should've been there.
female!na'vi reader x neteyam. 2.1k wc
read more neteyam fluff heree đ«Ł
summary: fluffery! reader is openly paired with neteyam in the clan, but not yet mated. when a group of hunters begin mocking reader (and even flirting with herâŠ), specifically about neteyamâs restraint to bond, he overhears and grows angry.
oooo yeah possessive neteyam⊠I like it. first try at an avatar fic lmk what we think.
â§ïœ„ïŸ: *â§ïœ„ïŸ:*
the bond between you and neteyam has never been questioned, evident in the way you are never seen apart. even when you are, it still thrives in the small things; glances across the woven huts, the permanent bracelets engraved with shared initials. everyone in the clan knows you are paired, most not minding the fact that the mating ceremony has not yet been enacted. there is no rush between you two on this journey, a journey guided by eywaâs steady breath.
so, when the training rotations shift for a week, it feels insignificant. hunters are reassigned, paths diverge for a few days, and youâre placed in one group whilst neteyam leads elsewhere. you kiss his cheek before parting when he hugs you tight, promising to meet later, neither of you thinking twice about the situation.
âsee you soon, sevin.â
âsoon, maâsayrĂŹp.â
your friends giggle around you, his own mirroring the actions.
you trust him completely, and he trusts you impossibly more. itâs only a temporary separation, nothing more than duty, but itâs the first time in a while that youâre not glued to his side. neither of you realize how much that small distance is about to matter.
-
your new group is made up of familiar faces, young hunters like you with reputations that shine brighter than their smiles. raâvir grins too wide when you step closer to the senior hunter to hear the instructions. his friend tsĂŹkal, equally as dickish, elbows him lightly as they share a whispered joke. they offer to show you the path, even though you already know it.
âeasy work today, a lucky group we have.â raâvir says casually. you laugh softly, assuming heâs referring to the training. it doesnât take long for the tone to switch. whispers trail behind you when you walk ahead, low and mocking. youâve always been aware of the curiosity around the âdelayedâ bonding of you and neteyam, but in your opinion it couldnât come close to being a problem. interrupting your thoughts, xeytuâs voice carries enough to be heard,
âsheâs still waiting, huh?â followed by quiet laughter. tsĂŹkal glances past you, towards neteyamâs group in the far distance who are starting their trek, smirking.
âstrange.â he adds. you donât understand their jokes and donât want to provoke them either, so again you just smile, adjusting your gear, unaware of the glances exchanged behind your back.
the comments grow bolder as the hours pass, and at times physically bold. xetyu reaches out without asking, fingers tracing the curve of your bow as he inspects it.
âlight,â he says, tugging it before you pull away from him. âdelicate, like you. has he taught you to use it properly?â
you tighten your grip, calm on the surface even as you feel unease rise in your heart. tsĂŹkal snorts.
you maintain composure.
âwe have taught each other. it is not so difficult, or did you need help learning, xeytu?â
the others laugh at your remark, eyes lingering too long on you instead of the targets infront. you step away, straighten your shoulders and move with a quiet confidence. youâve trained too long to be shaken by a few loud mouths, especially those that come from hunters much less competent than you are.
raâvir steps into your space again, this time deliberately brushing your shoulder to test how much youâll yield. tsĂŹkal laughs under his breath and nudges you lightly with his elbow, enough to throw you off your balance. you scoff and take a large step forward again, muttering a quiet âplease, stop.â
âyouâre patient. more than most would be.â raâvir teases. âyou know, Iâd never leave you waiting like he does.â
âIâm not waiting for anything, raâvir. I trust in our path, to question it is to question eywa.â
your jaw tightens, and your knuckles turn pale with the force you use to hold your arrows. xeytu reaches for your wrist as if to calm you, fingers lingering far longer than necessary.
âeasy, taronyutsyĂŹp.â (little hunter) he murmurs. âheâs just saying what weâre all thinking.â
something angry flashes through you. in irritation, you twist in one smooth motion, freeing the threaded cap of your knife as you turn to a still. as raâvir skips to follow you, his hand catches on the edge of the blade. thereâs a sharp groan as he jerks back, his other hand lifting to assess the bleeding. you smirk and tuck your knife back in your side.
âwhat are you thinking now? skxwang.â
tsĂŹkal, aggresive in nature, snaps.
âwho the fuck do you think you are-â
saâniri moves fast, stepping between you and them with a sharp hiss. sheâs older, a senior hunter who they wouldnât dare to cross.
âenough,â she shouts. âhave you forgotten where you are?â
raâvirâs head drops to the ground, already backing away.
âwe- we were just talking.â
her eyes flick to the cut on his hand.
âyou donât touch what isnât yours, child.â xeytu scoffs at this, mumbling something under his breath. saâniri notices.
âsay it louder. let everyone hear.â she says. xeytu looks up, ears dropping in shame as he finds the dissapointed eyes of the other hunters around, judging.
silence.
âgo. you are dismissed from here.â she commands, and they do, retreating back into the woods where they can no longer be watched.
âare you alright, tsmuke?â (sister) her voice now soft.
âIâm okay. thank you, saâniri.â you hug her briefly, before being pestered by hunting friends about what the hell had just happened.
-
â§ïœ„ïŸ: *â§ïœ„ïŸ:*
-
a few skips away, neteyamâs rotation ends much earlier than expected, his group dismissed while the sun is still high. he walks back toward the eating fire with his other hunting friends, the conversation light until loâak approaches.
âhey,â he says. âI heard what happened, she okay?â
neteyam keeps walking but thereâs a halt in his step.
âwhy wouldnât she be?â
loâak exhales, knowing how this could potentially go wrong.
âraâvir, tsĂŹkal, xeytuâŠ? got sent back. saâniri schooled them. they were messing with her⊠talking about you.â
now he stops. the muscles in neteyamâs jaw flex hard. his hand grips on loâaks shoulder.
âis she hurt? where is she now?â
âsheâs still training, bro. sheâs fine.â he added quickly. âshe handled it, âheard raâvir caught a nice scar.â
neteyam turns without another word, furious knowing that you had to use your blade to defend yourself against these fucking pricks. loâak catches his arm.
âneteyam, theyâre gone I said. sheâs safe now.â
he snatches his arm back, eyes dark.
âthat does not mean it is finished.â
he finds them near the edge of the swing tree, already miles ahead of loâak. the moment they see him, colour drains from their faces, tails wrapping around their own legs in fear of whatâs to come.
neteyam is older, larger, marked with responsibility that they have not encountered yet. when he pushes raâvir lightly with his finger, his back hits the tree. no one speaks.
âwhat did you think you were doing, exactly?â
raâvir swallows. tsĂŹkal shifts his weight between legs, xeytu hiding behind with eyes fixed on his feet.
neteyam steps closer.
âyou touched her?â heâs controlled, even calm when he speaks, which somehow makes it worse.
âwe didnât mean-â tsĂŹkal starts.
âno.â neteyam shoves him without warning, hard enough that he slams into xeytu. the sound echoes and none of them dare to move.
âyou do not mean anything with her,â he spits. âyou do not look at her. you do not speak her name.â
xeytuâs voice breaks when he speaks.
âneteyam, we were joking. we are sorry.â neteyam drives his fist into the tree beside his head, splintering wood.
âyou joked about what is mine. my mate.â
loâak has caught up now, pulling neteyam back.
âbro! stop this. now.â
neteyam is about to speak again when he feels jakeâs presence. he steps in close, hand firm on neteyamâs shoulder.
âwhat is it, boy? you wanna tell me what the hell happened?â
neteyam looks up at him, his chest rising and falling with a harsh pace. he starts to ramble, âthey put their dirty hands on her. she had to draw her blade. I couldnât be there- training-â
âI got it.â jakeâs eyes harden as he looks at the boys up and down, taking in their fear, their shame. he pulls neteyam back by the arm, firm but lenient as they walk off together.
the hunters are left standing there, shaken, humiliated, fully aware that everyone will know why they were dismissed, and which family they wrongfully crossed.
âyou did the right thing, son. but you lead, starting now. we handle this different, the right way.â
neteyam nods once, the anger settling but not fading entirely.
-
â§ïœ„ïŸ: *â§ïœ„ïŸ:*
-
dark blue has crept over the sky of pandora once your training is complete. you rush to hometree to find neteyam, but he isnât there, and he isnât at his family hammock either. so, you find him where you expect to next, far enough from kelutral that the sounds of the clan fade into leaves and glowing biodiversity. heâs sitting with his back against a slanted rock, its coarse surface blanketed with sparkling moss. his eyes are closed, and with your feather-light walk he does not sense your approach.
âhey,â you say softly.
he looks up immediately, relief flashing across his face. his shoulders drop instantly and he feels his anger drain into something softer.
âhey, maâtsawke. come here.â
you barely had time to kneel before his hands were on you, his thumbs brushing your arms, shoulders, checking for anything out of place. he kissed your head and pulled you close to him.
ângatxoa,â (im sorry) he hums.
âI hate that I wasnât there, baby.â he speaks quietly, but the guilt is loud. the sound of his voice, coated with the velvet of his naâvi accent, resembles a purring when he talks to you⊠baby⊠the english term that he used frequently, caused a purple flush to appear on the tips of your ears and nose.
âIâm okay,â you say softly, letting him check all of the planes of your skin. âI promise.â
âI know,â he says, quick. âI know you can handle yourself.â his hand slides to your waist, effortlessly pulling you into his lap. âthat doesnât stop this from eating at me.â
he leans his forehead into yours, breathing you in.
âseeing you right now⊠I donât want to let go.â his voice drops.
you smile faintly. âneteâ, youâre squeezing me really hard.â
âyes,â he admits. âI need to.â his fingers trail up your back, drawing patterns into your soft skin. âI missed you today. too much.â
you tuck closer into his chest. âI missed you too.â
he presses a kiss into your hair, then your head, then your nose. then, he lets his forehead rest on yours again.
âthey didnât hurt you, sevin?â
you try to shake your head. âno. just made me uncomfortable.â his grip on you becomes the slightest bit tighter.
âwhat did they say to you?â he asks. you sigh in response.
âplease, baby.â he says gently. âI want to know.â
you smile, nails tracing the curves in the braids that fell in-front of his face.
âthey called me taronyutsyĂŹp,â you huff softly. âas if I didnât earn my place there.â
he doesnât interrupt.
âand they kept touching my things,â you continue. âmy bow. my hand.â you glance up at him. âI didnât like it.â
silence settles between you, tense but controlled. his hands curl slowly, then relax again, like heâs forcing himself to stay calm.
your hands rest on his shoulders.
âmaâteyam,â you say quietly. âtell me what youâre really thinking.â
he exhales through his nose.
âIâm angry,â he starts. ânot at you. never.â
âI hate that they spoke to you like that.â a pause.
âand I hate that they touched you at all.â
you lean in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, then another at the corner of his mouth.
âI see you, neteyam.â
âI see you, yawne.â
you kiss him properly this time, feeling the tension escape him with your touch. his hands leave your back to hold your face, pulling you deeper into his lips with the most gentle force.
âyouâre the only one that matters to me.â you murmur against him. you feel the corners of his mouth curl into a smile, and you pull away to admire the sight.
âthereâs my pretty boy.â you coo, pointer finger stroking along the edge of his jaw.
his breath shudders out, tension finally easing as he pulls you closer, forehead resting against yours again.
âyouâre perfect, my syulang. always so sweet.â












