately, you began kicking towards the surface as quickly as you could.

When you broke above the water, you gasped in pain. You instinctively clutched at your side, the sting burning like a fire across your body. You looked back at the village, a decently long swim even without being injured. You cursed at yourself for not bringing an ilu. Now, you had no idea how you would get back on your own.

Still, you began kicking towards the beach, your breathing too fast and frantic to dive back down again. From the corner of your eye, you saw movement. Turning your head, you made out several figures in the distance on skimwings leisurely heading back to the village. Blinking through the pain, you recognized the people passing by as the group of your friends who had gone hunting earlier. They must have just returned.

In the dying light, you could make out Neteyam and Aonung side-by-side on their skimwings. Pain was coursing through your side as your breathing came in shallow breaths. You finally managed to inhale enough to call out as loudly as you could, "Neteyam!"

He must have heard your voice because his head immediately whipped around to find you. After a moment, he spotted your bobbing form in the water and swiftly moved to where you were floating.

What took less than a minute for him to cross over to you felt like an eternity with the viper ray venom coursing through you. You were grimacing in pain, the salt water causing your sting to burn even worse. Already, you were feeling the fatigue that came with viper ray stings.

"What's wrong?" Neteyam asked in concern, noticing your face contorted in pain. Right behind him, Aonung came up to you on his skimwing. "I've been stung," you managed to gasp as you struggled to stay above the water. "Viper ray."

Neteyam's face shifted from concern to panicked realization. He had heard the stories of the infamous creature and knew the potentially fatal effects it had. Aonung, too, realized the severity of your injury. "She needs to go to my mother now," he told his friend urgently.

Both boys jumped off of their mounts to take you, and you reached a weak hand out to Neteyam. He took it and pulled you over to his skimwing. You wrapped your arms around his neck, squeezing your eyes shut and resting your head on his chest as he hoisted the two of you onto the back of his skimwing.

Your breathing came in sharp gasps as you took off towards the village. In your mind, your thoughts were growing hazy, and it became difficult for you to understand the reassuring words Neteyam was whispering in your ear. Everything was blurring, and the only thing that somewhat distracted you from the pain in your side was the comfort of Neteyam's arms holding you tightly.

You didn't realize it at the time, but the rest of the hunting party that Neteyam and Aonung were with had noticed the two of them speeding off toward the village and quickly followed suit. When you reached the beach, they all pooled around you to figure out what was happening.

"Find Ronal," Neteyam told the group of them as he carefully slid you off of his skimwing. They all hesitated for a moment, recognizing you curled up in pain in his arms.

"What happened to—,"

"Now," Neteyam snapped, his composure cracking over the panicked desperation he was fighting. The group of hunters scattered across the village, but Aonung remained behind in the water with the two of you.

"Let me take her," he told Neteyam, reaching for your form resting in his arms, but he didn't let you go. "I've got her," he said sharply, wading through the water as quickly. Aonung was taken aback somewhat, but he didn't press it since he didn't want to waste precious time arguing.

It wasn't long before Ronal came rushing out to meet you all on the beach. She took a moment to assess you, feeling how your skin was growing unusually warm. "Come quickly," she told Neteyam urgently as she moved back to her pod.

Neteyam stepped after her towards the village. You were groaning in pain, your vision coming in and out of focus. You were still aware of the fact that you were in his arms, but your thoughts were becoming increasingly disorganized. You had felt his strong arms around you before, but when? You had been upset about him earlier, but why?

You tried to focus, but the pain radiating from your ribs made it impossible for you to think clearly. Still, in your cloudy mind, you had a lingering memory of something scandalous.

"What are you doing here?" You mumbled quietly to Neteyam, your speech slurring a little bit. He looked down at you for a second before replying, "You are hurt, and you need help." You groaned again as if to prove his point and turned your face into his chest. "It's okay," he soothed in a low voice, "I will take care of you."

When you had made it to Ronal's tent, Neteyam set you down carefully on the mat. He stayed by your side while Aonung crouched on your other side. Ronal quickly set to work, pouring water over your sting and wiping away the bleeding. You hissed in pain as she inspected the gash in your side.

Grabbing Neteyam's arm tightly, you cried out through clenched teeth, "It burns." He ran a soothing hand over your forehead. "I know it does," he replied, trying to keep his voice calm for you and failing miserably. "You'll be okay." Your breathing was labored as you looked up at his with glassy eyes. "Every day, it burns," you murmured. "How can I stop it, Neteyam?"

Neteyam's heart ached. You weren't just talking about your sting. Your words were echoing what you had said the previous night. It had been weighing on Neteyam the whole day. He had been unable to shake your words from his mind, and he replayed the memory of kissing you over and over again. He would never forget the blissful moment you shared, but he could never forget the look of horror and heartbreak on your face when you had realized what you had done. It burned, indeed.

"What is she saying?" Aonung asked sharply, staring at Neteyam's longing face with suspicion. He looked up at him, pulled from his thoughts, and said dismissively, "She's hallucinating."

"I don't want to stop it," you whispered in a breathy voice. "I wish it could be real." Neteyam tensed at your words and prayed that you would stop talking in front of Ronal and Aonung. Ronal didn't seem to heed your babbling as she worked, but Aonung was looking back and forth between your face and Neteyam's.

"What is she saying?" Aonung repeated in a hard voice. Neteyam's voice felt stuck, and his silence was only made worse when you reached out your hand up from Neteyam's arm to trace his cheek gently with your fingers. He brought his hand up to hold yours and closed his eyes in guilt. There was no way he could justify this.

Ronal's working hands stilled as she witnessed him grabbing your hand, her eyes flashing to Neteyam and then to her son. Neteyam kept his eyes on your face, but he could feel Aonung's burning glare.

He was putting the pieces together. He had known for a while that you were good friends with Neteyam ever since he first came to the reef, but Aonung had never felt any reason to suspect anything else. Recently, though, he had noticed a shift in his friend’s behavior. He had inexplicably started avoiding your friend group, and it didn’t escape his notice the way that Neteyam had been much more reserved recently.

All this, Aonung would have ignored, but now, he reconsidered everything. He had noted how you had called for Neteyam in the water. He saw how you had reached out for him and how you wrapped your arms around him tightly. He noticed the defensive way that Neteyam held onto you, refusing to let go. Now, hearing your mutterings and seeing you reach out for Neteyam, Aonung felt anger bubble in his chest.

"What did you do?" He seethed. Neteyam looked up at him and held up his free hand. "Aonung, please, I can expl—" Aonung shot up quickly and repeated in a harsh voice, "What did you do?!"

The tension was palpable in the silence. "Take this outside," Ronal ordered sharply, and Neteyam could feel the tsahik's anger in her voice. He got up slowly, dropping your hand. You whimpered as he pulled away from you. "No," you pleaded softly. "Stay." Neteyam could see that your words made Aonung even angrier, so he got up and darted out of the tent, closely followed by the other boy.

Outside, the young Metkayina warrior shoved Neteyam's shoulder. "What was that?" Aonung demanded, his chest heaving in anger. Neteyam held up his hands as a pacifying gesture. "Please, let's just—"

"Did you mate with her?" Aonung cut him off furiously. His forwardness caught Neteyam a little off-guard, and his denial seemed to be stuck in his throat. Just then, Kiri, Tsireya, and Lo'ak came around after hearing that you were injured, and Neteyam groaned internally. Having an audience would make this so much worse.

"Did you?" Aonung pressed, ignoring the others. Turning his focus away from his siblings, Neteyam replied, "No, I would never dishonor you like that." Tsireya looked questioningly between him and her brother. "What is going on?" She asked in confusion.

Aonung ignored his sister. "But you want to," he accused Neteyam. Already uncomfortable with having his family present, he stepped towards Aonung. "Let's talk about this alone," he said in a low voice. The other young warrior shoved him back. "Why?" He demanded. "Because it's true? You want her?"

Kiri took in a sharp breath, and Neteyam heard his brother curse loudly. Neteyam felt trapped. "My friend, please," he implored quietly. Aonung scoffed. "You are no friend of mine," he spat in a loud voice. "How long have you been sneaking around behind my back?"

As if things couldn't get any worse, Jake, Neytiri, and Tonowari came up behind their children, alarmed by the shouting. "What is the meaning of this?" The Olo'eyktan demanded to know. Pointing an accusatory finger at Neteyam, Aonung replied, "He has fallen in love with the woman intended for me."

There was a short, stunned silence, and Neteyam saw the look of disappointed frustration on his father's face. "Is this true?" Tonowari inquired severely. Neteyam hesitated for a moment, but he quickly realized he was in too deep to deny anything. "Yes," he admitted quietly.

Everyone present reacted differently. Aonung looked ready to kill Neteyam, Tsireya gasped softly, and Kiri put her face in her hand. Lo'ak looked half-impressed while Neytiri closed her eyes and began muttering under her breath either prayers or profanities. Tonowari and Jake exchanged uneasy glances and shifted uncomfortably.

"Do not blame her," Neteyam continued insistently. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have—," Jake raised his hand, cutting off his son. "Stop talking," he said harshly. Neteyam remained obediently silent while Jake ran a frustrated hand over his face. "Did you two...?"

Neteyam shook his head hastily. "No," he stated. "We are not bonded." A small sigh of relief came from both of his parents before Neytiri stepped forward toward her son. "I never expected this from you," she said in a low, harsh whisper. "You have brought shame upon yourself, upon this family."

Neteyam stood quietly as his mother began her rant. He knew this was coming, and it hurt just as much as he expected it to. Disappointing his parents was the worst feeling for him, and now he was getting the scolding of a lifetime in front of the rest of his family as well as the chief's.

Ronal stepped out of the tent just then, looking extremely displeased, and everybody turned to her expectantly. "She is asleep," the tsahik explained. "Her body will burn away the venom in time." Neteyam breathed a quick sigh of relief, but he was quickly filled with the apprehension of having to face Ronal's fury.

She pointed her glare at him. "Now, what is going on with you?" She asked in a displeased voice. Aonung stepped forward before Neteyam could respond and interjected, "He is in love with her." Ronal turned sharply to face Neteyam, and her scathing glare deepened. "We bring you into our home," she began in a slow, seething voice, "show you our ways, offer protection, and you return it by blatantly disrespecting us, my son, by trying to enamor his intended mate?"

Neteyam shook his head again. "No," he insisted, working hard to maintain a composed voice. "That was never my intention." Ronal look away from him and back at the healing tent. "And what about her?" She asked, gesturing to where you were sleeping. "Does she return your affections?"

Neteyam hesitated, not wanting to bring you into the mess of trouble he was already in. "I cannot speak for her," he said finally. Aonung scoffed at his words. "You heard what she was saying," he told his mother. "Of course she does."

Neteyam didn't say anything—there was no point. Jake stepped up to him, his face hardened in aggravation. "I told you to back off," he reminded harshly in English. "I said not to cause trouble." Neteyam nodded solemnly and muttered, "I know."

Jake huffed an exasperated sigh. "I'll take care of this," he muttered to Tonowari. Neteyam closed his eyes in shame. This was exactly the thing he was trying to avoid in leaving you alone. Now, he was in for a long night of listening to his parents berate him for hours.

Ronal scoffed. "We cannot allow this," she stated in outrage. "Your son has dishonored our son. He cannot go unpunished." Jake held up a reassuring hand. "Believe me, he will be dealt with," he told her earnestly.

"And how do you suppose he is to be punished?" She shot back. "He cannot be allowed anywhere near her again." Neytiri took a heated step towards Ronal. "You cannot exile my son," she asserted angrily. The tsahik glared at her. "Perhaps that would be the best solution," she countered in a haughty voice.

The two sets of parents all began arguing over each other. Neteyam watched in silent guilt. All of this fighting and contempt stemmed from him falling for you. He should have been more careful. He never should have taken you flying. He never should have danced with you. He knew better than that, but he couldn't help himself. He had wanted to thrill you, please you, any way he could, but now, his indiscretion had caused this dispute between his family and Aonung's.

While Neteyam was dwelling on his guilt, Aonung was glaring at him in resentment.

In the time that the Sullys had been in the reef, Aonung had gone from viewing Neteyam as a rival to seeing him as one of his closest friends. He had taught him the ways of the Metkayina. They had hunted together. They killed the akula together. And it was true that Aonung had no romantic feelings toward you, but he still held great respect for you and thought of you as his future tsahik with satisfaction.

Now, everything was changing. It was one thing for you not to feel anything romantically toward him, but it was something else entirely for you to be in love with someone else, especially when that someone else was in love with you. These bitter thoughts swirled in his mind until his voice finally called out above the bickering parents.

"I call for First Blood."

Everyone froze.

The Rite of First Blood was a dangerous and rarely used rite amongst the Na'vi that is only invoked in the most serious of disagreements. When someone called for First Blood with another, they fought in close combat until one of the participants drew blood from their opponent. The victor's conditions were binding and unimpeachable. What made it dangerous was that there were no stipulations other than requiring blood to be drawn, so the victor could go as far as mortally wounding their opponent if they so chose.

"Aonung, are you sure?" Ronal questioned after recovering from her stunned silence. Even she was startled by her son's call for such a serious matter. Aonung held a level glare at Neteyam as he replied firmly, "Yes."

Ronal shot her mate a reluctant look. "Very well," Tonowari conceded after a moment. "What are your conditions?" Everybody stared at Aonung, waiting expectantly to hear what he would demand if he was the victor. "If I win," he began slowly, staring at Neteyam. "You will leave the reef and never come back."

Immediate protestations arose from each of the Sullys except Neteyam, who silently held Aonung's glare with his own level gaze. "Silence!" Tonowari roared, cutting off the forest family sharply. Aonung continued as though he hadn't been cut off, "And I will be with the woman I am betrothed to."

All eyes were on Neteyam for his reaction, but he remained still, face impassive. "I accept," he responded evenly.

"Neteyam," Tonowari addressed. "What are your conditions?" He didn't respond for a second, thinking carefully about what to say, and Aonung scoffed. "We already know," he huffed. "If you win, she is yours."

"No," Neteyam replied resolutely.

Everybody blinked in surprise and exchanged uneasy glances. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. "She has already had so many decisions made for her," he explained slowly, shooting a look at Ronal's scowling face. "She deserves to have a choice for once in her life."

He looked back over at Tonowari. "That is my condition," he said decidedly. "If I win, she chooses if she wants to be tsakarem. If so, then she will continue her duties without reprimand, but if not, then she can renounce her title honorably, without shame, and without fear of retribution."

Ronal hissed in anger, but Neteyam was waiting for Aonung's reaction expectantly. The young Metkayina warrior nodded slowly and stated, "I accept." Tonowari was not pleased in the slightest about the arrangement, but he nodded gravely. "The Rite of First Blood shall take place at high noon tomorrow," he confirmed before turning to Jake.

"I suggest you keep your son away from here until then," he muttered in a low voice to him, but Neteyam could still hear him. Jake was glaring at his son as he responded, "Believe me, he won't leave my sight." Neteyam's stomach sank at the reality of having to face his parents' wrath for the rest of the night until noon. All he wanted was to see you and make sure you were alright, but there was absolutely no way anybody was going to let that happen now.

The good thing was that you were actually alright. You slept for a few hours before you began to stir again. Strange dreams and voices in your head made your sleep turbulent, so it was a relief to open your eyes again. Through your hazy vision, you could see a person sitting next to you, wiping the sweat off of your forehead.

You tried to say something, but your voice felt stuck, and all that came out was a quiet groan. "It's okay," a soft voice whispered. "You are still fighting off the venom." You blinked several times before your sight focused, and you were able to see who it was.

Tsireya's face was full of concern as she gazed down at you sadly. You mumbled her name, and she ran her hand over your hair comfortingly. "What happened?" you asked, your voice rough as a result of a dry throat.

She didn't respond, instead reaching for a bowl of fresh water for you to drink. She held your head up as you took a few eager gulps of it before laying you back down gently. "What happened?" you repeated, sounding clearer now that you had slaked your thirst.

"What do you remember?" Tsireya asked instead, taking the bowl back from your hand. You thought back, the memory of the viper ray flashing in your mind. "I remember getting stung," you began slowly. "I remember finding Aonung and Neteyam." You paused as the memory of Neteyam's arms carrying you replayed in your head. "That's about it," you finished quietly.

Tsireya studied your face for a moment. "Neteyam brought you back here," she explained nervously. "But you started saying strange things." Your face scrunched in confusion. "What kind of things?" You asked. Tsireya hesitated. "I am not sure," she confessed. "But Aonung—," she hesitated for a moment. "Aonung thinks that you are in love with Neteyam."

You blanched. Your mouth opened and shut, but no words came out. You were entirely unprepared for this accusation and could not think of how to defend yourself.

"It is true, isn't it?" She asked quietly. Your mind was reeling, and you were trying to think of something to say, but there was no way for you to justify what you had done. Your heart started pounding, and you began taking uneasy breaths. "Breathe," she implored, taking your hand comfortingly. Her touch helped ground you, and you tried your best to regain your composure.

"Tsireya," you began, "I— I never meant for anything to happen. I never meant to betray your brother." You could see the sadness and sympathy she had for you on her face. "I do not blame you," she told you gently, but you could see that she was torn. "But Aonung is very angry, as is my mother."

You closed your eyes, feeling the bitter sting of knowing you've disappointed the very people you sought to impress. "What did they have to say?" You questioned, not sure you wanted to hear the answer. Tsireya hesitated a moment before answering.

"Aonung has called for the Rite of First Blood with Neteyam."

Your blood ran cold. You immediately propped yourself upright, but you still felt weak from the venom, and your arms buckled. "What?" You whispered, horrified. Tsireya pressed gently on your shoulders to get you to lie back down before she nodded reluctantly. "It has been set for noon tomorrow," she explained.

You stared up at her face, mortified by what she had said. "What are the conditions?" You managed to whisper finally. She took your hand again, and you braced yourself for whatever she was going to say.

"Aonung's conditions are that Neteyam must leave the reef forever," she stated quietly. Your stomach twisted at her words. You closed your eyes and squeezed her hand. This couldn't be happening. It was just yesterday that you had been wrapped in his arms. You had run away out of guilt, but now the very real possibility of never seeing him again made your chest tighten with fear.

"And Neteyam's?" You whispered, trying your best to remain calm. Tsireya sighed. "If Neteyam is the victor, then you are free to leave your duties as tsakarem if you so choose," she explained.

You blinked. "What?" You questioned, unable to process what she just said. "Neteyam said you should be able to choose whether you want to keep training to be tsahik or not," she repeated. "He also says that you will not face any repercussions for your choice, whatever it may be."

You stared up at Tsireya for a moment, completely stunned. Then, you felt your throat tighten as tears gathered in your eyes. It all hit you so suddenly, you couldn't help but let them fall.

He was fighting for you. And not only to be with you, but to give you the opportunity to decide for yourself what you wanted to do with your life. It was so selfless and considerate. Nobody had ever given you that before.

Tsireya ran her free hand over your forehead again, a look of distress on her face. "I did not know you were so unhappy," she said mournfully. "I wish you would have told me." You shook your head as you took ragged breaths to calm yourself. "I could not," you whispered in a hoarse voice. "Your mother is my mentor, and I am betrothed to your brother. To tell you would mean you would need to keep secrets from both."

She didn't say anything as you took another breath to calm yourself. What you had said made sense, but it didn't make her feel any better knowing that you had been hiding your misery from her.

"I need to speak to him," you said at last, moving to prop yourself up again. Tsireya's eyes widened, and she shook her head vigorously. "No," she replied quickly. "My mother would be furious." You sat upright, the sting on your ribs burning as you moved. She must have seen how you winced because she pushed you back down and said, "You need to stay and rest. You are not fit to move around."

You didn't fight her, but you weren't giving up. "Please, let me see him," you begged. "This is all my fault. I need to talk to him, and I won't be able to tomorrow." She sighed regretfully. "I can't let you do that," she said. "Even if you were well enough, Neteyam's parents will not let him leave their home. Lo'ak said that they are very upset with him as well."

You closed your eyes remorsefully. You hadn't even thought about what his parents would think about a situation like this. You remembered Lo'ak's words to you just a few days prior. If this gets out, Neteyam would be in more trouble than I've ever been in. How had it all gone wrong so quickly?

"The best thing you can do is try to get some rest," Tsireya told you gently. "Especially if you want to be there for the Rite tomorrow." With your eyes still closed, you let out a defeated sigh and nodded. You weren't going to win this argument with her, and since you were already in a heap of trouble as it was, you decided not to press the issue.

Still, sleep was the last thing on your mind. A torrent of thoughts whirled in your head. There were no way you could rest when the possibility of losing Neteyam was looming over you. If he lost, then not only would he have to leave, but you knew that the rest of his family would go with him. After all that they went through to acclimate to the reef, they would be forced to pack up their lives again.

With your thoughts, you were resolved to see Neteyam, consequences be damned. Tsireya had left after about an hour, and it was late enough that most people would be preparing to go to sleep right now.

You sat up slowly, trying not to irritate the sting in your ribs. Standing up, you felt a little dizzy, but it passed after a couple of seconds. Carefully, you stepped out of the tent. You checked that there was no one around before moving quietly down to the beach. You waded into waist deep water before softly calling out to an ilu.

You felt too weak to swim out on your own, so you decided that having an ilu to help was in your best interest. It would also allow you to keep your sting clean and dry. When one of the ilus answered your call, you attached your queue and slowly made your way to the Sullys.

As you came around to where the Sullys lived, you were relieved by the sight before you. Neteyam was sitting at the edge of his home out above the water, an arm resting on his knee while his other leg dangled over the water. He was staring up at the night sky. You had often seen him there, gazing up at the bright stars littering the sky, and you had hoped that he would be out there tonight as well.

With his gaze turned upwards, he didn't see you approaching slowly in the water. You glanced around to ensure nobody was nearby to see or hear you. You noticed that his pod was dark and quiet, indicating that everyone had gone to sleep, so you called his name out softly.

He must have heard you because his head snapped down and fixated on your form in the water. When he recognized you, he immediately turned to look behind him and check that none of his family had heard too. "What are you doing?" He whispered in alarm. "Why are you not resting?"

"I wanted to see you," you whispered back. "Can you come down?" He glanced back over his should for a moment before turning back to face you. "The beach," he said softly.

It was all he needed to say in order for you to understand. You nodded before turning your ilu in the water and swimming back toward the beach. As you stepped out onto the wet sand, he was walking stealthily across the suspended walkways toward you. Leaping down onto the sand, he quickly crossed over to you with a concerned face.

"What are you doing here?" He asked quietly, bringing his hands up to hold your shoulders carefully. "You should be resting, healing." You shook your head as you looked up at him. "I could not rest after what Tsireya told me," you replied quickly.

Raising your own hands, you held his arms by the crook of his elbow. "Is it true? Has Aonung challenged you to First Blood?" You questioned, already knowing in your heart it was true. He let out a small sigh, looking down at you in regret.

"It is," he confirmed in a whisper. "We fight at noon." You closed your eyes and took a deep breath to calm yourself. "And the conditions?" You continued. "Tsireya said that if Aonung wins, you...," you trailed off, unable to speak anymore.

"I must leave the reef," he finished for you solemnly. You clenched your jaw in an effort to keep from tearing up. "But if I am the victor," he continued softly, "you will be free to choose the life you want. Whether you remain as the tsakarem or not, the choice will be yours with no consequences."

Your throat tightened at his words, and tears filled your eyes. Nobody had ever advocated for you to have a say in your own life. Ever since you could remember, things had always been arranged for you, and you had been too young to know what you actually wanted. Now, you had something that you wanted, and Neteyam was going to fight with everything in him for you to have it.

You shook your head sadly, looking down from his face. "You shouldn't have to do this," you sighed, squeezing his arms in concern. There was a small pause between you before his hands moved up from your shoulders to hold your face, making you look right up at him. His face softened, and his eyes moved back and forth between yours as he shook his head slowly.

"I would do anything for you."

Your breath faltered at his words, and you leaned into his touch with closed eyes. “I was so worried for you,” he continued softly. “I know what you said last night, but when I saw you in the water, I—,” he paused, his thumbs brushing against your cheeks.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” he said finally, “but I can’t bear being away from you anymore. When I saw an opportunity to be with you, I couldn’t turn it aside.” The corner of his mouth turned upward before he added softly, “If you will have me, that is.”

His voice was so gentle and sincere, and he looked almost nervous waiting for your reply. You couldn't think of anything to say that fully encapsulated how you felt, so you stepped forward and pressed your lips against his.

Neteyam still held your face as he kissed you gently. You leaned into him, savoring the feeling of his soft lips against yours. He pulled away after what felt like too short a time, a faint smile on his face.

"I will have you," you whispered to him, the corners of your mouth tugging upward. You looked up at him, his face inches from yours. "But you better win.” His own smile widened in amusement. "I will," he promised, lowering his forehead to rest against yours. "I'm not going to stay away from you anymore."

You closed your eyes and relished the moment of peace between you. For a second, you were able to forget about the guilt and worry you were feeling about everything and imagined the life you could have with Neteyam, the life you wanted so bad, it hurt.

He pulled you back into another soft kiss. His hands left your face to wrap around your torso and wander up your back, exploring as much of your skin as possible. His touch left you breathless, and you eagerly pulled him as close to you as possible.

You could feel how much he wanted you, but he eventually pulled away from your lips, his eyes closed as he moved away. "I need to go," he whispered quietly, his forehead resting against yours. "My parents will know I've gone."

The reality of the situation returned, and you felt all the fear and anxiety of everything stirring in your chest. You sighed regretfully, not wanting to let him go. Neteyam must have sensed your apprehensions because his hands pulled you into a tight embrace, and he whispered in your ear, "It will be alright."

You buried your face in his neck and repeated the words in your mind, but it was difficult to believe when so much was on the line. It was cruel that this was only the first time you had let yourself hold him like this, and if Aonung won the next day, this may very well be the last time, too.

Gently, he pulled away from you. You let your arms slide off his shoulders, unable to meet his eyes. There was a moment of silence between you, neither of you wanting to leave the other. Finally, he sighed, raised a hand up to your head, and brought his lips against your forehead. You closed your eyes and tried to hold onto the moment while it lasted.

"It will be alright," he murmured against your skin. You nodded faintly. "It will be alright," you echoed. You looked up at him, and he had a small smile on his face. "I will see you tomorrow," he said at last as he began stepping backward toward his home. You could only nod as he moved away. Watching him go, you wrapped your arms around yourself and repeated his words over and over again in your mind.

It will be alright.

_________

Taglist: @mashiromochi @eywas-heir @kafanizdakicokiyi @plzfeedmebread @afro-hispwriter @fanboyluvr @anm3mi @sadexact @peachinsomnia @fluroescentxadolescent @doulcha @crazy4books1 @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @thatonegirlwiththebeanie367 @alicetweven @sarasapen @sadexact

[anm3mi]

such a lovely series istggg <33

i see you.

summary: being the product of a secret relationship between a human scientist and a na’vi comes with its perks. one of them being neteyam sully.

pairing: neteyam x fem!na’vi/human reader

warnings: heavvyyyyyyy smooching, angry jake, mention of parent dying/leaving, also things get a lil spicy, one use of y/n.

note: tell a friend to tell a friend she’s baaaaaack !!!!! i haven’t written something in so long so my grammar is kinda shit, so if you see something that doesn’t make sense ignore it! anyway- reader & neteyam are aged up to twenty years old. also reader is 6ft since she’s na’vi/human, but she’s still small compared to him since he’s like 8’2. 

part two | part three | part four | part five

no one knew how it happened- how you happened. how a human scientist and na’vi mated; it should have been impossible, but somehow they made it possible. 

your mother travelled from earth to pandora to study the native species of the omaticaya clan. during her studies, one particular na’vi caught her eye, and sooner than later they developed a secret relationship and fell deeply in love. 

they were inseparable- he taught her the ways of the forest and showed her how the na’vi live day to day. while your mother brought him along to collect samples of the environment around her, and he kept her safe as they explored.

the battle between the sky people and the na’vi, unfortunately ended with your father dying at the hands of your mothers colleagues. the omaticaya finally won, but when the rest of the human soldiers were sent back to earth, your mother was stuck. 

she was unable to travel in cryosleep while carrying you, so she was forced to stay on pandora and live out the rest of her pregnancy on the foreign planet. 

the only person who knew the identity of your father, was your mother and grace. everyone else assumed some soldier knocked up your mom, but boy, were they wrong. 

when you were born, your eye shape and color of your skin resembled your mothers, but the color of your irises were a deep amber, almost glowing yellow. darkened skin-colored stripes decorate your body head to toe, and white freckles adorn your facial features. 

the secret was out- you’re half na’vi, and half human. 

once the clan found out the scientists child is part na’vi, they took you under their wing to teach you their ways. your mother became extremely jealous, knowing that she could never be accepted by them like you have.

at the mere age of four, your mother left the base to travel back to earth without you. leaving you under the care of norm, max, jake and the rest of the clan.

thankfully being part na’vi and human, you’re able to breathe both types of air. mo’at became your motherly figure once your mom disappeared, quickly helping you adapt to their lifestyle in the forest.

over the years, you started to realize that you were different from the other na’vi children. you’re shorter in height, aren’t as fast, and you didn’t have their azure-colored skin. but somehow, you still felt as if you were a part of them. 

you became close to neytiri and jake’s kids, mostly kiri. you grew up with her and neteyam, but as you blossomed into a woman you wouldn’t dare to look him in the eyes. 

fearing that he’d realize your true feelings for him if he stared into them too long. 

throughout your teen years, you casually dated a few na’vi boys, but none of them were neteyam sully. nobody could compare, you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. 

even now as a young adult, those old feelings can’t be choked down anymore. the same feelings you had about the eldest sully boy when you were younger. 

“stop drooling.” kiri teases you under her breath as her hands work to weave a basket. 

you’re knocked out of your trance, head whipping to face her. “no! i am not drooling.” you scoff and shake your head as you continue tucking leaves into the correct shape. you can feel your cheeks burning hot from her catching you staring at her older brother. 

you glance up from your working hands, admiring how neteyam effortlessly spears a fish in the water that he’s standing ankle-deep in. he lets out a triumphant laugh as lo’ak hollers proudly at him from the grass. 

“yeah, bro! get that fiiiiiish!” the younger boy whoops happily with his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify the sound.

the older brother turns his head to see who else could have noticed the catch, barely making eye contact with you before your eyes drop back down to your hands. 

swiftly, you busy yourself with tucking the leaves into each other. your pointed ears twitch slightly when you notice the sound of rustling water growing closer. 

kiri nudges your arm with her shoulder which confirms your suspicions.

he’s walking up to you. why is he walking up to you? you didn’t say anything to him. you didn’t even get a good look at him. there’s no reason for him to come over here.

from your peripheral vision, you can see his feet stop right in front of you in the glittering water. “hey guys.” he speaks softly, almost out of breath.

“hey, neteyam!” kiri quips at him, eyeing you from the corner of her eye with an evil grin.

the sound of his panting voice makes your heart  skip a beat and your abdomen constrict your breathing. you push the basket away from your nervous hands to rest them on your knees. your eyes carefully drag up the lanky expanse of his body, meeting his eyes with your own.

“oh hey, neteyam. how’s… um- the fishing going?” you hum nervously, chewing on your bottom lip out of a nervous habit. 

you can’t help but notice his hands are resting on his slender hips with his infamous bright smile on his face. 

“it was good. caught a few big ones…” he huffs out another strained breath. the sound makes you want to fall over, “what are you guys doing?” his eyes dart over to the trees for a split second before squatting down in front of you and kiri. 

his big round eyes look over your unfinished baskets, reaching out to touch yours gently. 

“hey! don’t touch. you’ll ruin it.” kiri swats at his grabby hands, making him raise his arms in surrender. “okay, okay!” he laughs. 

the sound of rustling leaves distracts you from the boy in front of you, making you and kiri turn to look behind your backs. before you could even make it halfway, his hands wrap around your wrists to yank you forward. 

“shit!!” you yelp before you face-plant into the chilly water, gurgling under the surface before lifting your head up, taking a sharp breath.

muffled laughter fills your ears as you sit up in the pond, pushing your soaked hair out of your face and off of your ears so you could hear. 

neteyam is sitting in the pond directly in front of you, hand laying across his abdomen as he belly laughs along with lo’ak. 

kiri is already climbing out of the water, grumbling under her breath and wringing out her hair. “screw you guys.” she calls back, flipping her middle finger before disappearing into the thick forest towards home. 

you look back at neteyam and lo’ak who are slightly calming down between their fits of laughter. “you… should… see… your… face… right… now!” neteyam cackles, throwing his head back in the air. 

“best idea, bro.” lo’ak reaches over to high five his brothers shoulder and to use him to pull himself out of the water. he grabs neteyam’s hand to help him up next, both of them still giggling.

“this was your idea?” you stare up at neteyam with squinted eyes and a scowl on your face. 

the boy audibly gulps when he notices your changed demeanor, his hand going to scratch the back of his neck. “uuhh, yeah… maybe?” he clears his throat, darting his eyes away from you. 

for a moment, you keep the angry facade before your arm winds back and you send your hand through the water to splash the older boy. 

“woah!” neteyam blocks the water with one of his hands, a surprised smile instantly forming on his perfect lips.

he swoops down towards the water, sending a wave directly into your face. “hey!” your eyebrows furrow, quickly getting onto your knees to send another burst of water towards him. 

lo’ak watches the scene unfolding in front of him, noticing that the rest of the fish swam away from the commotion. “guess we’re done fishing today.” he sighs in defeat and climbs out of the pond without either of you noticing. he follows kiri’s footsteps into the forest with the basket of fish over his shoulder.

you and neteyam continue battling it out, which ends in both of you completely soaked head to toe. “truce! truce!” you yell out in exasperation, falling back into the water. 

“my stomach hurts from laughing. i can’t anymore.” you continue to giggle as neteyam helps you up from your position in the water. he slowly trails behind you as you trudge back towards land, his tall stature towers over you from behind. he reaches out to grip your hips to lift you onto the plush grass. 

the feeling of his hands resting on your body makes your blood run hot, cheeks flaring with heat. 

“we’re drenched. what are we going to tell everyone?” he breathes out heavily with a soft chuckle. 

“we slipped and fell into the water?” you suggest and look up at him.

“we just happened to both slip and fall into the water together?” his eyebrows raise, and his cheeks puff out air in attempt to not laugh.

unfortunately, neteyam decides to look down at you which makes both of you burst into laughter again, “that idea is so stupid.” he choked out, pressing his fist to his mouth to stifle his little laughs. 

“let’s go back. we can figure it out on the way.” you sputter out, hunching over slightly as you walk forward in attempt to stop your giggles.

“hey, wait!” neteyam’s voice is suddenly serious, and you can’t feel his height looming behind you anymore.

you turn around at the sound of his voice, seeing he’s still in the same spot he was standing in. “i don’t want to go back yet.” he admits, his big round eyes darting down to his feet. 

you can feel your heartbeat grow faster, pattering against your chest like a jackhammer. “why not? you okay?” you take a hesitant step forward to stand underneath him, looking up in attempt to read his facial features.

by now, the sun is starting to set. the foliage around you both is slowly changing over, the white freckles in each others skin sparkling under the moonlight. 

his yellow eyes shyly look into yours, a timid smile twitching up onto the corner of his lips. 

“m’fine, i promise. i just want to stay here for a little longer. i don’t want to go back just yet.” he mumbles softly, a puff of his breath fans over your face from your close proximity. 

you can’t help but feel giddy from his words, unable to stop yourself from reaching your hand out to rest on his waist. your thumb absentmindedly rubs circles against his soft skin, “do you mind if i stay with you?” 

“do i mind?” he scoffs with a roll of his eyes, throwing his head back with an over-exaggerated sigh. 

embarrassment floods your body, making your ears ring from the blood rushing through your head. out of fear he’s angry with you, your hand pulls away from him, “oh i’m sorry. i’ll go then.” you start to turn the opposite way but he grabs your hips to keep you in place. 

“are you serious? you really don’t get it do you?” he almost laughs out of amusement, but you can’t help but feel even more confused. 

“i want you to stay here with me. i want you.” one of his hands come up from his side, bending down slightly to carefully tuck your hair behind one of your ears. 

your face stays emotionless as your eyes dart from his eyes to lips and back. “say something. anything?” he begs and shakes his head at you with an amused smile. 

“‘teyam…” you breathe out, a big smile beaming across your face, hands reaching up to cup his cheeks; something you could’ve only dreamed of doing. “i can’t tell if you’re being serious.” you whisper softly in the small amount of space between your faces.

“i’m gonna kiss you now to show you how serious i am.” he looks directly into your eyes before they flutter shut and he leans forward. 

the feeling of his lips on yours makes your knees go weak. neteyam sully is really kissing you right now. your arms wrap around his waist tightly to hold yourself up, which he quickly notices. 

his large hands drag down your sides and over your butt to grip the back of your thighs to hoist you up to his height. your legs instinctively wrap around his waist, ankles locking against his lower back. 

the new position allows him to deepen the kiss even more by gently wiggling his tongue against yours. he stumbles forward to a nearby tree, pressing your back against the trunk of it. 

it’s not like he’s having trouble carrying you, you’re equivalent to a feather for him. he just wants you closer. 

one of his braids falls in your face, swinging and tapping your cheek whenever your lips would connect.

“your hair…” you giggle against his lips, bringing your hand up to his face to tuck it back behind his ear. 

“sorry, they have a mind of their own, ya know.” his husky voice mumbles deeply into your ear, making goosebumps rise on your skin. 

your eyes flutter open to be met with the glowing forest, neon colors lighting up the vegetation around you both. you’ve been on this planet for twenty years and it still surprises you every day. 

neteyam pulls back to look you in the eyes, letting you admire his face for a moment. his blue skin seems brighter under the bioluminescent foliage. especially with the gleaming freckles that paint his skin. 

“ma neteyam, you’re so pretty.” your hand cups his soft cheek which he nuzzles into your palm almost instantaneously.

“no, you’re the pretty one, my girl.” he leans forward to peck your lips once more. the little nickname makes your stomach do somersaults in your belly. his tail flicks up happily against your ankle, tickling your lower leg.

neteyam takes the time to gently kiss down your neck and over your collarbone, “i want you to be mine.” he almost whimpers. his nose nuzzles against your pulse point as his lips continue litter your neck with kisses. 

“will your parents approve?” your voice slightly quivers, “you’re next in line to become eytukan. i’m not a full-blood. i don’t think-.” your rambling is paused by his lips pressing against the tip of your nose. 

“i don’t care what they think. plus, you know my dad likes you.” he gives you a reassuring smile, bringing one of his hands up to cup your cheek. you can’t help but take note that his palm and fingers cover the entire side of your head. 

“yeah, but your mom…” you trail off, not wanting to seem rude by talking about his mother, but you know that she has a problem with humans. you’ve seen the way she looks at spider. 

“look, i’m half-blood too. i don’t think my mom is going to care, plus you’ve been around our family for years. she likes you, i promise.” 

“i’m not one of you. i’m different, neteyam.” you let out shakily, “i’m small and not as fast, i can’t keep up with you.” your eyes dart to the side as you chew on the skin of your lip. 

“look, i know she can be tough, but i promise you, i don’t care what she thinks. since i was a teenager, i realized that i wanted you. i wasn’t brave enough to tell you that until now, but i don’t give a shit about our differences.” his hand grips your jaw with his hand, turning your face towards him so he can look into your watery eyes. 

“i see you, y/n.” his doe-like eyes flicker over your face, trying to read your expression. his eyes are full of adoration and love for the girl in his arms. 

your breath gets caught in your throat, “and i see you.” both of your hands slide up from his chest to rest on either side of his face, pulling him in for another kiss. 

on the way up, you accidentally brush against the voice comm device on his necklace. not knowing it would activate and relay sound through his father’s, mothers, and lo’ak’s ear piece. 

you both gasp into each others mouth when he ruts his hips against your center, the pressure pins your hips to the tree behind you. 

“what is that sound? who has their comm on?”you hear a low muffled voice coming from somewhere. 

neteyam instantly pulls away from the heated kiss, eyes wide with terror and embarrassment. your lips parting lets off a loud suction noise when he pulls away, now making it obvious what the sounds were coming from.

neteyam holds you up with one arm while he uses the other to click on a button on his necklace to turn it off, “it’s my dad.” 

“it’s just neteyam sucking face.” you hear lo’aks voice come through clearly in his ear piece. 

the boys head falls forward to rest on your chest, letting out the loudest over-exaggerated groan of annoyance. the puff of his hot breath against your damp skin makes a shiver shoot down your spine.

you can’t help but giggle and gently pet the top of his head in attempt to console him, “i’m never going to live this down.” he speaks against your skin, grumbling obscenities under his breath. 

“neteyam! where are you, boy?” jake shouts into his ear. 

he taps your thigh to signal you to release your grip from around his waist. he gently lowers you back down to the ground before answering him, “i’m here, dad. i’m here.” 

you can’t help but lean your head on his elbow since that’s the only place you can reach. you grab one of his hands, bringing it to your face to examine it. 

you thread your fingers through his much larger ones, squeezing his hand with your own. you almost laugh at how his hand engulfs yours. 

“yeah, mmmhmm. yeah, okay. i hear you. lo’ak shut up. i got it. we’ll be there soon.” neteyam responds to whoever is talking in his ear. 

“is everything okay?” you mumble quietly, peering up at him through your eyelashes. 

“they want us to come back, but i think everything is okay.” he smiles down at you, pulling you into his side while still holding your hand. 

neteyam leads you through the thick brush of the forest to his ikran. the banshee chirps at the sight of it’s owner, fluttering it’s wings in excitement. “hey, buddy.” neteyam hums and rubs it’s head. 

he reaches around his back for his braid, bringing it forward to make bond with the animal. neteyam effortlessly mounts onto the bird, reaching a hand out for you to take.

you step forward to slide your hand into his so he could help you on and get situated. “hold on tight.” he peers down at you from behind his shoulder with a smirk before the ikran nosedives off of the tree branch. 

“oooohhhhh my god!” you screech as your arms desperately flail around his waist, holding onto him as tightly as you can. 

he can’t help but laugh at your scream once he levels out, now coasting through the sky through the floating mountains. one of his hands reaches back to grip your thigh to pull you even closer to him. 

you hesitantly open your eyes, looking down into the glowing scenery beneath you. “beautiful, right?” his voice raises over the loud whooshing of the wind. 

“i love it.” you squeeze his torso tight, snuggling your temple into the crook of his back as you coast through the air. 

the ikran dips down slightly, making you gasp and tighten around his body. neteyam chuckles, his hand rests on your leg to slowly rub gentle circles into your skin to calm you. 

“hold on, we’re gonna descend.” he leans forward with the ikran, plunging downwards toward the ground once again. you squeal loudly, wriggling behind him in attempt to get closer to him. 

neteyam chuckles, shaking his head as he weaves and bobs between trees to make it back home. the ikran vertically swoops up into the large crevasse in the cave floor, landing on the rocky floor. 

neteyam hops easily off the ikran, disconnecting tsaheylu before his hands grip your waist to lift your body up to place you on the ground next to him.

“what were you guys thinking staying out past curfew?” jake storms up to you both, obviously angry. 

“i know, but i can handle myself. i know how to fight.” neteyam grumbles back, making jake even angrier with his son. if steam could shoot out of his ears at this moment, it would. 

“i know that you know how to fight, son. but the rda, they could be roaming anywhere. it’s dangerous, especially putting her in that situation.” he looks down at you, then turns his attention back to his son.

before jake could lecture him even more, you decide to intervene, “i’m sorry, sir. it’s all my fault we stayed out. i persuaded him to stay… to uh- fly around,” you glance up at neteyam through the corner of your eye, “i take full responsibility.” you nod at jake, gulping down your nervousness. 

jake sighs as he rubs his temples with one of his hands, “so then what’s the reason why both of you are soaked?” he points out, making you instantly freeze from not knowing what to say. 

neteyam’s hand comes up to rest on your shoulder, “to be honest, we were wrestling in the water.” 

your eyes blow wide from his words, turning to him to stare daggers into the side of his face. 

“wrestling… in the water?” jake almost laughs, “look i didn’t need to know that much. you couldn’t come up with a better excuse than that?” 

“oh shit.” neteyam whispers under his breath, “no, dad, it’s not like that at all. i meant… we were just splashing each other after fishing. it wasn’t anything like that.” 

“look, you two just be safe and keep it on the down-low. and next time, please take off your comm, ‘kay?” jake lowers his voice before shaking his head in disbelief and turning on his heel to head back. 

“so he thinks we had sex then, huh?” you breathe out defeat, looking up at neteyam. the boy lets out a huff of air as he watches his father walk away, “yeah i guess so.” his voice has a slight tinge of humor to it. 

the hand resting on your shoulder pulls you into his side with a little chuckle. he starts walking with you toward the pod where the scientists sleep. 

he follows you up the steps to the door, pausing a few steps down before you could open it. his face now parallel to yours since you’re higher on the stairs. 

you smile down at him, reaching out to gently pinch his chin to pull his face forward. you press your lips against his softly, as if he was a delicate flower petal. “i had fun tonight.” you mumble with a smile against his lips before pulling back. 

neteyam presses forward to chase your lips with his, trying to breathe in as much of you as he could. “don’t wanna let you go yet… wanna kiss you more.” he desperately pulls you forward to kiss you again, sucking in a sharp breath. 

your arms lazily drape over his shoulders to kiss him slowly, and tantalizingly. he sucks your bottom lip between his teeth, gently nibbling the skin before making his way down to nuzzle into the crook of your neck. 

“gotta go to bed before my mother has me by my throat.” his words make you laugh as you twirl one of his braids between your fingers. 

“tomorrow i wanna take you somewhere. will you let me?” he pulls back with a smile, thumb rubbing the skin of your outer thigh. 

“of course, i would love to. but where though?” you question with your fingers still busy messing with his hair. 

“it’s a surprise.” he hums playfully making your eyebrows furrow from curiosity of where it could be. 

“i love surprises.” you grin, leaning forward to peck his lips once more before attempting to completely pull away. neteyam groans from the warmth of your body leaving him, his arms wrap around your legs to keep you in place. 

“don’t leaaaaave.” he whines, resting his chin on your chest to look up at you. 

“i need to shower and clean up before bed. plus your mother is going to have your throat, ya know.” you poke his little pink nose, making his face scrunch up cutely.

“you’re right, you’re right.” he grumbles sadly, patting your outer thigh before he completely pulls back and stands up straight. he leans forward to swiftly peck your lips, “just needed one more, m’sorry. i’ll see you tomorrow.” he turns around to climb down the rest of the steps. 

“goodnight, neteyam!” you shout at him as you unlatch the metal door. 

he turns around at the sound of your voice, “goodnight.” he whisper-yells back at you as he slowly walks backwards to watch you slip inside. 

neteyam’s smile on his face doesn’t falter, not even for one second. the only thing on his mind is you. he never would have imagined that his day would have ended like this. confessing his feelings to you, and kissing you goodnight. it’s almost as if he’s living through a fantasy his younger self dreamed of. 

the excitement of you makes him toss and turn throughout the night; it makes him nervous, knowing that he is already head over heels for you and in too deep- but all he can worry about now, is seeing you tomorrow. 

-

tags: @k----a27s @aspenreadsfanfic @aliseaaah

[anm3mi]

GRAVITY ─ NETEYAM ⊹ ִֶָ

contents. fem!omaticaya!reader, friends to lovers, fluff, hurt/comfort, mentioned death

notes. might make a part 2, if anyone's interested - perhaps with a confession, so this doesn't have such an open ending ??!!

your mother adored children. ever since she was a teen, she dreamed of having a big loving family, but sadly, eywa appeared to have different plans. your parents were devastated. shortly before your birth, your mother fell ill. she was a strong woman with a big heart, so no one in the clan was surprised, when she fought the illness off. but battles leave scars, and your mother was left with an awful one in particular.

she could no longer bear children. it pained her - all her dreams crashing down. due to her sickness, there was a high chance you wouldn't survive the birth. but thank eywa you took after your mother - strong and fierce, yet a loving. you managed to survive and grow up to be a healthy child. you were their miracle, as your parents enjoyed to call you.

ever since you were able to speak, you'd ask your parents about the two of them. how the mighty warrior managed to capture the heart of a caring healer and teacher. you'd make them recite their story almost every night, as if it was some kind of a romance novel - something you were taught by the humans who stayed behind on pandora.

your father was barely seventeen years old, when he accidentally got injured during a group hunt, but the tsahìk's tent was overcrowded. your mother caught a glimpse of your father silently leaving the healing tent, as he assumed his injuries weren't too serious and he could handle waiting a couple of hours, but your mom couldn't simply shake her head upon it. grabbing his hand, she dragged him towards her own tent, before mending his wounds. your father swore he begun to fall in love with your mother from that moment on, as she was the kindest na'vi he has met. even her hands worked gently upon his bruised skin, and he couldn't help, but wish he got hurt more often.

now almost twenty years later, you recently have turned sixteen and didn't even need to think twice, before following in your mother's footsteps - you yearned to carry on her legacy. even though your mother could no longe have children, she still loved them. every time a na'vi needed someone to watch over their child, even for a couple of minutes, your mom wouldn't waste any time before offering herself. of course, she would never neglect you - raising you into a beautiful and kind young woman was her greatest pride.

with her natural maternal instinct and the constant feat of another war with the people breaking out, your mother saw an opportunity. she decided to teach younger kids - those who were too young to truly train, but old enough to understand. she'd teach them basics such as how to take care of smaller wounds, how to shoot with small handmade bow and arrows that you helped her make, or simply play with them.

your life was amazing. you had strong adoring parents and a good life overall, but eywa, once more, seemed to have different idea. the night your parents have told you the news, you couldn't stop crying, as your mother could only hold you close. her illness came back, but this time - she wasn't so positive of getting better once again. and when even your own mother saw it, you knew something was truly wrong.

couple of days before your 13th birthday, the sickness took your mother away. and for the first time, your life has crumbled. the colors were no longer bright and you rarely had a reason to smile. yet you couldn't dare to burden anyone with your issues. you were taught to speak of your emotions and feelings, but until this point in your life - you were perceived as a pure bright soul and on the inside, you still were. all you did was struggle a bit, that's all.

but before you could let the grieving darkness consume you, you had an another plan - to take your mother's place and become a teacher. help children understand the world they were living and growing up in. you were now 16 years old, sitting on the floor of your hut, children sitting in a circle with you. your lessons for the day were over and now you were simply talking with the children, waiting for their families to collect them.

laughter echoed inside the hut, but was soon interrupted by a new presence. your back was facing the entryway, while tuktirey - one of sully's children was sitting cross-legged in front of you. you never understood why she needed lessons with you, when both of her parents were great warriors, but you didn't complain. tuktirey was a bright child and a quick learner.

a small excited gasp escaped tuk's lips, as her wide eyes gazed towards the entryway. your eyes curiously followed, as she stood up and ran towards the entryway. "neteyam!" tuk called out with a grin, before throwing herself at her older brother. still seated on the floor, you stared at the older boy, who accepted his sister's hug with a grin plastered across his face.

glancing back at the rest of the children, you realised how all of them were preoccupied with either playing or chatting together, before you stood up and made your way towards the duo. you couldn't help, be a bit surprised at the sight of neteyam. up until now, it was either kiri or their mother coming to pick up tuk. of course, you weren't disappointed to see him.

during your childhood, the two of you have played together more than once, as kids close with age would often do. but soon, both of you got older and your responsibilities only grew. the two of you were training to be warriors, yet neteyam's title of the future olo'eyktan earned him even more duties. though you'd never admit it out loud, you felt bad for the boy, as you couldn't imagine the pressure he was put under. no matter how distant you two grew, you still considered neteyam a friend of yours and you silently hoped he did aswell.

"y/n!" with one hand holding onto neteyam, tuk used her another one to grab your own hand and pull you closer. "this is neteyam." tuk innocently grinned, clearly oblivious of you and neteyam already knowing one another. "hi." slightly bowing your head, you greeted him with a smile, your tone soft, as neteyam mirrored the gesture.

opening your mouth to speak again, you were interrupted once you felt a small tap against the side of your arm. with confused eyes, you glanced down to your side, noticing one of the younger children. she had a happy grin across her face, hands hidden behind her back, as she swayed from one side to another. "look, n/n!" revealing her small hands, the young girl was clutching onto a couple of colourful flowers tied together with a string. "wow," you breathed out with an adoring smile, before kneeling down, now at eye level with the girl. "it's very beautiful." you added. "oh, are they for me?" you questioned when the girl shyly offered you the flowers and swiftly nodded. "well, thank you. that is very sweet of you." in response, the girl only giggled, before running back to her friends.

now holding the small bouquet close to your chest, you stood up and turned your attention back to the sully siblings. when your eyes met neteyam's, he was already looking at you, the corners of his lips twitched upwards. "n/n?" with raised brows, he queried. his question wasn't demanding, rather curious and almost playful. you averted your gaze shyly. "it's a nickname some of the kids picked up on." you explained, as neteyam simply nodded in response.

"we better get home, mom must be waiting." picking up tuk and placing her against his hip, neteyam proclaimed. "thank you for watching over her, y/n." he added, wearing a soft expression. "there is no need to thank me. i love spending time with tuk and the other children." playfully ruffling the girl's hair, you admitted. "see you later?" you took a small step back, as you tilted your head to the side and awaited for an answer. you mentally scolded yourself, when you felt your face heat up at your own question. "see you later." neteyam announced with a smile, causing your grin to grow wider.

as neteyam slowly begun making his way home with tuk still in his arms, you turned around, ready to join the kids once more, but not before throwing once last look at neteyam over your shoulder. your heart skipped a beat in enthusiasm at the simple thought of you and the sully boy growing closer once more - resuming your friendship from childhood.

couple of weeks have passed since your first proper interaction with neteyam in years. each day, you'd get more excited to see him, as most of the time it was now him, coming to collect his little sister - unless he was busy, of course. the simple conversations you'd exchange in the entrance of your tent grew longer every day, but sooner or later, you two would always get interrupted by either tuk impatiently tugging on her brother's hand or one of the children needing your attention. the two of you would have to end your conversation and finish it another day.

to your disappointment, you didn't get to see neteyam every day for two reasons. you were still a person with your own wants and needs, meaning you simply couldn't watch over the children of busy parents all the time. at the beginning, you felt a bit guilty, but the parents assured you they understood. after all, even you craved for an alone time. the rest of your free time you'd spend with your father practicing. the truth was, you were a natural fighter due to your father's warrior blood rushing through your veins. you didn't belong in the battlefield, but you were capable of fighting and hunting, even if you preferred peace over violence. but the world could a be a dangerous place, as your father would often remind you, and you needed to know to protect yourself and the ones you love.

the second reason behind your lact of contact with neteyam was tuk herself. her parents were quite busy, but still found time in their day for their youngest daughter. and if neytiri and jake were too preoccupied, tuk still had her three siblings and grandmother. but even when one of her siblings was watching over her, many times tuk has sneaked away to join you and the other children of the clan.

it has happened more times than you'd like to admit - lo'ak barging into your tent with a frantic expression, desperately searching for tuk, after loosing sight of her, just to find her by your side. you could only smile at the memories.

speed-walking to his family's tent, neteyam's face was flushed in embarrassment. once his eyes fell on kiri, who was simply resting on the floor of their tent, he stopped dead in his tracks. "kiri." neteyam addressed his sister, unreadable expression decorating his face. "i though we agreed i'd pick up tuk today." he was still wearing his visor and flying gear, as he has finished his training barely half an hour ago. neteyam chose to not waste any time, before making his way towards your tent, only to find you alone, kiri has already taken tuk home and the rest of the children went home aswell. with neteyam's ears pressed down against his head, he quickly left, as you could only blink in confusion.

"you skxawng." kiri let out a groan, standing up from the floor. "kiri." glancing over her shoulder, neytiri warned her daughter, causing kiri to mumble a quick apology for her words. grabbing neteyam's arm rather harshly, she pulled him along with her, further from everyone's eyes and ears. "i went to pick up tuk," kiri begun, poking her finger against her brother's chest. "so the two of you could finally be alone." kiri rolled her eyes at neteyam's expression. "all i did was embarrass myself in front of y/n." crossing his arms over his chest, neteyam clarified, causing kiri to surpass another groan escaping her lips. "well, then go fix it." giving neteyam a slight push, kiri demanded. "i'm getting tired of you drooling over each other from afar." rubbing her temples, kiri quitely muttered, as she turned around and made her way back inside.

lips agape and slightly widened eyes, neteyam silently stood for a few seconds, re-thinking kiri's words, before snapping out of whatever trance he was stuck in. he begun to make his way towards your tent once more. with each passing second, neteyam's pace only fastened and it didn't take too long, before he was standing in the entryway of your tent. the cloth that'd usually cover the entrance was pulled aside, letting the warm afternoon sun rays illuminate the inside. back facing the entryway, you continued to clean, putting everything in its place, unaware of neteyam's presence.

"neteyam." you uttered in surprise upon hearing him clear his throat, finally catching your attention. you straightened your posture, tucking away a loose braid behind your ear. this was the first time you were all alone in what felt like years and the realisation suddenly hit you - the temperature in your body rapidly rising, as your tail swiftly flicked from one side to the other. what you didn't seem to notice is how neteyam's body reacted the same way in your presence.

"did tuk forget something here?" ignoring the strange feeling forming inside your stomach, you placed your hands behind your back. "she didn't, no." neteyam slightly shook his head from one side to the other. "i came here to ask you something." he added, causing your heart to skip a beat. you made sure to curse neteyam inside your head for making you feel the way he did - heat rising to your face upon hearing his simple words, shivers running down your spine when his skin collided with yours and the butterflies fluttering around inside your stomach when his gentle eyes would stare into yours.

"oh, alright." sending a small nod his way, you took a few steps closer, as neteyam did the same - the distance between you becoming smaller. "do you have anything planned for the rest of the day?" suppressing his eager smile, neteyam proclaimed. for a second, you averted your eyes, as you pursed your lips into a thin line and quickly thought to yourself. your duties for the day were finished, as long as you were aware. "other than cleaning the rest of this mess-" throwing your hand to the side, you pointed towards the stuff scattered across the floor, before continuing: "i have no plans." you looked up to meet neteyam's gaze, as he smiled in response. "would you like to join me for a walk in the forest?" neteyam offered and you didn't waste any time, before eagerly nodding. "i'd love to."

the two of your were practically skipping in excitement, as you walked next to each other towards the entrance of the pandora forest. nervousness started to built up inside you, as you decided to make a conversation to fill in the silence: "how was training?" glancing to your side at neteyam, you simply asked. "tiring, as always. lo'ak was acting more like an idiot than usually." at the recent memory, neteyam could only roll his eyes, while you let out an airy chuckle. "i still don't understand how you do it everyday." you announced, eyes once on the grassy path the two of you were walking on. "you mean train or put up with my brother?" neteyam teased, before you both shared a laugh.

"well, both-" you playfully admitted. "but mostly training every day. my muscles are still sore from yesterday." with furrowed brows, you explained and rubbed your aching bicep, where a small bruise has formed. "you get quite used to it after time- wait." neteyam suddenly stopped walking and you had no other choice, than to stop as well. "you're still training? i thought you stopped years ago." with a confused expression, neteyam tilted his head to the side. "i stopped for a while after..." you cut yourself off, remembering the reason. you quickly shook off the painful memory. "my dad thought it'd be a good idea for me to continue, even if i wasn't planning to be a warrior. after all, you never know what might happen." at your explanation, neteyam nodded in understanding and the two of you resumed walking.

"then why don't you join the rest of us?" neteyam offered, but you only shook your head. "i can throw a few punches and hunt, but i'm far too behind you." it was the truth - if you'd once again started officially training to be a warrior, you'd be put into one of the lower classes with younger children. "i'm sure tuk's a better fighter." at your playful words, neteyam couldn't help, but laugh and you softly smiled at the sight of him. "tuk really likes you, you know? she can't stop talking about you." neteyam confessed, causing your heart to swell with joy. "i'm convinced she'd ditch us just for you." once again, the two of your shared a laugh.

"trust me, she wouldn't. i've heard too many stories of her amazing brother, who's apparently a mighty warrior." the corners of your lips turned into a smirk. "she isn't wrong." playfully looking neteyam up and down, you teased him, before running further into the forest and disappearing out of his sight. neteyam couldn't be any more glad you didn't turn around to glance back at him, because if you did, you'd be able to see his flushed face and stunned expression. neteyam ignored his rapid heartbeat and followed the sound of your giggles.

once the sully boy has found you, you were sitting on the ground with your back resting against one of the many trees, as you stared up through the clearing of the tree branches, allowing you to see the sky. his eyes softened at your calm expression, before slowly sitting down across from you, leaning against a tree aswell. you tore your gaze away from the afternoon sky and pulled your knees to your chest. silence fell over the two of you, only for the occasional noises of harmless animals.

"y/n." neteyam softly called out your name and for the first time in minutes, you lifted your eyes off the forest ground, meeting his. "i'm sorry..." neteyam's voice was barely above a whisper, yet loud enough for you to hear. "what are you apologizing for, 'teyam?" you asked, genuinely confused. your nickname caught him off guard, but quickly he recomposed himself. "i should've been there for you." at neteyam's words, your soft face faltered, stomach tightening in a knot - knowing exactly where the conversation was headed. the relaxed atmosphere slowly faded away, changing into a rather gloomy one.

"when your mother passed away, i was supposed to be with you and not abandon you." shaking his head from side to side, neteyam admitted and averted his gaze away from you in guilt. "neteyam..." you whispered with a pained expression, but your call of his own name fell on deaf ears. "i felt so bad, but every time i've tried to visit you, your father-" his eyes still not meeting yours, neteyam continued to ramble after years of suffocating with the guilt. "then you stopped joining the trainings- i didn't know what to do."

neteyam was too preoccupied with his apology, he didn't notice you shifting closer to him and kneeling in front of him. "neteyam." once more, you called out his name and carefully placed your hand on his shoulder. looking up at the sudden touch, neteyam took in your expression. your brows were furrowed, yet your eyes glued to his were soft and a painful smile decorated your face. "i know." hesitantly, you removed your hand from his shoulder and placed it on his cheek instead. "my dad told me every time you have tried to visit me." you explained, before letting out a long tired sigh.

"i should be the one apologizing. i'm sorry for not coming to you and making you feel bad for something that was my own fault instead." neteyam wanted to abruptly shake his head in disagreement at your confession - to say you were wrong and he was supposed to try harder to comfort you, but he didn't want to argue. not with you. so instead, he stayed silent and leaned into your touch, almost melting once your thumb begun caressing his cheek. "i'm just glad we get to be friends again." you announced, the corners of your lips twitching upwards. "i never stopped seeing you as my friend." gently, neteyam placed his hand on yours, feeling a spark at the contact.

you were convinced your body was visibly radiating with pure joy, as you and neteyam spend the upcoming few hours talking, while sitting comfortably next to each other, your shoulders brushing together every once in a while. after the rather serious conversation, you two choose to rather joke around and catch up with everything that has happened in the last years. with neteyam by your side, you finally felt grounded - like all the gravity has returned to your life and for the first time in forever, everything felt right.

[anm3mi]

this is how I look talking about avatar to people

[anm3mi]

adorable 🙏🙏

— never-ending lucky charms — neteyam sully x reader

setting: awa'atlu, pandora

pairing: neteyam x fem!omaticaya/metkayina!reader

warnings: nothing it's just cute fluff with ya boy neteyam

word count: 1.1k

summary: you struggle to show your affection for your lover through words, so you do it in a way that not only lets him know about your love, but others, too.

a/n: based on this request! thank so much kay for requesting this :) sorry that's it's so late! and short. idk why I couldn't write more lmao

it has been a few moons after you and neteyam had come clear. the feelings that lingered under the surface were revealed and shared one fateful night, so unforgetful that you both added a bead to your songcords'.

it was no doubt that you were the more bashful one in this relationship — though everyone could tell of your feelings for neteyam, it was hard for you to actually mention it out loud, even to neteyam himself. so recently, you've been weaving necklaces, anklets and more — just for him.

you couldn't think of any other way to show him just how much you love him other than giving him things. you gave him a lot of random stuff, but nothing was ever as fun as making those glittering woven pieces for him.

"collecting shells, are you?" tsireya comes around from behind the corals, swimming up to your side as you roamed your eyes across the seafloor just inches below you.

you dropped a shimmering blue seashell into your palm, gripping it tightly after so it won't float away. you nodded your head to tsireya with a shy smile, not signing back since your hands were busy.

"is it for neteyam?" you saw her sign in your peripheral vision. you were going to affirm it, but she beat you to it. "who am i kidding, of course you are."

you both exchanged smiles. you took a look to the pearls and shells you had found, some which could glow and twinkle beautifully in the dark. you nodded to yourself as you found it to be just enough for the waist chain you wanted to make for him.

you stuffed it into a pouch by your hip, joining your collection with the rest of the bunch you had found earlier. you tightly tied it shut so it wouldn't fall away.

you turned to tsireya and pointed to the surface, marking the end of your little search.

—

"oh, finally!" after tying the last knot, you held up the chain in the sunlight, watching how the light makes it sparkle and shine so prettily.

you didn't exactly know the size of his waist, but after hugging him countless of times, you had a guess. you were still a teeny bit nervous about whether it'll fit comfortably or not.

it was perfect timing. neteyam and his other friends had returned from hunting, and you could tell by the crowd of squeaks and croaks of the ilu.

you sat in your marui patiently, waiting for him to walk in so you could gift him your latest piece.

just a few minutes after, he comes into the marui, patting himself dry with a cloth. you ran up to him, and he welcomed your embrace with open arms.

after you both pulled away from the hug, he began, "i'm guessing you made something again?" he smiled warmly at you, making those timid feelings rise again — so you casted your eyes down.

you fiddled with the beads and shells you weaved on the chain, glancing at the other pieces of your work that he's wearing.

"yes, they are. but this isn't like the other ones I've made! um, it's a waist chain. I just thought you would look really, really good in it."

your heart burst into butterflies when he grabbed your hands that held the piece, bringing it closer to him to take a closer look at it. you felt giddy like the first time you confessed to him.

his smile grew wider as he beamed, meeting your eyes. "it's beautiful, my love. how long did this take you?"

he felt his poor heart flip when he saw your face light up. "just 2 days! i had fun while I made it. so um, — may I put it on for you?"

you noticed how his posture went from relaxed to slightly rigid. "y-yes, of course." he responded.

he could feel how his heartbeat sped up when you walked behind him, positioning the chain just below his battle band. you felt how his breath hitched when your hands made even the softest contact with his skin.

as you clasped the chain into place, he grew flushed under your hold. well, technically you weren't holding him, but you were so close to him and he was powerless. you felt shameful to say — your confidence rised a little because of it.

"there. it suits you perfectly, ma' teyam."

as you went to stand back in front of him, your eyes lingered on the handiwork of yours that adorned his body. how it fit so nicely, drawing attention in all the right places.

neteyam felt himself getting flustered under your stare. he was a head taller than you, yet in this moment, he felt like you're the one towering over him, all under your control.

a smile crept up his face when your eyes finally drifted to meet his. "you wanna know why I always wear these?" he said, referring to the other pieces that he wore.

you shook your head, deciding to focus on a blue and white shelled bracelet resting on his wrist. but the hands moved, and it came up to hold your face, forcing your eyes to look up at him.

"it's like— everytime I think about you, everything somehow turns out well and fine. and all this? these bracelets, these arm cuffs and chains, they're all a reminder of you. any day, becomes a perfect day if I get to think about you."

you, you, you. he speaks of you as if you were art, as if you were any more perfect than the moon and the stars.

his words were sweet and simple, however with such aching slowness, emphasizing on every single word. and you felt like you'd explode if you dared to say anything.

you managed to ease out though. "hm. well, don't your friends find it weird? you wear a lot of it, teyam."

he scoffed, tipping your chin up with his hand. "weird? never. if anything, they're jealous about it. the love you show me through these beautiful small pieces are unmatched. nothing else tops it. nothing will ever replace it."

gosh. where'd all these words come from?

your face displayed a light tint of pink, as you shyly brought your hands up to your face to cover them. that's something. "seems like I'll have to make more of these for you if I get to hear that everytime."

you placed your arms around his waist, colliding with the chain you had made. you leaned his head on his chest and his head rested on yours. you didn't see it, but you knew he was probably grinning ear to ear.

"I'll start doing it all the time then, my love. in exchange for more of these never-ending lucky charms. you can do that for me, right?"

you hummed softly in reply, closing your eyes within the embrace of your lover.

© ronalsgirl

tagging my all time supporters: @neteyamslovrr @saturnheartz @panickedpeepee @gamerxpfighter

thank u for reading!

[anm3mi]

— 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴

the lowdown — the one where neteyam is shackled by appearances, but you couldn’t care less. 

the who — neteyam x fem omatikaya!reader

the word count — 2.2k

the tags & warnings — language ,, misunderstandings (i love this trope and this is a hill i’ll die on i’m SORRY) ,, neteyam’s friends can be shitty, but mean well ,, reader just wants to love up on her boy :(

the notes — based off of this request! this is another addition to my neteyam content, but ik some of you guys are itching for some other characters, so i'm probably gonna steer in another direction & write for kiri & tsireya so if that interests you, stay tuned! <3

(not proofread well lmao)

masterlist

Neteyam is many things; a kind spirit, a fierce warrior, a loving brother, a diligent son. But Neteyam is also new to love. Not quite new to being in love, but learning the act of loving you. 

He’d found so many ways to express his heart’s desire; written notes on scraps, gentle smiles, searing eyes. It was one thing in particular, though, that made his mouth dry, made his brain nearly short circuit, and it was your need to be in his space. 

Even after many days that bleed into weeks and meld into months, you make his cheeks warm with every lingering pass of your fingertips, make his stomach knot with every fluttering kiss to his skin. 

It’d been a pleasant surprise at first, but now it was a need, an absolute necessity to have you fused to him like a second skin. Your touch was a tacit word and he was learning to speak your language. 

The two of you together was normalcy and the clan members were more than delighted to know that the olo’eyktan’s son was lucky in love. But there were teasing whispers, lilting voices in the background that made something uncomfortable pinch the back of his brain. 

His skin would light up with equal parts want and embarrassment when you’d hang loosely around him during evening meals and the villagers his age would giggle and murmur behind their palms about the two of you. Didn’t help that you were an oblivious thing, or maybe you didn’t care, when you’d hold his hand in your own, occasionally bringing his fingertips to your lips during casual conversation. 

And he didn’t mind loving you endlessly when you were just two souls enjoying each other, but he can’t help but tense when his eyes wander and he sees watchful gazes. 

“Mighty warrior is a needy one, huh?” 

His friends, comrades since childhood, surround him on a sunny afternoon. Neteyam pauses his actions, arrow in the midst of a sharpening. 

His spine goes rigid and his eyes narrow. 

“What are you on about?” he asks, jaw locking. 

“Even in the moments you aren’t with her, you’re thinking about her,” his friend Marin says with a shiteating grin. 

“Don’t even,” Neteyam warns, eyes rolling as he continues with sharpening his arrows. 

“Oh, come on,” another one of his friends guffaws, twining a new bow string. “You haven’t said a word since we sat down.” 

And he wishes he could form a solid argument, but you are on his mind, all-consuming as always. Can’t help it when he’s pined after you for years and only recently found the courage to act on his heart. 

“Maybe I just don’t want to engage with you assholes,” Neteyam bites, fist tightening around his dagger. 

“Yeah, because if you open your mouth, all you’ll be able to talk about is my girl this and my girl that,” Marin teases. “Who knew future olo’eyktan was so clingy.” 

“Yeah, like it’s me who’s clingy,” he grunts, resuming the task at hand with much more fervor. 

“Is it not?” Marin challenges. “Oh, ________, my love, look at these flowers I picked for you.” 

The blood is rushing to his ears as his friends howl with laughter. 

“Syulang, I wrote you twelve pages declaring my love even though we’ve seen each other thrice since last eclipse.” The taunting makes him seethe, makes the feeling of discomfort surface all over again and the words are spilling before he can plug the dam. 

“Of course it’s not me,” Neteyam scoffs. “I keep my composure, but it’s her that insists on constantly reminding the village that we’re together. If I had it my way, nothing would have changed from when we were friends.”

It’s a lie and he knows it, his friends know it. But you, you who staggers outside of the training circle at the sound of multiple voices don’t know it. 

It’s like a swift strike to the gut, one that squashes every butterfly that tickled the lining of your stomach on your way to fetch the very man who’d held your heart and crushed it all the same. 

Your satchel, heavy with fruits and snacks for after your evening swim with Neteyam, weighs heavy across your front as you debate whether or not you should be listening to a conversation that is obviously not meant for your ear. But it’s like you’re rooted to the soil beneath you. 

“Yeah, okay,” Marin chuffs, obviously not convinced. “If you’re so bothered by your dynamic now, there isn’t any reason why you wouldn’t say anything. She’s your second skin and you love it.” 

He does, he thinks to himself. 

Of course he doesn’t, you realize, horrified, the thousand and one times your hands would find his body and he’d tense or shy away replaying like a horror reel in your brain. 

“I potentially hold the future of this clan in my hands,” Neteyam says. “It is my duty to endure all things whether or not I enjoy it.”

It’s like you’re doused with water so cold at the violent shiver that shakes your spine. 

Just another thing to endure, you mull over in your brain as the barge of emotions brims dangerously near the surface. 

You break from the edge of the clearing and you’re off. 

Something is off. 

And Neteyam is ashamed to admit that it takes him obnoxiously long to notice. Maybe it’s because he’s caught up in his duties, or maybe for once in his life, he isn’t worrying about meddlesome gazing, but the shift is imperceptible. 

You’re still you, so aching beautiful and devastatingly radiant, but something is different. He doesn’t pinpoint it until he’s bidding you a farewell, leaning into your space to plant a kiss on your lips when you ease away to beam at him nervously instead. 

His brows furrow when you wave, breaking away from him to scurry home. 

He thinks it’s a one off, something he shouldn’t read too much into, but he can’t help it. Not when he’s so used to your touch, so used to feeling the pads of your fingers denting his skin and the scald of your lips. 

He tries again a few nights later, after finally getting you alone. He’d been busy assisting his father in planning a raid at the end of the month and you were busy trying to put as much distance between the two of you.

“You’re awfully quiet, bug,” Neteyam observes softly, chin dipping under the water as he swims closer to where you float on the surface, eyes closed. 

You only hum, pleading silently that he’ll let it pass. But when his fingers skim your navel, you’re jerking away from him, settling so that a berth of glittering blue separates the two of you. 

He forces a laugh, wading closer to you as you seemingly shrink. 

“What’s wrong?” he asks when he sees something like discomfort flitting over your expression, concern eclipsing his features as he reaches forward to grab you by your arm. 

“Nothing…” you swallow, staring at the rounded stones beaded through the necklace you made him early on in your budding relationship.

He doesn’t buy it, tilting your chin up with deft fingers. 

“Hey, hey,” he says softly, searching your face for a tell. “Talk to me.” 

“Nothing,” you breathe, peeling away from him to wade back towards the embankment. “It’s nothing.” 

He watches as you hoist yourself up from the river, heart in his throat. 

He cracks when the others seem to notice, slowly catching onto the fact that the usually doting and loving partner of the olo’eyktan’s son is surprisingly distant. It’s during an evening meal, villagers surrounding the multiple fires, when it comes to a head. 

There’s an unusual space between your bodies as you chat with Kiri and a few others and he can’t help but close the gap as something akin to desperation washes over him. His fingers brush the span of your shoulders to pull you into his chest, lips a hairsbreadth from your temple before your palm snakes between your bodies and plants on his chest to nudge him away. 

He bites the inside of his cheek in annoyance as Marin and his other friends share knowing glances. 

While he boils silently, you ache to tell him that you don’t mean it, that there’s nothing more you’d want than to spend every waking moment in his arms, but that day in the clearing is a humiliating reminder that Neteyam is shackled to his honor and if it means making you happy despite his discomfort, he’d endure it all. 

You hate it, hate that he’d let you feel like things were alright leading up to this moment, that he’d suffer at the expense of mocking and badgering from his friends. Makes you feel embarrassed, sorry, that you’d read the two of you all wrong. 

You feel his fingers inching towards yours, pinkie overlapping with yours. Your hands involuntarily close into fists and that’s all it takes for Neteyam to shoot up from his perch on the log and take you by the elbow. 

There’s a hush as his friends and yours watch the two of you part ways with the group, the nearly feral look in their leader’s son suggestively mistaken. 

“Why won’t you touch me?” Neteyam asks fiercely, once enough distance lies between the two of you and the rest of the clan. 

His words make your cheeks warm, but he looks troubled, hurt. 

“I-” 

“Did I do something to disgust you? Did I…” 

His words melt into the background as you watch him with teary eyes. 

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Teyam,” you whisper. “You can tell me the truth. I’m a big girl.” 

“What are you talking about?” he asks, frustrated. “You’re the one hiding something. These past few weeks I’ve been trying to be with you, trying to love you and you keep pushing me away.” 

A twinge of annoyance erupts in the pit of your belly as you frown. 

“That’s rich coming from you,” you murmur hoarsely. 

“I’m so lost right now, ________,” he admits desperately. “We were fine, everything was great, and suddenly I feel like I’m losing you. Did I do something? Are you–” 

“Just be honest with me!” you cry out. “Why do you have to put on this front all the time? It’s just me, Neteyam! If I overwhelm you, if I embarrass you, just say it! It hurts worse when you act like it’s nothing.” 

And Christ, his friends were right. He is needy. Because you’re not a want but a lifeline. A dire necessity that he feels the need to cling to in this moment. This feels a lot like you two are splintering, and he’s about to open his mouth to ask what would compel you to say such a thing, but then it clicks. 

The final piece of the puzzle that he’d been agonizing over falls into place and his eyes are widening. 

“No,” he says vehemently. “That wasn’t–” 

“Is it not?” you cut him off as you dash the threatening tears away. 

“God, no,” he breathes. “I was– They were…”

You watch him with wet lashes and his heart aches as he takes the leap and pulls you into his chest with a shuddering breath. 

“I’m so stupid.” His chest rumbles as your ear presses to his heart, arms winding tightly around your figure to buoy you to place. “Fuck.” 

You hiccup and his hand cradles your head, peppering kisses against your hair as he sways your bodies like it’ll disorient the miscommunication and send it spiraling away. 

“I’m sorry,” you whimper. “I didn’t mean to be embarrassing. I–” 

“No, no, bug,” he swallows, hugging you so tight, you struggle to suck a breath into your lungs. “You’re not, I promise. I could never be embarrassed by you.” 

You shudder so hard his grip loosens, parting with you to cup your flushed cheeks in his hands. 

“They were ripping me a new one,” he says shakily. “Told me I was needy, clingy, and I was embarrassed because they’re right.” 

Your throat bobs and Neteyam’s thumb brushes over the apple of your cheeks. 

“You make me so weak, you don’t even understand,” he laughs humorlessly, body wracked with nerves, with want, with need. “I said it to save face because I never know what to do with myself around you.”

“You—”

“And I know it was wrong, talking out of my ass to get them to shut the fuck up,” his language is a crass reminder that he’s a former marine’s son, “but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being yours.” 

Yours. 

It’s a sound declaration, one that makes you crumple like a baby because you’ve missed your person, and Neteyam hugs you close again. 

“I’m sorry I’m so clueless sometimes, bug,” he whispers, cheek nuzzling the top of your head. “Love you more than anything, I mean it.”

You hiccup again. 

“Love you, too, stupid” you mumble, arms wrapping around the narrow of his waist. 

It’s your first meaningful touch in weeks and Neteyam melts under the heat of your body, under the heat of your warm hands. 

neng © 2023

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