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loaksky · 1 year

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— 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮

the deets — lo'ak is the black sheep in the family, clinging to honor by a precarious thread. you are the well-loved songstress in the tribe. he should resent you for being everything he's not, but his fickle heart can't bring him to do so.

the who — lo'ak x fem omatikaya!reader

the word count — 10.2k (rip yall)

the tags — (one-sided) rivals-to-lovers, angsty angsty, hurt / comfort, reader gives lo'ak a big ol smooch (perhaps more than one), lo’ak is the biggest dumbass and because of this he’s mean asf, reader has a big ol heart and just really wants lo’ak to like her, aged!up characters for maturity’s sake.

the warnings — language, lo'ak is in luv but doesn't realize it, he's in denial that the feelings could be reciprocated, this is super dramatic so put your seat belts on!

the notes — was feeling extra sad and wanted to write something self-indulgent. this lovely anon requested something, and i used their ask as inspiration to finish this beast. fine line, bags, and love in dark are the three main songs i listened to finish this, so if you wanna be in your feels, have a listen LMAO. despite all the support, i’m still so mf nervous posting this ejsjsjdjs

masterlist

SOMETHING UGLY KINDLES IN THE PIT of Lo'ak's stomach at the mere mention of your name. It's sour on his tongue, bitter in his brain. He doesn't know when he's started to feel like this, started to feel absolutely dreadful anytime he'd hear the timbre of your voice.

It's warm, thick like nectar and it makes him sick.

Ever since you all were little, the elders crooned over what a great girl you were growing into; strong, intelligent, beautiful. It made him boil how much they'd sing your praises, the high esteem everyone held you in as one of the clan's most talented.

Something dull would pick at him being compared to his older brother, but nothing burned more than being compared to you.

Maybe it's because it's always implied whenever your names share the same sentences, that lingering implication that he could be more like you. The clan fans the flames of your mere existence while Lo'ak is snuffed out like a dying fire.

He hates it. He hates you.

He thinks.

It'd be easier to, if you were awful behind the scenes. Arrogant, stuck up, but you're none of those things. You're kind, gentle, mighty when you need to be. It doesn't help that you shine like the brightest star, engulfing everyone in your light, in your warmth.

But Lo'ak resists. He sees right through you, sees right through every saccharine smile you send him. He can see it in your eyes, how you really see him. Despite standing a full head taller than you, he sees the way you look down your nose at him.

It grates his nerves, how disgustingly sweet you are towards him despite all attempts to rebuff you.

Certainly doesn’t soothe his ego when you always seem to be around the bend every time he gets bitched at by the clan, eyes soft and filled with pity. To add insult to injury, you frequently tail him like a shadow after these moments when all he wants is to be alone.

Like now, you linger.

It's after dinner and Kiri and Spider stand before him. They come together like the three points of a triangle and you stand an awkward distance away from them.

Kiri notices you first, her face splitting into a big smile as she waves you over.

Lo'ak breathes a deep sigh before locking eyes with Spider who tries his best to suppress an amused grin.

“Hi,” you chirp and Lo'ak can't help but roll his eyes.

Spider and Kiri greet you eagerly. Lo'ak simply nods his head in acknowledgement before tightening his fist around his dagger.

“We going or what?” he finally says.

You perk up.

“Where are you guys heading off to?” you ask curiously, hands clasped behind your back.

Spider opens his mouth to answer, but Lo'ak cuts him off quickly.

“No where important,” he says, unsure if you'll blab about their whereabouts to the elders, or worse, his parents.

You roll your lips and shift on your feet.

“Can I come?” you ask hesitantly, eyes hopeful.

Kiri's smile grows as she links her arm with yours.

“No,” he says sharply. “Absolutely not.”

Your face falls and something pulls inside his chest when you fail meet his gaze, your frown barely perceptible.

You make a move to pull from Kiri's grasp, but her arm tightens through yours. She levels Lo'ak with a weighty glare and you fidget uncomfortably under his narrowed eyes.

“Don't worry about it,” you say, like someone's hit a reset button. You smile that pretty smile and Lo'ak wants to scream. "It's okay, I think Rutan needs help with clean up."

You slip from Kiri's grasp and the three watch you walk off.

“Do you always have to be such a bitch?” Spider scoffs a disbelieving laugh.

“She's just gonna tag along so she can snitch,” Lo'ak grumbles.

“Oh c'mon,” Kiri argues. “________ just wants friends.”

Lo'ak sneers.

“I don't want to be friends with her,” he says firmly, knuckles white around the handle of his knife.

“Weirdo,” Spider mumbles. “She’s cute. Think she likes you.”

Lo'ak's spine stiffens.

“It's an act” Lo'ak grumbles. “She just wants to look good in front of the elders to keep up whatever nice girl show she's putting on.”

Kiri rolls her eyes hard.

There are moments when Lo'ak thinks he's being harsh, but he can't help himself. It's like he loses all semblance of a filter when it comes to you.

“Hi, Lo'ak,” you greet him sweetly, lowering yourself onto the fallen log he's perched on, fashioning arrows to practice with later on in the evening with Neteyam.

He shifts away from you, putting the distance of two bodies between the two of you as he pauses his task at hand.

“Hi,” he says flatly.

“Can I help?” you ask tentatively, fingers twitching towards one of the untouched sticks in a pile next to his feet.

His kicks them closer to himself, out of your reach before leveling you with a sharp glare.

“No thanks,” he says quickly and you recoil slowly, letting out a shaky laugh before fixing that stupid smile on your pretty face.

“Oh, sorry,” you apologize, straightening in your seat.

A silence so uncomfortably palpable settles over the two of you as you shift so that your knees are turned towards him.

His throat bobs when his gaze travels from your little toes all the way up to your inquisitive gaze, golden and searching. It makes something unruly settle in his gut and he turns his attention back to carving his arrows.

“Do you need something?” he breaks the silence finally. “I'm kinda busy.”

You bite your lip before scooting a little closer to Lo'ak's hunched figure.

“My birthday's coming up,” you start.

“I'm aware,” Lo'ak almost scoffs.

It's all the clan has been able to talk about for the past few days. How they'd be able to prepare for the golden girl's next birth cycle and what they'd be able to do to make you smile the brightest.

“Your birthday is a week before,” you state and his head whips towards you.

“How do you know that?” he asks sharply, accusation heavy in his gruff tone.

You flinch and he falters for a moment before your smile simply widens.

“We grew up together, Lo'ak,” you say and the way his name sounds from your mouth sounds absolutely heavenly. “You're my friend.”

Friend.

He scowls at the term.

“We're not friends,” he bites back.

If the statement bothers you, you don't show it, simply tucking a strand of hair behind your ear before putting on a brave face.

“I want to celebrate with you,” you say shyly.

“Hard pass,” he says too quickly, gathering his sticks and fashioned arrows under his grasp.

He leaves you in the clearing on your own.

You must be fucking with him. You have to be. It'd be the only explanation for why Jake pulls him aside a few nights later and tells him that you've requested to work with him and Neteyam during archery practice.

“No,” he says stiffly, shaking his head.

His dad levels him with a hard glare and Lo'ak sighs deeply.

“She's a nuisance, Dad,” he argues. “Me and Neteyam are making good progress with our training and we'll have to start at square one if she joins.”

“Lo'ak, this isn't an ask,” Jake says sternly.

“But, Dad!”

“Lo'ak.”

Lo'ak huffs, snatching his bow and quiver angrily before storming off.

“You're doing great,” Neteyam says to you once the three of you have convened in the training circle.

The three arrows you've shot have all landed within centimeters of the mark and to say that Neteyam is impressed is an understatement. Lo'ak, on the other hand, fumes not-so-silently as he tears his arrows from his target.

Yet again, you have another person wrapped around your finger and it makes his blood simmer as he assumes his position at the marker and loads his arrow. It splinters through the air and hits the target right on the bullseye. The arrow punctures through the hide and lodges its way into the wood from the sheer force of Lo’ak’s shot.

You start at him moon-eyed, lush lips breaking into a full smile.

“Perfect shot,” you observe. “That was awesome.”

Lo’ak scans your features hesitantly before his gaze flits to his older brother, waiting for any acknowledgment that he’d done a great job, but Neteyam is taking notes on the arrows still stuck in the fabric of your own target.

His heart sinks.

“Fuck this,” Lo’ak grumbles, bundling all of his belongings.

He stalks through the clearing, past his brother, to leave you two.

He doesn’t know what fuels the fire more, the fact that Neteyam didn’t even bat an eye at the feat they’d been practicing for for the past three weeks because he was too immersed in you, or the fact that you bore witness to his first clean shot and gave him that sickeningly sweet smile that made his stomach turn.

“Where are you going?” Neteyam sighs.

“Somewhere you two aren’t,” he grumbles under his breath, ducking through the brush of the lofty forest.

You lick your lips, locking eyes with Neteyam as you give him a bashful grin and slowly break away to follow Lo’ak’s path.

He isn’t far ahead as you push through the vines and low-hanging leaves, the path lined with large plants and the spindly roots of the looming trees. The grass is plush between your toes as you scamper to follow Lo’ak from a distance, watching as his lithe body climbs through the dense flora.

“Why are you following me?” he calls after a few dozen paces, stopping in the middle of the path to whirl on his heel.

His golden eyes are syrupy, warm despite the edge, and you can’t help but flash him your pearly whites in a genuine smile that takes up your dimpled cheeks.

“Why’d you run off?” you ask him. “You were doing so well!”

His chest rises and falls with a scoff.

“You can give it a rest, you know?” Lo’ak says flatly, fist so tight around his bow he feels like he’ll crush the wood.

Your expression morphs, eyebrows furrowing in a way that makes Lo’ak throat bob, something pinching behind his ribcage.

“What?” you ask, frown marring your pretty face.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you can stop acting like you wanna be friends with me,” Lo’ak says matter-of-factly.

“You are my friend,” you protest quietly.

Lo’ak rolls his eyes.

“Dude, whatever,” he mutters, turning his back on you.

“Is it so wrong?” you murmur and he stops in his tracks, refusing to meet your gaze. “To be friends?”

Friends.

That stupid fucking word again.

Lo’ak bites his tongue and stalks off, leaving you on the path.

Neteyam rips him a new one when he sees him at dinner later that night. Lo’ak hangs his head as Neteyam digs in.

“Is it so hard to be nice?” Neteyam asks, hand squeezing his shoulder as they stand a handful of meters away from the main circle.

As his eyes wander, he notices you sitting with his sister, head thrown back in laughter that glitters and wafts with the rising smoke of the fire. He swallows turning his attention back to his older brother.

“Just don’t like her,” he admits. “I want her to leave me alone.”

“You don’t like her or you like her too much?” Neteyam asks, brow bone raised.

Lo’ak’s face scrunches.

“Ew, no,” he blurts. “Why would I—”

“________ just wants to fit in,” he sighs. “She has trouble making friends.”

“Yeah, I wonder why,” Lo’ak mocks. “I don’t know why Kiri and Spider are always up her ass, she’s—”

“Lo’ak,” Neteyam warns.

“Dude, everyone is always ________ this, _________ that! I don’t understand what’s so great about her—”

A throat clears and the brothers both turn their attention to the newcomer. Lo’ak could groan in frustration seeing that you’ve abandoned your seat and now stand nearby with two wooden plates.

“They’re going to start cleaning up soon,” you say hesitantly. “Wanted to bring you some.”

Neteyam takes it graciously from you, nodding his head in thanks while Lo’ak stares down at the plate you’d arranged for him, abundant in vegetables and thick cuts of meat.

“No thanks,” he says flatly.

You try to coax him.

“C’mon Lo’ak, you say gently. “I know you haven’t eaten yet.”

“No thanks,” he repeats stonily, holding his hand up.

You offer up the plate again.

“Lo’ak–“

“I said no thank you,” he grunts, annoyed.

He’d only meant to push it back towards you, but one second it’s in your hands, the next you’re wearing dinner, the plate clattering onto the ground.

“Lo’ak!” Neteyam scolds.

“Shit, I didn’t–”

“It’s fine,” you breathe an airy laugh and Lo’ak freezes when he hears your breath hitch. “It was an accident.”

“Oh, ________…” Neteyam sighs, but you’re picking up the plate and scurrying off, ignoring the nearby snickering.

“Whatever you got going on, you need to cool it,” Jake scolds him in the family tent after dinner that night. “________ is a good girl, she’s trying to find her place. Can’t really do that if you’re gonna be a jerk to her all the time.”

Lo’ak resists the urge to roll his eyes because, yet again, someone is sticking up for you, admonishing him about how he could be nicer, how he could take you under his wing, how he–

“What about me?” Lo’ak argues. “I tell her to leave me alone all the time, but she doesn’t listen. Why do I have to be nice to someone who doesn’t respect–”

“Cut the bullshit,” Jake thunders. “You haven’t even tried being her friend.”

“Why should I?” Lo’ak counters.

“Because maybe you two are more alike than you’d care to learn,” Jake says knowingly. “Now go apologize.”

“Dad!”

“Go, Lo’ak.”

Lo’ak sucks in a deep breath before squeezing his eyes shut and blowing out through his nose.

“Fine, fine, whatever,” he grumbles, ducking from the tent into the humid night air.

He starts into the jungle, fingers brushing over the leaves and petals of the plants and flowers. He takes the moment to regulate his pounding heart in his chest before trying to wrack his brain for any words that he could scrounge into a believable apology.

When he crosses the glowing waters of a skinny brook, something rustles nearby and his hand is on the hilt of his dagger in the blink of an eye.

He turns to face the noise, knife drawn, but then you emerge and his body relaxes a fraction.

“Fuck, ________, you scared me,” he sighs in relief.

You fidget and swallow down the lump in your throat.

“Sorry,” you say sheepishly.

A brief silence dawns the two of you and Lo’ak notes that you’ve cleaned up from the evening meal’s debacle, now wearing a longer loincloth threaded with round pearlescent beads that refract the luminescence of the surrounding forest.

Your grasp tightens around a leather bound journal and for a moment, he wonders what you could be writing about.

When you follow his gaze, you shyly tuck the journal behind your back and give him an uneasy smile.

“I wanted to–”

“I came to–”

Your words clash and you breathe a little laugh through your nose as you gaze at him with brilliant eyes. You start closing the distance and Lo’ak’s hands grow clammy.

“You first,” you offer.

Whatever threads of an apology he’d crafted in the moments prior have evaporated now that you stand before him, absolutely glowing.

“Lo’ak?” Your head tilts and his cheeks warm.

“Sorry,” he says hoarsely. “For what happened at dinner.”

You shake your head quickly.

“You don’t have to apologize,” you assure him, reaching out to touch him.

He recoils, clearing his throat as he retreats to put an ample amount of distance between the two of you.

You eye the berth and something shutters across your face as you rock back on your heels and flash him another uneasy smile.

You haven’t even tried being her friend, his dad’s words echo like a call in the night. Maybe you two are more alike that you care to learn.

Were you? You and Lo’ak were as different as they come, you molded by the love and adoration of the clan, him built up by the lessons and lectures he received from his parents and Neteyam.

“Where are you going?” you ask, blowing by the previous conversation.

He shrugs.

“Dunno,” he admits. “I was looking for you.”

The way you freeze is almost covert, your lips rolling as you try to hide the smile threatening to split your face.

“Oh,” you hum. “Wanna go for a walk?”

No, he wants to say. He absolutely does not want to spend anymore time with you than he has to. Likes to believe that he wouldn’t even bat an eye if he were to never see you again, but you’re looking at him expectantly and his dad’s words are like a mantra in his head, so he agrees begrudgingly.

It’s awkward at first, silent except for the natural soundtrack of the vicarious jungle. But like you do so well, you break the silence and Lo’ak has to resist rolling his eyes for the third time that night.

“What are your favorite colors?” you ask suddenly.

“I dunno, green?” he offers.

“Are you sure?” you laugh quietly.

Lo’ak thinks a moment before nodding his head.

“Yeah, green,” he finalizes. “And blue.”

He barely notices that you’d fallen behind, and when he turns to look over his shoulder, he sees that you’re scratching something into your little journal.

“And your favorite fruit?” you press, nose still between the pages.

Lo’ak breathes out a laugh and your head shoots up.

“What? You gonna send this list to the lab?” Lo’ak asks.

You give him a shy smile, shifting on your feet.

“No,” you say softly, then whisper to yourself, “just compiling a list to win your heart.”

Lo’ak barely hears you, ears twitching as his eyes narrow in confusion.

“What?” he asks.

You snap your notebook shut, shaking your head quickly as you pad through the grass to catch up to him.

“Nothing.”

Something ripples in the fabric after that night, you and Neteyam both notice when Lo’ak enters the training clearing the next afternoon and greets you with a nod instead of flat out ignoring your presence like he had the last training session.

And you think that the moment is fleeting, a one off, but as the days progress, you realize that maybe Lo’ak is finally softening around you.

He stays for entire lessons, the most minute of smiles twitching at his lips whenever you compliment his shots. He waits near the edge for you as you pack up your things, and while the walk back to the village is a quiet one, you bask in his company, triumphant when he doesn’t run off.

And while your evening walks are few and far between, you savor the moments he affords you, wedging yourself between him the crumbling walls of his facade.

Tonight is one of those moments, sitting on adjacent branches overlooking the lively forest, when Lo’ak lets you peek farther into his life than he’d originally intended.

“He never understands,” he sighs, popping a few berries from his satchel past his lips.

Tonight’s topic is his father and you listen intently, eyes fixed on the way he reclines on the branch and looks up at the stars.

“I try hard, you know? To make everyone proud, but all they see is my failure,” he says, obviously annoyed. “No matter what I do, it’s not good enough.”

“You do great things, Lo’ak,” you say quietly, the first words you’ve said all night.

And like your voice is a reminder, Lo’ak’s spine goes rigid, throat bobbing as he realizes that he may have said too much to you. He’s getting too comfortable and you’re all the willing to absorb every insecurity and every worry he has.

But something about quiet moments like these makes him loose-lipped, eyes fluttering to where you’ve got your notebook balanced in the seam of your thighs, scrawling something on the pages as you eat your own berries.

The words are leaving him before he can stop them.

“Easy for you to say,” he murmurs. “You’re perfect.”

The laugh that escapes you startles him and a few of the berries he was about to devour slips from his fingers and plunk down the leaves.

“I’m not perfect,” you assure him.

“Only someone who’s perfect would say that,” Lo’ak grumbles, peering over the edge of the branches to spot his fallen fruit. “The whole village loves you, everyone’s always so ready to bat for you.”

You look down at the pages of your journal with a sad smile.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” you admit quietly. “Everyone’s watching your every move, waiting for you to mess up.”

Lo’ak shifts uncomfortably.

You continue.

“And most of the villagers our age don’t like me,” you say, thumbing one of the pages. “They say I kiss ass, that I’m always trying to keep a leg up.”

Lo’ak winces, knowing that he’s the source of at least one of those sentiments.

“The elders think you’re honorable,” Lo’ak argues gently. “You’re talented, you have something to offer the people.”

“Honor means nothing if you’re bound by it,” you say finally, closing the cover to your journal. “If anything, I want to be more like you.”

“Like me?” Lo’ak asks incredulously, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

You nod, smiling at him.

“Yeah,” you whisper. “I think you’re brave, fearless. And even if you care what people think, you do what you want.”

Lo’ak is quiet, taken aback by your confession.

Before he can respond, you’re gathering your things, bidding him a warm farewell as you begin climbing down the tree to disappear into the night.

After that night, you think that maybe you’re just imagining things, that you’re reading too much into the fact that Lo’ak has begun to finally act like you exist, but then Kiri says something and the hope sends your heart soaring.

“Seems like he finally got his head out of his ass,” she says a few mornings later as you two stand near a shallow stream, eyes peeled for any fish you two could bring back to the village.

“Think so?” you ask nervously, arrow trapping the flailing fish to the pebbles of the stream’s bed.

Kiri shrugs.

“He actually pays you mind now,” Kiri observes. “That’s a step up for sure. I think you just need to spend more time with him.”

You smile, splashing through shallow waters to capture the fish and add it to the growing pile in the basket between you and the middle Sully.

“Yeah?” you wonder

So you test the theory, basket filled with various peeled fruits and a little container of nectar you squeezed from the petals of a flower.

It doesn’t take long to hunt him down. When you enter the training circle, he’s packing up his things, quiver strapped to his back and bow in his fist.

Before you make yourself known, he’s turning on his heel to face you, eyes wild as he swallows down the lump in his throat.

He’d be the last to admit that the last night you two spent together was branded in his brain, that his mouth had dried up so much so he felt his tongue could crack.

There were so many implications in your words and it horrified him, scared him so much that he knew he couldn’t let you that close again.

But now you stand before him, pretty as can be, hopeful even, and he’s at a war with himself, absolutely caught between resenting you for being everything he’s not and giving into the draw.

“Hi,” you greet, basket heavy in your hands.

You look more radiant than usual, skirt brushing the forest floor, the woven vine of your top banded to expose your midriff.

“Hey,” he replies hesitantly.

“Where you going?” you ask curiously.

His throat bobs as he gestures behind him.

“Hunting,” is all he says.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” you ask eagerly.

He doesn’t. He shouldn’t. Because things are shifting and he’s not sure if he’ll be able to stomach the change. If he’ll be able to admit to himself that you’re wearing him thin, that you make him feel things he’s never felt before and that it makes him feel like he has no control.

Because when it boils down to it, you make him lose control, make him lose his filter, and make him feel every emotion twice as hard.

“No,” he says.

And in that moment, you feel like you’re back at square one, watching as his eyes turn stony and his jaw sets firmly.

“You shouldn’t go hunting on your own,” you say softly. “Will someone be with you?”

“It’s fine,” he argues. “I’m fine.”

“I can go with you!” you offer. “I thought maybe we could sit by the stream and talk, but we can go hunting instead. We can–”

“No,” he says again, pinning you with eyes so lethal, it makes you wonder if you really had imagined the moments you shared with him, if you had imagined Kiri telling you that she saw it too.

You try again anyways.

“It’ll be good practice and–”

“I said no, ________,” he barks. “You’re dead weight and I want to be alone.”

Your lips seal and you bite the inside of your cheek.

Lo’ak could nearly scream in frustration when he notices the way your shoulders sag and it makes something in his heart cinch.

“Okay,” you agree, nodding quickly. “Be safe and–”

The words die on your tongue when you notice the look of annoyance on Lo’ak’s face.

Lo’ak is in deep shit, you come to find out hours later.

You sit outside of the training circle, knowing that Lo’ak will return down the path after his hunting trip. What you don’t expect, however, is Jake and Neytiri emerging with the entire line of Sully kids and Spider.

Jake grips the back of Lo’ak’s neck tightly as they march past wandering eyes, straight to the family tent. You don’t miss his wounds though, varying in depth, some bleeding, some sore.

You’re hot on their heels, standing right outside of the entrance as Jake tears into the middle Sully.

“Time and time again, I have to get on your ass for doing the complete opposite of what I ask you to do!” Jake’s voice is thunderous inside the tent. “Do you not realize that you not only risked your life but your sisters’ too?”

There’s a beat of silence before Jake continues, obviously pacing from the way his volume fluctuates.

“And what were you thinking bringing Tuk? She’s nine, Lo’ak!” he shouts, the anger and the hurt evident in his tone.

“I’m sorry,” Lo’ak mumbles.

“Yeah, I bet you are!” Jake scolds. “I don’t ask for much. All I want is for you stay in line. Just stay out of trouble and work hard on your training. I paired you with ________ and Neteyam in hopes that maybe you’ll tighten up and be more like them, but you’re always disappointing me.”

You frown.

Whatever Lo’ak had done probably didn’t warrant such deep admonishment and something tugs especially hard at your heartstrings knowing that all he wants to do is make his dad proud.

“You’re surrounded by good influences, but you always have to go against the grain, Lo’ak,” Jake says, the edge in his tone softening. “I’m getting tired of the bullshit, son. You need to clean up your act. Hear me?”

“Yes sir,” Lo’ak says quietly, voice almost a whisper behind the hide of the tent.

“Now go get yourself cleaned up,” Jake huffs.

Your spine is straightening when you hear foot steps closing in, holding your breath as the flap to the tent billows open and Lo’ak is emerging.

His eyes flit to yours and his expression sours further.

“Lo’ak,” you murmur, reaching out to him.

He’s shrugging you away, wincing when a wound on his shoulder stretches especially taut.

“You’re hurt,” you say quietly. “I’ll–”

“Leave me alone,” he says, eerily level.

“But you’re–”

“I said leave me alone, ________,” he warns, pushing past you in what should be the pursuit of his grandmother’s quarters.

Instead he’s making a beeline for the jungle.

You’d seen the look in his eye before he stonewalled you, seen the hurt and heaviness that most people didn’t seem to notice because he was always so adventurous and carefree.

You follow after him.

“Lo’ak, you know he’s only worried for you,” you try to reason gently, fingers reaching for his own as you duck under massive leaves and fluttering insects.

He whirls to face you, swatting your hand away.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” he bites. “You don’t know anything.”

You swallow, holding your hand to your chest as you watch him lay down every brick to wall himself off.

He hates it. He hates how you look at him, how you seem to pity the life he has to live. It makes him sick, thinking that you two have it the same. He’d rather be hated for being great than hated for being a let down. It’s insulting, how you think you know how it feels.

“Let’s go back. I’ll wrap your wounds and–”

“Of course, clan’s golden girl is gonna patch me up and make it all better, huh?” he seethes facetiously. “Just fuck off!”

You flinch, blinking at the boy you holds so much rage in front of you.

“I know you’re hurting, but you don’t have to be mean,” you whisper, taking in a shuddering breath to will yourself not to cry.

“Mean? Mean?” Lo’ak bristles. “I’ve tried telling you to lay off nicely, tried telling you to just leave me alone, but you don’t listen. You just pry and overstep and you make every little thing about you! Oh, it’s so much pressure, villagers our age hate me, of course they would! You already have everything and just have to go rub salt in the wound!”

You shrink, eyes welling as your lip trembles.

“Lo’ak, stop,” you whimper.

“We’re not friends, ________.We never were and we never will because I don’t like you,” he spits. “Now please, for the love of god, will you just leave me alone!”

The forest is silent save for Lo’ak’s ragged breathing, fists clenched as he glares down at you.

“I-” Your breath hitches and you choke out an apology. “I’m sorry.”

Lo’ak’s heart softens a fraction as you take a step back, turning quickly on your heel.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” you rasp, tripping over your own feet as you stumble into a run, putting as much space as you can between you and the middle child who stands in the middle of the forest, unable to wrangle every harsh word he’d said to force back down his throat.

You dropped your journal.

Lo’ak is sure you’re looking for it, know that you’ve always got your nose stuck in it. You had dropped it running off and now he has its leather bound in his hands.

It’s been a couple of nights since the faithful evening he’d blown his top and he’d only seen whispers of you. It was so unlike you to disappear, to not be entertaining the masses as they fell to your feet.

He’d cooled off significantly, and when he replayed the conversation in his head, he winced, body folding in on itself as he realizes how harsh he’d been.

“Are you actually thinking thoughts?” Spider claps him on the shoulder, startling him so badly he drops the journal.

It lands spine down, the pages fluttering open.

He chances a peek before Spider is rounding his lithe figure to pick up the notebook. All he makes out is a rough sketch.

“You write?” Spider asks, intrigued.

“No, it’s ________’s,” Lo’ak answers.

“Oh, your little girlfriend’s?”

Lo’ak gives the human a cross look, snatching the book from his grasp as he stands up.

“Trouble in paradise?” Spider pries, scurrying to keep up with Lo’ak’s long strides.

A beat of silence before Lo’ak finally answers.

“Made her cry,” he mumbles, embarrassed.

Spider winces behind him.

“You serious?”

Lo’ak sighs.

“Yes, dude, fuck,” he breathes, hand coming to the back of his neck. “I don’t know what came over me. Dad was ripping me a new one and Neteyam already chewed me out before they got there and she was being annoying, so I just…”

“Bro,” Spider scoffs in disbelief, scratching the back of his head. “You’re a real dickhead sometimes.”

Lo’ak’s eyes wander as he shifts uncomfortably, feeling incredibly small as his friend glares up at him.

“I mean, I told her I wanted to be left alone!” Lo’ak tries to defend weakly. “I- I didn’t mean to.”

“She likes you a lot, dude,” Spider reiterates. “She just wants you to like her back.”

Despite the glaring signs, Lo’ak has trouble believing that your feelings for him far surpass charity work. They couldn’t, it was impossible. Because at the end of the day, you’re you and he’s…him.

He opens his mouth to say something, but Spider beats him to it.

“Did you at least apologize?”

Lo’ak squirms.

“Dude!”

“Look, I know, I know,” he tries to assuage the situation.

“________ is literally the sweetest girl in the entire clan you just–“

“I get it, bro, I get it!” Lo’ak huffs.

“Get your head out of your ass,” Spider says. “She might not stick around long enough for you to realize.”

“Realize what?” Lo’ak snaps.

“Are you really gonna play stupid right now?”

He blinks at the human.

“You like ________,” Spider says matter-of-factly. “You always have, ever since we were kids.”

“Oh, piss off,” Lo’ak grumbles.

“Dude, you’re literally my best friend, but I sometimes I wanna shove my foot so far up your–”

“I do not like ________,” Lo’ak says sharply.

“Everyone sees it but you, dipshit,” Spider scoffs. “You like her, but you’re scared. She’s perfect and she intimidates you. Think she’s gonna see you for what you really are and turn her back on you like everyone else does when you fuck up, but she’s not like that, Lo’ak. She’s been there whether you like it or not. But she might not always.”

Lo’ak swallows down the knot in his throat, fingers tightening around the notebook.

“Everything clicking?” Spider asks knowingly.

Lo’ak throws him a final narrowed glare before stalking off.

It’s Lo’ak’s birthday and just like every orbit, he spends it alone in the forest.

At first, he’d been burdened with the weight of hurting your feelings, but now his conversation with Spider weighs heavy on him as he climbs dirt walkways and flowered paths.

It doesn’t help that your notebook weighs heavy in his satchel, a silent reminder that he still has a piece of you while you cling to his peace of mind.

I think you’re brave, fearless. They’re the words you uttered to him that fateful night you turned the reality of you two on its axis.

As he splices all the moments you two shared like a reel, he realizes that it’s endless. That you’re always there, you’d always been there, like a layer of impenetrable atmosphere surrounding him.

He really should apologize, he knows this much, but you’ve disappeared like a wisp of smoke. Training sessions have returned to a sibling affair and he’s too prideful to ask about you.

It’s almost eclipse when he begins making his way back for the evening meal, knowing that a scolding will await if he arrives even a minute late.

After what had happened with you, he was lying low, trying to diminish his blip from the radar.

As he closes in on the village’s main circle, he notes that it’s quiet. A little too quiet. It puts him on edge, makes him draw his bow and feel around for an arrow in his quiver.

A few more paces and he’s broken into the clearing, a few stragglers milling about. Another half a dozen steps and it’s like the forest melts into a celebration, whorls of blue pouring into the circle as villagers begin trilling.

Lo’ak is hoisted into the air as the dying fire in the center of the camp begins to slowly roar.

“Happy birthday, baby bro!” Neteyam caws loudly as they begin jostling him into the air, chanting and dancing as the dense crowd of clanspeople celebrate him.

It’s like time slows as he peers from side to side eagerly, seeing the way Spider, Kiri and Tuk dance happily among his people. Jake and Neytiri stand near the fire, smiles wide when they see the look of awe on their middle son’s face.

When he’s finally set on his feet, he wobbles, childlike as he turns, taking in the glowing streamers that crisscross between the tents. Flowers of green and blue thread through the vines, gleaming like lamplight as the forest buzzes around them.

“Wha– What is all this?” Lo’ak croaks in disbelief, eyes flitting wildly as he notices Norm and Max standing next to a table they’d hauled from the pod to the circle, piled high with meats and vegetables wrapped in leaves.

A platter of yovo fruits, his favorite, are at the center, surrounded by a painted sign with his name and the handprints of dozens of villagers on it.

“You survived another orbit!” Neteyam laughs heartily, head-locking the younger boy before roughly digging his knuckles into the top of his head.

A laugh bubbles from Lo’ak’s lips, swatting his brother away as villagers and clan members he’d grown up with approach him one by one to greet him.

As the night progresses, he doesn’t even realize he’s searching until your mother approaches and his spine goes rigid, cheeks warming under her piercing gaze.

“From my ________,” she says, setting a pouch into his palms. “She toiled over these for many eclipses. Please take care.”

Lo’ak’s nod is delayed as his satchel shifts on his shoulders, a dull reminder that your journal still remains with him, begging to be read.

“Where– Where is she?” he asks suddenly, feeling your absence all the more now that your gift sits in the palm of his hand.

“My daughter does not feel well,” your mother says simply. “She wished to be excused from the festivities.”

His chest feels hollow, stomach tight as his cheeks burn. You’d mentioned this to him, all those days ago in the training circle, about wanting to celebrate with him.

His eyes flit to the flowers looped through the vines, the mountain of yovo fruits, the gift in his hands. He doesn’t want to be presumptuous. Doesn’t want to fuel the tiniest ember of hope in chest, but he can’t help it.

He can’t help but read into it, into the implications of this celebration you’d planned all for him, into every word you uttered to him in the quiet of the forest’s chirping.

It’s all it takes for him to lock himself in his own head. The feast melts into the background, dull, as his eyes cut the crowd for you.

You have to be here, gotta be hanging around the outskirts silently. The idea taunts him, makes his gut twist hard as images of you dancing in the circle, singing to him, celebrating him, loving him—

Lo’ak freezes, blinking incredulously at the thought that’d just crossed his brain. It makes him queasy, makes the regret and the guilt gnaw at every nerve ending as your crying face flashes like an unwanted slideshow in his brain.

It’s all he can think about as the festivities die, as villagers begin turning in the for the night and he helps his family clean up the aftermath of another orbit finally finished.

Spider helps Tuk and Neteyam near the fire, and as Lo’ak moves through the motions like he’s caught in a tide, Kiri watches, knowing all too well what consumes her brother’s mind.

It isn’t until Lo’ak is shrouded by the stillness of the early morning, his family tucked in their tent, bodies and limbs splayed as they sleep together, that he sits in a swinging hammock, your journal and the pouch in his lap.

It feels wrong, the way he thumbs the cover, working up the courage to turn it open. But Ewya, fate, would have never left it in his wake if it wasn’t meant to be read.

As his finger ghosts the etchings of the front cover, worn and loved by you, something tickles his leg as he admires the leather. He blinks in disbelief when he sees a singular woodsprite resting against his thigh.

Before he loses his nerve, he’s opening the pages with bated breath.

Recipes, nature notes, short thoughts fill the sheets and Lo’ak feels like he’s reading into your brain, seeing all the little things no one bothers to know.

he is like the sun,

shines so bright,

but burns the closer you get.

Lo’ak’s pointer finger glosses over the ink, over your curly handwriting.

he is so incredible, but he doesn’t even know it. i want to shout it to every creature in the forest, every tree and every flower. oh, how i wish to be as fearless as him.

His chest heaves as the words blur.

Fearless.

In this moment, he feels everything but. He feels like a coward.

He continues to flip, throat lodged as he sees drawings, both rough sketches and full renderings. He hadn’t even known that you liked to draw, yet here he was, observing his home through your artistic eye.

Flowers, leaves, trees, creatures, insects, fruits mar the stained papers, etched like it’d been caught in real time.

likes green and blue.

likes yovo fruits.

The entry from the day you’d first walked with him through the forest.

When he turns the page, his breath hitches.

In full color, you’d captured his bullseye from your first training session. His back taut from the release, expression shaded stoic. He looked mighty, like the strongest warrior, and it was all through your eyes.

Lo’ak doesn’t even realize he’s crying until the bullseye in the illustration bleeds from a fallen tear. Another one drips from his chin, then another.

The next page is the night you two had poured your hearts out to each other. Again, in full color, he’s watching the stars. You don’t leave out the glow of the freckles that smatter his face and body, don’t miss the smile that plays at his lips as he quietly points out that his dad had come from a star.

He flips again and different iterations and designs for what seems like jewelry litters the pages, shaded with different colors of blue and green, marked with varying notes, x’s marking through ideas you didn’t like.

Lo’ak remembers the pouch, sitting untouched in his lap, and his shaky fingers undo the ties. He shakes the contents on the flat of the notebook and the most intricate beadwork fits into the crease.

His eyes widen as he picks up the necklace in a trembling hand, the eclipsing sun catching the etching in the flat stones.

Four five-fingered hands and four four-fingered ones, each separated by jewels scavenged and cleaned from the bed of the glowing river.

A small scroll flutters from the pouch and Lo’ak chokes back as sob as he unrolls the hide.

Happy Birthday, Lo’ak. I am always grateful to know someone like you. May your next orbit be filled with endless blessings from Ewya and may you see yourself how I see you.

You see him, he realizes. You’re his supporter, a silent force that consumes every insecurity and swallows every doubt. You believe in him more than he believes in himself.

He stands from the hammock and runs.

You’re sitting in the same tree the two of you had rested in the night you’d confided in Lo’ak, watching as the sun eclipses and begins to light up the sparkling forest.

Something rustles and you sit up, hand on the hilt of your dagger as you search the area for movement.

As your eyes lock on the source, you almost wish it had been a beast coming to devour you whole. But as Lo’ak climbs the branches of the tree quickly, you feel the dread begin to solidify in your veins.

You take your satchel, hanging from a nearby branch and sling it over your shoulder, pulling your shawl over your head to prepare for your escape.

“________, wait,” he chokes breathlessly. “Please.”

You feel like crying all over again, feel so unbelievably stupid thinking that Lo’ak would ever see you the way that you see him.

You pause a beat as he settles on the branch across from yours, chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath.

Something glints in the sun and your eyes widen when you see that Lo’ak has fastened the necklace you made him around his neck, right above the the leather chain that holds his beloved claw charm.

“You’re wearing it,” you whisper, lips twitching into a frown as you try your best to keep your tears at bay.

“I’m sorry, ________,” Lo’ak apologizes hoarsely. “Fuck, you don’t understand how sorry I am.”

The tears well on their own.

We’re not friends. We never were and we never will.

The words haunt you like a broken record and you shake your head, moving from your perch to move down the branches.

“Wait, wait,” Lo’ak pleads. “Please don’t go, I–”

“I hate you,” you whisper. “I hate you, Lo’ak.”

He freezes, watching as you balance on a branch below.

“I tried so hard to be your friend,” you whimper, angrily wiping away your tears. “You’re amazing. You’re strong, and you’re fearless, and you are everything I want to be, but you’re heartless.”

Lo’ak lets out a shuddering breath, a chill running down his spine as you look up at him like he’d smashed every star in the sky.

“I wanted to be with you, you know?” you let out a watery laugh. “I hoped that maybe if I stuck it out, you’d see how much I cared, how badly I wanted to be with you, even if it was from a distance.”

“I do, _________, I do!” he argues.

He hadn’t always, but he sees it now. He sees you.

You shake your head again.

“You don’t,” you sigh, voice trembling. “It’s my fault anyways. You were right. You told me to leave you alone and I was being too much.”

“Stop–”

“Let this be the last time,” you assure him. “Let’s just– Let’s pretend we never met.”

“No, _________. Wait!”

You’re climbing down the tree and disappearing into the brush and, like a fleck of ash, you’re disintegrating into nothingness.

Most people think he’s being moody, that he’s just been scolded by his father or older brother, but Neytiri knows better.

She sees the way her son has changed over the course of the past few weeks. She knows there is a great burden that he carries, but much like her beloved and her eldest, he suffers in silence.

“Maitan,” she says quietly, brushing a braid from his face as he folds the leaves around a chunk of steaming meat.

Lo’ak pauses almost imperceptibly, but continues his task.

It isn’t like him to stay home and work with Neytiri. If anything, he’d be the first one out of the tent, Tuk, Spider, and Kiri tailing after him as they galavant through the endless forest.

“Something weighs heavy in your heart,” she tries again, hand coming over his.

Lo’ak stops and leans back, unable to meet his mother’s searching gaze.

“I hurt someone,” he says quietly.

Neytiri stiffens.

“What?”

“I hurt someone I care about,” Lo’ak admits. You’d called him fearless, strong. He needed to live by your word. “I hurt her and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Oh, Lo’ak,” she murmurs, squeezing his hand gently.

Her face has softened as she takes in his stony expression.

“My son, some things cannot be fixed,” she says honestly. “But all things require great effort. Sometimes those efforts will fall through, but that is the natural order of life.”

Lo’ak swallows.

“Whoever this special person is, if you have hurt her, she deserves the full effort of your heart, no?”

You do, he knows you do. You deserve every last effort. But a niggling streak of insecurity tells him that you don’t deserve someone like him. You don’t deserve someone who takes your affections for granted. You deserve someone who will love you with every breath, who will love you fearlessly.

“I really messed things up, Mom,” Lo’ak says quietly. “I don’t…”

Neytiri’s hand comes to Lo’ak chest.

“The night I first met your father, Ewya gave me sign,” she says. “He has a pure, strong heart. You do too.”

Lo’ak swallows.

“Be brave, Maitan,” she says. “Sometimes that is enough.”

Lo’ak’s fingers hurt from picking berries.

His cuticles bleed, pricked by the thorns of the fruit’s bush. Kiri hums beside him, weaving a little bag out of ropes of thin vines.

“You’re not gonna help me?” he whines.

“Why should I help you with your mess?”

You look beautiful under the glow of the evening meal’s crackling fire. It’s the first time you’ve emerged since before Lo’ak’s birthday feast and you’re being flocked by elders and villagers, wishing you well and asking about your supposed ailment.

He sits across the fire, fists tight as he searches for a lull in the crowd.

Spider snickers next to him, devouring the contents of his plate like he’s starved, watching Lo’ak’s useless pining like a show.

Be brave.

He’s standing to his feet before he can back out, crossing the circle to approach you. The villagers watch like they know something he doesn’t and the nerves are eating away at him as he steps into your space.

You look up from your conversation with a girl your age, the smile slipping from your lips.

“Can we talk?” Lo’ak asks, eyes wandering to watch the way everyone watches him.

You remain jaded.

“Now’s not a good time,” you say quietly and a few onlookers snicker in the background. “________,” Lo’ak tries again.

You stare up at him, the shadow of the fire dancing over your features as you seemingly look right through him. It’s humiliating, the way you remain seated and watch him fidget, but he figures he deserves the cold shoulder after months, years of casting you to the side.

“Let’s go?” you ask the girl, nodding your head over your shoulder.

The girl chances a glance between you and Lo’ak, noticing the telltale sign of your work etched into the stones of the choker he hadn’t taken off since his birthday.

She gives him a sympathetic smile as she follows after you.

He’s going to have to try a lot harder than he has, he realizes as your birthday looms right around the corner. The next eclipse, in fact.

He’s losing hope, losing courage, but he can’t give up on you two just yet.

He makes sure the berries he picked the days prior are packed tightly in his bag, the lid to the nectar fastened, and his present wrapped nicely.

It’s his last hope, his last shot to make things right.

Spider, Tuk, and Neytiri surround him, Neteyam and Jake off on a hunt.

They’d all been privy to the fact, aiding him in his endeavors as he organized his final grapple with your heart.

“Kiri said she’ll bring her right before eclipse,” Spider says, peeking from the flap of the tent. “That’s in, like, minutes.”

Lo’ak is nervous. Doesn’t know what he’ll do if he loses you for good, but he knows he has to give it his best effort. It’s the least you deserve.

Be brave. Sometimes that is enough.

Lo’ak glances at his mom and she gives him a warm smile, ruffling his braids.

“You are the son of Toruk Makto,” she assures him, pinching his cheek. “There is nothing you cannot do.”

The words are carved into his brain as he rushes through the forest, the the stream that the curls and bends through the forest. It glows beautifully at night and that is his final push.

“Wait, give me like three seconds, I left something.” Kiri’s voice is muffled behind the trees.

“Huh?” Lo’ak sees the way your head tilts through an opening in the foliage.

“I’ll only be a second!”

“Wait, Kiri!”

Kiri is running straight for him, comes barreling through the bushes, and continues down the path.

“Good luck, egghead!”

Lo’ak takes in a final breath to quell the tremor in his hands before ducking through the bushes to reveal himself.

You’re sitting on the embankment, on a woven mat that Kiri had laid out for you two, decorative vines edging the seams.

“Oh, you were–”

You peer over your shoulder and your expression falls.

“Lo’ak…”

“Happy birthday, ________,” he breathes.

You don’t look amused, slinging your bag over you shoulder as you rise to your feet.

“Kiri and I are hanging out,” you tell him.

He scratches the back of his head.

“I…I had Kiri bring you here because I knew that you wouldn’t come with me if I asked,” he admits. “And of course, I don’t blame you, but I– I just really need to talk to you.”

You bite the inside of your cheek, unable to look him in his eyes as he draws nearer.

“Just give me some time, please,” he pleads.

You finally meet his gaze, searching his eyes as he looks down at you earnestly.

You give him the tiniest nod, reluctantly shedding your satchel to reassume your seat on the mat.

The waters rush gently, like a song as Lo’ak lowers himself next to you.

His palms are clammy as he fidgets in his seat, the scent of herbs and flowers wafting from your dewy skin. He can’t bring himself to look at you, afraid that every sentiment he’d crafted in the hours of the night will escape him, so he watches the bubbling of the stream.

“Well?” you whisper, like you don’t want to shatter the fragile sheath of peace that layers you.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “I know I’ve said it already, but I really am, ________.”

“I know,” you murmur and his gaze flits to yours. “Even if you don’t act like it, you have a good heart, Lo’ak. You feel everything, even the things you don’t want to.”

He swallows.

“I didn’t mean it,” he says carefully. “I was mad and I took it out on you. That wasn’t fair.”

You sit silently, knees hugged to your chest. Your cheek rests against your knee, watching Lo’ak with seeing eyes. It makes him trip over his words.

“My whole life, I’ve always been compared to Neteyam,” he says. “The entire village would whisper about me and how I was nothing like the mighty warrior.”

When he glances at you, he notices your fingers twitch, like you want to reach out to him.

He squashes his fears and turns to face you, five-fingered hand coming up to thread with your four. You watch the union, uncertainty obvious in the way you tense, but Lo’ak squeezes.

“And then when we started growing up, you were just another person I had to live up to,” Lo’ak whispers. “You’re perfect, ________. You’re kind, and you’re smart, talented. You’re everything I’m not and it made me hate you.”

You shrink, but Lo’ak pulls you towards him, hand coming up to brush your cheek.

“But you’re all of that and more,” he continues, the words gushing like a river. “You’re always there, you support me and you defend me and see things I don’t.”

You become shy under his gaze because for the first time, he’s seeing you. He’s seeing you for every single thing you’ve been to him and it makes your stomach knot.

“I have something to tell you,” he says. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

Your gaze is soft, palm still in his as he turns and reaches into the bag he discarded next to him. Your eyes widen when he produces your notebook, edges curled the slightest as he hands it to you.

“My journal,” you say, taking it from him quickly. “I’ve been looking for this. Why- Why do you have it?”

He looks guilty, lips rolling as he avoids your gaze.

“Did you…”

“I wasn’t going to,” he admits. “But there were woodsprites and I knew it was a s–”

“Lo’ak this is private,” you murmur incredulously. “Why would you read this?”

“How long, ________?” he asks quietly, grip on your hand tightening.

“Lo’ak, don’t–”

“How long?” he presses desperately.

Your eyes are watering, like that wicked night all over again and Lo’ak begs Eywa for the final push.

“Since we were ten,” you whisper brokenly. “It was my first performance and it was so stupid, but I was throwing up because I was nervous and you talked me through it.”

Lo’ak is stunned, the memory like the faintest of outlines.

“We didn’t even know each other that well,” you hiccup. “But you patted me on the back and you gave me this–”

You pull your fingers from his grasp and flip the journal to the last page, revealing a hidden pocket. Your nimble fingers pull a tattered string, the remnants of a vine, threaded with wilted flower petals, preserved from being pressed inside your notebook.

“You said that they made you make it during lessons,” you say, breath hitching. “That it’d be my good luck.”

He’d forgotten all about the memory completely, too caught up in driving whatever wedge he could between you two, building up walls to seal you out.

“And you kept it this whole time?” he asks, face scrunched in disbelief.

“I’d hold on to anything you give me,” you admit in defeat. “Heartbreak included.”

He lets out a shaky breath.

“________, I’m so sorry,” he repeats, hand coming up to your neck. “You have to know that. I’m really fucking stupid, but if you give us a shot, I won’t mess it up.”

Your hand comes up to his wrist, crumpling as you bow your head.

“Don’t do this to me,” you beg, moving to break away from him.

“Please.”

His hold tightens, other hand twining with yours.

“If I…if I give myself to you, I’m giving you everything,” you say hesitantly. “If you break this, you break me. I don’t think I can come back from this.”

Lo’ak presses his forehead to yours, breath warm against your lips as he searches your gaze for any semblance of hope.

“This is me being fearless, ________,” he whispers.

You melt, pressing your lips to his tentatively. He’s frozen for the shortest of moments before relenting, pushing up onto his knees to deepen the kiss.

He’s cradling your face and your hands are wandering and Lo’ak can’t help but think he could get used to loving you.

To being loved by you.

BONUS

“I was gonna give it to you on your birthday,” Lo’ak says sheepishly a few nights later under the stars. “But, you know…”

Your usual place among the branches of the looming trees have a lot of memories both bitter and sweet, but you suppose you could make new ones.

“You don’t have to give me anything,” you say sweetly, tail swishing to wrap around his ankle. “You’re all I need.”

Lo’ak doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to your saccharine words if the pounding in his chest is anything to go by.

His hands are shaky as he pushes the hide towards you, a bow made of vine tied neatly around the gift.

“Wanted to,” he says simply, moving the hair from you face to see your reaction better. “Open it.”

You’re gentle with the present, like you are with most things, but eager to see what he’d gotten you.

A tiny gasp falls from your lips when you finally see it, wide eyes meeting his as you free the jars of paints he’d mashed up, the brushes he fashioned, and the brand new journal he bound himself.

“Lo’ak, wow…”

“So you can paint me more,” he says, then adds timidly. “Or maybe us. Maybe you could paint us.”

an — holy shit guys, this was such a big project for me because i really wanted to dive into so many different things in this fic. to everyone who was waiting patiently, thank you sososo much. as usual, i took a lot of creative liberties with this one, but i hope you guys enjoyed nonetheless! although requests are paused for me to catch up, like always, if you wanna chat with me about literally anything, my askbox is open. lots of love hehehe :) xx

taglist: @nao-cchi , @jkiminpark , @philiasoul @amart-e , @s-u-t , @netesbby , @tayswiftlovebot , @dumb-fawkin-bitch , @ewackmn

#lo'ak x reader #lo'ak sully #avatar the way of water #avatar way of water #avatar #atwow #avatar the movie #lo'ak imagine #lo'ak avatar #lo'ak angst #lo'ak fanfiction

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bubblebaththoughts · 5 months

Text

Oral

Neteyam x Fem!Human!Reader

kinkmas masterlist

warnings: 18+ MDNI, smut, oral!fem receiving, masturbation, voyeurism

Neteyam couldn’t lie, he was always curious about you, more curious than he was spider, as the two of you were both sky people. But he figured that Na’vi males were similar to human males, but you? How did human females function? He wanted to know.

Kiri once told him that human females bleed a lot every month and he couldn’t help but wonder if that was true or if she was just messing with him.

You were his gateway to knowledge.

But as of recently, you two haven’t spent more than five minutes alone together. He would try and catch you out at the base, where you and spider would spend some time there, but you brushed him off, using any and every excuse in the book.

Neteyam called it simple curiosity. Lo’ak called it a crush.

“Next time she goes to use the bathroom just corner her.” Lo’ak suggested, lowly so you wouldn’t hear.

“No, that’s creepy.” Neteyam elbowed him in the side

“You’re never going to get her alone if you won’t even talk to her.” Lo’ak shrugged, rubbing the spot Neteyam had elbowed

“Why are you such a bother today, baby bro?” Neteyam seethed

Lo’ak put his hands up in surrender, “Whatever.”

You spotted a tree with fruit about, thirty or forty feet away, and you ran as fast as you feet could take you, it had been hours since you had eaten at this point and you would take anything.

“Lo’ak! I need help!” You yelled back

“Ah! Now is your chance bro! Go help her.” Lo’ak urged him

“Thanks bro.” Neteyam smiled back at his brother

You stood waiting, facing the tree with your back turned.

Neteyam came up behind you and picked the fruit for you.

You saw the blue hand and arm and smiled, turning back to greet Lo’ak Neteyam? “Neteyam?”

Neteyam’s heart wrenched as your smile fell.

“Is there something wrong, Tawtute?” He asked, not letting the growing frown over come his face

“No.” You grimace, “I was just expecting Lo’ak.”

“Ah, well I’m taller, better for fruit picking.” He smiled down at you

“Better for fruit picking?” You giggle, teasing his choice of words “You’re so funny Neteyam.”

You take the fruit from his hand, placing it in your bag. “Can we head back? I’m starving.”

“Yeah… me too.” Neteyam shakily whispered, his eyes trained on your hips as they swayed away from him

He could smell you from here, his mouth was watering. It was a relatively short and quiet walk back to the place you called home, it was an old botany lab that Jake and Mo’at had let you move closer to the clan.

It was definitely less of a lab now, more like your own haven that you could always retreat to. Neteyam loved to visit you in there because you didn’t have to wear that damn mask.

“Where did Lo’ak run off to anyways?” You asked

Neteyam shrugged, looking around for his baby brother, who had seemingly disappeared.

“Oh well, just me and you for today then?” You smiled up at him

“Yeah… Just me and you.” He couldn’t find it in himself to smile back down at you, not with the disgusting thoughts that ran through his mind, how could he let himself think about you like this?

Like right now, he wants to bend you over a tree root, rip off all of your tawtute clothing, and then take you to his heart’s content.

The rest of the walk to your home was mainly silent.

Neteyam had to duck through your door to get in, closing it behind him so you could take of your bulky mask. He turned around to grab one of the masks that you had saved for them, putting it around his neck and taking a small inhale of the “CO2” as you called it, before bring it back down to let it hang around his neck.

Meanwhile, you were busy cutting up the fruit he helped you pick.

Well, struggling to cut the fruit. You had a simple knife, much smaller than his, much duller than his.

He removed his own knife, scooting you out of the way and began to cut the rest of the fruit.

“I had it, you know.” You pouted up at him

“Sure you did.” He smirked down at you, finishing up the rest

He brings a piece to you, close to your face, expecting you to take it from him.

“I’m not eating from your hand, Neteyam, just give it to me.” You tried to take it from him but he held you back

“Such a violent and stubborn girl aren’t you?” Neteyam chuckled

You roll your eyes, letting him feed you the deliciously juicy fruit. The juice dribbled down your chin as you took another bite and suddenly all of Neteyam’s dirty thoughts returned.

Like how you would look with the tip of his cock in your mouth, with his cum dribbling down your chin instead of fruit juice. Or how well he just knew you would be able to take him.

He knew at this point, he was hard as a rock, but his pelvis was against your counter so you didn’t know, yet,

Neteyam cleared his throat, swiftly turning around towards the door with a strained “Sorry, I have to leave.”

You watch him in confusion as he practically ran away. Frantically you put on your mask to tell him goodbye but he was too quick. He didn’t go in the direction of the clan, so you followed him, like one does.

He was up against a tree when he stopped. Sweat very lightly covered his forehead. You had to stop yourself from gasping as he palmed his hard-on.

Quickly, his loincloth was discarded, letting his hard cock out.

Wow.

Your jaw dropped, he was so big.

The sun is setting behind the trees, and his silhouette is illuminated by the golden light, and his body is still and tense. You know what he's about to do, and you feel an odd thrill pass through you.

You see his shoulders rise and fall with each breath he takes, and you can sense the intensity of the moment.

Before you can truly process what's happening, his hands move faster, and his breathing becomes heavier. You can see his body trembling, and the tension radiating off of him is palpable.

Suddenly, a low moan escapes his lips, and it's enough to make your heart race. You can feel your own body heat rising, and a strange ache blooms in your belly.

You watch, mesmerized, as he writhes and moans in pleasure. His motions become faster and more frantic, and you can't help but be fascinated by the intensity of the experience.

When he finally reaches his peak, you watch in awe, feeling a strange combination of guilt and pleasure. You can't help but admire the beauty of the moment, and you feel strangely connected to him right now.

Suddenly, his eyes snap in your direction, he can sense you’re there, but he hasn’t exactly spotted you, yet.

Another sound makes his head snap the other way, so you took the opportunity to sneak away.

You thought you’d gone unnoticed, until you had almost reached your hime and felt a very large, sweaty hand on your shoulder.

“Sevin…” He whispered breathlessly

Your head turned back to him, almost scared to face him. “Neteyam… I-“

“Shut up.” He mumbled, pulling your back against him, he was still hard

His whole hand covered your neck, lightly choking you.

“But-“ You tried

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up, Syulang?” He rumbled

You stay silent.

“Mm, good girl.” You could hear the smile in his voice, “Walk.”

He walked you back to your home, once again ducking to get in the door. He closes it behind him, letting it air lock once again.

“Well, were you watching me?” Neteyam looked at you expectantly

“Didn’t mean to…” You mumbled, unable to meet his eyes

“Oh you didn’t mean to? Is that why you stayed and watched the whole time?” He teased, leaning in real close, definitely towering over you completely

“I, I don’t know…” You sighed

He only laughs at you, picking you up by your hips and placing you on your counter, next to the forgotten fruit.

He gets on his knees in front of you, but he’s still at a good height.

“You wanna tell me the truth?” He tilted his head up at you as he played with the button of your little shorts

“I followed you to make sure you were okay, And I, I saw that…” You explained, “It took me by surprise, I didn’t know what to do.”

He scoffed, reached up to your face and unlatching your mask from your face. Immediately he sticks his thumb in your mouth, you let him. He explores your mouth, focusing on your tongue, asking you to suck on his thumb. You comply, sucking on it gently. He couldn’t help but imagine how good you would look with his tip in your mouth.

“Such a good girl aren’t you?” He smiles

His other hand had unbuttoned your shorts, and he was beginning to pull them down.

Suddenly he’s yanked them off.

“I hate your tawtute clothes.” He mumbled. “Doesn’t show enough of you.”

He pulled at you panties gently, “I like these, very pretty and delicate, like you.”

“Mmm.” You whine

You gasp as his hands begin to roam around your inner thighs, his touch sending shivers up your spine. His palms are hot and his fingertips are gentle as he slowly spreads your legs.

A blush spreads across your entire body as his places soft kisses on both legs, leading himself to your needy pussy.

You were definitely smaller in comparison to the Na’vi women he had been with before. He used two of his fingers to separate your folds to get a better look.

Pretty and pink, definitely different from what he was used to.

He leans back in, his mouth watering as he prepares himself to finally be able to taste your sweetness.

“So good.” He growled, licking his chin before diving back in

“It is?” You ask, almost confused

“You don’t believe me?” He removed himself, looking up at you, also partially confused

You shake your head, “I- I can’t imagine it tastes good…” You doubt

“Mmm what a shame.” He shrugged, going back in, nose first.

He takes his time, lapping and flicking his tongue over every bit of your beautiful folds. You can't help but moan in pleasure as his lips and tongue explore you. Every lick sending a wave of pleasure rippling through your body.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, he removed his mouth from your center with a small “pop”. And reached over to take a piece of the forgotten fruit.

He brings it to your wet folds, with a mischievous smile on his face.

“W-what are you doing?” You attempt to close your legs

With a grunt, he forces them open, “Trust me.”

He slowly rubbed the fruit around your folds, making it even more slick with the fruit juice.

Neteyam separated your pink lips with his fingers and eased the fruit over your clenching hole, and he lets the tip of the fruit pop in and out.

He leans back in, lapping up your slick and the fruit’s slick. His eyes flickered to your shocked face. You were shocked about what he had done, that fact that he had done it, and that you were enjoying it.

He removes the fruit, his eyes analyzing it before bringing it to your mouth. Your eyebrows knit in concern he nodded at it to urge you to take it.

You let him feed it to you hesitantly, but you ate it.

“Believe me now?” He smirked up at you, cocking his head to the side

You moan in response.

“Mm, good.” He whispered, immediately going back to your needy pussy

His hands grasp your hips, and he moves his tongue lower. You arch your back and gasp as his tongue teases your little hole. Untouched by anyone except yourself and now him. His lips and tongue are relentless as he licks and sucks, exploring your body with expert precision.

“So sweet.” He mumbled against your slit, making you throw your head back

Your breathing quickens and your body trembles as pleasure builds inside of you. You moan and gasp as he works his way up and down your body, teasing and tasting you until you can't take it anymore.

“Neteyam!” You call out to him, your hands found his hair and you pushed his braids out of his face, making brief eye contact with him, before you threw your head back again, heaving.

The pleasure is intense and overwhelming as you reach your peak. Your body trembles and quakes as you cry out in ecstasy. The intensity of the experience is almost too much to bear.

“Doing so good.” He praised, his hands gently rubbing your shaky thighs

As your orgasm fades away, you feel yourself coming back down to reality. You open your eyes to see him smiling up at you, his eyes smoldering with desire. He looks satisfied with himself.

“Maybe I should spy on you more.” You tease

“Maybe you should.” He shrugged, though he sounded more serious than you.

His head laid on your thigh as he stared up at you. His eyes practically piercing through your soul.

“You know, now that I’ve got a taste of this sweet pussy, I can’t give it up.” He smirked up at you

You would never get tired of that cocky smirk from him.

taglist: @danniackerman @loaksslut

521 notes · View notes

fleursbending · 1 year

Text

𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. | Sully Family

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 : instead of lo’ak being the one diving into the sinking ship, it was you - neteyam’s twin sister. pushed by the sheer amount of adrenaline in your system, you desperately search for your family. knowing you cannot handle losing anymore of them as well.

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : sully!family x sully!daughter (neteyam's twin sister)

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 : heavy on the dad!jake x reader & brotherly lo'ak in this. is this me trying to stake my claim as becoming one of your fave sully!daughter writers? yes, it is!! seriously uhmmm prep your tissues for your daddy issues! yes, that was a purposeful rhyme. & sorry didn't rlly proofread this!

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : atwow spoilers, mentions of grief, loss, death, protective and emotionally exhausted reader :(, ure gonna cry because i love pain. hurt/comfort, angst.

𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 : Tsmuke - sister, Tsmukan - brother, Iarsä - Y/n's Ilus name, Yawntutsyìp - darling or little loved one.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 3k words !

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 : @eywas-heir @spicycloudsalad @missdreamofendless @prty-poisxn @scarlettwitch-4 @23victoria @avidreader3107 @purplehyacinthss @itssiaaax @neteyamoa @tsireyasgf @nijirozzz @useryourbut @yua-himari @sweetheartlizzie07 @grierpilots @reneehillary69 @fruitsalad1 @forasgaard

𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 : hi my beloveds! thank you for all the support on this <3 part 2 can be read: here!

𝐘/𝐍'𝐒 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑, the cries of her mother muffled to her ears that lay flat on her head. Her other half, her twin brother. The eldest, born only 7 minutes apart, was no longer there. There had come a time when his presence was so natural, no questions asked - no alarming feeling. He was always her shadow, and if not. Neteyam was there in an instant at her beck and call.

They were both spitting images of their mother, they even shared her same deep spiritual connection with Eywa. Even their songcords aligned with each other. Y/n remembers then, how her mother had said such occurrences only really happen with twins. That in itself was a rarity for their clan.

Now he was gone, yet she remained. The shadow that loomed over her, escaped as the Eclipse crept up on them.

You blink once, twice. Wiping the tears that you didn’t even realize were streaming down your face. From the corner of her eyes, she can see Lo’ak blankly gazing down at his hands which were coated in Neteyam’s blood. She scoots closer to him then, ripping the fringes of her loin-cloth off and dipping it into the water.

If Lo’ak notices the shakiness of her hands, he doesn’t comment on it. It feels like his tongue had been stapled to the roof of his mouth at that very moment. Alas, his tender heart squeezes a fraction as you use the fabric to try to wipe away the remnants of blood.

A rough voice coming from your father cuts through the sentimental moment.

“Where are your sisters?” He’s not intentionally glaring, but his eyes alone felt like he was picking through your soul.

“Your sisters, where are they?” He repeats, more urgency detected in his tone now.

“I don’t know.” Lo’ak mumbles, every part of him looking lost.

Your mother's cries of terror grow in volume then.

“Where are they!” Jake bellowed, time was of the essence. Now more than ever.

“Dad,” Y/n whines out, wishing for him to just take a moment.

His eyes meet yours for a moment, before breaking away. He couldn’t look at you right now, doing so would make him lose all of his resolves. Jake had to stay locked, just for a few more moments. Then he’ll have the chance to mourn, to bring you into his arms. To apologize for how now you must live the same faith he had to endure and suffer through.

“On the ship, they are tied up on the ship.” Tsireya wavers, her grip on Neteyam’s leg not letting up.

Spider's mouth moves, but you don’t hear a thing. Turning back to your brother, you hover over him. Neytiri leans into you as she cradles him to her chest.

Jake gets your mom’s attention, and by doing so she passes Neteyam to you. Y/n freezes up, feeling how cold he is. Seeing how pale he is. This isn’t her mighty brother, it was a shell of him.

As Neytiri flies away on her Ikran, the sound of its wings breaks you out of your reverie. Gently, you lay him back down on the rock before pushing yourself up. Staggering over to Lo’aks side, he pulls you into him.

Usually, he’d nag about your height difference, but this time he used it to his advantage to briefly tuck his head into your shoulder.

Jake looks to Lo’ak. “Both of you, stay with your brother.”

Lo’ak takes a step forward, bringing you with him.

“But dad, I want to go with you,” Lo’ak whispers.

“Please, dad,” Y/n begs, unable to fathom sitting by her deceased twin while her sisters were still in harm's way.

Jake shakes his head, “You’ve done enough.”

“No, dad,” Lo’ak breaks. A part of him cracks, the guilt and shame consuming him.

Y/n places a hand on his shoulder, trying to give him some support.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that, brother,” Y/n spoke, catching on to where his mind was heading.

There you watch as your dad and Spider become one with the water. Y/n moves back to kneel down beside Tsireya, as she cradles Neteyam’s face and gives him a light kiss on his forehead.

Lo’ak takes one last glance at his brother before reluctantly tugging on your arm.

Y/n regards him with uncertainty. Before you can question him though, he caresses the side of Tsireya’s face for a second. “Stay with him.”

Tsireya flounders, “No!”

He rushes to the edge of the rock, and you can only wince as you apologize to Tsireya for your and Lo’aks actions.

“I’m sorry, Tsireya.”

She tries to shout for you guys to come back, but it’s too late. You’re already both calling for your Ilu’s as you jump into the ocean.

Iarsä swam right beneath you, and in an instant, you are gripping her tightly and making tsaheylu. Deep in your brain, you wondered if Neteyam’s Ilu felt the loss you do. What about his Ikran? Oh, Eywa.

“Tsmuke!” Lo’ak called for you as you started to lag behind a little.

Quickening your pace, you moved by him. His worried eyes flittered over to yours.

“Tsukan, I am fine.” You tried to reassure him, but you know he saw through it all.

His lips pulled down into a frown, but he knew now wasn’t the time to comment back to you.

Either way, he is interrupted by the shocked gasp that leaves your mouth. The ship isn’t too far from you guys now, but it’s beginning to flip over and sink down.

Lo’ak guided you closer to the ship, haphazardly avoiding miscellaneous floating objects.

“That’s Spider and Kiri!” Lo’ak blurted out, his finger pointing at two figures bobbing up and down in the water.

Y/n nods, as Lo’ak yips to alert them that they are here.

“Bro!” A light flashes in your eyes, and it’s coming from Spider.

A sigh of relief escapes you seeing Kiri alright, but you can still see how distraught she looks. It physically hurts you not to tell her what had just happened, but time was escaping you all even more quickly.

Kiri watches the Ship fully engulfed by the ocean. She trembled, “Mom and dad are down there, in the ship!”

An alarm rings like an insistent bell in your mind. Of course, no wonder they were alone.

But where is Tuk? Y/n’s conscience is on overdrive, the exhaustion is gnawing at her heavily. She’d get nowhere like this, tackle one thing at a time. That’s what she needs to do.

“Grab on- Y/n!” Lo’ak protested as you descended further into the murky waters. Except it was too late, she was already gone.

Y/n’s eyes squinted as the water pulled at her skin due to the high speeds she was going at. In spite of that, it did not matter. Nothing mattered more than saving whatever was left of her family.

Darting into the first opening of the ship you are able to squeeze through, not without realising the spaces were far too cramped to navigate your Ilu through. With that, you reluctantly release her.

The further you descended, the more effort it took to be able to examine your surroundings. You can feel your chest starting to tighten just a little. However, Y/n notices a faint outline of an avatar body ahead of her.

It takes every willpower within her to not weep at the sight of your dad twitching against a part of the collapsing ship. Jumping into action, wrapping both of your arms around one of his. Then you tug as hard as you can, back from where you had just come from.

You recalled the air pocket you encountered not too long ago. Yes, that will work for now.

The closer you grew to your destination, the more your dad fidgeted in your tight grasp. Then, his arms reached up.

Y/n and Jake exhale as they break through the surface.

“Dad?” She whimpers her heart, sinking as Jake struggles to catch his breath.

He clutches onto the side of the wall, his chest rising up and down far too rapidly.

“Dad, please. Take a few deep breaths!” She falters when trying to approach him, scared to jolt him even more.

He groans, eyes bleary, “Neteyam?”

It felt like an axe had been wedged in your heart. You’ve dealt with far too much in a span of few hours.

“No, dad. It’s Y/n”

“Oh, Y/n…you just look so much like him.” He struggles to say.

Y/n clenches her eyes closed in despair. She knew that voice, it was the one he’d use to try to weave out of something. Sugarcoating, he had told you when you were younger.

She couldn’t help but weigh on the thought that he probably thought he was dead and with Eywa.

Sighing, her hand presses into her face. “Sorry, I know. You and ma always say that.”

In a blink of an eye, profound guilt encapsulates her very being. Once again, Y/n has been reminded of Neteyam. What she has lost, what she must now grieve.

Gulping, her voice stammered “I’m sorry, sir. His death was all my fault. I should have done better.”

Jake’s heart lurches at your words, being reminded of Tommy.

“Focus, just focus on getting out.” He coughs as the lights behind you flicker. The ship's loud groans rattle in both of your ears.

“Okay, okay,” Y/m mumbles to herself. Analyzing her surroundings, she realizes the water is rising at a quicker pace. Dammit.

“We’re losing air pockets, dad. Come on, let’s go,” She insisted.

Jake lets out sounds of pain as he moves into the corner.

“You know your way out?” He inquires. Before you look at him with a scrutinizing gaze he takes you in with all his pride. His daughter, his first-ever daughter.

Ah, there it is. Furrowed brows and all.

“I think so. But dad, you’re gonna have to hold your breath for a while. Okay?” She responded, ignoring the ache in her limbs.

You lean into him then, thumbing the blood seeping out from one of the cuts on his face.

Just like he’d do to you when you were little, an action so simple whenever you’d hurt yourself. Something you inhabited from him.

That’s exactly why he can’t keep you here. You still had so much more to live for.

“I can’t make it, but you can. You can, you can.”

You speak over the top of him, anguish spreading across your facial features. “No, no-no, dad!”

The tone in your voice pitches, conveying the desperation you felt right at that moment.

“I refuse, I can’t lose you too. Not you, dad.” She says vehemently. So much finality had been wrapped into that sentence, and he knew that you weren’t going to move.

If he can’t make it, then you weren’t leaving his side. You’re going to stay right here.

He rapidly blinks his eyes, finally clearing his vision properly.

Ignoring the pounding from his head, he looks at you. Truly examining you.

The face you hold at that moment is the deepest wound to strike him yet from today.

Just now, he can see how mature you’ve become in a span of less than a day. It left him with such scorching indignation. No kid should have to grow up this quickly, but the unique circumstances brought upon your family had forced you to do so.

There are tears running down your face, and the seawater should mask it well. But he’s your father, he knows. He can see you clutching something tightly in your hands then. It feels like cinder blocks had been pushed against his gut when he recognizes it to be one of Neteyam’s armbands.

Y/n follows his eyes, unclenching her first. He was right.

She swallows, lips trembling. “It was floating in the ship close to where you were before, maybe it was a sign from him. He was letting me know you were close. I didn’t even realize when it floated into my hand. It must have slipped off before he…”

A deep frown settles on Jake’s face whilst hearing you get choked up. He kicks his legs, ignoring the throbbing feeling spreading through his body.

He leans his head on top of yours.

“I’m so sorry, baby girl. I’m so sorry.” He coos.

You shook your head, forcing yourself to calm down.

After he pressed his lips to your forehead, you lean back from him.

“We’re running out of time. Okay, you need to be really calm. Breathe down from here.” You press your hand to his lower chest. Mimicking the breathing you learned not too long ago from your dear friend Tsireya.

He follows you, pursing his lips. Inhaling, exhaling.

You close your eyes.

“The way of water has no beginning and no end.

The sea is around you and in you.

The sea is your home before your birth, and after your death.”

Your eyes open, watching Jake take your words in. He tries his absolute hardest to ease his mind, just like you had done moments ago.

Good, he’s doing good.

Y/n continues.

“The sea gives, and the sea takes.

Water connects all things.

Life to death, darkness to light.”

The water is now up to your chin, even as you tilt your head up.

“Dad, you can do this. Please.”

He nods his head, “I’m with you, Y/n.”

The words bring you great comfort, your heart now being able to lessen some of its burdens.

Y/n finally smiles.

“Okay, last breath. I love you, dad.”

He winces at the prickling pain but manages to give you a smile in return.

“I love you too, my daughter.”

With that, both of you breathe in before going underwater.

You start the treacherous journey out of here, doing your best to retrace the directions you had mapped out in your mind. Making sure to occasionally check back on your dad as you hurdle through random objects that stuck out.

Y/n looks behind her shoulder once again, easing up when she sees Jake not too far behind.

With a motion of your hand, you wordlessly say “follow me”. A reminder that maybe wasn’t needed, but you had to feed your dad some courage.

Your chest begins to constrict a little, but you try to keep your mind elsewhere.

You thank Eywa as you see the exit, holding on to the bar as you reach your hand out.

Jake latches on to it as you swim through the opening. There you both try to seamlessly get out from the remainder of the ship. The gap between you and the surface lessening.

But Jake begins to slow down significantly. Immediately worried, you wrap your arms around him. Chugging over your limit as you pull him up with you.

Y/n starts to hear the muffled noises of her dad starting to choke.

No, no, no. We’re almost there.

A gush of movement is felt from behind you both.

Lo’ak is holding onto Payakan’s fin, using his free arm he darts out to grab your elbow. He tugs you to him.

There, you and Jake are able to hold on to the Tulkun for further momentum.

The cool air nips at your cheeks as you finally break through the water.

“Hang on, both of you! Breathe, breathe.” Lo’ak urges as he quickly holds your face to see if you’re alright.

Y/n bows her head and then goes to personally thank Payakan for saving their lives.

“I see you, son.” She hears, there you gaze as Lo’ak and Jake share a bittersweet moment.

However, right behind them, you see familiar figures moving closer to you all.

“Ma Jake!” Neytiri called.

“Dad, dad!” Tuk cried.

“Mom!” You and Lo’ak gushed.

“Come here, I have you. It’s Okay.”

“Tuk, Kiri.” She whispers to herself, finally allowing relief to invade her senses.

Your mother leans over, squeezing both your and Lo’aks hands.

But you needed more.

Pushing off of Paykan's fin, you swim over to where Neytiri and Tuk was.

Neytiri grabs you swiftly, letting you fall into the makeshift circle.

“Oh, my yawntutsyìp. My sweet, sweet child.” She mumbles, repeatedly kissing your cheek.

She could not even begin to fathom the loss you have yet to fully process and grieve for.

Another person in the Sully family tree had lost a sibling today.

“Tsmukan, Tsmuke.” Kiri too leans forward in concern.

You just give her a solemn smile, grateful that almost all of you were safe and alive.

She watches her parents embrace before her eyes loom over the empty gap in their family huddle.

It felt like only yesterday how Neteyam would always pinch her and Lo’aks ears, “Why are you guys always forgetting our family meetings?”

Huddling closer to one another, while unspoken you each know this event was something that would drastically change all of your lives forever.

“Sully’s stick together. That was their greatest weakness, and their greatest strength.”

“Thank you, great mother,” Kiri speaks up into the sky.

“Yes.” Neytiri echoes.

Lo’ak gazed at you, then to the sky above.

Y/n followed his actions. She was hoping to each mighty being above, that Neteyam was safe and sound. No longer in pain or danger. That was the least her dear brother deserves.

As everyone loosened their holds, your parents did the opposite. Instead, they brought you into their arms.

There, they cried with you. Finally having a chance to mourn the loss of your twin, their son.

From above and with Eywa, Neteyam looked down at you all with questioning eyes.

“Why are they all crying, great mother?” He asked, not being able to understand the entirety of the situation that occurred before him.

Eywa can only give him a saddened smile.

“Because my child, they are grateful to have known you.”

𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 ━━━ 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

⤷ feedback and reblogs are always much appreciated ! feel free to ask through my inbox if you would like to join my taglist. ♡

3K notes · View notes

whatsthethinking · 11 months

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Somebody's Lover - Lo'ak Ver.

Lo'ak x Fem!Taipani Reader

❧ Word count: 3.9k

❧ Warning: Lo’ak being called a demon (not to his face)

❧ Note: Based of this request. This isn’t the same as Neteyam’s because Lo'ak deserves his own story but I did try and keep a similar premise, I think.

After Neteyam had made it official to the clan that he was in a relationship with someone, who would ultimately become his mate. It was like the youth of the clan had been scrambling to figure out what to do next. If they can’t have Neteyam, who can they have?

Lo’ak.

It was almost overnight that the shift happened. Instead of people trying to win Neteyam’s favour, they were in search of Lo’ak’s and it was safe to say the boy was less than impressed. It was clear to him that he was the second choice. Lo’ak soon became hostile towards the people that would approach him with their false smiles and intentions.

Do they think I’m stupid?

Where Neteyam would decline people’s requests with regret in his voice, Lo’ak was harsh and to the point. But that didn’t deter them.

A good thing to come out of Neteyam’s relationship was that Lo’ak was able to make a friend, Kalä. The two boys had become inseparable. Kalä’s a few years younger than Lo’ak but that didn’t change anything. They treated each other as equals, Kalä was so interested in humans and their technology that he befriended Spider without hesitation. It was nice to see.

Lo’ak and Kalä joked with one another on their short journey; they hadn’t made a plan for the day. Kalä wanted to go swimming but his sister kept reminding the pair that the boy wasn’t the strongest swimmer but he was very insistent to the point where they had to ‘compromise’. They would go swimming but only in shallow water. Lo’ak swore to his brother and his soon-to-be mate along with all the adults surrounding them that he would watch Kalä closely.

“What about Yaro?” Kalä questioned, jumping over a low branch, “My sister said she’s nice… enough.”

“Absolutely not. She used to be so horrible to Kiri.”

“Mmm, what about Moäì? She has nice eyes and she’s good at making stuff.”

“She’s friends with Tahé.”

“But she loves you.” The younger boy teased.

Lo’ak stopped abruptly, the forest had suddenly become eerily quiet. He stepped closer to Kalä, ready to shield the younger boy from potential danger. And that’s when he saw it, a thanator creeping towards them, low to the ground ready to pounce.

Lo’ak could hear Kalä breath hitch in his throat.

“Do not scream.” Lo’ak’s voice firm, “Do not move. On my command, you run.”

“Where?” He questioned, his voice quivering.

“Anywhere.”

Lo’ak didn’t have a plan but he knew Kalä was his priority, the young boy was shaking against his arm.

“Ready?”

As the pair ran, Lo’ak managed to hoist Kalä into a tree, hoping the boy would get himself high enough. Just as he was to climb himself, the thanator charged towards him, narrowly missing Lo’ak as he threw himself to the side. Rolling down a small hill.

“Lo’ak!” Kalä cried, Lo’ak could tell he was ready to jump out of the tree to help.

“No! Go back to camp, I’ll see you there!”

Lo’ak didn’t wait to see if the boy heard, taking off into the dense forest, the thanator close behind.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

What is he meant to do now?

The thanator snaps forward, causing Lo’ak to duck through a narrow opening between tree roots hoping to catch his breath but the thanator was relentless. Clawing viciously at the intertwined roots to catch its prey. Lo’ak shuffled backward hoping there was a way to escape but just his luck, this tree was at the edge of a cliff. He quickly glanced around in a panic trying to weigh his options.

He could either: sit here and let the thanator get in here and rip him to shreds. Try to fight the thanator but he didn’t have his bow, dropping it when trying to help Kalä. Or he could throw himself off the edge of the cliff and pray to Eywa that he doesn’t die. No option was looking to be successful.

While Lo’ak was frantically trying to find a way to survive this encounter, he failed to notice that the thanator had stopped trying to eat him. It was silent, aside from his heavy breathing. Hesitantly, he leaned forward, trying to see through the gaps to see what was happening.

He was able to see the thanator slumped on the floor, a spear wrapped in thick twine embedded deeply into its head. Lo’ak paused in confusion before slowly making his way out of his hiding spot.

Standing there, on the other side of a thanator, was a girl Lo’ak assumed was his age. Clearly not from his clan. Her hair was braided out of her face and what seemed to be armour decorated her shoulders and chest. She stood tall, unnerved by the sight before her. The air around her seemed strong yet mysterious. The expression on her face is stoic as her eyes ran the length of Lo’ak body before stopping to meet his gaze.

“Come.” she voiced before turning swiftly, and walking away from Lo’ak. She left little room for him to argue, so he briskly trailed behind her. His sloppy movements made enough noise for the two of them.

He followed the unnamed girl until they reached the river connected to the waterfall, his original destination with Kalä. He spotted a lone direhorse grazing in the distance. The girl motioned Lo’ak to follow her as she squatted down, opening a small pouch that he had seen healers in his clan carry.

“Sit.”

Lo’ak followed her demand and sat down in front of her, crossing his legs. He watched as she took out a piece of fabric and dipped it into the river before lifting it out and squeezing the excess water out of it. Lo’ak noted that all of her movements were fluid and graceful.

She reached forward and the wet cloth to the side of Lo’ak’s forehead causing him to hiss quietly and pull away.

“Stop it.” She hissed, grabbing his chin lightly and bringing him back to face her.

Her hand didn’t move from its place on his face as she continued to dab his forehead. Lo’ak stared at her while she did so. Her face held no expression but her eyes were kind. She slowly moved the cloth down to under his eye, tabbing softly. Lo’ak wanted to recoil but the tender hold on his chin kept him in place.

Diving back into her small pouch, the girl pulled out a small jar and Lo’ak was able to recognise the smell as soon as she took the lid off. It was a salve that his grandmother often used on clan members when they would get injured. It stung like no other but it was able to heal wounds quickly.

“Wait!” Lo’ak stalled, his hand circling the girl's wrist before she was able to touch his face. Her face remained neutral as she shook her wrist free from his grip with little effort and dabbed the salve on the grazes on his face. Lo’ak winced every time but didn’t move away.

Unexpectedly, the girl raised herself to her knees, holding the sides of Lo’ak’s head softly, blowing on his wounds. The action made his breath hitch. It was comforting, something his parents would do when he was younger, he knew it didn’t do anything to take away the pain but he appreciated it.

The girl leaned back, studying Lo’ak’s face before standing and turning to the river, washing her hands.

“Come. I will take you home.”

The girl made a clicking noise, causing the direhorse to raise its head and make its way over. The girl muttered something to the creature before making the bond and mounting it with ease. She leaned over the side and held her arm out to Lo’ak, who took it without hesitation. Once he was settled, he kept one of his hands on his thighs, and the other lightly on her shoulder, not sure what he should do. The girl sighed before reaching behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Here.”

Lo’ak didn’t even have time to blush as the direhorse lurched forward, breaking into a gallop. The forest blurs around them.

—

After a while, the direhorse’s pace slowed before coming to a stop. In the distance, Lo’ak could hear a commotion coming from his clan. He internally winced at the idea of what could be happening.

“Thank you for helping me,” Lo’ak mumbled, eyes in the distance.

“You are welcome.”

Lo’ak relaxed slightly, his hold around the girl’s waist slacking causing his hands to slowly fall to the top of her thighs. Which the girl did not react to. Clan members started to appear in the area, circling the pair. Jake stepped through the crowd, a look of relief on his face before he raised an eyebrow at his son. Lo’ak face flushed, almost instantaneously. He moved his hands like they had touched a naked flame and he scrambled to get off the creature.

“Thanks again.”

The girl nodded, before commanding the creature to turn away from the gathering clan members.

—

Y/n dismounted the direhorse, giving it a brief pat on the side before it went on its way. Y/n skillfully manoeuvred between the trees until she made it back to her small village, coming face to face with her sister.

“You killed a thanator for that sky demon, why?”

“It was the right thing to do and he isn’t a dreamwalker.” Y/n mumbled, making her way over to her tent.

“We watched him together, sister. He has 4 fingers. A sky demon. Where did you return him?”

“Omatikaya.”

“Ah yes. They love their demons. Isn’t their Olo'eyktan one?” Her sister sniggered, brushing a stray hair out of her face. “The one you saved is probably his child or something.”

“Yes? But does it matter? He is one of the people. It doesn’t concern us.”

Y/n’s sister scoffed before she began to walk away, quickly turning with her hands on her hips.

“I retrieved your spear, by the way. Dad would lose his head if you lost it, again. Oh, the sky demons bow too.”

Y/n hummed and nodded her head in acknowledgement. When she arrived at her tent and away from watching eyes, y/n rolled her eyes at her sister’s behaviour while taking off her armour. The boy from the Omatikaya seemed nice and y/n had to admit that he was handsome, dreamwalker or not. Looking at the bow resting against her trusted spear, y/n thought of how she was going to return the bow to the boy, ultimately deciding to just take it to him.

—

A few days later, with her mind made up, she began her journey, slinging the bow into her back and her spear in hand. It did not take her long to reach the outskirts of the Omatikaya village.

Doing what she does best, she hid out of view high in the trees, keeping as still as possible which was second nature to her. Not long after she was settled, y/n spotted a girl her age slip into the forest beneath her, a smaller girl running behind her.

“Kiri! Wait for me!”

Y/n dropped down softly and started to walk around the edge of the camp before she finally spotted the Olo’eyktan. Just as she was about to take a step to approach him, y/n was pushed from the side, the force did little to knock her off balance, her lack of movement caused whoever pushed her, to toppled over.

“Who are you?!” The girl, now on the floor, screeched which brought much attention.

Y/n didn’t reply, instead firmly securing her spear into the ground, observing the girl before her.

“Why are you here?!” The girl questioned again, getting to her feet and into a stance that would ‘protect’ her. Y/n could sense the nervousness rolling off her in waves.

“Tahé! Put the knife away.” The Olo'eyktan’s authoritative voice rang through the air.

Y/n’s lip quirked up at the side and she watched Tahé step back, her ‘confident’ demeanour slipping away instantaneously.

The Olo'eyktan finally made his way to the pair, his eyes landing on y/n, a look of confusion crossed his face briefly before it settled on a neutral expression but his eyes were curious.

“Hello. We met the other day, right? What brings you here again?”

Without a word, y/n slipped the bow off of her body and held it towards the older man.

“Oh.” He voiced, taking it slowly, “Thank you.”

Nodding, y/n nodded, pulling her spear out of its place and began to walk away from the growing crowd, leaving the Olo'eyktan stunned. As she reached the tree line, a blur came bounding towards her, only skidding to a stop then the tip of y/n’s spear was inches away from their throat.

“Hi! Sorry. You walk really fast. I would’ve called your name but I don’t know it.” The boy chuckled, “Thank you for bringing my bow back, I wasn't exactly ready to make a new one. I’m Lo’ak by the way.”

“Hmm.” Y/n lowered her spear, ready to continue on her journey but Lo’ak had other plans in mind. Stepping in front of her.

“Why don’t you stay for lunch? You saved my life, fixed my face and returned my bow. It’s the least I could do.”

Y/n watched him closely as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a slightly nervous look on his face, his eyes sometimes flickering to her side where she noticed the two girls from earlier standing there. The younger girl looked nervous whereas the older girl looked hopeful.

“Okay.”

Lo’ak let out a shaky breath before nodding, “Good, good. Uh, follow me.”

—

The lunch was an interesting sight to see. Kiri had taken an instant liking to the girl, who had finally introduced herself as y/n. She had spoken briefly to Neytiri, the older woman seemed to be very approving of her. Kalä had come to join them, showering Lo’ak’s guest with gratitude. The younger boy even gives y/n a bone-crushing hug, the girl awkwardly patting his back in confusion.

“You don’t speak much.” Lo’ak pointed out.

“No.”

“Right, thank you again for the other day.”

Y/n nodded and Lo’ak grinned bashfully as she retreated into the forest silently.

Neteyam snuck up to his brother, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders, causing him to jump.

“My baby bro, in love,” Neteyam commented cheerfully.

“I am not.”

“Tell that to your face.”

Lo’ak shook his brother off, stalking back to the family tent, Neteyam laughing behind him. His soon-to-be mate coming up beside him, telling the older boy that it’s not funny.

—

The following day, Lo’ak woke up early to go on a walk. He wasn’t sure, he loved sleeping in but it felt like a need. He grabbed his bow, a few arrows and hopped over Kiri before starting his journey. There weren't many people awake, the sun was yet to rise.

Lo’ak absentmindedly walked through the forest, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Above him, the leaves rustled which caused him to pause, waiting for something to happen but there wasn’t a change in the atmosphere so he continued. He looked up slightly to see the sun peeking through the vast trees. Momentarily, the sun was blocked out by a dark figure moving swiftly.

Lo’ak readied his bow but before he could aim, a hand touched his back, startling him. Spinning on the spot, Lo’ak was met with y/n. He immediately noticed the difference in appearance, her hair was free of its braids. She wasn’t dressed in her armour nor was she holding her spear. Instead, she had her bow and arrow in hand and a hunting knife by her hip. It was a different look for her completely, she looked relaxed, and the air around her was still strong but less mysterious.

“Wow.”

“What?”

Lo’ak cleared his throat, taking a step back, “Nothing. Hi.”

“Why are you walking about at this time?” Y/n questioned, pushing her hair behind her shoulders.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I am going to wash my hair.”

“This early?”

“Yes,” Y/n nodded as she began to walk, “before my sister wakes.”

“Can I come?”

—

This is how the two interacted for the following months. Some days, Lo’ak would wake up early and go for a walk, y/n always found him. Or, the pair would go ‘hunting’ which was more y/n teaching Lo’ak how to be lighter on his feet and focus on his other senses.

Y/n checked the cloth covering Lo’ak’s eyes once more before standing in front of him again, placing small rocks that she had dipped in red paint in the palm of his hand.

“Explain this to me again please.” A defeated sigh left his lips.

“I’m testing your hearing and reaction time.”

“But I might hurt you.”

“I doubt that you will.” Y/n quipped, circling him.

Lo’ak pulled the blindfold up on one side with his free hand, raising an eyebrow.

“Are you doubting my skills?”

“No,” y/n teased, dragging out the vowel, “Of course not.”

Lo’ak huffed as the girl covered his eyes again. Y/n stood at a reasonable distance away before tapping two sticks together. Lo’ak’s ears twitched before he threw a rock, missing the girl completely.

“So, where are these skills?”

“I’m warming up.”

Y/n moved a few steps to her left and tapped the sticks again. Lo’ak managed to get the rock closer but still missed.

“Warming up?”

“Yes,” Lo’ak grumbled, a smile gracing his lips.

Y/n did what she did best and danced around Lo’ak until she was directly behind him. Lo’ak’s ears twitched and he spun on the spot immediately and faced her. Reaching out a hand and placing a single red spot on her arm.

“See, I have skills.”

Some days, Lo’ak would have dinner with y/n’s family. On occasion, y/n would find herself in the Omatikaya camp with her father. He had become fast friends with the Olo'eyktan which was a surprise to everyone since he had made it clear time and time again that he did not want to be associated with the sky people.

During these times together, Lo’ak would catch himself staring at y/n which he would try to disguise. This didn’t go unnoticed by his family, especially when he would return to the camp with a lovesick expression and his cheeks slightly tinted.

—

“So, y/n?” Lo’ak froze on the spot at his father’s voice behind him.

“What about her?” Lo’ak questioned back, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

“Nothing really, you two just seem to be spending a lot of time together.”

“So?”

Jake broke out into a smug grin, crossing his arms and putting his weight onto one foot.

“She’s nice,” Jake started, his grin growing wider and his son’s face flushed. “A skilled warrior.”

“Yeah, she is,” Lo’ak mumbled

“You must be learning a lot from her.”

“I am.”

Kiri walked into the tent, raising her eyebrow at her brother.

“Is Lo’ak in trouble?” She questioned curiously.

“No, just in love.”

“I’m not in love,” Lo’ak said, his voice slightly wavering.

“With y/n?! Finally! Does she know?” Kiri beamed which caused Jake to chuckle slightly.

“Of course, she doesn’t know, Lo’ak doesn’t have the guts to tell her.” Jake taunted, Lo'ak's mouth flying open.

“That’s fine, I will help you, dear brother.”

Lo’ak looked between the two in disbelief.

“If I want help, I’ll ask Mum.” Lo’ak grumbled.

“So you admit it. You’re in love.”

Lo’ak gave Kiri a pointed look before stalking out of the tent, leaving his father and sister to laugh at his expense.

—

The next morning, Lo’ak woke up early but did not leave the tent, he lay stiffly as he thought back to all of his interactions with y/n. Was he in love? It was just a crush, at most. He thought.

How could he not have a crush on her? She’s beautiful.

Lo’ak heard shuffling from the other side of the tent. Someone bent down beside him, placing a soft hand on his shoulder.

“Why don’t we go for a walk,” Neytiri suggested.

Lo’ak nodded sleepily and slowly the two made their way out of the tent.

“Your father tells me you’re in love.” Neytiri started once they were a distance away from any prying ears.

Lo’ak’s cheeks flushed as he ran his hands over his face.

“I’m not ‘in love’, but I do like her.” He confessed without hesitation.

“What do you like about her?”

“She’s kind. She doesn’t speak a lot but that’s fine. She listens to me. She’s been teaching me how the Tipani hunt, it’s so fascinating, she’s fascinating...”

Lo’ak continued to list all the things he has grown to like and admire about the Tipani girl, Neytiri was sure he didn’t realise what he was truly confessing to.

“But I am not in love with her.” He concluded, looking at his mother.

“I’m sure you’re not.” Humour is evident in Neytiri’s voice, “but you should tell her of your feelings, she may feel the same way.”

“And what if she doesn’t, I don’t want to make it weird.”

“And what if she does?”

—

That evening, Lo’ak sat stiffly on a thick branch, his legs hanging over the edge. Y/n lay next to him peacefully, watching the sky.

“What’s the matter, Lo’ak?” The girl questioned, turning slightly so that she could see his face.

“Nothing, nothing.”

Y/n sat up, turning her body fully towards the boy beside her.

“Lo’ak?” Softly, y/n placed her hand on his chin, moving his face towards hers. “What is wrong?”

Lo’ak studied the girl’s face carefully. Before he could register what was happening, his lips met hers, eyes fluttering closed. The kiss was over before it started.

“Sorry.” Lo’ak’s face felt as though it was on fire as he looked away.

“It’s fine.” For the first time, y/n’s voice sounded timid.

“I didn’t mean to-.”

“Lo’ak, it’s fine.”

The pair sat in an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say or do.

Y/n cleared her throat, standing up slowly.

“I should go.”

Lo’ak looked up at her, ready to apologise again but the words were stuck in his throat as a single woodsprite floated down from the trees, followed by several more. As if she heard them, y/n spun around, shock appearing on her face. Lo’ak scrambled to his feet, almost falling over the side of the branch but he managed to steady himself as woodsprites circled him as well.

Y/n turned to face him, a smile lighting her face.

“I really, really like you, y/n.” Lo’ak confessed, lowering his gaze, feeling slightly embarrassed, “I, uh, just wanted you to know.”

“I really like you too, Lo’ak.”

Lo’ak’s head perked up, his eyes widening, “Really?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Y/n stepped forward, taking his hands in hers, gently brushing her thumbs over his knuckles. The small act of affection reassured Lo’ak, any fears he had melted away.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Y/n questioned humorously.

Lo’ak nodded with a smile before placing a gentle hand under her chin, leaning in for another kiss.

—

“Finally!” Tuk yelled in the distance before Kiri slapped her hand over her sister's mouth.

“Shhh!”

Neytiri grinned to herself at the sight, little Tuk giggling behind her hand trying to keep quiet. Jake and Kiri high-fived silently behind them. Neteyam nodded to himself, kissing the back of his soon-to-be mate's hand.

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nilsavatar · 6 months

Text

DAY 23 - BITING

Parings: Neteyam x Fem!human

Genre/Warnings: NSFW/MDNI +18, no use of Y/N, SMUT, violence (Neteyam almost killed Spider’s sister), biting (tasting of blood, marking, possessing behavior), P in V, manhangling, oral (f receiving), fingering, praising, cursing, pet names (muntxa-muntxate, yawne, mate, yawntu, yawntutsyìp, baby, tawtute), feral Neteyam (he gets intoxicated by a plant), friends to lovers, edging, breeding kink ((as requested by the lovely @layla2-49 Hope you'll like it, darling), rough, overstimulation, fluff, ANGST. All characters are AGED-UP.

Summary: It is the panopyra flowering season, and Celeste is assigned to collect samples of the strange plant. On her way, she meets Neteyam who offers to accompany her albeit with some hesitation. Panopyra are known to create hallucinogenic effects on those who stand too close to them and to ignite the mating instinct. In the presence of a human, he can rest assured it will have no effect, right?

Word Count: 5,5k

Masterlist - Request a fic

If Spider could be summed up in a sentence, it would be said he was like a stray cat; always around. With his playful and at times intrusive manner, he'd adopted himself into the Omatikaya, winning over their hearts.

But Celeste?

As much as they were siblings — twins — the two were polar opposites in every way imaginable, like day and night. Spider was sunny, energetic, almost impossible to contain, and thrill-seeking. For him, being in contact with people was as vital as breathing. Celeste was a reserved and private person despite her curious nature. Interested in the village's happenings, but never overstepped her boundaries, only getting involved when required.

The sun and the moon.

When they were together, the guy's light was so blinding to eclipse her in his shadow. Perhaps that was the reason why today, on a rare occasion she went out alone into the forest to collect samples, Neteyam struggled to recognize her. His arrow's tip was well aimed at the back of her head, waiting for a misstep, a suspicious movement to justify piercing her skull. Maybe, if he hadn't been alone as well, if Lo'ak had been there with him as planned, he wouldn't have risked murdering the life of Spider's little sister. Unlike him, Lo’ak and Kiri were at home at the lab, in constant contact with the scientists and the girl. On the other hand, it wasn't easy for Neteyam to carve out time to unwind and have fun. Not when the weight of his clan's future leaned on his shoulders, and on his head hung the Damocles blade of the older brother. Presumably, the last he had really spent time with her were still children, before he began the grueling journey as the next olo'eyktan in line.

Let's thank the electronic whistle of the throat-comm she wore around her neck if he stopped his hand; on the other side, he recognized Norm's unmistakable calm timbre. “Be there soon. Just need to collect the last sample you asked for.” “Got it, but be safe. Stay close to the edge of the woods and don't turn off the tracker, OK? If you're lost or in danger, call Jake right away.” “I grew up in this forest. Chill out.” “You grew up right by this forest,” he corrected. Celeste rolled her eyes, both annoyed and unimpressed, tired of hearing the same recommendations over and over again. Yet, she avoided comment or complaint, aware it would only lengthen that torment. Just as she reassured the man and turned around, the words died in her throat, cut off by a high-pitched shriek that ripped through the air. “Cel! What's going on?!” Not over three feet away from her, a man, a young male Na'vi who must have been stalking her up to that moment, stood there, in all his glory, staring down at her. Indecipherable gaze and bow well in view. With slow, measured steps, he approached her, never breaking eye contact. Celeste was trembling more and more with every inch of distance the native consumed, her heart drumming frantically. It seemed about to explode in her chest. The blood resounded straight in her ears, deafening her; her saliva dried up, and a sudden chill took over her entire body. She was terrified, to say the least. Yet, in the lucidity of those brief seconds of horror, she noted one thing. A strand of beads woven into the young man's songocord. The same one the twins wore on their wrists. “N-neteyam?” At the uncertain sound of his name, in lips parted in an amused grimace. “You scared me half to death! Geez!” Better to avoid telling her he was about to kill her for real. “False alarm, Norm. It's just Neteyam.”

Just Neteyam. Although, in all likelihood, Celeste would have used the exact definition had any of his relatives stood before her, he didn't like the sound of it for one bit. He wasn't just Neteyam.

“Phew, you almost gave me a heart attack.” Yeah, tell me about it… “I feel way better now that you have someone with you. Hey, kid!” “Hi, Norm,” he pressed on the girl's communicator. Close, too close. The trail of his skin stunned her. Since when had Neteyam's smell become so... so good? Since when had he become like this? Tall, muscular, toned. His hair, much longer than she recalled, crossed far past the shoulder blades' line, grazing half his back. Where had that hint of round cheeks of yesteryear gone? His face was defined and masculine. Sharp cheekbones cut the contours of his visage down to his chin.

“The tawtsngal (panopyra - sky cup), then.” “No need to trouble yourself. I know the route. Besides—.” Celeste fell silent under his glare. Did she actually think he would leave her in the forest at the mercy of predators? He was already alarmed none of the AVTR Program was with her. “It's flower season,” he said like there was a darker meaning. “We're gathering some stem samples just for that, to examine the bioluminescent receptors. To figure out how their glow interacts with the environment. Fauna seems to get a little lovey-dovey around those things,” she giggled.

And not just them, he would've liked to retort, reluctant to get close to the plant at specifically that time of year.

“That's why I gotta come with you, no question asked. Panopyra blooming coincides with some species mating season. Animals go crazy and get extra aggressive around the plants. It's like they get in a trance. What was your plan if you came across an animal in heat? This could be lethal even for us Na'vi.” Now that he'd thrown that frightening possibility in her face, she felt foolish for not having thought of it sooner. She could be so naive, even though she knew the dangers that lurked in every limb of the lush greenery. All deadly to a tiny alien being like her. “Stay close to me,” he said in a peremptory tone as he cleared a passage through the dense network of shrubs. A sort of command that irritated her beyond belief. However, what bothered her even more was realizing she wasn't irritated at all. The unfamiliar note that tainted his voice, making it scratchy and an octave deeper, went straight to her abdomen; where she felt slight persistent flutters tickling her belly. Like many butterflies flapping their wings in a swirl. Another characteristic to add to the list of missed things during the years away, holed up within the human outpost's aseptic walls. When the boyish huskiness had yielded to the incumbent adult tonality. A full-bodied texture, soft and even a little dark, resonated in his throat in an enveloping musicality like a warm blanket. Yet one that knew how to mess with her head. She felt the pressing need to explain herself, to take the scientists' side. For yes, as much as the lab concentrated a handful of the brightest minds on Earth, in some regards, their genius made them fearfully ingenuous; they got an almost childlike confidence. As if the research spirit, to always go one step further than the acknowledged, silenced the inclination of self-preservation. Blind and unable to conceive of the existence of danger. Wasn't that also part of their charm, though? People who still looked at the world with the wonder of their inner child.

Celeste supposed she looked just like that in Neteyam's eyes: a baby.

“It was me who pushed for it.” “This is an avatar job,” he stoned sternly, “And why were you alone to begin with? How come you didn't ask one of us to come with you? Someone to keep you safe.” He gritted his teeth, “Ha! You're even fucking unarmed.” She had never seen him so heated, which made her hesitant to respond. “Hm... these plants are close to the lab, so I thought—.” “You thought? Going into the forest unescorted and defenseless. You call it thinking?” His look was fierce, burning, and untamable, it pinned her to her spot. “No, you haven't put any thought into it. The lab is located in the farthest corner of the clan's territory, right on the border with neighboring clans. Imagine if you stumbled upon a total stranger in my place. You're lucky I didn't hurt you, Celeste!” Anguished filled his voice.

She was lucky he didn't kill her.

Where was all that anger coming from? He hadn't felt this way when he'd crossed her shortly before, regardless of the way. Something had clicked the instant she'd told him he didn't need to go with her. That sentence did hit a nerve. Was she really so unwise as to ignore what lay behind tall trees and in thick bushes? Even Spider, despite being all too prone to let Lo'ak influence get the better of him, dared not challenge the forest. Or maybe it was a consequence of that unfounded sense of rejection that had made his heart sink? She didn't want him there.

Well, why should she? They barely knew each other by now. And for that, Neteyam would always blame himself; he had left her to her own devices. Though aware of her reluctant nature, and her need for constant prodding, he'd stopped trying to bring her out of her shell at some point. I'll see her tomorrow. We can watch a movie if she's not up for coming to the village.Tomorrow I'll take her to the clearing. Nah, we're skipping that, going to the waterfall. Yeah, I'm sure she gonna love it.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. A tomorrow that never happened.

Time had passed anyway, and now he stood before a young woman with whom he had no common ground, nothing to hold to apart from the fond memory of a feeling that once bound them together. With whom his initial reaction was to scold her, his own detested paternalistic attitude surfacing. The forever babysitter.

Great job, Neteyam, really. Congrats, he gave himself a sarcastic tongue-lashing.

“I felt like going out.” The whisper possessed the disarming impact of a shout, hinting at an unspoken longing between the words. “Sorry,” he said, halting his steps, “I shouldn't have.” Against all logic, she mustered a smile for him, but it appeared more strained and pained than heartfelt. “Thanks.” Neteyam cast a quizzical look her way, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. His mistreatment still stung, like a slap across the face. Why thanking him? “For caring about me.”

Although locals considered the panopyra to be at the extreme of a plant, it actually didn't approach any taxonomic concept of the same. Somewhere in between plants, animals, and fungi. Because of its sensory tissues and saprophytic lifestyle, scientists classified this species as a zoopantae. Its shape resembled a jellyfish and represented an evolutionary lineage close to a primitive form of nervous system. As an epiphyte, it grew attached to the branches of trees via tentacle-like outgrowths, with which it formed a symbiotic strategy. A curious feature was it grew upside down, transforming its body into a sort of cup, from which natives collected dew and mist to make a nutritious, nourishing drink, and the motive of its Na'vi name. But that wasn't its only use; the vine-like stems were strong and flexible, perfect for making nets, traps, and woven objects of any kind. Furthermore, the phosphorescent tips lured in unsuspecting prey with their faint electrical signals, yet they appeared to serve a purpose beyond that. The latter caught the attention of the research team. The sensory cells seemed to have an aphrodisiac effect during flowering when the spores fluttered in the air. Young Na'vi frequently wore them while searching for a mate.

Did that truly reflect the reality, though? Did panopyra alter hormones so strongly that it led to a state of mental instability? Or was it pure chance that animals displayed exceptionally unusual behaviour in the presence of the plant while facing heat? The plan was to gather samples, find the source of the bioluminescence, synthesize it, and conduct field trials. Celeste never imagined that arriving at the site during the bloom height accompanied by a Na'vi man would cause her to go straight to the experiments. Nor did she herself word become the lab rat.

The zooplantae structure grew near Utraya Mokri (Tree of Voices); a sacred place to the Omatikaya, to which they weren't normally allowed access. A rule they had never dared to evade, even as children, and the girl was quite impressed with Neteyam's idea. Other colonies were nearby, she suggested, but the young man argued that their location ventured too far into the dense forest. Eclipse was upon them; the sunset's warm orange light colored everything the dying sun could reach. Night was looming - the time of day when predators were at their busiest. Neteyam would never purposely endanger her if he could avert it. He was a pragmatic man, of innate wisdom for his age, always opting for the most favorable outcomes scenario. He would worry later about the consequences of violating the purity of this place (assuming anyone found out). As if coming there at that particular time of the year wasn't equally reckless, if not more so. However, Celeste was human. Nothing should have taken place, right? Just indigenous species were subjected to the hypnotic effect of panopyra, so on her, it wouldn't have resulted in any behavioral changes. And without a potential mate, reflexively Neteyam could consider himself safe.

Right? To his misfortune, he would find out the hard way.

If only scientists had consulted the clan, they would have their answer by now, but he had learned from an early age that confirmation from them was not enough. Humans had to have proof, tangible and repeated demonstration of a phenomenon through the scientific method. Opinion formulated on empirical basis was not reliable; they had to thumb their noses at it. And the two of them were going to rub all their noses in it!

Neteyam watched her at arm’s length as she took notes in her haphazard handwriting alongside pen sketches. Attentive eyes never left her slender figure except to check their surroundings, ears flicking at every little rustle or distant call. When he looked back at her for the umpteenth time, Celeste was squatting in front of a budding panopyra whose stems she was prodding with her pen. Despite the new model mask, her senses were not sharpened enough to fully feel the fragrance the plant was releasing with every slightest touch. Her weak eyesight could not see how the spore dust clung to her, unlike him. And that detail would have been easy to ignore, except that it accentuated the delicious scent of her skin even more.

It was powdery, sensual, and velvety, with the central notes of peach combined with citrus, centifolia, and jasmine. But the enchantment occurred in the mysterious background of her perfume; where the spices, cinnamon, amber, and subtle hint of underbrush blended with her epidermis. She felt stuffy, but the trail of the lab that lingered on her was also part of what the woman was all about.

Just a little more. Celeste had almost finished jamming the tip of the last stem into the slide. Just a little more and they would be gone. He could start breathing again. Even a small distance weakened the intensity of the plant's influence. He could have held on, except…

“Shit!” moaned the girl in a ragged sigh as she shook her left hand. Neteyam’s already flaring senses snapped and without registering the movement, he was on her. Her hand, whose wrist he was clutching, a palm away from his face. He inhaled so eagerly, Neteyam, that for a moment she feared the skin would peel off her fingers, which were sprinkled with viscous nectar. His nostrils flared and his mouth twisted into an ecstatic smile from which his canines sprouted, longer and sharper than they had ever seemed.

She dared not breathe a word, Celeste, as the Na’vi tugged her wrist higher and his nose took up her arm to the crook of her neck, where his hot breath gave her goosebumps.

“T-teyam,” the tone was hesitant, but the nickname sounded like an invitation. His eyelids, which had remained closed up to that point, snapped shut, revealing two impossibly gigantic eyes. Na’vi eyes had always made some impression on her. So big and round. They reminded those of lemurs. But now, wide apart at their largest, a little protruding and out of proportion, with the pupil reduced to a dot and so yellow as to glow, they had something sinister. The twin orbs stared at her with the sly insistence of a tarsier; they seemed to peer into her soul, and Celeste was astonished to feel fascination rather than revulsion or fear.

Then, all of a sudden, the pupils widened until they covered the iris almost entirely, and there the chills preyed on her whole body, and her heart beat wildly fast. “Muntxa (mate),” was the only word that eluded his dry lips; the cavernous, grave voice rose from his throat in the beginning of a roar. Celeste squeaked as he towered over her under his weight, the turf making a soft bed. Neteyam’s hands ran all over her body as he searched for access to her clothing. His tail rolled possessively over one of her thighs. He rubbed his chin against her trapeze with the stubbornness of a cat marking its territory. And that was what he was doing. He was releasing his wake so that other males would stay away from her.

She was his.

Normally, a Na’vi male would have been satisfied with that, but not Neteyam. Not when rivals included humans as well. And especially not in a hallucinogenic state. He would leave nothing to chance; in fact, he bit her, slowly but sufficiently for his tongue to be stained with the taste of her blood, and sucked greedily where a female of his species would have a particular gland. An extra scruple to warn even those fools enough to dare to ignore tsaheylu. The moan of pain that rose from Celeste’s lips was like music to his ears. “My tawtute’s so delicate. My fragile little mate.”

He repeated that phrase again, and again, and again. The word muntxate became a litany that stunned her. She felt soft in his muscular arms; Neteyam could have picked her up with a spoon. She barely felt the tickle of the wafer-thin white strands that snaked under her clothes and ran up her body to the nape.

The roots of the Tree of Voices.

Suddenly, her mind became incredibly alert. She could feel... everything. The strength of the tree’s mighty roots anchoring themselves in the ground, the sap flowing through the leaves in the same rhythm as the blood in her veins. The deep connection bordering on the supernatural that she felt with the surrounding nature was indescribable. And, more surprisingly, she could breathe Pandora’s air without feeling asphyxiated by its toxic texture. Yet she didn’t feel complete. Something was still missing. Something that might have seemed infinitesimal in the immense network that connected all things together, but for the reality reduced to her person was much more. Imposing. That was everything.

Neteyam.

Celeste opened her eyes, and everything seemed to stop. No longer the rustle of leaves or the buzz of twilight animals. The forest, the sky, the distinction between day and night, light and dark. All vanished. Only Neteyam existed. The warmth of his body, the steadiness in his gaze, the gentleness of his voice that rang in her ears, although he had not uttered a word.

They stared at each other for a long time. She confused, he enraptured. A wide smile crossed his face from side to side, and his eye sockets shone as if he were about to cry as he caressed her cheek and kissed her with a newfound gentleness. She had never seen him smile like that, which made her heartbeat quicken more than the kiss itself. His kisses were caressing, engaging. They guided her as if they were dancing, as if they were trying to teach her the steps of a fast, but also languid and sentimental waltz. Celeste recognized Neteyam’s true soul there, despite his aggression.

Ma’yawne, she heard him say, though without speaking. How could she when their lips were still clinging to each other in a cuddle that was getting hotter and hotter? The rhythm with which they mingled pressed in unison with the speed of his thoughts, of his sensations pouring into her as if they were her own.

He slid more on top of her, pinning her to the ground with a voracious kiss as he trudged to remove her shoes. His fingers quarreled with the laces, then went up her calf, her knee, her pelvis, until there was nothing left to separate them. He inhaled her pleasant fragrance and immediately felt different, more vigorous. The innate and almost animalistic recognition that this was his female, the member of his own species to which he was predestined. But how was that possible?

Sucking the breath from her lungs, his wet kisses lingered on her lips, letting the desire to burrow into her skin and be taken creep ever stronger. They were bathed in a cloud of spores that blurred his vision, but he didn’t need his sight to know where Celeste’s warm irises were. He could feel them searching for him in the haze, wandering over his face and crossing to his own.

This makes no sense, she thought. You are Na’vi; he laid a hand on her chest, Your heart is Na’vi. Their mouths didn’t come off for a second. I shouldn’t be feeling all this. Feeling you.

One of his hands slipped until he found his braid and lifted it in front of her. Celeste followed it in length until her gaze landed where the tips of his hair revealed the nerves of his tswin. A myriad of emotions followed on her face.

Bewilderment. Surprise. Awareness. And finally… Embarrassment.

His kuru was connected to the tubular outgrowth, anchoring to her nape. The ultimate intimacy. Ripples of light spread around them, two atokirina dancing together in the air.

Nawna Sa’nok accepted you as her daughter. His eyes were luminous, honest, infinitely deep. I am with you now, Cel. We are mated for life.

He laid his head down, and her arms enfolded him. They started exploring each other with sparkling eyes. Neteyam went to his knees and stared at her with trembling anticipation. Celeste just nodded, looking at him with eyes full of meaning. Their mouths found themselves again, with even more passion, overwhelming frustration, almost fury. She clung to his forearms as if it were worth her life; she wouldn’t let him go. Arching her back, she clung to him as she stroked the stripes on his back and shoulders, then intertwined her fingers in his hair when Neteyam moved his lips to cover every inch of skin to her intimacy.

And so he tasted her. Sensual and tender, his thumbs caressing her asscheeks as he slowly slid his tongue into her womanhood to get a better taste. His tongue and the way it pressed against her walls made her push her head against the moss and let him explore her further. A small tingle in her lower abdomen told her how much she wanted him, how much she needed his touch, craved it.

“So soft,” Neteyam murmured against her skin, kissing and squeezing the fat of her thigh. She relished in the way his mouth sucked at her skin, leaving marks that would last for days. He giggled and began to draw circles around her cunt, watching Celeste squirm beneath him. Her only thoughts were how desperately she wanted to ride his smug face. And his ability to know exactly what she was thinking was shaking. Tsaheylu, baby. He tilted his head to look at her flushed expression. Her breath caught as she expected him to fuck her with his tongue, already a whimpering mess, and he hadn’t even started yet. Ride my face. His demanding tone only added to her excitement and the speed of her heartbeat. Celeste moved back and forth on his tongue as he watched her with hooded eyes, moaning at her taste. She grabbed his hair with both hands and picked up the pace, disengaging herself and waiting for the rush to hit. The intense sensation in her stomach revealed its formidable power. “Oh fuck,” she whimpered, throwing her head back as she continued to pleasure herself on top of his big mouth. “T-teyam—. I’m about to cum!” An animalistic growl was all she got in return. His fingers plunged into her thighs, trying to steady himself as she lost her mind against him. “Oh-oh, shit! Shit, shit, shit. Cumming!” It drained her of all energy, leaving her limp in his arms. A whine of his name echoed through the air as he licked a long strip down her folds to her core, which, thanks to the bond, went straight to his cock. And so a surge of courage came over him as he inserted a digit into her sex, enjoying the little gasp she gave as he cupped it tightly in his hand. “Gonna let me breed your tight pussy, yawntu?” Another moan, this time coming from somewhere deep within. “Gonna carry my kids in that tiny belly of yours?” So that was the person he became in the darkness of his hut when he could be his true self with no filter. Her cheeks turned red. “T-that can’t happen, Tey. Different species can't get pregnant with each other.” “The Great Mother would make it possible. We’re meant to be.” He rubbed his still-clothed cock against her heat, massaging her clit. “Now, say it. Are you up for starting a family with me? Carry on my lineage? Say you want me to fill you up ’til your tummy swell with my heirs.” “I-I…” “You? C’mon, open that pretty mouth of yours and tell me.” He didn’t stop to rub on her, he was driving her mad. “Y-yes! Gimme your cum, gimme your babies, gimme everything, Teyam!” “At your command.” He tore off her thin clothes with one hand, shredding everything in one go, and threw her back onto the moss. Then he removed his tewng. His eyes never left her, growing darker by the second. The band of the hunting knife was plastered to his sculpted chest, so sturdy, drawn by hard work. Soon, every layer that separated them was gone.

For goodness’ sake, Celeste’s eyes seemed to fall out of their sockets. Neteyam was huge.

“It will never fit.” He let go of her legs to give her a hard, sloppy kiss, pulling her lower lip between his canines, a move that sent waves of glee throughout her whole body and the bond. “Everything will be fine. Just trust me, yawntutsyìp.” He used his fingers to gently pull her lips apart, catching a glimpse of her wet cunt. Celeste shuddered at his touch as he moved his thumb over her swollen clit. She sighed his name as his leaky tip probed against her ring. He moved it along her swollen clit, still feeling her swollen folds throbbing from her orgasm. He pushed in with a hiss and her mouth fell wide open from the stretch, his cock ready to tear her apart. “Wiya (damn), so fuckin’ tight,” he threw his head back, grip tightening around the back of her knees as he worked his way into her. He smirked as he watched his length disappear inside her clenching walls, his hips beginning to move. “There you go, scarfing it down.” The human girl bit down on her lip when his tip pushed against her G-spot.

Celeste raised herself up just enough on her elbows to watch the point where their bodies connected, to see his gigantic dick disappear and reappear, disappear and reappear, wondering how his fragile little body could accommodate it so well, amazed at the bulge inside her belly. Her lips could be bleeding from how hard she bit them, her eyebrows knitted together. Desperate whimpers were the only sounds she could manage as his thrusts became so heavy she was sure she could feel him in her very core. His eyes were on fire, locked with hers. Enchanting. Rough hands went to the back of her neck, interlocking his fingers behind it, holding it in place as he rutted inside her. “We’re really meant to be. Shaped for each other so perfectly,” her folds squeezed him in after each sentence. He spoke with mirth; he was enjoying the way she was falling apart for him.

She couldn’t tell what came over her, but when she reached to grab him by his shoulders and pull him with all her strength on top of her, she sank her nails as hard as she could into his cerulean flesh, and then bit. Hard. Neteyam wailed from the pain; her teeth sharper than he ever thought. But the pain, mixed with pleasure, sent him over the moon. He switched positions in a flash; Celeste was now on top of him as he held her in place. “Do it again. Bite me.” He took her by the nape of her delicate head against the column of his neck, turning just enough to expose himself to her. “Bite me. Right here,” he pointed, where below was the mating gland. Neteyam encouraged her by driving his hips upwards into her core, making her cry out; he just hit the spot that could make the human girl lose it.

She applied pressure to his neck, feeling it pulsate under her lips, and he started moving again, rushing his cock inside. “Don’t be afraid. Bite me with all you got.” Chomping down on the flesh with all her might, Neteyam’s jaw ticked in response, and the coppery taste of blood wet her tongue. “Y-yeah, yawne. Mark me like you own me.” His voice strained, shaky even, overwhelmed by just how much pleasure it was giving them both, with Neteyam thrusting as rough as he could. “Ma’ lor muntxate (my beautiful mate).” She put her entire weight into the bite that was chomping his trapeze, her mind flying out of her head as she felt him reaching his peak. Too much. His cock was opening her too rapidly, and Celeste couldn’t even sit straight anymore. "T-tey, I can't hang on for much longer." Pushing her onto the moss, and sliding right back into her gummy walls, he pinned both her wrists over her head, slamming himself inside her so deeply, it felt like he wanted to rip her apart. “Just a little bit, ma’tawtute. Almost there. Hold out for me.” His thrusts sped up to the point her whole frame bounced on the solid ground, whining and closing her eyes shut, orgasm approaching with full force. “Yes, yawne, just like that. You’re so good to me. Taking all of me so well.”

Those praises pushed her over the edge, and soon she realized she was screaming his name and squirting all around him, while he was still hammering his own into her cervix. His hips lost control as he painted her walls with his warm cum, bawling from the strength of his climax. He didn’t stop even when Celeste was sure he’d given her everything he had to give, filling her to the brim with his load and continuing to slowly rock his hips into her overstimulated cunt.

After a moment, he looked down, his expression turning sorrowful, realizing what the intoxication had caused him to do, now that its hallucinogenic effects were wearing off. “Cel, are you okay?” A tired nod was all she managed, still so out of it to concentrate on anything else but the sensation of his cum dripping down her tights. “I’m so, so sorry. What I did—.” She shushed him by laying a finger on his lips. “That was amazing. You are amazing. Whatever triggered this, it allowed me to look inside your heart and there was no will to force me to do anything.”

It was so bizarre how the same person who had just minutes before fucked her into oblivion was now staring at her with the most intense, loving eyes, his topaz eyes tugging at her heartstrings. “Nga yawne lu oer (I love you).” “Nga yawne lu oer nìteng (I love you too).”

The happiness that simple words brought to him was impossible to contain, as Neteyam laid on his side to cradle her in his arms. He whispered words of adoration and gentle praise in her ear, and it was this that caused Celeste to drift off into a much-needed sleep.

A whole new life awaiting.

Special thanks to @pandoraslxna for the prompt!!

[@neteyamssyulang sorry I didn't you right away, I was so eager to post that I forgot😅]

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strongheartneteyam · 6 months

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[ credits of the Neteyam pic go to cinetrix ]

Champagne Problems

Part 6

Pairing: Neteyam Sully x female!human!reader

CW: a lot of angst, tension between neteyam and reader, heartbroken neteyam, sexual tension, heartbroken reader, insecure neteyam, jealous reader, neteyam just won't leave reader's head, hurt/comfort (?), TRIGGER WARNING for some sensitive themes like reader showing signs of low self steem and not thinking she's worth it, friend group dynamic among reader, adeline and kate, kiri being sweet, reader misses neteyam and regrets dumping him, reader thinks she's protecting neteyam from hurt by staying away from him, spider makes an appearance, kiri being protective over neteyam's feelings, reader tells kiri she likes neteyam. Tell me if there's more, pls.

Here I come, finally updating this incredibly angsty fanfiction :') I hope y'all enjoy this. Writing this fic breaks my heart, guys… it feels raw, honestly. Maybe I'm just speaking like this bc I'm on my period + I'm listening to a sad Taylor Swift song but omg my heart aches rn

Not proofread. I'm sorry, babies, I'm dead rn. So freaking sleepy and finishing this at 5 am bc my mind just wouldn't let me sleep and kept forcing me to think about and write this chapter.

Part 5: The sand hurts my feelings

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It hits different 'cause it's you

I used to switch out these Kens, I'd just ghost

Rip the Band-Aid off and skip town like an asshole outlaw

Freedom felt like summer then on the coast

Now the sun burns my heart and the sand hurts my feelings

And I never don't cry at the bar

Yeah, my sadness is contagious

Hits Different (Taylor Swift)

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"Hey." Neteyam greeted you in a dry tone. He found it hard to look into your eyes so he just gazed rapidly into them and then kept his eyes on the ground.

His heart was broken, aching and his pride was shattered. Neteyam hated to see everybody around him looking at him with pity in their faces, knowing that he had been dumped by the girl he loved. He wondered if the boys - Lo'ak, Rotxo and Ao'nung - looked down on him now. Neteyam suddenly felt like he was not a good hypothetical mate. He had always thought he would make a good, reliable and loving mate to the girl he would one day choose to be his but you made him start doubting that after last night. He knew it was probably stupid but still he couldn't seem to get rid of those feelings.

You tried to hide your uneasiness but it was written all over your face.

"Hi." You answered Neteyam, your heart pounding in your chest, anxiety leaving your hands cold.

The pain you were causing Neteyam could be easily seen in the way his jaw clenched, in the way he weirdly looked insecure instead of confident as he always seemed to be. You wanted to say "I'm sorry", you wanted to say "Maybe I did the wrong thing when I refused to become your mate" but you had seen him with Munì. It was useless now, anyway.

Lo'ak looked at Neteyam, then back at you and then he would redo the whole thing all over again, like he was waiting for the both of you to exchange more words. Poor thing. He seemed even more tense than Neteyam and you.

"Rotxo, Ao'nung" Neteyam rapidly called, looking now at the Metkayina boys "Tonowari is waiting for us. Clan business." His voice was serious and seemed slightly annoyed, his face stern

You wondered if Neteyam said "clan business" instead of giving more detail because you were sitting there too and he was mad at you. Well, you didn't blame him if that's how he felt. You deserved it. You could have been nicer to him this morning.

"Let's go!" Lo'ak spoke loudly, like he was trying to get out of that awkward situation as fast as he could

"Chill out, forest boy. We're going." Ao'nung teased and Rotxo laughed

"I'm Metkayina now, fish lips. Stop calling me that." Lo'ak responded

Frenemies indeed.

The boys left and your gaze was fixed on Neteyam's back as he walked away next to the other Metkayina. As you looked down at the beach floor, you wished that ache inside you would just vanish but life doesn't work that way.

When you looked up, you saw Tsireya's and Kiri's big feline eyes fixed on your face. It scared the crap out of you. They seemed even wider now.

"What?!" You sounded legitimately startled

"Neteyam told me and Lo'ak he was gonna ask you to be his mate at the party." Kiri stated

"And how the hell did every person in this tribe find out about that? Did he tell them too?" You didn't mean to sound rude but you really were overwhelmed by the situation

"It's just me, my brother and Rotxo. Only we know, other than Kiri and Lo'ak. My stupid brother overheard Kiri asking Neteyam how it had went, what answer you had given to Neteyam and he told Rotxo. I saw them laughing like idiots and asked what was so funny. That's when Ao'nung told me." Tsireya said, like she was sorry about the fact that so many people knew about yours and Neteyam's intimate business

𓇼

The day after that, you and the girls went back to Hell's Gate. You decided it was better to leave things the way they were. To let Neteyam have a nice, healthy and proper relationship with someone of his own kind. Like your father always used to say, na'vi and humans will never be equal. But he meant it in a derogatory way, with prejudice against the na'vi in his words while you meant something totally different. It was just natural that na'vi would marry other na'vi, not a human. The differences between both cultures did not just speak loud, they actually shouted like a mad person. You knew you could never get accustomed to being a na'vi male's mate. Not even if that male was Neteyam and just thinking about leaving him behind, thinking that you felt absolutely nothing for him, made you feel a burning, painful sensation in your heart. And of course Neteyam would be better off with an emotionally stable mate. Munì seemed perfect for him.

You totally did not feel anger boiling inside your guts anytime you thought about her stupid smiles and giggles back when she was talking to him at the beach. She would make him happy and you were totally happy for them. The next step for you would be actually believing the words you just thought.

𓇼

One month and a few days had passed. You felt grateful that you had been able to dodge all the demands to go conduct scientific researches on the Metkayina tribe that you had received until now, asking to exchange positions with colleagues and staying in the lab, doing paperwork instead. You were doing everything in your power to avoid Neteyam. But you could never seem to be able to avoid the pain that washed over your body and the tears that wanted to come out - but never actually did because you were always strong enough to hold them back - whenever a sad love song started playing in your earbuds or in one of your friend's phones. It seemed like every fucking dumb love song reminded you of him.

After Kiri sent you a message almost begging you to go visit her, making you feel guilty and saying that she missed you a lot and now that she had her own marui, you just had to go to the reef and see it, you couldn't say "no". She was being too adorable and you missed her too. You asked Kiri if Kate and Adeline could come along and she excitedly agreed, so, the three of you used your next couple of days off to travel to the Metkayina beach again. It was a blessing that Neteyam had traveled to the Omatikaya tribe to see his grandmother Mo'at and was gonna be gone for a while, as Kiri had guaranteed you.

Kiri always had a very human side to her, just like Lo'ak. Neteyam didn't even seem like he was half human at times. He was extremely proud to be na'vi and wore his indigenous culture with honor all over himself. You could never see Neteyam asking to have his own place. He was too attached to his family - and you thought that was extremely cute. It wasn't traditional amongst the na'vi for an unmated young girl to leave her family's marui like that but Kiri was clever and she found a way to get what she wanted out of her parents.

𓇼

Adeline, Kate and you woke up as early as the Pandoran skies got clear and dragged your sleepy and tired asses to the Metkayina tribe. Being a scientist would never not leave a person overworked and exhausted. Like most mornings, you had drank way too much caffeine already for such an early hour in the day.

"Girl, how do you always look so beautiful? I could never." You pointed out as you watched Adeline make two thin braids to frame her round, delicate face and put her black curly hair in a voluminous bun on the top of her head, while the both of you were inside the science team's helicopter, heading to the Metkayina reef.

You had always found Adeline extremely pretty with her dark skin, voluptuous figure and feminine style. She always made sure to look cute.

"I don't know. I guess I'm God's favorite." She joked around and the both of you started to laugh

Adeline was also funny. She could put a smile in your face anytime, even when you were sad. You considered her a sister from another mother.

"You guys are stupid." Kate teased as she was laughing too and holding an energy drink filled with caffeine in her pale hand. She'd drink those often to help wake her up.

Kate's long, blonde, wavy hair fell gracefully over her chest. Her eyes were blue and she was tall and had an athletic but slim body. Damn, you only had breathtaking friends.

𓇼

Kate and Adeline had decided to take a nap after lunch in Kiri's marui and they asked if you would come too but you refused as you were far too restless to be able to sleep. That beach brought back too many memories…

So, now you found yourself sitting in the sand, watching the ocean waves break as they hit the shore with Kiri by your side. She had managed to make you say the truth about why you seemed so troubled.

"Yeah, (y/n), you fucked up big time." Kiri stated with that aura of wisdom beyond her years that only herself knew how to effortlessly exude.

You wanted to dig a hole in the sand under your feet and jump inside of it, hiding and never coming back up again. Of course you'd fuck it up with Neteyam. You had a cursed tendency to self sabotage. You did not know if being so freaking aware of it made you better or if it actually made you worse.

"Are you mad at me?" You ask nervously with furrowed eyebrows

"(y/n)! It's not my feelings that you should be worried about! It's not my heart that you broke." Kiri scolded you as she looked at you with those big feline yellow eyes like she was actually horrified. You felt so bad for thinking it was kind of funny. "I know you don't wanna be Neteyam's mate but do you not care about him at all? Not even a little bit? He hasn't been the same ever since you dumped him and left. Poor thing can barely go train with dad. I think I saw him sniffing while hiding one of these days. Eywa knows that prideful teylu" (edible Pandoran bug) "would never cry in front of us."

"I swear I didn't mean to be cruel. I just did not know… how to react. It was sudden, you know? It's like, I don't know… a cultural shock? Humans don't go around asking people they just met to marry them. Or… become their mates." It would never feel normal to say "mates" to you

Apparently you had acted just like Kat Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You, when she would cold heartedly refuse Patrick Verona over and over again. You used to always watch that vintage movie with Tracy. It was one of her favorites.

"Don't act like it was the first time you two had met. Neteyam stared at you all the time when you came to our tribe. I swear to Eywa I've never seen him nervous to talk to a girl before but you have a power over my brother… it's fucking crazy to watch actually. He's like a needy, dumb dog drooling over you when he looks at you. It's even freaky." Kiri couldn't hold it back so she burst into laughter, hiding her mouth with her big but delicate hand

You were nervous as fuck but you started to laugh too. It seemed like the nervousness and guilt and tense vibe of the situation only made it worse, making everything even more funny and absurd.

"You know the worst part of it all?" You looked at her like a child who just broke their mom's most precious vase

"Great Mother, don't tell me there's more." Kiri said, incredulous

"I think I like Neteyam." You confessed like you were a good catholic girl confessing her sins to a priest

"You like him?!" She almost screamed

"You don't need to declare it out loud for the whole reef to hear!" You got slightly mad

"You teylu!" She smirked as she moved her head from side to side in disapproval "Why the hell did you dump him then?"

"I don't know, Kiri. Don't judge me, okay?" You put both your hands over your face, hiding it and moving your head from side to side yourself this time.

At least you knew your attitude had been controversial and confusing to say the least. They say the first steps to recovery are realizing and admitting you're insane.

𓇼

It was now eclipse. You were inside Kiri's home with her and your human friends. Kate and Adeline were finishing unpacking their bags.

"Guys, I'm going out for some fresh air, okay?" You said, trying to find an excuse to get out of that marui filled with girls - human and na'vi.

"You've been acting weird lately." Adeline pointed out "Spending too much time alone."

Kiri discreetly looked at you with a look of concern in her face, as she was the only one of the girls who knew the reason behind your strange demeanor.

"I just need some air. I'll be back soon." You spoke as you walked towards the door of the marui

"Don't go in the ocean! It could be dangerous!" Kate yelled. She was the "mom friend" of the group.

"I know!" You laughed "I'm not stupid. I'm a scientist too. But thanks for your concern."

You walked through the beach for a while, trying to take a certain tall, handsome blue alien out of your mind when you saw Spider walking in the area too. He waved at you and you waved back.

You weren't as close to Spider as you were to Kiri and Lo'ak but you did love his company.

You sat on the sand with him, looking at the ocean, just like you had done with Kiri earlier and you two started to catch up and eventually the talk got deeper, more philosophical.

"Don't you feel crazy, Spider? Living among beings of another species? Don't you feel… left out?" Your eyes looked at him with genuine doubt in them

"I do, sometimes." He sighs "Especially because of how Mrs Sully acts towards me, at times" the both of you laughed quickly "But this place is my home. I was born in Pandora, I know nowhere else that I could call home. And also, I grew up around Lo'ak, Kiri, Neteyam and Tuk. They're family to me, even if not related by blood. It doesn't really matter in the end, family are the ones who are there for you. Not your bloodline."

"Oh my God, I totally agree!" You rapidly say in a slight loud tone, chuckling, like you wanted to emphasize how much you shared the same opinion with him

"So..." You pondered if you should tell him or not "Neteyam talked to me last-"

"Yeah, I know. Ao'nung told me." Spider interrupted

"Of course he did..." You rolled your eyes and sighed. So everybody knew already...

Spider chuckled softly.

"Anyways, Neteyam calls me tawtute. I think it's funny that he calls me "human", but in na'vi"

"Yeah, that's him being affectionate towards you. He likes you. A lot." Spider pointed out

You stoped smiling and your heart started feeling painful.

"He probably hates me now, actually. I totally blew it off. I was really insensitive towards him." Shame and regret covered your face, as you were crestfallen

"Have you ever thought about apologizing?"

"Yeah, of course I have. Many times. I just…" You hesitated "I guess I can't face him now."

"Oh, c'mon. I know you can do it. Isn't it worse to be feeling guilty and sad and let Neteyam think you don't feel sorry for hurting him?"

"You have a point, Spider. God, I hate it when you're right." You laughed and slapped his arm softly, in a playful manner

𓇼

Adeline and Kate slept peacefully next to you, each one of them in a different mat - but the three mats had been placed next to the other. You, on the other hand, hadn't been able to sleep well in almost two months. Kiri told you and the girls she was gonna stay up and she now was, at the corner of the marui, making herself a new beaded necklace in the light of a tiny fire she had lit up.

As you laid quietly in your mat with your eyes closed but wide awake, you heard footsteps inside the marui. You could not believe it when you opened your eyes and you saw it was Neteyam. His tall, slender figure and head full of thin braids that danced in the air as he moved made you recognize him immediately, even in the dark of the eclipse.

Damn! Wasn't he supposed to be in the Omatikaya tribe right now? And what the hell was he even doing here instead of going to his parents' marui?

𓇼

Taglist:

@iman-lu

@leaveitbythewave

@creepytoes88

@live-laugh-neteyam

@swaggygurlbae

@neteluvr

@layla2-49

@a-blog-name-2003

@lala-1516

@jakesullyfatjuicypeen

@yeosxxx

@iaratezaewa

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shu-box-puns · 10 months

Text

I never would have given you to them; not for anything

(Tsu’tey x Reader)

Part 1 -> Next Chapter

If you prefer to read on Ao3, you can find the fic here!

Summary: The RDA unknowingly revives a traitor through Project Phoenix.

Word Count: 11,251

Reader uses they/them pronouns.

NOTE: The term 'Zaza' is a gender neutral way to address a parental figure.

Connecting to the Tree of Souls was always bittersweet for Tsu'tey.

Eywa was a kind mother. For a few short moments, he could be reunited with everyone he had previously lost. He could ask Eytukan for guidance on being Olo’eyktan, or speak with Sylwanin when his grief threatened to overwhelm him.

And other times, Eywa would gift him a glimpse into a vision that could’ve been his reality, if events had played out differently.

The phantom of HomeTree was booming with life. Those who lived there were distant and concealed from view by the colossal roots of the great tree or simply occupying the foliage beyond its shade. Tsu’tey found himself sitting upon a log, his knife in hand which he was using to shape an arrow head.

A fire roared at his feet, meat cooking over the flames whilst the joyous yells of children darted to and fro behind his turned back. He couldn’t help but smile softly to himself, reminded of the early years in Spider’s development when the boy had finally grown large enough to comfortably fit into an exo pack. Tsu’tey had been delighted, eager to take his son from the confines of the demon compound and let him loose on the clan.

Spider took to the outside like an ikran to the sky. Staring in wonder as Tsu’tey carried him into the heart of the village. Na’vi of all stations had cooed at him, offering Tsu’tey honest congratulations even if their eyes had held poorly concealed hesitance at the toddler giggling against his chest.

Within the hour, Spider had become fast friends with Jake’s children - Eywa help him - and was gleefully dirtying his loincloth as they tumbled and played.

“He has grown significantly.” A voice to his left suddenly commented, ripping Tsu’tey from his private musings. He made to turn to whoever was sat with him, but some untold force kept his gaze glued to the arrowhead he was carving.

“Children tend to.” Tsu’tey responded easily, the English falling thick and accented off of his tongue.

His secret companion merely hummed, leaning into his side. Tsu’tey caught sight of blue skin in his peripheral. Five fingered hands falling to demon style clothed knees. His expression tightened. Confusion swirling beneath his skin.

“A mighty warrior in the making.” The stranger praised, undercurrents of pride lacing their tone. “I am glad his aim has greatly improved.”

Tsu’tey lifted his gaze from the arrowhead as the words registered. His questioning response was halted by the sudden absence of the clan chatter and the crackling of the flames at his feet. His eyes flickered, expressing softening as he realised the scenery had changed.

Now, he and his companion sat on a tree branch overlooking the Omaticaya flight range. Targets lined the far perimeter, whilst na’vi of all ages stood in uniformed rows at increasing distances from the targets, their bows drawn. Tsu’tey’s gaze immediately zeroed in on Spider.

Here he was about twelve, Neteyam alongside him as the two practised in companionable silence. Despite being a full year younger, Neteyam easily towered over the older boy, his frame lean and long, whilst Spider had grown strong and thick in the shoulders. His son held his bow with ease, the strain long having lessened with hours of practice.

The presence at his side had shrunk somehow. The warmth no longer reached his shoulder. A soft brush of skin to his lower bicep indicating that the na’vi who had sat with him had shrunk to a more human stature.

Tsu’tey could not place who this was. They did not sound like Grace Augustine who possessed both avatar and human forms on the off chance she visited him in the tree. Nor had he befriended any of the scientists who possessed avatar bodies.

A celebratory whoop drew his attention back to Spider, who was receiving awed high fives from Neteyam. Glancing to the target, Tsu’tey swelled with pride at the three perfect bullseyes.

He blinked, and he was in the old shack. Although in his present the stolen compound was overrun with wildlife and had fallen into disrepair, here, it looked well preserved. As fresh and disorganised as it had been the night the humans left for good.

It looked homely.

Lived in.

He was sitting on a bunk much too small for his large frame with a baby carrier strapped across his chest. His son was nowhere to be seen in this particular vision, but as always, he felt no sense of panic within Eywa’s care. He simply observed the small room around him, noting that the presence at his side had disappeared with the flight range.

The messy sheets he sat on told of a good night’s rest. The military boots neatly lined up by the door and the camouflage jacket hanging on the back of it, reassuring him that whoever he was visiting was close by.

Tucked under the window, the desk was a mess of coffee stained reports and various pens. Even from the other side of the room, he could make out the shakily written na’vi phrases repeated over several pages. He’d never seen his language written out before, since his people had no use for it, but somehow he instinctively knew the phrases.

Oel ngati kameie.

I see you.

Three words his mate had been practising behind his back. A secret he was very much aware of, but content to allow them to figure out.

The sound of the door opening drew his attention from the desk, and he found said mate looming in the doorway, their son cradled to their chest. They looked exhausted but proud of themselves. Spider was sound asleep, nestled into their tanktop, with one chubby fist clenched tightly around the courting necklace Tsu’tey had presented them with several moons ago.

“I finally got him to drop off.” His mate sighed happily as they stepped further into the room and quietly pulled the door closed behind them.

Tsu’tey could only hum. Greedily drinking in the sight of his mate and son. Gazing at the face that had been snatched from his too early, and the youth and innocence of Spider. He was sixteen now, years past infancy, but still Tsu’tey’s little boy. Whilst his mate was frozen in time. Forever held by Eywa.

“You good big guy?” The use of that ridiculous nickname snapped him back to the present. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

His lips stretched into a tight smile. The irony.

“I am fine.” He insisted. His english heavily accented and rusty from disuse. Since Spider had become fully fluent in na’vi, he hardly ever had to use the demon tongue. But somehow, Eywa always switched them back to that language, despite having learnt plenty of na’vi through him.

Their proud grin dropped a fraction, their eyebrows drawing together. “Are you lying to me?”

He scoffed. “Olo’eyktan’s do not lie.” He said simply.

“You aren’t Olo’eyktan here.” They argued. Approaching him on quiet feet.

Feeling called out, Tsu’tey had to work hard to keep his ears from flicking back in guilt. Instead, he chose not to respond as his mate stepped into his space. Their scent wafted over him as they expertly manoeuvred the slumbering infant into the net tied across Tsu’tey’s chest. The motion was practised; familiar in a way his mate hadn’t had time to master.

Spider went easily. Instinctively curling into his father’s warmth and finding something new to latch onto. This time, Tsu’tey was not fast enough to keep his son from grabbing onto one of his braids. Even in sleep, Spider yanked hard on the braided lock of hair, making Tsu’tey wince. His mate chuckled softly, reaching up to carefully untangle Spider’s fist, to which the infant immediately curled his fingers around their index instead.

The scene was domestic. Something he had mourned when his mate had passed.

“You look tired.” His mate stated, those eyes studying his expression.

Tsu’tey could only nod. What use was lying to a memory anyway?

“I am.”

“You should rest.”

They titled their head, and Tsu’tey knew this was a battle he had no hope of winning. “Spider is waiting for you.” They said.

Carefully, they raised their free hand to hold his cheek, their expression worried. He leaned into the touch, savouring the warmth of their tiny hand against his cool skin.

His words were slow to come back to him. But they waited patiently, idly tracing the stars of his freckles as he gathered himself, his breathing uneven. “No. I want to stay here, with you.”

There was a power behind their words now. A greater knowledge they should not be privy to. Tsu’tey knew this wasn’t his mate speaking to him anymore. Despite looking and sounding like his human, this was Eywa gently nudging him. Reminding him that he had responsibilities to attend to and a son waiting beyond her realm.

He followed his mate’s nod towards the window where he found a sixteen year old Spider standing patiently at the treeline, looking longingly towards the compound. He knew without looking down that the infant was gone from the sling at his chest. His son wore his exopack and was wringing his hands, head darting too and fro in search of someone. Rocking on the balls of his feet as often did when unsettled.

Tearing his gaze from his son, Tsu’tey found and held eye contact with the Great Mother disguised as his lost mate. “Will you allow him to visit today?” He asked.

“He will See soon.” Eywa replied in their voice, untold power building behind every word.

His mate’s hands were small but strong as they took him by the wrists and helped him rise from his seat on the bed. “He is waiting.” They informed him, gently guiding him away from the desk littered in papers and towards the closed door. Tsu’tey’s heart ached at the familiar gesture. This part was always the hardest.

“He misses them.” He told Eywa and she could only nod in acknowledgement. “He watches their video logs.” He insisted, stomach sinking at the thought of his mate not knowing how badly Spider loved and missed them. That they might believe they had faded from the child’s memory, when in truth they’d always played such a crucial role. “He asks about them, always. Demanding memories, facts. Anything.”

“He will See soon.” Eywa repeated, and Tsu’tey knew she understood.

They squeezed his hand and he realised he was standing before the door with the boots neatly lined up beside it. He glanced at them one last time, absorbing all their little details and committing them to memory. His mate smiled at him one last time, before they dropped his hands and stepped back.

“I know.”

“You will See soon.” Eywa assured him, but Tsu’tey was no Tsahik and did not understand how to interpret the phrase. So he simply nodded.

>_<

They said no more as he raised his hand to push the door open, and in kind, Tsu’tey could only nod as his words got lost in his throat. Instead of responding, he turned and stepped out of the bedroom into the hall.

The sounds of the forest came back to him slowly. He felt the change of the humidity as Eywa gently returned him to his body. He sat crossed legged under the glowing vines of the Tree of Souls, his heartbeat still pounding in time to the gentle pulses of the ancient tree. Animals moved in the bushes behind him, uncaring of his presence and content to go about their evening.

He felt the familiar dry, flaky sensation of mourning paint running from the top of his brow down the line of his nose to his chin. His bullet scars felt stiff against his skin with every deep breath. Whilst a body leant into his side. Small and warm in a way that na’vi were not.

Slowly, Tsu’tey peeled his eyelids open and glanced down to find Spider curled into him. His exopack was digging uncomfortably into Tsu’tey’s ribs, but he didn’t care. Now sixteen, his boy leaned into his side and had dragged Tsu’tey’s arm out of his lap to rest across his back. Keeping him safe and secure whilst his father communed with the ancestors.

His tail swayed happily at the adorable sight.

Sensing a shift in him, Spider groggily raised his head from Tsu’tey’s rib cage. His eyes were unfocused as he lifted his heavy head, only to find Tsu’tey already looking at him. He blinked slowly, drawing in a deep breath as he stretched and sat up.

<”Who was it today?”> Spider asked in fluent na’vi, his tone heavy with sleep.

Tsu’tey felt the corner of his mouth stretch upwards into an adoring smile. His boy was so precious. <”Zaza.”> He replied simply, to which Spider returned his smile.

<”It is late.”> Spider agreed, to which Tsu’tey playfully ruffled his braids, ears pricked at the boy’s mischievous grin. Carefully, Tsu’tey reached up and disconnected his kuru from the tree, sending a prayer of thanks to Eywa for her gift.

<”And where did you end up going?”>

<”The old shack.”> Tsu’tey replied simply, reaching up to disconnect his tswin from the Tree of Souls. <”They were trying to convince you to go to bed.”>

<”We should return to the village.”>

<”Only if you carry me.”> Spider stated, lifting his arms expectantly to Tsu’tey who rolled his eyes.

<”You have been hanging around Lo’ak too much. So whiny.”>

<”You are old enough to carry yourself.”>

<”But it’s late!”> Spider retaliated.

<”Don’t let him hear you say that or he’ll become ten times worse.”> Considering the boy was Jake’s son, Tsu’tey didn’t doubt it.

>_<

The last thing you remembered was lying down in a link unit.

The smell of silicone had been poisonously strong in the tight space as one of the scientists closed the lid on you with a firm click. Your heart had been pounding, your plan to escape and meet up with Jake plaguing your mind. Distracting you from the half assed explanation of why Selfridge had ordered all military personnel into the link rooms.

You weren’t sure if you made it out of Hell’s Gate that night, let alone if Trudy had managed to drive you to the secret compound. If you’d been caught, or if your squad had noticed your absence.

Not that any of it mattered now, considering you were in outer space and the Battle for The Tree of Souls had ended fifteen years prior.

Now, you stared blankly at the pre-recorded video of yourself in that same laboratory. In the video, you were decked out in your usual, military attire and were horribly explaining what was going on. Floating in zero gravity, your hand - now blue and much, MUCH bigger than you were used to - kept you in place before the monitor with an unnervingly tight grip.

The you of the past wasn’t focused on their task. You could tell from the shift of their eyes as marines moved around them behind the camera. In a similar situation, your nerves were also all over the place. Your eyes were constantly darting around the small bunk room as your tail thrashed. So many enemies in such a small place.

It had been a fucking shock to wake up disoriented on a small hospital bed with a heart monitor beeping away in the background. Only for a massive, blue forehead to dart into your line of sight, dragging with it, a pair of large, unblinking eyes. You screamed, flailing weakly at the enormous bald head of Lyle Wainfleet.

You recalled blinding rage in your most recent memory of this man.

He had grinned at you, yelling loudly, “morning Private!”

You had punched him, that past anger carrying over as you shoved him away with an additional well placed kick to the stomach and a ferocious hiss. Movement in the corner of your vision kept you from following him down, intending to choke the life out of his stupid, grinning face.

Alexander had been quick to grip your bicep, holding on tightly. He was smiling at you. And it was fucking disorientating to see his face on a na’vi body, his eyes too far apart and his nose flatter than you were used to. It stunned you into stillness.

On the floor, Lyle had chuckled good naturedly and complimented you on your improved strength.

You hadn’t responded, your eyes widening as you took in your reflection in the one way window. It was you, but it also wasn’t you staring back.

On the monitor, the human version of you scratched the back of their neck, clearly reading off of a script to the side of the camera, blurting some bullshit about the RDA storing your memories and implanting them in an avatar embryo. Your expression remained neutral as you glanced down to past-you’s throat.

Mostly hidden beneath the hem of their camouflage shirt, you caught sight of a pretty little choker, the polished beads catching the laboratory lights. It was simple in design, layered three times tall with long, brown beads as the centrepiece, framed either side by carefully selected circular red beads.

Subconsciously, your blue hand reached to your own throat, frowning at the naked skin only for your fingers to catch on the metal chain of your dog tag. It sent a stab of phantom pain through your chest, which you were quick to rub away.

You remembered who had given it to you. What he had been to you. But you didn’t know how it had ended. If the RDA had resurrected you for this stupid little project, then chances were, the human version of you was dead.

You had no idea who had died during the Battle of The Tree of Souls - clearly a lot of you judging by the number of recoms the RDA had paid for. There was no solid knowledge on how far the RDA had won, or how much of Pandora they had destroyed. For all you knew, everyone could be dead. The Omaticaya clan wiped off the face of the planet.

The windows of your little bunk room overlooked the vast embryo tanks of the recoms. As you half-listened to the video, you watched a trio of three scientists carefully extracting the body, of who you recognised to be the na’vi version of Mansk, from the closest tank. They took great care in cleaning the embryonic fluid from his airways before flying the body out of sight through an open door.

/Remember Private,/ the video stated, drawing your attention back once more, /the mission is not over./ There was something unreadable in human you’s eyes, their rage momentarily broadcasted across the screen. /Fight hard. Make me proud./

They couldn’t see you, but you found yourself nodding anyway.

Those words gave you a direction. Past you didn’t believe the fight was over, so you just had to pick up where you left off. And to do that, you needed to get back into the forest.

>_<

The RDA had made special uniforms for all the recoms and required you to be dressed and ready to move into the base upon landing. Their first mistake was willingly handling you a gun. Evidently, they had never recognised you as a traitor. You’d died with them still believing you were loyal. Now, you would exploit that weakness.

For now, you decided to play nice until they willingly unleashed you into the forest. You made jokes with Lyle, established yourself as one of the team. Laughing with the other recoms about escaping death, making wild accusations about what you’d do the next time you saw that traitor; Jake Sully.

It was easy. As it always had been.

As if nothing had changed. Like you were back in school and you’d all come back from the summer having had growth spurts and been up to god knows what.

As a squad, you fitted together effortlessly. Falling into a routine of sleeping in the dorms, getting up early for drills and training, only to spend the evenings goofing around. The recom bodies were years younger, practically brand new, so the energy required for such shenanigans was effortless.

Within a week, it felt like nothing had changed. The squad was blissfully unaware of what you had done in your past life behind their backs. To them, you were still their comrade.

Initially, you’d attempted to keep your distance.

The forest called to you. It’s pull even stronger now with the additional na’vi instincts, and the small hallways of Bridgehead that were clearly not built with you in mind. You felt out of place in its tiny, box-like layout.

Your comrades weren’t too sneaky in trying to ease your nerves and welcome you into their chaotic escapades.

Lyle had always been an overbearing extrovert, chomping at the bit to challenge you into pushing yourself harder and harder during drills.

Mansk, in his own quiet way, insisted on dragging you to the kitchen every mealtime to assist him with cooking. He stated that he had no idea what to do with the new Pandoran ingredients required for their recom bodies, but you could tell he was bullshitting you to keep you out of your head. It worked; mostly.

Whilst Z-Dog had taken it upon herself to make sure your shooting skills were up to scratch - they were. And had sparked many competitions out in the shooting range.

Even the colonel seemed to have caught on. And that man was in no form of the imagination a family man. He was a leader. Your boss. The man you had to impress or risk getting killed. But recently, he’s been acting like some weird version of a father figure. Offering silent nods and backhanded compliments in his usual condescending tone whilst observing your training with your comrades. It would always be paired with a playful smack to the shoulder or a rough ruffle of your hair whilst the squad sniggered.

It was easy to remember why you’d stuck with them for so long. Because despite their missions and the people they killed, they had been your family on Pandora since you’d woken up from cryo sleep. A reluctant one. A ragtag bunch of trigger happy idiots, but they’d always watched out for you.

You also knew that they would kill you if they ever found out about your little personal mission. They made you feel safe within Bridgehead, but you knew they would turn on you instantly.

Lyle wouldn’t hesitate to cuff you and drag you to the colonel. Whilst Quaritch would go real quiet, ordering you to hand over your gun which he would use to shoot you on the spot. Z-Dog would make it look like an accident, whilst Mansk would hide behind his sunglasses and deal with business himself, stealing your dog tags to take back to the colonel.

It was imperative you remained vigilant. If anyone remembered or found out, you were fucked. So you had to get out. Fast. At the first opportunity. You could figure it out from there.

>_<

The moment the samson chopper landed in the undergrowth of the rainforest, you leapt out. Lyle was hot on your tail, peeling away from your side to secure the perimeter as the helicopter finished landing.

You didn’t bother pretending to be scoping the landscape.

The hum of the forest had grown steadily stronger throughout the trip, and now it slid through you like a melody. Calling to you more strongly than you’d ever felt. You took in greedy lungfuls of the damp, humid forest air. The scents of dew and vegetation invaded your nose, a world away from the canned air the recoms were forced to breathe in Bridgehead. Your ears swivelled towards every little sound, tail swaying to show content despite the mission ahead. Pandora was as gorgeous as she had ever been. The dappled sunlight peeking through the trees as the exotic fragrance of the plants filled the air.

As a human, it had never been this pretty. Behind an exo pack, you had never been able to smell the world, whilst the sights had been smudged by the acrylic screen.

This was freeing on an entirely new level.

Someone smacked you upside the head, abruptly shattering the nostalgia of finally returning to the forest. You choked, spinning in place and immediately stood to attention under the Colonel’s unimpressed glare. “What are you playing at Private?” He barked.

You could see the rest of the squad pretending not to look your way. Z-Dog and Walker had promptly turned their backs, clinging to each other as if it was the funniest thing in existence.

“Apologies sir, I got excited.” You replied sheepishly. "Needed to stretch my legs."

“Focus!” Quaritch stressed with an eye roll.

“Yes, sir.”

He nodded once before motioning to the others and leading the way into the undergrowth.

You fell into line, gun aimed on your surroundings as the squad moved further and further away from base.

Within the hour, the squad stumbled upon a broken AMP suit collapsed in front of an abandoned compound. The building looked like one of the remote link compounds the scientists used to use during avatar exertions. What it was doing so far away from its assigned location, you had no idea.

Quaritch immediately issued orders for the site to be secured. Whilst Z-Dog investigated the building, the rest of the squad fanned out into the clearing. Half went to search the undergrowth, whilst you remained nearby, eyes more focused on the compound than the forest.

The colonel and Wainfleet remained close to the AMP suit, quietly analysing the corpse impaled within the ribcage of the dismantled robot.

You swept close on your return pass, ears pricked as Quaritch glared daggers at the skull. Peering over his shoulder, your eyes widened at the pair of na'vi arrows jutting out of moss covered bone and the scar of a viperwolf scratch carved into the skull.

Quaritch's corpse.

And whoever had got him had been merciless in finishing him off.

The sight made you uneasy. Reminding you of the threats Pandora possessed. You were glad when a shout from the forest and the call for backup drew you from the suit.

No one knew how long the kids had been there. Whether they’d gotten curious and followed from the moment the samson touched down, or if they had been lingering around the shack. Either way, the petrified scream of the youngest girl had drawn the rest of your squad to the scene.

There were three na’vi kids in total, and one human child. All held hostage by a recom, whilst Quaritch interrogated each of them. You watched the scene from the sidelines, assuming Quaritch would decide they weren’t worth it and let them go.

But when the na’vi boy swore at him and Quaritch grinned with a simple, ”you’re his.”

Jake’s, you realised.

Your heart began to pound as you rounded the rear of the group, eyes narrowed as you took in the side profile of the boy. His too small eyes, the slope of his jaw, the fifth finger on each hand. At a glance, a full blooded na’vi. But you’d been around avatars long enough to pick out the little imperfections. The broader set to his shoulders, the lower position of his kuru that indicated human blood somewhere in the line.

Quaritch was precise in his motions. Taking the kid’s kuru in hand to begin interrogating him. The colonel was rough with him. Spitting sharp commands before yanking his knife from his thigh strap. The boy’s eyes widened a fraction. You saw the raw fear swimming within them as he stared blankly up at the snarling colonel. Refusing to back down. Refusing to waver.

Quaritch’s expression tightened as he raised the knife a fraction. Logically, you knew the first strike would be a fake, to scare the boy into spilling information with minimal effort. You were lurching forward half a step, ears fanning wide in alarm before you could stop yourself.

The motion of that knife froze mid air, a testament to the Colonel’s reflexes as his burning eyes flickered to you. You made an effort to smooth out your microexpressions, hands limp at your side instead of reaching for a weapon like you so desperately wanted to. Something in the kid’s face had made something tight and protective flare up between your ribs, and the Colonel had noticed.

Quaritch’s gaze was stern as shook his head in disappointment. “Don’t go getting soft on me, Private.” He reminded, grasp shifting on the kid’s kuru. “I know you had a soft spot for them back in the day, but none of that bullshit now.”

“Sorry sir.” You grit out, but didn’t retreat. He glared at you, you maintained steady eye contact until Wainfleet pulled Quaritch’s attention to the older na’vi girl. He had her fingers splayed for the colonel to see, chuckling at her five fingers.

Their conversation quickly dissolved into the back of your mind as Quaritch handed the na’vi boy off, putting blessed distance between the kid and his knife.

Tracking the Colonel’s movements as he approached the older girl, you found your attention drawn by the human boy. You blinked at his intense gaze, at the storm of unexplainable emotions swimming behind his eyes that you felt dizzy just looking at him. Despite his face being locked away behind an exopack, his gaze was no less piercing. He seemed to see you.

The squint of his eyebrows seemed to suggest he saw you. Not a soldier. Not a recom. Just you. As if he could see beneath the scientifically created body to the memory chip beneath, to what remained of your soul.

But that was probably just you projecting.

To distract yourself from the tightening of your chest, you also studied him as your comrades kept interrogating the children. Their voices grew distant as you inspected the blue stripes painted across tanned skin. The traditional Omaticayan weaving style of his armband as well as the songcord attached to the hem of his loincloth.

Your eyes caught on the necklace at his throat. A style that matched the one your human body wore in the video. Down to the brown and red beads. The familiar weaving style. Even at this distance, you recognised Tsu’tey’s handiwork.

And whilst it reassured and relieved you that he was still alive, that somehow, in some way, this child had a piece of him, you were confused. How had he gotten his hands on one of Tsu’tey’s pieces?

Then he steeled himself. Quaritch’s bulk warmed your back, his shadow falling over your left arm. In a shockingly gentle tone, Quaritch asked for the boy’s name, and surprisingly, he gave it.

”Spider Socorro.” He blurted in strained english.

Your ear flickered back at the colonel’s sharp inhale. “Miles?”

Spider straightened, chin lifted in defiance. “Nobody calls me that.”

Quaritch’s expression was unreadable. He didn’t bother to respond and stepped away to talk into his neck piece. He didn’t go far and simply turned his back, speaking to Ardmore as the squad shifted uneasily.

The kids hissed as the recoms began moving them towards the compound where the shuttle would more easily be able to let down the ropes. Your stomach tightened at the thought of dragging them back with you. To know how they felt and be unable to offer sympathy.

Quaritch motioned to the children. ”Keep hold of ‘em. Shuttle will be here in ten.”

Your stomach dropped. Not the shuttle. Not yet. You couldn’t stomach the idea of going back to Bridgehead after this. After such a short taste of freedom.

”Colonel.” You said loudly, making the man pause midstep. He levelled you with an unreadable look as you struggled to find your voice. “These kids are useless to us.”

As soon as the words left your lips, his expression visibly shut off and you knew you would not be able to get through to him. “I’m not gonna repeat myself, Private.” He snapped, pulling rank to put you in your place. You squared up to him. Chin lifted.

A distant bird call had your ears pricking. It was short. A burst of a sound. It had the kids straightening, all their ears fanning towards the sound.

The bird called again. That one note echoing through the trees.

Shifting uneasily, your eyes followed the direction it had come from, momentarily breaking eye contact. Quaritch smirked as if he’d won a great battle. “Take the na’vi boy.” He ordered, motioning to the kid who was promptly handed over, and then raised his voice to the squad. “Into defensive positions!”

The group fell into formation as the sun began its nightly cycle behind the moon, bringing with it a rain storm. The boy’s neural whip between your fingers quickly grew saturated, making your weak grip slip with every sharp movement he would make. That bird call did not grow distant or stop. In fact, you could’ve sworn it was getting closer.

There was a moment of stillness. The forest holding its breath as the recoms kept whispering to each other, kept moving noisily through the undergrowth. Blind to the silent warning.

You held your breath, going unnaturally still as the boy in front of you did the same.

There was a cut off shout. An explosion of movement near the main body of the group.

Keeping your position, your head snapped towards the sound. Mouth going dry at the na’vi arrow protruding from Fike’s skull. It had embedded itself into his eye socket, almost straight through.

Whatever was making that sound had clearly found the squad. And it wasn’t pleased.

As the group erupted into chaos, you saw your chance. Loosening your grip on the kid’s kuru, you slowly stepped back, praying the steady movements would not draw that hunter’s eye to your form. The kid spun to face you, wrists bound, looking wide eyed and terrified.

You raised your hands in surrender, head dipping. <”Get out of here.”> You hissed, nodding to the trees.

His ears fanned wide as a satellite. Momentarily frozen in time. Eyes studying your own for the trick.

A gun went off at his back, snapping him out of it. More arrows were fired and more recoms died.

He turned his back to you, and with a burst of speed began shepherding his little sister towards the treeline. The girl went easily, grabbing at his bound wrists and dragging him away.

You kept your attention on their backs, hand hanging close to your gun in case someone turned their attention on you.

The recoms were dying in disorganised clusters. The smart ones like Wainfleet and Z-Dog had already taken cover behind trees as the onslaught of arrows threw everyone else out of formation, causing them to scramble for cover. It gave you a sick sense of satisfaction.

A shout drew your attention.

Walker had the older girl by her kuru after she’d tried to make a break for it with Spider. She struggled as she yanked her back, her gun useless in her focus on keeping hold of her.

Your gaze narrowed. Your rifle was in your hands before you could think to check if anyone was looking. The trigger was smooth under your finger. And with a light squeeze the machine roared to life and shot a hole through the tree to her left.

Walker shrieked, hand spasming in fear as she instinctively let go of the girl’s neural whip. Spider was quick to grab her arm and run away, whilst an arrow found its mark in the recom’s chest. She collapsed in a heap. Dead on impact.

You grimaced.

The rain muffled your footsteps as you carefully retreated into the shadows of the trees. Thankfully, the squad was too preoccupied to notice your silent escape.

You felt like a traitor for withdrawing into the forest quietly. Which was funny considering that’s what you were. Your ears were pricked and your body low. Eywa must have wanted you to succeed because no arrow pierced your back.

The screaming from the small clearing had begun to die down now, but was quickly replaced by the sound of a machine gun going off. Definitely Mansk’s hand, he had always been quick to react in any situation. You quickened your pace, knowing the distance those things could reach.

The aim was to get as much distance between you and the squad as possible. Then, you’d tear off any and all equipment that would hinder your survival out in the forest until you stumbled across a clan and could ask for uturu. The word and its meaning came to you from a distant memory. A simpler time when Grace had been ranting about some new discovery she’d observed out in the field whilst you’d simply been trying to microwave your dinner.

One of the explosions went off a little too close to you. Making your pace falter as your head snapped up to watch the branches above burst into flames. You squinted as a figure got thrown clean off by the blast. They seemed to collide with every branch and bush in existence on the way down, screaming the whole way.

<”SPIDER!”> Yelled the older girl from before, appearing over the lip of the branch but not daring to jump after him.

Instinctively, you leapt forward, gun falling back on its strap as your arms came up to catch the falling kid. He crashed into your embrace with a punched out wheeze. Blood oozed from many cuts, whilst his back was warm to the touch, not burnt, but still caught by the flames.

Another explosion went off, spurring you back into motion. You tried to set the kid down, but he groaned painfully, clutching at your bullet proof vest as his legs failed to hold his weight.

“Shit.” You cursed under your breath. Glancing back to the branch, you realised the girl was still there. Still watching your every move. And still way too close to Quaritch and his squad. To the inbound airship.

Shifting the kid so he was supported by one of your arms against your body, you strained to relieve your feet of the heavy duty avatar boots. The laces were slippery from the rain, slithering out of your grasp and making you growl lowly to yourself. It felt like hours, but it could’ve only been seconds before you were barefoot, your shoes and socks discarded in the undergrowth.

”Hold on tight!” You instructed the kid, who dutifully wound his shaking legs around your ribcage and hooked his arms around your neck. You supported his back with one arm whilst you scrambled to begin climbing back up the hill he’d just tumbled down.

The soil was loose from the rain. The bushes offering no firm support due to your weight, their roots easily giving way if you dared hold onto them for support.

You hadn’t climbed anything in this body yet. With the base possessing stairs, and your memories of climbing trees locked away in a past life, there was no real need to. And yet, it came easily to this body. As if it had been born to scale the trees of the Pandoran rainforest despite being grown by aliens in a test tube.

The girl was quick to grab the back of your bullet proof vest once you were high enough. Heaving you up onto the branch with her whole body thrown back. Curling your toes into the uneven bark, you swayed in place, tail compensating for your shit balance. ”We need to move.” You insisted, once again readjusting your grip on the shivering child in your arms.

She nodded dutifully. ”This way.” You kept a hand on her bicep to steady her as she took off down the branch, leading you away from the gunfire.

With practised ease, she reached the end of the branch and smoothly dropped to the forest floor before scrambling away. You were slower in following, your body protesting the intense movements before your knees groaned at the sloppy landing. To his credit, Spider didn’t complain as the jerky ride, his eyes half closed behind his mask.

You pushed through the bushes to find the three na’vi kids waiting by some ikran. Eying the beasts wearily, you slowed your pace, listening to the older girl reassure her siblings with soft words at your approach.

You needed to be quick. The owner of those arrows would be returning for their kids soon. And whether or not it was Jake, they’re bound to kill you on sight without checking your face.

”He’s wounded. You must get him to the Tsahik quickly.” You explained as you approached, dropping into a crouch to set Spider down gently at the kids’ feet. He protested again, putting up a valiant fight to keep a hold of you, but you were stronger than him. Your touch was firm as you removed his limbs from you and sat him down.

Kiri was quick to drop to his level, frowning hard at his bloodied appearance. Feeling sorry for the wounded kid, you dared to take a couple of extra seconds pulling out a knife from your belt to cut him free.

He pouted as he rubbed the circulation back into his wrists. Those piercing eyes darting all over your face.

You turned to leave, but the youngest kid was quick to waddle up to your side, her bound wrists extended. ”Can you cut me loose too?”

”I /really/ need to go.” You reply softly, before cutting her loose anyway.

You shifted back, only for the older pair to immediately extend their arms expectantly. You audibly groaned, before reaching for the boy since he was closest.

”Zaza?” Spider croaked, making your brows furrowed at the odd word. Around you, the older kids had gone unnaturally still. <”Is that you?”>

”Zaza?” You repeated, finding the word felt odd on your tongue. It sparked a distant memory, of a late night sprawled on a bunk with someone beside you. Someone tall and distracted. The memory brought with it a sense of dread; a distant threat. You discarded that train of thought before it could distract you for too long.

<”It can’t be.”> The na’vi girl commented, and now it was her turn to begin studying you.

”I don’t know what that means.” You pleaded, hands frozen in time, the knife still poised. A headache was beginning to form between your eyes, and your stress levels were incredibly high, but no one was giving you a straight answer. All you knew for certain was that you didn’t recognise this boy, and yet, he looked at you as if he knew you.

<”Holy shit.”> Was all Spider replied with, slumping against the forest floor.

<”No way.”> The na’vi boy agreed with a laugh. He was grinning hard, ears perked.

His younger sister looked as confused as you felt. Whilst the older girl was inspecting you in a way similar to how Grace used to look at something that deeply fascinated her.

Out of nowhere a large, calloused hand wrapped around your shoulder, yanking you back and away from the kids. The hand moved with the momentum, throwing you off balance to land hard on your back. You gasped loudly, your knife flying away into the bushes. The kids were already yelling as you struggled to gather your bearings.

The barrel of an old model RDA rifle came into focus, inches from your face, making you gulp loudly. Following the line of the weapon, your gaze travelled up a blue arm to a scowling face that you hadn’t seen in decades.

<”JAKE DON’T!”> Spider yelled. Despite the frantic edge in his voice, he remained unmoving. His eyes as large as the moon as he stared unblinkingly up at the na’vi’s turned back.

<”DAD! NO!”> The oldest girl shrieked, clumsily shoving her bound hands into the na’vi’s stomach, her eyes wide and pleading.

The boy was quick to jump to your defence. <”They helped us escape Dad- SIR! Don’t!”>

<”DADDY!”> The youngest shrieked, joining in at her older siblings’ reactions. She promptly latched herself onto his leg, clingy tightly and making his strong stance waver. If you weren’t seconds from dying - again - it would’ve been a comically domestic scene.

You shifted your gaze back to the man in question. Jake looked different. He was older now. Tired. Blue. Very fucking blue. His expression was aged, his hair in dreadlocks. You barely recognised him.

Movement over his shoulder brought your gaze to yet another kid. Older than the others, he shared the same hard expression as his father, an arrow notched and reading in his bow. Clearly, there was no chance of escape. If Jake missed you by some miracle, that boy would finish the job for him.

Jake hadn’t lowered his gun. He was still studying you, blatantly ignoring his kids as his narrowed eyes swept over the planes of your face. The weight of the stare was heavy as his frown deepened.

Somehow, you managed to unstick your tongue from the roof of your mouth, terrified but fucking estatic that he was alive. ”Long time no see, marine.”

No reaction. The gun didn’t lower. His expression didn’t change. Remaining cold and closed off.

Your smile faltered as you realise he probably didn’t recognise you. You expected the gun to be shoved back against you, for a bullet to shoot through your body and for you to die again.

Nothing happened.

Then something seems to click. ”Impossible.” Is all Jake said, and he lowered his weapon. The kids collectively breathed out and moved out of his way.

His brow was furrowed now as he dropped into a crouch. Jake loomed over you, his shadow blocking out the moon as his arm shot forward to grab at the front of your bullet proof vest to yank it down. You jerked, instinctively growling at him as his large hand grabbed your dog tag chain and pulled it out of hiding. The chain pulled taught as he dragged you in by the neck, in turn, Jake stooped lower, eyes squinting to read the printed metal in the pathetic light of the forest.

He sucked in a breath. <”What kind of sick-”> He cut himself off with a swear, dropping the tag like it had burned him. His eyes shone with a dense swirl of emotion when he caught your gaze again, his voice punching out of him in a yell. ”You should be dead!”

Your expression furrowed. ”Sorry to disappoint?”

He cursed again. <”Kids, get to the ikran. Your mother should be waiting for you.”> None of them moved. Jake growled. <”Did you hear?”>

You could make a break for it right now. Roll onto your stomach and dart off into the forest whilst he was preoccupied. The boy with the bow had loosened his arrow when Jake had dropped the gun from your face. But there was no guarantee he wouldn’t put a bullet between your shoulders for your hard work.

In another life, you had been friends; comrades. But now, he was a stranger. And you were decked out in enemy gear.

The heat of the jungle was getting to you now. Causing sweat to bead on your brow and moisture to collect under the heavy, bullet proof vest clutching tight to every movement of your torso. The military grade trousers clung uncomfortably to your legs, your boots long gone but your feet weak and vulnerable against the rough terrain of the jungle floor.

In contrast, Jake was in his element. Adorned in traditional Omaticayan attire and walking around barefoot without an issue.

Private! Quaritch’s calm voice over the com sent chills down your spine, making you stiffen. Private! Do you read me?

You dared not respond. Jake was still studying you. Those unnatural glowing eyes pinning you in place.

Y/n! Dude, you alive! Lyle’s loud voice had you wincing. Jake’s head snapped down at the sound, ears fanning wide as Lyle kept trying to coax you into responding. Making your insides twist tighter and tighter.

You’d been hoping for a clean break that would spare your conscience. They weren’t supposed to have noticed your absence yet.

Fuck, Quaritch was gonna kill you for getting cornered by Jake. That is if Jake didn’t kill you first.

You were so caught up in your musing that you didn’t notice the man in question had moved, until a hand clamped hard around your queue, snapping your head back from the harsh yank. The sound you let out could never have been produced by a human. It echoed through the trees, making your ears flatten.

Jake paid you no mind as he harshly dragged you to your feet.

”Jake!” Spider yelled at him, eyes hardened.

The marine waved him off as you struggled to comply, your balance all thrown off and mud clinging to your ass and back. His movements were sharp, making you gasp. In one swift motion, he dug his finger under your earpiece and tossed it away into the undergrowth.

”Jesus, you’ve gotten cranky in your old age.” You complained, struggling to relieve the pressure on your kuru.

Jake let out a surprised burst of air that could’ve been a laugh. ”Glad to see whatever they’ve done to you hasn’t dimmed your humour, Private.”

”Fuck off with that military shit.”

He kicked at your calf, tripping you into walking faster. Snapping your teeth at him, you followed the sound of the kids retreating into the undergrowth. Jake’s grip was painful on your kuru, but he was no longer using it to guide you along like a misbehaving horse, so you would take it.

”You started it.” He blurted in that typical knee jerk reaction of his. You huffed at the familiarity of it. ”Now start walking.”

”You’re not seriously considering taking me with you? Are you?” He didn’t respond and you let out a bark of laughter. ”You’re being an idiot.”

“I’m sparing your life.” Jake replied sharply. ”Usually, people are grateful.”

You saw the ikran first. They weren’t as big as you remembered, but still scared the shit out of you.

<”Ma Jake, what are you doing? Kill-”> Neytiri hissed from beside her mount. The youngest girl cradled to her chest. The woman stepped away from her ikran’s side, bow slung over her shoulder and her expression thunderous.

Jake pulled you up short, startling a second shout of pain from you. ”Dude! Ease up. Come on!”

Neytiri suddenly appearing in front of you had you stiffening. Her gaze pierced through you, studying your face with a hunter’s precision. She recognised you much faster than her mate.

“Would you quit whining?”

”You’re being an asshole!”

You could only watch dumbly as her eyes widened, mouth dropping open whilst her ears fanned wide as the membrane of a frilled lizard. The hand not cradling her daughter flew to her mouth as that expression morphed into one of fiery rage.

”What did they /DO/ to you?” She shrieked, the sheer grief in her tone making you flinch. Her breath stuttered, glancing at Jake before finding your pained expression again. “Eywa took you home.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself of that fact.

The kids shuffled on your peripheral. Unsettled by their mother’s blatant grief. Neytiri drew your attention back.

”How is it that you stand before me now?!”

Her cry echoes through the trees, bouncing back to your bent ears with the same gut wrenching emotion as they had had leaving her mouth. You stared blankly at your friend, feeling all sense of hope and joy at being found drain away.

She was looking at you like you were a ghost or some kind of illusion. Waiting for you to evaporate or cease to exist at any moment.

Your presence had unknowingly opened an old, festering wound that had barely healed the first time.

This wasn’t the reunion you’d been expecting. This wasn’t the open arms and tears you’d been praying for whilst you planned your escape. This was everything you didn’t want.

“I’m sorry..”

>_<

Jake’s grip was unforgiving as he hauled you off of his ikran at High Camp. Your arms strained against the vines they’d used to bind your wrists, fingers failing to keep you on your feet as he forcefully yanked you down off of his ikran and onto the uneven cliff edge. One hand still grasped your kuru, whilst the other bit imprints into your bicep.

They’d stripped you of your gear before wrestling you onto a banshee.

Now, your weapons, bullet proof vest and any form of communication with the RDA lay soaked in rainwater somewhere in the forest. You didn’t mourn the loss of the devices, since the RDA could no longer track you without them. But you did miss the false protection of the knife and the warmth of the vest against the frigid mountain air.

Goosebumps erupted up your forearms as you were dragged further into the heart of the camp. Tents had been erected inside the cave system, made homely by the cooking fires within and the decorative rugs lining the cold, stone floors.

You glimpsed a compound on one of the rocky rises. The shining metal stood out like a sore thumb against the wooden structures of the tents and the warm glow of the fires.

Jake kept you walking, guiding you through the gathering throng of clan members. Some you recognised, many you didn’t. They all stared at you the same. With pinned back ears and judgemental eyes.

It was a relief when you were shoved between the flaps of the largest tent so far. The atmosphere was tense inside, with a fire burning low in the centre and various belongings stacked up against the walls. Herbs dried where they hung from the ceiling, whilst a hammock hung suspended against the back wall where two figures crouched over a map.

Your heart leapt into your throat. The rest of the clan and Jake’s unforgiving grip on you fell away as your eyes widened.

The years had been kind to Mo’at. She still wore her red beaded shawl, but had updated her headpiece and decorative necklaces, one of which appeared to have been made by a child. Her intelligent eyes snapped towards you in the small space, the weight of the years portrayed in the heavy crow’s feet and bags pulling at her cheeks. That expression did not change as she studied you.

Tsu’tey shifted at her elbow, looking as handsome as he always had. White paint ran down the line of his nose, from forehead to chin, standing out brightly against the soft blue of his skin. He carried himself with an undeniable sense of authority, chin lifted as that razor sharp glare cut you down to your very core. He no longer wore the necklace that had matched the choker your human body wore, but the rest of him had not changed. He studied you wordlessly, his lips dragged down into a frown as if he’d already analysed all he needed to know.

Your eyes caught on the bullet scars that adorned his left shoulder. They were old, faded with time but obvious. Your stomach tensed at the thought of what he had been through in your absence.

Wordlessly, you watched as Spider - who had slipped in behind you - skirted the fire and walked straight for Tsu’tey. “Dad.” The boy breathed, barely loud enough for you to hear. The hunter immediately opened his arms for the boy to fall into, his tail swaying anxiously as he whispered inaudibly to the young boy. Spider finally lost the tension in his body, whilst your stomach clenched painfully. You hated to imagine what their closeness meant.

Neytiri burst into the tent behind you, making your ears shoot up and your body jerk. She paid you no mind, kicking at the back of your knee to force you to kneel. You gasped as Jake’s grip left you and Neytiri took his place. Her nails digging crescent moons into your scalp as she grasped the back of your neck with unforgiving tightness.

<”Daughter, what brings you here with such rage in your eye?”> Mo’at asked carefully. Her familiar voice sounded so calm, so familiar. You squeezed your eyes shut at the sudden weight behind them.

<”The Sky People have found a new low.”> Neytiri declared loudly to the silent tent. Mo’at hummed.

Somewhere behind the canvas of the tent wall, you heard small feet shift. Glancing to the side, you saw a tiny eye peering up at you from the gap between the material and the floor. Those unnaturally large eyes bore into your soul, making your tail thrash with nerves.

Neytiri’s fingers turned into claws in your hair, snapping your attention back to the situation at hand as she grasped a fistful of hair and yanked. <”They have begun to resurrect the dead.”> Your head snapped up from the motion, causing your neck to crack and warm pain to deep down your spine. Your mouth opened wide with an involuntary, pained gasp.

Mo’at didn’t move.

Tsu’tey was scowling hard at her side, Spider wincing in sympathy at your treatment. Two sides of one coin. An odd pairing in appearance, but even in the short time you’d seen them together, you knew there was a bond there. Probably years old.

With the crack in her daughter’s voice, Mo’at rose from her seat. On silent footsteps, she rounded the fire. ”What are you called?”

You could tell that who you were still hadn’t clicked into place for Tsu’tey from the way that his ears flickered in uncertainty. Still looking confused, he composed himself, sitting back on his hunches to look at Neytiri. <”What is the meaning of this? Why have you brought this puppet to High Camp.”>

<”It protected the children.”> Neytiri returned easily. Making it sound like you were a pissed off thanator that had by some miracle, spared her offspring. <”It recognised us.”>

”Neytiri-”

<”You do NOT speak here.”>

Your name sat frozen on your tongue. The reactions of your previous two friends made you not want to reveal yourself. Neytiri shook you painfully by the kuru, letting out a warning hiss.

You spoke your name, eternally grateful that Mo’at’s towering form blocked Tsu’tey from view.

More humming from Mo’at as she reached for the tiny blade concealed within the sheath of her head dress. You eyed her wearily, held still by Neytiri’s hand in your hair as she pricked your shoulder. She pulled the bloodied blade back, tasting the drop of blood.

Her ears pricked at the taste, staring at you with a newfound revelation. ”It is you.” She confirmed, and something seemed to unwind in both Jake and Neytiri. ”But altered. You are not as the Great Mother intended.”

She motioned to her daughter, expression pinched. Neytiri tried to protest, but at her mother’s stern glare, her hands retreated from you. Your posture immediately slumped, relieved tingles echoing across your scalp and down your back.

”Explain.” Mo’at boomed, commanding your attention once more.

That finally got a reaction from the hunter still crouching over the map.

”The Sky People grew this body as they grew the avatars.” She nodded along to the simple explanation, sharing glances with Tsu’tey over her shoulder. You swallowed. ”They uploaded my memories into it. This body is me.”

Jake sidestepped, putting himself back into your line of sight. ”So you aren’t linked up?” There was something unreadable in his eyes. You almost mistook it for hope.

You shook your head. That body was long gone. ”This is my body now.”

Spider had sat down on the mat beside him by now, and shifted uncertainly as the man wordlessly rose from his couch with the authority of a king rising from his throne. Mo’at stepped aside as he took slow, menacing steps towards you. Swallowing hard, you dared to meet his burning gaze highlighted by the soft white paint. The vibrant grief and rage swirling within those gorgeous depths was startling to behold.

His hand went to the knife at his waist, wrestling it free with the practised song of the blade against its bone sheath. Your fight or flight threatened to kick in as you recognised the same hunter’s stalk he had performed the morning Neytiri and Jake had officially mated.

<”Olo’eyktan?”> Mo’at asked, eying him wearily.

He ignored her, storming past her fast enough to have her braids dancing. That gaze was narrowed; honed in on prey.

His arm drew back.

Your eyes widened.

With a yell, he took a swift swipe at your head which you barely managed to dive out of the way of.

<”DAD NO!”> Spider yelled from across the tent. He was on his feet in minutes, scrambling forward, only for Mo’at to hold him back with her arm.

Neytiri tutted at the poorly aimed blow, her tail thrashing on your peripheral as you cowered in the dirt, your arms still bound and braced against stone. Vulnerable skin tore on uneven rock as you scrambled away, kicking yourself for turning your back, but knowing distance was more important.

At least Jake seemed to have your back.

<”Tsu’tey, what are you doing?”> The marine asked, immediately jumping in to stop him from striking again as you scrambled to get your feet under you. With your hands bound, it was a struggle. Your tail thrashed, attempting to aid your balance as you scrambled away.

Tsu’tey was like a man possessed, shoving Jake off balance and making another stab at you. His ears were flat on either side of his head, eyes wild and manic. You’d never seen him so pissed. And certainly not so quiet whilst being so angry. It was somehow more terrifying than if he were screaming at you.

Jake scrambled to stay on his feet, his arms wrapping around Tsu’tey’s waist and yanking him back. Causing the knife to fall short of slicing through your side. The Olo’eyktan shrieked, a noise you had never heard a na’vi make before as his nails clawed at the man’s arms, failing to tear him off. Your ears flattened at the heart wrenching sound. Eyes not quite leaving the knife still in the Olo’eyktan’s grasp. A knife which he was quick to recall and hurl at your head.

“Jesus FUCKING christ!” You swore, ducking again. “Calm down!”

He hissed in retaliation, ears pinned back from the ferocity of the sound. You stilled at the glint of water staining his cheeks, the redness of his eyes. ”I mourned you!” He cursed. Still struggling. Still trying to close the distance and kill you.

Scratch that last part. Seeing him cry and begin to break down was far worse than anger.

”I buried you.” He screamed, the shout echoing around the tent and no doubt chasing itself out into the main cavern. ”I visited you in Eywa!”

Numbly, you took a step back. Towards the tent flaps.

This had been a mistake. Coming here was a mistake.

”I have made my peace with your passing! What purpose do you serve? Why have you returned to haunt me?” There was so much anguish in his tone, you would’ve preferred a punch to the jaw. ”WHY!?”

”I couldn’t stay there.” You breathed, straightening your shoulders when you realised you’d curled in on yourself under that venomous glare. ”I couldn’t stay there!” You repeated, louder this time. Needing to be heard. Understood. ”With them.” Your throat was uncomfortably tight. ”I wanted to come home.”

”THIS IS NOT YOUR HOME, DEMON!” Tsu’tey was quick to snap back. His expression shattered, the rage giving way to a tsunami of grief so strong it made you sick. ”LEAVE!”

But you were frozen in place.

Tsu’tey took it as a challenge. With strength that made your eyes bug out, he stomped on Jake’s foot, shot his arms back, grabbed the marine by the weapons belt and yanked him up and over his shoulder. Jake hit the stone floor hard. With a wheeze, he collapsed in a heap, momentarily stunned.

You gawked.

Spider seemed to come back to himself. In your peripheral, you watched the kid expertly duck under Mo’at’s arm and dart around the fire, with the ease of someone who’d been doing it his entire life.

Tsu’tey’s form blocked him from view. His muscles were bunched like a thanator preparing to pounce.

”GET. OUT!” Tsu’tey screamed again. He made to step over Jake, only for the man to grab his ankle and yank, causing the hunter to crash at your feet. You leapt back as his hands shot for your ankles.

Spider was at your side in moments. ”This way!” He yelled, grabbing at your bound wrists and dragging you towards the tent flaps. You obeyed, but your eyes remained glued to Tsu’tey. To the hands that would drag you down and gladly wring your neck. To the twisted expression on his face, so alien to you and causing the white paint to bunch and flake.

Mo’at tutted at his back. <”You do not think clearly.”> She narrated, stalking around the fist fight now commencing on her tent floor.

”Come on!” Spider urged, tugging sharply on your wrists and tearing your attention from Tsu’tey and the rest of them. ”We have to get you out of here.”

<”Give me a head start?”> Spider joked with a hoarse laugh, the furious screams of Tsu’tey biting at your ankles.

Neytiri appeared at your side, yanking aside the tent flap and helping Spider shove you outside. <”Take the ikran.”> She urged the boy, her expression icy. <”They cannot remain here.”>

You had FUCKING GATHERED THAT MUCH!

Neytiri nodded sharply before barking out loudly, <”Neteyam!”>

A flurry of movement by the side of the tent revealed the older son from before. His expression was painfully neutral as his gaze slid from his mother to the teenager holding you hostage by your bound wrists.

<”Take the demon to the forest.”> Neytiri stated. She didn’t wait to see if he acknowledged her command before promptly ducking back into the tent. The flicker of a memory tickled the back of your mind at her sharp cursing as the ruckus within the tent continued.

The boy, Neteyam, barely spared you a glance before heading back the way you’d been dragged into the camp. Despite being dragged all the way here for the Olo’eyktan to pass his judgement, the Sully family were doing a spontaneous job of doing the opposite of his will. You had no doubt that Tsu’tey would have gutted you regardless of his knee-jerk reaction.

You were lost in your musings as Neteyam hollered for his ikran, three bursts of sound that had the magnificent beast dropping from a higher level of the cave system to stand before its rider. The boy was quick to form Tsaheylu, before fluidly mounting up.

<”Where are we headed?”>

<”The old village.”> Spider replied simply, guiding you towards the back of the mount with firm pushes.

Part 1 -> Next Chapter

#Tsu'tey x Reader #Dad!Tsu'tey #Son!Spider #xreader #grief #temporary character death #conflict #recoms #recom reader #part 1 of 3 #Tsu'tey #Spider socorro #avatar #avatar the way of water

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yelenassafeplace · 1 year

Text

Childhood sweethearts

Again sorry for my bad English, I’m French and still have a lot to learn. Anyway please do not translate or re upload this oneshot. Thank you.

pairing: aged up!Neteyam x human/Na'vi fem!reader

Author's note: In this AU: reader replace Spider (she's a scientist’s daughter and not Quarritch's), she’s a human but went through the consciousness transfer ritual like Jake at the age of 13, Neteyam is 5 years older than Lo’ak, the humans never came back to Pandora and the Sully's never left the forest to ask for Uturu from the reef people.

Warnings: baby fever, breeding kink, p in v, oral (f! receiving), fingering, clit stimulation, fingering, Neteyam talks to your pussy??, childhood best friends, best friends to lovers, unprotected sex, creampie, dirty talk, Neteyam talks you through it, belly bulge, size kink if you squint, tell me if I should add more warnings.

Na’vi vocabulary used: Omaticayan (a Na’vi clan), Eywa (the guiding force and deity for Pandora), Toruk Makto (a Na'vi individual who successfully manages to ride a great leonopteryx), the last shadow (a great leonopteryx), Olo’eyktan (a clan leader), skxawng (a moron), Ikran (a mountain banshee), Talioang (a sturmbeest)

You were many things for the Omaticayan clan and the sully family. Looking past your humanity (maybe it was because Eywa had sent them a sign) they saw you as a friend, a sister, a daughter, someone they could rely on and trust, a kind and warm soul.

You were always eager to learn new things and give a hand to people when they needed help. You were even considered as a potential woman for the many boys looking forward to the day they would get the opportunity to get a mate.

But it was useless. Your heart was already taken.

By someone who probably didn’t even feel the same way about you, but still. You had the biggest crush on the eldest son of Toruk Makto, the rider of the last shadow and the Olo’eyktan of the clan.

His mother somehow found out, or maybe she always knew, and, to your great surprise, she was pretty supportive of this (non-existent) relationship.

Neytiri treated you as her own child, always there to protect you and even teaching you how to use a bow as well as crafting your very own one when you were big enough to hold it by yourself.

You didn’t know why she was so kind to you when you were a simple human, the kind that had hurt and killed her people almost eighteen years ago. Her sister, her father, her brother and even her Ikran, had died from the hands of the sky people.

Yet, she was showing nothing but love and affection towards you.

You were approximately 3 years old when they took you in. Neteyam was already born and around the same age as you, only a few months older.

You basically grew up together, being best friends since your youngest age. You had learned to talk, walk, run, annoy Jake, swim and eat on your own together.

The bond between you only got stronger as the years went by, the two of you never left each other’s sides, Neteyam often following you like a shadow and vice versa.

And then Lo’ak was born. This child was so annoying yet so adorable. He was always causing trouble to Neteyam and you, putting you in uncomfortable positions in front of the father figure of the family.

He calmed down for a while when Kiri was born but eventually got his attitude and sass right back after 3-4weeks. And it became even worse as he grew older.

This skxawng was always arguing with Kiri over the smallest and stupidest things, Jake almost ripping his braids right off when the two off them began to hiss, or more like scream in Lo’ak’s case.

But Kiri, unlike this hyperactive of Lo’ak, was literally the calmest kid you ever met. She barely ever cried, always looking at everything around her with wide and curiosity-filled eyes.

You liked to spend time with her. Whether it was at the lab when she needed to see Grace, her biological mother by whatever miracle, or in the forest when she wanted to take a break from her family and spend some time surrounded by nature, the great work of Eywa.

You plaided your case to Neytiri and Jake to transfer your spirit into a Na’vi body through the eye of Eywa for years.

And they finally accepted when you turned thirteen. So you went through the ritual. All the Omaticayans were more than happy to, officially, fully welcome you into the clan.

You worked really hard and got your very own Ikran, named Nrraya, at the age of 15. Your first hunt and first Talioang kill happened only a few months later.

You remember the feast they prepared for you as if it happened yesterday. Everyone was smiling and dancing and eating…You were really the happiest in the world.

But then Tuk came into the world and you were even happier. She was the cutest baby ever. She learned well and quickly, she was affectionate (and she still is even now) and so, so, so loving.

You were extra protective of her, often holding her on your hip as you walked through the forest or your village, always making sure that she was well-fed and hydrated, that she slept enough and kept her entertained as best as you could when you were free and she wasn’t sound asleep.

She loved the nightly routine you had when Jake and Neytiri asked you to babysit her while they were going out to spend some time alone. And you loved it too.

You tucked her in her makeshift hammock, telling her made up stories until her head lolled from side to side and her eyes squeezed shut, a little snore confirming her sleeping state.

And today was one of those nights.

What you didn’t know is that someone was watching you. Yellow eyes scanning your form and following you as you did all of these cute and kind things. And it was Neteyam’s of all Na’vi’s.

He couldn’t help but get hard at the sight of you getting so motherly with Tuk. It made him want…No. it made him crave and need to give you a child to mother. Your very own child. A child with him. A child that you would bear within those wide hips and waist of yours.

He has to close his eyes and breathe deeply to stop himself from jumping on you and fuck you right there and then.

Instead, he waits patiently for you outside the family’s home and think a few minutes before he decides that tonight is the night he will confess what he feels for you. He already knows that you feel the same way towards him. You’re not really good at hiding things. And he can’t hold himself back any longer anyway.

You come out of the house and smile brightly at him.

"I hope I haven’t kept you waiting for too long."

He shakes his head, smiling back at you.

"No, you didn’t. Are you ready?”

You nod enthusiastically as he takes your hand in his, the little touch enough to make you shiver.

"Mhmh…We can go now."

You follow him through the forest, your tail happily swaying from side to side as you listen to him talk about his day.

Your smile falters a little when he tells you how his father had been so hard on him yet again but you quickly brighten the mood by telling him about your day too. And he listens to your rambling with a wide smile playing across his lips, glad to hear that at least one of you had fun.

You finally reach your favorite spot in the forest and lay on the mossy floor to look at the stars. Neteyam does the same and scoots closer to you.

"It’s beautiful…”

Your best friend turns his head to look at you, swallowing thickly as he watches the reflection of the sky and stars dance into your wide, pretty and almost pitch black eyes in the dark night.

"Not as beautiful as you."

Your eyes widen even more if possible, a light blush tainting your plumped cheeks with a bright purple color as you crunch your nose.

"Ew, that’s so cheesy, Neteyam ! Stop saying things like that…"

He sits and pulls you to him so you sit beside him too, tilting your head up by your chin with his free hand as he keeps your hand in his other one.

"I’m dead serious, y/n. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met in the entirety of our clan. And I’m sure it would be the same beyond the village and the forest and even on earth. I could bet my life on it."

You blink up at him, heart thumping hard in your chest like it was trying to get out of your body.

"N-Neteyam…What are you saying?"

He smiles fondly at you, thumb rubbing your cheek soothingly.

"You know what I’m saying. Nga yawne lu oer, y/n."

A single tear slides down your cheek, your lips trembling as you try to keep your emotions down.

Neteyam frowns and wipes your tear away before he plants a quick, yet firm, kiss to your plush lips to try to ease the pout forming on them.

"Oh, don’t cry baby…"

You sniffle and he helps you settling on his lap, your arms locking around his neck and legs crossing behind his lower back.

"I’m sorry, I don’t want to ruin this moment. I promise I won’t cry anymore."

Neteyam chuckles softly and rubs little circles on the small of your back.

"You’re not ruining anything, princess. Don’t worry."

He sighs contently as you press yourself even closer to him and kisses the side of your face.

"I love you so much Nete’…So, so much."

"And I love you even more."

You get your head out of the crook of his neck and take his face in your hands before kissing him lovingly.

Neteyam kiss you back, groping your ass to make you gasp so he can swiftly slide his tongue in your mouth.

You feel butterflies in your tummy when Neteyam caresses your tongue with his, moaning softly against his lips as you instinctively press your clothed pussy down on his swelling cock.

He makes quick work of discarding your chest piece and get rid of your loincloth, leaving you completely bare, before he lays you down and sit back on his heels to take a look at your body.

You can practically see his cock twitch under his thin loincloth at the sight.

"Fuck…You’re so pretty."

His tail wraps around your thigh and stays nestled there as he leans over you to kiss you again, settling comfortably between your open legs. You moan at the feeling of his hard on rubbing against your pussy when he starts to move his hips slowly, desperate for any kind of friction.

"A-All of this…just f’me."

You grind up against him in hope that it will somehow make him touch you faster.

"’Teyam…please…"

He cups one of your tits and massages it before pinching your nipple, the pain shooting a spark straight down to your core.

"Please what, y/n? What do you want, precious girl? I need to hear it."

You start blabbering, cheeks pink, almost purple, and all your body burning from desire for him as he latches on one of your nipples and suck it harshly.

"F-Fuck me ! I need…I need to feel you inside of me, please Neteyam…stop this teasing. I’ve been waiting for you too long already."

He bites on the column of your throat, earning a little hiss from you, and leaves a trail of kisses and wet patches from his tongue before he gives you a few hickies.

"Ah, you’re right, my love. I’ve kept you waiting for long enough. I should take care of my needy baby now, shouldn’t I?”

Neteyam kisses down your body. Your neck, chest, stomach, just above your pubic bone, your knees, your calves, your ankles and your inner thighs…He doesn’t forget anything.

He looks at you one last time before he gives the sweetest kiss to your puffy clit.

"There she is..My little princess. You felt neglected while I was kissing mommy, mh?"

At first, you’re a little confused as why he’s saying that to you. And then you realize that…He’s not talking to you. He’s talking to your pussy.

You shouldn’t be turned on by this. But you are. You can’t help but get even wetter as you listen to him talk to your pussy, acting as if you weren’t there at all.

"Oh, did you get wetter? You like that, yeah? What a sweet girl…Daddy’s going to take good care of you, don’t worry."

He practically starts to devour you, two fingers easily sliding in and out of your fluttering hole as he laps up some of your arousal before going back to lick and suck your sensitive clit.

You can hear him growl and mutter something as your walls clamp hard around his fingers when he hits your sensitive spot.

"It’s here, isn’t it? I found your weak spot…That’s good news."

Having a hard time trying to keep your voice down, a few moans and huffs passing the barrier of your lips without your consent, you squeeze your eyes shut in hope that it will help you in any way. But it doesn’t.

"Such pretty sounds…don’t be shy, let me hear you, love."

You don’t really know if he’s talking to you or your cunt but you don’t care anymore. So you just let go and moan to your heart’s content.

"That’s it, let everyone hear how good I make you feel. Let them know who you belong to."

And just like that he brings you over the edge, lips tightly wrapped around your little bud before he releases it with a pop to lick you through your orgasm.

A loud squeal escapes you when two of his fingers replace his tongue, quickly rubbing your pussy from side to side.

Your juices gush out of your hole as Neteyam keeps abusing it and finger your pussy even harder. Your body jerk up, trying to get away from this overwhelming pleasure, and that’s his cue to slip his fingers out and let you recover from your orgasm.

"Didn’t know you were the squirting type."

You roll your eyes and lay flat, still out of breath but feeling the energy come back in you as soon as you flip him off.

"Fuck off, skxawng."

He laughs and takes you in his arms, kissing your forehead and your nose and your lips.

"Yelp. I deserved that."

You smile as he nuzzles his nose against your cheek and wrap your arms around him to pull him in a tight hug.

"Oof- are you trying to kill me already? We’re not even mated yet !"

"Yeah, but you’re annoying, so I might just…Strangle you…While I still can !"

Neteyam pretends to struggle in your grasp before you finally release him.

"Damn you’re strong."

He lays back down and pulls you on top of him so you don’t stay on the ground too long.

"Yeah, I know."

"And humble too."

"Ahah. Very funny."

You plant a kiss on his lips and the mood shifts to a more heated one again. Neteyam hold you by the neck and pulls you back to his lips when you pull back. It’s all tongue and teeth and spit, and you love it.

Your body melts against his as he reaches between you to push his loincloth to the side and holds his hard cock to guide it to your pussy. He slides it through your folds to get it wet and shudders at your warmth.

He moans out as you slowly sink on his dick, hands on his chest for more steadiness. His hips snaps up into yours to get his cock fully seated inside of you and his eyes roll back.

"S-So fucking tight…Aah…"

Your hand come to rest on the little bulge his cock forms in your lower stomach, biting your lip as you start to bounce up and down his shaft.

"You’re so deep inside, Neteyam…Look."

He opens his eyes again and lock them on your stomach, almost cumming on the spot as he sees the bulge his cock forms in your tummy before it disappears again as he helps you up ‘till only his tip stays inside and force you down right back so he’s balls deep in your pussy.

Your pornographic moans only get louder when Neteyam hold your hips still and thrust up into you, thumb rubbing tight circles around your clit.

"Gonna cum for me again? Mh? Y’re going to cum on my cock and -fuck- you’re gonna soak it, yeah?"

You nod frantically, breath coming out as loud huffs when he fucks you harder.

"Yes, yes ! Neteyam…I’m so close."

"I got you, baby. I’m gonna get you there, just relax."

And he keeps his promise. He makes you cum so hard that your entire body shakes and twitch so much that you slump on him. But he doesn’t stop thrusting, chasing his own high as your pussy holds a tight grip around him.

"G-Good girl. That was good, mh? You liked t-that? Gonna like it even more when I’m gonna cum inside of you and give you a baby…"

You can’t hold back the moan that bubbles in your chest at his words. He chuckles lowly at that before he becomes a moaning mess as he starts to cum.

"Oh…Yeah, keep clenching around me like that. Fuck, fuck, fuck…Oh, I’m cumming…I’m cumming !"

He unloads inside of you, thick ropes of cum coating your gummy walls white. Neteyam fuck his cum into you before pulling out slowly when it becomes too much and starts to physically hurt.

He keeps you close to him, his hand coming to push your hair away from the damp skin of your forehead.

"Are you okay, baby?"

You only make a "uhuh" sound, incapable of moving or say anything for now.

"Oh my pretty lady can’t even move uh? Did I fuck you so good you don’t know how to talk anymore?"

Yeah, now he was being way too cocky. You straighten up quickly and ignore your blurry vision and dizziness before you hit his chest playfully.

"Shut up or I’ll cut your dick off."

Neteyam spank your ass and laugh when you hiss at him.

"You wouldn’t. You like my cock too much to do that. But I’ll still shut up just in case…”

You spend the rest of the night cuddling and kissing, coming back to your house only after a quick shower, the sun already rising behind the two of you as you walked hand in hand.

#neteyam sully #neteyam sully x you #neteyam sully x reader #neteyam sully x y/n #neteyam smut #neteyam #avatar 2 #atwow imagines #atwow neteyam #avatar the way of water #smut thoughts #smut imagine #+18 only #yelenasdirtythoughts #yelenassafeplace

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live-laugh-neteyam · 1 year

Text

And Everything In Between ||| neteyam x human!reader

masterlist

The Moon epilogue

Strongly recommend reading part 1 first

pairings: neteyam × human!fem!reader

summary: the moon is always there, even when we can’t see it

words: 1.9k

warnings/notes: slight angst, a bit of fluff, grief, death, mentions of blood, violence/battle, gunshots, scenes from the way of water depicted, a bit sad but ultimately sweet, okay so originally there wasn’t going to be a part two but I accidentally emotionally devastated a few people so I’m trying to redeem myself lol I can’t afford therapy for all of you so hopefully this will do

The sun shown through the entrance of his tent causing Neteyam to stir in his sleep. Groaning he rolled over trying to delay waking up for as long as possible. Instinctively reaching out he went to pull you into his chest. But there was nothing but empty space beside him.

That’s when he opened his eyes. Neteyam was met with your vacant spot. For a moment panic coursed through his veins, but then he remembered. You were gone.

Sighing he ran a hand over his face trying not to cry. Every now and then he had moments were he forgot. A split second where you were alive and well. His mind dancing around with the ghost of you. Until he remembered that it was all a lie. No matter how hard he tried not to, he always remembered.

Your heart stopped and his won’t shut off. It had been months since your death and Neteyam still wasn’t sure how to live on without you. How does one move on after finding the person that made them complete?

Neteyam took comfort in the fact that you were with Eywa now, but being human you were never able to connect with the spirit tree. He wouldn’t be able to see you again until he joined the great mother himself.

Memories of you were starting to become fuzzy. He was having trouble remembering the sound of your voice. The sound of your laugh. He hated himself for it.

Nothing would heal the wound of your loss. Your death gutted Neteyam. Ripping his heart out and taking it with you. As months past he felt more and more hollow. Time wasn’t soothing him like everyone said it would. Time without you only made him feel worse.

“You can talk to me. You know that right?” Kiri asked her brother. She eyed him worriedly.

“There is nothing to say.” Neteyam answered without emotion.

She sighed. Kiri knew there was nothing she could say to him to ease the hurt. She had been consoling Spider ever since your passing. It was something neither of them would recover from.

“Have you seen Spider lately?”

“No.”

“Well maybe you should. Maybe talking to him would help. He lost his sister-“

“Y/N is dead.” Neteyam snapped. “There is nothing to talk about. Nothing will change that.” He coldly spoke.

Neteyam felt guilty for the harshness of his words. He also felt guilt because he hadn’t even thought about how Spider was doing. Neteyam was so lost in his selfish grief he never once thought about the other people who loved you.

Kiri sighed getting up to leave. She wouldn’t keep wasting her time talking to the brick wall that was her brother. “It doesn’t have to be me. It doesn’t have to be Spider. But you should talk to someone.”

The one person he wanted to talk to wasn’t there. Sighing he looked up at the moon and thought of you.

After months of close calls with the sky people Jake made the decision to leave the clan. The people would be safe if they left since Quaritch was only after Jake.

Neteyam didn't have anything to say about leaving home. He packed up and left doing exactly what his father asked of him.

Jake prayed that the move would not only keep his family safe but also help Neteyam. Maybe the change of scenery would lift his spirits. The Olo'eyktan knew the loss of a mate was unbearable, but it broke his heart to see his son a shell of who he once was.

Neteyam stuck mostly to himself. He didn’t want to cause trouble amongst the Metkayina clan. He also just didn’t have the energy to pretend. To pretend he was happy. Pretend to be enjoying his lessons. None of it mattered to him anymore.

There was a part of him that wanted Eywa to take him now. He wouldn’t mind dying if it meant seeing you again. He didn't think he could ever move on.

Knowing that wasn't what you would've wanted for him filled him with shame. Neteyam knew you were still there somewhere; like the moon during the day is always there, even when we can't see it. The idea of you being disappointed in him broke the remaining shards of his heart.

So he tried his best to live the way you would've wanted. Taking walks along the beach thinking of how you would've loved to see this. Neteyam could picture your beautiful eyes full of wonder discovering every new experience. The idea of it put a small smile on his face.

Neteyam started taking his lessons with the Metkayina seriously. He found comfort in the breathing exercises, using them more to calm his anxious heart than to swim.

Finally settling into his new life, Neteyam felt like he could be happy with the Metkayina. But that feeling didn't last long. It seemed like every time he found happiness it was ripped away from him.

Quaritch had found them. Before Neteyam knew it he was in the middle of a battle on the water. Racing his Ilu towards the ship he swiftly hopped aboard. He made quick work of freeing his siblings from their restraints.

“Let’s go.” He commanded them, ready to get everyone to safety.

“We have to go back for Spider.” Lo’ak insisted.

The last thing Neteyam wanted was to go back. Letting out a growl he nodded heading into the ship along with Lo'ak. Neteyam had to go back not just for Spider but for you. He couldn't just leave your brother with the enemy.

The pair swiftly took out the guards that held Spider captive. Neteyam was leading them out when Lo'ak stopped to pick up a gun.

Neteyam saw an avatar stalking towards them ready to shoot. “Give me that!” He hissed ripping the gun from Lo’ak’s grasp.

“Go!” Neteyam roared pushing his brother towards the ledge of the boat. Lo’ak hesitated watching his brother prepare to shoot. Without wasting any more time Spider grabbed Lo’ak’s arm and pulled him overboard.

Pulling the trigger he shot without any real aim. Neteyam was just hoping to hold them off long enough to escape. Throwing the gun to the ground he leapt over the railing.

A warm shooting feeling filled his chest. Neteyam brushed it off to adrenaline. Struggling to reach the surface in the water he placed a hand over his chest. A stabbing pain erupted through him. Looking down he saw red seeping out of a bullet hole in his chest.

Barely holding his head above the water he could make out the faint noise of Lo’ak and Spider celebrating. “I’ve been shot.” Neteyam croaked out attempting to apply pressure to his wound.

Fading in and out of consciousness he faintly registered Lo’ak pulling him onto his Ilu. Lo’ak and Spider lifted him up onto the first rock they came to.

“Dad help!” Lo’ak yelled on the verge of tears. “It’s Neteyam. He’s hurt.”

Jake’s eyes widen in horror watching his oldest son bleed out. After carefully laying him down he turned him over to inspect the wound. The bullet had went through.

Jake grit his teeth with tears in his eyes. Neteyam was going to die and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Neteyam could make out the screams of his mother as she dismounted her Ikran. His breath became labored as he desperately tried to suck in air.

He watched his family circle around him crying. They were waiting for him to die. Helplessly watching him as he bled out.

“I want to go home.” He breathed staring up at his family.

“I know.” Jake said through tears. “We’re gonna go home.”

Neteyam thought of home. He thought of you. It didn’t matter where he was physically you were his home. Smiling through the pain his mind filled with memories of you.

A sense of calm washed over him. Neteyam was no longer in fear of death. He wanted to let his family know he’d be okay, that soon he’d be with you. But his throat was closing in. His lungs unable to take in the air they needed.

“Dad I-“ he tried to speak quickly fading out.

Looking up to the sky is was eclipse. Night had become his favorite time. He would look up to the moon and think of you. Neteyam hoped to catch one last glance of the moon.

Chest falling for the last time his vision turned dark. He wasn’t afraid of death. Not when he knew the moon would guide him home.

Opening his eyes Neteyam was met with a blinding white light. The last thing he remembered was laying on that rock.

"Neteyam." A familiar voice called to him.

He stood up trying to take in his surroundings. He was somewhere in the forest back home. Running a hand along his chest he noticed the bullet wound was gone.

"Ma'Teyam." The voice again. He knew that voice.

It couldn't be could it?

Turning around he was met with you. The you before you fell ill. Your eyes were practically glowing, your face lit up with a smile.

"Y/N?" He croaked before running towards you on his wobbly legs.

Falling to his knees he pulled you into his embrace. Neteyam squeezed you tight as if you'd vanish into thin air if he didn't.

"Is it you?" He cried. "Is this real?"

"Oh Ma'Teyam." You coo, gingerly holding his head in your arms. "It's real. I'm right here."

"Don't leave me again." His body shaking in sobs.

"Mawey, love. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here." Gently running your fingers through his braids.

"I've missed you. So much." Neteyam choked out. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.

You placed a kiss on the top of his head. "I missed you too."

Looking up at you he tried to calm his breathing. You were here. You were safe. You were alive. Cupping your face in his heads he pulled you to his lips capturing you in a kiss.

You kissed him back and Neteyam felt his heart soar. This was real. He finally felt at peace; holding his entire world in his arms. You were his moon, his stars, and everything in between.

"I thought I told you to take your time skxáwng." You giggled.

"Can't help it." He mumbled against your lips. "I love you to the moon and back. I'll always come back to you."

Smiling you pulled him closer for another kiss. Neteyam had dreamt of this moment ever since your death. You were finally his again and he was never letting you go.

"Come on. Let me show you around." You giggled before pecking his lips one last time.

Without missing a beat he took your hand in his. Neteyam never wanted to lose physical contact with you again.

Taking a deep breath he smiled as silent tears streamed down his face. In the presence of the great mother, Neteyam felt a calmness like he had never felt before. Finally he was at peace with you by his side.

Neteyam smiled as you lead him through the paradise like forest. You happily babbled about everything you had discovered. He was ready to spend forever with you. Never to be parted again.

You were here, holding his hand. There is no death. Only change.

taglist:

@ilovejakesullysdick @fanboyluvr @athenalikethegoddess @loverofallthingsfandom @forasgaard @plzfeedmebread @instabull @ms5m1th @avatarappreciationblog @romimiux @ferrtan @tammitammytime @eternallyvenus @dreamyescapesfromreality @dvxsja @mahalkomarvel @vallie-caramel

#avatar #avatar fanfiction #avatar the way of water #neteyam #avatar imagine #fanfiction #neteyam fanfiction #neteyam imagine #neteyam x reader #neteyam x human reader #neteyam angst #angst #jake sully #becca writes 🌙#neteyam x you #neteyam x y/n #neteyam death

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adoreeenina · 7 months

Text

I wanna be yours - Ch. 4

(Recom! Miles Quaritch x Sully! Reader x Recom! Lyle Wainfleet)

(Warning: Polyamorous relationship. Angst. Enemies to Lovers. Slow burn. Falling in love. Redemption arc. Canon deaths (but not really). Romance. Smut. Jealousy. Threesome. Anal(both F & M receiving). Mention of suicide, self harm, depression, anxiety. PTSD. Feelings being revealed. Jake and Neytiri not being good parents to reader. Reader being a motherly figure to Spider.)

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

“The hell is this?” You scowl at the cloths that’s neatly folded on the table in your cell. First was being shot, second being held captive and now this? They couldn’t at least give you a day or two to heal.

“Cloths” Quaritch deadpan with his arms cross as he eyes you. You’re still in that hospital gown, and instead of giving you your cloths back, they decide to give you theirs.

“This” you pinch what looks like a shirt that Quaritch is wearing, you hold it up as you eye it suspiciously , “this is not cloths, these are blankets” they obviously look to big on you.

the man in front of you is more muscular and taller than any other man you’ve seen from your clan, instead of your father of course. The cloths will drag you down.

“To bad darlin’, you have to wear them”

You bare your teeth, ears pinning to the side of your head, but lets your grief go with a sigh.

“Why do I have to wear this?” you reluctantly grab what looks like sweatpants from the table and hold out in front of you. You hate this so much.

“I don’t need my men getting distracted” Quaritch simply shrugs as he shamelessly stare at you.

“Then tell your men to stop perving” Quaritch doesn’t bother to answer with a reply.

you grab the shirt and hold it against your body, seeing it reach to your mid thigh, you curse yourself for being short, the runt of the litter, even Neteyam is taller than you and your older than him.

You grab the shirt from the middle, using your sharp fang, your rip it the shirt on half, you notice Quaritch ear twitch, obviously agitated seeing you rip RDA property, and you take it as a small win. You hold the shirt once again, against your body seeing it reach just above your navel.

You grab the sweatpants and do the same thing, the legs obviously puddles the floor, using your teeth, you rip the material. You hold the pants againt your legs seeing they reach just below your knees, humming In approval, you turn to see Quaritch still in the room, quietly watching you.

“You gonna watch me get dressed too, Peeping Tom?”

“You got a mouth on you. You talk to your father like that?” Quaritch quirk an eyebrow.

“As a matter of fact Colonel… I do” you smirk.

“Fucking brat” Quaritch mutters amusingly before pressing a button on the side, letting the door open, he ducks down, leaving you alone to change.

“Asshole” you hiss as aggressively put the cloths on. Mentally cursing, seeing how the shirt is showing a lot, showing a bit of your side boob and a bit of your ribs.

Your head snap towards the door, hearing it hiss, seeing the bald Avatar that you now know as Lyle, ducking down to enter.

“C’mon buttercup, turn around” holding his hand up and making a twirling motion. You got the hint and turn your back towards him, letting out the yellow cuffs on your wrist.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Lyle has a hold on you as you walk briskly towards a familiar ship, the same one you seen back at the train tracks.

“Hey! Keep your hands to yourself!” You snarl at Lyle, feeling his hand a little too low on your backside.

“Sorry buttercup” Lyle smirks down at you, still hasn’t bothered to move his hand at all.

“I ain’t your buttercup, you perv” you hiss, Lyle rolls his eyes as he pushes you forward. You look around, zeroing on Spider who is being held by Quaritch.

“Get on the ship. Find a seat, and keep out of the way” Quaritch shouted over the roar of the engines, shoving Spider towards the ship. Quaritch turns around as he claps his hands to hurry everyone else.

“Let’s go! Chop-chop”

Feeling Lyle’s hold tighten on your arm, you were quickly urged forward, jogging over to the samson together after Spider. Lyle helps you, as you have no choice with your hands still bound behind your back. He guides you to sit down as he stands in front you, twirling his finger again, he gets behind you and unlocking the cuffs.

“Sweet” hearing Spider, you turn seeing him playing around with the mounted gun as he aims it playfully.

“Spider!” You scold at him.

“Whoa, hold on there, hotshot” you watch as Quaritch rushes, grabbing Spider by the arm to push him away from the gun and force him to sit down.

“You listen up” Quaritch brings a hand up to poke the dome of Spider’s exopack, “there’s a tracker built in that mask”

“When we hit the ground,” He starts, moving his stern gaze to you before continuing,” and you take off,” he almost smirks before looking at Spider again, his big hand dwarfing Spider’s bicep. “I’ll have you back in two minutes and I’ll give you an old-school ass whippin’” you try your best to prevent a laugh coming out, instead you just manage to smirk

“understood?” Spider rolls his eyes as he tries to yank his arm out of his his grip. Now he knows how you feel when Jake scolds you. “Understood?!”

“Yes sir” Spider responds sarcastically, making you snort as you hide your face.

“And you-“ Quaritch turns to look at you as Lyle instructs you to hold your wrist out, putting on a tracker around your wrist.

“I wouldn’t threaten me with a good time” you glance over at Spider and watched him hide his face, of course your stubborn ass would say some dumb shit like that. Quaritch shakes his head as Lyle fights back a smirk.

“See that bracelet around your wrist.” He points, you glance down at the black bracelet “That’s a tracker. You take off and we’ll find you just the same, I know damn well you won’t leave Spider behind” you turn to glare at Quaritch, you know he’s right, you rather die than leave Spider behind with these sky demons.

“We up?” Quaritch looks at Lyle, he nods as he hoist himself up and sits next to you.

“Hey asshole, ever heard of personal space” you irk making Lyle chuckle. You don’t understand what’s so funny, making you more pissed off.

“Someone should teach you some manners”

“Like you?” Lyle glance down at you with a smug smile. You feel someone lightly shove you, you turn to see Spider with an exasperated look.

You sigh as you turn to look forward, facing Quaritch as he slaps his hand against the window, giving the sky demon behind it a thumbs up , before squatting down before you. His long arm is holding onto the side as the metal flying machine lifts from the ground.

Soon after leaving Bridgehead, you hear Rawm calling for you, his big wings flapping in the distance as he follows. Seeing Z-dog behind the mount gun twitch before aiming it at Rawm.

“Don’t” you shout at her as she turns to look at you, “A tamed Ikran will not attack unless provoked. Rawm will not hurt you” you pray to the Great Mother that she’ll listen, if she doesn’t, you’ll show them just how far a bond between an Ikran and a Na’vi goes.

“Colonel” Z-dog calls not taking her eyes off Rawm. Waving her off, he doesn’t take his eyes off Rawm, spreading his wings wider to keep up the speed of the Samson. his dark blue frame imposing on the bright skies, his black and red stripes glittering as his wings take him forward.

“So how do I get one of these Banshee, darlin’”Quaritch finally turns away from Rawm to face you.

“Ikran” you repeat in Na’vi.

“Ikans” he poorly repeats, making you sigh before slowly pronouncing the word to him.

“Ikran”

“Ik-ran” he slowly pronounce it, it was a bit choppy, but you take it as a win.

“You going to show us how get one of these banshees, sweetheart?” Lyle ask from beside you, your face scrunch up at the English word for Ikran.

“Ikran. To become Ikran Makto is to pass your iknimaya” you tell them. You watch as they both look clueless making you sigh before turning to look at Spider, asking for help on how to explain what Iknimaya was.

“It’s a rite of passage for Na’vi warriors” Spider offers before turning to look at you with a goofy smile, you smile back in return before turning to look at Quaritch and Lyle who both seem to be deep in thought

“To become a warrior, you have tests you must pass. To choose an Ikran, you walk among them until you find the one. If it is the right one, it will try to kill you,” you instantly see how Quaritch face light up and Lyle’s shake his head with a snort.

“What’s wrong? You scared, handsome?” You couldn’t help but tease with a smirk. Before Lyle could respond with a comeback, you feel Spider shove you once again, making you turn to him with a scowl.

“Can you quit it with the flirting” Spider scolds you in Na’vi.

“I’m not flirting” you say with a forced smile, “I’m just being extra friendly to someone who is extra attractive” you respond, making Spider roll his eyes.

“Gross”

•~•~•~•~•~•~•

As the Samson dropped them off, Spider and you jump on a fallen tree, you crouch down as you tug on the shirt, feeling uncomfortable. Quaritch talks to the Recoms as they all stand in a circles.

“All right, listen up. Jake Sully’s gone to ground. Don’t matter. Wherever he is, we’ll find him, and his batshit crazy wife, too” The Recoms laughs lightly, you tried but failed to fight back a snort. No one can’t deny how accurate that statement is. Spider bumps his shoulder against yours, as he gives you a ‘what the fuck?’ Look. He probably expected you to defend Neytiri.

“Where’s the lie? We both know where I got my craziness from”

“To do so, we go Na’vi. Full tilt, all the way. That means we eat Na’vi. We ride Na’vi. Think Na’vi”

“Fuck Na’vi” you mumble, thinking no one hears you, but Spider did by shoving you, making you laugh.

“And that starts with speaking the language” you and Spider laugh at Quaritch poor attempts of speaking the language. The whole squad turn to look at the both of you.

“You call that speaking the language? You sound like a three year old!” You shove him as he speaks down at the recombinants. Now is not the time to be a smartass.

“All right, smart guy. You just went from being our monkey mascot to official interpreter” from behind Quaritch you see Lyle chuckling.

“Whatever” Spider rolls his eyes.

“You just had to open your big mouth” you scold

“Oh like you wouldn’t?”He gave you a dirty look and you beam at him

“We both know I would, but I know when not to be a smartass, Skxáwng” you lightly hit the side of his head, making him laugh.

“Alright, alright” Quaritch cuts your fun, making you and Spider to look at him with dirty looks, which he ignores.

“So that’s your plan? To learn to love as Na’vi” Quaritch nods, making you smirk.

“Well then this should be fun” you clap your hands together as you stood up to your full height.

“Well Colonel, hope you ready cause I’ma teach you the same way my mother taught my father” you smirk, Spider stands next to you with his arms crossed with a huge grin.

“Yeah? What way is that?” Lyle’s amusement was poorly hidden.

“It’s either learn fast or die. My father learned everything in 3 months, can you top that?” You challenge. You notice the challenging look on Quaritch face. Yeah this would be easy.

“This Ikni-maya” Lyle steps forward with curiosity clearly visible behind his sunglasses “what prepares us for it?”

“When you train to become a taronyu and tsamsiyu, you must know the language, make a clean kill, tame an ikran, and go through your uniltaron. That’s how you become Na’vi”

“Uniltaron?” Lyle says it in perfect Na’vi, which surprises you.

“Dream Hunt. Now first thing first” you point at their boots, “boots off”

“That’s not happening darlin” Quaritch cross his arms, the others snort, thinking you’re joking.

“You need to feel your ground, you won’t be able to if you leave the boots on” you hop of the log and walk towards Lyle who stands behind Quaritch, swatting at his own tail to move it out of the way.

You slap his hand, Lyle looks at you flabbergasted, almost like he’s surprised you would even slap him.

“Stop fighting your damn tail, use it as a counterbalance, that’s what it for when you’re on the trees” you sigh. It was easier to teach your younger siblings. You turn to walk towards Spider who was still standing on the log.

“All of you need to realize that you aren’t human anymore. Take time to get accustomed to your new bodies and the differences. It’ll make your lives easier, trust me. It’ll be like a walk in park” you shrug as you hop over the log, landing swiftly on the other side, Spider hops down to follow you, leaving Ronan and the barbarians behind to follow.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Quaritch decided to set up camp for the night. You, Spider and Quaritch had a heated argument about where to sleep, you wanted to sleep on the trees where is safer from predators and of course Quaritch being a stubborn prick, wanted to sleep on the ground in tents.

You sadly lost that battle, you were so close to clawing out his eyes if it wasn’t for Spider holding you back.

“Your old man teach you how to fight like that? You knocked the wind out of Mansk” Quaritch crane his neck towards Mansk who is a few feet away, setting up his tent with Z-dog.

Mansk looks over at Quaritch from the mentioned of his name before looking away to go back to fixing his tent. You glance at Mansk seeing him with a bruise around his temple and his left cheek.

“Not entirely” you mumble as you fumble with the tent, getting agitated you throw the sticks to the ground with a huff.

“Here. Let me help you” hearing Lyle voice, he gently pushes you to the side as he kneels down to works on your tent, Spider joins him, to teach him so the next time they set up camp somewhere else, he could do it.

“Well that wasn’t some Na’vi moves, I can tell you that” Quaritch stands next to you as the both of you watch Lyle and Spider set up the tent. This almost feel too normal. And you don’t like it.

With Quaritch standing next to you for the first time, you notice the height difference. You barely rich his chest, it’s almost embarrassing to you, not only was he taller than you, he bulky.

“Yeah” Lyle laughs, hearing your conversation, not taking his attention away from the tent, “they look like moves from Black Widow”

“They are” Spider admits as he slides the rod into the proper hole.

“What?” Both Quaritch and Lyle turn to look at Spider before looking at you.

“I spend a lot of time with Spider. Some of the humans shows him old movies and shows to keep him occupied, he favors the Avengers” you shrug, not entirely understanding the shock looks on their faces.

“That still doesn’t explain on how you know how to fight like that” Lyle pipes in.

“If you can’t already guess, I’m short” you point at your figure, “I’m a runt, even my younger brother is taller than me” you huff as you frown.

“My dad used to tell me my height is my advantage. I didn’t understand him till I saw Black Widow. She doesn’t let her height stop her from taking down men more than half her size. So I copied her moves, I practiced a lot with my brothers and sometimes even with the other warriors from the clan to perfect them. I even-“

“I DID IT!” Spider celebrates as he throws his fist up. You couldn’t help but smile seeing him get excited over completing the tent with the help of Lyle.

“Hey Kobato Hasegawa” you hear someone shout, seeing Lopez toss something at you, you barely manage to catch it. You hold it up as you appraisingly stare at it.

“What the hell is this?”

“An MRE. It’s food” Quaritch deadpan as rolls his eyes, as he snatch the bag from your hands, opening it and hands it back to you.

You look inside, you sniff almost gagging, pulling the bag away from you.

“This not food. This looks like dog food” you scowl, you hand it to Spider who looks inside and gladly eats whatever it is.

“How do you know what dog food looks like?” Lyle ask.

“I watch human movies” you say simply.

“Na’vi needs real food. Human food won’t fill you up. We need the proper nutrients” you explain. You yawn as you rub your eye with heel of your palm.

“We must rest, tomorrow I will teach you” you walk towards your tent, with Spider following close behind you.

“Hey, wait a second” Lyle calls for you, you lazily turn your head to look at Lyle who is walking towards with a couple of folded blankets.

“Here. For you and the kid” you reach your arms out, letting Lyle place them in your arms.

“Thank you” you mumble, flicking your eyes to look up at Lyle who hasn’t taken his eyes off of you. Your breath hitch at the way he looks at you, no one has ever looked at you like that, not even Tarsem, your suppose mate.

You know that moment when you look at somebody’s eyes and you can feel them staring into your soul and the whole world goes quiet just for a second? Yeah that’s how it feels.

“Ahem” hearing Quaritch, you instantly look away, feeling blood rush to your cheeks.

“Goodnight” you mumble before rushing into the tent. You close the tent behind you, seeing Spider fast asleep in the corner. You couldn’t help but smile at Spider’s sleeping form, it gets chilly at night in Pandora. You grab a blanket and cover Spider. A quiet laugh escapes you, watching Spider snuggle himself into a burrito.

You grab a blanket for yourself as you lay down on the ground and get your self comfortable. Letting your mind ponder.

What the hell were you thinking? You can’t be fooling around with a sky demon. You’re doing this to protect Spider

Taglist: @alexandra-001

(If you want to be added to the Taglist, let me know and I’ll gladly add you)

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/aninelover21-blog/731326408887042048/bound-to-you-masterlist

#miles quaritch x reader #recom lyle wainfleet #sully reader #lyle wainfleet x reader #recom miles quaritch #spider x reader #polyamourous #polyamory #throuple #miles quaritch x reader x lyle wainfleet #I wanna be yours

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eyrina-avatar · 1 year

Text

mom?

Spider x Neytiri (mother-son) a mother's day special

synopsis: after the Sullys return to the forest, Spider has constantly been struggling with the thoughts of Neytiri not hesitating to kill him in exchange for Kiri; serving as a reminder of just how replaceable he is. When mother's day comes up and the Sully kids all shower Neytiri in love, Spider is once again reminded that he'll never have a mom to care for him like he's always wanted.

extra info: Neteyam never got shot during the battle of awa'atlu and Spider didn't save Quaritch so the dialogue and plot in this is a bit different than atwow.

author's note: I just wanted to write this little fic for mother's day when it came in mind. Spider has basically been an orphan his whole life and although he hangs out with the sully kids, he's not officially part of the family, or of anyone's family. So I thought it'd be nice to write something good for him.

warnings: fluff but a little angst at first, some violence, small mentions of death/killing(no one dies), some mentions of self hate, angst to comfort

word count: ~ 3.5k -3.7k

┆彡

"Release, or I cut" Neytiri threatened.

"What, you think I care about some kid? He's not mine. We're not even the same species." let out Quaritch, not wavering for his own biological son.

"Just plea- please don't hurt her. Just please, Let her go, PLEASE." managed Spider as Neytiri held a knife to his chest.

"Don't kill him." whispered Kiri.

"Listen to me, let her go. Don't hurt her" pleaded Spider.

"Mom, don't kill him." Quaritch's knife dug deeper into Kiri's skin.

"A child, for a child." Neytiri's grip on Spider tightened.

"Please, don't hurt her." he pleaded once more.

SLICE

"I cut." hissed out Neytiri as she cut through Spider's flesh.

"Spider! SPIDER!" Spider was ripped out of his thoughts as Kiri's voice waved through his ears.

"Sorry, I was thinking."

"Isn't it me who's usually supposed to be spaced out, lost in thoughts?" teased Kiri

"yea," He gave out a light chuckle.

"Are you fine, you've been acting strange ever since mom did you know what..." Kiri gave a questioning look.

"No, no it's fine. I'm fine. She was just trying to save you, she was mad at Quaritch so she acted out. It's understandable." reassured Spider, though inside, he felt unwanted by Neytiri and a burden to the Sullys.

He knew Neytiri didn't accept him as he wasn't a Na'vi and to make things worse, he's the son of Quaritch, leader of the group of sky people who tried to destroy Pandora, kill her family, and wipe out her people. How could Neytiri ever care for Spider as one of her own?

"Spider, it's okay to feel upset. I know I would." Kiri saw right through him, she wasn't stupid.

"Come, it's Mother's Day. The sky people usually gift their mothers gifts on this day to show their appreciation for her. You, out of all of us should know that," tugged Kiri as she tried to cheer up his spirits by involving him in family activities.

"Actually, I don't think Neytiri would want to have me around. If I gift her some flowers or food, she might throw them out, feed them to her ikran, or say a palulukan ran over them. Even worse, they might stink of alien blood." He lowered his head in shame as he played with his songcord.

"Spider! How could you say such a thing about yourself! She wouldn't do that! You are part of the family, she cares about you like she does about me!" exclaimed Kiri.

"That's the problem; I'm not part of the family. I don't have a mom or dad-"

"Neither do I, but Neytiri has become my mother. I love her just as much as I love Grace, and she does too." Kiri squatted down to Spider's height, and she placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"You are Na'vi, I'm not. That's why she's accepted you as her own! She doesn't like me because I'm human." he barely let out in a whisper.

"No! Norm and Max are not hated by Neytiri, she even cared about Grace and Trudy as well. Don't you remember the stories of the clan, they even painted Trudy in Omaticaya war paint for battle! She doesn't hate humans!"

"But I'm not them! Were they related to Quaritch? NO. They weren't a burden, they could care for themselves, and they were Jake's friends. Jake and them chose their friendship, but me, I'm just one big accident. I should have never been born. Why did the scientists save me anyways, to burden everyone, and so I could never have a place to call home? Is that why?!" he threw his songcord on the floor in anger as he stood up. "She would never let me call her mom, and I wouldn't blame her." He stormed away, somewhere into the vast forest as to be left alone.

Kiri just stared as her mouth hung open in shock, not knowing how to react. She ran after him, trying to catch up, not knowing what she was going to say next.

When the coast was clear, Neytiri moved from behind the tree and approached the spot Kiri and Spider were previously at. A sigh left her lips as she picked up Spider’s disregarded songcord and held it close to her.

“Oh great mother, forgive me,” an almost silent prayer as she closed her eyes in realization of everything she just heard.

~~~~~

“Mom, mom! Happy Mother’s Day! I got this for you!” Tuktirey held up an assortment of tiny flowers she had picked for Neytiri.

“Oh, thank you, Tuk! I love them, they smell wonderful.” Neytiri smiled as she lifted them to her nose and breathed in their scent. She opened her arms, gaining a hug from Tuktirey, then patted her head and gave her a small forehead kiss.

“These will go with my bow.” she walked into her tent and was met with a surprise, Lo’ak, Netetam, Kiri and Jake all standing together. Kiri held a bouquet of even bigger flowers and Jake held a necklace matching two arm bands that Lo’ak and Neteyam each held, all containing a similarly woven pattern.

"Happy Mother's Day!" they all let out in unison.

"Oh my!" Neytiri beamed as her children and husband all gathered together to shower her in love and affection.

"These are for you." Kiri handed her the bouquet she picked out.

"And these as well." Jake presented as Lo'ak and Neteyam each handed her an armband.

"These are so beautiful! Oh, thank you-"

"Try them on mom!" squealed the youngest, excited to see the pretty accessories on her mother.

"Tuk, calm down." Jake warned but Neytiri just laughed at her excitement. She slid them on and turned her arms to look at them.

"So, how do they look?" She questioned.

"Beautiful!" exclaimed Tuktirey as she clapped her hands in excitement.

"I love them, thank you guys so much." Neytiri placed a small peck on everyone's forehead, including Jake's.

"Wait, we're not done yet." Jake opened the flap to their marui and they all walked out. He walked behind their shared tent and came back around with an ikran saddle in his hands.

"What is this?" Neytiri side eyed Jake, curious at the new object in his hands.

"It's an ikran saddle for you mom, your old one is all worn out, so we made you a new one." explained Lo'ak.

"For me?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, for you!" Giggled Tuktirey as she now sat on Neteyam's shoulders to get a good view.

"I- I don't know what to say. These are beautiful. And they match my arm bands as well!"

"You don't have to say anything, happy mother's day! Thank you for being the most wonderful mother to our children." Jake placed a small kiss on her lips.

The sully's all gathered around Neytiri and embraced her in a warm hug, everyone was happy except for one watching, Spider.

He was hidden behind another clan member's tent and had seen how Neytiri had cherished all of her children. Once again realizing, that he didn't have a family and never will.

A small sigh left Spider's lips as he dropped the flowers he had picked for Neytiri and turned around, leaving for a quiet spot to ponder on his thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, Neytiri had spotted the flowers drop and him walking away. Her heart ached at the sight as she wished to call him, but shame and guilt got in the way.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Jake saw the look on her face.

"No, nothing! Everything is fine. Thank you, my loves, I really appreciate your wonderful gifts. May Eywa bless you all" she forced a smile and gave each another small kiss and went on to saddle her ikran.

~~~~~

It was midday, and Spider had been sulking. He had faked his energy around the Sullys the whole day. His earlier talk with Kiri put him in a bad mood, and everything he witnessed further deepened the pang in his heart. Spider was filled with sadness, jealousy, and confusion, not knowing who, what, or where he was supposed to belong.

"Hey Spider, where's your songcord?" once again broken out of his thoughts but by Lo'ak this time.

"Oh um... I guess I lost it." Spider shrugged, not having much interest in it anymore since he didn't consider himself as one of the people.

"What do you mean you lost it, that has all of your life stories in it! What are you gonna do?" Lo'ak questioned, shocked at Spider's lack of care for his songcord.

"I don't know, man. I guess I'll go looking for it later on." he suggested in a dull voice.

"It'll be eclipse by the time you start searching." Lo'ak pointed to the sky.

"Meh, what's the biggie?" he sighed

"WHAT'S THE BIGGIE? What if you get eaten by a palulukan, or get attacked by some hungry nantangs (viperwolfs)? You'll be a GONER!" Lo'ak waved his arms in exclamation.

"Then I'll be doing everyone a favor." Spider muttered under his breath, not high enough for Lo'ak to hear.

"What?"

"Nothing, I'll be fine. Go have food with your mom, she probably made lunch by now." Spider got up and patted Lo'ak's shoulders in reassurance.

"Bro, aren't you at least gonna eat?"

"I'll be fine." he waived as he walked away to another section of the clan. Spider didn't have in mind to go looking for his songcord, but he knew it gave him a good excuse to wander off by himself. Not like any of the Omaticaya would care about his well-being, or so he thought.

Before he could make it too far from home tree, the sound of Neytiri's voice made him stop. "Spider!" He turned around.

Huh? Shit, I must have done something wrong to make Neytiri upset. Did I bump into Tuk by mistake, did I break one of her toys? What if I accidentally stepped on the bow Neytiri's father gave her?

His thoughts ran wild as he thought of all the possibilities of why Neytiri could possibly be upset with him.

"Spider!"

"Y- yes, on my way!" he huffed out and approached the tent, flap open as all the Sullys had just gone inside to eat. "You called?" he cautioned in nervously, getting ready for an earful.

"Eat, where are you going without your lunch? You will become weak and unable to catch up with the others if you keep this up. And you will become the next meal for a nantang if you plan to go into the forest like that.” Spoke Neytiri as she handed off some bowls of food.

"I, I'm sorry. I'll eat right away." he let out, not knowing what else to say, shocked as Neytiri had called him to eat, and not to scold him.

He sat down and ate, finishing his food as quickly as he could. “Thank you.” He let out and Neytiri simply nodded.

“Lo’ak, go clean the bowls by the river and take your brother with you. Neteyam, please collect some water, our vases are running dry and we’ll need some for later and for tomorrow morning.”

“Ooh can I go? Can I, can I, can I? Pleaseeee.” begged Tuk.

“Lo’ak, keep an eye on your sister.” Neytiri stacked the bowls and handed them to Lo’ak.

“But mom, she’s just a distraction!” pleaded Lo’ak.

“Silence! You will bring your sister with you. She needs to learn how to chores as well.”

“Ughh” Lo’ak let out a groan as he rolled his eyes and made his way out of the marui with Neteyam trailing behind him and Tuktirey already skipping her way along the path.

“Well, it’s time for my lessons with Mo’at. I’ll get going.” Kiri thanked Neytiri for the food and also left the tent, leaving just Jake, Neytiri and Spider inside.

“Don’t you have some business to attend to?” Neytiri questioned.

“Who, me?” Jake pointed to himself

“Well, who else has the duty of being Olo’eyktan? Some of the clan members were having a quarrel about something. You better go check.” Neytiri waved off Jake as he left the tent with a sigh, wishing he had more time to relax after his meal.

Spider stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.“I better get going.” He let out and was about to leave the tent until he was stopped by Neytiri.

“What is this I hear about you losing your songcord?” She questioned, not lifting her head as she cleaned up the marui.

“Err, I must have dropped it earlier today, but I think I have a good idea of where it’s at.” Spider scratched his head as he came up with what sorta felt like a lie. He remembered throwing his songcord to the floor in frustration as he spoke to Kiri earlier today.

“I suppose you are going into the forest to find it?” Neytiri looked at him.

“Yes, I guess so.” He motioned to turn around, but was once again stopped by the voice of Neytiri.

“Nonsense, it will be late by the time you reach deep enough into the forest to find your songcord. It would be dangerous for you to go alone. Get your bow and we will go find it.” Neytiri motioned with her hands for him to leave the tent and he did just that.

Spider was confused as to why Neytiri was helping him. This was the first time in his life that she ever offered her assistance to him, besides just sharing food with the Sullys.

Though, he wasn’t the only one confused, Jake had been listening from the other side of the tent and was now wondering what Neytiri was planning. Although he loves his wife and trusts her, this sort of behavior from Neytiri towards Spider was odd and maybe he doubted just a bit that she wouldn’t try to harm him. In fact, she probably would, especially with how she acted during the battle against Quaritch.

Is she gonna try to kill me? What if she abandons me or leaves me to my own defenses against a wild beast? No, come on, be rational. She wouldn’t try to kill me, or would she? She didn’t hesitate to try to kill me back then, what would change now? Shit, get yourself together, Spider.

Spider walked back to the Sullys’ Marui with his bow in hand. “I- I’m ready” he nervously breathed out.

“Good. Let’s go.” Neytiri led the way into the forest and Spider followed behind. The both striding quickly, unknowing of Jake closely trailing behind them, just to make sure that Spider would be fine. Or for extra protection in case an animal tried to attack them; the excuse Jake came up with, in case he got caught.

~~~~~

“I think this is the spot Kiri and I were at earlier” affirmed Spider as he searched for his songcord.

“I don’t see it anywhere.” Neytiri pretended to look around, though she was holding it the whole time.

“But I was right here! It couldn’t have disappeared unless someone took it, and who would have come here?!” He grew desperate as he knew the approximate spot he threw it at.

Neytiri quickly bent down and placed part of it under a rock as Spider faced the other direction, looking for it behind a bush. She stood up and pretended to continue looking. Spider approached her area and looked everywhere, lifting every twig, branch and leaf.

“I found it!” He yelled out in excitement, slightly feeling happier as Neytiri had treated him kindly.

“Good, and it’s still in one complete piece.”

“Yea” Spider smiled at the songcord in his hands

“But-“ Neytiri let out

“oh, but what?” Spider tilted his head in confusion

“It’s missing a piece.” Neytiri pointed to an empty spot on his songcord.

“Oh, it’s not missing anything. I just didn’t have anything to fill that spot yet.” reassured Spider.

“No, it is missing something.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not understanding.” Spider stated, now confused.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about something. That is why I called you to the forest out here with me.” She let out, eyes not meeting his as she grew worried with how she was going to deliver her explanation.

“But I thought you wanted to help me find my songcord? I found it!” Spider looked at Neytiri intently as she shied of any eye contact with him.

“Spider, sit.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and lightly pushed him down. She continued standing up, too nervous to stay still as she paced back and forth, tail swishing in anxiousness.

“I knew where your songcord was.” Neytiri admitted

“Huh, how?”

“I put it under the rock.” Neytiri let out as she looked down.

“Oh, you could have just told me that you found it. You didn’t have to do that to make me feel like I actually found it.” Spider smiled at what he thought was a kind gesture from Neytiri.

“That’s not what I meant.” She let out a sigh. “I saw when you threw it earlier today.” Neytiri’s ears bent down in embarrassment at the admittance of listening in on his conversation about her.

Spider’s face dropped as he realized she heard everything he said. Horrified, he stood up, trying to quickly think of an excuse to come up with.

“Don’t be nervous, sit back down.” reassured Neytiri as she pointed to the spot he was previously at. Not knowing what else to do or how to react, Spider sat down, uneasy for what was going to happen next.

“I’m sorry.” Let out Neytiri. Spider’s eyes widened in shock, unsure if he misheard her.

“What?” he asked in confusion.

“Oh great mother!” Neytiri briefly turned around as pleaded for help with her words.

“I’m sorry, Spider. I know it must have been so hard for you to have always been watching my family grow up and not feel part of it. To feel like you have no true home and no one to comfort you for that. I have been a horrible person to you,” managed Neytiri as she looked at Spider nervously, not knowing how he was going to react.

“I, I don’t know what to say…” It was the first time Spider had received such an apology, and the first time Neytiri had showed concern for how he was feeling.

“I know it is difficult not having any parents. I’ve lost my father and that has been very hard, but I was already grown up and had direction in life. I could even not begin to imagine the struggles you have faced while living without a mother or father to raise you as their own.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and continued on.

“We all know that Quaritch is your biological father, but that is no excuse for the way I have treated you. You are not him! And that day when we fought Quaritch and I had your life in exchange for Kiri’s, that… that was unacceptable of me! That was foolish...." she trailed in a low voice. "I had no excuse to take out my anger for Quaritch on you. NO EXCUSE!” She let out.

"If I had caused the death of an innocent child that day, I would never be able to continue to live with the guilt of such an act. And even though it did not go through, I still regret doing that, treating you as some sort of bargai-"

“No! You had to save Kiri, it’s okay, I understand!” Spider reassured her, but mostly himself, trying to come up with excuses in his mind. The words coming out of Neytiri’s mouth were too much for him to handle. Years of internal pain and anguish hidden from everyone until now. She was pouring out all of his inner thoughts and feelings so quickly and suddenly that he thought he was going to burst.

A lump formed in his throat as he tried to hold back tears and simply looked down, not being able to say anything else without the risk of a sob escaping from his lips.

“Please, let me start over with you.” Pleaded Neytiri as she looked up, struggling to prevent the tear that was forming in her eye from falling. “ I will care for you as I have cared for the rest of my children and Kiri. You have always meant only well to my family and have done nothing to deserve such harsh treatment from me. Forgive me.” Neytiri looked into his eyes, waiting for a response.

A small sob escaped Spider’s lips, taken aback by Neytiri’s request for forgiveness.

“Come here, my son.” She motioned for him to approach her.

“Son?” Spider asked.

“Yes. Please, let me care for you as my own son. It's the least I could do to make up for my behavior towards you." Neytiri opened her arms as a single tear stained her cheeks, guilt overtaking her as she prayed that he would accept her plead.

"You want to be my mom?" his mouth hung open, brain barely making the connection at the sudden appeal.

"Yes, I want to be your mother. After years of suffering, it is what you deserve." Her tears now flowing down in numbers. "Please, forgive me. Give me another ch-" Neytiri was cut off.

"Mom!" Spider ran up to her and engulfed her in a hug, streams of tears ran down his face as he closed his eyes and wept.

Neytiri bent down to his height and embraced Spider as one of her own, thumb wiping his cheeks as she held onto him tightly, comforting him and herself in the process.

She held up Spider's hand that was holding his songcord, "Your songcord is missing a piece." she stated.

"I still don't understand what you mean by that." Spider let go of the hug to face Neytiri.

"You are one of us now, part of the family. You now have a mother."

Spider beamed in joy, now having someone to belong to and a mom who would take care of him.

Mom, a word with a new meaning: home, where he belongs.

"Son," Jake smiled behind the tree where he had intently been watching them both.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

haha, I never thought that I would be writing for Spider but this idea popped into my head and I just KNEW that I had to write it

I hope this came out good and you all enjoyed it. I know this was a bit wordy and had a lot of dialogue, especially the second half. Hopefully it didn't come out cringey(it sounded a bit off and rough in my head while rereading it but I didn't know how else to fill up the details😬), this is my first fluff fic so bear with me🥴

any interaction is appreciated

do not steal my work and pls don't post it on ao3 or wattpad

colors used: #1FED6A and #24EDE0

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babyxbluexmoon · 1 year

Text

☁︎ 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒 ☁︎

Yandere! Neteyam x Fem! Human! Reader!

warnings: 𝘺andere behaviour, murder, drowning, possessive behaviour, toxic behaviour, yandere neteyam, smut, rape to consented, choking, spit kink, biting, forced mating, manipulation, impreg. Not proof read.

synopsis : y/n was never truely a fan of the na'vi, she found them too tall for comfort, scary. She wished she was never bought here by her father who had no one else to give her too. now with him dead, she was orphaned, raised by the scientists of the pandora labs. however, being too scared of the world around her, she stayed in her room, only letting few care and see her. until today.

"Y/n? What are you doing out of your room?" Norm asked the teenager who was too afriad to ever leave her bedroom. The h/c girl shrugged, "felt brave today I suppose.." she admitted, and walked into the lab where she was met with Spider, readying his mask to head out into the world of non-breathable air, and people of blue. "Y/n! Your out of your room?" The boy asked, his light dred locks messy as always, his body faintly painted in blue stripes. "Yeah.. where are you going?" She asked, protective of her other orphaned friend.

"Out to see the Sully's. Wanna join me?" He offered and she shrugged, and paused, thinking it over before deciding to give it a chance. "Sure, I suppose... just stay close to me.. yeah?" She asked and he nodded, handing her a mask. "They wont hurt you, I promise.". With those words she felt atleast slightly more assured, and put on the mask, pressing in the button, allowing herself to breath. He walked out of the labratory and Y/n hesitantly followed, closing the door behind her and she was met by the world outside. She had never been out here before.

"Great right? Air feels amazing." Spider smiled up at her and she was tempted to go back inside, her small body begining to move on it's own before Spider clasped her hand, his almost swallowing hers. "Come on!" He laughed lightly, dragging her and she basically held her breath, unaware of the events to come. Unaware of the make she would soon come to fear... and love.

He took her over to the Ikrans where she gasped softly, and backed away but he went behind her and gently pushed her back towards, "they won't hurt you, if you don't seem a threat." He reassured and she sighed, trying to push back but she couldn't. Infront of her stood a yellowish ikran, beautiful and scary. It made a noise towards her, and she swallowed heavily, "This one is Neteyam's." He said, and she processes the name in her head, "Ne..te.. yam.." she muttered, and then looked at the beast.

Spider only looked away for a second when he saw Neteyam and Lo'ak approching when he heard her giggle. He turned back and the three males saw her petting the ikran, that surpeisingly, strangely, nuzzled into her hands, seeming to enjoy her touch. She scratched under his chin, admiring his colours when a voice spoke, english with a heavy na'vi accent. "He likes you." It said and Y/n whipped her head around, seeing two na'vi folks. She retracted her hands, making the beast let out a whine.

"S-sorry.." she said, and Spider stood infront of her. "Neteyam, Lo'ak, this is Y/n, or the girl who never leaves her room. Y/n, this is Neteyam and Lo'ak. They are Jake Sully's sons." He explained and she swallowed again, nodding as a greeting. Neteyam approched, petting the Ikrans head. "He usually doesn't allow humans to touch him. You are special." He spoke to her, and as they made eye contact, both their hearts skipped a beat in sync.

'He doesn't look scary..' she thought, ripping her eyes from him, and soon saw an even taller male approching, and she gulped. It was Jake Sully, the Olo'eyktan of this clan. "Is this really little Y/n, why haven't you grown." He said, giving her a slight smile with she slightly returned, then also gave Neytiri the same expression when she arrived with their youngest child, Tuk.

"Wow, your short." Tuk laughed lightly, standing at five foot seven while Y/n stood at five foot five. Y/n chuckled, then noticed how Neteyam seemed to be studying her as his Ikran nuzzled her back, making her jump, then turned to him and smiled slightly, petting him once again, only for him to sniff at her mask and growl softly. "This..? I-I need it to breath.." she explained to him as if he could understand or respond.

"You.. wanna fly?" Neteyam asked her suddenly, making all eyes move to him. She was about to respond, but Neytiri spoke, "Y/n is a very.. fragile human. Flying is too dangerous for her." She said, and Y/n just gave a calm expression, but then Spider grabbed her hand, "come on, I want to show you around!" He said and vegan dragging the stumbling girl who struggled to keep up with him. "Come on guys!" He called and Lo'ak decided to follow, and soon Neteyam and Tuk did aswell.

They took Y/n through the forest, showing her diffrent creatires, plants, explaining doffrent things to her, and soon Kiri joined them aswell, and another friend, Nuk'tai. He was another omaticaya, slightly shorter than Neteyam, only slightly. Y/n got slowly more comfortable as they went on, soon spotting something. "What is that..?" She asked Lo'ak who hummed, looking at whatever she was staring at, seeing an Eywa seed floating over, and soon landing on her hand.

Neteyam watching, his ears twitching as his tail began to gently sway. He felt strange, as if he wanted to feel her hand. Was it soft or rough, warm or cold. He wanted to feel her hair, long and h/c. Look closer into those deep e/c orbs, with those long black lashes, and her glissening s/c skin, flawless aside from scars around her nails, matching Kiri's which showed she either bit or scratched at them.

He deicded to stay close to her, watching how her much curvier body moved, diffrent to Kiri's and his mothers, andany other female omaticaya. Until the omaticaya females, her thighs jiggled gently as she walked, her waist smallish, but her breasts larger, bouncy looking. Her hands had an extra finger like his siblings and father, and her face wasn't as defined as them, but it had characters, like her little button nose.

He swallowed, then eyed her clothes, and found himself hating them. Why cover so much of a nice body. He decided to give into a small thought and spoke. "Why don't you dress like we do? It will be fun." He suggested, and before the sky girl could answer, Tuktirey spoke out. "Yes!! Follow!" Shesaid and grabbed Y/n's hand, dragging her. He found it funny that an eight year old was taller than Y/n. A teenager.

Y/n sat, letting the girls sort her some clothes and she blushed deeply at the top they choose. A few necklaces, designed to only cover the nipples and bots of the breast, but not completely. "I-I will look naked.." she said softly, "you wont, promise." Kiri smiled, and then her and Tuk hide her from the males as she changed and they held her. She had a skirt like cloth covering her bottom half, then those lovely necklaces covering her front.

The girl then began to braid her hair, and the boys collected some beads. As Neteyam laid hiseyes on her beautifully sculptured body, he felt his mouth water. He licled his bottom lip, and decided to advace futher. He sat cross legged infront of the girl, forcing her eyes to meet his chest, then he face, before he began braiding the beads into her long locks. Kiri then began to paint her body once her hair was done and clothes, matching her to Spuder with faint blue stripes.

She then got some blue, red, yellow and orange feathers, and tied a small ponytail in the bacl of her hair, leaving the rest down and placed the feathers around it, and two by her ears. "There, you are done." She said and Y/n looked down at herself in the pond water beside them. She swallowed, her breasts almost showing, her thighs completely on show, her flat stomach. She was most definetly feeling naked.

Neteyam however, his stomach was doing backflips, his head spinning, his tail swaying, his ears twitching, his lips parting, licking his lower one. His pupils slightly dialated. However, a sudden call of anger washed over him when he saw Nul'tai doing the same thing. Looking at her like his next meal, and he had to swallow a growl itching to climb from his throat.

He suddenly felt like grabbing and holding her, biting her neck until crimson ran down that squishy, soft, small body she had. Show him she was not his for gawing at. 'Why...? We just met..? She's a human..' he thought to himself, confused as his eyes scanned her, making him bite his bottom lip. 'But Eywa.. I want...' as the two made eye contact, his finished his thoughts in an instant. 'I want her.'.

Later that night, the Sully kids walked the humans back to the labratory, and Neteyam felt as if he was letring go of his braid, watching her walk up those stairs. Spider walked in, but before she could, he spoke. "Come again, tomorrow." He said, trying not to sound demanding, and she tilted her head, "Um.. sure, Neteyam. Goodnight." She gave him a smile, and he rubbed his blue lips together. "Goodnight, Y/n.".

____

Morning came around and Y/n was approched by the pandora head scientist,offering her to make her an avatar body, as he had the equiement too, so she she could breath and possibly become more comfortable. She decided on a maybe, saying she would think about. It was one thing hanging out with them, but becoming one? Now that was a very.. alien thing to her.

She put on a mask and left, this time without Spider who was still sleeping. She walked around until spotting Neteyam alone. Slowly, she approched, and tapped his shoulder onxe, making his head turned to her, a stran of his many braids waving away from his eye. "Y/n." he said in a welcoming tone, and she gave a gentle smile, "Neteyam, hello. May I sit with you..?" she asked and he nodded.

Y/n sat down cross legged, and he admired her still seeable body, considering she was wearing the clothes his sisters made her, and the paint. "I was given an offer." She said and he looked over, his exoression unreadable. "Hm?" He urged for her to continue. "I was offered to have an avatar made for me. That way it will be easier to explore, and breath without a mask. Neteyam took a moment to think about it, but then realised.

If she became an avatar, he could kiss her, feel those cheeks. Sure, she eould be skinnier, taller, but my god, he could.. he could kiss her. He could.. claim her with the connection of braids. Then human or na'vi, she would be his. He felt disgustee by his own selfish thoughts over a girl he barely knew, who barely knew him, but he couldn't sleep last night, her eyes, her face, her body, her voice filling his head.

"I think you should go for it." He replied and she responded with a head tilt. "You can have the best of both worlds. And if you explore yourself as na'vi, you may become more comfortable. You will be able to claim an ikran aswell." He pointed out, and she hummed. 'I could force you to walk through the eye of the great mother, and become like me permantely. My mate,.' He thought.

She actually slightly agreed with his statement. He had a point. "You know, I might just do that." She replied, then looked out at the skies oytside the rocky dome their clan remained in for safety away from the not so nice sky people. Her eyes held grest curiosity, which Neteyam admired. He wondered how he fell so fast, so hard, so quick. Why he wanted her to himself. He had deep, shameful urges to mate with her, right here and now, whether she wanted it or not, and that made his stomach drop at the fact he knew, if he wasn't restraining himself. He'd do it.

And so, later that week, after agreeing to have an avatar of herself made,the Sully children and her looked over her avatar body in the tank, floating. It wasn't ready yet, some features needing to be added. She was.. beautiful. He actually kept her body shape slightly, only slightly slimmer which made Neteyams heart throb. Her face was like her own, but firecer, her pointy ears adorable.

"What do you think?" Norm asked her and she looked over, "She- I..? I look pretty cool. One question. Why keep me short?" she asked, her avatar height only standing at six foot seven. "Because.. well I took your height and went with it." He explained with a shrug, making her chuckle and Nuk'tai patted her hair. "Well shorty, omce your in that body, I'll help you claim an Ikran." he promised and she giggled, "sounds good, Nuk." The human replied and Neteyam bit down on his tongue, drawing crimson in his mouth, the matalic taste seeping down his throat.

However, he decided to play it safe and said, "Mind if I join? I would like to watch." He asked and Y/n nodded, "sure. But how do you claim an Ikran?" She asked, and Nuk'tai made an awkward expression before speaking. "We'll tell you when the time comes." He said, rubbing her small shoulders and Neteyam gripped his hand into a fist, trying to ignore it. 'Stop touching her. I hate it. Stop it. Shes.. shes my mate.' He thought to himself, but contained the burning rage pulsing through him.

"Lay in this capsual." The scientist instructed while Norm helped her in. Her avatar was complete, done quickly swiftly, clothed and done up all nice and ready. She let out a shakey breath as the Sully's and Spider awaited her avatar body to awaken. Neteyam was excited, but tried to hide it, though his swishing tail was betraying him horribly. She was gorgouse, and he loved her this way, though human her was amazing aswell.

The capsual was closed abd she felt strange, paniced for a small moment, then sighed and closed her eyes, soon her mind drifting off into nothingness. She blinked, letting a small noise excape her lips as she blinked, seeing everyone around her. "Lo'ak.." she mumbled, seeing him the cloest to her head. "How'd you feel?" Norm asked, coming over with his mask off as she sat up off the bed she laid apone.

Neteyam smiled at her slightly. There she was, his mate, his lover, his everything. No one elses,nothing elses, just his. "Can you speak, Y/n?" Norm asked her and she parted her lips, but realised the air was thick, and only just about breathable. "Here." Kiri handed her a mouth mask, which she took a breath of pandora air and then let out a sigh again. "Thank you.. and yes, yes I can speak."

Nuk'tai came over and smiled, pushing some hair behind her ear, her pointy blue ear. The hair was still half down with a small ponytail, but it had some braids running through it with beads, and then of course her queue, her connection. She slowly stood up with the help of Kiri and wobbled slightly, but then shook her head and worked to stabalise herself before slowly walking. "Can you wa- oh, perfect." Norm smiled.

Spider came in and grinned up at her, "finally not a shorty." He said and she look over, "shush you or I'll wack you with my braid." She giggled. Everyone was happy, and so was Neteyam, aside from the fact that he wanted to rip Nuk'tai to pieces, touching what belong to him, how dare he? The group helped her move about, testing her tail, her fingers, her toes, her ears. Jake and Neytiri came over and helped her out of the lab, then she looked around, her showy, beautiful clothescupping her unaturally curvier body, since they kept her that way for her comfort.

"Right, have you done the training Spider has?" Lo'ak asked and she nodded, "I know the basics." Y/n replied, taking in how tall she was from the ground now, how her senses were enhansed. She could feel her new body parts, like her tail, her ears, her braid. Nuk'tai took her finger fingered hand in hia four fingered one, and began to drag her. "Come on, Ikran time!" he cheered and Lo'ak joined after them, followed closely by a lowely growling Neteyam and a giggling Tuk and Kiri. They took her up the moutains, helping her climb and teaching her how to use her new strenghs.

It was good she understood na'vi atleast, so it was easier for them to explain. Soon, they made it to the banshees docking area, where wild banshee's flew and roamed. She smiled, amazed. "So, how do I know which one is mine?" She asked, not quite caught up on Ikran studies. "They will try to kill you." Lo'ak replied and she blinked, "brilliant..". So there Y/n slowly walked through the squealing banshees, piercing her ears painfully as she looked around. Soon, a light purple wnd blue one turnee to face her, and hissed at her, so she instinctively hissed back. "Beat, and connect your braid." Spider explained.

"O-ok.." she uttered, and Neteyam already gripped his knife to protect her, just incase, however he did find her hiss attractive, 'I will make her walj through the eye of Eywa.. she will be na'vi, beside me..' he thought and grinned slightly, until his eyes caught Nuk'tai, watching her intensely as her moved around with the Ikran, before the banshee went for her, and she dodged, then heard Kiri, "jump on it's back!". She did as instructed and climbed quickly onto it's back, grabbing the connector but it soon began to jump and spin about, screeching and roaring.

She fell off with a grunt, but got up and hopped up again, wrapping her legs around it's jaw, forcing it closed, then connected her queue to the Ikran, making its pupils dialate. She panted softly, then listened as Kiri instructed her to fly to seal it. She moved off its head and onto it's back, and spoke, "Fly." Gently, and off the banshee took, making her squeal and grip on tight. "Slower!". Soon it slowed down, and she let out a breath of relife, "Good.. Good..?" She leaned and looked under. "Good girl.." she soon got the hang of it, and Lo'ak, Nut'tai and Neteyam joined her, with Spider on Lo'ak's, Kiri on Nuk'tai's and Tuk on Neteyams. "Your doing it!" Nuk'tai cheered and she giggled.

"What are you naming her?" Tuk asked and Y/n hummed softly, "Hmmm..? I'll name her..... Amitia." She said and they all nodded in approval. She did a few test tricks, circles, dropping down and catching itself, spinning. It was amazing hiw quickly she understood, and soon Tuk got on behind her, laughing happily as she hugged her waist. Seeing Y/n with his little sister, made Neteyams heart flutter, and his tail sway gently. God he wanted her, now.

Finally, his breaking point arrived when they landed, and Nuk'tai helped her off the beast, then took her smaller hands in his. "You were amazing, Y/n. You looked stunning.." he said, and glanced at her lips. In that moment, Neteyam snapped. He tried to stop it, god he tried. He held himself to his Ikran but his body soon moved on it's own, going over to the male and gripping his shoulder tighter then needed. "Can we talk?" He asked and Nuk'tai nodded, "sure.".

The two males walked off, and once they got far enough, Neteyam suddenly grabbed his queue and began ragging him deeper into the forest, shoving a cloth in his mouth. He screamed and tried to fight back against him, struggling. He bought him to a pond and threw him in, then got in the the shallow bit after him, and held him down. He struggled against him, struggling as he was forced under the water, splashin to break free. After some time, Neteyam pulled him up and growled at him.

"Y/n is mine." He said. "My fucking mate. You dirtied her with your hands.. I hope Eywa has mercy on you to die quickly.." he spoke darjly, his eyes holding a great craze, with sharp, small pupils, his bottom lip twitching as he growled before shoving him back in the water before he could answer, drowning him. A slow death purposley. He keot holding until the others body fell limb, but Neteyam kept holding him under incase he was pretending.

He pulled him along until he found a big rock, barely liftable. Perfect. He used some vines and tied his legs together, then tied them to the rock and went behind it, grunting as hr pushed on it until finally it dropped into the pond, dragging his lifeless body with it. Neteyam watched with sly orbs, like a panther watching it's preys life fade from it's eyes.

Soon, he was definetly dead, lost and gone. He let go and walked out thewater, his breathing heavy and rapid. "Shit.. oh Eywa, what have I...-" he paused himself. "He.. deserved it. He tried to take whats.. what belongs to me.." he said darkly, "My Y/n.. fuck, I need her.. now. Right fucking now.". He made his way to to the others, and soon sawY/n with her Ikran, alone. Perfect.

He approched her, and with every step was an argument in his brain. 'This is wrong Neteyam. Stop right now. No, no, She's yours, you can do as you please with her. Stop! Do it!' Ran through his mind, as he got closer and closer, until suddenly he was behind her. He pulled out his knife, and suddenly smacked the back of it down on the back of her head, making her grunt and collasp into his arms unconious. "I'm sorry, my mate.. forgive me.".

He took her body and hid it for a moment while he went and snucl to the labratory, and pressed the button on her capsual, letting her free. She opened her eyes and gasped at the sight of Neteyam. "So-something happened to Avatar me.." she said gently and he nodded, giving her a mask. "Come on." He said and she felt slightly confused by his demanding tone. They left the labratory and she tried to find her Avatar body, and he just followed.

Soon he pretended to spot it, and spoke. "Over there. Look." They went over and she saw the prickles of blood dripping down the back of her neck, making her gasp. "What happened..?" She uttered, "this." Suddenly he hit a nerve in the back of her head with his hand, and down she went. He slung the Avatar body over his shoulder, then her human body under his other arm, carrying them away.

He left the rock hideout, and snuck away to the forest. "You drive me crazy and we only met yesterday.. fuck me.. I've never snuck away before.. the things you do to me.." he said, holding her closely. Arriving at the magical place, the tree of souls, or, Eywa, he went over and laid her down at the foot of the tree, laying her bodies head to head. Before anything, he leant to her human body and kissed it deeply, "this is how it has to me, my Y/n. May Eywa, please, for the love, guide you.". He began chanting, knowing the words, praying it worked. He took off her mask as the wind picked up slightly and her human body gasped gently, but he didn't break his consontration.

He heard a small noise after some time and peeked his eyes open, her human body waa taken into the grass around the tree, sucked into the ground, lost. Her Avatar body however, moved slightly and he crawled above her, looking down. Her eyes fluttered open, those golden orbs meeting his own ones and he smiled lovingly. "Ahh.. there you are." He spoke in na'vi, andshe tilted her head. "Neteyam..? Where are we? How am I in my avatar again?" She asked, and he placed his hands on her shoulders, "shush.. take it easy.." he spoke softly.

He took her braid from underneath her, and bit his bottom lip as he forced a connection between him and her. She gasped and stared up at him with wide eyes. "Ne-Neteyam!?" Y/n squeaked, definetly understanding that from being told and reading about it. "Wh-why would you do that!? Where are we?" She asked, and tried to pull her queue from his, but he held them together with his hand. "I'm sorry, Y/n.. I tried not too.." he said, then crawled ontop of her, until she was laid down and he was hovered above her.

"Neteyam let go.." she said, so lost by the situation before a surprised muffled squeak excaped her lips as his lips crashed against hers, and she struggling underneath him, trying to push on his chest bit he was much bigger and stronger then Y/n. She thrashed about and soon bit down on his bottom lip, making him wince and pull away. He growled and moved their bonded queue's, flipping her onto her stomach. "Was going to make this eaay for you, but it seems I need you to fear me before loving me.. thats alright...".

She felt tears well up in her golden orbs, "Neteyam wheres my human body..?" She asked, looking at where they were the Tree of Souls. She knew this is where Toruk Makto became full na'vi, andshe instantly feared the worest. "Oh her.. she has become apart of Eywa now. You can be with me forever now, my mate.. never needing to leave this body of yours. Permantely my mate." He said, biting on the bacl of her neck, making her whine as she gripped the grass, begining to sob.

"It's ok to cry, you'll be moaning in a moment." He reassured. That voice trying to give him asense of his actions had faded away. All he could do, see, was her. He knew what he wanted, and it was his mother who once told him 'when you want something, fight for it.' And he did when he drowned Nuk'tai and now got rid of her human body. She belonged to him, because he wanted her to belong to him. She didn't need a say when he had already made the decision.

He removed his loincloth, then her skirt, and took off her necklaces, laying them side. He took off hia choker, and the clothing on his waist, before sitting on his knees, adirming her ass, squishier than a normal na'vi from how the scientist made her. Leant down and swiped his tounge over the slit of her vagina, feeling her twtich. He then leant back up and placed a few gently kisses on her ass, forcing her head to lay on the grass as he plumetted two of his big slim blue fingers inbetween her lips, and inserted them into her vagina hole, sinking into her core warmth.

Y/n let out a muffled sob, tears sinking into the grass. It felt really good, but fuck, why was he doing this to her? Why did it have to be this way between the two? "stop Neteyam.." she begged, a line of sweat mixing with the tears, the uncontrolable tears that were slightly turning his on as he slammed his fingers into her core, harder and harder, hitting all the right places.

"Fuck yeah, Y/n.. thats it.." he praised, watching her folds become soaked in pure juices of arousel alone. Her body quivered, trying to get away but the hold on her braid was preventing it. He pulled out, slick following after his fingers, attaching him to her before he snapped, then he moved and grabbed her hips, his hard dick ready to take her as his own. He placed his tip to her entrance and she let out a squeak, "Stop! Stop it!" The girl cried, but in his slid, pushing her walls to open around him. She screamed and he covered her mouth, his body looming over hers. "Shut up.. you'll love it in a minute..".

He began to move his hips in and out, realising she was virgin, which wasn't surprising considering where she had been living. He grunted at her tightness, and she trembled, sobbing quietly as small breaths excaped her mouth. "My mate.. my fucking mate.." he spoke and she whimpered. "Please stop.." she mumbled, and suddenly he pulled out and flipped her over, moving their connected braids before slamming back inside, pushing all his lengh in, which was a pretty good size.

"You are mine to break.." he growled, having zero mercy left as his hips slammed back and forth inside her, letting grunts and breath out as she cried and moaned. Her hands were trying to push him away, but soon his lifted her legs onto his shoulders, and pinned her hands to the grassy ground. "Fuck Nuk'tai.. everyone.. you are my bitch.." he snarled, inches from her face and soon he closed the gap, kissing her roughly, shoving his tongue between her lips, forcing her to take him in her mouth, saliva mixing painfully beautifully.

After sometime, he pulled his lips away, staring down at her drool covered lips, licking his own, his stomach tingling at the view. He could feel her tightening around him, and she could feel him twitching. Y/n let out a breath, her eyes rolling back, and thighs clenching, her mind becoming fuzzy. 'Y/n.. stop..' she thought to herself, but the pleasure was welcomed by her body not listening to her brain.

"Stop.." she said weakly, but then gasped as Neteyam's hand came around her throat, him humming. "Fucking choke.. I will make you adore this.. do you not realise you need me..?" He asked and her eyes peered up at him. "You'd be lost without me, flower.." he leant closer. "Doesn't this feel good..? You can have this and more as much as you want.. I'm yours, and you are mine. Together forever.. no one to get in the way.." he promised and she stared up at him, slight widen orbs and choked gasps excaping her mouth.

"You need me." He said, moving his hand from her throat to her cheek, his hips slowing. "And I fucking need you. God damn it, I need you.. I need you so bad.." he said, an kissed her lips gently, making her shiver and let out a whimper. "Neteyam.." she uttered, suddenly her brain began to spin. 'D-do I need him...?' She askee herself, her thoughts begining to stir up wildly. 'We haven't even interacted much but.. this..' her eyes glanced at their connection, she could feel everything from him. How much he truely wanted and needed her.

"Please.. give into me, my love.. my syulang.." he said gently, and she felt as if a fog clouded her mind, blinding her from the tragic situation she was truely in. "Neteyam.." she huffed out, and slowly he let her wrists free, and hesitantly she wrapped them around his neck. He stopped his hips and removed her legs, wrapping them around his waist, then keant to where they bare chests where touching and began move and a medium but hard pace, making her moan out, tilting her head back.

"See how... how good that feels..?" He groaned out, letting a soft moan excape his own lips, and she nodded slowly, her tail that was once wagging like crazy, now relaxing on the grass. Her ears that were pinned to her head, how droopy and adorable. "See? You've always belonged to me.. you just never realised.." he said, and began to kiss her sensually, passionately. They both felt their highs approching and she moaned into his mouth, him swallowing down her noises gratefully.

"I'm going to make sure the entire clan.. the entirety of pandora knows your mine.. you will carry my seed in you.." he said and her eyes widened slightly, but he quickly settled her. "We will be together forever.. a little family of our own.." he smiled at her and she relaxed again, the pleasure becoming overwhelming as he reached one hand down and began rubbing the pad of his finger over her clit, rubbing nice circles, simulating her more and soon her legs began to shake, making his breathing heavily as she slowly clenching on him.

He felt her getting tighter, and his own regions begining to need a release. "Thats it, pretty girl.. come on, you can do it.." he urged, praising his mate who who cried out, tossing her head back against the grass and after a few more thrusts, he placed his head down on her chest, moaning out as he released inside her, feeling their liquids mixing. "You will carry my love for you.." he placed his hand on her stomach. And you are..." he kissed up her body, then to her lips.

"𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦... forever Y/n.".

725 notes · View notes

certifiedlovergirlsstuff · 1 year

Text

when one leaves, another arrives

pairing: neteyam x female omatikaya!reader, lo’ak x female omatikaya!reader

WC: 11.8K (she’s a big one)

warnings: cursing, mentions of blood, r being emotionally messed up, lo’ak and r share a moment. should be it!

summary: when you lose someone close to you, you close yourself off from everyone else. except for one person.

A/N: i wrote this when i haven’t even seen the movie, only edits and clips on tt, so forgive me (i have now seen the movie by the time i’ve posted the fic). ITS FANFICTION LET ME WRITE WHAT I PLEASE!!! also neteyam and lo’ak are probably a bit ooc, but you know we only saw hints of their character in this movie, IM TAKING CREATIVE LIBERTY. also pretty much movie ages for our characters, r is same age as neteyam.

thank you to my lovely friend @alecmores for being my proof reader as always and leaving funny comments for me to giggle about. also if any na’vi is misspelled blame pandora wikifandom and the online na’vi dictionary.

reblogs are appropriated💗

been sitting in the drafts since feb25

masterlist

Numb

That’s all you felt, your whole body numb to the touch. Felt like you were floating, skin no longer touching the ground, only the stiff breeze that would ghost through you. You weren’t even sure if you were breathing at this moment.

Eclipse

It taunted you as your eyes stared at the heavens above. Cold, wet tears streamed down your dull blue cheeks, while another dull blue face stared lifelessly at the darkened sky. Lifeless eyes that used to hold so much love and admiration within his glowing golden eyes.

Shaking

Your body was shaking, hands unable to stop the tremors that reached your fingertips. Lips quivering as you tried to hold back the scream that wanted to rip from your throat, the whimpers of pain that built up in your chest, and were just waiting for the scale to completely tip before you crumble.

The waves were crashing loudly against your boulder, it almost felt like they were shaking your rocky asylum. There were only four bodies stationed on the jagged stone along with a burning fire in the near distance. Everything felt like a realistic nightmare, something your mind conjured to tear you away from the sugary sweet dreams that you would slip into. But this wasn’t a nightmare or dream, this was reality. Something you constantly had to remind yourself before your brain could trick you into ignorance.

There was a ringing in your downturned ears that soon started to pick up choked sobs that flicked your ears at attention. You looked away from the darkened sky and down at your three companions.

Neteyam. Once alive and full of energy, gentle touches, and commanding tones were all left behind and just a corpse with his head laying on your lap was left behind. One hand cradled his cheek, wishing to feel movement or heat while the other brushed his braids, something you always did when he rested his head on your lap. You wished to see his easy smile one more time, just for a moment, you needed the image fresh in your brain.

Tsireya was the one quietly crying, her hands holding onto Neteyam’s legs. You wanted to comfort the girl, this is probably the first time she’s had to feel the pain of losing a close relationship, the Metkayina clan not forced to see the horror of war every day for the past few years. She was a sweet girl, a caring soul, she didn’t deserve to witness this pain.

Lo’ak was the last one of your group. He was staring toward the burning and drowning ship, you weren’t sure why, but taking note that Jake and Neytiri were missing, along with Spider, Kiri, and Tuk not around; the only answer you could think of was the ship. He dropped to his knees, eyes staring down at his dark red palms, palms covered in Neteyam’s blood as he tried to save him. He took another look at the ship before facing you and Tsireya.

“I- I have to- I have to help them.” Lo’ak took stuttering breaths.

You saw Tsireya shake her head, barely heard the pleas for Lo’ak to stay on the rock with the thre- with the two of you. But you knew Lo’ak, you knew that even if his dad told him to stay, he would follow him to the ends of Pandora, just like Neteyam did with him.

He knelt in front of the shaking girl, a hand coming up to hold her cheek for a second before he walked to you. Both hands rested at the side of your head, his fingers seeping into your braids with his extra finger touching your jaw.

“I’ll be back. I promise.” Neteyam used to tell you that all the time when he was allowed a position in the raids.

Lo’ak pulled your head forward and his lips met your forehead, and they were held there for almost a minute before he pulled away and jumped off the rock and into the crashing waves. Leaving behind two shaking and emotionally wrecked girls that held onto a corpse of a friend and loved one.

“He’ll be back,” you choked out to Tsireya, “they’ll all be back.” Reassuring the both of you, needing just that tiny bit of hope to stay above the dangerous waves. Your hand continued its comforting motion of pushing Neteyam’s braids from his face.

Pandora forest

Your feet jumped from branch to branch, the ground below leaving behind a trail of bioluminescent spots before they disappeared. Light chuckles floated from your parted lips and into the open air, the breeze able to carry the sound further out. The nightlife of the forest filled your ears, something you’ll never get used to, in a good way.

You slowed down after having ran and leaped for a while, needing a minute to take in your surroundings. Your chest moved up and down pretty fast with your mouth panting for air, and fists landing on your hips to rest. Your ears flicked at each little noise, but you were trying to find the specific sound you wanted to hear, nose twitching in the air for the right scent combo.

A twig snapped and you knew already you found him. You crouched down, body low to the bark as you followed the direction the noise came from, not wanting to spook your target. You jumped to a branch below yours and surveyed the surrounding flora. You grabbed your bow and nocked an arrow in the string and waited with bated breath for any new signs. Another twig snapped, the opposite direction you just came from, you were on high alert now.

You counted in your head, to keep your heart steady and to count when the next noise might occur. It wasn’t until twenty did another sound appear, this one much closer now. You thought you were ahead in the game but looked like you just lost so you put away your arrow and sat on the soft moss, waiting for the boy.

Lost in your thoughts, staring ahead into the open air, the feeling of two hands landing on your shoulders almost made you jump and that would end up resulting in your possible death due to gravity.

“I win.” A high-pitched voice spoke into your ear.

“Neteyam!” You twisted to look at his boyish grin, “don’t sneak up on me! I’ve told you multiple times!”

He just laughed at your raised voice and moved to sit beside you, thighs touching and fingers just an inch away from touching. You wanted to make a move but were too scared so you stayed content with your slim fingers ghosting near the other.

It was well past the eclipse and both you and Neteyam knew you shouldn’t be running around in the forest at night, but it was always so peaceful and sometimes the only time either of you could be alone together without parents or siblings hovering or clan duties getting in the way.

The two of you could just get lost in nature and each other and it was the most magical thing you got to experience.

“Are you excited for tomorrow?” You voiced to the silence.

It took a minute before he responded, “nervous, but yes. I’m excited.” His pinky tapped yours.

Tomorrow a couple of young hunters would complete their iknimaya and finally earn their ikrans and then later that night they would go through uniltaron, the dream hunt. You originally were going to join Neteyam in the rites of passage, but you felt you weren’t prepared enough, so you decided to wait a bit longer. At first, you were embarrassed to tell Neteyam that you were going to take longer, but he reassured you that it was completely fine and that he was proud of you with either decision you made. It made your heart grow with love.

“Should probably head back. Long day ahead of you.” You stood from your seated position and threw your bow over your shoulders, waiting for Neteyam to follow your actions.

You looked down when you noticed he was still seated and to your shock he was already looking up at you, an easy smile adoring his stunning features. He did look like his mother, a stunning woman with a strong will and a loyal heart.

“What?” You whispered the question.

He gave a light shake of his head, his smile never fading, “nothing. Just… just appreciating.” And he grabbed his bow and stood up, eyes level with each other. Both standing at around six feet and a few inches, neither hitting your growth spurt yet. You don’t know how you’ll feel when Neteyam is taller than you one day, even if it's just by an inch or two.

The two of you stood face to face, no one talking, only watching. Eyes danced over the other's features, memorizing every stripe and every glowing dot gracing their blue skin. If you could freeze time, you would do it at this moment, not wanting to leave the quiet night. You so badly wanted to reach up and caress Neteyam’s cheek but held yourself.

Instead, you cleared your throat and broke eye contact, “race you home?” And the smile he flashed gave you your answer and you took off without a warning.

Giggles and shrieks of joy followed you two home all the way, music to your ears.

You were still numb, your ears were still ringing, and your stomach grumbled but you wouldn’t touch a single fruit. It still didn’t feel real, none of this felt real. The battle was over, the injured were being tended to, and families were reuniting with tears and hugs. But your family, your family was grieving and preparing for a funeral that none of you thought would come for many moons in the future.

You just sit in a corner with your knees pulled up to your chest, arms wrapped tightly around them, your head resting atop the joints, staring into the void. You haven’t moved from the tiny spot since you all came back to your pod, Jake and Neytiri leaving with Neteyam’s body to bring to Ronal and have him prepared for his final living goodbye. Kiri and Tuk were huddled together in another area of the pod, Tuk sitting in her lap with Kiri stroking her hair and whispering soft words. Lo’ak sat outside with his feet in the water. He probably wished Tsireya was with him but she was pulled away by her family to help with preparations. You wanted to be there for him, someone needed to be there for him, he thought Neteyam’s death was his doing when it wasn’t; it was the sky people’s war that did it.

You finally found that bit of strength to move, Lo’ak needed someone at this moment and you knew Neteyam would want his brother to know that he loved him. With cracked joints you finally moved from your spot, arms wrapped around your waist for a phantom comfort and you walked slowly towards Lo’aks’ hunched figure. Your feet stop just a few steps away from him, just watching how his back muscles moved with his breathing, how his head would move slightly when he would focus on something else.

You didn’t say anything as you sat next to him. He didn’t say anything as his eyes took notice of your appearance. No one said anything, just two sets of golden eyes staring out at the dimming sky that was slowly dipping into the endless ocean.

You took the first step, one arm reaching out to gently touch the bicep close to you and then you slowly glided the hand down his arm until your palm fell atop his knuckles. Your four fingers settled in the open space between his five digits, a light squeeze was all you gave, but still no words.

“I’m sor-“ “It’s not your fault. None of it.” You immediately stopped him.

Silence once again.

Hands still touching.

Waves playfully pushing and pulling.

You leaned your head against his shoulder, Lo’aks falling atop yours after a second. Then you moved your hand off his and threw it around his waist with your other following, wanting to give him warm physical comfort. Knowing a hug was something he needed at this moment, to feel grounded, to feel loved, to feel seen.

An abrupt cough makes your head turn over your shoulders. Jake and Neytiri stood in the opening, both their faces littered with cuts and stitches, eyes darker and dull. You pulled away from Lo’ak and stood from your spot, walking over to the two taller na’vi.

“We must prepare.” Was all Neytiri said before holding her hand out.

High camp

The air was thick with tension, everyone on high alert for the day, no, not just the day. Everyone has been on alert for the past two years.

The sky people have brought war back to Pandora, back to the Omitikaya people and your home. The demons bring fire to burn the trees and flora, to bring extinction to the animals that roam freely. Their metal weapons are much stronger than your bows, and many people die or are injured each day during a raid or battle.

Jake Sully is very high-strung, he’s quick to snap at someone out of line, and even more angered when the people he’s yelling at are his children. Neteyam and Lo’ak stand with their tails between their legs and heads tilted down, Neteyam receiving the harsher words that struck his heart.

You would watch from afar, hands rubbing your banshee in comforting motions as your heart broke at the pain written across their faces. You just waited, waited until Neteyam was dismissed by his father and he would head immediately to find you and distract you with his pretty smile.

“How is palï?” His own hands stroked down the side of her neck, soft purrs heard from her throat. You chuckled, “happy now that you are here.” Just like you were happier he was now with you.

Your smile dropped just a bit when you remembered a few minutes ago, “is everything…is everything okay?” His hand slowed then stopped before dropping to his side, eyes facing away from you.

“Just Lo’ak doing dumb shit again and me getting my head ripped off for not keeping a close eye on him.” “Hmm.”

Men and Women were moving to and fro in the caved holding. Some were slow with their heads bent down as they conversed with the person beside them, or warriors carried their bows with their heads held high as they rushed past everyone. People were going in and out of Mo’at’s tent, many exiting with wrappings covering wounds they gained during the war effort. You could hear the faint sounds of ikrans screeching in the distance mixed with the gleeful giggles of na’vi children.

“Would you like to go somewhere quiet?” You abruptly asked.

Neteyam’s ears twitched at your question, eyes widening just a bit but then softening with a tiny curve of his lips. A meek nod was all you needed before you wrapped a hand around his wrist and pulled him behind you and further into the cool mountain. It was a small area further back, the shadows helping in keeping the carved-out piece a secret to one who isn’t curious, but you were one curious cat.

Since your parent's passing, you would travel through high camp in silence, a ghost among the living just trying to survive by yourself. You lived with the Sully’s since they were like a second family to you, but being around them, seeing the love they have for each other and how much they care about everyone’s well-being, it just twisted your heart. So at night when everyone was asleep and the camp was quiet, you would sneak out and roam around, just needing to be alone and wallow in pain and you needed to find a place within the camp where you could step into the shadows and disappear just for a few hours. And you found it.

With Neteyam still being pulled behind by you when you abruptly stopped, his chest ran into your back making the both of you stumble for a moment. Light giggles escaped without thought before you reluctantly let your grip slide from his skin, but you didn’t get far before Neteyam reached out on his own and intertwined your hands together.

You felt warm all over at the simple action.

“Ma ‘teyam, I’ve- I’ve been missing you. As of late.” You dipped your head down, flustered at the sudden words leaving your mouth. It wasn’t a declaration of love, though it was in your ears.

“I’ve been missing you too, ma tanhì (my star)” Almost a whisper to the winds was his reply, but a whisper that blew near your ear making it twitch at the caressing touch.

Involuntarily your eyelids fluttered closed and a breathy sigh left your chest. The silence only grew in tension when a finger was hooked under your chin and pushed your face up, eyes focusing in on the speckles of glowing dots dancing along Neteyam’s face and body. Your own personal sky of stars to gaze upon.

“(Y/n), there’s something I’ve been wanting to confess to you for some time now. But it seems you gave me the perfect opportunity, and I will try to say the words before they evade my mind.” His thumb swiped over your chin, along with a swift feeling of him touching your bottom lip before it was gone too soon. All you could do was tilt your head with your eyes firmly set on Neteyam’s, waiting intently to hear what’s been on his mind for this long.

He licked his lips, eyes moving side to side, “as you know it’s been a while since I’ve become one of the People.” Another simple nodding of your head, “I as well.”

“Yes. And we both have fashioned our bows out the branches of the home tree, both of us mighty warriors and aiding our clan in a time of crisis-” “Neteyam I’m well aware of these events. I’m living through them, along with them added to my songcord.” A mindless giggle showed your delight in this scene.

Neteyam gave a huff, “yes, yes. Now if you’ll allow me to speak before I lose my small ounce of bravery-” “Yes, sorry. Continue… sorry.”

A hand still twinged with yours and his thumb ran over the back of your hand, “Since we’ve become one of the People, and crafted our bows, the only thing left is to… is to find a mate.” You sucked in a breath.

He wanted to find a mate.

You understood, courting could take months and usually you’re not officially mated before Eywa until you are a full-fledged adult, so there was still plenty of time for the both of you. But hearing that he’s thinking of someone who he wants to court, hurts like a knife being twisted between your ribs.

“Have… have you,” you had to swallow past the thump in your throat, “have you already chosen. The one you wish to begin courting?” You needed to step away from Neteyam’s intoxicating self.

You tried stepping away discreetly, but before you were even two steps away Neteyam pulled you right back in, even closer than before. Toe to toe, chest to chest, your whole body so close to touching but only an inch of air separated your bodies from molding together. The hold he had on your hand didn’t loosen, only held tighter, like he was scared you could run away at any moment. During this discussion, you wished to vanish into the forest and not come back until sunrise.

“I have. I’ve had my eye on her for years, long before my rites of passage. She’s very special to me, someone who’s been by my side through many of my hardships, lifting me back up to the light from the darkness I was walking towards.” His eyes stayed on your linked hand, “she is beloved by my family, each one of them having a special relationship with her already, so I don’t have to worry about them turning her away,” he breathed a laugh. “She is a fine warrior, her skills growing each day, and might even surpass my sa’nok (mother) one day.”

Neteyam took the final step. Hands squished between your bodies, your chest touching, and every breath you took caused your top to brush against Neteyam’s chest and move it out of place just a hair. Your breaths mingled with your lips in front of each other, it took every last bit of strength within you to keep your eyes trained on his face rather than his tempting lips.

“Neteyam-” “I hope you are understanding what I’m trying to say.”

Your will broke and your eyes dropped before meeting his eyes again, “I think it best if you say it aloud. I’m a bit thick in the head.” A comment Neteyam has made to you before.

He wetted his lips, “(Y/n), ma tanhì (my star), would you allow me the honor of courting you, to eventually in the near future, become my mate for life?” He almost vibrated with energy, nervousness or anticipation, or even both was your conclusion.

“Neteyam, ma atan (my light), I would cherish nothing more and it would be a pleasure to become your mate.”

The air felt still, thick that you almost suffocated from a simple intake of air. The water felt still, even though you rode on the back of your ilu, ripples following the creature. It felt like everyone was holding their breath, worried that even the most simple release of air would cause something further to shift in the world. But nothing worse could happen, not in your mind, your worst nightmare came true and you still can’t process it.

Jake and Neytiri were at the front of your group with Tuk seated behind her mother, Lo’ak and Kiri with Spider behind followed up the rear and you were at the very back. Everyone was painted with white stripes down their face, Neytiri fashioned with a woven headpiece and the necklace Neteyam wore when he died. A hand went to your neck, another intricate woven piece of jewelry that Neteyam would wear, it also happened to be the one he wore the night he asked to court you.

The tears dripped down your face, you didn’t make an effort to wipe them away, they would just keep coming.

Many of the Metkayina stood in the shallow waters of the Cove of Ancestors, further away from your family. You saw the familiar faces near the front, the Olo’eyktan and the Tsahík, both of them stood tall and held themselves high. You saw the tear-stained faces of Tsireya and Ao’nung along with Roxo just off to the side of the leaders.

The ilu tugging Neteyam’s leaf finally stopped at its designated spot, silently telling all of you that this was the end. Jake, Neytiri, Tuk, and Lo’ak slid off their creatures and into the water, treading themselves on each side of his body, his mother and sister on the left with his father and brother to the right. You so badly wanted to join them, wanted to touch the boy you loved so badly one final time before his body was taken away from the physical plane. But you stayed back, you weren’t his mate, you were just the girl he was courting, his girlfriend- something that Jake said was between the stages of friend and mate; you were just a friend that left their home behind for a boy that stole your heart and made you a part of a loving and protective family.

So it was just you, Kiri- who you thought should have joined the others but didn’t push her into it, and Spider who watched his blood-related family give their final caresses to his skin. The kisses to his forehead by Neytiri, the fingers reaching out to his for the hand that rested atop his shoulder then a feather-light touch to his cheek by Tuk, the hand that patted down Neteyam’s tied back braids by Lo’ak- something Neteyam used to always do on the younger boy, and Jake. Jake, who still seemed in shock, that he didn’t make for a comforting gesture.

Once Neteyam was free of the giant palm leaf, Tuk and Lo’ak moved further back to where the three of you stayed. Jake and Neytiri shared a look before taking their breath and diving under the water with Neteyam between them.

You slid off the ilu saddle and floated on the right side of Lo’ak, Tuk as always was beside Kiri if it wasn’t her mother. With the water stinging your eyes just a bit, you watched as Jake and Neytiri swam down, down, down until they were just above the glowing anemone and they released their hold on their boy. They kept themselves afloat while his body succumbed to gravity or the pull toward the Great Mother, and once they touched his deep blue skin, he was covered in golden glowing light before his body was completely gone.

If you weren’t submerged under water you knew the tears would be running at the speed of a waterfall, your nose clogging with snot, and your throat choking up causing hiccups and stuttering to your breath. With a glance to your left, the sight before you broke you even further. Lo’ak, with his left hand, held out for his brother to take, was choking out sobs that were silenced by the water, only the air bubbles leaving his open mouth told you of his cries to the Great Mother.

Swiftly you reached out and linked your hands together, he needed someone to ground him from slipping away and you just needed to feel living flesh.

You couldn’t sleep, sleep had been avoiding you for weeks since your arrival to Awa'atlu, always tossing and turning on your mat. Eventually, you started to leave the mauri when the darkness would slip away through your fingers, finding yourself either sitting on the roped walkway with your feet swaying in the water or you would venture towards the sandy beaches and stare out into the open water.

You weren’t sure when he noticed your absence, but one night when you walked to the beach, you heard footsteps that were muffled by the grains on the floor and the push and pull of the water. Your heart rate picked up, you didn’t have any weapons on your person, and you chose to leave your knife with the others. But your panic died down when you saw the noise coming from someone who wouldn’t lay a harmful finger on you, but for sure would punch someone just looking at you wrong.

“Ma ‘teyam.” You all but sighed as he got closer.

He instantly pulled you into his arms, one arm around your waist and the other pushing your head into the crook of his neck. Your limbs wrapping tightly along his waist, your hearts beating as one, chest to chest. Fingers started to run through the free strands of your black hair, tiny circles by the pads of his digits.

“What is wrong ma tanhì?” He murmured by your pinned back ear.

You huffed a sigh, unintentionally tickling his skin, “sleep escapes me. No dreams enter my mind, only darkness and even that leaves me to my thoughts.”

He hummed, hands continuing their rhythmic motions, giving your bodies a light sway with the wind. Then he just stopped, hands landing on your biceps giving a light push away. His eyes held so much love within his tender gaze, “why don’t we go for a swim? We could star gaze, we haven't done it for a while.” And an instant smile split your face.

The two of you floated on your backs in the middle of the water, the water safe within the mauri pods. The quiet night was the only thing surrounding the both of you, the water was still with only a few ripples here and there causing a push to your bodies. Your backs floated atop the darkened water, hands clasped together to keep from drifting apart, braids and loose strands snaking around your heads as two sets of golden yellow eyes focused on the glowing stars above.

One Year Later

The memory vanished into the air from your mind, and the last thing you felt was your heart growing warm at the sight of Neteyam’s breathtaking smile before he pulled the both of you into the cool water.

Your legs were hugged to your chest with your thin arms wrapped around them tight, your chin digging into your kneecaps while your eyes stared out into the open water. You thought about going in, either to look at the stars as if he was floating beside you or to drown yourself and join him with the Great Mother. You knew the latter would win more in this situation, so you kept yourself grounded and forced your mind to go blank, the lull in the water helps.

You shifted a hand through the sand beside you, the texture feeling nice on your skin. Eventually, you got bored, but you didn’t want to head back, so you just laid down and let the scratchy grains cling to your skin and burrow into your hair. You turned on your side, back facing the homes with you facing the swaying trees, but you let your imagination run.

You pretended that you were lying beside Neteyam, both facing each other with only an inch of separate space. A hand from both of you resting in the middle, fingers doing a mindless dance of touching and curling, bringing smiles to your faces. You would move closer, your hand that lay on the ground would make contact with his stomach, and his muscles would flex automatically with the graze. Neteyam would move his head closer, a quick bump of your nose, giggles spilling from your lips. He would throw an arm over your waist, knuckles gliding along your back, and you would lift your hand from the ground, let your palm rest upon his plump cheek, and thumb would stroke the stripes decorating his skin. And you would clear the final milometer of air, lips a breath away, you would look into his piercing eyes and with all the bravery you could muster, would whisper the words only meant for his ears.

“Neteyam… ma ‘teyam… I see-”

“(Y/n)?”

Your hand dropped from the air and sunk into the cool sand, you didn’t even bother to turn and face the approaching voice, you already knew who it was. It was always you and one other person who would leave the home for hours and wallow in pain.

You felt his body heat, skin just barely flicking over yours. You felt his eyes on you, you knew they would drip with pity and pain for you, and you didn’t want it. You were a mighty warrior, you withstood your cuts and bruises and persevered in the battle, even your mental ones.

“(Y/n)... I’m here- I-” “Lo’ak. Stop.” You closed your eyes, the tears making a comeback. You still kept your back to Lo’ak, not finding the mighty warrior in yourself to withstand this battle, instead shrinking away from the fight.

He didn’t say anything again, you didn’t say anything again, and the silence enveloped the bubble. With the sound of shuffling you thought he got up and headed back to sleep, probably knowing how guarded you are these days, but he didn’t leave he walked around you and laid beside you.

With the past year, you’ve closed yourself off, built a stone wall high to the heavens, and wrapped around the world. Only allowing small slips into the cracks, sea shell collecting with Tuk, enjoying the flora and fauna with Kiri, weaving baskets and jewelry with Neytiri in the mauri, and you’ll do whatever you can find with Jake. With Lo’ak, there was something that pulled the both of you a tiny bit closer. Be it the Great Mother, grief, Neteyam, or all of it together, you and Lo’ak always found each other in times of comfort.

You peeked your eyes open, Lo’ak watching your every breath, an arm pillowing his head with the other hand in the open space. It felt weird that he was in the same position you imagined Neteyam, but you didn’t think anything of it.

“(Y/n), I miss him. I miss my big brother.” Lo’ak’s voice was small, cracking on the words him and brother.

You didn’t speak, something you often did these days, you just linked your sandy hands together. You gave a squeeze knowing it would silently say to him, ‘I miss him too’.

Before…everything, you were a pretty touchy person. At least when you were super close and comfortable around the individual. And because you were comfortable around the Sullys you would express your love through all forms, touch sometimes being the easiest with the quick access. But after- after he was gone, you reclined into yourself, like you were waining off the feeling of na’vi skin. But Lo’ak was someone you felt naturally drawn to just touch, and it made you hurt because you always felt that way about Neteyam. Sometimes you didn’t want to be separated for even a second, needing to have a finger touching or your tail grazing by his legs.

You were worrying a bit that Lo’ak might be taking your intimate moments, your touches as something they weren’t. You loved Lo’ak, but only as a brother. Neteyam always filled the spaces in your heart. Friend, partner, ‘girlfriend’… future mate, your future husband. No one could fill those holes, they’ll always be empty until you die.

“Have you visited?”

You blinked your eyes, focusing back on the present. Lo’ak was just watching you, waiting for some type of response to his question. You heard him, faintly, but still heard.

You didn’t say anything, the quiet your nonverbal answer.

“I haven’t either,” his thumb ran over your knuckles, “I’m too scared.”

“Why scared?” A hushed whisper.

He shrugged, “might argue with me or something. Tell me it’s my fault, which is t-“

“False. Sky people are at fault.” A constant reminder from you to him.

Silence once again. Talking always takes too much energy for you.

“Would you be willing to visit him, together?” Lo’aks’s question drifted into the air.

“When we are ready, we will go. Together.”

Two Years Later

“I would like to visit Payakan.”

Lo’ak sat up from his lying position and looked down at you, his head blocking the blinding sun rays. You just peered up at him, face completely neutral.

“W-why?” His feathered brows furrowed, “it’s not safe.”

You cocked your head, striped brow raised, “never stopped you before.” A ghost of a smile mixed with some teasing.

Lo’ak scuffed and rolled his eyes at the remark, but you saw the smile. He looked at the open water for a moment before looking back at you. You could see the tiny gears turning in his head, probably weighing some pros and cons to your proposal.

He stood up and held a hand out, his answer to your request.

With a firm grasp, you let him pull you to your feet, his growing muscles pulling you against the gravity causing a light crash with your chests meeting. His free arm wrapped tight around your back to keep you from stumbling, it caused your breath to stutter and get caught in your throat before you cleared it.

“Lead the way, mighty warrior.” A quirk of your head caused Lo’ak to move, arm off your waist but the hand still held in yours.

He called his ilu with a yelp and grabbed the saddle. You didn’t bother calling yours, you still weren’t the best at riding even after living here for two years. Neteyam usually helped with your teaching and would have you ride with him when going out. You didn’t bother with learning further, not wanting to explore without him.

“(Y/n),” Lo’ak grabbed your bicep, “come on.”

He slid on the saddle with you just behind. His left hand holding the bar tight before looking over his shoulder and tapping your thigh with his right hand, “hold on tight. Breathe deep.” And he went under.

The crystal clear water past the reef felt like a whole new world. Almost nothing for the eye to see except for a few rocks that broke the surface, but other than that everything was below the surface.

“Where’s Payakan?” You whispered in his ear, it twitched against your nose.

“Uh, should be around here. Sometimes he finds me before I do.” His head looked side to side, trying to find the giant tulkun in the vast ocean.

You wrapped your arms around Lo’ak’s abdomen and leaned your head between his shoulder blades. Your ear could faintly hear this heart beating as he touched your forearm with his fingers, his heart speeding up just a bit.

“Is Payakan friendly?” Voice slightly muffled.

“Yeah. As long as you don’t provoke him or offend him. But he’s my spirit brother, he’ll accept you happily.”

“The sea gives and the sea takes.” Words you heard from Tsireya during lessons.

Your heart lurched at the phrase. Lo’ak lost Neteyam to the rocky seas with a fire burning in the distance but gained a Metkayina spirit brother in the calm and clear seas. Eywa must keep a balance of life, but this wasn’t a balance.

“Oh! (Y/n), look!” He eagerly tapped your arm and pointed to the horizon.

In the blink of an eye, a tulkun appears before the both of you, its eyes watching intently. It made some noises of communication, out of happiness or a threat, you couldn’t tell. But Lo’ak happily slid from the saddle and swam beside his eye and gave a very open hug to the creature. Its eyes closed and hummed a higher pitch, happy.

“(Y/n), come.” Lo’ak held a hand out for you.

You quickly joined the two, Lo’ak’s hand moving to place yours along the tough skin of the animal. A smile was pulled at your lips, you weren’t sure why, but you didn’t think too hard about it. You felt extremely happy for the first time in two years and you’ll absorb the feeling into your bones.

“Payakan, this is (Y/n). She’s part of my family.”

“Hello. Lo’ak speaks very highly of you. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet you.” Your hand moved in soothing circles.

Another higher-pitched hum, “he likes you.”

Your attention away from Payakan focused on Lo’ak. He sat on the floating fin, hips and lower half submerged in the water with his torso and up dry. He held a delicate smile on his lips, small indents on either side. His eyes which were already focused on you looked gentle, his lids dropped just a bit, and his golden irises held a tiny spark.

It caused a shiver to run along your spine.

Three Years Later

Your lower half sat in the shallow waters of the beach. Water pushing and pulling, lapping at your body giving a gravitational pull, a pull that you resisted each time. Your hands would dance atop the surface, palms skimming the pleasant texture and fingers doing quick taps that cause a tiny plop.

You watched with fondness as Kiri lay on her stomach with her body submerged below the clear waters. One arm kept her upper body from dropping into the sand while the other ran through the still grains. Something so simple and she was mesmerized, you loved it.

With a turn of your head, you noticed two figures further down the beach, one teal and the other blue. Tsireya and Lo’ak. They were sitting beside each other, you couldn’t tell much about their conversation, neither giving off blatant expressions. They seemed to be making jewelry or carving, maybe both, each doing their own thing while just wanting to enjoy the other's company.

They looked happy, at peace. You felt glad for them.

“They make a good couple.” Kiri’s sudden voice causes you to jump a bit. You just nodded, “they do. Maybe they’ll mate when older. He’s been into her since we arrived.”

You couldn’t help but smile at the memory.

Everyone is tired and wishing for rest, hoping they grant uturu to your family. Neteyam and you automatically stand beside each other, fingers grazing as you walk to the formed crowd. With your curious eyes, you try and take in everything around you, from the people to the village, and it amazed you. And then with the perfect timing, you noticed a girl slipping into the water before making her way to the shores, and you heard a slight gasp. With a slight turn of your head, you noticed how Lo’ak couldn’t take his eyes off her, he was instantly fixated on the beauty.

You bumped your hand against Neteyam’s calling for his attention.

“It seems your brother has found a potential mate,” a quick chuckle, “if they allow.” Was all Neteyam followed up with.

“(Y/n), did you hear me?” Kiri’s fingers dug into your ribs.

You shifted away from a potential second attack, “no. Sorry, a memory came to mind.”

You ignored the eye roll she gave, “I said, but it seems like Lo’ak might have affection for someone new.”

A furrow came to your brows, “where are you hearing this? Do you not see the way he acts around Tsireya? He acts like a skxawng about… ninety percent of the time, and that’s just now. It used to be a bit higher.”

She licked her lips and her eyes dipped to the ground before meeting yours, “there’s something different…in the way, he looks at- his eyes hold something when he gazes upon you.” You couldn’t believe the words leaving Kiri’s mouth, “his eyes hold something when he gazes upon you.” She was wrong, simply wrong.

“You are wrong.” You shook your head at her absurdity, “Lo’ak doesn’t see me as anything other than another sister.”

She huffed, “(Y/n), I don’t know if you ever knew this, but when Lo’ak was younger he would tell me how he admired you. You probably thought nothing of it, but he would try to follow you around like a lost direhorse. I noticed the tiny scowls that came upon his face when Neteyam would steal away your attention. Plus he’s the only one you’re physically affectionate with besides-“

“I’m affectionate with all of you. Neteyam was extra special in my heart, he was my promised mate.” You started to get defensive.

She placed a hand on your shoulder, “yes, I understand. I just notice how the two of you hold each other in the night, Lo’ak holds you firmly to his chest with his arm over your waist and you will have your face tucked under his jaw.”

Your ears twitched, “I’m just trying to say, be careful. The both of you. Someone is gonna get hurt, and we’re just starting to heal our wounds.” Were her last wise words before standing up and walking away.

Three Years and Five Months Later

“I want to go to the cove and see Neteyam.”

You turned your head to the side, and bits of sand scratched your skin. Lo’ak kept his eyes on the sky, hands clasped over his stomach. You looked away when he didn’t meet your gaze.

“You are ready?”

“Not really, but I need to see him again.” It seemed like he had more to say so you waited, “are you ready?”

This time you knew he looked at you, the movement caused your ears to twitch at attention.

“No. But his face has started to blur and I lost the sound of his voice, his laugh. I miss it all, so it must be time.” You pushed off the ground and hunched over your legs.

His hand touched your back and you flinched before relaxing. Kiri’s words from a few months ago echoed in the back of your head. “If you are not ready, we can wait. You said we would go together when the both of us are ready. I’ll wait for you.”

You peeked at Lo’ak, something about that last part struck a chord with you. You see how his brows were raised just a bit and pinched in the middle, eyes open and clear. Full of understanding and love.

You fear Kiri’s words are becoming true.

You licked your lips, “we’ll go to the cove.” And you instantly stood up and walked away, Lo’ak following a step behind.

The both of you trod water for a bit once you reached the spirit tree, fully realizing that you're finally gonna see Neteyam again after three years. With a look to Lo’ak and a nod from him, the both of you took a breath and dove under and down.

As you stared at a tendril you started to think maybe you weren’t ready to see him, but with your hand being tugged by Lo’ak, you pulled your queue from behind your back and let the moving tendrils be pulled closer until they connected with your mind.

You were back in the forest.

It was midday, and the bright sun held high in the clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight. The grass was a luscious green, soft beneath your bare and calloused feet. Helicoradian and Octoshroom stood at their tall heights, you hit a few helicoradian causing them to shrink in on themselves which brings a laugh of joy out of you.

You walk to the stream where you and Neteyam would usually hang out during the day when both of you were free to escape. As you get closer the sound of the rushing water causes your heart to speed up just a bit, you’ve missed that sound for a while without even knowing.

When you entered the clearing, pushing a few low hanging leaves away from your face, your breath caught in your throat and you almost tripped over an unseen root. Head popping away from the rushing water and in your direction, Neteyam.

He hasn’t aged a day, which, obviously. But it just causes you to freak out a bit, you’ve grown three years, would he see you as past you or present you?

But focusing back on the boy you’ve missed so much. His usual head of braids, feathers, and beads were missing, just a curtain of dark black strands falling over his face and shoulders, it must have been a washing day. He’s also free of a necklace and armband, you notice his knife and bow are near the banks.

“(Y/n), come join me!” His voice made your chest rumble. Has it always been this deep?

“No tricks?” You stepped closer.

“No tricks,” he echoed back.

“Are you naked?” Hands at your hips.

He rolled his eyes, “obviously. Will you hurry up?”

“Nìhoet (perv), turn around first, skxawng.”

“We are to be mated, I’m allowed to see.”

“Not for a while, ‘evengan (boy). Turn.”

He put his hands up in surrender and turned, his toned back showing off his defined stripes. Quickly you stripped yourself of your feathered top and loincloth and rushed into the water with a splash.

You swam up to Neteyam who turned around at your disruption to the quiet. You kept your body under the water with just your head peeking free, your hair a halo behind you.

“I’ve missed you, oeyä sayrìp (my handsome).” A hand touched his cheek before pushing the free hair away. Needing to see all of him.

A hand fell atop the one resting on his cheek with his free one sitting along your jaw, thumb gliding with your stripes as his other three fingers dug into the root of your hair.

“I’m right here, oeyä sevin (my pretty).”

You teared up at that. He says he’s right there, but he’s not. You can’t touch him or converse with him whenever you choose to, you have to make the journey to the spirit tree now just to see figments of memories you had with him. And it seems he doesn’t even know he’s dead, so you can’t tell him these qualms you have.

“Ma tanhì, what hurts you?” Both hands hold your face, caged in his clasp.

You hold his wrist and close your eyes, the tears leaking from your waterline and down your cheek. You feel him wipe them away. You have to bite your lip to compose yourself.

His lips kiss your forehead, they linger and it breaks you even further. He pulled away and you said the words that have been lingering on your tongue.

“Ma Neteyam, Oel ngati kameie (i see you).”

He smiled, that easy smile you always loved seeing, “I know.” And he pulled you close with the hands still on your face, and pressed his lips against yours.

Your eyes peeled open.

All you saw was the bright light of the tree with your queue still attached before you pulled it free. You turned your head to the left where Lo’ak was floating, he still seemed to be connected, his eyes closed and hand still held firmly in yours. You bit the skin of your bottom lip and squeezed your eyes shut.

This was the reason you waited to visit because you knew that when you saw him again, it would break you like the first time. He didn’t get enough time with you, with his family, with himself. It wasn’t fair, this was the cruelest thing Eywa has ever done to you.

With a pull to your arm, your legs automatically began scissor kicking you back to the surface. You took a gulping breath when you broke the surface, droplets of water running into your eyes and on your mouth, and your ears almost felt clogged. You pushed your heavy limps back to the ilu, biceps straining with the sudden weight before flopping on the saddle, ready to leave.

“You okay?” Lo’ak asked as he saw beside the animal, left hand on the saddle while his right touched your knee.

You looked away before making eye contact, “just tired.” Both emotionally and physically.

Lo’ak watched you but didn’t say anything, he just climbed in front of you and told the animal to go home.

When you reached the shore you quickly climbed off and walked away, needing to be completely by yourself and allow yourself to wallow or break down or just stare at nothing. You just wanted to be alone. But of course, with Lo’ak, he’ll come chasing after you.

“(Y/n). Come on, we should head home.” And when his hand grasped your wrist, you exploded.

With a blind rage in your heart, you barred your fangs and released a hiss from deep within your chest. He let go of you and you stepped away before running into the trees. The instant regret took away a bit of the fire in your heart, you’ve never bared your fangs at any of the Sullys, even in playful moments.

As you walked through the small jungle area of the island you scrubbed your hands over your face, trying to erase any evidence of your tears. Cheeks flushed with your blood rushing and eyes touched with a red hue in the whites, chest heaving with hiccuping breaths and your ribs hurt with every few beats. Finally, your knees just gave out causing you to collapse to the floor, a deep growl building in your throat.

With a scream, you cried to the Great Mother, begging and pleading for Neteyam to come back. As exaggerated as it sounds, you needed Neteyam to breathe, to live. He unknowingly gave so much purpose to your life, you planned a future with him, you talked about children when you were ready. Pandora doesn’t have the same vibrant colors you use to see every waking day, it doesn’t hum with the high-pitched energy that you felt in your bones. Everything was dull and gray, the food tasted bitter on your tongue.

In your moment of heaving air and pleading to the air, arms snaked around your waist and pulled you in tight against a solid chest. You indulged for just a moment, pretending it was your beloved, but the voice snapped the trance.

“Just pretend,” he kept his voice low, “pretend you are in his arms. Say the words to free your heart.”

Your cries died off, your brows furrowed at his words. You tried to turn your eyes on him, but he removed a hand from your waist and draped them over your eyes, blocking out everything unimportant. You heard the water crashing, the wind brushing the leaves and grass, and your ears twitching with every breath that touched the sensitive skin. His skin was a warm comfort, chest pressing with every breath released, the pads of his fingers just a bit rough from time, the arm still holding your waist was a welcome weight.

“Talk to me, ma… ma txe’lan (my heart).” A nice pet name, but you heard the hesitance, and ignored it.

You touched his forearm, “ma ‘teyam… how I yearn for you day and night. Fruits aren’t as rich and juicy, the sky isn’t as bright and clear, and the children’s shrieks of joy aren’t as full in my heart. You were the air I breathed each second and now with you gone, I feel like I am suffocating. So right now I am angry at you. You had to be the fucking fkew tsamsyiu (mighty warrior)! I- I know how Kiri and Lo’ak- how they care for the human, Spider, but- you couldn’t be selfish or- or pull Lo’ak away. You couldn’t say no, he- Lo’ak, has such a soft spot in your txe’lan. And I know, I know already, I’ve told him plenty of times, it is not his fault. He just wanted his friend back, I understand. And- and I understand your actions, your family was in danger- our family was in danger,” you heaved a breath, “I- I am not angry with you, I’m angry with the sky people. They can’t leave us alone, touching and violating our home and destroying every beautiful gift Eywa has blessed us with. We should have been able to grow old… grow a lor (beautiful) family in the forest. We would teach them the way of the bow, grow them into fkew tsamsyius or zeykoyus (healers), and they would learn from Mo’at.” Your body slumped, and energy vanished.

Lo’ak felt the tears but didn’t speak, only kissed your temple. The kiss lingered and then another kiss near your ear, another to your cheek, a fourth one to your jaw that lead to a few more. You felt him turn your head, both hands touching your neck, you didn’t dare open your eyes, too lost in the spell to break it just yet. With your hands moving to take hold of his biceps, you felt the breath of air ghost your lips.

“Please,” you begged with your heart.

His lips pressed to yours hesitantly, waiting to see if you’ll push further or break away. You tilted your head just a bit, granting better room for your lips to properly move together. And within those few seconds of kissing, you knew. You knew that the spark that was usually there every time has disappeared, telling you that this wasn’t your Neteyam and that you couldn’t see Lo’ak in any other way than as a friend, a brother.

You pushed away, shame filling your blood. ‘You shouldn’t have done this’ ‘This wasn’t fair to Lo’ak’

“I am sorry. I- I shouldn’t have…” “(Y/n), would you mate with me?”

Your head snapped to Lo’ak, eyes wild with confusion at his sudden question. He looked serious, with no hint of mischief within his glowing eyes. His hands still held a firm hold on your neck, his fingers grazing your skin. His ears were pressed to his skull, awaiting some type of answer from you.

“I- I… why would you ask such a question? Whe- where is this coming from?”

He licked his lips, “Neteyam would want you happy. He would want you to have that family, to grow old with someone who cares for you as he did.”

‘No one could care for me as Neteyam did’

“It hurts to see you in pain and I would do everything in my power to take it away-” “You do not like or love me, Lo’ak. You are just confused, I have confused you.”

He shook his head, “no, no. I do, I do like you. I hold love for you that can grow with time-”

“Lo’ak! Stop this!” You wretched free of his hold, “mating is a serious affair. You should not be proposing this pairing just because I have lost my promised one. You say that you are doing this because Neteyam would want me happy, but what about you? Would this union bring love into your life every time you think about it? Because you are blinded by- by our- by my unintended intimacy. I have taken advantage of your comfort, I have twisted your thoughts. You do not love me. You do not see me.”

“Oel ngati kameie, (Y/n). I do,” Lo’ak tried to reach out to you.

You shrunk back, “do not throw those words around worthlessly!” Your arms wrapped over your stomach, “Lo’ak, I know that you had some type of- of feelings for me when we were younger. Kiri mentioned it to me. And with time I assumed they faded because when we arrived here you were instantly transfixed with Tsireya. I saw how your eyes followed her movements, your brows raising, the- the greeting you said to her that caused giggles to spill from her lips. I could feel that this was something more. And when our training started I saw how nervous she made you, how she said your heartbeat sped up every time she touched you, the both of you sharing dazzling smiles. Tsireya makes you happy, Lo’ak.”

A sigh left your lips, “do not throw your happiness away because of me.” Lo’ak tried to take a step towards you but you backed away, throwing a hand up, “I think it best if we are away from each other for a while. I- I need to heal properly and you need to rid yourself of these thoughts for me and focus on spending time with Tsireya again.”

Four Years Later

“Fkew Tuktirey! A glorious catch! The family will be proud.” You shifted her head of braids, her laughs filling the air.

The two of you trudged back to your mauri pod, Tuk holding the fish she was able to catch. She’s grown so much in four years, now age eleven and standing at shoulder height, it brought tears to your eyes, she was already starting to be confident and outgoing. Neteyam would be so proud of her.

As she ran ahead into the home you could faint voices having a conversation, voices talking loudly and over each other. You were worried someone was getting yelled at, but when you walked in it was a different scene than what you expected.

Near the entrance, Jake and Neytiri were seated on the ground, smiles brightening their faces in glee. And you noticed that two other bodies sat across from them, Tsireya and Lo’ak, their hands clasped beside their thighs. They all looked up at your and Tuk’s interruption to the home, but no smiles faltered at the intrusion.

“Sa’nu! (mom) Sempu! (dad) Look at the fish I caught with (Y/n)!” She hopped her way over to her parents. They both gasped and applauded her catch, Jake pulling her into his lap, pecking her face in quick kisses causing her to laugh. It was a joyful sight to behold.

“This will make for a wonderful dinner tonight. A celebration of two!” Neytiri boasted. You cocked your head, “what’s the other occasion?”

You took note of Jake and Neytiri sharing a look and Tsireya and Lo’ak doing the same, you and Tuk were the only two out of the loop. It wasn’t until Tsireya gave a simple nod that Lo’ak turned to you, “Tsireya and I are to be mated.” Tuk shrieked in delight before leaping to the couple for hugs.

“I always knew the two of you would come together,” a declaration heard by everyone but meant for Lo’ak. “You were always wise, (Y/n),” then suddenly Lo’ak did the gesture, hand to his forehead before dropping. I see you. The others might have thought it weird, but it meant a lot to you, Lo’ak finally understood you.

“Oh, Tsireya, I can’t wait for you to be an official family member!” Your arms are thrown over her shoulders. The two of you giggle with infectious joy and wiggle your bodies with buzzing energy.

Four Years and Two Months Later

The waves crashed and cried, the thundering in your ears almost a welcomed melody at this point. The blazing sun of the late afternoon warmed your skin in a nice hug, and gentle kisses to your cerulean stripes.

Your back sunk into the grains of sand on the beach, the shade of a palm tree leaves bringing relief to your face. Your eyes were closed in peace with lips slightly parted to release puffs of air, hands clasped over your stomach as it rose and fell. With your hair free of braids and the wind blowing, your jet-black strands would tickle your chin or nose, a crinkle forming to stop an incoming sneeze.

Almost slipping into a calming slumber you missed the soft steps heading your way on the beach, the wind and water covering the tracks. It wasn’t until a crunching noise grew louder that you heard the sigh of someone beside you. So you peeled an eye open and in the corner you saw-

“Lo’ak. Did you need something?” You just closed your eye and waited for an answer from him. Body stays in its tranquil state.

He didn’t say anything, you only heard shuffling on his part. But you waited, letting him collect his thoughts since it’s been a while since the both of you have been alone together. It was nice to be around him again, but you knew it was for the best, for both of you.

There was a graze to your forearm and it made you tense up, the touch unwelcomed. You didn’t push him away, just turned your head and stared at the boy- the man before you. Your golden eyes squinted at his quiet demeanor, knees pulled up and head bowed with his braids falling over his shoulder and shielding his face.

“Lo’ak,” he jerked his hand away like you burned off fire, “why have you come here? It is best if we are away from each other.”

His head moved, “I’ve missed my old friend. Missed sitting in silence with you and just keeping each other company as we mourned for Neteyam. Missed having you join me when visiting Payakan, he misses you as well,” a quick laugh, “and I- I just missed being with you.”

You let the words sink in, digesting and absorbing every syllable and word. “I have missed you too, Lo’ak.” A simple confession. You saw the tiny smile on his face.

“Are you excited to be mated with Tsireya?” Wanting to have an easy conversation.

Lo’ak looked out into the clear waters, “yeah. I’m lucky she accepted me, flaws and all. She’s so perfect and gentle and sweet with everyone she meets, always having my heart squeeze with admiration for her. And she chooses me, reckless and carefree Lo’ak who’s always doing shit to get me into trouble or danger. The perfect girl chose the disappointment. It is almost like a dream.” His fingers twiddled, pulling at the joints or tapping fingers together.

“You are not a disappointment, Lo’ak.” A poke was sent to his thigh for his attention, “your family loves you very much. And, yes, some of the things they have said to you haven’t been the nicest, but they bubbled from a place in their heart from fear of losing you.”

He looked away, hands still fidgeting so you pulled the closest into your grasp as you continued speaking, “and you say you are lucky for Tsireya choosing you, but she is also the lucky one. She looks at you like you hung every star that sparkles in the night sky, you pull laughter from deep within her chest, her heart. She touches you with a fragile air, hands always clasped between your bodies or caressing your cheek as she gets lost in your eyes. I see all this from far away. And- and I envy the both of you.”

Lo’ak opened his mouth to speak but you stopped him still needing to speak your mind, “I am so happy that you are able to have this love in your life. You truly deserve the best Lo’ak and being with someone who makes your days brighter and heart lighter, Eywa has given you a great blessing.”

You saw his eyes gloss over with water forming and his tongue popping out to lick his lips. You said all that needed to be spoken, so now you let him understand your words and waited for anything to be said from his side. With his hand still in your hold you ran your thumb over his knuckles.

“(Y/n), I know these are probably the words you don’t wish to hear, but I too need to speak my mind as well.” His eyes bore into yours. You had a guess as to what he was going to say, but just nodded your head and let him speak.

“I did like you. When we were younger and I saw you in action for the first time, it was like Eywa crafted you with such care and precision. I was in awe, but Neteyam got to you first, so I kept a certain distance when it came to you. But when… when he died… I felt- I felt just a bit of hope that- that- I don’t even know now. But I do want to say… you were right. Us being separated helped clear me of confusing thoughts and feelings and allowed me to focus on the one who loved me right away.”

Four Years and Nine Months Later

The beach was crowded. Every resident of Awa’atlu was present and dressed in their finest for the union of Tsireya and Lo’ak, the first pairing of different clans. Tonowari and Ronal along with Jake and Neytiri stood to the side of their children, and their siblings at the front of the crowd. You stood between Kiri and Tuk, a hand in both of yours.

You watched and listened as Ronal stepped forward, with her being tsahík she was the one to officiate the wedding, giving her blessings and wise words from Eywa. You saw the smiles pulling at the parents' mouths and the tears welling in their eyes, their children have grown up.

Tsireya with her hair intricately fashioned with beads and shells, her top that shimmered with pearls covering every inch of skin, but her smile and teary eyes were the most beautiful part of her. Her ever-expressive face showed that she was excited to spend the rest of her life with the man standing before her, ready to start a family with him in the future when they are further into adulthood. Excited to wake up every day to his face and arms wrapping her tight to his chest and falling asleep every night to the feel of his chest moving with every breathe and feel the light kisses he would place upon her hair or forehead before mumbling how he loves her and wishes her a good night.

With Lo’ak it looked like he was holding himself back from jumping into Tsireya and tugging her into a steering kiss. He wore a newly woven armband with a feather attached and an Omatikaya cummerbund, almost like his final goodbye to the forest before he gets his tattoos of the Metkayina warriors in due time. He held her hands tightly, thumbs constantly moving to show his nerves and excitement. His smile was ginormous, it was pushing his cheeks high and causing his eyes to squint, it was adorable. His tail was swinging side to side in a rapid movement and his ears were perked high, listening to every word being spoken by Ronal. His eyes shine with love, probably thinking of getting to kiss his mate whenever he wants, day and night nothing would stop him from a quick peck or a passionate melting of lips that caused hands to wander. He’ll enjoy all the loud and quiet moments in their home, just enjoying the other company as they do their own tasks. He’ll talk about his day over dinner and she listens with focused ears and watchful eyes.

The loud cheers of the crowd snapped you from your daydreaming, imagining you and Neteyam’s future.

Tsireya and Lo’ak share a kiss before the clan, their joining of queues and mating before Eywa would take place away from the eyes of others.

With a feast held in their name, everyone was in high spirits. The music was flowing and people were dancing, the food was cooked to perfection and in abundance, and the drinks splashed causing people to let loose. You clapped, cheered, and laughed with your new clan, your new home. Conversing with people your age and allowing yourself to make new friends.

When the eclipse was high in the sky you excused yourself from the festivities and walked to a secluded part of the beach.

As you lay on the beach with your hands behind your head and eyes staring up at the sky, you yearned for him once again. Yearned for his warmth and his touch, his voice and laugh. Yearned for the domestic life you envisioned yourself to have with him, imagining your children squealing and running amuck, but bringing endless light and joy to your lives, as he’d done to yours.

With almost five years passed since his departure, everyone has healed most wounds. There were still cracks and tears within your hearts that might never mend, but you knew that Neteyam was watching all of you. He would be smiling and almost shocked that Lo’ak mated before him, but he would be happy because he knew his little brother deserves every ounce of love. Neteyam would be happy that everyone is living their lives happily and growing more into themselves, with great love filling their bones.

And with that knowledge, he’s happily waiting with Eywa until his family can join him on the other side.

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