#they find another way to just be in each others lives without the whole mate or leaving the other in the dust

[bloop-im-a-frog-now]

avec toi, je suis bien - v

I am super proud of this chapter, actually. I just love making characters spiral and then getting the comfort they deserve (aka, me projecting the kind of comfort i wish i could get ;-;-;). And yes! switch of POV, but just this once.

Enjoy!

Master Post

— —

Content warnings: Internalized arophobia

i don’t wanna be alone, i wanna find a home and i wanna share it with you

Scar wakes up in a cold sweat, gasping and panting for air. Fae swallows weakly, closing faer eyes as fae tries to find faer breath back. Wet, fae’s wet, sticking on faer skin, on Scar’s pathetic attempt of a nest, and on Cub, to faer terror. 

Fae yelps, backing away from faer friend, only now remembering to conceal faer magick. Cub stirs in its sleep, and fae knows faer eyes are blue, but fae cannot let the Vex know fae’s in heat. The minute fae noticed the familiar scent, fae has been concealing any magick that wants to carve it, to make it faers, that possessive side fae has needed to hide from faer swarm. 

Scar takes a deep breath, opening faer eyes, and gauges the situation. Faer heats last at least 10 sundowns (sometimes more since fae isn’t mated, but fae tries to not think about that), and with the sun rising up, this will be the fourth day. 

Fae doesn’t know how long fae can conceal faer heats from Cub, but fae is willing to die trying. Fae has heard of the rumors, of what happens when an Allay passes faer heat with a Vex. Vexes are not like Allays, they will abandon faer the second they manage to impregnate faer, exiling faer from faer swarm when they learn where the grub comes from. 

Allays mates are much more affectionate, ready to take care of their pregnant partner, to make the nest more comfortable, to check for any health conditions. At least, that’s what Scar tells faerself whenever fae has a bad heat, just like this one. Better fear the Vex than understand the pile of anxiety in faer stomach.

Scar sighs at the thought, eyes fluttering shut and subconsciously releasing a wave of faer heat scent, and hums quietly as the Hissers and Wall-Crawlers walk away from their hiding spot. Faer magick hugs faer, as if it’s a mate showering faer in physical affection, as if it’s Cub’s magick intertwining with faers, like they did in that geode. 

Those fuzzy thoughts get immediately replaced by the harsh staring of faer swarm, by the shiver of the cold corner fae hugged faerself in as the others mated and helped each other in their heats, by the whispers when fae passed by a part of the swarm. Scar buries faer head between faer knees, blinking away the stupid tears and reaching for a kinder magick, any magick will do the trick. 

Cub grunts and Scar swiftly hides faer magick, snapping faer head up and shifting faer body into a more relaxed position. Fae knows it will notice the hidden magick, but so far, it hasn’t said anything. Fae hopes they are just ignoring the subject, just like they’re currently ignoring that night when Cub barged into their hiding spot as if it saw horrors more terrible than their burning mansion. 

“Good morning,” fae smiles sheepishly.

Cub yawns, letting out a little squeak, and Scar’s whole body buzzes. Squeak like a little grub when fae was lucky to hold one, squeak like a happy mate, squeak like safe and warm. Fae growls underneath faer breath, willing faer body under control. 

“‘Morning,” Cub replies, and only then does fae realize the Vex’s looking at faer, brows furrowed. Scar keeps faer smile relax, and stands up straighter while trying to keep a nonchalant vibe. 

Fae hums a little melody. “Have anything planned today?”

Cub’s eyes are glazed, body swinging side to side to Scar’s melody. It always amuses faer whenever it engages in typical Allay behavior. Fae finds it quite endearing.

Fae accidentally releases faer magick unto Cub, quietly pleading it to mix their magick, desperately reaching for a mate displaying courting rituals. Scar catches it before it can touch faer friend’s skin, holding it deep inside faer. Vexes leave Allays the minute they get impregnated, fae simply cannot risk the chance of losing Cub.

Since fae stopped humming, Cub’s looking at faer now. Fae swallows around the ball of anxiety that formed in faer throat. 

“I was thinking of rearranging this,” Cub gestures to their hiding spot.

Fae looks around the room and wonders what Cub is going to rearrange. It looks perfect in Scar’s honest and correct opinion. Faer gaze lands on their nest—no, not nest, resting place (can’t call it a nest when they’re not mated) and faer magick is dancing around faer at the sight of it. It’s quite messy and fae wants to gather all the necessary materials to make it better. 

Fae looks back at the Vex, its magick swirling around it as it looks at the resting place, a dissatisfied aura around it. 

“I can take care of the nest!” Scar says, trying to look excited. Fae just wants to get far away from Cub as much as fae can, do not touch it, it doesn’t belong to you.

Fae doesn’t realize faer slip-up until Cub’s wings flutter, attracting faer eyes to its face, and sees it gape at faer. 

“Nest?”

Scar can feel faer magick buzzing around faer, feel the change of smell, feel the burning desire to make Cub faers . 

“Did I say nest?” Scar asks, humming in thought. “I don’t think I said nest, pretty sure I said rest—you know, any additional task you want me to do to help you.”

Fae smiles at Cub, showing faer teeth, hoping it buys faer lie. Of course, Cub sees right through it.

“Why are you lying to me?”

Scar doesn’t know how to answer that. Fae wants to get away from Cub, to control the magick that wants to intertwine itself with the Vex’s, fae can’t hold it back much longer. 

Fae has never been more terrified of faer heat.

“I’m not,” says fae, puffing faer chest and letting go some of faer magick to show faer natural eye color. 

That was, apparently, a mistake as Cub shivers and hides its face in its knees. 

“What is wrong with your magick?” it asks, and fae barely hears it. 

At the question, Scar hides faer magick swiftly and frowns.

“What do you mean?”

Cub peeks at faer before burying its head further. “It wants me, and it’s freaking me out.”

Scar can only gape at it. Fae thought fae had faer magick under control. This is only the fourth day. 

“I’m so sorry,” fae approaches Cub but at its flinch, stays where faer was, “I swear I didn’t mean it—”

Cub looks at faer. “Is that what you were hiding from me?”

Scar’s mind is reeling. “I didn’t mean to try to make you mine, I’m concealing it the best as I can—”

“Scar, what are you—”

“It’s only the fourth day, it’s almost over, I promise—”

“Scar! ”

Scar clicks faer mouth shut at the yell. Cub’s magick whirlwinds around it as it buries its head in its claws, and fae notices its magick is reaching out to faers, just like faers was reaching out to it. And fae understands why it’s breaking down over the sensation.

It’s not pleasant, it prods your coat like a sharp claw poking your skin, it wraps around you, never letting go, it somersaults in your eyes, a dizzying effect throws off your balance; and Scar has heard so many good things about intertwining your magick with your mate, but this can’t be it. 

This can’t be the warmth that takes over your body, can’t be the missing piece of your incomplete puzzle, can’t be what fae keeps hearing faer swarm says to grubs about the feeling of two mates mixing their magick together. 

This has to be a mistake.

Scar cowers in faer corner, lowering faer head, and tries to find faer magick in this mess. Fae can’t and it freaks faer out, Cub’s magick still prodding faer, throwing faer back when the Summoners and magickmongers tried to excavate faer magick. 

Why bother experimenting on a healthy Allay when you can do it on one who can’t fly away?

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry—” Scar sobs and desperately wants to be close to Cub, but Vexes abandon Allays in heat. 

Fae doesn’t want to lose it. 

“Hey,” fae hears Cub whisper in faer sobs, “we’ll figure it out.”

Something cold cradles Scar’s cheek, forcing faer to raise faer head when fae stopped sobbing faer heart out. Faer eyes land on Cub’s bright blue eyes, filled with magick. Fae has never seen its eyes shine when it’s using magick and can only gape in awed.

Its magick no longer pricks faer coat, instead guides faer magick back to faer, and fae clings onto it. 

“I’m so sorry,” fae mumbles, turning faer gaze away.

Cub’s sigh turns into a light chuckle. “I should’ve warned you.”

“I shouldn’t have hidden it from you.”

Cub frowns. “Why did you hide it?”

Scar wants to rest faer head against its chest, but decides to lean on its claws.

“Vexes abandon Allays in heat,” fae recites, barely audible to faer ears. 

A spike of magick in the air but before fae can identify it, it washes away as quickly as it appeared. 

“That’s dumb,” Cub’s voice is strained and fae looks at it. 

Its jaw is clicked shut, frowning, and it lets out a growl. Faer eyes widen. Is Cub angry?

The Vex looks around their hiding spot, gaze lingering on their nest—for goodness’ sake, their resting area—until bright blue eyes meet faers. 

“Look,” it takes a deep breath, “I was hoping this wouldn’t happen, but that was clearly wishful thinking on my part.”

Its hands grab faer arms, giving them a slight squeeze, and fae can’t hold it in. Fae rests faer head on Cub’s chest and lets faer magick running wild in the room, barely contained by its magick. 

Cub purrs, the vibrations in its chest traveling from faer head to faer toes and fae purrs back, wishing to fiddle with a crystal now more than ever. 

“That means you’ll leave me, right?” Scar asks because fae has to , has to make sure fae is understanding Cub correctly, even if faer magick is buzzing around them, to hold Cub close to faer.

The purrs stop abruptly and it grabs faer shoulder, leaning faer away from its chest. 

“Never. You have to understand one thing, Scar, it’s that I’ll never leave you, not now nor ever.” Cub gulps, eyes shifting to the side. “I may not want to mate with you, but you mean a lot to me, okay?��

Scar’s eyes are wide, mouth open and magick swirling around faer. It dizzies faer and fae isn’t sure why fae wants to cry as a wave of faer heat scent embraces them. 

Fae just wants to pass faer heat with Cub, just wants someone beside faer as faer magick immobilizes the Allay at the peak of it, just wants Cub to hug faer. Its words rotate in faer mind, trying to make sense of them while faer magick reaches for faer friend. 

Cub slightly moves away, dodging the magick and Scar whines in the back of faer throat, claw grasping onto its arm and trilling to keep it close to faer. 

“Don’t go,” Scar pleads, sending faer magick to the Vex’s magick, to just touch, no intertwining, just as a sign of support. 

Cub doesn’t say anything for a moment, letting Scar trill in their hiding spot until it copies the trill, takes faer hands with its, placing them on its chest, and moves side to side, not quite in rhythm with their trill. Scar quietly begs the Vex’s magick to touch faers, for just a moment of camaraderie, and when its magick touches faers, Scar hums a melody instead and purrs, shifting their hands to faer chest and scenting them. 

The crystals hum in sync with the Allay’s tune, and Scar doesn’t recognize what exactly is going on. Fae has never seen this during mating season, never seen the amethyst buzzing and lighting up, never seen magick just touching with no intertwining involved. 

Fae decides this is much better than any mating ritual.

“I don’t want to mate either,” Scar whispers in the crystals’ aria. Fae looks up at faer friend. “Can we stay like this for a moment?”

Cub chuckles lightly, almost mischievous in nature. “Yeah, I don’t mind this. It’s quite calming, actually.”

Scar agrees.

<- Previous_Master Post_Next ->

[sirenmoth]

Monster Mash - Prologue

This is a collection of what was supposed to be small fics accidently turned full fics of you getting fucked by nine monsters, who are also your boyfriends (and each others)

CW: DUBCON, poly relationship with multiple monsters, polyamory, polygamy, polycule, free use, plot what plot/porn without plot, the plot is porn, mentions of anal sex and vaginal sex, mentions of aftercare, monsterfucking (Each chapter will have it's own warnings) This is an 18+ series with a female human

Monsters Included (In order of the series): Vampire, Drider, Satyr, Werewolf + Orc, Centaur, Naga, Siren + Merman, All Present

Monster Mash Masterlist Next ->

Being in a relationship with nine different monsters was a very interesting thing, a day was never dull, watching the various ways they interact with each other and their environment in and around the shared living space, the small petty arguments and minor domestic disputes when one of them did something another didn't like were entertaining but exhausting. But they did agree on one thing, you.

Their little human.

It didn't start out like this, one by one you unknowingly added a monster to your list of lovers, to your harem. You met them at different times at different locations, getting to know them not knowing how they felt and why they started talking to you, if they knew you are talking to different monsters behind their back, they knew, they could smell each other on you. They never liked creatures outside their own kind, barely tolerated them if they had to interact with a different species, hell, most didn't even like their own species, finding them annoying or a waste of time. But with you that changed.

Watching from the shadows, they stayed close to keep you safe and the others away, getting into bloody fights if one got too close for the others liking, they'd sometimes go as far as to let themselves get bloodied and bruised just so you could pamper and coddle them once you saw the state they are in, littered in cuts and bruises, bites and scratches. It never lasted long, you'd yell and scolded them for being so stupid and reckless, for the petty territorial claim they put over you.

"Don't you have at least one thing all of you agree on? Like something in common and like enough to share?" You foolishly asked one day, not knowing what that would lead to, what one, innocent in nature, lone question made them all collectively agree for the first, and probably the last, idea they all agreed on.

Swallowing their self pride and ego, as well as their hatred for one another, they agreed on sharing. With a few conditions, they didn't want to lose their precious human. And if living together with a different species they loathed and could hardly stand meant they got to keep you, so be it.

They hated it at first, wanting you all you had to themselves, growling and snarling and hissing at the other residents if you got too close. Marking you in obvious places for all to see and scent you until the other couldn't stand being around. Fuck you in full view of the rest, knowing they can't get violence or aggressive without risking you avoiding them for a whole day.

It's their way of showing dominance over each other, showing they are the better boyfriend and mate. A way of saying they can please you better, make you cum harder, render you brainless quicker than any of them can, have you drooling and begging for more.

Overtime they adapted and accepted this new living arrangement, learning about each other and their lives, how their species acted and thrived and their cultures. It wasn't all happy and domestic though, arguments were and still are common. Your vampire lover screaming from his section of the manor for one of them to keep it down during the day while he was trying to sleep, the werewolf running around, both indoors and outdoors, to burn energy and disturbing Driders web or the Naga's nest, the list goes on.

Most took to living outside the manor you bought together since it came with a massive plot of land, in a small hut, barn, burrow underground or a body of water, just to live away from the chaos living with nine monsters brought and some alone time, in peace and quite with you, away from the bickering and shouting. A sanctuary for them to rest.

You love joining them and spending time there too, bathing in the silence, just you and your lover. They are more than happy to keep you there, all to themselves, full of their cock or cocks as they fucked you, or you fucked them, bouncing on their dicks or dicks, using them the way they use you.

One thing they were adamant on not sharing for the longest time, was you, yes, they agreed to live together, but that didn't mean they liked it or agreed to be nice to each other. Sharing you was off the table, if one wanted a turn they could wait, problem being that wait could be a few hours to a whole day, at worst a week or so.

That changed when you begged for two of them to tag team you, have you in the middle with one in your cunt and one in your mouth, maybe add a third. Oh, how could they say no to that? Having you looking all pretty and cute for them while getting treated like the monster cock whore you are.

It very quite became the norm to find one of them balls deep in one of your holes, pounding away like their life depended on it, bending you over every available, fucking you from behind until you were limpless and unable to move, holding you up and your legs open wide or your legs wrapped around their waist as they double dicked you down.

Leaving you spent and used out in the open for the next one, letting whoever decided to use you next had easy access to use you how they liked, to fuck you hard and deep, covered in bite marks and cum and sweat. Sometimes they'd tie you up with the Driders' silky webs or let the Naga wrap his tail around you to keep you in place, having you lay there like a premium sex toy only they can use.

You got used to being covered in some type of marking, bites and bruises was now a warm welcomed part of your life. Having your brain empty when the siren sang his song when you visited the backyard lake turned makeshift ocean for him and the Merman, impaling you o his inhuman cock, the Merman would join in, entering your puckered ass while you pulled you under the water, kissing you deep in heated moments to provide you with air. Leaving you on the shore once done to warm up in the sun as they laid half on the land, half in the sea, stroking your salt soaked hair from your eyes.

They still took care of you afterwards. After fucking you to the nine hells and the heavens and back, after rendering both your mind and body and voice useless, they'd pamper you they way you pamper them, telling you how good you did, how much they love you and are glad and grateful you're theirs. Undoing the silk, or licking up the blood, waiting for the knot to deflate or for you to catch your breath, which every one with you would cuddle you after cleaning you up. One or more would join until you were under a heap of warm and cold bodies, when asked they denied doing it because they loved each other.

Some didn't mind sharing most of the time, working together to ring out countless orgasms from you until it hurt, and you physically couldn't any more. Some refused to, wanting to keep everything you had to give and take to themselves and only sharing if they saw fit, or you begged on your knees. Another common was waking up sore and dripping with cum, sometimes in a new place after you traded you off to another one, you gave your consent for them to use you in your sleep or to continue to keep using you after they fucked you unconscious until they were satisfied.

But that didn't mean they were always in charge of the scenario and situation, they are, especially the werewolf, weak to your pout and puppy eyes when you ask them ever so nicely to tie them up and ride them or peg them until their tired and overstimulated, it was always a fun time, giving the same treatment they gave you, though they never gave in much, wanting you to be on the receiving end of what they have to give and the pleasures they can provide.

Your days are never dull, with nine monsters tending to your every need and whim, and you tending to theirs

[ngayawneluoer]

we seek revenge

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ neteyam x reader (past), neytiri x reader (platonic), tbh mostly just a spider hate fic, if you like spider you’re prolly not gonna like this lol

Time doesn't seem to heal the wound of losing you mate, and when the sky people return and you learn the truth, no one can stop you from seeking revenge. Set a year after the events of ATWOW.

word count: 1700

a/n: pov you and neytiri form a spider hate club and beat his ass (sort of)

Even a year later, every breath you took without Neteyam felt like eternal punishment. Every moment you felt the loss of your mate and every step you took without him was only a reminder that you would never feel whole again. Every day, you suffered and mourned the pair you could have been and the life you could have lived, and every night you prayed that Eywa would bring him back or take you with him. But it was never that simple.

And so, you busied yourself with the daily tasks of the Metkayina, your head held high and your face unwavering. At least you had Neytiri, who never seemed to leave your side since her son's death. You mourned, suffered, and cried together, and as time passed, you helped each other get back on your feet and brave the world. To her, you were one final living piece of her son, his other half and the one he loved most, and she couldn't help but love you in turn. She had become like a mother to you, and whilst you knew you would never be able to replace Neteyam, your shared memories of him brought you closer together. And obviously, you bore the whole Sully family in your heart, but you and Neytiri had developed a special bond through the pain you shared and the rage you held for the sky demons that had so mercilessly killed the one you loved.

Another thing you shared with Neytiri was the wariness you felt towards Spider, who Jake had wholly accepted into the family following Neteyam's death. You had grown up around him, but being nothing more than a regular Omatikaya with almost no interaction with humans, you never were the most comfortable with him. The emotion had only doubled after his 'father' brought about the war that killed your beloved. Those around you started accepting him, but you kept your distance, as did Neytiri. You couldn't find it in your hearts to forgive him.

“(Y/N)! Come swim with us!"

The voice broke your train of thought, and you looked up from the bracelet you were weaving. From where you sat next to Neytiri, your eyes found Kiri waving at you from amongst the group of Na'vi youths splashing about in the water. You noticed Spider was there too, practically clinging to her side like a pathetic dog. You tried not to roll your eyes.

"No thank you, Kiri," You answered loud enough for her to hear, trying your hardest to mask the venom in your voice, "Later."

A sad pout graced her face for a mere second, and you knew what was coming. You usually rejected her offers, and she would rarely take no for an answer, opting instead to drag you into the group and make it so that you had no choice but to participate. Sometimes she would even send Tuk to guilt trip you into joining with those adorable eyes of hers, knowing you could never say no to Tuk.

You knew Kiri meant well; she simply saw you pull away and didn't want you to feel left out. Lucky for you, this time she was distracted by Rotxo pulling her tail, and she forgot all about her usual routine of demanding you to join. Better this way. You wouldn't have enjoyed yourself anyway.

Neytiri looked up from the arrow she was crafting, a somewhat curious look on her face. She spoke quietly, deliberately to keep the conversation private from possible overhearers, "I don't see you with those your age lately," her fingers continued crafting, but her focus was still on you, awaiting an answer. Finally, when your gaze didn't shift from where it was fixed onto your hands, she continued, "I cannot be your only friend."

You sighed softly, eyes brimming with tears that you were afraid would spill if you met her gaze, "I do not... want to see him," you knew she knew who you meant from the way you spat out the word as if it was poison on your tongue, "it hurts too much."

You finally bit the bullet and looked up at her, only to find her gaze looking off into the distance, following the human boy you were referring to. Her features twisted into anger as if in the process of a hiss, "He shouldn't be here. He should be with his kind."

"I agree," you started, but didn't know what else to say. There was nothing you could do.

Neytiri hesitated for a second but eventually uttered the words you had a feeling swirled through her mind every day, "I... cannot help but blame him. He is not just a child. He is a demon's child. He will bring nothing but trouble... But I cannot bring it up with anyone but you."

You could tell from how she spoke that she had had this conversation before. You wondered if this was a frequent argument she had with Jake, who was so adamant about accepting Spider into their family.

"I don't understand how they can so easily accept him. I know he is not responsible for his father's actions, but…." you trailed off at a loss for words. But what? You weren't sure where you were going with this. And with Spider so close by, you were hesitant to confess the hatred you held for him simply due to his heritage out loud.

Neytiri understood though. She always did.

She dropped the arrow she was crafting from her hand and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you into her side to comfort you, "You are not alone. I see you."

You leaned into her motherly touch, revelling in the comfort she provided, "I see you."

-

But comfort never seemed to last for your kind. The sky people returned, led by the man that didn't seem to die. Your people fought his soldiers bravely, some winning, some losing, but you could safely say you had done more damage to them than they had to you.

"How many times do we have to kill you!" You heard Jake hiss from somewhere, but you were too preoccupied with fighting off the armed soldier in front of you. With a final swift move, you drove your dagger into the avatar soldier's neck, your fangs bared in a hiss as blood sprayed across your face. Briskly, you sheathed your blade into its scabbard and let the body drop, turning back to the dying battle. The sky people were retreating. They were cowards and had finally realised they were severely underprepared. They would be back, they always were, but you revelled in the fact that you didn't die at their hand today.

One of them remained, however. To everyone's shock, Quaritch in the flesh had shown up. He stood proudly with a gun pointed at Jake - Jake pointing one back - knowing that the mere fact that he was alive was rubbing salt in the wound. His return brought back memories of your previous battle with him, and you snarled; eyes focused on the conniving man that stood before you. A thick metal cable fell from the sky behind him, undoubtedly how he would make his escape into the helicopter above. You wouldn't allow it.

As you advanced, you heard Jake hiss again, "How are you alive?"

Quaritch only smirked, attaching himself to the cable, "The answer is simple, Jake. I am, and always will be, better than you," His gaze left Jake and switched to someone far behind you all, and he winked. "Thanks for the save, kid."

…What?

Your blood froze and your muscles tensed, barely registering the sound of the Colonel escaping. It felt like the world had stilled; everyone around you was frozen and unable to breathe as they processed the words that had been spoken mere seconds ago.

You could barely process the faces that surrounded you as you slowly turned, following the direction of where the Colonel had been looking. You should have known.

The world around you disappeared, voices echoing as you could barely hear them over the sound of your own heartbeat. All you knew was the pure anger rushing through your veins and the pathetic human boy standing a few meters away in your line of sight. His eyes met yours. You had never seen such pure, primal terror in anyone's eyes before.

"What did he mean?" You seethed, voice muted as your features twisted in anger. You began taking steps towards Spider, which seemed to trigger Kiri into holding you back.

"(Y/N), wait," She grabbed your arm to try to hold you back, muttering something about how you should relax and how it could have been a misunderstanding, but you snatched your arm back. You knew what you heard.

"Speak!" You screamed, making Spider flinch. He remained quiet, seemingly unable to defend himself, "You saved that man?"

"I.." Spider began taking a step back but came to a sudden halt as he heard the subtle sound of the pull of a bow. Your gaze flickered behind him for just a second, and you saw Neytiri with an arrow pointed straight at his head, a snarl as equally vicious as yours on her face.

"Neytiri, no!" "Mother, please don't hurt him!"

You and Neytiri barely registered the voices.

You took another step forward, your figure towering over Spider.

"That man is responsible for Neteyam's death," Your voice shook and your tail flicked behind you with anger as you spoke - everyone seemed to fall quiet, "And you saved him?"

Spider had the intelligence to keep quiet, at least. Unfortunately, what he didn't have was the courage to look you in the eye.

"Look at me when I speak to you!" You screamed, startling Spider. His head tilted up, and his fearful eyes met yours. His face was scrunched with pain and guilt, but it meant nothing to you. "He went back for you! He wanted to save you! He died because of you!"

You unsheathed your dagger, the dry blood on its sharp blade a symbol of the fate the boy in front of you would face.

"And you will die because of me."

-

a/n: If we don’t get a scene of Neytiri killing Spider’s ass in Avatar 3 I will sue

p.s I made an ask box request things pls and ty

[yawntutsyip]

Ao’nung x Fem!Metkayina Reader

warnings: angst(?), panic attack, blood, lmk if I need to put anything else.

context: Ao’nung finally completed his Iknimaya and was ready to confess to you! It was all going so great until it wasn’t. News had been announced that (y/n)’s village was attacked and many of their people were injured and needed help and (y/n) was one of them.

AN: …I hope this meets up to your guys expectations and that you like it! I did my best as this was the first time writing something sad 😭 IMSOSCAREDOFYOUGUYSREADINGTHISAHHHMYANXIETY.

Part One

Young love : Part Two

It had been a couple of years since Ao’nung and (Y/N) had seen each other. They had been so busy with their training, (Y/N) becoming the Tsahìk and Ao’nung the Olo’eyktan, that they never could find the right time to see one another. It’s always one of them was doing something on the day the other one wasn’t.

Even though they never saw each other in person that didn’t stop them from still keeping contact in other ways. They had been writing letters and sending gifts back and forth keeping each other updated on their lives.

At the time since they were so young they didn’t realize, that actually counted as courting each other. And that’s when their parents knew you guys had already chosen each other since day one and they had been secretly talking about merging the villages together one day.

Ao’nung once in a while would send (Y/N) handmade jewelry and headpieces that he learned to make from his mother and sister. He was very proud of it too. And in return (Y/N) would send him jewelry and armbands that she had beaded and woven herself. 

He remembered the first time he received a necklace she had made, it had a reef bird talon. He was shocked when he unwrapped it and immediately put it on. To this day he still wears it around his neck along with other stuff you had made him like his armband, or the bracelet that had been made with familiar beads, they were the same beads you had in your hair when you guys first met and he wore them with pride. 

Even though the letters and gifts made him happy and he was glad they were able to keep in touch with each other. He finds himself longing to be in person with you, when they first met it was an instant connection as if Eywa herself had sent you to him. 

He prayed to Eywa every day thanking her for bringing you into his life and that he wishes to see you again. He remembered holding your hand for the first time, how soft and tiny it was compared to his, and when he stared into your eyes it was like time stopped and it was just you and him in the world without a worry.

At that young age, Ao’nung had already made up his mind that it was you who he wished to spend the rest of his days with. It was you who he wanted to be his Tsahìk for his people, It was you who he wished to wake up next to every day, It was you who he saw carrying his future children. It was always you, and forever will be, and be prayed that you felt the same. 

Today was a special day for Ao’nung, he had finally finished his Iknimaya and tamed his Skimwing, all that was left was choosing a mate. 

But he already had, it was you.

At that moment Ao’nung sat along with the whole village as they all celebrated for him, although he was supposed to be happy he had a bad feeling about today, that something bad was going to happen. But he only pushed it to the back of his head. Today was going to be good no matter what. He won’t let some silly feeling ruin it. 

The atmosphere was lively and joyful, with children playing with each other, elders making jokes, and teens playing traditional Metkayina games. 

How could he not be happy right now?

He began to eat the fish that sat on the plate in front of him and made conversation with Rotxo and the friends that were nearby. 

All of a sudden a warrior from Ta’unui’s clan rushed in and headed toward his father and mother with a worried look on his face. 

As Ao’nung watches his parent's expressions of whatever the warrior had said to them, he knew it was nothing good. 

The bad feeling started to come back again and it made him feel sick to his stomach. Something happened. Something really bad.

His father stands up and clears his throat loudly and it gets everyone’s attention. 

“I need everyone’s attention! We have just gotten news that the Ta’unui’s village had been attacked and many of the people were injured including the Olo’eyktan’s family.” Tonowari announced as his eyes immediately land on his son. 

“I need all hands on deck. Clear your Marui’s as we need all the space we can get to give our brothers and sisters sanctuary. If you see someone in need of help please help them with all that you can. I need everyone’s help with this”

As Tonowari said his final words the happy joyful atmosphere turned serious and everyone rushed back to their marui’s getting prepared to help them in need. 

Ronal and Tonowari look at their son, He still stood in the same place he was. Tsireya shook his shoulder calling out his name but getting no response. She looked over to her parents with a worried expression. 

Ao’nung began running as fast as he could, pushing past his parents, towards the water where the people had been rushing in from on ilus and skimwings screaming in horror and in pain while carrying their loved ones, some lifeless, and some who were just merely hanging on to the little conscious they had left. 

When he said he wanted to be with you in person this what not what he meant, this had to be some cruel joke. Why did this happen? Did he make the great-mother upset? Why? 

His eyes traveled from person to person as they ran past him. His thoughts were scattered everywhere right now he could barely think straight. 

A piercing ringing echoed in his ears cutting out all the sounds, all he could hear was himself breathing and the thumps of his heart. 

He felt his hands begin to shake with anxiety, and he finds himself barely taking in full breathes as he was hyperventilating it made him feel sick and dizzy as if the world was spinning fast while his heart thumped erratically as if it were to jump out his chest and land into the sand. 

Where were you? We’re you okay? Were you hurt? Are you even alive? How was he even supposed to find you? He hasn’t even seen you since you were 7 years old. His thoughts overwhelm him and started to make him even more dizzy. He hunched over with his hands on his knees as he tries to slow down his breathing.

Finally getting ahold of himself closes his eyes and forces himself to slow down his breathing, as he did the ringing began to stop and the cries from the people began to fill his ears again. 

He opens his eyes and starts to run into the water, he looks around looking for possibly your father, maybe if he found your father you were with him, but he was out of luck as he couldn’t find him. 

Continuing to look around he spots a woman on her skimwing desperately screaming for help while holding a girl in her arms that were covered in blood. 

He sighs as prays to Eywa that you were okay before quickly calling for his newly tamed Skimwing and heading towards the mother and assuming it was her daughter. 

As he gets closer he looks at the girl laying in the mother's arms and looks at the girl's neck which had a necklace with a familiar shell on it. 

No, it can’t be.

He tells his Skimwing to go faster.

‘No no no no this can’t be, please don’t let it be (Y/N)’

Once he reached them the mother instantly cries for help, telling him her daughter is deeply wounded.

His eyes began to cloud forming tears as your mother shoved you in his embrace, pleading for him to rush you to the Tsahìk as she had to go back for more people. 

He nodded his head without a word and began to hold you close as he rode back to shore, he could feel your blood seep out and onto his hands and legs but he didn’t care about that, what he cared about was whether you were even alive or not.  

“(Y/N) hey it’s going to be okay! We are almost there okay?! Just hold on a little bit longer” he whispers to you while he was actually trying to convince himself. 

Finally, after what felt like forever he had reached the shore, he quickly undid the bond and began screaming for his mother as he ran to her with you in his arms tightly held against his chest as it turns red. 

Ronal hearing her son screaming rushes forward, a loud gasp leaving her lips at the sight she saw. 

Her son holding the love of his life in his arms with blood covering both of them, tears were streaming down his face as he could barely breathe properly, with hiccups between each breath. 

She quickly yells for Ao’nung to follow her as she runs to the nearest healing Marui. She tells him to carefully set her down as she began to grab every single paste and medicine she could find. 

Ao’nung sat on his knees the whole time never leaving your side, holding your hand in his as his mother began to work on healing you. 

He prayed and prayed to Eywa to let you be okay, that this was not your time to be with her. You were still so young and had such a long life to live, there was still so much you haven’t gotten to explore. So much thing that he had not been able to tell you, to show you. 

He even had this whole day planned out for you and him. 

Ao’nung and his father were going to travel to your village to surprise you and your family after the celebration, He was going to do this big thing where he personally went to your parents giving them the handmade gifts he had been working on for the past week ranging from baskets to jewelry, to spears and the fish that he had been catching all day that would feed your siblings and parents, he prepared so much so that he could ask your parent's permission to court you, to be mated with you and become one with Eywa. 

He had even been practicing a speech for your father, telling him that he would take good care of you for the rest of your life and that he could trust him, he would make sure you always had a secured roof over your head and how you would always have food and would never become hungry, How he would protect you with his whole life from any danger and he was willing to do anything for you, he would worship the ground you walk on. 

But how was he supposed to do that now as he sat there next to you and watched your body lay as if almost lifeless? 

How was he supposed to confess the love that he has had for you since he was 8? 

How was he supposed to show you the secret underwater cave spot, that since the day he found it, he couldn’t wait to take you there?

How was he supposed to grow old and have a family with you as you both watch your kids grow older and become the next Olo’eyktan or Tsahìk?

He let out a deep sigh, He began to scan your face, finally taking in what you look like and how you have grown over the years. You were beautiful. 

You were the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. With your long dark hair and a beautiful shade of aqua skin, perfectly round eyes. Even at this state he still found you beautiful. You were perfect every way in his eyes.

As his eyes trail over your face his gaze falls downwards and the necklace she was wearing caught his attention. 

He remembers the memory as if it was yesterday, he saw the way your whole face went from scared and shy to lit up and excited. He remembered the way his heart started beating faster and was scared that you would be able to hear it. 

Tears began to fill his eyes. 

“(Y/N)…I love you, please don’t leave before I can tell you these words. Please fight and come back to us, Eywa please help her find her way back to me, back to her parents, back to her younger siblings” He whispered as he held your hand to his chest, tears began to fall from his eyes as he breaks down, feeling his heart throb in pain, feeling this it was slowly cracking, falling into little pieces. 

Ronal and your mom both were there working on healing you, they had done everything the could and now what was left to do was pray to Eywa.

And Eventually, after a couple of days you had finally begun to heal, getting better as the days passed but still had not worked up which worried Ao’nung.

He still hasn’t left your side too scared that if he left you would disappear again. His parents and your parents would come in and visit to check up on him and you. They all had that same face of pity as they looked at the both of them.

Of course the day he had went out to finally go bathe properly, he had just wiped your blood off him with a cloth and water though his skill still stayed stained.

You finally woke up.

As you open your eyes it was so bright that you could only close the again but then the sound of someone entering in the Marui reached your ears and the light soon was covered by something or maybe it was someone as you could hear their breathe come in and out shakily. Opening them again you look up and meet the eyes of someone else. 

The eyes were familiar and brought instant comfort as you began to tear up at the boy and also remember the events that had happened. It was pain and happiness all at once. You couldn’t believe who was sitting there in front of you.

“Ao’nung is it really you?!, I didn’t think I would see you again after our village got attacked” you whisper as your voice was hoarse. You stared up with at him in adoration with tears turning your vision blurry with a faint blush creeping on your cheeks.

The years have been very kind to him, he grew up to be a very handsome man that caught all the girls attention, and that crush you have had on him since you were a little girl only grew more the very second.

“Yeah it really is me,” Ao’nung said while caressing your face in his hands, wiping the tears falling from your eyes with his thumb. “Long time no see huh? You changed quite a bit there’s no more little girl that cowards behind her father, I see you young beautiful woman and warrior even, is that a tattoo already? You completed your Iknimaya before me?!” he tried to enlighten the mood but it didn’t help the fact that he was crying with tears streaming down his face as well. 

You caress his face back with one hand and he leans into your touch kissing your palm. “I know, crazy right?” You tried to laugh but it was cut off as you cough and wince at the pain that came from your abdomen.

“Hey take it easy, your still healing, you had gotten shot , and you have burns on your legs. But hey on the bright side imagine how cool the scars are gonna be aye? Your gonna look so badass” you blush and lightly hit his leg. “Stop making me laugh it hurts”

He could only laugh himself with a big smile on his face. His happy mood quickly shifting into a serious one as began to talk. His hands moves from your face to hold one of your hands kissing the back of it.

“You know, I wanted it to be more romantic…I had this whole plan set up for you…but I have to tell you now.” Ao’nung begins to speak between sniffles. 

You tense up a little worried about what he was going to say.

“(Y/N), when we first met each other, even though we were just kids I knew there was a connection, and I knew that you were gonna be someone that I hold dear to my heart. And when I gave you that necklace, the way your eyes lit up as you saw it and you looked at me with a big smile...I made it my goal to make sure you always had that look on your face even when we weren’t together. I was so sad when you left and we weren’t able to meet up, but when you sent me that little letter you wrote about how much you missed me. That’s when I fell, I fell in love with you though out the years. You make me the happiest man since day one of meeting you and if you give me permission, I want to spend the rest of my days with you. I love you (Y/N), I see you”

You wipe the tears out of your eyes and nod your head while sniffling. Slowly you sit up and lay your forehead against his, you both stare into each other's eyes basking in the other one's presence. 

“I see you, Ao’nung. I wish to be by your side forever”

tag list: @alerouxstyxsblog @embrycallsballz @grierpilots @simpingoverfictionalmen @liyahsocorro @bloody-hell-00 @allurvion @fucksnow @littlemissbooie @melsunshine @trulynotavailable @baddieslaybaka @theratprincessforever @iheartamajiki

[idontgiveaflyinggrayson69]

The Bond

Author: Nat / @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69

Relationship: Neteyam x Fem!Na’vi!Reader

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

Word Count: 14k

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

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

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

do not repost, do not claim as your own

Tsaheylu.

The bond.

The beginning and the end of everything.

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

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

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

It’s a beautiful thing the bond.

--

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

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

But you did.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You should have known Neteyam had the same idea.

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

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

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

He wasn’t alone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tomorrow he became taronyu.

Tomorrow he became a man.

Tomorrow he gained you. 

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

--

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

Today was the day.

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

“Why would I be nervous?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I am?” He asked and you nodded.

“You are.”

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

Your best friend. Your lover. Your mate.

A man.

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

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

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

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

--

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

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

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

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

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

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

“More sure than I have ever been.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was unlike anything you had every experienced before.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Please, ‘Teyam.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Together.

Connected.

One.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The bond was a beautiful thing.

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

--

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We are mated before Eywa.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The problem was, nothing stayed perfect forever.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everything changed after that, after they took Spider.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?” You asked breathlessly.

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

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

“Food aversion?” She asked and you nodded.

“Fatigue?” You nodded again.

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

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

Your hands shook as you gently touched your stomach.

Pregnant.

You—

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

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

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

“I will be fine.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He was your everything.

This family was your everything.

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

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

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

The bond… it’s a beautiful thing.

Until it isn’t.

--

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All hell broke loose after that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No.

No.

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

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

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

“You skxawng, I’ve been shot.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was almost always better.

Almost.

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

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

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

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

He had to.  

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

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

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

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

“I know, I—”

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

You felt the moment he died.

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

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

You were supposed to spend your life with him.

It was supposed to be you and him.

You and him.

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

Numb.

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

And maybe he had.

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

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

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

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

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But she didn’t.

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

He was gone.

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

--

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

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

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

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

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

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

[bloodycotton]

Day seven, okey, this whole tober thing is way harder than i thought.

Prompts by: @raven-cincaide-words

(English is NOT my first language)

Day 7.- Soul Mates

Daryl Dixon (The Walking Dead, 2010) x Fem!reader

When night fell on the road and the sounds of the wandering dead were all you could hear, the most terrifying thing was that you couldn't see them. And sometimes, when you did manage to see them, it was too late, so the nights were the most difficult, the most uncomfortable and the most dangerous. 

You slept as much as you could and where you could, trying to stay alert for any kind of threat, dead or alive. Every little sound put you on the defensive, the rustle of dry leaves, the small twigs breaking as animals passed overhead. 

The higher above the ground you slept, the better you were able to fall asleep, even if your body complained about the discomfort, and you were sore, sleeping in the trees was the safest option you had in mind. 

A month and a couple of weeks had passed since the dead populated the land, and only a couple of the living were left fighting for their lives. You included. 

If finding your soul mate was difficult before, now it was impossible, but you had the consolation that this person was still alive for you, because soul mates had a special connection, a shared empathy, they felt each other's emotions. And you could feel everything he or she felt. 

And you were worried, he was lonely, anxious, distressed, fatigued and couldn't sleep even for a second, something was wrong with him, and you were scared that you couldn't help him before something bad happened to him, that you couldn't get to your soul mate before death claimed him. 

That's why you were trying so hard to survive, to stay calm, to at least give a little peace of mind to the other end of the loop, as another night fell on their heads. 

What you didn't expect was to find a little girl running from a walker in the middle of the woods, almost across an internal Georgia road. You helped her, of course you helped her, she was no more than ten years old, and she looked exhausted and scared, more than scared she was terrified. 

With precise movements you raised your weapon and took down the walkers, bringing them both to safety, setting off on a journey to the road where she had told you her mother would be waiting for her, but your heart broke when you saw no one, only the pile of abandoned cars. 

Her little hand squeezed yours, you were sure she was distraught. "Do you have any idea where they were?" You asked her, maybe they had left some kind of directions they could follow or some clue as to where her mother might be. 

"Just up ahead" I pointed to the little girl, Sophia, as she had said herself, her name was when you saved her from the walkers. 

"Let's go and look for her then" You said trying to sound a bit more hopeful, but there was a knot in your stomach, you didn't want to be negative, but the chances that her mother could be alive were very low. But with a sigh, you decided that you wouldn't leave her alone for anything in the world. 

You both walked into the tangle of cars, the sound of your soft footsteps contrasting with the thump of your heart pounding in your chest. Without meaning to, the anxiety and anguish was growing in you and Daryl could feel it, he could feel your emotions boiling over, and it scared him, you were always calm, in a state of serenity, he was the anxious one, the one who always put himself in dangerous situations. And those thoughts sent him into a spiral at one of the worst times, for he was supposed to be looking for the girl and some trace that she might be alive, but he was thinking about his soul mate and his growing anxiety while he was on a horse. 

His hands tightened on the rein, and he tried to take slow, deep breaths. When the mare he was on saw a snake, making her jump and dropping him off the small cliff, he yelped in surprise as he was thrown from the saddle and fell to the rocky ground, landing with a groan and a cry of pain as his back hit a large rock and one of his own arrows burying itself in the side of his abdomen.  

A wave of pain and anguish hit you, and you knew he was in danger, and despair washed over you. 

The forest thickened as you moved through it, the trees closing in around you, obscuring the path even further. Sophia was still at your side, her small hand clutched tightly in yours. The fear on her face reminded you how fragile hope was in these times.

You both moved on, the silence of the forest was overwhelming, only interrupted by the rustling of the wind and the rustling of branches. Your mind whirled around your soul mate, growing more and more restless. It wasn't normal for him to feel this way. You knew there must be something else. A shiver ran down your spine as you remembered the connection you shared, that strange empathy that bound you together, as if your hearts beat in unison.

Suddenly, a muffled growl echoed through the trees. Instinctively, you stopped, causing Sophia to stand still beside you.

"What was that?" Sophia asked, her eyes growing wide with fear.

"I don't know," you said, trying to remain calm as you moved a little deeper into the thicket. Every step seemed like an echo, but there was something in the air that pulled you forward, like a tugging at your insides.

Your heart was racing every moment, and then you felt it. A surge of pain and anguish came from your soul mate, a silent scream that echoed in your chest. Without thinking, you began to run, leading Sophia behind you.

You couldn't stop. Anxiety flooded through you, pulling you forward, like a magnet you couldn't ignore.

Finally, you came to a kind of clearing, where the light illuminated a small stream. There, on the ground, with pale skin and an arrow through his side, was a man, and you knew immediately that this man was your soul mate. His face was covered in sweat and a grimace of pain plagued him, as his eyes closed and opened, as if he was struggling to stay conscious.

"Daryl," Sophia murmured behind you, quickly approaching the man lying in the water, Daryl was his name, and you knelt down beside him. The world around you faded away, all that mattered was him. "God... What do I do?" The pain was searing, and you still felt it, which was good, it meant he was still okay, or at least that's what you told yourself. 

He looked at you, confusion and pain reflected in his gaze. "You...?" he murmured, his voice cracking. "Sophia...?" You felt a new surge, but now of reassurance, of relief, Daryl was relieved to see you, you and Sophia safe and sound. 

He didn't know you fully, but he knew who you were, he felt it. 

[deathxfawn]

alright i'm gonna say it. i know it'll make antis want to find me irl and slash my tires, but i'm going to say it anyway: L/ucien is nothing more than a plot device for Elriel's story.

i'm fully convinced Elriel has been the plan since the beginning. there are too many hints as early as MaF to think otherwise. these have only increased as the books progressed. also, as it's been pointed out, if L/ucien was originally supposed to get with Nesta, who was Elain going to be with? Cassian? lol.

i don't think L/ucien has been relegated to the rank of plot device for the story as a whole. just for Elain and Azriel's story. I fully believe he'll play a huge role in breaking Vassa's curse (perhaps with his spell-cleaving father? what a weird coincidence, if not) and defeating Koschei. but as it stands, he's simply a hurdle in Elain and Azriel's way.

think of it this way: if there was no E/lucien mating bond, what obstacles would Elriel even have? this is a romance novel. the main couple has to have some sort of stumbling block. Feysand and Nessian sure did.

what would Elain's obstacle be? her trauma? of course she still has it. but is it currently keeping her from Azriel? lol no. she would've taken him to her bed in the BC if Rhys hadn't interrupted.

what would Azriel's obstacle be? his insecurities? all it took was a little offer and permission from Elain and he was willing to damn it all to kiss her.

without L/ucien they have no barriers. nobody would care if they got together. there would be no political implications. no stakes. nothing.

"but why make them mates!! isn't that a little drastic??" they cry. umm...no? forbidden romance, star-crossed lovers, etc has been a staple trope in romance for as long as romance has existed. it's not some new crazy idea. and what's one of the biggest reasons for a forbidden romance? one of them is promised to someone else. it's a tale as old as time, really, and i'm not sure why the concept seems so outlandish to some.

i know people say the opposite. that Azriel is the obstacle for Elain and L/ucien, which might be believable if...they had even a single positive interaction with each other. L/ucien would rather live in another country. Elain would rather watch water boil than be in the same room as him. that's not tension, it's indifference.

people can say what they want, believe what they want, theorize all they want. i for one am excited for a little forbidden romance and kicking fate in the nads.

[merrybloomwrites]

I Hear Them Calling (Prologue)

Story Summary: Alpha Harry Styles and omega Y/N Y/L/N meet under less than ideal circumstances. Overtime their paths will cross and they will be drawn to one another in ways they never expected.

Chapter Summary: This first chapter is a quick prologue that sets the scene for the rest of the story. It gives some info on omegaverse so if you haven't read a lot of those stories before hopefully this acts as a good introduction.

Word Count: 750

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The history books all talk of a time when nearly everyone was an Alpha or Omega. Each gender had their expected roles in society. Each individual had their own scent, which they could be identified by. They would release pheromones that could affect others around them. They would mate, experience heats and ruts together, and create new pups.

Occasionally, people would reach their mid-20s without presenting as either Alpha or Omega. At first, these individuals would be outcasts, but over time they started to become a larger percentage of the population. That was when they earned the designation of Betas. They didn’t have scents, didn’t produce pheromones, and didn’t experience mating cycles.

As time went on, the number of betas grew until they were the majority. And now, in the 21st century, most individuals are betas. It’s rare that someone presents as an alpha, and ever rarer to be an omega.

This created new problems, since alphas and omegas were dependent upon one another. Or more accurately, omegas depended on alphas. An alpha could live a completely normal life without an omega. This doesn’t mean they were all happy to do so. A lot of the old-fashioned views and stereotypes had become obsolete, but many knothead alphas still felt entitled to an omega. These are the same people who still think omegas are subservient to everyone else and incapable of holding the same status as themselves.

Meanwhile, omegas have proven themselves to be just as capable at betas and alphas in all aspects of life. And while those societal expectations of them are no longer relevant, unfortunately, the needs of their bodies have never changed. Omegas require the touch, scent, and pheromones of an alpha. Lacking any of those can lead to a number of different ailments, the worst being touch deprivation.

There are many stages of touch deprivation, the most severe being nearly irreversible and potentially fatal. Luckily, there are a number of medications that help omegas live perfectly healthy and normal lives.

Most omegas will have a pill regimen that includes suppressants, soothers, and scent blockers. Suppressants ensure that the omega will not experience a heat cycle. Soothers are taken to prevent touch deprivation. They trick the body into thinking they’ve been in contact with an alpha. Finally, scent blockers prevent others from being able to smell them. This is especially important for omega safety since it allows them to blend in with the betas around them and not get unwanted attention from alphas.

Scent blockers are also frequently used by alphas, but some choose not to take them. They would rather broadcast their scent, letting everyone around them know their alpha status. Many also take rut suppressants, not wanting to experience a rut without a partner, or wanting to have more control over when their ruts occur.

This is the world that Harry Styles, alpha and famous musician, as well as Y/N, omega and virtual data analyst find themselves living in. They both hide their secondary genders from all around them, but that’s where the similarities end. He’s known by all for his music, movies, and modeling. Y/N, however, is content being known only by her family and her friend group.

Harry hides his alpha status from most people, deeming it inappropriate for his fans, and the whole world, to know such a personal piece of information. He also knows people will judge him based on this fact about him, and so only those in his closest circle are aware.

Y/N also hides her omega status from everyone except her closest family members and her two best friends. She does this for her safety, knowing that there are alphas out there that would harm her simply because she’s an omega. She’s heard plenty of horror stories of omegas being trapped or forced to do things because someone used their alpha voice against them, and they have no choice but to listen. She’s heard of omegas being forcibly mated by alphas and are now stuck with them.

Through some trial and error after she first presented, her doctor found a perfect medicine regimen. This allows her to live a completely normal and happy life, ruled only by her desires and goals, rather than ruled by expectations of her as an omega.

A completely normal life until her suppressants start to lose their potency, she attends a Harry Styles concert, and a knothead alpha in the audience sets in motion a series of events she could never have predicted.

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading this! I've very excited to start writing the first chapter of this story. It's been living in my head for awhile and I can't wait to share it!

I'm using my taglist from my other series (which I am still also writing for), so if you don't want to be tagged in this one please let me know! Also please let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

Taglist: @akkatz @pandeebearstyles @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite@theekyliepage@numafarawayglxy @booberry019-blog @hillzrry@ssareidbby @gem1712 @acesofspadess@houseofdilfs@shaquille-0atmeal-1@kissitnhekitchen @amateurduck @poguestyleskye@n0vaj3an@snwells@drunk-teens-doing-drugs ; @fdl305

[sunflowervoltwentyeight]

Hello! This is a fic rec of my all-time favorite fics. These fics have really stuck with me over the years, and I've read many of them multiple times. This is an ongoing fic rec, that I will continue to update. These fics are organized by word count from longest to shortest. You can view my other fic recs here. Enjoy!

Of Mates and Men by bananaheathen / @bananaheathen (630k)

In which, Louis and Harry meet as best men for their best friends' wedding... well... sort of.

Or, the one where Harry's just moved back from New York and Louis doesn't believe in romance.

Or, I guess... the one where Zayn and Liam are getting married.

Hiding Place by orphan_account (365k)

Louis never wanted a soulmate, didn’t really care for the whole Bonding thing at all, really. Enter Harry Styles, who’s wanted to be Bonded for as long as he could remember. With one fateful meeting in an X Factor bathroom, Louis gets a dagger on his arm and the realization that just because Harry is his soulmate doesn’t mean it’s mutual.

From the X Factor house to Madison Square Garden, from the Fountain Studios stage to stadiums across the world, Louis has to learn to love without losing himself completely, because someday his best friend will Bond to someone and replace Louis as the center of his universe. Meanwhile, Harry begins to think that maybe fate doesn’t actually know what it’s doing after all, because his other half has clearly been right in front of him the whole time. All he has to do now is convince Louis to give them a chance.

Or, the canon compliant Harry and Louis love story from the very beginning, where the only difference is that the love between them is literally written on their skin, and there’s only so much they can hide.

You Can Hear It In The Silence by imogenelee / @imogenleefic (234k)

When Harry Styles was accepted into a post-grad degree, he knew he could no longer afford his flat, leaving him with three options: 1) Move back into student halls. 2) Become homeless. 3) Move in with his best (and only) friend, Niall, and three of Niall's other mates. He went with the third option. But it was a close race. Shame one of his roommates reminded him why he only has one friend. If there is one thing Louis Tomlinson can't stand, it's pretentious tossers, having grown up around enough of them. If there is one thing he can't live without, it would be his friends. So he was proper thrilled to move in with his best mates and a couple of other lads. That was until he discovered one of them was the archetype for a pretentious tosser.

In the interest of seeing out the twelve-month lease without killing each other, they both try (debatable) to get along despite believing they are opposite in almost every conceivable way, each having the communication skills of a cucumber, and secrets that have no business be kept secret.

One More Time Again by orphan_account (232k)

Harry looks down to where Louis is cradling his hand between his own. Louis' hands are slender, the bones delicate, the nails bitten short. The 2-8 on the backs of his fingers is gone, but the faded scar from a skateboarding mishap in Year 7 is still there.

Harry's hand is awkward, knobby-boned and naked, no rings, no tattoos. It's too big for his wrist and his wrist too big for his arm. Yet it still somehow fits in Louis' in the painfully perfect way it always did.

He blinks back the sting in his eyes.

On the morning of his second sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden, Harry wakes up to find that he's sixteen years old, on The X Factor, and that he has a chance to make things right.

A canon-compliant fix-it fic (sort of).

Stranger Stars by shaylea (212k)

Five years ago, Africa offered a grieving Louis Tomlinson an escape from an England he couldn't tolerate. Now it's become home as he leads overland tours across the continent with his best friend and driver Zayn Malik. What's meant to be just another ordinary six-week trip from Cape Town to Nairobi turns into anything but, when future lawyer/current photographer and songwriter Harry Styles and his friends join Louis' latest set of passengers.

Given A Chance by fabby / @fabby1d (173k)

Five years after One Direction took their last tour, the last thing Louis Tomlinson ever expected to happen while on a tea run at the local Piggly Wiggly was to run into his ex-boyfriend and ex-bandmate Harry Styles.

The odds of them ever running into each other again had to be super slim, right?

Wrong.

What happens when you mix ex-boyfriends with a large serving of Small Town America? Will Louis and Harry be able to set aside their differences, or will Louis be able to stay breezy as fuck in the wake of Harry’s arrival?

(or, the one where Louis and Harry run into each other five years after One Direction ends and learn how to love each other again. Featuring: Reggie as the overweight labrador, Niall as Louis’ last grip on reality, and Nowheresville, North Carolina as the setting for Louis’ worst nightmare to come true.)

The Wonderlands by stylinsoncity /  @aliensingucci (150k)

"Somewhere between chaos and control — these are the wonderlands."

Harry's daughter, Andy, is signed to Louis' girl band. Her path to success is marked by competition, chaos, and for Harry, a love affair.

As You Are by Zarah5 (139k)

AU. Five years after The X Factor launched his career as a radio host and songwriter, Louis Tomlinson returns as a judge. Falling for a contestant is the last thing he needs. It's also against his contract.

The only reason Harry auditions for The X Factor is because his best mate signed the two of them up as some kind of joke. Harry doesn't get the big deal—not until he's faced with this season's judges and realises that one of them used to be his desperate, impossible teenage crush.

Unbelievers by isthatyoularry / @isthatyoularry (136k)

It’s Louis’ senior year, and he’s dead set on doing it right. However, along with his pair of cleats, a healthy dose of sarcasm and his ridiculous best friend, he’s also got a complicated family, a terrifyingly uncertain future, and a mortal enemy making his life just that much worse. Mortal enemies “with benefits” was not exactly the plan.

Or: The one where Louis and Harry definitely aren’t friends, and football is everything.

Empty Skies  by green_feelings / @greenfeelings (134k)

For three years, Harry has been running from his past. Now, he is moving to London and pledges to fulfil his only dream – making it big in the music industry. Not everyone has a place, though, and the competition is tough. As is his past catching up on him.Louis is part of the biggest boy band of the world, and getting there had meant a lot of hard work, as well as sacrificing parts of his heart and soul. He’s still happy. Maybe not as happy as he could be, but who is he to complain?

Let's Fall in Love in a Place You Want to Stay by embro (134k)

A George of the Jungle / Tarzan AU where Louis is a model who meets Wild Man Harry in the Congo. He was raised by apes and barely speaks a word of English and turns Louis' life upside down.

Love Is A Rebellious Bird by 100percentsassy, Gloria_Andrews / @gloriaandrews (134k)

AU in which the boys still make music. Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who "has made Mozart cool again" according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.

Don't hum Bolero.

Oxford AU Series by stylinsoncity / @aliensingucci (130k)

Come As You Are  (77k) “I think it could be like this all the time,” Harry says. “I know it doesn’t make sense but I think you should consider it. I could make you happy if you let me.” louis is a professor of literature at oxford and harry is his newest and most eager protege. both are caught in a story about forbidden love, loss and second chances, in which one is on the brink of heartbreak and the other comes along when he's needed most. Overwhelmingly You (47k) more reflections post-oxford. Notes on Oxford (5k) glimpses at life before, during and beyond oxford, in no particular order

Wild Love bypurpledaisy / @harrydaisy (130k)

“Good,” Julia says, clearly pleased to have them both uncomfortable and unable to look at each other. “Now, I only have one more question before you can go. What are you planning to do when this experiment ruins your friendship?”

“We said we’d stay friends no matter what,” Harry says smoothly, his chin lifting in defense.

“That was our one thing going into it,” Louis agrees. “Stay friends no matter what.”

Julia raises a perfectly manicured brow, “That’s all fine and good. But I hope you realize your emotions aren’t going to realize this is an experiment in the end. If one of you falls for the other and finds out those feelings are not reciprocated, you’re not going to be able to laugh it off as a social experiment. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do this, I’m just hoping you’ve considered all of the possible outcomes.”

- AU: Two best friends try to date each other for forty days. It’s supposed to be fun until emotions make it complicated.

After All These Years byLifeInAColorWheel (127k)

It’s been seven years since One Direction went on hiatus and it’s been eight years since Louis and Harry broke up. They’ve been strangers to one another since then.

But, over the course of a weeklong boys’ trip, history between Harry and Louis resurfaces.

Or,

The one when Louis and Harry don’t talk, connect again years later, and reflect on why their love collapsed.

Wild and Unruly by 100percentsassy, Gloria_Andrews / @gloriaandrews (123k)

Harry is a cowboy sitting on the biggest oil reservoir in Wyoming, and Louis is the paralegal assigned to pressure him into selling his land.

I'll Fly Away by juliusschmidt / @juliusschmidt (122k)

Harry and Louis grew up together in Lake County, Harry with his mom and stepdad in a tiny cottage on Edward’s Lake and Louis in his family’s farmhouse a few minutes down the road. But after high school, Louis stuck around and Harry did not; Harry went to Chicago where he found a boyfriend and couple of college degrees. Six years later, Harry ends up back in Edwardsville for the summer and he and Louis fall into old patterns and discover new ones.

ft. One Direction, the local boyband; Horan’s Bar and Grill; families, most especially children and babies; Officer Liam Payne; many local festivals and fireworks displays; and Anne Cox, PFLAG President.

Bitter Tangerine by purpledaisy / @daisyharry (119k)

Maybe it’s Niall, he reasons to calm his storming heart. Maybe he’s not actually gone for the holidays yet, maybe Harry got the dates confused. Slowly, he holds his breath and pushes the kitchen door open. The first thing he sees make him jump, a wooden spoon held out like a sword. Once his brain processes the sight in front of him, it’s less the sword that gets him than who is attached to the wooden spoon.

“Harry,” the swordsmen speaks before Harry can, his voice low and steady though confusion laces each word.

Harry’s breath catches. Every string around his heart, all the protection he spent nine months building, rips out and tears open all at once as he says, “Hi Louis.”

-

AU: Nine months after they break up, a twist of fate brings Harry and Louis back together at Christmas.

Never Be by cherrystreet / @cherrystreet (117k)

Monica: You've got to see her again.Ross: And why do you care so much?Monica: Because! You could get to live out my fantasy!Ross: You had fantasies about Emily?Monica: No! Y’know, the fantasy! Meet someone from a strange land, fall madly in love, and spend the rest of your lives together.  

The one where Harry Styles moves to Connecticut from England for nine months as a part of a study abroad program, and he just so happens to move in with Louis Tomlinson and family.

Burn to Ash by bethaboo (116k)

Harry is sitting there, so fucking casual, and Louis realizes in a split second he was not ready. When Harry walked out in Detroit and never looked back, he was a boy verging on a man, still only twenty years old, but there's a man in his place now. Hard and resolute, yes, but still, for the first time in a long time, Louis can kind of see the old Harry in him. The soft, directness of his gaze, the hesitant smile he gives to Lou, the way he wrings his ridiculously large hands in his lap.

He's a little bit the eager sixteen year old puppy dog again, his innocence and sweetness resurrected miraculously, and Louis freezes in place. He was prepared to face the asshole Harry. He was prepared to meet a whole new Harry.

Louis is not prepared to meet one of the old incarnations of Harry, and it absolutely tears him up.

Or the fic where Harry spirals out of control, the band breaks up, and then he shows back up, five years later.

Mine Would Be You by crinkle-eyed-boo / @crinkle-eyed-boo (114k)

Louis blinks his eyes open, his eyelids fluttering as the room swims around him. He takes several gulps of beer once he confirms that he’s definitely not hallucinating, that the very first portrait Harry Styles ever painted of him is hanging on that wall.

Louis stares at the wall, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest as he realizes that there’s not just one painting of him, there’s five, the portraits lined up like they’re some sort of storyboard depicting the rise and fall of his deepest love. His greatest heartache. A pain that cut him so deep that he left the fucking country, severing all ties with his life in New York, now suddenly surrounding him as if he’d never left.

Fucking shit motherfucker fuck.

Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it – and the love of his life – behind. He didn’t intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?

Tired Tired Sea by mediawhore / @mediawhorefics (113k)

As a B&B owner on the most remote of all the British Isles, Louis Tomlinson is used to spending the coldest half of the year in complete isolation, with his dog and the sea as sole companions. Until, one day, a mysterious stranger on a quest to rebuild himself rents a room for the winter.

Babydoll Blues by devilinmybrain / @thedevilinmybrain (111k)

Louis is a high profile, filthy rich label executive who has the world at his feet - a music god.. Harry is the sugar baby trying to make a name for himself singing in shady bars and hanging off the arm of Louis' biggest rival. What Louis wants, Louis gets. But what if the game gets too hot and hits a little too close to the heart?

To Haunt a Heart by etherealbliss / @givesuethemoon (110k)

A high-profile double homicide in the quiet, small town of Ashford, WA sends shockwaves through the public. Louis, the lead detective assigned to the case, is headstrong, earnest, and desperate to prove himself. Harry, the widow of one of the victims, is insufferably rich, wears far too many vintage dressing gowns, and is desperate to prove he’s not guilty.

Their desperation unexpectedly blossoms into something beautiful behind closed doors, amidst the ticking time bomb of a slowly unravelling mystery that the two soon find themselves deeply entwined in.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by kingsofeverything / @kingsofeverything (103k)

Louis’ life is steady and calm, moored by his marriage, and tied to his hometown, but after a chance encounter with another man, it’ll never be the same.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by certainsadness (103k)

“There’s something so great about watching you interact with art,” Harry said quietly. “Like, when you were giving the tour, you were just so you, and so happy and excited and funny and engrossing. But then when you’re looking at the art, when it’s, like, just for you, you get so quiet and observant.” He pressed a kiss to Louis’s shoulder. “But you still seem so you, and so happy. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you as happy as you’ve been tonight.” He kissed his shoulder again. “As you are right now.” A shiver went up Louis’s back. “I’m happy when I’m with you,” he said.

Or, Louis loved art and Harry was a masterpiece.

Emperor's New Clothes by sunsetmog / @magicalrocketships (92K)

The fact that Louis’s most precious belonging was a cat with a face like thunder and an uncanny ability to cover every single inch of Louis’s clothing with cat hair was something that Louis chose not to think about too much.

or: Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship.

Behavioural Ecology by turtlekz / @turtlekz (81k)

Louis Tomlinson is a primatologist working with the Jane Goodall Institute for primate conservation; and Harry Styles is the photojournalist sent from National Geographic to write a piece promoting awareness about the endangered species. They meet, and love is never, ever simple, as we know.

Featuring Eli the chimpanzee, bickering humans, storytelling, and five men who come to gain an understanding of what it means to be human; all stationed in the Republic of the Congo.

Do Not Go Gentle by afirethatcannotdie / @afirethatcannotdie (70k)

“This is all a game to you, isn’t it? Well, it’s not for me. This is a real life or death situation,” Louis says, spitting the words at him. “And I just don’t think you’re cut out for it.”

For a moment, they stare at each other in complete silence. Harry can feel his blood thrumming between his ears, can see Louis glaring at him, feels red-hot anger. And then all he feels, oppressively and desperately, is lust.

Suddenly Louis is surging up to him to press his lips against Harry’s. Harry walks the two of them backwards, pressing Louis back against the door. Louis oomphs in surprise and brings his hands under Harry’s scrub top, scratching at his lower back.

“Lock — oh — lock the… fucking door,” Louis mutters.

When Harry Styles starts his first day as a surgical intern, he expects a lot of things: to treat patients, to observe a surgery, to feel a bit overwhelmed. What he definitely doesn't expect, however, is that the handsome guy he kicked out of his bed this morning is also an intern.

A Grey’s Anatomy AU where tensions are high, Harry and Louis are hooking up in secret, and no one has time for love. Or do they?

To the Ends of the Earth by stylinsoncity / @aliensingucci (68k)

During a yearlong hiatus, Louis visits Harry at his cabin in Idaho, where long-buried feelings ignite like the fire keeping them warm.

A Yuzu Grows in Brooklyn by stylinsoncity / @aliensingucci (66k)

Harry is a recent implant in new york and a young chef opening a restaurant called yuzu. louis, a music teacher and broadway lover, has been around the block for a while. in a city that's so fast-paced, they're slow to catch on to each other.

The Dark and the Dentist by sunshiner / @theprizeofcoolness (66k)

“I know this song,” Louis whispers, and Harry has to lean his ear toward him to pick up what he’s saying. “It was written for people to dance to it. We should be dancing.” We can’t, Harry almost spits, but it’d be stupid of him. Louis knows they can’t. Even if he looks like any regular Parisian in their twenties, and Harry looks like any hipster Parisian in their twenties, they can’t anyway. To be fair, they probably wouldn’t do it even if they were out. But if they were two uni students, both in Paris for an exchange, meeting over fallen books at the library, or because of mutual friends, or watching Monet’s Water Lilies? “How would we dance?” Harry murmurs, mouth almost pressed to Louis’ cheek, so close he can feel his warmth. What a picture they must make, two millionaires freezing in a park and dreaming of a different life.

An account of the events of November 2014. Canon-compliant.

Time Passed by coffinofachimera (66k)

Louis struggles with their relationship as Harry grows into his identity.

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast by dancesongsoul, lookatyourchoices (60k)

“Tommo and Harry are gonna do it. I don’t know when, but they’re gonna do it. They’ve got the mattress, the pillows, everything’s in place, and they’re gonna do it. I really wish those two the best of luck.” –Taylor Swift, "Chapera"

Or a Survivor All-Stars AU in which Harry and Louis are just in this game to win the million dollars, but they end up with something better.

Featuring Harry's yellow swim shorts, Louis in snapbacks, and OT5 shenanigans.

No One Does It Better by nodibs (49k)

Harry’s an alcoholic and Louis is a bartender. The first time they meet isn’t the first time they’ve met.

Sail Away With Me by star_henderson / @star-henderson (47k)

“It’s inhumane putting four blokes in one cabin.” Louis stripped off and climbed up into his top bunk. “And why did we get the smelliest twat on the whole ship and bore of the century?”

Harry shrugged. “We clearly pissed someone off along the way.”

Louis snorted softly. “Who do I have to bend over for to get us an upgrade?”

Harry barked out a laugh. “If only it were that simple.” He rolled his eyes wistfully at Louis.

“The only way I’m going to get a two berth is to throw Payno overboard and be next in line for the deputy cruise director's job.” Louis leaned up on one elbow to look over at Harry. “Would you help me weigh his body down so I don’t go to jail?”

“Only If I can share your cabin.” Harry shuffled about, tucking the duvet between his legs, sweeping his hair up into a bun and securing it in a band. “I’m not being an accessory to murder and then still having to share with them two, no fucking way.”

Or

Louis and Harry are part of the entertainment team on board a luxury cruise liner. They hate sharing their four berth cabin with two other guys and would do anything to get a cabin of their own. One drunken night the solution was simple. They'd just get married...

Be My Little Good Luck Charm by 100percentsassy (34k)

In which Harry is a promising amateur golfer making his debut at the PGA Championship, and Louis is a Sky Sports anchor who would really rather be commentating on footie.

The other boys are around too: caddy!Niall provides victory pints, Liam is Louis's Very Serious co-anchor, and poor Zayn just gets his face drawn on.

Have You Coming Back Again by whoknows (31k)

It’s five o’clock in the morning. Louis has a lecture at half eight. He could be using this time to study or to do his readings or to go to the gym, but - well. He doesn’t have any exams coming up, he’s not going to his seminar today anyway and he hates the gym.

Instead he’s using this time to fuck with Harry Styles’ poor little brain.

Louis jogs across the street and jabs the key into the car door. It opens easily, not that he was expecting anything else. He copied the key for a reason, after all.

He’s got Harry’s schedule memorized, more because the guy keeps following him around than anything, so he doesn’t bother looking around before climbing behind the wheel and setting his bag on the passenger seat. It’s a Monday, which means that Harry doesn’t even get out of bed before noon unless he’s planning on harassing Louis.

Loved By Your Mother by superglass / @gaymoustache (31k)

Harry stretches out like Venus with her lover, growing sleepy in the late afternoon light with a baby growing inside her. Perhaps not literally, not physically. Not exactly.

or

Harry struggles to come to terms with wanting to have children, and what that means for their relationship. Canon compliant, set a few years into the future

[bonefall]

i know u dont rework arcs untill theyre complete but im very excited to see what you do with a starless clan, theres so much exciting things happening in this arc to work with. do you have any changes you already know for sure you’ll be incorporating?

No for-sures. I don't want to make any for-sures. I have ones I'm feeling but I don't want to call ANYTHING a for-sure yet. I need to find out what the ending is, WHERE this is all going, because I have a strong philosophy in my writing that a story is like a spear;

IT'S ALL ABOUT GETTING TO THE POINT.

But we are 4/6 of the way in, so I CAN start talking about thoughts!

I'm actually leaning pretty heavily towards axing Nightheart as a POV. There's still time for the books to turn around and justify it, BUT HEAR ME OUT

(Saying AS someone who is a Nightheart Enjoyer)

So far I'm really feeling that his character would benefit from us never being inside of his head, or seeing what he's been going through. As much as I WILL stand by that I enjoyed books 1 and 2 and liked his perspectives there, I'm starting to think that it would serve the story a lot better for Sunbeam and Frostpaw to be guessing just as much as we are.

We'd get introduced to Nightheart on the journey for catmint.

Sunbeam connects with him immediately, because she's tossed on this mission while she's in the middle of a swirling tide of drama. With nothing but Clerics and a hardened Rootspring to the left and her ex-bestie (exstie) to the right, he's really her only other choice for companionship. She's chronically unable to stop problems before they get out of hand, the sort of person who becomes frozen by indecision, and then here comes this Glorious Bastard

In her eyes, he's so caring, and bold, and fun! He's the first one to jump headlong into danger, to really be interested in her problems and just let her talk, and his story is so heartbreaking! A mother who's so hard on him... and his Clan is so mean all the time, but he wants to prove to all of them that he's more than just Firestar's descendant... but he was so brave to choose his own name.................

And then, when she follows him into ThunderClan, she learns he fucking lied. She changed Clans based on SOB STORIES

When she first comes, no one knows what he's been saying behind their back. Even if they did, they don't want to start trashing Nightheart right to his new mate's face. But then he LEAVES, and Sunbeam will bring up,

"Maybe it was because you were hard on him?"

And then Sparkpelt tries to agree, just to take blame onto herself and stop all this, but Finchlight's had eNOUGH and ends up setting the record straight;

"No this is DEFINITELY another tantrum. He already ran off once before."

"NO he didn't pick his own name, he stopped the whole ceremony to complain and Bramblestar gave him a compromise"

"MEAN to him?? I had to do HIS WORK because he couldn't STAY ON THE GROUND"

"Oh he's buckling under the weight of his legacy? that must be so hard. I was cat-fifteen when i punched my first fascist and he was wearing the face of my grandpa."

"His mom aba-WHAT?? ABANDONED???? OUR MOTHER WAS EXILED AND HE STAYED HOME!!!!! WE WERE CAT-FIFTEEN!!"

With this false hope shattered, Sunbeam is thrown into a devastating situation where... her mother was right. She was tricked. And now she's stuck in this new Clan without any of her old friends, without this mate who was too-good-to-be-true, the ONE impulsive choice she's made on her own in her WHOLE LIFE turns to ashes in her mouth. She can't go back, either, because Berryheart would NEVER let her live this down.

But... it's okay.

It's a slow shock, to make a choice SO impulsive and SO self-concerned, and find a safety net below her. It's going to be okay. The trials are fair. The cats of ThunderClan interrupt and speak over each other, but, that teaches her to be more assertive. Sparkpelt and Finchlight are not the mean assholes that Nightheart built them up to be, and they'll support her no matter what she chooses to do with her possible mate.

I want Nightheart TO get better, but, in order for that to happen, he has to face, and, more importantly, ACCEPT consequences. He needs to develop the maturity to say, "I acted like a brat and didn't appreciate what I had. and I'm sorry. you don't have to forgive me."

Bottom line being, Nightheart is striking me lately as a character that works best as unpredictable, because we have NO IDEA what's truly in his head. It would be interesting for him to have a novella later, but as it stands, his POV has consistently just been a duplicate since he joined ShadowClan. We gained NOTHING from splitting the Frostpaw Journey of the newest book in half POV, and VERY little from splitting the ShadowClan one into half POV.

I might reduce the POVs to 2, just Sunbeam and Frostpaw, or change Nightheart's to Lightleap. If I NEED 3 main characters, then they should all be a consistent camera on different parts of the conflict.

Again. I do not commit to changes until the arcs are done. Nothing in BB!ASC is set yet.

But here's some other little things I'm thinking,

Bramblestar is VOTED out.

He does not step down. The little "game" he played with Nightheart to create a situation to yell at Squilf, who hasn't been his mate in a long time in BB, was the LAST straw for ThunderClan.

They had sympathy for him before that point, because of what he went through with Ashfur, but his leadership was long and controversial even before the Impostor.

And there's a really strong sentiment that IF Bramblestar had been a good leader... they would have realized he was possessed sooner. So, there are those who partially blame him for the tyranny of the Impostor.

Basically; enough is enough.

Berryheart's hate group has ACTUAL consequences. Someone gets killed; probably Antfur, who survived the last arc to die here.

More fights. This arc has been too bloodless. Already planning SEVERAL sudden, random brawls in RiverClan as tensions boil.

Heartstar is going to be MORE controversial. Not controversial enough in canon imo. I don't like how Leaf and Squilf seem like they have "hypothetical" issues with the invasion instead of being able to point at REAL ones.

riverclan didn't forget how to do the chores they've done their WHOLE lives, no. I'm going to talk about POWER VACUUMS and create ACTUAL factions that begin to coagulate in RiverClan.

if we're going to have a brainless plot about how "Well Ackshually democracy has enough problems to make us reconsider not having unaccountable, tyrannical dictators, because a vote could maybe be called over One Single Issue" then I'll talk about shit like the spoiler effect, mob mentality, and factionalism. Get the hell out of my way ERIN I'll cook

No Smoky. Society has progressed past the need for Smoky. No Smokyng Area.

Whistlepaw should to try and take care of her ALONE, not trained enough to take care of SUCH bad wounds and barely able to keep her trembling paws straight, and Frostpaw realizes that she's making her watch her own friend die.

Is this how her life is going to end? slipping away under the paws of someone she loves, for what? pride? to do what her mother told her-- trust no cat?

As she TRUSTS Whistlepaw? Trusts her SO much, that Frostpaw will force her to be the only witness to her death?

FROSTPAW CALLS THE HUMAN

...which in BB, is a team of researchers. She drags herself to them, and collapses. This is why they just HAPPENED to have the proper equipment on them; they're WILDLIFE VETS.

Not sure how I'm going to handle Frostpaw's Journey though. In BB, the Park Cats are already a foundational part of Clan Culture.

In all honesty, while I HAVE to praise the fact that the Erins have FINALLY created ONE outsider group that isn't malicious or defenseless... I don't much care for them.

sending frostpaw on a side quest to what's essentially a big DOTC reference. Look! It's that group we introduced in the last 5 chapters of our latest glorified recap! cooool.

We're just going to get nothing but fucking founders in every dream from now on. I'm SURE of it.

As a consolation prize to myself though I will be writing cool angel scenes of the absolute BEING that Riverstar has become in heaven.

Riverstar (normal cat): "Elder Bones I'm going out!"

"not dressed like THAT you're not!!!"

Riverstar (the manifestation of the river, the rain in the sky above, and the abyss below, and how through water we are all truly connected as one being): "better?"

I will probably keep the Park Cats and rework them significantly, but I'm leaning pretty heavily towards Frostpaw visiting a LOT of places. A holy pilgrimage.

ESPECIALLY one of the Tribe's three wards; the River Ward. The Tribe of Rushing Water believes (it's even in the name) that water connects all things.

So I think it would be really fitting for Frostpaw to learn from MANY perspectives, starting with this philosophy put forth by the River Ward.

And she realizes-- that's what Riverstar is, as well. As a being. He is mentoring her on this pilgrimage, while barely saying a word. She can feel him wherever she is, because he isn't JUST the God of the River.

He is connection. He is peace. He's water. Too much and you'd drown, not enough and you'd thirst.

EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: Here is the rough draft of Frostpaw's Journey

[kamwilliamsonn]

jealousy - Jessie Fleming

request : here

"Jess, hurry! we're going to be late!" you shouted up the stairs to your roommate.

the two of you met at UCLA when you were both 18, you from Australia, her from Canada, you became very close very quickly.

you'd both always felt a little more for each other than you'd let on, but when you both signed for Chelsea, it only made sense to move in together.

ignoring that your very protective captain lived just down the street and would take you in without so much of a mutter.

but you.. well you wanted to live with Jessie. is that a crime?!

"i'm sorry! i'm sorry! i didn't mean to take so long, i swear. i couldn't pick an outfit." she apologized as she ran down the stairs, stumbling straight into you as you held her waist to keep her stationary.

"it's alright, Jess, no need to worry, didn't think i'd see the day that you, of all people, struggled to find an outfit."

you're glad she took her time though.

wow.

"you look beautiful, n/n." she smiled at you, that smile that makes your heart leap out of your chest.

"let's get going, Freckles, you know Sammy won't be happy if we're late."

the wide eyed look she gave you before running out the door made you burst out laughing as you followed, hopping into the driver's seat and passing her the aux cord.

"there, my passenger princess, play something good, it's gonna set the mood for the whole night."

she blushes at the name but nods, finding your favourite night out playlist, and waiting for the noise to fill the silence.

throughout the night, Jessie couldn't help but notice all the drinks sent your way, you didn't flirt back with any of them, just sent them a smile and a thank you.

but seeing everybody swoon over you, seeing you entertain it with even a smile, made a small pout grow on her face.

her arms crossed over as she slouched into her seat, Niamh looking confused until she saw where her friend was looking, only laughing and patting her shoulder in response.

"just go talk to her, mate, everybody else can see that you're head over heels for each other, even Sam!" she said, louder than she'd thought, and right in Jessie's ear, making her cringe.

"wait- what- no- what do you mean-" Niamh got up and began to walk away, laughing at her best friend. "Niamh! what are you talking about!"

but as she stared at you once more, she couldn't stop thinking how much she wanted to be the one to buy you drinks and have you smile, to kiss you and just be happy.

with you.

the little amount of alcohol had given her a major confidence boost, even more so as she chugged the rest of it, as she went to the bar and bought you another drink - your favourite drink.

she brought it over to you and placed it in front of you, trying to smile charmingly, but it came out more nervous than anything else.

"Jess!" you cheered, happy that your favourite brunette was by your side. "i've missed you."

"you missed me so much you've been flirting with all these other people?" she knew you hadn't been, and even if you had been, it was none of her business.

she just wanted you to be hers.

you raised an eyebrow at her, and leaned in closer. "so what if I was, Freckles, you jealous?"

"of anybody who ever gets to see your smile." she muttered, her eyes flickering to your lips as she spoke.

they flickered back up, quick enough to watch your own eyes flicker down to her lips.

"Jess?"

"yeah, n/n?"

"please kiss me."

"i never thought you'd ask."

hi!! it's been AGES, but I got this request.. idek when, but I've just seen it and I love JFlem so much I couldn't even help it, it's not the longest or the best, but it's Jessie and I hope you all like it :)

[elrielffs]

So I've been ruminating on mate bonds in the ACOTAR universe today--about why a section of this fandom seems to revere the mate bond in general and assume a partner in the mate bond cannot be happy without the other.

And I was thinking of the different mate bonds we've been shown and what we've been told--

The blueprint obviously being Feysand.

I think a lot of fandom hold up Feysand as the standard--but to me, Feysand is the EXCEPTION. From what we are told in the books about mate bonds--the good, the bad, and the ugly--that mate bonds can be rejected, that sometimes the bond chooses poorly, that maybe it is just a way to make powerful offspring rather than the true coming together of souls-- the bond is not something guarantees a happily ever after and even in some cases--is a detriment.

So far in story, about 50/50 of the bonds we've been told about/seen have landed on the "good" vs "bad" side. Even in Prythian culture, they seem to move without giving the bond a thought until it happens--people marry, make alliances, have lovers without the mate bond. Sure it's mostly because it's rare but I can't help but think that it's also because even if you find your mate--it's not a guarantee perfect match.

And I think we can say that the ones we have seen, even the "good", are not comparable to Feysand. Love them or hate them, there is something so prevailing about their romance that, to get meta, is the reason I think ACOTAR is SJM's most popular work even though many agree that TOG is better written, it's why you hardly ever see Rhysand or Feyre shipped with anyone else--their romance was written so beautiful, so exceptionally, that it resonated with a lot of readers as an ultimate love story, certainly THE ultimate love story that SJM has written and propelled her to the status she has now.

Even Cassian, who is centuries old and has probably seen mates before, thinks that the whole mate thing is "bullshit" till he saw Feysand's bond.

Let's compare to Nessian. Now see, I think Nessian is more the standard mate bond. They are drawn to each other, they love each other, they choose each other -- but can we really say that their bond is comparable to Feysand? You have a huge chunk of this fandom that says Nesta should leave Cassian for Eris and that Cassian deserves better and I hardly see anyone laud their romance in ACOSF as their favorite part of the book--that's normally reserved for the Valkyrie friendship.

Let's even look at the Death Pact Feysand made. It doesn't matter if you think it's stupid or not--it fully comes across in character that Feyre and Rhysand wouldn't want to live without the other. Now, Nesta and Cassian? I definitely think that they would be distraught, broken--but do they really give the vibes that they would just die without the other? I don't even think Nessian would ever make that pact, or at least that's the vibes that their romance gives off.

Even Kallias and Vivianne, a "good" mate bond--what little we see of them--don't give off the same vibes. Kallias didn't make Vivianne High Lady, even after Vivianne expressed the desire and seeing in the Night Court it can be done.

And that brings me to Elucien. Eluciens say neither Elain nor Lucien can be happy without the other but I feel like that's because they are comparing it to Feysand instead of Nessian.

But we can see even in comparison they are not similiar.

When Feyre was with Tamlin, Rhysand was willing to let her be with another male if that's what she wanted. He was not however, willing to let her waste into nothing after what happened UTM. He used that pact that he had did not call on before Feyre was begging to be saved from the wedding, to get Feyre to safe place where she could heal and deal with her issues.

Lucien on the other hand only offered suggestions when Elain was physically wasting away. "She needs sunlight," which is a generic piece of advice but did he actually make it happen? No. And yes, it can be argued it was because Elain didn't want him around but we are told that Lucien is cunning. You're telling me he couldn't come up with something--some action, some plan-- to physically help Elain? Like Rhysand did? Even if he wasn't directly involved in taking Elain to the garden, he couldn't even find some way to directly make it happen?

Rhysand would never mumble to Tamlin to take Feyre out into the garden and then just...wait and see?

All this rambling to conclude, that yes, if every mate bond could be held up to the standard of Feysand, I think I could understand why a large portion of the fandom says mates have to be together, that that's the only way they can be happy, heal, become their best selves etc but once again, I think Feysand is the exception. Mate bonds like theirs are the true rarity and I don't think we've seen it comparably to any other romance or mate bond that SJM has written.

This is all just my two cents so take it as you will but thanks for reading it all if you got this far.

[everybody-loves-purdy]

I think I'd be more interesting if Root wasn't a great mate/father,

not in the asshole way like Crowfucker but like never moving on from Bristle.

While I like to theorize that Moonpaw's voice is actually Bristle (or Goosefeather, which is a whole other can of worm) and the new series is about saving her/her spirit, I think Rootspring never being able to move on is SO much more interesting.

Picture this:

Wren confesses to Root who decides to give it a chance as he's very close with his family, it's something he's always wanted to have. They court and become mates, but Root still feels empty (it's a mix of depression, PTSD, and derealization from his time in Dark Forest/Never being able to see his first love in Heaven because she's double dead + Bramble's Ghost/Civil War).

He confesses he "wants a family" to Wren who immediately says yes and is ready to have kits, she's head-over-heels for him after all. Wren and Root have a good relationship and Root does his best to be a good mate. Kits are born and the two are happy... but it's clear Root does not feel any romantics towards Wren.

As the kits grow, Root is present but not entirely and towards the kits being 6 moons. Root breaks it off with Wren who is hurt but not surprised. Root and Wren become an awkward divorced couple as both care deeply about one another, and neither really hates the other. The kits are purely plot drivers as Wren and Root don't talk to each other much but still love their kits. After a lot of pushing and the kits pointing out their bullshit, the two talk.

By the time Wren and Root have a conversation and closure, I want Root to think about what he's done to his kits (i.e. neglect) and try to change for them. He has known that he needed help but refused to get any for so long, I mean what's the point? It's in the past. But his kits are quick to point out that "Bitch, we thought you didn't love us because you barely talked to us," and Root goes "Oh fuck my trauma has traumatised my own children, I REALLY need help." Root gets better and strives to be a better father...and friend.

Wren has her own development post-divorce. Being the only survivor of her litter, having helicopter parent Bellaleaf, and the expectation of continuing Skyclan's bloodline, shape Wren to be the stereotypical she-cat her society wants her to be. Wren latches onto Root as he's cute and kind and clearly not looking for anyone to be his mate. Wren DID fall in love with him eventually, but her initial attraction to him was purely because he's mate material: the dude is A Light in the Mist. A hero. So he's the perfect guy to have a family with.

The divorce was something Wren saw coming but didn't expect it to happen. She expected that she and Root would raise a few kits and just live out their days as mates, even if it was just in title. But Root wasn't happy. Root wasn't happy with HER (not really but it's how it came across). Wren has an identity crisis as having a mate and kits has been her goal in life since she herself was a kit. After some soul searching, Wren realizes that her dream isn't her own. It's society's.

Wren starts to work on herself. She had been told that she didn't have to be a good fighter or hunter to be a good mate and mother, so her kits decided to do some training with her to gain more confidence. But she's bad. Like. Really bad. Even her kits are like "Mom? No offence you REALLY suck, are you okay??" Then to the fun reveal that Wren cheated on her warrior assessment so she could get closer to Root. She's been able to scrape by without anyone noticing her so far because CAN hunt and fight, she just needs a bit more training. The guilt of faking her assessment plagues her, so her kits take it upon themselves to be her mentor/s. For drama's sake, Hawkwing overhears a conversation about Wren faking her assessment and is pissed. He has a private conversation with Wren + the kits about keeping this from him, and Wren is a wreak about someone finding out her shameful secret. She and her kits apologise. Hawk, being the himbo he is, goes, "Why are you apologising??? You can just take the assessment again??" Thus, upping the stakes and giving Wren motivation.

I think Root and Wren would have a talk before Wren's private assessment as they've both worked on themselves enough to hold a conversation and not just awkwardly ignore each other (This is only because I want Root and the kits to cheer her on during her assessment heheh). Root talks about his mental health, Bristle, the DF, all of it. He apologises for leading her on as he did want to have a mate and she's a great she-cat, she didn't deserve to be hurt like that. He also talks about how his mental health affects the kits and swears to be better for them, her, and mostly importantly himself. Wren apologises as well for being pushy about wanting kits/being mates to which Root is like 'Stop don't apologise, I wanted to be mates and have kits too'.

Wren talks about how Root made her feel like she wasn't there. How no matter what she did, nothing seemed to make him happy. She loved him and all she wanted was for him to be happy, happy with her. Wren talks about the fragile personality she adapted to seem more appealing, and how in the hopes of needing a 'big strong man' to help her, Root would be happy. Wren talks about how life-changing getting divorced was for her lol and how their kits have been helping her this whole time re-take her warrior assessment. She's ready to live for herself too. She apologises to Root for not being what she desires but she's okay that she isn't, Wren wants to be what she wants now: a warrior.

Ofc Wren passes her assessment and everyone cheers : D I'd like to think Root and Wren stay separated but become besties. Root becomes a better cat mentally and Wren breaks her own (albeit forced) social norm to be what SHE wants, as she should.

anyway erins hire me

This is so good I really love this idea

[mcrololo]

I've thought more often recently that Bleach really deserved more recognition from the shounen community, especially back in the day. Shounen fans loved to say Ichigo was a boring protagonist and that the story sucked in comparison to more beloved titles. But the first arc alone is about dealing with death and the loss of a loved one. Arguably the entire series represents finding connection with others, even through death, and isn't it beautiful that for the brief time we got to know each other, we left a mark in both our lives?

Regardless of ships, meeting Rukia was the greatest turning point in Ichigo's life. She was death in a different way than he has dealt with before. Death isn't just an ending, death is also the beginning of a new cycle, and after meeting her we see Ichigo connect more with his living friends.

Orihime, who had lost her brother to a car accident when she was younger (and no living family left). Ichigo helped both her and her brother make peace with it, and ever since, Orihime and Ichigo are connected. Without Rukia (death), none of that would have happened.

Sado, who reflects Ichigo in some way; both having lost a beloved family member and are willing to go the extra mile for others. He helps Sado help a spirit to the beyond. Without Rukia, none of that would have happened.

And even in other arcs, Ichigo leaves his mark on powerful souls! He reunites the gotei captains even when some of them aren't fond of each other. He brings Renji back in contact with Ikkaku, an old squad mate before he ranked up. He closes the gap between Rukia and Byakuya. And for most of it he doesn't even need to be the powerful protagonist... he just needs to be himself.

Which brings me to another point; his relatability. This is where he kind of suffers in terms of appealing to a fanbase which is used to high fantasy-like stories. Main heroes in shounen always dream of something bigger, whether it's a rank or a power they can unlock or something else entirely, like a treasure to find. Ichigo doesn't have a dream. He has a goal which keeps evolving. He wants everyone he cares about to be safe, and will do anything in his power to protect them.

Isn't that incredibly human? We all want our loved ones to be safe and happy. Sure, he could have dreamt big and become a captain of a squad in the living realm. But that doesn't make sense for him or the story, because we get introduced to captains in the second arc, and at that point they are the villains. It would be in the start of the third arc if we were to discover such a desire, and at that point it's kind of too late to establish.

Not to mention he would lose the simplicity of his humanity. Sometimes all you have to do is your best. Sometimes you only have to care. And that, to me, is what Ichigo represents as a main character. Even when the world spits you out, even when it seems the whole world is against you: never forget to care. Never forget to be kind. You never know who needs it the most.

And my last point on Ichigo himself and what makes him relatable: his ever evolving powers. At times it gets boring when a hero keeps receiving power up after power up, especially when there were no hints prior. But in Ichigo's case, that kind of has a purpose. He goes from human to shinigami to vizard to fullbringer to half quincy as well, and you might sigh deeply and think to yourself "really? This guy gets ALL the special powers?" Yes. Because his story is also about identity, and in turn, the struggles that go with it.

From the very day we meet him, we never learn Ichigo's desires in life. What does he want to be when he grows up? What drives him? What is he scared of? Who is he? And the truth is... he doesn't know. He's 15, and suddenly the weight of not just his friends but the whole world lies on his shoulders. He doesn't have time to pause and think about irrelevant stuff like a future career. His power ups reflect this. Who IS ichigo if he falls in every category?

And personally, I believe that is the most realistic way to write a guy stuck between worlds. Maybe it wasn't entirely deliberate, but the metaphor is there. The narrative even emphasizes it! And yes, repetitive plot points will become boring if you keep using them. However, just like his power ups, it serves another purpose.

The pathway of life. We all have lessons we need to learn to work through challenges we face, and if we don't learn them the first time, the problems will just reappear in a different manner until we find the solution to navigate. Ichigo needing to save a loved one from the clutches of evil is, in and of itself, the lesson he has to learn, as well as a challenge to face head on. He is the protector, and until he fully embraces it, he will always run into a problem like this. And we see him gradually pick up the burden of being a hero: from refusing to fight hollows to help random spirits to protecting the whole of Soul Society.

Tl;dr: Bleach's narrative is way more functional and reflective of ourselves than the anime community gives it credit for. From dealing with death and connecting to identity struggles. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk

[bvbygrl-writes]

Summer Lovin': Chapter 1

Pairing: Dilf!Draco Malfoy x Blaise's Daughter!Reader

Series Summary: After years of being unhappy and doing what everyone else thinks is best, Draco decides to finally learn what he wants in life. Little did he know what he wants would walk in wearing a cute little dress.

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: Age gap (Draco is in his 30s reader is 18), unhappy marriage, reader is black, a bit of drinking

A/N: I haven't written a series in a while so brace yourself. If this chapter does well then I'll continue with it but if not I'll probably just drop this in the vault.

THIS FIC WILL BE 18+!!! MINORS / ACCOUNTS WITHOUT AGE DNI YOU WILL BE BLOCKED WITH NO WARNING BUT THIS ONE.

Draco could say with certainty that his marriage with Astoria was loveless from the beginning. From the outside, it looked like the perfect marriage, the perfect life. He was wealthy, his wife was beautiful, and they had a son who had grown into a lovely young man. But, if he had a choice in the way his life had gone, it wouldn’t have been like that. From the time he was a young boy till the time he was an adult, he had practically every decision made for him. He had hoped after Hogwarts, after he distanced himself from his father a bit more, he would have the rest of his life to figure out what he wanted to do. His likes, his passions, his interest for something outside of pureblood society or whatever agenda his father had pushed on him.

But over time, he had grown a distaste for the way his life was. While Scorpius was still growing up, he and Astoria had a common goal and interest: making sure their son grew up to be a well rounded individual. While their marriage and practically their whole lives were orchestrated, they made sure to give their son something they never had, his own choices and options. However, as he got older and started to attend Hogwarts, their attention had to be focused on one another and what they came to find out is that they couldn’t be any more different.

Constant fights, arguments about little petty things were the only things they could throw at each other (besides the dishware). If it wasn’t one thing, it was another and if Draco was honest, he couldn’t stand Astoria. Her laugh, the rude way she’d speak to the house staff, and constantly bringing up the stupidest of things that happened when they were still in school however many years ago. It was though she was still a rotten and nasty little girl instead of being in her mid 30s as they were. He found himself drinking quite a bit just to tune out the sound of her droning on and on about something he couldn’t give a singular fuck about.

“Did you hear me, Dray? This is important! The elves didn’t add enough salt into the soup so-”

“Add your own fucking salt then, Astoria! Are you so incompetent that you can’t even add your own salt into the meal? The soup tasted bloody fine to me.” he groaned, standing from the table. It was a long, dark oak table that seemed to go on for eternity. They both sat on separate ends and even then, it still didn’t feel like he was far enough. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he began to pace back and forth, sighing as he tried to calm down. A deafening silence fell over the room. He kept praying to a force that something, anything would end this moment.

And like clock work, in came his owl with the daily post. He stroked under its chin affectionately before grabbing the mail. With most of them, he read who the sender was and just tossed it onto the table. But one caught his eye. It was sealed with a dark blue wax with the initials B.Z pressed into it. A barely noticeable smile made its way into his face as he walked a few feet away from the table, ripping open the letter. The smile grew more and more as he read the contents.

Dear Draco,

How’ve you been, mate? I’ve been quite busy and I apologize for me and my small family for not being able to attend your residence during the Christmas season like you requested. However, my wife will be out for the summer visiting her family so I thought it’d be nice if you came to visit the manor and we can catch up like old times. Plus, from the sounds of it in your last letter, you’re very much overdue for a vacation of your own. 

Your friend, Blaise Zabini

“Rue!” Draco called out. The elf in questioning came scurrying around the corner, bowing before the man. “I’ll need you to pack up a few suitcases, I need about 3 months worth of clothing. Please and thank you.” the elf nodded, running off quickly with a few ‘right away sir’s and ‘a pleasure sir’s as he disappeared up the stairs.

“Three months?! Where do you think you’re going?” Astoria shrilled, standing up to cling to his arm. She had an overly dramatic pout on her face, lips quivering as fake tears appeared in the corner of her eyes.

“Away from you!” he yelled before sighing. None of this was her fault. She was forced into this connection as much as he was. He gently removed her hands from his body before turning to face her. “Astoria, let’s be honest with ourselves….neither of us are happy. We’ve been at each other's throats for years and if it wasn’t for Scorpius, the two of us would have separated years ago. I’m going away for the summer to spend some time with Blaise to have fun for once and I hope in this time you have some fun too.” his voice was full of sincerity and deep down, she knew he was right. So without another word she offered him a tight lip but understanding smile, walking off towards one of the many living rooms in the house.

“Your bags are packed, Master Malfoy.”

Draco sighed in relief as he stood on the porch of his dear friend’s manor. It was made of light stone and marble, a nice change from the darker style of his own home. He reached forward to use the door knocker but was shocked as the door popped open revealing a familiar face.

“Malfoy. I wasn’t sure if you were going to come or not but I had a room prepared for you anyways. Lyra, fetch a bottle of the good scotch, will you?” he yelled, turning around and beginning to walk further into the house. Draco followed behind him, admiring the carvings on the border of the ceiling. After a few minutes of walking, they reached a living room. It had many windows causing the room to be well lit with natural lighting. But what caught his eye was the set of double doors. Outside appeared to be a garden with lots of greenery and an outdoor dining area.

“I’m impressed, Zabini. I didn’t know you had taste at all.” he chuckled, sitting down on the soft white couch. Blaise scoffed at his words, chuckling as he poured their scotch into two crystal glasses.

“As much as I’d love to take credit for this, a lot of this was the doings of Pansy and (Y/n). She was just starting Hogwarts when we moved here and we wanted her to feel at peace when she was away from the stress of school. It’s crazy to think she’s all done with it now.” Draco hummed at his words, sipping on the scotch. It was nice and smooth. He made a note to ask him about it at a later time. “Oh! Speaking of (Y/n), it seems her summer plans fell through and she’ll be here for the next few months. I hope that’s alright. Although, with the size of the house I doubt we’ll see her much but for meals.”

“That’s quite alright. I haven’t seen my ‘niece’ in quite some time. I believe she was six or so, still asking for us to check for the monsters under her bed." They both laughed at that. (Y/n) was a sweet and bright young girl. When the two families lived closer together, Scorpius and her would often have playdates together. (Y/n) would always call him Uncle Dray, begging to spend the night just so she could spend a bit longer with her favorite ‘uncle’.

“I’ll call her down so we can all catch up. (Y/n), princess, we have a guest!” Blaise called, his voice echoing off the walls. The room went silent for a bit before a faint ‘Coming, Dad!’ could be heard along with a set of footsteps clambering above them. The sound trailed from one end of the ceiling to the other before bouncing steps could be heard from the stairs.

Draco chuckled, sipping on his scotch which he soon began to regret as he choked on it a bit. His gray eyes practically bulged from his head at the girl, no, woman who was standing before them. Was this really the same girl, his little (Y/n/n)? This couldn’t be the same little girl he helped raise, the same one who always needed a flashlight in order to sleep, the one that’d fall asleep in his lap when he was finished braiding her curly hair. His eyes raked over her appearance. She took after her father in terms of complexion, rich brown skin but he had no idea who she had gotten that body from. It most certainly wasn’t Pansy’s. And her eyes? They were the most lovely shade of (e/c) he had ever seen. She had a set of fresh braids that complimented her face well and along with the bright yellow dress she was wearing…she looked nothing short of a doll. He felt his chest grow tight and his nose burned from the alcohol that had managed to make its way back up a bit. The summer had barely begun but he knew it was going to be the best one he’d had in a while.

[brighter-by-the-daly]

Millie Bright x Reader

Part One: Playing Pretend

Posted 23/04/23, Edited 29/06/23

Prompt: Everyone thinks she’s dating Levi, but she’s actually dating R” - @xxforeverinadayxx

Laying on the sofa in the home you own together your phone flashed up that your girlfriend Millie had posted a photo on Insta. You opened up the app excited to see her face but was hit with deep disappointment instead - yet another photo of your girlfriend with her pretend boyfriend Levi. You were getting sick with keeping your relationship a secret, you only agreed to do it while the relationship was new and didn’t know if it was going to work but it’s been 6 years - you own a house together, you have 3 dogs together! Yet nobody but your families and Rachel knew that you were a couple. You both post photos of each other but everyone assumes you’re best friends who live together. The way your heart skips a beat when you see that she’s posted a photo of you together is cute but seeing the hundreds of comments wishing for a friendship like yours stomps your heart flutters away in an instant. Many times this has been bought up in conversation but Millie always brushes it under the carpet - “it’s better this way” and “I don’t want to ruin it” ring through your mind. She thinks people finding out will destroy what you have; with everyone’s opinions and comments and weird TikTok edits, there’ll be so much pressure.

At training the next day Erin, Guro and Sam were huddled around Millie asking about Levi, Sam suggested a double date which Millie agreed to while you were in ear shot making you red with rage. Taking your anger out on the treadmill your footsteps got heavier as the speed got faster until you couldn’t take the conversation anymore, slamming your hand onto the stop button and storming out the room. “What’s wrong with (y/l/n)?” Guro asked Millie, believing the best friends lie and thinking she’ll know. Millie shrugged but made no attempt to come after you and you didn’t see each other again until she finally came home that night.

Washing up in the kitchen your back was facing towards the front door when she entered. You didn’t even want to look at her, you hate confrontation but knew that this needed to be addressed. “Hey, what was wrong with you today?” she said swanning into the kitchen without a care in the world. Taking your time deciding how to respond to her took longer than expected as she became impatient “hellooo, you blanking me now?” she laughed genuinely believing that the reason you were angry couldn’t possibly be anything serious. “That would be ironic wouldn’t it!” you snapped, Millie looked stunned at your sudden aggressive tone. “I’m fed up with being a secret Mills! The Levi thing wasn’t meant to be permanent, it was just meant to be a few months until we knew what we wanted, it’s been 6 years! I want to be the one you post about and talk about to your friends and our team mates! You still get to act like you’re in a relationship and I’ve had to pretend to be single all this time, finding shitty excuses why I can’t go on dates while you’re out here with a whole make believe boyfriend!”

Millie’s reactions of a half eye roll like she caught herself midway through and stopped told you everything you needed to know about how this conversation was going to go. “I thought we talked about this?” she said trying to take you in for a hug but you shrugged away from her. “No, you talked about this. I just had to accept whatever you decided!” taking your frustrations out on the washing up as she stood the other side of the kitchen island. “But what if we ever break up?” scoffing at her comment as your anger started to boil over “that’s what you think of me is it?” slamming the last plate so hard onto the draining board it smashed. “We’ve been together six years, we own a house, I want to marry you! And the first thought in your head is what if we break up? That shows exactly what you think of me Millie. What’s the point in going public when you’re always thinking about what’s going to happen, not if but when we break up? You’re unbelievable.” Storming past her and upstairs you started shoving clothes and necessities into a suitcase. Millie watched you emotionless and just stood idly by as you packed your life into a bag and headed for the door. “But (y/n/n)” Millie said grabbing your arm. “No, you don’t watch me pack my shit up and start with ‘but’, you’re still trying to fight your side of this. You’re literally watching me walk out this door and you still think you’re right in all this?!” You watched with raised eyebrows as you waited for a response but seeing Millie’s mouth open and close with no words coming out was the last straw. Grabbing your keys and stroking the dogs you headed to the car, looking back at someone you don’t even recognise anymore standing in the door frame. She continued to stand there as you pulled away and out of sight, your mind on auto pilot drove you to Rachel’s house. That’s when your heart broke completely, she didn’t even fight for you.

Part Two