#afop

[crovvhaven]

Tail

[neteyamslovrr]

ASHAMED

words: 6k

summary: so'lek has had everything ripped from him, his clan, his family, the life he knew. he has sworn himself a life of vengeance until a certain avatar destroys everything he knew about himself.

contents: fem!avatar reader x so'lek, making out, slightly steamy, grief, guilt, angst, lots of shame (duh), fluff eventually

notes: okay so this is for @leonykennedy for my 4k event but i lost the goddamn ask. i really hope you guys enjoy it <3 i got decently carried away (sorry if there are any typos)

A new body. A new coat. A new skin.

An avatar.

You can’t recall the last time you spent more than a couple hours in your human body. Your real body.

It was a tough job to earn your avatar body. The RDA had become precautionary now. Considering how well it went for them last time. Scientists would have to sacrifice much to be deserving of an avatar. A sacrifice that costs more than money could buy.

Time.

5 years. 9 months and 22 days.

The longest 6 years of your life. Endlessly watching the ones who got the pleasure of being in cryosleep. Envying those who got to skip the painstakingly long trip. Each day dragging onto the next on a trip void of anything enjoyable. Stuck in a metal cage, unable to escape and never to return home.

It was heartwarming in a way. Deep down. Because she grew on the flight out. Well...you grew. The body was yours. Your DNA intertwined with the Na’vi. Creating a scientific feat almost unimaginable.

Though, that was almost 2 years ago now.

Your avatar was your own home within the Resistance. You didn’t stay in the RDA long, you couldn’t bear it. Everything felt so gut wrenchingly wrong, nothing sat well inside you, not the commands, or the goals and especially not the RDA food.

Now it had been a year with the Resistance. A year of living in rebellion. Alongside the Na’vi and Resistance members who valiantly risked their lives to destroy the RDA.

Now every time you got into your link bed, it didn’t feel like a simple task, a job to be carried out for the RDA but a way to return to what you believe was home. No matter how deluded you knew you sounded. This large blue body was meant to be yours. You sacrificed for it, you risked your life for it and you’d do anything, be anything if it meant you could leave your human body behind.

You met So’lek without ceremony. Barely a greeting.

He held no acknowledgement for you beyond the simple nod when he walked past you. Neither of you had held a conversation until a couple of months ago.

You were sitting in a small clearing outside of the cave. Resting on your hands breathing in the air. It was a feeling you could never get tired of. The fresh crisp air instantly invigorating your senses. It made you feel as if you were floating. The sounds of the trees in the wind. Their leaves crashing together creating a peaceful rhythm that nothing on your earth could replicate.

“You.” He said lowly, his presence commanding. “What are you doing?”

You looked up startled. “Huh?”

So’lek’s glare tightened. He stayed eerily still in his stance. “What are you doing?” He repeated.

“Um.” You faltered; the words jumbled in your mouth. “Sitting?”

So’lek was taller than most Na’vi. Certainly, towering over you. His body adorned with scars, telling the story of one who had survived against many odds. “You are sitting prey.”

You instantly became more alert as the words left his mouth. Sitting more rigidly, eyes darting around you. “Oh. Sorry I thought staying close to Resistance would mean less…animals.” You realized how stupid you sounded as soon as the words rolled off your tongue.

So’lek evidently thought so too as he let out a loud scoff. “Only small ones. Ones you cannot fight off.” You nodded, letting out a small sigh. Your naïve bubble popped with the sharp pin of reality.

“Should I go back inside?” Starting to get up So’lek put his hand out to halt you.

“Stay. I will sit with you.”

With some miracle, the meeting didn’t just become a moment. It became a routine.

He’d meet you in the clearing when your schedule allows it. Sometimes he’d already be there waiting for you.

Words came easily with time. Never about the past, just the quiet things that felt safe the share.  

Within those months, neither of you acknowledged the shift but it became second nature. His presence was no longer intimidating but grounding. Pulling you closer to Pandora.

Pulling you closer to him.

The night was warmer than usual. The humidity grossly sticking to your blue skin.

Yet that wasn’t what had you so flushed.

So’lek was sitting closer to you than he ever before. You weren’t quite touching, not yet. He was just close enough that every time he shifted his skin would graze yours for just a second. A second long enough to send the heat right up to your face.

You watched him silently, the way he rested on his hands. His eyes facing up towards the night sky. The stars shining onto his face. He was so…beautiful. Every part of him had been crafted with precision, and the scars that had formed on him told a silent story of his path.

He glanced at you, eyes shifting. “Do you ever stop staring?”

You jolted in embarrassment, face grimacing. “Sorry.” You responded tight-lipped, ashamed you had been caught so blatantly.

So’lek let out a breathy chuckle, turning his head towards you now. His arm shifting, close enough now that it rested behind your back, your side pressed to his.

Your ears flicked back in surprise. The contact sending a small, electric shivers down your spine.

His gaze was locked onto you, watching you intensely. He waited to see if you would retreat, run away from his touch.

But you didn’t.

“You are stiff.” His words were smooth, his head tilted down, lips brushing against the tops of your flushed ears.

You let out an exhale, your eyes fluttering shut.

Slowly, gently, his hand lifted from behind you, settling on your waist. His fingers rough and calloused, tickling your soft skin. “So’lek…” You murmured, mouth slightly agape.

He inhaled quickly hearing the way his name mewled off your tongue. His hand flexing, grasping onto your waist tighter, pulling you close enough that your chest was flush against him. “You make this so difficult.” His voice was rough, as if the words were strained in his throat.

His tail flicked erratically behind him. Fighting the control slowly fleeting within him.

“What do I make difficult?” Your voice was trembling, eyes gazing into the ones he had screwed shut. “Tell me.” Your hands travelled up his vest, resting on the collar. “Please.”

He let out a small growl, chest heaving, his hands tight, forehead falling onto yours, fighting the last bit of self-restraint he had left. “You don’t understand what you do to me.”

“Then make me understand.”

That was all it took. The push for him to unravel in front of you. Both hands were on your waist, drawing you onto his lap. Even in this large avatar body you were still dwarfed by him. His body wide enough that when he sat you down on top of him, your hips stretched to wrap around him.

His breath was ragged. Head tilted down. He couldn’t help but admire the view that was straddled over him. “You will never understand” His words paused as his hands travelled further down, following the curvature of your frame. Letting a strangled growl out of his throat. “This feeling.”

His head slowly dipped down into the curve of your collarbone. He was controlled, his body stiff.

“Show me then.” Your breath was ragged, almost a pant as his lips tickled your skin. “If you can’t tell me, show me.”

So’lek’s lips crashed onto your neck, tongue gliding the stripes of your skin. He couldn’t contain himself any longer. This restless, gnawing urge that grew from the pits of his stomach ever since he first sat with you.

He hated himself for it. Letting himself get so carried away, especially to the likes of a tawtute [sky person]. But Eywa you were so irresistible, so smooth and soft. Skin untouched by the hands of fate. No, it was only his hands that have touched this body.

 His hands that moved from your back to your front, gliding up your stomach into the curves of your chest. His hands that grazed the sensitive spots of flesh. His hands that made you react so loudly.

You groaned in his ear. The sound sending tingles up his spine. Arms wrapping loosely around his neck. “So’lek- Please.”

His head lifted from your neck, lips parted and eyes clouded with lust. “Mm?” His voice rumbled in his throat gazing at the sight before him. “Please what?”

You panted pulling him closer to you, but your efforts were useless. He was strong, unmoving. His broad torso pushing against the tug of your slender arms. “Use your words.”

You let out a shudder, a soft mewl escaping your mouth. “You’re teasing me.”

So’lek smirked as your lips transformed into a pout. “Mhm…” His finger runs up from your sternum to your chin, tilting your head up, making your lips so easily accessible.

“Kiss me.” You pleaded, chest heaving.

So’lek didn’t waste time. The world around you coming to a halt as your lips met, leaving only the warmth between them. There was no calm or tenderness. It was raw and dominant. His hands pulling you in tightly, unable to escape the grip of his kiss.

Not that you intended to.

His lips latched onto your bottom one. Sucking it tightly enough for it to sting. But It stung so good. You let out a whimper as he released your swollen lips. But it just spurred him on.

He came back down onto your lips, crashing them together. If you thought he was noisy before he was blaring now. With every movement and meld he growled into your mouth, his fangs grazing your lips just enough for it to be present.

You were both intertwined, moving together as one. The sounds from your lips kept him raging on. Hands roaming each other’s skin, testing the boundaries that you both ignored tonight.  

So’lek was convinced nothing could break him out of the cage of your kiss. Your lips melded together like puzzle pieces. Latched together and locked with a key.

That was until your hands grasped onto the key.

His kuru.

It was a mindless action, just lustful hands roaming. But it became something catastrophic.

Every muscle in So’lek’s body went rigid. His breath hitching sharply as if you had struck him right in the heart. His lips broke away from yours, hands falling off your body as if they burnt.

How could he let it get this far. Setting his body upon this false skin. Letting his urges control him.

He looked down at you perched on his lap. His face grim and disgusted, eyebrows furrowing into a scowl.

You freeze, unable to react at the scene playing in front of you. Hands falling from the grasp of his kuru, falling limp at your sides.

“No.” He shook his head, voice hoarse.

Your mouth opened to respond to him, but he interrupted you before you could say something.

His hands, burning and shaking lifted you off his lap. Discarding you like trash next to him. He couldn’t look at you; his head wasn’t even turned your way.

You couldn’t help the emotions bubble in your chest, tears brimming your eyes. What had you done? Why within moments had you become a figure so horrid and unpleasant that you couldn’t even be gazed upon.

“So’lek, what happened?”

He swiftly stood up, his expression firm and disgusted. “This is wrong.” The venomous words burned his throat, an accusatory finger pointed directly at you, shaking with regret. “I should not have touched you. I should not have played into your fantasies.”

Your chest ached. A scoff escaping your throat. “My fantasies?”

“Yes.” He snapped. His voice was sharp as he spun to look at you. And just for a moment as he saw you sitting on the floor disheveled with tears threatening to spill, his gaze softened but he turned away. “Your demon fantasies. You wear a false skin and convince yourself you belong here. I should not have let you indulge into your human delirium.”

You turned away now, a whimper leaving your throat. This one wasn’t soft, the rhythmic mewls he made you let out moments before. No. This one was shrouded in darkness, raw and gut-wrenching.

“So this was a mistake?”

There was a long break between you. The world was no longer silent anymore. It was deafening.

“Yes.”

The lie that rolled off his tongue sat heavy between you.

Before you could respond he was gone. Disappearing into the forest. Leaving only the marks of his touch burning on your skin.

Hopelessly in denial you went to the clearing the next night. And the night after that.

You waited for him. Wishing that he would come and sit with you like he had before. But you knew he wasn’t going to do that.

Maybe he was right. Human delirium.

You rarely saw him in Resistance, and if you did, he would be gone within seconds. Putting all his efforts into pretending you didn’t exist. There were no more quiet conversations or lingering glances.

It was as if the months you both had spent building just a fragment of something real had never existed.

But your body remembered. Your skin ached in his absence.

And every night, as you left your link, and caught your reflection, you understood what he saw.

The air was different within the Resistance now. Everyone had noticed how off the two of you were. But no one dared to comment on it. Not when So’lek was acting so unlike himself.

Yes, he was a man committed to his mission but was rarely at Resistance anymore. Spending less time working with the other instead riding solo, searching through his rosters to hunt down any unlucky name that appeared on his list.

It had been almost a month since that night. And you were growing sick of the avoidance. You were rotting from the inside out. Unable to look at yourself.

How long had you convinced yourself you could become one of them? How delusional and crazy did you look to him?

Every time you catch your reflection you stop and stare. You didn’t recognize your human self any longer, but your avatar no longer felt safe. Every waking moment in that body you felt as if your skin crawled with the ghosts of his touch. The reminiscence of his touches still grazing along your skin and scarring your heart.

And yet, you still didn’t realize what you had done wrong. Each night you were kept awake, replaying the scene in your head. What did you do to make him lash out so instantaneously?

It was a question you had grown tired of being unanswered.

“Teylan!” You called out to him as he sat in a cushioned seat of Resistance beside the other humans lockers.

Teylan was someone you always found peace with. He was a talkative boy yet, he always knew when to listen. You found it an admirable strength of his.

“Oh! Hi! Is something the matter?” He looked up from the touch pad in his hands, resting it in his lap.

“Do you know where So’lek left to today? I need to speak to him.” You spoke as if you had run a marathon, yet it was only the nerves stealing your breath away.

“Hmmm…he said something about the Bloom of echoes, but I am not too sure.” You smiled

“Thankyou Teylan!” You ran off already trying to find Anqa to convince you to give you a lift to the upper plains.

The sight was nothing you would have ever expected. A purple hue caressing the area, glowing tendrils cascading from the large bloom on the rocky ceiling. Bioluminescent foliage that changes colour with each light-footed step.

The wind whistled through out the rocky formation, the breeze thick with the song of history. With every step your heart thumped in your chest, nerves wracking within your bones frightened of what may come.

Your eyes lit up as you saw him. He was knelt on the glowing grass, head bowed down, one hand bracing himself on the earth, the other holding onto the tendril his kuru was connected to. His shoulders were hunched, his posture stripped of the rigidity you often saw him with.

You froze in your place as his head tilted up, gripping tighter onto the tendril above him. You crouched down behind him, hiding within the cover of a large bush far from where he was kneeling.

You knew you should’ve turned back. Not invaded the privacy of his prayers. But you couldn’t get your body to move.

“Forgive me.” His spoke in a low murmur. “For I fear I have chosen the wrong path.” The words left his lips with pain, as if they were opening a scabbed wound.

“I carry the guilt of surviving. I carry that with me every day. And I wonder why I was the one to survive.” His head bowed down. “My clan, my family. Their blood has soaked the soil…and for a careless moment I fear I may have forgotten who spilled it.”

The tendrils pulsed brighter, the glowing green grass below him moving with his words.

“I have opened my heart to someone who I swore never to love. And in doing so, I have forgotten the journey that I have been set on.”

Your heart lurched in your chest, gripping tightly onto the bush in front of you.

“She wears our skin. You know of the creatures their kind has created. The one of Toruk Makto.” His breath shuddered. “She wears it so much I forget what she is inside. The tawtute inside of her. The same tawtute that has slain my clan. The same tawtute that has left me here alone.”

You shakily look down at your hands and though there is no blood you cannot help but feel dirty.

“And still, I yearn for her.”

A long silence followed, So’lek’s body trembling slightly.

“I laid my hands upon her false skin and felt nothing but peace.” His voice wavered. “Peace…that I do not deserve. Not when it comes to the people that took everything from me. Not when I carry the lives of the fallen on my shoulders.”

Your eyes were blown, hands shaking as you came to a devastating realization. He was ashamed. It boiled within him from the inside out. Your body- No. This avatar revolted him. It wasn’t yours; you have fooled yourself into thinking you belonged in this skin.

So’lek was never going to be yours. That was just a fantasy.

You turned away quietly stepping out of the bush. You had to leave; you had to run. You couldn’t stand to be there anymore. You didn’t deserve to be in this sacred place not while your presence would utterly disgust the man who has occupied your thoughts for months.

As soon as you escape between a crack in the rocks you run. You run until your feet can take it no longer. Muscles burned within your skin, your chest heaved as a loud sob erupted from your body. Collapsing you to the ground.

This planet was meant to be your escape. You thought that your sacrifices, the lost time could warrant you deserving of a fresh chance. And yet you had found yourself in another prison.

Solek was still in the same position, now his breath was shallower, his head hung low as he gripped onto the grass trying to cement himself from losing himself.

“I cannot solely blame her for the sins of her kind.” He continued. “But I cannot live with myself knowing I have betrayed my people. That I have betrayed them by wanting her with every fiber of my being.”

He bowed down completely now, his forehead resting against the soft grass. “I can bear the ache of her hating me, I can bear the hurt of her distance.” The tendrils started to dim.

“Please. I know of your powers Eywa and the path you have chosen for me. Please guide me.” His words break in a sob “Take this feeling from me. Take it away, because I am not strong enough to carry both my grief and the weight of her heart.”

Only silence answered him, the grasses glow fading beneath him. The winds no longer sing in harmony. Only an offkey tune.

He ripped his kuru off the tendril, slamming his hand on the ground.

So’lek was a powerful man and bowing here in front of the evidence of a failed prayer. He felt completely powerless.

So’lek immediately noticed your distance. Yes, he had been deliberately and painfully avoiding you but you entire demeanor had diminished. You didn’t linger with Priya or Anqa anymore. You rarely spoke to any of the Sarentu. And if he happened to catch a glimpse of you on a rare occasion, it broke his heart even more.

He expected you to hate him. Shit. He wanted you to hate him, he wanted you to be furious. To give him the punishment he deserved for being so careless. But you showed no signs of anger.

Your eyes were devoid of happiness. Your mind absent. You moved like a ghost.

He knew he was being a hypocrite. That he was allowed to avoid you, but you weren’t allowed to avoid him. But nothing he had felt these past months had made any sense at all.

He started to get extremely worried when he overheard Alma’s conversations. She talked about the instability of your link bed, urging you to stop using it for just a moment. That your human body was becoming weak and sick. Her words struck him one day, urging him to do something.

“If you stay in a link too long, your human body will not recover from this. You are one link away from never waking up. In either body.”

The world shrinked around him.

So’lek had lost too many already.

He could survive losing your love, he believed he had made peace with that. But your presence? Your existence? That was something he could not endure.

Luckily you were extremely easy to find. You never covered your tracks in the forest, and you could only travel on foot. It made So’lek worry even more. You shouldn’t be alone in this forest, not if he wasn’t there to protect you.

It was how he fell in love with you in the first place. Sitting by you, keeping alert making sure you didn’t get yourself naively killed.

He spotted you sitting on the edge of the riverbed, dipping your toes into the clear water. You were sitting just as he had found you for the first time. Resting on your hands as your face was tilted up to the beaming sun, breathing in the crisp air.

“It is dangerous out here.” So’lek said softly, his voice a low hum, waking you from your trance.

“I know.” You paused, not bothering to turn around. You knew exactly who had come to find you. “I’m fine here.”

“You are not.” His steps were careful, worried he may scare you off. The lack of reply grew into an eerie silence, stretching between you. “Talk to me.” He murmured. It wasn’t a command…but a plea.

You let out a hollow laugh, rolling your eyes. “That’s rich.”

So’lek’s frame stiffened. He should have expected the hostility and yet it still made an ache grow within him. “What is wrong?”

You turned around frantically, your eyes glassy and wide. Bewildered by the audacity of his question.

“What’s wrong? Are you serious?” Your words echoed against the forest shaking your head in disbelief. “You pushed me off like I was something filthy. You won’t look at me. You act as if I have branded your skin with my touch, and then you pray-- because you must be cleansed of me.”

Your voice cracked, the tears slipping from your eyes. You turned quickly to make sure he didn’t see you break in front of him.

“Are you ashamed of me?”

The words hit him like a blade driven straight into his heart.

“What?” It was so quiet, his voice barely carried.

Ashamed.

No. He was never ashamed of you. It was never you.

“You are” you continued, tears staining your cheeks. “Of this disgusting skin I wear and call my own. Of what I am underneath it. I disgust you so much you haven’t looked at me in weeks.”

“No,” the words tumbled out of his mouth immediately “That is not-”

“Then what is it So’lek?” You turned to face him now, despite the growing tremor in your legs. “Stop lying to yourself.”

“I am ashamed.” His words were slow, carefully treading on a tightrope. “But not of you.”

You shook your head in disbelief. “Then of what?”

“Myself.”

You face morphed into confusion,

“I have a mission. A mission of vengeance.” He continued. “I cannot forget what was taken from me. Who took it from me.” Your expression faltered. “And yet when I am with you…that vengeance goes away.”

He takes a deep breath, desperately trying to ground himself. “And it frightens me” he admitted “Because it feels I am betraying the fallen.”

Your breath hitched head hanging low. “So…I remind you of the people that killed your family?”

“No.” he snapped, sharper than he intended to. Immediately softening as he witnessed the shock in your face. “You remind me that I’m still here…”

A long silence followed. So’lek looking at you, waiting, begging for you to say something.

“Which is it then? Am I your peace or shame?” You waited for him to answer, his eyes dropping down to the ground as you watched him go to say something but the words never came.

 “God.” You breathed “I knew it.”

You stepped away from him, your body swaying uncomfortable. Your balance almost toppling.

So’lek reached for you, Alma’s words ringing in his head. But you swatted his hand away, pushing past him. The rejection stung more than the slap, watching you walk away realizing how horribly he fucked up.

“I never meant to hurt you.” The words came out like glass, sharp and painful. Halting you in your track. “I was-” The words bubbled in his throat hand reaching out to you. “I was afraid.”

You swayed more in your spot. Feet tumbling in front of you. The leaves crunching loudly below your feet. The colour started to drain from your face. “So’lek-” the words slurred in your mouth.

You felt your body start to go numb, your legs wobbling as they grew weak below you. Panic started to set in as a daunting feel grew.

“What? What is it?” So’lek’s arms brace you, hands tight around your shoulders.

“Something is wrong.” You murmured as you faded in and out of your consciousness, the numbness spreading throughout your body eyelids fighting to stay open.

“It’s okay.” His words were calm, but inside he was panicking. Ears stuck to his head, his hands shaking as they grasped you. His arms surging to catch you as your knees buckled, your consciousness leaving the avatar body. “Hey- no. Wake up…wake up!” He bent down hands trembling as he carried you in his arms calling for his ikran.

He needed to get back to you. Back to the other you.

So’lek held your body in his arms pushing through resistance to the human quarters. The airlock couldn’t have taken any longer. His foot twitched, thumping on the cool metal floors.

The doors hissed open and So’lek rushed out, only to be brought to a halt immediately.

The air felt wrong, stale and stuffy. It burned with every ragged inhale. The commotion grew around the link beds. All the tiny humans frantically ran around, the space blaring with alarms.

Even with all the commotion the world felt empty. He drew closer to the bed, glassy eyes and furrowed brows decorated his face. He had felt this helplessness before, 16 years ago. And as it came back up it reopened all his wounds, letting him bleed from the inside out.

So’lek saw Ri’nela and Teylan rush over to grab you off him. He didn’t want to let go, he was afraid, afraid of what may happen if he can’t protect you in his arms. But it was Ri’nela’s words that broke him out of his daze.

“She is not here So’lek…she is there.”

There.

So’lek’s body felt cold as he saw you. Your human body that laid impossibly small and still on the bed. So fragile and breakable.

Humans surrounded you, their voices frantic, yet sharp with urgency. Wires and tubes snaked in and out of your body. The blaring machines blinked and hummed, the fluorescent lights above reflecting off your skin, so devoid of any vibrance. So different to the glowing blue form he knew.

This was you. At your weakest point. So’lek couldn’t help but blame himself, that he had driven you to neglect your own self to such an extent.

You had no tail, no sharp fangs or beautiful large eyes. You were just skin and bones, purple bruises blotching beneath the surface of your thin skin.

His chest seized painfully, inching closer to try and get a closer look at the woman in front of him.

Someone spoke to him, the words drowned out by the deafening silence in his mind.

“Her body couldn’t handle the brain overload of the link. She’s gotten an intracranial hemorrhage. We need to stabilize her, reduce the swelling in her brain-”

“We cannot perform brain surgery here!” Another human interrupted

The words dissolved into noise; there was too many English words for So’lek to understand them all. He saw the helpless looks on the humans faces that surrounded you.

“This is her?” So’lek asked his voice breaking through the thunderous conversations like a bolt of lightning.

Alma looked towards So’lek, her ears flat and brows furrowed. “She is weak. She isn’t stabilizing…”

So’lek shook his head crouching next to your bed, his hand coming to cradle your face. Your head fitting into the palm of his hand. Your chest rose and fell shallowly. Each breath looked as if it were painful.

“Why are your sky medicines not working? You must do something” He paused taking a trembling breath. “You have to do something!”

“We do not have the means to. She requires surgery…her brain is bleeding So’lek. There isn’t much we can do.”

“So, you are giving up?!” So’lek snapped his hands trembling and quaking as they grazed over your weak form. “There must be something! Let there be something.”

So’lek bowed down his massive head dropping delicately onto your forehead “Do not leave me…please…I can’t- I can’t lose you too.” So’lek could feel his throat begin to close, air getting tight as he tried to calm down his breaths.

“There is something,” Ri’nela stood nervously behind him. “But it is dangerous.”

So’lek looked up to her immediately.

 “We can ask Eywa to transfer her consciousness…But if it fails-”

“She will die.” So’lek was somber, looking down at your frail form, your breaths so shallow it barely looked like you were breathing at all.

 “If we do nothing” So’lek said hoarsely “She dies anyway.”

The Bloom of Echoes shined at night. The rocks inside lighting up with bioluminescence, the grass beating with the breaths of the words. So’lek held your human body in his arms, it was so small, so weak. He was frightened if he moved himself to fast that he would crush you.

“So’lek…put her down.” Ri’nela ushered to a spot in front of her. Right in the middle of the bloom. Where the wind whistled the loudest, the bioluminescent thumbed surrounded her.

Her kuru was connected to the roots in the soil, breathing in and out, feeling the powers of the earth below her.

So’lek was gentle with both of your bodies, laying them gently onto soil. His hands came to rest on your unconscious face, hand so big, it cradled your head. “Be strong little one.” He murmured connecting his kuru to the soil below.

Ri’nela moved to connect your avatars kuru to the soil. Humming a loud prayer as the winds shifted. The tendrils of the bloom, starting to flicker, growing brighter and brighter.

The world from below started to grow onto your human form, covering you in thin white thread-like roots that found home on your skin. Ri’nela’s hands laid out over the body her hands sweeping towards the avatar.

So’lek’s head dipped down resting on the avatar’s body.

Your body.

It no longer mattered to him what form held your soul, only that you did.

He listened closely to your chest, praying to Eywa that she sensed his desperation, that his prayer before was found in a shroud of darkness and grief.

The tendrils shun a light, brighter than ever seen before. Illuminating the area as if the sunlight had directly beamed over your bodies.

Your human body let out a long exhale, weak and painful. So’lek’s eyes darted towards you. “What is happening?”

Ri’nela shook her head, her body convulsing was the lights of the tendrils started to flash erratically. So’lek bowed his head over the Avatar body, gripping onto your sides harshly “Come back to me.” He growled, panic ripping through him.

Then.

Your finger twitched.

A sharp inhale tore through your blue chest. So’lek’s head flew up violently, praying that he did not make up what he thought he heard.

Your eyes flew open.

“So’lek!” you gasped loudly.

He was cradling you instantly, large hands coming to support you. Running over your body grounding you back to the soil. You relaxed with his touches. They were warm, solid, real.

“I am here.” He hushed shaking hands coming to cradle your cheek. “You are here”

Your vision started to focus. You looked up at So’lek and down at your hands.

Your blue hands.

Your blue body.

You sucked in a sharp breath, tears rushing to your eyes as reality hit you all at once. You had woken up in this body many times before. But this felt different. There was no tug of another body waiting for you.

No.

This was you.

“I was so afraid.” You whisper out, the words are crushing as you look up at So’lek.

“I know” he whispers back, crouching next to you, his hands never leaving your body. “I was afraid too.” His eyes burned fighting back the emotions threatening to spill from his eyes.

You went to talk but the silence spoke enough. It was warm and comforting, wrapping around you both. Your body moved quickly, pulling his large one into a tight embrace. And for once he didn’t have to fight the voices inside of him.

Because with you all he felt was peace.

So’lek’s hands enveloped your body pulling it tightly into his embrace. Your breaths synced together as you finally accepted each other with no woes and sadness.

“I see you.” His voice was quiet, forehead resting against yours. “I see you now…I pray you forgive me for being so blind.”

You shook your head, nuzzling against him. “I see you.” The weight of the words lifted off your chests. Allowing in only the joy of being loved.

This time when his head dipped down to kiss you it was not ravenous. It was calm, lips moving as if it they were always meant to be there. There was no fever in his movements, no they were careful and precise.

Because when his lips melted into yours, he wasn’t desperately searching for an answer.

He was certain he had found it.

a/n: AHH okay i really hope this was good <33 i cant remember the last time i wrote something over 2k words LMAO but im definitely proud of this.

please leave an ask, comment, reblog i love to talk to u guys and i appreciate all of the love sm. okey byeebyee

[pandoraslxna]

Before and After

So’lek x female sarentu reader

Words: 7.1k

Summary: Many men come with courting gifts and practiced words, hoping to win your favor, but they are all empty. None of them stay long either. The ones you allow into your presence never return twice. And So’lek watches, with a tight jaw, and wonders why you keep doing this to yourself.

Warnings: explicit smut, idiots in love, fluff, grumpy x sunshine, teacher/student, misunderstanding, argument, mentions of alcohol/ being drunk, age gap (So‘lek is around 40, reader is in her mid twenties), jealousy, possessiveness, flirting, sexual tension, reader has one night stands, mating rituals (biting, courting gifts), oral (f receiving), praise, p in v

Note: credit for the picture on the left goes to @cybercore_angel on x

So far, So‘leks life was a long series of befores and afters.

There was the time before he had joined the Aranahe clan, before the war had ground the forests into ash and memory. Even before that, long before the Trr’ong had answered Toruk Maktos call at the Hallelujah Mountains, when the world had still felt balanced, comprehensible and young.

So‘lek had been happier before. Lighter, too. Before the world taught him how much it could take and still ask for more. Before he‘d known nothing but loss and anger.

And then there was the after. After the anger that had hollowed him out. After he had become what the people called the Dog Tag Warrior, driven by revenge. After he had helped free the remaining Sarentu from their never-ending sleep. After he had taken one of them under his wing, shown her the ways of the People, taught her everything she now knew.

He had been smarter before, hadn’t he?

But this was after that time, after the days when you had followed at his heel, wide-eyed and curious, absorbing every word as law.

You had been a naive young thing back then. Still kind of are.

Too quick to smile, too ready to believe the best in everyone you met. Where So’lek speaks in silence and measured glances, you fill the space with questions, laughter, and this unshakable warmth that seems entirely misplaced in a world that had taken so much from you. He did not know such thing was even possible. You trusted so easily, learned fiercely, and carried hope as though it were as natural as breathing. To you, it was.

So’lek, by contrast, is all edges and restraint. A man of fewer words, but many scowls and even more discipline. Where you rushed head first into danger, he lingered, calculated, held you back by the tail if he had to. He taught you how to walk on this soil, how to listen for danger, how to survive.

And you taught him, perhaps without ever meaning to, that the world still allowed for light, even the darkest of times.

So‘lek had told himself that teaching you was his duty. That this was the path that the great mother had chosen for him, to make up for all the lives he had taken, for eywas laws that he had broken. He’s told himself that you were simply his numeyu [student] and nothing more. And perhaps that had been true, once.

But that, too, belonged to the before.

And suddenly, so quickly he almost missed the moment where time stopped, there was only the now.

Kneeling beside Ìley, So’lek’s hands were steady as they worked a salve of crushed leaves onto his leathery skin. His ikran gave a gentle nudge that was still strong enough to momentarily take him off balance, before it purred it‘s approval.

"Tam tam, Ìley", So‘lek cooed, patting its strong neck. "Feels good, does it?"

Routines like this always grounded him. They calmed his mind and gave him a sense of peace. Especially when life was getting busier than usual.

The Windtraders had arrived at the Aranahe hometree the day before and since then, the clearing had been alive with music, movement and color, woven fabrics bright as dawn, shells that caught the light, feathers and animal hide dyed in hues too vivid to belong to the forest.

Voices overlapped in easy laughter and loud bargaining. The exchange of goods and stories flowed in a rhythm older than his earliest memory of home.

But So’lek barely sees any of it.

His gaze lifted only briefly, sweeping over the gathered crowd out of habit rather than interest. Nothing that happened required his attention. Nothing, except for…

"You should come with us next time, there are many more pretty shells where these came from."

It’s the sound of laughter that follows which he would recognize even with his eyes closed and his head pushed beneath water.

It cuts through the noise with infuriating ease, as if calling for his immediate attention.

So’lek stills. Careful not to make it obvious, he lets his eyes wander in a subtle glance over his shoulder. His gaze finds you without effort. It always does.

Two Tlalim men stand far too close to you for his liking, their skin marked with orange and white paint, their voices smooth with practiced charm.

One of them offers you a string of shells, clearly made by the skilled hands of Metkayina, polished to a soft sheen that catches the light perfectly. The other laughs at something you say, as if you have shared a private joke. You accept the gift with both hands, cheeks warming and more laughter spilling free.

So’lek exhales sharply through his nose.

A shell? Why would you be impressed by a shell? It costs little effort, no real sacrifice. Anyone with access to the coast can bring one. This small, almost pathetic, gesture should not deserve the attention you give them.

But that’s the thing with you and men.

You’re always looking for love, for attention, for validation. Partially out of neediness, but also out of an open-heartedness that never learned to close itself. You give your warmth freely, assuming it will be met with the same sincerity.

So’lek thinks you are easy to please, but the thought carries no cruelty with it. It is not a flaw so much as an innocence you have never been forced to shed. You just don’t yet see how little it takes for others to earn your smile, how easily kind words and small offerings can sway you. You accept them as genuine because you have no reason to doubt them, because you believe people mean what they say. Because you are grateful for these mere crumbs that the men are giving you.

You just don’t know it any better.

Many men come with courting gifts and practiced words, hoping to win your favor, but they are all empty. None of them stay long. And the ones you allow into your presence never return twice. So’lek watches, with his jaw tightening, and wonders why you keep doing this to yourself.

These men are fools, clumsy and shortsighted.

The Tlalim men in particular are unremarkable.

They are too loud, too confident and too eager in the way of men who mistake friendliness for invitation. None of them are worthy of your attention, let alone your presence. They have not earned it, he thinks bitterly.

And yet, you allow it. That is what needles at him most. It is infuriating. It is sickening.

But So’lek only turns away, forcing his attention back to ìley, before he can witness any more of this madness.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

The low glow of embers paint familiar faces in shifting orange and gold.

The people have gathered around the communal fire, sharing the tender meat from one of his recent kills. The fire fills the air with delicious scents of roasted meat and warmth.

Teylan sits beside him and Priya, legs tucked in too close, voice already in motion before the food has even been passed.

The boy talks and talks and talks.

About things So’lek does not understand and things he understands well enough, but still chooses not to bring himself into the conversation.

His words tumble over one another, but So’lek is only listening with half an ear.

Teylan is also seeking validation, he knows that much, but not in the way his sister does. Teylan’s need is loud and insistent. Like a child tugging at his mother’s loincloth, demanding to be seen, to be praised, to be told he is doing something right. There is no subtlety to it, but So‘lek has learned to handle it. It is entirely different from…

So’lek’s thoughts falter.

Without intent, his gaze drifts across the fire, and his face softens ever so slightly when he spots you. You’re sitting opposite him, your posture relaxed, with the firelight dancing across your beautiful features. But the sight next to you is less pretty and makes his face return to frown.

It’s Tarséy. A young Aranahe warrior. Broad-shouldered, quick to grin, quicker still to speak. An empty-headed idiot, if one were to ask So’lek, with a face only a mother could love.

Everybody knew that Tarséy‘s mouth ran faster than his thoughts, and neither knew the path.

So’lek does not know what you see in him, but he watches anyways. It’s not like he could look away now that he’s spotted you with him.

Shoulder to shoulder you sit with him, close enough that your arms brush when you move. Then Tarséy leans in, says something meant only for your ears and you laugh, soft and breathy, before ducking your head, cheeks warming as you whisper something back into his ear. Tarséy grins like he’s won something and So’lek’s jaw tightens.

You look at ease. Comfortable. And it makes his teeth grind audibly.

Then, to his sheer horror, you suddenly raise to your feet in one swift motion and tug the warrior to his feet with a laugh. Your arms curl around Tarséy’s biceps and he stumbles a little, pleasantly surprised at your eagerness and follows without hesitation. The two of you disappear into the shadows beyond the firelight, voices fading, your little giggles trailing behind you like an echo So’lek cannot escape.

The sight burns. Hot and sharp beneath his skin, an ache he does not allow himself to name.

Still, he does nothing.

If this is the male you choose to spend your time with, then that is your right. He tells himself this with the same discipline he applies to every unwanted thought. He has no claim over you. Whatever he feels is irrelevant, and he will not shame you by interfering where he does not belong.

"I will go," So’lek says quietly, the words offered to Priya and Teylan without explanation. No one stops him, but their faces tell him otherwise.

Still, he rises, turning his back to the fire, to the laughter, to the space you had left behind. And instead of following the path you took, he disappears into the forest in the opposite direction, letting the dark swallow him whole.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

There was a time, before, when So’lek was particularly annoyed at your strange little antics.

You were a whirlwind then, and perhaps you still are. A walking ray of sunshine that was always smiling, always laughing, always finding connection and so very impossible to ignore.

Even more impossible to contain.

Training you was no small matter. It had cost a man his age more than one sleepless night. You simply leapt into action without hesitation, without pause to consider consequence.

You had him tense, on edge, with his heart hammering in his chest even long after the sun had set, worrying for his numeyu [student] that was so oblivious to it all.

Somehow, you carried on with the sort of blissful ignorance that would have been admirable if it weren’t so infuriating. Every morning you had greeted him with the same wide-eyed grin, that same reckless bravery as you wagged your tail and followed him around wherever he went, peppering him with questions and talking about whatever came to mind.

Really, So’lek sometimes thought, if it weren’t for your stubborn charm, he might have throttled you by now. Instead, he just bit back a grin and rolled his eyes so hard he feared it would cause a permanent injury.

Even now, watching you with others, Tarséy or any fool who had managed to capture your attention for the day, So’lek feels that old tug. That irritation, the irrational worry and silent, unspoken fear threaded beneath his stoic exterior. You had always been too much, too bright. His little sunshine. And So‘lek has always carried the weight of ensuring that your own brightness did not burn you.

The Aranahe feast comes with ceremony, swelling naturally as night settles over the forest. It is meant as a farewell to the Tlalim clan that was already overdo to continue their travels.

Music was rising with the smoke of fire, laughter spilling freely as drums and voices find their rhythm. Lanterns sway in the branches overhead, casting warm light over painted faces and moving bodies. The air hums with song, with the sharp sweetness of fermented fruit drinks and unrestrained joy.

So’lek does not enjoy gatherings like this.

There are too many bodies and too much noise pressing in at once. It makes him feel out of place, so he stands stiff at the edge at first, shoulders tight. Someone claps him on the shoulder in passing and then another calls his name in greeting. A fleeting conversation here and there was all he could muster, but then Ri’nela appears long enough to shoot him a look that leaves no room for refusal, and so he’s forced to stay a little longer.

Eventually, though, the noise becomes too much.

So’lek withdraws to the outer ring of the gathering and lowers himself onto a fallen root, back against the tree. From there, he can still see without being seen. Hear without being forced to listen.

Lifting a carved cup to his mouth, he takes a slow sip of swoa [liquor, alcohol]. It burns faintly on his tongue, leaving a warm taste in his mouth.

"There you are, chicken."

The sound of your voice makes him straighten despite himself. He glances up, and there you stand. The firelight catches on the loincloth he recognizes immediately, the one you had been working on days ago with stubborn focus and a tongue caught between your teeth. The colors are rich and warm, stitched with careful, uneven patterns that make it unmistakably yours.

You look… stunning.

So’lek smiles fondly before he can stop himself, but your eyes do not quite meet his. Not fully.

"What are you doing here, moping around all alone?" you ask. Your words suggest teasing, but your tone is flat and dulled around the edges. Your usual bite is missing and the soft little giggle whenever you called him chicken, whatever this word meant, was nowhere to be found either.

So‘leks smile falters into a faint frown just as you drop down beside him, close enough that your shoulder brushes his arm. It’s an innocent touch, but he shuffles away as if it burnt him. Opening his mouth to answer, he closes it just as quickly when you’re a little too eager to take the cup straight from his hand. You tip it back and take a long, unwise gulp.

So’lek blinks and his brows lift.

"Sarentu," he starts, already reaching for the cup, "this is very strong. You should not—"

"Urgh, So’lek, please!" you snap, clearly frustrated as you clutch the cup to your chest. Your words slur just enough to make him realize that this probably wasn’t your first drink of the night. "Give me that. I can decide what is too strong for me and what not."

This mood does not belong to you. Not to his sunshine, and he studies your face carefully now.

Softly, carefully, he dares to ask, "Where is Tarséy? I thought you were…"

"Tarséy can fuck himself."

So’lek makes a face as he cringes from your foul mouth. He has heard worse on battlefields, and from other warriors, but never from you. Never like this.

He lowers his voice. "That is not how you speak."

You laugh, the sound short, bitter and nothing like yourself. "Oh? Is there a rule for that too?"

His jaw tightens, but then he forces himself to breathe.

"Tell me what happened."

You stare at the drink in your hand for a moment too long, then wipe your nose with the back of your hand and scoff. "Nothing. He just got what he wanted," you say flatly and shrug. "And then he left. Just like the others."

The words sit between you and him, heavy and ugly. They make something in his chest starting to hurt.

So’lek’s hands tighten into fists. "Then why," he asks, unable to keep the edge from his voice, "If all they do is disappoint you, why do you keep giving these skxawngs [idiots] your time? Your…," he wanted to say your body, but doesn’t finish that sentence. There’s no need to, anyways.

You turn on him then, eyes flashing. "Don’t," you snap. "Don’t talk to me like that."

"I am only trying to understand you," he says, frustration bleeding through despite himself.

"No, you’re not," you shoot back, slurring a little. "You’re judging me, talking to me like I’m a child. You always do that!"

"That’s not—"

"I‘m not stupid, So‘lek." You take another sip from his drink.

The swoa has loosened your tongue, tangled your thoughts and is now turning hurt into anger. So’lek can see it, he knows this pain all too well and still, something in him snaps.

"No, you are not stupid, Sarentu. But you are naive," he says sharply. Too sharply. "A foolish girl who believes words too easily. These men are blunt, dull as an unsharpened blade, and you let them in simply for smiling at you!"

The moment the words leave his mouth, So‘lek regrets them deeply.

Your face goes still. Hurt flickers there, raw and exposed, before it hardens into something colder.

"I knew it…" you whisper, turning away from him.

"That is— That is not what I meant," he tries, but the damage is already done.

"Oh, don’t worry, So’lek. I know exactly what you meant."

Silence stretches for an unbearable long moment. The music from the festival feels distant now, muffled and irrelevant.

So’lek exhales, slow and controlled, and then he pushes himself to his feet. "You are drunk," he says, voice flat. "And this conversation will lead nowhere."

He does not wait for you to reply.

Turning away, he steps back, leaving you and the rest of the fest behind.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

The next few days feel wrong. After the argument.

So’lek feels off-balance in a way he does not like, as if something essential has shifted just out of his reach. His routines remain intact, yet they feel unfulfilling, hollowed out, missing a familiar weight. He catches himself listening for footsteps that never come, for a voice that no longer fills the quiet. Not even the chirping sound of your ikran as it nuzzles against Ìleys side or steals a fish out of his basket are there. The perch beside his ikran remains empty and the familiar sound of wings and impatient chuffing are nowhere to be heard.

The spaces you normally fill suddenly feel strangely empty.

You are not where you usually are. The training grounds at dawn aren’t occupied, there is no one already stretching and talking before anyone else has fully woken. Not near the cooking fires, stealing bites from your siblings. Not chatting with Priya, weaving with Nefika or even racing Etuwa.

No one is trailing after him with questions he pretends to be annoyed by, but loves to answer all the same.

It feels… odd.

On the third day, Teylan finds him.

Not for personal matters, but with a datapad tucked under his arm. He talks about a minor complication that needs solving and So’lek listens, answers where necessary, nods when expected.

When there is a brief pause, he slips in a question about you— careful to keep his tone level, almost uninterested, as if the question means very little at all.

"She told me she wasn’t feeling well, said she needed some time away," Teylan looks at him in sympathy, his lips pressed into a thin line. "If you’re looking for her, I think she’s staying at one of the Resistance field labs. But don’t tell her you got that from me! She will kill me if she finds out I’ve told anyone about her secret spot…"

"Thank you," So‘lek tells him with a hand on his shoulder.

Luckily, your so called 'secret spot' was not so secret after all.

There are several field labs scattered through and around the kinglor forest, hidden well enough from human patrols. But only one in which So’leks spots a fire burning low and the familiar colors of an ikran sitting on the roof nearby.

Tracking you down had taken far less effort than he expected and So’lek can’t help but grin as he urges Ìley to land. Perhaps he had not been such a good karyu [teacher] after all.

"Did Teylan tell you I’m here?" you grumble, rolling your eyes as So’lek pats his ikrans strong neck and then walks over to where you sit in the grass, poking at the fire with a long stick.

Your gaze is stubbornly fixed on the flames, avoiding him entirely.

"Do not be too hard on your brother, he wouldn’t have told me if I hadn’t asked," So’lek explains softly. "He worries for you."

You snort, still staring at the fire. "Oh, he worries for me, yeah?"

So’lek does not respond to that. Instead, he sits down beside you, letting the quiet stretch for a moment before he speaks again.

"Why are you hiding, Sarentu?" He asks softly, his face tilted slightly to look at you.

You fiddle with a loose strand of grass, everything to avoid his gaze as his eyes bore into the side of your face.

"I… I don’t know," you mutter finally, your voice small. "I guess… I just needed space.“

So’lek considers your words for a moment, then, cautiously, he asks, "Space from what?"

Biting the inside of your cheek, you shy away from his gaze even more. Truthfully, it breaks his heart to see his sunshine hide behind dark clouds like this, so he carefully reaches out and cups your jaw in his hand, slowly turning your head back to him.

Although you let him, your eyes still refuse him.

But the words that had sat on your tongue spill out anyways.

"From everything, I guess. From men, from the others and… from you." Your voice falters, almost a whisper now as you add, "I… know you’re disappointed in me."

So’lek’s gaze softens and he almost smiles at the silliness of it. How could he ever be disappointed in you?

"Disappointed?" he repeats quietly. "Why would you think that?"

Finally, you glance up at him, eyes red-rimmed, and your lips press together. "Because what you said at the festival was true," you admit. "About how naive I am, about how easy I am to please. You’re right, So‘lek. Your always right. And now I feel stupid and—" You pause, cheeks burning hot with embarrassment. "—easy. Great mother, you must be so disappointed in me!"

The last part comes out frustrated and angry and you ball your hands into fists in the grass.

So’lek remains silent for a long moment, letting your confession hang in the air. Then, softly, he says, "Sarentu, you are none of those things. What I’ve said at the festival was not… that was not what I truly meant."

You shake your head, "But it feels like it."

“So it feels like it,” he repeats, tone firm but gentle. "But feeling is not truth. And I am not disappointed in you. I am…" So‘lek sighs deeply, and then it’s his turn to let his eyes shy away when you look at him. "…angry only that you allow others to treat you as less than you deserve. These men are not worthy of you and it angers me to see them with you."

"I know, okay? I know that!" you groan. You scrub a hand over your face as if trying to hide in shame. As if you could somehow erase what happened if you only scrubbed at your face hard enough.

So‘lek feels confused and lost.

"Then why are you letting this happen? Why do you let them treat you as less?" He asks immediately.

The look in your eyes changes then and So‘lek watches the way your blush creeps over your cheeks and all the way up to the tip of your ears.

"I— I kind of…" The words come out hushed, like a secret you’re sharing only with him. You breath in and out, your voice suddenly small and hesitant, "I thought you had no interest in me since I’m your student. You— You see me as a child! And I guess I kinda wanted you to see me as a woman with… with needs."

Your confession comes unexpected. So unexpected, that So’lek feels all blood drain from his head and wander elsewhere. He swallows thickly, his throat suddenly dry as you blink up at him through your lashes with those big eyes, as if you could somehow see right through him. His chest feels tight, and it takes him a long moment to get his thoughts under control.

"You are not a child," he responds matter-of-factly. And it’s true. You might be younger, yes even a little naive from time to time, but you are not a child. Great mother, no. You are not.

You huff a bitter laugh. "You say that now."

"I say it because it is true," he replies, leaning forward slightly. "And because I should have said it sooner." He exhales, slow and controlled. You catch the way his eyes fall to the softness of your lips, before he regains composure and meets your gaze again. "I am not blind to you, Sarentu. I was simply trying to be… disciplined."

So‘lek watches with great satisfaction as your eyes widen at his words, only for your blush to deepen into a dark hue of purple.

"I-I just thought as my teacher you’d be—", you stammer, the words faltering as your courage wavers.

"Your teacher," he repeats gently, a low chuckle slipping free. Then he lifts a hand before he can second-guess himself and cups your cheek. Your breath catches when he stares openly at your lips, no longer hiding it. "I am not your teacher anymore."

Then, So’lek leans in slowly, giving you all the time in the world to stop him, to back away. But you don’t.

"Then don’t act like it all the time," you murmur, softer now, closer. The hand on your cheek moves to the back of your neck, pulling you impossible closer.

"That," he murmurs, voice strained, "is because you still have much left to learn."

"Like… what?" you whisper, eyes fluttering shut.

"How you are supposed to be treated," he answers, stopping mere millimeters from your mouth, close enough that he could feel the warmth of your rapid breathing.

"Then show me, So’lek," you whisper against his lips. "Teach me."

And that is all the invitation he needs.

He closes the distance at last, no hesitation left, no before or after to hide behind. Only now. Your lips smash together and in a desperate, hungry way and he could practically feel your entire body melt into it.

So’lek kisses you with all the power he could muster, making up for all the months, weeks, days, even minutes and seconds his lips hadn’t been touching yours when he had wanted to so badly it hurt.

The groan he exhaled into the kiss was anything but subtle and disciplined. It was raw and unapologetic and so full of need. Need to feel you, to taste you, to have you close— closer.

So‘lek moves quickly, doesn’t break the kiss as he shuffles to his knees and moves between your thighs. His other hand comes to cup your face as well, holding onto you as he tastes your lips, your tongue, even your sweet salvia. He wanted to drink it all, taste it forever, let it seep into his skin to become part of him.

Your chest is raising and falling in short pants as he lays you down onto the grass, his lips never leaving yours, not even for a moment to gather his breath. You’re both just panting into kiss, exchanging soft little noises that sound like sighs and moans with how good it feels.

To So’lek, you taste sweet and warm and like home. It is addictive. And he could smell your desire, tinged with a subtle base note of your natural scent. It’s the only plausible excuse for him to finally untangle his tongue from yours and instead burry his nose into the space where your shoulder meets your throat.

"Sarentu," he sighs as he inhales deeply the sound of it almost painful with how heavy the weight of need settled over his voice. And then he groans when he feels heat surge through him and settle in his groin, before he captures your lips in another kiss.

You make a sound that’s close to a moan, your hands impatiently fumbling with his tactical west and so he’s forced to break away from your mouth again, helping you slip the west off of him before he returns the favor and unclasps your top.

The sight before him is a long anticipated one. Enough to make him momentarily forget to breathe. You’re such a pretty little thing, with your chest heaving, face all flushed and lips swollen and wet.

"Why‘d you stop?" You pant.

"Don’t be so impatient. I am admiring," So‘lek smirks, then cups one of your breasts in his hand. His thumb brushes gently over a hardened nipple, before he lowers his head to press a wet kiss to the underside of your breast.

"L-Later, you can admire me later."

He slowly, so very slowly kisses his way down your body, tongue tracing invisible patterns onto your skin, marking you indelibly as his. His tongue dips into your navel, kisses it, and he chuckles lowly as you squirm and sigh under his ministrations.

"So needy," he says, his breath tickling your skin where it’s wet from his tongue and goosebumps raise over skin. "Did none of the men you occupied yourself with ever satisfy you?"

So’lek presses a kiss below your navel, where a V-shaped valley guides him down. His eyes are glued on yours and you hesitatingly shake your head, no. That should make him angry, he thinks. But instead, all he feels is triumph.

"Then they were truly useless," he sighs in disappointment, then slips your loincloth down your legs and tosses it aside. "What a shame. For them."

Settling himself between your parted thighs, broad shoulders holding you open, he tugs your calves over them. You look so pretty like this, he thinks. Your slit is glistening in arousal, wet and needy and just begging for him. For someone to treat her right.

His breath is warm against your skin and you toss your head, the anticipation making you crazy. But you’re completely at his mercy as he rubs his jaw against your inner thighs, forced for patience you could not muster in this very moment. Goosebumps erupt all over your body at the sensation of him rubbing himself all over you.

"I will show you exactly how you deserve to be treated, paskalin [honey]," So‘lek says with the certainty of someone who knew for a fact that he could. "And I want you to remember this moment. Remember who‘s name you will be crying by the end of the night. This is your lesson for today, sweet girl."

His thumb then carefully strokes your clit, his touch gentle but his skin roughened with calluses, and it’s perfect— even more so when he bends to slide his tongue over you, spreading your thighs with his hands and tasting you with unexpectedly delicate licks until you’re whimpering and your hips are twitching.

You taste like Tana‘rìng he knows from home. Sweet.

Finally, though, finally he opens his mouth properly against you, his broad hands holding you open as he fucks you with his mouth. Your back arches off the ground when his tongue pushes inside you and more moans tumble from your parted lips.

His tongue is firm and sleek, thrusting inside before tracing back over your folds to suck hard at your clit. One, then two fingers dip inside, past the tight ring of your entrance, curling and thrusting and creating just the right amount of friction as he groans filthy praise against your cunt.

Your voice cuts through the air then, a desperate cry of "S-So‘lek, I’m—"

"Come for me, numeyu [student]," he says between licks, pulling you closer against his face. "Let me taste your pleasure."

You can't help but scream as he goes back to sucking on your swollen clit. It feels like an eternity but no time at all before you're coming, flooding his mouth as your body quakes and spasms for him.

In all of his years of living, So‘lek doubts he has ever heard a sound so beautiful before as the noises you make as you come on his tongue. From the sound of it, it might even be the first time a male has ever succeeded in doing so.

His mouth is determined as he strokes you through it, easing you down, hands soothing on your thighs.

When he pulls back, his mouth and chin are shiny with you. He wipes his hand across his mouth and licks his lips, giving a low hum of approval before he briefly closes his eyes and returns to let his cheek brush over your inner thigh. It’s not for long though, before he slowly slides up your body.

After a moment, his sinful mouth presses against yours once more, coaxing your lips open. You sigh when you taste yourself on his tongue and So‘lek hopes you enjoy the taste as much as he had. Pulling back, he smiles when you try to follow his lips.

"Paskalin [honey]," he purrs, his voice low as he nuzzles his nose against your cheek. You can't even form words, just nod your head as he kisses you once more, quick and dirty while he slips himself free of his remaining clothes and settles himself between your spread thighs. "Will you let me make you feel good? Will you let me prove myself to you properly?"

"Y-Yes," you whisper breathlessly, "eywa, yes, please!"

You immediately wrap your legs around his waist, enjoying both, his warm skin against your legs and how his hips hitch towards you as he groans in approval.

"Then I will not disappoint you as the others before me."

So‘lek enjoys the tiny hitch of your breath, the way your tail suddenly curls tight around his thigh and your pupils dilate at his words. You’re so eager to find out just how good he could make you feel, when what you had just experienced had already been more than any other male had ever been able to.

He holds you like that, spread open and with a hand on your hip while the other lays above your head, taking as much weight off of you as possible. His hand is close enough so he’s able to stroke your hair and the top of your head and you let out these sweet noises that are close to a purr. It makes him feel fantastic, knowing that you feel good. That you’re happy and content where you are. And he wishes to be the reason for his sunshine to glow until the end of time.

Your small hands are at his back, holding onto muscles and warm skin, your dull nails scratching him gently, urging him on.

His cock throbs in a way it hadn’t done in what feels an entirety as he slowly slides inside, filling you, inch by inch.

So’lek moans as he pushes further, pushes harder, and you whine and cling to him, unable to do anything but lie there and take it. He's panting now, too, not as unaffected as he wants you to think and you use it to your advantage. You want him to lose it for you, in you, with you. And so you clench yourself tight around where he's buried inside of you, visibly enjoying the way his hips thrust almost involuntary in response, before he stops all movement completely.

"Sarentu, you are…" he breaths heavily, his eyes closed shut to focus on breathing, on calming his nerves, on not coming right away. "…very tight."

Despite the way your trembling beneath him, your legs locked tight behind his back and your wonderful wet and silky walls fluttering around him, you still somehow manage to let out a breathy little giggle.

Not believing if his ears have heard right, So‘lek manages to pry his eyes open to look at you. Already, there was sweat beading at your temples, but the same grin that he had grown so used to seeing when you teased him was now spreading over your soft lips.

And there was also this feeling of your walls clamping down around his cock, squeezing him so painfully tight it felt like he might come undone at any second.

Little menace.

"W-What, old man? Are you gonna—"

"Quiet," he groans. "Before I tie your mouth shut."

"You would like that, w-wouldn’t you?" You say softly with that lazy grin on your face that made you look almost drunk of it.

The next time you open your mouth to speak and continue your teasing, a moan slips out instead. And then another, higher pitched, a little gasp that’s punched out of your lungs with thrusts deep enough So‘lek could feel the opening to your womb against the tip of his cock.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he said, "You talk too much, numeyu [student]. We will have to change that."

The slow drag of his length as he withdrew from your warm, wet and velvety-like walls made So‘leks own tail curl in enjoyment, and his eyes fluttered close once more as he lets himself drown in the feeling of you.

Then his hips move on instinct, pushing forwards, thrusting into you. It’s slow and languid, with muffled groans pressed against your skin.

So’lek wants it to last. Wants to stay like this forever, soft touches and warmth and the fond familiarity of your skin under his fingertips. But he can't resist that voice. Can't resist that desperate, pleading tone.

"S-So good," you whimper, "Karyu [teacher], more, I need more! F-Fuck me!"

"Such a foul mouth you have on you," he chuckles, teasing the lobe of your ear with his sharp canine. "I did not teach you that."

You barely started to relax and stopped clenching around him, when he pulls himself all the way out just to rock right back into you in one sharp thrust. He repeats the motion, harder, deeper, until his pace and your moans increase in volume with every passing second.

"So‘lek!" His name rolled off your tongue as a gasp, followed by a choked-off moan as he gripped your hips and pressed himself closer against you, buried his face into the crook of your neck and lapped at your skin until a purplish mark appeared right there.

Mine, it said in the most intimate way So‘lek could think of.

Anyone could claim their mate with a courting gift, he thought proudly, sucking yet another hickey into your throat as he simultaneously trusted into you. But these marks, they were an art that required precise observation from their presenter and the complete trust from their acceptor.

These weren’t cold, lifeless symbols of affection, no. You couldn’t just take them off like a necklace. Although they had short lifespans, he knew it would give him the opportunity to continue to give you new ones over and over, of different sizes, shapes and colors; and if he didn't feel like putting them on your throat, then he could put them on your breasts, your hips, on your wrists, your shoulders or your thighs.

So’leks thoughts went wild with all these new possibilities of marking you as his. If you allowed it, your entire body would turn into an available canvas for these markings and he would take great advantage of this.

They were profoundly intimate, a powerful symbol that was physically felt each and every time it was given to an extent that any other courting gift never would be. That was what would make him stand out from all the others.

Because what was a pretty shell compared to the shaking of your thighs, the quivering of your breasts and the hoarse voice that called his name over and over in pleasure? What was a shell compared to how good he was making you feel in this moment?

His hips only increased their pace from there, taking you harder, hands holding you tighter, tail coiling around your ankle to spread your legs impossibly wider. There’s this sensation, hot and burning and he allows it to rise within his core— he allows it, and welcomes it.

"Let go," So‘lek breaths hot and heavy when he feels your walls clench down hard on his length, "Let go and come with me, my sweet girl."

The kiss he captures you in is hot and dirty and your skin is slip-sliding against his with every movement. When the kiss breaks you moan loud. His nose drags along your cheek as he pants and rocks and fucks and you can't take it, can't take it one second longer.

His name falls from your spit slicked lips in incoherent brabbles and moans, greedily pleading for more, more more, until—

"S-So‘lek, oh! I‘m gonna— gonna… Fuck!"

You come in deep wracking shudders around him, calling out his name. Almost immediately, he follows, thrusting hard one last time, burying himself in you to the hilt as he comes, emptying himself inside of you with a low groan of your name.

So‘lek holds you so impossible close as you both shudder and moan from the intensity of it, he fears he might hurt you from how hard he was squeezing the soft flesh of your hips.

Nothing, he thinks. Nothing has ever felt this good before. He could still feel the tremor of your legs, the little twitches of muscles slowly loosening up in the afterglow of your orgasm.

So’lek’s breathing gradually steadies, though his hold on you does not loosen. He lowers his voice to a murmur meant only for you, words pressed softly into your hair, about how good you feel against him, how beautiful you are like this. There is no heat left in the praise now, only sincerity.

You let out a soft hum that tells him you’re listening, but your eyes are already closed and the tension in your body has melted away in the safety of his arms.

Carefully he shifts then, rolling onto his back and guiding you with him until you rest on top of his chest. One arm curves securely around your shoulders, the other settling at your waist

His chin dips, brushing your crown, and then he presses a slow, soft kiss to the top of your head.

And for once in his life, So‘lek feels truly content. Because his life had divided itself cleanly at last, into everything that came before you, and everything that will come after you.

[nakedinthetrees]

Tending To Your Wounds

So'lek x Sarentu!Reader

WARNINGS: 🔞MINORS DNI🔞, FEM!SarentuPOV, Tamtey name drop for reader,Somewhat of an age gap (cryo-sleep makes things a bit fuzzy), mentions of rut and heat cycles, alien genitalia descriptions, brief mentions of anxiety + past trauma, use of na'vi dialog, vulgar language, oral!fem recieving, P in V/m&f intercourse, alien mating, knotting/knot play, use of pet names For additional information on ruts/heats and knotting, please check out this post by @tiredmamaissy . This is genuinely where I got most of my research for this story, so thank you, Issy for having amazing resources!

Na’vi Index:  Tewng - loincloth zangke - Fermented Zakru milk Prrnen - baby/infant Oe ngeyä lu - I am yours Kämunge fì’u - Take it Yawntu - loved one Muntxa- mate Srane - yes Tsafya - Like that tìyawn - Love

Please lmk if I missed any words or have any errors, as I'm not fluent in Na'vi (as much as I would love to be)

Anxiety and fear; two emotions you had grown accustomed to feeling since being brought up in the TAP program. Fragments of memories flashed through your mind as you blankly watched the fire within the na'vi-crafted oven dance around the meal you were preparing to bring with you on your journey. The physical and mental abuse of being raised within such a cold place had manifested the familiarity of these feelings, yet something foreign lingered within them. More so the foundation on which these emotions had originally become second nature in your adolescence were now stemming from a completely different source and desire, a longing. “So you are really going to go through with it? You are leaving?” Ri'nela’s gentle voice spoke from a few feet behind you. The space between your eyes creased as your brows furrowed, recalling the conversation you had with both her and Teylan- more so Teylan's persistence to talk you out of doing what you had already set your mind on. “I am.” You spoke plainly, not turning to meet Ri'nela's gaze until you had removed your meal from within the oven, setting it on the outer ledge to cool. You had nothing else to say on the matter. The previous conversation, which had felt more like an ambush than a discussion, left you wishing for Nor’s presence. At least he would've been on your side. Noting the way Ri'nela’s eyes flowed over you, taking in your apprehensive stance, you readied yourself for whatever she had planned to say. “I'm not here to talk you out of it… I wanted to wish you a safe journey.” you reigned in your sigh, mentally thankful to be avoiding another heavy debate, “Thank you, ‘nela. Really.”, “Teylan wishes the same… he just needs time.”. Right, because while Ri’nela was standing before you, Teylan was probably off sulking, pouring the emotion into whatever gadget or equipment he was currently tinkering with, but you didn't blame him. Couldn’t blame him. 

 The three of you were each others’ support group during your years at TAP, especially after Ah'ari’s death. At the end of the day you were family and you understood Teylan's right to be upset and worried for your safety. “Tell him I'll be back soon. As soon as I locate So'lek, I'll come right back I swear.”.

The sky was still blanketed with stars the night you found So'lek attempting to leave the resistance hideout without so much as a goodbye. “I could help you hunt them down, So'lek. I'm a great tracker and I can go into any space undetected. You don't have to go alone.” you pleaded with him as So'lek adjusted the rifle strap across his chest. When he returned your gaze, his face etched with empathy, a look that would become burned into your brain for weeks to come, “It is not that I doubt your skill, Sarentu. Do not think for a moment that I do not think you would be well equipped for this sort of mission.” His form towered over you as he stepped closer, placing his large hand on your shoulder, the look in his eyes stern yet endearing, “But this is a mission that only I can carry out. For my clan, it must be me alone that does this. More so the resistance needs you here.”. A sort of weight began to swell in your chest. You owed so much to So'lek; he had saved you from TAP, trained you in certain aspects of combat, and had taught you in understanding what it was to be na'vi again. You admired him and at times like now when all you could do was lose yourself in his deep amber eyes, maybe that admiration went deeper than you wanted to admit. It left a heavy longing in your heart, its ache must have shown on your face as you felt So'lek’s thumb gently swipe along your cheekbone, catching a tear you hadn't known had fallen. “I will return, ma'eylan.”.

That was all he had said before disappearing into the night. And for the next month and a half— radio silence.

With your meal prepared, you slung your

pack over your shoulder, positioning the strap comfortably across your chest, walking toward the mouth of the cave, your eyes focused on the direction you last saw So'lek heading toward. In a final parting wish, Teylan insisted he at least code the coordinates found in So'lek’s duty rosters into your SID. 

That was a week ago. You’d been following the coordinates to the far east of the Kinglor forest looking for any sign of So’lek along the way. Nothing you found so far has been concrete. It would be hard for his scent to linger considering how long it had been since So’lek first departed on his mission, yet you remained hopeful as you neared the first location in the coordinates. Your feet carried you through the Kinglor forest with familiar ease, so much so that you’d hardly noticed that you’d found the first location as you rose up on a hill top, overlooking an overgrown and disheveled RDA base. While you, alongside the resistance, had initially ran the RDA out of this base, there had been a spike of recent activity, most likely in attempts to get the base back online and functioning again. Seeing as there was little activity inside the base, aside from a small group of deer, it was easily deduced that So’lek had successfully shut down any attempt of operations, yet you still wanted to be thorough and check for any possible clues or remnants of his presence. You began to make your way down the hill, anchoring yourself on adjacent trees and vines, yet the smell of something burning, beckoned your attention to your left and before you knew it you were following the scent trail, the musky scent of smoke billowing in your nostrils in such a way that it made your nose crinkle in irritation and disgust. Being familiar with the area you knew the scent was coming from one of the resistance’s shacks that was close by.

The shack itself, you realized, was empty yet hope fluttered in your chest at a certain scent mixed in with that of smoke from the fire pit which had been recently put out. So’lek had been here recently, and very recent by the strength in which his scent lingered in the air. Without a second thought you took off down the river, adjacent from the shack, his scent on the air beckoning you forward blindly, but something wasn’t right. Halting at the base of the river you came upon a small cave, your eyes widened as you suddenly found your feet glued to the dirt beneath you. The scent had definitely belonged to So’lek, but it was strong… too strong, almost overbearingly so. As if somehow a scent itself was plugging your airways stopping you from smelling anything in your surroundings. He couldn’t be hurt… or at least he wasn’t bleeding out as there was no metallic tang mixed in with the scent. It’s intensity felt unnatural, the pressure of it encompassing you like a flame, raising heat to the surface of your skin, and as you willed yourself to take a step forward you realized your heart was racing. Whatever was happening So’lek was here and possibly injured, you couldn’t stop now that he was so close. Taking in a deep breath to center yourself you pushed your way into the cave, continuing the path of the water stream. 

The cave was dimly lit by the small patches of bioluminescent moss that clung to its walls and floor. Cramped at first, as you crawled your way through its entrance yet as the cave opened up the deeper you went, you noticed a familiar armored vest, forgotten on the ground, and upon further inspection, so were various other articles of So’lek’s clothing. A mix of confusion and anxiety whirled in your chest, yet still you reminded yourself he was fine; no traces of blood were found on his clothing.  “So’lek?” The walls of the cave echoed your voice back to you as you called out to him, making your way deeper into the cave, wondering just how deep it went with how narrow the structure was. For a moment you thought you’d have longer to go before- “Sarentu?” The low gruff echo stopped you in your tracks for a brief moment, your heart leaping at the familiar voice.

 “So’lek! It’s me, I’m coming just hold-.”, “No!”. The aggressive edge to the command halted your progress once more. “Do not come here, go back to the resistance. Leave me.”. Leave him… your tail flicked rapidly in the small rocked space behind you as you grew agitated. If something was indeed wrong with him, leaving was without a doubt the last thing you were going to do. “Look… I know these missions tend to take a toll on you, but you don’t have to go through it alone. I’m here to help.” You say continuing your path through the cave. Finally rounding a corner you come to a large opening, the ground lit in luscious moss and other foliage, some poking through the seams in the rocks of the wall beside various levels of fungi. At the area’s center was a small pool, and despite noting the dispersed pieces of clothing from earlier, it did little to prepare you for the sight before you. 

In the center of the pool; his back pressed to the wall behind him, legs spread wide, one of them bent at the knee, his tail thrashing behind him furiously and amongst the illumination of his tanhì were beads of sweat decorating his skin. “So’lek are you-?”, as you made a step to move closer an urgent hand emerged from the water in a halting motion, “I am fine… but please do not come closer, Sarentu. I am not in my right mind.” His words filtered through labored almost strangled breaths. Standing at the mouth in the opening of this cave, you slowly move with your back against the wall, entering the space further, but keeping your distance. “Usually I’d believe you when you say you’re fine, but So’lek… you certainly don’t look fine. Actually you look awful if I’m being honest.” So’lek remained tight-lipped as he watched you with burning eyes, slowly crouch down to the cave floor to meet his eye level. Your movements reminded him of someone cautiously approaching a dangerous animal and perhaps in this instance you were right to do so. “Is this where you’ve been hiding instead of returning home to the resistance? Everyone’s worried about you, y’know. Do you know how long you’ve been-.”, “I am perfectly aware of how long I’ve been away.” His voice, although still labored, seemed more calm, or at the very least more practiced as he tried to appear calm. “So if you are truly fine like you say you are then what is keeping you from coming back with me right now?” Your eyes trailed over his form warily looking for any sign of injury and possible effects only to stop on the small ripple of water from the most subtle of movements below its surface between So’lek’s legs. So’lek’s head hung low as a strangled hiss escaped through his clenched teeth. Suddenly the pieces finally began to click together in your mind and your eyes widened as So’lek met your gaze from under heavy lashes, “Does… does it hurt?” Somehow the confidence you had came in here with began to falter as your eyes flicked from his to his hand moving beneath the water. A low growl echoed off the walls of the small cave, “It is not pleasant.” Cautiously you inched your way toward the pool, noting as So’lek’s chest started to heave heavier than it had previously. “Tell me how to help you.”, “There is no way you can help.” Groaning So’lek bit out the words, wrecking his brain to try and find some way to get you out of this cave and away from him.

“I’m not leaving you here, So’lek. So either you tell me how I can help or I sit here with you unlit… this passes.” A heavy and exhausted sigh cut through the air as So’lek turned his gaze away from you, “This is not my first rut, Sarentu and it will not be my last. I will endure this one alone just as I have all of the others.”. “I know…” you responded in a soft voice, and you did know about his years of solitude, knew- or at least heard about the intricacies of ruts and heats. At TAP you and the other Sarentu were given suppressants to dull the effects of this period once you had become of age, and being out of cryosleep you almost dreaded the oncoming threat of your heat and how it would affect you without them, yet mercifully having been in cryosleep seemed to delay it for the time being. “…But you don’t have to be alone, not anymore. Tell me there is a way to help you.” 

You were just about at the pool's edge and from this distance you could see just how harshly the effects of this rut were disturbing So’lek. His abs were tight, clenching and unclenching, his fist beneath the water balled tight around the base of his cock, making slow deliberate movements. You knew you shouldn’t be looking, knew that you shouldn’t even be this close and quite frankly knew from the moment you caught the intensity of his scent that you should have called your ikran and flown as far away as possible, but against your better judgement you wanted to be here. You wanted to be close to him, to help; whether that was to bring him relief or simply support, you would do it. So’lek followed your gaze and cursed under his breath yet made no move to cease his movements or cover himself in any way, “There is a way… it is not a cure, but it will lessen the effects to a degree.”, “Then tell me-.”, “-Tamtey.” The use of your name snapped you into focus, the seriousness in which he spoke it sent a shiver down your spine, paired with the intense gaze he now threw your way through lidded eyes reminding you of what’s at stake, “This method is very dangerous… it only takes for one of us to succumb to these urges before irreparable damage is done.”. Waiting on your confirming nod that you wanted to continue, So’lek slowly drew his kuru over his shoulder with his free hand. He was trembling now, despite how desperately he tried to mask it, holding the end of his kuru gently, the pink tendrils emerging from the safety of the ends of his hair, wriggling and frantic, reaching out searching for something to connect to. You understood the gesture and settled yourself on the mossy edge of the pool next to So’lek, copying the motion and drawing your kuru forward, yet before you could connect So’lek moved the end of his braid away briefly, “No matter what happens, no matter what you feel- stay. focused. You must not give in…” he inhaled deeply, his eyelids fluttering shut for a minute, “and if I lose myself you must leave.” You began to shake your head in disapproval, but So’lek’s low growl brought your attention back to him, “If I break you will leave me and you will run as far and as fast from this place as you can.” His tone left no room for argument even as you looked tenderly into his eyes and finally you nodded your agreement. “Stay focused…” he urged in a gentle voice as he slowly brought the end of his kuru to meet yours, the tendrils of each finding each other blissfully, engulfing and tightening around one another as So’lek’s feelings became yours and yours became his. 

The effects of his rut hit you with the force of an angtsìk causing a loud gasp to escape you. The ache in the pit of his stomach, the cold sweats that have encompassed his body, before you could process any more a sudden hand grips your forearm giving it a firm tug, not to pull, but ground you in the frenzy of emotions. “Focus.” So’lek’s voice came out rough through gritted teeth, “The more you dwell on it the more it intensifies. I need you… to focus. Close your eyes, focus on your breathing.” You lean into his instructions all too easily, imagining the air inside you as a ball of energy, growing and shrinking steadily. You feel your shoulders begin to ease when you hadn’t even noticed they had been stiff in the first place. “That’s it… you’re doing well.” So’lek’s voice whispers through the calm, you can feel him still gripping his cock through the bond, but his movements have ceased. The primal ache of need was like a beast prowling on the other side of a cage, but for the time being it was contained. Perhaps it was sympathy or blatant curiosity having never bonded to another na’vi, but within the mental confines of your mind, you wandered closer to the beast, a dark shimmering figure pacing back and forth in its cage, 2 sets of amber eyes locked on you as you approach. A thunderous growl rattled the void space around you with each step closer. Your ears perk in realization as the figure comes into full view, a palulukan, larger than you had ever seen prowling the wilderness of Pandora now stood inside the cage, but where as the creature was fully able to move within its prison just moments ago, now it was nearly breaking through the bars barely to fit with its size. Poor thing… you couldn’t tell if you had spoken the words or thought them, but before your better judgment could argue otherwise, you reached out to the creature. The beast huffed and thrashed against the cage clearly desperate to free itself from its confinement and the moment your fingers caressed it’s skin, it shuddered, its growl softening ever so slightly as your hand trailed down its shoulder, yet the moment your fingers drifted to its chest, the beast let out a mountain shattering roar and the next moment your eyes were open only to find yourself shoved to your back against the moss, with So’lek’s dripping form hovering above you. His hot breath fanning against your face, his body trembling once more, and you swear you could almost see wisps of steam emitting from his skin. 

“So’lek?” Your voice comes out faltered and unsure as you gaze up into the face of starvation and agony just inches from yours; his lips pulled back to reveal his fangs, nose scrunched in a snarl, ears pinned against the sides of his head, and you realize the crucial mistake you’d just made. “So’lek I’m sorry, l-let me try again.” Yet as you press your palms to his chest in an effort to push him back, your wrists are seized and in the next moment your hands are pinned above your head. His tight grip on your wrists make you wince at the discomfort, yet his eyes clench closed, brows knitting in the center of his forehead as his ragged breaths permeate in the space between you. Heat like vibration pooled in your core, matching So’lek’s own monstrous desire, but you could also feel his restraint, even now as you lay beneath him helpless, the mental shackles he had on himself were strong, yet waning with each passing moment. His rabid heart beat filled your ears, the symphony of his ravenous need accompanied the overpowering urge to dominate and claim you whispered in the corners of his mind like the voices of a many frenzied people. You could hear them all, desperate and starving, urging So’lek to touch more of you, to take and you could feel yourself slowly begin to submit, perhaps if there were any time to let your true feelings for So’lek show, now would be the time. Like unwrapping the leaves of a bundle, you slowly peel back the mental fortitude of your own desires, putting them on display for So’lek to witness in real time; from small touches, to stolen glances, and the emotions that came with them. Even now as you gaze up at him the fast pace of your own heart wasn’t entirely out of fear, but anticipation, the subtle wetness growing between your legs, making your tewng fit uncomfortably. So’lek’s heart skipped a beat before quickly picking back up its erratic pace again as his eyes found yours. A low growl rumbled in the pit of So’lek’s throat as you bore these things to him, his internal conflict painted blatantly in his features, “You should go…” he said simply, his voice hoarse as if the exhaustion of holding back his instincts was finally baring on him, “I won’t leave you.” You simply replied, unafraid. One of his hands moves from your wrist to the underside of your thigh, pushing your knee up to your chest, presenting the threat of how close his cock was to your clothed entrance, while allowing the aroma of your arousal to ascend to his nose, the intoxication of it causing his tail to flick and a gravely groan to escape him, “I will not be able to be gentle with you. Not like this”, “Then don’t be.” You hummed softly, raising your now free hand to cup his cheek, “I’m here, you don’t have to go through this alone anymore. Let go”.

With just a simple blink, So’lek’s lips were crushing against yours, tail thrashing behind him as he delves his tongue passed your lips and into your mouth, groaning at the taste of you. His hips ground against you, nudging the head of his cock insistently against your clothed core. Taking advantage of the loosened grip on your remaining wrist you raise your hands to tangle your fingers in his hair, deepening the kiss as you allow his tongue to over take your own. Your grip at the roots of his hair causes So’lek to groan into your mouth, all while his hands frantically begin removing articles of your clothing, mumbling something slurred against your lips about needing to feel more of you. The moment your top is off, ensuring nothing is in his way, So’lek moves from your lips to the column of your neck, dragging his tongue along its expanse, lapping at your pulse point, before closing his mouth around the spot. The mixed pressure of teeth and tongue has you arching against him, eager to assist his previous endeavor and shimmying your bottoms and loincloth down your legs. The moment your unfiltered scent of arousal hits So’lek’s nostrils, you find your other knee thrust up to your chest and the male above you leaving your neck forgotten as he lowers himself between your thighs. His eyes seemed to take on a deeper amber, his pupils blown wide as he looks up at you like the prey that’s so eagerly allowed itself to be caught by him, before he focuses his attention on your sopping cunt.

“Need to taste here…” was all he muttered before the flat of his tongue swiped along your center, eager to taste as much as he could in a single lick. A ripple shuttered down the bond as satisfaction, followed by a suffocating newly reinforced need that swelled in the pit of So’lek’s stomach. His intention was clear. “So’lek wait-!” You gasp, yet your protest falls on deaf ears as So’lek all but devours your cunt, his tongue alternating between swiping, flicking and lapping through your folds, before closing his mouth around the bundle of nerves at the peak of your entrance and sucking hard. Something resembling a yelp escapes you as the foreign feeling of his mouth in such an intimate spot has you instinctively trying to close your legs, but it takes no time at all for a pair of strong hands to pry your legs open, and by the might of Eywa, the dangerous look of warning in his eyes he throws your way has you gripping at the moss around you for something to ground you in this moment, submitting to your fate, allowing the pleasurable heat in your core to permeate within you. As if for good measure, So’lek’s arms wrap around your thighs, locking your legs in their open position as his greed consumes any rational thought left in his mind.

A mix of groans and slurred speech thrum against your intimates as So’lek showers your pretty little pussy in praises, like a drunk man drowning in an endless bowl of zangke; lost in the flavor of you on his tongue, fueling the fire burning in his core. All of it has you near tears as you feel a climax coiling so tightly in your stomach that a dizziness threatens to take hold of you. As if a saving grace from Eywa herself, the presence of So’lek’s tongue against you vanishes and you are met with the deep amber eyes of the male before you as his temple rests against your inner thigh, the whites of his eyes now reddened around the edges. His swollen lips parted to allow slow yet uneven breaths to pass through them, his mouth and chin glazed in your arousal. “Sarentu…” the nickname is huffed, wiping away your remaining arousal from his mouth with the back of his hand, low and sensual as So’lek begins leaning over you, his careful hands traveling from your legs, mapping out your lower abdomen, his fingers gingery tracing the stripes adorning the skin there, until settling with an assertive grip on your hips. “I cannot wait any longer.” He groans, aligning your entrance with the head of his throbbing cock. Your eyes widen slightly, watching with bated breath, anticipation tickling at the edges of your being, accompanied by intrigue as you truly process the sheer size of him, noting the hint of a bulge at the base of his cock, eager to slip through the confines of his slit.

Shit, this is really happening… you think to yourself, heart pounding against your ribcage. The realization must be painted all over your features because the moment you lock eyes with So’lek, a look of pained empathy is written all over his face. “Don’t.” You coo, already seeing the words that are about to leave his lips, you reach up to cup his face, bringing his forehead to your own, “I want this… I want you, ma’ So’lek. Please don’t pull away from me now.”.  A shudder runs through So’lek’s body at your words. Words that seem to comfort him as he nuzzles against you. One of his hands leaving your hip to hold one of your own against his cheek, “You must understand that I will not be able to stop, not until this pain subsides.”. Even through his current ache, the insufferable pain that he’s endured for days now, So’lek pushed through the shackles of pure instinct to resist just enough to ensure your wellbeing, ensure that this is what you wanted. A thought came into your mind. That even now, being so close to getting what he wanted, he’d find the will to let you go. You would run just as he had told you to and he would be hot on your heels, but you’d get away and that would be that. It’s the clench in your chest at the thought of leaving him behind that finalizes your resolve. His hand drifts from your own to lay his palm flat against your lower abdomen, “Not until I am certain that this place will become well and swollen with my prrnen.”. It’s now when So’lek pulls away just enough to look you in the eye, the feeling of acceptance radiating through the bond ushering his hips forward, pressing his tip flush against your entrance. “Oe ngeyä lu” you whisper gently, only for him to hear.

Thrust

The single motion that breaks every boundary you once knew and molds it something stronger, fervid. A profound blend that is solely made of you and So’lek both mind and body. A strained growl rumbles beside your ear as So’lek desperately pushes through the tightness of your inner walls, which despite both yours and his own slick, proves to be a challenge for him. A whimper falls from your lips as you attempt to open your legs wider, but So’lek takes a different approach, returning your knees to their pushed position at your chest, resting your calves against his shoulders, “Kämunge fì’u.” He demands, his tone harsh and possessive, successfully pushing deeper inside with the new angle. A pitchy moan escapes you as the girth of his cock molds your walls, coaxing it to fashion your pussy into a perfect sleeve for him. You finally find some reprieve from the stretch as the tip of his cock kisses the opening of your cervix, So’lek seemingly distracted with letting your walls flutter around him as he inhales the crook of your neck, taking in your scent like a drug, his tail flicking rapidly in the air behind him.

“Hmm… ma’yawntu. Ma’muntxa.” So’lek purrs, brushing his cheek against your own to ensure his scent is passed to you, a gesture in which you instinctively return the favor, whilst his hips slowly rock against you, grinding against that deepest part of your cunt. Just as an impatient whine begins to work its way up of your throat, So’lek draws back, the walls of your pussy gripping onto every ridge and vein of his cock as he withdraws, only for him to push back in with assertive force, knocking your body with a subtle bounce against the ground.

The grip in which So’lek has on the back of your knees, has the peaks of his knuckles whitening, the pressure of his hold pushing your knees flush to your chest to a degree that has your rear slightly lifting off the ground, practically folding you in half and giving him the perfect angle as So’lek rocks into your body with calculated yet hard thrust after another. His mouth hangs open as a variation of groans, growls, and hisses emitted from his vocal cords. You however are the epitome of acquiescence. Your moans and whimpers are the harmony to his animalistic vocalizations, throwing your head back and forth in a pleasured frenzy, hands desperate to seize any part of him you can reach in efforts to ground yourself. “Ahh… f-fuck, So’lek!” you whine out in punched breaths as a new pressure begins to prod at your entrance. “That’s it… you’re doing so well, sweet girl. So tight. So perfect.”.

With a renewed sense of vigor, So’lek’s thrusts begin picking up in speed. His hands allow the strain in your legs to ease as he finally releases his hold on your knees, if only to move his hands southbound, taking fist fulls of your ass cheeks into his grasp, guiding your movements as the bulge at the base of his cock began pushing past his slit, bumping against your clit with every thrust. Your moans morph into gasped whines as your already sensitive clit takes on this new form of assault, eyes widening when you feel the bulge nudging at your entrance. “Srane, take my knot inside.” Despite So’lek’s encouragement the ache of your cunt stretching to accommodate his knot insisted the request was near impossible, “Mmng! S-So’lek it’s too much…It won’t fit!”.

“It will fit.” So’lek assures breathily, his tone coated with lust as his hips surge forward, his hands guiding your body to him in unison, pushing his knot inside ever so slightly causing you to gasp at the sudden intrusion, “Haah… Tsafya. Just a little more.”. When his praises fall on deaf ears, So’lek leans over you, pressing a gentle kiss at your hairline, his tail wrapping around yours affectionately. “Ma’tìyawn…” he coos softly as the pressure of his knot conjures a string of whimpers to emit from you, “Shh, ma’Tamtey…easy.. it is almost in.” And it was, you could feel it. The more it held you open the easier your body was somehow able to take it, but his knot had pushed his cock so deeply inside you that you swear you could feel the head of So’lek’s cock nudging from the inside of your stomach. It was both too much and everything your body craved at the same time. Nuzzling into him, you begin to rock your hips to meet his, desperate for his knot to finally seat itself inside you. The heat of your breaths mingle between you as pushes become adamant grinding, finally easing his knot into you with a loud squelch, conjuring harmonious sighs of satisfaction from each of you. 

“There…” So’lek hummed, continuing to grind himself against you with little restraint, thrusting as if he’d pull his knot right back out, to which he succeeded about half way before your cunt sucked him right back in. The dizzying heat of body temperature and sexual frenzy muddying your mind made everything feel heightened, including the undeniable tightening of your core as you sat right on the precipice of your climax. The world itself felt like it was spinning, the only thing grounding you in this instance was the male above you. Your mate. “Mm’going to fill you… paint you with my seed. Stuff this pretty pussy with it until you become round with my child.” So’lek murmured into your neck, sweat slick on his forehead as he mindlessly rutted against you racing toward his own finish. “So’lek! I’m so close-!”, “Rrrg…Say it again, Sarentu… call for me” and like a command you couldn’t disobey, his name fell from your lips in a repetitive chant, climbing in pitch until your climax came crashing down around you like a storm, So’lek following close after you, as he releases hot ropes of cum inside of you, blissfully groaning at the finality in the sense of release.

For a moment you both laid there, hot and panting before ever-so carefully, So’lek wrapped his arms around you, pulling you flush against his body, careful to not disturb the knot still locked inside you or tsaheylu, before moving the two of you to the pool of water you’d first found So’lek in. It’s cool temperature was like heaven on your skin. Keeping you wrapped in his arm, So’lek began to wash away the sweat from your body, kissing away some of the water droplets as he went. While this isn’t how you’d imagined this mission to find So’lek would go by a long shot, you’d do it over again if only to relive the moment you first bonded with your mate. A heavy sigh carried you from your thoughts as you lifted your head that had been resting against So’lek’s shoulder to look at him, “What is it?” You hum, exhaustion etched in your voice. His lips were pulled in a tight scowl, the one of disappointment you were familiar with, “You are bruised…” He grumbled in a low whisper, gentle fingers grazing over the dark purple bruises along your hips, thoughtfully. Bruises that you knew probably had matching sets behind your knees, on your neck, and on your ass. A look of concern flashes across your features, but not for yourself, but from the shame that you felt now plagued his thoughts. With a steady hand you guided his chin to look at you, a gentle smile spread along your lips as you looked up at him lovingly, “They will heal. Don’t fret over something so small.”. A low hum answered your words as he took your hand and pressed your knuckles to his lips.

“Besides, if it was to help your rut, then I don’t mind it. At least it’s over now.” Something in your words had So’lek giving you a firm almost regretful look and suddenly you wondered if you had said something wrong. “Know that I am grateful for your generosity in deciding to help me with this cycle and while it should be over by the sunrise…” his words seem to hang in the air as the overwhelming sense of arousal begins to brew in the pit of his stomach, speaking for him through the bond. “…it is going to be a long night.”. 

Happy new year you filthy animals😘

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[mfcreature]

[kaiatheelf]

My laptop almost cooked itself in this heat, but at least painted husband.

[saelrum]

I had a vision