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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

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Oh god I love this !!!

➶ ambivalent — series ; chapter ii

➴ neteyam x human!reader — “i do not want you, but he cannot have you”

“Desire is the kind of thing that eats you and leaves you starving.” — Nayyirah Waheed

synopsis: it’s clear that neteyam doesn’t want anything to do with you, but that doesn’t stop him from constantly thinking about you, wanting to be around you and feeling some kind of way whenever kanu’s near. the bond is getting worse, kanu starts making his feelings for you known, and neteyam unexpectedly goes into his rut. he doesn’t know what’s worse: dealing with conflicting feelings about seeing you with his best friend or wanting to claim you for himself. he figures he’s just losing his mind, but you’ve got a way about you that he just can’t shake.

genre: slowburn, hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, 18+

tags/warnings: SEXUAL CONTENT, slightly jealous/possessive ‘teyam, male masturbation, oral sex (f.receiving), fingering, swearing, some dirty talk, slight nipple play, talks about marking/biting, VIOLENCE, minor mentions of blood, angsty themes, flirty banter (lots of it, and mostly from kanu) & fluff

word count: you…don’t wanna know. just get comfortable bc you might be here a while lol

↳ notes: well…here we are. i think this chapter took the longest, not because of the word count, but because i wanted to be as thorough as i could since this is the second chapter and what happens in this will push us forward to what we’ll continue to deal with in the upcoming chapters. almost like setting the stage, so to speak? yeaa, and some parts were fun to write but also a little hard to write since i’ve grown to love my ocs now lol. so! i won’t make this long, just wanted to thank everyone for the patience and the huge amount of support. currently have a little over 1k followers and want to make sure you all know i value each and every single one of you, especially for liking my work so far! i know there are still a lot of you that haven’t interacted with me and that’s okay, that’s why i’m adding this heheh i see you and i love you, ty ❤︎

↳ need to know info: the na’vi speaking will only be in italics when they are speaking it around her, otherwise it’ll be presented in normal text. they will also be speaking in na’vi throughout the entire story unless said otherwise, which will be made very obvious, dw

(the na'vi language in flashbacks/dreams will always be marked in bold as well as thoughts)

↳ word bank:

iknimaya – “rites of passage leading into adulthood”

nantang – “viperwolf”

kehe – “no”

sästrätx – “annoyance/annoying/annoyed”

tawtute – “sky person/human

syulang – “flower”

mawey – “be calm”

frawzo – “all is well”

säkanom – “possession/possessive”

↳ p.s. no beta reader. we die like men here

ꕥ okay, enjoy n pls like/reblog! it is much, much appreciated, ty ꕥ

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You were running.

The forest was dense with roots and low hanging branches at every turn. If not for the bioluminescence around, it would’ve been too dark to see ahead of you. And yet, you still couldn’t make out what was behind you.

Something was chasing you, but what?

The growls and snarls sounded as if they were right next to your ear, breathing across the nape of your neck.

Whatever wanted you between its claws was close.

You could feel it.

By now, you could feel the burning in your thighs. Muscles tight with exhaustion, legs expertly mazing through the forest like you’d done this several times over and in a way, you had.

They’d been dreams. Harmless ones where you weren’t being chased. Just running through a forest, barefoot. Able to feel the grainy dirt in between each toe, leaving prints in your wake. Feeling the sun coat your skin like a warm blanket, seeping through your pores. Because of that, you were given vitality. You used it to duck under tall leaves and dodge deadly branches. The dreams never lasted more than a few minutes at a time, but in those fleeting moments — it was as if you’d been there for years. It was calm; peaceful. A stark contrast to what you were going through now.

Each step felt like you were sprinting across hot rocks, scorching your delicate skin into what could feel like blisters. The soles of your feet cried out into the night, prickling with a closing numbness, begging you to stop. To take just a few moments of rest. As badly as you wanted to, you couldn’t. Every part of you wanted to collapse, but adrenaline was one hell of a drug. It was almost as if your body was on autopilot because of it.

You could feel it. Your lungs were seconds away from caving in, if the exhaustion didn’t catch up to you first.

As much as you wanted to stop, and just give in to the danger lurking at your heels — you just couldn’t. It was a natural human instinct to want to live in a life or death situation. When it came down to it, it was fight or flight and you chose the only option someone like you could. You were on a foreign planet along with its foreign and predatory animals that seemed to like the idea of a delicate, unprotected human running amuck in its forest. What other option did you have?

“Fuck,” you pushed through a thicket of wide leaves, feeling a thorn scrap across your arm. It should’ve stung, but the pain didn’t have time to register. You put more of your focus on dodging a low hanging tree branch, centimeters from it taking off your head. You gave a quick appalling glance back at it, eyes wide in an incredulous expression, “Holy shit.”

Your feet pounded heavily across the forest floor causing mud to slash up your leg like misguided paint. It felt sticky and cool, oddly comforting in a sense that with enough of it to cover the rest of your body, you’d have the perfect camouflage. Truthfully, if you weren’t currently running for your life, you would’ve stopped and soaped yourself head to toe in it but instead, you dealt with the odds and kept running. It was all you could do to stay ahead of the ravenous beast behind you.

Your breath was shallow and noisy. You couldn’t push back the gasps that kept climbing up from your throat as if they were trying to claw their way out. You’d run plenty of times before, but it was nothing like this. This…was fear running. It was different because if you stopped, even faltering for just a split second, you were gone. You were no fool. You knew it was either run or be eaten alive. Or just mauled to death. You chose to run. Go figure.

The growls behind you acted as another warning. It was closer than you thought, and it wasn’t going to stop until it had your blood across the mossy ground, body torn to pieces.

What a terrible way to go out, you thought.

The closing distance between you and the snarling beast made your heart almost leap from your chest. This wasn’t where you died. There was still too much you had to achieve. You couldn’t die here. Not like this, anyway. You thought that growing old and dying from a normal natural cause was a good way to go, but being mauled by some terrifying animal that seemed to have a vendetta against you? It wasn’t exactly one of your first picks; you couldn’t let that happen. Not when you weren’t ready to go just yet.

A hoot not too far behind you caused a paralyzing spark of electricity to shoot up your spine. Was there something else out there after you too? Had it joined the vengeful animal in the chase as well? You’d always had shitty luck, but nothing as shitty as this. You couldn’t help but wonder what you’d done in your past life to deserve any of this. What terrible, awful crime had you committed in that life to find yourself begging and groveling for the chance to live in this one?

Your thoughts scattered the moment your foot caught onto the uproot of a tree, falling face first into the spongey, mud covered ground.

“Shit,” You didn’t care that you probably looked crazed with fear-stricken eyes and mud all over your face. You were too busy being terrified.

You could feel your blood run cold. The only thing on your mind was getting back up and pushing onward, but your body was frozen. It was as if a large weight was holding you down. You couldn’t move, inwardly panicking at the realization that this was probably it. That this was the moment you died and as shameful of a death as it was going to be, you could only hope that it was a quick one.

With a swipe of your hand, you were able to get some of the mud off of your face to see and was about to make a move, but there was no time to will your body to stand back up as the beast that had been hot on your trail came bursting out of the trees, teeth bared. You closed your eyes, choosing to not look death in the face, but wait for it to finally close in on you. This was it. This was the moment. You were never really much of a spiritual person, but you wanted to say a little prayer before you met your maker. Looked like there was no time for that either so you waited…and waited…

Except…death never came.

You heard a loud thud come from towards your left and when you opened your eyes, your mouth fell open. The animal that had been hunting you was laid out on its side with a massive arrow shot through its belly. It’d been hit…but by what?

It didn’t take long for your eyes to settle on a tall figure that stood close to it, looking down at the lifeless beast before him. A man — of some sorts. Looked like a man, but was too tall to be any human man you’d ever seen.

However, he wasn’t human. He was a na’vi.

You watched as he knelt down by the animal, seeming to be muttering something in a language that you couldn’t understand but sounded awfully familiar.

“Oeru txoa livu, ma oeyä tsumkan. Hu nawma sa’nok tivul ngeyä tirea.”

He spoke a few more words under his breath, and carefully pulled the arrow out. After you dusted your hands off on your ruined jeans, you stepped closer to him as he stood up, finding the need to tilt your head back until you felt a strain at your nape. He was taller than he looked from far away, but it didn’t frighten you. In fact, you were ever the more intrigued.

“Thank you,” your voice being so soft, it was almost swallowed by the loud whistle in the wind.

He didn’t speak nor did he even acknowledge you as he fitted the bow string over his body, cleaning off his knife. It was almost like he hadn’t heard you from the way he stared ahead of him before he walked forward. When he passed you, his arm went right through your body. It was unlike anything you’d ever seen. Confused, you looked down at yourself. Had he just…?

Your eyes bored into his back as his figure got further away.

“What the…”

Then, you heard the same hooting from earlier, but the callings that came next were unfamiliar. A group of na’vi men came trampling through riding what looked to be horses, but not quite. Somehow, you’d seen them before, but where? Eyes wide, you stepped back and out of their way, almost losing your footing over a thorn bush.

Taking a moment to mentally curse at your lack of coordination, you watched as they circled the dead animal for a moment, hooting, before they dismounted their horses and began to tie the animal up. You blinked. Had none of them seen you? Were you…suddenly invisible somehow?

You shook your head. It didn’t make sense at all. The beast had been chasing you so it was natural for everything else to see you. Right?

Your head turned back to the direction the man from earlier had left towards before you decided to follow him. You thought that he had saved your life, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Maybe you hadn’t been its target or maybe it hadn’t been chasing you at all. None of it sounded very sensible to you, but what did you know? You saw how he had passed through your shoulder as if you weren’t there. That part was real.

Or you were just losing your mind. That was also a possibility.

You took one short glance back at the group that were getting ready to mount their animals again, and made your way deeper into the forest.

Between falling prey to a few muddy puddles and stumbling over tree roots, you managed to catch up to him. It seemed that he hadn’t gone far. He had stopped, and was–

A gasp slipped past your lips as you fumbled to quickly hide behind a nearby tree. You peeped your head from around it, and saw that the man had his bow raised at someone. Who was it? Another animal?

“Who are you?” He demanded in his language.

“My name is Jane. Please…Don’t. I mean no harm.”

Jane? That didn’t sound like a na'vi name, but she was speaking the language.

You tried to get a better look by taking coverage behind another tree that was a bit closer, and couldn’t believe what you saw.

It was no animal.

It was a woman.

A human woman.

Perhaps you were seeing things, but she almost resembled you. Same hair color, same color of eyes and she looked to be a scientist. One of the RDA? Her lab coat gave it away, but what was one doing out in the forest this late at night? Hell, what were you doing out in the forest at this time of the night? Did you sleep walk? You were never much of a sleepwalker, as far as you knew, and surely Neteyam would’ve noticed and brought you back since he seemed to follow you everywhere else.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard something hard hit a tree not too far away. You looked around, and spotted an arrow wedged deep into the bark of a tree right behind the woman. Your lips parted. He’d shot at her….but missed? Earlier, he had done well with killing the beast that you thought was after you. From what you saw, he didn’t lack in the area of bow expertise so why did he shoot and miss her on purpose?

“This is a warning, human. Leave this territory or I will kill you where you stand,” his eyes hardened under the bright moonlight, already pulling back his second arrow, “The next one won’t miss. That, I promise.”

Jane pleaded again, taking a cautious step forward, “Please, I beg of you,” Her voice trembled, and your eyes followed down to the hand that she had pressed against her side. That was when you’d noticed a dark red spot at the edges of her coat. She was injured. “I need help.”

The man stood tall and unyielding, holding his breath. He studied her weakened stance, the scared look in her eyes and how she was covering her side. He could smell it. The blood. He knew that she was injured, but still. It wasn’t his place.

“My apologies, but I cannot help you. You must leave back to where you came from. Now.”

He kept his bow raised, prepared for any deceit or anymore of her advances towards him. Jane dropped her head with a silent sob, breath labored. Slowly, she shook her head, “You do not seem to understand,” voice trembling, she raised her head back up to look at him, tears brimming her eyes, “I cannot go back. Those people…my people…they want me dead.”

He hesitated for a moment. “Dead? Why is this? They are your people, are they not? I do not believe that they would try to kill one of their own–” He saw the way she began to sway until her hand dropped from her wound. Then, she fell forward, seconds away from falling face first to the ground. He mentally cursed and jetted forward to catch her. She’d fainted from the blood loss. Her body was limp in his arms, and terrifyingly cold. He turned her over to let her face become illuminated by the moonlight, and saw that she’d gone considerably pale. He leaned down to her chest, and hovered a pointed ear over it. Her heartbeat was faint too. That wasn’t good.

He hissed in frustration. There was no other option. He couldn’t leave her to die, and if what she said was to be believed — then she was no threat to him or his people. He knew that there would be an uproar, but he had no choice. He had to take her back to the village, to the tsahik to be treated. To hopefully save her life. It was more than her people ever offered to his people, but he knew that he couldn’t fight fire with fire. Someone had to be the peacemaker and as their future olo’eyktan, he chose peace over more war. That was what a great leader would do.

You observed the way he carefully placed her onto his back and held her legs with his arms. Once he started to make his way through the forest again, you took a step into the light but didn’t look where you were crossing. You stepped on a weakened tree limb, hearing it crack under your foot, and noticed the way he stopped. As a response, so did you but remembered that he didn’t seem to see you earlier. Even so, you stayed where you were, heart beating wildly in your chest.

With concentrated brows, he began to creep closer to where you were and when he caught your figure, he stopped, eyes shot wide.

“Who are you?”

He was looking dead at you now, drawing you breathless. He could see you? Why now? And was speaking english all of the sudden. If he knew the language, why was he only speaking in na’vi with that woman?

Unable to believe it, you looked behind you but saw no one else. There was no one else around but you and him.

Scared, you walked backwards, but he was taller and faster. He caught up to you, and grabbed you by the collar of your shirt, lifting you off of the ground as if you weighed nothing to him wearing a terrifying angry look on his face.

“I asked you a question, human. Who are you and where did you come from?”

“I– I…” your mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, staring at him in fear and confusion, “I don’t–”

He let you go with a blank expression, watching as you quickly caught yourself instead of falling flat on your rear, “I see. I understand. Then it is evident that you do not belong here,” he said, before he pushed a finger into your chest, “Go. Go back,” he growled, “Go back and do not return. You do not belong in this time, so you must go.”

Your face frowned up. Time? What was he talking about? What did he mean?

“I’m sorry, but I don’t exactly know how I got here in the first place and I don’t know where I am. I don’t know how to get ba–”

“Then you must find your own way ma…dau…er…”

His voice began to fade away. That was when you felt a hard push against your chest, and felt your body flying back. You were expecting to meet the hard, forest ground but instead…you kept falling and falling…

Everything around was pitch black, filled with only the sound of your screaming. You tried to catch onto something, anything, but nothing was around you. It was so dark…

You couldn’t think about anything but death until you felt the darkness completely consume you, showering you in its midst.

— ꕥ —

Animal calls and feather-like chirping greeted you when you awoke.

The smell of the dewy air made your nose crinkle, then an earthy breeze trailed through.

“Ah..”

You couldn’t help but groan at the soreness of sleeping in one position all night long, not typically on your side but then again, you never usually slept so heavily. On usual nights, you slept on your stomach, but now…

The numbness was evident, sending a hiss through you as you moved to lay on your back. You breathed a sigh of relief as the tingles and buzz in your arm began to fade away. You were still spinning with the effects of sleepiness, and hardly felt like moving. All you could do was turn your head, relieved that you didn’t have any tension in your neck from how dreadful you slept.

That was when you saw him.

Neteyam slept soundlessly, positioned on his back as well with his head turned, facing you. All you could hear was his low breathing, but other than that, he was quiet. Hadn’t moved an inch in response to your rustling. He looked…peaceful. It was a lot different from the usual deep scowl on his face whenever he looked at you.

With a small groan, you sat up and steadied yourself at the feel of a rising headache. You took a moment without moving to let it settle until it finally subsided. Now that you could tell that you weren’t in the forest anymore, you knew that it was just a dream and what a peculiar dream it was. Some parts were blurry, but you remembered the female scientist and the na’vi. He was going to kill her, but didn’t. You figured that he couldn’t kill an injured woman so he must’ve had plans to take her back to his village in search of help from his tsahik. It reminded you of what happened between you and Neteyam yesterday. He didn’t seem to want to kill you considering he saved your life, but at the time, he’d been weary of you.

Your eyes roamed over his unconscious figure, taking in the things that you weren’t given enough time to when you two first met. It wasn’t like you didn’t notice it at first, but looking at him now…

The tips of your fingers stung with the desire to trace the patterns along the side of his face. They looked like tattoos, almost similar to ones you’d seen the metkayina adorn. You thought back to what little history you knew of the sully family, and remembered a piece of information Norm had mentioned once before. The second Great War included the reef people so that meant that Jake and his family were all still with the metkayina at the time. It also meant that they spent a great deal of time with them for Neteyam to gain a tattoo, which was only earned by completing his iknimaya.

It seemed to be his only tattoo, as far as you were able to see but it made him look mature. Wise beyond his years.

He was also quite tall. Well, all of his people were, but the difference between you and him — it was quite comical. His hand rested palm down near your thigh, and looked like if he were to grab you, he’d cover your entire leg. You felt like a house mouse next to a great big lion. One move, and he would be on you with sharp claws and ravaging eyes, ready to swallow you whole. It should’ve scared you, but it was a bit…fascinating.

You slid your hand from your lap, and placed it near his, head tilted at the contrast of sizes. Your fingers dwarfed in comparison to his long, blue fingers, almost making you crack a smile. Then it dropped when you remembered how the man in your dreams frightened you. No other reason than the fact that at first, he didn’t see you but towards the end, he did. There was also something that he had said before he pushed you, but you couldn’t recall it. The dream was a strange one. You still didn’t understand why you had it, but you were starting to believe that it was because of what transpired yesterday. Though, being chased through the woods by some giant beast seemed a little irrelevant, Neteyam had saved you from a pack of nantang. Was that meant to symbolize that particular moment? If so, why?

Tired of thinking so much, you went to remove your hand when you felt a larger one wrap around your wrist. You gasped but didn’t have time to think, feeling an arm snake around your midsection. When you blinked next, you found yourself laying on top of Neteyam who was now wide awake.

It didn’t cross your mind that you’d fallen asleep in your little corner and woke up next to him instead. You were too busy thinking about other things that were more important, but now that your mind was becoming clear — you could remember more. How his body heat felt against your cold body, hovering over you, staring you down in a way that made the vertex of your thighs tingle and burn. How his hands felt on your skin, touching you, nose in your neck, growling about you being his.

You tried to shake the memory away, but it was no use. It kept replaying, over and over, making your skin burn.

Not now, you begged, please, not now.

He could feel you under his fingertips, watching the emotions cross your face.

“Cannot stay away from me, can you?” He teased, fingers feathering across your lower back, edging at the hem of your shirt.

How he had let you fall from the tree yesterday… He didn’t even try to catch you at the last minute. He just…watched. He showed no remorse when he joined you and Kanu back on the ground, and it made your stomach twist.

You couldn’t help but wonder that if Kanu hadn’t been standing there, what would’ve happened.

You would’ve been dead. That’s what would’ve happened.

The thought irked you, made you frown, wanting to be anywhere but near Neteyam right now. You tried to push off of him to put some space between you two, but he held you down, unfairly using his strength against you.

“Let go,” you demanded of him, and he snorted.

“Kehe.”

Uselessly, you kept trying to wiggle out of his hold but he held you firm to him, forcing you to release a frustrated sigh, “Neteyam, I swear to god. If you don’t let me go right now, I’ll–”

Clearly annoyed, his face twisted up.

“Sästrätx,” he mumbled, feeling put off now, “Trust me, tawtute,” he then roughly pushed you off of him, and made a move to stand up, “I do not care for you either, but it seems we will have to deal with each other for some time.”

“What?” You asked, sitting up and watching him walk over to the discarded armor he’d taken off before bed last night. “What do you mean?”

“Grandmother,” he threw over his shoulder without a glance your way, sliding on the arm guard, “She does not think it wise for you to walk long distances for now. So,” he finished putting the rest of his protective wear on with a low sigh, “–you will stay here. I will watch over you.” He turned around and was faced with a hard frown on your face. He smirked, “Do not think I want this for me either,” he dipped his head down to fix a bracelet on his wrist, “I want to rid you from this village as soon as possible. Believe me. So get better,” once he was done, he started towards the entryway, eyes forward, “Then, you can leave for good,” before he jumped down from the edge of the treehouse, landing on the ground without a single sound nor grunt.

Neteyam knew that he couldn’t be separated from you for too long or the bond would start to pull at you and him, but he just needed space. He was grateful to get away from you. Your scent… He could feel the tugging at the pit of his stomach, and knew when he held you in his arms, it would’ve been hard to hold himself back from doing something stupid. Something he would only end up regretting. You had felt warm in his hold, soft. His fingers itched to touch more of you, to feel you.

The room was getting suffocating. He’d woken up long before you, but kept still when he felt you stir. He’d laid there, and waited. He didn’t know why. He just pretended that he was still asleep, and listened. He could hear the way you breathed, the rustling of you moving around just mere centimeters from him, and how warm your skin felt right next to his. The palms of his hands tingled to touch you, to wrap his fingers around some part of you. He tried to fight it off in hopes that you’d get out of bed so he could think straight.

But you didn’t, and he couldn’t hold himself back any longer.

He pulled you on top of him and tried to play off the awkwardness that came from the uncharacteristic move by teasing you, but it was still there. Palpable, and floating around the two of you like fresh fallen leaves from an ever changing tree. He tried to ignore it, but it filled his senses, relentlessly gnawing at the inner parts of his brain that wanted him to give in. To give up trying to ignore what was so obviously there, and officially make you his mate. He was so close, you were so close…

He didn’t plan on touching you at all, but every time you got near him…

He clenched his teeth, a tick in his jaw. You were nothing but a nuisance. A means to distract him from his training and his duties. A human that did not belong in his world no matter which way he chose to look at it. Not that he wanted you to fit in, no. You needed to go back home or wherever it was you came from. Immediately.

And once you were gone, things would finally go back to normal.

Yes. He would see to it.

The moment that you were left with your thoughts, you began to recall the conversation with Mo’at last night. She had specifically told you that there were to be no long travels for you for quite some time. Your injuries were in no shape to be moving around for long periods of time. It was exactly what you feared would happen and you almost wanted to go against her advice and travel anyway, but knew that suffering an even worse injury due to not listening would only suck even more. So, you began to mentally prepare yourself to be around Neteyam longer than you had expected.

Once you were dressed, grateful that they were finally dry, you decided it was time to head out.

It was a feat, but you’d managed to climb down a few hanging vines from the treehouse, landing softly on the ground. You had a thought that Neteyam planned on leaving you up there with no way to get back down, but you weren’t having it. He wasn’t the boss of you, and you weren’t going to let him think he had that kind of authority over you just because you were human so you took matters into your own hands. It was dangerous, but it wasn’t like you planned on going back up anyway.

On your way back to the village, you came across Kiri and spent most of the morning with her, indulging in various different conversations that all seemed to venture right back to your current object of annoyance.

“He’s a pretentious, pompous asshole is what he is and I’m already sick of him.”

Kiri giggled next to you as she finished washing Tuk’s hair. Remembering that the young girl was still there, you shot Tuk an apologetic smile for your crass manner of speaking, but thankfully, she didn’t quite understand what you were talking about since she was still learning your language and wasn’t as fluent as Kiri was.

“Oh, you know him,” Kiri wrung the rest of the water from her sister’s hair and patted the girl’s shoulder to let her know that she was done, “My brother has never been good with…people,” her eyebrows wrinkled in thought, “He’s better with inanimate objects that can’t talk back to him. Much like his bow, actually.”

You rolled your eyes, “Yeah. I can tell. He sucks at talking to humans.”

“Well you’re the first human that he has willingly talked to,” Kiri commented as she stood up. You followed after her, dusting the possible dirt from your backside, “He never cared for Spider…” her eyes lowered, “I don’t think there’s ever been a human he’s at least tried to tolerate.” She sighed, shaking her head and looking back at you with a smile that you could tell was a bit forced, “But he seems to tolerate you. I think that counts for something, don’t you?”

Willingly wasn’t exactly the word for it.

You folded your arms, distracting yourself by looking up at the swaying trees in the wind. It was a cool day, full of sun, warmth and clear skies. Usually, you’d be not too far from your outpost, journaling by a nearby cliff that could see down into a large waterfall. You always spent your morning’s journaling, but due to…current circumstances, you had no motivation to write. Well, if you were going to expand on how much you disliked Neteyam then…

It was useless. You just needed to stay away from him. That was the goal until you were deemed well enough to travel and go back to your regular life. If he was going to treat you like shit, then what reason did you have to want to even be around him?

“Meet you back at home?” Kiri sent Tuk a little smile. The young girl nodded, waved at you, and took off back into the direction of the village. Kiri released a breath, “You know, Neteyam aside, I think you and Kanu…”

Her drag of his name made you lift a brow, feeling some implication behind it. You decided to feign ignorance to what she was trying to say.

“Yeah?”

She shrugged her shoulders, and bit into her lip to keep from smiling, “I mean…I think he might have a little crush on you, which wouldn’t really be out of the ordinary. He tends to flirt a lot, but I don’t know. Seems…different around you. A little more excited, maybe?”

You couldn’t help but laugh, absentmindedly rolling your eyes, “Yeah, and me and Seynä are the best of friends,” you said with a condescending smile and Kiri laughed, “He doesn’t have a crush on me. Least I don’t think so. He seems friendly.”

Kiri full on smiled now before knocking her shoulder into yours, “Oh yeah. Very friendly.”

“Yep, I’m leaving.”

As you walked onward to the village, Kiri followed behind you directing the conversation elsewhere while you fell back into thought. It was nice having a friend or two during your stay in the village. It made the process easier, and sometimes made you disregard the hole drilling stares from the villagers every time you came walking through. Kiri, Kanu, Tuk and Jake were great. They made you feel welcomed, and comfortable. Neytiri and Seynä were the two women that you were still trying to figure out. As of now, you could understand their weariness. Neteyam was Neytiri’s son. She didn’t seem too fond of the idea of you sticking around, and always being around her son made it worse. Seynä seemed to feel the same way. You’d just met and she already had a personal vendetta against you.

Maybe you were the problem.

Then again, you weren’t guilty of anything. There was absolutely nothing going on between you and Neteyam, but you figured that some of those around you were having a hard time believing that with the way he constantly stuck to your side. Hopefully last night’s sleeping arrangements was just a one time thing. You didn’t know how you could stand another night of sleeping so close to Neteyam. He was so…infuriating, but so attractive at the same time. How could someone with such a shit personality have such a pretty face?

“So what’s the deal with you and Seynä?” Kiri asked while she balanced walking on top of a mossy tree branch, hands behind her back, “She only arrived just yesterday and you guys already have this kind of…” she pursed her lips, trying to think of the word, “…rivalry going on.” She smiled to herself, “I mean, if this is over Neteyam then I’m sure she knows she has no competition. At least not with you…right?”

“Right,” you agreed, not fully understanding what Seynä’s deal with you was either. “I would like to be friends. I don’t like having an issue with anyone. Makes things awkward,” you shook your head and shrugged, eyes on the ground now, “Maybe I should pull her and ask?” You gave Kiri a look that was a mixture of hesitancy and hopefulness. She hummed.

“Maybe? I don’t know her just yet but because she doesn’t seem like a raging bitch, I think you might have a chance at getting through to her.”

Both of you laughed at that as you walked on.

“Yeah. Maybe you’re right.”

One conversation wouldn’t kill you, right?

— ꕥ —

Neteyam had been standing in front of his grandmother’s hut for at least five minutes now.

He wasn’t nervous about what was to come from a conversation with her about the bond between you and him. He was more so dreading telling her about it. Would she help him if she knew? He hadn’t even told you about it. You deserved to know. Especially since he had to make sure he stuck close by you at all times or the effects of the stretch would become unbearable. He couldn’t expect you to find it normal and not a nuisance to always find him lingering near you. You were bound to ask him what his deal was so maybe the sooner the better.

However, right now, he needed to talk to the only person he felt would understand him without judgment. In truth, he’d done nothing wrong. You weren’t his mate by choice. You were thrown onto him, and haphazardly, he might add. He didn’t choose you, so what was he so nervous about? His grandmother would understand. She always did. She would see reason, and eagerly try to help him. There was a way out of this and if anyone could find it, it was her.

That unknowing feeling rolled off of his shoulders the moment he lifted up the flap of the hut to step inside. The first thing to hit him was the usual aroma of medicinal supplies and the smell of burning wood as he took a look around. She wasn’t there, which was odd. He was told by his mother that she’d last seen his grandmother come back to her hut, but he couldn't help but feel that he’d just missed her.

His face fell. He was looking forward to getting some answers, but he supposed that it would have to be another time.

He grimaced.

The thought of having to explain to you what’s been happening made his throat run dry. You would freak out, no doubt, and then everyone would soon come to know. His mother and Seynä were the two people he did not want knowing about all of this. They’ve proved to be a slight headache as it was. His mother would lose it, and Seynä finding out he was already mated would cause a rift between the two clans. His parents were sure to tell her parents that he was unmated so naturally, that was what they were expecting. To match their unmated daughter with Toruk Makto’s unmated son. He sighed to himself. His mother would have his head on a stick or worse, yours. That was a nest he didn’t want to go poking around at.

With a sigh, he turned on his heel and began making his way back out of the hut when he saw the flap suddenly flip up. Startled, he stumbled back and saw his grandmother and mother come in. His lips pressed into a thin line, meeting Neytiri’s gaze. He prayed to Eywa that he didn’t look as nervous as he felt.

“My son,” she sat the basket that was on her hip down off to the side before she placed a hand to his cheek that ended up moving down to his shoulder, “You are well? I didn’t see you at the morning wash, is everything alright?”

Ah. He forgot to thank you for being the reason he missed the morning wash down by the local river earlier. As he got older, he started to prefer taking his baths off on his own instead of with his family and the rest of the people. Kiri and Tuk usually forced his attendance but today, he slept in. If it wasn’t because of your strange warmth and soft skin, he would’ve woken up like he usually would. Bright and early to spend time on his own. You were becoming a thorn in his side, but this time, he could only thank you for getting him out of that dreadful obligation.

Neteyam nodded, breathing in, “Yes, mother. I’m fine. Just slept in is all.”

“Ah,” a smile formed, and she nodded, “Yes, well. Yesterday was quite a hectic day. Your father, too, slept in later than usual.” Then the light in her eyes dimmed, dropping her hand from his shoulder, “But I was not told that the human would be sleeping with you last night. Why did I find this out from someone else other than you?”

Even though he was older now, he never felt more like a kid than when his mother would scold him about something. He loved her, and would do anything for her but sometimes… Sometimes she could get overbearing. Still, he could understand. Not only was he her first born son, but her only son left around. Lo’ak left because of his love for a human and for Neteyam to suddenly come back with one, and let you sleep with him? He knew what that looked like to her.

History repeating itself.

He swallowed. He wasn’t…nervous. At least, he didn’t think so. He didn’t do anything…per say. Maybe some questionable things that could be taken the wrong way if someone had caught you two last night (and this morning, if he wanted to be technical), but still. There was nothing going on between you and him. He didn’t like you, wasn’t attracted to you and was actually trying to fix things so that he could get rid of you for good. Some part of him was glad that you got injured because that gave him extra time to figure this mating mess out. If you were able to leave right now, he would have to try and stop you and then suffer at you wanting to know why. Then, the entire village would know that he was mated to a human.

Just like his brother.

Neteyam inwardly sighed. He wasn’t expecting his mother to be with his grandmother so now he had to change tactics. There was no way he could leave without speaking to her about his predicament.

“Teyam–”

“I need to speak to grandmother about something,” he cut in, skipping over her question. He didn’t feel like answering, and truthfully, it was none of her business. He didn’t care about you as much as she was probably thinking. Plus, even though she wasn’t aware, he was trying to get rid of you. He didn’t bring you to the village because he wanted to. Because he was infatuated and wanted to mate with you. To be doomed to repeat his younger brother’s biggest mistake, no. You were a situation that needed fixing, if his mother would let him.

Neytiri was taken aback. She loved all of her children, but she always held Neteyam to a higher standard because he was respectful, and took care of his younger siblings. He went out of his way to make sure everyone was taken care of, and safe. He never gave her a reason to be disappointed in him. Now, he was showing signs. It wasn’t necessarily rebellion, but it wasn’t something that she was used to either. He would never dodge her questions. Would always answer, and with honesty.

She took in a breath, and held it. It had to be because of you. Another human here to take her last son away. Was Eywa punishing her for something? Had she not suffered enough over the years? She’d lost her little sister, then her father shortly afterwards —hadn’t she been through enough to last her an entire lifetime?

“My son,” She stepped forward and took his face in her hands again. She had to stretch a bit because he was taller than her, but she managed to get his attention, “This human… Is she that important to you?”

“Important to me?” Neteyam frowned, “No, no she isn’t. Quite the opposite. Why would you think that?”

“Because,” he could see the conflict across her face, “You seem…protective over her. I only worry because–well. You know.”

He knew where this was headed, but he had to admit. Her reaction to finding out you slept with him last night wasn’t what he had expected. He thought that she was going to lose her mind. Go on a rampage, yell at him and demand that he toss you back out into the forest. Her reaction shocked him, but he could tell that she was taking a different approach.

He couldn’t decide which was worse: her being overly nice or being extremely violent.

He would just have to find out.

Neteyam drew tension into his shoulders, eyes hardened, “I am nothing like Lo’ak.”

Neytiri stared at him for a long, quiet moment before she dropped her hands from his face and stepped back. She sighed, a wash of relief waving over.

“Good. I should hope not,” her tone was flat, face schooled into a stern expression, “You are the son I have always been most proud of. I was worried, but now I’m not. How long will she stay?”

Neteyam could’ve dropped his shoulders at the fact that he had successfully convinced her of his resolve, not that his resolve had been rattled (no, not in the slightest), but he had to keep going.

“I don’t know,” for the first time since the two came in, his eyes glanced at his grandmother who was busy stirring something at her work station, “Grandmother said whenever she is well enough to travel.”

“And her sleeping arrangements until then?” She inquired with a raised brow.

Fuck. He hadn’t thought of an excuse for that yet.

He was slightly panicking on the inside, but kept himself looking as neutral as possible on the outside.

He shrugged, “I was thinking that she could possibly sleep here. With grandmother.”

Neytiri hummed and walked back over to the entrance, picking up her basket, “Fine,” she looked at her mother, “Hopefully she is to leave soon so that our lives can go back to normal,” and then turned on her heel, out of the hut.

Finally, Neteyam breathed. His palms were sweaty, realizing just how nervous he had been just now. He knew how scary she could be, but it had never been directed towards him before. At least, not in the way Lo’ak always got it.

The weak answers he gave her would only pacify her for so long, he knew that. He needed to get prepared for a more…long term solution. If he wasn’t able to get out of being your mate, then he had to come up with something. Had to figure out a way to keep you close but far away enough to appease his mother, and to prevent raising any more suspicions between you and him. Then again, there was no way you were going to be allowed to stay in the village permanently. Even if you were, what would be a good cause? There was also a better chance that you wouldn’t even want to stay in the village. That’d add to his list of problems, that was for sure.

He sighed. One thing at a time, he supposed.

Relieved that he’d managed to skate by for now, he walked over to his grandmother, trying to remember how he was going to approach the mating topic.

“Grandmother, I–”

“Do you know what it is like to be tsahik, grandson?”

Puzzled, he stood next to her.

Allowing a few minutes to pass, he sucked in a breath,

“No. I do not.”

She hummed, eyes focused on the task in front of her. He noticed a hint of a smile on her lips, and leaned against the table to listen.

“I am not just a spiritual leader or someone that leads important ceremonies when need be. I sometimes heal the wounded or help the women in the village with weaving or guiding the children on their respective paths,” she grabbed a few pieces of herbal plants in her hands, and crushed them before mixing them into the small bowl of mixture in front of her, “To be tsahik…you are more than just an interpreter of Eywa’s will.” Finally, she looked at him and saw a gleam of warmth in her eyes. “You are connected to all things, all life. It is a blessing just as it is a curse at times,” she dropped her gaze back down to the bowl, but stopped mixing, “Neteyam. I know.”

He blinked, staring at her. She was being vague. “You…you know?” Was she aware of the bond or was she speaking of something else? “About the–”

“Bond?” Her eyes returned to his, watching them dilate, “Yes. I know that the human has been chosen as your mate. Your true mate.”

When he swallowed, it felt like he was pushing a thick rock down his throat. He didn’t know what to say. He looked down at the table, lost for words.

True mate.

He knew the chances of him being wrong were slim to none but there had still been a chance, nonetheless. He’d been foolish to think otherwise, he knew his body. He knew when something felt different, and it was like that around you. It wasn’t like how he felt around anyone else, especially Seynä… Around you, he felt…less in control. He felt drawn to you, always wanting to touch you, to feel you in some sort of way and protect you, provide for you. All of the things a mate was supposed to feel about their mate and it wouldn’t have been a problem if it weren’t for the fact that you were human. He couldn’t see past it. You would need so much protection, so much guidance to learn the ways of his people and how to live amongst them. How to…

“Grandmother!” he suddenly called out, causing her to jump a little. She hissed and batted at his arm, frowning up.

“Do not scare me like that. What is it?”

His ears flicked wayward for a moment before they stood right back up, “Since you know that she is my mate, then you must know how she is able to breathe our air without one of those ridiculous masks that humans have to wear.”

There was an expression on her face that he couldn’t decipher, but he recognized what it could’ve meant. She knew the answer to his question, but he had a feeling she wasn’t intent on not answering it. At least, not in the way he would need her to.

She darted her eyes back down to what she was previously doing, lips fixed into a hard line, “I do, but it is not my place to say,” Neteyam opened his mouth to inquire what she meant, but was interrupted, “Grandson, you do not accept her as your mate. Why is that?”

He blinked. Wasn't it…obvious? You were human. You weren’t a na’vi. He couldn’t even properly mate with you as he could with one of his own kind. No tsaheylu, no marking. He wasn’t even entirely sure you could even handle a marking bite with your skin being so soft. No, it was best you stayed with your people and him with his own. It made the most sense, and he didn’t choose this for himself. For decisions regarding his future to already be set in stone…it felt like a nightmare. It made him feel out of control, and he hated to feel out of control.

Then again, his body had chosen you…right? Eywa had played a hand in it, but his people tended to believe that mates were born for one another. It would’ve applied to you and him but you weren’t born on pandora. You were from earth; a sky person. You and him held similarities as beings born within the same galaxy but you were still light years away from what he and his people were.

“Grandmother…” he shook his head, eyebrows pulled together as he watched her transfer the mixture into a tiny jar that looked like it was also given by the sky people, “Her and I… It does not make sense.” He could tell that she was listening because the ear closest to him twitched. He sighed. “And you know how I feel about humans–”

She hissed, lifting a hand to swat through the air in clear dismissal, “Oh stop. That is your mother speaking through you,” she sat the jar down firmly onto the table with a loud clang, and looked at him, “Grandson, you are blinded by your mother’s hatred for those people. Have the ones that have stayed behind to help rebuild our village and provide what they can do anything to you? Hm? Because I can assure you that they have not. They have been nothing but kind to us, helping us when they are able. It is clear they have remorse over what their people have done over the years, and yet, you harbor anger towards them. Why? This is your mother’s doing,” she hissed again, turning back to her work to finish up, “Crazy woman will not move on from the past that she cannot change.”

Neteyam knew she would never understand his reasoning for disliking humans. She wanted to be a bridge between the na’vi and the sky people, but due to the unwavering lack of understanding and communication – his people would not budge to make true peace. They refused to learn anymore of the language, and had fully banned humans from spending more time in the village than they had to.

The sky people were still allowed to help with their modern medicines and with building things or other small duties but it was prohibited for them to stay within the confines of the village itself. That was why his people were whispering and giving you dirty looks last night. They knew you didn’t belong, and would see you gone here soon. He wished he could set you back on your way, but he needed you here. Plus, you couldn’t travel just yet so he had time to figure things out but what if he couldn’t? What if there was no way to break a mating bond?

It’d become his worst fear because he would have no solution. He would have to accept you as his mate and ruin the treaty between his clan and the ra’tecaya clan, issuing a war that he couldn’t imagine happening right now. Not when he still had so much to learn. He wasn’t even olo’eyktan yet and his father wasn’t old, but he’d been through his fair share of wars already. Neteyam wasn’t sure he would be able to handle another one like that.

Neteyam could only stand there, mind reeling with several thoughts, trying to come up with something.

Mo’at screwed a top on the jar she was using before she pushed away from the table to give her unadulterated attention to her grandson.

“Neteyam, why do you worry?” She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

His body felt numb with the possible truth, hardly able to think of what to say, “Grandmother, even if I could love her…” the flames of the fire near him danced in his eyes, curling about as he spoke, “The clan… They would never accept us. They would try to kill her. You know this, and because you do, will you still not try to help? She does not belong here. She belongs with her people–”

“Aye,” she nodded with a gentle smile, “She does. She is human, after all. Though she breathes our air, she is not like us. Well, to be plain,” she chuckled, “She’s not just a tawtute. Not completely,” That comment made him tilt his head, but he knew not to ask. She wouldn’t tell him anyway, but it put a thought into his head that he would have to think over later. “Do you know that I believe that love conquers all? Your mother understood this well. She fell in love with a human, did she not? Even though your father is one of the people and olo’eyktan,” she placed her free hand against his cheek, thumbing over his cheekbone, “Deep down, he has a piece of humanity in him. Still, to this day. His soul was put into a human shell and is now in a na’vi body. He mated with your mother, and then you were born. Mm?”

He didn’t know where she was going with this, but he continued to listen in hopes that through her beloved riddles, he’d find an answer.

“You see, it is not the people that you should be worrying about,” Mo’at dropped her hand from his cheek to point a finger into his chest. He glanced down at it, then back at her, “It is you, my grandson. You will be the only thing that will stand in between your future and your happiness. She is your mate, that is true. But,” she stepped back to cross her arms, her hair beads chiming with the movement, “What will you do about it? Will you fight it? Pretend she is not, and live a lie…or will you find it within yourself to look past your hatred for her kind in order to allow yourself to love her the way you will need to in order to protect her from those that will never see past who she is?”

When he walked out of the hut, his mind was foggy.

He had no solution just yet, and he was more confused than before he’d walked in. There was one thing he was sure of though.

He couldn’t accept you. There was no way he would allow himself to repeat his brother’s mistake by loving a human. Nothing good would come from it anyway. For him, it didn’t make sense. He was the brother that did everything right. The perfect son. He would never stoop so low as to let a human be his mate. It was clear his grandmother wasn’t going to be any help, so he would just have to figure this all out on his own. Not like he didn’t see it coming, but he still had to try.

She was going on about the mating being inevitable and something he wouldn’t be able to change, but that wasn’t true. Anything was possible. How did you come to be his mate? Maybe Eywa made a mistake. Maybe if he went to her, he could beg for an answer. Beg her to give him someone, anyone else (preferably Seynä to avoid an all out war but he wasn’t picky— maybe they’d understand since the choosing of a mate was oftentimes involuntary). He just needed a way out of this or he would lose the hope of his people and go to war with the ra’tecaya clan. He wondered if that was before or after his mother disowned him. He couldn’t be sure.

His thoughts were skewered when he ran right into someone.

“Oh! Neteyam!”

It was Seynä.

He steadied her by her shoulders, noticing that her outfit was different today. She had on a beaded shawl that seemed to match the beaded top she wore. Her loincloth was still white, but had intricate patterns woven onto it in the shapes of flames. He also noticed that her hair was up in a long, white ponytail and her lips were tinted a faint, ruby color. He almost went to touch it out of curiosity, but held himself back, dropping his hands from her person.

He stood up straight, and cleared his throat.

“I see you, Seynä,” he said with a motion of pressing his fingers against his forehead, and down.

She smiled warmly before she nodded, “I see you, Neteyam, and my apologies for running into you. I should’ve been looking where I was going.”

He shook his head, feeling a smile tug at his lips, “No, it’s fine. It was an accident and you’re not hurt so…”

She giggled, “That’s true…”

A comfortable silence settled between them. His eyes darted everywhere but at her, and it would’ve made her give him some space if she didn’t take it as him feeling nervous around her. That made her feel good. Made her feel like he could possibly be warming up to her now. They were a mated pair, after all. The sooner he came around to accepting her presence, the better.

“So, I was actually looking for you,” he returned his gaze to her, interest piqued, “I wanted to know if you would like to…go on a walk…with me?”

He should've been more aware of his surroundings. He would’ve seen her coming if he had, and wouldn’t have been sentenced to deal with telling her no. The last thing he wanted to do right now was go on a walk, with Seynä of all people. He needed to find you, and talk to you. He figured that the sooner he told you about all of this, the better because maybe you and your modern technology could find a way to break the bond. He didn’t foresee Eywa helping him at all as she was the reason behind the match between you and him. So he’d settled with finding you, and taking care of this as soon as possible.

However, that was going to no longer be an option unless he came up with a good excuse to not leave with Seynä.

“Oh, uh…” he could feel her red eyes staring right through him as he fumbled over his words, “That sounds…nice, but I think I have to help my mother with–”

That was when he saw you.

You were a few paces behind Kiri, looking extremely small next to her and almost getting lost in the hubbub of the village’s usual daily morning routine, but the one thing about you that you couldn’t hide from him was your unique smell. The scent of a mate. He held back a growl, and clenched his teeth. He needed to keep his composure, and find a way off of Seynä’s radar to get to you without pissing her off. He very much would like to prevent that from happening.

“Your mother?” She spoke, head tilting, “She left with your father moments ago. I heard something about…” her cheeks warmed, looking down for a moment, “date night.”

Fuck, he thought. That was right. It was date night for them.

He was about to respond when he caught your eye from across the way.

The hustle and bustle of the village suddenly ceased. Time…seemed to stop, and so did his heartbeat. It was as if it were just you and him standing there, communicating through your eyes. The way you were looking at him…it almost made him want to stop breathing. What was this feeling all of a sudden? Why did he feel compelled to run to you, to take your hand and pull you away from prying eyes deep into the forest where he could… No… No, no no. The bond.

It was getting stronger. It was trying to control him, and it was because he was fighting the bond. Hadn’t mated with you yet. His teeth dig into his bottom lip. He really needed to do something about it, and fast.

When he blinked, you tore your gaze away from him. He almost felt his mood deplete, but he grounded himself. He watched you answer Kiri before he turned back to Seynä who, thankfully, didn’t appear to know what had just happened.

He smiled, “Yes. I forgot about that. Well, a walk sounds great, but I think–”

From the corner of his eye, he caught Kanu walking up. Neteyam thought he was going to come over to bother him and maybe it would’ve been welcomed because he could use him as a scapegoat but he watched as his friend rounded over to you, wearing an extremely big and suspicious grin on his face.

What the hell?

Neteyam frowned at the sight of Kanu pinching your cheek as his normal way of greeting you, and caught the way you giggled, looking away.

He let a growl slip out, hands balling into fists. Seynä noticed, and frowned.

“Neteyam, is everything alright? What’s the matter?”

He could feel it. The anger building up. Kanu hadn’t said anything to him yet, but Neteyam wasn’t dumb. He could tell that his friend was interested in you. The way his tail would curl whenever he caught sight of you or talked to you. How touchy he got around you. Hell, there was even a spring in his step now. A spring?

Neteyam was irritated and became more irritated because he knew why he was feeling this way. The bond was beginning to affect his emotions and soon, he wouldn’t be able to control them. He’d start acting on them, and that wasn’t going to be good.

Seynä glanced behind her to where Neteyam was looking, and saw you, Kanu and Kiri. She drew her bottom lip in, biting into it.

She then turned back to Neteyam and was about to open her mouth when he spoke first.

“I would love to go on a walk with you.”

Now wasn’t a good time to speak to you. Not with Kanu so close. Neteyam was too afraid that if he went to you now, he’d punch Kanu straight in the face and steal you away. He didn’t feel like answering a thousand and one questions upon his return from that…debacle so he chose the easy way out. Maybe it was cowardly. He didn’t care. It was for the best. At least, for now.

Surprised, Seynä looked at him before she smiled again.

“Oh, yes. Sure.”

He held out his hand, and she happily took it as he led her in the other direction, into the forest. He couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder at you, watching the way your face lit up at something Kanu said. Mentally, he hissed and faced forward.

He didn’t care, but a part of him did.

He wished he could burn that part of him alive.

Then again, the thought of punching Kanu began to sound better and better the longer he sat on it.

— ꕥ —

“Hey,” Kanu jogged up, freshly braided hair swaying with each bounce off of his foot. He swiped a hand across his forehead to rid some of the sweat built up from his usual early day volunteering, eyes set on you. He wasn’t wearing the feathers that he wore in his hair like yesterday, but had a lot more protective gear on. Maybe he was going to go out to hunt. “Can I steal her away for a while?” He asked, taking a glance at Kiri before he pinched at your cheek. He smiled at the way you looked down from his gaze, feeling his heart flutter.

Kiri noticed, and gave the both of you a knowing smile, putting her hands up, “Yeah, sure. Of course,” and winked at you before Kanu could see it, “Have fun you two,” and left the two of you alone.

Her tone sounded suggestive, but you didn’t pay any mind to it. Her little observation of Kanu having a crush on you entered your mind, but when he took your hand to lead the way, it crept back into the deep corners of your mind again.

“So,” You couldn’t help but look at your joined hands, face warming at how much his hand covered yours. You almost couldn’t even see your own hand. Plus, his skin was warm. Just like you remembered. “Where exactly are you taking m–hey!” His arms suddenly slid under your legs, picking you up from the ground. Out of shock, you wrapped your arms tightly around his neck, peeking over his arm at how high up you felt. Then you looked at him, bewildered, “What was that for? I can walk just fine on my own, put me down!”

He gave you a short once-over with a sly smirk before focusing on the walk ahead, “I think we have been over this already. I carried you yesterday,” he shrugged, “You walk too slow. Carrying you is much faster.”

You scoffed, “Yeah, well, next time you need to at least ask me? Or, I don’t know, warn me?”

His chest rumbled against your side, chuckling, “Okay. Sure,” he looked down at you, and leaned into your face, “I can do that.”

Unable to hold eye contact for much longer, you set your sights on where he was taking you, “Where are we going?”

“Mmm,” he ducked under a few bushes, and moved on to the other side, “I cannot say, but you will like it. Don’t worry.”

He was being vague, as you were expecting. While he filled the silence with idle chatter about past stories of his times in the forest, your mind drifted elsewhere.

Neteyam’s face reappeared in your mind. The last look on his face gave off a mix of some things that you couldn’t quite put together to make sense; not even now that you had a moment to yourself to think about it. He’d been talking to Seynä, it looked like, but stared at you the entire time. Why? Did he want to say something to you, but couldn’t? It wasn’t like you cared…that much. It just looked as if he was thinking about walking over to you or perhaps you were wrong. Had he been judging you for talking to Kanu? He didn’t seem to care about whatever friendship you were beginning to have with his sister, so was it his best friend that he felt some sort of way about?

There was a good chance you were just micro analyzing things again. But, what if you weren’t?

When he stared at you the moment you stepped back into the village, it was strange. Everyone in the area seemed to slow to a stop, and it felt like it was just you and him standing there, locked in a strange trance. You couldn’t pull away. What was up with that?

There was no reason to think about it now. Neteyam was strange in his own way. He hated you one minute, and was touching you the next. Maybe the heavy weight of one day becoming the next olo’eyktan was getting to his head a little. It wasn’t none of your business nor your problem so you left it at that.

When you came out of your thoughts, you noticed that you were no longer on the ground anymore.

Kanu was taking you through the trees now.

“Holy shit,” You took a glance down and saw how high you two were now, feeling your chest become tight. You were not good with heights. “Kanu, wait–”

“I got you,” he said in a low voice, eyeing you with soft eyes, feeling his arms around you tighten as he leapt and bounded his way through tree branches larger than you’d ever seen in your lifetime.

Thankfully, it was over before you knew it.

He cut through the trees, and when he went through the inside of a tree only to come out on the other side, that was when you heard them.

You gasped, eyes set forward.

You couldn’t believe it.

There was squawking and screeching and large flapping sounds that should’ve scared you, but no. You weren’t scared. Not in the slightest.

Kanu saw the look on your face, and smiled to himself as he cautiously set you down to walk on your own. He kept his eyes on you, watching to make sure you didn’t slip and fall off the tree branch similar to yesterday’s incident, but gave you enough space to venture onward.

When you pushed back a few low hanging leaves that were in your way, you saw them.

The ikrans.

Your mouth fell open in awe as you watched a few of them bat around, flying around the tree itself. There were some higher up, preening themselves or talking amongst each other in squawks.

As you took another step forward, you stumbled when you saw one closely soar up next to you, spreading out its wings to let the wind carry it, and become its point of direction.

You smiled widely at the display, but turned your head when you felt a hand at your back. Kanu smiled back at you, cocking his head.

“What do you think?”

You took in a deep, albeit shaky breath, admiring the croaking beasts that flew all around you, “I…They’re beautiful,” but missed how close he’d gotten by bending down on one knee, yet was still able to look over your head at the ikrans soaring about.

“Yeah. They are,” he agreed, looking down at you before he noticed an ikran flying down to land right in front of you.

When it screeched out, he watched you step back and chuckled, standing on his feet again. He rounded you to walk over to the beast, a hand raised to rub across the neck. The ikran nuzzled against his touch and bucked about causing Kanu to hum, patting at it.

“Mawey, Aru. Frawzo?”

Aru made a guttural sound that was his way of saying yes. You were staring in fascination, and Kanu noticed.

“Come. He is harmless.”

A bit weary, you walked forward, watching the way Aru’s eyes trained on you and your every step as if he were gauging to see if you were going to be friend or foe. He was beautiful, but you knew that he was also a lethal beast. Not one to be taken lightly.

Kanu could tell how nervous you were so once you got close enough, he grabbed your hand and slowly placed it onto Aru’s neck. Even though his hand enveloped yours, he spread his fingers out to curl around yours. You glanced up at him, catching a smile on his face.

“See?” He quirked an eyebrow, looking at Aru now. The beast made a purring sound that caused you to break out a smile of your own, visibly relaxing, “He likes you.”

“I think this is the scariest thing I’ve ever done,” you admitted.

Kanu chuckled, almost mesmerized by how soft your hand was and how close you were to him. He could feel the body heat emanating off of you, brushing up against his own. He swallowed, and kept his mind elsewhere. “Then you would not want to take a ride on Aru with me?”

To fly on the back of an ikran… Truthfully, it wasn’t what you dreamt about on a day to day basis but thinking about it now, it sounded fun. Except, you were afraid of heights and you weren’t nearly tall enough to comfortably sit on the back of one without the reassurance that you wouldn’t go flying to your death. Still, you’d taken risks before. Sometimes the risk was worth the reward. You’d thought about flying on an ikran, but that was before you declined Max’s offer of him making you your own avatar. Humans just weren’t made to ride beasts like ikrans, and you never thought about it again. Now, you were given a chance but how smart would it be to take it?

“Kanu…I would love to, but—”

“I will be right there,” he cut in, leaning forward with his voice lowered, “Right behind you, little one. I will not let anything happen to you. Okay?”

The look in his eyes made you want to trust him, and that was something you had to do in order to get somewhere with someone. He’d done a better job at caring for you and being friendly than Neteyam, who was the sole reason you were having to stay at the village in the first place. Of all people, Kanu was the one to be trusted. You were sure of it.

When you nodded, he squeezed your hand before he pulled away and turned you to face him. He placed his hands on your waist, thumbing at your hips, “I will mount you first. Then I will follow. Understand?”

You gave him a slow nod, still slightly unsure about the ride but when were you going to get another chance like this?

Kanu tugged you close to him, face inches from yours. You flushed under his gaze, but didn’t look away, “Nisyep ‘ekxin.”

“What does that mean?” You asked him, hoping it wasn’t something important you needed to know in case he decided to not tell you.

He smirked, and leaned close to your ear before muttering, “It means ‘hold tight’, little one,” before he picked you up, and gently placed you onto Aru’s back.

After you were settled, he climbed on as well, positioning himself right behind you, just as he’d said earlier. His arms looped through yours to grab the reins in front of you, hugging you close to him. His chest felt comforting against your clothed back, almost feeling safe enough to sigh into him.

Kanu placed a hand on your thigh, and fit his chin into the crook of your neck to look at you, “Are you ready?”

You were almost too distracted by his touch to even think of an answer but you managed a small, “yes,” before you felt his hand slide away and return to holding Aru’s strap.

He motioned the reins upwards, and yipped for Aru to move off of the tree branch. You squeezed your legs against his body, and held onto the front part of the saddle, feeling your heart race against your chest. Kanu could tell that the drop was going to be the scariest part for you so he dropped one hand from the strap, and used it to wrap around your waist to hold you against him as Aru dove down into the sky, taking flight. You gasped, and held onto Kanu’s arm, eyes squeezed shut, feeling your body jolt.

He made sure Aru leveled the two of you out before he glanced at the side of your face. He chuckled, finding you unable to open your eyes.

“Mmm, you are missing the best part, syulang.”

You peeled back one eye, and saw nothing but clouds in front of you. Daring to take a look down, you peered over and saw the forest underneath you. Even some of the hallelujah mountains not too far away. Most of the ground looked like a blurry mess, but it still didn’t make you feel any better being so high up in the air.

You gasped, and straightened out, choosing to keep your eyes forward for the duration of the ride.

Height aside, it wasn’t that bad. In fact…it was a little fun. You’d seen ikrans before, had passing thoughts of riding one but that was all they were. Passing thoughts. It seemed unrealistic to give riding one a serious consideration, believing that being human and so small, you’d fall off or something. What you didn’t consider was riding with someone, a na’vi that could hold onto you and keep you from falling. Plus, ikrans were wild beasts. Tamed around their riders, but still belonged to the forest. You wouldn’t have been able to get within 20 feet of one if Kanu wasn’t there with you.

“Are you okay?” You heard him ask, craning your head back to look at him. He was still holding onto you while keeping a hand on the riding strap, eyes roaming across your face for any sign of distress.

“I’m okay,” you nodded, smiling at him.

You looked so beautiful with the way your eyes glimmered against the sun rays, how you leaned against his chest, hand still on his arm. You fit perfectly into his arms, it was almost unfair. He wanted nothing more than to kiss you. To know if your lips were as soft as they looked. To feel your nimble fingers on his face, on his neck, everywhere you could reach. He wondered what you tasted like, sounded like if he took some part of you in his mouth and caressed you. Made you feel things you’d probably never felt before.

Everything about you intrigued him. Vastly smaller than him, plush and fragile. Your kind and his weren’t supposed to mix, but he argued that you’d fit nicely into his lifestyle. You were bold, intelligent, beautiful, humble, kind and open to knowing about him and his people. He didn’t believe that you held the same reservations about the intermingling of your species and his as his people did. No. You were different. You were curious, and open-minded. Maybe… Maybe there was hope for him. It was too early to start courting you due to not wanting to scare you away, but he wanted to continue to get to know you. Spend more time with you.

Fuck. All of it was messing with his head, you were doing a number on him. He knew you’d have to leave the village someday soon, and knew he’d need to spend every waking moment with you in order to gain your favor and your trust so that he could court you and ask you to be his mate. The clan would want his head for it, his father especially, but he didn’t care. As of now, at such an early stage, he felt like he’d do anything for you. He had all of the attributes of the perfect mate. He could protect you, provide for you and love you. He lacked nothing. He was even curious about children, and how it would work with you.

Kanu had planned and thought out a lot in regards to you, and what a life with you would look like. He could be good, so good to you, he just knew it. Now, he just needed you to see that.

Shaking his head and ridding himself of those thoughts for now, he decided to impress you a little. He trusted that you were safe the way you were and removed his arm from your midsection to take hold of the reins once again, tugging them to the side to get Aru to fly right. You watched with curiosity, wondering what he was doing.

He yipped and Aru began soaring forward, closer to the forest. You glanced down again, and released a tiny gasp, realizing how high you two still were.

“Kanu–”

“Don’t worry,” he said next to your ear, able to hear the smile in his voice, “I have someplace to take you. Will you let me?”

“A place?” You asked.

“Mmm, yes,” he directed Aru closer to the trees below, eyes ahead, “You’ll like it. Trust me.”

Wherever he was taking you didn’t seem like it was that far away.

It was only when you dismounted Aru and was placed back on the ground with Kanu’s help that you heard it.

Crashing waves.

It was the sea.

Kanu let you jog further on as he tended to Aru for a moment to make sure he didn’t wander too far for when it was time to fly back.

Every step you took, the louder the sound of the waves got. When you got close to the edge of the cliff, you bent down and took a peek over it. The sea’s waves tumbled and rolled before they pushed and slammed against the rocks below, only to pull back and repeat the process. You closed your eyes for a moment to listen, finding the sound soothing.

In all of your time on pandora, you never got to see past the forest. You knew there was a sea identical to the one on earth here on pandora, but to see it… It was different. Much, much different.

You opened your eyes when you heard footsteps from behind you.

“This is the eastern sea,” he said as he approached you, squinting at the rolling tides.

You glanced up at him to find him standing next to you, “How did you find this place?”

“Why?” He looked down at you, smiling now, “Like it?”

“It’s beautiful, yes,” you stood up, barely coming up to his waist.

Kanu hummed, looking back at the sea, watching the clouds begin to close in around the sun. It looked like it could start raining at any moment.

“Me and Aru fly everyday looking for places like this. It is…” another smile, a softer one curved his lips, “…where I feel most at home.”

You stared at him, “The water is your home? What about the forest?”

He hummed again, in thought, “The forest is my home, but the sea… It calls to me. I see her in my dreams. Every night.”

You assumed that ‘she’ was meant to refer to the sea. It wasn’t odd to hear because you could only imagine feeling stuck in one place when you felt more drawn to another. Kanu was an omaticayan. He grew up in the forest and was taught to feel that it was where he belonged. Sometimes, home is where the heart is, and his heart seemed to be with the sea. You’d heard about another na’vi tribe. They were called the metkayina. They lived by the sea, and have for decades. Maybe there was a connection between him and the tribe. It didn’t seem like he knew anymore then you did, so you chose to just leave it at that for now.

The two of you spent a bit more time by the cliff for an hour or two before Kanu decided to take you back to the village. He called for Aru, and mounted you back on his back before he hopped behind you and set off towards the sky, leaving the tempting waters of the sea behind.

— ꕥ —

“I am surprised that you agreed to walk with me again,” Seynä commented, taking feather-light steps, letting her hair sway with each step. She smiled to herself, hands behind her back, fiddling with her fingers as a nervous habit, “I like being in your presence. Is that strange? We hardly know each other…”

Neteyam was about to respond when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He made sure to not draw her attention to him, but he quickly put a hand over his heart, and paused for a moment, eyes wide. What is that? That pain…

His body temperature started to rise, but he still tried to appear like nothing was wrong. Fuck, something was wrong but he couldn’t figure out what.

Then, out of nowhere, it stopped.

He inhaled slowly, exhaling out.

He rubbed at his chest in shock. What had just happened?

“Neteyam?”

He blinked, looking at Seynä.

“Uhh…No,” Neteyam quipped, giving her a short glance, choosing to stare ahead the minute she looked at him. Whatever happened needed to be put on the back burner for now. He could think it over later, “I don’t think so. I find you comforting as well.”

He could tell that made her happy by the way she dipped her head down, hiding a giddy smile. It wasn’t exactly a lie. She wasn’t like a lot of the other women in the village. Overbearing and spending more time trying to get his attention than bettering themselves at what they were good at. The woman he wanted to mate with had to be strong and soft at the same time. He wanted someone that could laugh and joke with him, push his buttons a little, excite him. The women in the village looked like they were such a bore. He didn’t even think they could hold a good conversation. Would opt for just staring at him as he spoke instead. He couldn’t imagine a more annoying situation to be in, really.

That was why he appreciated the way Seynä seemed to be at times. Her display yesterday, while he was in the hut foreseeing your injuries getting treated, was unattractive. Her initial appearance was otherworldly, intrigued him, but showing possession towards him, someone she didn’t properly know yet — that was strange. For the most part, she seemed…okay. As long as she kept that side to her locked away for good, he couldn’t see why they wouldn’t be able to get along.

If he had to choose anyone to be his mate, he guessed he was glad it was her. She was beautiful, a warrior like him and carried herself with grace. He wasn’t sure what her conversation was like just yet, but from what he could tell, she was decent enough. Perhaps overtime, he’d be able to peel back more of her layers and get her comfortable with being around him more. He was going to be stuck with her for life, especially once they had children. So, it was best to get used to her presence as well and start treating her like his mate.

However, it started with spending time with her, as much as that made him want to yawn.

Because he’d been walking around aimlessly, when he came out of his thoughts, he noticed that he’d led her towards the tree of souls. A place he tended to go to whenever he wanted to be alone.

Seynä looked at it in awe, eyes reflecting what she was staring at, “Beautiful.”

“This is the tree of souls, our most sacred place here in the forest,” he walked closer to the tree, enraptured by its beauty, “I come here for the peace and quiet that it brings me. Whether to think or simply be in Eywa’s presence, it’s calming.”

The way he spoke about the tree and the place itself was captivating and drawing to her. She’d walked up and was standing next to him now, watching him. She was on his right side and could see the tattoo on his face clearly. From the maturity in his tone to the way he spoke, to the sharp, strong build of his body and how well he carried himself — she felt enamored with him.

They were like night and day, him and her. Neteyam, who could come off as cold and standoffish. Not a team player and preferred to be alone half of the time. He had all of the things that could make him a good leader if he didn’t lack actual leadership skills which started with having a good relationship with those he wanted to lead. She could tell he didn’t have that with his people, but it was something he could work on.

She, on the other hand, worked well with others. Made friends everywhere she went, and knew how to be soft when it was time. She was a warrior, but she could allow herself to understand other’s needs, and provide security and warmth to her people. That was what a future tsahik was known as amongst the clan. Wise, gentle and loving.

Even though Neteyam was missing a few things that would collectively make him the perfect olo’eyktan, there was still plenty of time to correct those errors.

He was still staring at the tree in thought when she decided to ask him a question, “Do you really hate this arrangement that we are in?”

The question startled him, but he was not easily swayed off of his feet in conversation so he indulged with an answer, “No. I do not hate easily. This union of ours is beneficial to both of our clans and I always do my duty. If I am to be the future olo’eyktan, then I must–”

“But that is not what I asked,” She interrupted, face suddenly pulled into a conflicted frown, teeth worrying at her lip, “I am asking if this arrangement bothers you because we are a matched pair. Chosen, but not wanted, you see,” She stared into his eyes and could see how reluctant he was to share his true thoughts, but she had to know. She just had to, “I do not know if I can live with just a small piece of you and I know that you said that you will try to love me but–”

“Where is this coming from?” He asked her, slightly tilting his head to the side, confused, “Yes. I said that I would try, but it is something that I cannot and will not promise you. You know this, and yet, you still ask. Why? I cannot fall in love so quickly, and it would be wrong of me to promise something that I might not be able to do.”

“I know…I suppose that I am making sure there is not someone else that has your heart,” She let out a breathless laugh, feeling a tad bit pathetic from the way that she was acting, “I know that I do not have a right to claim you, but–”

“No one has my heart,” He intervened, and caught a gleam in her eyes.

He wanted nothing more than to reassure her. That she had nothing to worry about, but he struggled to. He couldn’t get you out of his head, and it angered him. You meant nothing to him. Absolutely fucking nothing, and it was like he couldn’t stop thinking about you. What was so special about you? Why did Eywa choose you? You were loud, stubborn, moody, mouthy and you were already showing signs of not wanting to listen to him even when he knew what was best. He didn’t understand.

Then, the image of you and Kanu together earlier came crashing back in. He wasn’t an idiot. He could see how close you two were becoming, and it was beginning to piss him off. Kanu had never shown any interest in humans before. Again, why you?

His grandmother told him that you and him were mated and under eywa’s will, but he refused to accept it and never planned to. You weren’t going to ruin what he had taken him so long to build. Who were to come bombarding into his life, forcing a mating onto him? Seynä was also forced onto him, but she was different. She was a na’vi, like him. It lessened the sting, but you? A human? No. He couldn’t bring himself to accept something so… He would rather force himself to give Seynä a chance because she was someone he could see himself being with. He just needed to figure out a way to break the bond between you and him, and then move on.

But why did his life have to be on hold until then? Why not start now?

So, he stepped forward, and delicately took Seynä’s face in his hands. She gasped, and his lips twitched, “You are a beautiful woman, Seynä. My heart is yours to claim, if that is something that you still wish.”

This is best, he tried to tell himself, feeling a part of him growl out of anger, this is what I have to do.

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She could feel the way his body heat wrapped around hers, his soft touch to her skin, the warmth in his eyes and how coaxing he sounded. She wanted nothing more than to be loved, and she began to think that perhaps this arrangement was for the best. It didn’t start off on pleasant terms, but maybe fate truly did work in mysterious ways.

“Can I kiss you?” He whispered, almost as light as the wind but she heard him, loud and clear, and nodded.

The few seconds of hesitancy was only noticeable to him, but it only made him rush forward to claim her lips all the more. Like he was hoping for, you instantly disappeared from his mind and he kept the image of you in his head forced down as he allowed himself to move his lips against Seynä’s, desperate to prove his body and now eywa, wrong. That no matter what had already been decided, he could still change it, and even if it seemed impossible, he’d still keep trying because this was how things were supposed to be.

Seynä was perfect, and he refused to let her slip through his fingers just because you were now in the picture. You were nothing to him. Nothing but an obstacle in his way. So he would accept fate’s challenge, and it would unknowingly prove to be one hell of a fight.

After spending more alone time with him, Seynä told him that she remembered that there was something she needed to go and help her mother with. She told him that she hoped to see him again, and he made her a promise that he would see what he could do. As a farewell for now, he planted a kiss to the back of her hand, and began making his way back into the village.

His stomach was in knots, but he ignored it. From now on, he was going to take you and this stupid fucking bond a lot more seriously. He realized that his duty as Seynä’s future mate and the clan’s future olo’eyktan would only get closer and closer. He couldn’t sit around and twiddle his thumbs in hopes for a miracle. If he wanted something done, he needed to do it himself.

The next thing on his agenda was grabbing you the moment you were done cozying up with Kanu, and filling you in on the current situation between you and him. Once you knew and were caught up to speed, he’d ask what he knew about na’vi bonds. If nothing, then he’d cut his losses and head to Max and Norm. As much as he would’ve preferred staying away from those two particular humans, he’d have no other choice.

— ꕥ —

After the kiss with Neteyam, Seynä felt like she was on cloud nine.

Just as she was about to start heading towards the village again, she heard rustling in the bushes to her left. Her ear twitched as another set of rustling came from the same direction. She looked at the bushes, eyes narrowed. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to send Neteyam away. She wanted to hang back and take a minute to savor the moment she had with him, but he should’ve stayed. Should’ve let him walk with her to the village. She wished she could take it back now.

She ripped her knife out of its placeholder that rested on her hip, and raised it in the height of her nose, squatting down.

She waited and waited, but it was quiet. Maybe a little too quiet. She wondered if it got scared and took off, but it was unlikely. At least it would’ve been where she was from. Perhaps this part of the forest held cowardly animals. Ones that run at every little sound. For once, she hoped so.

After sitting there for another five to ten minutes, she hissed, and stood back up. There was no use in hiding if she couldn’t spot her possible assailant. Whatever it was likely ran away by now, just as she had suspected it would.

She twirled the knife in her hand before pushing it back off into her leather blade carrier. She didn’t have time for this. It was close to eclipse, and she preferred being home before dark and not stuck out in the forest like live bait for something much bigger than she.

Though two steps forward, she was toppled to the forest floor, knocking the wind right out of her. She coughed and gasped, trying to breathe, but she noticed what had run over her. Her eyes went wide at the sight.

“What is this?”

There was a human…cushioned, right in between her breasts, face first. However, as much as it should’ve, that didn’t bother her so much as the fact that it was a human on top of her and not some wild animal that she could’ve seen coming.

“Ugh,” she shoved the boy off of her before she stood up with a quickness, drawing her knife again, “Who are you?! I ought to kill you now, filthy human! How dare you touch me without my permission?! Do you have a death wish?!” She hissed, baring her fangs.

“Nngh…” He turned his face over from the dirt to look at her, squinting at a blurry form. He couldn't understand a word that she was saying, but he noted that she sounded angry about something. He coughed, and sniffled, “Whoa,” his eyes went wide when his vision began to clear, “You’re so pretty.”

She stumbled back, unsure of what to say after that. Had he just…complimented her? She threatened him, and he decided to call her pretty.

This human…was strange.

He coughed again, and she surveyed his body with a frown. He had a few cuts across his body, and his clothes were tattered. He looked like he’d been through hell and back, but she wouldn’t have usually cared. Humans were beneath her. In fact, she believed that every last one of them should’ve been sent back to their dying planet. That, or wiped out. Completely. Just to make sure they didn’t decide to start procreating.

She was always taught that once she killed the head, the body would follow.

But, once Jakesully became the new olo’eyktan of the omaticaya clan, her people had no say in the matter. The humans were stationed near their part of the forest anyway. Going after them would mean another all out war, and again, her people shot for peace. Some of the most lethal warriors known to man, but peacemakers before warriors. Always. So, the sky people were deemed not dangerous and off limits to all of the na’vi who still held onto their vengeful hearts. The ones that could never forgive the sky people for all of the damage and deaths they caused.

Still, the more Seynä looked at the human now passed out on the ground, she could feel a tugging near her heart. Sympathy, was it? How dull. She shouldn’t fall for such a childish trick, but it was hard to ignore. A part of her had no problem leaving him there to die, but the other part…

She growled under her breath.

What an inconvenience humans could be.

She stashed the knife away again before she dropped down to her knees and scooped the boy up. All she had to do was bring him to the village, let the tsahik see over him and she never had to deal with him again. It was just a kind gesture. Maybe to clear her conscience from how awful she’d been treating you, another human she couldn’t stand. Then again, she felt she could make amends with you since it was clear Neteyam wanted nothing to do with you. You were no longer a threat. A minor nuisance, what with being around the village and all, but she could deal with it for now.

She smiled to herself, the kiss coming back into her mind.

Oh yes, she most definitely could.

The boy in her arms started to shift until he got comfortable, and she glared down at him. It was only when he groaned in his sleep and put his hand on her breast that she started to grind at her teeth.

She wondered if she murdered the boy, would anyone even notice.

He nuzzled his face against her chest, smacking his lips.

It’s worth a shot, she thought.

— ꕥ —

As Neteyam got closer to the village, he finally acknowledged that strange strike of pain from earlier.

Where had it come from? Was it the bond? He shook his head. Not possible. He knew that the last time he saw you, you were talking to Kanu but you wouldn’t have left anywhere with him…would you? Then again, he was the one that had left with Seynä so that was more than likely it. He was the one that caused it.

He sighed. He’d been so angry at you for talking to Kanu that he wanted to be anywhere but in the village at the time, and agreed to walk with Seynä. Then…he went and kissed her. It wasn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened. It wasn’t like he fucked her or mated with her. It didn’t matter. She was his mate. It wasn’t a crime.

He winced. It’s not a crime, he told himself. He was allowed to kiss her. In fact, he was sure she told her parents by now. They were probably delighted to hear it. He couldn’t care less.

The moment he stepped back into the village was when he caught you and Kanu stepping out from the forest, back into the village as well. He cursed his good hearing before crouching behind someone’s hut, intent on listening to the conversation you were having with him.

The least he could do was spy a little. Wasn’t wrong. You were his…responsibility and Kanu was his best friend. He was allowed to know where you two went off to, and why you came back with him instead of separately.

“Did you have fun?” He heard Kanu’s stupid deep voice ask you, tone light and airy as a hand of his drifted up towards the middle of your back, a big grin on his face.

Neteyam growled, warningly.

“I’ve done lots of things while here on Pandora, but ride an ikran?” You smiled back, “Never. I had a lot of fun. Thank you again.”

What the fuck?

An ikran?

Neteyam blinked.

Did Kanu take you out to ride on Aru?

In his culture, that was seen as an intimate date. Something you didn’t do unless you were really considering courting the person.

No…

He couldn’t allow it. He couldn’t.

He acted before he could’ve tried to rationalize himself on the matter.

When he came stomping up, you were laughing at something Kanu said, and it made Neteyam’s emotions boil over. He felt his body heat rise again, but he paid no mind to it this time. He was much too angry to care.

“Hey!”

At his voice, you spun around and held back the urge to roll your eyes. You crossed your arms, prepared for him to lecture you about something. Wouldn’t be the first and isn’t going to be the last, you thought.

At the sight of his friend, Kanu waved at him, “Brother! I saw you with Seynä earlier. Did you guys have a good outin–” He was cut off by a sharp shove to his chest, almost landing him on the ground. His face twisted up in anger, mouth agape, “Hey, man, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

Neteyam stepped past his personal space, noses almost touching, “Where did you take her?”

Kanu frowned, “Why do you care? You’ve been treating her like shit since she’s got here. I took her out. Is there a problem?”

“Yeah. There is a problem, brother,” Neteyam fired back, chest heaving, “She stays with me. Understand? You do not take her anywhere without asking me first.”

Kanu smiled a little before taking a look around him. Some villagers started to gather at the commotion, probably wondering what was going on. He chuckled, looking back at his friend, “When did she become your property? I asked, and she said yes.”

Neteyam glanced back at you, noticing the wild look in your eyes. He could tell that you were ready to jump in between them at any second to prevent a fist fight, but he wasn’t dumb enough to let things go that far. He wasn’t the hot headed one, but he knew he looked like it.

He took a deep breath, looking back at Kanu, “Do not piss me off, Kanu. You will not like it.”

Kanu smirked, getting in his face, “Yeah? Then tell me. Can she or can she not make her own decisions?”

“Did you not hear what I just said?” Neteyam frowned, fists slowly balling up, “You take her to the ikrans, and then what? Where did you go? How far?”

“It was a short ride,” Kanu complied, rolling his eyes, “I didn’t take her far, but why does it matter? Hm? What, you suddenly care about her now?”

“Hey,” you stood next to them, putting both hands on their hips, applying a little pressure so they knew you were there, “What are we, 12? Let’s not do this. Least not right here where everyone’s staring.”

Kanu glanced down at you before he took a step back, hands raised, “I’m fine. It’s ‘teyam here that suddenly feels overly protective over you. The same person that let you fall out of a tree yesterday.”

Neteyam’s jaw ticked, “You’re pushing it, Kanu. Careful.”

Kanu full on laughed now, “Are you joking? You’re getting pissy over a girl that you can barely stand to be around, but now… Suddenly, when I take her out and I show her how she deserves to be treated, that is when you want to show up and act like you care?” He scoffed, shaking his head. “This is a joke. You are a joke, brother. She should sleep with me tonight,” he grabbed your arm, pulling you against his side, surprising you. “You probably left her cold and untouched last night,” Neteyam watched Kanu thumb at the waistband of your pants, making you squirm a bit. I called his name, clearly a little uncomfortable. Neteyam was seething, losing it by the second. Kanu smirked, “I would never do that. In fact, I plan on laying her down on my cot full of fur tonight, and stuffing her full of my cock. Bet I’ll have her screaming. Begging for more. Soft, plus thighs wide open, cunt wrapped tight around me. Might even mark her, and–”

“Neteyam!”

He didn’t even blink. It was red. For the first time in his life, his vision had turned red. It was all he could see as he was positioned on top of Kanu, punching him, nonstop. He heard a voice similar to yours at the back of his head, but he couldn’t focus on anything but beating the living shit out of his best friend.

He couldn’t stop thinking about it. Kanu on top of you, touching you, making you moan and want more. Letting him bite you, and mark you like his mate. No. No, no no. Neteyam would kill him first. Yes. He’d kill him before he got the chance.

“Son, come on!” He felt his father pull at him, trying to get him off of Kanu but he wasn’t budging.

With each punch, Kanu saw less and less. His eyes were beginning to swell up, and his lips were busted open. Blood was everywhere. Maybe that was why Neteyam saw nothing but red.

“Come on, son! Get off of him!” Jake finally managed to pull his son from the poor boy, pushing you away with his finger raised. “That way,” he told him but Neteyam was staring at Kanu’s moaning figure, and the way you knelt down to him, voice trembling and unsure hands hovering over him, not knowing how to help. Why were you over there? You needed to be by his side. Not Kanu’s. Did you forget the way he talked about you? Did you like that? Jake growled angrily, shoving at Neteyam again, “Go on, boy! That way or it’ll be me and you next, ya hear me?!”

Frowning deeply, Neteyam turned on his heel and began walking away, his father in tow.

“Great mother,” Mo’at exclaimed, eyes on Kanu as he was brought in with Tsu’tey on one side and a good friend of his on the other, “What happened to the poor boy?”

Tsu’tey sighed deeply before he set him down by the fire, on the cot that was usually laid out for those that came in for treatment, “Him and Neteyam,” was all he needed to say.

She sighed, brows cinching together as she bent to her old knees, checking him out. After a long and miserable moment, she hummed and sent the men away. Tsu’tey lingered a little, the worried father in him not wanting to leave just yet. She sent him a look that wasn’t so threatening, but that she still meant business.

He nodded, and lifted up the flap, leaving.

You stood in place, hands fumbling in front of you. You couldn’t look away from him. His face. There was so much blood. So much blood..

“Child.”

“Yes!” You squeaked, blinking at her, panting.

Mo’at licked her lips, “You too.”

You knew what she meant, but your feet wouldn’t move. Not yet.

Your eyes fell back on Kanu, who was unconscious now.

“Will he…will he be okay…?”

“Mmm,” she stood up, and walked over to her medical table, gathering supplies, “He was beaten up, child. Not shot. He will live,” when she turned her around, she placed her hands on her waist, eyebrows raised, “But I need to work. Alone.”

Leaving him didn’t feel right, but you weren’t allowed to stay. She needed the space, and the privacy so you reluctantly saw yourself out.

The cool afternoon air hit you like a nice breeze, but you couldn’t even enjoy it. Not after what you saw.

You frowned.

You needed to see him. No matter how much you’d rather see him fall off a cliff, you had to. For Kanu’s sake.

You weren’t sure where he would be so you planned on asking the man that last saw him.

Jake rubbed at the bridge of his nose, bouncing a baby in his other arm. He was pacing around the hut, shaking his head.

“That boy is going to make me old and gray long before I’m old and gray.”

You stood by the fire in the middle of the hut, not knowing what to say.

“I’m sorry,” Jake stopped next to you, putting a hand on your shoulder. He gave you a sympathetic smile, eyes darting from your face to the fire, “Neteyam… He’s not usually like that. Hot headed. He’s the most level headed one out of all of us, actually. Sorta what’s going to make him a good leader, but not that shit he just pulled. Do you…” he winced, not sure how to approach the subject, “Do you, by any chance, know what set him off? As I said, he’s not like that. Not usually. I’ve never seen him like that. Angry…”

It shouldn’t have shocked you to hear that Neteyam was typically a calm person, but it did because from what you saw earlier…

He looked terrifying. Like he’d done that before.

You swallowed, nervously.

Then, you shook your head, “I don’t know, sir,” you answered, choosing to keep that bit of information to yourself for now, “Can I get a moment alone with him?”

“Course, sweetheart,” he patted your shoulder before he walked out to give you some privacy.

The moment he left, you heard Neteyam stir awake. You walked over, and knelt by his side. He was laying on a spare cot that was covered in furs similar to what he owned back at his place. His skin was damp with sweat, and it looked like he was running a fever. Had he been sick this entire time?

Sighing, you stood up to go in search of a towel or something when you felt a hand wrap around your wrist. You looked down, and saw him looking at you through lowered eyes, looking to be in some sort of pain.

“Stay,” his gruff voice spoke, having more power over you than you wanted it to.

You sat back down, noticing that his grip on you didn’t lessen. He settled back on the cot, exhaling, face twisted up as if just breathing was painful. No matter what he did today, you couldn’t deny what you felt. Maybe it was stupid to feel bad for him, but you did. That was just the kind of person you were.

Gently, you rested a hand on his forehead but pulled back instantly, “Neteyam, you’re burning up. What’s going on–”

“You smell nice.”

Whereas you would’ve been grateful for the compliment, now didn’t seem like the right time for it.

Still, you accepted it.

“…thanks.”

“And you are warm,” he added, making you feel strange.

You didn’t know what to say so you kept quiet, but gasped when you felt him pull you down on top of him. Thankfully he had fur covering his body or else you would’ve had to lay on top of his hot skin. Feeling your face flush out of the close proximity, you cleared your throat.

“Neteyam, you can’t just pull me and toss me around like I’m some rag doll to you. I’m a person. I deserve respect just like you d–”

“You talk too much. Just lay with me.”

You sent him a funny look, “I didn’t come here for that.”

He opened his eyes, staring up at the tip of the hut, “Then why did you come?”

That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it?

“I had to see you, to ask why you did it.”

Neteyam sighed before he pushed you off of him, and turned on his side, back facing you now, “You know why I did it.”

“No,” you said firmly, sitting cross legged now, “I don’t. That’s why you’re going to tell me.”

“Why bother?” He muttered in a bored tone, “You will take Kanu’s side anyway.”

You frowned, and nudged his shoulder with your foot causing him to grunt, “You don’t know that.”

Neteyam snorted, “I do. You stayed by his side earlier. Why? Do you like him?”

Words failed you for a moment, something Neteyam noted. When you were with Kiri, that sort of question would’ve been easy to answer. Now that you’d spent more time with Kanu…it was hard to say. You weren’t in love or anything, but…there was something there for him. Did Neteyam need to know that?

You frowned to yourself. Why shouldn’t he? You didn’t care what he thought. His opinion didn’t matter.

Right?

You shook your head, “No. I don’t.”

He looked at you from over his shoulder, eyeing you down, “You are a bad liar.”

You pushed his shoulder again with your foot, trying not to smile, “I am not!”

He grunted again, but this time in pain. You scrambled to your knees to crouch over him, looking over his body, trying to figure out what to do.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you! Where is the pain? What can I do–ah!”

This time, he had you down on the cot, him hovering on top of you. His face was close to yours, feeling his breath on your lips. It was just like last night, but not nearly as hot as now. Plus, the two of you were in his parents hut. There was hardly any privacy, just a little flap that could easily go up if a gust of wind came through.

But, you were unable to move.

This was a man you were supposed to hate. He’d let you fall out of the tree yesterday, bossed you around every chance he got, was constantly hot and cold with you and fought with his best friend earlier. Made a bloody mess out of him for what? Some stupid comments that were clearly a joke?

Neteyam was a great big headache, and you wanted to never have to see him again but a part of you didn’t believe that. Didn’t believe that you could hate him as much as you liked to claim. There was something about him… So drawing…

“Kanu is not right for you.”

“And who is?”

Neteyam got quiet. He stared down at you, the sexual tension so thick, he could taste it. He could smell you. Your sweet aroma oozing off of you in waves. It made him hungry–no. More like ravenous. Fuck, he could hardly stand it. If only you weren’t so annoying, so mouthy, so soft, so weak, so human.

“That’s what I thought,” you snapped back, “Now get off me. You’re hot and sweaty. It’s gross.”

He smirked, lazily, drinking you in. The way your shirt was half buttoned, able to see the swell of your breasts. God, he could fuck you right now and you would probably let him. No, he was positive you would. That look in your eyes… You wanted it just as bad as him.

He could tell.

“Fine,” He said, dropping his head down into your neck, groaning at your scent. He was slowly losing it, “It’s me. I’m right for you.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re not funny. Now, move. I really do think you might have a fever, Neteyam.”

“Fuck, just the tip,” he muttered into the skin of your neck, minutes away from exploding, “I need you.”

The broken sound of his deep voice made you want to squeeze your legs shut but you couldn’t because he was positioned right in between them. He felt the pressure of you trying though, and smiled.

“Too obvious,” he said before he nipped at your earlobe, earning a cute gasp from you, “Two minutes. Maybe less.”

You knew what he was asking for, but couldn’t do it. Something about him was a little off putting. He wasn’t himself, and it had something to do with how hot his body was. It wasn’t normal. Not even for him.

“Neteyam…”

“Mm, yeah. Say it again.”

“You’re not well,” you tried again, him being much too heavy to push off with any real force from your end, “I think you should just rest, don’t you?”

He chuckled against the shell of your ear, fingers grabbing at your hips to pull you up against his erection, eating up the long whine that came from the back of your throat, “Does it feel like I need to rest to you? No… I think I need to use all of this energy and frustration that I have on you. You would agree, no?”

The more you laid there, the more you were losing your resolve.

You said his name again, but it turned into a moan from feeling him grind himself against you, the head of his cock poking through and catching across the thin fabric of your pants. Your cunt ached for the attention, but you had to stop this. Somehow.

“You belong to me,” said as he leaned up to look at you again, jaw ticking, “Not Kanu. Me. Do you understand?”

You had to keep telling yourself that this wasn’t the Neteyam that you talked with earlier. This Neteyam was much different, and probably a little more dangerous.

“Neteyam, I don’t belong to anyone. Not even Kanu. Where are you getting this from?”

He slammed a hand down next to your head, glaring at you, “I…I do not want you, but…” He seemed to be struggling with himself about something, and part of you wanted to hear him, to understand because maybe this was like drinking too much alcohol and pouring out your deepest, darkest desires. Maybe what Neteyam had been saying were things he meant, just deep down. Things he wouldn’t usually say if he were in his right mind. Then again, you took that theory with a grain of salt. You didn’t exactly know what was going on with him so it could’ve been delirium. Something not meant to be taken seriously. “I don't know. I just know that he can't have you. He can't,” he said under his breath, looking off to the side before gazing down at you, “You’re not his to claim. Sakanom. Mine.”

Just as he was about to lean down to kiss you, the flap of the hut was pushed up.

“Oh god, gross.”

Your ears perked up.

“Kiri?” You tried to look around Neteyam’s thick shoulder, meeting her pained expression.

Neteyam groaned at the interruption, and laid his head on your naked chest, slowly mouthing his way to your nipple again.

“Yep, and I’m leaving.”

“No, wait!” You reached an arm out, hoping to keep her attention. You twisted away from Neteyam's grasp, but he kept pulling you back.

Reluctantly, she turned back around, but looked everywhere but at the two of you and what you two were possibly doing.

“Yeah?”

“Help me get your brother off of me. Please,” you said in a pleading tone, hoping the puppy dog look in your eyes was a good cry for help.

Even when you weren’t sure you wanted the help.

Neteyam felt big. Maybe he was right. If it was just the tip then maybe it was okay to–

“Help…how, exactly?” Kiri asked, sending you a confused look.

“I don’t know! You know him better than I do.”

She scoffed, “Yeah, but not whoever is trying to mate you right under our parents roof.”

You sighed. She had a point.

You were ready to give up when you heard Kiri gasp out, scaring you.

“Sorry,” she smiled, “I got just the thing.”

She walked over and Neteyam glared at her through his hazy gaze, watching her bend down next to him. She cupped a hand over his ear, and whispered something. He then made a face before he rolled off of you, and wrapped himself up in the furs underneath him. Giggling, she stood back up and held out a hand for you to take. Grateful, you took it and sprung up and away from him before he thought about pulling you back.

She led you out of the hut, and you turned to her, impressed, “Wow, it worked. What did you say to him?”

She smirked, “Trust me. It’s better that you not know. Let’s go check on Kanu, yeah?”

Shrugging, you followed her, “Yeah, let’s go.”

Neteyam had his eyes closed, face frowned up, trying to rid the new image that Kiri had put in his head.

He did not want to relive the moment he caught his grandmother by the washing river stark naked, bathing, but here he was.

“Count your days, Kiri,” he mumbled to himself, feeling himself softening at the horrible memory, “Count your days.”

— ꕥ —

His touch burned you; scorched a long path along the length of your body. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face at the sound of a mewl from you, watching as you pawed at his arm as if you wanted him to stop. He could tell it only made you yearn for more, selfishly aching for the way his fingers dipped deep into your skin. They mapped a trail towards the vertex of your thighs, wandering so close, so close to where you wanted him to be. Cute.

You pressed your face into his neck, sighing the moment you finally felt the pad of his middle finger draw lazy circles over your thrumming clit.

“Oh god.”

“Should only be moaning my name, hm?” Neteyam muttered against the skin of your shoulder, eyes on the way you parted your legs to give him better access. Such a good girl. Always knew what he wanted from you, and he didn’t even need to ask.

His arousal laid hard and noticeably thick against your thigh, desperate for attention, but he ignored it. He’d been teasing you for the past ten minutes and couldn’t pull himself away from the cute little sounds that you were making. So enticing, so pathetically cute—fuck. He groaned. He could feel his head cloud with your whimpering and whining, unable to think about anything but fucking you deep until you gave him more of it. Let the entire fucking village hear you screaming his name.

“Neteyam,” you breathlessly called out for him, hips jutting up against his fingers, “I need…I want more.”

“Commanding your future olo’eyktan? Mmm,” he traced his nose over the skin of your throat, grinning against you, “Perhaps you forgot your manners, yawne.”

He replaced his finger with his thumb, moving down to push two digits past your slippery folds, sighing deeply. He felt you immediately clamp down onto his fingers, and had to force himself not to bite into your skin. So soft, so delicate; so pitifully human that if he wasn’t careful, he could really hurt you. Then again, he’d dreamt about marking you with a bite for as long as he could remember. Aside from tsaheylu, biting was a way of bonding with a mate. You didn’t have a queue, so that left marking you. Whether you could handle that or not, he wasn’t sure but he really wanted to fucking try.

You moaned sweetly next to his ear as he curled his fingers, moving them at a tantalizingly slow pace.

“Please…”

“Shh,” he cooed, lips against your cheek now, kissing the corner of your lips, “Feel good, yes?”

“Yes, yes fuck yes,” you nodded, fingers baring down onto his arm, hoping to steady yourself.

His thumb rubbed at your clit, multitasking his fingers in motion. Panting, you curled into him, fixated on your building release. He could tell by the fluttering of your cunt wrapped tightly around his fingers that you were close. He decided that if he were to die right now, he would die a happy man because he wanted to be nowhere but here; with you, knuckle-deep in your pussy, feeling your breath against his lips and eating up the sounds of your little moans. Oh, yes. A sweet death most welcomed, indeed.

Neteyam woke up with a start, breathing heavily and blinking through the darkness of the hut. It was no longer afternoon, but night now. He looked around the room and saw his parents curled up in the corner with Tuk and his baby sister. He groaned to himself, pushing his face into his hands. That was when he noticed how hard he was.

He fell back onto the cot, staring upwards.

Fuck.

He’d dreamt about you. He’d stopped asking himself why whenever it came to you now because he was realizing that there were going to be things that he just couldn’t control. The more time he allowed to pass by without taking care of this little problem, the more his control was slipping out of his hands, and there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn’t a mating expert, but he remembered the things that he was told about it. A bond could only last so long until it started to affect the body and the brain. Especially at its most vulnerable moments. Dreams. Those were something he couldn’t stop. Unless he mated with you, of course, but he wouldn’t do it even if the world was about to end.

Because of his growing protection over you, he fought with his best friend. He wasn’t sure how Kanu was ever going to forgive him, but Neteyam couldn’t help but wonder. Did the boy have to provoke him like that? Say those nasty things about you? If he was egging him on, it was a bad way to go about it.

He wondered what you thought about what he said about you.

Did you care at all?

He wondered if you hated him now.

Well, you probably did before but maybe more so now.

Then again, why did he care? If you hated him more, good for him. That meant you’d stay away from him now. Though…he forgot that the bond required the two of you to stay as close to each other as possible and to not go long periods of time being so far away.

Annoying, wasn’t it?

He sighed.

Dreaming about fucking you, getting angry and acting out of character because of you. What the hell were you doing to him?

No, he needed to fix this little situation and fast. It wasn’t long before someone figured it all out. Especially Kanu. He was the one to look out for, that was for sure.

Then there was Seynä. With everything that he had to juggle, he’d forgotten to add her in the mix. She was going to be difficult to move around, but he would have to figure that out too.

One day at a time, he had to tell himself, one day at a time.

He grunted before he turned over onto his side, and drew the fur over his shoulder. He needed more sleep. He could use his brain better when he was fully rested.

Except…he couldn’t seem to bring himself to fall back asleep. Not just yet.

Neteyam blinked before he threw the furs on top of him off to the side. He took a glance at his parents again before he looked down to find his dick curved against the lower part of his stomach, the tip an angry red, coated with his arousal.

"Fuck me," he breathed and wrapped a hand around the base, thighs clenching as he released a husky groan, "Why am I thinking about you," he asked himself, but was of course met with no answer to his question.

Your soft lips, small annoyingly vulnerable body underneath him. Looking up at him like you’d wanted him to touch you. To spread you open, and fuck you slow, deep, swallowing your little moans up with a kiss—fuck, you’d let him. You’d beg, he could see it. Just as clearly as he had when he had you under him. Supple skin, bitten lips, pretty moans and a puffy cunt. He wondered what you looked like down there. The difference in species made his mind run wild with the possibilities. If you were soft in the places he could see, he couldn’t imagine how soft you were down below…

He began to give himself slow, languid strokes to the picture you’d so nicely painted for him.

The moment he woke up all hot and sweaty, he knew what was happening to him. He was in his rut. He didn’t have time to get angry and wonder why the hell it was happening now when it wasn’t even close to time for him to get it, he just needed to take care of it. He felt foolish to think jerking one out would keep him satiated long enough to pass back out again, but he didn’t have another choice. He couldn’t risk leaving the hut. He wasn’t sure where you were, but that proved to be a good thing right now. The bond wasn’t tugging at him so you had to be close by.

He growled. No. He couldn’t think about that either. Anything but that.

His abdomen tightened, running his thumb over the head of his cock, hissing at how sensitive it was. No matter what he did, he couldn't get you off his mind and he blamed it on the lack of tending to his sexual needs as of late. He’d been so busy with training, then you came along. He needed an outlet, and this was usually the perfect way to do it. Well, since he had no other way to do it.

There was always Seynä, of course.

Fuck, he could see her on her knees, desperate to satisfy his every need. He would prefer taking the role of planting himself between her thighs and bringing her enough orgasms to keep her asleep well into the early afternoon, but lately...

Recently, he’d thought about having that kind of control, but he didn’t want it given to him so easily. No, no no no. Seynä seemed like someone that listened well. Unfortunately, that’d only bore him after a while. He needed fire. Passion. Aggression. A little disrespect so he could fuck that respect back into a person.

He wanted to give Seynä a chance, but there was clearly something missing if he was able to allow himself to see you in such a light.

You tested him. Made him truly angry sometimes and more often than not – he wanted to just take you by the neck, and command you to respect him. To give him what he wanted because no one defied him, talked to him the way you did. His looks alone were intimidating enough. There was nothing nor no one he couldn't have but you... You made him work for the simplest things when he was very capable of just taking what he wanted.

However, when it came to your body–

Your body.

God, he wanted to ruin you and didn't care what that meant. Wasn't like he was actually going to pursue you in that way, but one night of thinking such dirty thoughts about you – it wasn't going to change his mind about you. Not in the slightest.

He was just pent up, and you were going to help him.

Even if you were completely clueless to his provocative thoughts and regretful actions.

Neteyam tugged at his cock before releasing it. He brought his hand up to his mouth and gave the palm a long swipe with his wet tongue, clamping back around his shaft, head falling back against the soft fur under him.

His eyes were closed and he was thinking about your hand replacing his, teasing him with slow strokes until he'd start bucking in your grip, demanding more. The way you'd oblige and even grace him with the feel of your mouth, tongue poking out to slide across the side of his cock, drawing out a long, deep groan.

God, he'd see stars because with your mouth alone, it was enough. If you were as good as he'd need you to be, to stay still and right there, able to fuck your mouth, he'd cum almost immediately. Especially with how hard he was. Balls so painfully tight.

"Fuck," he drew out, his free hand sliding down his abs to his neglected balls, closing a hand around them, giving each a squeeze that made his toes curl a bit. "So close."

He was working at his cock, precum giving his hand an easier time of sliding up and over the bulbous head, causing him to twitch in his grip.

He wanted to make the moment last, but he couldn't fight off the vicious thoughts of you flooding his mind. The way he wanted to hold you up against whatever surface available and bury his cock in your tight cunt, holding onto you and using you because there was nothing better than giving someone with as much pride as you had a reason to shut the fuck up. God, you talked so much. There were surely better ways to keep your little mouth busy. He thought of a couple.

Always such a brat with so much to fucking say. Why did you never listen? Why did you like to fight with him about the smallest things? Like he didn't think about taking you by the neck and using your mouth to fill with his cum, forcing you to swallow it.

What he wouldn't give to teach you a million lessons within just a single night.

You'd know how to spell 'respect' backwards after he was done.

With that last thought, he grunted and gave himself one final stroke before he spurted ropes of cum across his chest and stomach. He jerked until he was empty – gloriously empty – and let his arm hit the cot, staring up at the ceiling once more.

For a moment, he laid there in silence, cock still semi hard, his hand covered in cum.

“What am I doing?” He asked himself in a whisper, mind as blank as he felt.

He came to the thought of you, thought of fucking you—it wasn’t right. None of this was. He didn’t deserve to be punished with having you as his mate, forced to find his way out of this. Why him, of all people? What had he done if not everything in eywa’s will?

Since his brother left, he’d been a model son. Always focused on his training, his duties and taking care of his siblings and helping out in the village. Sure, as he got older, some things stopped but he was present. Everything he did was in thought of his people, of his family. He didn’t have a selfish bone in his body. No. That was Lo’ak. Chose to follow his heart rather than do what he was supposed to do which was mate with a na’vi woman instead of the enemy. That was the only way he and his mother saw it.

But…here he was. Laying with his cock bare, spent, mind fresh of you. Not even the cool, night air across his naked body could make him realize how similar the path that he was going down was to his brother’s.

He grunted, and turned over, pulling the fur covering back over his body to shield himself from the sharp ache in his chest that he chose to assume came from being cold. No.

He wasn’t like Lo’ak at all. He was better, smarter and less selfish.

Neteyam knew what was right and what was wrong. He’d had a moment of weakness. That was all.

It wouldn’t happen again. Ever.

He squeezed his eyes shut, frowning, as he tried to will himself to fall asleep, rut be damned. He wasn’t weak. He could fight it. He didn’t need anyone to help, less of all, you. Fuck that. He was fine. He just needed rest. That was all.

Though, not even a minute later, he felt himself harden again and he wasn’t even thinking about you this time.

He clenched his teeth, laid there for another moment before he angrily shuffled back onto his back and gripped his cock again.

One more time, he thought, just one more and I’m done.

Slowly, he let the same images of you from before filter back into his mind, biting back a groan as he started to stroke over the head of his cock, pushing down the guilt as he went.

He was going to figure out how to break the bond, and get rid of you for good. Force you back to wherever you came from, and make sure you never came around again. At least, not while he lived, anyway.

That was a promise.

“Fuck,” he stuttered out, licking his lips and bucking his hips into his hand.

Maybe he could do that after he came again to the thought of fucking you into the very cot he was laying on.

Yeah. That would do.

taglist: [limit reached, the rest have been tagged in the comments]

@powowowy @daydreamerbunny @itzmariaa777 @suntizme @neteyamforlife @blushhpeachh @makeup-stuff-and-such @ilovejakesullysdick @fantasico @iwanttohitmyself @mashiromochi @tpwkstiles @jellybeanstacey0519 @squidalapobre @crazy4books1 @hmt09 @danyxthirstae01 @zoetrope1997 @bajadotcom @maweysworld @filmneteyam @kage-yaa @llearlert @jakesully-sbabygirl @dia-nne @reggiesslut @cerya @coldheartedmar @jdbxws @anxietydrogz @stillinracooncity @kyunasully @liluvtojineteyam @shadytalething @willowpains @itssomeonereading @luvvfromme @zaddyneteyamlovergirl @lordeleviathan @cleverzonkwombatsludge @love13tter @wtf-why-do-i-gotta-do-this @dreamtogether2000 @jjkclub @lyramundana @gracefulbumblebee @ricecakeslove @lookiiheh @shadytalething @lovedbychoi

[if you are not tagged but asked, i couldn’t tag you, sryy]

end notes: i know this chapter was long as hell, but i hope you liked it! i can’t promise the next one won’t be this long, but i think i’m going to strive for a little less next time LOL anyway, if you want to continue reading and supporting me, pls reblog, it helps. also, leave some comments, i love knowing what your fav parts were or what made you laugh, sad or upset. even some theories or what you think will happen in the next chapter, something 😩 ty again for all the support, lots of kisses <3

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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

Text

I’ve Neglected you Far Too Long

Ao’nung x Hybrid Fem! Reader

No mentions of Y/n though but its implied. Obviously they’re adults- I quite literally mention Ao’nung has tattoo’s. And obviously theres some smut.

Kind of like an arranged marriage scenario. Any words in English are stricken through. If they’re in italics its just emphasis on that word. Starts off with a bit of background, smut is near the end lol, but its a lot of it.

Word count: 9.2K because I got carried away.

I would say it started with my birth. I was granted the luck of being born Kiri’s twin, with a few minor setbacks, although to Neytiri they were enough to refuse taking me in as her own. I was born with the size and appearance of a human- but I was a halfbreed. My features were human but I was the one born with fangs and I had a kuru as well but it was relative to my size, it was still encased in a big braid and reached past my butt, almost mid thigh, yet still had the natives squinting to see it.

If it wasn’t for Jake pointing out that I had a queue and didn’t need an exomask to breathe, one of the Metkayina warriors would have thrown their spear, killing me. I was captured alongside Spider, when they put me in the machine they’d put Spider in, it awakened some telekinetic abilities I didn’t know I had.

But they’re tied to my emotions and I could only ever really use them if I felt strongly about something. Which is why I was able to help kill most of the humans that had hunted the tulkun, I had enough of their interrogations and abuse.

After losing Neteyam, Ronal and Tonowari welcomed the Sully’s into the Metkayina, and were willing to accommodate for Spider only if I were to marry their son. Their reason being that my telekinetic abilities - which seemed to surpass Kiri’s in their eyes- could protect their clan and son if anything like that happened again.

Ronal disliked that I was half human, she didn’t really want me to marry her son with my outward appearance- like one of the tawtute- sky people- but if I could be used to protect her dear son, thats all that mattered to her, keeping her lineage going.

“We could unite the reef clans and forest people.”

Were Neytiri’s words after Ronal had brought up her reasoning. Tonowari had stayed silent with his hands on his knee’s. It was Ronal’s idea for them to kneel so I wouldn’t feel intimidated by their height, but I’m shorter than most humans, so they were still a good head taller than me, maybe two.

“Of course this is your choice, kid.” Jake stated carefully, his hand movements mimicking that of a calm ultimatum, and this was anything but.

I nodded once, then walked out of the tent and sat by the beach. I couldn’t think of anyone other than Spider. If he were to go back to the Omaticaya, he’s be lonely. His entire life revolved around the Sully’s and I couldn’t risk him being kicked out, and I refused to spend any more time away from my sister.

I’d gotten an earful from Neytiri that day about being disrespectful to the clan leaders for leaving the way I did. I had no idea how to respond and she despised me- had I looked like Kiri I’m sure the story would be different, but I’m not like her, my genetics decided to mute the blue and because of that, I’d forever be treated as a human by Neytiri- even if I could breathe the same air as her, even if I can make tsaheylu.

And it has lead me to being bathed in scents that Ao’nung found pleasing. Neytiri and Jake were allowed to voice their opinion on the matter and Jake had mentioned that this smelled of raspberries back on earth.

As tradition, the mother of the groom and any female sibling, or honorary females washed the bride in the scents and got her ready for her soon-to-be husband. And all of the males near and dear to my heart would do the same to the groom. In this case I had told them not to do anything to change his appearance and to leave him as is. Even if he’d made up with Lo’ak, I could never forget the face he made after finding out he was betrothed to me. The shock in his face said it all, he didn’t want me, and I didn’t want him either but at least I was cordial about it.

I had no idea how big of a celebration this would be. Everyone from the clan walked up and wished blessings upon us, a fruitful- and fertile- marriage. I’m glad I stuck around with Spider and learned Na’Vi while we were kids as a lot of the well wishes were very long and I’d kick myself in the face if I had to childishly reply with broken Na’Vi.

Nothing happened that night.

Don’t get me wrong I’m excited and happy we didn’t do what I was told married couples do by Neytiri. She went into greater detail than Norm did about mating as a Na’Vi and how the tsaheylu was a crucial part of becoming connected to ones mate. Most nights I was ignored and we’d go to sleep on separate mats. I’d need to start Tsahik training but I’d need to learn the things Tsireya had learned when she was younger and work my way up in rank. Because of this, Lo’ak was in the lead of becoming Olo’eyktan considering he’s earned their trust and Tsireya knew more about healing.

_________

“The tattoo’s have different meanings and what one curve could mean for someone, it could be translated differently in another clan members markings.” Tsireya mentions while showing me two nearly identical tattoo’s.

“These are almost identical.” I stated blankly and giggled, placing her hand over her mouth to hide her laughter.

“Yes but you noticed the difference between the two, you said almost. Explain what you see.” She asks.

“This one has what appears to be a smoother execution. This one seems bold, like you used a darker ink? It has jagged edges too.”

“The first one was for a warrior who had just had his inknimaya. Everything went well for him and the skimwing he had bonded with. For the second, not so much, he experienced much pain and eventually managed to execute it perfectly.”

“The second tattoo is slightly bigger, could this indicate multiple tries to his inknimaya?”

“You are a quick learner.” Tsireya smiles at me and I smile back. It wasn’t hard to be genuine around her and she made it hard to hate her. She’s seen me naked more times than my own husband, and she’d only seen me before I got married to him.

By the end of the lesson she struggles to get on her feet from kneeling in front of me and I feel terrible.

“You don’t always have to kneel for us to be the same height, Tsireya. If you wanted to stand I wouldn’t mind.” This isn’t the first time I tell her.

“I need to be flexible.” She states happily.

“For who, Lo’ak?” I ask and start laughing at her embarrassed face.

“I’m sorry, Rey, but these jokes just come naturally to me, I can’t stop them when my tongue is faster than my mind.” I giggle as she huffs and turns her head.

“I’ll make the same jokes when you are with child.”

“No you won’t.” Partly because I’ve yet to consummate my marriage. “I don’t even know if we could have kids considering I’m a half-breed that looks human.” I stated aloud.

“Toruk Macto is a half breed.” She states as if it were obvious.

“Yes, but he has the appearance of a native. It’s easier for him to blend in. Lo’ak is also a half breed and he too can hide with the rest of the Na’Vi. I’m-“ I stop myself before saying anything too harsh, or she’d scold me. “-different.”

“The kind of different my brother needs in his life. Keep trying for children and I will pray that the great mother blesses you!” She says over enthused.

“Sure.” I stated simply, smiling at her. We said our goodbyes and I headed off toward his marui pod.

_________

“Where have you been?”

“With your sister. Learning.” I stated, I’ve grown to know Ao’nung likes short answers and to never bother him when he was entranced with something- whether it was learning a new trick on a skimwing or sparring. I placed my medical bag down- Kiri made this one for me as a present and I never went anywhere without it.

I can feel his eyes on me while I search in a big box for some herbs to refill my bag. The bag hangs over my chest and does a good job of hiding my stomach- not that its big, I hide it from the sun since I’m often exposed. I’d learned to wear traditional clothes and the loincloths were made in children's size due to my stature. The top was something Kiri had to teach me to make- it resembles a human sports bra but matching my loincloth.

My loincloth was traditional in every sense except it didn’t have a hole for a tail, but it still adjusted and tied off on the side, just like everyone else's.

“Are you hurt?” I ask him once I refill my bag and look up to face him. I’d known of his tattoo’d arms but the one on his face was new. It made his eyes pop and he looked handsome- but that didn’t matter.

“What?” He asks as of he hadn’t heard me before.

“Are you hurt. Do you need something from me?” I asked him and he understands what I mean.

“No.” He answers and turns his face toward the side to look at the floor of his- our, because it technically is ours- marui.

“Then I will head out and assist.” I answered not really caring to give him a chance to respond- let alone process- what I said. But he was faster than I was and his hand reached around my bicep and that stopped me.

He was never one to touch me. Not when it came to helping me learn the way of his village, not now, and not even on our wedding night. I press my teeth on my tongue to prevent myself from saying something smart and I turn to face him. I refuse to talk as I’d always found some way to offend him with whatever I said so I waited for him to speak.

“Do you resent me?” He asks simply and this question is a slap to my face. My face only forms in confusion as my eyebrows knit together and my eyes squint slightly.

“I don’t-“ I began but stopped myself from speaking as he lets go of my bicep. I look over at his hand and back at him feeling more confusion than ever.

“I see.” He answers plainly and I furrow my brows some more before raising one and looking at him.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You don’t have to.” He answers simply and I feel like I’d immediately done something wrong again. “Your face said everything your words could not.”

“But-“

“You should go out and assist my sister. Let her know I held you back if she asks why you are late.” He states before walking past me and heading out the opening of the marui with his spear.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding once the curtain fell shut again. Of course I resented him, he was rude, underestimated me in everything, and never made an effort to get to know me. But I hadn’t said any of that to his face and I was in control of my emotions and knew I didn’t make a face of disgust- but why did he ask the question in the first place?

_________

“Did you talk to her?” Spider asks as soon as Ao’nung joins the hunting party. Due to his inability to bond with the animals he often rode with Lo’ak.

“Yes.” Ao’nung answered.

“Is she coming to the party tonight?” Lo’ak asks after lightly nudging between Spider’s hips to quiet the grown man in front of him, he sure was nosey today.

“I did not ask.” Ao’nung answers and Spider grumbles.

“The whole point was to-“ Spider stops himself when Lo’ak’s Ilu immediately surges forward. And the hunt began.

_________

“Theres a lot of people gathering for something outside. Was there something planned for today? Did I have to do something?” I asked nervously once Ao’nung had come into the marui. He must have showered at some point because he didn’t smell like sea air like he usually does after a hunting trip.

“The celebration of our union.” Is all he says while placing his spear on the wall along with his others.

“But we-“

“It’s what you call an Annie-server.” He states in his best english and given the severity of my nerves I couldn’t find the way he fudged up the words funny at this time.

“It hasn’t been a year yet-“ I stop myself as he walks over to pick the accessories he never touches, taking the ones he has on and replacing them with those.

“Has it?” I ask myself quietly.

“It has.” He answers and stops in front of me. One hand on my shoulder but its immediately removed when I look at it.

“Please put these on.” He hands me a matching pair, the one from our wedding- union as they call it. It’s supposed to show that we are harmonious. I try to tie the bands on my anklet together but my fingers keep fumbling and I let out a frustrated sigh.

“Let me help you.” He sits in front of me and offers his hand to take my leg.

“No-“ He takes my leg after letting out a small hiss of his own and sets it on top of his thigh where he leans over and carefully ties the bands together. His hands on my ankle sends a shiver up my spine.

“It’s only done the first year. They will ask invasive questions. I’m glad my sister convinced you to use the soap. Come.” He stands quickly and heads over to the entrance of the marui.

He holds the flap of the curtain open for me to walk through. I was going to comment on why his hair was undone but was met with a bunch of cheers and a celebratory song. I’m awestruck as the clan starts parting and a walkway is created for me. I follow them and end up near the front.

“We have come to celebrate the night this union was made one year ago.” Ronal smiles big at the clan as she announces her words.

“It is time to take on the tradition of the couples.” Tonowari joins in and the crowd basically goes wild. I stand with a fake smile plastered on my face.

“Ao’nung. Face your bride.” Tonowari speaks once more and he steps up in front of me before kneeling respectfully taking my hand and kissing it, making a majority of the girls awe at his gesture, but I knew better, it was a show. I let go of his hand quickly and awaited further instruction.

“This is our clans best kept secret. You will braid his hair to your liking as a symbol of life's twists and turns bringing you together. And he is to maintain the hairstyle or one similar for the rest of his life as his devotion to you.” Ronal states.

My eyes widened and I’m fucked. I can braid for sure, all thanks to Tuk, Kiri, and Neteyam consistently asking me to braid their hair often, but I didn’t know about this was a requirement. If Lo’ak and Tsireya were to have wedded before myself and Ao’nung I would have expected this. But they married about four weeks after we did. And Ao’nung doesn’t let anyone touch his hair. My eyes wandered over to find his staring back at me and I looked down releasing quiet but heavy exhale.

“But before we start, you are to drink this.” Ronal hands me a cup thats decently sized, still huge in comparison to me but good enough to grab.

“This is made up of many many plants and fruits from our clan and has been prayed over with many blessings poured into it from the beginning of the process.” Ronal informs me.

“This drink is to be shared between the two of you. You will speak many blessings in it yourself- in a hushed voice, take a drink and you will hand it off to your mate to receive the blessings.” Ronal smiles and hands the cup over to me.

I’m nervous as shit and am worried I might say the wrong thing but am glad it doesn’t have to be shared aloud. And I take a look into the cup and see the deep red liquid inside and sigh.

“Treat me like the mate I ought to be treated and my face won’t show resentment again.” I whispered into it and took a big chug- considering there was a lot of liquid in there.

I walk over toward Ao’nung and hand him the cup I’d just drank from and he drinks the rest. The cheers coming from the crowd make my tummy tingle and I start feeling weird. I should probably ask Tsireya what kinds of things were included in there to see if its compatible with my human half.

“You may begin.” Tonowari gently nods his head once at me and I nod.

“Could-“ I stop myself and Ao’nungs eyes are burning in mine and nervously chuckle, averting my eyes once more.

“Could you please turn so I can reach your head, Yawne?” I blush harshly at that and the positive whispers in the crowd are making me feel uncomfortable, but I always had to put on a show for them. Ao’nung nods once and does as I ask and I put myself to work.

His tail wraps loosely on my calf and it feels warm. I’m sure this is all for the sake of appearance but it makes it feel like it’s a smidge hard to breathe. I won’t lie, after a long day of chores, or whatever strenuous activity Ao’nung has done his hair looks the best right before he showers. Pieces of it have come out of the braids and are clinging to his face by his sweat- no, stop it.

I’d worked diligently and managed to create the hairstyle he always wears. Except some of the braids on the sides twist to form X’s.

“You barely changed it.” Ao’nung states after feeling around and turning to face me.

“This is how you look best, to me.” I admit.

“Especially when some of these,“ I gently yank out the loose pieces I’d failed to tuck in properly. “Slip out. Like after you finish working.” I find myself gingerly placing my hand on his cheek, I look down at his lips and my eyes slightly widen at my own actions before I remove my hand slowly, making my movements not show how we truly are with one another, and taking a step back.

Several one of the younger girls had held on to the boys courting them and mentioned how they wanted a love like ours and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. If only they knew what our Love really was.

“The last thing for you to do is to decide which one of these your mate has prepared. This will also test to see how well you notice our signature hunting mark.” Tsireya steps back and reveals three fish total that had been cooked. If he managed to hunt with Lo’ak and Spider I’d be more willing to pick out Spiders pathetic excuse of a hunt since he did things the human way. Then I’d have to compare it to Lo’ak’s which might resemble both clans hunting and preparing skills into one and choose the one that least resembled the two. But if they decided to choose at random from other clansmen, I’m screwed.

It suddenly felt like my body temperature had risen and I could feel the slight stickiness that forms on my skin before I start sweating and I feel slightly uncomfortable. I take a look at the three and can tell which one Spider made and fight the urge to giggle. He has talent, but sometimes massacres his huntings, whether he did this on purpose or not I’m thankful to Eywa.

The next two are hard to tell as they’re on similar plates and dished the same. So I focus in depth on the one in the middle and notice it’s one of Lo’ak’s favorite fish to hunt and I want to look at the boy and thank him, but instead look up to Tsireya and smile.

“The one on the left.” I point to it and she smiles back.

“How do you know?” Tsireya asks.

“The cutting pattern is one he chooses often and he knows this is my favorite fish.” I hold a hand on my chest for sentimental value.

The party continued without a hitch and I started feeling hotter by the second before excusing myself while everyone was either drunk, picking at the food table, dancing, or even singing I managed to slide my feet in the water and felt myself cool down significantly.

“Enjoying your anniversary?” Lo’ak asks me as he comes up behind me.

“Sure. Just glad its you and not any nosey person asking me invasive questions. I had an elder ask me if he’s good in bed. I had to lie to someone about my non-existent sex life.”

Lo’ak lets out a laugh and places his arm around me. For being more human appearing than him he always treated me as an equal. I appreciate him for doing that, even if I wasn’t technically adopted alongside Kiri, he always called me his sister.

“What was in that drink?” I asked him and he shrugs.

“I thought you’d know, but I think Tsireya said something about it containing an aphrodisiac?” Lo’ak states and I laugh.

“Come on bro,”

“I’m deadass.”

“Even if it did, nothings coming out of it. He hates my guts.” I sigh and bring my knees to my chest.

“He can’t possibly hate you.”

“Yes he does! Every morning I wake up he’s not there. Every time before bedtime I set out his mat since he comes home after I’ve passed out- and I know this because I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and see him on the opposite side of the room dead asleep.”

“Okay but what about that time you said he cuddled you.”

“That doesn’t count.”

“Why not?” He asks.

_________

I lied shivering getting up frequently due to the cold air and having to pee. Ao’nung had come in quite late and I’d woken up for the upteenth time tired as hell and unable to warm myself up.

“Why do you keep getting up. Either stay up or stay asleep.” Ao’nung complains and turns around harshly. I didn’t bother responding as I figured sleep was more important than being petty.

But when I’d finally get comfortable and dozed off, I’d wake up with my teeth chattering and my body shaking, trying to keep warm.

“Aren’t you a half-breed? Why are you still making sounds!” He asks angrily.

“Because I’m still half human! I can withstand colder temperatures than humans can but not by much. Trust me when I tell you I’d much rather be held in captivity and tortured than to be here with you. At least they gave me blankets.” I grumble and get up to go pee once more.

I’d decided to take a long time returning but even when I’d figured he was asleep, as soon as I stepped inside he turned to face me, it looked like he might have been pacing- but I couldn’t be too sure. I’m just glad I went pee before coming back in.

“We do not have blankets right now, but we are often very warm. Maybe if I-“ He gulps. “If I held you, you would not be making noises with your teeth.” He explains.

_________

“Did you take him up on his offer?” Lo’ak asks and I push him.

“I had to. And the next day I asked your mom how the hell I could hand knit a blanket and she made a huge one, thinking it was for us to share. But I didn’t have to bother him on cooler nights again.

“But he did care for you, he came up with a solution.”

“A solution so he could get sleep and my teeth would stop chattering.” I roll my eyes.

“Okay but your favorite fish for today, explain that.” Lo’ak crosses his arms.

“I could easily tell Spider’s mutilation from yours.” I roll my eyes. “And He asked me two days ago what my favorite fish was. I know he hates when I take to long to explain myself- probably because he hates the sound of my voice, so I told him in one simple answer.”

“Did he tell you that?” Lo’ak asks.

_________

“I think I like the tulip thorn because of the way it glows at night. But the stem is also pretty with the way it wraps around and creates a mini shelter. Tuk and I used to take some leaves and tie them down to make a fort and-“

“It was a simple question. I don’t need a story attached to every answer you give me.” He stated harshly.

“Oh,” I state and do a little reflection and cringe at the many times I’d gone off on tangents while talking to him. Or the times when he’d straight up turned and walked out and I’d been left talking to myself for Eywa knows how long.

_________

“You could say that.” I answered back shortly as I didn’t want to bore yet another Na’Vi with my stories.

“Thats all you have to say?” He asks.

“I can tell you just about every negative encounter I had with him and they start from the moment I met him and lead up to this morning. I try to stay out of his way as much as possible. Its all he wants anyway.” I shrug.

“What if he didn’t?” He asks and I look at him wondering what joke he had in mind this time. Tears start to fill my eyes and threaten to fall.

“I don’t think I need a joke about my marriage, Lo’ak.” My voice wavers no matter how strong I wanted to sound.

“Hey, Hey, Hey-“ He’s quick to kneel in front of me and places his hands on my shoulders.

“I wish I could have a love story like you and Reya, or even your parents.”

“I wasn’t making a joke, I swear.”

“I can’t blame you. I’ll never know what its like to be loved.” The tears slide down my cheeks with ease. “I’m stuck with a mate who hates my guts and wishes I was a native with three fingers and three toes instead of this shit-“ I hold out my hands and wiggle my fingers.

_________

“I’m married to you for political appearance. Thats it. And the sooner you can accept that I’d much rather be with my own kind than a four-fingered-freak, the better it will be for you.”

“Don’t think I’m in love with you. You’re an asshole, a jerk, and a bully. Never in my life would I willingly choose someone like you.”

“Then don’t ask me about the status of our marriage anymore. You’re the least attractive thing I could ever lay my eyes on. I won’t ever love you, get that through your thick skull. The sooner the better.”

“You don’t even want to attempt a friendship with me?” I asked taken aback by his outburst.

“With you?” He asks and laughs bitterly. “I want nothing to do with you.” He gets in my face and pushes my chest with two of his fingers to make a point. But I’m not sure how strong he thought I was because he pushes me down. I fall flat on my ass and yelp. Something flashes in his eyes real quick.

“I’m so-“

“Don’t. I receive your message loud and clear.” I swat his hand away and I stand, making sure to walk away as fast as I can.

_________

“That can’t be true,” Lo’ak shakes his head after grabbing my hands with his.

“He might be hard headed but he will come to love you the way I love Tsireya, or how sickeningly my dad loves my mom, or how Spider loves Kiri.”

I hear someone clear their throat from behind myself and I pull my hands from Lo’ak’s and quickly wipe my tears off my face.

“I would like to speak to my mate. Alone.” My shoulders stiffen at his voice and my lower lip trembles.

“It’s okay Lo’ak. Go enjoy the party. I’m sure we’ll head back soon.” I stated as emotionless as possible and he looks between Ao’nung and myself before nodding toward me and walking back. I didn’t look back since I knew him and could hear the clap of his hand on Ao’nungs shoulder. I wish Neteyam were here to witness the amazing man and husband Lo’ak turned out to be for Tsireya.

“May I join you?”

“You requested to speak with me alone.” I stand as I say that.

“Please. Speak.” I state as I try rushing this along. I could feel myself getting warmer, although I’m sure its from the anger I was feeling at him at the moment.

“I-“ He starts speaking and stops. He looks down at the floor and kneels down, the most sincere apology in this clan. “I need to apologize for how I have treated you.”

I can’t help but let out a chuckle at the scenario in front of me and shake my head in disappointment. He furrows the skin where his eyebrows would be if he were human and studies my face.

“What is wrong?” He asks and I feel like a mad woman.

“You expect me to believe you mean that?” I ask him and he looks confused. He makes eye contact.

“You don’t care about me or my feelings, Ao’nung. You only care about your appearance. Tell me that isn’t true.”

“I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you and how I have acted.” He states again and I feel the air being knocked out of my lungs as I let an audible quick exhale and couldn’t breathe in as he held eye contact.

“I have been nothing but ignorant to your needs and I want that to end. I want to get to know you. I want to learn about you.”

“I don’t know what kind of fun party juices you’ve been drinking but I’m not entertaining this. I’ll go talk to your mom and explain we haven’t bonded and you’ll be out of this union.” I start heading back toward the party.

“Please don’t,” He asks under his breath but I heard it, and stupidly turned around.

“This is what you wanted. I’m helping you. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?” I scoff. “The girl you want is probably going to be over the moon when she hears you’re single and untouched.” I stated.

“I want you.” He states loudly. Still in his kneeling position.

“What?” I asked him and feel like the world has shifted. The party music had disappeared and it felt like we were the only ones on the beach. He stands and starts walking but picks me up and continues walking.

“I said I want you.” He looks directly in my eyes and holds my stare as he says that, then turns his head back to focus on where he’s going.

“Yeah I heard you the first time.” I uttered and I could feel something snap in my body. The warmth I felt earlier was in my lower belly and I felt the small zing of- no.

“Then why ask?”

“Because theres no way you- woah.” I stated as I looked to see his pupils were huge. Barely any blue coming through. And it took me until now to realize he’d walked us toward our marui pod.

“You smell so good.” He shoves his nose in between my neck and my shoulder and takes a whiff, and I squeak in surprise.

“Yeah its that soap I used when we-“

“Not that smell.”

“Fuck.” I muttered as his voice had gotten deeper for some reason. “What are you doing.” I asked as he had still not let me down.

“I’ve neglected you far too long.” He lays me down and I’m surprised to feel something soft underneath me. I could feel whatever effects of that stupid mystery drink turning me on and I laid there breathing heavily looking at his face.

“May I kiss you?” He asks and I’m too stunned to speak. I look down to his lips but quickly look back up toward his eyes.

“Why are you being nice? Is the juice affecting you too?” I asked and take my hand to feel his forehead since I’d been feeling warm too. He closes his eyes and-

“Are you purring?” I asked as he manages to nuzzle my hand and make it look like I’d been caressing his face.

“May I kiss you, yawne.” He asks again and his eyes are bearing into my soul.

“I don’t- I,” I struggle to even think this through as a flame fans through my body. “Yes.”

And his lips are on mine. He takes one of his hands and places it on my cheek and I instinctively place my hand on his arm. He prods his tongue out to stroke my lip and I squeal and nip at it. He chuckles before continuing to kiss me and peppers my face with kisses as he moves his kisses down my neck.

“Mm-“ I moan as he starts sucking my pulse point and failed to realize my legs wrapped around his waist- chest I suppose.

“Sit up.” I demand and he immediately does so.

“Am I hurting-“

“Shut it.” I stated and sit on his lap. I used my telekinesis to place his hands on my hips and forced his neck down and feverishly kiss him again. He’s fighting himself as I feel him tremble slightly and his grip on my waist only slightly tightens and I’m mildly upset.

“Move my hips on you, do something dammit.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” He mutters.

“I’ll tell you if you’ve hurt me by screaming in pain, what I need is friction- yes- holy shit-“ I cut myself off and notice just how big his package feels.

“Did I hurt you?” He stops.

“No, you just feel- huge. Oh my Eywa is it going to fit?” I ramble and he moves me back over his lap and I grunt.

“I pray it does.” He grunts before kissing down my neck once more. His hand trails up to untie my top and I pause.

“May I take this off?” He asks so sweetly and I bite my lip and nod. He pulls the fabric tying it together and it becomes loose, I slip out of it and he goes back to kissing me and I’m disappointed in his silence.

He smiles cockily when he comes up for air and I want to punch his face but he says the sweetest thing before I can form a fist.

“I’m the luckiest man on pandora.” He kisses down my chest and takes one nipple into his mouth, twirling his tongue on my nipple.

“Ao’nung,” I moan as he pinches my other nipple.

“I like when you say my name like that.” He speaks directly to me, fully unashamed, and kisses my mouth.

His fingers trail down toward my ass, he cups my cheeks with his massive hands and kneads them, in the process he’s grinding me on his dick.

“Ao’nung-“ I moan again and try to push myself away from him but he takes my mouth into his and places the tip of his tongue in my mouth playfully stroking my own and I’m wet a hell from that action alone- and partly because of that juice.

“Yes, Yawne?”

“Take it off. Now.” I grunt and stand quickly without realizing his hand had already found the string and as I stood, my loincloth was untied and fell off.

“Yeah, luckiest man on Pandora.” He repeats his statement from earlier and I can’t help but roll my eyes.

“Have you ever-“ I stop myself from speaking and suddenly feel very self conscious.

“No.” He states fully and we both seem to be coming out of whatever the juice was doing to us- but only for a slight second.

“Have you?” He asks me and sits up.

“Never.” I admit and look away but feel my face being pulled back towards his in the gentlest way.

“We will learn with each other. We go as far as you want. I don’t want to pressure you to doing something you do not want.” He reassures me and kisses my lips again.

“So what now?” I asked him and he smiles.

“Lie down my sweet syulang.” He gently nudges me down and I follow his instructions. I can feel whatever flames were in my stomach before start to take over the nerves once again.

“Spread your legs.” He instructs and I follow and look up at the ceiling.

“Look at me, Yawne.” And I do. “You smell so sweet.”

“Wait, what are you-“ I ask before he licks a fat stripe on my pussy and I gasp.

He carefully wedges his tongue to spread my lips apart and I moan as he licks upward. He’s gently holding my thighs open but my hands felt empty. As if reading my mind his hands snake up to hold mine, the fists I once had were now warming up with his hands in them.

“Ao’nung rutxe, don’t st-ahh,” I’m the one letting his hands go and reach down toward his head and manage to tangle my fingers in there well enough to control his heads movements.

“You taste sweet, too.”

I now know why he’d held my thighs open earlier as I’m currently trying to suffocate him with them but the pleasure is too good and his tongue keeps circling on my clit and it all feels so good. And I feel something go in me at a gentle pace and the once building orgasm has muted as I feel it moving around.

“Ah-“ I open my eyes and look down to see he’s got one finger inside me and he’s staring me down. His finger stills but doesn’t pull out.

Does it hurt? He signs with his other hand

“N-no, just different, my fingers aren’t as thick as yours so this feels-“ I stop myself from rambling as he places a second finger in gently and I squeeze down hard.

“Ahh-“ I wince and try to withdraw but he stills my hips.

“Breathe, yawne. If I pull out now it could hurt worse, I will pull out if thats what you want but I’ve been told to tell you it gets better.”

“Told by who,”

“Is that really what you’re worried about?” He asks and I shake my head.

“It helps to forget the pain,”

“I can do that.” He immediately uses his thumb to circle my clit again and the pain subsides.

“Will it fit?” I ask again as his other hand is busy playing with my nipples.

“Yes.” He states but before I can ask if he’s sure he moves up to kiss me, and I just remembered how much bigger he was, yet he was being this gentle with me?

“Go faster my love,” I moan and connect out lips and start feeling pleasure from this experience. And he goes faster.

“Yes that spot, hit that again,” I clench my teeth at the overwhelming feeling I’m getting from his fingers and he smiles.

“Whatever you say, my love,” He smiles genuinely and it melts my heart. He leans down to kiss me again.

“Yes go faster, rutxe,”

“You don’t have to say that for me to go faster. You say and I’ll do. Always.” He says while going faster

“Kiss me.” And he kisses me.

“Again-“ He kisses me again.

“Mate with me,”

He unties his loincloth with one hand and slips out of it easily and the sight of his penis has my eyes widening. He tells me he’s going to slide his fingers out and does so but my eyes are on something else entirely.

“Theres blood on my fingers-“ He stares at his fingers in horror.

“Thats normal- for me.” I take his hand and hold it close to my chest. “On Earth, when you have sex for the first time, this happens. The custom- a long time ago- used to be to do this for the first time in your wedding night with the person you love.”

“It is a sign of loyalty?” Ao’nung questions and I nod.

“It’s like tsaheylu.”

“Then let us complete our custom.” He grabs his braid and brings it forward, his white tendrils moving in all directions.

“Are you certain?” I ask him and he smiles, giving me a peck real quick. He grabs my braid for me but before connecting looks me directly in my eyes.

“Are you certain?” He’s asking so sweetly while making sure our braids don’t connect.

“Yes.”

And the feeling itself is euphoric. My pupils are blown wide I’m sure, I could slightly feel them getting larger. I can feel how fast Ao’nung is breathing and can feel the strain of his cock as if the feeling were my own. I could feel how his heart was beating and the same warmth had settled over his own belly.

“Nga yawne lu oer,” Ao’nung states breathlessly.

“I love you, too.” I respond in english

It’s like he understood what I meant as he leans down to kiss me and manages to settle me in missionary. He lifts his head up and looks down between us and back up at me. I nod and feel him start to get nervous.

“It’s okay.” I place a hand on his cheek and gingerly stroke it.

“I don’t want to hurt you,”

“Have I screamed in pain at any point?” I ask and he smiles, kissing me again. He looks down between us and places his cock in his hands and guides it in slowly. I could feel my body clenching in anticipation and I shut my eyes harshly.

“Shit.” I grunt and squeeze harder when I feel the head sliding in slowly. The stretch burned real bad and at this point I stopped breathing.

“Breathe my love,” He gently strokes my clit after stopping just after his head had been pushed in.

“Ma’nung, you’re big.” I groan and throw my head back as the subtle sparks of him rubbing my clit start to fan the flames more.

“You’re so tight I might burst too soon.” He strains and I start to relax.

“Thats a compliment on Earth-“ I try to laugh and he slaps my thigh.

“Ahh!” I whine and he goes back to rubbing my clit and I moan immediately after.

“I’m going to keep pushing-“ He starts and as he does I can feel a sense of fullness but also his length dragging heavily on my g-spot and I moan.

“If you don’t move some more, I will cut your penis off.” I threaten and I can tell he’s confused by the sudden change of pace but I know he can feel what I feel.

“Shit, is that me?” He asks and I open my eyes to see him biting his lip, one of his fangs poking out, I look down myself and see a small bulge moving in my lower belly.

“Yes thats you-“ I moan as he’d started sliding out and his cock continues rubbing against my G-spot, it feels like the many orgasms I brought myself to happening all at once.

“Go faster-“ I whine and he does, snapping his hips at a steady pace and it feels so damn good.

“Faster-“ and he follows my command, not once questioning me.

“You’re swallowing me so easily, you feel so soft rubbing all over, and your stomach is- fuck-“ He cuts himself off and seems unsure of where to stare, at my pussy swallowing his cock or at my stomach as it plays peek-a-boo with him.

“Yawne, I’m too close-“

“I’m coming Ao’nung-“ I whine and feel myself spasm around his cock as I blubber on some stupid Na’Vi mixed with english non-sense.

Not once had he stopped thrusting his hips and the feeling of my orgasm continuously being stroked on had started what felt like the build of another one.

“Cock so good I’m coming twice-“ I groan in English and he starts whining himself. I never knew Na’vi men were vocal, and for some reason, the question can I come? Kept replaying in my head. Realizing I was still connected to Ao’nung I reach my hand up and pat his arm and he opens his eyes, lust evident on his face.

“You can come my love-“

The look of relief washed over his face but I could still feel like he was holding back. More of his thoughts flood my mind.

“Do it.” I confirm and he leans his whole body over mine, hitting spots I thought he was hitting before, quite literally fucking me so dumb I forgot my own name. His thrusts feel even more powerful at this angle and he bites the skin between my neck and my shoulder. His come washes over the both of us as I have my second orgasm and massage the spurts of come from his dick, coaxing more to come out with every wave of pleasure I felt. He lazily kisses me and pulls out, I hiss from the sting of his fat head stretching me open.

“Come here-“ Ao’nung quite literally lifts me to lay on his chest as we both catch our breath.

“I meant it.” He says while lazily stroking my back, but he didn’t have to explain, we were still connected, I already knew.

“I do too.” I sigh and lean into his chest to listen to his heart beat lulling me to sleep.

_________

I wake up and realize my body is being caged in but I felt warm and comfortable so I stayed snuggled up in what I thought was my blanket.

“Good, you’re awake.”

My eyes have never snapped open so quick after hearing that voice. His morning after voice was deep and sensual and it had me tingling. I look up to see that it was still dark.

“It’s not morning yet.” I groan and get comfortable again.

“Yes, my love, but I need some assistance.” He states as if he were straining and I turn my head to see him struggling with another boner.

“Oh my-“ I turn quickly. “- how long have you been dealing with that!” I asked and he whines.

“You’ve spent the entire time grinding me while you slept, I didn’t want to wake you, but we mate up to three times during one session.” He tries saying it in a nice way but I understood what he meant.

“Slide it in next time.”

“But you were sleeping.”

“I know, Ma’nung, but nothing better than waking up to an orgasm, or being loved on.” I stated while sliding one leg up, still laying sideways.

Ao’nung is hesitant, but we were still connected by our bond too. I was surprised.

“I forgot you have a fat head-“ I groan as he slides it in and gives me time to adjust but also feeling instant relief to be back inside me. The hand underneath my waist snakes over to rub my clit as he pumps pathetically inching in very slowly, but I could feel what he felt.

“Come inside my love-“ I moan as he comes inside for the second time tonight, letting him continue thrusting lazily while sliding across my G-spot.

“You feel so warm, so good, I can’t get enough.” He groans while continuing the same movement and I could feel him getting hard again.

“Is this why your mom is pregnant for the sixth time?” I asked and he ignores me but wraps his hands around my body, pulling me closer to him.

“Can I come again, my love?” He asks while his thrusts are becoming more powerful.

“How many more times can you come tonight?” I asked and start meeting his thrusts in the middle, feeling the familiar sensation about to snap in my belly.

“As many times as it takes to make you round with child, I can’t wait to see you waddle with my life inside of you-“

“Fill me to the brim,” I groaned as he continues thrusting while imagining myself pregnant with his children. But the mental images he was seeing began flashing in my mind and he wanted to fuck me while pregnant, pushing my body past its limits and taking me in every position.

“Come my love-“ He grunts in my ear and all I can do is squeeze around his cock and moan loudly.

_________

“You don’t want anyone to hear us, do you?” He teases while thrusting in my cunt ever so slowly while he held me against the tree.

“No,” I try to stay quiet but he only slaps his big hand over my mouth.

He’d decided to fish on the docks today instead of following a hunting party and when he’d finish casting his third net full of fish he’d told the guys he was with that he’d be back in a few. I’d been picking seashells with his mom and sister when he called me away and lead me to where we were.

“You’re such a pathetic thing, Yawne,” He glides his dick over my G spot effortlessly and I’m a mess, I’m struggling to keep my eyes open.

“Eyes on me, my love, I want to see what I do to you.” He smiles cockily and I whine loud enough for him to hear.

“I want to come-“

“No.” He states firmly and slides his cock back in. “Be good for me and we’ll see if you deserve to come, my love.”

“Kiss me-“ I demand and he leans in, gently taking in the back of my neck and kissing me sweetly.

“G-go faster-“ I pant as he does and my eyes roll back.

“Come my love, come.” Ao’nung instructs me and I bite my lip as I release myself all over his cock.

“No don’t pull out,” I hold on to his hand tightly as if thats where I needed to hold him.

“We have to go back and-“

“I need you, Ma’nung,” I complain and he smirks.

“Of course, how could I have been so dumb,” He states and starts thrusting even faster.

“Ah!” I moaned and he slaps his hand over my mouth again.

“How can something so small be so loud?” He groans in my ear while he thrusts into me. My toes were curling as if they had a mind of their own and he was only holding me by my waist with one hand, he’s so fucking strong.

“How can someone so big be so big-“ I groan as he resorts to moving me up and down on his cock.

“I want to torture this orgasm out of you, my love. I want to make you the same babbling mess you were last night.” His voice was deeper and he was starting to grunt with every thrust. His hand came down from my mouth and stroked my clit lazily.

“Please let me come-“

“No.”

“Thats what you said earlier and you still let me-“ I whine and he forcefully grabs my cheeks to pull my face closer toward his.

“You cum when you only know my name and nothing else.”

I squeezed on him harder.

“You like when I’m rough with you, huh.” He places his hand on my chest and I grab it and place it on my neck without flinching and gently squeezes the sides and I could feel myself squeezing his cock once more.

“No, I w-wan- come.”

“Not dumb enough my love.”

_________

“Is anything off lim-limi- limits with y-you?” I asked as he thrusts under the water while his thick cock glides in and out of me.

“No. Never.” He groans before going faster. “You’ll be the death of me, now shut up and come.” He states while circling my clit.

“I don-don’t wanna-“ I whine but was to sensitive to hold on any longer.

“Yes you do, I can feel it. And not because we’re connected.”

_________

“Yawne please!” Ao’nung cries as I slide down further.

I’d mentioned riding once and he had been asking every single day if we could try it, but I wasn’t sure how feasable it would be, only because he’s huge and the thigh strength I’d need would need to come fro Eywa herself.

“This isn’t easy for me either!” I groan and completely slid down his cock and met his hips. Realization hits me as he hugs my body into his own.

“No you better not-“

“I’m coming~” He moans in my ear and it triggered my own orgasm.

_________

“Quiet my love.” Ao’nung shushes me.

“Please,” I beg and he thrusts harshly into me and I moan again.

“I love you-“ He states in English.

“Nga yawne lu oer-“ I whine back as he circles my clit with his thumb. He slams back in again.

“I like seeing you fucked dumb, my love.” He responds in English again and I’m going crazy.

“How bad do you want to come?” He asks in Na’vi and I can’t comprehend the question at all and babble some nonsense.

“I need you to come, sweet girl.” He coo’s and covers my mouth to muffle my sounds with his own in a deep heated kiss.

“Thats it, my love,” He coo’s as he joins me, still managing to gently caress my cheeks at his highest point of euphoria.

_________

“Have you told her it was an aphrodisiac?” Neytiri asks and Lo’ak rolls his eyes.

“Yes Ma’am.” He replies.

“Good.” Ronal states while working on cutting the fruit she had.

“Was this necessary?” Tsireya asks while sneaking a couple of the fruit pieces for herself since she was expecting.

“All the necessary, my sweet girl.” Ronal stated to her daughter.

“If not for that small lie they would not be sneaking around horribly and procreating like they are.” Neytiri points out.

“They’re sneaking around in public and doing that?” Taireya’s eyes widen In shock and Lo’ak laughs.

“Of course they are. Just the other day, Ao’nung said he couldn’t come hunting because he had to pick some tulip thorns from the tree’s for her. They grow in the ground.”

Ronal laughs at this too and shakes her head.

“Maybe she will become pregnant soon like us.” Kiri happily continues creating medicine or saves from the peels of the fruit.

“Human male and Hybrid Na’vi can procreate. Lets see if Na’vi nale and hybrid Na’vi can do the same.” Ronal smiles.

“I believe they can. Our world is changing.” Neytiri comments.

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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

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Not gonna lie I love seeing everyone’s designs for tattoos on the metkayina and the sullys, but, take what I’m about to say lightly, it’s very clear that majority of the artists have a huge lack of knowledge on them, just doing random curves and pisstakes on what tribal markings actually look like. I understand that the metkayina do not have the exact same tamoko designs as Māori (thank James Cameron for understanding the sacred meaning behind our tribal tattoos) but I’m saying that, it’s still very obvious. I know I’m not the only First Nations that gets pissed off seeing them.

Anyways, still huge ups to the artist because it takes dedication to draw and they place so much effort and love into their art <3

#avatar the way of water #atwow imagines #avatar : the way of water #ao’nung #tsireya #neteyam sully #lo’ak te suli tsyeyk’itan

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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

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I-I-I-I feel like he’s looking directly at me, right into my soul 😭 he looks like a fucking prince oh my days

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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

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➶ ambivalent — series ; chapter i

➴ neteyam x human!reader — “we are mated for life”

“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.” - Abraham Maslow

synopsis: neteyam doesn’t know what’s worse. possibly having you as a mate or being in an arranged mating with a feisty woman that’s already laid claim to him. he finds a little irony in the fact that he never planned on taking a mate at all, but now he’s got two. he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, unsure of where to go from here but secretly finds a bit of solace with you.

genre: slowburn, hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, 18+

tags/warnings: some sexual themes, this is a little more angsty this time, neteyam is going through it in this chapter so beware of a (lot) little horniness but also him dealing with his conflicting emotions as usual, slight kanu appearance (he’s as flirty as ever but will come off a tad bit distant – for good reason), some touchy ‘teyam, neytiri losing her shit (insert jake, the mediator) and the “only one bed” trope (its so cute until neteyam starts thinking a little too much about it and gets a little…excited)

word count: 21k (trust me, it’ll go by quicker than you think lol)

↳ notes: it feels like i haven’t posted in a month when in reality, it’s only been a few days 🤦🏽‍♀️ i swear, sometimes my perception of time is so off it’s not even funny but anywho! finally giving you all the first chapter, which is so exciting bc this is going to set the stage for the chapters to come ! there will be lots of questions, old and new, and i hope to answer most of them in the next two chapters so bare with me ;)) i have pretty much set myself up for a chapter a week, and since they’ll be fairly long, it should hold you guys until the next update. some won’t be as long as 20k+ but just know that i was insanely excited to get this out and made sure to include everything necessary to officially start the story so happy reading!<3

↳ need to know info: i’ve decided to change the na’vi speaking to where it will only be in italics when they are speaking it around her, otherwise it’ll be presented in normal text. they will also be speaking in na’vi throughout the entire story unless said otherwise, which will be made very obvious, dw hehe

↳ p.s. proofread by me, so pretend you don’t see any grammatical errors or anything shsj

ꕥ okok, enjoy n pls like/reblog! it is much, much appreciated, ty ꕥ

previous chapter ➳ series masterlist ➳ next chapter

“Again.”

The young warrior closed his eyes to gather himself before exhaling a breath. How long had he been at this again? Since dawn? No, he’d had breakfast. He was sure of it. Maybe it was sometime early in the afternoon that he was pulled off to the training grounds to practice. It felt like he’d been practicing for ages.

Sunlight could only be blocked out by the trees for so long until it was forced to break through the dense branches and leaves, throwing shadows across his damp skin appearing drenched with sweat. He longed for a well deserved break, but neither he nor his father would allow it. He had to shoot a perfect shot or he wasn’t going anywhere.

When the air was thick enough with tension and determination, he reached back and grabbed another arrow from the quiver against his back. Once the arrow was fitted to the string, he rested the shaft against the bow, and took in a slow breath.

“That’s it. Slow, and steady,” he heard his father say a few feet away.

The warrior visualized his intended target, a big tree just a few yards away. He’d done this numerous times.

Despite being among the finest of the bunch, he had some anxiety that he may miss. The fact that people were looking at him might have played a role. He was expected to perform at his absolute best because Neteyam didn’t miss. Ever. He was perfect with a bow. A perfect leader in the making. His father had likely said this to comfort him as he had just missed a shot, owing the mishap to anxiety, but it didn’t work. He was furious with himself. He felt angry because he was better than this. Much better. In fact, perfection didn’t exist until he was born. Up until he gave it breath and birthed it from his bare hands. All of his hard work earned him that. Except, for some reason, he couldn’t get himself to focus when he needed to the most. Because of how irresponsible he had been earlier, his mind was wayward. He was obviously still angry with himself for not paying attention earlier, which led to him squandering his shot.

He frowned, staring down the mark his first arrowhead made in the tree. It chipped the side, nowhere close to the middle where he’d aimed for. There was no more room for error. He had to get this right.

He had to.

“Anytime you’re ready, son.”

Neteyam was determined to show his dad that he could do this. That he could become olo’eyktan someday, and protect the people just as successfully as his dad had back when he’d gone to war with the sky people. He had the potential; he knew it. He couldn’t let his old man down.

He drew in another long breath, then held it as he steadied his hand, pinpointing exactly where he wanted to shoot.

This time he wasn’t going to miss.

He pulled back the string while oblivious to the sharp pain that shot through his raw fingertips, and when he was thoroughly confident, he let the arrow fly. It cut through the air and curved with the breeze. He watched it and waited while remaining as motionless and as stiff as a statue.

It’s perfect, he told himself, It’ll make it.

He inhaled just before it thwacked into the tree, right in the center of it. The bow dropped carelessly to the ground as he knelt forward to rest his hands against his knees, struggling to get his breathing back under control. It seemed as though his body had released all the tension it had been holding. He felt like the weight of the world had dropped down onto his shoulders.

He kept his eyes locked on the dirt beneath his feet while everyone around him hooted and celebrated at the winning shot. He appeared unaffected on the surface, but inside he was jubilant. It was because of him. A center-of-the-frame shot; a flawless execution. Given how exhausted he felt, he nearly couldn't believe it, but it was perfect. He was perfect.

He rose back up to see his father approach, standing in front of him with a proud smile on his face. Before droplets of sweat had a chance to blur his vision, he quickly wiped it away with a single swipe of his arm.

Jake nodded, placing a warm hand on his son’s shoulder, “You did good, boy. I’m proud of you.”

Neteyam wanted to cry, as embarrassing as that would have been, but he knew his friends would laugh in his face and he wouldn’t have been able to handle the embarrassment so he trained his features into a blank expression instead. He gave his dad a firm nod, feeling safer with that response.

“Go on and get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready soon,” and walked away to no doubt spend the rest of the evening with his mother and his other siblings.

His friends didn’t waste time circling around him, patting his back while praising him for his hard work. He couldn’t keep his face from stretching out into a tiny smirk this time.

It felt good being the perfect son.

However, that feeling didn’t last as long as he thought it would have.

When he reached his early 20s, he understood that there was a lot more to leadership than he had previously thought. Not everything was centered around working and improving one’s abilities.

His mother pushed him about taking some time to find a mate on more than a few occasions. She told him that time was passing and that he wasn't getting any younger. Before she grew too old to watch her grandchildren grow and pass on the lessons she had learned as a child, she wanted to see him happy and with someone. She also hoped to see grandchildren soon, but she didn't appear to comprehend what it was he actually wanted. The last thing he wanted right now was a mate. He was actually fairly certain that it wasn't even on his list of things to do. He wasn’t in any sort of rush, and wished she understood that.

In that respect, he was very similar to his uncle, Tsu'tey. Years after Tsu’tey let his mother move on with his dad, he—who wasn't really his uncle but whom his dad had named as such years earlier—took a mate. She had a softer side to her that occasionally could defrost Tsu'tey's icy cold exterior, even though he was still reluctant to show her physical affection outside of the comforts of their hut. Despite this, the two were a good match.

Neteyam liked to believe that he was very similar to Tsu’tey, in fact. That his sole purpose wasn’t to settle down and find a mate, but instead, focus on his duties and become a great leader to the people. Eventually, he would set his sights on picking the perfect mate, but for now, he preferred to work hard and train to take his dad’s place as olo’eyktan.

Overtime, he learned that his father’s shoes were hard to fill.

Neteyam knew he had a lot more to live up to in order to get his dad’s blessing as a true leader, but his mother already considered him one; which was one of the reasons she used to try and convince him to start opening his eyes to the potential mates within the village. He had to admit, if he were looking for a mate right now, there was no shortage of prospective women to choose from. Most had made their affections towards him abundantly clear ages ago. However, if he were going based on fertility, beauty and skills in the basics of weaving and healing, the decision would’ve been made a long time ago. If not just for his mother’s satisfaction, there had to be more than that to a potential mate in order to catch his eye.

He wasn’t just attracted to beauty and what a woman was taught from birth. More than anything, he wanted someone that could protect herself. Prove that she could be soft and motherly while also having the skills and attributes of a warrior, like him. The idea of mating with someone that had no clue how to defend herself, that only knew how to be fragile and weak — he felt that there was no point in even looking. None of the women in the village exuded the sort of warrior-esque that he was looking for; if he were looking, that is. Therefore, he chose to prioritize his duties above all else.

“Son, it is nice to see you once in a while but I wish it weren’t always under these circumstances,” Neytiri commented followed by a grieving huff as she rounded Neteyam to reach for the damp cloth that sat in a small, wooden bowl filled with water. She squeezed out the majority of the water, and began patting at the open wound, ear flicking back at his hiss from the sharp pain. She sighed, “You know, you are very lucky that I didn’t need to tend to your father this time. He came out of the hunting trip unscathed, unlike you,” his ears flattened at that, “Although, you’d always have someone waiting for you to come back from your hunting parties to patch you up if you would just start looking for a mat-”

“Mother, please,” his head turned to the side, eyebrows furrowed.

Neytiri hummed, feeling a tug at the corner of her lips, “So stubborn,” she finished up cleaning the wound and began to coat it with a special healing salve that would close it up within a few days or less. “I think a mate would do you some good. Would keep you at home sometimes with your family, your people. Always gone, always training or hunting. My son,” once done with that, she placed her hands on his firm shoulders, and tucked her chin into the crook of his neck, “It is almost as if you are running from obligations to yourself.”

Neteyam sat cross-legged in front of the small fire, staring at the curling flames in thought. Running. If only he was able to truly do such a thing. If only he didn’t have so much honor for his parents, he would’ve ran away a long time ago. He didn’t feel as though he was able to be himself. He never even knew what it was like to be a kid back then.

There had always been so much pressure on his shoulders. Right from the moment that he was able to hold a bow properly, he stood in the training field, day in and day out, learning how to shoot. Tsu’tey and his father never gave him time to breathe. To just be a kid, and to run around and play with the other kids. No. He’d had ‘future olo’eyktan’ etched onto his back the moment that he was born. He couldn't escape that, so he made it the center of his world. Instead of viewing his fate as something to fear, he made himself see it as a blessing. Lately, he began to wonder if he’d done the right thing.

He still wasn’t sure.

He could feel himself growing antsy by the minute. Deciding that it was late and that he needed to get some rest, he began to lift himself to his feet. Neytiri followed him with a disheartened gaze, wondering if her son was ever going to let himself be happy for once. From a mother’s point of view, she only wanted the best for him. For all of her children. She wanted them to experience all of the happy and beautiful things she had when she was as young as them. Especially Neteyam, who was the one she was most worried about.

Lo’ak, her youngest son, was someone she never liked to bring up. He was mated to a human woman. He’d left the village and the clan entirely when he knew that their bond was never going to be accepted. It was painful for her to part ways with her son knowing that he was hurt by his family’s views of his choice of a mate, but it couldn’t have been helped. His mate didn’t feel welcomed, and he wasn’t going to subject his children to such a life so he fled. Found homage elsewhere, and never came back.

Kiri had even found someone that she became interested in, but things were still at a flirty stage. Not that Neytiri minded. Kiri had always taken her time with these sorts of things, but Neteyam… He wasn’t showing any of the women in the village interest. Not even a spare glance or two. He fought with her every time she brought the subject up. He seemed to like being alone and to a point, she could understand that but the beauty of loving someone, having a strong connection with them and bonding with them through tsaheylu — it was unlike any other feeling in the world. She wanted him to experience that, but perhaps he had his own pace set.

Only time would tell.

She decided to believe in eywa’s will and guidance for her son for a period longer, and stood up as well. Neteyam brushed a few slippery strands of hair back over his shoulder before he gazed down at his mother. Just a few years ago, he was shorter than her. He was at her shoulders back then but now, he’d risen well past her head and could look down at her. It only made him recognize how much time had flown by within the last few years since they’d come back to the forest. He understood her worries, but he wished she would see things from his perspective. He wanted to find the perfect mate, and knew that she was out there somewhere. If she could give eywa a little more time to present him with that person, then she’d see for herself. She’d finally understand what all of the wait was about. Until then, he would continue to dodge her questions and wait himself.

Neytiri smiled as she coiled a finger around one of his loose curls, “You should wear your hair down like this more often. It suits you.”

“Hm,” He didn’t normally wear his hair unbraided, but after coming back from hunting, it needed washing. Most of the time, he made clean kills. He wasn’t messy, and never hardly expelled much energy. However, tonight’s kill was a bit more difficult than what he was commonly met with. Or rather, the kill was tough this time because his mind had been elsewhere…

Either way, it wouldn’t have made sense to leave it in braids so he took the time to unravel each one, and spent delicate time ridding it of the blood and dirt that had gotten into it. Now, he was letting it dry but that was half of an excuse since he didn’t have the energy to braid it back into the same style he’d had it in. “It wouldn’t be suitable for hunting or battle.”

“Well it is a good thing you don’t have to hunt again for a while, and we are not in battle now are we?” She quipped, causing his tail to sharply swish to the side at that. “My sweet boy,” she pulled him into her arms, rubbing down the line of his back, “Do you know how proud I am of you? Your father talks to me all the time about how well you are doing in your training. You are already the warrior that you wish to be. You will be a great olo’eyktan someday, but you are much too hard on yourself. You must commend yourself for all of your hard work so far.”

He knew that. Of course he knew. He was his own worst critic, and he couldn’t help it. He’d learned most of his stubbornness and prideful nature from his father. Everything that he did, it couldn’t be less than perfect. It had to be done right or else he wasn’t satisfied.

Taking breaks might have been beneficial. He put in a lot of effort simply for himself. His parents respected him, as did those in the village and even those on the other side of the ocean. He had already established himself as a leader, but for some reason he didn't feel prepared. Not in the way everyone else felt he was.

“I know,” he muttered, and wrapped his arms around her, “I know.”

Neytiri hissed, and pulled her son back to smack his arm, “If you are aware of this, then do you not think that you should stop being so hard on yourself?”

Neteyam’s lips pulled down, “I don’t think I’m that hard on myself…”

She openly stared at him silently for a moment before she shook her head, placing her hands on her hips, “Ah, I give up. You’re free to go,” he almost smiled to himself as he turned around to head back to the entrance of the hut, “Remember to sleep on your stomach for a few days until the wound heals, yes? No sleeping on your back or you will slow the healing.” When she patted his back close to the wound, he jumped, tail straight up. The look he gave her was almost comical, causing her to stifle back a laugh, “Sorry.”

His ears twitched, almost wishing that he hadn’t gone to his mother to get his wound looked at.

When he stepped outside into the cool, night air, he was welcomed to the smell of food. It seemed that his kill had finally been skinned and cooked, but he didn’t feel very hungry. He was typically one of the first ones to get a bite, but all he wanted to do was climb up to his treehouse and sleep for at least ten hours. He knew that if his mother caught him skipping dinner, she’d force feed him claiming that, “growing boys need to eat,” but his argument was that he was done growing and needed the sleep more. He smiled. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.

So, as sneakily as possible, he tip-toed to where his home in the trees were, and climbed up. With each step, he could feel the tension in his muscles attempt to seize up. How his bones ached for a moment of reprieve from the constant exertion of moving about the entire day.

The treehouse wasn’t that far from the village. When he had decided to move out of his parent’s hut a few years ago, he wanted to live in something that was closer to the trees. Something that felt a little more like home to him. Something that reminded him of hometree, a place he never got to see nor live but heard so much about from his parents. Especially his father. His mother grew up there, along with her family for generations, but his father raved on and on about how inventive the system of hometree was. How there’d been a place for the entire village within the tree itself. From the sound of it, it worked the best and he knew from then on that since hometree no longer existed, he’d make the most out of what he had and built something of a similar concept. His father helped him whenever he was able to, so it turned out great. Neteyam was quite satisfied, and always loved coming home now.

Once he made it inside, he didn’t waste any time setting his bow into its usual corner and began to peel off his protective wear. Once he was settled for bed, he cozied up in his very well made bed that was just multiple pieces of large fur on the floor. He preferred the fur over a hammock because it was the most comfortable. It was also warmer.

Before he laid down, he pushed his hair out to the side and sighed. A simple long braid would’ve fixed his current annoyance, but he couldn’t even do that. He was so tired, too desperate to rest his eyes and his body. Fortunately, sleep didn’t take but a few quiet moments to loom over him, sinking him into a deep slumber that quieted the peaceful whistle in the wind and the singing of the wildlife that surrounded him.

The start to his morning was a bit of a blur.

Neteyam felt that he had a fairly good memory. He remembered how manageable Tuk had been when she was younger. How playful and hyper she was, bouncing off the walls and skipping with every step. A curious little thing that sometimes got into things that she shouldn’t have. Ultimately, she was just being a kid but he never thought he’d miss that version of her compared to who was standing in front of him now. If only he could turn back time.

He sighed, tempted to run a hand over his face for the fifth time in a row, “Tuk, listen. You cannot walk around without something to cover yourself wit—“

“It’s Tuktirey. Not Tuk,” One of Neteyam’s eyes almost twitched. Almost. “M’not a little kid anymore, and why not?” She countered, arms folded to cover her naked chest; not to give herself some coverage but more in a teenage-rebellion kind of way. Her brows were even pulled down in an angry frown, “You do it all the time so, why can’t I?”

He’d tried his hand at explaining the concept to her every time she got like this but she refused to hear it, saying that it never made sense. Again and again, she would argue him down by saying that girls could do whatever boys could do. Which he was all for because she was right. There had never quite been a stigma against things like that, but when it came to clothing, there had to be a line drawn somewhere. She couldn’t prance around with nothing to cover herself with like she’d been able to do plenty of times as a child. She was 13 now; a teenager with a figure coming in so she had to be a bit more modest, in a sense. He started to wonder if she’d been spending too much time with Kiri, the self proclaimed women’s activist, lately. Kiri learned the term from Norm who was nice enough to even expand on the meaning which Neteyam didn’t see as a problem until she took it too far. Dare he say she could get a little annoying with it from time to time.

Seemed like Tuk was well on her way to doing his head in about it too.

Neteyam tilted his head back to stare at the tip of the hut, wondering how he was going to successfully dress his younger sister at this rate, “Eywa, I need your guidance. Please send me a sign. Help, of any kind. I’ll take it, just please.”

And so his prayers to Eywa had been answered. Quickly, too. The flap of the hut flipped up, startling him in the process.

“Hey, is Tuk ready ye—wha, why is she still naked?” Kiri asked him as she waltzed in without announcing herself. Seeing the predicament that her older brother was in, she couldn’t hold back a teasing half smile, crossing her arms, “Ah, I see. She’s not listening to you, is she? Should’ve seen this coming.”

Ah. So Eywa indeed had it out for him then. Perhaps she was upset because he’d skipped out on dinner last night without his mother knowing. Or was it more about defying everyone, and throwing himself into his duties rather than putting some of that energy towards finding a mate? He couldn’t really decide on which one Eywa had more over his head, but either way — he was dealt with a pretty shitty hand.

When he asked for help, he didn’t mean the help of his other sister who could be just as smart mouthed as Tuk. Now he had to deal with double the trouble. He couldn’t have thought of a more fun way to spend his morning. Truly.

Yet, Neteyam prided himself in being able to get himself out of situations such as these. He knew that if he acted fast enough, he could put all of this behind him and carry on with the rest of his morning. He was intent on having a good day, and that started with getting himself out of dressing Tuk. Easy.

He stood to his feet, dropping his palms against the sides of his thighs, shrugging, “That's it. I give up.” If Eywa threw him a bone meant to be his saving grace then who was he to ignore it? He’d always been more of a gentleman anyway so of course he’d take it. He walked to Kiri’s side, sparing her a smirk. He rested a hand on her shoulder, and winked, “It’s your turn. Have fun.”

“Hey, no! Wait! Mom said she wanted you to—!”

He’d already left, and was out of sight leaving her to wrestle with their little sister. Again. It was never easy for Neteyam to dress Tuk. She should’ve known this time wasn’t going to be any different.

She looked at her younger sibling before she pouted, dropping her hands and walking over to her, “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

Tuk hissed at her, and Kiri mentally cursed her brother. She was definitely going to get him back for this.

Neteyam took a deep breath in, filling his lungs with the morning dewy air, pleased with the sounds of his sister struggling to get Tuk dressed for the day and walked on as if he’d wiped his hands clean of that situation and could get his own day started. He didn’t last long on his high horse though when he saw a tall figure heading his way. He almost groaned. It was so early. He’d just slinked away from his brotherly duties, now it was as if he was being punished. He was beginning to believe that Eywa had a sick sense of humor.

“Hey, brother!” Neteyam was met with an irritating slap to the back that was thankfully a few centimeters away from the wound that was still healing. He jolted up all the same. When he glared at his friend, he was almost blinded by the big, goofy grin on his face. What could he have possibly been so happy about? The sun was barely over the trees. Could Neteyam get at least five minutes to himself before he had to entertain the daily nonsense that went on in the village? Would seem not. “Got some good news, and thought of telling you all about it first. Got some time?”

Neteyam was strong, but the kind of strength it took to hold back a quick no was a show of great fortitude that he didn’t think he had in him. At least, not so early in the morning. In fact, it was so early, he was pretty sure the animals in the forest were still sound asleep. It was barely light out. He couldn’t stand it. Not when he was bothered, left and right. Mornings had always been reserved for him to take a little walk about, and think. His life didn’t always revolve around the village’s incessant penchant for neediness. He used mornings to go over the day’s list of things to do and even liked to slide in a bit of meditation if he had the spare time. He hadn’t done any of that yet. One of the first things he did was head to his parent’s hut to tend to Tuk. He’d just left that failed obligation, and was trying to think of what he needed to do next. Plans were put on hold again.

Luckily for everyone that loved bothering him, he was used to it.

“Yeah, sure,” he said with a forced smile that came off a lot more convincing than he expected it to, “What is it?”

Kanu. He became Neteyam’s closest friend when Lo’ak was forced to leave the village with his mate a few years ago. It was hard for Neteyam when he came back and had no one to confide in, but once he delved into training to be the next olo’eyktan, he met Kanu. Eldest son to Tsu’tey, which forced him to live a similar childhood to Neteyam due to the pressures of being the eldest sons of highly respected men of the clan.

Neteyam was taller, but Kanu was older than him. Even so, it still made Neteyam feel like an older brother again. How he needed to watch over him, and guide him in the right direction, always. It was like Lo’ak never left. Neteyam would’ve never realized that piece of him was missing if Kanu wasn’t there. He’d always been there, but Neteyam overlooked him when they were younger. His hands were full with his little brother and other younger siblings at the time so he never paid much attention to him. Still, he was there. Neteyam found it ironic that he was still there when he and his family came back. Kanu was just as receptive to seeing him again as he had been when they were kids. It would’ve been just as heartwarming now if he wasn’t always so bothersome.

“Okay so,” Kanu started walking so Neteyam trailed next to him, thinking about all of the things that he could be getting done if he wasn’t being forced to listen to something he didn’t give half of a rat’s ass about, “There’s this girl—”

“Hold on,” Neteyam cut his thoughts short and stopped him there, pausing in the middle of the village and in the conversation, “You interrupted my peaceful morning routine to talk about a girl?”

Kanu’s eyes darted left of him then back, nervously. Neteyam could tell he was nervous by the ear twitches and his tail swinging back and forth. He almost sighed. He’d never know true peace at this rate.

“Uh…yeah?” Neteyam gave him a dead look before he turned right on his heel, and started to walk the other way. “Wait!” Kanu caught up to him, laughing, “Does talking about women really bore you that much?”

“Yes. To death, in fact.”

Kanu blinked for a moment, maneuvering his body to the side to pass by someone, catching up to his friend once again, “You can’t be serious. You used to be so into it when we were kids.”

Neteyam looked at him funny, brow raised, “Emphasis on ‘used to’. We are not kids anymore.” He shifted his gaze forward, hellbound on heading to the training grounds as he saw no opportunity to spend the rest of his morning doing the things that he wanted to do. Might as well get a head start on his training for the day. “Some of us have to focus on more mature things rather than women 24/7.”

Kanu’s face twisted up in an unappreciative frown, “I don’t talk about them 24/7. I probably like them more than you do, but that doesn’t mean I’m always talking about them. I talk about other things all the time.”

“Like?” Neteyam sent him a look, genuinely curious because again, he had an excellent memory and knew that Kanu was infamous for constantly bringing up some new girl he started to like.

“Uh…”

Neteyam rolled his eyes, “Exactly.”

Kanu groaned next to him, “Brother, understand! Women are one of the more greater pleasures of living,” he shook his head in disbelief, “I don’t know how you resist the temptation. I mean, I don’t always go to them. They sometimes come to me. It’s almost as if they’re drawn, you know? Really, it’s a phenomenon,” he smirked to himself, chin high in the air, “but who am I turn them away when—”

Neteyam stopped walking for the second time, and pressed a finger into his friend’s chest, teeth clenched, “And that is exactly why uncle is so hard on you now. He expects you to focus on your training, and what are you always doing?” Kanu visibly swallowed, face blank, “Talking, and not just talking but talking about girls. You are a year older than I am. It is time you grew up, and started thinking about your future and what you actually want to do. If you still want to be a warrior, you cannot be one who constantly salivates at the sight of someone with three fingers and a pulse instead of training to get better. Don’t you get it? Uncle is counting on you, and so is my father.” Kanu stayed silent, hands opening and closing by his sides, finding the sudden shift in the conversation uncomfortable, “Yeah. Remember him? The olo’eyktan? The one who has appointed you as my soon to be right-hand? Or did you forget while you were chasing after girls for the five years you could’ve spent honing your craft?”

Neteyam stared back, feeling his blood boil. Even though they shared a similar past, growing up with like-minded fathers and all, Kanu always had it just a little bit easier than he did. Never took things seriously, and lived above his duties like he could meet perfection at the door without the hard work of crawling his way there. He spent more time lazing about in the village than on the training grounds with a bow in his hand. He never even seemed interested in hand to hand combat or knife training. Always surrounded by girls, flirting and giving them false hope before moving on to the next.

It angered Neteyam sometimes because that was all he did in his free time. Work. Train. Get better. Do better, and help out. Some days, he ran around the village offering aid to those that needed it. Whether that was carrying logs back to some old woman’s hut or giving lessons to the younger warriors that were anxious enough to learn. There wasn’t a single second he didn’t spend doing something. That couldn’t be said about Kanu. He blew off his obligations, and maybe Neteyam could admit he was a tad bit jealous of him. Jealous that his father didn’t quite have as big of a stick up his ass like his own father. It felt unfair, and he was sick of being around someone that tended to unintentionally shove his privilege in his face all the time.

It was exhausting, and it was about time he’d had enough of it.

Kanu could tell looking at his old friend that there was more to it than what was on the surface of his mind.

He gently pushed Neteyam’s pointed finger away, and shook his head, “Your fight is not with me, brother.” Neteyam looked confused, like he wanted to say something but Kanu continued, “It is with yourself, but I say we should stop wasting time going and forth and just go train.” He then smirked before playfully boxing at his friend’s shoulder, “Let’s direct your anger towards something useful, yeah?”

Kanu was good at that. Diffusing tension by cracking a joke or two. As annoying as it was, it always seemed to work on him.

With a deep sigh, Neteyam nodded. He needed to take his mind off of a lot of things, and what better way to do that than beat his best friend in an innocent game of friendly fire? Good thing he was an expert with a bow. Well, maybe not so good for Kanu. He was more of a runner. Made for good target practice though.

Suddenly, he smirked. He couldn’t wait.

Kanu frowned at the disturbing look on Neteyam’s face, watching him walk past him towards the training grounds again. He visibly shivered. He could feel it. This wasn’t going to be good for him but at least he had a good chance at surviving whatever hellish game Neteyam was up to. He was fast, and could handle whatever he threw at him.

Literally.

He just hoped the guy would have the decency to miss his face. He had a date later tonight, and didn’t want to run her off before he got the chance to put some moves on her.

Neteyam glanced back at him, a brow raised in expectancy, “Are you coming?”

Kanu jumped at the sound of his voice, and squeaked out a quick, “Yep, coming!” before he jogged forward to catch up to him. He shook his head, mumbling a prayer to himself, “Please let me walk away with my head still intact. Please, oh great mother.”

Click.

Scribble. Scribble. Scribble.

Click.

Scribble. Scribble.

Click. Click. Click.

Scribble. Pause.

You inhaled, and stopped writing. Annoyed that you were interrupted by the constant camera flashes, you side eyed the young boy that stood in front of a tall tree. He had one eye open, looking through his camera lens as he watched a pack of prolemuris swing from branch to branch. He smiled to himself. They were such outstanding creatures. Weren’t aggressive, but curious little things. Perhaps he could get another shot or tw–

“Theo, don’t you think you’ve taken enough pictures?” You sighed, shutting your journal, disappointed that your thought process was no longer there. For the past ten minutes, you fought to focus on what you were writing about, but ultimately lost the battle due to the distraction. You needed peace and quiet, and were getting the exact opposite. “Jesus, you’ve taken at least 200 shots by now and we haven’t even moved from this area yet. Take a break, will ya’?”

“Yeah,” Theo tugged the camera down from his face with a sheepish smile, awkwardly hugging it as he looked around, “Sorry. It’s just,” his gaze glossed over the fauna and other animals in the nearby area unbothered by their presence, munching on the grass. “This place. It’s…magical. Feel like if I don’t capture it all, then I’ll forget it someday.” You sent him a strange look. He coughed, “You know, get Alzheimer’s or something?”

“Mhm,” You grunted as you stood to your feet, almost wishing that you had come out alone instead. Maybe you would have been able to finish your journal entry by now. “Yeah. Know what you mean. Let’s just head back to the lab then, yeah?” You patted his shoulder but didn’t wait for a response when you began to step through the tall grass and wide leaves that surrounded the both of you. “Plus, we have some distance to cover. I don’t want to be stuck out here close to dark, so come on.”

Theo looked around him once more, thinking about being stranded out in the forest at night. He shivered. The mere thought of it was something out of his nightmares.

He quickly stepped forward, foot almost getting caught on a tree root, “Yes, ma’am!” and caught up to you.

Pandora was a beautiful planet. Home to some of the most extraordinary animals and plants you’d ever seen. It was sad that Earth was nothing like Pandora. It became overpopulated, and was dying from the amount of chemicals released into the air due to the overproduction of extremely harmful products. Mass production had always been an issue back on earth, but with overpopulation on the rise — it became a bigger problem than before. There was no other solution than to leave, and find another start elsewhere.

Full of life and vibrancy. Everywhere you turned, you were greeted with some sort of living, breathing thing. The entire forest was alive.

Theo was right. Pandora was magical, and there were still parts of it that you hadn’t seen just yet.

You longed to travel around, and see what was outside of the forest. Wondered if there were any sea animals and what they were like. Different environments, different plants, different everything. Your mind buzzed with the endless possibilities, not paying attention to your harebrained partner.

Theo stumbled behind you, eyes on everything around him. He was mesmerized by life on Pandora, and wanted to capture it all with his little digital camera. He took a few shots of some wild plants then another couple of a low hanging tree with some sort of fruit growing from it.

“Cool,” he breathed, and walked closer to get a better look at it.

Just then, a yerik came stepping out of the bushes just a few yards in front of him, where he was headed. He stopped in his tracks, and instantly crouched down behind some thick leaves. He held his breath, and paid no mind to you walking further and further away. He needed to get a picture. He just had to.

A few insects started to circle you, buzzing in annoyance. “Ugh,” you swatted at them, stepping over a puddle of mud, “Theo, we really need to pick up the pace. Bugs like this only start coming out when it gets late so let’s try and find a detour and…” once you realized that you weren’t hearing footsteps behind you, you turned around and your mouth dropped. “Theo?” Your heart pounded in your chest. Had something happened to him? Where did he go? He was just behind you.

“Theo!”

He heard something in the distance and looked at the direction but was brought back when he noticed the yerik moving further away. He cursed under his breath, and shifted his pack back over his shoulder. A little closer. He just needed to get a little closer, and get one good shot. He figured you couldn’t have gotten too far away. He’d catch up to you. He wasn’t worried in the slightest.

“Fuck,” you trudged back the way you came, dodging the low wide leaves in your way with a grunt, “Knew he shouldn’t have come. I fucking knew it,” you muttered to yourself.

As annoying as your partner could be sometimes, you couldn’t live without him. He was around five years younger than you, and clung to you like a little brother. Naturally, you felt a bit protective over him and didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him.

Norm thought it would’ve been a good idea for him to come out and take some pictures. Moping about the lab was getting a little depressing. It was bothering everyone so it was mutually and collectively agreed upon that he went out with you for just a few hours, then came back.

However, you started to regret letting him tag along. If something horrible happened to him, you would only blame yourself. Meant to keep eyes on him at all times, yet failing at something so simple as that. It was your fault. You were the reason he was lost.

“Theo!” You tried to call out for him again, but was met with the same silence.

Even though you were able to retrace your steps, he was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, you weren’t taught how to track so you didn’t have the first clue how to find him. Before leaving the outpost, you’d foolishly told Theo to leave the wristband comms behind, saying that the two of you wouldn’t be gone long enough to need them. While out in the forest, Theo could get easily sidetracked so they would’ve been useful.

You cursed under your breath. Unfortunately, you couldn’t spend that much time looking for him. You had to find your own way back and hope he would do the same. It was going to get dark in a few hours. Even though the forest was illuminated by its natural bioluminescence at night, it was still best you started heading back. Theo wasn’t incompetent. He knew how to defend himself, and unfortunately he had the pack with the weapons in them. Just two combat knives and some other miscellaneous defensive weapons. Still, you had none. You were in more danger than he was.

“Great,” Your head sharply turned at a faint sound to your right, watching a pack of birds fly up to the sky. Relieved that it wasn’t some predator watching you from the shadows, you released a sigh, feeling a bead of sweat roll down the side of your face, “Just great.”

If you made it back in one piece, you had half a mind to promise yourself to never go back out into the forest again.

Neteyam considered himself an expert in the art of forgiveness.

“Stop, I didn’t mean to!” Kanu shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran as fast as his long legs would carry him, “It was a mistake, brother! A mistake!” When he looked back to lock eyes with Neteyam, catching a fiery look that he was all too familiar with, he couldn’t help but belt out a laugh, tossing his head back, “For Eywa’s sake, give me a break!”

However, whenever it came to Kanu and his repeated nonsense…he was not so forgiving.

It took a while but when Neteyam finally caught up to him, he grabbed him by the neck and forced him down to the ground, face first. Kanu grunted, feeling his friend hover over a pressure point.

“Run from me again, and see what happens,” Neteyam growled in his ear.

Kanu turned his head to the side where he could see Neteyam’s face, smirking, “Do not kid yourself, brother. Next time, you will not catch me.”

Neteyam raised a brow, “Oh, is that so?” He wrapped Kanu’s tail around his forearm and gripped it in his hand before he yanked it. Hard, “You sure are confident in yourself. Don’t provoke me.”

Kanu howled out, tapping the ground.

“Okay, okay! I won’t run, I understand! Please!”

“Hm,” Neteyam let him go and stood up, still looking down at him, “If you’re done playing games, I would like to go back to training.”

Kanu stood up, and dusted himself off the best that he could. Some stains were a little harder to get rid of, but he didn’t care all that much. It was what was in his mouth that he was more concerned about. He frowned, and spat out a few specs of dirt that got on his tongue.

“Ugh,” he gagged, almost positive that he had swallowed some of it already.

Eager to get back to work, Neteyam walked away, going back over to his bow that he’d been forced to toss in order to chase his friend around. Kanu sighed, and placed his hands on his hips as he watched him.

“Hey, question.”

“I have an answer,” After retrieving his bow, he walked over to the tree next to it to pull an arrow out of the wood then moved on to do the same to the next.

“Does becoming olo’eyktan someday frighten you? Even just a little?”

Neteyam grunted once he pulled the final arrow out of a tree. He stood in front of it, pondering on the question.

Becoming olo’eyktan was one of the most important roles of the na’vi. One of the greatest opportunities as the first born son of a clan leader.

For as long as Neteyam could remember, he’d always wanted to become a leader someday. Had dreamt many nights of leading his people into boundless prosperity, keeping the peace within all of the existing clans. Being remembered as one of the greatest omiticayan leaders ever known. As soon as he began to realize the work that had to go into being fully prepared to take on such a role — his aspirations for his future started to waver with uncertainty. It wasn’t just the work but what would come with being a leader that he didn’t foresee.

That was taking on a mate.

He couldn’t be a leader without having someone to help him lead by his side. Where he thought he could do it all alone as he had since he was young was nothing but hopeful wishing. Mostly to be able to produce an heir just in case something tragic happened to him. It wasn’t ever forced, but it was recommended.

Being the olo’eyktan’s oldest and most proudest son didn’t mean he held the privilege to take over his father’s leadership without a mate. It was unavoidable. He had to do it, and soon. So his mother told him.

Neteyam blinked, and turned around to face Kanu with a blank expression, “No. It doesn’t frighten me. Why would it? I look forward to the day that I can finally lead our people and take on the perfect mate to lead by my side. How can one not be thrilled by such an opportunity?”

“That’s a lie,” Kanu said, frowning.

Neteyam narrowed his eyes at him, “A lie? What reason would I have to lie? You know that I want to be a leader for our peopl—”

“True, but you cannot say you are thrilled to be tied down to someone you may not love.”

The rumors were just rumors…or so Neteyam had assumed anyway.

His mother was adamant on making sure he found a mate before he became olo’eyktan. A good way to ensure his place as the clan’s leader was arranging him a mate. It sounded outrageous and utterly unnecessary to him because he believed that she would never do that to him. She wouldn’t condemn him to someone he didn’t know, and would be expected to love. She was his mother. She always expressed how she wanted the best for him. Damning him to a woman he’d never met…it didn’t sound like her. He refused to believe it.

Neteyam snorted, a smirk playing at his lips, “It’s just like you to believe every rumor that you hear.”

Kanu shook his head, “and it is just like you to pretend to not see what is so clearly in front of you.”

Neteyam walked up to him, getting in his face, “Yeah you would like that, wouldn’t you?” Kanu swallowed, looking him in the eye, “And what would be your role in all of this, hm? Surely you wouldn’t just be some innocent bystander. No… Of course not,” he gave a breathless chuckle, jaw clenched, “I wonder… I wonder how you would aid my mother in determining my fate and ruining my life because rest assured,” he took a step back before he turned around, scoffing, “It would destroy me.”

Kanu’s ears flattened at that. He was right. Mating with someone you didn’t love… It was a fate worse than death itself. To live a life being with someone with no connection to them, starting a family and growing old with that person— Kanu couldn’t imagine a life like that for himself, but maybe that was what differed between him and Neteyam. Kanu had it a lot easier compared to him. He didn’t have to worry about his parents shoving him into an arranged mating. He was privileged, in that aspect. He could see that clearly now.

“Brother,” Kanu took an apprehensive step forward, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at him, “Forgive me. Understand that the last thing I want to see is you living a life that you are unhappy with. I do not wish for an arranged mating. I want you to be happy.”

Neteyam arched his brow as he peered up at his friend. There was a sorrowful look on his face. It made Neteyam laugh.

“Don’t worry, I believe you,” he bumped into his shoulder before dropping the arrows in his hand, save for one, back into his quiver, “Now, are you ready to get back to training or should I leave you to let you go and pick a tree to cry behind?”

When Kanu locked eyes with him, he growled at the teasing smile on his face. Kanu smirked, cocking his head to the side, “Hope you’re ready this time because I won’t go easy.”

Neteyam drew an arrow against the string of his bow, aimed at him, “Neither will I,” and let the arrowhead pierce through the wind.

By lunch time, Neteyam was burnt out from training.

Deciding to take a break for now, Kanu left to go and do whatever it was Kanu did when he didn’t have anything to do while Neteyam headed back into the village to meet up with his father for his usual hunting lessons with him.

Not that he needed the lessons anymore, but recently, it’d been more about bonding with him than actually hunting. Helping him with catching supper for everyone while talking to him about things. Mostly about the past and the future. What it had been like for his father as the new olo’eyktan of the omaticaya clan back then, and what Neteyam could expect as his successor. There wasn’t much Jake could teach him now. It was more about letting him gain those experiences so that he could lead better when it came time for him to.

Just as he was about to enter his parents hut, he stopped when he saw Kiri running up to him, Tuk in tow. He would’ve brushed her off, figuring that she was going to bother him with her usual drivel, but the look on her face got his attention. She looked like she’d seen a ghost or worse, a thanator.

With furrowed brows, he touched her arm, “Hey, what's the matter?”

For the first time since he could remember, she was silent. He could see the hesitation in her eyes as clear as day. She knew something or maybe she’d seen something. Either way, it had to have been terrible enough to keep her from blurting it out loud.

“Mom…she–” her lashes fluttered as her eyes fell to the ground below her, taking in a breath, “She invited some woman here, to our village,” looking back at him, she bit into her lip, “Mom said she’s going to be your mate, ‘teyam. I think this is the arranged mating I heard about, but I never thought she would actually go through with it.”

His arm fell back to his side. He stared at his sister, blood running cold.

So it was true, then.

He was expected to be with someone he didn’t know.

To love her, mate with her.

Sentence the rest of his days to someone he wouldn’t even have a connection with.

His fists balled up. He wasn’t going to allow this to happen. He loved and respected his mother, but he couldn’t let her dictate his life. He could make his own decisions, and this was one he was not going to let her control.

“Where are they?” He asked his sister and when she told him, he didn’t waste any time getting there.

Kiri could feel her brother’s anger, and hated that she couldn’t do a thing to help him. Arranged matings were rare. They became uncommon over the ages, and only used in certain situations. She didn’t see Neteyam as a situation. He just wanted to take his time. Become olo’eyktan, and then worry about something as minor as finding a mate later on in his life. It wasn’t nearly as serious as their mother was making it.

The tsahik’s hut.

Of course, Neteyam mentally seethed. Why go to him first? It wasn’t like he was supposed to meet the woman he was mated to be with for the rest of his life first, no. Course not.

Livid, he roughly lifted the flap up and ducked inside, letting his sisters in as well. He saw them chattering around the fire, his mother sitting next to a woman he’d never seen before. A woman he was supposed to refer to as his mate now. What a load of bullshit. He’d die over several times before he’d let something like this happen to him.

When he cleared his throat, their voices died down. All eyes were on him, standing tall with a tick in his jaw. He felt like he could explode at any minute now.

“My son,” Neytiri breathed excitedly as she quickly got on her feet and walked towards him, “It is good you are here,” she smiled, pressing her hand against the middle of his back, missing the tension in his muscles, “You are just in time.”

He looked at her, his emotions bouncing all around the hut in a flurry, “In time. In time for what, mother? In time to ruin my life, is that it?”

“Oh…I…” She blinked, taken aback by his interrogative tone. She glanced at the new faces in the hut, slightly embarrassed by his reaction. “Are you upset about something? I don’t understand wh–”

“Why I’m angry?” Neteyam asked her, chest visibly rising and falling. He needed to calm down, but he couldn’t. There was a faint ringing in his ears that kept growing louder and louder by the minute. Her act of betrayal made him lose control. His entire life had been planned and dictated. All he asked was for this one thing to be his. His choice, and his alone. Ever the controlling, overprotective mother that she could be, took that away from him. That was all he had left. Why wouldn’t he be upset? “You just will not let me make my own choices. I told you that I would find a mate. Maybe not now, but later. Later when I’ve decided to settle down. Me. Not you.”

Neytiri’s ears fell in slight shame. She had planned on letting Eywa determine her son’s fate, but when she’d heard that a nearby clan leader was looking for a mate for his daughter, she thought about Neteyam. How he would end up getting consumed with his duties as the new clan leader, and forget all about starting a life of his own. A family of his own. She was only looking out for him. Did he not see that? Did he not see that she was trying to do a good thing for him? For his future?

Jake watched the scene unfold until he couldn’t anymore, “Excuse me for a minute,” he told the clan leader before he got up, and walked over to his wife and son, “Hey.” Neytiri looked at him, but Neteyam didn’t. He hissed, and directed his gaze elsewhere, brows pulled in. Jake sighed, “Son, listen to me. Your mom’s got your best interest at heart. You know that. C’mon,” when he rested a hand on his son’s shoulder, Neteyam finally made eye contact. Jake smiled, “At least meet the girl. You might like her.”

To say that Jake approved of this arrangement would’ve been a bit far fetched. He didn’t approve, per say, he just saw no need to cause a scene over it. He found it incredibly rude for his son to walk in, and not even acknowledge the people that were there for him. To see, and meet him. His intended mate was elated to be formally introduced to him. Had heard all the stories, and knew they would be the perfect match. However, Neteyam barely even looked at her. One glance, and that was it. Jake could tell her spirits had been blown out like a candle now in the dark. It made him grimace. He felt a bit sorry for the girl, and wanted his son to be more welcoming despite how he felt about the situation.

“Let’s sit,” Jake patted Neteyam’s shoulder, gesturing him to cross around the fire, “We should talk, and get to know one another.”

Neteyam mentally sighed. He didn’t believe that there was anything to talk about because he didn’t want to be in an arranged mating but he held too much respect for his parents. It was best to just sit and listen.

As he was about to sit down next to the clan leader, the man directed him to the spot next to his daughter. She glanced up at him and when their eyes met, she looked away, shifting in place. Neteyam sat next to her, tail curling by his side so as to not touch hers (or any part of her, for that matter). It felt a bit awkward, but he chose to ignore his surroundings and pretend he was elsewhere.

Jake cleared his throat, gathering everyone’s attention, “This is my eldest son, Neteyam. Neteyam, this is Seynä Te Ayu Leyeyzo'ite. The chief’s youngest daughter and princess of the Ra’tecaya clan.”

Neteyam looked at the girl to his side, and pressed the tips of his fingers against his forehead, nodding, “Oel ngati kamie, Seynä te Ayu Leyeyzo’ite.”

She bloomed a tiny smile, repeating the same greeting, “Oel ngati kamie, Neteyam te Sulli Ts’yekitan. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

The Ash tribe were exceptionally different from him and his people. They lived in the mountains, far away from the chaos of the rest of the world.

They were known for their strength in numbers, their well trained warriors and their strong leadership. Chief Tarang, one of the best clan leaders to ever live. He took great pride in many of their war achievements, having bested some of the strongest clans in history. As battle ready as the Ash tribe were, they were non-confrontational. Didn’t seek out war and destruction just because they were good at it. They valued peace and honor above all else. It was one of the reasons why Jake and Neytiri hoped Tarang’s daughter would take a liking to their son. A union between the omaticaya and the ra’tecaya clans would make them strong but also symbolize that two different clans could come together to form a good relationship. Something that hadn’t been done in decades.

It was to also prepare Neteyam to become olo’eyktan. He needed a mate, and needed someone strong and ready to be by his side when it was time for him to take his father’s place as clan leader. Neytiri knew that it was going to take a while for her son to come around with all of this, but she hoped that one day, he would understand.

“Great,” Tarang said, a big smile on his face before glancing between his daughter and Neteyam, “Perhaps these two could use the privacy?”

Ka’ul, the chief’s mate, hummed, placing a gentle hand over Tarang’s with a warm knowing smile of her own, “Yes. That would be wonderful.” Her vermillion eyes sparkled against the fire, creating flames of their own. Tarang turned his hand over to intertwine their fingers, and gave her a look. He then nodded at Jake and Neytiri.

“Then we can discuss the details.”

Neteyam could care less what they planned on talking about. If it was going to get him out of that stuffy hut then he was more than willing to leave them all to it.

Like a gentleman, he stood up and held out a hand. Seynä looked at him in mild shock but pushed it aside, and took his hand. Feeling how warm and soft it was, her mind wandered as he helped her up and led her out of the hut. When the cool afternoon breeze hit her, she breathed. The sun that slithered through the trees decorated her skin beautifully. She let her eyes close for a brief moment to soak it all in, missing the way Neteyam stared at her.

He would’ve been a fool to not notice how beautiful she was. Her long, white hair blew with the wind, splitting apart and dancing in its waves. How the two long beaded braids at the front curled around her neck and shoulders, desperate to join the rest of her hair in the current.

She looked otherworldly. She definitely stood out amongst the villagers, catching eyes from all around. They stopped in their tracks to stare at her, some men and women whispering amongst each other in awe. If Neteyam supported the arranged mating that he was in, his chest would’ve swelled with pride for the attention that she was garnishing. He would’ve stepped closer to her, drew her near to him and walked her through the village to show her around but to also show her off. Would feel proud to call her his, but unfortunately, he didn’t feel that way about her.

From the intricate jewelry in her hair and what laid on her forehead down to her specially made white top and long white loincloth, she was a beauty beyond compare. Now that they were back under the sun’s bright rays, he could see that her eyes were a mixture of fire and gold. How dull her skin looked, almost an ash color. Not blue like him and his people were, but a faint blue. Barely noticeable, if he wasn’t staring so hard.

“Will you show me around?” She asked him, a twinkle in her eyes, startling him. He quickly averted his eyes, and cleared his throat.

“Yes, of course,” and took the lead once again.

Their trek through the village was a quiet one. It was awkward and tense for him but she was at peace, eyeing the villagers back and smiling at the children that followed them, oohing and aahing after her. Neteyam felt like falling through the earth. He didn’t care for the extra attention, and didn’t want anything to do with having a mate right now but truthfully, there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn’t dumb. He knew that his parents and hers were going over the fine print of their arrangement by making a pänu. A promise between clans to seal the deal. There was no breaking a pänu unless you meant war.

Neteyam couldn’t back out of it no matter what his feelings were about the situation, and that was why he’d gotten upset with his mother earlier. A mixture of things, but mainly because he remembered how sacred an arranged mating was. That was another reason why it wasn’t very common now. It wasn’t something clans practiced anymore unless they were forced to.

He mentally sighed. His life had just gotten a lot harder.

“How do you feel about this arrangement?” She suddenly asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Well…”

She giggled, and nodded, “Right. Better question. How do you feel about being mated to me for life?”

He sent her a strained look that only made her laugh. She figured that was her answer.

“Mmm, your village feels like home,” she muttered, steering the conversation elsewhere, “Reminds me of what I left today.” They passed by a hut with an older woman sitting outside of it, weaving together what looked to be a basket of some sort. A child was sitting next to her, seeming to help her by supplying her with the materials she needed. Seynä nodded at the two, giggling at the child’s shocked expression. She directed her attention forward again, walking gracefully, “A home away from home sounds like a dream, don’t you think?” She looked at him, finding his profile rather distracting.

Neteyam didn’t feel like engaging in a meaningless conversation, but he didn’t want to be rude. His father would only dig into him about not being fully welcoming, so he indulged her.

“Do you like it here so far?” He asked her back, wondering if she would have to sleep with him tonight since they were going to be a mated pair. He hoped not. He wanted to hang onto his free will for a little while longer.

Seynä hummed, looking at her surroundings again. “I do. It is pleasant. Very lively, unlike my village. We are…” she searched for the right words, eyebrows twitching together, “…fairly independent people. We stay to ourselves, and do not mingle often. Even the way your family sat by the fire back there,” the light in her eyes dimmed in thought, “We do not do that.”

At first, Neteyam didn’t care to converse with her but as he listened to her speak, he found himself unable to block her out. Maybe it was the sadness in her voice that he wanted to soothe. To let her know how repentant he felt for her. He had to admit, not spending several moments around his family everyday sounded miserable. He was also quite independent, but he liked being around his parents and siblings. They were a part of the sole reason he woke up everyday. Not just for himself, but for them. Their happiness, their well-being, all of that mattered a lot to him. The way Seynä spoke about her people and her family and the way they did things — it couldn’t have sounded any more heartbreaking than that.

He schooled his features to remain indifferent, but there was a twinge of pain inside. He didn’t know what that was like, but he didn’t have to know to understand what life had been like for her. He could sympathize.

“Well you’re here now,” he commented, feeling her eyes shift back to the side of his face, “and because you are here,” he looked down at her, a corner of his lips twitching up, “–you will get to experience all of that yourself. Know what it is like to wake up together, hunt and eat together, celebrate and dance around the fire…together.” Seynä’s lips parted at his kind words, her heart thumping in her chest. “A home away home, is that how you put it?” He smirked, humming, “I guess this is where you are meant to be then.”

Was it foolish of her to feel this way about someone so early on? She had only just met the man… But something was there. She could feel it. This compelling pull towards him. It was undeniable. There was something about him that called to her. Something that she couldn’t describe.

The feeling of finding a mate was a special one. It was a different for everyone, but it usually centered around seeing that person over everyone else. Like a light had come from the sky, shining down on just them. That was how she knew.

Right then and there, she knew that he was the one.

That he was her mate.

She cut their eye contact short by ripping away from his gaze, finding the ground she walked on a little more interesting. The tips of her ears burned.

“Thank you, Neteyam. You’re too kind.”

He hummed, peering forward with his hands behind his back, “No need to thank me. I know this union isn’t wanted by either of us, but we have to make the most of it or else we will just end up resenting each other,” he watched a group of children run past the two of them, giggling and chasing one another, “I, for one, do not want to spend the rest of my life hating someone I am supposed to love,” When he glanced down at her, he found her eyes back on him again. They were swirling with an emotion he couldn’t quite place. “So I will try my best to love you, provide for you and protect you. But know that this is not what I wanted for myself. You will not be alienated from me, but I cannot promise my heart to you. I will not cheat or lie. I will be faithful to you, but giving my heart…” he shook his head, returning his focus back ahead, eyes hardened, “That is something I will not promise to give you. I cannot.”

Just as soon as she’d felt a pull towards him, she was immediately pushed back. Reality hit her harder than she could’ve expected. He didn’t share the same feelings as her. He didn’t even want this arranged mating to even happen. He didn’t want to love her, didn’t want to give her his heart, didn’t want any part of her or this entire ordeal.

On the outside, she kept her composure and watched him walk ahead of her, thankful that he’d set his back to her because she didn’t know how long she could keep the tears back. All she wanted since she was a little girl was to find the sort of love that her parents had. A connection made from the stars, kissed by Eywa herself. Even though their mating was arranged, she believed that there was still a chance for them. She thought that he just needed to see her, and would fall in love with her at first sight. But that didn’t happen. He couldn’t have shown his revulsion for their arrangement more clearer to her than he had.

Once he was done showing her around, he was going to offer her lunch that he had picked himself earlier but she told him that she’d started to feel unwell. That she needed to lay down for a while. He figured it was because of the long trip her family made across the plains so he nodded, and wished her well. She didn’t say anything but smiled, and went on her way. He didn’t notice how forced her smile had been because he was relieved to be back in his own presence again. Kanu wasn’t around and he’d just gotten rid of Seynä so he was rejoicing.

However, he couldn’t get it out of his head that he was going to be forced to mate with someone he didn’t even know, that he didn’t even have an initial connection with. Seynä wasn’t his type. Not by a long shot. He’d heard about her accomplishments as a warrior and knew that she was strong, but her personality didn’t match him. Didn’t match what he was looking for. Plus, there was no spark. No banter, no meaningless arguing about nothing and no playfulness, even though he could come off quite stiff himself. He enjoyed the teasing comments and such, but he got none of that from her. It was disappointing, but expected because he didn’t choose her. His mother did.

His teeth clenched again at that. It was going to take him a long time to move past her deceit, but he had to preoccupy himself with other things until then. And, perhaps, keep contact with her at a minimum, if he could help it.

Deciding that a breath of fresh air was needed to think without being bothered, he headed off into the forest in hopes to clear his mind, but had no clue what he was going to end up finding whilst on the trail.

“Fuck this.”

You crumpled up the map in your hands before shoving it back in your pack. It was useless when you had no clue where you even were at this point. Everything looked the same. You were almost positive that you’d gone in a circle a few times.

A map that was supposed to lead you back to the lab. What a laugh. You’d been roaming around the forest for so long, you knew that Theo must’ve made it back by now. If you were caught under the dark night sky, you hoped that he would relay the message that you were still out and definitely lost. Maybe some reinforcements would come running to your rescue or something.

“This is not happening,” You said under your breath, plunging a boot into a muddy puddle, forgetting about dodging them now. You were much too tired to think about anything but escaping the forest and getting back to the outpost.

With a grim sigh, you shifted the pack back down your shoulder to reach in it. You pulled out your water canister, hoping that there was still some left. Theo had used it last, but before he could’ve downed the entire thing, you snatched it away from him. So, there was a good chance he’d left some. Putting it up to your lips, you were disappointed. Nothing. Just as you’d feared.

Your eyes begrudgingly searched the area for a water source, but found nothing. You stumbled forward, mindful of your step, and tried to listen for a river or something near. The silence was deafening.

It seemed as though the forest was against you, but you weren’t ready to give up just yet.

It wasn’t hot, but paired with walking for hours non stop with no water and carrying a pack on your back the entire time could feel a little stifling. After a few tiresome steps, you leaned your shoulder up against a nearby tree, taking a small break. There had to be some sort of water source around. You’d come across plenty of animals to be sure of it. Surely they wouldn’t flock somewhere that didn’t contain a river or even a small stream. Hell, you’d take rain at this point. Anything to keep you from passing out.

Spurring you from your thoughts, you heard something. Craning your neck, you peered up into the trees above you, eyes squinted to fend off some of the sun rays. Aside from the rustling tree leaves, you didn’t see much movement. Maybe it’d just been a figment of your imagination. You didn’t doubt it. Without food or water, you were going a little delirious.

Just as you were about to give up and set up camp, another sound caught your attention.

Trickling.

Water?

You sprung off of the tree, and trampled through some low hanging leaves until you were met with a wide stream up ahead. The water was clear enough to see through, telling you that it was safe to drink from. There even looked to be fishes swimming through the water. You knew how to catch fish, skin them and cook them so you felt lucky. Though, for now, you were just grateful for the water.

“Thank god,” you walked forward and let your pack slip from your shoulder as you dropped down in front of the bank, hands pushing off into the water.

You cupped a good amount in your hands, and drank until you couldn’t anymore. Once you felt satisfied enough, you leaned back and sighed. The mud that covered your shirt made you cringe, looking down at it. You’d tripped earlier, landing right in a pile of mud. With no way to clean it, you kept it on but now that you could, you didn’t waste any time tugging it over your head to wash it.

You shoved it in the water, and started to wash through it, not caring if it came out perfectly clean or not. You just needed to remove most of the mud so it wouldn’t feel uncomfortable when you put it back on.

Too distracted to notice, Neteyam sat crouched in a tree not too far from where you were stationed. He kept himself hidden, watching you. He’d been following you for a while now. Initially, he’d wanted to take a walk to think some things over but didn’t expect to come across a wandering human that was covered in mud, griping to herself. Odd scene, but curious enough.

A human, this far out, was peculiar enough but seeing you by the stream wearing nothing but a small piece of fabric to cover your breasts was enough to stir something in him. It was strange because he was used to his people wearing so little. There was nothing ever sexual about it, but you were human. He knew that your kind tended to wear a lot more than his people did. So, to see so much of your skin under the sun’s pure sunlight, unaware of him watching you the way he was — it made him unable to look away.

His tail curled at the sight of you looking around you before unhooking your bra. You set it at a spot where the sun could catch it, and pulled your drenched shirt from the water. After inspecting it, you nodded and put it near the other piece of fabric, right on the rocks. Then, you stood up, and shoveled through your pack for something. When you faced Neteyam’s way, for some reason, he looked away. His eyes fell elsewhere, embarrassed that he’d been staring at you. He didn’t know why. You had no clue he was even there so why did he care?

After finding whatever it was you were looking for, you turned back around, back facing him again. He sighed, and looked down at you again to watch you wrap a long strip of what looked to be some sort of cloth around your midriff up to your chest. It didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen, but it seemed as though you were using it to cover your chest again. Ah. He knew what you were doing now. Your shirt was too damp to put back on so you were letting it dry, as well as that other piece of clothing you’d had over your chest.

Once you were done with that, you moved on to stepping into the stream, after you’d taken your boots off. He imagined that you were getting ready to clean your feet or some other part of your body but what he witnessed next surprised him.

You stood there for a good minute, completely still. So still, if he looked hard enough, the fishes in the water forgot that you weren’t supposed to be there and swam past you. You held your breath, staring down at the water as you timed you just right. Once a good sized fish swam between your legs, you dove down and caught it with your bare hands. Neteyam’s eyes widened at the sight. Without the use of a bow or a knife, you’d caught a fight with your hands. He was greatly impressed. He didn’t think humans possessed intelligence this vast.

You cheered to yourself and tiptoed out of the water, happily with your meal. After killing it merifully, you dug through your bag again. Pulling out a sharp knife, you went back over and began scaling it.

Neteyam sat down on the branch he was on, and leaned his back against the tree, eyes still on you. He placed his bow in between his thighs, and got comfortable. He had a feeling he was going to be there for a while.

While he watched you, there was someone else lurking in the trees watching him.

The moment that you realized that you weren’t alone was the exact same moment you watched a tall blue man jump from above, bow raised to save your life.

Because he’d saved you, he came out of the attack with a deep wound. He was reluctant to help you, but after some time, he let you into his personal space to treat him. Once it was cleaned and bandaged up, you thanked him and packed up. You were going to finish finding your way through the forest, but he’d suddenly picked you up and packed you off into the trees.

Breathless and surprised, you tried to ask him what that had been about but noticed that he’d saved you. Again. You were grateful, of course, but he was a stubborn one. Also a bit childish with the way he kept provoking you to get upset, obviously enjoying your reaction to him. Even though he was way taller than you and evidently stronger, you still held your ground well and told him exactly what was on your mind. He found it amusing and a little brazen, but he didn’t back down either.

“It sounds like he’s calling for you,” you mentioned again, taking a step forward, “Why don’t you go down and talk to hi–”

You didn’t expect him to catch you in time, but he did. Held you close against him, making sure you weren’t going to slip from his grasp. He was warm, that was your first thought. Then, you thought about how odd it was to feel his nose against your neck. You could hear a faint inhale from him, and wondered why he was smelling you. Did you have an odor? Well, you had been walking around the forest for a few hours under a hot sun and didn’t have access to a shower anywhere so maybe you did. It made you want to curl up in embarrassment.

You struggled in his grasp, feeling awkward now, “What are you doing?” You tried to ask, but no answer.

Your face twisted up in surprise when you felt something hot and wet slide across your skin. With another gasp, you tried to pull away from him but he held you against him in a tight grip.

“No,” he commanded in a deep tone, and ran his tongue up to your ear, “be still, tawtute.”

The deep tone of his voice, the growling, it made you feel shameful because instead of being scared — you were awfully turned on.

That realization only made you try and get out of his hold all the more.

You struggled in his grasp, trying to get a look at his face, “What the hell is your problem?”

He didn’t respond, and it angered you.

“Hey,” you tried again, finally allowed wiggle room to look at him, eyes searching his face with a frown, “why did you–ah!” You were dropped back on your feet, but didn’t have time to find your footing. With a scream, you fell backwards off of the tree branch and soared down.

The fall felt longer than it was. There was no part in you that felt like you were going to make it. That you were going to survive falling from such a great height. You’d said your little prayers, and to your surprise — they were answered.

Caught by another beautiful blue man, peering down at you with wild curiosity.

“Pesu? A tawtute?”

Kanu was his name. Friendly, chatty and very flirty. At least he seemed bearable in conversation compared to the other guy. Someone that had just been all up on you a moment ago but walked a ways ahead like he didn’t want to even be near you. Kanu talking to you the entire way to the village didn’t silence the buzzing thoughts of what you’d done to make his friend hate you all of the sudden. It didn’t make sense, and you aimed to ask him about it at some point.

However, the moment that the three of you entered the village, you were pulled from your thoughts and stared back at the villagers staring at you. Kanu walked past them without even acknowledging them and when you looked up at him, you noticed that he wasn’t wearing his usual smile. His eyes were hard and focused, lips tight, and shoulders tensed. He almost looked a little uncomfortable, but also annoyed by something. Was it the villagers? You could hear some of them whispering but of course, you were unable to understand what they were saying. Maybe he could hear them.

“Kanu–”

“Neteyam, will the tsahik see her?” Kanu asked his friend, his frown deepening, unintentionally interrupting you, “She is a sky person. She is not welcomed, but she is wounded. Will she treat her?”

Neteyam grunted without looking back at him, “I don’t know. For her sake, let’s hope so.”

You didn’t understand what was going on or what they were saying so you remained quiet for the rest of the way.

Once the three of you arrived at a hut, Neteyam opened the flap and held it as Kanu carried you inside. It was warm. There was a fire lit in the middle, and a woman near a table at the other side of the hut, mixing something. You stayed silent, eyes following Neteyam as he crossed over to her, saying something to her too low for you to catch. You waited, and when she turned around to look at you, her eyes widened.

She looked at Neteyam, “She is wounded, you say?” He nodded.

“Yes, grandmother. She is in need of your aid. Could you…?”

Mo’at nodded, turning back around to gather her supplies, “Oh yes, of course. Set her down on the mat over there, and have her remove her shirt. I will need full access to that wound to clean it.”

Kanu, having heard the conversation, moved around the fire as well to set you down on the mat he was told to. When he made a move to stand up, you grabbed his arm with a small, confused frown.

“What is going on?”

Kanu smiled, and bent back down, extremely close to your face. You made a move to back up, but he placed a hand at your nape to keep you there, “Mmm, you are going to be treated, little one. You are hurt, but the tsahik can help you. Do as she says, and you will be fine. Okay?”

Feeling butterflies in your stomach, you gave him a slow, subtle nod to show that you understood him. Satisfied, he pinched your cheek and stood back up, rounding the fire to stand at the other side of the hut to give Mo’at the space that she would need to treat you.

As Mo’at was still busy gathering what she would need to help, you watched Neteyam bend down at your other side, fingering at your shirt. You inched away, not knowing what he was trying to do, disregarding the smirk that slowly spread across his face.

“Shy, are we? One with such a filthy mouth shouldn’t be so shy, am I right?”

He thumbed at the edge of your shirt again, tugging at it, causing you to try and smack his hand away, flushed from head to toe, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but why are you trying to take my shirt off? I would very much like to keep it on, thank you.”

Neteyam chuckled, leaning back a bit, “Do not think I would like to see a tawtute like you naked. Would much rather pluck out my own eyes than see something so…” he eyed you down, finding the way you were protecting yourself from his touch amusing. “…displeasing.”

You gasped, and he almost laughed. “Displeasing? Well why don’t you leave if you don’t want to see me? No one’s forcing you to stay.”

He snorted, “I know, trust me.” He was going to elaborate further on why he really couldn’t leave your side, but that was a conversation that needed to be saved for later. “Anyway,” he pulled at your shirt again, smiling at the slap across his hand again, “You have to take this off. She has to treat you. She cannot do so with this on.”

You frowned, “Yeah, but the wound is on my leg. Why would I need to take my shirt off if I don’t–”

Neteyam ignored your protesting and pushed your shirt up to reveal a fairly large scratch across your abdomen. How you didn’t at least feel it by now, you had no idea but you stared in awe at it. You couldn’t help but entertain the thought that maybe you had a few more injuries on your body that you weren’t even aware of.

He grunted, and folded his arms.

“See? Remove it.” He stood up, eyes never leaving you, “Or don’t let her help you. Your choice.” He walked to stand beside Kanu, a bored expression now on his face.

You pouted to yourself, feeling silly for being so difficult. At first, you thought that he was trying to see something else but he was only trying to help you. Still, it didn’t make up for the fact that he had let you fall out of the tree earlier. You planned on never letting him live that down.

Just as you were about to undress, you saw the flap of the hut fly open and a woman walk in. She was beautiful, if you didn’t count the chaotic look on her face.

“Oh great mother, Neteyam!” She raced towards him, and pulled him into a tight hug. He smiled a little, and hugged back but tried to pull away.

“Mother, it’s fine. I’m okay–”

“Where did you go?” She asked him, brows pulled down in an angry frown, pulling back to look him over, “You were gone for hours, my son. What happened?”

He was going to respond when he saw Seynä, and her parents walk in. They must’ve heard the rumors about a human in the village and it was so late at night, of course they got curious. He couldn’t blame them, but the last person he wanted to see right now was Seynä.

She gave him a tiny smile that he didn’t reciprocate. He wasn’t in the mood. It was late, and he had you to deal with.

He could feel a headache coming on.

“Neteyam!”

Tuk came running out from behind her mother, and hugged his waist. He gently patted her head with a soft smile.

“Tuk.”

Kiri waltzed in, and was about to say something snarky when her eye caught yours. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

“Whoa, who’s that?”

Neytiri turned her head your way, and it was as if the room had been struck by lightning. No one said a word. It was like everyone had stopped breathing all at the same time. If not for the crackling of the fire that separated you from her, it would have been dead silent.

Her stare was cold. Scarier than anyone you’d ever seen.

Within a split second, she was rushing towards you with her fangs bared, hissing.

“Woah there,” Jake stepped in her way, physically holding her back, “Let’s take a second, yeah?” He caught Neteyam’s eye who looked ready to jump in at any second. Neytiri tried to push Jake out of the way, but he held her firm, “Hey,” he blocked her sight of you by getting in her face, “Stop, okay? What are you doing? We don’t do that. We don’t attack unless we have a good reason to, right?”

“Why are you protecting that demon?!” She asked him, eyes feral and wide, “You dare to stand in my way, to put yourself between a human and your mate?!”

Jake took a glance behind him at you, silently apologizing for the situation and looked back at her, “Yes. She’s harmless. Neteyam and Kanu would not have brought her here if they didn’t trust her so we have to trust her too.”

Neytiri hissed in his face, and broke out of his grasp. She didn’t take the opportunity to advance on you, but she held her ground, “Do not tell me to trust. I trust who I trust, and that thing will not get it from me.”

You’d long put the puzzle together that she was Neteyam’s mother and that Jake, the one you’d heard so much about, was his father. The great Toruk Makto and his warrior mate, Neytiri. Knowing this, it hurt to watch her get so upset by your mere presence. You knew that it was because you were human. You’d learned from Max and Norm that Neytiri wasn’t quite fond of humans and was on edge everytime one had to come strutting through her village. Understandably so, if what you heard about what happened to her family was true. Mo’at was her only living relative from those dark times. Of course, with kids now, she was grateful, but she missed the ones she’d lost. She had no plans of losing anyone else, and tensed up around sky people for a reason.

Under everyone’s radar, Tuk moseyed over to you. Startling you, she smiled and apologized for the scare. She bent down, seeing that she felt a bit too tall standing up in comparison to you, and nodded.

“My name is Tuk. It is nice to meet you. What is your name?”

Still shaken up, you hesitantly told her your name and she gasped, “Pretty! Can I give you a nickname?”

You tilted your head, “Nickname? Well…I don’t see why not,” you smiled back and her eyes widened.

“Okay! I will think of one, and tell you later, okay?”

Her bright spirit and infectious energy made you almost forget that you were in the same room as the woman that wanted nothing more than to murder you right where you sat.

You nodded, “I can’t wait.”

Tuk beamed happily and was going to say something when she was caught off.

“I will need all of you to leave,” Mo’at said aloud, peering over her shoulder at the group still circled around the fire pit near you, “I will need to heal and dress her wounds. The girl deserves privacy, no?”

Jake’s eyes darted from his children to Neytiri before he placed a hand at her back, ignoring the pointed look she gave him, “Come on everyone, let’s head out and give her some air. Tuk?”

Tuk blew out an exasperated breath, stood up from your side and nodded, “Okay,” she said in a dispirited tone and followed after her father but not before sending you a wave and a small smile, “See you tomorrow.”

You smiled and waved back before you felt something hit you over the head. It only stung for a second or two. Mo’at came around you, holding a wooden stirring tool in her hand. You reached up, and scratched at the spot you were hit at, “Um, ow?”

“Undress, child,” she retorted, shaking your head.

“Alright, alright.”

You took your shirt off, and sat there as she squatted down to your level to begin treating you.

You cringed, “ah,” hissing at the sting of pain. You felt Mo’at dab at the wound on your shoulder with a damp cloth in a not-so-delicate way. She rose a brow at the look you gave her, and continued on.

Once everyone left, Neteyam stood in place, arms folded with a deep set frown on his face as he watched yours twist up in discomfort. He could feel your emotions. They were everywhere but the ones he could pin down were fluctuating between feeling anxious, tensed and drained. He could tell that all you wanted to do was rest for the night, but he couldn’t risk your wounds getting infected. Not like he was worried about your health. He just needed to make sure once you woke up in the morning, you would be cleared to leave the village and never come back. Although, since his father was aware of your presence now, it was unlikely he would let you go until you were fully healed and able to travel on your own.

Neteyam almost rolled his eyes. Much to his dismay, of course.

“Ow,” you whined, and Mo’at clicked her tongue, shaking her head.

“Child, do not be so soft,” she dipped the cloth in her bowl of water to drain it before gathering it with water again, cleaning another wound of yours, “This is your doing, is it not? Perhaps you will learn to be more careful next time, hm?” You winced, biting your lip from hissing out again.

Neteyam clenched his teeth at the way your fists were balled up in your lap. He had the urge to tell his grandmother to stop what she was doing and let him take over, but the more sensible side of him kept him rooted in place. He didn’t care about you. If he was right and his body had chosen you as his mate, then it was simple. His sudden feelings towards you weren’t of his own volition. The need to protect you, harm anyone willing to harm you and officially make you his mate wasn’t him. There was no reason to listen to any of the things his body wanted to do in thought of you. He still had control. He would continue to have control. He wasn’t going to let himself be brought down and ruled by something so pitiful as this. He was much stronger than that.

Seynä stood next to him, rigid, glaring down at you. Her body rattled with anger. Your mere presence made her want to revolt. She couldn’t stand the sight of you, but witnessing the way Neteyam was with you compared to how he was with her — it infuriated her in ways she couldn’t begin to explain.

Fairness was a luxury in her world. She was aware that Neteyam didn’t love her. That it would take time for him to see her and come to love her the way she wanted him to, but was it selfish of her to have wanted him to fall at first sight? He didn’t even want to stand next to her, let alone be in the same room as her. Took one glance during their first meeting earlier, and ignored her ever since.

She wasn’t expecting him to hold her hand or kiss her every two seconds, but could he at least acknowledge her and not make her feel as alienated as she had the moment she stepped into the village? He promised he would try, but it didn’t look like he was upholding his end of the deal.

“Some of these wounds are deep, child,” Mo’at frowned as she began to wrap one of your wounds with a roll of gauze, “What on earth happened out there?”

You didn’t feel like going into the subject as most of your injuries came from when you’d fallen out of the tree earlier. Especially when Neteyam could’ve prevented it from happening in the first place. Kanu wasn’t around to save either of you from explaining it, either. Though, you were more focused on why Mo’at was using modern wound care to treat you to think about a response.

Neteyam cleared his throat, eyes still on you, “It was my fault, grandmother. Do not take it out on her.”

Appalled, Seyna snapped her head at him, lips pressed into a thin line, “Ma ‘teyam, do not take up for that demon! You did nothing wrong, I’m sure of it!” She exclaimed, speaking in na’vi on purpose so that you wouldn’t understand their conversation. For some reason, that irked Neteyam.

When he looked at her, he didn’t even turn his head. His intense gaze drilled a hole through hers from the side, causing her to take a step backwards from him. “Why are you still here? Do you not have someplace else to be? Hm?”

A whimper fell past her lips, eyebrows pulled together in disbelief.

“Well– well because I thought…” he stared at her, lip curled, jaw flexing. His presence was becoming so suffocating, she found it hard to breathe. “I thought—”

“I don’t care,” he interrupted, shifting his gaze back onto you, ignoring the way you were invested into the conversation, appearing concerned. He switched to his native tongue, highly irritated now, “I do not need you hovering over me. It is pathetic, and below your status, Seynä. Mind your manners or I will get the impression that you aren’t as suited to be my mate as your father has told my father.”

Seynä’s lip trembled, clearly trying to hold back tears. Her nails punctured her skin, feeling the cool ooze of blood coat her fingers.

“I don’t understand. Does she mean something to you? Why do you care about some human?”

Neteyam glared at her, “Do I need to explain myself to you? Someone I met today; a stranger, no less. What business I have with anyone is none of yours. Do you understand? Do not question me again, and I won’t be so nice the next time that you do.” He eyed her down, more upset than he had intended to get with her. “You may go or was there something else?”

His quick dismissal of her made Seynä’s stomach drop. It was utterly degrading, and it made her feel insignificant to him. Lower than low, less than dirt. She wasn’t even a blip on his radar, and she couldn’t help but entertain the idea that maybe there was something going on between you and him. That she had lost to a human before the battle even began.

How sickening. Her hands clenched tighter, settling the fire in her eyes onto you. She was angry, livid with the idea that you dared to even think you could match up to her. She was his mate. Not you. Why did he even care to stay with you if he hated humans so much? She couldn’t even stand the smell of you so why wasn’t he just as repulsed, if not more?

The questions spinning around in her head only made the dull ache thicken into a pounding thrum, mere seconds away from blooming into a full on headache. She couldn’t stand the way he looked at her and spoke to her as if she was some bothersome child tugging at his clothing for attention. She was his mate. She deserved to be treated as such.

With a sharp sniffle, she stepped back into his space and tossed her hair back over her shoulder, “As you wish,” and stomped to the entrance of the hut, roughly pushing the flap out of the way, stepping out into the night.

You watched the tension in Neteyam’s shoulders drop, catching a breath of relief slip past his lips. He set his bow against the wall of the hut, and sat down, folding his legs into a comfortable position just across from you, opposite of the fire pit. He rubbed a hand over his face, clearly exhausted from the day’s events.

Mo’at glanced at her grandson before giving you a firm pat on the back, “I’m finished.”

With a grunt, she stood up with her bowl and walked over to the table that was brought in from an outpost to help organize her herbs and other medicinals. As she worked to clean her station up, you stared into the fire, too apprehensive to look at the man across from you. You could feel his eyes on you, but didn’t know what to say back. That conversation between him and the woman that had just left seemed intense, even though you couldn’t understand a word that they were saying. It felt like a conversation you shouldn’t have been in on.

You swallowed nervously, twiddling with your fingers.

Then, you watched from your peripheral vision as Neteyam stood up and rounded the fire. When he kneeled next to you, your body tensed up. His brows twitched at that.

“I am not going to hurt you, foolish woman,” He said in a low tone, almost close enough to feel his breath on your skin. He sighed, a soft look in his eyes that he was thankful you didn’t catch, “You are very troublesome, you know that?”

You looked up at him, having to stretch your neck to fully take in his entire face, lips pursed, “Troublesome? So you’re saying it’s my fault that I almost fell to my death earlier?”

He chuckled, and it made your heart skip a beat.

He tilted his head, and lifted a finger to your cheek to push away a stray piece of your hair from your face, eyeing the way your lips parted, “Mmm. Yes.” You gasped, and he smirked, “Though, is it my fault that you are tiny and clumsy?”

His heated gaze made you drop your eyes to your lap again, suddenly finding your hands a lot more interesting than the conversation.

“No…but—”

“You will sleep with me tonight.”

Your head snapped up at him, eyes wide, “I—huh?”

He hummed and stared at you for a moment longer before he stood to his full height, fixing the leather armor on his arm, “I will wait outside. When you are finished here, I will take you to my home.”

“Neteyam, wait, but I—” He didn’t give you a chance to finish. He lifted the flap to the hut, and stepped out, leaving you alone with Mo’at, who you forgot was still there in the first place. You deflated and slumped in place. “He never lets me finish my sentences,” you moped bitterly to yourself. “Asshole.”

Mo’at chuckled as she came walking back over, drying her hands on a clean cloth, “You two are like night and day, I tell you,” you tilted your head back to look at her, catching a faint smile on her face, “Very entertaining, indeed.”

You dropped your eyes back onto the fire in front of you, realizing how warm your face had gotten. Your mind reeled with the imprinted image of him that you couldn’t get rid of no matter how hard you tried. The way the flames of the fire danced across his face, lingering on his dark eyes and plump lips. How you felt his body heat pulse against your own, dangerously close. When slips of his dark hair fell over his shoulder when he had bent down to your level, almost brushing your shoulder. From the way he’d looked at you, how warm and gentle his voice had been when speaking to you just now — it all made you want to melt right into the ground.

Then, you remembered where he told you that you were going to be sleeping tonight.

Beads of sweat cascaded down from your temples, sneakily tumbling towards your chest wrappings, between the swell of your breasts. Your breath hitched.

Alone, with him.

With Neteyam, of all people.

“Oh god,” you breathed, unable to fathom what a night with him was going to be like.

The sexual tension was obvious, but he’d made it clear how much he couldn’t stand you. How were the two of you going to sleep under the same roof if you couldn’t get along?

Oddly enough, he was the least of your worries. It was that woman from earlier that you had to really worry about. She seemed to like him, so the thought of her finding out that you’d slept in the same vicinity as him… Her possible reaction made you shiver. It wasn’t going to be pretty, that was all you knew.

You put your face in your hands, and groaned.

Was it too late to run off into the forest without anyone noticing?

Only one way to find out.

Your plan of running back out into the forest without anyone noticing was snuffed out the moment that you stepped outside. It was pouring down with rain, but Neteyam stood there as if the sky was clear. He didn’t let the rain affect him, and stood with his arms crossed, waiting for you like he’d said he would.

When you stepped out, his head turned towards you. He looked you over, slowly, before he bent down. You quirked your head to the side, not understanding what he was doing, watching as he put his hands out behind him.

After squatting there for a few moments, he looked at you over his shoulder with a raised brow, “What is it?”

You snorted, giving him a funny look, “I dunno. You tell me.”

He almost rolled his eyes. It seemed he would have to spell it out for you.

“Get on. I will carry you the way there.” His eyes fell on your legs, “You are too tiny to keep up, and I will not slow down for you.”

“Not if you’re just going to insult me, no.”

Neteyam sighed. He should’ve expected this from you. It was never easy to get you to do anything if it was coming from him.

Done with playing nice, he stood up, and walked towards you. You glared at him, but gasped out when you felt him sling you over his shoulder.

“Hey, what the hell?!”

He smirked, and walked out of the village.

“Put me down! Are you crazy?!”

“You are a noisy woman, did you know that?”

“I can walk, ya know!”

“No. You are too slow.”

“Neteyam!”

He chuckled, “Good. You know my name.”

You glowered at him, “You’re not funny.”

He laughed, and ignored you the entire way until you stopped talking altogether.

When the two of you approached a large tree, you did your best to look up at it. The rain seemed to be coming down harder than earlier, which made you want to get inside of wherever Neteyam lived all the more. He stood there, thinking it through. Usually, it would’ve taken him less than a minute to climb up to the treehouse but then again, he was never carrying a small human in his arms while doing it. He had to think carefully and rationally.

“We’re not going up this tree…right?” You asked him, eyeing both the tree and him.

Neteyam licked his lips, and gripped your legs against him tighter. “Just stay still.”

Your eyes blew wide, “Uh, yeah can you put me down? I think I’m okay with sleeping on the ground, actually,” you laughed nervously, trying to wiggle out of his hold. “It can be quite comfy down here, trust me. Just– no wait!”

Neteyam started to climb up the tree, ignoring your shrieking. He found it annoying and distracting but he had to focus on not dropping you and going up at the same time. Thankfully you were still or you would’ve fell.

It didn’t take long for him to reach the edge of his home. He had to flip you around and push you onto the surface of the treehouse by your bottom, which made you flush but you ignored it and pulled yourself up. Gasping, you laid there as he swung himself up as well, ducking inside. Groaning, you stood up and headed inside as well.

He busied himself with taking off his armor while you took a look around. You had expected the place to be pitch black due to no light, but you were wrong. He’d had all sorts of vines and flowers weaved throughout the home, illuminating every nook and cranny. What you saw was to be expected.

There wasn’t much there other than piles of miscellaneous things in one corner and a bunch of folded up fur in another. There were some folded up mats as well, but the home was quite vacant. Aside from the mild decorations of beading and such, there wasn’t much there. It wasn’t all that shocking to you since Neteyam didn’t give you the impression that he was someone that liked hoarding a bunch of things that didn’t serve a purpose. It would’ve been a bit more alarming if he did have a clutter of stuff around.

Once he was done with ridding himself of his protective wear, he watched you walk about his place in slight awe. He tried to fight it, but felt a sense of achievement with how enamored you were with his home. It seemed that everything was to your liking after all. He wasn’t worried in the slightest because he didn’t care, but he did wonder what you would think about his place. He worked hard to make it as comfortable as possible. For him, of course. Not you.

Made sure that the house itself was stable enough since it was sitting in a tree. It could also get a bit colder than living on the ground or closer to it so he brought in a bunch of fur to keep himself warm and to combat the cold temperatures that blew in through the night.

He had to admit. He’d done a pretty good job.

“Do you have somewhere where I can get out of these clothes?” You asked him, cringing as you picked at your shirt, “These are wet, and I don’t want to sleep in wet clothes.”

He didn’t understand what you were asking him. Sure, your word choices sounded a bit strange to him, but it was the context of your question that he just didn’t get. Did you mean somewhere to change your clothing? That was a silly question. He almost laughed.

“You are standing in it.”

The moment you understood what he meant, you sent a weird look, “Here? Like…right here?”

He nodded, “Yes.”

You felt warmth from your neck build up towards your face. Of course you were meant to undress right in the middle of the floor. The na’vi were not shy when it came to the body. They didn’t see a need to hide themselves away. It made sense, but you weren’t one of them. You weren’t raised with that sort of mindset so you felt more conscious of your body. Stripping in front of him, again, was something you couldn’t do. You’d done it back in the hut earlier, but that was for good reason. Now, however…

Neteyam sighed before he turned around, rolling his eyes, “Change, woman. I would like to sleep at some point.”

Irritated by his sudden change in attitude, you grumbled bitterly under your breath as you pulled your shirt back off and began fumbling with your pants. After stripping down to your bra and underwear, you laid your clothes out to dry in a corner and noticed the furs next to it. Glancing back at Neteyam, happy to find his back still facing you, you grabbed one and put it up against your body to shield yourself.

“Okay. Done.”

He turned around, and smirked at you, “Hiding yourself?” He began walking towards you, “Don’t misunderstand. I do not lust for you, tawtute,” he leaned down, close to your burning face, eyes darkening, “Your body does not attract me, trust me.”

You squeaked when his arm brushed past yours, reaching behind you. He grabbed the rest of the furs there, and walked away from you.

“You should sleep,” he commented over his shoulder as he began making a place on the floor to sleep for the night, “Long day, tomorrow. Rest.”

As he worked on fixing up his bed, you bit into your lip, and decided to sleep near the corner — as far away from him as possible.

The air was thick with tension, it felt like it was crawling up and down your spine no matter how far you were from him. You laid down, choosing to stare up at the ceiling. There was shuffling to your left, and you caught Neteyam settling down on his fur, giving you the view of his back once more. With a quiet huff, you turned your attention back to the ceiling. The day’s events replayed in your head, over and over. How you got here, wondering how long it would be before you were back at the outpost, in your own cozy bed.

It all happened in a blur. Losing Theo, getting lost, meeting Neteyam and Kanu, meeting his angry mother and legendary father and laying under the same roof as him. If you thought about it too much, you’d feel like the room was spinning. So much had happened within the span of a few hours. It almost felt like a dream.

All you wanted was to be back at the lab. Safe and sound, and away from the very man that slept a few feet away from you. Someone who didn’t want you near him in the first place.

You frowned at his sleeping form, wondering why he had insisted that you slept with him anyway. Especially if he hated you so much. Why did he care where you slept? You weren’t his responsibility. It didn’t make any sense.

You would’ve much rather spent the night with Kanu, but he had disappeared earlier on. You couldn’t help but wonder why he’d left so early, but then again, it was none of your business. You didn’t exactly know him that well (or really, at all).

It was late, and you grew tired of thinking. Neteyam was right about one thing. You needed to rest. Too much had happened in one day, and the medicine that Mo’at had you drink before you left her hut was starting to kick in. You could feel the drowsiness lurking up on you, and decided to not fight it.

The moment you’d fallen asleep, Neteyam knew. For some reason, his body wouldn’t allow him to sleep until you did. It kept him up to make sure you were able to sleep, which was strange to him. He didn’t understand why it mattered. You seemed cozy in your little corner. Why did he feel worried about you?

Aggravated by this connection he seemed to be having with you, he drew his fur up and over his head to hopefully block you out entirely.

Except, it didn’t seem to work. Sometimes he hated to have heightened hearing.

He could hear your teeth chattering, and your sniffling.

He sighed. It sounded like you had a runny nose.

Great.

He willed his body to ignore you, but it was hard. Very hard. Especially when you sneezed. He cursed under his breath. On top of your injuries, you did not need to go and get sick on him. That would only prolong your stay, and he was fighting hard to get you out of the village within, at least, a day or two. If you got sick, he was positive his father would allow you to stay for more than that. He couldn’t handle it. Especially with his mother still angry about you being around in the first place.

Sucking up his pride, he pushed back the fur blankets and stood up with a grunt. He needed to fix this before it became a situation. His life was already stressful. He didn’t need you to continue adding on to it.

Standing over you, he took in a breath. He knew what he had to do. Your form visibly shivered under the single fur blanket you had on top of you. Other than that, you were just laying on the wooden flooring. He winced. It couldn’t have been comfortable, and of course you were shivering. The blanket wasn’t doing much to keep you warm. If anything, it was sending mixed signals to your brain making you believe you were comfortable enough to sleep, but was freezing you out at the same time.

“Okay, little one,” He bent down and carefully scooped you into his arms. Thankfully, you were deeply asleep and didn’t wake up. “Let’s get you warm.”

Your slight squirming didn’t bother him as he set you down on his makeshift bed of fur, and noted that it was warm because he’d been laying in it. You almost cracked a smile watching the way you snuggled against the bedding, but you were still shaking. He frowned, and covered you with the rest of the fur. Hopefully, now that he had placed you somewhere with more covering, that would fix the issue.

He was wrong.

You whimpered, and tried to press yourself further into the bedding, subconsciously seeking more of the warmth that was slowly dulling out now that his body heat was gone.

Neteyam feared this was something he’d end up having to do.

Swallowing his pride, he lifted the blankets and slipped inside with you. His first mind had been right. He’d have to sleep with you, right next to you, in order for you to get warm. You needed to leech off of his body heat and if that was going to solve the problem, then why not?

He just didn’t foresee you scooting closer to him until you were pressed right up against his back. He felt your cold fingertips against his warm skin, and let out a breath. You were freezing, just like he had suspected. Your touch was too cold to be normal so he turned around, and wrapped his arms around your tiny figure, bringing you against his chest. Your teeth continued to chatter and your whimpering didn’t stop until after Neteyam could feel himself slowly falling to sleep. You’d gone silent, and when he looked down, he could tell that you were finally warm.

He lifted a finger to your nose, and felt that it was dry now. No runny nose. Your body was also warming up. He knew that he didn’t need to continue holding you this way, but he couldn’t let you go. It felt…nice having you so close to him.

Your scent traveled into his nose again, and he mentally groaned. Not this again. What bad timing, at that.

He softly trailed his nose from the shell of your ear, to your neck. He took in a slow inhale, and let it out, his warm breath coating your skin. You smelled as sweet and as intoxicating as earlier. If not more now.

His body wanted more.

You made a small noise from the back of your throat but otherwise, continued to sleep. He let one of his hands slide from the middle of your back down, close to the swell of your ass. He needed to gain control of himself, but there you were, nearly naked and pressed against his own half naked body. How could he resist? It was like you’d been served to him on a silver platter.

Who was he if he didn’t indulge just a little bit?

“Oeya tawtute,” he growled against your skin, fangs itching to dip into you. He felt an aggressive need to mark you, to make sure that once you left the house, everyone knew you were marked by him. Especially his annoying best friend, Kanu. How Neteyam desperately wanted to see the look on his face once he saw the mark. He’d know to not come near you ever again. That you were his, and no one else’s.

“Neteyam?” You called in a groggy voice, trying to blink the sleepiness away. You’d felt something warm against your neck, but couldn’t figure out what it was. You knew that he’d taken you to his bed to get you warm, but you didn’t expect anything else to happen. You’d been grateful for his kindness, but this…

Your eyes popped open. This was similar to earlier when he’d had you in the tree. When he held you against him, nosing your neck and acting all strange. You went rigid. Now that the two of you were alone and half naked in the same bed, there was no telling what was going to happen.

“Hey,” you tried to push him back, but he was stronger. He nipped at your neck, pulling a choked gasp from your throat, “Neteyam, wait–”

“No,” He told you before he pushed you on your back, climbing on top of you. The first thing you noticed was how dark his eyes had gotten. They’d been such a bright and warm amber earlier, but now… They looked different. Much different. “You are mine. Not his.”

His voice was deeper as well. He didn’t even look like the same person from before. His fangs appeared longer, and his grip on your waist would’ve hurt if you weren’t so turned on by the entire shift of his personality. What was going on?

And who the hell was he even talking about?

“I think you’re dreaming? I don’t know what you’re talking about, but–”

He hissed before he got off of you. He scooted away from you, panting, trying to get himself under control. You laid there, blinking up at the ceiling in confusion. What just happened?

His back was facing you when you sat up on an elbow, looking at him. Even though you didn’t quite understand what he had going on, you still didn’t think it was a good idea to get upset about it. Especially when it seemed like it was something fragile and personal going on. You could always ask him about it later, but right now, it was best to try and sleep it off.

You chose to not say anything, and turned on your side, away from him. It didn’t look like he wanted to talk anyway, and you weren’t going to force him to.

Neteyam felt like his head was spinning on his shoulders. He couldn’t figure out what happened to him just now, but he feared that things with you would only get worse the longer he went without talking to his grandmother about what was going on. Only she would know what to do to help him with his little…problem.

He huffed to himself, and forcibly closed his eyes. If he forgot that you were only an inch away from him, he could probably get proper sleep tonight. It sounded easier said than done, though. Just moments ago, he’d been on top of you. You were looking at him with such fear that it woke up his arousal. He could’ve done anything to you, and you wouldn’t have been able to do a thing to stop him. Probably would’ve quelled the hunger he could deep within him, but not only was his gentlemen but he was also rational. A realist. It would’ve been wrong, and he was not someone that laid with someone that didn’t want to be with him. The connection needed to be mutual. Still, this…thing between you and him — it was different. It was hard to silence.

However, he could keep fighting it back. He had to.

Feeling your feet slide up his leg by accident made his tail hit the floor rather hard. His body went rigid.

He knew, in that moment, it was going to prove to be more of a challenge than he thought.

taglist: [if you are not listed, i reached my limit, sorryy 😭]

@powowowy @daydreamerbunny @itzmariaa777 @suntizme @neteyamforlife @blushhpeachh @makeup-stuff-and-such @ilovejakesullysdick @fantasico @iwanttohitmyself @mashiromochi @mae-is-crazy @lovekeeho @tpwkstiles @jellybeanstacey0519 @squidalapobre @crazy4books1 @hmt09 @danyxthirstae01 @desatando-me @zoetrope1997 @bajadotcom @maweysworld @ancientbeing10 @filmneteyam @kage-yaa @llearlert @jakesully-sbabygirl @dia-nne @reggiesslut @cerya @coldheartedmar @jdbxws @anxietydrogz @stillinracooncity @kyunasully @liluvtojineteyam @shadytalething @willowpains @itssomeonereading @neteyamor @luvvfromme @zaddyneteyamlovergirl @lordeleviathan @cleverzonkwombatsludge @love13tter @wtf-why-do-i-gotta-do-this @dreamtogether2000 @jjkclub @lyramundana

end notes: i just want to say thank you for all the support, i am still processing the amount of ppl that want to see this series continue bc i doubted myself a pretty long time before posting this :”) smooches to every single one of you, it’s made me so so happy istg, expect another update next week, xoxo

3K notes · View notes

sereisstuff · 2 years ago

Text

The Sweetest Sylaung

A/N: So I def didn’t mean to write a novel long Neteyam smut story but here we are. Debating on making this a mini series. Also the anon that requested a “curvy” reader insert- here ya go!(she’s also an Augustine- buttttt you can only see that if you squint lol)

Word Count: 6k+

Warnings: This is smut. Pure smut. Please don’t read if it is not your jam. You are in charge of cultivating your own online experience, you’ve been warned!

Pairing: Aged Up! Neteyam x Human!Curvy!Reader

Summary: After an “accidental” romp in the forest, you do your best to avoid Neteyam. It’s for everyone’s good, or so you’ve convinced yourself.

“I’m begging for you to take my hand, wreck my plans. That’s my man”- Willow, Taylor Swift

The kaleidoscope of colors explode under your eyes in endless patterns and shapes as you look over the sample of Pandora flora under the heavy duty microscope. This particular piece of the Moons terra had never been discovered before, only blooming at what you estimated to be every ten or so years, under the right monsoon like conditions

At least that’s what you had discovered so far.

The flower, which sprouted into a berry, and then dissipated into a moss like cluster of microorganisms all within its short life cycle had turned into your passion project. You we’re doing your thesis on it, the last step in getting your Masters.

You’d gone through schooling on a computer screen, guided by the greatest minds on Earth that had relocated to Pandora. Scientists of all fields who you’d grown up around. None of them had been surprised when you’d picked up botany. Xenobotany to be exact.

It was in your blood.

The desk your at shakes violently- disturbing your precision like focus. Breaking you straight out of your zone.

“Ugh” you groan, frustrated, raising your head, eyes narrowing at the culprits.

Spider, Lo’ak and Kiri freeze like deers in the headlights of your fury. Spiders arm raised, a wad of paper balled up in his hand, aimed to shoot. He lowers it slowly as the weight of your your heavy gaze zero’s in.

“Sorry, cu-”

“I told you guys, if you cant behave to get the fuck out” You seethe. Your nerves are paper thin anyway. Too much screen time frying your brain something fierce as you focused in on your studies. “Is that not what I said, verbatim?”

“You need to chill. You’ve been so high strung lately. Come hang out with us” Lo’ak suggests smooth and unhelpful. As usual. “When was the last time you left the lab?”

You roll your eyes and bite your tongue, trying not to say anything to scalding to the surprisingly sensitive Sully brother. “No thanks. I’ve gotta focus”

“Maybe Lo’aks right” Kiri starts, her face screwing up as she speaks “Eywa that sounds wrong. Nevermind, My brother is never right- but you should come hang out with us. Let’s go swimming- the watering hole is over flowing from the storms”

The deep sigh through your nose isn't calming, even though you pretend it is. You know they mean well, in the most annoying way. That you’d been buried in books and paperwork in the lab for the past couple months.

Hiding from the outside world within the thick walls of Hell’s Gate.

“Can’t. This is important, Kir- but why don’t you guys head down there? Its closer to Home Tree and its almost curfew anyway” two birds, one stone. Its a smart suggestion- but Kiri’s face falls, shoulders sagging and ears lowing. That look had always gotten you-

“I cant today, but maybe tomorrow? The samples are too fresh and I don't want to put them on ice…But I think Max made those Yovo cookie things” That’s only half of the truth, but luckily Kiri’s always been understanding.

She grabs your elbow in her long fingers and tugs you along.

The mess hall had seen better days, but the large open space still tends to be the meeting ground for the humans that were allowed to stay and inhabit the moon. With twelve foot tall ceilings and airtight exits and windows that lead out to the Avatar Program training yards. Its a common room of sorts, a place where everyone gathers. For meals, for mismatched Holidays. But mostly for gossip.

I mean, what else is there to do?

Like currently, you’re deeply engrossed in the story that Doctor Martinez’s, Xeno-Zoologist is recounting. All dramatics and dirty intimate details “It’s true, they’re gonna bring it before Mo’at and everything”

He’s talking about Trevino and Eital’i.

Everyone had heard the whispers, seen the not so subtle signs. The main Radio Tower operator had turned during the resistance, had fought beside Jake and had been allowed to stay on Pandora- better stuck on a foreign planet then thrown in a familiar jail cell. Trevino’s a cool guy, really.

A cool guy who had been sleeping with a Na’vi woman, apparently. The two had kept it under wraps, really private. No one could pin down how or when it happened,,,but to go to the clan’s Tsahik seeking a mating blessing? That’s major.

“You’re lying” you accuse in a gasp as the table breaks into whispers, all wide eyes and shaking heads. “They’re going to mate?...How?”

“It’s not like it hasn't happened before” Says another scientist casually. Like it’s a known thing.

Which it kind of is.

Taboo, yes. But not unheard of, more like untalked about.

Humans and the Na’vi of the forest had lived in close quarters since the overthrow of the RDA. Jake, the standing Olo’eyktan, just had a little too much homosapien in him. Yeah, he’d survived the soul transfer and fully inhabited his blue body- but he never quite grew out of his human roots.

It had been hard, lots of politicking and good grace shown on both parts, but somehow, like all biomes in the vast perma green forest, all had learned to live in harmony. Most Omitikaya kept their distance. Very hesitant about the human presence. They had every right to be scared, hostile. Scarred by man and its weapons and its destruction.

Others had been raised in close proximity to Grace’s school. Had become accustomed to the nearly two decade long human presence on Pandora. Curious and accepting.

You’d heard about interspecies hookups.

Locker room talks that left your ears burning and your heart racing. It usually came from members of the Avatar Program- It tends to set a precedent, when the quote on quote “royal family” of the Omiticaya is a Jarhead and a native woman.

Na’vi are gorgeous, tall and lean but humanoid enough to be familiar…you’re not exactly sure what they see in humans but you know damn well what you guys see in them.

“How do you think that works? The fucking I mean. Trevino doesn't have an Avatar-”

You’re not the only one zoning out from the conversation and it’s lewd turn.

You watch Kiri watch Spider and your heart aches for her. What they have is secret, delicate and forbidden. As a woman with high standing in the clan, you knew that her feelings for the boy wouldn't go anywhere. Couldn't.

When they we’re kids, it was cute. Now that they 're both technically adults, it was just plain stupid.

You tell her of the fact, often.

Kiri tells you to stop projecting.

———

The Sully Kid’s are always late. It’s like no matter how hard they try, they cant make curfew. You throw on an Exopack, hurrying them to the fence.

“Yeah, yeah okay mom. Take it easy” Lo’ak shrugs huffily as you yank hard on his arm. “I’m going, Y/N!”

“Not fast enough you strumbeast’s ass! You’re gonna get me into trouble, who do you think your dad’s gonna blame when you guys end up back at Home Tree super late again? Norm chewed me out for that shit last time!” You man handle the much taller than you alien.

Kiri and Spider a few leagues in front of you, already at the mouth of the giant fence. They’re awkward, not in their usual synched steps. You wonder how much of that conversation earlier had gone to their heads?

You’re bickering with Lo’ak, an extremely normal occurrence. He can be a real douche. and had been kind of insufferable lately. You think its nerves about his impending Iknamaya.

So engrossed with getting them on their way home that you don't even notice him until it’s too late.

Neteyam is a skilled hunter, through and through. The youngest in the clan to ever make a kill. Swift and quiet. Beloved.

But around you he feels out of his element. Clunky and awkward, no matter how hard he tries to play it off its like you can see right through him. Its scary and thrilling, sets his stomach alive with butterflies everytime. This is no different.

Showing up to Hell’s Gate to retrieve his siblings was something he had done since he was a child.

He’d used to bleed hours away playing with them at the scientists fortress, but as he had gotten older and his responsibilities had grown heavier- he had little time for it. Still, when ever his parents would send him out on a one man search party to bring them home, he’d jump at the chance.

At the hope of seeing you.

You’re arguing with his little brother, trying not to laugh at something he said and Neteyam knows. He knows he shouldn't feel jealous but he just cant help it. Cant help the acidic twist of his insides.

Especially when he chirps out his family's familiar call, letting his presence be known.

And watches that pretty smile fall right off of your face.

“You’re late, as usual” His voice has a stern edge. It’s annoying, the role he has to play. Kiri is a woman grown, Lo’ak just weeks away from being the same. He doesnt blame them for the way their feathers bristle, almost viscerally.

“Ah, big brother you didn't have to come all this way to get us” Kiri reassures, patting Neteyam on the chest good naturedly. “We we’re just about to be on our way”

Neteyam notices the way you try to look anywhere else but him. It stings because he cant stop looking at you, cant pry his eyes away from your form.

“You all should start heading back before dad notices” Neteyam starts. His father had been busy as of late, harvest season abundant and fruitful this year because of the heavy rain season “I’ll catch up, I need to speak with Norm”

“What? Dad cant use the coms now, he has to send his messenger” Lo’ak’s nose scrunches a little, always questioning. On a normal day it wouldn't affect Neteyam so much, just a normal jab from his snot nosed little brother.

Not today. Not when he’s stretched so thin. Not when you refuse to look at him but are staring at the side of Lo’ak fat head. It feels wrong, makes his skin heat up to the point that it feels itchy and tight.

“That's none of your concern. Head back to Home Tree. Now” He doesn't normally throw his weight around. But he feels the need to puff up big in front of you “Those are orders. Get out of here”

Lo’ak’s less offended and more surprised. One of his oh so human eyebrows cocks, a sly remark in his throat before he scoffs. “Aye, Aye Captain Kiss Ass. C’mon Kiri let's go. See you later Spider, Y/N”

He deuces up Spider, gives Y/N a pat on her small shoulder and glares harshly at his brother before he disappears into the thick brush of the jungle.

Kiri wraps her arms around you in a strong hug, muttering about ‘swimming’ and ‘promises’. The small impish smile she shoots Spider gives YOU butterflies so you don't blame the way he swoons, before she’s off behind her younger brother.

“I can go find Norm for you, bro. I think he’s still out in his Avv, but Max can radio him back in” Spider is none the wiser. Doesn't notice the heavy tension that simmers on a low bubble. Oblivious, as usual.

“Yeah, sure” Neteyam replies, barely sparing the human boy a glance. He’d feel bad for it later, when he could form coherent thought. When his brain wasn't on Y/N issued override.

Spider chatters, good natured. He never got to see the Olo’eyktan in training anymore. He missed his homie.

“Well, I should be heading back. You guys have a good rest of your night-” You’re already turning on your heels when you make the announcement, eager to get back inside. Back behind the safe walls of the lab- far away from Neteyam.

“No”

Neteyam who stares at you with all too knowing eyes. He looks straight through you like he can see through your clothes, through your thinly veiled escapism attempts. He reaches out, wraps his long fingers around the top of your arm and tugs you back to him. Gentle, but very firm.

He doesn't have to say it- it’s written all over his face. Not this time. He’s not going to let you run away from him.

“Netey-” You start in a whine, tugging on his hold. He doesnt relent, if anything his fingers tighten as his eyes narrow. Dangerous, desperate.

“Just talk to me” it’s a barely concealed plea, his tail twitches anxiously behind him “I'm just asking for five minutes. Please Y/N”

Spiders oblivious, yes. Stupid? No. He doesnt know exactly what's going on between the two of you but has clued into the fact that it’s heavy and he wants no part of it.

The excuse he makes is shit- he’ll just go find Norm. Yeah… he’s so out of there.

“What is wrong with you?” You hiss as you watch Spiders awkward, quick retreating form. Eyes flickering over the empty for now training yards “So much for keeping it lowkey, huh? Could you be anymore obvious?”

“What’s wrong with me?” Neteyam is almost shaking with disbelief “What the fuck is wrong with you? You havent talked to me in over a month. Everytime I make any kind of attempt you bolt. I dont-” He sighs, pinching the wide bridge of his nose with the hand that isnt holding onto you.

He looks tortured. Tired. Run a little ragged.

Beautiful.

“I don't know what I did? If this is about that day in the forest-”

You sigh at his words, once again pulling on his hold. Shaking your head desperately because you can't.

You can't talk about it. Fuck, you’ve been trying not to even think about it.

And failing as you replay the event over and over again the darkness of your bunk. Hyper fixating on the way that his lips had felt against yours. Oh the way that his big hands had worked your body over

“Don’t” you whisper “Please don’t”

You’d never been one to beg for pity, for mercy but that’s what you do now. Beg him to let you out of his tight clutches. Metaphorically and physically.

“You’re all I can think about” It's a gutted admittance, but Neteyam makes it all the same “That night- I can’t sleep. I can barely eat- I’m falling behind on my duties because I keep coming back here. Standing outside this fence and waiting for you. I know you could hear me over the coms, right?”

And you could, a few weeks or so ago.

When he’d begged you to come out. To come speak to him. His voice so appealing that you’d almost caved. You’d had to turn off your receiver. Had sat with your head in your hands for hours as you fought the urge to crawl to him, knees raw and your bloody heart on a platter only he could divulge in.

He shuffles closer, all lean strong muscle. Firm, unmovable. “You heard me”

“Of course I did”

“And you still left me out here” He scoffs, head shaking slightly as his adams apple bobs, his ears are pinned to the sides of his head in obvious distress “I could never do that shit to you.”

“One of us needs to be the adult in this situation” Your voice is as strong as you can make it. Trying to speak reason on to both of you “We can pretend it never happened and go back to the way that things were before. You’re my friend, Tey”

You reach up, stroking at his wrist. Trying to soften him enough for him to let this go. Let you go.

He’s trying to control his breathing, all that training for all of those years for what? One fragile human girl to make him completely unspool? To lose any and all composure he’d worked so hard to gain.

He was always the adult, in all situations. Had been born with a neck cramping crown on his head. Shrouded in pressurized glory.

“If this is me being childish, so be it. Where has pretending gotten you, huh? Look at you, yawntutsyìp. you look so tired. When was the last time you slept? Kiri says you spend days in the lab without resting”

His hands, both of them, come up to cup your face. Huge and calloused. Yet he holds you like you're something precious. A small animal, a rare gem. His whole entire world since he was just a boy.

Neteyam thumbs at the cool glass of your mask, tenderly. The bags under your eyes are sunken and bruised. “Don’t shut me out”

Your body, in its entirety, clenches at his words. Velvet and sincere. He’s a fucking dream. Your head leans into his hands, neck sagging of its own accord as any and all words of protest leave your weak mind.

He makes you so easy.

“Let me in…I dont want there to be this distance between us anymore” He hisses around the word distance. Hating even having to say it “I want to be inside of you again”

Your plump lower lip gets skewered between your teeth, eyes screwed shut as you remember the last time. Your first ever time being full…you’d dreamt of it every night since it had happened.

If it wasn't for the blasted mask and your need for Earth’s oxygen he’d kiss you. Right here right now. He didn't really give a shit who saw or what they had to say.

Instead pulls you into his chest, lets you wind your arms around his lean middle and bury your chest in his diaphragm. Its as close as he can get you, for now. Makes you cling to him the way that he’d clung to every thought of you for the last weeks.

You wish it was lungfuls of his skin that you were taking as you try to bring yourself down from this abrupt shaky high. You dont get it, how your relationship couldve flipped this hard in such a short time.

He had always just been Neteyam. A shameless flirt yes- but that’s all it was.

“Would you like that?” He questions, hands working through your hair. Fingers light and soothing on your scalp. Massaging the thoughts right out of your head.

“Hmm?”

“If I was inside you again?” He presses on. You can feel the tickle of his long, thin, tail as it wraps around the back of your calf and you groan, digging your nails into his back.

“You’re such an asshole. Stoppppp” You’re embarrassed and turned on and already feel stupid enough, he doesn't need to rub it in. His chest shakes as he chuckles.

“I’m serious. Tell me you want it-”

“Neteyam! Hey!”

The two of you break apart in an instant. You jump away from him as though struck by lightning. Instantly putting enough distance between you and the Na’vi that maybe, just maybe an onlooker might think that the embrace was friendly.

It’s Norm, having heard that the eldest Sully was looking for him he’d come eagerly.

The smile you plaster on is forced and honestly, Neteyam doesnt fair any better. He’s obviously flustered, just glad that his erection isn't tenting his tweng.

“Spider told me you and your dad are looking for me. I’m not intruding on uh anything, am I?” Norm looks between the two of you.

Your arms are folded tightly over your chest and Neteyam is rubbing at the back of his neck, strong jaw flexing as his teeth grind.

Oh yeah, Norm had definitely interrupted something.

Knows for sure as you scurry away. As Neteyam, always so level headed, has to string together words. Stumbling a little bit as he tries to remember the message that Jake had relayed.

It’s not any of his business, he thinks at the time. He sure didnt want to be the one to shine the light on whatever the hell was going on here. Turning a blind eye to the mysteries of Pandora is the only way to survive the harshest terrain known to man.

———

You dont know that though-

No, you’re spiraling more a little bit as you prepare yourself for bed. Brushing through your thick hair and staring out into space as your mind assaults you with all of the gnarly ‘What If’s’

Norm had seen and he had to know right? Oh god, what if he told Jake?

You balk. Lowering the brush as your eyes bulge out of your head.

What if he told Neytiri?

That's actually a super horrific thought. Like nightmarish. You have a lot of respect for the future Tsahik...

…And a very healthy does of fear. She didnt like humans and made it known. She tolerated them only for her husband's benefit. What if she found out that her eldest son, her golden boy, had fucked one?

You’re freak out is interrupted by static, by the beeping of your com receiver on your night stand.

“Y/N?” its Neteyams muffled voice through the device. You’d ignored it once. You should ignore it again…

“Yeah?” you wonder if he picks up on how shaky you sound through the receiver.

“Tomorrow night meet me at the East Gate. Like when we we’re kids” he’s not really asking. Not demanding either. You could ignore him again, but he has to try.

The line goes silent, quiet for minutes on end.

“Y/N?”

You’re so stupid. “What time?”

You can hear the grin he’s sporting as he replies “0100”

“Got it, over. Good night, Neteyam. Go to sleep”

———

The East Bay is on the other side of the large fortress-like building. It's not that it's forbidden, or anything. but it is deserted. It’s where the military personnel had inhabited, and since most if not all of them had gotten the hard boot off Pandora it was empty as a ghost town in these maze like halls.

When you we’re younger; you’d caught Spider sneaking Kiri and Lo’ak in through the rarely used entrance. You’d demanded the know how, if he didnt want you to rat on him for it. It was a rare occurrence, but the Sully children had all been snuck into Hell’s Gate this way over the years.

You type in the codes, disabling the alarm system in order to usher Neteyam into the pressurized, air lock. You’d toted one of the Avatar Exopacks along for him, they’re heavier then hell but he’d need it.

“Hi” you smile, suddenly shy as the tall Na’vi man stands before you.

That's what he was now. A man, not only in the eyes of his people but as a whole. Broad and muscular, strong. Verile. The next leader of his people. You know that he’s highly desired in his clan. Women fawn over him. Vie for his attention.

It doesnt feel real that he wants to give it to you.

You’re nothing special. Not tall and stunning like the Omaticaya women. Even by Earth’s standards you're short, curvy. Not particularly pretty. Insecurity gnaws at you, as it so often does.

“C’mere” Neteyam urges, boldly yanking you by your waist. Pulling you flush against his body. Grabby and insistent, he wants to feel your bare skin. All plush and soft, hes been dying to taste it since the last time.

Kicking himself over and over for not savoring every bit of your body that you gave to him. He won't make the same mistake again.

He’s not gonna lie, the concrete and metal of the walls inside of Hell’s Gate have always made him a little claustrophobic. But he can't do this outside-

His lips capture yours, demanding and needy from the jump. Big, over powering, he swallows your little chirp of surprise. Devours any and all breath from your lungs. Its messy and so good. You hadn't gotten to kiss him last time.

His mouth tastes amazing, his tongue rough in texture just like you remembered. It grates your lips as you suck on it-

“Hey, slow down a little bit” You giggle as Neteyam paws at your ass, lifting you off the ground until you squirm hard, making him release you “Not here, we can't do this here there’s cameras everywhere”

“I don't care” Neteyam pecks all over your face, trying to recapture your mouth as you avoid him “Let them watch, most of those pervs would like it”

And they would know that you’re his. The thought is beyond heady.

You gasp as his sharp canines ghost over the delicate skin of your neck, nibbling on your pulse point “Please- Neteyam”

You firmly push him away, hand on his chest and maybe if you hadn't cut him off cold turkey he would've given you space. Could've pulled away for a moment to let you say your piece. Instead the idea of letting you pull away even an inch is unbearable to him.

No. instead he tosses you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He hauls loads heavier then you every day, your protests mean little to him. With his free hand he scoops up the Avv Exo Tank,

“Where to, yawntutsyìp?”

Where too is an old conference room. Its as good as any, and Neteyam yanks a couple cushions off the old couch to act as a brace for your head as he lowers you to the floor, flat on your back.

You’re so pretty like this, he tells you of the fact.

With your hair a mess behind you, your face free of that damned mask. Grinning up at him as you rub your thighs together. He wishes he had that camera that his dad liked to take pictures on. He wants this moment of you framed, immortalized.

“I hate sky people clothes” He mutters as he tugs on the hem of your t-shirt. It hides you, hides all that skin he craves.

“You want me to take it off?” You offer eagerly, raising up enough to start peeling the piece of clothing off. You’re bare underneath, completely. Your breasts jiggle as they’re freed, nipples peaked in the cool air-conditioned air.

“Don’t ever put it on again” He demands, taking it from your hands and tossing it across the room. He’s dead serious, but by the way you're giggling you obviously think its a joke.

He can’t help it, he dives in face first. Rubbing against your soft breasts, obsessed with the way they feel. Heavy, pillowy. He drags his tongue across all of your bare skin. From your clavicle to your nipple. You always smell so pretty, but its got nothing on the way you taste. It explodes bright and savory on his tastebuds.

You let him explore, until your spit soaked and shaking. Your panties sticky as your hips search for any kind of friction. “I need you”

“You have me, my love. All of me” your eyes water at his words. At the sincerity. At how much you want them to be true.

You grab one of his hands and drag it down your chest. Past your soft, rounded belly and into your shorts. He grunts as you guide him to where you’re wet and pulsing. Rythmetically clenching around nothing.

He circles your clit, feather light. More of a tease then anything and you want to sob. You’d thought of nothing but this, touched yourself imagining him. “Tey-”

He smiles around a mouthful of nipple,tugging on with his teeth. “I missed you so much”

“Then be nice to me” you plead, trying to shove yourself down on his fingers.

“We’re being nice now? Were you nice to me when you ignored me?” he can't help it, hurt bleeds into his voice. It had been so fucking painful, knowing that you hadnt wanted to see him. To be with him.

“I’m sorry” you whine, grabbing his face, pulling it from your bosom. “I’m so sorry. I was so scared- I’m still scared but I need you”

He lets you cup his cheeks, lets you plant kisses all over him. The bridge of his nose, his eyelids, his cheekbones. You dote on him, gentle and caring and he gorges himself on your love.

“You cant ever do that again, okay?” He shivers as you kiss his ear, running your tongue along the hyper sensitive flesh “If you’re scared you come to me, not run from me. Do you understand?”

You nod, eager. “I promise, Neteyam”

It’s all he needs to hear, that you’re his. That you won't deprive him of your presence ever again. He doesn't know what he’ll do. He’s a little scared of the man he becomes when it comes to you, you’re not the only one frightened by the gravity of your feelings.

“You asked if I wanted you inside me again? Yes. So much. I never knew I could be that full” it’s like you know just what to say. You light him up from the inside. His fingers begin circling your sopping clit again, this time with intent.

It’s blurry, the fact that your lightheaded making it hard to think. To track what he’s doing to you because somehow Neteyam seems to be everywhere at once. His big body all encompassing as he takes you.

“No-no marks, baby” You try to remind him and his blazing eyes zero in on you in a glare “you know we cant…not where they can see”

You’re right, and he hates it. He’ll just have to mark you where only you can see. Where you can look at your self and be reminded that you belong to someone. That you belong to him.

He doesn't have the patience, cant stop his hands from shaking- the tear of your shorts and panties echos around the room as he removes any barriers between him and the heat at the apex of your thighs.

You cant help the thrill it sends down your spine. He’d…ripped your panties off. You thought shit like this only existed in bad Earth made Porn that you’d found on one of the labs computers.

“Sorry, sorry” his apology is far from sincere though and you can't help but giggle, patting his braids fondly.

The fingerfucking is rough, your wines and moans spilling from you as he hits spots inside of you that make you want to curl up. It’s too good. Too much-

You screech, back bowing as he bends to kiss you, loud and sloppy, right on your wet clit. His big head burrows between your thigs as he delves on your cunt, his long rough textured tongue lapping at the fat puffy lips. The texture difference has both of you groaning.

It’s heartbreakingly good, the kind of good that you’ll never be able to forget. That you’ll crave and need for the rest of your life. Addictive, as he dedicates himself to making you feel pleasure.

Neteyam eats pussy the same way he does everything else in his life, exceeding any expectations. His instincts sharp as he hones in on how to make you lose your mind.

He keeps telling you how good you taste, breaking away for heaving breaths before he reburries himself. The only sounds in the room are the beyond wet sloshing of his tongue lashing and the pathetic noises your making.

He’s eating you alive, you don’t know how you’re supposed to survive this.

His fingers, two and then three fuck in and out of you. Corkscrewing as he loosens your tightness up for him.

“O-ooh” you whine high and reedy as you feel your tummy tightening, the pressure building in a way that makes you feel like you cant breathe. You cant your hips, shoving them down at that perfect angle “Oh, sh-shhhhit. I’m gonna, I’m-”

He doubles down and you’re a goner.

The orgasm is devastating. Sofuckinggood you think you might see stars for a minute there. You can't even scream, you keep letting out these little cries that are more like wheezes. A desprate attempt to get some kind of air back in your lungs-

Which reminds you.

Even though you’re in a daze you wiggle away from him, he hisses at you about it but you swat the top of his head as you reach for the Exo Pack.

You shove the mask in his face, between your legs.

”Breathe, Neteyam” you demand him to gulp down the Pandoran air. Yeah, he could go longer in your environment than you in his but still. Death by giving head isn’t the way you’d like him to go out.

He takes long breaths and you try not to be embarrassed by how soaked his chin is.

When he pulls away his eyes are a little more focused “Thank you, sweet girl. Always thinking about me, huh?”

You nod, dropping the mask. Closer this time for easier access. His eyes quickly zero back in on your swollen pussy, on how wet he got you. On how pretty it looks. His mouth is watering all over again-

When you try to close your thighs, the burning of your cheeks getting to be too much he hisses again. It’s not a sound he often makes and it’s a revelation, he’s so sexy. Almost feral.

“Who said I’m done?”

You’re never going to be able to get over this man “I already came?...”

“Yes? So?” he rolls his eyes, lowering his head, nuzzling at the damp juncture of your inner thigh “You’re still so tight, here feel”

His fingers slip back in you and you mewl, baring down as he scissors the long digits.

“We have to get you loose enough to take me, I don’t want to hurt you” He explains it like you need convincing. Like he has to convince you to let him eat you out. You just re-spread your thighs, relaxing back onto the cool floor as you let him do as he pleases.

It takes two more orgasms that you scream and shake through until he deems that you’re ready. By the time that he begins to slide his cock into you you’re a blubbering, oversensitive mess. You’re crying rivers of tears as you cling to him.

“Hold my hand? Please ” You request and he smiles, kissing your tear streaked cheek as he interlaces his longer fingers with yours.

Humans and Na’vi can fuck, but we’rnt designed to. His dick is overwhelimgly big and will really injure you if the two of you aren't careful about this.

You both gasp sharply as his tip breaches you.

It hurts, it’s agonizing. It’s the kind of pleasure pain that you didnt even know could exist. Everytime you think you can adjust, he pushes in another inch. But oh, how you missed it. Being so full it feels like you’re going to burst. You’re pussy flutters as it fights to take him and you focus in on his face.

It’s all scrunched up in heavy concentration. His lips speared between his sharp teeth in a way that has them almost bleeding.

You can't have that. You tug him into a kiss, soothing the abused flesh with your tongue.

“I-I dont want to hurt you” He whimpers as his forehead rests against yours.

“It’s okay, you’re okay” You hum to him, grasping at his hand even tighter “I love what you do to me. I love how you feel”

When he bottoms out you think he must be in your ribs. Hes still, letting your body get used to him. Trying to be kind. You want to tell him that there’s no getting used to his size. That he could fuck you every day for the rest of your lives and he would still feel just as massive.

“Please” you wail instead “please”

The first gentle snap of his pelvis has you both reeling. Your thighs lock around his thin hips, urging him. You can take it. It only takes a little urging for him to lose himself. The harsh stretch of it has you shaking as your over sensitive pussy tightens. You’re coming again, less intense the the previous orgasms, thankfully.

Neteyam had been so focused on making you feel good that he’d neglected his hard, weeping cock. His balls are so full that he knows he’s not going to be able to draw this out.

You know you have to look stupid, mouth hanging open as you raggedly gasp for breath, letting out punched out sounds as Neteyam pounds into you. You cant look away from his face though.

It’s mesmerizing, all of it. The sounds he lets out. The way that his braids sway with the rhythm of his pleasure seeking body. His broad shoulders, bulging biceps and forearms- you are so fucked.

You’re so in love.

“Please Y/N” He wheezes as you squeeze around him, letting go of your hand so he can wrap both of his arms around your lower back “I can’t hold it. Please let me come inside of you”

Oh. Oh, he’s the sweetest man. He always has been.

“Yes” you peck his lips, not minding that he’s too lost in his own pleasure to really kiss you back

“Come inside me. Come inside me. Come inside me” you chant and he buries his head in your neck, wailing in the skin there.

Just for a moment, lost in the haze of sex, you can tell he forgets his own strength. Thrusts into you so hard that you scream out in pain, the mushroom tip of his long cock batters your cervix relentlessly. Its a sharp, startling feeling that you’ve never known but you ride it out for him.

When he comes, his whole body goes still and he hugs you tightly to him. You wish you could see his face. Next time, hopefully.

He’s Neteyam, the mighty warrior. The dutiful son. The next clan leader but as he shakes and twitches and basks in the afterglow you can't help but want to baby him. But stroke his back softly, rubbing the residual tension out of his tired muscles.

He’s your big ol’ pussy cat, you’d always teased. He purrs like one every time you’re affectionate with him.

You can’t help but run your hands along his sensitive spine. Let the length of his tail run through the loop of your fingers. He grins and flicks it from side to side. He’d always thought your fascination with it was amusing.

“Are you okay?” he mutters, still hidden in your hair as he starts to come back to himself and you hum, moving up to pat his braids.

“Mmhmm” you’re maybe not as capable of making words as you though you were. He chuckles and hugs you. Holds you in his big arms in a way that makes you feel untouchable.

The two of you lie in that room for as long as you can, until he has to start heading back to Home Tree, it’s almost morning and his parents are early risers. They’ll look for him if hes not in his tent…

It's hard. Letting him go. Even though you know he’ll be back. You keep pulling him back in for kisses, holding onto his muscular arms until he laughs and peels you off of him.

“I’ll be back my love. I’ll always return for you”

You frown but agree, pushing him away to get re-dressed- “How am I supposed to go back like this! Neteyam I don't have any pants!”

He’d shredded your shorts and panties. Literal tatters of cloth are all that’s left.

Neteyam cracks up, almost keeling over. Thinking he’s oh so funny. It lightens the situation and makes letting him go- watching him disappear back in the forest a little easier.

You end up having to pull your fortunately oversized t-shirt down as far as it can go as you make a mad dash across the facility, back to your dorm. You fall asleep grinning, thinking about how the panties had been a necessary sacrifice.

———

Norms on late night watch, keeping a bored probably not sharp enough eye on the security camera’s feeds. With the rainy season, came an influx of Slinths’. It made sense to have a lookout, and somehow he’d gotten saddled with an overnight shift.

He’d admittedly fallen asleep for a few hours.

There is nothing that could prepare him for what he see’s on the screen, over in the desolate East Bay. First, he thinks that he’s hallucinating, his sleep bogged eyes playing tricks on him.

He rubs them hard with his knuckles, not believing the image that is large and clear on the security footage.

It’s Neteyam. Inside the facility which almost never happened. And he’s bending down, his lips locked with Y/N’s . Kissing her hard and long before she punch’s in the code, and opens the air locked door to let him back out into the shadowy eclipse.

Norm’s learned a lot living on this strange moon- Pandora was mysterious. Full of things his brilliant mind would never understand. So he does what he does’ most of the time.

Minds his own business.

So I’ve had this idea cooking for months, but didn’t have the bandwidth to get it written down. The ideas wouldn’t translate to page and I still kind of feel like they didn’t butttttt whatever. This is pure self indulgence. I am so much more in love with Neteyam now. He is SUCH a good guy. Ugh.

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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

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Are you a poc?

I’m fair skinned but I’m First Nations (native to new Zealand - Māori) I’m not gonna explain myself because I was raised in my culture since I was a baby

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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

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me & my fic ideas: writer’s block:

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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

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To be honest I forgot I even wrote for a hot minute there. I smoke a lot so that’s why I’ve been so inactive, but I mentally hope everyday I will write something and then all that’s out the window when I see that little green garden I got going on so I’m so sorry to everyone who’s been sending through reqs😭

#avatar way of water #neteyam sully #atwow loak

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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

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𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

Synopsis - y/n despised her best friends brother, always there, never far. She hated him rotten but was that truly how they both felt, in terms of love, Ao’nung would never fall into that category. That’s what she believed.

Warnings - enemies to lovers? (I actually don’t know if I even did it right)

Aged!up Ao’nung I always had the vision of his tāmoko on his shoulder and forearm for this

Word count: 3.3K

Quick note: I wrote this within a span of four hours so it’s completely just a dump of words mushed into a story, it’s very rushed and has not been proofread I hope you enjoy.

I forgot to add everyone in the taglist fml.

The way of the metkayina people was a way of life for you, your adolescence was spent beside your dearest friend, Tsireya. Fulfilling each other’s day with happiness and bountiful fruits of love, not a day went by where you weren’t beside her, weren’t lingering.

This connection between you two also meant you were awfully close with her family, as well as her brother; Aonung.

He wasn’t the nicest boy in the village, but he did not lack respect when it was due. Being the son of the olo’eyktan brought him a sense of pride and grace unmatched by the other youthful men surrounding you. He was a captivating soul, on top of being the most awful person to ever lay foot on this island.

Despite sharing a sense of familial love between Tsireya’s and your own family, you could not say eye to eye with Aonung, his need for disturbance and rebellion was often matched by your quick tongued and ruthless attitude. If life was to throw you fruits, claiming you must feed them to him in order for Aonung to survive. You’d eat them and watch his body decay. He’d say the same.

Although your younger self would plant even more seeds in order for him to survive, you quickly freed yourself from the torment of adoring Aonung. As children you weren’t always angered by the sight of him, he was sweet, kind even. His desire for trouble was still prominent but he’d never aimed his torturous words your way.

But that was just it, you two drifted apart. As each day passed, both you and aonung faded further and further from each other. His protection dropped and his tongue; venomous. You hadn’t known the reason why, his sweet words turned into poisonous remarks. His once hopeful eyes gleamed with hatred and you could only assume he’d let his pride take over.

He was an asshole and you despised him for it.

You laid amongst the sand dunes in a daze, watching the cerulean sky as if it was the most entertaining thing to coexist in your life. Tsireya and the others were attending their lessons for the day, leaving you behind to prioritise grounding yourself.

“What are you doing?” That familiar voice questioned, you rolled your eyes from beneath the curtains of your eyelids. The sound of his voice irked you, claiming the most treacherous and violent parts that made you.

“What does it look like” bored, your tone showed nothing but disinterest, Aonung flicked his head back feeling the tension in his chest grow due to your lack of acknowledgement.

You huffed when he did not reply, opening the frames of your eyes and there he stood. Peering down at you intensely, his head tilted with what you could assume as curiosity, or laughter. The latter made more sense.

“What do you want, Aonung” you asked, this time your voice showing complete annoyance, his persistence to be by you and near you in order to truly show you how much he despised you did not go unnoticed. He was a nuisance and he knew his presence rattled you to your core.

“My answer will bring too much enjoyment to you?” He responded, his signature smirk crawling its way upon his lips.

“as if anything you say piques my interest. You keep your presence there and I keep mine here” you watched as his eyes flicked between the sand and your body, slowly relishing his orbs on your physique before he glanced back into your eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that, someone might think we’re friends” you couldn’t bear the thought of being around Aonung. His mere presence was overbearing, it tore your mind and soul to shreds looking at his smug smile, to think the boy before you once had a soul as pure as the gifts of Eywa.

But that wasn’t the only reason, deep down beneath the hurt and frustration lied the truth. If your heart was an instrument, Ao’nung was the musician. The creator of your canvas; an artist in your eyes crafted by flaws yet imperfectly moulded into something so much more alluring.

But you hated him, the way he cocked his head with a devilish grin, you hated how his teal blue eyes hung low, the same eyes that never failed to pierce straight through your soul. You hated the way he spoke, the way his gaze always seemed to be on you, you hated how rude and irritating he was, you hated every fibre of his being.

“You say that but your eyes speak otherwise” Ao’nung taunted you, that was his favourite past time. No matter what, no matter how many arguments, how many altercations. He still managed to coax his wicked intentions with the sweetness of his tongue.

He now stood in front of you, if you were to poke your finger out it would land against his chest. You felt riled up now. His breathing fanned against your cheeks, if anyone saw the proximity between the both of you, you’d never hear the end of it. He was close, too close for your liking.

“I hate you so much” you grunted, picking up the shells you collected earlier, his strong gaze never leaving your body and that stupid smirk only widened with the laugh he released, throaty and mocking.

“the feeling is mutual,” Ao’nung lied, knowing that honesty wasn’t always his best trait. The boy followed you, licking his lips as he trailed behind you. It was odd, just a year ago he had wanted nothing but to be clear of your presence, hissing and scowling every time you were in the same vicinity. Now, he’ll stop at nothing to make his presence known.

You continued, walking anywhere that didn’t provide sanctuary for him.

Your fast pace and constant peeking over your shoulder had made you lose focus on the path ahead of you, your head was the first thing that had been wounded with an ache, then your body was pressed up against a solid chest and as you caught your breath, you looked up.

“Thank Eywa it’s you, Neteyam. I thought I joined the ancestors for a second” The eldest of the sully children let out a throaty laugh, helping you adjust your balance again. For someone with keen eyes he sure didn’t notice the glare being shot his way.

“Skxawng,” He grumbled, shaking his head. He placed a loving hand on your head and you reciprocated that tender platonic love with a smile. At this point Ao’nung tuned out the conversation, he abhorred Neteyams presence more than anything.

Rotxo was not too far behind Neteyam, finishing their lessons early. So he shot you one last final glance and then headed off, his head shaking in annoyance. He’d already been told off once for fighting with the sully brothers, he couldn’t risk it again.

“What was that?” Neteyam questioned, watching Aonung walk away without uttering a word. You could only shrug in response, you couldn’t understand it either.

“I, I have no answer for you.” You sighed in defeat, Neteyam was under the illusion that the Olo’eyktan’s son saw you as food at the bottom of the chain. From what he knew, both you and himself shared a common enemy. This enemy declared themselves as so against your will, so he stood stunned. Not a single snarky remark, nor glare, just silence.

Silence amongst chaos was never good.

“Is he bothering you,” Neteyam questioned, eyes wide in anticipation but you could only shrug. Withdrawing from answering, you wrapped an arm around neteyams limb. He was like a brother to you now, by eywa’s grace him and lo’ak protected you like their own.

“Forget it, let’s go diving” and so you did, trudging past the prying eyes following your every move. You stood on the reef ready to jump only then realising that neteyam hadn’t pranced at the sight of the water. You pulled back your body, jumping onto his back and diving you both beneath the tide.

“Are you alright” Rotxo sweet voice asked, Ao’nung sat on one of the canoes beside the young metkayina, his best friend. Jaw clenched in anger, Rotxo slightly shivered feeling an impending doom if he pushed further, “Ao’nung” he bumped his shoulder earning a foul hiss.

“What” he snapped, moving his territorial gaze from the pinnacle of his eye to his brother in arms “What is wrong? you're quiet. You’re never quiet” he admitted, slightly frowning.

“Just thinking about multiple ways someone could get lost at sea, for the safety of our lessons” he lied once more, it was almost like one truth and one lie but Rotxo was convinced otherwise. He wasn’t dumb and knew his best friend like the back of his hand, hearing the words escape his mouth could only make the young boy cock his brow.

He hated you, so so much. The way your hair fell against your back, he hated your smile and pearly whites. He hated your nurturing nature, he hated how you gifted your love to everyone but him. He hated when you walked with a sway in your hips, he hated how your lips moved with malice when he was the one receiving. He hated that you cared so much for everyone, so deeply for the environment and your surroundings, he hated how you got lost in a trance if something was too beautiful, he hated how stubborn you were. He hated everything.

But there’s a thin line between hate and love.

The eclipse set in and you made your way back onto the sand, both you and neteyam crossed paths as you laughed happily pushing each other with a hint of playfulness.

“Rest well skxawng” you greeted him goodbye, flipping him off as you walked back to your families marui pod, Tsireya. Your sister, your closest and dearest friend smiled upon your entrance. Tonight your families shared a pod, every fourth eclipse both yours and the olo’eyktans family shared a feast. This was due to your own mother being close companions with the tsahik.

You didn’t miss the strong and heavy gaze coming from Ao’nung. You searched around the tent, seeking for a space that wasn’t beside him, but your mother only bowed her head and pointed towards the empty space right next to him. In hopes of not disrupting their important conversation, you steadily sat in the gap between him and tsireya, you felt a sense of comfort having Tsireya on the other side of you.

“Daughter, you’ve joined us, where have you been?” Your father tsayrem smiled “with Neteyam, Father. I was showing him the spirit tree” Tsireya passed you a bowl full of food, you look her way thanking her with your eyes, scrunching them in delight.

Ao’nung scoffed under his breath, and you twitched in annoyance “I’m glad you're making new friends, daughter” your mother finished, carrying on the conversation between her and Ronal.

“Since when have you two been so close?” The question arose from the deepest parts of Ao’nung’s curiosity, fueled by his resentment. His nostrils flared as he stared up at you, his head still bowed but his eyes never once left your own.

You averted your gaze, picking at your food “it is nothing you should be worried about '' you spat in hushed whispers, Ao’nung gripped the meat in his hands tightly, knuckles turning white.

“Well, I am. And you have no say in the matter,” he pushed his plate back, for a split second you could see the facade crack in his eyes and showed a hint of something you couldn’t quite make out, your heart began to race and your hands grew clammy.

“Are you two mated? Is that it.” He continued pushing in a hushed tone but the guttural growl vibrated in his chest, avoiding your gaze, his focus trained on the fire in the middle of the room. Darkness arose within the gleams of his oceanic orbs. A shadow casted over his features.

Your stomach arose in twists but you ignored it, he had no right questioning you about your life choices. Not now, not ever.

“Brother, stop harassing her. She’s done nothing to you. You are being rude” Tsireya defended you, although she didn’t quite hear the banter between you two she still had a gut feeling that if she did not speak up, things would go terribly wrong.

“I can’t stomach this” he confessed, His strong hands rested on his sides before he lifted himself from the ground, his biceps grew and withdrew catching your attention with a gulp.

You were sick of this, dropping your plate and following him out of the marui pod “Mother, may I excuse myself to go check on Ao’nung?”you asked earning a nod from your mother, Ronal and tonowari shared a surprised look mirroring that of tsireyas.

“Are you sure, sister?” Tsireya pried, caring for you. You nodded in response and headed out without further question.

Your heartbeat against your chest, nervousness spread through your system and your insides twisted and curled. You wanted to hurl out the food you had just inhaled.

But you couldn’t back out now, you needed answers. His behaviour was erratic, he hated you for years and suddenly he toys with your feelings as if they're nothing. If he wanted to play games, you were not joining. The past you would have endured it but you were no longer that person.

His braid swayed with his heavy strides, you grabbed at his arm pulling him back, he hissed pulling his hand away as if it burned him and you felt a crack in your heart.

No, no fuck that. This wasn’t you, you never cared what he thought, he never cared how you thought so why did you even bother.

“What is with the attitude” you confronted him, he towered over your frame. Strong shoulders and puffed chest “nothing is wrong, do not stand there as if you care” he spat, you had never seen so much rage in a person's eyes before.

“What are you talking about Ao’nung. We both have never cared about each other all because of you, what’s changed? Hmm? What? I need answers because as of recently that’s clearly shifted if your becoming fragile to my words as if yours do not sting ten times worse” you snarled, lifted your hands into the air, he stepped forward bending down slightly to match your height.

“Lower your tone and remember who you're speaking to” his voice was sinister, eyes cradling nothing but flames and you rolled your own “I’m speaking to a child who cannot control their emotions, you’ve been on my case since the sullys have arrived. And now this, if you spoke any louder you could have embarrassed both of us in there”

Ao’nung couldn’t help but feel the pull, his eyes itched to peek down at your curves. Staring into your eyes with pure rage but behind those flames was a child who loved the woman he was speaking to, a small and hopeless teenager seeking the anomaly that was you.

He was never going to be good enough to stand by your side, pushing you away was the only answer but now as he watches another man take his place he refuses to acknowledge it. He no longer wanted to push himself away, he wanted you and he’d make sure everyone around him knew sooner rather than later.

He wasn’t the best at showing it.

“You are one insult away from making me do something I regret” Ao’nung confessed, you were perplexed but more angered than ever. How dare he, the audacity to make this about himself.

“I could kill you right no-“ before you could finish your sentence Ao’nung captured your raised hand. Gripping it softly before harshly but swiftly pressing your back against the mangrove tree behind you, chest to chest but even closer than before. Ao’nung prayed to eywa this would shut you up. He captured your lips with his own, his eyebrows scrunched with contemplation and you fell victim to the boy you claimed to have nothing but hatred for.

Your hands were raised above your head and you reciprocated the kiss, pushing into him more and more, at first it was soft but he grew eager. He felt the swell in his chest burst, claiming every ounce of self respect he once had. Passion marked its territory.

His hand laid flat against your back, bringing you even closer to him, skin to skin and one you became.

You pulled away first but his lips followed your own like a tug, you were magnetic.

“I cannot believe you, stupid. You're so stupid” you punched against his chest, but he did not waver. Not once.

“I see you, I’ve seen you ever since we were children y/n. From the first time we rode Ilu together, to now. You’ve been who I’ve wanted for years but I did not think I was deserving, then I seen you with Neteyam and my heart could not bare it” Ao’nung leaned his forehead against your own, your back still arching against his chest, your breath hitched and you couldn’t bring yourself to remember how to even do something so simple.

“I could have stopped this, I could have told you sooner but I did not want to let the thought of us being something more grow. I was so wrong”

“Ao’nung, you stupid. Idiotic boy. How dare you do this to me and tell me you’ve liked me back all this time, you are so selfish” now it was his turn to widen his eyes in surprise, he looked at you in bewilderment.

“Back? You like me too?” He questioned, leaning back in confusion. You breathed loudly in disappointment, the silence was deafening within a few clicks of tension, you slowly began nodding your head. His smirk returned, the pull against his lips only did so much as torment you for your confession. He tilted his head to the side, eyes low and smouldering.

“Of course I do moron, like isn't enough to describe how I feel about you” Ao’nung groaned in response, teasing you with delight. A different sort of light had casted on him and you felt your body turn hot, not being able to tell if your stomach curled in regret or glee.

“I thought if I confessed, the insults would lighten”

“It’s hard to remember we aren’t fighting anymore, it takes a bit to adjust to” you scratched the back of your neck lightly, all of this confessing was new to you.

Ao’nung placed a tender kiss against your forehead, leaning down to your ear with a smile. Whispering with a husky voice, low so only you could hear and as his breath brushed against your ear, sending a tingling sensation through your body.

“I have something in mind that’ll help”

………….

Guys I’m a minor too just to clear the air, I didn’t actually read any of this properly and I’ll add the continue reading bar in the morning because it’s currently 2.24am in the morning and I can’t be bothered grabbing my laptop. Lemme know if this makes sense.

Sweet dreams x

#ao’nung #Aonung x reader #Aonung imagine #Neteyam #tsireya #atwow imagines #avatar : the way of water

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sereisstuff · 2 years ago

Text

Burn So Fast, It Scares Me.

summary: gifted with intelligence, the Omatikayan war party relies on your strategies and tactics to guide them through the war with the sky people. unsatisfied with being left behind at the fortress, you jump at the offer to join them on an excursion. Neteyam is not as happy.

warnings: explicit language and sexual content, lengthy verbal argument, hurt/comfort, overprotective!neteyam, underage kissing, no explicit sexual content occurs when characters are underage

title from my (favorite) song: When the Sun Hits by Slowdive

word count: 9.1k

childhood friends to lovers pipeline supremacy

re-edited and retitled! SUPER AWKWARD. sorry about that! I had a minor breakdown about the first version while at work and deleted it in a haste. lmao. life is just like that sometimes. Thank you to everyone who sent in kind messages or liked/reblogged it! I took it down and edited it and am reposting a new and (hopefully) improved version of the story. hope you enjoy! __

Located in the depths of the forest, skeletal remains lay in a makeshift grave, overgrown with thick roots and bright flowers. Rusted metal, broken glass, forgotten arrows. Sometimes, when the enemy airships flew low overhead, the command panel flickered to life. A stuttering last breath of flashing buttons and alarms before falling silent again.

Hidden away in a pocket of the forest, the trees so dense sunlight caught in the leaves and barely touched the ground, it became a reprieve from the Fortress and the expectations of everyone inside it.

You’d found it when you were a kid, straying far from the fortress, curious about whether the rumors of untouched wreckage from the previous war with the sky people, crashed in the jungle, pulled under the foliage, were true.

We shouldn’t be out here, a nervous voice called from behind you. Neteyam, son of the clan leader. It’s forbidden.

No, you corrected, The Shack is forbidden. We’re charting new territory.

Giving you a look of disapproval, he didn’t argue, but slowed his steps.

You don’t have to come, you reminded him, though you knew he wouldn’t turn back. He’d caught you on your way out, despite your best efforts to go unnoticed. When you told him you were going exploring, he told you it was too dangerous to go alone, and that he should go with you.

Your friendship with him was fresh, like a glistening snowfall in the early hours of the morning, untouched and pristine. The war brought you together, in an odd way, him starting to venture to the battlefield and you locked away devising plans and strategies for attacks and counterattacks.

When you found the wreckage, you made him swear not to tell anyone else about it. Not his siblings, his friends, or his parents. He hesitated, especially when you told him he couldn’t tell Neytiri or Jake, but ended up interlocking his pinky with yours in a promise.

The wreckage became a hideaway for you and him, and you and him alone. Which made it the perfect place to have an argument without worrying about prying ears.

You’d been so excited to receive the invite. Considered to be War party adjacent, you never actually went on any of the excursions. Tactics was your assigned job. Jake and the other leaders conversed with you about military plans. The best routes to take through the forest. Ways to attack the enemy with minimal damage. As one of the brains behind their operations, you were offered a place in the room but never a seat at the table.

So, you stayed at the fortress, infuriated, anxious, running over each variation of the plan in your head while the warriors fought on the frontlines. Wishing you could be there to help them through any unforeseen obstacles.

I would be so much more useful, you complained as you watched Neteyam prepare his Ikran, if I could go. Then I could update plans in real time instead of waiting for everyone to get back.

You told him this proposition repeatedly, always met with the same negative response. Still, you’d beat this dead horse until your knuckles bled and the horse degraded into nothing but pounds of meat.

He laughed at you; he always did when you brought up accompanying him to the battlefield. Fixing you with a bright smile meant to distract you from the patronizing shake of his head.

It used to work, but not anymore.

Don’t laugh at me, sliding off the rock you’d been perched on, you offered his Ikran one of the sweet fruits it liked to eat.

I’m not laughing at you, he promised, though he couldn’t wipe the grin from his face. Narrowing your eyes at him, you didn’t say anything about it.

I would be so much more helpful if I could actually be there, instead of just waiting at the Fortress. Another thing you told him over and over, and each time, he said;

You’re helpful here. More than you realize.

With a sigh, you abandoned your futile efforts at convincing him.

You could always talk to my father about it. He came around the other side of his Ikran, leaning against it as he tilted his head down at you. He was teasing, again, and it made your cheeks heat.

Scoffing, you stepped away, putting distance between the two of you. You’d been doing that a lot, recently. Increasing distance between you and him. Something he noticed, his bright eyes flicking over the empty space between you before landing on your face again.

Settling for silence, you returned to your rock and watched Neteyam finish the last of his war preparations.

I’ll see you when I get back, he stopped in front of you.

You didn’t respond. Grabbing your chin, he lifted your face towards his, fingers digging into your cheeks. Come on, say it back. Slapping at his hands with a glare, they fell away.

When met with more silence, he groaned, tilting his head back towards the sky in exasperation. Don’t be like that.

I’m not, you said defensively. See you when you get back.

Staring at you expectantly, you did nothing but avert your gaze from his and went back to picking at the blades of grass.

He left without much fanfare.

Months ago, the two of you had a routine before he left for any battles.

Assisting him with packing his gear, the two of you petting his Ikran and taking breaks to share lunch up in the trees. A warm embrace before he left. You, rising on your tiptoes to wrap your arms around his broad shoulders. Pressed chest to chest, he promised, I’ll see you when I get back.

And you always promised him the same.

Now, your touches were a lot less frequent. Something had shifted. The war hardened him, his once hopeful exterior solidified and became impenetrable, the result of a few close calls with death. Bullets lodged in his skin and deep cuts along his abdomen.

You patched him up, each time, stomach twisting as he winced and jerked under your hands.

A little more gentle, please, he turned his face over his shoulder, giving you a sharp look. He was sitting cross-legged in front of you, fists clenched in the rug underneath him, gritting his teeth and hissing in pain as you disinfected the wound on his back.

You were supposed to avoid them by going through the passage, you reminded him, though you lightened the pressure on the wound. You hated healing him. It was a job neither of you wanted anyone else to do, but you hated it, nonetheless. On the particularly painful injuries, the ones where he cried, you also cried. Seeing him like this was almost unbearable.

They blocked the passage, he defended himself, turning back to face forwards. I had no other option.

If I had been there, I could’ve—

Stop, he gasped, exasperated. I don’t want to hear it. It’s never going to happen.

Hands stilling, a beat of charged silence passed between the two of you. Pursing your lips, hurt, you didn’t respond and returned to tending to his wounds.

Back then, you always saved his face for last. A warm towel pressed to his jaw, to the bruises along his cheekbone, the blood from his nose. Practically in his lap, providing he had no injuries that prevented it, your faces only centimeters apart. If he wasn’t in too bad of shape, he’d tell you stories of the fight.

I could’ve killed Lo’ak. He’s always making my job so fucking hard.

(Whatever his little brother did that day must’ve been bad, because Neteyam rarely cursed, unless he was too frustrated to use his prim and proper vocabulary)

or sometimes he said other things to make you smile. Things like--

We should visit there when this war is finished. It’s beautiful, I think you’d like it

He’d always talk quietly, the words meant for just you two.

On the bad days, he’d just murmur a quiet missed you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing you flat against him as your fingers on his chin tilted his face back so you could finish fixing him up.

But the war impacted you, too. A dark cloud that cast an unmistakable shadow over your relationship, the promise of thick rain and rattling thunder.

When you two were fourteen, him fifteen, your friendship wasn’t a problem. Innocent affection. Afternoons swimming in the river, him teaching you how to use a bow and arrow, you teaching him the undefeated strategies of Omaticayan card and board games.

But you’d both grown. Him, into a strong warrior, and you, into nothing but an ordinary member of the Omatikayan clan, who was just smart enough to beg for scraps on the outskirts of his life, but not good for much else.

The warm feeling of his friendship burned too hot, scalding you, reminding you of the fragility of your relationship with him. You loved each other, he’d told you so, as the years stretched on. Not explicitly in words, but his actions said enough.

Once, the sky people sent a spy. Someone you worked closely with, and once they’d identified you as the brain behind the Omatikaya operation, they attempted to kill you. You had little combat training, hence why they forced you to stay at back at the Fortress, and could barely fight the spy off from wrapping their hands around your throat and pressing the tip of the blade through your heart.

You wished you could take the glory of protecting yourself, but the truth is, they painted the walls with you. Writhing enough to keep the knife from piercing any organs, but not enough to escape the cut entirely, you bled out.

Rather embarrassing.

Upon waking, it was Tuk’s face you saw first. Leaning so close, as if to check your breathing, she jerked back when you opened your eyes.

You smiled, or at least tried to. Lips spit, a metallic taste coated your tongue as you tried to speak but couldn’t. Neteyam’s fingers found yours, and interlocking them, softly squeezing your hand. I’m here, he promised with the action, I won’t leave. I love you.

And he meant it. Even after healing, you didn’t spend a minute alone. Neteyam drifted in your peripheral like a bodyguard. You cared for him, deeply, but you weren’t going to die any time soon, and he still acted like the grim reaper hovered over you, slobbering, ready to rip you from Neteyam’s arms at any moment and slash you with his sheath.

You need to back up, you told him one afternoon, hand pressed to his chest. I’m okay now, there’s no reason to be worried.

He drew his lips between his teeth, eyes trained on your fingers splayed on his skin, looking small compared to his broad frame, dwarfed when he takes your hand in both of his, holding it like a lifeline between you.

You almost died, his voice came out weak, almost carried away by the wind.

I know, I was there, he didn’t appreciate your levity about the situation. You softened, tilting your head as you looked up at him. Thank you for taking care of me. Let me breathe a little, okay?

It was hard to establish that boundary, you usually wanted him as close as possible. But it had to be done.

And as much as you cared for him, you knew he would inherit his title soon, have a family, prioritize others. And then you’d never see him except for military strategy meetings. After the war ended, if the two of you were even still alive, you’d never see him at all, unless in passing.

So, you decided it was best the both of you backtrack. No more embracing before he left for fighting, or anywhere. Occasionally helping with his injuries upon his return, though most of the time you made an excuse about how Kiri or his grandmother had skills better suited for his cuts and bruises.

No more arms thrown around your shoulders, pulling you close as you walked along the tree branches.

No more laying your head on your chest while star gazing, tracing constellations on his skin.

No more sneaking him inside your tent late at night, muffling his laughter with a palm pressed against his mouth.

And then there was this other issue entirely: Jake asked you to accompany them on a mission.

The both of you knew Neteyam wouldn’t be happy about it. Neither of you acknowledged that fact, but he did tell you it was a secret operation that very few even knew about, and you needed to keep it that way.

For the first time, you kept a secret from your best friend. Usually, he was the first one you told anything to, and vice versa. But now, you couldn’t even look him in the eye without the heavy burden of guilt sitting tight in your chest, like an anchor pulling you to the depths of the ocean, where the sunlight refuses to touch.

Your secret, mixed with the knowledge that the two of you would have to grow up and move on with your lives very soon, made being around him difficult.

You tried to be subtle about it. Wean yourself off the physical contact so that he wouldn’t notice. It was supposed to be easy, but Neteyam noticed everything about you. Especially the lack of touching.

But he never said anything about it, and you figured he understood your intentions. It’s for the best, you reminded yourself each time, hands feeling empty without his sinewy body between them.

A little heartbreak now to save yourself later. Microdose the sadness.

And it worked! for a time.

After a particularly rough excursion, where your battle plan spiraled out of control and resulted in many dead and injured, Jake called you into the War Room.

Panicked, you thought he was going to demote you. Blame you for the deaths, for the injured. You knew Neteyam got hit hard, saw him carried to the medic area. Usually, even on the worst days, he could at least walk there on his own. You watched from a distance, briefly considering throwing your personal resolution to put distance between you two into the wind and swallow your pride and help him, but you knew his family could take care of it.

You and Lo’ak stood outside the War Room, waiting to be invited in.

“Neteyam asked for you.” Lo’ak wasn’t looking at you, arms crossed over his chest, blood on his hands. He must’ve been there when Neteyam got hurt. Overcome with the urge to ask what happened, to scrounge for details like a desperate beggar, you bit your tongue. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but—”

“Nothing’s going on between us,” you rushed to assure him, but he gave you a flat look.

“It’s killing him.”

Lo’ak’s words made you shrink into the wall, longing for a black hole to direct its inescapable gravitation pull towards you. How were you supposed to explain your plan to him? You couldn’t, so you didn’t, opting for silence instead.

Finally, Jake appeared, a reprieve from the crushing weight of your conversation with Lo’ak.

“You, first,” he gestured towards you, holding the door open. You shot Lo’ak a worried look, and he gave you two thumbs up.

unhelpful.

Neteyam was the only other Na’avi in the room. Bandaged, torn up, but there. You locked eyes immediately, biting your tongue to keep from betraying any emotion on your face. The weight of his attention suffocated you, even after you glanced away. You took your place next to Neteyam, conscious to keep several feet between the two of you, facing his father and preparing yourself for the humiliation of the inevitable demotion

Instead, he offered you a place in the War Party. Actually in the Party, not just adjacent to it or sentenced to quiet, undercover missions only, but a carved out place for you on the front lines. Or at least as close to the front lines as you’ll ever be able to get. His reasoning was what you’d been saying all along. After the last plan went so wrong, it would be more beneficial if you were there, always, able to recalculate and redirect in real time.

Heart pounding in your chest, you fought against the wide smile that threatened to break loose. Parting you lips to accept, you were interrupted.

“No.”

Whipping your head to the side, you stared up at Neteyam, who was no longer looking at you but staring at his father. They were having some kind of silent conversation, betrayal written all over Neteyam’s face.

“Actually,” you interjected, stepping forward to put yourself between Jake and Neteyam. “What he means is ‘yes, I accept the offer.’”

“No.”

You shook your head. “He doesn’t speak for me. I want to go.”

“As the future Olo'eyktan, I won’t allow this.”

“Future Olo’eyktan,” you emphasized. “You don’t have that power yet.”

Jake looked between you two. “I don’t need an answer right now. Think about it until our next fight in a few days.”

Taking a step forward, Neteyam held his hands out in front of him as if brokering peace. Suppressing an eye roll, you stared at the tense muscles of his back. You were used to this side of him, the side that mediated fights where emotions overpowered logic. What you were not used to, however, was him talking back to his father, the man he admired and emulated.

“Respectfully, sir, I do not think she’d benefit us on the field.”

Lips parted, eyes wide, you stared at him. He wasn’t meeting your eyes, focused on his father, but his insistence that you were not fit for the job stung.

“She has no experience,” Neteyam reasoned, voice strained.

“I do,” you started talking before you could stop yourself, face hot from embarrassment and fury. “I never told you about it because I knew you wouldn’t be supportive, but I’ve actually gone on several missions that you weren’t even aware of.”

Jake looked wildly out of place, caught in a spat between his golden child and his son’s best friend. “Maybe the two of you should talk this out before—”

“Is that true?” Neteyam interrupted, and that’s how you knew he was truly out of his mind. In over a decade of friendship, you’ve never seen him intentionally disobey or interrupt his father. Ever.

Shooting you a long, sullen look, you regretted speaking about it at all. With a heavy sigh, Jake nodded. “Yes,” the hesitance dripped from his tone. “I enlisted her on a few missions that went outside the Fortress.”

Turning his attention to you (finally), you almost couldn’t stomach the look of betrayal directed at you. He wore his emotions clearly, another fatal flaw, and you’d purposefully taken his heart, ripped it from the seams connecting it to his sleeves, and crushed it between your fingers. Like a flower you’d left to wilt, his shoulders turned inwards, his face fell. “You kept that from me?”

“Why would I tell you?” You wanted to shove it in his face with a sneer, recount every detail of how you’d led the team to victory. But instead, your eyes watered. “You think I’m useless. You would’ve tried to talk your father out of it.”

“Of course I would.” he wanted to be angry, you could tell by the way his fists clenched at his sides, but his voice shook in a way you recognized from all the times you heard him cry (which you could count on one hand). “I thought we could trust each other.” He was looking at his father again, but judging by the shake of his head, you felt his statement was directed at you.

A part of you wanted to assure him that you could still be trusted. The part of you that knew he would follow you to the depths of the forest because he didn’t like you adventuring alone. The part of you that cleaned the blood from his face, his calloused fingers skimming the sides of your arms, your waist, along your face.

But he’d hurt you just as badly. He swore, over and over, that you did not have to prove yourself to him. Yet here he was, standing in front of his father, the leader of your clan, making you seem incompetent.

“If you only think of me as dead weight, then I wish you would’ve told me sooner. Would’ve saved us both a lot of time.”

Jaw clenched, Neteyam took in a deep breath. “You misunderstand—”

“Am I dismissed?”

With a nod, Jake let you go. Not bothering to look at Neteyam, you gave him the cold shoulder, exiting before your devastation made itself clear through hot tears and gasping breaths.

Tramping through underbrush and smacking leaves out of your face, you hustled towards the only place you’d get some privacy.

You were so mad, you could’ve given Neteyam a whole new set of injuries. If it weren’t for him, you’d have that position locked down, just as you’d always wanted. He knew how much you craved this opportunity, slobbered over it. Being close friends entailed baring your soul to him, and you did, and he used it against you.

A part of you wanted to be alone. To sit in the reeds and feel sorry for yourself.

But another part of you knew he would follow, and when a flash of blue caught your attention, you shook your head. “I have nothing to say to you.”

Lies. You had a lot to say to him.

Fuck you for ruining this for me.

Are you okay?

I miss you.

How dare you talk down to me like that.

I’m sorry for causing this rift between us.

“I have nothing to say to you, either.” Venturing further into the trees, he grew closer.

Scoffing, you stood, preparing to back away. “You can’t be mad at me.”

“Actually, I can. I am.”

Fists clenched at your sides. “For what? You’re the one that ruined—”

“I saved you.”

“I don’t need to be saved!”

Now, he was the one shaking his head. “I’m not letting you throw your life away.”

Frowning up at him, you said, “I don’t know why you think I’m so incapable. What do I have to do to make you think otherwise?”

“Nothing,” he countered. “You don’t have to prove yourself to me. But there’s also nothing you can do that will change my mind. You’re not going.”

Staring up at him, for the first time in months, you did not avert your gaze. He was angry. You could see it in his glare, in the tension in his shoulders, in the quickness of his chest rising and falling.

Upset body language you’ve seen directed at others, but never at you. It made your throat close, and your eyes burn.

“I’m not weak. I can take care of myself.” Cursing how childish you sounded, you grasped at straws. You used to know him so well, but now you weren’t sure how to get through to him.

“This is war,” he explained, “it doesn’t matter how skilled you are, sometimes all it comes down to is luck. I’m not taking that chance.”

“You take that chance,” you pointed out, eyeing him as he took a step forward. “Lo’ak takes that chance.”

“That’s different.”

“Your parents take that chance; your other friends take that chance—”

“That’s different.” He raised his voice. Something he never did with you, or anyone else. Maybe Lo’ak, but everyone raised their voice at him. So calm and collected, he was frayed at the edges, an unraveled version of your old friend.

“How! How is it different?”

Shutting his eyes, he took a deep breath, jaw clenched. “Don’t go there with me.”

“Then, I don’t know what to say.”

It hurt, more than you cared to admit. His lack of faith in you. Yes, sometimes your plans went wrong, but most of them went right. It’s not like you were stupid, unable to think for yourself. You had good instincts. Made good decisions.

He sighed your name, something long and exasperated.

“Why don’t you have any trust in me?” you asked, demanding an answer.

“You lied to me.”

“I had no other choice.”

Displeased at your explanation, he rubbed his jaw. “You could’ve been killed. And I would’ve had to find out after the damage was already done.”

Pursing your lips for a moment, you tried to make sense of your thoughts. But they bounced around your skull, rattling into each other, blending. “Everyone else gets to give their lives for The Cause. I volunteered to do the same.”

“That’s my responsibility,” he gestured towards himself, and your eyes tracked the movements. After spending so much time distancing yourself from him, you wanted to feel his arms around you again, rest your head on his chest. But you’d destroyed any chance of that happening ever again. “I don’t want you to carry the same weight I do.”

With nothing left to say, you let him take the reins in the argument. His tone sharpened. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

The question caught you off guard. Your shoulders caved inwards. “I haven’t been avoiding you.”

Scoffing with a roll of eyes, he said, “right. That’s why you can’t even stand to be around me for more than five minutes.” When he looked at you, it was accusatory, and you floundered for an explanation.

“We’ve been busy.”

It was insulting, how lame your excuse was.

His eyes narrowed. “We’ve been busy.”

“Yes.”

Laughing now, a quiet and cynical sound, he nodded to himself. “Okay. I’ve been busy trying to live up to my father’s expectations, and you’ve been busy lying to me and going on secret missions. You’re the mighty warrior.”

“I didn’t lie,” you corrected. “I just didn’t tell you something. I’m allowed to do that.”

“No, you’re not!” raising his voice again, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. “You can’t keep things from me when they involve your safety. I’m going crazy, I’ve been going crazy, thinking about you.”

Deep down, you knew he was right. You’d be upset if the roles were reversed. A perk of being involved in tactics was being able to know the whereabouts of every soldier, of knowing where Neteyam was (or at least should be, if things were going right) at all times during the thick of it.

You’d go equally as crazy if you had no idea of his whereabouts.

“You’re backing away from me like I’m about to attack you.”

You didn’t realize you were doing it until he pointed it out, inching towards a far tree. It’d become second nature over the past few months, a habit you’d give anything to kick.

“We’re fighting,” you reminded him. “I’m sorry if I don’t want to be on top of you.”

A poor choice of words.

Because most of the time, you also craved the comfort of his skin against yours, whether it was your fingers interlocked or his arm around your shoulders or your hands pressed to the firm muscle of his back.

Running a hand down his face, he corrected you. “We’re not fighting. We don’t fight.”

It’s true. In the past, you never argued. Mostly because he could control his temper, or at least bottle his emotions for however long he needed to, and you shied away from conflict. The two of you had good communication before you started pulling away from him, opening up to each other and providing comfort. You’ve never had anything to fight about.

“We’re mad at each other and not talking about it. That’s fighting.”

Silence stretched between the two of you. Neither of you knew where to go from there, both brimming with unsaid words.

“I’ll tell you why I don’t want you to join the War Party if you tell me why you’ve been avoiding me.”

Neteyam stood closer than you’d realized. He must’ve taken a few strides when you weren’t paying attention, distracted by a bug crawling on a branch, wishing your life was that simple. You forced yourself to stay put so you wouldn’t prove his point.

“I already told you.”

“Bullshit.” he was pissed again, you could tell by the way he moved his hands when he spoke, and the shadow that darkened his face. “Tell me the truth.”

“You first.”

He sighed, shutting his eyes. “When you’re here, I can keep you safe. I can’t promise that anywhere else.”

“I’m trying to tell you that I’m not your responsibility, you don’t have to watch over me like that.”

“I do. It’s my duty as your leader.”

“You’re not the leader, yet. And that’s all this is? You trying to do your job? Using that logic, no one would be allowed to leave the Fortress, ever.”

He was smiling again, though it didn’t reach his eyes, and resembled more of a grimace than anything else. It made your chest tighten. “You’re so smart yet you act so dumb.”

Fuming, you said, “forget it. Neither of us are going to change each other’s minds, we should just--forget it.”

“You’re not understanding me.” Pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes, he huffed. “I’m trying to keep you from being hurt. I can’t control what happens to you out there,” he gestured towards some hypothetical battlefield beyond the shack, “the thought of you getting hurt, the way that I’ve been hurt,” he pressed a hand to his chest. “or being killed the way my friends have been killed—” he swallowed, letting his arms fall limp at his sides. “I can’t do it. And if I have the power to stop it from happening, then I’m going to do everything I can to prevent it.” With a shrug, he said, “I’m sorry. You’re not going.”

“I understand what you’re saying. It’s not easy for me, either. Seeing you leave and never knowing if I’ll ever get to be with you again. That’s part of why I want to go so badly. I wouldn’t be so powerless. I could help, prevent you from getting injured or dying. I care about you, too.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

justified, but still hurtful.

“Neteyam.”

“When you first started pulling away, I could justify it. You were stressed about war. What did it matter if we weren’t spending time together outside of that. I told myself that, when the worst was over and we were done with living day to day, you would come back to me. And being injured didn’t seem so bad anymore, because then you’d have to spend time with me. But then you stopped doing that, too, and I realized your absence would be more permanent than I originally thought.”

There was nothing you could say that would reverse that damage. You were looking anywhere but at him, eyes shining, throat lined with apologies and confessions. A rough hand gripped your jaw, and for the first time in several months, the two of you were close.

Your chest brushed against his, your face in his hands, tilted back so you had to meet his eyes. Your hands grabbed at his wrists, pulling, but to no avail. He was a warrior, trained to withstand the physical challenges of the battlefield. Made of lean muscle and unshakeable resolve, now that he had you in his grip, you doubted he’d let you escape it anytime soon.

“Tell me why. You owe it to me.”

“I thought I was doing what’s best for the both of us.” Limp in his hold, you thanked the darkness for covering the flush on your face.

“How could being apart from each other be what’s best?”

“I started to realize that after you became the next leader, I would have no place in your life.” it sounded stupid, when you said it aloud, but there was no running from it now. “You’d have your job as leader, and find someone to spend your life with, and of course I’m happy for you, but I also had to look out for myself. You have this bright future ahead of you, and I’m a dead end, Neteyam. There’s no future for us together.”

You thought you were going to die with how fast your heart beat in your chest, certain that he could hear it. After a long stretch of silence, in which his face betrayed nothing, the hand on your jaw moved down to your throat. Your eyes widened as his grip tightened, cutting your airflow just enough to scare you but not enough to stop you from breathing completely.

He pushed you backwards, your feet dragging across the soil, trying to gain purchase but failing. Using his grip on your throat to lift you off the ground, you strained on your toes, your back against the trunk of the tree. Trapped, alone in forbidden territory, you wondered if you’d angered him so much he wanted going to kill you.

And then he kissed you.

You had kissed him once before, years ago, when you were sixteen and he was seventeen. Dark bruises littered his face, hung like ornaments on his cheekbone and jaw. A cut on his lip, still bleeding, and each time he reached up to wipe at it you grabbed his hand and shoved it back into his lap.

He winced when your fingers pressed down on one of the marks. "Careful."

Sitting back in your heels, you tossed the washcloth you'd been using to clean the blood from his nose. "What the hell is wrong with you."

Not looking you in the eye, his focus locked on something just past your shoulder, he said "nothing."

Suspicious, you narrowed your gaze at him. "You got into a fight."

A roll of his eyes. Slight, barely there, but an eyeroll nonetheless. "Lo'ak exaggerates. It was not a fight."

"You broke his nose. That's a fight."

"It was more like a brief physical altercation. Nothing is wrong with me."

Blinking at him, you waited for him to explain, to give any sort of context.

He didn't, though he did fidget, meaning he was hiding something from you. Gesturing towards the discarded washcloth, he said, "are you going to finish patching me up or am I going to have to do it myself?"

Taken aback by his sass, you did as he asked, rising back into your knees to reach his face. You resumed your work in silence, used to the way he stared at you when you cleaned the blood from his skin.

"I'm sure Ateyo will tell me what happened after he can speak again." You lifted your hand to mend the cut on his brow when he caught your wrist in his grip. His fingers dug into you, tight, pinching the surface. Movements paused, you met his eyes, your teasing gone.

"Don't talk to him again."

Occasionally, Neteyam ordered you around. Simple instructions that used to bother you. I'm older, he'd remind you whenever you refused to listen. One of his fatal flaws; he believed he knew what was best for everyone.

But he never flat out told you what to do like he was doing now. Never set boundaries on your life, like don't go there or don't talk to him.

"Why not?" you asked, voice quiet. You brought your other hand up to rest against his check, thumb tracing a deep bruise. He leaned into it, the grip on your wrist sliding away. Wrapping his arms around your lower back, he pulled you close. So close the tip of your nose brushed against his.

"He's a skxawng."

You smiled. "You think everyone is a skxawng."

But he wasn't paying attention anymore. His eyes were low, half-lidded, focused on your lips. You hadn't kissed anyone before, but your friendship with Neteyam had shifted into something more than what it used to be.

There was an expectation there. A knife through your chest when other Omaticaya girls got close to him. A threat in his eyes when he saw you with Ateyo, or any other boy. It was so fleeting, you weren't sure it was real at all.

Your free hand pressed against his chest, where his heart would be. It pulses under your touch, fast and erratic. But his breathing was slow, eyes unmoving. Your own breath skipped as his arms tightened around you, pulling your further into his lap, no space between the two of you.

"I mean it this time," he told you, distracted. "I should've done a lot more than knock his teeth out for what he said about you."

Tilting his head to the side, one of his hands brushed your hair off your shoulder, his fingers skimming your skin and then replaced with the soft touch of his lips. Not kissing, or pressing down, just brushing against your skin. Your grip on his shoulders tightened, breath hitching.

you couldn't think straight. the fact that he'd gotten into a fight, over what some moron said about you, warranted a knock upside the head to put some common sense back into him.

but he was truly kissing your neck now, his tongue sliding over the skin before the sharp point of his teeth bit down. When you gasped, he groaned, low in your ear, arms around your waist so tight you thought there'd be marks left tomorrow.

You wanted there to be marks left tomorrow.

"I let him hit me a few times," he confessed, pulling back from you to look you in the eyes again. You were having trouble focusing, which he noticed, judging by the faint and playful grin on his lips. "Just so I could be here with you."

In the end, you were the one to kiss him first. Eyes fluttered shut, tilting his face up to yours, you pressed your lips against his. He returned it, soft, slow, his body strong against yours.

You parted, once, but he followed your lips so closely, leaning forward in your space, you didn’t have a chance to speak before he kissed you again. Teeth scraping against your lower lip, tongue sliding against yours, one of his hands on the back of your neck to prevent you from pulling back, you were so distracted by the solid muscle he pressed against you that you almost didn’t notive the heavy footsteps approaching the door.

Pulling away from him, you stood, and fled the room before his father could walk in on something neither you nor Neteyam could explain.

"What the hell were you thinking?" echoed down the hall, but you were long gone by that point.

Neither of you mentioned the kiss, both caught up in insecurity and deciding that the friendship was worth more than that. Still, Ateyo avoided you like the plague and you didn't give him anything but small smiles, heeding Neteyam's warning.

You thought about that kiss, a lot.

And one time, drunk, Neteyam confessed that he thought about it, too.

But it never happened again.

Yet, here you were, his lips against yours. This time, he was the one to lean down.

Shocked, you did little more than stare up at him with wide eyes. It was a soft press of his lips against yours, but still intentional. He slid his leg in-between yours, the muscles on his thigh pressing upwards, and you gasped against him, rolling your hips down.

Prepared for the second kiss, you tipped your face back, meeting him halfway. This one was rough. His tongue slid against yours, licking into your opened mouth, hands still tight on your jaw, fingers still against your throat, not allowing you much movement other than placing your hands on his chest. You slid them over his shoulders, pressing down on the strength of them, then down the front of his chest, over his abs.

The hand wrapped around your throat pressed into the wall next to your head, and while you were distracted by looking at the muscles in him arm tighten, he gripped your chin in his fingers and turned your head to the side as his lips trailed down your jaw and onto your neck.

“Are you still mad at me?” you cursed the breathiness in your voice. Whimpering when he bit down on your soft skin, the sharp points of his skin nearly breaking the surface, he soothed the area with a. hot swipe of his tongue.

“So mad,” he huffed, pressing his thigh harder between your legs. Another roll of your hips and a whimper from you, followed by a groan from him. “Fuck, I can’t even think straight.”

Kissing you again, it was more of a punishment. Teeth against your lip, not allowing you to breathe, not allowing you to run from him anymore. His arms wrapped around you, pulling your body from the tree, and the two of you ended up on the ground. Him laying over you, forearms by your head, hips pressed together.

“Missed you,” he groaned into your ear when you hitched a leg around his waist, rocking up against him.

“Missed you, too,” you gasped, cut off by him pressing his lips to yours again. A few more fast kisses, and he pulled away again.

“You never had to miss me, we could’ve been doing this the entire time.” His lips were at the hollow of your throat, sucking the skin, making you dizzy.

“I’m sorry,” you told him, honestly, using your hands in his hair to pull his face to yours.

He smiled against you, shaking his head. “skxawng.”

Scratching your nails down his back in response, you couldn’t help but smile with him. The moment broke the negative tension, replacing it with an overpowering kind. His hips never slowed, each thrust making you bite back a gasp despite the layers of clothing between the two of you. The kisses slowed and blurred together, nothing but a slow press of tongue and lips and groans that made your thighs tense and your clit throb.

One of his hands toyed with your thin top. He kissed you again, so you were distracted. You pressed your palms flat against his back, feeling the firm muscle, tracing the scars between his shoulder blades. He palmed over breasts with his free hand, the other one working at the knot holding your top against you. The thin sheet of cloth that clung to you did little to protect your sensitive nipple from brushing against his chest, or his fingers pressing against them over your clothes. “Is this okay?” he asked, groaning in your ear when you trailed your lips down his neck, your tongue against his skin.

“Yes,” you were a little too enthusiastic in your response, lifting your shoulders from the ground so he could pull it off. He grinned against you, a gentle laugh pressed into the skin of your clavicle. Most thought Lo’ak was the arrogant one between the brothers, but in truth, you knew Neteyam could be just as cocky. You let it slide as he tossed your top aside, pulling you against him, not bothering to look down before kissing you again.

His hands slid over your stomach, thumbs indenting your skin, before he pressed his palms over your breasts. Leaning back, he pulled himself away from your body to stare down at you. Only for a few seconds, chest heaving, taking in the sight of you underneath him. Lips tracing over your shoulders, he trailed down until he took one of your breasts in his mouth, the rough pads of his fingers sliding over the other.

Arching into him, you bit your tongue to muffle your whimper, legs tight around his waist. The pleasure pushed you higher, the occasional scrape of his teeth against you making you press your fingers tight against his shoulders. He switched to the other nipple, roughly palming the other one. “Shit,” he cursed against you. “You’re making it so hard for me, baby.”

“Want you so bad,” distracted by his free hand sliding up your thigh, you didn’t notice him licking through the valley of your breasts until he reached your hip bone, fingers slipping from your tits to mess with your waist band.

“Can I take this off?”

For the first time, you hesitated. It was a split second, but he caught it, hoisting himself up so his palms were flat against the ground and he wasn’t touching you. Still trapped in the haze, you weren’t entirely sure how to voice your thoughts, but you knew he wouldn’t accept you shying away from him anymore. “Don’t you want to try it with someone else?”

Poor boy looked so confused, frowning, eyes flicking from your tits to your face, trying to stay focused. “What?”

You sat up, and he moved with you, holding your hand to help you up. Your face heated, and you reminded yourself that this was your best friend and not someone who wanted to hurt you. “It’s so permanent. Don’t you want to explore all of your options before committing?”

Staring at you, dumbfounded, his shoulders tense and his hands clenching yours. “Do you want to explore other options?”

“No,” you rushed to say. “I don’t want to force you to do anything. I’m trying to give you a way out, in case you want one.”

Sighing, he cupped the back on your neck, pulling you against him. He gave you another soft kiss, nothing more than a featherlight press of his lips against yours. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I met you.”

The two of you swapped a few more gentle kisses, him chasing your lips every time you pulled back to speak.

“I See you,” you whispered, kissing him again so you didn’t have to see his immediate reaction. “I was scared of it for a long time. But it’s true.”

When he whimpered against you, the noise sent another wave of heat between your legs. “I See you,” he spoke into your ear, pushing you down so your back met the cold ground and he hovered over you. “Can’t live without you. Don’t ever leave me again.”

The following kisses returned to a fevered pace, desperate. You couldn’t get close enough to him, his hands skirting over your front, tugging at your hair, your hands on his waist, against his jaw. His tongue slid into your mouth, his hips rolled down, and you could hardly keep up with how desperate you were. “Please,” you gasped, taking his hands and guiding them down your body.

“Yeah?” he asked, working at the knot holding your clothing over your hipbone. “You want this?”

“So much,” you confessed, devastated at the lack of friction against your core. “Do you?”

“Yes,” he breathed. “So gorgeous, you have no idea how much I’ve had to hold myself back from this.”

licking at your breasts again, he slid the cloth up and over your thighs, bunching it at your hips. “So hard to control myself around you.”

Propping yourself on your elbows, you watched him discard your skirt, sliding it down your legs, his fingers brushing against your thigh, making your hips rise slightly in search of him. The first touch of his fingers against you, gathering your wetness along the pads of his fingers had you laying back, unable to hold yourself up. When the rough pads of his fingers swiped over your clit, his thumb rubbing in slow circles, you had to remind yourself to breathe, eyes shut, face hot.

Other hand sliding up your calf and pulling it over his shoulder, you didn’t realize he spoke until he bit into your thigh. Gasping, you returned to the moment.

“Need you to be here with me,” he told you, making you look at him. “Tell me if you want to stop.”

“I don’t want to stop, it feels good.”

He nodded, biting back his grin at the praise. “Keep making those sounds, then,” he ducked his head, licking from your opening to the top, tip of his tongue pressed against your clit for only a second before disappearing.

you did as he asked, crying at the pleasure as he repeated the action a few times before sealing his lips over your clit and sucking, fingers pressing inside of you. Cursing, your nails scratched against the floor, hips rising to press yourself further against his face, back arching off the ground.

fingers curling inside of you, bullying a certain spot inside of you that made you cry out. the pleasure mounted, his hot tongue sliding against your clit over and over, occasionally replaced by harsh sucks. your eyes rolled back, and you could do nothing but stutter his name and gasp for air.

You were right there, on the precipice of snapping, when he pulled away. His fingers slowed to a slow thrust, and you tears brimmed on your lashes from the desperation of being edged like that. You wanted to ask him why, to yell at him for delaying this, but all that came out was a pathetic whimper and a wanton roll of your hips.

“I’m still mad at you, sweetheart,” his fingers returned to your clit, moving just as slow as his other fingers pumping in and out of you. “you ignored me for months.”

“I didn’t ignore you,” you managed to grit out. “I just put some distance between us.”

Humming, he bent down again, replacing his fingers with his mouth, putting you right back on that edge, only to stop you from falling over once more when he pulled back. You nearly kicked him. “Maybe I should put some distance between us now,” the teasing in his voice was almost enough to make you stand up and leave.

“Please,” you whimpered.

“I could be convinced to stay,” he winked at you, increasing the pace of his fingers thrusting inside of you. But the playfulness faded. “Tell me you’ll never leave me again.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Tell me you won’t lie to me again.”

“I won’t.”

He brought you to the edge, then backed away for a third time. This time, you couldn’t keep the tears from falling, sniffling. He made a mocking sound. “Is this hard for you?”

After you nodded, he increased the pace of his fingers on your clit, and said “don’t cum yet.”

Whimpering, you tried to think of anything else but his hands and lips on you but failed. You were tipping over the cliff, when he stopped again, pulling his hands away from you completely. He gripped your waist and flipped you over, hands on your hips to raise them off the ground, his other hand on your upper back to press your face into the ground.

And then his tongue was on you again, sliding through your folds, lips forming a seal around your clit and sucking, his hands holding your trembling thighs apart. You were no longer above begging, asking him for permission to cum. Drooling over it.

“Go ahead, baby,” he said after pulling away from you. “Say my name when you do it.”

Returning to you, fingers nudging that spot again, tongue hot and slick against you, you couldn’t hold yourself off the ground when you came. A whimper of his name, a moan that echoed, every thought in your head shattered by your orgasm, he eased you onto your back, kissing you before you even had a chance to come back to yourself.

It was a messy kiss, like the kind he’d given your pussy. You could taste yourself on him, and you pulled away for air, lips brushing against his ear. “You’re so good to me,” you said, pulling him closer, you used your own slick to wet your fingers before you pumped his dick a few times.

He groaned. “Don’t tease,” sitting back on his heels, he thrusted into your hand, eyes falling shut and face tilting back. “Waited long enough to have you. Can’t take it.”

Neteyam ended up hovering over you again, the head of his dick brushing your entrance, eyes trained on yours. “We can still stop,” he assured you, even though he could stop the movement of his hips, the tip of his cock hitting your clit with every slow roll.

“I want to do this with you.”

And with that, he used one hand to guide himself inside, the other was used to hold himself over you. The intrusion made you whimper and clench your eyes shut, lip drawn between your teeth. He made noises, too, desperate sounds that had your pussy clenching around him. You were wet and turned on enough that he was able to slip inside, though the stretch still stung and made your eyes water.

Muttering sweet nothings against your lips, once his hips were flush with yours, both of you paused. It was an overwhelming feeling, to be full of him. He brushed against every nerve, upset every balance inside of you, even when all he could manage were shallow thrusts, barely pulling back and pressing in again. He was overwhelmed, too, judging by the way he buried his face in your neck, cursing, begging, praising you. “So perfect,” he told you, pulling out further than he had before, but still not leaving you completely. When he pressed forward again, you moaned, the lewd sound of your wetness distracting you. “Don’t know how I ever lived without this, without you.”

Too overstimulated to return the words, you settled for pressing your lips against his, urging his hips to move. They did, the tip of his cock nudging somewhere so deep inside of you it blurred the pleasure and the pain and had you holding onto him as if you’d disappear if you didn’t.

He shifted your position. “Want to be closer,” he told you as he pulled your legs over his shoulders, leaning forward until your knees were by your head and he set a fast pace, hands returning to your breasts, pulling and tugging on your hard nipples as you met his thrusts, or tried to, before you gave up completely and just let him do what he wanted. Pressed down into you harder, battered that pleasurable spot inside of you, his hands unrelenting on your tits.

“With me,” he begged, hands moving from your body to find yours, interlocking your fingers and pressing them into the ground. “Cum with me.”

You reached that high together, groaning and gasping into each other’s mouths, dissolving into kisses once you both finished.

Later that night, after returning to the Fortress, you snuck him back into your tent, laughing the entire time.

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