stars across your cheeks ; lo'ak sully
warnings: ooc i think? contains a little bit of spoilers, nothing major
a/n: i suggest listening to show me how by men i trust while reading! a little rusty from not writing in so long. constructive criticism is welcome!
— comforting lo'ak after the raid
air brushed against your shoulder as the curtain to your tent opened. you hummed in response, already knowing it was kiri who came. your fingers worked neatly mixing the crushed herbs in your bowl, the bitter stench of the medicine stinging your nose.
"they're back, and they're injured, bad."
neteyam had mentioned that he and lo'ak were joining the raid on the sky people today, but he assured you that they would simply be lookouts, and they wouldn't have to risk their lives.
worry filled your heart as you hoped none of their wounds were fatal. you rushed to prepare anything that can help the two before joining kiri at the tsahik's tent. when they saw you, neteyam gave you a sheepish smile, while lo'ak avoided your gaze.
"oh eywa, look at you two." you sighed, kneeling beside the seated lo'ak to inspect his injuries. you put your fingers under his chin, tilting his head to the side to examine the other side of his face. scratches littered his skin, a little blood here and there but not much compared to his brother. he shook off your grip, a deep frown tugging at his lips.
he huffed and got up, walking away from everyone. you blinked.
"what happened to him?" you asked, taken aback by his behavior.
"things went wrong and dad was upset." neteyam replied. he hissed in pain as kiri rubbed some of the herbs on his wounds.
lo'ak walked off without getting anything treated. you glanced back at neteyam, wondering whether to run after lo'ak or to stay and help. seeing kiri and mo'at both looking after him, you decided it would be okay to run after the other sully.
hours passed and there was still no sign of him. the bowl of herbal paste was losing its moisture and slowly hardening. your ikran whined, tired from the hours of flight. the sun began to set, plants emitting a soft glow, and finally, you spot him laying flat on top of one of the mountains. you steered your ikran in his direction and landed as softly as you could, in case lo'ak was sleeping.
he wasn't though, he was simply staring blankly at the night sky. you sent your ikran off and stepped closer to the boy. his eyes looked lost, his lips parted in a quiet breath, the dots on his skin rivaling the twinkle in the heavens.
"lo'ak, you're going to get an infection if you don't get your wounds treated," you spoke, voice lowered into a whisper to not disturb whatever peace he seemed to be reaching for.
he sat up groggily. he slouched his shoulders and met your eyes. he was giving in. it was rare to see lo'ak like this. usually, he was more verbal with his problems around you. he was always quick to complain and grumble about his dad's scoldings.
once again, you knelt beside him, placing your bowl of herbs beside you. you dipped your fingers in the paste and gently smeared it on his scrapes. he leaned into your touch before fully leaning on your chest. with the last bit took care of, you wrapped your arms around the boy, pulling him closer. he adjusted himself just so that he would be leaning directly where your heart was, his ears perking to listen to its beat.
"what's wrong?" you asked, tilting away to look at him properly.
"i am a nuisance," he muttered monotonously.
"i almost got him killed, (name)."
it was the silence that followed after that broke lo'ak. shivers racked his body as fat tears rolled down his cheeks. his hiccups turned into rapid breathing, shivers into tremors, tears into sobs.
he gasped for air, desperately avoiding choking on his tears. you grabbed him by the shoulders and met his eyes, asking him to follow your breathing.
"deep breaths, c'mon. do it with me."
he looked confused at first like he couldn't process anything you said. you placed a hand on his chest, and one on yours in an attempt to get him to match your breathing. you waited, no matter how long it took until he could breathe through his cries.
"you don't have to tell me everything now, lo'ak, take your time."
he nodded, head tilting forward to rest on your shoulder. it hurts you to see him like this, to hear the guilt in his voice, and to feel the heaviness in his body. you felt his tears dampen your shoulder, but you don't care.
“oel ngati kameie,” you whispered.
even if he were to drench your entire arm with it, you'd stick it through to ensure he'd be okay. even if he were to spend an eternity wailing and clinging onto you, you'd wait patiently. and that was more than enough to lo'ak, to know you'd stay by his side mightier than any mountain to keep him grounded, to know that you would never see him as the failure he was sure he was.
when neteyam goes searching for you later in the evening, he finds you two fast asleep by a rock. a tiny smile graced his brother's face as the warmth from you comforted him in his sleep, the glowing stars across your bodies painted a picture neteyam didn't want to ruin.
