nyctophicbtch

[nyctophicbtch]

When are requests opening again?

prob not until a week or two bcs i’m busy atm but i’ll be writing during summer break :)

[nyctophicbtch]

proceed with caution: ⚠️ angry kitten ⚠️

[nyctophicbtch]

ᩡ A PEARL𓂃🦪

mini series

summary: where you move to the metkayina clan with the Sully's excited to finally be free from war and spend more time with Lo'ak but you find him slowly fading away from you.

a/n: Use of she/her pronouns. Reader is Navi. 1.4k words

You moved to the Metkayina clan with the Sully's in hopes that the sky people would not find you guys here. At first it was rough and different but you got through it with the help of Lo'ak's support. The same Lo'ak that would rest in your lap while you braid his hair. The Lo'ak that would give you handcrafted pieces that his mom helped him with. The Lo'ak that would make you help babysit Tuk with him. The Lo'ak that smiled every time you'd enter the room. That same lo'ak that loved and adored everything about you was right in front of you dancing with the chief's daughter. Tsireya was beautiful, gorgeous even. She was the sweetest girl in the whole clan, she had lots of boys swooning over her. Your heart aches knowing that Lo'ak might be a part of those boys.

You can't help but sit next to the firepit and watch them dance along with the other Navi. Today was a party to celebrate the hunting party's return. Everyone was cheering and having fun in their own little group yet here you were staring daggers into the duo not that far from you. "Y/n" a sudden voice was heard slightly muffled because of the banging of the drums. You turned your head only to be met with yellow eyes that belonged to Lo'ak's brother, Neteyam. "Neteyam" You stood up and expressed the next greeting with your hands. ‘i see you’

Neteyam only chuckled at the gesture then wrapped one of his arms around your shoulder. "Come on, no need for formalities, we've known eachother since we could walk." You mumbled a quick sorry and looked back at the sand beneath your feet. Of course just like Lo'ak you've known the other Sullys ever since you were little infants. Neytiri and your mom have always been the closest of friends but unfortunately your parents did not make out of the first war. You looked back up, eyes scanning the crowd to look for the two Navi although your heart hurts seeing them so close your curiosity got the best of you again.

After searching for what seems like forever you finally found the pair. Their arms were wrapped around each other, engulfing one another in a tight hug. Your eyes never left their direction which caused Neteyam to notice after he looked down to see why you were so silent. His eyes followed to where you were looking and frowned finally realizing why you've been so quiet these past days.

A loud sigh made you look away and instead look to your side to see the older Sully shaking his head in disapproval. "Staring at them again?" You looked down, obviously embarrassed that Neteyam caught you. "You know I can't help it, as much as it hurts" Neteyam let go of you letting his arms fall to his sides. You watched as he looked into your eyes trying to search for something to say. As soon as he opened his mouth to spit out whatever he was going to say a loud voice interrupted it. "Isn't this supposed to be a party?"

Your heart sank upon hearing the familiar voice that you once grew to love. You stayed quiet as Lo'ak grabbed a hold of your hand with Tsireya beside him. She was smiling at you. Oh that girl was too kind. "Come and quit sulking tsawksyul" Lo'ak has always called you that nickname. It meant 'sun lily' he started calling you it after you gifted him a beautiful blue flower with purple outlines. ‘it looks better when it's night time because glows just like you and me Lo'ak’ You were young at the time and never thought about what you would say much to your dismay now but you knew you meant every single word.

You looked behind your back to see Neteyam nodding and urging you to go dance with the same person you were sulking over. You huffed out a loud enough "fine" which made Lo'ak's ears twitch when he heard it. A grin growing ear to ear appeared on his face as he finally made you cave in and join them. As much as your heart hurt at Lo'ak constantly ignoring you for another girl that you thought was way more beautiful than you, you couldn't help but smile at him.

It didn't last long as Lo'ak suddenly dropped your hand and looked towards Tsireya. "Oh by the way this is Tsireya, she has taught me many things these past couple of days." That same grin that was given to you showed up but instead it was towards somebody else. You knew about Tsireya of course but you two never officially met since you always ran off whenever Lo'ak would catch you staring at them. ‘the same couple of days that you've been ignoring me’ you thought to yourself but still plastered a smile on your face and greeted Tsireya with a friendly wave.

You watched as the two smiled at each other. Oh ewya they are in love. That moment you felt like running away again not wanting to face your fears of Lo'ak choosing someone else as his mate. "Oh I'm sorry but I must be going now." You turned around in a hurry and walked off before they could even say anything. Your breath grew heavy as your eyesight went blurry from the tears. You struggled to get to your marui but soon enough you were laying in your hammock with hands over your eyes praying eywa to just let the day be over with.

The next couple of days you did what felt right and that was to ignore Lo'ak the best you can. You cringed at it of course but how else would you be able to stay happy? You didn't really converse with the other Sully's as well except for tuk and kiri with the exception of Neteyam at times you'd bump into him. Other than that you'd find yourself busy with weaving or writing in the book Norm gave you when you said that you wanted to learn how to read and write in English. In fact that was what you were during now.

Laying down on your stomach ontop of a mat inside your marui with your journal in front of you and makeshift pencil in your hand you were lost in the words and scribbles that you wrote down. You stopped ever so often to read your writing and look for any possible errors or mistakes you've made. Often you found yourself writing about Lo'ak like you were a little kid with a celebrity crush. You'd rant about how you felt in this book like as if it was an actual person. You dropped your pencil and ripped the page you were writing on out of your journal. You looked at it once more and sighed.

Your ears suddenly twitched at the sound of footsteps nearing your home, you wasted no time and quickly shoved the piece of paper in the book and closed it shut before standing up. You turned around and watched as a familiar figure made it's way towards you. "Ma tsawksyul" Lo'ak stopped infront of you with the same grin be had on yesterday night at the party. "My mother is asking for your assistance with weaving a new hammock" He watched as you nodded and walked off to the corner of your marui to pick up your weaving supplies. "I'll be on my way then."

You bowed your head not wanting to have a longer conversation than needed. You tried your best to look forward and ignore his gaze on you. His eyes followed you as you walked away towards his family's shared home. "She's never that quiet." Lo'ak mumbled to himself and looked around your smaller sizes home, eyes stopping once he found a black journal laid on the floor. He was fighting his strong urge to peak through it knowing that it was wrong and that he should respect your privacy. He finally decided just let it go and turned around before stopping again. He scoffed "Ah what harm could it cause, she won't even find out"

Lo'ak sat down and picked up your journal then a piece of paper fell out which caught his attention. He hesitated before opening it. ‘english? Since when did she learn how to write in English’ Lo'ak knew the bare minimum because of his dad which was good enough to understand what you wrote. He opened his mouth and read your note a loud but only loud enough for him to hear. "Still wondering why you kept looking at the stars when you said you only had eyes for the moon" The Navi boy was even more confused by now. Moon? Stars? Whatever did you mean by that he wondered. Lo'ak thought and thought but his mind just went blank. ‘i'll just ask somebody else’ He put down your book and left the marui with the piece of paper in his hands.

#criminally underrated #lo’ak #lo’ak fic #lo’ak x reader

[nyctophicbtch]

fr this keeps happening, help

What DOES it mean when “replies have been turned off for this post?” I always assumed it meant the OP turned them off somehow but I’ve never done it and don’t even know where you can and some of my posts still suddenly disable replies. They aren’t getting spammy or shitty replies or anything. In fact if a post is getting trolled or spammed it’s never happened.

[nyctophicbtch]

thinking abt writing a long enemies to lovers fic for neteyam x human!reader

[nyctophicbtch]

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE AONUNG X SULLY! READER!! IT WAS WONDERFUL.

I have another request :)

maybe she’s Kiri’s twin this time and Aonung really likes her (enough to want to mate with her) so he takes her to the spirit tree in a romantic ilu ride, only for the reader to get a seizure when she bonds to the spirit tree (like Kiri). Aonung gets really worried and Jake, Neteyam, and Lo’ak get really protective and mad at Aonung.

“Please-“

“You’ve done enough.” Amidst the ringing in your ears, you could specifically make out Neteyam’s seething voice in the distance.

Everything was heavy, yet you felt like you were floating at the same time. You could barely feel your body and see nothing but pitch black; hear nothing but muffled noise. It wasn’t until Ronal’s final breath on your stomach that you started to sense your surroundings.

She’s awake!

You could’ve sworn you imagined Tuk’s voice in your head, that was until your eyes started blinking open, the harsh light causing you to retaliate immediately. Even with your eyes only half open, you could see your baby sister’s figure looming over you.

“Neteyam! Lo’ak! She’s awake!” She began to call for your brothers as your eyes started adjusting to the room, a weak groan escaping your lips when you tried to sit up.

“Mom?” You were scared and confused when you saw no one there but the Metkayina’s tsahik and Tuk, and the loud argument coming from outside the marui was not helping.

“No, no. She could have died! What were you thinking?” Jake yelled, and you’d pull yourself up in time to see a guilty Ao’nung getting scolded by your father through the slightly opened flap of the marui.

“Guys…” Tuk whined when nobody seemed to have heard her call.

“I’m sorry. I only wanted to-“

“No. You could have gotten her killed, bro.”

“Dad!” your sister called out louder than the last time and he finally looked her way.

You could see his eyes travel past her shoulder to where you laid awake, and he visibly let out a breath of relief.

“Listen. Just… Don’t do that again, okay?” your dad sighed, patting Ao’nung’s shoulder before walking towards you and dropping to his knee beside your mat.

“Hey, baby girl.”

You smiled, but it quickly dropped when you saw Ao’nung standing off to the side guiltily, ears pressed to his skull.

“Dad-“ A single tear fell from your eye just as your brothers came running in, looking down at you with worry written all over their faces.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. You’re okay now.”

“Where’s mom?”

“She and Kiri went outside to look for more of the tsahik’s stuff. I’ll go tell them you’re alright, okay?” he assured, wiping your wettened cheek with a finger.

You nodded and your dad gave one last smile before leaving you with your brothers. Neteyam was the first to approach whilst Lo’ak stood not far behind, observing your brother’s slow steps.

“Hey, little idiot.” He gave your head a pat, earning a smile alongside your little sniffle. “We’re glad you’re okay.”

Tuk nodded, agreeing with his eldest brother as she peered over your shoulder at him. And then you noticed Ao’nung, still silently standing outside, patiently waiting for approval to come see you. Your eyes softened and your lips curved into a frown at the sight.

“What is it?”

“Lo’ak, it wasn’t Ao’nung’s fault. He was trying to do something nice for-“

“He was trying to mate with you, skxawng,” Lo’ak scoffed, interrupting whatever explanation you were about to give him and your face flushed at his words.

“So what if I wanted to?” Neteyam’s ears immediately perked up at your quiet statement.

Your eyes fell to Tuk who was still listening intently and Neteyam brought his hand around her shoulders, guiding her away from you. You could see the looks your brothers exchanged with each other as Neteyam brought Tuk out of the marui and you were absolutely baffled.

They do this too many times and it got annoying being left out of a conversation they were making with their eyes that was clearly about you.

Lo’ak hissed in annoyance before following his brother out, stopping when he was beside Ao’nung. You couldn’t clearly see what was going on through the small opening, but you could make out your brother whispering something in the Metkayina's ear before lightly slapping him in the back, leading him to the entrance of the marui.

“Hey,” Ao’nung greeted softly as he slowly approached you.

Your face lit up when the boy sat beside you, reaching a hand down to play with your fingers.

“Ao’nung do not listen to them. It wasn’t your fault.” You grasped his hand in yours, assuring him with a soft stroke of your thumb.

“No,” he chuckled lightly. “It’s okay. I should have asked first.”

“But you couldn’t have known-“

“Shh. You need rest. We can do this another time. The right way.”

‘Bro. Him? Really?’

‘Ugh.’ ‘Well we cannot stop them.’

‘But c’mon-‘ ‘Eywa, It’s Ao’nung.’

‘Lo’ak.’

#ao’nung x reader #ao’nung #ao’nung x sully!reader #avatar the way of water #avatar: the way of water #imagine #drabble #fanfic #oneshot #fanfiction #fluff #x reader #avatar #female reader #sully reader

[nyctophicbtch]

Can I request Neteyam seeing random Human Fem reader in the forest so he follows her and then he loses her so when he turns around he sees her holding her spear at him? Then they talk and he’s all like “wanna hang out sometime?” And then she says “maybe” and blows him a kiss before leaving him stunned in that spot?

The quiet rustle of leaves from above was what had thrown you off. At first, you’d thought it was a harmless creature lurking with curiosity, but as the presence grew stronger, you brought yourself to believe that it was no ordinary creature.

Maybe you should’ve listened to your own advice. Straying so deep into the forest was just an invitation for the locals to approach you, which you avoided at all costs. You knew most of the scientists stayed near the Omatikaya, assisting them with whatever research they needed. But you preferred the solstice of your quiet place, away from the bustling village.

You started to run, as fast as your legs would allow you. It was as if the na’vi wanted you to hear them with how loud they were being.

Your steps faltered when you couldn’t sense the na’vi following you, fingertips grazing the spear attached to your back as extra precaution. You pointed the tip towards his now visible back, slowly approaching him.

When he turned around, his reaction was predictable to say the least.

“Woah. Mawey. Calm,” he said in English, lifting both hands in surrender. “I don’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“Why were you following me?” you replied with the language he was more accustomed with.

“I was only curious. Why are you alone? So far from the lab?”

“I live alone.” you shifted on your feet and put away your spear, relaxing once you realized the na’vi was Omatikayan.

“You do not live with the other scientists?”

“I think that’s what living alone means. Yes,” you chuckled nervously when he eyed your unusual human form. Eywa, it felt as if he was stripping you with his gaze.

His eyes trailed your attire, from the top of your head to the bottom of your bare feet, and you couldn’t blame him. He’d probably never seen a human so exposed with similar clothing to the na’vi’s traditional ones, only that it covered just the slightest bit more.

You were… strange to say the least.

“I am Neteyam.”

“Nice to meet you.” He looked amused by your reaction. It was as if he were expecting you to know who he was, but you had done the exact opposite.

“We should meet here again. Tomorrow, same time.”

“I didn’t realize the na’vi were so forward,” you bemused at his blunt invitation. It was unusual for an Omatikaya to be this intrigued by a human, considering that they had a bunch living near them already.

“Maybe you don’t know as much about us as you think. You can start by getting to know me.”

This was absurd. You had just met the man, yet your head was already filled with thoughts of coming back here tomorrow.

Maybe you were just as curious about the na’vi more than you’d care to admit. You loved learning new things about their biology and nature, but you weren’t one to actually engage with them.

“And maybe I will.” You smiled, blowing a friendly goodbye kiss before turning the other way. It felt like an open challenge. If he could be so forward, why couldn’t you?

Neteyam may not have been human, but he certainly knew the meaning behind most human gestures. He stood frozen at your boldness before chuckling to himself, eyeing your retreating figure.

#neteyam #neteyam x reader #neteyam x human!reader #female reader #drabble #imagine #fanfic #oneshot #fluff #x reader #avatar #avatar: the way of water

[nyctophicbtch]

Hello! I see your request are open! May I request tsu'tey x gn!reader?

Request: I was thinking prophaps y/n has been sleep deprived for a few days now due to insomnia and tsu'tey has to drag them to bed and cuddle with them until they fall asleep

any extra info: I was thinking y/n could be a dreamwalker / avatar for any extra dram you wanted to write in but a Omatikaya reader works too! I was thinking you possibly include a cute nickname or something like yawne (love in Navi) or something like (I don't really care what nickname you pick) for writing format Idk which would be best for this but whatever is closest to a oneshot will be fine!

Ty!: Thank you so much for your time if you accept this I look forward to seeing it !

It was the middle of the night and you could feel your eyes drooping as you sat on the rock just outside your marui, looking at the forest below you.

Maybe you should’ve listened to Tsu’tey, you thought. He was always the one with better rational sense out of the two of you, but you just somehow couldn’t get yourself to sleep, and you had given up trying.

“Yawne.” You heard your lover call out, feeling a pair of arms wrapping around your middle from behind you.

“Mmhm.”

“It’s late. Why are you sitting out here?”

“Can’t sleep,” you mumbled, eyes closing when you felt his warm breath against the crook of your neck.

He began kissing his way up your jaw, angling your head with his slender fingers, and you melted at his touch, leaning back against his chest.

“You cannot stay awake all night, ma syulang,” he whispered as his lips grazed your ear, leaving a gentle kiss on the pointed tip.

“I’ll be fine. Go back to sleep, yawne.” You cupped the side of his face with your hand. But before you could push him away, Tsu’tey gripped your wrist firmly, not enough to hurt, but just enough to stop you from moving.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” Your eyes snapped open, and before you could protest, Tsu’tey had already scooped you into his arms and began walking towards the flap of your shared marui.

“Tsu’tey! Put me down!”

“As you wish,” he chuckled, placing you onto the soft material on the ground.

With your limbs being sore and tired from the lack of sleep, all you could do was relent and curl yourself up against the mat, loudly wriggling in your position from time to time. Your lover joined you not long after, shifting beside you as he made himself comfortable.

“Shh. You are very stubborn. Close your eyes,” he murmured, draping an arm around your figure to pull you to his chest.

Tsu’tey could feel you squirm around for a couple of minutes, unable to get yourself to fall asleep, but by the time he was about to open his eyes, you were already soundlessly asleep to the sound of his soft breathing.

“Goodnight, tìyawn.” His lips curved up into a smile before he found himself lulled into deep slumber.

#tsu’tey #tsu’tey x reader #tsu’tey x avatar!reader #tsu’tey x dreamwalker!reader #drabble #imagine #oneshot #fluff #x reader #avatar #gender neutral reader #tsu’tey x gn!reader #fanfic

[nyctophicbtch]

Are you writing about Lo'ak? Can I get a request about him? There is no about him on Tumblr and can you write Lo'ak x human reader^-^ Thanks

fr we need more Lo’ak content. here’s one, but if you’d like something more specific you can submit your request in an ask!

[nyctophicbtch]

could u do a lo'ak x reader where reader is human and lo'ak loves her but doesn't tell her bc he thinks she won't like him back since he's na'vi but she rly does love him and he asks her to be his mate?

sorry this took so long to finally finish but it’s finally out!

But We’re Different - Lo’ak

[nyctophicbtch]

Heya!! Idk if you still accept requests for avatar so please ignore if not!

Can I request a Lo'ak x reader where the reader is human but in a avatar body and she is trying to comfort him to not feel like an outcast (with locking their fingers together, and they fit perfectly cuz they both have five fingers? With lots of pining and hurt/comfort please) Thank you!! <3

heyy! this took way too long but hope you don’t mind me combining this with other requests

But We’re Different - Lo’ak

[nyctophicbtch]

Hii, first off your stories are just *chef's kiss*

And could I request a Lo'ak x human reader fic, where he's really interested about what humans just generally do (eg school, music, books, just pretty mundane things for people his age) and they talk about how different the na'vi and humans live and the struggles they go through

And maybe there's a scene where he wonders what his father had done at his age, but that's not really necessary, I just really need that culture exchange to seep through

Anyways, thanks alot and stay healthy!!

thank you for this prompt! i combined this with other reqs since it works

But We’re Different - Lo’ak

[nyctophicbtch]

But We’re Different

[ Lo’ak x avatar/human!reader ]

Summary: Some boys in the clan weren’t too friendly. They’d somehow convinced Lo’ak that you, a human, would never chose an outcast, let alone a na’vi, as your mate. You were left to figure out why he was unusually pulling away from you so much.

read the requests here, here and here

Warnings: not proofread, hurt/comfort, mutual pining, kissing, slightly suggestive

Word Count: 3,070

‘Don’t lose your avatar’. The scientists’ words replayed in your head, prompting a small smile from you as you lazily rolled onto your back with your eyes closed in enjoyment. The grass underneath you tickled your tail as it swayed languidly in content.

“Please never say that again.”

What?

For a second, you thought the familiar voices in the distance were all in your head until you realized they weren’t stopping. They grew louder with each passing second, pulling you unwillingly out of your blissful reverie.

“That’s gross!” Your eyes reluctantly opened as you heard footsteps in the distance and their conversation getting louder. It didn’t take long until you were greeted with the sight of Spider and Lo’ak laughing amongst themselves when they finally noticed you sprawled across the grass.

Already? you whined to yourself. The initial thought was to spend the first few rare moments as an avatar alone, and then find your friends afterwards.

“Hey, you’re finally out of your cage,” Spider pointed out, clearly amused, just as Lo’ak landed right beside you after jumping off the higher ground.

“I hate wearing those things,” you grumbled, nodding at Spider’s mask all the while stretching the sleep off your limbs. “I wish I could stay like this.”

“How does your body feel?”

“Feels nice.” You could barely hear your own soft words, rolling onto your side to face Lo’ak. Especially after being grounded from your avatar for so long. You honestly preferred being blue just because you were able to freely enjoy going outside without feeling suffocated by exopacks.

“Really?” The moment of peace was ruined as you abruptly jerked up and hissed when you felt Spider pull on your tail. “Your reflexes are good.”

Ignoring the boys’ laughter, you slapped Spider’s hand away from where he was still holding your tail.

“Bro, stop harassing her. It’s her first day out in weeks.”

“You guys are no fun.” You’d only blink and Spider had already made it up the trees, barely visible in your line of sight. “Keep up!”

You almost whined at the thought of having to get up and run around with them when you were already comfortable lying on the grass. “Can I stay here?”

“Nu uh. Norm said you gotta put those legs to use,” Lo’ak replied, urging you up to your feet.

The boy tugged on your arm, urging you to follow him through the trees and vines that blocked your path. The impatience was radiating off of him as you stumbled back and trailed slower behind him. It wasn’t as if you were unskilled in your feet. You were just a little rusty after weeks of not being in this body, that’s all.

“Slow down.”

When Lo’ak looked back and noticed how terribly shaped you actually were, a frown etched its way onto his face and he eased his movements to match your pace, placing his palm on the small of your back as some sort of support.

“You okay?”

“Yeah-“ before you could continue any further, you felt yourself trip on a large twig and stumbled on your feet, catching the way the corner of his lips curved the tiniest bit upwards. “I’m great.”

You steadied yourself with a firm hand to Lo’ak’s chest since the blue boy was too busy holding back his laugh to stop you from falling.

“Stop laughing,” you groaned, lightly shoving him away when you found yourself unable to hold your own smile.

“Okay, okay.” Lo’ak’s laughter ceased as he pried the hand that kept shoving him away from his chest. “Truce.”

Truce. That wasn’t the case, considering how Lo’ak playfully bested and annoyed you the whole way through the forest. You were far too relieved when you finally arrived by a particular waterfall, knowing full well that Lo’ak would finally stop teasing and pulling at your tail.

“What’d you need anyways?” asked the blue boy trailing behind you.

“I just left my journal.”

“You really can’t just leave it for a day?” Lo’ak received no response from you who most likely had not heard what he’d said, seeming as you had already disappeared behind the waterfall.

“Come on, it’s like you’ve replaced me with that thing ever since I gave it to you,” Lo’ak whined as he came up beside you, peeking over your shoulder to see the leather book in your hands.

“I didn’t replace you, skxawng.”

For a moment, you’d caught him off guard with your swift movements. He staggered back a little when you lightly hit his forehead with a finger, a frown etching its way onto his face.

“You care more about that thing than me,” he protested, purposely ignoring how you’d just flicked him on the forehead. “Are all sky people like this? I can’t see my dad finding paper inside a piece of leather interesting .”

“I don’t think he would. He doesn’t seem like the artsy type.”

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, I don’t actually know what he liked. Dad doesn’t bring up his human life often,” Lo’ak mentioned.

“We could always go to the lab after seeing the village. He’s kept some of the human stuff he brought from earth.”

As if trying to annoy you on purpose, the boy sat on your bed as you were about to leave, knowing full well he wouldn’t budge. He had a taunting smile on his face, grinning up at you as innocently as possible.

“Come on. You did this the last time we came here too.”

“I like your bed.”

It wasn’t the typical human bed you were used to in your original form, but it maintained the same concept. You did as much as you could to salvage the comfort of your room back in the lab out here using Pandoran medium and you’d say it had exceeded your expectations.

If your human form was to lay here, it would say otherwise though. The harsh surface would scratch and prick at your soft skin until it itched for days.

“Come on.” You tugged at his wrist in hopes that he’d get up, earning a dissatisfied groan from the Sully boy.

“Why are we in such a hurry?”

“I haven’t seen the village in weeks.” A final tug at his wrist got him staggering out of your bed, his palm instinctively finding its way to the small of your back.

“Calm down!” You rushed out of the cave’s entrance and left Lo’ak to grumble as he followed your footsteps, trudging through the water.

-

“He likes you too much for his own good.”

“Kiri,” you whined.

“He just won’t admit it because you’re human and he’s a skxawng who’s afraid of rejection.”

Your cheeks flushed, only validating Kiri’s accusations even more. Fortunately, the sounds of distant shouting outside saved you from further embarrassment. You left the tent without much thought.

“What did I say, boy?”

The sight before you wasn’t anything new. You’d seen Jake scolding his sons a couple of times, but you’d never seen them this tense.

“I only asked one thing of you. One! And you still managed to disobey me.” Lo’ak had his head hung low, suddenly finding the ground much more interesting than anything else. You could see his ears perk up a tiny bit when he heard your footsteps approaching.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“Next time you pull something like that I’m gonna knot your tail. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” the boy gritted out, blinking a couple of times to keep the tears at bay when he heard snickering from the Na’vi behind him. Jake hadn’t seemed to notice though, or he was too angry to care and left towards the other direction.

You wanted to do nothing more than to punch the boys making fun of him to shut their mouths close, but your eyes softened when you saw Lo’ak looking up and closing his eyes to prevent tears from escaping them and decided to approach him instead.

“Lo’ak,” you softly called out, drawing his attention to you as you reached a hand to place on his arm. When he turned to look at you, your heart ached at the hurt on his face.

“Leave me alone.” He’d intended it to sound harsher than it had come out, but his hesitation seeped through when he attempted to pull his arm away from you, confirming that he didn’t actually want you to leave him alone.

“You weren’t supposed to see that,” he continued when you made no move to leave. The small crowd that had formed started to dissipate and people left, minding their own business. “I didn’t even start it. They all think I’m easy to mess with because I’m an outcast. Because I’m a halfbreed.” He spat out the last word, as if it was a curse he was stuck with.

He didn’t need to explain to you. You didn’t need an explanation. This had happened countless times, where boys provoke and make fun of him. But from the looks of it, he had lost his composure this time.

“I mean, look at my brother. You don’t see people making fun of him everyday.” You caught the way he subtly eyed his fingers and you slowly wandered your hand lower.

The quick and curious movements of his tail captured your attention and you decided to test the waters. You intertwined your fingers with his, noticing how they fit perfectly against each other.

“I’m as much an outcast as you are, Lo.”

“That’s- that’s not what I meant.” Now he just felt bad. He’d unintentionally called you an outcast too and he felt his heart drop when he’d realized.

But your gentle gaze assured him that you hadn’t been hurt or offended by his words, and he let out a small breath of relief, grasping your arm with his other hand almost desperately.

“You’re much more than just a halfbreed,” you stated, placing a hand on his chest. The sully’s gaze dropped to your hand and he was almost certain you could feel his heart’s increasing pace. “You have a strong, kind heart. They do not see that. But I see it.”

And I see you, you wanted to scream out. You desperately wished to say the words that had been caught in your throat far too many times. And maybe Lo’ak wished he had heard it from you as well.

But the unspoken barrier between you two still remained. He couldn’t care less what his people would think of you as his, but he was too sure that you wouldn’t see someone like him. Someone of different species; an outcast. A failure.

So he did what he’d always done. He retracted away from you. From your touch. And you didn’t even try to hide your disappointment, looking like a kicked puppy with the hurt evident in your eyes.

“Why don’t we look at those human stuff your dad stashed in the lab. It might cheer you up,” you suggested, averting the topic in attempts to dismiss the sting from his open rejection.

“Yeah.” It was only mere seconds before the two of you were giggling as you ran through the forest, hand in hand, forgetting the past few minutes that had just happened.

The lab wasn’t far from the village, and you silently thanked Max for bringing Jake’s old stuff to the new location of the lab. It was just on the outskirts of the forest, covered by a few overgrown leaves and vines that you could easily spot.

“They gathered his old stuff from the old lab and kept it in a box,” you said, parting your hand from his to push through the doors.

“Hey, Norm,” you greeted when you caught sight of the familiar scientist.

“Hey, kid, Lo’ak.”

“You know where Max keeps Jake’s old stuff?” Your eyes wandered around the lab, curious to what could’ve changed in a few hours, tail swaying leisurely behind you.

“Yeah, in the storage room. Why?”

“I’m taking Lo’ak to a trip down the memory lane.”

“Alright, but don’t go making a mess in there,” he warned, knowing full well what the two of you were capable of. “And go give your avatar a break. Your human body could use some attention.”

You looked to Lo’ak, finding his eyes already on yours as he grabbed a mask from one of the stands.

“Go ahead. I’ll meet you in your unit,” he assured.

It wasn’t as if he had never seen you in your human form. He’d done this plenty of times and was used to you having to switch from your avatar to avoid draining either bodies.

The boy gave you a small smile before leaving the room, most likely to go find your link unit.

“I’m serious, kid. I better not find the storage room in shambles when I come back.”

-

“No way,” you deadpanned. “Your dad read comics?”

“How do they even make these?” Lo’ak ignored your question, eyeing the characters drawn on the front cover. He held onto the edge of the comic he fished from one of the boxes, lifting it above his head so he could inspect the overlapping pages.

“There’s so much… detail.”

“It’s called printing.” You smiled at how innocently curious he was, rummaging through some more boxes.

“And he has action figures?” That certainly caught Lo’ak’s attention. He dropped the comic and raised his fingers to touch the plastic toy, slowly tilting his head in amusement.

“They look like the toys Tuk plays with, but less- wooden.”

You handed the action figure to let Lo’ak inspect it, digging through the box only to find the entire thing filled with action figures representing mythological characters back on earth.

“Didn’t take your dad for a mythology fan.”

“What do you use this for?” He had pulled out a cylindrical container, something too heavy to carry around with your frail human body.

“That’s for water. We have to buy clean water back on earth.”

“What? You guys don’t even have access to water?”

“Not with most of the planet dying, no.” It wasn’t as if you really knew how it felt living on your dying planet though. You’d spent your entire life on Pandora, only picking up little bits of earth’s culture from the scientists in the lab.

“Yikes. I see why you came here.”

“I was born here, skxawng.” You hit the back of his head, earning a hearty laugh in return.

“Really? You were? I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” he gasped, placing a hand above his heart in exaggeration. He had only broken his composure once you pulled on his ear, hearing a wince leave him when you dragged the boy towards you.

“You’re so aggressive. Are you sure you’re human?”

“Maybe I spend too much time with you.”

A grin made its way to his face before it was quickly swept away and a faint frown formed in its place, his eyes saddening. You felt your own frown forming, mirroring his sudden actions.

This wasn’t the reaction you were expecting. You were just trying to get him to forget the stupid boys. Did you do something wrong? Say anything offensive?

“Lo’ak-“

“Maybe you do spend too much time with me.”

“Where’s this coming from?”

“Just- think of it,” he said angrily. “Everyone in the clan loves you, even more than they do me. You can see the disappointment in their eyes when you come back, hand in hand with me. You would be so much better off if I wasn’t getting you into trouble all the time.”

“That’s not true-“

“You know it is.” If you were in your avatar right now, your ears would slump down the furthest it could go. Where did this come from? He was never this upset when it came to you spending so much time with him.

“Is this about At’wey?”

His lack of response told you everything you needed to know.

“What they say is not true.”

“You don’t get it.” Lo’ak ran a hand through his braids in frustration. “It’s not just about getting you in trouble.”

His tail was flicking from side to side, agitated. The sully clearly looked conflicted whether to repeat what the boys said to him or to keep it to himself.

“Look,” he said after a moment of hesitation, lowering himself to sit on the floor in front of you. “They know you’re a sore spot for me.”

The perplexed look you gave only encouraged him to explain further.

“What makes you think she’d want you? She’s human. You’re na’vi. That wouldn’t even work. There’s plenty of humans in the lab she can choose from,” he mimicked their lines as accurately as his memory would allow him.

“What’s worse is that I’m not just different from you. I get you into trouble all the time and I always mess things up.”

Your frown deepened when his gaze turned to the floor and you mustered the courage to cup the side of his face with your hand.

“I don’t care about those things, Lo’ak. I’ve already chosen you. I see you.”

His eyes finally met yours and you swore his face visibly lit up at your words. You didn’t miss the way his eyes shifted lower, especially with the way he was shamelessly eyeing your lips, his own slightly parted in a trance.

“I want to kiss you so bad right now.”

A small smile made its way to your lips and Lo’ak felt his heart stutter in its cage. You were so close. And he could just lean in.

“I see you.”

Your lips were on his in less than a second, drawing a tiny gasp out of his mouth. You felt so small against him, and your hands were warm wherever they lingered, leaving his skin melting under your touch.

His large hands trailed down from your hips, staying on your ass for a bit too long before bringing them further down towards the back of your thighs. The Sully caught you off guard by pulling you into his lap, and your eyes opened for a brief second, catching a glimpse at the way his tail suggestively swayed from side to side against the cold floor.

“Lo’ak,” you practically whined, causing the na’vi to pull away from your lips and bury his face into the crook of your neck, gently nipping at the soft skin.

“Yes?”

“I think Norm heard us.”

#lo’ak #lo’ak x reader #lo’ak x human!reader #lo’ak x avatar!reader #avatar the way of water #fanfic #oneshot #imagine #fluff #fanfiction #female reader #x reader #avatar #drabble

[nyctophicbtch]

Second Chances - Neteyam x Omatikaya!Reader

summary: y/n and lo'ak were destined to be together, or so she thought... after moving to awa'atlu with the sully's, lo'ak starts to fall for a certain metkayina girl, leaving y/n completely heartbroken. it is unexpected when neteyam, who has been secretly harboring feelings for her, decides to tend to her wounds. can y/n reciprocate his love?

wc: 9,6k

contains: angst, sort of love-triangle (lo'ak - y/n - neteyam), childhood friends to lovers, fluff

a/n: based on this idea i had a while ago, so i'm finally getting to sharing it with you! if you are a lo'ak girlie, this is probably not for you haha. please don't forget to show some love in form of replies or reblogs (it is really devastating when you work on a 10k fic and only get 8 comments)

masterlist

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Bonds could be formed before Eywa, but they could also be broken. That was the law. Hearts that once beat as one could grow apart, it didn't always last. It was rare, but it happened. You understood this, as did Lo'ak, who knew it firsthand, growing up with the love story of his parents. But the two of you had never expected that it could happen to you someday.

You often thought back to your life in the forest, where even amidst the ongoing war, things seemed to be much calmer and peaceful than they were now, within the reef clan. The instability and uncertainty, the risk of clan members never returning, the frequency of grieving ceremonies, everything seemed unimportant, when you had one sure thing in your life - Lo’ak. He had been your unwavering rock, the only one who could see through you, see you. Until he didn’t.

Since the day you burst into Sully's home at the age of seven, with your mother trailing behind to prevent you from disturbing Toruk Makto's family, it was clear that you and Lo'ak were two pieces of the same soul. It was always trouble when it came down to the two of you, sneaking out, and stealing everything that could be turned into a game, coming home covered in dirt and debris. Your parents often joked that you were like a mirror held up to Lo’ak: he was the instigator, and you were the tail. It was mostly Lo’ak initiating the trouble, but you were always right there with him, egging him on. You couldn’t help it, you loved the way his eyes sparkled with mischief, and the way he held you in his embrace, chest vibrating with the sounds of deep laughter, when you got yourselves into sticky situations.

Soon enough, the whole clan could see that a strong bond was starting to form between two souls so alike, it was almost uncanny. The two of you felt it too. Every angry scolding from his father was yours to take as well, every injury and scar on his body was mimicked on yours, every loving gaze and touch of his mother was shared with you. The Sully’s became like a second family to you, and it was only a matter of time before you would officially be one of them. So, when they made the difficult decision to leave the clan and seek refuge in a foreign land, your parents reluctantly had to let you go with them, knowing that you were meant to be with Toruk Makto's son.

But now, whenever he looked at you, Lo’ak felt guilty. His heart filled with sorrow for the days when all that mattered to him was you - the smile that was plastered on your face when you greeted him, the warm gaze you casted upon him when he needed reassurance, the gentle touch of your fingers intertwined with his when words failed to express how he felt. It was no longer the same, his mind distracted by a thought more exciting. Unintentionally, really, if anything he tried his best to fight the pull towards the Metkayina tsakarem. He couldn’t explain it to soothe the pain, he just felt it. Like he had been guided to her by Eywa herself.

The doubts were suffocating you from the inside out at first, but you tried to ignore it. Lo’ak would never hurt you, he was only friendly to learn from Tsireya, so that he wouldn’t be a disappointment in his father’s eyes. When the clan had started to point out their friendship, and you heard gossip about the tsakarem finding her mate, you swallowed your pride and carried on, pretending that it didn’t bother you. 

But when you watched them, you could see it clearly. They fit like two pieces of the same puzzle. Lo’ak brought in the thrill, in return, she grounded him. Bonds can be broken sometimes, you knew it. Tsireya seemed to know that too.

You had noticed the signs, but when he finally confirmed your worst fears, it felt like the wind was knocked out of you. It hurt your throat when you accused him, simultaneously feeling cruel for pointing out things you were hoping he could explain. But he didn’t deny it, the day he sat you down in a clearing, too similar to the one back home, and told you it wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was the law of Eywa.

"I still care about you, I always will," he tried cupping your cheek with the same caress he used to preserve for you only, eyes glistening with tears.

"You promised," you hissed angrily, pushing him away, “You promised, and I believed you."

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Lo’ak dragged himself through the sand, his feet stumbling over stones, as he replayed the bits of your argument in his head. He couldn’t shake off the image of your face, the way you looked at him with so much anger and pain, it was almost like you were a different person. He never thought that there would be a day in his life when you would look at him with such disdain. If he could only change the way he felt but he was torn between his promise to you and his feelings for Tsireya, and he didn’t know what to do. 

He had been walking aimlessly around the island for hours after you had demanded that he left you alone, and with the night growing darker, he dreaded going back home to avoid running into you. He took a deep sigh, approaching the family marui, the hopes of having his family already asleep immediately crashing, when a faint light glowed from within. Lo’ak really wasn’t in the mood for getting scolded.

“Where were you, boy?” Jake asked harshly, but there was a hint of concern evident in his face, as he began to quickly examine his son for signs of injury. 

“Just…out, I got carried away,” Lo’ak mumbled, fumbling out of Jake’s grasp. 

“Lo’ak, where is Y/N?” Neytiri’s voice followed, her worry barely concealed.

Lo’ak’s eyes darted around the pod - his siblings were there, but you weren’t. He swallowed nervously, under the weight of his family's scrutinizing stares.

“She didn’t come home?” he asked.

“She was with you, what do you mean?” Neteyam spoke up, confused.

Lo’ak’s stomach churned with anxiety; you were still out there, on an unfamiliar island, all alone. Alone because he had left you there. 

“She was but we… we had a fight, and she didn’t want to see me,” Lo’ak admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, “I thought she’d be home by now, that’s why I stayed out so late.”

“What am I supposed to do with you?” Jake hissed, “You do not leave your mate alone in an unknown setting when it’s dark out. It’s not too hard to figure out.”

Lo’ak hung his head in shame, deciding against defending himself, as there was no point in doing so. He stood there, weighed down by his own guilt, when Neytiri's gentle touch on his shoulder brought him back to reality. He looked up at her, seeing the concern etched on her face. You were like a daughter to Neytiri, and she couldn't wait for the day you were going to be one of hers, so the growing distance between you and Lo’ak worried her. 

Jake leapt into action, grabbing his flying gear, with Neteyam following closely behind. The older brother couldn’t help but feel bad for not bringing up your absence earlier. He should have trusted his gut that something was wrong and had gone after you hours ago. Should have known that Lo’ak would find a way to mess it up. 

“I’ll come with you, dad,” Lo’ak stated but Jake’s face hardened at the mere suggestion. 

“You have done enough.”

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Now every time when Neteyam went to sleep, he often thought back to the night he found you. His eyes would linger on the corner of the marui, half-expecting to find you there, deep in your sleep, only to be met with the image of your empty mat.

He was flying over the island on his ikran then, when he spotted a small figure, hidden in the thick greenery of Awa'atlu. He mumbled something to his father through the wired necklace, before diving down. 

You were lost in a sea of tears, so consumed by your own grief that you didn't even notice when Neteyam landed next to you with a gust of wind. It was only when he pulled you into an embrace that you felt yourself melting into him, a deeper pain forming in your chest and suffocating you from within. Your whole body shook with the force of your sobs, and you clung to Neteyam desperately, imagining that it was Lo’ak, who had returned to tell you it was just a stupid joke. 

“Let’s go home, okay?” he asked gently, but you shook your head desperately at that, forgetting to breathe in between your whimpers, “Y/N, you need to breathe.”

Neteyam pursed his lips together, raising his fingers to his necklace, when he heard his father’s voice on the other end.

“No, sir, she is not injured. But she doesn’t want to come home,” he fell silent for a moment before continuing, “I will make sure she is okay, you can trust me.”

As you started to feel more and more exhausted and began dozing off, Neteyam lifted you gently into his arms and flew you back home. He was grateful that you were asleep and spared from having to face the worried looks on his family's faces. He was especially relieved that you didn't have to see Lo'ak.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Lo'ak did not miss the way his chest tightened with ache, when you passed by him and lowered yourself on the other side of the circle, your eyes fixed on the ground, barely holding yourself composed during the shared lessons. His lingering gazes were miserable taunts because they meant nothing when you saw him struggle to breathe with Tsireya's palms resting on his chest. His questions to you hung unanswered in the air, as purposefully ignored him.

"Hey, would you like to practice with me? I think I'm losing my focus easily," Neteyam nudged your shoulder.

"Sure," you mumbled with a mixture of irritation and gratitude.

Neteyam was older than you, exuding maturity and confidence in everything he did and everywhere he went. It was no different in Awa’atlu, even when the weight of his responsibilities shifted drastically, he was still prioritizing others. Unlike Lo’ak, who usually cared for you only, Neteyam's range of care extended far beyond that. So you saw right through him trying to take you under his wing, when you no longer had someone to pair up with. He wanted to be the helping shoulder for you. 

It was complicated. You had left your whole life behind with only one certainty, and now that you had lost it, you were entirely alone among people who saw you as a weakling and pitied you for your broken heart. You would be lying if you said you didn’t contemplate sneaking out on your ikran one night and returning home, pretending as though you didn't like your new life and that you were no longer in love with Lo'ak. But the idea of your clan looking down at you too made your chest swell even more. You were stuck. Lo'ak left you stuck all by yourself, and he was no longer there to reach out his hand to you and pull you out of the trap. Because this time he himself had set the trap for you.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

"I just feel silly sometimes... I knew it was possible but I didn't think it could happen to us," you confessed with a deep sigh, avoiding the amber eyes fixed on you, "I always relied on him for everything, but now I feel alone. Completely alone."

Neteyam watched you with curiosity, discovering a side of you that was previously closed off to him. Perceiving him as an older brother sometimes put a boundary between you and him, blurring Neteyam into the background. He was like an extension to Lo’ak, never granted the same privilege of knowing you until now. Neteyam’s eyes lingered on your quivering lips, recognizing the same brave face his brother often put on to avoid showing vulnerability. He felt cruel and selfish for savoring this moment of you opening up to him. Not to Lo’ak, to him.

"He is a skxawng," he growled, trying to offer some support in the form of anger.

"Yeah, he is," you agreed with a small chuckle, despite both of you knowing that it wasn't really Lo'ak's fault.

You fell quiet again, your back leaning against the tree, fingers wandering in the fresh grass underneath you. Neteyam watched you intently, wondering about what was going on in your mind. He grew tense, struggling to guess, but you were difficult to read, your countenance rarely altering. His patience ran out, and his reserve crumbled as he blurted out with a pleading voice.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," you replied, looking up at him hesitantly before revealing your secret, "Just… when it gets too difficult, I like to imagine flying far away from here.”

"W-what?" he stuttered, "You want to leave?"

"I like to imagine that I can," you clarified, “I’m not really considering it, ‘s just a comforting thought, you know? Makes me feel free… like I have all the power over myself."

You could have sworn at that moment that Neteyam let out a relieved breath. It was strange to open up to him, someone whom you had never trusted with your thoughts before. But his usually annoying calmness was suddenly all you needed. He didn't judge you, didn't pity you, like the others. 

His family was suffocating you with love to overcompensate for Lo'ak’s inability to give it to you anymore, and for some reason, it made you resentful. So you asked for a separate marui where you could stay by yourself for the time being. You often avoided them in public and stayed close to Rotxo during your lessons, ignoring the conversations Kiri tried to pursue with you. Eventually, the Sully’s started to give you space, everyone except for Neteyam. He was persistent, asking you to pair up with him during the lessons under the excuse that he was failing, and you were ‘so quick to learn.’ Challenged you to accompany him on walks because he needed a trained warrior to look out for him. You saw right through his acts of kindness but your heart longed for company, and he was always there, basically pleading you to join him. So you did.

Short and harsh replies eventually grew into longer chats into deep conversations, with him mostly doing all the listening and agreeing, as you complained. You tried to avoid talking about Lo'ak, but sometimes you would let slip a small detail or two, throwing a piece of your soul at Neteyam and quickly closing off. He didn't mind it though, because every time you pushed him away, you opened up a little more the next time.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

“Stop staring. I get it, you’re mad at me,” Lo'ak rolled his eyes at his brother before hanging his head again.

“I am not mad at you,” Neteyam replied, watching with a keen eye as Lo'ak proceeded to clean the fish.

“Sure, just like everybody else isn’t,” Lo’ak huffed under his breath with slight annoyance.

Lo'ak found it increasingly difficult to face the reality when spending time with his family. Your absence had disrupted the usual balance, leaving him to endure their gnawing, judgmental stares by himself. They refrained from commenting, knowing that it wasn't a matter of discipline, it was a matter of the heart. But the silence was worse - Lo’ak would have preferred hours of lectures from his parents and bickering with his siblings instead. He especially dreaded spending time with his brother, who always stood next to him like a figure of justice, so proper and goody-two-shoes. It drove Lo'ak insane.

“I think you should talk to Y/N.”

“Talk to Y/N?” Lo’ak’s eyes snapped back at Neteyam in bewilderment. 

Lo’ak wasn’t naive. Of course he had noticed the way his older brother tried to fix the situation, coax you out of your shell and bring you back into the world. He felt agonized that once again Neteyam had to stand in for him, clean up his mess. But he couldn’t be angry this time because he knew he was helpless.

“No way, she hates me right now,” Lo’ak shook his head, “She will probably despise me for the rest of my life. Not that I don’t deserve it…” 

“You underestimate her,” Neteyam spoke calmly, “But she can’t move on until she gets her closure.”

“Closure?”

“You owe her that much,” Neteyam patted his brother’s shoulder, standing up.

Lo’ak sighed heavily as his brother’s words sank in. He knew that Neteyam was right; he did owe you that much. And he couldn’t just pretend like you never existed and move on with another girl without at least trying to make amends with you first. You deserved to know that he didn’t lie to you, it just happened. Lo’ak continued to clean the fish in silence, already trying to come up with a way to approach you.

“I’m going to check on her,” Neteyam said, grabbing his spear, “When you’re ready, you know where to find us.”

Lo’ak nodded absentmindedly, still lost in his own turmoil.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

“See? I’m telling you, it is like the water here is way slippier than back home,” Neteyam joked, as his spear poked through nothing, the fish he had been preying on swimming away.

You laughed at his attempt, knowing well that he was only pretending to struggle. Back home, Neteyam was known for being great with weapons, especially spears, even though your clan rarely used them, having preferred bows and arrows. You gripped your spear, fixing your stance and focusing on catching a fish; the anger you felt towards Lo’ak in the past weeks had driven you towards excelling in your lessons and improving your skills. With a quick thrust of your weapon, you successfully pierced through a fish and brought it close to examine. Fighting for its life, the fish flopped around on the tip of your spear, splashing water onto Neteyam. You laughed as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to avoid the burning of the salty water, and shoved the spear towards you instead. 

“Stop, Neteyam!” you yelled out, trying to push it away from you, “I’m going to smell of fish!”

“You already smell like one,” he laughed.

Your fingers reached for the fish, pulling it off the tip gently and tossing it into the bucket next to you. Neteyam stood leaning on his spear, watching you with a small smile.

“What?” you grumbled.

“Nothing,” he shrugged.

“Stop staring, you look like a freak.”

"Tell me something I don't know," he rolled his eyes, and you felt a twinge of guilt.

Freak. It slipped out of you without much thought, but it was one of the silly nicknames that Neteyam and his siblings were called since their arrival to Awa’atlu. You felt bad, as you had it easier than them in those moments, seeming to be the most ‘normal’ to the Metkayina. But Neteyam didn’t even bat an eye at your words, like he was already used to it.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to call you that,” you reached out to touch his arm.

“It’s okay,” his eyes lingered on your hand before meeting your gaze with a softened expression, “You’ll have to try harder to offend me next time.” “Oh, you’re such a skxawng,” you playfully shoved him. 

You laughed, as Neteyam stumbled back, losing his grip on his spear and falling onto his bottom with a splash. He started splashing you in retaliation, squeals and laughter filling out the air, as you let yourself get distracted from the usual gloominess that hung above you. That is until you heard him call out your name. Lo’ak.

You could feel the hairs on your back stand up, your spine straightening instinctively at the sound of his voice. Neteyam threw you a sympathetic look, as you turned around to catch the sight of Lo’ak, standing not too far from you. 

“Can we please talk?” he asked.

For the first time in weeks, you let yourself meet Lo’ak head-on, feeling as if something stirred within you. His face twisted under your stare, the apple in his throat wobbling, waiting for you to respond. Instead of granting him a verbal response, you shook your head and reached for the bucket handle to get away from there as fast as you could. 

“He means well,” Neteyam covered your hand with his.

“It was your idea, wasn’t it?” you gritted through your teeth.

“I’m sorry, I just think you should talk,” Neteyam pleaded with you, “Please.”

You exhaled sharply through your nose, letting him take the bucket out of your grip.

“Just trust me on this.” 

You felt the anger vanish when you looked at him, his sincerity seeping through your defenses. It wasn’t hard to trust Neteyam, after all, he never made promises he couldn’t keep. You bit your lip, hesitating for a moment before slowly turning to face Lo'ak. Neteyam let his palm linger on the small of your back before brushing past you to leave you two alone.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

“Well, are you going to thank me or kill me?” Neteyam asked playfully but there was obvious tension in his stance.

“Neither,” you rolled your eyes at him, ignoring that small fleeting feeling of gratitude you felt.

He didn’t see you for almost a day after your conversation with Lo’ak, and frankly, he had been going a little insane over it. It seemed like Lo’ak and you were gone for ages, since he only caught a glimpse of his brother right before he went to bed. After leaving you to talk, Neteyam struggled to distract himself with a swimming practice, but quickly grew tired of it and trailed back to the place where he left you. He kicked the sand around in annoyance when he didn’t find you there, assuming that you moved to a more private place instead. He wondered if he had unwittingly pushed you back into Lo’ak's arms, and the thought made him feel sick to his stomach. It was probably wrong to secretly root for his brother and Tsireya to make it, but he couldn't help himself. 

A small crush on you had started to grow in Neteyam's chest a long time ago, though he wasn't exactly sure when. Then suddenly, it had bloomed into a feeling so intense that it filled his lungs and made it hard to breathe. Whenever he saw the warmth in your eyes that was reserved only for Lo’ak, he would quickly look away, shaking his head to force himself to focus on something else. He often wondered if he had misunderstood his own feelings and was just happy that his brother had someone like you to rely on. It was too embarrassing to admit to his crush anyway, since he had been suppressing it for far too long now. Neteyam decided it was best to simply ignore it.

“I still kind of hate him but I don’t want to kill him anymore,” you tried to joke but it came out rather lame. 

Neteyam winced at your words, but his expression softened into a grin soon after. You weren't one to joke around him often, but when you did, he found you amusing. It was nice to know that you could make the-always-serious Neteyam laugh.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Neteyam was the connecting link between you and his family, frankly, he considered you a part of his family for some time now. So when he begged you to join them for the evening, you couldn't bring yourself to refuse. It had been over a month since you distanced yourself from the Sully’s and moved out, and they were still having a hard time getting used to it. Neytiri and Jake, who tried talking to you during this time, felt particularly guilty for uprooting you and failing to keep you happy after promising to your parents that they would take care of you. You still saw the siblings more often, during your lessons, but it wasn't the same as it used to be. You weren't as close as you once were.

"Lo'ak won't even be home to make it awkward," Neteyam repeated, almost dragging you back home with him. "I'll take care of you."

It will be like the old times, he promised, except no one would mention your relationship with Lo'ak. But even without his warnings, his family knew better than to bring it up, as they didn't want to scare you away. Besides, he was getting irritated with his sisters' constant chatter about you. Or at least, that’s what he told you. You rolled your eyes, and you whined, and you almost broke your fingers trying to pull away from his grip, when you neared the family pod. Then it all came rushing back.

Neteyam's family couldn't help but feel a surge of love for him when they saw him bring you into their home. It had been a while since you had been there, and Neytiri was thrilled to see you opening up again. As they greeted you, Jake made a mental note to question his son later and find out how he managed to convince you to come. His sisters also couldn't hide their excitement as they beamed at you, though it felt just a little uncomfortable. His parents were visibly relieved to finally see you around, as, during all this time, they had been relying on Neteyam to check on you and make sure you were taking care of yourself.

You fidgeted in your seat, the tension in the room suffocating you. The breakup had taken a toll on you, and everyone knew it. But just as your anxiety was about to consume you, you felt Neteyam's hand sneak behind your back and touch your hand. Your fingers intertwined with his instantly, bringing you a piece of mind. It felt like everything was falling back into its place with him next to you.

Neytiri and Jake exchanged knowing glances, watching you chat with their kids animatedly, as the evening went on. Neteyam couldn’t peel his eyes off you, and it was so clear to them that their older son was more than smitten with you. Over the years, they had seen Neteyam grow into a mature and responsible young man, and they knew that he would make a wonderful partner for someone someday. So, while they felt a little strange about the change from Lo'ak and you to Neteyam and you, for some reason, it worked. Neteyam and you just seemed to fit better together, balance each other out, and they couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, you and Lo’ak weren’t meant to be from the start.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

“You’re good for her,” Jake concluded, once the dinner was over, reaching forward to pat his son’s shoulder.

“Yeah, well, she doesn’t need that right now. She needs a friend,” Neteyam mumbled under his breath, hesitant to agree.

“You’ll have to tell her some day, you know?”

“No,” he shook his head, “She will think it is wrong.”

“What is so wrong about falling for someone?” Jake questioned, and Neteyam lowered his ears in defeat.

“It is wrong by the laws of Eywa. Her and I are not meant to be…”

“Neteyam,” his father’s tone softened, “You know that sometimes Eywa can change one's path, don’t you? What may have seemed like the wrong choice yesterday could end up being the only solution tomorrow. Just look at your mom and I. Do you think we're wrong together?”

“No, of course not. You’re perfect, actually…” he frowned under the weight of Jake’s words, “But Y/N, she’s… she doesn’t see me like that.”

“She might if you give it a chance. You need to follow your heart, Neteyam. It’s pure.”

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

You laid on your stomach, chin resting on your hands as you watched Neteyam ponder his next move. The worn-out chess set, with its faded wooden pieces, had been a prized family possession since you and Lo'ak had stolen it from the science lab as children. It was one of the only things that you brought with you from back home to the island - a reminder of your childhood. Recently, Neteyam and you were especially fond of playing chess together.

Jake was proud to teach all of his kids to play the human game, and he enjoyed how much you seemed to like it. It was a small nod to where he came from, and while Neytiri never showed interest in learning it, as it was too foreign to her, she did appreciate the quiet it brought to her home. Sometimes, when the kids would get too tiresome, she would pull out the game and sit them down to play to keep them occupied and silent.

But Neteyam was too silent, almost distracted. He was making moves without his usual careful consideration, his focus absent, like there was something bothering him. It was unlike him to be losing, he rarely lost to anyone. 

“Neteyam?” you propped yourself up, feeling the gentle sea breeze blowing through your hair as you addressed him.

“Hm?” he looked up at you, a little startled, as if he had forgotten you were there. "Oh, is it my turn to play?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, “But are you okay? You seem distracted.”

"I am okay," he shook his head, shifting to sit up in a crossed-leg position. "I was just thinking."

You mimicked his movements, sensing that he was abandoning the game, ready to talk.

“What is it?” you reached to take his hand in yours.

Neteyam's gaze shifted to your fingers intertwined with his, feeling a warm sensation spreading through his chest. He had started holding your hand whenever he sensed you struggling to open up to him. But now, as you reciprocated the gesture, it warmed his heart, easing him into confessing about the dilemma he was having.

“I… there is something I feel like I need to do but I’m too scared,” he confessed, carefully avoiding any details that might reveal his intentions regarding you, “My dad thinks I should just do it and trust my instincts.”

“Well, what is it? Like hunting underwater or something?” you frowned, slightly confused at his words.

“No, not like that. It’s more about courage…I guess,” he mumbled, already regretting saying that, “‘s hard to decide if I should do it or not.”

“I don’t understand.”

Neteyam's eyes flicked up to meet yours, then quickly looked away again.

"It's nothing, forget I said anything.”

“No, please explain,” you squeezed his hand in yours, pleading, “I want to help.”

Neteyam hesitantly reached out and took his king, twirling it between his fingers as he looked back at the board. You observed alongside him, noticing that both of you only had a few pieces left, indicating that the game was coming to a close.

“It’s kind of like chess. I like to think long before making decisions, I plan it out. But this is not a matter of logic, quite honestly… It’s like, I don’t know if I should take the risk and move my king out in the open field, or if I should hold him back and keep him protected. What if I can’t back out and I’m cornered and I lose?” 

You watched curiously, as Neteyam put his king back to its usual spot. He glanced up at you again, with uncertainty written all over his face. 

"It's a tough decision, you know?” he continued tentatively, “Sometimes I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of the board, unable to move forward because I don't want to make a mistake. Do you ever feel that way?”

“Yeah, I think I do,” you nodded slowly, meeting his searching gaze, “But sometimes you just have to take the risk. Things don’t always work out in your favor, no matter how much you plan it.”

“But what if you lose?”

“You can’t avoid it. Sometimes you just do,” you said, your voice faltering as you recalled your recent loss of Lo'ak, “But hey, if the worst does happen, at least you will know that it's over and you won't have to go through it again. In a weird way, it's like a relief."

Neteyam nodded with a small smile, his fingers trembling slightly as he lifted his king from its spot.

"I think I'm going to take that risk," he said softly, moving his king.

“Good,” you smiled encouragingly.

"I’m... I'm in love with you," Neteyam admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

“What?” you felt your breath catch in your throat. Was he joking?

"I have been in love with you for a long time,” he continued, words spilling out of his mouth uncontrollably, “I always thought it was wrong because you were with Lo’ak, and I obviously never stood a chance. So I tried to push those feelings away and pretend they didn't exist. But they only grow stronger with each passing day, and I can't hold it in any longer."

You froze, your mind unable to process his words. You never even considered the possibility of Neteyam seeing you that way, he was always like a brother to you.

“I don’t understand,” you murmured, shaking your head slightly, as if trying to shake off a bad dream. “So...all this time...?”

Neteyam nodded silently, his gaze fixed on you. He could sense that the answer he dreaded for so long was beginning to form on your lips, as your consciousness slowly began to return. 

“Neteyam, I-I… I don’t know what to say.”

His heart sank at your words, and he looked away, struggling to keep his composure. He had expected this outcome, but it still hurt like a knife in his chest. You didn’t want to hurt him but nothing worthy came to your mind to comfort him, except for an apology. You weren’t even sure why you were apologizing to him, but it felt like a primal urge.

“I’m so sorry…”

“No, it’s okay,” he spoke softly, as if you were the one who needed comfort, “I understand, you don’t have to explain anything to me.”

“I just… I had no idea…” you stammered, “I value our friendship so much. Neteyam, you have been my rock, you know that.”

He nodded with a forced smile, his heart sinking deeper and deeper in his chest. It was slowly and painfully killing him that you weren’t harsh with him, almost like the pity you took on him stung worse than the actual rejection.

"I hope I didn't lead you on.”

“’s not your fault,” he shook his head, “If you want, things don’t have to change between us. I’ll always be there for you regardless, I just needed to get it off my chest.”

You nodded, both relieved and confused by his suggestion. But the words lingered in the air between you two, leaving a heavy silence in their wake. Deep down, something started to shift within you. All this time. Neteyam was no longer just a friend or Lo’ak’s brother. He was someone who had feelings for you, and that changed everything.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

And despite the promise you made to each other to maintain your friendship, it was difficult to keep it intact. Days passed, and the aftertaste of his confession wouldn't go away, hanging in the silence that had often replaced your usual easy banter. Every interaction felt weighed down by an unspoken tension, every walk you took together, every lesson where you paired up was now filled with underlying discomfort. Neteyam tried his best to ignore the pain consuming all of his being, though he was taunted by your mere presence. But he made a promise to be there for you, and he was determined to keep it.

You were flustered too. Small touches and looks seemed to hold a different meaning now, making you question the way you behaved around each other. Was it an accident how his hand lingered on the small of your back or the nervous swish of his tail when you approached him. Were you leading him on? Forcing to spend time with you only because you needed him for emotional support.

The thoughts in your head started to outgrow you at times, when you lost sleep recalling Neteyam’s words. He was always like that, his strong and persistent nature showing through everything he did and said. But he was also humble, never getting too cocky and not afraid to ask for help when he needed it. You grew up seeing how Neteyam always put others above him, even though it could hurt him at times. And you felt selfish for taking advantage of that and holding onto his friendship when he desired something more. What if the roles were reversed, and it was you who had confessed your feelings only to be rejected? Would you be able to handle it with the same level of composure that Neteyam had shown? Probably not. You couldn’t do that for Lo’ak. 

Your room was filled with the gentle clinking of beads, a soft glow of the last rays of sunset casting a golden hue over the man next to you. Your own hands were holding a string with beads, pretending to work, but it was only a show. Neteyam, who sat in front of you, had been lost in his work, brow furrowed in frustration as the thin thread kept slipping from his fingers. The beads glimmered under the sun, as he added another one, determined to finish the bracelet he promised to give to Tuk before the eclipse. Your eyes darted between his fingers that were deftly working the thread under his skilled touch, and his face, illuminated under the light. His jaw tightened, as he struggled to work with a smaller bead, and you couldn’t help but trace the sharp line with your eyes. 

Of course you had known that Neteyam was a beautiful person, it wasn’t like you had a sudden revelation at how attractive he was. Back home, he was winning hearts left and right due to not only his looks, which he took after his mother, but also for possessing the inborn strength of a leader and generally having a great personality. You just never paid attention to him like this before, always considering him to be your friend, a family. But as you stole another glance at him and he caught it with a shy smile, your stomach twisted in a swirl of emotions.

“I think I need to get my eyes checked by Tsahik,” he said with a nervous chuckle, pointing at the bead that had been irritating him for the past minute or so, “I can’t thread this to save my life.”

“Maybe it’s just a tricky one,” you forced a chuckle too to cover up the awkward aftermath of being caught staring at him, “Here, let me help.”

He gratefully accepted your offer, trying not to read too much into the way your hands touched when he passed you the bead. Not that you weren’t nervous under his observing gaze, but you were at least less flustered than he was. So, with a bit of effort, you pushed away all of the thoughts and steadied your hand, managing to lace the thread through the small. 

“There you go,” you mumbled, passing the bracelet back to him.

“Thank you,” he nodded with that same shy smile, then pointed at the one you made, laying in your lap, “Do you need help with yours?”

“No, it is done,” you held up your handiwork to him with a grin.

Despite your distraction, you somehow managed to finish your necklace earlier than Neteyam. But considering the size of his fingers and the beads, it wasn’t really a surprise that he was slower than you when it came to crafts. The necklace swayed around in your hand, as Neteyam observed it with attention, trying to understand to whom it was meant to belong. Did you make it for yourself? He hoped you did, as he wouldn’t be able to bear it if you gave it to another man. The colors you used were so familiar though, and Neteyam shook his head to force the thoughts out of his mind; there was no way that you would match the necklace to the beads in his braids. No way, he convinced himself. You watched his face in anticipation, stiffening slightly at the lack of response.

“Well, do you like it?” you scrunched up your nose, feeling a little embarrassed to ask him that. If he liked it enough he would have said so.

“I do, it’s beautiful,” he cleared his throat, eyes snapping back at you, “Is it for anyone in particular or just yourself?”

“Um… I don’t really know, I guess I just made it?" you shrugged, "But if you like it, I can give it to you.”

A contented hum escaped from Neteyam's lips as he admired the necklace, a small glimmer of hope flickering in his heart. The longer he gazed at the brownish and green beads, the more he realized how perfectly it would complement his hair.

As you caught sight of his thoughts, your heart skipped a beat. Had you been so preoccupied with Neteyam that you unconsciously incorporated a piece of him into your creation? The idea of giving it to him warmed your heart, but the thought of others seeing him wear something you made crossed your mind right after. What if they thought it was strange or inappropriate, a necklace crafted by you to match Neteyam's hair?

Just the idea of others assuming anything past friendship between you and Neteyam was scary. You would look pathetic, maybe even revengeful, if you went for the brother of the man who broke your heart. And what would Lo’ak think? Probably that you were only unable to move on from him and hang onto things you could have, like his family. You shook your head in irritation at that. Why should you even care about Lo’ak’s feelings, when he broke off things with you? Frankly, it was silly to even think about it because the possibility of you and Neteyam being together was nonexistent. Or at least, you thought so.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Neteyam laid on his mat, staring up at the thatched ceiling of his pod. It was already late, close to the afternoon, and he knew that his family had gone out to begin their chores, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. His mind was consumed with thoughts of you instead, the change in your demeanor when he was around. You were nicer to him, more than you usually showed, and he couldn’t figure out if it was because you pitied him or because you were starting to see something else in him. Maybe he was reading into it too much and it was stupid. Really. After all, you had already rejected him once before. He would know if you changed your mind, right?

It took Lo’ak to clear his throat twice to get his brother’s attention. Startled, Neteyam finally looked up to meet his concerned gaze. It was strange to see Neteyam in the bed still, and Lo’ak made a guess that he was feeling ill.

“Are you okay, bro?”

“Yeah…” Neteyam sighed.

Lo’ak hesitated for a moment before walking closer and sitting down on the verge of his mat. 

“Do you want to talk or something?” 

Neteyam sighed again and sat up, running a hand through his hair. He knew that he would have to tell Lo’ak eventually, and there was no point in beating around the bush. Still, the fear of putting a crack in their relationship made him reluctant to share. 

“I just want to be honest with you,” he started, noticing a slight curiosity in Lo’ak’s gaze, “Um… it’s about Y/N.”

“What about her?” Lo’ak physically felt his heart skip a beat, his mind already flooded with endless concerns: were you hurt? Did something happen to you?

“I am… in love with her. Have been for some time now… long before we even moved here,” Neteyam admitted with a shaky voice. 

He was embarrassed, so much that his ears were burning up like he was on fire. How could he have fallen for his brother's destined mate, his best friend? Out of all people in the world, it had to be you. Eywa worked in mysterious ways sometimes.

Lo’ak’s face fell as the words sank in. The room was silent, as both brothers struggled to find a way to recover from this revelation. The thought of you being with Neteyam made Lo'ak sick to his stomach. His brother. The one who always stood by your side, even when you were with Lo’ak. 

“I don’t even know how to react,” Lo’ak admitted, “D-does she know?”

Neteyam nodded silently, watching Lo’ak’s expression change. There was a mixture of emotions rushing to Lo’ak’s head, from guilt to jealousy to confusion. How could Neteyam have fallen for his former mate, take away the only thing that was reserved for Lo’ak only? The lump in his throat grew bigger, suffocating him from within.

“Lo’ak,” Neteyam's voice was stern, forcing him back into the conversation, “I didn’t mean to, you out of all people should know that. I would never intentionally do something to upset you.”

It was unfair to be mad at Neteyam. To be mad at you for moving on. Lo’ak took a moment to recompose himself, knowing well he had no right to be upset with either of you. You deserved someone who could give you everything, and Neteyam was just that - perfect. He could give you his whole life, whole heart served on a platter. But then, why did it sting so badly to picture you together?

“Okay, I understand,” Lo’ak finally spoke, the apple in his throat bobbing, “I have no claim over Y/N. She is a free woman now, so she can do whatever she wishes to do… I mean, as long as you make her happy -”

“No, Lo’ak, she rejected me,” Neteyam interrupted, feeling the sudden urge to stop assumptions from escalating, “She said she only saw me as a friend. I just wanted to let you know about how I felt.”

“Oh,” Lo’ak let out. He failed to deliver a humorous joke to ease the tension, “For once in my life, you want something that I have… rather, used to have.”

Neteyam’s expression softened, and he forced a breath out in an attempt to chuckle at that.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

The joy of the Tulkun returning sent the whole village into a long night of celebration; the clan members dressed up in their traditional garb, air was filled with rhythmic tunes, and the smell of mouth-watering food. You had never felt more uneasy to be at a celebration, suddenly regretting that you had made no other friends since your arrival to Awa’atlu. And you stood there awkwardly, looking around, when Neteyam had insisted on sitting with him and his family.

But Lo’ak was there, forced by his father to stay close. When he saw you being led by Neteyam’s hand, he felt something bubble in his chest. His family perked at the sight of you, greeting you with their usual smiles, and you shoot Lo’ak a shy look.

“Hey,” he mumbled awkwardly, so low, that his voice was barely registered by his family.

You mouthed it back with a softened gaze, and Lo’ak couldn’t help but smile. It was awkward but it didn’t hang heavily as it usually did when you and he were in a close proximity. Lo’ak felt a slight relief at the fact that you even acknowledged him, though he was convinced a part of it was because of his family being right there. Still, he decided to take it as a win.

Neteyam's tail swished with contentment as he sat close to you, occasionally grazing your back for comfort. You couldn't tell if it was intentional, but with Neteyam, it was hard to gauge how much thought he put into things. Regardless, you felt giddy by his touch.

The conversation between his family slowly started to flow, and you found yourself chuckling at their jokes, feeling as if you belonged again. And when Lo’ak attempted to add to a story about his father's first ride on tsurak, you couldn't help but snort in amusement. He shot you a grateful look for that. Of course, you’d laugh at Lo’ak’s jokes, you had been laughing at them your whole life. You guess, some things never change.

As the night wore on, you were pulled out of the conversation at a distinct melody that filled the space. You took notice of how couples began to shift in their seats, rising to their feet to join the dance. Lo'ak stood up too, clearing his throat awkwardly before he made a way to where the Olo'eyktan and his family sat. The realization hit you like a punch to the gut when you saw Tonowari nod approvingly, and Tsireya rushing to take Lo’ak’s hand and pull him into the dance. You did not miss the way the air left your lungs, as people suddenly started watching you, as if waiting for a reaction. You scooched closer to Neteyam, hanging your head, to hide yourself with your hair.

“You okay?” he asked, staring back angrily at those who looked at you. He stiffened at the thought of you having to go through something like that.

“No, actually,” you chuckled nervously, looking up at him, “It’s like everyone expects me to throw a fit or something.”

Neteyam scrunched up his face at the comment. He looked around one more time before opening up his palm to you. 

“Would you like to dance with me? Maybe that will shut them up," he said.

You felt his mother’s eyes on you, as you pondered on the offer. You really weren’t in the mood to dance now, and besides, everyone out there was coupled up. 

“I’m not sure it is a good idea,” you mumbled.

Neytiri stood to her feet, pulling Jake with her. She shot you an encouraging smile.

“Come, Y/N, let’s go dance,” she gestured for you to stand up too.

“Yeah, come on girls, you too. Tuk, Kiri,” Jake pitched with a grin, “Sully’s stick together.”

You watched with a smile as the whole family decided to join in on the dancing despite the melody being intended to be just romantic. Neteyam stood too, pulling you by the hand, and really, you had no other option but to give in. His gaze softened, sending your heart into a race, and you followed shyly after him to join the other dancing Na'vi.

As you watched Tsireya and Lo’ak together, memories of your own time with him invaded your mind, but strangely you weren't upset by that, just nostalgic. Neteyam didn't let you dwell on these thoughts for long, as he gently pressed his hands against your waist and led you through the dance. When you looked into his kind eyes, it felt like all of the pain from before had dissipated into thin air. You danced for what felt like hours, surrounded by his family's laughter, and lost in the rhythm. Finally, it felt like things were back to normal, and you could relax, until the night was ruined.

You were taking a break from the dancing, watching the Sully kids goofing around with a fond smile. You had missed seeing them this happy. While back home it was a usual sight, in Awa’atlu, they were rarely this carefree. Ao’nung, in his eagerness to entertain himself, slipped in to stand next to you with a wicked smirk on his lips. It didn’t take him long to reveal his intention of approaching you, as he made a comment vile enough to send shivers down your spine. You wanted to punch him, crawl his eyes out, but all you managed was to scurry away.

Ao’nung’s sweet moment of satisfaction was interrupted abruptly by an aggressive shove. He stumbled backward, eyes widening at the sight of Neteyam.

“What the hell?”

“What did you say to Y/N?” Neteyam exposed his canines, ignoring the looks they were now getting.

“Woah,” Ao’nung smirked knowingly, “Nothing but the truth -”

“Tell me what you told her,” Neteyam shoved him again, this time harder, “Now.”

“Fine, you wanna know?” Ao’nung sneered, “I pointed out how pathetic she is, truly unworthy to live amongst my clan. It’s honestly embarrassing that she couldn’t keep one brother, so she’s now feeding into the pity of the other, in hopes to lock him up.”

“From now on,keep your mouth shut and stay away from Y/N,” Neteyam warned, taking a step closer, his voice dripping with venom, “Or you’ll have me to deal with.”

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Neteyam's heart felt heavy as he caught sight of you. You were in the exact same spot where he found you on that fateful night when Lo'ak shattered your heart into a million pieces. It was all too familiar - the darkness, the quiet sobs that filled the air. His mind flashed back to that night, the memory still fresh in his mind. 

As he approached you, Neteyam couldn't help but notice the gentle glow of dozens of atokirinas that surrounded you, like tiny stars grazing your skin in comfort. With a long, heavy sigh, he sat down next to you, forcing you to meet his eyes with your red, puffy ones. The deep sadness started to cloud him, and Neteyam wanted nothing more than to take away your pain, to shield you from the cruel words that had been spoken by Ao'nung.

"Ugh, this is pathetic," you chuckled weakly, gesturing at yourself, "How are you going to rescue me every time?"

“I’ll be there as many times as you need me to,” Neteyam replied softly,

Neteyam's heart ached as he watched you avert your gaze and fight back tears. His mind raced, struggling to think of something to say that could ease your pain, so he pulled you into an embrace instead. His hands gently rubbed your back and head, trying to offer comfort as you buried your face into his chest. And the tears came harder than before, louder.

"He told me that no one else would look at me after Lo'ak, because I was pathetic," you sniffled, your voice breaking. "And he is right. Maybe I should just listen to him and leave.”

“Ao’nung is the biggest skxawng on this whole island, don’t you ever believe a single word that comes out of his mouth,” Neteyam said firmly, pulling away slightly to look into your eyes, “I see you, Y/N. You have a big heart, you’re brave and strong-willed, and there is absolutely nothing shameful about being loyal. You hear me?”

Your chest tightened with a flutter at the proximity of Neteyam, and your heart began to race as you found yourself lost in his deep amber eyes. It was getting harder to deny the pull you have felt towards him and have been feeling for the past many weeks, since the confession.

“I just want you to be happy,” he added.

“Being with you makes me happy,” you whispered.

He gulped down nervously, scared that it was yet another thing he’d misinterpret. That you were probably referring to his friendship with you, nothing more. But his cheeks flushed regardless, feeling a soft touch of the atokirinas settling on his shoulders. And as they surrounded the two of you, like a sign from Eywa, you brushed your hand against his chest.

“Neteyam,” you said, your voice dripping like honey to his ears, “There was one thing Ao’nung was right about… I like you,” you admitted. 

Your eyes darted between his widened pupils and parted lips, mind clouded with his scent and the warmth of his touch, with the spell of the atokirinas swirling around you, as if they were blessing you. You could feel the way his breath hitched, when you leaned forward, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Without hesitation, he pulled you closer, his heart pounding so hard in his chest, he was afraid it would jump out. You were much more intoxicating than he had imagined, making him want to scream at the top of his lungs. His thumb rubbed gentle circles to the back of your neck, as you relaxed into him more, and fit perfectly into the curve of his body. Like you were made for him.

“I was too blind before,” you pulled away slightly, your lips curling up into a gentle smile.

Neteyam chuckled bitterly, the sound filled with disbelief and self-doubt. His hands found their way to your waist, bringing your body to his lap. He wanted to be sure that you really wanted this, that he didn’t just catch you in the heat of the moment. But his hesitance melted away, when you kissed him again.

“I see you too, Neteyam…”

He had never felt so alive, so happy, so loved.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

taglist (also tagging everyone who interacted with the teaser post): @bigdikzaddy @awriana @scarletrosesposts @abbersreads @mechformers @my-love-of-books @avatarbyamara @robin-the-enby @minjix @nilrilie @grierpilots @suntizme @jakesully-sbabygirl @netemoon @live-laugh-neteyam  @misscaller06 @darkacademictrash @arminsgfloll @kireysiaugustine @crustskullz @dollyplayhouse @jellybeanstacey0519 @itscheybaby @loaksky @n7ytiri @theycallmesia @love-chx @gloryavila @i-live-in-a-fantasy-daydream

[nyctophicbtch]

i’m gonna close requests since there are a bunch that i need to catch up on and the one from my last post will be the last req i’ll be taking for now

[nyctophicbtch]

Oh dang I wrote my request in an ask I was confused where to write it the first time I read the rules bc its late may I rewrite my request in guidelines?

oh no you did it correctly. the guidelines are just specifications of what i will and will not write, now that you’ve mentioned it i prob should write abt where to request🥲

[nyctophicbtch]

life’s not as hectic rn so might continue some of my unfinished fics

sorry to the requests i’ve held back for so long akdhsjsnx promise i haven’t forgotten abt them😭

here’s a little Lo’ak fic sneak peek as a much needed apology

_

“Hey, you’re finally out of your cage,” Spider pointed out, clearly amused, just as Lo’ak landed right beside you after jumping off the higher ground.

“I hate wearing those things,” you grumbled, nodding at Spider’s mask all the while stretching the sleep off your limbs. “I wish I could stay like this.”

“How does your body feel?”

“Feels nice.” You could barely hear your own soft words, rolling onto your side to face Lo’ak. Especially after being grounded from your avatar for so long. You honestly preferred being blue just because you were able to freely enjoy going outside without feeling suffocated by exopacks.

“Really?” The moment of peace was ruined as you abruptly jerked up and hissed when you felt Spider pull on your tail. “Your reflexes are good.”

Ignoring the boys’ laughter, you slapped Spider’s hand away from where he was still holding your tail.

“Bro, stop harassing her. It’s her first day out in weeks.”

“You guys are no fun.”

#lo’ak x reader #drabble #sorta #more like tiny cut out part of a fic #pls accept my apology😭