Welcome to my long awaited masterlist :) After a long time of putting it off, I've finally decided to make one! Please feel free to read any of the recent fics that I've written so far! Hope you enjoy them as much as I've enjoyed writing them!
So far, I've only written for Neteyam, Ao'nung, and Lo'ak. Hopefully I'll have enough courage to write for more characters and I will be updating the list every now and then!
Also, if you want to be on my permanent taglist, please message me privately and if you have a character preference, please let me know that as well.
β Neteyam β
Voice of an Angel [Part One]Β | Voice of an Angel [Part Two]
Under the Surface
Hostage
Flipped [Alt Ending]
Better Than Me [Part One] | [Part Two] | [Part Three] |
Bonus: Strong Heart | Neteyam
[wattpad fic for my oc x neteyam. y'all should check it out tho ;]
β Lo'ak β
Somewhere Only We Know
Deja Vu
Not So Secret
β Ao'nung β
Your Touch
I Trusted You [Part One] | I Trusted You [Part Two]
sypnosis: neteyam is filled with regret as he finally faces the consequences of the decision he made long ago.
a/n: sorry for the long wait, i got writer's block again. every time a start, i don't like it and start over. it's like i have an idea of how i want it & then i hate it when i type it out. i don't even think i like how this came out, but its something i guess :') anyway, i hope you enjoy reading!
[Part One] | [Part Two]
you shot up from your laying position, only to let out a groan as you felt a pounding sensation in your head. you winced and began messaging your temples with your fingers while also inspecting the room you were in. as your eyes ran through the familiar sight of the tsahik's tent, your shoulders slowly relaxed and you sighed. you began to recall the outcome of the mission and you looked down at you blanket covered stomach. you pulled at it, only for the blanket to not budge and you looked beside you.
your eyes widened at the sight of neteyam laid out beside you and on top the hem of the fabric. your brows furrowed together and you choice to ignore his sleeping form, tugging on the blanket even harder. you managed to free it from under neteyam, but it only stirred him awake as he rolled over to face you.
"(y/n)?" neteyam grumbled, tiredly sitting up and squinting his eyes at you as you didn't respond.
as soon as he was wide awake, neteyam watched as you looked down at your bandaged stomach. the burns on your back didn't feel painful either, though it stung a bit due to the cold ointment that was applied.
"do you need anything? you're probably thirsty. here, i'll get you-"
you wordlessly brought your palm out in front of him and he was silent immediatly. you threw the blanket off of yourself before moving to stand up, only to be stopped by the man beside you as his fingers curled around your arm.
"wait, my grandmother said that you should take it easy." neteyam urged and you stared at him before brushing his hand away.
"what are you doing here?" you finally asked after a moment of silence passed between you two. "where is the tsahik?"
"my grandmother went to help the wounded." neteyam replied, laying his palms behind him and putting all his weight on them. "she told me to watch over you until you woke up."
you tilted your head and nodded towards the exit. "i'm awake now. you don't need to stay."
neteyam was once again astonished by your cold shoulder. he's never seen your eyes looked so void as you looked at him. back in the past, he adored the way you used to look at him with utter devotion. the glimmer in your eyes used to make his legs weak. however, right at this moment, you seemed repulsed by him. the tone of your voice made his tail lay flat on the ground and his ears fold back.
"do you hate me, (y/n)?" neteyam questioned and your lips parted in shock at the sudden question. "is that why you wish to never be around me?"
"i never said that," you huffed in annoyance. "i just think that ketsira wouldn't want you lingering around me for too long."
neteyam tilted his head in confusion at that. "i didn't think you cared for ketsira's feelings."
"i don't," you looked at him with all seriousness. "but you know how she is. i do not want to deal with her after this, neteyam, so it's best you leave now."
neteyams fists were now balled in his lap and his glare was casted down at his lap. he finally glanced up at you and you were surprised to see such an angry expression cross his face.
"you don't have to deal with her anymore." neteyam said through gritted teeth. "we are no longer together."
neteyam swore he saw a shift in your expression. it was as if your tough facade had nearly come undone from his words. he waited for a response, but no words came from your lips. he couldn't read what you were thinking or feeling and that made him all the more anxious.
"are you not going to ask why?" neteyam questioned and you scoffed. there it was. the wall rising once again to keep him out. the wall that refused to budge no matter how hard neteyam hammered it down.
"it is none of my business," you say in monotone. "we are not friends. we are comrades, neteyam. nothing more."
that was the last straw for neteyam. a low growl echoed in his throat and you narrowed your eyes at him, challenging him to do something that he'd regret. you bared your teeth at him and neteyam shut his eyes tightly to calm down.
"before we were comrades, we were lovers and before we were lovers we were friends-" neteyam tried to reason, but you refused to hear him out as you hissed.
"exactly. we were lovers. we were friends." you seethed before pointing an accusing finger at him and jabbing him in the chest. "you have no right to be angry. you cannot-not when you were the one that left me, remember? or have you forgotten?"
neteyam immediately hushed at that. the wrinkles in neteyam's face smoothened out as he let out a sigh and ran his hands down his eyes. you stared at him accusingly and you knew that he knew that you were right.
"can't speak now, huh?" you laughed bitterly and his eyes shifted to stare at your solemn expression. "and the worst part of it? you never even told me why, neteyam. you just left me like it was nothing."
the hurt in your tone made the heart strings of neteyam's heart tighten painfully and he could see your face morph into one of betrayal. it seemed as though you could curl up into yourself at any moment and neteyam wanted nothing more than to hold you. however, he knew that you would not let him. not when you clearly had grudges of the past.
"was i not good enough? was i too weak?" you croaked, trying to stabilize your voice as your throat tightened over nothing.
"(y/n), please," neteyam urged, his hands itching to take yours. "if you let me explain-"
"explain what?!" you lashed out. "there is nothing to explain."
"yes, there is. only if you let me." neteyam firmly said and your eyes snapped up to meet his amber yellow eyes.
they were sincere. genuine. his eyes could never hide anything. it was one of his weakness that you observed years ago.
"talk." you demanded, trying to quell the anger that was hiding beneath your skin.
"(y/n)," neteyam started, feeling nervous now. "please know that you were not the problem, rather i was."
neteyam felt the nervousness leave as you visibly listened to every word that was being spoken.
"a year after announcing our courtship, my father brought me along to one of his olo'eyktan meetings with the elders of our clan. i told you about it before i went, remember?"
you nodded your head slowly, albeit being confused about what that had to do with anything.
"the elders had a lot to say about us." neteyam winced, feeling even more shameful about his explanation. "they told me that you would not be fit to be tsahik. they told me that if i really cared for the people, then i should find another woman."
your brows furrowed as you realized where this was going and it only made you feel worse. it was bad enough that you thought that you weren't enough back then. in fact, that best explained why the elders looked at you with pity the day after your courtship with neteyam was broken off. they knew and you were left with no explanation. not from them or neteyam and that made your blood boil. with hurt, humiliation, and anger.
"and i know that doesn't sound any better." neteyam said in a hushed tone, before inching his hand over to engulf yours that was set on your thigh. "but, believe me when i say that i loved you so much. i still do, (y/n). i never stopped. even with ketsira-"
"get out." you suddenly mumbled and neteyam felt guilt spread through his chest.
"get out, neteyam!" you yelled this time, pulling your hand out of his hold and he scrambled to do just that, but stopped to continue his desperate attempt to console you.
"please (y/n), they held the clan over my head. i was young and stupid and i thought that my life wasn't mine then. all my life has been spent preparing to take over so i thought that was i was making the best decision for the clan! please, trust me, i didn't want to do leave you! there aren't enough apologies that i could say-"
"i did everything i could, neteyam!" you shouted, finally letting the tears that you were holding back run down your cheeks freely. "i trained to be the best in everything in hopes that i could be worthy enough to be called your woman. i wasn't a great tsakarem, but i did try."
"you are enough-"
"no, not good enough if you decided to listen to them." you sniffed, wiping your tears with your palms. "if you had just told me this earlier we could've fixed it o-or-"
"please," neteyam croaked, choking back a sob. "i love-"
you stared at him in disbelief before shaking your head.
"no, don't say it. get out now."
neteyam knew by your definite tone that you were finished with the conversation and there was no way he could possibly reverse everything he had said and done. all he could do is look down at your saddened form with a forlorn expression on his face. without a word, neteyam left the tent with a heavy heart.
you tucked your knees up to your chest and wrapped your arms around your legs. your chin laid flat against your arms as you sullenly looked at the walls of the tent. your ears lowered against your head and your tail laid sadly on the mat. you felt numb, trying to process everything that neteyam said.
it hurt.
the past had come back and finally taken its toll as the emotions that you were holding back came rushing in. it scorned your heart in a distasteful way. all you could do is stare blankly. i mean, what else could you do?
the explanation that you had been waiting on had finally come and yet, you felt no satisfaction from it. you felt like your heart had been torn out from your chest once again and stomped on.
-
"what is wrong?" neytiri sighed out as neteyam sat beside her, assisting her with making dinner as he peeled some fruit for later with his knife.
neytiri and neteyam were left alone in the marui with the rest of the family out doing errands. the woman's motherly instinct had kicked in when neteyam had returned to the hut with no game, despite being out hunting for hours. it was unusual of him to have nothing in hand and that was the first flag. the mother had ignored it, knowing that her mate would have something. then, she noticed the moping frown and heavy sighs that neteyam had emitted after coming home. that was enough to rise suspicion from neytiri.
"what?" neteyam brought his eyes up to meet his mothers and he let out a chuckle while shaking his head. "it's nothing, mother, it's fine really."
neytiri huffed before leaving the pot of food unattended to turn her whole body toward her son. "you have not been yourself since the raid, ma'itan. tell me what is wrong."
neteyam winced as he realized that his mother was not asking now. he had no choice but to tell her what he was going through and doubted that she'd let it go until he did.
"it's (y/n)," neteyam started with a sigh as he placed a peeled fruit on a bowl in front of him. "i told her why i broke off our courtship and she was angry. i-i know i do not have the right to be upset with how she reacted, but-"
"you should've told her long ago." neytiri immediately interrupted him before he could give an excuse. "she is right to be angry, ma'itan. you gave her no explanation. she is still heartbroken."
neytiri sighed to herself. jake and neytiri knew that it would come to this. even after they had assured their son long ago that he shouldn't listen to the elders, neteyam had made his choice. neytiri had stayed silent as neteyam had confessed about breaking his courtship to you. in fact, she might've been more devastated than angry. although, it broke her heart, neytiri knew that neteyam was more heartbroken than her.
neytiri had adored you. even though you were not the best tsakarem, you chose a different path that better suited you and your cause to help the people. you were strong, persistent and hardworking. neytiri admired that about you and found you to be a perfect match for her son and welcomed you almost immediately.
"i just didn't want to hurt her." neteyam mumbled, as he scratched his head in frustration, feeling even more stupid. he had unknowingly added more hurt to the fire confessing the reason years later. "i was stupid to have let her go. there is no point in pursuing her again. she hates me now. maybe since she and i broke up."
"neteyam," neytiri cooed with pity as neteyam's voice began to break and she touched his arm gently before bringing her arm around to pull him into her side. "your father and i know that you try hard to live up to the expectation of the people. you are too hard on yourself."
neteyam was silent as he leaned his head on his mother's shoulders. he was his biggest critic. all his life, neteyam had the mentatlity that his life was not his own. that everything that he did could affect the good of the people. he had to be the best, he had to be a mighty warrior, he had to be the perfect son, he had to be a big brother that set an example.
neteyam had to be a great olo'eyktan just like his dad.
"you try so hard to be like your father, but even your father has made mistakes." neytiri continued. "he was not always the great toruk makto, you know. even your father had his moments."
"mother-" neteyam interjected, but neytiri shook her head.
"he was a skxawng. like a baby." neytiri laughed as she recalled all the memories of jake sully before he was toruk makto- before he became the beloved leader of the omaticaya clan. "but, your father had a strong heart. he did not know when to quit. i admired that about him and fell in love with him, despite being betrothed to the next olo'eykatan."
"i had a duty to my people as the next tsahik and i loved them, however i loved your father more." neytiri explained and neteyam's eyes widened in shock. "i made my choice and it is something that i do not regret. not even now. eywa gave me a strong mate and many children whom i love more than anything in the world."
neteyam chuckled as his mother shook him gently as she said that. he had heard the story of his parents many times when he was a child and yet it never got boring. his mother began to add more details as him and his siblings got older and this was one of those times. neteyam had not known that his mother was betrothed to another her and his father had mated.
"i know that it seems like you have to follow what the elders say," neytiri brushed his braids out of his face again, ushering him to look up at her. "but your happiness matters more than what you think will make the people happy. follow your heart, ma'itan. if you love (y/n) as much as you say, then you will fight to get her back."
neteyam looked up into his mother's eyes to see glimmers of hope in her eyes and he couldn't help but feel his regret wash away with just his mother's words.
neteyam had a newfound feeling of courage and determination. it would probably be a long time before you forgive him, but neteyam was willing to do anything to get you back. neteyam felt a soft smile grace his lips and he gratefully placed his hand on top of his mother's hand on his shoulder.
"thank you, mother."
[Bonus:]
"i prayed to eywa for this moment to come." neytiri chuckled, stirring the pot that was set on the fire. neteyam looked up from the finished bowl of peeled fruit. "(y/n) will make a fine addition to the family."
"prayed for what, mother?" neteyam tilted his head in confusion as his heart fluttered bashfully at his mother's words.
"for you to leave that sad excuse of a woman, katsura? i don't remember. just don't ever bring a woman like that to our home again or i will skin you."
i feel like i missed some of y'all, i'm really sorry! if you want to be added to my taglist, please message me privately with your character preference. thank you so much for reading, have a good day/night :)
sypnosis: you try to distance yourself from your former lover, however neteyam is making it very difficult to leave the past behind you.
a/n: so this part does follow the movie (just the raid part), but letβs all pretend that theyβre aged up. also, i've decided that i'm going to open up my requests after this series is done. but yeah, hope you enjoy reading this!
<-[Part One] | [Part Three] ->
you groaned as loβak continued to complain about the new assignment that jake sully had given you, him, and neteyam. after a month of training, the oloβeyktan had finally trusted you three enough to help with the raid and he had even given you all a mission. that mission being spotters. it was an easy job. all you had to do was scout out any reinforcements that the sky people call in from your ikran. there was no way you three could mess up.
βspotters?! this is so lame, cuz!β loβak exclaimed, packing his bow onto his ikran. βweβre warriors now. we should be able to take on greater missions.β
you sighed, leani bbg your forehead against your ikranβs snout. βloβak, any mission that we get is to help protect the people. no matter how big or small the mission is.β
βbut this-β
βwe are new warriors, loβak. of course your father isnβt going to have us on the battlefield yet.β you snapped, turning around to face the bow with a frown. βwe cannot afford to make any mistakes. a small mishap can cause a bigger danger to our clan.β
βyeah, yeahβ¦β loβak muttered but you knew that your words simply went out his other ear. you rolled your eyes and stalked off to your bow and quiver which laid against a rock.
βiβm serious, loβak,β you warned, snatching your quiver and bow. βif you mess this up, i will skin you before your father even gets the chance.β
loβak didnβt say anything back as he mounted his ikran and you huffed, throwing your weapon onto your Ikran. you pulled yourself up into your ikran and you scanned around for your visors. shit, where did i put them last?, you thought as you brought your hands up to your head. not there either.
βlooking for these?β you heard from below and you looked down at neteyam who held your visors up with a teasing grin. βyou know, i canβt believe you still have this.β
you watched suspiciously as neteyam held up his own visor in his other hand. loβakβs eyes widened as neteyam brought the two visors together and he snapped his head to look up at you. the two visors were a matching pair. why did you still have your half after five years?
βjust give them here.β you glared down at neteyam who shrugged in response and tossed your visor up to you. you swiftly caught them and slid the item on your forehead as you ignored loβakβs stifled laughter beside you.
βneteyam!β
loβakβs laughter came to a halt as a certain girl came hopping over. neteyamβs body staggered as ketsiraβs arms tackled him into a hug. one hand met with the small of her back while the other was clenched tightly around his visor.
βi came to wish you all good luck.β ketsira pulled away from neteyam and switched her attention to you, who internally groaned. βeven you, (y/n). i wish you luck.β
you leaned forward and plastered a grin on your face. βwell, arenβt you a sweetheart today, ketty.β
the nickname made the girlβs face falter and a grimace fell on her lips. you smiled sarcastically as ketsira turned her attention to neteyam, who was clearly uncomfortable with your exchange.
βplease come back safe, nete.β ketsira pouted before giving him a peck on the cheek. once again, her eyes peeked up at you to see if you had seen her affection. loβak also caught it and snickered as you let out a scoff.
you and loβak exchanged knowing glances from your ikrans. you both knew that neteyam was not comfortable with public affection, but that didnβt seem to cross ketsiraβs mind at all.
neteyamβs hands came up to gently push ketsira back and he forced a smile on his face. βuh, thank you for coming, ketsira, but i think weβre about to leave.β
βo-of course,β ketsira replied, embarrassed with his lack of enthusiasm to her affections. βwell, i guess iβll see you when you get back.β
neteyam cleared his throat, feeling the stares of you and his younger brother on his back. βyeah, i-iβll see you later.β
ketsira turned around quickly and made her way back to her tent, leaving the three of you in silence. neteyam sighed before silently mounting his ikran and leading it to stand beside yours.
you furrowed your brow at neteyamβs solemn attitude, however you pushed down your concern as you glanced down at your ikranβs head. no, his personal life was none of your business, you thought. not anymore. you could feel loβak staring at the side of your face and you casted him a frown.
βwhat?β
βnothing at all.β loβak smirked and a horn sounded soon after, signaling all the warriors to take off on their ikrans.
you let out an animal call, pulling the reins to have your ikran dive through the crack of the mountain below you. soon enough, the swarm of ikrans came from the mountain and onward to where the raid was to take place.
you couldnβt fail this mission. no matter what.
-
your eyes marveled at the view below you. after witnessing the explosion of the tracks and the bullet train flipping over, you couldnβt help but get a spike of adrenaline.
metal debri scattered along the ground and flames sprang from the remains of the train. from above, you could see the vast numbers of warriors springing into action and taking any valuables that the train was transporting. mags, stingers, rpg, etc. anything that could provide protection for the clan. this is what youβve been preparing for for years.
βbro, we have got to get down there!β you heard loβak yell out from beside neteyam, who flew in between you and loβak.
you snapped your head to the younger boy with a warning glare. βyou crazy? we have orders to follow, loβak!β
β(y/n) is right, skxawng!β neteyam shouted. βdad will skin us!β
βcβmon, donβt be a wuss.β loβak smirked as he nodded his head cooly.
βloβak!β
βloβak, get back here, you-β
you and neteyam shouted in anger as the boy led his ikran toward the ground. you glanced at neteyam, who nodded at you expectantly. without a word, you both directed your ikrans to the battlefield. you were quick to hop off your ikran and land swiftly on the ground. on his ikran beside you, neteyam did the same and spotted his brother, who was making his way toward tarsem. you took off after neteyam who followed behind his loβak.
βtake this weapons! here, boy-go,go!β tarsem urged, showing a gun into loβakβs hands and you unexpectedly shoved him in the back causing him to stagger forward.
βi will kill you,β you seethed but loβak ignored you as he let out a war cry and held up the metal machinery in his hands.
βyou donβt even know how to use it!β neteyam huffed while you tried to snatch the gun out of loβakβs hands.
loβak gave him a sly grin before reloading the gun and aimed it toward the sky. βdad taught me!β
βi donβt care who taught you,β you snapped, ready to strangle the boy around his neck. βwe have to get back up-β you paused for a moment as you heard jake sullyβs voice in your earpiece.
gunships inbound! fall back!
your face dropped and you glanced at neteyam who held the same panicked expression. he glanced behind you to see gunships making their way toward your area. neteyam ushered you and loβak to start running and you three wasted no time in sprinting away from the gunships. you all hopped over the metal debris, dodging the flames that came from them. the other members of the war party were also doing the same, running past you three.
with neteyam and loβak ahead of you, you glanced back to see the gunship quickly tailing you all. the gunship shit out a missile toward your area and panic began to rise in your body as it got closer. you quickly turned back around to shove the two sully boys forward, praying that it would somehow give them a boost.
all of a sudden, you felt a scorching heat on your back and you let out a scream as you were flung to the side. before you hit one of the metal debri, you saw the two boys get sent forward and away from you.
a pained tell came from your lips as your stomach met with one of the metal remains of the train. you weakly rolled off of the debri and hissed as your burned back met with the dirt. you tried to sit up with all your weight on your arms, but you couldnβt. you let out harsh breaths as you glanced down at your stomach and you cursed as your eyes met with a bloody gash on your skin.
βfuck!β you yelled out in adrenaline. you had to get up, but you couldnβt. not matter how many times you willed your body to move, it would not follow. not when every part of you was raked with pain from the impact of the missile. all you could do was move your hand to cup the wound in your stomach.
β(y/n)! (y/n), where are you?!β
your body internally leapt at the sound of neteyamβs voice which was laced with panic and fear. you opened your mouth to call out, but even that seemed to cause you more pain. luckily, neteyam spotted you in the middle of the debri and immediately slid to kneel beside your laid position. his eyes darted to your face and then to your wound with worried eyes.
β(y/n), hey, you alright?!β neteyam urged, lifting your body into his lap and you hissed as your back met with his thighs. βtalk to me.β
you could only let out quick breaths as you were still recovering from having your breath knocked out from you. you felt his fingers brush your hair out of your face and you squinted your eye through the smoke to find his panicked face close toy our own.
βy-youβ¦β you finally say and neteyam looked down at your chapped lips. βyou haveβ¦to go. leaveβ¦now.β
neteyam growled at your words. βiβm not leaving you here, (y/n)!β before you could even object, he brought on arm under your knees and another around your shoulders. neteyam was careful to ignore the burns on your back as he lifted you up from the ground.
βneteyam!β jake came up behind him and grabbed his shoulder to turn him around. βwhat are you doing here, boy-β
the oloβeyktanβs words were cut off as he noticed you laying weakly in his sonβs arms.
βshit, get her outta here. go, go!β jake yelled at his son and neteyam adjusted you in his arms before sprinting off toward his ikran who landed nearby.
with all his strength, neteyam lifted you onto the saddle of his ikran and pulled himself up behind you. you unconsciously slumped forward in your seat causing a spring of pain from your gashed stomach. neteyam took notice of this and took hold of your shoulders to lean your back gently against his chest.
βlean on me, (y/n).β he said into your ear and you nodded weakly, allowing yourself to relax in between his arms.
neteyam clenched his fists around the reins and signaled for his ikran to take off into the sky. you simply sat back, but your eyes grew heavy and weak. neteyam glanced down at you for a moment, noting your tired expression.
βthanks, neteyam.β you whispered softly before closing your eyes and neteyam didnβt say anything in response. his only concern was getting you back to the camp and taking care of the wounds that you had sustained.
a couple minutes later, the war party arrived at the camp and landed their ikrans on the cliffs of the hideout. the family members of the war party came flooding toward them and greeted all of them with loving embraces.
neteyam quickly landed his own ikran beside his brother, father, and mother. without a word, he carefully dismounted his ikran with you in his arms while loβak looked at you with guilty eyes. neteyam sighed as he looked down at your face and began his walk to his grandmotherβs tent. you were still breathing. as neteyam began his walk to his tent, he could hear his father chewing out his younger brother. neteyam winced as he was probably going to get an earful as well once he got back home.
βneteyam, welcome back!β he heard ketsira say from behind and he turned around.
neteyam noticed the smile on ketsiraβs face fall at the sight of you in his arms, but just as quickly as it fell, it immediately came back. she came up to him with a forced smile and touched his arm.
βoh no, is she alright?β ketsira pouted while she peered down at your sleeping face. βyou should let one of your fatherβs men take her to the tsahik. youβre bleeding, let me take care of you.β
βno, iβve got her.β neteyam grunted, pulling away from ketsiraβs touch and the girl immediately frowned at this. neteyam turned back around to make his way to his grandmotherβs
βwhatβs going on with you?!β she fumed which made neteyam pause his footsteps. βever since youβve been training with her, youβve changed. do you not love me anymore?β
neteyam didnβt say anything as he looked down at your serene face.
βor did you never have feelings for me to begin with?β ketsira seethed and she mustβve hit the mark because could see neteyamβs shoulders stiffen. βis that it?β
β(y/n) saved my life today, ketsira,β neteyam turned to face her with a firm expression before brushing ketsira off. βweβll talk about this later. i need to get her wounds treated.β
βyou never stopped loving her, neteyam, just admit it!β ketsira yelled out angrily.
neteyam drew back a breath and closed his eyes before looking at ketsira with an unreadable look in his eyes. βmaybe youβre right. maybe i never had feelings for you. maybe i do still love (y/n).β
βneteyam, you-β ketsira cut off her own words before glaring at him and pointing an accusing finger at him. βfine, i hope youβre happy with your decision because she will never be better than me. we are done.β
neteyam watched as ketsira brushed past him and stormed off toward her tent. neteyam sighed, before adjusting you in his arms and stalking off to his grandmotherβs tent.
neteyam felt as though a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. in fact, your body in his arms weighed nothing compared to the boulder that fatigued him for years. neteyam couldnβt help but let a smile grace his lips as he glanced down at you.
if you asked to get tagged in the last part and you didn't, it's most likely because tumblr won't allow me to. please check your settings. if you would like to be tagged in the next part let me know in the replies because i will only be accepting the first few.
also, if you would like to be added to my permanent taglist, please message me privately with the character you'd prefer to be tagged in. thanks you so much for reading and have a good day/night :)
sypnosis: ao'nung has grown to be a strong olo'eyktan. you find his scars to be proof of that.
a/n: i'm having a writer's block for part 2 of my last neteyam fic and then all of a sudden ao'nung popped up in my head. that man has me in a chokehold currently and so i had to write this to get him off my chest lmao. anyway, hope you enjoy reading this!
you stood outside of your marui with your arms crossed over your chest and your brows wrinkled with worry. you nervously shifted from one foot to another as you scanned the area for your mate. it was already so late and you were worried.
ao'nung had mentioned that he'd be gone with the hunting party that morning. you just didn't expect him to be so late. night had fallen on the village hours ago and the dark, vast ocean showed no signs of returning your mate.
you tightened the shawl around your shoulders and sighed as the last village lantern went out, leaving only yours brightly lit and hanging from your marui's post. you reluctantly drew closer to the lantern and blew out the candle before returning back inside. you quietly kneeled on the mat laid out in the middle of the room and began to busy your hands with the blanket you were weaving.
you found it hard to sleep when ao'nung wasn't home. your mate would often scold you for waiting on him to return from his olo'eyktan duties. however, you couldn't help it when worry raked through your body when ao'nung was out late, especially when he was out hunting beyond the reefs. you knew how dangerous it could be outside of the reef and that didn't help your resolve at all.
about an hour later, your fingers were still working themselves along the blanket. in fact, you were nearly finished. your shoulders slumped as you yawned tiredly.
"yawntu?" came a gruff voice from behind and you immediately twisted around to find ao'nung at the doorway. you quickly picked up yourself from the mat and rushed to engulf him into a hug.
ao'nung staggered back from the force of the hug, but still circled his strong arms around your waist. "i've already told you not to wait for me, (y/n)."
you ignored him as you buried your face into his wet chest. you breathed in the scent of salt water on his skin and a relieved smile lit up your face. you tightened your arms around his waist and ao'nung gazed down at you with soft eyes.
"(y/n)?" ao'nung whispered, prodding your chin with his fingers to have you look up at him. you stood on the balls of your feet and pressed your lips against his. as you pulled away, you grabbed his hand to cup your cheek.
"i cannot sleep, you know that. not when you aren't home." you sighed, leaning your head against his palm and kissing it.
"i know, but you need to rest." ao'nung kissed your forehead and you smiled at his affection. he led you further inside with his hand on the small of your back while the other closed the curtain of your marui.
you pulled away from his touch to make your way into the corner of the marui. you bent down to grab a basket filled with ointments and herbs before turning around to ao'nung who was sat on the mat.
it was a routine you both shared whenever he'd return late from hunting outside the reef. ao'nung already knew to sit down and let you patch up his wounds. you would never let him go to bed without scanning his body for any injuries.
you silently made your way to him, kneeling down beside him and noting the bite marks on arm. you frowned as you took out a paste from the basket, dipping your fingers into the substance and brushing the product along his upper arm. ao'nung stiffened at the stinging that pricked at his wound and he even let out a sharp hiss at the feeling.
"sorry," you mumbled, placing a kiss on his cheek and ao'nung shook his head.
"it's fine. thank you, yawntu."
you nodded silently and continued your actions, occasionally wincing as ao'nung hissed in pain. this was always the worst part for you. it was hard enough seeing the nasty injuries after a hunting duty.
"all done, ao'nung." you cooed, moving behind him to check if he had any wounds on his back.
all of his old injuries were now scars that littered his muscular back. each of them varied in size, shape and direction. long scars that ran from one part of his back to the other, short scars that came to a harsh stop, shapely scars that zig zagged or corssed, etc. some of the lined scars even blended into the stripes of his back and you couldn't help but run your index finger along each one. you felt ao'nung suck in a breath while your fingers brushed against his skin. his body relaxed into your touch and you leaned down to press kisses on each scar.
"(y/n)," ao'nung softly called out with a shaky breath, but you ignored him and feathered kisses on his scarred back until you were sure that you covered each scar.
you finally pulled away and sat up on your knees. you drew your chest closer to his back, wrapping your arms around his shoulders from behind. ao'nung closed his eyes as your chin leaned on top of his head.
"are you alright?" ao'nung asked, leaning back into your hold and raising his hands to grasp your interlocked hands on his chest.
"just thinking," you sighed before smiling to yourself. "i'm really proud of you, ao'nung. you've become a strong olo'eyktan. your scars are proof of that, you know. mighty warrior, hunter, and leader. "
ao'nung stayed silent at that, however he couldn't help but let a grin grace his lips. he always felt bad for leaving you at home by yourself while he was off doing chief duties. there was never a day where ao'nung wanted to just stay home and be with you. nights like these were one of the only times he could see you. with you being tsahik, you mostly stayed in the village helping those in need and ao'nung did most of the heavy work. you barely saw each other and that was enough for ao'nung to feel guilty.
"sorry, yawntu," ao'nung mumbled and you leaned away from him slightly to give the back of his head a confused expression. "you must feel alone whenever i am out. i'm sorry."
ao'nung gently led your arms away from his body and twisted around to face you. he opened his arms slightly to let you in and you complied with him, laying on your back to place your head on top of his thighs. ao'nung gazed down at you with loving eyes that seemed to see right through you every time. you held his eye contact with a soft smile on your face.
"it does get lonely," you admitted as ao'nung began to run his fingers through your hair. "but i know that it can't be helped. you are olo'eyktan now. we have a duty to our people and that is alright."
"i know, but-"
"but nothing, ao'nung." you chided, lifting your arm up to cup his face. "as long as i am by your side now, i will face as many lonely days as i can because i know you will return to me every night."
ao'nung marveled at your loving expression and the confident tone in your words before letting out a chuckle. "i don't deserve you, my love." he said to you before leaning down to press a kiss on your forehead once again.
"skxawng." you giggled as he began to pepper obnoxious kisses along your face and you push his head away to get up. you tackle him into a hug which causes his back to meet with the mat and you laid your body against his. "i love you, ao'nung."
"and i love you, (y/n)."
you smiled and laid your head against his chest while his arms came to hug around your waist. after a couple minutes of laying in silence, your ears suddenly perked up and ao'nung's head snapped to the cradle that laid beside you and ao'nung's hammock. soon enough, a cry sounded through the room and you both quickly got up from the floor. you rushed to the hammock with a worried expression before looking down at your crying baby girl and lifting her up from her plush cradle.
"oh, my sweet girl," you cooed, rocking the bundle of blankets that held you and ao'nung's baby. ao'nung came up behind you, wrapped his arms around your waist, and laid his chin against your shoulder to gaze down at his baby with a smile.
"i love you both." ao'nung uttered and you hummed, leaning your head against his as your baby began to coo. you both watched in amazement as she began to let her eyes flutter to a close while letting out soft, sweet babbles.
in this moment, you didn't feel so alone. you felt loved with your baby in your arms and your husband by your side. you prayed to eywa for many more nights like this.
if you'd like to be added to my permanent taglist, please message me privately and tell me which character you'd prefer to be tagged in. thank you so much for reading my works and i hope you have a good day/night.
a/n: i'm thinking about opening up my request. although i have about 5 drafts on here, i would like some new ideas to write about. i'm probably only going to open it for about three days just to see how it goes, but i'll post when my requests are open. anyway, hope you enjoy part one!
Β [Part Two] ->
soon after completing your iknimaya, you were a considered to be a promising warrior. the elders in your clan had high expectations for you, especially with the sky people coming back to pandora. there was never a day that you were praised for your amazing strength and bravery. as a young child you strived to become a warrior who young girls could look up to. you wanted to be a warrior that could protect her people from any threat.
even the olo'eyktan, jake sully, had acknowledged you and took you under his wing to train under his tutelage. this was a high honor in the clan because you weren't training with every one else who dreamed of being a warrior. no, you were being taught by the toruk makto. that in itself was enough for you to boast. of course, training with the olo'eyktan meant that you had to train alongside his eldest son.
neteyam te suli tsykek'itan.
"isn't it weird to be training alongside someone you used to court?" lo'ak snickered while you sat nonchalantly on a tree root, kicking your feet beside him. your eyes never left the knife that you were sharpening.
you rolled your eyes at his obvious teasing while lo'ak leaned his back against the huge root that you were perched on. why was every so adamant on your love life? ever since you began training with jake sully, everyone has been curious about how you felt training with your former lover.
"why would that be weird? we're both warriors." you tried to deflect, but lo'ak was determined to find some answers.
you and neteyam went way back. you both started off as childhood best friends and eventually, you both ended up courting each other in your early teens. every one thought that you and neteyam would be a great match. you excelled in almost everything that he did. ikran riding, archery, combat, etc. neytiri was the one who was most happy about you two courting. she had always favored you, even as a child. of course, not all good things last. now you both were in your early twenties with no relationship to each other.
"c'mon, bro," lo'ak urged, looking up at your nonchalant figure. "you and neteyam never told anyone why you guys broke off."
"and it's going to stay that way," you snapped, furrowing your brows down at him before sighing heavily. "why does it matter anymore? that was in the past."
"but-"
"lo'ak, stop." you deadpanned, sliding off the tree root to stand beside him and placed a hand on his bicep. "i get that you're curious, but it's best you leave it in the past. neteyam is with someone else now, you know that."
"i'm just saying-" lo'ak cut himself off as he heard two voices approaching you two and soon enough, neteyam popped out from one of the bushes. you raised your brow as neteyam was not the only who had arrived. right beside him, hanging off his arm was his lover, ketsira. you sighed at the sight of the girl, sliding your knife into your sheath.
"really, you didn't have to walk me all the way over here." neteyam chuckled while patting her hand that was glued to his arm.
"its no problem at all. i wanted to!" came ketsira's high pitched tone.
as the couple began to approach you and lo'ak, you heard lo'ak mutter to himself and groan in annoyance. lo'ak was clear in how he felt about his big brother's newfound lover.
"oh, hello, lo'ak," ketsira greeted with a beaming smile, however when she noticed you beside lo'ak, that smile slightly faltered. "(y/n)."
you smirked at her dry tone. oh, how you loved when ketsira felt threatened by you. it only took your presence for her to act this way and you relished in it.
"hello, ketsira." you nodded your head politely as you leaned against the tree root behind you. you then acknowledged her lover who stood uncomfortably beside ketsira. "neteyam."
the boy flashed you a sheep smile and nodded his head. you figured that ketsira was not happy with the exchange because she immediately gave you a tight smile. she brought her hand up to rest under neteyam's jaw, pulling his face closer to her own. ketsira placed a gently peck on his lips before pulling away. you could've sworn that you seen her glance at you afterwards and that made you smirk to yourself.
ever since ketsira managed to get with neteyam, the girl was adamant on making sure that you weren't in the picture, despite you and neteyam being a thing in the past. it always amused you how hard ketsira tried to make you jealous of their relationship. although ketsira was still wary of you, you didn't really bring any attention to it. in fact, you could care less about how she felt.
"well, i'll leave you to it," ketsira chirped, giving neteyam one last peck on the cheek and turning around to leave. "meet me at my tent afterwards, neteyam, okay?"
neteyam didn't say anything as ketsira disappeared into the array of greenery that surrounded the area. the three omaticayans waited until her footsteps faded off before lo'ak glanced at each other with knowing looks. neteyam tilted his head in confusion as you and his younger brother bursted out into heavy laughter.
"what's so funny?" neteyam questioned warily as he looked you both up and down.
"you didn't have to walk me all the way down here." you mimicked neteyam with a deep tone as lo'ak latched onto your arm with a cheesy smile on his face. "i can manage just fine on my own."
"oh, i insist, my love!" lo'ak gasped in a high pitched voice, leaning his head on your shoulder playfully. "i wouldn't want my strong warrior boyfriend to get hurt on his way to the training grounds."
"okay, stop." neteyam deadpanned, bringing his hands up to brush your teasing off.
"oh, ketsira," you continued, wrapping an arm around lo'ak's shoulders to pull him closer to your side.
"oh, neteyam!" lo'ak gushed, rapidly blinking his lashes. "don't forget to meet me at my tent tonight!"
"enough!" neteyam yelled exasperatedly and you rolled your eyes with a grin, pulling away from lo'ak. "you two are the most obnoxious people when you are together."
"seriously, bro," lo'ak grumbled. "how can you stand her? ketsira is a nightmare. (y/n) was better than that."
that comment made neteyam hiss and you immediately elbowed loa'k's ribs which caused him to yelp in pain and hold his side. he sent you a glare and incredulously stared at you. you sighed at his obviousness and turned your attention to neteyam who was annoyed at his brother's statement.
"chill out, neteyam, we were just joking." you mumbled, picking up your bow and quiver filled arrows before stalking over to a clearing with a few makeshift targets in front of you.
after a couple minutes, jake sully appeared from the shrubs and had all his gear with him. he looked approvingly at his sons who were here early, but a slight smile lit jake's face up as he saw you already shooting arrows at targets. you noticed his gaze and immediatly out your bow down to go greet the older man.
"should have (y/n) around often," jake chuckled, ruffling his two son's hair. "you two boneheads are always late."
"lo'ak is always waking up late." neteyam muttered causing lo'ak to clear his throat in warning. no doubt, you figured that neteyam would cover for lo'ak each time they were late to training.
"what are we starting off with first, sir?" you asked, ignoring the two sully boys' glares that were directed at each other. jake let his arms fall to his side and his expression was firm now.
"we're going to start off with some sparring." jake responded. "just to see where you are in your combat skills. after that, i can determine what we need to work on as a whole."
you unconsciously let out a chuckle. combat was always your strongest suit and lo'ak knew that judging by the way he was now shifting uncomfortably at the thought. the boy was probably remembering all the times that he'd take all the blunt forces of your attacks while preparing for his iknimaya. of course, lo'ak passed with your guidance but the thoughts of your hits always seemed to stick with him.
neteyam, however, was always your rival in combat. for some odd reason, you were never able to conquer him in sparring. even after you two got together, neteyam didn't go easy on you and you appreciated him for that. it's how you managed to get stronger and prove yourself to the clan.
"i think neteyam should spar with her." lo'ak offered with a sly smile, nudging his older brother toward you and you pierced a glare into his face. he knew exactly what you were doing. neteyam was visibly uncomfortable, but his father grunted in agreement.
"you good with that, (y/n)?" jake asked and you nodded, pushing down any excuse that you wanted to come up with. "great. rules are no knifes. just your body. i want to see how well you can hold up with no weapons."
"of course, sir," you firmly said, while unbuckling your sheath that held your knife from the strap of your loincloth.
you and neteyam stalked towards the grass clearing where sparring was usually held in. you both stood across from each other; at least 6 feet apart. lo'ak and his father stood to the side, ready to spectate you both. neteyam's face was unreadable as he just stood with his arms at his side.
"whenever you two are ready, you may begin." jake announced and you two nodded in response, lifting up your fists and preparing to fight.
you hadn't sparred with neteyam since you were fifteen, so you weren't sure if you'd be able to take neteyam, but you at least had to try. if anything, you were different from when you were fifteen. you were stronger, faster, and gained knowledge from experience. there was no way you were going down without fighting. but knowing neteyam, he wasn't either. whether you were an enemy, friend, lover, or an ex, neteyam was not one to pull back his punches during a sparring match.
you both closed the gap between you two and you threw the first punch, pushing as much force through your arm as you could. neteyam swiftly dodged your hit, leaning to his side to avoid getting hit in the face. he recovered quickly and you watched as he pulled his own fist back, ready to repay you for your attempt. just as he was fast in dodging, you were too, as you bent down to evade his attack. you took note of his feet which were set apart and you smirked at the opening as you threw yourself into a squatting position, sweeping a leg toward his ankles. however, your smirk faded as he stepped back in time to avoid your foot.
shit, he probably saw it coming, you cursed in your head as you rolled backwards into a standing position and you lifted your arms up once more into fists. he ran at you this time, throwing combos at you now. his fists were coming at you from left and right with full force. you brought your forearms up to protect your face and you bit back a growl as his hits met with your arms. at some point, neteyam managed to land a hit on your jaw with a right hook and you grunted in pain.
you stumbled backwards, but you managed to memorize the pattern of his fists as you suddenly grabbed one of his wrists in time which shocked him for a moment. you abruptly brought your knee up, kneeing him in the abdomen and he wheezed at the contact. while he was distracted, you let go of his wrist, turned around for momentum, and delivered a swift kick to his face which caused him to stagger back in pain.
you wasted no time in coming at him again, opting to throw punches at him while he was still processing the kick. neteyam choked down the pain he was feeling, now attempting to dodge your hits. your punches were quick and fast. once one fist was pulled back, another was being thrown and neteyam was surprised to find himself struggling to keep up. in fact, you found an opening to kick his side. you did and he was knocked out of breath. you squatted down once again, sweeping your leg to meet his ankles. this time, the move connected and he was swept off his own feet, landing onto the ground with a hard thud.
you rushed forward, straddling his waist and threw your fists at his face. neteyam was quick to hold his forearms in front of his face. he used his upper body to raise himself up and toss you to the side. his body was now on top of yours, but before he could throw any hits at you, you swung your legs up to press your feet on his stomach. you yelled out as you found the strength to lift him up with your legs and toss him behind your head. neteyam tucked himself into a ball and he rolled against the ground, but he recovered as he used the momentum of the roll to stand right back up. you turned onto your stomach and lifted yourself up, about to charge at him until you heard jake's voice ring through the area.
"alright, that's enough." jake quickly interrupted and you both stopped in your tracks to look at him. "good job on carrying your weight, (y/n). if i remember, neteyam has always been able to beat you."
"right." you laughed in between heavy breathes as you stood up. you dusted the dirt off of your body, while the olo'eyktan praised you and neteyam's skills.
"well, you might be able to catch up to him soon." jake chuckled before giving his eldest son a nod, who grinned in turn at his father's approval. "let's move on. all three of you grab your bows and meet me in the middle of the forest."
while jake sully made his way deeper into the forest, you did just as he instructed, bending down to grab your knife. as you tied it back onto your loincloth, you noticed neteyam's eyes watching you and you rose your brow at him expectantly. did he have something to say?, you thought and you were right because neteyam came stalking over to you.
"you almost had me." neteyam breathed out with an amused smile and you scoffed.
"one of these days, i'll knock you on your ass, neteyam. you can trust me on that." you quipped, turning around to follow the olo'eyktan and your hair whipped across neteyam's chin.
neteyam was speechless at your coldness and his eyes glared down at the ground while his brows furrowed together in bewilderment. before he knew, he was storming right after you and grabbing at your forearm. neteyam turned you around abruptly to face him and you were greeted with a very angry face. his heated glare was pierced into you.
"what's your problem?' neteyam seethed and you rolled your eyes.
"there is no problem." you snapped, whipping your arm out of his hold and glared back at him. "i'm here to train, not make friends. you should focus on that as well. we're warriors now, neteyam, we can't have distractions right now. not when there's war going on."
you turned to follow after lo'ak and his father, but you paused for a moment. "also, it would be best to keep our distance from each other. for you and ketsira's sake."
that was the last thing that you said, before spinning on your heel and sauntering off. you left neteyam standing alone with just his thoughts.
you were kind of right. the two of you were new warriors tasked to fight for the people and protect them from danger. you both had responsibilities and you couldn't afford to have distractions. not when you spent all these years working so hard to build up your reputation and title. not when neteyam had ketsira by his side and the girl was already wary of you. still, neteyam couldn't hold back the hurt that was building up in his chest.
you changed, he thought as he only watched you walk away from him. you were stronger now. tougher. not the naive and soft girl that he had met. no longer the girl who always had a beaming smile on her face. you were a grown woman that held her own. the war that you both had grown up in had finally caught up to you.
your skin was hardened and your walls had grown even higher since you both were together. you were pushing him into the past and the thought alone was enough for neteyam to clench his fists in frustration. for some reason, even after all that you had said, he still felt drawn to you.
neteyam felt challenged. he was determined to break down any wall that you were holding up.
i'll only be accepting the first few requests to be tagged in the next part. please let me know in the replies if you want to be tagged and if you want to be added to my permanent taglist, please message me privately and tell me what character you'd prefer to be tagged in. thank you so much for reading my work and have a great day :)
sypnosis: you feel very conflicted about who your heat belongs to. neteyam or ao'nung?
a/n: SURPRISE! i know i said that ao'nung x reader was endgame, but i was convinced by @eywas-heir to make this. they were literally begging me to and i couldn't resist a good alternate ending. hopefully, the neteyam stans are satisfied with this. i know y'all were crying in the replies of the first part.
you felt terrible for what happened and you also couldn't help but blame yourself for the whole thing. maybe if you had stayed away from the sullys, like ao'nung had told you, neteyam wouldn't have took the blunt force of ao'nung's fists. you knew you shouldn't feel like the reason, but it had clouded your judgement through the whole night.
to ease your guilt, you took it upon yourself to visit neteyam in his marui the next day. you stood outside of the sully's marui, shifting from one foot to another. you didn't know why you were feeling so nervous right now. all you had to do was apologize about ao'nung's actions and go about your day. so why is the thought of talking to neteyam making you so anxious?
"(y/n)!" you heard tuk call out and you were snapped out of your thoughts. before you knew it, tuk ran up to you and wrapped her small arms around your thighs. "did you come to play with me today? everyone else said they were too busy."
"oh, tuk," you laughed at her pouting face. "sadly, i didn't come to play, but maybe tomorrow, yeah?"
"aw, fine, but you have to promise me, okay?" tuk's ears lowered in disappointment and you gently ran your fingers through her braids.
"i promise, tuk tuk." you cooed and tuk's face lit up in excitement. you watched as she ran past you to go play with a couple of friends that she had made on the island.
"(y/n)?" you whole body froze at the familiar voice behind you.
"neteyam, i see you." you smiled meekly, turning around to greet him with a curt nod. neteyam stood behind you and gave you a nod as well, gesturing for you to come into the marui. you complied, taking a seat on the mat that was set in the middle of the room.
it seemed as though everyone was out, leaving you and neteyam alone in the marui. that made you even more anxious as you stood in the middle of the home with your fingers twiddling together. you watched as neteyeam took a seat in front of you, criss crossing his legs and you finally glanced at his face. your face fell as you gazed at the bruises that littered his cheeks. his gashed lips seemed to still be healing as well, which further upset you. neteyam must've noticed your discomfort because he was quick to ease the tension that surrounded the room.
"ao'nung really doesn't hold back, does he?" neteyam chuckled, rubbing his neck nervously.
"does it hurt?" you asked, scooting closer to get a good look at his face. neteyam's body slightly jerked back as you lifted your fingers to brush up against his bruising cheek. you quickly pulled your hands back in surprise, thinking that you had added more pain.
"sorry," neteyam sputtered out. "i promise it doesn't hurt. i just didn't expect you-i mean, i'm alright! tsireya said that the bruises should heal after a few days."
"i'm really sorry, neteyam." you sighed, wincing as you clenched your fists in your lap. "this is all my-"
"don't apologize for ao'nung's behavior." neteyam quickly cut you off and your eyes met with his. "none of this is your fault, (y/n)."
"i know, but still..." you trailed off, glancing down at your hands. "i should've stayed away from you like he said. maybe then he wouldn't have lashed out the way he did."
neteyam's eyes couldn't leave your slumped position. you must've felt so guilty that you didn't get an ounce of sleep last night. your eyes looked tired and puffy from crying and neteyam's chest felt heavy at the sight. he only wished you hadn't beaten yourself over it. neteyam truly meant it when he said that none of this was your fault. no, nothing could ever be your fault.
"if you had, i wouldn't have stayed away from you." neteyam breathed out, sliding his hand over to engulf your smaller ones, which startled you for a moment.
neteyam's words made your heart flutter in a familiar way. the feeling that you used to get when ao'nung was around. as your eyes met with neteyam's golden hues once more, your nervous stomach began to do flips. his eyes glimmered with longing and that almost made you falter. shit, when did you start having thoughts of someone other than ao'nung? every feeling that you got with ao'nung was now being transferred to neteyam, which made you feel conflicted.
"neteyam, i can't-" you started, but neteyam just shook his head before you could say anything else.
"i know, (y/n)," neteyam began, pulling his hand back as his ears lowered against his head. "i know about everything."
"what?"
"i know that you've been pursuing ao'nung since you were children."
"oh," was all you could mutter. you had no idea what to say to that. how could you deny it? it was the truth. "listen, ao'nung has never shown me any interest, even with my obvious...you know."
"well, he's a moron." neteyam rolled his eyes and you softly gasped at his insult. "what? it's the truth. if i had a beautiful woman like you pursuing me everyday then i would fall to my knees immediately."
"neteyam, don't say that." you whispered, feeling even more conflicted than before.
"ao'nung doesn't deserve you." neteyam stated, furrowing his brow as he glimpse down at the floor. "(y/n), you deserve someone who will make you feel loved. someone who will love you as much as you do them and i can do that."
"neteyam, please-"
"i am not saying you have to choose between me and ao'nung," the omaticaya boy assured, lifting his fingers up to have you look up at him. "but i want you to know that i am in love with you. all of you."
you stared at his solemn face that held nothing but genuineness. your lips parted in shock before quickly brushing off his hand and you held his hands in your own. his confession made you nauseous. you hadn't expected him to confess his feelings for you this way and the thought of getting over ao'nung so quickly plagued you deeply. what if your heart was playing tricks on you? were your feelings towards neteyam right now only a safety net from ao'nung's indifference?
"i am sorry, neteyam," you stood up from your spot on the floor and your eyes were casted to the floor. "i don't know if i can accept your feelings."
"i know that," neteyam nodded with a smile on his face, but you could hear the sadness in his tone. "but i am willing to wait for you, (y/n)."
you silently nodded and avoided meeting his eyes. neteyam watched your figure leave out of the marui before sighing to himself and shaking his head. neteyam hoped that he had made the right choice in confessing his feelings for you, but he wasn't lying. was it the right timing? he wasn't so sure now.
however, neteyam was willing to wait years for you. even if your heart still yearned for ao'nung.
-
of course, tsireya could sense the obvious discomfort between you, neteyam, and ao'nung. it was clear in the way you'd avoid both of the boys. every time one of them came around, you'd somehow find a way to escape interacting with them. it wasn't until tsireya got you by yourself that she decided to prod you about it.
"so, what's going?" she asked you, sitting on the pier's edge that were set in front of your marui. you tilted your head, eyes more focused on the bracelet you were making for tuk. tsireya rolled her eyes at your obvious attempt of avoiding the question.
"what do you mean?" you finally asked, pausing your current project and titled your head at your best friend.
"don't play coy, (y/n). you've been avoiding ao'nung and neteyam since the fight. i understand why you're avoiding ao'nung, but neteyam as well? what happened?"
"nothing happened, okay?" you snapped at her and you immediately apologized to her for raising your voice.
tsireya looked you up and down with a suspicious squint in her eyes made you fold. it was clear that tsireya wasn't going to let this go any time soon. not when you made it so painstakingly obvious that you were trying to steer the conversation somewhere else.
"alright, fine, you win." you sighed in defeat, putting the bracelet aside. "neteyam confessed his feelings for me the other day." you winced as tsireya jolted in her seat with a gasp and she clutched your arm abruptly.
"neteyam confessed his feelings for you?!" tsireya exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with shock. you silently nodded and your fingers itched to work on the bracelet. anything to quell your jittery nerves. "well, what did you say?"
"what do you think i said?" you sighed, continuing to work on the bracelet. "i told neteyam that i couldn't accept his feelings. he said that i deserved better and that he'd wait."
"(y/n), do you-"
"i don't know, tsireya. all my life, it has always been ao'nung that i wanted, but after the confession, something...changed?" you were unsure of how to explain it. it was as if something in your mind had switched, however it was too quick. "what if my feelings for neteyam aren't real? what if i'm just using him to distract from the fact that ao'nung doesn't love me? is my heart so quick to change? i j-just- i feel guilty. "
tsireya gazed down at your working hands which were working along the threads of the bracelet as you rambled on. your best friend couldn't help but feel bad for you. you were conflicted; unsure about what your heart wanted.
"(y/n), you have been my best friend for as long as i can remember." tsireya started, leaning her head on your shoulder. "i know you well enough now. you often confuse your thoughts with your heart and when it comes to making decisions, you are unsure."
you silently agreed, letting your head fall gently on top of hers. tsireya did know you better than anyone else. you'd even be bold enough to say she knew you better than your own parents. it was something you appreciated about her. tsireya was observant and kind. always willing to help out someone who she deemed needed it.
"if your heart no longer belongs to my brother," tsireya closed her eyes with a sad smile. "then that is alright. if your heart has changed then that is okay too. you should not feel guilty for listening to what your heart wants."
you responded with silence and nuzzled your head against hers. tsireya lifted her arm behind you and wrapped it around your shoulder and squished her cheek into your shoulder.
"ao'nung missed out on you." tsireya laughed sadly, feeling your tears running down her shoulder. "i wish he wasn't so stupid, but you deserve to be happy. just as neteyam said, you deserve someone who will love you back just as much as you do them."
"thank you, tsireya." you uttered softly. "you always know what to say that it sometimes scares me." you heard her let out a hum of amusement, before tensing up at the question she asked you next.
"so, what are you wearing to the gathering tonight?" tsireya quickly changed the subject and you groaned.
like you would ever make an appearance. you knew that as the olo'eyktan's first born son, ao'nung was going to be there. not only him, but the sullys as well, which meant neteyam would probably be there as well. you'd rather throw yourself off neteyam's ikran than be caught in a compromising position with either of them.
"i'm not going." you deadpanned and she gasped, pulling away from you as if you had burned her with a torch. "you know who else is going to be there, right?"
"so what? we always go!" tsireya whined, cluthing your arm with both her hands and shaking you gently. "i know you're trying to avoid neteyam and ao'nung, but shutting yourself inside your marui is no fun."
"i have nothing to wear." you shrugged, hoping that your little excuse would somehow slide, but knowing your best friend? if there was a will, there was a way.
"why didn't you say so?" tsireya giggled. "i have plenty of clothes that you could borrow. in fact, i'll go get them right now. you stay here and wait, okay? don't even think about running off. you know i'll find you."
you were about to stop her, but tsireya was already half way down the pier so you knew it was no use now. however, you figured tsireya was right though. you haven't been able to relax since the brawl and you did need to loosen up a bit. you guessed a village gathering would be able to do just that.
-
"tsireya, i don't know..." you muttered, adjusting the strap of your light blue reef macrame top that was adorned with small iridescent shells.
the huge shell in the middle of your chest held the top together and allowed the intricately woven straps to obscure your nipples from being exposed. you glanced down at your detailed woven loincloth which matched the color of your top. the straps of your loincloth also held your hunting knife and songchord. your fingers nervously twiddled with the pearl-beaded threads that hung from your top. tsireya smacked your hands and you immediately stuck them by your side.
"don't start, you look great!" tsireya exclaimed, before kneeling behind you and placing pearled headpieces along the tresses of your hair. you stiffly smiled as your best friend began to adorn your wrists with bracelets that she had made for you.
kiri laid on her stomach beside both of you, watching with a bored expression as tsireya continued to get you ready for the gathering. she had also become a victim of tsireya's stubbornness to dress you and her up.
"she's right, (y/n)." kiri nodded. "you look great and ao'nung is going to regret taking you for granted."
tsireya sent her a panicked look and shook her head, signaling her to stop talking about the boy. kiri's brows furrowed apologetically and she took note of your saddened expression.
"sorry, (y/n), i didn't mean to-"
you shook your head with a forced smile. "no, it is fine. besides, its best i move on now. it was never going to work."
"still, you deserve to be happy, (y/n)." kiri sat up and crawled towards your kneeling position to give you a comforting hug and tsireya followed as well, wrapping her arms around your shoulders from behind. you softly smiled as they sandwiched you in a hug, until little tuk came running in.
"c'mon, the party already started!" tuk whined and you all bursted into giggles at the little girl's pouting face.
"alright, tuk tuk," you teased before standing up from the group hug to showcase your outfit. "how do i look?"
"very pretty." tuk complimented with glimmering eyes and she circled around you to inspect every detail. "but we're really late!"
tsireya and kiri held back a laugh as they followed after tuk, who was dragging you out of the marui. you grinned as you allowed the girl to pull you away. you all passed by lit lanterns that adorned the village and you could hear the music sounding from afar. you all finally met with the rest of the villagers, who had wasted no time in starting the party. a couple of men played their instruments rhythmically as the women sang beautifully. the mated couples happily danced together in the middle of the lit square, the children played with each other on the sides, and men drank to their hearts content.
your eyes landed on your mother and father, who were dancing with each other with lovesick smiles. the sight made the grin on your face spread. tuk quickly left your side and ran off in the direction of her parents. you glanced toward ronal and tonowari, who were talking with neytiri and jake. you nervously bit your lip, knowing that ao'nung or neteyam could be anywhere around.
"c'mon, let's dance!" tsireya exclaimed, grabbing both of your hands in hers and pulling you toward the crowd of dancing villagers. "you and i used to love this song as children, remember?"
"what about kiri?" you glanced behind you, only to find rotxo pulling a very nervous kiri to the dance floor.
you watched as kiri became comfortable enough to dance with rotxo with a beaming smile on her face. well, nevermind then, you thought before allowing tsireya to lead you to the dance square. tsireya and you arrived in the crowd of metkayina, picking up on the rhythmic movements of the others. your body relaxed eventually and you began to move along with tsireya, reminiscing about how you and tsireya would always dance when it came to village gatherings. the villagers danced into a circle and your eyes landed on an anxious tuk who stood outside of the circle, who obviously wanted to join in.
"c'mon, tuk!" you shouted over the music and tsireya let go of your hand while you ushered tuk to join in.
tuk excitedly grabbed onto your hand, following every one else in the dance. a couple minutes later, the circle broke off and everyone grabbed onto their partner for the next portion of the dance. tsireya managed to find lo'ak in the dancing craze, leaving you to be partnered up with tuk. you cheered as you spun tuk around, bending down a little so that her little arm wouldn't have to extend too far. tuk giggled as you spun her until she got dizzy. you then led her over to her parents who were watching you both with awe.
"neteyam, your turn!" little tuk called out, which made you pause your movement and snap your head toward neteyam who stood behind his parents. you didn't even notice him standing there the whole time you were dancing. both of your eyes met, only for both of you to nervously dart away. tuk ran up to her older brother, grasping his wrists to pull him toward you, but neteyam was adamant in staying put.
"tuk, no, stop!" neteyam tried to shoo his little sister away, but tuk continued pulling him toward you. he glanced at his parents, who only shrugged and smiled at him knowingly.
neteyam's lifted his head and apologetically smiled at you, however you offered your hand to him with a small grin. his eyes widened slightly at your actions, but didn't think twice about grabbing your hand. neteyam was pulled away from his parents by you, who was eager to rejoin the dancing villagers in the next song.
"i don't really dance," neteyam confessed nervously and you flashed him a reassuring smile. "no, really, i can't-"
"i promise it's easy!" you shouted over the music and led him to stand with the men in a line before making your way to the line of women across from him. "just follow my lead!"
the music's pace began to shift into a more upbeat tune and the dancing lines moved in unison. the women danced toward the men and you found yourself moving gracefully to the beat. the two lines came closer to each other, arms entwining with each other. neteyam followed along reluctantly, unsure of what to do. you noticed neteyam's discomfort and grabbed his hands to show him what to do. you spun yourself around before letting go of neteyam and circled around him following the movements of the other women who did the same.
eventually, neteyam noticed the pattern of the dance and moved accordingly with a confident expression. you nodded excitedly and you both brushed against each other. it seemed as though every one around you had disappeared as you both danced together, ignoring the sounds of cheers from the villagers and your friends. you and neteyam were basically in your own world, just staring at each other with the cheesiest smiles until the end of the music.
"you did great, you liar!" you shoved his shoulder playfully, while he let out a humbled laugh. you both walked toward the side to get away from the dancers who were getting ready for the next song.
"i had a great teacher." neteyam grinned down at you and you rolled your eyes with a grin, until you noticed the na'vi behind him glaring daggers at his back.
your smile fadedquickly as ao'nung stood with his friends, who were heartily chatting with each other while he held a glower on his lips. his glare left neteyam's back and you bit your lips nervously. a second later, ao'nung's focus shifted to you and you quickly avoided it. you glanced back at neteyam with a worried expression before snatching his wrist and he noticed your panicked expression.
"what's wrong, (y/n)?" he asked, about to turn around to see what you were looking at, but you tugged his wrist to keep his attention on you. if another fight broke out at this gathering, you were sure that you'd feel worse than before.
"i think i'm feeling tired, neteyman. wanna take a walk with me?"
"okay?"
you forced a smile on your face, pulled neteyam towards the crowd, and led him out toward the beach. you let out a sigh of relief as your toes met with the grainy sand. the party could still be heard from where you and neteyam stood, but the waves crashing along the shore soothed your ears. the night breeze blew through your hair and you felt yourself relax at the cold feeling
"what's wrong, (y/n)?" neteyam questioned with a raised brow and you gently let go of his wrist with a conflicted expression.
"just tired is all." you lied and let out a breath of relief before gesturing him to follow you down the sandy beach.
neteyam reluctantly followed after you and sync his pace with yours to walk beside you. it was obvious that you had lied to him, especially with the tight lipped frown that you held on your face. you were about to lighten the mood until neteyam took hold of your arm and you glanced up at his upset expression. both of you stood in silence for a moment, until neteyam finally spoke up.
"what's going on, (y/n)?" he asked once again, more desperate for an honest answer and you couldn't help but feel guilty. "we were having a good time a while ago and now you seem troubled."
"i'm sorry, neteyam." you whimpered, placing your hand over his own hand that held your arm. "ao'nung was behind you and i didn't want a fight to break out again and he looked mad and-"
"hey, hey," neteyam interjected, pulling you into a hug and you let the tears escape from your eyes. you stifled your cries into his chest and he laid his chin on your head. "nothing was your fault, (y/n)."
"i know, but still," you sniffled. "i didn't want you to get hurt again."
"you were worried for me?" neteyam asked gently, although his heart fluttered at your words. you nodded your head against his chest and the boy sighed, wrapping his muscular arms around you tighter.
"the past few days have been hard." you mumbled loud enough for him to hear. "my feelings for ao'nung have been...uncertain. i don't even know if i feel the same way i did before."
neteyam stayed silent at that, however he couldn't help but feel hope rise from his chest. he was starting to think that ao'nung would forever occupy your heart, but your words only brought hope that he still had a chance to be with you.
"you know what always clears my head?" neteyam asked and you lifted your head from his chest with a curious glint in your eyes. "i think you need a ride in the sky."
his suggestion made you crack a smile and you pulled way from him with a timid nod. neteyam cupped the sides of your face with both hands, running his thumbs along your tear stained skin before raising both of his hands to his mouth and letting out an animal-like call. before you knew it, his ikran was landing in front of you both with a shriek. you waited for the sand to subside around you and slowly stalked up to the flying creature. you giggled, brushing your palm along the ikran's snout.
you felt neteyam's presence behind you and he brought his palm up toward the small of your back. neteyam instructed the ikran to crouch down before pulling himself up onto the saddle and offering his hand to you. you gratefully took it and with his help, you managed to slide onto the saddle behind him. as the ikran rose to stand up, you peeked behind his arm to catch a glimpse of the gathering that was still going on.
"hold on." neteyam instructed you and you complied, circling your arms around his waist. you heard him yelp to his ikran, calling it to take off into the sky and it did just that.
the familiar feeling of butterflies erupted in your stomach as you felt yourself being lifted into the air. you closed your eyes and pressed your forehead into neteyam's shoulder blade causing him to peek at you. the ikran's wings flapped powerfully along the strong wind and it was until you all were smoothly flying through the sky that you opened your eyes.
just like before, the view was amazing. especially when the only lit area was the island. you peered down at the small blurbs of na'vi who were enjoying the festivities. the ocean below you both was vast and dark, yet it held a calming aura. you breathed in deeply, closed your eyes, and let your head hang back. this was only your second flight and you enjoyed every moment of it. you adored the freedom that ran through your hair, the cool breeze on your skin, and the warmth of neteyam's body pressed close to your chest. it all just made you forget about the
"you okay? you're quiet!" you slowly opened your eyes at neteyam's question and you let out a relaxed laugh. you squished your cheek into his tiger striped back.
"i'm alright, neteyam."
neteyam circled his ikran around the island a couple more times until he felt you were okay and you were now. he led his ikran back down to the sandy shore a few feet away from the party and you both sat on the creature for a moment. neteyam was right. after a couple more minutes of the flight, your body and mind were more relaxed. you were somewhat jealous of the omaticayans and their ikran's bond by the end of it.
"thank you, neteyam," you sighed with a relaxed smile. "i feel a lot better now."
"do you want to walk on the beach?" neteyam asked and you lifted your head from his back. you unwrapped your arms from his midriff and leaned back.
"yes, i don't think i wanna go back." you mumbled loud enough for him to hear and a second later, neteyam was off his ikran and down on the ground.
you watched as he held his hands up, gesturing for you to slide down into them. you obliged, carefully swinging your leg over to meet with your other leg and carefully slid down the creature with your arms holding onto the saddle. neteyam's fingers gently came to hold onto your waist and you were slightly taken aback by the warmth that took over your body. it was as if the area that he touched just ignited a flame in you. neteyam's strong arms lifted you away from the ikran and down onto the sand. he turned to his ikran and signaled for it to leave before watching it take off towards the huge mangrove trees that the island provided.
"thank you," you bashfully said, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and neteyam nodded.
a couple minutes later, you both strolled down the beach and occasionally let out some laughs as the waves rolled over your feet. this is nice, you thought to yourself as you two walked beside each other. you felt at peace when neteyam was near. no worries or doubts flooding your head. just the ocean and his presence.
"about what i said a few days ago," neteyam broke the silence, looking towards you with a sheepish smile. "i'm sorry, i shouldn't have told you my feelings knowing you were still..."
you tilted your head up to look up at neteyam as his words trailed off, but you understood what he meant. you felt bad. neteyam must've felt terrible after you stormed out of his marui. you hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. you were simply just overwhelmed by ao'nung's indifference and neteyam's abrupt confession.
"no, do not apologize." you urged, lifting your hand up up to his bicep and he stopped in place. "i was just overwhelmed is all."
"i did not mean to make you feel that way." neteyam sighed, bringing his head down to glance at the sand. "if i had known that you would avoid me afterwards, i wouldn't have done it."
"neteyam," your brows wrinkled up in pity at his saddened tone. "i'm sorry for avoiding you, but i just needed time to myself." neteyam glanced up at you and you meekly smiled, trying to lighten up the mood.
"i understand, (y/n), you don't have to explain yourself to me" was all neteyam said before walking on ahead and waiting for you to catch up, however you stood in place.
you bit your lip nervously and you were feeling that conflicted feeling again. as you brought your eyes up to meet with neteyam's back, you began to feel a vice wrap around your heart. the sight of his back to you made you want to scream out. ao'nung was no longer on your mind. in fact, he hasn't been since neteyam confessed to you.
you thought back to when neteyam first arrived on the island. he was so kind to you and acknowledged you. the feelings that had prodded you for the past few days was nothing like what you'd felt with ao'nung. you didn't feel ignored or worthless. neteyam never called you stupid. neteyam never rolled his eyes when you greeted him. neteyam was not ao'nung, with neteyam, you felt like you were seen. you felt whole.
"(y/n)?" you heard neteyam call out to you and you snapped out of your thoughts to look at him, realizing that he was a few feet away now. you didn't say anything, which worried neteyam for a moment and he was quick to walk back to where you stood.
"are you alright?" neteyam asked you with his brows furrowed in concern.
"neteyam," you breathed out and his eyes never left your face. however his eyes did widen slightly as you drew your hand forward to cup his cheek. "i haven't been honest with you or my feelings."
"what?" was the only thing that neteyam could muster, only feeling flustered with your palm on his cheek.
"ao'nung is someone who i've pursued for a long time and i thought that if i waited long enough, he'd love me back." you confessed and you watched as neteyam's ears drooped at that. "but, then you came and now i've realized something."
"ao'nung was never going to love me back." you fought the tears that threatened to fall from your eyes. "no matter how much i loved him, he was not going to love me as much as i did him. he was never going to love me as much as you love me. i've realized that now."
"(y/n)..." neteyam spoke softly, feeling his chest constrict at the sight of your pained expression.
"but you, neteyam," you began, feeling the tears run down your cheeks now and you smile up at him. "you have plagued my thoughts since you arrived. you are all i can think about now. your strength, your kindness, everything. you are the only one who has shown me what love is."
your confession had neteyam stunned for a second. he felt as though his heart was about to leap from his chest. his breathing even seemed to cease as he looked down at your genuine expression. the tears in your eyes and the beaming smile that was present on your face.
"please tell me i'm dreaming." neteyam mumbled and placed his large hands over yours which was still on his cheeks.
"no, neteyam," you closed the gap between you both and brought your arms up to wrap around his waist. "this is not a dream. you are the man i want to be with. i see you."
neteyam wasted no time in bringing his face down toward yours, crashing his lips against yours. you didn't hesitate either, sliding your arms up to circle the back of his neck and pull him in closer. you felt neteyam's hands come up to grip your hips and you nearly melted at his touch. the amount of love and adoration you felt in this kiss made the back of your knees want to give out. you tilted you head slightly, allowing neteyam to deepen the kiss and you followed his feverish movement. so quick, yet so passionate. neteyam pulled away with a sharp gasp and you also let out a breath.
"(y/n), i see you too." neteyam uttered and leaned his forehead against yours. you closed your eyes and your lips quirked into a cheesy smile.
for the first time in your life, you felt certain that you had made the right choice.
i tagged people from the second part. also, remember, if you want to be added to my permanent taglist you must message me privetly with a character preference.
sypnosis: ao'nung loves you, but after the argument, he feels that it's too late to tell you. rotxo is more than happy to point him in the right direction.
a/n: i am so sorry for the very long wait, y'all. i bad case of writer's block came over me and i had no idea what to do. but i didn't forget about y'all, so yay. buckle up because this is a long one, hope you enjoy this one!
"you know," rotxo started, plopping himself beside ao'nung and laying the various colored flowers on the mat. "you should just apologize in person instead of having me deliver flowers to her as an apology."
ao'nung let out a scoff and gestured towards the flowers in between them. "if she didn't accept the flowers, what makes you think she'll be willing to talk to me after what i did?"
"hey, (y/n) is right to be angry," rotxo snapped. "ao'nung, you were a jerk-no, not even a jerk. an asshole. you were an asshole. the biggest ass-"
"alright, rotxo, i admit it." ao'nung growled in annoyance. "i overreacted and what i did was..."
ao'nung trailed off, but rotxo understood what he was trying to say. at least ao'nung knew he was wrong. it was clear that the few days of you ignoring ao'nung had set an arrow straight into the boy's chest and that allowed him to reflect on what he had done.
"why'd you do it?"
"what?"
rotxo rolled his eyes at his obliviousness. "i've known you for a while, 'nung, you don't act like that unless you feel threatened."
"i don't know what happened," ao'nung confessed with a heavy breath and rotxo tilted his head in confusion. "seeing them together really set me off."
rotxo's eyes widened in realization and he immediately lifted his palm to smack his friend on his back. ao'nung let out a yelp and directed his heated glare at his friend.
"what was that?!" ao'nung exclaimed, grabbing rotxo by his necklace and rotxo only glared at him before pointing an accusing finger at ao'nung.
"how long have you been in love with (y/n)?" rotxo accused which caused ao'nung to pull his hand back in shock. "you know, that explains why you've been even more of an asshole since the forest people came to stay with us."
"i am not in love with (y/n), rotxo." ao'nung tried to deflect, but rotxo let out a genuine, hearty laugh. he saw right through aoβnungβs lie. "what? it is the truth."
"who are you trying to convince?" rotxo argued and held up the bouquet of flowers. "a friend doesn't send their friend flowers as an apology. also, a friend doesn't just punch the person who is interested in their friend."
"yes they do." ao'nung huffed, preparing to tune his best friend out but rotxo grabbed his arm in a firm grip. "rotxo, i'm not-"
"youβre a terrible liarβ¦would it be so bad, bro?" rotxo urged, trying to get ao'nung to at least think about his feelings.Β
ao'nung was a boy who was rash with his words and his actions; never really showing how he felt and masking it with the usual ignorant facade that he had. however, as rotxo watched his friend, he could tell that ao'nung was still having a hard time showing the way he felt and having feelings for you was something ao'nung couldn't even explain in the moment.
"listen, you have a terrible way of showing you care for her." rotxo scrunched his nose and ao'nung glanced up at him. "But tsireya and i finally connected the dots when you fought with neteyam. you love (y/n) more than a friend and you're so stupid to see that."
"rotxo," ao'nung hissed at his friend's insult, but rotxo kept on. ao'nung needed to have his eyes open and rotxo was hell bent on doing just that.
"no, you need to listen, bro. (y/n) has been waiting for you," rotxo snapped with eyebrows furrowed and lips turned down in a frown. "now someone else is attracted to her and you're angry about it. do you not see how selfish that is?"
"yes, i understand that, but-" came ao'nung's fast response, but rotxo cut him off.
"then why did you come in between them? as her friend, don't you want (y/n) to be happy with someone?" rotxo questioned, easing the answer out of his friend, who stayed silent for what seemed like forever until rotxo heard ao'nung let out a sigh.
"you win, rotxo." ao'nung mumbled, looking at rotxo in defeat. "i am in love (y/n). i've been in-"
"don't tell me, skxawng," rotxo seethed, slapping ao'nung on the back once again. "you have to tell her now or else someone else will swoop down from an ikran and take her from you." ao'nung winced at his statement, knowing exactly who someone else was meant to be.
"i'm leaving, rotxo." ao'nung deadpanned before getting up from his seat and rotxo incredulously looked up at him.
"wait, where are you-"
rotxo's unfinished question laid deaf on ao'nung's ears as he was already out the door and marching along the stretchy passageways of the metkayina village. rotxo scrambled to get up and stood at the entrance of the marui, looking on toward ao'nung who was asking every one around where you were.
after a few minutes of searching, ao'nung arrived at the pier, bending over to catch his breath. once he regained his breath, he stood up straight to look at the end of the pier. sure enough, a woman's silhouette stood at the edge of the pier with their hair swaying perfectly from the ocean breeze. it was you. there was no mistake as the boy silently made his way towards you. with every step that ao'nung took, he became even more nervous and doubting thoughts began to infiltrate his mind.
the sound of the wood underneath his foot creaked loudly, sending ao'nung back to reality and his eyes suddenly met with yours. he was now realizing that he was at least a foot away from where you stood and your eyes were wide with surprise as your head was the only thing turned around.
ao'nung was now speechless. as he stood before you, just staring, everything that he had planned to say to you was now in the deepest part of the ocean. none of the words that had been on his tongue a few minutes ago wanted to come out and ao'nung was left with no idea how to start.
"hey," came his cool reply and you sighed, turning your head around to look at the horizon. ao'nung cringed at the silence that fell upon you two and opted to just look at the back of your head.
"why are you here, ao'nung?" you asked and ao'nung nearly shivered at how cold your tone was.
you'd never been this cold to him. ao'nung was always greeted with the sight of your smiling face and cheerful voice, but now, he messed up. the boy could not stand being the person you were upset with. it only made the guilt eat him up even more.
Β "you didnβt accept my flowers." ao'nung mustered up the courage to say, ditching any type of pride that he had before.
ao'nung watched your ears perk up at his words and you slowly turned your head to meet his eyes again. ao'nung was frozen as you scanned his face, specifically his eyes which held nothing but genuineness. suddenly, his ears flattened at the sight of your own eyes. they were red and puffy as if you were just crying. no, ao'nung knew better. you'd been crying for many days and nights. the sight of your tired expression made him want to kneel before you with nothing but apologies.
βi didnβt want to accept flowers from a coward, especially when he canβt apologize in person.β you turned around completely and let out a bitter laugh. "ao'nung, you need to do better than that if you want to apologize. not that you usually do.β
you were right. ao'nung never apologizes, even if he was at fault for the situation. it was one of the traits that you didn't like about him, but somehow your heart deemed him to be the one for you.
"no, i don't." aoβnung responded, looking down at the wooden planks of the pier and then back up at you with firm eyes. "but i know what i did- no, i know that everything i've done has hurt you and i just want you to know that i'm sorry."
"i don't believe you." you uttered, wrapping your arms around your body to provide you some sort of comfort. "you've never once acknowledged me and now that someone else has, you're suddenly angry?"
"i know and i was stupid for doing so." ao'nung walked up to you and you held your breath and looked down to avoid his eyes.
you felt ao'nung's finger prod underneath your chin to look back at him. you let your eyes wander up to his face and you were taken aback. ao'nung's dark eye bags were prominent. it was clear that ao'nung hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. you tilted your head and ao'nung could see your guard soften a bit.
"please allow me to make it up to you, (y/n), and i will explain everything." ao'nung urged, his voice cracking in desperation as he slowly grabbed hold of your hand. your arm tensed up at the sudden contact and you solemnly pulled your hand away from his which made ao'nung wince at the loss of contact. "if you do not wish for me to make it up to you, then i will not show my face ever."
"ao'nung, you know i wouldn't-" you cut yourself off with a sigh and you gazed up at him. "fine, i will let you make it up to me."
"really?" ao'nung's ears shot up at your acceptance and you almost cracked a smile at his eagerness. it was a side of him that you'd never seen before, yet here he was, acting very unusual.
"yes, what did you have in mind?" you bit your lip, trying to hold back the smile.
"seashells." ao'nung responded confidently and that made you furrow your brows in confusion.
"what?"
"let's go look for seashells." ao'nung suddenly became flustered as he lifted his arm to scratch his nape and looked down at the wood. "I know you like making jewelry and stuff for others, so i thought we should go look for materials."
"right now?" you hesitantly asked and ao'nung nodded his head, which made you a bit speechless. It wasnβt until a couple minutes of contemplating that you finally accepted his request.
"okay?" you uttered softly and ao'nung bravely took your hand into his once more, urging you to look at him and gestured for you to follow him.Β
you allowed him to lead the way, however your hand never wrapped around his. you both walked silently along the beach.Β
"i found a place that had a lot of good materials," ao'nung let out a nervous chuckle. "i also asked tsireya where you usually got your materials a couple days ago."
you snapped your head up to look at him in shock, but ao'nung's gaze was more focused on the path ahead. you tilted your head to examine him while you walked, noting the beads of sweatΒ on his face. you also noticed the small cut on his cheek. he must've been exhausted from all olo'eyktan training earlier today, yet he was putting on so much effort to make it up to you.
"you know," you started. "we don't have to go if you're tired, ao'nung."
as soon as that left your lips, ao'nung stopped walking and gazed down at you with a hurt expression. it caught you off guard as you waited silently for a reply.
"do you not want to?" ao'nung mumbled with his head hung low and you lifted your arm up to place a hand on his bicep.
"you look exhausted, 'nung." you reasoned softly and ao'nung furrowed his brows at your nickname for him. "i know that training can be hard on you and you need to get that cut on your cheek treated."
you drew closer to him, bringing your other hand up to gently brush up against the wound. ao'nung was silent as he bought his own hand up to grasp yours and led it to cup his cheek.
"i'll be fine," he assured, closing his eyes to relish the feeling of your palm on his face. "i need to do this with you."
"ao'nung, you don't need to do anything."
"(y/n)," his solemn tone made you look up at him with concern. "i made you a promise when we were younger. do you remember?"
your eyes widened in realization and you pulled your hand away from his face. he couldn't be talking about that day? after all these years, he was finally going to acknowledge it. ao'nung noticed your surprised expression and let out a tired sigh.
"i want to start there." ao'nung brought his hand up to brush a stand of hair behind your ear and his eyes held nothing but regret in them as you stared at them. "i promised you that i would go pick seashells with you and i never did. i'm sorry, (y/n)."
"ao'nung," you sighed, feeling tears prick at your eyes and you tilted your head into his palm that slid down to your cheek. "i never held that against you, you know that. we were children."
"still," ao'nung grunted. "i heard from tisreya that you waited for me at the beach for hours; even after the sun went down. she also told me you cried all night. i never forgave myself after that."
you felt conflicted. all doubts and fears were drawn back at his words. you hadn't expected ao'nung to be so open with you. he never was; always hiding behind a confident and arrogant facade. you remember crying that night in your marui.Β tsireya sat through your sobs while you babbled on about how ao'nung had forgotten about the promise. you never held any ill will though as your beaming smile showed brighter the next day while talking to ao'nung, who acted as though it was just a normal day. unbeknownst to you, ao'nung was masking the regret on his face with an annoyed expression.
but now in this very moment, you felt frustrated and unsure. why was he doing this now?
"you skxawng," you suddenly snapped, which made him step back from you immediately. "why do you always have to be so...so..." you let out a yell before drawing forward and punching him in the chest with both of your fists. ao'nung accepted all of your hits with no complaint. it barely hurt him.
"i have been in love with you for years," you quipped, hitting him with every syllable that left your lips and frustrated tears lined the corner of your eyes. "you can't just act like you love me just because you think someone else might have a chance!"
that last sentence made ao'nung growl and you were taken aback when he catches both of your wrists in his hands. you gasped sharply and lifted your head to see a deep frown on his face. ao'nung's eyes were narrowed in distaste and
"this is not an act," ao'nung seethed, pulling you against his chest. "i may not have acted like it, but i am in love with you! i don't care how many times i have to prove it to you!"
"you're a liar!" you yelled, struggling to get out of his hold and trying your best to swing your fists. "you don't love me. you just hate that my attention is no longer on you! you love me? yeah, right. i don't believe it. not one-"
you were quickly cut off from your yelling as ao'nung's face drew closer and his lips crashed against yours. you gasped into the kiss, but ao'nung continued with his actions and circled his arm around your lower back while his other hand was tucked under your jaw. you were becoming weak in your knees and you wanted to pull away. but eywa, was it so hard to do so.
the kiss made every doubtful thought disappear. you closed your eyes, finally giving up on the thought of pulling away. you stood on your tippy toes, wrapped your arms around his neck, and pulled him closer to you (as if y'all weren't already stuck to each other). you tried to keep up with his feverish pace, but you needed air. you pulled away after a minute and looked down to catch your breath.
there is no way i let him kiss me, you thought to yourself and you winced at how easy it was to fall into him.
"how long have you been in love with me?" you questioned, tilting your head up. ao'nung pulled away completely, running his hands down his face.
"(y/n)," he started and you tilted your head curiously. "i have always been in love with you. i just..." ao'nung trailed off and lifted his arm up to rub the back of his neck. you could visibly see that he was having a hard time finding the words, which made you take one of his hands into yours.
"i have a duty to the people," ao'nung explained, feeling comforted by your warm thumb that rubbed against his hands. "all this time, my father has been preparing me to be oloβeyktan and he's told me that i canβt have any distractions. not until my iknimaya.β
"ao'nung," you softly let out.
"you are my weakness. you always have been, i just pretended to act indifferent to you." ao'nung sighed. "it was so hard to mask everything you do to me. i was so blind in trying to uphold my duty that i couldn't even see the love i had for you."
"love is not a weakness, ao'nung." you podded gently, bringing your hands up to encase his face.
"i've learned that now," ao'nung chuckled, placing his own hands over yours. "neteyam's punches set me straight."
"you have to apologize to him by the way." you narrowed your eyes and he could tell you were serious. you watched as he rolled his eyes. he'd probably apologize to the omaticayan boy in a few weeks. "but, ao'nung, you should have told me. it would've saved us both some heartache."
"i wanted to tell you the day i completed my iknimaya." ao'nung laughed. "i wanted to be certain that i become a strong leader before asking for you to be my mate. i didn't think i'd be telling you this way."
you tilted your head with an amused smile. "i would love you regardless of strength, stupid. if you had just told me-"
"i know and i hate myself for waiting for so long. "Β ao'nung grimaced at his own stupidity and pulled you into an embrace. you smiled to yourself as you laid your head on his chest.Β
"neteyam should've arrived sooner. maybe then i wouldn't have waited so long for you to return my feelings." you slyly grinned and you watched as his frown deepened even more than before.Β
shit, did i make him mad?, you thought with your eyes now scanning over his unreadable expression. ao'nung bent down, which made you step away in confusion. suddenly, his arms hugged around your thighs and you let out a scream as ao'nung lifted your whole body onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"ao'nung, i'm gonna fall! put me down!" you screeched, pounding his back with your fists but he only spun around with laughter leaving his lips.
"take it back!" ao'nung yelled over your screams. "i'll put you down once you take it back."
"okay, okay," you spat out, resorting to slapping your palms against his back. "i take it back! i'm sorry, i shouldn't have said that!"
you sighed in relief as ao'nung finally let you down gently. you huffed in annoyance as you flipped your hair away from your face and glared at ao'nung's cocky smirk.Β
"i'm adding that to the list, 'nung." you snipped before walking off and ao'nung's smirk faded from his lips. he followed after you with a confused expression.
"what list, (y/n)?" ao'nung pleaded and you pause your footsteps to look up at him with a playful smile.
"the 'make it up to me' list." you joked and he rolled his eyes mockingly, but nonetheless, ao'nung smiled. "you have a lot more apologizing to do, yawne."
ao'nung gripped your hips with his hands and pulled you in quickly, making you gasp out in surprise. "i plan to make it up to you for the rest of my life."
ao'nung placed a kiss on your forehead and you closed your eyes as the feeling of his lips seemed to just linger on your skin. you let out a sharp gasp as his hands grasped the sides of your thighs and lifted you up to wrap your legs around his midriff with his arms interlocked under your bottom to ensure that you wouldn't fall. you instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck and laughed.
"ao'nung, what are you doing?" you exclaimed with an incredulous expression as ao'nung continued walking to the spot that he mentioned before.
"the seashells aren't going to find itself, right?" ao'nung joked and you shook your head before laying your head against his shoulder blade with a smile.
[Bonus:]
tsireya and rotxo laid their backs against the two palm trees that were a foot apart from each other. they sighed in unison before grinning at each other and looking at lo'ak, who was watching you and ao'nung from the tree he stood behind. tsireya giggled at his appalled expression.
"see, told you my plan would work out." tsireya boasted, taking another peak at you two with a beaming smile. "right, rotxo?"Β
"right, but it was my words that got him to confess." rotxo argued with a smile and tsireya was quick to frown at that.
"but it was my idea that you talk some sense into him and it was me who left (y/n) at the pier, so i think i deserve most of the credit."
"does that really matter right now? i just lost a bet" lo'ak grumbled. "i have to do kiri's chores for the rest of the month."
"it's not my fault that you don't know how women work, bro." rotxo laughed, slapping his arm but lo'ak brushed him off with a frown.
"that's not true at all," lo'ak snapped and looked to tsireya. "right, tisreya?"
thank you so much for 600 followers π₯Ή! i woke up this morning to 200 notifications from tumblr alone & came to find out i reached 600! thank you so so much for reading and for all the sweet replies under my posts. i appreciate everyone who reads my works! love yβall lots π!
sypnosis: you and lo'ak try to be discreet in hiding your secret relationship, but you didn't take into account the fact that your older brother's eyes have been watching for a while.
a/n: this has been in my drafts for about a month and i'm just now finishing it. i noticed that i haven't done much lo'ak fics so i'm adding this to the collection lmao. hope you enjoy reading this one!
you were walking about on the springy passageways that attached each marui to another, waving and smiling friendly at each of the metkayina people. they all mirrored your smile and happily waved back as you passed by them. as soon as you were away from listening distance, theyβd turn to each other to gush about how you seemed to grow beautiful day by day.
β(y/n) is really turning out just like her sister, no?β
βyes, her and tsireya have grown into such beautiful women right in front of our eyes!β
βshe would make a great match for my son!β
you were well known around the village. of course, being the second daughter of the oloβeyktan was most likely why, however everyone in the village always admired you for your beauty and strength. always greeting others with a smile, playing with the village children like a big sister, helping your mother with tsahik duties, etc. just like tsireya, there were many boys who yearned to have you as their mate as soon as they passed the rite of passage. you were the total package. at least half of the mothers in the village were determined to pair you up with their sons.
you hummed a small tune, basically skipping off towards the beach. it was such a beautiful day as the sun heated your skin and the ocean breeze cooled through your hair. of course, you were excited to have plans on such a gorgeous afternoon.
βwhere are you off to in such a good mood?β you heard from behind you as your feet sunk into the smooth sand. you turned around to see your older brother, aoβnung, crossing his arms against his chest and frowning down at you.
great, he was the last person you wanted to run into right now.
βoh, aoβnung, were you going off to hunt?β you asked, nervously as you tried to switch the subject on where you were off to. βi heard the waters were really rough yesterday, hope it isnβt like that today.β
βdonβt change the subject, (y/n).β he warned, eyeing you suspiciously.
you at least wanted tsireya to be the one to question you. it took a lot of persuading when it came to aoβnung. being the older brother he was, aoβnung was usually the one to be the most overprotective over his sisters. aoβnung always wanted to know where you are in case anything happens and he had no problem with telling off anyone who pestered you or tsireya. he was blunt, while his sisters were the type to sugarcoat their words.
βwell, you see,β you nervously played with your fingers, avoiding his expecting eyes. βi just wanted to get some stuff to make a necklace and i found a really nice spot filled with shells yesterday soβ¦β
βwhy didnβt you just say that?β aoβnung snapped, before letting out a sigh and walking up to you. he patted your head with a brotherly smile. one that only you and tsireya received, while everyone else didnβt. βjust donβt go off too far and come straight home before the sun sets, alright?β
βiβm not a child, brother.β you grumbled and he just laughed it off, btu you were actually quite serious. βiβm capable of protecting myself, you know.β you unsheathed your knife that your father gifted you as a reminder, before placing it back into the sheath that was attached to your loincloth.
βhey, donβt be like that, sis.β aoβnung clutched his chest in mock hurt, while you just rolled your eyes at his playfulness. βdad says i have to keep an eye on you and tsireya, just like any other big brother.β
"fine, whatever you say." you shrugged, knowing that even if your father had said such a thing, ao'nung still would've been on high alert about your whereabouts. like he said, 'just like any other big brother'.
βalright, go ahead.β he snickered, turning you around and pushing you gently, to which you stuck your tongue out at him and went off on your way.
technically, you werenβt lying. you really were going to the spot that had the most beautiful shells. you just left out the part where you were meeting someone. someone who aoβnung hasnβt liked since they arrived on the island. you knew you wouldβve been shut down and sent straight home if you had mentioned him in your plans.
along the way to your newfound spot, you picked up a bunch of seashells that caught your eye. ones that shined brightly in the sun, had unique erosion marks, or had weird textures under your fingertips. either way, you pocketed them in your little pouch and hummed contently as you made your way to the fringing reef.
"hm, you look promising." you gleamed, bending down towards the sand after noticing a shiny glint poking out. you brushed away the brittle sand, before picking the shell up and examining it with squinting eyes. you barely noticed the body squatting down next to you, until you pocketed the shell and saw a blur from your peripherals.
"oh, great mother!" you exclaimed, falling to the side in fright and you look up towards a familiar face. you rolled your eyes with a smile as your eyes met with your lover. lo'ak let out a laugh, reaching his hand out for you to take.
"don't do that, skxawng!" you yelled, taking his hand as he just continued to laugh at your obliviousness. you stood in front of him now with your arms crossed against your chest."i nearly died of fright!"
"do you talk to the shells often?" he asked with a teasing tone and you shoved him in response, making him stagger back a bit. he immeidatly noticed the sour look on your face and chuckled. "only joking! you're so cute, i couldn't help it!" lo'ak circled his arm around your waist and pulled you into his chest, while you tried to bit back a giddy smile.
"i missed you, you know." you mumbled and lo'ak pulled away with a incredulous expression.
"you saw me yesterday, (y/n)." lo'ak teased, bringing your hand up to his lips and pressing a quick peck on it which made your heart swoon.
"and that was long enough already." you sigh dramatically as you took a step back. "you should make it up to me." you say with a sly grin and he titled his head.
"and what adventure are we going on this time, princess?" lo'ak teased, and you rolled your eyes at the nickname.
βwell, i did tell aoβnung that iβd be looking for materials for new arm bands and bracelets. so...β your words trailed off, glancing to the side.
you knew that looking for materials were quite boring to others, but you were fond of your hobby. it was something you enjoyed doing whenever you had free time.
βwell, come on then.β loβak nodded his head cooly and your shocked eyes snapped up to meet his. he gently took your hand into his as you both just stood looking at each other in confusion. was he really okay with such a boring activity?
βreally?β you asked, raising a brow. βi thought that you would find it boring .β
βnothing is boring whenever iβm with you.β he replied smoothly and you bashfully looked down at your entwined hands. βbesides, i have two sisters. iβm actually used to it.β
"okay, come on then!" you exclaimed excitedly, before pulling him a long towards the shallow reefs. "i found a good place that has the prettiest materials! i could make tuk a bracelet, maybe even make kiri a new necklace or..."
lo'ak didn't mean to tune out your words, but he was more interested in watching you ramble on. as he walked beside you with his hand in yours, he gazed upon your face with an unreadable expression. the more lo'ak gazed at you, the more he started to notice the amount of freckles on your cheeks. his eyes seemed to scan every marking and freckle that scattered across your face. as loβak began to count each one, he noticed your palm waving about in front of his face. loβak didnβt even realize that you both had stopped walking.
"are you listening, lo'ak?" you asked, tilting your head and lo'ak shook his head out of his own thoughts.
βyes?β your lover answered with a nervous laugh, however you werenβt so convinced as you squinted at him with a suspicious glint in your eyes.
"oh?" you asked, raising an eyebrow. "what did i say then?"
you watched as his eyes darted around nervously and it was clear to you that lo'ak did not hear an ounce of what you said. he began to stutter, looking around for an answer when you bursted out into giggles. lo'ak's ears flattened at your laughter, bringing up his arm to scratch the back of his neck sheepishly.
"i really was though," lo'ak tried to say and you brought a hand up in front of your mouth to quell your giggles.
"just teasing you, lo'ak." you assured him, eyes softening at his embarrassed expression and you lifted your palm up to cup his cheek lovingly, while your other hand was being held in his.
lo'ak couldn't help but stare into your (e/c) eyes that held nothing but adoration for him every time he looked into them. there was not a day where lo'ak was in awe of you. he adored you. lo'ak was so smitten by you that he'd do anything for you. lo'ak often wondered to himself how he managed to sway you into being his. you were the most beautiful girl he'd ever encountered. the perfect lover. without even knowing, he brought his hand up to the side of your face to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.
"you're so beautiful." lo'ak uttered out unconsciously which surprised you for a moment. you felt your cheeks flush and you shyly glanced down at the sand for a moment.
his tone was hushed, yet the amount of love that was laced in it made your knees weak. lo'ak was a gentle lover, never missing the opportunity to shower you with soft praises and affection. it made you want to tell the whole world that you were in unconditionally in love with him. with every part of your being, you wanted everyone to know that you two were together, but given the circumstances, you knew that your parents would not approve. not when you had a high position and overbearing standards that came with that.
"can i kiss you?"
lo'ak's question made you break out of your thoughts, snapping your head up to look at his eyes. you noted the desperation swimming in his amber irises and you couldn't help but accept his request with a slow nod. how could you say no? you would do anything for him.
with lo'ak's hand wrapped around yours, he pulled you in closer, pressing your chest against his while leaning his face toward your flushed face. you softly shut your eyes as soon as you felt his breathe against your skin and he gently pressed his lips against yours. like the gentle lover he was, his lips were soft and tender.
you titled your head as silently asked to deepen the kiss. he brought his palms up to encase your face and his lips moved against yours, picking up a feverish pace. you followed his lead, relishing in the shocks that prodded your body. this felt right. the way his lips fit yours like a missing puzzle piece. the way his strong arms held you so firm against him made you feel secure. it disappointed you greatly as the moment came to an end. while his arms were still circled around your waist, lo'ak pulled away hesitantly to give you both some time to breathe.
"i see you, (y/n)." lo'ak muttered, pressing his forehead against yours and your lips formed a small smile. you gave him one last peck on the lips.
"and i see you."
β
you stumbled into your marui, being careful not to wake your family up. you successfully made it to your hammock, sighing quietly as you laid your back against the comfortable fabric. you gazed up at the ceiling with a lovesick smile. you couldn't bring yourself to sleep, not when your mind was racing with thoughts of lo'ak and your date the occurred today.
"you know, you're a really bad liar. makes me wonder when you started lying to me."
the voice of your brother made you jolt in your hammock and you immediately snap your head toward the hammock beside you. sure enough, ao'nung laid on his side with his elbow propped up while his chin was resting on his palm. you couldn't read his expression in the dimly lit marui, but based off his tone, you could tell that ao'nung was definitely upset.
"did i wake you?" you asked, trying to change the subject as quick as possible, only to receive a scoff.
"where were you today?"
"i told you, i went to go get materials." you told him and ao'nung's brow quirked up at your answer.
"i'm not a moron, (y/n)," he snapped and your ears laid low against your head. "i went to the fringing reef to tell you that mom was calling you, but you weren't there. so i'll ask again, where were you?"
your face dropped and you quickly sat up from your hammock. you weren't expecting him to actually go out and find you.
"its none of your business!" you harshly whispered, glaring daggers at your older brother. ao'nung must've felt your heated stare because he also sat up from his own hammock.
"i saw you," ao'nung accused and your annoyed facade dropped again. shit, did he catch you and lo'ak together? "i saw you and that forest boy together."
you remained silent. you couldn't bring yourself to lie to him like you did all those other times. ao'nung had caught you. lying again would only dig yourself further into the hole that you had created.
"so you admit it?"
"yes," you say, tone unwavering and unafraid. "did i do something wrong?"
"you know our parents will not approve." ao'nung stated and you glanced down at you fist that was tightly clenching the fabric of your blanket.
"i know," you seethed before slowly looking at ao'nung. "but i love him and nothing will stop me from doing that." you didn't hear anything from him for a while which made you lean over to see if he had heard you.
"are you certain that he loves you?" ao'nung questioned finally and you couldn't help but let a smile grace your lips. what a stupid question for him to ask, you thought.
"with every being of my body," you responded confidently. "lo'ak loves me as much as i do him."
ao'nung glanced down at his lap, recalling the times that you'd come home with a slight hop in your step and a grinning face that lit up the room. every time you'd come home your whole aura would erupt with happiness. he hadn't seen you this joyful since his father gifted you your first knife.
"alright, i won't tell our parent," you heard him say and your eyes widened in surprise. you weren't expecting him to be so accepting to you and lo'ak's relationship. if anything, you figured he'd already told your parents in an attempt to pull you away from seeing lo'ak again.
"really?" you asked him with a suspicious tint in your voice and you heard him sigh heavily.
"if the forest boy makes my baby sister happy then who am i to ruin that for her?" ao'nung grumbled and you instantly hop out of your hammock. you paced over to ao'nung and threw yourself on top of his stomach causing him to yelp. you pressed your cheek against his chest with a sigh.
"you're going to wake them up!" ao'nung snapped, gesturing to your parents and tsireya who were sleeping soundly. you stifled a laugh before glancing up at him with a beaming smile.
"thank you, big brother." ao'nung heard you say and he turned his head to the side to hide the smile that quirked up on his lips. really though, how could he ruin his little sister's happiness?
"whatever, i'll beat him up if he breaks your heart."
ah, there goes that overprotective brother act again. his threatening promise made you roll your eyes. ao'nung always knew when to ruin the mood.
"yeah right, lo'ak has already beaten you up before." you snickered and he shoved you off him, making you roll onto the floor.
"i will wake our parents up right now."
"please don't."
-
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@mazemymirror
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@aonungsmate
@wh01sgape
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@neteyamsmate4life
@neteyamsdreams
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sypnosis: from a young age you were already certain that aoβnung would be your mate. however, aoβnung never really seemed very fond of the idea.
warning: slight neteyam x reader, but ao'nung x reader is endgame sorry to my neteyam girlies, physical violence, threats, explicit language (?), and ao'nung's stubborn jealousy.
a/n: heyyy, nothing to report but i hope you enjoy reading this. i'll try my best to get the second part out either this week or next week.
"hey, ao'nung!"
the ten-year-old boy's smile immediately faded from his face, wincing as he turned away from his friends to look down at your little body. there you stood with a toothy grin looking right at him with your fingers wiggling in a small wave. your purple seaweed skirt blew along your legs as a heavy wind blew past you all.
"what do you want?" ao'nung snapped in annoyance, but the smile on your face only grew as you heard his voice.
"reya told me you were gonna go hunting with your friends, and i just wanted to know if i could go too!" you exclaimed, but his friends behind him burst into laughter.
"you're too weak to come with us!" one of his friends yelled out, causing another fit of laughter to sound.
"yeah, you'll only get yourself killed." another said.
their comments struck a chord in your little ten-year-old heart. it made your smile falter as you now looked like you were about to start crying. ao'nung noticed the way your lip began to tremble and could also see the way your eyes became wide with tears.
shit.
"skxawng, if you make her cry, my parents will never let me out to hunt again!" ao'nung seethed, turning his body abruptly to glare at his friends. they immediately choked back their laughter, noticing the annoyed expression that ao'nung had.
"listen, you can't come with us." ao'nung's eyes made their way to stare down at yours.
"but why? i want to go hunting with you too, you know." you whimpered, about to start crying, and ao'nung's eyes darted around nervously.
you were a ticking time bomb. ao'nung had to be careful about what he said to you or risk making you cry and his parents finding out about it. he'd never be able to hear the end of it from tsireya either.
"because if you get hurt, then i'll be in trouble." ao'nung tried to reason, but it only seemed like you wanted to start crying even more. your expression made him sigh tiredly and shut his eyes.
"okay! i promise i'll pick shells with you tomorrow if you promise just to stay here and not bother us for the rest of the day."
his promise made your eyes widen in excitement, forgetting all about going hunting. this was the first time he'd ever promised to hang out with you and just you two. there's no way you could ever pass this opportunity up.
"really?!" you gasped, your lips forming into the smile you always had on your face when you were in front of ao'nung. "you really promise?"
ao'nung sighed but nodded reluctantly. "yes, i promise."
" don't forget, okay?" you say as you are about to start running off, and he gives you a sarcastic smile. you finally skipped off to tell tsireya and rotxo, leaving ao'nung with his friends.
ΰ¨ ΰ§
you brushed your wet hair out of your face, flipping it over your shoulders, and glanced at tsireya. tsireya did the same as she approached the water's surface with her ilu. you were about to call out to her when a shadow loomed above you both for a moment, which startled you both. you lifted your head to the sky, ears perking up at the sound of animal-like calls.
"what are those?" you asked, catching a glimpse of large flying animals soaring through the sky. "it looks like they're going to land here! let's go check it out." you raced off toward the shore, leading your ilu to emerge underwater and toward the shore. tsireya was quick to follow after you on her ilu.
as you both were close to the shore, you brought your liu up towards the surface and allowed it to reach the sand. you unlinked your queue, brushing it over your shoulder, and turned to the ilu with a grateful smile.
"thank you!" you beamed, and the ilu let out a joyful squeak. you glanced behind it as tsireya popped her head up from the water. she unlinked her queue and walked up to you on the sandy shore. you nodded your head to the crowd of metkayina that slowly formed around the newcomers who had arrived on the flying animals. you both walked beside each other, making your way over. you and tsireya came up behind ao'nung and rotxo, who were too busy snickering and pointing at two new boys in front of them. it was clear that the family was a lot different from the metkayina. the dark shade of blue, yellow eyes, thin limbs, and a thin tail to match. even the tiger-like markings on their bodies were different.
"enough! rotxo, ao'nung!" tsireya reprimanded them, slapping rotxo on the wrist, and ao'nung just rolled his eyes.
"hey, ao'nung!" you greeted with a grin, and he just huffed, avoiding your eyes. you glanced at tsireya, who sighed in annoyance and smacked ao'nung on the back of his head. her older brother yelped silently and nodded his head at you.
"hey," one of the new boys said, nodding at tsireya. in turn, tsireya giggled bashfully and cast her eyes to the sand.
your lips pursed together into a knowing smile, and as you looked away from your best friend, your eyes met with a pair of golden ones. the older boy smiled at you, nodding his head as a greeting. you beamed back at him and politely shook your head back at him. unbeknownst to you, ao'nung rolled his eyes at the interaction.
"get back, (y/n)." ao'nung grumbled, grabbing your wrist and pulling you behind him. you huffed, but as you peeked around his arm, you noticed that the boy's eyes were still on you. you tilted your head in embarrassment. ao'nung must've seen the exchange because he quickly pushed you back once more.
from what you had confirmed that day, the sully family had come to the clan seeking uturu or a sanctuary. it took a lot of convincing for ronal to allow them in, even saying that the children had demon blood running through their veins. however, after confirming that the family was done with war, tonowari allowed them uturu, which was enough for ronal to trust his decision.
"my son, ao'nung and our daughter, tsireya, will show your children what to do." tonowari gestured to his children with his arm. while tisreya looked ecstatic, ao'nung was visibly displeased at the news.
"father, why do i-" he was cut off quickly by his father's arm.
"it has been decided." came his father's firm order, and you couldn't help but snicker at ao'nung's incredulous expression.
"come, i will show you the village." tsireya said kindly, stepping forward to greet the sully family.
tsireya and you happily helped the family unpack their luggage from the flying animals they arrived on. as you stood before one, you marveled at the beautiful greenish-blue scales that painted the animal. it let out a hiss, and you couldn't help but gasp in amazement. they weren't native to the land, so this was a newfound fascination for you.
"they're ikrans. there's a lot of them back home." you heard from behind you, and you were startled as you jumped at the voice. the boy who greeted you was now beside you, gazing up at his ikran.
"she's gorgeous." you breathed out and watched as he lifted a hand to its snout. he gestured for you to pet the animal as well, and you were more than happy to do so. a breathy laugh left your lips as you felt the skin of its snout.
"if you'd like, i could show you how to ride." the boy offered, and your head snapped up at him in surprise.
"really?!" you gasped with a smile creeping up onto your lips.
"yeah, they only allow one rider, but you can ride with me if you want to feel what it is like to fly." he chuckled. "i promise."
you paused at that for a moment at the last bit. you tilted your head up at him, searching his face for evidence of lies. there wasn't. his golden eyes pierced into yours with sincerity. a sincerity that didn't seem to waver.
"okay," you say, breaking eye contact to look at his ikran. "i'm (y/n), by the way."
"neteyam." the omaticayan boy responded, and you were about to say something until somebody behind you both cleared their throat. you quickly turned around to find ao'nung with his arms crossed against his chest and a prominent frown on his face.
"don't you have something better to do, (y/n)?" ao'nung snapped, and his condescending tone brought a frown on your face. a frown that mirrored his. "you don't have to be here."
"just wanted to help,β you grumbled, letting your hand fall from the ikranβs snout and glaring at the ground.
βyouβre probably bothering them,β he retorted as he approached you both.
βhey, itβs no problem.β neteyam tried to defend, but aoβnung just rolled his eyes and grabbed your wrist. as he pulled you away, you turned your head back to the newcomer to wave him goodbye.
βit was nice meeting you, neteyam!β you shouted, which further angered the male pulling you away.
βyou should stay clear of them.β aoβnung grunted as you both made it to the village, and you looked at him in disbelief.
βstay away from them or just him?β you griped, swiping your arm away from his hold, and he looked shocked at your tone and your angry expression.
βthem,β he stated. βtheyβre freaks, (y/n). you heard what my mother said. demon blood.β you gasped loudly enough for some of the villagers to hear, and your lip curled into a nasty growl.
βi canβt believe you!β you raised both of your arms to shove him in the chest, making him stagger back a little. βjust because some of them have four fingers does not make them any less naβvi. do you think that ignorantly?β
βlook at them, (y/n)! theyβre-β
βiβve seen them, aoβnung, and they are not freaks. theyβre just different.β you sighed, wrapping your arms around your body and switching your gaze down to your feet. βit seems that you are the one who needs to look harder.β you didnβt even give him a chance to speak as you just brushed past him and walked toward your marui, leaving the metkayina boy by himself. aoβnung didnβt even notice the sully family coming up from behind him, along with rotxo and tsireya.
βtrouble in paradise?β aoβnung heard rotxo say teasingly from behind him.
βshut up, rotxo.β was his response as the tsireya led the sully family down the passageway and to their new home.
ΰ¨ ΰ§
aoβnung was not happy with the arrangement. it was already bad enough that he had to help them out, but then you came into the picture. suddenly, you were much more concerned with whether the sully kids understood the lessons they were teaching or assisting one of them with something they were struggling with. even after lessons, you'd constantly gush about the sullys, and ao'nung grew more annoyed as you began to ask questions about them.
"do you think we should start with breathing lessons? neteyam seems to have a hard time with those."
"lo'ak has improved on ilu riding, no?"
"kiri is such a natural, don't you think?"
every time you talked about them, ao'nung stormed off in a huff, and you'd be left alone, wondering whether you said something to upset him.
"(y/n)!" the said girl turned around to find neteyam jogging up towards her. "is ao'nung alright? he looked upset." you pursed your lips together as you looked at where ao'nung had stood before he took off toward the village.
"just ao'nung being ao'nung, i guess" you sheepishly shrugged, and neteyam chuckled as he nodded. "did you need something? maybe you need more help?"
"just wanted to know if you were free." neteyam replied, bringing his arm up to rub the back of his neck nervously. "i promised you that i would show you how to fly."
"oh," you breathed out until your eyes widened in surprise. "oh! i didn't think you'd remember that."
neteyam seemed embarrassed now. "oh, it's okay if you change your mind! i won't force you to."
"no, i would love to!" you giggled, placing a hand on his arm to lull his embarrassment. "i think it's only fair that i learn a bit of your home, too, right?"
"yeah." neteyam replied with a smile and led you toward the sand to call his ikran. "i think you'll enjoy flying. "
you nodded as you watched him let out a loud yelp and whistle. it was silent momentarily until you felt a huge gust of wind weigh against your figure. your eyes narrowed as you lifted your arms across your face to avoid the flying sand around you. once the area was clear, you brought your arm to your side and slowly opened your eyes to find neteyam's ikran in front of you. you grinned as neteyam patted his ikran on its snout.
"tam, tam." he cooed at the animal before gesturing for you to come closer to pet it.
you cautiously shuffled over, hesitantly raising your hand toward the snout. you waited for a moment, shutting your eyes as the ikran moved its head closer to you. you finally let out the breath you were holding as you felt the soft flesh of the animal. your eyes slowly opened to find the ikran nudging its snout against your hand.
"you are simply gorgeous!" you exclaimed, and it huffed in response which only caused the grin on your face to stretch across your cheeks, and you snapped your head to neteyam, who stood beside you.
your smile faded as you noticed his gaze on you. his eyes were soft and heated as he stared down at you. it made you feel nervous as you turned your attention back to the ikran, trying to avoid the omaticayan boy's eyes.
"so, how do you ride?" your question seemed to have snapped neteyam out of his trance as he now frantically looked between you and his ikran.
"right," neteyam cleared his throat before pulling his queue over his shoulder and signaling the ikran to crouch down. "first, i make the bond. back home, we must tame an ikran as a test in our rite of passage. once you do, your ikran will only fly with one rider for the rest of its life." he explained, climbing onto the saddle and bringing the ikran's queue towards his own. you watched in fascination as the ikran began to shift anxiously, but neteyam quickly calmed his ikran down.
"one rider?" you tilted your head in confusion, and neteyam nodded before holding his hand out for her to take. you reached for his hand and gasped as he pulled you up the saddle to sit behind him.
"yes, our bond is like your bond with your spirit sister." neteyam said, and you nodded, trying to take in the new information. the forest and the reef people held many differences, but also had many similarities.
"okay, hold on." neteyam instructed, and you expected him to hand you some rope to hold on to, but it only confused you as he didn't give you anything. his sudden laughter rang through your ears as you seemed unsure of what to hold on to. "here." neteyam offered with a chuckle as he reached behind him to grab your arms and wrap them around his midriff. your eyes widened in realization, and as he let go of your hands, you loosened your hold for a moment to lessen the contact.
neteyam let out a yelp, signaling the ikran to take off. you shrieked as the ikran uttered a shrill cry, and neteyam led his ikran off the ground. you gasped as the ground below became less and less. you couldn't help but tighten your arms around neteyam's waist. your stomach began to burst into butterflies at the sudden motion. you pressed your cheek against his back, and your eyes quickly shut.
"are you okay?!" you heard neteyam yell over the wind, and you meekly nodded your head against his shoulder blade. "you should open your eyes! the view is great from up here!"
you did just that, and low and behold, the view was breathtaking from above. the sun was setting at the horizon, and its golden hues cast along the crystal waters. the island of enormous mangrove trees seemed to be the masterpiece of the view. you could make out the little blurbs of people below. the fishermen wrapping up their work, children splashing about in the water, and the women lighting the candles for nighttime to fall. as you slowly breathed in, you relished in the way the wind blew through your hair. being in the sky was a new, exhilarating feeling. it felt so free and wild. you let your head hang back before letting out a laugh. neteyam's ears perked up at your laughter, and he smiled to himself before leading his ikran to free fall.
"neteyam!" you screeched, pressing your cheek against him once more.
was he trying to kill you? was this his plan the whole time? build your trust and then have you meet eywa? it wasn't until the ikran was a foot away from the water that neteyam pulled the reins. the ikran swiftly directed itself to fly an inch above the water, and you sighed in relief. you heard neteyam burst into laughter, and you shook your head with a smile.
"that was not funny!" you snapped teasingly, slapping neteyam's shoulder blade. "i thought i was going to die, skxawng!"
"i was considered the most skilled ikran rider back home." neteyam boasted, leading his ikran to land back safely onto the sand and unlinked his queue from his ikran. he skillfully hopped off the animal before lifting his head to look at you.
"i promise that i would never do anything to put you in danger," he said, and his words made you purse your lips into a thin-lipped smile. it was that word again. "come then, it is almost time for us to head home." neteyam noted the darkening sky and held his hands up to assist you off the ikran's saddle. your hands reached down to meet his until neteyam was shoved into the sand.
"ao'nung!" you yelled, watching in horror as the boy now stood above neteyam with his fist clenched by his side. "what are you doing?!" you questioned, carefully sliding off neteyam's ikran and planting your feet into the sand.
"what am i doing? what are you doing?!" ao'nung scoffed, turning his attention to you. he stormed up to you and pointed an accusing finger in your face. "i told you to stay away from them."
"are you crazy?!" you huffed incredulously and walked past him to help neteyam off the ground.
neteyam looked bewildered as he got up from the ground, his gaze switching between you and ao'nung. the boy was visibly angry with his creased brows and curled lip. ao'nung's hateful glare was directed at neteyam, who didn't understand why he was the victim of ao'nung's wrath at the moment.
"you! are you an idiot?!" ao'nung sneered at neteyam, storming up toward him. "you could have killed her up there!"
"well i didn't!" neteyam yelled back. "what's your problem?!"
"ao'nung, just let me-!" you snapped, only to let out a sharp gasp as ao'nung tackled neteyam to the sand.
ao'nung and neteyam wrestled for dominance, rolling over one another to gain the upper hand. neteyam finally straddled ao'nung, pulling back his fist and punching the boy in the jaw. you tried to get between the two boys, grabbing neteyam's shoulders to pull him off ao'nung, but that only left room for ao'nung to shove neteyam off of him. ao'nung was now on top of neteyam, punching him consistently in the face.
you felt helpless trying to pry ao'nung off by his shoulders, but it was no use. he was far stronger than you and it wasn't until you were shoved aside into the sand that you decided to give up and call for help. luckily for you, rotxo, tsireya, and lo'ak were nearby and were startled at your desperate pleas that rang through their ears. they quickly took notice of the brawl that was happening behind you and immediately sprang into action. rotxo wrapped his arms under ao'nung's underarms and loo'ak kneeled beside his brother to put some distance between the two fighting boys.
"stay away from her, you hear me?!" ao'nung shouted, struggling to get out of rotxo's hold. "if i see you near her again, i'll kill you, forest boy!"
"ao'nung!" you and tsireya yelled out in horror, eyes widening at his threat.
neteyam hissed, but lo'ak gripped his wrist and shook his head at him. lo'ak had never seen his brother lose his cool this way and it was highly unusually for him to be the mediator in this situation.
"come on, bro, let's just go." lo'ak urged, quickly standing up and holding his hand out. neteyam glanced back at ao'nung who stared down at him menacingly and then back at his brother before taking lo'ak's hand and pulling himself up. neteyam gave ao'nung one last glare and turned his back
"tsireya, please go check if he needs to be patched up." you instructed the younger girl and she nodded before following after the sully brothers. "rotxo." you firmly called out at the boy and he nodded, releasing his hold on his best friend and made his way after tsireya to leave you and ao'nung alone.
you took a deep breath in before stalking up to the still seething boy and slapping him across the face. ao'nung was visibly shocked, snapping his head to look down at you while his cheek stung a bit from your action. your brows were furrowed and your lips were turned down in a displeased frown.
you were furious.
"why did you do that?" you questioned angrily and he just staared at you, still processing the slap that you had just delivered across his face.
"that idiot could've killed you and you're asking me that?!" came his harsh response which made you scoff immediately.
"well, he didn't." you snapped, holding your arms out to show no injuries on your body. "i'm unharmed as you can see."
"and if you had fallen off, then what?!"
"is this really what this is about?" you asked desperately, titling your head incredulously at his behavior.
"what?" ao'nung furrowed his brows in confusion, not at all understanding what you were talking about now.
"i'm not stupid, ao'nung," you laughed bitterly, sending him a glare that pierced through his core. "ever since the sullys arrived, you've been acting different. your attitude toward them is unbelievable, especially toward neteyam who was just trying to show me a piece of his home."
"its clear that he wants to do more with you." ao'nung sneered and now it was your eyes widened in realization.
ao'nung was jealous.
if ao'nung had shown you his jealous side back as children, you would've felt giddy. however, ao'nung's behavior to the innocent sully boy was not something that you stood for. you knew ao'nung could be brash, but ao'nung's protectiveness and envy was of bad intent and you could see it in the way ao'nung had thrown his punches.
"you do not get to be jealous." you deadpanned and ao'nung was surprised at your statement. "not when you've never shown interest in me at all."
"you're an idiot, (y/n)," ao'nung scoffed. "now that some boy shows you some interest, you all of sudden have feelings for him?"
"I don't feelings for neteyam!" you yelled, absolutely exhausted at the boy's stubbornness. "I have feelings for you, skxawng! I always have and you know this!"
ao'nung stayed quiet at your confession. the confession wasn't new information. he had known since you were kids that you were head over heels for him. from the way you would always greet him as if it was your first time seeing him, follow him around with that stupid smile on your face, and the way your eyes always seemed to look at him like he was the most beautiful person that eywa had ever created.
"you know that i've loved you since we were children," you sighed, feeling your eyes droop tiredly and ao'nung winced at the pained tone in your voice. "but now, i don't even know who you are anymore. you can't expect me to wait for someone who doesn't return my feelings."
"(y/n)-" ao'nung started to say, but you shook your head to stop him from apologizing.
"if i'm an idiot for giving my attention to someone who does have interest in me, then so be it." you said, biting back tears that watered your eyes and ao'nung's chest tightened at the sight of your saddened expression.
"it would be stupid of me to continue giving my attention to someone who has shown no interest in me, despite my obvious affection."
ao'nung's throat felt constricted and his heart started to beat furiously at your statement. you looked tired; defeated even, as you just stared up at him with those big doe eyes of yours. you looked at him as if he were a stranger. as if you two had not grown up together as children. it hurt him to see you like this, but it angered him even more that he was the cause of this expression.
"i have to get home now, my parents are expecting me." you say after a minute of silence between you both. "goodnight, ao'nung. may eywa. be with you."
ao'nung watched with a pained expression as you turned your back toward him and started walking back to the village with your arms wrapped around yourself.
it wasn't until you were inches away from the village that you finally broke down. you crouched down to the sand and slapped a hand on your mouth to stifle the sobs that threatened to escape your lips. you felt so hurt by the harsh words that were exchanged. it hurt you even more to say that you were basically giving up on ao'nung. you had given up on trying to win his affection.
"(y/n), are you alright?" tsireya asked, concerned at the way you were crouched down.
you looked up at her with tears coming down your cheeks and the younger girl's eyes softened in pity. it was clear to her that you and ao'nung had a spat. a really bad spat at that if you were crying over him.
"oh, (y/n)," she whimpered, kneeling down to engulf your body into a hug. "come, let me walk you home, okay?" tsireya cooed, helping you up and circling an arm around your shoulders before leading you off to your marui.
tsireya turned her head back to where you had came from. sure enough, ao'nung still stood with his fists clenched tightly at his side and tsireya sighed, shifting her attention back to leading you back home.
tsireya could only hope that her older brother had finally came to his senses about not only your feelings, but his as well.
ΰ¨ ΰ§
taglist:
@fanboyluvr
@jakesully-sbabygirl
@st4rrlighttt
@dumb-fawkin-bitch
@mazemymirror
@23victoria
@neteyamsmate4life
if you would like to be added to my permanent taglist, please message me privately and tell me which character you'd prefer to be tagged in.
if you'd like to be tagged in part two, please let me know in the replies of this post!
thank you all for reading and i hope you enjoyed it!
how would yβall feel about a modern au? i have this great idea, but itβs going to be like a high school type fic. the reader is a metkayina! who loves dancing & neteyam, who just moves to awaβatlu high school. he sees her dancing and is immediately interested in her??? like my head has been filled with ideas & i need it to be reality NOW. a series?? someone tell me yesβ¦or no?
sypnosis: jake and neytiri canβt help but have deja vu as they watch you and loβak from afar.
a/n: just something short while i find the motivation to write something :,) also, decided to try a new font size. i don't know i kinda like it, kinda don't. i don't know, but hope you enjoy reading!
neytiri held a fond smile on her face as stood at the entrance of the sully tent, gazing at you and loβak. her eyes softened as you slapped loβak in the arm while also snapping at his bad posture as he drew his bow. the woman laughed quietly to herself, not at all noticing her mate coming to stand beside her.
βwhatβs got you in a good mood, my love?β jake questioned with a smile that mirrored his wifeβs.
βjust look at them,β neytiri breathed out, titling her head at the sight of you teaching loβak how to use his bow. βdonβt they remind you-β
βof us?β jake chuckled, wrapping his buff arm around neytiriβs waist to pull her into his side. she nodded against his chest.
β(y/n) would be a perfect mate for loβak, hm?β she asked her husband and received a low chuckle from him. she tilted her head up with a serious expression, which caught jake by surprise. his wife was being wholeheartedly serious about the matter.
β(y/n) is really skilled in archery and even more talented with a knife. she is strong in mind and body. loβak would do good having a girl like her by his side, especially since he takes after his knuckleheaded father.β neytiri vouched for you, furrowing her eyes up at jake who winced at the last part of her speech.
βif you say so, yawn.β jake shrugged, before placing a kiss on neytiriβs forehead. βbut they are just friends. what if they donβt want to be together?β
βma jake,β neytiri deadpanned, pushing him away a bit. βyou are a man with no awareness for love at all. look closer.β jake followed her eyes to you and loβak once more.
βyou skxawng,β you bursted into fits of giggle as you pointed at his arrow that completely missed the target. βi told you to straighten up your back before you release the arrow!β
loβakβs face winced at your laughter and he brought his arm up to scratch his head in frustration. you shook your head as you continued to laugh, even bending over to soothe the quiver in your body.
when your best friend had asked you to teach him archery, you figured he would have some talent with a bow. it wasnβt until you seen his posture that you began to realize that he was not at all skilled. you felt bad for him. that is why you decided to help him, knowing that his first attempt at his rite of passage had ended up in failure.
βcome, letβs try again.β you finally wheezed out after calming down a bit. you noticed that his eyes had narrowed down at you. βwhat? it was funny. seriously, letβs try again.β
βso you can make fun of me?β loβak snapped and you huffed, grabbing another arrow from his quiver and shoving it before him. βi canβt do this, (y/n). i canβt hold a bow or a knife like neteyam or my dad. no, i canβt even hold a candle to them.β
βloβak!β you exclaimed, slapping him in the arm with a firm frown. βof course you canβt. youβre not them. you are loβak te suli tsyeykβitan, second born son of the toruk makto. itβs in your blood.β
loβak looked uncertain, shifting his eyes from you and the target a few feet away. your words held encouragement in them, but he still couldnβt believe that heβd be able to come close to his father or his brother. you watched as he sat on the nearest rock with a gloomy expression and slouched shoulders.
βi canβt, (y/n). youβve heard what the villlagers said about me.β loβak mumbled with a heavy sigh that followed afterwards. you stared down at him with a frown.
what you saw in him was not the same thing that everyone else did. yes, maybe the villagers are right. loβak was reckless, different from his other siblings that were held to high standards. others constantly talked down on the poor boy, saying that loβak would never reach their standard. it had gotten worse after his failed attempt at his right of passage. it saddened you as loβak cried silently by himself with you by his side. you only wished that he could see himself the way you did.
you saw his recklessness as bravery sometimes. heβd put his life on the line for you. just like the time loβak stepped in between you and a viperwolf with no plan. just pure instinct to protect. you admired him for it. his sense to stand up for what was right stood out to you from that very moment. it was also in that very moment that you concluded that you were head over heels for your best friend.
βloβak,β you took a seat beside him and loβak slowly looked up into your eyes. βyou are more than what they say you are.β you placed a hand on loakβs shoulder, squeezing his flesh gently to comfort him.
βyou may not be as skilled as your father or your brother, but you are you and that is enough. you have a strong heart. you just have to find it in yourself to ignore what they say about you and prove them wrong. i know you can do it.β
βbut-β loβak was about to shoot you down, but you gripped his shoulder once more and stared him down with a hesitant look on your face.
βbut nothing,β you snapped. βi see you.β
loβakβs lips parted in shock at your words. his eyes searched your face, noting the way they started to glimmer as your eyes were firm. your words were strong and stable. no doubt in your tone that he could be a strong warrior.
had you always been this beautiful? he thought as he only stared down at you with an unreadable expression. at this moment, loβak finally realized that you were no longer the girl that he had grown up with all these years. he was finally looking at you in a different light.
your once choppy hair now flowed down your back gracefully, your flesh had filled out into luscious curves, and your head had finally grown into your ears. all these years, loβak never noticed the growing changes that had taken over your appearance. as loβak peered down at your plump lips pursed into a frown and glaring eyes casted up at him, loβak was hit with an epiphany.
you were a woman.
a strong woman at that. you had grown to not only be beautiful on the outside, but in the inside as well. your joyous laughter when he made stupid jokes, your cheesy smile when you looked at him, or your hands that were always soft and gentle against his skin. how had he not noticed this before?
βloβak, are you listening?β you questioned with a raised brow. he hadnβt said anything in a minute, which made you worry a bit. was he still doubting his worth?
βno! i-i mean y-yeah, i was listening.β loβakβs words were jumbled up now as he snapped out of his thoughts of you. you rolled your eyes playfully, before standing up and holding out the arrow in your hand once more.
βcome on, letβs try again.β
loβak complied with a nod, getting up off the rock and resuming his lessons. he drew the bow back and pierced his eyes into the makeshift target a few feet away. you came up beside him, drawing closer to him to fix his arm placement. you didnβt notice his shocked expression as your forehead brushed against his cheek. you positioned his arm firmly, before wrapping your other arm around his back and reminding him to straightened up with a soft pat. then, you removed your hand from his back to firmly hold up his other arm. your touch sent a shock wave through loβakβs body and you were too concentrated on the target to noticed his joyful, swaying tail behind him.
βwhenever youβre ready.β you said titling your head up to look at him.
loβak watched as your eyes widened in surprise, just now realizing the close proximity. your face was inches away from his and your lips parted as you glanced down at his own lips. you shook your head and quickly pulled away from him. you nervously brushed a strand of hair behind your ear, hoping that loβak didnβt see your moment of weakness.
you gestured your head to the target and loβak resumed his position, drawing his bow back and releasing his arrow with confidence. you both watched anxiously as the arrow shot out toward the target. your eyes widened and your mouth shot open at the results. loβak had managed to hit the target. no, he had hit a bullseye!
β(y/n), i did it!β loβak exclaimed, dropping his bow in shock and your face lit up at his cheerfulness. before you knew it, you had ran up to him and engulfed him into a hug. loβak staggered back a bit, arms wide as he had no clue what to do. his heartbeat was fast, eyes trying to focus on anything but the way your warm embrace made him weak in the knees. after a moment of hesitation, loβak gathered the courage to circle his arms around your lower back. it was weak hold, but he couldnβt help it.
βi knew you could do it!β you snapped your head up to meet his eye. βloβak, the mighty warrior!β your teasing tone made loβak roll his eyes, but nonetheless, he had finally managed to make his first bullseye under your guidance.
βthanks, (y/n).β he muttered loud enough for you to hear and you silently gasped as he drew your body closer into his chest. βfor believing in me when no else does.β you were silent for a minute, trying to soothe the fast beating of your heart. you tucked your face into his broad chest, smiling a bit to yourself.
βof course, loβak.β
unbeknownst to you, neytiri and jake stood beside each other and their eyes were set on you both. jakeβs eyes softened in realization and he glanced down at his wife, who held a βi told you soβ expression on her face. jake knew that she was right. maybe this friendship you both had was only temporary. from what he had seen, the possibility of you both being a mated pair was close to being a hundred percent.
βwell, you might be right after all.β jake cleared his throat. of course he didnβt want neytiri to see the embarrassment that he was feeling at the moment.
βoh, ma jake, how you managed to woo me is beyond me.β neytiri slapped jake in the stomach, before leaning her head back on his chest to watch you and her youngest son stand in an embrace.
sypnosis: you and neteyam planned your whole life together, but his death was something you both had not expected.
this fic is inspired by "Hostage" by Billie Eilish
a/n: been a bit of a long time posting, but i whipped this thing up fr lmao. i have work in like an hour, so i was on a time crunch. sorry if this seems rushed! thank you for reading!
i also have a book on wattpad called strong heart & it is a neteyam x oc fic. you guys should totally check that out if you're interested :)
LINK->Strong Heart | Neteyam
i wanna be alone
alone with you does that make sense?
neteyam sighed as he looked off to the sun setting on the horizon. It was another day of learning the metkayina's ways and he was simply exhausted. his arms shifted back into the sand, digging his fingers into the soft texture. his head tilted up at the sky that was colored in various shades of colors. orange, pink, purple, etc. his eyes closed slightly, relishing in the ocean breeze that brushed along his skin. this was his favorite time to relax after a tough day, especially on days where he didn't have any responsibilities or expectations. it was just him and him alone.
"are you alright?" came a soft voice from beside him and his eyes quickly shot open. you smiled apologetically for interrupting his peace, before gracefully seating yourself right next to him. his eyes widened slightly at the close proximity you both held. he swore he could feel the heat radiating off your body.
it was you.
the eldest daughter of tonowari and ronal. you were the first woman that he had noticed among the crowd of villagers that surrounded him and his family when they first arrived. you had been nothing but patient and hospitable to the sullys. with your kindness, came your beauty. an ethereal appeal that caught his eyes from the very first moment he laid his eyes on you. if there was a favorite part of you that he loved, it was your eyes. those pair of doe eyes that held the same color as the ocean. crystal blue orbs that seemed to enthusiastically light up as you taught them about your home. your home was your passion and pride. neteyam was able to read that with just your eyes that peered up at him sometimes.
"yes, just enjoying the view." neteyam replied, sighing tiredly as he rolled his neck from side to side. his braids brushed along his shoulders as you smiled at his comment. "today was really difficult. learning to do things that you don't usually do is really exhausting."
"you are all still learning and you all have made great progress throughout the weeks you've been here." you laughed, sending butterflies through the boy's stomach as you did. even your laughter was enough to make neteyam's body stir nervously. How could one just be so breathtaking inside and out?
"have we?" neteyam questioned, rubbing his neck nervously and you nodded with a grin.
"of course, you all should be proud!" you exclaimed, placing a hand on his knee. the feeling of your touch nearly made him jump out of his own skin. neteyam couldn't help but look away from the scenery in front of him and turn his head to look at you. only, you weren't looking at the sunset.
it was those eyes again. those ocean blue eyes that neteyam loved to stare into when he had the chance. you were gazing up at him with a smile, tilting your head ever so slightly. your face in the sunset made him speechless as he nervously gulped as he tried to hold onto the piecing stare he was receiving. it was breathtaking. the island, the ocean. none of that could compare to you.
not when neteyam was alone with you. he prayed for more moments like these with you.
i don't know what to do
to do with your kiss on my neck
"neteyam, they'll catch us." you giggled, trying your best to remove his hands from your waist. except, you didn't want him to pull away. not when your body was longing for his touch after a long day of not seeing him.
"let them." he teasingly replied, only pulling your back closer to his chest so he could press his nose against your hair. "so what if they catch us?"
"my parents would be furious." you tried to reason, feeling neteyam brush your hair over your shoulders. your body erupted into nervous jitters as you felt his breath against the back of your neck. "and your parents? what if they don't accept us?"
"nothing could ever stop me from loving you, yawne." neteyam assured softly and gently pressed a chaste kiss to the back of. your neck. it was soft and tender. love radiated from his lips each time that he placed a kiss on any part of your body. neteyam trailed a couple more kiss down your nape, laying his forehead against your hair. with just that, you could feel your body release the hidden tension that it held.
it was the feeling that you always had whenever neteyam was near. you felt secure, safe. his touch managed to pull you away from the reality of being the eldest daughter of the olo'eyktan and tsahik. no worries about whether you would become a successful tsahik and filling in after the big steps that your mother walked. none of those things mattered to you in this moment. just neteyam's touch against your body. it felt so right for him to be with you.
but this feels right
so stay a sec
yeah, you feel right,
so stay a sec
this was enough for you. you didn't want him to leave.
gold on your fingertips
fingertips against my cheek
ronal stared at you with a heated glare, while your father stood silently with a disappointed expression on his face. your timid body seemed to curl up at the sight in front of you. they were both upset with your decision.
"you mated with that boy?" came tonowari's calm, yet aggressive question. you nodded hesitantly, while you watched your mother pace around the room with backed up anger.
"how could you do this?!" ronal seethed through her teeth and you flinched at her tone. "did you think of the people?! about your brothers and sisters?!"
tears welled up in your eyes as you casted your gaze to the floor of your marui. your lip trembled uncontrollably, which made you bite your lip to quell it. you knew this would happen. you knew the repercussions of your decision to mate with neteyam.
"i'm sorry, mother." you gasped out, before finding the courage to finally look up at your parents. your tears streaked your face now as you looked at them desperately to see how much you wanted this. how much you didn't care for the consequences.
"i-i'm sorry if this decision isn't what you both w-wanted, but i will never be sorry for mating with the person that i love so much." your voice trembled and your arms wrapped around yourself as if they could protect you from their wrath.
"you insolent girl!" ronal exclaimed. if her glare wasn't already heated, her eyes might've exploded out of her head. "do you have any idea what you've done?"
"I expected more form you," your father sighed, placing a calming hand on his mate's shoulders. "you disappoint me, daughter."
"father, i-" you sobbed, but were quickly cut off by your mother who held a palm out in front of you, while she pinched the bridge of her nose with her other hand.
"enough." you heard her tiredly say. she couldn't even bother to look at you, which made your chest tighten painfully. "go reflect on what you've done. you have deeply disappointed us, (y/n)."
you were quick to storm out of the room after noting the tension of silence that overcame the marui. your breathes were ragged and rough as you sprinted toward the beach, passing by many villagers who barely managed to see you. you hadn't even noticed the unsuspecting neteyam who was calling out to you.
as you made it to the beach, your arms wrapped around yourself, your fingers digging into the skin of your arms. your body would not stop trembling and your tears seemed never ending as they poured out of your eyes. soft sobs started to escape your lips, but you quickly clasped your palm against your mouth to muffle the sounds of your cry. your chest still coiled around nothing which only pained you more. your stomach was unsettled causing you to feel nauseous. you were sure you were going to throw up due to the overwhelming feeling in your body.
"(y/n)?"
neteyam stood behind you with his ears laying low and tail casted downward. your cries sounded in his ears and he quickly turned you around to make you face him, but you simply just shoved your face into his broad chest to hide your face. your harsh sobs that were stifled with his chest made him feel helpless and worried.
"what is the matter, my love?" he asked gently, brushing your hair behind your ears and looking down at you with furrowed brows.
"my parents! they don't-they won't accept us. i t-told them about us and they were so angry!" you jumbled out, feeling out of breath as you gazed up at him with trembling lips.
neteyam's eyes softened in realization, but then his expression saddened at the sight of you. you were disheveled and devastated with tears that stained your cheeks. you looked like you were in pain. physically, emotionally, and mentally.
"oh, my love," neteyam cooed, lifting both of his hands up to encase your face in between them. brushing his thumb over your cheeks and wiped away the tears that continued to roll down. "do you still wish to be with me?"
it hurt neteyam to ask the question, but he couldn't help but blame himself for the way you looked right now. neteyam was now doubting his decision to have asked you to be his mate. maybe then you wouldn't be here with such a heartbroken expression.
"of course i do, neteyam!" you answered, trying to stop the hiccups that threatened to leave your lips. "nothing could ever stop me from loving you."
gold leaf across your lips
kiss me until i can't speak
neteyam's eyes snapped up to stare into your blue eyes that were puffy with tears. your last statement made his heart swell up in relief. though he still blamed himself, he was happy to hear that you were still willing to make the relationship work.
"unless, do you not-"
neteyam quickly cut you off with his lips, which roughly captured your own. the kiss was desperate, almost pleading. nothing like how he'd usually kiss you tenderly and soft. it was as if he was trying to communicate to you through his actions. how sorry he was to have put you through this, how much he loved you, how much he still longed to be mated to you. you could feel it all through just this one kiss. it left you speechless as his lips continued to move against yours, despite the salty tears that interrupted your kiss.
if you couldn't be with neteyam, then you didn't know how you'd still live.
gold chain beneath your shirt
the shirt that you let me wear home
a couple weeks later, your parents were still a bit upset, but slowly came to accept your relationship. neteyam had apologized for not asking for their permission with his hand clutching yours. they had no choice but to accept the two lover's decision. how could they refuse? their daughter's eyes always lit up in love and adoration when neteyam came around. yes, the well being of the people were important, but their daughter's happiness mattered even more to them.
"i have something for you." neteyam whispered in your ear from behind, which startled you for a moment. you felt his hands grip your hips to turn you around. he held a necklace out for you. it was one of his. the intricately beaded one that wrapped around his neck and stopped down to his collarbones.
"oh, neteyam," you gasped out with a shocked expression as he expertly placed it around your neck. "you're giving this to me?"
"its proof that you're mine now." neteyam grinned and you rolled your eyes teasingly. "wear this so that everyone will know that we are mated before eywa."
"you skxawng." you huffed with a smile and he placed a gentle kiss upon your forehead.
of course, you never took it off. it was your most prized possession as you flaunted it around the village with it around your neck. he was right. it was proof.
you were his.
and let me crawl
inside your veins
you were running full speed. even as your legs ached, you never let up on your destination. you arrived at the tsahik's marui, abruptly parting the curtains that obscured the interior of the hut. your eyes immediately scanned the room as you let out rough breaths. all of neteyam's family was there, even your family. none of them said a word. it was an eerie silence that engulfed the silence and it made your heart beat harder against your rib cage. your eyes left them, more focused on the body that they surrounded.
"no, no, no," your hoarse voice sounded and everyone seemed to wince at the pain in your voice. you slid across the floor, kneeling beside neteyam's body as your trembling hands touched every part of his body. they all watched as you grabbed his hand, holding it against your chest. you looked hopeful fora moment, but it was the sudden realization in your eyes that completely shattered them.
it was cold. his body laid limply there on the mat. there was no sign of movement. you gazed up to his face. his eyes were closed, as if he was sleeping, but you knew better than to think that.
"no," you uttered, feeling your tears start to come down. your shaky hands left his hands to cup his face as you painfully wailed. "please, great mother, not him, not him. please, not him! not my neteyam."
"no! please, great mother!" you screamed, lurching your body forward to press your face against his chest. there was no heart beat. no heat radiating off his skin. only bandages that uselessly covered his bullet wound. it was as if you wanted to sink into his skin, feeling as though your face on his chest wasn't enough for you. everyone watched painfully at the scene. you lost your mate. the mate that you had promised to be with forever.
its not like me to be so mean
you're all i wanted
"what are you all sitting here for?! we can still do something!" you shrieked angrily, bringing your body up to stare down every one in the room. "you have to help him! he could still be alive-please, just bring him back to me! mother, please help him!"
your mother stared at your distraught state with an unreadable expression. she had never seen you look so broken, so shattered. it hurt both your parents to see you this way. your mother let out a deep breath as she tucked her face into your father's broad chest to which he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"we've done everything we can, (y/n). he is dead." your father replied, his voice raspy and grim. your pleading eyes darted across the room, but nothing. everyone's heads seemed to drop at his affirmation. nothing but grief was in the room. some had cried and some were silent.
"no, my neteyam," you sobbed out, caressing his face with the palm of your hand. the tears kept coming. there was no hope that it would stop. you felt numb, empty. you couldn't even feel the nausea that threatened to leave your stomach or the tightening of your chest. as if a piece of you had just died and it did. neteyam was gone and so was the other half of your heart. how could you ever live in a world in which neteyam did not exist? was it even possible?
"oh, sister," tsireya whimpered, placing a hand on your shoulder, but you brushed her hand away. you didn't want to be comforted. you just wanted the love of your life back. if no one could do that, you didn't want to feel their comfort. that would only allow herself to come to terms that neteyam was gone.
"leave me be." you mumbled, placing a soft kiss on neteyam's forehead. one that you would often receive from him every day. everyone started to file out of the marui, opting to leave you to grieve over your lost love. it was until they were all of them were out of the room that they heard it.
your screams of anguish. your painful sobs that followed after it. the chanting of his name leaving your shivering lips. it hurt them. it brought them to tears at the sound of your cries.
"neteyam," you hiccuped, before clutching the necklace into your fist. you draped your body over him, holding onto him tightly as if he would just physically disappear. you weren't ready to let him go. not like this. not when you both had so much planned for the future. the life that you had promised would last forever or his kids you will never have. it hurt you to even think right now.
your cheek was on his chest again, as your hand slowly led itself to caress the necklace that he had gifted you. your breathing became hard and rough as you pinched the beads between your fingers.
this was all that was left of your lover. this was the last time you were ever going to see him and this was all you had to remember him by.
just let me hold you
hold you
like a hostage.
β―β― ΰ¨ ΰ§ β―β―
if you would like to be added to my permanent taglist, please message me privately to secure a spot! thank you for reading!
Hey! I have finally published a couple chapters of my fic to my Wattpad π€! Strong Heart by peachyst4r has been published!
I really enjoyed writing the first four chapters and I would love for you guys to read it so you guys can give me some feedback on it. Iβve been in such a writing mood that I was able to complete a chapter a day π. Iβm really looking forward to completing this book and I hope some of yβall read it π«Άπ½.
so i have some works in my draft, but will be taking a break to get a head start on an avatar fic on wattpad that iβm currently working on.
it hasnβt been published yet, but i am working on chapter three. iβll try to get something out later on tumblr this week, but for now i will be on wattpad. my user is the same as my tumblr, so if yβall are interestedβ¦pls do read it when I publish the first few chapters ππ½.
just got done watching atwow in 3D after my fyp said to watch it before they take it out of theatre & now my writerβs block has been cured ππ½. as soon as soon as i get home, im going straight to the macbook π€
yes, i cried at the exact same parts i did as the first time i saw it π§πΌββοΈ donβt know why i expected a diff ending π.
sypnosis: after lo'ak returns, you can't bare to be around ao'nung, who desperately tries to make it up to you.
<-Part One
a/n: so sorry for the long wait on this one! could y'all tell that i love sully siblings x sully! reader interactions with this one? i'm in love with the sully's family dynamics, so i always include them in my fics any chance i get :') i don't really like how this turned out (feel like it could be more), but anyway, hope you enjoy part two!
you stood with your family on the jagged rocks that stood in front of the marui village, along with the chief's family and the crowd of met-kayina. you sniffed quietly and the tears that had long dried out were now stuck to your cheeks and your family could tell that they weren't just about lo'ak. kiri even linked her pinky in with your third finger, trying to provide some sort of comfort and glaring daggers at ao'nung from time to time.
speaking of the boy, ao'nung stood with his family with a sullen look on his face which was aimed towards the floor. he was now feeling regretful and angry at himself. was it really so hard to keep the one promise he made to you? he knew it wasn't.
after a couple of minutes, one of tonowari's men pulled up to the rock and you sighed in relief as lo'ak stepped on to the rock. he nodded his head at the man who brought him home, before staring up at all the eyes that seemed to stare back at him. the village people's whispers now sounded louder than before at his appearance. lo'ak's eyes immediately zeroed in on ao'nung as he looked up at the chief's family and he was about to storm up to him when your father intervened.
"hey, lets have a look at you." jake began to scan his body for any injuries, while lo'ak stared ao'nung down. you could see ao'nung lower his gaze a bit to avoid the harsh glare that lo'ak held. tonowari bent down to also inspect lo'ak, while the rest of his family stood behind him.
"he's fine." jake announced, directing it to the metkayina people who were still watching the scene. "just a few scratches." neytiri rushed towards them, her breathes jagged and quick. she was quick to grab lo'ak's arms and angrily squint her eyes at her youngest son while neteyam and tuk stood behind her.
"i pray for the strength that i will not pluck the eyeballs out of my youngest son!" she said through gritted teeth and made a motion out of her hands towards his eyes, before letting out an angry hiss to which lo'ak just avoided cooly.
you and kiri quickly came beside her and you place a hand on your mother's shoulder, not wanting her to make this anymore of a scene than it already was. you breathed out a sigh and held back your tears as you engulfed lo'ak into a big hug.
"i'm glad you're safe, brother." came your trembling voice. your little brother wrapped his arms around you, brushing his hand up and down your back, knowing that you were probably stifling your tears with his chest. with the way your body shuddered every now and then, lo'ak knew that his disappearance probably scared you more than anyone else.
"no," tonowari reprimanded, standing up on his feet and you pulled away from lo'ak to look at the chief. "my son knows better than to take him outside the reef." he now stared down at his son, before forcing him to kneel in front of your family. you avoided looking at him, only holding onto lo'ak's hand like he might just drift away from you at any moment.
"the blame is his." tonowari said and jake held his hands out beside him to calm everyone down.
"no," lo'ak suddenly interjected, making you snap your head up to look at him with a confused expression. "this is not ao'nung's fault. it was my idea. ao'nung tried to talk me out of it. really."
his confession was a lie. you could tell by the way ao'nung furrowed his brows at lo'ak in shock. you weren't sure why lo'ak was taking the blame, knowing that your father would not be pleased by it. you wanted to say something so bad, but you knew lo'ak had to have a reason to defend ao'nung. he wouldn't risk getting chewed out by jake just for any reason.
"c'mon." jake demanded his family to leave, nodding his head towards the direction of the marui.
no one said anything as your father ushered you all away from the crowd. you blankly stared at ao'nung, who was trying his best to avoid you and you just shook your head solemnly as you pulled lo'ak towards the rest of the family.
as expected, your father blew up at lo'ak. your heart tightened as your father told lo'ak that he brought shame to the family. even though you knew that lo'ak lied to protect ao'nung from the blame, it still probably hurt lo'ak more than anything to hear that. you wanted to scream at your father-maybe even scream at lo'ak. none of this was his fault, yet here he was, getting chewed out for something he didn't cause.
"lo'ak," you called out, but he ignored you and just walked off. kiri came up beside you and placed a hand on your arm.
"he just needs to cool off, sister." she tried to assure you, but you knew lo'ak better than any one else. he was hurt and so were you. you were the only one whom lo'ak confided in when it came to being the "black sheep" of the family. you just wanted to be there when no else would be.
βwhere were you?β neytiri asked, her eyes now on neteyam.
βyeah, what happened to keeping an eye on your brother?β
βsorry, sir.β neteyam answered and you gently placed a hand on his forearm, hoping that he wasnβt beating himself up for everything. it wasnβt his fault at all. as the second oldest, you understood that he felt responsible for everyone. your mother sighed, before turning to you and brushing a hand through your hair. you knew that she was probably staring at the dry tears on your cheeks.
βcome, my sweet girl.β neytiri cooed, holding you close to her side as she wrapped an arm around your shoulder. βyou can wait for him at home.β you nodded sadly, walking beside her towards the marui while everyone else silently followed behind you both.
as soon as you all made it to the marui, everyone prepared for bed while you had no desire to sleep. with everything that just happened, you felt unsettled and needed some space to think. you sat outside on the edge of the marui, knees tucked into your chest while your arms wrapped your arms around your legs and set your chin on top of your forearms.
you stared out into the ocean for a moment, before turning your head around to view your family. your father and mother sat together as they tucked sweet tuk into bed and kiri laid on her side of the room with her back turned to you. as your eyes drifted to the other side of the room, you were met with neteyam's stare. his worried eyes pierced into you and he slowly stood up, before you turned your head to look forward.
"hey," came his quiet greeting and you tucked your face into your arms. "you okay, sis?" you didn't respond, but neteyam just sat beside you and dipped his feet into the water. you probably needed a moment of silent, but neteyam was always ready to listen to anything you had bottled up.
out of all your siblings, neteyam knew you were the most sensitive and had the biggest heart, always putting others before yourself. you were sweet to every one you met, never wanting to see the worse in a person. it made neteyam overly protective of you. he never wanted to see you crumble over someone you had put your whole heart and trust into, but here you were. clearly you were heartbroken over ao'nung. only a fool wouldn't notice.
this was more than just being worried and relived about lo'ak coming home.
he had noticed the look of betrayal on your face as ao'nung confessed what he had done. it was a face that neteyam thought he'd never see on your face as you were the sibling who would never let any one see how hurt you were. neteyam had also noticed the growing relationship between you and ao'nung, especially with the way you always talked highly of him. you had come to care a lot for the metkayina boy and neteyam could tell that it broke you heart to know that ao'nung was capable of this.
"what's wrong, (y/n)? is it about ao'nung? lo'ak?" he asked gently and you hesitantly looked up at him. neteyam's chest tightened at the sight of dried tears that scarred your cheeks. you looked so heartbroken. he understood the tears for lo'ak, but for ao'nung?
"what if lo'ak never came back?" you finally say, your eyebrows wrinkled in worry and your lips tremble at the thought of never seeing your brother again. "i was so scared, 'teyam."
"everything is fine, sis. lo'ak is okay." he tried to assure you and you nodded reluctantly. neteyam was right. it was no use thinking about what could've happened. you should be glad that he did come back unharmed.
"i should've listened to them. kiri and lo'ak were right about him." you breathed out, laying your cheek on your arm. neteyam figured you were talking about ao'nung. you blamed yourself for allowing yourself to become close to their bully. "ao'nung promised me that he would leave kiri and lo'ak alone, but then does this? i was naive to think that he would keep it."
"you have a big heart, (y/n)." neteyam reasoned. "you wanted to see the good in him. no one is going to blame you for that."
"i am so stupid! to think i actually thought that ao'nung cared for me like i did him!" you exclaimed. you felt frustration run through your veins once more.
"you're not stupid. i think he does care for you. more than you know." neteyam remarked, not noticing the incredulous look that you gave him. "look, everyone can see the way he looks at you. like he'd do anything for you. he made a mistake-a big, stupid mistake, but i saw the way he was looking at you before, (y/n). he regrets hurting you."
"i don't think i could ever trust him again. not after what he did to lo'ak." you huffed, but you heart betrayed how you really felt. deep down, you knew you could never shut ao'nung out. yes, you could be made for a few days, however your heart had already made up its mind about him.
"i'm just saying. i trust your decisions." neteyam replied, nudging you with his shoulder. "whether you forgive him or not, i just want you to be happy in whatever you decide." you were silent at that. neteyam was always so good with his words, always knowing what to say to comfort you in times of hard decisions.
"thanks, nete', for always being here when i need you." you whispered, bringing your head up to lean it against his shoulder and you felt his body shake as he let out a chuckle.
"its what big brothers do."
-
ao'nung was feeling his hopes deplete day by day as you completely ignored him every time he was in a foot radius of you. his recent actions were eating himself up inside as you just ignored his presence. you made sure there were no gaps between you and him. no openings to make sure that he wouldn't get close and make it up to you.
every time he would try to strike up a conversation, you'd just avoid him like he was the plague. even after he and lo'ak made their amends, you still wouldn't succumb to what your heart said. no matter the looks that you received from ao'nung, you would not be moved.
"so when are you going to talk to ao'nung?" kiri asked, laying on her stomach against the sand as she turned over to look up at you. she had noticed the conflicted look on your face as you weaved a new net for neteyam.
"what are you talking about?" you muttered, more concentrated on finishing your work than talking about ao'nung. "i have nothing to say to that boy."
"you're joking, right? the way he's looking at you right now makes me feel pity for him." kiri shrugged, nodding her head behind you and you slowly take a glimpse back.
sure enough, the said boy was sneaking a few glances at you as he talked with both lo'ak and neteyam a few feet away, looking away as soon as he was met with your heated stare. kiri snickered, which made you break away from his figure and you rolled your eyes in annoyance.
"he should just give up. i've already made up my mind." you huffed and kiri laid her head against her crossed arms.
"but has your heart made up its mind, sister?" your hands paused for a moment and you tilted your head down at your younger sister. kiri always seemed to know how you worked. she almost always hits the mark on how you felt. "because from what i've seen, you don't want to avoid ao'nung. you want to do the exact opposite."
"i have no idea what you mean." you tried to deflect, going back to the net that you were weaving.
"please, sister, you love him." kiri scoffed, sitting up from her relaxed position. "and he loves you-i mean, he's still staring at you as we speak and you're too busy ignoring your feelings to see it!"
"kiri, he nearly got lo'ak killed. i'm not going to make the same mistake and trust him after that."
"so, are you going to tell him that?"
"yes and then we can all move past all of this." you snipped and kiri's lips quirked into a smile.
"great, because here he comes. remember what you said, sister." was the last thing kiri said, before getting up from the sand and dusting herself off. you winced as soon as she ran off to go talk to lo'ak and neteyam.
"hey, (y/n)." you heard from beside you and you immediately started to busy yourself with the net once more, knowing that if you gazed at him fro too long, you might just forgive him. ao'nung reluctantly sat right beside you. "look, i know you don't want to talk with me after what i did, but-"
"i have nothing to say to you." you interrupted dryly and he winced at your cold tone.
"i know, but i do want to apologize again." ao'nung glanced down at his hands and then slowly looked up at the side of your face. "what i did was unforgivable and i hurt you by breaking my promise to you."
you remained silent, but ao'nung wasn't expected you to reply to his apology. he knew that you wouldn't answer him back, but he just wanted you to listen. ao'nung wanted you to listen to how he felt about you, even if you didn't feel the same way about him after the incident.
"i'm in love with you, (y/n)."
your chest tightened at that. you hated it. you hated not talking to him. you hated not being able to return his feelings, despite wanting to. however, you were still unsure of his confession. if he loved you so much, why did he break his promise to you? could you really love someone who did not take their promises seriously?
"it may not seem like i do, but i'm telling the truth." ao'nung felt a bit braver now that he finally told you how he felt about you. "meet me here as soon as the sun sets. i know you don't trust me, but i am willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to you, even if you still end up hating me in the end."
with that said, he got up from his spot next to you and left you alone to contemplate your options. you were sure that if you accepted his invitation, you would definitely forgive him and if you didn't...well, you still wouldn't be at peace knowing that you missed your opportunity to make amends and confess your feelings for him. the words that neteyam had said to you rang in the back of your mind.
'whether you forgive him or not, i just want you to be happy in whatever you decide.'
then the time came as the sun was about to set on the village and you sat in your marui. no one was in the room, except for kiri who was looking at you skeptically from where she laid. your fingers fiddled with your braids as you had finally made up your mind to go see ao'nung. you had spent the whole day pondering and as soon as your eyes met with the setting sun, you finally made your decision.
"kiri, i'm going out for a bit. could you cover for me?" you hesitantly asked, knowing the exact reaction that kiri was going to give you. sure enough, your younger sister had the biggest, cheshire cat grin that you had ever seen.
"meeting someone, sister?" kiri teased, rolling onto her stomach while propping her elbows up to lay her chin on her hands. you winced at the teasing tone that she used.
"just don't tell mom or dad..." an image of your brothers flashed in your mind. "lo'ak and neteyam, don't tell them either." kiri shook her head from left to right, a thoughtful look on her face.
"sure, i'll cover for you." you sighed in relief at that, before getting up from your spot. you were nervous now, but you were curious to hear what ao'nung had to say. you bid goodbye to kiri, who waved back at you as you left the marui. kiri was probably going to tell the whole village about it.
as you arrived at the spot on the beach, you looked down at the sand that you had dug your toes into, as if you were trying to anchor yourself down. the butterflies in your stomach made you want to run back to your marui, however you hoped that with your feet planted into the sand, you'd find the courage to stay.
"you came."
you turned around at the sound of his voice. it sounded so soft, almost unbelieving. your golden eyes met with his baby blues, which knocked the breath out of you. after a few days, you were finally face to face with the boy you were so in love with.
"i wouldn't have been at peace if i didn't." you answered and ao'nung could've sworn that his heart nearly melted at the sound of your voice. just like you, he was ecstatic to be hearing your voice after the many days of being ignored. he had missed it. ao'nung had missed talking with you and being able to stand in front of you.
"follow me." you heard him say and you do just that as he led you to the water. "i know a good spot to talk." you both stood hip deep in the water and ao'nung let out a couple of tongue clicks, signaling for the ilu to surround you.
you were taken aback for a moment as one of ilus nudged your leg, before letting out a giggle as it started to coo and whistle in joy. ao'nung slowly made his way closer to you, holding his hand out for you to take so he could help you onto the aquatic animal. you silently accepted his assistance and you both seemed to relax as you both felt each other's touch for the first time in a while.
ao'nung held onto your hand tightly while you slid onto your ilu carefully. you felt him circle his arm around you to place a steady palm on your hip and you looked up at him, noticing that both your bodies were close. your shoulder had unexpectedly brushed against his chest and you quickly sat up straight to avoid any other physical contact. he made sure that you were secured, before reluctantly pulling away from you and making his way to his ilu. ao'nung takes off into the water and you hurriedly follow after him, breathing in deeply as your ilu took you below the surface of the water. you slowly opened your eyes to see ao'nung zooming ahead in front, before following as he finally went up to the surface.
you both stopped in front of a huge, jagged rock and ao'nung stood on the back of his lu to plant his feet on the rock. as your ilu swam up against the rock, ao'nug held his hand out to you once more. you took his hand gratefully, before standing up on your iluβs back with an unbalanced footing. to avoid falling backwards, you quickly hopped onto the rock and crashed into aoβnungβs broad chest. his arms had instinctively went to your lower back to hold you steady and with your body plastered to his, you could hear his faint heartbeat quickening.
βsorry.β you mumbled as you awkwardly pulled away and he just nodded. βso why did you bring me here?β you asked after a minute of silence and he gestured his head towards the edge of the rock where you could vividly see the colors of the sunset. you followed aoβnung as he sat at the edge, dunking his feet into the water while you do the same.
βi like to come here to think.β aoβnung started, his eyes trailing to the gradient skies. the mixtures of blues, purples, pinks, and orange. it all just seemed to fit together to make one big piece. βitβs also the best place if you want to see the sunset. it looks beautiful at this time.β
you couldnβt help but agree as you looked out towards the oceanβs horizon. it was a nice quiet spot to meditate. nothing to distract you as all you could hear were the waves lulling you to sleep and the birds in the sky crowing.
βiβve spent the last few days here, just thinking.β
you look away from the view in front of you to glance up at aoβnung, who didnβt return your gaze. instead, he just stared at the horizon with a solemn look on his face. it almost seemed weary and tired.
βwhat were you thinking about?β you asked curiously, looking down at your feet which gently kicked back and forth in the water.
βabout you and how i was so stupid in hurting you the way i did.β came his reply. aoβnung finally looks at you with a desperate tint in his baby blues.
βthere arenβt enough apologies in the world that i could give for you to forgive me, but i truly am sorry. i never shouldβve broken my promise to you and i never shouldβve put loβak in that situation. i understand why you'd hate me and never forgive me.β
you weren't sure what to say to that. you could hear the genuine tone in his voice and his pleading expression never wavered.
"i could never hate you, ao'nung." you sighed, directing your gaze up towards ao'nung's face. "i was upset about what you did to lo'ak, but my heart still longs for you."
ao'nung felt the tension ease from his shoulders hearing you say that you didn't hate him. it was as if all the worries of never being able to see you or hear you just left his mind with your simple assurance. but it wasn't the fact that you hated him that had his breath taken away.
it was the fact that you loved him back.
"(y/n)," ao'nung said your name in a hushed tone, before slowly sliding his hand over yours and he relaxed as you accepted his touch, shyly linking your fingers together.
"i forgave you a long time ago." your golden eyes pierced into his and ao'nung could feel the truth behind your words. "yes, you made a stupid mistake, but i could never hate you because i am so in love with you."
"and i am in love with you." he replied, a relieved smile etched on his lips. his heart soared at the words that left your lips. "i know you don't trust me, but if you give me another chance to prove myself, i promise you that i will never hurt you again like this. this is a promise that i will not break."
you pause for a moment to search his face, bits of doubt riddled in your eyes. there it was. your need to see the good in everyone and everything, especially in the boy that you had feelings for. you knew that if you didn't give him another chance, you would only be hurting yourself. your trust in him would need to be rebuilt, but here ao'nung was, desperate to prove to you that he was different now. ao'nung had changed.
"okay, i will give you another chance." you say finally, this time bringing his hand up to your chest and holding it tightly between your hands, giving him a small smile to which ao'nung returned.
"don't disappoint me, ao'nung."
"never again."
he reached a hand over to his side, pulling out a flower and leaned down close to your face, before gently tucked it behind your hair. your lips parted, gazing at his lips that were in front of yours. ao'nung paused, as if waiting for permission to kiss you and you lightly pulled the necklace around his neck towards you. your lips met with his awaiting ones, relishing in the feeling of butterflies that fluttered happily in your stomach. ao'nung was soft and gentle with you, not wanting to scare you off. it was as if you both were made for each other. both of you hearts have yearned for this moment to come and as you both pulled away, you felt the dream state of it all come to an end.
"i see you, ao'nung." you say after catching your breath and ao'nung raised his hand to your cheek with a smile.
"and i see you, (y/n)." ao'nung whispered and you scoot closer to his side to lean your head against his shoulder. he was right. the sunset looked beautiful from this spot, especially as you both sat in silence to admire the colors that eywa had designed.
"so how about another kiss for luck?" he teasingly nudged you and you snap your head up to glare at him playfully. must he always find a way to ruin the mood?
"i will change my mind, ao'nung." you huffed, rolling your eyes and he simply just laughed. ao'nung brought his head down towards you and you closed your eyes with a smile as he placed a kiss on your forehead. you definitely made the right decision.
in this moment, you felt happy.
-
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