Pairing: so’lek x gn!tamtey!reader
Summary: based on this thought i had! tamtey finds comfort in so’lek’s gear so she goes to hide in the caves where he stashes them and he goes to look for her just to see her cuddled up with it 😭 and and he’ll just be so content, heart full of love like “ome (haha oh my eywa) this girl is really truly for me”
Warnings: lowercase intended! none really! just a lot of sweet stuff and fluff! sfw. comfort. the use of the ikran name telisi and ìley. short mentions of wukula, bukowski, and ri’nela. not proofread :/
A/N: i’ve had this idea swirling around in my mind for some time now! it kind of reminds me of a s/o giving their sweater away lol as always i hope you enjoy! all credits to the owners of the pictures! credits to @diviniyae for the dividers! please let me know if i missed anything!
Na’vi Translations: ayram alusìng- hallelujah mountains, ekxanwll- gateway lily, zeykoma- trr’ong flower
its been a couple of weeks since so’lek has saved you from bukowski and wukula. you’re so glad to be back with your people and away from enemy forces, but the road to healing is long and daunting. some days are harder than others but you don’t give up. you busy yourself with work from the clans. grabbing things for them or helping rebuild homes. ri’nela stresses to you that you should rest and not overwork yourself but you can’t.
the moment you stop to think you’re flooded with the memories of being behind the rda. that interrogation room. how ruthless they were. a shudder runs through your body, you wrap your arms around yourself, and your teeth clench. you squeeze your eyes shut, trying not to remember what happened. you take several deep breaths to steel yourself. you let out a sigh and open your eyes, taking in your surroundings. your hammock, the crafting table, the cookery, even telisi’s corner. you’re fine. they don’t have you. not anymore, thanks to so’lek. another sigh slips out,
you miss him. he’s been out cleaning up the remaining rda forces. he stops by whenever he has the time, bringing you food or sometimes just his presence. he even offers to take you on rides with ìley.
letting out one last sigh, you stand up and gather a few things. your bow, your knife, and a couple of snacks for telisi. as much as you want to fly to him that wouldn’t be a good idea. so you’ll settle for the next best thing. you call for telisi, her chirping bringing a smile to your face. you give her a few pets before you both take off. heading towards the boundless range you take a quick peek inside of so’lek’s camp.
maybe he doubled back for something but, alas, it’s empty.
telisi lets out a soft rumble you coo at her. “i know, my girl. i miss him too.”
you two descend down before landing at the entrance of the heart’s cavern. you grab a treat for telisi from your pouch throwing it up in the air for her to catch it. she lets out a shrill and you take that as a thank you.
you enter the cave, following the winding path inside takes you to the electrified water. a small smirk spreads across your face. of course he would use extra precautions. shooting once at the gateway lily it opens and you walk through. going further into the cave you grab onto the lift vine and it brings you up. your breath hitches, it’s always so beautiful up here. the way the waterfalls flow down into the water, the flora glowing all around you as if it’s welcoming you in. you run your hands along the walls. rough to the touch but still warm. a little bit like so’lek. you let out a small laugh and shoot a couple more gateway lilies. once you use the last lift vine you’re there. a bit behind the small waterfall you see the area so’lek has made. along with some bowls of fruit, they look fresh, you pop a couple into your mouth. you hum satisfyingly. you take a seat down in the middle of the mat. you reach over to grab his stash. carefully grabbing the latch and lifting it up. right inside is his old chest guard. the one he wore during the battle of ayram alusìng. you grab it and place it in your lap, gently running your fingers along the neckline. allowing your fingers to get caught in the two circles in the center of it. you softly caress the feather, watching as your finger moves along the different colors. starting at the tip with a dark blue, then the middle with a sky blue, and finally reaching the green base. you repeat this notion for a while before you decide to lay down. you push a few of the bowls out of the way to get comfortable. once you’re settled you hug so’lek’s chest guard to your chest. you close your eyes to think.
even with the bad memories swirling around your mind, so’lek is a constant thought. his presence, his warmth, even his scowl. it brings you nothing but peace. you don’t know what you would do without him. always so resilient and ready to face anything. even now, making sure the forest is safe. you wish he was here with you though. your body begins to relax and you feel your muscle loosen up. your eyelids flutter close and you drift off into a nap.
so’lek lets out a grunt after taking out the last amp solider. he takes a quick look around at his work. not only did he intercept another rda convoy trying to set up a small base in the forest but he stumped any future plans the rda had. he can feel himself growl at the thought.
a series of chirps bring him out of his thoughts. he turns and sees ìley landing near him. so’lek makes his way over, “hello, dear friend. you must be ready to go, hm? let us leave.”
the sun has already set and he looks up to see the stars settling in. he gives ìley a few pats on the head and they fly to so’lek’s camp. once he lands, he hesitates. giving a quick glance around his camp he sees nothing out of the ordinary but there’s a subtle hint of ikran treats. the same ones telisi likes to eat. so’lek nods and hops back onto ìley. he follows the scent of the treats before he spots telisi. he lands next to her and she screeches as a hello. he runs a hand along her head and sets off into the cave. he can hear her and ìley chirping away, having their own conversation. he makes his way into the cave. once he sees that the ekxanwlls are retracted he smiles to himself.
he reaches the top and sees you sleeping. he shakes his head and grabs a few things to make a small fire.
you look so beautiful… ethereal in a way that shouldn’t be disturbed. your face is so relaxed he’s afraid if he breathes too hard you’ll wake. his eyes drift to your cheek, looking at your sarentu mark. he reaches over and caresses it softly. he starts to purr involuntarily. the only thing he can think about is his sarentu. you let out a small breath, his eyes shoot up to yours, once he sees that you’re still asleep he relaxes. his eyes drift down to what you’re holding. his chest guard. he lets out a small laugh. he sees you with it more than he wears it. he places his hand on top of yours. unconsciously, you move the chest guard closer to you. a surprised sound leaves so’lek but he tries again. your eyebrows furrow slightly and a small mumble leaves your lips. he decides to give up, there’s no way he’s taking it from you this way. he glances around the area. once he sees you’ve eaten some fruit he takes a mental note to replenish it.
the crackle of the fire fills the silence in the cave. he watches it diligently, making sure it doesn’t grow too fast. once he’s satisfied with it he takes a seat next to you. looking up through the cracks of the cave he sees moonlight trickling in. he leans his head back into the cave wall and his eyes slide back to you. he gingerly places his hand over your calf. as tough as he may seem, you break through his facade easily. at first, he thought something was wrong with him. he’s never craved anything before, let alone the presence of another. just a simple touch from you and his mind calms immediately. he runs his hand up and down setting a quiet rhythm, silently hoping it’ll wake you up soon.
some time goes by and there’s a certain warmth around you. your ears pick up the crackling sounds of a fire. you take a moment to think…
you know you didn’t start one.
thinking back, the sun was still up before you laid down. you feel an extra weight on your leg before panic sets in, your senses are flooded with so’lek. his smell of the forest right before it rains, with a lingering smell of zeykoma, and a faint hint of metal. you turn your head towards your legs and there he is. his eyes are already on yours. you give him a soft smile and he returns it.
you let out a small giggle and sit up. his hand falls from your calf and you frown from the loss of warmth.
“hmm, just as eclipse was setting. how long have you been here?”
“i do not know for sure but the sun was still in the sky when i arrived. how did you know i was here?”
“i smelt telisi’s treats when i arrived back home. but it seems someone is stealing from me?”
you perk up a bit at that. what did he mean by stealing? you follow the trail of his eyes to the chest guard. oh right! you completely forgot! it’s laying down in your lamp, one hand laying on top of it.
“o-oh. sorry about that! i was just—“
he holds a hand out before interrupting you, “it is fine. there is no need to apologize to me. i am pleased that you find comfort in it.”
your head lowers just a bit as you put your attention on his chest guard. your hand runs over the front of it, the fibers leaving a nice sensation on them. “thank you, so’lek. it is like you are with me even when you are not. i feel safe.”
he nods along to your words. he can feel his chest swell at your confession. pieces of him gives you safety, the main thing he wants to provide for you. he scoots over near you, the tip of his tail gently strokes yours. you lean your head on his shoulder and close your eyes.
“you can keep it. that way you won’t have to search the cave for it.”
a small smile crosses your face, “but i like the caves you pick. it is like a home away from home.”
he laughs lightly, “if you say so.”
it goes quiet for a while, you both bask in the comfortable silence. you watch the fire and go back to tracing his chest guard. once so’lek sees this he decides to speak up.
“take it with you. when you leave you will have a piece of me with you, always.”
looking up at him you can’t stop the smile from spreading across your face. you give him a small nod, “yeah okay, i like that.”
you move in closer to so’lek and place your head back on his shoulder. you wrap your tail around his now, letting them intertwine. he lets out a soft grunt of approval and you laugh. he places his head on top of yours and you both listen to the sounds around you. the crackling of the fire, the chitter of the insects, and the sounds of the mini waterfalls. right here in this moment you knew that you will be alright, as long as so’lek was right here with you.
