"Hey, Neteyam. Isn't that your girl?" - Neteyam x Reader
summary: neteyam sees his mate fighting another girl (for him!), and has to intervene
wc: 2k
contains: aged up characters, mates, minor mentions of violence, slight arguing, then making up, stressed out neteyam
a/n: this is based on a prompt dialogue on ch.ai by @love_g0rre24, in case you want to interact with their character yourself. thanks for inspiring me to write this one shot. also it's technically my first fic since taking a break from tumblr for 2 years, but i'm back for avatar 3, so pls show some support
masterlist
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The sun dipped low over the Awa’atlu village, casting a warm golden hue across the shore. The faint clinks of crossbows being repaired mixed with quiet remarks exchanged between Neteyam and his friends -- Ao’nung and Rotxo. They were sat on the sand, absorbed in polishing their weapons, when their moment of quiet was suddenly interrupted.
“Hey, Neteyam,” Ao’nung said with an amused smirk tugging at his lips, “Isn’t that your girl?”
Neteyam’s ears perked up, alert, his eyes following the direction in which both of the guys were now looking. On the other side of the shore, accompanied by distant yells, a wrestling match was unfolding: and surely, there she was, Y/N, his mate, fighting some Metkayina girl.
“Fuck,” Neteyam muttered, standing up.
Ao’nung and Rotxo rose to their feet and followed after Neteyam as he quickly strode toward the scene. Y/N and the other girl were fighting relentlessly, grunting and hissing as they clawed and swung at one another, fingers tangling in hair and tails, oblivious to their small audience.
Neteyam jumped in without a second thought, grabbing Y/N by the hips from behind and pulling her back towards his chest, as Ao’nung and Rotxo restrained the other girl.
“Woah, baby, calm down,” Neteyam kept his voice low as he tried to steady Y/N against him, slowly backing away.
Y/N grunted in protest, and the other girl did too, hissing loudly as Ao’nung and Rotxo were holding her back. For a brief moment, just as they thought it was over, Y/N slipped right out of Neteyam’s hold. She lunged forward again, shoving the girl onto the sand with an aggressive growl. The girl yelped, as they tumbled together. The men were caught off guard by the suddenness of it all and it took them a moment to intervene once more, this time with far more effort to break them apart.
Having learned from his mistake, Neteyam held Y/N tighter, putting deliberate distance between her and the other girl. Without a word, he glanced at Ao’nung in a silent plea to just drag the girl away.
“Baby, calm down,” his usually calm voice had been slightly disturbed, as he spoke more sternly into Y/N’s ear.
“Let go of me, Neteyam-” Y/N struggled against him, grumbling as she watched the other girl being carried away, “That’s right, you skxawng," she called out after her, “And don’t you ever even try with me again!”
Neteyam tensed at the threats, clenching his jaw and holding onto her by her waist, though still putting in effort to remain gentle with her, in case he’d accidentally hurt her. His tail lashed behind him in frustration, as he let out a long breath.
“Can you still?” he almost growled, as if warning her.
Y/N only grumbled as Neteyam tightened his hold, but didn’t test him, knowing he rarely meant it. In a swift movement, he flipped her around to face him, away from the girl she was trying to kill just a few seconds ago.
As mates, Y/N and Neteyam knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses to a T. Both loved each other to death; there had never been a single fight that didn’t end in apologies and soft kisses, desperate to atone physically for whatever harm they caused verbally. Y/N was hot-headed and reactive, but also brave and loyal, every thought committed to his well-being. Neteyam was a peacemaker, kind and patient. He often had a hard time with her, when she tested his limits, but ultimately tried not giving in. It was rare that she’d anger him, and yet, she managed to do so in situations like these.
“What was that? You were acting like a child,” he growled, holding her gaze, as she still seemed heated from the fight.
“You shouldn’t have intervened- I had it under control, I was teaching that skxawng a lesson,” Y/N snapped back. Goddamn, why did she have to be so stubborn?
Y/N pulled out of his grip again, putting a small distance between them so that they stood face to face. Neteyam let her go, knowing when to give her space. Despite how physical they usually were, the argument didn’t have to escalate. He truly hated fighting, but sometimes she made it so hard not to get provoked.
“Oh, right,” he scoffed sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest, “Because violence is your answer to everything.”
A single look on her face, trying to conceal offense with anger, struck him. He realized she was hurt, the way her fists were still clenching by her sides -- she wouldn’t have fought for no reason; she must have been pushed.
“What did she do?”
“I don’t want to repeat what she said. Just a nasty woman…” she alluded, glancing away for a moment, like even thinking about it made her feel sick.
“Come on,” he said softer this time, another sigh slipping from his lips, as he stepped closer. Gently, he took her chin between his fingers, nudging her to look up at him. “Tell me...”
Y/N bit her lip in contemplation, really not wanting to repeat whatever she was keeping a secret from him. Despite her fiery attitude and tough exterior, deep down she was quite sensitive -- Neteyam adored that about her.
“Just disgusting things… about you,” she mumbled, “I’m not- I wouldn’t have just attacked her out of nowhere.”
“What kinds of things?” he pressed further, his jaw tensing. He knew he wouldn’t like to hear it but he had to maintain his composure.
“She said I mated with a mutant, a freak. That I betrayed my clan for you, and that you will one day betray me in turn. And how our future children will be freaks too,” Y/N mumbled with a defeated sigh and looked away again in shame.
Neteyam stilled for a moment, his gaze darkening. He let his hand fall from her chin, though he wasn’t angry with Y/N, but rather with the insults she repeated. They weren’t new, of course, since his family’s arrival to Awa’atlu around two years ago, he heard them quite often from the villagers. It took some time for him to prove himself and earn respect of the clan, but the words still stung at times. Neteyam’s tail flicked in irritation, as he tried to remain calm and not fuel her anger but he couldn’t hide it very well from her.
“Now you know why I attacked her. She needs to know there are consequences to being so nasty,” Y/N added frustrated.
He shook his head with disappointment, not wanting to excuse her violence. Though Y/N was a great fighter and his mate, Neteyam just couldn’t allow her to risk her well-being for his honor. It didn’t sit right with him. He was supposed to protect her, not the other way around.
“I don’t need you fighting for me, you could have hurt yourself,” he said, taking a deep breath.
“This was not just for your sake anymore, we are mates,” she disagreed. Why did he always have to be so proper? “And nothing happened to me. I was winning, in case you didn’t notice.”
He growled in frustration, knowing that she was somewhat right. Their relationship was supposed to be equal, and as mates they had to trust each other’s judgement. But that didn’t mean she had to put herself in danger every time someone looked at them strangely. Especially with the move and the struggle of getting accepted by the Metkayina clan, Neteyam was the kind of man who hated disturbing the peace.
“Yes! We are mates. Which is why you shouldn’t deal with these things alone. You can’t just attack anyone who doesn’t like us, Y/N, it’s not safe, and it’s not logical. You were like a feral out here,” he snapped, raising his voice slightly.
Y/N looked genuinely hurt. A beat of silence passed before she walked away, offended and disappointed by his lack of support and his need to lecture her like a kid. Without a word, she strode toward their marui, fed up with the arguing and eager for solitude. She wanted to clean the sand from her body and tend to the wounds she had earned.
Neteyam’s expression faltered slightly, frustration giving way to guilt. He knew he had hurt her, and he hated seeing the consequences of his words. It just bothered him that he could be the one making her feel this way. Ah, what the hell… Despite their differences of opinion, he couldn’t let her walk away upset. Neteyam strode after her, reaching for her hand, his voice dropping to a soft, apologetic murmur.
“I’m sorry, baby, I didn’t mean that.”
She wanted to shrug him off, being still very upset and exhausted, but when he was like this? Calling her by that sky people nickname he’d borrowed from his father, apologizing although he disagreed, his ears pinning back in defeat. She melted.
Neteyam held her gaze with newfound fondness. Then he spotted a small scratch near her shoulder, and gently nudged her toward their home, determined to take care of her. Guilt and protectiveness weighed heavily on him as he watched how quickly she followed his silent instructions, sitting down patiently on the floor of their marui.
He sat down cross-legged in front of her, a wet cloth and a healing psalm they kept at hand for such situations at his convenience, as he began gently cleaning her scratches. He focused on each wound, whether big or small, equally. And though her state wasn’t even that bad, especially compared to the other girl, Y/N was still left with dozens of small irritating scratches that stung like tiny needles.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, you know that, right?” he asked after a beat of silence, his tail flicking behind him anxiously, “I just hate the thought of you getting hurt because of stupid things- they shouldn’t matter. I don’t want anything to happen to you, I worry, baby.”
He paused to look up at her for a reaction. He truly meant it, she could see it in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled softly in return.
His shoulders relaxed, tension easing at her apology. Neteyam brought himself closer, resting his chin on her knee, craving the proximity. His tail wrapped around her leg, silently signaling his need for reciprocation. She reached out, tangling her fingers in his hair, a small smile tugging at her lips. They could never stay mad at each other for long.
“I just wanted to protect you,” she mumbled, brushing away some of his braids, hoping he’d understand her actions came from gratitude.
“You do, every day,” he insisted, “But just don’t throw hands with everyone who dares to open their mouth. Deal?” he nudged his nose against her knee playfully.
“Alright- only with those who truly deserve it, hm?” she let out with a cheeky grin and leaned down to peck him on the nose to seal their agreement.
Neteyam straightened up, pulling her into his lap by the waist, his tail flicking playfully against her back.
“You know you drive me insane sometimes?” he asked, now fully relieved to have made up with her.
“You drive me insane too,” she replied, pecking the corner of his mouth with an amused expression.
He let out a huff, catching her lips properly this time, savoring the sweetness of her kiss.
“You love it,” he teased, pulling back just enough to look at her.
“I love you,” she corrected him with a murmur.
Despite hearing those words hundreds of times over the years, they never failed to make him flustered, completely melting at her mercy. She cupped his face with a smile.
“Now admit that the image of me wrestling another girl made you at least a little worked up,” she couldn’t help but add, testing his limits. Gosh, she was going to be the end of him.
People who say shit like "talking to real people is more fun" and "just go make friends" on anti AI posts need to realise theyre part of the problem.
Would love to babe but I got hated on for making a comment that wasnt even negative so its clearly not safe to be friends with you.
Maybe they could have said "i know its hard, but im glad you're still trying" or "that sucks, keep at it" maybe "i dont know how bad it feels, but quitting is worth it. Im cheering you on!"
Or even nothing at all. But no. They chose to double down and bully me as if theyre superior for having different life experiences than me.
[Not naming names cuz this is about why this is harmful, people dont understand that saving our community from disconnection starts with not ostracising each other even more. All the issues with AI and AI therapy are real and valid, but people dont realise that we should also help people who are at risk of and being harmed by this poor coping mechanism. Just like people who abuse drugs or gaming???]
Don't call urself insane unless you've ever said "I wanna go to the circus and take off your robe and rub the lower part of your wooden body where your dick would be if you weren't a smooth-textured chess piece" to the Kinger AI on character.ai and MEANT EVERY WORD YOU SAID.
It was the playoffs. You and Ada’s son’s soccer team finally made it to the playoffs. When he had told you both, you were so very proud. Ada even took him out for dinner and spoiled him with a bunch of gifts as a present, even after you and your son both tried to remind her he didn’t win just yet. But she didn’t care; she was just so proud.
It was the week before the playoffs when Ada got a call for another mission. You were making dinner, and your son was watching TV when she came and announced that she’d be leaving. The look of genuine sadness on your son’s face was heartbreaking, but Ada had reassured him she would be there, that she’d do the mission as quickly as she could, and she’d be there to cheer him on. But she wasn’t.
On the day of the playoffs, your son was distressed, looking around for his mother who never arrived. You even tried to keep a lookout for her, but she didn’t make it in time.
The good news was that your son’s team won; the bad news is that Ada had missed it all. The split happiness and joy from the boy was only temporary until you both made it home, and Ada still wasn’t back. She didn’t get back for another three days.
When she finally did get back, it was the middle of the night. Your son was asleep, but you were up finishing cleaning the dishes. That’s when she walked into the house, a look of guilt and distress on her face. You, on the other hand, looked shocked for a moment before you grabbed her and hugged her. She apologized to you over and over again, explaining what had happened and why she was so late. But you only shook your head and told her it wasn’t you she should be apologizing to.
The next morning was filled with pure tension. Ada had made breakfast, and you had been preparing the table when the sleepy ten-year-old finally walked in while rubbing his eyes. When he saw Ada, they both froze. It would’ve been a laughable sight if the boy hadn’t frowned and walked back out of the dining room and to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.
“Stop using character ai and rp with real people!”
Quotev fucking died and even before it died there was no one to rp with and there’s definitely no one to rp with on fuckass tumblr. I know it’s “oh fuck ai” but it’s the only way I can curate a steamy yet romantic wlw storyline the way I want it to go down because again there’s literally no one to rp with so I’m still gonna keep using it.
