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neteyamslovrr · 2 years ago

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HOW CAN I LOSE YOU?

summary: prmoised to a stranger Y/N takes flight and finds herself lost in the pandorian forest, only to be found by a omaticayan boy. who knew that strangers could fall in love so fast?

a/n: 5.7K WORDS bro that's more than my assignments. anyway i am incredibly proud of this fic and i hope you enjoy it as much as i do

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Heat rose through your body, fury filling your insides as the words your mother said repeated in your mind like an intoxicating mantra. You are promised.

Promised? Th only promise is your misery. To think it’s not even someone from your clan. A stranger, an outsider, unknown to you and you were meant to mate. The fury grew even thinking about it.

“Y/N? Respond please.” Your mother held her hands on your shoulder as you refused to look in her direction.

“What? I’m being promised to someone I don’t even know. Am I meant to be excited?” You spat venom at your mother avoiding her eye contact, swatting her hands off of your body.

“Y/N! Do not speak to your mother like that!” Always chiming in when he wasn’t needed, that’s what your father did.

“Don’t treat your daughter like a peace treaty then!” You shouted back, a sharp finger pointed at your father’s chest. You started to walk backwards, hands shaking from the rage racking through your body. “I’m leaving.”

“No Y/N, you can’t leave now, we have things to discuss!” Your mother was desperate walking fast to match the fast pace you had created to reach your ikran.

“You have nothing to say to me.” Harsh words shot at your mother as you hoped onto your ikran. “Go, Lifo!” Shouting out your banshees name you took off, gusts of wind leaving your parents to stare at their fleeing daughter.

You couldn’t remember how long you had been flying, the ongoing replay of the fight with your parents and the doom of your near future plagued your mind. Leaving your ikran to fly into unknown territory, a dense forest filled with a loud glow that encompassed every lifeform.

Landing on a large tree you disconnected from Lifo, the glow was different to your clan, it was much more apparent, the plant life encompassing every step you would take.

Strolling through the forest, you wandered looking for any food or water, as the unexpected trip took a toll on your body, hunger brewing in your stomach creating soft grumbles that harmonized with the sounds of the forest. Inspecting all of the flora around you, you spotted a purple fruit. You only recognized it as the same fruit grew on smaller trees surrounding your village.

Picking the fruit, avoiding the thorns on the fruits skin, you took a bite. The flesh of the fruit spilling into your mouth leaving you with an amazing taste and a wash of nostalgia. It was the exact same as home, bringing you back to times when you knew you could run freely and weren’t subjected to a life of misery, a life of lack of love.

A sudden crunch of leaves instantly got rid of the nostalgic feeling you had and replaced them with fear, subconsciously holding onto the knife in the loop of your loin cloth as your heart started to beat rapidly.

“Who are you?” A loud voice boomed in front of you. A tall man, braids reaching his shoulders and hand who also reached onto his knife stood tall across from you, his figure intimidating as he questioned you.

“I mean no harm! I am just lost!” You retracted your hand off your knife to surrender yourself to the man in front of you. “I am from the eastern seas, my ikran and I flew too far.” Pointing to your sleeping ikran in the treetops above the pair of you. The mans eyes softened immediately, you noticed a=how the bioluminescent glow of the forest made his features stand out like a flower in a desert.

“Are you alright?” The man asked coming closer, his hand now also abandoning his knife, knowing you were no longer a threat.

“Yes, just looking for food.”

“You cannot stay in the forest at night, you’ll die.” Panic rose throughout you as you realised you stood in such hostile foliage. Eyes immediately scanning around where you stood, conscious of the danger surrounding you. “Rest within my clan, you’ll leave in the morning.” He wasn’t asking you, more like a demand.

Nodding hesitantly, you clapped three times to wake Lifo up, watching her wide wings flap down to the ground to let you board her. “Please lead the way.”

He nodded, calling his ikran to fly high into the sky waiting for you to follow suit. “What is your name Ikran girl?” He shouted over the noise of the two of your ikran’s flying.

“It’s Y/N…what is yours forest boy?”

“Neteyam.” That’s a pretty name.

Upon arrival you watched as many people hustled to look at the newcomer. Two women rose to the front, the rest parting to make way for them. Assuming they were important, you greeted them with a bow. “oel ngati kameie”

The two repeated it before turning aggressively to the boy you knew as Neteyam.

“Who do you bring here?” An older woman asked, she looked wise. Maybe she was Tsa’hik?

“Her name is Y/N, flew over from the eastern seas and got lost in the forest, she is here to rest.” Neteyam’s voice was serious, his face stern, like a man of leadership. Who exactly had you run into in the middle of this forest?

“I see…” She replied, her eyes gliding over you. Frozen in the moment, her stare was intimidating but so was the hundreds of others that oogled at you. It made the hunger settling in your stomach turn into anxiety.

“Feed this poor girl!” A younger woman replied, coming up beside the Tsa’hik. She was thin, her braids similar to Neteyam’s, feathers adorning her hair, as a small child held tightly onto her hand.

“Yes mother.” Neteyam nodded, he looked at you and your frozen form. Laying a soft hand on your shoulder. “Come, your ikran will rest.” He started walking off even before you could process his words but seeing as he was the only person you knew in this place, it was first instinct to follow him around like a lost child.

He lead you into a tent, inside were fruit baskets and water stored in wooden jars. If you weren’t so shocked by the continuous new surrounding you would’ve rushed to the fruit.

“Hurry and eat, everyone can hear your stomach.” Neteyam said as he stood next to the fruit, picking one up to put into your hands. Picking the fruit out of his hands, your fingers brushed his palm slightly.

It shouldn’t have worked you up so much, but the static between the two of you evoked a small gasp out of you. Neteyam felt the touch too, he just decided to ignore it but seeing your overreaction brought a soft smirk to his face.

“Do not make fun of the guests Neteyam!” A girl pushed between the two of you, giving Neteyam a nudge. She was short, her hair messy and her voice deep.

“I was not sister!” Neteyam scoffed pushing his sister back. She let out an exaggerated gasp holding onto her arm dramatically.

Munching onto the fruit in your hands, you watched the pair of sibling’s bicker in front of you. You would’ve giggled at their antics if the anxiety of being in this new place wasn’t controlling every thought.

“Oh! I haven’t introduced myself!” The shorter girl turned to you curtly. “I am Kiri, Neteyam’s sister. What is your name?”

“It’s Y/N.” You said with you mouth full, face covered in a sticky sap excreting from the fruits skin.

“That’s quite pretty, your name.” You heated up, a compliment was rarely something you received.

“Thankyou very much.” You smiled at the girl, your gaze distracted by Neteyam who overlooked your conversation, a soft smile glistening over his face. It looked like was almost in awe watching the two women converse.

Neteyam shook his head, realising he left himself loose in his thoughts. Looking over at your messy face he was mesmerised, each of your features perfectly matched the other, you looked so soft yet sharp, so tough but so elegant.

He shouldn’t be thinking this, not as an Olo’eyktan, he had duties, responsibilities. He can’t develop a liking for another clan woman.

“Are the fruits…good?” He sounded so awkward, destroying the flow of the conversation between you and Kiri. Kiri snorted in response at her brother, she wasn’t dumb, she knew when a boy thought a girl was pretty, especially when its her brother making a fool of himself.

You nodded enthusiastically. “They’re amazing, thankyou Neteyam.” You had finally finished the fruit, leaving your face and hands sticky. An uncomfortable feeling no doubt.

“I’m uh glad.” Neteyam responded, being slightly deterred as his sister left, poking him in the spine as she snuck out of the tent, leaving Neteyam alone, with this…girl.

“Why are you all the way in the forest by the way?” Neteyam asked suddenly, his eyes directly upon yours, looking into them, noticing the glint of sadness that washed over your pupils momentarily.

“I argued with my parents. Flew off in a rush and got distracted as to where I was flying. So now I am here.” You shrugged, taking a seat on the floor of the tent, your legs growing tired from your long journey. Neteyam followed your actions and sat down in front of you. Much closer to where he stood.

“Oh, I am sorry.”

“Do not be sorry, my parents should be the sorry ones, but you do not want to be burdened with the quarrels of my family.” A stifled chuckle escaped your throat as you looked up to see Neteyam listening to your ever word.

“I would not be burdened if you decided to talk about it.” His voice was calm, soft, a comforting feeling spreading through your chest as you heard his words.

“Thankyou.”

Neteyam nodded, as he patted just above your knee, a soft hand to comfort whatever grief was consuming your emotions. “Do you want to sleep, or would you like to continue to eat?”

“Uh, I don’t want to eat more than I am allowed to.”

“Well, are you still hungry?”

“…yes”

Neteyam shoved another piece of fruit in your hands. “Then you will eat.”

“Thankyou.” You smiled at him, biting into the fruit once again.

Neteyam was compelled by your presence, he had known you for merely an hour but the magnetic connection he felt as he was drawn to you was undeniable. Was he going crazy?

You noticed his heavy stare on you once more. It made you nervous, his eyes looking through you as you sat in front of him. His beauty was one you had never seen, he poise interested you. Were you attracted to this random man? You must be going crazy.

Chewing the food in a slightly rush you watched as Neteyam’s eyes awkwardly shuffled around the room to try and avoid making too much eye contact with you. With a small inhale you tried to gain the courage to break the awkward tension between you two.

“So Neteyam, you seem important around here, is there a reason why?” Your question surprised Neteyam. He had never met someone who knew nothing of his reputation within the clan.

“I am the future Olo’eyktan, my father is Toruk Makto.” You almost spat out the food in your mouth. You were speaking so casually with the son of Toruk Makto? Not even that, his firstborn son? He must have been staring because you were so informal!

“Oh! Son of Toruk Makto. I should have been more formal!” You rushed to stand up again to bow down to him. Scrambling to your feet with speed, you felt a soft grip on your wrist.

There Neteyam looked up at you, his eyes slightly…disappointed? Was he really that upset about your informalities?

“Sit back down Y/N, there is no need to be so formal.”

“Are you sure.” Your voice was quiet, eyes filled with confusion and hesitance as he nodded giving you the go ahead to sit once again.

“Yes I’m sure…just think of me as Neteyam.”

“Okay, I’ll do that…Neteyam.” He smiled at the sound of his name, the way you giggled as you said it, smile shining brightly in the soft moonlight that slipped through the tents curtains.

“What are you in your clan?” He asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing with you.

“I am the second daughter of the Olo’eyktan. Nothing special.” You shrugged, avoiding his hardening gaze. His hand returned once again to your thigh, an awkward attempt at comfort but still an attempt.

“You are a daughter of your clan’s leaders, that is important.” A stern statement filled with pride, his eyes softening while looking at you.

“Thankyou.” You said followed with a small yawn, eyes watering slightly. Your body was now feeling the fatigue of the long day that was now behind you.

“Oh, that reminds me, sleeping.” A soft chuckle left your lips in response to Neteyam, eyelids now starting to droop subtly. “This is my tent is where I usually sleep but if you would like you can sleep in here and I can sleep in my family’s tent?” He sounded so unsure, to suggest it as if there was another option as to where you could sleep safely.

“I do not want to kick you out of your bedroom.” You said shaking your head.

“But you are a guest you should sleep here safe.” A quick rebuttal

“Well, but this is your tent. This is where you sleep.”

“No, tonight it is where you sleep.” You sighed, pursing your lips together in response to Neteyams final remarks.

“But-”

“No” he stood up, now looking down at you. His figure looming over you intimidatingly. “You will sleep here tonight. If there is any trouble I am not far away.” He smiled at you, offering a hand to pull you up to his level.

“Are you completely sure?”

“Completely. Goodnight ikran girl.”

“Goodnight Neteyam.”

You both couldn’t deny the heat that rushed flowed to your cheeks. Neteyam stifled his smile as he exited the tent, as a smirking Kiri gave him a knowing look. This may have been the start of something terribly amazing.

It was now morning, a restless night filled with anxiety. The new sounds of the world around you, the mysterious moonlight shining into your eyes and to be alone in a brand new clan. It was terrifying.

Waking up for the last time as you decided it was an appropriate time to start off your day. Siting up you examined the tent around you, the small plants and flowers that littered the ground, and carved wooden pieces that were spread strategically around the tent. He must enjoy decorating you thought to yourself.

The curtain of your room slowly opened, a timid hand holding the edge, peeling it open to reveal Neteyam’s face. “Morning Y/N, did you sleep alright?” He asked closing the curtain again as he entered his tent. He looked down at your barely awake form, the sleep in your eyes and overall exhaustion on your face told him that you in fact did not sleep alright.

“It was fine, thankyou for letting me sleep here.”

“There was no way you weren’t going to, mum would have skinned me if I had not let a woman sleep in her own tent.” He chuckled at the thought, a hand being brought up behind his head.

“Either way, I appreciate it. I’ll have to go home soon though, my parents will send out a search party if I’m not back before todays eclipse.” Neteyam frowned, of course you had to leave. But why was there a tugging in his heart to ask you to stay just a couple hours longer, to talk to you longer, to be near you.

“Yes, but you should stay just a bit…longer.” Neteyam sounded so weary, cursing himself in his mind.

You stared up at him, you couldn’t deny that you wanted to be home, yet you had this growing urge to stay by this stranger. Why? Why did you crave his closeness?

“I guess I could…” His face brightened almost exclaiming in joy, but he choked down his urge to shout.

“Cool.” Cool? Oh, Neteyam you had to be kidding.

“Yeah…cool…” The awkward tension was once again returning as you looked away from the boy in front of you, fidgeting with his hands, rocking on his heels to pray something could meld the awkwardness in the room.

Getting off of your makeshift bed you stood close to Neteyam. Closer than any normal conversation would be. His breath was brushing past your ear as he looked down to see you mimicking his fidgeting.

“Would you like to explore the forest with me?” It was a fast, impulsive, brash decision to ask you that but seeing the way your eyes twinkled in response he felt no shame in being so forward.

“I’d love to.” Sharing smiles, you both enjoyed the now comfortable silence between you. A silence two would share in the pining plot point of a romance movie, one that asserts which two characters will be in love.

“Then let us go!”

That conversation led to you being alone in the forest with Neteyam. As he passionately explained all of the things around you, the plants, the animals. He knew you would have them in your clan, but he was enthralled in the spirit of teaching someone all about his life and culture. To have someone listen so intently to something he was passionate about.

“The forest is beautiful Neteyam.” You breathed out resting your back against a large tree trunk, one similar to the one you landed on the night before.

“I am extremely blessed for it to be my home.” His eyes were bright, smile across his face as his gratitude took over his emotions. He looked alluring to you, a sort of instinct drawing you closer to him, even though he was the one walking closer to you, a subconscious decision.

“Neteyam..” It was quiet but seeing him walk towards you unknowingly led him to stand very close to your front. His chest mere centimetres away from yours. “You are close…” Noticing your whisper he noticed how close he was, he was too busy focusing on the plants around him, he had walked right into you.

He froze when he saw your breath hitch, your eyes connecting as his broad chest momentarily brushed up against yours. “I am sorry, I shouldn’t be.” He looked down seeing your flushed cheeks and avoidant eyes. It intrigued him. Why were you so attractive? He shouldn’t think this.

“No, you shouldn’t.” Your eyes shot up to him, desire pooling in your amber orbs. The feeling was taking over your body, this longing for him. Why did you want this stranger so bad? You knew nothing of him other than the fact that your body was calling for him, begging for him.

Neteyam was now the frozen one, lost in your eyes. The desire you felt transferring to him as he felt his chest grow heavy from yearning. “Y/N…” Your name rolled off his tongue with ease, dripping in anxiousness.

Maybe it was to spite your parents, to find someone before you were mated. Maybe it was the overall intimacy of how Neteyam shyly loomed over you or maybe it was the fact that this man in front of you was the most attractive Na’vi you had ever came across and you were just a teenage girl…alone in the forest.

“Neteyam. Forgive me for this.” Crashing your lips against his your eyes shut tight as your hands travelled up his chest to rest behind his neck. He froze, eyes wide as he felt you upon him. Your touch burning as your hands travelled up and down his body.

Accepting your affections, he closed his eyes and continued to kiss you. Lips latching onto one another as he pulled your into his body, his hands wrapped around the small of your back, thumbs digging into the flesh of your hips.

Starting to lose your breath you broke away from Neteyam’s lips. Meeting his heavy breaths and intense stare. “Neteyam-” cut off as he smashed his lips into yours again. This time it was feverish, his body craving you, to taste you lips and feel every part of your body.

You let out small whimpers as Neteyam’s hands travelled down to grab your ass, his hand resting on the flesh. If he was in his right mind he would’ve been repulsed by his lewd actions but in this moment he craved you, and the sounds you made just drove him closer to insanity.

As hands roamed and kisses grew more desperate you and Neteyam separated, hands laying softly on each other as chests rose in sync, breathing loud and eye contact strong.

“Neteyam, I am sorry. I should not have done that.” The feeling of desire soon turned into shame, not being able to look him in the eye, too embarrassed about what you initiated. Neteyam was still, his face showing none of the feelings he was experiencing.

He longed to taste you again, but he knew it was wrong. He had duties to uphold as leader, he couldn’t kiss whomever he pleased. But you were just so intoxicating.

“No.”

“What?”

“Do not be sorry. I kissed you back. I wanted you so badly. No. I want you so badly.”

“Neteyam, I met you yesterday and I’m leaving today. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive.” He forgot that you had only known each other one eclipse. It felt like eternity. He also forgot that you were meant to leave, you weren’t here forever. This was a mere coincidence, meeting you in the forest was a coincidence.

“Come back then.”

“Huh” You stared up at him, you knew what he said. You just wanted him to repeat himself.

“Leave and come back. We can visit I just…I want to get to know you more Y/N. I don’t want to kiss a girl to never see her again.” Neteyam’s hands had rested against your cheek. It didn’t feel like you had known him for hours, more like years. An old couple reuniting, lost souls reconnecting. That is what it felt like.

“Neteyam…how do I explain that to my parents?”

“Don’t.”

“You are being a bit delusional.”

“I know I just… this is stupid. You just want to go.” His ears flattened against his skull, a prominent frown etched onto his face. You sighed holding onto the hand that laid against your own cheek.

“Neteyam. I want to get to know you as well.”

There it was. That was the start. It was the beginning. You both felt something click in your heads that day. That this is what is right, despite it feeling so wrong.

You and Neteyam had now been visiting each other twice a week. You would fly out on long ‘training hunts’ to understand new waters you have explored but in reality you were in the Pandorian rainforest, sat against a man’s chest as he played with your hair. It had become routine now. It was now habit to see each other.

It felt like true bliss. It let you escape from the impending doom that was meeting your future mate. It felt disgusting to think of living with someone other than Neteyam by your side. Thinking about it made you queasy but most of it made you feel lonely. Knowing one day you would have to say goodbye to Neteyam as your family had trapped you into misery for the benefits of clan’s over their own daughter. However, you didn’t think you would say goodbye to Neteyam this way.

You sat on the tree where you met Neteyam. You decided to pick that one as its large waterfall next to it made it easy for you to know where you were as you barely knew your way around the forest.

Early morning is when you would leave your clan meeting Neteyam as the sun starts to move towards peak. This morning however felt different. Neteyam who usually was there before you was nowhere to be seen. It worried you wondering where he was. He didn’t forget or something did he? No. That is stupid Y/N, you cursed yourself.

Being in the forest alone was scary, not knowing all that resides it made you sensitive to the smallest noise. That’s why when Neteyam emerged out of the heavy foliage you had your knife out ready to attack.

“Y/N? Why is your knife out?”

“You scared the crap out of me Neteyam.” Putting your knife back into the loop of your loincloth you pulled your hands down your face in embarrassment. Your heartbeat now starting to calm down as Neteyam gave you a soft embrace hoping to calm your anxiousness.

“Sorry…I was late talking to my family.” You didn’t realise before because of the adrenaline but Neteyam’s voice was sorrowful. The usual playful tone changing into a melancholy tune. But what alerted you the most was his tear-stricken face. Puffy eyes and dark cheeks.

“Neteyam…have you been crying?” you rested your thumb against his cheek, wiping the residue of tears off his face.

“It is nothing”

“It is definitely something…” your concern grew larger as he looked way from your gaze, obvious he was hiding the new set of tears welling in his eyes.

“No. It is not.”

“Neteyam please-”

“NO Y/N! I- I can’t talk about it. I just want, I want to stay next to you.” His voice cracked, in turn cracking your heart. It ached to see him hurt.

“That is okay baby, come here.” He crashed into your arms, falling onto his knees to smoosh his face into your torso. You could feel the wetness of his tears near your belly button but ignored it to continue soothing him, patting his head softly.

As you sat down to meet him on the ground you noticed his more recent tears. It pained you. What was troubling your boy?

“Nete you can tell me if something is troubling you…”

“I don’t want to lose you Y/N.” The sentence was unexpected, making you widen your eyes as Neteyam continued to let his tears fall out with a stone cold face.

“But I am right here.” A lie, you knew you would be taken away at some point, but you would tried to push it down. Enjoy the time you had with Neteyam, but for some reason he was the one cutting it short.

“No Y/N…I have been promised. I-” he paused to calm himself down, his hand gripping onto your thigh roughly. “I am to mate with someone for my clan. It is my duty.”

“What.”

“Y/N please, I had no say in this.” Your lip quivered, eyes starting to water as you gazed up to the already crying Neteyam. The pain in your body felt crippling, like your heart had been plunged out of you. Small sobs coming out of your mouth in a soft whisper as Neteyam muttered constant apologies to you.

Your chest felt heavy, your body felt heavy. You felt like you were tied down, stuck on the ground you sat on, stuck on Neteyam who hung onto you as you continued to cry in his embrace.

“Neteyam. Does this mean we never see each other again?” His heart shattered at the thought. He had fallen in love with you. Everything you did he wanted to be there with you. He craved you and you craved him. But now you were grieving him and grieving whatever could have been.

“I do not want it to be.”

“But is it.”

“Yes.”

The quiet sobs turned into loud ones as you clawed onto Neteyam. He whispered sweet nothings into your ear as he rocked you back and forth. He tried to have a little composure but hearing your pained voice broke him. He had broken you.

“I don’t want to let you go yet Nete. I was planning on never letting you go! Why did this happen!” you had this secret fantasy in your mind. That one day you and Neteyam would mate, that you would come to your home, denounce your parents promise over you and live happily with Neteyam.

But no. You were now both tied to loveless lives. Constantly yearning for each other while being with one whom you never craved like you craved each other.

“I am so sorry my love. I wish I could do something, but I am stuck.” You nodded, you were in his exact position. You couldn’t blame him. But you wanted to scream, cause a ruckus and demand for Neteyam to stay as yours. It drove you insane. Who was going to be the girl that kept you away from your Neteyam. You’ll skin her, kill her, slit her throat if it meant that Neteyam could still be yours.

“I know…let’s just enjoy our time together” it felt like a knife to the heart, like a final goodbye those last eight words. But Neteyam understood. He knew that this was a goodbye. That all good things had to come to an end but that didn’t make the thought of never having you in his arms again not the most painful thing he had ever thought about.

The ride home was the most painful thing you had ever done. You didn’t stop crying until you reached home, your throat itchy and head pounding. You wanted nothing more than to lay in your hammock and cry. To stay there until it was your time to mate and be miserable forever.

Flying into your home you would’ve thought your parents got the message that you were not to be talked to. But who were they to care about your feelings? So they barged into your room, gasping at the state of their sorrowful daughter.

“My child what has happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You grumbled facing the opposite direction to minimalize the embarrassment you felt of being caught crying.

“We should tell her.” Your fathers voice rung in your ears, making your body go cold. You couldn’t handle anymore bad news, not after this.

“Tell me what.”

“Your mate is to arrive here tomorrow.” Your body heated up, feeling as if your head was on fire with rage. You didn’t even get time to grieve your romance before you were shoved into the hands of a stranger?

“Are you fucking kidding me.”

“Do not speak to us that way.” Your father tried to discipline you, but your rage was nothing compared to him.

“ARE YOU KIDDING?! I DON’T WANT A MATE I WANT TO BE ALONE. FUCK!” You voice was raspy and loud, sure the entire clan could hear you screams.

“You do not get a choice in this. It is for the clan.” You looked into your parents eyes but all you could see is betrayal, how is this fair?

You didn’t have the energy to fight this any longer. Without Neteyam, your purpose was gone. How was anyone meant to fight for their love when their love had been stripped away from them.

“Fine.” Your mother looked at both her mate and daughter with concern. You had given up. “I don’t care anymore, because it is obvious you do not.”

“You brat-” Your mother coughed loudly to stop your father. Sharing glances, you all looked to each other.

“Thank you daughter for doing this.” Sneering you looked directly into your mothers eyes and then to your fathers.

“I am not your daughter.” Their faces had fallen, the same emotion Neteyam had when he first saw you earlier. They had no right to be upset. Not when they chose this.

As your parents left without a word, you curled into a ball, folding in on yourself trying to shy away from the burden of grief and love tugging on your heart. The pain was indescribable, like someone had taken your heart and diced it in front of you.

That morning your mother had put you in your best attire. A top adorned in red beads and yellow feathers that represented your ikran was placed on top of you. Your usually loincloth had been replaced with one of prettier colour and material, more delicate to look at. Lastly, your hair had been let out, reaching past your shoulder blades as a yellow flower was stuck behind your left ear.

“You look beautiful Y/N.” Your mother had her hands over her mouth adoringly. “Doesn’t she look wonderful?” she asked your father as he replied with a proud nod.

A horn was sounded. Here they come. Entitled pieces of shit, thinking that they could mate into your clan. This wasn’t fair, you just wanted to see Neteyam. You wanted to cry in his arms, yet here you were walking out into the crowd of people. Drums being beat as horns blew. You tried to look poised, to try and look like you weren’t writhing in anxiety of who this man would be.

There flew in three ikrans. Why did it look so familiar? Why was the flashing colours of these animals bringing you back to siting in the forest with your love. You must be going insane.

“Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk’itan! Welcome! Toruk Makto! Welcome!”

What.

No.

This cannot be happening. But it was.

There he stood in front of you. Just as frozen as you. The quiver of your lips came back as you saw him stand in front of you in disbelief.

“Neteyam?” He walked towards you slowly, reaching his shaking hand out to you. You paced towards him, wrapping your hand around his and bringin it to your chest. “It’s! It’s you!” you felt as if you were to burst in relief

“My love, it is you?” Neteyam’s free hand came to caress your cheek, his heart was sparkling, he felt a weight being lift off his shoulders the minute you came into view.

“It is me.” Neteyam’s lip quivered as he sucked in a short breath, trying desperately to not look as if he was a madman. “Kiss me.”

“What?”

“Kiss me Neteyam.” He complied, lips melting together in a harmonious union. Love mixed with the salty tears on both your cheeks as he held you closely to him. You kissed him deeply, ignoring the stares and confusion around you. He was here right in front of you, you would never let him go again. Never.

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hope you enjoyed please comment and reblog and like I appreciate it so much !!

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plzfeedmebread · 2 years ago

Text

What Do I Tell My Friends Family? Pt. 6

word count: 4003

Pairing: Recom! Miles! Quaritch x Female! Sully! Na'vi! Reader Tags/Warnings: hurt, comfort, feels, lots of crying

Author's Note: Apologies in advance for any grammatical errors! Hope you enjoy this next installment :)))

The weeks that followed could only be described as uncomfortable. Those of the clan gave you and Quaritch a wide berth. You did not miss their obvious sneers, nor the harsh whispers under their breath. Yet you cannot find it in yourself to fault them; such a reaction was more than understandable, perhaps even warranted.

The humans were far more courteous, even those with Avatars; but they too kept it to what was minimal etiquette. You noticed though, that they were far more cordial with the other recoms. You watched them converse with each other, animatedly talking about something or rather. It made you envious, a feeling you knew all too well.

Quaritch tells you not to worry; says it doesn’t bother him. But you wondered how much weight such words truly held. You’re thankful he and the recoms at least have each other, as bittersweet as it was. On the nights where you would eat dinner with your family, he and his squad ate together in one of their dwellings; the night filled with reminiscing of lives past and wishes for the future. Their revelry is downright infectious, and you often excuse yourself early to join them. It fills your heart with unbridled warmth to see Spider with them too. More often than not he would also join when it was just you and Quaritch alone.

At one point you had gathered all your siblings together, sitting them down and giving them a less graphic (for Tuk’s benefit) retelling of you and your mate’s meeting and eventual courtship. Your brothers, bless them, treated you no different, told you that they didn’t care and were happy for you. When you cornered them afterwards to speak privately, you wept and wept, thanks spilling from your lips over and over again.

They reiterated once more that they were just happy you came back alive and well. Regardless of the less-than-ideal circumstances surrounding your introduction to one another, and his sordid history, they were simply happy you had found your one true mate. Moreover, as far as they were concerned, if Eywa herself deemed it necessary to get this involved in your lives, then she must see something in him. If she could forgive him for his sins, then who were they to hold it against him? He paid his price in blood.

Sweet little Tuk; everything that had happened was perhaps a little too big for such a young mind, but you tried to explain yourself as best as you can to such a young one. She hummed in thought, called you and your mate weird, but if he made you happy like dad makes mum happy, then he must be okay. She was also the only one of your siblings that wanted to actually speak with Quaritch face to face.

You were reluctant, afraid of how mother might react. But little Tuk is rambunctious in nature. She barged in one night when you and Quaritch were having dinner with Spider. Hands on her hips she proclaimed with unwavering authority,

“If you wanna be in my family, then first you gotta apologize!” Her eyes were fixated on Quaritch, who stared back at her with shock all over his face. When he didn’t immediately say anything she elaborated further.

“That time…When you took my big sister…You and those scary people hurt us, and that wasn’t very nice…” She frowned at him, eyes glistening.

When you looked to your mate you saw the guilt in his eyes, how his ears flattened and tail wrapped around his waist. He got to his knees, tried to make himself as small possible in an attempt to be closer to her eye level. And he apologized. He apologized for scaring her, for hurting her. But most of all, he was so sorry he took you. He doesn’t give her any excuses; simply admits he did something wrong and was sorry.

She nods at him, but says nothing else; though you see the tightness of her expression loosen. Spider walks over to her and ruffles her hair which makes her giggle.

“Here kid, I got a little somethin’ for ya,” Quaritch says and reaches into his pants pocket. He pulls out a small wooden carving of a pa'li. He holds out the tiny figurine balanced in the palm of his hand. Tuk’s eyes widen and she grabs it with a loud thank you. She holds it up to her face, turning it around to admire it.

“You made this?” She asks, looking up at him expectantly.

“Yes. Your sister here helped me too. Made sure it looked right.” And it was true; you had spent many nights by his side, carefully instructing him on pa'li anatomy. You were surprised when he approached you and spoke of his intention to carve her the small figurine. He explained he felt inspired when you had offhandedly mentioned her fondness for the animal.

Tuk looks between him and figure a few times, then gives him one final once over before nodding her head.

“Hmm. I guess you can stay. [Y/N] likes you, so…And you’re Spider’s dad, and I like big brother Spider.” She smiles up at the aforementioned boy, who ruffles her hair once again affectionately.

“Okay bye I wanna show this to Lo’ak!” And with that she’s sprinted off before any of you can say anything more.

---

It was disheartening to come to the realization that Kiri was avoiding you. She didn’t outright ignore you per say, but she was always too busy or had other pressing matters to attend to; never was she free to sit and talk to you.

You broke down crying one night, alone with Quaritch. Immediately you were pulled into his embrace. His strong arms held you tight as he whispered comforting words into your hair.

You hadn’t noticed Spider just outside. He had come with the intent to eat with you two as usual, but stopped himself when he heard your cries. He listened to the words you spoke, laden with heartache for your sister.

You didn’t hear him leave either.

---

“You’ve gotta talk to her.” Spider finds Kiri inside watching her mother’s video logs.

“I’m sorry, what?” She turns to him alarmed.

“[Y/N]. You have to talk to her.” He pleads.

Kiri shakes her head at him and turns back to the video.

“I don’t have to do anything. Besides, what’s there to even talk about…” her voice travels off at the end, as if she was unsure of her own words.

“Are you being serious right now? Kiri…” He grabs her by the shoulders and turns her around to face him. She’s at his eye level from kneeling in front of the console.

“What do you want from me Spider? You know as well as I do what he’s done in the past. And she does too; but I guess that doesn’t matter anymore…”

“That’s not fair, Kiri—”

“You wanna know what’s NOT fair, Spider?! The fact that I have wake up every day knowing that the man who shot and killed my mother, is alive and well! And not only that, he’s mated to my sister!” There’s tears in her eyes as her voice rises; the frustration of it all bubbling over.

Spider can feel the anger radiating off of her, white hot and unravelling; a crescendo of emotion bottled up for who knows how long. The dam breaks and she sobs, fists clenched tight.

“So now, he gets to play house with my family, [Y/N] gets her Eywa-given mate, and you get your dad back! And what do I get? NOTHING!”

Spider flinches when she screams.

“What happened to ‘us orphans have to stick together’…? Am I going to lose you too…?” Spider’s eyes grow wide at her admission. Her fears laid out before him; she felt as though she was losing her family to Quaritch? Was she blind? He hates that she’s feeling like this, wishing he knew how to make it all go away. But at the same time, he can’t help but feel his own bout of anger and frustration.

“Kiri…You never were an orphan; not really…You know that, right?”

He looks at her with a serious expression. Her lips press into a thin line at his words.

“You had Jake and Neytiri. You literally call them mum and dad. Me? Who did I have? Yea Norm and the others raised me; but no one was really my parent…Norm was more like a big brother. And I’m not blind or stupid Kiri; your folks never considered me part of the family. Only you guys did…”

She knows all too well what her parents think of Spider. Mother was not as subtle as she thought she was. Father at least treated him well, but there was still this disconnection from Spider being human.

As they stared at one another, it became clear to both of them that there was perhaps a lot of hurt left yet to heal.

---

Despite the passage of time, you have yet to properly speak with your mother. Words left unspoken causing a rift to form between you two. Small at first, you feel the cracks forming as it has been left to sit and fester. She treats you with the same love and care you have always known, but something has undoubtedly changed. It’s there, behind a lingering gaze, the hesitance of touch, the near imperceivable sharp intake of breath, but with no words that follow.

The tension at dinner time is thick, near palpable. Your brothers try their best to fill the awkward silence with pleasant conversation, driving it as far from the topic of your mate as possible. Kiri obviously says nothing, much to your disappointment. Mother smiles but it does not reach her eyes.

When you eventually muster up the courage to speak with Mo’at, you are surprised; you had expected her to be just as, if not more, against it all as mother. But she is pragmatic, understanding that this providence cannot be ignored. Her unique spiritual bond with Eywa allowed a deeper understanding into the intricacies of the Great Mother’s Will. Though she would not forgive him any time soon, she would at least accept his place among her family and her People; if this was Her Way, the so it must Be. She didn’t have to like it, but she did have to respect it.

You asked her how best to approach your own mother. She tells you that you must speak from the heart, but be open to the idea that Neytiri may never accept things as they are. She is not Tsahik and never will be. Though she has great love for Eywa, this hurt cuts far deeper than you may yet understand. She says that Neytiri perhaps needs to commune with her father’s spirit and seek out his guidance. Perhaps even from Eywa herself.

You nod and thank her for speaking with you. You turn to leave but she stops you with a hand on your shoulder. When you turn back around she pulls you into a warm hug. She tells you everything will be okay; Eywa has deigned it so. That she is sorry you have suffered such hardship, but she knows you are strong and capable, and will get through this one way or another.

You cry shamelessly into her embrace for a long while.

---

When next to happen to find yourself alone in the company of your father, you fix him with a question that has been plaguing your mind.

“You know…I’m surprised you’re not as, angry, as mother is about all this.” You watch his face trying to gauge his reaction. His countenance is thoughtful though a scowl does form. He schools his expression quickly.

“Trust me kid; I am.” There is an underlying bitterness in his words that leaves you with an uncomfortable clench in your stomach.

“But…Eywa accepted me and forgave me for my part in the destruction of Home Tree and everything after that. She came to our aid when shit hit the fan, helping us drive back the RDA. She’s done a lot for me and our family. And if what Quaritch says is true, that our Avatar bodies only work because she allows them to? Then I got a helluva lot more to be grateful for. I wouldn’t have Neytiri, Mo’at, your siblings, the clan, or you for that matter.”

Your lips quiver with the strain to not cry. It becomes nigh impossible with the way father is smiling down at you. He places both hands on your shoulders.

“I took a lot from Pandora…But you and your siblings? You guys are the one good thing I put in.” You heart swells and you lose your battle to not cry. When Jake sees your tears he pulls you in, rubbing your back soothingly as you weep.

“No matter how grown up you get, you’ll always be my baby girl…It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”

You sniffle as you try to calm yourself. You are a little fed up with all the crying you’ve been doing lately.

“How can you be so sure?” He shrugs his shoulders.

“Call it a father’s intuition.” This time, you return his smile.

---

Tonight finds you in the arms of your husband. The two of you are deep within the forest, somewhere far from High Camp and Bridgehead. You found a secluded perch on which to lay and watch Eywa paint the sky in brilliant starlight. Your snuggled into his side, head resting on his broad chest. You listen to calm rhythmic beating of his heart. It comforts you.

His arm encloses you, pressing you tightly to him. Your hands, fingers entwined, rest atop where his heart is.

“What’s going on through that pretty little head of yours?” His voice draws you in, pulling your lazy gaze from the sky and to his face. There is a warmth in his eyes, a kind curiosity. He brings your hand up and presses a kiss to your knuckles. You loved it when he was soft and gentle. Though you were, of course, eager and willing for his rougher ministrations when the mood struck.

You smile softly and hum in response.

“Hmmm. Just thinking about how much I love you.”

You are rewarded with the goofiest smile you’ve ever seen adorn his handsome face. Sometimes it feels as though he could never get used to your declarations of love and affection. You wonder if he was starved of such a thing. The thought baffles you, as your people loved freely and were not ashamed to express such feelings to friends and family.

You don’t dwell on it though; resolving to smother him with everything he may or may not have been denied all his life.

You move yourself off his chest but don’t untangle your hand from his. Instead, you lay on your back and pull him as you do. Miles follows, moving himself above you; caging you in between his arms, his face mere inches from yours.

You stare at him; studying. You take note of every luminous freckle, the strength of his cheek bones, the grooves of his nose, the breadth of his jaw. Your hand moves to his face and cups his cheek. His skin is warm to the touch. Your thumb traces the lines of his lips. He closes his eyes and leans into your hand.

When he looks at you once more with a half-lidden gaze, lovesick and smiling, it stirs something deep within you. The flicker of a flame comes to life, its warmth all encompassing. That look of reverence on his face; you never want to stop. Not in this lifetime or the next.

You resolve to protect that smile by any means necessary.

---

The two of you weren’t in your tent this morning, and Neytiri huffs in frustration. After much talks with Jake, communing with Eywa, she had finally decided to try talking with you once more. The next morning of course. But much to her dismay, no one was at the tent when she called. She saw no one inside when she quickly looked inside, but did not linger as it smelt far too much like The Demon.

She cusses under her breath. She knows she’s going to have to get out of the habit of calling him that. Start addressing him by his name.

Unsure of where the two of you might be, she makes her way back to her own dwelling. Jake is there, cleaning one of his guns. He looks up when he hears her familiar footfalls.

“That was quick,” he says, a confused look on his face.

“They weren’t there.”

“Oh. Maybe one of the kids saw em’.”

She nods and sets out to find her other children.

---

Alas, it would prove futile; none of the others had seen either of you since the night before, when you had told Spider you and Quaritch were going out to watch the stars.

Speaking of Spider, where was he? If anyone was going to know where you two were, it’d be him.

Neytiri makes her way over to the scientist buildings; if he wasn’t with her children, he more than likely would be here.

She enters the one housing Grace’s Avatar, and finds Norm up and about, not yet in his Avatar. He turns and is surprised to see her of all people, rather than her kids, enter. Still, he is happy to see her all the same.

“Neytiri? Oel ngati kameie! What brings you here?”

“Oel ngati kameie, Norm. Have you seen Spider? Or [Y/N]?” She smiles and greets him with equal enthusiasm. His expression becomes perturbed at the question though.

“No sorry, haven’t seen Spider since…Huh. Actually the day before yesterday? Thought he was staying with [Y/N] and Quaritch.”

Neytiri’s stomach drops at the notion. Has no one really seen either of you three for the passed two days? And no one said anything? What kind of mother was she then, to not notice?? Her mind starts racing, but she takes a deep breath; calming herself before she spiraled out of control. There was no need to overthink; you may have simply been too busy.

“Have you tried asking the other recoms? I’m sure one of them must’ve seen em’ at some point.” She nods at him; it was a good place to continue.

“I have not. Thank you Norm. I shall go see them.”

Briskly she leaves, not another word said; far too eager to find you as soon as possible.

---

She eventually finds the three of them conversing with some of the other Avatars. She cares not for their topic of conversation, walking up and interrupting them without a second thought.

“You three.” She addresses them coldly; the others sense the rising tension and quickly make their escape.

“Mrs. Sully! What can we do for you?” The bald one, Lyle if she remembers correctly, asks her.

“My daughter. Have you seen her? What of your, leader, or his son?”

Instead of answering, the three of them simply share a look amongst themselves, before they all look back to her. The uncomfortable feeling is back tenfold. There is something in their gaze, an almost apologetic look in their eyes. She hates it, nor does she understand why they look upon her so.

“What? What is wrong?” She demands, the agitation ever growing.

Mansk clears his throat and steps forward.

“Come with us Mrs. Sully…And bring your husband too.”

Her stomach clenches something awful; her mother’s intuition stings.

---

The 5 of them congregate in Mansk’s private dwelling. He gestures for everyone to sit down, get comfortable. Jake too can’t help but notice the sullen looks adorning the others’ faces. Nor his he miss the nervous twitch of his wife’s tail. He grabs her hand and squeezes it reassuring. She looks to him, taking a deep breath as she nods.

Mansk re-emerges from wherever he went, brandishing a tablet in hand. He sits himself in front of everyone, holding the tablet for them to see.

“Here…A message was given to us, to give to you when you came.” He moves his hand and hits play.

Instantly you are on the screen. You are nervously rubbing the back of your neck. Quaritch is sitting next to you; he is leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees and fingers loosely threaded in front of him.

“Hello mother, father, precious siblings…” Neytiri squeezes Jake’s hand harder. She does not like how your voice sounds as you speak.

“If you’re seeing this, then you’re all probably wondering where we—I am…” You pause, hand on your heart and you take a deep breath to calm yourself. Neytiri notices then, Spider mulling around in the background. Back and forth he moves, as if in a hurry.

“I don’t know how else to word this, so I’m just going to come out and say it. I’ve left. WE, have left. Me, Spider, and Miles.” You glance over to Quaritch and smile, grabbing his hand in yours, threading fingers together. Your face returns to that awful tired expression when you look back to the camera.

“I’m sorry I did this without saying goodbye…But this was for the best. If there was even a chance, no matter how small, that any of you would try to stop us…Well, I didn’t want to take that chance. I’m so sorry, I really mean that. For everything…Father? Thank you for taking care of me. I love you, to Earth and back. Please remember to take care of yourself too, not just the family or the clan…

Kids? I know you’re probably gonna hate me for a while, leaving like this and all—but like I said. My mind is made up and I don’t want any of you trying to stop us. I love each and every one of you so much. No one could ask for better siblings. Please be good to each other. And boys? Start actually listening to dad once in a while, yea?”

You pause to wipe a few stray tears. Neytiri is sobbing quietly as she clenches Jake’s hand painfully. She doesn’t see him swallow hard the lump in his throat.

“Mama?” Neytiri sits up straight when you address her directly.

“I don’t think I could every forgive myself for hurting you. I am so sorry, more than words could ever express…You took good care of me, took good care of this family. I am proud to call you my mother, and no matter how far the wind takes me, I will always love you. I hope you can forgive me one day…” You gently place a hand on your stomach.

“I do not want to cause dissent amongst my family, or the clan, any longer…And one day when I start my own family, with the man I love… I don’t want them to feel like they don’t belong. So here we go, somewhere far beyond the horizon, to find a place we can truly call our own…” Your smile is bright and unwavering, even when the tears don’t stop.

“Please keep taking such good care of each other. Promise me you will. Sullys stick together, our family is our fortress, right? Well, these two? They are my family now, they are my fortress, and I will do what I must to keep them safe, happy, accepted...Whether or not the clan or some of you can accept it, know that I love each and every one of you, forever and ever…So until I see you again, May Eywa keep you all safe…Goodbye...”

You wave at the camera before leaning forward to touch something unseen, and the video ends.

Neytiri breaks down then and there. She falls into Jake’s arms, clutching at him desperately. Her wails crack her voice as she calls for you. Jake sheds silent tears as he holds her tight. He fights every instinct in him demanding he grab his ikran and blindly fly after you.

The other recoms sit and silence, heads lowered, as they take in the sight before them.

A mother’s heartache was truly one of the saddest things to bare witness to.

---

Tag List: @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed, @lvangel98, @rsclopez, @onlyreadz @manymaria111, @kristeen31xxx @mechformers @olivia-the-weirdo @essenceinpink @villirios @rededfoxy @brutecuteness @perseny @fandom-garbage @ttreader @hihhasotherfixations @angel-of-silver369 @royallaufeyson @saltedcoffeescotch @the-hufflebird-girl @ding-dong-big-schlong @netherklutz @moneyoverl0v3 @@episodic8peace @touchedflowers @sarcasticrandy

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icequeenlila · 14 days ago

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What if on the demon ship, when Neteyam yelled at Lo'ak to "go!" Lo'ak doesn't listen?

What if he insists "No, I'm not going without you! We go together!"

What if Neteyam grits his teeth and grabs his little brother by the wrist, pulling him along towards the railing, head facing back over his shoulder and shooting at their attacker while running towards their escape?

What if Neteyam throws his gun at their attacker, hitting him in the face, causing him to stumble backwards and cease fire, buying them the time they need to escape?

What if he yells at Lo'ak "Now!" and they jump together, one last ear ripping shout of a fired gun sounding behind them?

What if they hit the water and Neteyam immediatly realizes that something is wrong?

What if he feels Lo'ak struggle to make it to the surface?

What if he grabs him under the shoulders to pull him up?

What if he finds his little brother gasping for air, his face contorted in pain?

What if the water around them turns red?

What if Neteyam presses his hand to the open wound in Lo'ak's chest?

What if I wrote a fanfiction like this?

#atwow #avatar the way of water #avatar way of water #loak sully #ao3 #ao3fic #neteyam sully #spider socorro #bc he would be there too #neteyam #lo'ak sully #hurt no comfort #angst #atwow fic #idea at least

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littlethingsinlife · 2 years ago

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i'm sorry (happier part 2)

A/N: I was not expecting the amount of positive feedback for the first part and I was even more surprised to see people asking for a part 2! It was originally created to be a one-shot but a part 2 really fit well with how the first one ended. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you again for all of the love and support! I hope you all enjoy. I also want to thank my friend, @tummymoth, they really helped me flush out and refine my rusty ass writing (also let me word vomit at them till midnight sometimes).

Pairing(s): Past Lo’ak x Omatikayan!Reader, Ao’nung x Omatikayan!Reader, Slight mentions of Lo’ak x Tsireya

Warnings: Lo'ak's POV, Swearing, Ao'nung saying something sus ONE time

More Info: My vision for this part 2 was to create a reply in Lo'ak's pov. So we'll have a look at what he experienced and thought process (not too sure if any of that made sense) but I was inspired by Joshua Bassett's song "i'm sorry" and it played constantly as I wrote this. Hopefully I was able to do right by my idea haha.

Summary: 7,547

Part 1: Happier

Key:

(Y/N) = Your Name

Lyrics = Bolded Italics

Flashbacks = Italics

Na'vi Words:

Yuey - beautiful (refers to a person)

Skxawng - idiot/moron

Marui - Pods where the Na’vi live

Ilu - sea creature similar to dolphins

Ikran - dragon-like creature

Tulkun - sentient creatures similar to whales

Olo’eyktan - clan leader/ chief

I thought about what I would say

But I’m two years too late

I can’t imagine how you’re doing these days, hmm

Sure, it wasn’t perfect back then

I’ll be first to admit

But it was better than being strangers again, oh

It had been a couple of months since my interactions with (Y/N) dwindled to terse smiles and barely audible greetings. If you asked me to point out the moment our friendship started to change, I couldn’t tell you. When did our bond start to break? When did it even start to crack? We used to talk every day about all the things we did and planned what pranks to pull on everyone, but now? Now, she barely looked in my direction. Now, she wouldn’t even give me the time of day.

I couldn’t remember when it started, but I knew that it was somehow my fault I grew distant once we arrived in Awa'atlu. I guess I was just so fascinated by the new environment and people, I didn’t even realize a rift started to form between us in the first place, much less that it started to grow.

The night before we left to find a new home, I held (Y/N) as she let out sobs filled with fear and anxiety. It broke my heart, but all I could do was hold her and let her cry until she was calm enough to tell me what was on her mind.

“I-I am afraid, what if the sky people come to find us again? I cannot lose any of you; it would break me into a million pieces,” she sobbed.

“If they find us then we will fight and we will win,” I reassured her, gently rocking her back and forth.

“You are an idiot, I was so close to losing you, to losing Kiri, Tuk, how do you think it would make me feel to lose the most important people in my life?” she sniffled. My chest ached at how broken she sounded, but the only thing I could do was assure her and offer her more words of comfort as I held her in my arms.

“I promise that I will be with you throughout the journey as will my family. We love you, and even if you do not believe it, you are a Sully. And you know what my dad always says.”

“Sullys stick together,” we chorused.

That night, I cradled her in my arms until she fell asleep.

Fuck, I completely broke my promise to her, how could I forget? Shaking my head, I tried to reason to myself, “Maybe she just needs time alone. I’m sure she’ll come running back soon once she realizes that it's no fun without me, her best friend.” I felt a small, unfamiliar feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Right?”

I’m drunk too late talking to the moon

Writing songs I can’t sing to you, ‘cause

“Bah! Stop lying, I know you (Y/N). You would have fought alongside me and defended Kiri. You are not the same girl I knew in the forest back home,” I muttered, rolling my eyes and getting up to leave. Honestly, who did she think she was fooling? The skxawng had the balls to insult Kiri, and all she did was sit back and watch. She didn’t even make a move to help until it was to help him by pulling me off. “Talk to me when you’ve come back to your senses,” I called over my shoulder, refusing to look back.

“Lo’ak! Bro—” a hand roughly grabbed my shoulder, jolting me out of my daze, “why’re you just staring off like that?” I whipped my head to see who the hell it was that was bothering me, only to be met with Neteyam.

“Did you have to grab me that hard?” I hissed before my initial anger gave way to a heavy feeling. “It's nothing, just—just lost in thought” I sighed, shrugging his hand off my shoulder.

“Right, sure, nothing.” he crouched down beside me. “Don’t think you can lie to me lil bro, you’ve been spacing out more than you usually do. I didn’t even think it was possible to be more empty-headed than you already are,” he stated.

“Wha—no I haven’t,” I tried to argue, but of course, he wasn’t convinced.

“Can you stop arguing with me for once and just tell me what’s going on with you, you skxawng?”

I scrunched my nose in distaste and inhaled sharply, “(Y/N) and I have been… distant,” I admitted, turning to look at him. “She won’t even look at me. She either only answers me with one word or doesn’t answer at all.”

He nodded, motioning for me to continue.

“I—the last time we talked, I said things I didn’t mean. Things that just came out because I was so frustrated and… and angry. It was the heat of the moment and I—”

“What did you say skxawng, did you hurt her?” Neteyam interrupted, face twisting to show the beginnings of distaste.

“No, no—” I sputtered and raised my hands to calm him before he could go on an hour-long lecture that I absolutely was not in the mood to hear. “At least I don’t think I did… I just wanted to ask her why the hell she was helping fish lips, that’s all—”

“You didn’t answer me Lo’ak, what did you say to (Y/N)? I don’t care why you did it, I want to know what you said to elicit such a reaction from her.” By Eywa, if he would just give me a chance to get to the point—

“I—I told her that she was not the same girl that I knew back in the forest..." my ears lowered as the weight of what I said slowly sunk in. “And that she could talk to me once she came back to her senses,” I whispered, internally cringing at my harsh words..

“You fucking skxawng—”

“Can you stop calling me that? I already know, you don’t need to keep repeating it…” I scoffed, looking out into the ocean. I’m good enough at beating myself up over the hundreds of times I’ve messed up in this lifetime, I didn’t need another disappointed set of eyes on me.

My ears twitched at the deep sigh he let out. “Look, I’m sorry that I keep calling you skxawng but that is exactly what you are for saying something so hurtful to your best friend of all people. The two of you were inseparable the moment you were born. Even if you don’t want to, suck up your dumbass pride,” my ears flattened again. It wasn’t pride, I’m not prideful. It—it was me needing (Y/N) on my side. We used to always be on the same page, and when she said I was wrong for wanting to defend Kiri against those assholes, it felt like she was siding with them instead of me, and—

Okay, so maybe it was pride.

“Admit that you were wrong, and go talk to (Y/N),” Neteyam insisted as he put a reassuring arm around my shoulders, jostling me around to prove a point. “Your friendship is so much stronger and Eywa knows that a heat-of-the-moment argument isn’t going to break that. You should have more faith in her.” His gaze sharpened before he schooled his expression into something calmer. “Just talk to her, yeah?”

“...Yeah,” I mumbled, swallowing down whatever argument was trying to bubble up from my throat and prying his arm off me. “You’re right. I’ll just clear things up with her and apologize. Everything will go back to normal after that, thanks bro—for listening,” I agreed.

Ever since that day

The things I didn’t say They haunt me, oh

And I know that I’m to blame

So, go ahead and

Blame it on me, oh

Our lessons on the ways of the Metkayina were finished, so it was rare for the entire group to be in the same place. But every once in a while, we all finished our chores at the same time and found ourselves near the shore where we first learned to ride the ilu, and sat around a fire hours before eclipse, laughing and exchanging stories.

The rarity of these moments made me cherish them that much more, but two people continued to miss our not-so-scheduled gatherings the past two moon cycles. How was it possible that they were the only two to keep missing our hangouts? Were they together? Fish lips had better not be doing anything to (Y/N) or so hel—

“(Y/N)! Ao’nung! You guys made it!” Rotxo laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, quit shouting will you?” Ao’nung shot back as he sat down next to Rotxo, (Y/N) smiling softly as she followed.

“So, what’ve you guys been up to? We haven’t seen you in what feels like ten moon cycles.” Neteyam questioned.

“Teyam, you saw me earlier today, you literally helped me feed our ikran,” (Y/N) joked. ‘Teyam? When did she start calling him by anything other than his given name?

Ao’nung swatted her side with his stupidly wide tail and swung an arm around her shoulder with a remarkably punchable smile on his face “More like he was trying to make sure you didn’t accidentally give them your fingers for breakfast. They would’ve gotten indigestion.”

“Haha very funny Ao’nung,” she drawled, “I would’ve fed you to Tekay instead, but she would’ve gagged the moment she caught a whiff of you,” she scoffed as she quickly pushed him away by the chest.

“Wait… Do they even have a gag reflex?” Fish lips didn’t budge, he just had a dumb look of confusion on his face.

“No, but they would defy the laws of biology to gag just for you,” she quipped, sticking out her tongue and moving to push him away again, but the skxawng had the nerve to pull her into a headlock.

“Oh, yuey, the ikran won’t be the only ones gagging on me tonight,” he argued with a smirk.

Did I want to punch that smirk off his face? Did I want to gag? Both? Before I could make a decision, (Y/N) grimaced, pushing him away again and smacking him upside the head.

“That’s actually repulsive. You’re disgusting.”

“Dude, keep it in your pants, her family is right there,” Rotxo laughed, doubled over as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Yeah, we’re right here,” I interjected with a smile—wanting to join in on the jokes that were being thrown around—but it was hard to keep my face from falling when I saw (Y/N)’s bright expression falter.

“Anyway, what were you guys talking about before Ao’nung and I arrived?” she asked in a too-bright tone of voice she only used when she desperately wanted to change the subject. As if everyone came to an unspoken agreement to forget about the conversation before, one by one they all started talking about who they thought would win in a fight—Toruk Makto, or our Olo’eyktan, Tonowari.

The sound of laughter and excited chatter faded as I replayed the previous conversation in my head. When did they start joking around like that? Why the hell did fish lips call her yuey like it was the most natural thing in the world? How come she smiled so easily with him but faltered when she sees me? She was probably smiling with him right now—

I looked over at her, a pit in my stomach already forming at the idea of her smiling at him, but she looked so distant, so withdrawn from everything around her. Before I could even blink, she put a delicate hand on Ao’nung’s arm to grab his attention and mumbled something in a hushed tone. After a few beats of silent conversation, Ao’nung nodded and gave her a look of understanding.

Why did he look at her like that? How much time did they spend together to be able to understand each other with just a look? How much time have I wasted breaking my promise to her while she grew closer to someone else?

Standing up, I made up my mind that I would talk to her and clear up any miscommunication. There was no way in hell I was about to let fish lips ruin our childhood friendship. Before I could even get close, Neteyam pulled me aside.

“Bro, why’re you glaring at everyone?” he asked with concern written all over his face.

“Glaring?” I tilted my head in confusion. “I’m not glaring, this is just my face.”

“No, no.” He shook his head. “I’m your brother, I know your face. Whatever look you’ve been throwing at Ao’nung and (Y/N)? You may as well have been throwing knives at them.”

Behind Neteyam, I could see (Y/N) get up to bid everyone good night and slowly walk in our direction. This was my chance, I just needed this overbearing idiot to leave me alone.

“Whatever look you think I’m giving to them, you’re wrong,” I denied. “Can you not act like this right now?” My tail flicked side to side impatiently, an obvious twinge of annoyance clear in my tone. I licked my lips nervously as I could hear footsteps coming closer. Leaning slightly to the side, I looked behind Neteyam to see (Y/N) and—

Ao’nung? What? Why is he there?

“Good night,” (Y/N) muttered, not sparing us a glance as she walked past. I followed her every move and—as if everything slowed down—my eyes narrowed as they found Ao’nung’s hand placed on her lower back, leading her gently in the direction of the marui.

I know that I’m too late

But I’ll say it anyway

I’m sorry

Though it's far too late

“I did it! Did you see that Reya?” I shouted—out of breath—as I showed off the shell Tsireya threw.

“Yes, yes you did it!” She exclaimed, excitedly wrapping her hand around mine. For someone who spent so much time underwater, her hand radiated so much warmth. So easy to hold. My heart swelled with pride as she continued to compliment me. “You’ve improved so much!”

“Yeah? Well, I had a great teacher,” I joked, nudging her softly with my shoulder. It wasn’t just her hands that were warm either, she just seemed to radiate it.

“Oh stop, you flatter me too much,” she denied, fidgeting with her hair. Was that a blush on her face? “C’mon, why don’t we catch up with the others? Private lessons are officially done for the day,” she announced as she led me to shore. Oh Eywa, she looked so pretty like this, with her hair flowing down her back and the way her eyes cast down when she became flustered. And her smile, it was a smile that could knock the air out of my lungs.

While we walked onto shore, we joked around and laughed with each other, talking about anything and everything. The ease of each reply and joke came as smoothly as gliding through the water on an ilu—as easy as breathing. Laughing at another one of Tsireya’s jokes, my eyes scanned the village as we approached it. Families were winding down for the day as they cooked dinner, although I didn’t see mine anywhere nearby aside from Kiri.

My smile slowly dropped when I was able to make out Kiri looking frantically around as if she was searching for someone. Tsireya and I made our way to her, worry filling the pit in my stomach. As we got closer, I could see Ao’nung climb down one of the roots of the Mangrove trees and make a beeline toward her. My eyes stayed on both of them, making sure that fish lips didn’t do anything to Kiri.

Ears twitching I was able to make out the words, “(Y/N)? Did you find her? ” from Kiri as they were carried on the wind toward us.

“Yeah I did, I was able to get her to eat, but she’s not looking too good,” Ao’nung replied with concern lacing his voice.

Brows furrowing, I pulled Ao’nung by the shoulder. “What do you mean she’s not looking good? Where is she? What did you do?”

“What the hell do you mean? I didn’t do shit, freak.” I rolled my eyes at the insult. He couldn’t use that thick head of his to think of anything else to call me? From the pained look on his face, I could tell that my grip on his shoulder had too much pressure. Good. Served him right.

Before Ao’nung and I could continue our argument Kiri groaned, “Will the both of you skxawng shut up! I’ll go talk to her.” My eyes followed her retreating form as she went to talk to (Y/N)—tail lashing back and forth in agitation all the while—before turning back to Ao’nung.

Who the hell did he think he was? I’d beat his skxawng ass if he hurt (Y/N) in any way. He had no right to look so damn worried. They weren’t even close. What even happened? How long had she been missing for Kiri to go to fish lips of all people for help? Should I follow Kiri? Why didn’t (Y/N) come to me? She always came to me, and if she came to me now, I absolutely would have listened. Why—

“Lo’ak? Hey, are you okay? Lo’ak?” a hand softly placed itself on my arm. Closing my eyes in frustration, I sighed.

“Yeah, perfectly fine.”

Damn it, was that when it started? How idiotic and blind have I been that I didn’t even notice that her trust in me started to slip and die when it was right in front of me? Why didn’t I go to her and make sure she was okay? I should’ve punched that idiot’s lights out—

“Ao’nung! Stop pulling me you skxawng, you’re walking too fast, slow down!” a hushed voice chastised.

“C’mon yuey, we only have about an hour before eclipse, we have to hurry!” His voice grated against my ears as he responded.

“That’s plenty of time!” (Y/N) insisted. I could hear the laughter bubbling up in her voice as she chased after him. “Please Ao’nung slow down, I can’t keep up.”

“It can’t be helped, you’re so short—” a whack could be heard. “Ow!”

“I’m as tall as Tsireya, you giant!”

“Both you and my sister are short—Ow! Alright, just because you did that, you leave me no choice,” Ao’nung said, throwing (Y/N) over his shoulder with a laugh.

The bickering voices got closer, and my eyes narrowed at the way he held her. My breath hitched as he whispered something in her ear that made her ears perk up and her eyes widen. What the hell was he saying to her? Before I could spring up from my spot, Ao’nung tossed (Y/N) in the water, her yelp quickly interrupted by the sound of her body hitting the water.

I stayed in my spot as shock zipped through my body. Letting out a breath I didn’t know I held, her head popped out of the water, a playful glare on her face.

“I told you, you left me no choice,” he stated, guffawing at her expression.

“Oh yeah?” she groused, spitting out seawater as she wrung out her hair. “Well fuck you too. Help me out of here?”

“Only if you say the magic word,” he taunted, crossing his arms with a smirk. “Otherwise, I’m afraid my hands are tied.”

“Please, oh great son of our Olo’eyktan, help me out of the ocean,” she beckoned dramatically, sarcasm dripping from every word while she rolled her eyes. “It’s about time you recognized my proud lineage, forest dweller,” he said as his chest puffed out with a hand reaching towards (Y/N). And there was that stupid smile on his face.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, a mischievous smile spreading across her face as she reached for his hand, making sure to tug with enough force to unceremoniously yank him into the water.

“So much for the son of a great warrior! Your instincts are shit!”

“My instincts are dull you say?” he questioned as his head popped up next to her. “We’ll see about that!”

“Wha—AHHH—'' she wheezed. “No, please Ao’nung stop! That tickles!” Her arms flailed wildly in an attempt to free herself from his grasp.

What the fuck.

My ears flattened at an angle as I tried to process the scene unfolding before me. When did she start laughing with him? That should’ve been me she was laughing with. Not him, not the skxawng who had been nothing but rude to us since we arrived. What… what was I even saying—Fuck I didn’t know anymore. Why did I feel like this every time I saw them together… laughing and making jokes like we used to?

And it was me, it wasn’t you

It’s cliche, but it’s true

I wasn’t thinking how I usually do, oh

And is your momma doing well?

Or does she still hate me?

But it was hard to watch me put you through hell

I’m drunk, too late, talking to the moon, ooh

Writing songs I can’t sing to you, ‘cause

Two weeks had passed since I started noticing the changes in (Y/N)’s relationship—friendship?—with Ao’nung. It was like every time I blinked, I could see her laughing loudly as Ao’nung tickled her with a triumphant smile on his stupid face. Since that day, I had been trying to find a way to talk to (Y/N), but she was never alone. She was always with him and when she wasn’t, she disappeared and I couldn’t find her no matter how hard I looked.

Now here I was, wandering around trying to look for her as I rehearsed what I wanted to tell her.

Where could she be? Dinner was in an hour and she wasn’t anywhere near our marui. I had to find her soon so there would be enough time for us to talk. I had to tell her that I miss her, that I was sorry for being so dumb, that I shouldn’t have let my pride blind me, and that I didn’t mean any of the things I said.

There was only one place I hadn’t looked yet… hopefully she was there.

As I was getting closer to the root Kiri stalked to, I could see two silhouettes beside each other. An all-too-familiar feeling bloomed in my chest once I registered that she was there with him.

Her melodic laughter made my steps falter. I clenched my fists tightly, contemplating if I should go over there and pull her away, force her to talk to me, to listen. But I couldn’t, I couldn’t do that to her, not when she looked so content, so happy.

Ever since that day

The things I didn’t say

They haunt me, oh

I know that I’m to blame

So, go ahead and

Blame it on me, oh

“Lo’ak? You said you were going to look for (Y/N) and never came back. She’s already in the marui helping mom cook,” Kiri stated, a twinge of annoyance lacing her voice. “Hey, are you listening?” She shook my arm slightly, making me jump out of my stupor.

“Yeah, sorry, you said dinner was ready?” I asked as I stared off.

The sand beside me crunched softly as Kiri made a move to sit beside me. “No, I said that (Y/N) is with mom helping her cook. Where is your head at?” she asked as she tilted her head to try and meet my gaze. “Are you alright?” The annoyance in her voice shifted to concern.

“I’m fine, yep—just… fine,” I brushed her off, hoisting myself up to head towards Mom and Dad for dinner before Kiri yanked me back down.

“Lo’ak, don’t pretend you’re okay when you’re not. Tell me what’s going on,” she urged. “Maybe I can help you with whatever it is that’s occupied your mind lately.”

I inhaled sharply, debating if I should tell her what had been muddying my mind, the reason why I had been so spaced out, why I had been glaring daggers at fish lips each time I saw his stupid face next to (Y/N)—how confused I was.

“Stop with the thinking skxawng, you might hurt yourself,” she admonished. “Just tell me. It’s not like I can’t handle it.”

Huffing, I rolled my eyes and turned away from her to look at the sea. I hadn't even said anything yet and Kiri was already making me feel idiotic. How was I supposed to tell her what's been going on like this? Maybe if I kept quiet for long enough, she would get tired of waiting for me to start talking and go on to eat dinner without me.

A couple of minutes of silence passed.

I could still feel her staring at me.

“I’ve—I’ve been conflicted,” I started, tongue feeling heavy in my mouth as I continued to stare at the shoreline. “I don’t know what I’m feeling.”

“What do you mean?” Kiri nudged my shoulder with hers. “Elaborate a little more, I can’t help if you don’t tell me the reason why you’re feeling confused.”

“...Whenever I see (Y/N) with Ao’nung, it’s as if I can feel my heart aching,” I said, motioning toward my chest to prove my point. “There’s always a… a surge of anger that rushes through me. All I want to do is pull her away from him so then everything can go back to the way things used to be—for us to be okay.”

“Lo’ak…” If I was looking at her, I’d probably see Kiri tilt her head with sympathy. But sympathy isn’t what I needed right now.

“I want her to look at me and smile, to laugh with me, hug me—but now, whenever I get close to her, she’s next to him, laughing with him, cracking the jokes we would make to each other… I just—” I rubbed at my face in frustration. It wasn’t as if the words were hard to come by—I had spent so much time bottling them up that it was hard to stop talking. No, I just hated the fact that I felt this way in the first place. “I don’t understand why seeing them makes me feel like my heart is about to explode—why it makes me want to scream. It hurts.”

“Lo’ak” she put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you—are you in love with (Y/N)?”

Love?

I sputtered in surprise and whipped my head toward Kiri to see if she was joking or not. What kind of a sick question was that? I wasn’t in the mood for any games.

“What? No, she’s like my… sister?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “If you’re not, then why does seeing her with Ao’nung hurt you so much? Why do you care as much as you do?”

“I shouldn’t!” I wrenched my shoulder away from her hand and stood up. The need to move around and do something��anything—was too much. There was too much energy thrumming right beneath my skin to sit still anymore.

“That’s the problem! After everything I said to her, done to her? I don’t have the right to say I’m in love with her. She’s my childhood friend, Kiri. That’s all our relationship has ever been… I just—” I paused in thought and tried to calm down. “I didn’t realize seeing her have so much fun with someone else would make me feel so, so hollow—”

“Let me ask you something, you have to promise to be completely honest with me, okay?”

I nodded, not even looking in her direction.

“When (Y/N) tried to pull you off from Ao’nung that one fight months ago, what did you feel? Angry? Betrayed? Jealous?”

Jealous? Did she really think I was sulking for months because of such a petty feeling? I’m not a jealous person. I never have been.

“Seeing her jump in to get me off him made me feel like she was siding with him and telling me that I was wrong. Her actions were clear as day to me, Kiri.” I started to pace around. “She was protecting him—caring for him when she should’ve been next to me, helping and supporting me. When she did that—I felt like the only person that’s ever been on my side—” I croaked and turned my head to look at Kiri as tears stung my eyes “The only person who didn’t see everything I did as some sort of disappointment or failure, abandoned me and chose someone else.”

“...”

“I know that I could’ve approached her a different way but how could I when I felt so broken?” I inhaled sharply, eyebrows furrowed. “ It’s all fish lips’ fault. If he wasn’t such an asshole, none of this would have happened, and (Y/N) and I would still be the same, she would still be by my side—supporting me, loving me.”

“Why do you keep blaming it on Ao’nung?”

“Because it is his fault that things have turned out the way it has.” I threw my hands up, exasperated. What wasn’t Kiri getting? “He’s getting in between my relationship—er—friendship with (Y/N)! If he wasn’t there I would be able to talk to her and tell her I’m sorry, but she’s always with him—”

“Stop! Are you hearing yourself?” She nudged at my foot to interrupt and scoffed. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? (Y/N) told me what you said to her, how ‘she wasn’t the same girl’ you knew back in the forest. Do you know what happened when you told her that? Do you know how much pain she was in?”

Pain? I snorted, turning towards Kiri. “Now I know what you’re saying is bullshit. You know how (Y/N) is—if she really was pissed at me she would’ve come to me instead of running to someone else.”

“She wasn’t pissed. She cried because of you, Lo’ak. Because of what you said.” I stopped dead in my tracks to look at her. Kiri's eyes didn’t waver. Another heavy feeling settled on my chest and clawed its way up my throat. If you had asked me what it was, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you. Was I sad? Guilty? Angry? Was I jealous like she said?

I settled on anger.

“If you’re saying what I think you’re saying—”

“The person that found her that night, the one who comforted her? That was Ao’nung. He held her in his arms as she sobbed when I found them.” She stood up too, forcing me to stop pacing.

“The last thing I want to hear about right now is him, Kiri. What the fuck—”

“Did you ever think about why she’s so comfortable with him now? Why they’re so close? While you ignored her for weeks, he made sure she was okay—made sure she ate every day. He didn’t leave her side until she finished,” Kiri pointed out, and before I could even think to open my mouth to remind her how shitty he was to her especially, she cut me off. “Yes, he was an asshole at the beginning, and yes he has a screwed-up way to show he cares, but he stepped up when you fucked up.” She poked my chest with a glare before she continued.

“Oh, so I’m a fuck-up now?” I asked wryly.

“You can’t put all the blame on someone that took care of your best friend. Stop being so blinded by your pride and hatred and see that you’re the real reason why your relationship with (Y/N) isn’t the same as it used to be.”

My heart sank a little more as I scrambled for something to say. “How could you say that—”

“No, you do not get to interrupt me right now, Lo’ak.” Her eyes flashed with something closer to anger than annoyance. When was the last time I saw her angry? “Listen and listen well. When we couldn’t find (Y/N) and we were looking for her everywhere—he was the one that found her spot, the one she isolated herself to so she could cry alone, and no one would see how much pain she was in. And what were you doing in the meantime?”

My ears flattened at her rising tone, and I was finally beginning to understand the weight stuck in my throat and chest. Not anger, not even jealousy.

“You were out there with Tsireya, stuck in your own little world.”

It was my fault.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy that you found her but you can’t have both of them. You can’t be that selfish. From (Y/N)’s perspective, you’ve already chosen the one you want.”

“It’s not like I’ve actually chosen anyone yet,” I tried to interject, but all the fight had left my voice as Kiri’s words dug into my skin and sunk in.

“Don’t you dare play with either of their feelings. (Y/N) held so much love for you in her heart, she allowed herself to break to the point of no repair because she didn’t want to show you how much it hurt her to see you at your happiest with Tsireya.” She paused before continuing, her voice losing its edge. “Let her move on, brother. And if it’s Ao’nung that makes her light up the way she used to, then you suck it up and let him. He was there when your pride wouldn’t even let you apologize or even look in her direction. Actually think about how she feels for once.”

I hated the fact that there wasn’t anything I could say to prove her wrong.

“It’s all I’ve been thinking about nowadays,” I muttered.

I know that I’m too late

But I’ll say it anyway

I’m sorry

I’m sorry, hmm

I’m sorry

Though it’s far too late

“I thought I was already doing that,” a faint voice huffed in annoyance. Turning the corner, I saw Ao’nung and (Y/N) standing on the beach together— far too close for my liking.

“You were, but you got sloppy. Here, you have to move your hips like this,” he said as he corrected her posture. My ears flattened against my head as he put a hand on her hip and gently directed her movement.

Why did he look so gentle with her?

“Ao’nung,” (Y/N)’s voice rang out, clear as crystal despite her uncertain tone. “Are you sure you should be teaching me this? This is a traditional Metkayina dance, right? I’m…” she hesitated, her voice becoming smaller. “I’m not Metkayina—”

“Yet.” He interrupted, holding her face in his hands. “You are not Metkayina yet. Once you become one of us, you will have to learn the dance to celebrate the return of our spirit brothers and sisters, so why not learn that now?” I hated how reassuring his voice was. The thought of how either of their eyes looked as they held contact made my stomach turn.

“Yeah… you’re right,” she mumbled with an unsure look on her face.

“Woah, hey pretty girl, look at me,” he insisted, laying his hands on her shoulders and bending his neck so they were at eye level. “I’m serious when I say you will become Metkayina one day, so don’t worry yourself over it right now. Okay?” Ao’nung tilted his head to the side, an unbelievably soft expression on his face. “You have me here to help you.”

“Alright…” (Y/N) mumbled, not convinced.

“If you don’t get rid of that look on your face I’ll throw you into the water,” he said as his face shifted from sincerity to something mischievous. “Or worse… I’ll tickle you,” he threatened.

“You better not Ao’nung, or I swear to the Great Mother herself I will hu—AHH—get away, you skxawng!'' She laughed as she tried to run away, but Ao’nung grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her into his arms. And despite her words of protest, it was clear as day that she was leaning into him while they scuffled on the sand.

“No!” she shrieked with glee. “You can’t make me go in there again!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, forest dweller!”

A thought occurred. Should I go up to them? We never got the chance to talk, after all. I took a few steps in their direction before freezing. When was the last time I heard her laugh like that? She had the biggest smile on her face, and the one who made that happen wasn’t me—it was him.

And if you ever hear this

I hope you know that

I’m not proud of who I’ve been, ooh

And if I see you again

I hope you know that

I wish you nothing but the best

And my biggest regret

The afternoon was quiet, relative silence only interrupted by the crashing of waves. Without much to do, I just sat in our marui and lazed around with Tuk until a horn blew.

“The tulkun have returned! Everybody—our brothers and sisters have returned!” Tsireya’s voice rang out, and when I poked my head out to see what the fuss was about, I saw the megawatt smile on her face, as she swam by on her ilu.

The village came to life as everyone mounted either ilu or canoe to make their way to the tulkun. From here, I could see little more than a large group of dark shapes making their way through the water. Payakan himself was dauntingly huge, but to see a whole pod of them show up like this? It was spectacular. I watched the commotion unfold from one of the walkways, lost in thought before I felt water splashing at my feet.

“Come on Lo’ak! Don’t just stand there, let’s go see the tulkun together!” Tsireya urged, still smiling. Shaken out of my stupor, I grinned widely—diving into the water and clambering onto her ilu. lu may be lithe animals, but I could still feel sinuous muscle under velvety skin as it made adjustments in the water to keep balance.

“I’ll come, but only if you’re offering a ride,” I joked, gently holding her waist and playfully leaning onto her. The cool water around us made her skin feel that much warmer. It was nice.

Before I could see her reaction—I would’ve bet anything at that moment that her cheeks had become flushed—we began to quickly make our way toward the rest of the clan and the giant tulkun.

The air around me vibrated with the excitement and happiness of loved ones returning, and Tsireya was no exception—the speed of the ilu gave away her eagerness to be with her spirit sister. As we leaped into and out of the water, Tsireya’s laughter was carried by the wind and reached my ears. That, and the answering whoops and bellows of Metkayina and tulkun alike, was almost contagious enough to get carried away by the energy surrounding us.

“My spirit sister is down there,” she said as she dismounted, sliding off her ilu and into the water. “Wait here, yeah?” she smiled at me before diving down.

I was more than happy to watch the Na’vi around me. Looking around, I was in awe of the sheer amount of tulkun gathered in one area, and how each Metkayina was able to identify their spirit sisters or brothers so easily. Looking down into the shifting waters, I saw Tsireya catching up with her spirit sister, waving her hands around and swimming through the water alongside her.

All around, I could hear people telling stories and the deep, booming calls of the tulkun as they responded with tales of their own. New parents were showing their babies and calves, and as my eyes scanned the horizon, I could see small children holding onto the tulkun’s fins as they were lifted to the glittering ocean surface.

Not too far away, I heard the sound of a body hitting the water and the sound of grating, but familiar laughter along with an indignant (Y/N) sputtering.

“Ao’nung, what the fu—”

“Hey, hey, relax! It’s just some water. There are children here, yuey,” Ao’nung chided with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“The parents of those children are going to have to explain what it means to return to Eywa once I’m through with you,” she retorted, treading water and becoming even more unamused when he raised his hands in mock surrender.

“Woah there pretty girl, you’re talking to the son of the mightiest warrior in all of Pandora—”

“That’s funny, I don’t see Neteyam here,” she interjected, pretending to search the waters around them before turning back to Ao’nung and tilting her head, “do you?”

“Just because you said that you can have fun finding your own way back to shore,” he said as he turned his ilu around.

“Oh, c’mon Ao’nung, don’t be like that,” she rolled her eyes and reached a hand towards him. “You’d really leave me here to fend for myself?”

He turned and wagged a disapproving finger at her, “I’ll consider forgiving you if you say word-for-word that I’m the son of the mightiest warrior in all of Pandora. I can’t have you slandering my father’s name, yuey.” She groaned and leaned back into the water.

“You couldn’t pay me enough to say that load of bull—”

“Nope!” he didn’t give her a chance to defile the ears of any nearby children and crossed his arms. “I wanna hear you say it.”

“...”

“I’m still waiting.”

With a sardonic smile, she finally caved. “Why don’t I do you one better? You’re the mightiest warrior to exist since the time of the First Songs,” she declared, sarcasm dripping from every word as she slapped at the water for emphasis.

“That’s what I thought, was that so hard?” Even if I wasn’t able to see them, I still would have been able to hear the stupidly wide smile that made its way across his face.

“Don’t be such a big baby and let me meet your spirit brother!”

“Just because he’s here to visit today, I’ll let that one slide for now.” Ao’nung rolled his eyes, dismounting his ilu to join (Y/N). “Now hold on tight and hold your breath like how we practiced.”

We? Who the fuck was we? Why was he allowing her to meet his spirit brother? Why were they looking at each other like that?

I watched both of their silhouettes submerge and breathed deeply, forcing my thundering heart to calm as I slowly sank my head into the water. At first, all I could see were blobs floating around in the water, but once my eyes adjusted, I could see the fluid movement of Ao’nung talking to his spirit brother. Eyebrows furrowing, I swam a little closer and hoped that I would be able to see what was being signed. With each movement made, it was clear that Ao’nung was translating the clicks and bellows of the tulkun to (Y/N), and whatever was being said made her smile widen by the second.

I couldn’t watch anymore as my chest burned from the lack of air and I resurfaced to catch my breath. For once, I was thankful for the lack of lung capacity I had. I climbed back onto Tsireya’s ilu. Seeing as she wasn’t back yet, I sat back and leaned on its neck to face the sky.

Did she always glow like that when she smiled? Whenever she was with him—she always looked so happy, so vibrant. Would she have looked like that with me by her side if I didn’t push her away? If I was there for her like I had promised? I wanted to tell her sorry—that I was sorry for taking our friendship for granted, for making her go through it alone. I wish that it didn’t take seeing her smile and laugh with someone else to make me realize how I felt.

I willed my tears to go away.

Is this how she felt? Seeing me with Tsireya? Great Mother… I was truly horrible, wasn’t I? I wished things turned out differently. Maybe in another universe, I did talk to her—realized sooner, made her happier—but now? Right now, my heart was torn in two, watching as someone else picked up the pieces of the heart I crushed. No amount of words could fix what we used to have, and even though I wanted to whisk her away, tell her I love her—that I see her—that seeing her with him made my skin crawl, I knew I couldn’t. I was no longer worthy to be part of her life, because of me and my actions alone.

I had become nothing but a stranger.

Ever since that day

The things I didn’t say

They haunt me

I know that I’m to blame

So go ahead and

Blame it on me, ooh

I know that I’m too late

But I’ll say it anyway

I’m sorry

Hmm, I’m sorry

Oh-oh-oh-oh, I’m sorry

Taglist: @midnightliacr @immortalbloodhuntress @arminsfloll @whenercolorfulrainbowlol @dakotali @lexilander27 @zatarias-pandora @vanillawhale @kazupop @owaowaowawa @sopiasleeps @siabhshjsjsjsjshznzn @jimfiqs @ihave500hubbiez

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be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie · 2 years ago

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Okay so I don’t think I’ve said this yet: I thought Spider was going to be the one to rescue Neytiri and Tuk in Way of Water, not Kiri. I was 1000% convinced he was going into the ship to find them and that just as Jake was Seeing Lo’ak, Neytiri was going to be Seeing Spider as he was able to breathe in the ship, find his way around from his months of capture, and put effort into helping her even after what had just happened. I was shocked when that wasn’t what happened, and I’m surprised I haven’t seen that fic yet tbh.

#genuinely i was so so sure this was happening #and i think its such a cool concept with such angst and comfort potential i am shocked no one has done it yet #miles spider socorro #spider socorro #neytiri sully #tuktirey sully #kiri sully #jake sully #lo'ak sully #spider sully #avatar #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #melissa on avatar (cameron)#OUR SAVIOR- oh its you

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wqterlillypdfs · 2 years ago

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cut me deep, leave me scarred

pairing: lo'ak x fem!omaticaya!reader

summary: what happens when your mate Lo'ak runs head first into battle, disobeying direct orders and almost gets himself killed? OR an au where Lo'ak was the one who almost died in place of Neteyam during the RDA raid in the first act of the film

word count: 1.6k

warnings: descriptions of blood and bruises as well as other injuries. talks about death and losing a loved one. lo'ak and reader are aged up (20 years old). one use of y/n. kinda just angst/hurt-comfort + fluff, i really don't know what this categorises as 😭

a/n: i honestly don't know if this is any good but i had so much fun writing it! i hope you all enjoy <3 also this is not super edited.

Another day, another war party. Or at least that’s how Jake liked to put it.

It had been months since the Sky people returned to Pandora, and ever since, it felt like there was this grey weight hanging over everyone’s heads. Fear that maybe Jake couldn’t save them this time.

But now the Omaticaya were stronger than ever. Years of training and a full generation of new warriors meant for greater success. Well… that’s what you liked to tell yourself.

You gripped the handle on your Ikran’s saddle tighter as you scanned the ground. Sky people in big gunships invaded the sky, but you along with other warriors found no trouble shooting them down. For now, there seemed to be minimal threat - many of the Na'vi war party was on the ground, collecting gear and raiding boxes of supplies.

Lo’ak was meant to be here too, but you had lost him in the initial commotion of the battle. You tried not to plague your mind with anxious thoughts. There’s commotion on the ground to the left, and before you could react you heard a Na’vi imitate an intricate bird call. Your eyes immediately shot back up to the skyline, watching as a large gunship sped around a mountain, its big cannons lighting up.

You barely heard Jake’s cry to fall back before the ground was alight with fire from the explosion. Your eyes blew wide in shock, and you prayed to all things mighty that Lo’ak wasn’t down there.

The comms attached to your neck crackled and came to life, Neteyam’s voice filtered through your earpiece. “Lo’ak’s been hit.”

And your world came to a standstill.

“What!?”

Neteyam’s voice didn’t return, and you couldn’t wait for a response. Your ikran dove right onto the battlefield. You immediately slid off running through the debris on the ground searching desperately for your mate.

Fuck.

He was nowhere to be seen, nor was Neteyam or Jake.

You put two fingers on your com, “Where are you guys? Is Lo’ak okay?”

But your question was answered before the response even came. Lo’ak’s still body lay on the ground, you felt your heart drop. Neteyam was beginning to help him off the ground.

Immediately you were by their side, you ducked into Lo’ak’s line of sight, placing your hands on his body to check for any serious damage, “yawnetu,” you said, voice riddled with worry, “are you okay?”

His body was littered in cuts, but luckily none looked too deep. Still, he was bleeding and the sight made your stomach drop.

Lo’ak’s eyes were glazed with exhaustion and he looked like he might’ve toppled over at any minute. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Jake’s worried tone interrupted.

“Lo’ak? What the hell were you thinking?”

You heard Lo’ak’s deep groan in response to the lecture he was about to receive, and you stepped in immediately. “Ma Jake, he is hurt. Let me take him back. Please?”

Jake’s eyes flicked between you and Lo’ak, then back to Neteyam. There was no time for an argument, most of the Na’vi had begun to flee the battle site, and it would only be a matter of time before the second round of gunships arrived.

“Fine, but hurry.”

You nodded your head curtly as you slung one of Lo’ak’s arms around your shoulder and helped walk him back to his Ikran. “Can you ride?” You asked, trying to suppress the worried tone that was so desperately creeping out of your throat.

He coughed and nodded, “yeah.”

“That’s a no.”

You helped Lo’ak onto your own Ikran before climbing on yourself, his body was pressed against your back, strong arms latched around your waist as he clung onto you. You tried to ignore the feeling of his blood on your skin. Worrying now would not get you anywhere.

• ᣞ ˳ ꒪ ۫ ⁎ ♡⃝ ˳ ꒪ ۫ ⁎ ᣞ

The ride back to High Camp felt like hours and when the mountains finally came into sight you breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?” You asked Lo’ak, partly to make sure he was actually okay, and partly to ease your heart with his voice.

“Never better.”

You could basically see the stupid grin on his face in your mind's eye.

When your ikran finally touched the cold stone grounds of High Camp, you made haste in helping Lo’ak off his ikran. He seemed to be able to walk better now, not needing your help as much. The second his eyes set on his father though, Lo’ak straightened his back and his gaze flitted to the ground.

Neteyam along with his mother Neytiri were quick to dismount their ikran as well.

Neteyam stood beside both of you, but before he could even try to get Lo’ak out of his inevitable trouble, Jake flicked his hand and dismissed him immediately. Right now, Jake looked like someone who did not want to be disobeyed.

“This isn’t new,” Jake began, his voice tight and stern as he set his gaze upon Lo’ak. “You’ve flown these missions before. You’re not a child.”

Lo’ak mumbled out a yes sir, but his words were immediately overshadowed as Jake continued his lecture. “I let you fly the mission, and you disobey direct orders! Your job was to keep an eye out for enemies, from a distance.”

“Jake-” You tried to reason with your father-in-law, but there was minimal use.

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed. What would become of (y/n) if that happened? Did you even think about your family?”

You flinch at the impact of Jake’s words, they’re not even directed at you but you know they’d cut Lo’ak deep. You held onto his upper arm softly.

“Jake,” This time Neytiri tried to reason with her husband. “Your son is actually bleeding.”

At her words Jake faltered, you could see his stern gaze softening. He let out a harshly disappointing sigh. “Dismissed, don’t do this again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I mean it, Lo’ak.”

Lo’ak did nothing but nod. This whole time, his eyes were glued strictly to the ground, only looking at his father momentarily.

“Come,” you ushered him when Jake finally left, “let’s get you fixed.”

• ᣞ ˳ ꒪ ۫ ⁎ ♡⃝ ˳ ꒪ ۫ ⁎ ᣞ

You didn’t want to be angry at Lo’ak, especially not after the lecture Jake had put him through but you couldn’t help it. Lo’ak had put himself in danger’s way. Again.

He had been stupid and brash just like he always was and it had scared you. When you saw his weak body covered in cuts and bruises, for a second you thought you’d really lost him. You couldn’t help the involuntary vexation that bubbled up.

Lo’ak sat in front of you, his legs crossed while you knelt behind him. You ran a washcloth through a basin filled with warm water and brought the soft cloth up to swab at his bruised back. The bruises had already turned from red to a deep purple and there were more cuts than you could count.

Lo’ak lets out a low hiss when you pressed too hard at one of his cuts. “You’re upset.” He concluded from your actions.

“Yes.” You reply, your face holds no expression, but your tone carries the weight of your words.

“I didn’t mean to-” Lo’ak began to reason with you, but was quickly cut off by your words.

“Lo’ak, what were you thinking,” You hissed, quiet but stern.

“I was just trying to help out.” He tried again, words mumbled softly. Like if he raised his tone even an octave higher he’d set off something angry within you.

“You were reckless, Lo’ak.” You hesitated for a second before you said your next words. "You could’ve died.”

Lo’ak paused for a moment at your words, turning them over and around in his head. “You need to think before you do.” You said as you smacked your palm against his forehead, enough that you got your message across but not to hurt him. “This isn’t just you anymore, Lo’ak. It’s your family. It’s us.”

You heard him sigh heavily as he rubbed his forehead. He huffed. “I don’t need you to lecture me too.”

“I am not lecturing you Lo’ak. I am not your father.” You sighed deeply, running the washcloth into the bowl of water. “I just wish you would think about the consequences of your actions more.”

There’s another long pause at your words.

You took one side of Lo’ak’s face in your hands, turning him so he’s facing you. “I am scared.”

And while you might not have known it, his heart shattered into a million pieces.

“I never want to feel the same way I did when I saw you like that. Lo’ak, I really did think I lost you.”

The image of Lo’ak’s body littered in scratches and bloody wounds flashed through your thoughts again. You shook it out of your head as quickly as it came.

Lo’ak had always been one to struggle with conveying any emotion that wasn’t fiery hot. So when he saw your saddened face, he couldn’t find the right words to express his distress. You however, his mate of almost two years, could tell just from the look in his eyes that he was more than sorry.

The pad of your thumb smoothed over his cheek. His mouth opened, he wanted to say something - express his sorry through a string of apologies, but you were quick to cut him off. You pressed your lips to his. Gently, tenderly. Lo’ak wouldn’t dare pull away from your delicate touch, he wrapped an arm around your lower back to pull you closer to him. Your hands still held his face even when you parted your lips from his, his electric yellow eyes swam with more emotions than you could’ve unravelled.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled, as you rested your forehead carefully against his.

You hummed, sighed and accepted his apology. “I know.”

“I’ll be better.” I promise.

“I know.”

atwow taglist: @ssc7514, @nao-cchi, @fens-mire, @thatfangirl42, @fanboyluvr, @4xrina, @mycstcal

if u wanna be added to my general taglist, or a specific fandom taglist just let me know!

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thinkofmehoney · 2 years ago

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"Smell that, it's wet grass and smoke in my hair."

Chapter one

Next chapter ->

Summary: the Sully family moves to another city after Neytiri gets a new job there as an Archery teacher. In consequence, the kids go to a new high-school where they meet new people and also face people from their past, and basically just live their lives as teenagers.

Pairings: Neteyam x Ao'nung, Lo'ak x Tsireya, Kiri x Rotxo

Notes: I'm indecisive so I didn't know if I wanted this to be a Human Au or just a Na'vi fic, so you can imagine them as humans or Na'vi! it's up to you! I tried not to describe their appearance too much to make this easier, but I'll use human and Na'vi images for the chapters.

Also, I chose the title because it's a lyric from Townie by Mitski, and it makes me think so much about being a teenager so I think it's appropriate.

Includes: kind of Slice of Life?, High-school au, Neteyam, Ao'nung and Rotxo are 18, Lo'ak, Tsireya, and Kiri are 17, Modern au, enemies to lovers, ex's to friends to lovers, daddy issues, bullying, crushes, hurt/comfort. I'll be updating the tags once I write more!

2.1k words

It was early in the morning when Jake was driving his kids to their new school. They just moved to their new house after Neytiri got a new job as an archery teacher, they decided it was better to move than to have Neytiri traveling everyday, they also saw it as an opportunity to buy a bigger house where they would live more comfortably as the big family they were.

Neteyam glanced at Lo'ak's phone and saw that he was looking at old pictures of Tsireya and him, Neteyam couldn't help but feel worried about his little brother's situation, even though he thought Tsireya had good reasons to break up, but it also wasn't something they couldn't work up.

"Do you still miss her?" Neteyam looked at his brother's face who couldn't stop looking longingly at his ex girlfriend's picture.

"Of course bro, I miss her more than anything"

"and have you talked to her lately?" Lo'ak sighed.

"Nah, I don't think she wants to talk to me."

"I mean, if you ask me, I think she would wanna hear about you, so she'll know that you care about her, like, that's the whole thing about your break up." Lo'ak sighed, putting his phone down.

"I don't know bro, I still feel kinda embarrassed, I was so clueless and thought everything was just fine between us."

"Okay but… Now that we live in the same city as Reya, what would you do if you run into her?" Lo'ak laughed at that scenario, because it was an impossible thing, he thought.

"Bro this is a big city, what are the odds of me running into her." Neteyam stared silently at him, confused.

"Is that actually a joke?"

"what do you mean?" Now Lo'ak was even more confused than his brother.

"Lo'ak, are you being for real?"

"About what?! please don't play with me right now I swear."

"Bro we are attending to the same school as her, and you are both on the same grade" Neteyam felt like he was explaining to a toddler that two plus two is four. "Are you telling me you didn't know that?" Judging by Lo'ak's wide eyes, no, he didn't knew that.

Lo'ak unbuckled his seatbelt, being his dramatic self. "Dad stop the car." Jake looked at him through the rear view mirror.

"Lo'ak don't start, put your seatbelt back on or i'm gonna crash into a tree."

Lo'ak's face was pale as he looked at Neteyam once again "Why wouldn't you tell me about this shit?!"

"Cause' I thought you knew what was your girlfriend's school smartass! that's why she broke up with you, you don't even know something so basi-" Before he could finish, Lo'ak grabbed his hair in a fist.

"Take that back!" Now, Neteyam was trying to push his brother back.

"Get off of me!" At this point, they were both pulling their hair and pushing each other's faces.

"Hey, hey!" Jake suddenly stopped the car, making both of them stop immediately and look at their father with frightened faces "You two are way too grown to be fighting like this, specially you, Neteyam" the mentioned boy's ears laid flat against his head. "Now, both of you, get out of the car and walk to school, let's see if you keep misbehaving like this when you arrive."

The brothers looked at their father with wide eyes, but soon they just looked down and said "Yes, sir" as they opened the door and got out. They weren't far from the school, they could see it from where they were standing, but it was embarrassing that they got kicked out of the car because of their little fight

the walk to school was silent and the tension was palpable, Lo'ak felt guilty and he could also feel Neteyam's anger irradiate from him like fire, but once they got to the entrance, the older brother patted the younger's head.

"If you need anything just text me, okay?" He may be angry because of the scolding they got because of their little argument, but he was still worried about Lo'ak and his situation.

Lo'ak walked fast into school because he didn't wanna run into that particular someone, meanwhile, Neteyam wasn't in any hurry so he just walked like a normal person.

Until he saw Kiri surrounded by a group of guys laughing at her.

After an eventful car ride to school with her beloved family, Kiri arrives to school before her brothers, of course.

"Have a nice day baby" Jake watches her get out of the car with her green backpack "If someone bothers you don't hesitate to ask your brothers for help, okay?" She nodded.

"Alright dad, see ya!"

As she's walking towards the entrance, she spots some beautiful flowerpots with big leaves covering them. She didn't knew yet, but that was part of he gardening club. At the entrance, if you walk a few steps to the side of the building, you will find a narrow but long greenhouse with some vegetables growing inside that the students sowed themselves. outside theres two white benches in between flowers, cactuses and other beautiful plants that are well cared for by the students.

She strongly believes in talking to plants and giving them positive energy to grow stronger and beautiful, she also finds it really therapeutic talking to them, and the best part is that they'll never judge her

Unlike some other skxawnks.

"Look!" She hears a masculine voice getting closer, along with some giggles. "Is she talking to a plant? you gotta be kidding me" It was some Metkayina boys that were getting closer.

"she's a freak, man" Kiri looked at them with furrowed brows and they could tell that she wasn't Metkayina. "And she's not from here... She must be from the forest."

Kiri rolls her eyes and sighs annoyed as she tries to leave the garden, when the tallest boy gets in her way. He had braided hair and a bun along with some loose curls. His blue eyes were so blue they were almost clear, and Kiri always thought blue eyes looked terrifying.

"Hey, chill." He laughs mockingly "I doubt we interrupted an important conversation here, Forest girl"

"Please just, leave me alone" Kiri tries to get out of this situation but the guys just kept walking around her like vultures, making her dizzy.

When Neteyam arrives, is almost like a sixth sense activates on his brain. He gets closer to the laughter, where the garden is, he doesn't understand what's going on until he hears his sister's voice. He walks at a fast pace and throws his backpack to the ground once he arrives to this circle formed around his younger sister.

He sees the taller boy standing in front of his sister, preventing her from leaving while the other boys around them just laugh. By grabbing the taller boy's shoulder, he turns him around, finding a stunned look in his face.

Neteyam didn't even need to raise his voice to be intimidating, his eyes were just enough to feel your blood getting colder.

"Leave her alone," His voice sounded almost like a growl, Ao'nung felt goosebumps. "Now."

Koro, Ao'nung's friend, was quick to talk back, "Who the fuck do you think you-" But Ao'nung stopped him right away.

Looking at him up and down with a smirk, he raised both of his hands in surrender, letting the darker skinned boy know he was done annoying Kiri.

The girl walked towards her brother just wanting to leave the scene, but Neteyam and Ao'nung held eye contact for a few more seconds until the siblings turned around and left.

Ao'nung's friends looked at him confused, while he just kept looking at Neteyam's back, feeling just as confused as them.

"Who's that?"

Once they were far enough, Neteyam quickly stopped to check on his little sister, he scanned her up and down with his eyes and held her head in both of his hands to talk to her.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Kiri avoided eye contact.

"I'm fine, It's just... I don't wanna talk about it right now." The bell rang indicating their classes were starting, the hallway appeared to be busier at every second.

"If anybody bothers you again just call me and I'll rip their throats off with my teeth, alright?" Kiri smiled, Neteyam shuffled her hair and then they parted ways.

The first period was over, the Sully brothers didn't knew anyone yet other than Tsireya, so they were spending their free time at the school gym, not doing anything in particular, just chatting.

"Do you think that if I talked to her we could start dating again?" Neteyam sighed, actually getting tired of the Tsireya situation.

"I mean, you could at least try instead of asking me that same question over and over." Neteyam rolled his eyes.

"Yeah but what if-" before Lo'ak could finish that sentence, a guy came up to them with a basketball in his hands.

"Hey, we need two more players, are you guys up to?" Neteyam smiled and took the basketball in his hands as he walked away with the boy.

"C'mon Lo!" Neteyam shouted.

"Alright, alright!" Lo'ak followed his brother even though right now he just wanted to keep talking about his situation.

Lucky for them, they both played basketball since they were kids when their dad taught them. Neteyam even won some trophies when he was younger, which made his father really proud. On the other hand, Lo'ak wanted to be as good as his brother at basketball and make his father proud too, but he just couldn't, was it because Neteyam was taller? maybe he was faster? or maybe he just jumped higher? he didn't knew for certain, and that sometimes made him feel impotent.

They were getting into their positions when Neteyam noticed something, or more specifically, someone, on the other team. It was the guy that was making fun of Kiri earlier.

When they made eye contact neither of them looked away, Neteyam looked at him with a frown and Ao'nung at first had a surprised look on his face which soon switched into a smug grin.

When the game started, Ao'nung was baffled at how fast Neteyam was, they weren't even playing an actual game, this was just for fun, but the boy seemed so immersed in the game, like a professional player. Everyone noticed how good Neteyam was and how in sync him and Lo'ak were, probably because they played the sport together for years.

The bell rang just in time when their game ended, it wasn't a surprise that Neteyam's team won, everyone congratulated him, he was the new kid and he already was a sensation amongst their classmates, which made Lo'ak feel a bit left out.

"Yo Neteyam, are you joining the basketball team?" a boy from Neteyam's team asked while walking next to him

Neteyam found himself surrounded by people talking to him about how amazing he was at basketball and that he should definitely join the school's team.

"That's amazing son! Do you know when are the tryouts?"

The day was finally over, they were having dinner when Jake asked Neteyam about his day. He knew if he told his dad about the whole basketball thing he would be so proud, and he was, his eyes looked brighter when he heard the news.

"I think they start next week, they also play basket in between classes so maybe I'll practice with them but i'm not sure." He was moving his food with a fork while he spoke, Jake looked at him with a confused frown.

"What do you mean you're not sure? you have to do it! So they'll know you're motivated." He raised his voice unconsciously.

"Jake" Neytiri said as a warning, she knew her husband gets a little carried away when it's about his son playing sports, and Neteyam was such a people pleaser he would do whatever it would take to never disappoint his parents. So if Jake told Neteyam that he had to train 24/7 until he passed out, his son will most certainly do it.

"i'll go to the tryouts too dad." Lo'ak said looking at his father, who looked at him a little less excited.

"That's good, son, but you have to keep your grades up if you wanna be on a team, alright?" Lo'ak sighed and looked down at his plate, expecting a happier reaction from his dad.

"Yes, sir."

"Speaking of joining things" Kiri spoke, trying to ease the tension in the table. "I joined the gardening club, the "tryout" was being good at science so I just signed in." she joked.

"That's great darling" Neytiri smiled "You'll meet a lot of smart people like you then." Kiri laughed softly.

"I hope so, at least I won't be joining a sports team, everyone there is crazy." Lo'ak and Neteyam pretended to be offended.

"At least I won't be surrounded by nerds" Lo'ak talked back playfully, but Kiri looked at Neteyam.

"You'll be surrounded by hot athletic boys that's why you'll join the team" her older brother looked at her with wide eyes and his mouth full of food as he spoke.

"Why are you attacking me! I didn't even said anything!" bits of food fell out of his mouth, Neytiri put a napkin on his mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Teyam that's disgusting! behave on the table!"

Next chapter ->

please reblog and like if you enjoyed this first chapter!

#aonunete #avatar fanfiction #avatar #fanfic #neteyam x aonung #loak x tsireya #tsireya x lo’ak #aonung x neteyam #modern au #avatar highschool au #highschool au #enemies to lovers #aonete #hurt/comfort #kiri x rotxo #human au #na'vi #neteyam sully #lo'ak sully

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vante1920pm · 2 years ago

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──;; 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ★☆ pt.2

★ 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲: soo, this is the second part, but- there will be a third one ! :))

i was just lazy so i decided to make more parts lolzz

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

☆ 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: ???/gn!omatikaya!reader

☆ 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: ooc, please don't let this flop 😔, my uncreative ass is already too drained for that

pt. 3 is here

You've spent the following days trying to avoid Lo'ak and Tsireya, not ready to face them after the fight you had with your ex-best friend. You felt embarrassed and hurt. You knew Tsireya wasn't at fault, but you felt too humiliated to talk to her. She made some attempts but gave up, after you turned your back to her every time.

Glancing to your right, you saw Kiri and Tuk sitting in the water, the upper part of their bodies still visible. 'Maybe they could distract me from my misery..'

You made your way to your friends, thinking about how you could start the conversation. "Hi.." you said. You looked down at the girls, who greeted you with happy faces.

"Come, sit down with us." Kiri pat the place next to her in the water and you made yourself comfortable. The water was warm, tho you weren't sure if it was because of the water itself or Tuk peeing in it. You shoved the thought away, not wanting to think about it.

"So, I've noticed something...," Kiri started, playing with your hair. " Lo'ak and you... what happened?" Kiri was always very observant, you couldn't hide anything from her.

"Umm, we had some kind of fight, I guess.."

"Because of Tsireya.." you nodded. Looking down on your hands, you noticed Kiri sitting closer. She was always like this, when you hung out. More affectionate with you than with anyone else. Lo'ak teased you about, when you were still friends, he thought, that his sister has a crush on you.

You laughed it off every time, you just thought Lo'ak was joking, like he always did. But the more you thought about it, the more it became obvious. The staring, her hands always brushing yours, the way she talked to you.

"Hellooo? Pandora to Y/N!" Kiri waved her hand in front of your face, trying to get your attention. You snapped out of your little thought process, now looking at the girl next to you. "W-wha-"

You've noticed that Tuk was gone, no sight of her. "She wanted to show mom something she found here." Kiri explained to you, to which you just tilted your head, still not fully back from your daydream.

"You okay? You seem distracted." You looked back at the girl and noticed her face closer than before, looking deeply into your eyes. You never noticed how pretty her eyes looked in the sun, the water reflecting in them, making her eyes look like they're glittering.

There was a pause. It made you kind of nervous, is she gonna kiss you? She's looking at your lips, what are you gonna do now?

You weren't sure on what to do. She's your best friends and crushs sister. Crush? Is he even yor crush? Whenever you've spent time with Kiri, it seemed like you forget about Lo'ak. You normally think of him all the time. But with Kiri? It's like you're living in your own world, Lo'ak not having any place in your head.

So, you did the only reasonable thing you could think of.

You ran away.

Not looking back at Kiri, just running straight to the village. You bumped into Neteyam on your run, who held you back from running further.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait a second," Neteyam breathed out, which sounded like a laugh, staring your nervous form down. "What are you running away from? Is there a monster I have to protect you from?" You smacked his arm, not wanting to hear any of his jokes now.

He just laughed again and put his arms up, in a defensive manner. You looked at him with a warning expression on your face. "Okay, okay, sorry, heh. So, what are you really running away from?"

"Your sister.."

"Tuk?" You smacked him once again, he knew exactly who you meant. "No, idiot, your other sister."

Neteyam looked at you with a soft smile. He knew that would eventually happen. He always noticed the glances between you two. You always thought you liked Lo'ak, but he knew it better.

"I'm confused, I don't know what I'm gonna do." You sighed and pulled on your necklace. "Hm, I think you should just talk to Kiri about it. Maybe have a chat with Lo'ak and Tsireya after." Ah, yes, Neteyam, the dating expert.

"Just.. talk? And what am I supposed to say? 'Hey, Kiri, I always thought I liked your brother but I actually have feelings for you. Let's date?'" Neteyam rolled his eyes at your extravagantion.

"No~, I mean, talk to her about your feelings, don't make a joke about it. Be serious for once."

Ughh, having feelings is such a drag.

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ash-mcj · 2 years ago

Text

kiantu | blameworthy person

3.6k words | warnings: survivor’s guilt, self-worthlessness | AO3

Yawnetu—loved one Skxawng—moron Stiwisiyu—mischief maker

For the second time that week, Jake found himself searching every inch of Awa’atlu for Lo’ak—who was apparently under the impression that he no longer needed to adhere to curfews. Jake felt that expecting his children home by sundown was reasonable—the majority of the village was tucked away in their maruis by then—but apparently, his son disagreed.

Perhaps more frustrating than the disobedience was that Jake was a damn hypocrite for being irritated at all. When had he ever listened to curfews at Lo’ak’s age? Hell, he didn’t even listen to laws all the time when he was on Earth—though luckily, his children didn’t know about that.

After a while, Jake was beginning to come to the conclusion that Lo’ak wasn’t in the village. If he was out with Payakan beyond the reef at this time, Jake was going to ring his neck until his head popped off his shoulders. He was just about to head for the water, when a familiar voice caught his attention.

“Lo’ak, do not,” Tsireya said harshly, almost pleadingly. Jake silently crept closer to the voice, into the forested area of the island that the Metkayina people rarely ventured into, since the sea provided everything they needed. “Do not ever say that!”

“It is the truth,” Lo’ak stated dejectedly. “Everybody knows, but they are afraid to say it.”

Jake shielded himself from view behind one of the large tree trunks as he caught sight of the pair. They were seated across from each other on the ground, Lo’ak’s head hung towards his lap while Tsireya leaned forward in an attempt to see his face.

“Nobody says it because it is not true.”

“It is!” he sneered, glancing up at her through furrowed eyebrows. “You do not understand, Tsireya—you cannot understand!”

“Then who could?” she asked, her voice soft, but firm—as if she were trying to calm a wild creature and take control of the beast before it lashed out or ran. “Ma Lo’ak, I do not believe that you could find someone who would think the way you do. I think you are the one who does not understand.”

When Lo’ak didn’t respond, she reached out and cupped his cheek with her hand—and he immediately leaned into her touch, nuzzling his face against her palm. His eyes raised to meet hers, and Jake’s breath hitched at the raw pain swimming in them. Jake quickly averted his gaze, the vulnerability in their shared look causing guilt to stir in his stomach at his eavesdropping. Whatever this conversation was, it was not meant for his ears—or anyone’s, other than theirs. Jake should have spoken up when he’d first approached, he should’ve let them know they were no longer alone.

“You do not see the way they look at me,” Lo’ak whispered, drawing Jake’s attention back. Lo’ak’s tight features melted away as he continued, “My mom has barely spoken to me since Neteyam died, barely looked at me. I do not know if it is because she blames me, or if she sees him in me, or what. She is just sad all the time. Cold. I think a part of her died with him. And my dad—” his voice broke, and he cleared his throat as if trying to free the words lodged there. “He blames me. And he is right.”

Jake’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. He didn’t blame Lo’ak for Neteyam’s death. Sure, he wished Lo’ak hadn’t led the children out to sea for Payakan while a battle was starting—but he could also acknowledge that he didn’t quite understand the bond between him and the tulkun. From what he’d heard about tulkuns, the Metkayina considered them more like people, family, rather than creatures. It was reckless for Lo’ak to put himself at risk, but it was loyal —and hadn’t Jake been drilling loyalty into his children’s heads since they were born?

Sullys stick together.

“Yawnetu,” Tsireya soothed. “You did not kill Neteyam.”

“I did. He wanted us to leave the ship, but I would not go without Spider. If I had not gone in, he would not have had to follow and protect me.”

“He did not have to. He wanted to protect you, because you were his little brother,” Tsireya assured him, her thumb brushing side to side under Lo’ak’s eye. “That was his choice.”

“It was not a choice!” Lo’ak hissed, turning his head to pull away from her touch. “If he went back to my dad without me, my dad would have skinned him! I knew that. I knew that if I ran in, he would follow, because he could not leave me.”

That wasn’t true—Jake wouldn’t have been upset if Neteyam had come to them for help instead of chasing after Lo’ak. Would he? With a sinking feeling in his chest, he realized that he wasn’t so sure of himself. If something had happened to Lo’ak and Neteyam wasn’t there… a regretful part of him knew that he probably would’ve blamed him, at least in some part. Shit, he and Neytiri had chastised him after Ao’nung had left Lo’ak beyond the reef—and Neteyam had nothing to do with it. Because it was the duty of a sibling to protect the others— especially as the oldest. He always instilled that into Neteyam, that he was expected to protect his siblings at all costs. Did Neteyam think that he’d be in trouble for prioritizing his safety? Did Jake make him stay on the ship?

“We would always get into trouble because of me,” Lo’ak said. “I would do stupid things, and he would follow me because he had to—and then we would both get scolded.”

“That is what siblings do.”

“There were a couple times when my dad told us that my recklessness would get us killed one day—but he was wrong. I only got Neteyam killed, while I am still here, bringing shame and disappointment to my family. I wonder if that was what Neteyam thought about as he lay dying. That what we always knew would happen was finally happening—that I was killing him.”

“You are not a disappointment—”

“Stop! I am! That is all that I am, and all that I ever will be!” Lo’ak shouted, barely getting another breath into his lungs before he continued, “And you can not tell me that I am wrong, because my dad has always told me how much I have failed him. Neteyam was the good one—the strong warrior, the responsible brother, the one who was just like my dad, the one my parents were proud to call their son.”

“Lo’ak—”

“I do not care if you tell me not to say it, it is true,” Lo’ak stated. “It should have been me. It would have been so much better for my family if I had died instead.”

Jake’s hand trembled as it came up to cover his mouth while Lo’ak’s words rang out into the quiet clearing and hung heavily in the air. For a moment, Jake forgot how to breathe, unable to think through the pain filling his chest like a poison-dipped knife. Lo’ak thought they would rather he be dead? Had Jake really failed so terribly as a parent that his son, his baby boy, didn’t think he was loved the way Neteyam was?

“Eywa chose him.”

“She chose wrong.”

“She cannot choose wrong.”

“Well, She did. I do not care if She is mad that I say it!”

“Lo’ak!” Tsireya said fiercely, grabbing onto his face with both hands and forcing him to look at her. His shoulders slumped and his fists relaxed into the grass, as if she’d sucked the anger out of him through her skin. “That is enough.”

“She should have reclaimed me,” Lo’ak whispered, almost too quietly for Jake to hear. “I wish she did. If there was anything I could do to switch places with my brother, I would do it in a single heartbeat.”

“Then I am grateful that there is nothing you can do! I love who you are very much, and I would be devastated to lose you. Think of Payakan—you have given him a brother after a life of exile. He would be heartbroken without you. Even Ao’nung and Rotxo care about you—you should see the excitement in their eyes when I tell them we will all hang out. I can not speak for your parents, because I do not know them well, but you must remember that you are not only Suli. You are Metkayina— and our clan is lucky to have you, as a warrior and a friend,” she spoke. Then, softer, she added, “I am lucky to have you.”

Silence followed for several seconds, before Lo’ak’s face crumpled as a broken sob escaped his chest—and Tsireya quickly pulled him into a hug, allowing him to bury his face in her neck.

“My dad hates me,” Lo’ak cried, his voice slightly muffled. “He always looks at me like he is waiting for me to fuck up. I know he blames me for Neteyam—he said it. During the battle, I wanted to help save my sisters, and he told me I had done enough, like he did not want me to help because I would get everyone else killed next. And when I went to find him while the ship was sinking, he thought I was Neteyam at first—and when I said I was Lo’ak, his face just… fell. He wanted to give up, to drown. He did not even want to live for me!”

Jake had forgotten that he’d said that. The moments after watching the life leave Neteyam’s eyes were blurry to him—all he could remember were the haunting sounds of Neytiri’s screams, the grief tearing through his soul, and the fear that gripped his heart at the knowledge that his daughters’ lives were still in jeopardy. But he didn’t blame Lo’ak… right? Thinking back, he remembered when he’d found him in the sinking ship—what had he said?

Lo’ak had apologized, taking blame for Neteyam’s death—and to Jake’s horror, he recalled that he hadn’t refuted the notion. ‘Focus on now,’ he’d said. Did he blame him, then? He knew he didn’t now—Lo’ak couldn’t be blamed for trying to protect his family—but then? When Jake was hurting, and terrified, and his children were dragged into a battle because Lo’ak had run out to sea? Maybe.

“Lo’ak, you must speak to him about this,” Tsireya told him.

“I cannot just… speak to my father. A warrior does not whine or cry, like a child—especially not when they kill their brother. I disappoint him enough—he does not need to know how weak I am, too.”

Jake thought back to several years ago, when a young Lo’ak would come running to him in tears after Neteyam or Kiri had pushed him a bit too hard, or called him one too many mean names, and Jake would scoop him up in his arms, wipe his tears, and ask him about his daily adventures through the forest until he’d forgotten that he was upset. When had Jake shut his emotions down, making him think he wasn’t allowed to have any? When had he made his youngest son feel that he couldn’t be open with him? He couldn’t pinpoint it, but one thing was certain: Lo’ak hadn’t come to him with just about any concerns or complaints in quite some time.

“It is not weak to feel things,” Tsireya argued. “The heart that allows you to feel hurt over your father’s words is the same one that shows compassion to Payakan, and holds affection for me, and races fast with excitement when you go hunting or exploring. You cannot choose which emotions your heart feels—sadness is just one of them. There is no weakness in emotion.”

Lo’ak pulled back and wiped his face with his hands in an attempt to dry the tears. After taking a deep, calming breath, he noted, “It is dark. Our parents are going to send a search party, if we do not head back.”

“We should go,” she agreed. “Will you be alright tonight?”

“Of course,” he assured her, nodding. “I need to calm down before I go back to my parents, though, so… I am going to wait for a little while.”

Tsireya nodded and placed a kiss on his forehead, before rising to her feet. “I will see you in the morning. Ao’nung said you were hunting with them?”

“Yeah, I will meet you on the beach before we head out.”

“Sleep well, ma Lo’ak,” she told him as she brushed a hand over his braids.

“You, too.”

With that, Tsireya turned and took off towards the village—and Jake quickly ducked behind a tree before he was seen. He had to talk to Lo’ak, he had to tell him he’d heard him—he needed to tell him how wrong he was—but he wasn’t sure how to. Would Lo’ak be angry with him for eavesdropping, and shut him out? Should he talk to Neytiri before trying to deal with this? Jake wasn’t good at delicate, he wasn’t good at expressing feelings.

But this wasn’t about him. It was about Lo’ak.

As the boy stood and took a deep, calming breath, Jake knew he had to talk to him now. It couldn’t wait. Lo’ak couldn’t spend another night thinking he was unloved by the family.

The moment Jake stepped into the clearing, Lo’ak froze, his eyes wide and his back rigid.

“Sir,” he addressed, and Jake flinched as if he’d been slapped. He’d made his sons call him Sir, like they were his fucking soldiers. They were children, and he was supposed to be their dad. “I-I lost track of time, but I was just going back to the marui.”

“It is okay, son,” Jake said, his throat tight in a way that made it a bit difficult to force the words through. “Drop the Sir. Please, just—I never should have expected that of you. I am your father, call me Dad.”

“Okay.”

What was he supposed to say? He figured he should tell him that he’d been listening, but maybe letting Lo’ak repeat the words to his face would be better. More therapeutic for him or something? Fuck, he had no idea.

His body seemed to know what to do more so than his mind did, as he found himself stepping forward and throwing his arms around Lo’ak. He held him to his chest—probably just on the side of too tightly—and let out a shaky breath as he whispered, “I am so sorry, my son.”

“What?” Lo’ak asked, his hands hesitantly coming up to wrap around Jake and return the hug. But the moment was short-lived, as Lo’ak then pulled back to look at him. As soon as his eyes found Jake’s face, he gasped. “You are crying.”

Jake brought his fingers up to his own face, and sure enough, it was soaked. He was crying.

“What has happened?” Lo’ak questioned, fear dripping from his voice. “Is it the girls? Have they been hurt?”

“No, no, your sisters are fine—they are perfect,” Jake calmed him.

Lo’ak relaxed a bit, but his eyes couldn’t help but flicker anxiously to Jake’s tear-stained cheeks. “What is wrong, then?”

“I heard you,” Jake admitted. “Talking to Tsireya just now—I heard you.”

Understanding registered in Lo’ak’s eyes and he tried to step back, but Jake grabbed onto his shoulders to keep him close.

“I have been a shit father, Lo’ak.”

“No, you—”

“Just—let me,” Jake interrupted him. He swallowed several times, before continuing, “I am sorry that I have been so hard on you— and Neteyam. I thought the best way to keep you safe would be to turn you into soldiers, prepared for whatever war you wandered into, but I… I was wrong. I should have taught you how to be warriors without taking your father from you. I wish you would have come to me, when you were feeling these things. I wish I had made you feel that you could.”

“It is okay, S— Dad,” Lo’ak assured him. “It is stupid, anyway—I think my head has just been kind of messed up. I probably hit it on the coral too many times. Kiri said I was dropped as a baby—maybe that is why.”

Jake smiled, a bit sadly, and put his hand on top of Lo’ak’s head. “You were dropped as a baby, but so were she and Neteyam. Parenting can be difficult. You mother and I still have not mastered it.”

“Well, please do not have any more children. I do not think I could survive another sister.”

“Skxawng,” Jake chuckled, and Lo’ak gave him a half-hearted grin. “I used to deflect my pain with humor, too.”

“We do not need to talk about it,” Lo’ak said, his eyes practically begging. “What you heard. It does not matter.”

“It does,” Jake argued. “It matters, Lo’ak—because you matter.”

“I know I do.”

“It did not sound like you knew.”

“I was being dramatic.”

“You were hurting,” Jake corrected. He took Lo’ak’s face in his hands. “You are hurting, and that matters to me.”

Lo’ak was silent for a moment, then sighed. “What am I supposed to say? You already heard.”

“I guess it is me who has things to say,” Jake reasoned. Figuring it was best to start with the most pressing issue, he said, “I handled Neteyam’s death poorly. I said things to you that I did not think through. I felt guilty and ashamed that I could not protect my own children—and I knew that it was me who Quaritch wanted. I let his people take Neteyam’s life instead of giving him my own. But, I knew I could not break then. I had to be strong, and I had to be brave, and I could not let myself crumble under my grief and fear. So I-I shifted that blame from my shoulders to yours. I did not even realize it, until now. I was weak. But you, you were so strong. You went into a sinking ship and saved my life, while bearing the guilt and pain that I could not. I am so proud that you were stronger than me, but you never should have had to be. Neteyam’s death was not your fault.”

“But he was there because of me.”

“Your brother was there because he was a warrior. He would have been there regardless, fighting for our family and the Metkayina who took us in. Spider is not a Sully, but he has been as close as he could get to being family for your entire life. And Sullys stick together. I do not blame you for rescuing him, and Neteyam would not blame you, either. You understand me?”

Lo’ak nodded, and Jake tipped his head to press their foreheads together.

“I have never, even once, wished that it had been you instead of Neteyam,” Jake said. “I need you to get that through your head, boy. I wish neither of you had died, but I swear on everything that I never thought the wrong son did. When we were still in the ship, and you saw my face fall upon hearing your name, it was not that I was disappointed to see you. I thought I had already died. When I realized that I was still alive, and I understood the situation we were in… Lo’ak, I was terrified. I was injured, and I knew I could not hold my breath the way you kids had learned to, and I believed that I was going to drown. And you being there would take you down with me, unless I told you to leave me. I did not give up on you—I gave up on myself. And without your help, I would have drowned. I have never been disappointed to see you—not then, and not any of the times you were a disobedient stiwisiyu. I have always been proud and grateful to be your dad. There is no amount of misbehaving you could do that would make me love you less. I love you so much, my son. I failed you as your father by making you ever question that.”

Lo’ak sniffled as a tear escaped his eye, and Jake pulled him into another hug, resting his hand on Lo’ak’s nape to hold him more securely.

“I love you, too, Dad,” Lo’ak mumbled into Jake’s shoulder, as he clinged to him.

“You said Neteyam was just like me, but you were wrong,” Jake whispered into his hair. “Neteyam was just like Toruk Makto. You are just like me. You did not know me before your mother knocked some sense into my thick skull, but I was a real knucklehead. Her nickname for me was skxawng. I was reckless and confrontational, and I rarely listened to orders. That is why I have always been so hard on you—I have always been afraid that I would lose you, because I know myself.”

“You could have given those qualities to Tuk,” Lo’ak teased, laughing softly. “You already gave me your weird fingers, toes, and eyebrows.”

“Sorry, I did not get to choose,” Jake told him, a smile forming on his face. “But between you and me, I think our fingers and toes make us better warriors. Do not tell your mother.”

“Better balance,” Lo’ak agreed.

“Better grip on a knife.”

this is my first time writing for avatar, so if the characters are a bit ooc...well, i’m still figuring out their voices/personalities.

likes, reblogs, and (nice) comments are super appreciated ♥

#avatar james cameron #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 #lo'ak sully #jake sully #neteyam sully #angst with a happy ending #hurt/comfort

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demelza00 · 2 years ago

Text

Glass.

Tsireya x Fem!Omaticaya!Reader

Contains: angst, comfort at the end, Avatar: The Way of Water spoilers

Word count: 969

Edited <3

Basically Lo'ak's twin sister and coping with the events of the movie. Written in 3rd & 1st person This will be posted in 3 parts, hopefully all within a few hours! 1st part: build-up 2nd part: after 3rd part: comfort<3

Tsireya had only known the girl for a few months, since her family came to Awa’atlu, her father running from a war that he never intended for his children to get involved in. They had come seeking ukturu, and while the woman was reluctant, Tsahik Ronal allowed them to stay.

Despite the short amount of time, Tsireya had grown to adore the entire family, often chastising Ao’nung when he would pick on them. She knew all of Tuk’s new favorite sea creatures, and admired the way Kiri took naturally to the water. She got along with Neteyam and Lo’ak as well, but she knew about Lo’ak’s crush, and tried her best not to lead him on; she had no interest, but really didn’t wish to be harsh and hurt his feelings.

The sibling that she didn’t really know much about, however, was the third sister. Unlike the others, she was a bit more standoffish. She had very little to say most of the time, and it seemed that this was also true around her family; Kiri had told Tsireya not to worry, as this was how the Omaticaya girl always had been.

She’s shy, maybe, but Tsireya found this unlikely. No shy person carries themself the way she did, much like her older brother, in a way that showed a humble confidence, a security in herself.

It wasn’t until Kiri had a seizure at the Spirit Tree that Tsireya saw a different side of (Name). Seeing the always-composed, neutral-faced girl hurry past her after hearing of what happened, a look of mortal panic on her face, Tsireya remembered; this was not just a warrior, this was a teenage girl, just like her.

After the events of that day, Tsireya amped up her efforts to communicate with (Name). She would be friends with this girl, she swore it to herself.

Eventually, her efforts were rewarded. (Name) began opening up more, became more willing to hang out outside of the training.

Once Tsireya got the big, towering walls lowered, her and (Name) became amazing friends immediately. They didn’t have a whole lot in common; Tsireya was the Tsakarem, versed in medicine and healing, while (Name) was a warrior, and knew how to fight.

This did not stop them. If anything, it gave them more to talk about. Often, (Name) would sit and talk to Tsireya, while the Metkayina girl would braid her hair, weaving in beads and shells. Tsireya rarely had anyone to talk to that didn’t know much about medicine and cared to listen.

Other days, (Name) would teach Tsireya how to shoot a bow, and common hunting tactics in the forest that were drastically different from that of the sea.

Although the boys would fight, and Lo’ak would get into trouble a lot, it seemed like - for the girls at least - things were finally looking up.

When the marui of the Sully family was full of tension and silent nights, no one daring to speak with one or both of the parents angry about Lo’ak or Neteyam’s behavior, (Name) had someone to go to. She could finally have an outlet for the stress in her family, though she kept it to a minimum, not ever wanting to upset Tsireya.

But Tsireya understood. She herself had a troublesome brother, and would always offer comfort and a similar story of something Ao’nung did and why she didn’t understand why boys couldn’t just behave themselves.

(Name) didn’t know what she’d do without Tsireya.

It was amazing when the tulkun returned. While (Name) had been resting in the marui with Kiri, she heard all of the excitement outside, Tsireya’s voice calling everyone.

When she hurried out to see what was going on, she saw the grin on Tsireya’s face that she had began to adore, the beautiful dimples showing. Much quicker than Kiri and Tuk, she called for her ilu and dove into the water.

“(Name)! Come with me, come meet my spirit sister!” Tsireya’s voice called out to her. How could (Name) say no?

Both girls greeted the tulkun, Tsireya smiling widely and (Name) watching in awe. Later, she swam off to find her family, altogether missing when Tsireya signed to the tulkun, 'I met a girl'.

Of course, the good times were bound to end. Just when it seemed like the family was fitting in, and tension in the Sully household was easing, Lo’ak bonded with the outcast tulkun, Payakan.

To make matters worse, he sat there and argued with the Olo’eyktan, as though he forgot who he was speaking to. And (Name) really tried to be understanding; Lo’ak was always a bit of an outcast, so naturally he bonds with one.

But seriously, was it necessary? When everything was going right, and Ao’nung was getting more friendly, and the Metkayina people were beginning to accept them, and even Tsahik Ronal herself was slowly changing her mind about them, he had to go and do that!

(Name) would never say it to her brother’s face, would never admit it, but she was livid. All she wanted was peace, to learn about the ocean and finally feel at home, and her skxawng twin brother went and pissed off the Tsahik. It wasn’t about the outcast tulkun, for her it was just her inability to do anything, to have fun, without eventually getting the talking-to of a lifetime because of something that she didn’t even do.

And it had to get worse. Of course. Everyone woke up to sounds of terror, a heavy weight in the air. Something was very wrong.

A tulkun, Ronal’s spirit sister, floating dead in the water, her calf alongside her. Killed by the sky people, and for no justifiable reason.

Now, the village was ready for war. A war that the Sully family would pay the price for.

#tsireya wlw #tsireya x fem #tsireya avatar #tsireya x reader #wlw #avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #tsireya comfort #neteyam #tuktirey #kiri #ao'nung #lo'ak #pls i love her

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neteyamslovrr · 2 years ago

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Fly With You

summary: Y/N desperately wants to ride along with Neteyam during the raids but he is hugely against it leading to some cruel words and meaningful apologies.

neteyam x fem!reader, one-shot, hurt comfort, 1.1k words

──── ⑅*❀*⑅ ────

Neteyam rubbed his face in frustration looking down at you and your pleading look.

“Please Neteyam, ask your father if I can join these raids. I’m as good a warrior as the rest of you!” You pleaded with him holding your hands together looking up at Neteyam with pursed lips.

“I already said no Y/N, I refuse to ask, and I refuse to let you go.” He stated in a harsh tone making you frown more then you already were. You both had been alone in the Sully’s tent arguing about the planned raid for hours, yet no progress had been made between the two of you.

You turned to sit on a small log like stool still looking up at Neteyam with an ever-hopeful look. He was your best friend, but not only that. You were to be promised mates soon, to be forever lovers to look over the Omatikaya clan. You were stubborn about following them to the raid tomorrow, you were just as good as a warrior and deserved to be there. But as stubborn as you were, so was Neteyam and he refused to allow you within a 100km radius from the raid.

“Do you not think I deserve to fly with you Neteyam?” The moment you said this you knew it pissed him off. The flicker of fury behind his eyes and slight shake of his head making his braid beads click made you nervously fidget for his response.

“You know I did not say that Y/N” Neteyam replied stoically not a single ounce of emotion in his voice. “You know I did not say that!” he slightly raised his voice pacing backwards away from you.

“It’s called inferring, it’s not hard to tell” you scoffed, rolling your eyes at him. Slightly turning in your seat to face away from your fuming lover. “I just want to be a good warrior! I need to help my people!”

“Why can’t you just listen Y/N?” He pleaded with you; a begging tone interlaced into his voice. Stepping towards you again he faces you. “I refuse to ask to let you go! You cannot come to the raid. It’s dangerous!” Maybe it was the fact that he said that you cannot come or the way he refused to even give you the possibility to let you join him. But it made you jolt up off your seat and be within fingers reach distance to Neteyam. You looked into his golden eyes watching them sparkle with frustration.

“Am I not a good enough warrior for you Neteyam?! Do I not fly my ikran well enough to fly with you?” You threw your hands in the air in frustration. Maybe you were trying to rile him up, get him to react. You just wanted him to agree with you. But the beast you awakened within Neteyam was not worth it.

“You know what Y/N- fine. You’re not a good enough warrior! Did you want me to say it right here? Loud enough for the furthest creatures to hear me! You cannot fly with the warriors tomorrow! Father would never let you! I refuse to fly with you! You are not good enough!” He spat in your face, his face burning and his heartbeat quick. He was left shaking with the anger inside him.

You looked up at him, never had you seen him this way, so angry, so upset with you. Your eyes burned as you held your tears in. His words hurt but you worked them out of him. Yet, that did not stop the ache in your chest, the feeling of your heart beating deep in your stomach.

Just as you were about to say something, you heard the rustle of the tent opening and there stood Jake and Lo’ak back from a flight together.

“I’ve got to go. Neteyam don’t follow me.” You rushed out of the tent smashing your shoulder against Neteyam’s chest.

“Wait no Y/N.” He quietly pleaded watching you whisp away as he facepalmed himself.

“I thought I taught you how to treat your woman well” Jake sneered flicking the back of Neteyam’s head.

It was now the day of the raid, and you laid sulking in your family’s tent recapping the argument between you and your lover. You knew you stirred him up yet that didn’t make his words hurt any less. ‘You are not good enough’ replayed in your mind over and over.

Neteyam knew he must apologize to you. None of the words he meant, he was just sick and tired of arguing with you and hit a breaking point. He saw you curled into yourself on your bed and his heart ached. This is not how he is meant to treat his mate; he is supposed to cherish her and yet here you lay in front of him.

“Y/N” he spoke softly sitting beside you. You shuffle to sit upwards still a great distance further then you would usually sit by him. “I need to apologize to you, I should not-“

You interrupted him by putting your hand on his knee. “Am I really not good enough?” the way your voice cracked slightly and the tears you had tried to hold in hopelessly fell down your blue cheeks made Neteyams heart feel like it shattered into pieces. He grabbed your hips and pulled you into his lap to face him.

“Y/N you are the best being Eywa has blessed upon me, I am grateful every day to share the same air as you. I wake up excited every day knowing I one day will get to wake up next to you for eternity. You are more than good enough. You are the clan’s best warrior and best to be Tsa’hik. I promise every word I said yesterday was because of my anger and was not a true reflection of the utter love I carry for you.” Neteyam held onto you tightly staring into your eyes waiting eagerly for some sort of response from you.

“But why couldn’t I come” You asked with your head resting on his shoulder so he couldn’t see the tears you were still crying. He lightly traced his fingers along the stripes of your back with a deep sigh.

“I cannot bare the thought of losing you, I fear a world where you do not reside in it, my beautiful Y/N.” Your quiet sobs turned into loud apologies to Neteyam as you pepper him with kisses.

“I’m so sorry my love, I was too stubborn with you.”

“Do not cry my love, the day is ahead of us.” He kissed your lips softly, smiling sweetly still tracing your back, and together you stayed intertwined with each other enjoying the others company until it was time for Neteyam to board his Ikran for the raid.

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fanfictions-loveavatar · 2 years ago

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Flower

Pairing: Lo’ak x omaticayan!reader (Lo’ak is 8 and reader is 7)

Warning: fluff, cute, sweet.

Summary: Lo’ak got scolded from Jake for the first time and reader comforts him.

Word count: 727

Y/N POV:

It was another nice day in the village, as nice as it can be with war going on. I wanted to go and play with Lo’ak, we grew up together our families were great friends.

I ran through the crowd of grownups, I couldn’t wait to see Lo’ak.

Just as I reached the Sully’s tent though I heard Jake talking, I went closer to the tent bending down at the side listening into what was happening.

“How could you be so irresponsible?” I heard Jake say but I wasn’t sure to who.

“Nothing happened.” It was Lo’ak, he was getting scolded.

“It doesn’t matter you went out after eclipse when I told you not to! Do you know how dangerous it is outside especially after dark.” I could hear how annoyed Jake was, and honestly, I understood him Lo’ak could be too much sometimes.

“You are disappointing me Lo’ak, why couldn’t you be more like Neteyam hm?” that was way too harsh.

“You are dismissed go.” I quickly moved from my hiding spot to make sure no one sees me.

A moment later Lo’ak left the tent, going towards the forest. I wanted to go and comfort him but I didn’t know how, we have never had a deep conversation all we do is mess around.

That’s when I saw a beautiful daisy next to the Sully’s tent, it immediately gave me an idea of what to do.

Later

Lo’ak POV:

I couldn’t believe my dad, yes, I went outside the village after eclipse but I just wanted to explore it’s not fair how they can go whenever they want but we can’t.

I sat next to a small river, the wildlife of the forest surrounding me, I felt at peace here, I closed my eyes to just relax. Until I heard a noise, my eyes flung open, looking around expecting a wild animal to pop out of nowhere. A moment later I heard a soft laugh coming from above me, I looked up and was met with Y/N’s beautiful smile. She was on the tree branch on top of me, I couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“Hey what are you doing here?” I asked.

“I heard what your dad said.” She looked at me with sympathy, I felt embarrassed that she had heard my dad lecture me.

Y/N POV:

I came down from the tree, landing next to Lo’ak, my hands were behind my back hiding the little present I made for him.

“Oh, you heard…” I could tell he felt embarrassed, but I thought it was cute.

“Yeah but it’s okay, your dad is just looking out for you, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if something was to happen to you, he loves you too much to loose you.” Lo’ak looked at me, smiling he walked towards me and hugged me.

I quickly pulled away before he could see behind my back. He gave me a questionable look but then his eyes fell to my arms.

“What are you hiding?” He asked curiously.

“Well I saw how affected you were, how you stomped out of your tent, so I made something that could cheer you up.” Saying that I showed him what I was hiding behind my back.

It was a small flower crown made from different kind of flowers, daisies and any flowers I could find in the forest.

Lo’ak smile became bigger when he saw it, he looked at me and then at the flower crown.

“You made this? For me” I nodded.

“Let me put it on you.” He turned around letting me put the crown on his head, it fit perfectly, not too low to look silly but not too high to fall off.

I giggled he looked kinda funny with a flower crown.

He looked at his reflection in the water.

“Wow Y/N I look awesome.” He exclaimed. I couldn’t help but laugh as he made duck lips.

“Thank you, this really helped.” He hugged me.

We sat down and talked until it started getting dark and we had to go back. He wore that crown with pride.

#avatar 2 #avatar #lo'ak x reader #fluff #jake sully #comfort

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peppicola · 2 years ago

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Who Will Love You, Who Will Fight? (Neteyam Lives AU p.2)

A heartbeat of silence passes, like his father is considering the question. Like he’s trying to pull up an excuse that Lo’ak might believe, he thinks bitterly, fresh, hot tears wetting his cheeks. So desperately, he just wants his dad. “I know I’m not good, and that I’m always making things worse–”

“Lo’ak.” His dad interrupts, finally. It’s not the scolding Lo’ak had been prepared for, that he deserved, and it startles him enough that he glances up, damp eyes wide. His tone had been unexpectedly gentle.

There are tears tracking down his fathers face, a look that Lo’ak doesn’t have a name for creasing his features. “My boy, I love you. You know that, don’t you? That I love you?”

Or, it doesn't always take a dead son for Jake to realize his other one is suffering.

#Avatar the way of water #Avatar 2 #Lo'ak #Neteyam #Jake Sully #the sully family #everyone lives au #hurt/comfort #angst #oneshot #fanfic #peppicola #*cocks gun and points it at Jake Sully* hope your ready to tell your son you love him

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theeyesofeywa · 2 years ago

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"Growing Pains" is exactly what I felt as I read this! Aaaaaaaa!!!

Growing Pains

Neteyam Sully x Reader

Warnings: slight smut, cursing, angst, arranged marriage

Word Count: 7.5k

Notes: Reader is 19, Neteyam is 20.

"It's for the clan, 'ite."

Those are the words that leave air trying desperately to claw its way up your lungs. It's the morning of your nineteenth cycle—one that should be celebrated, but instead, you're here.

A warm palm encompasses your bicep, and your mother's voice which usually brought comfort now brings dread. "Everything will be okay, yawne. You will grow to love him."

Those are the words they leave you with. Your feet are like boulders as you walk to your corner of the hut, hands are like a hot coal as you shove things into a pouch. It doesn't take long for your belongings to be tucked away, and you wonder if anyone will be sad when they stare at your empty hammock. Will your brother stop when he comes to visit, and let his eyes linger on the space you once occupied? Will your father's ears ring when he walks into silence at the end of each day? Will your mother miss sitting with you near the fire, sides pressed together as you talk about your day? And your sister—would she miss your gossip?

You tell yourself you should have argued. Maybe kicking and screaming like a child would change their minds. Maybe it would deter the man they're handing you off to, but something in you holds back. It's the small flecks of approval you see in your father's eyes when you don't bark out a dispute. It's an emotion that you haven't seen in...well, forever.

Hunting was never your forte. Healing was never something you yearned to do. Blending into the crowd, however, was your best skill. But blending into a crowd isn't something that the daughter of a fierce Olo'eyktan should be able to do.

Your older brother often surpassed you when it came to being a good clan member. He hunted well, he was strong and gregarious with the people. Then there was your sister, who seemed to have every aspect of her life figured out. She was mated already, had one baby on her hip and another in her womb, and never seemed to do wrong in anyone's eyes.

It was obvious the way your father's eyes would change when he looked from them to you. Almost like catching sight of a bruised fruit amongst a perfectly ripe pile.

So when he tells you this, that giving your hand in marriage will benefit the clan, you find it hard to dispute him. It seems like the only way to finally gain his pride.

"I know handing your daughter off is not easy to do, but she will be treated well here. I give you my word." The Olo'eyktan of the Omatikaya says.

Your father breathes out a laugh, "I trust that she will, JakeSully."

You wish you had argued.

Though the Omatikaya doesn't live too differently from your clan, everything feels wrong. The air feels too hot, the wind too harsh against your skin, and you just want to go home.

When your father stops walking, you nearly slam into his back, but you catch yourself just in time, and you only see this because you can't tear your eyes from the ground below you.

"This is my son Neteyam." Jake's voice is no more than a distorted echo in your ears. "My oldest. He is a good man, he will protect your daughter in their union."

Your stomach turns, eyes unable to focus on anything. A scream fights its way up your throat, but you swallow it down bitterly. You can't stop thinking about the admiring eyes your father has for his other children, and you yearn for that. It keeps your feet planted against soft earth as you're being traded—offered like a piece of fabric between seamstresses.

"Ma'ite," your father places a calloused hand against your back, "say hello."

Timorous eyes lift from the dirt, glancing at your father who holds an expectant expression. And when you finally allow yourself to meet the gaze of the man chosen to be your husband, the air gets knocked out of your lungs.

Your lack of oxygen is not due to the sheer beauty of the man in front of you. It isn't because of his broad shoulders and thick arms, or the neat braids that fall just above his pecks. It isn't the scent of herbal balms wafting off of him, either.

No, it isn't that.

It's his eyes. The ones that burn holes into your skin, leaving scorching trails as they assess you. It's the way his jaw clenches pensively. He's so intense that it makes you squirm, makes heat creep up your neck and into your cheeks.

It's the way he looks like he would rather be anywhere than right here.

And yet, something in you urges the words out. They're a meek sound, but words, nonetheless. "I see you, Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan,"

He says the greeting back, voice strong and holding the confidence that you've lacked forever. You think then that he can see it in you. His gaze alone is calling you weak, pathetic, and you can't really argue with him.

You both stand there, children of renowned chiefs, yet you couldn't be more different.

Neteyam holds light in his palms. You can tell he's nothing less than golden in his village—his father even stares at him as such. He stands straight and tall, his body composed. You can only imagine by his build that he's a skilled hunter, impossible to beat in a spar, and he's probably three steps ahead in every altercation.

Across from him, you stand. You're half hidden behind your father, eyes bouncing nervously from the ground to his own. Hair falls over your face in a flustered curtain, and you don't bother to move it, either. Looking at you, it's obvious that you're nothing like him.

He's the sun. People stretch out under his rays of light, basking in it.

You're the moon. People grow tired under your glow, and they don't spare you a second glance.

Neteyam speaks up, eyebrows furrowing just slightly as he stares at you. His words dig into your skin because what he's really trying to say is that he doesn't want this, either. "It is for the clan."

And you look right back at the ground, eyes pricking with tears that you blink away before they can really surface. This is just a transaction, your father handing you off for the betterment of his people, and Neteyam's father accepting you for the betterment of his.

"I will do my best. As your wife, and as a member of this clan." You say despite the weight of speaking, and your father's hand squeezes gently at your shoulder in approval.

After all, approval is all you want.

Blending in is your best skill, and yet, you are a spectacle.

Harsh eyes trail your every move, and you wish nothing more than to sink into yourself and be invisible. You know word has traveled fast that the Omatikaya's beloved prince has finally chosen a mate. Their eyes hold the silent question, why you? You see this everywhere, even when you offer meek smiles to your watchers.

When you meet Neteyam's mother, you see where his intensity comes from. Her eyes blaze into your skin like his did, but you don't squirm, because there's something different about the two. Neteyam's eyes picked you apart, piece by piece, but Neytiri's do no such thing. She's intense, but her eyes give you comfort. You can see your own mother in her face—a fierceness to protect her children that no one would be able to hinder her from. You think she might see you, too, because her gaze melts into something soft and maternal.

Jake is kind. He's busy a lot, but being the daughter of a chief, you understand. When you do see him, you're shy. He chuckles a lot at your timid responses, but it isn't to ridicule you.

Lo'ak is quiet when you meet him. He's younger than you, scrawny and bashful. Heat spreads across his cheeks when you smile at him, and something about his awkwardness makes you feel safe. It's endearing, similar to the way Jake thinks of your gentleness.

Kiri is so warm and receptive. She's the first person that makes you think that things might be okay—that you may be happy here. Her careful hand holds one of your own and she says, "I think you and I will be great friends."

And then there's Tuk. The sweet girl smiles up at you so big when you meet her for the first time that you can't help the laugh that falls from your mouth. You crouch before her, allowing her small hands to run over your long hair.

She's your favorite, even if you aren't really supposed to choose.

For the first few weeks, at least one Sully is glued to your side. Rarely is it Neteyam, who claims to be too busy with his duties. You don't mind though, being away from his penetrating stare.

"What did you do back home?" Kiri asks you one day.

Soft moss kisses your feet as you walk, and for a moment, you imagine you're back in your own village.

Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, you tell her, "I taught the children, mostly. I'm not too good at hunting."

You aren't sure why you admit that, but Kiri feels safe. When she laughs, it's sweet, and comfort blooms in your chest. "Neither am I."

Silence blankets the two of you. She's a bit younger than you, but she feels wise. She reminds you of your sister. And though the thought washes you with homesickness, part of you is drawn to it.

"Would you like to do that here?" Kiri asks after a moment. "Work with the children, I mean."

"I would love to, but I feel like I should do more."

"Working with the children is plenty, trust me." The Sully girl chuckles. "We don't have too many gentle souls here. Your presence would be appreciated,"

It's one of the few moments since you've arrived that you grin. Kiri smiles right back, her warm hand clasping yours. "You don't have to be so kind to me,"

"You are my family now, eylan." She hums. "I will speak to my father about you teaching."

"Thank you, Kiri."

The days begin to go by quicker, and your heart feels a bit of ease when you're thrust into caring for the village children. You spend the hours of the day teaching them, relishing in their accepting souls. They don't judge you, don't tell you that you're too quiet. They watch you with the only thing you've ever wanted.

Approval.

Evenings aren't so easy. Your stomach twists in nervous anticipation once the sun goes down, hands shaky as you prepare dinner. Your hut is empty apart from yourself until soft taps sound against the frame. When you swivel around and find Neteyam, that same breathless feeling always surfaces, and his same harsh stare is always there. The two of you eat quietly, even though the point of having dinner together at all is to get to know each other.

It isn't fair to blame him. You can only imagine that it's just as hard for him—accepting some stranger as a wife, solely for his people. He doesn't have to love you.

But you wish he would try.

You wish he wouldn't glare so much.

You wish the roughness of his voice would soften, just once.

You wish the smile wouldn't be wiped right off of his face when he lays eyes on you.

"My father says our ceremony will be in a few days." He tells you.

You try not to drop your glass of water, hands shaking. In a few days, you will be officially mated. Officially locked into a loveless marriage.

Approval urges you to speak. "Okay."

"I know that this is not ideal," His voice is gruff, even after he clears his throat, "but it is for the people."

You don't love him. You know that you don't, and still, his words sting. Because at least you are willing to try, willing to let him into your heart. The look on his face tells you that his own is under lock and key.

You wonder if it will always be this way. Would he come home every evening with cold eyes and stiff shoulders? Would you just be a womb to produce children for him? A warm body to sink into at night? Tears burn your eyes, but you blink them away.

"Right." You say. "It's for the people."

Your eyes fall to your lap before you're able to catch the crease between his eyebrows softening.

At your ceremony, it's impossible to blend in. The whole thing is centered around you and Neteyam, and the thought tugs nervously at your heart. You use the training you've been through all your life—sit up straight and poised. Smile when spoken to. Speak with confidence.

The last part is hard, especially when you catch Neteyam downing whatever is in his cup, because he'd rather be anywhere but here. People congratulate him, and he thanks them. But you know better.

His skin is hot when you touch him. Your bodies are practically pressed together during the ceremonial dance. You wonder if he feels your heart thudding so wildly against him.

Warm breath fans against your ear. "Are you having a good time?"

The question almost shocks you, but then you remember who he is. Son of the Olo'eyktan. It's his job to check on his people, one of which you are now. You tell yourself he doesn't really care, that he's just being a gentleman because that's what he is. Even though he often looked at you indignantly, he was never cruel. You think that if he wasn't forced to mate you, he might be quite nice.

"Your family has been very kind to me. This ceremony is beautiful," You say, hoping he won't linger on your evasiveness. "Are you having a good time?"

His ear flicks lightly against your hair, trying to catch the soft sound of your voice. "I'm drunk."

What you think he's trying to say, is that he's doing whatever he can to get through the night.

You truly look beautiful under the gentle glow of the Tree of Souls. Your skin looks so soft, so plush, and Neteyam almost reaches out to touch your light, but you don't notice. Your eyes are glued to your feet.

"Are you ready?" He asks.

No. You aren't, but you nod anyway.

Trembling fingers undo the knots of your top, then your loincloth and a nearly unbearable heat engulfs your face. Neteyam does the same with his own clothing, and his hands feel unsure as he leads you down to the soft dirt.

His mouth leaves wet kisses against your skin until your neck is littered with evidence of him. His fingers seem to grow more confident, wandering parts of you that haven't been explored by anyone but yourself. You say you don't love him, yet you careen into his touch. Pretty noises leave your mouth, only to be caught by his ears, and you hope he'll hold them there.

Kisses from him never reach your lips, because despite being together now—literally preparing to seal your souls for life—kissing you there seems too intimate.

Neteyam leans up slightly, deft hands pulling his kuru over his shoulder. He gazes at you, pupils blown in arousal as he waits for you to pull your longest braid from behind your back.

It's the first time you haven't felt so small under his eyes.

The pink endings of your braids twine together, making you both exhale with the new sensation. His lips are back on your neck then, and as soon as you tell him it's okay, he's pushing himself into you.

You shouldn't have gotten your hopes up, but apart from physical pleasure, you feel nothing.

This is a task for him. The final part in becoming a mated pair. It's just something he has to do, and it makes a part of your chest hurt. You tell yourself you don't love him.

You don't love him.

And he certainly doesn't love you.

He can feel your embarrassment, your rejection, and you know this. You try to push it away, but just like you can feel every inch of his being, he can feel yours. Still, you close your eyes, breathe in against his wide shoulders and let his scent make you dizzy. You focus on the noises he makes, the way he moves. Anything to avoid your own feelings.

When you both finish, he stills and allows himself a moment to catch his breath. The movements of your body feel like something of autopilot; standing when he does, slowly tugging your clothes back on, each of you with your backs turned to each other.

The wave of emotion that hits you does so harshly. You aren't sure what it is. Maybe it's the ache between your thighs, or maybe it's the loss of his body heat that suddenly makes you feel so cold, but your eyes begin to burn. You can't push it away this time.

One drop falls, and then another, and soon, you have your head in your hands and you're swimming in tears.

Your first time shouldn't have been like this. You shouldn't have been a chore, and Neteyam shouldn't have been one either.

Dammit, you wish you would have argued with your father.

Blending in is something you want to do right now, and you try, stifling sobs behind your palms. But Neteyam hears you. His head whips around, eyes landing on your crumpled body, and you feel their burn on your back.

He takes a hesitant step forward, voice holding trepidation. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," You breathe, "no, I'm okay."

But you aren't okay. You are so far from okay, and that's obvious to both of you. Still, you take in a deep breath and try and stop the sobs from racking your body. His hand is big, nearly engulfing your entire shoulder as he turns you carefully, but you can't meet his eyes.

He asks again. "Did I hurt you?"

"No." You step away from his touch, away from his intoxicating air. "You were gentle, Neteyam. I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying."

He watches you for a long moment. Your dainty fingers wiping away tears, chest hiccuping, breathing on the verge of hysteria. You're not okay, yet you tell him that you are. You downplay your hurt so that he won't feel bad. He doesn't even have to love you, you just want acceptance.

Neteyam knows the feeling all too well.

The man hangs his head, and his chest pangs with something unfamiliar. He wishes there was something he could do to make you stop crying, but his touch won't help. The feeling of you still lingers in his mind—your want to belong, your heart opening and fraying at the edges.

"I'm sorry," He says.

When you lift your head, it's him who won't look at you. "It isn't your fault. You don't have to apologize to me,"

He feels like he does. You're a stranger to him, but he doesn't like seeing you cry. He doesn't like the way your big eyes won't stop glimmering with sorrow. He doesn't like hearing your soft sniffles, or your hiccuped breaths. He doesn't like that you aren't okay, but you tell him you are anyway.

"Let me take you back home." Neteyam proposes quietly.

"Aren't we supposed to stay out longer? Won't people talk about us? " You ask, eyes widening at the thought of trekking through even more accusatory stares.

Most newly mated couples would stay out for hours, exploring each other, basking in their love. But you and Neteyam aren't the same as them.

He's the sun.

You're the moon.

"It isn't anyone's business." He snaps, his blazing eyes lifting suddenly, landing on yours. You wince at the roughness of his voice and he sighs before trying again. "People will still be celebrating. They won't worry about us."

You wipe your face, nodding. "I would like to go home."

Neteyam walks ahead of you, though not far. You watch your feet, missing his frequent glances at your trailing form. The hut is dark when you step inside, though the smell of something sweet fills your nose. You take a look over your shoulder and you see your husband hesitating at the door, shifting from foot to foot. It might be the first time you've seen him look so unsure.

"Aren't you coming in?" You ask.

His eyes flick to yours, slightly wide. "Yeah,"

"It's yours now, too. Please don't feel unwelcome," Your voice is so soft that again, his ears have to strain to hear you.

Gentle. That's the first word he thinks of when he looks at you. Because even after being forced to give yourself completely to him, even after feeling so rejected, you're still kind.

Neteyam clears his throat. "I'll light a fire."

While he does that, your silent feet stalk over to the corner where you keep your things. You're quick with changing, wiping your body down to feel a bit more like yourself. Even after doing so, the smell of him lingers on your skin, like it's a part of you now.

Orange light illuminates the space and you're glad for the heat that the flames give off, but if your mood could sour any more, it surely does when you look around your home. Someone has come in and placed baskets of fruit and sprinkled the petals of beautiful flowers over your floor. There are even petals strewn about your hammock.

The gesture is nice, but you don't want it. You don't want to be reminded of how backward this situation is.

You pull your bottom lip into your mouth, chewing on the plush skin so you can keep yourself together. You feel his eyes on you again, burning as you swipe the petals from your bed. Neteyam doesn't look away until you lay down, body taking up the smallest corner of the hammock that you can. Even after that, he allows himself brief looks, and he knows by the tense rising and falling of your ribs that you aren't asleep.

At some point during the night, when sleep begins to embrace your mind, you feel him lay beside you. He does the same thing that you did hours earlier: rests himself on the edge of the bed to give you space. You still feel the skin of his back brushing yours, warm and soft.

You dream of him. The way he felt inside you, the way his lips felt against your neck. You dream of him taking a moment to look into your eyes when his own aren't so harsh. You dream of his voice telling you that you mean something to him.

The thing that wakes you in the morning is the sun. It's bright and higher in the sky than you're used to, making you squeeze your eyes shut harder. You feel the dull ache between your thighs, and it makes you realize that the warmth of Neteyam's body is gone.

It takes more strength than you would like to admit to swing your legs over the side of the bed. You find a cup of something herbal waiting for you near the fire, resting on a coal. It's still warm and you sip at it greedily.

You figure Kiri must have poked her head in earlier and left it for you. She's been such a kind friend ever since you arrived.

Soft knocks sound at the doorway of your home, leaving you to call out a welcome. Just the person you're thinking of walks in.

"Hey, eylan," Kiri smiles warmly. A cloud of serenity follows her as she enters and you breathe it in. Only when you breathe her in, you still smell Neteyam on your skin.

You muster up a smile, though only half of your mouth lifts. "Hi,"

Kiri isn't stupid. She sees the weight on your shoulders, the tear stains on your face. She settles a warm hand against your cheek and you lean into it. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, Kiri." You tell her. "Thank you for the tea,"

Her eyebrows crinkle, bright orbs taking a fleeting glance at your cup. She takes notice of the orange petals floating around and the herbal smell wafting up with steam, and the corners of her mouth twitch upward. "It's Neteyam's recipe. He says it helps him calm down,"

And maybe you're oblivious, or just too stubborn to catch on to what she's implying, but you nod. "It's nice."

"I brought you some things," Kiri says.

You watch her as she settles herself on the floor, knees pressed against yours. Her hands dig around in her satchel and things clunk around noisily, which almost makes you grin. You're thankful for her. Kiri's energy is pure and sweet. Her eyes welcome you every time she looks your way, and she practically oozes acceptance. Maybe that's why you're so drawn to her.

"This is a salve to get rid of bruising. Works quick, too," She mutters, head still tucked toward her bag as she pulls out a jar.

Your face must fall, because she looks up at you with sympathy.

The skin of your neck adorns the marks of him. You smell like him. You share a home with him. But he doesn't love you.

"Will you help me?" You ask.

Her expression is so gentle. "Of course, I will."

Careful fingers spread the salve over your skin. She pays extra attention to a spot below your ear, all while you fight the memories of the night before.

It should have been special, but you cried after, and he looked at you with pity.

Kiri says your name softly and waits until you meet her eyes. "You will grow to love him."

You let out a quiet exhale, and Kiri can see your gentle nature right on your face. "I know I will. That's the problem."

"He will grow to love you, too."

The smile that appears on your face is devastating. You could explain to Kiri what you felt from her brother last night. You could explain to her the hollowness he held toward you, but you don't.

"He won't. He will protect me, he will give me children, and he will treat me well because he's kind. I will fall for him hopelessly and he won't know. I won't tell him. You won't tell him. I will cook for him, and raise his babies, and I will support him in everything that he does. But he won't love me. And that's okay." You say.

Kiri squeezing your hand is all she can offer.

Sure, you told Kiri not to say anything, but she never agreed to it. So when the tea you drank makes your eyes feel heavy all over again, she leaves you to rest.

Her feet are swift as she rushes through the village, jaw set in determination. Neteyam sees her before she sees him. The look on her face scares him, so he politely excuses himself from the conversation he's having and makes his way toward her.

"Tsmuke," He calls out. Kiri's head whips around in search of him, but it doesn't take long. Neteyam sticks out in a crowd. He's taller than most and he just has a regal air about him.

Kiri's gripping his arm before he can speak and then she's tugging him, and he's trying to ask her what's wrong but she won't listen.

"Kiri!" His voice is barely lower than a yell.

Still, she tugs, until they're in a private spot. "Eywa, I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Neteyam begs.

"This is all a fucking mess, Neteyam, that's what's wrong." She groans. It doesn't take a genius to know what she's talking about.

It's the only thing anyone is talking about lately.

"You went to check on her like I asked?" Neteyam questions. Kiri rolls her eyes, and in return, he does too. "Well, is she alright?"

"Was she alright last night?"

"She said she was, but no."

"She said she was today, too, but no."

Neteyam rubs at his eyes in frustration. He's supposed to be calm, and well put together, but the man is coming apart at the seams.

All of his efforts seem futile. He only said yes to taking you as a wife because his father suggested it. It will strengthen the relationship between our clans, Jake told him. And all Neteyam ever wanted was to make his father proud, so he found himself agreeing, and before he knew it, you were in front of him.

You were there with your big, pretty eyes, and those eyelashes that grazed your cheeks when you stared at your feet (which was always), and your stupid hair flowed down your slender back, and long fingers fidgeted at your sides, and the soft swell of your breasts would rise and fall anytime you took in a large breath. When you spoke, you were so gentle that he worried he'd break you. He felt too rough around the edges, and you too soft.

Fuck, he was losing it.

"I think I hurt her last night," Neteyam admits. He feels like he should be embarrassed, but it's Kiri he's talking to, and she's his best friend.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she started crying after we..." He doesn't want to see his sister grimace, so he edits his words. "She says I didn't, but you should have seen her, Kiri. She went to sleep as soon as we got home and we didn't talk any more about it."

"Oh, Neteyam," Kiri sighs like she always does when she knows something he doesn't. "You didn't hurt her."

"How do you know?" He pleads softly.

"She cried because she's scared." She tells him.

"Of what? Of me?" He's nearly whispering.

Kiri places a loving hand over his arm. "Scared that she'll go her whole life loving you and you won't feel the same."

He's too rough around the edges, and you're too soft.

Neteyam is supposed to be composed. Calculated. Three steps ahead at all times. But you have him so unfocused these days.

He spends a few weeks after his talk with Kiri trying to break the ice with you. Little things, like lingering at the door to say goodbye to you in the morning, or thanking you for the meals he comes home to. It's not much, but he's trying.

He thinks he could grow to love you.

He's positive, actually, because he feels this odd stirring in his chest when you speak to him.

There were women before you. They were usually just clandestine meetings in dark caves, rushed touches just to feel relief from all of the weight Neteyam held on his shoulders. There were women before you, but Neteyam didn't see them the way he sees you.

He wasn't afraid to break them.

He didn't pay attention to the small mannerisms they had. Not like he does with you.

He's supposed to be composed, but he isn't when he's next to you. Music is loud in his ears, he has a cup in his hand that he hasn't even sipped from, and there are too many people around. Neteyam usually enjoys feasts. He enjoys talking to his people, enjoys dancing, but he's so unfocused.

The skin of your arm is hot where it's pressed into his own. You're so soft, and you smell nice, but you aren't happy. He can tell by the way your mouth is pressed into a flat line, only breaking when you take another sip of the drink in your cup.

The people have come to love you. They smile at you now, eyes glowing with warmth. They embrace your gentleness and the way you treat the village children. They love you, so why doesn't Neteyam?

You don't want to linger on the thought too long, but you're past the point of being drunk, and your brain isn't cooperating.

When you stand, the loss of your warmth makes Neteyam flinch. He watches you sway lightly on your feet, watches as your fingers tuck a loose hair behind your ear. Your cheeks are darkened, eyelids slightly lowered, lips pursed. He wishes you were happy.

"Where are you going?" He asks you.

You're drunk, but you still find it hard to look him in his eyes. "I just need air. I'll be back,"

You need air away from him and he knows this, yet he still springs to his feet. He follows your retreating figure, flashes a glare to one of his hunting friends that whistles at the sight of you two disappearing into the dense trees.

You would be hard to find if he hadn't studied you so much since you came into his life. Your steps are silent and soft against the forest floor, his are rough.

When you finally come to a stop, he isn't sure what to say to you. He isn't even sure why he followed you, but he did. And now he's staring at your back and the luminescent freckles on your skin, and he's wishing he knew what you were thinking.

"What am I doing wrong?" Your voice startles him. It's the loudest he's ever heard you speak, the volume drawing him forward. He's emboldened by it, but the second you turn and face him, he stops. "Why won't you touch me? Why do you stop smiling every time you see my face? Am I that bad?"

A fleeting memory crosses his mind of the night you two mated. He was too drunk and you too sober, but now things have flipped.

You'd never speak to him this way if you weren't intoxicated.

He rasps out your name. He wants to explain to you what he's thinking but he doesn't know how. He doesn't know how to touch you without hurting you. He doesn't know how to throw himself into loving you because he's scared to disappoint you. He's too rough, you're too soft.

It's you who takes a step toward him now. "I promised to be a good wife and I'm failing."

You're so close. He breathes in your scent until he's dizzy, and his voice comes out in a mutter. "You are a good wife."

"Then why do you hate me?" Your breath fans over his chest. Your nose brushes against the dip between his neck and collarbone, and you feel his throat bob as he swallows.

"I don't hate you." His hands ball into fists at his sides, itching to reach out and touch you and all of your soft curves. But you're drunk and he knows better.

"But you won't touch me,"

He doesn't want to break you.

"It's not that I don't want to," He whispers helplessly.

Your head tilts up because, for the first time, you're brave enough to crave his eye contact. Your eyes trace over every freckle on his face, every scar, every crease. You may be drunk, but his beauty is sobering.

"Neteyam," Your voice is so gentle as you call out to him. He finally looks down at you, and his eyes aren't so harsh. "Touch me, please,"

You ask him to touch you, but you mean more. You want him to see you, to feel his heart warm when he walks into your home at the end of the day. You want him to want you.

He inhales sharply when your lips brush the corner of his. His fingernails are digging into his palm as your hands fall to his hips, your mouth grazing the length of his jaw. He wonders what you taste like, wonders what kind of noises you would make if he got to sink his teeth into the plump of your bottom lip.

But you're drunk, and he knows better.

When his hand clasps around your wrists, you think you may finally get what you want, but he tugs your touch away.

Rejection burns in your chest and your eyes sting with tears as he tilts his head down, trying to catch your evasive gaze. His large hand scorches where it holds you captive.

"I will not touch you. Not here, not like this. Not when you're drunk." He says. You feel like he's upset, but his voice is the softest you've ever heard. "Ask me tomorrow, okay?"

You want to be mad at him. You want to shove at his chest and yell at him that it isn't fair, but you can't. It's not his fault that you love him.

"Can you take me home, please?" You croak out.

The hold on your wrists drops. "Yeah, I'll take you home."

It's like the first night that you two ever spent together. You amble through the village, eyes on your feet, tears threatening to spill down your face. When you reach your hut, you climb into your hammock and Neteyam lingers by the fire.

Humiliated is an understatement. You just want to disappear, and that would have been so easy back home, but it's impossible here.

You hear your husband's feet pad across the floor, growing softer and softer until they stop just outside your hut. You should call after him and see if he's okay, but you can't bring yourself to speak. Instead, you shut your eyes and pray for sleep to come.

Neteyam has always loved the moon. As he sits outside of your shared hut, he lets himself admire the glow of it. It's his favorite thing in the whole universe because it's always there, always shining, always taking different shapes. Most people go to sleep as soon as the moon shows its face, but not Neteyam. He likes to bask in it, almost as if he has it all to himself.

He pictures you under the glow of moonlight. Soft, gentle. Beautiful.

He's growing to love you.

In the morning when you wake, Neteyam isn't home. You get out of bed and there's a cup of tea waiting for you by the fire. While you drink it, you try to fight your feelings of embarrassment and guilt. It wasn't fair for you to ambush your husband like that. You've said it for all this time—he doesn't have to love you, and yet you asked him to.

Maybe you aren't in your right mind as you leave your hut, an empty basket clutched in your hand. No, you definitely aren't in your right mind as you gather fruits and pretty flowers, and even a brightly colored feather to pile into the wicker.

You have certainly lost it when you set off through the village, searching for your husband's tall frame. And when you spot his broad back as he speaks to a group of hunters, you almost turn around. Only you don't get the chance, because it's like he senses that you're there. He turns, brows lowered, intense eyes searching the bustling crowd.

Part of you wants to look away from him but he's mesmerizing. He carries golden light. He was meant to lead the people, meant to be admired.

He's the sun.

"Are you alright?" His voice is husky and breaks you out of your daze.

Heat spreads across your cheeks. "I'm fine,"

Where did all of your words go? The apology you practiced in your head?

Suddenly your feet are interesting to look at.

"Did you drink the tea I left? It's good for a hangover." He says.

Why does he have to be so kind and make you love him?

"I did. Thank you," You say, and you mean it. His eyes burn on your face as you try to muster up the courage to speak again. He's incredibly patient as he stands there, never once looking away from you. "I brought you some things. I wasn't sure if you had breakfast, and I know you must get hungry training all day."

"That's kind of you." He says.

It's now or never. You look up at him before you can talk yourself out of it. "I also wanted to apologize. The way I acted last night was unacceptable. I'm truly sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Neteyam."

The crease between his brows softens. "It's alright. I'm alright,"

Silence blankets the two of you for a moment. He's staring at you, eyes like melted honey and you tell yourself that you shouldn't love him.

But you do.

"I'll see you later?" You offer quietly. The corner of his mouth lifts as he reaches out, his hand brushes yours when he takes the basket from you.

"I'll see you later."

He watches you walk away with a dumb smile, because, fuck, he's starting to love you.

"I know that this isn't ideal," Neteyam begins.

You're still embarrassed about the night before, especially now that it’s just the two of you in the confines of your hut. You still remember the feeling of his skin against your lips, and you're craving more.

Shy eyes lift from your hands, falling on his face for the first time since you apologized to him earlier. You're used to his hard stare. You're used to his mouth falling into a flat line, but that's not what he looks like now.

He's watching you like you've never been invisible in your entire life.

His shoulders are tense where he stands, hands clasped together. "I know we were both pushed into this marriage for the sake of our clans,"

You think he might tell you that he doesn't love you and he never will. You're just collateral. But he shakes his head, and that's when you see it.

The bright hues of the feather you gifted him, tucked neatly into a braid behind his ear.

"You're wearing it," You gasp.

The way your eyes sparkle catches him off guard. He's dazed by your beauty, and it takes him a moment to understand what you're saying.

"Oh," He mutters. His cheeks burn. "Yes, I hope that's okay,"

You're smiling, and he feels like he's under the glow of the moon. You're gentle and you shine, and you take on so many pretty shapes.

"I wasn't sure you'd like it."

Of course, he likes it. You picked it for him.

"I do."

He can't remember the speech he was about to give about growing to love you, because he likes the way you tuck a piece of your hair behind your big ear. He likes the way you look down, suddenly shy. He likes the way that you're soft and smoothing out his rough edges.

"Would you like me to ask you now?" You're nearly whispering, and it's a shame that you're looking at your feet, because the smile that splits his face glows like the sun.

He steps toward you. "Yes, please."

Your chest would brush against him if you took a deep inhale, but he makes you breathless. "Touch me, please?"

Neteyam is supposed to be composed, but he isn't when he's this close to you.

His palms are rough and warm when they pull you in by the hips. They mold around your curves like Eywa carved them just for you.

He's the sun.

You're the moon.

Time just wouldn't exist without the two of you.

His lips are soft against the spot below your ear. It's his favorite place because you feel like silk there. He leaves a trail of kisses across your cheekbone, on the button of your nose, before he hovers over your lips.

"Would you like me to touch you here?" He murmurs.

You want him everywhere, but you're breathless. All you can do is nod.

He delves forward. You're so warm, and your lips are even softer than the skin below your ear, and now he knows what you taste like.

You're the sweetest fruit he's ever bitten. He'll go his whole life craving you.

It takes a while before you both pull away for air. Your hands fall against his chest, feeling the rumble of his light laughter.

When you look up at him, you can't believe you ever found him so intimidating. You can't believe that you ever thought he hated you, because he's looking at you like you're the best thing he's ever had.

And you are.

"I know that this was chosen for us. I know that I said this was for the clan," He says.

It was for the clan, but now he loves you.

"But?" You urge him gently.

"But I want to do this for us. I want all of you. I want all of your secrets, the good and the bad. I want to come home to you every night, and I want to take care of the people with you. I want to tell everyone what you mean to me." He proclaims.

You smile, eyes glimmering with happiness. "You have me."

He's yours.

You're his.

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