#neteyamsully

[starofthesea7]

Neteyam ~ Dreaming About Me?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She shook her head and rolled over.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

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

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

“Y’ smell good.” His voice was soft.

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

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

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

[vivid-ink]

"Show Me & Teach Me"

Neteyam Sully / female Omatikaya reader

Summary: You were an inconsequential member of the Omatikaya clan who had failed your rites of passage once already. You were born to heal, not hunt or fight. So, why had the tsahìk designated Neteyam of all people to take over your training? What business did the future olo’eyktan have mentoring you? But it was too late now. You should have known better than to fall in love with your mentor. You had known this day would come; the day when your success would mean losing his company. You should have clung on tighter to your heart while you still had it…

Content: Angst & fluff, pining, protective Neteyam, romance, Neteyam is your mentor, teacher-student chemistry, eventual happy ending, slight age-gap fetish, older man-younger woman.

Word count: 6.5k

Notes: This is my first ever Tumblr fic post! I've posted previously on AO3, Wattpad and FF.net, but I discovered this wonderful fandom on Tumblr recently and you've inspired me! Shout out to these bloggers whose work and writing I've been avidly browsing recently - @cinetrix, @andraga12, @pandoraslxna, @lanasblood and @draiochtwrites Special thanks to @cinetrix for her fabulous Neteyam renders. SO. BLOODY. GORGEOUS. This is also my first attempt at a Neteyam/Reader style of writing, so I hope I've done it justice. I personally don't like the usage of 'Y/N', so the reader's name in this is Seyla. The name is not used often, but there are a few points where it has been used for stylistic/emotional effect in the dialogue. Cross-posted also on AO3 - Show Me & Teach Me Other works available - VividInk AO3

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The dichotomy of emotion that swirled in your chest was a frustrating ache; a blight against the happiness of the occasion. Today was a happy day, and yet the unwelcome despondency you felt stubbornly insisted on battling with your elation at having finally completed your rites of passage. You had completed Iknimaya to tame your own ikran last week, and yesterday you had completed your uniltaron (dream hunt).

You were officially a woman now, born again as one of the Omatikaya, and tonight the entire clan was celebrating you and your other successful peers. Your peers who are all a few years younger than you are… The pessimistic part of your brain unhelpfully supplied.

The swallow of saliva down your throat was tight at the thought and you mentally attempted to bat away the negativity. So what if you were a late bloomer? What mattered was that you had succeeded now, and you had one person in particular to thank for that.

Neteyam…

His name breathed like a soothing balm over your fraught mind, but before your thoughts could carry you further away from the jovial festivity that surrounded you, the call of your name jolted you from your contemplation.

“Seyla! Come and join us! Tonight isn’t for sitting, it’s for dancing!”

Twisting your torso where you were seated to meet the mirthful eyes of another girl across the bonfire, you gave her a small grin in response and shook your head. Nope, you were not much of a dancer. You were skilled with your hands; at weaving; at beading, and at healing – especially healing -, but the rest of you was as uncoordinated as they came. This was one of the reasons it had taken you longer than most to achieve your rites.

You raised your voice to ensure it would carry over the percussion drumbeats of the music and the crackle and spit of the fire, “No thanks! You go on, Pania! I can’t dance, and I’m happy being merry over here with my drink!” The vessel of bittersweet alcohol in your hand was brought to your lips once more to prove your point and though Pania pouted, she acquiesced and returned to her frolicking.

Shyness had been your constant companion your entire life. You had never liked being the centre of attention, had always been content to just blend into the background where it was safe and constant. Happy though you were tonight at your success, no amount of cajoling would to persuade you to join the mosh pit of revelry around the bonfire. You preferred your quiet contemplation, observing and finding joy in others’ bliss while they enjoyed the celebration around you.

With another sip of your drink, you sighed to yourself as the liquid burned a path down your throat.

As always, your gaze wandered through the sea of swaying and jaunting bodies, seeking out the strapping frame of the man you had become familiar with recently. You had grown fond of him over the many moons you had spent under his tutelage, far too fond, you realised. It was not long before you found him, mingling amongst a group of the other mentors.

Neteyam was laughing heartily among them, nursing his own vessel of alcohol. His smile was dashing, and his laughter was like music to your ears, warming the cockles of your heart and setting it aflame. You felt your own lips pull into a diffident smile of your own at the sight of him. He was so beautiful; both inside as well as out.

You remembered being mortified at first when he had been assigned as your replacement mentor. It had happened not long after his family had returned to the clan following the Long War.

The return of Toruk Makto and his family had been greatly celebrated; the return of their beloved olo’eyktan and the return of Neteyam as his successor. Neteyam had always been handsome, even in his youth. You recalled the silly girlhood crush you had harboured for him, a boy several years older than yourself who took not much notice of you, although he had always been kind in the few interactions you had shared.

Neteyam had returned to the clan even more striking now that he had grown into a man, with the toned musculature of a warriors’ body that made even the most reserved of women think unchaste things. You were guilty of this too.

So, imagine your horror when tsahìk Mo’at had pronounced that Neteyam would take over training you for your second attempt at your rites. Great. Just what you needed; more self-conscious pressure…

You had not done well under Rini’s instruction. Rini was one of the best young warriors in the clan, but she had found your lack of confidence frustrating and your timid nature more annoying than endearing. She had been impatient and exasperated as a result, the entire ordeal culminating in the shame of your first unsuccessful attempt at Iknimaya. You had not been injured, but you had failed because none of the ikran had challenged you and you had made no further attempt to tame one.

The decision for Neteyam to replace Rini had shocked you and it had made no sense. Even thinking back now, it still made no sense. Great Mother, why would anyone devote the time of the future olo’eyktan to the training of an inconsequential young woman?

Nevertheless, Mo’at’s decision had proven to be beneficial to your learning. You put it down to Neteyam more so than yourself. You were still the same old you; bashful, uncertain and reluctant to cause things harm, even if it was hunting wild game for the clan’s sustenance. Neteyam just had a way about him; he was unassuming and patient, and he had made you feel at ease with him.

The lively swell of the music around you faded into the background as your thoughts consumed you once more. The memory of your first meeting with Neteyam floated into the forefront of your mind…

*** FLASHBACK ***

“Tsahìk, I think the yalnabark tincture is done brewing. I’ve taken it off the fire for now or the mixture might scorch at the bottom.” You called out assuredly. If there was one thing in life you knew you were good at, it was the art of healing.

Mo’at reappeared from around the partition in the healers’ hut, crouching down to test the consistency of the tincture in the pot by stirring it gently with a wooden ladle. The viscous fluid bubbled gently and you knew it would cool eventually to form the thick salve you were used to slathering on cuts and wounds.

The tsahìk sniffed the wafting fumes before settling appraising gold eyes on you. She smiled and the expression made the corners of her eyes and mouth crinkle with warmth, “Well done, child. It’s the perfect consistency.”

Beaming at the praise you received, you settled the pot to the side to cool and began gathering your things to clean up for the day. Eclipse was fast approaching and the light of day was fading fast. Quietly, you wondered to yourself why you could not just carry on as you were, learning from Mo’at and assisting her with the sick and injured from day to day.

You were born to help people; to heal them and give them comfort in difficult times. Hunting and learning to spar with knives and spears were the farthest things away from your proficiencies.

“You are thinking so loudly I can hear your thoughts.” Mo’at hummed, her lips forming a wry grin.

“I just don’t understand why I have to train and pass Iknimaya. I’ll never be a hunter or a warrior. Can’t I just learn from you and be a healer for the rest of my life?”

Mo’at fixed you with an astute gaze and she narrowed her eyes at you, “You can and will be a great healer, Seyla. But Iknimaya is a rite of passage that all Omatikaya individuals must pass. You need to tame an ikran or how will you travel? You’ll never fly otherwise and you are too grown now to be a pillion passenger on another’s ikran.”

With a resigned huff, you slung your pouch across your torso, preparing to depart for the evening when Mo’at called out to you again.

“Just stay back for a while today. I told Neteyam to meet you here at eclipse. I figured it would be good for the two of you to reacquaint yourselves with each other a bit before you he starts your training tomorrow.”

Self-conscious flutters erupted in your belly.

Of course, you knew you would be spending a lot of time with Neteyam in the coming while since he would be mentoring you, but the timid part of you had thought you would not need to deal with your nerves around this until tomorrow. You did what was requested of you nonetheless.

Neteyam was prompt, stepping into the healers’ hut within moments of eclipse’s onset. Your heart had been racing steadily behind your sternum in anxious anticipation, but the sight of him made it skip a few beats. Eywa help you, he was so attractive… How were you ever going to be able to concentrate on your learnings being mentored by him?

You immediately rose to your feet from where you were knelt out of respect at his arrival. Dipping your knees slightly and with a bow of your head, you greeted him, “Oel ngati kameie, Neteyam. My name is-”

Neteyam interrupted you before you could finish, “Seyla. Yes, I know. I remember you.”

Your head snapped up in surprise at his words. His smile was kind and his eyes gentle as he regarded you and you blinked, lost for words, for several moments before you found them again, “Oh, you do? We never really spoke much.”

You were six years his junior. Too young to have been in any of the social circles Neteyam had made his way around in. Any interactions you had shared were fleeting and often just greetings in passing. He was as good as the crown prince of the clan, so naturally you had known who he was. It would not have been unfair though to assume, especially with your quiet nature, that he did not notice you.

A jovial grin danced across Neteyam’s lips, the tips of his canines peaking charmingly out from his behind his upper lip, “The girl with the pretty braids. Though I see you don’t wear them as long anymore.”

The peal of laughter that bubbled up from within you was involuntary, sparked by pure delight at the realisation that he did indeed remember you. You had worn your hair much longer as a girl, your tresses trailing in luscious locks down to your hips. Your hair had been one of the beautiful things about you, and you and your mother had spent countless hours crafting new beads and braiding them into your hair in intricate styles. The length had unfortunately become inconvenient as you grew older, so the ends of your braids were now lopped shorter to brush the small of your back.

A flush heated your cheeks under his scrutiny and your laughter died down. Clearing your throat clumsily, you nodded, “Yeah, that’s me.”

A hoarse chortle emanated from behind you and you remembered Mo’at was still present. Her husky voice piped up, her eyes twinkling with some enigmatic reason in their depths, “You need to look after this one, Neteyam. Her hands work miracles with the ill and injured. She is gifted with healing, both physical and spiritual. And you of all people should understand how exceptional that is.”

The tsahìk’s words were high praise and you felt the flush on your face intensify. Her words reminded you suddenly of the reason for your meeting with Neteyam in the first place though, and you quickly added, “I will work hard as your trainee. I’m not particularly athletic or strong, but I’ll always try my best. I don’t wait to fail again and I don’t want to bring you shame as my mentor, so I’ll pass my rites or die trying.”

Neteyam appeared taken aback by the candour with which you spoke and the severity of your tone. He gave a slow cock of his head to the side, his eyes calculating while you fought hard not to squirm at his silent assessment.

His assessing gaze only lasted several moments before the comfortable warmth of his usual expression returned. His voice was benevolent when he spoke, “No one is going to die trying anything. We will go at your pace. I may push you at times, but if it gets too much, you are at every right to voice this to me.”

Neteyam’s words were a reassurance and the thundering of your heart began to subside. Mustering up what little dregs of courage you possessed from within yourself, you lifted your head to peer into his eyes and found them void of any judgement. Their green-gold depths were open and sincere, and you perceived also a silent promise of security in them.

The lump forming in your throat hindered you from finding your word, however, and your response to Neteyam was a mute nod.

He spoke again then, the baritone of his voice rumbling delightfully through you, “I swear to you as your mentor that I will keep you safe. Your safety is my priority and you will have the protection of my body too if need be.”

Neteyam’s masculine pledge of security made parts of you squeeze in feminine appreciation, and you berated yourself internally for letting his appeal distract you.

 You watched as he extended a hand out to you and you placed your hand in his to shake it, only to feel him raise the back of it to his lips instead in a gentle kiss against your knuckles.

*** FLASHBACK END ***

A stray ember spat from the bonfire and sailed through the air towards you. You hissed and slapped at your arm where the ember made blistering contact with your bare skin. The heat of the fire suddenly felt stifling and you got to your feet, intent on heading somewhere quieter where you could be alone with your thoughts.

Great Mother, you missed him already. You were going to miss him so much.

Feminine laughter reached you and the points of your ears swivelled in that direction, your eyes following suit a moment later. You spotted one of the female warriors, Penina, giggling while she clasped on to Neteyam’s forearm as the troupe of warriors continued in their conversation. She raised herself onto the balls of her feet to whisper something in his ear before she pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek. Neteyam turned his head and gave Penina a sly smile in response.

You turned away quickly, not wanting to witness anything more. You should have clung on tighter to your heart while you still had it.

A sharp stab of sadness pricked in your chest and you silently chastised yourself for being so foolish. Neteyam was the future olo’eyktan for goodness sake. He had his pick of the females and he could court who he liked. You had known this day would come; the day when your success would mean losing his company.

Looking around you, you saw that everyone else was engrossed in their carousing and it allowed you slip away unhindered. Padding towards the appealing tranquillity of the woodland glade that surrounded the clan’s new Hometree, you found yourself a patch of soft moss amongst the bioluminescent eyaye ferns and settled yourself there.

Taking deep breaths through your nostrils, you closed your eyes and surrendered yourself to the sounds of the night; the soft pattering of water from the nearby cascades; the chirruping of insects and the occasional calls of a troop of syaksyuk in the lush canopy overhead. Beating back the soreness in your heart, you willed yourself to pray to the Great Mother, to be grateful and thankful for your achievement.

However, your mind did not appear to want to co-operate and the painful image of Penina kissing Neteyam’s cheek flashed through your consciousness again.

Being mentored by Neteyam was both your greatest blessing and your greatest curse.

After that first meeting with Neteyam, you had only gone from strength to strength under his guidance. He was a kind but firm tutor who held an unwavering belief in your abilities, despite the fact that you did not share that same confidence. He pushed you to your limits, but never beyond them and like any good mentor, he knew when to reward you with praise and when to be more critical.

You should have known you were a lost cause from the moment he had sworn to protect you during that first meeting. You should have been more careful. You should have guarded your heart with the constant reminder that he was not yours and never would be no matter how much you felt drawn to him during your lessons.

*** FLASHBACK ***

Neteyam stood at your back, his stance almost a mirror of yours as he adjusted your shooting form; legs positioned firmly apart, back straight with a strong core, bowstring drawn as you took aim at the target in the distance between the thick trunks of the trees. Your aim and accuracy had strengthened considerably in the weeks training under Neteyam. Tomorrow, you would attempt again the first rite of making a clean kill.

It was difficult to concentrate when you could feel the heat of his body radiating off him and feel his warm breaths tickling the point of one of your ears. The heat of one of his hands seared against the skin of your hip as he steadied you and the fingertips of his other hand supported the wrist of your bow arm. Unable to take your eyes off the target to confirm your suspicion for yourself, you also swore to the Great Mother that the tuft of his tail was delicately caressing the calf of your back leg.

“Whenever you’re ready, loose the arrow.” Neteyam whispered, and the purr of his voice sent a shudder through you that you hoped he did not notice.

Target in focus, you narrowed your eyes and when the instinctive urge hit, you let your arrow fly. It hurtled through the trees to embed itself dead centre of the mounted target amongst your previous attempts. The thrill of success washed through you once more and you gave a little skip on the spot in celebration.

“Seysonìltsan (well done)!” Neteyam cheered, looping an arm around your waist and pressing his cheek to yours in an affectionate nuzzle that made your face and neck flush, “You’re all set for tomorrow. You’re going to be just fine.”

Your initial joy at your success with target practice soon clouded over when you contemplated the final part of making a clean kill: A dagger through the creature’s heart to return its soul to Eywa; the part that you had failed to complete on your own during your first attempt. Rini had been forced to end the creature’s life for you.

The sound of the yerik’s pained, bleating cries still haunted your ears to this day. You had felt rotten being responsible for the arrow that had impaled its side. You had not wanted to cause it anymore pain…

Sensing the change in your mood, Neteyam ran a gentle hand down your side, “Hey, come back to me. What are you thinking about?”

Chewing on your bottom lip, ears twitching, your nervous eyes flitted to his, “Did Rini tell you why I failed this rite last time?”

A frown marred his handsome face and he shook his head, his concern evident as he snaked an arm around your shoulders to pull you against his side.

The soothing strokes of his thumb against your upper arm coaxed you to continue, “My arrow’s aim was true and I managed to impale the yerik. But I couldn’t end its life with my dagger. I don’t like to hurt things. It was in pain and all I wanted to do was make the pain stop. Of course, the pain would’ve stopped once I ended its life but the thought of stabbing it was too much for me to bear. Rini had to do it in the end. I was too weak to.”

Your last words were uttered with all the dejection that you felt and the tears of your shame stung in your downcast eyes. Something so simple, so natural in the cycle of life that all creatures shared in the Great Mother, and you could not do it. You were weak.

You felt warm fingers grasp your chin gently and your face was tilted up to meet Neteyam’s. Your eyes remained shuttered, however, and you cursed the two fat tears that squeezed their way from behind your closed lids to roll down your cheeks.

“Seyla, look at me.” Neteyam implored you, and it was only the sheer tenderness in his tone that made you brave enough to obey. Your breath was stolen from you as you met his striking eyes and his expression was full of compassion, “You’re not weak for finding it difficult to end a life. Your calling is to heal, to restore life even in the direst of circumstances when all seems lost. There is great strength in that. Empathy is not weakness. You have a big heart and I don’t want to hear you call yourself weak ever again.”

Swiping your tears from your face with the back of one hand, you sniffled softly and nodded. But your chin wobbled along with your voice as you posed your question, “What if I can’t do it tomorrow? What if I fail again?”

“Then I’ll guide your hand and we’ll do it together. And after you’ve completed your rites, you’ll never have to hunt again if you don’t want to.”

*** FLASHBACK END ***

And he had guided your hand in the end.

Neteyam’s bigger hand had enveloped yours to steady its trembling amid the bleating cries of the yerik you had felled, and he had given you the strength, the driving force that you needed, to complete your first rite.

Afterward, your adrenalin and your distress had all come to a head and he had held you in his arms where you were both crouched, comforting you as you cried.

That had been the first of your successful firsts, as you called them, and Neteyam had been there every single step of the way after that. Your first kill; your first climb to Iknimaya where you successfully tamed your ikran; your first flight; your first talioang hunt; and your first Dream Hunt. It was always his eyes that you sought out first at the end of each achievement, and your heart had always soared to find his gaze waiting to receive yours.

You were not even aware of it at first, that your heart no longer beat inside the confines of your chest. Then one day as Neteyam had graced you with another one of his magnetic smiles, you realised that your heart now beat in the hold of his hands. He had swindled it from you without you even knowing it and now it was too late to get it back.

Today had been the first day in many moons – almost seven – that you did not arise in the morning and head out to meet Neteyam. You were one of the people now. There was no more training to be had and you had felt the loss of his presence keenly during the day today.

You had thanked Neteyam last night, for all his guidance and perseverance that had led to your success. You had been weary from the exertion of your Dream Hunt, your mind still foggy from the psychoactive effects of the glow worm one had to consume as part of the rite. However, you remembered murmuring your thanks to him and falling asleep against the blissful warmth of his chest as he had carried you home to your family’s alcove.

He must feel it too… You thought to yourself. That magnetism that pushed and pulled between the two of you, surely it was not simply one-sided on your part?

Neteyam had never said anything, had never given any indication to you of wanting to address the bond that had grown between the two of you. All the smiles, the embraces, the tender nuzzles, the deliberate touches and the gentle brushing of his fingers against your skin; all the almost kisses; had you imagined it all? Did your lovesick brain infer more than there actually was to all of it?

“What are you doing here?”

The voice at your back startled you out of your skin and you jumped with an unintentional yelp.

Neteyam’s deep laughter reverberated loudly in the serenity of the glade around you and you turned to swat at the calf of one of his legs, your tail lashing crossly behind you at being alarmed. He moved to settle himself on the moss next to you and you shuffled over to make room for him where the moss was its plushest.

“What have I always told you about watching your back?” Neteyam clucked playfully, reaching out to poke you in the ribs lightly.

You recoiled from the ticklish jab, unable to stop the giggle that escaped you despite the frown you still wore due to his previous action, “I don’t really think anything dangerous will sneak up on me whilst I’m on home-ground. So you’ll forgive me, karyu (teacher), for letting my guard down.”

“You don’t think I’m dangerous?” There was a mischievous glint in Neteyam’s eyes and his tone was cheeky as he regarded you.

Oh, you knew Neteyam could be dangerous with his imposing stature and warriors’ body, corded with powerful muscle that guaranteed brute strength in a wrestling match, and promised carnal delight for a woman caged within his hold in a very different kind of match. The explicit nature of your last thought surprised you and you hoped the furious blush staining your cheeks was not obvious in the dim light of eclipse.

“Seriously though, I know you’re not one for crowds and carousing, but what are you doing hiding out here?” Neteyam queried again, and sincerity coloured his tone this time.

“Everything just got a bit much. And I’m still tired from yesterday, I think. I just wanted somewhere quiet to reflect.” You muttered softly.

The familiar musk of his scent tantalised your nose and you took a discreet inhale, savouring the comfort it brought you while you also tried simultaneously to embed it into the deepest recesses of your memory. You were not going to be around Neteyam much anymore. You had healers’ duties to attend to and he had duties as future clan leader to attend to. That certainly made for quite a lot of distance.

Another twinge of sadness pulled at you and you kept your gaze on your folded knees, unable to look at him. Wanting to deflect and distract yourself from the sombre mood that was threatening to overwhelm you, you parroted his first question back at him, “I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be back with the others, enjoying the party? You seemed to be quite engaged with the warriors before.”

“I saw you sneak away and I figured I’d check in with you. This is technically your party after all, to celebrate your rebirth. You sure you don’t want to head back out there? There are quite a few people who want to congratulate you.” Neteyam cajoled.

“Not right now. I’ll come back in a bit. You go on though. I’m OK, you’ve seen that no danger has befallen me.” Your attempt to be jovial fell flat even to your own ears and you felt Neteyam shift beside you, lowering his head to try and catch your eye.

“Seyla, what’s wrong? You’re upset. Has someone said something to you tonight? Hurt you? Tell me what happened and I’ll deal with them.”

Neteyam’s concern and immediate oath to defend you was moving. It was wonderful to know he still cared deeply for you despite the conclusion of your mentor-mentee relationship. His devotion to the people he cared about was one of the many things you loved about him.

Great Mother, you loved him. You were in love with him.

The sentiment threatened to choke you and you swallowed it down painfully. You were determined to keep your composure. You did not want to cry tonight in front of Neteyam, not when it was a night of celebration for you as well as for him as your mentor. You would look like an absolute ingrate and you were not about to admit to him the real reason for your melancholy either.

“Nothing untoward has happened. No one has said anything or done anything.” The words were forced from your throat and you realised with mounting horror that you were failing miserably at trying to sound normal. Your voice was unsteady and unbidden tears were pooling in your eyes.

Neteyam’s brow furrowed uneasily at your apparent distress and he shifted to face you. His large hands encircled each of your upper arms, rubbing gently in an attempt to mollify whatever turmoil you clearly felt but seemed reluctant to tell him of. “Shh it’s alright, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but you know you can tell me anything, right?”

A choked sob left you and you pawed in frustration at your wet eyes, lying through your teeth, “Ugh, I’m sorry. I’m just really tired and out of sorts. That glow worm really did a number on me.” You pushed at his forearms gently, faking a smile and urging him to return to the merriment of the party, “Go, honestly. Don’t let me ruin your evening.”

Neteyam appeared utterly unconvinced, which was testament to how well he had come to know you; how easily he could read you. He fidgeted uncomfortably then and you mused to yourself how uncharacteristic that was of him when he was usually so self-assured.

He took a slow and measured inhale, one of his hands leaving you to scratch nervously at the back of his head, “I actually wanted to talk to you about something. Something important.”

The downturned points of your ears pricked upwards with interest, his last two words piquing your curiosity, “What is it? Is it bad news?”

By Eywa, please let it not be bad news. What could be so important that he needed to speak to you right now?

Neteyam took in your worried expression, your beautiful doe-eyes shiny with emotion, and he chuckled lightly, “No, it’s not bad news. Well, it could be bad news for me, but that depends on your viewpoint on the matter.”

“What do you mean?” You queried and you both watched and felt as he took your smaller hands in his, his fingers squeezing and rubbing your palms gently comfortingly.

Licking his lips and swallowing the knot of nerves in his throat, Neteyam began to explain slowly, “You know my position within the clan as my father’s successor.”

“Yes.”

“You know that I will lead this clan as olo’eyktan when my father’s time in that position ends.”

“Yes.”

“Well, every olo’eyktan needs a tsahìk.”

You blinked perplexedly up at him. His three statements appeared rather matter-of-fact and ‘old news’ to you. It was nothing you did not know and nothing you were not already aware of. You were quite puzzled as to why Neteyam was bringing this up now. “Sorry, I don’t think I’m following you. I know all this already.”

A nervous chuckle left Neteyam then and he ran a hand down his face. He knew he was being cryptic and it was the result of his own nerves that caused him to be so. He could see you had no idea where he was going with this and he took the opportunity to tease one last time, “Have you never wondered why I was assigned as your mentor?”

You perked up at the question. Ah! This question you could relate to, “Yes! I wonder about this all the time actually. There are many other skilled hunters or warriors who could’ve trained me. I don’t understand why they designated you. Surely your skills would’ve been better used elsewhere.”

“It was my grandmother’s decision specifically. As tsahìk, she interprets the will of our Great Mother. She determines the best candidates for the future leaders of this clan.” Neteyam continued, his tone measured and he watched carefully for your reaction while you took in his words, “Seyla, you were her choice of tsakarem (future tsahìk). Of course, it was all dependent on you passing your rites, which is why no one could tell you this fact. Not even me. She assigned me as your mentor not just because of my skills, but because she wanted to see if we would get along.”

“W-What?” Your heart was galloping in your chest, your brain reeling as it tried to process the information you had just been enlightened about.

“It was such a hard secret for me to keep.” Neteyam appeared a little sheepish then and he chortled, bringing both of your hands up to his lips to press several kisses to your knuckles, “Your heart is so pure and you’re so beautiful. I grew fonder and fonder of you the more I got to know you. I wanted you to pass your rites and I knew you would with time if I could build your confidence. Now you have, and I’m so proud of you.”

A sudden burst of clarity struck you as Neteyam’s words began to sink in. Everything that had not made sense before made perfect sense now: The reason the future olo’eyktan of all people had been assigned to mentor you; the reason Neteyam had been so forward with his affection during your training; the reason Mo’at had always been so welcoming towards you learning from her, despite the unofficial mantle you had once held for so long as the ‘flop’ of the clan who may never pass your rites. There had been a bigger picture all along.

“Your grandmother wants me to be your tsahìk?”

Neteyam nodded and he reached out to cup your cheek, “Yes, if you’ll accept the position and accept me as your betrothed.”

Something dazzling white and wonderfully warm pierced through the cloud of your melancholy. You looked at Neteyam’s face, really looked at him and at the future he was presenting you with. You, tsakarem! Neteyam’s betrothed and future mate. You would stand at his side, tsahìk and olo’eyktan…

It was such an about-turn of events from what you felt moments ago that you could hardly believe it. But the sheer joy that burst within your heart was so welcome and in that moment, all was right with the world. It felt like the misshapen pieces of your wounded pride that had taken a beating after your past failures had reshaped themselves and found their place.

Beaming at Neteyam through glassy eyes that were now filling with happy tears, you laughed and the sound was bright in your ears.

Neteyam leaned in to nuzzle your cheek tenderly, his warm breath ghosting across the smooth skin there, “Please say you’ll accept and be mine. You are gifted and blessed by Eywa, and it would be an honour to have you as my tsahìk.”

“Yes. Yes, I accept.” Your giggles were wet and your arms instinctively curled around Neteyam’s neck as he lifted you in his arms to your knees in a triumphant embrace.

Neteyam drew back then, his face mere inches from yours. He nuzzled your nose lightly, “May I kiss you?”

With parted lips and a bashful nod, you absently thought to yourself that you were yet again about to experience another one of your firsts with Neteyam. Your first kiss.

His lips met yours in a tentative meld at first, the moist brush of lips an entirely new sensation to you. Neteyam pressed forward again after, claiming your lips this time in a deliberate sweep of lips and tongue that stole your breath from you and sent a spark of desire coursing through your veins.

Your earlier melancholy seemed lightyears away now in the face of what had just happened, and your heart sighed in contentment at the uplifting of its grief that had come with Neteyam’s declaration.

Not wanting to scare you with his fervent ardour, Neteyam pulled away a little to rest his forehead against yours, “By Eywa, you don’t know how long I have wanted to do that.”

“I see you, Neteyam.”

“I see you, yawntu (beloved).” He returned the sentiment, smiling as he delivered a couple more chaste kisses. He sat back on his haunches then to properly look at you, his expression turning serious then, “Will you tell me why were you upset before? I’m just concerned, that’s all.”

Rolling your lips together in mild embarrassment, you outed the truthful answer to his question, “I was sad that I wouldn’t see you every day anymore. I was missing you. But it seems I don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

Several emotions flitted their way across Neteyam’s face; surprise, compassion and then satisfaction. With a wayward smirk, he purred, “Our daytimes may be spent apart now, but our evenings, well, we’ll have to fill those, won’t we? I’m looking forward to getting to know my betrothed in a more personal manner.”

Neteyam surged forward to kiss you again, more forcefully this time, and your head craned backward under the pleasurable plundering of his mouth. You moaned lightly and when a mistimed re-angling of your head caused your teeth to clack against his, you pulled away self-consciously with an apology, “Sorry, I’m new to this. Looks like you’re still going to have to teach me, karyu.”

The impish grin that Neteyam cast you sent hot shivers down your spine and his eyes glinted with the promise of the best kind of wickedness. He placed slow kisses to your face; one to your chin, one to your mouth and then to each of your eyes before he murmued, “Oh, there is so much that I plan to teach you, yawntu. And we have a lifetime to explore all that.”

He punctuated his words with a searing, open-mouthed kiss to the column of your neck and the suction he applied there made your toes curl into the plush moss beneath you.

With your eyes closed and your mouth slack-jawed from the pleasure his lips were wreaking where he worshipped your neck and chest, you knew without a doubt that today was just the beginning of the first of many firsts with Neteyam.

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~*** Author's Note:

If you've made it this far, THANK YOU for reading! <3 How did I do with this? It was very tricky to write at points, as I had to be mindful of the POV and the pronoun usage.

Leave me a line with your thoughts! <3 Could you relate to the protagonist in this? Did you feel what she felt? All the angst, her shyness, the fluff at the end...

On a side note, I love Mo'at always playing matchmaker. I always seem to write her with some cheek in her personality.

Want more Neteyam & Seyla? Check out Part II below which has a very steamy spice-extension. ;) Next Chapter: Part II - I Like Your Stars Better

[reidmania]

EMBARRASSED OF ME - neteyam sully

genre - angst, fluff mini miscommunication basically a drabble

summary - neteyam and y/n decide to keep their unofficial thing private - but what happens when it slowly starts affecting them both.

characters- y/n (fem forest na’vi) aged up neteyam, all characters aged up to 18’s 19’s.

words- 2.3k

warnings- use of she/her, mini miscommunication, slight arguing, neteyam is a big clueless goof, comfort fic rlly, i love nete

authors note - im sorry this is my first tumblr piece, its its bad… im very sorry…

Y/N COULDN'T tell you when it changed, or if it had. its not like anything dramatically changed, herself and neteyam werent often affectionate in public, the two were best friends for as long as they could remember, since they were two

they would always be hip by hip, during everything, even after they had a stupid argument over the most useless things, they'd still be in each other's presences, you'd never find y/n without neteyam, and everything the girl did, the boy followed, and vise verse.

although that didn't change, they both grew up, still just as close, but neteyam was training for his future role, and y/n was normally with kiri and moat during that time, training to be a healer.

even though, neteyam would often come to the tent and visit her whenever he got a break, going as fast as he could to see her for as long as possible.

and on days when y/n wasn't training, she'd go for laps of the village, happening to stumble across where neteyam was training with his father and brother, and they both knew, that meant neteyam needed a quick break.

they never turned the girl away, always greeting her and letting herself and neteyam run off for 5-10 minutes, until jake would call him back to continue.

everyone knew how much they meant to one another, their families had always been close, but y/n and neteyam? always closer.

things changed when y/n turned 14, the feeling of heat creeping up on her when neteyam was around was a ... weird emotion to get used to.

now close to turning sixteen, y/n still had that feeling, the way her cheeks would heat up, ears would perk, her stomach would go tight with nerves.

and only a week ago, did she find out neteyam had felt the same.

he confessed to her after a overhearing a few young warriors talk about her, one was thinking about courting her, and it hit neteyam hard.

he had been so caught up in trying to figure out the way to tell you about his feelings, that he hadn't actually told you, and of course the boy was scared the feelings weren't going to be reciprocated, but he knew things would fall back to normal, they always did.

neteyam confessed that night, at the spot the two of them had shared, it was a tree, almost like a treehouse, y/n had found it while hunting for fruits one time, and showed neteyam that night.

it wasn't a secret that neteyam and y/n snuck out everynight, neytiri knew before jake did, but didn't tell her partner until after following him one time, finding him to be laying softly with y/n pointing at stars. at first, she thought it was another women, but when she heard the string of laughter the two shared, she was quick to realise, it was y/n.

unknown to both neteyam and y/n, jake and neytiri had spoken to y/n's parents, about choosing her to be neteyam's promised mate. there was no one they'd rather have their oldest dedicated to.

and they knew there was no one their oldest would rather spend the rest of his life with, he made the stupid mistake of telling lo'ak about his feelings for his best friend, and soon enough his entirety of his family knew.

y/n was close with her mother, and let it spill that y/n felt the same after the sully couple approached them.

all their parents were unaware of the fact the two of them had confessed to one another. by neteyam's request.

although y/n was confused at first, she ignored it. she ignored the slight hurt in her stomach and carried on like normal. all he said was that he didn't want to tell anyone — yet.

the girl was unaware that meant, he didn't want anyone to know, or have a smidge of an idea.

she didn't know that meant he would avoid her in public settings.

there was a time, y/n was collecting berries with kiri, and while kiri travelled further into the forest, neteyam had been on his way to training.

"hello sevin (pretty)" he muttered in her ear, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. before y/n could even respond, he was pulling away, he noticed kiri with her back turned deeper into the forest.

"i must go" he muttered, before leaving to continue his walk to training. y/n felt herself fall in disappointment. it confused her.

neteyam found out about the planned mating — three days ago. and he knew you had no idea about it, since his father had told him that he should be the one to tell her that.

that flipped something in neteyam, he watched as other men continued to try and court y/n, and it broke his heart, he wanted to prove himself to her, prove he deserved her love and tìmuntxa ( mating )

he did not want to tell her that the two of them had been promised to each other, because he did not want her to think she was just another one of his duties, something he had to do because of his fathers request.

maybe the way he was acting wasn't the best way to go about it, but he was scared that others would assume so as well, he wanted to prove himself to her first, and then everyone else.

he did not know, it was affecting y/n so heavily, he did not know that the insecurity was slowly creeping up on her, he didn't know that while trying to prove himself so desperately, all she felt was as if she was not good enough, maybe he was embarrassed to be seen with her.

y/n watched the water from above, the sun had set and the sky was filled with countless stars, each one filled with just as much beauty as the other, y/n had told neteyam that she wouldn't be able to meet tonight, saying something along the lines of the fact her parents were catching on, and if she went again it would be too suspicious.

it was a lie, y/n was close with them, and had told them about her meetings with the boy everynight, they did not mind. it gave them piece of mind knowing she were safe with the future leader.

y/n stared at the flowing river, deep in thought, she wondered if maybe she and neteyam did not confess their feelings to one another, maybe he wouldve given her a bit more attention, maybe he wouldve been less embarrassed by her.

tears brimmed her eyes are she started to pick every little thing about herself apart, she didn't blame him for not wanting to be known as her mate, and by the end of her thoughts, tears were running down her face.

she felt bad for lying, wanting nothing more then to be with the boy, but not when they were only alone. she hated the feeling she got now when she saw him, she hated feeling like a secret that would ruin his life if it got out.

what she didn't know, it even the night's y/n didn't come to the spot, neteyam did. it gave him piece of mind in his chaotic life, knowing this was a spot that belonged to only her and him, cause everything to do with her made his heart beat ten times faster, and he loved it.

but he was confused, when he saw a blue figure sitting upon the tree, his mind filled with worry that someone else had found their spot, but taking a closer look, he noticed the scar her shoulder, a smile made its way to his face, she must have changed her mind, he thought.

being so blinded by her own self hatred, she was too deep in her head to notice the figure climbing up the tree, and being too excited by the fact he got to see his love, and the fact her back was turned to him, he failed to notice her tear stained face.

"yawne? you came" he muttered, that snapped y/n out of her gaze, cursing to herself, hating the feeling of nerves in her stomach as his voice rang through her head. she was quick to wipe her tears, hoping her voice wasn't too much of a give away to the fact she had been crying.

"yeah- i uh-" it was. it gave her away completely, she had to stop herself to breathe so her voice didn't crack. "i can't stay for long." she muttered, good excuse.

he frowned at her tone, taking a seat next to her, his frown only deepened when she moved slightly away, it was dark, yes, but not dark enough to hide her blotching tear stained cheeks.

"yawne, what is the matter?" he said, placing a hand softly on the small of her back, confusion burying itself deeper in his stomach. hating that he didn't know why his girl was hurting.

"nothing, nete, im okay." she assured, wiping a stray tear that fell on her face. he only frowned more as she moved forward, out of his touch.

"baby? what is wrong" he pushed, calling her the pet name she had grown to love, one he had heard his father call his mother, it was a demon word, but a good one.

"nothing nete, i have a headache" she said, turning to look at him softly, he sighed, grabbing her hand. being able to see right through her. "talk to me."

she went to protest, tell him it was nothing but he stopped her. "please, y/n?, talk to me" he begged, y/n looked down, his hands rested on the flat surface of the bark on the tree, begging to hold her and pull her close.

"why don't you want to be seen with me neteyam?" she finally said, refusing to look up at him, scared to meet his gaze, she was terrified for his response, would this be the moment he told her he had got his feelings mixed up, he didn't like her, she was terrified.

at her words — however, neteyam flaterned, confusion filling his brows, he frowned, wishing he could understand what she meant, "wh- what do you mean yawne?" he asked.

she frowned, tears refilling her eyes. "you don't want to be seen with me, neteyam. anytime anyone else is around- you go all, i dont know. like a stranger" she frowns, neteyam's eyes widened with realisation, heart breaking as he realised he had been neglecting his love

"if you don't want to mate or court me, just say that. you don't have to just pretend like you do when we are alone" she said, starting to stand up to leave, neteyam's lips part, feeling slightly offended she thought so lowly of him, but he had no one to blame for that then himself.

he stood up as well, holding onto y/n's arm, the tree had a wooden surface built across it, giving them space to move. "y/n- baby no." he said, pulling her closer to him.

"im sorry, im so sorry- i didn't realise, im so sorry baby"

he overused the pet name after finding out it was one of her favourites, but she never minded.

"please let me explain" he begged, y/n just stayed silent, allowing him to continue.

"I do, so much more then anything want to be seen with you, i want to show you off to the entire clan— but my dad- parents, they have promised me to someone" y/n's heart dropped as she tears her arm from his.

he shakes his head, cursing himself for picking the worst timing to take a breath. "no- no, they have promised me to you. we are promised yawne." he said, bringing a hand to her face, rubbing his thumb across her cheek lovingly.

"and i didn't want to tell you because i didnt want you to think i only did these things because of that, and i didnt want everyone else to assume that as well- i wanted to prove myself to you- i wanted to court you before everyone gets to stick their heads in" he said, out of breath by the end of it.

y/n's eyes softened with realisation, a frown still pulling at her cheeks, but this time with disappointment that she didn't trust him.

"im so sorry, i never want you to think i don't want you, because you're all i want, i think about you every second of everyday, it breaks my heart pulling away from you- i was just so committed to proving myself to you, that i forgot to.. actually do it"

he finally stops, giving her a chance to respond. her eyes are wide with love, looking up at him so lovingly he can almost feel his stomach flutter. "you already have, tìyawn. (love)"

he smiles softly, "im sorry i assumed so lowly of you. i was just- caught in my own head.. i thought you were embarrassed of me" she muttered.

he frowned, "do not think like that, how could i ever be embarrassed by you. you're absolutely perfect. ewya, tomorrow im going to show the whole clan youre mine, im sorry i didn't do it right away"

"neteyam you don't have to." she muttered, bringing him closer. "i want to, yawne"

and he did, and everyday after that, everyone in the clan was well aware that y/n belonged to neteyam, and neteyam? he had always belonged to y/n.

[elliesappetite]

Empty Promises ~ Part Two

Neteyam Sully x gn na’vi reader

Summary: He’s back, and he made a friend Ka’ina. The past two weeks of her staying, y/n believes that neteyam is avoiding them for her. But there is a reason.

A/n: sorry it took my a while, i’ve been super busy and everything had been chaotic! But here is the part two to my empty promise series.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey.”

Suddenly everything stops. Time stops. I’m frozen. It can’t be.

“teyam..?” I walk forward slowly, cautious that one wrong move he will disappear again. It’s him. It’s really him.

Suddenly I can breathe again as he hugs me really tight. God I missed this.

“I can’t believe you’re really here!” I looked up at him to see him smiling.

“I want you to meet someone!!!” He pulled back in excitement. I tilted my head in confusion. All of a sudden I see this beautiful girl. With light blue skin and a thick tail. She looked stunning. Like an angel. “Who’s this?” He pulled her forward. Is this a friend? A girlfriend? No. No. He couldn’t possibly break his promise. Right?

“This is Ka’ina. Part of the Metkayina clan in Awa’atlu. She helped show me around and we got close very quickly. She’ll be staying with us for two weeks.” I smiled. She hugged me.

“It is so lovely to me you y/n. Neteyam has told me so much about you.” Her voice is so…angelic, and she smells like roses.

“So, tey, you gonna show me around or what?” Ka’ina snakes her arm around Neteyam’s arm as she smiles. Suddenly I feel, jealous? No.

“Of course ‘ina. I’ll see you later y/n.” He walked away with a wink. As they were laughing. Leaving me standing here. Confused and jealous.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks has gone past. And I haven’t had time to spend it with Neteyam. He’s been with her. Every time I ask him to hang out or go on a date he says the same thing “sorry i’m hanging out with Ka’ina”.

Fucking asshole.

So at this point in time I give up. I’m done asking. I’m done crying. So i’m gonna ignore him. Give him a cold shoulder. Do whatever I can to avoid being in the same room as him.

I’ve been spending time with the other Sully siblings. But when Neteyam comes back from hunting or flying or hanging out with Ka’ina, I say goodbye and leave, not making any eye contact with him.

I’m currently sitting by the river I always go to. Somewhere only him and I know.

Shake. Shake. I hear the sounds of bushes shaking as I turn my head, stepping back.

It’s him. Neteyam.

“Y/n, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

I roll my eyes as I sit down, not having the energy to do anything as he sits down next to me.

“Why have you been ignoring me neteyam?” I mutter. Not looking at him.

“I- i’m not ignoring you tiyawn.”

“Well you’re bloody avoiding me.”

“You’re also avoiding me!” His voice started to rise as he snapped his head towards me.

“Because of her! I haven’t seen you in what? Months? And I finally get to spend time with you, my boyfriend, but you’re to busy hanging out with Ka’ina! Well i’m done Neteyam! I’m so fucking done.”

Silence.

“I missed you so much. I cried every night wondering when you’re coming back. But now, I feel like it’s better if we’re apart.”

“Y/n…”

“No neteyam. I’m so done with this. I’m done with your behaviour. Fix it.”

I walk away, leaving him standing there.

God i’m so pissed.

To be continued!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: Again sorry for taking so long! But I hoped you enjoy part two! Trust me the next part is going to be better. Also I’m going to try to post as much as I can but with everything that’s gonna happen it’ll be chaotic.

Okay bye :)

- Will

[vviolaswrld]

cute head canon ! neteyam x metkayina!femreader (she/her pronouns!)

based off a tiktok audio thats like; "you do swim, do you not?" "oh! I swim pretty girl-" "pretty good. pretty good. good, I swim good. pretty good. I swim great."

Neteyam watches as y/n gracefully glides through the water making it look effortless. He watches her, doe-eyed and lips slightly parted. Her head pops up from under the water.

"Neteyam! Join me in the water!" She exclaims. Neteyam just watches her, not in a weird way but in a way that he admires her.

Y/n tilts her head slightly, "You do swim, do you not?" she questions the boy. Her words knock him out of the trance he's trapped in, "oh! I swim pretty girl-" Neteyam realizes what he said and quickly attempts to fix his words, "Pretty good! pretty good - good, I swim good."

Y/n giggles to herself as she watches the boy in front of her ramble his words. "I swim great, hah-" Neteyam says, mentally slapping himself in the face.

Neteyam thinks to himself, oh my eywa.

______________________________________________

I do not consent for my work to be reposted, taken credit of, edited or stolen.

[shnayil]

neteyam looking handsome

[julyytsireya]

hes def the type to nickname you 'sweetheart' , or 'darling' I just know itt I feel it in my SOUL

[Hes so cute]

Teyam ☆☆

[hayalovay]

CHAPTER NINE

Still darkness, like a calm lake. All it took was one drop to disturb the peace. As his consciousness started to return, the sensation of tiny electric pulses ran through his body and helped him awake from the transfer.

 “Spider?” Norm’s familiar voice came through amidst the other muffled voices he heard.

This was his 3rd time jumping into his avatar and it still felt like he was waking up from a dream. Despite that haze, his vital signs were steady and once he got on his feet, he had everything under control. It was only the process of jumping in and out of his avatar and human self that was certainly a feeling to get used to over time. He stood up carefully and caught a glimpse of his avatar self in the mirror. It was still a shock to see himself as young as a six-year-old.

“Remember, avatar bodies grow fast. One moment, you’re a child and the next thing you know, you could be choosing your own Ikran,” Norm said over the intercom. Spider’s big brown eyes widened with delight as his tail thrashed around in excitement. Norm sighed – Spider was prone to be impatient, especially when the thing he wanted most was just a few moments away from his grasp. But as Norm was explaining how they should be doing some more test runs before he could go out, Spider had already slipped through the back door and out of the avatar infirmary. As he passed by Grace’s avatar on the way out, he respectfully waved at her to respect her as a fellow Na’vi, just like how Kiri would have wanted him to.

There’s no time to waste, I have to get used to this body. 

Spider’s thoughts focused on becoming the Na’vi he was born to be, becoming one with this avatar body that would eventually lead to him being officially part of the Sully family; Neytiri would definitely have to accept him now. He moved quickly through the forest as he knew it like the back of his hand. Ever since the Sully’s left, Norm and Max had been carefully monitoring the activities of the sky people militia that had recently set up camp near the original Omatikaya Hometree. Spider had always wanted to be part of the recon team alongside Neteyam and Lo’ak years back, even before they had left for the Metkayina. Now was his chance. He knew that there were some rough Omatikaya who were hardcore believers of Jake’s ambushes and that they were trying to continue what he started. Spider knew he really shouldn’t be meddling with the activities of rogue Na’vi with his bond so fresh with his avatar, but he was just too thrilled to finally be one of them that it silenced his conscience.

Walking along the abandoned train line that they had sabotaged years ago, he soon found what looked to be a smaller camp of Omatikaya teenagers; youngsters who had just bonded with their Ikran. They were talking amongst themselves around a fire, something about plans to target the Sky People’s Hometree base. His ears lowered upon the mention of an attack at night. These kids knew nothing of what awaited them there.

“A night attack is too reckless,” he blurted out loud. The teens whipped their heads towards his direction, hissing at the outsider who had been eavesdropping on them. Spider raised his hands to show that he was unarmed.

“Fresh demon blood!” One of them scowled. Another Na’vi scoffed, telling him that he was too young anyways – what did he know? Spider took a step back, outnumbered and suddenly terrified. It slipped his mind that none of them knew about his new avatar.

“Go back to where you came from,” the one who called him ‘demon blood’ spat.

Spider did not have to be told again. He quickly turned on his heel and ran.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“So let me get this straight. You want me to sniff out the Sully’s so that you can take Jake in alive?” There was disgust riddled in Colonel Quadritch’s words as the new guy sat in front of him with a light in hand.

“Humanity is on the brink of extinction, Colonel. The wallets want to study what it takes to be able to fully transfer themselves into another body. They’re not satisfied with downloading their memories into a hard drive and plugging it in anywhere,” was the man’s reply. He held Quadritch’s file in his hand and reviewed his details, specifically the part where it said he was just living off of downloaded data. He wasn’t his realself. There was no soul in that clone.

“If it makes you feel any better, Colonel,” the man added, “We don’t need his wife alive. You can have all the revenge you want with her.”

While that did sound enticing, Quadritch didn’t like the idea of handing Jake over to the white coats without having his share of dealing with him. Jake’s betrayal lost him countless comrades and he only had himself to blame for not foreseeing such an outcome. However, orders were orders. He guessed this would be better than being honorably discharged for failing his mission multiple times.

“When do we fly out, Sir...?” Quadritch cleared his throat and now eyed the man with an intense gaze. The man merely chuckled as he looked up, flicking his cig away and stepping on it.

“Weiss. But you can drop the ‘sir’. Let’s warm your engine Colonel: we have a point of interest marked on the map. There are some stragglers still trying to carry out Sully’s ambushes on our transit line. I think these Na’vi need to be reminded of where they stand in the food chain,” he said. With that, Quadritch was soon introduced to his new team of military trained avatars with Weiss as his new second in command, much to his dismay. They were armed enough for a short clean up of trigger happy Omatikaya in the area. They moved out in less than 10 minutes, a party of a little over nine fully-armed avatars now closing in on the coordinates on the map.

“We have smoke, captain,” their sniper called out as he reeled back from his scope. Quadritch peered over his shoulder and indeed, there was a smoke plume coming out from one of the crevices of the railways. As they tried to hover for a better look, a loud screech peeled through the air.

The Ikrans had spotted them.

“Down, down, and light ‘em up!” Quadritch commanded, his soldier instincts taking over. One by one, the avatars rappelled down, dodging both arrows and poorly aimed rifle shots.

“Spread out,” Weiss ordered with a smug grin as he managed to get the rogues to scatter after killing two with two quick trigger-pulls. Bodies were dropping of both of Na’vi and avatars, but Quadritch found himself closing in on them from behind, assassinating three of the lookouts with a knife. Another soldier came in behind him and shot another Na’vi, but before he could reload, he groaned in pain loudly as a significantly smaller Na’vi came up and bit his hand. The soldier shook him off, casting the small body aside. It landed on all fours and hissed, preparing for another leaping attack.

“Child soldiers? Now that’s just fucked up,” the soldier spat, looking to Quadritch for orders while cradling his hand. Quadritch frowned. He attempted to reach for the kid, but the kid pounced, aiming straight for Quaritch’s arm. With a quick step, he dodged the bite and caught onto the kid’s clothing. That’s when he noticed the five fingers.

“This one’s an avatar, but he ain’t ours... We’re takin’ him.” 

[ungoblin]

Neteyam!!

[teyamdefender17]

gonna cry this is toooo cute

Float Like Clouds

Neteyam x F!Reader

Part 2 of: Soft as Clouds

Summary: Neteyam becomes a clumsy fool around you, and the clan has started to notice you more

Warning: Neteyam being clumsy asf, Reader being over-stimulated, was not proof read 😂

Note: BTW all my characters and the love interest from the movie/show are always aged up to 18+

Neteyam groaned into his hand, his body flush with humiliation. Ever since you started coming around more after that day when you brought Tuk back and he'd gotten to know you, he now thought you were the most precious thing in the world. The way you seemed to float by, an aura of peace and patience enveloping your whole essence.

Unfortunately that meant he embarrassed the shit out of himself every chance he got. Just moments ago he had tried to approach you to say hello but he tripped and while flailing his arms like an idiot to not fall, he grabbed the nearest thing which happened to have been a rope connected to a crate, pulling it ontop of himself and bashing his head.

Nearby girls and men his age had laughed under their breath, enjoying the sight of the future Olo'eyktan making himself look like a fool in front of the clans beauty, you holding that title now that attention has been shifted to you.

You however were worried and ran over, carefully brushing his braids back to examine his head and sighing in relief that Neteyam was alright. He ignored the others around and focused only on you, his palms becoming clammy and his nerves were on edge, but once you told him he was alright he found himself running off so he didn't have to look you in the eyes anymore.

The gatherers talked about how you were the perfect gatherer, always knowing what to do with fruits and herbs. Hunters boasted about how the food you harvested went beautifully with their hunts of the days. Healers reveled in the fact your herbs were perfectly collected, divided up and placed neatly. Men his age whispered about how graceful and patient you were, a prize for any man. Women gossiped about how you were so perfect, but they reeked of jealousy.

If only he could talk to you without making a joke of himself, but it seemed Eywa had other plans for him.

From outside the tent where he had hidden himself, he heard the clans people going about their day. Neteyam could barely make out his own families voices, Tuks being the loudest as she talked to who he could only imagine was you.

"Come on! We gotta get to the clearing before the flowers bloom! You said it would be amazing!" Tuks voice was full of excitement, almost a demanding tone. Neteyam could see a vision of her trying to pull and push you, your face probably just a smile as you had a soft spot for the youngest Sully sibling. "Actually we need (Y/n) for something," came a unrecognizable voice, more soon followed.

"We need her to help us gather more food!" "Well we need her to help us decide which size basket to weave,"

Many clans people had started to argue, Neteyam deciding enough was enough. He stepped outside of the tent and saw many people surrounding you, Tuk had been pushed off to the side and was trying to get back through the crowd.

You on the other hand, were down right overwhelmed. Everyday someone had tried to have you do something, go somewhere or talk to somebody. You wanted things to go back to the way they were before. You missed laying on the grass or tree branches without a care in the world.

Your breath had started to get heavy, your chest feeling like it couldn't expand. Clutching your hands to your chest to make yourself feel smaller, your eyes darted everywhere, trying to find some type of escape. The feeling of being closed in almost brought tears to your eyes.

"Enough!"

Neteyams voice cut through the crowd, their voices going silence at once. He stalked through the crowd, shoving people out of the way,"you all are ridiculous! You've been perfectly capable before (Y/n) graced you with her presence, now go away and leave her and Tuk alone!"

There was a bit of a growl with his voice that made your tail twitch, but his arm around your shoulder helped ground you as he brought you out of the crowd and towards Tuk.

"Breathe (Y/n), it's okay, they won't bother you again," Neteyam whispered into your ear, Tuk grabbing your hand to help you relax. "I hate when they do that, (Y/n) gets so upset," Tuk told him softly, they both lead you away to the forest, the place they knew you loved more than anything.

Coming to a small clearing, you felt your breath stabilize and you gave Tuk a smile, a hand caressing her face,"I'm sorry you had to see me like that Tuk," this made her confused. You didn't ask for the village people to go crazy, and they had caused to you have some weird attack, so why were you apologizing? Neteyam himself thought you were a blessing, even though you were so overwhelmed you only focused on Tuk and how she felt.

"Tuk, why don't you go ahead to those flowers you mentioned and we'll be right along?" Tuk threw a questioning gaze at Neteyam, but smirked when a thought crossed her mind, "Oh okay, don't take too long!" She giggled, running off through the bushes.

He helped you sit on a fallen tree,"Are you alright?" Neteyam turned his attention towards you completely, finding you smiling at him a little uneasy. "Yes, thank you Neteyam," the way you said his name made him buzz with energy, but he coughed, his own smile gracing his lips to help you feel better, "They shouldn't have acted like that, I know you don't like the hustle and bustle of village life, though that must be hard now that your friendship with Tuk is public,"

You nodded with a small shrug of your shoulders," Yes I suppose it is, but Tuk makes it worth while," you sighed fondly, Neteyam chuckling, "I do miss being able to sneak around the people without being stopped every few seconds, but it's not all bad when I get to spend time with you guys,"

Neteyam felt his tail begin to slightly move and twitch, "with just Tuk or?" He left the sentence open, wanting you to finish it as he scooched in closer, his body and face all giddy.

"Well, Tuk will always come first," you nudged his arm with yours, but when you turned your eyes to look at him, a sort of smirk on your lips as you stared into his eyes,"but I find it quite funny to watch you,"

Neteyam groaned in his throat, leaning his head back,"Please don't remind me, I always make a fool out of myself when I try to talk to you," you smiled, placing a hand on his knee, "I think it's cute,"

Neteyam thought your hands were so soft and gentle, but if your hand stayed any longer he'd probably end up doing something crazy. "Should we go join Tuk?" He stood up, reaching a hand out to help you up. You nodded, hand in his as you stood up, both beginning to walk in the direction that Tuk had disappeared too.

~.~

"There you are!" Tuk laughed, running up to you and pulling you away from her brother who frowned, noticing your hand had slipped out of his. "Look, they're about to bloom!"

In the vast meadow you three stood in, different colored flower bulbs that had a glow were slowly starting to open, Eclipse casting a shadow as night began.

"What is so important about these flowers?" Neteyam wondered, but you looked to him with that soft smile, so gentle and he felt himself swoon, "watch,"

As the bulbs opened, small, light like creatures began to emerge. Different colors of yellow, gold, white, even a few blue started to float upwards towards the sky, the wind softly blowing them to and from.

"These light bugs only come once a year, they're better to spot at night," you informed, a laugh escaping when Tuk began to run through them.

Neteyam crept up beside you, "Beautiful," he mumbled, but he was trained on your face in the glowing of the lights. Your own white freckles on your face decorated your cheeks and nose, your green eyes seeming to glow, now with the reflection of these light bugs, it seemed you held a thousand stars in your eyes.

"Yes, almost takes my breath away," You whispered, glancing at him to find him staring at you already. You felt your cheeks warm under his gaze, starting to turn away when you felt him tenderly grab your hand into his, bringing it to his chest where his heart sat.

You gasped, your body turning flush into his as he held your hand to his heart, his other hand brushing your cheek.

You both could only stand there, eyes gazing into each other. So confused, yet certain this felt right, the two of you having only known each other personally for a short time but still feeling a pull towards one another.

"(Y/N)" Neteyam whispered, "I want you to know, um," he stumbled over his words, trying to find the right thing to say. "Neteyam," you whispered back, your faces seeming to get closer.

"(Y/n)!" Tuk yelled, your face instantly turning toward her and you watched as she laughed and ran through the light bugs, her hands beckoning for you to join her.

You gazed back at Neteyam who's eyes were shut, his head falling back as he let out a big breath exasperated, his own sister had stopped him in his moment of courage,"Don't look so sad," you giggled, "we can always continue this later,"

Neteyams eyes shot open at that, his face in shock as you skipped off to join Tuk in the tall grass, the light bugs making you look even more enchanting, his eyes trailing over your body.

'I am in way over my head,' he thought, but chuckled and ran to join two of his favorite girls.

~.~

When Tuk had began to tire out, Neteyam carried her as the two of you started the walk back to the village. Her soft snores made you smile, eyes looking over her tired form that was drapped on Neteyams back.

"So, maybe we should do this again," Neteyam started, eyes trying to focus on the ground but he would glance up quickly to see your face. To his relief, you were bashfully looking at him too.

"All three of us or?" Your phrasing reminded him of earlier and he laughed, "Maybe just the two of us, Tuk wouldn't mind if I stole you every once and a while right?" He knew Tuk definitely would, but if she knew he was trying to make (Y/n) her sister officially, it might change her mind.

"I don't see why not, maybe you could take me flying?" Your soft voice and slight pep to your step had him grinning from ear to ear. "Really!? I mean," he cleared his throat, trying to deepen it, "I mean, sure yeah," he shrugged, your laugh making him feel like he was walking on air.

Coming to his families tent, you lightly traced your fingers up Tuks back, whispering goodnight as she sleepily 'hmmed', Neytiri appearing to take her from her oldest so that you and her son could have a moment to say goodnight.

You acknowledged their mother, "Hello, Neytiri," Neytiri smiled at you, nodding her head as she slipped back into the tent.

"So, I'll see you later?" Neteyam asked, his yellow eyes were holding your green ones hostage. Your lips pursed, eyes looking off to the side like you were thinking.

"How about one hour? Take me on a night time ride?" He felt his stomach get tingly, not able to make a noise as he nodded rather fast pace. You left him speechless by your next move.

You grabbed his necklace and pulled him down to your height, your lips laying on his own for a moment and then you were gone with a wink over your shoulder.

Neteyam felt frozen, still as a statue where you'd left him with a longing sense for you to stay, but excitement for the next hour to hurry up. Heartbeat racing, he found some function back and touched his fingers to his lips.

"Oh yeah," he grinned, "Soft as clouds,"

~.~

Part 3?? 👀

Taglist:

@jaymiemallari21 @ssc7514 @itsemy01 @zbeez-outlet @danamq1 @cwufst @sourpatches111 @eywas-heir @heaven1oo4 @neteyamforlife @naynay2808 @msjae @ultimatebluff @jjkclub @ksata @destinylb @otukirey @saniyahgordon @nijha2tact @laylabunbunny @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @rax-raxus @ilivboi @coocciz @jiru-camels @whenercolorfulrainbowlol @lothvt @teyamdefender17 @v4mp1rr3 @tejas-kris @jimfiqs @catcrapandpuppypoo @serpientez @thexplosivegirl @xoxobabe @inluvwithneteyam @dead-28 @brooklynscherry-z @weridpersonhelp @he110hon @rainbowsocks

[starofthesea7]

Neteyam- Who do you want?

Neteyam is like an older brother to you…until he isnt. Gets a little steamy at the end, enjoy!

…

Neteyam had always been like an older brother to you. The Sullys had taken you in after your parents had died in battle years ago, and you had basically grown up together. You had always been incredibly close with the oldest son, but recently, you’d begun to notice a shift in your platonic dynamic. The way his eyes would linger on your just a little too long from across the room made you wonder if your life long dream had finally come into fruition. 

For as long as you can remember you’d had feelings for Neteyam. The way he stood, slightly reserved, backed away from the action before him. You loved the way his shoulders hunched slightly, as if he was hyper aware of his tall stature, wanting to slouch to put others at ease. He was tall now, and broad too, with large hands you loved to watch at work. The hands that had showed you how to sharpen a blade, shoot an arrow. He was only a year and a half older than you, but he knew so much about things that were alien to you, and he was always so patient. In turn you would teach him how to mend his clothing, or what berries he could snack on while he was out during a hunt.

You loved the way his belt sat low on his hips, and the way his hair swayed when he walked with the confidence radiated from him. You had only ever had eyes for him, your Neteyam. 

But recently, he’d seemed to become more reserved toward you. He would keep his replies to your questions short and curt, eyes averted when you spoke to him. It hurt. 

…

It was true he was avoiding you, but not for the reason you had assumed.

If only you knew. If you knew the way he watched you, how your hips swayed as you walked, or your cheeks peeked out from below your sash. How he would stare as you bent down to gather mushrooms. How your hair fell loosely down your back to the dimples just above your sash that sat just a little too low on your hips- he had to tear his eyes away. His face was heated. 

How could this happen? One day something had changed. One day you were grown, and you were beautiful and he wanted you. He’d imagined so many things, dirty things that would never happen. He thought about you when he laid in bed at night, just a room away. If he’d had the guts-or the insanity, he could get up, and go to you, touch you, feel you. You’d been his first wet dream, he remembered waking up a mess, inside and out. The thought made him crazy. What would his parents think? What would you think? He had to distance himself. Perhaps try to find a girl, someone other than you, to distract himself. 

…

It was the day of celebration, a new year was beginning and it was a night to welcome a time of plenty and blessings. You were in your room that you shared with Kiri, finishing getting ready. It was dark out, and almost everyone had left to set up the tables for food, or start the bonfire. Lamps hung around your vanity, and jewelry was strewn about the table top. 

Of course, you had decided you wanted a new chest covering for the day. Making clothing pieces was your favourite pastime, and you were known as one of the best sewers in the clan. It made you happy to help out in that small way, mending and creating clothes for the tribe. Tonight, you had made something especially feminine and slightly daring. It was short, and if you lifted your arms the swell of your breast peeked out from below the fabric. You told yourself it was only for you, but a small voice in the back of your head couldn’t let you forget about your unrequited love. Perhaps he would glance your way. You’d saved the sewing for the last minute and now you were frantically finishing up your hair before changing into your outfit.

You inspected yourself in the mirror. You had to admit, you looked good. Gold rings adorned your hair which had a few tiny braids, scattered about. Thick dark waves fell down your back and a little pink jewel hung just above your forehead. Your chest covering was done and you tied the two straps behind your neck, struggling slightly with all the different strings. Why did you make this so complicated? You reached for the the bottom two but when you tied them together it ended up untying the knot you had just made. Fuck. You groaned.

Deciding this was fruitless labor you ventured out into the common room to see if Kiri or Neytiri was still home. 

“Hey can someone help me?” No one was insight.

“Yeah one sec.” Neteyams voices floated through the wall to your ears. You felt light headed. 

“Oh its okay I-” 

He was emerging from his room. He looked so good. His face was relaxed. His eyes danced with the reflection of the fire in the middle of the room. They travelled down to where you clutched your top to your chest and widened ever so slightly and he straightened, clearing his throat. “Oh-uh, need me to do up the back? I dont think anyone else is home.”

You gulped. “Um, yeah actually, thanks.” You smiled at him and he smiled back.  It had been a while since you’d been this close to him and your heart was beating out of your chest- he could probably hear it. You wanted to kick yourself, he saw you as a little sister, nothing more. Nothing more. 

He walked up to you, eyes lingering on your top, “Turn around.” His voice was deep, quiet. You obeyed, and his fingered brushed your shoulderblade as he swept your hair over your shoulder. 

“’S too short.” He said it matter-a-factly, referring to your new garment.

You heated up, “Erm, I wanted something fun.” Why were you embarrassed? Ashamed? It wasn’t his place to say. He was just being protective. Like an older brother would.

“You shouldn’t wear this kind of thing, the guys will talk about you.” 

“Oh? Maybe I want them to.” You were teasing him, but he didn’t bite your line.

“Trust me, you don’t.” He was hard behind you, but knew he had little grounds for jealousy. He changed the subject, “Ok, tell me what to do.” You melted, and decided to let it go. 

“The right bottom string gets tied with the left top string, and vice versa.” 

You could feel him tying the correct strings together, he was intent, meticulous.

“Are you triple knotting it?” You grinned. 

“What? I can’t have it falling off at the celebration, It would all be my fault. Plus imagine-” he trailed off. You glanced back at him. 

“What?” 

“Nothing.” He blushed and went back to work. It was quiet again, but for the crackling of the fire. 

“Why dont we talk anymore, ‘Teyam.” You blurted out. He blew out a breath of air he’d subconsciously been holding. 

“What do you mean? We talk.”

“No we don’t. Not like we used to.” 

A pause. “I don’t know I guess things have changed a bit. We’re older now.”

You straightened, “Hell, it’s time for you to start looking for a mate.” You were testing the waters. He glanced at you, looking up as he finished his work. He dropped his hands and they grazed your striped waist, leaving a tingly trail behind them. You turned to face him slowly, your chests were so close they threatened to touch. Your breasts rose as your breath hitched. 

“Oh, yeah? Why, is there someone I should have in mind?” He was teasing. Your eyes flickered to his mouth.

Me you wanted to whisper, yell at him. “I dont know… What are you looking for? A hunter?” Your voice was quiet, timid.

He shrugged, “Not really my type.” 

“Cook? Tutseya makes a mouth watering stew” 

He shook his head. “I dont want Tutseya.”

You looked up at him through your lashes. How could you tell him you wanted him. How could you tell him that you thought of him every minute of every day. 

He tilted his head. He was trying to read you. Calculating his next move, making sure he didn’t misread a single sign. His voice was low. “I like sewers.” Your eyes widened with realization. You’re breasts grazed his chest and he tensed. 

“I sewed this.” You whispered, gesturing to your top.

“I know.” His eyes searched yours. 

“’Teyam.” You felt light headed, your hands found his upper arms, clutching at him as if he would keep you from floating away. You looked up at him with glassy eyes full of emotion. “’Teyam please don’t tease me.” 

His eyes softened with kindness, and he raised his large hand to cradle the back of your head. He pulled at your hair, tilting you face up towards him. He tilted his head and paused as your lips grazed each other, and you tried to move toward him, held back by his grip on your hair. Now he was teasing you. 

“Never.” Then he kissed you, soft and deep. He was hot and enveloping and he smelled like damp earth. Your grasp on his arms tightened and his other hand pulled you in by your lower back, so that your pelvises were flush. His body was hard and strong and you melted into his touch like putty, arms wrapping around his neck. 

His hand grabbed the waistband of your loincloth just above your ass, tugging it upwards involuntarily, and you felt the friction in your core. You jumped, and he grinned into the kiss. He pulled at it again and you groaned softly.

His mouth traveled to your neck, leaving sloppy kisses behind. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long, you don’t even know.” He mumbled.

You’re lips parted, “Trust me I know.” His hand tightened in your hair. 

“Why did we wait so long?” His words came out as a groan.

Suddenly his ears perked up and his mouth left your neck. His head turned and he stepped away from you, your hands reached out to follow him involuntarily at the loss of heat. He tugged your loincloth back down to it’s original spot with a languid hand seconds before the door swung open.

“What are you two losers doing here? Ive been looking everywhere for you!” Loak was smirking. He didn’t notice your glassy eyes or puffy lips. The way your chest was heaving.

“Um,” you felt dizzy, “We were just heading out.” You looked up at Neteyam with pupils blown wide, and he nodded.

“After you,” he smiled, his large hand pressing the small of your back. How good it was to have him near you again.

This new year was sure to be blessed. 

[reidmania]

YOU KNEW when mating with neteyam would mean that he would be busy, a lot. you knew that he would be gone for days at a time, and return home late, and leave early.

you knew the chance for you two to get a minute alone would be difficult, almost impossible. it had been over a month since the two of you had last had an hour together.

you tried to ignore it, the feeling that burnt into your stomach as it seemed everyone had been more important, despite already knowing this was how it was going to be.

you were in your pod, neteyam — surprisingly hadn’t left yet, he was in the corner, finishing some work — before having to leave for work, while you were changing for the day.

as you bend down, you’re suddenly overtaken with dizziness, stumbling back. until ur against the wall, regaining your balance. you open your eyes to look at neteyam, his eyes never teared from his work, it made you frown, but shake it off.

you tried to ignore the headache, the feeling over your body— it was like it was on fire. “tey” you mutter, that gets his attention, he had missed you and was trying to finish this as soon as possible so he could spend time with you before you both had to leave.

“ma y/n” he said, smiling softly. you give him a half hearted smile back, before reaching down to grab a bag you had weaved, “i am leaving.” you say, wanting to go to the hut as soon as possible, it had gotten to the point, being around neteyam when his focused seemed to be on anything else, had caused an ache in your heart.

his smile dropped, furrowing his eyebrows. “it is still early” he said, he was almost done, cursing himself for not working faster. you just nod, placing a jar of herbs in your bag. “i have no reason to stay, may as well start early” you mutter, not meaning for it to come across as harsh as it did.

“actually i was hoping- don’t worry, its okay, have a good day yawne” he said, standing up, figuring if you wanted to stay you would. he walked towards you, hoping to maybe get a quick kiss before you left, but you slipped past him.

“bye tey, see you later” you said, his heart twisted, was this what it had been like for you.

the real reason you had left early was because you wanted mo’at to check you, walking into the healing pod you were overfilled with the sense of nausea.

“my child, it is early.” mo’at said, eying you carefully, “you are sick?” she asked, you just shrugged, stumbling over to a seat, you felt as if, if you didn’t sit, you were going to pass out.

“tell me what you are feeling” mo’at said, as she poked your arms with something. you hummed, thinking carefully before answering. “not hungry, the smell of food makes me feel sick, i have been getting horrible headaches, and i feel dizzy a lot.” you say, softly.

“are you eating?” she said, you shook your head, “i can’t, everything i eat i vomit up”

she ran a few more ‘test’ like things, but in the end she was slightly confused herself. “i am not to sure, but it should only last a week at most, but it is dangerous, you are overworked, you must take the rest of the week off, and im afraid, neteyam will as well” she says, leaving you confused.

“neteyam? why” you ask, tilting your head.

“you’re weak. you cannot leave resting. i am worried that if you do to much it will get worse. neteyam must take care of you, if he cannot, which he can, but if worst comes to worst, you stay with me, i care for you” she said, despite knowing neteyam would take a million days off for you.

“okay” you nod, “now go home and get rest, do you need assistance getting back?” she asked, you just shake your head, just silently hoping neteyam had left.

much to your dismay, as you pull the opening back you find neteyam sitting, but also jake and neytiri sitting at the table as well. they look up as you enter.

“oh! y/n, neteyam said you had left early for work.” jake said, you felt sick all over again, “uh yeah, i just forgot some stuff.” you lie, i mean there was things you could grab, but you hadn’t actually forgotten anything.

but there was no way you could ask neteyam to take a few days off to look after you with his parents here. “its good to see you sweetie, it has been a while” neytiri says, walking up to you to brush your hair behind your shoulders, you smile.

as she examines you, she furrows her eyebrows, “are you sick, child?” she asked, neteyam’s ears perk, looking over. “not at all, i feel great!” you smile, “just very busy, a little stressful” you laugh softly, moving away to collect a few jars.

neteyam’s mind seems to ease at your words, going back to the work with his father. “does y/n know?” jake asks, neteyam furrows his eyebrows before his eyes widen.

“know what?” you ask, turning to the two men. “i was going to tell you tonight! we are arranging a trip, a hunting trip,- my dad want’s me to lead it” you knew this was a big opportunity for him, you smile. “that’s great tey!! im so happy for you” you say softly.

“we are planning on leaving tomorrow” jake says, ur smile drops a little, before returning, but neytiri catches on. “that is great, very soon”

neteyam can’t help but frown at how excited you are, he was too- he was over the moon. but he wanted to spend time with you, “how long will it be?” you were thinking a one night, one day thing.

“a week!” jake said, patting his son’s shoulders with pride, neteyam smiles up at him, “oh” you mutter, furrowing your eyebrows, before just smiling, “that is great.” you say, feeling a little betrayed that neteyam hadn’t talked to you about this, yes he was out during the days but he returned to you everynight, that wasn’t even the problem.

its the fact it was tomorrow, for a week. and he was planning to tell you tonight when whatever you reaction was it didn’t really matter, it was already set.

“we must get to work,” jake said, patting neteyam’s arms once more, neytiri sighed, as the two boys got up, jake walked over to place a soft kiss on neytiri’s lips, before walking out.

neteyam looked between you and his mother, no matter how long it had been, it was still so weird to do anything like that in front of his mom, she knew it as well.

she sighed, following jake outside to leave you and neteyam for a minute. you were fighting tears because of the pain in your head, but either way you just smiled at him.

“im sorry, it all happened really fast” neteyam said, grabbing onto your hand, you just shake your head. “its fine, tey. i get it. i am really happy for you, this is amazing”

“will you be okay? i told dad that when we get back, i want to spend more time with you. its just a week, then i promise-”

“tey it is fine, have fun, you deserve this”

neteyam left the next morning, you were awake, sitting up in bed, in the early morning, “i made you breakfast when you are ready” neteyam said, you were confused as to why he had been so affectionate the last day or two, after being so busy for a month straight, was it because he was leaving for a week.

“thank you tey” you mutter, pulling the weaved blankets higher onto you, neteyam didn’t get home until very late last night, you weren’t awake when he got home. he looked outside, to see the time.

“i have to go, yawne. you sure you’re going to be alright?” he asked, you just laugh. “when have i ever not been okay on my own” you say, laughing softly, he smiled.

“love you” he said, leaning down to place a soft kiss on your lips, he pulled away quickly. “you are hot darling”

“thank you i try” you tease playfully, despite the nausea coming back to you as the scent of neteyam’s cooking fill your senses, it was nothing against his cooking, he made great food, it was just food in general.

he smiled at your comment before shaking his head. “im going, ma’ y/n” he said and just like that he was gone.

three days had passed since neteyam left, you had seemed to only have been getting worse, your body was on fire, the headaches the came were so bad to the point you were crying, covering your eyes because the tinest bit of light irritated you.

everytime you stood up you felt unbalanced, you tried to eat the breakfast neteyam made you on the day he left, but it ended with you vomiting it up. you constantly felt dizzy and weak. unable to do anything.

you tried to sick to your normal daily routine with the minus of work, you hadn’t mentioned to neteyam you were sick, or anything about what mo’at had said, and you had mentioned to mo’at that neteyam was unable to care for you.

well he was able, you just didn’t ask. you hated asking for help, thats why you stayed in your hut.

but you were getting worse and worse.

it lasted another two days, the day neteyam returned had to have been the worse out of them all. as soon as you stood up, you were down, passed out.

neytiri had been helping in the healers tent due to mo’ats request. “it has been so busy without y/n” she said, which had confused neytiri.

“y/n hasn’t been working?” she asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“you do not know? y/n is sick, horribly sick. i do not know what is the matter, but i worry. neteyam is looking after her” mo’at said, neytiri’s eyes widened.

“neteyam is on a hunting trip, he has been all week” she said, mo’at turned. “please check the girl” she asked, neytiri nodded, it was so in your nature to not ask for help, she saw the way your face dropped , how hot you felt.

she rushed to your shared hut with neteyam, she noticed the hunting party return, neteyam was laughing along with his dad, any other day she would’ve taken the time to appreciate the moment, but she rushed into your home.

she gasped as she saw you, passed out on the ground, she also noticed the face your shoulders was bleeding, she looked at the bed frame neteyam had build, your blood stained on it, she figured you hit that on your way down.

despite that she leant down, picking your body up, she rushed to carry you back to mo’at, unfortunately, neytiri had caught jakes attention.

then she caught neteyam’s, and within a minute, both boys were at her side, neteyam’s eyes wide as he took your body from her, asking what had happened, jake was just as confused.

“she has been sick neteyam! apparently she was supposed to ask you to take the week off to look after her-mo’ats request but she never did!” neytiri said, as they rushed to mo’ats pod.

“stupid child” were mo’ats words as she saw your body, you were pale, bleeding, you looked sick.

neteyam was worried sick, how hadn’t he noticed, why didn’t you tell him? did you think he would say no? had he made you feel like that?

“what is the matter with her? is she okay?” he asked, placing you down softly. mo’at scowled at him, “you did not notice your mate ill!!” she slapped his hand away from you, despite knowing he was busy and you hadn’t told him.

“i know- i know, i am sorry. i am here now/ what is the matter?” he asked, full of guilt and responsibility, wanting nothing more than to care for you like he shouldve from the beginning.

“i think she has a cold, but she has been overworking herself, that is the reason for her passing out. she needs to be cared for.” she said? coming up with a summary,

hill

“take her home, you are both to have time off until she is completely healed and healthy and has been approved by me, do you understand me?” mo’at said sternly, eyes falling over the three sullies in the room, eyes stern on jake, telling him there eas nothing he could argue, neteyam would be staying home.

“take her home, wait for her to wake” she said, before passing him a jar, “put this on her chest if she isn’t awake within half an hour” his grandmother scolded, still in shock that he hadn’t noticed his mate was sick.

neteyam did as he was told, carrying you bridal style back to your hut, placing you on the bed, he took time to admire you. you were thin, sickly thin, your eyes were covered by dark circles, your skin was burning hot.

thankfully, before the half an hour was up, you had awoken, although in that time it took for you to awake, neteyam was in his own head, pacing the hut.

how had he missed that? how did he miss that his mate was ill, so ill to the point you had passed out.

why didn’t you tell him — he wondered. had he been so distant and busy that you no longer felt comfortable coming to him? were you worried he would not take time off to care for you, it made him feel sick to his stomach.

although you being sick wasn’t his fault — the fact it had gotten so bad, was.

when you woke, neteyam was preparing a cup of water. you however, did not remember passing out, in your mind, you assumed you had taken a nap, hence why you were in bed. although there was a stinging pain in your shoulder, one you did not remember having, was this another part of the sickness.

you hadn’t even noticed your mate in the hut when you woke up, you shuffled in the bed, getting ready to stand up, however when you did you were overwhelmed with a wooziness.

“ma y/n” neteyam cursed as he turned around, placing the cup down on the table, he rushed over to you, helping to balance you out. “you mustn’t leave bed” he scolded.

you furrowed your eyebrows, when did he get back?

and why was he worrying so much, last time you checked he had no idea you were sick.

you discard his scold, despite staying in bed, maybe he was just tired snd wanted to cuddle. however you felt a tingle in your stomach, not a good one either.

you ignore it, you were good at that. “how was the trip tey” you ask as he settled next to you on the bed, you had missed his company, even if sometimes it felt like it didn’t exist.

he scowled at your, why were you acting like nothing was wrong. “it was fine, y/n” he said sternly, you frowned, why was he upset.

“what is wrong?” you ask, the look his was giving you made your chest ache, did you do something? was he upset you didn’t greet him when he returned — that must be it

“im sorry i didn’t greet you, i must’ve fallen asleep, i am so sorry tey, id love to hear all about your trip” you say, despite everything in you telling you to shut up, talking was so much effort.

he frowned even more, “i am not upset about that y/n” you frowned now, the pair of you a mix of frowning messes.

“what did i go then, nete” he wanted to cry at how pained your voice sounded, your face was pale and your eyes drained from colour, not holding the usual lint of happiness like normal.

“you didn’t tell me” he said, his voice hardly above a whisper, you tilted your head in confusion. “what? what didn’t i tell you?” you ask, mind fuzzy.

he sighed, shaking his head. his hands found yours softly, pulling you closer to him, despite the way your skin was burning his, he didn’t care.

“that you were sick y/n, you didn’t tell me” he said, you furrow your eyebrows before your eyes widen, before returning to their normal size, you felt like you could sleep for a whole week, your head felt heavy, your stomach felt tight, everything hurt.

despite that, you shrug, “it isn’t bad nete, i am okay” you nod, voice convincing, but its really not. neteyam knows you better then that, but even he is second guessing that — why didn’t he fucking know, you shouldn’t of had to tell him, he is your mate he should just know.

“why do you lie” he asks, eyes squinted as his eyebrows furrow in a mix of annoyance and confusion. you squint at him, “i am okay neteyam.” you say.

he grows frustrated. “you are not okay, y/n. if you were okay i would not have returned to you being passed out in my mothers arms because you have been sick.” he said.

you tilt your head in confusion, you had passed out once a few days ago, was that what he had been talking about? did he have to come home early.

“oh nete— im sorry i didn’t mean to ruin your trip!!” you say, eyes filling with heavy guilt, he shook his head. “you didn’t. i came home today to my mother carrying you to grandmother, because you had passed out”

a simple oh leaves your mouth, as even more guilt seeps in, he seems to notice your expression. he grips your hands tighter. “you did not tell me you were sick” he said.

you went to talk but he cut you off “you also didn’t tell me you were bed rested” he said, you frown at his words, already knowing what was coming next.

“you didn’t tell me i was supposed to take days off to care for you”

you just chew your lip nervously, he shakes his head as he looks at you, while you look anywhere but at him.

“why didn’t you tell me” his voice cracks mid sentence, it makes your heart clench in your chest, its hard to remember the last week, all you can really remember is vomiting multiple times, and crying about the headache.

“you were excited about your trip, this is a big deal for you, i just didn’t wanna ruin it” your voice is small, you words are soft, as they leave your lips.

“you already do so much, i didn’t want to be the one to take something fun away from you.. or put more on you” you admit, his heart breaks.

it takes everything in him not to curse at himself, for making you feel as if you couldn’t tell him.

he failed, “fuck” he curses under his breath. “my girl” he says, looking at your face as you look down at your hands.

he has to remove his hand from yours, grabbing your chin to force you to look at him.

“angel, you are my number one priority, every fucking day. everything i do is for you. i know — i have obviously done a shitty job of showing that, but you should’ve told me, i could’ve helped you, now youre ten times worse” he says, tears fill your tired eyes.

“im sorry tey” you say as a hot tear rolls down your cheek. he immediately shakes his head.

“no, youre not allowed to be sorry, ma y/n. i shouldve known, i am your mate and i didn’t know you were ill, i left you here alone sick”

“i shouldve told you”

he nods, “you should’ve.”

you look down, his hand moves from your chin to your jaw. holding your face in his hand. “but i an here now, no matter what”

[elliesappetite]

Empty Promises ~ Part three

Neteyam x gn na’vi reader

Summary: y/n thinks neteyam doesn’t love them anymore, and is leaving for Ka’ina, but what if Ka’ina isn’t interested in him?

A/n: omg you guys sorry it took so long, I started school again and it’s been exhausting, but thank you for all the support! Also this episode is going to be short but sweet. Also I forgot to mention, Neteyam is aged up for marriage purposes (no sexual stuff cause it’s still weird even if you age him up)

“Neteyam, are you dumb or something? You lost the love of your life because you’re to fucking stubborn to propose to them and now they’re pissed at you! You skxawng.”

“I know, and I don’t know what to do. She thinks i’m in love with you.”

“But I’m dating Sa’reem-“

“I know! I know…but I don’t know how to tell them and make it believable.”

Ka’ina sighed. She shaked her head as she rested her thumb and pointer finger against the bridge of her nose.

“I’ll tell them. I’ll tell them everything since you’re to stupid to do it.”

He nodded as he gave a small smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I fiddled with the fabric of my loincloth as I sit in my tent, thinking of everything that has happened. Neteyam, our argument, Ka’ina.

He’s in love with her. I’ve become to boring now.

He’s probably attracted to her looks, her voice.

I can hear her voice. I can…hear her voice?

“Y/n!”

I look up to see Ka’ina, who’s fidgeting with her hands, who’s staring at me.

“What do you want?”

“I want to tell you everything.”

“What like how Neteyam is in love with you?”

She sighs as she sits down next to me.

“He’s not in love with me cause i’m dating someone, a woman.”

What? Excuse me? So all this time she’s never liked him?

“And the reason he was so ‘distant’ was because he was trying to find ways to propose to you, but I guess he was also being a asshole to.”

We chuckle.

“I’m sorry about him. I’m sorry about causing issues between you.”

I look at her to see her looking at her lap.

“It’s okay Ka’ina, I can’t exactly blame you. Although it will take time for me to forgive him for being distant but I do still love him. But right now, an apology is what I need.”

“I’m glad, but y/know, I was surprised when they came to Awat’atlu, to see five grown ups and a teenager from another clan arrive, but bloody hell Neteyam couldn’t stop talking about you even from the beginning. Every day it’s always ‘I miss them’ ‘I want to go back to them’ and it was so annoying, Sa’leem got sick of it.” She chuckled.

There was a comfortable silence before she started speaking again

“You belong together yknow? And I hope one day you make up.”

“We will. We will.”

THE END!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: hey guys! Again sorry for the wait but tbh I feel like this part isn’t as good but oh well 🤷‍♀️. Thanks for supporting this series, and more will come out.

- Will 🫶

[shnayil]

sexy+sad neteyam *emotional*

[julyytsireya]

He's so cuteee [cry]

[hayalovay]

CHAPTER EIGHT

Time moves slower when you stay in one place. Jake and Neytiri had set up a smaller, individual tent for Neteyam so that his treatments could be conducted in private. Neteyam’s eyes glazed over as he stared straight ahead. He was losing himself. His siblings came by once more that night to talk to him about their adventures wandering about the Olangi clan and their hunts. He smiled at the fact that they were enjoying themselves–distracting themselves from the worry and panic of losing Lo’ak in the storm–but he couldn’t just push away the envy of being unable to join them. He purposefully chose to stay behind when Kiri and Timi offered to bring him along in their adventures, just so that he wouldn’t pull them down. But out of all of them, it was his father who broke his trance as he walked into his tent with firewood in hand.

 “She said she’d be back before the eclipse’s end, right? Are you alright here?”

“Yeah dad, I’m fine…”

Jake sensed a sense of unease in his son as he affectionately tousled his hair.

“You know if there’s anything bothering you, you can tell me or your mother, or your siblings. Timi, Kiri, and Tuk are very worried about you.”

“Yes I know. I do talk to them. How about Lo’ak’s search party? Did Akwey agree to it?”

“They’re set to ride at dawn. We’ll find him, so just focus on keeping up with the healer.”

“Thanks, dad.” As he bid his father goodnight, he spent a few moments alone with the pale moon as his only company. Then, just before sleep began to dig in, he noticed someone else’s presence.

“Neteyam?” A voice called out to him which made him whip his focus around to meet her eyes.

“Syrrah? I’m here.”

“Are you alone?”

“Yes, everyone has gone to bed already.”

“Shame… This is going to be a light show,” she said, entering the tent. She lowered the opening’s flap and placed her belongings beside Neteyam, allowing him a moment to inspect them. He looked at her with confusion. All she had brought in was a pouch and a bowl of some kind of ointment. She then reached over to grab the jug of water he had resting on his abdomen.

“May I kill the fire? I need complete darkness for this.” He blinked slowly, watching her curiously before reluctantly nodding. It was hard to read her facial expressions under her cloak’s hood. She took the lid off of the pouch and doused the fire, the smoke sending them into a fit of soft coughs. As soon as the shroud of darkness engulfed them with the faint moonlight dancing in their tent through the canvased walls, his irises grew to adjust until he could see her before him clearly. Her unique facial patterns glimmered in the dark – her eyes like two golden rings. Her wavy hair fluffed up as she took her cloak off to reveal her elegant figure. Her skin was a lighter blue than most and she had glowing marks all over her hands, legs, and abdomen.

“This is going to feel a little bit cold,” she said, breaking his trance. Once she had his full attention, she slowly applied the cool gel along all four of his limbs, his chest, and his abdomen. The gel was ice cold and slimy to the touch, almost as if a direhorse had licked him from head to toe. But he bit down on his tongue and let her work. Her hands worked deftly; there was no break between her movements, imitating the flow of water. This was all new to him even though he had been attended to by his grandmother back with the Omaticaya. Syrrah moved nothing like the usual Tsahik. Neteyam’s breath hitched in his throat with anxiety. He had no idea what to expect.

“Don’t worry, this won’t hurt. Are you ready?” She asked. He glanced towards her, his ears lowering submissively. Her gaze was striking and sharp – it almost rivaled the same look his mother had when she went hunting. He felt like she was trying to reach into his soul or the thread of Eywa within him.

“I am ready,” he replied, although the sound of his gulp said otherwise. Syrah’s brows furrowed for a moment, then relaxed as if to communicate that she would continue even if he wasn’t actually ready. He watched her reach out to the pouch she had brought in with her and she poured out its contents into an empty clay bowl. Gently, she handed it to him with the simple instruction: “Drink”. He bit his lip. He was nervous and he had the right to be, but at this point he was willing to try everything to better his situation. He stared at the odd liquid that moved more like syrup than water. Taking a deep breath, he brought the bowl to his mouth and consumed every last drop in one go.

He groaned at the feeling of the warm slime trickling down his throat.

“You’ll get used to it.” A muffled snicker escaped her as he shook his head with disgust.

“You mean I have to drink more of this stuff?”

She pressed her lips together and nodded slowly, making him dread what was yet to come. He sighed and returned the bowl to her. Just then, a dim light pulsed a little ways outside his vision. His skin began to glow beneath the cold gel and he gasped in both awe and shock.

“Sweet Eywa,” he whispered. He lifted his arms up and watched as each and every vein in his limbs glowed. Waving his arms before him, he marveled at the tracks of light they left behind in the dark. He turned back to her and noticed that the aura around her had changed. From a serious and almost cold look, there was gleaming pride in her eyes; pride in her craft that allowed a slight smirk to form on her lips. That is until she gestured for him to settle down. Her smirk dissipated into her usual stoic look.

“The liquid you drank is made from the dew of scintillans. They are the glowing plants you see hugging our trees at night,” she explained as she traced the direction of his veins with her finger.

“The gel is made from the sap of the mother tree. The scintillans will only glow when close to the mother. My people believe that this relationship symbolizes the role of a mother to guide their lost children back into the light.”

As she spoke about the meaning behind this practice, Neteyam found himself overwhelmed with questions and wonder. Most of all, he found himself in a dreamlike state watching her work on him, her touch so soft but precise. The light that his body was giving off marked every pathway in his body, almost as if he was one with the forest on that calm night, and she was an explorer traversing it. It took his breath away. It even made him feel like they were connected for a moment. It was…

“Beautiful..” Neteyam cooed, not knowing that the thought was spoken aloud.

“Did you say something?” She stopped her movements and looked up at him.

“Uh, I mean,” he choked, “your work with herbs and plants… It’s a beautiful craft.”

Neteyam closed his eyes and prayed that she didn’t think anything of it before looking back at her. Syrrah squinted at him. His right eye twitched ever so slightly. It was then that she broke the awkward silence to say, “Yes, it is. You’re the first one outside of my clan to compliment it. Most of them find it odd.”

For some strange reason, Neteyam found himself smiling at her response. He had been expecting her to just ignore what he had said, but perhaps he was able to tickle her pride as a healer.

“Odd? Maybe because they do not understand the value of it.” She suppressed a smile.

“Perhaps.” Syrrah was a hard one to read. From the get-go, she would only say what needed to be said and nothing more, so her response threw Neteyam off. Maybe he could actually engage in conversation with her, after all. He was about to mention something else, but the words died on his tongue when she pointed towards his gunshot scar. He looked to where her finger pointed and saw the damage. Her work revealed a giant shadow in the pathways, the light pulsing a dimmer glow beneath and around the scar. This shadow ran down his chest and abdomen, revealing how the bullet had messed up the nerves from his waist down. There were what looked to be severed nerves: the source of the disconnect in his body.

“So this is where you got injured?” The question was heavy against her teeth.

“Yes,” he replied. His mood had fallen grim to the sudden change of focus.

“If I touch it, will it hurt?”

“No, it won’t…” Neteyam took a deep breath as he watched her gently press her palm over his scar. It served as a harsh reminder of what he had become after the altercation in the Metkayina territory, and the blessing of life that seemed more like a curse as each day passed. Her eyelids fluttered at the sight, the corner of her mouth tugging down.

“I’m sorry that you had to go through this. You have suffered a great deal to have survived,” she said. Her voice was soft and her ears tucked themselves backwards as if to show respect for all he had gone through.

“I have to live for my family… But at what cost,” he muttered. Holding his hand out in front of him, he suddenly began to hate the glowing paths that were testaments to his beating heart. He curled his fingers into his palm tightly. Syrrah took a deep breath before meeting his eyes with determination.

“I’ll do my best to heal you. I promise.” Her gaze on him was intense – a newfound fiery passion behind her irises. Neteyam gave her a tired smile.

“I’ll be in your care until then.”