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[blogwithlani]

hello! i just want to say that i think you’re an amazing writer and i love your stories!! i see that you’re taking requests right now so i thought i’d give it a try. i was hoping you could make an angst + fluff. the idea is about neteyam and human reader who have been friends since they were children. they both have a crush on eo but is unaware about it. neteyam has been dying to tell her about his crush on her but always ended up stuttering and changing the subject. reader on the other hand, just never planned on telling him seeing how they’re not even the same species to begin with and even if they were, she’s just a nobody while he’s the future oloeyktan. one day, rumors started spreading around about how neteyam is going to be mated w an omaticaya woman. reader thought that was what neteyam wanted to talk to her about, about him and his mate. she thought he doesn’t feel comfortable telling her about it so she begins distancing herself, thinking she’s doing him a favour. neteyam noticed how reader is avoiding him everytime he tries to talk to her, oblivious of the rumours going around. after a few weeks, he’s had enough so he corners her and confronts her and they’d fight and it ends up in both of them confessing to eo. sorry if this is too long and my grammar is off, english is not my first language. feel free to ignore this request. thank you <3 have an amazing day/night!

Meant to be

Neteyam Sully x human! Reader

🧷 warning: angst, fluff.

🫧 a/n: Thank you so much anon!! I appreciate your kind words & I love this req. I’m obsessed with angst & this was perfectttt. (Your english is perfect btw) I’m so sorry this took a billion years to publish but I hope you like it!

💭 You’ve been in love with Neteyam since you were a child, unbeknownst to you— he’s felt the exact same way. The only problem is, you’re a human and he’s the future Olo’eyktan. You don’t think you’re worthy enough and so you start to distance yourself— something that Neteyam cannot accept.

—

You couldn't understand why you had been born like this. As a child, you had noticed you were starkly different to everyone around you, you clearly weren't a Na'vi, but you were accepted graciously by most anyway. No one seemed to mind that you were a part of the sky people-- besides your physical differences, you lived and acted like the Omatikyan. When you had hit the age of eight, the teasing from other young Na'vi children started.

"You look so weird"

"Why don't you go back to your own people"

You were minding your own business and admiring the nature of the forest when a group of young boys started to pick on you. Pulling on your hair, laughing at how short you were and your facial features. You cried and begged them to leave you alone-- but they ignored you and continued. That is until the Olo'eyktan's eldest son saved you by interfering with the group and chasing them off.

"Brother, why did you not help her?" You watch him as he scolds his younger brother for being a bystander. He didn't join in with the others but you noticed he was watching, unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry, Nete-- I was scared they wouldn't want to be my friends if I stopped them" Lo'ak stuttered, he didn't show it but he felt guilty-- you could tell. Neteyam helped you up, rubbed your back as you cried and comforted you. You were practically a nobody to him, yet he showed you such kindness.

"I promise I'll protect you from now on" He uttered softly to you as he let you cry into his shoulder. You knew from that day, Neteyam was the one.

As you both grew older, you started to realise how much you loved Neteyam. You tried to deny it at first, but you knew undoubtedly that you had a crush on your bestfriend. Blame it on puberty but you would grow flustered at even the simplest of things he'd do. He'll randomly hold your hand, brush strands of hair out of your face -- make eye contact with you for longer than ten seconds, your face warms and you feel your stomach turn in a good way.

You watch him from afar, huffing in frustration as you observe from a much lower view from the others. Their laughter rings in your ears, jealousy filling in your gut as you watch them have fun while you’re stuck on the ground. You felt like a baby, completely useless as you cross your arms and try not to throw a fit.

“Can’t I just climb up for a few minutes? I know how to!” You call up to the others, your voice only gaining the attention of Neteyam.

“I told you it’s too dangerous. I’ll be down in a few minutes” You just huff at his words, kicking at some dirt beneath your feet before you go occupy yourself.

You ignore them all as you walk, blocking out their conversations as you trail behind them. As per usual, they’re all too engrossed in their own conversations to notice you’ve been trailing behind. Neteyam glances back once he realises you’re not by his side, so he slows down so he can walk beside you.

“You’re tired. I’ll carry you” Neteyam offers, and when you decline he just rolls his eyes and picks you up anyway— letting you jump on his back. You wrap your arms around his neck for support, your chin resting on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry for always stopping you from joining us— I just can’t risk anything happening to you” He apologises, his voice soft as he talks to you. He doesn’t see the way you glance at him, your fingers gently grazing his skin as you grip onto him tighter.

“It’s okay. I know” You hum in reassurance, realising holding a grudge wasn’t worth it. He was only looking out for you, you shouldn’t give him too much slack about it.

“I—I wanted to talk to you about…something” Neteyam stutters out, seeming to have lost his confidence suddenly. You hum, waiting for him to continue his sentence. When he seems to struggle speaking, you nudge him gently.

“You can tell me anything. I’ll be understanding of whatever it is” Your voice is soothing to him, a sign that it’s okay— he can finally do this without having to worry about what you’ll think or say. He nods before finally gathering together his thoughts. As soon as he opens his mouth, Spider and Lo’ak interrupt you both — calling out to Neteyam.

Neteyam realises then that maybe telling you he’s been in love with you for years wouldn’t be the best time. The others were being too noisy and Tuk was practically clinging onto Neteyam’s leg— he wanted the moment to be perfect, so he decides to wait.

“I’ll tell you later”

Later doesn’t arrive. You both get too caught up in your own duties that neither of you find the time to yourselves anyway. Neteyam trains with his father and you have to go back to the lab to meet with Norm. Sometimes you forget you can’t breathe their air without a stupid mask, you’re only reminded when you’re finally around people who look like you. You tried to remind yourself to ask Neteyam about what he wanted to tell you, you were curious but as the days pass— you naturally forget to ask.

You’re looking after Tuk one day while Kiri and the others hunt with Jake, the pair of you both sitting amongst the other woman while you teach Tuk how to weave. You swear you didn’t mean to eavesdrop, your attention is almost solely focused on Tuk— but you can’t help but overhear the other Omatikayan women. They’re sat in a circle not far from you, giggling to themselves— the mentioning of Neteyam’s name catches your attention.

“The Olo’eyktan’s eldest son has finally found a mate”

“Are you certain? Neteyam didn’t seem interested in any of the girls I’ve seen” One of them scoffs, your eyes trailing toward their faces.

“She’s the daughter of the best hunter in the village. I’m sure the two will marry soon enough. Neytiri and Jake Sully did the same”

You force yourself to tear your attention away from them, your chest aching far too much to handle listening to any more of their conversation. Neteyam is your closest friend, surely if he had found a mate you would’ve been the first to know. Tears almost burn in your eyes as you realise that maybe that’s what he wanted to tell you the other day. He probably wanted to tell you before people started to talk, but now it was too late.

Daughter of the best hunter. Neteyam deserves only the best for his mate, someone who would be a good Tsahìk, who’s important to the clan— someone who’s actually Na’vi. His own kind. No matter how much you talk, act and think like them— you’ll never be the same. You’re a human, you love Neteyam— you dream of finally expressing your feelings toward him but there’s no point. You knew this would happen eventually but you didn’t think it would still hurt this much.

You start to distance yourself from Neteyam. It’s better for him, he has more important things to think about now— he finally has a mate and the last thing you wanted was for him to be distracted by you. The guilt you feel weighs heavy on you everytime you avoid him. You’ll hide away from him if you see him around the village, you no longer tag along when the group wants to explore the forest anymore and even when he does catch you to talk— you always cut him off short.

Neteyam noticed the change instantly the moment you brushed him off the first time. He had finally finished his training for the day, and although he was exhausted he wanted nothing else but to spend some time with you. You plagued his thoughts all day, to the point where he was scolded a few times for losing focus by his elders. He couldn’t help it, seeing you was his favourite part of his days. Now he felt lost.

“I can’t hang out. Sorry, I gotta go to the lab” You lied, your eyes barely meeting his before you brushed past him, making sure you walked fast enough to lose him before you finally exhaled.

Neteyam stood confused, his heart pounding in his chest as he wondered why you left so suddenly. Something was bothering you but he didn’t know what. He huffs, fighting the urge to follow after you and decides to give you some space. He tries countless times after the first encounter to try and figure out why you’re acting so cold toward him, but as weeks pass— he starts to grow impatient.

“I’m gonna talk to her.” Neteyam hums to Lo’ak as he watches you from afar, his fingers fiddling with each other anxiously as he prepares himself.

“Just go and do it. You’ve been stalling for too long” Lo’ak complains before he pushes his brother forward with one hand, Neteyam gives his brother a dirty look before he fixes himself and moves toward you.

Unfortunately for him, you catch him on the way so you hastily leave the circle to try and lose him from your trail. You walk until you move past the tents and just when you think you’ve lost him, you feel him grasp ahold of your arm.

“You’re not running away from me this time” He tuts as you finally stop in your tracks, huffing you pull your wrist from his grasp and turn to look up at him.

“We need to talk. Right now” Neteyam is serious, you’ve only heard him speak to Lo’ak in this tone so you knew you had to have this conversation now. You couldn’t run from it any longer.

“About what?”

“Do not tease me. You know exactly what I’m talking about” Neteyam seethes, referring to the fact you’ve been ignoring him for weeks on end. You sigh heavily before shaking your head.

“There’s no point talking about it. Just know I’m doing it for you” He scoffs at your statement, the sound causing you to narrow your eyes at him in annoyance.

“Doing what for me? Ignoring me. Making me feel like shit because I don’t know what I did wrong?” He argues with you.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. But you should’ve known this was going to happen eventually, I just wish you had told me sooner!” You exclaim, finally losing your patience.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! One moment we’re fine and the next you’re ignoring me and leaving me behind. I’ve had enough. Just tell me what’s wrong” He raises his voice, frustration clear in his tone as he speaks to you. The weeks of silence from the one person he wants finally got to him.

“You finding a mate. I had to hear it from other women in the village gossiping. Not just them, others too” You huff, tears finally clouding your vision— your throat tightening as your cheeks grow wet. The angered look on Neteyam’s face slowly drops as he realises why you’ve been acting this way.

“I love you Nete. Not like the way I love the others. I’m in love with you. I’ve never told you and I didn’t plan on telling you because I’m human. You’re Na’vi, we won’t work. Finding out you have a mate just made me realise that even more” You struggle to talk, your voice cracking an embarrassing amount as you finally confess.

You think you’ve ruined your friendship the moment the words slip out of your mouth but to Neteyam— you’ve only strengthened the bond you share. He smiles at you before crouching down to meet more on your level— his hand meeting your side to comfort you.

“I didn’t know there was talk of me finding a mate. I’m sorry— if I had known earlier I would’ve made it known it wasn’t true” Neteyam apologises— your forehead creases as a look of confusion grows on your face.

“You don’t have a mate?”

“No, silly girl. I mean— it’s true some elders have tried to find me one but I’ve declined them all. There’s only one for me and I found her years ago when I saved her from bullies” He laughs, his smile contagious as one grows on your own face. You exhale heavily, feeling guilty for treating him so poorly over some rumours.

“I wanted to tell you I feel the exact same way. I just couldn’t do it in front of the others. I wanted the moment to be perfect” He uses his free hand to caress the back of your hair, the feeling of his touch causing your chest to warm.

“I don’t care that we’re different. You’re the only one I want” He sighs, the weight finally lifting from his chest. All those years of waiting to tell you, they’re finally worth it.

“I see you”

—

[blogwithlani]

— Permanent taglist <3

Please comment down below if you’d like to be added to my permanent taglist <3!!

🪐 — I mainly write for Avatar so you’ll be tagged in all my fics for that. Lmk if you’re interested. Idk what else to add lmao but thank youuu :)

[blogwithlani]

Astray — pt.2

☁️ Ao’nung x Metkayina Reader x Neteyam

🧷 warnings: angst, jealousy, toxic!Aonung

a/n: Sorry for the longest delay ever. I’ll be honest with you I had the worst writers block with this one but anyways enough with the sob story. Hope this is okay :p

📑 Ao’nung starts to act weird and you have no idea why. You try to ignore him but he proves to make that a hard task when he starts to interfere with you and Neteyam.

You push back against him until he finally takes his hand off of your mouth and gives you some space. You huff, adjusting yourself before standing up straight. Although you’d been avoiding Ao’nung, you were some what relieved it was just him and not a stranger. Still, you weren’t exactly thrilled to see him either.

“What’s wrong with you? Why would you grab me like that?” You seethe, still recovering from the fright he’d just given you. He doesn’t respond yet, just observing you as you mutter incoherently to yourself.

“You are not going back to your marui, you liar. Where are you headed?” He interrogates you, standing in your way to stop you from leaving.

“Getting some air. Go back home” You huff before you attempt to move past him yet again, he stops you— holding out his arm to block you, which causes you to bump into it. At this point, his intrusion is starting to annoy you and you can’t hide the way it spreads to your face.

“You’re seeing the Sully boy aren’t you?” Ao’nung says accusingly, giving you a look of disbelief before you can even say anything.

“And what if I am? Why do you care” You question him, watching as the look on his face falters at your tone. He drops his arm before he shrugs— going back to his usual nonchalant act.

“I don’t care. I just wanna know why you lied” He scoffs before he finally moves out of your way to let you pass. You take the opportunity to finally get past him enough so he can no longer block you.

“Please don’t tell anyone, Ao’nung” You plead and when he doesn’t respond, you repeat it yet again.

“Please”

“I’ll keep your secret safe… for now” He tuts, you thank him quietly and although you don’t fully trust his word— you spare him one last glance before you continue on your way. It was strange, the way he was interrogating you was out of character for him to say the least. He didn’t care where you roamed before so why did he suddenly care now.

Ao’nung was wasting your time and energy yet again, you scold yourself internally as you make your way toward Neteyam who’s sitting on the sand. He stands when he sees you, a wide smile gracing his features when he sees you approaching him.

“I apologise for being late. I got held up”

“No need to apologise— I’d wait all night for you if I had to” Neteyam hums as he pulls you into a hug, you feel your face warm at his comment— grateful that it was too dark for it to be noticeable.

The two of you move to the forest line of the reef, making sure you’re well hidden away from the marui before you relax and talk. With Neteyam, you can talk about literally anything and everything and you would never run out of things to talk about. He always listens and has something thoughtful to say too— something you realised Ao’nung never did. Your conversations were always one sided, flat and consisted of him walking off most of the time.

“I want to give you something” Neteyam says softly before he pulls out the necklace that you used to wear daily— the same one that broke when Ao’nung pushed you.

You feel your eyes water, heart pounding in your chest as you stare at Neteyam with adoration in your eyes. He fixed it for you and it looked better than it had before.

“I think you must’ve forgotten some of the pieces in the sand so I collected new shells. I’m sorry it’s not as good as it was before” He apologises shyly as he avoids your eyes, his hands still holding out the necklace.

“I love it, thank you Nete” You throw your arms around him and pull him into you. He feels so warm, the heat emanating from his skin spreading onto your own. You pull away feeling an urge grow inside of you, one that was impulsive and made you do something you probably shouldn’t have.

You press your lips against his— the feeling of you causes him to jolt suddenly but he relaxes into the kiss almost immediately, his hands moving into place on your body.

“I see you” Neteyam almost whispers when you pull away from him, his words causing your heart to pound faster— a smile growing on your face.

“I see you”

You leave separately, Neteyam offers to hang back so you can get home sooner and he can watch you to make sure you make it safely. You can barely contain the smile that’s on your face as you make your way back to the marui, your fingers caressing the necklace that sits on your chest as Neteyam runs your thoughts.

Days pass and you grow even closer to Neteyam, barely hiding the fact the two of you are more than just friends. Ever since you kissed, you two have been more touchy-- constantly holding hands, stealing kisses and almost exposing your secret to the others. You are inseparable. It's a fact that you love and one that Ao'nung is growing to hate more as the days pass. You don't notice the way Tonowari's son scowls at the sight of your side brushing against Neteyam's, at the thought of you seeing him at night-- the thought of Neteyam stealing you away from him.

"Brother, frown any longer and you'll get a sore head" Tsireya teases her brother as she nudges his Ilu with hers. The sound of her voice causes him to pull away from the sight before him-- which is you and Neteyam sitting together on the sand.

"Funny" He huffs, voice monotone as he tries his hardest not to let you disturb his thoughts more than you already have. Ever since he rejected you all those weeks ago, you seemed to have had the opposite effect on him. You plagued his mind, to the point where he's starting to dream of you. Unfortunately, Tsierya found out about his dreams after she overheard him mumbling your name in his sleep.

"She deserves to be happy. You had your chance and you broke her with it. Neteyam is good for her" Tsireya hums, the humour in her tone completely faltered. Ao'nung doesn't respond, he just absentmindedly nods at her words-- a sight that worry's his sister.

Ao'nung decides to approach you both when Tsireya finally leaves to go help their mother. She wouldn't be there to stop him from doing something stupid. Which is exactly what he does.

"Neteyam. Y/N" Ao'nung greets you both, the sound of his voice causes you to exhale before you turn away from Neteyam to look up at him. You give him a questioning look, unaware of why he was approaching you.

"My father wants you to dive and hunt with me” Ao’nung’s statement causes you to frown in slight disbelief. The request sounded strange to say the least, Tonowari knows Ao’nung is more than capable to dive on his own and he usually hunts with Rotxo and the others.

“Where’s Rotxo and Tsireya? They can’t join you?” You try to weasel your way out of having to join him.

“My father asked for you specifically. You shouldn’t defy the chief’s orders” Ao’nung tuts, a sly smirk on his face as he watches a slightly irritated look grow on your face.

“Okay but Neteyam should join. He’s good at hunting” You say, offering a smile to Neteyam who gives you a knowing look. He knows what you’re trying to do and he gives you a slight shake of his head before he agrees.

“I’m free, I could use the extra lessons” Neteyam moves to stand but Ao’nung shakes his head.

“No, Tsireya wants you. She’s teaching Lo’ak a few things by the Marui— they’re important” Ao’nung finalises as he nods his head toward the marui. Neteyam looks as though he doesn’t fully believe him but he gives you an apologetic smile anyway before standing.

“I’ll see you later” He says to you before he walks off, giving you one last glance before he disappears into the far distance. You huff as you look back at Ao’nung who waits for you to stand.

It’s awkward. The silence that fills the space between you both as you swim is so heavy but you can’t help it. Swimming with the boy who rejected and embarrassed you was the last thing you expected to be doing today. He can’t blame you for feeling uncomfortable but you can tell he’s trying.

We should go in there

He signs to you beneath the water, motioning to the small cave with an air pocket. You give him a slight nod before following after him, finally heaving in a breath once you’ve entered the cave. He wades across from you as you both take a few breaths, the silence eating you alive but you try not to seem too bothered by it.

“Uh— how has your day been?” Ao’nung questions you, his tone slightly awkward. You let out a cough before you answer.

“Okay, I guess. Yours?”

“Could be better” He answers coolly, sounding more like himself than he has been recently.

It goes quiet again, the atmosphere almost suffocating as you as you avoid Ao’nung’s eyes. You feel his gaze burn on the side of your face— the feeling causing you to fiddle with your fingers beneath the water. You hear him hum before gently moving closer to you, his movement causing ripples in the water. He brushes a lock of your hair behind your ear, his fingers brushing against your skin.

“You should braid more of your hair. Your curls get in the way of your face” His eyes linger on your face longer than you want him to so you keep your head turned. You choose not to question his random act, he had never touched you so gently— at all in fact, besides the time he pushed you into the sand.

“We should go hunting. Your dad will scold us if we return with nothing” You change the subject before you swim out of the cave— you don’t wait for him before you swim out to the usual hunting area.

—

You notice Ao’nung a lot more. After your random diving trip, he seemed to be everywhere you turned. No matter what part of the village you found yourself in, Ao’nung was never far away. You’re swimming with Neteyam on your ilus, Ao’nung sits on his own behind you. You’re weaving on the shore and Ao’nung is somehow kicking around on the sand near you. Even during trainings with the Sully’s he’s been acting weird.

“Teyam. It’s this way” You gently guide Neteyam as he works on his signing. He’s been getting better at communicating under water, something you’ve been tutoring him on during your late night hang outs. Besides the fact it’s extra time you get to spend with him uninterrupted, you’ve been using it to teach him how to sign.

“Sorry, I need to keep practicing”

“It’s okay, you’re doing well” You giggle, the sight of you guiding his hands causes Ao’nung to tense up— jealousy surging through him as you smile at Neteyam. Rotxo nudges his side, barely pulling away Ao’nung’s attention.

“Y/N, can you braid my hair? It’s loose” Ao’nung huffs, cutting Rotxo off mid sentence as he gains your attention. You look away from Neteyam toward the chief’s son, his hair already waiting in front of him.

“Uh— okay” You say before reluctantly moving toward Ao’nung’s side of the circle and fixing his long braid for him. He likes the feeling of your fingers gently weaving through his hair. He savours the way you kneel behind him, your skin just grazing his as you quickly redo his braid for him.

“What was that about?” Kiri questions you lowly when you move back to your side of the circle. You shrug unsure of what that was either, Ao’nung usually gets Tsireya to redo his braid but she had to skip this lesson so that’s probably why.

“So shameless, brother” Rotxo scoffs, teasing Ao’nung as they both watch you walk back to the marui after training finished. His friend clearly refers to the stunt Ao’nung pulled earlier with the braid. Ao’nung just rolls his eyes, shoving him gently as they follow behind you.

—

“You’ll have to choose a mate soon. This would be a good time to pick” Tsireya mutters to her brother as they approach the bonfire surrounded by Na’vi their age. Ao’nung just sighs as he follows after her, mentally preparing for a long night.

Ao’nung is disinterested in all the girls that approach him. He can barely hold conversations with them and makes excuses to cut it short so he can walk off and get some time alone. He wonders where you are, he hasn’t seen you since training earlier in the morning and he expected you would be here. The village held bonfire gatherings every so often for the youth— Ao’nung usually enjoyed them but he barely wanted to be here now. Especially since you were nowhere to be seen.

“But she’s a good hunter” Rotxo tries to reason with Ao’nung as he lists yet another potential mate to his friend. Ao’nung couldn’t care less, he just shrugs— his gaze constantly scanning over the crowd around him, hoping your face would finally appear.

“She talked about finally having an important title the whole time— she’s not genuine” Ao’nung tuts, he doesn’t hide the fact he’s grown bored of the conversation of finding a mate— he just wants to see you.

He’s almost given up hope and prepares to ditch this whole gathering all together until he finally sees you walking in the far distance. His eyes light up at the sight of you, his interest finally peaking until it’s shattered by the sight of Neteyam following closely beside you. He grunts to himself, annoyed that you hadn’t arrived alone. Kiri and Lo’ak trailed behind you both, waving out to Tsireya and Rotxo when they move closer.

You had barely acknowledged him, you just sat down beside Neteyam in the sand with the circle— your attention glued onto him solely as you listen to him talk. Ao’nung chews the inside of his cheek as he feels envy rush through him, wishing it had been him you were staring at so intently.

Another girl approaches Ao’nung, a fisherman’s daughter— someone Ao’nung hadn’t talked to since he was a young boy. This time he doesn’t find ways to chase her away, instead he invites her to join him— patting the spot beside him to mimic exactly how you and Neteyam were positioned.

“You have pretty eyes” Ao’nung compliments her, his voice louder than usual. It was shameless and pathetic but he had hoped you’d overheard him. You proved his plan a success by accidently eavesdropping in on their conversation. You can’t help but feel something about the way he talks to her so sweetly. This was a side of Ao’nung you never got to see, you had more of a chance of being attacked by a Tulkun than getting a compliment from him. It hurt.

Ao’nung hopes you see the way the girl’s hands caress his shoulder gently as they talk, or the way his fingers entwine with hers as they hold hands. It was an impulsive act and a shallow one seeing as the fact he didn’t even want to hold hands with her— he just hoped you would feel jealous the same way he had. You notice, of course you manage to play it off especially since you have Neteyam right beside you.

“Let’s go for a walk” You say to Neteyam before you both get up and walk away from the bonfire to find a more secluded spot. Ao’nung feels his mood drop the moment he sees you stand to leave. He pulls away from the girl— still pretending to listen to her talk but showing signs he was losing interest in her. You weren’t there so he didn’t care anymore.

Ao’nung doesn’t see you again, you didn’t return to the bonfire and even though he looked for you in the crowd as it was finishing— he still didn’t find you. He returned to his marui feeling worse than he did when he left. He went to sleep that night with you on his mind— knowing he would yet again dream of you.

He wakes randomly due to the ocean breeze that tickles at his skin. Ao’nung shivers slightly as he sits up, stretching as he looks over at his sleeping family before he stands. He’s not sure what time of the night it is but it’s still dark out. He decides to take a breather and gently moves to stand in the entry of their marui pod.

He narrows his eyes when he sees you in the far distance, hand in hand with Neteyam as you both walk away from your marui pods. Ao’nung feels his jaw tense, hands ball into fists as he watches you both run off. He remembered he promised you he wouldn’t tell anyone of your secret meetups with Neteyam— he respected that promise for weeks, but right now— Ao’nung doesn’t care about broken promises, he couldn’t stand watching you with Neteyam any longer. Ao’nung huffs before he leaves his marui and makes his way toward yours.

—

Taglist :

@mmounty19 @nicole-011 @purplepursepaint @1-800anklebully @akiyamazumi @littlethingsinlife @ripneteyam @lollife1617 @findingourtreasure @spicycloudsalad @yeosxxx @mcdonalds-playground @69cocktimusprime @zatarias-pandora @nao-cchi @philiasoul @anityata

[blogwithlani]

When’s the next part of astray coming out?

Tomorrow for sure :) I'm so sorry for the longest wait ever I've literally rewritten it 3 times because I've had the worst writers block but I'm finally happy with what I've written & it'll be out tomorrow.

[blogwithlani]

Headcanons for how lo’ak, Neteyam, and aonung would be when dating you? Maybe some dates they would like to do etc :)

Boyfriend Headcannons

💭— How Neteyam, Lo’ak and Ao’nung would be as your boyfriend.

🧷 — this is my first time doing headcannons so hopefully it’s good :)

Neteyam

Neteyam is the type of boyfriend who would randomly give you gifts. It doesn’t even have to be a special occasion— he’ll give you something sentimental just because. When he goes out diving with the other boys he always finds pretty shells that he finds to give to you. He always says they remind him of you.

He was too shy to ask you out at first, too concerned about whether or not he’d be over stepping his boundaries especially since he didn’t know how you felt. Lo’ak being Lo’ak— ‘accidentally’ blurted it out to you one day that Neteyam liked you, which resulted in Neteyam beating him but also confessing his feelings to you. The rest happened from there.

He’s protective over you, but in a healthy way. He doesn’t mind you being around other guys, he trusts you so he doesn’t worry. He knows you’re clumsy so he’s always looking out for you, holding your hand to help guide you if you’re walking on uneven surfaces, tending to your wounds if you get any from training and making sure you’re fed. He won’t let you leave his marui until he knows you’ve eaten.

“Have you eaten enough?” He’ll ask you for the fifth time. You nod, unable to reply because your mouth is full. “Yes, Nete. I’m fine— I’ll see you later” You laugh, finding amusement in the fact your boyfriend is so caring. He’ll let you leave, giving you a kiss before he cleans up the rest of the food.

When you get into arguments with him and you both need space, it doesn’t last long. Neteyam hates being away from you, especially when he knows you’re both upset at each other. So he’ll find you wherever you are with an apology ready. You can’t resist him either so your grudge against him never holds.

When he takes you on dates, he’ll always make sure they’re special and well thought out. He chooses scenic places, brings food he knows you like and he’ll always give you something as a gift— even if it’s something small. Lo’ak likes to tease Neteyam about it but you find it sweet how seriously he’ll take your dates. He’ll take you to watch the sunset or sit on a quieter part of the beach— he even sang you a song once.

Neteyam is always affectionate. He’s not afraid to show you how much he loves you— even though his siblings tease him for it. He’s clingy when he wants to be but he knows when to give you space. He’s big on physical touch, he’ll have his arm wrapped around you or hand clasped with yours when you’re walking around. He hugs you randomly and loves when you sleep next to him.

Lo’ak

Even though Lo’ak has the biggest mouth and never struggles to speak his mind— he found it difficult to tell you how he felt about you. He had a crush on you for years, always concealing it by teasing you and treating you like a friend— but really he was dying to tell you otherwise. “Just tell her” Neteyam would nudge him after catching his younger brother gazing at you from afar. “Stop” He would tut, shrugging off Neteyam before he had a little talk with himself to muster up the courage before he walks over to you.

As your boyfriend, Lo’ak is over protective. He trusts you, but he doesn’t trust other guys so it’s more than likely that he’ll start fights over you or drag you away from a group if there are too many guys there. You reassure him countless times that he doesn’t have to worry and after a while he chills out more, but he’ll still keep an eye on you if he thinks someone’s being too touchy with you.

Lo’ak finds being affectionate kind of cringey so he wouldn’t be so open with it— but he still shows you how much he cares when you’re alone. He’ll smother you, kiss you and cling onto you even when he knows he’s being a bit much. “You’re suffocating me” You huff, struggling to breathe as Lo’ak pulls you closer into his body. You’ve been cuddling in bed for an hour now and he refuses to let you get out of bed. “Just deal with it babe”

Lo’ak takes you on romantic dates and he’ll choose scenic places too. He’s naturally adventurous so he’ll sometimes put you both at risk with some of the places he’ll take you. “I thought you said this was safe?” You question him as you find yourself stepping over some old abandoned aircraft stuck in a tree. “Babe chill, we’ll be fine” He says this moments before the weight of you both causes it to collapse and fall, the both of you just managing to escape. You lectured him the whole walk home and he promised to make it up to you next time.

When you fight, it’ll take a while for you both to get over it. You’re both stubborn so you accept that giving each other silent treatment is what you need. He usually caves first, after watching you from afar and giving himself shit for making you upset— he’ll finally get over himself and go apologise to you. “I’m an asshole. Please forgive me?” He’ll plead, nudging you and causing you to look at him. You give in instantly, standing to give him a hug before you kiss his cheek.

Lo’ak gives you gifts he’ll know you like but most of them are hand made jewellery or random trinkets he’s found. He knows you’re not picky but he still tries to make an effort.

He teaches you curse words that he grew up hearing his dad sometimes say. Your boyfriend sometimes takes advantage of the fact you’re unaware of what the bad words are and he’ll teach you anyway. You’ll be in their hut practicing with Lo’ak when Jake overhears, scolding his son for being immature. “Lo’ak, cut that out” He’ll tut, causing your boyfriend to smile at you apologetically before he says sorry.

Ao’nung

Ao’nung is the hardest to get through to. He’s stubborn and he doesn’t like to express how he feels— even more so toward you because he likes you so much. He pretends to not like you, always teasing you, leaving you behind when you dive together and hinting for you to leave the friend group. He would rather get beaten by Neteyam and Lo’ak again than to see you leave but he wouldn’t tell you that. He’s too busy trying to throw you off his trail. His sister is the one who convinces him to just be honest with you. “She’s got a good heart. I know she’ll feel the same, even though you’re a skxawng” She scolds him, pushing his head as she walks off to leave him with his thoughts. He’ll eventually end his act to finally go up to you and ask you out.

As your boyfriend, Ao’nung keeps a close eye on you. He’s protective, he doesn’t vocalise it often but you see it in the way he’ll silently look out for you. He’ll help you without you asking, already by your side before you can even call out to him. When you get hurt if you’re out hunting or diving, he’ll scold you and he can be quite harsh but it’s only because he cares. “Tsk that’s why I tell you not to go without me. Look what happens. Use your head next time” He’ll grunt as he’s applying some of his mother’s healing paste on scratches you’ve gotten while diving. “Sorry, I’ll be more careful next time”

He takes you out on dates often. Although your home in the reef is quite limited and you only have so many places you could explore— Ao’nung always manages to find somewhere special to take you. Secret caves he’s found underwater, a hide out in the more botanical area of the village or a secluded side of the beach— he always makes sure they’re scenic. He’ll take you on swims outside of the reef on his ilu but he always makes sure to bring you home before dark— he doesn’t want you out there too long.

He’s shy when he gives you gifts. They’ll be hand made necklaces with pretty shells or something woven that you can wear. His mother and sister insisted they make it for you but he wanted it to be from him so he’ll insist they just teach him. His skill set wouldn’t be as great as theirs so whatever he’s made you will always look somewhat wonky but you love it even more. You appreciate the fact he took the time and effort to make it himself. “I love it! Thank you, Ao’nung” You smile as you kiss him on his cheek, he’ll pretend to act nonchalant about it. “It’s fine, didn’t take long”

When you fight he’s stubborn. Neither of you will talk to each other but you’ll usually try to prompt him first to apologise to him— if he was still salty about it he’ll just shrug you off and continue his silence. Eventually he’ll feel bad for treating you this way and find you to apologise. He’d silently approach you and wait beside you for a few moments before he’ll lean closer to you, nudging the side of his head with yours. “Forgive me, my love. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way” He’ll murmur before kissing your cheek and waiting for you to accept his apology.

He’s affectionate in private. He’s not one for PDA and you don’t mind, as long as he’s comfortable then you’re okay with it. He’ll sneak kisses in and hold your hand when you’re around others but he waits until you’re completely alone to be more open. He’ll hold you while you watch the sun set, braid your hair and leave kisses on your neck. He doesn’t over do it with his affection which is something you admire.

[blogwithlani]

hiii do u do permanent taglists 😭😭😭 if you are, I'd like to be in it pls the angst hit me so well

Hii!! Omg yes I do, I’ll add you to it! I’ll set up a form or post or something so if anyone else wants to be added they can let me know :)

[blogwithlani]

hey!! i’m in love with your writing, just want you to know you are a very talented writer!

Hii!! Thank you so much. That means a lot to me 🫂

[blogwithlani]

Hi this is the anon that requested the Neteyam imagine, it was very cute and you wrote it so well! 😊

aw thank you!! I’m happy you liked it :)

[blogwithlani]

Hi can I request a Neteyam imagine where his female mate has been very busy hunting and training and hasn’t had much time to see him for a few weeks so he sneakily makes a hole in her marui to try to get her to sleep in his one as he knows that she gets cold easily and it works as one night she wakes up freezing and sneaks into his family’s marui moving his blanket so she can be under it cuddling in his arms which wakes him and he puts his face into her neck and wraps his arms around her tightly not wanting to let go as he misses her giving her soft kisses on her neck making her laugh quietly as to not wake up the rest of his family? Thanks 😊

Miss you

🫧 neteyam x reader

☁️ warning: nothing just fluff

🧷 — a/n: thank you for sending this req in the idea is so cute!! i love it <3

You didn’t realise you were neglecting him. You had been so occupied with your duties that you barely spared it a second thought. Yes, you knew you had been hunting and training a lot more than you had promised you would— but Neteyam would understand. He has the same duties, the same pressure— even more so than you, but the only thing you couldn’t see was the amount of effort he was still putting in.

“Baby, just a few more minutes” He pleads, hand grasping onto yours as he gives you a look. He was desperate, this was the first time he’d seen you the whole day and you had spent only mere minutes with him.

“You know I can’t. Nete, I’m training with Ronal. You know how strict she can be” You reason, already pulling away from him until he finally lets go of your hand. You quickly peck him on the cheek, giving him a brief goodbye before you made your way to the marui pods.

Neteyam huffs in defeat as he watches you walk away from him, already missing the way you feel. He didn’t think he was the clingy type until recently when he realised how distant you had been. You didn’t have time to swim with him, braid his hair or even sleep in the same marui pod as him. You used to take random walks and hide out somewhere so the two of you could just spend time alone.

Over the past few weeks, Neteyam has made numerous attempts to try and get you to spend time with him longer— but as usual, training and hunting has been your main priority. It didn’t matter what he attempted, you were too stubborn. He’s finally had enough of it, he decides as he stands and makes his way to the pods.

“What’re you doing?” Lo’ak questions his older brother as he passes him, stopping briefly to question his brother who looks as if he’s on a mission. Which he was— it was just one that sounded stupid and desperate, he wanted to spare himself from being teased by his brother.

“Nothing important. Mind your business” Neteyam plays it off, ignoring the way his brother calls after him as he walks past him and makes a beeline to your marui pod.

He knew you were busy in your lessons with Ronal, so that would buy him a few hours. He wasn’t sure what drove him to this point, usually he would process such things rationally but he didn’t care at this point. This was childish and borderline psychotic, but he had run out of options. If you weren’t going to willingly stay with him, then he was going to force you to come to him. With that thought in his head, Neteyam got to work.

You returned to your home that night absolutely worn out from a day full of work. You had spent more hours than you intended with Ronal and you couldn’t wait to just lay in bed and sleep. You felt guilty for barely seeing Neteyam today but you would make it up to him tomorrow. Although you had finally pulled your blanket over you and your head had hit your pillow long ago— you couldn’t sleep.

Goosebumps were evident on your skin, your teeth chattering slightly as you tossed and turned— attempting to warm yourself up whilst tucking yourself further into the blanket. Despite your attempts, you were still shivering and freezing to death. The cold breeze from the ocean had no effect on you until now and you didn’t know what to do. You huff before standing, tightening the cloth around you before you quietly tiptoe out of your marui.

His was full of his sleeping family, you feel guilty for intruding them especially in the dead of night but you had no other solutions. You could’ve layered on a thousand blankets to warm you if you could, but you knew only Neteyam could help you. You quietly step into their marui, careful not to step on any of their tails and you make your way to Neteyam’s side.

He had been secretly waiting for your arrival, Neteyam figured his plan would succeed so he had spent majority of his night tossing and turning while waiting for you. He had started to lose hope— deciding that maybe you had managed to fall asleep anyway. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help himself and sleep got to the better of him.

“Nete” You whisper carefully, placing a hand on his shoulder as you gently shake him. When he doesn’t budge, you do it again— this time saying his full name. Yet again, nothing. So instead you take it upon yourself to step over him and pull his blanket back. You slip into the space beside him, sighing in relief when you throw the covers back over the two of you.

The warmth of his body felt so good radiating against yours, you couldn’t resist fully cuddling into him— your arms wrapping around his torso and your face pressing into his chest that rose gently as he breathed. You could finally rest, your eyelids feeling heavy as you eventually lull yourself to sleep.

Neteyam wakes barely an hour after you had crept into their marui and seeked refuge in his bed. He smiles to himself when he realises you’re pressed up against him, your face tucked into his shoulder and arms still wrapped around him as you slept. He craved this for so long and now he finally has it.

He presses soft kisses against your neck, sighing in relief at the feeling he loves most. He tries to be careful not to wake you as you shift slightly from the feeling of his lips on your skin, but he can’t stop himself. Which results in you eventually opening your eyes.

“You’re relentless” You laugh quietly as you pull back from him. He shushes you, glancing at his sleeping family right beside you before he presses his lips against yours. You feel him smile into the kiss-- causing you to do the same.

--

a/n: I hope I wrote what you wanted accurately <3

[blogwithlani]

☁️ — Navigation (editing atm)

🧷 masterlist 📑 — yes I do take requests <3!!

🪐 taglist

[blogwithlani]

Hi just wondering if you take requests?

Hi!! And yep I do :) I’m gonna edit my request box thingy soon though so people know I take requests.

[blogwithlani]

Jealousy, Jealousy.

☁️ neteyam x fem! Omaticaya Reader

🧷 warning: angst, jealousy, fluff.

📑Neteyam is giving you the silent treatment and you have no idea why.

He shrugged you off again, with no reasoning— no explanation, he wordlessly ignored the way you had waved out to him from the water. He just scoffed and continued walking toward the marui pods. You huff, barely hiding how it’s ruined your mood by the slight frown that now graces your features.

“What’s his problem?” Ao’nung tuts as his ilu nudges yours. You shrug, lost as to why he was acting so cold toward you. You had fled the forest with the Sully family almost two months ago now, seeking refuge in the reefs with the na’vi of the sea— you had finally begun to settle in with the people, started to make friends with the locals.

Despite his faults and bitter treatment toward your friends, you had grown closest to Ao’nung. He mentored you the most when you had first arrived so naturally you two grew close. Swimming after training had concluded, sharing dinner with him even if it were just the two of you— exploring other parts of the village with him. He stopped mostly being an ass to the others because of you but he still had his moments.

“I’ll go check on him. I’ll be back” You hum before you swim toward the shore with your Ilu. You try and think of what to approach him with, you figured he wouldn’t just straight up tell you why he was upset but you hoped he would.

You find him in his family’s marui pod, his back turned to the entrance as he occupies himself with something. You greet Neytiri who gives you a knowing look— one that tells you her son is upset before she nods and leaves the pod.

“Nete” You say lowly, cursing silently at yourself for sounding so nervous. Your voice didn’t come out as loud as you wanted it to and you were glued to the spot you were standing on.

“Neteyam” You call for him again when he makes no movement— no effort to acknowledge your presence. He spares you a glance, turning his head slightly he scoffs at the sight of you.

“Stop doing that” You huff, stepping closer into the pod. You still kept your distance though, you didn’t want to overstep your boundaries— especially when he seemed this upset with you.

“Just leave me alone” He mutters, barely audible but you manage to catch the sentence. You sigh heavily, fiddling with your fingers nervously as you try to reason with him.

“Please don’t be like this, Nete. I’m sorry for…” Before you can even finish your sentence he stands and turns to face you. A warning look on his face— eyes dark and jaw tense as he shakes his head.

“Save your apologies. Just get out” He demands, his tone starkly different to the soft one you’re used to. He’s a sweet boy who’s never raised his voice at you— not even when you were kids, seeing him like this made your chest ache. You hesitate, silently staring at him with a saddened look on your face before you turn to leave.

His silence toward you continues over the next few days. He won’t even let you get a word in before he storms off to ‘train’. He’s even started to ignore you in front of his family now, during dinner he’ll purposely sit away from you and won’t bother passing the bowls of food to you. You two would be inseparable at dinner time, he’d always make sure he was seated next to you even if Tuk begged him to move. Now he couldn’t stand to be anywhere near you and you have no idea why.

You’re training with Tsireya and Ao’nung as a whole group when you finally decide you’ve had enough of his bitter treatment. You’re all working on your breathing techniques offshore— sitting in a circle whilst facing each other, you try to keep your eyes off of Neteyam who’s yet again sitting as far away as possible.

“Neteyam, when will you start talking to y/n again?” Tuk whispers to her older brother, you smile to yourself at how innocent she is. She doesn’t realise you’ve over heard her but you pretend you don’t notice, continuing to work on your breathing.

“When she stops talking to Ao’nung” Neteyam mutters back, this time you can’t play dumb— his words cause you to look at him. So that’s what this is about, Ao’nung. You should’ve figured earlier from the way Neteyam would grow cold every time you’d mention the chief’s son in conversations. You hardly missed the way Neteyam would look at him in an irritated way.

When training finishes for the day and you all make your way back to the marui— you hang back to trail behind with Neteyam. When he tries to speed up and lose you, you grab ahold of his hand and pull him back.

“Stop, we’re talking, right now” You seethe, frustrated with the way he’s been carelessly shrugging you off. You’ve had enough of it and now that you knew why he’d been acting this way, you could confront him.

“But..”

“Now, Neteyam” You demand, causing him to raise his eyebrows in surprise at your tone. You let go of his hand and allow him to follow you further away from the others.

“You’ve been ignoring me because you’re jealous of Ao’nung” You confront him, watching as a look of denial grows on his face.

“Seriously, why would I be jealous of fish lips?”

“Don’t play stupid. I heard what you said to Tuk” You hear him exhale heavily before he nods wordlessly, trying to form a sentence to explain himself. He seems to be struggling, his face warm at the thought of confessing such a big secret to you, so you grasp ahold of his hands.

“It’s just me, Nete. You can tell me anything, I’ll understand” You reassure him, feeling him squeeze your hands before he nods.

“Seeing you grow closer with Ao’nung hurt me. I see the way he touches you, smiles and looks at you. He doesn’t just see you as a friend. You spend so much time with him now, I’m scared he’ll take you away from me. That you won’t need me anymore” He speaks so softly and looks so vulnerable you feel your heart ache for him. You didn’t like seeing him so pained and you feel guilty you’re the reason for it.

“Oh, Nete. He may be my friend but he could never replace you, i’ll always need you” You murmur, before allowing him to continue.

“I love you, y/n. More than a friend, than family. There’s a reason why I’ve never called you my sister like the others have— I want you to be more than that” Neteyam leans forward, placing a kiss on your cheek— allowing it to linger before he pulls away.

“I see you” He whispers, closing his eyes to lean his forehead against yours— your hands automatically moving to rest against his chest. You lean into him, sighing heavily as you feel your heart pound in your chest. You feel relieved as you recite the same words back to him.

“I see you” You hum before gently pressing your lips against his, he reacts instantly— his hand moving to cup your cheek, thumb stroking the skin beneath it. Before you get too carried away, you pull away and place a quick peck on his cheek before leading him back to the marui pods.

“You had to cut that off short?” He groans as his arm wrap around your waist to pull you closer to him. You let out a laugh as you nudge him.

“Sorry, you’ll get more later”

—

a/n: idk about the ending it’s giving corny but i’m still grieving Neteyam so I need this 🤲🏼

[blogwithlani]

Masterlist

Very early draft of my masterlist :p I’ll be adding more onto this when I write more for Avatar <3!!

symbols:

✿ — Fluff ✮ — Angst ❥ — Smut

Series *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Ao’nung 🫧

Astray — pt.1, pt.2, pt.3.

Neteyam 🤍

nothing yet

One shots/ short fics

Neteyam

Jealousy, Jealousy — ✮

Miss you — ✿

Ao’nung

nothing yet

Lo’ak

nothing yet

Headcannons

What they’d be like as your boyfriend (Neteyam, Lo’ak, Ao’nung)

[blogwithlani]

Astray (Ao’nung!)

Ao’nung x Metkayina Reader

part 1

Synopsis: You’ve been in love with Ao’nung since as long as you can remember. And for just as long, he’s constantly pushed you away. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want you. Yet when the Sully’s arrive in Awa’atlu and the eldest boy shows an interest in you, Ao’nung starts to regret his actions.

warnings: angst, bullying.

a/n: I’m obsessed with Avatar rn & I couldn’t not write for my two boyfriends lmao

You see him roll his eyes before you’ve even approached him on the sand. Brushing the wet curls away from your eyes, you smile widely at the Olo’eyktan’s son, the same boy you’ve known since the moment you could walk. You’re aware he isn’t too fond of your presence but you’ve done your best to befriend him regardless. Being practically like a sister to his own Tsireya, that factor made it slightly easier to get closer to the boy. But still your attempts never flourished into anything besides you left feeling foolish and embarrassed.

Everytime you’ve suggested doing anything alone with him he either shrugs you off or avoids contact with you before you can even try. You’ll be making a direct beeline toward him and he’ll already be turning in the other direction, hastily trying to catch up to Rotxo and the other boys. His coldness toward you is paired with the usual ‘banter’ you share, in which he insults you and finds new ways to tease you. Anyone with good sense would find this treatment unappealing but you held out more hope for Ao’nung than he deserved.

“Ao’nung!” You call out as you step from beyond the water to approach him. The look on his face already tells you enough but you ignore the signs, ecstatic that you’ve finally caught him alone. He’s usually swarmed by Roxto and the other boys in the Reef, their uneasy presence making your job harder.

“What do you want?” He tuts, his forehead creased as he wears an agitated look on his face. You ignore it, yet again.

“I—I didn’t see you earlier at breakfast. Just wanted to talk, that’s all” You hum, your eyes lowering from his intense gaze, fiddling with the beads on your necklace nervously.

“That’s because I was hiding from you” He snickers, kicking the soft sand with his foot as he turns to glance at the marui pods at the village.

“I have an important meeting to attend to with my father. Meet me back here at night fall. We can talk then” He hums with a slight smile on his face. Before you can even respond or question his sudden act of kindness he walks off back to the marui pods and leaves you speechless.

He’s never suggested meeting you at night before, his request is strange but you don’t question it— instead you thank Eywa for finally blessing you with this. It’ll be a way forward for the two of you and maybe Ao’nung would finally feel the same way about you. A smile grows on your face as you make your way back to your own marui pod, butterflies already raging in your stomach as you thought about all the possibilities for tonight.

You wait for your parents to drift off into deep slumber before you finally leave your pod, glancing at your parents one last time before you quietly tip toe out onto the walkway. You hear your heart pounding in your ears as you walk along the beach, the waves crashing against the shore as your feet leave imprints in the sand. You feel confused as you see no sign of Ao’nung, standing exactly where you had talked earlier— you hoped he was just waiting to sneak out.

“He’ll be here soon” You try to reassure yourself as you wait a little while longer, your fingers tightening around the necklace that rested against your chest.

Defeated after waiting for what feels like an eternity, you finally stand and dust the sand from your legs before you decide to just go back home. Perhaps he couldn’t leave his home, you understood how strict his parents were, being a child of such important people to the village, you were aware of how hard they were on their kids.

As you’re walking back from where you came, you hear someone laugh from behind you. Confused, you turn— eyes meeting Ao’nung's who laughs cruelly as he stares at you. He isn’t alone, Rotxo and two of his other friends are with him and they begin to circle you.

“I told you she’d fall for it” Ao’nung smirks, closing you in so you’re completely surrounded by his friends.

“This isn’t funny guys. Leave me alone” You stutter out, almost losing your footing as you’re constantly moving— trying to find a way out of this.

“You didn’t want to leave Ao’nung alone— so why should we?” Rotxo snorts before he shoves you slightly by your shoulder, you stumble— causing them all to laugh.

“You thought he’d finally confess his love for you? I see you— is that what you want to hear from him?” His other friend mocks you, the sound of his words and the truth behind them causing your face to warm in embarrassment.

“It’s true. Look at her she’s blushing”

“Please just let me go home” You mutter, growing overwhelmed by the boys that surround you. You felt like you were being suffocated, struggling to breathe as they held you hostage.

“You’ll leave me alone from now on. You won’t follow me around like a little baby anymore and you’ll stop clinging onto me— understood?” Ao’nung says lowly as he steps closer to you, his lips dangerously close to your ear as he utters his words. You nod silently, holding your breath as you wait for him to finally pull away.

“Freak” He chuckles before he pulls away and uses force to push you— causing you to stumble and collide onto the sand with a loud thud. Your face hits the ground first, the impact causing you to feel winded and your new wound to throb instantly. You feel hot tears trail down your face as you watch them leave, laughing amongst themselves as they playfully push each other.

You knew he didn’t like you but you never thought he’d do something so cruel. You’ve been nothing but kind and caring toward him and he repays you by throwing it in your face like this. You no longer saw a boy you longed for, you had once dreamed of being his wife but now you saw nothing for the two of you. You meant nothing to him, you only realised that now. How foolish and naive could you have been.

Your hands shake as you reach for your beaded necklace only to find the space absent on your chest, your eyes widen as you quickly shift onto your knees— tears clouding your vision even more as you realise your necklace was broken. The one your mother had painstakingly pieced together for your twelfth birthday was in ruin— the beads and shells strewn across the sand.

You sniffled as you picked up every piece you could find, wiping away the tears from your face with the back of your hand as you did. You barely slept that night, your tears never ending as you replayed every moment again in your head.

The next day you pretend as though everything is normal, you lie to your parents saying that the scar on your forehead was from a graze against coral during your dive. They don’t question it and neither does Tsireya when you meet her after you’ve eaten.

“So clumsy, my sister. Please be more careful” She tuts as she smears some of her mother’s paste over the cut. I smile at her as she lovingly cares for me, far more than her brother ever had.

You pretend he doesn’t exist, seeing as the village isn’t extremely big— you were bound to run into him and his friends. You combat this problem by doing exactly as he asked, you stopped glancing at him— looking at him altogether. You wouldn’t run up to him to try and gain mere minutes of his attention and you didn’t bother suggesting anything anymore. You stopped trying to exist to him.

Ao’nung noticed the drastic change instantly. You didn’t cling onto him or call out to him unnecessarily. You didn’t even glance his way once— not even when he called out to Tsireya to ask her a question whilst you were right by her side. You just focused your attention elsewhere until he walked off.

He should feel relieved. He is to an extent, this is what he’s wanted for years. You’d finally stop nagging him and he could finally find another woman in the village to connect with without you being on his tail. He should be grateful it’s stopped, but he doesn’t feel as satisfied with the change as much as he thought he would.

It was tradition for you to eat with their family every second day, you had been doing it since you were little and Tonowari and Ronal welcomed you with open arms. You were practically like their third child and the sister Tsireya didn’t have yet. Ao’nung is confused when he enters his family’s murui pod and notices that you aren’t there.

“Where is y/n?” Ao’nung questions as he reluctantly sits down in his usual spot. Tsireya is unphased as she answers, too focused on cooking the last of the fish.

“She feels sick so she’s not coming. I’m taking soup for her later”

Ao’nung already knew you weren’t sick and it bothered him slightly that his words would cause you to distance yourself from his family— sure he’d be there but he figured he’d just stay clear of your way. He ate in silence that night, his mind too plagued with thoughts of you to try and converse with his family over dinner.

It’s been weeks since the incident and you’ve managed to keep up with your silence toward Ao’nung. You haven’t spoken a word or barely looked at him and it’s grown easier as the days have passed. You’re wading in the water with your ilu, hand caressing it’s head delicately as you enjoy the fish that swim around you. You wait patiently for Tsireya beside her pod, huffing as you wait longer than you expect.

“Apologies my sister— I was showing the Sully’s some of the village” Tsireya apologises as she stands on the dock, the Omatakiyan kids following behind her. You had heard of their arrival just a day ago but you were out diving when they had first shown up so you missed the theatrics of their arrival.

You introduce yourself to them and they do the same in return, your eye catching onto one of them in particular— one who seems to be the oldest. His eyes were glued onto you first, a look of awe on his face that caused you to look away shyly.

“They will swim with us today. I figured we could both help them…along with Ao’nung and Rotxo” Tsireya says lowly to you when she swims toward you, still keeping a close eye on the Sully kids who paddle toward you. You huff when you see Ao’nung and Rotxo approaching the water, you turn before you can gain his attention and focus on Tuk who’s splashing around.

“You’re a graceful swimmer” Neteyam says after we’ve all swam a few meters away from the marui pods. He purposely lagged behind the group to swim with you, the gesture causing your chest to warm. You smile at him as you stop swimming, causing him to do the same.

“Thank you— I never used to be. I splashed around too much, apparently I looked like I was drowning half of the time” You chuckle, earning a laugh from the older boy.

“Mistakes are what made you such a good swimmer today, you would’ve never learnt without them” Neteyam says wisely.

“You’re definitely the oldest. You are by far the wisest” He smiles at your words before questioning you.

“Do you have siblings of your own?”

“Sadly, no. I was the only child my parents managed to bore. I see the love you share between your siblings, I adore it very much” You state, noting the way there seems to be a glimmer in his eye from your words.

The two of you talk for the rest of the lesson, finding out more about each other bit by bit. Both of you learn more about the forest and Sea people and the way you both grew up— fascinated by the differences between the two. In all honesty you were too engrossed in your own conversation that you had forgotten about the lessons— unlike the others who watched you both from afar.

“I doubt Neteyam learnt anything. He’s been too busy making heart eyes at your friend” Lo’ak teases as he states the obvious infront of the whole group who sit on the rocks away from the water. Ao’nung’s feels his hands ball into a fist at the sight, growing irritated by both of you. The Sully boy had been here for merely a day and he had already won you over. Ao'nung silently wishes it were him that is making you laugh, the reason you wear a smile so big. He looks away bitterly, concealing the fact he's bothered by it.

"You breathe from here" You instruct, mirroring the actions Tsireya had been using on Lo'ak. You notice the way Neteyam's face warms at the feeling of your hands on his skin, his breathing hitching slightly under your touch.

"Just as Lo'ak is doing.... good, just like that" You hum, praising the boy in front of you. You're unaware of the eyes of the boy you had once begged Eywa to court you burning on the sight of you. Ao'nung couldn't tear his eyes away from you, he needed to interfere somehow-- he had seen enough.

"Perhaps I need help with my breathing as well y/n" You hear Ao'nung tease you from across the rocks you're all grouped on. You give him a deadpan look-- your hands still on Neteyam's torso.

"You're not funny" You scoff before turning back toward Neteyam, muttering besides I would let him drown, causing Neteyam to let out a laugh. Ao'nung catches the sight of that, huffing in annoyance he stands to leave.

The days pass and you find yourself growing closer to Jake Sully’s eldest son. You mentor him during your lessons, swim with him even after you’ve finished for the day and explore the reef with him. You both skip dinner most nights to spend that time together— something that his siblings now tease you both about. When you’re together you don’t miss the way he gazes at you longingly sometimes, admiration in his eyes as you show him the beauty of your home.

“Do you miss your home?” You question him as you both sit on the sand, legs practically touching as you both face the water.

“Yeah, I do. The forest was all I ever knew— I didn’t know how beautiful the reefs are. But I’m grateful in the change, it’s led me to you” Neteyam hums and you feel a smile creep onto your face as you glance at him— his eyes already focused on your face.

“You’re a sweet boy, Nete” You lean your head against his shoulder, harnessing the warmth on his skin for your own.

“Meet me here at night. I want to give you something” His words remind you of Ao’nung’s the night he lead you astray— lied to you and embarrassed you in front of his friends. Although you’ve only known Neteyam for a short time, you knew he would never do the same thing.

You agree to meet later before you depart, humming to yourself as you make your way to the chief’s marui pod. You felt guilty for skipping dinner with their family for so long so you decided to attend tonight— despite the fact you didn’t want to see Ao’nung, you would bare his presence for them.

“I see you have been getting along with the Sully boy quite well” Ronal hums as she passes the woven basket full of food to you. Ao’nung scoffs at the mention of Neteyam— silently swearing he would drown him the next chance he gets.

“Neteyam is kind to me and he makes me laugh. He’s a good friend and he’ll be useful here. He’s already learning well” You hum, smiling to yourself at the thought of the boy you were going to meet tonight.

“He’s a forest boy. I still think he’s useless” Ao’nung laughs, forcing you to avert your attention to him. Finally. He thinks to himself, this is the first time tonight that you’ve actually bothered to look at him.

“Skxawng. You’re just jealous y/n found someone better than you” Tsireya hisses at him, causing him to give her a warning look. Before the arguing can continue any further, their parents demand they end it and eat in peace. You stay longer than you expect, busily talking to Ronal and Tsireya— you don’t realise that it’s night fall already and you cut your time short.

“Sorry for leaving so suddenly… I forgot my mother wanted me to help her with weaving” You lie, offering an apologetic smile to the family before you hastily leave their marui pod. Ao’nung eyes you as you walk off, unaware he’s even watching you— you don’t bother pretending to walk back to your own home.

You’re pulled away and pushed up against a mangrove tree beside you, the suddenness causing you to feel winded almost as you try to make out who’s attacked you. Before you can even let out a sound, their hand clamps over your mouth. It’s far too dark to make out who it is but you recognise his features and the way his hands feel.

It’s Ao’nung.

—