#and then he grows up with a clan who’s just winging it

[spottedmischief]

Cheezi core honestly

[joonsytip]

Side by Side || Hoshi

Pairings: Hoshi x Fem!Reader

Genre: Angst, Smut, mafia boss! Hoshi, cold husband! Hoshi, doctor! Reader, arranged marriage au.

Synopsis: Your marriage to Soonyoung is just a form of convenience to all and you're fed up trying to make things work. So what happens when you start being bratty and it brings out an animalistic side to your cold mafia boss husband?

Warnings: hoshi being the typical cold & rude mafia boss, mafia clan jargon intended, betrayal, reader becomes bratty, couple fights, marriage of convenience, hate sex, angry sex, creampie, choking, biting, marking.

Word Count: 5.5k

[ SVT Masterlist ] [ SVT Flick - Fic Masterlist ]

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT 🔞

In the frosty heart of the city, there's a large edifice owned by Soonyoung, a mafia boss, who goes by the alias Hoshi. He is a man of few words and even fewer smiles, a dangerously cold man who rules his criminal empire with an iron fist.

However, even the coldest hearts can take a hit under the circumstances. One day, Soonyoung's advisors come to him with a proposition: an arranged marriage to you, brilliant young physician and the daughter of a powerful ally now, but previously your clan had been prime rival of his clan, things still on the brink of simmering sometimes.

The advisors believe that this union would strengthen Soonyoung's hold on his territory, as your father controlled a large part of the city's medical services and underground capo. Always a man of strategy, Soonyoung agrees to the arrangement, despite his initial lack of interest in matrimony.

The reason, more of the truth is, Soonyoung's empire is under threat from a rival gang and your family has the resources and influence to help turn the tide in his favor. By marrying you, he would secure an alliance that could tip the balance of power in his favor.

Soonyoung has always been a complex man, a man who has built his empire on fear and ruthlessness. But beneath that icy exterior, there is a hint of loneliness and sadness. He has always been a solitary figure, never allowing himself to get close to anyone.

Being an orphan, he was basically raised on the streets of the city. He had learned early on that the world was a cold and unforgiving place. He had made his way up in the criminal underworld, using his cunning tactics and ruthlessness to secure his position as a boss.

To begin with, he had fallen in with a small gang of street thugs and by providing himself as a quick learner, he soon became their leader. It was during this time that he met a seasoned mobster, who recognized his potential and took him under his wing.

Soonyoung's rivals are the Kims, a powerful and ruthless mafia clan who controls a significant part of the city's criminal underworld. They had been feuding with his gang for years over territory, resources, and power.

You, on the contradictory note, are a fiery, independent spirit. You had grown up as the heir of another wealthy and influential mafia clan. Despite your privileged upbringing, you had never allowed yourself to be intimidated by the criminal world that surrounded you.

You had always been a bright and curious child, with a love for learning, excelling in studies, particularly in the field of medicines. Despite your family's objections, you had pursued the medical degree from a prestigious university.

You have seen deaths growing up, so the main reason for becoming a doctor was a way of protesting, while your family killed, you wanted to save lives.

You are shocked on receiving the marriage proposal from Soonyoung's advisors. It's not that you had never expected to be married into another mafia clan but you had never imagined it would be Soonyoung's. You have seen your brothers held at the gunpoint by the said man, in exchange for royalty. Things might look good on the surface but you know better.

So after much discussion and negotiation, you agreed to the marriage. Your family saw it as an opportunity to broker a more prominent peace treaty with Soonyoung's gang.

Though you have agreed to the marriage, your impression of Soonyoung was simple, the leader of the Kwon mafia clan who's ruthless and walks on the blood of people.

You saw this marriage as an opportunity to gain more independence and autonomy within your own family, a chance to make a difference in the criminal underworld by promoting peace and cooperation.

The first time you two meet is at a formal dinner arranged by your family. Though you both are seated next to each other and pleasantries are exchanged, Soonyoung doesn't pay much mind to you.

He is distracted during the dinner, paying more attention to the men of the gang and their discussions, than to you. However as the meal went on, he couldn't help but be drawn to your strength and poise.

Later that evening, when the dinner ends and the guests are leaving, Soonyoung finds himself lingering near you. After much consideration, he asks you to go for a walk in the gardens outside the estate.

As you both walk together in the moonlit gardens, you try to make small talks with him only to meet with dry replies. You can sense the coldness and aloofness in his aura.

His eyes narrow as he asks you bluntly, "So, tell me. Why did you agree to this marriage?

You weren't expecting a blunt question this quick but who are you kidding, it's Soonyoung afterall. Feeling a pang of disappointment, you reply tersely, "My reasons for agreeing to this union are none of your concern. Enough about that, let's return inside."

He seems to ignore your words and continues to press on you, his voice low and rough as he asks, "Do you really think you can handle life with me, as my wife? As the leader's wife?

Soonyoung's sharp tone causes a chill to run down your spine, but you refuse to back down. Meeting his frightening gaze boldly, you reply, "I can handle whatever comes my way, Soonyoung. I am not some delicate flower that will wilt at the first sign of trouble."

His lips quirked into a small smirk at your bold response, his demeanor softening just a little. He couldn't help but admire you for your bravery and strength, and he suddenly feels a desire to know more about you. "Well then..."

He begins to lead you to a secluded part of the garden, away from prying eyes. The moonlight illuminates your path as you both walk together in silence. "I suppose we will have plenty of time to get to know each other once we are married," he says at last with a hint of sarcasm.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, he abruptly stops walking and turns to face you. His expression is unreadable as he says, "Y/N, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. Just because we are getting married, it doesn't mean that I will be easy on you."

He continues, "You will be my wife in name only. I expect you to follow my orders, no matter what they are. My position as the leader of our people is everything to me, and nothing, not even you, will ever come before it."

You look at Soonyoung, eyes narrowing as you listen to his harsh words. Despite his warning, you could see the uncertainty in his gaze, and it gives you a hope. "I understand." you say quietly.

Over the next few weeks, you are forced to throw yourself into the preparations for your wedding. The entire city is bustling with activity, but one person seemed to be conspicuously absent - Soonyoung. He sends his men and servants to assist with the preparations but he has not been seen in days.

Despite your frustration, you try not to let it show. You don't want to give your would-be husband the satisfaction of knowing that he is getting under your skin. But as the days turns into weeks, you couldn't help but wonder if he is even going to show up for the wedding.

You try to reach out to Soonyoung numerous times, but never receive a response. You have even sent messengers to his estate, but they all returned with the same message - he is unavailable. You even attempted to visit him herself, but were turned away at the gate.

As the days went on, you couldn't help but rethink your decision to marry Soonyoung. You shouldn't have given the nod, shouldn't have agreed under the pressure of your family because Soonyoung is distant and completely unwilling to let you in. You are compelled, you divert yourself back into your regular routine, living in the hospital dorms just to keep yourself busy and your mind away from all sorts of unpleasant thoughts.

With each passing day, you grow more and more convinced that you have made a mistake. You couldn't shake the feeling that Soonyoung would never truly care for you and that your marriage would be nothing more than a political arrangement.

The day of the wedding arrives. You stand wearing the white gown, looking out at the assembled guests. Your heart feels heavy with doubt and you couldn't help but wonder what your life would have been like if you had followed your heart.

The crowd grows restless as the ceremony draws near and there is still no sign of the groom. You try to push down your growing anxiety but you can't shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong. And then finally, as the sun begins to set, Soonyoung appears.

He looks unapologetic and nonchalant as he strolls towards you with small smile on his lips, seeming completely unfazed by the fact that he has kept his bride waiting and takes your hand without a second thought.

As the vows are exchanged, you feel your doubts grow even stronger. You wonder if you would ever be able to truly accept a man who has so carelessly disrespected you. But for now, you bury those feelings and force yourself to smile, knowing that it was too late to turn back now.

The rest of the wedding day passes in a blur. You go through the motions, dancing and laughing with your guests, all the while feeling a growing sense of emptiness inside. And as the night wears on, you are convinced that you have made a grave mistake.

From the start, Soonyoung's cold demeanor and possessive attitude caused friction between you two. He expects you to cater to his every whim, but you have promised yourself to never be intimidated by his threats and his icy stare.

As newlyweds, you both settle into the honeymoon suite. You feel your heart sink once again because you had hoped that the spark would be reignited once you both were alone, but Soonyoung seems more interested in the bottle than in you.

You sit on the edge of the bed, your eyes fixed on your hands. Your husband stands by the window, nursing a glass of whiskey. The silence is palpable.

"Soonyoung," you begin, your voice barely above a whisper, "Why did you leave me alone at the altar today?"

Soonyoung turns to face you, his expression unreadable. He takes a long pull from his glass before answering, "I didn't leave you at the altar, if I did then we wouldn't have been married and you wouldn't have been here."

His face hardens as he steps closer to you, "I don't have time for your tears or your theatrics," he snaps, "You knew that this isn't going to be a normal marriage with rainbows and sunshine so stop whining and play your part."

Your eyes are narrow as you stand up to face him, "I may have agreed to this marriage, but I will not be treated like a doormat," you say, your voice is steady and strong, "I am more than just a trophy wife."

Soonyoung sneers at you, his annoyance growing. "Then what are you, Y/N? You're nothing but a foolish woman because you agreed to this marriage knowing there would be no love, no obligations."

Your eyes flash with anger as you bite back with a retort, "Fine. If you want to play the game of cold indifference, then let's see who breaks first."

You take a step closer to him, your voice low and dangerous, "Don't test me, Soonyoung", you warn, "I may not be a man, but I am not as weak as you seem to think. I can give as good as I get.", you reach up and grab a handful of his shirt, your fingers digging into the fabric.

Soonyoung's eyes widen in surprise at your sudden burst of anger. He opens his mouth to speak, but you cut him off with a sharp look, "I am done being your doormat", you say, your voice full of fire and determination.

After that night, you both settle into a cold and distant marriage. You live in a lavish mansion but the tension between you both is palpable. But even after the heated word exchange, you tried your best to make the marriage work, but Soonyoung's cold and rude demeanor made it impossible.

You made constant efforts to engage with him. You organized dinners and gatherings, hoping that you'd connect over shared interests. You tried to talk to him about the relationship, expressing your desires for a more loving and supportive partnership.

You also made an effort to spend quality time with Soonyoung. You would plan trips and outings, clearing your schedules, hoping that the time alone would help you both grow closer. You would often try to initiate deep conversations in the hopes that it would melt his cold exterior.

Despite your best efforts, your husband remains the same. He shows no signs of caring for you or reciprocating your affections. The lack of feelings weighed heavily on you.

You try to warn Soonyoung when you discover that he has been secretly meeting with a member of the rival mafia clan. As a doctor, you feel strongly about upholding the law but as his wife, you couldn't help but worry about his safe being.

Soonyoung isn't a fool. He knows what he is doing. He has his own reasons for secretly meeting, whoever he is meeting. He believes that forming an alliance with them would bring more power and wealth to his own clan, securing their position as a dominant force in the criminal underworld but if he fails to coax them to form an ally then he'd finish the whole clan.

"You don't understand the ways of the mafia, my dear wife. I do what needs to be done, whether you approve or not.", he answers you.

"And you don't know what you're getting yourself into," you plead, your hands gripping his arms in desperation. "The rival clan is ruthless and they will stop at nothing to take us down."

Soonyoung's expression hardens as he pulls his arms out of your grip. "You don't trust me to handle this, do you?" he accuses, his voice full of rage, "I am the leader of this clan, and I know what I'm doing."

Suddenly, Soonyoung's expression darkens as he looks at you, "You have a secret it seems," he says, his voice low and dangerous. "Is there something you're hiding from me because how the hell did you know that I'm meeting the people of rival clan?"

Your eyes flash with defiance as you walk out of the room, leaving Soonyoung standing there. You couldn't believe he would accuse you of hiding something from him even after she have just warned him about the danger. He seems to have forgotten that you too belong to a powerful mafia clan.

Since that day, your relationship becomes more strained as you both stopped speaking to each other. Soonyoung is always staking out doing something you don't care about anymore and you sort to spending more time at hospital.

Your heart stops, one night, as you see Soonyoung walk into the home, his clothes soaked in blood. You run to him, your hands reaching out to touch him, to make sure he is okay.

"What happened?", you ask, eyes scanning his body.

Soonyoung's voice is distant as he speaks, "It's not my blood." he says, pushing your hands away. "I killed someone before he could kill me."

Your eyes wander before you look at him. Something about his story doesn't add up. You step closer, studying his face and see the faint traces of tears in his eyes, "Soonyoung," you say softly, reaching out to touch his cheek. "What really happened?"

Soonyoung's reaction takes you by surprise but you don't let it deter you. You follow him quietly to your shared bedroom, watching as he collapses on the bed. "Soonyoung," you repeat, your voice softer now, "Tell me the truth."

Soonyoung lets out a sigh as he turns to face you. He looks into your eyes, knowing he couldn't hide the truth from you any longer, "I had planted a mole, one of my trusted men in their gang.", he admits, his voice barely above a whisper, "He got caught by them and was already dead when I found him."

Soonyoung hesitates, taking a deep breath before continuing, "If I had arrived a bit earlier, I could have saved him. But I got a hold of some of them and killed them all.", he turns away, his voice filled with regret.

Your concern for your husband overpowers any disappointment you have in him. You move closer to him, your hands gently examining his body for any injuries. "Are you hurt? Is that your blood?"

He looks up at you, his eyes filled with pain, "Yes," he whispers, "I was stabbed."

He lifts his shirt, revealing a long wound on his side. You gasp, your hands immediately going to the wound as you inspect it.

You quickly grab some bandages and disinfectant from the first aid kit and carefully clean the wound before wrapping it up, making sure it is clean and protected. "We need to get you to a hospital," you say firmly, "This needs stitches."

He grabs your hand and tells you that he can't.

You frown at his response, but you don't let it deter you, "Soonyoung, this is serious," you say, trying to keep the worry out of your voice, "You need medical attention."

Soonyoung shakes his head, his grip on your hand tightening.

His actions cut through you like a knife, "I don't need your help", he spats out, his voice filled with anger and frustration, "Just leave me alone." He pulls his hand away from yours, turning his back on you as he tries to hide the pain in his eyes.

You know that he needs medical attention and you are not going to let him suffer any longer. Gathering up your sewing kit and some painkillers, you approach him again.

You sit down next to him, carefully cleaning and numbing the wound before starting to stitch it up. The entire process is painful and tense, with Soonyoung gritting his teeth and occasionally flinching as the needle goes in.

You don't receive a thanks, rather you receive an ultimatum to never interfere in his matters again.

As the weeks went by, you both grew more distant. You'd only see each other in the bedroom that too occasionally and your conversations are always short and perfunctory. As demanded by your husband, you have finally stopped caring about his matters.

Soonyoung bursts into the mansion one evening, his face red with anger. He has heard something he couldn't believe. He shouts out your name, closing in on you as you sat on the couch.

Your confusion turns into fear as you see the anger in his eyes.

"You dated Minho.", he declares, gritting his teeth, "The son of Kim's, the next boss of their clan."

You hadn't expected him to find out about your brief relationship with the rival gang member. Your voice is stern when you say, "I did date him, but it was years ago when we were both in college. But I broke up with him as soon as I found out who his family was. I never would do anything hurtful for my family or the people I care for."

Soonyoung has been boiling the entire time, he is frustrated, he is mad. So he hurls some insults at you and you do too. The fight has turned into something else entirely. You both are overwhelmed with emotion.

"What kind of man doesn't want his wife?", you yell at him, "Maybe I should go back to Minho, at least he would treat me better."

At this point you're saying anything and everything to bottle out your frustration.

"So you want me to treat you as my wife?", Soonyoung turns calm suddenly, his tone low, "You want me to want you?"

And before you both know it, the anger has turned into something darker and more primal.

Soonyoung reaches you in long strides and kisses you by grabbing your head.

He backs you to the bedroom, lips still connected. One gaze after he pulls away and the tension snaps. You both rip each other's clothes off, your bodies colliding in a rough wave.

You bodies now move in a desperate rhythm, each thrust and grind a testament to the months of frustration and pent-up desire that had been building between the you of you. Soonyoung's hands roamed all over your body, gripping your hips, pulling your hair and squeezing your breasts roughly.

His voice is low and rough as he speaks into your mouth, "You're mine, Y/N.", he says, his hips pistoning into yours, "I can't get enough of you, even when I hate you for speaking of some other man when I was infront of you just because you were feigning for some touch. I'll show that I could all and above."

You meet his intensity with your own. You claw at his back, leaving red marks on his skin as you scream out your own frustration, "I'm not yours, Soonyoung," you spat, "I never was."

You buck your hips, meeting his thrusts with equal ferocity, gripping the sheets tightly. Your body is aching with pleasure and pain because of the roughness.

"You're just a means to an end," you say with a feral glint in your eyes. "You always were."

Soonyoung's lips curl in a savage smile as he hears your words. He grips your hips tighter and slams into you harder, the headboard banging against the wall with each thrust, "I'll make sure you never forget me then."

His hand wraps around your throat, not enough to choke you but enough to assert dominate. He leans down, his breath hot against your skin as he sucks and bites at your neck, marking you as his, "Happy to finally get what you wanted?"

Your breath hitches as his hand tightens around you throat but you don't back down. You meet his gaze with a fierce glare, your fingers digging into his back deeper as you hold on, "I'll always be a thorn in your side."

Soonyoung chuckles darkly, his hand finally releasing your throat, now placing it on your hips again, pulling you closer to him as he thrusts deeper, "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

In response, you wrap your legs around him and meet each of his thrusts with one of your own, your bodies slapping together in a heated dance.

His eyes darken with desire as he continues to thrust, the two of you getting lost in a wild and animalistic rhythm. He reaches down rubbing your clit, causing you to moan loudly as you come undone beneath him.

Feeling you clenching around him as you came, Soonyoung couldn't hold back any longer. He thrusts into you a few more times before spilling himself inside of you, his fingers gripping your hips tightly as he releases everything he had.

But even as he holds you close to him, he knows that your relationship would never be simple. You are fiery and independent, a woman who would always challenge him and keep him on his toes. But he wouldn't have it any other way.

You lay in Soonyoung's arms, your body still trembling and humming with pleasure. You have never felt so alive, so free. You have always been a thorn in his side, always pushing back against him, never making it easy for him.

But in this moment, as you lay together, bodies still entwined, you couldn't help but feel something more for your husband. You aren't sure if it is love, or just a deep and primal attraction, but you know that you have found something special in him.

And so, as the night wore on, you and Soonyoung lay there, holding each other tightly.

But eventually, the night had to end. The first light of dawn begins to break over the horizon, casting a golden glow over the room as you wake up to an empty bed.

And as the sun continues to rise, you both go back to your usual ways, each pretending to be indifferent to the other. But deep down, you both know that something has changed between you both, that you are no longer just enemies, but something more complicated and unpredictable.

And so, as the days passed and the war raged on, you both find yourselves drawn to each other again and again, your fiery chemistry impossible to resist. You fought and fucked, through it all, never not craving each other's touch.

Another such episode comes when you storm into Soonyoung's office, your eyes blazing with anger. You had a long, shitty day at the hospital so you are here, into the vicinity of your husband, ready to give him a piece of your mind.

As soon as you see him, sitting there behind his desk, claded in a fitting suit, all your other thoughts go into the gutter. You couldn't help but feel a deep, primal desire for him. And from the look in his eyes, you could tell that he felt the same way.

Soonyoung's jaw clenches on seeing you and he couldn't help but let his anger show, "What the hell do you want?", he snarls, standing up and slamming his fists on the desk, "How dare you barge into my office?Can't you see I'm busy?"

Your eyes narrow and you let out a low, dangerous laugh, "Oh, I see", you say, sauntering towards him with a seductive sway in your hips, "I thought you'd be busy jerking yourself off to the thought of me."

Soonyoung lets out a laugh as his control snaps. He reaches out and grabs you, pulling you towards him before turning you over and bending over the desk, his hands roughly gripping your hips as he grinds himself against you.

You gasp as his hands roam over your clothed body, igniting a fire within you that you couldn't resist. You moan as he presses himself against you, your body craving his touch despite everything, "Fuck me, Soonyoung."

His voice is low and rough as he leans in close to your ear, "You want me to fuck you, my wife?" he growls, his hot breath sending chills down your spine, "You've been begging for it since the moment you walked in here."

Your smirk turns into a gasp as he turns you around again, hands ripping your clothes. His gaze marvels at you in nothing your lingerie before tearing them as well, revealing your naked body to him. You swear under your breath as the cool air hits your skin, but it's quickly replaced with the heat of Soonyoung's touch.

"You're a fucking animal."

Soonyoung's only response is a guttural growl as he lifts you onto the desk, spreading you legs and entering harshly into you without hesitation. Your hands work on undressing him as he thrusts in. The sound of the bodies slapping against each other fills the room, along with your moans and his grunts of pleasure.

The heat of your bodies is overwhelming and your head falls back as you surrender to the pleasure that your husband is giving you. The pain of his rough treatment mixed with pleasure and you find yourself moaning loudly, scratching at his back as he continues to rearrange your insides.

His thrusting never slows as he looks down at you, his eyes dark with desire. He smirks, leaning down to whisper in your ear, "You like that, don't you? Being treated like the filthy slut you are."

Your glare turns into a snarl as you grab Soonyoung's throat, your fingers digging into his skin. "Shut up and fuck me harder.", you growl through gritted teeth. Your grip tightens around his neck as you pull him closer, your faces inches apart.

Soonyoung snickers at your response, the smirk never wavering, "With pleasure, my dirty little whore," he responds with a chuckle before kissing you passionately.

"You're damn right, I am." you say pulling away, your grip tightening even more, "Now fuck me like the animal you are."

You pull him down for another rough and bruising kiss, refusing to let go as your bodies collide in a mess of sweat and heat.

He breaks the kiss, a triumphant smirk on his face as his thrust takes animalistic speed.

Your moans and his grunts of pleasure, floods the rooms. You bite on his shoulder blade, leaving an angry red mark as you hold on and let him ravage her body.

Soonyoung's thrusts became more erratic as he feels his orgasm building up within him, ready to spill. Your body shakes with pleasure, the two of you reaching the climax together.

He pulls out of you and collapses onto you, panting and covered in sweat, "Fuck," he says with a grin.

"You're wild.", you glare at him, but a smirk of your own forms as you try to push him off you.

Soonyoung slides off and stretches, his muscles aching from the exertion of your passionate encounter.

"You think that was good just because you could keep up with me?", you laugh with a seductive smirk on your lips, "I've fucked better and rougher."

Soonyoung flexes his muscles, a smug grin on his face, "Well, I guess it was a good thing for you then, wasn't it?" he shot back, pushing your buttons with ease.

You roll your eyes but couldn't keep the smile off your face.

"You know what?", you say as you hop off the table, "Keep telling yourself that.", you start walking towards the bathroom, "I'll take a shower first, wanna join?"

You look down at your torn clothes and laugh with a playful glint in her eye, "Well, looks like I'll be walking out of here naked", and look over at your husband with a smirk, "I guess you want all your men to see me like this."

Soonyoung's temper flares at the thought of all the men in the office seeing his wife naked. He quickly follows you into the bathroom with a fierce determination on his face.

"Fuck no." he mutters to himself and turns you around to face him.

He cups your face and looks deeply into your eyes, "You're mine and I won't share you with anyone.", he says possessively, a fierce protectiveness in his gaze, "So, either put on my spare clothes or wait till I get you something to wear."

Your eyes flashed with a hint of defiance as you shrug off in hold, "I don't care if anyone sees me naked.", you snip to rile him up.

Soonyoung steps closer, "If you let another man look at this state of yours whether or not I'm around, I will rip them apart," he growls.

And he doesn't waste any time. His carnal instincts takes over once again so you are now bent her over the bathroom counter, his hands gripping your hips as he plunges into you from behind as he fucks with a wild abandon.

The bathroom was filled with the sound of your heavy breathing and the slick slap of the bodies. His fingers dug into your hips as he thrust deep inside you, his lips pressing a savage kiss to your shoulder, "Mine."

Your head falls back, breath hitching as Soonyoung hits a particularly sensitive spot deep inside you, "Yes.", you gasp, "All yours."

As your orgasm subsides for the second time, Soonyoung gently pulls out of you and turns you to face him. He wraps his arms around you, holding you close, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead, "I mean it," he murmurs, "You're mine."

You are taken aback by this sudden affectionate gesture. You hadn't expected tenderness from him after your rough session earlier. You look up at him and smile softly, a strange warmth spreading through your chest, "I'm yours, Soonyoung.", you repeat, your voice softer this time.

Your husband smiles back and tilts your head up so he can see you better. He looks into your eyes, his own softening as he sees the sincerity in your gaze., "And I'm yours.", he whispers before leaning in and kissing you softly.

You have already melted the icy shield and Soonyoung thinks it's time he starts to show that he can be sincere, that he too wants this marriage to work.

Urgent knocks on the office door makes Soonyoung scrumbling out of the bathroom, searching for his clothes in a hurry. He knows that the pattern of those knocks always meant some trouble.

Just as he goes to open the door, he hears the clanking of the gun and turns back only to feel the metal being pressed on the skin of his forehead.

"Hey, Hoshi.", you smile at your husband condescendingly, holding him at the gunpoint.

→ Do not copy, re-post, translate, or share any of my works on other platforms! All stories are copyrighted, joonsytip.

[syrupgirl]

Request:

Could u write a fic ab Sully family x y /n reader? Where she lives with the sully family after her parents died, she gets taken by the colonel in the forest and is set up for bate because he knows she important to the Sully family.

a/n: the way I interpreted this, reader is taken by herself rather than what happens in the film where all of the kids get taken. I did use the rough layout of the scene for inspo but it does diverge from cannon ie Neteyam is with the kids when they get discovered. I hope that’s similar enough to what you mean. also reader is na’vi and around Neteyam’s age :p

Sullys stick together -The Sully family

“Catch me if you can!” Tuk yelled. Her little feet pattering along the branch of an enormous tree, while you and the rest of the Sully children chased her for sport.

She giggled delightedly, dodging out of the way of Lo’ak’s hand.

You really weren’t supposed to be out this far. Too close to the battlefield Jake had said. To close to where the sky people had already begun laying their claim on Pandora. Not if the Na’vi had anything to say about it.

But oh, it was such a beautiful day, almost no clouds in the sky, Kenten floated around you with the unfurled fan necks slowing their descent. Who wouldn’t want to get carried away with the day?

Suddenly, little Tuk ran into the trunk of a tree and startled back, falling on her butt. Kiri rushed forward and kneeled beside her, rubbing her back.

“Oh Tuk, are you ok? Are you hurt?” Kiri asked, ever the nurturer.

Tuk rubbed her nose and sniffed, tiny little tears blooming in her eyes. “Yeah, just got a fright, that’s all.”

Kiri helped the youngest sully stand up and continued to comfort her. Tuk reassured her sister that she was ok and Kiri relented. Tuk then wandered off to continue her little adventure.

“Wait, guys! Look!” Lo’ak whisper shouted.

Everyone looked to the direction he was pointing. Spider’s eyes widened and he even gasped a little.

“Wow, bro. That’s where my dad and your dad fought, right?” He asked Neteyam.

Neteyam didn’t answer right away, looking almost sheepish. “Yeah, bro.”

Lo’ak looked like he could barely keep still, a giddy grin upon his face.

“Well c’mon! Let’s have a look inside!” He was about to spring up when you put a firm hand on his shoulder.

“No way! We have no idea what’s in there, there could be some old tech still active, or…I don’t know, some angry beast!”

Despite not being a blood member of the Sulky family, after Jake and Neytiri took you under their wing and growing up with them for so long cemented your place among them as family. You were as much Neteyam’s sister as Tuktirey was.

Despite not being a blood member of the Sully family, they listened to you and cared about what you had to say, or that’s what you thought.

“That’s why we have our knives, skxawng.” And with that Lo’ak got you to sprint to the abandoned lab. Well, he would’ve had it not been for the tussling of the bushes opposite where you were all crouching.

“Sit down!” Neteyam gritted out, he grabbed his younger brother by the back of his neck and yanked him back down beside him. Lo’ak started to protest, talking about how it was probably some harmless animal. The sound of voices shut him down. Voices speaking in, english.

You were confused. Sky people should not have gotten this far out without drawing attention of the clan. Neteyam motioned for everyone to be still and you all watched on as the voices got closer.

Neteyam turned on his comms and started speaking to Jake. You could guess what he was saying; do not engage, retreat, stay low and out of sight. All very good suggestions in your opinion.

You kept your gaze intently to the direction of the voices, just waiting for them to pop out so you could get a good look at them and hopefully get some answers to your burning questions.

For better or for worse your questions were answered sooner than you thought.

Aside from the speaking english, the only thing that gave them away for being avatar and not Na’vi was the tactical gear. They were fully decked out. A few of them had arms decorated with tattoos and…sunglasses, Jake had called them.

They slowly approached the abandoned lab with guns raised and eyes everywhere. You all ducked down further once you realised you were way out of your league. Unarmed humans you might be able to handle. Armed humans, definitely more difficult but you had done it before, but avatar who were armed to the teeth along with the strength and speed of the na’vi made for a dangerous mix. You all watched as they searched through the building, overturning the insides of it.

“Come on, dad is on his way, he told us to fall back.” Neteyam’s urged all of you, gesturing into the forest behind him.

“What? No! This is our- my chance to prove to dad that I can help! I can be an asset to the people!”

Neteyam and Lo’ak continued to bicker when you noticed Kiri looking around, looking around desperately.

“Kiri?” you asked, “what’s wrong?”

The girl looked almost brought to tears when she looked up to you.

Her voice trembled, “Where is Tuk?”

Oh god.

She had disappeared before Lo’ak had picked up on the lab.

No one had seen her since.

Kiri clasped her hands around her mouth, she looked about as scared as you felt. God, little Tuktirey.

Abruptly, the group of avatars in front of you trained their guns on clump of trees of to your right. You had heard the sound too, a snap of a small branch or twig. Whatever had stepped on it was light.

Light enough to be Tuk.

The hostiles started to walk toward the noise. It’s like you were watching them in slow motion. Off to the side you could see Kiri’s eyes widen, horror flashed across her face. Spider had a similar expression, his eyebrows upturned in the centre. Lo’ak and Neteyam had stopped their fighting and just looked scared out of their own minds. Neteyam for once didn’t have a solution for everything.

So you did the only thing you could think of. A stupid, stupid thing looking back on it, a stupid thing parading itself as bravery. You scrunched your face, said a silent prayer to Eywa to deliver Tuk to safety and to give you strength for whatever was to happen.

You lept out from behind the log and dashed out of cover.

The avatars snapped their attention to you and raised their guns, but you kept charging towards them. Unsheathing the small knife you kept on you at all times, you cried out.

An avatar with short cropped hair on the top of his hair held out his hand and caught you around the neck. He didn’t hold you tight enough to strangle you, but tight enough that you couldn’t escape. He lifted you up into the air like you were fresh prey.

You struggled and snarled, trying to get your knife in any part of him that you could reach.

“Well, well, well, lookie here…” Quaritch chuckled darkly. He motioned for his squad to lowers their guns and the obeyed, observing their colonel with obvious amusement. It made you sick, you probably outwardly grimaced.

“I’ve seen you somewhere before.” He muttered. Quaritch made a show of ‘hmmm’ing and scratching his chin in fake thought. “Ah yes, i’ve seen your runnin’ around with the Sully spawn. You’ve been causin’ a lot of trouble, you and those other brats.”

You pretended not to understand him, opting to keep snapping and thrashing at him. It was not a complete lie; while Jake had taught you some basic english, you could probably only form the sentences of a small human child.

“The thing looks feral…” A teammate muttered from behind the colonel and the squad laughed.

“Don’t be fooled, soldier. These Na’vi can be quite clever when they put their heads together.” The colonel responded.

Thinking of your family behind you, you hoped and prayed that they had retreated back with Tuktirey.

Quaritch lowered you to the ground but before you tried to make a break for it, he wove his fingers through your hair and pulled hard.

You bit your teeth to stifle a scream and reached up to attempt to pry his hand off of your head.

“I know that there’s more of you back there, in the tree line, so you behave and my team will leave them be.” Fear flooded you at that, hearing that this man knew you weren’t alone. With a snap of his fingers he could have you all held hostages. So you stilled. You rested your hands back at your sides and begrudgingly set your gaze on him.

The avatar holding you smiled.

“Children o’ Sully! You listen here,” he spoke in english before switching into what seemed to be pretty broken na’vi, “you tell your father to come here, and this girl will be returned unharmed in exchange for his compliance.”

At least he didn’t know Neteyam had already been in contact with both Jake and Neytiri. If they just pretended to leave, Jake and Neytiri would think of a plan. Like they always do.

The bushes where everyone was hiding rustled. Quaritch tensed and the avatars behind you raised their guns once more, but the bushes stilled, no other came from it.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. You hoped that they had gone back home or at least taken Tuk back.

“Alright everyone, I’m guessing we can expect Jake Sully and his mate getting here pretty soon.” He drawled, turning to face his team. “Get ready for an attack. Be on your guard and keep your new eyes and ears sharp.”

-

Jake and Neytiri quietly dismounted their Ikran and armed themselves. Neytiri looked as if she was shaking with rage, her mouth downturned and her eyes looking for a threat.

“Hey, I’m sure they’re all fine. They’re tough kids, they’re our kids which make them tougher.” Jake attempted a joke but it died out in the silence when Neytiri did not respond.

They hadn’t landed far from where Neteyam told them they were and they were almost silent as they crept forward into the thicket.

A flutter of motion from they’re left has Neytiri’s bow drawn and aimed at the spot.

“Mom! It’s just us! It’s me, Lo’ak!” Lo’ak revealed himself from his hiding spot, arms raised and Neytiri breathed a watery sigh.

She rushed forward, took her baby in her arms, and held him tightly. Lo’ak wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed. From behind him, Neteyam and spider emerged too, looking a little more embarrassed. Jake looked at his eldest and frowned.

“Where are your sisters?” He asked. Neytiri finally set Lo’ak down and gasped a little, noticing the absence of three of the Sully children.

“Kiri took Tuktirey back home and..” Neteyam looked ashamed, “yn was taken.”

His mother squeezed her eyes closed. Even if you weren’t born of her, you were her daughter. The idea of you being taken, as bait no less, had her heart in her stomach and her chest alight with anger.

Jake sighed and his face turned stony. “You all stay here, stay hidden, while we clean up your mess.” He whispered. The boys wilted and sunk back.

-

Your legs were starting to ache with how long you had been standing and your scalp with how hard the grip he had on your hair.

The man who had been holding you earlier passed you off to another one of his teammates, who seemed to take liberties in yanking your hair every once and a while.

The once clear sky had filled with clouds and rain trickled down through the canopy above you. No one had spoken in a long time, like everyone was holding their breath.

Suddenly, your ear twitched and you flicked your eyes to where you had heard…something. It could just be the sounds of the forest, an animal eating a plant or a ripe piece of fruit hitting the earth, but this sound sounded out of place, made my something not of the forest.

You caught a glimpse of something blue ducking behind the trunk of a wide tree. They had been holding what looked like a bow. Neytiri!

You shut your eyes and thanked Eywa for delivering you a mother as magnificent and brave as her.

Everything was still for a while and you wondered why Neytiri hadn’t taken a shot. Had she left? In an attempt to look like you were getting drowsy, you slumped a back into the avatar holding you. Your head hit his chin as you did so. He shoved you forward again, tugging your hair as he did so.

That’s why she hadn’t taken a shot, there was too much of a risk of hitting you. You looked up to where you had seen her before and caught her eyes. She had been staring at you intently the whole time, waiting for an opening.

So you gave her one.

You hoped she understood what you tried to say in a single look.

Saying another silent prayer to Eywa, you grabbed the arm that wasn’t gripping your hair, brought it up to your mouth, and bit down as hard as you could.

The man screamed, “You little bitch!”

Thankfully, on instinct he let go of your head and you had just enough time to duck out of the way before an arrow hit him straight between the eyes.

-

Twigs and leaves crunched beneath your feet and you made a break into the forest. You didn’t dare look back behind you. Gunshots rang through the air, some even whizzed past you.

Just as you jumped over the fallen trunk of a tree, an arm caught you from the side. You fought against it, landing a blow against whoever’s face had snatched you.

They groaned and let you go.

“Be calm! It’s just me!” Spider said as he held his now bloody nose.

You gasped and reached out to touch his face. “Oh Spider, I’m so sorry. You scared me!”

He shook his head a little before standing up, offering you a hand. “It’s fine, let’s go. Lo’ak and Neteyam already left.”

You took his hand and the two of you ran through the forest together. Never daring to look back.

-

When Jake and Neytiri returned, you knew you were all in for it.

You and your siblings listened outside of their tent, listening to them argue. You held Tuk to you, you didn’t want her to hear what they were saying but she insisted, so all you could do was let her know she wasn’t alone.

Jake stormed out of the tent and you all pretended to be looking at anything else. Smooth.

“yn, get over here.” He ordered. Lo’ak patted you on the back and walked away with the others.

“That stunt you pulled!? That’s not on, okay? It was stupi-!”

You interrupted him, “What I did was stupid, but I don’t regret it. If I hadn’t, Tuk would have been in my position and I couldn’t stand by and watch that happen, sir.” Jake was silent at that. The same stern look painted across his face and his eye twitched.

You stood your ground.

He stood his. For a while.

Until he broke.

The hard look he had softened and he just looked like a tired dad. You realised how stressed he must be, knowing that an old enemy was back and would go through his family to get him. He though he had lost Neteyam earlier this week, and now his daughter? You could have sympathy for him.

You approached him and wrapped your arms around his broad chest. “I’m sorry, dad. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

It felt as if his chest buckled at that and he returned your hug.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again. Alright, soldier?”

You smiled up at him and gave him a. mock salute.

“Yes, sir.”

[azsazz]

Little Sneak

Daddy!Azriel x Mommy!Reader [Zuzu Centric]

Summary: Anon Req: What about a part 2 to Sticking Together where all the children are older and Zuzu is upset about not being able to go to the camps like her brothers and cousins. Maybe she ends up sneaking off and gets hurt or something. Some lovely angst would be appreciated. Only if you want to of course, pls and thank you.

Warnings: Angst, suggestions of a child going to be harmed (child is not actually harmed)

Word Count: 2,357

_________________________________________

“Why must all my children defy me?” Azriel questions, pacing the length of the room. You’re almost dizzy with it, how long his strides are and how short the path he’s making is. He’s nearly turning in circles now, wings flared with agitation, growing larger and larger the more he works himself up. When he nearly knocks a lamp burning low with a single faelight over, you slip from the bed.

You halt your mate with a soft hand to his shoulder. His wings tuck in tight, not because you’re going to touch them, because his body automatically moves to give you room. You take it, curling yourself against his chest, hands snaking around his waist and thumbing soothing patterns across the dip of his back.

You can feel his muscles contract as he shifts his wings to cocoon the both of you. Darkness shrouds you, but the light casts red through the membranous skin.

It’s a safe place for the both of you, tucked away from the rest of the world without actually removing yourselves from situations where you’re needed. You and Azriel had found yourselves in this position many times—when you first found out you were pregnant with Wren and Azriel was worried you’d have trouble delivering a babe with wings, when Baz nearly burned his hand on an unattended fire. When you had found out that Knox wasn’t going to be able to speak, and when your eldest sons wanted to be allowed to train in the Illyrian camps.

It’s funny that you find yourself here for the exact same reason. Your daughter, Zuzu, Mother bless her, yearns to join her brothers. Both Wren and Baz have completed a year, along with Nyx and Gideon. The four have formed a group just as their fathers had, not taking anyone’s shit no matter how much larger in size they may be. With the High Lord on their side, the young boys got away with much more than they should, though Rhysand does his best not to stick his nose into matters that should be left to camp leaders.

They’ve found their places as young warriors, and though they often get into trouble, you and Azriel are able to spend more time in Velaris, working on a schedule with both Cassian and Rhys, so that one of them is always staying in the family cabins when the boys are in training.

The beat of Azriel’s steady heart is strong, comforting, even though you know he feels as helpless as you do. Each and every one of your children are as stubborn as their father, even the more stoic of the six, like Jax and the twins. Malos could hold a grudge for ages, even against her own siblings. And poor Azriel refuses to admit that it’s a trait he’s bestowed upon the shadowsinger clan. 

You squeeze your mate tighter, breathing in his comforting scent. Night-chilled mist from the long fly he’d had to take when Zuzu had told him the news. He hadn’t wanted to hear any part of it; his firstborn daughter wanted to train with males in the camps that will do nothing to look after her well-being. They won’t care if she’s beaten into the snow until she’s unable to move, if she can train as hard as the males, if she can do aerial maneuvers better than them. All they’ll see is a little girl who should be put in her place by the only means they know how.

The females won’t take kindly to her either. They’ll likely be jealous of the girl who’s wings are in perfect shape, who has the ability to fly and train and doesn’t have to spend back-breaking hours washing or cooking. No one but her brothers and cousins will be nice to her.

But she’s determined and headstrong. She’d confided in you first, and while you’d tried to talk her into joining Valkyrie training, she insisted that if there were young girls here willing to fight and join such a cause, why wouldn’t they extend the opportunity to those in the mountains? Your heart aches for your little girl, who wants to see the best in people, give them the chances they’ve long since needed. If she can encourage a single girl in the camps to join them as warriors, she will be proud.

“She means well,” you sigh against Azriel’s chest, hugging him tighter. 

“Does she have to mean this well?” he asks, exasperation lining the frown on his face. He rubs your back in a soothing motion, and you know it’s helping him as much as it helps you. His chin rests on top of your head and a moment of silence stretches on as his shadows crawl from the walls, whispering in his ears, reporting back to him on how all of his children are under one roof, sleeping peacefully in their beds. “In a few years, Asteria will want to follow, and I think Rhys will actually kill me.”

“I won’t let him,” you grumble stubbornly, but it doesn’t carve a smile on Azriel’s face like it normally would. “And neither will Zuz.”

All your mate can do is sigh and hold you closer. “I hate that they’re growing up.”

“Me too,” you answer sadly, rocking in place with Az. He caresses the nape of your neck, tilting your face to meet his sad, hazel gaze. “Why didn’t anyone prepare us for the part where our children start growing up?”

Azriel shakes his head, dipping down to kiss you softly, tenderly. You are always his rock in the storms of his life. Always will be.

“I don’t know,” he pecks you on the mouth again, and there’s a glint in his eyes that has your body growing warm. “I do know that we can have another. Then we’ll have a little babe. It will make me feel like I’m not so old, that our youngest aren’t five-years-old.” He says it with a grimace. 

The time is flying by, watching your children grow. Wren is a teenager now. A teenager, Mother help you all. And Baz is only growing rowdier with age. Zuzu wants to join her brothers and cousins in the camps, and Jax is still the stoic little boy you’ve ever seen, focused on working through his powers daily. He still struggles sometimes, needs to cuddle up with his father or you for a moment's peace, and he hasn’t shown any interest in being a warrior like his elder siblings, though if Azriel allows Zuzu to join, you’re sure he won’t be far along after. The twins are as inseparable as ever, stirring up mischief with their pesky little shadows. It’s nice to have them all still so close, but you know it won’t be that way soon.

“Can you imagine another one?” You ask, amused at the thought. More chaos, and you’re not entirely sure how your six children would react. You already have so many, what would they think? 

“Yes,” Azriel answers, tone heated. He presses his hips more firmly against your own and you can feel the hardness of his cock in his pants. It makes your thighs go molten, especially when he’s looking at you like that. Like he’s going to both devour and worship you all night long. “Let’s put this conversation on hold.” 

You can’t disagree with that. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•

His shadows wake him up. 

Azriel has gotten used to their presence, but his body is accustomed to them, awakening at the slightest sort of unease from them. Like right now.

He bolts from the bed, awakening you in the process. He almost feels bad at the hammering of your heart he can feel echoing in his chest, if it weren’t for the fact that he’s been alerted that one of his children is currently missing from his home, and she hasn’t been located in the darkness of the camp yet.

“What’s going on?” You’re alert now. There’s something seriously wrong, by the look on Azriel’s face. The way that it’s set in stone yet his brows are furrowed with worry. Not the kind of worry where something is amiss in Velaris, but it looks like he had when Knox had been taken from you, the horror riddling his hazel gaze makes your stomach plummet.

“Zuzu isn’t in her bed,” Azriel answers, and he’s already dressed and heading out into the cold. You don’t expect him to wait for you, the both of you have a way of attacking these things as a team now, and you’re safer here with the rest of the children, anyway, and he curses himself once again for allowing his children to train at the Illyrian camps.

He doesn’t know how she’s managed to evade his shadows this time. His children are sneaky, quickly learning and testing how to keep from his radar, but Azriel is 500 years old and prides himself on his alertness.

Up until now.

He doesn’t even know where to begin. His mind is a mess with ‘what if’s’ and he can’t allow himself to begin pulling at that thread or he might very well decimate this entire camp. 

He very well might, anyway.

Azriel’s already reaching out to Rhysand, waking him from his deep slumber and alerting the Inner Circle. He knows the High Lord will be here within minutes on a plume of black that no one wants to see. Zuzu has been Rhysand’s favorite from the moment she decided to toddle behind him into the longest meeting he’s ever had the displeasure of attending. But Zuzu had made it bearable, sitting in his lap and cuddling up in his arms like he wasn’t discussing convicts in the Prison nor how his armies might be able to help Springs.

A soft yelp is carried on a wisp of darkness from his shadows, his head whipping to where they’re alerting him. It’s Zuzu, and she’s whimpering a little as sharp nails dig into her coat, despite the thick jacket she’s pulled haphazardly around her shoulders. Her boots are untied, and the powdery snow is downtrodden with her footprints.

Azriel moves as quick as the night. He’s known for being undetectable, a whisper of a chilled breeze chasing through the trees. Tonight, though, he doesn’t mask the crunch of his boots in the snow, doesn’t smother the bright blue beaming from the seven stones adorning his armor. His knives are unsheathed at his side, steel singing for the promise of blood.

There’s a soft sound, like his daughter's cry has been muffled, and it fuels his anger, letting his body fill with black ink. It spills off of Azriel in waves, a death god come to seek his vengeance.

The clearing is a circlet of trees and fresh snow. The moon drips down into the open field, where Zuzu scratches at her captor. The female trying to pin his little girl to the ground hisses as her skin breaks beneath Zuzu’s nails. Azriel’s heart swells with pride as his daughter fights back, but this moment alone has made him realize that she does need proper training, and if she wants to join the ranks with her brothers and show all of these Illyrian swill what she’s made of, she will get that.

Azriel doesn’t recognize the female as he rips her away from his daughter by a fistful of hair. The female yelps in surprise, then screams in fear as she topples backwards, the avenging shadowsinger towering over her.

As if she thought she could get away with attempting to harm one of his children.

He feels the night air shifting behind him as he makes sure that his daughter is okay. Rhysand and Cassian appear before the female can gain her footing and take off, Cassian planting a foot in the middle of her back to keep her pinned to the frozen ground while Azriel consoles his daughter. Zuzu’s sniveling, fat tears rolling down her red cheeks as they escape. She doesn’t want to cry, she doesn’t want to show her father that she’s scared, but they fall without her permission anyway.

“I’m sorry, daddy.”

Azriel’s heart cracks a little, molten lava of anger filling the cracks. This female won’t last the fucking night. And if she does, it’s because he’s going to make her death last as long as possible for even thinking of touching his daughter. For making her cry.

He hushes her, a soft noise that makes her clutch onto his shoulders tighter. Azriel’s not wearing a coat, but he’s used to the temperatures, and the adrenaline rushing through his veins helps quell the bitter chill. He sends a reassuring feeling down the bond to you and your relief flushes his body tenfold, his shoulders dropping slightly.

“Are you okay, my love?” Azriel asks her, wiping the tears from Zuzu’s eyes. He swings her up into his arms, pressing gentle kisses to her forehead as he pins the female to her spot in the snow with furious golden eyes. “Are you hurt?”

Zuzu shakes her head and his knees nearly give out with relief. He sways them back and forth, whispering reassurances into Zuzu’s ears until she’s calmed down, before passing her off to Rhys who holds her just as tightly. 

“Uncle Rhys is going to take you back to mommy, okay, Zuz? I’ll be back in a little bit.”

She agrees, blinking up at him with her big eyes. Azriel watches her try to look over her uncle's shoulder to see the female spitting vitriol at Cassian. Rhys doesn’t allow her gaze to see what’s going on over there, instead drawing her attention to him, shifting her so she can’t see, and disappearing into the night to bring Zuzu home. 

Cassian crouches down to the female, grinding her face into the snow to stop the comments spewing from her lips. He whispers something so low that makes her entire body freeze, then thrash as if she actually has a chance of escaping.

Azriel steps up to her, a murderous look in his eyes, and he lets his blades do the talking.

[moonlightsolo]

the eastern sea.

summary: fleeing the omatikaya clan means you’re leaving everything you’ve ever known behind. the native reef people of awa’atlu are not very open-minded with your kind- but with neteyam by your side everything will be perfectly fine… right?

pairing: neteyam sully x fem!na’vi/human reader

warnings: spoilers for atwow, metkayina being kinda rac!st (im sorry they’re mean), smooching, angst, nete fighting ao’nung n his goblins for you 😩

note: if none of y’all leave feedback n just simply leave a like i will block u (not really) but give me some attention to feed my ego!!!!!!!

part one | part two | part four | part five

your heart aches. 

it mourns for the life you’re leaving behind; the only one you’ve ever known. the forest, the people of omatikaya, and of course… your home. 

you watch the ceremony in tears with your fingers intertwined tightly with neteyam’s. his grip grows stronger as the time goes by from attempting to control his emotions. 

jake sully has surrendered his leadership as olo’eyktan. the position is to be taken over by another na’vi named tarsem. 

you can’t help but glance up at the sully boy, his round eyes watery but with no threat to spill out onto his cheeks. he’s trying to stay strong for his family, and for you.

your heart hurts for him, knowing that should have been him. neteyam was next in line after toruk makto and that opportunity was stripped away right in front of him. 

jake leads his family down the steps of the tree of souls, ears pointed downward in defeat as the people, your family, cry out from everybody’s departure. some reach out to touch the shoulders of your group as you walk by, a sign of farewell. 

you can’t help but stifle sobs into your free hand, unable to hold back your tears as you walk through the gathering of na’vi. 

neteyam leads you through the crowd, his thumb rubbing circles into the top of your hand as he nods softly as to say goodbye to a few people. 

the boy helps you climb onto the back of his ikran, now almost eye level with you. he pauses for a moment to look into your eyes, a smile barely grazing his lips before situating himself in front of you. 

you take one last look at the clan, the ones who accepted you for who you are. not knowing if this will be the last time you will see them, and to feel the forest around you. 

jake chirps out a rallying yelp, echoed by neytiri, kiri, lo’ak, and neteyam; all signaling they’re ready to depart.  

jake is the first to take off, his ikran gaining speed as it rises in the air. next is neytiri and tuk, followed by kiri on her own ikran, lo’ak on his, and finally, you and neteyam. 

your arms tighten around his slender waist, digging your cheek into the warmth of his back. you stare down at the clan that grows smaller as you ascend higher into the sky. 

eventually you break free from the forests embrace, flying off the coast over the rough ocean. you take the time to admire the entirety of it; the massive trees that usually tower into the sky above you, look so small from up here.. the magnificent flora and animals that live amongst the grass, like the mountain banshees that scatter the wind, making you wish that you had enough time to rastle your own. 

your grip tightens around neteyam, a soft sniffle sounding from your nose. one of his hands release from the reins of his ikran to hold your forearm, his thumb gently rubbing your skin in attempt to comfort you. it takes everything to break your gaze from the forest, taking the easy way out by nuzzling into his back. 

the warmth emitting his body and the soft sea breeze slowly lulls you to sleep, your grip never falters from around his waist but a nap ensues. 

a crack of lightning startles you awake, sending you into a panic. 

how much time has gone by? 

you’re drenched from the rain, but somehow covered in neteyams shawl. a gust of wind catches under the ikrans wing, sending you both in a zig zag pattern in the air. your arms squeeze his waist tightly, almost worrying that you’ll crush him under your vice-like grip. 

the water droplets catch on your lashes, making your eyes squint as the harsh rain hits your bodies at an angle. the dark sky flashes with lightning, loud booming thunder vibrates everything around you. 

as neteyam rounds a large rock, a wave crashes against the stone sending the water upwards into the sky. the sea mist cascades over your body, making you gasp in shock as the salty water splashes over your bodies. 

the six of you power through the storm, the sunrise creeping through the darkened clouds slowly replaces the rain. your head feels too heavy on your shoulders, as if it’ll topple off into the depths of the sea below you. 

you sleepily blink as you come to, the warmth of the sun lays upon your back like a warm hug. “we’re almost there.” neteyam glances behind his shoulder to look down at you. the boy looks equally, or even more, as sleepy as you. 

you lean over the ikran, gasping at the crystal clear cerulean water. you revel at the sight of the colorful reefs and sea animals beneath the surface, hoping you’ll get the opportunity to swim alongside them. 

your eyes catch an island in the distance, a tall grassy mountain sitting by itself in the water surrounded by rocky formations. 

there it is… awa’atlu. 

“it’s so beautiful.” you breathe out with a wide grin, eyes taking in the new environment. 

you unravel from your embrace around him, leaning backwards with your arms out in the wind like a bird. the feeling of the warm wind flow across your body is freeing, as if you’re soaring through the sky like an ikran.  

neteyam can’t help but smile at you and your excitement, but inside, his heart is uneasy. he doesn’t know if the metkayina will welcome his family into their clan, even after this strenuous journey they’ve endured. 

on the outskirts of the island, the ikrans sail over a seabank filled with natural pools. the sea people amongst the grounds holler and yip at the presence of flying banshees breaching their perimeter. 

as you grow closer, you realize that there are thick mangrove trees that cover the entire coast, shading it from the strength of the sun. a loud horn sounds from the somewhere in the village, making your ears perk up. 

all five ikrans circle the village looking for a spot to land. neytiri and jake spot a sand bank, pointing for the rest to follow. 

neytiri is the first to land alongside jake, instantly helping tuk off the animal.

once all the family’s ikrans land on the sand, neteyam sighs in defeat as he steps off, “here we go.” he mumbles with a bite to his voice. he reaches a hand out to help you off, but you’ve already slid down the side and hopped into the sand. 

you stare down at your toes wiggling in the white powder that is so unfamiliar to you. it’s like dirtbutit’s so warm and soft. 

with every yip coming from the growing crowd of reef people, your ears twitch. “on me.” jake gestures to the four of you to follow. neteyam’s hand barely grazes over your lower back to guide you between lo’ak, kiri, and himself- all he wants to do is keep you safe. 

jake walks forward with his hands out in surrender as the foreign clan starts to surround your much smaller group. the amount of eyes you can feel on your skin makes you pull neteyams shawl tighter around your upper body. 

neteyam and lo’ak sign ‘i see you’ to two younger metkayina boys, who surprisingly don’t return the gesture. “easy. just be cool.” jake says calmly to his boys. 

“look! what is that?” the shorter one laughs as he points at the neteyam and lo’aks tails, “is that supposed to be a tail?” the comment makes the taller one laugh as they circle your group like predators on prey. 

the taller one locks eyes with you, making your gaze shift from neteyam and then back to him. “and you’ve brought a sky demon.” 

although it was meant to be a statement, his words sound condescending. you refuse to look back up at the boy, shuffling closer to neteyams back. 

lo’ak is too enamored with a girl to pay attention to what was going on. his round eyes watch her emerge from the water, which makes neteyam slyly smirk at his brother from his evident staring. 

“it is too small. how do they swim with it? that one doesn’t even have a tail!” they keep throwing insults at you and the boys, pointing and cackling. 

“enough! roxto, ao’nung.” the girl scolds the metkayina boys by slapping their hands. 

so that what their names are. 

the girl raises her eyes, making eye contact with lo’ak. “hey.” the younger sully boy awkwardly nods at her, making her giggle and look down. 

you can’t help but stifle your laughter, making neteyam look down at you with the same look. your attention is quickly taken away from the budding romance by three large flying fish leaping over your heads. 

a few droplets of water fall onto your face and before you could wipe them away, neteyam beats you to it by swiping his thumb across your salty skin. 

a large metkayina man decorated in bright colored garb emerges from the sea- the olo’eyktan, the chief. your heart thumps rapidly against your rib cage as he grows closer to jake. 

“tonowari, i see you.” jake signs to him, which the larger man quickly signs back. he makes the gesture to each family member, including you. his eyes linger on you for a moment, before continuing on. phew. 

you know you don’t look like the others. your skin isn’t that beautiful shade of blue, but more resembling your mothers with darker opaque stripes on your skin. 

a woman pushes her way through the crowd, her piercing gaze burning a hole through your clan. she does not look happy at the sight of the forest people on her turf. 

“i see you, ronal.” jake bends down, as well as neytiri. the woman doesn’t reciprocate the greeting. 

“why do you come to us, jake sully?” tonowari questions. 

“we seek uturu.” jake gestures to his family. 

“uturu?” the tsahìk looks baffled by jake’s sentence, and you can’t help but watch her reactions.

“a sanctuary for my family.” jake adds desperately. 

“we are reef people. you are forest people. your skills will mean nothing here.” tonowari speaks, watching his mate weave throughout your clan with a demeaning stare. 

“so we will learn your ways, right?” jake looks over at neytiri for help. 

your breathing stops when ronal weaves through your group, her hand snatches neytiri’s tail to observe it before grabbing tuk’s arm to lift it. 

“their arms are thin.” she moves onto kiri, gripping her tail painfully, “their tails are weak… you will be slow in the water.” 

kiri protests as she pulls her tail out of ronal’s hands, furrowing her brows at the touchy lady. 

the tsahìk grips kiri’s hand to show it off to her people, “these children are not even true na’vi. they have demon blood!” 

her eyes dance over the forest people, before making contact with your own. her face drops as she looks you over, making your breathing halt in your chest as she rushes over to you. 

“and they‘ve brought a demon with them!” she exclaims to her people, her hand strongly grips your wrist, jerking it into the air for everybody around you to gawk at. 

gasps and hisses travel throughout the crowd at the sight of you, making your head hang in shame and tears spring to your eyes. you knew this would happen. they wouldn’t accept you for who you are. you’re considered an outsider, an enemy. 

neteyam hisses as he yanks your wrist out of her grip, his arm protectively wraps around your shoulders to push you behind him. before she could argue with the boy, jake takes a step forward between the three of you.

“look! look!” jake lifts his hand to her face, showing off his five fingers as he flips his hand, “i was born of the sky people and now i am na’vi. her mother was born of the sky people and her father was a na’vi! alright, she can adapt. you can adapt. we all can adapt, okay?” 

neytiri places her hand on your shoulder to comfort you before walking up to ronal, “my husband was toruk makto. he led the clans to victory against the sky people.” 

ronal almost scoffs at her words, “this is what you call victory? hiding amongst strangers? it seems eywa has turned her back on you, chosen one.”  she directs the nickname to jake in a derogatory tone. 

neytiri’s shoulders push back as she hisses at her, causing ronal to hiss back just as angrily. 

as the commotion ensues, you look up at neteyam with a weary look in your eyes. he can’t help but reciprocate as he glances at you, before going back to watching his parents with the leaders of the sea clan. 

“toruk makto is a great war leader,” tonowari places his hand on jakes shoulder, “all na’vi people know his story.” he speaks to his people, “but we, metkayina, are not at war.” 

tonowari turns to jake again, “we cannot let you bring your war here.” 

his words make your heart drop, is he going to turn all of you away after this entire time? 

“i’m done with war, okay?” sully holds tuk on his hip as he tries to explain himself, “i’m just- i’m just trying to keep my family safe.” 

you gulp as tonowari and ronal share a few silent glances before she nods reluctantly, “toruk makto and his family will stay with us,” your body tenses up as he continues, “treat them as our brothers and sisters. they do not know the sea, so they will be like babies taking their first breath.” you wince at the comment. 

“teach them our ways so they do not suffer the shame of being useless.” he stares down jake as the last word leaves his mouth. 

jake let’s out a breath, a soft sound of disbelief. “what do we say?” he softly touches tuk’s shoulder. 

“thank you.” she smiles up at the chief.

“my son ao’nung and my daughter tsireya will show your children and the girl what to do.” he gestures to them by his side. 

“father, wha-” the boy goes to complain, but he’s cut off by the older man, “it is decided.” 

the girl from the water smiles beautifully as she steps forward, almost excited to be in charge. “come. i will show you our village.” 

tsireya leads everybody to their new home over a bouncy net material that hovers over the water. tuk starts to hop with one of her hand holding yours, even if your arms are full of supplies you bounce along with her. 

tsireya stops in front of an empty marui with a big smile, “this is for you. your new home.” 

jake says something you can’t make out, but you can tell by how neytiri drops the rug on the ground that she’s upset. 

the rest of the day is taken up by unloading every piece of luggage into your new home, and setting up for the next day. 

there’s one extra pod, where jake and neytiri will stay, that connects to the main room while the rest of you will find a spot in the large living area. 

once your space is set up in the corner of the marui, you can’t help but walk outside to watch the sun sink into the horizon. you sit down on the bouncy weaved fabric, swinging your legs over the clear water. 

the sun casts a golden hue over your skin, the warmth embraces you and pulls you in. you take a moment to breathe, to let your brain rest from all the commotion going on behind you. 

the sully’s are having a family meeting, one you’d rather not be apart of. you can slightly overhear jakes voice, picking out some sentences. 

“learn fast, pull your weight, don’t cause trouble, got it?” 

you almost scoff at his orders, like they’ll listen to him- especially lo’ak. 

“sully’s stick together.” 

the saying makes your lungs pause mid-breath, and for some reason it makes your heart ache. you know the sully’s accept you, and they will always be there for you, but you’re different. 

you’ll always be different, and today showed you that will never change. 

a hand on your shoulder startles you, making you jump in your spot and looking behind you with frantic eyes. 

your gaze softens when you see neteyam’s face, looking down at you with concern in his eyes. “are you alright?” he takes the quick moment between your response time to sit down next to you, his thigh pressed against the side of yours. 

“i am…” you take a deep breath before continuing, “i’m just taking it all in. trying to think of all the good reasons why we’re here.”

his arm wraps around your shoulders, his forearm hanging over the front of you. instinctively, you lean into his chest, letting out a soft sigh. 

just his touch alone relaxes you, bringing you to a tranquil state, “i’m sorry that they said those things about you. you know you’re not a demon, right?” 

his words make you laugh slightly, “yes, i know i’m not a demon.” one of your arms snake around his back to hold onto him while the other rests on his thigh. 

before either of you could say anything, someone walks up behind you both. 

“you kids okay?” jake plops himself down beside neteyam, making you pull yourself slightly away of his embrace out of embarrassment.

“yes, sir.” you mumble, nodding your head as you sheepishly glance down at your feet hanging over the darkening water.

“it’s going to be hard for you to adjust to this lifestyle, kid. for all of us, but you especially.” jake talks directly to you, making your eyebrows furrow. 

“just let me know if anyone… and i mean anyone gives you any trouble, okay?” jake gives you a curt nod, “thank you.” you mumble out gratefully, sending a smile his way. 

“‘course. everyone is heading to bed now, so i’ll leave you kids to it… just uh.. be safe, yeah? don’t do anything i wouldn’t do.” jake looks at neteyam specifically, before slapping his hand down on his sons shoulder and standing up. 

“dad.” neteyam hisses out in embarrassment, earning a chuckle from him as he walks inside the marui back to his family. 

you laugh softly and lean back into neteyams side, arm returning to the spot around his waist. the two of you sit there in silence as the sky grows darker, listening to the soft waves breaking on the shore. 

you let out a little yawn from your fatigue finally catching up to you. the grip around his waist loosens as your body succumbs to your exhaustion, making neteyam smile as your sleepy head bobs. 

the sully boy gently lays both of yoh back on the netted structure you’re sitting on, positioning your head on his chest with his arm wrapped around your frame. his eyes attempt to fight the heaviness weighing down his eyelids, but it quickly pulls him under with you.

…..

“hey, wake up.” someone’s voice calls in your dream, “are you two alive? wake up!”

you suck in a sharp breath when the cushion underneath you is suddenly pulled out from under your head. the bright sun blinds you, almost making you hiss from the sensitivity. your hands come up to shield your eyes, squinting as you look around at the now brightened environment. 

a large figure steps in front of the sun, casting a shadow on your body and forces the light to illuminate the back of their head. it’s neteyams dad. 

where are you right now? why aren’t you in the marui? did you fall asleep outside?

“are you going to sleep all day or actually get up and do something with yourselves?” jake lectures with his hands on his hips. 

you look over to your side, bumping your forehead on the sharp shoulder owned by neteyam. “ouch.” your voice cracks from your dry throat. 

“your siblings are getting ready to go out in the water with tonowari’s children. i expect the two of you to go with them.” 

oh wow, he’s being stern like a dad.. with you. your brain can barely comprehend any words right now from still being half-asleep. 

“hello?” jake calls out into the silence. 

“uhuuh yes sir. we’re getting up now.” neteyam spits something out, making you scramble to your feet along with him. 

instead of getting up smoothly, you and neteyam’s limbs get tangled together causing you to topple back down to the ground. the bouncy material causes you both to fly into the air and back down on top of each other. 

elbows dig into each others sides, knees clack together, and heads bang with a loud crack. you’re sitting in a jumbled mess, groaning and laughing in pain. 

jake exhales loudly, one of his hands rub his temples in frustration. “just make sure you’re ready in five.” he starts to walk away, “i can’t deal with those two…” he mumbles to himself. 

neteyam is the first to stand after your fit of giggles, picking you up along with him. he stumbles his way back into the pod with you before plopping your feet on the ground. 

you stand tall, stretching your arms high above your head with a much-needed yawn. neteyam takes the opportunity to fit his head in the opening of your arms so he could give you a hug. 

he nuzzles into your neck like a cat, rubbing his nose under your jawbone. “i don’t want to get ready.” his breath fans over your neck, making you shiver. 

“me either. i don’t want to hang out with those kids.” you grumble which makes him chuckle and look down at you, “you don’t like someone?” he asks as if he’s surprised you’re being mean.

the gleam in his eyes makes your stomach flutter- as if he wants to devour you and worship you all at the same time. he leans forward to kiss you, his lips perfectly molding with yours.

neteyam takes his time kissing you, relishing in the fact that you’re here in this foreign village with him. he pulls back with a sigh, making your face crinkle with worry, “what’s wrong, nete?” 

“it’s past five minutes.” he whispers teasingly, making your eyes roll. 

“fine, i guess we should get ready.” you reluctantly pull out of his embrace to search for your things to get changed, forcing neteyam outside for your privacy. 

you can hear muffled conversation from outside the pod, making you hurry up and scurry outside hoping it’s not his dad. 

“come on, you skxwangs. we’re all waiting.” lo’ak gestures with his head for you two to follow him. 

on the way there, you find kiri and tuk waiting. tuk squeals your name and practically jumps on you to hug you tightly. “oh hi, tuk!” you gently squeeze her. 

“come on! they’re leaving without us!” she lets go to follow her brothers down to a deeper part of the water, almost a dock of some sort. 

tsireya, ao’nung, and roxto are waiting at the end, their conversation stopping once they notice the five of you walking up. 

“you guys ready?” she calls out with a dimpled smile. 

“let’s go.” ao’nung and roxto dive into the water first. tsireya sighs, motioning with her hand for everyone to follow as she jumps in right behind them.

your heart skips a beat from the excitement of finally being able to swim, “come on!” you slap the back of your hand against neteyam’s chest before sprinting down to the end of the dock. 

you leap into the air and let out a loud whooping yelp, before crashing into the ocean. once the bubbles around you clear up, the environment around you comes to life. 

the terrain is so different from the forest, being underwater is the first, but there is so much life swimming every where around you. 

you dive a little deeper, admiring the large colorful rocks and coral that decorate the sea floor and roots of the mangroves. that’s where you see tsireya and the two metkayina boys, ao’nung and roxto. above you, lo’ak and neteyam are slowly following with tuk floating right below the surface.

you continue to swim, your smaller limbs somehow keeping up with the natives. especially with your barely healed ankle. you spin around to swim on your back to glance up at the boys, smiling wide. your fingers wave at them, making lo’ak elbow neteyam in the side to look down at you.

after receiving a smile from your nete, your attention is taken away by a plant surrounded by fish that sparkle under the sunlight. you grin as they circle around your head before swimming way, blending in with the rest of ocean. 

you glance up at neteyam and lo’ak and instead of meeting their eyes, you see their feet kicking as their heads stick above the water. 

quickly, you push off the bottom of the ocean to send yourself upwards until your head breaches the surface. 

“you alright?” you breathe out heavily, inhaling some fresh air as your arms wade to keep you afloat. 

“you’re so fast. how are you doing it?!” neteyam cackles at you as his hands reach to pinch your waist. you squeal and send a splash towards him. 

“slow down! we can’t keep up.” tuk whines, making you paddle over to her, “do you want me to swim with you?” you happily offer. 

she nods excitedly with a beam, her arms flying around your neck to hug you. 

tsireya and the other two pop up, “are you guys okay?”

“yeah. they’re just not good at swimming.” you say playfully, earning a killer side eye from neteyam and lo’ak. 

“maybe good at swinging through trees…” ao’nung says cockily, making his sister hit his head with her hand. 

“come on, bro.” lo’ak grumbles. 

“we don’t speak this finger talk.” neteyam motions with his hand, “i will teach you.” she replies. 

“follow us. we’ll go slower.” tsireya smiles and nods before disappearing under the water again. you suck in a deep breath, grabbing tuk’s hand before ducking under the water with her. 

tsireya leads all of you to a shallow sandbar where a few other metkayina are hanging about. 

ao’nung is the first to stand up with the rest of you following behind. he clicks his tongue and whoops to summon three underwater animals. 

“these are ilu. if you want to live here, you have to ride.” he explains to the group as the animals wait for instruction. 

this is your first time making tsaheylu with an animal. your kuru has always been just like everyone else’s, encased in a long braid down your back. 

tsireya leads lo’ak to one, while roxto helps neteyam. you’re left with ao’nung. 

the metkayina boy gestures for you to follow him into the water, “have you ever made bond with an animal before?” he asks. 

“no, i haven’t. this would be my first time.” you say a bit nervously. he almost chuckles, you can tell he holds himself back saying something smart. he leads you into the shallow part of the water, holding onto the animals neck to steady it for you. 

“just climb on. gently.. gently.” he guides you onto its back until you’re straddling the saddle. he holds up the part of the animal where you connect your kuru to. 

the pink tendrils emerge from the ends of your hair, tangling with the ilu’s. 

your entire body goes still as your nervous systems become one, a shock of electricity buzzes throughout your nerve-endings. the animal chitters under your thighs, making you suck in a breath that you didn’t know you were holding. 

you can’t help but let out a happy laugh. you can feel the animals heartbeat in sync with your own, how it’s lungs expand with every inhale, breathing amongst yours.

“there you go.” ao’nung chuckles at your excitement, before slapping the back of the animal. it squaks and takes off, diving deep into the sea scarily fast. 

the pressure of the water sends you flying off, twirling and spinning in as it leaves you in the dust. you kick with all of your might to make it to the surface, wanting to take a deep breath but instead you cough up water. 

the salty liquid burns at your nostrils, making you gag as you try to breathe. 

you make your way back to the sand bank, crawling up onto the wet sand and flopping onto your back. your chest heaves as you try to breathe normally, shielding your eyes from the sun beating down onto you. 

tuk appears above you, seemingly upside down from your view. “are you okay?” her voice is full of worry as she looks over your face. 

you can hear people cackling to the side, making your head turn towards the sound. it’s ao’nung and his stupid friends. you groan as you turn towards at the sky, squeezing your eyes shut. “yeah, tuk… i’m fine.” you breathe out. 

you sit up with a painful whine, gripping your side as you stand up fully. 

tsireya emerges from the water with a panting lo’ak, obviously he’s having some trouble too. “we can get started on learning how to hold your breath.” 

your eyes dart around the area for neteyam, heart starting to race when you can’t find him. 

“where is-?” you’re cut off by two hands slapping down on your shoulders, making you look up at whoever is behind you. 

“where is who, hm?” neteyam flashes his smile down at you, his wet braids drip water droplets onto your warm skin. you let out a relieved breath when you realize it’s him, instantly leaning back into his chest. 

his arms casually cross over your shoulders, holding you into place as he looks around at everyone. “so what are we doing next?” 

“come.” tsireya motions with her hand to follow her. she leads the three of you onto some rocks, climbing over them and dodging the sharp edges with her feet. 

kiri pops her head out of the water, calling to tuk so she can bring her back to the village. somehow the girl already found her own ilu after splitting from the group in the water. you know she has her own way of doing things, especially things that deal with nature. 

you wave to them both before neteyam grabs your hand to pull you along with him. 

tsireya, lo’ak and roxto are sitting in a circle on a flat part of the rocks. you sit down between neteyam and lo’ak, crossing your legs. 

“breathe in…” tsireya puts one of her hands on her chest and the other on her belly as she inhales. you follow her movements, taking a deep breath and exhaling just like her. “and breathe out.”

her hand extends, holding something imaginary in her fingertips, “imagine a flickering flame. you must slow down your heartbeat.” 

her eyes travel to lo’ak who was staring a hole into the side of her face. the boy stills as one of her hands press against his chest and the other against his stomach. “breathe in… breathe from down here. breathe out slowly..”

lo’ak continues to breathe with her instructions, but you can tell he is tense from how close she is. 

“lo’ak, your heartbeat is fast.” she looks up at him. 

“sorry.” he quickly looks away, “try to focus.” she mumbles as she intently listens to his breathing. 

you glance up at neteyam and roxto, holding back a laugh as you breathe along with them. the tension between those two could be cut with a knife.

“let your mind go clear.” 

after going through a few more breathing excercises with tsireya, she decides you’re all ready to practice the new techniques underwater. she summons the ilu’s to the surface, diving into the water and mounting onto the back of hers. 

you take a deep breath before jumping into the water, using all your muscles to pull yourself onto the back of your own. once you make bond with the animal, the similar shiver bolts down your spine. you gently pet the animals head, smiling as you internally calm them down. 

someone’s eyes burn into your skin, making you look to either side of you. neteyam is staring at you with a proud grin on his face, sitting on the saddle of his ilu. he sends a wink your way before diving under the water, making you gasp. 

you’re right behind him, diving straight down into the water. your ilu know to swim faster because you want to catch up to him and this time, you make sure to hold on tight. 

you chase him around a tall root of a mangrove, your hand reaches out to try and grab his tail but the boy is way too fast.

neteyam makes a sharp turn upwards, bolting towards the surface where tsireya and lo’ak are sitting. you roll your eyes and follow, breaching the surface with a big inhale of fresh air. 

“you scared i was going to catch up to you?” you tease him, leaning forward on your saddle to look past lo’ak’s body to talk to neteyam on the other side.

“scared? i’m just too fast foryou.” he replies arrogantly, making you playfully gasp in shock.

“low blow, bro.” lo’ak laughs. 

“say that three times fast. i dare you, lo’ak.” you squint at the younger brother, earning a splash of water sent your way. 

“on that note, i’m going back to the village.” your ilu starts to swim forward slowly, “you guys coming?” 

neteyam starts to follow you, but the other two stay behind. “i’m going to help lo’ak with his breathing. we’ll be right behind you guys.” tsireya smiles at the two of you.

neteyam and you share a silent glance before shrugging and taking off under the water. the two of you chase each other until you meet the waters edge, hopping off in the shallow water and swimming the rest of the way to shore. 

neteyam helps you walk as you tread through the wet sand, laughing and giggling about the day. 

“and then.. and then you went like this!” you motion with your hands as if they were the two of you underwater. your hands cross over each other as you demonstrate to him how you swam together. 

as both of you walk farther up the beach, you finally realize that less and less metkayina are around you. 

you lift your eyes up from your hands, darting around to see them scurry out of your way. as if you were diseased. your heart drops to your feet and your hands fall to your sides, slapping against your upper thighs. 

“don’t worry about them. keep going.” neteyam urges you, one of his hands come up to your shoulder to pull you closer to him. 

“i just can’t believe they’re still so afraid. if i was going to do something to them, i would have done it already.” you huff out in frustration, continuing to walk up towards the village. 

neteyam leads you back to the marui, his arm sits around your shoulders. almost possessively, to show that you are not to be messed with. 

when you walk inside you see kiri, who perks up at your presence, “i was waiting for you! come!” she jumps up from her spot on the floor, grabbing your wrist to pull you out of neteyams grasp. 

“hey! where are you going?” he calls after you, making you turn your head and shrug. 

“somewhere you don’t need to be!” kiri calls back to him, making you giggle as you follow her. she continues to pull you along to the end of the walkway, hopping off into the white sand. 

“kiri, what are we doing?” you softly laugh as you stumble through the sand behind her, “i just need to show you something.” 

your eyebrows furrow, but you continue to oblige. she pulls you down into the clear water, landing on her knees. “look!” she dunks her head underwater, staring at something in the sand. 

you follow her movements, pressing your face into the cool water as you lay on your stomach. 

she points at a tiny pinhole in the sand, almost barely visible to the naked eye. as the gentle waves caress the back of your head, and over the two of you, a little bubble pops on the surface of the hole. 

kiri smiles wide, pulling her head to talk to you. “did you see it?” 

you sit up, resting back on your heels and blinking a few times as you try to understand why she’s so excited about a bubble. “i did.” 

“you think it’s stupid, don’t you.” she sighs, shaking her head. “no! kiri, i don’t. of course, i don’t.” you shake your head, grabbing her wrist to hold her hand. 

before either of you could respond, you see something poking out of the hole. kiri hushes you and plunges her face into the water to watch a little claw extend from it. 

you can’t help but play along, putting your face into the water to watch the creature emerge. until it sees two giant faces hovering above, and scurries back into its home. 

the two of you lay there, feet kicking above the water as you watch the bubbles pop and the creature tease you by popping out and going back in. it’s quite therapeutic actually. just laying here and watching bubbles. 

muffled conversation and splashing grows louder in the water as a few pairs of feet come closer to you and kiri. your head is the first to emerge from the water, blinking away the liquid from your lashes. 

oh great mother. it’s ao’nung and his friends. this isn’t going to be good. 

“huh? what’d you say?” kiri is the first to speak as she sits back on her legs, looking up at the group of boys. 

you sit up along with her, staring up at them as your heart pounds. you’re ready to fight if they try anything. 

“are you guys some kind of… freaks?” ao’nung asks as if it was a serious question. 

“he asked if you are a freak.” roxto repeated the question, like the little ass-kisser that he is.

your eyebrows furrow as you scoff, your hand grips kiri’s to pull her out of the water and up toward the dry sand. 

“no, we are not.” kiri rolls her eyes as you drag her up to the shore. 

“are you sure? i mean you’re not even real na’vi, and that one isn’t even supposed to be here.” the boy continues to make fun, but all you do is tune it out. 

“come on, kiri. let’s go.” you try to pull her along but he continues his rant, “the demon speaks!” he exclaims as the cackling boys crowd around you, harboring you both in the middle. 

“i mean look at her! her skin isn’t even the same as ours, and look at their hands! i mean look at them!” ao’nung reaches out to grip kiri’s wrist while another boy grabs yours. 

you attempt to pull away, but his strength is too hard to overcome. 

“hey!” someone shouts from across the beach, making your worried eyes look behind you. the boy let’s go of kiri, but the one holding onto you doesn’t let go just yet.

it’s lo’ak. oh eywa this isn’t going to end up well.

“back off, fish lips.” lo’ak walks up to ao’nung who looks down at the sully boy, “oooh look another freak.” 

roxto grabs lo’aks tail, “aww, look at his little baby tail!” 

he quickly turns around and pushes him off, “don’t touch me.”

the boy holding onto you pushes you to the ground as he lets go of you, making you grunt as your body comes in contact with the sand. 

kiri runs to your side to help you stand up, glancing over at lo’ak getting surrounded by the group, “leave us alone!” she yells at them, but her voice falls to deaf ears. 

your ears twitch when you hear fast footsteps approaching from behind you, making your head spin around to see neteyam marching forward.

one of his hands grip ao’nung’s shoulder to pull it back before pushing him, making the boy take a step back. 

“you heard what she said.” neteyam points at him, pressing his index finger against his chest, “leave them alone.” 

another one of ao’nungs minions starts to say something, but he raises his hand to shut him up. 

“back off. now.” he shoves his finger against his chest harder. ao’nung stares at neteyam with his head cocked to the side before raising his hands in surrender with a little smirk. 

“smart choice.” neteyam takes a step back, his head turning to look over you and kiri, “and from now on. i need you to respect them, and keep your hands off of them.” 

one of the boys hiss at neteyam, making you grimace in disgust. kiri sticks her tongue out at him as you flip them the bird, knowing they probably have no idea what that means. 

“let’s go.” neteyam says, letting lo’ak pass him, then kiri and you. he puts an arm around your shoulder to pull you into his side as you walk away.

“you okay?” he asks you quietly. all you can do is nod, and wrap your arms around his waist and smoosh your face into his side. 

“buh-bye!” one of them call out sarcastically. 

“look at them. they’re all freaks. the whole family.” ao’nung comments as you walk away. 

lo’ak stops in his tracks, taking a deep breath as he turns on his heel. 

“lo’ak.” neteyam warns him to stop. 

“i got this, bro.” he raises a hand as if that would stop neteyam from worrying. 

he waltz right up to ao’nung, “i know this hand is funny. look, i’m a freak. an alien.” he holds up his pinky, wiggling it in the air. 

“but it can do something really cool. watch.” he starts tightening his hand into a fist, “first, i ball it up real tight, like this.”

“and then..” he cranks his arm back and throws a hard punch right into ao’nungs jaw. the boy stumbles back in shock before another fist is slammed against his face, and another. 

the last one sends the boy down to the ground, blood seeping from his nose. “it’s called a punch, bitch! don’t ever touch them again.” 

ao’nung hops up and growls loudly at him before tackling lo’ak to the ground. lo’ak somehow gets on top of the boy before he’s pulled off by his tail. 

neteyam sighs and scratches his head, knowing he’s going to have to help. he pulls away from you and storms into the fight. you and kiri watch with wide eyes as neteyam throws a few heavy-handed punches and kicks before he is pummeled to the ground as well. 

“stop it!” kiri tries to call out to them, but of course they don’t listen. 

“so stupid.” you grumble with your hands on your hips as you watch it play out. 

you and kiri start to giggle as they drag each other by tails and ears across the sand, making them scream out in pain. 

“hey, hey! stop! break it up!” jake storms forward, pushing the boys away from each other. 

some metkayina boys scurry away, running into the village. lo’ak has to be peeled away from ao’nung, while neteyam stands and surrenders with his hands up. 

neteyam and lo’ak are ushered back to camp away from the fight and past you and kiri. 

after the boys are lectured and forced to apologize to the chief’s son, neytiri makes you and kiri help with making food. 

you can’t help but think about everything they said to you and kiri. 

calling you a demon, and her not a true na’vi. making fun of how you both have five fingers instead of four, how your skin isn’t the same color as theirs. 

you didn’t even realize tears were dripping down your cheeks until kiri lays her head on your shoulder, hugging you from the side. she lets out a loud sigh, making neytiri’s eyes rise from the food she’s wrapping in front of her.  

“what is wrong?” she asks, completely disregarding the food now. 

“nothing.” kiri dismisses the question, as your head hangs low to hide your face. obviously something is wrong, but neytiri doesn’t want to push it. 

it’s barely been two days, and all you want to do is lay back in the lush grass, smell the earth and dirt around you and feel the soft sun rays kiss your skin. 

the weather here is harsh, and the ground is gritty and seems to settle in the worst spots. you want your forest back, to be able to leap from tree to tree with neteyam, kiri, and lo’ak. 

you want to be with neteyam, to watch him grow into his position as olo’eyktan. you knew that these reef people would never accept you; you’re an outsider, a half breed, alien, and a sky demon. you’ll never be more to them than that. 

as the sky transforms from blue into pinks and oranges, you finally finish your chores. neytiri and kiri leave the pod to deliver the food, leaving you alone in the marui. you walk over to your corner to sit down on your blanket and pull a book out of your pack to read. you sit back against a pillow that is supported by the wall.

a human book nonetheless; one that norm gave you before you left home. neteyam plops down next to you, almost ignoring him from how immersed you are in the book. 

the boy pulls you into his side, almost half on his chest. “what are you reading?” his eyes skim the page as he rests his chin on top of your head. 

“something norm gave me. about uh, science stuff.” you laugh.  

“what kind of science stuff?” he questions. 

“cells… and humans… and anatomy…” you breathe out. 

“sounds boring.” he hums. 

“it’s not that boring. it’s about my body. maybe you should read it to learn more about it.” you tease him slightly, making the boy slightly stiffen under your weight. 

“give me that.” he snatches it from your hands, pulling it up to his height. “oh it says here… that when you are being clingy and annoying it means you only want one thing.” 

your eyebrows furrow, spinning around in your spot to stare at him. “and what is it?”

“me.” he chuckles, handing the book back to you. 

you snatch the book from the air, eyes skimming over the page to see what he was reading but it’s all about cells and mitosis. nothing about what you need.  

“ugh! you ass!” you slam the book shut and throw it to the side. you can’t help but take the opportunity to climb on top of him, straddling his waist since that you’re finally alone together. 

his hands find your hips instantly, holding onto your body tight. your eyes dance across his features, looking over his swollen lip that was cut open during the fight and the bruises slowly becoming more evident on his blue skin.  

“what’re you staring at?” he questions with his big round eyes looking over your face too. 

“you.” you giggle out, leaning forward to press a soft kiss against his lips. he winces slightly from the pain, making you pull back. 

“no, no. i don’t want to stop kissing you.” his voice is breathy as he leans forward to capture your lips with more force this time. 

he ignores the pain, kicking it to the back of his mind as he deepens the kiss. he hasn’t been able to kiss you like this in forever, everything has been so chaotic. 

“do you realize how hot it was to see you fight for me today?” you mumble into the kiss, making him pull back slightly. 

“it was hot?” he asks with a laugh. 

“so hot.” you nod, grabbing his face with your hands to pull him back to you. one of his hands slither away from your hips, up your spine and to the back of your top. 

his fingers play with the threads, ready to untie it before someone clears their throat to the side. you practically throw yourself off of neteyam, scared that it’s one of his parents. 

“aye!” he calls out as you fling yourself backward, following you down to the ground to cushion your fall with his hands. this puts you both in the worst position with your legs wrapped around his hips and him on top of you. 

his head turns towards the person standing at the entrance, his features contorting in anger. “what are you doing here?” 

it’s ao’nung. 

“look, i’m sorry for interrupting whatever that was…” the bruised boy holds back a laugh, “but it’s about your brother.” 

neteyam looks down at you with disappointment written across his features. he lets out a loud sigh before standing up and walking outside to talk to the boy, “this better be good.”

while they’re both outside, you get yourself situated back on top of your blanket, watching the conversation grow more heated by the second. 

you don’t expect neteyam to grip the back of ao’nungs neck to push him forward and lead him down to jake sitting with kiri near the water. 

you fly up onto your feet, scurrying forward to follow him. but jake is already storming away with ao’nung, flying right past you with neteyam following.

kiri jogs up to you, her hand coming up to rest on your upper arm. her eyes are wide with panic, and her body slightly trembling from the bad news ao’nung must’ve just told them. 

“it’s lo’ak. he went outside of the reef and he’s missing.” 

-

tags: @k----a27s @aspenreadsfanfic @aliseaaah @bellwhether @xoxobabe @koalalafications @embersfae @mae-is-crazy @softhetixx @minkyungseokie @iwanttohitmyself @neqeyam @lovedbychoi @lala-1516

note: hope u guys liked this one!! obvs there will be another part so if you wanna be tagged inbox me or comment <333

[willowser]

i need more barbarian bakugo au or im gonna burst 😢😢

NOOOOOO bc !! ofc you know who he is, right ?? he's the next in line to lead your clan; you've seen him around your little village and at the smithy and felt the wind underneath the wings of his dragon as he flew overhead. you've stolen glances in the market, between the leatherworker's stall and the potter's kiln, and you've celebrated him along with your peers and you've watched him grow, from afar, into the kind of man that will come to be chieftain.

bakugou katsuki has always, always been—important. he was never among the litter of you that were escorted around by the clan childtender when you were just a young thing, nor was he ever involved in training for your first hunt or sat around the elders as the history of the clan was recounted to you; he grew up apart from the lot of you.

occasionally, his tender's would find him scuttling about in the fields with a tiny group of other boys, ones that were brave enough to wrastle with him in the dirt, or followed his commands closely enough that he allowed them to join him on unknown and unsupervised expeditions into the wilds.

you see him closely for the first time at his own nameday, at 16. it's a big celebration, a turning point in his young life, and he stands before the village with a face painted in the markings of a warrior, body unscarred and strong, and he hoots and hollers with all the etiquette of a feral child. which he might as well be, being raised by the kind of fierce chieftess that will no doubt go down in history.

your family offers a gift, as they all do, and it's you that climbs the steps of his family's hall and hand delivers it to him: a little clay dragon, a bit crude but made with care, that you've worked on for weeks. it's hard to tell how he feels about it, because he only stares at you in silence before huffing and puffing and baring his teeth at you, and then you're escorted back down to your family in the blink of an eye.

you orbit each other, distantly, though you never exchange more than a few passing words.

—so when the maidens that serve the bakugou family come to find you in the night, on the eve of katsuki's ascension to chieftain status, you're shocked to find he's taken lives and conquered settlements and tamed dragons and journeyed far and wide and grown to be the battle-hardened man that he is—but has never taken a lover.

and you're even more astounded to find that he's chosen you to be it.

[eywa-eveng]

ɪ. sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ɴᴏɴᴇ

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ – ᴊᴀᴋᴇ sᴜʟʟʏ, sᴜʟʟʏ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ X ᶠᴱᴹ ᴹᴱᵀᴷᴬᵞᴵᴺᴬ ᴿᴱᴬᴰᴱᴿ 

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ – 11.2k

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ – angst

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs – widower!Jake

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪɪ – ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪɪɪ – ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪᴠ

Sand swirls through the air like ash from a fire, waves of white flurries glitter in the sunlight, stirred up by the wingbeats of the descending ikran. One by one they each land on a small inlet, screeching their arrival as if the warning horn hadn’t been enough to draw a crowd around them. There’s four, each more intricately patterned than the last, like detailed weaving spread across their wings. Such creatures are foreign to the reefs. Aside from seldom trading among the People in the far reaches of the forest, ikran are never seen in Awa’atlu. To see them here now, unannounced, is cause for curiosity. The riders seem harmless as they dismount, the oldest of them extending his arms in a show of vulnerability. He’s easy to recognize as your eyes trace over the length of his smallest finger, one more than any other Na’vi you’ve ever known. The crowd shifts like ebbing waves as you move through them, parting to allow you to greet Toruk Makto and his family. The youngest of his daughters hides in his shadow, face half hidden behind his leg as he inclines his head towards you. It’s a surprise that he knows who you are when he offers his greeting. 

“Oel ngati kameie, tsakarem.” He says your name gently. The title is an old adage from days long past, before your rites of adulthood. One that belonged to you and your sister. But she is mated to the olo'eyktan, not you. It was Ronal that he would need to show such reverence for. Still, in your sister’s stead you are the best person to speak on behalf of the clan. 

“Toruk Makto, oel ngati kameie. You are a far way from the forest. What has brought you to our island?” The crowd is growing larger and their voices raise around you, questions ringing in their hushed tones. There is uneasiness in the air as warriors gather around you, unarmed but tensed in anticipation. They wear looks of curiosity and suspicion as they circle the family. 

“I would like to know the same.” Tonowari says as he dismounts his tsurak, gesturing respectfully to Jakesully as your sister moves in beside him. You nod to them both. Whatever reverence Jakesully may hold for you, it will always be shadowed by your sister. She eyes the newcomers warily, catching your gaze as you move in beside her. There is fire brewing in her ocean blue eyes, something weary and distrusting as she watches her husband speak to Toruk Makto. 

“We seek uturu.” 

“Uturu?” Ronal asks incredulously, ears flicking upward. “And what would the great Toruk Makto need sanctuary from? What war have you started now?” You try to catch her eye as she strides across the sand to look at the children, twirling their tails over her wrist and pulling at their thin arms. 

“No more war. I’m done with war. I just want to keep my family safe.” The great warrior shakes his head, lifting his daughter into his arms. 

“What family is this?” She snaps, raising his eldest daughter’s hands for all to see. “These children are not even true Na’vi! They have demon blood!” The girl pulls her arms away but it is too late, the clan has seen her five fingers. But Jakesully has them, too, and is quick to flaunt it to your sister. It does little to quell her distaste as she continues to look over his children with a heavy judgment in her eyes. 

“Ronal!” It is bad practice to question your elder sister, more so when she is tsahìk. The voice of Eywa rings in her words, but the Great Mother is not cruel. Ronal’s gaze snaps to you, eyes narrowed as she bares her teeth in warning. You hiss right back, ears pulling back in a display of defiance. She abandons the children to slink closer to you. Her eyes are narrowed as she snaps at you. 

“You are not tsahìk. This decision is not yours to make.” 

“You are being cruel. They are children. He is a father. These things should matter.” Ronal hisses again. She may be tsahìk but you have learned every lesson that she has and Tonowari knows this. His eyes watch the two of you as you circle each other until Ronal finally backs down, glaring up at her mate with a resolute shake of her head. But Tonowari is not weary of the unknown. Not as your sister is. He is kind and gentle to those that need it. A worthy olo'eyktan. They share in an unspoken conversation, staring at each other until finally Ronal relents with a nod. 

“Jakesully and his family will stay with us.” He decides, reminding the clan to be mindful of their ignorance. “But they are forest people. They do not know the sea. It will be like taking their first steps, learning as a child does.” He names Ao’nung and Tsireya the childrens’ teacher before your sister turns to you with a scowl on her face. 

“My sister will teach you, Jakesully. Learn well.” She says before stalking away. The crowd begins to dissipate as soon as their leaders turn their back to the newcomers, declaring them non threatening with action alone. 

No matter the excitement there is still work that needs to be done and everyone moves to return to their tasks. And now you’ve been given a heavy burden. As Tsireya leads the Sully family away you mull over your new responsibilities. Teaching children is easy. It is easier to learn when you are young, but Jakesully is not young. Not as a child is. He is a warrior. Not old, still in his prime, but surely past the point of learning such simple tasks as breathing and riding an ilu. These things are easy to learn young. Of course, Jakesully will not master anything in a day and if he is as great a warrior as the stories say it will surely be shameful for him to be forced to learn as if he is a baby. 

Still, Ronal has given you this order and you will fulfill your purpose as asked. Just as Tonowari said, there is great shame in being useless and it’s how you’ve always felt living in Ronal’s shadow. The People respect you but there is no need for a tsakarem as old as you. It is the title of a youngling, one that Ronal outgrew years ago. It used to feel like a crown placed upon your head. The clan needs a tsahìk just as it needs water and they have one. Ronal is healthy and young, glory to Eywa, and it makes you useless. 

Tsireya will be named the next tsakarem, or perhaps another young girl of the clan. And they’d overshadow you as well. Though you can’t find it in your heart to resent your sister or niece. It is not their fault that the Great Mother’s light shines brightly through them, that Tonowari had his pick of the tsakarem and chose Ronal. It was better than an arranged mating. He had a choice and you will not fault anyone for his freedom to decide his own mate. But at times you still feel lost, like you’ve floated far from the reef and lost the way home. You seldom dwell on these feelings but Ronal snapping at you reminded you that you are not tsahìk just as she said. Whatever Jakesully’s show of respect had stirred inside you was easily squashed under your sister’s temper. 

“You’re thinking awfully hard about something.” Jakesully says, drawing you from your stupor as he takes the basket from your arms. You hardly remember walking here but it is where your feet have carried you as your mind wandered. The marui is empty save for him, the children went off to train with your niece and nephew some time ago. You have nothing to say to his remark as you stand with the light of the disappearing sun warming your back. The shape of your body blankets the pod, cutting a dark shadow across the brightly woven mats. Jakesully’s eyes look a few shades darker in the warm light, yellow irises shining bright as flames as he tilts his head in curiosity. You shake your head. 

“It is nothing.” 

“Didn’t look like nothing. You didn’t even hear me say your name when you came in.”

“I’m sorry,” you greet him properly, touching your fingertips to your forehead and drawing it out towards him. «I See you.» He returns the gesture. 

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. Actually I should thank you.”

“Thank me? It’s only fruit. The children will be hungry after swimming for so long.”

“The fruit is one thing, but I wanted to thank you for your kindness earlier. I knew your sister would be less accepting, but I hadn’t expected her to–” he draws in a deep breath, “thank you for defending my children.” 

“I know your story, Jakesully. It has carried across Pandora like a song on the wind. Every Na’vi knows your name. There is no fault in your children. They look like you. I am not tsahìk,” you say quietly, “but even I can See that the Great Mother chose you for a reason. No matter what Ronal says, Eywa has not turned her back on you. You don’t need to thank me for saying it.” He laughs but it lacks humor. He sounds pained, rueful, as his ears drop ever so slightly. His brow furrows, so differently than any other Na’vi’s frown with the adage of dark brows, eyes shifting towards the burning light of the coming eclipse. There is something in the reflection of his eyes. A deep sadness. In time, he’ll learn that you were chosen as a tsakarem because your eyes See things others don’t. In everyone’s eyes is a piece of their spirit and Eywa has blessed you to know what each piece means. It is the one thing Ronal has yet to learn. This she cannot See. 

“You can just call me Jake.” He says after a while. Whatever torment he’d been thinking of passes like the tide, tension rolling off his shoulders as he shakes away the darkness. 

You nod, “Jake. And you can call me by name. No need to say tsakarem. I haven’t been one in years. Since Ronal mated with Tonowari. There’s only tsahìk now.” 

“I wanted to show respect.” He says sheepishly, still worried about making a good impression. As if you have the power to rescind Tonowari’s granting of uturu. 

“I See you, Jake. If you See me, that is enough respect. I’ll go now, I have to help prepare food for the clan, but we will begin training in the morning.” He looks as if he wants to say something more, mouth poised to ask, but he simply quiets himself with a nod. 

Morning rises in shades of shell pink and sea blue, warming the woven paths hung between the marui as you go to fetch Jake. His children are still inside when you arrive. You pause in the open flap of their marui, hesitating to enter. It feels intrusive arriving so suddenly when you’ve yet to properly introduce yourself to the family, but Jake welcomes you in with an offer of breakfast. 

“You made this?” You ask, accepting the food graciously, but still feeling awkward sitting down beside him. His children eye you warily, thin tails flicking in anticipation. All but the youngest whose eyes only hold curiosity.  

“No,” Jake says around a mouthful, “someone brought us food this morning.” Probably one of the elders. 

Both you and Ronal had been scolded by them during your meal last night. Berated for acting so childishly in front of newcomers. There was no defense for your behavior. Had it been just harsh words they’d have nothing to say but the two of you had acted in aggression like bickering children, though your mother insisted that it couldn’t be helped. Siblings are more comfortable with shows of aggression towards each other because there’s no real threat of violence between families. Unfortunately, of the Sully family, only Jake knew of your relationship. The children surely must’ve thought the two of you would swipe at each other regardless of Ronal’s pregnant state. Both of you had been scolded thoroughly, heads bowed and ears tucked in the face of your punishment. Adults turned to children before the elders of your clan. It made Ronal angrier than she had already been getting belittled as if she wasn’t an authority in the clan and she’d been glad to leave your presence when the two of you were finally dismissed. 

Now it only makes sense that Jake’s children are wary of the woman that dared to stand up to the tsahìk so publicly. You offer them a proper introduction as a show of peace. They seem to settle as you name Ronal as your older sister. 

“I’m Neteyam.” His eldest speaks first. Even in so few words his voice carries a cadence you recognize, an echo of someone else’s voice. His voice sounds as assured as his father’s and you wonder how much Jake’s sons must revere him, and how much they must loathe the shadow his legacy has cast over their lives. It is the same with you and Ronal, but perhaps not as heavy. Ronal is only known well within your clan. To have a father who’s name has been woven into songs must be a great burden to bear. 

“I’m Lo’ak.” His second son says after his daughter turns her head away, yet not so far that you can’t see her eyes. She’s wary, confused, and filled with the light of Eywa. Truly something special but still young, still abrasive. You don’t push her to speak after she mumbles her name. 

“I’m Tuk!” The youngest says, less bothered by the tension of the unknown that fills the air. 

“Tuktirey.” Jake says once they’ve all eaten and Tsireya comes to gather them. 

“Hm?”

“Tuk’s full name is Tuktirey.”

“Oh. Would you rather me call her that?” Perhaps you hadn’t earned the right to be so informal with them. Jake was a father, he’s protective. If this is his way of shielding them from harm you’ll comply happily. 

“No,” he laughs, “she thinks she’s in trouble when you call her by her full name. I was only saying it in case you were curious.” You hadn’t been. Your names in Awa’atlu differ only slightly from those that are common elsewhere. Tuk seemed like a perfectly good name for a girl but Tuktirey sounds even lovelier. 

“She’ll grow into it, I’m sure.” You says, listening to her scream as she jumps into the water. Soon Tsireya and Ao’nung will teach them to dive properly, but for now their shouting and splashing is just fine. Breathing comes first. They move like shadows beneath the water, darker skin standing out where the others disappear in the greenish-blue waves. They only make it so far before their braided heads poke out of the water, clearly out of breath long before the Metkayina children. Teaching them will take patience. 

“That’s what her mother always said.” Another melancholy look takes over Jake’s face. It is not your place but even still you want to ask about his feelings. Where was his mate? Had she remained with her clan in the forest? It sounds inconceivable. To be parted from her children would surely tear at any mother’s heart. 

“Where is her mother?” You ask gently. Jake’s expression crumbles then rebuilds into something empty and contained. His eyes are hauntingly empty when he turns to look at you. 

“Dead.” It’s enough to make you flinch away. No matter how much you want to pluck the petals from this flower to see what’s at the center it’s clear Jake doesn’t want to speak of it any longer. It’s only fair. Losing a mate is a terrible pain. There are more questions in your head but you ignore them. It is not your job to soothe his spiritual wounds. You’re not tsahìk. Instead you lead the way out of the marui to a quieter area of the water. 

“We will learn here. If you want to live here the ocean must become like a second home. You said you could adapt, this is your first step to change.” He nods. He looks restless, bouncing lightly on his feet as he waits for your instructions. He’s clearly eager to learn, eyes suddenly bright with almost childlike anticipation. Even his tail seems to move with rapt interest. It’s endearing to see him so open to learning your way of life, to truly becoming one with the clan. 

The ocean is as warm as the sand as you step in. The water swallows you, up your ankles and knees, hips and shoulders until you disappear beneath the gentle waves. Threads of white sunlight pierce the water, dancing in rippling ribbons across the backs of passing animals as you swim farther out. You surface quickly and gesture for Jake to follow you. He clambers through the shallow water awkwardly before disappearing beneath the waves. He moves with more precision in the water. Despite his form being made for balance and agility on land he moves well, with strong strokes that cut through the water. You sink beneath him as he approaches, watching his shadow pass overhead. He only stops when a few sloapek swim into his path, slowing down at the sight of the horned fish. He turns to look for you, brows raised in surprise. The childish glow returns to his face as he watches the animals swim around him.  

«They are safe. Sloapek don’t harm Na’vi.» You sign to him, realizing belatedly that he can’t understand you. He tilts his head inquisitively before gesturing that he needs air. 

“What were those things?” He asks when you both surface. 

“Sloapek. They don’t bother Na’vi. Most of the animals are docile, especially this close to shore. It’s only outside the reef that you need to worry. Even tsurak are safe if you don’t bother them. Like your forest banshees. They’re a hunter’s mount. If you wish to learn that you’ll need to ask Tonowari. Ilu I know but skimwings are something meant to be taught by a proper warrior. I learned to complete my rites, but I am not a warrior.” You say, tracing the shape of your first tattoo spanning from the right side of your chest to your shoulder. “Learn well and you will receive your own tattoo when all your rites are passed.” 

For all of your doubts, Jake learns well. Despite his thinner limbs he is a strong swimmer, something he said he was taught long ago. He hasn’t said that he learned when he was still one with the tawtute but it is what you suspect. His body knows how to move and yet his lungs are like a baby’s. Whatever he learned then was not taught to his new body. He can swim only for so long, though he’s getting better with each day as he builds his strength and stamina. As are his children. Kiri seems to be learning the quickest as the days pass and she’s finally become comfortable enough to speak with you as she would her family.

“What type of wound is this?” She asks, stretching to lean over your shoulder. It is easy to see where the hunter is wounded. It looks as if something has taken root beneath his skin, sprouting and spreading like faintly glowing rivers. The barb of whatever stung him is blessedly gone from the wound. The mark of it is shallow and you mix a salve to soothe the stinging. 

“Most likely, a barb from a nettle coral. They are stone trees outside the reef that have stinging spikes. They’re usually hard to remove because they’re barbed. Luckily it did not stick.” She draws closer in excitedly, always keen to learn something new about the world around her. Her chin rests on your shoulder, hair tickling your ear as she leans over to watch you work. 

“What are you mixing?” She asks with rapt attention. You list off the things as you add them to the bowl, reminding Kiri not to forget to maintain pressure on the man’s wound even as she’s distracted. If he shares your sister’s distrust of Jake and his four fingered children he says nothing as her hand keeps his blood inside his body while you mix his salve. When it is ready you let Kiri smell the bowl. She mentioned liking the scent of medicine as it reminded her of home, of her grandmother and the “lab.” You’re still not exactly sure what a lab is but it was a place of solace for her. The first conversation you shared with Kiri started because you smelled of something familiar, an almost human-like substance, she said, that filled the lab with a sharp, clean scent. It had only been a few plants to settle a child’s stomach but she appreciated the smell nonetheless. Now she’s become your shadow when Ronal is occupied with other duties, leaving the healing of lesser wounds to you. Her yellow eyes are rapt with attention as you carefully cover the hunter’s wound with the soothing balm. It will stop the stinging and help with healing but the path of the shock will scar like a tree growing up his torso. You dress the wound carefully and remind him to rest as he leaves the marui. 

“Sa’tsmuke,” Ao’nung’s voice carries as he rushes into the healing tent. Kiri stiffens beside you as she rinses the blood from her hands. There’s still a heavy bruise beneath his eye from his earlier fight with Neteyam and Lo’ak but he doesn’t seem to be otherwise injured. 

“What is it?” Ao’nung eyes Kiri warily, shifting awkwardly with his eyes towards the ground. “Ao’nung, what is it?”

“Lo’ak is missing.” He mumbles. 

“Missing?” You’re on your feet before he can explain. “Ao’nung, it’s nearly eclipse. Why did you wait so long to speak? Where did you last see him?” He mutters something else, turning his face away from you. Whatever he’s done he is trying to keep his eyes hidden. You lift his gaze with a firm hand under his chin and all that shines in his pale blue eyes is guilt. 

“What have you done? Where is Lo’ak?”

“Near Three Brothers.” He says finally, eyes downcast as he shifts in the face of your ire. 

“Three Bro–Ao’nung! You took him beyond the reef?” His shoulders sag in shame. “There is no time for this. You will be dealt with later. I will go find Lo’ak. Kiri.” She doesn’t take her eyes off Ao’nung, gaze bright with anger, but her ear ticks in your direction. “Take him to your father. Have him say exactly what he told me.” 

She nods, gripping Ao’nung tight by his arm so he won’t wrestle away from these consequences. You’ve known your tsmuke’itan to be brash and hotheaded, still going through the throes of growing and becoming a man, but this is beyond something you’d expected of him. If he is here now it means he abandoned Lo’ak. Left a newcomer outside the reef with no knowledge of how to return home. As Kiri pulls him away you hiss, mock clawing at his face in a show of frustration. He doesn’t flinch, knows you wouldn’t harm him despite your anger, but his ears fall back in a show of submission. He knows what he’s done. 

Eclipse closes in as you call your ilu, and you consider lighting a torch but riding underwater will be quicker, so with a yip you set out with only the dimmed sky as your guiding light. Three Brothers isn’t too far beyond the safety of the reef. Your ilu feels the urgency in your body through tsaheylu, swimming as fast as she can manage beyond the safety of the seawall terraces. The only light so far from land is that of Pandora, the animals twinkling beneath the dark water and the stars sparkling overhead, Naranawm ever present in the sky. Your voice echoes over the sky as you call for Lo’ak, praying to the Great Mother that he hasn’t drowned or been attacked. 

“Lo’ak!” This time there is a splash, like something hitting the water a distance away. Weary of the darkness but worried for Jake’s son, you move towards it, hoping it isn’t an akula tempting you into a trap. In your haste you left for open waters unarmed saved for your knife. Now is not the time to be caught in a predator’s sights. Something small moves through the water, small enough to ease the thoughts of a hunting animal. As the silhouette moves through the pale ripples of starlit waves you find familiar shapes outlined by a scattering of freckled light. 

“Lo’ak!” He follows your voice, allowing you to pull him onto your ilu. He doesn’t look nearly as exhausted as you’d expected him to be after spending half of the day outside of the reef’s gentle waters. Tsireya must’ve taught him well. He’s quiet as you start back towards the island, urging your ilu forward at a gentler pace. For a while he doesn’t say anything and you realize he won’t. You’ve seen Lo’ak’s eyes before this. He feels lost, othered. A withered sapling at the foot of a towering tree, always fearful of being a disappointment. But you are not his father. 

“You don’t owe me silence, Lo’ak. I know what ma tsmuke’itan did. He came to me himself. If you are angry you can be angry. If you are frightened you can be frightened. If you are upset you can be upset. I will not scold you for speaking your heart. Ao’nung was wrong. He mistreated you. Whatever you feel is alright.” He’s quiet still before letting out an unsteady breath. 

“I want to go home.” He says finally. His voice sounds small and you’re reminded that he’s still a child. His arms tighten around your waist as his head falls against your back. 

“I’m sorry, Lo’ak. I know this was not your choice but Awa’atlu is your home now. The Metkayina are your family.”

“Doesn’t feel like much of a family.” He grumbles. “No one Sees me. Demon blood, alien, that’s all they see.” He bites out, hands tightening to fists as anger builds in his voice. You don’t discourage it. Most of the clan has kept away from the Sullys but those that don’t have largely been unkind in their approach. Even Ao’nung and his friends have made the children feel alone in this new place. But they are not aliens. Even if they carry the mark of the skypeople they were born and raised as Na’vi in the forests of Pandora. They’re no more human than you are. 

“Lo’ak, if it means anything, I See you.” Every part of him is fighting to be seen. He is not just the son of Toruk Makto, he is not just a companion to his elder brother. He is Lo’ak. A person in his own right. You See this. He doesn’t say anything else for the rest of the ride, doesn’t confirm or deny his belief that your sacred words hold meaning. Instead he falls quiet as if he’s waiting for something. He seems to know what will happen when you return. The shoreline is alight with torches when the two of you arrive. Jake and Neteyam are waiting with them. Lo’ak is lifted from the water by his brother as Jake pulls you up as well. He’s quick to check Lo’ak for injuries. 

“He’s fine.” He declares to the crowd gathered around. “Just a few scratches, he’s fine.” And quieter he asks, “What were you thinking?” Lo’ak stares at his father, jaw clenched as he awaits his punishment. 

“No.” Tonowari says. “Ao’nung knows better than to go outside the reef. The fault is his.” He pushes his son down to kneel. A look passes between the two boys. Something aside from the usual look of confrontation. There’s a budding understanding between them. Both of them look at you for a moment before Lo’ak raises his chin defiantly. 

“I was the one that wanted to go beyond the reef. Ao’nung tried to stop me.” The quick glance is explained as Lo’ak lies to his father, protecting Ao’nung from the shame of being so publicly disciplined. Jake grabs Lo’ak’s wrist and pulls him towards their marui. The men nod to each other and your sister catches your eye, looking between you and Jake as he reaches over to usher you away as well. She doesn’t have to say anything for you to know she’s curious as to how far your relationship with Jake and his children goes. It isn’t a conversation you’re ready to have. The waves of your hair shield your face from her as you follow behind the Sullys. Lo’ak tries to speak before he’s berated further. 

“You told me to make friends with these kids. That’s all I’m trying–”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Jake cuts off his defense. “You are a shame to this family.” Lo’ak’s face falls and his gaze shifts to you. You want to reach out and hold him, to comfort him, but he turns away before you can. His stomping strides carry him further down shore, away from his home. Neteyam’s lips press into an irritated line before he goes off after him. It is what Jake expects of his eldest son but Neteyam looks to be exasperated, tired of having to be the one to bridge the gap between his father and brother. 

When Jake spoke to his son, the voice of an olo'eyktan replaced that of a father’s. Right now Lo’ak is not his son. He is a warrior that has stepped out of line, defied orders. You stop him from following them with a hand around his wrist, quickly removing it when you realize what you’d done. 

There have been small touches between the two of you but never something as direct as this. You are not his mate. It is not your job to soothe his anger or protect his children. You take a half step back, readying to return to your own marui as night settles deeply over the island. Jake’s ears relax as he catches you retreating. Now he grabs your wrist to keep you beside him. He’s still angry. It’s evident in the tensed line of his muscles and the hard set of his jaw. His dark brows are drawn low over his eyes and for a fleeting moment you see Lo’ak in his expression. It pains your heart to see that they are so similar and yet so different. 

“He is upset, Jake. You have to see that.” It’s all you can do to defend his son. You look to where they’ve both disappeared to, seeing Ao’nung join them on the beach. You hope this will put an end to the antagonizing between the clan children. When you turn back to him, Jake is already looking at you, anger bleeding from his face the longer he stares. His grip on your wrist, though not harsh, loosens, as his hand slides up your forearm to pull you closer. 

“I thought we’d lost him.” He says quietly, eyes wet with unshed tears. You wonder what he sees as he looks at you, if he realizes who you are. “We” he said. As if Lo’ak was his and yours. Perhaps he’d meant his children but the way he holds you says otherwise. “Thought I’d lost you.” 

“I can never be lost. The sea is my home.”

“The forest was our home. But home isn’t always safe. When Kiri told me you left alone–” he stops himself from speaking his fears into the air between you. “I can’t do that again. I can’t lose anyone else.” His words are only a whisper, haggard and desperate. He suddenly sounds his age as his thumbs stroke against your arms. Whatever he’s feeling goes far deeper than you had expected. 

In the few months since their arrival you’ve spent almost every waking moment with the Sully family. At first you thought it was simple diplomacy outside of your lessons. Befriending the third most important clan member would solidify their standing even if tsahìk did not fully approve of their joining the clan. But Ronal was past her tantrum. She was wary but not completely unkind as she had been upon their arrival. A tenuous thread of understanding has formed between them and you wonder now if that thread is spun by your own hand. If your sister would have tempered herself so soon if not for your open acceptance.

The Sullys accepted you as well, but only now do you realize how open their hearts have truly been. 

“I am here. I’m safe. We’re safe.” It’s all you can say as Jake seems to bask in your simple presence. He doesn’t touch you aside from holding your arms in his, though part of you wonders if he wants to move closer. You want to. So desperately do you want to close the distance between the two of you, to lay your head on his shoulder and promise that everything will be alright. But he is not yours to comfort, nor are his children. It is because you are still tsakarem to them that they open their hearts and bear their vitra to you. Slowly, you pull away. 

“I am tired. I’ll go first.” You say, head bowed to avoid what you might see in Jake’s eyes. You spare a quick look in the marui and wish you hadn’t. Tuk is sleeping curled up against Kiri, the elder gently cradling her sister’s head as they sleep. It squeezes at your heart. The weight of Jake’s eyes follows as you retreat, ears drooped in reflection of your soured mood. Part of you wants to pray. To visit the Cove of the Ancestors and seek solace in the voices of those that came before you. But what they would tell you is no different than what you already know. Jake had his mate. She is gone but her place will always be in his heart and her memory leaves no room for you. Clinging to the edge of a family that doesn’t need you won’t fill the void of not having your own. 

Everyone had given up courting you shortly before Ronal became tsahìk, when Tonowari began sending courting gifts in pairs before choosing your sister. No one wanted to overstep with their future olo'eyktan and now you’re far too old to be courted. Any man that wanted you would’ve made his desire known years ago. So you return to your empty marui to sleep alone, fending off thoughts of the man you wish could be yours. 

The avoidance starts small. Instead of joining Jake for your lessons you encourage him to seek out Tonowari to learn to ride a skimwing. As you’d expected he hadn’t been keen on starting with an easily mastered ilu. When the children ask you to teach them you turn them towards Ao’nung and Tsireya. After the Three Brothers incident the relationship between the children seems to have improved. Lo’ak invoked an understanding between him and Ao’nung. One that your tsmuke’itan has not taken lightly. Your days return to how they’d been before the Sullys’ arrival, busying yourself with menial tasks until you’re needed for something. But it only lasts for so long before Tuk finds you feeding the ilu, half of her hair undone from its usual braids as she wades over to you. The water is up to her chin as she pouts at you. 

“Sa’nok!” Your heart leaps in your chest at the title but you quickly remind yourself that Na’vi children often call their teachers mother. “Can you help me with my braids? I tried to do it myself but I can’t.” 

“I see that.” You say, drawing your fingers through her disheveled hair. She stays to help you feed the ilu, giggling as they carefully snap the fish from her little hands. When your basket is empty you put her on your hip and carry her back to her marui, stopping at your own home to grab your box of hair ornaments and combs. Jake is there when the two of you arrive and you hesitate to enter, mumbling a soft greeting as you pass him. It’s clear on his face that he has something to say but he keeps it to himself, sharpening the spear in his hand with more force than necessary as you undo the rest of Tuk’s braids. She had only taken out a few before deciding to seek help and the loose hair sticks up around her head like sprigs of grass as you try to pick through the tangles she’s caused trying to do it on her own. 

“Alright go wash your hair.” You say, patting her shoulders. She jumps to her feet immediately, probably happy for the brief freedom before she’ll be stuck in one place for the long while it will take to braid her hair. As soon as she’s gone Jake tosses aside the spear that’s long since been honed to a perfect point. For a moment both of you only sit, waiting for the other to move. There is nowhere for you to go. If you leave, Tuk will come looking for you again and you’d be right back here to face him one way or another. He stands with the fluidity of a rising wave, ready to crash over you as he walks inside. 

“Where have you been?” He asks plainly. From his height his gaze falls over you like cold water and a shiver dances up your spine despite the sunlight still spilling in from outside. 

“I have been busy. Did Tonowari not tell you?”

“You didn’t tell me.” He snaps. Behind him his tail sways in tense arcs as he begins pacing. “You can’t just disappear like that.”

“I didn’t disappear. I was busy.” You say again. It does little to calm him. 

“If you’re not going to be around, you tell me. Don’t just disappear without saying anything.” His words make you feel like a child being scolded. It wasn’t as if you’d left the reef. If he had simply asked someone would’ve told him where they’d last seen you on any day he might’ve been curious. Whether you were tending to less urgent wounds or helping younglings learn to swim in the shallow tide pools, you never went where you couldn’t be found. Because truthfully you had hoped he would look for you despite your avoidance. Tuk coming to find you had been a blessed excuse to see him without having to go to him with your tail between your legs, ashamed of your own feelings. 

“I’m sorry.” He tuts at that, looking away for a moment before he finally kneels before you. He sits staring at the treads of the mat beneath his feet, locs falling over his shoulders before finally looking up. His face is creased with worry, a line gathering between his brows as remorse shines in his eyes. 

“No, don’t be sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh I was just worried about you. It went from seeing you everyday to not at all. That–just tell me when you’re not gonna be around, okay? I want to know where you are.” His hand moves to hold your arm like he had when you brought Lo’ak home. His five fingers soothe over the rippling pattern of your skin as you wonder what he was going to say before he stopped himself. His eyes are still full of worry and guilt but there’s a fleeting hint of grief there too. The feeling of wanting to pluck away at his layers surfaces again but you resist the urge to ask. It is not the time nor is it your place. Of course you’ve grown close in the time since his arrival but it isn’t nearly long enough to ask what you want to know, to dig at his wounds when you can’t tell how long they’ve been healed. Whatever is ailing his soul has nothing to do with you no matter your desire to help soothe the spiritual pain. It is in your nature but if he wanted help he’d ask and the words have yet to leave his mouth.

Even still something has shifted between the two of you. These gentle touches feel different than before. This isn’t guiding or teaching; this is purely for the sake of closeness as the two of you sit in heavy silence. So many words linger inside you, almost being spoken yet never leaving your lips. It isn’t until Tuk returns with sun-dried hair that you part. Jake says something about returning spears to Tonowari, not turning to face you and his daughter as she climbs into your lap. 

The last bead is finally threaded into her hair just in time to send her off with her brothers when they come to fetch her, saying something about visiting the Cove of the Ancestors. It’s nearly eclipse but the floating mountains and glowing trees always look most beautiful when the sun is hidden. You take your time to clean up the mess made while fixing Tuk’s hair. She’d rooted through your entire collection of beads and ornaments, picking her favorites. She’d been excited to show her brothers, bragging about how she had pretty shells mixed into her hair, too. It was endearing to see her so happy to be wearing part of your clan’s traditional dress even if it was something small. 

“You’re still here.” Jake says as you set the last comb back into the box. He sounds relieved. 

“I only just finished with Tuk’s hair. She left with Neteyam and Lo’ak as soon as I was done. I’ll leave now.” 

“You don’t have to. Stay and eat with me.” He says, gesturing to the food set out. Someone had brought another meal to feed the Sullys while you braided Tuk’s hair. She was happy to sit still while she was eating, no longer squirming with childish impatience as you worked. There is still enough food left for the rest of the family and Jake hands you a portion before you can refuse. Your fingers brush his as you take it from him and it makes you linger for a beat longer. In the gentle silence of your shared meal you finally gain the courage to ask one of the question you’ve been wondering about since you first met Jakesully. 

“What was it like riding toruk?” There have been only six riders since the time of the First Songs and here is one of them before you. You try to keep the awe from your voice. While riding toruk is a feat of legends it is only done in times of great strife. Jake wasn’t Toruk Makto because he simply wanted to be. It is a great responsibility that he took on. One that easily could’ve led to his death had he failed. And surely many had failed before.

“Terrifying,” he decides, laughing humorlessly. “Riding him was different than riding an ikran. There was so much at stake. And knowing what it meant to ride him, that power and what I needed it for; that was terrifying.” He laughs again, a small chuckle but it doesn’t sound as empty this time. “That’s the first time I’ve ever admitted that to anyone.”

“That you were afraid?” He nods. “I don’t fault your fear, Jake. Even the mightiest warriors feel scared sometimes. There was much to lose in that battle. The whole of Pandora would’ve mourned the loss of the Tree of Souls. That was a heavy burden for you to carry but you succeeded.” He nods. He’s heard you but it does not seem like he believes your words. 

“Have I?” He mutters softly, so softly that you wonder if he meant to say them at all. But before you can ask Neteyam’s voice rings through the hush of the night. The rest of the children follow him, kneeling just outside the marui as Neteyam gently lays Kiri down. She isn’t moving and the light that should be glowing brightly in the darkness is dim beneath her skin. 

“What happened?” You ask, already moving to check over her. She is breathing but her eyes don’t open when you lift her arm. Her muscles feel tense beneath your fingers, tightening when you try to move her even slightly. 

“We were all connected to the Spirit Tree but Kiri started shaking and then she stopped moving. She wouldn’t wake up.” Tsireya is close to tears as she clings to Lo’ak’s arm. His face is set in a harsh frown but his fear is evident in his eyes. They all look scared and Tuk cries as she clings to her father. Jake holds her tightly as he looks to you for help. 

“Go get your mother.” You say to Tsireya but Jake stops her. 

“No. You are here. You’re tsakarem. Help her.” He says. “Please.” His eyes are pleasing as he cradles Tuk to his chest, kneeling beside you once more. If he trusts you to do it then you will care for his daughter.

Her heart beat is slow as you press your ear to her chest, and her breath rattles with the familiar sound of drowned lungs. That is easily fixed. It is one of the first things you learned to heal. With two fingers you draw sweeping lines from her waist up to her chest then from her neck down to her heart before blowing air against her navel. It takes a few passes before her lungs open and she coughs up the water. She doesn’t wake as you dry her face but her heartbeat sounds stronger and her breathing comes easier. Her body is less tense as you try to move her arms again but she is still twitching almost imperceptibly. 

“She will sleep. I can’t say when she’ll wake. If she isn’t awake by morning I will call for Ronal.” Jake nods and lays Tuk down beside her. The little one has tired herself out with tears, cheeks still wet as she curls up next to her sisters. 

“You two return home.” You expected Tsireya to be slow to part with Lo’ak but even Rotxo seems to hesitate in leaving. A true bond has been made between all of them and you are glad to see that the Omatikaya children are finally being treated with Metkayina respect and care. 

“Come.” Jake grabs your wrist as you pass him to take the children home. 

“Come back?” It’s a question. Desperation is clear in his tone as he stares into your eyes. He’s terrified. You can see it in his eyes. The fear of a father who can do nothing to protect his child. There’s no enemy to fight, no battle to win. Whatever has harmed Kiri is intangible and the feeling of futility shines in his eyes. You nod, and slowly he lets you go. It feels as if he’s uncertain about letting you leave at all. But you do, taking Rotxo to his parents and Tsireya to hers. 

“Do not mention Kiri. I don’t want to worry your mother needlessly. If she has not improved by morning then I will call for her help.” They nod and Tsireya hugs you before entering their marui, sitting down quietly next to her brother. 

“Tsmuke,” Ronal says when she sees you. 

“You are growing.” A small smile finds its way to your face as you take in how much her stomach has grown in the time since Jakesully’s arrival. The two of you have been apart for the long weeks, months, since the Sully family joined the clan. At first it was stubbornness. Neither of you wanted to admit that the other was right as you took opposing views of the displaced family. Now it is simply the duty of teaching them. Ronal has the clan to tend to as you worry over the newcomers. She had no time for them and so she had no time for you, either. 

“Is he waiting for you to come home?” She asks when you finally turn to leave. You pause in your retreat but don’t turn around. Your home is not with Jakesully. Every night you leave to return to your own lonely marui. And Ronal knows this. 

“That is what I thought.” She says after a moment, likely seeing the way your body has sagged in the wake of her question. Your tail has stilled and your ears have fallen flat against your head, though that at least is hidden by your hair. When you turn, fists clenched, she is already going inside. It’s a game you’ve both played since you were young. If she turns before you leave you’ll know if her words were meant to be as scathing as they sounded, but she holds firm. Her eyes stay hidden. Not sitting or turning before you lose patience and storm away. It could’ve been a simple question, but if she meant to insult your interest in a mated man she has done it. 

As if you don’t already know that your feelings are wrong. This budding desire is as useful as putting a single drop of water on a fire. You’ll burn away and turn to steam and he’ll burn on, unbothered by your infatuation. Whatever comfort he’s seeking from you now is that of a friend. It has to be because you won’t let your heart consider that he could feel something more. He had his mate. She might’ve joined Eywa before her time but she was his and he was hers. There was nothing you could do to change that. 

The boys are asleep by the time you return and Jake is sitting with his feet in the water, eyes trained on the horizon. He looks up at your approach and you watch as his shoulders relax in relief. 

“I thought you forgot about us.” The words you want to say are too much for this quiet moment so you simply shake your head as you sit down next to him. 

“I called in some old friends. They’re going to come look at Kiri in the morning.” You look at him questioningly. Neteyam had said that the ride to Awa’atlu took many days. No clan could spare their tsahìk for that long. Not even for Toruk Makto. 

“Friends?”

He nods, “Human friends. The ones that stayed when the skypeople left.” It’s an instinctual response to hiss at that. You feel yourself bare your teeth before you can gather your feelings. Jake was human once. If he trusted them to treat his daughter then you could trust them to be near your clan. But there is still a piece of you that loathes the thought of tawtute coming to your home. He doesn’t rebuff your harsh response, only reaching to run his thumb over the back of your hand. You want to flip your palm upward, to catch his hand in yours. It would be strange to hold his hand. You can’t thread your fingers as you would with anyone else but his hand is strong, comforting. Your grip tightens on the edge of the path overhanging the water to keep from acting on the thought. 

The humans arrive soon after sunrise, stirring up more clouds of sand as their strange, black ikran descends from the sky. It isn’t truly an ikran but you aren’t sure what else to call the strange ship. 

“Keep them back.” Jake instructs before moving towards the thing still stirring the beach. The small crowd gathered is happy to comply as you usher them away from the loud, buzzing thing. A dreamwalker steps out in his human garbs, though there are pieces of the Omatikaya decorating him as well. A necklace, an armband, even a knife across his chest like a proper warrior. And his feet are bare. The second man to leave the buzzing beast is human. His face is covered in a clear mask and he wears no Na’vi adornments. They all speak in frantic tones before they take what they need from the strange, hollow beast and start following Jake. He catches you by the elbow as he passes, a clear sign for you to join them. They’re watched by everyone that they pass and the human is the first to duck inside the marui, seemingly glad to be in a somewhat hidden space. He greets the children before Jake sends them away. They only go as far as being out of the way, standing vigilant just outside the open flap. You wish to join them but Jake pulls you with him as they begin their human treatment. 

Kiri is not like you. You know this. It’s plain to see in her five fingers and the low placement of her tswin. She has part of the skypeople in her, but she’s spoken so freely of her mother in the time she’s spent with you. She wasn’t Jake’s mate but his friend. A woman that taught the Omatikaya children about earth and learned about Pandora in turn. She treasures Eywa’eveng just as any Na’vi does. She was careful and curious and she gave her life trying to help Jake protect it. It’s no wonder she gave birth to someone so in tune with the Great Mother. Grace. Kìreysì. 

The human and the dreamwalker fret over Kiri, seemingly making no progress as the three of them speak in their human language. It means nothing to you though, your ears only able to find your own name amid the flurry of foreign sounds. The children seem more in tune with the conversation, ears twitching as they listen just outside the marui. After so long with Kiri not so much as flinching as they move and poke at her with sharp needles you stand to leave. The tiny man looks up from his strange, bright and moving plate. It glows against his brown skin but it isn’t a glow that you’re used to. It seems too bright, too harsh. Unnatural. He looks just as uncomfortable as you feel but you can’t be sure. There’s nothing to see in his brown eyes beneath the two masks he wears. 

“I am going to get Ronal.” Jake calls after you but you’ve already decided. His friends have done nothing but make noise around her. Ronal will see to whatever is harming her, quicker than they ever could. You find her in the healing tent, working over the back of a young hunter. 

“He was met with an akula.” She says as you watch her cover the long gashes along his back with a healing salve. 

“Kiri needs you.” Her hand pauses at your words.

“What is wrong?” 

“She was shaking uncontrollably last night while at the Spirit Tree. She swallowed water.”

“You can heal her easily.” She concedes. 

“I have cleared the water from her lungs but she hasn’t woken up. Whatever made her convulse is still inside her. I’m not knowledgeable enough to help.” Ronal clicks her tongue at that. 

“Whatever I know, you know.” She sighs when you don’t leave. “I will be there as soon as I am done here.” You nod and leave her to her work, returning to the Sully marui. 

“What are they saying?” You ask Neteyam. 

“He doesn’t know.” Lo’ak says, satisfaction clear in his tone. “I am better at English than him.”

“Then what are they saying?” His smug attitude fades immediately. 

“They don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Hah!” You growl. None of the children react but the two outsiders look up at you. The dreamwalker only looks confused but the human flinches as if there’d been a threat in your frustrated tone. Jake looks at you for a moment before holding out a hand for you to join him. 

“Where’s your sister?” You wrinkle your nose at him. Jake has always had a slight accent, tongue still failing to perfect certain words with the ease of a child taught since birth. His children don’t carry his same inflections but if you had noticed it before it’s disturbingly prominent now. It strips away a bit of him, revealing the man he used to be beneath it. Human, dreamwalker. Part of you wants to know that side of him to better understand the man he is today but then your eyes trail wearily to the strange things that now fill the marui with lights and sound and it suddenly feels too overwhelming to ask. Ronal arrives as Jake speaks to his friends, looking between the three men before her eyes land on you. 

“I see that I am not needed.” You’re on your feet in an instant, snatching up her arm before she can leave. 

“You are tsahìk.” She understands your words, your trust in her and hesitancy towards the foreign men. In this matter you stand with her in a shared distrust. Whatever they are doing is not helping. But this is what tsahìk does. She stares at you for a moment, eyes uneasy. 

“Remove these things.” She says it to you but her voice is loud and unflinching, though it’s doubtful the human understands her. 

“Out!” You hiss when they do not move away from Kiri. 

The dreamwalker moves first, then Jake says something in his human tongue to get the other man to listen. They work quickly in the shadow of you and your sister, leaving Kiri to be properly cared for. Tuk runs in as soon as they pass her, hand grabbing yours as Ronal sets her healing tools beside Kiri. She asks for the tent to be closed off, all of you keenly aware of the two outsiders standing just beyond the open marui. This is not something for them to witness. Jake complies, leaving the three of you inside with Kiri as he closes the flap. Ronal looks over Kiri, mumbling a prayer to herself as she does the same as you did last night. She moves her limbs, testing her body as she tries to find what is harming it. When she does she goes to work immediately. Her tools aren’t strange. They are pieces of your everyday life. She doesn’t pierce her skin as they had, and doesn’t need their strange glowing and noise to work. She calls on the Great Mother to guide her as she begins to heal the child. 

It takes much time and you begin to sing a working song to fill the tense air and cover the sound of the human words coming from outside. It doesn’t distract Ronal as you sing about the ocean and Eywa. It’s a song meant for fishing, for working on the great seawall terraces, for weaving clothes, and sharpening weapons. It’s an idle song to fill the time and you sing it quietly as Ronal works, blowing great gusts of air against Kiri’s skin. With one last exhale like a great tulkun’s breath she sits back heavily as Kiri begins to shift. You’re at the child’s side in an instant, brushing her hair from her face as Tuk takes her hand. Her eyes are barely open before she begins to cry. 

Her hand reaches out for you as she finally recognizes your face above her, wanting to be held as your sister collects her things. Ronal rests a hand on your head as Kiri hugs you, Tuk worming in between your bodies. There is meaning in your sister’s touch that doesn’t need to be said with words. Take care of her, her touch says, before she leaves. You watch her go and she glares at the outsiders as she passes but as soon as she does Jake is moving to gather the three of you into his arms. 

“Thank you, Great Mother.” You whisper against Kiri’s hair. Whatever has happened she is awake now. She will heal. It takes a long while before she is comforted enough to let go. She sits quietly, picking at the food Tsireya brought for her. The children fill the marui, all seven of them crowded together as they try to rouse Kiri from her low spirits. It leaves you outside with Jake and his strange friends. Jake introduces you and you’re surprised to hear their names. Norm the dreamwalker and Max the human. These are things you can say easily. Jake’s name still sounds a bit strange on your tongue, the sound of it just as complex as Grace’s name had been when Kiri first taught you. Their names sound rounded to start, but your tongue wants to make a sharper sound. But Norm and Max. These sounds you know.

“May the Great Mother smile upon our first meeting.” Norm says, gesturing towards you. «I See you.» Max says something in his human tongue–English, Lo’ak called it–but you just tilt your head. You can’t understand him any more than you understand a chittering ilu. 

“He said it’s nice to meet you.” Jake says, laughing at whatever look of confusion has crossed your face. You nod but say nothing. Soon they go back to speaking their human words but Jake keeps you close to him with his arm hooked over yours. So you sit, listening but not understanding. Finally they say something that seems to upset Jake. His ears fall as he sighs, and his hand finally finds yours. There’s defeat in his eyes when he looks at you after hearing what his friends had to say. Defeat and longing you realize as his hand tightens around yours. If he wants to say something he doesn’t. Instead he nods resolutely and rises to walk the outsiders back to their hollow ikran. You meant to ask what it was called but the thought is easily lost as you turn towards the children. 

It is near to eclipse and the sun is a bright crescent of firelight in the sky, casting an orange glow over them. They’re gathered in a tight circle, like a braided cord. Shoulders touching and tails sweeping against each other. Lo’ak has Tsireya’s arm, Ao’nung and Neteyam are sharing in their own conversation, and Tuk has tucked herself under Rotxo’s arm, still clinging to her sister’s hand. Kiri’s face is still troubled but she doesn’t look as upset as she had when she first woke. You imagine it will be long before she returns to herself. It doesn’t seem like they’ll be eager to leave so you take it upon yourself to feed them. 

“How is the girl?” Ronal asks when you join her at the cooking fire. Women of the clan are gathered here, talking amongst themselves as they prepare dinner. Many hands are needed to feed so many people and they smile upon your arrival. 

“Awake and well enough. The children have been keeping her company since she woke.” 

“That is good.” She nods, passing you leaves to wrap the fish you’ve cooked. The two of you work in tandem as you had before Jakesully’s arrival upset the balance of Awa’atlu. Or perhaps it’s only you that’s been so upended by the man and his family. You’ve missed moments like this with your sister. They’d been lost after you set yourself as her opposition before the clan. Her acceptance was reluctant and eased by the will of her mate. But things have simmered since and Ronal has quelled her distaste for the family. 

“You are close to her,” Ronal says carefully, blowing the flame off a roasted bit of meat. “She will be more comfortable if you look after her. I can’t say what happened, but it was something terrible. The whole of her spirit was upset by it.” She speaks quieter now, strong voice suddenly lost in the din of gossiping women. “If something more happens you have seen how I healed her. It will be your responsibility.”

“My responsibility? I am not tsahìk. This is a matter for the will of Eywa.” Your voice is a sharp whisper. 

“You say this as if we do not know the same things. The Great Mother speaks just as clearly to you, tsmuke. It is because I am tsahìk that I am entrusting the health of a child of our clan to you. Any mother of Awa’atlu would do the same. You know this. Stop questioning yourself.” She snaps. Ronal has never been one for kindness based on familial ties. She treats you as any other member of the clan when the need arises. You aren’t above reproach. She frowns at you, before venting her anger into the food in her hand. With a jerk of her head in the direction you came from she dismisses you. The last of the food she’s made goes in the basket on your hip as you leave. 

“Sa’tsmuke,” Tsireya announces you when you set down the food. Your niece’s dimpled smile lights up her face as laughter greets your arrival. Even Kiri has a small smile on her lips. It’s a relief to see. Jake still hasn’t returned but you try not to dwell on his absence. They continue their happy conversation as the night grows darker until it tapers off into quiet mumbles and stifled yawns. The Sully children settle down for the night and Tsireya is nearly asleep as you detangle her from between Kiri and Lo’ak. She clings to you the same as she had when she was small as you put her on your back. Her face nuzzles against your hair as you see everyone home. The oversight isn’t necessary. There’s no danger in walking alone even in the darkness but you enjoy these small moments of borrowed motherhood.

But when you return to your empty home once more your heart feels hollow. The feeling has plagued you for weeks, marked with the arrival of the Sully family. The loneliness hadn’t bothered you so much before. The clan has many unmated men and women. Finding a mate can take years and you always assumed you’d bloom into love later than most. And when the time for mating seemed to pass you accepted your status as a singular woman. Now it feels as though there is something missing. Like a chip in your knife that you hadn’t noticed before. The dull ache of it plagues you as you try to sleep, trying to ignore the whispers carrying on the balmy breeze. 

If this pain is the Great Mother trying to tell you something you choose to ignore it. Jakesully has mated before her. He belongs to someone else. No matter the circumstances he’s found himself in now; without his mate and far from his home, nothing but friendship can be shared between the two of you. 

Even as your heart squeezes painfully in your chest you resign yourself to the dull ache. These feelings are yours alone. You’ll just have to accept the pain of longing for a heart you can never hold. 

ɴᴀ’ᴠɪ ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs

Oel ngati kameie – I See you

Tsakarem – tsahìk-in-training

Uturu – sanctuary

Tawtute – skypeople

Sa’tsmuke – aunt, mother’s sister (speculative)

Tsmuke’itan – nephew, sister’s son (speculative)

Naranawm – Polyphemus, the planet Pandora orbits

Vitra – spirit, soul

Tsmuke – sister

Tawtute – skypeople

Tswin – neural braid

Eywa’eveng – Pandora

[suuuupernovaaa]

asap si

‘ASAP SI [English] to be shocked, be startled

Adult Neteyam returns home to find you’ve grown into a beautiful woman, and you’ve been keeping a secret from him all these years.

18+   |   1,177 words

My hands had begun growing tired, the joints in my fingers aching, but I still had a little time before my parents were expecting me home, and I could finish just a little bit more here at the mother loom.

Li’ei and Zoavey had been generous to allow me not only to use the mother loom, but to teach me. Between them, they possessed over 100 years of experience creating tapestries and cloths for our clan, and they were both held in very high regard for what they provided to our people.

“Y/N,” Li’ei chastised the next time I sighed under my breath, “go home. We must all rest.”

I sighed once more, feeling the thick, coarse fabric between my fingers. “I feel as though the job will never be done.”

Zoavey tsk’d at me. “It does not matter how long it takes - only that you do the job properly.” 

Standing up, I nodded at the two elders. “Thank you for your time today. May I return tomorrow?”

Li’ei smiled. “Yes, darling.” I felt compelled to ask every day, even though they had made it clear they were training me so that I could take their place when the day came.

Touching my forehead and lowering my hand, I signed my respect to my elders, who had so graciously taken me under their wing, and quickly turned on my heel to make my way through our village back to my parents’ home.

--

The closer I got to the center of our village, to my home, the louder things seemed to be. It’s was always quite busy at this time of day, but this seemed to be something else; a commotion, almost.

As I neared the epicenter of home tree, my parents rushed to me, almost out of nowhere.

“Y/N!” my mother gasped, wide eyed. “Jakesully and his family have returned.”

The tools I was carrying fell from my hands, clattering on the ground. I should have bent and grabbed them, pay them the respect they deserve, but I am frozen to the ground.

Neteyam is home.

Suddenly, I am transported to five years ago. Once again, I felt Neteyam gripping my arms too tightly as he told me his family was leaving, and he didn’t know if they would return. He left, with so much left unsaid between us.

Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, and I forced them away.

“Where are they?” I asked  finally, after a long pause that I knew my mother noticed.

She gestured to the fires, around which we cooked and ate our meals. I saw it then, the large crowd gathering, almost too large to push my way through - but I knew I had to try.

“Sorry, excuse me, sorry,” I repeated over and over as I wormed my way through the throng of bodies here to see Taruk Maktow and his family.

It’s was hard to believe it had been 5 years. After the Sky People left and Jakesully and his family didn’t return, we weren’t sure what to think - maybe they had died in battle, or found another clan they wanted to stay with instead.

I never gave up hope... but it was hard some days, especially with Ueku nearly relentlessly pursuing me the last two years to be his mate. 

Ueku was one of the most desired of The People, our strongest hunter, and everyone was staring to look at me as if I had two tails - they could not figure out why I would not agree to be his.

And it felt so dumb to explain that it was because of a crush I’d had when I was fifteen, on someone I hadn’t seen since then. 

It took much effort, but I finally made it to the front of the crowd, and saw them standing there.

Oh, they looked so different. All four children were taller, the boys had much broader chests and Kiri and Tuk had grown into lovely young women. I wanted to cry and rush forward to greet them, but they were being bombarded with welcome greetings.

I stood back, staring, and finally allowed myself to really look at Neteyam. His hair was longer now, halfway down his back and braided intricately, woven through with many beads and fine weaves. He was taller, as tall as his father, with strong shoulders and a wide, firm chest.

The sight of him made me feel light headed. I closed my eyes, and took a steadying, deep breathing. 

“Y/N!”

--

Tuk called her name, and Neteyam snapped his head to see where his youngest sister was looking. Since the moment they’d arrived, his only thought was to find Y/N, his oldest and best friend.

Tuk took off from next to him, rushing towards a woman in the crowd who was almost unrecognizable. This beautiful woman lifted Tuk up in her arms effortlessly and hugged her tightly.

She was an angel. Her hair was impossibly long, and she wore a woven crown around her face to keep it out of her eyes. Her leggings were green, and he could tell the care and effort that went into making them. Tucked into them were various tools for use on the loom. 

She looked tired, but her amber eyes were wide and full of joy. His eyes trailed down to her smile, ear to ear as she excitedly talked to his sister, her full lips spread across white teeth. 

Ewya, was this Y/N?

Tuk was pulling her towards him now. He lifted his foot to take a step forward, but before he even moved an inch, Lo’ak had her in his arms.

“Y/N!” he shouted excitedly. 

“Oh, Lo’ak!” she exclaimed, returning his hug enthusiastically. It made a quiet rage bloom in Neteyam’s chest, and he shoved it down quickly.

“Wow!” Lo’ak exclaimed, taking a step back, and Neteyam stepped up beside him. Lo’ak threw his elbow forcefully into Neteyam’s side.

Neteyam winced and grabbed his ribs as Lo’ak said, “Y/N sure grew up, didn’t she?”

“Well, we all did, Lo’ak. It’s been five years!” Y/N replied with a soft smile. Even though she was speaking, the beauty of her voice sounded like a song to Neteyam’s ears.

Neteyam raised his hand to his head, touching his fingers to his forehead, and lowered it as he took a step towards Y/N. “Y/N...” he said, but after all these years, words failed him.

He had spent countless nights thinking of Y/N, but never had he imagined her to have such an effect on him when he was finally able to stand in front of her. His mouth felt dry, and his heart was beating out of his chest.

“Neteyam,” Y/N said, returning the gesture. “I’ve missed you.”

She threw her arms around his shoulders, and after only a moment, he wrapped his around her waist. She even smelled lovely, like fresh tapestry and earth, and he took a deep breath.

He would savor this moment forever.

--

It was a while before I could get Neteyam alone, but I was determined. Something about the look of shock on his face when he first saw me gave me hope.

Had he been missing me too?

After we ate and the excitement began to die down a little as the singing began, I grabbed Neteyam and pulled him from the crowd, into the jungle.

We walked in silence for a while, until I found a familiar spot to sit. It was a large fallen tree next to a small pool of water. We could sit and dangle our legs, our toes just dipping in to the small pool.

“I missed you, Neteyam,” I said finally. Though I had been shy when Neteyam left, five years had made me bold. It felt as if I had to tell him how I felt, or I might stop breathing. “I thought of you often.”

Neteyam smiled, and though much about him had changed, his smile had not. “I missed you as well, Y/N. Lo’ak had to tell me I was not allowed to speak of you anymore... but I still did.”

I glanced away for a moment. “It’s been a long time. You might have... you might have found yourself a woman, while you were gone. I, uh, Ueku has asked me to be his woman, but I-”

Neteyam cut me off. “Ueku! Bah!”

I grabbed his arm, trying not to laugh at the disgusted look on his face. “I told him I would not. Well, that I could not. Neteyam, I have been yours since you left. I wanted to tell you, but you left so fast, I could not.”

His look of anger softened, and his eyes widened in surprise. “You would be my woman, Y/N?”

My lips spread into a wide smile. “I would.” My heart felt as if it might leap out of my chest, and my fingers trembled. I clasped my hands together to steady them.

Neteyam reached over and took my hands into his.

“I have thought of almost nothing but returning and claiming you for my own, since we left. Y/N, you have become more beautiful that I ever could have imagined, and one of our people’s most prized women. I would be honored to have you as my mate.”

The stars swam in front of my eyes, and I reached up and pulled Neteyam’s face to mine, capturing him in a kiss I had waited five years for.

He wasted no time, and lifted me up into his lap so that I was straddling him as he deepened the kiss.

“Teyam,” I moaned into his mouth.

“Paskalin,” he replied in a breathy voice, pulling me even closer to him. His hands roamed my body, up and down my back, and I pushed down onto him, creating friction between us that made him groan into my mouth.

He was kissing me desperately, feverishly, as if we would have to part for another five years after this.

I was equally as desperate as I pushed him back onto the mossy tree, and lay on top of him, stopping to look at him for just a moment.

“I should have come back sooner,” he said with a sly grin, and I laughed.

Leaning down, I pressed my head to his chest to hear his heartbeat - it was quick, to match mine.

“We have all the time we need now,” I whispered, and he wrapped me in a tight hug.

“I will never let you go again,” he whispered, his voice full of determination and reverence.

I believed him.

[iguessthisisanewobsession]

This is in response to the "Jason pretending to be/gaslighting himself into actual pregnancy" thread.

What exactly is Alfred’s and Bruce’s reaction to the…news? Like, how did they get told? Did the batkids (-Todd) sit them down, bring the board out, and try to quickly explain the ‘hey your son/grandson may be pregnant, yes it’s possible, halfa biology is a fun thing isn’t it?’ and all that jazz?

Or did Jason announce it randomly in the middle of chaotic family dinner and acted like he didn’t say anything odd, or did he bring it up offhandedly before waking away and ignoring any calls for him to return

Lmao maybe in a different world Jason chooses to announce it during a gala, Peeta ‘if it weren’t for the baby’ Mellark style, and then just let hell ascend.

Or did Danny break it by just simply asking Jason how the baby was

The first time the other boys breakdown.

It’s decided that Jason would tell Alfred at his own time and so they focus on Bruce.

They sit Bruce down in the cave and lay out their evidence the best they can.

And when the others come in later to suit up Bruce tries to bench Jason and that does not go down well.

A full screaming match that hasn’t happen since Jason’s switch, that ends with Bruce just shouting,

“I don’t care what happens out there right now, I can’t allow a pregnant person to put themselves in danger!”

And Jason just freezes in place, the cave is dead silent. Half of the clan is just looking on in confusion. The other boys are refusing to look in their general direction. Stephanie folds herself in half with a laugh and Alfred just raises an eyebrow.

Jason’s has to catch himself on the table to stop himself from falling over from the stitch in his side.

~~~~~~~~~

The second time is after the Desiree incident he goes to talk to with Alfred alone.

The what ifs were keeping him up, he needed to talk to someone who wouldn’t judge him.

They sat together under the island lights with tea and Alfred gave him a gentle hug .

Jason admitted that he didn’t know why he was crying anyways. It was his choice, he knew it was for the best.

Maybe it was just how bad he’s been feeling for the last week.

Alfred doesn’t judge and reassured Jason that he was allowed to feel such ways.

~~~~~~~

The third time it was real casual, so casual in fact that they others just through he was joking.

When the others realized he had completely kicked the last of his smoking habit and just said “for my baby” they thought he had quit during the prank.

When he declined a drink with Bruce and Dick he just said “baby” and they assumed he didn’t feel like it and was joking.

When Jason said he wasn’t going to patrol for awhile they assumed he was taking a well deserved vacation.

It wasn’t until he was a good four months along did they take a hint.

Dick, poking Jason side jokingly: Man little wing, not so little now. I know you’re on vacation and all that but you’re starting to let yourself go.

Jason not looking up from his writing: Gee Dickhead, thanks. Not like I’ve been growing your first nibling or anything.

Dick:…. What?

Jason: you know? My baby? Little thing making a mess of my guts rn?

*The others tuning in at the breakfast table*

Jason: guys, seriously. Did none of you take me seriously?

Damian: it was hard to after the last time

Jason: why’d you think I’ve sat out all the breakouts the last two months???

Tim: I just thought you were being a dick man.

Jason: Thanks. Old man, you good? You have been staring ahead for quite some time.

Bruce, mildly choked up: hmmm

Jason: ok good anyways what do you think about the name ‘Martha Jane Todd Wayne’ for a girl? I thought Jane Martha first but I think Martha Jane sits better on the tongue.

Bruce with an even more choked up expression: hmmm

[dreamywriter143]

My Dearly Detested

Status: Prologue (7 part Mini-Series, 0/7)

Genre: Enemies to Lover troupe, Angst, Rude Neteyam, Comforting Lo’ak, some fluff, Romance, violence.

Warnings: Depictions of blood, Battles and cursing. Rude Neteyam😭. Reader is older then Neteyam by 1year.

Parings: Neteyam X Y/n (Reader)

Summary: Neteyam hates Y/n. He never liked how she always bested him in everything and never once sought the praises he was accustomed to. She had no one, yet she had everyone in the palm of her hand. He despised her, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. The but happens when the RDA threat comes and Jake tasks her with watching his sons? Neteyam can’t help but grow a newfound hatred.

Word count: 1.5k

A/N: I know I said I would post this after I finished ‘Precious Tsyeym’ pt1 and pt2, but I just couldn’t wait!! So I opted to post the prologue in the meantime. Enjoy!!

_________________________________________

“Where are you!??!” Y/n calls, desperately trying to track her way through the foliage around her. Her steps are rushed and hasty as she tries to make her way to the clearing. Her heart rate quickens at the thoughts flashing through her head.

Where was he? Why did he disappear? Was he injured? Is he safe?

Feeling her steps falter she takes a deep breath in. She had to find him, she had to make sure he was ok. A boost of determination causing her to steps to speed up as the leaves and twigs beneath her feet snap at the force she ran with.

Just as she makes it to the clearing a large stick smacks her on the head, with great amount of force causing her to stumble backwards. Her hand reaches up to rub the wounded area, feeling the sting of the hit. Groaning in pain she glares at the perpetrator who smirks upon eye contact. He griped the stick tightly, standing above her at the staggering height difference.

“You have to be quieter Y/n! You gave away your position and you were running around like a baby Talioang. Just because you are in a hurry, doesn’t mean you can forget all your training.” Tarsem teases, his tone playful yet it still had an edge. He was her teacher after all.

Y/n huffs out, shrugging her shoulders in defeat. “I kinda panicked! You vanished. I thought you left me, or worse. Got hurt!” She argues, her lower lip jutting out at the thought of Tarsem hurt. He was like a brother to her. She wouldn’t know what to do if he got hurt.

Her eyes furrow in fear as Tarsem tosses the stick away, taking a step towards her. His eyes softened at her words but the smirk has yet to leave his face. He ruffles his hand through her locks, effectively removing some leaves that was struck in between them.

“I’m a great warrior Y/n. You gotta have more faith in your teacher. One day, I’ll be the Ole’tekayan’s right hand man! You’ll see” He beams at the thought, causing a smile to twitch at Y/n’s lips. Y/n knew of his dream, and she believed it would come true one day.

Despite being 16 years old, Tarsem was a a force to be reckoned with. His skills separated him from all the other children in his age group, rivalling some adults even. He was allowed on hunts and raids due to all his accomplishments. Not only was he a great hunter, but also a great teacher. He had many students who worshiped him. He had also already gotten many blessings from his elders, Jake Sully included.

They nicknamed him ‘Tarsem the wise’. He was calm, collected, and ruthless when need be. He was wise for his age, which the Na’vi were proud of.

Y/n’s eyes gloss over with admiration at the boy, the boy who was a man now. The very same boy who took her in under his wing to train, to become strong like him. She was grateful.

Losing her parents to the Great War , Y/n had been raised by Tarsem’s parents. Their families were really close, and when Y/n’s parents bravery cost them their life they in-trusted their only daughter to Tarsem’s parents. Granted they did a great job raising her, but so did the clan.

The Omatikaya banded together to collectively raise her, she learned how to weave from Naya’il, she learned how to mount a Pa'li by Ma’luk and she also received Tsahik trainings from Mo’at herself. Who was very fond of Y/n’s mother. The girl was raised with love and affection in many manners, that’s why she felt so compelled to become as strong as possible. To protect her people, her clan.

All that was remanning was being a warrior, which she always wanted to be, ever since she had bagan watching Tarsem show great promise. She wanted to become like him, be strong and noble on her own so the aching hole in her heart can be mended once she is truly happy. Truly gaining her spot amongst her people.

She felt as though if she achieved the most, she could feel closer to her deceased parents. Her father was a great warrior, known for his strength and bravery. And her mother was a great healer, Mo'at's student who had been just as great. She grew up hearing their praises, which only motivated the girl to make her parents proud. Thus gaining the love and fondness from within the clan.

Even Jake and Neytiri were fond of her, though busy with Olo'eyktan duties and taking care of their children, they always included Y/n for training and even dinners. That being said, Y/n was a very friendly child growing up. Everyone was her friend, everyone ended up becoming her friend. She had this calming air around her, letting those near her feel at ease. She was very close to Kiri, and loved Lo’ak thinking of him as her baby brother though he was only 2 years younger. Then there is-

“Tarsem?” A voice calls, stepping into the clearing. His expression of question quickly turned to that of distaste once his yellow hues handed on Y/n. Scrunching his nose in mild disgust. His eyes trail from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. He snorts in annoyance at the leaves that were caught within her locks and the mud splattered all over her body.

He averts his eyes quickly with a prominent scowl. As if the mere sight of her caused his entire mood to sour. He looks up at Tarsem, who was waiting patiently for his next words.

“I was looking for you. I didn’t know you were….busy” he says carefully, rolling his eyes slightly. Y/n looks down at the mud between her toes. Shuffling from foot to foot uncomfortably. She didn’t know what she had done, but the eldest sons distaste for her was very obvious. It was as if he never tried hiding it. And she didn’t know why.

“I’m sorry Neteyam. I was training Y/n. Did you need me for something?” Tarsem replies casually, not noticing the underlying tension in the air. Neteyam huffs disapprovingly. He glares at Y/n, a sneer almost breaking through.

“Why are you training her? She cannot even wield a bow” he points out causing Y/n to flinch. She looks up, her eyes meeting those of pure hate. She swallows nervously. She wanted to respond back, but something about Neteyam’s eyes and the stiffness in his posture caused her mouth to clamp shut.

Tarsem’s tail twitches at his tone but he chooses to hold his tongue. He was speaking to the figure Olo'eyktan. The very leader he hoped to one day gain the respect of. Neteyam was already doing great at 9 years old. Being able to wield a bow and his precision being out of this world. He seemed to have inherited his mothers archery skills. He was already starting off so strong, who knew what he would accomplish as he grew up to become a man.

“Well, Y/n is my student. I’m obligated to train her. You didn’t state why you are here? Alone.” Taresem takes a step forward standing in front of a shocked Y/n. Squeaking at the sudden movement she keeps her head low. Not bothering to see how the eldest son of Toruk Makto would react.

“I was hoping to train with you. Father wishes for me to polish off my skills. I don’t see why you are busy with her when you could be with me. I’d give you far less trouble” Neteyam says calmly. Tarsem nods in understanding. He didn’t want to argue. If Neteyam wanted to practice with him he’d do so in a heartbeat.

Tarsem looks over his shoulder at Y/n who realizes her session with Tarsem had ended before it even started. Her eyes wide with sadness as she awaits his final orders. She couldn’t help but jut her lower lip out in a pout, her ears laying flat against her head.

“I’ll stay back with Neteyam. Please get home safely Y/n. I promise to make this class up to you” he says softly. Y/n nods mechanically. She doesn’t spare Neteyam a glance before she sprints away from the clearing.

Her eyes stung with embarrassment and anger. Who was he to talk about her like that? Regard her in such a way? What has she ever done to him? She was older, why didn’t he respect her? And why did he ruin her training session, the session she’s been looking forward to all week.

Angrily wiping her tears away Y/n marches her way home. The only home she knew of, Tarsem’s families hut. As she disappears she couldn’t help but feel the burning sensation of someones eyes on her.

She knew it was Neteyam. It was always Neteyam, always glaring at her as if her presence was of that of a pest. Y/n's eyes squint with determination. She didn’t care when, she didn’t care how long it would take. She vowed to become the best warrior possible, for her people. To honor her parents. For her family that raised her. And so Neteyam could maybe one day learn to respect her.

As a warrior of the Omaticaya.

———————————————————————

A/N: HIIII!!! I hope you guys enjoyed the prologue of ‘My Dearly Detested’. It’s going to be a 7-part Mini Series, where each part will be roughly 1-3k words each. I also have some information that you guys should know for the next chapter:

There is a 10 year time-skip from the Prologue to Part One

The ages will be: Y/n (20) is 1year older then Neteyam (19) and 2years older then Lo’ak (18). Kiri is also (18) and Tuk is (10). Tarsem (26) has a 6year age gap with Y/n.

[scourgebff]

more from the hollycinder partners in crime au, their little family ( original concept/au idea by @the-owl-tree )! i imagine dovewing got cinderheart’s build with hollyleaf’s striking features while ivypool is leaning more towards hollyleaf’s tall stature but cinderheart’s recognizable markings.

holly’s disappearance into the tunnels after upending the entire normalcy of thunderclan had left quite a stir in her wake. ivy and dove grow up trying to make sense of and deal with her legacy in their own ways. cinder is in the middle, fiercely protecting her daughters’ youth from a world which wants to press the weight of everything on their shoulders far too readily while also struggling to figure out her own identity.

very detailed brainrot under the cut

it seemed like an ironic twist of fate in the eyes of lionblaze and jayfeather that dove was to take holly’s part in the prophecy, quickly sweeping her under their wing and closely guiding her paws. the lingering worry that she would stray from them and onto a dangerous path as holly had- doubly so since lion was made dove’s mentor. lion is fiercely protective of dove, seeing in her a bright potential and genuinely wants her to succeed. however it is quite clear to everyone that he’s projecting his sister onto her, for all her talent and resourcefulness going beyond the shadowy pelt and leading to heightened expectations. dove swallows down her discomfort at the pressure, wanting to make everyone proud and live up to their expectations, not only as warrior but as part of a prophecy so much larger than herself. one that she feels is partially to blame for driving her other parent away, as jay eventually reveals to her to full truth, leading to feelings of guilt she doesn’t even particularly understand. torn between stars and shadows, her paws wander over clan borders in search of an answer or escape for herself while discovering things she’d never expect.

meanwhile ivy feels like a spectator in her own life. listening in on near constant rumors and gossip about her family that she isn’t even included in, instigated by a cat she doesn’t even know. getting even further frustrated by just how passively helpless to remedy anything she is. while cinder treats the two girls completely equally, ivy isn’t blind to the practically palpable anticipation thunderclan holds towards dove. she’s a prodigy, with the undivided attention of both the clan’s healers and one if not the strongest warrior as a mentor, sent on journeys and given extra assignments as cats discuss how promising she is- yet also the level of suspicion cats hold towards her for being related to both a traitor, a healer, and a windclanner. ivy is of course of the exact same blood, yet she might as well not exist to anyone but dove and cinder bar a few extended family members. feeling isolated yet reluctant to try and burden her already troubled closest kin with insecurities she feels are ‘insignificant’, ivy meets hawkfrost who seems to not mind listening. in fact he says he relates to her, having a controversial family history himself. ivy asks for advice, ending up gaining confidence with his helpful suggestions and in turn drawing closer to the dark forest. she seems more well adjusted, yet in truth she’s merely getting better at lying and giving cats a spectacle to notice her by. while her social life improves, the unease in her grows as she’s gradually lured into working for the dark forest. ivy with new confidence and supposedly trustworthy new friends feels as if she can balance the danger despite rising escalation.

cinder, ivy, and dove remain extremely close. there is certainly friction between ivy and dove, however cinder is incredibly involved in their lives. refusing to let them lash out at each other and drift apart, she’s reminded all too painfully of her bitter last interaction with holly. she regrets how they ended, strangely enough considering how she didn’t regret dirtying her paws with blood to cover up holly’s sins. what she will not tolerate however is disrespect against her kits, growing estranged from her childhood friends jay and lion upon seeing how oddly they treat dove. it’s an uncomfortable situation, yet dove and ivy both are incredibly grateful to always have cinder in their corner. just for her they’ll set their reservations towards each other aside to form an at least temporarily stable truce. that being said, cinderheart being a reincarnation of cinderpelt actually has relevance to her character here that can be a whole other post on its own so i won’t go into it.

holly is more washed than a rack full of clean dishes icl. fleeing into the tunnels was a temporary solution, made at the peak of her mental crisis she initially tries to ignore how horrifically she treated so many cats. pushing it aside, and trying to restart herself. yet she can never forget cinder, even when she leaves the tunnels to become a wanderer cinder’s loyalty always sticks out so clearly. the kindness that holly had pushed and pushed and pushed until it broke and now here they were after that blow-out argument upon the gathering’s aftermath. a lot can be said for the time she’s out living as a rouge, but she eventually will have to come back and face her horrible past mistakes. unfortunately not before meeting a cat who might change everything for the worse- darktail C:

there’s some more i could mention because the cinderholly brainrot is infectious but i already rambled enough sorry TY IF U ACTUALLY READ THIS LOL UH </3 reward for making it down here is the fullbodies of these very normal not tortured individuals i consider them an equally normal amount

[n3ptun3e]

—SUNSHINE BOY!

shisui uchiha x reader + headcanons

how shisui would eventually fall in love with you!

notes: listen, i’m no writer and my english is kind of shit, but desperate times call for desperate measures and i’m starving for cute shisui content with no inc3st in it, so this was born!! please enjoy it!

honestly? i just did this because it’s too fun to decorate the posts

You two became friends in the short period he was in the academy speed running through classes. He was pretty popular just like any other clan kid with the prodigy title, and since the whole “ostracize the uchiha clan” didn’t happen yet, at least not as obvious as it was in the series, the both of you would train or just spend lunch together, probably invites you to his house. Training in a secluded part of the forest and having deep talks would be one of his favorite activities to do with you. He loves loves to delve into the depths of other people’s minds and try to figure them out, what makes you act this way, your thought process, how does your mind works? he wants to know this because he wants to know the real you, to understand the puzzle that you are, it’s his way to show that he cares, otherwise he wouldn’t keep you as close as you are. He probably doesn’t even realize his thoughts are way more…technical? for scientific purposes only☝🏻 than your average person, because he’s a prodigy and all that, so he can come off as a little bit blunt (though as he grows up he’s much more suave and smooth when sharing his thoughts. Clan meetings and political bullshit does that to someone) but he has the bestest intentions in mind being the altruist that he is. He’s a curious and smart boy!!!

Either way, he likes to spend time with you, you saw the real him, not shisui the prodigy, shunshin no shisui, or the “weird and show off guy”, but him. If he had any other friends besides you, they would be gone once the kyuubi attack happens. Konoha doesn’t have the best education, so the kids would just follow what their parents told them and some adults already didn’t like him, so there really wasn’t anyone else around. It’s around this time that he met Itachi, seeing a glimpse of him and his long dead friend on the child, he decides to take him under his wing.

I’m not sure if it’s canon, but it’s stated in some places that he unlocked his mangekyõ because of his teammate, his friend that was more powerful than him, shisui was envious, jealous even. one day on a mission his friend got hurt and needed assistance, but shisui as team captain decided to follow through with the mission and his friend ended up dying. and THAT’S the crucial moment where he’s going to need someone the most. He’s a uchiha, they have big hearts and just feel more, much more than your average person, the blame crushes him, he’s already a gentle soul who is forced to kill others for his own village, and to make matters worse they are in war times, you saw how obito and naruto turned out very different because of it right? that, plus the start of the apparent hate and suspicion of the village towards his clan, makes way for rumors, “he’s an Uchiha, what else would we expect from him…? you should be careful, they are not to be trusted”. I imagine his clan would push and pressure him to become more powerful, to “Bring pride into the clan” moving him up in the ranks, making him enter anbu as a child even if he’s already a jõnin.

He just breaks, childish glint in his eyes gone, so he comes to you, “i didn’t know where else to go…” he breaks down in your arms, silent tears falling from his eyes as he clings onto you, his grip tight as if you would disappear at any moment, his only friend that didn’t left him. All the tension and adrenaline from battle would eventually leave his body as he relaxes, letting out all his frustrations away, feeling so fucking tired, body getting out of survival mode, his thoughts and feelings finally getting to him, you hug him tight and strokes his unruly dark curls, soothing hand on his back and whispering calming and reassuring words in his ear, his tears in your shirt slowly turn red, and when you pull away to dry his tears you gasp as you see the intricate pattern on his bleeding red eyes.

THAT’S when you two become even more close. Shisui was always caring and protective of you, but now as you two have grown up he gets even worse, always having a hand on you, arm around your shoulder as he teases you, giving you a little wink before flicking off existence. god, when he finally perfects the body flicker he becomes a menace, appearing out of nowhere inches away from your face, blowing out a puff of air into the back of your neck as you almost rips him in half thinking it was a enemy ninja, cheeks burning red. Though it’s undeniable how your heart beats quicker and smile warms up as he leaves, he’s always there to cheer you up and support you, he’s loyal okay? you have been there for him and now he’s going to follow you for the rest of your life, you feel like safety to him, a light in the dark, he trusts you with his life. he would never EVER left you behind (only if you asked him to, but duh why would you dummy), especially on missions, he will bring you back alive even if he has to sacrifice himself for it.

i know it’s obvious but PHYSICAL TOUCH!!!! it’s his way of communicating affection alright? hugging, ruffling your hair after training, THE UCHIHA POKE, you name it, he especially likes to put a arm around your shoulders and lean close to you, teasing you about whatsoever, whispering in your ear about the random guy on your right hitting on the lady next to him, chuckling and laughing to yourselves, you don’t even notice when he has a hand around you anymore because it just feels natural at this point, it gives him a excuse to be so close to you. Also looves to spend time with you, it’s kind of hard since the both are you are busy with missions but he would always use shunshin to see you, especially during breaks on the uchiha military police forces, asking you to have lunch with him, his treat! he’s a gentleman okay? Sometimes he would appear and gently put a kanzashi 簪 (hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles) in your hair, saying it reminded him of the color of your eyes, he would always do that, giving you thoughtful gifts he would find along his missions, smiling at you as he says “i knew it would suit you” it means you look pretty in it.

His touch starts to linger more than necessary, appearing out of nowhere always with a warm hand on you. God he always runs so hot? maybe it’s because he’s a uchiha but his body temperature is high. Shuffling closer to him when you both go on a mission in the middle of winter, a teasing smile on his face as he asks “what was that?” a eyebrow raised in amusement, though he quickly chuckles and opens his arms, hugging you close, making jokes so you don’t feel awkward. He’s just so gentle and soft with you, stroking your hair as you both fall asleep. Always blushing if you reciprocate his barely hidden affections. He’s shy on these matters okay? i imagine him being just like minato but with the determination and sense of humor of naruto. so he can be all serious and in mission mode but if you pass him by and gives him a smile he’s all smiley and red cheeks, sheepishly expression on his face with a hand scratching the back of his head, snsksuzysowb cute. Sometimes he would look at Itachi and Sasuke interacting, imagining how it would be like if one day he ends up building a family with you, it’s one of his favorite daydreams jakajansja definitely a family guy. Yearning for the feeling of coming back home after a long mission and sink into your arms, sighing as he feels how soft, warm and alive you feel, he would do anything to keep you that way, even if he’s not the one you love, being able to be by your side is enough, at least that’s what he tells himself.

It would take a while for a confession tbh, he doesn’t want to lose you or ruin the friendship you both have, would probably talk about it with Itachi, sighing and telling him for the hundredth time if he should tell you or not. itachi’s already tired from this bullshit, staring at his cousin with a deadpan expression “i do believe it would be for the best if you finally told her how you feel” he would repeat, for the millionth time.

I doubt he would like or even look at somebody else in the same way he looks at you, he’s a uchiha and they feel deep, so when he falls, he falls hard, he’s a racional, loyal and busy guy, he wouldn’t even have time for romance outside of his barely there free time that he spends with you >:) so i really don’t think he’s the type to get with someone just because of their appearance or frivolous things like that, he needs the connection, heart, love and trust, so it takes time.

HE’S A JELLY GUY, not overly so, and would never seriously harm someone because of it, BUT HE IS he may not look like it, but if he sees a guy getting too close to comfort with you he’ll pop out of nowhere between you and the man, hugging you from the back and talking with the both of you, hands stroking your sides gently, or just pulling his arm around your shoulders, acting all friendly. You probably don’t even notice he’s actually jealous because he’s too smooth about it (and because you are trying to hide your blush from him).

By the way, you and itachi are friends! he’s a cute kiddo that follows shisui around, and he also has a little shadow following him (lil sasuke) it’s the cutest thing to see Shisui waving at you with a big grin on his face, eyes crinkling with happiness, a little shadow behind him, and a even more tiny figure following behind just like little ducks following their mother lolol.

Eventually shisui would have the guts to finally tell you how he feels, but only after a long while, probably when the whole uchiha fiasco ends (AND IT ENDS WITH EVERYBODY ALIVE) he would be so relieved and happy that his family and the village now are all safe and in peace that he would decide to finally take a step forward and be honest with you, he’d plan everything too, choosing your favorite place and all kinds of things that make you smile awww it would be perfect. You would blush, having at least a suspicion with the way he acts around you, not being able to contain your smile, putting your hands on his cheeks, gently caressing them, his ridiculously long eyelashes brushing against your thumbs as his eyes flutter at your touch, his own cheeks red. When you say “i love you” back, he would be so happy and excited he wouldn’t stop grinning, cheeks almost hurting from how happy he felt, taking you by the waist and spinning you around, the both of you laughing as he does so, just like when you were children, it feels like being home. Time seems to stop as you two gaze at each other, him staring at you with the softest eyes, carefully putting you down on the ground, running his fingers through your hair and saying one more time, “i love you” before his hand travels to your jaw, caressing and tracing the skin there, slowly inching his face closer until you feel his warm breath on your face, brushing his lips lightly against yours, leaving you breathless, fluttering your eyes close, he presses his lips harder against yours as you don’t pull away, sighing and pulling you impossibly close, one hand on your waist softly stroking your skin, the other on the back of your neck, playing with your hair as he finally gets to taste the lips of the girl he longed for all those years.

notes: oh wow that took much longer than i thought it would? what the hell i started to write this at night and now it’s MORNING ughhh i hope you guys like it, we need to keep the shisui simps people alive! happy new years for all of you!

reviews, likes and reblogs are much appreciated! thank you very much!

[normspellsman]

To the Ends of Pandora

Alternative Ending to “Secret”

part one | part two

pairing: neteyam x fem!human!reader

genre: angst (at first), fluff, reunited at last, making up, & mentions of neteyam being a lovesick fool for the reader (as he should)

word count: 1k+

warning(s): talks of self isolation, suggestion of neytiri not approving relationship, talks/mentions of self deprecation, briefest mention of the thought of sex (you’ll miss it if you blink), & neteyam crying (mentioned)

word bank: sa’nok — mother, sempul — father, tsmukan — brother, tsmuke(s) — sister(s), ikran — winged creature that the na’vi use for flying & hunting, yawntu — loved one; lover; beloved person, neteyamur — nickname / term of endearment for neteyam, oel ngati kameie — i see you, & great mother / eywa — goddess deity that the na’vi believe in

request details: “hello <3 aw, i loved your neteyam x reader angst, it was so good! i was wondering if you could write some fluff too, like maybe neteyam x human!reader getting their happy ending and grow old together or something :(”

note: this was requested by anon! i’ll make sure to link this post to their request after i publish it. thank you for requesting! i hope this what you had in mind & enjoyed :)

You had spent weeks upon weeks holed up in your room after the departure of the Sullys and the kidnapping of your dear friend, Spider.

Norm and Max had repeatedly tried to coax you out of it, offering you your favorite types of food or one of their shower times in hopes of getting you out of your room for once.

Nothing had worked. You stayed in your room for hours on end and never left the comfort of it, except to go to the bathroom but even then, it was barely a handful of steps away from your bed that you wouldn’t consider it to be leaving your room.

The argument you and Neteyam had before he left had impacted you, severely.

It was hard to look back on the memories you two made during the short amount of time you were together. Even though he hurt you and broken your trust, you still found yourself yearning for him and wanting to forgive him for what he did. Neteyam wouldn’t keep just anything away from you. He had to have a good reason.

The letter he left at the foot of your door had explained everything to you, but you hadn’t read it until weeks after the Sully family left the Omatikaya clan.

Once you gathered enough strength to pull yourself out of bed and actually read the messy handwriting on the piece of paper, you began to cry but even then, you wasted all your tears during and after your argument with Neteyam. Your tear ducts could no longer produce any of the watery substance that you desperately craved to run down your cheeks.

You felt empty after reading it. You felt as if your world stopped on its axis and everything stood still.

He tried so hard to accurately portray how he felt about you. How much he loved you. How hard it was for him to keep the secret from you. How hard it was to hide you from his loved ones. How he didn’t care that you couldn’t make tshaleyu with him or even bare him children. How all he needed was you and that would be enough for all his lifetimes.

You were the only one that he could see and you let him walk away without saying goodbye. Without touching him last one time. Without kissing his soft lips one last time.

You wished you had just sucked up your pride and hurt and opened the door when he pleaded for you to the day he left.

What would’ve changed? What would’ve happened? Would he have stayed? Would you have gone with him? Did his parents know about your relationship? What would Neytiri think of it? Of you?

So many questions ran through your head during your weeks of self isolation and even after. It hurt to know that Neteyam was out there and you had no idea how he was doing or even what he was doing.

Did he find another? Someone who was actually Na’vi and a suitable partner for him?

No. It wouldn’t have made sense if he did. His letter was proof that you were going to be the only one he’d ever love the way that he did. So deep. So unique from the other types of love he experienced within his life.

Neteyam only ever experienced familial love. That kind of love he had with his Sa’nok, Sempul, Tsmukan, Tsmukes, Grandmother, and even Spider and the other human scientists that were allowed to stay on Pandora.

But the love he experienced with you was different. He experienced it more intensely. Neteyam often found himself thinking about you in the ways only a significant other should. Of how soft your lips felt. Of how your soft, delicate hand felt in his large rough ones. Of what it felt like to have your hands run through his braids and lightly pull at them. Of how it felt to have his head in between your legs as you called out his name in pleasure. Of how it would feel to have your chapped lips on different parts of his skin. His thoughts consumed him wholly. All he wanted was you and it will only ever be you.

You experienced the same thing as Neteyam. You could feel how deep your love and affections ran for him. It consumed your whole being.

That’s why when you saw the familiar earthy colors of a certain ikran, your whole world began to turn on its axis again after being still for so long.

The whole ground seemed to shake upon the arrival of Neteyam, him quickly dismounting his soul companion before rushing up to the lab doors and repeatedly knocking on the cold metal doors.

Neteyam would’ve never thought he’d miss the sight of the humans lab. He was never too fond of it even after getting together with you, but it was your home so it was going to be his too.

Butterflies swarmed within the teen boys stomach as he, not so patiently, waited for you to open the door so he could gather you into his arms and hold you close and tight to his chest as he whispered sweet nothings into your ear and kissed whatever exposed skin he could. He couldn’t wait.

After spending months away from you and nearly dying at the hands of Quaritch’s soldiers that one fateful night, Neteyam had found a new vigor within himself to come back to you.

Shortly after his recovery, Neteyam had told both of his parents of his affections for you and how much he loved and cared for you. Jake had already had a suspicion, catching early on to his sons frequent sneaking out escapades. Neytiri was furious at first. How could he love someone of a different species? The ones that put his home and own species in so much danger and through so much grief? But, then again, Jake was human at one point and his soul always will be one. She too fell for a human at his age. Her anger towards her son, and ultimately you, faded away once she saw that look of pure love and adoration on his face when he talked about you. She couldn’t deny him of that. So, she bit her tongue and kept her thoughts to herself.

Both Neytiri and Jake had decided to allow Neteyam to leave a day earlier than the rest of the Sully family regarding their return to the Omatikaya. It wasn’t a permanent move, at least for now, so they still had the potential to go back to Awa’atlu. It was just a visit.

You would have forgotten your mask if it wasn’t for Max throwing one your way before you opened the only barrier that separated you and your lover.

Once you had secured the mask onto your face and waited a few seconds for it to begin working, you ripped open the door with as much strength you could muster, a huge smile on your face as you did so.

Neteyam didn’t hesitate to bring you into his arms and spin you around, yelling out in joy once he had you in his embrace after so long. You squealed out in delight as he gently spun the both of you around, your arms tightening around the expanse of his neck.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he exclaimed, burying his face into the crook of your neck to inhale your scent that he dearly missed, “I’m so sorry. I love you. I love you. I love you”.

He kept repeating the phrase against your skin until it finally settled into both of your brains.

He truly was sorry for hurting you the way he did. He should’ve never kept that big of a secret from you. Should’ve never kept you a secret.

“I’m so sorry for everything, yawntu,” Neteyam croaks out, fresh tears running down his face as he kneeled onto the ground with you still in his arms.

He wanted you to know that he was sorry. That he regretted what he did, but didn’t regret you or what you did together.

“I love you so much. I understand if you no longer feel the same. I know I wouldn’t if I were in your shoes. But I need you to know that I do,” he continued, rubbing the side of his face into your hair as you sat perched on his lap, raking your fingers through his braids.

You shook your head, pulling away from the blue boy.

Of course you still loved him. You wouldn’t be in his arms if you didn’t.

“Neteyamur,” you started, delicate hands resting against your lover's damp and tear stained cheeks, heart wrenching at the sight, “I love you. Oel ngati kameie. Always. I understand why you kept me a secret and why you did what you did. I still love you, even after.”.

Your words struck a chord in Neteyam’s heart strings. He for sure thought that you’d still hate him for what happened. Hearing those words come out of your mouth made Neteyam fall even deeper in love with you, if that was even possible.

“Oel ngati kameie, yawntu,” he whispered in response, forehead resting against the glass of your mask.

You smiled in return and stroked Neteyam’s soft and damp cheeks gently with your thumbs.

Everything in your world felt complete again. No matter what happened in your relationship or where it’d lead you, both of you knew that you’d follow each other to the ends of Pandora in a heartbeat. Nothing could stand in the way of your love. Not even the two of you.

After the events occurred, Neteyam had, yet again, proclaimed his love to you underneath the Tree of Souls and made you his once again, but for all to know.

Years passed and the both of you lived long, healthy lives together, only leaving each other once the Great Mother called for the both of you to return to her warm embrace. Even then, you spent every second of your shared afterlife in each other’s arms.

[ickbite]

WEEPING ANGEL! — Megumi one-shot!

megumi fushiguro x weeping angel!reader

she/her pronouns used, misunderstood reader

Megumi knew he was screwed, his time was coming to an end and he didn’t know what he did to deserve it. His life has only been misfortune after misfortune; his dad was never involved in his life, and then tried to sell him to the Zen’in clan, then he got adopted (which was a plus!), but his adopted dad got sealed despite the fact that he was the strongest.

Even though everything was going fine with Megumi’s life in terms of family and friends (his sister came out of her coma, his dad was freed, his friends force him to play Mario Party every night), by himself was a different story.

He always heard you. You were always there. He never knew what exactly you were, or what exactly you looked like, he just grew aware of the angel statue that he found everywhere he went. You were beautiful; your color was gray, your wings were magnificent, but that’s all you were, a statue… or so he thought.

It started when he was fifteen with the introduction of his friend, Yuji. They were off walking to meet up with the second-years and in the distance Megumi spotted you, a statue whose hands covered her face, with curly hair covering the parts that aren’t visible. After that moment, you followed him everywhere and he was started to grow bothered. You were more than what you led on, he searched the internet for statues like you and they were never found, you’re unique. It grew to a point where he had to ask his Father-Mentor, Gojo.

Gojo sat him down and explained the story of the L/N clan, a family created of statue-like curses, “the L/N clan takes the role of a regular statue, but in actuality, they’re planning something, Megumi.”

“What if it’s just a statue? She’s covering her face every time I see her.”

“The L/N clan, have a powerful asset, they can transport you to a different time, you can be in the 1950s when you were just here two minutes before. As a defense so they can catch their prey off-guard, they turn into stone when they’re looked at, they cover their eyes to avoid looking at each other.”

After that talk, Megumi made sure to stare as long as he could, but you never grew closer until he least expected it. Gojo was just sealed and megumi was alone in Shibuya, trying to figure out how he could possibly unseal him.

“Fushiguro~~~”

His eyes widened as your sweet voice rung in his ears.

“What will you do Fushi?~~~”

He hurriedly turned towards you, you had a big smile on your now stone-face with your eyes closed, hair sprawled around you as you were not face-to-face with Megumi.

“Why now? Out of all days?” He sighed, he raised his hand to your face, cupping it slightly. “You’re cold… what are you exactly?”

After a moment of silence he remembered, turning his back but keeping a distance between them.

“You know what I am, pretty, and I know what you are,” your back touched megumis as you interlocked your hands with his.

He pulled his hands away, “It’s been three years and you still show up, why?”

Your hands found comfort in his hair, “because you’re soooo cute~~~ I couldn’t help myself, I had to follow you,” you pouted.

“Stop putting your hands on me, I don’t know you.”

“But you could! My name is Y/N,” your arms snaked around his neck, rubbing his chest ever so slightly. “You know what I am,” you whispered in his ear, giving it a slight bite.

“You’re in the L/N clan—“

“Puh-lease, we’re angels,” a devilish smirk spread on your face, “my people are sad, we weep and weep, we were excluded from the sorcerer world because of our… unique abilities.”

“You weep? Your people are killers, you send them back in time and feast on their energy.” Megumi’s messy hair fell in front of his eyes.

“We don’t do that to everyone, we do it to enemies who attack us first, the sorcerers hate us because we’re curses, they attack us and kill us. I bet you didn’t see anything about me besides the stone, my eyes are E/C.”

“E/C?” Megumi turned his body to face the girl, her eyes were open and now we really took the chance to look at her, she wasn’t bad looking, beautiful even.

“Megumi! We found a way to free Gojo! C’mon!” Nobara yelled from down the street, “we need you!”

Megumi turned his head towards Nobara to tell her he’s on his way, but when he turned back, you were gone. A sigh escaped him as he started his plan to see you un-stoned.

[uchihaharlot]

All this anti ship and hate has the windmill turning within me. Cooking up some of the most deplorable shit I can think of. To my regulars, I apologize if this isn’t what you signed up for.

Im still here, drafting your asks, but I have to feed the inner demon within me. The one that says do what the fuck I want and how I want it.

To the haters, this is for you. A more personal written ficlet. I hope it makes you wet and hard.

NFSW; age gapped familial fucking(eventually); reciprocated consent; Shisui x female (innocent and very virginal) cousin; yea I did it, again; tbc by @shisuis-left-nipple who is fighting the shipping war with me on this treacherous journey to whatever makes us horny. Fuck you, sincerely kiss my ass. 

Great now you have me thinking about a very deplorable Shisui who is training with his younger female cousin. Of age of course; but he is older and wiser. Knows better. Still, he is a man and every so often his gaze catches the curve of her waist and the swell of her breasts while she maneuvers fluidly during their spars.

Teasing him with the forbidden fruit unknowingly. Goddamn it. He is a grown ass man with morals. These were not thoughts you had about your 19-year-old cousin. Especially one he took under a wing and taught all his soul into. It was wrong and perverted. But how more often than not cousins were betrothed to one another, even now. The Uchiha were just as close knit as any other clan. Shisui kept record of the family tree, she was his third cousin and by default appropriate age to be adorned by a man. Almost a distant cousin by genetic material. Yet they all had the same characteristics. Dark hair, eyes and porcelain skin. The resemblance uncanny as ever.

If she acted out of inexperience, he tried to not to notice. Why should she have to worry about the exploits of a man. A man who was her cousin, a guardian. Who watched her grow and nurtured her potential. At what point did she become a woman behind his own eyes? Kaleidoscopes rerun their lives through his front temporal lobe. A vain attempt to save his sanity, his wavering morality and her innocence….

In all his years Shisui never once questioned his genius, but today he did. When it tightened his slacks and twisted the kaleidoscope behind his eyes on immoral charges. Further implicating his situation to a dire and deep carnal vision.

No, he could not. Not even as she took that dip into the chill of the creek, were they always had their cool down from a long days training. Not when she removed jōnin slacks, jacket and under shirt. Leaving just her unmentionables. This was highly inappropriate and part of him felt he failed her, maybe he should have Izumi continue her training? Or rather she was too old for a mentor to begin with. That it would be more appropriate of he graduated her already, though selfishly, he won’t.

‘Shisui?’ Her voice, like summers monsoon. Addled his mind and muddied his thoughts in its wistful wake.

‘Yea…just a minute…’ his eyes were unkind to him. Selfishly taking in her figure as she dipped below the waters tension.

Regardless, he still took to the water in the same state of undress. Carried by an undignified truth of silence. He wondered if she thought the same of him. Maybe?

This wasn’t by any means the most self deprecating thing Shisui has done. Though he wasn’t a constant contender in the ways of soliciting attention from young women. He found the older to be better, but the sentiment between the two had not fallen short on the teetering tightrope of Shisui’s inner demons.

It danced and sang praise to his desires. Take her! Claim her! Has his PTSD really gotten the best of him? Would he now spend his days tormenting himself with the thought of her salaciously beneath him? Is this how he would cope with returning from the war?

Y/n had missed him in his absence, this was why they still continued her training. The thought of letting her down again with another absence tore at him. No, he would just have to deal with it. With himself, after all. Life finds a way. Shisui could carry on and just let sleeping dogs lie.

When she splashed his stoic face in the water only then did he falter. An innocent attempt to garner his attention. “Shisui. You’re orbiting.” That he was, outer spacing the confines of his mind.

Herein lies where Shisui completely lost the respect for himself and his cock. The traitor only thought for itself and not for y/n. The leisurely way she trusted him moving hair from her eyes, a small but affectionate kiss to her forehead. Nothing out of the ordinary.

‘I am too old to be treated like a child,’ that playful retort sent Shisui further into the depths of his deplorable heart.

Yea… she was definitely too old to be treated like a child. Of course, the festering desire in the pit of his stomach churns. Shisui was bold; snaked an arm around her slick back and rested his hand over the small of it. Running the other up her forearm until his thumb rested in the palm of her hand.

She was not a child.

‘I can change that.’ Husky, warm. His breath thickens the air between them. Her sights zero in at his thumb in her palm before darting to red spun pearls.

The heat in her stomach pooled and flooded. Taken off guard but not unwelcome.

Oh.

Oh, how delicate was her skin on his, not nearly as calloused by her talent as his to decades. ‘Shisu-’ he slanted his lips over hers, cradling them in a delicate turn of the age kiss. One that matured a girl to a woman. She gave little resistance when his tongue ran the seam of her mouth and parted it for entry. Shisui brought her palm his thumb rested in to his hip and then cupped her cheek.

Delirious temptation. Right in his courtyard. Soft breaths flurried as she tried to regain her composure, a moan oscillated his mouth. The mixture of their hot air only fuels this delicate moment. If it weren’t for the cool water, Shisui might have had zero regard for her.

But she is his baby cousin, and he a man. Who else better to guide her into womanhood than Shisui of course. A selfish thought for a man hungered by greed, lust and apparently arrogance now. When had Shisui ever had what he wanted? The village only gave so much in return for his sacrifice. Blood and hard work, scars and that old resentment of being ostracized.

Yet, somehow he managed to pull himself together and part from her, leaving her breathy and confused and wanting. He doesn’t want to overwhelm her or push her, he is feeling guilty enough as is. Still, he is only a man. The forbidden fruit of his desires dangled in front of him, right within reach and his for the taking. Shisui’s mind flooding and inundating him with all the images he suppressed these past months.

Now, having felt her, touched her, kissed her, he can’t help himself. His pants never felt tighter, his treacherous cock deciding all by itself that his cousin is the home it wants to make comfortable in. He is so hard it borders on painful. Even worse, the water clearly giving away his intentions. It made his drawers stick prominently over his protruding arousal. Y/n’s eyes plastered at its immaculate sudden growth.

It was merely a kiss…and some tongue. Ok the bold touch to her back and cheek. It seemed it didn’t take much to rile the Uchiha up. ‘….let’s call it a day.’ Shisui felt so small saying those words. His younger cousin didn’t part with much else either, just flushed cheeks and a nod. This unspoken promise left Shisui feeling more dereliction than that selfish gratification he desperately sought.

Their walk home was grueling and quiet. Words could not describe the stagnant air that seemed to suffocate them both and forced them to maintain several feet of distance. Once out of the woods Shisui shuttled her home in a quick Shunshin of shame. Something that, in her younger years, they enjoyed the turbulence of. Was now a grim reminder that everything changed at the drop of a kunai. He begrudgingly watched as she entered her home. Less than a skip from his own, he was at his back door in half a flicker.

TBC. 😌 part 2

[dawn-til-duskk]

okay i know technically Crepus week is already over but i want to start sharing a bunch of my Genshin headcanons on here so I'm pretending i'm totally not late and jumping on the bandwagon by starting with him so let's go

Fatui Crepus Headcanons

(including how he got the delusion, why the Fatui assassinated him, and how he met his wife)

(adapted from some ideas i had for the AU i have with @applesandcecilia that i decided i liked enough to make them part of my canon universe hcs. we named Diluc's mom Selene for that so that's what I'm going with it's a pretty name)

Hopefully this makes sense? I always feel like halfway through typing these kinds of things out that it just kind of devolves into rambling and a bunch of meaningless nonsensical crap. I swear my headcanon lists aren't going to be this long normally this just got weirdly intensive.

Word count: 2,025 (there's also a TL:DR at the end if you're curious but don't want to read I have no idea how this got so long I've written actual complete fics shorter than this)

The Ragnvindr clan has always been a clan of heroes. From the rebellion against the Decarabian all the way down to Venessa's rebellion, wherever great things in Mondstadt happen, you can expect that a Ragnvindr will be there. So naturally, from the moment little Crepus could even pick up a toy sword, he was training to be a knight.

While their son spoke much of his plans for joining the Knights of Favonius, Crepus' parents had other plans in mind. They had been unable to have more than one child, and as the sole heir of the Ragnvindr clan, were relying on their son to carry on the family's thousand-year legacy of the Dawn Winery. They dismissed Crepus' dreams of knighthood as nothing but foolish childhood daydreams, and offered very little support in his efforts.

As Crepus got older, however, his need to participate in the protection of Mondstadt only grew stronger, especially as Abyssal monster activity increased. But in addition to a lack of support from his parents, he also lacked the physical strength he needed. He had been a sickly child, often in bed with a fever or other illness, and although no healer could find anything specifically wrong with him, it was obvious to everyone that even in times of health he was weak, struggling to run as fast or as far as the other children.

Crepus did everything in his power to overcome his physical challenges, but when it came time for the squirehood tests at age 12, he struggled greatly and was rejected. He continued to try every year for the next four years before finally accepting his fate at age 16 and agreeing to begin studying with his father to prepare for taking over the winery. He took well to his new duties, but he was still dissatisfied and restless.

During his training and attempts to join the Knights, he had caught the eye of the Captain of the 8th Company who offered to take Crepus under his wing. He found that the captain provided the support and encouragement he was missing from his own father, and the two became very close. Unbeknownst to him, however, the captain was also serving the Fatui, and, believing that his repeated disappointments would leave him open to suggestion, the captain approached him soon after his final rejection with an offer to join the Fatui.

At first Crepus was taken aback at the revelation that his mentor was acting as a Fatui spy, but it didn't take long for him to grow used to the idea. The Fatui, as the captain put it, was really no different from any other military organization in Teyvat. Even the Knights of Favonius often operated in the gray zones of morality. What really mattered was the results. The Fatui was going to destroy the Abyss, and if Crepus wanted to help protect Mondstadt and participate in a great cause, he needed to be a part of them. The Knights of Favonius weren't willing to work with his weakness, and the gods refused to recognize all his hard work and ambition with a vision, but the Fatui could see beyond all that. In fact, they could even make him stronger -- a delusion, they called it. The power of the elements right at your fingertips without having to wait on the fickle minds of the heavens.

Ultimately, Crepus agreed, and before long he was provided with a delusion, a rank, and a code name -- Brighella. It felt odd for a while, operating in secret, communicating with an organization that had been deemed an enemy of Mondstadt by so many for so long, but he was doing something, and more importantly, it was making a difference. Through the missions they sent him on, the Abyss monster activity took a sharp decline, and children that had once been kept inside by their fearful parents returned to the streets, happy and carefree. He even began using his position as the Dawn Winery owner's son and its associated business travels to take his efforts to the other nations, and he was quickly promoted and commended by his commanding officers.

Surprised they had even managed to recruit a high society Mondstadtian, Crepus' commanding officers were careful in their use of him. They kept him away from Snezhnaya and as disconnected from the main body of the Fatui as possible, focusing him on Abyss related plots in fear that being involved in more intensive Fatui matters would let his nobility get the best of him. But Crepus' enthusiasm for his newfound calling was an opportunity that couldn't be missed, and the more he accomplished, the deeper they pulled him in.

By age 18, Crepus was recognized as a full fledged Lieutenant in the Fatui, leading his own Special Forces unit in secret comprised of other non-Snezhnayan agents and spies. His mentor's words about the Fatui's results had largely proved themselves true as well; crime in Mondstadt and the other areas his unit operated was at an all-time low, and Abyssal activity continued to fall similarly. But the price of his successes was higher than Crepus realized. Though his superiors remained careful enough to not arouse his suspicious, they found that his position in Mondstadt gave them access to valuable information that he gave willingly, not realizing the importance of what he knew, and he gradually began taking missions more and more blindly, not realizing he and his unit were being used in increasingly nefarious schemes. Before long, Lieutenant Brighella's Special Forces unit had become one of the most dangerous branches of the Fatui, primarily due to just how few people even knew of their existence.

Eventually, Brighella and his unit became a point of interest for an underground network of anti-Fatui intelligence and rebellion, and realizing just how powerful the Fatui could become if they expanded their efforts, they sent one of their most powerful members to capture the Lieutenant: a young Hexenzirkel witch named Selene.

Expecting a cold-hearted, ruthless Fatui brute, Selene was quite caught off guard to find a charming, lighthearted, clever young man, who was even so bold as to outright flirt with her as she made her kidnapping attempt. There was an instant chemistry, and Crepus took the confusion it caused as a means of escape, thus thwarting his would-be captor.

Selene tried again many times after that, but Crepus found a way out every time, and somewhere along the line, the pair found their respective attempts at capture and escape rather half-hearted, instead using them as excuses for playful banter and even eventually meaningful conversations.

As Selene came to understand Crepus' reasons for joining the Fatui, she realized that he was completely unaware of the way his commanding officers had been manipulating him, and her attempts at his capture were soon replaced by more earnest attempts to get him to see just how bad the Fatui truly were. And as Crepus begin to fall more in love with Selene, he started to see past his youthful need to find meaning in his life through the Fatui, but didn't fully realize the magnitude of his mistake until one fateful day he would never speak of again.

Selene almost panicked that day to find Crepus at her doorstep, bloody, breathless and terrified, but her resolve soon took over and she put her magic to use in concealing him from the Fatui and ensuring that so long as she lived, they could never harm him.

Determined to do everything he could to right his wrongs, Crepus turned himself in to the Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius -- his newly-promoted childhood friend Varka -- fully prepared to serve prison time for his treachery.

Though distraught by the news of his friend's betrayal to Mondstadt and concerned at how far he had been misled, Varka truly believed that Crepus' heart had been in the right place, and ultimately made the decision to keep his records sealed and privately pardoned him for his crimes.

Shortly after, now a little over a year after their first meeting, Crepus proposed to Selene. Unaware of what their son had been doing in secret for the past 3 years, Crepus' parents were confused and upset by the news of his engagement to a woman they had never met, so they were forced to elope. With no place to stay in Mondstadt due to his parent's disapproval, they decided to volunteer in Selene's network for a time.

Two years later, Crepus finally reconciled with his parents. He returned to his duties in preparing to take over the winery, and for once in his life, finally began to find joy in them. Pleased by this, and now eager for Crepus to settle down with his wife and start a proper family, his father decided to retire and pass the Winery on to his son early.

Though all was well for a time, and it seemed as though Crepus had successfully escaped his past, shortly after giving birth to Diluc, Selene fell sick with a rare disease, and while she recovered from her symptoms well enough to begin caring for their new baby, she was informed that she could no longer have any more children as she had hoped. Over the next few years they sought help from the best healers in Teyvat and even Selene's Hexenzirkel sisters, but her disease continued to progress and she passed away when Diluc was only five years old.

Beyond his devastation at losing his wife, Crepus once again had to worry about the Fatui. The Hexenzirkel provided some protection for him, but without the constant presence of a witch in his home, they were still somewhat vulnerable, and now he had a son to protect. Although they had wanted to destroy it altogether, Selene was worried what the consequences of doing so would be, so they decided to hide Crepus' delusion in Dragonspine. Despite his promise to her to never touch the dangerous artifact again, Crepus retrieved the delusion a few weeks after Selene's funeral.

His determination to protect his family only grew after taking in Kaeya, and while he was never forced to use the delusion, he often carried it with him, particularly while traveling. He debated for many years about if or when he should tell his two sons about his troubled past, worried that simply knowing about his life as Brighella could put them at risk. He finally decided that when both boys were 18, he would have the difficult discussion, but before Kaeya could join his brother in coming of age, Crepus was killed in the incident on Diluc's birthday.

With no letter left behind from Crepus and no instructions given on what to do in the event of his death, Varka debated on whether or not to tell his sons about his Fatui involvement, but before he could make a decision, Diluc suddenly left Mondstadt and Kaeya renounced both his inheritance and ties to the Ragnvindr family. Feeling that it would not be best to try to find a way to inform both boys at that point, Varka kept Crepus' records sealed, even through the investigation of his death and Eroch's removal from the Knights

It wasn't until Diluc was saved from the Harbingers by the same network his parents worked in that one of the members recognized him as Crepus' son and told him the story of his father's past and how his parents met. Diluc then recounted the information in one of his few letters home to Kaeya, and despite the initial shock of the information, both boys found some peace from it. Diluc had finally found the truth he so desperately sought, and was pleased to learn that so many, even those who knew of his darker side, had considered his father to be a truly good man. And Kaeya, still struggling with Diluc's reaction to his revelation of his own troubled past, found a sense of comfort knowing even his adoptive father he looked up to so dearly had secrets, and that perhaps he may have accepted the truth about the son he had taken in after all.

TL;DR: A mentor convinced Crepus to join the Fatui after he got rejected from the Knights and had to be dragged out of it by a Hexenzirkel witch that worked in the same network that saved Diluc from the Harbingers