⤷ 𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘹𝘰 𝘹 𝘧𝘦𝘮!𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺!𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 ˎˊ˗
⤷ 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: 𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘹𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴
as the sun began to paint the horizon in soft hues, you were out with your sisters, kiri and tuk, a familiar comfort. they sat in a hammock not far from their marui. “you know, i’m starting to like these days, just us three,” you murmured to them, your nimble fingers weaving beads onto a bracelet for rotxo. you two had grown unusually close since your family arrived at the metkayina clan, seeking uturu. you liked how soft-spoken and kind he was, and this bracelet was your quiet way of repaying that kindness.
“it is just like the old times,” kiri smiled, her fingers deftly braiding tuk’s hair. “sitting with grandma, under the tree, making necklaces.”
“do you think grandma still thinks about us?” tuk’s small voice broke the peaceful quiet.
you looked up from your busy hands, pausing your work on rotxo’s bracelet. “tuk… of course she does. what makes you question that?” you asked, your voice soft.
“why didn’t she come with us? why did she stay?” tuk pressed, her lower lip trembling slightly.
“because she is the tsahik. she must stay to protect our people,” you explained, sitting up and reaching for tuk’s small hand, holding it gently.
kiri tilted her head, her gaze tender on tuk. “do not be upset, tuk. we will get to see her again soon,” kiri offered a reassuring smile.
“i hope so,” tuk whispered, a sad little smile playing on her lips.
you stroked your thumb over tuk’s hand, offering silent comfort. “we will, tuk, but right now, you have us. hm?” you assured her, squeezing her hand.
tuk nodded, a little brighter.
“hey, i know an idea. why don’t you make a bracelet for grandma?” kiri suggested, a spark in her eyes.
you gasped in excitement. “yes! you should definitely make one for her. then, when we see her again, you can give it to her as a special gift!”
tuk giggled, her sadness momentarily forgotten. “i’ll make her one!”
you smiled at her, then sat back, releasing tuk’s hand. you looked at kiri, and you both shared a sad, knowing smile. you knew it wasn’t as easy as they made it sound, and a pang of guilt settled in your chest.
a burst of laughter broke the quiet, making you turn your head to see who it was. aonung’s annoying friends. koro and his brother. of course. you looked away, trying to avoid their gaze. but of course, they wouldn’t leave you alone. especially since they knew how much aonung disliked you and your family for not being ‘of the people’.
“awh, look who it is!” one of them sauntered over, slinging an arm over your shoulder.
“oh, get off me!” you snapped, shrugging his arm away with a forceful push.
“i can see why aonung doesn’t like you or your family,” he sneered. “so uptight.”
“uptight, because i don’t like you touching me? behave yourself,” you retorted, rolling your eyes and returning your attention to your bracelet, trying to ignore him.
“ooh, what’s this!” aonung’s other friend, koro, sidled up to the other side of the hammock, standing beside tuk. you looked up, your eyes narrowing as you saw him holding tuk’s half-finished bracelet.
“leave my bracelet alone!” tuk cried out.
“koro, leave her alone!” you warned, pushing him away from tuk.
“i never did anything, i’m just observing her bracelet,” koro smirked, snatching it back.
“i don’t want you to touch it!” tuk whimpered, trying to snatch it back.
“why not? afraid i’m going to break it?” koro taunted, pulling it just out of her reach.
“she’s a child, koro. leave her alone!” you snapped, stepping between them.
tuk, in a desperate tug, pulled the string from koro’s hand. but it was too late; the string snapped, and the beads scattered across the sand.
“oh dear,” kiri whispered, looking at you with a worried glance, knowing exactly what was about to happen.
“i told you to leave her alone, koro!” you snarled, leaping out of the hammock and pushing past his friend before confronting koro.
“hey, i didn’t mean to break it! she pulled it out of my hand!” koro protested, holding his hands up in a show of false innocence.
“and i told you to leave her alone! your problem is with me, not my sister, so do not mess with her, koro!” you shouted, your voice trembling with rage.
tuk sniffled, tears welling in her eyes, as kiri pulled her into a comforting hug. “it’s okay, tuk. we can fix it. i’ll help you, hm?” kiri tried her best to distract tuk, to soothe her upset.
“why’s your tail flapping around like that!” aonung’s friend taunted from behind you, a sneer on his face. he grabbed your tail, a cruel tug that made you whirl around and shove him with all your might, sending him sprawling onto his back. you bared your fangs, a low hiss escaping your lips. “back off. now.”
“ooh, just like her big brother,” koro laughed, pulling hard on your braid. you didn’t hesitate. your fist connected with his face, a sharp crack, sending him stumbling back.
“argh!” he grunted, clutching his eye.
“y/n! what are you doing?” aonung’s voice cut through the air, sharp and accusatory, as he strode towards the escalating scene with neteyam and rotxo. neteyam immediately started walking forward ready for whatever was gonna happen but aonung stopped having a firm grip on his arm pulling him back. “what are you doing, neteyam? don’t interfere.”
“they’re messing with my sisters!” neteyam retorted, trying to shake off
aonung’s grip. “why are they pulling her hair and grabbing her tail?”
lo’ak who was walking with tsireya, saw the commotion and pushed past rotxo and aonung walking towards you koro and his brother , his tail lashing with every step. “what’s going on here? you bothering my sisters?” he growled, glaring at koro and his brother.
rotxo, looking uncomfortable, stepped forward slightly. “aonung, maybe we should hear what happened.”
“this witch punched me in my eye!” koro repeated, pointing an accusing finger at you. “and she pushed my brother!”
“you pulled my hair, you skxawng! what did you expect?” you shot back, your chest heaving. “and your brother grabbed my tail! they were harassing tuk and broke her bracelet!” you gestured towards tuk, who was still sniffling, clutching the broken string and scattered beads in kiri’s comforting embrace.
aonung looked from you to koro, then to his other friend, whose expression was a mix of defiance and guilt. “Is this true?” he asked koro, his voice losing some of its initial certainty.
koro hesitated, then mumbled, “she pulled the string out of my hand, it just broke.”
“he was teasing her, aonung,” kiri interjected, her voice calm but firm. “he wouldn’t let go of tuk’s bracelet, and when she tried to get it back, it ripped.”
neteyam finally managed to pull his arm free from aonung’s grasp. He walked over to tuk, gently taking the broken bracelet from her. “is this what happened, tuk?”
tuk nodded, her eyes still watery. “he wouldn’t give it back. and then y/n told them to leave us alone, and he pulled her braid, and the other one grabbed her tail!”
lo’ak clenched his fists, taking a step towards Koro. “you pulled her braid? you grabbed her tail? you’re lucky I wasn’t here sooner!”
rotxo quickly stepped between lo’ak and koro. “woah, woah, let’s not make this worse.” he looked at aonung. “but they shouldn’t have been bothering them, aonung. especially tuk, she’s only a child.”
aonung’s gaze hardened as he looked at his friends. he knew koro and his brother could be troublemakers, and the evidence was mounting against them. the broken bracelet, tuk’s tears, kiri’s troubled face, and your furious but consistent account. he also saw the bruise starting to form on koro’s eye.
“Is this how you treat our guests?”
aonung’s voice was low, a dangerous edge to it. he turned to koro and his brother. “you will apologize. now.”
koro looked stunned, then defiant. “apologize? she punched me!”
“and you provoked her!” aonung snapped, his patience clearly wearing thin. “you bothered a child and laid hands on her sister. apologize, or you will answer to my father.”
the threat of his father, the olo’eyktan, was enough to make koro and his brother flinch. fhey exchanged nervous glances.
“fine,” koro grumbled, rubbing his eye. he looked at you, then at tuk. “sorry… for the bracelet. and for… bothering you.” but his brother stayed silent.
“koro. take your brother and go,” aonung said firmly.
“you heard him. go.” neteyam glared at koro, gently moving his hand away from him.
koro scoffed, then signaled to his brother to come with him, using just his hand.
tuk sobbed, jumping off the hammock and running toward neteyam.
“tey,” she cried, tears streaming down her face. “he broke my bracelet.”
neteyam quickly picked her up, concern etched on his face.
“what’s happened? are you okay, tuk?”
“no! he broke my bracelet,” she sobbed harder.
neteyam held her close, trying to soothe her, while glaring at koro.
just then, rotxo approached you with a worried look.
“are you alright?” he asked softly.
you nodded, trying to reassure him. “i’m fine.”
suddenly, in the distance, you both heard a harsh voice:
“get back here, skxawng!”
confused, you turned your head just in time to see koros brothers approaching, their faces filled with anger. before you could react, one of them punched you square in the face, causing you to stumble back, clutching your nose as you hit the sand.
you looked up to see koros brothers’ furious expressions. without hesitation, rotxo pounced on one of them, punching him repeatedly. soon, a heated fight erupted between the two, like cats and dogs.
everyone stared in stunned silence. rotxo had never acted this way before, he was usually obedient, following his grandmother’s orders to never let rage consume him. but today, a side of him rarely seen was unleashed. ao’nung struggled to pull rotxo back, shouting, “rotxo, that’s enough, don’t—”
but rotxo pushed ao’nung away and continued fighting, his anger burning bright.
you snapped out of your shock when lo’ak sat beside you, trying to help you wipe the blood from your nose.
“y/n, let me see,” he said softly.
you obeyed, and blood immediately started gushing out again. your eyes welled up with tears from the pain.
“come on, let’s get you to the tshaik,” lo’ak whispered gently, guiding you away.
koro ran over, rambling nervously.
“i didn’t mean for this to happen, it was just my stupid brother,” he stammered, but neteyam quickly grabbed his hair, pulling him back.
aonung finally managed to pull rotxo off, despite his efforts to land one last punch.
“rotxo, please, you’re going to get yourself in trouble,” aonung warned, trying to reason.
“don’t you ever pull that shit again!” rotxo yelled at koro’s brother.
neteyam hissed at koro before pushing him away, releasing his grip on koro’s hair.
koro helped his brother to his feet, then slapped him behind the head.
“i told you not to get involved, you skxawng.”
they walked off together, leaving the chaos behind.
“oh, get off me!” rotxo pushed aonung away.
“this isn’t my fault. i didn’t mean for any of this,” aonung said, looking at rotxo with concern.
“they’re your friends, aonung,” rotxo replied sharply.
“i didn’t tell them to do this. i didn’t even know they were here,” aonung insisted.
“yeah, right. you’ve hated y/n since she first arrived here, over something she can’t control,” rotxo said, voice rising slightly.
“aonung, that’s just how you are. you’ve been bad-mouthing her to everyone. what did you expect?”
aonung was taken aback by rotxo’s words, unable to respond.
rotxo sighed, shook his head, and walked past him, heading away from the scene.
after being tended to by the tshaik, you hurried off to find rotxo, since your brothers said he ran off after the fight. you brought some herbs and the bracelet you had made earlier, hoping to tend to his wounds and comfort him.
you found him sitting on a rock, elbows on his knees, looking upset. quietly, you sat next to him. his face lit up when he saw you.
“y/n! are you okay? does your nose still hurt?” he bombarded you with questions, lightly grabbing your face to get a better look.
you leaned into his touch but then reached up, placing your hands on his, holding them in your lap.
“rotxo, i’m fine, but you clearly aren’t,” you said, pointing out his bruised knuckles and bloody lip as you prepared the herbs.
you gently wrapped his knuckles with the herbal paste, feeling his awkward chuckle as he tried to ignore the sting.
“i worry about you. about what your grandmother will say. you know how much she values peace.”
rotxo sighed, a heavy sound that seemed to carry the weight of his internal struggle. “she does. and i failed her today. i let my anger take over. but seeing him hit you, y/n… i couldn’t stand it. It was like a fire in my chest. i just reacted.” he looked down at your hands, still holding his, then back up at you. “i don’t regret defending you. never. but i regret losing control, what matters to me the most is that you’re okay. i must admit, i did let myself go a little overboard, but that’s only because i care about you.”
you smiled softly, wrapping his injured hand.
“i care for you too. i’m glad you defended me. no one else has ever done that for me except my family.”
his breath hitched as you moved closer, noticing the closeness between you two, the quiet tension, the unspoken feelings.
“how could i not defend you? what he did was wrong. i was always taught to stand up for others when they’re in need,” rotxo said softly.
“yeah, but i’ve never seen you like this,filled with rage,” you murmured, wiping the blood from his lip. “i feel bad for putting you in that position, and i don’t want to get you in trouble.”
he took your hands that were holding his face away and gently squeezed them “do not feel bad , i choose to do that for you, my grandmother will understand if i tell her i was defending you.” you tilted your head in confusion and he continued
“the truth is , i see you, beneath the mask and ‘flaws’ my people point out about you and your family, only eywa knows how far i would go for you. i even argued with ao’nung after you left and he’s my best friend ” you looked up at him your expression softening and heating up “i… i see you too rotxo.” you immediately hugged him covering your face in his shoulder smiling like an idiot, he chuckled a bit putting his hands on your back hugging you back after a while you pulled back remembering the bracelet you had made for him, you reached into your bag and pulled out the bracelet you’d made. holding it out in front of you, you hesitated briefly.
“i uhh made you this earlier, as a thank you for being so kind to me and my family. sorry if it doesn’t look perfect I had to rush because—”
before you could finish, he cut you off with a gentle kiss on the cheek and a warm smile.
“it’s okay. i love it. thank you for making this.”
your face flushed deeply, and suddenly, impulsively, you pounced, kissing him on the lips.
he fell back onto the sand, laughing softly, then kissed you back, deeper this time.
the world around you faded away the sounds of the village, the waves crashing nothing mattered but the two of you, caught in that moment of connection, warmth, and newfound affection
a/n: yikes this is my first ficc that i have uploaded on here pls give me tips if u see any mistakes , there was slight mischaracterization but i hope u enjoyed this !
