⋆˙⟡ Grace .⋆

| She/her | 20 | Bisexual | | Side blog/my fics: @grcsbluerpen | | Arcane, Avatar, Anything with Florence Pugh | | Sarentu AU |

[grcsbluerpen]

Grace, author, artist, film lover

Main blog: @grcsbluepen

Fanfiction/art (n/sfw)

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[pandoranbox]

i miss so’lek.

him finding little things that remind him of you. a small flower, curled against its self in the sun. the fallen branch of a mighty tree. a shining stone in the bank of a river

bringing them back to hq with him. trying to find the right moment to give them to you casually, but there’s nothing casual about it. every bit of your soul shines in the world, he looks for you wherever he goes

this can never be casual. he knows it. and yet in his heart his soul body and mind he is consumed by you

the thought of another being audience to your smile, your sweet words and sweeter gestures fills him with a horrid bile of teeming jealousy

he wishes to be the only one. the sole receiver of such pure energy. boundless and so bright, dancing through life

he doesn’t know how to approach you will all this. dream walker, so different from himself. he knows others are interested be sees the way they look at you. at dinner, when you tell stories of earth. feigning eagerness just to be close to you

none of them know you like he. none could provide, protect, please you like him

when he makes it back. little things tucked inside the satchel on his chest, he sees you first

“hey so’lek” you hum. cleaning your weapon, tongue poking from between your lips as you sit on the floor.

“hello” his ears twitch, tail slashing wildly

“anything interesting out there?” you pause your work to look up at him with a fond smile

“ah. no.” he shrugs

you hum again, going back to your work

he carries on, trying to find a bundle of herbs he stored away somewhere but his legs stop him. he turns back to you, now completely in your own world. his feet take him right back. fingers digging into his satchel, taking out the flower, branch, stone

he holds them out in one hand, crouching to be her level with you. “for you.” it comes out much harder than anticipated, strained

you only smile at him, taking the gifts gingerly and setting them down beside you. did you not like them? you did not spare them a glace. should he have brought something different? he knew he should have gone-

his thoughts are derailed as you wrap your arms around him, pressing your bodies together in a warm hug

“thank you so’lek” you mumble in his ear

his ears go flat. tail thumping against the ground, sending the little stone jumping up and down. he finds the brain to wrap his arms around you tighter. you smell as sweet as ever

“you are welcome”

you unlatch with a laugh, taking each gift and running your fingers along them gently. “i love them.”

he loves you. he is sure of it

[meltedevil]

personal thought, but i think teylan would be a huge fan of hugging and touching. he really just seems like the type to enjoy the comfort of another body being there and having something to hold or have hold him.

ya feel?

[grcsbluepen]

Liking every pride post on my dash so I can see that little heart animation again

[adeninee]

Etuwa

[azshio]

Art study

Ri'nela ~ Avatar Frontiers of Pandora

Reference: "Wood Nymph" by Charles Bell Birch

[barlukovart]

so’lek’s back. end of conversation

[grcsbluepen]

🪶🌿🌸

Certified Ri’nela kisser

[grcsbluepen]

Photo mode goes hard every time

[just-another-idk]

Gentle Hands

So'lek x fem!avatar driver reader inspired by Tsumuke written by @lvlypinkesworld

Part 11 > Part 12 > Part 13

Beating Hearts

(Y/n) sat beside Etuwa’s resting form quietly monitoring while the healer’s circle slowly settled into something calmer now that the immediate danger had passed.

Now there was only waiting. Watching. Making sure Etuwa woke safely.

Which apparently gave Nefika entirely too much free time.

(Y/n) looked up from adjusting the IV line only to find yet another woven scarf suddenly being held beside her face.

“What about this one?”

(Y/n) sighed. “…Is this necessary?”

“Yes.”

Nefika sounded deeply serious about it.

She swapped the scarf for several layered necklaces holding them thoughtfully beneath (Y/n)’s chin while squinting critically. “This color makes you look less tired.”

Tamtey snorted from nearby. “You are treating her like a doll.”

“She has no sense of style on her own,” Nefika answered immediately.

(Y/n) looked mildly betrayed. “I am literally monitoring someone after surgery.”

“And doing it while looking pale.” Nefika held up another scarf triumphantly. “This one.”

Tamtey chuckled watching (Y/n) suffer through this with the same exhausted resignation she handled most things.

Then Nefika tilted her head curiously. “So why are you in this body? Tamtey said you were unwell.”

(Y/n)’s attention drifted back toward the monitor. “Yes.”

She adjusted one of the lines gently. “I am a bit unwell.”

Then after a moment she simplified it. “In simple terms…”

“My brain is not strong enough right now for me to safely use my other body.”

Nefika frowned sympathetically. “That is such a shame.”

(Y/n) looked over suspiciously.

“…Why?”

Nefika pointed very matter-of-factly. “Your other body’s shadowy eyes are less pronounced.”

(Y/n) stared at her.

Tamtey burst out laughing immediately.

“Leave her be.” So’lek’s voice drifted calmly from the shadowed corner he had claimed near the back of the healer’s circle.

He had barely moved since arriving. Still watching. Always watching. “She is beautiful no matter which body she is in.”

(Y/n) immediately turned back toward the monitor far too quickly. The blush creeping across her face betrayed her instantly anyway.

Tamtey grinned openly.

Nefika laughed softly. “Bashful even in this body.”

“I am trying to monitor a patient,” (Y/n) muttered weakly.

“You are failing.”

“I know.”

Then a groggy sound came from the woven bed.

Everyone turned immediately.

Etuwa stirred faintly beneath the blankets her face scrunching in confusion while the anesthetic still clung heavily to her mind.

(Y/n) leaned forward immediately checking her pupils and monitor. “Easy.”

Etuwa blinked slowly at the ceiling. “…Why…”Her voice slurred badly.

Tamtey immediately lost the battle against laughter.

Then her gaze shifted slowly toward (Y/n). “…Tiny healer.”

(Y/n) sighed softly in relief hearing her coherent enough to speak nonsense. “Yes?”

Etuwa stared at her very seriously. “You smell like burned dapophet roots.”

Nefika burst into laughter.

“I probably do,” (Y/n) admitted tiredly.

Etuwa then pointed vaguely toward So’lek still sitting silently in the corner shadows. “…Why is he staring at you?”

That nearly killed Tamtey outright. He doubled over laughing while So’lek looked deeply unimpressed.

Etuwa continued completely serious. “And why does tiny healer look ready to faint?”

(Y/n) buried her face briefly in her hands. “Nobody asked for your observations.”

“They are excellent observations,” Nefika argued.

Tamtey was still laughing as he stood. “I am getting Ka’nat. His daughter survived surgery only to immediately become unbearable.”

Etuwa pointed after him weakly. “I heard that.”

Then she blinked slowly again looking deeply confused. “…Why is everyone so small?”

“You are laying down,” Ri’nela answered gently.

The healer’s circle dissolved into soft laughter again while (Y/n) finally allowed herself to breathe properly for what felt like the first time all day.

Ka’nat stepped back into the healer’s circle just in time to hear his daughter mumble incoherrently

The clan leader stopped mid-step staring at her. Then slowly looked toward (Y/n).

(Y/n), meanwhile, looked utterly exhausted but faintly amused as she adjusted one of the monitors. “I promise this is temporary.”

Etuwa pointed weakly upward again.

Tamtey immediately started laughing again.

Ka’nat looked deeply relieved seeing his daughter conscious enough to be ridiculous.

(Y/n) carefully checked Etuwa’s vitals one final time before finally stepping back. “She is stable.” She will be sore and miserable for awhile but she should recover well if she rests.”

Then her exhaustion visibly hit her all at once. She swayed faintly before catching herself.

So’lek noticed instantly. “You should rest now.”

She did not argue. (Y/n) rubbed tiredly at her face. “…I should probably head back to base. Get food. Get some sleep.”

She looked toward Tamtey. “If anything changes you call me immediately.”

Tamtey nodded seriously this time. “I will.”

Ka’nat stepped forward again placing a hand briefly over his heart toward her. “You have my gratitude, (Y/n).”

She gave him a small tired smile. “I am glad I could help.”

Then Nefika suddenly perked up. “When you return I will have something ready for you.”

(Y/n) sighed. “I will bring the tea.” So’lek followed her out.

Then finally they stepped out from the healer’s circle together.

The cooler air outside Hometree brushed against (Y/n)’s face and she exhaled softly already looking drained again now that the emergency was over.

So’lek followed beside her silently for several moments before she glanced toward him.

“…Can we walk home?”

“No, ma yawne. It is too far and you are exhausted.”

(Y/n) sighed dramatically. “I would rather walk.”

“And collapse halfway there?”

“…Maybe.”

So’lek ignored that entirely already calling for Iley. The ikran descended moments later landing smoothly before them.

(Y/n) looked up at the massive creature with immediate dread. “No.”

“Yes.”

“I survived one flight already.”

“And you shall survive another.”

He helped her up carefully again, lifting her into place in front of him while she immediately latched onto his arm with both hands the second Iley shifted beneath them.

She was already shaking slightly before they had even left the ground.

So’lek settled behind her securely. “I promise I will not let you fall, ma yawne.”

(Y/n) made a deeply distressed sound. “Please stop calling me that.”

So’lek’s voice rumbled warm near her ear. “Why?”

“Because you are going to make my heart give out.”

The warrior’s mouth curved faintly. “I thought your fear came from heights.”

“I do not know anymore.”  She buried her face instantly against his arm again. “I cannot tell if my heart is failing because I hate flying or because of what you are saying.”

That finally earned a quiet laugh from him. Low. Warm. Dangerously fond.

And unfortunately for (Y/n)— That probably did not help her heart situation either.

“You can look, yawne the view is beautiful.”

(Y/n) immediately shook her head harder against his arm. “Please no.”

Her voice came muffled and miserable. “If I look I am going to throw up.”

So’lek’s chest rumbled faintly with amusement but he tightened his hold around her all the same, one arm firm around her waist while he guided Iley through the skies as steadily as possible, deliberately avoiding sharper turns and sudden dives because he could physically feel how tense she remained pressed against him.

Every time the ikran shifted— Her fingers clung tighter. Every drop in elevation made her breathing hitch.

So instead of teasing her further he simply kept her close and murmured quiet reassurances near her ear whenever Iley banked through rougher currents.

And eventually— The air began to still. The rushing wind softened.

Iley descended carefully through towering trees before landing beside the roar of distant water.

“We have arrived.”

(Y/n) slowly cracked one eye open. Then the other. Confusion crossed her face immediately. “…This is not base.”

“No.” So’lek helped her down carefully and only once both feet touched solid ground did she finally release the breath she had apparently been holding the entire flight.

The place was beautiful. A waterfall spilled down smooth dark stone nearby, mist drifting through the warm evening air while the fading afternoon sun painted everything gold and amber beneath the forest canopy.

So’lek moved toward a flat stone near the water before motioning quietly for her to sit beside him.

(Y/n) lowered herself beside him slowly and immediately leaned into his side with a tired sigh.

For a while neither spoke. The waterfall filled the silence for them.

So’lek looked down at her quietly. He truly stopped separating her bodies in his mind. The strong graceful Na’vi body. The fragile exhausted human one.

Because sitting beside him now— Both felt undeniably her. Different forms. Same heart beneath them. Gentle. Kind.

He looked toward her thoughtfully. “You slept in today.”

(Y/n) stared out toward the water. “…Yeah.” A small shrug. “I guess I was just really tired.”

“I wanted to reset so I could get back out there.”

He did not look convinced. At all.

(Y/n) noticed immediately.

She leaned slightly heavier against his side trying to soften the seriousness gathering in his expression and hoped a change of subject would get him off her case.

“It is strange when you are double my size.”

A faint warmth touched his face. “I know.”

His gaze lingered on her smaller human hands folded in her lap. “When you are in this body…”

His voice lowered. “…I forget sometimes how fragile you are.”

“That I may harm you if I am not careful.”

(Y/n)’s expression softened instantly. “You could never hurt me.”

The certainty in her voice made something deep in his chest ache. “You do not think it is strange?”

He looked toward her.

“This?” She gestured vaguely between herself and him. “The bodies. The difference.”

So’lek’s answer came without hesitation. “I fell in love with your heart.” His hand settled gently over hers. “Not whichever body you inhabit.”

The smile she gave him afterward was so soft it nearly stole the breath from him completely.

His expression became more serious again. “(Y/n).”

“Hm?”

“I read some of the notes in your old journals.”

Immediately she groaned quietly. `“I cannot believe someone deciphered my writing.”

But So’lek did not smile this time.

Instead he looked toward the waterfall briefly before speaking again. “There were notes in the margins.”

His voice stayed careful. Gentle.

‘Say thank you when they stop.’

(Y/n) went very still beside him.

‘They stay away if I look useful.’

Her eyes lowered immediately.

‘Compound A does not hide the bruising.’

Silence. The waterfall suddenly sounded much louder. (Y/n) tried smiling faintly but it did not quite work. “It sounds worse written out like that.”

So’lek’s jaw tightened. “It sounds like you were harmed.”

She shrugged too quickly. “It was a long time ago.”

“You cried onto those pages.”

That made her breathing falter slightly. Because he noticed that too.

The water stains. The pages warped by tears she thought nobody would ever see.

(Y/n) looked away toward the waterfall instead leaning quietly against his side again. “It’s in the past.” But her voice sounded small now. Too small.

So’lek looked down at her and finally saw it properly— The shine in her eyes. The careful effort not to cry. And suddenly all his fears hardened into certainty. His assumptions had been right.

Someone had hurt her. Repeatedly.

So’lek’s arm tightened around her gently but possessively. “That will never happen to you again.”

His voice carried absolute certainty. “Not while I am here.”

(Y/n)’s eyes finally lifted toward him then. “I know, So’lek.”

“What happened, ma (Y/n)?”  The question was so gentle it almost hurt more.

Because he was asking like he truly wanted to know.

(Y/n) stared down at her hands twisting together in her lap while the waterfall roared softly nearby, mist drifting through the fading evening light around them.

“It was my fault really…”

The words came automatic. Reflexive.

“They were just…”

She swallowed hard. “…Sec-Ops.”

“They gave everyone trouble.”

Her voice weakened further. “I should not have stayed late.”

“I should have learned when to leave.”

“I was not exactly good at talking to people and I think sometimes they just…”

She struggled for the right wording. “…found me irritating… or desirable.”

So’lek’s expression darkened immediately.

(Y/n) kept going anyway because once the excuses started they would not stop. “I probably made it worse by not reacting properly.”

“And I worked too much.”

“And I didn’t really fit in with the others.”

“So I think maybe—”

So’lek’s hand suddenly closed firmly around her shoulder. “It was not your fault.”

The certainty in his voice shattered something inside her.

Because he said it so quickly. So firmly.

Like there was not even room to debate it.

(Y/n)’s breath hitched sharply. Then the first tear slipped free. Warm against her cheek. She wiped it away quickly but another followed immediately.

Then another. And another.

So’lek’s expression softened instantly. One massive hand rose carefully wiping a tear from beneath her eye with impossible gentleness.

His thumb brushed against trembling skin. “I would hunt them all down if I could.”

The quiet fury beneath the words made her chest ache.

(Y/n) gave a weak watery laugh. “They are probably all dead anyway.”

Another sniffle escaped her.

She tried wiping her face again frustrated now because she hated crying.

But then suddenly—The dam broke completely.

All the exhaustion. The fear. The hurt. Alma’s words. What lay behind the notebooks. The years of loneliness and pressure and never feeling enough.

It crashed through her all at once.

Her breathing shook unevenly and before she even realized what was happening So’lek had already pulled her fully against him.

She crumbled harder.

“What ails your heart, ma (Y/n)?”

And the horrible thing was— There were too many answers. Too many wounds layered over each other until she no longer knew where one ended and another began.

But one rose to the surface strongest.

“Alma…” Her voice cracked badly. “She said I can never be with you.” The words hurt to say aloud.

Like speaking them made them more real. “That I cannot help the Sarentu.”

“That I should not link again.”

“She said I cause too much trouble.”

And deep down— Some ugly broken part of her believed it.

Because hadn’t people always eventually decided she was too much effort?

Too emotional. Too strange. Too quiet.

“I just…” Her voice shrank smaller and smaller. “…want to be left alone.”

But even as she said it— Her arms tightened around him.

Because another part of her wanted the exact opposite. Wanted comfort. Wanted belonging. Wanted this warmth and safety and affection so desperately it terrified her.

That contradiction tore at her constantly.

She wanted people close. But the closer they got— The more terrified she became that eventually they would see the ugly broken parts underneath and leave.

So’lek tilted her face upward gently forcing her tear-filled eyes toward his. “Listen to me carefully.”

His voice stayed low. Steady. Absolute. “You are not trouble.”

(Y/n)’s eyes immediately dropped again but his hand kept her attention on him.

“You are kind.”

“You are gentle.”

His thumb brushed another tear away.

“The Sarentu trust you because you have earned that trust.”

“The Aranahe welcomed you because they see your heart.”

“And I—”

His voice softened almost painfully. “…I love you because there is goodness in you that remains despite all the cruelty you have endured.”

That nearly shattered her completely.

(Y/n)’s breathing trembled harder. “But what if Alma is right?”

The confession came tiny. Fragile.

“What if I am just…” She could barely force the words out. “…nothing?”

So’lek’s entire expression tightened with something almost heartbroken hearing that, this fear lived deep inside her bones now. A belief carved into her over years that her worth depended entirely on usefulness.

That affection could disappear the moment she stopped earning it.

So’lek lowered his forehead gently against hers. “You are not loved because you are useful.”

The words came firm. “You are loved because you are you.”

(Y/n) shut her eyes tightly at that because it hurt. In the unbearable way kindness sometimes hurt when someone had gone too long without believing they deserved it.

Her body finally relaxed against him fully for the first time all day while So’lek held her beside the waterfall as evening settled around them both.

So’lek held her quietly while the last traces of sunlight filtered through the waterfall mist around them, his hand still moving slowly through her hair while her breathing gradually steadied against his chest.

But inside—Something dark and protective had rooted itself deeply in him now.

Because he hated this. Hated how easily words seemed to cut into her.

How quickly cruelty took root beneath her skin and convinced her it belonged there.

Sweet. Gentle. Kind (Y/n).

A woman who fed frightened creatures and taught lost souls and brewed teas meant only to comfort others.

Yet somehow—One cruel conversation could still reduce her to believing she was unwanted.

So’lek’s jaw tightened faintly. Because now he understood something important:

The wounds left on her were not all physical. Some had been carved into the way she thought about herself.

And Alma—Whether intentionally or not—Had pressed directly into those wounds.

So’lek looked down at her curled quietly against him now, exhausted from crying and emotional strain and surgery and lack of sleep all piled together atop each other.

She looked so small in this body, vulnerable in ways he now realized frightened him more than battle ever had.

Because enemies in battle were simple. Direct.

But this?

Watching someone slowly unravel beneath the weight of their own pain while insisting they were fine?

That terrified him. His arm tightened around her slightly.

He would stay closer from now on, he refused to let her retreat back into loneliness while people whispered poison into her heart.

He would make sure she ate.  Rested. Slept.

Laughed.

And if Alma ever tried tearing her down like that again— So’lek was not entirely certain he trusted himself to remain silent a second time.

Because now that he had seen how deeply those words affected her—

Now that he understood the fragile places hidden beneath her gentle smile— Protectiveness had become something far more dangerous.

“You are not alone anymore, ma yawne.”

So’lek carefully dried the remaining tears from her face with his thumbs, slow and patient like he feared any roughness might crack something already fragile inside her further.

The skin beneath her eyes looked sore now. Exhausted.

And still she leaned into his touch instinctively despite all those fears clawing at her heart moments earlier.

It made something fiercely protective rise in his chest all over again.

So’lek brushed another tear from her cheek before speaking quietly.

“I will endeavor to protect you from all dangers.”

(Y/n) blinked softly up at him.

“Cruel words included.”His voice remained calm. But there was iron beneath it. Absolute certainty.

“If I must…” His eyes darkened slightly. “…I shall terrify Alma into leaving you alone.”

That startled a small breath of surprised laughter from her through lingering tears. “You would do that for me?”

So’lek’s expression shifted immediately into something much more serious. “It took a great deal of restraint not to kill her after she caused your seizure.”

The honesty in his voice stole the humor from her immediately. Because he meant it.

He had stood beside her unconscious body believing for several horrible moments she might never wake again. And now after learning what Alma said to her on top of that— His restraint felt dangerously thin.

So’lek’s hand slid gently against the side of her neck, thumb brushing softly beneath her jaw.

“If you need me to keep her away from you…”

“…I can do that.”

(Y/n) hesitated only briefly. Because part of her still hated needing things from people.

But another part— Was simply tired. Tired of enduring. Tired of pretending cruel words did not hurt.

So finally she nodded faintly. “…Please.”

The word came so small it nearly broke his heart again. So’lek’s eyes softened instantly. “Then she will not trouble you again.”

And somehow— The certainty in his voice made her believe him completely.

Someone was choosing to stand between her and the things that hurt her instead of expecting her to simply endure them quietly alone.

Yet tears kept coming anywaya steady stream that seemed impossible to stop now that the dam had finally broken.

Years of swallowing hurt.  Years of telling herself she was fine.

It all poured out.

And every tear hurt So’lek far more than he cared to admit.

And that angered him. Not at her. Never at her.

At every person who had made this gentle soul believe she was a burden. At every cruel word she had carried long after the speaker forgot saying it.

He wouldn’t let that anger show though. He remained steady. Patient.

The waterfall roared softly nearby while evening settled over the forest around them.

(Y/n) shifted slightly against him. "I am sorry."

The warrior sighed quietly.

Then gently tilted her face upward again. "There is nothing for you to apologize for."

More tears escaped anyway.

And this time she did not even try hiding them. Because she was exhausted.

So, she simply sat there and cried while he held her.

Inside, however, he made a silent vow. A quiet promise made to himself while he held the woman he loved.

He would not let anyone speak to her like that again. Not Alma. Not anyone.

He would stand beside her when doubt crept in.

And when those old wounds whispered lies into her heart— He would be there to tell her the truth instead.

Because he could not promise she would never know sadness again.

No one could make such a promise. Life was too cruel for that.

But he could promise something else.

Night had fully fallen by the time So’lek walked (Y/n) back into the resistance base. The halls were quieter now. Most people had settled into evening routines, conversations softer, lights dimmer, the constant bustle of the day finally slowing.

For once, (Y/n) looked tired enough that she wasn't trying to sneak off toward a notebook or some half-finished experiment.

She simply walked beside him. Quiet. Drained. Still emotionally wrung out from the day.

So’lek glanced down at her. “Have you eaten at all today?”

The silence that followed told him everything.

His eyes narrowed immediately. “(Y/n).”

She suddenly became very interested in a spot on the floor. “So... funny story.”

His stare intensified. “(Y/n).”

She sighed dramatically. “I did not wake up with much of an appetite.”

His expression did not change.

“And then Etuwa happened.”

Still no change.

“And then surgery happened.”

Nothing.

“And then I forgot.”

So’lek closed his eyes briefly. The deep sigh that followed came from the very depths of his soul.

Of course she forgot.

Why had he expected anything different?

“You must eat.”

(Y/n) immediately rolled her eyes. “I knew you were going to say that.”

“And yet you still have not eaten.”

Before she could escape, a large hand settled firmly against the middle of her back and began steering her toward the kitchen.

“Hey.”

“You are eating.”

“I am a grown woman.”

“You are a grown woman who forgets basic necessities.”

“That is incredibly rude.”

“I am not wrong.”

She muttered something under her breath that.

So’lek chose to ignore it. Mostly.

The kitchen was empty when they arrived.

(Y/n) sat herself down at one of the benches with the defeated air of someone who knew resistance was futile.

Meanwhile So’lek began the now familiar ritual. Fridge. Bottom compartment. Ration tray.

The tiny cooking box. He still disliked the tiny cooking box.

The fact that food emerged hot from it felt vaguely suspicious.

The machine beeped.

So’lek removed the tray. Fork. Spiky eating stick.

Then finally placed everything directly in front of her. “There.”

(Y/n) stared at it.

The ration tray stared back.

Neither looked impressed.

“You know,” she said thoughtfully. “I almost died recently.”

“Yes.”

“I deserve better food.”

“Yes you do.”

“You could have at least pretended this was appetizing.”

“Unfortunately Ma yawne that would mean lying to you.”

(Y/n) snorted. Then began eating.

And So’lek crouched directly across from her.

Watching.

Every.

Single.

Bite.

After several minutes she lowered her fork.

“What are you doing?”

“Ensuring you eat.”

“I am eating.”

“You paused.”

“To breathe.”

“You may breathe after another bite.”

She stared at him.

He stared back.

Eventually she took another bite. “Happy?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“You are still too thin.”

She nearly choked laughing. “Oh my god.”

“It is true.”

“You sound exactly like Nefika.”

“Then Nefika is wise.”

“Nefika tried to dress me like a decorative tree.”

“So?”

For the first time all day— A genuine laugh escaped her.

The sound hit So’lek harder than he expected. Because only a few hours ago she'd been crying.

Questioning her worth. Questioning whether she belonged anywhere at all.

And now— Now she was laughing.

The sound filled the kitchen.

And suddenly he realized how much he preferred this. This laugh. This warmth. This stubborn woman arguing with him over eating her food.

Far better than tears. Far better than sadness. Far better than watching her break apart beneath the weight of cruel words.

(Y/n) caught him smiling. “You're doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Looking at me like that.”

“How am I looking at you?”

“Like you're plotting something.”

“I am.”

That immediately concerned her.  “What are you plotting?”

“A schedule.”

She groaned instantly. “No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“You will eat breakfast.”

“No.”

“You will.”

“You irritate me.”

The answer came instantly. “You know I don’t.”

Unfortunately—They both knew he was right.

And judging by the smile she was trying and failing to suppress—She knew it too.

So’lek leaned back slightly watching her finish the last of her meal.

And quietly, privately, he accepted a truth he had been fighting for some time now. He was a helpless fool in love. Entirely. Completely. Hopelessly. With a sky person.

And somehow— He did not mind one bit.

The laughter had barely faded when footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Immediately— The atmosphere changed. It was subtle. A tiny shift.

But So’lek noticed it instantly.

One moment (Y/n) was smiling faintly over her empty ration tray.

The next— The warmth drained from her. Like someone had opened a door and let a chilling breeze into the room.

Alma stepped into the kitchen.

The resistance leader paused slightly upon seeing them both there. For a brief moment nobody spoke.

Then So’lek watched something that made his jaw tighten.

(Y/n)'s shoulders stiffened. The easy expression vanished. Her eyes lowered slightly. And the bright spark that had finally returned after hours of tears and reassurance seemed to retreat behind guarded walls once again.

Without thinking So’lek shifted. Positioning himself closer. Angling himself subtly between them.

Alma noticed. The hesitation that crossed her face lasted only a second.

But it was there. Because she could feel it too.

The change.

The way So’lek watched her now. Not with suspicion. Not even dislike.

Something colder. As tight a bow string.

Alma forced herself forward anyway. "How did it go with the Aranahe?"

(Y/n) set down her fork. "Fine." Her voice remained polite. Professional. Nothing like the warmth she'd shown only moments ago.

"Tomorrow I am going back to check on Etuwa. Tamtey is staying with her tonight in case anything changes."

Alma nodded. "(Y/n), you are representing the resistance now."

Immediately So’lek's expression darkened.

Because he didn’t like that tone.

"The Aranahe have agreed to join us and help." Alma folded her arms. "That also means you need to do everything in your power to ensure their Tsahìk recovers fully."

What Alma didn’t say— what she wanted to say. That this should be Nalin. Or Hajir. Or someone with a medical background. Not a zoologist. Not someone who learned medicine through tips and tricks, 0 professional training.

Not her.

(Y/n) sighed heavily. Her head dropped into one hand. Visible exhaustion crossing her face.

"What exactly do you think I am doing, Alma?" Her voice remained calm. Barely. "Playing tea parties and dress-up?"

Alma opened her mouth. Perhaps to argue. Perhaps to criticize. Perhaps to say all the things she clearly wanted to say.

She never got the chance. Because So’lek stood. Slowly. Deliberately.

The movement alone seemed to fill the room.

Towering over both of them. His expression utterly unreadable.

"If that is all you have to say." His voice remained calm. Far too calm.

"Leave." The warning beneath the word was unmistakable.

Alma went still.

So did (Y/n).

The kitchen suddenly felt very quiet.

So’lek did not move.

Did not blink. Did not look away. Just watched.

Waiting— daring her to say something cruel whilst he was here.

Alma swallowed whatever argument she had been about to make.

For perhaps the first time— She seemed to realize that pushing further would accomplish absolutely nothing.

Without another word— She turned and left.

The footsteps faded down the hallway. Silence followed.

Then something happened that made So’lek's chest ache.

(Y/n) visibly relaxed. The tension bled from her shoulders.

The careful guarded expression vanished. And she released a breath she had apparently been holding since Alma entered the room.

Relief. Pure relief. Like someone had removed a weight from her chest.

So’lek sat back down beside her.

His jaw tightened. Because that reaction told him more than any argument ever could. No one should look relieved simply because another person left the room.

Especially not someone as gentle as her.

(Y/n) rubbed tiredly at her eyes. "Thank you."

So’lek looked toward her. "You asked me to keep her away from you."

His voice softened slightly. "I meant it."

A genuine smile returned to her face.

And So’lek found himself thinking once again that he would much rather spend his days protecting that smile than watching it disappear.

For the first time in what felt like forever (Y/n) went to bed smiling. The kind that lingered even after the lights were turned off.

She lay curled beneath her blankets staring up at the ceiling of her quarters while darkness settled comfortably around her.

And beneath her ribs— Something fluttered. Almost unbelievable.

Because all day her mind had kept returning to the same thing.

You are not alone yawne.

The words echoed through her thoughts  because nobody had ever said something like that to her before.

Nobody. Not once.

People promised things all the time. Deadlines. Projects. Meetings. Work.

But never protection. Never safety.

Never—

Her throat tightened slightly.

For most of her life she had simply accepted that if something went wrong she would handle it herself.

If she was scared— Handle it.

If she was hurt— Handle it.

If she was alone— Handle it.

That was just how life worked.

Yet now— There was someone stepped between her and things that would harm her.

The thought made her smile again despite herself.

And unfortunately— It also made her miss him.

Quite terribly.

Because now that she was alone in bed she found herself wishing for something she had never really allowed herself to want before.

His arms around her. The solid warmth of him at her back.

The steady rise and fall of his breathing. His heartbeat.

She imagined curling against his chest and listening to that rhythm while the worries that normally haunted her at night slowly drifted away.

No wondering if she belonged. No replaying every conversation. No endless spiral of self-doubt.

And the knowledge that when she woke— He would still be there.

The image was so vivid she could practically feel it.

A faint laugh escaped her. "I’m hopeless."

The word was directed entirely at herself.

Because somewhere between tea and arguments and stubborn warriors and waterfalls—

She had fallen completely in love.

The thought felt wonderful. So she closed her eyes. Still smiling. Still feeling that fluttering warmth in her chest.

And while she missed him terribly— The memory of his arms around her beneath the waterfall was enough.

And with that thought held close to her heart— (Y/n) drifted peacefully to sleep.

Even warriors needed rest.

So’lek had spent most of the day either worrying about (Y/n), flying her across Pandora, watching over surgery, comforting her, or ensuring she actually ate something resembling a meal then made sure she went to bed.

And now— There was nothing immediate demanding his attention.

No crisis. No wounded Tsahìk. No stubborn healer trying to work herself unconscious.

Just silence.

So, with great reluctance he left the resistance behind and returned to the only place that had truly belonged to him before she entered his life.

The floating mountains welcomed him with cool night air and drifting mist.

Ancient stone rose from endless darkness while waterfalls vanished into clouds below.

Far beneath him the Kinglor Forest glowed softly beneath the moonlight.

Home. Or at least—It used to feel like home.

Iley landed gracefully near the mouth of the cavern that housed So’lek's camp.

The warrior immediately moved toward his ikran first.

"Rest well ma eylan."

Iley rumbled softly as So’lek laid food before him.

The great ikran lowered his head into the offered affection while So’lek scratched along his neck ridges.

For a few quiet moments there was only the familiar comfort of old companionship. The bond of countless battles. Countless flights.

Then eventually Iley settled nearby.

And So’lek entered the cavern alone.

His home was simple. Functional. A warrior's dwelling. Weapons carefully maintained. Supplies neatly organized.

A hammock suspended between two posts.

The kind of place he had once preferred. The kind of solitude he had once sought.

Yet tonight—It felt strangely cold. Empty.

So’lek removed his chest piece with a tired exhale setting it carefully on the rack where he hung a few spares before lowering himself onto the edge of his hammock.

His eyes drifted across the cavern.

And entirely against his will—His thoughts wandered toward her.

Toward what this place would look like if she were here.

Immediately he could picture it. Notebooks scattered everywhere. Tea somehow appearing in places tea had no business appearing. Strange little collections of plants drying from the ceiling. Medical supplies slowly invading every available surface.

Arguments about proper storage. Arguments about food. Arguments about sleep.

Arguments about whether she was allowed to climb dangerous cliffs looking for some obscure flower. Which now thinking about it, it would be unlikely, she was terrified of heights. He would likely be sent to get that fruit and he’d have agreed.

The image came so easily it startled him.

Because for the first time in many years— His camp no longer felt complete with only himself in it.

He found himself wondering what it would sound like with her laughter echoing against the stone.

What it would feel like waking beside her. Whether she would complain about the hammock.

Whether she would insist on making the surface of the cavern that housed his camp a refuge for injured animals.  Whether she'd fill the entire place with tea.

The thought made the corner of his mouth twitch faintly.

Then So’lek groaned quietly and rubbed a hand over his face.

"I’m a fool." The word carried no real frustration. Only affection.

Because he knew exactly what this was. He was hopelessly in love.

And somehow it had happened without him noticing. A glance. A conversation. A cup of tea. A gentle heart.

And now here he was imagining her living in his home.

The warrior shook his head at himself before finally settling back into the hammock.

And for a few moments he simply listened. The wind. The waterfalls. The distant calls of nocturnal creatures.

Then his eyes closed. Because tomorrow would come quickly. And tomorrow he would return to her. Return to making sure she ate breakfast.

The thought settled warmly in his chest.

And for perhaps the first time in many nights—So’lek fell asleep with a faint smile on his face.

Nor almost collided with them as they stepped out of the resistance base.

Ri’nela laughed so hard she nearly walked directly into him.

(Y/n) was not much better.

Both were still recovering from a story that had somehow spiraled completely out of control.

"And then," (Y/n) wheezed, trying and failing to keep a straight face, "they all insisted it was some terrible curse."

Ri’nela doubled over laughing. "It was ten people!"

"It was nine."

"You said it was ten."

"It was nine and one unfortunate hunter who happened to walk into camp at the wrong time."

By now both women were laughing again.

Nor blinked slowly. "...What are you talking about?"

(Y/n) rubbed at her eyes. "A tea experiment."

"A terrible tea experiment," Ri’nela corrected.

(Y/n) pointed accusingly. "It was a valuable learning experience."

"You accidentally gave almost ten Omaticaya warriors terrible stomach problems."

"Trial and error. Mostly error."

That started the laughter all over again.

Nor watched them with an expression somewhere between concern and confusion.

Eventually he interrupted. "Where are you two off to?"

"Checking on Etuwa."

"And tea," Ri’nela added immediately.

(Y/n) nodded sagely. "Tea is a functional mechanism designed to get people to stop gossiping or picking on me."

Nor stared. "...That is not what tea is."

"It works surprisingly often."

The three of them stood together for a moment before Nor's expression shifted.

Something uncertain passing behind his eyes.

(Y/n) noticed immediately. "What?"

Nor glanced away briefly. Then back. "I was hoping..."

The words came slower than usual. "The Aranahe would come here eventually." He folded his arms. "Meet us."

His gaze dropped toward the ground. "We are not exactly Na'vi." The hesitation beneath the words was impossible to miss. "Will they welcome us?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

Ri’nela and (Y/n) answered at exactly the same time.

Nor rolled his eyes.

(Y/n) smiled softly.

"The Aranahe care about who you are. Not where you came from."

Ri’nela nodded. "And Nefika would probably adopt half the resistance after a single conversation."

That actually earned a small snort from Nor.

(Y/n) grinned."Tea and good company are a recipe for good conversations." Most problems become smaller once people sit down together."

Ri’nela smiled. "I collected the herbs for this one."

"You did."

"I deserve partial credit."

"You deserve exactly twenty percent credit."

"Thirty."

"Twenty."

Nor found himself fighting a smile. Again. Strange.

(Y/n) adjusted her satchel. "You are welcome to join us."

Nor immediately shook his head. "Maybe next time."

The answer came much too quickly.

Which only made Ri’nela grin knowingly.

Nor pretended not to notice.

The two women headed down the path together still discussing tea recipes and arguing over percentages of herbal credit until they disappeared between the trees.

Nor watched them go.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Teylan appeared beside him carrying a basket of fruit.

Nor did not even look surprised. "I have a feeling."

Nor sighed. "That Tamtey, (Y/n), Etuwa, Nefika, Ri’nela and a group of gossiping women is a recipe for disaster."

Teylan considered that. "...That is fair."

"Come on."

"What?"

"Let's go feed the viperwolf pups."

Nor's expression immediately softened despite himself. The pups had become everyone's weakness.

"You can handle the pups."

Teylan looked offended. "What does that mean?"

"It means they adore you."

"They adore (Y/n)."

"They adore anyone willing to feed them."

Which unfortunately was true. Nor glanced toward the sanctuary. "I will tend to Ulrr."

At the mention of the prolemuris his expression softened further.

Teylan grinned. "You like him."

Nor ignored him and started walking.

Teylan followed immediately.

Waiting outside the resistance base were two warriors and two ikrans.

Tamtey sat comfortably atop his own ikran looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Beside him stood So’lek and Iley.

The moment (Y/n) spotted the massive  ikran her smile faltered. "Oh no."

Ri’nela looked between her and Iley. "What?"

"No."

Tamtey immediately started laughing. "We are not walking all the way to Hometree."

"I am."

"No you are not."

"Watch me."

Meanwhile Ri’nela had already happily climbed onto Tamtey's ikran without complaint.

(Y/n) looked horrified about the concept of flying..

Before she could continue her escape attempt she turned toward Tamtey instead. "How is Etuwa?"

The question immediately redirected her attention.

Tamtey's expression softened. "The pain medicine has not worn off yet. She believes she is perfectly healthy."

(Y/n) groaned. "Of course she does."

"She has remained in bed at least."

"Good."

"I threatened her."

"Excellent."

Tamtey grinned. "She threatened me back."

"That sounds more like Etuwa."

While they spoke So’lek simply watched her.

The guarded expression he wore around most people disappeared entirely the moment his eyes settled on her. The hard edges softened. The tension eased.

Something warm replacing it.

Then (Y/n) finally looked over. Saw him. Saw Iley. And froze.

The warmth vanished from her face.

Then very slowly she began backing away. "No."

So’lek sighed. "(Y/n)."

"No."

"You are flying."

"I am walking."

"With those small legs?" His gaze moved across her human body. "It will take you a week."

"Better my legs than going splat after falling to my death."

Tamtey nearly fell off his ikran laughing.

Ri’nela wasn't helping.

Neither was Iley who seemed deeply amused by the whole situation.

So’lek folded his arms. "You have flown with me before."

"And?"

"I did not drop you then."

"I was lucky."

The warrior stared at her.

She stared back. "I will see you next week."

She turned. Made it three whole steps.

Then So’lek caught her shoulder.

(Y/n) immediately stopped.

Not because he forced her. Because there was absolutely no point continuing.

"I can assure you." His voice lowered slightly. "You will not fall."

She looked up at him. Then at Iley. Then back at him. Then at Iley again.

The ikran blinked.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Iley looked innocent.

Which somehow made him more suspicious.

Finally (Y/n) groaned. Loudly. "Damn it."

Tamtey cheered.

Ri’nela laughed.

And So’lek looked entirely too pleased with himself.

A few moments later he helped her onto Iley's saddle.

The second she was seated her hands immediately latched onto his arm. Death grip Absolute panic.

So’lek climbed on behind her. His arms settled around her securely.

"You see?"

"No."

"We have not even taken off yet."

"Exactly."

A deep chuckle escaped him. The sound rumbled through his chest against her back.

Then Iley launched skyward.

(Y/n) made a sound somewhere between a squeak and a prayer before instantly burying her face against So’lek's arm.

Her grip somehow tightened even further. "I am going to die."

"You are not."

"I am."

"You are not."

"I can feel it."

So’lek laughed outright this time. A genuine laugh. Rare. Warm.

And annoyingly attractive.

Meanwhile below them the forest stretched endlessly beneath drifting clouds and floating mountains. Beautiful. Magnificent.

(Y/n) saw absolutely none of it.

Because her eyes remained firmly shut while she clung to So’lek's arm as though letting go would immediately result in her being launched into orbit.

And honestly?

So’lek found it completely adorable.

Nothing affected him quite like the feeling of (Y/n) clinging to his arm.

Her hands were so small. Tiny compared to his own.

Even through the leather bracers around his forearm he could feel every ounce of determination in the way she held on.

As though letting go would immediately result in her plummeting from the sky.

The thought almost made him laugh again. Almost.

Because he was far too busy enjoying the warmth spreading through his chest.

He glanced down slightly. Her entire body was tense. Shoulders drawn tight. Face buried against his arm. Every muscle braced for catastrophe.

"You may breathe, yawne."

"I am breathing."

The answer came immediately. Muffled.

So’lek raised an eyebrow. "Barely."

"I am surviving."

"You are being dramatic."

The horrified sound she made nearly made him lose the argument immediately. "Dramatic?"

"Yes."

"I am hundreds of feet above the ground."

"Correct."

"On a giant flying creature."

"Also correct."

"One strong gust of wind away from becoming a stain on the ground thousands of feet below us."

So’lek laughed outright. A warm deep sound carried away by the rushing air.

The sound made her squeeze his arm even tighter.

"We will be there soon."

"Not soon enough."

The answer came so quickly that he knew she had not even thought about it.

Another smile tugged at his mouth. How someone could be so brave and so fearful at the same time remained a mystery to him.

This woman would kneel beside wounded predators without hesitation. Would open someone's body to save their life.

Yet flying reduced her to this. A trembling little thing glued to his arm.

The thought was unbearably endearing. "You are adorable."

Very slowly. The tips of her ears turned red. Then her cheeks. Then the flush spread across her entire face.

So’lek watched it happen with immense satisfaction.

Because unlike when she was frightened— This blush came from something else entirely.

And Eywa help him— It was beautiful.

(Y/n) buried her face further against his arm. "Do not."

"Do not what?"

"Say things."

His smile widened. "What things?"

She groaned. A long suffering sound. "The things you keep saying."

"So I am correct."

"No."

"You are blushing."

"It is warm."

"We are several hundred feet in the air."

"..."

"So I am correct."

She made another distressed sound.

And So’lek found himself laughing again. Because beneath all her intelligence. All her compassion.

She remained wonderfully bashful. Sweet. Gentle. Soft-hearted.

And every time she blushed because of him— Some foolish part of him felt victorious.

So’lek tightened his arm around her slightly as Iley cut through the clouds toward Hometree.

The warrior found himself wondering how he had ever been happy before she walked into his life.

Iley landed smoothly outside Hometree. His wings folded. His claws settled against ground.

The flight was over. So’lek waited. Nothing happened. A few moments passed.

Still nothing.

Then he looked down.

(Y/n) remained exactly where she had been for the entire journey. Eyes squeezed shut. Both hands locked firmly around his arm. Her grip had somehow become even tighter during the landing.

So’lek fought the urge to laugh. "Yawne."

No response. Only a suspicious tightening of her fingers. "We have arrived."

"I do not believe you."

So’lek's shoulders shook. "We have."

"I cannot verify that."

Slowly So’lek glanced around.

Tamtey was already dismounting nearby. Ri’nela was openly laughing.

Even Iley seemed amused.

Meanwhile (Y/n) still had absolutely no intention of opening her eyes.

"Yawne."

"What?"

"We are on the ground." A smile tugged at his mouth. "Would you like proof?"

"...Maybe."

Carefully So’lek stepped down from Iley's saddle while supporting her at the waist.

(Y/n) immediately made a distressed sound and clung tighter.

He was surprised how much strength those small arms had.

Ri’nela nearly doubled over laughing.

So’lek finally lost the battle himself. A deep chuckle escaped him as he carefully lowered her onto solid ground.

Her boots touched earth. She remained frozen. Still gripping his arm.

Still refusing to open her eyes.

So’lek looked down at their joined arms.

Then at her.

Then back at their joined arms."Yawne."

"What?"

"We are standing."

"..."

"On the ground."

"..."

"You may open your eyes."

Slowly. Very slowly. One eye cracked open.

Then the other.

She looked around. Saw Hometree. Saw Tamtey. Saw Ri’nela laughing herself breathless.

Saw Iley standing peacefully beside them.

Then realization hit. They had landed. Several moments ago.

(Y/n) immediately looked down. At her hands.

Still firmly attached to So’lek's arm.

The flush that spread across her face was magnificent.

Ri’nela finally broke.

Tamtey wasn't much better.

(Y/n) released his arm quickly. "I knew that." She tried recovering.

"No you did not."

So’lek smiled warmly as she crossed her arms in embarrassment.

Because despite all her attempts to recover her dignity— Her face was still bright red.

He found every bit of it utterly charming.

The realization hit her all at once. They had landed. And she had been standing there clutching So’lek's arm like a terrified child refusing to leave her parent behind.

In front of everyone.

(Y/n) immediately buried her face in both hands. "Oh no."

That only made Tamtey laugh harder, he doubled over slightly, one hand braced against his knee while Ri’nela looked moments away from falling over.

(Y/n) groaned into her hands. "Please stop."

Unfortunately for her neither of them listened.

"So’lek had to practically carry you off Iley."

(Y/n) made a sound of pure despair.

So’lek stood nearby watching the entire thing unfold. The corner of his mouth twitched. Then twitched again.

Then finally betrayed him completely. A smile.

(Y/n) peeked through her fingers and immediately pointed at him. "You."

"What about me?"

"You are not allowed to make fun of me."

The smile widened. "I believe I am."

"This is your fault."

"How?"

"You keep insisting that I don’t walk."

Iley let out an offended chirp nearby.

Tamtey immediately pointed toward the ikran. "You hurt his feelings."

Ri’nela had tears in her eyes now from laughing. "Your face is red."

"Ri’nela."

"Very red."

"Ri’nela."

"You look like a ripened fruit."

(Y/n) groaned and covered her face again.

So’lek found himself staring at her. At the embarrassment. The bashfulness.

The way she tried hiding behind her hands despite everyone already seeing her.

And suddenly something warm settled in his chest.

This was infinitely better than yesterday. Better than tears. Better than sadness. Better than seeing her doubt herself. He would gladly endure a lifetime of watching her be embarrassed if it meant never seeing that heartbreak in her eyes again.

Slowly he reached over and gently caught one of her wrists.

(Y/n) immediately froze.

Then he lowered her hand just enough that she had to look at him.

Her cheeks were still bright red.

Ri’nela and Tamtey were still laughing behind her.

But So’lek's attention remained entirely on her. "There is nothing to be embarrassed about."

"There absolutely is, I’m dying over here."

"You were afraid."

"So you held on."

One large hand brushed lightly against hers.

"I am glad you did."

And just like that— The embarrassment somehow got worse. Because now her heart was trying to escape her chest all over again.

Ri’nela saw it happen immediately. "Oh no."

"What?"

"Oh she is blushing harder."

"Ri’nela I swear to Eywa—"

Nefika poked her head out.

Saw (Y/n)'s face. Saw So’lek smiling. Saw Tamtey and Ri’nela laughing.

And immediately grinned. "Oh this is excellent."

(Y/n) looked toward the sky as if asking Eywa herself for strength.

She received none. And unfortunately for her— Everyone present appeared determined to enjoy this moment for as long as possible.

Ri’nela was still trying to stop laughing when (Y/n) finally tried recovering and get the attention off her.

“Ri’nela.”

The young Sarentu immediately straightened. “Yes?”

“How about you go with Nefika and put the tea on.”

Ri’nela grinned. “Are you trying to distract us?”

(Y/n) shook her head, but yes she was trying to divert their attention.  “I’m going to check on Etuwa.”

That seemed acceptable enough.

Ri’nela started toward Nefika only for the Aranahe woman to suddenly hold up a hand.

“Wait.”

(Y/n) immediately narrowed her eyes. That expression never meant anything good. “Nefika.”

“Stand still.”

“Nefika.”

The Aranahe woman ignored her completely and produced a small woven scarf from somewhere.

The next— Scarf.

Before (Y/n) could escape, Nefika stepped forward and carefully draped it around her neck.

The soft woven fabric settled against her shoulders.

Nefika stepped back critically. Examining her work. Then nodded in satisfaction. “There.”

(Y/n) looked down at it.

“Nefika.”

Nefika smiled brightly. “It brings much more color to your cheeks.”

The moment those words left her mouth—Ri’nela immediately started laughing again.

Because unfortunately— She was correct.

(Y/n)’s face was still pink from the entire flight ordeal. “Wonderful.”

“It looks lovely.”

“I am going to check on Etuwa now.”

“A wise choice.”

(Y/n) sighed the long suffering sigh of someone who had completely lost control of a situation hours ago and had simply accepted her fate.

Then she turned and escaped toward the healer's circle before anyone could find something else to laugh at her about.

Or worse. Another comment So’lek.

Behind her Nefika looked very pleased with herself. Ri’nela took the tea supplies. Tamtey was still grinning. And in the background So’lek watched her go.

The scarf sat against her shoulders.

And despite her obvious embarrassment She looked happy. Lighter somehow.

A small smile appeared on his face before he could stop it.

Tamtey immediately noticed and grinned.

So’lek glanced toward him. “What?”

“You have that look.”

“What look?”

Tamtey folded his arms. “The one where you stare after her like a lovestruck fool.”

So’lek gave him a flat stare.

Tamtey only grinned wider.

Nearby Nefika perked up immediately. “Lovestruck?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

The Aranahe woman gasped dramatically. “Oh this is excellent.”

So’lek moved to escape, moving to sit against one of the great roots near the healer's circle.

Close enough to watch.Far enough away to avoid becoming involved.

The sounds of Hometree drifted around him. Laughter. Conversation.

The occasional groan from Etuwa followed by a healer reminding her not to move.

The warrior reached into a pouch and withdrew the necklace he had been working on.

Small carved river stones. Each one shaped carefully by hand.

The beginnings of a gift.

His hands moved automatically now, carving and smoothing another bead while his eyes occasionally drifted toward the healer's circle.

Toward her.

(Y/n) was speaking with one of the healers now. The scarf Nefika had draped around her shoulders still rested there.

Every so often she would touch it absent-mindedly before realizing what she was doing and sighing.

The sight pulled a small smile from him.

His fingers continued working over the stone. And his thoughts wandered. Because lately every road seemed to lead back to her.

His gaze settled on her again. Watched her tuck loose hair behind one ear while listening to someone speak.

Watched the way children seemed naturally drawn toward her as she changed Etuwa’s IV.

The smile lingered.

Then his thoughts drifted somewhere else entirely.

Toward the future. Toward possibilities. Toward traditions.

His carving paused.

Lover's braces.

The thought arrived so suddenly it almost caught him off guard.

For a moment he simply stared at the unfinished necklace resting in his hands.

Then slowly— The smile returned.

Stronger this time.

Because yes.

Perhaps soon.

Not today.

Not tomorrow.

She was still recovering. Still finding her footing. Still learning to believe she belonged.

But soon.

His eyes lifted again.

(Y/n) was currently sighing at Nefika who had apparently produced yet another garment from thin air.

The healer looked seconds away from surrender.

Ri’nela was no help whatsoever. Neither was Tamtey.

The entire situation made So’lek's smile widen slightly.

Yes.

Definitely soon.

Because every day he found himself imagining a future that included her more easily than one without.

The warrior looked back down at the stone in his hands. Then at the necklace. Then toward her again.

His fingers resumed carving. Steady. Patient.

Already considering designs. Already considering materials. Already imagining how her face might look when he eventually presented them. And judging by the warm feeling spreading through his chest—He suspected he would be carving a pair of lover's braces sooner rather than later.

Next >

@whos-nin1 @lvlypinkesworld @loaf-with-jam @deepangelpartykid @itsfrenchxfrxes @quietlydecafinated @lovelyinthesunlitsky @lizzy91768 @bxxbeaxxb @twentysomethingwereyote @jillxty @rinitoshi13 @gvyknkj @nikomenom @intervitadatura @buckybluebarnes @theatregeek-247 @valinat @rinitoshi13 @sunshinescubagear @7leo7 @eeorrrr @layingintheloam @poppyw4 @marija4674 @miniverse-zen @ur-juno @sleepisfortheweakpooh @akamenaruto14 @pinkglittertaco @annoyingasexual @grcsbluepen @deepwaterdreams @canteloupesoda

[t0nys-art-collecti0n]

AO3 mentioned I suppose 🥹😋

@starsarebugsinspace

[grcsbluerpen]

could I request a neytiri x fem reader (jake and neytiri rnt a thing here) where maybe they're out hunting or something and either neytiri accidently fires a shot at reader or reader jumps to protect neytiri from something (I know its a bit dramatic for just hunting...) and its fluff where neytiti rambles and lectures reader while reader thinks neytiri is hot whe shes mad

Misfire - N.

╰ Neytiri x Fem!avatar driver!reader

✵ Word count: 9.6k

✵ Summary: After weeks of learning under Neytiri, she decided you were ready to try hunting on your own. That decision may have been made too quickly.

✵ CW: flufffff, reader is kind of a dumbass but Neytiri loves it, blood, very brief mentions of gore but nothing terribly intense, injuries, medical use of a needle (I doubt na’vi really use stitches but they’re going to today), mild swearing, Tsu’tey and Mo’at guest star

✵ Translations:

- Skxawng: idiot/moron | - Yawne: beloved

✵ Notes: so I’m actually incapable of writing short fics oops. I just had so much fun writing this one it had to go on for a few thousand extra words. Neytiri, this was a little too natural to make for you babe I think yuri is your calling

You were always hot-headed. Stubborn, reckless, and inherently human. There were some traits that even the many weeks spent in your avatar body couldn't get rid of. But they were also some of the reasons Neytiri had grown so fond of you.

It was slow-moving at first. When she had agreed to teach you the Omaticaya ways— maybe agreed was too generous a word. Acceptance was more accurate— she was harsh with you. Ears always pinned and tail always flicking. You did your best to learn from her, but you were just as strong-willed. It's safe to say that it took time to truly find a rhythm with her.

Slowly, chronic irritation gave way to something else entirely. She was softer with you, her shoulders losing that tension she carried when watching you try to complete even the simplest of tasks. In turn, you began absorbing her lessons quickly, even beginning to pick up her language. It was still broken, of course, your human accent slipping through constantly. But then again, she sounded the same way trying to speak your language.

So your tense relationship suddenly turned to friendship, lingering on something more. She still thinks you're a skxawng, which was a deserving title at times. You hadn't even known what the word meant until recently, when one of the scientists mentioned it in passing. But it was different now. When the name fell from her lips, it came with an almost soft edge to it. Like she meant it with affection rather than annoyance.

These thoughts swirled in your mind as you regained your lost focus, crouched nimbly over the bow in your hands, and staring down at it with frustration. You had broken the thing on your last hunting lesson in a poor attempt at a long-range shot. It wasn't the only weapon available, but Neytiri had insisted you learn to fix it yourself. Ideally, before the next time you would need it.

But it was hopeless. The bow's string was frayed at the edges after you had messily tied it back onto the wood, where it currently hung on by a thread. Literally. On top of this, when it snapped, it damaged the intricate weaving on the grip. That part you hadn't even tried to touch yet.

With a deep sigh, you turned the bow over, examining it carefully and determining what would be needed to fix it. Just start with rewrapping the grip. You thought, glancing over your shoulder at the basket of materials Neytiri had left you with. At least she spared you from having to search for your own, likely knowing you would choose things she would not.

You reached for the little basket, digging through it to gather anything you thought would be useful. At first, it was just a few long strips of leather and twine, but as you spotted more colorful pieces, something creative sparked in your mind. Soon, you had a pile of feathers, beads, and braiding string in front of you. If you were going to fix the bow, you may as well make it pretty.

Your tail swished once at the idea, brows pinching in focus as your fingers started working diligently. It took forever, but eventually the weapon was restored, maybe even better looking than what it started as. Feathers dangled from its limbs while beaded braids hung from the grip, just below where your hand would sit.

As you admired your work, holding it up to your face for a better look, you heard the approach of soft footsteps behind you. Your ears flicked in their direction as you quickly recognized who they belonged to. Neytiri came up beside you, strides fluid and steady.

"I think I did it." You announced as she crouched beside you, close enough that you felt the warmth radiating off her body. It made your tail curl just slightly.

Neytiri leaned in to examine the work, braids slowly falling over her leading shoulder. Her lips tugged into the makings of a smile upon seeing your bow. She knew if she left you long enough, you would figure it out on your own. "It is good," She praised, brushing one of the feathers between her thumb and index finger. "Perhaps it will be faster next time." Your head tilted just barely to read her expression. There was no hostility in the words, only a playfulness you were starting to see more of lately.

You exhaled slowly, eyes falling to the weapon. "It would've been if the string didn't keep snapping." You muttered the reply, setting the weapon down on the floor in front of you. In the most horribly perfect timing, the frayed spot where the string clung to the bow's limb split in two, causing a recoil that barely missed the skin of your leg. It whipped backwards with such force that you were sure it would have left a nasty mark had it struck you.

An irritated groan left your lips, your head dropping into your hands. No matter how much practice you had at this, it felt like you'd never get it. Neytiri's tail flicked once, eyes calculating, probably preparing the inevitable lecture. But as you sat there waiting, it never came. Instead, you felt a hand slide across your shoulder. The touch was so tender, it caught you by surprise. Your head tilted up and gaze flickered to hers.

There was a moment of stillness, as quiet and intimate as the forest around you. You were so close, leaning in toward each other like gravity was pulling you there. It was almost easy to forget the frustration of your broken weapon. But Neytiri didn't forget. She must have also realized the proximity, because her gaze suddenly fell back to the bow, scooping it up in her palms. It was a quick movement, similar to when one changes the subject to avoid addressing what's right in front of them.

"It is an easy fix," She assured, falling back into that teaching demeanor she used with you. But it was gentler today, comforting in a way. "Watch carefully." Your eyes followed her nimble fingers as they strung up the bow. Each motion was skilled, reflecting a lifetime spent practicing this.

"The way you tie it, it will always break." She explained, pulling the string tight. "Knot it like this." You did your absolute best to follow along, but she lost you somewhere in the intricate knot. As she held it up to show it to you, you were sure you wouldn't be able to repeat it. You would just have to make sure not to break the bow again.

"Could you show me again, but slower?" You asked, softening the question by flashing her a teasing smile, sharp canines visible past your lips. Her tail lashed in response, but there was no true irritation behind it. Either Neytiri was in a great mood today, or your smile was beginning to work on her.

"I will show you again if it breaks again." She promised, suddenly rising to her feet with your bow still in hand. "Come, we do not want to miss the day." As she agilely passed behind you, not even bothering to make sure you were following— probably because she knew you would— her tail brushed along your shoulder in the lightest touch. You shuddered at the contact as her skin crossed your shoulder blades. Was that intentional? It was hard to tell, but nothing seemed an accident with her.

An ear flicked in her direction, her footsteps slowly quieting with every moment you spent contemplating the interaction. Before she disappeared from view entirely, you hopped to your feet, practically gliding across the woven platform with an agility you still weren't used to.

"Where are we going?" You asked casually, falling into step at her side. Neytiri paused for a brief moment, only to slide your freshly repaired bow over your shoulders. You fought the urge to let your breath catch as her fingertips slid across the back of your neck to free your hair from the weapon.

"We are hunting." She told you simply, hand withdrawing from your skin. You gazed at her for a moment longer than you should have, unable to resist taking in the way her eyes looked there. They were somehow always the perfect mix of intense and gentle. She noticed. Of course she did. The moment you saw her brows pinch together, only by a hair, your gaze fell away and ears tilted backward involuntarily.

All she did was snicker, lips pulling together into a playful smirk. "Come on, skxawng." She teased, making sure to put all her effort into pronouncing the name. Before you could come up with a clever enough reply, you felt her fingers suddenly curl around your forearm to lead you across hometree, aiming for the wide opening in the roots. She didn't have her bow, which was curious, considering the task at hand required one. But she rarely did things carelessly, so it must have been for a reason. You decided not to ask.

Neytiri only released your arm once you were out in the forest, pausing to drink in her surroundings as if it was her first time seeing this. That was the thing about Pandora. No matter how many times you came out here, you just never got used to it. Everything around you filled your senses. From the vegetation below your feet, curling and brushing your skin, to the warm breeze whispering around your body, to the millions of colors taking up as much space in your large eyes as they could. You always felt like you needed an extra few minutes just to adjust to it all.

You obviously needed way more time than Neytiri, who had already started off deeper into the woods. She fully expected you to keep up with her, knowing you were physically capable by now. So without much thought, your body sprang to life and bounded through the undergrowth at a speed that still felt jarringly fast.

She didn't make it easy for you. All you could see was her backside somewhere in the distance, her tail swaying as it followed along with her movements. You did your best to mimic her, sprinting across logs, weaving through trees and every other manner of plant that grew here. All the while, the sound of her laughter filled your ears, making you feel like a child again. She knew exactly the game she was playing.

Just as you thought your legs had adjusted to the test of speed and agility, Neytiri gracefully slid to a stop. Surprised, although you really shouldn't be by now, you skidded several feet past her, narrowly dodging a large growth of plants that definitely didn't look okay to touch.

You groaned dramatically, dusting yourself off as you regained your balance. When you turned to face Neytiri in complaint, you found her standing poised as nimble as a cat. Her ears pointed forward and eyes scanned something in the undergrowth. "What did you find?" You asked, abandoning the prepared words of protest.

She turned to you quickly, though an ear remained pointed in the direction she had been looking. One of her hands lifted to the side of your face, thumb brushing across your nose. "Use your senses, hunter." She replied, emphasizing the name in a voice that sounded like a sort of purr to you. Did you hear that right? You replayed the words in your mind as she slid her fingers to one of your ears and then down to your jaw. They found your chin, tilting your head toward the mystery target. "What do you see?"

Your eyes surveyed the brush, trying to find what she had so easily spotted at a full sprint. Nothing. Just leaves, vines, flowers in every manner of color, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then your eyes landed on it so quickly, it seemed silly you didn't notice it before. Right in a dense tangle of plants was an unnatural break. Something had definitely crossed through there.

Neytiri's tail flicked with pride as your shoulders loosened a little. But that wasn't enough. Anything could have broken a path through the bushes. Hell, you just did on your run out here.

You swished your tail slowly back and forth as you worked through this. She must have sensed your thought process, bringing her fingers back up to the slope of your nose. It was a hint. And you understood immediately, breathing in deeply. Her hand slid gently to your shoulder as your eyes fluttered closed, channeling all your focus to what your nose picked up.

It took a few moments to pinpoint what you were looking for, but Neytiri was patient today. She waited there as steady as the trees that towered overhead. You found the scent eventually, but you still had to shuffle through what wildlife you knew to try and identify it... Hexapede! That's what it was. A group of them at that, at least three or four.

"It's hexapede." You announced suddenly, head turning to meet Neytiri's gaze. Her lips tugged into the prettiest smile you'd ever seen, her hand giving a slight squeeze at your shoulder.

"We will make a hunter of you yet," She teased with the slightest tilt of her head, eyes searching yours for a fleeting moment. Then they were gone. You felt her fingertips drag down your skin to curl around your elbow. "Come, we will follow it." She told you, tugging gently at your arm.

Off you went through the forest again, but slower this time. You took the time to carefully examine the trail, every break in the leaves, each footprint. But it was your nose you relied on the most, doing your best to keep the scent in the forefront of your mind, which was working beautifully.

Your ears flicked, trying to pick up even the smallest of sounds around you. Though you could not yet detect any movement, the scent was starting to grow stronger. You were getting closer. Neytiri noticed this too, suddenly coming to a stop behind you. "You will hunt this one on your own." She told you, flashing you that subtle smile of hers.

"Is that why you don't have your bow?" You questioned in realization, a hand gripping around the string of your weapon that still sat slung across your chest. She took a step forward to remove your hands from it gently, probably out of worry that you would snap it again.

"Sharp eyes." Neytiri teased, tail playfully flicking the skin of your leg.

"That's why you had me fix mine this morning." You thought aloud, realization continuing to set in. She had planned this. All you got in response was that smile again.

"Remember your nose, and keep your eyes up." She spent the next few minutes reminding you of the most important things she'd taught you about hunting, preparing to send you on your own.

Once she had filled your head with as much information as it could hold, she turned you toward the trail and gave you a subtle nudge that way. You could already feel her absence, even if she was still only standing a few feet behind you. It's not that you were clueless, you definitely weren't. Neytiri was a great teacher, and when it came to textbook knowledge, you knew exactly what to do. But it was different out in the forest, alone, without Neytiri's careful guidance.

"Where will you be?" You questioned, momentarily turning back toward her. You were met with her knowing eyes, sparkling with a sort of affection you couldn't quite place. But you could tell she was fond of this. You. The idea made your tail swish subtly, back and forth.

"I will not be far, yawne." She told you, lips once again pulling into that distracting smile, brighter than all of Pandora. It hit you quickly that you didn't recognize the word she used. Yawne. It rolled off her tongue so easily, as if it had always been there.

"What does that mean? Yawne?" You asked, slightly mispronouncing the term in your human accent. Her nose scrunched just slightly at the sound, paired with the smile that stayed glued to her face. The expression looked beautiful on her, making your ears lower a hair as you absorbed the sight of it. The look she gave you told you she was not going to answer your question. At first, you thought it could be another word like skxawng. Maybe a sort of affectionate insult? It wasn't far-fetched for Neytiri, but it was such a soft-sounding word that it seemed wrong as an offense.

"You will learn someday." She assured simply, a hand reaching across the short distance between you to brush her fingers along your forearm.

"I thought you were supposed to teach me your language?" You countered, trying not to focus too hard on the feeling of her fingertips against your skin. An amused expression pulled at her features. There was clearly something about the situation that you were not let in on.

"Go," She laughed out, giving you another shove and nodding her head in the direction of the trail. "Before you lose your hunt."

You gave a playful shake of your head before setting off, doing your best to focus on the things she'd told you. At first, it was easy. The scent was strong, singled out from any other in the area and steadily getting closer. Between that and the hoofprints left in the softer patches of dirt, you could confirm your number from earlier. Definitely four of them.

As you travelled along the forest floor, gaining with every stride of your long legs, your confidence swelled. Probably a little too much, but you assumed it would continue being this simple. It was not hard to picture your success, returning to Neytiri with a clean kill. The image of her proud smile sat perfectly on her beautiful face, flashed in your mind, making your tail swish in anticipation. Suddenly, you were determined to get the job done.

You were doing a fantastic job, that is, until you detected a second scent mingling in with the hexapede. This one was sharper, intense in your nose, making it scrunch a little. There was familiarity in it, but you couldn't place it. Viperwolf maybe? No, that wasn't it. It didn't match the viperwolves you'd encountered before. You took in a deep breath of air, trying to catch it again. Definitely not a viperwolf, but you were positive it was a predator.

Great. That meant you weren't the only one trying to hunt here. Your ears folded a little in a mix between irritation and determination. You were not going to lose the hexapede to another creature.

Although you probably shouldn't have, you continued on without identifying the competitor, switching to your sharp eyes and ears as defense. In less than a few minutes, the mingled scents of both the predator and prey jumped in potency. It was strong enough to be unpleasant, mixing with the metallic smell of blood. Your first, very human instinct was to hold your nose. Although you didn't act on it, trying to decipher the scene you were approaching.

Your hand gripped tightly around your bow, sliding it up over your head and fitting an arrow to the string. So your opponent beat you to it after all. A disappointed huff left your lips as you dropped into a crouch, staying carefully hidden as the scene came into view.

Most of what you found was just blood, but there were also remains of what looked like a single hexapede. Your eyes scanned the area, but there was no movement. Whatever had killed the creature had moved on. Warily, you approached it, just close enough to confirm it was only one.

Pity washed over you, surprising you, considering you were still currently seeking out the same creature to hunt yourself. "Go with Eywa," You whispered. The sentiment felt natural, even in your human tongue. Neytiri had taught you well.

Confirming one dead meant three were still nearby. You focused your nose again, trying to bypass the chaos around you to find what you sought out. It was a mess. Whatever hunted them must have done a fabulous job of scattering the group. It was difficult to single out one trail, but eventually you settled on it and started in that direction.

Not once, as you tracked the group, did it dawn on you that it may have been foolish to try and hunt the same prey as another creature in the area. If Neytiri were here, would she continue on? No, she would likely abandon the hunt to avoid conflict. But again, the thought didn't cross your mind.

You seemed to be successfully tracking them again, even finding evidence of the hexapede's presence on the trail below your feet. Tiny spots of blood and breaks in the brush. There was sudden movement in the distance, your ears flicking in that direction. You still had an arrow perched to your bow, hands gripping it tightly in preparation. Another sound, footsteps maybe. It was so quiet, you could hardly tell.

Finally, your eyes found it. Just barely visible through the thick undergrowth, you could make out what looked like a shoulder. Your brows pinched a little in concern. Were hexapede usually that dark in color? You could swear you'd never seen one look like this. The skin was almost black.

Suddenly, every hair on the back of your neck stood straight, your body responding with an instinct you were not familiar with. You could only confirm one thing. There was definitely danger. Your eyes darted back to the spot where the hexapede stood, only to find it had disappeared. Fear involuntarily clawed at your chest. This wasn't right.

You frantically scanned your surroundings, but found nothing. So you moved on to your ears, placing all your effort into detecting the sound of movement. But your heart pounded so loudly, you could barely hear past it. Why were you scared? You tried to think logically, but your response was some sort of built-in instinct. Your body knew to be scared, even if your mind didn't.

Everything suddenly went silent, as if your heart stopped beating. You pressed two fingers to your pulse point to double-check, confirming that it still was. Okay, maybe it was gone then. But silence didn't equal safety. With every muscle tense, you slowly rotated, ears pinned flat to your skull. You were met with a massive creature, crouched low in the brush in preparation to leap.

"Shit," you muttered, springing to life off that instinct alone. It launched and you rolled to the side just in time to miss massive claws and even more massive teeth. It followed, of course, whipping around with an agility that surpassed your own. As it turned, planting its large paws in the ground for another strike, you got a good look at your attacker. Oh. Suddenly, the familiarity of the scent made sense, memory resurfacing from when you had been taught about this particular creature. Thanator. You specifically remembered the warning she gave you not to go anywhere near it, and to turn tail and run if you ever caught even just the trail of one. It may be a little late to take that advice now.

It leapt again without warning, powerful hindquarters pulling it forward and pointing directly at you. You ducked, sliding to the side again and spinning around to point your arrow directly at it. Just as you released the string, it countered with a swipe of its front paw, arrow grazing the skin there.

A snarl left its mouth. The kind that confirmed you were utterly fucked. A string of human profanity left your lips every few seconds as you whipped around to give that running plan a try. You ducked again, launching into a sprint. But the thanator was ready. Its claws caught the braid of your kuru, somehow missing the skin beneath, but tugging it painfully all the same. You gasped at the assault on such a place as your neural queue, crumbling automatically to the floor.

The predator was right there, practically on top of you as you tried pulling yourself back up and out of its way. How you managed to return to your feet without catching something sharp, you weren't sure, but the next thing you knew, you were at a dead sprint, flying through the forest at a pace that beat any you'd ever managed before.

Neytiri. Neytiri. Neytiri. Was all you thought as you dodged dense forest growth, trying to keep ahead of the Thanator, which maintained a steady pursuit. As soon as you approached the spot where you had left her earlier, you called out her name.

She came into view quickly, jumping up with wide eyes at the panicked manner in which you approached. "What is—" She started, but was cut off immediately by the thanator jumping out behind you. It came way too close this time, just barely missing your skin. Knowing Neytiri was far more talented with your weapon, you tossed it in her direction along with an arrow, narrowly sliding out of the way of the creature again.

It took notice of Neytiri now, turning toward her with barred teeth. She skillfully slotted the arrow to its home against the string, drawing the bow back. A mix of panic and dread washed over you, picturing the worst as it targeted her. Your stomach dropped at the thought. What would you do if she were wounded by it? You didn't even want to think about it. In sheer determination to draw the predator's course away from her, you sprang forward just as Neytiri took aim, passing directly in front of its muzzle to guide its focus and maybe give her an easier shot to take.

But Neytiri's weapon, your weapon, failed her again. The string, which you had both attempted to carefully repair, completely snapped at the exact moment her fingers released the arrow. Too much pressure on such an unreliable bow. But even breaking, it couldn't stop the momentum of the arrow. Only stagger it. The feathered blade shot from the bow messily, losing much of its power in the process, but not nearly enough.

The timing could not have been worse. That arrow, which was previously meant to sink into the thanator's shoulder, instead found your arm, just close enough to slice evenly across the skin. A pained hiss passed your teeth, a hand grasping at the wound as you met the dirt, somehow again managing to roll away from pointed teeth.

All the color left Neytiri at what she had just done, momentarily forgetting the predator entirely. She had just shot you. That reality twisted her stomach in a way she was not prepared for. As horrified as she was, it only took one swipe from its massive paw near your head to snap her out of it. Almost mechanically, as if she let instinct alone drive her forward, she lunged for you. In seconds, she had an iron grip around your uninjured arm, dragging you to your feet.

You glanced down at your arm for just a split second before Neytiri was tugging you harshly away. She pulled both of you out of the way of another far-too-close attack from the massive creature. It allowed you just enough time to come to your senses and spring into action. With all the speed you could muster, you sprinted from the scene, half running, half being dragged by Neytiri's locked grip. Your assailant followed closer now that you were injured, but you could tell it was losing interest. It would not follow you far from its territory.

Suddenly, you were being hauled up into a tangle of roots, higher and higher until you were far above the thanator. Once Neytiri had deemed you out of its reach, she allowed you to collapse down with your back against the wood. She hissed at the creature below, who stalked back and forth, growling in frustration. The sound was similar to the thanator's in meaning, a defense for something that belonged to her. The mere suggestion of that would have made your chest warmer if it weren't for the active gash in your bicep. Neytiri watched her competitor for a few moments with a lashing tail before deciding it was safe to turn her attention away.

"Tiri," You gasped out, peeling your hand away from your arm just enough to finally get a good look at it. The cut was not deep, but it was painful, its sharp sting making you wince. The sound made her chest tighten.

"I know, I know. I am so sorry, ma yawne." She breathed, rushing to your side with a hand hovering over your arm. A pained expression crossed her face, and she reached into the small pack at her hip for something to treat it with. "Let me see it."

Reluctantly, only because it was Neytiri asking this of you, you pulled your hand away. It revealed a slow trail of blood smeared by your palm. Good, it was not bleeding heavily anymore. She could patch this well enough that you would not bleed out before reaching home. In her hands were a pair of leaves, likely packed for an emergency like this. What they were exactly, you couldn't remember, but Neytiri knew what she was doing.

You slowly recovered your breath as she prepared it into a paste, eyes wandering across her face. There was a whirlwind of emotion there. Focus, guilt, irritation, even fear. "This will soothe and close it until home." She told you, glancing briefly in your direction. But the look lasted longer than intended, as she was surprised to find what stare you gazed back with. It seemed such a silly thing to think about now, but you couldn't help but notice how captivating she looked there. Maybe it was the way the sun caught the sharp patterns that curled around her skin, or her lush green eyes that seemed to reflect the light around her. Foolish as it felt to admit, the sight of her alone soothed the pain in your arm. Or at least distracted you from it.

But there was conflict in her stare as she fought the horror from accidentally shooting you, the irritation that you had somehow managed to be attacked by a creature such as the thanator, and the affection she felt from your gaze, arriving at such a strange time as this. "Why did the thanator attack you? She questioned steadily to distract her from sending that affection right back. You needed your wound tended to first.

Neytiri gently took your arm, and as she spread the paste across the wound, it did exactly as she said it would. The cooling effect took hold immediately, taking away most of the pain. You sighed in a mixture of both irritation toward the thanator and relief for the arm. "I tried to hunt it," You said bluntly, adding to the statement quickly before she could say anything. "On accident."

"You tried to hunt a thanator?" She asked slowly, calculating how in all of Pandora you could have managed to get into such a situation. Only you.

You sighed again, bracing for the lecture that awaited you. Calmly, eyes focusing on her work at your arm, you explained the whole story. About how you picked up the thanator's scent, found the dead hexepede, and somehow mixed up trails. "I thought I was still tracking the hexapede." You finished, gaze finally lifting to her face.

What you found there was a version of that conflict again. She wanted to smack you upside the head for such stupidity. But under that, there was an intense temptation to cup your face and tell you just how relieved she was that you were alright. But the latter thought was abandoned. "You should have come back to me when you found the second trail." She muttered instead, holding your arm gingerly in place as the paste dried. "It was foolish to follow. You could have been killed."

Her lecture was the same as any other you'd received, but there was a different meaning behind it this time. Was it worry? If it was, it was beyond just the regular kind. "I wasn't, Neytiri." You told her quickly, although it came at the wrong time. She wasn't finished.

"And when you found the thanator? What did I tell you about them?" She asked, a meaningless glare on her face. Neytiri was irritated, absolutely, but you could tell she wasn't truly mad. There was a different, softer motive hidden beneath the words. "To leave." She finished for you after taking too long to answer.

You didn't know why, but a smile tugged at your lips. As she rambled about your mistake, you couldn't help but notice the way the skin between her brows creased together, or her fingertips that traveled across your arms affectionately, despite the harsh words. Eventually, your smile split into a grin, drawing her eyes to you immediately.

"Why do you smile?" She paused her lecture to ask, tail flicking back and forth. Why were you smiling? You considered the question for a short moment before answering.

"Because you're beautiful." You told her with absolutely no shame. It caught her off guard, ceasing the movement in her tail.

It returned to its lashing state quickly as she recovered. "This is hardly the time for such words." She told you, eyes dropping to your arm to confirm the paste had set. As she saw that it had, her grip on your skin released.

"Why not?" You asked, sitting yourself up to be more level with her. The position naturally leaned you in closer. Though Neytiri seemed surprised by the sudden proximity, she did not recoil from it.

"Because I just shot you, skxawng." Neytiri spoke quietly now, a pained guilt laced in her voice. It was not often that she missed a shot, and she had never once struck someone in consequence to it. She would likely blame herself for this for a long time. Your gaze softened significantly, sending her all the reassurance you could put into it. That seemed to work.

Slowly, as if she was afraid to, both hands found either side of your neck, giving in to that earlier temptation. You both tensed at the touch. Physical contact was normal between you, yes, but this felt different. The way her fingers curled around the back of your neck and thumbs traced the line of your jaw. The way she just barely pulled you in closer. Yes, this was entirely different.

"You were trying to protect me, Tiri. It's not your fault the damn bow snapped again." You said as if to distract you from how it felt to have your hands pressed to your skin, a subtle laugh added in at the mention of that horribly unpredictable weapon. You were really starting to get sick of it.

This drew the slightest laugh from her chest, eyes returning to yours with such a stare, it felt like your heart leapt right out of your chest. "I think it is time we get you a new bow." She mumbled softly, thumbs continuing the line of your jaw. There was silence between you as the situation settled, but there was an intense warmth as well. The air felt charged with something that so impatiently waited to be addressed.

Suddenly, Neytiri leaned in. It was such a careful, slow movement, you could hardly detect it until you felt her breath fan across your skin. The feeling made your heart thump repeatedly against your ribs. Her lips just barely brushed against yours, as if testing you, waiting for the signal that she could continue. All at once, you understood what yawne must have meant when she said it. You closed the remaining distance.

When your lips met hers, it felt like a confirmation. Like something that had always been meant to happen finally came to be. Oh, how the kiss was soft, like the warm feeling of sunlight against skin. It practically had you begging for more. She was slow to withdraw, reluctant as if she wished this would never end. But neither did you.

Before she could get more than a few inches away, you captured her lips again, an arm sliding around her torso. "Skxawng," She said, muffled against your mouth. Despite the teasing name, her head tilted to lean in closer. A huff of laughter escaped you.

"Ma yawne," You returned, confident that you understood it enough now to use it. Her tail curled and brushed the skin of your forearm in response to the name. Good, then you did use it right. A hand slid up her side, ready to pull her body in, but she stopped you.

"Let us not reopen the wound," She told you teasingly, a wide smile showing off her pointed teeth. Despite the temptation to protest, you knew she was right. "Home first." You were a little dazed from the kiss, but you managed a dumb nod. That wound was the farthest thing from your mind now. Although when she stood you up, you were reminded of it.

You winced before you could stop it, holding your arm up against your chest as you stood. Slowly, with Neytiri staying right beside you, you eased your way to the edge of the roots, eyes scanning the forest floor below for any sign of the thanator. Nothing. As far as you could tell, it was long gone. "It looks safe." You told her as she leaned over you with a protective hand on your shoulder.

"Yes, come." She agreed simply, leading you down to the ground the same way you had gotten up, although notobly calmer this time. Clearly, since you were no longer being chased by a thanator.

Once safely on the ground, she scanned the area several times, then turned to check you over. "Are you alright to travel?" She asked, examining your arm again, satisfied that it had remained closed.

"I'll be fine," You told her. And you would be. You managed just fine, despite the constant ache in the pierced muscle, each step threatening to disturb the thin seal of herbs. It was safe to say the walk back would be slow.

Each time you winced, a little more guilt tore at Neytiri, mixing in with both the affection of the intimate moment you had just shared and the mild annoyance that you decided competing with a thanator for a kill wouldn't have consequences. "It is getting worse," She said without even having to look down at you. It was an observation more than it was a question.

"Just needs proper treatment." You assured, risking a glance at the area. The paste was dry, but all the movement had put cracks in it. It would not be long before it began bleeding again.

Neytiri fought the temptation to call you out on your stubbornness, glancing down at you again for a brief moment. "We will arrive soon," She replied instead, sliding a hand around your good arm as support. Even if you'd insist you didn't need it. There, she rubbed soothing circles with her thumb, momentarily distracting you from your injury.

No more than a few minutes later, just as you were recognizing the forest around you again, you detected the loud rhythmic sound of hooves. It didn't sound exactly like horses you'd seen on Earth. These were much louder. That would be because the horses on Earth didn't have six legs. You considered, just as a trio of direhorses came into view.

It was a small party, two younger hunters and- "Tsu'tey." Neytiri greeted politely, dipping her head briefly in his direction. He returned the sentiment before his eyes fell on you with amusement. You ignored the urge to roll yours.

It wasn't that you didn't get along or that you didn't like each other as people. You could admit that Tsu'tey was an impressive warrior, a born leader. And he could admit that... well, no, he probably wouldn't admit anything he noticed about you. At least, not to your face. Tsu'tey believed very strongly that you could not succeed out here, and you had a particular determination to prove that he was full of shit.

"Injured?" He inquired with a terrible smile, eyes falling to the cracking seal at your wound, which was now wide enough to allow the tiniest bit of blood to seep through.

"Now what makes you think that?" You replied with as much sarcasm as you could inject into the words, flashing your pointed smile back at him. His tail lashed once, but there was amusement in his expression. The first time you had used sarcasm with him, it went right over his head, but it seemed now he understood it better.

"What did this?" He turned to ask Neytiri directly, avoiding your comments altogether.

"She was pierced by my arrow." The woman replied, shame peeking out through her voice as she clung a little tighter to your good arm.

"Ah, come to your senses then?" He jabbed, sending you a smug glance. As the words left his lips, a warning sound left her mouth, akin to a mild sort of hiss. One that was meant to show her distaste for the comment. It surprised both you and Tsu'tey, heads turning toward her.

You shook it off quickly, returning your attention to the warrior. His words didn't offend you at all. "Was that a joke, Tsu'tey?" You questioned, watching his head shake in response. "I'll have you know, I fought off a thanator to earn this." With your words, you flexed the muscle in that arm to show it off, not really thinking of the consequences this would cause to the paste.

What little was still secured there was completely broken open with a painful sting, blood dripping down your arm again. Before you could come up with another witty thing to say, Neytiri was at your side, rambling in Na'vi a lecture you could only half understand as her hands flew to your wound.

"Fought is not the word I would use," She said, momentarily switching back over to your human tongue to acknowledge your previous statement. Tsu'tey laughed atop his direhorse. Whatever she said must have been a real treat to hear for those who were fluent in Na'vi.

The warrior casually offered Neytiri an extra strip of cloth. A particularly kind gesture for him. Where he pulled it from, you didn't see, but she took it without hesitation. "Be still," She instructed you, lifting your arm to position the fabric beneath it.

"Well, I would offer you a Palí, but you struggle to ride with two good arms." The comment came with another bark of laughter, eliciting a not-so-subtle eyeroll from you.

"Two jokes in one day, I'm impressed. You're a fast learner." You countered cleverly, receiving a firm tug from Neytiri when you moved too much. She tied the cloth tightly above the wound, remarkably similar to a human-style tourniquet. It would hold for the final stretch home.

"You are a poor influence." He said in a tone that almost approached friendly, eyes returning to Neytiri, who seemed pleased with her work. It was able to stop the heaviest blood flow for now. Hopefully until you return to Hometree. Without releasing your arm, she turned to face Tsu'tey.

"Warn Tsahìk." She instructed calmly. Tsu'tey spoke another Na'vi phrase you did not recognize to the two hunters behind him, who had been relatively quiet for most of the interaction. That was all the signal they needed to start toward home, hoofbeats slowly dying as they put distance between you.

Once you and Neytiri were left alone again, she turned her attention back to you fully, eyes glued to the wound you so foolishly reopened. "Stupid." She muttered. You couldn't help but snicker at the human insult passing her lips. It was so foreign on her tongue.

"You love it." The words came out as an observation, but almost an accusation. Even if she would not admit it aloud, it was clear now how fond she had become of your particularly loud personality. Your hand, the one attached to your injured arm, slid free of her firm grip to slide up her forearm, completely disregarding the still fragile wound. She allowed the contact, despite the flick of her tail and ears that showcased she would have preferred you use the other arm.

"I do not," She claimed, falsely, as she leaned in just a hair closer. The action didn't back up her words. Your eyes drifted across her gorgeous face, catching the way her lip tugged upward. Neytiri was a terrible liar.

"Your smile says otherwise." You noted, your good arm finally participating in your scheme, reaching up to brush a thumb over her smiling lips. She shook her head just barely at the statement, trying with all her will not to let her amusement be written across her face. If that was the goal, she was failing.

Your fingers slid to her chin, and you leaned in to find her lips for a second time that day. However, before you could make contact, she stopped you with a hand on your chest. "I will not kiss you again until you are not bleeding." She stated in a knowing voice, head tilting slightly to emphasize the words. You glanced down at your arm, which was in fact, still bleeding. However, it had slowed considerably after the cloth was tied on.

“After, then?” You concluded, earning another, less subtle shake of her head. It was still in amusement rather than annoyance. 

A quiet snicker left her throat. "Come, skxawng, before you run out of blood," Neytiri instructed teasingly, returning her firm but protective grip to your arm, just above your elbow. You could only hope her touch would remain there for the rest of the trip.

It did. Neytiri was not planning on letting go of you until you were walking through the loose flaps of the healer's tent. Whether it was affection or fear of you doing something else to loosen the wound on your arm, you couldn't tell. But with her fingertips pressed into your skin, somehow both gently and firmly, you really didn't care about the motive.

As you approached, her grip tightened around your elbow. She must've guessed your next move. "It's not that bad, Tiri. Do I really need to see your tsahìk?" You questioned, which immediately earned a stern look similar to the way a mother scolds their misbehaving child. It had you retracting the statement with an audible huff.

"If you are fond of having two arms, you will see tsahìk." She told you simply, tugging at your arm to ensure you continued following her at the same pace. You stepped through the opening without further complaint, but Neytiri, not fully convinced you wouldn't pull something, slid her hand away and placed it across the small of your back. It was meant as guidance more than anything else, but that didn't stop the shiver that traveled up your spine.

What greeted you instantly was the calm yet knowing voice of Neytiri's mother, Mo'at, who also happened to be the Omaticaya tsahìk. "Ah, it is the palulukan hunter!" She called from within the tent. Surrounding her was a wide array of herbs and other healing supplies you couldn't name if you tried. The scent wafting from them filled your nose and calmed your senses. She was prepared for your arrival.

"I would not yet award her that title." Neytiri quipped, tail flicking your leg as she sat you down on one of the mats. An amused laugh came from the older woman. She crouched nimbly in front of you, leaning in and taking your injured arm in both hands. Her grip held you firmly but practiced, that of someone who had the wisdom and experience far beyond your understanding. She caused no extra pain, despite how close her skilled fingers pressed near the wound.

Mo'at's eyes scanned your skin for only a few seconds before glancing back up at you, somehow already knowing what treatment would be needed. "It appears the beast may have hunted you." She teased, releasing your arm and turning to reach for what must have been a specific group of herbs. You watched her as she carefully gathered each ingredient, leaving you there for a moment as she prepared them.

"I'd call it mutual." You offered with a casual shrug of your shoulders. The motion sent a rippling ache through the injured arm, reminding you once again to keep still. Even though a secondary reminder was not needed, Neytiri was happy to provide. Her hand landed softly on your shoulder, squeezing there in a silent statement. When you glanced up to gauge her expression, you were almost surprised at the warmth there, a sprinkle of amusement mixed in. Your brows tugged together just slightly as you calculated, while at the same time, Neytiri's fingertips dragged across your shoulders in slow, calming motions.

Your body slowly lost all tension. Maybe it was the strong variety of herbs that had god knows what effect, or Mo'at's distant humming while she worked like there were no more troubles left in the world. Or maybe it was simply Neytiri's soft touch at your back that carried far more weight than you knew to admit. But for a moment, you forgot about your arm entirely. Though it only lasted just a moment.

Mo'at, who seemed to have prepared all she needed, returned with her mixture of what looked like a Na'vi version of medical tools. Shit. That won't be pleasant. Right on cue, Neytiri's hand slid all the way down your uninjured arm to hold your palm between both of hers.

"Hold tight to Neytiri," Mo'at instructed calmly, purposefully not allowing you time to examine the tool in her hand. You should have listened to her earlier. The stitching felt like fire stinging your skin, arguably worse than the wound itself. Your nose scrunched in pain, grip involuntarily tightening around Neytiri's hands.

Each pierce of the needle brought another wince from your lips, tail flicking harshly. "You are almost done," Neytiri assured, thumb brushing across your knuckles. The move likely would have stolen your attention entirely if you weren't actively having your wound sewn back together. Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind the death grip you had on her.

After a few more torturous minutes of this, Mo'at finally put the herb mixture to use. You felt the paste spread evenly across the spot and sighed immediately in relief. It was relatively cool in temperature and effectively soothed the sting of both the wound and the stitches. Whatever was in it, it had the injury feeling several times better already.

"You will not lose the arm," Mo'at told you in a tone that left you unable to tell if she was serious or not. Judging by Neytiri's suppressed smile, it had to be a joke. You shook your head in amusement, already preparing to stand, but Mo'at stopped you. "Remain here until night, then you are free to go. We do not want that coming undone, do we?"

"We do not." Neytiri added in support, sending you a look as you sat back down with a dramatic sigh. Both of you thanked Mo'at for the treatment, eyes following her as she made her exit from the small tent.

The first thing you did was glance at Neytiri, calculating just how quickly she could stop you if you tried to move. “Do not think about it.” She told you knowingly. Apparently pretty quick, considering she just stopped you before you even tried. In acceptance, you settled back down onto the mat.

A few long minutes passed after that. You, of course, tried to stand a couple more times, even just to get a closer look at these herbs that did their job so well. But Neytiri was having none of that, standing just a few feet away and ready to stop you at a moment's notice. After the third or fourth time you acted on your restlessness, she caught you by your forearm, suddenly turning and leading you to the other side of the tent. There lay a spread of sleeping mats, meant for patients who required a longer stay.

"Sit. You need rest." She insisted softly, refusing to let go of you until you obliged. You sighed in protest, though it was fruitless. If her steady voice wasn't convincing enough, her fingers briefly caressing your cheek were.

"I do not need rest," You argued almost under your breath. It was in contradiction to the fact that you were sitting yourself down anyway. Slowly, you settled onto the mats, allowing the thick fur to brush your skin.

Satisfied, Neytiri partially turned her attention elsewhere, leaning her shoulder against a structural wooden formation just a few feet from where you sat. She would have seemed completely at ease to you, body still and muscles loose. But every few moments came the swish of her tail in long fluid motions. This, paired with the occasional flicking of her ears, gave away her thoughtful state.

''What are you thinking about?" You questioned casually, propping yourself up on your good elbow. Her tail flicked once at the question before returning to the previous flowing movements. You tilted your head to the side as she glanced in your direction, body shifting just slightly to better face you.

The expression on her face was that of someone considering their words very carefully. "How you tried to get yourself killed tracking a thanator." She responded. The hurried way the words left her mouth gave away that they were not the ones she originally wanted to say.

"It was impressive at least." You told her, pushing yourself up to your knees. The statement made her whole body turn toward you.

"It was not impressive. It was stupid." She responded quickly, already making a move toward you as you stood. "If you do not rest, this will only open again." Her fingers ghosted the wound, careful not to touch. Before she could sit you back down again, you placed a hand against the curve of her waist, catching her off guard. All she could do was gaze at you, words vanishing from her tongue.

“Let’s make a deal.” You suggested, flashing her a grin at he reaction to your touch.

"I am listening," Her tail lashed once as she replied.

"I'll stay down, and I won't move an inch until night, if you'll lay with me."

Her expression was unreadable for a moment, eyes drifting from you to the plush sleeping mat. The thought of you two curled up there for the next several hours was tempting beyond measure, but she would not admit that aloud. So instead she sighed, wordlessly guiding you down to the furs as if she wasn't just as happy about the arrangement.

"I believe there was also a promise made." You reminded her, pulling her toward you the moment your body hit the floor. She looked confused for a brief moment, so you continued. "I am no longer bleeding."

Recognition flashed in her eyes, the thought putting a smile on her lips. "Skxawng," she called you affectionately as you leaned toward her, mere centimeters from her face. Carefully, as if allowing time to confirm she still wanted this, you placed the lightest kiss to her perfect lips.

"Yes, but I'm your skxawng," You teased, making Neytiri's head swirl with all the different meanings behind those words. Before you could pull too far away, she dove back in and captured your lips again.

Your hand slid up her back instinctively, slipping beneath her hair to cup the back of her neck. The more your touch pressed into her skin, the further she melted into you, her body curling to slot perfectly against yours.

The kiss was a confession of all the tension and affection shared between you since the very first moment you met. It felt like relief to finally have a name for everything you felt for her. And based on the way she kissed you, deeply and fully, you could argue she felt the same way.

Once the kiss finally broke, it was only from lack of air. She flashed you that smile you so adored, heavy breath fanning over your face as her hands lifted to cup your cheeks.

"I should follow thanators more often." You told her, pressing another kiss to the flat curve of her nose. The words immediately earned another flick from her tail, although much softer this time.

"No, you should not." She said steadily, thumb brushing the skin just below your eye. That touch alone was captivating. The slow back and forth across your cheekbone. As you thought your heart might just burst, you slid your arm back down her torso, wrapping it around her tightly and pressing your forehead to her shoulder. Finally, that rest she had so insisted on started to creep forward.

As you lay there, breathing in the scent of her skin, all you could think about was the intimacy of the moment. In truth, you would happily take on another thanator and even the arrow to the arm a hundred times over if it meant getting to stay curled up with Neytiri like this. As your eyes slowly closed, the last thought on your mind was to thank Eywa for the misfire.

✵ Find my masterlist here

[grcsbluepen]

Baby face So’lek, you have my heart

[just-another-idk]

Gentle Hands

So'lek x fem!avatar driver reader inspired by Tsumuke written by @lvlypinkesworld

Part 5 > Part 6 > Part 7

Truthful Words

So’lek remained hidden within the forest shadows just beyond the reach of Hometree his broad frame half concealed amongst the forest.

He should have left already.

There was no reason to remain.

(Y/n) was safe inside the Aranahe settlement.

Still, he lingered.

His gaze occasionally drifted upward toward the enormous living structure knowing somewhere high within it the dreamwalker was likely tending gently to wounded creatures while speaking in that soft voice of hers that seemed capable of calming almost anything.

His chest tightened faintly. It was becoming a problem. Because somewhere along the way she had begun slipping beneath his defenses without him noticing.

Like sunlight creeping through gaps in the canopy.

And Eywa help him—

She was like the sun touching a world long left cold and abandoned.

The thought alone unsettled him deeply.

Can he truly allow himself this?

Allow himself happiness?

The very idea felt dangerous. Wrong. Almost selfish.

So’lek had long ago accepted what his life was meant to be. The ghosts of his clan walked beside him always and he carried them willingly.

There had never been room for softness within that life.

Yet now— Now he found himself thinking about small things.

Her laugh. The way she spoke gently to frightened animals. The way she looked at living things like their suffering physically hurt her too.

The warmth of her hand in his.

A faint smile crossed his face before he even realized it had happened.

So’lek immediately frowned afterward. Dangerous. Very dangerous.

Because he could already feel the lines beginning to blur. And that could not happen.

He straightened slightly against the tree behind him forcing his thoughts back toward harsher truths.

Her body was false. A shell. Nothing more. A demon wearing stolen skin designed to mimic the People.

That was the truth. It had to remain the truth.

Because if he allowed himself to forget that—

If he stopped drawing those lines clearly—

Then eventually he would no longer remember where the lies ended and (Y/n) began. And that frightened him more than any battlefield ever had.

So’lek leaned back heavily against the massive tree behind him, folding his arms across his chest while the distant sounds of the forest echoed.

Animals. Wind through the canopy. Life. Pandora alive around him as it always had been.

Yet his thoughts remained hopelessly tangled somewhere else entirely.

With her. Always her lately.

His eyes shut briefly as he exhaled slowly through his nose.

Maybe it would be better if he simply stopped asking these questions altogether. Because every time he tried sorting through what he felt toward the dreamwalker, he only ended up more conflicted than before.

She was a sky person.

That truth should have made this simple. It should have been enough.

His people were dead because of her kind. His home gone because of sky people. Children orphaned. Clans destroyed. Forests poisoned. Everything he had suffered traced back eventually to humans and the greed they brought with them.

He remembered smoke. Gunfire. Bodies.

He remembered the helpless rage of watching Pandora bleed beneath metal and fire.

And through all of it the same face remained attached to destruction in his mind. Sky people. Demons wearing flesh not their own.

So why—Why did she feel so different?

That was the question tormenting him. Because (Y/n) did not fit cleanly into the hatred he had spent years building around humans.

She confused it. Blurred it.

Even now she was inside Hometree helping a wounded Queen because someone asked for help. No bargaining. No hesitation.

Just kindness. Relentless impossible kindness.

And Eywa— He had begun craving her presence.

That realization sat heavily in his chest. Because around her things felt… Quiet. Warm. The endless tension coiled through him from years of war eased slightly whenever she smiled at him.  Whenever she nudged him playfully. Whenever she looked at him with those tired eyes of hers.

He hated how easily she affected him. Hated how instinctively protective he had become.

The thought of her hurt unsettled him deeply now.

The thought of Alma speaking cruelly to her had angered him far more than it should have. The thought of her starving herself because she was too exhausted to eat had driven him to raid RDA supply depots without hesitation.

And that hug—

His jaw tightened slightly. He could still remember exactly how she felt in his arms. Small compared to him. Like she belonged there.

That thought alone made guilt twist sharply through his chest. Because she did not belong there. She was not one of the People.

No matter how much his heart tried convincing him otherwise. Her body was fake. Constructed. A shell built to resemble his kind.

He forced himself to remember that again.

A demon wearing false skin.

That line mattered. It needed to matter. Because if he stopped remembering it—

If he stopped holding firmly to the difference between her and the People—

Then eventually he feared he would stop caring about the difference altogether.

And what would that make him?

A warrior who forgot his dead because a gentle dreamwalker made him feel warm? Disloyal? Weak?

His fingers flexed slightly against his arms.

Yet even as he tried forcing those thoughts into place another thought surfaced instead.

 (Y/n) quietly sewing repairs into his vest when she thought no one would notice.

None of that felt false. None of it felt like deception. If anything she seemed painfully sincere.

And perhaps that was the true problem.

Because it would have been easier if she were cruel. Easier if she acted like the other sky people. Easier if he could hate her cleanly.

Instead she existed somewhere unbearably in-between.

Not fully human in his eyes anymore. Not truly Na’vi either. Just… (Y/n).

And somehow that made this worse. Because there was no clear place to put her inside his heart.

So’lek tilted his head back against the tree staring upward through the canopy. Maybe he should stop trying to define it. Stop dissecting every feeling. Stop asking himself what this meant.

Because the truth was becoming painfully obvious regardless of how fiercely he resisted it.

He cared for her. Far too much already.

And somewhere deep down beneath all the fear and conflict and guilt— A selfish part of him wanted to continue indulging in her warmth just a little longer before reality eventually tore it away.

His jaw tightened faintly. What was he even doing here?

Truly.

He should have returned to base already. Returned to patrols. To something practical.

Instead, he lingered outside a clan settlement waiting like some restless young warrior because a dreamwalker was inside.

A dreamwalker.

The thought should have sounded absurd. He almost wanted to laugh at himself for it.

Almost.

Because the truth sat heavily in his chest already.

He knew exactly why he remained. Part of him stubbornly fought it.

What made him think he needed to protect this one sky person?

Why her?

He had never cared like this before. Never found himself listening for footsteps. Watching entrances. Tracking whether someone had eaten or rested.

So why her?

The answer came immediately. Because she was gentle. And there was something about that gentleness that settled painfully deep beneath his ribs.

She healed instead of harmed. Nurtured instead of conquered.

Where humans so often tore Pandora apart trying to dominate it— (Y/n) devoted herself entirely toward preserving what suffering she could.

He truly couldn’t get his thoughts to stop churning, in this endless push and pull. The endless conflict. So’lek exhaled slowly looking down toward his hands.

The same hands stained by years of violence. Years of survival. Years of killing. And somehow—

She still looked at him warmly.

The memory of her squeezing his hand before entering Hometree returned uninvited and his chest tightened again.

He knew why he stayed close now. Because somewhere along the way the thought of something happening to her had become unbearable. Not inconvenient. Not regrettable.

Unbearable.

He had seen too much death already. Too many good people swallowed by war.

And selfishly— He did not want it taking her too.

That realization sat quietly between his ribs.

He knew exactly what this was becoming. That was the problem.

Because he could continue drawing lines all he wanted. Could continue reminding himself she wore a false body. Could continue calling her dreamwalker. Sky person. Demon in stolen skin.

But none of those thoughts stopped the truth from growing anyway.

He cared for her. And deep down— He already knew he would do just about anything to keep her safe.

“Hey So’lek, I’m finishing up here.” Her voice crackled softly over the coms and immediately his attention shifted toward the entrance of Hometree, though this time there was something different hidden beneath her words. Nervousness. Subtle. But there.

His ears twitched slightly.

Then he saw movement near pathways leading out from the great tree.

At first glance—He did not recognize her.

The woman stepping into the forest light looked nothing like the exhausted sanctuary healer usually covered in medicinal stains, dirt and leaves.

Rich woven fabrics draped elegantly around her body in flowing layers of deep blues and purples that shifted almost iridescently beneath the sunlight, the delicate material tied softly across her chest while translucent sleeves drifted lightly with every movement she made.

The layered skirts fell in elegant asymmetrical folds around her legs threaded with intricate beadwork and woven details that caught the light whenever she moved.

Around her waist sat braided sashes and small leather pouches woven seamlessly into the outfit rather than hanging awkwardly like practical equipment.

Beads and delicate braids threaded through her hair now framed her face softly. Elegant. Graceful. Beautiful.

The breeze shifted gently through the forest then and finally carried her scent to him. (Y/n).

So’lek stepped silently into her path. And forgot how to speak.

Because Eywa— He had always known she was beautiful. Even before this.

There had always been something quietly elegant about her no matter how exhausted or dishevelled she became tending creatures and throwing herself into work.

But this— This felt unfair.

The Aranahe clothing softened the sharp line between dreamwalker and Na’vi in a way that made something dangerous twist low in his chest.

She looked like she belonged here. Not fully. Never fully. Yet enough that for one terrible selfish moment his mind stopped separating the differences entirely.

And that frightened him.

Because standing there beneath the canopy with the breeze moving softly through her hair—

She looked radiant. Warm like sunlight filtering through Pandora’s forests.

Eywa. Was this a test?

(Y/n) shifted slightly beneath his stare suddenly very aware that he had gone completely silent.

Which absolutely did not help her nerves. “So uh…” She rubbed awkwardly at one of her arms. “I think the Aranahe were… more than happy with my help.”

Her voice softened slightly afterward. “What do you think?” The question came shyly. Carefully.

And So’lek’s chest tightened painfully because she looked genuinely uncertain despite how stunning she was. He forced himself to breathe evenly. To think. To remember his lines.

Dreamwalker. False body. Shell.

But the thoughts felt weaker now staring at her like this.

Dangerously weaker.

Because no matter how fiercely he reminded himself what she was— None of it stopped the warmth spreading through his chest looking at her. None of it stopped the fierce instinctive pull toward her.

And none of it stopped the quiet impossible thought whispering through his mind that she looked beautiful enough to bring entire forests to silence.

His gaze moved slowly across the woven fabrics and delicate beadwork before finally settling on her face again. She looked nervous. Hopeful. Waiting for his answer.

“It suits you very well.” The words came lower and rougher than intended.

(Y/n)’s breath caught softly. Because there was something in the way he said it. Honest. Completely honest. And suddenly her heart was racing all over again.

Ulrr chirped smugly from her shoulder as though fully aware of exactly what was happening between them.

Neither acknowledged him.

Because So’lek still could not quite tear his eyes away from her.

“You think so?” (Y/n)’s voice came quieter now, softer beneath his stare while her fingers fidgeted slightly against the woven fabric near her waist. “Nefika, Etuwa and Tamtey practically forced me into this.”

There was embarrassed amusement in her tone but beneath it— Nervousness.

Because So’lek had gone completely still looking at her and she could not tell what that silence meant.

His eyes remained fixed on her. On the flowing fabrics. The intricate beadwork woven through her hair. The soft colors that somehow made her seem even gentler than before.

And Eywa—The sight of her standing there waiting uncertainly for his opinion made something deep in his chest ache painfully.

Because she looked beautiful. Not simply attractive. Beautiful.

In a way that stole breath from his lungs and made the world around him momentarily fade quieter.

The dangerous thought came uninvited again.

His jaw tightened almost immediately afterward.

No.

He should not think like that. Could not think like that.

Yet the feeling remained anyway. That aching pull low in his chest urging him closer toward her warmth despite every instinct telling him to keep distance between them.

She was not his. Could never truly be his.

A dreamwalker. A sky person.

And still—Still he wanted.

The realization unsettled him enough he had to steady himself against it internally before it showed too clearly across his face.

(Y/n) meanwhile was becoming increasingly aware that So’lek looked like he was fighting demons internally while staring at her. Which was not helping her nerves at all. “…So’lek?”

His gaze finally lifted fully to hers again. “You are beautiful.”

(Y/n)’s breath caught instantly. Her entire face warmed. Because So’lek was not a man who gave compliments lightly. If he said something—He meant it.

And the way he looked at her while saying it made her heart stumble helplessly inside her chest.

Meanwhile So’lek immediately regretted absolutely nothing despite how dangerous the truth felt leaving his mouth.

Because it was true. Painfully true.

His heart hammered harder against his ribs now while that possessive aching pull remained buried beneath his sternum.

He wanted— Eywa. He wanted her close. Wanted her warmth. Wanted her smile directed at him. Wanted to remain beside her.

And that terrified him. Because the feelings growing inside him were becoming far too large to ignore now.

He swallowed them back down forcibly before they could fully surface across his expression.

Steady yourself.

Still— His hand moved almost instinctively toward hers. Large fingers gently enveloping her smaller hand once more. Warmth spread through him immediately at the contact. Calm.

(Y/n)’s pulse fluttered rapidly beneath his touch though she did not pull away. Instead, her fingers curled softly around his hand in return. And for a few quiet moments neither of them spoke while Pandora hummed around them and the distance between them felt impossibly small.

“I, uh…” (Y/n) very suddenly remembered how to forget every coherent thought she had ever possessed the moment his hand settled around hers again. Her heart was racing so loudly she was half convinced he could hear it.

Which honestly— He probably could.

She looked away briefly trying to regain some semblance of composure while Ulrr watched the entire interaction with deeply unhelpful interest from atop her shoulder.

“I have to go collect more nectar for the Kinglor,” she managed eventually. Smooth enough. Mostly. “Are you… coming with me?”

There it was again. That careful uncertainty. Like she genuinely expected him to say no. Even now.

Her fingers shifted slightly in his before she added quickly— “I do not want to inconvenience you.”

So’lek’s expression tightened faintly hearing those words again.

Inconvenience. Why did she insist on thinking of herself that way?

After everything she had done for others—

After all the lives she carried on exhausted shoulders—

She still spoke like taking up space beside someone required apology.

His thumb brushed subtly against the back of her hand before he even consciously realized he had done it. “You are not an inconvenience.”

His voice came low and steady.

And Eywa— The nervous warmth in her eyes nearly undid him again. He steadied himself internally before continuing. “I told you already.”

(Y/n)’s chest tightened softly at that. Most people eventually grew frustrated with how consumed she became by her work. Or exhausted by how often she disappeared into the sanctuary.

Yet So’lek kept choosing to remain nearby anyway. Even while clearly fighting himself over it.

“Then…” She smiled shyly now. “…I suppose I would like the company.”

Something warm unfurled quietly through So’lek’s chest hearing that.

Because she wanted him there. She simply wanted his company.

And selfishly— He realized he wanted hers just as badly. “Then I shall accompany you.”

(Y/n)’s smile softened further afterward and for a moment So’lek found himself staring at it longer than he should have.

The Aranahe clothing truly did suit her. Too well. The flowing fabrics moved softly around her with every shift of the breeze while delicate beads threaded through her hair caught the forest light.

She looked softer somehow. Warmer. And far too easy to imagine beside him.

Dangerous thoughts. Very dangerous thoughts.

Still—He did not let go of her hand as they began walking together into the forest.

So’lek walked beside her through the glowing forest with her hand still resting quietly within his and every instinct inside him screamed that this was dangerous. Because this was how lines blurred. How convictions weakened. How a warrior forgot himself.

He stared ahead into the forest forcing his breathing to remain steady while (Y/n) walked beside him softly speaking about where the richest nectar flowers usually bloomed during this season or if would be better to find some hives, a combination may be best, trying to fill the silence between them.

He only half heard her. Because his thoughts had become tangled somewhere far more dangerous.

No.

He cannot be with a dreamwalker. That thought came firmly. Immediately. Like a shield raised against something already breaking through.

She was a sky person. A dreamwalker. A woman wearing borrowed skin.And his people had suffered too greatly at the hands of her kind for him to forget that.

He had spent years surviving hatred. Loss. Years building walls strong enough to keep grief and loneliness contained beneath duty.

He should not allow this.

Should not indulge the warmth of her hand in his. Should not crave her smile the way he already did. Should not find himself wondering what it would feel like if she leaned against him again.

Dangerous thoughts. Weak thoughts.

Yet another voice quietly reminded him—It was not impossible. The thought unsettled him instantly. Because it had happened before.

Dreamwalkers and the People.

Humans and Na’vi.

Connections formed despite war and difference and impossibility.

He hated that his mind went there at all. Because suddenly the future no longer felt entirely unreachable. And that made wanting it far worse.

His grip around her hand tightened almost imperceptibly.

(Y/n) glanced toward him briefly. “You alright?”

He nodded once automatically. But internally conflict twisted painfully through him. Was it okay to be this selfish? To want this? To want her?

Because deep down he already knew the answer.

If he allowed himself to continue down this path—He would not stop at simply wanting her company.

Already it was growing beyond that.

He wanted her safe. Close. Happy. Wanted her looking at him with that soft warmth in her eyes. Wanted to continue walking beside her like this without needing to question it.

And perhaps worst of all— A part of him wanted to be looked at by her the way she looked at wounded and frightened creatures. With gentleness. Care.

His chest tightened painfully. Because no one had looked at him that way in a very long time. Maybe ever.

He had become so accustomed to being feared, respected or relied upon as a weapon that the quiet softness she offered him felt almost unreal.

And selfishly— He did not want to let it go.

The realization sat heavily in his chest .

(Y/n) continued speaking quietly beside him completely unaware of the war raging internally within the man holding her hand.

Or perhaps—Part of her knew. Because every now and then she glanced toward him with that same nervous softness in her eyes like she too was wondering whether this path between them was dangerous.

Still—Neither let go.

So’lek tried focusing on the forest. On anything except her.

But it was becoming increasingly difficult when she walked beside him looking like this.

Beautiful. Far too beautiful.

And worst of all— She looked comfortable beside him now. No longer tense the way she had been earlier leaving Hometree. Her hand rested naturally within his.

His gaze shifted toward her while she spoke quietly about nectar flowers and medicinal properties, explaining which blooms remained healthy and enough to sustain the Kinglor colonies.

Then her lips curved slightly when Ulrr made an annoyed sound from her shoulder.

And So’lek’s thoughts abruptly stopped.

His eyes drifted downward before he could stop himself. Toward her mouth.

Something deep in his chest tightened sharply. Because suddenly there was an instinctive possessive pull inside him so strong it startled him.

A wanting so fierce and immediate it almost felt physical. To pull her closer. To silence her thoughts beneath his mouth. To consume every ounce of warmth and softness she offered until nothing cold remained inside him.

The intensity of it frightened him instantly.

Eywa. He would forget himself completely if he indulged thoughts like that. Forget duty. Forget caution. Forget every line he had tried desperately to maintain between them.

His jaw tightened hard enough to ache.

So instead—He simply held her hand tighter.

(Y/n) looked toward him immediately feeling the subtle shift in his grip. Her heart fluttered softly again. “You alright?”

So’lek forced his gaze back upward meeting her eyes again instead of where it had drifted moments before. “Yes.” The answer came rougher now. Lower.

And something about the sound of his voice made warmth rise immediately into her face despite not fully understanding why.

She moved slightly closer beside him anyway without thinking.

And So’lek nearly lost whatever remained of his self control entirely.

Every emotion inside (Y/n) felt dangerously close to spilling over. Her heart had been racing since the moment he stepped into her path outside Hometree and looked at her like he had forgotten how to breathe.

And now— Now he was still holding her hand while they walked together through forest like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He had not pulled away. Not once. If anything his grip only seemed to tighten whenever she doubted herself. Her chest ached softly with it. Because she could feel it now. How deeply she had fallen for him somewhere along the way.

Like roots sinking deeper into soil before she realized how impossible it would be to pull free again. She loved him.

She loved him.

The realization no longer frightened her nearly as much as it should have because standing beside him like this somehow made the feeling seem terrifyingly easy.

And part of her desperately hoped—

No.

Prayed—

That he could somehow feel it through the way her hand held his. Through the way she instinctively moved closer beside him. Through every glance she failed to hide.

Because if she were absolutely certain he loved her back— She would tell him right now. No hesitation. No fear.

The words sat right there behind her ribs trying desperately to rise.

What was she waiting for?

He was not letting go. He was not pulling away.

Even now after all his internal conflict she could feel his hand remaining steady around hers.

And when she unconsciously moved closer earlier— He had not stepped back.

If anything she swore she felt him lean ever so slightly toward her in return.

So why could she not say it?

Why did the words refuse climbing past the tightness in her chest?

Because if she was wrong—

If she misunderstood—

It would destroy this fragile beautiful thing forming between them.

So instead she quietly tightened her grip around his hand.

And immediately So’lek’s heart nearly stopped again feeling it.

The subtle squeeze carried so much unspoken emotion behind it that he almost looked toward her in alarm.

Because Eywa— If she kept looking at him like this he was going to forget every reason he had for resisting her entirely.

Meanwhile (Y/n)’s thoughts had become progressively more useless with every passing second.

Because realistically— How exactly was she supposed to collect nectar like this?

Her brain barely functioned anymore.

She was supposed to be locating healthy feeding flowers and hives for stressed Kinglor colonies and instead she was internally spiraling because So’lek’s hand was warm and large around hers and every time she glanced at him her stomach did embarrassing things.

Ulrr chirped knowingly from her shoulder.

(Y/n) narrowed her eyes at him immediately. “Not a single thought from you.”

The prolemuris made an incredibly smug noise anyway.

So’lek glanced sideways toward her. “What did he do?”

“He is judging me.”

“That seems fair.”

(Y/n) gasped softly in betrayal while So’lek’s mouth twitched faintly at the corner despite himself.

And suddenly— Everything felt strangely light.

“So’lek.” Her voice came so quiet it almost disappeared beneath the sounds of the forest.

He stopped immediately.

The two of them stood motionless.

(Y/n) slowly turned toward him fully.

And Eywa—There were a thousand emotions in her eyes. Warmth. Fear. Hope. Longing.

Every feeling she had spent weeks swallowing down sat openly within her gaze now while she looked up at him like she wanted to say something life changing and terrifying all at once.

So’lek’s chest tightened painfully. Because he knew.

He knew exactly what sat behind those eyes because it mirrored the war raging inside his own chest.

Still— His gaze remained steady on hers. Focused entirely on her. “(Y/n).”

The way he said her name nearly undid her. Soft. Careful. Like something precious.

His hand remained firmly around hers while his other slowly lifted toward her face.

(Y/n)’s breath caught instantly.

Large fingers gently cupped her cheek with a tenderness so opposite to the warrior he presented to the world that it made her chest ache. He touched her like she might disappear if he was not careful.

Her heart slammed wildly against her ribs so hard she genuinely thought she might die from it. Because this was real. This was actually happening.

And So’lek—

Stoic terrifying So’lek—was looking at her like she was something beautiful enough to ruin him.

He leaned closer slowly.Like he was giving himself every opportunity to stop. Yet he did not.

His eyes flicked briefly toward her lips and the restraint inside him nearly shattered completely.

Because Eywa— He wanted. Wanted to know what her mouth felt like against his. Wanted to feel her closer into him. Wanted to finally stop fighting this impossible thing growing between them.

And for one terrifying beautiful moment—

(Y/n) thought he was going to kiss her.

Then—

Gunshots cracked violently through the forest.

Both of them snapped apart instinctively.

So’lek’s entire body shifted immediately from warmth into lethal alertness while his ears flicked toward the distant sounds echoing through the trees.

Another burst followed somewhere far off. RDA.

(Y/n)’s pulse still raced wildly from what almost happened while adrenaline now crashed harshly into the moment.

But even as they separated—

So’lek never let go of her hand. Instead his grip tightened protectively around hers while his eyes scanned the forest sharply.

And somehow that tiny detail—That even startled into survival instincts he still refused to let go of her—Making her heart ache even harder than before.

So’lek’s attention remained fixed toward the distant sounds of gunfire echoing through the forest. Yet even now—

Even with danger nearby—Part of his focus remained entirely on her.

(Y/n) still stood close enough he could feel the warmth of her body beside him while her pulse raced wildly beneath the hand he still held.

His chest tightened faintly.

Another burst of gunfire echoed faintly through the trees. Closer this time.

So’lek’s jaw hardened immediately. Reluctantly he released her hand though his fingers lingered for a brief second longer than necessary before lifting toward her face once more.

Gentle. Always unexpectedly gentle with her.

He brushed several loose strands of hair carefully away from her face, tucking them back while his thumb briefly skimmed across her cheek.

The touch nearly melted her where she stood.

“Stay here,” he said quietly. His voice had shifted again. Warrior once more. “Stay out of sight.”

(Y/n) swallowed softly trying very hard not to think about the fact he had almost kissed her moments ago.

“You’ll come back?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.

Something softened immediately in his eyes hearing it. “Yes.”

“I will return.”

She believed him completely because So’lek did not make promises lightly.

If he said he would return—Then he would crawl through fire to do so.

(Y/n) nodded softly despite the reluctance twisting painfully in her chest now that he was stepping away from her again. “Be careful.”

His gaze lingered on her one final second.

Then he melted silently into the forest shadows almost unnaturally fast for someone his size until only the distant movement of branches hinted where he had gone.

(Y/n) remained where he left her, one hand still pressed unconsciously against the warmth lingering on her cheek from his touch.

Her heart still raced from everything that almost happened between them. From the look in his eyes. From how close he had been.

(Y/n) remained tucked beneath the shelter of the trees long after So’lek disappeared into the forest shadows, her eyes lingering on the space where he had vanished while distant gunfire echoed faintly through Pandora’s wilderness.

One hand still rested unconsciously against her cheek where his fingers had brushed her skin moments earlier.

Her heart fluttered softly all over again at the memory.

He had almost kissed her.

The thought alone made her entire chest feel light and unbearably full at the same time. She leaned back lightly against the tree behind her and let out a quiet breath while Ulrr curled around her shoulders sleepily unaware of the emotional catastrophe currently unfolding inside her.

Her thoughts drifted naturally back toward the beginning.

Toward the first months after she arrived in the west. Back when So’lek barely tolerated her existence.

Whenever their paths crossed, they would inevitably end up bickering over something. Her sanctuary. Her lack of weapons. The danger she willingly wandered into. How stubborn she was. How grumpy he was.

She smiled faintly to herself remembering it.

At the time she thought he simply found her irritating.

Actually— He probably still did. But even back then…He always watched her.

That was what stood out most, now looking back. No matter how much they argued or snapped at one another, she would eventually notice him nearby again later.

Lingering silently at the edge of the forest. Watching from a distance while she worked. Never interfering. Never truly approaching either.

Just there.

Like some massive brooding shadow constantly keeping an eye on her despite pretending he wanted nothing to do with her.

And slowly—

Without either of them fully noticing—

That distance had begun closing.

First it became brief conversations. Then lingering longer near her sanctuary. Then helping her expand shelters. Helping bury the dead. Bringing her proper food. Waiting outside Hometree.

Holding her hand.

Her smile softened helplessly. Because somewhere along the way the terrifying warrior who once glared at her from across clearings had started looking at her like she was something precious.

Something worth protecting.

And somehow—

Against every expectation— She had watched his icy guarded heart begin melting piece by piece.

Not for everyone. Never for everyone.

So’lek would always remain intimidating. Sharp edged. Dangerous.

But with her— There was gentleness now. Quiet softness hidden beneath all that steel.

The way he brushed hair from her face. The way he looked at her like he was fighting himself every second he remained beside her.

It made warmth spread through her chest so strongly it almost hurt. Because she knew how hard this was for him.

Knew that he knew this could never be. Yet he kept choosing her anyway.

Again.

And again.

And again.

(Y/n) tilted her head back lightly against the tree while a fond almost lovestruck smile crossed her face before she could stop it.

Somewhere deeper in the forest another burst of gunfire echoed.

Her smile faded slightly afterward though the warmth remained firmly rooted in her chest.

Because she knew him now.

And she knew—

No matter how dangerous the fighting became—

He would come back.

It did not take So’lek long.

The gunfire ceased almost as quickly as it had started.

A small RDA waste-burning crew.

He moved through them easily, swift bursts of gunfire followed by silence settling once more beneath the canopy.

Sky people burning their foul waste into Pandora’s air.

Disgusting.

By the time the smoke began thinning through the trees So’lek was already heading back toward where he left her.

There she was.

Exactly where he told her to stay.

Relief loosened quietly in his chest the moment he saw her safe.

(Y/n) straightened instantly the second she spotted him emerging from the forest and hurried toward him before he even fully reached the clearing.

“So’lek.”

Her eyes immediately scanned him for injuries. Blood. Signs of pain. Instinctive healer habits.

So’lek watched her quietly while she checked over his arms and chest with lightly worried eyes. “I am alright,” he assured.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

His voice softened slightly. “They were merely disposing waste.”

(Y/n)’s nose wrinkled faintly. “Disgusting.”

He almost smiled at that.

She relaxed slightly afterward once fully convinced he was unharmed though then suddenly—

They both stopped. Again. Standing close. Too close.

The earlier almost-kiss still lingered heavily between them like something unfinished neither quite knew how to approach now.

So’lek’s hand brushed hers.

(Y/n)’s heart immediately forgot how to function properly.

What did people even do after almost kissing someone?

Her brain supplied absolutely nothing useful. Embrace? Hold hands again? Pretend nothing happened?

What do I do with my hands? Very suddenly her fingers became the most fascinating things in existence.She stared at them briefly in complete betrayal.

Meanwhile So’lek was having absolutely no easier time.  Because now that the immediate threat was gone all his attention returned fully toward her again. Toward how close she stood. Toward the lingering warmth still sitting painfully inside his chest from earlier.

Toward the fact he still wanted very badly to kiss her.

He exhaled slowly steadying himself before speaking again. “Come.”

(Y/n) looked back up immediately.

“How about you take the afternoon off.”

She blinked in surprise. “The afternoon off? But there are hungry kinglor to feed.”

“There will still be hungry Kinglor tomorrow,” he pointed out.

(Y/n) hesitated automatically. Responsibility immediately trying reclaim space inside her thoughts. “Well… I do still have several nectar containers back at the sanctuary already prepared…”

So’lek noticed the exact moment she almost tried talking herself back into work.

His expression shifted slightly firmer. “Good. Let me take you somewhere.”

(Y/n)’s stomach fluttered helplessly. Take her somewhere. The wording alone felt dangerously intimate coming from him.

“Where are we going?” she asked softly.

For the first time all day something almost peaceful settled through So’lek’s expression. “To enjoy a peaceful afternoon.”

The answer startled warmth straight into her chest.

Because perhaps more than anything else— The thought of So’lek wanting peace with her felt more intimate than any kiss ever could have.

So’lek led her deeper through the forest until the sounds of dying flames from a finished fight had long faded behind them, replaced instead by the gentle rushing of water over smooth stones.

The stream was small. Peaceful. Crystal clear water shimmered beneath the glow of hanging plants while soft moss covered the surrounding stones and roots.

It was beautiful. Quiet. Hidden from prying eyes.

So’lek stepped carefully down toward the bank before glancing back toward her. He guided her gently to sit beside him near the edge of the stream and for a while neither spoke.

The silence between them no longer felt awkward. Just full. Heavy with all the things neither quite knew how to say yet and weights in their chest they didn’t know how to voice.

The water flowed softly nearby while tiny glowing insects drifted lazily through the air around them.

(Y/n) glanced sideways toward him eventually.

Even resting beside the stream he still looked alert beneath the calm exterior. Strong shoulders. Steady eyes. Hands worn rough from years of survival and war.

And yet those same hands had touched her face with such unbearable gentleness earlier she still felt warm remembering it.

“What are we doing here, So’lek?”

He looked toward the stream quietly for a long moment before answering. “Resting.”

(Y/n) smiled faintly.

“You are not known for relaxing.”

“Neither are you.”

She laughed softly beneath her breath. “To think…”

She looked down at their hands resting close together between them. “…a few weeks ago you used to glower at me from a distance.”

So’lek’s mouth twitched faintly. “You were recklessly foolish.”

(Y/n) laughed softly again before her expression slowly gentled afterward.

“Now you’re—"

The words caught briefly in her throat. Because what was he now?

Protective. Gentle. Always nearby. Looking at her like she mattered. Like she was something precious.

Her chest tightened softly. “Please, So’lek…”

He turned fully toward her now.

And suddenly she felt terrifyingly exposed beneath the steadiness of his gaze.

“What you are doing to my heart…”

Her voice nearly failed her there. “If I am imagining things…”

She swallowed softly. “I need you to stop it now.”

The vulnerability in those words hit So’lek harder than any weapon ever had.

Because beneath all her warmth and kindness— She was afraid.

Afraid this existed only inside her heart.

Afraid she had misunderstood him.

And Eywa— The thought of her believing that hurt.

So’lek stared at her quietly for several long seconds while something inside him finally gave way.

Because he could no longer pretend this was nothing. Not after the way his chest tightened every time she smiled. Not after the unbearable relief every time she was safe. Not after nearly kissing her beneath the trees because he wanted her so badly it frightened him.

He slowly reached toward her again. Large fingers gently finding hers. “You are not imagining things.”

(Y/n)’s breath caught instantly.

His voice remained low. Roughened by emotion he rarely allowed himself to show. “I tried to stop this.”

The honesty in the confession stunned her silent. “I told myself you were a dreamwalker.”

Pain flickered briefly across his face. “That I should keep distance.”

His thumb brushed softly across her hand. “But every time I did…”

His gaze lifted fully to hers again. “…I only found myself returning to you.”

(Y/n)’s heart felt dangerously close to breaking open completely.

And So’lek looked almost angry at himself for feeling it so deeply.

Meanwhile she looked at him like he had just placed the stars themselves into her hands.

“You make me feel peaceful,” he admitted quietly.

 “And that terrified me…” The words sounded almost unfamiliar leaving him.

(Y/n)’s eyes immediately softened with so much warmth it nearly undid him entirely. Her chest ached hearing that.

(Y/n) shifted closer beside him until their shoulders brushed. “You do not have to be afraid of me.”

So’lek closed his eyes briefly at the softness in her voice. No. That was the problem.

He was not afraid of her. He was afraid of how completely he was beginning to love her.

So’lek’s voice came low and gentle. “That is not what I fear.”

(Y/n)’s breath caught quietly in her throat.

Because the look in his eyes now— There was no distance left in it. No coldness. No walls. Only raw aching honesty.

They leaned closer toward one another almost unconsciously. Slowly. Carefully.

Like both of them feared moving too fast would somehow shatter the fragile beautiful thing unfolding between them.

(Y/n) could feel the warmth of his breath now. Could see every tiny shift in his expression.

The way So’lek looked at her made her feel devastatingly cherished.

His hand remained wrapped around hers while the other gently rested against her cheek again, thumb brushing softly against her skin as though he could not stop touching her now that he had finally allowed himself this closeness.

“I cannot ignore my heart, (Y/n).”

The confession sounded almost painful leaving him.

“I have tried.” Eywa, he had tried. Tried drawing lines. Tried reminding himself what she was. Tried forcing distance between them whenever the warmth in his chest grew too dangerous.

But every attempt failed the moment she smiled at him. Or looked at him with concern. It made something ancient and lonely inside him ache.

His forehead nearly brushed hers now. “It wins over my thoughts.”

(Y/n)’s eyes burned suddenly with emotion hearing that. Because So’lek was not careless with words.

Her fingers tightened softly around his hand while her free hand slowly rose to rest against his chest.

The realization nearly made her melt entirely.

“You have any idea,” she whispered shakily, “how relieved I am to hear you say that?”

Something in So’lek’s chest tightened painfully hearing the emotion in her voice.

Because she sounded relieved.Like she too had been fighting this alone for far too long.

His eyes flicked briefly toward her lips again.

This time neither of them looked away.

The space between them disappeared slowly. Naturally. Like gravity itself pulling them together.

(Y/n)’s heart raced so hard she thought she might genuinely pass out while So’lek leaned closer with terrifying carefulness, like he still could not quite believe he was allowing himself this.

His lips brushed hers.

And the second it happened every thought inside So’lek shattered completely.

Because nothing could have prepared him for the warmth of her mouth against his. For the way she melted closer instantly. For the quiet sound she made against his lips that nearly destroyed what little restraint remained inside him.

His hand tightened gently against her cheek while he kissed her again properly this time, deeper and full of every emotion he had been trying desperately to suppress for weeks now. Wanting. Relief. Affection. Need.

(Y/n)’s fingers curled tighter against his metal vest as warmth flooded through her so intensely it almost hurt.

So’lek pulled back only slightly afterward resting his forehead against hers while both of them struggled to remember how breathing worked.

The forest around them seemed impossibly quiet now. Like even Pandora itself had gone still for this moment.

And So’lek realized with terrifying clarity—He was already far too gone to ever pull away from her now.

(Y/n) moved closer to him without hesitation now, like whatever final fear had existed between them had finally broken apart beneath the weight of everything they felt.

He looked at peace. Not guarded. Not distant. Just… hers.

His arms slowly drew her closer against him like instinct had finally overpowered restraint. “Your warmth…”

His voice came rough and quiet against her lips. “Your kindness…”

His forehead rested briefly against hers while his thumb brushed gently along her cheek. “It broke through every thought I had of you.”

(Y/n)’s chest tightened painfully hearing the honesty in his voice.

“You are not your kind,” he admitted softly.

The words sounded almost like confession. “You are gentle.”

His gaze moved slowly across her face like he still could not fully believe she was real. “Warm as the sun.”

(Y/n)’s breath caught softly.

And So’lek—

Strong terrifying So’lek—looked almost undone by the way she gazed back at him with such open affection.

“I was cold to you,” he murmured. A faint almost bitter amusement crossed his face briefly. “To try and fight how desperately I needed your warmth, (Y/n).”

Her heart shattered beautifully for him. Because suddenly every glare. Every frustrated argument. Every lingering stare from the edge of clearings—

It all made sense now.

He had been fighting this from the beginning. Fighting her. Fighting himself. Fighting the terrifying comfort she brought into his lonely world.

But now—

Now his walls were finally cracking apart completely beneath her hands.

“So’lek…” Her voice trembled softly with emotion and affection so deep she no longer knew how to contain it.

He kissed her again before she could say more.

This time with less hesitation. Less restraint.

His hand slid into her hair while he pulled her closer against him, kissing her like a starving man finally allowing himself something he had denied for far too long.

(Y/n) melted against him immediately. One of her hands instinctively caught against the dog tags hanging across the front of his metal vest, fingers curling gently around them while warmth flooded every part of her.

So’lek felt the touch and something deep inside his chest ached painfully. Because she held even the harsh broken parts of him gently.

He rested his forehead against hers again afterward breathing unevenly now while his arms remained wrapped firmly around her.

“I am done trying to fight my own thoughts.”

No more distance. No more pretending. No more convincing himself she was merely a dreamwalker he should avoid.

He had already lost that battle completely.

“Can we really be together?” The question came quietly from (Y/n) as she remained wrapped against him beside the glowing stream, her fingers still loosely curled around the dog tags resting against his chest.

So’lek looked down at her for a long moment, his hands resting securely at her waist while the forest glowed softly around them.

He would be lying if he said the thought did not frighten him still. A warrior of the People. A dreamwalker from the stars.

Nothing about this was simple.

Nothing about it should work.

But then again— Nothing about the way she made him feel had ever followed reason.

“I want to try, (Y/n).”

He wanted her. Enough to try despite every fear clawing inside him.

(Y/n)’s eyes softened so much it almost physically hurt him to look at.

“Good,” she breathed softly.

Then suddenly she groaned dramatically and dropped her forehead lightly against his chest. “Because I cannot handle the awkwardness anymore.”

So’lek blinked.

“My heart will explode.”

A startled bark of laughter escaped him before he could stop it.

(Y/n) loved that sound instantly. She looked back up at him smiling helplessly and before he could say another word she kissed him again.

So’lek’s laughter faded immediately into something softer as he kissed her back without hesitation this time, arms pulling her closer against him while the stream rushed quietly nearby.

“So…” (Y/n)’s fingers toyed lightly with the dog tags resting against his chest while she looked up at him with that soft teasing warmth returning slowly to her expression. “Was it the clothes?”

So’lek blinked once. “The clothes?”

“You know,” she gestured vaguely toward herself. “The Aranahe makeover.”

A grin tugged at her lips. “Because if those who shall not be named find out this somehow pushed you over the edge…”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “…I will never hear the end of it.”

So’lek understood immediately.

Tamtey.

Etuwa.

Nefika.

The trio currently conspiring against them somewhere back in Hometree.

A quiet chuckle escaped him at the thought. Low and warm.

(Y/n)’s heart fluttered stupidly again hearing it.

“No,” he said softly.

“Not the clothes.”

Though Eywa help him—They certainly had not helped his self control.

His hand brushed lightly against the woven fabric at her waist almost unconsciously while his gaze moved over her again.

Not because the clothing itself mattered. But because of what it had done to him.

What it had made him realize.

(Y/n) tilted her head slightly. “Then what?”

So’lek grew quiet for a moment. Because he wanted her to understand this properly.

“When I saw you walk from Hometree…” He exhaled quietly trying to untangle feelings he had spent weeks suppressing. “It was not the clothing itself.”

His fingers gently brushed a bead woven into her hair.

(Y/n)’s breath caught softly.

“You looked…” He paused briefly. Not because he lacked words. Because he had too many. Beautiful. Radiant. Like sunlight through the forest. Like she belonged beside Pandora instead of apart from it.

His chest tightened. “You looked happy.”

The confession came softer now. “And seeing you accepted…”

His eyes remained fixed on hers.

He shook his head faintly. “I realized how wrong I had been trying to separate you from this world.”

(Y/n)’s eyes immediately softened painfully hearing that. “You belong far more here than many sky people ever will.”

Emotion tightened quietly in her throat. “So’lek…”

“You care for Pandora more gently than most born upon it.”

His thumb brushed softly against her cheek again. “And when I saw you dressed amongst the People…”

A faint almost helpless warmth crossed his face. “…I realized the thought of losing you had become unbearable to me.”

(Y/n)’s heart felt dangerously close to melting completely. Because every word from him sounded earned. Hard fought.

She smiled softly afterward resting her forehead lightly against his chest again. “Well…” Her voice came quieter now. “I am very glad the Aranahe bullied me into changing clothes then.”

So’lek huffed another quiet laugh and wrapped his arms more securely.

Neither of them tried fighting what this had become anymore.

“But are you sure I belong, So’lek?”

The question came so quietly it almost disappeared beneath the sound of the stream.

And immediately— He understood this fear ran far deeper than him. Far deeper than whether the Aranahe accepted her.

This was the wound she carried constantly beneath everything else.

The fear that no matter how much she loved Pandora—

No matter how much she gave to it— She would always remain separate. An outsider pretending at belonging.

(Y/n)’s fingers curled lightly against the front of his vest while her eyes searched his carefully. “I was not born on Pandora.”

Her voice softened further. “This is not my real body.”

Something painful twisted through So’lek’s chest hearing the old hurt behind those words.

Because once— He would have agreed. Once he had seen her as something unnatural. A false thing wearing sacred skin. A demon in borrowed flesh.

And Eywa— The thought of seeing her that way now felt unbearable.

Before she could retreat further into those fears he leaned down and kissed her. Not to silence her. To answer her.

(Y/n)’s breath caught softly against his lips and when he finally pulled back his forehead rested gently against hers once more.

“I do not see you as a demon any longer.”

His thumb brushed gently along her cheek while his gaze remained fixed on hers. “I no longer see stolen skin.”

His voice roughened slightly with emotion. “I no longer see an alien pretending to belong.”

Because none of those things were what defined her to him anymore. He saw the woman who stayed awake for days saving lives—stayed awake for days saving his life. The woman whose warmth thawed something cold and lonely inside him that he thought had died years ago.

“I see you, (Y/n).”

Her heart stuttered painfully hard at those words. He saw her. Not the avatar. Not the dreamwalker. Not the sky person.

Her.

Emotion burned behind her eyes immediately and she hated how vulnerable that made her feel.

“Do you?” she whispered shakily. “I am not Na’vi.”

“That is not what matters.”

The answer came without hesitation.

So’lek’s hand gently guided her closer against him again. “What matters is your heart.”

(Y/n)’s breath trembled softly.

“You care for this world more deeply than many born beneath Eywa ever will.”

He looked at her like the truth of that sat carved into his bones now.

His chest tightened faintly. “And you make this harsh world feel gentle again simply by existing within it.”

(Y/n) looked like she might cry at that. Not from sadness. From being seen so completely it hurt.

So’lek brushed his nose softly against hers.

“Pandora may not have birthed you,” he murmured quietly.

“But Eywa still guided you here.”

And somehow— Hearing him say it finally made part of her believe it too.

“Eywa guided you to me.”

So’lek’s voice came barely above a whisper now while the glowing stream rushed softly beside them. His hand remained against her cheek while his forehead rested gently against hers, their breaths mingling in the quiet warmth between them. “You saved my life.”

The memory still lived sharply inside him even now. Pain. Blood loss. Fever.

The fading edges of consciousness while his ikran’s death echoed like grief through his soul.

And then—Her.

Small exhausted hands desperately trying to hold him together while infection consumed his body.

He remembered her voice. Steady despite exhaustion. Gentle even while terrified he would die beneath her care.

“She brought me to your kind and gentle hands.”

(Y/n)’s chest tightened painfully hearing the emotion in his voice.

“I loved you long before I understood it,” he admitted quietly.

The words nearly stole the breath from her lungs entirely.

His eyes closed briefly.

“If not for my path of vengeance…” Pain flickered faintly across his face. “If not for war and the hatred I carried…”

His thumb brushed softly against her skin. “I would have returned searching for your kindness long ago.”

(Y/n)’s heart physically hurt hearing that. Because she remembered  watching him disappear after recovering. Remembered quietly wondering for years afterward whether he survived. Whether he still lived somewhere out there beyond the forests.

Their paths had crossed again somehow despite everything.

And now he stood here holding her like losing her would break him.

“But we crossed paths again,” So’lek murmured softly.

“And your kindness…” His gaze lifted fully to hers again. “…is far brighter than my hatred.”

Emotion tightened harshly in his throat. “You outshine it all.”

(Y/n)’s eyes burned immediately. Because no one had ever spoken about her like this before.

Her fingers lifted slowly brushing against the rough line of his jaw while she stared at him with so much affection it nearly undid him entirely.

“You know what I noticed about you first?”

So’lek’s ears flicked slightly.

“That you watched everything.” A faint smile touched her lips. “You pretend to be cold and distant but you are always paying attention.”

She laughed softly beneath her breath. “You stayed nearby my sanctuary even when we argued.”

“You noticed.”

“You are not subtle, So’lek.”

That earned the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth.

(Y/n)’s expression softened further afterward. “You brought me food when I was too exhausted to care for myself.”

Her hand rested gently over his.

Emotion thickened quietly in her voice now. “You were always just there.”

“You listened when Alma made me doubt myself.”

“You make me feel less doubt.”

So’lek’s chest tightened.

(Y/n)’s eyes lowered briefly.

“I have spent so much of my life pursuing a way to keep others alive…”

Her voice trembled softly. “And no one ever really looked after me.”

So’lek’s heart physically ached hearing that.

Then her gaze lifted back toward him again filled with warmth so deep it nearly shattered him. “But you did.”

A tear slipped free down her cheek though she smiled through it. “You made me feel wanted.”

Her voice broke softly. “And I think somewhere along the way I fell completely in love with you because no one has ever done something so thoughtful for me before.”

So’lek closed his eyes briefly overwhelmed by the raw honesty in her voice. “So say it back, (Y/n).”

Her breath caught. “What?”

His forehead pressed lightly against hers again. “You heard me.”

A faint warmth touched his expression.

“Can I?” she whispered shakily.

“Yes.”

His voice dropped lower. “I want to hear you say it.”

(Y/n)’s heart raced so violently she thought it might burst.

She did not hold the words back. Her hands gently framed his face while she smiled through tears and overwhelming warmth. “I see you, So’lek.”

And Eywa—

The way his eyes softened hearing those words told her no one had ever truly said them to him before either.

“What happened after you left?”

(Y/n)’s voice softened gently while they remained together beside the stream, her fingers absentmindedly tracing across the worn metal of the dog tags resting against his chest.

“I wondered for years.”

So’lek’s gaze lowered slightly.

“You mentioned hatred before.” Her thumb brushed softly against the back of his hand. “Vengeance.”

The word sat heavy between them. “What pains you so deeply?”

She looked at him with quiet concern now.

“I have noticed it weighing on you ever since we met again.”

So’lek fell silent for several long moments afterward while the forest moved softly around them.

He rarely spoke about this. Rarely allowed himself to think too deeply on the grief beneath the rage because if he did—

It threatened swallowing him whole again.

But this was (Y/n).

“As soon as I was on my feet again…” His voice roughened slightly. “I sought out my clan.”

(Y/n)’s chest tightened immediately hearing the shift in his tone.

But his eyes remained fixed somewhere distant now. Haunted by memory. “They had been wiped out.”

The words came flat. “By the sky people.”

Pain flickered sharply across his face despite the calmness he tried maintaining.

(Y/n)’s heart physically hurt hearing it. “So’lek…”

“That burning vengeance still lingers, (Y/n).”

There was no hiding it now. No pretending. “It never truly left me.”

His fingers flexed slightly against hers. “I still hunt anyone connected to the massacre of my clan.”

(Y/n) looked at him with so much sorrow and understanding it almost hurt him to meet her gaze. Because she did not recoil from that darkness in him. Did not fear it.

Instead her hand gently lifted to his face once more like she wished she could somehow ease years of grief from his shoulders.

“I always wondered why you were so cold to me when we met again.”

A faint sad smile touched her lips. “So guarded.”

So’lek huffed quietly beneath his breath. “It did not last long.”

That finally earned the softest laugh from her. “No,” she agreed warmly. “It did not.”

Her eyes softened teasingly afterward. “I suppose Pandora’s great terrifying oaf simply needed time to thaw.”

So’lek barked another quiet laugh at that.

“Yes,” he admitted. “It took some time.”

Then more quietly—“But you are not them.”

The certainty in his voice made her chest tighten softly again. He saw her.

(Y/n)’s expression gentled. “Even if I am human?”

So’lek’s gaze drifted slowly over her face. Affection. Warmth. Something devastatingly tender now. “Even if you are human.”

“And when you are half my size.”

(Y/n) gasped softly in mock offense. “I am not that small.”

“You are very small.”

“I am a perfectly reasonable size for a human.”

So’lek’s arms tightened around her slightly. “You fit beneath my chin.”

“That sounds like a you problem.”

His chest rumbled softly with another laugh while she smiled helplessly.

And somewhere between grief and warmth and old wounds finally spoken aloud— The loneliness both of them carried for so long began easing just a little more.

“You are a walking contradiction.” So’lek said it with quiet disbelief beneath the warmth in his voice while his fingers traced slowly along hers beside the stream.

(Y/n) blinked up at him. “A contradiction?”

“Yes.”

There was almost fond exasperation in his expression now.

“You should not make sense to me.”

That made her smile faintly. “So poetic.”

“I am serious.”

His gaze stayed fixed on her while he spoke. “You are sky people…”

His jaw tightened slightly at the old instinctive thought before softening again looking at her. “But you grieve Pandora’s suffering more deeply than many born to it.”

“You wear a false body…” His hand gently brushed against her waist where the woven Aranahe fabrics rested. “But everything about your heart feels real.”

“You are gentle enough to cry burying dying creatures…”

Warmth crossed his face faintly.

“…yet stubborn enough to argue with me while I’m bleeding from gunshot wounds.”

(Y/n) snorted softly.

“You also attempt medicine on yourself with experimental compounds.”

“That also happened one time.”

“According to you, you poisoned yourself.”

“In the name of science and good drinks.”

So’lek stared at her flatly.

She looked away immediately trying not to laugh.

He shook his head faintly though affection remained written all across his face now.

“You spend your days healing life with soft hands and kind words…”

His thumb brushed lightly over her knuckles. “…yet you willingly stand amidst battlefields covered in blood trying to save life.”

(Y/n)’s chest tightened quietly hearing the emotion in his voice.

“You are human.” His eyes searched hers carefully now. “But you are the gentlest soul I have ever known.”

The stream rushed softly around them while So’lek exhaled slowly. “And for weeks my thoughts fought themselves because of it.”

(Y/n)’s expression softened immediately.

He had struggled so deeply with this. With her.

“I would watch you from the trees and remind myself you were a dreamwalker.”

A faint bitter amusement touched his mouth. “Then I would see you feeding orphaned creatures from your hands and suddenly hatred no longer made sense beside you.”

He looked down briefly. “I told myself you were not one of the People.”

Then quieter— “But every act of yours reflected more honor than many warriors I have known.”

(Y/n)’s throat tightened softly.

“So I became angry at myself instead. “Because every moment beside you made the lines blur further.”

He laughed softly beneath his breath. “You were exhausting.”

“You exhaust me!.” That made her laugh properly this time.

So’lek’s gaze softened immediately at the sound. “I would decide to keep distance from you…”

His hand gently lifted to brush loose strands of hair behind her ear. “…then find myself standing outside your sanctuary again hours later.”

(Y/n)’s chest fluttered helplessly.

“You wore me down.”

The confession came almost helplessly now.

“Every kindness.”

“Every smile.”

“Every act of compassion.”

His forehead rested lightly against hers again. “I could no longer ignore my heart.”

(Y/n)’s eyes burned softly with emotion hearing it.

Because beneath all his strength and guardedness—So’lek loved with terrifying sincerity.

Once he allowed himself to.

Her fingers curled gently against his jaw while she smiled shakily. “Well.”

Her voice softened warmly. “Good.”

That earned another quiet laugh from him before he kissed her once more beside the glowing stream while Pandora hummed softly around them like the world itself had finally exhaled.

“Because I genuinely do not know what I would have done if this was never addressed,” (Y/n) admitted softly against his lips, laughing shakily through the overwhelming warmth still flooding her chest.

“My heart may actually have combusted.”

So’lek huffed another quiet laugh at that, the sound rumbling warmly beneath his chest while his forehead rested against hers. “You are foolish.”

“I have spent weeks being stared at by a giant brooding warrior who kept showing up everywhere I was.”

Her hands lifted slightly in disbelief.

“You glowered at me.”

“I did.”

“You hovered.”

“You can be reckless with your safety.”

“You fixed my shelters.”

“You ask.”

“You literally raided the RDA because Nalin said I was not eating properly.”

“You were surviving off sludge and were not eating.”

“And through all of this,” she continued, “you somehow expected me not to fall in love with you?”

His heart stuttered faintly hearing her say it so openly now. Love.

(Y/n) smiled helplessly at the way his gaze softened instantly every time she said those words. “You would stand outside my sanctuary pretending you just happened to be nearby.”

“I was checking the perimeter.”

“You were lurking.”

“That is different.”

“It is absolutely not different.”

A quiet laugh escaped him again and Eywa she adored that sound more every single time she heard it.

Because she knew how rare it was. How hard won.

(Y/n) brushed her thumb softly along the line of his jaw.

“I was losing my mind, So’lek.” Her smile gentled into something softer afterward.

“Every time you looked at me like that…”

His arms instinctively tightened around her slightly.

“…I kept hoping.” The vulnerability in her voice tugged painfully at his chest.

“Hoping what?”

“That maybe you felt this too.”

He hated the thought of her doubting herself because of his fear. “I am sorry.”

The apology came quiet and genuine.

(Y/n) immediately shook her head. “No.” Her hand cupped his face gently.

(Y/n)’s smile slowly returned afterward brighter now.

“But still.” Her eyes narrowed teasingly. “If we had kept dancing around this much longer I was going to physically perish.”

“You would not perish.”

“You underestimate my inner monologue.”

So’lek chuckled softly again before leaning down and pressing another slow kiss to her forehead.

Next >

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[just-another-idk]

Gentle Hands

So'lek x fem!avatar driver reader inspired by Tsumuke written by @lvlypinkesworld

Part 1 > Part 2

Sanctuary

Dyer’s bowl was tranquil, serene.

In the corner of the valley, the soft hum of her song drifted beneath the tarp, quiet and warm despite the rain tapping steadily overhead.

A sturmbeast lifted its great head weakly from the moss bedding she had laid out, cloudy eyes watching her as she carefully tilted another carved bowl toward its mouth.

“There you go,” she whispered softly. “Slowly… slowly, sweetheart…”

The animal drank greedily despite its trembling.

Nearby, a pair of sick hexepede twitched miserably beneath blankets, their breathing ragged, thin ribs rising far too sharply beneath striped hides. The smell of sickness hung heavy beneath the shelter. Rot. Infection.

It made her stomach twist.

If she hadn’t found them when she did, they would have died from the RDA’s pollution.

The baby prolemuris clinging to her back chirped sleepily as she moved between her patients, Its little face buried itself against the crook of her neck while she worked.

(Y/n) continued humming anyway.

Anything to keep the creatures calm.

Anything to make them hurt a little less.

A sturmbeast let out a weak rumble as her blue 5 fingered hands stroked its snout.

“I know…” she murmured sadly. “I know…” Her heart cracked open every single time she saw this.

Animals did not understand greed.

Did not understand war.

They only knew pain as a result of the horrors.

After checking the last of the medicine—water mixed carefully with crushed dapophet pods—she finally rose to her feet with a tired exhale.

The prolemuris on her back squeaked indignantly at the movement.

“I know, you dramatic little thing,” she whispered.

The creature huffed.

She smiled faintly.

Then headed deeper through the sanctuary.

Too many injured creatures.

Too many frightened ones.

A small den tucked beneath tangled roots came into view and immediately tiny whining cries echoed out toward her.

“There are my babies…”

Three viperwolf pups stumbled clumsily toward her the moment she crouched down.

Fllo, Hllo and Ewi. All paws. Oversized ears. Sharp little teeth.

Their mother and pack had been killed by an RDA patrol.

(Y/n) swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat. “Easy… easy…”

She reached into one of her satchels, pulling strips of meat free.

The pups practically climbed into her lap.

Tiny growls. Hungry whines.

One latched onto her wrist instead of the food and she snorted softly. “You are very fierce but watch the teeth,” she deadpanned quietly.

The pup sneezed directly into her face.

“…Disgusting.” Her sarcasm was gentle. Fond.

The pups wagged harder at the sound of her voice. They were finally old enough for meat instead of milk substitute. Messy little things tore into the strips while another simply shoved its face against her chest demanding attention first.

Spoiled.

Absolutely spoiled.

A soft smile pulled at her lips as little tails wagged wildly against the dirt.

Then the distant mechanical shriek of a scorpion gunship tore across the forest.

The pups flinched violently.

The sound alone made her chest tighten.

The pups immediately began whining nervously.

Around the sanctuary, creatures shifted uneasily.

Herds moved.

Birds vanished from the trees.

Silence spread through the forest like rippling water.

Another engine roar echoed overhead.

Too low.

Far too low.

The baby prolemuris on her back chirped anxiously.

(Y/n) rose quickly, trying not to let her hands shake.

“It’s okay,” she whispered automatically, though her pulse was already hammering painfully. “It’s okay…”

It was not okay.

Creatures were already moving for cover.

She hurried back toward her small camp hidden amongst the roots and vines, a hammock for her avatar, her research equipment, a computer and a few other things kept under here such a small kitchen to make the necessary things she needed to make for the creatures in her care,. She carefully lifted the prolemuris from her shoulders and settling it into a hollow lined with blankets and moss.

Tiny hands clung to her wrist immediately.

“I’ll come back,” she promised softly.

The creature whined.

“I know… I know…”

Her eyes flicked toward the sound of engines again. Sounded like it was near the lake, it was still much too close for her liking.

Her stomach twisted.

Where there was RDA there was guns.

She hated guns.

Hated them.

Hated the noise.

Hated what they did.

But her gaze still settled on the rifle leaning beside her shelter.

A long moment passed before she grabbed it reluctantly and slung it over her shoulder.

As much as she hated guns those in her care were defenceless and so she would defend them.

Then she took a breath and stepped into the trees.

The sanctuary behind her held wounded creatures. Babies without parents.

Animals that trusted her to keep them safe.

She wouldn’t allow the RDA to play their twisted games with them.

 Not in her neck of the woods.

Hammerheads ran past her as she reached the bottom of the valley of Dyer’s bowl. She’d have to check on them on her way back.

(Y/n) moved silently through the trees, their shadows hiding her from human eyes.

Three armed men walked along the shores of the lake.

RDA.

Her ears flattened slightly.

She shifted her grip on the gun, preparing to step from cover—

Then one of the men dropped with an arrow through his throat.

(Y/n) froze.

Another arrow struck the second human square in the chest before he could even shout.

The third spun around in panic only for a blue figure to crash into him from above.

The stranger slammed him into the mud and snapped his neck in one clean motion.

Silence returned almost instantly.

(Y/n) blinked. “…What the hell…”

The Na’vi straightened. He wore a faded TAP shirt and human shorts.

An avatar perhaps?

But he was young?

Far too young to have been apart of the avatar program.

And when he reached for another arrow, she noticed his fingers.

Four.

Not five.

Born Na’vi.

Not born from a tank. Not a driver.

Her brow furrowed why was this kid wearing human clothes.

The boy moved again before she could speak, picking a few dapophet pods, jogging toward the larger abandoned depot building further back.

(Y/n) followed silently through the trees.

However RDA were looming around the site.

Foot Soldiers.

AMP suits.

At least two.

The young navi crouched near an old generator, drawing his bow carefully while gunfire rattled against it.

One wrong move and—

He loosed an arrow.

One human dropped instantly.

The second barely had time to shout before another shaft buried itself in his shoulder.

Then the AMP suits opened fire.

Gunshots exploded.

(Y/n) physically winced at the noise.

God she hated that sound.

The young avatar ducked behind cover as rounds tore through metal beside him.

Then she stepped out.

Her rifle barked violently in her hands.

One AMP jerked as bullets tore through the pilot compartment.

The second turned too slowly.

Another burst dropped it hard enough the machine collapsed through a rusted crate.

The young Navi stared at her for a moment.

“Thank you,” he said quickly. Young voice.

Up close she could see it clearer now.

Na’vi features. Four fingers. TAP clothes. The mark. Sarentu. Now that she thought about it Alma and So’lek said they were checking the old TAP facility for survivors, this must be one of them.

He adjusted his bow slightly. “I’m Tamtey— I can’t stop to talk.” Tamtey already moved again, jogging toward a lone tree in the back.

Someone lay against the base of the tree. Her stomach sank immediately. Someone was injured.

And then she spotted the familiar figure sitting against the trunk.

Blood smeared dark across his side.

So’lek looked up slowly.

(Y/n) immediately stormed forward, stepping up next to Tamtey. “You oaf,” she snapped. “What did you do now?”

His ears flicked once in annoyance. “Now is not the time for your incessant nagging, dreamwalker.”

Tamtey blinked rapidly between them. “You know each other?”

“Unfortunately,” So’lek answered flatly.

(Y/n) folded her arms. “Sad, I know.”

Tamtey looked completely lost.

So’lek pressed a hand harder against the wound. “I am not gravely injured,” he said with clear irritation. “I simply need a dapophet pod and I shall be fine.”

(Y/n) immediately stepped backward with both hands raised dramatically. “Oh, forgive me,” she said dryly. “I shall next time not waste my worry.”

“Do not pretend you are worried.”

She stared at him. Then laughed once in disbelief. “Oh absolutely. Because getting shot repeatedly is clearly one of your charming personality traits.”

So’lek gave her a hard look. “You exaggerate.”

“You’re watering the tree with your blood.”

Tamtey physically looked between them again like he was watching some strange interaction he did not understand.

(Y/n) pointed vaguely toward So’lek’s bleeding side. “Once you stop pretending you are immune to bullets perhaps this will stop happening.”

“I am fine.”

“Wonderful. Then I can leave.”

She turned slightly before pausing. “I can tell when I am not wanted,” she said more quietly. “Forgive me for inconveniencing the dog-tag warrior.”

Tamtey’s eyes widened slightly.

“And since he is fine,” she continued with forced lightness, “I have better things to do.”

She turned to leave.

So’lek watched her go silently.

Tamtey slowly handed him a dapophet pod.

So’lek took it, biting into it without another word.

“This,” he said after a moment, “is how we heal.”

Tamtey crouched beside him.

Then glanced toward where (Y/n) had disappeared into the trees. “Who was that?”

So’lek was quiet for a long moment. “That is (Y/n).”

“She is with the resistance as well but make no mistake she is not one of us, she fights for the broken remnants of her home.”

Tamtey tilted his head slightly. “You two do not seem to get along.”

So’lek gave him a flat stare. Obviously.

So’lek pushed himself to his feet with the same stubbornness he did everything else with. Like bleeding was an inconvenience instead of an injury.

Tamtey watched him carefully.

The older warrior’s gaze moved over him slowly.

No songcord.

So’lek’s expression hardened slightly. “You have no songcord.”

Tamtey instinctively touched the bare skin at his throat. For a moment the confident edge he carried slipped. “We had my mother’s,” he answered quietly. “But they stole it.”

Something dark flickered behind So’lek’s eyes then.  Not pity.Something colder. Anger. “We must change that.” And just like that he started walking.

Tamtey blinked rapidly. “Wait!”

So’lek stopped but did not turn around.

“What should I do now?” Tamtey asked.

The question sounded younger than he probably intended.

Lost.

So’lek stood silently for a moment beneath the swaying trees.

“Do?”

He glanced back over one shoulder.

“You must discover your own way, Sarentu.”

Tamtey straightened slightly.

“Until then,” So’lek continued, “join the resistance.”

The older warrior’s gaze sharpened.

“But hear me.” His voice lowered. “Those humans may share the same enemy.”

“We are not the same.”

Tamtey frowned slightly, trying to understand.

Then the shriek of a low flying scorpion tore overhead.

So’lek’s head snapped upward instantly.

The aircraft thundered somewhere beyond the trees.

Too close.

Far too close.

So’lek’s expression changed immediately.

Gone was the calm irritation. Gone was the detached indifference. Now he looked alert.

Almost alarmed.

“No,” he muttered sharply. “No, no, no, no…”

Tamtey stiffened.

“What is it—”

“They are too close.”

So’lek was already moving.

“Go,” he ordered. “I will meet you by base camp near the waterfall.”

Then he broke into a sprint through the forest.

Not toward the resistance.

Not away from the danger.

Toward it.

Tamtey stared after him in confusion as branches snapped somewhere ahead.

Tamtey followed the edge of the lake cautiously, eyes flicking constantly toward the cliffs towering above the water.

The waterfall thundered somewhere ahead.

Base camp had to be up there.

The ground shook.

Tamtey froze instantly.

Three massive hammerheads emerged from the trees ahead, enormous heads lifting with deep warning growls that rattled through the earth itself.

Their forelegs scraped violently against the dirt.

Ready to charge.

Tamtey instinctively reached for his bow.

Then stopped.

Because standing between them was (Y/n).

The creatures settled almost immediately at the sight of her.

One lowered its gigantic head into her waiting hands with a low rumbling croon while the others circled around her slowly.

Gentle. Affectionate. One nudged her shoulder hard enough it nearly shoved her sideways.

“You are all very dramatic today,” she murmured softly.

The hammerhead snorted heavily. Another bowed its massive head insistently for attention.

(Y/n) laughed quietly beneath her breath, the sound warm and soft as sunlight through leaves. “There,” she whispered, rubbing along the creature’s face. “You are okay… nobody is hurting you…”

Tamtey stared.

Hammerheads. The most territorially aggressive creatures on Pandora. And they were acting like overgrown puppies.

One suddenly lifted its head sharply toward Tamtey and gave a loud warning cry.

Immediately the others tensed.

(Y/n) gently pressed both hands against the nearest one. “Shh… easy…”

The animal calmed almost instantly beneath her touch.

“Tamtey is not a danger,” she told them softly. “He is a friend.”

The creatures slowly settled again.

Tamtey approached carefully.

Very carefully.

“They seem to like you,” he said quietly.

(Y/n) glanced over briefly.

“Lower your voice,” she answered softly. Not rude. Just gentle.

Tamtey obeyed automatically.

(Y/n) rested her forehead briefly against one hammerhead’s enormous face.

“I rescued these three when they were babies,” she explained quietly. “They chose to stay here in Dyer’s Bowl.”

One immediately nudged her again for more affection.

She sighed dramatically.

Another pushed its head against her shoulder.

“They are now overgrown babies.”

Tamtey noticed movement then. Shapes lingering beyond the trees. Hexepede. Sturmbeasts. Several viperwolves watching cautiously from the underbrush. Even a pair of fan lizards clung nearby.

Waiting.

Like they were simply waiting for him to leave so they could crowd around her again.

The realization settled strangely in his chest.

Tamtey’s gaze shifted back to her more carefully. “You are an avatar.”

“Yes.” She scratched absentmindedly beneath one hammerhead’s jaw. “I am a xenozoologist and veterinarian.”

“I guess.” The uncertainty in the last words sounded oddly awkward. Like she disliked talking about herself.

Tamtey tilted his head slightly. “Can you point me toward the base?”

(Y/n) nodded toward the cliffs. “Up there. Hard to miss.”

Then she glanced toward the waterfall. “But I am heading that direction anyway.”

One of the hammerheads rumbled anxiously.

She immediately pressed a hand to its face. “Once I help steady their hearts.”

Tamtey took another step closer. Which apparently triggered half the forest. Several hexepede suddenly burst from the undergrowth toward her, skittering nervously around her legs.

(Y/n) immediately crouched. “Oh, hey, hey— easy…” Her voice softened impossibly further. Gentle hands stroked carefully along trembling backs while she shushed them quietly. “There is nothing to panic about…”

Tamtey watched silently. He had never seen someone touch creatures like this. No fear. No dominance.

Only tenderness. Like every frightened thing instinctively ran to her for safety.

(Y/n) finally stood again and gestured lightly for him to follow.

The climb up the cliffs passed mostly in silence.

She moved carefully across the rocks, occasionally glancing back to ensure he was still behind her. At the top, the resistance base became visible through the trees.

(Y/n) pointed toward the right. “If you head that way,” she said quietly, “you will find the base.”

Tamtey looked toward her. “Where are you going?”

Her gaze drifted back toward the forest below. The distant sounds of frightened animals still echoed faintly beneath the waterfall. “I still have many frightened critters to take care of.”

“My sanctuary is further in the woods.”

Tamtey nodded slowly.

Then she added quietly, “Do not look to visit me.”

Before he could answer, she turned and walked away.

And almost immediately—Creatures emerged from the forest after her.

Like shadows following sunlight.

So’lek was waiting near the entrance to the resistance base when Tamtey finally reached the top of the cliffs. Arms folded. Expression unreadable. Though his eyes flicked briefly toward the forest behind Tamtey.

Tamtey noticed it immediately. “She is strange,” he said as he approached.

So’lek began walking again without comment.

Tamtey followed beside him.

“She has always preferred the company of animals to most living beings,” So’lek answered after a moment.

That sounded less like an insult and more like a simple fact.

Tamtey glanced back toward the distant woods. “Have you been to her sanctuary?”

“Yes.” So’lek stepped over tangled roots near the pathway leading toward the old human structure built into the cliffside. “She does not like visitors.”

“Because of the animals?”

“She does not like the creatures in her care being frightened.”

Tamtey remembered the way the forest had gathered around her. The way hammerheads rested against her hands. The way frightened hexepede had run to her like children seeking comfort. “They seemed to adore her.”

So’lek went silent again. Not dismissive. Not disagreeing. Just quiet.

Like there was more to say and he had decided not to.

The base entrance finally came into view ahead.

Metal doors.

The outer door remained sealed shut, though movement was visible through the thick glass. Priya. She was inside speaking rapidly while gesturing wildly at them through the window.

Tamtey could not hear a word.

So’lek sighed heavily. “It is soundproof, Priya,” he groaned.

Priya blinked. Then held up a single finger dramatically before suddenly turning and sprinting deeper into the base.

Tamtey stared after her. A moment later the outer doors hissed open. The two stepped inside the airlock chamber. The doors sealed behind them with a heavy metallic thud. Then came the familiar process. Pandoran air vacuumed out slowly with a low mechanical hiss.

The pressure shifted slightly around them.

Tamtey glanced sideways toward So’lek.

The older warrior stood motionless. But his mind clearly seemed elsewhere.

The inner doors finally slid open.

Warm light spilled out from the resistance base. Human voices. Movement. Life.

So’lek walked inside without hesitation.

Tamtey followed after him slowly.

And as he did—He realized something. Something strange sat between So’lek and (Y/n). Not hatred. Not exactly friendship either.

Like two people pretending not to care about each other while constantly looking over their shoulders anyway.

Slowly the frightened creatures began emerging from hiding the moment her scent returned to the sanctuary. (Y/n) exhaled softly as she stepped back beneath the tarp shelter, finally unslinging the rifle from her shoulder. She hated carrying that thing. The gun was carefully tucked back beside her bedding where she would not need to look at it anymore.

Only then did some of the tension finally leave her shoulders. She crossed toward one of the hollowed trees near her camp and crouched slightly. “Ulrr,” she called softly.

A tiny excited trill answered immediately. The baby prolemuris practically launched himself out of the hollow and onto her chest, tiny limbs wrapping around her instantly as though he had been abandoned for years instead of sixty minutes.

(Y/n) laughed quietly. “Oh, dramatic little thing…”

Ulrr chirped indignantly and clung harder.

“Yes, yes. Cruel abandonment. Very tragic.” She dug through one of her pouches and produced a small piece of fruit. Ulrr immediately snatched it from her hands and began eating happily while perched against her shoulder.

“You forgive me quickly for someone so betrayed.”

The prolemuris ignored her entirely in favor of the fruit.

Then came the scrambling sound of tiny paws. The viperwolf pups burst from their den the moment they spotted her. Tails wagging wildly. Tiny snarls and excited whining echoed through the clearing as they bounded toward her all at once.

(Y/n) immediately knelt to gather them against her chest with a bright laugh. “There are my babies…”

One tried climbing directly onto her shoulder. Another attacked the strings hanging from her top. The third simply shoved its face beneath her chin demanding affection immediately. “You are all terribly needy.” The words dripped with fondness.

Around the sanctuary more creatures slowly emerged into the open now that the danger had passed. Hexepede wandered cautiously from beneath the roots. A sturmbeast lifted its head from beneath the tarp. Several fan lizards fluttered down from the branches overhead.

Even one of the hammerheads could be seen lingering further back amongst the trees, watching quietly.

The sanctuary settled again. Safe

(Y/n) carefully set the pups down before returning to the sick creatures beneath the shelter.

One of the hexepede whimpered weakly as she approached.

“Shh… I know…” She settled beside it carefully, supporting its head while slowly guiding more of the dapophet mixture toward its mouth. “There you go… just a little more…”

The creature drank shakily.

Nearby the viperwolf pups tumbled over each other at her feet, growling ferociously despite barely being larger than her forearm.

Ulrr sat perched on her shoulder watching them like an offended king.

(Y/n)’s heart softened painfully at the sight. So much life. So many fragile little things depending on her.

The thought terrified her sometimes. But she would rather carry that fear than abandon them.

Eventually (Y/n) retrieved a small crudely carved pan flute.

She adjusted Ulrr carefully against her shoulder before lifting the instrument to her lips.

Soft notes drifted through the sanctuary. Gentle. Warm. The melody wound through the trees like flowing water.

The effect was almost immediate. The restless young quieted first. The viperwolf pups stopped wrestling and curled together near her knees. A frightened hexepede slowly relaxed into the moss bedding. Even the sturmbeast’s strained breathing eased slightly.

(Y/n) kept playing softly.

Eyes half-lidded.

Surrounded by creatures that trusted her completely.

And one by one the sanctuary settled peacefully around its keeper.

Many words came to mind when So’lek thought of (Y/n).

Dreamwalker.

Demon in stolen skin pretending to belong amongst a people and world that were not hers.

Stupid was another word.

Stupid enough to live alone in forests crawling with predators and RDA patrols alike. Stupid enough to carry only a single rifle she clearly despised using. Stupid enough to remain far from the resistance base despite how quickly patrol routes could change.

She should have stayed behind reinforced walls where humans belonged. Yet she insisted on remaining here. Caring for wounded creatures no one else would spare a second glance toward.

That…

That he could admire.

Even if he refused to say it aloud.

The deeper So’lek moved through the forest, the quieter it became around him.

Not fearful quiet. Peaceful quiet.

Then came music. Soft flute notes drifted between the trees, carried gently through the night air.

So’lek slowed instinctively.

The melody was simple. Rough in places. But warm. Gentle.

As he stepped silently into the clearing, the sanctuary revealed itself once more beneath flickering lantern light and hanging tarps.

And there she was. (Y/n) sat cross-legged amongst the creatures with the small pan flute raised carefully to her lips.

The viperwolf pups slept curled against her thighs. A baby prolemuris clung sleepily to her shoulder. Several hexepede rested nearby no longer trembling with panic. Even the sturmbeasts looked calmer beneath the dim shelter light.

Around her, stronger creatures lingered p at the edges of the clearing.

The hammerheads stood further back amongst the trees like silent sentries. And every single creature listened to her music.

So’lek remained still in the shadows. Watching. The young. The frightened.  The sick. All settled at her feet.

The strong steadied by her presence.

Gentle.

That was another word he could use to describe her.

Painfully gentle.

Too gentle for this world. Too soft for war. She would stop to save a dying animal while the sky burned around her.

Would probably apologize to a viperwolf for stepping on its tail moments before getting herself shot trying to protect it.

(Y/n) lowered the flute slightly as one of the pups stirred in its sleep. Immediately her hand moved to soothe it without thought. Soft strokes behind tiny ears. A whisper too quiet for him to hear. The pup settled instantly.

So’lek’s gaze lingered on her longer than intended.

Because despite the danger surrounding her—She still chose healing first. Not violence.

The thought irritated him more than it should have.

The final notes of the flute drifted softly into silence.

For a moment the sanctuary remained perfectly still.

Then (Y/n)’s ears twitched slightly. She lowered the pan flute from her lips. “…Well,” she said lightly without looking up, “if it is not Pandora’s oaf.”

From the shadows at the edge of the clearing, So’lek stared at her blankly. Expression completely unmoved.

The hammerheads glanced toward him briefly before immediately losing interest again. Several hexepede recognized his scent and simply settled back down into the moss. Even the viperwolf pups barely reacted.

Apparently he had been around often enough not to alarm them anymore.

(Y/n) noticed. “You keep sneaking around my sanctuary like a very large, angry viperwolf,” she murmured, setting the flute aside carefully.

“I was not sneaking.”

“You were literally standing in the shadows watching me.”

“I was observing.”

She blinked slowly. “That is somehow worse.”

So’lek folded his arms. “You should not remain out here alone tonight.”

“And hello to you too.”

“There are more patrols moving through the area.”

“Yes, I noticed the giant flying death machines earlier.” Her sarcasm rolled off softly, absent-minded rather than cruel.

“You continue to treat danger like an inconvenience.”

“And you continue to collect bullet wounds like trading cards.”

A viperwolf pup climbed directly into her lap. She scratched behind its ears automatically.

So’lek’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You are impossible.”

“Oh no,” she deadpanned quietly. “The terrifying  warrior is frustrated. What a tragedy.”

“You mock everything.”

“I cope through humor.”

“You cope poorly.”

She gasped softly in mock offense. “That was almost a joke.”

“It was not.”

“Close enough. I am proud of you regardless.”

So’lek gave her a long flat stare. The kind most people would probably find intimidating.

(Y/n) simply looked back at him while a baby prolemuris clung upside down from her shoulder chewing on her hair.

One of the hammerheads shifted closer behind her protectively. The entire scene looked absurd.

So’lek exhaled slowly through his nose. “You should come back to the base.”

Immediately she grimaced. “Too loud.”

“There are defenses.”

“There are also people.”

“You are people.”

She pointed vaguely toward the surrounding creatures. “These are people too.”

“That is not what I meant.”

“I know.”

The teasing faded slightly from her voice then. Just enough for the quietness beneath it to show.

The sanctuary fell calm around them again. The sick creatures resting. The younger ones asleep.

So’lek looked at her for another long moment. At the way frightened things gathered instinctively around her. At how relaxed the creatures became simply because she was near. Then he finally spoke again. “You are reckless.”

(Y/n) smiled faintly. “And you are grumpy.”

“I am serious.”

“So am I.”

“You stomp around like a disappointed father hammerhead.”

One of the viperwolf pups sneezed.

So’lek looked entirely unimpressed.

(Y/n) snorted quietly into her hand.

For some reason that only seemed to annoy him more.

Finally he turned toward the forest again.

“You should sleep.”

“You should stop getting shot.”

Without looking back he answered flatly—“I was shot once.”

“You were shot once this week.”

“I regret coming here.”

(Y/n) smiled to herself as she reached for the flute again. I win.

So’lek disappeared back into the trees without another word.

But the creatures barely reacted to his departure.

As though they already knew—He would come back again eventually.

(Y/n) scratched gently behind Fllo’s ears while the pup sprawled dramatically across her legs. “Yes,” she murmured solemnly. “He is very fun to mess with, is he not?”

Hllo immediately climbed half into her lap demanding equal attention. Ewi bit Fllo’s tail. Chaos erupted instantly.

(Y/n) sighed softly. “Children.”

Ulrr perched comfortably atop her head chirped in agreement while stuffing another piece of fruit into his mouth.

Fllo let out a huge sleepy yawn, nearly falling over afterward. The others quickly followed.

Tiny bodies growing heavier against her as the sky beyond the tarp slowly darkened into deep blues and glowing forest light.

(Y/n)’s expression softened.

“Yep,” she whispered. “Time for bed.”

One by one she gathered the pups into her arms and headed toward her little camp tucked beneath the trees. The sanctuary had begun settling for the night around her.Sturmbeasts shifting quietly into the moss. Hexepede curling together beneath roots. The distant heavy rumble of one hammerhead somewhere deeper in the woods.

Ulrr climbed down from her head to curl against her shoulder while she settled onto her bedding beneath the tarp roof. Fllo immediately sprawled across her stomach. Hllo curled against her hip. Ewi wedged himself stubbornly beneath her arm.

“You are all terrible bed hogs,” she informed them quietly. The pups ignored her completely. (Y/n) smiled faintly and leaned back against the blankets, staring up at the tarp ceiling overhead while soft forest light danced against the fabric.

Outside, creatures slowly settled into sleep one by one. Occasional distant calls through the jungle night.

Her sanctuary.

The place where frightened things came to feel safe.

Ulrr gave one final sleepy trill before burying himself beneath her chin.

(Y/n) closed her eyes.

Consciousness returned slowly.

(Y/n) stared blankly at the ceiling of the link bed for several long seconds, breathing shallowly as exhaustion pressed down on her like stone.

Why did this body always feel more tired than the one spending entire days hauling medicine, tending injured sturmbeasts, and chasing baby viperwolves through mud?

Her avatar should have been the exhausted one. Not this body. Her eyes burned painfully. Dry. Every blink felt scratchy from chronic sleep deprivation she kept pretending was temporary. Her head pounded behind her eyes in slow miserable pulses.

Too much linking.

Too little sleep.

Again.

She groaned softly and pushed the lid of the link bed upward with shaking hands. Even that felt difficult. Her limbs felt unbearably heavy as she slowly sat upright, rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her palms.

For the first few seconds she instinctively expected to see the sanctuary tarp overhead. Lantern light. Trees. Sleeping animals curled around her.

Instead— Sterile ceiling panels stared back. Metal walls. Cold artificial light.

Immediate tightness clenched painfully in her chest. Human body.

Again.

The realization settled like dread. Her mouth was dry. She had forgotten to drink enough water before linking again. Probably forgotten to eat properly too.

Not unusual anymore.

Her hands shook faintly when she pushed herself to the edge of the pod.

Everything about this body felt wrong now. Too small. Too dull. Too fragile.

She stood unsteadily and immediately felt the ache in her back, neck, and joints from spending so many hours confined to the bed.

Her muscles protested every movement.

Her hearing felt muted. Her eyesight dull. Blurry compared to what she was used to.

It always took a few horrible moments for reality to settle back in.

Human.

Human.

Human.

The panic came briefly every single time.

Which body am I in?

Where am I?

Her eyes snapped toward the monitor setup beside the bed before she had even fully woken. Immediately. Instinctively. The sanctuary cameras flickered softly across the screens.

Her avatar slept beneath the tarp with the pups curled against her.  Ulrr tucked beneath her chin. Several larger creatures resting peacefully nearby.

(Y/n)’s chest loosened slightly at the sight. Still safe. A soft animal noise crackled faintly through the monitor speaker.

Her heart spiked instantly. She leaned closer immediately searching the screen for movement until she realized it was only one of the sturmbeasts shifting in its sleep.

(Y/n) exhaled shakily.

God. She was so tired.

Yet guilt immediately followed. Sleeping meant time away from them.

Time something could happen. Time medicine could be missed. Feeding schedules delayed. Wounds worsen.

Her brain was already calculating automatically.

How quickly could she eat?

Drink water.

Relink.

Maybe twenty minutes.

Less if she skipped food.

Again.

The thought should have concerned her. Instead it comforted her.

Outside the pod she always felt trapped. Restless. Like she was wearing the wrong skin. Her attention drifted constantly toward the monitor audio even while she stood there barely awake.

Half expecting danger. Half expecting screaming. Something approaching through the trees she would have sensed immediately in her avatar.

Here she felt blind. Deaf. Disconnected.

The worst part was not knowing.

The gleam of the monitors caught her reflection.

(Y/n) paused.

Like she was looking at someone else entirely. Sunken eyes. Exhaustion carved into her face. Hair a mess from the pod.

She barely recognized herself anymore. The avatar felt more real. More like home.

A horrible tiny flash of fear crossed her mind suddenly.

What happens if one day I physically cannot link anymore?

The thought made her stomach twist violently.

No.

No, she could not think about that. Not now. Not ever.

(Y/n) stared at the screens for another long moment, dread still sitting heavy in her chest because in this body—

She could  not sense danger coming. Could not hear distant movement. Everything felt muted and far away.

But they were sleeping soundly.

Finally she stood properly, stretching stiff aching limbs with a quiet wince as exhaustion settled deeper into her bones.

And already—She wanted back in the pod.

(Y/n) grabbed a ration pack from the small storage shelf beside the pods. She barely tasted it. Her attention remained fixed on the sanctuary monitors while she ate slowly, curled into the chair with a blanket draped over her legs.

The screens glowed softly in the dim room. Fllo, Hllo, and Ewi remained piled on top of her sleeping avatar in a tangled heap of paws and tails.

Ulrr was still tucked beneath her chin. One of the sturmbeasts lifted its head occasionally before settling again.

Everything looked calm. Still, she watched. Anything could happen.

Those babies were defenseless without her there. The thought alone made anxiety sit sharp beneath her ribs.

The door hissed open behind her. Alma stepped inside carrying datapads beneath one arm. “You’re back earlier than usual,” she noted.

(Y/n) only gave a tired little hum in response without looking away from the screens.

Alma followed her gaze. “You should come meet the Sarentu,” she said after a moment. “They’re our new allies.”

“Maybe a bit later,” (Y/n) answered quietly. Truthfully the idea of meeting new people sounded exhausting right now.  Too many questions. Too many eyes on her.

Alma stepped further into the room. “You cannot isolate yourself forever”

(Y/n) took another bite of the ration slowly. “Mhm.”

“And keeping all those animals dependent on you is not healthy.”

That finally pulled a reaction from her. (Y/n) sighed deeply, rubbing tiredly at one eye. Here we go again. “It is not like I am capturing them and forcing them to stay,” she muttered.

Alma crossed her arms. “You practically live for them.”

“Well somebody has to.”

“That is not what I mean.”

(Y/n) gestured vaguely toward the screens. “Every single one of those animals I found injured, abandoned, sick, poisoned or dying.” On one monitor a hexepede shifted closer toward her sleeping avatar instinctively. “The adults choose to stay,” she continued quietly. “They choose to keep coming back.”

Her eyes drifted toward the sleeping viperwolf pups curled against her avatar’s stomach. “The babies depend on me.”

Alma’s expression softened slightly. “But you are not their parent.”

(Y/n) looked at the screens silently for a moment. Then shrugged one shoulder faintly. “Does not mean they do not depend on me.” Her voice stayed soft. Gentle. But exhausted. “So can you stop trying to nitpick what I am doing?”

The last part came out more worn down than angry. (Y/n) yawned mid-sentence and stretched stiffly in the chair, wincing slightly as her back cracked.

Alma noticed immediately.“You look awful.”

“Thank you.”

“I am serious.”

“So am I. I worked very hard cultivating this look.”

Alma gave her a look.

(Y/n) stared back sleepily. Then added dryly—“I call it ‘chronically exhausted swamp cryptid.’”

Despite herself Alma snorted quietly.

(Y/n) returned her attention to the monitors almost immediately after.Half listening. Half somewhere else entirely.

Her fingers tapped anxiously against the ration wrapper while her eyes tracked movement across the sanctuary screens. Always watching. Always listening. Even here. Even exhausted beyond reason..

Alma pulled another chair over with a tired sigh, clearly not finished with the conversation.

“If you insist on maintaining that sanctuary,” she began, “then there needs to be more structure.”

(Y/n) already knew that tone. Micromanaging tone.

“You cannot keep personally tending every single animal yourself.”

“Mhm.”

“You need rotation schedules. Observation distance. Controlled dependency. Rehabilitation protocols.”

(Y/n)’s eyes remained on the screens. One of the viperwolf pups had rolled directly onto Ulrr, who looked deeply offended by the situation.

“You should be limiting emotional imprinting too,” Alma continued. “Especially with the young ones.”

(Y/n) slowly looked over. “…Who is the zoologist here?”

Alma frowned.“You are emotionally attached.”

“Yes,” (Y/n) answered immediately like it was obvious.

“That is part of the problem.”

“No, the problem is poisoned rivers and trigger-happy soldiers.”

“You know what I mean.”

(Y/n) rubbed at her tired eyes again. “They are babies, Alma.”

“They are animals.”

“They are baby animals.”

Alma leaned forward slightly. “You are blurring lines.”

“And you are trying to turn living creatures into clinical checklists.”

“That is not fair.”

“No,” (Y/n) muttered quietly, “what is not fair is finding orphaned viperwolf pups crying beside their dead mother because somebody decided she made good target practice.”

Silence settled heavily for a moment.

Alma’s expression tightened.

(Y/n) immediately regretted sounding sharp. Conflict sat horribly in her chest. So she just sighed quietly instead. “Fine.” Automatic surrender more than agreement.

Alma knew it too. Because (Y/n)’s attention had already drifted back toward the monitors again anyway.

A small smile softened her face watching the sanctuary screens. Fllo twitching in his sleep.A hexepede curling closer toward the warmth of her avatar. Ulrr stubbornly stealing blankets.

Her little critters.

Alma followed her gaze and exhaled slowly through her nose. She was not getting through to her tonight. Probably not any night.

The room fell quiet except for the constant low hum of machinery around them.(Y/n) hated that sound. Hated the filtered artificial air. The metal walls. The recycled coldness of human facilities.

Everything about it made her feel vaguely nauseous now.

Too sterile.

Too dead.

Nothing breathed here. No forest sounds. No warm earth beneath her feet.

Only machinery.

Even sitting here made restlessness crawl beneath her skin.

Her eyes grew heavier anyway. Exhaustion eventually winning over anxiety.

Slowly her head leaned against the side of the chair. Still facing the monitors. Still as close as possible to the speakers so she would hear immediately if something happened.

One hand remained loosely curled near the controls to the link pod.

Her breathing gradually slowed. Eyes slipping shut despite herself.

Alma sighed and left.

“How’d it go?” Nalin asked as Alma stepped out of the link room.

Alma rubbed tiredly at her forehead. “The usual.”

Nalin already looked like she knew the answer before it came.

“She left the link bed only long enough to eat rations and sit beside her monitors.”

Nalin sighed softly. “Maybe we should talk to Alex about making those monitors accessible from other places besides the link room.”

Alma snorted quietly. “If we put them in her quarters she may never sleep again.”

Nalin gestured behind Alma toward the room. “I do not think there is a difference anymore.”

Through the small window they could still see (Y/n) half-asleep in the chair facing the screens. Like she physically could not force herself further away.

Priya wandered over holding datapads beneath one arm. “Has (Y/n) come back yet?” she asked. “The Sarentu have met just about everyone except her.”

“Same spot as always,” Alma answered.

Priya peeked through the glass. Then sighed fondly. “Oh for the love of—” She stepped into the link room quietly.

(Y/n) startled awake almost immediately at the sound of the door opening, eyes snapping toward the monitors before landing on Priya.

“You should not be sleeping here,” Priya said gently.

(Y/n)’s gaze flicked instantly back toward the screens. “I am fine.”

“You are falling asleep sitting upright.”

“Mhm.”

“That is not a denial.”

(Y/n) looked exhausted beyond reason.

Priya softened immediately. “Take a walk. Get some sleep.”

(Y/n)’s attention stayed fixed on the sanctuary feed.

“I will wake you if anything changes.”

That finally made (Y/n) glance over uncertainly.

Priya smiled reassuringly. “Anqa is making me coffee anyway. I can sit here all night.”

“But I will wake you if anything happens to them. You cannot help them if you are this tired.”

Emphasis on you.

(Y/n)’s shoulders lowered slightly. Relenting. “…Fine.” She stood slowly, stiff and heavy-limbed from exhaustion.

Every step outside the link room felt wrong somehow. Too far away already. Still she headed down the corridor toward her quarters hoping desperately no one stopped her.

“(Y/n)!”

She nearly flinched.

Alex waved her over enthusiastically from further down the hall.

(Y/n) managed to hide most of the grimace that tried to cross her face before turning around.

“Come meet Teylan.”

A tall nervous-looking Sarentu stood nearby covered in gadgets and tech pieces. He looked at her uncertainly.

“Teylan, this is (Y/n). She is a xenozoologist.” Alex grinned. “This is a rare encounter since she is usually never far from wherever she can monitor her animals.”

(Y/n) wished very deeply for the floor to swallow her whole.

Teylan blinked at her. “You work with animals?”

“Yes.”

“Is that not dangerous?”

“No,” she answered quietly. “Even thanators can have kind souls.”

Why did talking to people feel harder than wrestling sturmbeasts sometimes?

Her limbs felt unbearably heavy. Everything hurt. She wanted to get to bed as soon as possible.

Teylan tilted his head slightly at her answer. He reminded her strangely of one of the frightened calves she sometimes rescued. All nerves. Clinging desperately to things that felt safe.

The gadgets hanging from him only reinforced the impression. Like armor.

Alex noticed the way she swayed slightly on her feet. “We should probably let you go.”

(Y/n) looked visibly relieved. Then paused. Words slipping out before she could overthink them. “If you would like… you could come meet them sometime.”

Teylan blinked. “Meet who?”

“The animals in my care.” Her voice softened automatically talking about them. “They are nicer than most people.”

Alex snorted.

Teylan looked surprised. Then thoughtful. “I… will think about it.”

(Y/n) nodded once. Then escaped before another conversation could happen. Thankfully nobody else stopped her on the way to her quarters. The moment the door shut behind her she practically collapsed toward the bed.

Shoes barely kicked off.

And the second her head hit the pillow— She was out like a light.

(Y/n) woke violently. Heart already racing before her eyes had even fully opened. Someone was shaking her arm.

“There is something wrong.” Anqa’s voice.

Immediate panic flooded her chest. (Y/n) was out of bed before she fully processed anything else. “What happened—?”

“The monitors— one of them—”

She did not wait for the rest.

(Y/n) sprinted barefoot through the base corridors, exhaustion forgotten instantly beneath adrenaline.

The cold metal floors slammed painfully beneath her feet.

By the time she reached the link room she was shaking.

The pod hissed open. She practically fell into it.

Hands fumbling. Breathing uneven. The lid sealed shut above her.

Darkness.

Then—Her avatar’s eyes flew open sharply beneath the tarp shelter. Immediate sensory overload hit her all at once.

The damp forest air. The scent of sickness. The restless shifting of frightened animals nearby. And then— The rasping.

Horrible wet choking breaths.

(Y/n)’s heart dropped instantly.

The pups startled awake as she sat up abruptly. “Down,” she whispered quickly, gently setting Fllo, Hllo, and Ewi onto the blankets.

Ulrr chirped in alarm as she lifted him carefully into his hollow. “Stay there, sweetheart—”

Then she ran. The tarp shelter came into view and immediately she spotted the hexepede.

Its sides heaved violently. Breathing ragged. Desperate. Another horrible rasp tore from its throat.

“No, no, no…”

(Y/n) dropped beside it instantly, pulling the creature’s trembling head carefully into her lap.

“It is okay,” she whispered shakily. “It is okay, I am here…”

The hexepede twitched weakly beneath her hands. Its breathing worsened. Every inhale sounded wet. Painful.

Its frightened eyes fixed on her completely. Trusting. Trusting she would save it.

(Y/n)’s throat tightened painfully. “Come on…” she whispered desperately. “Please…” She tried easing its airway. Tried steadying its breathing with gentle hands trembling harder every second.

But she already knew. The moment she felt the weakness settling deeper into its body—

She knew. “No no no…”

The hexepede’s breaths slowed. Struggled. Its body trembling weaker and weaker in her lap while she stroked gently along its neck.

“It is okay,” she kept whispering. Over and over. “It is okay… you are okay…”

The creature stared at her right until the end.

Then slowly— Its body stilled.

(Y/n)’s voice caught abruptly.

The sanctuary around her remained painfully quiet except for distant rain and the shifting of restless sick creatures nearby.

Her head bowed slowly. One shaking hand still resting against the hexepede’s neck.

Too late.

A soft whining sound pulled her attention away. The viperwolf pups stood nearby watching nervously.

Several other animals had gathered closer too. Watching her. Waiting.

(Y/n) swallowed hard and forced herself to look up toward the others resting beneath the shelter.

And her stomach sank. They looked worse. Far worse than before she slept. More labored breathing. More trembling. One sturmbeast barely able to lift its head now.

The toxins were progressing faster.

(Y/n) wiped quickly at her face with the back of her arm before rolling her sleeves higher.

No time. No time to break down. Not now.

She stood slowly amongst the frightened creatures, exhaustion already clawing at her bones again. But she reached immediately for more water. More herbs. More medicine.

“It is alright,” she whispered softly to the others despite the ache tearing through her chest. “I am here.” Her voice shook slightly.

The rain continued falling softly outside the tarp shelter as (Y/n) moved between the sick one by one.

She knew it was going to be a very long night.

Next >

Taglist:

@whos-nin1 @lvlypinkesworld @loaf-with-jam @deepangelpartykid @itsfrenchxfrxes @quietlydecafinated @lovelyinthesunlitsky @lizzy91768 @bxxbeaxxb @twentysomethingwereyote @jillxty @rinitoshi13 @gvyknkj @nikomenom

[grcsbluepen]

At the same damn time or however the song goes

[unikaos]

HEAR ME OUT:

Tamtey in labor and pacing around the healing circle inside the Aranahe Hometree. (So’lek insisted that they go there instead of having the baby at his camp)

Poor So’lek is at a loss for what to do. Tamtey is shouting obscenities as the labor progresses and swearing that they will *never* have another baby.

EVENTUALLY, baby is welcomed into the world and Tamtey has completely forgotten about the pain she went through. She is only mildly annoyed that the baby is a spitting image of So’lek after 12 months of carrying them.

So’lek is just kinda standing there in awe as the healers start to clean everything up. He knew that he would love his child, of course, but this feeling is so much more than what he thought it would feel like.

He is so proud of his mate and kneels next to Tamtey to thank her profusely. Yet, he is terrified at the same time. He almost lost Tamtey *multiple* times, but they always returned safe because Tamtey is, well, an absolute UNIT.

This baby, however, is just a baby. His baby cannot even speak or walk. If, Eywa forbid, something happens to his baby will he be enough? He and Tamtey have always worked together as two capable warriors, but will So’lek be enough on his own?

Tamtey can practically smell his anxiety and reassures him that this is not something he will shoulder alone. That calms his nerves a little, because she is right, as always.

He presses his forehead to hers and whispers praise and thanks her for this gift of life.

Then the baby vomits on Tamtey’s chest.