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[mydearneteyam]

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AVATAR (FRANCHISE)

avatar (2009)

avatar: the way of water

avatar: frontiers of pandora

[hunted-moth]

Forest Of Dreams PT4: New Kid In Town

Wordcount // 5k

Summary // Y/n experiences a new food and makes her first friend kinda. And she and Jake have a. Y/n learns some new things from her teacher as well

Warning // Medical stuff, Jake and Y/n do some bonding, tsu’tey, and Y/n bicker, y/n interacts with some kids

A/N // I felt like a genius when I thought of the title not gonna lie lmao ans sorry this took so long i was writing this and pt 5 at the same time plus i had other stuff going on lol

Speaking Na’vi

‘Thoughts’

*whispering*

*mini time skip, like a small location change

[LOCATION- TSAHIKS TENT]

The Tsahik's tent was rather sizable, with multiple mats laid on the floor, which had a few na’vi in them. They looked at you like you were a ghost, they heard the commotion earlier but couldn't see what it was, so to see a dream walker again was like seeing Eywa.

The mother was in the center grinding what you assumed were herbs used for healing. The girl walked in front of you to go and talk to her mother. You followed her, staying a bit back to continue looking around.

“Mama, I brought the dream walker for some treatment, she was injured” The mother looked up at you. One of your legs had a bite on it, the blood was dry now, but you could still feel the stinging and ache in your leg.

“Come, Y/n suli, I will fix you up” You walked to her hesitantly, still quite scared of her. “Hurry up or ill just let you bleed” With that you rushed and sat in front of her, your back as straight as a board, she seemed to find that funny as she shook her head with a smile.

“Neytiri, grab some things for her wounds” she gestured somewhere while she took your calf and inspected the damage “How did you get this?” she looked up at you with a raised eyebrow, well would if she had any.

“oh umm, I walking in the forest when a pack of Viper wolves found me” she looked at you with a confused face “You fought off a pack of Nantang alone?” she looked at you with a look of bewilderment

“Well no, your daughter helped, she killed the one that jumped on me, knocking me to the ground, and another one came and latched itself onto my leg” You looked away embarrassed

“hmm, well not many can say they met a hungry pack of Nantang and live, be lucky she was there” The girl came back with a bowl, some leaves, and some seeds “Thank you my sweet daughter” the girl's cheeks darkened at her mother's affection in public and handed the items to her and plopped down next to you and rested her head on her knee

She began to grind the materials and when it was a creamy texture she took your leg again and slathered it on your wound, it stung like a bitch and you almost pulled your leg back till she swatted your leg telling you to “stay still”.

“daughter, you will deal with the rest, I'm going to get ready for dinner,” she got up and dusted herself off, the girl scoffed and tried to argue back “Why do I have to finish it, why not the other healers?”

The mother sent a harsh stare toward her daughter, the girl bent her ears and sat in front of you, and mumbled a quick “sorry” in na’vi. She took the remaining cream stuff and put them on your other cuts, putting a bandage on a big one across your back

You just sat in silence, you would wince when she put pressure on an area that hurt, she rolled her eyes and continued. “Umm thanks, a lot I really appreciate it” You smiled at her, she rolled her eyes again and she got up and offered her hand.

You took her hand, standing to your full height you looked down to see you were a little taller than her, and her eyes reached your chin while you could see the top of her head. You only realized you were still holding her hand when she yanked out and walked out, you followed her a little embarrassed

[LOCATION- COMMUNAL MEAL GATHERING]

The girl lead you up the spiral walkway to where the people were eating. As you two emerged you could hear the people talking, bantering, and signing, but when they saw you, they all went silent, just staring at you

“He-Hey, how yall doing” You gave a quick awkward wave, but you were only met with silence and more staring “Please please stay seated” You tried to bring the mood back as the girl lead you to a place to sit, waking a few people with your tail, even stepping on someones

When you got to the girl, she pushed you down and went to get something.

You looked around to see a little girl, she looked at you with curiosity, and you waved at her showing her your five fingers. She giggled at them and went to wave back but her parent stopped her, she frowned which made you laugh.

You looked back to see that the girl came back with something wrapped in leaves, she sat down next to you and gave one to you. “Thank you, miss, hey dont think I caught your name” You looked at her waiting for a reply, “Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite”

You looked at her confused, she said too fast “Umm can you repeat that, slower” “Neytiri” she looked to you “nahtiri?” you looked back seeing if you got it right “Ney-Ti-Ri” she repeated a lot slower this time “Neytiri” she nodded “huh, *pretty*, well it's nice to meet you, Neytiri” you smiled down at her.

You took a bite of the food she gave you earlier, your eyes widened at the taste, it was sweet and salty at the same time. The mushy part tasted like a creme puff, while the crunchy part tasted like a crispy fry

While you were eating your eyes would wander to Neytiri’s parents and the guy from earlier. Every time you looked you'd catch them staring “Uhh seems likes your folks like me” you mentioned to Neytiri, you both looked over to see them continue their gaze, this time talking

“She seems clueless” her father whispered to his mate “Hmm, and her eyes are too small” the mother finished, and they both chuckled between themselves “Though it seems she good with children” her mother continued “Perhaps its cause she has the mind of one” her father made his mate laugh out loud, her smacking him lightly

You looked back to your meal, taking another one of these delicious things

“Mmm, these are good,” You took another one, putting it in your mouth and already grabbing another one “What are they?” she grinned “Teylu,” she told you “Teylu huh, pretty good”

“Umm you call them, beetle, larvae” She grinned at you to see your reaction.

You were about to put another one in your mouth, trying to rester that fact you were eating a bug, but you gotta admit, it was a damn good bug

“Hmm Well, some damn good Teylu, how momma used to make em Teylu” you joked and popped the bug in your mouth with a grin, she smiled “more Teylu” and gave you some more, which you excepted with a grin.

Time passed without either of you talking, and you just sat there eating.

Neytiri already fished her meal since she gave you half of hers to you. You sat eating, when you noticed the little girl again, she peeked out from behind her father. You smiled at her again, to which she waved, like she wanted to before.

You made funny faces at her which made her quietly laugh. You saw her eyeing your food, so you gave her some of your Teylu as Neytiri had done for you, she gasped and took it with a big grin on her face, you smirked at this a turned back,

You saw Neytiri looking at you “Sorry”, thinking she was gonna scold you, but she turned forward without saying anything

You finished your food when you felt a tug on your tail, you were met with the girl behind you. She held her hand out to give her last teylu to you, you smiled and took it from her “Thanks kid” You ruffle her hair and ate it.

Neytiri stood up and told you to follow her, so you did. She started to walk away from the rest of the people, and when you looked around you noticed that they're were fewer people now.

“Come, we go to sleep now” she called for you “Oh finally, I'm exhausted” You followed her up the spiral

[LOCATION- OMATIKAYA SLEEPING AREA]

After the walk, she stops in front of two branches and jumps, grabbing the smaller one and lowering herself on a hammock thing. After seeing this you copy her and walk to the one next to her.

But you gathered the courage and jumped, you grabbed the smaller branch, and lowered yourself into the hammock bed. It rocked a bit, but you stabilized yourself enough to get on your side, you did the ‘paint me like your French girls’ pose from a super old movie you saw once

You looked to Neytiri hoping she found it at least a little amusing, but she just rolled over and closed her hammock turning in for the night. You copied her movements and found it closing in on itself, like a cocoon.

You lay there for a second, just listing to all the noise around you. How the children plead with their families, probably saying they're not tired like you used to do as a kid. Your ears even picked up some people snoring in the distance.

But you felt your eyes get heavier by the second till your eyes finally closed for the night. You saw white and kept hearing something

[LOCATION- LINK POD BAY]

“Y/N, Y/N, Y/n, come kid, wake up” Once your vision cleared you could see Grace wave a flashlight in your eyes, you saw Norm and Max looking at your vitals “Common kid, that's it, Jake, your sister is up” you heard jake head your way and saw a head poke into your field of vision

It was Jake's big head, you smiled at him, and he looked relieved that you were ok. “Thank Christ you're ok!” they sat you up as he held your hand “Man you were stubborn, weren't you missy” As you finally sat up you could feel how much sweat was on your body

“Is the avatar safe?” Grace asked, you smirked and shook your head “Oh yeah, and ain’t gonna believe where its at” You looked at her with big eyes “Well where is it?” she asked, “oh ya know, just sleeping with the, oh I dont know-” “just spit it out already” she shook you a little “it's with the Omitikaya peoples, sleeping sound and safe”

Grace's eyes were as big as Polyphemus, and her mouth was slacked jawed “And you're not gonna believe the next part, they're gonna teach me the ways of the people” graces mouth was like a fish, opening looking for oxygen “Ho-how did you do it?” her grip was tighter

“Well I came across this girl and she took me to her clan and the tsahik I think, she said I would learn the ways of the people, well after I told her I was a former warrior which seemed to catch the eyes of this one guy” you rambled on with out catching your breath

“Ok ok kid, why dont you go eat some food, we’ll talk more about it later” she offered, you nodded your head and went to stand, but your knees gave out on you and Norm caught you

Norm put your arm around his shoulder and supported you, he and Jake walked you to your room while Max and Grace went to get your second dinner, so you could rest in your room. By the time you got there, you were able to support yourself.

When you got to your room you took a shower while Jake stayed by your bed.

While in the shower you just thought about your life. You had an eventful life sure, your parents died when you were yougne resulting in tom taking care of you, and hell, you graduate high school in your junior year because a college wanted you, and when you were about to graduate college the RDA wanted to employ you as a geologist, and now you had to learn the ways of the native population.

It all happened so fast for you, you are barely in your 20s and this shit happens. All you wanted to do was look at your rocks and live a peaceful life

*

When you finished your shower you stepped out to see food on your bed and Jake waiting for you. You walked over and sat on the bed ready to eat. Jake just sat there looking at you like you'd disappear if he looked away

“I can feel you staring a hole through my head” The food you eat was bland and tasteless compared to the Teylu you ate about an hour ago “Sorry, I'm just- god” Jake sighed and threw his head in his hands

“Hey it's ok, I'm here, safe and sound, what, you think that dumb animal could kill the mighty Y/n Sully!” you flexed your muscles at that, which made Jake laugh “I'm sorry, but how did you get away, tell me everything” he laid his hand on yours.

You sighed and began to tell him everything that happened to you, how you manage to distract the Thanator, how you got caught up with the wolf pack, met Neytiri and her parents, right now yo were recounted the embarrassing attempt at the handshake with her old man

“Did you really try that? You dumbass” he got on your ass “What, I freaked out dude” you reasoned with him

“Ain’t that what you did when you and Tess chick? Ya got caught by her dad and he damn near kicked your ass?” he asked, the memory was burned into your skull

“oh god yes! But remember when you brought that Clara girl over and mom damn near jumped out of her skin!” you laughed like a hyena, Jake didn't find it funny though

You two continued laughing and talking about old memories till you looked to see it was around midnight. You sent him off so you could sleep.

You fell asleep faster than you did in your avatar body, as you were sleeping all you could see was that Neytiri girl

[LOCATION- MESS HALL 5:30]

“This is Eytukan, he’s the leader,” she told you at the table, trying to educate you on the important people “Lytukan” you repeated hesitantly knowing it was wrong, “No, EY-tu-kan” you repeated it back to her again correctly

“Ok this is Mo’at, she’s the Tsahik, she’s like a shaman and interprets the will of Eywa”, “Mo’at, the scary vampire lady” You made sure to remember her correctly, less she does something to you for not remembering

“Oh she's not scary, she just a bit harsh” grace tride to defend her “She stabs my shoulder and licked my blood” you retorted with a scared tone in your voice grabbing the shoulder

“Ok ok, and this is Tsu’tey, he’s the next clan leader, as of now he trains the new hunters” Ahh you remember him, he seemed to not like you at all “Yeah the dick who tripped me up” You shoved a spoon full of food in your mouth “well your gonna have to play nice with him, now repeat his name” you sighed “tsa’tey- ow” she smacked your head “fine tsu’tey”

She showed you the final photo “and this is-” You cut her off “Neytiri” You looked to her “Yeah, she’s the next tsahik, she and Tsu’tey are to be mated” “Oh bummer…for her cause you know hes asshole” Jake laughed

“Looks like someone jealous-” “oh gross Jake, be mature about this” Norm cut him off. As Jake and Norm were about to bicker someone came to your table, a guy who seemed to shrink under Grace's gaze

“Umm is there a Y/n Sully? Mister Selfridge wants a word with her” You looked at him “Yeah that’d be me” You got up, same as Grace “Oh um Dr. Augustine he made it very clear he doesn't want you there”

“Well that's too damn bad-” interrupting her you said “it's fine Grace, I got this” As the guy walked away you gave them all thumbs up and turn to follow him

* Control center

“Umm mister Selfridge, I have Miss sully with me” he presented you, everyone was wearing their military uniforms while you wore a punny geology shirt and men's athletics shorts, you could feel Selfridges judging it “Ahh, the woman of the hour, come with me,” and he walked to his office

His office was decorated in what you assumed were Na’vi artifacts, all in display cases, he even had a bow in the center. He went behind his desk and sat down and grab something off his desk

“So, geologist huh, so that must mean you know what this is” he help up a mineral you knew quite we’ll, you nodded “This here is Unobtanium, and you know it cost millions per kilo back on earth, right”

he looked to you “umm yeah, it's the whole reason were here-” he cut you off “BINGO, this stuff funds everything here, our military and you research” he placed it down on a gravity thing

You looked at him, you knew this information already so why is he repeating it “But we're kinda hitting road bumps, you see we're running out of UBH-310 in our current mine, and we need a new place to mine it. And good news we found a huge vein of it”

“Oh that's good I guess” you didn't know how to react “But OH NO another bump in the road, its under the local native population's home so we need them out” Your eyes widened a bit as he finished

“And I heard through the grapevine that you were accepted as one of them” He leaned on his desk “so Heres is what I want you to do, ok” he paused to effect tyring to gather his thoughts

“I want you to try and get the people out of there to not cause any war and stuff, ya know be peaceful” you werent buying his “no war” bullshit he just didnt want to cuase a scandal

You didnt know what to say though “ill even throw in something worth your while, I know you were rather poor back on earth getting by on scholarship money and student loans, so if you accept my offer ill get that taken care of and even give a little extra”

You thought about it, yeah you needed to pay those off, and having a shit ton of money would be amazing, then a thought came to your mind, you could pay for jakes surgery, he could get his legs back, be his old self

“Alright, ill gamble, how much time do I get?” he seemed to think in his head “You got 5 months Sully, make every moment count” You went to walk out “Oh and dont say anything to Grace” you nodded and left to pod bay

[LOCATION- LINK POD BAY]

“So what did Selfridge want with you?” Grace asked you as she got you ready “Hmm oh he wanted to know what the hell happened to me” Grace looked annoyed “And he didn't come to me huh” she side-eyed you as she punched in some commands

“Nah, he looked scared shitless when i asked ‘Why couldn't she tell you” you both laughed as she closed the metal cage “alright now let's get serious, dont do anything your brother would do, alright” you smirked “Aww man that's gonna be hard” the lid shut and you closed your eyes

[LOCATION- HOME TREE]

You opened your eyes to see that Neytiri was already gone ‘Well that sucks’ you thought. You got up and made your way down the spiral to the base, as you made your way you saw Mo’at talking to her mate Eytukan, she noticed you and you kept walking faster in fear

When you got down you saw that everyone was already doing their village chores. You walked past a group of kids, you recognized the girl from last night in the group. As you passed a group of children, you could hear giggling follow you

You pretend like you couldn't hear them as you observed everyone else. They kept following you getting louder, you assumed more children decided to follow you too.

You felt a tiny hand grab your tail, and in retaliation, you softly flicked them in the face with your tail. They laughed louder clearly amused by it. The girl would walk in front of you making funny faces and you smiled every time, she liked that you found it funny

Some other kids yanked on your pinky and when you looked over, they were gone then you feel someone pull the other pinky. Their giggling and laughter got louder the more you interacted with them

When you got to the edge of the village you turned around and roared at them making a funny face by pulling your eyelids down and towering your body. They screamed in surprise then quickly laughed getting over their shock

Some copied your pose, and you would playfully growl at them, and growl at you in return. Some adult na’vi looked on seeing you play with them, they had a look of utter confusion, seeing the dream walker playing with the children

You stopped your playing, hearing something coming from behind you. You looked to see Neytiri with a dire horse, she lead the one she had over to you.

“Howdy,” you said in a fake southern drawl while tippy a nonexistent hat to her, the kids behind you laughed at the interaction while Neytiri raised a nonexistent eyebrow at you. One of the children pulled on your arm again breaking you concentration

“Come, I will teach you to ride one” She took the lead again and walked away, prompting you to leave, the kids whined when you left, “dont worry ill play with you guys later” They cheered in excitement and ran away wishing you good luck

On the way, Neytiri made a comment “You are good with children” She looked at you “Hmm, oh yeah, tons of my friends had younger siblings, so I would play with them sometimes” you told her rather excitedly “I'm actually the youngest of two brothers, we always played games like hide n seek, tag, I spy-” You quickly noticed you were rambling

“ahh sorry I ramble sometimes-” “no need to apologize” she looked at you briefly “so what other games did you three play?” you smiled and listed some other ones

*

Neytiri had taken you to a watering hole of sorts with other dire horses around, you saw one feeding it was kinda cool how it feed on nectar like butterflies.

The dire horse was acting up, kicking its feet in the dirt and making noise

“Easy boy” patting the horse's side “Peli is female” she corrected you” “Easy girl, sorry” you apologized to the horse, you could feel peli hit you with her queue, “Good, good” you hear neytiri mutter under breath to the animal

You geared up to Mount Peli “Easy girl, just stay still for me kay” You leaped onto her, which was rather difficult, Tsu’tey made it look so easy last night. But after your attempts to get on, you made it

you adjust your position trying to get more comfortable, Peli made noises to which Neytiri just calmed her down with some commands. You took hold of the queue, and looked at it. you could see white tendrils coming out of it, like your queue

“This is a Pa’li, a mighty animal we use to ride on the forest floor. Many clans use these animals, like the Olangi Clan of the plains” When Neytiri finished her little lecture you took your queue and connected both yours and Pelis queue

You took a minute to process it all, your eyes dilating as Peil jump from the connection, your breathing was out of sync, your heart rate spiked from it as you were trying to regain it all.

“This is Tsaheylu, the bond, feel her, feel her heartbeat, her breath, and feel her mighty legs” You could feel every she was feeling as if you were her, you could feel an invisible weight on your back, and as your breath evened out you relized it was in sync with Peil’s

“You can tell her what to do, lead her anywhere you want, tell her, in here” She pointed to her forehead “but for now tell her to go forward” You readjusted your seating on Peil, and leaned forward to get better stability

“Alright, Peil forward” you commanded was strong and clear but loud, and it startled her and she speed off, and bucked you off sending you to the ground. you landed face first in the mud. You could hear Neytiri laughing at you

You started to get up “Yoau jast lobe ma pien, doant you?” you had mud in your mouth that you spat out, she ran past you to retrieve Peli. As you were getting up you could hear more Pa’il riding over, looking up you see none other than Tsu’tey and his underling

Shaking your head you stood up he stopped in front of you “You should go away” you shook your head “Nah, you'd miss my pretty face” Tsu’tey scowled at you while you gave him a cheeking grin “knew you could speak English, You were just shy huh” he laughed at you as you picked mud out off your tongue.

Neytiri walked over with Peil, you glared at peil for a second before rubbing her head

“Look at her, a rock can see more” His underling laughed with him, while Neytiri smiled before sending him away. She looked at you “again” You looked to Peil as she huffed “alright Miss Neytiri” you joked hoping onto Peil

You made Tsaheylu once more, this time you had a game plan “ok Peil, work with me here,” you tried to make your voice “go forward slowly, to that log over there” You gave her directions slowly and clearly while using the softer voice

And she did just that, she walked slowly to a log, not that far head, and stopped awaiting your next command. You looked to Neytiri for her praise, and she walked forward “You did well on your second try, if you keep working on it you will be a good rider” She looked too you

“Oh better than Tsu'tey?” looking down at her, she only shook her head and smacked Peil’s hind, sending her running, knocking you off again, this time in the water,

you rolled over onto you elbows “you definitely like my pain” You squinted your eyes at her and splashed some water at her with a mischievous smirk on you lips

She froze from the shock and kick some water at you, “you deserved that” You wiped your hair out of your eyes to see that Neytiri was staring down at you with a small amused smlie

“Get up, we need to continue the lesson” you started to get up “Yes ma’am” When you were off the ground you looked to see her already walking away ‘Man she really doesn't wait’ you thought to yourself, noting how she just goes expecting you to follow her like a lost puppy

“Go retrieve Peil” she pointed in the pa’lis direction, you got up and jogged over to her. On the way you could hear Neytiri talk to herself, though you couldn't hear her but it made you wonder what she was talking about.

*

An hour went by with you practicing how to ride peil, Neytiri showed off her riding skills which only encouraged you more

You saw a small group of kids walk your way, and you noticed the girl from earlier leading the charge “YOU, DREAM WALKER” she pointed to you “Yeah kid?” you tried to calm peil, as the extra commotion seemed to nerve her “you said you'd play with us, we want to play!”

“I'm sorry kid but I'm still doing my training” it took her a minute to process your response, and when she understood she turned around and whispered it back to her friends translating it, “She said shes still training, what do we do now” one girl piped up “what if we joined her? Tsu’tey still wants us to practice our riding” another boy entered his two cents “yeah! Let's show this dream walker what we know!”

You looked on with suspicion, Neytiri was in earshot of them and had a slight smile on her face, knowing what they were saying. Their ring leader turned away and faced you, you raised an eyebrow at her “Dream walker! We will train with you!” you scoffed at this “You want to train with me”

They all nodded after she did, the kids only understood a little of what you were saying but the leader could so she helped them “alright, go get you a Pa’il then” She turned and told them just that and they broke like a pack of rats to find on

Once they returned, they showed you some of their tricks. Some even raced and helped you the best they could with little English

“When run, stay calm,” one boy told you “Keep your mind empty” You took his advice and told Peil to trot over to Neytiri “Good dream walker, go fast” You decided to try, dad idea as you fell once more. All the children laughed at you

“You need to be steady dream walker, hold on to her shoulders when you run” the girl trotted over, while all this was happening neytiri grabbed her own pail to show you how to balance yourself properly

“You should hold her as this” Neytiri leaned forward, and put her hand on the base of the pa’ils neck in the front “lay on her body like a blanket” You took their advice and tide to replicate it

“Ok peil, let's try this again” You made the final adjustments to your posture “Move forward, and pick up speed slowly” Peil listened to your commands, her walk turned into a trot until she started into a run. You guess what you didnt fall off

You looked to Neytiri, all the kids cheered at you accomplishment. You rode over to neytiri smiling like a kid on christmas, you looked proud to as her first lession went well

Eventually, you all headed towards the home tree again. You ate dinner with out a disturbance and rather quickly headed off to bed. Seeing that white light once more.

Next // PT 5 New Firends

Previous // PT 3 Deja Vu

// Masterlist //

A/N // I felt like this one was a little short but oh well. Also, UBH-310 is unobtanium, I just didn't want to type all that in case someone was wondering. Also, I might make the kids a more important part of the story like the girl i keep mentioning might name her or something so I dont have to keep typing ‘the girl’ lol.

Oh also if you want to be added to a tag list let me know * thumbs up emoji* I can totally make that happen

[lortsyall]

Echoes of Eywa's Child.

chapter 1.

(Neteyam x Human!Reader series)

Pending....Pending....

Date: December 21st,2174.

Location: Office,Unit 4,Avatar Department,Human Outpost Biolab,Hallelujah Mountains,Pandora.

Time: 10:15 AM.

A long time has passed since I've known about this once alien planet. 4.4 light years away,a world full of life,like a lost paradise,sat idly in silence,away from the death and destruction that has scattered over Earth like a goddamn plague.

The ones before us saw the danger of it all,and yet they turned a blind eye,all because the climate change and the fractures in the atmosphere caused by the heightened levels of carbon dioxide wouldn’t affect them in the long run. They’d be dead anyway by the time it got too serious. So much for doing the right thing.

I wasn’t even born when they discovered Pandora,though until I actually got a grasp of reality and gained consciousness like everybody does at 5 years old,I’ve actually wondered if the so-called “Goldilocks Zone” existed somewhere else. If God smiled upon the universe and gave another planet the privilege of life.

Trust me,I have no idea how I even got here. So much time has passed since I’ve breathed in the polluted air of Earth,but I guess it’s for the benefit of all.

Guess we'll do it like they always do,huh?Start from the beginning of it all.

Pending...Pending...

Date: January 26th,2170

Location: Home,New York,USA, Earth.

Time: 12:43 PM.

Nobody ever thought that a girl like me would end up as the head leader of the Avatar Department,or an important person in the Resistance. And I gotta say,I never quite imagined myself becoming this. I dreamt of stages full of fans,as my fingers gave birth to heart-shattering riffs. Of poetry books released under my very own name,painting the pages with complicated feelings and sensations,all of a broken and imperfect human heart. Of having my own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,making my country proud as a well known actress overseas. Though all those dreams were scattered away,like a feather in the wind,the moment I decided to do what any other scared yet artistically talented person who wants to make her parents proud does.

I got into STEM. Mechanical and Biological Engineering.

And between the sleepless nights of studying,drowning myself in math equations and lab reports,I got a one-way ticket to Pandora in my first year of college,from the one and only Parker Selfridge. Head administrator of the RDA’s operation in Pandora. I can still feel the anxiety lingering on my tongue. They never came with internships for first years,so what was he here for?

He came in to give out 5 internships at my college,yet he left with a new potential piece for this chess game. Me. All thanks to a question he asked that I knew the answer of. And to think I almost didn't say the answer because I thought everyone knew it,but as it turns out,only I did. I sat in the hallway with my friends,staring dumbfoundedly at the bussiness card he gave me.

Only back then,the RDA were treated as heroes,important people who made way for a better life. For an undead Earth. The propaganda was all enough to trick a little mind like mine,though it’s funny how I always thought I was a step ahead of everyone. Life on Earth as I remember it was,to say the least…grey.

The cities were gray. The people were gray. The sky was…well,grey. And between spending the rest of my life here,with my dreams crumbling before my very own eyes,and going out there to actually fight for a new home for humanity,you can guess why I chose the latter.

Nothing out of the ordinary was happening for me here anyway. Gorgeous girl,great personality,they all said,but nobody ever settled. Nobody ever stopped in their tracks to take in the pure and total beauty of the chaos that is me,so I never had a serious partner before. And…I guess I was also excited to see if the stories are true.

How an actual human betrayed his own race for a…Na’vi tribe princess?At least that’s how they put it,and I don’t even want to mention how embarrassing it was for the RDA to come back to Earth with their tails between their legs back in 2154. No unobtanium. No money. No Avatars. No nothing. I was three when that happened,and I remember playing with my cousins with our cardboard toys as our parents watched the TV in confusion and…disappointment,so you can guess why they made Jake Sully seem like an actual demon,and the death of a colonel was a pretty big deal,after all.

Thing is,the RDA only shows you the pearl in their hands,and not the mouth getting ready to swallow you whole. And now I know why they were so understaffed. That total failure after 2154 made people lose trust in the RDA over the years. But to me?

The decision came easily. I needed something new.

What didn’t,though,was the pure work I’d have to do in just 6 months. Learning the language of the natives,the Na’vi. Getting to understand the differences between our anatomy and theirs. The fauna and flora. The tribes. The ecosystems. And…of course,Eywa herself,though I learned that from Dr. Grace Augustine’s botany books,not from the RDA’s training program. I honestly don’t know what Selfridge saw in me,when I know I have friends better in college than me,but I better not question it too much.

I tried telling myself that as soon as I got in cryo,it wouldn’t be a goodbye,rather a…see you later. Looking back at it now,I think it was just wishful thinking. For now,I was me,the girl nobody ever really took seriously. Just another face in a sea of others. Next time I wake up,I’d have to work in an entire department with people twice my age.

Pending...Pending...

Date: July 31st,2174

Location: Pandora????

Time: ?????

The cryo-sleep thaw was a nightmare and a miracle all at once. My lungs burned as they dragged in air for the first time in four years, my throat raw and dry, every breath tasting metallic. My joints ached as if I’d aged a century.

“Subject revived.” the sterile voice of the AI announced, flat and emotionless. I tried sitting up, only to slump back down against the cryo pod’s restraints. My body wasn’t mine yet—not entirely.

“You’ll feel like shit for a while,” said a woman in a crisp lab coat, her voice muffled as she checked my vitals. “Side effects of long-term cryo. It’ll pass. Welcome to the ISV Valkyrie, and congrats on making it to Pandora.”

The word hung in the air, heavy and surreal. Pandora.

The next few hours were a blur of debriefings and medical checkups. My body eventually began to cooperate, but my mind lagged behind. I shuffled through endless corridors with other groggy personnel, each of us too stunned to speak. We were like ghosts wandering through a ship that pulsed with life—technicians barking orders, holograms buzzing with real-time scans of the moon’s surface, the low hum of engines preparing for atmospheric descent.

When the ship finally broke through Pandora’s atmosphere, I felt it in my chest. The vibrations reverberated through every bolt, every panel, and through me. The world outside the viewport was alive. The dense, green forests sprawled endlessly beneath the floating Hallelujah Mountains, their bases wreathed in ethereal clouds. The sky shifted from pink to blue in the blink of an eye, its colors alien yet breathtakingly familiar.

For a moment, the hum of engines and the chatter of voices faded away. It was just me and the sight of this strange, beautiful moon—a place that could have been paradise if we weren’t here to ruin it.

The ship landed with a jarring shudder, and the real work began.

Adjusting to life on Pandora was like learning to breathe all over again. Everything about this place demanded respect—the gravity was lighter, the air richer, and the biology... unfathomable. Days blurred into weeks as I threw myself into the work at the Avatar Department.

My mornings began with syncing sessions in the link pods, my mind slipping into my Avatar body like stepping into a cold pool. It wasn’t seamless—at first, every movement felt foreign. I stumbled through training exercises, my longer legs and stronger muscles betraying me at every turn. But slowly, the body became mine.

Afternoons were spent reading over files on Na’vi biology, studying their neural networks and learning their language. The words felt clumsy on my tongue, but I persisted. When I wasn’t in the lab or out on field assignments to observe Pandora’s ecosystems, I was immersed in RDA briefings.

That’s where I first heard his name again.

Jake Sully.

The briefings spoke of him like a ghost, a legend who had long since passed into myth. But here, his name was a warning.

“Resistance forces led by Sully attacked the rail line near Sector 7 again,” one of the military officers growled during lunch at the canteen. “Three shipments of amp suits lost. That bastard and his little insurgents are crippling our operations.”

The room buzzed with tension as reports of attacks piled up. Sabotaged trains, stolen supplies, and destroyed equipment—it was chaos. To the RDA, Sully wasn’t just a traitor. He was the personification of everything standing in the way of their plans.

But the more I learned, the more conflicted I felt. The propaganda painted him as a terrorist, a man who had betrayed his own kind for a primitive cause. But every whisper I caught from the scientists who had been here longer told a different story.

“Maybe Sully isn’t the villain they make him out to be,” I muttered to Dr. Ellison one evening as we worked late in the lab.

He glanced at me, his expression unreadable as he pointed towards a CCTV with his head,as if to say "Shut up. They're listening."

"That’s dangerous talk,you know. Keep your head down. Do your work. They don't like questions.”

I nodded, but the seed of doubt had already taken root.

The attacks continued, each one more brazen than the last. The RDA ramped up their operations in response, sending more troops and machinery into the wilds of Pandora. But for every move they made, the Resistance seemed to be one step ahead.

And then there was the tension between the people I worked with. Some were diehard loyalists, determined to see the mission succeed no matter the cost. Others—mostly the scientists—spoke in hushed tones about the beauty of the Na’vi culture, the interconnectedness of the flora and fauna, and the destruction we were bringing to this world.

I kept my head down, just as Ellison had warned. But at night, as I lay in my bunk staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but wonder: which side of history would I be on?

Pandora had a way of getting under your skin. The longer I stayed, the more I realized it wasn’t just a place. It was a mirror, reflecting humanity’s best and worst instincts back at us. And somewhere in the middle of it all was me—a girl who had come here for a fresh start, only to find herself caught in a war she didn’t fully understand.

The attacks became more than background noise; they became a constant undercurrent to life on Pandora. At first, they were just distant explosions, reports in the briefing room, or muttered curses from the military personnel in the mess hall. But over time, the Resistance started to feel like a presence, a shadow that loomed over everything the RDA tried to accomplish.

Jake Sully wasn’t just a name anymore—he was a force of nature.

The first time I felt the Resistance's impact directly was during a supply run. It was supposed to be routine—a quick trip to outpost Beta-5 to deliver Avatar-linked monitoring equipment. I was tagging along as part of my training, mostly to observe.

But the Resistance didn’t care about schedules or safety zones.

The attack was fast and chaotic. One moment, the AMP suits ahead of us were trudging through the dense forest, their movements mechanical and predictable. The next, arrows rained down from the trees, followed by explosions that sent the towering machines toppling like broken toys.

The ambush hit like a storm—sudden, violent, and unstoppable.

One moment, I was riding in the back of the supply truck, surrounded by crates of equipment and two guards sharing a nervous laugh. The next, the forest erupted in chaos.

The first explosion flipped the lead AMP suit, its towering frame crashing to the ground with a deafening roar. The convoy came to an abrupt halt as arrows rained down from the trees, their sharp points glinting like falling stars.

“Get down!” someone yelled.

I hit the truck bed hard, the impact knocking the wind out of me. My mask rattled against the metal floor as I scrambled for cover behind a crate. The world around me dissolved into a cacophony of gunfire, shouting, and the eerie war cries of the Na’vi.

The guards fired blindly into the trees, their exo-packs hissing as they struggled to maintain their aim under the pressure. I peeked over the edge of the crate just in time to see one of the AMP suits stagger, an arrow embedded in its cockpit.

Panic set in. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. I wasn’t a soldier. I wasn’t trained for this. My human body was fragile here—one wrong move, and I’d be dead.

I clutched the sidearm they’d insisted I carry, though my hands were shaking too much to use it. What was I even doing here? This wasn’t supposed to be my fight.

A shadow passed overhead. My breath hitched as I looked up to see a Na’vi warrior leaping from a tree, his bow drawn, his movements impossibly fluid. He landed on the roof of the truck with barely a sound, his golden eyes scanning the scene below.

And then, those eyes locked onto mine.

For a moment, the chaos of the ambush melted away, leaving only silence between us.

He stood above me, perched on the edge of the truck’s roof, silhouetted against the glowing forest. His figure was tall and commanding, every line of his body taut with a warrior’s grace. The flickering bioluminescence of the nearby trees played off his skin, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across his lean, muscular frame.

His face was angular and strong, the high cheekbones and sharp jawline unmistakably Na’vi, yet there was something softer in his expression. His golden eyes, large and luminous, fixed on me with an intensity that felt like a physical force. They weren’t filled with rage or cruelty but something far more unnerving—calculated curiosity, as though he were trying to read my soul in that single moment.

The streaks of blue war paint decorating his face didn’t fully mask the smooth, rich azure of his skin, which gleamed faintly under the pale light of Pandora’s twin moons. His braids, adorned with small beads and feathers, swayed gently with each subtle movement, a testament to the culture he carried with him like armor.

But it wasn’t just his appearance that struck me—it was his presence.

He radiated confidence, a quiet power that demanded attention without arrogance. It was the kind of aura that made the world around him seem smaller, less significant. The chaos raging around us felt like a distant hum compared to the weight of his gaze.

And yet, beneath that commanding presence, there was something deeper—an unmistakable grief, perhaps, or a burden that someone so young should never have to carry. It was in the set of his shoulders, the faint downturn of his mouth, and the way his hands gripped the bow with both precision and purpose.

“Drop it,” he said, his voice deep and steady, but with a softness that caught me off guard.

The words hit me like a command, though they weren’t barked or shouted. It was the tone of someone who expected to be obeyed—not out of fear, but respect.

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. The sidearm in my trembling hands felt heavier than it should, as if the very act of holding it was a betrayal. His gaze flicked to the weapon, then back to me, and I realized with a jolt that he wasn’t looking at me like an enemy. He was looking at me like a question.

“You are… different,” he said, tilting his head slightly, the movement as fluid and deliberate as everything else about him. His accent curled around the words, each syllable infused with the lyrical cadence of his native tongue.

I wanted to speak, to ask him what he meant, but my throat felt dry, my voice lost in the weight of the moment.

He crouched slightly, lowering himself onto one knee so we were nearly at eye level. Even then, his presence dwarfed mine. Up close, the details became sharper—the faint patterns of his skin, the slight twitch of his ears as they picked up the sounds of the battle behind him, the faint rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

“You do not fight,” he observed, the faintest hint of curiosity threading through his words. His eyes lingered on mine, their golden glow unwavering. “And you… fear.”

It wasn’t an accusation. It was a statement of fact, delivered with neither judgment nor malice.

His hand shifted slightly, and I flinched, but he didn’t reach for me. Instead, he pointed at the weapon still lying on the ground between us.

The Na’vi reacted instantly. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet with startling gentleness.

“You do not belong here,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “Run.”

“What—”

“Go!”

He released me and darted back into the fray, moving with the grace of a predator and the determination of someone who had everything to lose.

I didn’t run. Not immediately. Instead, I crouched behind the truck, my legs trembling as I watched the battle unfold.

He moved like the forest itself, blending into the chaos with a skill that seemed almost supernatural. He wasn’t just fighting—he was leading. The other Na’vi warriors followed his signals, their coordinated strikes overwhelming the RDA forces.

For every bullet fired, they had an arrow. For every shout of anger, they answered with a battle cry that sent chills down my spine.

And yet, amidst the violence, there was something strangely... noble about them. They didn’t kill indiscriminately. They targeted the machines, the vehicles, the weapons. It was as if they were trying to make a point rather than simply annihilate us.

When the ambush finally ended, the Resistance had melted back into the forest, leaving behind a convoy in ruins. Smoke rose from the wreckage, and the air was thick with the smell of burning fuel.

I stumbled out from behind the truck, my legs barely holding me up. Around me, the survivors were regrouping, their faces pale and shell-shocked.

“Medic!” someone called, dragging a wounded soldier from the wreckage.

But I couldn’t move. My mind was stuck on him—the way he’d looked at me, the way he’d spared me when he could have easily ended my life.

“You do not belong here,” he’d said.

The words echoed in my head as I stared at the destruction around me. For the first time, I began to wonder if he was right.

[backmuscles21]

Let Them Stay

Tonowari x Reader x Ronal

Summary: You would've never thought that you'd see more Omatikaya on the shores of the reef, but before you stood Jake and his family. They sought refuge from your mates, you assured your mates about him. Now, you and Jake talk about how you disappeared and what had been going on before you were taken hostage by the one person you told Jake to protect you from.

Warnings: canon violence, past abuse, past sexual abuse, past violence, past torture, survivor guilt, coercion, hostage situations, panic attacks, abusive relationship, canon death.

You have sought protection from the Metkayina people long before Jake and his family ever did. Truth is you’ve been here for more than 15 years, and you've grown into the culture here. You have a family with people here, you were one of them. You found your mates here; this was where you were always meant to be.

So, on that fateful day, you heard ikrans in the sky, you felt a shiver run down your body.

What were forest Na'vi doing here?

You were out swimming with your kids, of course, they swam faster and got to the shore sooner. When you did get there, you stayed in the back, you wanted to be next to your mates but you’d get there eventually. It wasn’t till you heard the voice and Tonowari spoke his name.

You recognized that voice.

You worked with this person back with the RDA, you and Grace were lead researchers with the Omaticaya people.

What was he doing here? Why would an avatar be here and who was it exactly?

“We seek uturu.”

They were looking for refuge, why would they want that? If you recall, Neytiri would never leave home. He had a beautiful family, but why did they leave the rainforest? Ronal walked around looking at Jake’s kids, critiquing their bodies for being small and thin. Then she got to the older girl, Ronal grabbed her hand and saw the extra finger. Ronal thought of you, she wondered where you were and if you were both okay.

“These kids are not real Na’vi, they have demon blood.”

“Wait,” you said from the back of the crowd.

You pushed your way up front and looked the people in the eyes. Their eyes were wide, another Omaticaya Na’vi was already here.

“Jake?”

Jake looked at you, you were heavily pregnant, and he always wondered what had happened to you. It was like you fell off the face of the earth a while ago, he assumed you died during the battle.

“Why are you here?” You knew you were getting stares for speaking in English with Jake.

“People are coming after us.”

“Who?”

“Quaritch and others are back and in Na’vi bodies.”

You went rigid, not him anyone but him. You felt your body go cold and your head felt heavy, you felt exhausted and restless, you were having a panic attack. He can’t find you not again, you’re not going back.

“No,” you felt like you were screaming but it was barely a whisper.

“No?” Jake questioned.

“I won’t let him come back for me. He can’t come here. I won’t allow it.”

“He won’t ever come here. Please we just want to get away, we don’t want a war.”

“I’m not going back to being Quaritch’s bitch. I left for a reason. I have a family I can’t go back. I won’t let him take me back.”

“What are you talking about? What happened?”

“I didn’t know about home tree falling until Tonowari told me when he heard about it. I left before that even happened. Once I knew there was no way out, once I knew that Selfridge and Quaritch didn’t care and never would; I had to leave. I didn’t want to be there for all that death. So, I left. It was perfect timing, Miles was busy with orders and bulldozing the lands and blowing up home tree; I had a clear shot. He forgot to lock his bedroom door, so I forced a pilot to take a link station and my body and set me up. Then I came here and I met my mates and I have a family... No more orders, no more Quaritch.”

“What did Quaritch do to you?”

“A lot of things, rape me, beat me, degrade me. He made me stay, he knew I was in the avatar program and he controlled me that way. I had to leave; I couldn’t be his lap dog anymore. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when everything happened.”

“I don’t blame you for leaving.”

“How’s Grace?”

“She’s dead. Quaritch shot her when we tried to escape. They were going to send us back to earth and we got out.”

Your hand was on your mouth, one of your best friends was dead, you couldn’t believe it.

“We do have her daughter though,” Jake pointed back to Kiri.

Your eyes widened as you saw the striking resemblance, “you look so much like your mother.” You spoke in Na’vi and smiled down at her; her face lit up at that comment.

“Let them stay,” you said as you turned around to look at your mates.

“What were you saying to him?” Ronal asked.

“I know him from the place I was before. He’s a good person, a bit of an idiot, but a good man.”

Ronal smiled as she opened her arms for you, you smiled back and ran into her arms, snuggling under her chin. You loved getting to be with them, especially now when you're so close to having your baby, your body loved to be next to them.

“Then it is settled, Torok Makto and his family will stay with us,” Tonowari shouted.

You tried to help them with their stuff and Ronal wouldn’t let you out of her arms, you shouldn’t be doing that work anyway.

Later on, you went to visit Jake again, you wanted to catch up on what you missed out on. Both him and Neytiri would fill you in on everything that had happened.

“I’m glad to see you made it out safe, how’s Norm?”

“Norm’s good, he still links in most of the time,” Jake said.

“Are you still linking in?”

“No, when we tried to save Grace and put her permanently into her Na’vi body, I learned that it was possible to put my consciousness into my avatar and I did to be with Neytiri all the time.”

“Ronal did that for me, after we mated.”

“About that, are you with both of them?”

“Yeah, I am. Ronal said it wasn’t uncommon to have more than one mate. I quite like it. I also think it helps since they are both busy people and important to the clan, I will always have someone with me if the other is busy.”

Jake looked at Neytiri and she shook her head.

“Neytiri is too good for you to need another, Jake.”

“I wasn’t implying that I wanted another, just like the sound of no one being lonely.”

“What about Tsu’tey? How is he? Upset about not being Olo’eyktan?”

“He’s dead too. It happened during the big fight. He was shot down off his ikran.”

“Man, I really should’ve been there. I’m sorry I left and didn’t say anything.”

“Don’t worry about that, you did what you needed to. Trust me, we were okay without you. You getting out was more important than staying.”

“But I missed so much and so many people died.”

“Neytiri lost her father too.”

You looked at Neytiri, “Neytiri, I’m so sorry. If it’s any consolation I tried to get him to stop. I was closer to him than anyone else and he wasn’t ever going to give that fever dream up. I wanted so badly for him to stop; I never wanted a war. After a trip to the emergency room from how badly he beat me, I gave up and that’s when I knew I had to leave, that there was no point in trying.”

“It’s okay, you did what you had to do, no one blames you for leaving,” Jake said.

“But I do, I shouldn’t have left when you guys needed me. I could’ve helped, people may have lived if I was there instead of cowering off and pretending everything was okay.”

“I don’t think it would’ve changed much. By leaving it might have saved your life. Besides, after we won, we sent them all back to earth. We got rid of them. Not for long though, sky people will always return. The new RDA is worse, they know of me and what I’ve done. They know all the raids I’ve been leading to slow their progress. They know how dangerous Na’vi are, they weren’t taking any chances. They made the Recom soldiers and they beefed up security and the army pretty much run that place.”

“Makes sense, they aren’t taking any chances. I get that you want to keep your family safe I’d do the same. Even though the two kids we already have came from Ronal, Eywa has blessed me to finally have my own. We tried for such a long time; it just wasn’t my time. Now it is. However, those kids are my own and I’d kill to protect them.”

“I know the feeling and I know you are a tough son of a bitch. I’ve seen you take a lot.”

“If Quaritch is to come, promise me, you won’t let him take me back. I can’t go back; I can’t do it again.”

“Promise. Trust me, I want to kill the guy first anyway.”

“Not before I do.”

“Oh, you wish.”

But things never work out the way you want them to, because you were tied up on the railing of the boat. Quaritch knew who you were, he saw your face and knew exactly who you were. You had your baby a few months ago, you should’ve been with him but you left him in the care of your parents while you went out to help the kids. You saw them all chasing after that tulkan, you knew they’d be in danger, you had to help them, you were the only one around. So, you went after them and you knew right away you should’ve stayed with your baby, your mates would be so upset with you for leaving.

You struggled against the ties, you knew even if he let the kids go, he’d never let you out of his sights ever again. You just wanted to be in the arm of your mates, you knew this was going to be a terrible idea. Then over the sea line you saw a pack of skimwings, they were coming to save you and the kids. You could see your mates and Jake at the front leading them in, you wanted to be in their arms again.

Then Quaritch started to talk to Jake through his son’s throat comm, you understood what he was saying. You saw Jake looking through the scope of his rifle, trying to see who was there. You swore you could see your mates’ snarl; they were upset and angry, you shouldn’t have been here. You’d spend forever trying to make it up to them, if you made it out of this. You watched Jake swim closer to the ship, he was accepting Quaritch’s offer, you had a terrible feeling.

All hell broke loose.

The war you anticipated had started.

Bullets were flying all around, you saw the Metkayina warriors swim through the water and skewer people with their spears. You prayed that you’d make it out of here alive and get to your mates and your kids. All the soldiers were busy with the warriors and the tulkun on the ship that Neteyam had a perfect opening. He got onto the ship and cut you all free, you went into the water with Tuk, and you saw the two boys stay. It made you nervous but you had to get Tuk to safety, you had to get a spear and join your lovers.

You got onto a nearby skimwing and took you and Tuk to safety in the village, you went to leave again but at that point, the village elders wouldn’t let you. You fought with them, your mates were out there, your friends were out there, you were able-bodied, you could help. But you couldn’t leave, you would never make it back in time anyway because once you tried to sneak off, the warriors were coming back. You stayed there looking for your mates and when they got to the shore you ran up to them and hugged them. You held them as tightly as possible, you were scared, you didn’t want to go back, you couldn’t.

“What were you thinking? You left to help the kids? You should’ve stayed here where you were safe with our baby,” Tonowari said holding your face.

“I’m sorry. I saw them leave and I was the only one. I was so scared. I knew I shouldn’t have gone. That man that had us, I knew him before I came here. Jake promised I wouldn’t end up in his hands again. He was a bad man, he hurt me. I was scared for myself, you guys, our kids. I’m so sorry.”

“All that matters is everyone is safe. Let’s go see our kids,” Ronal said as she took your hand and kissed your head.

[ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult]

Unpredictable Part 3-Limoreau x black!fem!reader fic

A/N: AAAH, thank you for all the support on this. I didn't think it'd be a series but I can't stop writing.

Warnings: toxic parents, body shaming, eating disorders, alcohol abuse, and swearing

Words: 7.7k

Series Masterlist

 “…and that’s how I knew that I was meant to do charity work,” the nasal redhead concluded.

That afternoon, the Si Chi house was packed with pledges in floral or puffy Selkie and Miss Selfridge sun dresses. A handful of servers circulated the foyer with trays of orange juice and mimosas. The combination of Prada Candy and Viktor Rolfe Flowerbomb made my head spin but I smiled through it as I nodded at different pledges’ stories. All of them were desperately trying to toe the line between interesting and bragging because one could never act too important for a potential house.

“That’s great news,” I glanced at her name tag, “Brenda since Si Chi regularly engages in philanthropic work.”

 Brenda smiled widely, making the hot pink blush on her cheeks even more prominent. “I know, that’s why I’m so interested in joining this---your house.”

“Well, we are glad that you took the time to visit us. Would you excuse me?”

As I weaved my way through the foyer, I plucked a mimosa from a passing server and started sipping. Exactly five seconds passed until I was surrounded by a new crop of bright-eyed freshmen.

“Oh my gosh, are you Y/N Y/L/N?” a willowy brunette asked.

“Guilty, and you are?”

“She’s Justine,” a shorter brunette interrupted.

Justine narrowed her eyes and thinly covered the glare with a smile. “I can introduce myself, thanks, Renee.”

Renee shrunk a little in her oversized light blue sundress and I glanced at Justine.

“So, why are you interested in our house?” I asked.

Justine straightened up and smiled like a pageant girl. “Well, I’m perfectly aligned with all the values of Si Chi: Sisterhood, respect, and intelligence. I am all about women empowerment and I respect people from all backgrounds----I’m exposed to a bunch of different people as an actress, anyway.”

“What about intelligence?”

“Well, I think there’s many different kinds of intelligence and, as an actress, I’m emotionally intelligent to the point where I’m exhausted by everyone else’s energy.”

“She really has to prioritize self-care,” Renee added.

“It’s great that you’re aware of that for yourself.”

She had to be one of the least self-aware people I ever encountered and that was a difficult fete. However, her socials had decent numbers and she had been in a few Vought Plus movies, which would help her win Sydney and Lydia, the vice president, over. The next two years with her and her friend would be irritating.

A softer expression slipped across Justine’s face, and she took a step towards me. “I just want to say that I think it’s so brave that you’ve been participating in all the rush events despite your traumatic experience. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to see Luke,” she paused and placed a hand on her chest, “kill himself.”

Though it had been a week since, it still felt like a bomb rolled off Justine’s tongue when she said it. The wave of emotions that I experienced in that time was hard to describe; Shetty said that grief was a rollercoaster, and the influx of emotions was normal.

“As impossible as it may seem, one day you will come to accept what happened,” she’d advised. “You may experience more anxiety but, with your network, I am sure you will be able to cope.”

The network she referred to was strained at best and destroyed at worst. My “sisters” were as supportive as they could be: Alina gave me a Lush self-care kit, Sasha was not nearly as antagonizing as usual, Lydia gave me grief book recommendations, and Sydney let me pick what workout classes we attended. Emma and Cate were the only non-Si Chi people I spoke to since it was way too difficult to speak to the others.

Justine placed her hand on my shoulder. “If you ever need someone to talk to, you can count on me.”

“Thank you for the thought,” I replied, smiling tightly.

“You must be so grateful that Marie was there to stop him,” Renee quipped.

I sipped some more juice to keep the confusing feelings from bubbling up. Nothing could have prepared me for Marie and Andre being propped as the Guardians of Godolkin, which was arguably the dumbest name Vought could give them. The less I wanted to see them, the more I saw their promos and videos. It was horrible that the last time we spoke we had a fight but every time I saw her, I felt a weird wrench in my chest.

At the very least, Emma seemed happy for her.

Then, Coco Allen, a Si Chi junior, appeared from the crowd and squeezed between the freshmen. “There you are, Y/N, I have a crim freshman with a water manipulation ability who wants to pick your brain.”

“Sure. Will you excuse me?”

“Bye!” Renee called as Coco pulled me through the crowd.

When we got to the less populated living room, I exhaled a breath I did not know I was holding. Then, I turned to the beaming Coco.

“Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome. You know I hate entitled freshmen,” Coco mused.

Coco was the only other black girl in Si Chi and happened to be the first one to talk to me when I visited the house last year. She was a little shorter than me with deep mahogany skin that always glowed. She always wore her waist-length jet-black hair in tight curls and accessorized solely with gold jewelry. That day, she wore a fitted white sundress with espadrilles.

“Were there this many last year?” I asked.

Coco shook her head. “But there are a few more black girls so it’s promising.”

“That’s great! I hope I can find them before the event’s over.”

“That would be great.” Coco eyed me. “So, how are you holding up?”

“I’m okay, the mimosas don’t hurt though.”

“They never do. You didn’t have to come today, you know, you could have taken more time, get out of here for a minute.”

I shook my head. “I needed this, it’s a nice distraction or, it has been. Besides, what would it look like if the secretary didn’t attend?”

Coco nodded slowly but I could tell that the gears in her head were turning too much for her to be convinced. “You’re already Sydney and Lydia’s favorite and they might have let it slide.”

I cocked my head at her and she immediately started chuckling half-heartedly.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. The hoops they make us jump through are ridiculous,” Coco reflected.

“It makes sense why you didn’t want to be an officer even though you’re poli sci,” I commented.

Coco grinned. “Hey, I’m making decent connections just by being in this house. This is just a steppingstone on my path to become the first black woman supe president.”

Even though the title was long, if anyone could do it, it was Coco. One time last year I sat in on one of her debates in class and she had a senior in tears and their debate partner ready to put their laser eyes to good use.

“Well, don’t forget little ole me when you’re a big shot,” I teased.

Coco frowned. “What do you mean ‘little’? You have done too much to talk like that.”

I shrugged. “Not that they’re not as important but my four-year plan is less impressive than yours.”

“Oh yeah, the plan where you basically end up a trophy wife? No shade but, I think you’d be way too bored in that role.”

“Hey, I would have a city contract too. Plus, it’s what I want and what I see for myself every time I look into the future. Every step I have taken up until this point puts me closer to that.”

My voice was much stronger than I thought it would be but Coco was always pushing me. Some days it was motivating and on others, it was infuriating.

“Like I said, I’m not trying to crush your dreams or your plan but is that really all you want for yourself? Especially thinking about all the good you’re already doing with your powers?” Coco questioned.

Her words plagued me for the rest of the event and bugged me when we gave our ratings of the pledges to Sydney and Lydia.

“Oh, and Y/N, don’t forget to send me that compilation with all the pledges’ socials,” Sydney requested as I was on my way out of the foyer.

“Of course, you’ll have it by the end of the day.”

Everything was much quieter underwater, except for my thoughts, but those were much clearer. Every time I thought about where I would be in five years, it was the same: smiling at a city event on the arm of some suit. I never saw the man’s face but I knew he had to be somewhat attractive. My eyes fluttered closed at the bottom of the pool and I focused on my future.

It was the same image, complete with flashing cameras and I was wearing a gorgeous rose pink Oscar de la Renta gown. My hair was piled on top of my head in Senegalese twists, and I was smiling widely. However, when I tried to look at whose arm I was on, it was like I could not turn my head. The harder I tried, the sorer the side of my neck got.

After a few more seconds of trying, I pushed myself up to the surface and sucked in the air. The sky was a mix of orange, purple, and blue. Sydney was blasting “My Head, My Heart”, which signaled that she was getting ready to go out with Eric Landon, the president of Sigma Kappa. It would be nice to be asked on a date, a proper one without the expectations of sex later.

My face warmed at the fact that I had never actually been asked out. People constantly told me how good looking I was but that did not translate into boys falling all over themselves for me. There were the occasional fun nights out but it would always end in that same venue. I didn’t think I asked for too much: flowers, good morning and good night texts, respect, intelligence, and ambition. Emma told me I watched too many movies once and while that could have been true, I also thought that it wasn’t too much to ask a guy to hold a door open.

It also did not help that Jordan was the last person I ever got close to being intimate with. I groaned at the thought and dove underwater, making my way to the other side of the pool.

An almost-kiss should mean absolutely nothing but I could not stop thinking about it, just like I could not stop thinking about how Jordan would throw me under the bus to save themselves. I would never do that to anyone, especially not someone I cared about.

But you already did, the voice in my head hissed.

Marie didn’t count, I didn’t mean to do that; Andre, Luke, Cate, and Jordan decided for me. I would have stayed if it was my choice but that didn’t matter to Marie or any of them.

I pushed myself from the side of the pool and butterfly stroked my way to the other side. Thankfully, the water was heated and soothed my aching muscles. As I was about to resurface, I noted a blurry tall blonde figure standing above me. When I pushed up, Cate stood over me, her eyes worried.

“Hey,” I greeted.

“Hi, can we talk?”

“Sure.”

A few seconds later, I was wrapped in a fluffy towel and standing across from Cate. Her eyes shifted around for a moment before she suggested we headed inside. When we got to my room, she immediately closed the door behind us.

“Is there any way someone would have listening devices in here?” Cate asked.

“No,” I said slowly.

“Are you sure? There’s shit out now where they put it in the tiniest crevices and you would never know,” Cate argued.

“I would have seen it or had a hint about it. What’s going on?”

Cate finally sat on my bed, and I opted to stand across from her. “Andre and I found some stuff that makes Luke and Brink’s deaths way more complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for one thing, they totally cleared out his room the day after he died and I mean everything.”

My eyes widened. “Even the…special drawer?”

“Yes, and at first, I thought it was protocol but what would they do with all those----”

“I get it, Cate, what else did you and Andre find?”

As Cate continued to speak, I could feel my stomach sink further and further, until I was sure it was somewhere in the house basement. Nothing Cate said meant anything positive for anyone. If there was some kind of lab under us, that meant anyone could become a part of it.

“Have you told anyone else?” I asked.

Cate huffed and leaned back on my bed. “Well, Jordan’s been spiraling about Marie and the rankings, so I can’t get a word in about anything else.”

“They’re spiraling?” I asked.

“You haven’t talked to them since Luke died?” Cate asked.

When she said it like that, it sounded like I committed a cardinal sin. After that day, there was nothing else for me to say to them. Even though I saw them in class occasionally, I never spoke to them and desperately tried to avoid eye contact.

“They could have reached out too,” I muttered.

“You’re such a younger sibling,” Cate commented.

“It’s true!” I whined.

“Well, they’ve been freaking out about the rankings since they fell down to number five and Andre’s number one.”

Being in the Top Five was like Jordan’s lifeline. They’d always shared a friendly rivalry with Luke but I knew they wanted to be number one eventually. They spent almost all their time making sure they stayed in a high position and to drop to bottom of the Top Five must have been devastating.

“Oh no,” I whispered.

“Yeah, and your new best friend cracked the Top 100 and is Jordan’s new nemesis,” Cate added.

 I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a chocolate brown loungewear set. “Neither of them are my friends.”

Cate frowned. “Seriously, what is going on with you? The other night, you and Marie were inseparable, and you and Jordan were bantering. What happened?”

It must have been the fact that I was holding all my thoughts and feelings in because I burst.

“Marie and I can’t be friends since she thinks I’m a shallow bitch who would sacrifice her to save myself because I hang out with people who do. The funny part is that Jordan admitted they would backstab me if they could get ahead, which is definitely not something I would do to a friend or anyone I almost kissed!”

I was panting by the end and my chest felt a lot lighter. However, my nerves began to build when I noticed Cate’s mischievous grin.

“Who did you almost kiss?” Cate asked.

“That’s not the point,” I mumbled.

Cate stared at me for a second before lighting up. “It was Jordan, wasn’t it?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You hesitated which means I’m right. It could have easily been Marie though since you were all over her.”

“Why do people keep saying that? I was being nice!”

Cate held up her hands in a relaxed defense. “Chill, Y/N, it’s okay to like more than one person at once.”

“I don’t like either of them.”

“At all?” Cate quirked an eyebrow.

“No,” I pouted.

Cate looked unimpressed and I felt even more unimpressed since I knew that I liked Marie and Jordan platonically.

“Okay, we’ll save that for later but, I don’t think Jordan would tell you that they would backstab you and they would not think about it. They would do it to other people, but not you.”

“You’re just saying that because they’re your friend and you weren’t there.”

Cate cocked her head to the side. “Think, Y/N, did Jordan really say, ‘I would backstab you if it would save my ass’?”

As I recalled the memory, I slowly rocked back and forth on my heels. “They didn’t say that but, they didn’t answer me when I asked if they would.” “You probably caught them off guard,” Cate reasoned. “I’m sure if you talked to them, things would go okay.”

I hesitated and set my clothes on my bed. “Let’s say that I decided to speak to them, I don’t know what to say. Even if I did, my class tomorrow isn’t with them.

“You’re not going to the Think Brink gala tomorrow night?” Cate asked.

Earlier that day, Mom mentioned something about a gala on the phone but I was only half-listening. In my defense, there was only so much complaining about her clients and Dad that I could stand. I grabbed my phone from my nightstand and “Go to Brink gala” was in bright letters on my calendar.

“I guess I am,” I concluded.

“Then, you have some time to figure it out. You might get lucky and not even have to say anything.” I nodded and messed with the charm on my phone. “But what about Marie?”

“You’ll figure that out too. Indira’s taking her to the gala so, you can get both your ‘friends’ back,” Cate said, putting “friends” in air quotes.

“Why did you do it like that? Don’t say it like that.”

“Just because you’re in denial doesn’t mean I am. Think about it, would you be this freaked out if we had a fight?”

The “yes” should have come immediately but it didn’t; it died in my throat, and I couldn’t look at Cate. Why were things different with Marie and Jordan? Why did I stress out about them when I tried to stop thinking about them?

“Can you just make me say the right thing?” I asked.

Cate mulled it over for a moment. “I think it’s best if you do it yourself. If you don’t have a vision about it, something will come to you.”

“Thanks, Cate. If you and Andre need any help snooping----”

“You will be the first person I text,” Cate assured.

“I was going to say that I’ll probably know before you.”

I narrowly avoided the pillow Cate tossed at me and laughed at her effort.

“Maybe you are getting a little too cocky, Y/N.” She stood and walked over to me. “And for the record, I would never betray you in any way, neither would Andre or Jordan. If either of them did, they would have to deal with me.”

“Thanks, I would hug you but I’m still soaking wet.”

“Yeah, that’s smart. I know this might be useless but try not to worry about everything.”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt to try.”

“You’re taking the meds from Indira?”

“Yes, Mom,” I teased.

“Just trying to help.”

Strangely, that was the first night since Luke’s death that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. The trend was that I would strain myself to have premonitions until I was exhausted and tried again in the morning. For once, sleep found me quickly.

After sitting through a two-hour lecture on trauma’s impact on villains and heroes, I was more than happy to wander back to the Si Chi house and decompress. In a few hours, Talia, Mom’s assistant, would arrive with options for the gala. Then, the glam team would arrive and do their best to ignore Mom while they did their jobs.

I needed all the relaxation I could get.

 As I was mentally reviewing which movies I could watch, my phone kept buzzing in my back pocket. I thought it was another flurry of comments on the TikTok Coco and I made yesterday but it was from a strange number.

XXX-XXX-XXXX: Y/N, pls come 2 my dorm, it’s an emergency.

XXX-XXX-XXXX: Im srry we haven’t talked in a while but it’s important.

I frowned and typed back, ????

XXX-XXX-XXXX: It’s Marie. Emma’s in trouble.

My stomach dropped and I replied, B there soon.

As I raced around other people on campus, my thoughts moved faster at the possibility of what could have been going on with Emma. The last time I had spoken to her was two days ago and she was okay then. If anything, she may have been tense because Marie and I were not speaking but she had not said anything else.

I was halfway to their dorm when I ran into something solid.

“Watch where you’re going, Y/N,” Maverick sneered.

“If you put on some clothes, maybe I’d see you,” I shot back as I continued down the hall.

When I finally got to their dorm, I was panting and could barely knock. Marie pulled the door open, pulled me in, and closed the door behind me.

“Did you sprint here?” she asked.

I nodded. “You said…it was…an….emergency…Emma.”

In the middle of me grabbing my bearings, I noticed something tiny next to one of the supports on Emma’s bed. Slowly, I slid to my knees and crawled over to it. When I realized who it was, a choked gasp escaped my mouth.

“What happened?” I whispered.

“I don’t know. She was like that when I got here and I didn’t know what to do so I called you since you’ve known her the longest,” Marie rambled.

Her words barely registered in my brain as I went to one of Emma’s drawers, grabbed a small set of clothes, wrapped her in it, and carefully set her on her bed. Emma was barely breathing and was ghostly pale.

“Emma, I know you’re probably not going to like this but, you’re going to need to eat something.”

She didn’t reply and for a second, I wondered if she could.

I started rifling through all her stuff until I found a box of crackers. My hands trembled as I broke them into small pieces and kneeled in front of Emma. She never looked at me as she nibbled on each crumb I fed her.

Eventually, she grew back to her normal size. As soon as she was, she pulled her knees to her chest.

“I’m sorry you saw me like that,” she muttered.

Slowly, I sat next to her and it was almost the same way zookeepers treated wild animals. If one moved calmly enough, they would not get attacked. Marie sat on her bed.

“It’s okay, I’m glad we were able to help,” I replied. “What happened?”

Emma sniffed. “I opened up to this girl in my class. We’re scene partners for a project and we were talking, and I guess I felt comfortable enough to tell her about how I get small. I thought it was just between us, but she posted this…this video on YouTube telling the whole world about it.”

“Who’s the girl?” Marie asked.

“How do you get small?” I uttered at the same time.

Emma froze for a moment and looked away from me. “I make myself…sick.”

When she said it, I suddenly remembered all those times she would go to the bathroom and then come out a miniature version of herself. However, all those times, it was for different commercials or other work-related events. Then again, there had to be times when she did it at home or at my house.

How did I never notice? “Emma, I’m so sorry. I wish you would’ve told me sooner,” I said.

Emma turned to me with a glare in her eyes. “Really? How would I work that into a conversation? ‘Hey, Y/N, I’m sorry to interrupt but, I make myself throw up to get small’?”.

“We’re friends, friends tell each other this kind of thing,” I insisted.

Emma scoffed. “Please, like you would get it if I told you. You’re perfect, you always have been. Your face, your hair, your body, your eyes, your life!”

“That’s not fair.”

“Emma, I think you need to get help,” Marie interrupted.

Emma’s gaze flickered to hers and I thought she might set Marie on fire. “I need to get help, that’s rich coming from you. You act like no one can see your scars.”

Marie flinched and her eyes narrowed slightly. “I do that for my powers, that’s different.”

Emma laughed callously. “Please, at least be honest. How about this: I’ll go to therapy when you admit to cutting.”

Emma’s voice had no tone and every word she said was like a hammer slamming into my chest. She wasn’t in the right headspace for any conversation and I kept reminding myself as I stood.

“We should talk later when we’ve all calmed down,” I suggested.

“I don’t want to speak to either of you again,” she hissed.

It took more effort than usual to swallow the lump in my throat as I let myself out of their dorm. Just as I was about to lean against the door and wallow, Marie slipped out behind me and shut the door. I took a step back, barely avoiding a pair of girls rushing past.

“Sorry,” she apologized.

“It’s fine.”

Silence filled the space for a moment, and I had no idea how to fill it. Cate said I would know what to say but I was at a loss.

“I’m sorry about what I said…that day,” Marie delivered gently.

My eyes snapped up at her. “Oh.”

She sighed. “I was just angry, and I thought you were a part of it but, Emma kept saying that you would never do something like that. I just didn’t know how to reach out or say anything.”

I know the feeling.

“I accept your apology but I’m also sorry that no one came back for you. I guess it worked out, though?”

Marie sighed and leaned against her door. “Sort of. The perks are nice and I’m in crim now but I feel like everyone’s looking at me and expects something from me; almost like they’re waiting for me to fail.”

“Really? They had me convinced you’d be the black Starlight,” I teased.

Marie laughed half-heartedly. “I still want to be a hero, though, someone like her people can look up to.”

“Anyone in particular?”

Marie hesitated. “My little sister. We were both obsessed with heroes when we were younger, but I was the one who got Compound V. She always looked up to me and I want to be someone who would make her proud.”

“That’s a really admirable goal,” I complimented.

She smiled softly. “What about you? Shouldn’t you be my competition to be the black Starlight?”

My expression faltered and I looked down at my French acrylics. “No, I don’t think I have the showmanship you do. Besides, my goal isn’t to be in the Seven.”

“Really? What do you want to do?” Marie asked.

“So, I have this four year plan and if I follow the steps I am on to a T, I will graduate with a city contract and be engaged to an eligible supe.”

Usually, when I told someone my four year plan, my chest swelled and my shoulders rolled back unconsciously. This time, it felt like I was a toddler showing my mom a drawing I made in school.

“Is that it?” Marie asked.

“I know it’s more traditional and maybe even a little lame but, it’s what I want,” I maintained.

Marie nodded slowly.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, I just imagined you doing something in, like, criminal AI or stopping criminals from re-offending.”

“Both are great, they’re just not me.”

“Which is fine,” Marie insisted.

She sounded a little too eager but I let it go as we started walking down the hallway.

“What should we do about Emma?” Marie asked.

“I’ve never seen her like that before but she’ll need time to cool off.”

“Sounds good, I just have nowhere to go until the gala tonight.”

“You could come to Si Chi for a bit. I can’t promise they won’t try to initiate you, though.”

Marie laughed. “Me, in a sorority?”

“Hey, we’re getting more black girls this year so you never know!”

“Whatever but, yeah, I’d like to hang out with you…at your house.”

Even though Marie rushed the last part, a smile quirked on the corners of my mouth. It would be nice to have a new friend over and it was even nicer that there was no more tension between us.

“You know, Emma never told us the name of that girl,” Marie pondered once we got outside.

“Oh, that’s easy.” I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I reached the right one.

Shelby answered on the first ring. “Y/N, hi!” “Hey, are you on your way to class?” I asked.

“Yeah, if I’m late one more time, Professor Elix is going to make me do an improv one-woman show!” she panted.

“Well, I don’t want to slow you down but, you have class with Emma Meyer, right?”

“Oh yeah, Intro to Stage, why?”

“Cool. She told me her stage partner has an incredible Insta aesthetic, but she never told me her name and I need new inspo.”

“Oh, that’s Justine. I don’t know her last name but I’m sure you’ll find her.”

“Thanks, Shelby. Have fun in class.”

“Thanks!”

I hung up and turned to Marie, whose eyebrows were raised. “What?”

“What was that voice?” Marie asked.

“It was my voice. Haven’t you heard of code-switching?”

“Fine. Did you get the name?”

“Yes, Justine and I’ve met her.”

“What? How?”

“She’s rushing Si Chi.” I couldn’t keep the devilish smile from working its way into my mouth.

“What does that look mean?” Marie asked.

“It means that there are many more perks to being in a top house besides living in it.”

For some reason, everyone thinks that white girls have a monopoly on passive aggression and relational aggression. That was not the case at all; black girls simply are more inclined towards active aggression but we’re capable of both. I proved as much during Brink’s gala.

The ballroom was packed with board members, trustees, alumni, and the wealthiest GOD U students, the latter being my target of interest. They were all easy to approach since I had met them at some function or another.

“Y/N,” Bianca Peterson gushed as she hugged me.

Her Gucci Guilty perfume tickled my nose and I willed myself not to sneeze as I politely pulled away from her. “Bianca, it’s been too long. I think the last time I saw you was at Beta Ro’s Brunch for Boy Scouts.”

Bianca nodded, light auburn curls bouncing around her sculpted features. “Yes, we bonded over jewelry.”

“And you still have fantastic taste,” I mentioned, gesturing to the gold buckle around her wrist.

“Thank you, it was a present from Theo but I gave him a few hints,” she bragged lightly.

“How is rush going?” I asked.

“Pretty well, our pledges are shaping up nicely this year, not that they don’t every year,” she quickly added the last part.

“Of course. Do you have a lot of girls from Counting?”

“We’re interested in a couple, why? Are you trying to poach?”

I shook my head. “Not at all, I just wasn’t sure if you heard what Layla from Zeta Nu discovered.”

Bianca raised a microbladed brow. “No, I don’t think I have.”

I took a deep inhale and slowly shook my head in disbelief. “Oh, well, I should let it come from her then.”

A moment later, Bianca glanced across the room at Layla Ruthers, the president of Zeta Nu, who was smiling politely at a pair of hunched-over old men.

“In case I don’t have a chance to talk to her, what happened?” Bianca asked.

I glanced around us for a moment before leaning closer. “Apparently, a freshman posted a video about another girl’s eating disorder.”

“Really?” Bianca’s eyes widened.

I nodded. “Layla was insulted for the other girl and banned the pledge from rushing Zeta Nu. She even said that no respectable house would accept someone so low-class.”

“Oh,” Bianca uttered.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to take up all your time. I should go mingle.”

I made it about two steps before Bianca gently grabbed one of my arms.

“Wait, Y/N. Did Layla say the name of the pledge?”

My eyes wandered around the twinkling lights of the room for a second. “Justine something, I think.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you later.”

“Sure!”

The rest of my conversations followed that pattern. Each girl I spoke to was shocked and horrified by my words. Plus, none of them would dare speak to the other; that would mean another house had better information than them. My final target was easily the most important one: Sydney.

In her ice-blue mermaid dress and intricate updo, she looked more like Cinderella than a gala attendee. She was standing at a table, nodding her head at something a shorter guy was saying.

“Excuse me,” I politely interrupted, “I need to borrow Sydney for a second.”

The guy deflated slightly. “Sure.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Sydney huffed a sigh of relief as soon as we were out of earshot. “Thank you, I don’t know what he was even talking about.”

“Anytime,” I replied.

She snatched a champagne flute from a passing server and downed half of it. “I can’t wait for this night to be over.”

I nodded. “It is morbid despite their attempt to dress it up.”

“Yeah, and my parents won’t stop bugging me about my future. I can only apply to so many internships and not everyone is looking for a telekinetic,” she griped. “Sorry, how are you?”

“I’m alright. Ironically, I think he’d hate the name they picked but I didn’t know him super well,” I admitted.

“Right.”

Here it goes.

“So, I think the event the other day was a success,” I commented.

“Definitely. The house was packed. It’s too bad we can’t accept them all.”

Sydney smiled as she spoke.

“I know. It’s great that there’s so much interest.” I paused for a second. “But, I wanted to tell you that something came up with one of the pledges.”

Sydney gestured for me to continue.

“Even though my social media deep dive on the pledges was thorough, something came up today that I thought you should know when considering the pledges,” I explained.

“Okay.”

“Today, Justine posted a video exposing another girl’s eating disorder. Several of the girls were upset when they saw it.”

“That’s awful,” Sydney responded.

“It’s also so disappointing since I met Justine during that event, and she was saying how women empowerment is important to her. I know that women empowerment is a huge passion for you and a foundation for Si Chi and to imagine a pledge so willing to tear down another woman infiltrating the safe space you building is horrifying.”

Despite the liquor, I could tell Sydney was processing my words quicker than any computer. Her expression shifted from shock to anger to coldness. Then, she finished the last of her champagne and set it on the table closest to us. “Thank you for telling me, Y/N. I’ll see you later.”

As she walked away, I grinned widely at the response. Bid Day was going to be even more fun and interesting than last year. To celebrate, I grabbed myself a flute of champagne and sipped it as I started to wander the room.

“Y/N!”

My body froze at the masculine voice and my mind raced with what to say or do. Finally, I decided to face Jordan. They were in their masculine form and standing at a table by themselves. Though they looked fantastic in their navy suit, they looked like they hadn’t slept in days.

“Hello.”

I practically sang it and prayed for someone to make the floor swallow me.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

“Um, sure.” I walked closer to their table and rested my forearms on it.

 “It’s good to see you,” he started. “Outside of class, I mean.”

“You too.”

Jordan nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s good.” He paused. “I’m sorry about everything.”

I looked up from tapping my nails on the tablecloth. “Wh---”

“Please, let me finish. That day…I don’t know why I didn’t just tell you that I wouldn’t throw you under the bus but I wouldn’t even think about it. How could I do that to my little freshman?”

For the first time ever, my chest warmed at the nickname. However, I tried to bite back the smile that was worming its way onto my face.

I glanced away for a moment, crossing my arms over my purple sleeveless satin gown. “Well, I guess I forgive you,” I playfully grumbled before turning back to him. “But you still did it pretty easily to Marie.”

Jordan’s expression faltered and he sipped some champagne. “Don’t mention her.”

“Why not? She’s my friend and we did a very mean thing,” I argued.

“Look, I protected myself and you that night, I won’t apologize for that. Besides, she’s still here and she’s doing great,” he spat.

“I know you’re pissed about the rankings but, those can change, especially with how hard you work and how powerful you are.”

Jordan scoffed. “That’s how it should work but no one wants to back a bigender Asian.”

His words made me stop for a second. In all the time I knew them, Jordan seemed invincible to punches, laser beams, electric shocks, and words. They made succeeding at Godolkin look so easy but it must have been anything but. Plus, Luke and Brink’s death must have impacted everything else.

“We’ll see about that,” I challenged. “There’s about thirty trustees and every board member in this room. There will have to be a few who will like you.”

Jordan hesitated. “I’m not really in the mood to promote myself.”

“Then let me talk,” I offered.

He eyed me for a while before crossing over to my side of the table and looping one of his arms with mine. “Don’t make me look bad, freshie.”

“I think that’s impossible.”

The first target was easy: a thirtysomething white guy with floppy light brown hair and an oversized gray suit. I focused on him for a moment, gathering as much information as I could.

“Trevor Emerson, GOD U alum and old money beneficiary,” I muttered to Jordan.

“Isn’t he supposed to hate me?” Jordan hissed back.

“He’s overcome by white guilt since his recent discovery that all the black and brown people who built and managed his family’s manor were not salaried employees,” I explained. “He’s dying to look as much of an ally as possible.”

Jordan straightened up. “Good job, freshie.”

“I haven’t even gotten started.” I painted a polite smile on my face. “Mr. Emerson, it’s so nice to meet you, can we bother you for a moment?”

Two guilty and three haughty donors later, Jordan and I found ourselves at a different table. It was the first time that I saw him smile that night.

“You were amazing out there,” Jordan exclaimed.

“Thank you but you also made my job a little easier being talented and whatever,” I joked.

“Seriously.” Jordan grabbed my hand. “You might have saved my ass.”

I tried to ignore the tingle that shot up from my hand into the side of my neck. “It’s okay, I’m happy to help.”

When they announced that the video was about to start Jordan sulked again. “I can’t believe they’re making us sit through this shit.”

“Me neither.” I rest my hand on top of his. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner but, are you okay?”

Jordan laughed humorlessly. “No but schmoozing with you did help a little. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah.”

When we parted our separate ways, I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress skirt and approached my table. Fortunately, Mom and Dad had not burned down the ballroom with their arguing. In fact, when I got to their table, Mom was on her phone and Dad was rhythmically tapping his fingers against the tablecloth, looking anywhere but her.

“Hi, were you bored with me gone?” I asked, giving Dad a side hug.

“Not at all. I met a few board members and sold a few pictures,” he responded.

I nodded and slowly took the middle seat between them. The video was equal parts patronizing and infuriating. However, my parents’ whispers kept me from focusing too much on the video.

“Y/M/N, can you get off the phone for one second? They’re playing the video,” Dad hissed.

“I am about to cut the biggest deal of this quarter. They can send it,” Mom hissed back, waving a manicured hand for emphasis.

“Mom, people are starting to stare,” I quietly interjected.

“Let them stare. This is what’s paying for you to be here.”

“Don’t act like I don’t contribute!” Their words used to make me flinch but I forced myself to sit up straighter and breathe.

“I’m grateful for it, for both of you, really. You both paid to be here and I thought you would not want to miss the man they’re honoring,” I whispered.

Those words made Mom slowly mutter something into the phone before placing it face down on the table and leaning forward. At that same time, they flashed a picture of Brink and me across the screen. He had been meeting with my small group when the photographer appeared.

Dad squeezed an arm around my shoulder and I softly leaned into his touch.

“Thank God you lost that baby fat,” Mom commented.

“Y/M/N,” Dad said quietly.

“You know it’s true, Y/D/N,” Mom hissed back.

Suddenly, Dad’s arm felt like a boa constrictor, and I gracefully slipped out of its grasp. When the video ended, I drank a fresh flute of champagne. The bubbles instantly went to my head as I giggled at Dean Shetty introducing Marie.

She looked really pretty even though she was nervous.

“Do you know her?” Mom asked over the applause.

“We’re friends,” I replied.

“So why is she a guardian and not you?”

“She was more involved in stopping Luke than me,” I lied.

 When Dean Shetty cued everyone to return to socializing, Mom turned to me.

“Your grades are fantastic and your standing in your house is good,” Mom began. “But eligible bachelors will not notice you unless you stand out like her.”

“Y/M/N, leave her alone. Anyone who doesn’t notice Y/N isn’t worthy of being in our family anyway,” Dad defended.

Mom ignored him. “That girl, Marie Moreau, is not your friend, she is your competition. You are in the prime setting to have everything you’ve ever wanted but she could snatch it from you. You’re supposed to be able to see things like this coming, Y/N.”

“I do see things coming and I know Marie wouldn’t do that to me,” I quipped.

At that moment, Mom’s eyes bore so deep into me that I didn’t think that anyone could claw them out. Her eyes looked like they were going to bug out of her head at any moment and I could feel my breathing pick up.

“I’m sorry, it just slipped out,” I promised.

It felt like forever until she leaned back in her seat and grabbed her phone.

“Make sure it doesn’t ‘slip out’ again. Now go socialize.”

“I need a minute, Mom, I’ve been socializing since we got here.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “This again.”

“What?”

“Y/M/N, please.”

“No, no, Y/D/N, she is constantly using, what, anxiety to get out of speaking to people. You are always too soft on her and make me look like the bad guy. I’m the one helping her be normal,” Mom snapped. “Anxiety didn’t exist when we were her age, we just did what we had to do, and look where we are now.”

I wondered if Emma ever felt as small as I did in that moment. Then, I wondered if she ever made herself small to hide from people, even her mom. Wordlessly, I left the table and tried to avoid any cameras as the tears burned in the corners of my eyes.

I tried to take deep breaths to calm my trembling chest and keep my throat busy. My chest shifted from trembling to heavy and I started looking around the room.

“I hear one piano…feel two fingers…smell three different alcohols…and see---”

“Y/N, are you okay?” Cate’s voice broke me out of my rhythm and I glanced to see her sitting with Marie and Jordan, who was in their feminine form.

My chest felt much lighter and I quickly wiped away my tears. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Bullshit,” Jordan called gently.

Cate pulled me into a hug and had me sit between her and Marie. “What happened?”

“My parents, well, my mom mostly. I guess I got too anxious for her, and she yelled at me,” I rambled.

Cate smiled softly. “Then you came at the perfect time. We were just talking about our horrible parents.”

My ears perked up. “Really?”

“Well, mine are dead,” Marie commented.

I turned to her and placed my hands on top of hers. “What? I’m so sorry. How did it…”

“I accidentally killed them with my powers,” Marie explained.

“That must have been horrible.”

Marie barely nodded and I squeezed her hands. “I just told my little brother to go away during a camping trip. He never came back and my mom pretty much locked me away,” Cate confessed. “I was seven.”

 “What?” I whispered.

“I killed my grandpa with my powers,” Jordan interjected.

We all turned to her and I cocked my head to the side.

“No, you didn’t,” Cate countered.

Jordan smiled. “You’re right, I was feeling left out.”

I didn’t think that I could laugh the way I did but it felt so nice. At least I had friends again.

When I started sipping on the whiskey Cate stole, I saw a brief image flash before my eyes. There was a guy with curly brown hair covered in dirt running away from several bloody bodies. He paused for a moment and opened his hand, revealing a tiny sleeping Emma. When the vision left, Andre was standing in front of us.

“Seriously?” I complained before he even spoke.

[wh0rezs]

MIRRORBALL

PAIRING: SULLIES X HUMAN ADOPTED DAUGHTER/SISTER! READER

SUMMARY: Being the Sullies only human child is much more difficult than most realize described by Taylor Swift’s “Mirrorball”

WARNINGS: angst, mentions of parents death, abandoned issues, seeking comfort in anyone, major character death (not Neteyam)

“And they called off the circus”

“Burned the disco down”

Your family at the RDA was something you called a circus. Not all only was it your soldier mother and your scientist father but Grace Augustine and Max Patel. Parker Selfridge even took you under his wing, and your mother’s team lifted you onto their shoulders.

Trudy took you flying, Grace gave you piggyback rides on her avatar body, Colonel Quaritch would let you fire a gun, Lyle once let you glue a wig onto his bald shiny head. Your own circus. You were even deemed “honorary sister” to the child growing in Paz’s stomach. The RDA was like non-stop disco but everything good must come to an end.

And the end came with Jake Sully. You liked Jake, he was buff soldier surrounded by a bunch of skinny armed scientists, and he raced you in his wheelchair. But something changed when Jake got accepted into Omaticaya.

The scientists left RDA, moving to remote location and along with them went your father. Your mother cursed his name, saying he had gone soft hearted on the animals which plagued this earth. You felt trapped but you still had some of your circus left.

But then it burned down. A war came with both of parents fighting on the opposite sides of it. Your father in his avatar body and your mother in her helicopter. You were left alone with Max Patel, praying that they would both come back to you. Neither of them did.

Your mother had been taken out by Ikrans and your father was shot repeatedly in his avatar and then choked on Pandora’s air.

So your circus was called off and the disco burned down.

“When they sent home the horses”

“And the rodeo clowns”

After the war, humans were forced to leave, expected you and MJ. You watched as Jake, Norm and many other Omaticaya guided your family into the ship.

You had hidden out of sight but Parker Selfridge had seen you. You liked Parker. He had sure you were entertain expect that one time he forced you into school. Your parents often describe him as a clown, so you did too. But you mentioned right in front his face.

You remember everyone in the room going silent, waiting Parker’s reaction. He laughed, saying that you had spunk. Oftentimes when he was taking care of you, he would carry on the circus theme by calling the workers under him horses.

Yet here they were leaving you. You knew they did terrible things but they were your circus. Parker nodded his head for you to come out, so you did, running to him for one last hug.

“You gonna be alright,kid. I am giving you my number in case you need to call but I heard that Sully has adopted you, per your father’s request.” Parker spoke as he wrapped his arms around your back. Parker would never admit to it but he really thought of you as his kid.

A large blue landed on your shoulder, pulling you away. Jake stood way above you and signaled for Parker to start walking again. Once he reached the plane’s entrance, he waved and headed inside. You turned into Jake’s legs and cried.

They had sent home the horses and rodeo clowns.

“I’m still on that tightrope”

Before your father met his untimely demise, he asked Jake to watch over you if he died. Jake honored his promise. He had spoken to Neytiri many times about you and Neytiri knew your father’s avatar, so she agreed.

The whole adoption process was like walking on a tightrope. You had to balance out, carefully staying on that thin line. Most Omaticaya couldn’t say stuff to you, due to you being the Olo’eyktan’s daughter but you didn’t want to lose your balance, tipping off any of them. Omaticaya would never really accept you as human, especially after what they did as Hometree. Many of the People would send glances full of fury with their hands tightening around their bows.

Your adopted parents took care of you but soon they were welcoming a son. An Na’vi son. One who looked like them.

So you remained on that tightrope once Neteyam, your brother, was born.

“I’m still trying everything to get you laughing at me”

You found yourself in Parker’s position, a mascot. The human mascot for the growing family of the Sullies. You liked your baby siblings but they couldn’t tell you how proud they were of you.

As the mascot, you tried to keep your family happy. Trying to get them laughing even on the days when your adopted mother would send hateful gazes towards you.

Soon you realize that you just power through those days, and still make sure your family was laughing.

“I'm still a believer but I don't know why”

You liked to believe, considering yourself a believer. You liked to believe that you were the first born Na’vi daughter of the Sullies, a profound warrior like your mother or future Tsahík like your grandmother.

Yet you were pulled back into reality as you peered at your reflection in a stream. You had your father’s eyes with your mother’s hair. You shared their skin color, which wasn’t a blue.

You like to believe that they were still alive,too. You and them had nice little cottage inside the forest along with your human brother, Spider. Your mother help teach young Omaticaya fighting while your father took care of injuries. Spider and you grew up close with the Sullies, and at night your small family would join them, then walk to the cottage.

Yet once again you pulled back into reality as you heard Jake shout your name, calling out it was lunchtime.

You were a believer yet with painful stuff to believe and you didn’t know why.

“I've never been a natural”

“All I do is try, try, try”

Contrary to what any people believe, you couldn’t do anything relating to Na’vi training.

Unlike your siblings, you couldn’t shoot an bow nor climb a tree under 3 minutes. You couldn’t fish, hunt or fight. You were useless. Your father would tell you nonsense, saying you helped Mo’at and Kiri with healing and injuries but you couldn’t help your feelings.

So all you did was train but you were no natural. Even Spider could do more than you, but you tried. And tried. Tried again but your abilities never honed.

You weren’t a natural at anything but you did try, try again and try.

“I'm still on that trapeze”

Many years had passed since your adoption and you finally made it off the tightrope, yet now you were on a trapeze. Swinging from being a honorary Omaticaya to trying to catch onto being a human. Luckily, this time you had Spider being your trapeze partner.

Spider knew the pains of being a human in a Na'vi world but sometimes he felt closer to the Omaticaya unlike you. You felt at home with humans considering 7 years of your life you were raised by the RDA. So you lost your trapeze partner, flipping onto one bar waiting for the other one to come without the force of another.

So you were still on that trapeze.

“I'm still trying everything”

“To keep you looking at me”

In the forest, you had always tried to have someone’s eyes on you but in Awa'atlu you can’t get away from watchful eyes. As your family settled into the ways of Metkayina’s, you remained a stranger.

Strange and dangerous creature is what the Metkayina would tell their children, as they glares bullets into your skull. Then after a half of year living with them, the RDA found your family again.

Everything after that point was a blur, you can remember Lo‘ak leaving to rescue his ‘brother’, your siblings and you with the help of the Metkayina children pulling off the tracker off of Payakan.

Then the ship came and some of your siblings were taken but you and Neteyam saved them. Lo'ak convincing Neteyam to rescue Spider, which you three did but then every stopped.

You had pushed your three brothers into the water, has you held off the avatars. Just you were about to jump into the water, a searing pain flared in your chest— a bullet had hit you. Stumbling into the water, your brothers cheered until you announced you were shot.

You were brought to an rocky island where Tsireya began to address your wound while your brothers comforted you— Spider holding your hand as he talked about your childhood with him— as your parents arrived. Your final wish was to see home again— your circus, rodeo clowns and horses. To stop believing, and trying. To finally come down from that tightrope and trapeze.

You felt peace as you walked through the forest,reveling in your new home with your father and godmother Grace.

Jake and Neytiri were brought to first time you three were a family. Oftentimes, you would flicker in between you as child to you as an adult. Though you would always mutter the same sentence.

“I tried everything to keep you looking at me.”

[iliketangerines]

shower sex

a/n: mmmmm grace...save me grace...

pairing: grace augustine x afab!human!reader

warnings: nsfw (MDNI), shower sex, porn without plot, finger fucking

you sigh and let yourself stand in the spray of hot water, trying to wash away the grime and stress of today

Selfridge had decided to be selfish, unsurprisingly, and had in short, told you and Augustine to get your shit together despite him also denying every idea you and Grace tossed at him

at this point, you might actually toss him into the aggravated environment of Pandora without an exomask just to see him suffer

neither you nor Grace can do shit without his permission, and it was frustrating you to no end and left you angry and pent-up

hence the long very hot steaming burning scalding shower, in an effort to keep yourself calm and also try to wipe away the thoughts of just throwing Selfridge into Pandora without any defenses

you hear the door open to the bathroom and spot Grace standing at the doorway, her hand on the door knob and towel wrapped around her body

she tilts her head at you, a silent question to join, and you nod your head, listening to the click of the bathroom door slide close behind her as she discards the towel

the steam rushes out of the glass bathroom shower stall, and Grace quickly shuts it after entering the hot steam of your shower

she hisses, turning down the heat and asking if you were trying to boil yourself alive, and you shrug your shoulders and say that you might as well with how Selfirdge was suffocating you

you light scratch at your scalp, digging your fingernails into your skin to try and ease the tension, and Grace sighs and steps underneath the spray, replacing your hands with hers

there’s no gentleness in her hands as she washes your hair for you, quick and efficient and rough, but you relax underneath the rough treatment either way

no nonsense Grace, that was the woman that you loved, and you knew that this was her way of showing that she cared, even if she was just a slight bit rough around the edges

her fingers work through the strands of your hair as she slathers conditioner into your hair, and then she turns around, a silent demand for you to wash her hair

you turn around obediently, pumping her shampoo into your hands and scrubbing them through her hair

you’re a bit more gentle, taking care to scratch and rub out any tension in her head just as she had done for you, and you can see her shoulders drooping and relaxing

her breaths are quiet and labored as you work your fingers through her scalp, and you lightly pull her backwards to have the spray of the water wash out the soapy shampoo

as the water washes it out, you pump some conditioner into your hands and apply it to the ends of her hair, letting it sit in her hair to moisturize as she stepped aside so that you could wash out your conditioner

her hands attach back to your head, making sure not a single trace of residue remained on your hair before she finally turned back around to let you wash out the conditioner

as you finish, she turns to you, hands grabbing onto your waist, and Grace sighs and pulls you in, resting her forehead against yours

it’s a quiet moment, only the sound of running water covering the silence between you too, but you understand what she’s saying

the frustration for the both of you was gathering, sitting in your gut with no way to release without harming Selfridge

well, there was one way you could think of and with the way one of Grace’s hands slither down to squeeze your ass, you think that she’s thinking the same thing

you open your eyes to look at her, and she opens her eyes to look back at you for just a moment

and then she’s on you, lips pressing against yours and pushing your back to the glass wall, sending a chill up your spine at the contrast of the cold of the wall and the heat in the air

her mouth is relentless against yours, swallowing every small sound you make as her thigh slots in between your thighs and rubs against your clit

you gasp at how her thigh grinds against you, the wetness of the water only aiding in the slickness, and your hands grip tighter onto her shoulders, digging the blunt ends of your fingernails into the muscle

she grunts at the pain, only grinding her thigh further into your clit in response, and you moan into her mouth, closing your eyes at the feeling of her hands moving and squeezing and grabbing at every part of you

her lips finally leave yours to go and suck hickeys into your neck instead, teeth nipping at the sensitive flesh before running a tongue over the wound

you sigh and whine as her teeth sink into you, one hand trailing down to in between your thighs and replacing her thigh with her hand

the heel of her hand grinds into your clit, putting firm pressure onto the sensitive bud, and two of her fingers slide into you

they bend expertly, knowingly, into the one spot that makes your head tilt back and thud against the glass shower wall as you whine

your pussy clenches around her fingers, trying to bring her in deeper, but Grace only mumbles something into your skin

you can’t comprehend it over the sound of the spraying shower and the haze in your mind as she massages your sweet spot

your thighs clench around her hand, but she doesn’t stop, the resistance only making her grind her palm further into your needy clit and making you whine her name

Grace only mutters into your skin something incoherent, too absorbed with marking you up with her teeth, and her fingers fuck into you

even under the loud spray of water, you can hear the obscene sound of your pussy trying to suck her in deeper, your want still dripping out of your legs and down Grace’s hand before being swept away by the water

you whine and squeeze your eyes hut, hips bucking forward as you cum on her fingers, and you pant into the air, thighs twitching and trembling as she continues to fuck you through your orgasm

it’s relentless how her palm grinds into you and how her fingers continue to assault the spot that makes you see stars

but she raises her hand up to kiss you once more, to swallow your every sound and every moan and whine

her hand slows to a stop, and you pant, resting your head against your shoulder, and she whispers into your ear that the two of you should take this to the bedroom

you barely have time to nod before she’s turning off he shower knob and dragging you out of the glass shower stall into your bedroom, not even bothering to dry the two of you off

she’s insatiable in every single way, and you wouldn’t have her any other way

[torukmaktoskxawng]

can u make a enemies to lovers with neteyam or jake? x fem!reader? xx!!

(Gifs not mine)

Pairing: Jake Sully/fem!reader

Summary: Y/n doesn't like being outranked by Corporal Jake Sully, and Jake doesn't like Corporal Y/n's attitude. This rivalry eventually stretches past their human existence.

Warnings: Military attitude, one-way thinking, implied brutal death, enemies to tolerated allies to lovers, alien prejudice/racism? (that one's a little tough to word I guess), swearing, etc.

Word Count: 2k+

A/N: Thank you for your patience, and sorry it took so long!

Also, Jake and Neytiri don't end up getting together and having kids in this one. I couldn't bear to do my Mama dirty like that.

~~~~~~~~~

Corporal Y/n L/n was many things. Tough, capable, determined, and loyal. The RDA was lucky to have her... at least that's what she tells people. No task was impossible and no mission was too dangerous. Y/n followed her orders down to a tee, so you could imagine the anger she felt when her loyalty was shoved aside in exchange for wheelchair-bound Corporal Jake Sully.

There's no such thing as an ex-marine, and yet Y/n has never met the next closest thing until she met Jake. Honorably discharged after the loss of his legs in Venezuela, Jake was only in Pandora for the sake of the RDA not having to waste millions of dollars on an avatar whose rider, Jake's twin, is dead. Technically, Jake shouldn't have been mingling with the war dogs at Hell's Gate and should've stuck to the scientists. But Selfridge and Quaritch had other plans and had asked Jake to go undercover as their eyes and ears among the Na'vi.

Y/n didn't think Jake deserved all the credit he had been given after he managed to insert himself with the Omatikaya, and she voiced her opinion to him, "What'd you have to do? Bat your cat eyes at them?"

Jake knew when he was being mocked, clenching his jaw and narrowing his eyes back at her, "They accepted me after I told them I was a warrior from a neighboring clan."

"Seriously? What clan?"

He had the gall to look bashful in front of her, the tips of his ears turning pink while muttering under his breath, "The Jarhead Clan?"

She laughed in disbelief and likely disgust, "Are you kidding me? 'They fell for that? If it's that easy, maybe Quaritch doesn't need you after all. I bet we could just walk in there claiming we're all from the Jarhead Clan."

"They're smarter than they look, and I don't see you volunteering yourself to communicate with them." The marine sassed back, his attitude getting the better of him.

"They're not worth my time," Y/n shrugged, nonchalantly, "They're clearly not smart enough to handle me if they ate up your punk ass lies."

"You don't exactly have anything better to do. Other than complaining, I guess."

She snaps her attention back to the man in the wheelchair, eyes glaring into his soul. It wasn't every day someone had the guts to match Y/n's cold exterior, and she didn't appreciate being badmouthed by the rookie who just got a lucky shot of working the same rank as her, "Watch yourself, Sully."

He smiled, the bastard, turning his chair in the direction he wanted to go, wheeling away, "I gotta head out. Unlike some folk, I actually have a mission to accomplish."

~~~

The scientists were moving out. Apparently, Dr. Augustine was spooked at the idea of Parker breathing down the neck of her operation so she's bringing her avatar team up to Site 26 in the mountains, Sully included.

Y/n was strutting down the hall and happened to catch Jake after he left the control room to let Quaritch know what was going on. She noticed a suspicious-looking smile on the marine's face and something didn't sit right with her at the sight of it. Without much thought, she held her foot out and it abruptly stops the wheelchair in its tracks. Jake peered up at her, his smile quickly fading when he realized who it was, his jaw tightening.

"You're smiling." She stated her observation out loud, gracing him with a frown to match, "It's not a good look, much less a normal look for you. Just remember whose side you're on, Sully."

How could she have possibly known what he might be thinking? She couldn't have known he was smiling at the thought of getting away, wanting to forget all about this place in exchange for seeing this world through the eyes of Neytiri.

No. There's no way she could know that. As suspicious as Y/n was, she was blind to everything Jake has experienced out there. He leans close, staring up at her with those hard, daring eyes, "I do. My side."

~~~

It bothered Y/n to learn Jake had betrayed them. Did she expect it? Obviously. So it bothered her all the more that she expected it. She could have prevented this by stopping Jake from leaving or reporting him to Quaritch, so why did she let him go?

She decides that she can fix this mistake by helping blow up Hometree and further help in the battle waiting for them in the Hallelujah Mountains.

Did she feel regret watching the magnificent tree crash down, likely killing hundreds of Na'vi in the process? Only for a moment, her mindset now on her orders to return back to Hell's Gate. Best foot forward, she manned the gun as they flew to the Tree of Souls, only to be ambushed by the Na'vi, astride direhorses, and ikran. Y/n didn't feel regret gunning down as many as she could after watching the bastards kill her friends and acquaintances, people she worked with for years and formed bonds with living on a moon so far away from home.

She was thrown from her gunship, however, before she could fully enact her revenge. As she fell to her death, she watched the battle going on above her. She watched her gunship being tossed around by the devil itself, the Great Leonopteryx, larger than any ikran she had ever seen. The beast and its rider, Toruk Makto himself, smashed Y/n's gunship against the side of one of the floating mountains, and she's forced to watch it explode in debris and flame. Her heart drops, however, when the blades of the ship came spiraling through the air and toward her falling form.

That was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.

~~~

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER...

Instead of black, she's blinded by an overly bright hospital light. Only, Y/n wasn't in a hospital and she felt like she was lying on top of a stainless steel dissection table. Disorientated and sore, Y/n focused on the voice of the doctors (were they doctors?) surrounding her field of vision. They instruct her to take it easy and flex her fingers. When she lifts her hand to do so, she's suddenly wide awake and self-aware.

Her hand was blue.

~~~

Following her resurrection came the other Recoms of Project Phoenix. Z-Dog and Wainfleet were next, then Ja, Brown, Fike, Lopez, Prager, Walker, Warren, Mansk, and Zhang. Most of them she knew back at Hell's Gate, or at the very least was acquainted with them. Finally, Quaritch came to and Y/n couldn't lie how entertaining it was to watch the colonel wake up and immediately kick in his fight or flight mode. It didn't help that Lyle thought it would be a great idea to greet Quaritch with his new ugly avatar mug. Later on, Wainfleet admitted that he already forgot about his new body and didn't think how the colonel would react, and in response, Y/n laughed and called him an idiot.

~~~

Their temporary resurrection and reunion were cut short when they arrived back on Pandora. Quaritch gets them to work immediately after receiving his orders from Ardmore and the Recoms are sent out into the wild to test out and see if the moon would react to their presence. So far, they hadn't triggered any immune response. No animal attacked them and the plant life kept still. The new and improved avatars track down the old shack where Quaritch breathed his last breaths, locating his remains and extracting the old footage from the AMP suit.

What they didn't expect to find there was a human boy, running around, acting like one of the Na'vi, apart from his breathing mask and exo-pack. He was about sixteen and clearly someone who had been left behind in the initial evacuation when the humans were driven off Pandora. When they captured him, he introduced himself as Spider Socorro, none other than Paz and Quaritch's son. But Spider wasn't very adamant at the idea of the colonel standing over him being his sperm donor.

"You're not my father! My Dad is Toruk Makto! He's on his way to save me! He knows I'm here, and he's going to kill every single one of you!"

That bit of information only enraged Quaritch even further, and Y/n couldn't exactly blame him. First, Jake betrayed his own kind, killed many humans, forced them to go home with tails tucked between their legs, and now he's raised Quaritch's son up and brainwashed him to be an animal.

The Recoms take Spider's threat to heart and secure him, keeping him tied up in the center of their circle as they wait for Ardmore to come and pick them up. It was dark and it had started to rain. They kept their backs to each other and kept their eyes peeled on the jungle line. And yet, they never saw him coming.

It was all a blur. Due to the darkness and the rain, Y/n was one second too late to realize that she had been separated from the group as the Recoms were getting picked off, one by one. There was the familiar sound of a grenade launcher being triggered before Y/n had the time to dive down and cover herself to the best of her ability. The explosion goes off somewhere nearby and her ears begin to ring, debris of dirt sprinkling down on top of her. The shouts from her team slowly die away, following the sound of Ardmore's ship picking them up. She tries catching her breath, her mind not yet realizing what had happened just as hands began to grab at her shoulders, her instincts driving her to fight or flight mode.

She kicks them away and scrambles to put a distance between herself and the stranger, lifting her AR in her arms and pointing in their direction. In front of her stood a tall Na'vi man, only he had the traits of an avatar-- a very familiar avatar.

The snarl she let out wasn't as human as she was used to. It was more feral and she tried not to let it surprise her, "Shit. Sully."

Jake Sully's eyebrows furrow at the voice, eyes frantically scanning her form. Definitely an avatar but dressed in camo and currently pointing an AR at his face. The voice sounded strangely familiar, but it wasn't until he noticed the name patch on her bulletproof vest did his eyes widen in recognition. He peered back up at her eyes, tilting his head, "L/n?"

She cursed again, rage pooling through her eyes as she gnashed her sharp teeth at him, "Traitor!"

Y/n goes to pull the trigger, but something from behind had clubbed her in the crook of her leg, forcing the limb to give in and collapse against her will. She shouts and the trigger slips, the gunfire missing Jake by an inch as he barrels forward when the moment of opportunity strikes. He wrestles the rifle out of Y/n's hands and pushes her to the ground, using the orange slap-cuffs she possessed and using them against her, restraining her hands behind her back. Y/n snarls and hisses like a wild animal caught in a trap, her ears and tail lashing violently as she's forced face down into the mud, the whole front side of her wet and cold with the rainfall still pouring like nobody's business. With her head tilted off to the side, she realized her attacker was none other than Spider with a large branch still heavy in his hands. With his captive secure, Jake stood up and stepped toward the human boy, kneeling down to meet his height and checking him over for injuries or cracks in his mask.

"You alright, kiddo?"

"Yeah," Spider breathes, smiling faintly when Jake gently knocks his knuckles against the glass of his mask affectionately. 

"Good. Let's get you home. Your sister's probably worried sick."

That was news to Y/n. From what she understood, Quaritch and Paz only had Spider, unless the colonel was getting around. Looking back, Paz could have cozied up to others, but from the few encounters Y/n had with her, she didn't seem like the type. Socorro was high maintenance. 

Still left on the cold, wet ground, Y/n continued to struggle until Sully remembered that she was there, and the bastard had the gall to smile down at her while patting Spider's shoulder proudly, "Well, son... not bad for your first catch."

"Go to Hell!" She screeched back. This had gotta be the worst night of her life.

~~~~~~~~~

Part 2? Lemme know!

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[periprose]

pretty please rough navi quaritch smut where he splits reader's legs apart and breeds her?? Reader can be from the RDA and she has to let him breed her as part of the new embryo growth program :) <3

Woo boy anon!! This ask made my head explode in a really good way 😳 thank you

The Old Fashioned Way

Miles Quaritch x Reader

When Parker Selfridge tells you that the RDA needs one of your eggs, since you're a Recom, for new genetic material, you literally can't say no. It's an order that you can't refuse, since they're trying to make new embryos to experiment off of.

Of course, you're placed in a room with Miles Quaritch, your superior, who's unsuccessfully trying to harvest his own reproductive material, same as you. He decides to kill two birds with one stone, and suggest that you do it the old fashioned way.

Word Count: 3.8k

Genre: Smut, pwp, breeding kink, unprotected sex, Quaritch being obsessed, 18+, no use of Y/N

Reader's name is Axe

“No way.” You cross your arms, staring down at Selfridge.

He’s just told you about the new RDA program. Growing Avatars and Recoms is easy and all, you know the process. Na’vi DNA was extracted successfully about twenty-five years ago- and there’s a process of combining human DNA with it to create new bodies.

It’s just that the Na’vi DNA has slowly been losing it’s potency with every sequencing process. You don’t know exactly what that’s all about- just that cloning deteriorates something about how strong the genes are. 

So the scientists and geneticists have decided that they need some kind of replacement, and they need it now. They wanted to track down more Na’vi, but considering how hard everyone’s asses get beat anytime the RDA gets a few klicks near their territory, it was a no go.

They’ve decided on the “natural way.”

As Selfridge has just said.

“ Why… not… just take my genes, Parker?” You bite your lip, and Selfridge shakes his head.

“Don’t make this anymore awkward than it has to be, Axe.” Selfridge stares at his fingernails, which somehow makes him look like even more of a prick. “Your genes are no bueno . You, Zdinarsk, Wainfleet, and Quaritch are the last line of ‘normal’ Recoms, if we can call it that. If we try to extract your genes, and grow a Recom body, it’ll just be a waste of money. It won’t work.”

“Okay.” You inhale sharply, and Selfridge flinches. You forget sometimes in your Recom body that you’re way more intimidating than your old self was. Your dead self. “So what exactly does the ‘natural way’ entail?”

“What are you, a fucking virgin?” Selfridge laughs. Loudly. 

You snarl at him, and he flinches, again, before snickering.

“Jesus, you really are one of them, huh?” Selfridge scoffs. “Try not to fuck the sperm donor too hard when you see him.”

“Selfridge-” You grab his arm as he tries to leave, and with how much smaller Selfridge is, it’s like you’re dangling his body with your sheer strength. “ Motherfucker- tell me for real what’s going on, or I’ll snap your neck.”

“You’ll get shot if you try anything.” Selfridge says, but you can see in his eyes that he’s panicking. “Okay, okay. I’m just fucking with you. They’re just going to extract an egg from your na’vi-ovaries or whatever they’re called. Then the rest, you should know. Embryo production.”

You do know, but you don’t trust him.

It’s not like you have a choice anyways.

/

You were right not to trust him.

Selfridge has to be kidding. You’re sitting in your typical testing room in Bridgehead City. There’s no scientists around, at least not yet. You’ve come in on your day of ovulation, and you’ve been told to wear something comfortable and loose, and to sit around for a bit.

You lean back on the large medical bed, sighing loudly. You’re wearing some regular sweatpants, and a t-shirt that just barely reaches your midriff. Your hair is tied loosely in a low, wavy ponytail. You hope it looks comfortable enough.

You’re assuming an ultrasound, and- the weirdest part- some vaginal probing. You haven’t gotten a chance to play around with your new body yet, at least not like that, and you have no idea what gets you going, or whatever.

You’re sure some lube will be implemented, and then you’ll just lie there and count to ten. You’re just waiting for someone, anyone to come by to do this procedure and get it over with.

The door slides open. You sit up.

Miles Quaritch looks at you, his eyes bright, alert, and his mouth a little agape. His ears stand up for a moment. He’s holding a really old magazine, and a cup- oh no.

You can’t be in this situation with your superior. It’s just so damn awkward.

“Axe?” He shakes his head and just looks flabbergasted as he cackles. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I might as well ask you the same question.” You say flatly, and sigh. “They told me… they were going to do my egg extraction in here?”

“Oh.” Quaritch isn’t exactly a sensitive man, or one with any sort of sensibilities, really, so he just sits on the other medical bed next to yours. After a brief pause, he pulls the curtain, so you’ll at least have a bit of privacy. It’s the most comforting thing he’ll ever do.

“You looking at porn?” You joke, but Quaritch just sighs in response.

“Sooner you shut up, the sooner I’ll be done.” 

You can’t argue with that. It must be weird for him too, to still have to jerk off into a cup so he can be a pseudo sperm-donor for an embryo he’ll never know.

You try not to listen too much to what he’s doing, and you can tell, from how much he’s flipping the pages of some old 2100s era Earth porn- he’s not exactly focused on what he’s supposed to be doing. What the hell was Selfridge and the other scientists thinking? That you were interested in having a voyeur experience?

You know that Bridgehead is really busy, what with all the expansions and all for the new human citizens, so you're guessing this was the only free room. You wonder if Z-Dog and Wainfleet are in the same predicament. Why not at least put you in the same room as Z-Dog, so you have a bit of a girl-to-girl, weird bonding experience? Nothing says best friends like getting your eggs extracted together.

Soon, a little robot of some kind comes by through the door, and gives you what has to be the most embarrassing object. 

A dildo.

Not exactly a dildo, because it's not a toy, but it's a very well crafted, self-lubricating, vibrating egg-extractor. Long, slim, phallic and curved in a way that you know will hit the right spot. You feel yourself flush a little.

The robot tells you to "get yourself ready," with the device, and when you're adequately so, to click a button and let it extend itself into your uterus, where it will harvest the egg for safe keeping. 

You really think this is some kind of practical joke. You would've vastly preferred the cold, clinical nature of a doctor asking you to stay calm as they put you under, and insert something into you. 

But you guess it has to be somewhat pleasurable, so they can get you to do it again at some point if they need to. 

"Those sick bastards." You mutter under your breath, and you hear Quaritch stir a little next to you. 

You decide to just get it over with, and pull down your sweatpants- just down to your knees- and your panties. You lay back against the bed, and fiddle with the device. 

Even when you were on Earth, you usually just messed around with dudes who were on your squad in the Navy. This is kind of new territory for you.

You gently press the tip of the device against yourself, and feel awkward. It just is mechanical, cold, and weird- until it starts vibrating, and emitting some sort of magically warm gel that makes you feel soft, as if your skin is beginning to tingle all over, spreading from in between your thighs, up your stomach, and into your chest. 

That's pretty good. You have to admit that yourself. 

You tentatively push it across your folds, not in just yet, and you feel yourself slicken, wetness pooling around the device- it's a sudden whirlwind of a feeling that has you seeing stars. God, you really have missed this feeling, but it's somehow even more intense in your Na'vi body. 

It begins to vibrate against your clit as you move it up and down in a testing, rudimentary way, and you very softly- just barely, audibly moan.

/

Quaritch's ears stand up, on edge. He's horribly alert of everything you're doing, and there's nothing he can do but listen. 

First, your scent is incredibly strong- intoxicating in a way that makes him sure that this is what Sully felt when he got some local tail. Your arousal has him closing his eyes, and thinking of what he would do if he was just a few feet over- pinning you down and thrusting in. Second, that vibrating sound- he knows what it’s doing, and that makes it all the more tempting to just go over and show you what a real man should feel like.

Still, Quaritch wants to follow the rules just this one time, because he's not used to his Na'vi body, either, and he would rather figure out his whole… situation, down there, before he immediately proceeds into sex. 

But he’s a bastard, too. He always goes headfirst into whatever his instincts tell him to do, and it hasn’t exactly failed him yet. Except when he died, obviously.

He hears you, just very subtly moaning, and his ears perk up as he listens.

Quaritch is too impatient to care. There’s a throbbing in his camo pants now, with no thanks to that shitty old magazine, and he knows- like all men know- what he wants to do to get rid of it.

He lifts the curtain aside, where you’re currently holding that damned toy, as your pants ball up around your knees. You’re half-lying against a pillow, and your baby t-shirt is riding up, just showing off a hint of your breasts. You’re not quite in the throes of passion, not yet, but your mouth is half-open, and your lids are half lidded as you gaze at him, your hand stopping in between your thighs.

Quaritch clenches his jaw. It’s insane how fast his hormones are- pumping through his blood, to where his pants are getting uncomfortably tight. It’s quite a sight, he can’t exactly blame himself for moving forward. 

You, to your credit, don’t draw yourself back. You just stare at him, face turning warm- probably not red, all things considered- and Quaritch just stands in front of you, taking your hand from between your legs.

“This is what they got you using?” He scoffs, pulling at the device, away from your legs. You involuntarily twitch at the movement, and your pussy suddenly feels cold. 

Quaritch tuts at the way you’re shaking a little, how you’re clearly so needy, and he leans in with an eager, almost malicious smile. His body easily towers over your own, and you feel your heart race as he looks down at you- up and down your entire body. 

“Why don’t we do things the old fashioned way?” Quaritch murmurs, a deep rumble in his chest as he does so.

You think you should say no. First of all, you don’t want to get pregnant, and second of all, it seems like Quaritch isn’t exactly being impartial, is he? You know that Earth porn probably did nothing for the guy, but that doesn’t mean you have to be his unwilling participant.

Still, as Quaritch gently nudges his bulge against you, your folds slick against the roughness of the cloth, causing you to inhale unsteadily at the pleasant friction, you realize you’re entirely willing to do this. In fact, all things considered, Quaritch is a hell of a lot more attractive than some of the other Recoms out there.

And it feels more natural than the device, which you were sadly struggling to insert. Lube or not, it was a little too out there for you.

You breathe in, feeling his bulge throb against you. “Okay.”

Quaritch doesn’t take much time to unbuckle his pants and underwear, his dick flopping out as he does. You’re a little amused- it’s proportional to his body, but it’s a lot bigger looking than any of the human dicks you’ve seen. 

It occurs to you that you probably look the same way to him. Tall, lithe body. Impossibly tiny waist. Plump chest and ass. Thick thighs. The proportions are different, but good. 

“Are you laughing at me, soldier?” Quaritch pulls off his tank top, his bare muscles causing your face to warm a little, and he towers over you now. His arms are a lot stronger than yours and he pins you down. 

“What the hell are you gonna do about it, Colonel?” You rile him up a little. Just for fun, since it seems like everything has gone batshit insane today. 

Might as well get some extra anger out of him, so this can count as stress relief, too.

“Well, let’s see.” He uses his hands to spread out your thighs, flattening and pressing them into the mattress, splitting your legs apart. He massages your thighs as he talks. “I guess I’m trying to knock you up. Get you nice and filled up with me.”

It causes a tingle in your lower stomach, watching Quaritch size you up as his hands firmly grasp your thighs. 

He inhales, and- with the practised familiarity of someone who hasn’t done this in a while- pumps his fist over his dick, just to remember the sensation. Quaritch slides his dick against you, causing you to convulse as it snugly fits into your outer folds, the head of his dick meeting where your clit is. There’s a throbbing sensation that seems to flow from him into you- and you swear pre-cum must be leaking from him, or you’ve just gotten a lot more wet.

“Ah- fuck- ” You groan, and Quaritch clearly likes the sound of that, because he slides his dick back and forth a few times. Lubing himself up. 

“You asked for this.” He grins at you, and he pushes your legs really wide this time, lifting them up a little as he enters you. 

Quaritch groans loudly when his dick has fully sheathed itself inside you, and you feel yourself twitching in anticipation, feeling more full than you’ve ever remembered feeling when you were human. He pulls your legs forward roughly, and you feel yourself clench around him as you wrap your legs around his waist.

Quaritch sighs in satisfaction, pressing his forehead against yours. He draws himself back, slowly, his dick slipping out of you sloppily, easily, and then thrusts forward at full speed, immediately filling you, causing you to moan loudly. He begins to thrust, slowly, testing the waters, and with every time he fills you, you feel your walls clench around him, like your body can’t do anything but squeeze him.

Eventually Quaritch works himself to a much more rapid speed- like he has a lot of energy he desperately needs to get out. His skin is slapping against yours as he thrusts, sometimes at an even pace, now a bit more sporadically as he gets lost in the sensation, his taut thighs causing what can only be bruises against your own. He finds that with every thrust, your walls squeeze the head of his dick, causing a delicious throbbing sensation to run through his groin, and he wants to capture that feeling again and again. He finds it insane just how wet and good you feel when he ruts up against you- it’s heightened in a way that makes him never want to let go of you.

His hands make their way towards your waist- your ridiculously tiny waist- and he squeezes, marvels at the way it seems his hands could probably swallow you whole there. He’s alarmed to find out that he wants to kiss you there.

Quaritch tries to distract himself a little. Out of some instinct that he can’t quite place, he leans towards your ear, and nibbles on it with his fang. He didn’t exactly realize how much of an erogenous zone that would be for you- warmth spreads across your jaw and ears and cheeks, and you bite your lip in the absolute cutest way, your ears fluttering up and down, as you moan a little against his jaw. He moves his hands upwards, and pulls up your top, exposing your breasts. He roughly thumbs a nipple, causing you to wriggle around in pleasure, and then decides to latch his mouth onto it, his fangs just teasing and pulling at your nipple until you cry out.

He wants to do this again, and again, until you’re covered in his marks and bruises, all his , so he can claim you as his own woman to breed. Of course, Quaritch isn’t that stupid to actually go through with it- you’re a great soldier in your own right, and you probably don’t want to be owned- he just has this need inside him to absolutely own you in every possible way.

You feel like you’re impossibly hot, your body burning up from your lower regions, all the way to your face, to where Quaritch has bitten you, here and there. You’re feeling a pressure build inside you- and you think Quaritch can feel it too, considering how hard he’s grunting, pushing, and pressing inside you, seeking desperately for that release. 

Your hands make their way around his neck, and you lean in, and kiss him, your parted lips moving against his. You think Quaritch won’t be receptive- he is the coldest person you know- but his tongue swirls into your mouth, spit being swapped between the two of you, and he actually groans into your mouth, it being muffled and all. His hands stroke up and down your thighs, ass, waist, and tits, and he begins to thrust with a little more impact- less sloppy, more intensity- which has you absolutely melting at his touch, wrapping yourself tightly around him.

Some instinct of yours- something that comes with this body, at least- tells you to combine your queue with Quaritch’s, and you do so with shaky hands, your braid swinging over his shoulder, and combining with his as you hold them together. Quaritch doesn’t stop you, but what you feel surprises you.

Of course, there’s an overwhelming sense of lust and sex and arousal and all the things Quaritch is feeling right now, so he can breed you like a strong man would, but there’s also… affection? Attraction, yes, but affection?

You could just be getting confused with everything else that’s in there. But you think it’s there, a feeling of affection for his favourite subordinate, and that’s all you really needed to know. You like him, too. You feel like you’re really seeing him right now.

Quaritch moans against your mouth, and cums inside you, and it’s as if fireworks have gone off inside your brain, his orgasm lighting up yours in the soul bond. You convulse under him, moaning, feeling the waves overtake you as he grips you tightly, the ache of his cock causing you to feel pleasure ebb outwards.  

He slowly pulls out, and watches as cum drips down the sides of your thighs. Quaritch is kind of impressed- he did it, like he said he would- and he lays down next to you, sighing in contentment.

“So. Are we keeping it?” Quaritch teases, and you give him a wayward look.

“ It is not gonna be a baby, dumbass.” You roll your eyes, but something about Quaritch now makes you want to snuggle against him, his scent all warm and familiar, and so you do. You let your face lie flatly against his chest. You feel like it’s the bond- it still feels kind of present between you two.

“Woo, boy, if you don’t know how babies are made, I’m not sure I should have done you like that.” Quaritch laughs, and you sigh.

“Goddamnit.” You shake your head. “Selfridge said that our reproductive material are meant to make the next Recoms. They’re just gonna take the embryo, and use it’s cells to make a blank slate for the next Avatar or Recom or whatever it is. We just… took out the middle man for them.”

Quaritch isn’t too caught off guard by this. He’s used to all the science fuckery that the RDA does, and he decides to just let it go.

“Tell you what, Axe.” He uses your name, for real, as his hand combs through your hair. “Come by my quarters later, and we can do it again and again . However many times until you’ve got a baby in there.”

You still don’t want to be pregnant, and you’re pretty sure the colonel knows that- he’s just got some crazy impregnation fetish or creampie kink going on- but you’re kind of obsessed with him now, and the way that he keeps looking at you.

“I’m cool with that.” You nod, and if Quaritch was an honest man, he would say that he felt completely enamoured with that response.

You snuggle up next to him, not really caring that this is a medical lab, or that you should head back to your quarters. You’re tired, and you fall asleep fairly easily.

/

Quaritch doesn’t fall asleep. He feels crazy energized. You’ve given him a high unlike any other- and he’s in a particularly good mood because he feels… some way that he can’t articulate about you.

After you’re out cold, he puts his pants back on- and good thing he does, because Selfridge comes in without knocking. 

Selfridge looks from you, completely naked, and snoring under some blankets, to Quaritch, who’s suspiciously shirtless and stretching his legs out.

He looks aghast. “I didn’t think you two would really-”

“Really?” Quaritch leans over him. “Seems to me like you did it on purpose. Putting us in the same room and all.” 

Selfridge splutters over Quaritch’s accusation, and simply states that he needs the embryo, exiting after handing another extraction advice to him.

Quaritch jostles you awake. “Axe. You gotta do something and then we got to leave, alright?”

You nod sleepily, and he hands you the extraction advice. You rub your eyes and then realize what you’re holding.

“Turn around?”

Quaritch gives you a “ really? ” sort of look, but you’re serious, so he raises his hands jokingly and complies.

It’s a really quick one minute procedure. The little device crawls up inside you in an almost-undetectable fashion, and then after a moment, it pops back out, with a symbol indicating that it has successfully taken the embryo out, and put it inside it’s storage section. It’s weird- you know you were told to come here when you were ovulating, but it’s like a pregnancy test. It confirms that you and Quaritch kind of made a potential baby… or something that will go on to become genetic material for a blank slate.

You’re too tired to care. You put your clothes back on, and yawn, feeling your eyes fluttering. Quaritch picks you up, bridal style, as you snuggle your face into his chest, wrapping your arms around his neck. He exits the room, sidestepping around different human RDA members, and Recoms and Avatars who are staring the two of you down. Looks of confusion among all of them.

Quaritch doesn’t give a fuck. He steps into an elevator, and it pulls the two of you up towards the higher floors of the skyscraper.

You know this will be gossip for all the other RDA members, but for now you can just sleep, completely satisfied.

[princess-of-thebes-bc]

Baby Trap Chapter 5

Yandere! Recom Miles Quaritch x Female Human Reader

You huffed in annoyance as you walked down the cold frigid halls of the head base of Bridgehead City.

 You averted your eyes from the other staff walking around. You knew you were rather popular.

 The wife of the Colonel, the first woman who gave birth to half breed Navis. Half Humans who looked like full Navi children with no traces of physical human traits. 

(The Sully kids had a quarter of human blood and human traits in their physical forms. Since Jake mated with Neytiri when he was in his Avatar Na'vi body.)

But, most of all, the worst reason. The most beautiful lady ever existed sucked a Na'vi's penis in front of multiple men. 

You gently knocked on the door of General Ardmore and you heard a mumbled affirmation to step in. You breathed in. Let's get this over with. 

Back in Hell's Gate Base, you remembered with painful memories of going to the Human Quaritch's office. The first time was to "ask" him to convince Selfridge to not cancel the Avatar Research Program. 

Then after that, having sex in his office whenever he called for you. As if you were on speed dial. And you bitterly remembered when someone almost walked in on you two years ago. 

The damn General was typing on her hologram computer. She looked to see you and she sneered before beckoning to sit you on the seat in front of you. 

You sat and she stared at you for a while before opening that vile mouth of hers. By her cold blue eyes. She obviously hated you. She reminded you a lot of Maria Walker. 

Luckily, Walker died again by Neytiri. From what you heard. You hid your glee from the Colonel. You didn't want to see her ugly face ever again. As a human at the old base, she would mock and jeer whenever the Colonel was not looking. 

Not to mention, you hated Walker even more despite being dead for almost a year. Why? Jealousy. 

Remember how your husband said he wished he was married to Walker, Zdinarsik or this bitch Ardmore because of your 'wrong' views?

Ditto. Your life would have been easy if you were married to a scientist who respected Navis. Hell, maybe even Lyle. Lyle might change sides for you. Like how Jake did for Neytiri. 

The unattractive masculine deep voice distracted you from your thoughts. "It's a shame we never spoke before. Despite you living here for almost a year." The General's smile was mocking you. 

You smiled. "I have been so busy lately."

General Ardmore nodded. "Yes, raising four kids (remember Spider is with Jake now.) and a husband must be time consuming…." Her cold blue eyes stared at your flat stomach. "And another on the way."

You gasped. How did she know? Besides, just hearing an extra heart beat is not enough to be sure you were pregnant. 

"I am not."

The General scoffed. She leaned in on her desk. "I am not stupid. The cameras showed me the pregnancy tests you bought and threw away in the trash."

Shit. 

"Did you tell your husband yet?"

You shook your head no. She raised a brow. "I also heard some yelling the other night. Lovers' quarrels?" She chuckled. 

If you weren't weaker than her, you would have slapped her ugly face. She found your annoyed expression amusing. Sadistic bitch. 

"And the Colonel's new squad. You gave them quite a show at the gym. I heard some men were jealous and wished they saw it too."

You felt your face turn red. This hag was pushing your limits. You stood up in defiance and she glared. You left and ignored her orders to stay. 

That's it. You had it! Fuck this diplomacy shit. You will run away. Or die trying. You don't care if you get caught again and get fucked in public by your husband. 

No. To hell with him. You will divorce him. Just because he is handsome and charming is not enough. You may love his qualities but you refuse to ruin your kids' life. Especially your daughter. If she stays here, she might be forced to be in a relationship with other men like you were due to her beauty when she grows up.

As usual, caught people staring at you with desire. Luck for you, they knew you belonged to the damn Colonel, they left you alone. 

Sadly, Isabella Maria was sadly noticed by the staff, soldiers, contractors and others. You had a feeling, if you or your husband weren't careful. Someone might commit pedophilia.

There was a space shuttle coming to Pandora again to pick up the Pro Navi helpers. Like you. They were sponsored by the United Nations. They would come a few times a year.

You have to find Miles/ Spider and send him a long with other two human kids back to Earth. You felt like a shitty mother. It was mistake coming to Pandora for vacation. This was the least you can do for them. 

[cut-the-camera]

Valentines Day with Charlie Spring

Charlie Spring x Male! Reader

When he was single he pretended he didn't care about valentines day. He laughed with Tao while the two of them pretended to be sick behind the backs of couples snogging in the halls, point out sappy teddy bears in Tesco and roll his eyes, jokingly repost cynical memes on the big day itself but secretly he did always want someone to make a big fuss over him.

He'd spend valentines days angrily drumming along to break up songs (or sit listening to Gracie Abrams and crying) and watching ever cheesy romance film there is. "Top 10 queer romance films" is deffo in his search history.

When he first got with you, he found himself fantasising about valentines day. He's the type to hint to you what he wants. He'll repost tiktoks that say 'this person wants to be your valentine but is too scared to ask' or 'this person wants an aquarium date with you this valentines' etc

He acts really embarrassed and like 'ugh I just can't with you, what're you like' when you actually ask him to he your valentine but he's beaming

He's the type to want to make a big fuss of you. He zones out in class thinking of allll the ways he could make you feel special whether it's inviting you out for a romantic picnic or taking you out on a beach walk at night (he did accidentally end one of those day dreams with a proposal and had to snap himself out of that FAST)

Tao tries to help him think of an idea but that gets way out of hand way too quickly with Tao's outlandish ideas of musical numbers or extravagant floral arrangements (he prepared a list of every great valentines proposal from iconic films and made Charlie watch it for ideas)

He seems like a stuffed bear person. He would spend ages standing in the aisles in the shops (picturing that massive jelly cat section in Selfridges for anyone who lives in Brum) just to pick the right cuddly toy for you

No matter what massive gesture he does back for you or how grateful you are, he always feels like he can never do enough for you. Be prepared for him to spend the next few hours going 'are you sure you like it' or 'I feel really bad now'

Just know that his instagram stories for you are absolutely immaculate, they're almost cinematic with the videos of you and the music and pictures of you in hearts etc

You will absolutely piss everyone off by exchanging gifts at school. People are literally rolling their eyes at you (especially Tao - you make up for it by helping him ask Elle out for Valentines day)

You'll go round each others houses after school to hang out. You'll try and build legos or do a puzzle but it does end up in a little bit of a squabble. You two decide to snuggle up and watch romance films (you pretend that you're only doing it with him and then you both end up crying at the end of a sad or a little bit too happy film)

You text into the early hours of the next morning as soon as you have to go home. He tells you how much he enjoyed the day and how much he loves everything you did for him (there are also a lot of thank yous and 'are you sure I'm worth all of this)

If there was an exchange of any stuffed animals then whoever gifted it received pictures of it for the rest of the evening eating dinner or sitting at the desk or wrapped up in bed etc

Overall it was a day filled with kisses, cuddles, dates and showing your love to each other

REQUESTS

[mydearneteyam]

MASTERLIST AVATAR (2009)

last update ;; june 6

golden trio ( jake ;; neytiri ;; tsu'tey )

nothing yet ¡!

human team ( grace ;; norm ;; max ;; trudy )

nothing yet ¡!

RDA ( quaritch ;; selfridge ;; lyle )

nothing yet ¡!

imagines ( you )

nothing yet ¡!

series

nothing yet ¡!

[shu-box-puns]

You wanna be one of them (Tsu’tey x Reader) Act 3

Previous chapter <- Act 3 -> Next Chapter

If you prefer to read on Ao3, you can find the fic here!

Word count: 7677

Summary: Tsu’tey dropping hints, and everything going over Reader’s head.

Reader uses they/them pronouns.

The long helicopter ride back to Hell’s Gate was painfully awkward. 

Quaritch had been quick and efficient in getting everyone evacuated out of the compound and moved to the waiting Sampson.

You refused to speak when addressed. Seething that you’d been pulled out at such a crucial time, and before dinner of all things. The hunters had brought in fresh yerik this morning, which you’d been greatly looking forward to until Neytiri and Jake rocked up freshly mated and turned everything to shit. 

At least Trudy had been spared. Upon landing, Quaritch had sent her on her way with little more than a slap on the wrist and a promise of getting her grounded if she stepped out of line. She went easily enough, looking hesitant until Grace shot her a firm look. 

That was half an hour ago. Now you were in headquarters, lined up with the other three whilst Quaritch and Selfridge attempted to negotiate the chaos. The colonel had wisely left you cuffed, even after removing everyone else’s. He’d taken one look at the burning fury in your eye and decided he’d be safer if he left you restrained. 

You stood stony faced as Grace attempted to negotiate with Quaritch and Selfridge who clearly were not understanding a word of what she was saying. You could already tell from Selfridge’s expression and the firm set of Quaritch’s crossed arms that they’d already made up their minds. 

You busied yourself with looking around the room while they talked. The other workers in the large office blatantly ignored the conversation whilst Wainfleet guarded the door. 

There was a na’vi bow mounted on the wall in Selfridge’s office. It hung above his head like a bad omen. You recognised the finely carved wood from HomeTree. Took into account the decorative swirls at the tips. Whoever had calved it was definitely dead. Their hard work reduced to a trophy in a dusty office.

Grace finished her small monologue and Selfridge laughed. Any lingering hope that this could be resolved without bloodshed abruptly evaporated. 

Quaritch spoke up, ushering the small group to gather around a nearby monitor. The guards followed suit, intrigued by Jake’s exhausted face popping up on screen in the form of a video log. Even Wainfleet was drawn away from his position so he could look at the monitor. 

You didn’t bother drawing closer. A glance at the date confirmed that you’d been present during that late night rant, tucked out of frame but staring bug eyed at the tired marine as he ranted.

Taking the distraction for what it was, you glanced at the open door and saw your chance.

Knowing the sound of your boots would draw attention, you slipped out of them. One careful footstep after another. The guards hadn’t given you time to lace them up back at the compound, so they came off easily. Then you simply walked out, head held high and your strides confident. No one called you back.

Your footsteps made no sound against the freezing metal floors as you calmly walked out of the main office and took the stairs two at a time down three flights. If you encountered someone in the hallway, you offered a friendly smile and they mostly waved back. It was easy. Unnervingly easy.

By chance, you encountered Trudy outside of the main avatar link room. Her eyes bugged out of her head when she noticed you, head snapping from your triumphant grin to your still cuffed wrists.

She shifted her stance, hands on her hips with an easy grin. “I didn’t know you were so slippery.”

“It was all the training.” You assured her, to which she nodded, looking you up and down with newfound respect.

“Glad to see you’re okay. Are the others?”

“Still trying to talk Quaritch out of hitting HomeTree.”

“So, they just let you go?” Trudy pressed, still looking confused by the cuffs and your lack of shoes.

“About that. Got any good hiding spots around here.”

She rolled her eyes with a taxing sigh before nodding, face splitting into a mischievous grin. You abruptly recalled why the two of you had always gotten on so well. With your crazy ideas and her willingness to follow along despite the dangers, you made a formidable team. You’d only wished you’d spent more time here to remind yourself of that. 

Trudy took great pride in comically looking left, then looking right before grabbing your forearm and hauling you down the nearest corridor towards the hangar. 

“I like your attitude Dr.” 

>_<

<”Tsu’tey.”> Mo’at voice was kind, her hand grounding on his shoulder, but the warrior barely spared her a glance. 

His heart was pounding, hands shaking as he cradled the face of his limp friend. Y/n did not stir at the feeling of hands on their face. They looked dead. He almost believed they were, but there was breath against his skin. The steady rise and fall of their chest. A strong pulse beneath his fingertips.

<”We must move them to the healing cove.”> Mo’at continued, soothing in her tone. Numbly, Tsu’tey nodded, but he did not move away. Not at first. <”I will do everything I can.”> The Tsahik assured him, whistling for a couple of her apprentices to rush forward and scoop up the still body. 

With that, Y/n’s body was whisked away, following Jake and Grace’s that had already been taken to the medical chamber to be tended to and prayed over.

Tsu’tey did not follow. His limbs were heavy. Mind still jared from the sight of the life leaving Y/n’s face. He’d never witnessed such a sudden unlinking. It was unnatural. It had almost looked painful, his arm still stinging from the indents of their nails raking down his skin as their knees gave out.

At his side, Neytiri was in a similar state. Her expression hollow, eyes unseeing as if a piece of her had followed Jake to wherever he had gone. 

Tsu’tey stilled. The compound. Y/n had said something about the compound.

A half-baked plan formed in the back of his mind as he grabbed Neytiri’s wrist. <”Come.”> He urged, taking off at a sprint for the spiral staircase. Dazed, Neytiri obediently followed, keeping pace with Tsu’tey as the pair ascended through the levels of HomeTree and emerged into the roost.

<”What are we doing up here?”> Neytiri asked, her voice lacking any real emotion.

<”You wish to save Jake, do you not?”> Tsu’tey asked, already knowing the answer. The woman visibly collected herself, expression reanimating as Tsu’tey whistled for his ikran. <”There is a base within the mountains.”>

<”Then we must hurry.”> Neytiri agreed, hollering for Seze who was quick to break through the canopy. 

As soon as his mount touched down, Tsu’tey connected his kuru. His ikran immediately responded to the adrenaline coursing through his blood and was swift in manoeuvring himself to the lip of the branch. Seze followed suit, shadowing the larger ikran as Tsu’tey urged him into flight. With twin whoops, the pair launched themselves from the branches of HomeTree and sped towards the direction of the mountains.

They made good time. The compound coming into view as a shining speck on the horizon. The metal ikran that had been nesting in front of the shack the last time Tsu’tey had visited was gone, leaving a clear landing strip for the ikran.

Touching down, Tsu’tey threw himself down from his mount, running a hand soothingly along his neck before disconnecting his kuru. He was careful in approaching the eerily still building. Ears pricked for unexpected Sky People or for familiar movement inside. 

Elegantly, Neytiri slid down from Seze. <”This place is too still.”>

He could only nod, stooping before the small metal door and knocking. His fist left an indent in the weak metal, but he was too stressed to care. Nothing moved within the building. The scent of many Sky People plagued the wind of the mountain, their smells poisoning the door and the grass all around. If he focused, Tsu’tey could tell that they were stale. Hours old.

His expression morphed into a scowl. Neytiri appeared at his side, peering into one of the windows, whilst Tsu’tey dropped into a crouch and gingerly reached the door handle. His large fingers mimicked how Grace had opened it before, the weak metal barrier opening easily under his touch. It had not been locked. 

<”Check the surroundings.”> Tsu’tey ordered his companion, only waiting long enough for her to nod before he tucked himself in small and shuffled into the airlock. With the door closed behind him, he listened to the wheeze of pandora air being sucked out of the tight space before the light overhead flashed green and the second door unlocked.

The scents here were more intense. Hinting towards a lived in space. There was food on the table, a tap still running against the far wall, the sink almost overflowing with dirty dishes. 

Discarding all that useless information, Tsu’tey moved further into the space, his tall body contorted to fit. The deeper he ventured, the more signs of struggle he found. Furniture had been overturned and doors left open, a couple barely hanging on by their hinges. Scattered papers carpeted the floor underfoot, books opened wide, their pages disfigured.

It distantly reminded Tsu’tey of the school. How it had looked after the Sky People had ransacked it. The scents were the same, the fear and rage poisoning the air. 

The only comfort was that there was no blood. Bullet wounds did not scar the walls of the tight space, nor did smoke poison the air. 

But that did not set his heart at ease. There was no one here. 

He had been too late. 

He felt the loss like a blow to the chest, his teeth grinding as he desperately rechecked the small space. Looking in cupboards and under the table in search of hiding places or survivors. He came up empty handed each time.

With nowhere else to look, he emerged back out into the sunlight to find Neytiri pacing beside Seze. She caught his gaze across the clearing, all movements stills as she looked at him with such heart shattering hope. He shook his head. She crumbled before his eyes.

<”They took him.”> Neytiri whispered, voice on the verge of breaking. Tsu’tey was quick to go to her, to drag her into his chest and hold her firmly as her shoulders shook. <”They took my mate!”> She yelled, pain twisting her words as she clawed at him. Desperately seeking comfort. 

Tsu’tey held her through it, shoving down his own grief in the face of her panic. He needed to be strong for her. A rock. Just as he had always been.

<”Come. We must return to the clan.”> He said, giving her something to do in hopes it would help her recollect herself. <”There is nothing more we can do here.”>

>_<

HomeTree was burning. 

And you could do nothing but listen to the victory announcement over the comms echoing throughout the deserted hangar.

Tears streamed down your face as you bit into your fist in a feeble attempt to quieten your sobs. Tears dripped onto the floor of the footwell of Trudy’s helicopter; heart aching for those lost and those left behind. There was no way of knowing who had survived, and who had already died. How many? How many of your friends had been crushed by the falling tree? And how many had passed afterwards in the aftermath?

You should’ve known. Should have spent more time around Hell’s Gate. Should have figured out Quaritch’s plan and foiled it. Instead of frolicing in the forest, greedily spending as much time with Tsu’tey as your days would allow. You should have-

You cut off your train of thought.

You had to get back. Somehow, you needed to relink and warn the People. You needed to be useful by either providing another pair of hands or bringing back valuable information. 

Trudy had to come back soon, it had been two hours since she’d shoved you in here and locked you inside with a swift promise to return with the others. You’d managed to snap the link of the handcuffs ages ago. 

You were pulled from your internal spiral by people climbing up onto the side of the helicopter and reaching for the engine covers. You tensed, making yourself smaller in the cockpit as the doors at the rear of the helicopter opened and someone boarded.

“I got them.” Trudy called by way of greeting as she fell into the pilot’s seat and began flipping buttons and pulling levers. She was grinning from ear to ear as she thrust an exo pack into your lap, which you busied yourself with putting it on. “You doing okay?”

“They got HomeTree.” You replied brokenly. Trudy winced. 

“I know. But we’re gonna get you back in there.” She replied stubbornly, “we’re gonna steal the mountain compound and drop it somewhere near the Tree of Souls. That’s where the clan has gone.” You nodded along to her hurried explanation, eyes catching on Grace and Jake tearing across the tarmac towards the helicopter.

In the rear, Norm was yelling at them to hurry up as a door on the second level banged open. You inhaled sharply as an armed figure stormed across the upper landing, shoulders hunched as they typically did when carrying a rifle. 

Norm was hauling Jake up into the helicopter, dragging him in as Grace threw his chair in. 

The figure opened fire. Bullets bounced off of the windshield as Trudy kicked the engine into gear, screaming at the others to hurry the fuck up. 

Grace lifted herself into the rear, and Trudy gripped the cyclic stick. 

With the rapid pump of pedals, the overhead propellers roared to life and the machine took flight. Bullets chased the aircraft out of the hangar as Trudy aimed for the open doors. 

Then you were free. Soaring over the tarmac before Trudy pulled up hard and the helicopter went racing towards the stars. You whooped as Hell’s Gate disappeared far below, nothing but its lights marking its position on the ground below. 

“You all alright back there?” Trudy called, as the joyous whoops in the back died down.

“Grace got hit!” Jake yelled from the rear, and your previous joy evaporated. 

>_<

You tried to make Grace comfortable in the spare link unit. After tightly wrapping her stomach, Jake had tossed a blanket over her shivering form before wheeling away to Norm’s active pod in search of a shot of tranexamic acid. Propping her head up on a pillow, you tried not to let your eyes stray to the strip of red peeking out from beneath the blanket, instead choosing to adjust the material so it was out of sight.

High above, you heard the heavy footfalls of Norm walking along the roof, securing the supports which would lift the compound from the floor. Above the distant hum of the samson engine, you could hear Norm yelling to Trudy that the lines were secured. There was no audible reply, but you could tell from the groan of cables and the slight lurch that the compound had been lifted clear. 

“Are you going to keep scowling all evening?” Jake asked from across the room with no humour. Your expression hardened as you made a conscious effort not to give him the satisfaction of getting a response. Instead you refocused your attention on Grace, your touch soothing as you pushed her sweaty hair away from her damp forehead, your stomach twisting at her ashy complexion and the laboured puffs of her breath.

You begrudgingly moved aside as the marine wheeled up to the lip of the unit, leaning over Grace to inject the tranexamic acid into her bloodstream. With luck, it would offer a larger window of time in which you could get her help.

Grace barely flinched at the sharp pain, her eyes slipping open but unseeing. You remained close, clutching her hand tightly between your own. It was limp and cold in your grip. 

She didn’t snap at you to let go. That she was fine and that you were overreacting. And it made your heart crumble like it was a piece of paper that someone had clutched harshly in their fist. 

Jake momentarily forgotten, you felt your knees go weak as you lowered yourself into a kneel beside the unit, head bowed to hide your face. This couldn’t be happening. 

At your side, Jake sighed taxingly. He sounded exhausted. Drained. “Look, I know you’re pissed-”

You hissed at him, hating the sound of his voice in such a delicate situation. Grace was dying and he was still talking about himself, still trying to defend himself. Deep in your chest, amongst the festering wounds of grief and fear, a white hot slice of anger made itself known. 

You didn’t let go of Grace’s hand. Couldn’t bring yourself to sever this precious connection, despite the rage in your tone. 

“Will you just shut up!” You snapped back bitterly. Grace’s fingers twitched against you, a weak squeeze. It helped ground you, to reign in your anger somewhat. 

Beside you, Jake didn’t look like he was breathing. He was frozen in time. Eyes carefully tracking your every movement as if you were a thanator and he was back in his avatar body trying to decide the best way to survive. 

Distantly, you wished you hadn’t jumped in on that day. That you had allowed Eywa’s creature to tear this man to shreds as the Great Mother had intended. At the time, you would have felt guilty, but perhaps, if Jake had not had access to his avatar, none of this would have happened.

A thought struck you, as jarring and shocking as a frying pan over the back of the head. “It was YOU that gave Quaritch that information, wasn’t it?” Jake’s mouth closed with an audible click, eyes bugging wide. Your stomach clenched as you realised that that reaction told you everything you needed to know. Silently, you thanked Eywa that you didn’t have your hunting knife on you and that your gun was well out of reach. Grace’s poor heart would not be able to survive the sound of you murdering this stupid man just feet from her wounded body.

The marine held your gaze, even as he refused to speak up. It made you want to smack him. “I know it was.” You continued on, voice venomous with every word. Grace’s hand had gone completely limp in your own, the pain having finally knocked her out. With great effort, you pulled yourself away from her grasp, filtered air sawing in and out of your lungs with each desperate inhale. 

You heard Jake swallow audibly as you hauled yourself to your feet, glaring down at him. “How else would Quaritch know how to hit HomeTree? To go for the supporting outer structures? That the helix staircase acted as a skeleton for the entire thing?” The image of HomeTree burning flashed across your mind. That ancient, ancestral monument brought to its knees, toppled like a fence in a strong wind.

“It was me.” Jake admitted, in a way that foretold a ‘but’ was on the horizon. “But that was before, when it was only about the mission.” 

You laughed, the sound strained and painful. “You did this.” 

It felt like you were cursing him. An underlying threat despite the simplicity of the phrase. Jerkily, you skirted around him, hands clutching the bolted shelves as the compound swayed and lurched as it got batted around by the wind. 

Jake struggled to find the right words to defend himself. He spoke in a rush, as if terrified you’d cut him off before he could fully explain himself. Still defending his image. Still trying to play the hero. “I did. But I’m gonna do everything in my power to make it right-” Another barked laugh left your tightening throat. You had reached your end of the room now where your belongings sat. Buried deep in the bottom of your satchel sat a RDA issued handgun. “What power Jake? There is nothing we can fucking do.”

“This isn’t over.” He said it so simply. Like that was all there was to it. Just emotion, and a drive to stick together.

“Jake.” You turned in place, fighting every instinct and burning desire to whip out your weapon and finally get him to shut up. “Wake up already.” 

Jake’s passive expression finally turned hostile, his brow furrowing into a scowl as the words hit home. You’d heard it spoken countless times over the past few months in regard to his extensive time spent in the link. Had heard it yourself during your early weeks on Pandora before you’d groan a backbone and forced everyone to back off. 

His tone was furious as he finally raised his voice. “Will you stop being negative for two seconds?!”

The shout had your own rage rearing its head in challenge. It was refreshing to have him fighting back instead of pleading for forgiveness. It would demonstrate his true colours as lips always grew loose during times of high emotion.

“Will you use your head for two seconds? You know, the one up here instead of your fucking dick.” You retorted, tapping your temple twice. Jake levelled you with an acidic glare. You turned the fowl look in kind. “HomeTree is gone. They know you knew what Quaritch was planning. There is no way they’re gonna let us back in.” You yelled out a rush. Before adding, “you’ve fucked this up for both of us.”

Jake’s expression immediately melted into one of pity. 

“No.” He insisted, “no I didn’t.” 

He sounded so certain. As if he hadn’t destroyed everything. As if he hadn’t fucked up everything he touched. 

You laughed again, the sound pained and twisted. Jake kept talking, kept trying to fill your head with fantasies and hope as if Grace wasn’t dying, and the clan you called home hadn’t abandoned you. “They still have your avatar.” Jake reassured you, “it was upstairs with mine and Grace’s when we relinked-”

“Then it’s definitely destroyed by now.”

“They probably took you with them.”

“Why the hell would they do that?” The words hurt to voice but they were true. “We’re Sky People. They see us as Demons. They wouldn’t risk it.”

“Like that ever stopped Tsu’tey.” Jake reasoned.

“Do NOT speak his name!” 

Jake ignored you, sprouting more and more words of encouragement. “I’ve got a plan. We’re gonna get back in there, and we’re gonna help the people.”

“They will never allow us back. Neytiri would kill you on sight.”

He visibly deflated. “She’s never going to look at me the same again.”

“To be betrayed by your mate,” you narrated, “it simply doesn’t happen in their world. Your mate is the one person you can rely on to always have your back, to love and cherish you indefinitely. If anything, she’ll feel obligated to welcome you back because of those deeply ingrained values.” 

Jake kept nodding, his eyes shining. You knew at that moment that he was going back with or without you. That he would stop at nothing to give Grace the best chance of survival he could find. And that was something you could respect.

It took considerable strength to shove down your pride, but the bewildered look on his face was worth it. “Make sure you earn it.” You ordered him. “I don’t care what you do, but make sure when you are forgiven, it is because you deserve it.” He nodded along.

“Do you really think Tsu’tey would’ve abandoned you over this?”

“Yes.” You replied honestly. “He’s driven by his duty to the people. If he deems me a threat, he would’ve left my avatar to burn alongside HomeTree. When I link up, I’ll know where I stand.”

“Good to know.”

>_<

As Trudy lowered the compound into the forests deep into the Hallelujah Mountains closer to the Tree of Souls, you relinked. The others had agreed to take care of Grace whilst you checked on the clan, anxious to find out what had happened to your avatar.

You woke to a cloudy sky and the soothing commotion of cooking food and people talking in hushed, tearful whispers. The mood within the clearing was sombre, the voices of those around you sad or sobbing. Overhead, you saw the swaying vines of the Tree of Souls, and felt your throat tighten with emotion as you realised where you were.

With great effort, you managed to haul yourself up into a sitting position, to the gasps of the healers attending to your body. You smiled reassuringly as you realised you’d been laid out on a mat, still armed and your bow within arms reach.

One of the men tending to the other wounded rushed over to check you, his voice too low for you to catch what he was asking you. Rapidly, he checked your pulse and temple, pulled back your eyelids to assess your pupils before listening to your breathing. He relaxed when he found nothing amiss. 

You uttered your thanks before asking where the Olo’eyktan and Tsahik were. He motioned to the Tree of Souls where various figures were crouched, conversing on the raised platform of packed earth surrounding the roots. 

You bowed in appreciation before taking up your bow and weaving through the crowd towards the tree. The People parted easily for you, many smiling at your appearance and uttering soft thanks to Eywa for your safe return. You grinned back, momentarily soothed by the positive reaction despite how rocky things had ended only hours before. 

As you approached, you recognised the red, beaded shawl of the clan Tsahik. <“Mo’at. What happened?”> You asked as you approached. The person she was conversing with bowed as he departed, slipping back into the crowd as she turned to you. Her eyes were red and puffy, hair in disarray as she turned on you with a clack of beads. 

<“You’re alive.”> She whispered, soft as a prayer.

<“I escaped.”> You assured her. She nodded before sweeping forward and wrapping you in a tight hug, softly thanking the Great Mother for her guidance. You hugged back, not sure who was comforting who. 

She was crying again. <“Mo’at?”>

<“It’s all gone.”> She whispered. <“HomeTree. Eytukan. Most of the tribe.”> Your breath caught.

<“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”> You whispered, although you knew words alone would never heal this wound. No amount of regret would bring those people back. <“I’m sorry.”> Mo’at continued to cry, her sobs quiet as she hid her face in your shoulder. Hiding herself and her vulnerability from the fractured remains of the clan. Your arm wrapped around her back, whilst the other rested against the back of her head, keeping her close to you, allowing her this moment of weakness that she so desperately needed.

In turn, she held on tightly. Her arms wrapped tightly around your waist, pulling her to you with a grip strong enough to bruise. 

Throughout your time amongst the clan, you had never seen her like this. So lost and emotional. She’d always been a strong pillar of strength. The level-headed leader in every situation.

You were glad you could give back to her in some small way.

<”Y/n?”>

Your aching heart pounded at the soft utterance of your name. Back straightening, your head whipped round to find Tsu’tey picking his way across the roots of the Tree of Souls. His expression was pinched, his bow clutched tightly in his dominant hand. 

Your throat tightened at the ceremonial necklace at his neck, the mark of his elevated status in the clan. The final confirmation that what Mo’at had said was true, her mate was dead and Tsu’tey had risen in the ranks to take his place. 

He moved gracefully towards you, shoulder set and his tail raised. You weren’t sure if his scowl was of confusion or rage. Nor did you wish to find out, although it did loosen something in you that he was here, alive and whole. 

Throughout the adrenaline rush of escaping, you hadn’t dared contemplate what you would do if he had died whilst you were gone. 

And yet, your tail swayed in relief, your eyes drinking in the sight of him. Checking for injuries or pain in his face. As was expected, he was fine. 

His footsteps were even but silent, a predator stalking prey. <“You’re alive.”> He breathed, but you couldn’t tell if he perceived that as a good thing after the morning they’d experienced. 

With a deep, steadying breath, Mo’at pulled herself away from your neck and straightened. She took a moment to recollect her breathing, visibly pulling herself together as she scrubbed at the teartracks glistening across the apples of her cheeks. <”I am relieved that you are well.”> She praised, her trembling hands rising to your shoulders and squeezing with a mother’s reassurance. <”May Eywa smile upon your return.”> 

With that, she turned sharply on her heels and picked her way back across the roots, leaving you alone with the new Olo’eyktan. Absently, you mourned the loss of her comforting touch, realising with a pang that your physical shield had left you vulnerable to Tsu’tey’s reaction. 

The man in question had hardly moved throughout the short interaction, his eyes glued to your face. You swallowed again before returning your attention to him. He looked regal in the neckpiece, the textbook image of a leader. Power oozed off of him.

You tried to sound confident as you raised your hand to your forehead and greeted him. <”I see you, Olo’eyktan.”> <”Cut that out.”> Tsu’tey immediately hissed, his neutral expression morphing into a look that spoke of deep rooted fear and anger. 

Unexpectedly, he grabbed at you, making your body stiffen. Powerful hands grabbed at your shoulders as his eyes roamed across your body. Fingers prodded at your skin, checking for injuries or pains. You gasped as one colossal fist gripped you by the cheeks, turning your head this way and that. <”Did they hurt you?”> 

You floundered for a response. Face ablaze as your mind struggled to keep up with what was happening.

He bared his teeth at your lack of response, ears lying flat. <”Where?”> He continued, brow furrowing at the lack of blood on your skin.

Somehow you composed yourself. <”I’m fine.”> You reassured him, breath stuttering off into a wheeze as he slammed his hand against your chest, pressing down as he felt for your heartbeat. He stilled, fingers pressing into your flesh as he waited. <”I escaped before they could do anything to me.”>

He visibly relaxed, ears rising back up. He began nodding, comforted by your pulse and your response. 

And with a quiet prayer to the Great Mother, his hand slid around to your back and pulled you into him. There was no space left between you with how tightly he clung to your body, hands spread wide across your back as if he needed to hold as much of you as he could. 

You refused to cry as you returned the gesture. Shoving your face into his neck as his chin rested on the crown of your braids. There was an unmistakable rumble emitting from the centre of his chest, but you didn’t dare draw attention to it, for fear he would try to smother his purr. It comforted you on a level you could not describe, your body losing all its previous tension, mind going pleasantly blank despite the shitty situation that had brought about this reunion. 

The din of the clan fell away whilst you embraced him. And for a moment, it was only the two of you. His hands holding you secure. His purr soothing your fears. His scent turning you to mush. 

Fuck, it had only been a few hours, but it felt like you’d been gone for years. 

Tsu’tey pulled back, his hands finding purchase on your cheeks as he urged you to look at him, genuine fear and sorrow echoing in his eyes as he spoke. <”I went to the compound in the mountains. I came for you, I promise, but you were already gone.”>

<”You came for me?”> You whispered, feeling choked up by the simple and soft spoken admittance. The raw vulnerability in his voice and the sincere way he held you made you want to burst into tears. All the stress of the past few hours felt almost worth it. 

Relief was a balm to your nerves as you threw your arms tighter around him, clutching him to you tightly as he buried his face into your braids.<”Of course I did.”> He promised, and you believed him. 

You could tell you were gripping tighter than was probably appropriate, but he did not tell you off. He held you firmly. Allowing you to reassure yourself that he was here, and he was alive. Despite everything, he had come back to you in one piece. 

It was as if a colossal weight had been lifted from your shoulders by a kind god.

The beat of mighty wings had you freezing. 

No ikran could sound that heavy in the air. 

Tsu’tey’s head shot up, his arms tightening around your back. The sound of screaming had you tearing yourself out of his hold, spinning in place with your hand flying to your knife.

Toruk landed at the edge of the clearing, scaring half the clan into defensive positions whilst those who could not fight ran for cover. You instinctively backed up, clinging tightly to the beautiful knife your grasp. You knew in your heart that such a measly weapon would do little against such a majestic beast, but it helped ground you.

Tsu’tey stepped up to your side in moments. He did not pull you away or shove you behind him, so you could be protected. He stood beside you. Shoulder to shoulder, despite the fear clearly adorning his face. Fear for his people. 

Mo’at appeared at your other elbow, Neytiri in tow. 

And then a figure slid down Toruk’s side, disconnecting their queue as they smoothly stepped around its massive head, hands gliding over its eye ridge. The clan collectively held its breath.

<“Toruk Makto?”> Mo’at whispered from beside you. You glanced from the Tsahik to the mysterious rider who was making their way through the parting crowd. You recognised that stiff swagger, the cheap attempt at confidence and the tense set of their shoulders.

“Well I’ll be damned.” You laughed quietly to yourself as Jake approached the Tree of Souls, Neytiri already walking forward to greet him. Then you scoffed. “He’s such a show off.”

That earned you a sharp swat upside the head from a frowning Mo’at. 

>_<

When you had relinked, Grace had been merely dying. There was still hope.

But now, several hours later after a failed consciousness transfer, she was gone. You felt numb as the People sung their hymns, laying her to rest within the trees beyond the clearing with the rest of the fallen. Norm took her avatar away shortly after, his cheeks shining with tears. And then it was as if she was never there. 

Somehow, that thought was worse than watching her die. 

You slipped away from the clan, your footsteps clumsy as you tried to navigate your way through the trees with blurry vision. Grief was an arrow to the heart, twisting itself deeper with every choked off memory of Grace’s body. Of how happy she’d been to see the Tree of Souls despite her worsening condition. Of the pure wonder in her shaking voice as she grasped Jake’s hand, whispering a soft, “I’m with her Jake. She’s real.”

Your world had slowed as she faded. Her head slipped to the side as she went still. 

Mo’at had crouched over her body, searching for life. A soul. The Tsahik had shaken her head and backed away. <”There wasn’t enough time.”> She’d whispered. 

Panic had you scrambling up from your crouch. You stumbled over the extended roots of the tree, dropping to your knees near Grace’s head. Neytiri had already removed her exo pack and laid it beside her. She had looked peaceful, still smiling even in death.

Your quivering hand had cupped her face as you desperately called her name. Growing more frantic when she didn’t respond. 

Vaguely, you had heard the clan grow restless, Mo’at turning her back to calm them. Jake and Norm had settled in front of you, shielding you from their sights. 

“Y/n, she’s gone.” Norm said softly, trying to pull you away from Grace’s body.

You fought him off. <”No.”> Tears made your throat tight. <”Grace! Please.”>

Norm sighed wetly, his hands grabbing at your bicep, trying to pull you to him so he could comfort you. You struggled anew, tearing yourself away from him with a ferocious hiss. He frowned. Jake hadn’t moved from the other side of the body, his eyes distant. A puppet with his strings cut. 

You followed his gaze back to Grace, to her pale skin and relaxed body. It hit you like a truck how small she was. Her hands were barely the length of your palm. 

It was cold to the touch. Lifeless. 

They would never ruffle through your hair again. And Grace would no longer berate you for spending too much time in the link. Nor would she remind you to eat or to take care of yourself in and out of your avatar.

Eywa had taken her home. Had welcomed her into her realm and eternal peace. 

Tears slid down your cheeks as you paused to steady yourself against the trunk of a tree, the clan at your back and your fingers digging deep into the soft bark, as you struggled to control yourself. The moss was grounding beneath your fingernails, soft as a mother’s embrace. 

She was gone. 

Your other hand was quick to also press into the side of the tree, gripping at a low branch for dear life. Strength failed you as your knees shook, head bowed as if in prayer. 

You should’ve been a better friend. Should have been there more. Should have told her how much she meant to you. 

You slid to the ground, legs finally giving out as you knelt in the dirt and leaf litter, eyes squeezed shut and your breath sawing in and out. Faster and faster. Your vision blurred as spots danced before your eyes. You kept panting, picking up speed and not taking in as much air.

Gone. 

The thought was so final. So commanding. A fact. The cruel truth. 

You were almost too scared to accept it. 

>_<

When you finally pulled yourself together enough to make it back to camp, the clan was alive with activity. The ikran riders were long gone on their various missions to rally the clans, whilst those who remained behind were readying the camp for an influx of warriors. 

Mo’at was setting up a healing wing at the rear of the Tree of Souls. Whilst the People were busying themselves with cooking and tending to the wounded. Others mending weapons, tacked up pa’li and painted on each other’s war paint. 

The clan moved seamlessly with a single goal despite the hundreds of bodies completing different tasks. An effortless system, well oiled by repetition and familiarity. 

Tsu’tey saved you from standing idly by for too long. He materialised out of nowhere with a firm hand on your wrist. His gaze caught on your puffy eyes, before flickering all over your face as whatever he’d been meaning to say died on his tongue. You wanted to curl up and cry again, feeling pathetic as you were powerless in offering a decent explanation.

<“Come, we must prepare for war.”> Was what he finally came up with as he pulled you away from the treeline to a spare mat where various shades of war paint had already been laid out in shallow, wooden bowls. Judging by the paint smears caught in the mat fibres and the pigment staining the sides of the bowls, the station had been set up for someone else. 

<“Help me.”> Tsu’tey commanded short and simple. Easy to follow. 

He knelt in front of you, dragging you down to sit directly opposite him, before offering the nearest bowl of dark blue pigment. <“Just like I showed you, remember?”> He instructed, and you nodded, wordlessly taking the bowl from him and dipping two fingers in. 

With a generous amount in hand, you knelt up onto your knees so you were hovering above him, he tilted his face up to follow you, giving you a perfect view and a neutral canvas. Your stomach twisted at the first touch of skin, absently remembering that this was often a task reserved for mates or family members. The act of painting on war paint was supposed to be a sign of good luck. 

Your touch was feather light as you dabbed the first pair of markings high on either side of his temples, marking out the area you would later fill in with the blue. Fingers shaking, you gritted your teeth at the poor linework, wishing you had a ruler or something to make the markings sharper.

<“Properly.”> Tsu’tey growled and you scowled at him, mentally relieved when you found his eyes closed instead of boring into you. <“I am.”>

<“You’re hesitating.”> He corrected with no heat.

<“You were glaring at me like you wanted to bite me.”> You defended, to which his eyes slid open and his face contorted into a venomous frown, which had you grinning despite yourself with how fucking adorable it looked paired with the sloppy markings at his temple. 

<“I was not glaring.”> He protested whilst continuing to glare. You hummed but felt soothed by the childish reaction as you went back to painting. <"And I don’t bite.”>

<“No?”> You asked suggestively to which he gave you a playful shove. You squeaked, lifting the bowl high in an attempt to steady it or not get any pigment on yourself. <“Be careful.”> 

Tsu’tey rolled his eyes. <“You’re slow.”> 

<“Because you’re distracting me.”>

He only snapped his teeth, to which you returned the gesture in kind, tail flicking challengingly. 

Tsu’tey let the conversation taper off again, his expression smoothing out so you could continue your work easier. This time, your strokes were more confident, the earlier grief that had shaken your hands, had been momentarily chased away by the familiar banter. Finishing up the navy layer with a self-satisfied nod, you set down the bowl and reached for the bright yellow paste. 

Tsu’tey watched you with a nod, satisfied by your choice before letting his eyes slip closed. 

These markings came easier to you with the large swooping ‘v’ across his forehead directly below the earlier navy lines, to the twin streaks of yellow that would frame his cheeks. You dipped your thumb into the yellow to capture the precise motion of the painted line that would slice from his lower lip to his chin. 

<“Good.”> Tsu’tey praised as you lent back out of his space to set down the yellow. He sat regally on the mat, shoulders back and his chin tilted up in a show of pride. You hoped you’d done the war markings justice.

<“Now sit, I will do yours.”> He ordered, picking up a bowl of muted yellow before motioning to the space in front of him. You arched a brow before sitting cross legged in your previous spot and closing your eyes at his motioning. 

The cool touch of paste covered fingers to your brow made you jump, but at his hiss, you stilled yourself. His movements were bold, smooth as he mapped out the expanse of your forehead in a curved ‘u’. His hand retracted, gathering more paint, before returning to the space between your eyes and dragging down your nose.

<“So,”> his hand jumped away from your face as you started talking. <“What do you want to talk about?”>

<“No talking.”> He gritted out, his other hand coming up to grip your jaw between his fingers so he could continue painting the mute yellow stripe down your nose. <“Stay still.”> 

You complied, ears swivelling to try and gauge where he was when his hands left your face for a new colour. You peaked open an eyelid, watching him pick out a vibrant white before quickly shutting it again when he turned back to you. He took his time lathering up his finger this time. 

<“So you and Neytiri are good then?”> You blurted, wincing at the lack of decorum and the randomness of the statement. 

Tsu’tey huffed softly, amused by your lack of tact. <“Yes.”>

<“How long ago did you end your courtship?”>

<“Nosy.”>

<“I just want to know how badly I need to beat Jake’s ass, when round 2 inevitably comes around.”> You defended, jumping when his cold finger landed above your eyebrow near the bottom of the yellow strip and began to outline the mark. 

<”You talked with him?”>

<”Shouted would be more accurate.”> You admitted.

He chuckled, eyes on his lap before returning to his work. <“She was not mine.”> Tsu’tey replied simply, as if that was all there was to it. There was no sadness in his tone, but rather a sense of relief and peace. <“We were more like siblings than lovers. It was my duty to the clan to be mated to her, and now it is not.”>

<“And now you’re free.”> You finished, eyes slipping open to catch the lopsided smile on his face.

<“To mate whoever I wish.”> He agreed with a tilt of his head, finger tracing your cheek a little firmer than before as he smeared the white accents into the muted yellow base layer. <“If they choose me in return.”>

Your heart pinched as you smiled. <“I wish you happiness.”>

Previous chapter <- Act 3 -> Next Chapter

[jello-bbq]

Recovery

(Platonic! Tsu'tey x Avatar! Reader) (Platonic! Jake x Avatar! Reader)

They wake up to find they have nothing to recover from but are still constantly scolded for being reckless. Mo'at shares news that has them thinking of sharing their origins. (4.3 k)

Sorry this took so long I got sucked into another fandom for a bit. Also sorry that this prolly doesn't make sense bc it's 2 am rn and I fell asleep multiple times while writing this. Not proofread.

Nothing hurt. They realized that when they opened their eyes. No pain. No feeling. Nothing.

The hospital room looked bland.

"Tommy?" The name could only be whispered, and it sounded wrong as soon as it left their mouth.

No.

Slowly, they regained enough thought to realize.

They shook their head. Not Tommy.

Jake lay on a small portion of the bed, head resting on his hands. That's right. Jake. Not Tommy.

They tried to move again. This time they went slower, watching to see if Jake would wake up. He didn't. Even as their bare feet hit the tile and they made their way across the room.

But he did when the door slid open the barest inch, flinching awake. He called out their name, immediately realizing the situation. He called out again, panicked, turning to see their figure by the door.

"Are you- you're walking. You're alright?"

They could see the tiredness on his face. Lightening only slightly when they moved forward, watching them carefully as if trying to assess the damage they took.

"They said you'd be very disoriented when you wake up, you should sit down."

He guided them back to the bed. "They also said to press this button to call the doctors in-"

"Can we not?"

His finger hovers over the button.

"I mean, can I have a moment before all the doctors start rushing in and all."

"Of course, kid." A pause. He fiddles with the armrests of his wheelchair. "Do you remember what happened? The doctors said you might not since your uh... condition got activated. They said you went into combat mode."

"It's blurry," they admitted. The stillness of their thoughts concerned them. Mind awaiting a battlefield where the silence would allow them to process information quickly.

In the small hospital room, there was not enough information to process.

It felt silly. Like they were a toy. Combat mode. Condition. Illness. They felt so, formed. Like everything they were was carved from a blank slate and turned into a monstrosity. Each chunk removed. Each crack made. No thought behind each decision. None of it created by them. Just something directed. Something made. No choice but to lie back and take the beating. No choice but to live as what others have created.

Their thoughts falter when Jake begins to fill the silence. Talking about how Grace hovered over them and checked on them often, even fought multiple medical doctors. How Norm cried when he heard the news. How Tsu'tey didn't leave their side any longer than a few minutes.

And of their avatar.

"They brought it here to check the damage, Grace even said something about surgery. They got in a few scans before uh..." He watched them carefully as they nodded along. "Before Selfridge said no. Said you could handle a little poison and sent you back."

"He wasn't wrong I guess," they interrupted quietly, "but I'm surprised Grace went along with that."

"She wasn't gonna," he looked out the window, "but Mo'at said Eywa wanted you at hometree. Whatever that means."

Silence. Their head hurt from it.

"You've been taking your lessons?"

"Yeah. Nothing we could do but wait, try to learn."

They nodded. "You need to learn faster."

"What?"

They turned to him, taking in the slight confusion. He looked to be debating if the coma fucked up their brain further before they smiled. "I've had my first clean kill."

"You have not." He gaped.

They shrugged.

"That's awesome, kid! Look at you being the first ever avatar to get a clean kill." He ruffled their hair, pausing for a second. "I'll be the first to get an ikran."

They laughed. "In your dreams, white boy."

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

They decided to just call the doctors tomorrow. Or have them find out when they come to check on them. Whichever came first. Jake had fallen asleep on the side of the bed again, and they decided to pull him up to rest on it since they'd had more than their fair share of sleep.

The door opened and closed as they left, leaving behind Jake on the hospital bed who once again dreamed of flying.

They didn't exactly know what they were doing. The hallways were abandoned and dark.

The building looked completely deserted. The cafeteria empty as they walked past. Where were they going?

Everything felt blurred again. Muddled. Like their feet barely touched the floor and if someone saw them right now, they would be see-through. But still, they continued on. Walking to a destination they didn't know.

The next thing they knew, they were opening their eyes again. When had they closed them?

It took time for their eyes to adjust due to the dim light, like in the hospital room. Except this light looked clearly different. It looked alive. Streaming in through the gaps between the floor and tarp, they could swear the light pulsed softly. Steadily. A heartbeat unheard.

Why were they in their avatar?

They checked their wounds, remembering the palulukans. The arrows. Their first kill. All that they told Jake in the hospital room, eventually lulling him to sleep.

Their body looked fine. Aside from bandages around their waist. Nothing hurt here either.

Someone called out their name.

They turned, body tensing, arms raising.

"You are awake?"

"Tsu'tey?"

A breath of relief. A prayer to Eywa. A hug.

They hugged back, the warmth momentarily overtaking their mind.

Tsu'tey broke the hug first. He pulled back and looked them in the eyes. "Idiot child."

"Wow, big thing to say to someone who saved your life, hey?"

He gently slapped their forehead. "If you do something as reckless that again, I will kill you myself."

They smiled. "You're welcome."

"I will get Zeyko."

They wanted to say no, like before with Jake. But this was different.

Their avatar actually sustained physical damage. A lot of it. So they watched Tsu'tey go, using the time to finish assessing their wounds.

The bandages wrapped all around their back. Healing paste still looked fresh on some flesh wounds around their wounds. Other than that they looked okay. At least those stupid experiments had some merit.

Tsu'tey returned quickly with Zeyko, who brought a basket of something.

"You are finally awake, you will be a formidable warrior."

They returned the hug when her arms wrapped around them, avoiding the bandages on their back.

"But I will take you down myself if you continue to be so reckless."

Zeyko insisted on checking the bandages to see if anything split when they got up. Tsu'tey left to give the two privacy.

Her hand brushed against their side, and even with their back facing her, they could see the look on her face. The same look she always has whenever they'd get hurt.

"You always heal so quickly", she pointed out, "is it because of the Skypeople blood in your veins?"

They shrugged, not really in the mood to get into the whole child experiment by a government agency thing.

Zeyko seemed to understand, putting more paste on their back before rewrapping it. "By tomorrow I will be able to take this off. Try not to get into worse trouble by then."

They said goodbye as she disappeared through the flap, Tsu'tey reappearing not a few seconds later.

Tsu'tey insisted that they rest 'even in your other form' he said, laying them slowly down on the bed. "Nothing hurts?"

They shook their head. "How about you? You hit your head pretty hard."

For a moment, they think they spot a flash of embarrassment. "I am fine."

"Those palulukans felt particularly fierce," they said, letting Tsu'tey drape the blanket over them. "Why were they near that spot anyway? It's pretty rare for them to go so far, right?"

He stopped patting down the blanket, taking a seat beside the bed. "Mo'at has declared it a sign. A warning." His eyes find theirs. "Of what, we are not sure."

Maybe it was presumptuous. To think that they would be enough for Eywa to send a warning to the people. But they think it anyway, only for a short moment as Tsu'tey stands.

"Now go, you should rest."

They nod, knowing they can't argue their way out. "Goodnight."

A reply is heard faintly when they close their eyes, traveling through the neural link, and opening them to the sight of the pod's padded insides.

No one is in the lab still. They make sure to turn off the pod from the control room, not even remembering how they turned it on in the first place.

Jake is still there on the bed when they return to the room. He seems to not have moved at all.

They watch him, studying the bags under his eyes. If they'd been asleep three days, they were sure he hardly slept at all. At least from how tired he looked.

The silence didn't bother them now, having been calmed down by friends. Enough for their mind to deem it safe and exit combat mode.

They find the stack of yogurt cups in the fridge, smiling to themselves. Jake could not have filled the tiny fridge by himself. Not with three days worth of food. Nine meals.

They counted the cups which were arranged in neat lines. Norm's doing, no doubt. 23 yogurt cups.

The sight reminds them of hunger and it is as if the thought triggers their body, their stomach rumbling.

The first doctor who opens the room early in the morning is met with a strange sight. A marine sleeping in the hospital cot. The patient sleeping in a wheelchair, resting their head on the bed. And multiple cups of yogurt stacked by the bedside.

Grace and Norm visit when the news spreads that they are awake.

"You had us scared for a second there kid," Grace says warmly, even while watching the nurse who is trying to stick a needle into their vein for a blood sample. Her piercing gaze making the poor guy tremble.

Jake had also glared when he saw the needle, but someone called him out. They heard something about Quaritch.

Norm speaks up, also glaring at the nurse. "I'm surprised you aren't still sick. How did you eat 23 cups of yogurt in one go?"

"I was hungry." They shrugged with one arm, trying to keep the other still. "And I like yogurt."

"Never doubted that second part."

"How was your little rendezvous yesterday?"

They look up at Grace, who smiled. "You don't think we have cameras in there? How else will I know if anyone spits in my coffee?"

They smile slightly. "It felt okay. The body's fine. I had a few wounds but I'm getting the bandages removed tomorrow." They left out Zeyko and Tsu'tey, and Tsu'tey's words about the palulukans being a warning.

The three nodded, listening intently.

"What else?" Norm asks when they don't continue.

"What?" A pause. "I have a scratch on my right arm- or left. Right, I think-"

"He means your other injuries."

Another pause. "What injuries?"

The two look at each other, and Norm decides to explain. "When we brought you here you were in really rough shape. You had deep gashes in your back. I thought I could see your spine."

"What else?"

Grace replies this time. "A broken left arm. Shattered your wrist almost completely. You had a linear fracture on your skull."

"Is that bad?"

"Not fatally, but you should have been closely monitored."

"I think I was," they said. "Zeyko said she checked on me often."

Grace nodded, looking thoughtful. "That's nice."

"But-" Norm intervened "you're saying you only have scratches now? How is that-" He paused, realizing they all knew how. "Is that possible? Physically?"

They all turn to the nurse who has finally finished drawing the blood. He seems to realize they are asking him. "It's- it could be. With a regular human, no. But since it's your avatar and it's..."

Not regular, they assumed.

"It's possible especially since the Na'vi have stronger bodies."

Norm nodded, which the nurse took as a cue to go, leaving quickly and almost dropping the blood vial.

Another doctor came in soon after, declaring the fit to leave. Their avatar had taken all the injuries anyway.

Grace lead the way to the lab and Max hugs them upon their entrance. "They didn't tell me they were saving their yogurt cups, I only found out yesterday so I could only get two."

They smile. "It's fine, thank you."

"It's not fine," Norm said, standing beside Max. He stage whispers, "they ate all the yogurt as soon as they woke up."

"I did not."

Norm raised a brow.

"It was a little after I woke up, technically."

Max only chuckled, patting their back and prepping the pod. "Doctor cleared you for this?"

"'Course she did." The familiar feeling of gel padding immediately relaxing them. "They think I'm indestructible."

They don't miss the concerned glint in his eyes when they say that.

"But I have a feeling if I ever start a pod unauthorized again Grace will put that to the test."

Max continued pressing more buttons, grinning. "And Selfridge would be furious if he found out. Guy's been extra insufferable lately."

"An asshole's gonna be an asshole."

He smiled as the lid closed, and then their eyes were opening again.

They get up, shaking their head lightly. The light is shining through the gaps again. Morning light.

It took longer to take the doctor's clearance than they thought. They spotted the bed beside them, empty. Perhaps Tsu'tey got tired of waiting for them to wake again.

When they open the tent flap, they gaze upon an unfamiliar part of hometree. Somewhere secluded. Of course, they thought. A sick skyperson can be nowhere near the people.

Even so, they take a step outside. The moss under their feet feels like home. The sunlight on their skin.

The animals way below, their calls making it to their ears, which twitched as they tried to pick out specific sounds.

The forest looked welcoming, but they settle for the branches, not wanting to stray too far.

They lay on one of the branches. Breathing in. Breathing out. Watching the light filter through the leaves.

Like that, they could forget the blur of memories they couldn't quite remember.

When they stayed still long enough, it felt like they could hear it. Feel it. The energy that connected everything. The power. Each breath borrowed. Each life tied to an end.

It felt nice to fill their head with such thoughts and feelings, instead of war or injury.

As if out of spite, a shot of pain rips through their leg. It makes them shoot up and grab at it. But it is gone as quickly as it appeared.

A reminder, they think.

"There you are."

They turn, seeing Mo'at approaching them. They stand, bowing and greeting her.

"Oel Nga'ti Kameie, Tsahik."

She returned the gesture. "You are walking so soon after your injuries, does it not hurt?"

"No."

"And yet I saw you hiss as if in pain just now."

Their eyes find the ground. They didn't lie but they had yet to explain anything about her condition to any Na'vi. Not Mo'at or Zeyko or Tsu'tey or Neytiri. No one.

"It is different, I am well."

Her piercing eyes study theirs. "If you say so. Sit, we must talk."

Oh, they think as they follow her words and sit back down. She's here to talk about the warning.

Just as they think it, Mo'at confirms.

"Eywa has told me of your bravery in response to her warning. She has talked to you."

They don't remember anything like that, but somehow they know the answer is yes.

"The warning, she cannot say what of. It will impact our future too strongly if we know."

They nod along. Were they enough to have that big an impact?

"She has told me something else."

They look up at her, and she is watching them with a softer gaze. She says something that shocks them. Halting their thoughts. Like the information got stuck between the cogs of their brain.

She leaves with a smile. They don't know how long it is until they stand and make their way back to the tent. But her words ring in their mind.

"Unbelievable", they think aloud.

"What is?"

They look up. Tsu'tey stands in front of the tent, two bowls in his hands.

"Nothing. Is that for me?"

He nods, motioning them into the tent. There he tells them to sit down and hands them a bowl. Talioang meat. Their favorite.

"I've been told you haven't been hunting lately."

Another flash of embarrassment. Brief, but clearly there. "I did today."

They nodded, taking the carved husk and gratefully scarfing down its contents. Tsu'tey ate carefully in contrast.

Still, as soon as their mind wandered they were pulled again to those words. Mo'at had really surprised them. They went to tell Tsu'tey when he spoke first.

"I would like to show you something today, if that is fine."

What could he be planning to show them? They obviously hadn't seen everything the forest had to offer, but what was so new that he had to ask to show it to them?

"Sure, that'd be nice."

They ate in silence, Tsu'tey taking the bowls after. Just as he left, the flap was opened, and in came Jake, grinning. Sweat stuck to his skin and he breathed heavily. It was clear that he ran from one of Neytiri's lessons to check on them.

He kept his questions quick, looking like he kept a mental count of the seconds to know when he should head back. And he did after around two minutes, calling out a "just wait! I'll get my clean kill in no time!"

Zeyko arrived just a little after that, all soft smiles and lilting laughs. She carefully unbandaged them as if they were gravely ill, inspecting their back to make sure the wounds were healed. Then she excused herself, talking about a direhorse accident that needed to be attending to.

When she left, they exited the tent again, going back to the branch they'd previously laid on. Maybe they should've felt restless, having had three days of deep sleep. But all they felt was tired.

It scared them to sleep. Maybe they would go back into a coma if they did. Was that how those worked?

Even so, as they stared up at the leaves drifting with the wind, they found themselves falling asleep.

This time, Tsu'tey found them. Sleeping on a patch of moss bathed in sunlight. He almost didn't want to wake them. But they woke without him doing anything.

Eyes blinking open and brows furrowing in confusion when they see they are outside.

"You should not be sleeping here, you could fall." He extended a hand. "It is a long way down."

The two began the walk back to the tent in silence.

They brushed the sleep from their eyes, shaking their head as if rattling their thoughts back into place. After a while, they realized they would have already passed the tent, looking around and seeing that they were being led elsewhere.

Tall ferns brushed against their arms, getting thicker and thicker as they went.

Tsu'tey kept to a small track, woven through the plants with care, looking back every so often to check that they still followed.

It felt familiar. And they realized it was. They had taken this path once before, hadn't they?

They were about to ask when they nearly bumped into Tsu'tey's back.

"Sorry."

He said nothing and stepped aside to show a particularly large fern leaf, then he pulled it aside to reveal an alcove.

An indent in the tree. Wide and deep enough to lie down comfortably.

He guided them to it, and the two sat there in comfortable silence. After three days, they could finally continue their daily activity. Watching the eclipse take place.

Darkness slowly but surely enveloping the forest. Casting its shadow over everything.

There is a moment of true darkness. A short moment, before the world lit up again. A light of its own. Scattered colors shining and almost twinkling.

An entirely different world in just a few seconds. All from the comfort of the alcove, which shielded them from the cool night air.

They had a lot of questions but voiced none of them. Silence felt fitting. They didn't understand the significance of the alcove, but they felt like he had shown them something intimate. Like he had told them something that he had never told anyone else. And they wondered why he would do that.

Because they saved his life?

No that wasn't it. There was something else.

They don't know why. But something in them is reeling to talk. To finally tell someone what they are.

Maybe because of Mo'at's words and how, if they didn't tell anybody now, telling them later would be more of a betrayal. What were Mo'at's words? Prepare yourself, you wil soon have your iknimaya.

"Do you remember when Zeyko asked why I bleed so much?"

He glanced at them, confused by the sudden question, but nodded anyway. "You said people do not enjoy hearing why."

"They don't. It's not - it isn't something they understand easily."

This seemed to pique his interest.

They begin to wonder if they should say it. But if they didn't, and what Mo'at said would happen happened. Without anyone knowing that they were unnatural. Only shipped to Pandora for the barest chance of them being useful in keeping the Na'vi in line.

So they do say it. Starting from the beginning. From how they were made from DNA of fallen soldiers. To how they were raised in a bunker, exposed to experiments that burned information into their head. To how they were freed, only to end up in a larger cage.

How the RDA bought them like a piece of equipment. Right off the government's hands. Hoping to make use of their knowledge in the fight starting on Pandora.

How they built them an avatar and locked them in it for days to experiment on their human body, and vice versa.

All the horrors of their past.

How they all lead to them on Pandora to fight against the people, not learn from them as they had been doing.

When they finished, they went quiet. Allowing him time to process. Preparing themselves for the chance of him pushing them over the edge to get rid of another annoyance.

This was selfish of them after all. To share their sob story and tack in the addition of them being a possible weapon against the people.

"You should not have come to my aid."

They balk. What? It's as if he hears the question and continues.

"I am a warrior. A warrior should protect, not be protected."

They don't protest, too confused by his words.

"You said you are a warrior, you are not. A human child cannot be a warrior." The words come with a frost to them.

He stares ahead now as if he is still replaying the sunset and eclipse in his mind. Turning back time to that moment in the forest with his arrow against their chest. Maybe he imagines he lets go of the bowstring, and the pain is eradicated then and there.

"It is hard to believe. You are all smaller, softer, and yet violent and cowardly. Hiding away in metal contraptions." Oh. They understood now. "How can a skyperson, a child, risk their life for another? If it was that easy-"

His words were confused. Anger and confusion. Anger and sadness. It all led to this. The teaching. The begrudging acquaintanceship. Skypeople had taken too much from him. Too much. And yet they dared give him something in return. They dare save him.

"You lie and you steal and you cannot be taught. But a child-" He shakes his head slightly. "Why is a child a warrior? Why does a child risk their life?"

They dare let a child save him. A child, of all things. After all of it, they dare send a child to soften his heart.

And maybe he felt angry at himself, too. For needing to be saved. For being caught by surprise. And for letting their little ploy work. For feeling scared for the skyperson, as if their people hadn't killed his without mercy.

This is why he hated any sort of relationship. They always had to be complicated by love or hate or anything.

Granted, this surely presented itself as an outlier in its complexity. The next Na'vi to lead the people growing to care for the one the enemy with an inkling to destroy them.

The people he hated so much. The one he tried to treat like a sibling after many months of resistance, thinking that after those months they are different.

But they are not.

They are the same.

They are worse.

But in his moment of betrayal, he thinks of the night before.

When they woke up, he stayed to watch them go back to sleep before leaving. Walking to the tree of voices.

He talked to Sylwanin there. About the dreamwalker. About how he had grown to care for them and felt conflicted. Like he had betrayed the people.

She comforted him, but when he asked for advice she gave her usual words. That others wiser than her still lived. But she said something else.

"Children are children because they are growing. Grace Augustine told me that, it seemed so obvious." She laughed softly. "Perhaps your skyperson can grow to be one of the people. A child should not be blamed for what they were born to be, do you not think?"

He looks at the child beside him. A child. He had been thinking of them as a child the whole time, why did he suddenly think differently when they told him? As if they intentionally deceived him. And the People. The Tsahik. The Olo'eyktan.

"A child should not be blamed for what they were born to be," he says, repeating her words in the cool air, "or for what they have endured."

Tag list:

@rebeccao03 @eywas-heir

[baileyshearts]

Description for ❣️~My Trans Dreamwalker~❣️

⚠️Read the warnings PLEASE!⚠️ Book 1 of the ❣️~Neytiri x TransFemale! Reader~❣️

18 year old Sweetheart Chacón is the younger trans sister of Trudy Chacón. Trudy brought her younger sister with her to Pandora to make sure that she is safe and away from the abuse of their homophonic and transphobic parents. Sweetheart normally sends most of her time in the lab with Grace and Max whether it helping them with the avatars, sitting with her headphones on designing or drawing on the iPad, or watching and/or talking to Zaya (in Zaya's avatar) on her computer or iPad.

Grace has a soft spot for the girl. A very VERY big soft spot. Max and Grace like to have Sweetheart around just in case they need help and to just in case Sweetheart needs help.

Sweetheart has Tourette Syndrome. She has a habit of holding in her tics when she feels like she is going to be judged but that causes the tic attacks.

Tom and Jake Sully ends up rolling into Sweetheart's life along with Norm and become her close friends as they learn more about Sweetheart, her past and her disability. Sweetheart is involved with the Avatar program and had an Avatar of her own.

Then she meets Neytiri………..

Little do any of them know, Sweetheart and Zaya are hiding a very dark secret involving Parker Selfridge and Colonel Miles Quaritch that if told can effect their future forever. Not even Trudy knows.

Who is Zaya? What is this dark secret Zaya and Sweetheart is hiding? Can Sweetheart and Zaya keep the secret?

⚠️!DISCLAIMER!⚠️ I do not have Tourette Syndrome! This book is written for awareness and to enjoy reading so if you get offended do not read the book.

[roadklii]

Honestly that'd be awesome, and not just for the main cast, I mean fics with Grace, Parker, Trudy, Norm, hell even Qauritch why not?!? Honestly though even if people just started writing for Avatar in general I'd be happy, no matter which character

alright side rant!!!

how come there isn't any avatar (by james cameron) fanfics/imagines/one shots out there? i mean fuck it if i sound weird, i dont care, but dude i grew up with that movie and i wanted to live in pandora

the lack of fanfiction for them is depressing 😔 like ive been searching everywhere for the life of me but all i found were ones that are like.. 3-5 years old or something and it just <//3

i mean, im down writing for them but idk if anyone would actually like.. read them and enjoy them as much as i do since that movie is my all time comfort movie imagine the joy i felt when the sequels were announced shdjjs

but yeah all that ranting aside, would you guys (or some of you atleast) be up for it?