#tuk x gn reader

[fabricated-misslieness]

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: sully kids x hard of hearing metkayina gn reader (platonic)

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: In a search for a way to communicate with you, the family has to master Na'vi sign language. Along the way of teaching them, however, you learn more about yourself.

This is a gender neutral version of a previous fic! If you have read it, it is the exact same thing.

ʀᴇ𝐐: yes ~ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 6776 ~ male reader vers.

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: feelings of shame and embarrassment, struggling to hear and understand people (and yourself), hints of angst

ᴍᴀʏʙ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: to check the original notes, check the male reader vers. (this version has more words because I included the extras) - There aren't actually many pronouns or moments referring to the reader in my fics that aren't in second point of view. Knowing this, I only skimmed through. If you encounter anything I missed along the way, don't hesitate to tell me. I WILL make the necessary changes.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Ever since you were a kid, you had always loved the ocean. The Metkayina clan was a tribe of the water, the ocean, so it made sense; but unlike others your age who preferred to play with each other, you enjoyed being completely surrounded by Eywa’s children within the ocean.

You had no qualms with solitude, as all you needed was the sea; but eventually, it proved to be a problem.

The sea gives and the sea takes; it gave you a world to love and took your hearing.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Tsireya introduced you to Sully’s in their first lesson as one of the Metkayina who truly loved the ocean. “This is our best free diver,” She put a hand on your shoulder, “(y/n). You’re lucky I managed to find 'em.”

Instead of responding in some negative way at her comment, you grin and offer a small wave.

“How so?” Lo'ak questions.

Tsireya doesn’t answer outright. She giggles, “You’ll see.”

The chief’s children and you jump into the water, demonstrating the proper way to dive in that best transitions into swimming. The Sully’s, on the other hand, jump into the water as though in play.

You could see it in their eyes, their amazement. The sea was an entirely different world from the one above, it was something you loved about it.

Only the Na'vi and their animal companions mingled on the coast above. The ilu could be compared to their banshees, nothing special; and the people, though physically different, were still Na'vi.

You didn’t doubt that these water creatures were unlike anything they’d seen before, and you were happy that they were astonished with the wildlife you, too, loved.

You turn back forward to swim, knowing that they’ll follow. You show them the form, using your tail to help and keeping your body like a spear to be able to cut through the water.

You lead them deeper into the sea, but Ao'nung taps your shoulder. You turn to follow his finger, which points up.

The Sully’s were taking a breath of air. Right, that’s probably something you should teach them, but you were probably not the best teacher.

Within the water, your safe haven, you tended to forget many things, so you signed to them, keep going, forgetting they didn’t know how to sign.

You keep swimming, this time checking up on them as you reach an underwater slope. They were bad swimmers, it seemed, which is an idea sort of incomprehensible to you, as every Metkayina was basically born in the ocean. They pushed off of coral and rock formations to push forward and keep up.

They don’t even make it to you when they go back up for air.

What’s wrong with them? Ao'nung signs.

They’re bad divers. Rotxo replies. Though fingers and hands hardly conveyed emotion, you knew from Rotxo and Ao'nung’s generally jokester demeanor that he was making fun of them.

Stop, they’re learning. Tsireya scolds.

Whilst they talk to one another, you get distracted with something out of the corner of your eye. It was bioluminescence, hardly noticeable during the daytime, which is why it’s so curious. You forget the lesson at hand and follow it.

The chief’s children and Rotxo swim up to talk to the Sully’s where they will actually understand each other. It is only after Tsireya promises to teach them sign language, which Neteyam ignorantly describes as “finger talk”, that they notice you and their dear sister’s disappearance.

The bioluminescence you had caught came from a lone hammerhead squid, which is even more peculiar because it was alone. Perhaps it was paranoid, because when it saw you, it began swimming away with determination.

You struggle to catch up with it.

It dives behind large coral, hoping to lose you, but you always catch up. Hammerhead squids found safety in numbers, so they usually didn’t go so fast, which means it would tire out soon.

Knowing this, you kept up the chase. Regardless, however, it puts up a good fight.

It shoots out its ink prematurely. The black liquid disperses in the water, clouding much of the view ahead of you. Instead of swimming through it, you dive under, although you almost bump into a sharp rock. Narrowly, you avoid it, swimming up quickly once you’re past the ink.

Though you move past it, its original outcome–clouding your view–succeeds. When you clear the ink, you suddenly bump into someone.

Sorry. You sign, rubbing at your forehead where you’d bumped into her, so so sorry.

The girl before you is one of the Sully’s. Her eyebrows furrow, confusion in her face, but you misinterpret it as anger. Great, it’s the Sully’s first day in the clan and you were already giving bad impressions.

I didn’t mean to bump into you.

Her eyebrows furrow further. Ultimately, although she doesn’t like it, she decides to surface so that the two of you may speak. She points up and you understand.

Once you’re up at the surface, she says, “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

You had long since memorized the way one’s mouth moves when they say those words, and their variations, so you explain, “I was apologizing for bumping into you.”

Though the next couple words come muddled to you, you just barely catch her saying “alright” and a wave of relief washes over you. “What’s your name?”

“Kiri.” She gives you a polite smile.

“Nice to meet you, Kiri.” You nod. “I didn’t realize we’d lost you while diving. Why’d you wander off?”

“Oh, I um,” She worries that you may think her a freak, so she waters it down. “I got distracted.”

You chuckle, “Yeah, I get it. Happens a lot to me too. It’s like a different world, isn’t it?”

Her face lights up when you agree with her, “Yeah, it is.” She ached to observe it again, to be surrounded by Eywa'eveng. “Do you mind if I..?” She gestures down.

You tilt your head, confused. “You what?”

“Go down again.” Kiri mutters, little ashamed to say out loud that she’d rather be underwater than talk with you, but you manage to read her lips.

“Oh, of course I don’t.” You shake your head, “Actually, I was in the middle of finding something. Do you wanna come with?”

Though she much preferred to take the sights all in on her own and on her own time, she had to admit your offer was interesting. “Okay, sure.” She nods.

Kiri follows you back underwater, and keeps swimming after you. Reminded of the other Sully’s, you make sure to keep your head straight and swim at a slower pace.

As you keep swimming past large coral and columns of algae, trying to catch a glimpse of the squid you were searching for before, Kiri gets distracted by something particularly special out of the corner of her eye.

She stays in place, entranced, and almost swims for it before remembering the task at hand. However, when she turns to you, you’re swimming back to her.

Txampaysye. You sign, but of course she wouldn’t understand. So, you wave your hand in the water to create ripples in the current and signify the water. Then, you pass a hand from your stomach to your throat and out your mouth to signify breathing. Breathing underwater.

Somehow, she understands. Though the butterfly-like Txampaysye catches her attention, uncharacteristically of her, she gestures for you to keep going. She’ll have time another day.

Just a bit of swimming later, you find the squid again. It doesn’t notice you. You point at it and Kiri’s head tilts with curiosity.

How could a squid be bioluminescent in the day? The sunlight’s rays still reached it.

Do you want to catch it? You closed your hand, from splayed fingers into a fist very quickly, the sign for catch. It was pretty straight forward, so Kiri understood; what she didn’t understand, and what she was against, was the idea.

The question was only formal. You swim forward without waiting for her answer, thinking she wanted to catch it.

You approach it as silently as possible, keeping your arms to your body and swaying up and down, using your feet like a fin. You keep your tail rigid and in place, for paddling it side to side as opposed to up and down like your legs would create unnecessary noise.

Once you are close enough, you lunge with a quick, sharp movement. It doesn’t have time to react before you catch it between your fingers and palm.

Triumphantly, you turn to Kiri with your hand raised, failing to notice her growing anger. You swim towards her with enthusiasm.

Fyìp ioang. You sign.

For a moment you think you may be misinterpreting confusion as anger again, but you quickly realize you’re interpreting correctly. Kiri pries your fingers apart, freeing the creature who spurts the last of its ink (only a little) and leaves.

Her eyebrows are furrowed, a look you hate, and she points up towards the surface again. You follow, embarrasment beginning to spread through your body.

“You shouldn’t be taking animals against their will.” She scolds, pointing an accusatory finger at you. Her anger was loud and clear in her voice, loud enough for you to hear.

“Sorry.” You purse your lips and mumble so low you can’t even hear it yourself, “I was only curious.”

She huffs, “Your curiosity doesn’t mean you can imprison them just to poke and prod.”

“Yeah,” You point your gaze down, “you’re right.”

“Just don’t do it again.” With that, she begins to swim away, not caring if you follow her.

With shame, you dive back into the water, in search of one of your favorite places to soothe yourself.

She was right, of course, but your curiosity was often one of your driving points. It was why you spent most of your time in the ocean, what kept you entertained underwater. On the other hand, it was also why you’d lost so much of your hearing.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

The next morning, on their way to their second lesson, the Sully’s find you.

Lo'ak, after yesterday, now understands why Tsireya was lucky to find you before. He thinks they’re pretty lucky today, too, as it seems you’re going to head into the ocean. “(y/n)!” He calls for your attention, but you don’t hear him.

You’re just about to dive in, so Lo'ak hurries up to meet you. He catches you by the shoulder. “Hey.”

“Hey.” You greet him with a smile. “What’s up?”

“You left us yesterday. Where’d you go?” He asks curiously.

“I’m sorry, what?” You ask, having not heard him entirely.

“Where’d you go?” He repeats.

Again, you don’t hear him. You purse your lips, the shame of not being able to understand people creeping in. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“Where did you go?” Lo'ak repeats for the third time, slowing down his speech.

“Look, I’m really sorry–”

Neteyam catches up, slinging an arm over Lo'ak’s shoulder. “What my brother means to ask is where you went yesterday, when you were supposed to be teaching us.”

“Teach you?” You tilt your head as you think. Did the Olo'eyktan assign you something? Tsireya only took the opportunity because she saw you yesterday. You can’t think of anything, though. “What am I supposed to teach you?”

Lo'ak sighs, “When you were teaching us how to free dive?”

The sigh makes you purse your lips. Your stupid ears were making people frustrated again. Still, you couldn’t say anything when you didn’t understand them. “…what about it?”

Tsireya comes to save you, noticing the struggle between you and the Sully’s. “(y/n), here,” She begins, pushing Lo'ak’s hand off your shoulder, “struggles to hear, if you guys haven’t noticed.”

She signs to you, taking advantage of the fact they don’t know how to sign. Do you want them to know your story?

You shake your head, to which she nods.

“It’d be much appreciated if you guys spoke louder, spoke clearer, and moved your mouths wider.” She demonstrates the way they should speak as she instructs them. “It helps them to be able to read your lips until you learn how to sign.”

“So they can hear us?” Lo'ak asks.

“Barely.” You respond, reminding him that you are in fact in this conversation.

Neteyam nods, rubbing a burn into his brother’s scalp. “Sorry, Lo'ak needs to remember these sorts of things.”

“Shut up, bro.” He pushes his brother away, causing him to skid sideways a few paces.

“(y/n), you would be a great help in teaching them sign language.” Tsireya turns to you, signing as she speaks.

You understand, but you purse your lips. “Today? I sort of wanted to explore…”

“Doesn’t have to be today, no,” She shakes her head, “today is about breathing. If you want to leave, that’s perfectly alright.”

She smiles at you. Oh, Eywa, you loved Tsireya. She was so kind.

You take her permission and give a wave before diving into the water.

You swim farther into the ocean, trying to wash off your embarrassment with the cool water. It burned in your cheeks, anyway.

When the Olo'eyktan and Tsahìk found out about your hearing loss, you had already reached a point where there was no way to be healed. Everyone blamed your parents, their neglect for your ears and the proper care after a swim. But in truth, you knew you were also to blame.

It had been a long time since you were a burden. The Metkayina accommodated for your hearing loss. You were lucky to be born in the clan who originated the language that didn’t require hearing. You had long since come to a comfortable life because of it.

When you realize that the embarrassment won’t wear off so easy, you lay down on the sea grass covered sand—or lay down as best you can. The current pushes your head and limbs up.

Your intent was to relax, but the bioluminescent squid from yesterday pops up above you. You react quickly, reaching out and trapping it in your hand again.

You. You sign, awkward because you’re one-handed, You embarrassed me in front of Kiri.

You’d missed two of its tentacles in grabbing it. It crosses its arms, giving you attitude, then pointed at you instead. Somehow, you understand.

Alright, fine. You huff, It’s my fault. You release the squid, but this time it lingers. You forgive me?

It waves two of its tentacles up and down as if to nod its head.

You pluck a small fish from its school and hand it over as an extra peace offering. Sorry, fyìp.

It stares blankly at your offering. Clearly, it was refusing it, because it was definitely capable of catching that fish on its own. Also, you were ignoring the lesson Kiri taught you. You release the fish, which scurries back to its school, signing sorry again.

Why do you want to hang out with me?

The tentacles at its sides raise up in a shrug.

You lost your group. You purse your lips, extending your hand so that the squid may sit on it, even if it is redundant underwater. Are you trying to find a new one?

It shrugs again, though accepts the spot you give it on your hand.

Well, I suppose we’re the same in that. You and I, we’re special. I’m hard of hearing, and you’re bioluminescent. You laugh inwardly, Although, those are two different things.

Fyìp does a twirl in your hand. It seems pleased.

Alright, let’s go. I’ll show you some of my favorite places.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

After the Sully’s breathing exercises, Neteyam is eager to find you. He dives into the water, both practicing his breathing and speed.

For the third time, he’s lucky to find you returning to the village for dinner, this time you were fortunately not caught up in exploring the sea.

Neteyam waves his hand in greeting. You do the same, though you hadn’t realized he had more to say.

(y/n). He signs.

Immediately, your eyes light up. Neteyam is delighted.

Who taught you that? You sign. Your hands are a flurry of speed, but he manages to catch the words anyway.

He recognized “you” and “taught” and the distinct lack of “I”, so he can assume what you asked. Tsireya. He signs simply, for she hadn’t taught him much more than that and your names.

I’ll teach you too.

He recognizes “I”, “teach”, and “you”, and understands. He nods excitedly, then points up towards the surface. You follow.

“You’re learning.” You grin as you surface.

“Yeah.” His smile turns bashful, “I want to learn so I can talk to you better.” He even exaggerates the movement of his lips so that you may read them.

“Aww, that’s sweet.” Though you’ve only known him for so long, you give him a hug. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” He shakes his head, still holding your elbows gently even as you part from the hug, “It’s just what I should do.”

☾⋆☆⋆☽

��Hey, La'ok.” You tuck a hair behind your ear, “Sorry I couldn’t hear you the other day.”

“It’s nothing.” Lo'ak shakes his head, “I was actually being rude. I didn’t know you had–wait a minute.”

“What?”

“Did you just call me La'ok?”

Your purse your lips, genuinely confused. “…is that not your name?”

Lo'ak’s eyebrows raise. He closes his eyes as he registers the situation. La'ot. You thought his name was Lo'at. He laughs into his hands, shaking his head. It’s a laugh of disbelief, self-deprecating in a way. “La'ok!”

“What’s your name?”

“Lo'ak.” He exaggerates the enunciation.

You read his lips, “Lo…” His face rises with hope. “..at?”

“What?” His head jerks dramatically, “No, no, Lo'ak.”

“Lo'at.” You repeat again, not catching the way his tongue remained neutral at the bottom of his mouth.

“It’s Lo'ak. Not T, K.” He corrects.

“Lo'ak.” You nod, pursing your lips, “Okay. I uh, think I’ve gotta go.”

“Do you?” He asks. He hadn’t heard your name being called, and if it was you probably wouldn’t either. He also didn’t think you were really someone with many tasks in the clan.

“Yep.” You say, your voice akin to a meep.

Before he gets a chance to respond, you run towards the water with a hurry and dive in. Fyìp finds its way towards you immediately.

Fyìp! You sign with the equivalence to a whine, That was so embarrasssing!!

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Oh, you skxawng! You’re late, you’re late, you’re late!

Too caught up within the serenity that the sea brought you, you had forgotten that you were supposed to be teaching the Sully’s sign language!

You swim towards the shore with much hurry. Your body was preoccupied with a mission, to get there fast, and your mind was berating you for being stuck in your head so much. Because of it, you’re not exactly focusing on the world around you.

“Oof!” You grunt as you bump into a column. It was one of the ones that supported the Marui pods above.

You pull yourself up onto your elbows on the pathway between pods, spitting out the water you’d caught in your mouth when you bumped so stupidly into a column.

Your squid friend jumps up too, sticking to your leg then climbing up to your shoulder. Its sticky tentacles feel weird on your skin, but you pay it no mind. Instead, you focus on cradling the spot on your forehead where you collided.

When Fyìp lands on your shoulder, you turn to it with a huff and go back to rubbing your head. Then, once you actually notice, you double take back to it.

“You can go above the surface?”

Now, no longer muffled by the water, you can just barely catch its squeal. Huh, so it was making sound all this time.

It twirls around your shoulder as if to say yes.

You turn your head back forward, resting your chin on the pathway. “I’m so stupid–wait.” The Sully’s and the chief’s children are having the lesson quite a few ways ahead of you. They didn’t seem to notice you. “It’s them.”

Fyìp’s eyes almost seem to light up when it sees Kiri.

“Gah, should I really be joining them now? I’m so late!” You frown, thinking it over. “I’d be so lost,” You narrate your thoughts for Fyìp, “every time I think about something to teach, what if they already taught it? What even is their teaching plan? I shouldn’t have gone out today. Should’ve stayed to talk to Tsireya.”

Thanks to your awful hearing and tunnel-vision, you don’t notice Fyìp yapping in your ear. Only when it slaps you on the shoulder–it was a small animal, hardly hurt–do you pay attention to it.

“What?” You whine, now rubbing your shoulder.

Fyìp points forward vigorously, pulling its tentacle forwafd and back repeatedly.

“It’ll be so embarrassing.”

It crosses its arms in front of itself like a no. Even though you’re sure it will be, Fyìp’s insistence reminds you of your promise to Neteyam. It wasn’t broken just yet.

“Okay, fine.”

At your affirmation, Fyìp drops back into the water. You follow suit.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Learning a new language, later in your life, was always hard. Although, Jake Sully was the only one in his family with that experience.

“Lo'ak, why are you home early?” Jake and Neytiri rush over to him, sitting down as he does.

“Sign language is so hard.” Lo'ak groans, his head down.

“Learning another language is hard,” Jake affirms, putting a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder. “but it’s like everything else. With practice, you’ll get the hang of it.”

“At first, he was terrible at Na'vi too.” Neytiri grins, causing Jake to roll his eyes.

“Yes, and I became better.” He gives her a pointed look, to which she only replies by baring her fangs playfully.

“Well, it’s more than that.” Lo'ak frowns, looking down at his hands, the very reason he was so different. "I have five fingers! Everyone else has four. Whenever there’s a sign that requires fingers, everyone stares at me and Kiri. Their looks are so blank, but I can tell what they’re thinking.“

"So why didn’t you say something?” Jake asks. “It’s unlike you to not do anything.”

It was a good question that left him silent as he thought. He didn’t really know the answer, not as he dug through the surface of his mind. As he searched deeper, he found an answer, but he didn’t really want to believe it. “It’s because… Tsireya and (y/n) were there.”

“And..?” Neytiri prods for him to continue.

“I don’t want to disappoint them…” Lo'ak purses his lips, “or be a burden to them.”

“Son,” Jake places his hands on both Lo'ak’s shoulders, causing him to finally look up at him. Jake wanted to be sure that Lo'ak understood the sentiment behind his words. “you’re only learning. You can’t disappoint them. And if they get upset at you, then that’s their fault because they do not understand you and who you are.”

“Next time,” Neytiri speaks up, catching their attention, “make an arrangement. Find a way to work around it. Alright?”

Lo'ak nods, “Okay.”

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Usually, you were the one sought out within the Metkayina if they ever needed you because you were always doing something in the ocean. The sea was vast and cluttered, from seawall terrace to the shore, it was all within the realm of possibility of where you were.

But, for once, you’re seeking someone out.

“Kiri!” You call, “I was looking for you.”

She emerges from the ocean, ringing the water out of her hair. Too caught up in the sights and feeling Eywa in the sea, she had missed dinner. You could relate to that, so you had to make sure she was taking care of herself.

“What is it?” Kiri asks, treading carefully on her words.

“I saved you some dinner.” You hand her a leaf dish of fish.

“Oh.” Only once she sees the food does she remember her growling stomach and hunger. “Thank you.” She takes the leaf from you gingerly but begins to scarf it down once it’s in her own hands.

“It’s no problem.” You begin, “Sometimes I accidentally skip dinner too. I know the feeling of great hunger in the morning.”

Kiri nods in understanding.

“Make sure to get the water out of your ears.” You enthusiastically demonstrate by tipping your head to the side and tapping the side of it. “You don’t want to end up like me.”

Kiri almost chokes on her food. She coughs and puts it on the sand temporarily. “Like you?”

“You know,” She doesn’t know how you can retain a smile like this. “bad hearing and all.”

Ever since you’d lost the majority of your hearing, the adults started using you as an example of what not to do. Not only did they advice the young ones while using your example, they also advised your peers. At first, it was embarrassing, but you began to understand why you were an example and had long since grown used to the embarrassment it brought.

“(y/n), are you using yourself as an example?”

“What?” You tease, “Wanna end up like me?”

“No, (y/n), that’s not what I mean.” She takes both your hands in hers. “You shouldn’t be using yourself as an example of what happens if you don’t take care of yourself.”

“Why not?” It was pretty normal to you now. You purse your lips, “Everyone uses me as an example. I am what happens if you don't–”

“Because,” Kiri breathes out in disbelief, “you’re more than an example. You’re your own person. You’re more than your past mistakes.”

“You’re right,” You snicker at the thought, “just like last time.”

“I’m just saying what has to be said.” She reassures, rubbing her thumbs over the back of your hands, “Value yourself more.”

☾⋆☆⋆☽

The trend of you seeking other people out, when it’d always been the opposite before, followed along for Lo'ak.

After your sign language lessons, you retreated into the ocean to clear your thoughts. Now that you had what you were looking for, you had to find Lo'ak, which thankfully doesn’t take long.

“Lo'ak!” You call as your eyes find him.

He himself seemed to be searching for you too, so when he sees you, his eyes brighten. He covers the ground between you two quickly. “Hey, I was just looking for you.”

“Me too. Do you wanna go first?”

He nods, “I found out a way we can work around my fingers.”

“Your fingers?” You tilt your head forward.

“Yeah.” He shows them off, wiggling all five for you.

“What about them?”

“Oh,” He realizes the question wasn’t because you’d somehow forgotten how many he had, but because you hadn’t heard the rest of his sentence. He speaks with his mouth wider for you, “I found a way to work around them.”

“That’s what I was trying to find you for, actually.” You snicker, “I found a way to work with them.”

“With them?” He hadn’t thought it possible.

“Yep.” You grin, “Oh, but you were going first. Go on.”

“Right, um,” Lo'ak lifts one of his hands with the other, up to your view, then he pulls his last finger down. “I was thinking we could tie down my pinkie.”

“Your pinkie?”

“My last finger, the smallest, it’s called the pinkie.”

“Okay, right.” You nod.

“Tie it down with like a, um,” He snaps his fingers while he thinks. “rope or something until I learn to stop using it.”

After hearing his thought, you burst out laughing. It leaves Lo'ak confused. He stands there awkwardly, arms falling down to his sides with a building shame because he can’t understand what you were laughing at.

“Sorry, um,” You shake your head to wipe the laughter from your face, “that’s too cruel, Lo'ak.”

“Cruel?” He asks, eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, don’t you think? It’s just like what your sister taught me. We shouldn’t take things against their will.” You hold his hand to bring it back between the two of you and press his pinkie down against his palm. The force you put on his knuckle and the position is rather uncomfortable for Lo'ak, and it shows in his face. “See?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He mutters, then realizes his mistake. “Sorry, I mean, you’re right.” He enunciates louder and clearer. “Just that… I couldn’t really find any other way.”

“Well, I was thinking we could just use your middle fingers as a unit.” You bring his pinkie back up and press your fingers on his middle fingers, “What do you call them?”

“This is the middle finger,” He wiggles it and specifically avoids accidentally showing it off to you, even if you probably don’t know what it means. “and this is the ring finger.”

“Okay.” You nod, understanding quickly. Then, you press your fingers against the ring’s left and the middle’s right and hold them together. “We can consider these as my middle finger.”

You hold your hand up next to his, pulling your other fingers down to show him the middle. He almost laughs and tells you the meaning, but decides it’s funnier if you don’t know.

“Say, "happen” for example.“ You use his hand as if it were your own, as yours was holding it, and press the side of yourd against it. Then, you bring it to the side quickly whilst pushing your fingers wide apart. "To mimic my middle finger, you can use your middle and ring fingers together.”

“But… wouldn’t it be confusing?” Lo'ak argues, looking up into your eyes.

You turn away from him, biting your lip, “Much the same as you’re… accommodating for me by learning sign language, we must accommodate for you too. It’s only right.”

“Accommodate…” He hated that word, and clearly, you were just as ashamed to use it. It had been used all throughout your lives because of your particularities. “Let’s not say that.”

You turn back up to him, a glimmer of hope within your eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s not say we’re accommodating for our differences.” He turns his hand, the one that rested upon your palm, and uses it to hold yours reassuringly. “Let’s just say that we’re doing this for each other.”

He loves the way your face lights up with a smile. “That sounds good.”

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Neteyam finds you as you’re coming back home for dinner early. You’re tapping the water from your ears when he approaches.

“Hey.” You greet, noticing him.

“Hey.” Neteyam mirrors. His face displays an enthusiastic grin. “How was the ocean today?” He signs as he speaks.

You pay attention more to his signing, as he was noticeably putting much effort into it. You read his signs out loud, “How was.. the fish, yesterday? I thought it was pretty good.”

“No, um..” He doesn’t let the failure get to him. Instead, he shakes his head and tries again.

“How was the… algae, today?” You blow a raspberry as you think, “Little slimy, green, just like always?”

Neteyam restarts, thinking the signs over in his head again. He was on the right track: ocean, fish, algae, all things related to water. He just needed to get the sign right, he’d already gotten the “today” part. “Okay.” He tries again.

“Nete…” You frown, “I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

“Alright, maybe I’ll try something else.” Neteyam sighs. He rethinks it all again. “Alright. Do you like ilu?”

“Do I enjoy swimming?” You nod, “Of course I do, but less than resting underwater.”

“No, that wasn’t it.” He shakes his head, letting out a small groan. He rubs his hands together, warming them up to ready himself.

“Do I… excited, dive?” You frown, “I don’t think I’m reading those correctly.”

He sighs. Seeing how far he was from what he wanted to say, he puts his head in his hands. “I’m not doing well…” He whines into them.

You take his hands in yours and pull them away from his face, primarily so that you may actually read his lips and or listen to him, but you know the message the gesture conveys anyway. “Don’t worry. You’re still learning.”

“Well, I won't–”

“No more self-deprecating thoughts.” You interrupt him, squeezing his hands. “You’ll get better eventually. I promise you’ll get better with time.”

Neteyam huffs, but he nods. “I don’t know how you’ll fulfill that promise though.”

“Fpivìl…” You say as you think. When you find an idea, you snap your fingers. “I’ll teach you better, I’ll be more proactive at thinking of lessons. Are you a visual or auditory learner?”

“What?”

“We’ll figure that out too.”

Neteyam had to say, your enthusiasm was contagious.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Thanks to Tsireya’s efforts, the Sully’s had learned the ways of the Metkayina.

They were still different, they were Omatikaya, and they and the Metkayina would always have their differences. However, despite their leaner bodies, they could catch up with you in the water; despite other physical differences like smaller lungs, they could stay underwater almost as long as you. They still preferred bow and arrow over spear and ikran over ilu.

Soon enough, they were good enough at free diving that they were allowed to perform their first Iknimaya trial, catching a small shell thrown into the sea.

Of course, it was the first because it was the easiest, the Metkayina completed it when they were young; but still, it called for a celebration.

Ronal denied a coming of age celebration. It was past the season for it, the tulkuns weren’t home yet, and the Metkayina didn’t know the Sully’s enough for it to have any real sentiment.

It didn’t matter to you, though. All they really wanted was a celebration with friends (which Ao'nung so gladly volunteered to not participate in).

You brought them into the sea for the celebration. For once, it wasn’t a test of their breathing, speed, or swimming form. It was just exploring, enjoying the water; and they hadn’t done that since they tamed their ilu.

As you dove into the sea, Fyìp swam to be near you. It seemed unbothered by the stares of awe he received.

Kiri grinned, signing to you, Fyìp ioang?

Yeah! Call him Fyìp now. You offer it a spot on your palm, which it accepts. You thrust your hand forward to show them all. He warmed up to me, forgave me.

Forgave you? Lo'ak signed. After your arrangement, he’d really gotten good at sign language.

Though the celebration was not meant to be a test, it was a great demonstration of how they were on their way to master sign language.

I believe I told you about the lesson Kiri taught me. I caught Fyìp to show it off to her, and she taught me I shouldn’t have done so, even through all my curiosity. You nod at the thought, Wise words.

Kiri tucks a hair behind her ear, It just made sense to me. Not something wise or anything.

Sure. You huff out a laugh, then turn around to swim further in. Fyìp clings onto your shoulder.

The sights were already amazing. The Sully’s were no longer limited by depth or obstacles now that they knew the way of water, so now they could see everything the sea had to offer.

You turn back to them again with an offer, You guys wanna see one of my favorite places? Knowing that they’ll definitely agree, you turn back around and start leading the way.

It doesn’t take long before you are standing before a marvel.

It was a cove of coral, fish, and many more ocean creatures. They were all colorful and eye-catching, but the main attraction was the ilu. It was similar to the Banshee Rookery in the Ayram alusìng.

We don’t always tame ilu bred from other ilu at the village. Sometimes, we come here, though rarely. You explain.

These ilu were wilder, more aloof, but they still retained their friendly nature with the Na'vi. So long as you do not anger them, we can hang out with them.

The Sully’s were practically let loose around the area. As you already knew much of it, you laid down on a rock at the heart of it and simply watched. Fyìp stuck around you, catching stray fish for dinner.

Kiri easily communicated with the ilu. Even if they were already friendly, they seemed even warmer with her.

Lo'ak managed to find the more playful ilu and had somehow gotten himself into a game of tag. He seemed to be one of the runners. He ducked behind coral, up and around rock arches. He was holding his own, despite the ilu naturally being much faster. Tsireya found herself watching too, and was laughing at Lo'ak’s panicked face as he narrowly avoided being caught by an ilu.

As Lo'ak and Kiri both found their own things to do, it seemed Neteyam was stuck with Tuk. But she wasn’t a burden to him. What kind of big brother would he be if she was?

He held her by the hand and admired some of the smaller creatures with her, although it seemed as though she had other intentions.

She escaped Neteyam’s grasp and began swimming away with vigor. For a moment, Neteyam panicked, rushing after her with alarm. However, he soon relaxed once she saw she was going to you.

She waved hello adorably with a grin then signed. As the youngest, she had a bit more trouble with signing, but you understood her. Why do you like being in the water so much?

Well, it’s very serene. You reply.

Neteyam caught up. He seemed interested too. Is that it?

You shrug, Sort of. There’s some other reasons, but… You took in Tuk’s hopeful eyes. She was far too cute to be denied. I could tell them to you.

Please? Will you? She swims closer, holding onto your wrists so that you may still sign.

Perhaps Tsireya rounded them up; otherwise, you have no idea why, as signing doesn’t make sound, but they all round up around you. Even Fyìp swims closer.

It was a bit nerve-wracking, having all those eyes on you, but you had grown close to all of them. Nothing bad would come of it if you told them.

Okay.

Tuk’s smile grows wider, she swims away so the others can see you too.

Ever since I was a kid, the ocean was so entrancing. It was majestic, a different world from the one above. The other kids my age, they preferred to play with one another. I preferred to explore the ocean. Even though I was hardly used to the world above, I still preferred exploring underwater.

Tsireya taught you that the sea gives and takes. While it gave me a world to love, it also took my hearing because I was negligent towards my ears. Eventually, the sea was more than just the world I loved. It was also the only place I could be normal.

Lo'ak and Kiri listen more carefully when you mention the word normal. It was something they both struggled with.

Everybody needs to sign to speak. You don’t need your ears to listen to them, you only need your eyes; and my eyes, I still have. Underwater, I swim and speak and listen just like everyone else.

Tsireya swims closer, a frown on her face. She holds your elbow endearingly, You are just like everyone else.

Yeah, you are. Neteyam does the same, swimming closer. You are Na'vi.

We are Na'vi. Lo'ak signs.

Though we are all different, we are all Eywa’s children. Kiri signs. It doesn’t matter in what way we are different, my fingers, our blood, your hearing…

Lo'ak’s eyebrows… Neteyam signs. Said eyebrows furrow at the teasing. Lo'ak retaliates by squeezing Neteyam’s exposed neck, as his brother always does to him. Neteyam pushes him away.

You guys, you all understand. You smile, I’m so sorry that the Metkayina treat you differently.

Lo'ak shakes his head, If it is something we must teach them, we’ll make them learn. He smiles, So long as we have great teachers like you and Tsireya to back us up, right?

You roll your eyes–he thinks it’s endearing–at him but nod. We’ll teach them that we’re all the same.

Tomorrow will be a good day for that. Tsireya signs, Let’s not forget we are celebrating your first Iknimaya trial.

Fyìp does an encouraging twirl that makes everyone smile.

To tomorrow. You sign.

[eywamygoddesswrites]

Hiii, how are you??

If its okay with you i would like to resquest a platonic yandere of either the Sully's or tonowari family(whichever you prefer) when their youngest child (reader) comes home injuries because of some bullies

How would they react??

(if you can't do it or don't feel comfortable its completely fine)

— 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓰𝓮𝓽𝓼 𝓱𝓾𝓻𝓽 — (sully family, tonowari family x platonic!reader) | separate

requested: yes

pairing: sully familly x gn!reader, tonowari family x gn!reader

tags: platonic, yandere, youngest sibling, youngest child, just a doting family

warnings: lowercase intended, mentions of torture but not elaborated, injuries

a/n: characters are aged up! hi there! i'm doing very well, thank you very much. i just came back from class and i got a few more ask after this so i'm very inspired in making and answering them. hope you enjoy this!

word count: 946

+ gif not mine. ctto.

sully family:

being the youngest in the sully family has its perks. having 5 protective older siblings i’m adding spider ‘cause i can is fun! y/n has friends to play with them, someone who looks after them when their parents aren’t available, and their life is never boring

but when they came home crying, their knees scraped and bleeding after being pushed by their bullies during the kid’s nursery (i imagine there’s a nursery class that is just the na’vi kids interacting for early socialization in the clan)

their knees hurt, and their elbow also scraped due to the impact of the push, just crying that so, so, and so pushed them during nursery

neytiri was fuming, to say the least. no one messes with her baby. no one

jake was trying to calm his mate, reminding her that those are just kids and they mess up from time to time. it’s the parents you should get mad at because they didn’t raise their kids right

neytiri would then blame the kids’ parents for raising rotten kids that bullied her youngest and would threaten the parents if their kids bully her baby again

jake, on the other hand, would threaten the livelihood of the parents. would hold their family’s place in the clan above their heads and wouldn’t hesitate to banish them. to hell if they get killed by the animals that lurked in the dark

kiri was cleaning up y/n’s booboos while neteyam held his baby sibling

lo’ak plans on tripping said kids by holding his foot out and acting like he didn’t do anything (petty but hey, it’s a small way to get back at the kids)

spider would distract y/n by talling them stories that happened back in the lab. they loved hearing all the sciency human stuff and hearing them from spider was fun and he would probably join lo’ak on the pettiness

tuk was quickly weaving some bracelets to help her baby sibling calm down. she will do anything and everything to help her only baby sibling out

if said bullies had older siblings that are learning to be a warrior or a tsahik, neteyam and kiri would sabotage them. neteyam would destroy the weapons that the siblings had created for the training while kiri would add herbs and slimes that messes up the medicine the siblings would create mo’at gets disappointed at the bullies’ siblings for messing up their works

but, if we say that y/n is younger than lo’ak by a year (around 13) and took tuk’s place as the youngest, that’s another story

jake and neytiri would be the last to know that they’re being bullied by other na’vi’s because y/n begged their siblings to not tell their parents

neteyam and lo’ak would beat those bullies up to a pulp. they didn’t care if their dad would tell them off afterward. what matters is that they don’t get to harm their siblings ever again

kiri would destroy their image if said bullies were training to be a tsahik. she would tell mo’at a lot of things that would slowly hurt their character then, later on, would be told off and not be thought by mo’at

spider would join neteyam and lo’ak at one point but then again, he’s small while teen na’vi’s were hella tall so he becomes neteyam and lo’ak’s hypeman

overall: the sully family wouldn’t mind beating a few na’vi’s up when protecting their youngest. sully’s stick together!

tonowari family:

y/n is the kid that didn’t have to do much to impress the family. they could just breathe and tonowari would throw a whole feast to celebrate it

ronal is a very doting mother. although a warrior and seen as a very serious tsahik, she would smile whenever she sees her youngest. also very protective. like, super duper protective that no one besides their family can interact with their youngest. if you do, she’d wave your head up on her spear and set it as a reminder to the rest that if you do mess with her youngest, you’ll be next

tonowari is much more doting than ronal but if the softer version. instead of being violent like his mate, he would rather let nature do the violence. why get the blood on your fingers when pandora can do the work? he didn’t want to hold his baby with the blood of their bullies

ao’nung is no different from their mother. but instead of giving the easier end, he would rather beat them up and keep them alive just to prolong to torture. torture = honoring his sibling’s existence

tsireya is the most normal of the bunch. but if she hears that her sibling is messed with, just knows the whole family is coming for their head. she would be with her sibling and distracting them while the family ‘talks’ with said bullies

so when one-day y/n comes home severely injured by her bullies, all hell broke loose

the parents of said bullies were held off by other metkayina’s while they watched ao’nung, rotxo, and a few other of their friends beat up the bullies

ronal was held back by tonowari because if he didn’t, ronal would’ve hurt the parents of the bullies or worse

tonowari eventually forcefully removed the family that tormented his youngest child because if he gives them a chance, his child might get hurt again and he’s not taking that risk

tsireya was tending y/n’s wounds and reassuring them that the bullies won’t hurt them again because their parents will send them away

tdrl: you hurt tonowari and ronal’s youngest, and you leave severely beaten up

[bumblinv]

Hii, saw your request were open!

This might not even make sense, because I don't even know if the na'vi have this too

But some hc to human reader getting their period earlier than expected and the sully kids + tsireya, aonung and roxto reaction to weird human biology

Thanks alot and stay healthy!!

--- sex ed. class ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

platonic!various x gn!human!reader

!! in my hc, fem na'vi doesn't menstruate !!

teaching your na’vi friends, who doesn’t menstruate, the beautiful world of human biology

part 1! part 2

"so, your... thing bleeds every month?"

you nod

"are you stupid?

"i'm sorry?"

ao'nung clicks his tongue, looking at you with disbelieve. "that means you're doing something, only Eywa knows what, to yourself. and you’re doing it so badly that it bleeds-"

you hit him on the head, "no! what are you even thinking?"

"no, but seriously" neteyam looks at you with concern, "forgive me for watching you, but this morning i saw you wash your blanket that’s literally soaked with blood"

your face starts to heat up, "that means the cloth i use wasn't enough-"

"3 pieces of cloth to soak your blood. and it wasn't even enough?" tsireya's voice filled with worry, "are you sure you're okay? we could ask my mother to patch you up" 

"reya, im fine-"

"no you're not! you came to her for painkillers this morning, to mend your stomach cramps!"

"its probably tape worms"

"no shit", rotxo snickers

"or just a real bad constipation"

"rotxo, ao’nung please” kiri rolls her eyes, tired of their stupidity. “they clearly said that the bleeding comes from their other below"

not long after lo'ak snaps his head towards you, mouth agape. "holy shit. i think i know what's going on", then quickly moves closer to you. his face just a few inches from yours, his terrified look terrifies you

"my mother experienced the same things as you, when we were about to have tuk. stomach hurting, below bleeding- "

"no. fucking. way” rotxo clasps his mouth, “are you about to give birth?"

"what?"

ao’nung’s jaw dropped. “who knocked you up?” 

“that’s it i’m taking you to the tsahik” 

“STOP” 

your friends went quiet. 

they could only stare at your flushed face as your breathing went erratic. 

you gulp, trying to calm yourself down. you close your eyes, inhaling a good amount of oxygent to fill your lungs and letting your mind go blank. then, you could open your mouth again

"as you all know, female bodies bear children in their uterus, yes?"

they all nod

"good. now the uterus, in human bodies specifically, would prepare for pregnancy every month-"

"so you need to get pregnant every month?"

"shut up rotxo"

"wait a minute" kiri cuts you off, "you’re not pregnant, but you’re currently bleeding. so the bleeding occurs when the pregnancy doesn’t happen?"

"yup. because i'm not pregnant, my womb's lining shreds out"

their terrified screams deafens you

[mayhemories]

Neteyam x readers kids to lovers eventually, before WOTW bc I carnt handle his death

Eywa, A Sign

Ohhh it kills me, I love this boy. He died for what? Pandora Jesus better resurrects him next time, or I will have words with Mr Cameron. Not sure if I did your request justice, hope I did <3 

Pairing: Neteyam Sully x Reader (James Cameron’s Avatar) 

Requested: Yes | No

Warnings: None? Just straight fluff. Reader is an orphan trope/parental death. Mentions of death. 

Words: 1.58k

Author’s Notes: Neteyam is roughly 18/19 here, Reader is 18, Lo’ak and Kiri are 17, and my girl Tuk is still the same. Set before Way of the Water. 

Please note that the reader utilises she/her pronouns. If you’d prefer male or gender-neutral pronouns in fic I’m more than happy to repost a male or gn version of the story, otherwise include any pronoun preferences in the request box!

Read below the cut

Many Na’vi died following Toruk Macto. Either due to the impact of the battlefield violence or, their wounds upon return to their clan. Your parents, two brave Omatikaya warriors, died at the hands of the Sky People during a routine raid on supply shipments. 

Jake and Neytiri were quick to take you under their care, love and protection. Practically becoming one of their own. Being a few months younger than Neteyam and a year older than the twins, Kiri and Lo’ak, you slipped right in.

Jake was never afraid to reprimand you like you were his own, either. Like the time you were twelve, Lo’ak eleven:

“Now what did I tell you two?” Jake had you and Lo’ak lined up against the wall of the clan stronghold, sprung by the Olo’eyktan from the moment you came sneaking back in after curfew. 

“Don’t be in the forest after eclipse-” You and Lo’ak mumbled under your breaths, knowing that Jake wouldn’t let up.

“Yes! That’s right, don’t be in the forest after eclipse!” he said, exasperated, holding his hands above his head, dragging them down across his face. “And where were you two knuckleheads?” His face was annoyed, though his eyes were soft. We were his kids, god forbid anything happened to us. 

“Look dad (y/n) had nothing to do with it, it was all me-” Lo’ak started, but you finished,

“Sir, Lo’ak didn’t want to go, I wanted to go.” You and Lo’ak shared a small smile, he was your brother, through and through. 

Jake shook his head, hands on hips. 

“Go, go, both of you. Wash up.” He was stern, but as you two skxawngs ran past him you saw the gentle smile lay on his lips. 

As you got older you noticed Jake becoming harder and harder on his boys. For whatever reason Lo’ak almost gave up on pleasing Jake, felt like he could never be enough for him, a spec of dust compared to Neteyam’s glittering gold. Maybe that was why, why he was so impulsive and reckless, consistently. Any attention being good attention for Lo’ak. Regardless of his intentions, you liked that about him. He encourages your sense of adventure like a brother should, was always there to catch you when you fall. Neteyam and Lo’ak were different sides of the same coin, both living to please Jake in one way or another. Jake saw himself in Lo’ak and that scared him, you knew that,

But Neteyam…shit, Neteyam. 

You always saw Neteyam differently. As kids, he felt too cool for you to be around. This developed over time as you, yourself developed. As you felt awkward and out of place in your body, tail giving away every thought and feeling, Neteyam got taller, got broader, got sweeter. As an awkward teenager, your little soft spot evolved into a full-blown crush. You kept it under wraps sure, Lo’ak teasing you here and there but he never thought anything serious of it. Shit, you tried not to think anything of it. He was the future Olo’eyktan, he was the future of the clan. 

Now, freshly eighteen you were considered a woman: A relatively fierce Ikran rider, bow made from wood of the tree to replace the Hometree that was lost to the Sky People, a hunter. You surpassed any ritual trail of clan-life easily, save for one. Save for probably the most important one. 

Finding a mate. 

So, here you were, kneeling on the beautiful deep green moss surrounding the base of the Tree of Voices. The tree was glowing purple, fading to a light pink and back again, streaks of white travelled up and down the tendril of the tree, where you’ve made the bond. The hum of the ancestors created a white noise in you mind, helping to create a true vision. Praying to Eywa always gave you a sense of calm, like all anxieties were being blown right through your body, energy settling itself back into the world. 

“My dear All-Mother Eywa, I come to you now for guidance, for advice.” You started, clamping your eyes shut to encourage any kind of vision, so that you may see into the realm beyond that of physical sight. 

Neteyam knew it was wrong, to listen to your private prayers with Eywa. But he did not make a move to leave his advantageous spot, hidden amongst trees and rocks, he could watch you freely. His whole life felt like it revolved around you, and your alluring presence, strong heart, strong mind. 

Neteyam officially became a man the year prior, it was expected of him as the future clan leader to have already chosen a woman. And, in some ways he had. It had always been you, it was always you. Neteyam loved you, and it was never as a sister as Lo’ak has. When you were children you would play family. Neteyam was the dad, you the mum, Kiri and Lo’ak the kids. Neteyam knew from a young age that he didn’t want to play family with anyone else. 

He assumed Neytiri always knew, too. She never pressured him in claiming a mate, or even talking about it. Jake, well he was less switched on when it came to Neteyam’s shy nature. He was always pestering Neteyam about it-

Jake had flown Neteyam and himself to a floating mountain so that him and his first born son could speak freely: “Look, I’m not even saying you have to mate straight away! But at least court someone Neteyam, you’re the future of this clan-” Jake started, but for the first and last time in his life, Neteyam cut his father off.

“I am waiting for (y/n)!” Neteyam yelled, holding the bridge of his nose, anticipating that Jake would come back with a raised voice as he most often did. It did not come. Instead Jake closed the distance between him and his son, wrapping his arms around his beautiful baby boy, who wasn’t a baby anymore. Neteyam loosened, wrapping his still lanky arms around his father. With his chin resting on Neteyam’s head, Jake chuckled:

“Well then, wait for her as long as you need.” 

“I love her.” Neteyam admitted quietly. 

“I know you do, kid.” 

Neteyam shook the memory from his mind, and focused back on your kneeling, praying figure in front of him. 

“My mother Eywa, what am I to do?” You felt exasperated, lost. “I… I am afraid that the one I love does not love me Eywa.” 

Neteyam’s chest tightened, although he always knew it was a possibility that you may not want him, he tried his hardest swaying anyone else’s decision in the matter. The glares he had sent to all the young na’vi during their teen years, and at your own ceremony of womanhood, Neteyam made it clear with growls and possessive hovering that he was waiting for you. Although, maybe he could’ve made it clearer to you. 

“Great Eywa please, please show me a sign that Neteyam and I will be named mates.” you whispered, scared to admit his name in the scenario, aloud. 

Neteyam felt like he could vomit. He slowly approached you, kneeling beside you, as if he were beginning to pray, himself.

You could feel his heat, his being as he sat down, you didn’t need to open your eyes to confirm. Besides that, you could feel all the blood drain from your body and rush back up to your cheeks and ears. Clearing your throat, you decided that this was a good a sign as any. 

“Neteyam” You opened your eyes, his beautiful warm honey ones already locked on your face, “how much of that did you hear?” 

Neteyam hung his head in shame, shaking some of his braids from their resting places, blood rushing to his cheeks. 

“I am so sorry, I know I shouldn’t have listened to your private words spoken with Eywa.” Neteyam spoke softly, like he always did with you. “But I could not help it, especially knowing you have not chosen a mate yet.” Neteyam spoke around a lump in his throat, “I needed to know why.” 

Your mind was rushing a million miles per minute. But fake bravado was something that Lo’ak taught you, and something you could hide behind.

“You know, you haven’t chosen anyone either. My ceremony was last week, yours was last year.” You said, catching his eye again, with a slight smile on your lips. Neteyam laughed. Shit, you loved that sound. You could die happy now, hearing his laugh. 

“I have chosen,” your stomach dropped at his words, though sensing your anxiety Neteyam wove one of his hands with yours, and pinned you to the spot with his warm eyes. “I just had to wait a year for her to choose me too.” 

And all at once it felt like Eywa had breathed life into you, and Neteyam. Like your soul was made of milk and honey and you were going to flow on forever. 

You kissed him, your hands cupped his beautiful face, his slender fingers settling on your waist, nestling between beads and cloth. 

He came out of the kiss laughing, needing air. You let out a laugh too, keeping your foreheads together. 

“I see you.” You whispered, still scared that if you speak too loud this dream will dissipate into the colours of Pandora’s jungle, floating away from you entirely. 

“I have only ever seen you,” Neteyam said, smiling. His silver freckles set alight from the glow of the Tree of Voices. 

Happiness was simple.

[fleursbending]

𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥, 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲. | Neteyam Sully

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 : Hi, I was wondering if you could write a Neteyamxhuman!reader where the reader takes the bullet for Neteyam, so they transport her soul to her avatar and they become really emotional upon waking up and seeing her human body, dead and they all (sully family and metkayina clan) have a funeral for her human body. Neteyam comforts her and mourns with her??

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : neteyam x human!reader (eventual na'vi!reader. sully family x reader, ronal x reader (platonic).

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 : thank you @karmascale for requesting this! this was a challenge to write and i hope i did your request justice! i did a few minor tweaks just to make the story flow better. this slightly deviates from the original plot in the movie! feedback is once again, much appreciated - i love hearing ur guys thoughts! this piece is my prized posession 😭😭😭 if there's any mistakes pls lmk! reader is gn!

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : atwow spoilers, blood, funeral, angst, mourning/grief, eventual fluff, gsw, death, detailed descriptions of pain/slipping in and out of consciousness, seizure.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 5.6k words

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 : @odessa-is-my-queen

closely helped me through writing this so here is something to listen to if you want to get even more immersed ↷

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍'𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄. That's the only thought that had been drilled into his mind ever since your body had struggled to stay afloat after jumping off the ship.

The once crystal clear blue waters were now tainted with an angry scarlet colour. Neteyam did not know what the source of it was. His heart had sunken, missing a beat when your head had not popped out of the water to cheer with the rest of them.

"Wait, where's Y/n?" Neteyam, panted as he tried to catch his breath.

Prior to all this, he had expressed how you should have gone back to Awa'atlu. But your eyes had a fire that even he couldn't shoot down. His family by definition was yours as well. You just couldn't sit this one out, not this time.

Your struggled gasps answered his question, your head bobbing back underwater only to resurface seconds later.

"Nete, I think I've been shot." You groaned in pain, as you struggled to stay afloat.

"You are such a skxawng, Y/n!" Neteyam cried, immediately swimming over to your side as he helped hold your much smaller body up.

"Hey, that's not nice." You tried to retort jokingly, only to cough up blood right after you had finished your sentence.

You weren't supposed to be there. Your link machine was experiencing issues, Norm was fixing it. Tuk, and Kiri, had brought you out to the ocean as you waited. You've been begging to see baby Ilu's ever since the Metkayina clan allowed you, Norm, and Max to stay behind after Kiri's seizure. Now seemed like the perfect time to do so, but they couldn't have been more wrong about their decision.

When you three had seen Lo'ak rushing off to warn Payakan about the tracker. Your friends not trailing too far behind him, you all joined too. You believed Lo'aks words from before, you didn't know such brutal consequences would come from such actions.

It was you and Neteyam who fled to drop the tracker further away, only to witness in horror as your friends were trapped in a net, being lifted by Ikrans and dropped on the large ship.

Only months ago were you all held captive, but the stakes are larger than life now. You were horrified. Neteyam curated a plan, only on the ship to cut them out of their restraints. Then you'd all head back together. But Lo'ak wanted to save Spider, and a sky-person turned Na'vi was blocking your freedom back into the water.

You weren't supposed to be there. He thought he got you out there safely, how stupid of him to think that.

His amber eyes caught sight of your gunshot wound when he and Lo'ak pulled you on top of Tsireya's Ilu. His world was crumbling around him, and all he could do was apply pressure.

"It hurts!" You grunted, the pain like nothing you've ever experienced before.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry, Y/n." Neteyam shushed you, trying to give you some comfort while calming his own worries.

His father's words began to repeat in his mind from the training lessons he used to teach his kids when they were far younger. This one focused on sky-people and the type of weapons they use. The damage it can cause.

"Son, a bullet wound is deadly - only if there is an exit wound."

How did a bullet even hit you? It should have been him. Now he felt like he was paying the price.

Neteyam cursed to himself, yaymak.

"We must bring Y/n back! They can help them there!" Lo'ak interjected, trying to get everyone's attention. He was worried for his friend who wasn't even in their Avatar body. The tensions were through the skies that gloomed down on you all.

Tsireya, clutching onto her dear friend for life - nodded hastily. Yipping at her Ilu, they made haste back to their village.

Neteyam previously thought his greatest loss was the time he missed out with you. But now there was a chance of truly losing all of you. He couldn't bare the weight that train of thought held over him.

When his parents had told them that they'd have to leave all they'd ever known. He knew you wouldn't follow in their footsteps. They didn't even have a foolproof plan. And it would be too dangerous for you, your avatar was not ready yet.

He wanted to stay, but his family needed him now - more than ever before. They wouldn't allow it anyway.

"I will wait for you, Nete." You had told him, speaking so softly. Your words were full of warmth, full of promise. You sounded so sure, and it reassured him so much. He was utterly devoted to every fiber of your being. You already encompassed his entire mind. Each decision he had been making lately that would benefit his future, always circled back to you.

If he closed his eyes he'd still remember every minor detail of that day. The day he had to say goodbye. It was gutwrenchingly beautiful.

You stood on a tree trunk, and he wanted to curse Ewya for having to make humans wear masks. Because as your tiny hands grasped his face, his fists clenched in sheer desperation to caress yours. But he couldn't, not with that damned mask in the way.

Instead he opted for tucking a stray braid behind your ear, leaning down to place a kiss on your forehead. His hands hovered over yours above his face, before grasping them. You'd never get over how they dwarfed yours, how it felt to bask in his warmth. It felt like a reminder from Ewya that you were destined to be together.

You could see the tears he was trying not to shed, and feel the way his hands were slightly shaking. His ears laid flat, tail hung low. And it felt like a punch in the gut, a harsh reminder of not knowing when he would come back here.

The fear of not knowing when you'd be in each other's presence again.

His gaze kept traveling between every feature of your face. The boy did not have any artistic ability in his bones, but he'd be utterly dumb to not remember every minute detail that he had fallen for.

This wasn't earth, there were no devices that could reach as far as they were hoping to go. No mailing system. They'd have to rely on their trust for one another this time.

With purpose, you held his chin. "I. Will. Wait. For. You." You had annunciated every word.

Determination flickered in his eyes, and his hands held onto your mask, the part that covered your cheeks. You blushed, he'd never done that before.

"I will wait for you, Y/n." He declared as his forehead met yours.

"Come on, bro!" Y/n suddenly said, wait what?

His shoulders were being shaken, and he was brought back into the harsh reality.

"Hop on!" Lo'ak tugged on his arm, as he and Spider waited for him. Neteyam swung himself onto his Ilu. They raced back to shore.

He briefly saw Ronal ushering a member of the Metkayina clan who was holding his Y/n, into a mauri.

He started to head towards them with Spider when he realised Lo'ak wasn't following. He quickly turned around and beckoned him over, only to witness him hopping back on his Ilu.

"What are you doing?" Neteyam hissed at him.

"I have to go back for Tuk and Kiri! They are still there, mum and dad as well." Lo'ak explained.

"I'm coming with you." Spider walked back over, Lo'ak wanted to argue about it - but knew they didn't have time.

He could see the conflict in his older brother's eyes.

"I got this brother. I know that doesn't feel reassuring. because I usually don't. But this is our family, I won't fuck this up." Lo'ak insisted, he didn't want to risk a slim chance of potentially losing anyone else.

"Lo'ak...-" Neteyam tried to change his younger brother's mind.

"Please, trust me. You're going to regret not being here if Y/n gets worse." Lo'ak contested, he knew he was right.

Neteyam shut his eyes, taking in a deep breath. Contemplating his choices, he knew what he had to do.

"Go, but be alert. This isn't a raid back home!" Neteyam said.

Lo'ak nodded in acknowledgment, turning his Ilu and heading back to the ship in the distance along with Spider.

When they were nothing but a speck in the distance, he quickly rushed over to the mauri he saw Y/n and Ronal enter.

He rushed in, his heart somersaulting at the sight before him. You were pale, too pale. Your chest barely rises up and comes back down. He could tell you were on the verge of losing consciousness.

"Please mother, let me ask for the humans!" Tsireya begged as she continued to try to stop the bleeding.

"Fine, go get them." Ronal allowed it, continuing to do her ritual.

Tsireya was about to get up, but Neteyam stopped her.

"I can do it." He mumbled.

He made sure his comms were on the channel that had a connection with both his parents, Norm, and Max.

"Norm, Max.-" his voice choked up.

"I don't know what you are doing right now, but Y/n is dying. I need you to come to the chief's house, now! I don't- I don't know what you need to bring but just what you can! Please!" Neteyam pleaded as he fell by your side, his fingers running through your hair.

Blood splatter was speckled on the inside of your mask, and you blinked slowly in response to his barely there touch. Gazing up at him, a pained smile graced your face.

"Neteyam, is that you?" You asked.

"It's me, I'm here," Neteyam replied, tearing up at your whimpers of pain.

"We're on our way! Eta is 3 minutes!" Norm's rushed voice sounded through his comms.

"Tell her we are here. I am here." Neytiri's voice sounded forced, holding in the emotions she was truly feeling at that present moment.

"Okay, okay. Mom is with you, she is rooting for you. You hear me, Y/n? We all are!" He hoped his words were giving you strength, he felt like anything he could potentially do wouldn't be enough. Neteyam could only pray to Eywa that his mother would be okay after what she had just heard.

Neytiri loves you like you were her own, to this day she cannot pinpoint why she held such prejudice towards Spider but not you. Maybe because his father killed her own and the fact he had destroyed her clan's sanctuary.

Your mother and father were fierce, in a sense they were seen as warriors through her eyes. Alongside Trudy, they had pioneered the revolution against Colonel Quaritch and his followers. Y/n's mother had worked side by side with Grace, while your father worked on the front lines.

Right before the battle, she had confided in Neytiri.

"I am with child. If anything ever happens to my family, please take care of her." Neytiri took this newfound information in and agreed, deep down only hoping for the best. They were some of Neytiri's and Jake's greatest allies.

But Y/n's father was killed taking a stand, and with too much sorrow in her heart. Y/n's mother carried you to full term. Only to pass away after being with you for the first three months of your life. Neytiri nurtured you alongside Neteyam. She too just like Neteyam, could only pray to Ewya that you'd be okay.

"I'm scared," you spoke so quietly that if he wasn't as close to you as he was. He wouldn't have heard you at all.

"It's okay to be scared, I've got you. You're going to be okay." Neteyam emphasised with you, trying to offer more alleviation to such a dire situation.

"We're here- fuck." Norm cursed, as Max unpacked a few things.

"Nete, I'm tired. I want to go to sleep." Drowsiness was tempting you, and the pain was beginning to fade into nothingness.

"No! You must stay awake!" Neteyam tapped on your mask, but your eyes rolled to the back of your head.

You started to seize.

Ronal and Tsireya continued to chant, as Norm turned her on her side.

"There's too much blood, Max!" Norm shouted.

It poured out like a languid waterfall, strangely just like some of the ones back in the forest. He felt the dread tugging at him, he was losing you.

He held your head to stop you from potentially hurting yourself even more when suddenly your body slumped. Your breaths come out in wheezes.

Neteyam could no longer hold back his tears, he had never felt so helpless and petrified. He wished the rest of his family was here, in a room full of people - he felt stranded.

Max clocking onto this, pitched out a thought. "I don't know if it will work, but I have an idea." He held a flashlight above Y/n's eyes as he spoke.

"What is it? We'll make it work." Neteyam insisted. He would do whatever it takes to be able to rid you of this agony.

Ronal eyed the boy, understanding his struggles. Then stared at the humans who were fumbling over Y/n's body, using foreign devices.

"You wish to transfer Y/n's soul to their avatar," Ronal replied as she listened to your heart. It was weak, but still persisting.

Max gaped at her, the Tshahik must have put two and two together.

"We cannot save Y/n from these injuries, they are fatal. That is the only way." Max further explained, not meeting Neteyam's eyes. He knew what he was suggesting was an ultimatum larger than life. But he could not see any other way, you were already advancing further in succumbing to your wounds.

"What you are asking of me is something that has only been done a few times, not once has it been performed in our clan. As the Tsahik I cannot guarantee this will be successful!" Ronal protested as she continued to tend to you however way possible.

Tsireya continued to plug Y/n's wounds, listening in, as Neteyam hesitantly let go of your hand. Moving to Ronal, he kneeled down before her.

Ronal noted one thing, the eyes she was looking into were drastically different from how she remembered them moments ago. Now it was untamed, yet persistent.

"I know my family has caused enough destruction. I know you never wanted us here in the first place. You believed we would not do our part, and I cannot fault you for thinking that way. We have learned your ways, adapted like my father did." He then motioned to you behind him.

"So will Y/n. In your eyes, sky people come from demon blood, but their parents fought on Toruk Makto's side. They made a difference, just like Y/n has started to do here. Y/n is an excellent fisher and healer. The children in this clan have warmed up to them. Because that's the effect they have on people! I swear, if you give them this second chance, they will be forever grateful. And if it doesn't go the way we wish for it to, I will not put the blame on you. The decision of whether or not she passes through the 'Eye of Eywa' only lies with our great mother." Neteyam held his chin up high, not bothering to wipe away the tears that began to stream down his face.

Ronal looked at Neteyam for a few more beats, before shifting to look at you.

"Prepare them for travel, we do not have much time before they get too weak for the transfer." Neteyam cried out in relief, thanking the great mother as he moved back over to you.

"Stay with me, just a little more Y/n," Neteyam begged, squeezing your hand encouragingly.

"I can't feel anything Neteyam, please I'm scared." You whispered to him, and he tried to put on a strong face. But he couldn't even imagine how scared you must be if he was already paralyzed with fear. All he could do was pet your head. and give you continuous kisses on your hair and forehead. Ewya, please be with us right now.

"Where are they?" Neteyam could hear his mother calling for them outside.

"In here!" He beckoned them over.

"Tsireya, get your father and gather whoever can come with us. We must leave to the Coves of the Ancestors, now." Ronal advised her child.

She quickly halted what she was doing and dashed outside of the mauri.

Neytiri's hand fell to her mouth at the sight of you, weeping as Jake whispered comforting words to her.

"Mother." Neteyam looked up at her, not knowing how to proceed from here.

"Ronal, may I bring her on my Ikran?" Neytiri in just a single moment changed face. Time was of the essence.

"Yes, you have not been where we are going. Follow along with us." Ronal commanded, gathering her things and getting ready to ride.

At this point you were slipping in and out of consciousness, but Tsireya had been able to temporarily stop the bleeding. Neytiri cradled you in her arms as she walked outside, calling for her Ikran.

The Sully family and Metkayina clan made their way to the Cove of the Ancestors. Ronal could not shake the feeling she had thought. That no matter what - they would end up holding a funeral there tonight. She dared not to voice such feelings.

Neytiri stayed leveled, flying closely side by side with Jake and Neteyam. She kept looking down at you through the short journey, checking on you. She wasn't the only one who was doing so though. Neteyam as well kept a close eye on you. Sometimes his Ikran would brush too closely to Neytiri's. She let it slide this time.

The last time Neteyam was here, you were in your Avatar body. You both had a deep love for sacred places to the Na'vi, and this one wasn't any different. Neither of you has heard of the place before, but it didn't squash the appreciation you both had for it. He recalls not just being in awe of his surroundings, but also of you. Your eyes held something remarkable, full of wonder. You'd given him one of your big grins, the one that only comes out in times like this. Your deep appreciation for monumental sites like this made him think of how your heart was just pure gold.

"You'd make a great Tsahik one day", is something he had cheekily said to you. In return you gave him a smack on the shoulder, scolding him. He harbored such great memories from that day, he loved it. He could only desire to relive that instead of all this.

The wind swooshed in her ears, but Neytiri faintly heard you say, "I like it here." She grinned down at you tearfully.

Truthfully, you don't know much about where you came from, to you - Pandora was and always will be your home. Nothing could compare to the beauty it beholds.

"Me too," Neytiri spoke wistfully.

You all were approaching the spirit tree, submerged in the ocean. It glowed like no other. The clan began to make a circle around it, linking their arms.

"Jake, we have their avatar!" Norm called from a rock not too far from the tree that they were safely able to land on. They had left before everyone else to get there ahead of time.

Jake flys down to them, retrieving your avatar.

Neytiri and Neteyam go to the same rock. They step off their Ikrans as Neytiri treats them like a feather. Your whimpers of discomfort do not go unnoticed.

Ronal and Tonawari approach them with a large leaf of sorts.

"You may place her in here," Tonowari told them.

You looked peaceful, too peaceful. You were placed in the leaf, as Ronal began to float you closer to the Spirit tree. The Sullys closely followed behind their Tsahik.

"Jake, attach their avatar to the spirit tree" Ronal ordered.

Jake nodded, placing a mask on your Avatar and activating it - an idea of Norms and Max as you would be underwater for an unknown amount of time. He connected your queue to the tree, the closest he could to the surface.

"We must put them to sleep for the ceremony to start. If you'd like to say anything to them, now is the time." Ronal gave you moments of privacy, swimming over to members of the Metkayina clan to further explain what was going on.

Neteyam couldn't remove his eyes from your Avatar that was shifted with the current of the ocean. Swaying whilst attached to the Spirit Tree, he'd never seen your Avatar look so lifeless.

Jake waved him over, "Neteyam, they are asking for you."

Tuk was crying, her head leaning against your own. You quietly spoke to one another, even while in agony - you managed to make the youngest Sully giggle.

Neteyam drew closer to you, even if you were facing away from him. Like clockwork, you felt his presence. Your head slightly turning to acknowledge him.

Tuk moved back, latching onto Lo'ak as she cried into his shoulder. The entire Sully family have given words of encouragement to Y/n, Jake especially - explaining the process and how it felt passing through "The Eye of Eywa". He could only pray you'd get that far. He was truly hoping this wouldn't be a repeat of Grace Augustine.

"This is not goodbye. When you wake up, I will be by your side the entire time. You are not alone. Oel ngati kameie." He stated, headstrong - like his father.

Neteyam wanted to wipe away your tears, he wanted to lean his head against yours without the obstruction of the mask. He realised that very soon, it could be possible. If you make it through this, that is.

"Neteyam I-I, Oel ngati kameie." You stuttered, voice cracking. That was all you can manage.

Ronal expectantly surveyed the Sullys, Neteyam nodded. It's time.

"We will now begin the consciousness transfer. Neteyam, connect them to the Spirit Tree. You may rest for the time being, Y/n." Ronal announced, everyone, witnessing their mighty Tsahik.

Your eyes fluttered shut, Neteyam looked at his family, before taking a deep breath and bringing their limp body to the Spirit tree.

His eyes widened as one of the leaves reached out, attaching itself to your back. Eywa, are you here? A comforting hand met his shoulder, his foundation. His family.

The Sullys linked their arms as Neytiri and Neteyam held onto you.

The Spirit Tree was alive, its light brightening a tenth fold. Flickering, as it seemed to react to the chanting of the clan. The Sullys could only cling onto each other more tightly as each leaf on the spirit tree lit up. It was fascinating to witness, they were just hoping it would work.

Before they knew it, the lights ceased. Ronal from above the surface halted everyone, before diving down to where you were. Tonowari, Tsireya, and Ao'nung trailed behind. They all looked to you expectantly, hoping for any sort of sign.

Gasping you awaken, struggling to catch your breath as you immediately check your surroundings. Neteyam almost choked on the water as your eyes opened, he tried to get your attention but you were too lost in your own world.

You were in the water, but how were you breathing? The mind-numbing pain was gone, and you definitely felt different. You were trying to remember and process whatever had just happened. Oh yes, the ceremony. It must have not worked, you're still wearing a mask.

By instinct your hands move to cover your face in shame, instead, you see that it's your avatar's hands. You tilt your head down, the legs, feet! It's all blue. Did it actually work?

Neteyam swan closer to your side, pointing upwards. Signing to you to swim up to the surface, you nodded. Detaching your queue, you made your way to the surface - the Sullys except Neytiri followed behind closely.

This time when your head pops out from the water, there is no bullet wound. You weren't bleeding out, you were truly Na'vi. You've miraculously been given a second chance at life.

You removed your mask as grateful tears streamed down your face. You gaped at Ronal and the Metkayina clan, "Thank you, thank you so much." You spoke to them all, signing "I see you".

When you reached Ronal, you brought her into a hug. The soon-to-be mother of a 3rd child was in shock, looking at Tonowari. The man could only grin, urging his mate to return the hug. And so, she did just that.

"Y/n!" Tuk screamed in delight as she swam over to you, you disconnected from Ronal. Mouthing "thank you again", she let a smile slip as she took in your words.

You hugged Tuk, looking at Neteyam over her shoulder. He was looking at you, differently. It was expected that he was always more attentive towards you. It felt all too similar to when he tried to remember every piece of you before parting ways. He was in disbelief.

Neytiri came up from behind Neteyam, a large leaf in her grasp as Jake helped console her.

Neteyam let Y/n lean their head on his shoulder as he squeezed you, kissing your cheek. They all realised what exactly, or who Neytiri was carrying.

Your human body.

You didn't want to look, it felt far too strange to do so. While your avatar still held features very similar to that of your human self, most of what resembled your parents felt futile. It just wasn't the same anymore, and it never would be again.

You felt grateful that you were already aware of how it felt to live amongst the Na'vi in an Avatar body. Navigating this body isn't rocket science, you've been in and out doing so these past few months.

Tsireya comes, with a handful of flowers and seashells. She delicately spreads them around in the leaf.

"In our village, we give back energy to the ocean, the sea will allow their past self to rest peacefully." Tsireya indicated to the ocean floor beneath you all that held a yellow glow.

Neytiri leans her head down, kissing your now-closed eyelids. She felt a sense of deja-vu creeping up on her. Her family follows her actions, all of them kissing your eyelids, their own unspoken version of goodbye. As Neytiri and Jake brought your human body down to the sea anemone that awaited for you, all you could think and wish for - was more time.

You didn't understand why the circumstances had to be like this. As you watched that version of yourself begin to disappear, it physically felt like a part of yourself went with it.

Y/n no longer felt naive to Pandora. They knew more than most about this beautiful luxury. Now that they'd been gifted with a body that was stronger, and more capable. They would stand with their chin held high and fight. Just like their parents had done.

Slowly everyone disperses, making their way back to Awa'atlu. Neteyam can see how drained you are, he silently beckons you to follow him. They make their way back to his Ikran, flying back home.

Everyone's asleep. You had tried to do so yourself, but you only got a good hour in before being awoken by the thoughts circling your mind. Poor Neteyam was exhausted, so it didn't take much for you to escape from his hold and make your way outside.

You let yourself sit on the shore, gazing up at the twinkling stars and endless skies. Squinting your eyes, you saw someone making their way back. Ronal.

Her cyan eyes widened seeing you, hopping off her Ilu she walked over.

"Can't sleep?" Ronal inquired at the obviously distraught child.

You shake your head, no.

Ronal sighed, "I understand, today has changed your life. It is good that you have such a strong support system."

All you could muster was a grin, "Thank you, Ronal. I know I've said that countless times today. But I don't know what convincing it took, but I will forever be in debt to you."

This time, it was Ronal who shook her head.

"I am your Tsahik, you have proven to not be useless here. But that Sully boy, he begged for me to do whatever it takes to save you. I'd like to believe Tonowari would have done the same for me if I was one of the good sky people. You are essential to Metkayina, you are one of us now."

She let her hand linger on your shoulder. Before you could get a response in, Ronal was already walking away back to her mauri.

You looked over your shoulder, she'd done the same.

Speaking it out didn't feel enough, therefore you signed it instead.

"Oel ngati kameie." She did the motion in return.

As she walked inside her mauri, someone else caught your attention.

Your Neteyam.

He darted over to you, a worrisome expression plastered on his face.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain?" He blurted out, lifting your arms to check if there were any wounds.

"I am, not physically though. Thank you for worrying about me, Nete. I am mourning what I've lost, what those demons have robbed away from me." You explained to him, your hand movements were erratic as you were still trying to come to terms with everything yourself.

Neteyam clenched his fists, before bringing you into his embrace. You leaned your head over his heart, listening to the steady rhythm. It dawns on you, you could've lost this.

Your grip tightens, truly taking him in as you bring your hands through his braids. You could've lost him.

He seemed to be coming to terms with the same realisation. You heard him sniffling as he breathed you in. You made him lean back, your thumbs following his tears as you gently brushed them away. He nuzzled his face into your hands, his body shaking as he tried to conceal the depth of his emotions.

Neteyam tried to speak, his mouth opening only to close again. You let him reign his thoughts as you continued to gently caress his defined cheekbones.

You gazed into his eyes, they were dark, lost. He seemed worlds away from you..

"I simply cannot live in a world that doesn't have you in it." Neteyam spoke through clenched teeth. Like uttering those words was a physical blow to his gut.

"Nete...-" You tried to offer words of comfort, only to be cut off.

You let him - because you understand him.

He exclaimed. "You are my home! You are my person! It should have been me, Ewya worked her miracles today. But seeing you now, compared to how you just were. I keep doubting if you are even real."

Neteyam could not meet your coaxing eyes, his hands were gripping your arms for dear life. Truth be told, when he had woken up and you weren't there? He had thought the ceremony was a sick joke he had curated to cope. His heart almost gave out when he went outside the mauri only to see you sitting in the same spot you always seemed to endeavor.

"And you are mine, I am here. I am real." You carefully removed his hands from your arms, placing one on your cheek and the other on your heart.

"The great mother has given me a second chance, all thanks to you. Do not beat yourself up for something that was out of your control. We've already lost so much time, I cannot afford to dwell on it any longer." Your words settled in his soul, making itself an oasis there. It was like a thwack to the back of his head, just like the ones you'd do when you scolded him.

You're really here. He could breathe.

You were right, it all has already happened. All you can do is move forward. That you can both do, together. As a pair, you were an unstoppable force.

His eyes that were so lost a few moments ago opened, with newfound sparks of hope. A new sense of purpose. Behind all that flickered rage, directed at the sky people. They would pay for what they've done to you if they crossed each other's paths in life again.

You beamed at him, he looks so radiant at this moment. He let you lean your head on his shoulder as he held your hands in his. He traced random patterns on yours as he looked down at them.

"Tanhi, I forget even now your hands are still smaller than mine." He smirked at you as you snarled at him.

"Shut up, skxawng!" You giggled and he could only grin in return, giving your hands a gentle kiss or two.

Between one another you talked about your favourite memories of when you were human through the rest of the eclipse. Neteyam chuckled at one he was specifically fond of as you continued to rant about it.

As his nose nuzzled into yours, your cheeks became a deeper blue hue at his actions. He couldn't be more grateful for the Great Mother and her ways. Neteyam decided to take this whole experience as the beginning of something else entirely.

Eywa has secured a lifetime with you. His father was right, his family is a fortress. He will no longer take that for granted.

Neteyam may not become the Olo'eyktan like his parents were preparing him for. But wherever either one of you went, the other always followed. He will protect that honour for as long you'll let him, and he hopes it lasts for this life and every other one that the world demands of him.

𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 ━━━ 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

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[iliketangerines]

corruption

a/n: mmmm, oh to be in between jake and neytiri @neteyamsoare @inlovewithpandora

pairing: jake sully x gn!metkayina!reader x neytiri

warnings: nsfw (MDNI), mentions of fucking

you are so different, so sweet and tender and adorable, but you’re also the olo’eyktan’s eldest child, Tonowari and Ronal’s

Neytiri’s tail curls up behind her as she stares at you, and she glances at Jake next to her, eyes just as transfixed on you as hers

the children laugh as you teach them how to mix certain herbs together just in case of a small injury and they’re alone and make a silly little joke

your laugh is addicting, sweet as an ambrosia and as luring as a honey-coated trap, and both Jake and Neytiri were not immune to your charms

the worst part is that you’re not even aware of the effect you have on them, walking past them with a soft smile and a nod of acknowledgement before going back to your own business

it drove the both of them wild, and they spent many sleepless nights staring up at the roof of their marui pod and thinking of you in between them

they craved you, wished to have you for themselves, to taste your lips and your skin, and to have you in between your bodies, flushed and sweaty

Neytiri wonders if you would whine loudly as she kissed you, would your hands come up to desperately grip onto her shoulders as she pulled you in deeper

she thinks you would gasp and whimper for more every time she pulled away for air, and she wants to cover you in her bites, to claim every part of you as hers

Jake wonders how you would sound as he fucks into you, watching as your lips wrapped around his cock and how your wide eyes would blink at him

he wonders if your body is just as soft as it looks, plump with the fish you caught and ate, snacking on some small bits when you thought no one was looking

but you’re still lean, covered in muscle, wide shoulders and a broad chest from swimming and holding onto the ilu and tsurak through the drag of the water

your legs are just as strong, muscles tensing and flexing with every time you pull at the nets and drag in heaps of fish

you would be the perfect mate, strong and caring and oh so beautiful, and he can imagine you with your own litter of kids running around you

Neytiri watches as you pick up one of the kids effortlessly and place them on your shoulders and play with them as you wait for their parents come back from fishing and pick up their children

she had seen how you were with Lo’ak, Neteyam, and Tuk before, soft and caring and never seeing them as different for having Jake as their parent

picking at the bone knife, she clears her throat and walks over to you, and you beam at her and call for Tuk

her youngest bounds toward her and wraps her arms around Neytiri, telling her mother all about the day that she had, and you laugh and ruffle Tuk’s hair and say to give your mother some time to relax, she looked tired

Neytiri’s tail twitches behind her as Jake smiles and says goodbye to you, and the two of them leave with Tuk in tow, listening to her admire and adore you

they want you to be a third parent to their children so badly, to hold you in their arms, and to have every bit of you

neither of them can help snooping around you, it’s how they found that despite your age, you never had a partner, claiming that you simply hadn’t found the right one

Tonowari and Ronal didn’t push for you to find a mate either, letting you take your time, and Jake Neytiri so badly want to court you, to make you theirs

they want to hear your sweet moans and gasps, to teach you every part to touch and to discover places inside you that you never knew existed

patience, the opportunity will come, and they will be able to court you properly and then they will ruin every part of you

[tonowarii]

this is probably a lame idea, but can you write a one shot that takes place sometime after twow. where tulkun are returning again and ao'nung tells his spirit brother that he became mated with sully!reader? maybe reader is clueless what they're talking about idk. i just want some established relationship fluff with him and there are not a lot of writing like that 😣

DEFINITELY NOT A LAME IDEA!! BUT IM SO SORRY I THINK ITS TOO SHORT!

ao'nung x gn! reader

It was an ordinary day. The Sully family welcoming the day by spending the time together in their marui. Laughing and catching up with each member of the family. Their laughter was cut off when the horn sounded again, and they heard it.

“Everyone, the Tulkuns have returned!”

Your ears perked up at the sound of Tsireya’s joyous voice. It had been something you hadn’t heard in a long time. All of your siblings looked at each other, excitement filling your eyes as you all scrambled to stand up and race outside your marui.

Neteyam laughs in victory being the first one to step foot outside. “No fair, bro!” Lo’ak playfully shoves Neteyam as Spider came second with you. Then Kiri and Tuk.

“Let’s go!” Tuktirey shouts, running and calling for her ilu.

Everyone followed her, but Lo’ak went out of his way to go over to Tsireya. While an all too familiar figure walks towards you, his signature smile plastered onto his face.

You already feel your body reacting on its own as you smiled back, cheeks warming. “Hey there.” Ao’nung greeted, taking a glance out in the sea to find everyone finding their own spirit sibling.

“Care to join me?” Ao’nung offers his hand.

Who were you to refuse your mate?

“Gladly.” You reply, taking his hand. Ao’nung called to his ilu and you already made your way behind his back, your arms wrapping around his waist as he looks hack at you.

“Ready?”

Once you have him a nod his ilu was off, diving into the ocean. Ao’nung’s eyes scanned the water for his own spirit brother.

It also registered to you that this’ll be the first time you’d see his spirit brother, and you suddenly got nervous. But you really did not have the time to learn what they were saying, so it made you all the more nervous.

Once Ao’nung finds his spirit brother, his smile grows approaching the Tulkun.

His ilu slows.

Your eyes then travelled to the creature in front of you. It was huge and it had the same tattoos on its belly like on Ao’nung’s arm. Your eyes widened. Then the two of you dismount his ilu.

You watched as Ao’nung approached his tulkun, signing his greetings which you knew.

`I see you, brother’ Ao’nung signs towards his spirit brother, who in turn sounded his reply.

Your smile only grew seeing Ao’nung catch up with his tulkun. But to be honest, you really didn’t know what he was saying, nor what his spirit brother was saying.

On Ao’nung’s point of view, however.

Ao’nung takes a glance at you before signaling for you to come closer.

You shy, but follow him as you swam beside him, facing his tulkun.

‘This is (Y/N)’ He signs to his spirit brother.

You could hear him squawk in a high pitch tone.

‘And they’re my mate’ Ao’nung signs rather proudly.

You were still confused as Ao’nung’s smile grew as his brother responded.

‘That is amazing news, I feel the two of you are made for each other’

Ao’nung nods before replying ‘I don’t know what I’d do without them, I’m really thankful for it’

Then his spirit brother turns to look at you and you swore by the way its head tipped down and its eyes bore into yours that it had accepted you. You smile, signing your greeting.

After they had caught up, Ao’nung invited you to ride with his spirit brother.

‘Hold here’ He signs, patting its fin. You follow, placing your hands on its fin. Ao’nung did the same beside you as he signals his tulkun brother to go.

Then you both were being swam around, doing a couple of loops.

Ao’nung occasionally glances at you, his heart being overwhelemd as you had a huge grin on your face as you signed ‘Thank you’ to his tulkun.

And after that, the two of you found yourselves atop his tulkun, sitting across from each other.

“Ao’nung, I cannot describe how this makes me happy.” You say, referring to him and his tulkun’s connection.

“He knows who you are already.” He replies, taking your hand in his and stroking the back of it.

“He likes you.” Ao’nung said after you didn’t respond. “Really?”

“Yes, really, you know what else he said?” Ao’nung smirks at you, now pulling you close to trap you in a hug.

“What?”

“That we’re made for each other.”

[defaulttwig]

Avatar’s First Braids

Neteyam x gn!reader

Summary: Just like Spider, you have your own avatar, though you had to wait until you were older before you could use yours. As such, to celebrate your new blue, the Sullys want to braid your avatar’s hair. 

Word Count: 4.9k

A/N: Help, this was supposed to focus on Neteyam and it's just one big fic about his siblings instead, but I promise there's still a crumb of Neteyam. I really took my own liberties with some Avatar lore so it’s probably inaccurate lol. This is platonic/romantic, wrote it kinda down the middle. Neteyam is aged up to 20 here.

At fifteen years old, you could not describe the bizarreness of watching a tiny body, your body, float in an amnio tank. Your very own avatar, steadily growing at a pace beyond the growth rate of native Na’vi, twitched in a dreamlike state. Tiny blue hands curled around a chubby blue face. Small tendrils of nerves floated out of the base of the skull, surrounded by baby hair. You could not believe what kuru looked like before the braids. A bit creepy, if you had to be honest.

  You weren’t alone. Spider stood right next to you with Tuk in front of you two. Lo’ak and Kiri stood on his other side and Neteyam was right next to you. His forearm rested against the glass of the tank as he leaned into your space, tilting his head to observe the baby. The Na’vi half of your group each had a rebreather in hand, inhaling from it every so often. All six of you watched the small twitches, mesmerized by the little thing.

  It had only been a few weeks since you watched it grow from an embryo. You had been the most fascinated watching the rapidly growing progress of the avatar, coming nearly every day to watch. It led to Neteyam and Spider hanging around, then Lo’ak and Kiri, and finally Tuk could not be left out. You could stand around all day and watch. This was your avatar.

  “So,” Spider spoke over the silence. “What if it’s an outie?”

  Lo’ak scoffed, already biting back a smile. “Bro, that’s what you’re thinking about?”

  Spider gestured to the umbilical cord attached to the baby’s stomach. He huffed in defense of himself. “You guys all made fun of my avatar having an outie.”

  You snapped your head in his direction, offended that he lumped you up with the rest of them. “I didn’t.”

  “That’s because you’re you, Spider.” Neteyam teased, leaning forward past you to make eye contact. He pressed the rebreather to his mouth for a breath. “Besides, yours was the first with an outie belly button.”

  Tuk looked down at her stomach and traced her belly button. “I can’t imagine having my belly button out like that.”

  “It’s not that weird,” Kiri countered. “Only at first, it was.”

  “Bro, look at you. You’re fine.” Lo’ak reached over and stuck his finger in Spider’s belly button, earning a shout and a smack to the hand. Spider laid his palm over his belly button while Lo’ak laughed and straightened himself. “You know we didn’t mean it.”

  Yeah, when Spider first entered his avatar after decantation, the immediate thing the Na’vi children noticed was the protruding belly button. It was then you realized that none of the Na’vi had outies, unlike humans who could have either innie or outie. While they could excuse the appearance of an outie on a human, given the many physical discrepancies between humans and Na’vi, they teased Spider for having one on his avatar. Just another physical difference on top of eyebrows and five digits on the hands and feet of avatars.

  You rolled your eyes. “Can we stop talking about belly buttons?”

  “Okay,” Neteyam agreed. He gestured with his hand above the amnio tank. “How long does this take, again?”

  “Five years,” a voice behind caused you all to turn. Norm approached your group with a grimace. “Why are you all hanging around the test tube avatar?”

  “So why couldn’t this avatar,” Tuk pointed at the tank while inhaling from the rebreather, ignoring the question, “grow at the same time as Spider’s? Wouldn’t that save time?”

  “Unfortunately our resources are limited and we don’t have the space to incubate multiple avatars at a time.” Norm made a small gesture for which you all parted to let him through. He looked at the baby avatar, then at you six. “Now, can you please go hang out somewhere else? The lab is not a playground.”

  Per his suggestion, you dispersed from the lab. The Sullys set the rebreathers back on the rack on their way out, Tuk bouncing happily ahead of you. Spider brought the conversation back to belly buttons and you groaned, telling him to move on. Doing what any teen did, you all flocked to another area of the camp to bother someone else.

  Five years. That’s how long you had to wait.

  +:+:+:+:+

  You were going to throw up.

  Well, you thought you were. Nerves knot your stomach tight, worsened by the butterflies fluttering in it. Your heart hammered in your chest. You laid your hands over your stomach, twiddling with your fingers. The overhead lights were bright. So, so bright.

  Currently, you waited on the link bed to make your first connection. Sure, you waited years for this moment, but now that it was right in front of you, you dreaded it. Would it hurt? Would it make you more nauseous than you already were? In the coming weeks, you pestered Spider about the sensation. You had to know every little detail. Question after question, the routine grew old fast and Spider eventually repeated the phrase don’t worry about it. Not the best advice you received.

  To make matters worse, your friends were not there with you. Kiri and Lo’ak had grown too tall to comfortably stand in the lab with you and Lo’ak didn’t want Tuk’s unfiltered mouth to raise more panic in you. Spider decided to wait with them outside your avatar’s lab room. All to take in the first impression.

  “Take it easy,” Dr. Max Patel said from the computer system beside you. His eyes darted across the screen. “You’re going to be fine when you wake up.”

  You turned your head to face him. “Are you sure?”

  A great question to ask the guy who’s been doing this longer than you’ve been alive. He glanced your way. You took that as your answer and returned to your original position, focusing on controlling your breaths. The link bed wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, at least.

  When Max faced you to grab the hood of the bed, you moved your hands to your sides. He gave you a few more words of encouragement and you nodded, half listening. Really, you just didn’t want to throw up right now.

  When the hood closed, you noticed how heavy you breathed. Your stomach twisted tighter and you screwed your eyes shut. You could do this. You could do this. As another wave of nausea hit you, you held your breath.

  “Movement behind the eyelids.”

  Someone called your name. “If you can hear me, can you open your eyes?”

  You obeyed, opening them only to flinch and squeeze them closed. Damn, who turned up the brightness here?

  “You okay?”

  “The light is bright,” you supplied a bit groggy.

  Behind your eyelids, the intensity of the lights lessened. Your eyes fluttered open carefully, finding that half the room’s lights had been turned off. You breathed a sigh of relief, stomach still in knots. A moment passed before you realized just where you were.

  You sat up, immediately falling back down.

  “Take it easy.” One of the scientists set a hand on your arm. “We’ll get you out of here as soon as we’ve conducted some fine motor tests.”

  You blinked, ears twitching. Twitching. The sensation prompted you to cautiously raise your hand, brushing your fingers over your ear. A pointy Na’vi ear. It flicked back at your touch unconsciously and you let out a breathless laugh. This was weirder than you expected. Not to mention how seamlessly you connected to your avatar. Spider really could not have prepared you more for this.

  “Can you wiggle your toes for me?”

  You couldn’t say how long those tests took. A few minutes. An hour. It went by too fast but simultaneously dragged on longer than your poor heart could take. You wanted to get up and go go go but you didn’t want to fall over and embarrass yourself. When you got the okay, left alone to change out of the gown into something more comfortable, you made your way to the door.

  The door hissed open, letting the bright light from the sun filter in. You squinted and raised your hand, blue as the sky, over your eyes to shield them. Your tail flicked at the minor inconvenience you felt.

  “Whoa, check you out.”

  You looked to your left. Lo’ak and Spider leaned against the wall of the shack. Kiri sat on the ground with her hands behind her as support. Beside her, Tuk sat cross-legged, picking at grass. No Neteyam, though. He had gone earlier that morning on a hunt with his father.

  You smiled, dropping your hand to your side. “Like what you see?”

  “You’re like us, now,” Tuk said, dropping her blades of grass.

  Kiri smiled up at you. “How do you feel?”

  “Weird.” You looked behind you. Your tail had a mind of its own, though you still felt every flick of it as though it were you commanding it. “Really weird.”

  “You get used to it.” Spider shrugged and pushed off the wall. He was much shorter than you now, still human.

  Lo’ak made a sound. “I can’t believe you can’t use your avatar right now.” His hand smacked at his thigh. “Do you know what we could be doing if you didn’t get hurt?”

  “It was your recklessness that got us here.” Kiri looked between the two of them, moving to stand. “Spider’s avatar should take a few days to heal, then we can do the plan.”

  Tuk pouted. “This was supposed to be the perfect first impression.”

  “I know. I know.” Spider rolled his eyes. “Few more days and then we’ll pretend that there weren't any hiccups.”

  You watched Tuk stand. She stood a little taller than Spider, shorter than the three of you. It was weird being taller than her. Well, now only Spider was the only drastically short one of your group. At least, until he got back his avatar.

  “Should we get going?” Kiri asked before she took in the state of your hair and gasped. “Your kuru!”

  “What about it?” You attempted to look behind you without any luck.

  Kiri came up to you, directing you in front of her. “We have our braids around it as protection. Your hair is just wild and it's unguarded.”

  “Oh.”

  “Here, I’ll braid it. You sit down.”

  “Okay.” You lowered into a cross-legged position with Kiri behind you.

  She gathered a bunch of your hair, combing her fingers through the roots of it before beginning to twist strands over and around the kuru. The rest of your hair swept over your shoulders, tickling your skin as it did. Given how your avatar’s hair had not been groomed in its time in the amnio tank, it became wildly the length of the kuru. The long hair weighed heavy on your shoulders.

  Tuk stood beside you, watching Kiri braid your kuru. You glanced at her out of the corner of your eye, wondering what she could be thinking about. She’d aged to a dreaded thirteen, filled with mischief and still figuring things out. Despite the age when other children sought their independence, she still clung to your ragtag group, not entirely eager to break off to her own friends. Things haven't changed much, you all had to keep a more keen eye on her, given the number of bad ideas she could come up with and act out on, now. Like right now, where her expression twisted in deep thought.

  “Can I braid the rest of your hair?” She gestured to her shoulder-length braids. 

  You turned your head to see, only for Kiri to guide your head back into a straight position. “Don’t move.”

  You found no harm in that. “Sure, Tuk. But I’m not sure I want it this long.”

  “I can cut it.” 

  She pulled her knife out. The second she walked toward you, you flinched away from her. As sweet as she was, you didn’t exactly trust a child with a knife by your head.

  Kiri forced you to keep still, catching you mid-cry. “Don’t move,” she repeated with an edge, not so much bothered by Tuk’s eager knife-wielding as she was your jerking.

  You raised your hand, unable to properly block Tuk’s oncoming knife.

  Lo’ak took initiative and intervened. He towered over Tuk and grabbed her wrist. “Are you crazy?”

  Tuk pouted, fighting against his hold. as her voice raised in a whine. “I know what I’m doing.”

  He took the knife from her. “Let me do it.”

  Tuk stomped her foot. “I wanted to do it.”

  “You can still braid my hair.” You tried to mediate. It did the job as she pouted off to the side but relented with crossed arms. She stuck her tongue out at Lo’ak. A shiver crawled up your spine from Kiri’s braiding.  “You can make them look like yours.”

  She smiled. An excited nod and she grabbed the ends of her braids, twisting them between her fingers. “Yeah, we can look like twins.” She spoke to Lo’ak, “don’t cut higher than the shoulders.”

  “Sure.” He nodded, hunching down to his knees.

  Lo’ak took bundles of your hair away from your face and held it away. He worked away the knife. Already, your head felt lighter without the extra weight. You relaxed, letting the siblings work at your hair.

  Spider took his own knife out from where he stood. Since he had nothing better to do, he opted to busy his hands by flipping his knife in hand. You watched him flip and catch it with ease.

  He hummed, “you gonna bond with an ikran?”

  Your face twisted in horror. “Uh, no. I just got my avatar.”

  Kiri agreed. “You need to take baby steps.”

  “Yeah, or your avatar will end up like Spider’s.” Lo’ak teased.

  Spider rolled his eyes with a nod. They weren’t necessarily wrong.

  After Lo’ak had cut the hair on the other side, Tuk took her rightful place by you. Not before Lo’ak returned her knife and she sheathed it. She made some comments about your hair being softer than hers, a result of the amniotic fluid you guessed.

  In a moment of excitement, by now half your hair had been braided, Tuk blurted. “you’re going to look  just like one of us!”

  You half-paid attention, too focused on your tail. It smacked at the ground, batting away a small amount of dirt with each lackluster slap. The sight hypnotized you, drawing you out of your stupor with each flick. You could not describe the sensation of having a tail, let alone one acting on its own. Reaching out, you brushed your fingers over your tail. Goosebumps littered your whole body as you shivered. More sensitive than you would have expected.

  Your ears flick at the sudden commotion Lo’ak and Spider made. Looking up from your tail, you watched the duo roll on the ground in a playfight. Another of Spider’s attempts to catch Lo’ak off guard and win a fight against the Na’vi. 

  “You’re going to like being in your avatar,” Kiri said. Her hands neared the end of your kuru. “Once you get used to this, of course.”

  You hummed, tearing your gaze from the boys. “Yeah, I won’t lag behind when we’re out.” You touched your palm, tracing the lines etched in it. It tickled. Your neck began to hurt from holding still for so long. “Too bad Neteyam isn’t here.”

  “His fault,” Tuk said, her voice just a touch hurt and uncaring. She wanted her big brother here as much as you did.

  Kiri finished the braid, tying a spare thread around the end. She ran her fingers down the braid once, admiring her work and ensuring it was compact. Her tongue clicked, quick to remind Tuk. “You know how he is with dad. He can’t say no.”

  “But this is a big deal.” Tuk weaved her hands through your small braids, letting them swing around your face. “Done.”

  You set your hands on the ground and pushed yourself to a stand. Your body swayed momentarily, supported by Kiri’s hands on your back. You thanked her, still getting used to the extra weight to balance. Then, you turned away and shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

  Kiri would not buy it. She stepped around you to face you with her hands on her hips, head cocked in disbelief. “Don’t downplay this. Your first time in your avatar is important to you. So, it’s important to us.”

  You relented, knowing better than to deny the obvious. Instead, you smiled and took her comment to heart. “Thanks.”

  Kiri smiled back, nodding once in finality.

  “Are you guys ready to go?” Lo’ak called back, getting off the ground.

  Spider also pushed off the ground. Both of them were covered in dirt. “Yeah, we need to get going before the eclipse.”

  Kiri glanced back your way. You nodded. “I’m ready.”

  “Finally.” Lo’ak took the lead, waving his hand for you all to follow. “Don’t fall behind.”

  He took off running. You followed, all laughing at your wobbly run. Despite his tease, Lo’ak never strayed far. The group of you dodged and weaved around humans and avatars alike until you reached the edge of the human camp. Then, the real fun began. Daring across the forest for the first time as a Na’vi. It was exhilarating.

  Tuk, ever the youngest, called out to you guys as you ran across treetops. “Wait up!”

  You leaped across a gap between trees, laughing loudly while your body buzzed with adrenaline. This was something you could get used to.

  +:+:+:+:+:+

  For the fifth time, you skidded to a halt, bending at the waist while your shoulders rose and fell rapidly. Taking big, deep breaths, you now understood why the scientists wanted you to take it easy. Not only did you stumble and nearly crash into anything and everything, but you also dragged the trip on longer than it needed to be.

  Spider caught your hunched form out of the corner of his eye, hands on your knees and panting like an animal. “Hold up,” he called up ahead.

  Lo’ak groaned, grabbing an overhead branch as he turned around. “Really? We’re going to get in trouble if we’re late. We’re almost there.”

  “Don’t wait up.” You waved your hand dismissively, only for it to fall back to your side. “I’m good.”

  The group took the time to wait five minutes, nonetheless. 

  By the time you made it to Hometree, the village had been gathered for mealtime. Heads turned in your direction, some Na’vi greeting you. They were certainly kinder than other times you’d come by. As you walked past to find the rest of the Sullys, you leaned down to Spider and spoke in a hushed whisper.

  “This is weird.”

  He shrugged. “Told you they treat you differently when you’re in an avatar.”

  You stood straight and did your best to ignore the stares to the back of your head.

  Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find the family. Neytiri and Jake smiled from where they sat, chatting amongst themselves while Neteyam lent them an ear, preparing the meal. Tuk ran ahead of you, crying about how starved she was. Lo’ak and Kiri soon sat, you and Spider sitting farthest.

  “You’re late,” Neytiri said.

  Lo’ak nodded his head in your direction. “A certain avatar lagged behind.”

  Neteyam looked up from beside his mother. The Na’vi’s eyes widened, taking you in. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His tail swished behind him. You merely smiled from across the fire. When he did find the courage to speak, his father beat him to the punch.

  “You look different.” He smiled, looking you in the eye. It felt weird to be at eye level with him, too used to him towering over you. “How’s your first run?”

  “I think I’m handling it okay.”

  Spider laughed. “No way. You ran like a baby using their legs for the first time.”

  “It was for the first time,” Kiri replied and shook her head. “We probably shouldn’t have rushed out.”

  Jake raised his brow. “That bad, huh?”

  Plates were passed around. Tuk dug into her food while you all talked. No doubt this was from today’s hunt. While you ate, Spider sat back and talked with Lo’ak and Kiri.

  “You will learn,” Neytiri had told you between her own mouthfuls. “Jake had been no better.”

  “And that’s without the years of training.” Jake shook his head. “Those were the days.”

  After eating, you split off with Neteyam to catch up. The others understood for the most part to not follow, distracting Tuk before she could tag along.

  For the most part, you walked normally. Without the pressure of running, you could balance yourself correctly. Neteyam was quiet, never moving past your side, letting you set the pace. You reached a section of Hometree untouched, quiet, and tucked away from the rest of the clan. When you stopped, Neteyam looked your way.

  “Are you tired?”

  “No.” You shook your head, tickled by the concern he displayed. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Just checking.” He followed your lead and sat down beside you, overlooking the view of Pandora. His tail flicked patiently. “So, you think about what you want to do, now that you have an avatar?”

  “Honestly-” You leaned back on your hands, humming in thought. “I never thought this far. It didn’t seem like this would ever happen. I mean, I had to wait five years.”

  “Yeah.” Neteyam looked away. “We can figure it out on the way. There’s so much you’ll be able to do now that you have a kuru.”

  “I guess.” You reached behind you, bringing your kuru braid forward. The tendrils of nerves opened, wiggling in the open air. It was an out-of-body experience, watching nerves that belonged to you wriggle in the air, feeling the sensation wave at nothing and near tasting the air deep in your nervous system, but unable to believe this was yours. You set the braid aside. “First, I have to master how to run. Can’t get anywhere around here by just walking.”

  “We’ll build your stamina.” He smiled and nudged your arm with his elbow. “Then, we’ll get you an ikran.”

  You grimaced. “Not for a while, I hope.”

  “Certainly.” Neteyam grew quiet again. You turned to look at him, finding him already staring at you. His face was caught in a mesh of wonder and awe. He furrowed his brows. “Who did your hair?”

  You blinked, thinking of the braids. “Tuk.”

  “Tuk cut your hair?”

  Oh. “No, that was Lo’ak.” You cringed, thinking how close Tuk was to committing to the act. “She almost did. Why is it bad?”

  He laughed shortly. “It’s uneven.”

  “How should I know?”

  “Here.” Neteyam got up, moving to get behind you. “I’ll fix it.”

  You realized he was undoing your braids in order to do so. “Tuk won’t like you ruining her hard work.”

  He hummed. “She won’t know.”

  “She’ll know.”

  Neteyam’s fingers weaved through your tresses, unwinding them. Loose waves of hair cascaded around your face. Tingles crawled up your spine from the care and gentleness of his hands. You may have even closed your eyes to fully take in the sensation.

  You twisted the braid of your kuru as he held your hair. His knife hissed against its sheath, your rather sensitive ears twitched at the sound. Inhaling deeply, you relaxed your shoulders. You trusted Neteyam, more than Lo’ak or Tuk, to cut your hair.

  Truthfully, Lo’ak had done a moderately good job cutting your hair on the spot. Neteyam did not have much to work with, only fixing the small, unnoticeable imperfections in your hair. You wondered if it was an excuse to just touch your new, soft hair. His siblings seemed to love your hair.

  “There.” Neteyam put away his knife. “Now, it looks even.”

  You let out a half-hearted puff of air. It didn’t seem like that big of an issue. “Thanks.”

  You heard the smile in his response. “You’re welcome.”

  He took his time putting your hair into small braids similar to Tuk’s. With each new bunch of hair gathered, his knuckles would brush along your neck. Pinching your fingers over the braid of your kuru, you fought against the goosebumps that crawled along your skin. A rhythmic smack hit the ground, constant and unwavering. Out of the corner of your eye, you realized it was your tail, not Neteyam’s. It gave away your flush of emotions.

  Your ears twitched and you forced another even breath, looking at the orange sky above. 

Eclipse approached soon. Far in the distance, you spotted the flapping wings of wild ikran, flying as a group to another perch. Pandora, as much as you didn’t belong here, was your home. You could not imagine trading it for Earth, which you heard from Norm looked nothing like this. Pollution and greed had stripped away the beauty it once had, he said, but it had nothing compared to this moon light-years away. You agreed with his sentiment.

  Soft puffs of air fanned the baby hairs on the back of your neck. You contained your shivers, letting your eyes flutter closed. His fingers were nimble, expert in the craft. Body heat permeated from him onto your back, the proximity throwing your heart to the ikrans. Your tail smacked at the ground playfully, betraying the excitement in you despite your trying to quell it. Neither of you spoke of it.

  When all was said and done, Neteyam returned to your side. You let go of your kuru and run your hands through your hair, appreciating the work done by him. This time, your tail swayed anxiously as you looked him in the eye.

  “Does it look okay now?”

  His eyes roamed from your hair to your face. He was quiet, the sunset’s reflection casting a warm glow over his blue skin. A small smile broke onto his face and he nodded. “You look perfect.”

  You returned the smile. Your tail once again whipped to and fro in excitement from the flattery. Neteyam’s smile grew, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a way you found endearing. Neither of you said anything, turning away at the same time to face forward. The light of day retreated over the horizon.

  “Eclipse is bound.” Neteyam pushed off the ground with a grunt, standing on his feet. He extended his hand down to you. “Come on. Can't let you stay out too late in your avatar.”

  You agreed and took his hand. With little effort, he managed to pull you onto your feet. In the five years you’ve waited for your avatar to grow, Neteyam gained muscle fit for his physique. The twenty-year-old warrior still stood taller than you, much like his father, but the height difference was not as drastic in your avatar.

  On your way down the Hometree, you bumped into Kiri.

  Neteyam regarded her. “Have you seen Spider-”

  “He went back to the camp a while ago.” She looked between you two. “Better get going if you don’t want to be out late.”

  “Right.” He nodded to her. “Thanks.”

  You waved goodbye to Kiri and walked off with Neteyam.

  Sticking to the high ground, you both made your way back to camp. The journey was quiet, apart from shared looks and quiet laughter, for no other reason than you both feeling a strange high. You returned to camp safely and sound as Neteyam walked up with you to the avatar sleeping quarters. Eclipse had just encased the land in darkness and outdoor lights illuminated the camp’s shacks. You stopped by your building, turning to him with a hand raised.

  “I can walk the rest on my own.”

  He smiled. “Can you?”

  You rolled your eyes, unable to contain your own smile. You gently pushed at his shoulder. “Go. Or, will you get lost?”

  He accepted your teasing with a flick of his tail. “I think I know my way.”

  “Alright then.” Your expression softened. You had to stop or else you’d never let him leave. “Goodnight, Nete.”

  His smile widened. “Goodnight.”

  You waved him off before walking up the steps and into the shack.

  Some avatars were still up. Others sound asleep. You made your way to the unclaimed hammock, reserved for your avatar, and climbed into it. Your smile remained even as you closed your eyes.

  When you woke up in the link bed, moments passed before the hood rose and you could sit up. Max looked from you to the screen. “Was being an avatar scary like you expected?”

  You shook your head, smiling again. “It was weird, but I liked it.”

  Norm walked into the room. “Yeah, and next time, don’t stay out late without a head’s up. All avatars have to be accounted for.”

  “I’ll remember that.”

  You left after bidding them goodnight, heading to your sleeping quarters. For the rest of the night, you lay there, touching the base of your skull. You could feel it, the kuru, like a phantom. Turning onto your side, you closed your eyes.

  Today was a good day.

[aoyum]

I see you.

ao’nung x gn!metkayina reader

bullying, arguing, no mentions of y/n

you overhear aonung and his friends picking on the sully kid, and give them a taste of their own medicine

1.3k words

idk if i like this

“Look at this, what is she doing?” you hear, followed by laughter and scoffing. “She’s just staring at the sand!” This made you stop in your tracks and poke your head outside of the Marui.

Immediately, your eyes zero in on Ao’nung and his friends, pointing and making faces at the Omaticaya, Kiri, you believe it was.

Her head lifted out of the water and she pushed her hair out of her face, “Huh? What’d you say?” she asked, smile dawned upon her face.

“I said,” Ao’nung grinned, looking over his shoulders at his friends before continuing, “are you some kind of freak?” he made a gesture with his hands. The kind smile faded from her face and she stood, avoiding eye contact.

“No…” she mumbled, attempting to walk away before Ao’nung scurried after her, “Are you sure? I mean, you’re not even real Na’vi! Look at these hands, look!” he reached for Kiri’s hand before she snatched it away.

To no avail, Ao’nung just sprung his hand out once more and grabbed hers.

She was visibly uncomfortable as the group of boys continued to make jokes and blatantly disrespect her. You decided you had enough and rushed out of the Marui to step in.

You grit your teeth and mustered up all the strength you had to push Ao’nung away from her. He whipped his head around in astonishment, face immediately dropping when his eyes met yours.

“Kehe, pxiset.” you spat venomously in your native tongue, staring at the Na’vi in front of you with disgust. “What’s wrong with you? Huh?” you continued to shout in his face, “Acting like a fool, treating this innocent girl like this! What’s wrong with you all?!”

You slowly turned to look at the two others, both of them looking to the ground with shame. Laughing in disbelief you turned back to Ao’nung, bile rising in your throat. “Now it’s not very funny right?”

Two more Omaticaya could be seen approaching, Neteyam and Lo’ak, the brothers of Kiri.

“What’s going on?” Neteyam asked tranquilly, eyes looking along the line of embarrassed individuals. You grabbed Neteyams shoulder gently and brought him closer, grabbing his hand as well as Ao’nungs. You raised both hands in comparison.

He shot you a look of confusion, albeit complying against your moves.

You send him a fleeting apologetic look in response.

“Look at this! He’s no different than you are! None of us are,” you seethed dropping both hands. “You should be embarrassed. All of you. Nì’eveng.” and with that, you departed from the group, dragging Kiri and her brothers with you and anger threading through every part of you.

Halting your movements once you were far enough, you turned to face them fully and placed your hand on top of hers. She smiled softly and took your other hand into hers.

“Im really thankful for what you did back there,” she whispered, head low with embarrassment. “Oh, it was no big deal. Never let them treat you like that and get away with it, okay?” you squeezed her hands reassuringly.

Moving in for a hug, she invited you to join her and her family. You accepted and followed her and the others to their Marui to get the youngest one, Tuk, you were told her name was.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“He cares about me and I care about him. A lot. I really hate it but I—” Kiri’s face was scrunched up with playful disgust as you told her about your feelings for Ao’nung.

You were too busy pouring your heart out to notice, but when you finally did, you gasped in mock offense and splashed water in her face. She laughed and did the same, causing a water fight to break out.

“You call yourself Metkayina yet an outsider holds her breath underwater longer than you do?” Kiri shouts, throwing more water into your face. “Thats not even fair, you grabbed me unexpectedly! I thought I was going to die!” you fire back, sending a huge wave onto her, almost knocking her down.

While you were playing around with Kiri, you failed the realize the set of eyes that watched and never left your form.

Ao’nung watched from afar, seated on the sand and admiring every aspect of you. Knowing that he angered you sent an unfamiliar feeling to the pit of his stomach, there was nothing he wanted more than your forgiveness.

Although you were flushed and out of breath, you were determined to win whatever this was, but Kiri soon called it a night afterwards, deeming you a winner.

You let out a victorious cry and Kiri rolled her eyes, mumbling something along the lines of ‘I’ll get you next time,’ as she treaded out of the water, but you were too busy basking in the win to notice.

You started to leave the water, ringing your hair out when you noticed a figure moving in the darkness.

As it moved closer, you realized it wasn’t much of an it, rather, a someone.

You glared at him as he moved closer. It was clear that he was headed towards you, given there was no one else around this late at night.

Nonetheless you ignored him and continued to walk away unbothered.

Ao’nung sped up and grabbed your hand, halting your movements completely. You turned, but refused to look at him.

It was crushing him.

His hands moved to either side of your face, pleading for you to meet his eyes, even for just a second.

“Look at me,” he whispered. “Please.”

You wanted to push him away, to scream at him, to tell him off, but you just couldn’t. Before you could stop it, you already found yourself meeting his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, hands dropping to your waist and pulling you in, “I’m sorry. I know it was wrong.” you hands found their way to his arms and you squeezed gently, disappointment etched onto your features.

“You should not treat them like that. This needs to stop.”

“It will. Promise.”

“You will apologize to all of them, yes? Rotxo and the other one, too.”

“Of course we will. As soon as the sun rises.” he searched your eyes deeply, making sure you knew he meant it with utmost sincerity. A soft smile played on your lips and his eyes dropped to them almost instantly, tongue unconsciously darting out to wet his own.

Your smile dropped in realization and your heart steadily began to beat faster. He leaned in closer inch by inch until the both of your lips were a hairs breadth apart.

“Can I?” he whispered, forehead pressed against yours. You nodded and he wasted no time.

He cupped your jaw with one hand and his lips connected with yours, kissing you slow and passionate. His thumb trailed languid circles onto your waist, lips leaving their place on yours for a quick moment to admire you before finding their place again, leaving you breathless each and every time.

The two of you remained like that, in contented silence, until it was agreed that staying out any later would get the both of you in trouble.

Standing in tandem, you pulled him back by the wrist and didn’t let him leave until you said what had been on your mind for countless months.

Locking eyes with Ao’nung, you hesitated before speaking.

He leaned forward, encouraging you.

“I…” you inhaled, “I see you. Ao’nung.”

His eyes widened a fraction, a grin pulling at his lips as he clocked your words.

“I know.” he stated simply and shrugged. You stared blankly, lips parting as emotions run through you. “Oh, I heard everything you told Kiri…” Ao’nung stepped closer, sucking any air you had left right out of your lungs.

“You care about me. A lot, if I remember correct—” you didn’t let him finish his sentence before punching him.

He laughed and pulled you in by the thigh, whispering “I see you” many times into your ear and kissing you until your hearts content.

©olangi 2023

Kehe, pxiset = stop, right now

Nì’eveng = like a child, immaturely

[mooooonnnzz]

I’ve never been in love before // Neteyam x gn!Metkayina!reader

🐚 Neteyam HC about him falling in love with you

neteyam is vry shy here LMFAO

lo’ak is done with his bs 

1k words

readers gender is not specified as always 

overall cute and short fic <3

I PROOFREAD FOR ONCE YAY

though i may have missed a few mistakes MY BAD

💙 Neteyam is the type to fall hard. Crushes aren’t a normal thing for him to get, but when he does get one, it’s a hard slap on the face. He’s overwhelmed with all these sudden emotions and he doesn’t know what to do or how to deal with them. His emotions are like a wave, they build up, growing more as they accumulate and on the last second crash into him. Leaving him stunned with no time to process what just happened. 

💙 When his eyes first landed on you, he fell in love and he fell in love hard. He isn’t the type to get lost in his head but with you, he’s imagining endless scenarios where you and him are together. It’s embarrassing, really. He tells himself every time to stop daydreaming about you and how beautiful you are, how your skin beautifully shines under the sun after you emerge from the water. The smile that sends him weak to his knees– Oh, there he goes again. Rambling and admiring every single part of you. 

💙 He doesn’t really approach you nor does he know how. So he admires you from afar, smiling to himself whenever he watches you interact with the ilus, or talking to the children, playing along with them and entertaining their little fantasies. One of his favorite things to see you do is collecting seashells off the shore, you're always on the look out for a perfect shell to add to what he assumes to your collection. He sometimes notices that you add a few of the shells you found on your clothing. Another thing he loves to see you do is– “Neteyam, are you staring at them again?” Lo’ak followed his older brother's line of vision and laughed loudly when he proved himself right. “You are a creep, you know that?” He slapped the back of Neteyam’s head playfully. “Ay! Lo’ak!” He grumbled, hands pressing against the back of head, soothing the warm blistering skin with his cool hands. “Why don’t you talk to them?” Lo’ak questioned, sitting right next to his brother. “I’m not telling you.” Neteyam scooted away from him, salty from the uncalled slap he got from Lo’ak. “Bro! C’mon.” Lo’ak frowned. “You will never win them over by staring at them like a weirdo!” 

💙 Neteyam catches himself doodling hearts on the sand. One minute he could be watching over Tuk, laughing at her when she ruined her little castle by accidentally kicking it. Next, he’s thinking about you and how you’re so kind to everyone that he doesn't realize what he’s drawing until Tuk calls him out for it. “What are you drawing?” She asks, skipping over to him and pointing at the unfamiliar shape on the floor. “It’s a heart?.” He says, confused. When did he ever draw that? Then it hits him. He drew that while he was thinking about you. He sighs out and rubs his forehead with his palm. “What are you doing to me?” He says to no one in particular. “Who’s doing something to you?” Tuk innocently asked, tilting her head to the side. “No one.” Neteyam was quick with his response. “Go rebuild your castle.” He shoos Tuk away.  Tuk knows who Neteyam is talking about because Lo’ak told her, but she doesn’t pry and continues to build her little castles. That’s what she was planning to do until she saw you talking to Lo’ak “Look, the pretty person is talking to Lo’ak!” Neteyam looked over to where Tuk was pointing at and gasped dramatically. “WHAT?!” Then he turns over to Tuk. “Wait, how do you know about them?!” Tuk cheekily smiles. “Lo’ak told me!” 

💙 Neteyam gets a little bit jealous when he sees people touch you longer than they should. Don’t think he doesn’t notice the lingering touches from Ao’nung or Rotxo, even Tsireya. He likes to admit that it doesn’t bother him and that it doesn’t ruin his day but anyone can notice his visibly tense shoulders and narrowed eyes from a mile away. The way his ears are tucked and tail very slowly swishing behind him speaks volumes. “What’s wrong with him?” Kiri asked one day, watching how her brother had his arms crossed his chest, moodily sighing every now and then. “Rotxo said hi to y/n.” Lo’ak plainly said. “What if he tried asking them out!” He whined. “Bro, why don’t you just ask them out yourself!” Lo’ak was so close to smacking Neteyam. 

💙 The one-sided pining drew all of Neteyam’s family insane. If Lo’ak heard Neteyam complain one more time he was going to stomp all the way to you and blurt out that Neteyam has a big crush on you. Jake and Neytiri (As much as they love the fact that their son is in love) had enough of Neteyam’s constant daydreaming, he never listens to what they’re saying and when they instruct him to do something he doesn’t even know what to do because he wasn’t paying attention. Kiri and Tuk find it amusing, they’ve never seen their brother so helplessly in love before and they can’t help but tease him every time. “Lover boy over here isn’t paying attention.” Kiri pointed a thumb at Neteyam, who was in his head till now. “What? What happened?” He looks around the room, confused. “He’s probably imagining how many babies they’re going to have!” Tuk giggled. “Tuk!” Kiri tried to sound like she was scolding Tuk but it was drowned out by her own laughter. The two sisters laughed together while Neteyam covered his face in embarrassment. 

💙 Neteyam’s yearning gaze doesn't go unnoticed by Tsireya. She knows whenever he’s looking at you and she rolls her eyes every time. “How much longer is this boy going to stare at you with those lovesick eyes before he walks up to you?” She says under her breath, shaking her head disapprovingly. “It’s hopeless, Tsireya.” Ao’nung says from beside her. “Are you talking about Neteyam?” You pipe up from behind Tsireya. “Even you notice it.” Tsireya sighs out. “It’s obvious.” 

💙 One day, Lo’ak had enough of his brother and devised a plan. With a lot of convincing, he pulled Neteyam over to you. “Meet my idiotic brother, Neteyam.” Lo’ak introduced you to him. “I know who he is, Lo’ak.” An amused smile stretched out on your lips. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” Neteyam almost fainted right then and there. “You have?” He squeeked out, his tail tucked in between his legs. “Yeah, Lo’ak tells me a lot about you.” You tell him, grabbing his hand in the process. “He also told me how you have, in his words, a big fat annoying crush on me.” Neteyam looked over to see Lo’ak, only to find he was long gone. In the distance he could hear Lo’ak yell, “Good look, brother!” Neteyam blinked owlishly, an awkward chuckle leaving his lips. “He has?” You nod your head. “You are also very obvious. Your eyes told me everything.” Neteyam wanted to die right there. 

if you wanna be in my taglist comment or dm me! <3

Taglist: @writingsbybirdie

[ax-killjoy]

☆ you think i’m pretty ??

synopsis ! 𖦹 : things that make them flustered <33

notes ! 𖦹 : school, art block, and writer’s block has been kicking my ASS.

Lo’ak, Kiri, Neteyam x Gn!reader

Lo’ak

It was something simple, something that not even Lo’ak knew he could get flustered by. Yet something just hit him right in the soul, making his heart melt, he felt warm, a blush over this cheeks, up to the tips of his ears.

You had been teaching how to ride an Ilu, yet he was so fustrated. Why couldn’t he get this down ? If this creature was nicer than a Ikran, why couldn’t he ride it ? Irritation coursed through his body, his mind running almost a thousand miles an hour. As he falls yet again into water. The ilu almost laughing at him as it swims away.

He growls in frustration, angrily splashing the water as he wipes his face. “this is bullshit.” Lo’ak mutters, watching as you call for the Ilu again. You chuckle, resting your hand on his shoulder, caressing it slightly with your thumb.

“Don’t worry about it too much. You’ve got all the time in the world to learn this, Prettyboy.” You say ever so casually, petting the ilu and feeding it more fish.

Yet Lo’ak stood frozen, his tail up and his ears perked. “Pretty boy ?”

ﾟ*✩‧₊˚ !!

Kiri

Kiri has NEVER been one to have crushes. She remembers when Jake would talk about growing up with little puppy crushes, and Neytiri would explain about her younger years swooning over the male Na’vi.

But Kiri never really felt that kind of attraction, never felt the need to. She was too busy ! Her reckless brothers always did something stupid, leading her to heal them with her grandmother. Who she bickers with until no end, and she runs around the forest feeling Eywa beneath her feet and in the air, grabbing herbs for future salves. And if she wasn’t doing any of that, she was running around the forest with Tuk.

But now that she moved to Awa’altu, she had all the time in the world it seemed. She sat under water for what seemed like an eternity, staring at the colorful fish and feeding her ilu, staring into sand that hid small crustaceans. Now that she wasn’t busy, she had time to indulge in her feelings, indulge in her feelings for you.

The two of you had been wandering the island all day, it one of those days that neither of you had tasks. Planning this day in advance, making sure to do all the chores just so the two of you could run wild for the rest of the day. And now, it was almost eclipse. The two of you sat in the warm sand, watching as the night and day mixed, making a sweet gradient above. “You know, I could do this with you forever.” You say, and she looks at you. “Do what ?” she asks.

“This. Just being with you, being part of the land. I could do this with you forever.” You say, before looking back at the eclipse. And for the first time, Kiri feels a blush spread across her cheeks. Not a blush out of embarrassment, but a blush of giddiness, puppy love, and hope for the future.

･:* ೫̥♡*

Neteyam

Similar to Kiri, Neteyam was a busy bee. He ran everywhere, constantly doing different tasks and doing anything the people asked for. He was one of the best hunters for his age, constantly going on hunting trips with his father and other adult Na’vi, and coming back just to do more tasks. He sailed the skies and scouted for sky people during Operations, he listened in onto strategies for the War party.

And if there was ever a second that he didn’t have any tasks, he was playing with Tuk. Helping his mom with something, running around with his siblings letting them do whatever stupid things they planned. Only for them to get scolded by their father once they came home. A never ending cycle, a consistent and eventful cycle to say the least.

This was no different, you were another skilled hunter for your age. Jake had tasked both you and Neteyam to hunt together, to see who paired good with who, and to see what two amazing hunters could bring back. What Jake didn’t know is that the two of you made this into a game of tag. Whoever catches who first doesn’t have to carry all of the meat to the village.

Neteyam hid well into the trees, his breath covered by the sounds of strong winds and bustling trees. He had killed 2 animals already, thanked their bodies, and was ready to leave. Now he just had to see where you were to catch you.

Suddenly he hears a branch snap. Before he can turn his head, he feels something flipping him over, and his back hitting the soft soil. He lets out of low groan, he opens his eyes. The sun hitting his eyes, suddenly he saw your face above him. He feels the weight of you straddling him to keep him in place. You giggle and smile mischievously.

“Now you’re mine, tsamsiyu” you say softly, the vibrations of your voice make Neteyam’s ears perk up. Before Neteyam could even open this mouth you jump up laughing, “I won !! now go grab all the meat we got !!!” You cheered before running away.

He gets up, a raging blush runs across his cheeks to each of his ears, his tail swaying sharply. Oh Ewya, what did you do to him ?

ﾟ*✩‧₊˚ !!

Tsamsiyu - Warrior

[writersrkive]

Protector | Lo'ak Sully

summary: you heard how Jake referred to his sons after the reef accident and you couldn't take it anymore, you were tired and decided to defend your confidant, not caring about getting in trouble with Mr. Sully, the na'vi who raised you.

gender: angst, comfort

pairing: Loa'k Sully x gn!omaticaya!reader (can be read as platonic or romantic, but use of "best friend" once)

warnings: Jake being a mean dad (sorry Jake, luv u), heartbreak and insecure Lo'ak because of his daddy issues, father and son argument, reader talking back/defending Lo'ak, “you brought shame to this family" scene, use of “y/n” four times.

a/n: so... people argue about if Jake is a good or a bad father. All I know is that I like Jake, but I would fight him to defend Lo'ak (I know l would lose, but stil). l like the idea after l read "Life of a traitor" (on AO3, by SelfObsessedCaramel) and a one-shot that I read here a long time ago but I can't find the user to give credits, basically reader defends Lo’ak too and Jake and Neytiri are a little mad and surprised, but happy because reader was a good mate for their son, I think reader was a human (tag them if you know who the author is, please). English is not my first language, be kind, please <3.

Masterlist

When Jake and Neytiri decided that you, an orphan, could go to the Metkayina clan with them (because you were raised by the Omatikaya clan and the Sullys), Tuk was the one who smiled the most, Kiri was relieved because she didn't have to deal with other people's shit alone, Neteyamn was glad because you, their childhood friend, made things easier by thinking with a intelligent brain and not with a skxawng brain like his brother.

But Lo'ak, oh, Lo'ak. The boy was so glad, relieved and excited, all of this because you are the only na'vi that listens to him, actually listens. All the time his family is too much for him he can go with you and with a single look at his expression you can know something is wrong. Yes, he loves his family, but sometimes he feels like a burden and a weird thing incapable of belonging. With you he doesn't feel like that because you know him.

That's the reason why, when Jake said that horrible thing "You brought shame to this family", you almost heard your best friend's heart breaking. A small silence between Jake, Neytiri, Neteyam and you was enough to remember one of all the times when he came to you trying to feel better after an argument with his dad.

When you were kids he would find it difficult to be vulnerable in front of you or expose that he needed some type of physical contact to feel better, since he felt that he had to be a great little warrior in front of you so that you wouldn't make fun of him. But the first time he fell off a tree (when Spider, Lo'ak and you were trying to grab some fruits) you quickly managed to hug him and put his head on your neck, stroking his hair to calm him down while Spider went to look for Jake. Since then Lo'ak was sure you would always be there for him, no matter how vulnerable he can be.

One day, at 12 years old, you were searching for materials to make new matching beads for Lo'ak and you. The sound of the river didn't let you hear your friend approaching. He scared you when you turned around and saw him a few steps behind you.

"Skxawng, you scared me." You laughed. When he didn't make fun of you, you notice the way he was looking down, trying to hide a few tears.

"What's wrong?" You asked, worried.

"My... my dad." He cringed at his own broken voice. "Ugh, never mind. It's ridiculous, always the same bullshit.

"No, no. Lo'ak, whatever you are feeling is valid. Come here, you wanna talk about it?”

Both of you sit next to the river, with a basket full of materials behind you. You embraced him and he let himself cry on your shoulder. "I was just trying to help. Neteyam was bringing this huge animal for the meal, I tried to help him, but I slipped. l couldn't grab anything to stop my fall because of the huge animal and I ended up stepping on my brother's bow," You grabbed his hand and squeezed it trying to comfort him. "Neteyam wasn't even mad, he knew it was an accident, but my dad told me that l had to be more careful, that it was my fault if Neteyam couldn't hunt in a few days because he had to make a new bow. He can hunt with his knife! But it's always my fault in my father's eyes, as if I don't know that l always mess up things.” He sighted. "He said.. yelled that if l wasn't able to help, I had better not get in the way.”

That broke your heart. Lo’ak was a bit of a rebel and curious soul, and sometimes he could get in trouble because of that (because he wanted to show people that he was good enough in many aspects), but he never had bad intentions.

Maybe to other people he didn't care when he was scolded and apparently just got mad and defensive, but you knew he was sensitive too.

"Okay. Maybe your dad is stress right now. You know that recently the clan have had problems hunting enough for the meals." Lo'ak nodded. "However, that's not an excuse for treating you like that."

When he calmed down, he lay down looking at you with red puffy eyes. You tried your best to make him laugh by splashing a little bit of water to his face.

"Don't worry, we are gonna go hunt together and help Neteyam to make a new bow."

"Deal."

"Can I go now?" Your best friend asked.

“Any more trouble, I jerk a knot in your tail. You read me?” Jake asked while you cringed at the fact that he still thought his sons were little soldiers.

“Yes, sir. Lima Charlie.” Lo'ak was giving him an ‘I don't give a fuck’ attitude, just like every time he just wanted to stay away from his father.

“Go on.” Jake said after giving him another scolding look.

You followed Lo’ak, watching his tail swing angrily. You bit your tongue trying to control the disgust you were feeling towards the na'vi that always gave you a sweet pat on your head every time you felt down. Because it was unfair the way Mr. Sully treated Kiri, Tuk, and you with patience the days you guys were just not able to handle life, but he didn't let his sons explain when something didn't end up as expected.

All of the Sullys were so worried when Ao'nung told them that Lo'ak was nowhere to be found outside of the reef, but you almost had a panic attack in front of Neteyam because you would not be able to handle losing another friend. The burning pain of not knowing where or how Spider was was enough for your heart. So, of course, you weren't happy when you noticed the antipathy of Mr. and Mrs. Sully.

Your sweet touch helped Lo'ak to maintain himself calm, but your own calmness disappeared when you listened:

“Where were you?” it was Neytiri's voice.

«Oh, great mother, she did not just say that to Neteyam.»

“Yeah. What happened to ‘keep an eye on your brother’?”

“Sorry, sir.” the oldest Sully brother answered.

“No. Where were you?.” Your voice resonated between a heavy silence. Jake and Neytiri looked at you confused, Lo'ak turned around, thinking what he heard was a hallucination, and Neteyam was shocked.

“Excuse me?” Jake said, unhappy by your sudden disrespect.

“You are the parents, not Neteyam.” You repeat, starting to feel a little angry. “An older child is not supposed to be a third parent. You are the responsible ones for the security of your children.”

“You think I don't know that, y/n?”

“Well, sometimes it is not how it looks.”

“Y/n, I know I'm not your father, but you need to respect me. Especially when I-"

“Respect is something that is earned. And yes, I'm thankful for all the things you guys have done for me, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna pretend you are not being mean with your son.”

“Y/n, is not the right time...” Neteyam tried to talk to you.

“It is. All these years, I've been respectful about your parent technique, but I will not stand it anymore.” You got close to Jake. “You are understanding with Kiri, Tuk, and me while you are mean to Neteyam and Lo'ak, using the excuse that you are trying to protect them. But you don't act like a father. You act like a soldier who can not forget.”

“You don't know what you are talking about.”

“Maybe I don't know all the things you went through on Earth, and I'm not judging you because I know you were hurt too. But because you were hurt doesn't give you the right to hurt others! Especially when they are your family.” Lo'ak watched the way your tail swung side to side in an anxious move. “You don't think words can hurt? Because day after day I see one of the most important na’vi for me, thinking they are not good enough for anyone because of you, and thinking that they are not worth being loved.”

That made Neytiri flinch and look at her son with a hurt expression.

“Listen…” Jaks said after giving a quick peek to Lo'ak, who was now standing next to you.

“No! You listen, because you never do!” You weren't yelling, but your voice was loud enough to make Jake realise he had never seen you like that. “You don't know where Lo'ak was or how he ended up there. You can't tell me you believed what he said about Ao'nung trying to stop him.” Neteyam didn't know where all of the sudden confrontation came from, but deep down, he was a little bit happy that someone was telling his dad about the things he didn't see. “And still you don't let him explain what happened. You never listen when Neteyam tries to tell you things fail, not because he wasn't being responsible, but because he's still a kid, not an adult.”

Neytiri wasn't happy about your attitude, but seeing Lo'ak shocked made her realise that maybe all the things you were saying were somehow things Lo'ak (and Neteyam) wanted to say.

“We know you try to protect us, and you want us to be strong, but you forget that we are still kids. They need you as a dad, not a soldier. They need your love and comprehension. And yes, you need to scold them sometimes, but not make them feel unhappy with themselves.”

“That's not my intention” was all Jake could say.

“That's what you are doing.”

You sighted, tired of all the emotions you went through in just one day. You grabbed Lo'ak's hand and walked away, while Jake, Neytiri, and Neteyam admired the way their son and brother looked at you with pure love.

Lo'ak and you were sitting on a big rock, admiring the beautiful ocean and purple sky. Both of you haven't said anything since you arrived there, wanting to be left alone and in peace after the confrontation.

“You know you are incredible, right?” Lo'ak was the first one to break the silence.

“Yeah? Well, now your parents hate me.”

“I'm sure it will pass, Neteyam will help you.”

“And what about you? You're gonna leave me to die in your parent's hands?” I smiled a little bit.

“No, no. I will never do that.” He said, looking at you, almost directly to your soul. You didn't expect to feel nervous under his gaze, but his eyes were telling you a lot of things that he couldn't process into words. “Thank you.”

“You don't have to thank me, Lo’ak…”

“Y/n, thank you.” His fingers found your hand, so they started to caress your hand gently. “I admire you so much. Sometimes I don't know if I wanna be Neteyam or you.”

“You have to be your own person.” I grabbed his hand. “Because Lo'ak is just as perfect and enough. And I know that because I see you.” I said with a soft tone.

A shy but playful smile appeared on his face. He looked cute when he didn't dare to make eye contact with you for a few seconds.

“I see you.” He answered after looking at you again.

[eywamygoddesswrites]

— 𝓷𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓵'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 —

tags: fluff (🌻), angst (🍄), comfort (🏵️), platonic (🍥), child (🧃), sibling (🧋), parent (🍸), romantic (🍡)

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recent update: 03/07/23

— 𝓳𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓵𝓵𝔂 —

wip

— 𝓷𝓮𝔂𝓽𝓲𝓻𝓲 —

sick of losing soulmates (x gn!reader) | 🍄🍡

— 𝓷𝓮𝓽𝓮𝔂𝓪𝓶 —

the reaper (x fem!reader) | 🍄🍡

boy wonder and the venturous (x fem!reader) | 🌻🍡

— 𝓴𝓲𝓻𝓲 —

the prettiest girl i've ever seen (x gn!reader) | 🌻🍡

you're safe here with me (x fem!reader) | 🏵️🍡

— 𝓵𝓸'𝓪𝓴 —

new person, same old mistakes (x gn!reader) | 🍄🍡

no title — (x fem!reader) | 🌻🍡

dad!lo'ak headcanon | 🌻🍡

— 𝓽𝓾𝓴𝓽𝓲𝓻𝓮𝔂 (𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓷𝓲𝓬 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂) —

i'm your twin, you're my twin (& twin sister!reader) | 🍥🧃🧋

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wip

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the end (x fem!reader) | 🍄🍡

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moon (x fem!reader) | 🌻🍡

through and through (x gn!reader) | 🌻🍡

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new person, same old mistakes (lo'ak x tsireya) | 🍄🍡

easily (x fem!reader) | 🌻🍡

the prettiest girl i've ever seen (x gn!reader) | 🌻🍡

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you're enough (x gn!reader) | 🌻🍄🍡

— 𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓮 𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮 —

no title — human!grace augustine (x fem!reader) | 🌻🍡

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when the youngest gets hurt (x gn!platonic!reader) | 🍥🧃🧋

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— 𝓛𝓤𝓒𝓘𝓓𝓢 — masterlist — 🌺100 𝓯𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓼𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵 !!!🌺 — masterlist

[cheari]

──﹙₊ neteyam having a crush on you

pairing: neteyam x gn!reader

tag(s): fluff, headcanon format

warning(s): grammatical errors, unedited

note: lo'ak version is here

neteyam, unlike his brother, is confident in his own feelings the moment he realized that he likes you

it was as simple as “oh i like her”

he wasted no time to hesitate and immediately went on his way to make sure if his feelings are reciprocated or not

if not, then it’s fine. he would just move on

(and probably feel dejected just a tiny, tiny bit)

if you also return his feelings, then cool, stick around and find out

neteyam probably wants to confess in a… romantic situation

and he would definitely take his time to plan it

but you see, the problem with neteyam is that he’s the chief’s son

meaning that he’s busy almost all the time leaving him with little to no time to see you

every time neteyam wanted to confess to you, it seemed as if the great mother was against it

like that one time tuk ended up stumbling upon the two of you and begged the two of you to tag along on her adventure

or that one time your presence was demanded because the healers needed some extra hands

it made him so frustrated

because in neteyam’s opinion, he already did everything he could to confess to you

and he, in fact, did

everyone’s timing was just so perfect that it ended up ruining his planned confession

one way or another, neteyam will confess to you

…maybe not today but someday

likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated !

[mayhemories]

Hi could you possibly write Neteyam x reader?

- Reader is best friends with Kiri and has feelings for Neteyam

- Reader sees herself as ugly, undesirable and believes Neteyam sees her as a little sister

- Yet Neteyam loves her and respects her

- Sexual tension between Neteyam and reader. linger hands and sneaking glances

- Kiri notices and secretly sets them up one night

Best Friend's Brother

Oh Jesus Christ I loved writing every moment of this, but I kinda strayed away from your last point in the request, I'm sorry! I still hope it satisfies <3

Pairing: Neteyam Sully x Reader (James Cameron’s Avatar) 

Requested: Yes | No

Warnings: Just fluff, some lowkey spice. No minors, get outta here! Reader is insecure and self-conscious, Neteyam puts a stop to that rather quickly. 

Words: 3.7k

Author’s Notes: 

Neteyam is 19, reader is 18 but only a few months older than Kiri. Lo’ak and Kiri are roughly 17, moving on to 18. Lil Tuk girl queen is the same age as the movie because I will protect her childhood. How old even is she? 8? Maybe im a fake fan. 

Please note that the reader utilises she/her pronouns. If you’d prefer male or gender-neutral pronouns in fic I’m more than happy to repost a male or gn version of the story, otherwise include any pronoun preferences in the request box!

Read below the cut:

High Camp provided so much warmth, love and safety for its people. You were not old enough to remember Hometree or the destruction of it. But you could not imagine living anywhere else but in the densely protected cave systems of the Hallelujah Mountains. 

Everyone knows everyone, all the kids play together, live together, laugh together. The community that Olo'eyktan Jake Sully, and his mate, Neytiri had fostered here was against all odds. 

Your mother was one of the most talented hunters in the clan, this love of hunting easily transferred to warmongering, alongside the leadership (or maybe the leashing of your mother’s bloodlust) from Neytiri and Toruk Macto. Neytiri and your mother grew up together, so closely. Neytiri never forgets her friends and knows every name and face of the clan. You couldn’t help but admire her for this. Your father, on the other hand, was an irreplaceable healer and herbalist. He worked alongside T’sahik Mo’at, training younger Na’vi who showed promise in interpreting the ways of Eywa’s medicinal signs. With your family’s connection to the Sully’s, it was impossible to avoid them, even if you wanted to. 

You grew up with the Sully kids, being a year younger than Neteyam, their eldest, and only a few months older than Kiri and Lo’ak, the four of you would always be playing. Running through the majestic forests of Pandora, swimming through creeks, lakes and rivers, kissing the dirt as you rolled down hills into meadows of wildflowers. The older you got the closer you got to Kiri. The sister you’ll never have. 

You loved your parents, you did, but they made it clear that one child was enough for them. Your father loved the Sully’s as you did, he thought with his entire heart that Jake was the best for the clan. He was Toruk Macto, after all. Your mother, however, made things harder. She loved Neytiri like a sister, and always wished for her happiness. 

“I remember when Jake was like a baby, you know.” She would say at mealtimes, your father would have a small smile. You could do nothing but roll her eyes. “He was trouble maker, still is.” She was grumpy. You knew that she trusted Jake and saw him as a good Olo’eyktan, but the disdain grew from your friendship with his kids. 

“His boys are the same, no different.” She would always say the same thing, with the same pointed look. 

You and Kiri had just finished your rituals of womanhood the week prior. For the both of you finding a mate was expected. For Kiri, nothing was ever expected in terms of mateship. In fact it was almost the opposite.

“You never have to do something you don’t wanna do, Babygirl” Jake said, smoothing down Kiri’s wild hair. The two of you sat in the middle of the floor in the Sully’s tented home. Braiding beads into your songchords to commemorate the recent transition from child to adult. 

“What about you, (y/n)?” Neytiri asked, watching the two young girls weave their cords, reminiscing on her own bead.  

You sighed, knowing your parents had been pushing the topic for a while:

“What about Tsu-wey? Or, Marek or Teyk’ah?” Your mother said, rattling off the names of warrior boys, flinging her arms around, exasperated. You shook your head, you weren’t really interested in anyone. 

Your father, always taking the approachable, personal angle, sat next to you, tucking your shoulders under his arm. 

“What about Aäna? She’s a lovely girl-” 

“Dad!” You shot up, crossing your arms over your chest, the blood rushing to your cheeks. “It’s not that Dad, I just don’t like anyone like that yet really.” 

“You’ve got to work it out, (y/n),” Your mother said harshly, “Soon.” 

“Uh no, no I haven’t really got anyone in mind.” You replied quietly. 

“Ugh come on, lets scram.” Kiri said grabbing your wrist and practically marching you out of her family home. 

“Ughh Kiri, I only just finished my chord-oof” Your complaints were quickly cut off as Kiri stobbed abruptly, your whole body coming in contact with her back. “You skxwang! What are you doing-” 

“Brother.” Kiri chirps, cutting you off. Neteyam stood in the doorway, leaning against the timber frame, smirking. His braids fell around his face, his high cheekbones and delicate features seemed to play with the soft golden lighting of High Camp, his tail flicked subtly from side to side, amused. 

“Sister, (y/n),” Neteyam replied, sounding almost bored. “Where are you two running off to?” his fingers fiddled with his waistband, running down to his songchord. You knew you were staring, tracking the motion of his large hands, rubbing each bead, shell, and stone in between his thumb and pointer finger. It was embarrassing, you couldn’t look away, and why should you? There was nothing inappropriate about the action. Just his large, capable hands and skilled fingers…

Oh Eywa, that is enough. 

“None of your business, big brother,” Kiri said, teasing as she often did. You swore she only knew how to convey her thoughts through sarcasm and hints. 

Neteyam chuckled, his fingers resting on his crossed arms once, more. Your plain eyes found his warm, deep ones, as he said:

“I think it’s my business where my girls run off to, no?” You knew he did not mean it the way your stupid little brain heard it, you know he meant it as a brother. Nothing more, nothing less. But god, you wished you were his girl. You always had, since you were twelve. All of a sudden, you woke up one day and Neteyam was cute. Cute turned into cool, cool gave way into hot, and hot turned into so incredibly sexy as you got older. And you stayed, well awkward and plain and not much to behold. 

But, you could pretend, that was something you were good at. Rolling your eyes, you broke the contact with Neteyam, shoving Kiri with your shoulder and righting the way of the world, again. 

“The meadow.” You said flatly. 

Kiri wasn’t as much of an airhead as you seemed to think she was. She knew her best friend, and she knew her big brother. Neteyam was a loser, a goody-goody with a desperate need to be the perfect son, the perfect soldier. Around you, he became this swaggering popular guy that Kiri knew him not to be, really. Maybe around his stupid Ikran Rider friends. But never around Kiri, or Lo’ak or Tuk. He never bought that facade into their home, save for when you were in it. 

You, on the other hand, Kiri knew you like the back of her hand. You were shy, sweet and just so obviously and painfully in love with Neteyam. She watched you watch him, and him in turn trying to memorise every freckle, scar and nick on your body. 

Neteyam cleared his throat, embarrassed that Kiri had caught him, once again, stealing glances at her best friend. 

“Just be home for dinner, before eclipse, yeah?” He questioned, the muscle upon his brow bone tilting slightly upward. 

“Of course!” Kiri yelled out as the two of you ran off, hand-in-hand, giggling as you did so. Neteyam watched your retreating figures flee High Camp. Pulling his attention towards his own songchord, his most recent bead was longer than the others, a hollowed-out green gemstone, mottled with white and silver patterning. The one he chose for himself the year prior at his own ceremony, welcoming him into manhood. Neteyam smiled to himself, remembering the bead you had obviously chosen for your own ceremony, made from the same little green stone. 

Neteyam didn’t know how much longer he could go on going like this. He felt like he was walking in circles, orbiting you, waiting for his gamut to eventually crash him into you. Sighing he opened the flap to his tented family home. Maybe it was time to ask Toruk Macto for advice. 

The long grass of the meadow was a deep shade of green, almost the colour of seagrass. Its long strands waved in the breeze, tickling your face as you lay on your back, watching the clouds, birds and everything that called the clearing it’s home. You felt connected to the place, like you were in the lungs of the world, simply floating in the breath of Eywa. 

Kiri sat at your feet in the long grass, facing you, but with her knees drawn close to her chest, playing with the end of her face-framing braids. She was thinking hard, hyperfocused on a thought that was so deep-rooted it took you multiple attempts to get her attention. 

“What’s wrong my Kiri?” You asked, finally catching her eye-line, sitting up to mirror her position. 

“Nothing is wrong, why would anything be wrong?” Kiri responded, trying to act nonchalant. 

“Do not bullshit me, you penis face.” You say, pulling a smile out of her distracted figure while nudging her leg with your foot. 

“You would be my sister if you mated Neteyam, you know that right?” She asked, like she didn’t say the craziest fucking sentence you’ve ever heard in the world. 

All the air left your lungs at once, she may as well have punched you in the stomach. You were going to retch. 

“What are you talking about!” You felt the blood rush to your face, fanning itself over your nose, cheeks, ears and shoulders. Your whole chest felt like Kiri had taken a flare to it. You couldn’t bear it, you felt hot all over. You covered your face with your shaking hands. 

Oh, mother Eywa I will die here, I will die here of embarrassment and pass through to you.

“Don’t be stupid, I know you loooooove him,” She said stretching out her o’s as she so often did when teasing, she poked you a few times too, for good measure. “He obviously is pining for you too, you skxwang.” 

Kiri was a tease, she was sarcastic and blunt and hilarious. But she was not mean. Which, is why you couldn’t work out why she was being mean to you now. About something so personal, too. You felt the hot tears start to form. 

“Why are you being mean?” You asked softly, pulling your hands away from your eyes, to try and read her face. 

Kiri was taken aback by how upset you were. She did not mean it to be mean, she was serious. She quickly took you in her arms, all jokes aside. 

“Ma (y/n) why are you crying?” Kiri asked softly. You sniffled, letting the tears fall freely now. 

“You know I love Neteyam, why would you tease me like that knowing it is like stones in my heart.” You began to ramble, as you so often did when you were emotional. “Neteyam sees me as his little sister, nothing more, nothing less.” You said seriously, vehemently. Lip quivering, you felt stupid and pathetic crying about it. But now that ball of thoughts had started to be unwound in your mind you could not stop, all the words you could not say since you were twelve just fell out of your little mouth. “And besides, if Neteyam didn’t see me as just a little annoying sister, I am ugly Kiri.” Kiri started to shush you, but you did not listen.

 “I am not unique in features like you, I am not as elegant as your mother, I’m not as alluring as Aäna, or as talented as Lor’ät. I’m so fucking boring.” Your tears fell so freely down your face and neck, you felt them fall behind the straps of your breast cover. You hated it. You hated everything about you and you would never be enough for Neteyam. 

You would never be enough for anyone, really. When you thought critically about it. 

Kiri held you close as you sobbed like her mother would, smoothing down your hair like her father would. She was beyond confused about how you could ever think this about yourself. Knowing fair well what a lot of the hunter boys Lo’ak was friends with say about you, what Neteyam’s Riders say in confidence, what the healer girls under Mo’at whisper about during Kiri’s training. Usually it makes her want to gag. But in this moment she wished she told you earlier. Maybe it would’ve given you more self-confidence in a perverse roundabout way. You were so wanted. If it wasn’t for Neteyam’s possessive nature of you, you could have anyone you wanted. Kiri reasoned, that if Neteyam wasn’t going to let anyone else have you, but not move on you himself, Kiri would have to set it up.

You and Kiri came back to High Camp, just before dinner and just after you finally stopped crying. You asked Kiri to never talk about the whole thing, preferring to just shove the whole thing into a little lockbox, throwing it away into the undercurrent of your consciousness. 

You stopped dead in your tracks infront of Kiri’s home, hearing Jake’s laugh and Tuk’s squeals. Neteyam was in there. No, you couldnt it was way to fresh. To have dinner with them would be the last petal in your funerary basket. 

“Come, lets eat.” Kiri whined, pulling on your arm. You stood firm like an island of stone against the tide. 

“I think I will eat with my parents tonight, I’m sorry.” You said in a low voice. “I’ll be back to normal tomorrow I promise.” You quickly added, to appease your headstrong sister. 

“Okay.” Kiri said softly, taking both of your hands into her five-fingered ones. “It’s all going to sort itself out, (y/n). I promise.” 

The usually short walk across High Camp to your family home felt unusually long, cold and dark.

Kiri flopped down on the woven mats around the firepit with a huff. Next to Jake and Neteyam, Kiri was hungry and angry and sad for her friend. 

“Hey , Babygirl.” Jake said, kissing Kiri on her forehead. Jake looked toward the door, confused. “Where’s my other beautiful girl?” Jake asked, confused. (y/n) always joined them for dinner, he couldn’t remember a night her presence had been missed since she was born. 

Kiri sighed, big and deep. “She’s having dinner with her parents.” 

“What has happened?” Neytiri asked, serving dinner on a leaf for little Tuk. 

Kiri felt internally conflicted. It was not her business to share, not her secrets to lay bare. But her best friend was hurting, and the skxwang next to her was the only one who could fix it. But (y/n) never begs for anything, and she begged Kiri the whole walk home to say nothing. 

She could not say nothing, but she did not have to say anything, either. 

“(y/n) was sad, about finding a mate. Her parents are really hard on her about it.” Kiri was not one to lie, and this was not a lie she convinced herself. But not the whole truth either. 

“Bro, that’s so stupid. Literally everyone is asking her mom for courting meetings.” Lo’ak piped up. His sentence muffled due to his full fucking face of food. Kiri screwed her face up.

“Courting meetings? What do you mean?” Neteyam looked panicked. The face he usually reserved for Lo’ak’s antics on the field. 

“I don’t know man, some of the guys were talking about it today during lessons. But her Dad keeps turning them away for now.” Lo’ak answered, shrugging nonchalantly, stuffing his face still, despite the family’s disgust. 

Kiri stared at Neteyam, reading every inch of his face as he calmed down. He was running out of time, she knew it. But, Neteyam looked at Jake. Jake raised his eyebrows at his eldest son, turning his head slightly and shrugging. It was a shared look, Neteyam knew exactly what Jake meant, though Kiri felt left in the lurch. 

The Sully’s did not talk about it for the rest of dinner, thankfully. 

Neytiri was putting Tuk to bed. Jake, in a rare moment was teaching Lo’ak how to properly clean a gun. Kiri sat, next to Neteyam, running her hands up and down her own songchord, anxiously. Neteyam was evidently anxious too, his legs pulled up close to his chest, he stared at the fire pit as if the answers were going to lash out and brand him. 

“She is in love with you, Neteyam.” Kiri said softly. Neteyam felt like he was going to pass out and bleed from his nose. 

“I don’t think so baby sister,” Neteyam ruffled her hair, trying to present himself in a lighthearted way, despite his creeping blush. Kiri smacked his hand away. 

“Listen to me, you idiot.” Kiri’s serious voice felt like a hot knife running through Neteyam’s soul. She never sounded this way, this upset. “She loves you. And, and she thinks that you only think of her as a little sister.” Neteyam chuckled at that, he never treated her the way he treated Kiri and Tuk. Surely, that was obvious, no? “I know. I laughed too.” Kiri said with a small smile. She took Neteyam’s hands into her own, like she did with you only a few hours prior.

“Neteyam, she thinks that she’s ugly, that she will never be enough for you. She thinks she’s not talented.” Kiri’s round eyes filled with empathetic tears for her best friend, thinking back on your small frame sobbing in the long grass. 

Neteyam’s blush soon turned to anger. His heart finding the possessive pit that he reserves only for his feelings for you.  “I do not understand, does she not know that everyone wants her?” Neteyam hissed in a low voice, Eywa forbid, Neytiri heard him talk about how the other boys of the clan view (y/n). Neteyam hated how they spoke of her body, her face, her mind. Her beautiful voice and nimble hands. Only he was allowed to think of you like that. And the Great Mother only knows how they think of you at night, how they think of you when they- 

Neteyam stopped himself before he went any further. He knew how he thought about you at night when he has a hand between his thighs. 

“She does not know.” Kiri said, bringing Neteyam back to the forefront of his mind. “I have never told her.” 

Neteyam’s heart swelled in a terrible way. You were so sweet, so innocent, you did not know that boys rutted into their own hands at the thought of the way your waist dips, or the mound of your breast. He needed to protect you, and Jesus, he thought he had by laying an unofficial possessive claim. But, it seems that the future Olo’eyktan has been ignored. 

A growl fell out of Neteyam’s mouth. To Kiri it looked like a dark light fell over her brother’s features. A man possessed. He stood, cracking his neck and shoulders, like he always did, but this time Kiri flinched. She had never seen Neteyam so…scary. 

“I will fix this tomorrow, sister.” Was all Neteyam said, as he retreated to the sleeping quarters of their home. 

(y/n) did not sleep a wink. All she could see in her mind’s eye was Neteyam. Neteyam laughing with other girls, Neteyam riding with other girls. How they wave to him when he walks past.

Neteyam. Neteyam. Neteyam. 

You felt so guilty, so, so guilty. As the night went on your thoughts went south, went dirty and wrong. You dreamt about kissing Neteyam; How soft his lips would feel against your own. His rough, calloused hands would hold your face in place and he would kiss you like he loved you, kissed you like he meant it. 

Simply, you did not deserve to hold romantic thoughts about Neteyam in your heart like that. He was not yours. He would never be. 

You quick hands made light work of the repair you were currently undertaking. You enjoyed your work as clan seamstress. Fixing, making loin cloths, beading breast covers and threading jewellery. You enjoyed the freedom to create things, but to also be useful to your clan. You could never offer them safety, food, medicine or freedom. But you could make sure they were warm in the cool rains, and protected from the glistening sun in the heat of the day. 

You folded the repaired loincloth, placing it to the side. Ready for its owner to pick it up when they had a moment to spare. 

The flap to the tent flew open, causing you to jump out of your skin. The last person you wanted to see stood in the entry way, ripped loincloth in hand. 

“Good morning, Neteyam.” You said softly, casting your gaze downwards. He quickly sat across from you, legs crossed like a child. 

“Well, it’s good now.” He smiled brightly. You felt all the blood run to your cheeks. “Do you uh, do you mind fixing this for me?” He said, stumbling over his own words, handing over the dark green textile. 

“Of course, easy fix.” Your fingers brushed his and you felt like your hands had been set on fire. Shaking, you began stitching the fabric back together. You knitted your brows together as you worked, not wanting to see his face any longer, the more you stared at your hands, the worse they shook. This tear made no sense, it was cleanly cut with a knife. Neteyam had purposely ripped his own loincloth. “How did this even happen?” You asked. 

“I needed an excuse to come and see you, my (y/n).” Neteyam spoke softly, reaching out to take one of your hands, distracting them from their job. His eyes caught yours, and you knew you were done. So warm, so full of life and love. 

“Neteyam-” You started, but he cut you off. Something of which Neteyam had never done before. 

“I know you do not see yourself how I see you.” He started, his stare holding you to the spot, you sent a brief prayer to Eywa, that this was not some cruel trick. “You are the most beautiful creature that has ever walked these lands. You care so deeply for the people, the forest.” His hand ran the length of your arm, goosebumps rising in his wake. “I see you. I love you. I want you.” Neteyam said vehemently. 

You felt everything, everywhere, all at once. Everything you have ever wanted to hear had fallen out of his mouth like it was always meant to be. It sounded so right. It sounded natural and real. It was so out of character for Neteyam, to be so open, so raw and honest with his feelings. 

So, under the guise of love, you acted out of character too. Like for like. 

Taking his beautiful, soft face between your small, shaking hands, you kissed him. Pulling away for breath, you remembered what needed to be said.

“I have always seen you, Neteyam.” 

[skeletondeerart]

Stories of the Sky People

Sully Family x GN!Dream Walker Reader (Platonic) | Word Count: 1209 Words

Synopsis: Tasked with watching the Sully kids while Jake and Neytiri are away leads (Y/n) to recite the ‘Ugly Duckling’ story by Hans Christian Anderson, one of their favourite stories back on Earth to keep the kids occupied until their parent return.

The reader is the same age as Jake.

I never knew my life would turn out like this, taken in by a world many light years away from my birthplace. I have finally found my place amongst the people of Pandora. In particular. In the embrace of the Sully family.

Back on Earth Jake and I were both marines. Him an ex-soldier since he became paralysed. And me? I was a Captain yet also resigned alongside Jake when I lost my leg from a mine.

It was tough for the both of us. But our injuries bound us together through the worst times in our lives. We quickly became like siblings to each other, and we mourned together when we got news that Tom was killed in action. That was when we were both requested to join the Avatar program. They needed Jake to pilot Tom’s avatar and my own avatar was approved to begin the growing process since they deemed me a suitable candidate to gain information on the Na’vi.

We had nothing left to loose, so we signed the papers without hesitation and began our new lives.

That leaves us with today, I sat in the family home with Tuktiery in my lap. Kiri sitting to my left, Lo’ak to my right, Neteyam sitting cross legged in front of me and Spider laid beside Neteyam. I was one their own, like an Auntie/Uncle to the young Na’vi. I made jokes and orchestrated pranks on their Father just to see Jake flick me the finger as we all ran from the scene of the crime.

“So, what happened then?” Tuk gasped her yellow eyes wide with wonder.

“The Mother duck came to realise that one of her babies didn’t look like the rest, they were grey and much larger than their tiny yellow siblings. Yet that didn’t matter to her. She leads all the babies into the water watching them swim along with her, even the grey baby. The mother was happy that her grey baby swam like the rest and thought to herself “Why, that's no turkey," she said. "See how nicely he uses his legs, and how straight he holds himself. He's my very own son after all, and quite good-looking if you look at him properly. Quack, quack come with me. I'll lead you out into the world and introduce you to the duck yard.” My quaking impression got a chuckle out of the kids as my smile also grew at their happiness.

All the Sully Children were wrapped up in the story, maybe it resonated with them in a sense. Being half human and half Na’vi, well in Spider’s case, a human amongst the Na’vi. Feeling like an outlier in their clan.

“The Mother duck’s friends complimented all of her children yet insulted the grey duckling, the grey duckling was pecked at and shunned by all the different animals, the other ducks, the hens, the humans. So, when he grew up, he left.”

A gasp left the five children at this twist.

“Oh no! Poor grey duckling!” Tuk whimpered. I ran my hand up and down her back in a comforting manner.

“The story isn’t over yet Tuk.” I stated with a smile as I continued, “The grey duckling flew away from his Mother, sick of the treatment from all the other animals. He then found his way to a lake that had elegant white swans. The grey duckling said to himself "I shall fly near these royal birds, and they will peck me to bits because I, who am so very ugly, dare to go near them. But I don't care. Better be killed by them than to be nipped by the ducks, pecked by the hens, kicked about by the hen-yard girl, or suffer such misery in winter."

“The poor grey duckling thought himself as ugly because that was all anyone, but his mother had told him. But in fact, he was quite wrong. As he lands in the clear waters exclaiming to the beautiful swans to kill him, he bowed his head and caught his reflection. He was no longer the reflection of a clumsy, dirty, grey bird. He himself was a swan! Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan's egg.”

“He was praised by the other swans and the other animals of the yard. He felt so very happy, but he wasn't at all proud, for a good heart never grows proud. He thought about how he had been persecuted and scorned, and now he heard them all call him the most beautiful of all beautiful birds. He sang out "I never dreamed there could be so much happiness, when I was the ugly duckling."

“Awwwwww~” Kiri cooed, “I’m glad the duck- I mean swan had a happy ending.”

Tuktiery had a big smile on her face as the conclusion of the story. Neteyam had a warm look in his eyes and Lo’ak lent back on his hands with a smile on his own face. Spider has a grin on his as he looked to the woven floors.

“I loved that story when I was little, Mum used to read it to me every night” Jake stated with a warm smile recalling his memories, as he entered the home alongside Neytiri. I gesture to them ‘I see you’ and the kids quickly follow suit, as Jake and Neytiri sign back.

“Got into any trouble when we were gone (Y/n)?” Neytiri asked with a smirk on her face.

I gasp in mock horror. “Me Neytiri? Never” I said with my own smirk. “I was just telling the kids some of the stories from Earth.”

“Yes Mum! (Y/n) always has cool stories from the sky!” Tuktiery excitedly stated, yet stifling a yawn.

“Earth, baby. We came from Earth.” I correct.

“Yeah, Earth!” Tuk giggled.

“That was a wonderful story (Y/n), thank you for sharing it with us” Neteyam thanked with a warm smile and nod.

“No worries Neteyam, anytime.” I smile as I lean forward to ruffle his hair dragging a laugh from him.

“I think it’s time for bed, I think” Jake says as he watches Tuk drift in and out of sleep in my arm. This gets a hum of acknowledgement from Neytiri and I as we all move into bed. Jake gently pries Tuk from my arms as she settles quickly into her Father’s arms. Jake lays down in the middle, Neytiri to his right and me to the left. Kiri curls up by my side as Neteyam cuddles with his Mum and Spider wedges his way in-between Jake and I, that’s when Lo’ak decided to lounge across everyone gaining a groan from all of us.

“Lo’ak move your butt!” Spider groans and he kicks Lo’ak in the shin.

“Owwwww! Spider lay off!” Lo’ak wines yet doesn’t move an inch.

“Enough boys!” Jake scolds through his teeth, trying to keep Tuktiery asleep. That was enough to get Lo’ak to move and let poor Spider breathe.

“Sleep.” Neytiri states with her eyes shut.

I could only smile at Neytiri’s blunt parenting style.

“Sweet dreams everyone.” I murmur.

“Goodnight.” The Sully’s reply before we all fell into the embrace of sleep.

I would do anything to protect this family.