-you and jake have been best friends for years much to the displeasure of everyone who has ever been around you two. Even in your new lives you both remain insufferable.
word count: 2.4k
warnings: body shaming (jake calls reader 'tubby' once, they both call each other ugly)
a/n: this was supposed to be a small drabble but then i unfortunately started writing exposition…
kinda part 2: The kids are watching
You knew from the second you laid eyes on him, when he walked into the barracks with all that young bull swagger and an annoying smirk, that he was someone that would get on your nerves.
You weren't wrong. You just never expected that his sully charm would reel you in regardless.
You quickly became inseparable assholes together. You two were practically joined at the hip, eating side by side in the canteen every single day, and periodically landing yourselves in trouble with your childish arguments which often lead to toilet scrubbing and endless pushups. There was a time when you both had goofed off a little too much which led to the whole team having to clean the barracks with nothing but toothbrushes. Everyone hated you both for that.
When you first met Tommy, he joked that you were more Jake's twin that him.
"Maybe we were switched at birth" he had laughed.
Unfornately, unlike Jake who quickly fell into the disciplined marine life, following orders was never your strong suite. You often talked back to superiors, unable to withstand what you viewed to be unfair treatment. It was never your dream to join the miltary, you were just following the path that was expected of you. So it was no surprise to anyone when you had been discharged within the year for your inability to adapt.
Graciously, Tommy had taken you under his wing, introducing you to the avatar training program when you had nothing and no one to fall back onto. You never considered yourself someone who had an interest in space but there was something about pandora that callled to you. You had trained more rigourously for this than for anything you ever had before, spending sleepless night studying na'vi and reading most of grace augustines books detailing flora and fauna.
You and Jake kept in touch throughout. you wrote letters back and forth where he would tease you for being a science puke now. Your bond was still strong even when life got busy.
And when Jake was discharged after losing his legs, you did your best to be there for him, trying to keep some sense of normalcy in his life. You never tiptoed around him. Something he would later tell you he appreciated. You never treated him like he was a broken man. Because even under all the grief and the lack of legs, he was still just plain old Jake Sully.
After Tommy's death, you both had somehow gotten impossibly closer.
Life on Pandora with Jake had reminded you of your early days together where you both were nothing but a headache for everyone around.
Grace had looked you both over that first time and clutched her head as if just the sight of you both was enough to bring on tension aches. You remebered how she turned away, arguing about how she didn't need reckless marines. You atleast had the log hours to prove some worth.
She had little patient for Jake, let alone the both of you together, especially when you riled each other up with playful jabs and petty squables. There were times where Jake would jump you while in his avatar, taking full advatange of his newfound strenght. Your miltary training would kick in and you reciprocated tenfold.
Grace had threatened to send you both back to earth.
During your first mission together, you shouldn't have been surprised that Jake had mangaed to separate you both from the group—he had always been reckless—and then got you captured by the omatikaya. In that time you both became students under the chief's daughter and the future leader, Neytiri and Tsu'tey, much to their chagrin.
You would not describe them as patient teachers. Not at first at least. Neytiri was aggressive. Quick to annoy. She would often insult both you and Jake and would smack him when he did something wrong. But under all that irritation was a girl skilled in her ways of life. Despite her initial protests, Neytiri never skipped a day of lessons. She taught you like you were children now learning to live in your body. In a sense you were. And while you had more experience in your avatar than Jake, you still struggled at times. She never went beyond what you were ready for. She remained steady and reliable. And soon she became a friend.
Tsu'tey was a different story. He was hardened and set in his ways. A stubborn man who once he made up his mind was hard to shake. From the second he laid eyes on you two he decided you both were better off dead. That you were nothing but a threat to the forest and it's people. He was more unforgiving in his training. He fought like you were a supposed to know every step and when to dodge. He hissed insults every chance he got. When you stumbled, when your feet land wrong, when your breathing was too loud.
He reminded you too much of the sergeants during your training days. This lead to you often pushing back on his aggressiveness. You both were always at each others throats.
Eventually that tension would grow and change shape until it became something that was hard to describe. Touches became softer and words became less minced, and his patience grew with time. Not largely, just enough for you to notice.
It finally came to head after the great war.
Tsu'tey was gravely injured and had spent days in the tsahik's tent. Jake, who was already mated with Neytiri, would nudge you with a grin on his face everytime he caught you hovering over the sleeping na'vi. You refused to leave his side, too anxious at his state, even though you never admitted it out loud.
When he finally woke, you both had mated under the eye of eywa, no longer able to deny the affection that you held for each other.
Jake had teased you relentlessly the next morning. You punched him square in the chest, forcing him to double over.
Even now, a year later, your relationship hadn't changed.
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!"
Jake clawed at your hands that pulled on strands of his hair.
"Still think I'm weak?" You grunted
You and Jake had been fishing in a nearby stream, filling baskets with enough to feed the clan at dinner. When it was time to haul the fish back to the clan, you, having spent most of your time with your newborn baby boy instead of keeping up with training, had struggled with lifting one of the baskets. And Jake with all his stupidity, decided that it was a good idea to poke fun at you. "Getting a little tubby, huh?"
Not the brightest thing to say to a new mother, especially if that mother was you.
The second the comment left him, you fully dropped the basket and tackled him to the ground, resorting to petty tricks like hair pulling.
"Apologize!!" You hissed, fingers unyielding around his dreads.
Jake despite the pain in his scalp said nothing. All he let out was pained yells.
At his silence you wrapped your legs around his neck.
"Ugk—"Jake choked. He tried the pry you off of him, digging his nails into your skin. You didn't waver. "Hel—help!!" He cried out slapping at your calves "Someone! Anyone!" Yet no one came even as his face turned purple.
Across the trees, within clan grounds, Neytiri and Tsu'tey sat together, each with a baby strapped to their chest. Their ears twitched at the familiar voice pleading for his life but neither made a move. They remained where they were, preparing spices for tonight's meal but the yelling continued.
Tsu'tey blinked " Your mate is calling"
Neytiri adjusted the starp on her shoulder "He will be fine"
And with that, they went back to work.
As long as their idiotic mates didn't wake the babies, they did not care.
"Tsaya" you cooed at your baby boy. He wiggled on his back, tiny arms reaching for you.
Next to you was Jake, who was bouncing a whiny Neteyam.
You glanced at him out the corner of your eye "You're doing it wrong"
"What?" He turned to you, hand on Neteyam's head "No, i'm not"
You just raised your brows with pursed lips and went back playing with a laughing Tsaya.
Jake stared at you, fighting the urge to give in and ask. He failed.
"What could I possibly be doing wrong?" He said with an attitude more suited to an angsty teenage girl.
"Oh so now you want my help?"
"Just tell me"
You hummed "I don't know. You were kinda rude. Maybe if you said please.."
He deadpanned. "Nevermind"
But Neteyam didn't stop fussing.
You rolled your eyes and sighed. "You are too aggressive Sully. Sway, don't bounce like a maniac. Have you learned anything from Neytiri"
He scoffed but listened anyway.
And finally Neteyam calmed.
Eventually both boys were fast asleep and so you placed them in side by side baby baskets.
Jake raised a brow at you, having felt your eyes on the side of his head.
Your eyes widened, urging him for something
"What do you want?" He asked
"Seriously?" You huffed in disbelief "You are so ungrateful"
"What?
"I mean it's my bad for expecting anything from you" You turned away
"oh my—"
You cut him off "Like, would it kill you to say thank you at least once? But I guess your ego can't handle admitting that I'm a better parent than you"
"Excuse me??"
You swiveled to face him again, hands on your hips "You heard me"
"You are not better than me. and—and I was a father longer than you were a mother" he argued
"By a few months!"
"Still counts"
" At least I can get a baby to stop crying" Your tail whipped at his leg.
"Oh please, Tsaya cries more than Neteyam. Probably 'cause he has to see your face everyday" He caught your tail and tugged sharply.
Before you knew it, you both were rolling around on the floor like two wild animals.
"Tiyawn—"
Tsu'tey was cut off by the sight of Jake trapping you in a headlock.
He suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion roll over his body as he stood in the kelku opening.
He glanced back, deciding whether to leave you both or to drag you apart. He choose to separate you two when he saw you open your jaw wide, no doubt with the intention of biting the skin off of Jake's forearm. His resulting yell would surely wake the babies.
"That is enough." He said firmly as if scolding children. It was only then did you two notice his presence. You both blinked at him stupidly. He sighed, stepping forward and physically yanking you from Jake's grip.
"Must you two always act like children?"
Jake got up, dusting himself off. You, whose arm was still gripped by Tsu'teys hand, looked up. It was a face Tsu'tey had seen countless times since meeting you. It was not a look of shame, but rather one that told him you were going defend yourself regardless of what the truth was.
"It's his fault" Your arm shot out in Jake's direction. Jake's jaw dropped at your audacity. "He should learn manners. Maybe then i wouldn't have teach him any"
Jake scoffed "That's rich coming from you"
Tsu'tey's thumb and forefinger came up to squeeze the bridge of his nose. "I do not care who started it. If you must behave like fools, do it away from the children"
Neither of you argued.
Neytiri gently washed Neteyam in the stream as Jake hovered next to her doing nothing but watch.
"He's always so calm when you bathe him. When I do it, I end up the one covered in water" he said
She thumbed away at a speck of dirt on Neteyam's cheek "That is because he thinks it is playtime when you do it"
"Huh…well I guess it's a win he thinks i'm fun"
A laugh sounded " How'd you know his splashing isn't because he wants to get away from you?"
Jake's tail flicked.
The corner of Neytiri's mouth twitched. He saw.
"Don't encourage her" He said
"I did not say anything" Neytiri reasoned, scooping up some water and letting it fall on Neteyam's hair.
Tsu'tey called "Tiyawn, do not start. You will rile up the boys"
"What..I'm just saying" You shrugged before washing Tsaya's hair as Tsu'tey held him up.
Jake focused his attention on his son "You like papa, don't you boy?" he cooed "Yes, you do. Your aunt is just a meanie" Neteyam clapped at him. "Yes she is. and ugly too" the boy clapped again. Jake chuckled and ruffeled his hair " 'atta boy"
Then from across the stream:
"Uncle Jake is the ugliest isn't he Tsaya" the baby gurgled.
When Jake looked up you were already staring him. You both held each other's stare. No words were exchanged but invisble daggers were shot.
"Stop it you two, and make yourselves useful" Neytiri said, having enough of your ridiculous staring contest. She handed Neteyam over to Jake to dry off and the baby immediately started wiggling more than he did when Neytiri held him.
You snorted. "See?"
Neytiri, unable to help herself, let out a small laugh.
Jake looked down at Neteyam and pouted. "Everyone is against me…"
In yours and Tsu'tey's kelku, he set down a now sleeping Tsaya before making his way to your shared hammock where you had already stretched out to sleep. His eyes caught the sight of a half shapened dagger leaning against the wall.
He picked it up, turning it around in his hands. It was clearly not finished but each cut was made with care and precision. Next to it sat a small bowl of blue beads.
"What is this, tiyawn" He asked, looking up at you as you rubbed your eyes.
You peeked over at him, seeing the dagger in his hands. "A gift" you yawned " 's Jake's birthday next week. He's been complaining about his old one."
Tsu'tey hummed, carefully placing the item back where he found it and crawled into the hammock. You settled into his arms, face nuzzeling into his chest. Tsu'tey smiled at the sight before closing his eyes.
Even though you and Jake were the most atrocious pairing to ever exist, it could not be denied that the bond between you was strong. Unbreakable.
Description: Jake takes the last pop-tart and you have a conniption.
Content Warnings: pregnancy cravings/hormones, Tsu'tey lives au, takes place a year after movie 1, reader and Jake have been transfered to their avatars, reader is 7-8 months pregnant, idiot Jake Sully
Author's note: Based on this request!
At the sight of Jake Sully, you hissed, waddling over to him with all of the might your pregnant body could muster.
“Give it to me,” you practically growled, blocking Toruk Makto’s path as he headed out on a hunt for the day, his wife, Neytiri, just behind him.
Jake’s eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what you were talking about. “What?” he asked.
“The last pop-tart, skxawng (idiot),” you exclaimed.
His body immediately tensed at the word ‘pop-tart’, a dead giveaway to the worst news you had received all week.
“No!” you exclaimed and he flinched, wincing as your face fell.
“I’m sorry! I was hungry!” he attempted to defend himself, but you felt your eyes welling with tears. Neytiri came around to stand beside Jake, watching each of you warily.
“That was the last pop-tart on the entire moon, Jake!” you cried. “And you promised I could have it.”
“I forgot!” he scrambled to make up for it. “You can have a moonpie, there are a lot of those. A moonpie on a moon, how fun.”
Tears really did fall when he said that. “Because it is a moonpie. No one wants that,” you said.
“What is happening?” Neytiri asked.
“She wanted the last of a human food. We only had a few left and she went through most of them,” Jake pointed out but you and Neytiri both scowled.
“She is pregnant, Ma’ Jake,” Neytiri said, coming to your defense, wrapping a comforting arm around you. “That was cruel.”
“That’s all the baby wants!” you explained and Neytiri rubbed a hand up your arm.
“Of course, the baby has to eat too,” Neytiri nodded and you felt like you were finally being heard.
“Exactly!” You agreed.
Your husband and the father of your unborn baby turned the corner then and you immediately shuffled over to him. “Tsu’tey,” you muttered, your swollen belly bumping into his hip as you wrapped your arms around him and he did the same on reflex.
“Why is my mate crying?” Tsu’tey asked calmly, but there was a bite to his words.
“There was a small mix up…” Jake started.
“He ate my pop-tart!” you sniffled into Tsu’tey’s shoulder.
“You ate her pop-tart?” Tsu’tey ground out, knowing fully about your pop-tart pregnancy cravings. The glare he sent Jake over your shoulder could have intimidated even a seasoned warrior.
“I forgot!” he exclaimed again, putting his hands out.
“Is there not another one she could have?” your mate asked, but Jake winced.
“It was the last one on all of Pandora, ‘Tey, and he ate it!” your tears fell down your cheeks then, your arms tightening to a vice grip around his neck as pregnancy hormones went even more haywire in your body.
“Really, skxawng?” Tsu’tey asked Jake, knowing how much they meant to you.
You had been rationing them out for weeks when you realized you were running out. The silver packs were like precious gold to you. Now that you were nearing the end of your pregnancy, they were becoming more and more of a valuable resource, just for them to be yanked away completely.
“I’m so sorry, y/n. What can I do to make it up to you?” Jake asked.
You pulled away from Tsu’tey and turned to face Jake. Tsu’tey’s arm still stayed securely around your waist as his other arm came to your face to wipe away tears.
“No, the baby just wants pop-tarts.”
“Human food was probably bad for the baby anyway,” Tsu’tey pointed out firmly.
“But it was good for me and my sanity! It was my little treat,” you whined, looking at him with puppy dog eyes that he could not withstand for long.
He sighed, looking back to Jake, “and there are no more of these… pop-tarts? None?”
“Not that I know of. Let me ask around with the humans, maybe someone has one,” he offered and your frown instantly morphed into a smile.
“Really Jake? You would do that?” you cooed, softening instantly.
“Yeah, yeah I can do that,” he nodded and Neytiri brought her hand up to hide her smirk at how her mate had messed up so incredibly to not only inconvenience the Olo’eyktan, but to upset a hangry pregnant woman.
“Good, do so and report back to me. Go,” Tsu’tey ordered as if it was a serious, high stakes mission, because for Tsu’tey, it was. He did not want to deal with you in a fit of hormonal rage any more than Jake did.
“You should be resting, muntxate (wife),” Tsu’tey gently guided you back to your kelku (home), one hand on each shoulder.
“I am not tired, but my feet do hurt,” you decided and allowed him to lead you back.
You awkwardly went to sit on the floor, knowing you would struggle to get down.
“Here,” Tsu’tey offered, taking your hands and helping you lower to the floor slowly.
“Thank you, Yawnetu,” you sighed as you finally felt the weight distribute off of your ankles.
“Do you need anything?” he asked, crouching in front of you to smooth your hair away from your flushed cheeks.
“No, other than my pop-tart, I am fine” you sighed, your bottom lip sticking out in a dramatic pout.
“Norm had one!” a shout emitted from outside and Tsu’tey shot to his feet, looking out the opening and scoffing at what he saw. “Norm had one!” a voice that sounded like Jake yelled.
Sure enough, he rounded the corner, finally in your line of sight. Tsu’tey scrambled back a step as Jake’s momentum had him keening forward. In his hand sat an item that had your eyes welling up again.
“A pop-tart!” you nearly screeched, reaching out your hands for him to throw it to you.
He tossed it underhand with a huge smile on his face, and the trajectory of the silver arch had the pastry landing right in your hands.
“Thank you!” you squealed, unwrapping the packaging and sinking your teeth into the pink, sprinkled top.
“You are lucky, Jake Suli. If you had not found one, I would have had to challenge you to combat,” Tsu’tey warned, but the light turn of his lips told Jake it was in jest.
“Was that a joke? I didn’t think you were capable of humor, Tsu’tey. I’m shocked,” Jake gasped and Tsu’tey scowled immediately.
“Get back to the hunt, skxawng,” Tsu’tey ordered with rolled eyes.
“Yes sir!” Jake barked, giving a mocking salute that made you giggle before pivoting and walking away, presumably to join his mate. Tsu’tey turned to you, a confused grimace on his face that made you laugh fully.
“It’s a human thing,” you explained between bites.
“I figured that out,” he walked back to you and crouched down in front of you. “Happy?”
You nodded, “Very happy,” you smiled. “The baby is too, they started kicking.”
You took Tsu’tey’s hand and placed it over the spot where you felt your junior olympian stretching their legs. Your mate's face melted into awe as he felt his son or daughter’s strong kick.
“They really do like this food, can I try a small piece?” he asked.
You broke off a corner, not planning to tell him those were the worst parts and handed it over. “Know that I love you, I don’t share pop-tarts with just anyone,” you said and he grinned.
“I am honored, paskalin.” he smirked as he took a bite of the human food.
His lips immediately turned up in disgust and he forced himself to swallow instead of gagging on his pregnant wife. “Ugh, paskalin, I fear for our baby’s tastes if they like this,” he said.
You grinned at his expression as he handed back the small piece he had left in his hand. “I grew up eating these,” you pointed out and he shook his head.
“Thank Eywa, our child will not. Humans are cruel in many ways, and giving that to children is one of them,” he ground out, leveling you a look that told you he was halfway teasing.
“Well, I am going to enjoy my last pop-tart ever in peace. Go back to work,” you instructed, taking another bite.
“I see, I am no longer needed. I am being thrown out like rotten teylu.”
“Sorry, ‘Tey. You’re bringing down my happy mood,” you said.
“I see. Then I will go, and bring you back many foods that are much better than that abomination,” he proclaimed, standing up.
“You can try, but I will always stay loyal to this abomination,” you smiled as he shook his head.
ᝰ.ᐟ key: A- angst I F- fluff I S- smut I C- comfort I ~S- implied smut I H/C -comfort
☆ tìtunu pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt5.5 ── @makoodles I A + F + S
in which Tsu'tey doesn't consider the cultural differences when it comes to human x navi courting, but is very determined anyway
☆ tìohakx ── @/makoodles I A + F + S
☆ good loving ── @/makoodles I F + S
Tsu’tey may not have understood the phrase when Jake had first said it, but he is nothing if not thorough and determined. He soon makes it his goal to embody those qualities for you
☆ tìyawn / ve’kì ── @/makoodles I A + F + S
It’s no secret that Tsu’tey hates the Sky People. They are demons, blind to the world around them and so utterly destructive in their natures. His planet, his home, has seen nothing but chaos and hardship ever since they have arrived. They are small and weak, yet vicious and harmful in just about every way. He has not known true peace since their arrival. The sky demons have no redeeming qualities. Or at least, almost no redeeming qualities.That's where you come in. Tsu'tey soon learns that his feelings on the matter are far more complicated than he had realised
☆ tìsom ── @/makoodles I S
Tsu'tey is a strong mate; he is cautious, considerate, and protective, and he always provides for you. And yet, human/Na'vi relationships come with a learning curve. That learning curve comes with surprises regarding certain biological urges
☆ too close ── @dollzstrology I A + F
When Tsu’tey looks across the room and sees Jake being touchy with you for the millionth time it burns a fire of jealousy within him.
☆ caught in the act ── @/dollzstrology I F + S + A
Mating season has arrived for the Omatikaya, filling the forest with a heated tension than impossible to ignore. When finally given some rare alone time, you and Tsu’tey indulge in the pleasures of the marital act. Just as passion consumes the two of you, prepared to feel the warmth of each other, your precious moment is shattered by an unexpected intrusion…. your children.
☆ captain save a hoe ── @randxmthxughts I F
grumpy tsu’tey having to take care of a clumsy avatar!reader, and eventually warming up to her
☆ doing it all for love ── @tonowarii I H/C
Quaritch was about to hit Hometree. (Y/N), Grace, Norm, Jake, and Trudy make a daring escape to save all that you can, however, it came with a price.
☆ yawne ── @/tonowarii I F
Tsu'tey with a dreamwalker reader were they come up with human nicknames for him when they are training become one of the na'vi, and he's confused and asks jake. So when he finds out he starts calling her nicknames that are meant for mates or something in his language. Something that makes the reader flustered. If you want to.
☆ open arms ── @/tonowarii I F
☆ burning ── @bked0n-lorazepam I S
you make an awful mistake when trying to get a picture of a pretty flower, and now all you want is a yummy blue popsicle to soothe the fire inside of you.
☆ i want to see ── @junebugonjupiter I F
As an Avatar, you never thought you would get the full Na'vi experience, but not only did you get a fast pass to learn it up close and personal, you got an angry teacher to show you the ropes.
☆ poisonous ── @/junebugonjupiter I A + C
Your mate's family never approved of you, but you didn't think they hated you to the point of murder.
☆ poptart ── @/junebugonjupiter I F
Jake takes the last pop-tart and you have a conniption.
**slides over** uh, perchance could you just write something for tsu'tey? ANYTHING please, it can be angst, it can be fluff, I am hungry for a drop of this man.
here it is, anon! I apologize as it is so late.
Idle Chatter
Tsu'tey x fem!Tlalim! (Wind Trader Clan) reader
An AU where Tsu'tey lives, and doesn't know what to do with himself after surviving. He meets a trader- you- and despite his perception of the Tlalim being gossipy, extroverted nuisances, he takes a liking to you. Takes place during Fire and Ash.
Genre: Angst, strangers to friends to lovers, some mutual pining, fluff at the end, no use of y/n, the lack of info around the difference between mating and bonding let me make my own headcanons (let me live)
Word Count: 6k
Tsu’tey tries not to make a habit out of talking to anyone of the Tlalim clan.
“Wind traders run their mouths just as fast as their sails ripple in the wind.” He tells anyone who will listen, including Tarsem, who laughs at the notion.
“And you don’t think that’s useful?” Tarsem adjusts his cloak, signifying his role as Olo’eyktan. Tsu’tey did not mind that he did not the gain the role again after the battle between the RDA and the Omatikaya– although once upon a time he would’ve considered himself the most strong warrior of all the Na’vi, still deserving of this title, he knew he was bested by Jake Sully.
By Toruk Makto. And if Tarsem was his choice to take his spot, after leaving to be with a clan that could not be shared, then so be it.
“Useful. Really, Tarsem?” Tsu’tey swallows. Taking the younger man’s advice does scare him at times– just because he’s filled with trepidation now.
Tsu’tey will always be behind people’s shadow. He’s not Olo’eyktan, not mated with Sylwanin, he lost Neytiri– truthfully, he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do. Being told who you’re supposed to be, and not even wanting that, but still relying on this proposed, decided future for a sense of comfort– it rattles him to know that he never planned anything else.
“Yes, useful. Gossip is just another word for information.” Tarsem conveys in a tone that is so wise, it just worsens Tsu’tey’s mood. “Please, Tsu’tey– most people enjoy the Tlalim stopping by, and they hardly come to High Camp, as it is. It’s a time to gather many resources, hear news.”
“Sure. But it’s also needless chatter a lot of the time.” Tsu’tey starts, knowing that he’s just in a rut that cannot be fixed– which launches Tarsem into a long lecture about the sense of community that comes from idle gossip– the way the People relate to each other.
Tsu’tey supposes he can see the value in that– until Tarsem orders him to meet with the Tlalim clan to barter for pod fruit, and he cannot say no to the Olo’eyktan.
/
Tsu’tey tries to get it over with quickly. Talk to a trader, exchange yalna bark for the pod fruit, and then move on.
Unfortunately for him, there’s many people bartering on the airships today. The caravan he picks is crowded, there’s a surprising amount of damage done to the wooden beams, chatter is immense, and the winds are fast– he has to steady himself across the path, furthering his time onboard. There’s no way around it– he’s going to have to let himself be conversed with.
“Hello. You look lost.” A female voice tuts behind him, and Tsu’tey turns, eager to rebuff that statement with his typical swagger– but he stops in his tracks almost instantly.
This woman is… different, he can tell. More delicate than Sylwanin had looked despite her young age, these are translucent, amber eyes that are not so hard on him. Just looking at him, not expecting anything.
You’re dressed in a deep purple poncho, and there’s intricate beadwork and weaving throughout. You wear your hair in thick braids, swirled into a ponytail of sorts, away from your face– most likely because your life makes it difficult to have hair out and about.
You’re beautiful, and it takes him less than a second to decide that’s not important right now. He needs to be in and out– before you or someone else starts deducing things through simple conversation with him. The more distracted he is, by a beautiful Na’vi woman no less, the harder this will be.
“Not lost. Just looking to trade yalna bark.” Tsu’tey takes the sack of yalna bark from off his back, and you blink.
“For…” You’re about to take the sack from his hand, but your finger lightly brushes his knuckles, and Tsu’tey tenses ever so slightly, pulling his hand back.
“Pod fruit.” It’s a firm, simple answer, clearly meant to limit conversation with you. He places the sack in your hand with a thud.
“Sure.” You walk him towards a large basket of pod fruit– it’s practically full, having been recently delivered by a member of the Zeswa clan. The young man eagerly handed you off the basket while proclaiming that the chief’s daughter had recently mastered the way of their unique dance-fighting, which he witnessed firsthand– something he shared in a slightly bashful fashion, telling you that he certainly liked this woman.
Normally, you would pass on this information– but Tsu’tey seems uninterested, and so you move on quickly. “About how much yalna bark do you have in there?”
“Forty strips.” Tsu’tey answers immediately, not even looking inside the sack. Clearly eager to move on and out– which is fine, not everyone comes by your airship looking to talk.
“Sure. Equal to about twenty pod fruit– but I’ll let you have a little more since we’ve got more than we need right now.” You don’t say it to placate the man, more that you just need to get rid of excess stock, and you hope he doesn’t think that you’re placating him, either– he’s had a vaguely stern expression the entire time he’s been here.
Something tells you he’d find it patronizing.
The entire time you take out the yalna bark, place it in another basket, and then start filling his sack with pod fruit– you feel his eyes on your back. You don’t know what it means, nor do you want to know, so you hand off the sack to him without making eye contact.
He thanks you, and walks off in haste, which both relieves you of his presence, and makes you wonder a little.
It occurs to Tsu’tey, after leaving after the fact that your quickness in finding his requested item enabled him to leave as he wanted to. Something he had not considered, and in a strange way– it makes him want to say thanks. Or at least, be less stand-offish.
/
Tsu’tey tells Ka’ani about it, that for once a member of the Tlalim did not chatter incessantly to him, and he guesses (correctly!) that you must’ve been very special to be attuned to Tsu’tey’s brand of pride and vanity.
That comment leads to Tsu’tey shoving Ka’ani off of his direhorse, while the latter laughs.
/
He stops by again. The winds are slow this time round, and so the airships have not left yet. For reasons unknown to Tsu’tey, there’s also much damage to the airships that are constantly being fixed, causing you all to stay for an extended period of time. Your ship is still tethered to one of the tallest floating mountains.
Tsu’tey cannot lie to himself– he does not want you to have the wrong impression of him, the same way he assumed you’d talk his ear off.
Sure, it’s a pride issue, but he also knows that he’s trying to be better. Be less angry, and harsh.
He doesn’t get a chance to talk to you immediately.
You’re deep in laughter, nearly buckling over your knees, at something someone said, and Tsu’tey stops– thinking he wants to know why your laugh sounds so loud, a far cry from the woman he spoke to a week ago– and he's hoping this isn't your real personality, and second-guessing if he should even be here.
It’s Takuk, one of Tsu’tey’s former trainees, who's speaking to you, and he groans internally at the prospect of this gung-ho, cunning young man, willing to play the cards when he had them, coming here at the worst opportunity. Takuk was aloof to most– but he wanted something out of you, clearly.
“Watch yourself. I’m sure there are many Omatikaya women that would want to hear those words, even if you’re just messing with me.” You joke with him, and Tsu’tey, despite himself, finds his interest peaks here.
“Who do you think you’re talking to? A coward?” Takuk leans in, and you stiffen ever so slightly– something Tsu’tey notices immediately. “If you’re here for a while, as you said– your ship needs time to be fixed– you should know I’m not interested in the women of my clan.”
“Not even Maru?” Tsu’tey speaks up despite himself, naming an Omatikaya woman that Takuk has been sweet on. He doesn’t like seeing your eyes squint like that– sizing up Takuk’s audacity, something you shouldn’t have to deal with.
Not when you don’t seem interested. The loud, exaggerated laughter you put on was just an attempt to play along, Tsu’tey guesses.
Takuk blinks, hearing Tsu’tey’s voice, and his face flushes a deeper blue. “I… should be going now.”
Tsu’tey walks over to you, noticing that you look much more at ease with him, something that makes him feel… mildly pleasant. “That skxawng. I apologize for him– he’s the type to look for easy lovers.”
“Oh.” You close your eyes, looking mildly flustered. Tsu’tey looks around, trying to give you space, having not thought what his comment was alluding to– what it would make you think of.
It’s a little awkward.
“I thank you. I didn’t know why he wanted to talk to me.” You smile up at Tsu’tey. “He’s not nearly as straightforward as you were last week.”
It dawns on Tsu’tey that maybe you do have the wrong impression of him. You seem to think positively of his brash nature, and here he is coming in to play the hero. Mighty warrior, stoic mind, he can see the way you're putting an image together by the way you're glancing at him.
He’s not sure if he should curse Eywa upon the apparent result of him becoming your saviour.
“So. Quiet one, why have you come today?” You ask, a slight smile still upon your face.
Tsu’tey has already done well by you– perhaps too well. So he asks to trade in his arrows for something speedier.
It hurts to see his quiver of twenty arrows, be equivalent to about ten sharpshooter ones– but he's thankful that you had something and he didn't need to talk to you anymore after that.
/
He thinks about you.
He doesn't mean to. But Tsu’tey knows you a little better now, and so his thoughts drift to you from time to time.
While hunting, Ka’ani remarks on an especially quiet sturmbeest that runs by– and it reminds Tsu’tey of your nickname for him.
Quiet one.
Now that could be a compliment on your part– perhaps he is the strong-hearted warrior, of little words, saying as much as he needs to get by.
But on the other hand, Tsu’tey’s curiosity is getting the better of him. Never had he bothered to come closer to people outside of the Omatikaya, especially after the hard-hitting battle that had splintered their community. You seem… like you could be a friend, someone he could talk to more.
Perhaps Tarsem was right.
/
You’re gently tracing the side of your robe when there’s a presence behind you.
“Oh, it’s you.” You smile upon seeing the quiet Omatikayan man who had so little to say to you.
Still, his presence was not a disturbance.
“Hello.” He speaks with hesitation, and it’s enough that you’re slightly taken aback. “I wanted to thank you… for…”
“...” You tilt your head at him as he trails off, sucking his upper teeth, unsure of what to say.
“For the sharpshooter arrows.” He finishes, and he shuts his eyes, sighing.
“Oh. You’re welcome.” You trace one of your braids back behind your ear– something that Tsu’tey glances over and continues to think about. “How was their performance?”
It’s not why Tsu’tey came here, but he figures if he wants to talk to you, might as well speak on his favourite subject. Hunting.
“I am so used to drawing my bow back with full strength. Strong posture. No fear.” Tsu’tey says, speaking tenderly of a subject that draws you in. “But those arrows… they were not just fast, they were brutal.”
You laugh a little at that. “Perhaps I should have warned you.”
“No, it is alright.” Tsu’tey smiles slightly at you, the upturn of his lips showing off his fangs, and a wave of something passes through you. Some goosebumps, maybe, that this quiet stranger has finally given a kind expression other than a stare.
It’s nice.
“I just did not expect to see the flesh of the beast splatter across the ground.” Tsu’tey speaks again, sounding in awe. “Truthfully, I do not try to waste the sturmbeest’s meat– but it was fascinating to see how quickly it could be killed. Almost… peaceful.”
“Hunting is honorable.” You agree, and Tsu’tey notices you look slightly bashful now. “I made those arrows. They have not been very well-liked– but I suppose they took more precision than most people have.”
Tsu’tey’s mouth falls ajar, and he smirks after a moment. “Kind, but it was only easy because of your craftsmanship. You have a gift.”
At this, you touch his arm– and Tsu’tey is not well versed in the touch of women, not at all, especially after Sylwanin’s death. No, he never bothered becoming close to anyone else, even with his brief betrothal to Neytiri– that arrangement was so tense and full of expectations, he could not touch her in good conscience. A sister is not her sister.
But your touch fills him with warmth, in a way that makes him pause in the moment, kind of lingering, and he wonders, tentatively, if something is there– perhaps a sort of beginning of a friendship.
“Thank you. You’re the first one to say such a kind thing.” You murmur, and Tsu’tey instead is drawn to how your lips pronounce the words, before remembering to respond in turn.
“Thank you.”
/
Because he asks, you let Tsu’tey know that the Tlalim will be able to leave again in a week or two. The caravan seems to be coming along fine in repairs, and winds are picking up. Trade routes can’t be neglected.
He’s not really looking forward to it. To your departure.
Tsu’tey comes again today, on the caravan, to get more of your arrows, and then another day he insists on getting a quiver made by you to hold them, and then he sees one day that you’ve made a bow.
“You’ve been holding out on me.” He motions to it, asking non-verbally if he can touch it– and you’ve become more accustomed to his ways, little moments in which you can read him with ease, that you hand it to him.
Tsu’tey takes it in a way that forces him to clasp your hand slightly– but he doesn’t feel bad about it.
No, it feels good to see you blink, suddenly shy– but not in a way where you’re horrified by his touch. A far cry from how he was a couple weeks ago.
Is he liking this new pseudo-friendship with a trader? He likes making you nervous, he knows. Makes him feel important, powerful, as if he’s got a bigger place in the world than he thinks.
You turn your head, bashful as Tsu’tey lets go of your hand, but he doesn’t drop his gaze from your face, staring in a way that’s a little more intentful now. Not the wary stare of a man who was unwilling to know you, but now someone coming in closer. Curious in nature.
But you’re not willing to give into whatever this is, just yet, whatever Tsu’tey wants from you– you’re not opposed, exactly, it’s just that you don’t want to be disappointed. You can’t be sure that this is going the right way– and you don’t know if you deserve this, either.
Especially as of late, since what has transpired in Awa’atlu. Mangkwan pirates chasing after your airship, in which you barely got out unscathed– but others were not so lucky, and knowing that, you feel sick. Were you meant to survive?
Your amber eyes seem to still on Tsu’tey now, as he draws the strings of your bow back.
His muscles are taut, firm– his posture is strong, upright, and you find yourself leaning in a little to see where he’s aiming his arrow.
It lands with a thwack into the beam of a nearby caravan of another airship below yours, and the Na’vi there turn their heads to you both, which suddenly makes you self aware of there being a “you both.”
An us, a duo, something that you’ve never had before.
You call down to the nearest trader, telling him you’ll grab that arrow later, and he nods his assent. You feel a warm sensation near your cheek– and you realize in speaking, you came so close to Tsu’tey that you were nearly pressing your cheek against his own.
He glances at you– still with that look that you can’t quite name yet– and you pull away, blinking and stiffening.
“Is something wrong?” Tsu’tey asks, because somehow in the few weeks he’s known you, he’s somehow become acclimated to your expressions, always beautiful across your features.
It might have something to do with the fact that he likes you. He thinks you’re very kind, so it’s easy for him to read you because he wants to.
You don’t want to lie to him– and you’ve been yearning to talk to him more, anyways. It’s your clan’s way– what is the point if you cannot fulfill that?
“Back at Awa’atlu, as we left towards High Camp…” You trail off, not wanting to reveal so much about Jake and Neytiri bringing the pink-skinned boy back, but Tsu’tey searches your eyes, now intrigued. “The Mangkwan came. They managed to take down quite a few people, and two air ships were destroyed. Ours took damage too, as you can see– that’s why we have been fixing this ship and have been stationed here for a while. But that’s not important. So many people I knew are dead.”
There’s silence, and you blink back tears you didn’t know you had.
“I hope it’s not too much to hear. But I feel like it was a mistake– that I was meant to go on, while everyone else was not. I don’t always know how to feel like I should…” You swallow, and look up at Tsu’tey, expecting to see your quiet Omatikayan man taken aback, silenced to a level that you can’t bring him out of, because you came too close, too quick, but instead:
“Like you should keep going. Keep living.” Tsu’tey responds, and you nod, glad that he understood. “I know. I should have died when the Sky People attacked the Omatikaya. I loathe that I don’t always know what to do now– I was supposed to be more than this.”
He sounds so angry at himself, that you frown, squeezing his hand, wanting to reduce the weight on his mind. Tsu’tey’s face lightens a little.
He sighs, and then places his hand on your shoulder, making you feel warm. “All I do know is that you do deserve it. If you will take life seriously, as Eywa wants you to– you deserve that.”
It’s something he says not just to comfort you, but to comfort himself, too. Maybe his plans for the future didn’t come true as he had hoped– but Tsu’tey feels now that he can be who he wants to be. Choose what he wants out of life, even if it took grieving people and chances to understand that.
He doesn’t know how much his words have meant for you until you suddenly hug him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders, and Tsu’tey stills, not sure what to do, before lightly wrapping his arms around your back, and he realizes you’re warm, and you smell good, like the aroma of spices traded in the caravan has been intensified on your skin and in your hair, and he’s beginning to soften into the hug when there’s jeering below.
The group of Na’vi who Tsu’tey had fired an arrow at earlier– traders and others alike– are hooting and clapping, pointing at you two, making kissy sounds, and Tsu’tey lets go of you– his forearm still lightly touching and splayed against yours– and he fixes a stern glare, hissing at them.
“Kalweyaveng.” He shouts, meaning son of a bitch, and you burst out laughing at that, knowing that Tsu’tey’s well-known ego wouldn’t let lighthearted teasing slide so easily, and then Tsu’tey grins somewhat sheepishly, but also proudly at you, because you’re beginning to know him so well.
/
That night, there’s a large feast of sturmbeest stew and payo nkitsyey (fish food wraps) and many Tlalim and Omatikaya are singing and dancing, stumbling around in joyous excitement, eager to travel again soon.
You’re sitting by a lantern, weaving a baby cloak for one of the women in your clan. She’s expecting soon, and you want to have this cloak done before then.
“That’s not for you, is it?” Tsu’tey suddenly appears and you swerve towards him. He sits down next to you.
“Quiet one.” You smile at him, eyes crinkling, and he smiles back, although somewhat distractedly. “No, I’m not with child. I don’t have a mate, anyways.”
It’s a little piece of information that you don’t share with any intentions, but Tsu’tey places that in the back of his mind.
“Are you ever going to tell me your name?” You ask, realizing that this man will always be a little unknown to you otherwise.
“Isn’t it more fun if you don’t know?” Tsu’tey teases, and he doesn’t say his name. “I wanted to ask about… something that may hurt you.”
“Oh.” You bite your lip, staring down at the baby clothing in your hands. “Okay, ask me.”
“The Mangkwan. You were on the way to High Camp, to drop off the pink-skinned boy as you said.” Tsu’tey watches as your gaze heightens, and he knows that you know.
“It was Jake Sully. And Neytiri, was it not? They were dropping off Spider.” Tsu’tey says it just to see visual confirmation on your face. “I knew it. Why did you not tell me?”
“To protect you.” You answer firmly, but Tsu’tey looks unconvinced.
“You don’t have to baby me. I’m not a child.” He says, but you take his hand, willing him to look at you instead of being petulant.
“Jake Sully and Neytiri, their family… they were on the ship that went down.” You stare at Tsu’tey, watching him mull over these words. “They have not been seen since. I am unaware of where they are, or how they could have survived– I did not want to alarm you.”
“Toruk Makto protects his family. They will be okay.” Tsu’tey says, but his eyes are a bit harder, as if he’s trying to convince himself, before softening looking at you. “Thank you.”
You’re still clinging onto his hands with your own, and something about his gaze now– kind of hazy, his teeth half biting his lips, a small smile forming– you blush, and you drop his hands as gently as you can.
Tsu’tey is unfortunately, devilishly handsome, and because he’s a formidable, strong man, you feel you are almost too out of your element. He’s loyal, kind, but also prideful, arrogant at times, and somehow, you like all of these things.
Unfortunately you especially like the way he’s looking at you right now.
“Do you want to dance?” You ask, despite yourself, feeling like you deserve to ask, because life is short, and you hope he doesn’t say no.
He’s playful. Tsu’tey nods and grabs your hand, leading you to where the other Tlalim are dancing, and together you dance– and although Tsu’tey can seem firm at times, here he’s loose and moving around you eagerly.
/
“Be careful of that Omatikayan man.” Peylak mentions to you one day, a week later, as your fellow Na’vi begin to rearrange boxes before the airships must leave High Camp. Finally, after the Mangkwan attack, the ships have been effectively repaired.
“What? Who are you–” You try to have some deniability, but it’s not selling.
“Tsu’tey te Rongloa Ateyitan.” Peylak says with a finality, and your eyes widen upon hearing his name. “I saw him dancing with you a week ago.”
It’s not familiar to you, but placing a name to the Omatikayan’s face was something you wanted to do on your own, with him, and now that’s been taken away.
“That was not your name to share, Olo’eyktan.” You admonish him, turning with a huff.
“Listen to me.” Peylak saunters over, as you play with the tail end of your cloak. “Tsu’tey is not a bad man, but I think you should be wary. He was meant to be Olo’eyktan of the Omatikaya. He was promised to Neytiri, and Jake Sully stole his bride to be. According to others in High Camp, he’s looking for them right now. I worry he will attempt to take revenge. Kill Jake Sully, and take Neytiri back.”
“You don’t know him.” You say sharply.
“And you do? How easy it would be, to sneak into our clan, and befriend one woman who seems overly placid.” Peylak motions to you, and you roll your eyes. “Lie to her for a couple of weeks as she becomes convinced that he likes her? And the next thing you know– Tsu’tey decides to ask what he’s already known. Their Olo’eyktan and people know of Jake and Neytiri’s survival, and they have been looking for them too. Tsu’tey has a bad motive to find them, and if he does first, he may harm them.”
“I–” You start, but Peylak shakes his head.
“And one more thing. Tsu’tey has never bonded with a woman, but he has mated with plenty. Supposedly, Neytiri’s sister, and perhaps her herself. You would have been discarded just as easily.” Peylak leans in close. “Did you know that, if you really know him?”
“I…” You shake your head, overwhelmed with information, unsure what to grasp. “I guess I didn’t know enough.”
You want to tell Peylak that this could just be gossip– a different perspective, not the real truth– but he’s left you with this, walking away to talk to others.
Unbeknownst to you, Tsu’tey waits at the opening of your airship– and one look to his expression tells you he heard everything.
/
You run towards him, wanting to tell him nothing more than that you don’t believe Peylak. That there must be a clear explanation for everything he said, not shadowed with falsities. With rumors meant to hurt him.
But you see that Tsu’tey’s left arm, his bicep, is covered in blood. Red-brown trails of blood are running down his arm, dripping onto the floor of the caravan.
And despite that, he doesn’t look in pain. He just looks angry, and hesitant to even be near you.
“You’re hurt.” You start, your voice shaking, moving closer to him.
“Stop.” Tsu’tey says, and you stop in your place, dreading his tone. His anger, his pride, everything is intertwined in a way that is so… Tsu’tey, but it hurts you nevertheless to hear him like that towards you.
“I didn’t…” You shake your head. You were about to tell him the truth, that you know him, you know his character. But there’s no time for that right now.
He’s hurt, and he could be dying, if he keeps refusing help.
You move towards him once again.
“Why do you come closer when I tell you not to?” Tsu’tey huffs, intending to ward you away, but it’s too late.
You’re already right next to him, loosening his arm band, and he motions for you to get away, gently-but-firmly– meaning that his next move would be more aggressive, if you test him– but you simply refuse eye-contact and continue on.
You see it now. An arrow wound that Tsu’tey had broken off effectively, but did not have time to dress. The blood is still hot and running, and as you touch near the wound with your thumb, he quivers.
“Stop.” Tsu’tey speaks the word in a hushed growl, advising you to quit it now before he has to touch you, after all this, Eywa forbid– but you stare at him now, with a steely gaze that stops him in his tracks.
Tsu’tey hates this. Hates everything you’ve turned out to be– a Tlalim woman more interested in gossip than his friendship, everything he thought you were the opposite of. What is your problem? Is it all women who are like this?
No, no. Sylwanin wouldn’t like to hear that, he knows.
But still– he thought perhaps you two were becoming something, a pair, even just friends would have been ideal, and instead, you betrayed him in a way.
“Please. You’re hurt.” You shake your head, and Tsu’tey tuts.
“This is nothing in comparison to what you’ve done to me.” He mumbles in a tone that almost has you flinching.
“Okay. I’m sorry.” That’s all you say for now, just accepting the blame, until Tsu’tey lets go of his burgeoning grudge.
“Okay?” Tsu’tey sits down– he actually nearly collapses. “That is not good enough.”
You’re silent, focused on cleaning his wound, letting Tsu’tey continue to talk.
“I should’ve known better. The Tlalim clan, spreading news so kindly, but also sneering at whoever they think is below them.” Tsu’tey laughs harshly.
“Were you only talking to me so you could just ask others everything?” He asks.
“You barely told me anything about yourself.” You counter, but you only say it out of some desperate cling to dignity as you’re getting berated– you never asked Peylak to share those things, nor did you want to pry, and Tsu’tey’s gaze hardens.
“You didn’t tell me anything about yourself either.” Tsu’tey crosses his arms and then winces, and you continue wrapping his arm in a spare, clean piece of fabric. “I thought you were different. Respectful of me. Gentle. Now I see you were just impatient to know all about the Omatikayan failure.”
His words hurt you, but you don’t correct him of his confusion, not just yet. His blood still has not slowed enough– you need pressure on the wound. You tighten the wrapping with a tie– and Tsu’tey sucks in a breath that tells you it hurts, but that means it’s working.
Now he really does push– he tries to get you off him. Light shoves, but somehow you don’t move.
He doesn’t want your healing if you think so lowly of him.
“You would rather talk to people so you have grand stories to make of them, wouldn’t you?” Tsu’tey turns to the side, staring at the sun as it sets, the glimmers of red and orange peeking through the moon’s eclipse. “Let me tell you. We are not just stories to be shared, we are people. You have no idea the damage that is done when you make myths out of us.”
“I know.” You finally hiss out. “I didn’t tell Peylak to make a mockery of you. I don’t invent tall tales, I tell people what they need to know.”
“And perhaps you told him to talk to Tarsem about me?” Tsu’tey wrinkles his nose in disgust. “Maybe you needed intel so you asked him to speak as Olo’eyktan to another. I think you were desperate for a man to choose you, and you wanted to know if I would want you.”
“Shut up.” You start now, getting angry.
“Aw, did I hit too close to home?” Tsu’tey smirks now, but it’s all mirth. “I know your kind. Weak to ask for what they want– instead choosing to hide in the shadows.”
He’s breathing heavily, perhaps because of his wound, heightened emotions, but you’re so upset now– irate beyond belief– that you’re breathing hard too, staring him down, daring him to say more.
It works.
“Are you so pathetic you’ll just sit here and let me insult you?” Tsu’tey snarls now, getting far too close, his face nearly brushing your own.
It’s scary, being this close to him, but you hold your ground.
“I’m trying to fix your arm!” You yell back, and Tsu’tey scoffs.
“Fix my arm? Why don’t you want to fix our friendship? Why didn’t you just ask me about myself?” Tsu’tey asks every question with increasing incredulity.
“Because you seemed scared.” You respond firmly, loudly, and then clear your throat, and now you see the bleeding has finally stopped, so you begin to clean the drying, excess amounts trailing off his arm. “Because you needed time. You were quiet, but I wanted to ask– I wanted to know everything about you from you, not what selfish bastards like Peylak think about you. I respected your need for space– forgive me for not knowing you wanted to tell me, too.”
“But–” Tsu’tey starts, but you shush him.
“I never asked Peylak about you. Not because I’m not interested in you, but because…” You swallow and then trace one of your braids back, behind your ear. “Because I am interested. I wanted to know you truly, from my own perspective with you. I think you’re very intense at times, and passionate, and I think so highly of you– I See you, Tsu’tey, and I wish you had told me your name first.”
There’s a beat of silence, and it feels strangely intimate, like deeper, inward feelings are about to come out– it doesn’t help that you’re looking right into his eyes, and his mouth is slightly ajar, and now all you’re thinking about is kissing him.
“I understand why you said I’m cowardly and desperate.” You add, not letting him speak, letting your gaze drop to the ground, turning away from him. “I’ve never had true, real love in my life, not like that– and the older you become, the more obvious it is. Perhaps I was pushing you without realizing, and I’m sorry.”
“I’m so sorry. Forgive me, I spoke out of turn.” Tsu’tey shakes his head, and reaches out towards you, coming closer and making your gaze drawn to his again. “I let my anger get ahead of me, yet again, and I spoke so lowly of a friend, of a… I am the one who’s weak to ask for what they want, not you.”
“What do you want?” You ask, and it’s you being daring– albeit a little shy, still.
He grins now. “Tell me your name, and that will be the answer.”
/
Tsu’tey tells you that he doesn’t care if you’ve never had a real partner before, and he was just jumping to a conclusion to hurt you. That he doesn't think you're that kind of person to be so pushy– he just wants to be wanted.
He tells you the real, honest truth. About Sylwanin dying, Neytiri, Jake Sully, and the battle against the RDA. About wanting to be Olo’eytkan one day, and having that taken away. Learning to be a warrior again after being hurt.
He tells you he thought he’d only be able to ever love one person– Sylwanin– that everything with Neytiri was him trying to follow through with his promise to Sylwanin. But despite all this, he’s sure he feels it with you. Something he tried to push away, and act as if it was entirely in your own head or of your own doing.
Love. Kame. Real sight of you.
Something he thought was dead to him. Like every other thing in his life, he was anguished by the loss, and unsure of how to keep going– but now he knows. He knows change is real.
“I’m glad to hear it.” You murmur, and Tsu’tey, feeling weak from both the blood loss and the energy expended over such a long argument, begins to fall asleep.
“Tsu’tey, you can’t sleep here.” You whisper, not wanting to kick the man out, but hoping he would not face ill will from Peylak or other Tlalim people with grudges. “We leave in the morning.”
“You’ll wake me up before then.” Tsu’tey yawns, and he lies down, wrapping his arms around your waist and taking you down with him.
You turn shy at this, but you’re not against such a thing– you feel that you know him so well anyways. You just haven’t had the opportunity very often.
He curls onto one of your pillows strewn on the floor, cuddling you against his chest, and before he can think better of it– he becomes less respectful and kisses your cheek, before kissing you. It’s not insistent– just soft, gentle, as he’s contentedly – and he pulls away.
“Sorry.” Tsu’tey says, and then winces. “I do not normally apologize so much. But I hope that was not your first kiss, done without much ceremony.”
“Oh. Well, no. I am not that inexperienced.” You smile up at him, and Tsu’tey mockingly gasps, half jealous, but not really.
“There are other first things…” Tsu’tey jokes, but he's caught off guard by how quickly you kiss him now.
It's hard and intense, your teeth very nearly biting against his inner lip as you kiss him, because maybe the past few weeks of pent up passion, and lingering looks, have left you with a lot of energy– and you overtake him, straddling him and causing him to lie back. Tsu’tey is too tired to tell you to stop– he also likes the tickling, warm sensation of your lips kissing his cheek, travelling down his neck and jaw.
The mighty warrior doesn’t mind letting you do the work for once.
Gender neutral reader for everyone EXCEPT so’lek. i used tamtey for his.
Warnings: lowercase intended! ummm bugs? overall fluff/comfort! sfw! a sprinkle of some mean people. for i really didn’t proof read this… let me know if i missed anything!
A/N: this is very self-indulgent… there was a HUGE roach in my bathroom the other day and i wanted to evaporate on the spot. first time writing for tsu’tey! all credits to the owners of the pictures, they’re from pinterest! i hope you enjoy!
Word count: 1k
Na’vi Translations:
kali’weya: arachnoid
kelku: home
ma: voice indicator
jake
at first jake would think you’re joking, there’s no way YOU, a bold and strong warrior, who’s fought against multiple rda raids is scared of bugs.
he starts to notice how you’ll flinch when something flies too close to you or whenever a bug is too close for comfort.
even if a bug is too close to the house, (at least for you liking), you’re making him put it far away.
let’s say you’re alone in the kelku and a huge bug makes it in. you panic. you don’t know what to do other than scream. jake hears your scream expecting to see rda or even a viper wolf and he sees you in fear of this bug.
he removes it IMMEDIATELY and from that point on he makes a conscious effort to make sure the house is secure whenever he has to leave.
once he gets rid of the intruder he engulfs you into a hug and places a soft kiss on top of your head whispering soft reassurances to you. apologizing for not being there soon enough :((
neytiri
now when you first mention this she gives you a bit of a side eye 😭
like girl we have bigger fish to fry?? but once she sees that you’re physically scared she gives you some grace. she tries to spot bugs before you spot them and guide you away.
she begins to notice which ones you’re kinda okay with and the ones you can’t even think about looking at them. once she has this information she navigates with you so they won’t cross your path.
let’s keep the same scenario and a bug is in the kelku, she has a bad feeling before she hears you scream. rushing back to you she sees you pointing at the bug in terror. screaming for her to get it out. she removes it and carefully walks back in to give you a hug.
she presses her forehead to yours and you two stand there in each other’s comfort. once she feels you melt against her she moves you to the sleeping mats and y’all cuddle for the rest of the day.
so’lek
it does shock him that his sarentu who has been through so much is scared of bugs! not his tamtey! he sees how fascinated you are with pandora and he expected you to like everything 😭
when you slip it into a conversation you two are having he does a double take like, “huh??” you try to move on past it quickly but he brings it back up.
let’s say mercer used to use them against you as a way to get you to act right back in TAP and it’s just so much fear around them. once he sees how sees how serious it is he wants to rid pandora of every bug imaginable; but he knows that’s merely impossible (he has tried to think of a plan though 😭) he tries his best to keep them away from you.
i think so’lek will act a little like jake when it comes to making sure that no bugs are near you if he can help it. the moment he sees you flinch or cower away he’s pulling you closer to him or distracting the bug to get it away from you.
so’lek is finishing somethings up at the resistance when he hears your shriek. he tenses up and flies out the doors eyes moving quickly trying to find you, once he does he grabs the bug putting it far away from you. you reach for him and he tucks your head into his neck. he moves you both a bit away from the resistance to give you some privacy from the others.
he rubs slow circles on your back letting you lean into him. “i know ma ’tamtey. you are safe with me. it will not get you, nothing will get you. do not worry.” you melt into him and you both stay like that until he decides to fly you back to his camp 😛
tsu’tey
hmm i think tsu’tey would lowkey judge JUST A BIT
he’s like you’ve lived on pandora for how long?? and seeing a bug has you running for your life??
it’ll take him experiencing it with you for it to fully register like “oh, this isn’t a light matter. i need to take this seriously.”
he makes sure to double check your baskets and your hammock occasionally for any little critters that might’ve snuck their way in.
if anyone tries to make fun of you for it he’s defending you immediately. he goes from light scowl tsu’tey to i’m gonna kick your ass tsu’tey. just absolutely feral, just walk with me here!
you went out with a group of gathers, a few hunters tagging along to make sure y’all are safe and tsu’tey comes too. you’re not paying too much attention since a certain someone keeps hovering around you. you go to grab your basket and feel something tickling you. you look down and see a kali’weya. you scream and fling the basket far away from you. you’re breathing heavy, tears in your eyes, and you rub where you touched the bug.
the other hunters are looking at you weirdly, not truly understanding your fear. tsu’tey grabs you, shushing you softly, before he sends a look to the group and gently guides you away. he grabs the hand that touched the kali’weya and holds it. rubbing his thumb on the back of your hand to give you a sense of comfort.
fast forward to communal dinner and tsu’tey is getting your food for you and he overhears a conversation. it’s a few hunters from earlier, mocking your fear of the bug. he tenses up and marches up to them. “do not speak of my mate. ever. again. their fears are not for your humor.” they send quick apologies while he walks away sitting down next to you. he hands you the food and you give him a warm smile.
he leans over and whispers, “do not worry. i have you.” he places a soft kiss on your temple and you lean your head against his shoulder. he smiles and you two sit and enjoy the rest of dinner. he will always defend you, no matter how big or small the matter is.
thank you again for reading! i want to write more for tsu’tey he has been taking up my mind lately! dividers are from @diviniyae!
summary: your new life on pandora is good, more demanding but still good. the nature is magnificent and the people interesting. but a part of you still misses the place that you once called home.
genre: fluff.
wc: 2,100.
warnings: possible poor writing; the author does NOT have english as her first language, therefore she apologizes in advance; neytiri is not promised to him; no smut, you little whores; probably occ, but i'm doing this for shits ang giggles, it really doesn't matter; half proofread, i tried to keep this as gn as possible; mentions of earth animals, you choose; lowercase intended.
a/n: i dreamt about something like that + a comment on one of my posts from someone wanting more fanfics about human!reader missing earth. there's almost nothing about it. i can try to make a part 2, if you guys like this one.
i finished this fic at 3 am and then couldn't sleep anymore. i hope you guys enjoy what came out of my suffering.
mentions: @anisblogsstuff there you go, dear! ♡
───
you finally came to the omatikaya less than 2 weeks after jake. tsu'tey hates you, almost like he hates jake. he hates humans and the fact that they keep imitating who the na'vi really were, getting close, but not close enough to perfectly camouflage themselves with the rest of the species. the human that he least despised was grace; he had been her sweet little boy when he was younger.
just seeing you made his blood boil. and his blood boiled even more when mo'at gave the order for him to teach you the ways of the na'vi and their language.
you weren't a troublemaker, maybe that was one of the reasons why tsu'tey hadn't protested so much. it was either you or finally giving peace to neytiri, and instead of you, teach jake. who was apparently worse than a shameless, curious child.
you learned quickly, tsu'tey appreciated that. the faster, the better.
he still hates you, he swears to his heart that he still hates you. but his own heart would leap just a bit every time you looked up at him with a smile whenever you finally managed to do or say something correctly.
he shouldn't feel that way, especially not because of a tawtute. may eywa protect this poor soul of his.
ever since you learned more about the tree of voices from a brief explanation by tsu'tey, you've found a peaceful and comfortable place. you didn't expect to feel so relaxed that every time you felt things were getting harder to handle, that's where you took refuge.
he wasn't supposed to be looking at you from the corner of his wide brown eyes when he had a na'vi woman vying for his attention, trying in some way to have him as her mate. and tsu'tey wasn't supposed to follow you silently after dinner on that night. but still he went and followed you.
it had been a long time since you had stood firmly on your home planet, earth. feeling that air, recalling memories of when you returned to your human body and came face to face with some photos hanging in your pod.
your never thought that one day you would miss that planet, practically ruined by powerful and disgustingly greedy people, wanting only the good good but never facing the consequences of their actions. and god, what selfish actions they were, ruining your chances of having a peaceful life right there.
instead, you were here, holding back tears of longing for a planet where most people could barely survive. you felt almost as if it were a sin to shed tears on sacred ground, the grounds of eywa, which she tends to with utmost care.
still you spill them, eywa would forgive you, for there is no going back to where you wished to be. forcing your eyes to focus on anything but the floor, you marveled at the place as if it were the first time you were ever there. your steps were slow, as if time in here simply didn't exist or was infinitely long. the tips of your fingers slowly caressed the skin of your bare belly as if this gesture would comfort and calm you, while on your other hand they played with the necklace you had learned to make with one of the clan's weavers—it wasn't one of the best, but it was the best of the many accessories you had lovingly crafted as a way of showing your appreciation for this clan's culture. remembering that brought a small smile to your lips.
"you stay here too much, tawtute." your peaceful moments quickly turned into seconds with the voice you now so readily recognized. you instinctively jumped while turning to see who the man behind you, followed by a step or two backwards. your fingers closed into a fist reflexively the same second you relaxed slightly, letting your hands fall to your sides.
"if your worries is that i might destroy this place, you can put that out of your mind." you tried to respond casually, bringing your own hands to your arms in an automatic movement at the same time that you turned your face towards the tendrils of the tree of voices, appreciating them with a light glance, as if you hadn't done this many times before.
your response elicited a brief snort from him, shaking his head as if you had spoken nonsense. "my worries are not those now," he paused. "but it would be if it was from me of the day you first showed up here."
he was looking at you more attentively now that it was just the two of you, taking advantage of the opportunity you gave him when you turned your face and focused more on the tendrils of the majestic tree. he might not have noticed it before, but now he could see that there was a long, almost dry streak of water running from your eye to the end of your cheek. and your eyes were slightly watery, did you cry? did something happen? oh, eywa, why was he worrying?
you shouldn't be crying, no, there should be a smile where a neutral line was on your lips.
"i wouldn't judge you if you wanted to kill me that day,–" just as you were about to continue, you turned your face back to him, almost noticing his overly attentive gaze as he tried to shift back to his neutral expression as quickly as possible. whether you caught that gaze of his or not, you didn't show it, "–i showed up without letting grace know."
"more likely of killing jakesulli than you. you are more acceptable," he admitted, exhaling slightly from his nose as if what he had said was funny. in response, an almost imperceptible smile could be noticed by him. he turned serious, using his index finger to swiftly run it across your cheek as if casually wiping away the salty tear you had shed. he did it as if he had never felt disgust for the fake, imitative skin of his own people that you wore. "why you crying here? tawtute tears will pollute this sacred soil." clearly, the tears wouldn't cause any harm; tsu'tey was trying to retain some of the personality of his disdain for humans. and almost failing.
"my tears have no ill intentions." you weren't bothered by his words; it took a while, but you understand why he is the way he is. the people here are his people, he loves his people, he has to look strong against the sky people, he already carries a loss in his heart. this place is all that he knows.
"then it is okay for you to tell why you cried." he stated it, he didn't ask. he was offering to listen to what you had to say. for some reason, you didn't feel obligated to do it. even so, you did it.
"earth has already received its life sentence." you murmured, letting out a long sigh before looking into his eyes, "despite being a planet on the brink of extinction, or rather, its people on the brink of extinction, i still feel nostalgic."
you paused for a moment, your fingers returning to play with your necklace, "i wonder what my life would be like if the rda never discovered pandora and continued destroying even more my home planet."
tsu'tey looked at you thoughtfully, his head slightly tilted.
"there was a time when i knew true peace, but nothing lasts forever, destiny is truly cruel sometimes," your fingers passed over another tendril, "what i miss most about my homeland wasn't my parents, much less my job there," something brings a wider smile to your face, you remember your own pet, wandering around the house without knowing what the future held, filled only with affection and lots of mischief coming from the little creature, "i had a pet, and if i were to compare it to this body now, it would perfectly fit in my hand." with those words, you made a brief gesture, bringing your hands together as if to show how small your pet would be.
tsu'tey noticed how different you life was here compared to in earth. speaking of earth in this way, it's extremely disheartening to think about. "you should think less about past; you might end up stuck in it." he warned, his tone becoming slightly lower, quietly relaxed.
his words made you pause in thought and your movements, without noticing that you ended up squeezing the tendril of the great tree way too hard, which eywa responded with a brighter glint of the tendril, as if it were a brief and subtle warning not to do that again, it was a glint you wouldn't miss. turning your full attention to the signal that the great mother had sent, a small gasp escaped your lips followed by your hands quickly releasing their grip on the tendril. you have already apologized to eywa more than a thousand times, mentally hoping that there would be no punishment of any kind against your being.
tsu'tey remained silent, witnessing the entire moment but choosing not to speak.
"i am not stuck," you stated, finally leaving the tendril alone once and for all, "if you had to flee your clan all sudden, you'd feel this way, wouldn't you?"
he didn't give you an answer right away, remaining thoughtful for a few moments. "i believe i would miss my old ways, yes, but if it were for a greater good, i wouldn't have time to think about it."
"right. yeah" you nodded, beginning to feel a little pathetic for having shared something so intimate to you, and then talking about earth to him? who are you to say those things to him? especially to him. his kind is suffering at the hands of your own people.
"stop thinking about bad things, you do not look good with that frown on that face of yours."
his comment made you frown even more, almost as if you were offended that he noticed that. "what? hey, i wasn't—"
"yes, you were."
"and unlike me, you have that little thing," he slightly raises his finger to the upper part of his own face, "that thing...eyebrows. it's even more noticeable." he paused for some seconds. "and you're not as subtle as you really think."
after remaining silent for a few seconds, you let out a dramatic sigh, "damn! i really thought i was acing this one." you muttered sarcastically, rolling your eyes before letting your shoulders slump slightly.
however small his reaction was, you earned a brief smile from him before he shook his head. "maybe you should practice more."
"yeah, maybe one day i'll become as serious as you if you give me some lessons. maybe one day i will become a rock."
a few seconds passed, tsu'tey looking at you, his eyes squinting at you, "i am not a rock."
you imitate him, remaining silent for a few seconds before glancing to your left with a raised eyebrow, and then looking back at him as soon as you started speaking. "uh, you…are."
"no, i am…not."
"the first day we met, you looked at me and seemed to know my deepest and most secret secret of my damn life."
"you- i had-"
"yes, pretty boy...you had your reasons for being that way, i'm not judging you for acting that way, okay?
you hadn't noticed the compliment that slipped out of your mouth mid-sentence; your mind hadn't thought it through, and your lips let it slip out first. and, of course, tsu'tey didn't miss the opportunity to tease you.
"pretty boy?"
"what?"
"do you think i'm pretty boy?" he tilted his head, looking at you more intensely, as if his intention was to embarrass you.
"i didn't really call you that."
"i do not really think i am deaf yet."
"…you're not a boy."
"so i'm pretty man, then?"
"you- stop it!" You let a small smile appear without noticing before playfully pushing his chest, and as expected, almost like a rock, he didn't even feel the impact of that push of yours. "…rock."
taking a few slow steps back, he ignored your little comment, nodding his head toward the tree's exit. "come, let's get out of here." his eyes kept looking at yours until you finally started following him.
you felt lighter, maybe venting a little isn't that bad at all. it's okay, if it's with him.
summary: He rarely made conversation about himself. Opting to simply listen to others as they spoke at him. He found it easier, simpler. Yet, with you he couldn’t help but want to speak.
notes: fem!omaticayareader || childhood bestfriends to lovers trope!! || okay i was writing this then realised it was angsty so then i tried to make it fluffy at the end LOL
this is for my 4k event (thanku guys sm) if anyone else wants to check it out im probs gonna close it soon.
Tsu’tey was always a quiet man. Yes, he was outspoken, a warrior who continuously acted bravely in every battle. Yet, he was never one to talk. Silence was where he found respite. Silence was where he could retreat into himself away from the duties being the next Olo'eyktan.
He rarely made conversation about himself. Opting to simply listen to others as they spoke at him. He found it easier, simpler. Yet, with you he couldn’t help but want to speak.
Usually, you would find yourself in the rookery at the top of hometree. The view from the top was impeccable. The skyline going for miles and miles as you watched the world go by past you. Since the sky people had arrived you had found less and less time to retreat into your corners. To hide away from the chaos.
You sat on the edge of the tree. Your feet dangled off the edge, hands bracing beside you. The wind was cooler at the top of hometree. Brushing against your toes, sending soft shivers up your body.
It was long since the light has settled into darkness. The stars in the sky shimmered across the sky like diamonds on a black canvas. The soft hoots and howls of the wildlife were dampened by the rustling sounds of the wind against the branches of hometree.
“Am I interrupting?” His voice was smooth. You immediately recognized it. How couldn’t you?
Instantly, you felt your heart rate start to quicken. Drumming inside your ribcage as you turned around to see Tsu’tey standing there. His posture was tall and proud. As if it would never falter.
“Hm? No…No.” You shook your head. Silently, you scooch over in your corner, your hand patting the empty spot beside you, ushering him to sit beside you.
You went way back with Tsu’tey, since you were little bubs playing around, causing a ruckus to every adult nearby. Your parents would often have to separate the pair of you at night because you didn’t want to stop playing.
When you became old enough to partake in your iknimaya [rite of passage] is when feelings started to shift within you. He started growing into his face, his body began to fill out, his voice started to get deeper. And younger you just couldn’t help yourself but fall in love.
Though those feelings were pushed down deep into the chasms of your heart when he started to court Sylwanin. It caused a great ache in your heart to see him be so happy with another, though how could you not be happy that your best friend had found love. Even if it hurt you in the process.
Tsu’tey sat next to you, his mass taking up a large portion on the small ledge. His arms softly brushing your arm the proximity. His beaded arm bands slightly tickling your skin.
“What are you doing out here?” His gaze fell on you, eyes sparkling in the moonlight. His voice was quiet in your ear. As if he wanted no one to hear but the two of you.
“It’s just quiet up here.” You don’t look to him, keeping your eyes set on the horizon in front of you.
“Ah I see.”
For awhile there was a pause of silence between the two of you. Slow and easy. Your breaths synced together, chests rising and falling. It was never uncomfortable with Tsu’tey. You truly believed the two of you could sit in silence for hours comfortably, never needing to exchange a word to feel the comfort in the space between.
“You are here often.”
You smiled. The soft flicker of your dampened feelings warming as you realise that he keeps notice of you. “Ah, are you stalking me Tsu’tey?”
He didn’t reply with words. A simple chuckle rolled off his lips, a deep rumble in his chest sending shivers up your arms.
“But yes. I am here when I can.”
Tsu’tey nods, moving his gaze from you to the skyline. He adjusted in his spot, hands shifting as his third finger softly laid against yours.
“You always did like to hide away up high.”
“Well, you always managed to find me.” The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile as he reminisced on old times, when things were simpler. When the clawing feelings of grief didn’t capture his entire essence.
There was a long beat of silence before you two began to talk again. The stretch of silence deepening into the sounds of the Pandorian night.
You weren’t sure what quite cracked your resolve. Was it the silence, the peace of the night. The way his hand had now moved to be full enclosing yours. The rhythmic drumming in your chest as your heart lurched out of your ribs.
“Tsu’tey…” You started soft and slow, swallowing your nerves in a gulp. “Do…Do you ever feel like the world is too loud?”
“Yes.” It was simple and honest. But it was all you needed.
You let out a shaky breath. “Sometimes, it feels as if the world is collapsing. And I cannot be the one to hold it up. That…now we are grown. I feel as if we are disappearing to our duties. That the loudness of the world will take me…and I will fade into the noise.”
His gaze moved back to you. Sharper, more focused. “You do not disappear easily.”
You let out a chuckle shaking your head. “Maybe…but I am not sure.”
You’re not too sure how it all came spilling out, as if you could not stop the movements of your tongue. “I never want to lose sight of you. I…I have lived a life of hiding myself in the shadows, in high places. And you have always been there to find me.”
You feel his hand tighten on yours.
“I…I am so happy that you are my friend, that even in these dark times you will be able to find me. Yet, I can’t help but be jealous that I yearn to be with you more.”
Tsu’tey’s breath falters for second. His eyes widening as he gazes at you.
The beat of silence makes the anxiety in your chest grow rapidly. As if your stomach was crawling up your throat. “Fuck. Did I say that out loud? Forget I said that. I’m serious.”’
Your peril puts a smirk on Tsu’tey’s face. “I will not forget.” You look up to meet his gaze almost instantaneously. And the sight you are meet with almost melts your heart.
His expression has morphed from startled and guarded to soft and gentle. His smile wide and unarmoured.
“You are speaking as if it is weak to yearn.” He pauses. “But it is not.”
Your breath hitched on your throat as he shifts closer. Close enough that his warm seeps into you.
“When the world grows loud and noisy…I find myself searching for quiet.” His eyes steady on your, his thumb rubbing small circles on the back of your hands.
“And I always find it here.” You swallow, your heart growing with every word.
“High above all the chaos” he adds. “Where you always have been.”
“Tsu’tey…” He hushes you. Because with you he didn’t have to shelter himself into being the listener.
He dips his head forward, softly resting against yours. An intimate touch, shivering down your spine.
“You will not yearn alone.” He stops, listening to the soft silence between you. “Not anymore.”
“Wherever you are. I will always find you.”
i hope you guys liked this!! i tried smthn a lil different im desperately trying to improving my writing coz im so unbelievably mediocre LMAO but as always id loved to hear what you guys thoughts + reblogs and comments make my heart flutter<3
tags: fem!avatar driver reader, tsu'tey lives #jeanbiecanon, very light angst
words: 3.6k
note: arcane timebomb you will always be famous to me
⏤ On Jake and Neytiri's wedding, Tsu'tey has to put on his brave face and stomach the avatar drivers. Still, he's always actually tolerated you, and when he's had a few by the fire and watches your shape stagger into the figure of the flames, Tsu'tey doesn't know how to define that feeling sitting in his chest.
There’s a strange feeling billowing its way into Tsu’tey’s stomach, and he doesn’t know what to name it.
Could it be the alcohol? Tsu’tey drags his stinging eyes from the sight of the roaring fire and down to the zangke sloshing in his cup — it looks the same as it always does, dark and disinteresting, and he suppresses a frown.
After one more sip, and not being able to taste any difference, he’s forced to resign the idea and sinks further into his glum misery.
He should be celebrating. Everybody else is. The Skypeople are gone, the forests are free, and his closest friends are getting married. What was there to be miserable about?
Tsu’tey surveys the clearing that has been decorated flamboyantly for Neytiri and Jake’s wedding and feels his heart tug two ways.
Everything looks enchanting; the trees are flushed with syuratan — the bioluminescence that sweeps across everything alive on Pandora — and the moss and fauna are alight with embers of fire and insects drawn in to the scorching glow of the flames.
The fire in the middle of the clearing takes up a space the size of three pa’li, and around it, not a single space is unoccupied. The entire village has taken the opportunity to enjoy themselves in the couple’s honour, and for the first time since the bright blimp of Skypeople light vanished from their skies, things feel normal again.
Tsu’tey felt normal for a moment, too. As normal as he could, considering the circumstances.
From where he sits with his back facing the trunk of a nearby tree, Tsu’tey feels the thrum of ceremonial music beneath his legs, sizzling through his body — it is the first thing he’s truly felt since the severing of his kuru.
He winces at the thought. It was better to try and forget about the time he’d almost died, back when he half wished he had. Dying on the battlefield would have been so simple, and Tsu’tey had to confess that dying would have been the swiftest mercy.
Now that he had life again, Tsu’tey was trying to enjoy whatever was given to him, especially when so many of his people had been deprived the chance. But it’s hard. So hard. And it’s especially hard to move on and heal when there are still so many reminders of what happened, and that’s his first thought when he catches the sight of several Dreamwalkers drawing closer to the ceremony alongside a select handful of remaining Skypeople, and Tsu’tey finally finds several names for the feeling in his stomach.
Discomfort. Resentment. Regret. Disgust.
And so on and so forth.
When the Omatikaya decided to grant asylum to the select humans who dedicated their lives to preserving Pandora and its people, Tsu’tey had been in recovery and unable to cast a vote. He knew that some of his people had been against their permanent residency here, just like he was and still is, but those few voices outnumbered the majority who no longer had the energy to keep fighting.
Anyone willing to protect Pandora was a friend to the Omatikaya, and not even Tsu’tey could argue against their efforts in the war. If it hadn’t been for so many of the Skypeople turning the RDA upside down from the inside, then maybe none of them would be alive right now.
It was a difficult thing, trying to come to terms with his gratitude and his grudges at the same time. But despite everything those Skypeople had done for them, Tsu’tey found himself unable to put it all behind him. He still hated them. He hated them all so much.
The way they walked, the way they looked and smelled… Tsu’tey could rarely stomach being around any one of them for too long. Jake was different — it had taken Jake months to earn Tsu’tey’s respect, to become his equal, but there were still times where Tsu’tey felt that churning, the discomfort of knowing other Skypeople would never truly be one of them.
The sensation in his stomach curdled and tightened as the Dreamwalkers swarmed the ceremony, smiles on their uncanny faces as the Omatikaya people approached them with hospitality and grace.
This time, it felt different — it felt like shame. Tsu’tey could acknowledge that he was being exceptionally hard on the ones who had stayed. Time was supposed to heal all wounds, but it could never bring back what he’d lost. What the war had cost everybody — cost him.
From his sulking ground, Tsu’tey watches as Jake reluctantly unwinds himself from Neytiri’s arms and bounds towards the group of Skypeople. He bows to the humans standing in their shadows, their strange little masks on their faces, and then individually greets the Dreamwalkers like friends, like family.
Tsu’tey assesses them all with cautionary detail. He even knows a few of them from the war. His eyes jump from body to body; he takes in every accessory hanging from their neck or woven around their arms, and the clothes draped over their frames. Some are decked in RDA gear, a sore reminder of who they really were, whereas some had arrived in Omatikaya garments — likely gifts from the villagers who were more keen than others to build bridges.
Tsu’tey didn’t care about bridges. If they burned, then he’d watch the flames dance until they flickered into nothing.
The group moved further into the ceremony, slotting in amongst the Omatikaya until Tsu’tey lost sight of them. He tried not to let the idea of them wandering around the village unsettle him and he forced his gaze away and back to the fire.
The bright orange flames burned into his eyes with a sharpness, but even as he felt the heat drying out his eyes, he didn’t look away. Tsu’tey watched the fire until he saw his own silhouette in the flames; he saw himself moving through the forest on a hunt, dancing on a birthday.
He watched with no expression as his fiery image shifted into one of pure rage; he saw the war again, his body throwing itself into the opened hull of a Skyperson ship.
Tsu’tey watched unmovingly as he replayed that day, watching him hurl dozens of creatures off the ship to the ground, watching his kuru get caught in the pink clasp of a Skyperson’s hand, the blade slicing through his nerves, the world blurring into a bright white as he felt the wind rushing up around his body, falling, falling…
Tsu’tey suddenly blinks.
His eyes soften as they close, the feeling tightening in his chest like an iron fist. When he opens his eyes again and grimaces, he takes a long second before looking up to locate the reason why he’d looked away in the first place.
Spinning in loose circles around the flames, right in his line of sight, Tsu’tey lets his eyes fall onto you and the feeling in his stomach vanishes entirely.
For a second, he feels nothing at all. The forest has thinned out to darkness, and it is as if he’s in a small room, watching the world from a window that only looks out onto you.
Then, the feeling returns, changed somehow. Now, in his stomach he feels the knot of hatred loosening into something lightweight and warm, and it takes a few seconds for Tsu’tey to decide that this feeling is actually worse, and he snatches his cup up off the floor and downs the contents with one aggressive gulp.
He knows you — how could he not? Back when Grace Augustine’s school had been running and Tsu’tey had attended a few classes there, he’d seen you around, shadowing Grace as she devoted herself to the children in attendance.
Unlike the other Dreamwalkers and Skypeople, Tsu’tey somewhat tolerated you and Grace. You’d never shown him anything but kindness and care; you came to the school with a rare kind of curiosity and patience that Tsu’tey had never seen in a Skyperson, and thought didn’t exist in anything but the Na’vi.
Grace was straightforward and methodical, but you were open and carefree, always smiling. Always kind. Always thoughtful.
Of course, in those early days, Tsu’tey hadn’t been too invested. He had other things to think about, other people to care for. Even now, Tsu’tey could list a hundred people who were more important to him than you were, but that still doesn’t explain the feeling inside of him. Still doesn’t explain why after all this time, he still can’t find it inside of him to hate you. Still doesn’t explain why in this moment, Tsu’tey can’t look anywhere but at you.
With the rusty coloured sheets of fire behind you, coruscating in the Pandora night, Tsu’tey watches as you twist and turn to the music. His gaze is unfocused to a degree — you appear as if you’re staggering, moving with seconds of paused time between each turn. Watching you is an automatic response, not a choice.
Tsu’tey’s breathing hollows as he stares, the colours of your skin flashing white whenever the light of the fire hits the blue hue at an angle. Your tanhì glows with the same intensity as the forest, mapping out a trail against your skin that Tsu’tey devours from across the clearing.
Out of all the Dreamwalkers in attendance, Tsu’tey should have guessed that you’d be one of the ones in Omatikaya garments. What you’re wearing is simple ceremonial attire, made especially for the bride’s chosen women.
The fact that Neytiri may have chosen you to join her party doesn’t surprise Tsu’tey in the slightest — even in the days of Grace’s school, she’d been soft on you, and your dedication to keeping the Omatikaya unable to fight safe in the fringes of the forest had only solidified your place within the clan, within Neytiri’s inner circle.
Tsu’tey hasn’t spoken to you since the days following the attack at the school. He’s seen you once or twice, but never spoken. Even now, as he gapes at the sight of you, he wouldn’t know what to say.
The breath leaves his chest in a giant sigh, a weight miraculously lifting from his body as it does. He wants to look away, but he just can’t. Tsu’tey can’t possibly understand why now, all of a sudden, he’s so fixated on you, but then realisation dawns and reaches him with a physical lurch in the gut — in this moment, you look beautiful. You are beautiful, always have been beautiful.
Tsu’tey feels a rising sensation of nausea and guilt when the acceptance of your beauty crosses his mind. He goes back to pretending it’s the alcohol and squints ahead, trying to grimace. Still, while he’s watching you, he can’t do anything but admire you; grimacing and looking displeased is out of the question.
His body is incapable of producing a look of disgust. He can no longer feel any hatred or distrust swirling around in his heart — all he feels is warm acceptance and the rising buzz of fear.
Tsu’tey thinks you’re beautiful. You. A Dreamwalker. Alien.
“Brother.”
Tsu’tey considers it a small act of mercy when Jake appears out of virtually nowhere and drops to his haunches beside him. In his best effort to act natural, Tsu’tey looks over at him with a feigned expression of disinterest, his hairline raising questioningly.
“You should be enjoying your wedding,” Tsu’tey tells him. Valiantly, he doesn’t look back to where he sees you are from the corner of his eye; you’ve circled yourself into the arms of another Omatikaya and he pretends it doesn’t bother him.
“I am,” Jake says, watching the party with a soft smile. A beat of silence passes before Jake’s eyes slide sideways to ogle Tsu’tey, “How come you’re not enjoying it?”
He bristles. “It is fun.”
“Jeez, this is how you have fun?”
Tsu’tey levels Jake a scowl that Jake takes with indifference.
“If you’re gonna sulk in a corner like this, why’re you even here?” Jake asks, his brows knitted together tightly. If Tsu’tey looks disrespected by Jake’s retort then he doesn’t voice it — it takes him a few seconds to even process that he’s talking to Jake in English, and his scowl deepens when it does. So much is changing around him that it’s hard to keep up.
“It is your wedding,” Tsu’tey states, still in English. It’s Jake’s wedding, and the very least he could do. “So I am here.”
“Uh-huh.”
Jake’s eyes assess Tsu’tey with a beady look that Grace would’ve been proud of, and when Tsu’tey’s eyes drift back to the fire and the people dancing around it, Jake follows his gaze and finds you. His brows soften and he looks between you and Tsu’tey before smiling.
“Why don’t you go dance?” Jake suggests.
Tsu’tey grunts his disagreement.
“Looks like a lot of fun,” Jake continues, playing with his fingers between his legs. His haunches are beginning to ache in this position. “Great music. Great fire. Y/N’s there.”
Tsu’tey’s glower flickers as the light of the fire passes by them. “I see her.”
Jake hums obnoxiously, but when Tsu’tey says or does nothing else, he physically can’t hold back his sigh and lets it go.
“What are you so afraid of?” he asks suddenly, and Tsu’tey looks back at him with slight surprise. “The war’s over, brother. You can be at peace, you can start again.”
“I know,” Tsu’tey replies plainly.
“You don’t have to be so…” Jake pauses, looking for the words, “…so closed off all the time.” When Tsu’tey looks at him, confused, he frowns and puts it into a perspective that Tsu’tey can understand. “I know you are scared of the Skypeople. You should be, you have every right to hate them. But the people who stayed here on Pandora are our allies. They are as much our people as this clan.”
“I hate the Skypeople,” Tsu’tey replies harshly. “They are not my people.”
“You hate all of ‘em?” Jake asks. Tsu’tey stays silent, his eyes flickering to you with a sour expression. He tries to make it look like he isn’t looking at you, trying to find something of interest around the fire that isn’t you or the man who spins you into the arms of Ninat.
“Y/N’s human too,” Jake says quietly.
Tsu’tey’s heart thuds. “Yes.”
For a moment, Jake waits and watches Tsu’tey’s face as it falls into an expression of extreme study. He is watching you with close interest, his breathing somewhat ragged. Then, Jake speaks again.
“But…you like her, right?”
The steady thud of Tsu’tey’s heart quickens into an erratic hammering.
“…Yes,” he hisses. The words are a release. Tsu’tey feels his body relax like he’s just submerged his body into the morning baths — he blinks a few times, trying to adjust to the weightless feeling washing over his bones, and he frowns.
There’s no possible way for you to have heard them discussing you, but a few seconds later, Tsu’tey stills in place when you look over in his direction, your eyes finding him despite the cloud of darkness encompassing his position.
His breathing becomes more heavy when you smile — Tsu’tey has missed seeing that look of adoration on your face. It’s been years, and it still feels like it did back then, back when he was burying his curiosity beneath his duties.
How could he even begin to move towards talking to you again, not to mention entertaining the thought of acting on his own feelings for you? The feelings have been buried, stagnant, for so long that he’s actually not even sure if they’re real. Now that his kuru has been severed, Tsu’tey has been acting weird — maybe this is a result of that.
“You could try and dance with her.” Tsu’tey is reminded of Jake’s presence when he speaks again.
Tsu’tey hesitates. “That is not the way.”
“Says who?”
“I say.”
Jake laughs. “Come on, brother. It’s my wedding.”
“I don’t care,” Tsu’tey remarks.
“If Toruk Makto asked you to dance, you would.”
The glare that Tsu’tey gives Jake is so intense that Jake almost blanches backward. Then the absurdity of the situation settles and Jake grins, resting his hand on Tsu’tey’s shoulder.
“I know why you’re scared,” Jake says, his tone light but nonetheless serious, “and so goddamn stubborn. But…you know, it’s never too late to try. If you try and you can’t, then whatever. But the Tsu’tey I know and respect never backed down out of fear. You never know until you know. Why don’t you just try?”
Tsu’tey breathes slowly, not sure of what to do or say.
“Everything is different, Jakesully. I do not know what to do,” he confesses. “I gave my life for my people, for my Olo’eyktan. I met with Eywa, but now I am here again. I do not know what to do with my life. I do not know who I am without…” He trails off. Jake knows what he means, what he was referring to. After so much loss, Jake knows now how Tsu’tey is feeling.
Jake’s hand tightens around Tsu’tey’s shoulder comfortingly. “I’m with you, brother. Together, we can try.” Then, he turns his head to look back to where you are; your eyes are still wandering over to where Tsu’tey is sitting with an uncharacteristic impatience. If Jake were to guess, then you probably wanted to talk to Tsu’tey as much as he wanted to talk to you.
“Now, get up and dance with her,” Jake says as a final order, heaving himself up off his haunches. Tsu’tey looks up as his Olo’eyktan rises and automatically joins him. “As your Olo’eyktan and brother, I order you to dance with her. If you don’t, there’ll be consequences.”
Tsu’tey finds the energy to laugh from his chest, half affronted and half impressed by Jake’s sudden display of authority.
“You are still a skxawng,” he declares as Jake starts to wander off into the party.
Jake looks over his shoulder and shrugs, “Skxawng who can now boss you around. Your fault.”
With that, Tsu’tey watches Jake drift into the celebrations and fade into a blue blur. He is consumed almost entirely by the amount of people now dancing around the fire, including Neytiri and several other senior members of the Omatikaya.
Now that he’s standing up, Tsu’tey has started garnering attention from others; they look at him cautiously, as if he were a loose cannon about to explode. He understands why — there was nobody else here with as much right to hate the Skypeople as Tsu’tey, and with their eyes on him, the phantom feeling of his kuru feels ten times stronger. What the hell is he doing? He shouldn’t be here.
Before he can even entertain the idea of leaving, Tsu’tey’s eyes find yours again. Stumbling on both feet after being released in a swirl from Ninat’s hands, you stare at him for a moment as your vision focuses and you take the sight of him in.
You haven’t seen him in so long, and yet he looks almost the same as he did before, only more taut and muscular, more defined from the rage of war. And yet, despite all of that — despite the passage of time and the weight of war and loss, you still find the man you once admired, the man you have missed each day that passed without him.
Tsu’tey has to remind himself to breathe when you smile at him widely, eyes widening with recognition and arms reaching out as if calling him closer. If your hands were magnets, then he was the iron being pulled in to you; his feet shift off the soft moss beneath him and towards the fire, crunching over leaves and flowers and dry grass until he is a few inches away from you.
Around you both, the dancing crowd is reduced to stuttering blurred lines of colour. The only constant, clear thing that Tsu’tey can see is you, and now he is up close, there’s no reason to deny the aching feeling in his chest for just how much he has longed to speak to you, or for just how insanely beautiful you look in his eyes.
No words are said as you reach for his forearms, the warmth of your touch the only thing Tsu’tey can feel, despite the pressing heat of the bonfire.
Being near Skypeople was one of Tsu’tey’s greatest displeasures in life, but with you, everything feels right. He finds the soft outline of his face in your eyes and he blinks, standing still as you move with the music, trying to coax him into moving with you.
Good lord, how is it possible that he likes you so much? It’s been years. How is he able to still see that girl inside of you? How is it that despite everything he stands for, he’s unable to see anything unnatural about you?
When your hands slide down to his, his heart beats so hard in his chest that he’s afraid he might be dying again. Your fingers tighten around his, and with very little restraint, Tsu’tey feels his feet follow you into a dance around the flames, the drums intensifying, his body feeling as if it has been caught by the flames and burned to a crisp.
His eyes are glued to yours, to the expression of delight and adoration on your face, and for the first time in a long, long time, Tsu’tey feels what he’s been searching relentlessly for.
