What the Sully Boys do when they find you crying
Neteyam, Lo’ak, Jake,
⚠️WARNING⚠️: crying, talks of injury
Pleas enjoy this garbage
….
Neteyam: Distraction
You’re along on the shoreline, crouched in the waves and poking at the sand. Fat tears are rolling down your cheeks as you repeatedly stab your finger into the soft wet sediment. Neteyam has been looking for you for about an hour now. You’d disappeared after dinner, visibly upset and oddly quiet. He was unfamiliar with the island still. He did not know the rocky alcoves or tide pools like he knew the forest. It’s no wonder you’d sought out solitude here. The lay of the land provided perfect little nooks and crannies to hide oneself and find some peace and quiet.
Neteyam does not speak as he approaches; making sure his footsteps are extra loud so as not to startle you. You hardly glance at him. He squat next to you and places a firm hand on the small of your back. He watches your finger jab and carve at the sand for a time. He doesn’t know what’s gotten under your skin and why you don’t want to tell him but he will wait. His fingers begin to trail up your spine.
The smells of salt and fish permeate the air. The waves lap haphazardly in their lazy dance against the shore. Wind is rustling through the fronds and trees. In the distance an ilu whistles to its rider.
“Do you want to go for a swim with me?” He finally looks at your, surveys you year stained face. “I’ve been wanting to practice diving and you’re better than me.”
You nod and straighten up. At least in the ocean he won’t see your tears. Neteyam loops his fingers through yours and begins to stomp through the oncoming waves. You squeeze his warm palm, feeling the scrape of his hard earned callouses.
Neteyam hasn’t known you for too long. Only just meeting you when his family arrived at the Metkayina’s doorstep. He’d caught your eager eyes studying him through the crowd of people gathering on the beach.
You lingered on the azure tint of his skin and the set of his eyes. While you’d known of the Na’vi you’d never met anyone from the jungles and forests. When it came time to teach the foreigners the way of water, you’d diligently set to helping Tsiyera.
The ocean rose up over your knees, salty water licking at your thighs. You school your lungs into sucking oxygen and your body dips forward. Neteyam dives in after you, limbs still a little unsure of the proper stroke. The sandy seabed brushes along your belly as you peel away from the shoreline. The sky is darkening but you can still get in a few dives.
Neteyam trails along by your side, struggling to match your speed. You peer over your shoulder and analyze his technique. You edge closer to him. Fingers and forearms touch occasionally.
You’d always thought he was boyishly cute but recently, his maturity has shown through. He’s more compassionate than you’d have thought and his dedication as a good friend has made you want him to mean something more.
Whether or not he feels the same way is unclear. But he doesn’t seem to mind being alone with. He did seek you out. Minutes ago he’d had his hand on your skin and you could still feel it’s phantom presence.
You’re still bothered. Wanting to cry, still crying. He can see in your downturned expression that you’re shaken. He shifts closer as subtly as he can manage. You slow down as a school of brightly scaled fish rush by. Neteyam’s knuckles brush against yours. He points to the surface. His face looking a little purple. He needs a breath.
The ascent is quick and before long your heads break the waves. Neteyam soaks up the oxygen and his skin returns to its normal shade of deep blue.
“Can I ask why you’re upset?” His arms swing through the water as he treads.
“Just… a little trouble at home. Don’t really wanna talk about it.”
Neteyam tilts his head kindly and nods. His hand catches yours mid tread and he yanks you closer. His arms wrap around you as you both sink. He nuzzled his nose into your cheek and plants a small kiss along the underlying bone.
When you lets you he’s kicking back to the surface so he can prepare for another dive.
“What was that supposed to mean?” You ask him.
“Haven’t you figured out already that I like you?”
“Oh-“ the thought was only a hope and a wish, nothing more than a fleeting longing. But you no longer feel like crying and Neteyam is already disappearing beneath the waves again.
Lo’ak: Confrontation
Your feet dip up and down with the roll of the water as your ilu coasts along the reef. You watch the stars glimmer in the sky. Their light so faint next to the reflection of Jupiter. The wind nips at you skin, skewing your angry tears all across the bridge of your nose and cheeks.
Tsiyera has been impeccably kind to you since you arrived. Helping you out with diving and swimming and other practices around the clan. The others, Aonung and Rotxo and even some of Tsiyera’s close friends, have been doing all they can to chase you out.
Your parents had been killed in the war with the humans. Trampled by the merciless machines and ruthless bastards. Neytiri had grown up alongside your mother, and was kind enough to assist Mo’at in raising you.
You and Lo’ak weren’t exactly best buds growing up. You fought all the time and his attitude always drove you crazy. But you’d become fond of each other in recent years. He talked your ear off the whole way to the Metkayina islands, venting all of his frustrations about his family and the move.
You still bickered on occasion and Lo’ak often said stupid things he didn’t mean. But now he’s made the effort to actually apologize. It’s because he likes you, or so Neteyam says.
The sound of an ilu breaking the surface a feet feet behind you disrupts your brooding. You smear away the tears and straighten up. When you turn to meet the intruder, Lo’ak beams.
“Thought I’d never find you! We’re just about to eat, you should come joi-have you been crying?” Lo’ak’s head tilts to the side as he glances over your face.
No sense in hiding it. Better to change the subject. So you nod, “Let’s go get dinner.”
“Wait,” Lo’ak scoots forward. You adjust the direction you ilu faces and dive. “Wait!”
Lo’ak, ungracefully, dips beneath the waves and trails along behind you. His ilu is faster and he gains ground quicker than you can run. His hand snags your elbow and jerks you upwards. Both ilus tilt to the sky and breach.
When you catch a breath you’re ready to chew him out. But the concern etched in his expression holds your tongue. He’s still clutching your elbow. “Why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing, Lo’ak. I swear.”
“If you’re out by yourself, crying, it can’t just be nothing.”
There’s something in his eyes that makes you wonder if Neteyam is right. Lo’ak brings you closer, grabbing onto your other arm. “You can’t tell me anything. I know I’m an ass sometimes but I don’t ever want you to be upset like this.”
“Just Aonung and his friends. Please don’t do anything stupid.”
“Someone has to stop them.”
“Just— won’t you stay with me for a while?”
Lo’ak freezes up. He wants to hear you ask again and if the situation were different he would tease you. But there are still tears threatening to spill down your sweet face. Killing the chief’s son can wait.
Your ilu squeals unhappily as Lo’ak pulls you closer. His arms wind around your shoulders and his forehead meets yours. His bright amber irises flicker left and right as he watches your reaction.
You reach for him, feeling the lean muscle of his torso under your arms as you leave his forehead and rest against his cheek. You can smell the salt in his hair from the hours in the water. The roughness of his palms against your back. His rapid heartbeat faint between the skins of your chests.
“Next time come to me first.” He whispers, squeezing your shoulders and pulling away. “This way justice can be dealt faster. Now let’s go before mom gets mad.”
Jake:
When you and Neytiri are assigned the job of educating Jake Sulley about the Na’vi, you aren’t happy. This dreamwalker is nothing but an imbecile that Neytiri should have shot when she found him.
But over the weeks of his company, you find the charm in his ruggedness. Jake is rough around the edges. It’s pretty obvious. But he likes to please. For him, learning your ways isn’t a mission anymore. It’s his purpose.
Not because he wants to see your people moved. But because he wants to see you happy. He watches your face light up whenever he gets something right. The smile that spreads across your face brings him some clarity.
Once he realizes he’s competing smitten, he decides he can’t hide it anymore. He needs to tell the clan about what’s coming.
You’re heartbroken to say the least. He lied to you. He’d been lying to you for months. The image of your eyes glazing over with tears is burned into the synapses of his brain. It nearly kills him when you turn away and run.
It’s one disaster after another. He’s kicked out and tied up. The home tree is burned. The people perish. And then it’s all over. He defeats the unites the clans and defeats the sky people. But it all happens so fast.
Your mind whirs. You crawl along the thick vines the link the floating mountains. Seeking a little refuge and peace of mind. An ikran screeches in the distance. You slip into the trees. The ikran call is louder, closer. There’s the familiar WHOOSH of strong wings beating against the air. Jake’s echoes through the foliage. The ikran lands on the vines, squawking and squealing as Jake dismounts.
You hardly been able to speak to Jake since the war. You’re just so jarred with everything and you don’t know what to do. You sought solitude through hunting, giving to your people whatever you brought back. Your ikran had been killed in the war, shot out of the sky.
You remember the fall. The winding swallowing you up as you careened towards the jungle. Another hunter had snagged you. The force of the catch dislocating your shoulders when the talons of the ikran closed around your arms. The pain felt through the bond still resonated in your nerves. You were forced out of the fight.
Looking at Jake now, as he turns to the thicket you’re hiding in, makes the memories come back. The tears come without warning. Choking your throat and stinging your skin.
Jake knows right where you are. He hears the sniffling and choking. His hearts breaks a little more. This is his fault. He’s turned your life upside down and he doesn’t know if he can ever make it right.
“Please, come out.” Jake finds a lump in his throat. “I—“
Can’t go on without you.
Can’t breathe without out you.
You emerge from the bushes, helplessly restraining tears. Jake takes you in his arms, squeezing you so tight.
“Come for a ride with me?” He knows now is not the time to try and smooth things over. You’re too hurt and he doesn’t want to dig. “Just for a bit.”
You bury your face in the crook of his neck. His voice rumbles against your cheek. You nod and allow him to pull you towards the ikran.
The ride is quiet, you sit behind him and rest on his shoulder. His heartbeat thunders in your ear, calming your own and the tears stop all on their own.
