#hockey!kiri

[scarlettriot]

BREAKING POINT: PT 7 - After Party

Pairing: Kirishima x F!Reader

Warnings: Vomit, Talk of Sexual Assault, Drinking, Swearing, Alcohol Aversion

Contains: College AU. Kiri plays hockey. Hurt/Comfort. As said above, sexual assault is talked about, if this makes you uncomfortable, please proceed with caution! Reader does not drink!

Summary: The part following the team's away win should've been fun, but an innocent mistake makes the whole night go awry, and some truths come spilling out.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six

Tag List: @sleepynaya, @kenmakai, @ace-of-books, @swirrley, @silverhairsimp, @weebaboobs, @meggsngrits @requi-escence, @thepuckishrogue, @moon-soul

A/N: I did it. Hehe. FINALLY. This particular chapter has taken me an unbearable amount of time to get through but we're finally here, folks. This one took a whole lot out of me to write and, I'm afraid the next one isn't gonna be a whole lot easier but I've already started to work on it! But, without further ado, enjoy part seven, everyone ♡

Word Count: 3,935

Over the course of the season thus far, the team had thrown a couple house parties to celebrate their wins. You expected this one to be similar, but when you arrived, it appeared the guest list had damn near doubled. People were gathered on Mirio and Tamaki’s front porch, and the door was wide open with loud music pouring out. 

Dancing was taking place in the living room, tables and sofas pushed far out of the way, leaving plenty of room for people to move about. You skillfully maneuvered around the edge of the makeshift dance floor, waving at the few familiar faces, and kept looking for one redhead in particular. 

You really weren’t too surprised to find Eijiro in the kitchen, red cup in hand, and talking to the pretty girl who’d come up to him and Katsuki early that morning at breakfast. You gave them space, just like you did when she’d bring him baked goods before games and asked to be his partner in labs. He never really talked much about her, but no matter what Mina said or how many times she told you how much closer you were to him than this woman was, you couldn’t help but feel there might be something more between them. 

It was a feeling that didn’t settle well in your chest, so you grabbed a cup and filled it from a pitcher labeled ‘Juice’ and headed off to find anyone else you knew. Your eyes landed on Denki first, fiddling with a playlist on his phone to keep the music going. “Hey! Ya made it!” He slung an arm around you. “You’ve got good taste in music. This playlist’s almost up; pick a new one.” 

He had a couple already selected for you to choose from, all of which gave off similar upbeat vibes. You ran through the featured artists on each of them, “This one.” 

“Good choice, good choice.” He lined it all up and then plugged it back in before taking you by your free hand and pulling you right out onto the dance floor. He spun you around and, with his hands on your waist, guided you right to where Hanta and Mina were. 

“You’re here!” Mina squeaked and tossed her arms around you, nearly spilling both your drinks in the process. They wasted no time making space for you in their little group, the four of you jumping to the beat as one song morphed into the next. 

You took a sip of the drink, thinking it’d be something refreshing to cool you down, but the juice you grabbed tasted… horrible. Like, downright awful. And the way your face scrunched up clearly made that known. 

“What is it?” Hanta asked. 

Your stomach twisted. “I think– oh, man– I think that juice is expired or something. It tastes awful.” You passed the cup over to Mina and she tried it next while you started to feel just a smidge ill. She licked her lips a little and thoughtfully tasted it. 

“No, babe, this is just standard jungle juice. You might not like the alcohol that they threw in.” 

With no warning at all, it felt like the floor had given way beneath you. Your stomach churning in an instant. “Alcohol?” You muttered weakly. 

She nodded. “Yup. Rum, schnapps, and a few wines, I think– Hey! Where ya goin’!?” 

“Damn, never knew she couldn’t handle her alcohol…” You barely even heard what Hanta had said. Bile was inching up your throat. You could feel it and knew what was going to happen. You ran through the kitchen, “Y/N!” Eijiro’s voice didn’t even register. The bathroom door was locked, and you couldn’t wait. Tossing open the back door instead, you barely made it into the grass before spilling the contents of your stomach out in the yard. 

Gods, you were so thankful everyone was still gathered inside or out front. There was no one to witness this mess. Except the heavy footfalls racing across the deck and over to where you were doubled over. “The hell happ– O– oh– okay.” You heaved again, and Eijrio gathered your hair up for you. “‘S alright. Let it out.” You were so fucking embarrassed. “That’s it…” He rubbed broad circles against your back until you were just panting, trying to catch your breath. 

This really couldn’t get any worse… or so you thought.

“Kiri!” A shrill voice called, “Come back inside! I wanna dance!” 

And you wanted to vomit all over again. “Can’t right now, Mari. ‘M busy!” 

There was a little huff, “But we were having fun!”

Something you rarely heard crept out in Eijiro’s tone as he reiterated, “I can’t. I’m busy.”

She tried coaxing him again, but he just ignored her now, and about a minute later, you heard the door open and close again, and then another round of vomit came. The grass was torn up from how tight your fingers dug into the wet earth; it sept into your jeans, making both your knees freezing cold. 

“‘M sorry, Ei.” You whimpered when you could. 

“Don’t be. It’s really alright. Take as much time as you need.” 

The door opened again, and you prepared yourself to hear Mari’s demanding tone, but a much more welcomed one touched your ears instead. “Y/N, oh fuck, babe…” You looked up and, through bleary eyes, saw Itsuka’s copper hair coming down the steps towards you. “What happened?” 

“I dunno, really. I wasn’t with her.” Eijiro admitted, “I think she just drank too much.” 

Itsuka shook her head. “That’s not possible. Y/N doesn’t drink.” 

Eijiro opened his mouth like he was going to say something but shut it again as he took a second to think. “Wait… you’re right. I’ve never seen you drink any kind of alcohol.” 

“That’s because she has an aversion to it. Sweetie, did someone give you something?” 

You shook your head and explained how you’d done it to yourself by mistake. “Got it. Think ya can stand? Lemme get you home.” 

With Eijiro’s help, you were able to get back on your feet though your knees did feel significantly more wobbly than before. “You– you just got here though, Suka. I can make it home, promise.” 

“Absolutely not. If anything, I can get you situated back home and come back here if I really want to.” 

“Or I can just getcha home?” The both of you looked up at Eijiro but didn’t say much of anything. “We literally have these parties after every game, missing one isn’t a big deal for me at all. Suka, you and Tet never really get nights out like this. You should enjoy it.” 

She looked hesitant, and you knew it wasn’t because she didn’t trust Eijiro to get you home but because she didn’t want to leave you alone. “Wanna at least walk back with us?” You offered, and she nodded her head. 

Just a couple of seconds later, Eijiro knelt to the ground with his back towards you, “Hop on.” 

Normally, you would’ve protested. Insisted that you could walk just fine on your own. But the world was still spinning far more than it should’ve been, so you wrapped your arms around him, and he stood back up, locking his hands under your legs. “Damn, have you always been this tall?” You muttered, and all he could do was laugh. “Hey, you sure Mari is gonna be alright with you leavin’? Should you tell her or something?” 

“It doesn’t really matter what she thinks, and no, I don’t need to tell her anything. We were just talkin’ was all.” 

He didn’t carry you through the house but rather around it and then down the sidewalk, starting the trip back to your apartment, and it wasn’t long after that he started asking the questions you knew were bound to come. 

“So, you have an aversion to alcohol…? Did you get sick off it?” 

You swallowed thickly because even though you knew he’d ask, talking about it still wasn’t easy. “Ei… don’t.” Itsuka tried to avoid the conversation, but maybe it’d be better if Itsuka wasn’t the only one who knew what happened to you. And you were around Eijiro a lot, it kinda made sense. 

“Suka… can you tell him?” 

Her teal eyes met yours. “You want me to tell him? All of it? The whole thing?” 

Shock and concern were evident in her tone and the widening of her eyes when you nodded your head. 

“Um… alright.” She took a deep breath, “So, there was this party our senior year of high school, like the party of the year. We all decided to go as a group and just take an uber home if things got too wild. Y/N hadn’t really drank before that night, and she only had one when we got there. The night went on, and this guy who graduated a few years before us started really flirting with Y/N. It seemed harmless to us, but he kept pushing things, and we didn’t know about it,” 

It was then that you burrowed into the back of Eijiro’s neck, hating that you didn’t speak up sooner or go find them that night. Things could’ve been so different if you had. 

“He kept giving her drinks, telling her she’d enjoy the night more if only she loosened up. Then he convinced her to go on an ice run. He got her alone in a car, and that was when Y/N realized just how much he had, that he shouldn’t be driving.” Eijiro’s hands flexed anxiously below you. “She said she told him not to go anywhere, that someone more sober should. He agreed but then told her they should do something else while they were alone in the car.” 

Itsuka took a long pause, looking at you like she wasn’t sure if she should keep going. When you didn’t stop her, she pressed on but, for your sake, kept the details of this part as vague as possible. Eijiro didn’t need specifics. “He tried to force himself on her. She was hurt but managed to hit him with a bottle he had in the car and got out before anything real fucking messed up happened. We found her shortly after that.” 

“I haven’t been able to drink alcohol since that night. Even thinking about it can make me puke sometimes.” You explained. 

Eijiro was quiet for about a block, letting the story sink in, and then very casually inquired,  “So, uh, where is this guy now?” 

“Jail, thank fuck.” Itsuka proudly told him. “Right where he belongs!” 

“He was arrested for a DUI a couple months after the assault.”

“That’s good, real good,” He mumbled, and his thumbs rubbed gently against your legs. 

Did you even realize you were shaking? Eijiro could feel the way you trembled, and he wished like hell he could’ve held you closer. Was it from the cold, being sick, or the story Itsuka told? Some combination of the three? He wasn’t capable of thinking about anything else the rest of the way to your apartment. 

How had he not known you went through that! There was no way he could’ve. Logically, he knew that, but it didn’t stop him from feeling this guilt build in his chest that there was nothing he could do to help. Or the rage burning in his chest, hatred for this faceless, nameless pitiful excuse for a man. 

But then you settled against him again, warm breath fanning over his neck, and he decided he’d just be thankful that you were okay now. That you were here with them now. Because gods wouldn’t be able to help the sorry bastard who attempted to pull that shit on you now that he’s around. 

Ten minutes later, Itsuka had unlocked the apartment, and Eijiro carried you all the way back to the bathroom, where Itsuka already had the water running. 

He knew he could’ve headed back to the party, but he opted to wait in your living room instead, wanting to make sure you were okay. It didn’t matter that it was nearly an hour later until he saw you again or that he was pretty sure he heard you crying with Itsuka once the shower shut off; he waited nonetheless. 

When you did come back to the living room, your cheeks looked slightly puffy, your eyes a little red, your hair was wet, and you were in a hoodie that he definitely knew was his. You walked right up to him when he stood from the sofa and wrapped your arms around his middle. 

“Thanks for everything, Eiji.” 

“You don’t have t’thank me at all.”

You looked up at him with a crooked smile. It didn’t reach your eyes like usual, and that made everything so much worse. “Have fun at the party, okay? You deserve it.” 

He shook his head. “I don’t really think I’m gonna stick around once I walk Itsuka back… could I come over here? We could catch up on our show instead?” 

It’d be fine if you told him no. He would completely understand if you needed time to be alone, but he started to feel a little better when you nodded your head. “If you’re sure that’s whatcha wanna do.” 

“‘M positive.” 

“You look like you wanna say or ask something, Ei. Spit it out.” Itsuka always knew when he had something on his mind, he could never hide it from her. 

“What did you mean by, ‘real fucking messed up’? How… how far did–” 

“That doesn’t matter, Ei.” He recoiled a bit, feeling guilty for even asking, “He got far enough that she vomits when she tastes alcohol, and gets queasy when she even thinks of drinking. For months she wouldn’t ride alone in a car with a guy. She still rarely does,” He couldn’t help but suddenly recall all the times you’ve been in the jeep with just him, this morning included, “Yeah, you should consider yourself pretty lucky.” She finally took a breath, “If she wants to tell you the particulars, she will, but don’t count on it. She barely talks about that night, ever.” 

He nodded slowly. “Why didn’t she say anything at all though? She could’ve just told us she doesn’t drink…” 

“Probably for the same reason you haven’t told her the fucked up shit Monoma did to you…” 

He stopped and held an arm out, blocking her path. “Whoa! Those situations are entirely different!” 

Itsuka shrugged. “The situations aren’t the same, but the reasons you don’t talk about them are pretty similar:” And then she ticked them off on her fingers. “You feel hate and anger about what he did, and so does she. You’re embarrassed by the situation, and so is she, even though neither of you has a reason to be. You think if you tell people, they’re gonna judge you and treat you differently, and so does she.”

He couldn’t even argue with her because everything she said was true. And it sucked so much more to know you felt all those same terrible feelings that he tries with all his might to keep hidden so deep down within him. 

“She let you know about one of the darkest times in her life…” She patted his chest, “maybe it’s time to think about telling her yours.” 

That was easier said than done though. Of course, the difference was their little group of friends all knew about what happened to him. Monoma tormented all of them, he just happened to take a particular interest in making Eijiro’s life a living hell. 

The whole walk back from the party (again), he thought about what Itsuka had said. Maybe he could tell you. There was really nothing to be afraid of. He knew you wouldn’t judge him for it, and he might even be able to protect you from whatever little game Monoma was playing… if he was playing one. It had been a few years, the man could’ve finally grown up, but that still didn’t change what he’d done. At least, if you had all the information, you could take all the facts and make the decision to befriend him or not. 

Yeah, he’d find a time to tell you. Not tonight though. You had way too much happen for him to dredge up his own drama tonight. 

On his way, he stopped at the convenience store. Stocked up on a hearty supply of your favorite drinks and snacks, as well as some plain crackers and ginger ale, just in case your stomach was still uneasy. 

When he got back though, he didn’t make it up the steps. He saw you sitting in the little courtyard that was actually quiet for once. 

“Y/N…” He called quietly, not wanting to startle you, but you kept your head tipped up, looking at an inky sky with stars sewn into it. You look so damn peaceful, lost in your own little world. “Babe?” He tried this time, and you look back over your shoulder at him. “Whatcha doin’ out here?” As he took a couple steps closer, he could see the tear streaks drying down your cheeks in the bright moonlight, and it made him rush to you. 

“The chilly air feels kinda good.” Your voice still sounded small and tired. 

“Awe, babe…” You stayed sitting in the chair, and he wrapped his arms around you tight. “‘M sorry.” 

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” Your chin rested on his stomach so you were able to look up at him just like earlier, but this time he didn’t think before cupping your face in his hands and brushing away the few tears that spilled over when your eyes closed. 

He knew he had nothing to apologize for, but he still hated seeing you in pain, knowing you were hurting. That’s when he remembered there was something he could do to take your mind off things, at least for a little while. 

“Wanna sit out here for a little longer or head inside?” His hoodie was warm, but under it, you just had a pair of sleep shorts on and these plastic chairs had to be freezing cold. “The cold might feel good, but Itsuka will kill me if I letcha stay out here and you get sick.” 

You let out a wet chuckle and nodded. He had you walk ahead of him, setting a slow pace up the steps back up to your floor. “Why don’t you check out the snack I grabbed. I’m gonna change real fast.” 

He waited though, until your door shut before going to his own apartment. Kicking his jeans off before he got to his room and pulling on black sweats instead. He shed the flannel he’d been wearing too but kept the gray shirt knowing he’d be plenty warm in your apartment with just that. 

You opened the door for him and already had your favorite snack opened up and in hand. “You’re the best.” 

He beamed at the compliment. “Glad you approve.” 

A couple minutes later and you two were curled up on the sofa with a blanket over your laps, snacks and drinks spread out across the coffee table, and your favorite show was playing. 

Eijiro had his arm tucked around you. After last night, holding you like this, it felt like second nature to him. It was nice to just be here with you, in the quiet of the night, like this was how things were supposed to be. 

In fact, he barely even thought about the party the two of you had been at just an hour ago. It was far from his mind. He was barely thinking about anything else at all until there was a knock on your door. 

“Are you expecting anyone?” You shook your head, and he offered to get it. 

He left you bundled up on the sofa and answered the door to find three of your friends gathered around. 

“There you are!” Mina chirped, “They’re here!” She called down the hall, and Eijiro poked his head out to see Katsuki and Izuku coming out of his apartment. 

“What’re you guys doing here?” 

“We came looking for Y/N when she didn’t come back from the bathroom. And then that nitwit you’ve been hanging around said you’d been with her outside–” 

“So, we went outside,” Denki picked up, “And couldn’t find either of you. We thought maybe you came back in but nope.” 

“We tried calling, but your phone is dead,” Hanta shot Eijiro a look, “Shocker. We didn’t wanna bug Y/N since she was sick. So, we decided to come back here and try to find you guys hoping you just went home.” 

Eijiro heard you chuckling from the sofa and looked over to finally see a little bit of that spark back in your eyes. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling great, so we came back here.” 

“Apparently havin’ a party of your own too.” Katsuki sassed, and Izuku elbowed him.

“We’re glad you’re okay, Y/N. We’ll get out of your hair.” 

One look and Eijiro knew exactly what you were about to offer, and he thought it was sweet. “Wanna stay? We’re just watching some tv.” 

“We wouldn’t want to interrupt anything.” Mina couldn’t even get through her sentence without giggling. 

“You’re not interrupting.” Eijiro rolled his eyes.

The group all decided to run off and get in their own comfy clothes before returning. In the meantime, you and Eijiro moved the snack table out of the way because you knew Denki was going to bring the air mattress over. Hanta came armed with a mountain of extra pillows and Mina with blankets. Katsuki raided their fridge because he insisted you get something decent in your belly. 

Everyone settled in and gathered around, laughter filling the room, and Eijiro was thrilled when you started joining in. It felt great having everyone around, and no one made any comments about the way he kept you close all night. The only thing was a sly wink from Mina when you fell asleep with your head in his lap. 

Nearly everyone else passed out too. Denki cuddled into Hanta’s back, and Katuski spread out like starfish on one of your sofas with Izuku curled up in a ball beside him. 

Before he knocked out though, he made himself get up, scooping you up in his arms and carrying you to bed because after tonight, you deserved a good night’s rest and not to wake up with a stiff neck. 

He pulled back your blankets and gently set you down on the cool sheets, but before he had the chance to tuck you in, you scooted over and peeked an eye open. “Stay? Y’said you’d do it ‘gain.”

Gods, he really had said that just this morning. It felt like ages ago. Still, he hadn’t changed his mind. Not at all. So, he crawled in beside you, and unlike last night, you curled up with him right away, head resting on his chest and your leg over his. “Thank you, Ei. F’everythin’.” Your sleepy voice was quite possibly the cutest thing he’d ever heard. 

He kissed the top of your head and ran his hand up and down the length of your spine. “Of course. Sleep well, Y/N.” 

“Sweet dreams, baby.”  

It took Eijiro about an hour to calm his heart down after hearing that, and when he did, he still just heard you calling him ‘baby’ all throughout his dreams.

Gods, was there anything better?

A/N: Thanks for reading ♡ I'll try and be a lot quicker with updates this time around.

[decendingfromgrace]

Ok I’m on this idea. Ice hockey player time!

Ice hockey player!Bakugou is a forward, you can’t change my mind. He takes so much joy in crashing into the opposing players. The roars of the fans drown out everything else and his snarl grows at their cries. Rushing the other team as they block the goal to cause chaos. He’s made the most winning goals of any player. They always have him break the ties in the one on one and honestly he’s a bit scary. Fastest member of the team, most aggressive on the ice. Infamous for his skills and the wicked smile he has whenever he scores. No one is brave enough to get into a fight with him while on the ice and he’s a expert at breaking them up. He supports his team, in his own way, and the team respects him for it. Aggressive yells of support and curt grunts of approval.Usually ends up with a bloody nose or a split lip but the adrenaline from the match and seeing you cheering him on makes it all worth it. Always makes sure you get a kiss afterward, weather he’s bloody or not.

Ice hockey player!Kiri is a brick wall of a goalie. They needed to get extra large pads for him due to his size. The goal itself only comes up to his lower back. No one gets past him. Even though he’s huge at 6’6, he’s nimble. It always throws off the other team when he bashes from one end of the goal to the other. He’s know for blocking with his head which makes you gasp and scold him every time but hey he blocked the puck. The most positive and supportive part of the team. Always smiling and pumping up everyone. He doesn’t get into fight but if needed he will end them. Intimidating as fuck to the other team but to those who know him, he’s a sweetheart. The type to pick you up and spin you around after they win. He loves seeing you bow along with the crowd when he blocks a shot, makes him giggle like a dork. The team loves you. They see you at every practice and every game. They make sure you have a spot reserved in the front for you. You need to support your men dammit!

Bk lives to see you get flustered over the heated stare he gives when he passes by your section. His aggression on the ice and his precision makes you weak in the knees and he eats it up. “You see that, babe?” That big smile overtaking him as you flood him with compliments. He may bask in the crowd but he thrives off of you. His bloody kisses are sloppy and adrenaline filled but after the match he simmer downs and really worships you. He gets quiet after a defeat. Steps away from the group to be alone and really shame himself for letting the team down. You’re soothing to him. Sweet murders of praise and rational enough to make him see through the muck. He will look to you for comfort and reassurance cause sometimes his high expectations he can’t reach.

Kiri goes straight to you after a match. Looking for praises and compliments on his performance. He perks up at your coos and awes over how amazing and strong he is, how dependable and handsome he is. How well he did blocking the puck. He big arms easily picking you up to be perched on his shoulder and the team congratulates him on saving their asses from the rival teams shots. When he looses he really blames himself. Trains to an unhealthy degree at times. You know when to pull him away from the gym or the rink and care for him. Compliment him even when he says he doesn’t deserve it for not blocking that one puck. You shush him anyway and continue to show just how much you appreciate all his hard work and dedication.

Both of them love you. Love seeing you in their jerseys and colors. Love seeing your rosy face from the cold. Cant get enough of your praises and kisses and they love to give it all back and then some when they get to fuck you after the game. It’s their turn to spill praises. Kneading and kisses every part of you. Overstimulating you until you’re breathless and shaking. Thanking their perfect, pretty little luck charm for helping them win.

[k-roi]

help y’all i can’t stop thinking about an on ice sully family universe. sully’s skate! au

Jake is a famous hockey player.

Neytiri is the daughter of a famous ice skating coach, and wants to take after her parent’s profession, so she trains Jake for free/cheap so she can get her mandated certificate hours in (he was her parent’s client, but he couldn’t afford their increasingly expensive prices so this was the best choice).

they fall in love of course, have kids, and then their kids follow their footsteps. this is a skate! au, after all!

Neteyam is a hockey player! he’s one of the youngest hockey players in their national team.

Lo’ak and Kiri are rising famous duo ice figure skating siblings (think of the shibutani siblings). their similar builds and height allow for more artistic and gymnastic leeway, impressing the crowds.

Tuk’tirey is pro-efficient on the ice, but hasn’t decided on her calling yet since she’s still young. she is, however, enrolled in her middle school curling team, and is interested in taking up speed skating when she’s older (she’s a dare devil)!

[idontgiveaflyinggrayson69]

The Bond

Author: Nat / @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69

Relationship: Neteyam x Fem!Na’vi!Reader

Summary: The bond is a beautiful thing, but it’s also the most painful thing you ever experienced.

Word Count: 14k

Warnings: Smut. Unprotected sex (wrap it up kids). Major character death. Angst. Pregnancy. ATWOW spoilers.

Comments: Hockey people look away, look away… After watching ATWOW I physically could not stop thinking about ‘what if you could feel the bond’ the way Parabatai feel each other in the Mortal Instruments and one thing led to another… This really was supposed to just be a short little imagine just to get the idea out of my head so I could work on my other projects but then I went hmmm no I think this needs some context for it to make sense and then I proceeded to write their entire fucking story cradle to grave and spent WAY too much time fact checking every single detail… There were a bunch of ways I could have expanded this, but I told myself no because no one needs a 50k+ Neteyam story... Also, this was not betad because I was not about to subject my poor beta to my current Avatar obsession.

Disclaimer: I thought Neteyam was 20 the whole movie so that’s how old he is in this, which is about the same age Jake and Neytiri were in the first film. And also, Neteyam wears a battle belt, which means he is seen as a man among the Omatikaya.

do not repost, do not claim as your own

Tsaheylu.

The bond.

The beginning and the end of everything.

You feel their breath, you feel their heart, you feel their strength. It’s your way to connect with the world around you. At least, that’s what they always told you.

It’s a beautiful thing the bond. You can ride and fly and see and hear without uttering a single word. And most beautiful of all, you get to feel your mate, if you were lucky enough to find one.

With a mate, it wasn’t just their breaths and heart you felt like a horse or an ikran. It was deeper, much deeper. You felt them. Their thoughts, their memories, the every ounce of their being. The bond ties you to them—to their soul—for life, connects you to them in a way you’d never be connected to anyone or anything for as long as you lived.

It’s a beautiful thing the bond.

--

You could remember the first time Neteyam brought up the possibility of mating.

The golden son, the next Olo’eykton, the first-born son of Toruk Makto and Neytiri, Neteyam always had big shoes to fill, and it was always something he struggled with in silence. Who was he to talk to about the shade of greatness he grew up in? His father? His mother? His little brother? None of them understood, and none of them saw him.

But you did.

For as long as you could remember, Neteyam had been your closest friend, and you his—outside of his siblings at least. Kiri wasn’t much younger than him, but she had always been closer with Lo’ak than him, and Neteyam had always had more of a protective, fatherly role than a brotherly one with them and Tuk especially.

But you? You held no expectations for him. With you he was just Neteyam—or ’Teyam when he made you laugh hard enough you could barely breathe. You did everything with him. Training, hunting, claiming a banshee. Every step, you were there, and there was no one you felt closer to than him.

You didn’t have a big family like he did, it was only you. But you had him. He was your best friend, your everything, your—

Neteyam was going to be the next Olo’eykton and whoever he took as his mate would be the next Tsahìk, so you knew it wasn’t a decision he took lightly. If his father wasn’t Jake Sully, you were sure he’d have been betrothed to a woman his parents deemed worthy of being the next Olo’eykton’s mate. You didn’t know if Eywa had her eyes on you at the decision not to betroth him because, on one hand, there was a chance he’d take you, but on the other, you knew him choosing another of his own will would break you irreversibly.

Neteyam had shown some interest in the other girls in the village, especially the ones his mother mentioned to him, but you never saw him have more than a few conversations with them, mostly about hunting, which they didn’t seem to appreciate as much as you did.

You didn’t know that they were never the one he wanted. That for him, there had only ever been one.

It was the eve of his iknimaya ceremony, the final step of him becoming taronyu, of becoming a man, that he first brought up the possibility of mating with you. Once he became a man, he could choose a woman.

The thought alone made your chest tight. You couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning in your tent before you finally resigned yourself and slipped out. A night walk in the forest would, at the very least, keep your mind occupied.

You should have known Neteyam had the same idea.

Becoming a hunter, becoming a man, becoming one of the People, and earning his place in the clan all weighed heavily on him. He lived in the shadow of his father who had gone from Sky People to one of the People to Toruk Makto to Olo’eykton in a span of a few months. He was only the sixth Toruk Makto since the first songs and Neteyam knew that even if he were to be a great Olo’eykton, he’d never be his father, and it ate at him.

No matter how hard he tried, Neteyam couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned but his mind fought his every attempt at sleep. He knew he needed sleep for the day ahead, but he wasn’t granted peace and finally he resigned himself to a walk to clear his mind. At the very least, the night would pass more quickly and bring him into tomorrow.

Neither of you realized the other was close, not at first. Your mind was so consumed by the thought of him that you weren’t looking where you were going and didn’t put the care into your steps like you knew you should. The snap of the twig under your step was secondary to you, but it made Neteyam’s ears twitch.

He wasn’t alone.

A moment later, another twig snapped under your foot and Neteyam let it consume his attention. All he had on him was his knife, but it would have to do, he was the best hunter of his age after all.

He followed your uncaring, twig breaking steps silently with his knife down, unsure of what he was following. But as soon as he caught a flash of blue skin in the dark, he let himself relax a little. When he stepped a little closer to get a clearer view, he sheathed his knife as he let out a soft laugh. He’d know you anywhere.

The sound of his laugh made your ears twitch and you tensed. You’d know that sound anywhere. “Neteyam?” You breathed as you turned around and a moment later, he revealed himself with his hands up and a playful smile on his lips as he said your name back to you.

“It is late,” he told you as he stepped closer, his tail flicking behind him. “You should be asleep.”

“As should you,” you replied and returned his smile. “You have a big day tomorrow.”

“Ah,” he brushed you off with a short wave of his hand. “I’ll be fine,” he told you. “I do not have to hunt tomorrow, just become taronyu.”

Your smile slipped for half a moment before you pushed it back up. “I know,” you replied, hoping your tone didn’t betray you.

His ears straightened as he watched you and he hoped, oh Eywa he hoped, that he wasn’t misinterpreting your hesitation as he stepped closer to you. “Once I become taronyu, I may take a woman.”

You couldn’t hide the disappointment in your eyes so you turned away from him. “I know,” you whispered. “It’s a big day for the clan. There are many fine women to choose from.”

His heart dropped, fearing rejection from the only woman he had ever wanted. “I know,” he said and let his tail brush yours as he stepped around you, forcing you to look at him.

You shivered at the touch but brushed it off as an accidental touch. “Your father is very fond of Miayho, and your mother favours Zia,” you told him softly, unable to meet his eyes.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “But I’ve already chosen.” His words made your heart drop and you tried to turn away from him again, but he cupped your cheek to stop you. “But this woman must also choose me.”

“She must be lucky,” you whispered, your heart aching.

“She is,” Neteyam smiled. “She is strong and beautiful and a little slow at times, but she is the only one I could ever want.”

“’Teyam,” you breathed, your voice breaking, but his smile never faltered.

“I’m speaking of you,” he told you and softly shook his head. “Tomorrow I am granted the chance to choose a woman, and you are the only woman I have ever wanted. I choose you, if you choose me, too.”

You were quiet as the weight of his words sunk in, but slowly you cupped his cheek, too. “I chose you the moment I saw you,” you replied and rubbed your thumb over the deep blue line that traced the arch of his cheek.

Neteyam’s smile filled your chest with warmth and you leaned forward to rest your forehead against his. Neteyam’s smile softened as he rubbed his nose against yours. He’d mate you right here right now if you let him, but it was not the way, and a day was a short wait compared to the years he had already been waiting.

“So, it is decided, then?” He asked as he pulled back to look at you.

“It is,” you blushed and dipped your head as your ears went back, already itching to reach for your braid. At your words, Neteyam’s shoulders lightened, somewhat anyway. The weight of being the next Olo’eykton and living up to his father still plagued him, but he knew as long as he had you by his side, he’d be alright.

“We should sleep, then,” he told you and bit his lip. “I intent to mate you before Eywa tomorrow.”

Your blush darkened as you smiled. You didn’t dare ask if his mother or father approved of the match, you didn’t care, you just wanted him, needed him. “We should,” you agreed and tilted your chin up. “It is a big day tomorrow.”

Neteyam’s smile widened and he dipped his head. “A very big day,” he agreed and took your hand before he led you back to the village. The sooner you both fell asleep, the sooner tomorrow would come, and the sooner you could become one.

“You could stay with me,” you told him as you approached your tent.

There was nothing Neteyam wanted more, but he also knew his father would expect him in his own bed bright and early and he didn’t want to start the big day on the wrong foot. “Tomorrow night,” he replied and dipped his head. “Tonight will be our last night apart.”

You hated when he pulled his hand from yours, but you knew he was right, that it was the way. You had waited years for this, you could wait another night. “Tomorrow,” you nodded.

“Tomorrow,” he echoed you before he stepped back. Still, he watched as you slipped into your tent safe and secure before he made his way back to his own and prayed to Eywa his father hadn’t noticed his absence. Thankfully, he hadn’t, and Neteyam settled into his bed with a smile and warm chest.

Tomorrow he became taronyu.

Tomorrow he became a man.

Tomorrow he gained you. 

His eyelids were heavy and sleep came more easily to him. One moment he was thinking of your beautiful golden eyes, the next he was passed out, dreaming of your smile and the comforting flowery scent that always clung to your hair.

--

The sun woke him bright and early like it always did and he smiled as he stretched out.

Today was the day.

“Are you nervous?” Lo’ak asked him over breakfast and Neteyam rolled his eyes.

“Why would I be nervous?”

Lo’ak’s shit eating grin widened as he shoved his brother’s shoulder, “that no woman will want to mate with your ugly face.”

Any other day Neteyam would have told his brother off and shoved him back, but your words were still fresh in his mind—I chose you the moment I saw you—and his ears went back as he dipped his head.

Lo’ak’s smile faltered as he moved closer, his ears perking up before he knocked his shoulder against his brother’s. “Bro,” he said under his breath so their parents wouldn’t hear. “Got something you’d like to share?”

Neteyam knocked his shoulder right back against his brother’s. He was quiet for a moment as he debated whether he should say anything, but Neteyam knew his brother well, better than anyone, and he knew Lo’ak wouldn’t stop pestering him until he spilled. “I may have already chosen a woman,” he said with a small smile. “And she has chosen me as well. We will be mated before Eywa.”

“Bro,” Lo’ak breathed and put his hand on the back of Neteyam’s neck as he gave him a little shake. “You asked her?” Neteyam didn’t have to say a name for him to know he meant you.

Neteyam dropped his head again as he nodded, “it is decided.”

“I am surprised she settled for your skxawng ass, but I am happy for you, bro,” Lo’ak grinned, and he laughed as Neteyam bared his fangs at him and shook him off.

“Watch who you call skxawng, skxawng,” he replied, making Lo’ak laugh hard enough that their father looked over at them and their ears went back as they quickly went quiet.

Jake watched his sons for a long moment before he stepped over and sat down next to Neteyam and put his hand on his shoulder. “Are you ready, son?”

Neteyam smiled as he nodded, “born ready, sir.”

“Good,” Jake smiled and patted his son on the back. “Your mom has the paint, whenever you’re ready.”

Neteyam’s tail flicked behind him. “Actually, if it’s alright, there’s something else who I’d like to do the paint.”

For a moment Jake’s eyebrows raised as he looked at his son before the corner of his lip twitched up as he remembered when Neytiri painted him for his own iknimaya. “Of course,” Jake nodded. “But you have to tell your mother.”

His mother wasn’t exactly happy to give up the chance to paint her first born son ahead of the ceremony, but Neteyam rarely asked for anything and she could see in his eyes that it meant a great deal to him, so she resigned herself and handed the bowls of paint over to him. “I hope you chose well, my son,” Neytiri told him.

“I did,” Neteyam replied with a smile. “Thank you, mother.”

The bowls were full and despite their small size, they felt heavy in his hands as he headed out to find you. Neteyam knew both you and the village like the back of his hand so it was easy for him to find you. you blushed as he met your gaze and he smiled before he lowered his head to you and he sat down across from you.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” You asked him softly, buzzing with anticipation of what was to come.

“I should, yes,” he agreed and sat the bowls of paint down in front of you.

“Neteyam,” you breathed. It was traditionally done by mothers.

“I want you to,” he smiled. “That is, if you want to, too.”

You were quiet for a moment before you nodded. “I want to,” you smiled softly and moved the bowls closer to you, the weight of their significance not lost on you as you beckoned him closer. “Now?” You asked softly.

Neteyam nodded as he moved closer. You blushed when he ginned at you shoved his shoulder before dipping your fingers into the white paint. You started with his arm, your touch light as you traced familiar patterns over his skin. Neteyam shivered, both at the coolness of the paint and your touch and it made you blush deepen as you focused on your lines, not wanting to mess any of them up, especially when you felt the weight of his gaze on you.

After his arms, you moved on to his chest and you gave Neteyam a look when the corner of his lip twitched up. “I am well aware you are a mighty warrior, Neteyam,” you told him and pulled your fingers back so you wouldn’t ruin the lines.

“But now you feel that I am a mighty warrior,” he smirked, making you roll your eyes.

You were quiet for a moment as you tried to think of a reply. Slowly, you trailed your fingers down his abdomen and let your lip twitch up when you felt him tense at your touch. “I do,” you hummed and looked up at him. “And soon I will feel all of you.”

You bit your lip as Neteyam’s eyes darkened but you devoted your attention to finishing the lines on his abdomen before you picked up one of the bowls and moved to his back, giggling as Neteyam’s tail kept flicking as you traced the patterns on his skin and once you were done, you hesitated before pressing a soft kiss to the back of his neck and giggled when his ears stood straight up.

“You are a tease, woman,” he breathed as you settled back in front of him to paint his face.

“Am not,” you replied with a smile as you dipped your fingers into the paint again. “Now stay still.” To his benefit, Neteyam was still as he watched you, his tail flicking every now and then as you traced careful lines over his face, finishing with a feather light touch over his lips.

Your tongue darted out to wet your lips as you looked him over. “You are ready,” you told him as you sat back on your haunches.

“I am?” He asked and you nodded.

“You are.”

Neteyam knew kissing you would ruin the paint you worked so hard to get perfect, but he still thought about it and it took every ounce of his self control not to kiss you. “Thank you,” he smiled before he stood and your heart fluttered in your chest as you took him in.

Your best friend. Your lover. Your mate.

A man.

You took his hand when he extended it to you and let him lead you down to where the ceremony would take place. To no surprise, his parents, siblings, and grandmother were already there and when you met his mother’s gaze, you get go of his hand. You weren’t mates yet and this was his ceremony. A ceremony for the clan.

At the loss of your hand, Neteyam looked back at you but you gave him a reassuring smile as you encouraged him on with a nod so he returned his gaze to his parents. Slowly the rest of the clan emerged and began to form the circle around him, and you.

“Neteyam,” Jake started as he looked at his son, trying and failing to restrain his smile. “My son. You tamed an ikran and completed your dream hunt. You are one of the People now,” he said before putting his hands on Neteyam’s shoulders just like Eytukan had done to him many years before. Once Jake touched Neteyam, the rest of his family and then the clan followed suit, one by one until everyone was connected as they welcomed Neteyam into the clan as a man.

You smiled at him as the people began to separate and once he could, Neteyam turned and put his hand on your shoulder, making you blush. His parents weren’t oblivious as they watched you, and Jake gave Neytiri a knowing smile as he held his hand out to her. It felt like just yesterday that she had done the same to him and he was happy for his son. He chose well, just like he did.

--

Every time a member of the clan came of age, there was a celebration. It was filled with food and dance and stories and songs; and Neteyam spent the whole night looking at you.

He was seated between his father, the Olo’eykton, and Lo’ak, and you were across from him, much too far for his liking. He could hear the people telling stories, but he wasn’t listening as he focused on you. You were the only thing that mattered to him.

You had put flowers in your hair and you wore a top he didn’t recognize so it had to be new and Neteyam couldn’t take his eyes off you. You were his everything.

It was only once the sun began to dip in the sky and people returned to their tents that Neteyam was able to steal some much needed alone time with you.

Neteyam washed the paint off and put his newly earned battle belt on by himself, but Jake stuck around with a gut instinct and gave his son a nod before he put his hand on his shoulder. Neteyam didn’t have to tell him for him to know he intended to take a mate, he remembered his own youth well and he could only hope his son found the same happiness he found in Neytiri.

Neteyam nodded back to his father, a smile playing on his lips. “Are you sure, son?” Jake asked and Neteyam nodded.

“More sure than I have ever been.”

“Good,” Jake nodded and squeezed his son’s shoulder. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

It was Neteyam’s turn to laugh and he shrugged his father’s hand off, dipping his head to his father one final time before he slipped out to find you. He was a man now, and you were his to claim.

Neteyam held his hand out to you and you blushed as you took it and let him guide you toward the Tree of Souls. If you were to be mated, then you were going to do it properly and you would be mated before Eywa.

It was only you and Neteyam before the tree and your heart raced with anticipation. By the time you got before the tree, before Eywa, you were a couple steps ahead of Neteyam and your ears twitched with every step he took to close the distance between you. Your tail flicked as he shifted his weight and it took him way too long to touch you, his hand just barely brushing your back to make you look at him.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he said softly, giving you an out. But you didn’t want an out.

“I want to,” you told him, holding his eyes before you slowly lowered yourself to your knees, your heart racing. This was the moment you had been waiting for your whole life, with the person you had been hoping for.

Neteyam followed your lead and knelt across from you before he pulled his braid over his shoulder. You held his gaze as you did the same, your braid heavy in your hand. You had made the bond with horses and your ikran, but taking a mate was something else entirely. Your heart raced with excitement and anxiety as you gripped the end of your braid and held it up, your tendrils searching for his.

You held Neteyam’s gaze as he gripped the end of his own braid and held it out. You let your eyes drop to your braid as he brought his closer. He paused to give you a chance to pull back, and when you didn’t, he moved his braid closer, letting his tendrils intertwine with yours.

It was unlike anything you had every experienced before.

The air left you lungs and you closed your eyes as you leaned into him, resting your forehead against his as you took a deep breath to steady yourself. His touch felt like electricity as he trailed his hands up your arms. And then you were overcome with warmth and familiarity and comfort. Home, you realized. You felt at home. You pulled back to look at him, your jaw slack and pupils blown and you found Neteyam looking back at you with the same awestruck expression. Warmth and pleasure coursed through your veins and when he cupped your cheek, you leaned into his touch.

And then he kissed you. For as long as you could remember, you dreamt of the touch of your mate, but it was so much better than you could have imagined and you melted into the kiss as you rested your hands on his shoulders and moved closer.

Neteyam’s hands trailed down to your hips and you let him pull you onto his lap, both of you desperate for every touch you could steal. You pulled back from the kiss to catch your breath as you struggled to keep air in your lungs, your pull to Neteyam so strong. Your jaw was slack as you looked at him and you were sure your pupils were as blown as his were.

“Neteyam,” you breathed and rubbed your nose against his, craving his touch.

“I know, my name,” he breathed and rubbed his nose back against yours as he let you feel him through his loin cloth. It pulled a soft moan from your lips which he quickly quieted with another kiss.

“I need you,” he said against your lips and let his hand brush the top of your tail, knowing how sensitive it was, and he was rewarded with you rocking your hips into his.

“I need you, too,” you told him and pulled back so you could run your hand down his strong chest to his newly earned warrior’s belt. It wasn’t something you had ever put on let alone taken off, so Neteyam had to help you rid himself of it so you could once again trail your fingers down his abdomen and down to the top of his loin cloth.

Neteyam’s soft groan had heat pooling between your thighs and you were sure he could feel it. “’Teyam,” you whispered and covered his hand on your hip with your own. His golden eyes were dark as he looked at you and you slowly guided his hand up to your chest, needing him to touch you.

Neteyam had seen your chest more times than he’d care to admit, the necklace and beads provided little coverage, but seeing you and feeling you were two entirely different things. Your skin was warm and soft beneath his touch, but your nipples were hard and when he caught it between his fingers, he was rewarded with a soft moan from you, which he desperately wanted to hear again.

He licked his lips as he brought his hand up to your other breast. His hands dwarfed you, and you moaned and leaned into him as he pinched your nipples, learning exactly what you liked, what you needed.

“’Teyam,” you whined and rocked your hips into his once again. His touch wasn’t enough, you could feel him and you needed him. “My mate,” you whispered and trailed your hands down his back.

“I know,” he nodded. You didn’t have to tell him for him to know. He gave a final tweak to your nipples before trailing his hands down your sides to the band of your loin cloth. He kept his eyes on yours as he undid it and slowly peeled the material away from you. it only made your racing heart more intense as you rested on his lap, and your tail brushed his knees as he looked at you before he laid you back against the soft moss.

You were bare to him, but you didn’t care as he looked at you like you hung the stars in the sky. Neteyam ran his eyes over you before he reached down to untie his own loin cloth, and then there was nothing between you.

“Please, ‘Teyam.”

He nodded and ran his hand up your thigh toward where you needed him most. As soon as his thumb reached the seam of where your thigh met your hip, Neteyam could feel how badly you needed him, your wetness coating your skin, pulling a soft groan from him.

When he finally touched you, his touch was light and you let your eyes close as you moaned softly. He was gentle as he trailed his fingers up your slit to the bud at the top and he was rewarded with a loud gasp when he rubbed your clit. He watched you with careful eyes as he circled the bud with his fingers and felt how you throbbed for him.

The tips of his fingers were rough from his years of hunting, and between the roughness and sureness of his touch, you wouldn’t last long. Your high was building fast and when you opened your eyes and found his familiar golden eyes looking back at you, it sent you over the edge.

“Neteyam,” you moaned as you came, your back arching as you pressed your hips into his hand. Neteyam groaned as you drenched his hand and he kept rubbing your clit through it, loving your blissed out expression. It was only when your moans turned to whines that he trailed his fingers down your slit to your entrance.

“May I?” He asked and you nodded quickly so he pressed his finger into you, moaning at how warm and tight you were. His mate, he thought. His perfect mate.

Once you adjusted to his finger, he added a second, not wanting to hurt you. He felt your every flutter around his fingers and it made his cock ache. “I need you,” he told you, his voice rough from holding himself back.

“Then have me,” you replied and spread your legs wider, desperate for your mate.

“Eywa have mercy,” he whispered and pulled his fingers from you before slotting himself between your thighs. He didn’t have to ask, he could feel your need, and he held your gaze as he guided himself to your entrance.

You gasped as he pressed into you and he rested his forehead against yours until his hips were touching yours. “My mate,” he breathed as you ran your hands down his back, and when you wrapped your legs around his hips, you felt his tail brush your ankle. Neteyam’s breaths were shallow as he rested his forehead against your shoulder, both of you needing a moment to adjust.

You were finally tied together the way you always should have been.

Together.

Connected.

One.

“’Teyam,” you breathed once you had adjusted and you cupped the back of his head.

He knew exactly what you needed and he nodded as he pulled halfway out before thrusting back into you and started a slow rhythm, soaking in every feeling of you. You had never felt so connected to someone and you melted at his touch, unsure of where you ended and he began.

His movements were slow but sure and you were consumed with the feel and smell of him. He filled you in a way you didn’t know you could be filled and you could feel yourself get closer and closer to that high with his every movement.

It wasn’t long until your moans grew louder and you dug your nails into his shoulders as your tail thrashed against the moss. When you came, your veins were filled with warmth, a warmth that only Neteyam could feel as his hips stuttered. The feeling of his mate cumming around him was indescribable and it pushed him ever closer.

He fucked you through your high before he picked his pace up, searching his own high. It wasn’t long before he came, too, burying himself deep inside you as he filled you up. You gasped at the feeling and pulled him closer, needing every piece of your mate you could get.

Neteyam smiled into your neck as you both caught your breath, and he pressed a light kiss to your skin before he pulled back to look at you with a soft smile. “We are mated before Eywa,” he breathed and cupped your jaw.

You leaned into his touch with a soft smile. “We are mated for life,” you replied, making his smile widen.

“My mate, my beautiful mate,” he smiled and rested his forehead against yours as you both soaked each other in.

You stayed with your forehead against his as your highs melted away, and slowly Neteyam pulled out of you, murmuring a soft apology when you whimpered at the loss of him. You could still feel his every breath and heartbeat, just like he could feel yours, and when he reached to break the bond, you shook your head. “Can we stay like this?” You asked softly.

Neteyam dropped his head as he nodded and he gave you a small smile before he kissed you softly. His every touch felt like home and you melted into him. He ran his thumbs over your cheek as he looked at you, his eyes full of love for you before he let himself settle behind you. His chest was warm against your back as he wrapped his arms around your waist and you smiled to yourself as you leaned back against him.

You could feel his breath and his heart and the entirely of his being.

Whole, you realized, you felt whole. Neteyam was your other half, the part you hadn’t realized you were missing. Your everything.

The bond was a beautiful thing.

You smiled as you melted back against him. Your eyelids were heavy and it was easy for sleep to claim you, and when it did, you dreamt of your future with Neteyam—the way you’d grow together and the son he’d give you—and you smiled as you slept, unaware that Eywa had shown Neteyam the same dream.

--

When you woke to the sunlight streaming on your face the next morning, Neteyam was already awake, just soaking in the feeling of you, your braids still conjoined. He smiled when he realized you were awake and guided you onto your back so he could look at you as he rested on his side.

“Good morning, my mate,” he smiled softly.

“Good morning, my mate,” you repeated and reached out to cup his cheek. Neteyam leaned into your touch, making you smile as you ran your thumb over the arch of his cheek.

All he wanted was to stay wrapped up in you forever, but he knew you both had things to do and expectations to meet. “We should head back to the village,” he whispered and you sighed before nodding.

“We should,” you agreed, even if all you wanted was him.

He nodded and pressed a soft kiss to your lips before he asked to separate your braids. You didn’t want to, but you nodded and let Neteyam pull his braid from yours. You gasped at the break, feeling colder than you did a moment before, but even without the bond you could feel Neteyam. It was nowhere as strong as when your braids met, but he still lingered in the back of your mind and you knew you lingered in the back of his. You gave him a soft smile as you trailed your hand down his arm and he grinned at you, so in love with you.

It wasn’t hard for both of you to redress, through it did take you a few extra moments to clean your thighs, which made Neteyam smirk as he watched you, both of you taking your time, neither of you wanting the moment to end.

You had left the village as individuals, but now you returned as a mated pair. You held his hand as you let him guide you through the village toward his parents, toward the Olo’eykton.

As the Olo’eykton, it was his duty to know of every newly mated pair, and had it been anyone but his father, you wouldn’t have been so nervous. Sure, it was soon after his iknimaya, but he was still a man. But it was Neteyam’s father and Neteyam was the next Olo’eykton, making you, his mate, the next Tsahìk, and you couldn’t disappoint his family, or the People.

To no surprise, his family was already awake. Village life always started early.

“Neteyam,” Neytiri started when she laid her eyes on her oldest son, but her next words died on her tongue when she saw him holding your hand. He didn’t have to say anything for her to know. At his mate’s voice, Jake looked over and the corner of his lips twitched up as he saw his eldest son, already sensing his earlier intuition was correct.

“Mother, father,” Neteyam said and dipped his head to his parents, his hand never leaving yours, “I am taronyu now,” he continued. “Which means—”

“You may now choose a woman,” his mother finished for him, thinking back to the night she told Jake the very same words.

“Yes,” he breathed before he glanced back at you with a smile. “And I have.”

“You have?” Jake asked and Neteyam nodded as he looked to his father.

“We are mated before Eywa.”

His mother took a sharp breath in, not in disapproval, but out of realization that her eldest son had truly become a man and had left her nest. Jake touched Neytiri’s arm to ground her as he nodded to his son. “We’re happy for you,” he said for the both of them before looking at his own mate, encouraging her to say something.

“We are,” she breathed and stepped forward to cup Neteyam’s cheek. “My son,” she whispered and ran her thumb over the arch of his cheek.

Neteyam smiled at his mother before he nodded and pulled back from her touch, his smile widening as he looked at you and let his tail brush yours. Jake nodded at the interaction before he smiled at you, “welcome to the family.”

Your smile widened before you dipped your head to him. “Thank you, sir.”

“Nah,” Jake waved his hand. “It’s Jake.” He told you, though one day you’d come to call him ‘dad.’

You were welcomed into the Sully family with open arms. Neytiri had her reservations, as would any mother, but Jake adored you. He saw how deeply you cared for Neteyam, and how deeply Neteyam cared for you, and though he’d never admit it, Jake could see him and Neytiri in you two.

Neteyam’s youngest sister, Tuk, adored you and though Neteyam was her best friend, you were a close second. Kiri was happy to have another sister, and one closer in age than Tuk. And Lo’ak…

Lo’ak treated you like you had always been there. He didn’t hesitate to make fun of you like he did for the rest of his siblings, and he certainly didn’t hold back as he made fun of you picking Neteyam for your mate. It always made Neteyam roll his eyes and, more often than not, call his sibling a skxawng, but it made you smile because it meant you were truly part of the family and you loved it.

The bond was beautiful, as was the family you gained with it.

The problem was, nothing stayed perfect forever.

Everything changed the day Jake realized there was one too many stars in the sky.

Twenty years before, Toruk Makto led the clans to victory over the Sky People, all Na’vi knew his story, but the war was over, something of the past, something that had come and gone before either you or Neteyam were born—or it was supposed to be anyway.

The Second War against the Sky People was more intense than you could have ever imagined, with the guns and the fire and the relocation and the devastation and the death—so many deaths.

A very capable hunter, Neteyam was always involved in the war effort. A spotter. He tried to reassure you that it was the safest role he could have, that he wasn’t on the ground on the front lines, but it didn’t make you feel any better. There was no “safe” in a war. And you had seen too many of your people die.

As the mate of the next Olo’eykton, you could be the next Tsahìk, so Mo’at had taken you under her win, teaching you so you could one day take her place. So, unlike your mate, his parents and his brother, your role in the war wasn’t out there but back at home as you worked to heal the wounded—and make comfortable those who would be welcomed into Eywa’s arms.

You knew your role was important, but it was hard. It was hard to see the devastation and the death, and it was hard knowing your mate was out there and could just as easily be the next person who came through the tent flap in need of help.

You could never breathe deeply, let alone eat or drink, until he was home safe.

And the day he came back home bruised and bloodied, you dropped your tray of herbs before you rushed to him, even as Jake scolded him and Lo’ak.

“I’m fine,” he told you softly, but the blood on your hand said otherwise.

“You are bleeding, he is bleeding,” you said as you turned to Jake after he finished his little speech. “I am taking him to Mo’at.” Neytiri backed you up, also worried for her son, so Jake dismissed him and you heard Neytiri arguing with him as you led Neteyam toward the healing tent, your hand on his back.

“I’m fine, truly,” he repeated once you two were out of earshot of his parents.

“You are hurt,” you replied softly and stopped to look at him, taking his hand in yours. “My heart aches seeing you hurt.”

Neteyam gave you a soft smile and rested his forehead against yours. “I am fine, my mate,” he said before he kissed you. “I feel no pain when I am with you.”

His words made your heart flutter and you retuned his smile. “You still require healing,” you replied and led him to Mo’at’s tent where Kiri was helping her grandmother.

You knew you should help Mo’at, but you couldn’t find it in you to leave your mate’s side. Kiri knew what to do, she was even better than you were, and you were more than happy to let her assist Mo’at while you held Neteyam’s hand, the end of your tail curled around his ankle.

Your heart ached every time he winced at the sting of the antiseptic and you squeezed his hand as you watched Mo’at and Kiri. His wound looked worse than it was, and you let out a relieved breath as they finished up.

“See?” Neteyam smiled weakly. “I’m okay.” You shook your head but still thanked Eywa that your mate was alright.

Still, you struggled to find sleep that night, your mind consumed with the what ifs of your mate’s injury. It would be too easy for his injury to be worse, for him to be taken from you. You had seen too many lose their mates the last year and had their blood curling screams as their hearts shattered beyond repair permanently imprinted in your memory.

To lose a mate was a fate worse than death, and you knew you’d never survive it.

Neteyam healed quickly from his wounds and Lo’ak was grounded for his recklessness. Neteyam was back on his ikran long before Lo’ak was, and without his ikran, without being involved in the war, Lo’ak somehow managed to create even more trouble as he convinced his siblings to return to the old shack.

It was a harmless intention born out of boredom and frustration, but the results were life altering.

It was Avatars. New Avatars. In tactical gear. They managed to get Lo’ak, Kiri, Tuk and Spider under their knives and you didn’t want to think of what could have happened if not for Jake, Neytiri and Neteyam. But Jake knew they’d never stop hunting them, hunting his family. They may have won the battle, but the war still raged.

Everything changed after that, after they took Spider.

Jake and Neytiri knew the People would never be safe as long as they stayed with them, so they had to leave.

The words were like stones in Neteyam’s heart as he told you his family was planning to leave.

The Forest was your home, the only place you ever knew, the only place you ever wanted to know. The Forest was where you were born, where you grew up, where you fell in love with Neteyam, where you were supposed to raise your children.

Neteyam could sense your hesitation. “My father said it was for the best. He said that the Sky People are hunting us and not the People, so if we leave, the People will be safe,” he explained as he took your hand in his and brushed his tail against yours. “But I will stay with you if you ask me, my mate.” He would follow you to the end of the world if you asked.

You tightened your lips as you thought, but it was an easy decision. Just a painful one. “I go where you go,” you told him softly and squeezed his hand. “You are my home and my future, Neteyam.”

In hindsight, you really wished you had asked him to stay.

You packed your things onto your ikran and your heart ached as you said your goodbyes, but Neteyam was your mate. You couldn’t be without him.

Neteyam flew by your side as you left the Forest and even without touching him, you felt his comfort and you gave him a soft smile. As long as you were together, you’d be alright.

In the end, you found sanctuary with the Metkayina, the reef people.

It was hard to learn their ways, it was hard leaning the way of the water when the Forest was all you knew, but what you didn’t expect was how hard it was to see Neteyam lose his battle belt. His whole life he had been working toward it, working to become taronyu and earn his place among the People, and he barely had it a year before it was taken from him; before his symbol of manhood was taken from him.

Neteyam may have been taronyu, a man, among the Omatikaya, but you were Metkayina now and the iknimaya of the Omatikaya meant nothing here. He had to learn the way of the water and earn his place among the Metkayina before he’d be seen as a man.

Like Jake, Neteyam’s ears dropped as his belt was taken away and you did your best to steel your shoulders like Neytiri. You both had to be strong for your mates.

None of you were seen as adults among the Metkayina, but rather as children. It frustrated some more than others, like you and Neytiri. Neteyam took after his father and tried to take the transition in stride and did what he could to fit in.

And if the relocation and the helpless feeling wasn’t enough, you were sick a few times after the transition. Initially, you blamed it on the dietary shift. Sure, fish had been a part of your diet before, but it was freshwater fish and something you only had on occasion rather than every meal of every day. It was easy to blame your sickness on the fish, you just didn’t realize that none of the others were getting sick. Not until you were shucking oysters with Ronal at least.

Ronal was the Tsahìk of the Metkayina. She saw all and she was especially hesitant toward you and Neytiri. Both you and Neytiri were being trained to become the Tsahìk of the Omatikaya, so it was natural for you both to resume your training with Ronal, she just wasn’t overly fond of the idea.

Ronal let it go the first few times you gagged at the smell of the oysters before she sighed. “Have you mated recently?” She asked without looking at you.

Your eyes bugged at the question. “Why do you ask?” You replied and stopped shucking to look over at her.

“Because I am wondering if you are with child,” Ronal replied, and the knife slipped from your hand.

“What?” You asked breathlessly.

“With child,” she repeated simply. She had had two children of her own with a third on the way, and she had helped to deliver more babes than she could count. She knew the signs well and given the amount of time she had been spending with you over the last couple weeks, she could see them in you. When you didn’t answer, Ronal looked over at you, “it is a simple question. Have you mated recently?”

Your ears went back as you blushed and nodded. Ronal hummed and put the oyster she was holding and her knife down before she stood and beckoned you up. She hummed as she looked you over before she touched your forehead and then your stomach.

“Food aversion?” She asked and you nodded.

“Fatigue?” You nodded again.

“Have you bled?” You thought about it for a moment before you ears went back further. You had been so focused on fitting in and your mate you hadn’t realized.

Ronal hummed and stepped back. “I do believe you are with child,” she said before she returned to her oysters like your world hadn’t just shifted on its axis—again.

Your hands shook as you gently touched your stomach.

Pregnant.

You—

You’d be lying if you said you couldn’t be, you certainly found comfort in your mate’s arms many, many times since the relocation. But pregnant? Now? Could there be a worse time?

Slowly, you pulled your hands back and took a deep breath to clear your mind and ground yourself before you picked your knife back up and reached for another oyster.

“There are other things to do,” Ronal told you. “If the small bothers you, you will be slow. Tsireya will provide you with a different task to do.” You wanted to take her up on the offer, but you could hear Jake’s voice in your head telling you not to cause trouble and pull your weight, so you shook your head.

“I will be fine.”

She hummed but wasn’t surprised when you gagged again a moment later and she cast a look in your direction. You sighed as you nodded and moved your basket of unshucked oysters over to her, “I will find Tsireya.” If she smiled as you walked away, well, no one had to know.

Everyone was still so focused on fitting in and you could see the way looking after Lo’ak and keeping him out of trouble weighed on Neteyam, so you kept the news to yourself. If you told him, he’d only worry about you more than he already did and you didn’t want that.

And, well, it was no surprise that Ronal wasn’t fond of you. Forest People. Outcast. Alien. But knowing you were with child made Ronal soften. She didn’t look at you with the same animosity she did the others, and every time she saw you, she was sure to ask how you were doing. The Sullys were smart people, and it didn’t take Neytiri long to put two and two together and realize something was up with you, but she kept her suspicions to herself as she kept a careful eye on you.

You had always been the more affectionate one in your relationship with Neteyam, always touching him or seeking to touch him, but now you were reserved. At first, Neytiri thought you two were fighting, but Neteyam assured her you weren’t, that it was just the move and the swimming was exhausting you and the fish wasn’t agreeing with you, which was true—it just wasn’t the whole truth.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to tell him. You did, you just didn’t want to add to his already full plate, and then the longer you kept it a secret the harder it was to tell him. Between Kiri’s seizure and Norm coming and Lo’ak and Neteyam’s fight with Ao’nung and Payakan and the Tulkun, there just wasn’t a good time to tell him.

It was only after yet another dinner you couldn’t keep down that the truth finally came to light.

“You are unwell,” Neteyam said as he followed you toward your hut. It was the third time this week and he was tired of you constantly brushing it, and him, off.

“I’m fine, Neteyam,” you sighed. “It’s just—”

“The move? The fish?” He repeated your words back to you. “No, I don’t believe you. Have you spoken to Ronal? She is Tsahìk and she could help you.”

You hesitated before you turned back to look at him with tight lips before you sighed and took his hand. He gave you a concerned look as you guided him down to the beach where you could have some privacy. “Ronal can’t help me,” you said as you turned to face and gently fiddled with his fingers. “Because I am not sick.”

“It is just us, my mate, you never need lie to me,” he replied softly and used his free hand to cup your cheek.

“I’m not lying, ‘Teyam,” you breathed and covered his hand with yours before you guided it down to your stomach. “I’m not sick, I’m with child.”

Neteyam froze as he let your words sink in before he softened. “You are with child?” He whispered and stepped closer to you.

You nodded, “it’s horrible timing, but—”

“But nothing,” he smiled. “This is amazing news! We’re having a baby—the first of many I hope.” You were taken by surprise when he picked you up and spun you around, completely elated.

You laughed softly as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders before you patted him. “Enough, ‘Teyam, I’ll be sick again.”

“Right, sorry, my love,” he replied and sat you down, his smile never wavering as he touched your stomach again. “I’m just really happy.”

“I am, too,” you said softly and covered his hand before you kissed him softly. He cupped the back of your head to keep you close, but you both couldn’t stop smiling so you pulled back and rested your hand on his chest, feeling the familiar, comforting beat of his heart.

Neteyam wrapped his arm around you and pulled you closer by the small of your back before he rested his forehead against yours. “I would take you here and now on the beach if you let me, my mate,” he hummed.

“Anyone could see, including your parents,” you laughed.

“Then let them see,” he hummed and when he tried to kiss you again, you shoved him back, making him laugh loudly before he pulled you close again, the tips of his fingers brushing the base of your tail, knowing how sensitive it was.

“Once the sickness passes,” you told him and guided his hand back up to your back.

Neteyam softened and he nodded, “of course, my mate. May I at least hold you tonight?”

“I’d expect nothing else,” you smiled and let him lead you back toward your hut. Once Neteyam closed the flap, you rid yourself of your top—another sign of your growing baby was how swollen and sensitive your breasts had become and the weight of the beads irritated you in a way they never had before.

Neteyam groaned low in his throat as he knelt on the bed, “are you sure you don’t want me to pleasure you, my mate?” He asked softly.

“Maybe tomorrow,” you laughed and pulled him down next to you and you laughed when his hand managed to find your breast after he settled behind you. He didn’t try to do more than hold your breast while his other hand rested on your stomach, so you let him as you pressed yourself back against him.

The reef wasn’t the Forest, but it was nice and welcoming and you could see you two raising your children along the blue water and sandy beaches. Neteyam’s tail curled around your ankle and you smiled as you tried to press yourself closer to him. You could feel him smile into your neck and it was easy to fall asleep.

He was your everything.

This family was your everything.

And if you knew what would happen next, you would have fought sleep to soak in the feeling of his arms one last time. You would have memorized the beating of his heart and the rise and fall of his chest. You would have traced every dark line that decorated his body. You would have held him a little longer.

You wouldn’t have taken the moment for granted, expecting thousands more in the coming years.

But you didn’t know what would happen so you didn’t, and the ache of regret would eat at you for the rest of your days.

The bond… it’s a beautiful thing.

Until it isn’t.

--

The village was devastated by the hunting of the Tulkun by the Sky People. They were their spirit brothers and sisters, and Jake didn’t have to say it for you to know it happened because you were here. They weren’t hunting the Tulkun, they were hunting you. When Jake took the tracker from Neteyam, you took his hand and he tried to reassure you as he squeezed your hand.

“You tell the Tulkun if they’re hit by one of these, they’re marked for death.”

Jake’s words hung heavy in the air. Neteyam gave you a look that told you everything would be okay, but your stomach still twisted. You came to the Metkayina to hide; to keep your people safe. You promised them you were done with war, but the war still followed you—and at the cost of their spirit siblings.

And because nothing ever came easy, Lo’ak was determined to warn Payakan himself. Neteyam followed Lo’ak, knowing his brother better than anyone and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw Lo’ak gathering a saddle for an ilu.

He shook his head, a frustrated smile on his lips, “no way, you’re not going, baby brother.”

Lo’ak wasn’t having any of it. “I have to warn Payakan,” he told his brother firmly.

“No. You have to keep your skxawng ass here,” Neteyam replied, gritting his teeth. For once, could he just listen to him.

But Lo’ak never did. “He’s outcast. There’s no one to warn him but me.”

Neteyam shook his head as he clenched his fist. “Bro, why do you always have to make things so hard?” Neteyam said exasperated as he touched the top of Lo’ak’s’ head, but Lo’ak quickly shoved him off as his eyes hardened.

“No. You mean why can’t I be the perfect son like you, a perfect little soldier. Well, I’m not you, okay? I’m not you. He’s my brother. I’m going.” Neteyam clenched his jaw as he stepped back, his brother’s words cutting him like a knife. If he only knew the weight of his words, but he didn’t and he never would as Neteyam swallowed back the bitter words threatening to spill out and he steeled himself as stepped closer to his brother.

“Oh, he’s your brother? No, I’m your brother,” his voice was hard as he stared Lo’ak down, but Lo’ak didn’t concede and he scoffed before he dove in the water, heading for Payakan and Neteyam knew he had to go after him.

“Neteyam!” You called as you came up behind him and he shook his head.

“He’s going to Payakan,” he told you and you were hot on his heels as he summoned his ilu, as were Tsireya, Kiri, Tuk, Ao’nung and Rotxo. But when you went to summon your own ilu, Neteyam put his hand on your stomach to keep you back. “I need you here where you’re safe,” he told you but you shook his head.

“I’m going, Neteyam.” He opened his mouth to argue, but your look silenced him. Wherever your mate went, you would follow.

His tail flicked as he clenched his jaw before he nodded. “With me then,” he said before he dove into the water and you followed his lead. You quickly settled behind him on his ilu and wrapped your hand around his waist while he held onto the reigns of the ilu with one hand, his other hand reaching back to hold your thigh, keeping you against him as he followed after Lo’ak to Payakan.

By the time you got to Payakan, Lo’ak was struggling against the red tracker buried in Payakan’s back while the others tried to help. You and Neteyam were quick to jump on and help, but the tracker was in deep and you realized quickly that the demon ship was rapidly approaching.

“Call dad,” Neteyam said to Lo’ak. “Just do it.”

He didn’t want to, he knew the trouble he’d be in, so he hesitated before he called Jake. Lo’ak’s words were muffled as you all focused on the tracker. Your heart raced as you kept glancing between it and the demon ship. “Come on, come on, come on,” you said as Neteyam tossed a rope up to Ao’nung who wrapped one end around the tracker while Neteyam wrapped the other end around the reigns of his ilu.

“Please, Eywa, please,” you whispered as you pulled and pulled and finally the tracker gave, and you all fell at the release of tension. Neteyam was quick to gather the tracker as Lo’ak told Payakan to go.

“Go, I’ll draw them away,” Neteyam told you, making your blood go cold. When you opened your mouth to argue, Neteyam shook his head. They were after the tracker and Neteyam couldn’t have it anywhere near you, your baby, or his siblings. “Take Tuk, I’ll see you after.”

You had no choice but to nod and you gathered Tuk and Kiri on Kiri’s ilu and led them into the seaweed for cover, but the submarines followed you. Your mind raced as quickly as your heart as your ilu weaved between plants and leaves, desperate for any cover, but there wasn’t any to be had. There was too many of them.

The submarines swarmed you, forcing you off the ilu and you kept your eyes on Tuk as you swam toward an air pocket, Lo’ak and Tsireya right behind you while Kiri ended up with Ao’nung and Rotxo. “They’re coming,” Tsireya said and you were all quick to dive back under, but it was useless. The submarines could move faster than you could swim.

It was over when they launched the net at you. You didn’t realize it was coming until it was too late, the net already surrounding you and the air left your lungs as you began to panic. Lo’ak managed to escape before it caught him and he pulled at the net trying to rescue you, Tuk and Tsireya, but it was no use. The net scooped you up and dropped you on board the demon ship. Your vision swam as you tried to catch your breath, your lungs burning, and before you knew it, you were bound to the demon ship’s rail.

You watched as Tuk, Tsireya and Lo’ak struggled against the bonds but you knew it pointless. You were stuck. You were stuck and your mate was somewhere out there. You felt useless as the Metkayina attacked the demon ship. When you came and begged for sanctuary, you had promised them there would be no more war and now the war was here and they’d die because of your family.

You looked Tuk and your heart sank at the terror in her eyes, and you were so focused on Tuk you didn’t notice Payakan until he was on top of you, desperate to save Lo’ak.

All hell broke loose after that.

“Don’t watch,” you told Tuk. “Keep your eyes on me, okay?” Neteyam had always been her favourite family member, but you were a close second given you were his mate. Her cheeks were wet with tears as she nodded. “Just keep your eyes on me, Tuk,” you repeated.

It was only when Neteyam jumped on board that you were finally able to take a deep breath. A smile played on his lips as he cut your bounds, then Tuk’s, then Tsireya’s before he reached his brother and cut him free. “Who’s the might warrior? Come on, say it,” he grinned as he touched Lo’ak’s head before he turned back to you.

“Bro,” Lo’ak smiled and reached for a gun while Neteyam had his back to him.

“Go, get out of here. Take Tuk. Go,” Neteyam said to you.

“Neteyam—” you tried but he shook his head.

“Go,” he repeated, begging you to listen to him, and you clenched your jaw as you tried to lead Tuk away, and Neteyam kept his eyes on you, desperate to make sure you and Tuk were safe. But when he heard the familiar click of a gun, he turned back to his brother.

“We have to go,” he said but Lo’ak shook his head.

“He has Spider. Come on, bro, we can’t lose him,” Lo’ak said and headed into the ship.

Neteyam protested under his breath before he followed after his brother. Lo’ak always had to make things difficult.

At the same time, they managed to grab Kiri. Tuk’s scream for her sister would forever be imprinted in your memory, but you had to get her to safety. Jake and Neytiri would get Kiri.

Except, Tuk fought your hold on her before she slipped free and headed back for the ship. “Sullys stick together,” she said and you grumbled under your breath before you abandoned your ilu and headed after her, needing to keep her safe.

“This isn’t a good idea, Tuk,” you whisper shouted at her, but she ignored you, desperate to save Kiri, and you were sure to be quiet as you followed her.

“Kiri!” She called when she saw her sister, slipping under the bars as you both tried to break Kiri’s bonds, but it was no use and an Avatar was quick to bind Tuk to the rail next to Kiri before shoving you back into the water. Your heart sank and you wanted nothing more than to jump up and fight and rescue them and keep them safe, but when the bullets hit the water, you knew it wasn’t an option and you called to a nearby ilu and quickly jumped on. You’d have to find another way to rescue them and you circled the water looking for any sign of your mate and Lo’ak.

You were granted a moment of relief when you saw Tsireya, but it was short lived as you realized she was alone and your heart sank. Tsireya pulled her ilu up beside yours and pursed her lips as she shook her head. Neteyam and Lo’ak had to still be on board.

Your heart twisted before a flash of cold went through your body and you gasped for breath under the water, the air bubbling around you as Lo’ak, Spider and Neteyam jumped into the water above you, bullets still raining around you.

No.

No.

You knew it. Before he could even say it, you knew, the freezing cold blooming in your chest that left you gasping for air as you resurfaced in the water.

“That was insane, cous,” the voice was muffled in your ears.

“Neteyam,” you breathed and reached out to him.

“You skxawng, I’ve been shot.”

Panic coursed through your veins and you swore you didn’t breathe as you wrapped your arm around him to keep his head above the water, the normally clear water stained red with his blood. Too much blood.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” you said to both him and yourself, even as the ice in your chest melted to a sharp ache that shot down your arm and Neteyam’s expression twisted in pain.

The panic in Lo’ak’s eyes mirrored your own as he helped you get Neteyam onto the ilu before he pulled you on too. “Shit,” he hissed under his breath. Neteyam was a mighty warrior, the best of his age, but he was weak in his arms.

“They have Kiri and Tuk,” Tsireya tried to tell him, but the words never really processed for him.

“We can’t go back,” he replied and raced for the rocks, Tsireya and Spider holding on to the side if the ilu’s reigns. You kept your hand pressed against Neteyam’s chest as you moved through the water and his hand gripped your wrist tightly, needing to hold on to you, needing to anchor himself to you.

It only took a minute to get to the rocks, but it felt like hours. Lo’ak helped you carry Neteyam as he gritted his teeth in pain. Your chest felt tighter with every passing second and you didn’t know if it was your own anxiety, or your mate slipping through your fingers.

Your hands shook as you moved around him and your ears started to ring as you rolled him onto his side. The shot was clean through.

“It’s almost always better for the bullet to be clean through.” You could hear Jake’s voice in your head and you laid him back and put pressure on his chest as you begged Eywa to help you.

It was almost always better.

Almost.

Neteyam’s hands were coated in his own blood and he looked up at you with wide, terrified eyes before he grasped your bicep, his grip nowhere near as strong as it was when he held your wrist.

“You’re okay, you’re going to be okay,” you told him, willing your voice not to shake so you could be strong for your mate. He breathed your name before he scrunched his face up like he was trying to get away from the pain. “You’re going to be okay,” you repeated before pulling your eyes away from his as Jake and Neytiri settled around you.

“No, no, no,” Jake whispered as he perched across from you.

“Clean through,” you told him before he could ask, your ears back and hands red with Neteyam’s blood, and your heart dropped at the way his ears went back. “No,” you whispered, unable to muster your voice any louder before you looked back at your mate. He had to be okay.

He had to.  

“You’ll be okay,” Neteyam told you as he struggled to force air into his lungs.

The ache in your chest began to ease to a fuzzy feeling and you shook your head. “No, no, Neteyam.” You couldn’t lose him. You couldn’t. You wouldn’t survive it.

“You’ll both be okay,” he breathed, his voice softer than a whisper as he dropped his hand to your stomach.

“I see you; I love you,” you told him, desperately trying not to cry and you pulled one of your hands from his chest to cup his jaw, your thumb tracing the dark line that decorated the arch of his cheek.

“I know, I—”

Neteyam never finished his sentence and his hand dropped from your stomach, leaving a bloody handprint in its wake.

You felt the moment he died.

The warmth, the comfort, the unmistakable feeling of him, fizzled out, replaced instead with an unshakeable feeling of emptiness.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

You were supposed to spend your life with him.

It was supposed to be you and him.

You and him.

You were lightheaded as you settled back on your haunches, your hands red with his blood and Lo’ak caught you as you swayed.

Numb.

The only way to describe the feeling was numb, like he had taken your soul with him when he died, leaving nothing but an empty shell in his wake.

And maybe he had.

The bond is beautiful, that’s what they tell you. But they never tell you of the anguish that comes with it.

You could separate your life into before Neteyam and after Neteyam. The before wasn’t important, it didn’t matter, because Neteyam was your world. He was your everything, your world spun on an axis of you and him. The People say you’re born twice, once when you are born and then again when you find your place among the people, and you were born again the day Neteyam chose you. And now all that was left of your mate was his bloody handprint and the world had the audacity to keep on spinning.

The ringing in your ears drowned out Neytiri’s blood curling scream for her first-born son, and you slouched into Lo’ak as you kept your eyes on Neteyam’s. His beautiful, golden, lifeless eyes.

You didn’t hear Jake ask Lo’ak where his sisters were. You didn’t hear Tsireya tell him they were on the ship. You didn’t hear Spider tell him to follow him. And you certainly didn’t hear Jake tell Lo’ak to stay and that he had done enough. You didn’t hear any of it as you kept looking at your mate, unable to pull your eyes away, no matter how painful it was.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

You only heard Lo’ak tell Tsireya he was going because he pulled back from you, jostling you enough to pull you from your trance to steady yourself. “Lo’ak, no,” she replied desperately, but there was no stopping him as he dove back into the water, leaving you alone with her and your mate’s dead body.

You didn’t know how long you two sat there in the silence, it could have been seconds or minutes or hours, before Tsireya broke it. “We should wash your hands,” she said softly.

You curled your hands into fists. You didn’t want to. Washing the blood off meant losing the only tangible part of your mate you had left. But you knew she was right, so you nodded and you moved on autopilot as she led you to the edge of the water. Your gaze was blank as she washed Neteyam’s blood off your hands, but you drew the line when she reached for your stomach.

“No,” you said sharply and gripped her wrist before she could touch you. Her ears went back as she nodded before she took your hand in hers as you sat back on the rock.  

You felt both empty and heavy at the same time as you sat there before Tsireya found her voice again. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, unsure of what else to say.

Your ears went back as you nodded, not trusting your voice. You opened and closed your mouth a few times before you looked over at her. “You and Lo’ak deserve better,” you whispered and touched your stomach, desperate to remind yourself of something worth living for.

Her ears went back even further as her shoulders dropped, but she followed your hand with her eyes. “He—” she started before she stopped herself. “Are you?” She asked instead.

You nodded again before you looked over at her with tears streaming down your cheeks. “I can’t do this on my own. I can’t do this without him.”

Her shoulders dropped as her ears went back again. She couldn’t imagine what you were feeling. “You won’t do this alone,” she told you softly. “You have the village behind you.”

You knew she only meant to comfort you, but her words only reminded you that Neteyam would never meet his child. “But I need him,” you whispered before you pulled your hand from her and pushed yourself away from the water’s edge.

Your heart broke all over again as you looked at your mate, laying there lifelessly, blood staining his beautiful blue skin. His eyes were still open as they stared at the sky above—at nothing. You couldn’t help the sob that escaped you as you looked at him before you reached out and softly closed his eyes. He’d look like he was sleeping, if not for all the blood.

But despite all the blood, you laid down next to him and gently put your head on his chest as you curled into him, your tail wrapping around his ankle.

His chest was silent and still and you wept into him, begging Eywa to give him back.

But she didn’t.

His chest never rose, his heart never beat, his skin never warmed, and his eys never opened.

He was gone.

Your beautiful mate was gone and there was nothing you could do to get him back.

--

The funeral was harder than you expected, having to say goodbye to his body as you, Jake and Neytiri lowered his body down to the Cove of the Ancestors. You knew that he was gone, that your mate was gone, that it was just a shell of his being, but you still wept, your tears burning your eyes more than the salt ever did.

Your lungs burnt as the air left you as you watched as the cove took his body, wrapping around him as it slowly consumed him, and just like that, he was gone, a piece of the ocean.

The way of water has no beginning and no end. The sea is around you and in you. The sea is your home, before your birth and after your death.

The first thing anyone heard when you resurfaced was your sob and you let Neytiri hug you as you sobbed into her shoulder. “My child,” she whispered as she held you close.

“It’s not fair,” you managed to get out between sobs.

“I know,” she whispered, her heart just as broken as yours.

Eywa holds all her children in her heart, but all you wanted was to hold him in your arms.

--

And if you thought the funeral was hard, visiting the Spirit Tree was even harder. Jake and Neytiri had gone soon after the funeral but took you days to get the courage to visit, to visit Neteyam.

Your tears disappeared into the salt water as you held your braid in your hand. Your heart ached in your chest, but slowly you let your tendrils connect with the Spirit Tree.

At first, all you felt was warmth as white consumed your vision, but then you were filled with the familiar view of the Forest, of your home. You smiled to yourself as you looked around, and just like that, Neteyam slipped out from between the trees, his battle belt and ikran eyewear on and your eyes watered as you looked at him, every bit the man you loved.

“Neteyam?” You asked and he smiled as he came around you, his tail wrapping around yours in a way he knew comforted you.

“Why are you crying, my mate?” He asked concerned he reached out to cup your jaw.

“I’m just happy to see you,” you told him breathlessly and you committed his smile to memory.

“I’m happy to see you, too, my mate,” he replied and you trailed your eyes over every mark on his body as your heart wept.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

Neteyam was your everything, your best friend, your lover, your mate, the father of your child.

From the moment his braid meant yours, you felt him. You felt him in a way no one else could and no one else would. You felt his being. And too soon you had felt him go.

Memories of you two as children, growing up, becoming teenagers, and falling in love, flashed before your eyes and you took water into your lungs as you sobbed, forcing yourself to pull back from the spirit tree and returned to the surface, one hand treading water as you held your stomach with the other.

A boy, you thought suddenly, the Tsahìk abilities you had been training for finally showing themselves. You were having a boy.

The bond is a beautiful thing, but it’s also the most painful thing you ever experienced, the beginning and end of everything, of all that you are.

[wintersoldierslover]

my fic recs masterlist

---

Bucky Barnes:

all bucky barnes

headcanon  -  blurb  -  one-shot  -  series - two-parter

40s  -  The Winter Soldier  -  Avenger  -  TFATWS

dbf!bucky  -  brother’s bff  -  bff’s brother

neighbour  -  housewife reader

lumberjack  -  firefighter  -  bodyguard

priest bucky  -  college

football player  -  hockey player  -  boxer

professor  -  teacher  -  librarian/bookshop

coffee shop  -  soulmate  -  royal

other AUs  -  taboo

moodboard  -  deactivated:(

---

Stranger Things characters:

all eddie munson  -  all steve harrington

eddie and steve (x reader)

billy hargrove  -  jason carver  -  mike wheeler

dmitri enzo antonov  -  jim hopper

robin buckley  -  nancy wheeler

---

Outer Banks Characters:

all Rafe Cameron

all JJ Maybank

Rafe Cameron and JJ Maybank (x reader)

Pope Heyward  -  Topper Thorton

John B.  -  Sarah Cameron

Kiara Carrera

---

Marvel characters:

Wanda Maximoff  -  Kate Bishop

Natasha Romanoff  -  Yelena Belova

Peter Parker  -  Pietro Maximoff

Steve Rogers  -  Stephen Strange

Frank Castle  -  Matt Murdock 

Moon knight  -  Steven Grant

Joaqín Torres - Clint Barton

Loki Laufeyson  -  Druig

Eddie Brock  -  Miles Morales

Miguel O’hara  -  Hobie Brown

---

Harry Potter characters:

Sirius Black  -  Remus Lupin 

James Potter  -  Poly!Marauders

Lily potter  -  Cedric Diggory

George Weasley  -  Fred Weasley

Severus Snape  -  Tom Riddle

Draco Malfoy

---

Avatar (James Cameron) charachters:

neteyam  -  aonung  -  lo’ak

rotxo  -  kiri  -  spider

jake sully  -  neytiri  -  tsu’tey

tonowari  -  ronal  -  colonel quaritch

---

Top Gun chracters:

Fanboy  -  Hangman  -  Rooster  -  Bob

Iceman

---

Wednesday characters:

Xavier Thorpe  -  Ajax Petropolus

Wednesday Addams  -  Divina

---

Bridgerton characters:

Anthony Bridgerton  -  Benedict Bridgerton

Colin Bridgerton

---

Criminal Minds characters:

Spencer Reid  -  Aaron Hotchner

Derek Morgan

---

The Last of Us characters:

Joel Miller  -  Ellie Williams

Abby Anderson

---

The Devil All The Time characters:

Tommy Matson  -  Lee Bodecker

---

Uncharted characters:

Nate Drake  -  Sam Drake

---

Euphoria characters:

Elliot (Euphoria)  -  Fezco

---

On My Block characters:

Mario Martinez  -  Oscar Diaz

---

Modern Family characters:

Luke Dunphy  -  Alex Dunphy

---

Ted Lasso:

Roy Kent  -  Jamie Tartt

---

NHL players:

Matthew Ktachuk  -  Trevor Zegras

Nolan Patrick  -  Tyler Seguin

---

Actors:

Sebastian Stan  -  Joseph Quinn

Jamie Campbell Bower  -  Danny Ramirez

Drew Starkey  -  Rudy Pankow

Ben Hardy  -  Bella Ramsey

Jenna Ortega

---

Miscellaneous characters:

Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz  -  Marcus Baker

Rodrick Heffley  -  Hunter Sylvester

Lloyd Hansen  -  Ari Levinson

Nick Fowler  -  Tangerine

Rhett Abbott  -  Hayden ‘Harvard Hottie’

Colin (Not Okay)  -  Min Ho (Xo, Kitty)

Ash (No Exit)  -  James Maguire (Derry Girls)

Jake Peralta  -  Nick Miller  -  Brian O’conner

Anakin Skywalker  -  Bruno Madrigal

Tadashi Hamada  -  Kakashi Hatake

---

Miscellaneous real people:

Billie Eilish  -  AEW Hook

---

*Updated whenever there’s a new character <3

[nancynancydrewdrewdrew]

The Olympic Sports I Think Nancy Drew Characters Would Play Based on Vibes

Ned: swimming. Oh man he has big swimmer energy. I will not elaborate. Daryl does too.

Kiri: rugby. In fact she was on the women’s NZ rugby team that just won gold. If you didn’t see her you weren’t watching hard enough not my problem

Jane Penvellyn (in a few years): DRESSAGE. Oh my god. All the Penvellyns are dressage. It’s a linage of dressage. That whole family is so dressage coded. Except for Alan, he did modern pentathlon.

Katie AND Jenna: they both do canoe and kayak slaloms and they are big rivals and lovers. Also Holt does sailing.

Tex: I know you think I’m going to say an equestrian sport but that’s WRONG he does shooting. Try to tell me that man has ever missed a rifle shot I dare you! (Ollie has though lol)

Mary: you may think I’m going to say an equestrian sport and you are RIGHT. She does cross country with her horsie :)

Isis: she is a wolf so unfortunately she can’t compete. But long jump.

Connie: Judo duh

Pua: surfing duh

Hulk: he’s actually not in the Olympics. They have rules against steroids sorry Hulk

Rick Arlen: he’s not in the Olympics either but he bought beach volleyball tickets and the cameras keep cutting to him in the stands before going to commercial

Jacques: he’s not in this Olympics. Check back in two years

Yanni: him too. You know if I had a nickel for each time a Nancy Drew game had an asshole Olympic skier as a character…

Jim Archer: fencing. He wins gold. I know you think I’m joking but look up the president of the IOC who won gold in fencing like fifty years ago and you will see that they are the same man.

Frank: mountain biking. He just gives me that vibe and this is based on vibes so there you go.

George: heptathlon!! She’s ripped and also good at cardio!

Henrik: he was a pole vaulter in the 60s. Look at how tall and skinny he is. If this was real life they’d be calling it the Van der Hune flop not the Fosbury flop.

Harlan: wrestling. Search your heart, you know it to be true!

Minette: she switched martial arts to Judo but she loses her first match and gets kicked out of the tournament because she announces every move she’s about to do.

Niko Jovic: unfortunately he is dead so he’s not gonna be participating.

Brenda Carlton: rhythmic gymnastics. The US does not perform well in that sport and she’s going to do nothing to change it.

Helena: triathlon. Imagine it. She can swim and bike and run, I’m sure of it.

Niobe: did you know that up until the 1940s they had art categories in the Olympics? Unfortunately that was like 80 years ago so sorry Niobe it isn’t happening for you.

Elka: she seems short. Gymnastics. She’s not coming anywhere near team USA though.

Anja: oh my god shot put. The lady is made to be a shot putter.

Leela: actually she’s not going to the Olympics because she spends all her time playing air hockey instead of training. Bummer. Kim and Rachel are synchro divers though.

[tteokdoroki]

HOCKEY AU IN THE AIR I AM SO SO SO SICK.... kicks my legs n everything just thinking about big and beefy kiri :[[ just the whole notion that he could easily overpower you and beat your ass up like he does to every other team on the ice sending shivers down your spine...... he's so sweet to you off the ice but when his figure is towering over you in bed he's just so mean...... I CAN'T DO THIS MISS AALI hockey au on the brain.........................................

shaking in my wee boots :(((

idk cause after a game there’s two ways sleeping with hockey au kirishima can go. he either wants you nice and slow, passionate cause he won and wants to treat you— or he’s gonna rough you up a little cause he lost or had a shit game.

if a shit game’s the case, hockey au kiri will stimulate you to hell and back— not with his fingers, oh no there’s no time for prep when he needs to fuck the stress out on you. he’ll shove you face first into the sheets using his sheer size and strength, push your pretty face into the pillows and tell you to “shut the fuck up,” growling into the shell of your ear. “speak when you’re spoken to, kay sweet heart?”

gonna be sick bc he’ll barely have his uniform off— save the padding and just pins you down with a hand on the small of your back, shoving the swell of his cock deep into your unused and tight little hole with no prep, teething along your neckline with sharp teeth cause kiri is so pissed, he’s too far gone to remember to be gentle.

the bed would be creaking under the weight of hockey eiji’s thrust, and all he does is pound at you despite how much you cry, force you to cum at least three times with his fat red tip pressed up against your g-spot even when you beg him to stop. “don’t remember askin’ you what you wanted sweetheart, quit your whining. be good and take it, yeah?”

you’ve got nowhere to go but lay underneath kiri!! and he’ll keep fucking you until it hurts to be inside you because of how stimulated your cunt is and how you won’t stop fluttering— and if it gets to that point, eijirou just pulls out, slapping his heavy cock against your back and grinding into it until he paints the skin white <3

[k-atsukibakugou]

────────⌕ SEARCH: IO/EIJIRO-KIRISHIMA

updated 14th august 2024

masterlist • archive of our own • wip updates • my kofi please bear in mind all my works will be female/femme reader & remember to check the warnings

pretty | nsfw 18+ | 2.1k — 13/11/2022

summary:  feeling especially sadistic, kirishima uses clear packaging tape on your pussy, saying he wants something pretty to look at while he fucks you in the ass. porn without plot i cant even lie warnings: d/s dynamics, anal, praise, dirty talking, kiri calls your pussy ‘she’, free use dynamics, pet names (pretty girl, gorgeous, babydoll, angel, my girl), slight objectification/dumbification (?), cheeky aftercare moment, overuse of italics ngl

heavenly | nsfw 18+ | 4.7k — 06/11/2023

summary: you're kirishima's angel, his sweet girl, until the doors are locked. warnings: characters are 21/22, girly girl descriptors, pet names (princess, angel, sweetheart, bunny, baby), degradation (slut, whore), anal play (f!receiving), dirty talk, unprotected sex

kiri n bakugou, overstimulation v understimulation [nsfw] — 16/11/2022

eijirou’s a touch insecure [nsfw] — 18/10/2023

hockey player eiji — 13/01/2024

kirishima + jalapeno margarita [nsfw] — 06/07/2024

kirishima + blowjob [nsfw] — 14/08/2024

© all works belong to @k-atsukibakugou, @gwen0m, and dlirious on archive of our own, do not plagiarise, translate, repost, feed my works into ai or recommend my work on other platforms, or bind my fanworks for sale.

[puckpocketed]

Naruto ice hockey AU!! a good friend suggested there should be more art of hockey equipment and then I went out and started looking at hockey equipment for references and then this wedged itself into the back of my mind until i gave up and painted it. click for better quality. Yes i have mock ups. They will not see the light of day until I finish all 3 jersey variants ! AU and design notes under the cut if you fancy <3

Lore… i used to run a Naruto blog when I was much much much younger. you are currently witnessing my old special interest cross over with my current special interest.

Bits and pieces from this AU that I’ve been rotating in my mind:

Welcome to the Elemental Nations Hockey League? :D

Every season they play for the Kaguya Cup, named after the mother of ice hockey who invented it eons ago with two sons on her hip ! Yeah sure we’ll go with that….

I present to you the Original FIVE: the Kumo Cloud, the Iwa Quake, the Kiri Mist Wraiths, the Suna Dust Devils, and the Konoha Leafs !! Sorry to actual Leafs fans but I thought about this for much longer than I want to admit and there is no other name that makes sense here. I just think they’re fun <3 (SO many translatable motifs and ideas and I can’t include them all here)

3-man units EASILY become lines. I thought about this and yeah . Yeah. Team 7 is still comprised of Naruto-Sakura-Sasuke OBVIOUSLY . there is no gender segregation in this AU because i chose joy and fun when dreaming it up. also they all wore 7 in juniors. 777. 7-UP line LMAO. jackpot line? Team 7. haven’t decided.

Naruto quick facts: winger, wears the C (eventually) undrafted in his first eligible year, taken 111th overall in his second (he was a late bloomer + canon-compliant asshole child era meant nobody wanted his ass!! Konoha took a chance on him!). Wore #7 he wears #1 because of his draft position and because he’s gonna be the best player EVER. <3 He thinks he’s normal about Sasuke (he is not)

Sasuke notes: winger, wears an A. went 1st overall. No weaknesses … the Perfect player ! except he is Not his brother Itachi who ALSO went 1st overall about 10 years ago. the world wont let him forget it . Itachi is now retired for medical reasons but works in hockey as a scout, but the comparisons haunt our little man… </3 Sasuke’s D+1 year he wasn’t ready for the ENHL and everyone started calling him a bust because he got sent down!! SAD!!!! Wears #77 as a Leaf because they all agreed it would be fair no one should have #7. Trade rumours to the Oto Thunder every season like clockwork because Orochimaru, Oto’s GM, originally tanked to get Sasuke in the draft and FAILED…!

Sidebar i believe in my heart that Naruto and Sasuke played for rival juniors teams; the Uzushio Tempest and the Uchiwa Flames…… let me cook here alright,.. i just think they developed an intense fixation on each other and got thrown out of games for fighting ! Ironically this rivalry unlocked their potential and they were in a heated scoring race thru the entire season…..

Sakura: undisputed center and the bus driver of this line!!! wears the other A! Drafted 7OA and everyone was mad about it because they wanted someone else. Wore #7 through juniors to spite them !! Currently wears #16 just like her hero Tsunade <3 Tactical mind, not naturally talented but worked hard for everything she has, an extremely effective playmaker… I think she is built like a tank… terrifying power forward Sakura…………….

They play for the Konoha Leafs obviously...! Theyre the cringefail girlies for about 2 years once they make it to the ENHL, godbless . Lots of individual flashes of brilliance but no long-term success and zero team cohesion as they are shuffled around. Naruto and Sasuke both have a go at being center but they both Suck at anchoring a line like that.. they aint made that way (to ME!!!) Konoha Leafs on the verge of collapse and wasting another 5-7 yrs of being mediocre. Then one day coach Kakashi decides ‘Hm. Maybe. i will make Sakura play with these two assholes.’ And the rest is history!!!!!!

Listen I just think she would corral their worst impulses and keep them in line…. I feel like she’s a very responsible and smart 2-way player and balances Naruto and Sasuke’s heavy offence out. They get really dangerous the moment they settle into their roles. 777. JACKPOT!!!!!!

Various team mascots are the tailed beasts? <3 I just think it would be neat….!

Lots of expansion team ideas (smaller villages) and a junior league (clan associations !) many ideas…

DESIGN NOTES

In-universe, the above design is a 3rd jersey nodding towards Konoha's heritage. Prior to becoming the Leafs in the ENHL, they were the Demon Foxes!

WHY did i choose a third jersey…? This idea popped into my head when i heard rumours the ducks were leaning into their orange county ties in the rebrand and i thought ouuuhh you know what would fuck severely… naruto x ducks brand collaboration…… oramnge…. I love orange <3

Anyway Naruto had his heart set on being a goalie before tragically being moved to forward (the skaters …they YEARN for the pipes!!!!) so he wraps his stick in that insane goalie knob style <3 Where did you get that red and blue tape from Naruto…. C’mon now don’t be shy …

Blade is orange taped bc Naruto loves orange so bad. There are various ideas about white sticks/white tape being harder to see against the ice and i think he’d like the idea of taping his blade orange bc the doesn’t need that competitive advantage lol

Konoha home jerseys are green/brown/white/red/blue (think something closer to the Jounin flak jackets) More on them later mayhaps…

Out of universe, I based the colours and design elements largely off Naruto’s outfits over the series. The black and orange is a nod to his first outfit in Shippuden — note the black on his shoulders cutting across his chest and the shape language of the piping on the abdomen.

The red piping is because reaaaalllly wanted to add his Hokage robe flames but i tried it and thought it looked lame as HELL . So i suppose we will save that for a specialty jersey somewhere down the line (many thoughts… many many thoughts….)

The blue/white/red on his skates, sleeves, and gloves is an homage to the Uchiha, who had a hand in founding the team + have people within the org. I imagine the Uchiha clan as this, idk, juggernaut of hockey dynasties…!! A finger in every possible pie. Maybe they have partial ownership of the team. They do equipment manufacturing (gloves, skates, tape!), PR, scouting… everything!!!

Shoulder patches are Uzushio’s whirlpool insignia.

The ribbed neck guard is a reference to Naruto’s first jumpsuit design. He definitely thinks he doesn’t need a neck guard until Sasuke mentions that they’re kind of cool — a blatant manipulation to get Naruto to wear one. <- they are unwell about each other you see

Naruto tapes his hockey socks different every time for good luck. someone said variety is the spice of life and then he heard somewhere else that spicy foods promote longevity and his wires got crossed and now he thinks of variance = spice = a long playing career.

[scarlettriot]

I’m super excited to announce I’m finishing up editing the latest chapter of Breaking Point. It’s been over a year since I started this fic (it was the first chapter one I ever wrote) and I feel really good about picking it up again.

In time, I’d like to edit the formatting I did on the earlier chapters, I know, it’s rough. But, I really wanna get this new chapter out and then work on that stuff.

Thank you everyone who’s been reading this fic from the jump, who’ve still showed interest in it after so many months of inactivity, and a special thank you to my friends who’ve listen to me ramble on endlessly about it. And to those just discovering this fic, welcome!

All the current chapters are posted below. I’m hoping to release the new chapter this evening!

REMINDER: This series contains adult topics. Not in every chapter however, since it is present in this fic I DO NOT allow minors, ageless, and/or blank blogs to interact with my fics.

Breaking Point Parts 1-6

• Part One • Part Two • Part Three •

• Part Four • Part Five • Part Six •

[casiia]

sports i think the sully's (+) would play!

supa dupa unedited!

jake sully: definitely a football man, he forces the entire family to watch the super bowl with him and screams SO loud when his team loses. i can imagine he wanted a son so they could play together, do the cliche 'teaching my son how to throw a football' thing. jake also host family football in his backyard when his friend's come over, he has tonowari as the other team captain and forces the kids to play, making them line up so the dads can make their team.

"lo'ak- no! you have to play"

neytiri: i don't know why but she definitely plays tennis, like in my head it just makes sense. y'know when in tennis matches all you can hear are the competitors grunting while they hit the ball super hard, that's her. neytiri is basically serena williams. she has a custom made racket and her outfits change for every game she plays, her visor is blue most of the time because tuk insist the sun will reflect off the color and she will be able to see the entire time (she heard the sky is blue because it reflects off of the ocean and she just ran with it).

"tuk, you're right! the blue kept the sun out of my eyes"

neteyam: jake most definitely tried to convince neteyam to play football, "it's fun i promise" "follow in my footsteps" let's just say the countless hours of them throwing a football outside bored neteyam to death. so instead, i feel like he would play hockey. it's kinda the same concept...right? like they are both very big contact sports, ramming each other into the walls of the skating rink to get to the puck, tripping your opponents with a hockey stick making them fall into the hard ice. i assume neteyam would use it as an out to release pent up anger and aggression he holds as the oldest son, it's definitely not healthy, but it's better than nothing AND he's good at what he does so it's a win win situation.

"what, in the penalty box again? i didn't push him, i tripped. not my fault he fell so hard."

lo'ak: LO'AK! i already know he plays basketball, he wears the nike techs and everything. very big lakers fan, like i want to say his whole room is a bright purple and yellow and every night before he goes to bed he blows a kiss to kobe. he's obnoxious and knows he's better than most people, so he'll just take the ball every chance he gets and shoots. it's always great but if he does it in a close game and he misses, he will prob be benched for the rest of the quarter. he begs neytiri and jake to get neon bright basketball shoes that are super expensive because 'the brigther the shoe the better the athlete' and after years of begging, he finally gets the bright orange (ugly) shoes he's been wanting. if he sees tsireya in the crowd he points at her and says "this one's for you", completely airballs and gets yelled at by his coach..

"i'm not cocky, i just know i'm good"

kiri: uhm. kiri doesn't play a sport, she's very much the musician of the family. but if i really had to chose i think she would be good at,, ice skating?! or dance in general, again i have no idea. but let's say ice skating, she carpools with neteyam because they go to the same ice rink and the entire time it's just gossip. she's very stubborn and has to perfect the trick she does before moving onto the next one. i'm guessing that she experiences a big mental block, like she can't do spins or jumps anymore because she's afraid to fall on the ice and hurt herself; that's why she quit. she does miss the beauty of the sport but finds herself in tune with music.

"you know what elsa said, the cold never bothered me anyway"

tuk: SHE IS A GYMNAST! she's one of those annoying little girls who do cartwheels everywhere to show off. her leotards are all glittery and multicolored, she has to look her best for the judges. neytiri and jake absolutely eat it up, they make the entire family watch her beam routine once she successfully does it without falling off. when jake takes her to skyzone to practice her flips, he ends up getting stuck in the foam pit and has to have workers help pull him out. then he lost tuk. but aside from that, tuk is very hardworking and committed, she wants to be an olympian and if she's good at 8, imagine how good she will be when she's older. neytiri loves the time that they spend picking her outfits out or when she has to squeeze her little girl's hair into a bun. the memories they make in those 5 minutes keep tuk motivated, she no longer cries when she falls, she laughs that she did and gets up to do it again.

"MOM! TOO TIGHT MY HAIR IS GONNA RIP OUT MY HEAD!"

tonowari: hmm. i think waterpolo! saying this because he's metkayina but also one beefy man. he moves well in the water and is the fastest on his team, sososo very humble though. if someone scratches him or pulls him under water, he will try to drown the guy. ( sorry it's this short i know nothing about waterpolo)

"i didn't even do that, pshh you can't see anything it was underwater"

ronal: swimming?? i think maybe swim team or synchronized swimming. yes yes synchro swimming! she likes dancing of course but dancing underwater it just so much more peaceful to her. she is super close to her team and gets to pick out the music for each choreograph much to everyone's dismay.

"this is not old people music! it's good for the soul"

ao'nung: baseball player. 2 million percent a baseball player. he's a pitcher and always teases the person batting before throwing a curveball. if he gets caught he gets scolded but never benches because he's too good and they need him (gag). very very cocky boy, will never admit he's done something wrong and that causes the whole team to run. i can also see him annoyingly eating sunflower seeds and spitting the shell out between every word, no manners smh.

"huh- pft- no- pft- i- pft- didn't- pft- say- pft-" "AO'NUNG!"

tsireya: sweet baby is a cheerleader. she's a flyer and puts her entire trust in her spotters, they will never ever drop her. she loves to do very bold cheer makeup and color coordinates her outfits, her smile soso big as she waves to the bleachers with a pompom in hand. there are mean cheerleaders and she's always one of the girls to scold them "we are a team, weather you like it or not." she's at the top of the pyramid in everyone's hearts.

"yes i can do makeup on you tuk, is it scary being thrown? of course not, they will always catch me"

[naavispider]

If modern au Sully Kids, Metkayina kids and Spider played any sports, what would you think they would be?

If they lived nearer the coast, Lo'ak would definitely a surfer, for sure. I also see him as a decent soccer player for some reason. Other than that, I don't think he's that into sports, but ofc he's still decent at most of them.

Neteyam the baseball player?? Consider it 🤔🤔 Also ice hockey! He wishes he could devote more time to practice, be he has to spend a lot of time studying for college/school. Lo'ak also used to do ice hockey but grew out of it.

Kiri is so adventurous - she loves the outdoors and the ocean, and is a bit of a thrill seeker at heart. She's not good at sports, but she likes to give things a go. She regularly does yoga, paddle boarding and horse riding. She tried her hand at ice hockey but was awful (by her own account) so hasn't stepped foot on the ice since 💀

Tuk does dance, gymnastics and also the junior ice hockey classes 🥺 Like her sister she is up for anything and (being younger) can generally succeed at whatever she puts her mind to.

Ao'nung: pro surfer (Lo'ak has a secret ambition to outdo him). Also goes to Neteyam's hockey games.

Tsireya: not sporty at all, other than swimming. She's tried to do other watersports, but her balance isn't so good and she just prefers being in the water, rather than on it.

Spider: Not sporty, but would be good at surfing, football, hockey, horse riding, climbing, running and skateboarding.

[felidlycanthr0pe]

i have hockey brainrot rn bc my home team is on an inexplicable win streak so here’s my hcs abt who plays what:

- Izuku: absolutely a power forward, specifically a winger. he’s got the speed to be a playmaker and the brawn to board the fuck out of anyone who crosses a line. has absolutely lost a tooth at some point and didn’t start playing until high school. started out as a center but switched out quickly once he figured out a bit more abt position responsibilities and general dynamics w his teammates. prodigy who quickly gains momentum and is signed to an immediate multi year entry level contract.

-Katsuki: been playing since he could walk. grew up on the rink and is a dynamic offensive player. a grinder who picks fights more often than normal but varies between center and winger (bc u know him and deku are the ultimate enforcers). always down to drop his gloves and a playmaker who always makes sure he deserves the C on his jersey.

- Todoroki: legacy player who was raised in method clinics and skills labs. his strength lies in his speed so breakaways are his bread and butter. consistent center despite a bit of a confrontational streak during certain rivalry games. rarely throws gloves but when he does…whatever idiot picked a fight is absolutely skating off spitting chiclets.

- Kiri: easiest answer on the board is absolutely a goalie and no one can tell me otherwise. his save percentage is immaculate bc shots against never goes into the double digits but that doesn’t mean he’s afraid to rock someone’s shit. you know the “touch my goalie and i’ll smash ur face in” rule? yeah not with kiri. mans fights his own battles and wins.

- Denki: I’m really tempted to call him a center but I think he’d prefer to leave face offs out of his repertoire. Consistent with assists bc he’s basically telepathic when it comes to structured plays. chirpy as all fuck and no one can tell me otherwise.

-Sero: general forward, like denki is consistent w assists but unafraid to make plays if he’s in the position to do so. not a fighter, prefers to outplay his opponents w long range slapshots and calculated blue line shots

-Iida: defenseman for sure. he’s got the speed for sure but you wrap that speed up with a bow made of precise hits and snipe assists? fuckin MINT.

-Shouji: another goalie who consistently saves the most absurd shots. I’m talking like a full net kind of guy, sure but also comes out as a bruiser when it’s needed

-Shinsou: winger and a reliable go between. absolutely vicious w his chirps and a bit of a bruiser as well.

I have thoughts on the pros as well but i’m tired as shit so this is all i’ve got for now. :|

[whathereoncewas]

Hockey player! Bakugou

This is my first official post so hello:)) I saw au's about the mha boys and a hockey au and omg. Anyways, enjoy :)

~~~

Hockey player! Bakugou who is mean on the ice, won't hesitate to throw his stick and gloves to start a fight. Who bangs into the glass in front of fans and waves at the little kids cheering his team on, even dedicating goals to some of the lucky ones. Hes big and fast making him a even more of a threat for the opposing teams.

Hockey player! Bakugou who hates doing interviews, he tries his best to just brush past them avoid them but got told he has to do one every now and then to keep up public appearances.

Hockey player! Bakugou who was trending on Twitter with edits of him after a game of him standing there all sweaty and running his hand through his hair to get it out his face, laughing at a stupid question he was asked, the top part of his equipment already discard leaving him in the black long sleeve undershirt. It only made him hate doing interviews even more

Hockey player! Bakugou who is wanted by many, constantly being asked about his relationship status and being asked out on dates and such, him always waving it off and saying that he's too focused on hockey to worry about any of that.

Hockey player! Bakugou who notices you sitting with some friends at a game of theirs, though has never see you before. You're allright in the front beside their player bench. You were sitting with Mina and Uraraka and a few other of their friends, and skates over and slams his weight into the glass, scaring you as he just flashed you a bloody smile with his mouth guard before taking back off to the game. He's distracted the rest of the game looking over at you.

Hockey player! Bakugou who shoots the wining goal in literally the last seconds of the game that was previously tied, and looks over at you in the stands and points his stick at you before he was engulfed by his teammates for getting the goal.

Hockey player! Bakugou who rushes to the changes rooms to get his gear off, blowing off any interviews along the way, before he is asking Kiri about you and why he's never met you before as Kiri just shrugs "you never really come out with us after games, at least not often enough" he says before smirking at him "why, got a crush on the lil thing?" He says as Bakugou just rolls his eyes and huffs, Kiri knowing all too well that Bakugou did and shot a look over at Denki who was listening the conversation as he nodded in agreement back.

Hockey player! Bakugou who showers and gets he shit together, actually planning on going out and celebrating this time, knowing that Mina and the rest would be there, hoping you would be too. He walks out of the change room and over to the group of the waiting friends, chilling in their seats still by the bench waiting to be told what was going on for the night.

"Oh Bakugou! Didn't expect you to come out, congrats by the way!" Mina says throwing herself at him and giving him a hug as he gives he a soft pat on the back "yeah, you played great out there!" Iida says before Bakugou looks over as you and sticks his hand out "I'm Katsuki, I don't think we've met before" he says with a slight smirk as he watches you take his hand him almost losing it at how much smaller it was then his "Y/n, its nice to meet you" you say flashing a smile back up at him.

~~

[honeipie]

I LUV UR HOCKEY BOY SERIES SMMMMM

THANK YOU MY LOVELYYYYYY!!!!

i was gonna do one for kiri but i PHYSICALLY cannot get myself to write anything so im just gonna make a part two for the katsuki one🙂‍↕️

[tteokdoroki]

bestie im back w more hockey au content

knees buckling for goalie kiri 🥺🥺

he makes like 50 saves, beats the shit out of half the opposing team and after the game when he sees you “!! we won baby!!” “aw im so proud of you ,ei!” and he just- ☺️☺️☺️

overall is happy to be there

(WHO SHOULD I DO NEXT BABY)

the way i just want to swallow him whole he is perfect and does n o wrong HES SO GANDSOME EIJIROU BRICK WALL KIRISHIMA PLEASE I LVOE UIM GRR RVARK BARKBAKD

p-perhaps d-deku next?