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aphrodisiac-siren · 1 year ago

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Home~ Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

Summary: Leaving behind everything he knew was hard for Neteyam and then adapting to the ways of the new clan was even harder. He'd push himself, overwork and exhaust himself even, to live upto his family's expectations; never really giving his own wants a second thought. That's why Y/N was the prefect companion for him, someone who kept things in his life balanced, who made sure to let him know that what he wanted was just as important, perhaps even more so, than what everyone else wanted of him.

//slow burn, cute fluff, Neteyam being a sad bean//

masterlist, Part 4

Part 3

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Jake was sure his eyes would pop out of their sockets any minute now. With every word his sons uttered his blood pressure only went higher and higher to a point where he was sure he was due for a stroke. From what he was hearing he was affirmative he passed down only a singular braincell that was being shared by his sons.

"You said what" Jake's voice cracked, hand flying up to pull at his hair "Neteyam she is the chief’s daughter!"

"I know, I screwed up" the older boy hung his head in shame, still cringing at how he handled the situation.

"And you didn’t disappoint as well did ya? You beat up the chief’s son" Jake turned to Lo'ak who was also looking everywhere but at him "He takes us in, trains us and this is how you show appreciation? By harassing his kids"

"He was picking on Kiri" Lo'ak tried to defend himself, knowing well that it wouldn’t work.

"Go make peace with Aonung" his father sighed "I don’t care how you do it but just.. go"

Lo'ak walked away in defeat, in no mood whatsoever to argue. Besides, he did agree that the situation could’ve been handled better and they both did contribute to making the situation worse than it already was.

"And I didn’t really expect this from you of all people" Jake continued once his youngest son was out of earshot "what were you thinking, talking to the poor girl like that?"

"I'm sorry, I was being an idiot" Neteyam apologised. He had kept his own feelings under wraps for so long, only concerned with looking after his siblings to a point where he had finally reached his limit and like a bomb, exploded earlier that day "I'll go fix it"

"Damn right you will" His dad let out another disappointed sigh "now get outta here"

Neteyam dragged his feet through the sand, absolutely dreadding having to face Y/N again. He was sure she hated him now, she'd made it pretty clear by letting them know that she wouldn’t volunteer to train them any longer and he wanted to run into a wall for ruining everything. His siblings liked her, they loved every second they spent with the girl and he made a mess of it by allowing his emotions to possess him.

He begrudgingly searched around the village, not really sure of what he could possibly say that would fix the damage he caused.

What he did not expect, on top of all of this, was to find Y/N with his mother. They both were practising archery, or more like Y/N was struggling to keep up with Neytiri.

"Yes, keep your shoulders pushed back" She circled the younger girl, giving her helpful critique "no, don’t hold on to the arrow so tightly"

The boy sheepishly approached, a bit more nervous than what he already was.

“Neteyam?” His mother called out when she finally saw him, shifting even Y/N’s attention to him. The moment her saphire eyes landed on him, he felt small, all his pride and confidence from before withering away under her gaze.

“Am I interrupting?” He asked, offering a polite smile nonetheless.

“No, you can come and help Y/N” Neytiri responded. She knew her children liked to spend time with the girl, completely oblivious of the events that took place earlier that day.

“It’s okay” Y/N immediately butted in, keeping her voice steady “he’s probably got other stuff to do”

“Not really” Neteyam knew she didn’t want him there but he wasn’t going to leave until he had a chance to properly apologise “no lessons today, remember?”

“Why not?” His mother asked, curiously.

“I got held up with something” Y/N lied convincingly and Neteyam understood that she wasn’t planning on telling anyone about what happened earlier. He was a smidge grateful for it, he wasn’t really wanting to earn a scolding from his mother as well.

“I can help you with this you know” he tried again, pushing his luck and hoping she’d just let him stay.

“No thank you, I’m fine” she snapped without missing a beat, looking toward the makeshift target once again and away from him.

Neytiri glanced between the two teens. The tension among them was intense and evident. What had suddenly caused such a weird atmosphere between them?

Her eyes searched her son’s and he stared right back her pleadingly and she could tell that he wanted to be around Y/N whilst she was actively trying to be rid of him. Something clearly went down between the both of them and the best thing to do was to take a step back and let the two of them sort things out.

“I have to make sure Tuk is with Kiri” the older woman made up a reason to excuse herself “I will be back, keep practicing”

She gave her son a look before she walked away, leaving behind a thankful Neteyam and an annoyed Y/N.

“Here” he sweetly approached her, reaching out to fix her form but she simply shifted away with an ‘I’m good’ and continued to shoot arrows that missed the target “trust me, I’m just trying to help”

Still not meeting his gaze, Y/N silently nocked another arrow. This time she didn’t scoot away from him so Neteyam took it as a ‘go’ for him to help her out. He was quite good at archery, he’d earned good praise from the other hunters in his clan.

He placed his hands under her forearms to raise her hand a bit that had begun to droop from tiredness. He then lifted her elbows slightly, inching closer until his nose was almost grazing her cheek.

“Loose” he whispered, right before she let the arrow whizz through the wind and hit the target. Not the centre, but still quite close. Impressive really for someone’s first lesson.

“I did it!” She happily chirped, as if she’d forgotten she was upset with him. Her face lit up and she chuckled with pure joy before she cleared her throat, regaining her stoic composure.

“I’m sorry about what I said” he wasted no time, lest she picked up her stuff and left. She already seemed to not want him around “it was arrogant and ungrateful of me. I was trying to defend my siblings but I guess I ended up letting out all of my pent up frustration on you, a-and that was wrong of me”

He was relieved that she at the very least was listening to him so he continued.

“I didn’t mean what I said, that you’re nothing more than a privileged girl” he looked at her, hoping she’d meet his eyes but she didn’t “we both know that’s not true and I fully understand why you wouldn’t want to be around me anymore. I won’t show up to your lessons if that’s what you want, but don’t distance yourself from Lo’ak, Kiri, Tuk- they like to be around you”

“That’s not what I want you know” she put away the bow to go retrieve the many arrows that had missed the target, now scattered in the sand “I thought we’d all get along. I liked being around them too, you included”

Neteyam’s ears pointed upward, like a child hearing praise from a parent.

“But then you said the most cruel things today, things I never thought you’d ever utter” she continued sadly “and I thought maybe I was wrong about you-“

“I’m sorry” he said again, feeling really stupid that that’s all he could really say “it’s been hard leaving the forest. That was my home, it’s all I’ve ever known. And then all of a sudden I’m in a place where I don’t know how to do the simplest of things, I feel useless”

“You aren’t useless, I know Aonung likes to poke fun and I know you miss your home but I really wished you’d just come and spoken to me about it instead of being mean to me” she finally looked at him, her pretty eyes saddened “I thought we’d be friends”

“We can be!” He said almost too enthusiastically, cheeks heating up slightly at his childish eagerness “I’ll make it up to you”

“How” she crossed her arms and tilted her head, patiently waiting for him to come up with something.

Neteyam pouted as he thought for a minute, wondering what he could possibly do for the daughter of Tonowari that would make her give him another chance. She was already a princess of a sort, probably too used to receiving gifts.

After another minute of thinking, he broke into a grin.

“Wait here” he held his hands out in front of him, asking her to stay put

“Huh-“ Y/N walked behind him, her hand dropping the arrows to the ground again “I’m still mad at you Neteyam”

“You won’t be after this” he smirked at her before fully breaking into a sprint “hopefully”

Y/N watched the boy run off into the distance, wondering what he could possibly do to change her mood.

Knowing some of the boys here on the island, most of them would give her shells or wild flowers when she’d be upset. And if not the small gifts, then a forced apology that Aonung bullied them into.

She loved her brother, despite his pride and snarky attitude. Which is why she was also very protective of him. If he was at fault, she’d confront him no doubt but privately, away from the eyes of the public. She wasn’t the type to tell him off and embarrass him in front of anyone else who wasn’t their family. Which is why when she saw him scuffed up earlier, her initial response was for him to go and get himself looked after.

Did she really not deal with it correctly?

Did she favour her brother to much for his own good?

No, definitely not.

The familiar sound of flapping was what made her look up, taking away her thoughts completely from the situation she was thinking about.

“Y/N” Neteyam called out to her even though she already knew it was him.

His majestic ikran let out a screech as it made its descent, landing in the sand gracefully a few feet away from the girl.

“It’s really cool that you can swim fast and all, but I think you’ll find flying even cooler” he patted his ikran’s back, at the space right behind him on the saddle “come on”

Y/N was excited, probably a little too much. Her heart began to flutter and eyes were probably doing that thing again of just staring at the beast with wonder. She slowly walked toward the boy, trying to conceal her enthusiasm.

Neteyam chuckled at her reaction. It was obvious she was dying to get on but he knew she wouldn’t just show it on her face.

“First time seeing an ikran?” He joked, quoting himself during their first encounter when he caught her gawking. He held his hand out to her, looking at her with that same boyish grin he’d have on his face whenever she was around.

“Shut up” she rolled her eyes playfully as she took his hand, swinging one leg over the saddle and seating herself right behind him.

“Hold on tight” he turned around slightly to look at her, faces merely inches apart. Her eyes had flecks of lilac in them, he noted, something he hadn’t really noticed before “you’re going to love this”

Y/N did as she was told, wrapping her arms around his middle as he clicked his tongue a few times. His ikran spread out its large wingspan, letting out a short screech before flapping its wings and taking off.

Y/N shut her eyes tightly at the first gust of wind that blew against her face, tightening the grip around the boy’s torso.

“Open your eyes, you have to see this” she could hear the laughter in his voice as they arose higher and higher into the night sky “don’t worry, I won’t let you fall ma Y/N”

Blindly trusting him, since she was already a couple feet into the sky, she opened on eye and then slowly the other. A smile formed on her lips at how beautiful her home looked from up here. The waters glowed in its bioluminescence and sky was littered with stars.

“You know my dad came from that star” Neteyam pointed it out to her, looking back to see if she was too spotted it “you see it?”

“I see it” she confirmed, her laughter sounding like music to Neteyam’s ears amidst the wind.

As they circled around the village, Neteyam kept glancing back to look at her, as if he wanted to make sure she was truly enjoying this and to admire the smile for which he was responsible.

She doesn’t hate me now, he thought to himself, there’s no way she does anymore.

After a few more rounds around the islands, Neteyam landed his ikran near their shack. He wanted to keep flying, that was the one thing he loved to do even back home but he knew the poor thing was probably tired.

“Had fun?” he asked Y/N on their walk back, knowing the answer already.

“Mhm, I did-“

“Y/N!”

Both her and Neteyam looked toward the source of the sound: Aonung. He looked troubled, still bruised, but not the point.

“I screwed up” he told his sister, throwing a nervous glance at the Sully boy next to her.

“What happened?” His sister asked, looking at him with concern.

“I took Lo’ak to hunt outside the reef” he hesitantly said, refusing to look his sister in the eye and disappoint her even more than he already had “we left him behind as a joke but it’s been a while and he hasn’t come back”

“What” both Neteyam and Y/N exclaimed in sync, eyes going wide with panic.

“Oh my this is bad, this is bad..” Y/N was beginning to grow anxious, pacing around both the boys as she worked herself up even more.

“Hey okay, calm down” Neteyam held her by the shoulders, trying to keep her from falling apart. They needed to keep their heads cool, despite him wanting to punch Aonung in the face again “look Lo’ak might be an idiot but he can handle himself, he’s fine”

Y/N only nodded.

“Now, I’m going to go find my dad and tell him what we know” he glared at Aonung before looking at Y/N again, face softened “you go and tell your father”

“Right” Y/N nodded again, patting his arm “take Aonung with you pretty boy, and I’ll arrange for a few people to go look for Lo’ak”

“Sounds good” he then turned to her brother who was dead silent. He caught him by the back of his neck, not caring if he was rough about it “come on”

The three of them split up, hoping to hurry and find Lo’ak. He knew he’d only just mentioned that his brother was probably fine but he couldn’t deny he was worried shitless. This was a new turf, some place they were still unfamiliar with and getting lost out here was not something either of them could handle alone. And not to- wait..

She thinks I’m pretty?

#avatar #avatarimagine #avatar way of water #neteyam x reader #writing #fanfiction #neteyam imagine #avatar imagine #avatar fanfiction #lo'ak imagine #lo'ak x reader #lo'ak fanfiction #neteyam fanfiction #jamie flatters

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mcverse · 2 years ago

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✧ Summary: You weren’t allowed to go on the scouting trip but it didn’t matter because in the end, the outsiders come to you—four of them to be exact.

✧ Requested: Yes/No

✧ Word count: 7K

✧ Warnings: Blood, Injuries, Anxiety, not proof read/spell checked, idk prob sum else

✧ Sidebar: The past chapters are in past tense so moving forward they will be present tense. I realized idon like writing like that.

“Text like this only in italics” are Na’vi.

“Text like this in both italics and bold” are Avi, spoken b/w Avi & outsides.

“Text in just bold” are also Avi People, spoken b/w Avi only.

Text like this without quotations in italics are thoughts.

“Text like this” are in English.

Previous/Next

The village of Flamehaven is peaceful and quiet, with the sound of the gentle breeze rustling through the leaves of the tall trees that surround it. Suddenly, a loud and clear horn blasts through the air, reverberating across the village and reaching even the farthest corners. The sound repeats three times, causing all the Avi to stop in their tracks and look towards the direction it is coming from.

In an instant, the entire village is in motion. Those who were inside their huts and small shops quickly emerge, while those who were strolling through the village pick up their pace, all hurrying towards the center of Flamehaven.

The air is filled with a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation as the Avi wonder what the council of elders could possibly have to announce. It's not often that a meeting is called unscheduled, and the news must be important.

As they approach the center of the village, the Avi see that their fellow villagers have already gathered in a large circle around a rock podium.

All eyes are fixed on six figures standing on top of it, with Yäua, your grandfather and Olh'yken of Flamehaven, in the center of the group. The elders' solemn expressions and the urgency of the horn's call tell the Avi that something significant is about to happen.

You stand among the herd of Avi, your heart pounding with anticipation. You want to know what will happen to the outsider, but you're not worried. The council is reasonable enough to differentiate a threat from an ally. However, the problem is that you don’t know where the outsiders stand. You watch as the crowd mills about nervously, murmurs of concern filling the air.

You startle when a hand touches your shoulder, causing you to jerk away and look to the culprit, only to groan with a roll of your eyes. It’s your eldest brother, Kaetem, grinning down at you.

“Sister,” he removes his hand, “Do you know what this is about?” he questions with a tilt of his head, looking at you curiously.

You pause in thought, realizing this is one of those rare moments you knew something that your brothers did not. It's a struggle to hide the smirk threatening to give way to your lie, but you successfully answer him, “Nope,” with a shoulder shrug, “We’ll find out soon.”

Kaetem squints at you, not believing you in the slightest. You seem too calm, like you definitely know what's going on. He wonders why you aren't telling him what it is, but nevertheless, he nods in agreement, “We will,” looking back ahead of him just as your grandfather Yäua steps forward.

Yäua silences the crowd with a raised hand, though that does nothing to ease the tension. They all wait patiently for him to address them, to answer their questions, but mostly the one: why they are here?

“My people,” he begins, looking around the crowd as if to look each one in the eyes, letting them know that he sees them, truly, “Not to raise any alarms, but news came to me that our island has been breached by outsiders.”

His words cause gasps and murmurs among the Avi, looking at each other with feverish concern, “How is that possible?,” one inquires.

“We have been hidden for centuries. No one has found us,” another says.

Yäua nods his head in understanding, mulling over the Avi's words, “I hear your worries. To ease them, I’ll send scouts to oversee these claims, assess the situation to see if they are either friend or foe.” He ruffles the feathers on his back slightly, but stops when he glances back.

He nods and steps aside, allowing one of the elders to stand beside him. Her name is Wefi, a common Na’vi without the features like most Avi people. She is decorated in crystals and feathers of her own, each color vibrant as a Phoenix. She may not be a true Avi, but she is proud like one nonetheless.

“Eywa and Pho have gifted us, making us different beyond our home. Do not forget our ways,” she inhales sharply, rolling her shoulders back as she stands taller, “Perhaps they come for reasons, so remember to see reason as we always do. Let’s not let this situation break our resolve.”

Her words are sane and make sense, having a great power of calming the Avi like some spell cast over them—only there isn't. It's simply because they respect her and know her, so it's reasonable to trust her.

No further words were exchanged as the council of elders disperses, the weight of the unspoken words hangs in the air, signaling the end of the meeting. The Avi around you engage in muted conversations, their voices echoing with a hollow emptiness. In that moment, you make a decision to chase after your grandfather, Yäua, with Kaetem obediently following behind.

You quicken your pace, trying to match your grandfather's stride, and then impulsively blurt out your desire to join the scouts, "Pappy, I'd like to join the scouts. I truly believe I have what it takes."

Yäua's ears twitch, and he slows his pace, shaking his head in response. "No way," he answers swiftly, his tone filled with concern. He turns his attention to greet a few Avi along the way as he continues toward his shared tree hut.

Your face drops, and a sense of disappointment washes over you at how readily he dismisses your request. The words tumble out of your mouth in protest, "But I was the one who informed Grandmother. I was out there. I know where they are!"

Yäua halts his steps, sighing deeply as he turns to face you with a determined look in his eyes. There is a steely resolve in his voice as he speaks, "And that information will undoubtedly prove valuable when you report to the head of the scouts." As he notices your crestfallen expression, his gaze softens, and he gently places his hand on your head. "Now is not the time to be stubborn. Trust in Pappy."

The weight of his touch and the sincerity in his eyes give you a glimmer of reassurance, though a part of you still struggles to fully understand his reasoning. Reluctantly, you nod your head, your frown slowly transforming into a subdued acceptance. It doesn't feel fair that the bearer of bad news must sit out this crucial mission, but you recognize the wisdom in your grandfather's guidance, at least for now.

"Good," he smiles, shifting his gaze toward Kaetem, who stands silently, his expression unreadable. "And do you not agree?" Yäua asks your brother.

Kaetem shakes his head, causing his locs to sway and the beads in his hair to click softly. "No, I agree. I just... Can I join the scouts in her place?"

Your jaw drops in astonishment, your eyes darting between your brother and your grandfather. The audacity of his request leaves you momentarily speechless. "What?! That's not fair!" you protest, lightly swatting your grandfather's hand away so you can direct a heated glare at your brother. The nerve of this zawgfl (punk).

"Good idea. The scouts leave at noon. Don't be late, Kaetem," your grandfather says, glancing back at you briefly. He playfully pinches your cheeks, “Heed my warning, little one.” a mix of affection and warning in his tone, before strolling away.

Once he is at a safe distance, you turn to your brother and deliver a sharp hit to his chest, a low growl rumbling in your chest as your voice drips with venom. "How dare you?!" Your anger burns hot, and if it weren't for the familial bond, you would have inflicted a far more severe punishment. "That was incredibly undermining of you!"

Kaetem rubs his chest, though you know the blow barely stings. With his sturdy build like most Avi men, it takes more than a light strike to truly harm him. "You should have told me when I asked," he retorts, dropping his hand and blowing a raspberry. "Perhaps then I could have offered more help, instead of being kept in the dark.”

He starts to back away, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he points toward his tree hut. "Now excuse me, I have to get ready," he taunts, leaving you seething in place.

Down by the calm stream, nestled between the imposing rocks, four male Na'vi—Lo’ak, Ao’nung, Neteyam and Roxto—remain in a state of unconsciousness, seemingly undisturbed by the world around them. The vibrant blue hues of their skin blend seamlessly with the natural colors of their surroundings, their bodies gracefully draped against the cool, moss-covered rocks.

As the gentle rhythm of the stream continues, on of the Na'vi, Neteyam, begins to stir. His eyes flicker open with effort, greeted by a throbbing sensation within his skull. Blinking against the brightness of the surrounding environment, he struggles to adjust his vision.

Gradually, he pushes himself into a seated position, a low groan escaping his lips. Neteyam's hand instinctively reaches up, tenderly exploring his head in search of the source of his discomfort.

His fingertips encounter a sticky warmth, and with apprehension, he brings it closer to his face, squinting to examine them against the sunlight filtering through the foliage. A faint streak of crimson glistens on his fingertips, evidence of a minor wound that has stained his hand.

Neteyam's brow furrows in concern as he inspects the blood on his fingertips. His mind races to piece together the fragments of his memory, attempting to recall the events that led to his current state. The throbbing pain in his head serves as a constant reminder of the ordeal he must have endured.

As his gaze shifts from his hand to his surroundings, Neteyam takes in the serene beauty of the stream, its clear waters cascading gently over polished rocks. The sound of rustling leaves and the distant calls of wildlife fill the air, creating a soothing symphony that contrasts with the lingering unease within him.

With a determined resolve, Neteyam pushes himself up completely from the moss-covered ground. His muscles ache, protesting the movement after the period of unconsciousness. Despite the lingering weakness, he musters the strength to stand, his legs trembling slightly beneath him.

His eye caught sight of his brother, Lo’ak, and Neteyam hurriedly stumbles to him, dropping back to the ground to kneel beside him. Neteyam places a gentle hand on his brother's chest, feeling the reassuring rise and fall of his breath. Relief floods his heart as he realizes that Lo'ak is merely unconscious, undisturbed by the throes of their shared ordeal. Neteyam's worried expression eases slightly, grateful that he remains strong.

Neteyam finds himself contemplating the awakening of his brother, Lo'ak, from his unconscious state. However, just as he prepares to take action, a soft groan pierces the serene ambiance, causing Neteyam to turn his attention towards Roxto. With eyelids fluttering open, Roxto emerges from his slumber, revealing drowsy blue irises that gradually sharpen into focus.

A fleeting expression of confusion passes over Roxto's face as he takes in the unfamiliar surroundings and the sight of Neteyam kneeling off to the side. His gaze shifts from Neteyam's presence to the motionless form of Lo'ak nestled among the rocks, causing a surge of concern within him. Scanning the area, his eyes land on Ao’nung a few feet away, still lost in the embrace of deep sleep.

An intricate tapestry of questions weaves itself into Roxto's mind, interlacing curiosity and unease, "Neteyam?" he murmurs, his voice a mixture of relief and inquiry. His gaze sweeps past Neteyam, seeking answers amidst their surroundings, "What happened?" Roxto's voice carries a subtle urgency.

Neteyam's voice trembles with a mix of worry and confusion as he responds to Roxto's inquiry. "I... we fell," he stammers, his finger pointing towards the direction they came from. His eyes flicker with uncertainty, searching for confirmation in Roxto's gaze. "Over there, I believe. Are you alright? Can you stand?"

Roxto's movement slows for a moment, contemplating. The ache in his muscles pulse with each deliberate motion, but determination fuels his resolve to overcome the discomfort. Nodding, he meets Neteyam's gaze. "Yeah, I can," he affirms, a glimmer of resilience shining in his eyes.

Relief flashes over Neteyam's features, a fleeting smile pulling his lips. He gestures towards Ao'nung with a slight tilt of his head. "Good. Check on Ao'nung," he instructs, his voice laced with trust in Roxto's capabilities. "I'll do my best to wake up Lo'ak." With purpose, he turns his attention back to his brother, his hand gripping Lo'ak's shoulder.

"Lo’ak. Lo’ak." Neteyam's voice quivers with concern as he continues to shake his brother, desperately hoping for a response. His worry deepens with each passing moment that Lo'ak remains unresponsive. A knot of anxiety forms in Neteyam's stomach as he tries to fathom what might be keeping his brother from waking up.

Neteyam's hands tremble slight as he carefully examines Lo'ak's body, his fingertips tracing over Lo'ak's arms and chest, searching for any signs of injury. He checks for broken bones or deep wounds, his touch gentle yet urgent. Finding only minor scratches and bruises, Neteyam's brow furrows in confusion, unable to comprehend why Lo'ak remains unconscious.

"Lo’ak, bro, wake up," Neteyam pleads, his voice laced with a mixture of concern and urgency. He tightens his grip on Lo'ak's shoulders, as if trying to physically coax his brother back to consciousness.

Time seems to slow down as Neteyam waits anxiously for any sign of life from Lo'ak. Every passing second feels like an eternity, his own heartbeat pounding in his ears, echoing the fear and hope that swirl within him.

And then, finally, a flicker of awareness crosses Lo'ak's features. His eyelids flutter, revealing glimpses of his eyes beneath, clouded with confusion and discomfort. A curt grunt escapes his lips, a feeble indication of his returning consciousness.

"Neteyam?" Lo’ak's voice is weak, barely above a whisper, but the sound brings a surge of relief to Neteyam's weary soul. It is a reassurance that his brother is still with him, that they can face whatever challenges lie ahead together.

A moment of gratitude washes over Neteyam as he registers Lo'ak's awakening. The tension in his muscles eases slightly, and a faint smile tugs at the corners of his lips.

"I'm here, Lo’ak," Neteyam says, his voice steady yet filled with underlying concern. "You had us worried there.“

"Us?" Lo'ak questions, his gaze sweeping the surroundings in search of their companions. Movement catches his eye behind Neteyam, revealing Roxto assisting Ao'nung, who winces and holds his side in pain. Lo'ak's attention returns to Neteyam, extending his hand towards him. Without hesitation, Neteyam grasps it firmly, pulling his brother up to stand beside him. Lo'ak's brows furrow as he stands tall, his voice filled with concern, "What happened?"

Neteyam sighs, a tinge of exasperation evident in his voice as he recounts the events that led to their current predicament. "We fell, remember?" he says, his tone tinged with frustration. "It happened after we were being chased by those creatures."

Ao'nung interjects, his voice filled with disdain as he joins the two brothers, thanks to the help of Roxto, "Can we even call those things animals?" he remarks, a hint of bitterness in his words. "Even the Ikran are more friendly than them."

Quickly Neteyam positions himself on the opposite side of Roxto, supporting Ao'nung's weight and relieving the strain on his injured side, “You’re not wrong. Something was off about them.” Neteyam replies, looking over to Lo’ak after, “We gotta find the others. You lead the way.”

Lo'ak's ears instinctively draw back in response to the suggestion, a flicker of reluctance crossing his features. It's not a task he is typically entrusted with, and for good reason. However, given the dire circumstances they find themselves in, there is little room for argument.

With a nod of acknowledgment, he turns his gaze away, his hand reaching instinctively for his trusted knife. But as his fingers search for the familiar handle, a wave of panic washes over him as he realizes it is missing. A curse escapes his lips as he frantically scans the surrounding area, hoping to spot his lost weapon, but it was useless.

He exhales a frustrated huff and steps out of the stream, his decision made. He resolves to stick close to the water's edge and follow its meandering path, trusting his instincts and the wisdom imparted to him through countless hunting teachings.

He knows that water is a lifeline, an invaluable resource that attracts life in its search for sustenance. In his heart, he clings to the hope that his parents, the guardians of his knowledge and strength, may be nearby, drawn to the life-giving flow of the stream.

Neteyam, Roxto, and Ao'nung follow closely behind Lo’ak, their eyes scanning the dense vegetation for any signs of movement or life. The air hangs heavy with anticipation as they press forward, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of fallen leaves beneath their feet.

Time seems to stretch as they journey deeper into the forest. The sun casts long shadows that stretch across the forest floor, signaling the approaching dusk. The angle of the sunlight, slanting from the east, confirms that evening is descending upon them. A subtle unease settles within them, a reminder of the urgency to find safety before darkness blankets the land.

Despite their careful observation, the forest remains eerily quiet. The usual sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves are notably absent, leaving an unsettling void in their surroundings. The absence amplifies their awareness, sharpening their senses to detect even the faintest disturbance.

Suddenly, a rustling sound breaks the silence, originating from a dense thicket ahead. Lo'ak's instincts kick in, his muscles tensing as he brings the group to a halt. His gaze fixates on the source of the movement, his mind racing to assess the potential threat. A sense of déjà vu washes over him, triggering a surge of adrenaline and caution.

With a hand gesture, Lo'ak signals the others to prepare for any outcome. They form a defensive formation, their bodies coiled like springs, ready to react to the unseen danger that lurks within the foliage. The anticipation hangs heavy in the air, as if time itself holds its breath, waiting for the inevitable revelation.

Lo’ak turns to them, "We're good," he reassures them, his voice tinged with a mixture of relief and cautious optimism. However, before the smile can fully spread across his face, a sudden gust of wind cuts through the clearing, carrying with it an eerie sense of foreboding.

In a blink of an eye, the world around them blurs as figures materialize from the shadows. Na'vi-like warriors, their bows drawn and arrows aimed at the group, surround them in a calculated display of force. Tension thickens in the air, each heartbeat resonating with uncertainty.

A collective drop in the boys' hearts signals their realization of the dire situation. Bewilderment and alarm etch themselves onto their faces, their minds scrambling to comprehend the unfolding events. They search for any signs of recognition or familiarity among the encircling warriors, desperate for some understanding amidst the chaos. Yet, answers remain elusive, they didn’t look like them, at least not 100%.

But they were mainly focused on their survival, that there was little time to think about that their differences. Apprehension washes over the group in a tidal wave as they find themselves at the mercy of these unknown Na'vi warriors. Their bodies instinctively freeze, every muscle poised to react at the slightest provocation. Time seems to stretch into an agonizing eternity as they stand on the precipice, their fates hanging precariously in the balance.

Silence envelops the clearing, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves and the weighty breaths of the warriors. The boys remain trapped within a delicate equilibrium, teetering between hope and despair, waiting for the next move that will determine their destinies.

A path clears as a towering figure strides forward, his presence commanding attention. He stands tall, his formidable figure exuding strength and authority. With broad shoulders and a muscular build, he emanates a sense of raw power. In his hand, a gleaming knife remains poised, a testament to his skill and readiness.

Approaching the group with an air of composure, his face remains stoic, revealing little of his thoughts. The confidence in his stride leaves no doubt that he is their leader. In a deep and resonant voice, he addresses them in their native language, Na'vi, catching them off guard.

"Lost?" he inquires, his tone both questioning and assertive. "You have strayed far from your home."

The group exchanges glances, a mix of apprehension and curiosity filling the air. Neteyam, summoning his courage, steps forward and replies, "Our home has been destroyed. Is this your land?"

As Neteyam's words linger, the air becomes charged with anticipation, each passing second accentuating the weight of their situation. The leader's eyes bore into them, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion evident in his gaze. He carefully evaluates their intentions, his penetrating scrutiny leaving no detail unnoticed.

At last, after a brief moment of contemplation, the leader breaks the silence, his voice measured and commanding. "Our land has remained concealed from outsiders for centuries," he declares, his words carrying the weight of ancient traditions. "Only recently has its sanctity been breached." His tone holds a hint of caution, wary of the potential implications.

His gaze shifts, assessing the group's condition with a keen eye. He notices the trickle of blood staining Neteyam's forehead, a sign of recent injury, and observes the wincing figure of the fairer-skinned Na'vi, his hands clutching his sides. The leader's expression remains unreadable, his curiosity piqued as he seeks to gather as much information as possible.

"Tell me," he continues, his voice a low rumble, "why do you stray from your tribe?" His head tilts slightly, a gesture that combines curiosity and calculation, as he aims to unravel the extent of their tribe's presence in this uncharted territory, seeking to understand the motives behind their departure. A faint smirk tugs at the corner of his lips as he adds, "Hm. Seems like you've bitten off more than you can chew." The leader's jest elicits a ripple of laughter from his companions, their camaraderie evident in their shared amusement.

The air crackles with a subtle tension as the warriors maintain their vigilant stance, their eyes darting from one member of the group to another. The lighthearted moment fades into the background, replaced by a palpable sense of caution that permeates the atmosphere.

The leader's laughter subsides, his expression shifting into one of guarded alertness. His piercing gaze sweeps over the newcomers, his scrutiny unwavering. The flicker of curiosity that had briefly danced in his eyes now mingles with a trace of wariness.

The other warriors, mirroring their leader's vigilance, stand tall and unwavering. Their bodies subtly coiled, ready to react at a moment's notice. They exchange cautious glances, communicating their shared sense of duty to protect their tribe from potential threats.

Beneath the surface, empathy remains unspoken, their empathy for the newcomers' situation yet to be revealed. For now, they rely on their instincts, their keen senses attuned to the smallest signs of danger. The balance between caution and curiosity hangs delicately in the air, waiting for the next turn of events to unfold.

Neteyam takes a moment to gather his thoughts, his gaze shifting between each warrior's scrutinizing eyes. With a hint of vulnerability in his voice, he explains, "We, along with other warriors, went hunting for food and became separated. We mean no harm." His words are measured as he lowers his head, followed by the rest of the group, a gesture of submission and sincerity.

His eyes flick up through his lashes after a pregnant pause, searching for any sign of recognition, understanding, or empathy. He hopes to read the unspoken emotions hidden behind the leader's stoic facade, seeking an opportunity to sway the situation in their favor if possible.

The leader maintains a stern facade, his gaze penetrating and unyielding. He probes deeper, his voice resonating with a mix of skepticism and genuine concern, "Leaving one's home often signifies danger. Have you brought danger to our land?" The questions hang in the air, stirring a mix of tension and curiosity among the warriors.

A few murmurs and disapproving glances arise from the ranks, but the leader swiftly quells any dissent, firmly redirecting his attention to the group of newcomers. His eyes bore into Neteyam's, searching for any signs of deception or concealed motives.

Lo'ak's eyes widen as he steps in front of Neteyam, his hands raised in a gesture of non-aggression. "Please, listen to me. Our home, our people... they have been torn apart by destruction. We seek only refuge and the chance to rebuild. We mean no harm to your land or you," he explains, his voice filled with a mixture of urgency and hope.

As he speaks, Lo'ak's gaze lingers on the face of the lead warrior, a sense of familiarity sparking within him. The resemblance is undeniable, the same distinct features that he had noticed in you, the girl he encountered the night before. Could it be possible? Could these warriors be connected to her in some way?

It fills him with excitement, this is what he wanted. A chance to meet you again but Lo'ak remains cautious, aware of the potential consequences of jumping to conclusions. He knows that appearances can be deceiving. He knows that their situation hangs delicately in the balance, and any misstep could lead to unforeseen consequences.

Lo'ak and the others hold their breaths as they wait for the lead warrior to speak. His silence is deafening, and the tension in the air is palpable. Finally, he breaks the silence with a stern expression.

"I understand your situation, but we cannot simply take your word for it. We must ensure the safety of our people first and foremost," he says, his voice low and grave.

The boys can feel their hearts pounding in their chest. The words are not what they had hoped for, and they can sense the danger of the situation growing. Lo’ak shares a quick glance with Neteyam, and they both know that they all are walking a tightrope between life and death.

The lead warrior takes a moment to assess the situation, weighing the risks and possibilities in his mind. Finally, his expression softens ever so slightly, a sign of subtle empathy,

"But you have my word," he says, his voice carrying a note of authority and reassurance, placing a hand to his left chest, "that we will treat you fairly and with respect. For now, you will come with us until your intentions can be determined."

Lo'ak and the others exchange glances, a flicker of doubt passing between them. They had hoped for a more immediate resolution, an affirmation of trust. But now, their fate lies in the hands of these strangers completely, their freedom curtailed by the looming presence of Kaetem, who moves with measured steps towards them.

The lead warrior nods in approval as the bindings are secured, especially when finding a proper way for Neteyam giving his lack of appendages. His attention is already shifting to the next course of action. He directs a few scouts to embark on a mission to locate the rest of their tribe, urgency underscoring his words as he imparts the significance of their task.

With the scouts venturing into the unknown, their departure creates a void in the forest, leaving the remaining group feeling exposed and uncertain. The leader, now focus on their onward journey, turns away and sets off in a seemingly arbitrary direction, his footsteps marking the path to an enigmatic destination.

Flamehaven. That’s where he said they were going. The name reverberates in the boys thoughts, a beacon of intrigue and mystery. What awaits them in this place? Will it offer refuge or captivity? The unknown looms before them, instilling a blend of trepidation and hope.

As they follow in the wake of their captors, each member of the group grapples with a mix of emotions. Fear intertwines with a flicker of optimism, uncertainty mingles with a glimmer of possibility. Their lives have taken an unexpected turn, leading them down a path cloaked in secrecy, where the balance between danger and opportunity teeters on a delicate edge.

The large group travels on silence, guided by the lead warrior's firm yet gentle guidance. They walk along a path that meandered through the lush vegetation. The air carried the mingling scents of exotic flowers and the invigorating rush of nearby waterfalls.

The sounds of nature enveloped them, from the melodic chirping of birds to the distant rustle of leaves stirred by a gentle breeze. Each step was cautious by it brought them closer to Flamehaven, a place that held the promise of refuge and the opportunity for a fresh start.

The perimeter of Flamehaven was approaching, the boys were instructed to cover their eyes, a precautionary measure to safeguard the its location. Their hands shielded their vision, and they moved forward with a heightened senses, guided by the trust they had placed in their captors.

The lead warrior and his comrades skillfully navigated the boys through the settlement, skillfully avoiding obstacles and ensuring their safe passage. Whispers of conversation and the faint melodies of Avi songs reached their ears, hinting at the vibrant community that thrived within Flamehaven's boundaries.

At last, the lead warrior signaled for the boys to uncover their eyes. With a collective breath, they removed their hands, allowing their gaze to meet the awe-inspiring scene before them.

Flamehaven revealed itself in all its splendor—an interconnected tapestry of intricately designed huts, nestled harmoniously amidst towering trees and vibrant flora.As they stood in the heart of Flamehaven, their hearts swelled with a potent mix of emotions—hope, curiosity, and vulnerability.

Their arrival had not gone unnoticed, and the residents of Flamehaven observed them with a blend of fascination and empathy. They could see the the weariness etched in the boys eyes, the scars of their past experiences.

All four boys eyes sweep over the settlement for different reasons, mind trying to come up with how a place like this has been hidden for so long.

Neteyam’s heart is swelling with a renewed sense of purpose. The unity and shared resilience of the community ignite a flicker of hope within him, as he envisions a new beginning not just for himself, but for his remaining clan.

Lo'ak's gaze sweeps across the faces of the Na'vi, his eyes searching for a spark of recognition. The memory of the mysterious girl he encountered lingers, driving his curiosity to uncover the truth that hangs in the air. Each glance exchanged fuels his desire to unravel the connection that teases his senses.

Ao'nung's attention is captured by the exquisite craftsmanship that adorns Flamehaven. The intricate carvings and delicate artwork speak of a community that reveres its natural surroundings. Inspiration surges through him as he envisions contributing his own skills and talents to this ever-evolving masterpiece.

Rotxo is caught between trepidation and hope. The uncertainty of the future looms ahead, a vast landscape of possibilities. Yet, the warm reception they receive ignites a glimmer of optimism within him. Flamehaven beckons as a sanctuary where they can rebuild their shattered lives, reminiscent of the home they once knew.

They found themselves entranced by the stunning beauty that is Flamehaven, their eyes reluctant to pull away from it. Yet, their attention is soon drawn back to the lead warrior who brought them here, their curiosity piqued by his actions.

Their curious gazes follow his movements as he engages in a conversation with another member of their group, sharing words that hold significance. The exchange is brief but laden with purpose. The recipient of the message nods in understanding before swiftly departing in the opposite direction, their footsteps fading into the distance.

The boys eyes fixate on the departing figure for a fleeting moment, intrigued by the significance of the message conveyed. Questions swirl in their minds, What message was sent? To whom was it delivered? Their thoughts remain unanswered, suspended in the air like a delicate thread.

Breaking the silence, the lead warrior returns to the captives, his footsteps carrying him back to their side. With a composed demeanor, he delivers the revelation that stirs their curiosity further. "I have sent word to the Olh'yken," he announces once close enough.

The group of boys stares at the lead warrior in confusion. Ao’nung takes a deep breath and speaks up, voicing the question that has been on all of their minds. "What’s an Olh'yken?" he asks, his voice wavering slightly with nervousness. The other boys nod in agreement, their expressions expectant as they wait for an answer.

The lead warrior pauses, his mind working quickly to find a way to explain the concept to these outsiders who are clearly unfamiliar with the ways of Flamehaven. He furrows his brow, his lips pursed as he searches for the right words.

"It's what you call an Olo'eyktan," he finally says, watching as the boys' eyes widen in surprise and realization. He can see the shame in their faces as they realize they should have known this already. "Come, I'll bring you to where you'll stay," he adds, gesturing for them to follow him.

As they walk, a curious crowd of Avi starts to form behind them. The lead warrior guides them past the onlookers until they reach a small hut that is perched safely in the branches of two trees. The structure is also low enough to the ground to be accessible without climbing. He motions for them to enter, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they follow his directions.

Once they are inside, the boys are amazed by what they see. The interior is furnished with handcrafted pieces, including a comfortable seating area with a low table and a beautiful two-toned woven rug beneath it. Baskets filled with more crafts are scattered throughout the room, while seashells, crystals, and other natural artifacts dangle from the roof, casting a rainbow of colors throughout the space when the sun hits from an opening in the hut.

"Stay here until the chief comes. Do not leave, for your safety and ours," the lead warrior instructs before exiting the hut and disappearing into the bustling crowd.

All the boys stand there in silence, staring at the flap the lead warrior had just left out of but Rotxo, feeling restless, breaks the quietude by reaching up and touching one of the dangling ornaments hanging from the roof.

"This is so cool," he says in awe, causing the others to snap out of their daze and join in on the admiration. They begin to explore the room, running their fingers over the woven rug and examining the handcrafted furniture, staring wide eyed at the different dangling ornaments, wondering what it all meant.

When they finish inspecting the hut, the boys gather in the middle of the room, seating themselves on the cushioned chairs around the low table. Ao’nung settles himself with a visible effort, adjusting his weight carefully to accommodate his injured side. The others follow suit, exchanging hushed conversations.

“What are we going to do?” Ao’nung asks, his frown etched deep on his face, his head lowered. “We have to get back.”

Neteyam nods his head in agreement, looking back at the flap, his ears twitching at the noise outside that does not cease. He turns to face the group. “We can’t leave, we’re surrounded. We have to wait and see what happens.”

Ao’nung hisses in frustration, “Waiting to be killed? No thanks.”

Lo’ak rolls his eyes at Ao’nung’s comment and shakes his head. “He’s right. We can’t go out there now, we’ll look guilty. That’s immediate death.” He rubs his pinky finger against the rope binding his hands. “That man said that our intention determined the outcome. We just have to convince him we aren’t bad.”

“What good did that do the first time?” Ao’nung retorts, slouching his back and pouting.

Rotxo brings up a new topic, his eyes flickering to each face in the room. “Speaking of that man, did you notice how different he looked? How different they all looked…”

“You don’t look like us,” Lo’ak reminds him, holding up his hand to show his extra finger and darker skin. “But that doesn’t make a difference. We are still Na’vi.”

Neteyam shakes his head. “No, Rotxo is right. Something’s off about them.”

Suddenly, shuffling is heard behind them, right at the back of the hut. The boys snap their heads in the direction of the shuffling sound, they feel their heartbeats pounding in their chest, anticipating the worst. The fabric of the hut's rear wall rustles and sways, and four pairs of eyes peek through a small split, staring at the boys.

The boys feel a chill down their spines as they stare in disbelief at the floating eyes. They all think the same thing: bodies must be attached to those eyes, right?

Ao'nung swallows hard, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What the..." he says under his breath.

Lo’ak speaks up, his voice shaky, “Hey?” He calls to them in English, hoping they understand. However, this only causes the eyes to widen in surprise before quickly shutting the flaps over them. The boys exchange worried glances, their fear mounting with each passing moment.

"Txewn [Scary], what the hell is going on?" Rotxo asks, eyes still fixed on the spot where the eyes had been. Suddenly, a hand reaches through the flap, holding a very large leaf. The hand turns into an arm, and the arm turns into a person, revealing themselves fully.

Lo'ak's eyes widen in recognition as he stumbles to his feet, pointing at the person in front of them. "It's you!" he says in shock, "You're the girl from before."

Standing there was you, the girl Lo’ak had encountered the night before, with your eyes downcast, and body language suggesting that you were nervous. The boys stare at you in silence, unsure of what to say after Lo’ak outburst.

You feel a wave of anxiety wash over you, unsure of how to explain yourself. But you gather your courage and force the words out, "I apologize for spying on you," you say, your voice barely above a whisper. You raise your eyes to meet theirs, hoping to convey your sincerity.

"My friends—I was curious about your arrival and that... that was really creepy, right?" you ask, gesturing back at the split you came from. You chuckle nervously, hoping to lighten the mood. But when none of the boys respond, you feel a wave of panic washing over you.

"I brought food. Maybe you're hungry?" you offer, holding up the large leaf wrapped in food. You take a step closer, hoping to break the awkward silence. But the boys continue to stare at you, their expressions inscrutable.

Some harder than others stares harder than others, their expressions ranging from confusion to suspicion. They seem to be grappling with their own thoughts, trying to figure out who you are.

Ao'nung gives you a look filled with suspicion as he straightens up his posture. He looks from you to Lo’ak, who steps closer towards you, and observes the weird little interaction between you two when he goes to takes the food from your hand.

How did lo’ak know you?, Ao’nung thought, glare hardening. He didn’t like that he wasn’t in the know of something or that none of their tribe knew.

Lo’ak doesn’t eye the food when he goes to reach for it, instead they search your face, as if trying to be sure you were really the girl he saw before. It was dark then, he could be wrong but there was no more doubt left when he locks eyes with you, fingers briefly touching as he takes the food; a spark sending tingles down his spine.

It was definitely you. So why did you act like you didn’t know him? It sort of hurt his feeling and left him a tad disappointed, but he does well not to show it.

He passes the food to Neteyam, who is also curious about when Lo’ak had met this girl. Was it when he went out by himself? For some reason, it annoyed him. Lo’ak once again is the reason why they were in trouble and this girl, you, were why they were being searched for, most likely. But Neteyam couldn’t bring himself to be as annoyed at you as he is with Lo’ak. Not when you stood there, innocently and, cutely, looking to help out.

Rotxo was too busy eyeing the food to form any other thoughts as his stomach growled at the mere sight.

You slowly smile softly at them, eyes squinting in joy that they took your food,. It would have been bad if they rejected it—or rather—you’ll feel bad if they did. Either way, you were delighted, that it was still a win.

“Thank you…” Neteyam mumbles, gripping the food tightly, “We appreciate the meal.”

You nod and step back, giving them some space to examine the leaf. The boys huddle around it, their eyes widening in surprise as they see the edible fruit inside. Some of which are fruit they never saw before that they had to spare you a quick glance just to be sure this was safe and when you confirm with a nod, they dig in.

Satisfied, you trail your eyes over their body, whatever you can see, and take notice just how different they really are from your kind. Common Na’vi were pretty tall and well built. That’s when you notice the small injury of of one the lighter skin tone Na’vi.

“Oh, your hurt!” You shriek softly, rushing over to Ao’nung to examine the wound but stop when you realize he was still a stranger. Instead you back away again, “I’ll go and get something to help with your wound.” You say hurriedly, going back to the split you came from, sparing them one short glance, enough to say your next words before you vanish, “I’ll be right back.”

Things to know:

Avi people is the only Na’vi with a writing system.

The island is darker than average night on pandora due to being high in the sky. Which is how Reader blends well with the forest.

The Avi can hide their wings at will.

Tag list: @ratchetprime211, @eywas-heir, @strwwbbrri, @squidalapobre, @zenxvii, @reisluts, @abwoyo, @navs-bhat

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forever--darling · 2 years ago

Text

iknimaya | neteyam x avatar!reader

summary: half a year later and it was finally time for you to make the trip to the hallelujah mountains and claim your ikran. one step closer to completing your training, you can't help but think about the future - specifically your future with neteyam. it's hard to get anywhere though with lo'ak trying to make plans of his own.

pairings: neteyam x avatar!reader

word count: 10.9k

warnings/notes: swearing, less enemies but not quite lovers, still very slow burn, a lot more angst to come -- fair warning, lo'ak x avatar!reader (one-sided), mutual secret pining, ikran flying, fluff

series masterlist | one of us: part four | requests are currently open for now

When a person becomes one of the people, or in other words, when they are born twice, the clan puts on a ceremony for them. It consists of dancing, feasting, and telling stories to one another — it’s all about connection. A connection between the people, their culture, and the new person who has become one of them. Kiri had been telling you about it nonstop, trying to install some confidence in you.

You would be covered in paint and stand before the clan asking them for their acceptance. The Olo’eyktan would approach you and in his eyes from Eywa, you would either be accepted or denied. If he accepts you, he will place his hands upon your shoulders, above your heart, and in turn, the rest of the clan would follow until they form a large circle around you. Interconnected as one, before Ewya. It’s there where you’d earn your place among the people, forever.

That isn’t the final test that decides your place among the Omatikaya, but only the ceremony. The final test is the hardest thing asked of a person; a journey, filled with an act fueled by the need to prove oneself. A journey into the Hallelujah Mountains where the individual would walk among the floating island of banshees. The most dangerous creature to fly within the sky, aside from the great leonopteryx, the last shadow. You must look one in the eye and if it tries to kill you, it means you have been chosen as a rider.

After that, it's up to you. Live or die. Walk among the people forever or become an outsider. Stay or be exiled. It all comes down to that final test. After spending six months training, learning, and integrating your entire life onto the planet you had once only seen from a glass window, you were about to face the final test. It all came down to that moment after perfecting the language, understanding the orders of energy transfers under Eywa, practicing Tsaheylu, and consummating the skill of hunting. It all came down to sealing the bond with the second deadliest creature of the sky.

It was the morning before you were set to make the trek toward the mountains with Neteyam, Jake, and a few other young Na’vi prospects looking to prove that they should be accepted among the clan as adults. Before the village, they were hoping to be seen and accepted by their parents and other adults alike that they were no longer incompetent children, but well-working individuals of society. You had more to prove than them and everyone knew it.

For you it was everything and that thought alone had you retreating into the forest just before sunrise, the foliage illuminating under your feet, as you found yourself among the only spot you could find peace to think. The river and the waterfall that Neteyam had shown you five months ago — the night you had called a truce to the immature behavior and sharp tension.

From that night on, that place had become his spot and yours. Most of the time, the two of you went together at night. It was a place where you could talk, swim, and whisper to one another about the inevitable future that was approaching the both of you far too quickly. Where yours hung in the balance, unknown about what was to come, his was certain.

When you finished your training, he would be close to completing his own. If you did this, completed this, he would no longer be the Olo’eyktan in training but the future Olo’eyktan of the Omatikaya. He would work alongside Jake until one day the title would be bestowed on him when needed. He would no longer be seen as a boy but a man, and with that came making his bow from what was left of the wood of Home Tree, finishing a song bead for his songchord, and having a woman chosen for him.

Neteyam would be old enough and prove himself to have the ability to choose a woman within the village. However, where it would be any other man’s choice, you quickly realized for the future Olo’eyktan the privilege would not be the same. He would need a Tsahik to lead alongside him and his choice couldn’t withstand being wrong. The clan could suffer and Mo’at and Neytiri would work in their power to prevent that from happening.

As soon as his training was over, they would look to Eywa and choose his mate. From that moment on, they would be engaged, and as soon as he turned eighteen he was expected to consummate their marriage and their courtship. But then eighteen came and went and he had pushed it off. He had just turned nineteen and there was chatter going around, that they were already praying and looking to Eywa to guide them to an answer, and suddenly you couldn’t bear it.

It bothered you to no end, on top of the fear of not passing your final test. The thought of Neteyam being mated with another clan woman left the worst feeling in your stomach and made you so sick, but you shoved it down deep. So deep that no one else could possibly know about how you felt.

The very feelings that started to develop the first evening you met were later masked as dislike during that first month when you refused to listen to one another. It was seen as anger and hatred but after the night when he brought you here, to the river, that feeling still remained. The rage and the resentment were gone but the feelings deep within your stomach were still there, their grip tightly wrapped around your very being.

You knew though that once, or rather if accepted, traditionally one day you would have been able to be matched with someone. Asked by Eywa to be someone’s mate for the rest of your life but even if accepted, not all wishes and traditions are granted to dream walkers. Neytiri had expressed to you multiple times that you would still be a dream walker, a soul belonging to two bodies after the ceremony. It wouldn’t be fair to be mated with someone during the day but separate from them at night. She had lived that life once and she wouldn’t wish that upon any of the young men of their village, let alone one of her sons, who both seemed to have a strong connection with you. Mo’at agreed and therefore forbade you from being promised or even mated to a man of the village unless you became fully Na’vi.

That wouldn’t be happening anytime soon either because the more you wished to become full Na’vi, the more you began to separate from your former life. But Mo’at forbade that too. The transfer consisted of a ritual where the consciousness of a single being was transferred from one body to another. It had only been done twice and before that, no one knew for sure. After thousands of years, some things became more and more like folk tales. Out of those two rituals, only one survived. The one was Toruk Makto, Jake Sully.

With that case in point, Mo’at didn’t believe in your odds and she hadn’t asked Eywa enough about it to grant your request. It had been days ago when you had appeared in her hut, in a state of distress. After the whispers became louder about Neteyam’s future mate and the talk about your Iknimaya seemed to circulate the village.

It all was getting to you, not to mention the more connected you felt to this body, your avatar the body, the less you connected to your own. The original body you had spent almost ninteen prior years in, seemed to be failing you the longer you stayed in the link pod and with the Omatikaya.

The truth was your immune system was shot and somehow months ago you had contracted a virus and from there, things began to spiral. You were taking care of yourself less; by this time, you had become far too weak. Norm and Max had been trying to treat you with everything they had but with their resources limited they could only do so much. It had become worse just a few days prior when you for the first time ever delivered a successful clean kill. The testament of whether you were ready to complete the final test.

That night you had barely made it back to your own room by yourself as you had lost probably close to twenty pounds and had no strength left in your legs. Max had advised you or rather ordered you to take a few days off away from the link pod and lay in bed. You needed to rest and both he and Norm agreed that the strain on your body from the link process wasn’t helping you in the slightest, but you refused. You were too close, after so many long months, you were so close.

Not to mention that in this body, in this form, you couldn’t feel it — the weakness, the limitations, the way you felt yourself losing all hope of a normal life. In this body, you weren’t that and you refused to give it all up to become that version of yourself when you were this close. You suspected that Jake knew, that Norm had gotten in contact with him and told him about your human state but he hadn’t brought it up to you yet. Instead, he communicated it through lingering stares and the sudden extra attention you seemed to be getting from both his wife and his daughters.

On this day of all days though, that couldn’t have your attention, not when you were about to partake in the most important moment of your life. Sat at the edge of the river, you stared forward at the water, your arms wrapped tightly around your legs. Your chin leaned against your knees, deep in thought about all of the worst possible scenarios that occurred if you couldn’t do this.

You heard him before you saw him, he approached you from behind, his footsteps quiet as he stepped past low-hanging foliage like so many times before. How did you know it was him? Because it always was.

“Y/N?” The sound of your name fell from his lips like woodsprites on skin, softly, gently as if he didn’t want to scare you away. He stood behind you for a moment, staring forward matching where you were looking almost in uncertainty at your quietness. “Hey, what are you doing? You do realize we have to start making our way towards the mountains in about an hour.”

Silence was all he got in response as you continued to look forward at the water and the ripples that formed from a fish kissing the surface. His voice broke through your fears and worries with ease but it wasn’t enough to overpower them completely. You felt him sit next to you, close enough that his leg pressed against yours. He stared at the side of your face, those gold irises of his taking in every part of it and analyzing every one of your emotions. You felt his fingers brush against your skin as his hand delicately clasped around your forearm.

As if broken from your spell, you turned towards him, eyes swimming with every doubt in your body, “What if I can’t do this, Neteyam?”

“What?” his brows furrowed “How could you ask that?”

“What if I can’t claim an Ikran? Is that it? I just don’t become one of the people and then your parents exile me? I once again am nothing but an outsider? I don’t think I can do that. A life where I am not here every day in the village, or running through the forest. I don’t think I could stand it.”

He pulled you closer to him, a light chuckle falling from his lips, “Y/N. Woah, slow down.”

“And not being able to see everyone; your sisters, or Lo’ak, or Jake. I mean I don’t think I could ever live with never seeing any of them again. Not seeing you again…”

His hand tightened as if your words registered in his ears, the possibility of that flashing through his mind. He shook his head and focused instead on your widened eyes and how they refused to look away from him. “That won’t happen. You have this. We have trained for months and I know that—”

“But what if—”

“No, but anything, because you have this,” he said, tone solid, not bothering to let you finish your previous thought. A smile broke out across his lips then, “I thought you were tougher than this, Y/L/N.”

Usually, you would defy him, and argue with him but not like the two of you once did. Now those disagreements seemed to always be interlaced with teasing tones and sly smiles. You usually gave him a look filled with smugness just asking for him to try and regain control over you. This look on your face though didn’t appear anything like that though. Instead, you were deflated and falling apart at the seams.

“Me too,” you agreed.

“Y/N—” he started but his voice died quickly as you spoke again.

“If I do this, do you think the people will accept me?”

There was no hesitation on his part, “Of course, they will. Why would you ask me that?”

You looked away from him, pulling your arm away and scooting closer toward the edge of the river, disconnecting from him completely. He felt the warmth from his side disappear altogether as he watched you dip your legs into the water, your head hung low staring at your reflection.

“Pivlltxe’u (speak up)!” his voice was commanding of you then while he watched as you lifted your hands to look down at them.

“I can hear them, you know. After all this time the whispers still follow me around. My alien blood. That I am in a false body. That I am nothing like you but still in every way like them — the enemies, the sky people,” you admitted with a furrow in your brows.

Neteyam wasn’t quite sure what to say as even after the countless amount of nights the two of you had spent in that exact spot, you had never talked about something so serious. Something that was your past life, who you were, or what would be expected of you after this. Most of the time, you talked about him, and his future rather than your own.

“My father was like you.”

You laughed dryly, your hands dropping in your lap as your head lulled back slightly, “Jake Sully was not like me.”

“Except that he was,” Neteyam argued, glancing down at his own hands. His four-fingered hands didn’t resemble his father’s or his two siblings but something that still was deeply a part of his family.

“No,” you said, the harshness evident in your voice as your ears flattened back and your gaze fell back to your ten fingers, “Jake Sully was Toruk Makto. He led the clan to victory against the sky people. The very people who killed hundreds of innocent Omatikaya and refuse to leave this place in peace. He is not one of them.”

“And neither are you.”

He slid closer to you so that you could feel his warmth across your back and side. His chest pressed against your shoulder as he reached forward, his hand ghosting under yours. He took it and held it within his, the back of your hand pressed against his palm.

“You know what I see when I look at these hands?” he asked, voice soft, eyes locked on the side of your face, “It’s not the sky people or aliens in false bodies as everyone else calls them. No, I see my dad coming here and falling in love with my mom. I see him becoming one of the people, leading them to victory, and being appointed Olo’eyktan. I see my sister being born and then my brother.”

His breath slid across the side of your face, and you turned to look at him. The warmth of it then spread to your lips as he sat so close, stare already locked onto your own. Those gold eyes filled with specs of yellow and green haunted you at night every time you fell asleep; this was the first time you witnessed them so up close and personal in months. His gaze flickered down to your parted lips before darting back up to your eyes. You then felt his fingers curl around the back of your hand, slotting in between yours and intertwining them together.

You looked down at them and that warm feeling inside of you began to spread, like wildfire all throughout your entire body. He smiled as he continued, “When I look at these hands, I see you.”

Your own breath hitched in your throat and your eyes snapped back up to his, unsure if he really said those three words to you. Words you had been trying to earn from him for months. Though often used as a greeting, to some it meant so much more. It was said out of respect and in rare cases out of love.

“You can do this,” he said and you swore your heart stopped then and there.

You felt as if any words got stripped from your tongue and yanked back into your throat. You could only stare at him in disbelief taking note of the kindness in his eyes and how gentle his voice was. Five months ago things were so different, the way he looked at you was so different. Even if he still lectured you once in a while or hated how you sometimes did run off with Lo’ak, he was different. Ever since that night in the very same spot where he apologized and opened up himself to you, he wasn’t the same Neteyam Te Suli Tsyeyk’itan. From then on it was like he promised himself and his people that he wouldn’t be that person again. It started with you.

His hand tightened around yours, but before you could say anything else, the sound of footsteps and brush being pulled aside was heard. Your eyes broke away from Neteyam’s and he followed where your attention had drifted to.

Lo’ak stood just a few feet away, frozen at the sight of his brother’s hand tightly clasped around yours. When he noticed how close the two of you were sitting his hands tightened at his sides and his eyebrows raised almost in shock. You noticed the way a lump formed in his throat as his gold eyes, appearing so much like Neteyam’s, locked onto his older brother.

It was almost as if they were having a silent conversation through their matched stares and rigid statues. Lo’ak shifted uncomfortably on his feet as he hadn’t seen the two of you like this. He thought he had known how the two of you felt about one another. His brother hated you and you couldn’t stand the attitude you got from the oldest Sully. You two never acted like this, let alone felt any certain way to justify why you sat so close, holding hands.

Suddenly, it felt like so much more than two people casually comforting one another. Because you and Neteyam were at each other’s throats for months, even if things weren’t entirely the same, the two of you never publicly acknowledged one another outside of lessons. Lo’ak wondered if it had all gone over his head. Were their stolen glances? Light touches anytime you walked by one another in the village? At night would Neteyam sneak out of their tent just to come to find you?

He was overthinking it, evident in how his eyes flickered from you to his older brother and then down to your joined hands. But how could he not when he felt like he was getting slapped across the face?

Neteyam able to read his brother’s expression sighed and released your hand from his — almost as if it was the easiest thing in the world, almost like he needed to. You scooted back from him, putting more distance between the two of you as Lo’ak’s eyes zoned in on you, lips still parted in shock.

“Uh what is going on? You two are friends now?” his voice was spiteful and you couldn’t help but let your mouth part in shock.

Neteyam’s eyebrows knitted together and he suddenly became annoyed with his brother’s attitude, “Lo’ak, don’t!”

“What, I was just asking,” he rolled his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Dad says they’re ready. We should get going.”

You felt yourself inhale, your breath hitching as Lo’ak nodded his head in the direction of the village, refusing to make eye contact with his older brother. You looked over at Neteyam despite Lo’ak’s glare on your back, needing his reassurance one last time. He nodded at you approvingly, another reminder that you had this. His words ring in your ears and it was like suddenly his opinion was the only one that mattered. That whatever happened, what he thought about you was all that mattered.

Standing up, you approached Lo’ak as every moment of training seemed to flash before your eyes from beginning to end. It all led to this moment. Win or lose? That was up to you. He watched his brother stand too to follow the two of you as he wrapped his hand gently around your elbow.

You didn’t even question the touch from Lo’ak as over the course of the last six months he usually found some way to be touching you. Whether it was his palm on your lower back, legs brushing against one another during dinner, or his fingers trailing across the back of your hand while standing next to one another.

His physical touch had increased since you had gotten your avatar, but his flirting still remained the same. He was still the same Lo’ak you had met when you were a child and though Kiri had a lot to say about it, you constantly reminded her that things had not changed for either of you — especially for you.

The two of you walked alongside one another with Neteyam trailing back just enough to hear your conversation but not enough to be right on your heels. Something else that had lessened too, his need to hover over you and Lo’ak. With you spending so much more time with Neteyam, there was less time to be with his siblings so when Lo’ak did manage to swoop you away or convince you to sneak off somewhere, Neteyam turned a blind eye to it.

A part of you ignored the way your stomach dropped every time he let you go even when Lo’ak was asking you to leave early during a lesson. Neteyam would stare over at his brother and simply shrug and then just like that, you were being swept away in the opposite direction.

“You ready?” Lo’ak asked, his hand slipping down from your elbow to his side, but still close enough where you could feel his pinky bumping into yours.

It was something that had surely caught Neteyam’s eye. The way Lo’ak’s hand so clearly matched yours and even with the two of you walking side by side, he knew that your hand fit perfectly into his younger brother’s — five fingers and all. Just as he had noticed the certain way his younger brother had been looking at you lately as well as constantly trying to get your attention.

It plagued Neteyam with the worst feeling he had yet to encounter, one that stuck to him worse than the rage he had once pushed down so far. The frustration he once held for you didn’t match the way he felt now watching the two of you interact. A green monster their father had called it when he told his sons about it a few years ago — jealousy. It was a feeling that masked all others and slowly drove you mad if you let it.

“Yeah, I think so,” you replied softly, unable to look away from the forest before you as if you were taking it all in, in case it would be the last time.

“You think?” Lo’ak raised a single brow, “Please tell me you are more sure than that.”

Neteyam had heard the accusatory tone in his younger brother’s voice and he felt like scolding him for it as he noticed the way your ears twitched uneasily. What you needed right now was someone to reassure you not question you.

“I am…” your voice trailed off, your hand pulling away from where it hung by your side next to Lo’ak’s.

“Hey,” Lo’ak stopped, his hand grabbing your shoulder This made Neteyam pause too, a couple of feet behind the two of you. You glanced up at Lo’ak, hesitantly, gaze glancing from him and where the village sat just behind the tree line.

Lo’ak squeezed your shoulder in his, a smile forming across his lips, “You’re going to be fine.”

You nodded, but you seemed even less convinced now than you had been moments ago near the river, hand locked within Neteyam’s grasp. The older Sully boy cursed under his breath at his brother’s obliviousness, not able to read your feelings as easily as he could. He felt his whole body stiffen worse as he watched Lo’ak’s hand drift to your lower back and continue to guide you towards the village where their father was waiting with the other initiates.

“My dad and Neteyam will be with you the whole time and lead you up the mountain, okay? Then I’ll meet you up there as soon as I can,” Lo’ak explained even though you hadn’t asked, already aware of how the process would go from Neteyam explaining it thoroughly the night before.

“You’re not going with?” you asked, cautiously.

Lo’ak smiled at the question as the three of you broke through the brush and back into the village, “I have to do some things for my mom but I’ll fly to you when I am done. I’ll be there by the time you guys reach the top.”

You barely made a sound at his words, just continuing to walk through the village as a clear spectacle for everyone to look at. A show for them to whisper about and place bets on if you would manage to pass the final test or not. Their whispers were low and you folded into yourself as you observed the children pointing and the mumbling of the adults.

Lo’ak hadn’t spared a glance in your direction, but your frame relaxed briefly at the feeling of another person on your other side. It was Neteyam. He noticed the shift in your body language faster than anyone else. The way he walked overshadowed your figure slightly from others as if part of him wanted to protect you from everyone else and their loud mouths.

He as well as anyone else couldn’t deny how this day had proven to be a huge deal not just for every other Na’vi attempting it but because there was a dream walker among them attempting it too. It had been nearly nineteen years since the last dream walker climbed the Hallelujah Mountains and claimed his Ikran. The legend of Jake Sully was still talked about fondly by adults to their children as he was the first sky person to ever attempt it. As he went on to become Toruk Makto, those who had been too young to witness any of it at the time found their eyes forever focused on you — the next dream walker. The next sky person to try and live among them.

Neteyam could see it on all of their faces; the excitement, the curiosity that came when they saw you. Sure there were other young Omatikaya hoping to claim their Iknimaya but all eyes were on you. Especially considering it wasn’t just a test for you, but a test for the man who had taught you everything you knew. It was a testament to the future Olo’eyktan and if he had the capability to lead his people. Evident in the way all of the gold eyes would drift from you to him and how close he was walking next to you.

Now add in the fact that you were walking in between both of Toruk Makto’s sons, that sure also had an effect on people, noticeable in the way they would lower their hands to whisper to one another. He heard his name float in around his ears, accompanied by his younger brother’s. It was like adding that into consideration, you were shrinking further into his side.

As you approached the small group of young hunters just at the edge of the forest, you all found Jake standing proudly, speaking to all of them. Suddenly then as you stood just a few feet away, Lo’ak turned to you, his hand drifting down to yours. He squeezed it and wished you luck before he slipped away in the opposite direction towards his family’s tent.

Jake turned on his heels to see you standing there with his oldest son and he had to withhold the smile that was threatening to form on his face; one of pride almost even though you hadn’t done anything to have earned it. His eyes flickered to Neteyam and then back to you as the other four hunters, all many years younger than you, stared at you in wonder.

“You ready?” he asked, the same exact words Lo’ak had said only moments before and it brought on another wave of anxiety into your stomach.

You opened your mouth, lips parted slightly as if you were going to respond but no words emerged as you could feel all of their eyes burning holes into you. Neteyam’s gold eyes looked from his father to you but noticing your expression, he leaned closer to you, his hand ghosting over your back as he caught Jake’s gaze.

“She’s ready,” he said, without a question as his hand dropped from where it had hung in the air just over your shoulder blades. The warmth of it still ghosted across your skin though he hadn’t actually touched you.

Your fingers were digging into the ground above you, upper arms aching as you hung over the side of the mountain, feet barely hanging onto the side. Short of breath, you attempted to pull yourself up but grunted out of distress as your arms seemed to pop and ache at the attempt. You had felt weaker lately and you had a horrible suspicion why. Cursing under your breath, you glanced to your side, watching as each young hunter easily pulled themselves up. The nerves in your stomach increased again though Neteyam had spent the whole ride over on his direhorse, at your side sneaking you reassuring looks. It was like every few moments, his gold irises would drift back to you almost as if something about you guided him back.

You had thought no one would have noticed the small interaction but it was clear Jake Sully, and Toruk Makto had. He had been stealing his own glances in your direction having once been in your position and he was not surprised to find you riding in silence, chewing a hole into the bottom of your lip. His look was just as protective as his son’s and the pressure of their lingering gazes felt heavy on your chest.

Not to mention, every time the Olo’eyktan looked over his shoulder, he found his son already looking at you. The corner of Jake’s mouth lifted curiously as he watched the interaction between the two of you. The stolen glances how you would nod over to the older boy to assure him that you were alright. It had completely shifted, almost like a 180 from how the two of you interacted five months prior.

Just as you were about to try and swing your body up for the third time, a hand extended out to you. Neteyam stood on the edge, leaning forward, his arm out as any strong protector would. Jake watched closely as you shook your head at his son, eyes threatening him to back up and let you do this on your own. Neteyam sighed but took two steps back giving you a little more space.

The ache at this point was barely tolerable as you felt the rock scratching into your knees and your side. Sucking in a deep breath, you tightened your core and pulled yourself up. Arms bent at a ninety-degree angle, you swung one leg up and stood up with ease, slightly out of breath. Jake nodded approvingly and Neteyam held his hands up in defeat. You had this.

You followed the group across the floating mountain until you came across a waterfall, a small path hidden behind it that would lead to the other side. To the other side where all the Ikrans were, evident by the sounds of their flapping wings, and screeches. It made your ears twitch hesitantly as beads of sweat formed along your hairline.

You walked closely behind Jake, his tail flicking your leg as Neteyam stood behind you, his hand wrapping around your side to press along your hip as if to keep you from getting too close to the edge. You felt your breath hitch at the action but didn’t react to him, too nervous at the sight of the waterfall opening. Jake stopped right near the edge, looking over his shoulder to where you stood behind him

“Y/N, you okay going first?” he asked, cautiously, lowering his voice as he reached out to take your shoulder in his hand.

You nodded, but that didn’t feel like enough as you glanced past him to the crowd of creatures stalking around. All creatures with razor-sharp teeth and large claws. As your eyes met his again, there was a different look about you, “Yes.”

He smiled, squeezing your shoulder. You felt Neteyam lean closer from behind you, his chest meeting your back as his hand shifted upwards from your hip to your chest, his fingers pressed along your collarbone. His mouth opened softly to speak but they closed at the sound of a screech from behind you all on the other side of the waterfall. All heads turned and within seconds, another person emerged. Lo’ak appeared, his riding headpiece pulled down across his forehead, eyes finding yours immediately.

A grin occupied his face, “Hey, I told you I’d make it.”

As he looked past you though, he found his father giving him an unimpressed look, eyes settled into a blank look. He clicked his tongue back as if telling his younger son not to interfere as nine out of the ten times he would probably do something to cost this for you.

Lo’ak held his hands up defensively as he wedged his way between the other hunters and his brother, “Got it. I’ll be good.”

Sighing, you shifted your gaze back to Neteyam as his breath fanned across your face, “You can do this, okay? This you must feel inside. If it chooses you, move quickly just like we’ve practiced. You will have one chance.”

His words absorbed into you, your attention shifting from him back to the mountain ledge before you. You scanned the area, the banshees' colors reverberating off your eyes, like a reflection upon glass. You took one last deep breath, puffing your chest out as you stepped by Jake out from behind the waterfall. Confidence filled your statue as the Toruk Makto called your name.

Jake’s stare matched yours, flooded with determination interlaced with assurance, “Trust your instincts and trust your reflexes. Let your mind go blank and listen to your strong heart.”

You smiled for a moment before it fell away, a tight line taking its place. With your rope in hand, you unraveled it, able to hear the shuffling of the group of people stepping out from behind the waterfall. All were eager to watch the prospect, the dream walker, the sky person take on their Iknimaya. With the rope interlaced between your fingers, you swung it around as you stalked forward, slowly, the edges of the rocks digging into the bottoms of your feet.

Jake and Neteyam followed slowly as you stepped forward, eyes meeting each banshee you passed. A few flew off the large rock and with each one that disappeared from view, you felt the base of your stomach form into knots. The groups began to lessen as you moved forward near the edge of the mountain, saliva settling into the back of your throat.

None had shown an interest in killing you. None had shown an interest in your gold stare and sharp fangs. Not a single one could look you in the eye and bare its teeth. It was as if they could smell your alien blood, and see you as an unworthy rider, nothing like one of the Omatikaya. Your heart clenched as you slowly approached a third group of Ikrans. A bead of sweat slipped down from your forehead as you met all of their eyes, a small noise erupting from your throat resembling a yell.

Three of them flew off, their tails practically stuck in between their legs. Your anxiety spiked again until you found one Ikran still standing in front of you, its head turning towards you as it noticed you out of the corner of its eye. Its large yellow eyes zoned in on your predatory stance. You felt your ears flatten for a moment as you took in the creature. The large creature seemed to have the widest wingspan you had yet to have seen on an Ikran. Its skin was dark blue, so dark, it was almost black, resembling the night sky with bright purple and neon green markings.

“Shit,” you could hear Lo’ak from a few feet behind you as everyone else took in the Ikran’s large fangs and sharp talons.

You stood there, eyes widening in shock, tail flicking wildly behind you as the sound filtered over to you of someone smacking Lo’ak across the head. It was Neteyam no doubt. Shuffling awkwardly on your heels, you swung the rope around in your hand as the creature’s claws scratched at the ground beneath it. Its jaws were razor sharp and you felt something spark in you as it leaned its head back and opened its mouth wide revealing them. The hiss that erupted in your ears snapped you out of your daze and you watched as it stood up on its hind legs, snarling nonstop.

Tilting your head to the side, you felt all doubt, all fear be ripped free from your body. All that was left in its place was confidence in the form of adrenaline coursing through your veins. A small smirk formed across your face and Neteyam watched swelling with both pride and admiration, his eyes flicking back and forth from you to the beast before you. As the Ikran let out another loud screech, your ears flattened across your head, nose wrinkling as you revealed your fangs and hissed — a challenge you were displaying to the Ikran.

“You gotta move, Y/N,” Jake said, lowly under his breath, but you heard it, as your entire body broke free from the hold the Ikran’s gaze had on it.

“Let’s do this,” you mumbled, swinging the rope around in your hand as you stepped forward toward the Ikran.

Just as you took another step forward, the creature jumped forward, its mouth opening revealing its teeth again. It chomped trying to get a hold of you but your reflexes were too fast. You dodged it by leaping to the side and swinging the rope over the Ikran’s snout. It yelled, the scream high pitched, as the rope wrapped completely around its jaw locking it shut. You swung a leg over the creature, wrapping yourself around its neck. Arms locked around its head you struggled as the Ikran began to panic.

It stood upon its hind legs, wings flapping rapidly as its head thrashed back against you. Your grip kept slipping from around the Ikran, leaving strings of noises to slip from your mouth as it flapped around obnoxiously. Neteyam moved closer but still kept a reasonable distance between you and the beast. He hissed under his breath as he felt your window closing.

“Make the bond!” he yelled.

With one arm banded across the Ikran’s snout, you groaned as you reached for its queue, all strength leaving your body slowly as you continued to battle the large animal. As you felt the smooth skin of the queue within your fingers, the Ikran growled and threw its head back. Connecting with your body, you felt your grip loosen from the animal and disappear completely.

A yell erupted from your throat as you bounced off the back of the Ikran and collided with the hard ground. Your side hit the harsh material with a thud and you hissed out in pain as you felt it scratch against your skin. Legs limply on the ground and chest heaving up and down, you peered up at the Ikran as it slowly turned around to face you.

The rope was still tightly bound around its mouth but it was clear that your attempts had only pissed it off. It tried to break free from the constriction around its jaw but stopped for a moment when the cable didn’t snap. Its eyes found your frame on the ground, laying on your back, leaning upon your elbows. Body shaking, you were trying to catch your breath as the Ikran stalked forward, claws ripping holes into the ground. Remaining completely still, you peered up at it, eyes narrowed and a glare reflected across your face. This was the moment, the challenge at hand, the turning point of your entire life.

Win or lose?

Live or die?

Lo’ak bounded forward, trying to get to you, but he was stopped by his brother throwing an arm across his chest. Neteyam’s eyes had never left you and though his heart was clenching within his chest, a greater feeling had appeared within him. One that felt as if it had been sent from Eywa. A reminder of your strength, your fierceness, and the warrior that had formed deep within your bones. A smirk formed on his face as he watched the intensity in your eyes increase.

Your gold eyes hadn’t moved from the Ikran and as you looked deep into its black pupils, you saw your whole life flash across your eyes like a movie. Your father’s death. The great war, that convinced your mother to flee back to Earth. A newborn baby unable to travel within Cryo. A childhood stolen in replace of living in the confines of a lab. Spider’s resentment towards you. A human body you refused to accept as a reflection of who you were as a person. Arriving at the village, the constant judgments and fear sent your way from the villagers. The word alien being branded across your forehead.

It all had led to that moment and it all reflected back at you as you were able to see your reflection within the Ikran’s eyes. Smooth blue skin, gold eyes, white freckles, and a challenging curl to your lips. You, this was the real you.

One of the people or an outsider?

Ears twitching, your stare became deadly as you pushed out another hiss from your throat, the sound igniting your whole body with all of the energy and trust you had left. Just as the Ikran bounded forward, lifting its body, claws glistening in the sunlight. You tucked and rolled to the side out of the way just as the beast slammed its feet down into the spot you initially had been.

Moving quickly, you jumped up upon a rock and leaped for the Ikran. With a huff, you grabbed onto the animal, hand locking around its queue. Your legs folded across the Ikran’s head, tucking it in closer to its body as the creature flopped down onto its side. With your shoulder digging into the ground, you yelled out in pain as you reached behind for your own queue. Tilting the Ikran’s queue upwards, you moved yours towards it and felt your whole body relax as the pink nerve endings finally connected.

Chest still heaving up and down, your body collapsed for a moment as the Ikran’s pupils widened dilating. It convulsed again, as your hands wrapped tightly around the rope, “Stop!”

The Ikran’s body fell limp, relaxing at your words, and within a matter of seconds, its breathing leveled out. Staring down at the creature, a smile appeared across your lips, as it stared back at you and you were able to feel the way your heartbeats moved in sync with one another. Its breath you could feel within your lungs and it relaxed under your touch.

Kneeling over the Ikran’s neck, you felt the dirt sticking to your legs as you reached for the rope locked around its jaw. It loosened and slowly the Ikran rose from the ground, stretching out its mouth. It purred underneath your palms as the Ikran slowly stood up, taking you with it. Your feet were lifted off the ground, and you settled back against the base of the creature’s back, readjusting your grip.

Cheers were heard and as you looked up, you found the young hunters pumping their fists in the air and yelling your name. Jake was grinning from ear to ear, a look of pride swelling on his face. The same look both of his sons got when they completed their Iknimaya. Neteyam stood, shoulders pulled back, chest puffed out with the same look that his father displayed but somehow his tugged at your heart more.

He stepped forward as if he was going to approach you, but he stopped as Lo’ak blew past him. A large smile occupied his face, but you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing over his shoulder to his brother instead.

“First flight seals the bond," Lo’ak let out a yell and in an instant, there was a flash of blue and green and his Ikran was landing right beside yours. He hopped on, connecting his queue to the animal, before flying off into the sky, “Y/N, come on.”

You waited for a moment, stuck in a place where you weren’t sure where to go — almost as if your heart was split in half. Neteyam stood in the same spot, his eyes having never left yours and from where he stood he could practically feel the anticipation buzzing through your skin.

He wanted more than anything for it to be him — to be the one you would fly through the sky with on your first flight. After so many months of teaching you and spending endless nights under the trees by the river, he hoped it could be him. But at that moment it wasn’t; even though it was Lo’ak he couldn’t steal this experience from you. He wouldn’t, especially since he knew what it was like to be in your position.

Even when a part of you wanted him to give you a reason to stay and wait for him and his Ikran, you also couldn’t deny how restless you felt there on that rock. He could see it on your face, clear as day, like how he had seemed to learn every other one of your mannerisms in the last half of the year. Biting onto your lower lip, you couldn’t stop the way your eyes had softened over time as you had gotten to know this young man, who somehow had snuck up behind you and stole your heart.

It was something you hadn’t fully realized until that moment when he smiled over at you, his fangs poking out just past his lips. It wasn’t until he looked up after his brother and nodded his head in the direction, clicking his tongue softly in the air as if he was giving you permission.

Curling your fingers, you brought your hand up near your forehead and extended it out towards him. I see you.

With that you called out to your Ikran, the word fly falling from the tip of your tongue. It took off into the sky, wings extended out to their full length, as it dove straight down off of the mountain. Neteyam ran forwards towards the edge and peered down into the clouds where you and your Ikran had disappeared. But then in a matter of seconds, the clouds broke apart and you appeared again. Soaring through the sky, he watched as the Ikran leveled out, the image of your last action leaving an imprint in his mind and a permanent smile on his face.

Jake had been right once, in his video log. A direhorse was one thing but flying an Ikran, a person was made for this. You were made for this. With your feet perched along the Ikran’s sides, your hands clutched around its queues, giving quiet commands — it was as if you were at peace, completely free from the cage that your human body had turned into, free from the past that had plagued your memories, and the expectations that a dream walker held.

Feeling the wind on your face and the sun soaking into your skin, you were brought back to that first day with the avatar, when you first walked out of the lab. It felt just like this, able to take a deep breath without the need for an oxygen mask. It was a freedom and a privilege, just as this was.

As you looked around at the floating mountains, and the other banshees floating around you, you knew it then at that moment that you belonged there. You were a warrior, a rider, an Omatikaya, and in one way or another you were going to convince Mo’at of that and every other Na’vi. She was going to approve your request for the transfer ritual if it was the last thing you would ever do.

You had heard him before you saw him. A yell and then an echo across the sky followed by a shadow above you. Looking up, you found Lo’ak smiling down at you, the same look in his eye that you knew filled yours. The look of an Omatikaya rider. He veered left and then swooped down, his Ikran bumping into yours lightly. You gasped, hands instinctively tightening around your Ikran’s queues as your balance shifted.

Looking back over to Lo’ak, you found him laughing, a devious expression the only way you could describe it on his face. Withholding your own smile, silently you advised your Ikran to lean to the right, straight into Lo’ak’s lane. Your Ikran’s wings bumped into his lightly causing him to bank off to avoid the two of you colliding. When he looked over at you, you couldn’t help but let your head lean back as your sweet laugh escaped your throat.

You flew like that for a while, him casually bumping into you just to either get on your nerves or hear your laugh again. And somehow even though you wished Neteyam was still there to share that moment with you, you couldn’t help but indulge in the happiness you felt to be with Lo’ak — your long-time friend, the boy who had been flirting with you senselessly, but someone who would never once give up on you. He was loyal and even with your heart wishing for something else entirely, you knew it was a special moment to share with him.

Hours had gone by and finally, as the sun began to fall from the sky, Lo’ak had gotten your attention. You thought maybe he would lead you home, back to the village, but instead, he nodded his head in another direction, back into the floating mountains. Even with your lack of direction, you knew it wasn’t the right way, but you followed him anyway. He landed on one that had seemed so random to you, but you followed, commanding your Ikran to land.

Listening, it came to a stop near his, and for a moment before you got down from the creature, you looked over to Lo’ak still sitting upon his, and the largest smile formed across your face. Giggling, you shook your head in utter disbelief at the events that had happened the last few hours that were real and now engraved within your memory and soul forever. A look of his own formed across his face as both of your laughter faded.

He tilted his head to the side, something in his eyes completely different than anything you had seen before, a fondness of sorts, “Look at you, girl! You’re a natural already.”

His gaze was soft, too soft, you knew that. You looked away suddenly dismounting from the Ikran, letting your queue disconnect for the first time in hours. Letting out a soft breath, Lo’ak followed suit and he approached you to find you already staring over the edge at the fast-setting sun.

He chuckled, “This was where Neteyam and I both went when we each completed our Iknimaya. We flew for hours unable to convince one another to return home to the village. Even when he had completed his a few years before I did, he always flew like it was his first time — like we both could stay up here forever.”

You slowly turned your head to face him, his words drawing you in. He smiled at the memory, “Then even after we had been flying for hours unend we would come here, to this spot, and watch the sunset, the evening eclipse. Shit, you should have seen how mad our mom used to get at us when we would return home after dark. It was scary, honestly.”

“You still do that?” you asked suddenly, your own voice surprising you, “Fly together long after dark.”

Lo’ak shook his head, his smile slipping from his face just as quickly as it had appeared, “No, at least not with Neteyam. For the last year or so, he's been too busy with training. His focus is entirely put on our father and the role of being the future Olo’eyktan. Dad has him on a tight schedule.”

“But what about now? He is done training me. Shouldn't he have some extra time now?”

“No, because even if he won't be spending all day every day with you, he'll have other things to worry about. Olo'eyktan things with my father; raids, runs, lookouts, spotting.”

You nodded, his words making you once again realize, that this was it. Neteyam had done his job and no longer would you be spending days with him in the forest learning the language, hunting, or about the energies of the world. No more nights sneaking off into the forest just to breathe, away from the pressures the adults presented. He had done what was asked of him — teach you the ways of the Omatikaya.

“Yeah, I guess that would make sense,” you replied, unable to stop the ache that appeared in your chest or the need to pull on the tips of your fingers.

He examined the expression on your face and the disappointment that seemed to flood your system. He couldn’t help his next statement from slipping out of his mouth. “Yeah, so it's a good thing my mom and grandmother are choosing his mate for him? Because I don't know if he would ever have the time to do it himself."

“Hm, the next Tsahik, right? It’s an important role and an important choice. That will be happening soon then?”

“Yes, I think so, at least announced soon anyway. Mo'at has been looking for quite a while,” Lo’ak agreed, suddenly leaning closer to you as the thought once again plagued his mind of what he had overheard days ago. “Have you thought about it at all?”

Your brows knitted together as his question filtered through your ears. Looking away from the eclipse, you matched his stare, a questioning look filling your eyes as an unsure chuckle rumbled within your throat, “Thought about what?”

He was quiet then, eyes narrowing as they suddenly scanned your face, unsure if he should clarify what he had asked. Lo’ak turned to you fully, reaching out as if he was going to take your hands in his but then after a moment, they dropped back to his sides, a defeated sigh falling from his lips.

“Are you asking me about—”

“A mate?” he cut you off, “Yes.”

“What?” You sputtered out, eyes widening suddenly as your stomach tightened at the sudden shift in conversation. “Lo’ak—”

“I am asking you about whether or not you’ve thought about it,” he clarified, voice once again silencing yours as his bright eyes never seemed to leave yours, “You’re already eighteen and—”

“Lo’ak, stop,” you said, lifting a hand and sure enough his voice fell silent with the rest of his thought driting away to the back of his mind. “You and I both know that I can’t be mated with anyone. It is wrong.”

“But not impossible. You can. It’s just frowned upon.”

Your mouth fell open agape, afraid of where he was going with the words he had so clearly admitted to you. The way he was looking at you as he said it left a feeling in your stomach, almost as if it was dread, twisting away at your insides.

Yes, it wasn’t impossible, but Neytiri had explicitly warned you how wrong it was and what kinds of problems it would cause. Especially, considering Mo’at had denied your request, it would be even worse if you mated with someone without any of their blessings, defying their direct set rules.

It also wasn't Lo’ak that came to mind when you put in the request. Sure a large part of you could always say you went to Mo'at for yourself, for the health you were currently lacking when you left the village at night and returned to the lab, but there was another reason — another person. It had never been and would never be Lo’ak.

“I mean it clearly has crossed your mind if you went and saw Mo’at. You asked her about the transfer ritual, right?”

Eyes narrowing in his direction, you held your ground, body tensing as he revealed that he somehow had known. Known that you had gone to see the Tsahik and asked her about the consciousness transfer. He knew and suddenly a panic filled your body. What else could he have known? The reality is there's so much he doesn't know, so that plagued you with the question.

You shook your head, annoyance evident in your tone, “Lo’ak, how did you…”

“I heard you,” he admitted without a moment of hesitation, “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop but when I heard your voice with Mo’at I was curious. Then you mentioned the transfer ritual, and I couldn’t help myself but listen.”

You exhaled, somewhat frustrated, a sudden notion to get back on your Ikran and escape back into the forest and to the village. Your body had already used up its stored energy for the day and you knew the night would be hell when you returned to your human body. But as annoyed as you were that he had heard the request you had put in with Mo’at, you were interested in why he had brought this up. Why he had chosen to mention it to you — let alone the part about mates?

“What are you trying to say?”

He smirked then as if he had come up with the most brilliant plan but it only left your body feeling cold and slightly worried, “All I am trying to say is that you will become full Na’vi and that means you will be able to be chosen as someone’s mate.”

“Lo’ak,” you warned suddenly, able to follow his thinking after having known him for so many years, “Please.”

He ignored your quiet plea for him to be careful with his words as your eyes fluttered to a close. His hands taking a hold of your arms bought your gaze back to his. A small smile appeared on his lips, “What if we became mates? What if we chose each other?”

A pin dropped as well as your stomach, as if you were back on your Ikran diving down within the sky, waiting for the air to shift. This didn’t feel like it was going to level out like the air or register in your ears anytime soon. You stared forward at him, scared to look away, scared to break the hope that filled his eyes.

“Are you serious?��

“Yeah, I mean the idea is kind of all over the place, but think of it this way. My parents can’t choose my mate for me and you don’t have to deal with all of the assholes in the village that obviously aren’t good enough for you,” he explained, his hand drifting up to cup your face, “Plus, you want to stay, don’t you? No matter what happens you want to stay here with us, right? Like this, in this form?”

“Lo’ak.”

He was quiet for a moment, thumb softly bruising along your temple, gaze staring deep into yours. “We could be happy, Y/N. Just you and me.”

You found yourself studying the ground, suddenly feeling sick and like a complete mess as your mind somehow wandered to the one person that seemed to never leave it. Neteyam, the future Olo’eyktan. The very man who would have his Tsahik chosen for him by Mo’at and Eywa herself. The very man who would have the perfect match — a woman who was strong, incredibly smart, and a gifted healer. A Tsahik that was selfless and would provide for her people. That wasn’t you. You knew it. Lo’ak knew it. He hadn’t brought up Neteyam again but the hesitancy in your eyes, the anxious thoughts that had slipped from your tongue, he knew was because of his older brother. His older brother who was already spoken for.

“Lo’ak, where is this coming from?” you asked, hand reaching up to hold his wrist in your hand, a confused look on your face.

He was hesitant to answer, seen in the way, his eyes shifted to the sky behind you. You made a displeased noise and his eyes found yours again, a smile forming because you knew him all too well after so many years.

“We have been friends for a long time now. For seven years I've always been used to it being us and Kiri and Spider. But somehow even with everyone, we found time just for us. I don’t know, I guess I just feel like I don’t see you as much as I used to.”

“Yeah, well a couple of things are different now. Huge things,” You chuckled, hand reaching up to take his hand from your face, interlacing it in yours.

His eyes followed your movement and stared down at your large blue hand that fit suddenly so perfectly in his compared to your human one that had always felt so awkward. He had never been great at communicating the hard stuff or admitting when something was bothering him, so you knew this was his way of saying that he missed you. With all of the sudden changes, he was struggling with accepting them.

“I’m also not locked away in a lab anymore, I am here with you. Things are going to be different, Lo’ak but it doesn’t mean our friendship is going to change.”

“I guess I just am not used to sharing you,” he admitted, a flush appearing on his face and it made you realize exactly who he was referring to. Neteyam. “What, outsider and outcast together, you don't want that?"

You sighed, his joke not pulling enough strings in your heart to change your initial apparent feelings. You knew what Lo'ak thought and you knew that he wasn’t going to willingly drop this without you taking the time to fully contemplate it even if his intentions weren’t romantic. You inhaled, the depth enough to reach your core, as his warmly coated stare seemed to engulf you whole.

His attempts were not poorly identified, casted by his loyalty to you but his execution was suffocating you. Where he could be a consolation prize, you be only an entrapment for him. He deserved more than you. “Lo'ak wouldn’t you want to be mates with someone that you love though? I mean do you even feel that way about me?”

He ignored your question and somehow that was an answer in itself.

“Look, I am not worried about spending the rest of my life with someone I may not feel for as my parents do with each other. Because I know this, us — we could make it work. Do you know why I am so sure about that? Because we have been friends for so long and it wouldn’t be so bad. We could take care of each other, be just as we are now, and build a future for ourselves. And if that's what settling for a life with you, looks like, then I’ll take it,” he paused, voice lowering as a smile fell across his lips, “I would rather settle for that than go along with whoever my parents choose for me. Plus I want you to stay, Y/N.”

His words hit you like a ton of bricks and suddenly just as you thought everything had become so clear, so free from the downfalls of life, reality hit you again. It shifted and all of your problems returned led by an entirety of new ones. Because there's always a choice that has to be made; choose other people, choose to make them happy, or choose yourself even if there is no assurance that it'll all work out for you. Do you decide to take that risk?

Staring in the face of that question, it felt as if thousands of arrows were coming straight for you, its toxicity was inevitable and it would pierce into you, refusing to ever be pulled free from your skin. Yet, everything he said was so true, so undeniably true, but it all left you feeling uneasy for one reason only, one person only.

It was supposed to be a moment of relief, a moment where you were swelling with pride as you had completed Iknimaya. You were hours away from your ceremony with the people. The most important day of your entire life and one you had been thinking about for years. An accomplishment that would be encased in the back of your mind, as you were only the second dream walker to have ever done it.

It was supposed to be your moment but now because of this eclipse, this mountain, this ride — your moment would remain bittersweet, overclouded by Lo’ak’s proposal.

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totallytatum · 2 years ago

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“ Outcast. That’s all they see.”

⎯summary ;lo’ak is comforted after no one believes him about payakan, causing him to feel more alone than ever

⎯pairing ; lo’ak x fem na’vi reader

⎯warning ; comfort, angst, love confessions

⎯word count ; 1k

It wasn’t a shock that the sully kids would have a hard time adjusting to the metkayina clan. It was obvious the difference- they’re forest people. They are a much darker blue and have slimmer limbs than you. Despite their differences, curiosity killed that cat.

“ He saved me. He’s not a killer you see. “ Lo’ak pleaded, trying to convince to convince his new found friends that payakan was just misunderstood. Believed to be a murder, lo’ak was just fortunate to be alive and well with just a few scrapes. Everyone remained quiet besides the frustrated breaths lo’ak let out. His eyes flashed around with some sort of hope, somebody had to believe him.

“lo’ak please don’t go looking for payakan. You’ll only find trouble, “ Tsireya signed softly, worry laced her words. You stayed back not sure to intervene.You truly wanted to believe him and you did. The way he spoke so confidently about the tulkun there had to be some truth behind it. “ Fine, “ he huffed, standing up from his spot, “ don’t believe me. I’m only alive because of him. “ Lo’ak shook his head in pain as he sauntered away. Why could no one believe him? Sure, they know the ocean better but lo’ak knows payakan unlike them.

You shot a quick glance between everyone, nobody standing up to chase after him. You swallowed hard, getting up abruptly to chase after him. You didn’t dare to look back at everyone else. You were the last one expected to get up and chase him, not interacting much with any of the sully kid- just there because tsireya is your best friend.

“lo’ak wait “ you yelled, catching up to him and grabbing him by the shoulder. It didn’t slow him down much, just enough to give you a second to catch up into the steady pace he was in. His eyes kept forward and his face pinched into a sad look. This took a ping at your heart. This was different for lo’ak. He himself was the outcast of his family and now an even bigger outcast across the metkayina clan. This was a different kind of hurt you wouldn’t wish on even the sky people.

Lo’ak didn’t even glance spare you a look as your pace steadied out beside him. He didn’t need to hear it from you too that he was crazy. He couldn’t hear it from you of all people. “ I believe you, “ you spoke softly, giving him a small glance. His eyes forwarded down to his steps, looking at the ground in front of him as he walked. He didn’t say a word, his mind raveled. Why would you believe him? You knew the story of payakan, or so what was taught to you. “ I know it’s hard to believe but they’ll believe you soon. Pakayan is just an outsider to us, the story told to protect us.” As much as you believed lo’ak you were still skeptical of the tulkun. You know the tales passed through your people. Your main reason for believe lo’ak is you been infatuated with him since his arrival.

Lo’ak stopped abruptly causing you to stop in front of him. Not only hurt laced his face but it looked to be a hint of anger. “ An outcast? “ He questioned while you stared at him. “ lo’ak you have to underst- “ He was quick to cut you off, causing your heart to start racing. His raised his hand, showing you the obvious difference between him and other na’vi’s. “ Outcast. That’s all they see. “ Hurt was laced in his voice and you knew then you would do anything to take the pain away. “ I’m not like you. I’m not like my perfect solider brother or my sister that has this deeper connection to ewya. I have no place, I finally found payakan who understands. “ You remained silent, your eyes flickering all over his face, trying to come up with the words to say. He misunderstood your silence, shaking his head, “ I’m going home. “ Lo’ak pushed past you, causing your to swallow hard and blink a few times pushing back the ache you felt for him. “ wait, please “ you spoke, finally finding your words. He turned around, walking backward, slinging his arms up, “ No, no one here likes me. I;ve taken the hint y/n. I’m leaving. “

Your heart began to pound, your mind racing, “ Okay- “ you pause “ don’t leave because of them, stay... because of me. “

Lo’ak’s breath hitched as you stared hopeful at him. Everything around him was moving fast, too fast. He felt his world was spinning while he tried to gather his thoughts. He must have noticed he didn’t speak for sometime as the look on your face dropped. “ lo’ak...please say something. “ You didn’t realize how close you two have gotten, until you felt your chest brushing against his ever so slightly. His yellow eyes pierced into your blue ones, his breath hit your face again confirming how close you two have gotten. Some how your guys fingers brushed together, loosely wrapping around each other, “ you are like a flower, the prettiest one. “ A slight hue crossed your cheeks as you sucked a breath in, “ I see you lo’ak. “ Your scanned his face, watching a smile twitch onto his lips and his forehead lean against yours. “ I see you y/n, “ he barely whispered. Your eyes dart from his lips back to your eyes has his did the same. It was you who made the first move, becoming so smitten by ectasy that has taken over your body. Your lips lingered right below his, lips slightly open before placing them full on his. You melted into the bliss, this being more exhilarating than you ever thought it could be. Lo’ak’s hand moved from your finger tips to your cheeked, caressing it slightly as you guys pulled away. Your foreheads still touching,

“ This feels right. I have never believed in love at first sight until I met you. “

“ I love you as well “

This is my first one-shot and I hope some or most of you can enjoy. It being the first that I put out I am slightly nervous but hopeful. Please push requests, what you want to see, your thoughts and feelings through as I push out more.

much love, mooky xx

#avatar #avatar imagine #avatarimagine #avatar way of water #writing #fanfiction #loak x reader #loak imagine #avatar.fanfic #loak fanfiction

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starofthesea7 · 2 years ago

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Neteyam ~ Dreaming About Me?

You find out that Neteyam doesn’t see you like a little sister.

Use of the “it’s cold so we have to share a bed” trope, and step bro Neteyam. Enjoy! 💋

It was dark, and the snores of your host family were quiet against the cool air. You could just barely make out their shapes around the room: Jake, with Neytiri’s head nestled against his chest. Arms wrapped around eachother for warmth. Kiri, Lo’ak and Tuk were snuggled up in a pile, snoring softly.

You shivered from your corner of the room. It was a cool night, which was rare for pandora, and to combat the chill the whole family had fallen asleep around the fire. It was now a pile of glowing red coals, and you were freezing with cold. Your teeth chattered, and you stared into the dying fire, willing it to warm your bones. Your eyes wandered to Neteyam, sleeping peacefully on the opposite side of the room. He was still, snoring softly and his usually hard expression was softened by sleep.

You were frozen, but there was no way you’d go snuggle up to him. Of course, if you did work up the courage to do so, he’d welcome you into his haven, warm you up no questions asked, but your face heated at the thought of feeling him. Being so close. His bare chest flush against your back. He would be able to feel your heart racing, threatening to beat out of your chest.

Another breeze wafted through the room. You decided to join Kiri, Tuk and Lo’ak. You rose, muscles stiff with inadequate sleep, and padded your way across the cold, packed mud floor.

“Kiri.” You shook her shoulder gently. “Kiri, can I sleep with you guys?”

She grimaced in her sleep. “There’s not enough blanket. Just go sleep with Neteyam.”

Your cheeks heated at her words. Of course she hadn’t meant it like that. But nonetheless the sentence got your imagination running wild. You ignored the blush creeping across your face. “Please?”

She shook her head and rolled over.

“Fine.” Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe It would be like exposure therapy, you could finally leave your childish crush on your step brother in the past, move on.

Who were you kidding, it in your blood. You hugged yourself tightly and padded over to him. His expression had changed now, his lips where pursed and he looked focused. Your heart was beating rapidly as you softly called out to him. “Neteyam?” You hated bothering him, you always despised feeling like a nuisance, especially to him. He was always so composed and mature. It intimidated you; it made you feel like too much. To loud, to feisty. “”Teyam?”

He turned his head towards you. “Oh, hey.” His voice was raspy with sleep his lids heavy. He sat up, propped on his elbow, and you fought the urge to glance down at his bare chest.

Your voice was quiet “Sorry for waking you, but I’m freezing over there in my corner, and Kiri said there’s no room with her, so-“ He stretched his arm out and lifted the thin blanket for you in one languid movement. You smiled sheepishly at him. “Thanks.”

You crouched, getting under the blanket, and as soon as your leg grazed his, he breathed out, “You’re freezing. Come here.” You melted at his words. His arm gently wrapped around your waist, fingers leaving a hot, tingling trail behind them, and he drew you into his chest. He was hot and hard, and made no move to remove his hand, draped across your soft waist. Your breath was shallow, as if anything more would make the precious moment dissipate. You laid in silence.

His fingers moved, spreading out across your belly, his hand was huge against you. Your heart raced are you imagined it everywhere. Against your hip, cupping your breasts, in your- His soft voice startled you out of your wild thoughts, “I was dreaming about you.”

“Yeah?” Your eyes widened in the darkness. “What happened?”

He hummed. “Nothing important.” He never was a man of many words.

You turned around to face him, and adjusted your position, head resting on your bent arm. His arm now wrapped around your back. Your faces were close. Your legs tangled. “You can’t just say that and then brush off the question. Dreams are important.”

“You’re right.” His eyes glistened with jest. “Ok, I’ll tell you when you’re older.” He joked. It was something he used to say when you were a child, and he wanted to avoid an interrogation. Your 7 year old self had looked up at him, “Can you teach me how shoot an arrow?” Or “how are babies made?” And that had been his go to line. Now, it was no longer a valid one.

The time has come for him to finally be open, present you with all the answers he’d ever kept from you, yet he’d done the opposite. Bottled them up and thrown them away. “I am older. I’m not a little girl anymore.”

He looked at you intently, an eyebrow quirked. “I see that.”

“Really?” You frowned slightly, “I feel like you treat me exactly the same.”

He cleared his throat, “Well I don’t see you the same, trust me.”

You looked up at him, his lips were slightly parted and his lids were heavy. His eyes searched your face. You felt lightheaded, mouth dry. His eyes darted to your mouth as you licked your lips. Your breasts rose and fell with heavy breaths.

“You still see me like a little sister though…” You pried. You needed this, an answer. Either way, whether it cut your heart out painfully or filled it up to the brim, it was something you needed to know.

He hummed and you felt the vibration. “Tuk’s my little sister, not you.”

You smiled at him, and his eyes glowed with the reflection of the dying embers. His guard was down, you decided to test the waters, your fingers traced up his arm. Goosebumps appeared, to your delight. “So, big bro, you dream about me a lot?”

His eyes widened, ever so slightly before he regained his ever present composure, he joked, “They’re more like nightmares, actually.”

You rolled your eyes at his tease. Your brain searched hastily for a quick jab back, a witty response. “You mean wet dreams.” It tumbled out fortuitously. You hadn’t t meant to say it really. Had you? Your eyes widened and you bit your tongue. You felt your skin prickle with embarrassment, and, something else. Excitement.

He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, that’s where your mind went? Dirty girl.” It sounded filthy, dirtier than he’d meant it. Now it was his turn to redden. But it was out there now. Both of you continued, cautiously entering a place of no return. You felt on fire. Senses heightened with arousal at the exchange of banter. And his nickname. Oh, his nickname. Dirty girl. You were slick.

“Hey. I just said what we were both thinking.” You tilted your head at him. His breath was hot across your face. A silence fell upon the two of you. His arms held you tight, anchoring you to the ground.

He quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You echoed, thoughtlessly. Nothing but him, occupied your mind.

You traced your finders up his arm, and he flexed slightly beneath your touch. You felt them up. Hands dwarfed by his large arms. You slowed, running your hands up his shoulder and to his neck. You could feel his pulse there, and you continued, finally resting at the nape of his neck. Your blunt nails gently scratching his hot skin. He leaned down. Your pulse was pounding. Limbs tingling with anticipation. His lips brushed your cheek and your felt his hard cheekbones rise with a smile. He breathed in deeply, chest brushing your breasts.

“Y’ smell good.” His voice was soft.

You tingled at his compliment. Again, you blurted out, “I taste good too.” He chuckled gently at your witty invite, and you melted at the raspy sound. He leaned down and his lips brushed yours. He was needy. So were you. His lips moved with yours, soft and warm. They parted and he opened his mouth, inviting your tongue to meet his. It was hot and wet. You pressed your body against his, hips flush. He breathed in sharply as your lower stomach brushed the prominent bulge at his pelvis.

You grinned and pulled away, a thin, lewd string of saliva connecting your mouths, a tangible reminder of what had just occurred. You brushed his hip with teasing fingers and gestured to his hard on with your chin. “Yeah, sure it wasn’t a wet dream.”

He blushed and you softly exclaimed as he pulled your back toward him, fisting your hair. He shook his head and grinned wide, repudiating his next words, “You’re insuffereable.”

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ecriter · 2 years ago

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Make the Bond - Pt. 6

a/n: its heating up now stinkers next chapter is going to be THE chapter >:P

Warnings: Violence, gore, blood

ao3 ver

Part 6 of ?

Part Five

Chapter 6 - I See You

There was no mistaking those amber eyes, eyes that had haunted your dreams filled with melancholy, wrath, or whatever your brain chose to torture you with, now aglow in the darkness. At this moment they were warm and familiar, coaxing you into calmness. Quaritch was actually here, watching the grimy man above you with a promise of death in the curl of his lip, poised to attack and kill as his lethal body had been trained and honed to do. He raised a finger to his mouth and you bit back a sob of relief because you knew as well as you knew the sun would rise each morning that Quaritch would save you, wouldn’t let this soldier with the foul stench end your life, and despite the cold distance the two of you had shared, that seemingly unclosable rift hadn’t stopped him from coming to find you.

A thread of tension electrified the jungle as the man’s grip tightened around your braid, wrapping the tresses around his knuckles to ensure a strong grip for when he would slash your throat and watch the life pour from your wound. Your scalp stung painfully and you saw Quaritch shift in the brush, coiling tighter, prepared to pounce.

The man leaned down close, his nose brushing the hollow of your cheek and that disgusting, rank breath washing across your face. You fought the urge to gag, to shudder away, and could hardly respond to his sardonic question. “Anything to say, baby? Gonna pray to that stupid little god you’ve got? What was her name…Yewah, Eyah, Eyw-”

The man was ripped from your back, hand wrenching painfully from your hair. The force of the momentum sent you rolling off to the side, away from the snarling, screeching fray that had erupted across the clearing. Your elbow banged painfully against roots and downed branches and you tried to gain your bearings through the rush of adrenaline and fear, steady your shaking limbs on the forest floor but they twinged painfully and bloomed with bruises.

In the second the soldier had spoken, gotten just too close to you for Quaritch’s liking, he had seized the opportunity and struck. His exit from the underbrush had been silent as a breath of wind, on top of the soldier before the soldier could comprehend there was a third presence in the forest. It was almost impossible to believe this soldier had come from Quaritch’s old clan. Their difference in skill, in combat, was staggering as Quaritch dominated him, pinning him by the throat to the forest floor and landing blow after uninterrupted blow. The two grappled, the soldier struggling against Quaritch’s weight, elbows up to block his already swollen and bloodied face. His knife had been discarded in the surprise attack and his fingers scrabbled blindly for it to no avail. It didn’t make a difference; even if the soldier found the knife, Quaritch would have disarmed him in moments or, in his bloodlust, turned the knife upon him and cut him open.

You’d never seen Quaritch so unleashed like this, driven by rage and fury. But no, he wasn’t unleashed. He was completely in control, landing each hit in the most calculated and tender spots that exploited the holes in the soldier's figurative armor. Most of the noise came from Quaritch, curses, and snarls that filled the air with primality. He was all power, a weapon sent to kill, and he unleashed himself like an untamable fire onto your attacker. He would beat the intruder to death if he continued much longer and you were sure the slaying wouldn’t weigh heavy on his conscience, but it would weigh on yours, despite the fact the man had had you in the grip of death, prepared to slice you open like an animal. With the sheer brutality Quaritch had assaulted him with, you feared this soldier's death would send shockwaves back to whichever Command he had come from, whoever had sent him, and that would only cause more trouble for the both of you.

“Quaritch,” You rasped, shifting your aching limbs to try and push yourself up. “Quaritch, enough. Don’t kill him.”

Quaritch’s fists stuttered, then slowed to a stop, landing a final blow that smacked against the man's quivering cheek. The soldier gurgled weakly, spitting pink saliva from his mouth. Quaritch’s knuckles were split and bubbling with sticky blood both from himself and the man’s face and it was pure gore to see that hot crimson against his deep blue skin. It was clear the last thing he wanted to do was leave the soldier alive or allow any chance of escape but you were propped against a tree, tired and wincing and his number one priority was you. He pushed off the motionless figure beneath him and hurried to you, crouching against your side to get a good look at your face and wounds.

“What did he do to you?” He asked quietly, smoothing the pad of his finger over a red bruise already beginning to form at your neck where the knife had nicked you.

“I’m fine, I promise. How did you find me?”

Quartich’s eyes found the cut at your neck where the soldier had nearly split you open. His jaw ticked and his tail lashed and you were sure he was considering turning around and finishing the stranger off, but your gentle touch on his bicep stopped him.

“How did you find me?” You asked again.

“Followed ‘ya. Saw you get up and leave, knew you couldn’t go a second without trouble so I followed ya. ‘M glad I did. When I saw him holdin’ you like that, about to be…I’ve never felt like that in my life. I would have killed him without blinking an eye for touching you, touching what’s mine. I’ll still kill him.”

A shiver raced down your spine at the intensity of Quaritch’s words and gaze. It was a feeling you’d grown familiar with and were beginning to accept, that connection that had followed you since you’d first met and ignited an inexplicable warmth within you at his displays of possessiveness. You were his, had been since you’d first plastered coral weed across his raw back. He had become your whole world, your moon, and your stars. You suddenly felt overcome with tears and relief that he was really there, in front of you, and your lower lip wobbled.

“I was thinking of you, you know.” You whispered. “If I really was going to die, I wanted to see you one last time and when you were there I thought I was dreaming or that I’d already been killed. I thought it was too good to be true that you would save me and then you were there-” You choked off, crying freely now. Hot tears dripped off your cheeks and jaw, uncontrollably. To see Quaritch there and know he was real, know you were now safe, and that he would never let anything happen to you was a feeling incomparable to anything else. It transcended anything you could have ever been angry at him for, absolving him of the cruelest sins. He was your god, delivering you to the gates of heaven and away from the fear that pockmarked mortal existence. You couldn’t believe you had thought he would abandon you, barely pass a thought to your absence, when he had just fought so brutally for you.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart, ain’t no need for tears.”

His thumb swiped at your cheek, collecting the wet trails that dripped off of your chin. You closed your eyes and let yourself sink into the feeling of him, the smell that was so familiar and washed away the rank and filth of your violator. He smelled metallic, like blood, but more powerful was his sweat and the musk of the ocean, your home, that clung to him and evaporated all traces of the sterile chemicals that had emanated from him when he washed ashore. Quaritch’s warm forehead pressed against yours and the wet pad of his nose brushed your cheekbone. You could feel the rise and fall of his chest, heavy exhales of warm breath caressing your mouth. It was intimacy in its most basal form, the thrum of two hearts slowing to each other's rhythm and two souls connected across horizons. He was close, he was home, he was safety.

“I was scared,” Quaritch whispers. “I’ve never been scared in my life ‘cept for when that knife was against your throat and I thought…” He sucks in a breath and doesn’t continue, can’t continue. But you understand, know his fear intimately and exactly.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see the body stir, shifting out of its stupor. Quaritch sees it too and is immediately on alert, shifting so his broad body is guarding yours like an immovable wall of muscle. His tail, which you expect to be splitting the air like a whip, drapes calmly against the top of your thigh.

From over Quaritch’s shoulder, you can see the body half rise on its elbows, head lolling against its shoulder.

“You one of them now, Colonel?”

The man’s voice comes out garbled past broken teeth and bloody gums and carries none of the swagger you’d heard when he had you trapped beneath him.

Quaritch’s ears fold back and he hisses through bared canines.

The soldier wheezed out something that resembled a laugh, though it caused him more pain as he clutched his side lacerated with cuts and scratches.

“I didn’t think you of all people would turn, Colonel. You hated those disgusting savages more than anyone on base and now you’re shacked up with one of them, probably some whore-”

“Tell me what the hell you’re doing here before I kill you slowly. And painfully. I don’t recognize your face but it seems like you know me so you know what I’m fully capable of. Tell me before I lose my patience, soldier.”

The soldier says nothing, does nothing, and you wonder if the two are sizing each other up. The irritated twitch of Quaritch’s tail tip is your only indication that his passiveness is just a front and you have no doubt that he’s eager to finish off the disrespectful avatar across the clearing. He was practically itching for it. The display of such power should have been frightening but it instead sends a thrilling rush through you. It’s embarrassing, how attuned your body had become to Quaritch, and it was frightening the sway he has over you. You should be scared of him, of his ability to kill. He’d just nearly beaten someone to death with his fists and sported only cosmetic wounds that would heal in a day. He was ready to do it again, too, but it was all for you and that’s what sent such a delicious sensation through your blood.

The soldier’s gaze finally drops away and the silence is broken as he wheezes and struggles for a pocket on his left breast. Quaritch tenses like a snake prepared to strike at any sign the man was pulling a weapon, but instead, his shaking fingers pull out a bloody slip of paper. He holds it out to Quaritch, offering answers to his presence.

Quaritch doesn’t immediately advance forward. He’s clearly weary and though the knife is still out of reach to both of them and the soldier is in no position to make a move toward it, the sky people were unpredictable. Dangerous. But Quaritch’s analysis of the risk of leaving you seems to come up clean because he squeezes your calf bracingly, stands, and snatches the paper from the soldier's hands. As he reads, his face grows darker and darker. The material crumples beneath his fingers and you’re worried it will shred before he finishes reading it. But then he’s dropping it to the forest floor and crouching in front of the soldier, speaking quietly. You strain your ears to hear what he’s saying but it’s impossible because they’re speaking so low, so fast, that your rudimentary English skills can’t keep up.

It was unfair that you were always deprived of information despite how it concerned you and your clan. You remembered the conversation with your father, his concerns over the sky people and their will. Everyone had heard of the burnings in the clans to the west and north where the demons had slaughtered innocent Ilu and scorched villages to the ground so you were familiar with their brutality and you knew that is what your father thought of when he assessed the risk of housing Quaritch. But he had decided to do so anyway and despite the chivalrous gesture from your father and yourself, Quaritch kept you out of the loop anyway. Hmph.

The tense, hushed conversation between Quaritch and the bloody soldier came to an end. He looks distressed if his pinned ears are any indication and that gut feeling that something was wrong began to brew.

Quaritch rose to his feet and crossed the clearing back to you. He was grave and there was a coldness about him that hadn’t been there before their conversation.

“What did you talk about?” You asked softly, reaching out to hook your pinky around one of Quaritch’s fingers.

“I’m leaving.”

“What?”

Quaritch gently pulled his hand away from yours and crouched so he was looking you squarely in the eye. Some of the coldness had dissipated and was replaced with painful longing. A goodbye.

“That soldier back there is part of a group that’s looking for me. Before I came to the clan I was…important, and this group, they’re not the type to let important people go. It’s better if I leave so I don’t put the village in any more danger.”

“Danger? You don’t want to put us in any more danger?” You let out a sardonic laugh and pushed yourself further up the tree trunk and away from Quaritch. “You’ve already put us in danger by leading this man here, doomed our clan to perish beneath the sky people, and now you are going to run away when things look a little too dangerous. You are a coward, Quaritch, for abandoning us, no, me, so easily.”

“I ain’t leaving 'cause I want to, Princess.” Quaritch snapped. “I’m leavin’ 'cause if I don’t you, your father, your mother, and everything you love will be burned to the ground because of me. If I turn myself over and go back, that won’t happen. I’m protecting you!”

You smacked Quaritch in the chest, unable to believe him. “You are going to leave? After everything we’ve done for you? After everything I’ve done for you?” The tears were flowing now, unstoppable, impossible, and gutting. What had the soldier said to Quaritch to convince him to leave? The two of you were supposed to be in this together, or so you had thought, and now he was turning tail and running at the first sign of trouble. What was on that stupid paper? You wanted to know but knew it wouldn’t matter because whatever it had said, it was pushing Quaritch to leave you. You beat Quaritch against the chest, cursing him, and he didn’t stop you, let you relieve your pain out onto him.

“I’m not letting you leave. No, you won’t go!”

“I ain’t gonna hurt you anymore, dammit! Your pops will be glad I’m gone-”

“I will not be glad you are gone because I love you! I love you and I cannot, will not go on without you. I do not care if you don’t feel the same but I have learned and experienced more in these past months with you than before you. There is nothing for me after you, no air to breathe, no life for me to live. Nothing!” You grasped at Quaritch’s cheeks, leveling his face so you could pour every feeling and every memory into him. “I see you, Miles.”

Quaritch’s face went slack and unreadable. You felt your heart shrivel inside. You’d laid yourself bare in front of him and revealed the secret you’d carried inside you for months and it still wouldn’t be enough to make him stay-

But then he was surging forward and his lips were on yours, sucking you into him and consuming you like an unquenchable fire. You squeaked in surprise against his mouth, grasping at his wide, endless shoulders for balance. His wet tongue slipped against the bottom of your lip, tracing its curve and you shuddered into him, parting your legs so he could fall into you. Your hands moved from the divots of muscle in his shoulders to his wide, angular jaw, feeling its movement and fluidity as he kissed you breathless against the tree. The chatter of the jungle fell away and it was just the two of you there, the warmth of two bodies, two desires. His scent was all around you, heady and thick and him, intoxicating you into a drunken state in which you craved Quaritch more than you craved air in your lungs.

“I see you, Darlin’.” He breathed, breaking away to kiss along the corner of your mouth and the flat of your nose bridge. “If you don’t want me to go, I’ll stay. But I’m not sayin’ it’ll be easy or safe and I’m not saying I’ll be easy because if you know me, you know I’m not,”

You let out a watery laugh through tears that still beaded your eyes, pressing a lingering kiss to his mouth. “I don’t care. Just stay with me.”

Quaritch’s lips twitched into a half-smile and he pressed another kiss to your mouth before leaning back on his heels and rocking forward to his feet. He crossed the clearing, approaching the soldier who was laid flat and motionless on the floor. You thought he was dead but Quaritch kicked his side with his foot and the soldier jerked back to life.

“Your leaving by your damned self, pipsqueak. You better hope I don’t see you sniffing around here again or I won’t be so nice next time.”

The soldier spat at Quaritch’s feet, rolling on his side to get up. “You’re a damned t-traitor. You know they’re not gonna let you and your slutty girlfriend-”

Quaritch swung back and kicked the soldier in the cheek, forcing him back to the ground.

“Listen closely,” Quaritch said quietly, bending down with a snarl. “You’re gonna get the fuck off this island and you’re gonna tell the General that I’m dead. They ain’t gonna come looking for me because if they do, there ain’t no place on this planet you can hide from me. I’ll gut you like a fish and you’ll beg me to kill you,”

The soldier stared up at Quaritch before nodding slowly. It seemed he had no more cheek left in him, could barely talk through the swelling in his mouth, and Quaritch left the soldier to stand on his own feet and returned back to your side.

“How you feeling? Wanna get that looked at?” Quaritch asked, brushing the back of his index finger lightly against the cut on your neck. You winced and shook your head.

“I’m alright, it will heal quickly. Are you ok? Your hands…”

You took his large, warm palm and smoothed your index finger over his split and swollen knuckles. The blood had dried but you worried infection would set in or that the pain would be too much. Quaritch barely shifted when you touched the bone, didn’t flinch at your picking and prodding. He just looked down at you, the corners of his lips barely curled upwards, and those yellow eyes were glowing with something overwhelming and rich, hypnotizing. Your hands fell away from his, slid up his forearms and biceps, feeling the curve of his muscle. They slid over his wide back that rippled with strength and power, and around his neck. You pulled his head down, catching his mouth in yours and pressing him close against you, trapping you against the tree. The soldier had picked himself up and stumbled through the brush, leaving a flattened patch of grass speckled in dark blood as any sign he’d been there at all.

Quaritch’s large palms gripped the back of your thighs, pulling you into his lap and your legs wound around his narrow waist. He kneaded at the soft flesh of your ass, slipping his thumb just beneath the twine that formed the string of your loincloth. His tail, whether he knew it or not, had slipped across the soft earth and curled around your calf in the way it liked to do. The warmth from before was back, this time an inferno that fed your desire, electrifying your blood and body and sending a thrill down your spine. Between your thighs, you throbbed, and your entire being sang for Quaritch.

“Miles,” You whimpered, licking at the seam of his lips. He kissed the tip of your tongue, sucking softly, kissing his way to the base of your ear. “Miles,” You breathed again, pulling away to look down at him. He was flushed pink and heaving and his eyes were heavily lidded, unable to pull away from your swollen lips.

“I want to mate with you, I want to be with you until we return to the earth, to connect with you and…feel you.”

Quaritch squeezed the side of your thighs, nuzzling the underside of your neck.

“What do we gotta do? To mate?”

You smiled coyly, pressing up and off of him and holding out your hand.

“I will show you. We must go to Eywa.”

Tag List!

@capitanostella @kacchasu @nin3kyuu @perseny @onehalfshrimp @blossom618 @shuriri4life @lynlotte @ikranwings @disaster-in-waiting @gremlinfuck @deadpoolsvodka @naityelen @zilena9 @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed @gaudesstuff @thedumboneforsomereason @philophobianprincess @mrmckenzie @waterstrawberry @phoenixgurl030 @azilove @skinmittensgoblin @nyylovestowrite @mckenzieriley69 @innerdogsspacekid @bob-the-ikran

#avatar #avatarimagines #avatar way of water #quaritch x reader #quaritch fanfic #colonel miles quaritch #quaritch imagine #recom quaritch #miles quaritch #enemies to lovers #strangers to lovers #jake sully #make the bond

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moon-girls-stories · 2 years ago

Text

Masterlist

Créé le : 25/10/2022

Dernière publication : 26/01/2023

Nombre d’oeuvre : 8

Call Of Duty WW2

IMAGINES

Sgt. William Pierson

Reste avec nous, soldat.

Une femme en 1945 (X Sgt. William Pierson) :

Des retrouvailles tendues.

Besoin l’un de l’autre.

FLUFF

SMUT

ANGST

MAD

Criminal Mind

IMAGINES

FLUFF

SMUT

ANGST

MAD

Hunger Games

IMAGINES

°° Finnick Odair °°

La fille du président :

Leur rencontre.

FLUFF

SMUT

ANGST

MAD

CITATION

N°1

The Vampire Diarie / The Originals

IMAGINES

La famille Mikaelson :

La Mikaelson d’adoption

FLUFF

SMUT

ANGST

MAD

Shadow And Bones

IMAGINES

Asteria Fell-Starkov (X Darkling)

Oublier les liens du sang.

Ma protégée.

Mon petit ange.

FLUFF

SMUT

ANGST

MAD

Shadowhunters

IMAGINES

FLUFF

SMUT

ANGST

MAD

Avatar

IMAGINES

FLUFF

SMUT

ANGST

MAD

Les Chroniques de Bridgerton

IMAGINES

FLUFF

SMUT

ANGST

MAD

#masterlist #imagines #reader #shadow and bone #shadowhunters #avatar #bridgerton #the hunger games

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scooby-nubie · 8 years ago

Photo

Imagine being on Neytiri's side when Sully betrays her:

#Neytiri #Avatar James Cameron #AvatarImagines #NotMyGif

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aphrodisiac-siren · 1 year ago

Text

Home~ Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

//slow burn, cute Neytiri and Y/N bonding moment plus Lo'ak being a menace and HEAVY ANGST//

masterlist, Part 3

Part 2

🫧

The previous couple of days seemed to be the most fun Y/N had had in a while. She and her siblings spent almost all their time with the Sully kids, teaching them all that they needed to know to survive out here with the reef people. It was refreshing to have a break from her own lessons of healing and hunting and granted that the forest Na'vi were taking their time with adapting to the new place, it was still enjoyable nevertheless to be around them.

Aonung was still hostile, refusing to give the kids a break for even a slight mistake, with the exception of Tuk. He seemed fond of her, on some occasions treating her just like how he treated his own sisters but he was too proud to admit that he'd grown a soft spot for the little one.

Out of the whole lot, Y/N had to concede that Kiri was the fastest learner. It was impressive really how much of a natural she was. Though Y/N also made a note that Neteyam was the more ardent learner. She'd catch him practicing their sign language by himself when the others played on the beach or he'd work on his diving whilst his sisters picked sea shells. She once even saw him trying to teach his Ikran sign language whilst everyone was enjoying dinner.

"Thank-you" he said aloud as he slowly signed, so that the animal could register the gesture "this means thank-you"

As promised, in between lessons, Neteyam would treat her to some random pieces of information he'd learned from his dad about the sky people. He taught her a few words and phrases, being as patient with her as she was with him. There were times when even Lo'ak butted in, trying to have his two seconds of fame as well.

"Not to brag or anything, but I used to visit the sky-people’s camp like all the time" he flexed, grinning like an idiot who'd just won a prize "Oh teach her how to say 'suck my dick' bro"

"S-suck my-"

"NO!" Neteyam practically jumped. The last thing he wanted was to get in trouble for teaching the chief's daughter vulgar profanities "Lo'ak you skxawng! Go away"

In conclusion, the Sullys were an absolute joy to have around.

"You spend too much time with them" Aonung spoke coldly, pulling his sister out of her train of thought. He merely tolerated those kids out of obligation and because of his status as the chief's son. Beyond that, he didn’t give two fucks about them "even Tsireya isn’t tailing after them outside of lessons"

"Tailing after?" Y/N raised a brow, not to happy with the tone her brother was using "I'm sorry, why is me hanging out with them a problem again?"

"They don’t belong here" he said slowly, as if by doing so she'd grasp what he was saying and agree "ever since their arrival, we've been forced to baby them and teach them things we did effortlessly at the age of ten. You and I both haven’t had a day to ourselves to do our training much less relax"

"Those kids are doing their best" Y/N sighed, unsure why it was always her who had to deal with her brother's whining "you can tell they’re trying their hardest' they really want to learn-"

"Well their best isn’t good enough" He snapped, Y/N rolling her eyes at his outburst "I want them to go back"

"Shut up Aonung, don’t be such an asshole" she huffed, using an english insult that Lo'ak taught her and Neteyam begged never to say.

"What?" Aonung looked at her like she said something in gibberish, which to him was what the entirety of the english language would probably sound like.

"Nothing"

"Whatever, look at this" the boy struck a pose to flex his biceps, looking at his arms proudly. Y/N rolled her eyes at his antics. It was a bit funny how the conversation was abruptly halted just because Aonung wanted to flex his muscles. Brothers.

Not wanting to stick around for him to go back to his previous argument once he'd finished admiring himself, she left him to fond over himself and went to go take a walk somewhere away from the beach at which they were.

"Where you going?" he called out to her, smile dropping

"Away from you" she said over her shoulder, brushing the sand off her thighs.

"Why? I wasn’t done talking"

"Exactly why I'm going"

Not having much to do until later in the day, when she'd teach some weaving with her father, she decided to go help feed the Ikran.

They usually stayed near the far end of the village, occasionally vanishing for a few hours just to fly around. The clan's people brought them baskets of fish and sometimes fruit to keep them well fed and less cranky.

Y/N hummed to herself whilst carrying the basket that held their food. It was kept in a little shack at a distance from the Ikran. She was curious as to why there wasn’t anyone there at the time, this was usually when someone went to go feed them anyway. Not really caring much, she happily skipped toward them, slightly content that she could admire the creatures alone.

Her enthusiasm died down however, when she rounded the corner and saw Neytiri already there with a similar basket of fish beside her.

Y/N’s chirpy humming had the woman turning around, silently eyeing the girl from up to down.

"Hi" she meekly greeted, awkwardly hugging the basked like it was the only source of comfort she had at the moment "I came to feed them"

"Seze doesn’t like being fed" Neytiri flatly said, quickly glancing at the Ikran to her right who was busy digging into the basket. The other bird-like creatures were curled up for a nap, probably already done with their meal.

"Is that yours?" Y/N put down the basket in defeat, a bit disappointed she couldn’t stick around with the foreign animals.

Neytiri paused to study her some more. Y/N was a sweet girl by nature, her daughter Tuk never failed to mention that to her. She was patient and very smart, very proficient too. Despite her timid voice, she presented herself quite well, shoulders rarely ever hunched and chin up. She was curious little thing, that much was very conspicuous about her; always eager to learn or delve into anything new.

"Come" she beckoned for the younger girl who approached without a word, still holding on to the basket "put that down, Seze will only eat if it’s not directly being fed, she hates being babied"

"Sounds like my brother" Y/N mumbled as she did what Neytiri told, earning a brief grin from the woman. She took a step back and watched as the Ikran dived hungrily into the second basket of fish, despite not finishing the first one "eats like him too... don’t tell anyone I said that"

Neytiri's phlegmatic exterior melted away, laughter replacing her somber expression. Y/N was just humorous as she was diligent, an adorable little thing the older woman found her.

"Did you catch the fish yourself?" she asked, tone much more gentle and motherly now, which visibly seemed to put the younger Na'vi at ease.

"N-no" Y/N responded but quickly opened her mouth to futher justify her answer, as if she felt the need to provide an explanation so as to not be underestimated by Neytiri "but I am good at spearfishing, I've caught plenty of fish you know"

"Ah. But I must confess, catching fish with my arrows is much more easier than these spears you use" She told her and watched the girl's face contour into a look of confusion which she quickly masked with a polite smile, just nodding in agreement "you haven’t trained with a bow and arrow?"

Y/N only nodded a 'no'

"Hm," Neytiri hummed "I will see you little while before eclipse near the southern side of the reef, I hope you don’t mind using Lo'ak's bow while you learn"

Y/N's face lit up to a point where Neytiri was expecting for her whole head to just start glowing like the sun any moment.

"You'll teach me?" she excitedly asked, voice a pitch higher than usual "really?"

Neytiri only chuckled adoringly at her ardor to learn and responded by just ruffling her hair.

___

Y/N felt like she had conquered all of Pandora by securing a lesson with Neytiri.

She happily skipped to the beach to find her sister Tsireya and tell her about her day so far. She knew her sister was usually whiling away her time picking shells around this time of day, to use them later to braid into her hair.

What she didn’t expect was to run into her idiot brother and his friends caught up in a rowdy fight with Lo'ak and Neteyam. The boys were like hooligans, kicking, punching and pulling tails. Kiri stood in the distance, heavily judging the fools.

“Guys! Hey!” She made a run for it, wanting to stop this fight before any of the skxawngs managed to seriously hurt someone “Aonung!”

Her brother was too caught up trying to free himself from Lo’ak who was pulling his ear all while being dragged across the sand by his tail.

“That’s enough-“

A loud grunt interrupted her and she looked to the side to see Neteyam gracefully knee one of the other boys right in the balls.

“Stop it NOW!” She bellowed, jumping right into the mess of angry teen boys. Not wanting to accidentally hurt the chief’s daughter, Aonung’s friend’s begrudgingly seized their punching and scooted a few steps back.

“Is this how you want the forest people to know us?” She scolded, ignoring the wincing from her brother “that the Metkayina people are hostile bullies? Really Aonung?”

“That bastard threw the first punch!” One of them hissed at Lo’ak, who reacted by hissing back “maybe you should consider vouching for your people and not favour their asses for a change”

“Watch your mouth” despite being in pain, Aonung limped to toward Y/N, putting himself between her and his friend with the snarky tone “do not speak to my sister that way”

The boy only scoffed in response.

“Aonung” Y/N coldly spoke, though there was an undertone of concern lacing her words. Her brother was really beat up, face bruised, lip bleeding and skin scraped here and there “get outta here, go get patched up”

“He’s right you know” he lowly told her, eyes menacingly glancing toward the Sullys “he did start-“

“Then you should’ve put a stop to it” was all she said, staring up at him until her brother caved in and turned away, muttering a string of profanities under his breath that his mother would indefinitely ground him for.

“And you” Y/N turned to the Sully kids as Aonung and his friends made their exit “I know their teasing can get a lot sometimes but did you really have to hit him?”

“You can’t be serious” Lo’ak looked almost offended, as if he wasn’t expecting her at all to scold him “if it wasn’t for that bitc-“

“Mind what you say Lo’ak, he is my brother. A lot to deal with sometimes but he is still my family- the son of Tonowari” she then turned her attention to Kiri “and you just stood there watching and giggling, I always thought you were the mature one”

“Hey don’t drag her into this” Neteyam stepped forward, shielding his siblings both physically and in spirit “they poked fun at her, maybe save the scolding for the person who actually needs it hm?”

“Do not tell me who I ought to scold at and at who I shouldn’t. You were all at fault here to some extent” she hissed, her sharp fangs briefly making an appearance “is resorting to physical violence something you’re used to over choosing to resolve it with civil conversation?”

“Do not speak to me that way” Neteyam hissed, slowly losing his calm composure. He was well known and well respected in his clan, always treated and spoke to like he was royalty. Not a single person had ever spoken rudely much less snapped at him in such a manner. He was a warrior in training to be a strong leader “I’m to be the next Olo'eyktan-“

“No you were going to be Olo'eyktan, before your father left the forest” Y/N was letting her anger get the best of her, not bothering to think even for a second about the words that were leaving her mouth “now you live here in our clan, as a normal person with no high station. So you make your peace-”

“My father is Toruk Makto, he’s fought and won a war against the sky people” Neteyam’s voice was hauntingly low, a growl escaping in between a few words. The way he spoke, the way his tail arose, he almost looked like an animal waiting to pounce on his prey. He was well aware that he was no longer in line to be the next chief but hearing it from someone else in such circumstances made his blood boil “Your father says the reef people haven’t been at war during his time. Take his title of chief away and what does make you then? A nobody; because while I may never be chief, I will always be the son of the great warrior Toruk Makto and you are a girl that was simply born to someone who was already heir to the Metkayina clan”

There was silence.

Deafening silence.

Lo’ak was the short-tempered one in the family, always quick to say things in the heat of the moment; notorious for showing fits of rage and making impulsive choices but even he had to agree: Neteyam had gone too far.

“Bro” he softly called out to Neteyam, sharing nervous glances with Kiri who was just as stunned by their older brother’s outburst. It was unlike him to lose him temper and just say things without thinking.

As if his little brother’s voice was a force that pulled him back to reality, Neteyam’s eyes went wide with realisation after he’d only just processed what he’d said, knowing well that it was too late already.

“No, Y/N” he poorly began, tail drooping down again in shame “I did not mean to-“

“I’m so glad the Omatikaya do not have to face the shame of having to call you their Olo'eyktan” Y/N’s voice was oddly calm but that’s what seemed to scare them even more. She spun on her heels, keeping her cool “there will be no lessons today. And none from me henceforth”

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aphrodisiac-siren · 1 year ago

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Home~ Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

//slow burn, Neteyam finally growing a braincell//

masterlist, Part 6

Part 5

🫧

Neteyam had arrived at the conclusion that he'd finally lost it.

The boy had a very simple morning routine that never quite changed over the years. He'd wake up, grab whatever choker his fingers clasped around, maybe put on an armband or a bracelet if he felt like it and then leave without a second thought. He knew he wasn’t lacking in good looks, so he never really fussed over putting much effort into how he accessorised.

Until today.

He had changed the random coloured beads in his hair to ones shaded with different hues of blue and had tried on at least four different chokers before he was satisfied with one that had pretty lilac beads weaved into it.

He didn’t understand why all of a sudden he developed the urge to put in that extra bit of effort into his attire, even if it was as subtle as everyday jewellery.

Neytiri had noticed the shift in his behaviour but decided against commenting on it. It was far too obvious to her even though her son was utterly clueless as to what drove him to turn his quick morning routine into a full blown crisis.

When he reached a point at which he knew he was indefinitely late for his lesson, something that never happened, he seized his little game of dress up and left the pod.

‘Tardiness’ and ‘Neteyam’ were two words you’d never put together in a sentence, so it was just as surprising to the others as it was to him when he arrived at the beach a good amount of time after the lesson had already begun.

“You’re late” Y/N announced and it sounded more like a question than a statement, as if she was making sure that she said was something that was actually happening.

“Sorry” was all Neteyam managed as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, not wanting to go on a tangent about how he couldn’t pick between the green and the blue arm band.

For the entire duration of the lesson, Neteyam kept glancing at Y/N. Every time he did something right or even remotely close to ‘good’, he’d look at her in hopes of receiving some form of praise or encouragement. Even when he’d fumble over something, he’d instinctively look toward her instead of Tsireya, Rotxo or Aonung, as if it was her critique he valued most out of the others. And to some extent, it was true.

The lesson ended within the same timeframe that had been decided but to Neteyam it felt as if it was cut short. He all of a sudden wanted more time to learn what was being taught, as long as it meant that he’d get to hang around Y/N for a bit longer.

“Oh you’ve got new beads braided in” Y/N pointed out as she walked beside the boy along the shoreline, admiring his new adornments. She reached out to touch them, her fingers barely grazing his neck as she did “they look nice”

“Uh yea yea” Neteyam shrugged, not wanting it to seem like he’d bothered to put in some effort. He never had to do so before and he didn’t want to admit that he’d started doing it now. Still, his ears pointed upward in response to the compliment, betraying his placid demeanour; Not to mention his heart picking up pace when he felt her fingers brush against his skin.

He didn’t want to admit it, not even to himself that he was greedy for more blandishments from her, perhaps even borderline desperate for more skin-to-skin contact. The attention he received seemed to leaving him thirsting for even more, but he only cared if it was her gracing him with it.

He tapped his fingers against the skin of his thigh, trying to think of some way to keep the conversation going. Again, he did not know why he was having trouble with this. Back at home, he’d always been an outgoing person, effortlessly making conversations with both kids and the elders in the clan. So why was he overthinking every single thing when it involved Y/N in someway? She was sweet and just as easy to talk to as his other friends but Neteyam made it difficult for himself by overanalysing what her response could be to whatever he might do or say.

As if Ewya herself pitied the poor boy, she granted him a temporary recluse from his own anxious thoughts.

"The tulkun have returned" Someone yelled, grabbing both Y/N and Neteyam's attention.

Y/N was the first between the both of them to react, clutching the boy's wrist and dragging him behind her toward the ilu while Neteyam was still processing what was going on, eyes fixated on his hand in her's.

"Come on" she urged him to move faster, clicking her tongue at an ilu "you'll get to meet my spirit sister"

An adoring smile adorned Neteyam's lips at the visible display of enthusiasm and eagerness from Y/N. He was of course joyous to witness the return of the tulkun from their migration, but even more so about the fact that Y/N wanted specifically him to tag along to meet her spirit sister.

He slid his one hand firmly around her torso once they'd sat atop the ilu; Him behind her, his chin ghosting close to her right ear as they moved in with the other Na'vi closer and closer toward the magnificent aquatic creatures.

Neteyam let out an involuntary laugh as their ilu rapidly swam amidst the tulkun, a symphony of clicks and whirs engulfed them with accompaniment of a few excited hollers from the others being beyond happy to be reunited with the tulkun.

Y/N tapped his thigh, to signal that they were about to dive under. They both took a deep breath before being encompassed by the cool waters.

Despite it being so busy, the girl didn’t have much trouble spotting her tulkun friend, communicating with the ilu to swim in that particular direction. She pointed her out for Neteyam as well, slightly turning her head to look at him as his smile grew adorably wider.

Y/N eagerly swam toward her, signing 'I see you' whilst Neteyam tailed after her, still in awe of the large animal.

He watched fondly at the both of them, Y/N signing rapidly out of excitement to tell her Tulkun everything she’d missed out on this whole time. Neteyam wasn’t fully adapted with their sign language but he knew enough to make out a bit of what she was saying; ‘he’s my friend’ and ‘yes I know he’s handsome’ being some of them, that made him grin bashfully. He politely waved his his hand as a greeting before he swam closer to the pair.

The remainder of his day consisted of some peaceful swimming followed by a race between Y/N and Aonung’s Tulkun with Neteyam holding on to it’s fin for dear life. Neteyam had been paired up with Aonung and while he was silently praying to Ewya for the entirety of the race, Y/N and Lo’ak, who was on her Tulkun’s team for the race, were having the time of their life.

And then finally it was eclipse.

The shadow of night cloaked them and all their excitement had at last simmered down as they all retired from the waters to the beach. The gentle glow of the bioluminescence of the surrounding provided a tranquil atmosphere; the fires lit were warm and the smell of food from the pods was inviting.

A perfect end to a perfect day.

“Did you have fun?” Y/N asked Neteyam in English while looking at him with her big eyes, knowing well enough what his answer would be. She still wasn’t fluent but knew a few words and phrases to have short casual conversations.

The two of them decided to while away their time on the beach, staying out a little longer than their siblings.

“Ay, your English is getting better” Neteyam grinned at her, responding to her in their mother tongue though “yea, today was fun”

“She likes you, you know” Y/N looked up at the stars as she spoke, admiring the numerous shiny orbs “my spirit sister”

“Do you like me?” Neteyam blurted out before he could even process the words leaving his mouth. His eyes widened slightly, too stunned at the fact that he boldly said that out loud.

“What was that?”

Luckily for him, she was not as good as he was when it came to speaking English and he thanked Ewya for it.

“Nothing” he shrugged, maintaining his calm composure while his heart was hammering in his rib cage. To his contentment, she didn’t press him into translating for her, probably too tired from all the excitement from earlier that day. She only responded with a suspicious grin, brows narrowing before she looked away. Her eye lids were slightly droopy, Neteyam noticed, a clear sign of her fatigue but still despite that she looked peaceful. A gentle smile stayed on her lips and her breaths came out in long timely intervals, like the waves that crashed against the shoreline.

Why did I say that? He inwardly scolded himself, still wondering how he could even fathom that thought.

Neteyam continued to gaze at her while her attention was still fixated on the stars. She was rambling to him about some constellation, how if he connected this star to that it'd form an arrow. And even though he nodded and hummed to show he was listening to her, he wasn’t. He was busy forming his own constellation of thoughts, putting together things that formed the picture he didn’t want to see. The extra effort he put into his appearance, the urge to spend every second he could spare with her, the constant need of plaudit from her and the racing of his heart caused by innocent touches.

And then his eyes grew wide once again, ears and tail both jerking slightly upward when the realisation harshly hit him, like a palulukan charging at him and successfully hurling him into a tree.

Neteyam had subconsciously fallen for her.

And now, he desperately wanted to know if she in someway felt the same.

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aphrodisiac-siren · 1 year ago

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Home~ Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

//slow burn, Neteyam just denying his own feelings//

masterlist, Part 5

Part 4

🫧

It had been a good amount of time since eclipse.

The fishermen and hunters had retired for the day and the homemakers had only just put their food above the fires to prepare a nice warm dinner. The younger children were done with their lessons and were headed home, eagerly looking forward to a delicious meal followed by some much needed sleep.

But then they saw the warriors hurriedly mount their banshees and head out with panicked urgency. Not a moment later and Tonowari’s own children joined them to patrol the waters around the reef. The sudden and rare search party caused an eruption of speculative whispers amidst the villagers, each one trying their best to decipher what was going on.

Betwixt all the chaos, Y/N exhaled a sigh of relief when she spotted Lo'ak swimming toward her, calling out her name in response to her calling out his.

“I’m here Y/N” he waived his arm at her as she closed the distance between them whilst siting atop her ilu.

“I got you” she held out her arm for him to take, pulling the heavier boy to sit behind her before she turned around, yelling out to the other Na’vi who were just as eagerly looking for him “I’ve found him, he’s okay!”

A stream of yips and relieved sighs were passed around as everyone headed back, thankful to Ewya that the kid was returned to them unharmed.

“I’m sorry about my brother” Y/N immediately said once Lo’ak was well seated behind her, legs dangling lazily in the water as they followed the other people back to the village.

“I’m sorry about mine too” Lo’ak responded, referring to the exchange his brother had with her earlier that day “he’s not usually like this”

“Don’t worry about-“

“No really,” he continued nonetheless, still not done with his apology on behalf of his brother. Lo’ak never imagined in all his years that he’d one day find himself apologising for how his perfect older brother acted “he was rude and what he said, it-it was not okay. I’m sure he didn’t mean any of it. Don’t take it to heart and hold anything against him, or at least against me because of it”

Y/N held back a giggle. As sweet as it was that he was trying to be an adult and say sorry for the comments Neteyam made, it was almost adorable how he couldn’t conceal his child-like desire for her to keep her animosity toward his brother on one side and away from him. In simpler words, he was trying to get her to continue being friends with him.

“I’m not mad anymore Lo’ak” she assured the boy with a genuine smile, patting his knee in a friendly way “not at Neteyam, and definitely not at you”

“Friends again?” He sheepishly asked and Y/N found it almost too difficult not to turn around and adoringly pinch his cheeks with an ‘aww’ but she kept her cool. Just like Aonung, she could tell that Lo’ak definitely did not like to be fawned over.

“Friends again” she warmly told the boy before clicked her tongue at the ilu, prompting him to stop.

Both her father and mother awaited them, standing at the front of the crowed gathered to have a look at the lost and found forest boy.

Y/N’s eyes found Aonung’s and she could tell he was relieved that Lo’ak was fine. She knew he’d messed up by doing something as stupid as going beyond the reef by himself and then made things even worse by taking the new boy out there too and leaving him.

As if they shared some sibling-telepathic connection, she could also sense how horrible he felt. It was true that he’d managed to publicly embarrass himself, knowing well that the gossip regarding how the chie’s son caused such mayhem would last for a good amount of time before it was forgotten; but what really stuck out in that moment was the extremely evident remorse in his eyes.

Aonung was born into an almost royal-like environment, being treated like an image of utmost importance from a very young age. He was well know and well respected in his clan and he liked the power and authority he held. But after days and days of bullying the Sullys, it would seem like he all of a sudden didn’t like this higher rank. His first major screw up drew all this attention to him, the negative kind. He was well aware that he’d used his prestigious title of being the next Olo'eyktan in the most irresponsible way, by throwing his weight around and this time he’d feared it cost Lo’ak his life. Aonung would admit, he didn’t like the new kids but that certainly didn’t mean he wanted them to die, much less because of him.

“He’s fine, yeah?” He whispered to his sister once she’d stood next to him, standing his ground even when he saw Lo’ak angrily advancing toward him with balled fists. This time if he’d get punched, he wouldn’t have the nerve to hit him back.

But Jake saved him from further humiliation, pulling his son toward him to inspect him for any injuries and then announced that he was alright, giving Aonung another wave of relief.

“Excuse me, sorry I just- Hi”

Neteyam pushed past the others, swimming through the crowd to get a look at his brother. He only stopped when his eyes landed on Lo’ak, who was currently being scolded by his mother. He’d only realised until a few moments later that he halted right next to where Y/N was standing.

“Found him” the girl simply said, looking up at Neteyam. She saw him visibly relax his shoulders and slow his breathing, also at relief just like the rest of them.

“Yes, I can see” he smiled, nudging her arm gently with his “thank-you”

He wanted all of his attention to be focused on his brother, considering how tensed he was during the search but now that he’d seen him in person, fully assured that he was fine, his mind only kept wandering to the Na’vi girl beside him.

She thinks I’m pretty?

Neteyam didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, especially not to one as major as her finding him attractive, even though he was fully aware that he wasn’t so bad to look at. He was never really the type to seek any validation regarding his looks from girls, nor was he the type to overthink it if any girl did flirt with him. Though calling Y/N’s previously mentioned endearment ‘flirting’ would be a stretch.

She couldn’t have been, obviously not.

She was mad at him, furious even just hours ago. He highly doubted that a simple ride on his ikran would all of a sudden magically make everything okay. Yes, she was no longer upset but the wound was fresh and things wouldn’t go back to normal overnight. Which is why it just sounded absurd that she would indirectly attempt to tell him that she was into him.

Which then led to another foreign thought that crossed his mind. If she didn’t particularly mean to tell him that he’s pretty, he at the very least hoped that she thought of him as such. He felt like a little boy, hoping to impress his dad with how efficiently he caught fish.

It’s not a crush, he thought to himself. There was absolutely no way that Neteyam would ever succumb to such silly things. Getting giddy after tender touches, heart skipping beats, anxious around the other person- it sounded more like a health hazard rather than something cute.

So then why did he all of a sudden care if she found him pretty?

His thoughts began to fade away just like how the crowd did after being dismissed, no longer too keen on sticking around anyway now that Lo’ak was found. And he too, just like them, didn’t feel the need to stay there any longer.

He weaved through the crowed, eyes never losing sight of Y/N as he patiently made his way toward her. Their previous time together had been cut short and now that everything was okay, he wanted to continue with their walk around the beach.

His plan to do so was immediately soiled when he heard his father’s strict voice call out his name. Ever-obedient as he was, he immediately stopped in his tracks, wincing softly in annoyance but headed toward his dad nevertheless.

“Where were you?” Jake scolded him in a hushed tone but his displeasure was evident “what happened to ‘keep an eye on your brother’ hm?”

“I’m sorry sir” Neteyam pressed his lips into a thin line. If there was something the boy hated more than failure, it was disappointing his parents. He’d grown up around the desire to seek praise and approval from his parents, pushing himself to be without flaw at everything just so that his parents would be proud.

He looked around, discreetly searching for Y/N once again but he’d lost her in the crowd. Neteyam was well aware he was on most occasions referred to as the warm, friendly person in the family but he too, just like most males had a slight ego. He wasn’t going to go after Y/N just to talk; he wasn’t smitten with her to do that. So instead he just silently followed his family back to their pod, feet dragging through the cool and course sand.

It was awkwardly silent at first, everyone just quietly doing their own thing. Lo’ak, out of everyone, was sat by himself in the farthest corner of the room. He’d already done enough that day, he did not want to add to the list by ruining dinner.

“Um, hello” a familiar voice meekly greeted from the doorway “I just came to return this”

Everyone turned toward the source of the sound, eyes landing on Y/N as she stood awkwardly at the entrance, holding a bow and a few arrows. It was evident that she too could feel the tension in the room, judging by how she awkwardly kept switching her weight from one leg to the other.

“Hey” Lo’ak was the first one to reach her, helping her with the things she was struggling to carry without dropping them “Is that.. my bow?”

“Uh yea” she nervously chuckled, feeling as though the boy did not appreciate her having it in her possession “I was using earlier to practice, sorry-“

“Nah nah don’t worry’bout it” Lo’ak gave her a toothy grin “you can borrow it anytime you want”

“Maybe you can make one for her” Neytiri joined the conversation as she cut up some dried meat to add to the dish she was making “I’m teaching her how to shoot arrows, she’ll need a bow of her own for hunts”

Lo’ak nodded in agreement.

“Must’ve been a long day today huh” Jake smiled at the younger girl, referring to practically everything that took place from the fight his son’s got into with her brother and her training with Neytiri to Lo’ak getting lost and then found after hours of searching “stay for dinner”

“Oh no no, It’s alright” Y/N politely tried to decline, still standing by the door “thank you though-“

“Nah don’t be shy, it’s okay come on in” Jake wasn’t really taking no for an answer, trying in his own way to amend things not really knowing that his son had already done it by charming her with his ikran.

“My mom cooks really yummy food” Tuk tried to lure her in too, her comment putting a smile on their stoic mother’s face.

“Okay then” Y/N smiled, walking in and sitting in between Tuk and Lo’ak, right across Neteyam- who couldn’t tell why he was really hoping she would agree to stay and eat with them. The short fleeting feeling of something fluttering in his chest was unexplainable when she sat down across from him, her pretty eyes locking with his for a moment or two before she got engrossed in a conversation with Kiri.

Dinner with the Sullys was a lot more lively in comparison to her own family. They joked around, told eachother about their day and laughed boisterously, something that her mother would scoff at if done at their own dinner circle.

Neteyam, for most of the dinner, only observed Y/N. she seemed to get along with his family rather well. She could keep up with Tuk’s endless chattering, make easy conversation with his moody sister Kiri, patiently listen to his younger brother’s exaggerated stories, laugh at his father’s broken humour and make his stone cold mother smile. He could tell that she liked them just as much as they liked her and for the sake of his family, he would do better at being a good friend to her.

Not because he just wanted her to like him, no.

Once dinner was done with, Y/N took her leave, politely letting them know that it was too late for her to wait any longer. Jake asked for his older son to walk her home, despite the protests from Y/N.

“Your family is really sweet” she told him on their walk back, idly kicking her heels at the sand “I don’t remember the last time I actually had this much fun at dinner”

“Ah you’re too kind” he rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to respond to such praise.

“No really, dinner with my family feels like a war meeting. Minimal conversation and no laughing” she rolled her eyes.

“You’d love our bonfires then” he begun with a smile, thinking fondly about his home “at the end of the day, almost the entire Omatikaya clan gathered around the large fire for a meal. There’d be music, people exchanging stories. It was like one big family”

Y/N listened to him talk about the forest, a sad smile etching its way to her face. It was a bit heartbreaking, hearing him talk about his home with such eagerness as his face lit up just thinking about his past life that he had to give up and leave behind.

“You miss the forest a lot, don’t you?” She asked, still looking up at him with the same expression as before. Neteyam only chuckled, running his fingers through his braids as he nodded a ‘yes’

“A lot” he grinned, masking his feelings like how he always did “but I like it here, it’s-“

“It’s okay to be sad you know” she cut him off, seeing right through his facade. She knew what it was like, having to deal with the pressure of being the golden child in the family. It was almost draining sometimes to live up to the standards set, often resulting in no space nor time to deal with your own emotions “I can tell you’d rather be at the forest than out here in the reef”

“It’ll take some getting used to” the boy shrugged, still refusing to fully allow himself to wallow in his longing to return back to his clan “I loved the forest but I’m willing to give this place a chance”

“Hm” she simply hummed, proceeding to think of something to say that might lighten the mood “maybe you can show me around your village when you go back”

“If I go back” Neteyam chuckled, reminding her of the harsh reality that there wasn’t much of a chance of them returning.

“When you go back, maybe you can take me to this bonfire you told me about” she emphasised on the certainty that they would all see their precious forest soon, attempting to give him a sense of hope.

“Okay Y/N” he gave up, agreeing to whatever it was she was saying with an amused laugh “I’ll take you wherever you’d want to go, maybe even teach you to ride a direhorse”

“Really?” She almost yelled, causing Neteyam’s ears and tail to shoot up with surprise. She immediately composed herself, blushing at her own over-excited reaction “you mean it?”

“Y-yea” he adoringly gazed at her, lopsided smirk dancing on his lips. She was a curious little thing, very similar to his brother except for the whole ‘doing things without thinking’ bit.

“This is me” she stopped when they were a few feet away from a grand-looking pod that he could only assume was her place of residence “thanks for walking me home, a-and for earlier”

Neteyam only responded with a smile, waiting patiently until she’d walked inside before he turned around to head to his own little abode.

——

“I’m telling you guys, it was a tulkun”

Lo’ak was surrounded by his siblings, Aonung, Tsireya, Rotxo and Y/N; all of them immersed in Lo’ak’s story in which he claimed to have been rescued by a lone tulkun.

Y/N was firstly surprised to see her brother actually being nice to the Sullys, especially Lo’ak. She was present of course when Lo’ak shouldered the blame for what had happened at three brothers rocks, but she didn’t really think Aonung would be this touched by the gesture.

Clearly, she was wrong but she didn’t mind it in this case. It was a nice change honestly to see them all getting along.

“No tulkun is ever alone” Aonung told him, still finding it a bit hard to believe.

“This one was” Lo’ak was adamant and stuck to his story “it had a missing fin”

“Payakan” Tsireya immediately said, exchanging nervous glances with her siblings “you are lucky to be alive Lo’ak”

The boy seemed confused by that statement, so Y/N took the liberty to further explain their reaction.

“He’s a killer” she told him, finger drawing random shapes in the sand as she spoke “he’s killed other tulkun and na’vi”

“Not here” Aonung added “but a little far from this village”

“He’s been outcast since” Rotxo chimed in, contributing with his share of knowledge “he hasn’t been seen much since”

“He’s no killer” Lo’ak blew a raspberry, clearly not buying into what the other had to say about his new friend “he saved my life”

“My baby brother, the mighty warrior” Neteyam tried to lighten the mood by simply just giving his brother some credit for surviving whatever took place out these in open waters “who took on the killer tulkun and lived to tell about it”

That clearly didn’t sit well with said ‘baby brother’. He huffed in annoyance as he arose to his feet, not happy about being treated like a child by his older brother.

“You guys aren’t listening” he pouted, walking away from them.

“Lo’ak I’m listening” Tuk tried to get him to come back. She was always so eager to be around him, doing whatever she could to be in her older brother’s good books.

Still, it didn’t seem to work because he walked away nonetheless.

Y/N and Tsireya were up on their feet, ready to talk Lo’ak into coming back but Neteyam held Y/N’s hand, giving her an expression that clearly read ‘it’s okay, leave him’. She stayed put, but gave her sister a nod to go after him, knowing that if anyone could calm the boy down, it was her.

“I’m bored now” Tuk crossed her arms. She was obviously enjoying the story time with her brother and now with him gone, she needed something else to keep herself busy. She tugged Aonung by the hand, forcing him to get to his feet “I want to go look for shells, help me find them”

“I know a good place” Rotxo offered, looking at Kiri in hopes that she’d join too “it’s that way”

Y/N watched as Tuk rounded them up and followed after Rotxo, happily skipping along to pass the time by looking for shells by the beach.

“You aren’t coming?” Neteyam asked, sweetly waiting for Y/N while the others headed out to wherever Rotxo was leading them.

“You go ahead pretty boy, I’ll just stay here for a bit” she looked up at him, too lazy to get up and walk around the beach.

Ah, there it is again, she called me pretty.

Neteyam involuntarily simpered at the nickname she’d given him, finding it stupid that a big boy like him was inwardly kicking and giggling at a pet name given by a girl. Especially one like this which actually made him wonder if she actually meant it or if she was just saying it.

“What?” She scrunched her brows as she fondly examined his expression shift from neutral to borderline abashed.

“What?” He asked back.

“What’s with that smile?”

“I always smile like this” he sat down next to her, silently wondering what had changed about his smile. He was smiling like how he normally did, right?

“No, you’re trying fight that smile” she was teasing, poking her finger playfully at his cheek which only elicited an adorable chuckle from Neteyam “was it because I called you a pretty boy?”

“You can call me anything you like, I assure you it doesn’t make me blush” he held her by the wrist to keep her from poking at his cheek, beaming down at the girl who was poking fun at him, quite literally.

“I didn’t say you were” she grinned “aw, are you actually blushing Netetyam?”

“Oh fuck off” he chuckled before his eyes went wide upon realising he swore in English around her. One more thing Y/N had in common with Lo’ak apart from their heightened curiosity was their childish fascination for swearing in English “do not repeat that”

“Don’t repeat what?” Y/N raised a brow, a mischievous smirk dancing on her lips “fuck off, is that what I’m not supposed to repeat?”

“Your dad is going to kill me one day” he facepalmed, groaning at the fact that he’d unintentionally added another profanity to her dictionary.

Y/N laughed at this, her forehead coming to rest on his shoulder as she continued to giggle. Neteyam only looked down at her fondly, feeling something warm zap through his chest like lightning. He liked the sound of her laugh and more so, liked the fact that he made her laugh.

Another thing he seemed to like, was how she hadn’t pulled away her hand that was still in his. Why did he like it? He didn’t know, he just did.

While the both of them enjoyed each other’s company, Lo’ak and Tsireya observed them from a distance. Like Y/N had suspected, her sister did manage to calm him down and convince him to return to the group. What they saw on their way back was their entire gang amis from the spot except for Neteyam and Y/N who were laughing while seemingly holding hands.

“Look at the fool” Lo’ak pointed at his brother, looking at him with an expression that was nothing less than disappointment “he’s clearly into her, he’s giving her ‘the look’, see”

“The look?” Tsireya asked, head tilting in confusion. She didn’t know what it meant but she couldn’t deny that they would look cute together.

“Yea it’s like.. he dying to kiss her” he told her and watched as Tsireya’s eyes went wide “but he’s too much of a wuss to do it”

“Does your brother like my sister?” She asked, once again looking at the two.

“If I ask him he’ll say no” he answered with a shrug “but it’s so clear that he has a thing for her. I mean look at him, he’s holding her hand and everything”

“Mhm, they’re leaning into each other a lot too while talking” Tsireya noticed, observing their body language more closely “do you really think they’ll end up together?”

“If we’re waiting for my brother to make a move, it’ll be a while before that happens” Lo’ak honestly told her with a roll of his eyes “he’s never been the type to run after girls”

Lo’ak found it to be a different but pleasant change to for once see his brother actually allowing himself to just be a boy and have fun rather than being busy with training. It was a bit unusual to see him enjoy the company of a girl though but it did give Lo’ak a chance to tease him about something. And he liked Y/N so if his brother did end up tripping over his own tail for someone, he’d be quite glad it was her over anyone else.

All he did wish for was for his brother to not antagonise him by playing oblivious to his own feelings and to keep all the mushy stuff away from his poor eyes.

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aphrodisiac-siren · 1 year ago

Text

Home~ Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

//slow burn, cute friends to lovers arc, smidge of angst//

masterlist, Part 2

Part 1

🫧

It was the sound of something loud flapping amidst the wind, in the skies above that caught her attention before the curious murmurs of the clan began to engulf her. The young na'vi's ears perked up with interest as her curious azure eyes searched the skies from whence the foreign sound emerged.

She watched in pure fascination, as five emperyan-looking ikrans glided above the icy blue water. They soared right above her and by the looks of it, were headed for the beach where already a number of people had gathers to gawk at the creatures foreign to their land.

Just as curious herself, she mounted her ilu and headed toward the still growing crowd. She'd heard about an ikran; a mountain banshee is what they'd call it. It was a native species to the forest, usually rode by the Omatikaya people. It was highly unlikely that five of those intelligent bird-like creatures flew all the way out here of their own accord. There'd have to be riders. Excited to possibly be acquainted with someone from the Omatikaya clan, she urgrd her ilu to pick up pace.

When she broke to the surface of the water, her eyes immediately caught sight of her siblings Tsireya and Aonung. when she'd caught up to them, her younger sister seemed to be scolding their brother and his friend Rotxo about something. Not really bothered to inquire about their banter and antics, her attention then shifted to the group of Na'vi that stuck out from the rest of them- right from their dark blue skin to their thin tails and scrawny limbs.

"Hey" one of the Omatikaya boys greeted her sister that made the younger girl giggle bashfully.

Y/N playfully rolled her eyes at her before looking ahead again to see the other Na'vi boy smirk at the one who'd addressed Tsireya, subtly nudging him.

Y/N continued to stare, albeit rude but she was just as fascinated with the visitors as her sister was, though she was much more composed in comparison; offering only a sweet smile to the older-looking boy instead of turning into a blushing mess like her sister.

Pull yourself together Tsireya.

She was aware that by now her excessive staring had begun to preturb the visitors, judging by how the boy with the undercut averted his gaze and seemed to find the sand under his feet much more interesting. And then there was the boy next to him, who if uncomfortable by the gawking, didn’t really show it on the surface; if anything, his golden eyes stared right back into hers almost like a reticent challenge to see who's back down first.

Y/N was sweet, a little shy at times but boy was she competitive. It could be something as simple and silly as this present staring contest she'd set up and she was not going to be the first one to back down.

Aonung's eyes flickered between the two, not too happy about the other Na'vi brazenly staring at his sister. His ears ears perked up ambulatorily, as did his tail in a menacing way; face twisted into a scowl as he advanced toward the outsider. Despite his intimidating demeanour, the other boy didn’t avert his gaze and Aonung almost lost it, puffing out his chest and balling his fists at his side. His mental debate on if he should just shove the weirdo to the ground or snap at him was interrupted by his father Tonowari, the Olo'eyktan arriving amidst them; soon followed by their mother Ronal, their Tsahik, emerging from the crowd.

Y/N wanted to believe it was the other boy who looked away first at the arrival of her father but it happened so quickly that she was unsure. Maybe they both looked away at the same time.

Of course I didn’t lose, it was a tie.

When she'd snapped out of her daze, she caught on to a few words her parents said like Toruk Makto and Uturu.

There was a long pause, after which her mother began to closely look at the outsiders. She mentioned how their arms and tails were too thin for them to be strong swimmers. She then jerked one of the kids' hand upward for the crowd to see, claiming that they were not true Na'vi, and that they had demon blood.

Y/N saw her brother hiss at them from the corner of her eye. She placed her hand on his chest when she noticed he was about to step closer to them. There were already gasps of horror from the people for that comment her mother made, she did not want her stupid brother creating a whirlpool in the water.

"Uturu has been asked" The Omatikaya woman stated calmly as she stood her ground, patiently waiting for an answer.

It was obvious they had traveled a long way and were in desperate need of refuge, or else why would anyone make such a long and draining journey. There was fatigue written all over them, their shoulders hunched in defeat and though their facial expressions stayed stone cold, their eyes betrayed them, silently pleading.

"Do we have to go?" the youngest in the group asked, voice strained from the journey. Y/N's heart clenched at this and her eyes immediately searched for her mother’s.

They're desperate, she tried to tell mother when she locked gazes, please.

Ronal looked away and toward her husband, silently contemplating on what to do.

Y/N exhaled slowly when she saw her mother give their father a curt nod.

It was announced that Toruk Makto, or Jake Sully, as he'd now been introduced, would stay with them. They would have to learn their ways and Tonowari made it formally known that it would be his own children who would look after the younglings' training. Aonung wasn’t at all happy about it. Tsireya was overjoyed and Y/N well, she really didn’t mind helping out.

"Come" Tsireya chirped at the Sully family with a smile "we will show you our village"

As the crowd slowly dispersed, with the exception of a few who lingered to stare at the forest Na'vi, Y/N along with her siblings went to help the family gather their things.

As if drawn by some strong oceanic current, Y/N walked toward the older boy.

"Hi" she politely said as she watched him unload all his things off his Ikran, most of it just topping to the sand.

"Hey" he grinned at her, watching her admire the winged creature "first time seeing an Ikran?"

"Mhm" Y/N nodded, bending down to pick up a basket "they're not really part of this habitat"

"Ah don't worry" the boy sweetly tried to take the heavy basket from her, not really wanting to burden her with his own belongings. Neteyam, mighty warrior and a complete gentleman "I'm Neteyam, by the way"

"Neteyam" she repeated his name as she took a single step back so that he couldn't take what she was holding out of her hands "You can carry the million other things you’ve got with you, I can manage this."

Neteyam gave her a slight bow, amused grin plastered on his face. Judging by the stare-down they had only minutes ago, he was half expecting her to be a brat toward them.

"My name's Y/N"

Giving one last adoring glance at his Ikran, she tailed after the others who were being led by her sister with Neteyam following her; Aonung and Rotxo at the rear.

It wasn’t too long of a walk from the beach to their designated pod that Ronal had arranged for them. Tuk however, didn’t mind the walk, finding the bouncy mat-like bridges or pathways that connected the other pods in the village quite fascinating in comparison to the soil and grass she was so used to back in the forest.

"This is your new home" Tsireya happily announced, looking around with such pride, you'd think it was her who actually built the place.

"Oh yea this is great" Jake forced a smile, trying to sound just as cheerful as Tsireya. Meanwhile his mate had no filter and responded by just dramatically letting her things drop to the ground.

Y/N bit back an amused smile, a chortle threatening to escape at the woman's reaction. The place was well.. humble, to say the least. But she was sure that the great Toruk Makto and his family had a much more extravagant living space in comparison to this.

Her poor attempt at disguising her chuckle with a cough didn’t work and Neytiri immediately snapped her attention toward her. Her sharp and piercing gaze made Y/N's ears droop down as she shifted her own gaze to the ground.

"Where do I um put this?" she meekly asked her, reffering to the basket in her hand and all Neytiri did was look at her oldest son, silently asking him to help the girl.

"Give me" he smiled.

He smiles a lot, must be the Tsireya of the Sully family, Y/N thought.

"Does my mother scare you?" he asked in a hushed tone. Everyone else was busy putting away things so he took the chance to make conversation.

"She looks intimidating" Y/N honestly answered, casting a sly glance toward his mom just to make sure she wasn’t looking or hearing them "and fierce, I like it"

The boy only hummed in agreement. He couldn’t argue; his mother was the most austere and fierce woman he knew- a walking and breathing epitome of 'if looks could kill'.

"She's also really pretty" Y/N mumbled as she busied herself with helping with putting away the remainder of their things, carelessly sprawled on the floor.

Neteyam prolonged their conversation by pointing out, and indirectly introducing, each of his siblings to her, keeping their conversation short and plain.

Y/N didn’t happen to catch Neytiri's ear twitch upward, a ghost of a smile dancing on her lips at the compliment she'd just heard the Omatikaya girl give her.

___

Y/N spent her morning like how she always did: helping her mother with chopping fruits and some dried meat whilst her mom simultaneously gave her some short lesson on medicine.

Her siblings had headed out early to give the Sully kids some diving lessons. She didn’t have to join them until later in the day to help with their ilu training.

"What do you think of the outsiders?" Ronal asked, striking up a conversation as they continued with their meal prep.

"I don’t think of them as outsiders" Y/N decided to mention first, earning a questioning glance from her mom "they're Na'vi too, just from farther away"

"Your brother thinks differently" the woman sighed, examining each chunk of chopped up fruit and cutting ones that were too big "ah, ma Y/N, I told you I wanted them finely chopped, finely"

"Aonung is just not too fond of the sudden change" she shrugged, making sure to chop the fruit into smaller cubes "not to mention his absolute eagerness to tutor the them"

Ronal chuckled. She remembered the childish fit her son threw the night before, going on and on about how he should be focusing on his skills and not waste time over people who would take ages to learn even the basics. He was adamant to be the best warrior like his father, and his sister Y/N was tough competition. Not to mention his already exsisting training to be the next Olo'eyktan that would indefinitely have to be put on hold because of these Sully nuisances.

"He does not realise that this is also part of his journey to being a good leader, like his father" Ronal hummed, satisfied with how the fruit was cut "good job"

"He's stupid that way, wonder where he gets it from" Y/N smiled, happy that her chopping skills were satisfactory.

"Certainly not from your mother" She chuckled before switching back to her strict demeanour "off you go now. It is improper to be late"

___

When Y/N arrived at the agreed place to meet, everyone was already in the water, all in a cirrle around Aonung.

He clicked his tongue and let out a few short yelps to round up the ilu. Y/N watched from a distance, letting her brother take charge of the lesson. She was competitive yes but she knew when to just take a step back. It was nice to see him slip easily into the role of being the authoritative figure in the group; voice loud, clear and stern as he spoke a little about the aquatic creatures splashing in the water around them. Despite his distaste for the forest Na'vi, he was doing a good job at teaching them and keeping his annoyance to one side.

Once he was done talking, he split them up so that each one could have a tutor. Tsireya went to assit Lo'ak, Rotxo offered to help Kiri and Aonung decided to teach Tuk who he felt was the least unbearable one among the kids. So naturally, Y/N was left with Neteyam.

"First make the bond" she instructed "gently. Then hold on to this, here"

She pointed at the leather binding at the neck of the ilu.

Neteyam took his time, not too eager to rush into things. He carefully mounted the animal, following instructions well.

"Deep breath before you dive in" Y/N began to explain by waving her hands around "make sure you’re leaning forward, chest almost pressed against its back"

Neteyam lowered his torso, bordeline hugging the ilu. It squeaked in response and Y/N giggled.

"Like this?" he nervously asked, lopsided smile on his face. Judging by her reaction, he knew he'd done something wrong.

"N-not so," she placed her hand on his chest, pushing him up ever so slightly until only his stomach was touching the ilu's back "that's better"

"Okay" he nodded, looking to the front. His smile faded and his expression switched to stern and focused.

"Now think dive" she said and Neteyam did just that.

The first few seconds were amazing, almost like riding a direhorse but underwater. And then all of a sudden, he was no longer on the ilu. The creature swam ahead from under him, leaving him in a whirlwind of bubbles.

The older boy swam to the surface, looking at the ilu with a look of betrayal plastered all over his face. In the near distance, she heard her siblings erupt into laughter as well and a very irritated Lo'ak popped his head out the water.

Y/N giggled at this, the scene almost too comical.

Neteyam however, was just flustered from the top of his ears to the tip of his tail. He was so used to being the best at whatever he did that he almost felt stupid in given scenario.

"Let's try that again yea?" Y/N called out, beckoning for him to swim toward her. His ilu had already circled back to the girl "keep your thighs firmly pressed against your ilu's sides so that well.. that doesn’t happen"

The boy only chuchkled sheepishly in response. Granted that by this point, she had classified Neteyam as the sunshine boy of the family, forever smiling, it didn’t take an expert for anyone to tell that in that moment the boy was just forcing a smile to a point where it became painful to look at.

"Its okay" she tried to sound as cheerful as her sister, in hopes to drive away his disappointment "you'll get the hang of it after a few tries"

All he did was grunt as he mouted the ilu, not bothering to say anything further. She didn’t understand why he took his first trial and error to heart. It wasn’t abnormal for anyone fall off during their initial lessons. If anything, she'd find it abnormal if he did do it perfectly on his first try.

Neteyam was adamant. Every time he fell off only angered him more. He had to get this down. Setting an example for his siblings meant he didn’t have time for mishaps. Who would they look up to if he just kept fumbling over and over? What kind of role model would that make him?

He angrily splashed the water after he'd messed up for the twelfth time that day.

"Not bad" Y/N clapped, ignoring his temperament "you were mounted for almost three minutes, new record-"

"Three minutes?" he asked in between pants "no, no that’s not good enough"

"But-"

"Not good enough" Neteyam repeated himself, voice coming out more arrogant than he intended to. He usually had a very calm and collected mind but all of that was going to shit each time he made a mistake "sorry I didn’t mean to-"

"Maybe we should take a break?" the girl offered, sensing his fatigue and irritation "just breathe. You need to have a clear mind when you learn"

"Yea, okay" he sighed, not wanting to be pushy and continue with the lesson. He knew that Y/N might be tired as well, she was out teaching him for hours now. He not-so-gracefully got off the poor ilu, who was also just as tired by this point "sweet Jesus"

Her ears curiously perked up.

"What..?" she asked, tilting her head slightly with confusion.

"It's like this thing by dad says sometimes" he tried to explain, not really knowing how to fully explain the phrase "it's just something you say when you’re surprised or scared o-or tired I guess?.. uh yea"

"Sa-wheat Jee-suz" she repeated, absolutely butchering the pronunciation "what’s that?"

"Oh it’s like this God they have back on earth? It's a star far away" Neteyam told her, amused by her reaction.

"So that’s earth's Ewya" She excitedly said, fascinated by the new piece of information "what else?"

"What else?"

"What else do you know about them?"

"I know their language?"

"Say something"

At that point he felt like she was just poking fun at him. Like prodding at a small animal with a stick in hopes that it might do something that would amuse and entertain you.

"Back to training" he shook his head with a grin, ready to mount his ilu again when she held his wrist to stop him. He looked at her, not expecting her to be looking up at him with her big azure eyes filled with wonder. She was genuinely intrigued and interested to know more about the sky people.

"I'll teach you our ways" she spoke, eyes still wide and pleading "and you must tell me all you know about them"

Neteyam waited for a minute. He waited to see if she would break character and burst into fits of giggles. Who could possibly be so intrigued about the sky people and their ways? But no, she patiently waited for a response, hand still wrapped around his in a gentle hold.

"Deal?" she asked

"Deal" he answered.

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aphrodisiac-siren · 1 year ago

Text

Home~ Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

//slow burn, angst, Lo'ak growing a braincell? And did I mention angst??// tìyawn-Love

masterlist

Part 7

🫧

[Flashback]

Pacing.

That was one thing he could remember distinctly from that day.

Pacing.

That's all he did outside the tent in which Y/N was, still very much injured and on the cusp of life and death.

While Norm and a few others were doing whatever they could to keep her from dying, all Neteyam seemed capable of doing in that moment was worrying.

His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, his heart pounding louder than the sound of an ikran's screech. He knew he was absolutely of no help but he refused to leave, not wanting to be anywhere but near her.

He had yet to tell her about what he felt, even if he himself hadn’t fully understood it himself. His constant need to see her every day, his desperation for her attention, how he craved fleeting touches. How an endearment as simple as 'pretty boy' started this whole whirlwind of foreign emotions.

He couldn’t bare the possibility of all of that coming to an abrupt halt, all if it being ripped away from him.

Y/N being ripped away from him.

He'd grown so accustomed to living alongside her that he could barely imagine a future without her in it.

It wasn’t fair.

Someone who was nothing less than kind, a little feisty and a whole lot of emphatic being given death after everything she’d done for his family, was just cruel.

Neteyam always trusted Ewya's judgement but in that moment, for the very first time, he abhorred her.

For Y/N to be snatched away like this was just. not. fair.

Amidst his loathing, he even pleaded to take him instead of her. Because according to him, the world would still be the same regardless if he was in it or not but take Y/N away and everything loses its light.

And while he awaited impatiently and helplessly, all he could irritatingly,

Was more pacing.

[End of flashback]

This was probably the first time Lo'ak witnessed Y/N in a rush to just get her lesson over with. In all his time knowing her, not once did the star pupil, soon-to-be Metkayina warrior, Neteyam's-personality-clone ever seem to end her training as soon as possible. Maybe his influence was finally rubbing off on her.

"Are you sick?" he smirked at the girl, looking at her amusingly as she impatiently tapped her foot.

"I'm already great at archery" she groaned, ditching her bow as she sat down upon the warm sand "way better than you in fact, I think that’s reason enough to call it quits for today"

"Okay, first of all" Lo'ak joined her, ditching hiw own bow and arrow. He wasn’t going to complain about ending a lesson early, if anything he was tempted to give her a hug for it "ouch. Second, did I ever tell you you’re my favourite person in the whole world? We should partner up for lessons more"

"Yes, you absolutely adore me. What’s new?" Y/N replied promptly with a smirk earning an eye roll and a playful shove from the boy next to her.

She fiddled with her fingers a bit, chewing on her lip as she contemplated whether or not she should just ask him about something that was gnawing her mind for days now. Her attention span had become almost nonexistent with that one particular instance chewing away at her sanity.

"Can I ask you something?" She looked up at him and he immediately nodded a 'yes' before he lied down on his back, arms behind his head "Neteyam and I had another argume-"

"Jeez Y/N" Lo'ak let out an exaggerated groan, looking at her like he was about to drop dead from boredom "for a minute I expected you to tell me something interesting and, I dunno, new?"

"Don’t be an asshole" She shot him a glare, contemplating throwing sand at him but out of the good of her heart, refrained from doing so "we fought and he said something but I don’t know what it meant"

"Ah so you need me to be your trustee translator" He wiggled his eyebrows at her, an undertone of mischief lacing his words. He pretended to be in deep thought while tapping his finger against his lips "what am I getting for all of these years' worth of english dialect translation, hm?"

"I don’t throw a spear at your butt anytime you say something stupid"

"I am thy humble servant" Lo'ak blew a kiss at her that had her roll her eyes at his antics. She'd grown accustomed to it over time but still, it never failed to amuse her "ask away my princess"

"Drop the theatrics" she said in a monotonous voice that had him chuckling at her reaction "so like I said, Neteyam swore at me in your stupid sky people language and then refused to tell me what it meant. Something m..ma.. lovh? I guess. Now I know it’s gotta be real mean if he..."

Despite her heavy accent and poor pronunciation, Lo'ak understood what she meant to say perfectly. He shot up instantly with a crazed look, like a fish being yanked out of water.

"He- what" His eyes widened and a grin etched its way to his face.

"I knew that it!" Y/N immediately shot back, pointing toward him as if her doubts had been confirmed at last "it was a really bad word"

"That bitch" Lo'ak ignored her, too thrilled at this newfound piece of information that seemed to make him very happy for some reason "he's flirting now huh? I knew that the idiot had some stupid reason for avoiding you, that blue lizard can’t talk to girls! Ohh wait till I-"

"Whoa, okay let’s back up" Y/N snapped him out of his deluded trance and brought him back to pandora "can you elaborate how you connected him swearing at me to flirting?"

"He didn’t swear, ma Y/N" he changed his tone, now talking to her like how his dad spoke to him when he tried to sound intelligent "he called you 'love', his love, to be more precise. Which is something you say to a person you are absolutely fond of. Ya know, like his tìyawn"

"You are seeing things that aren’t there" Y/N was tempted to throw a fistful of sand at him. Maybe even a small rock, just a tiny one "that's just some cute shit friends say to each other"

The idea that Neteyam could be infatuated with her seemed absolutely absurd. She could imagine an ilu speaking fluent Na'vi but Neteyam having a crush on her? Impossible. Not after he distanced himself from her more and more after each year.

"Look, I know my brother. He has never been a guy to do anything remotely close to cute.. like, okay forget that stupid endearment, but the never ending bickering? The whole looking-away-after-eye-contact on loop? You both constantly rambling about how annoying the other one is?" Lo'ak was tired of it and he was going to let it out. He tried with Neteyam and now he was going to rant about it to her as well "you both want to be around each other but don’t know how to do it anymore so you settle for getting into senseless fights. And when you’re not around each other all you both can do is talk about the other person"

All Y/N did in response was scoff.

There was no way she was going to let Lo'ak convince her that her animosity toward his brother came from a place of love and longing. No, it came from pure hatred and annoyance.

She was his close friend all along and then after the battle, she was nothing more than a pest. It was almost as if her presence was repulsive to Neteyam.

It confused her. Why did he all of a sudden, not want her.

Perhaps the whole incident of her getting shot was what pushed him away. While the rest of his family showered her with attention whilst she was healing and pampered her until they were sure she was sick of it, Neteyam made it almost a rule to never come in contact with her. Did the idea of having to tend to and look after her drive him away? Was that sort of responsibility too much for him?

If he'd decided that she wasn’t worth going through the trouble of looking after her, after she quite literally took a bullet for him then there was no use in trying to be friends again.

While Y/N was in deep thought, thinking of all the ways she could lure Neteyam into the mouth of an akula, Lo'ak was busy mumbling to himself about how he was going to tease and harass Neteyam about his unofficial crush on Y/N.

Maybe I should feed them both to an akula, Y/N made a mental note, Yea, both sounds good.

"You’ve finally lost it"

Neteyam was convinced he'd died and reached one of those seven somethings of hell his father once told them about. An odd story, purely fictional he thought; up until now.

His younger brother had been dancing around him in their pod, going on and on about how he knew about his crush on Y/N. Lo'ak at one point began to enact a make-believe scenario for him, using his hands as puppets.

"yo bro, check it out" he said in between his boyish giggling, ignoring his brother groaning in annoyance. He deepened his voice, trying his best to mimic his older brother, putting on a horrible accent.

"Hey bebe~ I don’t know how to act around you Y/N because I'm so in love with you so now I'll just start irritating you just so you engage in conversation with me" he then looked at his other hand-puppet which was supposed to represent Y/N, making his voice high pitched to mimic her's "ugh, I'm in love with you too Neteyam and I will also irritate you for your attention because all my sensibility leaves when I'm around you"

Lo'ak then proceeded to make some weird smooching noises while making his hand puppets kiss.

"Ay, stop that" Neteyam whacked the back of his neck, his other hand slapping Lo'ak's wrists when he refused to cease his dramatics "were you dropped as a baby? I do not have a crush on her"

"Liar" Lo'ak grinned "you have never, in your entire life called a girl anything besides her name. It would take a miracle for you to even address her by her nickname, much less call her something like my love"

"It just slipped out, jeez let it go" he sighed, too tired to offer any more of an explanation.

"Why won’t you just admit it?" Lo'ak was stubborn and wouldn’t drop this topic until he got a satisfactory answer "Why are you acting like liking her is the worst thing in the world? Why are you trying so hard to cover it up? Why is-"

"For fucks sake Lo'ak-" Neteyam was losing both his patience and his temper. His brother had no right to prod and question him about any of this.

"No, tell me-"

"Because I hated the way she made me feel"

Lo'ak went silent. He did not expect for his older brother to yell at him, much less give him the most vague and unhelpful response to his question but he decided not to poke for answer in that moment; he did not want to trigger any more outbursts.

Still hot headed, Neteyam left their pod. He needed to get away from Lo'ak and his prying inquisition. He owed him no explanation whatsoever for how he handled his relation with Y/N. Lo'ak had no idea about how he felt and what drove him to push her away but Neteyam knew that he did it for everyone's good.

He needed to cool off, he needed air.

Lo'ak and his teasing made his house suffocating and all he wanted was to be alone for a while lest he explode and let his anger out on another family member.

Calm down Neteyam, he scolded himself, if you can’t keep yourself together, you cant keep this family together.

It was like he wasn’t allowed the basic right to feeling. Be it anger or sadness, he denied himself to feel anything. He needed to be calm, composed and always smiling. If he allowed himself to succumb to such emotions it only went to show that he was weak.

His heart was already hammering in his chest from all that frustration but when his eyes met her's, it felt as though his heart would jump right through his ribcage.

Y/N stood a few feet away from him, momentarily freezing in her tracks and Neteyam did what he always did when he ran into her by himself:

Turn and go the other way.

This time though, plagued with indignation, he proceeded to scoff before he turned his back on her, a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by Y/N.

Y/N's jaw was agape. He had some nerve to run into her, proceed to very obviously turn away from her and then scoff at her, unprovoked.

"Okay, I've had enough of you" she snapped, walking faster to catch up with the older boy who had no intention of stopping until he was far away from her "what exactly is your problem?"

Neteyam ignored her, picking up pace in a desperate attempt to be rid of her.

Y/N, as he knew, wasn’t one to back down and much to his dismay she followed him all the way to the beach. Despite his silence, she continued to babble, taunting him with ever passing second until he lost it with her too.

"Fuck! What is wrong with everyone today?" he snapped, finally turning to look at her. Just as he suspected, she was taken aback by his tone.

"You don’t get to act like an ass and then talk to me like that" her voice despite showing no lack of rage, failed to fully mask the pain she was feeling. Overcome with a wave of emotions that she'd suppressed for all these years, she allowed herself to just blurt all of it out "you one day wake up and decide you’re too good for me? Running away from me like some immature child.. why'd you initially act like you cared if you didn’t to begin with-"

"Oh great mother, I've had it! With Lo'ak and now you" Neteyam never allowed himself to act whilst hot-headed but he had reached his limit of tolerance for the day "how dare you say that I never cared about you. You have no idea-"

"Cut the bullshit Neteyam. If anything, I was the only one who cared between us" Y/N was merely annoyed at him but now she was outright furious. This boy really had the guts to argue that he cared about her despite his contradicting behaviour that he'd been exhibiting for the past six years "is this how you show people you care? By walking out of their lives?

"Do you know what I went through during those two days when you were recovering? When you were unconscious and Norm had the fucking balls to tell me to say my goodbyes because there was a high chance you wouldn’t make it, instead of going back in there and doing something to prevent that from happening?" Neteyam's chest rose and fell rapidly as he continued, his breaths slowly coming out in pants from all that yelling but he needed her to hear it once and for all. He could endure the name-calling and the verbal altercations but an accusation that stated he never cared about her? That was where he drew the line.

"For a moment I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and then I actually stopped for a few seconds, driving myself into a full blown panic attack. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, not then and not ever" He appreciated her silence as he continued, her expression slowly softening "I-I grew so attached to you that I needed you more than air. And as scary as that was, the heightened dependency on you and how strongly I felt for you, there was something else that was even scarier"

Neteyam dared to look into her eyes, something he avoided for years now. They glowed in the light of eclipse, those flecks of lilac even more prominent during this hour.

"I didn’t really know it at the time, how deep my feelings were but I knew that I had fallen for you. While I waited outside that tent in which you were, machines and wires all around you, I couldn’t eat or sleep or even think about anything that didn’t lead back to you and it terrified me, caring for something so much it..it.." He tore his gaze away from her, now feeling very small in her presence after being so vulnerable with her "but what terrified me even more was, you being in there because of me. You cared about me to a point where you took a bullet for me, to a point where you put your own life on the line. And so I..I.."

"What are you saying?" Y/N softly asked, eyes looking up at Neteyam who shied away under her gaze.

"I protect, that’s all I know and when I couldn’t protect you, someone I loved so so much it just felt like a stab to the heart" he could practically feel her gaze burning into him but he still couldn’t look at her, not just yet "you sacrificing yourself.. I didn’t know what I would do if lost you. When Tuk ran out, screaming that you'd woken up I felt like I could at last breath but then there was a thought looming over my head: What if something like this happened again? I didn’t want you putting yourself in harms way because of me. I needed you not to care about me, so that you wouldn’t put yourself in the same situation. That’s why I did what I did; I cut myself off, It’s my way of protecting you"

Y/N blinked, not a single word leaving her lips.

A few seconds of silence passed by but to Neteyam it felt like hours and the silence was getting unbearable.

"Say something" he pleaded, finally turning to look at he. He was half expecting her to be teary-eyed, maybe a smile or something on her face after he said all of that but to his surprise she stood there with her brows scrunched in confusion.

"You don’t get to decide that all of that shit you did was out of protectiveness" she snapped, finger jabbing at Neteyam's chest.

"Huh?" The boy shook his head and blinked twice to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. Was this really her reaction? "Did you hear anything of what I just said?"

"You don't get to decide what’s right for me and just shun me away." she continued to jab, her piercing gaze never wavering "You took everything we had and just threw it away because you thought that that would protect me? That your sudden closed off nature would keep me from ever running to your aid if you found yourself in trouble? Do you hear how stupid you sound?"

"I did it for you!" Neteyam grabbed her wrist, the jabbing getting a little too annoying for him to tolerate.

"I didn’t ask for it.. I didn’t want it!" Y/N tried to shove him with her other hand but Neteyam easily caught it, now holding on to both her wrists to keep her from anymore attacks "If I run in between you and a gunman that is my choice, I did it then and I'd do it again if i have to. I didn’t need you to do any of this"

"But-"

"I liked what we had, I liked you but you ruined everything" Y/N's voice faltered for the first time in the presence of someone other than her own family. She knew she was about to cry, that was something she couldn’t hold back any more. She'd done so for six years but still, she didn’t want him seeing her crumble like this. She rested her forehead against his chest to keep her face out of his view, sniffling as she tried her best to keep her voice steady "for once Neteyam, stop thinking so much about what might be good for someone else and start doing what is good for you"

He placed her hands on his torso before he let go of her wrists. Suddenly he was a boy again, the same one who yearned for those innocent touches from Y/N. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, holding her awkwardly since he wasn’t sure how she'd react to being hugged.

"Did you want all of this?" She backed up slightly to look at him which caused his hands to drop around her waist. Her eyes were brimmed with tears that streamed down her cheeks when she blinked. Neteyam brought one hand up to wipe away the tears, heart shattering at the fact that he was the reason behind them. She didn’t resist his touch but she did repeat herself, emphasising on a particular word "did you want all of this?"

Of course he didn’t. Neteyam dreaded the idea of seeing her but not being able to touch her. Hearing her laugh and knowing he was no longer the cause of it. Accidentally looking into her eyes and then forcing himself to look away to avoid his feelings from growing. To then someday watch her slip away from completely, to watch her mate with someone who wasn’t him.

Did you want all of this?

"No"

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aphrodisiac-siren · 1 year ago

Text

Masterlist~

Home- [Ongoing] Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

Maladroit Penchant [Completed] Part 1, Part 2

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aphrodisiac-siren · 1 year ago

Text

Home~ Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

//slow burn, time skip//

masterlist, Part 7

Part 6

🫧

-Flashback-

Time had seemingly frozen for Neteyam in that moment.

The words 'I've been shot' left him feeling like a bullet had gone right through him as well.

He did his very best to keep Y/N afloat, feeling helpless as she continued to bleed from being shot.

"Lo'ak help me" he desperately asked, clicking his tongue at the ilu next to them to swim closer.

They'd managed to get off the sky people's ship, with Spider too and yet Neteyam felt that all his efforts had been in vain. Their escape wasn’t planned out but he thought he could’ve been better at what he always felt was his job: protecting.

He held Y/N close to him, his chin resting atop her head.

With every passing second, his heart only began to pick up pace and a strange feeling engulfed him; like a stone twice his weight was placed on his chest.

He couldn’t bare the idea of losing her so he pushed those thoughts away the best he could yet the dread of the possibility of said instance occurring, lingered.

Lo'ak's voice seemed so distant when he called out to their dad despite him being right behind him.

Y/N coughed and winced in pain as she was carried from the ilu to a rock, clenching her teeth to keep herself from letting all of that antagonising pain emerge in the form of a scream.

Tsirerya was already crying, Lo'ak also just moments from doing the same as they encircled Y/N while Jake examined her briefly.

Neteyam refused to take his eyes off her, his hand holding her's as she occasionally squeezed when the pain got too much.

'Do not take her' he inwardly prayed to Ewa, borderline begging.

He felt as though he had been entrapped in a bad dream and he wanted nothing more than to just wake up to find all of this wasn’t really happening.

"No exit wound" He breathed out, making Neteyam's ears shoot up.

Despite being wounded pretty bad, there was still a slim chance to save her.

Whilst his parents along with Spider went back for his sisters, Neteyam made haste for the village with Y/N.

There was a flame of hope set ablaze at the mention of a possibility that she could be saved and Neteyam would fight almost anyone or anything who would stand in his way of saving her.

"Neteyam" she weakly called out, using up whatever strength she had just to call out his name

'You’re going to be okay' he immediately cut her off before she had a chance to say anything else that would suggest she was giving up 'stay with me, you’re going to be okay'

-End of flashback-

Neteyam and Y/N had, to everyone's surprise, grown distant over the past six years.

Or more like, had been making every effort to stay away from each other as much as possible.

They were like the same poles of a magnet, repelling away from the other.

They both refused to talk about it when questioned and just brushed it off but being part of the same friend circle meant there were some occasions in which they just couldn’t avoid each other and just had to put on a fake front and deal with each other's existence; not to mention the awkward atmosphere they created and the tension that everyone in their group sensed and had to deal with.

"Bro you can’t keep me in the dark about this" Lo'ak groaned, pestering his brother as they sat by the trees at the beach, making arrows as per the instruction of Ronal "I'm your brother, tell me what happened"

"For the last time baby bro, nothing happened" Neteyam rolled his eyes, wrapping the twine around the head of the arrow "sometimes people grow apart"

"Not you two" Lo'ak gave him a look that was a mixture of suspicion and confusion "you guys going from inseparable to absolute strangers is so weird"

"Lo'ak-"

"And anytime you do have any conversations" Lo'ak continued "that include more words than just 'hi' or 'hey' it's you two arguing over something stupid"

"Just shut up and do your work" Neteyam playfully smacked the back of his head, not really responding to his statements. Mostly because what his brother was saying was true.

He and Y/N seemed to bicker more than having an actual conversation; those silly banters seemed to be the only time they actually interacted with each other for more than five seconds and even though Neteyam would never admit it, he did not mind.

If that was the only way they would communicate, so be it; as long as it meant he would still be in contact with her.

He found it pathetic but their relationship at this point had sort of narrowed down to only awkward greetings and immature arguments which were never taken to heart but never really playful either.

He did not like the arguments but it came almost naturally and Neteyam had to admit it was both comical and cute when Y/N pouted and puffed anytime she got frustrated enough at him.

Once they were done crafting the arrows, they headed toward Tonowari’s pod to drop them off, or more like Neteyam having to deliver them all by himself while Lo'ak dumped his share of arrows with him and ran off.

When he arrived at the pod Aonung was there to tell him where to put the arrows before he took his leave for his hunting lessons.

Not wanting to dawdle too long in someone else’s home, he made his way toward the designated place for where the arrows were stored along with a few spears which was located right at the end of the pod near the back door that overlooked the blue sea that flowed beneath most of the village.

The tranquil sound of the breeze blowing in harmony with the waves was accompanied by a soft and irregular humming which captured Neteyam’s attention.

He peaked outside the archway of the back door to look at where the humming was coming from.

There was a hammock that was set up right above the waters, in which Y/N seemed to be peacefully asleep. She looked just as ethereal as she did when he first saw her and he wondered how she managed to do it so effortlessly even while being asleep.

He was fully aware that it was weird to gawk so shamelessly at someone when they’re sleeping but that didn’t seem to stop him from inching closer to get a better look at her.

Not a second too soon and he knew he shouldn’t have made the stupid decision of moving toward Y/N because as soon as he did, he stepped on either a small rock or a shell, either of which were sharp enough to send a surge of pain up his foot that caused him to wince in pain- making him drop all of the arrows.

The sound of the arrows falling onto the wooden porch along with his painful wincing awoke the girl and immediately her eyes locked with his.

A mix of both dread and embarrassment washed over Neteyam like a tidal wave and he wanted nothing more than to just dissolve into the waters beneath him and erase himself from this situation.

Just like how anyone would react to waking up and seeing that you were being watched while you slept, Y/N screamed with both fright and confusion. She jolted upright, the sudden and quick movement causing the hammock to rock violently.

Neteyam tried to help her before she fell, moving toward her with his arm stretched out to hold on to either her hand or the hammock, whichever he managed to catch first.

But things only seemed to be going downhill for him and he stepped onto one of the many arrows pooled around him, the pointy side jabbing at the same foot he’d hurt only a few seconds ago and he yelped in agony, the second surge of pain causing him to lose his balance and topple into the hammock; sending the boy crashing into the waters and Y/N along with him.

“You skxawng!” Y/N snapped at him as she rubbed the water out of her eyes “what is wrong with you?”

“I was trying to help you” Neteyam snapped right back, not too happy about falling and then being yelled at over it. He hauled himself over the narrow porch, outstretching his arm for Y/N to take so that he could pull her up, which she took.

“Help me? You threw me over” she huffed.

“Oh no, you were doing just fine falling off by yourself” he immediately shot back.

“Who-who lurks around and stares at someone when they’re sleeping? Creep, that’s why I fell for you” She briefly paused to correct her slip-of-tongue “I fell because of you”

Neteyam wanted to drop it, he really did but he couldn’t fight back the grin that etched its way to his face.

“Fell for me?” He repeated with a shit eating smirk that he knew would earn him a slap from Y/N “aw shit Y/N, didn’t know being a creep was all it took to get you to fall for me”

“So you admit being a creep?” There was absolutely no amusement in her tone whatsoever and Neteyam could tell he was getting under her skin.

“Wait till I tell all the boys about this” he knew he was pushing it. Y/N did sometimes get so hot-headed that she’d fumble over her words but this time she’d just dropped a pot of gold at his feet and Neteyam was going to bask in this moment for as long as he could “I'll tell them they can drop all their extravagant acts of bravado, just staring at Y/N while she sleeps will have her swooning at you in no time”

“Get out you annoying jungle frog” she smacked his arm, running out of patience and the sound of laughter that escaped Neteyam’s lips only seemed to further infuriate her.

“Okay okay my love, I’m out” he raised his hands in surrender as he got to his feet “you’re cranky when you just wake up anyway”

“My love?” Y/N confusingly repeated, her English accent just as heavy as Neteyam’s “what’s that?”

Neteyam didn’t know why he said that, it just sorta slipped out. He didn’t mean anything by it but he knew explaining what the word meant would only make things weird.

With his back still faced toward her, he bent down to pick up the mess of arrows he’d made and neatly put them away in a corner all while an awkward silence surrounded him.

He wasn’t sure if the prolonged pause was because she was awaiting a translation or if she’d just dropped the conversation but he decided to respond with a ‘it’s nothing’ before he made himself scarce.

___

Over the last six years, Y/N’s spirit of competition only seemed to grow stronger. It had reached a point where even Aonung didn’t try to challenge her much, it was just too exhausting.

So when her recent little encounter with Neteyam ended not only with her absolutely butchering the words that came out of her mouth but with him teasing her for it, proceeding to say something in English which was indefinitely an insult and then refusing to translate it for her, it only left Y/N feeling more annoyed at him.

That was something Neteyam had been doing a lot over the years: being absolutely insufferable and annoying.

She didn’t know what brought it upon him, one moment he was an absolute sweetheart and then all of a sudden he just couldn’t stand to be around her. Ever since that entire fiasco with Quaritch and the sky people, things had become so different.

Neteyam initially used to stay away from her, as if she were a deadly sickness he was afraid of catching. Anytime he’d see her, he’d just turn and go the other way.

And then eventually overtime it turned into silently glancing at each other and then quickly looking away as soon as their eyes met.

From there it evolved into forced smiles anytime they hung out with their friends, occasionally bringing themselves to say a greeting or a goodbye when they dispersed.

Which then became this mess of silly insults and childish banter.

And for some reason, it just stuck that way; never once did they ever come even remotely close to having a normal, sweet conversation like how they used to haven when the Sullys first arrived.

The war between the Na’vi and the sky people had ended but the one between Neteyam and Y/N seemed nowhere near finished.

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