#papr.wrks

[pandorapromises]

would anyone like to read a cut excerpt from the lo'ak x reader fic i'm currently working on?? i had to take it out cuz it wasn't working with the setup or tone i had planned like, this was turning out comedic and not angsty

"Oh, for the love of Eywa!" you cry, bursting into tears. This man, your muntxatan, is so, so hopelessly stupid and so stupidly sweet. He makes you want to tear out your own hair until you're bald.

You also want to bury your face in your hands but you can't because they're slimy and sticky with fruit juices. You're forced to rub your eyes with the back of your hand while Lo'ak scrambles to figure out what he did wrong.

The way your name flows out of his mouth sounds like it's him who's in pain, not you. "Please tell me why you're crying," Lo'ak begs, scooting closer to you. "What do I do? Huh? Tell me, what do I do?" His hand is warm upon your back and somewhat comforting but the tears and sobs do not stop pouring from your eyes and mouth.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Lo'ak lists off every thing he can think of that might be upsetting you. "The baby? Is it being a menace again?"

The laugh that bubbles out of you comes out choked and makes your belly bounce like you're crying harder instead. This is when you realize that Lo'ak has never seen you cry before. But it's too late; now he knows his muntxate** is an ugly crier.

"Is it… the hormones?" he tries again.

"I don't even know what that is??" you croak, the tears leaving wet tracks on your cheeks. Lo'ak tends to speak in a confusing mess of Na'vi and English. Sometimes, like now, you have no idea what in Eywa's name he's talking about.

"Nevermind, forget about it. Just tell me what's wrong! Was it me? Was it something I said?" Lo'ak insists. "Whatever it is, I am very, very sorry and I will never do it again."

You take a deep, heaving breath that rattles your chest and leaves you hiccuping. Tears still fall from your eyes, blurring your vision, but at least the worst of the sobbing is over. In spite of your throbbing headache, you take another breath and get a grip on yourself.

The first thing that comes out of your mouth is, "No, I'm s-sorry."

Lo'ak frowns in confusion, scooting even closer. You're practically sitting between his legs with his hand squeezing your shoulder. "Sorry for what?"

Your hand flies to your chest, accidentally smearing sticky fruit juices all over your skin. "Sorry that it's me-e," you blubber pathetically through ugly, wet sniffling.

Now it's Lo'ak's turn to stare at you blankly with no idea what in Eywa's name you're talking about.

For some reason, this upsets you even further. "Stop pretending!" you hiss tearfully. "Don't--don't act like you don't know, Lo'ak…"

"Wh-what?" Lo'ak can only blink in utter bewilderment. He opens his mouth to speak but before he can, a loud, boisterous voice interrupts him, calling your names.

"Hey, forest boy!" Aonung shouts over the noise of the celebration in the village. He's standing on the walkway above the water with a waving Spider at his side.

"Are you guys coming to the party or not?!" Spider yells, his voice easily heard even through his rebreather.

Lo'ak rolls his eyes in exasperation and mutters to you, "Hold on, let me get rid of them." You think he's about stand and go talk to them but instead, he simply bellows over his shoulder as loud as he's able, "We're busy!! Go away!"

The sudden volume makes you jump in your own skin and where taking deep breaths failed, being startled succeeded. No longer are you a weeping, hiccuping mess.

Aonung and Spider look at each other, Spider shrugs, and they promptly return to the warrior's dance.

"Okay, so what were you saying?" Lo'ak says as he turns back around.

You shake your head and try to stand up, shoving his arm off in the process. But with your big belly, it's near impossible to do alone. You are a stubborn woman though. You push Lo'ak's hand away when he tries to help you and through the sheer strength of your will, you rise on your own two feet.

Lo'ak chants your name, each time more desperately than the last, as he stands as well. "Please, tell me what's wrong, I can help! I can fix it!" he pleads.

You resist the urge to tell him to quiet down but with the warrior's dance raging on the other side of the village and practically everyone there, there's no one on the beach to witness your breakdown.

Trying to get a handle on your racing thoughts amidst a headache is difficult and even worse with Lo'ak forcing you to look at him with worried hands. "Lo'ak, please, I'm sorry but--"

"Sorry about what? I don't understand!" Lo'ak snaps. Both pairs of eyes widen at his sharp** tone, neither one of you expecting a reaction like this from him. "Shit. Sorry. Look, look at me--" He cups your cheek and gently turns your gaze back to him. "Listen to me, okay? I can't fix it if I don't know what it is. So please, tell me what is wrong so I can make it better."

For one tense moment, all you can hear is your quick, shallow intakes of breath and the heavy drumming of the warrior's dance in the distance. You can feel, down to your bones, time slowly stretching until every blink is as long as an eclipse. Lo'ak's eyes bore into yours until the bright amber of his irises is all you can see. You know you should be saying something, anything, but how can you form words when your mind is at a standstill and refuses to move?

Lo'ak solves this problem for you. Without speaking further, he releases his hold on your shoulders and carefully wraps his arms around you, pulling you into his warm chest. He is mindful of the babe in your belly and embraces you from the side, cradling you as tightly as he can without hurting you or your child. Then when he presses his lips to the top of your head, warming the spot with his breath, all you can do is let go and melt into him. It's like being carried by the current of a river, an unseen force that is only felt.

No one speaks for a while. There is only Lo'ak's warmth, the drums, the People's song, and the sea.

But just as you feel your eyelids getting heavier, Lo'ak whispers against your hair, "Will you get in trouble if you don't finish peeling the fruit?"

Your eyes snap open. "The fruit!" you gasp.

Lo'ak chuckles as he follows you to inspect your progress and offers, "Uh, maybe you take this half and I take that--"

"No," you interject, waving him away, "you start taking the finished ones to the Tsahik**. She will be needing them soon."

Your muntxatan nods obediently and with a grunt, lifts the heaviest basket onto his shoulder. But instead of leaving right away, he hesitates, watching as you kneel back down on the sand to finish your work.

"What is it?" you ask as you start hurriedly peeling what you have left.

"Did you know…" Lo'ak falters, fidgeting in place. "Did you know that you're really… beautiful? Even with all the…"

Your hands instantly freeze in mid-motion. You and Lo'ak simply stare at each other, equally wide-eyed.

"Even with all the what?" you inquire, a little breathlessly.

Lo'ak clears his throat and nearly drops the hefty basket on his shoulder when he takes one hand to try to gesture something. Thankfully, he is quick to catch it and doesn't drop any of the fruit but you're still left with unanswered questions.

"Even though I'm pregnant and bigger than Payakan?" you ask half-jokingly. You try to continue peeling but your hands are slow and shaky.

"Yes," Lo'ak answers, a little too loudly. Then his eyes widen even further. "Wait, no! No, that's not what I--" He squeezes his eyes shut while his ears flatten against his head. "Don't say that. You are not bigger than Payakan." Then he opens his eyes and looks at you intently. "I was going to say you're beautiful even though you're crying and your eyes are all red and splotch-y."

When you don't speak or respond, Lo'ak