#avatar 2 fanfic

[pandorafairy]

Secret Cove (Part 2: Busted)

Neteyam x Metkayina (oldest daughter of Tonowari, the chief)

Neteyam is 18

Contains: arguing, protective Neteyam, slight violence

I squint against the morning light and place a hand to my pounding head. Where am I? Someone moves behind me— Neteyam. His arm is draped across my waist, his long fingers spread across my stomach. Memories of last night come back to me instantly; us slipping away from the village, swimming under the night sky, kissing in the cove. Heat creeps onto my cheeks as I turn towards him. 

His eyes are closed, his chest rising and falling. His dark hair frames his face as his tail swishes back and forth. I inhale sharply. We really should go, we’ve been out all night. Someone will definitely notice if we don’t show up for morning chores. But he is so peaceful. He looks like an angel. 

He stirs and cracks his eyes open, revealing their brilliant golden hue. “Staring at me, ocean girl?”

“You wish,” I reply and flick him with my tail. He tries to grab it but his fingers aren’t quick enough. I smirk at him. “You missed, forest boy.” 

He looks challengingly at me before flipping on top of me. My back scraps against the wet rocks as he leans over me, his face inches from mine. He reaches to the side and touches the end of my wide tail softly. “I didn’t miss a thing.” 

 The heat of his breath caresses my cheek, his face is an inch from mine. Neteyam smiles lazily. He is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. I can’t help myself. I reach my hand out and place it along his jaw. He tilts his head to the side, his eyes watching me, like he sees something in my gaze that intrigues him. 

I pull his jaw close and tilt my lips upwards. He leans towards me, his lazy smile growing by the second. Nothing matters but his lips as they brush against mine, just a whisper of a kiss. I open my mouth to kiss him harder when a voice erupts through the cove. 

“SISTER!” Aonung yells. My heart drops into my stomach. Aonung floats in the middle of the cove, waves lapping around his chest. His eyes blaze with fury as he narrows them at Neteyam on top of me. 

I push Neteyam off of me and we scramble to our feet. I open my mouth to say something, anything, but I’m speechless. Aonung slaps his arms against the water as he quickly swims to the edge of the cove and climbs onto the rocks. 

“You brought him here?” Anger drips from his every word. He’s never been this mad at me. In the past, I was always the one who was mad at him. 

 Neteyam looks between us, assessing the situation. I take a deep breath. “Aonung, please. Calm down.” 

“Calm down?” He yells at me. He starts to take a step towards me but Neteyam steps in front of him, his eyes hardening. Aonung’s tail slashes furiously behind him. Guilt washes over me. My siblings have never seen me break rules before. I’ve always tried, so hard, to be the perfect role model.

Aonung eyes dart between Neteyam and me, his eyes flashing with rage and confusion. “This is our family’s place,” he says. 

I push past Neteyam. He moves but stays close behind me. “I know. This isn’t what it looks like—”

“Did you mate with him?”

“No!” 

“What are you doing here then?”

“Aonung, stop.” I have to stop his questions. He can’t think this of me. No one in the village can, I have a reputation and duty to uphold. Panic begins to coat my insides.

Aonung shakes his head. “You came here to drink,” he starts and points to the empty wooden bottle. “Drink and do whatever it is you two did.”  Neteyam blows out an angry breath at his words but Aonug continues on, “I thought you were better than this, sister.”

“Aonung,” I say, doubting myself for the first time since last night. I normally would never, ever do something like this. Something that could bring shame to my family. “This isn’t what it looks like. I came here to show Neteyam where we hold celebrations. That is all.” 

Aonung raises an eyebrow at me. “He was on top of you. It looked like—” 

I cut him off by forcing myself to laugh, and doing everything I can to make it sound convincing. “We were just messing around. It didn’t mean anything.” 

Neyetam becomes completely still. Relief floods Aonung’s features and his tail stops its angry swishing. “Good! I’m sorry,” he says to me and then to Neyetam. “I thought my sister had lost herself for a moment.” 

I give him a tight smile. Of course, Aonung would believe me as easily as that. He’s never had to question his older sister before. Neteyam says nothing. Aonung pats my arm. “See you soon for training.” He winks at Neteyam, dives into the water and swims out of the cove. 

I blow out a breath of air. That was so close–too close. I almost lost it for a second. A small hysterical laugh escapes my lips as I turn to face Neteyam so we can laugh this off together, but his face is like stone. 

“Neteyam?” 

He pushes past me and picks up the empty bottle. He shoves it back into its place before jamming the compartment shut. His ears twitch against his skull.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. “We weren’t caught.” 

Neteyam mumbles something forcefully under his breath. He looks at me, his eyes full of indignation. “Doesn’t matter. Didn’t mean anything, right?” 

Oh, no. No, no, no. I reach out for him but he dodges away from my grasp. “Neteyam, I didn’t mean that.” My voice comes out desperate. 

He walks to the edge of the rocks, not meeting my eyes. 

“I only said that so we wouldn’t get caught,” I say following behind him. 

“So you wouldn’t be caught with me,” he states.

“No–” I begin to protest but he turns. 

“Don’t worry, ocean girl. It didn’t mean anything to me either.” He didn’t even look at me as he dove into the water and left me alone in the cove. 

~~~

I’m late for training. Everyday, we meet with the Sully kids to help them train and learn our ways. I’m so nervous to see Neteyam, my mind keeps thinking of a million things I want to say to him. I need to explain. I had tried to swim after him once he left the cove, but he was too fast. When I’d swam out, he was already gone. But he has to show up for training. I’ll get him alone then.  

I make my way quickly down the beach. It’s late morning and the group is already gathered by the palm trees. I can make out Tuk’s small silhouette and Tsireya’s wavy hair. My stomach churns, I don’t see Neteyam. Don’t stress, I tell myself, he’ll come. He always does. 

Once I reach them, I put on a big smile, pretending everything is fine. “Hello.” Kiri glances up from her spot in the sand, next to Tuk. Aonug and Rotxo turn around at the sound of my voice. Lo’ak and Tsireya don’t look up as they continue their conversation. 

“Hi!” Tuk says as she runs up and hugs me. I smile at her while patting her hair. 

“Sister,” Aonung begins. Seeing his face causes anger to boil in me, even though it isn’t his fault Neteyam is mad at me. That's all my doing. “Ready to begin?” 

“Neteyam isn’t here yet,” Lo’ak replies, leaning against a palm tree. Tsireya looks at me, her eyes growing concerned. I quickly face Aonung. My sister has always been good at seeing through me. 

“We can’t start without my big brother,” Tuk states before plopping down in the sand again. 

Aonung looks like he is about to argue with her when a familiar voice comes from around the corner. “I’m here, Tuk,” Neteyam appears from behind the palm trees and walks over to Aonung. “I apologize for being late.” 

My heart quickens at the sight of Neteyam. Lo’ak smiles at his brother and Aonung gives him a quick pat. I try to catch Neteyam’s eye but he purposely doesn’t look at me. He looks at the ocean and nowhere else. His shoulders are tense. There’s a crease on his forehead that isn’t usually there. All his walls are back up. 

“Let’s start with some breathing exercises. Everyone, sit down and face your partner.” I say, hoping my voice sounds normal before I begin to move towards Neteyam. He quickly grabs his brother and pushes him into the sand. Lo’ak’s eyes widen at Neteyam’s sudden movement. Neteyam sits across from him, his face unreadable. I groan quietly. This is going to be harder than I’d thought. 

“Need a partner?” Rotxo asks before sitting in the sand next to Lo’ak. 

“Yes, I do,” I reply and sit down right next to Neteyam. He stiffens as I cross my legs under me. Lo’ak raises an eyebrow at Neteyam before exchanging a look with Tsierya. She shrugs at him. 

“Begin with deep breaths. Focus on slowing your heart rate. Pay attention to the rhythm of  your partner's breath,” Aonung calls. 

We all begin breathing. Tuk and Kiri, Tsireya and Aonug, Lo’ak and Neteyam, Rotxo and me. I can feel the heat radiating off of Neteyam’s body. I want to reach out and touch him. It’s torture being this close to him and having him not look at me. 

“You okay?” Rotxo asks. Neteyam’s eyes shift slightly so he can see my reaction out of the corner of his eye. I nod. 

Rotxo smirks playfully. “Might be tired from your late night.” I freeze before forcing myself to act natural. How did he know? Neteyam stops his breathing. 

“What are you talking about?” I question, pretending to seem clueless. 

“I saw you leave the cove early this morning.”

Shit. Tuk and Kiri look at something in the sand, ignoring their breathing lesson and, thankfully, this conversation. 

“So what?” I argue, a little too defensively.  

“So, I know what happens in those types of coves,” Rotxo wiggles his fingers at me. “Didn’t know you got down like that.” 

Bile rises in my throat. This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. Neteyam’s thin tail twitches. I open my mouth to respond but Rotxo continues, “Who was the lucky guy?”

Lo’ak looks at Neteyam in confusion but he doesn’t notice. He is looking at Rotxo now, not bothering to hide his eavesdropping. 

“Stop talking, skxawng.” I retort before closing my eyes and pretending to focus on my breathing. 

I think Rotxo is done talking until I feel the sand shift beneath me. I open my eyes to find him right in front of me, a dangerous smile on his face. “Well, if you get bored of him there’s always me.  And if not me, then I can think of a least a dozen other guys who want to—”

I don’t even see Neteyam move until he is on top of Rotxo. Neteyam shoves him into the sand before I can even register what’s happening. Rage covers Neteyam’s face making him look like a vengeful angel. Neteyam balls his fist together and punches him. Rotxo’s head slams back against the sand, blood already flowing out of his nose. 

“Damn, bro!” Lo’ak calls as he jumps to his feet. Surprise shoots through me and keeps me frozen in place. What is Neteyam doing? I snap out of it and climb to my feet. “Neyetam, chill! He was just teasing.” Lo’ak yells again. Aonung leaves Tsireya’s shocked face and comes running over.

Neteyam doesn’t hear or notice our reactions. His eyes are glued on Rotxo as he punches him again. He tries to roll away and push Neteyam off, but it’s no use. Neteyam is too strong, he pins him down easily, mustering angry words that I can’t make out. I place a shaking hand over my mouth. 

“Help me!” Aonung motions to Lo’ak. They each grab one of Neyetam’s arms, trying to haul him off of Rotxo. Neteyam fights against their grip. He doesn’t look at anyone other than Rotxo, his gaze is murderous.

“Neteyam! Stop!” Tuk cries. Her eyes are full of tears as she hugs Kiri. Kiri strokes her scared sister's head, a look of confusion on her face. Neteyam never starts a fight. 

At the sound of his sister’s cry, Neteyam freezes. He allows Aonung and Lo’ak to haul him away. Rotxo rolls over, he groans in pain as blood covers the sand. Neteyam blinks like he is waking up from a dream. He looks at me first, his face raw with emotion; anger, sadness, and longing. I want to run and hug him but he turns his gaze to Tuk. Shame and guilt gather in his eyes. A feeling, I know all too well. He opens his mouth to say something when a voice yells at us. 

“Children!” an adult Metkayina sits on an ilu in the ocean. Their eyes widen at the sight of Rotxo’s blood. “What’s going on here?” 

My stomach drops. We’re screwed. 

~~~

Rotxo and Neteyam sit before my father in our family pod. Kiri, Tuk, and Tsireya had run to get Jake and Neytiri. They had slipped into the pod, worried expressions on their faces before telling the girls to run along. They stand behind Neyetam. Jake asses Rotxo’s face with a harsh expression. 

I stand against the wall, next to Lo’ak and Aonung. They keep whispering about how crazy that was. I don’t have the energy to respond to them. I’m so overwhelmed that I can’t even begin to process. My breath comes out in ragged, quick spurts as I try to calm myself. 

“What happened?” My dad asks, his deep voice echoing through the pod. My mother stands behind him and puts her hands on her pregnant stomach. 

Neteyam stares down at his five fingers, each one bloodied and beginning to bruise. “It is my fault,” he says solemnly. 

Shock covers Jake and Neytiri’s faces. “What?” They ask at the same time. 

My dad’s eyes harden, as they always do when he’s about to give a punishment. I clench my shaking hands together. 

“Wait,” Lo’ak interrupts. “He was defending her.” Lo’ak points at me, causing every pair of eyes in the room to look right at me. My face burns. Neyetam and I lock gazes, and shared worry passes between us. 

“From what?” My mom asks. 

Rotxo runs his hands through his hair before looking up at my parents. “I was just messing around. I don’t think Neyetam got the joke.”

“And what joke was that?” My father questions and leans his large body forward. 

Rotxo swallows nervously. “I saw her leave your family cove this morning. I was joking that—”

“Our cove?” My mom repeats as she looks at me in surprise. Shit, shit, shit. My heart pounds so hard I worry that everyone in the room can hear it. Neyetam’s shoulders tense up, the way they always do when he’s on edge. 

“Mother, father,” Aonung says and puts his hands out in front of him like he’s trying to calm everyone down. “Let me explain.” He looks at me with a reassuring nod that does not reassure me, not in the slightest. He continues on, “She was just showing Neteyam where we hold celebrations.” 

My father cocks his head to the side and looks at me. I nod at him, affirming Aonung’s story. He looks at Neyetam, who follows my lead and also nods. My father’s stern face begins to relax. Jake and Neytiri also seem to relax, now that they have an explanation for their son’s unusual behavior.

“They even cleaned up the empty bottles before their little wrestling game thing,” Aonung finishes with a proud smile like he’d just solved everyone's problems. 

“Wrestling game?” Jake whispers in confusion to Neytiri. She shushes him. 

My mother sets her mouth in a hard line. “Empty bottles?” She and my father exchange looks. All the heat that had gathered in my face vanishes, I feel cold all over. 

“Children, out!” My father’s voice booms. Lo’ak jumps at the sound, Aonung looks at us, Rotxo scrambles to his feet. They all leave, whispering to each other as they go. Neyetam begins to stand when my father glares at him. 

“Not you.” He looks over at me. “And not you. Come, sit down.” 

I feel like I’m moving in slow motion. This can’t be happening. I sit down next to Neteyam. He looks at me with sad eyes and his ear twitches nervously. 

“What’s happening?” Jake asks as he motions between the two of us. 

“All the bottles in our cove are full.” My mother responds, disappointment coating her voice. I cringe at the sound. 

“Neyetam wouldn’t drink,” Neytiri replies. Jake nods in agreement. Neyetam breathes slowly out. 

“Then who did?” My dad asks. I look at Neyetam but he’s staring down at his hands. I sigh and brace myself for what’s about to come as I open my mouth to respond.  

“I did,” I say at the same time Neteyam says, “It was me.” We look at each other in surprise. Neytiri gasps as Jake lets out an irritated groan. My mom shakes her head and my dad’s lips turn downward. He points at Neyetam accusingly before looking at Jake. 

“Your son’s influence?” 

“Neyetam is a good kid. He’s never done anything like this before,” Jake replies.

“It is my fault, truly,” I say. This time I stare at the floor, not wanting to see anyone’s face. “I asked Neyetam to go with me.”

“I wanted to go—” Neyetam protests. Jake reaches out and puts his hands on his shoulders, silently telling him to stop talking. 

“Daughter,” my dad begins, “I’m very disappointed.” Neytiri flicks the back of Neyetam’s head as if to say she is also disappointed in him. 

I look up and instantly wish I hadn’t. My mother is studying me, her eyes darting between Neyetam and I, accusingly. “What’s this about wrestling?” 

Neteyam and I freeze, each of us sitting so still we look like statues. I don’t risk stealing a glance at him even though I want to. My mom walks towards us before kneeling in front. Her eyes move slowly from his face to my face, absorbing every detail. I feel exposed, like everything that happened last night is playing right out in front of her. Neteyam’s tail swishes behind him, letting me know he feels that same way. 

“What is it?” Neytiri asks. 

“There is more between these two than they have told us.” 

My dad’s mouth falls open. Jake steps forward, “What do you mean?” 

“Did you two mate?” My mom asks, her face completely serious. Neytiri gasps again. Jake stumbles backwards in shock. 

“No, we didn’t!”

“No,” Neyetam looks at his parents. “We did not. I swear this.” 

My mom believes us, it’s clear in the way she looks at me. Everyone in the room relaxes slightly. I don’t feel any relief, I feel so tense. How is this happening? 

My mom stands. “But you came close.” 

I don’t have a response to this and neither does Neyetam. Jake steps forward, anger shining on his face. “Neyetam, is this true?” A moment of silence passes before he nods slowly and forces himself to face his dad’s furious face. My heart breaks for him. My Neyetam, who tries so hard to please his father. 

My dad grabs my shoulder suddenly. “So you two got drunk and–” he shakes his head incredulously, “This isn’t like you.” 

I hang my head in defeat. Defeat that I know Neyetam feels as well. This is all such a mess. 

“It isn’t like Neyetam either,” Jake says before crossing his arms in front of him. “Maybe the two of you aren’t good for each other.”

My father cocks his head to the side, thinking about this. He nods. “Yes, you two are not to see each other outside of lessons and training.” 

“No!” I yell, not bothering to hold my emotions back. I let them flood my voice, my desperation and pain. “Don’t do this, father.” 

Neytiri looks between my dad and Jake before staring at Neyetam and I, a strange look crossing her face. My mother says nothing, she just looks at me as if she doesn’t recognize me.  

“We shouldn’t have drank last night but we,” Neteyam motions to me. “We are good, she makes me happy, sir,” He says to my father, an open and honest look in his eyes. Relief floods through me for the first time. She makes me happy. I had been so worried that he was only angry at me, but he still cares for me. 

Jake shakes his head. “You can’t afford distractions like this Neyetam. Think of your siblings.” 

“And you,” my father says to me. “Have a clan who looks to you. You are my eldest. Act like it.” 

Jake nods to my dad before gripping Neyetam’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of him.” 

Neyetam looks at me, his forehead creasing together in panic. I reach out for him as his dad pulls him up to his feet, my fingers just missing him. He looks at me and tries to say something but Jake pushes him too quickly out of the pod. And just like Neyetam is gone. Pain explodes in my chest, physical, actual, pain. Like my heart truly is breaking. 

“Dad,” I say, defeated. Neytiri looks at me once, an expression on her face I don’t recognize. She walks out without saying anything. I close my eyes, not wanting to face my parents alone. 

~~~

 I can’t sleep. My mind keeps replaying everything over and over again. Neyetam hitting Rotxo. My parents finding out about the drinking. Them forbidding us from seeing each other. I roll onto my side, facing a cut out in the pod and stare at the night sky. I never even got a chance to truly apologize to him for this morning. 

My parents' steady breathing fills the pod. They’ve been asleep for hours now, after they finished interrogating me and reminding me how disappointed they are. I’ve never let them down before, the feeling hangs over me. It also makes me angry, so unbelievably angry. Who are they to tell me to stay away from Neyetam? I am an adult. I can choose to be with who I want. 

I can’t stop thinking about Neyetam, everytime I close my eyes, I see his face. Aonung starts to snore from the other side of the pod. That’s it. I sit up in my cot and look at my sleeping family. They cannot control me for my whole life. I won’t let them. I slip out of my cot silently and tiptoe to the cut out in the pod. I step over it, careful not to make any noise. Once I step both feet over, I take a few steps backwards before taking off into the night. 

The village is asleep. No one is out on the walkways so I make my way easily to Sully's pod. The ocean glows at me, as if it’s encouraging me forward. I take a deep breath. I want to see Neyetam and nothing is going to stop me. 

I slow down as I reach the side of their pod, unsure how to get his attention without waking anyone. I crouch down and inch my way towards the entrance of their pod. The determination I’d felt a moment ago was fading into nervousness. I haven’t been alone with Neyetam since last night. 

A hand touches my shoulder. I whip around to find Neytiri, an inquisitive look on her face. She smiles, a sad smile. “You aren’t supposed to be here.” 

I open my mouth to make up some excuse but I snap it shut. I’m tired of pretending. “I want to see him.” 

As if my own word had summoned him, Neyetam steps out of the pod. My heart aches at the sight of him. He looks at Neytiri and I in surprise. He steps towards us, being cautious so he won’t wake anyone. He has bags under his eyes like he'd been trying to sleep but couldn’t. 

“Just for a little,” Neytiri whispers to us. She pats Neteyam’s arm and kisses his cheek. “I won’t tell.” She doesn’t look back at us as she walks into the pod. 

It’s just us now, in the silence of the village, illuminated only by the glowing creatures in the sea. He stares at me, a million words are written in his eyes but he says none of them. I grab his hand and he quickly wraps his fingers around mine. 

“Come on,” I say softly before pulling him along. He follows me through the village, the only sound is our steady breathing. The air is sweet tonight, so unlike the events that have occurred. No, I don’t want to think about that now. Neteyam’s hand is intertwined with mine, that’s all that matters. 

We reach the end of the village and sit down, letting our feet dangle off the edge and splash lightly in the water. Our thighs touch as we sit close to each other. The night sky is so beautiful that we both watch it for a moment before returning our gazes to each other. 

“I want to say I’m sorry,” I whisper. 

Neteyam reaches his hand up and cups the side of my face. I lean into his touch, feeling his soft fingers. “You don’t have to be sorry. It was both of us–”

“I’m sorry for what I said this morning,” I interrupt. “Last night meant so much to me.” 

His fingers caress my cheek as he lets out a long breath. “I’m no longer angry. Today, when I saw Tuk’s face. She was so confused. She didn’t understand why I was acting that way.” 

I bring my hand up to his, intertwining our fingers so they both rest against my cheek. 

“I understand why you lied to Aonung. When our siblings expect us to act one way, it’s hard for us to then…” he sighs. “I understand now.” 

“I still shouldn’t have.” 

He shrugs. “I think we have bigger problems to worry about now.” He lets go of my hand and pulls away from me. My heart sinks. Maybe he doesn’t want this the same way I do. I think back to both our parents, staring at us in disbelief. I chew on my bottom lip. 

“So,” he begins, “What are we gonna do?” 

I could ask him to answer first. Or I could do what I would in the past, and say that we should follow our parents orders. But he’s sitting right in front of me. His skin glows in the night, the most beautiful shade of blue. When my heart beats, it sounds like his name. I’ve never felt this way before. He makes me feel safe and free. He makes me want to enjoy life, not just do my duty. His golden gaze watches me steadily as he waits for an answer. 

“I can’t change how I feel about you,” I say, looking directly into his eyes. “I don’t want to change it. And I don’t care what anyone has to say about it.”

His entire face changes: his gaze sharpenes, his shoulders loosen, his ears perk up. And then he smiles, his lips break apart revealing his white teeth as his grin grows. I smile back at him, a weight that I didn’t realize I’d been carrying, lifts off my shoulders. 

He leans slowly forward. I follow suit, breathing in the same air as him. His lips touch mine, softly and lovingly. He pulls back and looks into my eyes. “Good because I can’t change how I feel either, not even if I tried.” I giggle at him and he kisses me again, our lips fitting perfectly together. He moves from my mouth to my cheek as he leaves a trail of kisses all the way to my ear. 

He leans back and whispers, “We already broke two rules, what’s a few more?”

Thank you so much for the love and support on Part 1! I appreciate it so much.

Would anyone want a Part 3? Or should I start a new project? Let me know what you would want to read! I also love any kind of feedback so if you don't like something, tell me! Thanks again <3

[neteyamslovrr]

hellooo! i absolutely love your writing, you’re very talented! i was wondering if you could write a aonung x fem!metkayina!reader for me where y/n makes a gift for aonung out of random little trinkets but gets super embarrassed so she quickly lays it on the ground next to him and runs off. idk it just sounds adorable to me! if you can’t do that or can think of a better way to write it than i’m explaining, that’s fine! <333

A Necklace

summary: Y/N is not a well-known member of the Metkayina, yet she yearns for the Olo’eyktan’s son Ao’nung, so she makes him a gift to show her affection towards the boy

1.2k words!

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You grew up hearing the story about how your mother courted your father. It was a warm day and your mother had worked for weeks assembling a seashell embellished headpiece for him to wear. Your mother gave it to your father as she confessed her feelings, and your father has yet to remove the headpiece from his body.

You couldn’t help but think of a certain boy when your mother repeats the story to you. Ao’nung. The clan leader’s son. His hair was tied perfectly into a bun, letting his curls out on display, his arms were wide and the way he smiled made your heart flutter.

You talked to him occasionally as you were friends with Tsireya. It was short-lived conversations as you could never keep them going due to the feeling of butterflies in your stomach making you so nervous you felt as if you might throw up.

Whenever he looked at you his eyes shimmered in the sunlight and his skin softly glowed. You were convinced he was the most beautiful man in Pandora. You had to tell him your feelings. Whether he accepted them or not, you had to tell him so the butterflies in your stomach could flourish or they could return back to cocoons and be hidden again.

Going on your daily walk you spotted a beautiful seashell that the tide had only just brought in. It was small maybe the size of your fingertip, shaped in a delicate spiral, it was painted a sage green colour with subtle hints of white striped across it. Picking it up carefully you inspected it. It was really quite beautiful.

The idea hit you like a strong wave. You were going to make Ao’nung a necklace, confess your feelings and pray to Eywa he is kind to your heart. A rush of motivation flowing through your veins, you began to pick up little seashells and rocks you found across the beachfront.

Tsireya spotted you down by the beach and ran towards you. “What are you up to?” She inquired at you. Surprised you took the shells and other things you have found and hid them behind your back.

“Nothing!” You smiled mischievously. You were a terrible liar and Tsireya knew that. She rolled her eyes and quickly span you around seeing the shells.

“Why are you hiding shells? Are they magical?” She joked looking into your tightly shut palm.

“You have to keep this secret, okay?.” You said to her in a hush tone. Tsireya looked at you waiting with anticipation for you to say your secret. “I like Ao’nung and want to make him a gift.”

Tsireya’s lips grew into a smile that soon let out a loud giggle. “Y/N everyone knows you like my brother! You are so obvious with your affections towards him. You’re anything but subtle.” You felt as if your heart dropped to your toes letting out a grumble of embarrassment.

“Shut up about my subtly and never ever let Ao’nung know about this gift, I beg you.” Tsireya nodded patting your shoulder.

“I’d never tell him that. I’m your friend not just his sister.” You thanked her before scurrying off back to your home. Laying down all of the shells on your floor you organised it into a repeating pattern. In the middle was a large white shell that had green designs on the inside of it. On each side you put the small spiral shells you first found. Then finally you found some small beads your mother had made out of clay. Using some string you tied it together and prayed that Ao’nung would accept the gift along with your feelings.

Mustering up at least a tiny bit of courage you walked towards were Ao’nung usually spent his afternoons alone. You’d noticed his habit of sitting on the beach just as the sun began to fall a couple of years before and you always saw him sitting peaceful, letting the oceans breeze calm him.

You walked so that you were a couple of meters behind him and watched him in all his glory. Maybe this is why everyone knew you loved him, you really weren’t subtle on where your gaze was fixated. Seeing him so calm and close to dozing to sleep you walked towards him silently laying the necklace beside him praying he wouldn’t notice you. You slowly backed away from him.

You were sure you gift had been delivered successfully until you stepped on a inconveniently loud twig, snapping it in half. “Shit!” you muttered to yourself seeing Ao’nung startled. “Fuck fuck fuck” you grumbled to yourself trying to walk fast back to the village.

Ao’nung turned to his left to see a beautiful necklace laid out beside him. He noticed the way the shells had been specifically placed and the way the necklace was lightly tied at the end so someone could easily undo it. Looking around he noticed your fast moving figure.

“Y/N!” he shouted. You halted in your tracks cursing yourself and that stupid stick. You waved while slowly waking towards him. It suddenly clicked to him, you made him this necklace. Wait, you made him that necklace. The fact you thought of him enough to do this made his heart flutter, along with the fact he longed for you since the moment he first met you. He smiled up at you. “Did you make this?” He said carefully picking up the necklace as he got himself off the ground.

You nodded at him looking down. Must Eywa punish you so much. This was so embarrassing. You were going to burn that stick in a flame full of fury after Ao’nung rejects you. “I made it for you.” You stated to him feeling as if your stomach resided in your pelvis.

“It is beautiful, thankyou Y/N.” He said looking at it. Your eyes perked up looking up to him smiling to himself. “Help me put it on.” He demanded  opening the knot and handing the two side of the necklace to you.

Turning so his back faced you, he crouched slightly. Your arms looped around his neck and carefully tied the necklace together, the shells making quiet clicking noises as they hit his skin.

“There you go.” You smiled up at him, was he really accepting your gift, this must be a dream. “I thought of you when looking at the shells, as they’re so beautiful.” Ao’nung felt like his cheeks were on fire. His heartbeat fast, you thought he was beautiful?

“I do agree, these shells are beautiful. But Y/N nothing could amount to your beauty.” He spoke softly. Inside your heart was ready to take off and burst through your ribs. This must all be fake. It had to be a dream

You blushed covering your face in embarrassment as Ao’nung chuckled at your reaction and grabbed your hands gently to reveal your huge smile. Oh, he could never get tired of that face.

Looking up at his smug face your body filled with courage as you hopped onto your tippy toes to leave a soft peck on Ao’nung cheek. Before he could react, you had run off in embarrassment ready to debrief everything to Tsireya.

“What a weirdo.” He chuckled to himself putting his finger on where your kiss had left tingles on his cheek and left his heartbeat fast as he touched the handpicked shells on his necklace

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authors note: thankq sm for requesting! i hope you liked it

[qvrcll]

; love language - (SULLY BROTHERS)

— (avatar : twow) -> drabble !

✧ — the sully brothers have qualities they seek in each of their partners.

cw. contains no spoilers ! gn , non sully + navi reader

auth notes. js watched twow and i literally sobbed in that theatre. avatar proves to stand as one of my fav films ever.

characters. lo’ak + neteyam sully (♡⃕)

warnings. injury / blood mention in lo’ak’s , slight angst for both but mainly fluff.

────────────── ·𖥸· ─────────────

𖠗 LO’AK — ༉‧₊˚.

loves physical touch. it is an act of trust and affirmation in his own catalogue of body language. he likes to slip his lithe fingers between your own to engraft the two of you together from the hip up — his hands are often pebbly and coarse from days of practice in the salty sea waters and bussed with fronts of ‘friendly banter’ with the other boys occupying the sea; scratches, bruises, even cuts. his day is often better when you’re treating his misgivings, soft skin melting against his own patch of skin. sometimes, when he feeling braver, if brave at all, he will slather his presence into you. that starts with rubbing your knuckles, index finger or even pinkie till you’re red and confused at the inundation of physical touch with him. your reactions are his catalyst. other days, when he’s heckled by jake or overriden by the boys, you will come to understand his pattern of touch — he’ll want you close. closer. touch his ears for him to crawl deeper into you. rub your knuckles against his cheek to keep him grounded. enclose your feet around his hips to keep him reminded of your subsistence of his trust — he’ll probably cry in your arms later.

𖠗 NETEYAM — ༉‧₊˚.

loves when you listen to him. this mustn’t be mistranslated to him being a deference freak — if there is anything he hates, it’s bossing you around. having you feel controlled. he loves when you’re most comfortable around him. but, when the time calls for it, he requires your time, your patience. this comes in the form of compliance to his word; jake instructed the two of you to stay out of battle? keep in the air and he will see the depth of his appreciation for you. sky people spotted raiding the meter ahead? stay touching toes with him in the foliage of the forest and he will learn of love, compassion. the golden fruit that is you, born from eywa. other days, when there are no baleful missions or pernicious members of earth filthying the land with bullets and spit, he loves when you just listen to him. being the oldest comes with its share of predicaments. swipe the hair out of his eye whilst nodding and he will pulse in your hold. maintain eye contact and he will meld with you. press your lips to his knuckles when his eyebrows furrow and he will riddle your skin with kisses.

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ ₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ୨୧ㆍ┈ ₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

© 2022 qvrcll ! do not repost any of my works on any platform.

[nin3kyuu]

A lil (late) birthday gift for @ikranwings ^^

[writing-makes-me-human]

🌊Love And Guests: Part 6🌊

┍━━━━━»•» 🌺 «•«━┑

Pairing: Aonung x reader

PART ONE: HERE, PART TWO: HERE, PART THREE: HERE, PART FOUR: HERE PART FIVE: HERE

Summary: You leave to speak with Neteyam and it only ends in heartache. As if the emotional events of the night weren't enough, Ronal approaches you with an offer that your emotional state can’t help but contemplate.

Warnings: mentions of crying, it’s a bit sad

Word Count: 3.6k 

A/N: Hello beautiful people, I finally have the next part up and I think we have probably at least two or three parts left? We shall see when I write them.

Also I like giving you guys an emotional roller coaster that’s my explanation for this part <3

(hey azal I was looking through the GIF’s and saw your name so I used your GIF bb, it’s so cute <3)

┕━»•» 🌺 «•«━━━━━┙

After an active evening filled with strenuous activity, Aonung begrudgingly departed from you while leaving kisses all over your body. The only reason he didn't curl into you and demand you stand up Neteyam was that he was sure if he didn't leave, his mother would burst into your home in the same manner she had this morning.

You let him leave with promises that you would only be speaking with Neteyam and that you would see Aonung tomorrow on your tongue.

You spent the rest of the evening trying to prepare the vegetables the boy had left discarded as soon as the subject of his blowjob had come up a few hours ago. Still, your mind was enlightened the whole time with true happiness that even Ronal couldn't have brought down.

Your old friends had returned, and you were mated to a man who treasured you with everything he could give. You quietly giggled to yourself with disbelief as the pictures of Aonung fighting his mother in your honor spread to your mind. It was so embarrassing, but a large part of you loved how he was so defensive over you, as if anybody could drive you away from him.

He was so protective, but it made the sex worth it, and you couldn't lie, his claim of owning you still rang in your head with every move you took. This boy was going to kill you with his words one day.

The night fell swiftly as you daydreamed away while still stuck on cloud nine. But the meeting with Neteyam was quickly approaching and you couldn't wait to see your friend again in such a familiar setting that you hadn't visited in a while.

You scoffed down dinner and dressed appropriately before setting off into the darkness lit up by the bright lights of the stars.

You walked to the beach without much in thought until your eyes perked up as you saw Neteyam standing rather foolishly on the sandy ground, trying to recreate the call of the ilu. His hands were drawn to his mouth to echo the clicking of his tongue, but his call sounded more like a child gargling it’s spit than a strong Na'vi rider.

"It hasn't been that long has it?" You teasingly yelled out, watching Neteyam turn with a sheepish tension in his shoulders that he tried to pair with a smile.

"I didn't think it had", he scratched the back of his head as he stared out to the water with a thoughtful scowl.

"I guess a lot has changed", you offered a friendly pat on his shoulder before you stepped forward and took charge of calling to the Ilus that were slow to approach thanks to the late time.

Neteyam watched you out of the side of his vision. He had been excited to see you again, and he had been stupid to wish someone as exceptional as you would have remained single for him, that you would have waited for him to come back. However, there was also a selfish part of him that deep down wanted to ask why, for the love of the great mother, had you had gotten with the most arrogant brat in your entire clan.

You walked into the shallows slowly. As the waves lapped at your feet, you let out a chuckle that rang in Neteyam's ears and forced his chest to explode with a spark of nerves that made his skin shiver. He wasn't sure if he would be sick or if he wanted to run to hold you.

"Come on, while we are still young!" You hadn't felt this happy in so long, and the call to sleep, which had been affecting you as you ate dinner, was turned to dust as the cold water jolted you awake.

Neteyam smiled and jogged after you, grabbing onto the other ilu you had brought forth, and together you made a bond with each of the creatures that gently trilled and set off to the rock that lay just around the island.

The rock had a special place in your heart as it had been the meeting place for you and Neteyam to get together on when you two wanted to speak to each other alone at night, and as your eyes settled on it, you felt amazed that at least one thing had remained the same.

You approached the flat rock before Neteyam. You gently released the ilu and let it swim back to its family, joining itself with Neteyam's ride that left him to tread water with a couple of mewls meaning goodbye thrown over the creatures shoulders to you.

You would have to swim back tonight, but that would be okay. Usually, swimming alone at night sent an uneasy ridge along your back, but Neteyam was a good friend and a fierce warrior. He would keep his friend safe.

Neteyam reached out to grab your hand, and you hauled him forward with a loud groan as you tried to hold up his body that was weighed down by his muscle mass. He lightly chuckled, and once he got his foot a steady grip on the rock, he let you go and clambered up by himself.

You leaned back, letting out a celebratory 'whoo' as you felt your body relax after the challenging workout.

"You've gotten too big", you laughed as he tried to sit down as close as he could to the edge in an attempt to leave you enough room to seat yourself comfortably.

"We used to be able to fit me, you, and a net between us, remember?" You could feel the energy turn down to relaxing as your blood slowed down its arduous work.

"I'm sorry I've grown into such a mighty warrior that you can't even sit next to me", he raised his arm in a silent offering to huddle next to him, and you debated for a moment.

If Aonung found out you were sitting out here, star-gazing with Neteyam while snuggled up to him, all Hell would break loose. 

But you hadn't seen Neteyam in so long, and surely a hug to combat the cold air that was nipping at your bare arms wouldn't hurt. You were mated, after all, and nothing could change that; even if it somehow could change, you were devoted to Aonung. He was your soulmate.

So, with a nervous nod, you slipped beside him and lay your head on his shoulders to look up at the sky as the sea gently lapped at the rock around you.

Neteyam adjusted his posture around the jagged cuts of stone under his backside to care for your body while he allowed himself a fantasy that this moment could last forever, that this was what it would feel like to be mated with you.

If he could go back in time to his younger self, he would have smacked him around the head and begged him to collect enough courage just to tell you how he felt, but he couldn't, and this was as close as he would ever get to being one with you.

You sighed contently, staring up at the stars, which shone like diamonds, allowing yourself to side-glance at Neteyam's bioluminescent spots that fought against the stars with their outpour of light.

"I missed this", Neteyam breathed out, his chest making your head bop up and down with each breath.

You felt how heavy the words were as he spoke them. You didn't know if he had meant he missed you, the clan, or just how simple things like freedom felt.

"I'm sorry I left", Neteyam felt like he had so much to say to you, and there was so little time.

A few weeks with you wasn't enough but he knew he couldn't keep hanging onto the past. He would let this moment and this time with you heal over any closure he needed, then he would leave you again, but this time he wasn't going to come back with you in his heart.

"I'm sorry you left too, but there was nothing you could do, and you came back, even if it's only for a little while", you felt your own words grow heavy as you tried to keep yourself composed.

"Yeah, but everything's changed; you've changed", he didn't want to bring up your relationship just yet directly, but he could feel the impulse creeping up on him.

"I don't think I changed any more than I needed to, I think you've changed", you stated, taking your eyes off the sky and staring ahead at the dark mass of the ocean.

He looked down at you curiously, he wanted to know what you meant, whether he had changed for the better or for the worse, but you looked so solemn that he didn't want to make it about himself.

"I'll tell you who hasn't changed, Aonung, he is still as jealous as he was when we were kids", he let out an empty chuckle as the subject of your mate made your head stand up on its own.

"I always thought he was jealous of me 'cause he liked you, I didn't know I was right", he squeezed your shoulder playfully as he teased your mate, and you found yourself smiling along as you thought back to a teenage Aonung.

"I don't know if I would say he was jealous 'cause he liked me, he was competitive with you, and that's why he thought he was losing when I would stand up to him and hang out with you instead!" The memory of the number of petty arguments and disputes you used to have nearly every day between the three of you made your eyes roll.

"Do you love him?" Neteyam felt himself speak, but he hadn't known the gravity of his words until you froze beneath his touch.

He had to know where you stood. He hadn't seen you and Aonung together in so long, but the only memories he had of you two were fights. He couldn't imagine you two doing anything intimate for each other out of love, and the thought of you two mating made his skin crawl.

"Yes...I've always wanted to be with him", you took a pause before you spoke, letting the words sink in as you realized it for yourself for the first time.

The mating process had begun because of undeniable horniness for one another but that didn't overpower the care you had been harboring for the chief's eldest son for all these years.

"But?" Neteyam asked before he could stop himself, wondering further if there was a place in your heart left for him.

"But what? You left a long time ago Neteyam", you frowned as your ears downturned to one of sad grieving. He had broken your mind when he left but that wasn't his fault, and you knew he would apologize until he lost his voice for that if he could.

"So you liked me?" There was no hope in his voice, only a curious scientific notion to find out more about the blanks in his mind.

"Neteyam I can't be with you, I am mated", you didn't want to say anything more about how you felt when you were younger, but Neteym had found a thread in your voice, and he pulled at it.

"If only we got here a day earlier, huh?" He sourly joked as he let his arm pull back from around you and hug his legs. He stared out at the ocean, and you turned to watch him with wide eyes.

"Neteyam, that isn't fair", you croaked out, your voice low with a silent demand that he couldn't ask that of you. He couldn't ask if he had been here earlier whether or not you still would have chosen Aonung.

"I loved you, I just didn't know how to say it", his voice lost the stand-offish curiosity and became laced with his personal qualms with you that he had been keeping to himself for a long time.

"Neteyam, stop talking, you can't say these things to me", you stood up suddenly, trying to find it in yourself to leave but you couldn't.

"But I have to, or else I'll never get to say them", Neteyam stood up in a rush to meet you. He held his ground away from you so that you didn't feel threatened, but his emotions took up all the space he left between you.

"It's too late, I love Aonung, and he cares for me! You and I can never be together!" You yelled out, hoping that nobody could hear you out here with the waves crashing on the sore behind you that helped to cut off your voice.

"I know!" He opened his arms to his sides, trying to find the words he had never been taught to use to express himself.

Did you need someone to shoot an enemy? Neteyam could do that for you. Did you need someone to ride into battle without fear for his safety? Neteyam could do that for you. Did you need someone to tell you how they felt? Neteyam could barely get out his own interests around his family for fear of being a burden, let alone trying to tell the love of his life that he hadn't ever stopped yearning after you while you were already in love with another.

"Then why did you tell me?" You cried out, feeling your voice crack and tremble with the anxious thought that this fight would end your friendship.

"Because I still love you, you're the only one I've ever wanted, tell me you didn't feel anything for me back then, and I'll stop, I'll leave if that's what you want", He felt the tears gather in his eyes as the frustration at not knowing what to say choked him. He couldn't decide if he wanted to shut his mouth for eternity or just keep talking until his jaw broke.

"I don't want you to leave!" You cried, breaching the invisible barrier between you and Neteyam to grip both of your hands on his wrists to keep him anchored with you.

"Please, answer me ma y/n", Neteyam's voice was raspy with desperation to turn your heart away from Aonung, even if Eywa didn't bless your union.

"You can't call me that, it doesn't matter if I loved you four years ago Neteyam, you left, and I stopped loving you, I'm sorry that you still do, but I have moved on", you dropped his wrists and fell back, trying to turn away as Neteyam followed you with a single step as you were still both stuck on the rock.

"When did you stop loving me? Was it when I left or when he needed you?" He no longer had the patience of his mother filling him. Instead, he let his father's rage instill in him as he wandered back to all the times you had scowled and complained to him about Aonung.

"Neteyam, stop! I can't love you, and I don't!" You flinched away from him with a final decision that this conversation was over.

You didn't look back to your childhood friend as you jumped from the rock and let the currents drag you away before you sunk lower down and kicked off the ground, aiming to swim home with tears filling your eyes and your heart in shatters in your stomach.

The entire swim back was a nightmare that was enough to leave you shaking. While you desperately tried to stop yourself from crying, you also began to see shadows out of the corner of your eye as the terror that something was watching and waiting to attack you swallowed up your brain.

Logic screamed to you that nothing dangerous was in the reef, and you knew this. You had grown up here your whole life, but the dark water that swelled and pushed you around like debris was terrifying.

Once you finally reached the shore, you stumbled to a stand with the feeling of being watched, still tearing over your skin. Your head swung on a swivel as you looked up and down the beach, but not a soul was around.

It was late, and all you wanted to do was go to sleep and be left alone.

Neteyam's words were still hot on your mind, and it was taking everything you had not to seek out Aonung and cry on his shoulder, but you knew if you did that, Aonung would probably kill Neteyam, and while you were upset with the boy's selfishness you didn't want to see either of them get hurt.

The whole planet felt like it had been turned on its head. Not even two hours ago, you had been walking down this beach feeling like everything was perfect and right in your life, and now you were walking around with your face in a puffy mess as snot and tears poured out of you.

You wrapped your hands around yourself to try and keep warm as you walked back to your pod. You passed a few homes and tried to stifle the sobs you were letting out as to not wake any families. Everything felt wrong, the body you were in felt too small as your soul cried out in pain.

You were on the home stretch, nearly there to the safety of your sanctuary, where you could finally collapse on yourself when you spotted a woman standing outside your door with a sore expression. As your vision cleared with the fresh batch of tears leaving your sight, you identified it as Ronal.

Your hands flew up to your face as you brushed back the tears and wiped your nose on the back of your wrist, you couldn't let her see you like this, but it seemed she had heard your muffled noises and already knew it was you.

"You are late in tonight", she spoke calmly, turning on her heel to let her predatory eyes lock in on your snotty nose and leaky eyes but she chose not to mention it.

"A pleasure Tsahik, but I am tired, and I'm going to bed", you didn't have the energy to continue being afraid of her, and she seemed to respect that as she nodded.

"I hear you have been off with the Sully boy, the eldest one, he is a fine warrior, a good match for you, Eywa speaks highly of the union", she didn't even have the courtesy to let you leave, your hand froze as you lifted the flap to your home and the tears quickly vanished. Your despair turned to frustration.

"He is a fine warrior, that is why we wouldn't fit, he has the heart of a hero, and I have a heart for my home, Neteyam will die for his family, and I will die for mine, but not in the same way", you're voice was low and deeply unemotional as you spoke. This night couldn’t have gotten any worse but here Ronal was trying her best to do just that.

"I love Aonung". You finished the conversation for her and stepped into the house, gathering the courage to say your last words before you closed the flap.

"And if you can't accept it, I won't push you", you let the sail fall stagnant and took a deep breath as you watched the silhouette of Ronal through the fabric.

She wasn't so easily deterred and spoke quietly through the material so that only you could hear her. Even with your neighbours probably being long asleep you appreciated her attempt of discreteness.

"Think about this for longer than a moment, and you will see that this match cannot happen! My son needs a leader for a mate, and you are no leader, you are just a scared little girl who saw fit to satisfy yourself with my son! Find another before your union brings us all down with you", she hissed her last line as she waited for your reply. She was infuriated that you couldn’t see that plainly you weren't good enough, it wasn’t a question of your worth, it was a question of your integrity.  

"We cannot break the bond! There isn't a way! Tsahik, I know you disapprove, but there is nothing that can be done!" You couldn't understand how a woman was so smart yet so dumb. You couldn't leave Aonung because there wasn't a way for you to break off the mating relationship, and you didn't want to leave!

"There is a way, you mate with this Neteyam boy, and the bond is broken, you are left with a strong warrior who will take you to see Pandora, and I am left with a son that will choose again, who will choose better", she was vicious in her word choice, but she tried to lace every line with seduction as if she was painting the picture for you.

"Think about that", she muttered as you felt your world crash around you.

You wanted to say something, but your mouth could only open and close at the preposterousness and pain her idea instilled into you. Before you could stomach a reply, she stepped away, not waiting for your words, and left you with thoughts of doubt and anger plaguing your mind.

You love Aonung, and while you hadn't told that to his face yet, it seemed that you were confessing that to many people tonight.

As you quietly sat to think, you stumbled over to your bed and shook yourself free from the water that clung to you. Before long, the quiet contemplation turned into crying and then to sleep as you lay on your mat and prayed for Eywa to give you a sign, to tell you what to do.

You couldn't betray Aonung. He was your beloved mate, but if giving him up made Aonung a better chief and made his future brighter, why should you be the one to weigh him down? No, you wouldn't be happy with Neteyam, but if you left Aonung, it was the only plausible outlet. You would never have to see Aonung happy with another.

The words swirled and dug into your scalp, but you knew you would have to make a decision soon.

:𝗧𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁:

@luvlykrispy @shootingstarforever-blog1  @neteyams-tsqhik, @azaleaniath, @ripneteyam, @lovergirl-3000, @lixiesbrowniess, @minkyungseokie @yeosxxx, @bxnnywriting, @dixonslvt, @tsamiaxo, @hellok1ttycake, @eywaheardyou, @bigmama12310-blog, @hisfuture , @imdeadlyboredhelp​, @melsunshine​, @bangtanxberm​, @naomeii​, @simp4ff​, @nothing2cheree​, @in-luvais​, @1-800-not-simping​, @nixxie15 

[moonlight-sonata99]

The Songcords

Neteyam x reader

Jake sully/reader

Warnings: HEAVY SPOILERS!! death,angst. Mourning. Friendzoning! first part takes place after a few months of the way of water.

A/N: Been wanting to do neteyam angst for a while but i was hella scared ngl- i still cry for him. But im extremely proud of this one!!!

The sound of waves crashing surrounds you as your legs dangle off the ledge and your toes touching the water as it rises up and down, Your eyes stay on the water as it moves so slowly. A sigh leaves your lips as you look up to the sky, it was the time where all was asleep and only you remained awake. you then darted down to the object in your hands.

His songcord.

His eyes, His lips that opened gasping for air.

Your vision begins to blur and the tears burn as you lift the songcord close to your face.

The days blurred, you didn't dare count a day where neteyam was not with you. A small cry leaves your lips. And the tears you kept in finally fell and the small cries left your lips.

 It was always like this: Sit,think,cry,and then think again. Time passed and you sat still on the ledge thinking. 

“Hey..” your ears perked up as you turned your head to look behind you,

“Oh..hey!what are you doing awake?”  turning back to wipe your tears quickly you turn back to Jake who slowly sits next to you.

“I should be asking you that..” he huffs out, placing his hands on each side of the ledge, looking out into the water.

“I uh-wasn't sleepy” you reply, balling your hands. Your chest began to feel heavy. Setting your gaze to where the ocean seemed to end.

At the corner of your eye you saw Jake look at you and look back down to his hands

“That seems to be the case for the last few months..” he trails off as your eyes dart to the sky, anywhere that was not jake.

“Im sorry sir…” you said solemnly  out looking down at your hands that remained clamped together.

“No,no i'm not mad at you…” he replied, shaking his head, his hand still on the ledges. His gaze turning back to admire the water.

“What you’ve been doing, helping with tuk..i couldn't ask for more.” he confesses 

You let out quick a ‘hm’ glancing at him, 

“I'm just doing what he would have wanted me to do.” you admit softly with a smile as you keep your gaze on the sky, Your chest rising up and down.

Jake lets out a small ‘yea’ 

The air picks up and your hair flows in the wind, “you’ve been busy '' Jake interrupts the silence once again. “ With tonowari..helping the other as well as lo’ak,tuk and kiri..” he trails off

“I just…” he mutters looking at you, “I just wanna make sure that your okay” he admits and you turn your gaze to his

“I am okay! Tired maybe..but i'm okay” you assured nodding your head as he begins to shake his head slowly. 

“That's not what i mean..” he mumbles out placing hand on your shoulder,

‘You know what he meant.’

“He was your best friend [Name],It's okay.” he whispers, patting your shoulder softly, Looking at him you feel your eyes begin to burn once again.

“I..” your voice quivers, as Jake looks at you. You unclasped your hands to reveal the songcord that was balled up in your hands. The wind flowed through your hair, and your fingers brushed against each bead. 

You softly smiled recalling your memories,

“OH! You got it teyam!!!!” you exclaimed as the yerik fell and neteyam looked at you,

“I did!” he said, rocking his fist in the air softly, as you walked up to him.

“Next…iknimaya!” you add placing your hands on your hips as neteyam runs to the yerik.

After it returns to eywa, neteyam looks up at you, 

“What?” you ask tilting your head and neteyam lets out a small smile

“Thank you.” he admits standing up and looking at you.

“For…?” you trail off, confused. And neteyam lets out a small laugh.

“I always drag you around in my free time…which is..”

“Not much?” you interrupt as he nods “Your my friend teyam…i don't mind.” you admit as you look away, as neteyam nods slowly, thinking about your words.

“Yea..” he mumbles, sounding displeased.

Jake chuckled as you recounted the story to him, as you held the sound cord to your chest.

“He always wanted to show you that he could be a good leader.Always.” you say looking at jake as he turned his gaze to you. As you began,

“Neteyam…would have been a good olo’eyktan..!” you strained out,the tears strolling down your cheeks. “And i…would have stood by him no matter what” You stood straight into jakes eyes. “ but I experienced neteyam. That is what matters-” You hiccupped out. “But-it hurts..so much.” you sobbed  . Jake nudged you closer without any words, but his eyes brimmed with tears recalling neteyam as he looked up at the sky. The sounds of your sobs against him in the night.

That was years ago. 

“[Name]?!” 

“[Name]?!”

“...jake? Is that you..?” a voice called out from what remained of the battle that had occurred, 

“[Name]!” he rushed towards your voice that came from a cargo box.He leaped over the box to you as he set himself besides you.

“[Name], are you alright? Tuk said y-” His words were interrupted by the red liquid he sat in,  his gaze lifted to your body that sat against the box and spotted the wounds on your chest. You sat up and you looked up and him your chest rising up down,

“Jake…you came back for me..” you breathed out, blood dripping out of your mouth. As you tried to move up.

“No no…don't move..” he hushed out, placing a hand on your shoulder keeping you in place.

“Is tuk okay..?” you asked softly looking up at him

“Yea…Yea she's okay” he confirmed, giving you a small smile.

“Th-that's good..” 

“Yea that's so good…thank you.” he said, giving you a soft smile.

“Im…hurt badly jake…” you mutter out looking at your hands now tainted red, as Jake looked at you.

“Don't worry everyone will be here soon okay, we gotta just-” 

“No..”

“No??”he repeated after you as you softly nodded to him,

“Its…” you trailed off, your eyes darting away, as Jake looked at you.

“ Jake can....” you mumble looking back at him. “Can you hold me? Until I fall asleep…?”  you whisper, as Jake slowly nods.

You let out a small grunt as he slid you into his arms and you closed your eyes,

“Jake?” you whisper as he lets out a small “hm?” 

“Thank you for letting me be a part of your family..” you trail off, jake looks down at you as you continue.

“For having a place to stay..having parents..” you add

“For letting me meet neteyam..” 

Jake nods, listening to your words. You were quiet after that.

“[Name]...?” he whispers as he looks at you. Eyes remaining closed.

“[Na-”

“Jake…” you interrupt him, your voice weaker than before.

“Jake, i see him..! He is with me..” you huff out with a small smile as Jake holds you closer.

“He is calling me jake….he's….” your words trail off as as you slowly breath out remain sit still.

The sound of waves crashing surrounds him as he sits on the ledge of his home, The songcords run-through his fingers, Dazed he looks into the water which is oddly still.

Jake takes a deep breath and looks at your form, now forever asleep. Tears brim his eyes and slowly began to cascade down his face. He leans his face down to you and presses his lips against your forehead as he hugs you.

"Jake?" a voice interrupts his thoughts,

"What are you doing?" neytiri asks walking up behind him as jake looks up at her.

"i ah...just thinking." he mutters softly looking down at the two strings in hands.

neytiri eyes land on them as she sits down next to him,

"can i..?" she trails of gesturing the songcords as jake nods and hands them to her.

she lays then on her palms as she admired each bead,

"They chose beautiful beads." she whispered her fingers brushing over each one.

"They did" jake says and neytiri looks up into the sky. Her eyes burned as she began to sob.

jake held her close comforting her. placing is lips against her forehead as she cried into his chest.

"i..." jake muttered , as neytiri sniffed into him she stopped to look at him as he continued,

"They are together again.." he said looking at neytiri as she gazed back at him her eyes red and swollen.

"we experienced them. That is what matters." he states his eyes filled with sadness, as neytiri places her head against his chest.

it was silent as the two parents recalled their son and his best friend. And what the pair could have become.

But they were with eywa now,

leaving only The Songcords.

[celebrityxcrushes]

FOREVER

-

Pairing: Lo’ak x fem!reader

Request: Hi! I’d like to request something if that’s okay! Could you write something with Lo’ak x fem!reader in which he has a nightmare and he dreams that the reader wants to break up with him because they think he’s a disappointment and a shame as his father has said. And then he wakes up crying and as he turns around he sees that reader’s not there because they got up to get water or something so he thinks that it was not a dream. Then finally she comes back and sees him crying and she reassured him that she’ll never leave him. I know it’s a bit cliche and I probably messed up my english but I love this trope sm! have a great day :)

Word count: 1248

-

Lo'ak stared down at the bracelet in his hands, confusion written clearly all over his face. It was the bracelet he had made for you back when he first confessed his feelings for you.

Making it had taken him forever; mainly because he had hand plucked every single bead, and it took ages to gather the perfect amount. In the end though, it had all paid off - as you loved it.

"I will never take it off", you had promised as he secured it around your wrist.

So why did Lo'ak find it hidden away on the ground?

Knowing that you never purposely would take it off, he figured you must have accidentally lost it. So secured his grip around it and decided to find you to give it back to you. After making his way out of his family's sleeping pod, he started looking around for you. However, that seemed to be harder than he first anticipated.

You weren't at any of the usual places, and he grew more and more confused by the second. Eventually though, he checked out the beach and saw you. You were sat down in the sand, your legs crossed and your torso learning back onto-

His brows furrowed as he squinted his eyes.

That couldn't be right - you were leaning onto Ao'nung. Why would you be cuddling with Ao'nung? You hated him, or at least you hated how he constantly picked on you and the rest of the Sully children. However, it certainly didn't look like Ao'nung was picking on you now.

As Lo'ak made his way towards you, he saw how Ao'nung moved his mouth to your ear - and whispered something that made you let out a giggle.

What was happening?

"Y/N?"

The sound of his voice made you lift your head in shock. "Oh, Lo'ak, hi." At the following silence, Ao'nung grinned and threw his arm around you. "Well this is awkward."

He was confused. And angry. But mostly confused. The Y/N he knew would never in a million years betray him by cuddling up to another guy. Yet, there was no denying it; it was happening right in front of his eyes.

Lo'ak could practically hear his heart breaking as you spoke your next words. "I'm sorry Lo'ak, I never meant for you to see this."

His eyes focused solely on you. He has always struggled with containing his anger, and he didn't know if he could control himself if he as much as looked at Ao'nung and his stupid smug grin.

"What are you talking about?" Tears started forming in his eyes. "Y/N, what's going on?"

As you tore yourself from Ao'nung's side, you gestured for Lo'ak to follow you. "We need to talk."

"I- I've tried talking to you, several times, but I didn't want to hurt you. But Ao'nung helped me realize that I'm not happy with you anymore Lo'ak. I'm sorry."

A pit formed in Lo'ak's stomach. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I just think I would be better off with Ao'nung. He's great. He's the future Olo'eyktan, and you're just.... nothing."

He repeated your words back to you, in shock by what you were saying. "I'm... nothing? How can you even say that, Y/N?"

You shrugged slightly, "I'm just being honest - I don't want to hurt you, but you have to see where I'm coming from. Even your dad said it, you're kind of a disappointment."

"Face it, Lo'ak," you continued, "you're not good enough for me."

As you turned away from him and started walking back over to Ao'nung, your last words started replaying in his head.

'You're not good enough for me.'

He knew that your words were true. He wasn't good enough for you. It wasn't a secret, he had just hoped for you to never realize it, but now you had.

-

With a gasp, Lo'ak opened his eyes.

As he realized that it had all been a nightmare, he sent an internal thanks to the Great mother.

He moved his arm over, reaching for your sleeping frame. However, to his dismay, he found your usual spot empty.

In an instant, his doubts reappeared. Had it not been a nightmare? Had you actually left him?

He tried to calm himself. Taking deep breaths as he looked around the pod, his eyes searching for you. No luck. You had to be somewhere.

Deciding to look outside, he felt his foot touch something on the ground.

As he picked the item up, he panicked. No matter how many deep breaths he took, he couldn't stop tears from forming in his eyes.

It was the bracelet.

A sense of déjà vu hit him, alongside a wave of panic. Once again, he forced himself to calm down, and to walk outside the pod. He was sure there was a reasonable explanation to why you were missing.

It had to be.

-

The gentle breeze and the smell of ocean hit him immediately as he exited the sleeping pod. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the outside, but when they did, he finally spotted you.

You were sitting not far from the pod with your feet dangling into the water. As he approached you, he saw how your ears perked up as you heard him come.

"Hey," you smiled up to him as he sat down next to you.

"Hey."

Immediately as he spoke, you noticed that something in his voice was off - meaning that something was bothering him.

Your hand automatically linked itself with his, and you started playing with his fingers. "What's wrong?"

At first confusion laced through you as you saw him lift his hand up, but then you noticed the item delicately placed in the palm of his hand. The bracelet that he had given you when he first started courting you.

"Oh no, it must have fallen off! You know I would never take it off on purpose."

You held up your own arm, and gestured for Lo'ak to put the bracelet back onto your wrist. But even when the bracelet was safely restored, you sensed how something was bothering him still.

"Ma'Lo'ak, something is wrong still, I can feel it. What is wrong?"

Lo'ak let out a involuntary sniffle. It was kind of embarrassing really... He was a grown man, he shouldn't be this emotional. But he couldn't help it, you made him soft.

"Just a bad dream, and then it spooked me a little that you weren't next to me." As he spoke, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his embrace.

You happily leaned back into his chest, letting out a content sigh. "I couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to wake you by tossing and turning all night."

"Doesn't matter," he mumbled into your hair, "I'm just glad to have found you."

Curiosity got the best of you, wondering what Lo'ak possibly could have dreamt to have him this shook up. "What did you dream of anyways?"

"I dreamt that I lost you."

The sadness in his voice made your heart break.

"Well, that will never ever happen. I'm yours for as long as it takes you to get sick of me."

He leaned his head forward to leave a soft kiss at your temple. You felt the warmth of his breath hit your face as he spoke again. "I'll never get sick of you, Y/N."

"Then I'm yours forever," you promised with a loving smile.

[magnoliabutters]

• TRUST YOURSELF •

pairing: neteyam x augustine (na'vi/avatar oc, she/her)

summary: augustine follows her father’s wishes and travels to the metkayina clan. there, she is reunited with the sully’s.

warnings: 18+ content, mdni, adult language; avatar twow spoilers; complicated family dynamics, near death experience, fluffy fluff young love, slow burn, etc.

word count: ~6.8k

• part 1 • eywa’s choice • series •

note: y'all i'm low-key obsessed with avatar rn and i can't get this out of my head. i did a lot of research for this one and included some links if you need it! please note there is canon divergence obvi within this story, as well as both characters being 18 and 19 years old (i.e., 4 years after twow). here is some young love, coming your way! also did not make this gif ♥️

"Augustine," Spider calls out as he rushes into the gardens behind the old military base. "You out here?" Augustine stands from her bed. "Spider!" she says as rushes to the edge of her treehouse beside the greenery. She peers down, hopeful to land her eyes upon him.

She watches as the man, whom she considered as her brother, ran up to the base of the tree. His dirty blonde dreaded hair being held back behind his oxygen mask. She has not seen him in what feels like forever. After he joined the Sully clan, things had changed. Although a spark races in her heart, she is wary. Unsure of who they are to each other now. Is he still her brother? Is she his sister?

"You coming down any time soon?" Spider asks as he places his hands upon his hips with a smirk. Augustine laughs, shaking off her nerves, as she jumps down from the tree. She lands gracefully upon the soft soil. A smile sprawls across her face. "This soon enough?" she asks with amusement in her voice.

Spider rolls his eyes and scoffs as he turns around. "It must be nice to be eight feet tall. That was barely a jump, huh?" he asks. "Aw, are you jealous, brother?" Augustine taunts. He shakes his head while releasing a chuckle. "Norm's calling for you. It's dinner time," he shares as he turns to make his way back to the research buildings. "Race you there," she suggests with a smile.

Augustine's feet dig deeply within the dirt as she pushes off the ground. Spider groans and rushes quickly behind his Na'vi sister. She slows her pace giving him the slightest chance. As she rushes through the airlock chamber, she laughs until he runs right behind her. "Maybe one of these days you'll beat me," she giggles. He rolls his eyes as she grabs hold of her mask. She hooks the gas mask around her neck. The machine hooked onto her shorts.

As she walks in, Augustine is met with the several scientists and doctors that took part in raising her. The love of her family is filled with appreciation. Spider runs off to mess around with Dr. Patel. She grins as she looks over her beautiful family.

"Gusty!" Norman says with open arms. It was always nice to see him in his true form. His shaggy hair and crooked smile always left her hopeful. His avatar did not do him justice when it came to her favorites of his quirks. "Hello papa," she says as she falls into his embrace. "How are you, sweetie?" he asks as he grips hard around her back. Despite him being at least six feet, it is still quite hilarious how much she towers over him.

“Doin' good! I’m surprised to see Spider here,” she mentions quickly as she turns to look his way within his embrace. Her father peers over towards him. His body language uncomfortable. It intrigues her. “Yeah, let’s have some dinner first,” he says as he guides her towards the table. “What’s wrong, dad?” she asks as he lowers his hands. “We can talk about it over dinner,” her father suggests with a shifty smile.

“Hm, I think I want to talk about it now,” Augustine says as she sits down across from him. She stares at him with a skeptical look and a “no bullshit” type of attitude. He meets her stubbornness with laughter. “Oh Ewya, you are just as fiery as your mother,” her father mutters.

Her mother, Ewtoä, was born of the Tayrangi clan - a true Na’vi. Augustine has been told stories of her mother all her life. How strong of a warrior she was. How intelligent she was in leading strategies and maneuvers. How she would stand beside Toruk Makto and often be his right hand in battle, especially after Tsu'tey's death. Toruk Makto would often share how great she would have been in the Jarhead clan he spoke of.

Ewtoä was beautiful, inspirational. Her father met her in the first war against the sky people. They rushed in together on the ground as Toruk Makto and Neyteri attacked from the skies. She helped get her father’s avatar to safety after he had been shot. Soon, Augustine came along. However, she never got to meet her mother. She died in childbirth despite all the doctors' efforts. Father was devastated.

After years had passed, father slipped up and recklessly shared that her mother never wanted children. All in good spirits. He told a story of how she always intended to be a warrior and that being a mother may complicate things. Augustine did not mind being an accident, but she did mind being the one who brought her mother to Ewya. Ewtoä, an incredible warrior, killed by her unwanted child. It ripped a whole in her heart that she has yet to repair.

"Father, please. Why is Spider here?" Augustine places her hand upon his. "Is everything alright?" she asks with worry. Her father sighs as he places his hand atop hers. "I want you to go back with him - to the Metkayina clan," he sheepishly answers. His eyes to the table's surface.

Her brows pushed together as pain rains through her face. "You mean to Toruk Makto," she says with her lips pulled in disgust. She quickly takes her hand from him and stands. Spider and Dr. Patel watch from afar. She could hear Spider mumble, "I knew she wasn't going to take it well."

Augustine growls as she paces back and forth in annoyance. Her ears flatten as she tries to process her father's request. "Hey, no. Not Toruk Makto. Your uncle - Uncle Jake," her father corrects as he stands and places a calm hand upon her shoulder. She rolls her eyes and shakes off his hand. "I'm an alien. They will not accept me," she yells as she throws her four fingers up towards her father. "Sweet girl, you know Na'vi. And they accepted the Sully's," her father attempts to soothe as he reaches out once more but pulls back.

"They lived along the Omatikaya. I haven't lived with the forest people in 5 years. Anything I learned is long gone," Augustine says under her breath. "I mean look at me now! I wear clothes!" Spider bursts into laughter on the other side of the room. She quickly turns and rushes him. He jumps up onto the desk as he defends himself. A hiss seething through his teeth. She stands before him, bent down and ready to pounce. She returns a hiss in his direction. How dare he laugh at her? "Look at you. You still have Na'vi in you," he says with a smile as his body relaxes. She groans as she turns her back towards him.

"Augustine," her father whispers. "You are a great warrior. Just because time has passed does not mean that you will not remember. You still have your ikran." He places a hesitant hand to her cheek. "I haven't seen Nei in so long. She will be angry, as she should," she mumbles under her breath as she attempts to pull away.

"The sky people are going to come back. The avatars will be back." She leans into his palm. "I want you to be able to protect yourself," he mutters. "Gusty, I need you to be safe." She whines, "I am safe here. You brought me here to be safe after the sky people came the second time!" He shakes his head, as he guides her into a hug. "You aren't, sweet girl," he whispers against her cheek. She pulls away as tears flood her eyes. "I can't keep you safe anymore."

Augustine looks down as the tears fall from her cheeks. "I will go," she whispers with a nod. "Thank you," her father says was he sighs in relief. "When?" she asks with a crack to her voice. "After dinner, Gus," Spider replies quietly as he steps down from the table. She turns towards him and winces. "After dinner," she repeats as she slowly sits on the chair.

The dinner was silent and solemn. After their meal, Augustine rushes towards her home. She packs her favorite clothes from when she was with the tree people, as well as her favorite memories. The makeshift arrow that her father made her when she was a child. The flying visor that her mother wore into all her battles. "You don't want to bring your human clothes?" Spider asks with a laugh. She turns towards him and playfully pushes against his chest with a chuckle. "I don't want to look more like an alien than I already am," she mutters with insecurity. "Kiri and Lo'ak have four fingers. You will never be alone. Never again," he says with a sunken smile. "Thank you, brother," she says.

The trip to the reefs was long. For some reason, the journey was unable to wait until morning. The SA-2 fearlessly flew through the night sky. The cool air blows Augustine's hair aside and continues to fly right into her face. Spider holds back laughs as he watches her struggle. She forgot about the chill in the air with her clothes. She catches glimpses of her father watching her. His eyes water as he sniffles against the rushing wind. Her heart aches for him, but she knows that this is what he wants.

Finally, as the sun rises over the horizon, the vehicle lands atop the sanded surface. She takes in sharp breaths of air, attempting to calm herself. The nerves sending painful shocks throughout her body. Her eyes are fixed upon her hands, as they rest between squeezed thighs. Would the Metkayina accept her? Would Kiri, Lo'ak, Neteyam, Tuk remember her? It has been so long.

Spider quickly jumps off the SA-2 and rushes towards a blue form. Augustine notices the sweet smile and quickly recognizes her childhood friend, Kiri. Excitement bursts through her chest. She has not seen her since she was fourteen years old. She continues to watch as her arms wrap around Spider. They hold in an embrace that leaves her mind reeling. Spider and Kiri? she thinks. She watches as the two smile and rush off towards the pods. A part of her heart hurts as Kiri did not greet her.

"Gusty," her father says as he comes into view. He holds his hand out. Augustine grabs hold of him as she steps outside the vehicle. She hooks her backpack over her shoulder. "We have to say goodbye," he says as he holds back a sob. Her thoughts disperse as she immediately looks at her father. "Father, I-," she starts as tears stream down her cheeks. "It's okay, sweet girl," he says as he wipes away her tears. "You will be safe here."

"Norm," a booming voice came from behind her. Father turns, wiping away his own tears. "Sully," he says with higher affect as he opens his arms for an embrace. Augustine recognizes the man as Toruk Makto. She immediately gestures a greeting as he looks her way. His hardened face gazes deep into her soul. "Augustine," he says with a nod and returns the gesture. "Toruk Makto," she responds with a quick gulp.

He laughs as he puts a firm hand on her father's shoulder. "No one's called me that in years," he smiles. "You can call me Jake." He places his hand out for what she recognizes as a handshake. She learned of a handshake from father, but never had the opportunity to do so. She hesitantly extends her hand and feels Jake’s fingers wrap around her’s. He shakes her hand and lets go immediately. She is not sure how she feels about the interaction. Jake smiles. “You've grown so much since I last saw you,” he happily states as he looks over her. She recognizes Neytiri gracefully joining at his side. An involuntary smile grows upon her face.

Augustine's father comes back into view. “I see you,” her father says as he gestures towards her. His hands tightly gripping onto hers. She nods and clears her throat. “I see you, papa,” she replies as she pulls him into a hug. “I love you,” he mumbles against her ear. “I love you. Please come back for me,” she whimpers in his arms. “I will. I cannot wait to see the wonderful, strong warrior you were always meant to be,” he smiles as he pulls away. “Just like your mother.” She nods, holding back tears. “Yes, father.” And with that, her father got back onto the SA-2. With tears in her eyes, she watches as the pilot pulls away. Her father waving goodbye until he was out of sight.

Augustine feels a gentle hand upon her shoulder. “Augustine,” she hears a sweet voice say. She turns to see Neytiri, someone whom she loves greatly. A soft smile grows upon her face. Her brows slightly push together in concern. “We welcome you to our home, Augustine," she says as she places a hand to her chest. She gestures a welcome as she bows. "I see you, Neytiri. Thank you for your welcome," she beams. "May I hug you?" she asks with a smile. They both happily embrace each other.

As they release, Neytiri walks around her with a smirk. She scans her body, brushing her hand through her long straight locks. “Lor,” she says. Augustine blushes as she recognizes the Na'vi word for beautiful. “How was your ride over?” Jake asks as he wraps his arm around his mate's. “Windy,” she answers with a chuckle. The two laugh alongside her. Their amusement seems genuine, but she remains nervous.

“How's your Na'vi?” he asks as he guides the trio towards the pods. "I never stopped speaking it," she answers as she gracefully switches to the Na'vi language. She never had the option to not practice the language. Her father loved it greatly.

With Jake’s direction, Augustine walks through the lands of the Metkayina. She was not able to notice its beauty before as she was so focused on her father’s departure. She remembers that she has never once been more than an hour or two away from her father. Yet, now her father travels farther and farther from where she stands. She tries to get the thought from her mind, but feels a tightness in her chest as she struggles to maintain her breath.

The water is a shade of greenish blue that she is not familiar with. Lighter, more calm. The ground beneath her feet soft and malleable. She can feel it’s warmth through her toes. The sun pleasant against her skin. She notes the other Na’vi, the sea reef people. Their skin matching the ocean’s color. Their hair curlier and thick. They are beautiful. Their faces are oval and sweet. Their tails thick, resembling the fish she has seen in the forest’s ponds.

They watch her. Their eyes baring holes deep within her skin. She could not discern if they were interested or if they were disapproving. As she peers through the crowds, she begins to worry about her Na'vi fluency. Does she remember? Does she remember the Na'vi people's traditions? Her people's? She continues follow along the Sully leaders until they approach a pod. “Everyone’s been so excited to see you,” Jake says with a genuine smile. He walks through the threshold and gestures for her to enter.

“Everyone?” Augustine mutters to herself as she bends down to walk into the space. The first thing she sees, or feels, is Kiri rushing towards her with a hug. She feels happiness, something she has yet to feel for some time. “Gus, it’s been so long!” she exclaims. She and Kiri have had a special bond since birth. After all, they are both heavily inspired by Dr. Grace Augustine. “Kiri, I’ve missed you so much,” she says with a grin as she pulls away. Her hands still gently holding her forearms. “I’ve missed you so much!” Kiri smiles as she pulls her in once more for a stronger embrace.

“Hey, move along, sis. Don’t hold her up,” a boy says as he pushes his arm between the two girls. “Lo’ak,” Augustine smirks as she wraps her arms around his neck. “Gusty,” he chuckles as he wraps his arms at her back. “Where have you been, girl?” he asks. “Where have you been? Last I checked, you were the one who left,” she taunts as her brows raise. He laughs as he playfully punches her shoulder and steps away.

"Augustine," she hears a familiar comforting voice call. She looks up to note Neteyam's large golden eyes. He looks the same as she remembers. However, he now proudly wears a tattoo upon his right shoulder of a fish found in the forest lands. "Neteyam," she answers with a nod. He smiles and stands beside Lo'ak. Things have always been rather odd between Neteyam and Augustine. They have never spent time alone together and only in a group with each other’s siblings. She did not expect anything more from the eldest of the Sully's.

A small figure rushes from the other side of the tent. “Auggie!” she yelps. She bounces and smirks as she crashes into Augustine's torso. "Tuk?" she asks in surprise. She places her hands upon her shoulders, placing some space between their two bodies. "You've gotten so tall!" The Sully clan bursts into laughter as Tuk blushes. "You are so beautiful, little one," she shares as she pinches her round cheeks. Neytiri and Kiri smile in the back as their hands collide.

She cannot explain the amount of happiness rushing through her body. The people she has loved so much remember her. Remember her despite the many years that have passed. Her greatest fear is just that - fear. No longer having the possibility of being fact. "I've missed you all," she shares as she looks over the family. They return smiles her way. She notes a stranger beside Lo'ak.

"And who is this?" Augustine asks curiously as she gestures a welcome towards the girl. Her skin matches that of the sea. Her hair curly and long. She was gorgeous. Lo'ak smiles as he steps forward. "This is Tsireya, my-" he introduces. "Reya," she says as she returns a welcoming gesture. "It is wonderful to meet you, Reya," she replies with a grin. She is elated to see Lo'ak so happy.

"Let's eat," Jake announces as he rubs his hands together. The family sits down as they laugh over a delicious meal. "What have you been doing for the last couple years?" Lo'ak asks between bites. Augustine laughs as she bumps against Kiri's happy shoulder. "I've been studying under my father. Learning the human, I mean - sky people's medicinal ways," she shares. "A healer," Neytiri beams proudly as she nods towards her. "Yes, a healer," she agrees. "I had a few more years to learn," she mumbles on. Her smile falls as she realizes that she may never return to her studies.

"My mother is the healer of the Metkayina," Reya shares with a genuine smile. "Yes, Ronal the Tsahik," Kiri added. "She saved me once, you know?" Augustine turns towards her in shock. "What have you been doing that you may need a Tsahik?" she asks with worry. Kiri laughs with her siblings as Neytiri and Jake eat with emotionless expressions.

"Remember when Norm came to visit us?" Lo'ak asks with amusement. "Yes," she inquires. "I remember getting into a huge fight with my dad because he wouldn't let me go with him." Neteyam smiles as he drags his words, "He was coming to heal Kiri." Augustine turns towards her once again with wide eyes. "Kiri! It was that bad? Are you okay?" she asks as she pulls at her arms, analyzing her body. "Yes, yes, I am fine, Gusty," she answers with a giggle. "Thank Eywa," Neytiri and Augustine say in unison.

After much time laughing and reminiscing over childhood stories, Jake gathers the clan's attention. "Augustine, you are here to recall your training as an Omatikaya warrior. You will also train as a Metkayina," Jake announces. Led by Neytiri, the Sully's click their tongues and make sharp encouraging and excited sounds. The sounds she missed dearly. "Neteyam will teach you the way," he adds. Neteyam's head raises. His brows push together in confusion. He must not have been aware she notes. "Yes, sir,” he says in a quiet tone. His chin pinned to his chest as he looks down. Almost like he was a nantang submissive to his alpha. Underneath his obedience, she could sense annoyance and anger.

Augustine's brows furrow as she looks down at her legs. She swallows as she feels her first pain within the ocean's islands. "Let's get some sleep. We're starting early tomorrow," Jake directs as he stands. He grabs hold of Neytiri's hand, supporting her as she raises. The Sully's stand promptly and move to their designated beds. Lo'ak holds both Reya's hands as he whispers his gentle goodbyes.

Augustine lays in her bed, snuggling up on the netting above the warm salty seas. As silence fills the home, she struggles to keep her mind from her family, from her home, from her father. She holds back sobs as she curls tighter into herself. Tears stream down her face. "I will make you proud, father," she whispers to herself before falling asleep.

"Wake up, Augustine," she feels a gentle hand upon her shoulder. She turns to see Neteyam kneeling beside where she rests. She feels the netting sink beneath his weight. "I'm getting up," she murmurs. "Now," he says sternly. He abruptly raises from the floor. Enough to shake her as she remains on her side. She turns to watch him walk away as she pulls her lip. Somehow she has annoyed the eldest of the Sully's. She could not even make it a single day.

As she stands, Augustine stumbles on her feet atop the netting. She quickly maintains her balance as she opens her arms to the side. She smiles, proud that she did not fall. As she looks up, she notices Neteyam peering back at her with a blank stare. He rolls his eyes before walking out the pod’s entrance. She shakes her head and grumpily follows behind him. She does not remember him being so pissy.

He leads her through the different families’ pods. She smiles as she watches mothers nuzzle against their little ones, siblings play fighting, families enjoying a meal. It reminds her of her own childhood and spending time with the growing Sully clan when she was barely ten.

“Hurry,” Neteyam says as he grabs hold of her wrist. The grasp is not tight or painful but Augustine did not enjoy being touched. She quickly pulls her hand from him, giving him a stare. How dare he think he has the right to touch her after being so rude to her? He peers back at her. His face showing a hurt expression that confused her. He gestures for her to follow along as he quickens his step.

Neteyam leads her to the marketplace. It is bustling with Na’vi. It puts a huge smile upon her face. She smells in the delicious food cooking. She listens to the beautiful music, filled with pronounced drums. She closes her eyes to take it all in, all her senses but sight. She has missed this. Every fiber of her being missed her people. She understood why father ripped her away from them then. Just as she understands why he ripped her away from him now.

As she slowly opens her eyes, Augustine notes several Na’vi watching her. Looking around, she recognizes a variety of faces - disgust, interest, annoyance. That is when she catches Neteyam’s eyes. For once, they seem welcoming. Like he had been staring at her the entire time. Not with disgust, interest, or annoyance. What was it?

Once their eyes met, that welcome disappeared and was replaced with annoyance again. “Let’s go, Augustine,” he says firmly as he runs off past the market. She awkwardly smiles as she looks around once more. She clears her throat and runs after him.

Neteyam leads her to a secluded beach away from the bustling crowds. She watches as he walks into the ocean. The water hitting his ankles as he closes his eyes and leans his head back. He must enjoy the water, she thinks to herself. “The first thing you need to learn is how to breathe,” he begins as he gestures for her to join him. “Good thing I already know how to do that,” she laughs to herself. He clearly is not amused.

Augustine quickly joins him in the ocean. She feels the warm water hit her shins. She wiggles her toes into the sand. She smiles as she realizes she enjoys the water too. He walks in deeper without looking back at her. She instinctually follows him. He then yells out a call, similar to those when one calls upon their ikran.

Suddenly, a dark mass rushes through the water. Panic floods Augustine’s chest. She drops down into a crouch, the water now at her knees. Her ears fall back and she hisses as her fists raise. Neteyam begins to laugh hysterically, practically falling over into the water. She slowly raises in confusion as the mass floats beside him.

“Are you ready, warrior princess?” He asks with chuckles interrupting his words. She rolls her eyes as she walks closer. She notices it’s beauty, it’s soft eyes and quick movements. “This is ilu,” he says as he smooths his hand over the mass. His tone now calm and serious. She hesitantly follows his lead and touches it. It is slimy under her touch but so soft.

“It is like Pa’li,” Neteyam adds as he reaches for his tswin. He swiftly makes a tsaheylu. His pupils widen as he holds tighter against his ilu. He breathes out, alongside the beautiful creature. “Come,” he gestures for Augustine to get on top. “I’ll go behind you,” she mutters under her breath.

“Trust me, she is quite fast. You will want to be in front so you are not thrown off,” he says. “Unless the warrior princess has something to prove?” he taunts with a raise of his brow. “I have nothing to prove to you, Neteyam,” she says sternly as she kicks her leg over the ilu’s body. He scoffs as he gets on behind her. His arms wrap around her to hold the notch in front. She holds onto a lower notch. She feels the warmth of his chest on her back.

Neteyam pulls down his visor. He says, “If you need air, just tap my hand.” In surprise, she tries to turn around and knocks her head back into his chin. “Oh, sorry,” she winces. He shakes off the pain with a sigh. “We are going under the water with ilu?” she asks hesitantly. “Yes, take a deep breath,” he says as he slowly takes in air. She immediately imitates him to take in as much air as she can. He nods and leans forward, prompting her to lean forward as well.

The ilu dives underneath the ocean’s surface. Augustine feels the speed of the water through her face and hair. Neteyam is smacked with a face full of hair due to high speeds. Her eyes flutter as they struggle to remain open. But, oh Eywa, what she sees? She wishes she could see it for the first time over and over again.

The reefs are colors of purple, blue, pink, and yellow. It’s vibrancy reminds her of home and the forests surrounding it. Whether her body wants to or not, Augustine’s eyes widen as they swim over a large vast of oceanic space. She can no longer see the ground. She smiles at the sight of gorgeous creatures she has never seen before. Her grin grows as she watches some creatures flash like twinkling lights. She could not help but think of and thank Ewya.

But suddenly her body begins to panic. Her chest tightens and constricts. Nerves and electric shock run through her veins. She needs air. Augustine taps Neteyam’s hand. He immediately brushes her off and gestures for her to stay down. She gestures “no” and smacks his hand again. She could feel him shaking his head “no” as he continues forward.

The stress of her body going into survival mode is incredibly painful. She is desperate to make it stop. She digs her nails into one of his hands. He pulls back as he winces. She lets go of her notch and swims up. Due to the ilu’s speed, she tumbles behind in its current. She struggles to find which way is up as she begins to feel her heart beat in her ears.

Finally, she swims up and breaches the water. The air sucked in burns her lungs. She struggles to get another breath. Neteyam appears from the ocean atop his ilu. “What the hell was that?” he asks, annoyed. “What?!” she yells breathless. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” He scoffs, rolling his eyes. “No, Neteyam! Don’t roll your eyes at me again. You were trying to kill me,” she utters. Anger replaces the pain in her body.

“You were fine. You had a few more minutes,” he whispers under his breath. “You know what? I’m done,” she says as she begins to swim back to the shore. “Oh common, Augustine,” he whines. “Don’t be like that.” As she paddles forward, she lifts her hand to flip him off. She could hear a grunt and rushing water.

“Augustine, we can’t stop now,” Neteyam says as his ilu swims beside her. She receives comfort from feeling the ground. Her hair sticks against her back, chest, and neck. “And why is that, Neteyam? It’s not like you wanted to train me. You’ve been acting like a dick this entire time,” she says as she crosses her arms on her chest.

He growls in annoyance as he shakes his head. He takes a breath and looks back at her. “I can’t fail my dad,” he mumbles. His energy completely shifts as his eyes meet the ocean waves. “I’m still not sure how that explains why you’ve been acting like a dick?” she asks with a raise of his brow.

His face deadpans as he stares her way. “I had plans,” he whines. “I was going to hunt with the greatest warriors today.” He splashes the water away from the pairing. Now this is the Neteyam that she remembers. Always “woe is me” and focused on the responsibilities expected of him by his family. “This was the first time I have been invited since I received my rites,” he mutters. “He knew how important this is to me.” He takes a breath. “But it is not a priority to the family.”

Augustine watches over him as his body language loudly displays defeat. “I am sorry I have been a ‘dick’,” he says with hand quotations. “I am sorry that you weren’t able to go on the hunt,” she genuinely shares. He nods and mumbles, “Thanks.”

She watches, confused, as he sighs and smiles. “Should we continue?” he asks. “Um, no. It’s your turn again,” she demands. He creates his own mixture of scoffing and laughing. “My turn to what?” he asks amusingly. “You have another thing to apologize for,” she replies with her hand gesturing out in annoyance. “What?” he smirks. “You just tried to kill me!” she yells.

“I did not try to kill you,” Neteyam answers with a taunting singsong voice. “Then what the hell was that?” she asks in another yell. He snorts at her reaction. “I wanted to see how long you could hold your breath. To see where we are starting,” he chuckles. “Okay well, why would you tell me to tap on your hand when I need air and not let me get air?” she asks as she splashes water towards him.

“Hey!” he laughs. “I knew you could hold out a little longer.” Augustine huffs as she resumes her walk towards shore. “Okay, okay, Augustine,” he pleads. “Part of it was that I knew you could hold your breath a bit longer, but the other part was for you to feel your body underwater.”

Neteyam climbs off of his ilu as he walks towards her. He flicks his visor up gracefully. She watches him with suspicious eyes. “How your body tells - screams for air,” he says. “When to trust yourself.” He places his hand upon her chest. He places his other to his own. His palm warm and comforting. She surprisingly does not want him to leave. “The first signs of when you may need air.” He looks up, finally noticing his hand’s placement. He quickly pulls from her.

“It hurt,” Augustine shares as her eyes peer down at his hand by his side. Neteyam watches her with a hurt glance and furrowed brows. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” he whispers to her. “Finally, an apology,” she murmurs back with a growing smile. He puffs out air as he pulls away from the intimate moment. “Can we continue now?” he asks with a nod towards the ocean.

Augustine shrugs and abruptly runs towards his ilu. She laughs as she hears Neteyam running behind her. He splashes all along the way as she hops on and grabs hold of a notch. As he sits behind her, he chuckles to himself. “Where did you even learn the word, ‘dick?’” he asks. “Kiri,” she smiles back towards him. “Of course you did,” he grumbles as he pulls down his visor.

After hours of training in the blue green oceans, Augustine was able to extend her underwater diving for another minute. She hates to admit it but Neteyam is quite the teacher. She has to continue practicing but she learned deep breathing comes from the belly and not the chest.

She flutters her legs as she floats face down on the surface of the water. Neteyam points to each new sea creature and whispers their name into her ear. She wants to know more. She wants to know everything. She catches herself jealous of the Sully’s. That they have had four years of this beauty, while she had five living in the old military compound.

Augustine hates to admit it, but she had forgotten how beautiful Ewya was. She was able to appreciate the All-Mother in the surrounding trees, bushes, flowers. However, she rarely saw Ewya’s creatures. To see the beauty in the moving and living forest. She is thankful for her time in the forest. She is thankful for her time now in the ocean.

Neteyam began to trust her a bit more with every passing hour. He provides her more space as they both dive deeper into the ocean. Their explorations remain individual, but parallel. Only small shared looks here and there past the sun rays within the clear blue water.

A fish caught Augustine’s eye. It is thin, like a wall. Eyes on either side, like a Pa’li. It is pale white, like the ocean floor. She has not seen it before. She looks to find Neteyam, hoping he may know it’s name. His back is turned towards her as he dives deeper. She peers back down at the creature as it begins to swim away. She wants to see more.

She quickly breaches the water. She takes a deep breath from her stomach and submerges. She gracefully swims towards the fish, leaving enough space to just observe and not disturb. The fish reminds her of something but she could not put her finger on it. It is swift as it moves through the water. It leaves little ripples behind its fins. They are so strong that she can feel them from off in the distance.

The fish sneaks into a large pink and red colored coral reef. The opening just as thin as it. Augustine makes a face in frustration. She is not ready to say goodbye to this gift from Ewya. She swims around the reef to find another opening. All she needs is a small space between the corals, but they are so dense. She just wants to see - to learn more.

She continues to swim around the creature’s home, hoping for a mere glimpse. She feels tingles atop her skull. Her body’s earliest sign, communicating for a breath of air. Yet, she is determined. Trust yourself, she thinks of Neteyam’s words. A little bit more. She flutters her feet, attempting to make as little waves as possible.

Finally, Augustine sees it. A smile grows upon her face. She watches as the thin creature curls around in its secluded space within the coral. Miniature versions of it circle around the space. A mother and her family. She swims closer to the coral. Her hands carefully placed against its sharp edges. Ewya is beautiful. She is lucky to see her again in these creatures.

She begins to feel lightheaded. Her body’s second sign. She will not ignore it this time. With a sweet smile, she pulls away from the gorgeous underwater structure. Her face looks up as she begins to kick the water below her. Happiness fills her. She wishes for nothing more than to experience this day once more.

As her hands almost reach the surface, Augustine feels a pain in her back side. She turns to realize that the bush of her tail had been caught between the grooves of the coral. She swims back quickly to separate herself. Only to realize that the thick bits of her hair were puzzlingly tangled deep within the corals.

She begins to panic. Her chest tightens greatly. She tries to clear her head as she focuses on the complex mystery before her. She tries to untangle. She tries to pull. She feels the pain with each tug. One last brutal tug opens her mouth as she attempts to scream. The last of her breath gone. Now, it is time to panic. She pulls harder and harder. She watches as blood floats above her tail. The pain is unbearable. Not anything she would have expected. Not an agony she has ever experienced before.

She feels pain bubble to her scalp. The third sign. She gives it one last tug, giving all of her effort. She knows this might be her last chance. Luckily, she is free. The red liquid floating through the water. Pushing through the pain of her tail, the pain of her body, she pushes once again. Pushing to get to the surface. She prepares herself for the pain of the large gasp of air once breaching.

Augustine kicks and kicks and … her body stops. It has used all of its energy. She watches as her body lays just a few meters away from the surface. Her body has given up, yet her mind still screams. She screams for a breath. Then the distance between the air and water grew larger. Her lightheadedness increased. Before she knew it, she fell asleep.

Augustine chokes on the sea water. As she struggles to cough up the liquid in her lungs, her hands involuntarily grip beneath her. She feels the warmth of the grains in her palms. Like a wave, she begins to feel her senses return. She hears her name called repeatedly. She sees Neteyam above her with worried eyes. She feels his braids tickle her chin as he floats directly over her.

“Augustine!” he yells as he places his hands onto her cheeks. She takes in the breath of air she had imagined. It hurts, like she imagined. With a few more coughs, she raises. He helps her up and pins the side of her face to his chest. “Neteyam,” she whispers through pained wind pipes. “Thank you, Ewya,” he murmurs under his breath as he rocks both their bodies.

He abruptly pulls her away to stare into her eyes. “Are you okay?” he asks with worry rippled throughout his face. “Yes,” she whispers. “Are you sure?” he asks hastily. His fingers furiously pushing away the wet hair in her face. “Yes, I am sure,” she says louder, despite the pain in her throat.

Augustine raises her eyes to Neteyam’s once again. The worry is still clear in his face as his hands smush her cheeks. His eyes rapidly switch between her own. “I thought I lost you,” he mumbles underneath his breath. She watches him with confused eyes. Her mind remains foggy. She attempts to grasp onto reality by placing her hand upon his, as it cups her cheek.

His eyes move to different aspects of her face. She wonders if he is looking for other areas where she may be hurt. His gaze falls upon her lips. Slowly, he leans towards her. Before she is able to realize what is happening, he presses his lips upon her’s. The warmth of his soft lips against her mouth is another memory she wishes she could experience again. She leans into his embrace. Her hand gripping onto his.

Neteyam pulls away. His eyes fall to the sand, as his hands lower. Despite the near death experiences, Augustine wants nothing more than to repeat today’s first experiences.

note: whatcha think? I hope you liked it! let me know if you want to see a part two! comment if you'd like to join the taglist ♥️

• nav • no-no plagiarism • one shot • requests open •

[heyybaejjk]

VALENTINE'S SPECIAL

pairings. ao'nung x fem!metkayinan reader

summary. valentine's day rolls around for the metkayinan village, ao'nung takes this opportunity to finally ask his best friend to be his valentine.

warnings — implied violence, fluff, best friends to lovers

masterlist.

"One, two, three, four, five..." a voice whispered. "Wait, no, fuck- one, two, three." the deep voice stuttered. Tsireya had watched her brother from behind as he counted the red and blue flowers in his grasp.

Today was valentine's day, a day where couples were able to show their love. A day where you could spoil your significant other. A day where you either get accepted as a lover or rejected; Ao'nung wanting to be the first option.

He wanted everything to be perfect for his best friend, knowing you were going through a rough time with your own family. He wanted to be a reason why you were able to find comfort. So here he was, gathering your favourite coloured flowers, along with snacks he overheard you talking about with his sister, Tsireya. And now, his favourite part of the gift, a handmade necklace with a matching arm cuff; laced with white pearls, pink seashells and a bright-green pendant in the middle. The arm cuff being marble, mixed with the colours of pink and green. Little white hearts being hand painted on all around the cuff. He could only smile at the thought of your reaction when he was able to show you your gift.

He smiled to himself proudly, finally being able to pack everything in the handmade basket he weaved a few weeks ago, with the help of Ronal and Tsireya of course.

Considering you both were close as ever since young, Ao'nung had finally come to his senses and wanted to act quick by admitting his feelings. Especially now that you were both at a mature age and grown up, he also witnessed secret admirers try their best and court you. Ao'nung definitely did not like it at all.

He was stubborn at best. And if he were to think for a second, that he'd let you be courted by anyone other than him? He'd be a very unintelligent boy.

"Oh my Eywa, finally you're done." Tsireya groaned.

"Yep! I'm going now. Bye," Ao'nung said, rushing out the tent.

"Huh? Hey- you said you were going to help me with my gift for Lo'ak! Ao'nung!"

Tsireya found it no use screaming anymore as the boy had already made his way out.

The night prior, he had told you to meet at your secret spot that you both shared. A spot you both had found while you both decided to ditch your duties and rest. A cave almost, with a body of water where you can relax and swim, and hard flooring with moss and stones. It wasn't the best spot at first, but over the few months, you both made it a chore to clean up and decorate it with things you loved. The rocks were replaced with pillows stolen from each other's huts, as well as blankets. A handmade wooden table and shelf that held shells you had found on the beach together. Bioluminescent paint had decorated the plain dark rocks. Finger painted doodles had made their way on the walls of the cave.

The Metkayinan teenager had hope you arrived a bit later than he did, as he still wanted to check the cave and fix a few things. He roamed around the cave, placing the gift basket onto the table before making his way toward the mini pillow fort he made earlier. He sighed, his nerves weren't helping with how he was feeling at all.

Before he could get up, smaller hands slapped against his shoulders pushing him down onto the soft blankets.

"Nung!" Your voice rung, giggling.

Ao'nung couldn't help but smile. Instantly turning around and grabbing you by your waist and plopping your figure on his waist.

"Yawne. You came."

"Yeah, well you asked me to come, so..." you smiled shyly, hiding the heavy blush on your face.

He smiled hugging you, hiding his head in your shoulder, small pecks on your neck. Wrapping both of your arms around his neck, while you chuckled softly when he did whatever as he pleased.

This type of affection between you two was never something you talked about. It was a casual thing for the both of you, seeing as you were close as ever. It first started off when you decided to sit on his lap without warning him, so he casually wrapped his arms around your waist while whispering jokes into your ear. From then on, being this close to your best friend was casual, though villagers thought you were being courted by Tonowari's son.

"I apologise if I'm a bit late, I got stuck in the village. I ran into Kä'ey on my way here," You paused, fiddling with your fingers.

Silence ran through the air as Ao'nung laid his chin on your shoulder.

"What did he want?"

You fiddled with the curly ends of your hair that fell forward, "He asked to be my valentine, but I said no."

Hearing this, Ao'nung moved back, now facing you as you stared at him.

"Why is that?" Ao'nung asked, testing her.

"Because we are each other's valentine every year. You're my best friend, he is not." Saying this, he noticed the way your lips formed into a thin line. The way your mouth had begged your mind to say more, but you kept quiet. "What else is in that mind of yours, flower?" He asked.

"It is stupid." You tried stalling, getting up, but to no avail, he gripped both sides of your hips and forcefully placed you back down onto his lap. One hand placed on your thigh, while the other made its way at the back of your neck.

You were keeping something and he did not like it one bit. You both had a friendship where you shared everything. Seeing you so quiet now, it made him think you were hiding something. Hiding something from him.

"Tell me. What is bothering you? Did he say something else?"

You huffed. Your breathing patterns went from from fast to slow, trying to compose yourself.

"The way he asked," you looked up at him as he waited for you to continue. "It was as if he asked to court me."

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. He clearly remembered a few days ago when he told most boys, mainly Kä'ey, that he was going to court you and telling them to stay away from you. His anger bubbled inside, only staying calm when he found you looking at him.

"But that isn't what's bothering me. I just.." You trailed off.

"Every year, we're each others valentines as best friend. But when he asked, it made me realise I wanted more. I wanted more of us." Your heart fluttered as you tried your best getting out the words.

"I nearly said yes when he did but I said no. But the main reason I did so, was because I imagined him as you. I imagined it was you asking me to be courted. I just- I'm not sure how to say it, but forever, I've always wanted us to be more than just friends."

You continued to ramble on as the boy you sat on kept quiet. A rush of adrenaline had gone to his cheeks, his face turning purple. And without hesistation, he grabbed your face with both of his palms, placing his lips on your soft ones. Your lips moved in sync with his, the longing kiss going slow. The way his lips moved against yours was perfect.

Soon after, you eventually pulled away gasping for air. When you pulled away, Ao'nung adored your flustered state. Your cheeks turning into a dark shade of purple.

"I never knew you felt the same way, Yawne. I have wanted something like this to happen since forever."

"Really?"

"Really."

He said finally, pecking your lips for the last time. "But before I ask you to be mine," He tapped your thigh, signaling for you to get off. Doing so, he got up and strolled over to the table. "I got you something." He smiled.

"Nung, we agreed on no gifts for each other." You frowned, looking at the basket he held.

"That was an agreement we made when we were best friends."

"Were?"

"Yep. When we were best friends," He said again, sitting down beside you, setting the basket in front of you. Pulling you closer with one arm on your waist, his free hand on your jawline, making you face him. "But now, will you be mine, Y/N?"

You gave him a small smile before leaning in closer to him, pecking his nose. You nodded when backing away. "You are mine as I am yours." He said lastly said, before going for another kiss. A longer kiss that may have involved a bit of muscle.

When the night ended and Ao'nung walked you back to your pod, you gave him a little peck before running into your tent with a giggle. He chuckled lightly and made his way in the opposite direction of your tent. Except, he didn't walk back to his own marui. Instead, he walked over to a tent that belonged to a 'friend' of his, Kä'ey. The stupid bastard he specifically told not to make a move on his now girlfriend.

[pandorafairy]

Secret Cove (Part 3)

Neteyam x Metkayina (oldest daughter of Tonowari, the chief)

Neteyam is 18

Contains: new character & secrets, Neteyam fluff, Neteyam jealousy

I break the surface of the water with a fish flapping around in my net. The Sully children, all except Neteyam, study the way I hold it. Kiri frowns slightly, like she’s unhappy with the killing of the fish. I paddle up to the ledge where they all sit, their toes brushing against the waves. 

“It’s our dinner Kiri.” I smile at her and pull myself out of the water. A few villagers whisper from a nearby pod, their eyes following my movement. Rumors about Tonowari’s eldest getting in trouble have spread rapidly. I act like I don’t see their stares. 

“Yea, I know,” Kiri replies in annoyance. Tuk stares off into the horizon, lost in her own world. Lo’ak stares at Tsireya and she pretends not to notice. Everyone seems fine but lessons feel wrong without Neteyam here. Lo’ak had said their father took Neteyam out hunting with the other men. Aonung and Rotxo had looked at each other with shared jealousy. I hadn’t said anything but I know it’s more than just a hunting spree. Guess Jake and my father really do want us to stay apart. 

“That’s it for today,” Aonung says. Kiri immediately jumps up and skips off, Tuk hurrying behind her. Lo’ak pats Aonung on the back before following after his sisters. I sigh. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to see Neteyam again. What if he doesn’t return to our lessons? Should I sneak out again? Risk being caught?

“Sister?” Aonung asks. Rotxo peers curiously at me from beside him. “What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.” I smile at him, it hurts my face to do it but I do. I haven’t told him anything that happened. I just said that our parents freaked out over nothing. That he had nothing to worry about. That I’m fine. I know he didn’t fully believe me but he knew better than to push me. 

Aonung shrugs before challenging Rotxo to a race. They dive in the water and disappear under the waves. I should return to my pod where my parents are expecting me. Eclipse is soon, and after the trouble I got in, I can’t risk being late. But my rebellious streak still burns through me. I keep hearing Neteyam’s voice in my head, We already broke two rules, what’s a few more?

I’m so lost in thought that I don’t realize someone’s walked up beside me until he speaks. 

“Hey.” I whip my head to the side to find Issak standing beside me. He’s tall with light blue skin and a spear in his hand. His black hair curls around his temples. Issak and I were friends as children. Always swimming after each other and exploring. Our parents used to say that we were destined for eachother. Before everything happened. Before– no. I can’t think about that. 

“Issak,” I say, surprise evident in my voice. “What is it?”

He laughs, the sound rumbles from within him. A familiar sound, one I’ve heard many times before. “I’m just saying hello. Can I not say hello?”

I don’t respond and he tilts his head at me. “How is training the forest kids?”

I roll my eyes and start walking towards my pod. That’s what he wants to talk about? A million memories flash through my mind, mostly of things I want to forget. His footsteps vibrate on the path behind me. 

“Wait,” he says as he places a hand on my arm. “I didn’t mean that. I just want to see how you’re doing.”

“You care now?”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy and I… well I heard something about you.”  Dread curls in my stomach. I already know what he’s about to say. He keeps his hand on my arm. His four webbed fingers feel so different from Neteyam’s five soft ones.

 “Did you steal the special alcohol? The ones we use for celebration?” 

The whole village really does know. I try not to groan. “No, I didn’t.” I move to push past him but he places his other hand on my shoulder, blocking me. 

“I’m not judging. We did things we shouldn’t have back when…” he shrugs. “Anyway, can you grab some alcohol for me? Who knows when the Tulkun will be back and we can have a celebration.” 

I freeze. Things we shouldn’t have. I can’t deal with Issak right now. I forcefully shove his hands off me. “I can’t and I wouldn’t,” I reply sharply.

He tries to grab me again. “Wait, that not why I wanted to–”

“Don’t touch me!”

Someone clears their throat behind me. Issak’s apologetic face turns into one of concern. Neytiri stands behind me, her eyes narrow on Issak. He gives her a curt nod before turning and leaving me. 

Neytiri watches his retreating back with distaste, as if she can sense his energy, before stepping toward me. Did she seek me out? My mouth goes dry. “Is Neteyam okay?”

Surprise flashes through her eyes. “He is fine. Out with his father.” 

Relief floods through me as Neytiri cocks her head to the side. “Are you alright?” 

I nod. It’s an easy lie– I’ve been telling everyone that I’m okay. That I’m not bothered by the clan spreading rumors and talking about me. And now Issak; is he going to bring up the past? On top of it all, is the deep ache in my heart, my longing to be with Neteyam. Just to speak with him and see his playful smile. Neytiri studies me, her intelligent eyes looking right into me. I’m convinced she can see my every thought. 

“I was looking for you,” she begins and drops her voice to a whisper. “Up on shore where the trees grow taller, three hours after eclipse. A good time for a ride.” 

What? I’m about to ask her a question but she walks away immediately, disappearing into the village as my people get ready for dinnertime. I look at the sky, eclipse has already begun, sending orange rays of light across the ocean. Three hours after? A ride? 

~~~

I feel stupid. I’ve walked further and higher than I ever have before; I went past the mangrove and palm trees until the ground began lifting up, towards the mountain. And there has been no sound other than my own footsteps. Maybe I misunderstood Neytiri. Maybe she was just sharing some random tidbit with me? I mean there is nothing up here to ride. 

Not that I would know, my people never come up here, everything we need is in the ocean and on the shore. I’m starting to get cold, the night sky glistening above me as I stare at the unfamiliar treetops. The ground feels strange between my toes. That’s it, I misunderstood, and I’m going home. 

I’m about to leave when the ground crunches behind me. I whip around, suddenly scared in this unknown territory. Neteyam stands in front of me and pushes a wooden woven headband onto his head.

“Neteyam,” I breathe, feeling the air rushes out of my lungs. He takes two steps towards me and I run at him, throwing my arms around his shoulders. He stumbles backwards at the force of my embrace but quickly recovers. His strong arms encircle me, warming my chilled skin. He buries his face in my neck and inhales. 

All my worries and anxieties disappear, they vanish right from me, as they always do when I’m with him. Neither of us speak, we simply enjoy the other’s presence. After a few moments, we pull out of our embrace. 

Neteyam grabs my hand. “I wasn’t sure she would do it.” 

“Do what?” 

“My mom. I implied that I didn’t want to be alone tonight but I wasn’t sure if she understood. Definitely wasn’t sure if she would tell you.” 

I squeeze his hand. “She told me. Guess there’s one person who supports us.” 

“She likes you.” 

I hold back my surprise. Neytiri, badass warrior, likes me? I laugh in disbelief. “I think she just wants you to be happy.” 

A playful smile grows on Neteyams lips and he nudges my side. “Oh, you think you make me happy, huh?”

“As a matter of fact,” I nudge him back, “I think I do.” 

He laughs, his shoulders jiggle with the motion. It’s a sweet sound, almost addicting, like a perfect melody you just want to capture and listen to over and over. His whole face changes when he laughs, he seems so relaxed. I’m staring at him, I know I am. He notices and smiles at me, no playfulness— just a genuine smile. 

“You make me very happy,” he whispers. I shrug and make a face that says, I knew it. He rolls his eyes and starts rubbing his fingers in small circles on my hand. “But, my mom does like you. She said you have a strong heart.” 

I’ve never heard that expression. “What does it mean?”

“It means…” He leans towards me and kisses me cheek. His soft lips brush my skin as his scent fills my nose; saltwater and something muskier, like the wood of a forest. “You are brave.” He pulls away and moves to my other cheek. “And kind.” He kisses me again, causing heat to rise to my face. He inches his face up to my forehead. “And full of life.” His lips brush my forehead and I lean into him. I close my eyes as his arms wrap around me. He puts his head down so his forehead meets mine. 

Our breath mixes together in front of us. I open my eyes to find him looking at me, drinking in every aspect of my face. “And beautiful. A beautiful soul.” 

My breath catches in my throat. No one has ever said anything like that to me. I stare back into his eyes, feeling my heartbeat ferociously in my chest. I can’t believe how amazing he is. My mind goes quiet when I’m around him, like it’s finally at peace. A million words stumble through my mind but all I can say is, “That’s not me. That’s you.” 

He shakes his head, his forehead rubbing against mine. “It’s us.” 

I grin, my first real smile in awhile. Neteyam’s pupils widen as he looks at me. He pulls his forehead away and tugs my hand. “I want to show you something,” he says before tightening his grip on my hand running deeper into the mountainside. 

We run for a little until we reach a cliff. Palm trees cover the side of it but in the center, is an ikran. I gasp at the sight of it. It’s colorful wings, a strong neck, and beady eyes. The ikran grasps the side of the cliff, its beak beckoning to Neteyam. The ocean glistens from below. 

Neteyam watches me absorb this sight, his hand never leaving mine. After a moment he says, “I want you to meet someone.” 

Neteyam walks up to the ikran and makes a sound. The ikran behinds their head, rubbing against Neteyam’s strong chest. He rubs the ikran’s head lovingly before motioning for me to join him. I walk slowly closer to him, nervousness spreading through my body. I’ve never been so close to an ikran before. 

Neteyam grabs his hair and connects it to his ikran, making tsaheylu. The ikran’s eyes focus on me as they bend their head, inviting me to pet. I reach my hand out steadily and stroke Neteyam’s ikran. His ikran looks at me curiously as I continue to run my hand down his scales. 

Neteyam smoothly jumps onto his ikran’s back, settling his foot into a grove on the side of his saddle. He sticks his hand out to me. “Come on.” 

“No, no,” I say unsurely. “I’ve never flown.”

“It’s amazing. The view is…” 

“You go, I’ll wait here.” 

Neteyam looks at me, a smirk growing on his lips. “Are you scared, ocean girl?” 

I stand up straight. “No, I’m not. I just prefer not to be way up in the sky.” 

He laughs and shakes his outreached hand. “Come with me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” 

I swallow, doubts swarming in my mind. What if someone saw us? Neteyam’s hand glows in the dark, that gorgeous blue. Screw it. I take his hand and he pulls me up onto his ikran with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. I settle in behind him, my legs straddling his hips. 

“Not too high, forest boy,” I begin as Neteyam shoots his ikran straight up into the air. A scream hurdles out of my mouth as I throw my arms around his waist and hold on as tightly as possible. The wind whips against my face, causing my eyes to water. My heart beats wildly. We are flying completely straight up. “Neteyam!” I yell in his ear. 

I think he’s laughing but I can’t hear him over the roar of the wind. His shoulders shake rhythmically, as if he’s really enjoying this. I squeeze my eyes shut. I shouldn’t have agreed to this. His ikran goes flat. It happens in an instant, one moment we are skyrocketing upwards and now we are smoothly flying in a straight line. 

Neteyam pats my thigh. “You can open your eyes,” he says softly. 

I open them slowly and observe the view. The ocean looks like a dark blanket from up here. I can see the surf like white glaze across the sand. Our village looks so small. The night sky seems so close and the glow from it seems to radiate into my soul. I breathe deeply, feeling the beauty and magic of Pandora. 

Then I notice Neteyam staring at me. I take my hand off his waist and smack him in the arm. “You skxawng!” I yell. “You could’ve killed me!” 

“You wouldn’t have died… maybe just fallen in mid-air for a little…”

I smack again causing him to laugh. “I said not too high!” 

“But then you wouldn’t see this,” he replies and motions to the beautiful view beneath us. “Besides, I would’ve caught you.”

“Mhm,” I mumble as I lean my head forward and relax it on his shoulder. He continues to fly his ikran. We circle high above the village, over the cliffs, and past the reefs. His body warms mine against the wind as I absorb the feelings of flying. It feels like true freedom. I’m glad he showed me this. 

“Hey,” I whisper to him. He turns his head over his shoulder and looks at me. “When the Tulkun come, I want to introduce you to my spirit sister.” 

His lips break apart into a wide smile. “I’d like that.” He places a kiss on my forehead. I wrap my arms tighter around him, enjoying the feeling of my body pressed against his. He places his hand on my leg, his fingers wrapping around my thigh. I wish I could stay just like this forever. 

~~~

I sit on my ilu, absorbing the daylight as the ocean water skims my legs. The Sully kids, my siblings, and me, all sit on our ilu’s in a circle. Our lessons had begun early today but I didn’t mind. Neteyam is here. I had a feeling Neytiri said something to Jake about letting him come. I owe her so many thanks.

He’s right next to me, his skin reflecting the light from the water. I try not to stare. We’ve been keeping us a secret, especially from our families. But it’s hard. I find myself always gravitating towards him. He always looks at me from the corner of his eye. Or he’ll playfully try and grab my tail when no one is looking. Except, Lo’ak and Tsireya saw him this morning and they shared a knowing look. 

“What should we do next?” Aonung asks the group as we float on the surface of the water, the village behind us. 

“Let’s keep diving!’ Tuk cries from her ilu next to Kiri. 

“Argh, not again Tuk,” Lo’ak says and rolls his eyes.

“You never want to do what I wanna do,” Tuk pouts. 

“You always want to do lame things. That’s why you always follow us around.” 

“No I don’t!” Tuk says angrily. 

“Lo’ak,” Neteyam’s stern voice comes out. “Don’t start.” 

Lo’ak grumbles something under his breath as the others begin talking about other things to do. I giggle softly. Neteyam’s voice is so much deeper when he is trying to be stern. He looks over at me, hearing my laugh. He narrows his eyes at me like he knows what I’m laughing about. 

His ilu swims into mine causing me to jerk forward. I gasp and look up at him. He shrugs with a look on his face that says, I didn’t do it. I accusingly shake my head at him before telling my ilu to swim into his. Just before our animals connect, he dodges away. 

“Too slow, ocean girl,” he says confidently, an arrogant grin sneaking onto his face.

Oh he’s gonna eat his words. I’m just about to tell my ilu to swim right into his when an all too familiar voice speaks. 

“Hello.” 

My stomach drops. I turn around to see Issak swimming right up to us. Aonung and Tsireya wave at him. If only they knew… 

Kiri and Tuk watch him curiously as he joins our circle in the waves. Lo’ak and Neteyam both assess him, trying to figure him out. Issak greets my siblings before turning his gaze to me. 

“Can I speak to you?” 

“I’m busy.”

He smiles at me, his charmer smile. “It will only be a moment.” Neteyam’s gaze sharpens at Issak’s expression. 

I nod. I can’t turn him down without getting questions from my siblings. Issak motions with his head for me to follow and turns from the group. Neteyam watches me, his eyes guarded. “I’ll be right back,” I say. 

As I swim out of the circle, Lo’ak’s voice floats after me, “Yo, he looks badass. Better watch out, bro.”

“Shut up,” Neteyam responds, an edge in voice. 

I shake my head. Issak is far from badass. He waits for me a little ways from the group, his head bowed down as he pats his ilu. Every nerve in my body is telling me to turn around. Issak is a reminder of too many things. Things I don’t want to remember. He looks up as I reach him, his blue eyes twinkling dangerously. 

“Two visits in one day,” I say flatly. 

“You’re a lucky girl,” he smirks. 

I roll my eyes and look back at the group. Neteyam is watching us. I can see the tension in his shoulders from here. He asks Aonung a question. Aonung turns and looks at Issak before beginning to respond to Neteyam. Great, who knows what he’s telling him. 

“Got a thing for the tree lover?” 

I snap my gaze back to Issak, anger brewing in my gut. “What do you want?” 

Issak sighs and looks at the sky. I bite my tongue to keep from saying something rude. I look back at the group, Aonung is still talking to Neteyam. Lo’ak inches closer to them, straining to hear their conversation. Tsireya watches me worriedly. Neteyam’s eyebrows clench together and his eyes never leave me. 

“I don’t have all day,” I snap at Issak. 

“I miss you.” 

My jaw drops open. Issak reaches his hand out and puts it on my shoulder. I’m completely frozen. I can’t believe the nerve of him. He starts to rub my shoulder, his webbed fingers feeling foreign on my skin. 

He swims closer to me on his ilu so his face is right next to mine. I don’t move. Too many thoughts swirl through my head. He leans forward and says, “There’s things I want to talk to you about. About the Sully’s and the sky people. They—”

“Hey,” a stern voice says. My head snaps up at the familiar sound. Neteyam. He straddles his ilu, leaning forward slightly with a certain sharpness to his features as he stares at Issak’s hand on me. “What’s going on?” 

Oh, no. I shove Issak’s hand off. “Nothing we were–”

“Just chatting about the past,” Issak cuts me off with a smirk. He slowly places his hand back in his lap. “Our history.” He looks at me and winks before saying, “I’ll see you around.”

He leaves, dipping beneath the surface of the water, before I get a chance to respond. Lo’ak and Aonung watch from a distance, surprise coating their faces. Neteyam swims in front of me, his ilu greets mine. He raises a faint eyebrow at me. “So, who’s that?”

“No one,” I reply, not wanting to talk about Issak. 

Neteyam looks at the empty space where Issak had sat. He turns his head towards me, his golden eyes a darker shade than usual. “I don’t like him.” 

I laugh. The sound escapes my lips before I have a chance to stop it. Neteyam’s eyebrows turn downwards. “I’m serious. He has bad energy, ocean girl.” 

“Jealous?” 

Neteyam scoffs before glancing at me shyly. “No.” 

I nudge his shoulder. “Mhm, so if I went to see him–”

“No.” Neyetam closes his eyes like he cannot fathom the thought. 

“You are jealous!” 

“I’m not! I just looked over and saw his hand on you and…” He trails off, a small blush creeping onto his cheeks. I find his hand from beneath the waves and slip my fingers through his. 

“And what?”

“And I wanted to rip his hand off.” 

“Neteyam!” 

He sighs and squeezes my hand. “You can do anything you want. I’m not jealous.” He stares at me, his golden eyes growing darker by the second. “But if he lays a hand on you again, I don’t care who I have to go through or what rules I break, I will make sure it’s the last thing he ever does.” 

My mind goes blank. Neyetam’s gaze is so intense, I know he isn’t kidding. Something flutters in my stomach and spreads throughout my whole body. 

I struggle to find my voice and my words come out in one breath, “Sounds intense.”

He leans into my ear and whispers, “You can’t even begin to imagine.” 

I’m breathless as I stare into his darkening gaze. I’m not even sure what he means but his husky voice repeats over and over in my mind. I want to kiss him, reach out and grab his shoulders. But we’re right in front of the village, anyone could see us. As if he read my thoughts, he says, “Tonight. Same spot, same time.” 

I immediately nod, causing a curly strand of hair to fall in front of my face. He reaches out slowly and twists the hair around his finger before tucking it gently behind my ear. I can’t help but smile softly at the gesture. His fingers slide across my skin longingly. He pulls away and smiles before swimming towards the village. 

I watch his retreating back, how his dark blue skin glistens in the daylight. He’s so beautiful it makes my heart ache and makes my mind go blank. My stomach flutters at the thought of seeing him again, of flying above the ocean, and kissing him. 

Later that night, we went flying. I sit on the back of his ikran and allow myself to get lost in the sky and in his arms. And after hours of flying, we settle into the sand and whisper to each other. We share kisses beneath the night sky. His body keeps me warm and protects me. I feel so safe with him. His shoulder relaxes and my favorite smile of his spreads across his face. It’s a lazy smile, his most relaxed expression. 

He tells me things he’s never told anyone before and I do the same. Our noses touch as we laugh at each other and with each other. I feel like I could let all my walls down. And I almost do. Each time he gives me that smile. Or our lips collide. I want to tell him everything. Even what happened back with Issak. All the things we found out. But each time I open my mouth, ready to spill, nothing ever comes out. 

Neteyam holds me on top of the sandy cliff as we lay on the ground, his ikran settling in beside us. Neteyam’s breathing begins to slow and his eyes drop shut. I watch his calm face, so serene in his sleep. Everything will be okay, I tell myself but each time I close my eyes– I see Issak’s face with a lethal look in his eyes.

Thank you for all the support!!

I tried some different things with this part so let me know what you think. I'm not sure how I feel about it

Part 4 there will be: Tulkun returning, a celebration, and secrets revealed.

Do you guys like fluff or more angsty type scenes with Neteyam? Let me know what you want to read!!!! Also let me know if you like new characters or not (be honest lol) Thanks again<3

[neteyamslovrr]

Ignored

summary: after neteyam has to take training more seriously to be the future clan leader, he ignores y/n leaving her upset and angry at the sully boy.

1.5k words, fem!omaticaya reader

──── ⑅*❀*⑅ ────

You knew that Neteyam’s duties would eventually trump you, but you didn’t think it would happen oh so fast. It had been a month since Neteyam started properly training to become a warrior. A true member of the Omaticaya, and you felt his absence abruptly.

It wasn’t like he was gone often, but it meant the special moments he usually spent with you, were spent flying with his parents, learning to shoot and be an agile hunter both on foot and in the air.

You missed the moments where he would take you to his favourite trees and climb to the top, to sit and talk for hours. The moments where you both would go to the waterfalls to swim on a sweltering day. You missed the moments with him.

No one else felt it like you. You acted as if he had died and Lo’ak told you that bluntly. But they just didn’t understand, it wasn’t that you missed him, it felt as if he was ignoring you.

He told you he’d start training, and nothing would change, he’d still spend time with you. What a fucking liar.

Walking out to his favourite tree you felt the breeze against your face. The way it cooled down your body it also cooled down the anger you felt within your bones.

Because you were mad at him, and mad at the way you missed him because of something so dismal like not being able to hangout with you in the afternoon. You knew the reason you missed him so much was because you secretly craved him. You secretly hoped he thought of you more as a lover than a friend but he was beginning to treat you as nothing more and it ached.

It ached through your muscles, your organs, your bones, your body was sore with the pain Neteyam was creating in your heart with his absence.

Sitting on the top of the large tree you both usually sat on you felt the tears well in your eyes. You told yourself it was the harsh breeze making your eyes water but even you didn’t believe yourself. Closing your eyes, you laid on were a large branch connected to the trunk. It was peaceful up there. Listening to the sounds of Eywa’s creations made you feel calm.

Calm enough to let your emotions loose. The emotions you’d try to bottle into menial anger and pettiness, but the feelings were deep, they were gut wrenching. You cursed yourself for crying over him, but what were you to do. You loved this man, and he was off leaving you to love alone.

If Neteyam knew that you were crying over him he’d fall onto his knees and grasp onto you while he begged for forgiveness. He loved you so much, so so much.

He knew that his time spent away from you was hurting you especially when he had a specific conversation with Lo’ak only a week ago.

“Bro I literally am begging you to see Y/N.” He was confused when Lo’ak came into the tent grumbling and groaning about you.

“What do you mean?” Confusion painting his features.

“Bro she acts as if your dead, like your out training for a couple of hours and she goes all crazy. ‘Have you seen Neteyam, What’s Neteyam up to?, Is Neteyam doing alright? Neteyam Neteyam Neteyam blah blah blah.’ You have to hangout with her at some point before she hunts you down while your training.” He made little voices and hand movements while mimicking your queries about Neteyam.

He couldn’t deny the guilt he felt for ignoring you so much, but he also couldn’t help but blush at the way you were constantly thinking about him.

Reminiscing back on that conversation with Lo’ak, Neteyam made time today with his father’s permission to not train today to spend it all with you. Walking towards you’re tent he realised you weren’t there.

“Where’s Y/N?” He asked your mother who was sitting down busy making a herbal mix.

“She said she was going to the forest.” Neteyam thanked her and headed out to where he assumed you’d be. He hoped you’d be there.

He couldn’t deny he’d seen you less. He was just so busy, training, going on raids and still having to babysit his siblings he was so tired.

All he wished was to spend a day with you in his arms and forget about the burdens on his shoulders as you washed them away with your caring words.

Neteyam continued to go to his tree, he spotted a blue figure resting in the seat on the trunk and smiled to himself knowing it was you. Jumping from branch to branch with ease he began to climb, the noise startling you.

Noticing the noise, you looked down noticing Neteyam. Wait. Neteyam?!

He couldn’t see you like this. Your face snotty and tearstained, your eyes puffy and wet. For someone who’s been craving him for a month all you want now is to jump out of the tree headfirst and avoid him like the plague.

“Y/N! I found you.” He cheered but his smile dropped when you turned around to avoiding looking at him. “Y/N?” he called for you again now reaching the part of the tree where you sat.

“Shouldn’t you be training?” You didn’t mean for it to come out so mean but it did. Your voice was dripping in venom, but it still couldn’t hide the sniffles and you subtly wiping your eyes.

“Are you crying?”

“No”

“You’re a liar.” He chuckled but that word it flicked a switch in you. Liar. He was the fucking liar.

“You’re the liar Neteyam!” You turned to him revealing your tear-stricken face. His face seeped concern as you yelled at him with such raw undeniable emotion in your voice.

“I don’t understand.” He quietly said resting a hand on your damp cheek before you moved your face away from his touch.

“You’ve forgotten about me. You said- You said nothing would change! You’re a liar Neteyam! You told me that we would spend time together. You’ve forgotten about me and I’m just a friend to you Neteyam. A friend to talk to once a month to still feel like you are friends. I can’t do that Neteyam.”

He was dumbstruck he didn’t think Lo’ak was lying but he did think he was over exaggerating your calls about him. He felt dumb, how dumb to make the woman he loved feel so unattended to, so unloved. He felt like an idiot watching your heart crumble in front of him due to him piercing through it.

Before he could talk in response your mouth was open ready to fire a verbal assault at him.

“I can’t be without your presence so long, and I feel like a dumb idiot because I’m crying over some fucking boy who can’t give me the time of day. But I want you so much Neteyam, I beckon with Eywa everyday to have you brought to me like you were before. I want you in my bones and you have ignored me. It drives me so insane.” You yell at him rage on full display like a painting in a museum for millions to view and stare in awe.

“I’m so sorry Y/N, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me, I beg of you to forgive me.” He turned his body to face you fully. Using both his hands to cradle your face he stared deep into your pained eyes.

“You are no idiot, I am. For treating someone I treasure so deeply like this. I promise my dismissal of you was not my intention. I would never intend on avoiding you. You are my rock and my world, I build my life around you, my hopes, my dreams they all contain you. Please don’t think you are just a friend to me because if I had to treat you as just a friend I’d go crazy.”

“Y/N I see you”

Neteyam was starting to tear up as you cried into his palms. Crying harder now as you processed his words you crashed into his warm chest. Yu were tired, tired of crying, tired of worrying, tired of hoping. You just wanted to feel at home and home right now was Neteyam’s embrace.

Feeling your weight on top of him he wrapped his arms around you tightly. So tightly his arms hurt but he didn’t care. He peppered the top of your head with kisses while you sniffled into his chest. Soothing hands ran down your back as you wept into him.

“You’re such a dickhead.” You mumbled into his chest letting out a breathy laughed followed by a small sob. As sad as you were right in this moment you never wanted to let go of the feeling of being in his arms.

“I’ll be your dickhead.” He smiled down at you continuing to hold you in his arms.

And he was sure to never let you out of arms reach again.

──── ⑅*❀*⑅ ────

authors note: i missed writing for neteyam so i whipped this up. it lowkey might be my fav fic. hope you enjoy!

[qvrcll]

# 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘’𝐑𝐄 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒 — SULLY BOYS + KIRI

— (avatar : twow) -> drabble !

⠀࣪. ᨳ — synopsis. sullies and their jealousy.

cw. contains no spoilers ! gn + non sully + navi reader

auth notes. wanted to write a jealousy trope w the sully teens, because they’re highly emotional and i love them for it. i barely see any kiri works on my feed (˃̣̣̥ヘ˂̣̣̥) !

characters. neteyam, lo’ak + kiri sully (♡⃕)

warnings. slight angst , but no real warnings

: LO’AK — ꒷ ᵎᵎ ₊

claims that he is hardly ever jealous. covetous when you join aonung further in the surf than you’re supposed to? sure. bitter when you pitch a friendly arm around neteyam after a close call with jake? fine. but jealous? noooo. he’ll sulk and lodge into a hole with himself all day, eyebrows intrenched and mood sullied with grime. he will confide with payakan and let drop the secret of his jealousy — but it will take weeks for you to converge him in his free time. dwell deep into his bones, skin and soul. feel his jealousy, his bitterness. stipple his knuckles gently whilst he belts his honesty out — “yes, yes i was jealous” — in the stretched out darkness of you and him and the stars — he is bound to love you endlessly.

: NETEYAM — ՞ 〃 ᩙᩙ

thinks he handles jealousy well but its an adversarial clockwork in that head of his. a ticking time bomb. although it takes more to will him, it is not wholly avoidable — lo’ak will lackadaisically mention that you’re hunting with rotxo or seen with aonung, bickering as you usually do, not to get a rise out of his brother — the older’s ears are erect and twitching on their own. but it’s not jealousy, but mere inquisitiveness. it’s in the later frills of the day that he hears from you less often or sees you as a piddling dot. expect him to laxly appear by you, take your hand in his larger one. he will glare more and talk less, just dragging you here and there, with just four footprints — when you nest deep in his warlike head, he will sigh and tell you “i missed you” with his fingers melting on your own and your lips are already on him.

: KIRI — . ˚ 𖧷 · °

its less like a flame with kiri, and more like melting wax: the sting of jealousy will persist in vexing her in the comfortable welt of the sun or silent brooklet with sand and stones at her feet like a candle weeping: she hears her heart, thumping, with the beat of eywa guiding her. but her body is hot and brambly when she spots you awkwardly cackling with her brothers or the boys of the main. she sticks her head beneath the foamy waves and attempts to entrance herself with the rhythm of eywa. she thinks it is because of her difference. her ‘weirdness.’ but her leer and concentration is razed when two blue feet dig in the sand in front of her — water is lodged in her hair and lashes as she gawps at you and asks you “what are you doing here?” and when you tell her how much the boys bore you and how much she doesn’t, she’ll curl her fingers around your palm and giggle as she descends into the nippy waves, knowing no one will intrigue you as much as she does.

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ ₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ୨୧ㆍ┈ ₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

© 2022 qvrcll ! do not repost any of my works on any platform.

[nin3kyuu]

A two part gift for my friend @villainsimpqueen Based on her oneshot:

Nyxra belong to @villainsimpqueen!

Full on my patreon :]

[dumbass-tumbler-cryptid]

Mama’s boy chapter 2

Plot summary: Spider works up the courage to ask Quaritch about his mother. He’ll quickly learn that his mama was just as feral as he is.

Relationships: Spider Socorro and Miles Quaritich Paz Socorro/Miles Quaritch

Authors note: first thank you all so much! you have no idea how much all your likes on the first chapter meant to me. I really hope you all enjoy this chapter as well. It has a lot of my own headcanos for what earth is like in the Avatar universe so I’m really curious (and a little nervous) what you all think of this chapter. Enjoy!

______________________________________________________________The whole squad was laughing at him. His son was laughing at him. Even the wind seemed to be howling with laughter at his expense.

“Mama really put you in your place.” Spider managed to get out between breaths.

Quaritch shrugged. “Wasn’t the last time either.” The admission brought a fond little smile to his face. For a moment all the noise around him faded away as he basked in those memories. Then the grief and guilt crept in and the world crashed back into focus.

Spider didn’t miss how the man's eyes lit with his smile. He watched the recom, stare off into the distance, wondering what thoughts the man was wrapped up in, before Spider saw his eyes darken, the smile slip. The change was so small, but it made Spider’s smile slip too, his laughter dying away. “So what happened next?”

“Hmm” Quaritch was snapped from his thoughts. He had registered his son speaking to him but the words hadn’t processed in his head.

“After mama went off on you. What’d you do?”

Quaritch looked at Spider directly now “I went back to my room.” He was extremely blunt with his words, knowing full well that was not the answer his boy was looking for. Spider groaned in that over the top, frustrated way, that teenagers just excel at, rolling his eyes at him. Quaritich chuckled in that way only a devious parent can, after intentionally annoying their child. 

“You know that's not what I meant.” said Spider exasperated.

“Alright, alright.” Quaritch held his hands up in surrender. “I went back to my room..” Spider’s frustrated groan filled the air again and Quaritch had to hold in a laugh “.... and I pulled your mama’s file.” That caught Spider's attention. Was Quaritch about to tell him his mama’s back story?  

“Before I get into that though I need to know. What do you know about Earth son?” 

Quaritche’s question caught Spider a little off guard but he answered “ah its dying?”

The squad snickered a little at that. Quaritch just rolled his eyes. “Yes, it's dying. What else?” Spider answered with a shrug. Quaritch felt a spark of anger, flare up inside of him. “Do you mean to tell me that no one, not Sully, not those traitor lab coats, nobody, ever told you a thing about Earth?” 

Spider just shrugged again “ I never really cared, so I never really asked. Pandora's my home, so I was taught this planet's history.” That  was a bit of an oversimplification if he was being honest. His species were colonizers. He couldn’t allow himself to care about their history.  

 That stung Quaritch. Sure the kid was born here, but his parents were still from earth, his ancestors, his very species was from earth and he didn’t even care. 

“Well let me educate you then boy.” Quaritch had to stop himself from out right hissing these words. He took a breath and continued “ Over the past hundred years now Earth has been on a steep environmental decline but in the last fifty-ish years things have been getting down right apocalyptic. I remember when I was about six, maybe seven, a massive hurricane, the most horrific ever seen in recorded history, completely submerged the entire south- eastern coast of the United States. The water never receded either. An entire landmass gone in less then a day. Millions of people dead.”

    Spider’s blood ran cold. He couldn’t imagine something so horrific. What would  something like that do to the minds of the people who’d lived and witnessed that?

“That wasn’t even the first time something like that had happened.” said Z-dog solemnly “loads of coastal land masses were lost long before any of us were born due to the rising oceans.

“But that's nothing compared to the land that's just completely un-livable now because of pollution.” added Mansk equally as solemn. The entire group was now so formal and stiff it was like they were at a funeral, a sharp contrast from how happy and energetic they’d been just moments before.

Quaritch nodded to his comrades “Cities are completely over crowded, but not because of overpopulation. It’s like Z-dog and Mansk said. There’s just not a lot of land that people can safely live on.” 

Wainfleet let out a bitter little laugh “ The land that is livable definitely isn’t much better.” Spider wanted this all to stop, it was all just too horrible, but he couldn’t make his mouth form the words. He kept listening, feeling like he was made of stone, completely incapable of moving.

“So that’s Earth.” Quaritch said “ Most people have just given up. Birth rates have been dropping sharply for decades. At first, it was mainly because all the chemicals in the water, and food, and the air, causing  a lot of people to be infertile. But after a while, when the writing was really on the wall, it just seemed cruel to bring one more person into the world. One more person to go down with the ship.”

“That’s bad for business though,” Quaritch continued. Spider was finally able to manage giving him a questioning look. “Well think about it kid. The R.D.A runs pretty much everything. A business constantly needs more workers and more customers. When the workers you have get too old to work, and you don’t have a young body to replace them with, what do you think happens?”   

Spider couldn’t answer. The question made him sick thinking about human beings being reduced to nothing but cogs in a machine. 

“Children are precious commodities on earth” Quaritch went on not caring for his son's discomfort. The boy needs to know. “If someone is unlucky enough to have one, 99 times out of 100 they can’t afford the kid. But that's okay. The R.D.A group homes are always happy to take in another future factory worker.”

“Or solder.” Said Ja, his voice dripping with bitterness. Spider didn’t miss Z-dog and Mansk’s tensed muscles and angry eyes either.

“There are four types of youth on earth.” Said Quaritch holding up a finger with each type to make his point. “There's the kids born to the ultra rich, spoiled brats who live in a domed bio controlled city, who will one day be handed a cushy well paying management job in the R.D.A.  There's the group home kids who are tested, trained and conditioned for whatever job some computer deems them best suited for. Then there's the rare case where a kid is actually raised by one or both parents but more often than not those kids turn into the fourth type, the disaffected youth, hopeless young thugs who run wild on the streets, without a care in the world, for who they hurt, if they get hurt. And why bother caring. The world's ending.” 

“What does this have to do with my mother!” Spider croaked out. He sounded like he was about to burst into tears. Quaritch looked at him then, seeing that tears were about to start falling from his son's eyes.

“You need to know!” Quaritch hadn’t meant to yell but he couldn’t help it. “You need to know where she came from to understand her.”

______________________________________________________________

  Paz Socorro. Just thinking that cocky bitches name made his blood boil. Quaritch didn’t bother to go back to bed after returning to his room. Why bother? It was 0300. He’d just have to be up in an hour anyway.

So he killed time by pulling her file. 

Name: Socorro, Paz. 

Age: est. 28. Estimated age? That's weird

D.O.B: N/A. Even weirder

 It went on like that. Any information that should have been recorded when she was born was just a big old question mark. So he skipped all that and went straight to her military career. 

He had briefly had the thought of finding a way to make her rotate home but one look at her list of accomplishments knocked that idea out of him. Best in her class by a mile. Became a flying ace in a day. Dozens of dog fight wins. Multiple successful bombing missions. 

She’s the best pilot here. He thought bitterly. Not the best new pilot, no, hands down the best pilot on Pandora. He’d be an idiot to send that away just because she’d wounded his pride. Which seemed to be the general conscience of every commanding officer she had ever had because Socorro’s list of reprimands and disciplinary infractions was just as long as her list of accomplishments. She was disrespectful, disobedient, did whatever she wanted, had even disregarded direct orders more than once. If it wasn’t for the fact that new recruits were hard to come by, she would have been dishonorably discharged years ago. Hell if she wasn’t the best of the best she still might have been kicked out.

Why had a woman like this even enlist in the first place? He scrolled down to the year she enlisted. Immediately everything started to click.

______________________________________________________________

“A couple decades ago” Quaritch explained to Spider “ A bill was passed called The Youth Reformation act. When those young street punks, I mentioned earlier, would eventually get arrested they’d be given a choice- Prison or the Military. Seemed like a win win to the masses. Violent thugs off the street. A boost to the military's ever shrinking number of new recruits….”

“That doesn't seem like much of a choice.” It made Spider angry just thinking about it.

Quaritch huffed, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth “Your mama said the same thing.”

“So mama was a criminal!” That shocked Spider. He couldn’t imagine the woman in the one picture he’d had of her, being capable of anything other than love and kindness. Then again, a picture was just that. Reality was alway harsher.

“Eh, I’d say she was justified for the most part. She probably took things a little too far though. Mama was always a scorched earth type. Especially when she was angry.” That made Spider shiver 

“What’d she do?” Spider didn’t know if he actually wanted the answer but he couldn’t stop himself from asking. 

Quaritch was about to answer (as tactfully as possible) when the wind picked up. The campfire danced, their plates and cutlery from dinner blown away, hair whipping into their faces. The force nearly slapped him sideways. It almost seemed like a warning. That's stupid, Quaritch thought. But he did think better of what he was about to say. 

“She was just trying to survive…”

______________________________________________________________

Quaritch knew that when young punks got arrested the prosecutors would try to throw the book at them. Every minor infraction of the law would be drawn out and made massive. It turned petty crimes into ten year sentences. The powers that be, really wanted to encourage military enrollment. Quaritch got the feeling that wasn’t the case with Socorro though. Grand theft, breaking and entering, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and..

______________________________________________________________

“Arson!?” Spider emotions had been on such a roller coaster tonight. How much more of this could he take?

“It was just third-degree.” Quaritch said nonchalantly. He decided for tonight at least, not to tell his son the story of one of the most traumatic moments in his mothers life. Paz never talked about it much. Or any of her many tramas for that matter. She had always kept those parts of herself locked away, buried under a hundred layers of snark and a spitfire attitude. She’d scream about it in her sleep sometimes though. The anguished, animalistic noises that would exploud from her lungs would haunt him forever. He didn’t need to burden their son with that pain. 

______________________________________________________________

Socorro’s early years weren't much better. She had been a group home kid. But unlike most kids, who were given up at the hospital, Socorro was brought there when she was approximately three years old.

She’d been found wandering the streets completely abandoned. That explains the age and birthday thing. She’d been too young to know. 

 Her test scores showed that she was crazy smart, practically a genius. Her biggest strengths- logic, reasoning and strategy. Academically there weren't really any subjects Socorro was bad at, in fact she pretty easily excelled at everything. The catch? She had A.D.H.D. And she had it bad. She’d pick up on things so easily that she’d quickly get bored, and start climbing the walls, or run around, or play with things she shouldn’t, just generally being energetic and disruptive. 

Her caretakers forced her into every activity under the sun just to try to wear her out.

Sports? She hated them. She was deemed overly competitive and aggressive. Dance? She loved it but couldn’t pay attention in lessons to save her life. Martial arts? That was a winner. She loved fighting with people. Gymnastics? Another winner. She had been doing cartwheels and somersaults long before she even knew the names to those moves. Art? Not so much. It always turned into a chaotic mess. It was Paz’s idea to try fencing. She’d read a lot of books with sword fighting and thought it’d be cool. It was in fact very cool. 

And then? She ran away. Quaritch had never heard of anyone pulling that off. The R.D.A kept their kids locked up tight. They couldn't risk losing a single future employee. But she had found a way out. At age eleven no less.

______________________________________________________________

“She told me once that that place felt suffocating to her. She was never alone, could never make her own choices, hardly ever aloud outside. Being homeless and running wild just fit her better.”  At least I was free, he could hear her say. 

Spider was taking everything in. Life on Earth sounded so brutal and cruel. How anyone could survive there…. 

And then he realized, they’re not. Earth was filled with nothing but hopeless, angry, people barreling towards their own extinction. You either fight or you die. 

His mama had chosen to fight for her life.

The soldiers surrounding him had chosen to fight.

But Eywa, why did they have to destroy everything in their wake, and call it survival.    

[proffesionalalpaca]

Äväì - Tsahìk of the Nekxsay from Psiiconic’s - Deja Blue.

Currently one of my favourite recom Quaritch fics, mainly because of this lady right here. Also well written, prompt and frequent updates and just a generally awesome story.

[magnoliabutters]

• ALL I SEE IS YOU •

pairing: neteyam x augustine (na'vi/avatar oc, she/her)

summary: a kiss - something so simple, yet filled with consequences…

warnings: 18+ content, mdni, adult language; avatar 2009 references and avatar twow spoilers; young love, slow burn, drama, jealousy, etc.

word count: ~7.2k

• part 2 • eywa’s choice • series •

note: here we are at part two! i am bouncing with joy, so excited to hear your thoughts! worked hard on this one! i’m hoping you guys enjoy it! this made my heart so happy! ♥️ young love for the win!

Neteyam's kiss tastes like honey. Not necessarily something Augustine would have expected. His lips are soft, gentle. The hands on her face warm and sweet. She could live in this moment, paused forever. Her mind reorganizes everything she knows of Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan. Hidden behind all the childish thinking, she always found him attractive. Always found comfort and safety in his presence. She admired how great of a warrior he is. How he completed his iknimaya ritual in his first try. How he took the time to help her do the same when it was her turn. How well they worked together when they were younger. How good of a big brother he was to his younger siblings. He was - no, is beautiful. She leans deeply into the kiss - her first kiss.

Yet, Neteyam pulls away from the unexpected embrace. His eyes drawn to anything but Augustine. His hands slowly fall from her cheeks. "I shouldn't have done that," he mutters under his breath. She watches him in complete and utter confusion. She continues to struggle between what is real and what is not. However, she knows that kiss was real. She knows the pain of him pulling away is real too.

"I'll take you home," Neteyam states as he calls out to his ilu. He walks into the water. The waves crashing against his brutal driving force. Augustine, still weak from her drowning, slowly rests her weight back onto her elbows within the warm sand. She coughs, feeling a bit of sea water against her tongue. At this point, confusion does not cover the amount of ambiguity and hopelessness she feels. Neteyam, the one member of the Sully family that she does not have a connection with and yet, now ... What do they have? What is this?

"Augustine, let's go," Neteyam yells out the demand. His eyes on the horizon as he swiftly bonds with his ilu. Augustine shakes her head, her brows pulled together. She slowly stands and begins to walk through the water. She feels tingles down her arms and legs. As she approaches him, she places a gentle hand against the ilu. "Where are we going?" she asks weakly. "We're going back to the village. We are done training for today," he quickly answers. His eyes forward. He still has not looked at her since their kiss.

Augustine chuckles as she waves for him to scoot backwards on the saddle. "What are you laughing at?" Neteyam asks in confusion. He watches as she sits in front of him, hooking her hand upon a notch. "I'm laughing because it appears that you are wanting to forget what just happened on that beach," she replies with a chuckle as she points back towards the shore. She turns around with a smirk to finally catch his eye. "Was I that bad of a kisser, Neteyam?" she adds as her smile falls. He grunts, frustrated that he has to speak of it. Through gritted teeth, he answers, "You were perfect. Breath in." She quickly took a deep breath as he guided the beautiful ilu into the ocean waters.

As Neteyam and Augustine arrived to the Awa’atlu cove, they could both see Tuk and Kiri excitedly watching them amongst the docks. His ilu slowly swims up to the platform. "Hi Tuk," Augustine greets in a sing-song voice. "How was it?!" she asks, bouncing in excitement. Augustine stands upon the saddle. Kiri extends her hand with a smile, helping her stand firmly against the village floor. Neteyam nods towards his sisters and swims off without a word. Kiri and Augustine stand in bewilderment as they watch his silhouette disappear.

"What's wrong with Neteyam?" Tuk asks with a worried voice. She directs her question to her older sister, Kiri, while grabbing her arm. "I'm not sure," Kiri says as she looks to Augustine with a puzzled expression. "Did anything happen out there?" Augustine's lips tighten in a mixture of embarrassment and nerves. "Nothing," she quickly answers. Kiri's brow shoots up as she stares at the slow blush forming on Augustine's cheeks. "Tuk, can you tell Lo'ak to find Neteyam?" Kiri suggests without taking her insightful eyes away from Augustine. Tuk watches the awkward exchange and nods, slowly backing away to find her older brother. Kiri notes she’s starting to get too smart for her own good.

With Tuk at a safe distance, Kiri crosses her arms across her chest. "What happened out there, Augustine?" she asks. Augustine groans as she begins her walk towards the Sully hut. "You're using my full name?" she whines. Kiri skips to catch up to her. Her hand wrapping around her forearm, stopping her in her tracks. "What happened?" she asks again. Her seriousness on full display. Other Metkayina watch, curious of the two four-fingered girls. Augustine grumbles again as she struggles to keep her eyes from Kiri's.

"It's fine. We're fine," Augustine answers, light-heartedly. She tries her best to sound genuine and sincere. Unfortunately, Kiri has a really good bullshit detector. "Gusty, please don't make me ask you a third time," Kiri says as she rolls her eyes. Augustine hisses as she pulls her head down in embarrassment. "We kissed," she shares. Her head slowly raising, curious to her response.

Kiri stares back at her with wide eyes. Her body entirely frozen. Her mouth slightly ajar. "Kiri," Augustine whispers nervously. "Say something." Kiri seemed to snap back into reality when her jaw shuts and she begins to nod. Her lips pursed. Her eyes squint here and there as she processes the shocking information. Augustine could visually see Kiri wrapping her mind around the idea. Suddenly, her finger raises between their bodies. The quick movement startles Augustine. She then places her finger to her lips. "I did not see that coming," she whispers. Her nodding returns.

"Neither did I," Augustine mutters under her breath. Kiri's mouth opens again as she thinks. Her brows pulled together. "But you know he's promised to Pipxì," she adds nonchalantly. Augustine's head sharply turns towards Kiri. Her face expressing a mixture of anger, pain, and confusion. "Okay, so you didn't know," Kiri corrects herself, her eyes to the floor.

"He's promised?" Augustine asks slowly. She struggles to gain Kiri's gaze, but then stares into her eyes. "Yes," she answers quickly. "How long?" Augustine inquires through gritted teeth. "Neteyam has been promised since he turned 18," Kiri solemnly shares. “When he received his warrior rites.” Augustine takes in a big shaky breath. "So a year," she reiterates. Kiri nods.

Augustine clears her throat softly, suddenly feeling like she is choking. "Let's get back to the hut. It's getting late," she says flatly. She walks forward, not caring whether Kiri is following her or not in this moment. Her eyes forward. Not noticing a single curious Metkayina eye. Her heart racing. Her ears getting hot. Her eyes begin to water, but she does her best to reign her emotions in.

She rushes through the hut’s opening. Not a single greeting to those within. Jake's head immediately pops up at her quick movements. He pauses from cleaning his gun. Neytiri holds Tuk's braids in her hands as she turns to look towards the rushing mass. Tuk and Lo'ak seem to be in the middle of a conversation, but stop midway to watch with slightly opened mouths.

Augustine walks over to her resting space. It is tucked between her backpack and the hut's wall. She rests on her side, facing the tan plain leather. Her ears flick as she hears movement behind her. "Augustine," Jake coos behind her. His hand gently rests upon her shoulder as he kneels beside her. Her teeth grind at his touch. She is so angry that it feels as though her skin is on fire. Although the sensation was soft, the overwhelming feeling of rage seeps into each of her pores. The worst part? She doesn’t even know why she is so outraged.

"Augustine," Jake repeats softly. With a deep breath, she turns to look at him over her shoulder. She sees the worry in his tired golden eyes. His nostrils flared and his mouth tight into a firm line. She notes Neytiri focusing on her daughter's hair, while Tuk and Lo'ak desperately attempt to look as though they are not eavesdropping. "Are you okay?" Jake asks, filling the silence. "It's nothing, Toruk-um-Jake," she ends with a nervous laugh. "I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong," he says with a small smile. His brows pinch together in concern. "I don't think you can help me with this one," she weakly replies.

Jake humphs in curiosity. Augustine sits up. Her eyes flicking back towards his. "Is it your dad?" he guesses as he sits in a criss-cross. "I don't know if I want to do much of a guessing game," she awkwardly shares. He laughs, "I can respect that." He grabs onto his chin as he licks and bites his lower lip. "Is there anything I - or we could do to help you feel better?" he asks with the sincerest of intentions.

Augustine takes another breath, breaking their eye contact. "I'm angry," she whispers. "I'm angry and I don't even know why." He nods, his ears flattening. "Some times that happens," he attempts to comfort her. "What do you do when you're angry?" he asks. She looks up to him in confusion. "I don't know," she replies in disbelief. They both remain silent as her mind beings reeling. "I-I usually go running," she answers, a bit of surprise in her expression.

"Do you want to go running?" he asks, his voice calm and monotoned. "Yes," she says with determination. "Do you want to go alone?" he asks, fully prepared to run with her if she so chose. She smiles, looking back towards him. He grins seeing her happiness. "I think so," she nods as she begins to stand up. Jake quickly stands to support her. "Don't go too far," he encourages. She nods and hurriedly walks from the hut.

Augustine glances side to side, looking for a good place to run. As soon as her eyes hit the shore, she rushes towards it. She jumps and skips around the people in the village. She attempts to be careful, but still hears gasps of shock or grunts of annoyance from the others. Finally, her feet land in the hot sand. She closes her eyes and digs her toes deeper into the texture. She opens to see a straight land of sand before her, the ocean to her right. She runs. She runs as fast as she can. Her heart races, but no longer for Neteyam. No longer for the confusion and pain caused by him.

Questions appear every so often in her head. Why did he kiss her? Why would he do that when he was promised to another? Was it a mistake? He saved her life, maybe it was just because of that? Who is this Pipxì? ... Is she prettier? She shakes her head, trying to get the thoughts out. Once she hit a cove of rocks, she turns around to run back to where she started. Back and forth until the feelings float away.

Suddenly, Spider jumps into Augustine's vision. She stops and falls into the sand, desperate not to run into her brother. "What the hell, Spider?" she says as she stands up, towering over him. Kiri runs up behind him. "What did you do?" he asks with agitation written all over his face. "What did I do?" she asks in shock. Her ears flatten behind her as her chest rises in anger. "You and Neteyam went out. And then Neteyam came back all quiet and to himself," he says with annoyance. "And then I have Kiri running to me to come talk to you." A small, awkward smile appears on Kiri's face as she stands between the two hard-headed siblings.

Lo’ak runs up to the group, curious for the drama. He exchanges looks with Kiri. "I didn't do anything, brother," Augustine hisses. "Look, Kiri won't tell me what happened," he starts. "Can you tell me anything?" She looks over to Kiri with hopeful eyes. She is thankful for her trust and good intent. Turning to Lo’ak, her expression returns to its annoyed and angered state. "Who is Pipxì?" she asks. He looks shocked. He did not expect that question at all. "Uh," he says as he turns over to Kiri for support. She gives him nothing with her sustained tiny grin.

"Pip is a well-respected Metkayinan warrior's daughter. Ronal thought she would be a good mate for Neteyam," he answers slowly. His face filled with confusion as he did not understand why one of his closest friends even cared to know who she is. Augustine gradually nods as she sucks her tongue against her teeth. "Show me," she impulsively demands. Her heart sinking at the request, filled with immediate regret. “Sure, Gus," he says with hesitation. Kiri immediately smacks his arm. “Ow, what the hell,” he yells out as he begins to walk forward.

Lo’ak leads the trio back to the village. His eyes scan members of the clan as Kiri trails closely behind him. Augustine looks around, trying to find the prettiest girl she could see. Unfortunately, the Metkayina people are all very beautiful. Her heart starts to race again, nerves branching off into her collarbones. "Hey Pip," he calls out. Her stomach begin to twist and turn. She slowly stops in her tracks. Kiri gently places her hand upon her wrist. "Are you okay?" she whispers. Augustine raises her eyes and nods. Spider watches his sister from afar, still struggling to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Pip, I want you to meet my cuz. This is Augustine," Lo’ak says, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. As expected, Pipx�� is incredibly gorgeous. Her hair closely resembles the waves of the ocean. It's black and thick locks dangling down to her waist. Her eyes are as light blue as the sea. Her body is thin, yet strong. She has two tattoos that resemble Neteyam's. One of a tree’s silhouette wrapping around the top of her arm and shoulder. Another on her chest of wave crashing down. Her smile sends shivers down Augustine's spine. "Hello, Augustine," Pipxì greets sweetly. "Welcome!" Augustine remains silent, but gestures a Metkayina greeting.

Spider looks towards his sister, waiting for some other interaction. The silence is unbearable as they all smile at each other awkwardly. Kiri hesitantly laughs as she asks, "Pips, do we know if the fruits have come in from the cove people?" Pipxì directs her attention towards her. "Yes, we just got back. I've actually been looking for Neteyam," she says with a smile as she looks past Kiri's shoulders. "Have you seen him?" Augustine winces at his name spoken from her mouth.

“Uh, no! I haven’t yet,” Kiri says with a nervous smile. Pipxì shrugs and maintains that gorgeous grin. “Well, I heard you had your first lesson today,” she says with excitement. Her arm is reached out toward Augustine. “Neteyam’s a great teacher,” she says proudly. “Yeah, I know,” Augustine says under her breath. Her ears flatten and her lips slowly raise over her canines.

“Woah-ho-ho,” Lo’ak forces himself to laugh. “Gusty, you are so funny some times.” Kiri and Spider awkwardly join in the laughter, as Augustine bares holes into Pipxì with her eyes. Pipxì slowly begins to giggle, even her laugh was sweet. “She’s funny,” she adds pointing towards Augustine. “Well, it was nice seeing you, Pips,” Spider interjects, knowing his sister all too well. Kiri gets the hint and quickly turns Augustine around by the shoulders, guiding her back towards the shoreline.

But there, Augustine sees Neteyam. Kiri continues to hold her by the tops of her shoulders and begins to give her one of her famous “mom pep-talks.” However, all Augustine could see is Neteyam. All her other senses deafened. His face looks hurt, but so cold. His eyes meet hers and then quickly trail past her . He watches as Lo’ak talks to Pipxì. His hands become fists. He walks off in anger, cursing under his breath. Augustine follows him with her eyes, a bit of concern forming in her heart.

Spider observes as he looks over Kiri and Augustine. He sees Neteyam’s reaction. His balled up fists. His anger. Putting both his sister and his best friend’s reactions together, he begins to recognize a pattern. As Lo’ak runs up from behind, a disgruntled “shit” escapes Spider’s mouth. It was enough to draw both girls’ attentions. His eyes fall upon Augustine’s in disappointment. “You kissed Neteyam, didn’t you?” he asks. Kiri immediately shrinks. Lo’ak’s hand hits his face so hard the group could hear a cupping sound. “No,” he says under his breath.

Augustine stays silent. Her pained face tells Spider everything he needs to know. “Thank Ewya, Tuk wasn’t here,” Lo’ak laughs off, trying to lighten the mood. “She would run to mom and dad so quick.” With a shake of her head, Augustine raises her hands. “It’s done, Spider,” she says with finality. “He’s still your teacher,” he adds. “Yeah, and it’s still done,” she states. With a roll of her eyes, she walks away from the group.

After some time thinking under the night sky, Augustine makes it back to the Sully hut. She puts on a brave, yet fake smile as she enters. Jake beams at the sight of her. “Feeling better?” he asks. She nods, faking her way through all the complex emotions. “Good night, Jake,” she says with a grin. “Good night, Neytiri. Night, Tuk,” she yells out to the two in the back. They respond with their sweet smiles and gestures.

Augustine rests upon her side once again. Her arms crossed over her chest as tears slowly fall off her nose, between the netting, and onto the sea below. Today was a day of firsts. Would she kiss Neteyam again, knowing the pain and anguish that follows? A question she does not know the answer to, despite the fact that she sees him again tomorrow for more training.

Neteyam paces back and forth. His anger building with every few steps. He is waiting for Lo’ak. He usually comes home with his tail tucked between his legs after a late night visit with Reya. Neteyam desperately wanted to know why. Why was Lo’ak talking to Pip? Why did he bring Augustine with him? Does she know? Shit, does she know?

Augustine was never just a family friend in his eyes. He felt something special about her the second he saw her. He feels it every time he sees her to this day. Being promised to Pip didn’t change anything. What did change was that Augustine was here now. Can he be promised to someone, yet his heart long for another?

"Hey bro," Lo'ak greets with a smile, interrupting Neteyam's thoughts. "What were you doing bringing Augustine to Pip?" he asks, his finger stuck in Lo'ak's face. "Wait, man. What's going on?" he responds with his hands up. "I saw you with Augustine and Pip," Neteyam shares through gritted teeth. His hand now upon Lo'ak's chest, pushing him against a nearby pole. "Does she know?" he asks, clearly stating each word.

Neteyam's face is filled with anguish and worry. His other hand shaking. It cannot decide between an open or fisted hand. Lo'ak nods, confirming his worst nightmares. Lo’ak watches his brother in concern. He has never seen him like this. They have had arguments before, but this is something different. "Neteyam, brother. Relax," he says softly. "Take a breath." With a growl, Neteyam pushes against his brother's chest and walks away. He breathes in deeply and out sharply through his nostrils.

Lo'ak holds his head down, peering up through his brows to continue watching his older brother. Neteyam catches his glance and watches as he puts the pieces together. It finally clicks and Lo'ak's head raises back. He nods with now sadness on his face. "I don't need your pity, Lo'ak," Neteyam hisses. He begins to pace back and forth once again. "You love her," Lo'ak whispers, trying to understand his brother.

Neteyam's head shoots up towards him. His mouth in a tighter line than before. His chin begins to wobble. He is losing control. He pulls his eyes away from his brother, desperate to shut down his feelings. "I am promised to Pip," he mutters under his breath. "But you love Augustine," Lo'ak adds. Neteyam rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "You don't get it," he says, throwing his hands up.

"I do, brother," Lo'ak pleads. He walks over towards Neteyam. He hesitantly places a hand to his shoulder. Neteyam initially brushes it off, but then welcomes it. "If you don't love Pip, you don't have to go through with it," Lo'ak softly says. "Lo'ak," he replies with incredulous laughter. "It's expected of me." Lo’ak shakes his head. “No, you have a choice,” he says as he squeezes Neteyam’s shoulder. Their eyes connect again.

“Ewya chooses, not I,” Neteyam whispers. “Ewya didn’t choose you to be with Pip. Ronal interpreted that. She decided that,” Lo’ak says, pulling his hand away. “Who am I promised to?” he asks, taking a step back. “Reya,” Neteyam answers quickly, confused to his brother’s point. “But according to Ronal, I am not,” Lo’ak says with inflection in his voice. “Ewya put this love in my chest, love for Reya, just as she put the air in my lungs. Ronal can be wrong.” Neteyam hushes Lo’ak, closing the space between them. “Tsahìk is never wrong,” he says with a lower tone. He is concerned for his brother. He was always outspoken, always questioned traditions but for him to say this? He would become a true outcast from the Metkayina.

Lo’ak takes a deep breath, attempting to let out the frustration he has already held onto so long about his own relationship. “Grandmother was wrong,” he says as he stares into Neteyam’s worried eyes. “Tsahìk Mo’at was wrong. She had Tsu’tey and Mom promised to each other.” It was Lo’ak’s turn to watch the gears begin to move within Neteyam’s mind. That finally his stance was clicking. He is understanding. “Ewya chose Mom and Dad,” Neteyam states slowly. “Yes, skxwang,” Lo’ak says, pushing his hand off of his chest.

Neteyam's eyes fall upon Lo'ak. A small smile forms upon his face. "I choose Augustine," he says. The words feel foreign, but they also feel like words that have been dying to come out. He loves her strength. How great of a warrior she is. How he could always trust her at his side, knowing every step before he takes it. He loves her beauty. Her lips were supple and sweet. Her hair, as crazy as she is - as beautiful as she is. Her eyes always opened wide, always trying to take everything in. He loves her intelligence, her curiosity. How she could be the first Tsahìk who practices both types of medicine. She would be an unstoppable force - she already is.

"Let's go to bed, bro," Lo'ak smiles as he guides Neteyam back towards the family hut. "You're going to need all your energy to win her back." He laughs playfully as Neteyam's head whooshes towards him. Lo'ak laughs even harder when he realizes that his brother hasn’t fully grasped how deep in shit he was until now.

The two quietly tip toe into the hut. Careful not to disturb their sleeping family. Kiri and Tuk are snuggled together as usual. Their parents holding each other while they sleep like always. Spider off in a corner with his own supply of alien air. Finally, Neteyam’s eyes fall on Augustine. He stops dead in his tracks. Lo’ak smacks right into his back. “Ow,” he says as he holds his nose. Little did they know, the two brothers did wake up one of the Sully’s. Jake’s ears picked up on them before his eyes even opened. He rests still, but listens in to his sons' conversation.

Neteyam watches the warrior he’s chosen. She rests peacefully against the netted floor. Her eyelids fluttering with incredible dreams, he’s sure. Her hair all over the place. One of her braids wrapped around her wrist. Every so often she lets out a rather loud snore, which he finds unbelievably adorable. A smile sprawls across his face as he remains still. "You know, back when we were younger and Augustine would sleep over with Kiri," he whispers back to his brother. His eyes still on the girl. "I would always catch a glimpse of her before I fell asleep. Just to make sure she was comfortable, safe. Also, so I have a chance to see her actually peaceful and calm," he adds with a laugh.

Jake smiles as his arms wrap against his mate. He cuddles his chin into Neytiri's shoulder. She nuzzles against him in her sleep. His smile stems from the truth he's known about his eldest son for as long as he remembers. His son has always had a fascination with Augustine. It was cute. Norm and Jake would often joke about it over a couple rationed beers. With her travels to the Metkayina's islands, the two had bet on how long it would take for them to fall for each other. No one expected a day.

"Bro, that's weird," Lo'ak says with a chuckle as he slides past Neteyam's broad shoulders. He throws up his hand, chalking his brother up to not understanding. "Maybe one day you'll understand, Lo'ak," he whispers under his breath. With one last smile, he walks over to his bed. As he struggles to sleep, he thinks of ways he could win back Augustine's good side.

Augustine wakes to Neteyam's hand on her shoulder. His touch welcomed and warm. Without much thought, she places her hand upon his - turning around to see him. "Good morning, warrior princess," he says with a smirk as he crouches beside her. As she slowly opens her eyes, she smiles at his gentle face. And then it all comes rushing back... Pipxì. She pulls his arm from him and places her weight back onto her elbows. His face drops, but he quickly shifts his expression to neutral as he understands her anger.

Neteyam stands, attempting not to let in the hurt he just felt. "I'll meet you by the shore," he says as he stands. He sucks in his lips as he walks off. Augustine watches him with a lump in her throat. She did not mean to hurt him, but he hurt her. He hurt her more than she ever thought possible. That kiss unlocked feelings within her she never expected, never shed light on. It's beyond confusing.

"Gus." Augustine's ears perk up as she turns to follow the bellowing voice. It was Jake. Her ears flatten, as a quick worry spreads across her chest. Her body is still trying to decide whether she’s speaking to her Olo'eyktan or just “Uncle Jake.” She stands straight as she peers into the eyes of the great warrior. Jake smiles, and nods back towards his son who fled the scene. “Let him make it up to you,” he says with amusement.

Augustine sits up as she rubs one of her tired eyes. She stands to meet Jake. “You don’t even know what he’s done,” she says as she stares blankly into the eyes before her. Her glance could be perceived as a challenge, yet here she is - not having a care in the world. Not like she used to. “I know my son,” he smiles as he takes a step back. “As much as he’s smart like his mother, he’s also dumb like me - well, when it comes to this anyway.” She glances over his face. This vulnerable side of him was new to her.

“Just give him a chance. That’s all I’m saying,” Jake says with a shrug and his hands up. He walks back towards his things, a sly grin on his face. Augustine watches as he turns around. Her ears raise again, her tail moving normally. She hates to admit it, but the anger in her body has subsided with a full night’s sleep. Now, all she has to hold onto is hurt. The question “why” keeps swimming in her mind. The only “chance” she will be giving is the opportunity for him to explain himself.

As she walks towards the shore, she notices Neteyam holding two ilus in the water. The water’s surface resting against his lower back and hip line. His back is towards her as his arm pets an unfamiliar ilu’s face and neck. Beside him, she recognizes the beautiful black ilu from yesterday’s lesson. This scene was so perfect. She wishes she could take a picture, but she settles on the memory.

“Neteyam,” Augustine calls out, as she begins to tread through the water. He turns around with a small, solemn smile. “This is your ilu,” he says softly as she finally joins him in the water. The water line meets half way up her stomach. Her eyes grow wide as she stares down at the incredible darkened ilu’s skin with flecks of blue and orange throughout its body.

With a huge smile on her face, Augustine looks back to Neteyam with eager eyes. It was enough to break his saddened smile, enough where his cheeks rose and squinted his vision. “She’s beautiful,” she says as her hand excitedly lands on his shoulder. “Ilu is not like ikran,” he shares as he nods, guiding her to step onto the ilu’s saddle. She giggled as she jumps onto the ilu. “She may have many riders in her lifetime,” he adds as he places a steady hand at her side. “But only one at a time.”

Her brow raised as her face turned towards him. She bites her lip, desperate not to say anything about “one at a time.” She will follow Jake’s advice, give him at least a chance to share the logic behind what happened yesterday. “Make the bond,” Neteyam says. He jumps onto his ilu with such grace. He gently tethers himself and with a quick smirk, he dives into the water.

Augustine excitedly reaches for her queue and bonds with the ilu. With any tsaheylu made, she feels a rush of energy as she connects with the incredible animal. The cool air through her lungs. The water no longer cold to the touch, now warm and comfortable. Follow, she thinks as the ilu dives under the surface. She feels an incredible sense of pleasure with being under water, more than ever before. It is like an unbelievable blanket of safety.

All of a sudden, she could see everything with such clarity. What she thought was beautiful before was a complete lie. There was so much more she was missing. The different variants of colors across the corals. Translucent fishes she never even saw before. The way the ocean water changes beyond the reefs. It is not as clear cut as before. She can see the layers, how and where the sea begins to change it’s colors. She cannot help but smile, taking it all in. She could stay underwater forever.

Her eyes finally fall upon Neteyam before her. He is so closely in tune with his ilu. They move together so easily it is unbelievable. His braids flow behind him. His legs strong and held perfectly against the saddle. In a single second, her mind wishes that she could be in front of him again - them both on his ilu. After the events of yesterday, she wants to go back and enjoy those times, as opposed to being incredibly annoyed. His arms are tight against his saddle’s notches. The strength he shows in his biceps catches her off guard. However, any time he is around, she feels an abundance of protection - not that she needs it.

And with her incredible love of underwater living and it’s beautiful sights, Augustine forgot to hold on tight against the notches of her ilu’s saddle. She begins to feel the power of the water rushing against her. The ilu must have felt every single moment of her excitement, in turn becoming excited herself. Her slim body swimming faster and faster with each second of awe and wonder. She begins to feel the water pull against her face. Her hair starting to pull, as opposed to being dragged behind her. She struggles to keep her eyelids open. Her grip loosening by each knuckle of her hand, until finally she is holding on for dear life with the tips of her fingers. And then…

Augustine falls off of her ilu. Pain shoots through her queue as her connection is ripped away. She tumbles against the ocean’s current and the current her ilu leaves behind. She spins and spins until she struggles to discern which way is up. Finally, she spots the sun. She involuntarily checks for where her tail is. After determining it is not caught, she places all her strength in swimming towards the glowing light.

In what felt like forever, she breeches the water with a huge gasping breath. Her arms splashing against the darkened water. She is far from the cove. She quickly looks around in an attempt to spot Neteyam. All she could see are the reefs, the large rocks springing from the waves, and Awa'atlu in the far far distance. How did she manage to get herself in another life-or-death situation?

Augustine calls out to her ilu, knowing that there is a good chance that she may never come. She sets out to slowly swim towards a small rock formation a third of the way to shore. She attempts to conserve her strength. She practices her breathing, just as Neteyam taught her. She trusts herself. She trusts her ability to get back to shore. Her mind never faltered, not once giving up hope.

Despite the crashing waves against her body, she pushes and pushes until she is finally able to land a swollen hand against the rock. With a growl, she crawls herself up the smoothed rock. Her breath harsh against its wet surface. "Shit," she whines as she pulls herself up to its very top. "Why does this keep happening?" she groans as she rests onto her back. Her eyes close as she lies beneath the sun's warm rays.

"Why does what keep happening?" Augustine hears. She quickly jumps up from her intended cat nap. She sucks her tongue against her teeth as she watches Neteyam climb atop the rock. He has both ilus resting beside them. "I thought I was stranded," she whispers, knowing he will make fun of her. She pulls her knees to her chest. She wraps her arms around her legs. "No," he laughs. "I was always right here with you, warrior princess." A smirk pulls to the side of his mouth. He sits down in front of her, crossing his ankles together with his knees up.

"So," Augustine starts as she pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "Any notes, teach'?" Neteyam laughs to himself. His head pulls down before he looks back up at her. “One note,” he says, trying to sound formal. She laughs watching his ridiculous self. “Hold on tighter?” he suggests with a shrug. She rolls her eyes as they both laugh with an awkward decrescendo.

“I - uh,” Neteyam starts, but begins to shake his head. “I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have kissed you.” Augustine’s brow raises, her lip pulls to one side. “And,” he says with a laugh under his breath in response to her expression. He clears his throat, attempting to be serious once again. “I’m sorry for how you found out about Pip. I’m sure that was all very confusing.”

She looks around, ready to ask the question she’s been holding onto for hours. She begins to notice several of the Metkayina in the waters, fishing and playing about - only a few meters away. She holds her head down. Some how him saying “Pip��� brought all the pain and confusion back. He watches her with concern, desperately analyzing the little parts of her face that he can see. He struggles to keep himself from reaching out to her, holding her. “Why did you kiss me?” she mumbles against her knees. He hears her speak but cannot understand. “Can you say that again?” he says, crawling closer towards her. His hand naturally falls upon her forearm.

Augustine slowly raises her head to meet Neteyam’s worried eyes. “Why did you kiss me, Neteyam?” she asks clearly. He takes in a shaky breath as he breaks his gaze. After a short period of silence, she tightens her embrace around her knees. “I was happy,” he starts. She keeps her eyes down, but hangs onto each of his words. “I thought I lost you,” he recalls. A wince pulls across his face. Shaking it off, he continues, “I was so scared and then you woke back up and I was just so happy, I-I kissed you.”

She raises her eyes to look at him. Unsurprisingly, his explanation did not make her feel better. “So, it was an accident,” she reiterates, trying to understand. “Yes and no,” he answers. His heart pains to see her this way. It desperately calls for his arms to be around her. “I didn’t plan on it,” he shares. He bites his lip as he feels nerves tighten his chest. With his eyes on hers, he murmurs, “But it is something I’ve wanted since as long as I can remember.”

Augustine’s eyes quickly change from sadness to exciting curiosity. “What?” she says with a crack to her voice, nervous giggles escape her throat. A smile spreads across her face so quickly she places her hand over her mouth to hide it. “Augustine,” he says as he now sits in front of her. His hand holding hers. She watches his movements in awe, as though the unbelievable is transpiring before her very eyes.

“When I think of my future, all I see is you,” Neteyam whispers as he squeezes her hand. “All I’ve ever wanted was to be with you.” Her heart starts to pound as she watches him with wide eyes. The boy she’s known all her life. The one that never gave her the time of day when she played with the Sully children. The one who always watched her from afar. She always thought he hated her, or at the very least disliked her. With this new information, he rewrites their history.

Augustine shakes her head, dropping her hand from his touch. “How can you say all this when you are promised to P - to that girl?” she asks. Her mouth forms a thin line as her eyes become protective daggers against him. Neteyam smiles as he notes her unwillingness to speak her name. “I don’t love her,” he says. “I love you. I-I see you.” Her heart drops as she watches the sincere eyes of the boy before her. He slowly places a hand to her chest, another to her cheek. The entire world falls away. There is only the two of them. “I see you, Augustine,” he murmurs. “I always have.”

She looks down to his hand pressed against her chest. She feels the wind blowing through her hair, pushing her focus further onto the warmth of his palm. With a deep sigh, she attempts to speak. “Neteyam,” she begins. “I don’t want to hurt any more than I already do. I don’t want to watch you muntxa si that girl,” she says with disgust as her eyes well. He shakes his head, as his hands grasp hers. “No, Augustine, I won’t,” he says sternly. “You are promised, Neteyam,” she mutters as her eyes catch his again.

“I will break that promise,” Neteyam states with finality. “I completed my rites. I choose my mate.” He brushes his fingers against her cheek once again. “I choose you,” he coos. She leans into his touch, struggling to keep her tears in. This level of emotions is unfamiliar to her. Abruptly, he drops his hand from her face. She feels her body ache at the lack of his body against hers. “But you must choose me as well,” he murmurs. “And for you, I would wait a lifetime.”

A tear falls from Augustine’s eyelashes as she grabs hold of his hand and places it upon her chest once again. She watches as he scans her face. It leaves a smile upon his lips. With a rush of emotions, she places her hands behind his head and pulls him in for a deep kiss. She swears she sees sparks as soon as their lips touch. Her eyes close and she breathes in his air. Neteyam’s hand remains at her chest, while another wraps around her waist.

He gently guides her back down onto the rock as he rests lightly atop of her. She hooks her leg around his as his hands explore her soft hair. His tongue lightly brushed against her lips. As her lips instinctually separate, her tongue crashes against his in a bright and wonderful embrace. She loves how he feels. How he tastes. Her mind finally presents an imaginary future with Neteyam as her mate. How it was somehow always him. This feels unbelievably right. As his grip tightens around her body, she pulls him further on top of her. His braids tickle her cheeks as he presses firmly against her lips. His hand travels from her chest to her upper thigh. His movements so sensual and filled with love and adoration.

“Neteyam,” a wobbly familiar voice calls softly. His ears flatten as he immediately pulls from their kiss. Augustine’s eyes slowly open to see Pipxì standing over them. Her hands to her hips. Her tail tense. Her ears flattened and one side of her lip pulled. She feels vulnerable with her towering over her. Her gut screams at her to move, to move to a better defensive position but she is frozen with fear. “Pips, I can explain,” he calls after her. The act turns Augustine’s stomach.

Pipxì throws her hand towards him, cursing as she walks down the stone. She quickly calls for her ilu and dives into the water. Without a second thought, Neteyam jumps onto his saddle and rapidly sinks beneath the surface to chase her. Augustine is left alone on the rock, left with an unfinished feeling. She places her hand to her neck as her tears finally cascade down her cheeks. She feels Metkayina eyes on her, judging her from afar. They all bare witness to her embarrassing display of love with someone who has already been publicly promised to a great warrior’s daughter. If she had even the slightest chance to be fully welcomed into the Metkayina people, she has just lost it by disrespecting their traditions in front of them all. She has disrespected the all great Mother in their eyes. Her heart sinks to her stomach as she is still left with the unbearable question: Why?

note: ooof, the plot twist? anyone see pipxì coming? 🥴 the dramaaaa. i think i’m going to need more of these two. i def need to see what’s about to go down. please lmk if y’all feel the same!!! (please feel the same 😅)

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