LIFE AIN'T THE SAME !
ao'nung x fem!sully reader
✷ premise : as tensions rise and your family is forced out of the only home you've ever known, fish boy meets forest girl and the rest is history (tragedy)
✷ warnings : kidnapping, swearing, injury, blood, violence, and death
✷ author's note : I have nothing else to say except I'm like really sorry, also, mentions of blood.
part 6 of the SOLD OUT OF LOVE series.
You've been yelled at before.
This time around you shouldn't be so fazed by it, right? Plenty of scoldings under your belt, plenty of punishments, plenty of earfulls. It was just another Tuesday to you.
But you stood there in the Tsahík's Marui, contemplating on wether or not you just run for the goddamn hills.
"You" Ronal started, pointing a finger at your face, you stiffened. "Need to stay away, far away, from my son"
"Mother-" Ao'nung began, an argument at the ready.
"-No! I will not hear it!" The Tsahík screeched, rounding on him. "What scandalous acts have the both of you committed under the witness of the night sky?" She dosen't give you time to answer. "I am not oblivious to the little smiles and longing stares the both of you send the other when they are not looking" she stops, circling both you and Ao'nung. "This stops now"
"You heard what she said" Says Jake, leaning closer to you. "Make sure you get it through your skull"
"You!" Says Ronal, pointing at your father this time. "You have allowed your rambunctious child corrupt the thoughts of my son! Eywa knows what kind of nonsense your daughter has been feeding him!"
Your mouth moved faster than your brain. "You're wrong, you know nothing"
"Y/N!" Your mother hissed.
"She is talking back! Has respect not been taught to you girl??"
"Mind your manners, Y/N" Jake seethed, making you grit your teeth.
"It is inevitable, Tonowari" Ronal had exclaimed tiredly, walking up to her husband who had remained silent this entire time. "Our son has lain with a half-breed"
Saying the Marui exploded was an understatement.
"Y/N, is what she saying true???" Your mother wonders, pulling you to face her.
"No! She's lying! We didn't do anything!" You replied, your head reeling.
"Y/N, kid, are you kidding me???"
You were on the verge of crying, trying to get him to calm down. "Dad please, I swear, we didn't do anything! we fell asleep!"
Ao'nung was quick to jump in, constantly at your rescue. "She is right, Toruk Makto, please, nothing happened between us, I give you my word"
"Do not come to her defense boy!" Ronal snapped acidly.
"Mother I do not see why all of this is necessary!" Ao'nung retaliated, turning to her.
"It is necessary because you have been wasting your days following this demon around when you could have been training to be the next Olo'eyktan!" She spat, making you duck your head.
"Your words are like knives to the skin, my daughter is not a demon" Neytiri intervened, practically hissing at Ronal, the expanse of her fangs being shown.
"You lie to yourself" Ronal replies. "You, of all people should know just how much falsehoods leave your mouth everytime you try to defend her true identity"
As she turns to Ao'nung you feel as if a bomb had just settled into its final countdown and you were tied to a chair, far away from it, yet so close at the same time. The greatest common factor? Was that you couldn't do anything to stop it. "This girl is not even real Na'vi! but a human who has been playing the part for far too long, she lies to us all!"
You wanted the floor to swallow you whole.
Ao'nung's gaze was enough to make sure of that.
"Ronal, that is enough" Tonowari finally says, she sends him a glare, he remains resolute.
She turns to the both of you again, instigating more fear into you, the ball in your throat swelling against your own will. "You will not be seeing eachother any longer, you will not be teaching her during lessons, you will not see her after your training, and you will not turn my son against me, that is final"
"What???" You shrieked.
"Mother you are not thinking straight, we can resolve this!"
"It is what needs to be done in order for you to become the Olo'eyktan our people need you to be"
"Whatever this is," says Jake, turning you to face him. "it ends now"
"Dad-!" You tried, your eyes hot, your throat constricting, your chest hurting. "You're really going to take her word over mine???"
He hesitates as you keened, staring up at him, waiting, wishing, believe me, please, i'm telling the truth Dad, believe me. Then something shifts on his face and your stomach sinks. "Enough" He snapped. "Any more and you're done"
Your face twists in hurt, in anger, in confusion.
"I do not wish to see the sight of your daughter's face near my son, ever again" Ronal declared.
"I'll make sure of it," He replies to your horror. "Let's go" says Jake, taking your forearm and practically hauling you away like you weigh nothing to him.
Ao'nung tries to follow you but Tonowari holds him back as Jake pulls you farther out of the hut, he is forced to stand there and watch as you get dragged back home.
When you do, you see the fleeting images of your siblings standing up from their seat before you pull your arm away from Jake's firm grasp, your hair flying everywhere.
"The Olo'eyktan's son???" He asked you condescendingly. "Really??"
"Would you have rather me go for his daughter instead???"
He sneered in disbelief. "You are way out of line"
"You believe the Tsahík's words over mine??? Mine??? " you reiterate, repeatedly pointing at your gut as your voice wavered shrilly. "Are you that goddamn deluded???"
"Well how the hell do you expect me to believe you when all you've been doing is sneaking around behind my back this entire time???" He yelled back, his forehead creasing.
"For Christ's sake we fell asleep!! I- I don't even like him like that!" You stammer, watching him walk past you.
"Jesus, you don't even believe yourself" Jake scorned dismissively.
"It's the truth!"
He whirls around. "Whatever alright???" Jake started. "You gotta learn that this is the consequence of your actions, you go running off with a boy at night??? Coming back home an hour before noon??? You're smart enough! Come on Y/N, you tell me what that looks like!!" He finished.
Letting out a shuddering exhale you frown at him. "You never listen to me!"
"No, you never listen to me! " He bounced back, taking a step forward and sending you a step away. "This isn't a one time thing, you've been acting up since we got here!- Oh who am I kidding?? It's all you've ever done, because that's what you always wanted make things harder for your mother! For me!"
You frowned, trying to hold the tears that threatened to fall as you let in a shaky inhale, boxing your arms in front of your chest as your lower lip trembled.
But your father just kept firing words at you. "D'you know how hard it is to put up with you??? With your antics? Why can't you just be more like Neteyam? Like Kiri?"
This was where Neytiri decided she needed to step in. "Jake, that is enough, you must stop this"
You try and shrug off your sibling's stares burning holes on the side of your head. "Well, fuck, I'm sorry I'm nothing like your perfect children"
"Hey!" He bellowed, making the Marui shake. "Watch your mouth!"
"Well it'll never work because I'm not your real daughter am I??? I'm just some charity case you took up to make you two look like saints!" You shrieked, balling your hands into fists, digging your nails against your palms just to put all your anger someplace else, streams of saltwater falling from your eyes and over your flushed cheeks. "Grace's kid isn't enough, let's allow those orphans from the lab to join our family too, oh poor Y/N's still adjusting with her avatar body, let's take her in too"
"You really wanna test me right now? You tryna get on my nerves??" He warned you. "All that mouth? All that attitude? Let's see where it takes you"
"If we hadn't left the forest none of this would have happened! If we stayed in the village none of this would have happened!"
"You wanna go back to the forest??" He asks you disdainfully before you see him take your drawstring bag, tossing it at your feet, your bow, your arrows, some of the clothes you haven't had the chance to put away yet.
"What are you doing???" You ask him, watching him throw all of your things in front of you, making you cringe and take a step back in fear.
"Drag your ass back to the goddamn forest then! Go! Let's see what happens!" He bellowed, pointing at the door. "You think now that you're such a big girl you can go say whatever you damn well please??? You think you're so big now huh??" He watches as you stood there, sobbing silently. "Come on! Get lost! "
Your face twists. "I hate you!" You screamed, your tears splattering onto the floor.
"You wanna go back there??? Back to the forest where they'll be waiting for you???"
"Better there than to deal with you!"
He lets out a condescending chuckle before he passes by your stunned siblings to collect the rest of your things, throwing them onto the floor. "You wanna leave so bad??? You wanna get killed out there??? Is that what you want??? You wanna get killed over having me as a dad???"
"Maybe I do!" You reply, pride taking over you like a virus.
"Be my goddamn guest kid"
You were exhausted. "You should've just let me drown in that goddamn river!! You should've never let me transferred bodies, you should have just let me died like my mother!!!" You yelled at a dismayed Jake, your throat dry and scratchy from shouting at such an intensity, phantom pains all over your body, your ears ringing.
"Why didn't you just leave me alone???" You wailed, watching just how his face fell. "Maybe then you'd have been the father I deserved!"
You didn't give him a second to even process your words before you stormed out. Running, and running, until you stopped and sat, and cried, letting your sobs let loose into the balmy afternoon air, crying like a mad woman, until your sobs practically dragged its claws up your throat as you let them out. You hadn't stopped crying when your mother found you, she tried wrapping you in her arms but you push her away, sitting on the floor and crying into your forearms placed above your knees as she took her seat beside you.
"I know you feel as if you do not belong with us at times because you think you are not like us, that you do not look like us, but know that I never paid attention to what they told me... that by taking in a Dreamwalker let alone an orphan to raise as my own would make the Great Mother furious" She whispered in such a tone that tore apart every thing you resented about yourself, Neytiri stitching it back up, without asking for anything in return and repeat, it made you feel tired, as an indescribable longing overcame you
Neytiri reached out to brush the hairs that clung to your face from the sweat and the exertion of breaking down, but you took her hand and shoved her away lightly.
What would she do with you, she thought. "You are my daughter, and nothing will change that" She tells you, stroking your hair as you continued to sob. "Not even if my nose looks different from yours, not even if you have eyebrows, not even if we do not have the same number of fingers on each hand"
"You're just saying that to make me feel better" You sniffed. "You don't mean that, you aren't even my real mom, it dosent matter"
Her heart sank. "But it does matter Ma'íte, it matters the most... look at me sweet girl" You look up at her. "you may not have come from me, we may not share the same blood, you may not see me as your real mother but I have not seen you as anything but my sweet little girl... because I know you, I raised you, and I loved you more than I could ever love myself"
You started sobbing even more. This was where you finally allow her to envelope you in a tight embrace, one where you cried onto her shoulder for what seemed like hours, she cradles you even if you were too big to fit on her lap, you didn't complain, nothing seemed to matter, you just wanted your mom.
When you finally pull apart to collect yourself was where she finally got the chance to ask about him.
"So, Ao'nung?"
You grin bashfully, still hiding your face from her. "Shut up"
"I was right, you lied"
"I know, I know"
Neytiri did not like the idea of him and you, but a bitter yet fuzzy feeling of familiarity bloomed in her gut. "Do you feel things for him, Ma'íte?"
You hesitate for a while. You were too afraid to say it, that you've fallen for him, for him, oh Eywa. "It scares me, mom" you gave in, looking up at her with your glassy yellow eyes. "There is this... this burning inside me, I don't know how to make it stop... and he caused it, he lit the fire, now it won't stop burning, it won't stop burning for him"
"It takes great courage to admit what you truly feel, to come to terms with something so difficult"
"I have only ever hated him, I don't know how to..." You stopped, trying to find the right words, looking at your scabbed knuckles in the process. "I don't know how to feel what I feel" you admit pathetically, laughing at yourself as you placed a hand over your eyes, your shoulders rising and falling.
"Your father is right in some things, wrong in others, but we both know you are smart enough to make the decision that will work out eventually" She explains, moving your hair out of your face. "Even if we do give you advice, I know for a fact you will always choose the one you think is best, even if it does mean going against us"
She wipes the last of your tears before she walks off, leaving you alone.
You were on your way to vist your íkran, seeing as you haven't took her out for a proper fly since you arrived here, you needed to get your mind off of this shit show for a second, flying always did.
Your mind had already delved too deep in what turns and spins you could practice on her once in the air but all that stops when you hear Ao'nung call you from behind. You turn around, almost giving yourself a whiplash to see him standing a few steps away from you.
Your stomach sank to the floor, bitterness and dread eating away what little happiness settled into your mind as you shook your head, feeling your eyes turn hot. "No, no-"
His eyes were glossy and irritated. He had been crying too. "Y/N, I just want to talk to you, please just-"
You bolted before he could even finish his sentence, you didn't think of him, you didn't think of what lied ahead, you kept on running, and running, and running. Even if a stitch formed in your side, even if your mouth turned dry.
He only managed to catch up to you by cutting you off, appearing in front of your path as you had taken a sharp detour towards the forest, knowing you could start climbing the trees to get a higher vantage point and the upper hand on him. But your plans were shortlived when you rammed into him, forgetting to stop at the last second. Ao'nung gripped your arms in fear of letting you get away as you writhed underneath his hold.
"Let me go!!!! " You wail, kicking his legs, scratching his skin with your sharp nails, creating harsh red marks on the surface of his skin. "Let me go you fucking shit! Let me go! "
"Don't make this harder than it already is!" He yelled back, ignoring the strong tug at his heartstrings as he watches you hate him all over again. "Will you just stand still and listen to me???"
Tears roll down your face as you clawed at his arms, kneed him in the groin, the thighs, his knees. "Let me go! Just let me go!"
"No" He replied, his voice uneven.
"Ao'nung, please" You begged, your voice strained. "Just get away from me!"
"You have to listen to me, just listen to me!" He repeated to you like you were a child.
"No! No!" You insist, punching his chest with all your might, it takes everything in him not to double over. "Leave me alone!!! What the hell do you want?!?!"
"You! I want you!" He finally says.
"No! " You shriek at him, shaking your head, quick to deny everything, closing your eyes shut. Almost as if he would just vanish if you wish hard enough. "You don't! You're lying to yourself you don't!!"
"Do you know how hard it is to tell yourself not to want something Y/N???" He boomed making you stand still. "Even though it is the constant thought that runs through your mind everyday??? I fight with myself every day, every single day, because of it, because of you!" He confessed, as you stood there shaking your head, hot tears falling from your saffron eyes.
"When you first came here I was shocked when you did not like me when every other girl here would just laugh and bat their eyes at everything I say, but you? You did not care that I was the son of the Olo'eyktan, it did not mean anything to you" He shook his head. "That was just the beginning, I could not stop thinking about you ever since, you were infuriating, and witty, and compassionate, and I hated that about you, it was only late that I realised that I was falling for you because of it"
"Ao'nung don't do this please" You plead, sobbing. "You don't want this!"
"Want what??"
"You're lying to yourself! You don't want this! You don't want me!"
"I do!" He shouts, taking your face into his hands. "I do want it!" you allow it for a second but you tear his arms away from your face, backing away. "To hell with what my mother says, she is just trying to drive us apart! That is why she insists on the fact that you are not true Na'vi, that just because you grew up around Sky People it immediately makes you one"
"But I am one!" You shout. "I am a Sky Person! My mother was a scientist who was sent to this planet with many others, but when her sister died in the Great Battle she had buried herself in her work and drank her sorrows away, she slept with scientists and pilots who treated her like shit and when she was about to give birth she was on the verge of dying so it was either her or me... and I lived" You bawled, watching him as he stood in silence.
"But I was barely allowed to step outside, I got wounds easily, I got sick quicker, then one night I had fallen into a river and cracked my skull open, they transfered me into an avatar body just like what they did to Jake. I am not Na'vi, but I am far from being a human, I have never met my mother, my father does not know I exist, and ever since that night I have been living a lie" You wept.
"It does not matter to me"
"But it should!" You fought. "Ao'nung no one in their right mind would say such things" You say. "You are delirious, insane"
"If you'd know what I went through these last few weeks you'd be right to call me that"
"We can't do this, Ao'nung" You said, shaking your head regretfully. "Come on, you saw what happened today! What do you think would happen if our parents find out we were together? If- if they knew we'd fallen hopelessly in love with one another??"
Your eyes widen. You shouldn't have told him that.
"They don't need to find out"
"What??" You exclaimed.
"Not if we left"
"Ao'nung-" You began.
"-We talked about this before yes? You asked me if I would go anywhere else in the world where would I go? And I said that I would just leave. What if we left together?"
You open your mouth to argue but nothing came out, instead you sighed in frustration. "Ao'nung we can't do that, you- your family, your sister- my siblings- you have duties to fulfill, roles to-"
"-I never wanted to be Olo'eyktan! you know this! My father and mother would not have it when I had told them-"
"You told them?" You wondered quietly.
"I did, right after you left" He answered, taking note of your expression. "We could do it. We could turn our backs on this place and never return, you could teach me how to ride an íkran and we will travel Pandora"
A faint smile cracked on your face. "It's not that simple, you know"
"We could leave tonight" He insists, making you look up at the violet tinted sky above you. "We could do it, just you and me"
You and me. Him and you.
You wanted to be selfish. And yet you denied yourself.
"We both know we can't" you shook your head. "As much as we want to leave there will always be something holding us down, have you ever been away from water too long? What would that do to you?"
"You have to leave with me" He almost begged. "I want you to leave with me"
"You don't want me, not truly" you tell him. "Look, if you had known I was not fully Na'vi would you still fall in love with me?"
"It wouldn't matter to me, it never would have, whatever you've cursed me with it made sure of that" He says through a wet laugh. "No matter how many times I told myself that you were a freak, an alien, I always kept falling back in love with you, over and over, until I stopped fighting it and allowed it"
And there it was again. That same fire, ever burning, ever encompassing, like outstretched arms encasing your heart in its amber flames.
No. You feel like you were going to hurl. You couldn't watch him like this.
You were quick to turn away. But Ao'nung was quicker than you, taking you by the hand, pulling you back to face him, he dosen't take his hands away but instead threads his fingers through yours.
"Believe me, Forest Girl" He stopped, looking at your eyes, then at your lips, then back at your eyes. "I always saw past it, I always saw you" He says. "I see you"
Your whole chest was on fire, blazing, festering, gleaming.
A smile creeps back onto your face as he wipes your cheeks clear of tears. "I see you too, you skxawng"
Then, wonders of wonders. You kissed him.
And he kissed you back.
At the back of your mind there were a hoard of firecrackers that exploded right on cue, bright, loud, euphoric, oblivion. Unabashedly, this was how you imagined it would feel like, how your lips chased at his, losing yourself in him.
Ao'nung tuned the rest of the world out, all he thought about, all he could think about, was how perfect your lips were, melded to his, he placed his hands on your waist as you placed your hands over his shoulders, he smirks as he had to lean down just to make it easier for you.
You take his face into your hands as the both of you giggled onto eachothers lips, kissing him with everything you had in you, your heartbeat thumping in your ears, the blood rushing up to your face, you felt like you were flying, screw that, it felt even better than flying.
He felt like the wind got knocked outta him, this couldn't be happening. He had his tongue down the throat of Toruk Makto's daughter- that may sound extremely unbecoming and weird but he did in fact- have his tongue down your throat.
You pulled apart first, in need of air, looking up at Ao'nung as your chest heaved.
"Looks like all those breathing lessons did have some use after all didn't they?" He smirked, you waited for a moment before you shoved him, hearing him laugh once more.
You two had just stuck around for a while, talking, laughing, kissing, even when it had started to pour, you two had just started running around in the rain, throwing mud at eachother, before you heard a horn.
You look at Ao'nung, with mud covering more than half his face and most of his body courtesy of you. "What does that mean?" You ask him.
"They are calling everyone back to the communal Marui"
You slumped subtly. "Do we have to go?"
He chuckled. "I would rather stay here and throw mud at you, you know that, but when they sound these alarms it usually means something of importance"
You sighed. "Fine"
"It is fine" He assures, walking up to you just to tower over you. "When eclipse falls, maybe... you and I could pick up where we left off?"
"I wouldn't be opposed to that" You grin up at him. "Maybe even go a little further" you suggest.
He chuckled wholly. "I guess we'll see"
"Bring some food, lay down a blanket, light a fire, tell some stories..."
He snorts. "That sounds good too, Forest Girl"
You couldn't help but laugh at him. "Don't worry, maybe we can do that too" you say, giving him a suggestive little grin.
He stares at you, appalled, before chuckling. "Don't sound so eager, not when you don't know what I have in store for you"
"Care to give me a hint?"
He hummed, leaning down a little. "I'll let your mind do it for me"
You roll your eyes mockingly, watching him walk past you as your cheeks grew warmer.
You two had washed up by the rocks that had running water pouring down all the way from the top, yet still not quite a waterfall even though how many times you told Ao'nung it was.
When you returned to the village, neither of you thought of letting the other go first to make sure that you didn't arrive at the same time, everyone from the village was there. You and Ao'nung had to squeeze yourself in between them just to get to the middle where you found your families, ultimately sperating you.
Lo'ak places an arm on your shoulder which spooked you. "Baby sis"
"Bro what the hell is happenning??' You wonder, frowning at him before you turn your attention to your father, holding a tracking device in his hands.
"They're here, baby sis" He says. "The Sky People, They've killed Tulkun, they've burned other villages down just a few clicks away from here"
Your face paled. "No-" you shook your head.
"You tell the Tulkun, that if they're hit by one of these they're marked for death" Jake declares to the assemblage, all the furious Metkayina who couldn't grasp the fact that he was going against their ways. "Call for me, I'll silence it. Saving their lives, that's all that matters! Saving your family! "
Tonowari stepped closer to him, looking at his people. "Tell the Tulkun"
And with that all of the villagers dispersed, most of them had started diving into the water, rushing to tell their Tulkun, the rest were getting ready for the inevitable battle that was about to come. You see Neteyam walking past you, realizing he was chasing after Lo'ak ; you were about to follow them when Ao'nung comes up to you.
"Y/N-"
"-Go warn Aiali'i, make sure he dosen't get caught up in this mess, the Sky People are ruthless, they'll stop at nothing, even if it means to harm the great balance just to get what they want-"
"Okay" He nods, taking your words into account.
"You gotta come back to me alright?" You say, almost threatening him. "You still gotta take me out on that date"
He laughed. "What is a date?"
"You know, when a guy and a girl go out, it's just the two of them and they eat and have fun and they kiss a lot... sometimes a little more than kiss"
"Ahh, I see" He hummed, nodding as he understood. "...Will we be the second option?"
As much as you wanted to giggle at that your face remained absolute. "Promise me"
"I promise you, Y/N"
"Ao'nung!" Both you and Ao'nung turn to where the voice was coming from to see Tsireya and Rotxo atop their ilus. "Come on!"
He turns to you. "I will come back, trust me"
"Okay"
You place a kiss on his lips before you turn around, running away. Ao'nung calls for his ilu and dives into the water, joining Rotxo and his sister.
"Rotxo, you owe me a week's worth of fruit" Tsireya grinned.
"I can't believe this is happenning to me" Rotxo says, shaking his head in dissapointment.
Ao'nung rolls his eyes.
When you find your brothers you seem to have caught them in another fight.
"I'm not you! Okay? I'm not you! " You hear Lo'ak shout. "He's my brother! I'm going!"
"Oh he's your brother?" Neteyam asks, turning Lo'ak around. "No, I'm your brother" He explained, pointing at his chest.
"Lo'ak quit being such an ass, for the love of Eywa" you say, announcing your arrival.
He lets out a disgruntled hiss. "Look i'm going, Y/N, wether you two like it or not"
He dives into the water, making you groan in frustration and follow him too. Hinewai swimming up to you, allowing you to grab onto her neck already knowing she has to follow your brother.
You spot Kiri and Tuk on an ilu. "He's going to warn Payakan! Come on!" You urge, before plunging into the water once more.
You had chased him through a maze of aquatic fauna, dodging leaves and stems, determined to catch up to him. You surface and you see him waving at Payakan who had breached as well.
"LO'AK! COME BACK!" You bellow, just as Payakan swam closer to him.
When you see him hop onto Payakan's back, running around like a frazzled monkey, it hit you. There he was, pulling onto a tracker for dear life.
You sever your and Hinewai's bond and dive into the water, pulling yourself up on Payakan's fin and running up to Lo'ak. "Did you seriously think you can pull that off by yourself?" You ask him, raising an eyebrow.
He rolled his eyes. "You won an arm-wrestling match against me once!"
You snicker. "Eywa, don't be so bitter about it"
"Once" He widened his eyes.
You nod at the other side of the tracker. "Come on! Jimmy it out!"
Lo'ak and you wrap your fingers around the cold metal of the tracking device, tugging at it with all your might, you look up, and you see one of the ships approaching.
"Fuck!" You shout, making Lo'ak look up.
"Lo'ak! Y/N!"
You turn to see Neteyam flinging himself on the back of Payakan like he would an angtsík. "Come on bro help us out!"
Neteyam helps Ao'nung on, who immediately takes his spot next to you. "Hey"
You nod. "Hey"
You see Tsireya hop on, followed by Rotxo. "Hurry!"
Neteyam takes your shoulder, making you face him. "Call it in! Call it in!"
"What???" You shriek incredulously.
"Just do it! Call Dad now! Go!"
Tsireya takes your spot as you move away, pressing your throat comm, landing on the chanel you and your siblings used to contact your dad. "Dad-! I mean- Devil Dog! D'you read me??"
A moment passes by, you press it again. "This is Firecracker do you copy?? Devil Dog do you copy??"
Undeniable relief washed over you when you hear static on the other end. "I read you Firecracker 5 by 5!"
"We're with a Tulkun that's under attack, gunships inbound, it's- it's about two clicks out" You manage, just as everybody behind you started arguing over who wasn't pulling hard enough.
"Who's with you??"
"It's all of us! Ao'nung, Tsireya, and Rotxo too! We're at Three Brother's Rocks!"
Static. "Get to cover. Do not engage alright?? Do not engage! We're coming!"
The line goes silent before you could reply.
"Tie it off! Tie it off!"
"You skxawng what kind of knot is that???"
"Oh move over!"
Lo'ak and Ao'nung's bickering brought you back to the task at hand, you blinked, and it seemed like the ship somehow was just a mile away.
"It's getting closer!" Tsireya wailed.
"Come on! Pull!" Rotxo shouts.
Neteyam ties the end of the rope on his ilu, you dive into the water, tying the excess rope around Hinewai's body and Lo'ak gives you the signal to pull.
So you pull, it seemed almost unviable at first with 6 teenagers and 2 ilus, but you somehow managed to pull it out, sending Lo'ak, Tsireya, Rotxo, and Ao'nung into the water.
"Get out of here!"
"Y/N, give me that" Neteyam ordered, pointing at the pinger in your hand.
"There's no way in hell Neteyam"
"It will be fine!" He assured you. "They are coming- there is no time!"
You give him an infuriated hiss, almost a grunt, before you toss the pinger towards him.
"Go!" Neteyam shouts at the others.
"We'll draw them off, just go!" You say to them. Your eyes meet Ao'nung's, he gives you a knowing look before he dives under the water with Rotxo and Kiri.
"Okay!" Lo'ak replies.
You and Neteyam set off, feeling like torpedoes underneath the water as Hinewai propelled you around the coral and the marine life. Not even 5 minutes later a cannon sets off in the water, disorienting your ilus, Neteyam drops the pinger as his ilu jolts in fear to which you grab.
"I have a plan" you signed under the water.
"No, no plan" He signed back.
You rolled your eyes. "Just let me do this, big brother"
"Fine" He signed half-heartedly.
You set off once more, opposite to where Neteyam was going. Hinewai swims fast, faster than you've ever seen her swim before, another cannon drops and explodes, Hinewai yelps in pain but you tell her to keep going. Only when it started raining cannons was when you were forced to drop the pinger and set out to find your siblings.
You take cover behind coral reefs, making sure you were still hidden when you spot subs in the water, all moving to a consecutive direction. You try and beat them there, knowing that if you followed them then you'd have a good chance of getting to your siblings before they did. Swimming through a forest of aquatic fauna, you tried your best to steer clear of any rays of light, sticking close to the ground until you bump into Tsireya, which spooked her and her ilu.
A loud mechanical whining came from behind you, both you and Tsireya turn around to see a sub coming straight at you, and you two zoomed away. Trying to lose them through the labyrinth of stems, as gigantous leaves constantly slammed you in the face.
"Go the other way!" You signed rapidly. You see her nod and you go your own directions.
Luckily the sub chose to pursue you instead of her, Hinewai made hard rights, hard lefts, almost causing you to fall off. Just then, another sub appears in front of you, blinding you with its stark white light, you don't turn away when it comes straight at you. Even Hinewai was about to bail you assured her to trust you.
Only at the last second did you maneuver her upwards, sending the two subs crashing into eachother, glass and metal flying everywhere, water gushing in their machines forcing them to flee.
You couldn't help but grin as Hinewai swam away.
Only when you spot Lo'ak swimming towards an airbell was when you disconnect your queue from Hinewai and follow him in, taking in a huge intake of air as him and Tuk screamed in fear.
"Jesus!" You exclaimed. "Are you guys okay??"
"Yeah, we are" Lo'ak answered.
"Where's Neteyam??" Tuk wonders.
"I lost him a while ago, we were trying to get the ships off your back, we ditched the pinger a couple miles that way"
Just then, Tsireya appears beside you, and before you were going to ask her if she was alright or not, the expression on her face says it all. "They're coming!"
"Okay, deep breath" you instruct Tuk as all of you dove back in the water. Swimming out of the airbell and away from a sub when another of their machines popped up in front of you, causing you to swim the other way, it was useless without your ilus and you were right. A net traps you, Tsireya, and Tuk. As they try and wriggle out, you fumble with your dagger trying to cut all of you free, and you succeed, you manage to rip a big enough hole open and slide out.
"Tuk come on!" You shout, holding out for her hand before a goddamn íkran dives into the water and grabs the net with its claws, pulling all of you out of the water making you slip. Everybody screams in fear as Lo'ak tries to hold on to you. But he couldn't keep you on and cut the others free at the same time.
"Lo'ak let go!"
"No! Just hang on! Please!"
The íkran dropped the net onto the ship's deck, all of you scrambled to your feet. You throw your dagger past one of the avatars in camo, you manage to slice her forearm open as you pull your biggest dagger out, your ceremonial dagger, swinging it at anyone who dared to come close.
"You little cunt!" The recombinant who you injured hissed, her blood splattering onto the floor. Her expression the last thing you saw before you were forced on your knees and onto the ground.
"Drop your weapon!"
"Get fucked!" You shout, before a large combat boot stepped on your hand, forcing you to let go of your dagger.
"Stop it! Stop! don't hurt them!" You turn your head, and amongst the legs that blocked your vision you see Spider getting held back by a few other humans.
"Y/N!" He exclaimed. "Let her go! That's my sister you fuckers! Let her go!"
"Yeah right" One of them sneered.
"Spider!" You shout in relief.
"Y/N! it's gunna be okay!"
The avatar riding the íkran that plucked you out of the water hopped off his banshee and pointed a finger at Spider. "Get back to the bridge, keep him there!"
Once he turns his focus towards you and your brother ; you hiss at him, bearing your fangs.
"Yeah, I remember you two" He chides, his focus bouncing from you to Lo'ak. "Cuff 'em to the rails, all of 'em!"
You were forced to stand up, you fought back as you were pulled towards the rails of the ship.
"On the ground, come on" The recom behind you says, oddly calm. When you would not submit he kicked the back of your knees, causing you to fall down. When he binds your wrists you reach out to bite his forearm, the recom laughs, as do the others around him.
"Feisty this one" He laughed.
"Told you they bite"
Up ahead, you see about a dozen, no, more than a dozen skimwings round the corner of a boulder. "Na'vi inbound! Spread out!"
"Dad!" Tuk cried.
Quaritch, you asssume, Spider's father who had come back as a recom, tore Lo'ak's throat com off his neck, making him hiss. They do the same to you, making you watch as the recom guarding you dangles it in front of your face before keeping it inside his pocket.
"Jake, tell your friends to stand down, you want your kids back? You come out alone" He spoke. "You know better than to test my resolve"
Just then, you feel the cold metal of a gun against the back of your head, making you flinch and hiss in both fear and anger, your breathing became ragged, you try and shake the gun away but the recom behind you just jabs it deeper into your head.
You knew your dad could see everything.
"I took you under my wing Jake, you betrayed me, you killed your own, good men, good women. I will not hesitate to execute your kids"
A moment passes by, your knees were starting to ache, the gun felt like it was about to go off any second now, like if you were to speak up it would blow your brains out.
"Offer's fixing to expire, what's it gunna be?"
You see a lone skimwing breaking off from the group, the rider, his skin was shades darker than any of the ones he left behind him.
"Easy shot"
Quatitch sets the gun down. "You hit him now they attack"
Suddenly, Payakan shoots out from the water, landing onto the ship, taking down several men. There were a few foolish enough to shoot at a Tulkun, it was almost like child's play to him, dragging his flippers across the deck, sending humans flying into the water, smacking them to death with his fins. He deflects a bomb, causing it to bounce back on the ship and explode. Now that the recoms were occupied with trying to kill the incoming Na'vi, they pretty much left you alone.
You spot your dagger, still lying on the ground in between the chaos, if you just managed to grab it with your tail...
The ship had started moving beneath you before you could even make a move, colliding with a rock formation making everything on the boat to fly, including you, your siblings, and Tsireya. Your dagger slides closer to you but you were too late, it slides past the cracks of the grills, falling into the water.
So you start pulling at the cuffs, knowing it wouldn't work but you would have preferred to die trying.
You watch as two ilus leap out of the water, their riders landing on the boat.
"Neteyam!" Tuk squealed.
"Need some help?" He asks running up to Tuk to cut her cuffs off. You turn to your right to see Ao'nung cutting Tsireya free, telling her to leave, he moves onto you and a grin comes to your face.
"I leave you alone for 30 minutes and this is what happens?" He wonders, digging the knife across the thick cloth.
"I like to keep life interesting, what can I say?" You quipped.
He laughed through his nose, cutting you free.
"Come on, let's go" Neteyam urges. You watch Lo'ak take a gun off the floor.
"What the hell are you doing?" He dosen't answer you. "Lo'ak we gotta go!"
"Spider's still on the ship" He reminds you.
Spider was still on the ship.
"Shit" you groan, you turn to Neteyam. "We gotta go back for him"
Neteyam scratches the side of his head. "Y/N..."
"Neteyam please, he's my brother" You asked. "He'd do the same thing if any of us were in trouble"
He knew you were right. He looks at Lo'ak, nodding. "Let's go"
You run up to Ao'nung who had his spear at the ready. "I'm not asking you to come with us, you don't know him, it isn't your fight"
"No way I'm letting you go again"
"I think I can handle myself" You state.
"Yes, clearly" He says, motioning at the shitshow that was behind you.
"Y/N let's go!" You turn around, looking at Neteyam and Lo'ak about to enter the hull of the ship.
You turn back around to face Ao'nung but he plants a kiss on your lips, a few seconds shorter than what you preferred.
"There, now we are even"
You try and bite down a smile. "Go!"
With that he leaves.
You turn around to face your siblings, picking up an assault rifle from the floor, tossing the empty magazine out and replacing it with a new one.
"On my six" You say, leading the group into the ship.
"When did-" Neteyam whispers to Lo'ak.
"-I wish I knew" He shrugged.
You had ran up and down the ship in search of Spider, scaling the pipes bolted to the ceiling when Neteyam spotted him being escorted out of the ship with a bunch of humans. All 3 of you drop to one of the platforms, waiting for the right moment to ambush them, leaping down the steps. Neteyam first, taking two down with his dagger, next Lo'ak with one of their guns. Spider landing punches left and right, smashing their oxygen masks and flinging them across the ship. One of the humans managed to knock the rifle out of your hands, resorting you to fight with your fists, ripping off their oxygen masks too, and at the last second scrambling to get your hands on the rifle as one of the humans pointed his gun at Lo'ak's head.
Two shots, one to the neck, one to the chest.
He drops to the ground with a thud, you stare at his body, gagging on his own blood, convulsing like he had been electrocuted, until he stopped.
"Baby sis let's go" says Neteyam.
"Y/N, come on" says Lo'ak, taking your hand, leading you out of there.
"Thanks guys" Spider says as all of you run to leave the ship. Lo'ak's ears perk up as he looks toward the distance, you turn your head and you see a couple of recoms pulling their guns out. Lo'ak and you do the same, aiming your guns at them but Neteyam snaps at you to take cover as bullets start raining down.
All 4 of you hide behind a wall, Neteyam shouting at Lo'ak to give him the gun, he starts firing at them as well, empty shells flying everywhere. "Go! Go!" He yelled over the gunfire.
"Come on! This way!" Said Spider, hopping over the rails and into the water, followed by Lo'ak. Neteyam half expected you to follow them but when you started shooting at the recoms as they were reloading he pulls you aside.
"What do you think you're doing??? Go! I've got this!"
"And let you take all the glory? Sure" you reply, ejecting the empty magazine to load one back in, he shakes his head and chuckles before you started firing at them, taking cover when bullets started bouncing off the wall.
You urge Neteyam to go, he hesitates before he leaps over the rails, you start hitting them with everything you could before you abandon the gun and follow Neteyam down, falling rather awkwardly as you feel the side of your stomach start to ache. When you hit the water, flames engulf your body as you struggled up to the surface, trying to catch your breath, only for the bitter stinging to keep you from breathing properly.
"That was insane cuz!" Lo'ak cajoled, high-fiving with Spider.
Tsireya and Ao'nung arrive on their ilus, urging you to hop on. Lo'ak and Spider swim towards them, even you who managed to ignore the growing pain from your torso.
"Come on bro!" Lo'ak says, he and Soider stopped swimming as they looked behind you. You do the same, seeing Neteyam wince and groan, a hand placed on his shoulderblade. You make your way towards him, struggling to keep him upright when you yourself couldn't float properly.
"Bro are- are you okay?"
He spits out salt water from his mouth as he bobbed up and down. "Baby sis I'm- I'm shot"
"Shit!" Lo'ak exclaimed as his face visibly paled.
He and Spider start paddling towards you and Neteyam, it was a joint effort in order to keep your oldest brother from not drowning, they guide him towards Tsireya's ilu, hauling him up and speeding away, leaving you and Ao'nung as he tried to heave you onto his ilu. His eyes widened as he saw your chest, gleaming red.
"You're- you're bleeding" He stammered.
"This- this blood isn't mine, J-just follow them" you managed, trying to keep your wound hidden from him. When the ilu starts to move you feel a surge of nausea wash over you like a tidal wave, you struggle to hold onto his waist as your grip threatened to loosen. Black spots ate away at your vision but you blink at a rapid speed, trying to get rid of them.
Your eyes widen at the feeling of your blood seep past your fingers and drip down onto the ilu's back. Shit. Shit. Shit.
"Keep him up!" You raise your head from Ao'nung's shoulder blade, hearing Lo'ak's cries of distress amongst the fuzziness and the long line of crescendo buzzing in your ears.
"Watch his wound! Watch his wound!" That sounded like your dad, you blinked again and you see all of them on the rock before you, huddled around Neteyam as Lo'ak applied pressure to his wound.
A/N: im sorry about this (then again not really) put your volume up by 4 clicks!
The ilu stops moving, Ao'nung was first to get off and he offers out a hand for you to take like he always did. You take it with your free hand and he pulls you up too quickly, suddenly the world spins off its axis, blinding pain shoots out from your wound as it stretches and widens, your knees buckled and you fall into him.
He staggers back in shock, helping you back onto your feet. His eyes widen as he gets a good look at you, moving your hair away from your eyes, cupping eitherside of your face. "You're shaking Y/N"
You managed to shake your head at him, feeling your teeth chatter. " 'M fine, 'm fine " you mumbled.
Ao'nung should have never let you walk into that ship without him, he knows that now... now that he sees the lower back of his ilu coated with fresh crimson. No.
"No, no, no" He exclaimed eyes wide, and there it was, a shivering hand tightly clasped over a dark red rupture in your stomach. He tried to take your hand away from where it had covered your wound but you would not let him. "Y/N, come on! Let me see it!"
You shook your head, feeling hot streams of tears flow down your face. "Mm-mm" you shook your head. "No" you say.
You were too weak to fight him, he managed to pry your fingers away from your bullet wound, you were bleeding out too fast, the wound had been too deep.
All of a sudden, you sink to the floor, taking Ao'nung with you. "No, no, no, Eywa please" He pleads, choking back on a sob as he struggled to pull you up with him. "Please no, no, not you, not you" He cried, eyes going glossy.
"I can't- I can't stand" you say, before you start coughing and wheezing as he holds onto your hand. "'Nung, 'Nung, don't- don't go, d-don't leave"
"I won't, I won't" He tells you, placing a bloodied hand over your face. "I promised you that remember??"
"What the hell is going on here??? " That was your dad again. It only took him long enough for him to realize you were bleeding your guts out.
Ao'nung was absolutely petrified. "Toruk Makto please- please! she is bleeding out, I don't- I don't know what-"
Your dad scoops you up into his arms, bringing you towards even ground. "D-Dad" You choked, before you dissolve into a coughing fit once more, wincing and crying as it only made you bleed out more. "Dad- D-Dad"
"Shhh, no, no, no, you gotta stay with me baby" setting you down on the rock. Ao'nung almost scrapes his knees, dropping to the ground to hold your hand.
"Fuck" You hear Lo'ak breathe as he and the others crowd you, even Neteyam whose shoulder was coated in his own blood struggled to get close to you.
"We gotta move your hand away from your stomach" Your Dad says, trying to take your hand away from your wound but you wouldn't budge, you didn't want him to see how bad it was. "No!" You exclaimed, before doubling over in pain, your breathing reduced to uneven catch-breaths, hacking your lungs out as it struggled to allow air in, some invisible plug clogging your airways. You couldn't breathe.
"Come on honey, come on, get your hand out of the way please" He practically begged, before you allowed him to take your hand off. You look at his face when he sees your wound. You see his face after he turns you over to see if the bullet went through you or not. It did.
You sniffed back your tears, coughing. "I- I don't- I don't w-wanna die" You sob.
Your dad shook his head. "You're not gunna die, you're not gunna die, just- just hang on! "
The familiar squawk of your mother's íkran was heard. You hear a pitter patter of steps and your mother appears in your line of sight, blurry and beautiful. She wedges herself in between Neteyam and Tsireya, was she shocked? furious? you couldn't really tell.
"I gotta put pressure on it okay?" Your Dad informs you, before two strong hands push down on your wound, you shoot up from your spot, wheezing and whimpering as you tried your best to get his hands away, clawing at his arms, anything to stop him. "I know honey, I know! I know! I know it hurts!"
You choke on your own spit, wheezing in pure agony as he guided you back down on the floor. "I- I- I don't wanna d-die, Da-Dad, pl-please" you rasped, blinking back tears, feeling the weight of the world on your chest, you wanted to stand up, you wanted to go, you wanted to leave, just go anywhere, you didn't wanna die here, not here. "I don't- I don't- wanna die y-yet"
"You won't honey, you won't-!"
"Da-Dad i'm-i'm sorry, i'm- s-sorry" You gasped. "Don't- don't be ma-mad, do-don't hate me"
"I'm not mad, I'm not mad, you don't have to be sorry for anything Litebrite" He shook his head, you look at everybody around you, Lo'ak, Neteyam, your Mother, Tsireya, Spider, Ao'nung, they were all crying for you. "Dad isn't mad- he isn't mad at you, okay? Dad can never hate you"
A tear falls down your cheek. "Da- Dad i'm- i'm tired Dad"
You see him lunge closer to you. "No, no, no, you gotta fight this honey, you're strong! you're strong! You're my strong little lady remember? Remember that? "
"I want to go home" You winced, looking up at the sky as eclipse was starting to fall on you.
"Okay, Okay, we're going" He assured you, Lo'ak and Neteyam nodding in agreement. "We're going right now"
You felt heavy. It was just too immense, too much to carry, you couldn't do it all. You were just a little kid. As your heartbeat slowed down, so did the world, your mind quieted. You look back at your father, a million apologies, a million words you yearned to tell him before the clock stopped ticking, so you opened your mouth, one last thing, you thought, one last thing.
"Dad," you began. "Dad I-"
And then you were still.
They stand and watch the exact moment the words die on your pale lips, your amber eyes dilate and move to the sky, taking your last breath, a shudder, and your heart silenced forever.
"Y/N" Your mother whispered, your name barely rolling off her lips. "No... no, no, no" She says like some broken record. "No! No! Y/N! Y/N! No!" Jake has to hold her back as she wailed your name, over and over, as if it was some incantation to bring you back. She cradles your lifeless body in her arms, all limp, all cold, all quiet. "Oh Great Mother no! Great Mother please! No!"
"Baby sis... come on" Lo'ak urged you, when once before he called out to you, you would run after him and nag his ear off to not pull whatever stunt he was about to do, but now, you weren't moving for him at all. He looks at his hands, drenched in your blood, just like that night by the river, one where he had thought he lost you forever. But no. It was just some sick practice run. Now he knows there was no fighting chance for you to wake up, to come back, not like before. Where he had hoped and prayed for Eywa to answer his prayers, to bring you back. She had listened to him once before but he fears that his pleas were nothing but an incoherent string of words to her now.
Netayam couldn't believe it. If he had just let you go down the rails first this wouldn't have happened. You would have walked away with a gnarly bullet wound on your shoulder, yes, but it was better than having to die from one. You needed to tell your children how you had gotten it, why you had gotten it, you needed to grow old, and die in your bed, not here, not now, not when you were a million miles away from home, from the forest. He failed you again. His mind was flooded with should haves, and could haves, and would haves, that was the worst part, he was pitting the blame on himself, something he always did, something you could never get him to move past. His baby sister once full of mischief and selflessness, gone.
Spider didn't even feel the tears falling down his face until it had pooled under his chin. You two were orphans of the war, you had no one, while also having eachother, it was the irony of it all that kept you two tethered for life. Life. The only border it couldn't cross. Not when you had moved to Awa'atlu with the Sully's, not when he had been held captive by the recoms, but when you had finally died, died like his parents, his human parents, like your mother, possibly your father. He looked up at the sky, at the stars, just like you two would do when you were sick, when you were suffering, lying down on your bouncy mattress in the dark, talking about the most nonsensical things while laughing your little heads off, he swears he could feel it again, how it felt to be in that dark room with just the stars and eachother.
Ao'nung. Oh Ao'nung. That poor little boy who had grown up believing he was going to become a fearless Olo'eyktan one day just like his father, beloved by all, seen by all. For he would be the one who would bind all of the islands together and lead them to a greater triumph, a thousand islands, a stronger nation, a village, a people. But he was wrong, he wanted to be Tsahík, he wanted to heal the sick, to cure the ailing, he has seen how his mother does it, and he wanted to be like her when he was big enough, he wanted to know what rush it would feel once his people come to him, saying they were healed, that they were okay, that he helped them be better.
He had grown up believing that he would fall in love with a pretty Metkayina girl, meek and graceful and refined, with teal skin, curly ebony locks, and aquamarine eyes he would get lost in.
But no. He had to go and fall for a raging wildfire that was you, impetuous, brash, loud, with blazing gold eyes that dare bested the rising sun, braided locks, and deep azure skin, the one that made fun of him, that cussed at him, that pulled a knife to his neck. He never understood why. He never will. Not even when he gets older. Not even when the ends of his eyes start to wrinkle. He never would.
After saving your sisters, you were laid to rest the following night.
Neteyam had given you his rider's mask, remembering when you were younger, when you longed for one even if you had no íkran to tame, it seemed so foolish at the time. Lo'ak gave you his feathered arm band, it was one of the first things you had given him when you started to learn how to weave properly, it wasn't the best work you've done, you were always so shit at weaving but he still kept wearing it. Kiri gave you the friendship bracelet you and her made one stormy night, she had kept yours and given you hers. Tuk gave you her favorite Toruk toy, the toy that had been passed down from one Sully child to another, since you had joined the family so late she figured it was time for your turn.
You were buried with the necklace Ao'nung had given to you. It was the only item of yours they had kept on you.
Ao'nung did not have much of a say when it came to burying you with your belongings like Neteyam did.
Neteyam fought for you to be buried along with that necklace, knowing he was the one that interrupted that moment with you and Ao'nung on the beach.
When it had been time to visit you, Jake took Neytiri's hand in his as they connected their queues to the glowing lilac venules of the Metkayina's Spirit Tree.
Jake flutters his eyes open again. He takes in the distinct amount of trees looming over him, the bioluminescence of the moss underneath his feet lighting up his way into the forest. He was back in the forest.
He notices he was armed with an AK-47, the orange flames coming from the torches of the Omaticayans on direhorses blazing past the gaps of the trees, there was chaos, a scattered chorus of galloping causing the ground to shake. But he dosen't see you.
Where were you?
"Y/N? Y/N?" He calls out, whipping his head around.
No answer.
"Y/N?? WHERE ARE YOU??" He tried again, beginning to walk through the forest, his pace rapidly picking up as he pushes past leaves, past shrubs, he rounds boulders and he still cannot find you. "COME ON Y/N MAKE A NOISE FOR ME, WHERE ARE YOU??"
He was running now. And he remembers, you haven't been seen since this afternoon, Neteyam and Lo'ak had been busy training with the hunting party, Kiri and Tuk were with Mo'at all day, he thought you had been with them, they thought you had been with him.
You've been gone for 6 hours.
He was dizzy, like the world was about to turn on its side and he would lose his balance. "Y/N?? Y/N?? COME ON- Y/N?? I CAN'T SEE YOU BABY WHERE ARE YOU?? JUST COME OUT PLEASE?!?" The forest was just fleeting swipes of colors to him now, branches were scraping against his azure skin, drawing blood.
He hears the subtle crying first, he searches high and low, his heartbeat threatened to leap out of his chest baring his bones and he sees you on the ground, shrouded by the extended leaves, covered by the boulders, shielding you away. Like you had been hiding from something, or was it someone?
He gets low, slinking past the fauna to get to you, he reaches out for your shoulder gently and the sudden contact with his skin makes you scream and leap away.
"It's just me baby, it's just me!" he assures, holding up his palms as the forest stands and watches as if a bomb had been set off, your wails bouncing against the tree trunks. "I'm not here to hurt you, baby- it's just me! see? Just me" you heard him tell you, his arms outstretched, beckoning you to walk towards him.
You try and form a sentence, you did, even if all that left your mouth were a muddled set of murmurs you ran straight into him, dropping to your knees as he embraces you and you let yourself dissolve in an irrational wailing mess. Snot and rears running down your face as you linked your sinewy arms around his neck and refused to let go.
Jake adjusts his position so you were sitting on his lap. "You've been gone for 6 hours- 6! I come back with your mother to find out your grandmother hasn't seen you all afternoon?? What the hell were you thinking??? Running off into the forest?? Do you know dangerous it is out here??? And you decide to stay out here till eclipse??? Do you have a goddamn death wish or something kid??" His voice cracked in anger as he yells at you in fear and relief.
You pull away to face him. "I'm sorry! I'm so-sorry! I was- I was following the woodsp-sprites and I didn't kno-know how to get b-back, I tried u-using the tricks you taught me but it g-got dark, and I heard the- the viperwolves ho-howling-"
Jake's beady amber eyes widened. He grabs your face with his large hands. "Did they catch you??? Did you get hurt???"
You shook your head, your tears falling down to his lap. "They didn't see me"
"They coulda smelled you all the same," He insists. "You were too lucky to have dodged a viperwolf attack, you know how fast those suckers are? no, not yet, But you could've."
"I know" You sobbed, your shoulders jerking up at odd intervals as you hiccuped. Keeping your eyes down. "But I just wanted to show you I could do it"
He frowns softly. "Do what??"
You finally look up at him. "Be a proper Avatar! An Avatar that can run fast and climb fast and jump far," You ejaculated. "I heard stories from Uncle Norm and Uncle Max about when you were still new to your Avatar body, how even if you kept falling off your ass you still kept on going, how you were chosen by Eywa, how you became one of the people and then you became Toruk Makto, and I just- I just wanted to be like you!" You finally shout.
Jake dosen't notice the tears that had been falling out his eyes and down to the apples of his cheeks.
He blinks, and suddenly you were older, defined face, longer limbs. "I- I couldn't help it! All the stories made me feel like I'll never be as good as you, the way that they think I'll become as great as you one day?? I figured if I worked hard enough and I trained hard enough then maybe it'll mean something! And I see it in your eyes everyday that sometimes you wish I could have done more, that I could have been good at archery like Neteyam is or how good at flying Lo'ak is or how skilled Kiri is with healing??"
You grit your teeth, frowning as the tears would not stop coming down. "Everyday I break my back trying to live up to you because I just want you to be-" You stop yourself and hesitate. "I just wanted you to be proud!"
You stop, catching your breath. "I just want you to be proud of me Dad! "
Jake swallows hard and places a hand on your shoulder. "Kid I've always been proud of you, alright?" He manages before another hot tear escapes his eye, realizing now was his time to set things right between you and him. "And- and I know I barely show it, that was on me, It was my fault for not letting you know it sooner, but never in a single second of my life had I not been so proud of the person you grew up to be ; I was too scared to let you know it because I thought it wasn't what you all needed. That if I went all tight with the five of you then maybe I'd choke out the recklessness out of you kids but I was wrong, especially with you"
You were startled.
"I spent my whole life hating my father for not being there to listen to me properly only to turn into the very man I never wanted to become. It was like fighting fire with fire, all this time I had thought it had been working but I was just pushing you farther away from me, I never wanted that"
"-but I'm right here," You tell him in a small voice, grabbing his hand, it was so much smaller compared to his, you were little again."I'm right here"
"I know Litebrite" He chuckles, his shoulders jerking up and down. "I've let you down, I'm sorry"
You swallow the ball that was forming in your throat as you wipe your eyes dry.
"None of this woulda happen if I had just listened to you more, if I had just been there, if I was just better at being a father than a squad leader maybe if I did then- then maybe everything coulda been different"
"Maybe" You shrugged, sniffing.
He points at his chest using the hand you had weaved your fingers through. "The blame's on me honey, this is my fault so just blame me"
You shook your head, teardrops falling onto your lap. "I don't wanna keep blaming you anymore Dad"
And you fit so perfect in his arms as you reached in to embrace him, he did the same, squeezing your tiny frame as he planted kisses on your hair, rubbing his hand on your back.
He remembers why this was how you came to him, why this was the memory Eywa had chosen for him to relive again. It was the first time you had called him Dad.
You hiccuped, wiping your eyes dry with the back of your hands. "I'm sorry Dad"
"You don't got anything to be sorry for kiddo"
You pull away from him once more. "But the Viperwolves-"
"You don't gotta worry about them, I'm here now, alright? I'm right here, I'll keep you safe" He says to you, pulling your hands away to dry your face himself.
"I wanna go home now" You tell him. "Can we go home?"
He couldn't help but let out a wet chuckle, ducking his head as his chest panged with unfathomable pain. "Okay, let's go home"
And so he stands up with you in his arms as he brings you out of the darkness. "So you were out here for the entire afternoon and not a single Viperwolf laid it's claws on you?"
"Uh-huh"
"Must've been scared of you"
You perk up instantly. "You think so?"
He nods. "I know so kid, wouldn't expect anything else from my strong little lady"
You give him a shrewd smile before dissolving into breathy giggles. "I'm your strong little lady Dad?"
"Uh-huh, cuz you've got a strong heart like me and your mom, nothing gets past us"
"If I've got a strong heart then... then I won't be able to die!" You say, lighting up. "Ha! I'm going to live forever!"
He stops walking and gives you a look only to be met by a pair of innocent amber eyes glimmering in the darkness. He forces himself to nod. "You won't die for a long time honey, because Na'vi? They live up to 180"
"180??? No way!"
"Yes way" Jake countered.
"You think i'll live that long Dad?"
He gives you a smile as he senses Neytiri creep up on the both of you, donning a bittersweet smile with glassy eyes. "Course you will, Litebrite" He replies, swallowing the ball that had somehow lodged itself in his windpipe, your eyes like a beacon light in the otherwise dim forest, big and full of wonder, the promise that there will always be light to pull him out of the darkness that dared swallow him whole, your smile alone being able to light the way. His little Litebrite.
"Cool"
a/n: [taps into mic] slipping through my fingers all the time, I try to capture every minute, the feeling in it, slipping through my fingers all the time, do I really see what's in her mind, each time I think I'm close to knowing she keeps on growing, slipping through my fingers all the time...
so I guess that's that, thanks for coming along with me on this wild, depressive, frustrating, sappy, confusing, ride. I had so much fun writing this series for real, not really sure if I'm gunna be writing any more series in the time being but we'll see, til then, make sure to drink a lot of water and take care, mwa :)) 🪼🫧🪸
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Not What He Seemeth
Ah, summer break, when days are long and kind,
When leisurely relaxing be thy way.
Unless, alas, thy family name be Pines,
And Gravity Falls the place to spend thy day.
So learned the Myst’ry Twins: Dipper the bold,
E’er with vivacious Mabel by his side,
As strange and fright’ning mysteries they unfold,
While in the Myst’ry Shacke they do abide.
But now a greater puzzle they must field:
Their Grunkle Stan, be friend or villain he?
A strange machine from them he hath concealed,
Which might of world-destructive power be.
And in a plot which one might see in dreams,
They learn their grunkle is not what he seems.
(Apologies if this is not quite in the proper vein of Shakespeare, or doesn't fit exactly with his writing style.
Iambic pentameter and poetry are hard, okay? Give me a break.)
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
STAN PINES, a conman
DIPPER PINES, his nephew
MABEL PINES, his niece
SOOS RAMIREZ, his handyman
AGENT POWERS, an FBI agent
LAZY SUSAN, a restaurant proprietress
GOMPERS, a goat
COMPUTER, a computer
MYSTERIOUS FIGURE
VARIOUS TOWNSFOLK, FBI AGENTS, SUPERNATURAL CREATURES
****
ACT V
The basement of Ye Olde Mystery Shacke, near a strange machine.
DIPPER, MABEL and SOOS are in the process of shutting down the machine.
DIPPER: Alas, what fools our family hath been!
That all the summer long-nay, in the case
Of our most noble comrade Soos, ten years-
We did not see the serpent in our midst!
‘Tis no excuse we knew our Grunkle Stan,
If Stan he truly be, to be a rogue.
All summer long, we’ve lived beneath his roof,
Eaten with him, and talked with him, and e’en
Labored for him, but never did we see
That everything he told us was a lie!
Not only did he know that Grav’ty Falls
Hath been, and is, and will be, should we stop
This strange device in time, a haven for
All manner of strange creatures, great and small,
But now we learn-oh horrors!-that uncle
We have none! That the man we thought we knew
Is but a counterfeit, with IDs false!
That in his basement secret, he doth hold
The journals-aye, the journals I hath oft
Sought answers for, sought answers of, and aye,
Hath sought! That in his basement secret, he
Doth hold this rude mechanical device
Which o’er us looms and glows with dreadful light!
That in these journals secret, therein lies
A message-nay, a warning, to the eyes
Of those who look with aid of blackened light-
That this machine, if operational
Is fully rendered, could with all its pow’r
Reach out and tear our universe apart!
They look at the clock, which reads one minute and thirty seconds remaining.
SOOS: Beware! Tis the final countdown, as in songs past they have so discussed!
DIPPER: The agents of the FBI were right!
We have but paltry seconds left to us
Until the clock the number zero reach!
Quickly, dear sister and dear friend, to work!
They turn keys; a device appears, revealing a large red button.
DIPPER: Anon, the shutdown switch! This all ends now-!
Before he can press the button, enter STAN.
STAN: Touch not that button!
Long moment, in which they regard each other.
STAN [aside]: Oh, what to do? I have not travailed against capture, against locks and chains and doors, against agents of the FBI, against the laws of gravity and time itself, only now, when my goal is in my grasp, to have it stymied-and no less by those I hold most dear! What shall I say to turn accusing glares to familial-aye, familial, e’re may I deny such connection with my loyal handyman-love? How might I repair bonds of trust, once broken? Alas, were I to know that, mayhaps I would ne’er have been in this position.
[To DIPPER] Good nephew, away!
DIPPER keeps his hand raised over shutdown button.
STAN: Prithee, kill not the countdown! In this I beseech thy trust!
DIPPER: Thy trust? Thou darest speak to me of trust?
Forsooth, thy audacity knows no bounds!
And were thou not the thief who in the night
Did several times abscond with toxic waste?
Art not thine lips the ones which time and time
Again hath spoken falsehoods to our ears?
Not once, not twice, but all the summer’s day
For all the days of summer that have passed?
Away, thou fiend, thou agèd, crafty rogue!
Thy self to me is naught but counterfeit!
STAN [aside]: My worst fears confirmed! I curse my cowardice, that I did not confess my sins when I had the chance!
[To DIPPER] Harken, lad! I see that to unknowing eyes, to unknowing ears, to unknowing hearts, my works might seem but mad, but there is method to’t-a method which requireth life to remain in yon machine! If thou wilt listen, I can yet explain-
The device on his wrist begins to make noise; the ground begins to shake.
STAN: Alas! Alas! Prepare, good children! Brace yourselves!
Everyone begins to rise into the air. Across Gravity Falls, others also rise.
AGENT POWERS: What sorcery is this?! For we do rise!
Our pursuit of the villain Stanford Pines
Arrested by an unexpected flight
Like great Apollo’s chariot towards the sun!
LAZY SUSAN: Egad! I fly!
BUD GLEEFUL: My merchandise! I may have lost my son,
But I shall not lose thee as well!
GOMPERS: Maaaaaaa!!!!
COMPUTER: Harken, O master: T and minus thirty seconds.
STAN, DIPPER and SOOS are thrown to different ends of the room; only MABEL remains, hooked to the shutdown button by a wire wrapped around her foot.
MABEL: Dipper!
DIPPER: Fly swiftly, Mabel! Thou must shut it down!
MABEL begins making her way to the shutdown button; STAN sees and launches himself towards her.
STAN: Nay! Good Mabel, sweet Mabel, heed my warning! Go no further!
Is suddenly tackled to the side by SOOS .
STAN: What is this treachery, knave?! Orders I did give you previous, and I remember not changing them!
SOOS: Apologies, dear Master Pines-if your name be not Smith or Jones or e’en Pippinpaddleopsicopolis-but as dear as thou have been to me, a higher mission hath appeared: preserve the life and safety of these children, as dear to me as the ruddy drops of my own heart!
STAN: Thou fool, release me!
DIPPER joins SOOS in trying to subdue STAN.
DIPPER: Dear sister mine, depress the button red!
Stop this machine, e’re it destroy us all!
S TAN: Depress it not! I pray thee, touch it not! Trust in me!
MABEL [aside]: Was ever girl in this way beseeched?
Was ever girl in this way so trapped?
Between my brother and my grunkle’s words
I know not whose is the trustworthy tongue!
[To STAN] My Grunkle Stan-oh fie, for I know not
If even thou my grunkle truly be!
I weep, for though my heart beseecheth me
To see thee as no villain, as no fiend,
But as the cranky, weird, and gross old man
Whom I do love so dearly-yet I find-
STAN: Then hark, and heed! Recall thou in the morn, when e’er my heart did fail me, I wished to speak with thee and thy brother on matter of great import?
Another shock rises from the portal, throwing DIPPER, STAN and SOOS against the wall. MABEL raises her fist over the button.
STAN: I wished to say that afore the day is done, many words and accusations wilt thou hear upon my name-and some, alas, are true. But I give my solemn vow upon my soul, that all that I do, that all that I hold dear, more dear than life, more dear than hearth and home, more dear than even all my gold-all are in the name of Pines!
DIPPER: Beware, dear Mabel! Honeyed are his words,
But think afore thou act! ‘Tis possible
The graying rogue doth perchance lie again!
His vile, frightful metal mechanism
Which stands before us yet could all destroy
In the known universe! Thus it is wise
To listen to the sageness of thine head!
STAN: Behold mine eyes, good niece! Yea, mine eyes, which stories tell are windows to the soul, revealing all within the owner’s heart! And ask thyself: for all my faults, for all my schemes, for all my greed-thinkest thou truly me to be a villain?!
DIPPER: He lies, my sister! Thou must end this NOW!
STAN: Mabel, I beg thee!
COMPUTER: Harken, O master: Ten. Nine.
Mabel lowers hand over the button-and hesitates.
MABEL [aside]: O perilous dilemma of the heart!
O perilous dilemma of the hand!
My brother, ever learnèd, often prov’th
His greater knowledge when it comes to wits
And books, and games, and mechanisms great
Which, studying, would bore me unto tears.
He dangerous this strange machine hath named.
Shut down, he hath declared its wisest fate.
And time and time again I’ve heeded not
His earnest words, and been kidnapped by gnomes
Or unto hateful Gideon been enslaved
Or even-horror!-risked dear Dipper’s life
By cruel and triangular demon hand.
And yet, on other hand, my Grunkle Stan
Doth humbly beg that I will stay my hand.
The man who on occasion past proclaimed
With mocking scorn his strong distaste for “please”
And who preferred to harshened orders bark.
But now, he begs, and bares his withered heart
With eyes bearing the sadness of the world,
Our photograph resides upon his desk,
And he from danger hath protected us.
From zombie, dinosaur, and Gideon
His guardianship hath cast a shelter oft.
Alas, poor Dipper, but I must proclaim
For all his faults, a villain he is not.
[To STAN] Dear Grunkle Stan?
Raises hands away from shutdown button.
MABEL: I trust you with my life.
DIPPER: This cannot be! O foolish sister mine,
Art thou gone mad?! Seest thou not thy folly?!
For when the clock strikes zero, we shalt-
COMPUTER: Harken, O master: One.
Flash of white light fills the room; all scream.
DIPPER: NO-!
Light engulfs Gravity Falls, then dies. Objects all over town fall to ground, as do STAN and family. The machine glows in center with strange blue light, and suddenly MYSTERIOUS FIGURE steps through it, stops to pick up Journal 1.
DIPPER: Do I but dream? What is this that I see?
An apparition, clothèd all in black,
With face and form concealed by a mask,
Hath entered in the room! Is it a ghost?
Speak to us, apparition! Who art thou?
STAN: Be still, my heart! For I do know this form, e’en as the face is hidden from our view! It is no ghost, no demon, nay, not e’en a stranger-but that Author of the journals thou hast sought.
And more than that-
MYSTERIOUS STRANGER removes facial covering, revealing a face identical to STAN.
STAN: -he is my brother.
DIPPER, MABEL and SOOS are shocked.
MABEL: Be this the moment oft portrayed in film
Where one of us, so shocked by strange events,
Doth thus collapse into a mighty swoon
For purposes of comedic effect?
SOOS: Fear not, dear hambone: comedy I know.
On this I will not fail you. Down I go!
He faints .
Exeunt.
****
I would write a final sonnet for the final flashback scene, but I'm tired. Maybe I'll write it later.
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