#Neteyam lives

[fandom-geek17]

Destined For More

Neteyam x Omatikaya!Reader

Synopsis: Being a close family friend of the Sully's, and Kiri's best friend, it was hard to be around Neteyam and not fall in love with him. Supressing those feelings were even harder, especially when his parents start pressuring him about finding a mate...

Rating: E MINORS DNI🔞🔞

Tags: Friends to lovers! Eventual smut! Semi public smut! P in V smut, Reader has a name, no use of Y/N

Vocabulary: Nantang (Viperwolf), Marui (Pods/tents), Skxawng (Moron), Tanhì (Bioluminescent freckles/stars)

Ages: Neteyam (21), reader (20), Kiri (20), Lo'ak (19), Tuk (13)

Can also be read on AO3

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

“There child” Mo’at told you gently, standing over your shoulder as you crushed the herbs in the mortar. “Perfect.” You smiled to yourself. You were a decent healer, but hearing it from her directly meant everything. Kiri had always been the best healer, always would be, but you enjoyed the profession. Feeling like you could contribute with something else other than making clothes.

Alongside you and Kiri, there were two other healers in training, and everyone was currently busy helping a hunting party that had been attacked by a group of Nantang. None had been seriously injured, but there were a lot of bites and scratches to clean and bandage. They were lucky, it could have been worse. But since there were suddenly so many patients, the supply of medicines ran low. As Kiri and the other two worked on the patients, you were happy to sit in the corner, making more healing paste as fast as you could. The patients were an important part of being a healer, but the thing that had always interested you most was the science behind it. Discovering how new plants could optimize healing, which ones soothed pain, which ones killed bacteria. You had recently discovered that alternating the weaving pattern of the bandages caused more air to flow through without exposing the wounds to the elements. That way, it lessened the chance of infection.

“Emmy, can you pass me those?” Kiri asked, pointing to a pile of leaves next to you. She smiled in thanks as you gave them to her. Your real name was Emreyìte, meaning surviving daughter. It was a bit on the nose, but you liked it. You mother had labored for over two days to bring you into the world, and you nearly didn’t make it. The name was supposed to convey the strength you had already displayed coming into this world.

When you finished crushing the herbs, you put them in the water stewing above the fire. Stirring slowly, and evenly, the water slowly changed color. But it needed to steep for a little while longer. This particular mixture of herbs soothed pain very efficiently when boiled into a tea. But the taste wasn’t particularly pleasant, so you always added some sweetness in the hopes of counteracting the bitter taste. All the hunters were given a cup of the liquid to drink. They all grimaced badly, making you smile a little. It was terrible, but you were still experimenting with the recipe.

You all worked in quiet unison until all the hunters had been treated. It was well past the start of the communal dinner by then, evening setting in slowly. The other two healers went to get something to eat whilst Kiri helped Mo’at to her marui. You stayed behind to clean up. And also take inventory of how much of the supplies had been used. Hunger rumbled in your belly, but it would have to wait.

“Knock, knock” a voice murmured. A voice you knew all too well. Butterflies erupted in your stomach as your breath hitched.

You turned around and indeed. “Neteyam” you breathed. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged, watching you with a small smile from under his eyelashes. “I saw all the other healers join the dinner, but not you. I figured you’d be here, too wrapped up in your research to eat again.” He held out a steaming bowl in front of you. “So I brought you this.”

The smell of Yerik stew filled your nostrils, making your stomach rumble again. Neteyam smirked, proving his point. “Thank you” you said, accepting his gift. But it was only when he stepped inside the hut properly that you noticed the wound on his shoulder, making you gasp slightly. “Neteyam, what happened to your shoulder?”

“Nothing! It’s fine, don’t worry about it” he assured you, but not very convincingly.

“That needs to be cleaned” you stated, setting the bowl aside. “What happened?” You looked at his expectantly until he finally caved, quirking his brow in your direction.

“I caught a tree branch during fighting practice” he admitted with a nonchalant tone. “It’s fine.”

“Did you clean it, at least?” you asked, observing the wound. You already knew the answer.

“Yes” Neteyam said.

“Well, not well enough. Sit! Does it hurt?”

“No.”

You quirked at eyebrow at him, your tail swishing impatiently.

“A bit.” Neteyam’s ears flicked as his eyes flitted between you and the bowl of Yerik stew. “Can you at least eat first? Waiting a couple of more minutes won’t kill me.” He smiled at you playfully. He was normally very reserved, the smiling Neteyam was usually saved for his family.

But you only huffed, filling a cup with the last of the tea from earlier. “Here, drink this while I eat.” As you sat down with your bowl of stew, Neteyam took a small gulp of the liquid in his cup. His brows furrowed but other than that, he did an okay job of hiding his disgust. But having known him since you were kids, you could tell when he hid the truth. “You can grimace, you know” you giggled over the bowl. “It won’t hurt my feelings. I know it’s disgusting.”

Neteyam hummed, only making a small grimace after his next sip. “It’s not the best” he admitted with a sheepish smile. “But it’s effective. And a lot better than the last time. You’re getting very good at this, experimenting with medicine.” You couldn’t help but blush at his praise.

But you had also just stuffed your mouth full of food, so the only answer he got was that damned blush you wished would go away. As soon as you finished the bowl, you go to work on his shoulder.

Your hand trembled slightly as it made contact with Neteyam’s warm skin, holding him steady while the other hand cleaned his wound with a cloth. Your hand rose and fell with each of his breaths, and you leaned in to see properly in the firelight. Eywa, he smelled so good. Always had. It was intoxicating, and also the reason why you never got too close to him.

Your family and the Sully family had been friends since forever, you and your brother grew up together with the Sully’s, but as your brother made lots of other friends, your only real friend was Kiri. Of course, Kiri came with Lo’ak, Spider and Tuk and they were great, like additional siblings. But they weren’t Neteyam. With his broad shoulders, gentle voice, infectious smile, kind heart and protective older brother demeanor, it was impossible to not gain a crush on him. That crush had lasted on and on since you were fourteen. At seventeen, even you had to admit to yourself that you had fallen in love with him. And how could you not? He was everything, had everything. He was the handsome son of the Olo'eyktan that all the women gazed after, giggled around and tried to flirt with. He was the dream you could never have. It had been clear over the years that he only saw you as a friend, as Kiri’s best friend. So you had become very good at dreaming in silence and later suppressing your feelings for the man sitting before you.

Dreams of exploring with him, laughing with him, him confessing his undying love for you and making you his mate. And also not so innocent dreams, dreams of being with him. Of him kissing you, running his hands all over your body, his mouth following suit, him pushing his cock deep into your pussy, joining his kuru with yours, finally creating that everlasting bond…

A hiss from the man in question broke you out of your train of thought. “Sorry” you whispered, your mouth and throat suddenly very dry.

“It’s okay” Neteyam whispered back. You could have sworn that his voice was deeper, throatier, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. “It just stings a little.”

You nodded quietly and swallowed, desperately trying to regain some moisture in your mouth so you could get your voice back. Standing up, you took a deep breath that you hoped was subtle and went to get the Yalna bark mixture. This was exactly why you tried to avoid being too close to him. Every time those big golden orbs watched you intently or his smell surrounded you, thought and memories of your illicit fantasies caught up with you and you had to remember that Neteyam was destined for so much more than a healer who was more interested in playing with plants than helping her patients.

He was watching you right now, you could tell. His gaze burned at the back of your neck, but when you turned back around, he thankfully looked away. You had to say something, quickly. The longer you stayed quiet, more memories of last night flooded your brain. Those fantasies of him wrapping your legs around his neck before he-

“Why didn’t you come here before?” you blurt out, desperately avoiding eye contact, trying to calm the erratic beating of your heart.

Neteyam shrugged with his good shoulder, his eyes following the movement of you fingers as you dipped them in the mixture. “There were so many wounded hunters, thought you should prioritize them.”

You huffed at his stubbornness. “Skxawng” you muttered, trying to not take in how defined the muscles around his shoulder area were. “I al- we always have time for you” you corrected quickly. Please Eywa, don’t let him catch that slip up!

You dared a quick glance at his eyes, but you couldn’t read the expression there. He opened his mouth and closed it several times before speaking. “I’ll remember that” he breathed.

Quickly, you looked back down at his wound and shuffled closer to be able to apply the ointment. Too late you noticed that this position practically placed you between his legs. His knees rubbed against your waist as you leaned forward. Again, you placed one hand on his chest for support before rubbing your coated fingers over his wound.

A small groan left his lips. A groan that caused you to close your eyes and legs tighter together. Thank Eywa that your braids covered your face as you worked, if he saw the deep violet of your cheeks or your eyes that were more black than yellow, he’d probably bolt out and you’d have to dig yourself into a hole of embarrassment and stay there forever. There was nothing sexual about that groan! He was in pain, you reminded yourself. Still, all you could feel was the beating of your heart and the lightning bolts of pleasure going from your stomach to your core.

This was exactly why you needed to keep a safe distance from him! When there were other people around or you kept yourself at a respectable distance, it was easier to remember that all you would ever be was his friend. It made it easier to suppress everything.

As soon as you could, you bolted from your position as if you had just been burnt. Clearing your throat, you look away, letting your braids hide your face again. “Okay, you’re all set” you murmured under the guise of putting everything back at its rightful place.

You could hear Neteyam standing up behind you, shuffling about a little. “Thank you, Emreyìtre. I appreciate it.” It was so rare for someone to call you by your full name. It caused a flutter of your heart that made you feel both happy and sad at the same time. “Are you staying here long?”

Why did he want to know? Did it matter what you did? “Probably not” you answered slowly, finally turning around to face him. “We used up a lot of Mo’at’s supply today. I was going to forage some more for her so we can all start fresh tomorrow.”

“Now?” he questioned, gesturing to the setting sun outside of the tent. “It will be dark soon.”

You crossed your arms, tail swishing slightly. “So? I’m not afraid of the dark.”

Neteyam’s ears flicked upwards along with his tail. “I know” he smiled. “But I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

You sighed… You wanted to say something derogatory to distract him from the real reason you didn’t want him accompanying you. It’s not like you could tell him you wanted the alone time to cool off and maybe shoot a couple of arrows in between gathering. But when you looked into those hopeful, determined eyes of his, you couldn’t lie. Damn him! “Fine. As long as you remember that I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself then you can make yourself useful and help me carry everything.”

You thrusted a satchel bag into his hands. Neteyam snorted and slung it over his shoulder before accepting the large pile of smaller containers that you had woven for this very purpose. You gathered the same equipment for yourself before also armoring yourself with your daggers and bow and arrow.

As you walked, you tried to stay a couple of paces ahead of him, both to show him the way but also to give yourself some space to think. As eclipse slowly set in, his tanhì would illuminate more and more, creating that perfect canvas of speckled light. He had always been so beautiful in the dark, his features somehow more prominent than during the day. Over the years, you had spent many evenings around a campfire with him and his family. Carefully watching him out of the corner of your eye, you had decided that nighttime was his best look.

But you couldn’t think of that right now! If this was going to work, having him accompany you, then it couldn’t be awkward. You had to treat him the same way as you would anyone else helping you. And that meant no ogling! Hence why you were walking ahead of him.

Neteyam walked diligently behind you, not saying much, just following in your footsteps. Eventually you stopped in front of a clearing.

“Here” you pointed towards a patch of green. “See those plants with the rounded leaves?” He nodded, stepping closer to you to observe the plants. “Dig up the roots, clean them and put them in one container. As many as you can fit.”

“What do they do?” he asked curiously as he sunk down to his knees.

“They calm anxiousness” you answered immediately. “They can also help people sleep if prepared properly.”

As Neteyam worked on the roots, you used your knife to gather the same herbs you had boiled earlier today. Neteyam proved to excel at this, like everything else. He quickly filled the woven bag with roots and immediately asked for a new task. You set him to work as much as you could, both to get the work done faster and because you secretly wanted to see that pleased smile whenever he showed you his collection of plants. He was like one of those yellow canines Jake had showed you on a computer once. The ones that existed on earth. He had that same eagerness to please and do well.

It warmed your heart that he genuinely wanted to help. Yet you also had to remind yourself that this eagerness was not singled out for you. He probably wanted to help everyone with the same fervor. He was the next Olo’eyktan, after all. If the people were supposed to follow him, then he had to show he would be there for them with the same loyalty.

But as the evening went on, Neteyam followed you more and more, asking you to tell him about each and every plant you collected. And it was nice to have something to talk about. Something that you could sink into without feeling self-conscious. So, you happily shared your knowledge.

“See this one?” you sat down in front of a plant with thick, pointy stems and sharp edges. “Kiri and I discovered the use of it a while ago. It soothes burns, produces a cooling sensation.” You broke off a piece of the stem and cut it in half. A clear, gel-like liquid oozed out. You collected some on your fingers and you could swear you heard your foraging partner swallow. But before you had time to process whether he did, you reached for his arm to stroke some on it. “Feel that?” you smiled up at him.

“Yeah” he murmured before looking up at you. “That’s incredible.”

“I’m experimenting with it, to see if I can make turn it into an ointment somehow.”

Neteyam looked at you with hooded eyes. “If anyone can, it’s you.”

A blush spread across your cheeks. He had given you so many compliments tonight, it was hard to believe that this wasn’t one of your daydreams. Even harder when you observed the way his tanhì glowed in the moonlight, the way his braids fell to perfectly frame his face, his gentle smile, his golden eyes looking up at you from under his eyelashes again. The urge to be closer to him was overwhelming. Every fibre of your being longed for him, to feel his lips against yours. But you had to stay strong. He was forbidden territory. Kiri’s brother, the future clan leader, and most importantly; he wasn’t interested. And making any kind of move would ruin whatever it was that you two had.

So you cleared your throat and stood up. “After we get some of these, we should be set to head back” you said quietly, turning away from him.

The two of you quickly gathered the last plant and began walking back. But before you had gotten far you stumbled upon some of your favorite materials for making clothing. A small squeal of happiness left your lips as you bent down to scoop up some of the pebbles.

“Do these have a medical purpose?” Neteyam asked you curiously and picked some up himself.

“No” you admitted bashfully, placing the small white pebbles in your bag. “I use them to make beads and other decorations for my chest coverings.”

“Oh…” Neteyam’s eyes flitted downwards for a moment before he bent down to scoop some more pebbles into his hand to examine them further. “Is it hard to make beads out of them?”

“No” you shrugged. “Just time consuming.” Neteyam nodded slowly.

The two of you walked the rest of the way in silence. It had been such a nice evening and you desperately tried to remember that it was simply an outing between friends. You couldn’t get your hopes up over this one thing. He just came along to make sure you didn’t get lost out there…

“Hey” Neteyam stopped you with a hand on your elbow when the village appeared ahead. “Thank you for letting me come with you. I really needed to clear my head for a bit.”

Your ears perked in interest. “Oh?” His mood seemed to have dampened somewhat, judging by the way his eyes suddenly had darkened and his tail swished slightly when he looked at his family’s marui. “Can I ask why?” you probed gently. “Or is it too personal?” Whatever it was, a part of you really wanted, needed, to know.

Neteyam rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Mom and dad have been trying to have a conversation with me for a couple of days. A conversation I don’t really want to have.” He looked at his home, his cheeks a bit more violet than usual. You nodded gently for him to continue. He cleared his throat and refused to meet your gaze. “They want me to start looking for a mate.”

And just like that, you could feel cracks appearing in your heart. “Oh…” you whispered, now avoiding his gaze, as well. You had always known this day would come, but mentally preparing and being slapped in the face with it were two entirely different things.

“And it’s not that I don’t want a mate” he added hurriedly. “I do. I just don’t want to be rushed into any big decisions. Whoever I mate with will have to burden a lot of responsibility and I don’t want to force that on anyone. I know what’s like to have so much responsibility thrust upon you that you didn’t ask for.”

You nodded slowly, blinking furiously. Tears prickled at the corners of your eyes, but they had to stay away! You would not cry over the news that a friend was supposed to celebrate. Be supportive! “I’m sure whoever it will be will make a great tsahìk one day” you murmured, clutching your bag closer to your chest. “Since we’re here, I can take the bags to the healing hut.”

“I can help you with that!” Neteyam offered immediately, making you want to cry even more. But not now, not yet!

“No, no I’ll be fine” you lied, your voice a lot shakier than you would have liked. “Go home, Neteyam. I’m sure your parents are wondering where you are.” He reluctantly handed you the bag he was carrying. You gave him a forced smile. “Goodbye.”

You started to walk away before he could answer, desperate to get away. He called after you. “Goodbye Emmy!”

The tears finally spilled over. It felt like a ‘goodbye’ in more ways than one…

Let me know what you think!!!

[meenawrites]

Humanized Spider Thoughts

So... this makes me even more sad that his canon storyline but here I am thinking about it. 

What if the Recoms / the RDA had made attempts to "humanize" Spider? How would that go? How would he react? How far would they go? How would the family react?

SO I'm going to try to keep this somewhat close to how Quarritch does respect Spider to a certain degree in canon but like his human memories and frankly RDA's orders make him think this is the best course of action. 

So yeah, recoms hold Spider down as he attempts to bite and snarls and eventually begs them not to cut his hair. They don't really listen obviously, chopping off his locs in one go. They force wash his hair and his body clean of blue paint and scrub so hard that even the usual residue from the plant substance that stains his skin (think henna) goes away. Spider's left with kind of a mismatched chop of baby curls atop of his head and without his stripes, he feels more naked than he does in just his loincloth. They force him into human clothes (tank and cargo pants). The only win he gets in that situation is that he continues to kick off the boots they give him and they give up trying on that front. 

Quarritch had a bit of a war in himself as he watched this process. Like from the person he remembers himself to be from the human memories, he should be all for this, but there's something in him that hates watching Spider scream and struggle so hard against the recoms and scientists that eventually he has to be sedated just for them to be able to finish his hair in peace. There's something horrifying in seeing the emptiness in his eyes as Spider sees his own reflection for the first time, when he moves to touch his hair but his hand hovers just above the cut ends, freezing there and something in his expression just breaks. (Miles is behind the one way mirror during this point so Spider isn't masking as much as he would if he knew he were there). 

It's that pull of regret in Quarritch's gut that makes him save the few beads from the locs they'd cut off of Spider's head and secretly snag what he didn't know was Spider's small songcord he'd made himself and keep them on his person. He thinks about throwing them away multiple times but he never does. 

Spider can't touch his hair during those few months, flinches whenever someone else accidentally brushes against his head (with him being so much smaller than the Na'vi it happens a lot). He can't bear to look at himself in any reflective surface because it makes him queasy. He hates the human clothes that make him feel more "other" and "outsider" than he already does, but every time he escaped in those early days to paint stripes on himself, the recoms would clean him again and shove him a shirt, and eventually Spider gave up, thinking it was better to just stay like that than to keep getting manhandled every time he tries to cover himself. 

He's glad Quarritch lets him stay barefoot. He thinks it would have killed something more of him to be unable to feel the forest soil at his feet, the tickle of moss between his toes, the familiar grooves of tree bark as he jumped through the branches. It was his one constant reminder of Eywa's presence in everything, his sole salvation.

He becomes very quiet, way quieter than he's ever been in his life. The only times he perks up a bit is when Quarritch asks him to teach them about the Na'vi and a little of his old zest for life comes back when he's allowed to speak Na'vi and relive his days of tracking game in the forest. 

Still, he tends to zone out a lot and violently flinch back to himself before getting a haunted look as he looked down at himself. Quarritch hears him cry at night when he thinks no one is listening, quiet, muffled sobs where he goes to touch his hair and his hands twitch away violently. Then go to hug himself only to have to same reaction and dig his hands into the dirt instead. It makes him feel so unpleasant watching it. 

The experience of being forcefully stripped of his Na'vi - ness combined with the mental probing of his mind he was subjected to make Spider retreat into himself if only to protect his own mental state. Him zoning out it really him immersing himself in any pleasant memory he has in the forest, of Kiri painting stripes on him, Neteyam ruffling his hair, flying on an ikran with Lo'ak. He wraps his mind in the memory of lying on the forest floor at Kiri's side, breathing in the smell of the forest, letting it fill him up from the inside and pretending that he could feel Eywa cradling him, a Sky person, in its embrace, that he'd somehow tricked the Great Mother into treating him like a Na'vi and accepting him. 

It gets worse when they get to the ship though. All his feet feel are cold human metal  and he hates it. He can't smell anything but human sweat and protein bars and fuel when he's in the ship and it makes him physically sick. He's kind of just a walking shell at this point and what breaks him further is when they question the Ta'unui clan, when he's made to interpret for them, when Eywa's people see him and his humanized appearance for the first time and it makes him want to crawl inside himself and die. Then he has to watch them shoot an ilu, burn down villages, hunt a tulkun (one of the most beautiful creatures he's ever seen) while he's THERE and he LOOKS LIKE THEM. 

He starts existing in a haze that his memories can barely protect him from anymore, sleeping whenever he can just to escape the feeling of existing like this. To say it scares Quarritch is an understatement. He's terrified to his very core when he compares the fierce fighter he met that fateful day in the forest and the ghost of a boy in front of him. So much so that before they try to draw out Jake Sully with the Tulkun hunt near the villages, Quarritch comes and gives him the beads and songcord he salvaged at the beginning of his captivity. 

It takes a second for Spider to even realize what they are as he tries to crawl out of the numb state of mind he's drowned himself in. It's only when Quarritch leaves them next to him and exits the room that he recognizes them, parts of the person who was taken away from, forcibly changed. He recognizes the bead that Kiri had made for him, the one Neteyam had swiped for him from Jake's faulty attempts, and his sad excuse of a songcord. He's scared to touch them at first, as if they'll dissapear if he reaches for them, but he aches for it, and he holds them to his chest for hours. He keeps them on his person at all times. He can't actually put them on anything because of how short his hair is and the fact that he's terrified someone will take them away from him if they see them, so he stuffs them in a pocket of his cargo pants and can constantly be seen patting that pocket to make sure they're still there. 

He's only roused to action again when he sees Lo'ak and friends held captive on the boat and it's like a cold bucket of water has been thrown in his face. It's spurring him, yanking him out of his own mind long enough to try and get to him. 

But it takes Lo'ak a second to even recognize him, and in the brief moment they have together, his eyes widen and his voice kind of breaks as he sees what they've done to Spider, what he's become, and he can barely say "what did they do to you?" before they're pulled away from each other. 

His best friend barely even recognized him, had been unable to, and that breaks Spider further when he didn't even think that was possible. It convinces Lo'ak even more though that they have to go back for him. 

Spider still manages to crash the ship though, he's holding onto that rush of adrenaline he'd felt upon spotting Lo'ak as tightly as possible before it fades away and he retreats back into his mind. Lo'ak and Neteyam come back for him, and Neteyam cannot believe what he's seeing. He's seized by a furious, raging anger the likes he's never felt before  when he finally gets a chance to look at Spider, to see the circles under his eyes and how he has thinned, to see his shorn curls and the clothes and the glassy look in his eyes. But he doesn't have time to do anything or say anything, he just has to get Spider out. He just has enough time pull him into a fierce hug that has Spider choking up before he's ushering them off of the boat. 

And NETEYAM LIVES IN THIS AU BECAUSE I SAID SO, I CAN'T HANDLE SPIDER'S HUMANIZATION AND NETEYAM DYING OKAY IT'S ONE OR THE OTHER

So Neteyam just shot in like the shoulder or something or frankly maybe Spider sees it and jumps in front of him and he gets shot in the arm, nothing fatal or life-threatening. I'm going with the Neteyam is shot one for the rest of this. 

They do leave him behind though to go back for Kiri and Tuk. Jake barely has time to kind of register just what fate he left Spider to when he sees him but he has to shove that down immediately because he has to go save his girls. Spider is honestly barely holding on mentally at this point. So many of the people he loved had seen him in this state, looking so human, in a state he hated himself in, and now Kiri of all people was about to. But he has to go save her and Tuk, there's no choice in the matter. 

Kiri cries doubly hard when she sees him because not only does she understand how deeply what they've done has affected him but like her mom has a dagger to Spider's throat, about to kill the one person she feels most at home with, the boy she loves. 

Gonna skip over the next part cause this is getting too long but Spider still saves Quarritch if only for the care he showed him and giving him back his beads. He still leaves him but now he doesn't know what to do. He's kind of lost who he is and he doesn't know if he can or should go back to the Sully family. He keeps swimming in their direction because he can't really stay in the middle of the fucking ocean while he decides. Unbeknownst to him though, as the Sully family gathers back together and takes in the fact that they're all alive, it's Neteyam who's like where the fuck is Spider? He hasn't been able to stop thinking about what he saw because damn it, he had already felt so guilty about his parents' choice to just leave the boy behind and hadn't stopped thinking about, but seeing what they'd done to him had ignited that ten-fold and he'd be damned if they lost him again. 

Kiri snaps to attention then because she knows too and her and Lo'ak dive back into the ocean at their parents' protests to find Spider. 

It's Kiri who comes upon him first. He's been treading water some ways away from where they were struggling to decide what to do and wanting nothing more but to STOP THINKING. He wants to duck underwater when she sees him but he's just so goddamn tired and she's swimming towards him with such purpose that he just lets her grab him and lets himself pass the fuck out. 

Part 2 coming immediately after because this is getting too long

[shu-box-puns]

Hello there mate!

Hope you're doing good and I'm here to say I ADORE you're Dad!Tsu'tey works and they bring me my daily dose of serotonin.

But also, since I've read (and reread) the "Grumpy dad and his feral son" work I've been having some thoughts. Like, what if Tsu'Tey was just a second too late and they managed to take Spider away? How would he react (I mean obviously he would hunt the shit out of them down) ? When would he and Spider reunite again? In the forest while he was with the recoms? In the battle of the Sea Dragon? I mean he would most def come to his rescue if the letter is the case to come and get him (+ to aid the Sullies), but then I also wonder what would happen. Would the whole Neytiri holding him hostige infront of Quaritch so he would release Kiri thing happen? How would he react to that? Or what if he got shot instead on Neteyam (not dying tho cos I want both my faves to live a happy life) ? I bet Tsu'Tey would be fucking terrified cos it woul remind him of how he got shot and almost died.

Anywho I'm sorry for the long line of questions and suggestions I left but when my brain finds something to hyperfixate on it will not stop coming up with questions and possible scenarios for the said thing 😅

I love the way your brain thinks Anon. (The fact I literally had most of these scenarios either thought out or planned :D) This got long. All the questions just gave me so many ideas and I RAN with it. Enjoy the memes and I hope there's no obvious spelling mistakes.

>_<

If Tsu'tey were too late to grab Spider before Quaritch got to him:

I could definitely see him tearing off after the recoms. Maybe he springs from the bushes too late, and Quaritch has already hoisted the boy up over his shoulder. Naturally, Tsu'tey still tries to attack him with his bow, but Lyle opens fire too fast and he old instinct has him retreating. Man definitely has some PTSD from getting shot during the war, and although mentally he still wants Spider back, his body goes on auto-pilot and throws him out of the line of fire. Lyle keeps shooting in his direction as the recoms retreat, but Tsu'tey isn't gonna let something as silly as instinct keep him down for long.

That's his boy, they'll have to kill him to keep him from getting him back. Thankfully, Jake knows exactly where his brain went and literally had to throw himself at this man so he didn't end up getting himself shot (again). Jake likes Spider well enough, but he thinks regrouping is a better course of action than charging in guns blazing - shocker, he's actually matured since having his kids.

Tsu'tey definitely fights with all he has against Jake, cursing at him and trying to wrestle himself free. He can't focus on anything but the distant roar of the enemy ship as it soars in close to the canopy. He can see the lights, and through the trees, the vague outlines of the recoms strapping themselves in. Lo'ak definitely has to wrestle the hunter's knife out of its sheath before he remembers it is there. But no one can save Jake from Tsu'tey biting the shit out of him. Man does not give a shit at this point.

When he gets free. (Of course it's a when not an if.) The airship is already long gone. A distant hum in the distance, even to his superior hearing. The pure, unbridled rage on this man's face is terrifying. Instead of explosive, loud anger, he's cold, almost unnervingly calm. A whole new level of terrifying.

Jake is definitely too scared to try and coax him out of the clearing and instead focuses on reassuring his children. Neytiri has to approach him, she's known him the longest afterall. Had stuck with him through the loss of Sylwanin, the fall of HomeTree, the war, she knows how best to handle him when he is like this. That doesn't mean her words are effective however. Tsu'tey needs a moment of stillness to collect his thoughts and recollect himself after the adrenaline burst, but Neytiri is already grabbing him roughly by the bicep and trying and drag him to his ikran.

He's still seething. Barely seeing straight. Half baked plans of him attacking the demon airship before it could get to Bridgehead were sounding more tempting by the moment.

Somehow Neytiri drags him out of the clearing and into the branches of the trees. Hauling his weary body to safer ground. But in his musing, Tsu'tey recalls the figure of Neytiri in the trees when Spider fell. He remembers seeing her dragging Kiri away with half a nod of acknowledgement sent Tsu'tey's way. It sends a fresh wave of rage crashing over him.

"You left him." He suddenly snarled, ripping his arm from her and pointing an accusatory finger at her. "He was right there, and you abandoned him!"

Neytiri's ears droop and she doesn't deny it. She doesn't back down either. "My priority was Kiri. I assumed you could handle it." She doesn't apologise for her actions or inaction. Just holds his gaze and holds her ground. Her expression neutral.

Tsu'tey knew she'd never taken much of a liking to Spider, despite her relationship with Jake and his heritage. Despite Tsu'tey unofficial adoption of the boy. There had always been a sense of hostility between the two. With Neytiri acting colder to Spider and the boy refusing to call her out on it. Tsu'tey had never thought to address it or try and help them mend that gap, now look at them.

And that's the real kick to the teeth. Not that Neytiri didn't care enough to be sorry that it was his kid taken instead of her own. It was the truth in her words that had his anger faltering. He should've been able to handle it. Spider was his son. And he let him slip through his fingers. He should've fought harder, dirtier. Should have resorted to teeth and nails if he had to.

So what if he got shot? If he'd angled it right, he would've had enough time to get Spider to safety.

If it had been Neteyam or Lo'ak in Quartich's hold, Jake would've torn himself apart to ensure their safety. Neytiri would've fallen into a blind rage to keep her children safe. Would have used every resource at her disposal to protect her own. She would have stared death in the face and kept snarling. And what had Tsu'tey done? Allowed a past experience to still his movements. To make him hesitate, and now he might have to pay the price for the rest of his life.

His retort dies on his tongue as his heart clenches painfully. But Tsu'tey had never been one to give up easily. He kept a tight hold on his anger, allowed it to guide him as he shoved past Neytiri and called for his ikran. His face was set in his trademark scowl, but there was a predatory fluidity to him that only came out during the war. When what he loved was threatened.

As his ikran lands beside him and he makes the bond, Lo'ak sidles up to his side, offering him back his knife. There is a familiar fire burning in the depths of the boy's eyes. A desire for vengance, and a sea of guilt and pain. Tsu'tey allows his face to soften for a heartbeat, he bends over the side of his ikran and squeezes Lo'ak's shoulder tight. "I will get him back." He promises.

Lo'ak chews on his lower lip, his eyes flickering to Tsu'tey and holding his burning gaze. He must see Tsu'tey's determination, his drive, his stubbornness, because he cracks a small smile and nods.

The family prepares to return to High Camp. Jake warning Tsu'tey that any attempts to go after Spider now was a suicide mission. He didn't argue, but neither did Tsu'tey agree. He also chose to ignore Neytiri handing Tuk off to him. Just kept his gaze ahead, and his hand loosely wrapped around the little girl's stomach so she was secure in the saddle in front of him.

If they reunited in the forest:

Lets say by chance Tsu'tey gets word of the Demon ship in clan territory again, or he's just riding around the forest on a pa'li because it helps him clear his mind.

He hasn't slept since Spider was taken. He's worried for his boy and severely regretting not letting him know what he meant to him before this shit show got so out of hand. In typical Tsu'tey fashion, he's been spending his time gathering Spider's belongings for when he returns.

Norm had already handed over most of the boy’s prized possessions when Tsu’tey asked for them from his bedroom in the compound. He’d packed everything away neatly in preparation to wherever Jake was planning to flee, so his son would have what he needed the minute he was retrieved. Spare exo pack, rechargeable batteries, etc. 

He's in his head so deep, that he takes a double take when he spots Spider through the trees. His pa'li makes an abrupt stop, the large animal mirroring Tsu'tey's shock as he stares wide eyed at the image of his boy stood on a log, above a group of recoms. Even from a distance he can see the bruises. He can see the tense set of his shoulders, his swift glances to the forest, despite pretending to be at ease.

Tsu'tey's shock melts into a scowl as his bow groans under the tightening on his hands. He steels himself with a long, deep inhale, mentally calculating the space within the small clearing. The sight of the guns on the recoms have his heart pounding, and his scars tingling with phantom pain. He knows deep down that his bow will be useless in a one on six fight. His only advantage is surprise, and he only gets one chance.

Tsu'tey's mind is made up before he takes his next breath. He knows he needs to try. Even if it ends with a bullet between his shoulders and his pa'li throwing him off from the pain, he needs to die trying. Whether it kills him or not, he needs to return Spider to the clan, where he will be safe. Where Jake and Neytiri can take him to a fresh start, a safer alternative to the clan at war.

The recoms are distracted. Only one wearing sunglasses is actually taking stock of his surroundings. Spider is talking, commanding most of the group's attention.

Sucking in a deep breath, Tsu'tey lets out a sharp call that could easily be mistaken for some distant herd animal. None of the recoms react but he sees Spider visibly stiffens. Tsu’tey grins despite himself and readies his mount. 

He notches an arrow into his bow and urges his pa'li forward. He erupts from the undergrowth with a war cry, and skewers the closest unsuspecting recom. It scatters the group like startled yerik, who immediately scramble for their guns.

"TSU'TEY!" Spider yells, sounding shocked and elated to see him. The hunter spares only a moment killing a second recom before he's charging for that log. His pa'li races past faster than the enemy can load their weapons, and it gives Tsu'tey large enough of an opening to lean down and grab Spider's by his extended hands. The child immediately latches onto him, grabbing whatever he can as Tsu'tey swings him up into the saddle in front of him and together they disappear off into the undergrowth.

Shots were fired at their back but no one got hit, much to Tsu'tey's relief. But the adrenaline rush isn't over because Spider turns around and yells in a rush about a tracker in his mask.

Not to worry though, because Tsu'tey is very up to date on all the old compound location. Even as his triumph sours, he takes confidence in the distant yells of the recoms and the light pressure of Spider at his front. He snarls softly to himself as he makes his pa'li change course.

Yes they get the masks switched out without issue and toss the bugged one into a fast moving river to send Quaritch on a wild goose chase and buy the Sully's more time to run.

Side note: In this possibility, Tsu'tey was definitely convinced Spider wasn't safe enough with him and he had to go with the Sully's to the Metkayina clan. And Tsu'tey was NOT planning to go with him. HAVE ANGST!!

If they reunited on the Sea Dragon:

In this scenario, Tsu'tey ends up visiting the Sullys when the Sea Dragon turns up. He just wanted to check up on his friends and see if they've heard anything about Spider, and the next thing he knows, he's got nieces and nephews to save, and a score to settle.

Tsu'tey is definitely going straight for the ship.

It's during the stand-off where the Colonel has his gun to Lo'ak's temple and Jake isn't telling anyone over the comms what is happening - preparing to hand himself over like the idiot he is. Tsu'tey was circling above the clouds on his ikran with Neytiri, carefully listening to his ear piece as he tries to decipher what is going on. The minute he catches sight of Spider being escorted back into the ship, all rational thought leaves this man's head. Of course he has enough sense to remain undetected - he's not stupid - but he's also not on board with Jake's self-sacrificing bullshit. In Tsu'tey's books, failure is not an option this time around. He is getting Spider back if it kills him.

Tsu'tey and Payakan being on the same wavelength.

The tulkun YEETING himself onto the ship's deck and giving Tsu'tey big enough of an opening to land his ikran and send the beast back up into the sky undetected. He makes brief eye contact with Neteyam who's circling the shallows around the belly of the ship, getting ready to leap up and help out his siblings.

The oldest Sully boy points to the kids tied to the railing, Tsu'tey nods. He motions behind him, where the RDA sailors took Spider and Neteyam nods his understanding.

On the horizon, the Metkayina clan are inbound. Tearing through the waves and heading straight for the ship.

Tsu'tey decides that they've got this covered and finds the nearest doorway that will lead him into the belly of the metal ship. He's too tall for the corridors and either has to knuckle crawl or walk at a constant stoop. His bow is a pain to hold loaded in the tight space, so he opts solely for his knife.

He navigates the ship blindly. His ears pricked for Spider's voice, but otherwise killing anyone he comes across and moving swiftly. He knows the destruction caused by Payakan would've damaged something valuable and he needs to move fast.

I love the idea of Tsu'tey stumbling across the control room in time to find Spider steering the ship towards the rocks and then brutally killing the controls with a fire extinguisher. (Boy was eyeing that lever heavily whenever he was in the same room as it). Just Tsu'tey letting out a half formed growl as the crewmates try to tear Spider away and fix the lever, but his oncoming attack getting put on hold as the enormous ship speeds for the rocks and promptly takes off.

The minute that bitch lands back in the water, you can bet Tsu'tey is the first on his feet. He erupts into the room with a sound so unnerving that the crew forget that they are armed. It's an unfair fight. And despite the tight quarters and being outnumbered, Tsu'tey wipes the floor with everyone.

They find Spider an exopack and get the fuck off the sinking ship to meet back up with the Sullys out on the rock.

Just the crew out cold or dead at his feet, and Tsu'tey closing the distance between himself and Spider. He drops into a crouch, all hard scowl and sharp eyes, and gently tucks Spider's dread behind his ear. "Are you unharmed?"

Spider nods, dumbfounded and thrown off by the raw concern in Tsu'tey's voice. Tsu'tey grumbles. He can see spots of blood all over Spider, small grazes and nicks that shouldn't be there. His stripes are faded and his hair needs a retwist. But he's alive, and Tsu'tey isn't going to let anything else happen to him.

Bonus:

The standoff:

I feel like throwing Tsu'tey into the mix would throw so many scenes off course with his sheer presence that the stand off between Neytiri and Quaritch where they're holding the kids hostage wouldn't happen. There would be too many variables changing for it to occur the same way, but lets pretend it does.

(Neteyam is alive btw, just resting on his rock with Tsireya kindly mixing him up a poultice she learned from her Tsahik training. Lyle didn't kill him, but Neteyam definitely had to protect Lo'ak's dumbass in some way. That child is accident prone.)

Anyway, we've got Quaritch holding Kiri hostage. Jake is trying to keep Tuk out of harm's way. No one knows where the fuck Lo'ak is, but he's slippery enough to get himself out of anything. And then we've got Neytiri making a last ditch effort to protect her daughter by threatening to take away the last thing Quaritch loves; Spider.

In the background, we've got Tsu'tey. Breathing hard, slightly wounded from throwing himself around on a ship with broken equipment and guns getting fired at him from all directions.

Raised voices draw his attention. He's standing on the walkway overlooking the deck where the standoff is occurring. He spots Spider first, under Neytiri's blade, begging for Kiri's life instead of his own. Anger like he's never felt before curls hard in his stomach. The betrayal is worse than when Jake and Neytiri first mated. It was one thing to let his son get captured, it was another to murder him right in front of Tsu'tey.

Kiri's voice stops Tsu'tey from doing anything stupid in his blind rage. Every molecule of his body screams to defend his child, but common sense makes him take in the situation.

His head snaps to Quaritch holding Kiri hostage. To Jake within arms reach, but preoccupied with Tuk. To the knife drawing blood at Kiri's neck.

Tsu'tey also takes note of the clear shot he has from his vantage point. There is no conflict within him as he notches his bow. No concern for Spider's reaction, or the conflicted feelings he might have towards his birth father. Tsu'tey's mind is clear. His hands are steady. And his mind is made up.

He takes the shot, and nail's the recom through his right eye. The arrow - fired with all the strength he could muster - goes straight through bone and wedges in up to two thirds of its shaft.

Quaritch sways for a heartbeat, his knife clattering to the metal deck as Kiri tears away from him and throws herself at Jake. Then he collapses with a painful thump. Limps sprawling and his head lolling.

Slowly, Tsu'tey lowers his bow, his gaze narrowed and his tail whipping behind him. He catches Neytiri's eyes as the huntress and her family follow the direction the arrow had come from.

"Unhand. My. Son." Tsu'tey snarls, his voice ringing out over the soft crash of the waves and the pop of fire. His gaze is venomous, fingers twitching for another arrow if Neytiri doesn't back down. There's still a crazed edge to her gaze, a look Tsu'tey is sure he shares. He hasn't felt this shaken since Spider was taken.

Neytiri nods once. An acknowledgment. And lets Spider go.

His son stumbles away, furiously scrambling to put distance between himself and Neytiri. Kiri was quick to soothe him, check him for injuries as Jake carefully approached Neytiri to take the knife off of her.

Tsu'tey leaps down from the upper level. He can't be bothered to find the stairs and the height is nothing compared to what he has to deal with back in the forest. He keeps an eye on Neytiri, but knows that Jake has her now. Ears pricked in case of further enemies, Tsu'tey spares a few moments to kick Quaritch's corpse and make sure he fired a killing shot. The last thing he needed was to grow comfortable again and then in fifteen years have to deal with this bullshit all over again.

"Dad?" The quiet utterance has panic straightening his spine. It's not one of his nieces asking for Jake's attention. It's Spider's voice. Quiet and shaky and so vulnerable that Tsu'tey just wants to wrap himself up in his arms.

Instead, all he can think about is Quaritch's body at his feet. Tsu'tey's arrow protruding from his eye socket. His blood pooling at his feet.

Then it hits him all at once. Spider's birth dad is dead at his feet, and Tsu'tey put him there. Tsu'tey killed him. He didn't even ask. Spider spent months with this man - against his will - but not everything is black and white. They might have come to some understanding. He might of grown to know him outside of his video logs and the fleeting stories he overheard from the Omaticaya. Spider may have gotten to know Quaritch without the biased lense of hate everyone else talks about him with. And Tsu'tey murdered him. What's worse, he felt triumphant doing it.

Tsu'tey can feel his hands shaking, regardless of how tightly he grasped his bow. His ears were flat against his skull, his tail tucked in close to his legs. He prays he just looks like he's reflecting, in contrast to being crushed by the weight of his actions. And he keeps staring at Quaritch's corpse. The arrow. The blood.

"Dad?" Spider says again. A little louder. More confident. And it kills Tsu'tey as he cringes, eyes squeezing shut against the guilt.

A brush of a hand to his wrist. His eyes snap open, and there's Spider. Gazing up at him with wide, tearful eyes. His mask is slightly cracked and he's bleeding from his chest where Neytiri caught him with her blade. But there is no hatred in his expression. Only relief and exhaustion.

"Dad, are you okay?" Spider asks him, and he looks at Tsu'tey as he says it.

The realisation hits him like a sturmbeest stampede. That Spider was calling him Dad, not the corpse at his feet.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Tsu'tey pulls himself together. "I am." He reassures his son as he drops into a crouch. It is evident from Spider's expression that he doesn't believe him, but the boy doesn't push.

Instead, he throws his arms around Tsu'tey's neck and burries his face under his chin. Tsu'tey chuckles wetly, his arms wrapping around Spider and dragging him close. It soothes every raw instinct in him to finally have his boy back in his arms. Tired and injured, but safe.

Around him, he can hear the Sully family beginning to wade into the surf, so Tsu'tey tucks his arms under Spider's thighs and hoists him up onto his hip, like he used to when his son was still a toddler. Despite his age now, he's still the perfect size for Tsu'tey to carry unhindered out of the shipwreck.

BONUS:

[violet27writes]

Trying to get outside my normal fandoms, so…

These would all probably be smaller fics, but just want to see where the interest is. Please reblog for wider poll results!

[whatsthethinking]

Alignment: part two

Lo’ak x Fem!Reader (platonic)

Eywa finally hears Lo’ak’s pleas for her to bring his brother back but instead of a brother, Lo’ak receives howling winds with lashing rain and a warrior… who eats people?

➴ Warning: Vague character description but it’s not reader specific. I can’t really think of anything but let me know. 

➴ Word count: 2.7k

➴ Note: Okay so, I’m not going to name the reader. I did give a slight character description but I doubt I’ll mention what the reader looks like again after this chapter because it’s not really important. Let me know what you think of this chapter (I think it’s ass but now the readers here I can get into it). Feel free to leave any suggestions.

[one] [three]

It had been a few days since Lo’ak experienced his memory with Neteyam. He had constantly been thinking about whether he should tell anyone what had changed. Who would believe him? Memories don’t just change. They don’t usually offer comfort and support. Well they do, but not like this. They don’t give hope and promises for the future. He was confused. Beyond confused, actually.

“Lo’ak, can you pass me the knife?” 

Jake mumbled in his son's direction but he didn’t get a response.

“Lo’ak.”

He tried again. Jake raised his head to look at his son, only to see him looking into the distance with a vacant look.

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked you for the knife,” Jake repeated.

“Right, sorry, dad.”

Lo’ak slowly passed his father the knife and then diverted his eyes to the entryway of the marui. Jake sighed and completely stopped chopping the fruit in front of him. Jake and Neytiri had noticed a change in his behaviour, but weren't sure how to confront him. It was clear that something was on his mind. Watching the sky, watching the ocean, as if he was waiting for something to happen. They both knew one person Lo’ak could trust wholeheartedly who would be able to get him to open up about what was on his mind. 

“Why don’t you two go out for a walk,” Jake stated clearly to his children but mainly to Kiri.

A few seconds passed before Kiri got the hint and shot to her feet, dragging Lo’ak up with her.

“Perfect idea, dad. Come on Lo’ak. Let’s walk.”

“I don’t want to-.”

“Come on, brother.”

Kiri tugged on Lo’ak’s arm, bringing him to the entryway where they met Neytiri and Tuk, who had spent the morning together on the beach. Tuk was bouncing on the spot holding a basket with wrapped fish and some fruit. Neytiri’s face was graced with a fond smile at the sight of her children.

“Where are you two going in such a rush?” Neytiri questioned. “It’s almost time for lunch.”

“I caught it! This one!” Tuk exclaimed, pointing to a small package at the top of the pile.

“That’s wonderful Tuk,” Kiri smiled down at her baby sister before turning to her mother. “We were just going for a quick walk; we’ll be back before you know it.”

Neytiri looked past her children and to her mate, Jake nodded and gave a thumbs-up. She smiled and stepped aside.

“Be quick. I don’t want your food to get cold.”

Kiri nodded and grabbed Lo’ak’s elbow. She continued to drag him along until they reached the beach.

“Kiri, I don’t want to walk.”

“Sh.”

“Kiri, please.”

“Come.” 

Kiri walked over to a less populated part of the beach, where the beach ended and the tranquil forest began. Kiri sat down, getting comfortable before patting a patch of grass next to her.

“Sit.”

Lo’ak sighed but sat down beside his sister, dragging his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on top.

“So Lo’ak, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. I just… Nothing’s going on.”

“Lo’ak, please talk to me.”

Kiri rested her hand on Lo’ak’s head and slowly ran it down to his shoulder. She could feel how tense he was. Kiri was more than aware of how deeply she felt about everything, but with Lo’ak, everything was different. Since Neteyam’s passing, Kiri had become very observant regarding her brother's emotions. As far as she was concerned, he was her other half, her twin. They are always there for one another. ‘Four-finger freaks’ have to stick together.

Lo’ak sighed and rested his forehead on his knees, shielding his face as Kirk put her hand back on his head.

“You wouldn’t believe me. “ Lo’ak’s voice came out muffled, but Kirk still heard him.

“I wouldn’t believe you?” Kiri questioned with humour in her voice. “You could tell me that the sky is green, and I would believe you.”

Lo’ak’s head turned to the side, allowing Kiri to see the frown on his lips and his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“You’re too smart to believe anything like that.”

Kiri paused and nodded.

“You’re right. I am too smart. And I’m smart enough to know that something happened to you. I don’t know what, but I know that whatever it is, maybe I can help?”

Kiri turned her body towards Lo’ak and crossed her legs. Then she waited. She watched as the thoughts crossed his face, the way his eyebrows slightly twitched and the way his ears drooped.

“It’s kind of crazy, and I find it hard to believe myself.” Lo’ak started, Kiri was all ears.

“You know when I went to the spirit tree the other day? I had a memory with Neteyam and-“

Lo’ak paused and sighed deeply before turning his body towards his sister, crossing his legs.

“It was strange. Different. He spoke to me. He was older, he told me-“

Lo’ak stopped to collect his thoughts; saying it out loud made him question what had happened.

“He told me… It’s crazy. It doesn’t make sense. Maybe I imagined it. Maybe I’m desperate to hear something? Feeling something? I don’t know.”

“What did he say?”

There was a beat of silence between the two; Lo’ak fiddled with his fingers in his lap.

“He said that he would see me soon,” Lo’ak mumbled. “But that’s insane.”

Kiri had a slightly confused look, which made Lo’ak regret saying anything.

“I believe you.”

Kiri paused and then took her brother's hands into hers. Lo’ak sighed. It felt like a weight had been lifted, only slightly, but it felt like it was enough for him to feel like he could breathe.

“Thanks Kiri.” Lo’ak smiled

“I’m telling dad.”

Lo’ak’s smile dropped immediately.

“No”

It wasn’t until after dinner that Kiri managed to get her parents alone. Lo’ak had taken Tuk to see Tsireya. The older girl had volunteered to help teach Tuk to weave new clothes.

“Mum? Dad?”

Her parents paused their activities and turned to her.

“I spoke with Lo’ak.”

Neytiri ushered Jake to sit down, Kiri followed soon after.

“So, what did he say?” Jake questioned with a hint of concern in his voice.

“Before I tell you. You must understand that Lo’ak is really confused about what he told me, and I completely believe everything he said.”

Neytiri gently held Jake’s hand. She’s been so concerned for her son. Lo’ak hadn’t been himself since they lost Neteyam. His personality had changed; he was no longer the rowdy, outgoing boy she was used to. He would rarely find himself in trouble. He was completely obedient, finishing all his chores without complaint. Sometimes he would slip into his old self, but for the most part, he was different. Neytiri hated it. It saddened her greatly.

“Lo’ak told me that he saw Neteyam while at the spirit tree. He said that he was older, physically. Maybe even mentally, from what I gathered. He was reassuring Lo’ak, comforting him. His soul is fully aware of his passing and how he died. He told Lo’ak that they would be seeing each other soon. I know the last part sounds like a warning of some kind but, I don't think it is. I thought that it could mean that Lo’ak may be dying but, he assured me that that wasn't the feeling he got... Neteyam. Neteyam’s soul seemed hopeful.”

Kiri watched her parents' faces for their reactions. Jake’s face was set in a deep frown; he appeared to be taking in all the information, slowly mulling over each detail. Neytiri, on the other hand, had a look of pure disbelief, her eyes starting to well up.

“No… No.” Neytiri started shaking her head. “No.”

“It’s true, mum, I believe him.”

“It is not. I refuse it.”

“Mum-”

“No Kiri. This is not true.” Neytiri shot to her feet, one hand placed on her chest.

“Neytiri.” Jake slowly stood up. “Maybe we should listen to what-”

“No!” Neytiri exclaimed. “Ma Jake! You can not feed into this!”

“I’m not. I promise you I’m not. But what if this is the truth? We’ve accepted that Kiri has a connection to Eywa, why can’t Lo’ak? This could be some sort of sign.”

Jake wasn’t exactly sure why he was suddenly accepting what Kiri was telling them but, deep down, he knew he couldn't just assume this was false. He trusted his children.

“Because he’s not saying the same things as Kiri. He’s talking about our son coming back from the dead. It’s impossible!”

“Lo’ak can be many things but, he is an honest boy. We both know that Lo’ak wouldn’t lie, especially about this.”

Jake sighed, glancing at Kiri, who was still seated.

“Remember when we saw him? After the funeral? He was older. He didn’t know that he had died but, he appeared in his most recent body. This might be a similar situation. If what they’re saying is true, this could be an opportunity to have our son back. Our Neteyam. The chance to right the wrongs. To-”

Jake stopped speaking as his voice cracked and his eyes began to well up with tears. The idea that he could get to be with his eldest son again, to hug him. Hold him close. Tell him how much he means to him. Apologise for being a terrible father, and ask for his forgiveness. The thought of a second chance drew him in completely.

Neytiri stood before her mate and daughter, slightly shaking her head, refusing to believe what she was hearing. She wanted to believe it, she did. She knew what Kiri was saying must have some truth to it. Kiri has the purest soul with the deepest connection to Eywa any tsahìk could only dream of and she does not speak carelessly. If Kiri believes Lo’ak, then Neytiri will believe him too.

“Okay… Okay,” Neytiri sighed, facing Neteyam’s corner, wiping her face. “Tomorrow. We will ask Ronal. She will know.”

The next day did not go as planned. The sound of harsh winds and crashing waves awoke the village. Tonowari was barking orders to anyone he could, telling them to gather anything that couldn’t be tied down. A storm was coming. A great one. The hunters who go beyond the reef hadn’t seen it coming. Ronal commented to her mate that it was a sign, possibly a warning. But she wasn’t certain, she couldn’t make sense of it.

Just as the villagers were coming to the end of their scrambling, the sky above them went dark, and the rain began. It came down hard and unforgiving. Nothing about this rain was calm and tranquil. It was vicious. It was hectic, if you were to step out into it, you may find yourself lost.

Lo’ak leaned against the marui entrance watching the rain's brutal attack. After he and his mother had gone to see Ronal, he planned to try and convince his parents to join him in visiting the spirit tree. Maybe Neteyam’s soul would give them a glimmer of hope too.

“When will it stop raining?” Tuk questioned, rubbing her eye “it’s been hours.”

“I don’t know. Maybe ask Kiri. She can ask her best friend Eywa to do us all a favour” Lo’ak replied, a smirk appearing as he heard Kiri huff.

“Haha, hilarious,” she rolled her eyes and joined her siblings, peering at the rain beating down. “But it is strange, maybe something happened?”

The two older siblings had gotten bored of watching the rain ruin their day, they moved deeper into the marui helping their parents prepare the next meal. Tuk stayed by the entrance, watching as the rain began to ease. 

“Look!” Tuk shrieked, pointing out into the distance. “Do you see, over there!”

Tuk’s yells caused her family to look in the direction she was pointing in. In the distance, they could all see a small dark mass approaching the village. Jake instinctively pulled Tuk away and behind him while Neytiri did the same to Kiri and Lo’ak.

“It’s an ikran.” Tuk continued as the mass got closer. 

“How can you tell?” Kiri questioned, looking around her mother.

“It has wings, see!”

Tuk moved around Jake and pointed again. She was right, the mass moving toward the village did, in fact, have wings. But the wingspan of it indicated that it couldn’t be an ikran, it seemed too large. The speed it appeared to be going was also a hint that it might not be a normal ikran.

“It looks a bit too large to be an ikran Tuk,” Lo’ak mumbled

“Maybe it’s Toruk,” she argued, glancing up at her father.

“I haven’t seen Toruk in many years darling,” Jake said down to her before stepping out to get a closer look. “Stay here.”

Jake began to walk towards the central part of the village, maybe he could assist if anything happened. Lo’ak slipped out just after him, dodging Neytiri’s hands as she tried to stop him.

“I’m coming too, dad.”

Jake stopped and spun around, ready to tell his son to stay with the family. Just as he was about to open his mouth to tell Lo’ak to go back, a roar rang over the village, accompanied by a rush of cold air and a dark shadow. Shouts of the Metkayina warriors came shortly after as they rushed to get into formation just in case this creature attacked. Jake gave Lo’ak a stern look before continuing his walk, but obviously, his son didn’t pay it any mind as he followed his father closely.

Tonowari hastily approached the pair and immediately questioned if Jake had any idea what this flying creature was. Tuning out this conversation, Lo’ak watched as the large ‘ikran’ landed on the very edge of the island, quite far from the village. He wasn’t sure why, maybe curiosity, but he began to follow the warriors in that direction. On his way, he passed Tsireya, who tried to stop him, but he just brushed her off, telling her they could talk later.

By now, the rain had officially stopped.

The ikran definitely wasn’t an ikran. It was something larger, much larger. Its body appeared to be covered in black scales, with red ones peeking out underneath. Its wings were a mix of black and red too. Its eyes seemed to be a red and orange mix, alert, taking in everyone's movements. However, the more Lo’ak studied the strange beast, the more he noticed it possibly resembled a dragon from his father’s, Norm’s and Max’s human stories about brave warriors. Lo’ak couldn’t see the rider near the beast, he would’ve assumed it didn’t have a rider if it wasn’t for what looked like armour strapped to its chest.

One of the warriors stepped forward, the scaled ‘ikran’ snarled, showing off its rows of long sharp teeth.

“Stay ready.” One of the warriors voiced, getting a tighter grip on his spear. Lo’ak manoeuvred towards where the warriors were more sparse, which just happened to be the closest to the beast.

“Mawey Rìkxi, mawey. Be nice”, A voice broke through the silence as the beast raised its large wing revealing its rider. A rider no one had expected.

A rider from the Ash Islands. Some elders within the village and back in the forest had spoken of the islands. Claiming to have travelled there at a time when many of the people were rejecting Eywa, which had caused many divides throughout different clans.

It is said that the warriors of the Ash Islands are merciless and unforgiving. Your fate was sealed If you got on the wrong side of them. It seemed that no one ever survived a fight with the warriors, and they never left a body. Which led outsiders to speculate that the warriors would eat their rivals. 

The Na’vi from the Ash Islands were different in appearance. They had ash blue/purple skin and amber eyes. Their tails were thin but muscular, and the tip on their tails narrowed to a point. They were known to be tall and strong, stronger than your average Na’vi. The Ash Na’vi wore neutral colours, mainly different shades of brown with minimal splashes of dark blues and reds. They usually kept their hair up and out of their face. 

Lo’ak looked over the rider and noticed her hands. Hands just like him, four fingers. 

The rider raised her hand to her forehead, lowly bringing it down, keeping eye contact with Lo’ak.

“Hello.”

“Hey.” Lo’ak choked before clearing his throat.

Note pt2: 

Mawey - calm

Rìkxi - tremble, shake, shiver

Rìkxi is the name of the readers dragon, I based it off of Drogon from Game of Thrones because that’s the show I’m watching rn

Taglist: @eywas-heir @cvsmic-love @thehoneymushroomhealer @myvath @afro-hispwriter @jjkclub @babyymeme @lovedbychoi @dakotali @cleverzonkwombatsludge

[eywaseclipse]

“Sully’s stick together.” See James it’s actually quite simple. Look how naturally Neteyam fits right next to his baby bro, crying and leaning on him because he’s grateful his family is safe. Delusional hours start now🥲🤲😚

My edit I made

[deaddovedecadence]

neteyam is always gentle but his gentle is cruel because he is the oldest and the oldest must know both

[haseki-huricihan]

Wcale nie płaczę z powodu mnóstwa słodyczy, którymi zasłodziłam się podczas lektury :D

A rekindled jealousy || Neteyam & Ao’nung & Tuk x fem!Omaticaya reader

Summary: When you leave the Omaticaya clan behind, your entire life changes. You may have a hard time adjusting to Metkayina's ways, but you use the opportunity to wake some jealousy in Neteyam

Warnings: fluff & a little bit of angst  ( ✓ Tuk being a little naughty, inquisitive shit  ✓ Ao'nung being visibly into the reader  ✓ jealous Neteyam) ♥

Word count: 3490

Authors: Cass & Fenrir

A/N: Divider by wonderful firefly-graphics

We will adapt, his father said. Adaptation is inevitable, it's not like we have a choice. Adaptation had multiple meanings, and the Sully siblings defined it in their own way. For Kiri, adaptation required finding an inner peace that would make day-to-day tasks much easier. As for Tuk, it meant leaving everything she used to know behind and learning anew how to function among the other clan. In Lo'ak's case, the process was about discovering his inner self - knowing your fears was the path to becoming one with the water. Accordingly, for Neteyam adaptation meant being obedient and following his parents' orders. As the oldest, he knew that getting into trouble was the last thing they needed right now; he would again be punished by his father and grounded, for life this time, there was no doubt.

Despite not being a part of Neytiri's family, you became close to her as her friends' daughter, and Neyam was delighted that his parents had taken you along with them - after your parents died in yet another battle against RDA, Jake Sully's wife decided to care for their daughter. You became his best friend after many years spent together, and the fact that you were female didn't change anything - the eldest son of Jake and Neytiri was treating you like the best buddy, hanging out with you as much as possible. Despite moving to a brand-new location because of Quaritch and his buddies, Neteyam still preferred to spend time with you, diligently learning new things from Metkayina.

As you sat on a large rock, frowning, you tried your finest to weave nets. As you tapped your tail angrily against the hard surface, your fingers continued to work on your latest yet unsuccessful attempt; at least this was slightly better than the previous one. As each second passed, you grew more and more annoyed.

Little did you know that Ao'nung and his friends were observing you from a distance. Following a brief exchange of glances with his friends, he approached you. Even though he wasn't a big fan of the Sully family, you seemed so different from them, which made you more appealing. In addition, you had four fingers, so you weren't as strange as those Sullys' demon kids. "Y/N, right? I see you're struggling with weaving," he smiled at you and offered, "Why don't you join my friends and me in the water instead?"

You looked at your messed up work and then at him; maybe continuing wasn't necessary at the moment - your fingers hurt and you were getting frustrated, so you decided a small break was needed. Also, that could be very interesting. You smiled back and nodded, "I'd love to." Rotxo nodded his head in agreement as Ao'nung looked at him. "Let's go, it would be a shame to waste such a beautiful day weaving," Ao'nung encouraged you to leave your work behind.

Tuk, the youngest Sully, saw the entire situation and then decided to inform her older brother about what she had seen.

One last look at your nets convinced you that there was no point in trying. Your curiosity led you to follow Ao'nung after leaving your work behind.

"So, how do you like it here?" Ao'nung asked, glancing at you with a certain amount of curiosity. 

"It's completely different," you replied, your tail flicking from side to side. "There's a lot of water. It's a little unusual for me."

Rotxo laughed a bit at your words. "You tree people can only cling to your lianas, right?" 

Ao'nung glanced coldly at Rotxo, conveying his anger towards him. Tonowari's son told you, "Forgive my friend, he's a little crude. Have you already interacted with ilu?" He asked, trying to change the topic.

Your arms crossed over your chest as you hissed offendedly, "Well, he isn't really funny. Well, we can do a lot more than that. And about your question, I'm sorry but I'm not even sure what ilu is," you admitted a bit embarrassed.

Another Ao'nung's friend commented, "She doesn't even know what ilu is, that's ridiculous," but was instantly hit in the back of the head by Tonowari's son.

"An ilu is intelligent, sociable, and easily domesticated animal serves the reef clans, including our clan, as direhorses serve the Na'vi clans of the forests and jungles," Ao'nung explained softly, looking at you. "Do you feel afraid?"

Your interest was piqued by the description of the animal. With your tail moving equally eagerly, you enthusiastically shook your head. "Me? Afraid? No! That sounds fascinating! I'd love to see it." Ao'nung slowly stepped into the water until it reached his muscular calves, then he turned his head to see if you were following. As soon as he was sure you were right behind him, he offered you his hand.

Smiling softly, you took his hand and followed him into the water. Compared to what you were doing moments ago, this was much better, you thought to yourself. The two of you were watched from a distance by Ao'nung's friends, who stayed on the shore. They had no idea that they weren't the only ones watching...

The sound Ao'nung made was like whistling after he clicked his tongue several times. A loud chirping ilu emerged from the water shortly afterward.

"It's loud!" you giggled, feeling even more captivated by the creature. "Are you sure I or you won't be eaten by it?"

"Ilu? Don't worry, they won't bite if they're not bothered. Come, pet it slowly," he advised. 

As you nodded slowly, you drew a little closer and gently petted the animal.

Ilu turned his head to you and chirped loudly in anticipation, blinking both pairs of its eyes. A gentle, inviting touch was evidently enjoyed by the animal, whose skin was soft to the touch.

In response to your very first interaction with the ilu, Ao'nung smiled. "You see? No biting."

A giggle escaped your lips, and you nodded in agreement. "I really like how soft and cute it is, and there is no biting at all. I didn’t know they’re so friendly!”

After seeing a small wave coming, he took a step closer to you and put his hand on your waist, supporting you from falling to your back due to the strong drift. "I told you it was worth trying." 

"It would be appreciated if the waves were not so strong," you joked and politely thanked him for the support he provided. "In fact, it was well worth trying. This creature is so sweet and soft. If I weren't scared, I'd cuddle it."

"There's nothing stopping you from doing so," he said as his hand stayed on your waist. "First, I would suggest creating a bond, it's safer that way."

Meanwhile, Neteyam joined Ao'nung's friends on the shore. Watching you cooperate with the ilu while sitting under the warm sun was a cute way to spend his spare time. Everything would have been perfect if Ao'nung hadn't been doing everything he could to get closer to you. In the end, Neteyam let out a deep sigh - it seemed you were more interested in Metkayina lately, and he was helpless about it; his only concern was your widely understood happiness.

Your eyes widened when you noticed Neteyam with the corner of your eye. You hummed, pretending to think about Ao'nung's offer. This could make things even more interesting. Immediately, you became more flirtatious with Ao'nung. "Are you really bringing me here just to show me the ilu?"

A cheerful smile was given to you by Tonowari's son, who also petted ilu's head. "Why are you asking, Y/N? I was simply trying to relieve you of the unneeded job you were assigned."

With a soft smile, you teased, "Oh, I'm sorry. I was hoping for more from you, but apparently I was mistaken..."

With a bold move, he touched your shoulder with his palm as he asked, "More like? You know how much I value your friendship more than Sullys', so I'm willing to lend a helping hand whenever I can."

"Friendship may always evolve into something more," you shrugged, still petting the ilu's head.

While chirping loudly, ilu poked you in the side with its velvety muzzle. "We could always give it a chance, Y/N. What do you think?" Ao'nung asked as his hand climbed up your shoulder and landed in your crook of the neck.

"Maybe?" You purred as if you were considering it. Of course, you didn't care about any of this, all you cared about was Neteyam's reaction. Although you felt disappointed with the lack of response so far, you decided to keep trying and maybe coax it out of him.

You were so skilled at pretending that Ao'nung leaned forward, closed his eyes, and attempted to kiss you.

It was enough for Neteyam. When he got up to his feet, he got as close to the water as possible without getting in. Neteyam shouted, "What the hell are you doing, Ao'nung?"

Gasping, you took two small steps away from Ao'nung before looking at Neteyam. Oh, he was angry! "Neteyam, what's wrong?" You asked innocently, tilting your head to the side.

The grunt grew louder as Ao'nung opened his eyes and stared at Neteyam as well. "What's your problem, bro?"

"You're acting a bit too brazen, bro, and that's my problem. Leave Y/N alone," Neteyam said after issuing a warning; his eyes were then fixed on you. "Come on, Y/N, I think you still need to finish some things."

Your lips were softly curled into a smile as you whispered, "Yes, I believe I do."

Ao'nung was the first to exit the water, leaving ilu behind. "Well, well, well, look at that, Sully's into our sweet, little Y/N," he mocked, rolling his eyes.

Once you had given the ilu one last pet, you followed Ao'nung towards the shore, thinking how the situation would unfold.

Once Ao'nung got onto the shore, he pushed Neteyam's shoulder strongly with wry words followed by a snort, "Shall I remind you about your position here, Sully? You better be on your best behaviour, as your father suggested."

A frown could be seen on Neteyam's face, but he tried hard to maintain his composure. "Y/N, let's go."

"What's your problem, Net? We didn't do anything wrong, he was just showing me what ilu is." 

Tuk, who was partially hidden behind Neteyam's legs, peered out and frowned at you. "We've been here for a while, and you still don't know anything about ilu? Eywa, please hold me tight, I can't deal with Y/N."

Neteyam ruffled his sister's hair and stared at you before saying, "I heard Ronal asked you to help with nets, and you heard what my parents said about us being guests here? We need to adapt and do whatever it takes to avoid being considered useless."

Putting yourself behind Ao'nung, you frowned. "I try to be useful, but making nets is boring and not meant for me? This just seems more fun."

Tuk stuck her tongue out at you, her glance full of concern. "Mom won't be happy."

"Hush," Neteyam whispered to Tuktirey while looking at Ao'nung. "As the chief's son, you should be more reasonable and help Y/N with the tasks she's assigned to."

Your head rested on Ao'nung's shoulder as you gazed at Neteyam. You teased, "Is it your only concern? Or are you simply jealous?"

Neteyam had already had enough of your behaviour - he thought he had shown you many times that you were more valuable to him, yet you seemed more interested in that thick piece of a man, called Ao'nung. "Maybe."

Ao'nung smiled even wider as you patted his shoulder before walking up to Neteyam to take his hand. "Maybe? Just maybe?"

From nowhere, the argument grew into a tornado. The intensity of Neteyam's rage blinded him to your heart and soul. His hand snatched back from your grasp as he snapped at you, "Don't. It seems that Ao'nung has nothing but hots for you, and since you seem to be more than interested, we won't bother you anymore in spending your time with our host. Tuk, come."

The little girl followed her brother enthusiastically, but of course she couldn't help but glance back at you, laying her ears and hissing, showing her perfect, sharp fangs.

It didn't work out as you thought it would; you laid your ears down and hissed back at her, crossing your arms over your chest. A deep sigh was heard from you as you excused yourselves and followed them quickly.

The fact that you followed Sullys was mocked by Ao'nung. "Come on, Y/N! We still might have some fun!”

"Apparently Y/N is more into the eldest of the Sully brothers," Rotxo replied to his friend, and Tonowari's son punched him hard in the side, giving him the coldest look he has ever given to anyone as a warning.

"Neteyam! Tuk! Wait for me!” You shouted after them, attempting to line up with the siblings.

Meanwhile, Neteyam sat on the rock where you had left your unfinished nets.

Since she was angry that you were playing with her beloved brother in such a cruel way, Tuk ignored you perfectly.

After softly sighing, you decided to sit right next to him. "Neteyam... Talk to me. I am sorry for angering you so much."

He answered, "I'm not furious," and continued to work on the weave with his long fingers.

While playing with the sand, Tuk giggled, "He's not angry, he's mad."

"Could you play somewhere else? I want to talk to him alone," you hissed at her.

Tuk stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Don't order me, you're not my mother."

With a sigh, Neteyam told his younger sister to return to their hut and assist Kiri and mother with whatever they were doing.

The young girl complied with her brother's instructions while grunting loudly in annoyance.

You looked at him and sighed, "At least she listens to you. So, will you talk to me?”

"About?"

Then you moved closer to help him weave the net and whispered quietly, "About what happened. I didn't mean to anger you. I'm sorry for leaving my job. It just seemed like a nice offer and I was super flustered."

Without even glancing at you, he asked bitterly, "The offer or Ao'nung?"

Chuckling, you gently pinched his finger and continued to work. "The offer, as I mentioned earlier."

"Yeah. I bet."

"Neteyam," you said, taking his hand in your palm, "Why did you get so angry about me hanging out with him?"

"Hanging out with him, that's the clue," he said angrily, pulling his hand out of your grasp, weaving angry until his fingertips began to hurt - only then Neteyam threw the net away and after letting out a deep sigh, he massaged his temples. "Is he that interesting? Apparently, you were the one who said reef people were strange and unappealing."

"It wasn't because of him, but because I wanted to see an ilu," you explained, rolling your eyes. "There was a chance it would eat him rather than me in the event of an accident."

Neteyam was trying so hard to keep a straight face, but your comment made him giggle. "If only ilus could be as vicious as akulas, Ao'nung's issue might have been resolved long ago."

A smile spread across your face as you raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "You'd like that, huh?"

Prior to replying, Neteyam improved his necklace and waved his tail. "Maybe."

Your tail wiggled happily as you placed your chin on his shoulder with a mischievous smile. "I'm sure you would love that, hm? You wouldn't have to worry about someone stealing me from you."

"It's not like that, Y/N. We're just friends, you and I."

"Well..." you sighed deeply, "I'm disappointed to hear that, because I really wanted something more."

You were given a serious look as he asked, "Just like with Ao'nung, huh?"

As you gasped, you smacked his back with your tail. "I tried to get your attention by making you jealous. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He grinned widely as he asked, "So you tried to make me jealous? Well, it appears you are interested in me, and I am flattered by that."

You whined, "Yes! I'm interested in you, but you're only paying attention to me in a friendly manner."

"And how do you know that, smartass?"

Blinking, you shrugged lightly. "That's how I felt."

"Then you must be blind."

You turned away and crossed your arms over your chest, pretending to be offended. "I'm not, it's just that your signs weren't clear enough." 

In this case, Neteyam rested his chin against the crook of your neck, looking at you from your profile. "How many times did I accidentally catch your hand? How many times did I say there was no one but you? How many times did I skip my duties just to spend time by your side?"

You leaned against him, "I just thought it was because I was an orphan who your mother had taken care of and you took care of me because this was what your parents expected you to do."

With you by his side, Neteyam was able to relax his nerves as he closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun kissing his skin. "How wrong you were, Y/N."

"Now I know. What should we do about it?"

"Have you thought of anything in particular?"

Shrugging, you replied, "No. How about you?"

"My guess is that it's the part when you kiss her, Neteyam," tiny tone suggested. Nobody else but Tuk observed the entire situation while hiding among nearby bushes.

While eldest Sully facepalmed for not expecting his little sister to spy on him, he knew deep down she was right. In barely a second, he placed a hand on your cheek and rubbed you there with his thumb, before leaning forward to rub his nose against yours and briefly kiss your lips.

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you giggled quietly and kissed him back. The happiness made your tail move like crazy.

A small Omaticaya girl shook her head and kept quiet during the scene.

As your taste spilled over Neteyam's tongue, he murmured in pleasure.

With a mischievous smile, you pulled away and rubbed your noses together. "It was worth it to piss you off."

"Prove it."

"I love you, not Ao'nung," you rolled your eyes and kissed him once more.

Tuk's tone was filled with happiness as she chanted, "I feel love in the air! Y/N and Neteyam, Neteyam and Y/N! Nanana! Love is oh so in the air!"

When Neteyam returned the kiss, he felt all his angst and anger disappear quickly, having been eased by your words and feeling that they came from the depths of your heart.

After letting him kiss you for a moment, you pulled away when you needed to breathe deeply. "Is this proof enough for you, my love?"

"Yes."

"What did our little spy think of what she saw?" You asked Tuk loudly.

With a stick she found in the bushes, Tuk emerged from her hiding spot and approached the two of you. "It was pretty cute, but still eww, just like mom kissing dad. Just remember I will keep a close eye on you, Y/N, and I won't hesitate to inform Neteyam if I see you hanging out with those beefy, turquoise fellas again," she warned, getting on her brother's lap. "And now tell me: will you two eventually tie the knot?"

You rolled your eyes and ruffled her hair. "One day, maybe, when we decide we want to be together forever."

"Tuk, please," Neteyam poked Tuktirey's shoulder. "Little one, that is none of your business."

"What? I have to be ready," Tuk looked at you while shrugging her shoulders. "I believe you'd make a stunning bride! I could look after your future kids! I would play with them!"

"TUK!" Neteyam paled a little, pulling on his sister's braid. "That’s enough."

A smug smile appeared on your face. "I would like to have kids, so long as they aren't like their future aunt."

Neteyam laughed, shoving Tuk off his lap and returning to weaving. "Please, don't encourage her, Y/N."

Tuk initially nodded joyfully in response to your comments, but when she realised what you were saying, she crossed her arms over her chest, which, unfortunately, was the same moment she slipped from Neteyam's lap. She snarled at you while sitting on her butt in the sand. "I'll keep it in mind, Y/N, and I'll tell mom!"

Laughing, you took Neteyam's hand. "I guess we'll see about that. Right?"

As he stroked your palm, he smiled at you brightly. "Yes. The feelings I have for you are something I am looking forward to discovering and exploring."

[xylobee]

Dream hunt Neteyam

Requested by my darling @scorpiomoon-444 <3

I had fun rendering it 🫶 I was almost heartbroken to cover his body render with the paint but then I was like ??? He's PRETTY SO FORGET IT. I'm also having a high-saturation phase but he sticks out so nicely in this, I'm ⚰️ - anyway, I hope you like it babes ♡

My other works: Here

[fandom-geek17]

Destined For More - Chapter 2

Neteyam x Omatikaya!Reader

Synopsis: Being a close family friend of the Sully's, and Kiri's best friend, it was hard to be around Neteyam and not fall in love with him. Supressing those feelings were even harder, especially when his parents start pressuring him about finding a mate...

Rating: E MINORS DNI🔞🔞

Tags: Friends to lovers! Eventual smut! Semi public smut! P in V smut, Reader has a name, no use of Y/N

Vocabulary: Marui (tent, pod), skxawng (moron), paskalin (sweet berry, term of endearment), syulang (flower)

Ages: Neteyam (21), reader (20), Kiri (20), Lo'ak (19), Tuk (13)

Can also be read on AO3

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Tagging: @suinhee @riatesullironalite @luvteyams @criticallybella @oceanstar19 @wiseheartzombie

Creating new beads seemed to have become your new favorite pastime. It was easy, time consuming and kept you from overthinking. Feeling like a robot, your hand repeated the practiced movements of carving out a small piece of wood before hollowing it and smoothing the edges. All the finished beads were tossed into a pile at your feet to be painted later. Over and over again. Think, carve, hollow, think, toss, repeat.

But the monotonous task could only distract you so much. The feelings of hurt and betrayal still lingered. Feelings that felt both deserved and unwarranted at the same time. How was that even possible? Every time Neteyam’s name came up in any conversation, your heart sank and you retreated to a corner for some mindless task. Mo’at didn’t directly question when you left Kiri and the others to deal with patients completely, only watching you with a pensive look. It’s not like you didn’t contribute. You had gathered more supplies and made more medicine than Mo’at could use up in an entire year. You just didn’t want anyone coming in for help to become the victim of your bad mood.

Deep down, you knew that it wasn’t fair to be angry with Neteyam. This wasn’t his choice. He couldn’t control his duty to find a mate anymore than he could control his feelings for you. Or rather, lack of feelings. Maybe you were more mad at yourself for letting this one-sided crush go on for as long as it did. Mad that you let yourself dream about him to the point that you fell in love when you shouldn’t have. Now you had to deal with the consequences.

In a way, maybe it was a good thing that he was to find a mate… Maybe then you could finally move on. Seeing him with someone else, happy and content would undoubtedly be the final stab to your heart. If you moved on too, it would be easier. If Neteyam was to court someone, maybe you should too. You were of age, after all. But your parents had never pressed the issue and you had never brought it up. You had been too busy drooling over your best friend’s brother in secret.

Though the thought of courting anyone right now hurt. It wouldn’t be fair to them or to you. Why court someone when your feelings laid elsewhere?

So, the best thing you could do was probably to give yourself the space you needed to process everything and hopefully come out on top in time for his wedding ceremony. Wedding ceremony… Ugh! The very thought made you sick. But there was no way you could avoid going, you were too close to his family.

“What’s up, Emmy?” Lo’ak’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. He stepped into your family’s marui, looking around with a smirk. “Are you trying to break a world record for the most beads made in one day?”

You snorted, but didn’t answer, didn’t even look up. He couldn’t see the dried tears on your cheeks! Lo’ak and sensitivity did not mix, he’d just be all awkward about it.

“You skxawng” Kiri admonished, stepping into the tent after her brother, Spider following close behind. She gave her brother a smack across the back of his head, making him yelp in pain.

“Ow!” he cried, rubbing the area. “What was that for?”

“For being you” Kiri responded firmly and sat down next to you, careful to not disturb the ever-growing pile of beads. “How are you feeling today?” she asked you.

You dared a small glance at your best friend. Her eyes were full of understanding. Even though you hadn’t explicitly told your best friend what was bothering you, Kiri seemed to sense everything concerning you, just like she could sense almost everything else. “I’m fine” you lied immediately.

Kiri cocked her head to the side, without a doubt taking in your tear-stricken face. She then turned to her brother and Spider. “Give us a moment.” Lo’ak grumbled something under his breath, but Spider gave you a look that could only be described as sympathetic before dragging Lo’ak out of the marui. Kiri turned back towards you. She tucked a couple of braids behind your ear in a soothing gesture she had undoubtedly picked up from her mother. “I know something is bothering you. But I don’t want to pressure you into talking about it until you’re ready.”

A small sniff escaped you. You sneaked a small peek at Kiri, hoping for anything but pity on her face. But there was mostly understanding. “Thank you, Kiri” you murmured.

Your best friend wrapped her arms around you, placing your head on her shoulder. You let out a long breath, closing your eyes. Even though you enjoyed, and really needed, the comfort, in a way it felt weird to accept comfort from her, given that it was her brother you were secretly brooding over. Not that you felt like Kiri would make such a huge deal over you being in love with her brother, per say. She was a very understanding person. The weird part was you having kept your feelings a secret for so long that it almost felt like a betrayal.

“What we wanted to ask you” Kiri began, stroking your hair. “Is if you wanted to join us later after dinner. Me, Lo’ak and Spider were thinking about going to the far side of the mountains, doing some exploring, just have some fun.”

You sighed… You could use the distraction, but the thought of faking happiness around other people was physically exhausting. “I don’t know, Kiri…”

“I won’t force you, I promise. But you could use the time outside, doing something else than foraging.”

“I’ll think about it” you answered.

And think about it, you did. Over and over again until your head spun around. Pulled between wanting to do something fun and productive to distract yourself and staying home to escape reality. You liked your friends, loved them even, but you had never been good at feigning happiness or the want to go out all the time. Solitude had always been you preferred escape. Being around large crowds and being social for so long could be draining. Even more so when you weren’t feeling well…

By the time dinner started, you had all but decided to decline their offer to hang out. Normally you would have said yes without thinking, but today was just not a good day. Kiri was carefully eyeing you from across the group. But meeting her eyes turned out to be an almost impossible task as she sat next to Neteyam. He was watching you too, his golden orbs flicking between you and his dinner.

Squaring your shoulders, you turned to your parents, trying to keep up with and engage with their conversation. But all you really wanted to do was run away to the safety of your marui. Your father was saying something about fishing, about how the fish had started to migrate. You listened to him babble on without much interest.

When the clan started to disperse, Kiri gave you a hopeful smile. But all you could do was to shake your head slightly and follow your parents towards your home. She gave you a nod in return before following her own family.

But when you reached your family’s marui, you instinctively stopped. “Are you not coming, paskalin?” your mother asked, a crease in her forehead. Of course, they had noticed your behavior. And you had told them in broad strokes what was going on. Told your mother, at least. But you hadn’t told them that it was Neteyam you were crying over. If your parents knew, then it was only a matter of time before Jake and Neytiri knew. And then Neteyam would know and that would be a disaster. The looks of pity, or worse disgust, when he would have to reject you were not something you wanted to experience.

“I will soon” you promised. “I just want to go for a quick walk.”

Your mother nodded and followed your father inside. Turning around, you walked away from the pods towards a quieter part of the village. Birds were singing in the trees when you arrived. The wind breezed through the trees. It was so peaceful, and helped to clear your spiraling mind.

But the peace and quiet didn’t last for long. A group of young men busted through the clearing, talking loudly, laughing, slapping each other on the backs. You recognized most of them as young warriors around your age. They hadn’t noticed you standing under a tree, too preoccupied with their conversation. A small smile played on your lips as you watched them. You wanted to have fun like that, if you could just get out of your own stupid head…

Though the smile vanished when you saw the object of your distress laughing among the men. Your heart constricted when Neteyam noticed you, his laugh faltering slightly. You turned your head away, blinking furiously to not let any emotion escape. His friend whispered something to him, but he just gave them a smile, clapping him on the back.

The group walked ahead, but Neteyam stayed behind, approaching you with a small smile. “Hey” he said, reaching out a hand to touch your shoulder. His touch was all warm, calming the storm inside you. Despite knowing better, you leaned into the touch and suddenly, his arms were around you. The hug was everything you needed, calming every nervous thought inside your head. The voice telling you to back off only got quieter and quieter. How was it possible that he could cause you so much turmoil and calmness at the same time?

“What was that for?” you asked quietly when he stepped back.

Neteyam shrugged. “You haven’t been yourself lately, and you looked really sad so I thought you could use a hug…”

“I haven’t been myself?” you questioned, looking down at your feet as you crossed your arms. The pity in his voice was maddening. You hated being pitied.

“Not really, no.” His voice sounded more nervous now. “You’re usually so happy. Did something happen?”

“No.” You cleared your throat. A clear lie, but he couldn’t know that. “Nothing’s happened.”

He sighed, placing his hand on your shoulder. His hand slowly travelled up your shoulder to the base of your neck, leaving a trail of fire. “I have to meet the guys, but I was hoping we could have a moment to talk soon.”

Your eyes carefully met his. He looked so hopeful it almost made you want to hope. “Talk about what?” you asked carefully.

He took a small step closer you, forcing you to crane your neck to keep looking at him. The air suddenly seemed thick, your breathing deepening. “About everything that’s going on. My parents are practically nagging me with a new name every day…”

Suddenly, your sadness turned to anger. Did he really consider this such an issue? Having women throw themselves at his feet? Having the entire clan gossiping about the fact that the son of the olo’eyktan was ready for a mate? Oh, all the gossip you had heard both inside the healer’s tent and outside. The warrior talking about how women constantly approached Neteyam, young women talking about how they had begged their parents to be able to put themselves forward as a match. That last one really made you scoff. As if anyone had the right to decide whether or not their daughter could court or not.

No. No, you would not be his shoulder to cry on. Not like this. “Is it really that hard to have women throwing themselves at you?”

Neteyam seemed taken aback by your new, suddenly harsh tone. He took his hand off your shoulder. “It is when there’s only one I’m interested in and she doesn’t notice.”

You scoffed. “So why are you talking to me instead of her?” You started to walk backwards. “I promise you, Neteyam, I’m fine. Nothing’s happened to me. You have your friends to meet up with, and I have mine. I’m supposed to meet Kiri and the others. And I encourage you to find the woman of your desires and let her know you how you feel.”

“You know, I might just do that” Neteyam called after you as you walked away, a slight edge to his voice.

No more of this. No more of this self-pitying, self-consciousness and moping about. You were going to meet your friends and have a damn good time!

XXX

Neteyam had been so confused these past few weeks. It had been three weeks since his parents first brought up the prospect of him finding a mate. When they first did, his thoughts had immediately travelled to you. How could they not? You were everything, and he was like an insect drawn to your light. You were so kind and attentive, so beautiful with your braided hair, your tall body with voluptuous hips and breasts that were covered with the most intricate pieces of clothing. He sometimes felt a bit guilty for thinking of his sister’s best friend in that way. But the mind had a mind of its own, especially when in love.

He would have fallen for you regardless, but your closeness to Kiri definitely helped. Growing up together, he quickly learned how dedicated you were to your healing skills, and interest in medicine. How kind you were to others, even when the large crowds in the healing tent visibly exhausted you. He loved how you put so much care and effort into everything you did.

When Jake and Neytiri had brought up a mate, he had told them that he understood that the time had come but that he wanted to do the searching himself, and not have people pressure him or any clan member into any rash decisions. Of course, that hadn’t stopped them from bringing up a new girl every day, hoping Neteyam would catch an interest. But he had no interest in them, only you.

And it hurt that every time he had tried to approach you, you had pulled away, suddenly busy with anything other than him.

You had told him that whoever he chose would surely make a great tsahík. You would make a great tsahík. You had everything required. The only thing missing was a belief in yourself and your connection to Eywa. One time, years ago, you had said that you felt like your connection to the great mother was lackluster. Neteyam couldn’t believe that even if he wanted to. Someone with your connection to the earth had to have a deep connection to Eywa. How else would you know so intuitively how to turn plants into medicine and always knew what to do for the people unless Eywa guided your hand. You only needed some guidance to learn how to interpret the signs.

He knew you liked him, but did you like him? The signs had been so mixed over the years. Sometimes you treated him like one in the group, a friend like any other. And then there was that day in the tent when Neteyam could swear the tension between you was electric. There had been several of those over the years, coming closer and closer together. Like that one time he had danced with you at the night of his friend’s wedding ceremony. Your movement had been flawless, for once so carefree. You had both been a bit drunk, dancing so close, smiling, twirling. He had felt brave then, letting his hands roam up and down your waist. Just when he was about to kiss you, you had excused yourself and then he hadn’t seen you for two days.

After you ran away angrily today, he had no choice but to follow his friends. It was what he had intended to do anyways, but maybe not with such a knot in his stomach. For weeks he had been trying to get a minute alone with you to finally find the courage to express his feelings, but you had avoided him as if he was riddled with disease. It’s not like he expected you to put yourself forward in a desperate manner he had witnessed from others, but a part of him had hoped for some kind of hint. Maybe you staying away was his hint. But if you truly did not feel anything for him, then why would you react with such anger and clear jealousy?

He should just ask you… Then he would get a true answer. He just hoped things would not get too weird if you rejected him… You had told him to find the one he wanted and show her, so he would show you.

He spent some time with the warriors, goofing around, competing at archery, talking shit. It was nice to have some time off from his duties, time to feel like a normal young adult. Usually, Lo’ak was the one who always got to have fun. Of course, the topic of his coming courtship came up. The guys loved talking about how Neteyam would leave a string of broken hearts behind him for them to heal. He couldn’t help but cringe at that. He didn’t really want them to take advantage of their disappointment.

He had already had to reject a couple of offers put forward by either the women themselves or by their parents. Their clear disappointment always stung, and he felt like a jerk. But he also couldn’t lie to himself and commit to anyone before knowing how you felt about him.

On his way back, he was met with a sight that was equally funny and exasperating. Lo’ak, Kiri, Spider standing by the riverside, covered from head to toe in mud.

“What have you guys been up to?” he asked, eyeing his siblings and friend up and down as they washed themselves somewhat clean.

“We were climbing and we all slipped on some mud” Kiri explained calmly, helping Spider to scrub some dirt from his locs.

“Bro, it was epic you should have seen it!” Lo’ak laughed. “Emmy fell first head on and we all thought she hurt herself but she did this crazy flip to catch herself and fell in the mud!”

Neteyam could feel his stomach constrict in worry. She wasn’t here with the rest of them! What if she did hurt herself? But before he could ask, Spider opened his mouth. “Kiri and I dove after her but by the time we made it down, she was just sitting in the mud laughing so hard and we all just kind of got into a mud fight.”

This didn’t really help his beating heart calm down. Where was she? “So why isn’t she with you guys?” Neteyam asked urgently, his eyes flitting between the others.

“Relax, bro” Lo’ak rolled his eyes in a way that made Neteyam want to strangle him just a little bit.

“She’s upstream” Kiri explained, pointing towards a cluster of trees. “She kinda got the worst of the mud so we gave her some privacy to clean up.” Without answering, Neteyam started to march towards where Kiri pointed. “Hey! Privacy applies to you to, Neteyam!”

Ignoring his sister partially, Neteyam moved on. Yes, privacy applied to him in the sense that he couldn’t just barge in on you if you were in some state of undress, but he also didn’t trust Lo’ak to judge whether you were injured in some way.

“Emreyìte?” he called, but no answer came. So he walked a bit more, looking for you in the distance.

Just when he was considering diving into the water to look for you, he spotted something cruising on the surface. There you were, floating in the water, ears below the surface, smiling a bit to yourself, eyes closed. It was the happiest he had seen you for weeks, well since he told you about his parents’ wishes. The fact that you had been sulking since then gave him some twisted sense of hope. But it wasn’t the smile on your face that made him blush. It was the sight of your breasts bobbing in the water. Your chest covering was nowhere to be found. When your arms moved in the water, it created ripples that caused your breasts to move with the current. Your nipples were pebbled in the cool night air, your tanhì glowing in intricate patterns. Beautiful, you were absolutely beautiful. Your words from earlier came flooding back, and he should look away, but Neteyam found himself unable to.

A twig snapped beneath his feet and your head immediately turned towards the sound. A shriek escaped your mouth at the sight of him.

“Neteyam?” you questioned, immediately sinking deeper into the water, covering yourself with your arms. “What are you doing here?”

It took a few seconds before Neteyam even realized you were talking to him, his mind too busy conjuring images of what he could do to let you know how he felt like you suggested. “Shit” he cursed, turning around to give you some sense of privacy. “I’m sorry! I just wanted to check on you, I head you fell down a cliff.”

You snorted behind him. “That’s the overstatement of the year. I’m fine, just filthy.” There was an edge to your voice that he didn’t like. Although, he couldn’t really blame you for being annoyed with him, he did just walk in on you bathing. But the edge in your voice also did other things to him. It was wrong, but his loincloth was getting tighter and tighter when all he could do imagining bending you over a rock, wanting to watch the water droplets run down your plush ass before burying himself in you completely. Again, it took him a second to realize that you were speaking. “My chest covering is lying by the grass, could you grab it for me? I think it’s too ruined to wear again but I need something on the way home.”

Careful to not look at you without permission, he fetched the covering, handing it over without looking. He could hear you emerging from the water. You mumbled a thanks, taking it from him.

“Are you sure that you’re not hurt?” Neteyam asked. When it came to you, he would never stop worrying. He could feel his heart beating in his chest, but whether it was from your half-naked proximity or him worrying about your wellbeing, he wasn’t sure.

“Yes” you sighed. “Don’t worry about me, it was a short fall.” The rustle of you putting your piece of clothing continued for a few seconds before he felt your hand on his shoulder. “You can turn around now.” Your touch was warm, and he wanted more, so much more. When he turned around, he couldn’t even be bothered to hide his erection. There wouldn’t really be anywhere to hide it, anyways. Instead, he took a small, tentative step forward, taking one of your braids between his fingers, enjoying the silky feeling. “I know they’re still dirty…”

“No” Neteyam whispered, his throat dry, voice thick with desire. Seeing you like this, wet, glowing tanhì, a sweet blush spreading across your cheeks, seemed to have destroyed the last of his willpower. “They’re beautiful. You’re so beautiful.”

His hand moved from your braid to your jaw, cupping it. He looked into your eyes, finding a mix of emotions there. Nervousness, anticipation, but most of all longing. So much longing. His eyes flitted between your eyes and lips. Slowly, he leaned in. It felt like eternity, but when your lips eventually touched, a dam broke.

His arms were around you in an instant, your hands sinking into the hair at the nape of his neck. The water droplets on your body were cold, but your body was scorching as it pressed against his. His erection pressed into your stomach, creating a delicious friction that made him groan into the kiss. His lips moved over yours, possessive and demanding. You whimpered into the kiss, pulling him closer. Neteyam’s tongue ran over your bottom lip, and you immediately allowed him entrance. He had been with other women in the clan, but none that made him feel this electric.

Your tongues battled for dominance before Neteyam detached himself from you. He relished in your disappointed groan that turned into a moan when he started trailing kisses down your jaw and neck. Every inch of your skin would be covered in his kisses. Your skin was just as soft as he remembered from all the stolen touches over the years.

His hands roamed from your back, up your waist to grasp at your breast through the soiled covering. He could already feel your nipple hardening under his touch, making him bite down on your skin, eliciting a loud whimper from you.

“If this is already ruined” Neteyam started, running his finger over the cloth, straight over your nipple. “Are you still very fond of it?”

“Not really” you answered, a slight furrow between your brows.

“Good” Neteyam answered, grasping at the fabric and ripping it like it was nothing. Your audible gasp was swallowed by his mouth as he latched onto you, using the opportunity to plunge his tongue into your mouth. Your muffled gasp turned into a moan as he played with your nipples, rolling it between his finger.

Eywa, he was rock hard, pushing up against you stomach. He needed everything you’d give him. Years of yearning and fantasizing made him feel reckless, even more so at the realization that you, the real you, couldn’t even compare to his fantasies.

Taking hold of your waist, Neteyam backed up against a nearby tree, sitting down and pulling you into his lap. This was better, this was so much better! Your entire weight resting on his dick, you squirming for friction, whimpering with each movement of your hips. He couldn’t help but lick a stripe up your breast. Judging by your reaction, it was his best idea yet. So, he continued, alternating between licking, sucking and nipping with some expertise. He had been with other women, but none better with you, they couldn’t even compare. He was only grateful for the experience now, so he knew how to please you now. Of course everyone was different, but at least he had a baseline to work off of and adjust by your reactions.

Your mouth had moved from his, pressing kisses to his cheek, jaw and down the column of his neck. Hesitant at first, but then more assertive, bolder. Your tongue licked at his pulse point, making him crane his neck with a groan, giving you better access. Your hands played with his braids for a moment before trailing over his shoulders and upper back. You exploring his body and surely sucking a hickey onto his neck was how he wanted to spend the rest of his life. Or maybe inside you. Yeah, definitely inside you, but he wouldn’t pressure you for that right now.

Instead, he trailed his finger along the hem of your loincloth. Your mouth broke from his neck, looking into his eyes. Fuck you were so beautiful, swollen lips, blown pupils, glowing tanhì, small water droplets decorating your skin. An inch of his finger travelled inside your loincloth, but he stopped there, searching your eyes for consent.

When you nodded with a small smile, he swiftly untied your loincloth, slipping his fingers inside. Warm, wet heat engulfed his fingers instantly, you were absolutely drenched. “Fuck, this all for me?” he breathed, dragging his finger up your slit.

A shiver coarsed through you as you nodded eagerly. Neteyam smirked at your reaction, his finger stopping to circle your clit. As he massaged the small button, your moans grew louder. Sure, the stream offered some soundproofing, but there was no way the other wouldn’t be able to hear the obvious sounds of pleasure coming from you.

“Shh…” Neteyam cooed, burying his nose between your breasts. “We don’t want the others to hear.”

You jerked your head, nodding, throwing your head back in quiet ecstasy. Neteyam pressed kisses all over your breasts as his fingers dipped lower, seeking more of your glorious heat. Gently, he pressed a finger inside you and his entire body shivered with arousal. So warm, so wet, your deep breaths and whimpers filling his ear, your sweet, earthy scent invading his senses. This was heaven, he was sure, there was nothing better than this. He had been drawn to you like a magnet most of his life, and there was no way he was ever going to let you go now.

He moved his finger in and out of you, pressing against that sweet spongy spot. Your hips jerked in rhythm with his hand, seeking the friction with desperation. His mouth sought yours, drowning your moans with his kisses. Your hands clawed at his shoulders, pressing as close to his body as possible. The palm of his hand pressed against your clit, making you cry out. He pressed his mouth against yours even harder, pressing his tongue into your mouth. You were close, he could feel it in the way you clamped down on him. He angled his hand against you just a little to reach better, and your body shivered.

“That’s it, syulang” Neteyam murmured against your mouth, feeling you pulse. “Come for me!”

He could feel you tumble over the edge, contracting around his finger, body shaking, cries swallowed by his mouth. You were so warm against him, pressing down on his erection. Warm liquid gushed from you, coating his hand. So perfect, you were so perfect! You looked at him with such warm softness it made his insides melt. This was how he always wanted to spend his time, coaxing your pleasure, being on the receiving end of your warm gaze.

When the aftershocks wore off, your hand carefully reached for his groin, but before you could reach, he put his hand over yours to stop the movement. “Not now, syulang” he whispered, pressing a kiss to your nose. “The others will wonder where we are…”

“Are you sure?” you asked, pressing your forehead against his.

Neteyam couldn’t help but smile at you, always so caring, even if you didn’t realize it. “I’m sure.” He gently pushed at your hip. “Come on, let’s go.”

XXX

Being the skilled crafter that you were, you quickly used some vine to make the destroyed chest covering appear whole enough for you to sneak past the others, fighting the blush spreading across your face and neck. Kiri’s eyes followed you like a bird of prey. Lo’ak and Spider seemed clueless like always.

You barely slept that night, your mind going over every small detail of what happened. It was a bit confusing going from feeling so sad about Neteyam to feeling on cloud nine. He had been so attentive, so caring, making you orgasm with such expertise. A part of you felt elated, like you finally had confirmation of everything you had always hoped he’d feel for you. But the louder part of your brain advised caution. Before you let your heart do a 180, you had to speak to him, first thing in the morning.

So, you tossed and turned a little bit more before swinging your legs off the hammock at first light. The village had barely come to life yet, buy you knew Neteyam would be awake. He was always the first one to awake.

The thoughts swirled in your head. What did he think of this entire thing? Was this a confirmation of his feelings, or were you just one more of the women he’d spent time with over the years to find some stress relief?

Thankfully, you reached the Sully’s marui before you could overthink again. Voices could be heard from the inside and you immediately recognized one of them as Neytiri.

“Nulan is an excellent hunter and has a fine relationship with Eywa” Neytiri said, and you could hear the smile in her voice.

“She’s a good choice, son” Jake said from behind the tent flap.

Suddenly it felt like someone had filled your entire body with rocks and lava. Everything felt so heavy, so painful, betrayal seeping through your entire system. What the fuck?

[kitpool]

Light fury version in Na'vi [the idea supposedly appeared in my head out of nowhere]

Her name is Lumenia.

The last drawing on the side is Neteyam himself and the definition of his normal size.

[shu-box-puns]

Shell-Shocked

(Neteyam x Reader)

Previous Chapter <- Epilogue

If you prefer to read on Ao3, you can find the fic here!

Summary: Find us in the future.

Word Count: 3,649

Metkayina Reader uses they/them pronouns.

Initially, you had hoped that when the pink inevitably faded from your life, it wouldn’t hit you as hard because you had chosen to discard it before it could do so.

In hindsight, the plan had been a stupid one, because you hadn’t really known Neteyam Sully. You had assumed your advances would never be reciprocated and had instead withdrawn to protect yourself. Which just showed that although you'd taken the time to know him as an individual - and had found that he was fun and quick with retorts - it didn’t really prove that you knew him. 

You wouldn’t have gotten a chance to really. Not before the shells. Not before everything happened.

But now, you had unwillingly begun to learn his tells and preferences whilst helping him recover. 

In truth, you hadn’t realised you were doing it. Not until you’d realised you could decipher his displeasure from a simple twitch of his nose, particularly when it came time to take his medicine. And although he pulled on his politest and most convincing smile, you could still tell. 

And again, when you could tell he was excited, simply by the aborted flick of his right ear because he was focusing too hard on suppressing the tug of a smile at his lips to realise he was doing it. 

And again, when you could tell he was trying to suppress his wince as you changed his bandages, because of the way his tail would slap against the floor once, before he subtly pressed a hand down over it to keep it from jumping. 

You now knew - unwillingly - how he preferred his ilu saddle to be stored after being firmly told off when you’d done so incorrectly the first time. You now knew the name of his ikran (you’d had to feed her), as well as the exact year he’d crafted his first bow, and that it had been wood scavenged from his clan’s first HomeTree. You now knew that he preferred to sleep closest to the hut opening when sharing a hammock, and that Tuk often went to him instead of his parents when she had a nightmare. 

You now knew how easy it was to get him to smile. You knew when to hug him and when to back off because he was brooding. You knew that he preferred iridescent sea snails to the blue ones because he found them ‘sweeter’. You knew that he missed home, but had found a home beside the sea. You knew that he was brave, and reckless - although he hid it better than Lo’ak. 

You also knew the face he pulled when he was trying not to cry. An expression similar to your own, as the pair of you packed up his hammock in preparation for the move. 

In the end, despite their best efforts, the Sully children had been fruitless in changing their parents’ minds. And as Jake had warned, they made good on their promise to leave as soon as Neteyam was strong enough. 

Which led you to now, dutifully helping Neteyam pack his few belongings away in a sturdy pack, hours away from losing him for good. Which meant you were merely a few hours away from discovering just how badly it would hurt to have the pink shells disappearing too.

Beyond the empty hut, the air was thick with condensation and humidity as a storm rolled in from the sea. Overhead, thick, darkly bruised clouds shrouded the skies, forcing the villagers to light the torches before noon - not that they remained lit for long with the unforgiving winds. 

At dawn, the Sullys’ ikran had already landed on the beach with Jake to greet them. Throughout the day, the mounts had been tacked up and loaded with bags. Only Neteyam and Kiri still had things strewn around the hut. The former, because he’d been too weak to do it on his own, and the latter, in silent rebellion against her parents. It had taken Neytiri threatening to leave it all behind and only take Kiri, for the girl to finally begin packing. 

It took great effort to keep your body language loose and pleasant as you worked alongside Neteyam, listening to Kiri muttering to herself in the corner. When you weren’t actively thinking of them, your ears kept drooping down, forcing you to focus on both your hands and microexpressions.

Across from you, gingerly rolling up his hammock, Neteyam wasn’t looking as well put together. His expression was resigned, his eyes foggy with unshed moisture he couldn’t hope to blink away, unless he wanted it to roll down his cheeks. His bandages were off, the scar tissue beneath still angry and raw, looking much better than it had before.

<”It won’t be forever.”> Neteyam finally said, abruptly startling you out of your head. You inhaled shakily and sat back on your hunches as you looked up at him, your eyes greedily absorbing every detail of him whilst you still could. He looked gorgeous, his freckles glowing softly in the dim light, a couple braids pulled over one shoulder. <”I’ll come back.”> He promised, trying for a smile. His courting necklace bobbed as he tightly swallowed. 

You struggled to make your smile reassuring. You both knew there was a chance he wouldn’t, although neither of you acknowledged it. <Only when it’s safe.”> You said firmly, leaving no room for argument, and ensuring to use ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. <”I don’t want you travelling back here if you’re just going to get shot again.”> He winced around a sad smile. <”Okay.”> <”Promise?”>

Neteyam shook his head, but he was smiling the way he usually does when he thought you’re being overly cautious. <”Promise.”> Something in your chest loosened. <”Okay. I’ll be waiting.”>

His tail dropped from its tense coil at your quiet promise. <”You will?”> 

<”Of course I will.”> And you would. Even if he never came back. Even if he returned to the forest and ignored the shells to find a mate amongst his old People. Even if he returned but had changed his mind. You would wait, because you were fairly certain Neteyam was it for you. That Eywa had promised correctly when she’d sent that first, significant shell during that very first swimming lesson.

Neteyam was across the pod and dragging you into his arms before you could even register he’d moved. Over his shoulder, you briefly registered Kiri slipping out of the pod with her arms weighed down with bags, but you discarded the observation as quickly as it came. Neteyam had tucked his head down beneath your chin and was holding onto you tightly. Remembering you had arms, you wrapped them around him and held on, your cheek squished into his braids as you blinked back tears.

There were no more words of comfort to offer, so all you could do was stare blankly at the wall whilst Neteyam shook in your arms. Absently, you carded a hand through his braids, feeling his tense body loosen under your repetitive touch.

By the time Jake appeared in the doorway, uttering sadly that it was time to go, Neteyam had gone almost completely boneless in your hold.

From there, it only took minutes to take everything down to the beach between the three of you. The other kids were already readying their ikran, ears lowered and expressions grim as Neytiri tried to urge them along with soft words. 

A few members of the clan watched the sad procession, but mostly, the people were continuing on with their chores. Tonowari stood silently at the head of the sandbank, a stark contrast to the day the Sullys had first arrived.

All too soon, there was nothing left to do, and Neteyam had tied down the last of his belongings. Not too far from where you stood, you could already hear Tsireya sniffling, whilst Lo’ak quietly calmed her, his voice struggling to come out as reassuring. 

With a sigh, Neteyam turned to you, his expression as blank as your own. You stared right back as his wet eyes met yours. His golden eyes briefly flickered across your face, committing the sight of you to memory as his lower lip quivered. You smiled tightly, raising a hand in silent question. 

His composure threatened to break as he hugged you again. Wrapping you up so tightly that even his tail joined in. You clung back just as fiercely, hating that now that you finally had this, it was being taken away from you. Hating that you wasted those early months being childish instead of communicating. Hating the humans for having the audacity to set foot on Pandora, before being grateful they did or you would’ve never met him in the first place. Hating that there just wasn’t enough time for everything you wanted to say and do. 

<”Kids.”> Jake prompted, which was enough for Neteyam’s hold to loosen on you. Gently, he set you back down, before pulling back. Reluctantly, you let him go, unsure whether the wetness on your cheeks were tears or the rain that had begun to fall. 

<”I’ll see you.”> <”Yeah.”> He offered half-heartedly, <”I’ll see you.”>

Within hours of the ikran disappearing over the horizon, the pink shells disappeared from your life. 

>_<

In those first few days after they had left, you’d foolishly tricked yourself into believing they would return in no time. That if you kept yourself busy, Neteyam would come strutting back into your life like he never left. That he would appear out of nowhere, and declare how much he missed you, before sweeping you up into another hug. 

But of course, that didn’t happen. And couldn’t happen until the Sky People had retreated. No news came from the forest clans after the Sky People moved away from the seas, focusing their hunt inland. But no news was good news, you tried to convince yourself and instead buried yourself in clan life.

Years passed. 

You passed your iknimaya and made a name for yourself amongst the hunters, earning your first tattoos. Closely followed by Aonung and Tsireya when they were ready. You grew into an adult, weathered by time but strong and reliable. A formidable foe should the Sky People return their attention to the sea clans.

In the meantime, Tonowari retired from his position as Olo’eyktan, allowing Aonung to step up despite not having found his own fated yet. Whilst Ronal remained Tsahik in the meantime.

Tsireya became a well respected healer, under her mother’s watch, but never quite lost that longing look in her eye. A look you knew was evident in your own gaze if you stayed still for too long.

You filled your time between patrols with teaching the younger kids how to swim and connect to their ilus. It was long tedious hours and hard work, but it kept you occupied. Not to mention, the children were more unpredictable than the open, empty oceans you ventured into during your patrols. 

<”Almost Otok,”> you repeated for the fourth time that afternoon, the sun hot and unforgiving against your back as you readjusted the boy’s grasp on his ilu harness. <”But remember, you have to go with her, not against her.”>

Ever the good student, Otok nodded that he understood as he had the last time, so you stepped back and watched him urge the ilu on. And as before, the pair dove, only for Otok to lose his grip and for his mount to continue swimming away. You sighed quietly to yourself, already wading towards where the kid was kicking to the surface.

<”Very good.”> You encouraged, allowing him to grab onto your arm whilst he flicked his braids out of his face. <”You stayed on for much longer that time.”> He hadn’t, but you’d learnt that the younger kids responded to encouragement better than criticism.

Otok grinned up at you, all big fangs in his too small mouth. You smiled back. <”Go on, call her back.”> He let go of you to call for his ilu, before you moved onto the next kid. 

That was when your eyes fell on it. Caught in the gentle current of a nearby swell. 

A single, pink shell.  

You felt your mouth unlatch at the sight of it. At how brightly pink it was. Where the ones in your childhood had been varying shades of pastel pink, this one was boldly, unapologetically pink. 

You were lunging for it before you could properly think. Your fingers greedily snatching up from the waves before bringing it up to eye level. It was as gorgeous as all the others had been. 

Overhead, twin ikran calls startled you and your students. Your head snapped skywards just in time to watch the two beasts pass overhead on their way to the village. 

Your brow furrowed at the sight. How strange. Only the forest clans were brave enough to tame the ikran, and no forest na’vi came this far out to sea, not since…

Your heart was in your throat as you watched the ikran circle. One a deep blue, the other a familiar light teal. You could not recognise the riders aboard from this distance, but there was no mistaking Lo’ak’s joyous whoop as he mount circled before smoothly landing on the same sandbank the Sully’s had all those years ago. 

Hope flared violently to life in your chest. Enough so that you almost abandoned your class without ending the lesson.

<”Class dismissed.”> You quickly barked, to the bewildered expressions of your students, whilst hastily shoving the shell into the pouch at your hip for safe keeping. <”I will see you all tomorrow.”> 

The kids glanced at one another before the older ones shrugged and began guiding their ilus in the direction of the ikran. Curious, the younger ones followed their lead. 

Your heart was pounding as you yipped for your tsurak who had been circling nearby, as he often did whilst you taught. He had barely slowed at your side before you were clambering on and urging him forward. With powerful beats of his tail, the great beast leapt from the waves, soaring over the heads of your students and continuing on. <”CHEATER!”> Some of them yelled at your back, to which you turned in the saddle and called them all a pack of sea slugs. Their laughter was quickly drowned out by the sounds of the gathering crowd.

Aonung was already greeting the visitors by the time your tsurak slowed in the water. Dressed in his Olo’eyktan attire, he clasped forearms with an older Lo’ak whilst Ronal waited off to the side. 

The younger Sully son had finally grown into his long limbs. WIth waist length braids pulled back into a neat ponytail and a gorgeous blue cummerbund wrapped around his torso, marking his entrance into adulthood. After an exchange of biting greetings, the pair parted, and Lo’ak stepped aside to greet Ronal, whilst Aonung turned his attention to Neteyam.

You sat high in the saddle, obscured by the crowd as your fated stepped forth to greet the new Olo’eyktan. Even with his back to you, you knew he was smiling. He was all broad back muscles now, and tall, almost taller than Aonung who rivalled Tonowari in height since his last growth spurt. You saw the power in him as he firmly clasped forearms with Aonung, his resulting laugh ringing out across the bay, causing something raw and homesick to awaken in your chest. 

You wanted to go to him. Your hand subconsciously fiddling with your worn courting gift still secured at your throat, but something held you back. Something like fear kept you crouched in the saddle upon your tsurak, hidden by the gathering crowd with the water lightly lapping at your toes.

Had you changed too much since he’d last seen you? Would he even recognise you? You’d grown into yourself, sure. You had several tattoos now, marks you were proud of. Marks that symbolised your victories, as well as your failures. Were they impressive enough? Would he be proud? Or would he recognise you and have to force himself to keep smiling?

A joyous screech startled you into looking back to the sandbar. Tsireya had broken through the crowd, her cheeks glistening with tears as she raced across the sand towards Lo’ak, who’s ears wiggled in excitement. His arms swept wide as Tsireya threw herself at him. The young man barely managed to stay on his feet as his arms grasped her thighs and her arms locked around his neck. They laughed together as they swayed, Tsireya only pulling back enough to pepper his brow with relieved kisses.

<”Come on!”> One of your students complained, suddenly appearing at your side with an impatient tug on your tail, startling your attention away from the pair. 

The rest of the class were close to catching up, whilst the older ones tried and failed to drag you towards the sandbar. The quiet ones went no closer than where your tsurak drifted, but you could tell from their curious glances that they were just waiting for your go ahead to show that the visitors were safe to approach. 

Inhaling a calming breath, you patted your tsurak and dismounted. The kids were quick to fall into step as you waded towards the sandbar. Someone grabbed onto the end of your tail as a younger Tsireya had whilst wandering the village, whilst another grabbed for your fingers, causing you to smile as they squeezed lightly. Your class remained close to your side until you set foot on dry sand, which prompted them to disburse in search of their parents and family members, leaving you to watch Neteyam from the safety of the crowd.

It hurts to see him after so many years. To have him standing so close but so out of reach. 

The bullet scar adorning his chest had faded with time. Blending in better with the rest of his complexion, but you knew where to look for it. A blatant reminder of the warnings you had failed to correctly interpret. 

A hand unexpectedly grabbed your forearm, dragging you out of your mind. Your gaze snapped down, finding Tsireya grinning back at you. Your eyes narrow as her grin turned into a mischievous smirk. Over her shoulder, you could see Lo’ak shaking his head, whereas Neteyam had his back to you, his head on a swivel as he scanned the crowd.

<”Don’t-”> 

She yanked you from the depths of the crowd before the threat could fall from your tongue. The People parted for you easily. Those you had grown up with, and remembered what had happened, gave you reassuring pats on the shoulders. Whereas a few shoved at you, yelling inaudibly about courage. 

You tripped and staggered your way to the front. Eyes wide in bewilderment as Tireya kept a firm grip on you. Her smirk turned into bright laughter as her grip alone kept you moving. Kept you from turning tail in shame and diving back into the sea.  

Then she let go, and retreated back to Lo’ak who welcomed her back with soft eyes and open arms.

Leaving you to stand alone in the middle of the sandbar, feeling stupidly exposed and small. Left to gawk at Neteyam like some lovesick fool. 

There was no false bravado to hide behind this time. No resting bitch face that could suppress the look of awe on your open features. No lesson to teach, in which to distract yourself or turn the attention off of you. 

There was just Neteyam. 

Gorgeous, kind Neteyam, who’s eyes had blown wide at the sight of you and your sudden appearance. Whose tail had pricked in interest. His ears fanned wide, and his hands half raised as if unsure whether he was allowed to reach for you. 

He still wore the necklace, you abruptly realised. It jumped and wiggled against his throat as he swallowed dryly. More worn and badly woven than you remembered, but undoubtedly there. Still there where he had put it all those years ago. 

Rolling his eyes, Lo’ak shoved at his brother’s shoulder.

Neteyam visibly collected himself and took a step forward. Then another.

His surprise melted away and it was as if the tension shattered. You caught a glimpse of that bright smile aimed your way and feeling finally returned to your legs.

Your tail was wagging, ears pricking comically as you took off at a dead sprint along the sandbar. The People cheered, your friends throwing in their own two cents as you kicked up sand. 

Neteyam laughed at your eagerness. Arms sweeping wide as you closed in. He started speaking, probably some cheesy line about not seeing you in years, but it was too late to slow down. In a painful clash of jewellery and bones, you knocked him straight off his feet.

He landed hard on his back, the wind getting punched out of him as his head hit the sand. You landed gracelessly on his chest, arms slamming into the sand on either side of his head. Neteyam stared up at you in awe, whilst your cheeks heated.

<”Told you I’d come back.”> He murmured, his hand rising to cup your cheeks, before he promptly dragged you down and onto him. Without warning, he was peppering kisses all over your face, against each of your glowing freckles, up the slope of your nose and then back down your temple. You wiggled and squirmed, everything else melting away as you basked in his attention, in the weight of him under you. 

You knew your ears were wiggling uncontrollably under his attention, that your tail was wagging and you were probably purring loudly enough for everyone to hear, but you couldn’t find it in you to give a shit. He was back. He had come back. Just like he promised. 

~ Fin ~

Previous Chapter <- Epilogue

[stubz]

Tuk didn't like this. She didn't like having to carry the tank and mask, didn't like being on the ship, and certainly didn't like this coal-ition.

But they could help Mom and Dad get rid of the RDA and they were healing Neteyam so she was trying not to whine. Well not too much.

It made her feel a little better that Loak and Kiri didn't like this place either. Spider was still deciding.

Right now they on a tour of the ship, their guide looked like a fluffy Prolemuris, or as Dad called them, a monkey. It was boring.

Only the others found it cool and that's cause Spider can breathe and all the new creatures they saw and the science thingy's.

So when Tuk heard the sound of kids laughing around the corner she followed it.

Down a large hallway she saw a giant door with a huge sign that said something care something. She wasn't really paying attention when Dad and uncle Norm tried teaching her how to read.

Looking back and seeing that the others were too busy to stop her she walked in.

Inside was a giant room filled with kids, tables, stuff, more stuff and toys.

"Hi, are you new here?" she looked down and saw another creature that looked like their guide, a tiny fluffy monkey thing.

"Uhh yeah. What is this place?"

"This is the youngling centre. It's where we stay until our parents can take us home. I'm Marl."

"Tuk."

"...what are you?"

"Huh?"

"What are you? I've never seen anyone so tall, or blue."

"Uh a Na'vi. ..what are you?"

"I'm a Ursa." for a moment they stared at each other. As most children do when seeing something/someone new.

"Put your foot in for freeze tag!"

"Ooo freeze tag! Come on lets go play!"

"What's freeze tag?"

"It's a new game we just learned. Its easy." The little Ursa grabbed Tuk's tail using it as a leash to pull her along.

.

Freeze tag was Tuk's new favorite game. She loved running and there was lots of running and even if she got caught she could get out if someone unfreezed her.

The books were also fun. Marl read to her and let her hold the book. She liked the one's by Robert Munch, she also liked his funny name.

There were lots of other things to do too. There was a climbing area with fake tree tops and lots of ropes to swing on. In the back there was a shallow pool to swim in, it was fun but she didn't like having to dry off with the scratchy towels.

There were was blocks that stuck together which made building easier. Tons of markers, crayons, and paint that was hard to get back at home. They even got lunch.

"Okay kids you know the rules, grab a plate a drink and find a spot to sit."

"Teacher Max we need a chair for Tuk!"

"One chair coming right up...wait who?"

"Tuk. She's new."

It was at this moment Tuk realized she hadn't noticed the two adults in charge here. And it was at this moment that said adults realized they had one more child than usual.

"Oh hey, nice to meet you. Tuk was it," she nodded. "I'm Max and that's Kim. We're the teachers here."

Of all the new creatures and beings Tuk's seen so far it was only now that she was nervous. Humans had that effect on her. Not all humans, Spider definitely never made her nervous, but new ones did.

She knew her Dad used to be one, loved and liked uncle Norm and all the human scientists her family knew. But ever since what happened to Neteyam and their home, both the old one and new one, she was a little nervous.

"Do you like it here so far?" Luckily for her Max had noticed her nerves and knelt down to give her the advantage of height and to look her in the eyes.

She nodded.

"Well that's good. What do you like so far?"

"...the games...and drawing stuff and the food, it's good." he laughed.

"Well thank you, it's a family recipe. And I'm sure Kim will be happy to hear that you like the games she's taught the kids."

With that he gave her a chair and left her to finish her meal with Marl.

..

"Hi Tuk, I'm Kim."

"...hi."

"I noticed that your really tall. How old are you? 20?"

"No? I'm only 7." she smiled.

"What?? No way. You're almost as tall as me!"

"Actually Teacher, I think she's taller than you."

"No!"

"Tuk Tuk, stand up! Let's see!"

She got up and true enough she was taller than the adult by 2 inches.

"Holy...I didn't actually think you'd be taller than me." Kim had seen tall kids before but never had she met a kid taller than her this young.

The children laughed cheering that finally someone was taller than their shortest teacher. Tuk couldn't help but join in, standing on her tippy toes to make her even taller.

"Okay, okay that's enough. Calm down. Now, Tuk, since your so tall do you think you could help me with something?" Tuk hesitated but nodded.

Kim lead her to a tall bookshelf that had a doll stuck ontop of it.

"This has been stuck there for the whole day and we can't get it since the bookshelf can't be climbed and the ladder is broken. So what I'm thinking is you get on my shoulders and grab it. Sound good?"

"I get on your shoulders?"

"You don't have to if your scared of heights, I can ask one of the other kids or just wait."

"I'm not scared of heights," she pouted. "I just don't think you can carry me. I'm big and your small."

"Oh really?" and before Tuk could say anything she was tossed over Kim's shoulder.

"Still think I'm too small!" the blue child shrieked with laughter until she was put down and together the two got the doll down.

...

"What do you think the emergency is about?"

"Maybe Smelv burnt dinner again."

"Nah I don't think so. Captain look a little too tense for a simple fire alarm."

"So I called all of you here because we have a missing child. She was last seen on a tour of the ship with her siblings. Her name is Tuk and she is a Na'vi; tall, tail, blue, bi-pedal." he brings up a hologram of her from the security footage.

"...JAMES CAMERON WAS RIGHT?!"

"...shit I knew we weren't expecting another kid."

....

"Dad! Dad! Can I go to school here?"

"Your grounded. As are all of you." he added looking at his older kids. Plus Spider.

"Aww, Kim, Max, can I go to school here?"

"...uh Tuk, I think that's a question for another day..." preferably when your mom isn't about to bite my head off thought Kim.

"Yeah definitely. Definitely not the best time right now." Max was sweating bullets trying not make eye-contact with the Captain who was very not subtlety growling at him.

'We fucked up.' they both thought.

[whatsthethinking]

Alignment: part one

Lo’ak x Fem!Reader (platonic)

Eywa finally hears Lo’ak’s pleas for her to bring his brother back but instead of a brother, Lo’ak receives howling winds with lashing rain and a warrior… who eats people?

➴ Warning: mentions of death, loss, mourning, mental health and violence. Let me know if I’m missing anything.

➴ Word count: 1.6k

➴  Note: I kind of hate this lol. I wrote and rewrote it so many times. I wanted to give a background into the Sully family before getting into the story but... Yeah idk. Also, I was thinking of naming the reader but I’m not sure. Let me know what you think.

[preface]    [two]

Losing a loved one is not a pain you wouldn't want anyone to endure. The feeling of emptiness that fills you, a hollow ache in your chest that continues to grow as time passes. It is said that time heals all wounds, but if you asked Lo’ak, he would stare you dead in the eye and tell you that it’s complete and utter bullshit.

It wasn’t until about a month after Neteyam died that it started to show that the Sully family dynamic had begun to shift. The whole family was in mourning, and they were all dealing with it differently.

Jake Sully, the ‘head’ of the family, had been reduced to a shadow of himself. The air of authority that he usually carried with him had dwindled. A frown had been etched onto his face, not one of disappointment that Lo’ak was used to seeing. At the moment of Neteyam’s death, it was like a switch was flicked in Jake; he became very cold and distant. But once it was over and the family was back in the village, washing Neteyam’s body, the switch flicked again, and Jake was inconsolable.

Some nights, Lo’ak could hear his father step away from the family marui to cry. Although he wasn’t wailing loudly, drawing attention to himself, Lo’ak could hear his father sob into his hands and ask Eywa what he had done in his past life to have his son taken away from him and why the people around him always had to suffer. During the day, Jake seemed to speak no louder than a whisper. As time passed, Jake could still be found being strict with his family, but it didn’t hold the same weight as his voice would sometimes waver. It can be assumed that Jake had become more compassionate towards his children, but it was sad that it took the death of his eldest child for him to get here.

Neytiri had a different reaction to her mate. She cried for the first few days, holding Neteyam’s songcord between her fingers. As time passed, she would venture out of the marui, going on short walks as if on autopilot. Neytiri has kept all of Neteyam’s things where he had left them. His bow and arrows leaning up in the corner, his sleep mat rolled up next to them. Some days, Neytiri would stare at them, hoping her eldest son would walk through the entrance and make use of his things. After a month, Neytiri began to keep a closer eye on her children, ensuring she always knew where they were and when they’d be back. She was strict and was quick to scold her children if she believed that they had done something wrong. Her voice was strong and stern. It held the weight that Jake’s didn’t.

Poor, poor Tuk, although everyone in the Sully family had changed. It was Tuk’s reaction that broke hearts. At first, she seemed to be coping well, as well as a 7-year-old could after such a traumatic experience. She was still interacting normally with her family and those in the village. Some would say that she is in denial and trying to convince herself that nothing has happened. That nothing had changed. Her family hadn’t seen her cry since the funeral, as far as they could recall. But one day, that changed, one day,  it was as if she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tuk and Tsireya were spending the afternoon together; as they climbed over the rocks, Tuk’s bracelet got caught. At first, she tried to dislodge it gently, but it wouldn’t budge, she tried again, but nothing.

“‘Reya, help,” she pleaded while trying to tug on her wrist a little harder.

“Hold on Tuk, I’m co-“

Tsireya didn’t get to finish what she was going to say. Tuk’s arm came jerking back, beads falling around her and the empty string slowly slid off of her wrist. There was a pause of pure silence where Tsireya watched as Tuk’s face morphed from the initial shock to her closing her mouth, and she started to chew on her bottle lip as her eyes began to well up with tears.

“Tuk, I-“

A great sob escaped the young girl as she dropped to her knees, her hands trembling as she tried to collect the stray beads in front of her. She began to search more frantically, her head whipping around.

“No… no… no!” She cried, “It’s gone, Neteyam’s charm. It’s gone! It’s not here!”

Tuk let out the most painful, heartbreaking cry as she covered her eyes. Tsireya didn’t know what to do. Her chest tightened as she made her way over to Tuk’s side, wrapping an arm around her and bringing the small girl close.

Tsireya noticed Lo’ak walking along the shore with Rotxo, she desperately tried to get their attention. Luckily she did, and she watched as the two boys sprinted over, climbing over the rocks with no difficulty. Lo’ak was by Tuk’s side in seconds.

“Shh Tuk, it’s okay,” Lo’ak said softly as he took his sister into his arms.

Tuk jerked back, looking her brother in the eye as more tears made their way to the surface.

“It’s not okay! Nothing will ever be okay! Neteyam made it. He made it, and I broke it! It’s gone! He’s gone!” Tuk screamed

A gut-wrenching sob tore through her body as Lo’ak hugged her tighter. Tears gathered in the corner of his eyes as he tried to soothe his sister.

Later that night, just after eclipse, Rotxo came to the Sully family marui with a soft smile on his lips as he presented Tuk with a bracelet and her brother's charm dangling in the middle.

“I know it’s not the same. I didn’t manage to find all of the beads, but I found the charm, so-“

Rotxo was cut off by Tuk barrelling into him, her arms wrapping around his waist.

“Thank you.”

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Kiri was different from the rest of her family, and this was even true in regards to how she mourned the loss of her brother. Out of everyone, she seemed to be coping the ‘best’. There were days where Kiri would sit on her own and cry, but most days, she would be the mediator of the family, helping them speak to one another. She was able to bridge the gaps, which was once the job Neteyam gave himself. On top of the loss of Neteyam, Kiri was struggling to be away from Grace. As time went on, Norm and Max had connected monitors so that Kiri could see her mother, but that was starting to not be enough. She had asked her parents if she could return to the forest for a day or two to visit her mother but her idea was shut down immediately. 

They stressed that it wasn't safe for her, if the RDA sees her, who knows what could happen to her. Kiri understood and accepted this but, that didn't mean that she was close to being content. One thing that Kiri could not accept was that she couldn't connect to the spirit tree, the other members of her family could go there and relive their time with Neteyam but she couldn’t. There were a few occasions when she was tempted to go to the tree and possibly see her missing family, but she knew it wasn’t safe. Kiri isn’t able to see her mother or her brother, and it breaks her heart every day.

And lastly, Spider. Many wouldn’t consider him a part of the Sully family, but he is. They are all he knew. Deep down, he knew that he could never be one of them, not after what he did. After Neteyam’s funeral, Spider stayed with Sully’s in the Metkayina village, and it wasn’t easy for him. He was used to the Omatikaya clan, and although they didn’t treat him with respect or the compassion that he would have liked, they remained civil with him due to Jake’s status as Olo’eyktan and Toruk Makto. But here, Jake didn’t have that power and authority anymore.

The Metkayina avoided him like he carried a disease; some would practically run away when they saw him coming in their direction, and some would mumble ‘demon’ as they walked by him. Spider didn’t stay amongst the Metkayina for long; he was in the village for less than one week. He returned to the forest with the help of Norm and Max. He told the Sully’s that he didn’t want to worry about his oxygen running out but it was a lie that some family members could see through. On the night Neteyam died, he demanded a new mask and exo-pack, claiming that his was damaged. It didn’t go unnoticed by Kiri when he snuck away from the marui and smashed his old mask into minuscule pieces. As the days passed, Spider struggled to keep eye contact with the Sully family; he always had a look of guilt on his face.

Once Spider left, Lo’ak’s mind started to wander, what could be so bad that Spider all but ran away from the village? As days turned into weeks, a thought continued to cross his mind that he tried so hard not to entertain.

“What if…” No, he would never. He could never. Right?

“He’s dead.” He has to be

Some of the Metkayina warriors returned to the Three brothers the next day to make reports and check for any survivors. No Na’vi was found matching his description. Hopefully, a creature at the bottom of the ocean finally put a stop to him, but evil doesn’t die that easily. Lo’ak knew better than to believe that this was over. Maybe it is a good thing that Spider returned to the forest because if what Lo’ak was beginning to think was true, Lo’ak would not feel any guilt about his actions.

taglist: @eywas-heir​ @cvsmic-love​ @thehoneymushroomhealer​ @myvath​

[dirtytransmasc]

the Sully kids' reaction to Jake saying Spider "knew everything" breaks my heart.

they knew him better than anyone else, better than their parents. they knew his love for Eywa, for Pandora, for The People, for the clan, for their family. they knew he would never tell the RDA anything... not willingly at least.

they knew they were leaving because Spider would be tortured for information, he'd be forced to reveal their home, their plans, their numbers, their weaknesses. their brother would be tortured and they were being forced to leave him behind.

they knew they were being forced to find a new home, without their brother, because their dad knew he would be tortured.

[loaklvr]

my heart does backflips whenever i see this goofy mf