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#makes me sob thinking how unfair it all is
nic-coughlan · 4 months
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brianna ghey deserved so much better.
she was an anxious, vulnerable, girl transitioning and was scared of going outside battling social anxiety and she was maliciously taken by two vile waste of oxygen. the uk justice system is utter shite. 20+ years for the brutal murder of a young girl? they'll be in their mid 30s by the time parole is due and can be released for good behaviour if the parole board see fit or feel justice has been served. vile vile vile. makes me sick to my stomach.
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manasurge · 8 months
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Tis' the season where I mentally and physically suffer. Complaining below (feel free to ignore, I'm just venting. I usually do this every year to get most of it out of my system lol):
mmm the fall/winter SAD is indeed in full swing. No warmth + no sun = a bad bad time. I always get so annoyed when ppl assume that I love winter bc I'm a "winter baby", as if that has any sort of divine intervention on instantaneously adapting you to perfectly fit the climate you were born in. NOPE. Silly human superstition. I start to freeze once it hits below 20C. I wish I lived in a warmer climate o|-< The depresso is probably going to make me very whiny and moody until next spring, so an early forewarning bc I'm EXTREMELY annoying about it this time of year bc it's the only way I know how to deal with it. But moreso in addition to the physical stuff is how badly it messes with my mind, making me so depressed to the point of just... sitting in non-moving silence where I become stiff as a board (very painful btw) and I isolate, making the bad depresso brain time even worse where I overthink everything bc of the silence and isolation. It's also always the time of year where everyone goes quiet too, which is understandable, but also makes things 10x worse (I am very alone in my life and where I am, and kind of rely on online friends bc they're all I have. I don't even have a pet. I'm literally just, loner mode. I don't really have much family to speak of, and only one family member I do speak to. I have little to no connections at all. But regardless, this is still the best living situation I've been in my whole life, so that's saying something).
#i hate the cold; I hate ice; cold air hurts my skin and burns my lungs#i hate snow (I'm sorry I just don't think it's pretty. It's gross; erases all colour/everything; blinding; kills everything; claustrophobic#I hate long nights; i hate all the darkness#I take Vitamin D drops every day during winter and they don't really help#I also use those special lights meant to help during the long darkness for the same reason; and they also do not help#nothing works!!!!!! eating and drinking hot things doesn't help me stay warm bc heat dissipates away quickly and doesn't help my extremitie#the cold makes me SO dry and dehydrated; makes my bones hurt; makes outside DANGEROUS AF. ICE IS BAD. BE CAREFUL.#I can't retain heat; my hypothyroidism makes me colder by default and I just don't metabolize good/fast enough to keep myself warm#(my body temp is lower than average; fun fact! same with my blood pressure! both of them are very low)#I think my average from all the times I've had it scanned during covid was 32-36C. No idea how that works; I just remember checking it a lo#my fingers and hands are going to freeze; making it harder to draw/type/etc.#I'm not going to wear gloves inside my home bc that's dumb and they don't help anyways. It will just screw up my ability to use my hands#I get to be in pain for months with increased potential of being sick :/#also I HATE bundling/layering myself with clothing or blankets; it's suffocating; restricting; sensory hell for me; sweaters are uncomfy :(#also whenever I try to do that all it does is insulate the cold for me; keeping me colder for even longer!!!!! it's so unfair!!!!#I've worn out 2 space heaters already and they don't work properly anymore (I used them both so much I wore out my preferred settings lol)#sobs; i'm a sad plant lizard
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noxtivagus · 2 years
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listening to endwalker ost outside of the game hits different fr 🥹
#🌙.rambles#[ ffxiv. ]#endwalker's been out for nearly a year now but there's just smth still so unreal about it for me#maybe bcs i haven't played as actively as i did for the past year as compared to catching up on so much in 5.5?#that said with osts like each drop & dynamis i listen to the piano covers more on spotify#so. when i do listen to the mp3s i have downloaded from them#oh my god#^ me listening to each drop rn i am Emotional 😭 i really love this game so much it means so much to me#yk that one part of the song that#sounds like a drop. yeah#THAT PART. BRO. UNFAIR THE FEELS THE CHILLS THE EMOTION SOB#the. this ost feels so emotional n all but it's also just so#hope. hope as a central theme in endwalker n oh my god soken you genius#he's really so good at making the ost fit so well with the stories n game n narrative n wtvr!!!! i admire composers like him so much!!!!#to be so fitting for canon as well as also be uniquely special to each individual. i love creators. i love people who give#i love the way things cld be analyzed from so much perspectives? i think on that often#relating to the media itself for example & also varying per each person w their own experiences and judgements n wtvr#my heart wait dynamis makes me so emotional#HERMES. EMET-SELCH. MY BELOVEDS. SOB#i love how. goddamn. it really just sounds like 'hope'. with how it rises n. the harmonies. that steady beat in the back too n#all the instruments 🥹 the composition is just so beautiful n hdfkajsdlkfjsdkfs i don't know exactly what i'm talking about but yeah#i still have that assignment i'm nearly done with due in less than an hour but i feel so at peace right now#this is one of the aspects of my live that i thrive the most in#that eagerness to learn so much n appreciate all these details n just. live with it being a part of my life. i love it so much#i want every single ounce of knowledge i can get. in my own time i want to get everything i can take in n have in this world. in this life#i miss ffxiv raiding though sob i love the challenge sm n just learning n improving n optimizing n memorizing n YEAH#nyways i rmb again that i'm the type of person who'll achieve a lot in my life n that'll always stay true for me.#i'll remember to hold unto that. remember myself n what that means for me n i know i'll continue to reach greater heights.#i shldn't be so harsh on my past i'll just try to do the most of what i can moving onwards to the future yeah forge on ><
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cinnabeat · 5 months
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elliots death will always be upsetting to me but it will never match the actual sobbing i did when break died
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pseudowho · 5 months
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Defending Your Honour
A series in which the JJK guys stick-it to the creeps and perverts bothering the reader.
A multi-fic in a series ❤️🫖☕
Part 1 (Nanami Kento, Geto Suguru, and Todo Aoi) link here!
Part 3 (Gojo Satoru, Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara, Inumaki Toge and Fushiguro Toji) link here!
More JJK men and women to come
Trigger Warning: spreading false sexual rumours, stalking, being followed home
Higuruma Hiromi
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You had to leave. You had to get another job. There was no way to come back from this; office-culture spread rumours like the plague, and whether they were founded or not, you still felt the pierce of dozens of judging eyes on you.
Your clothes felt too tight, too revealing, your skin prickled and your nose stung with tears as you gulped, chin held high but so exposed and vulnerable. A filthy rage roiled in your gut at the injustice of it all. The irony did not escape you, as you hot-footed away from the whispers of the legal office.
As you gathered files, clunky and unwieldy in your arms, you felt a hand pretending to be affectionate on the small of your back that made your skin crawl, covered in worms and mud.
"When you're ready," a low voice sing-songed to your right, smirking, gleeful, "just hop along to my office, and we can work something out, yeah?" You jolted with shame as the hand clapped your bum. The eyes flicked back onto you. The whispers spread, infectious. You were a leper, now.
Hiccuping as you ducked your head, you felt hot rancid tears stream down your cheeks, darting down a corridor and reaching for a door any door to take you away from all of these eyes and whispers and accusations and this one was usually empty so you snuck in and slammed the door shut behind you and--
"Oh! Hello," a low, warm voice offered, surprised. You gasped, clapping a hand over your mouth, unable to hide the tears and anguish. The man was tall, slender, his unruly black hair escaping in flicks over his temples, but he looked so genuinely concerned as he rose from his desk, that you sobbed, apologising and sinking to the floor with your face in your knees.
You felt the man crouch beside you, his hands on his thighs, his presence sincere and welcoming. He sat for a moment, apparently awkward and unsure how he could help you.
"It's okay," he reassured, "it's a fucking ugly office, I hate it too, it makes me cry--" You huffed out a wet, genuine laugh and heard him smile, amused puffs of breath from his nose.
"Really, though," he continued, "I'm happy to help...if I can. Not sure if you need a lawyer, or-- or for me to catch a spider for you, I mean I hate them too but I can certainly--" he stopped himself from rattling away. You sniffled, looking up at him with a cute watery smile that made his heart thump.
"You could get me a new job, maybe? Or just a new boss?" You wiped your eyes now, embarrassed by interrupting this lovely man. The lovely man raised his eyebrows, now sitting in front of you, cross-legged.
"And what has your boss done to make you cry?" He inquired, black eyes like beetles, reading you.
You fumbled, uncertain of yourself when explaining the crimes of a man to another man, "I think he didn't, uhm...didn't take being rejected very well and uh--" tears poured, unbidden, as your face crumpled again, "--he's started a rumour than uhm-- that I sleep with him and uhm-- I don't but everyone believes it, and he wants me to come to his office now, after he's just touched me, and I don't know-- I don't know what to do--"
You broke down again, weeping into your knees, as the lovely man before you simmered, his lid rattling with unbridled rage at the unfairness of it all.
He smiled at you, though, gentle and open, "Your boss...the sweaty one? Big guy, thinks he's all that?" You laughed wetly again.
"Oh, you know him?" You grinned together, and you blushed, painfully grateful for being treated with basic respect. Hiromi nodded-- he didn't know your boss. But, he knew men like him and they filled him with bitter disdain, a core loathing and disgust that informed his choices every day.
"Well then...you can share my office today," he insisted as he stood, rubbing his hooked nose between two long fingers, "I've got...something to do." You blinked owlishly up at him. He helped you up, pulling a chair to his desk for you. You perched, confused, but not arguing.
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Some time later, your boss headed back to his office from the vending machines, impatient for you to come to his office, feeling sickly gleeful for having punished you for humiliating him, and his heart leapt hopefully, because maybe he could offer to deny all those rumours, and then you would be so grateful that maybe you'd give him a--
He opened his office door, having just enough time to click it closed behind him before hearing a quiet, angry voice from somewhere above the doorframe.
"Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing."
Plunged into a different room, ostensibly not his office, your boss shrieked in terror as two terrifying black figures loomed over him, only one of them human.
"What the fuck are you-- where the fuck am I-- WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!"
Higuruma looked up at the Judgeman with a humourless smile, and back down at your boss, who scurried backwards until his shoulders hit the domain's edge, blind with panic.
"You've been a very naughty boy," Hiromi sang, "shall we see how naughty?"
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You jumped as the office door swung open, and Higuruma (you had worked out, from the lanyard he left on his desk) re-entered with two hot drinks. He smiled a wonky, loping smile.
"Coffee machine's finest," he offered, placing one in your hands. He stood for a moment, bouncing on his heels, chin and nose dipped in consideration.
"I should think... your days of problems with your boss may be over," he said, blasé and cryptic. He did not elaborate, but reached into his pocket, before slipping his card across the desk to you.
"My office is, uhm...hiring a new legal assistant, though. I can put in a good word for you." Hiromi looked into the distance across the room, one hand in his pocket as he continued to rock on his heels. He glanced down at you, eyes glimmering at each other as they met.
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Ino Takuma
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I loved meeting you last week. I thought we made a really special connection. I'd love to meet again. Call me.
You smelled so good today. I love how you're being such a tease. Can't wait for you to call.
I can't stand seeing you talking to other guys! Still haven't seen this so-called 'boyfriend' of yours though. He can't be that into you if he's letting other men near you. Call me.
You didn't answer when I knocked for you, but I know you're home. Bet you were upstairs being naughty, hope you were thinking of me, hahaha, jk. HMU, seriously. I miss you.
I know you're such a little slut behind that 'good girl' act ;) Quit playing hard to get. I finish at 5, I'll meet you from work and we can finally go on that date you owe me.
I've never been this in love before. So disappointed you ditched our first date. I'll catch you another time. I love you so much.
Hope you got the flowers I left on your porch. I love you so much.
I love you.
Good morning baby. I love you.
You're a nasty little bitch and you're gonna die alone and you deserve it. If this is how you treat a nice guy like me, how do you treat all the others? You should be grateful.
I'm sorry. I've just had a really bad day baby. You're my whole world. I love you.
Your hands shook as you scrolled through unanswered text after unanswered text. How had being friendly at a work conference gotten so out of hand? Your head spun as you recounted the memories; were you too flirty? Did you give hints of wanting to be more than just acquaintances? Did you dress too provocatively? Did you touch him?
In a desperate hunt for answers you blamed yourself. I should just be a standoffish bitch in the future, you thought, trying to hold back tears.
Leaning over your desk to pack your bag, you began to feel the walls close in around you, terrifying and claustrophobic, a rat in a maze, and you saw tears splash down onto the leather of your work diary. Would he be waiting outside work again today? Or would he be just outside your office door? Would he be waiting in your home?
You felt a pair of warm, strong arms wrap around your waist from behind, "Hey gorgeous! Guess who got off work ear--"
In a shrieking panic, you lashed out, spinning with your hands raised in attack and defence. Your wonderful, kind boyfriend, Takuma, threw himself backwards, alarmed and apologetic, raising his own hands in placation.
"Whoa, whoa, hey! Oh babe, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you--...what is it? Why are you crying? What's happened?"
Weeks and weeks of trying to ignore your stalker, hoping he would go away and forget about you, tumbled out of you at once. In a wild babble of explanation, he keeps texting me, and I'm not interested, and he won't leave me alone, and he leaves things on the doorstep, and I'm so, so sorry.
You had thrust your phone into Takuma's hands, and he held you close to him with one arm as you sobbed into his shoulder. The other hand scrolled through messages from your unwanted admirer; Takuma's face grew quiet with rage, his lips curled in disgust, a flush of anger smattered hot and pink across his cheeks.
"Babe," he started, "why didn't you..." Swallowing, Takuma stopped himself, "This is not your fault. This guy, there's...there's something wrong with him. Have you kept everything? All the stuff he's left you? All the messages?" You nodded as Takuma gripped you by the sides of the shoulders, your face crumpling as his hand raised to cup your cheek, staring deeply into you, leaning forward to press a desperate kiss to your forehead.
"Okay, listen, I'm gonna fix this," Takuma nodded hard, staring into you again as you started to shake your head, "no, no no, trust me. I promise I'm gonna fix this. Listen, you're...you're gonna go to Nanami's place. I'll call him. He'll understand. There's this lawyer at the school now, we'll gather everything and get it to him. I've...I've got to go out. I'll fix this, I mean it. I wouldn't let you down."
Takuma's heart wrenched as you continued to sob, apologising to him as if it was your fault. Within minutes, Takuma had called Nanami, and put you in a taxi. Sticking to the alleyways as he headed out into the streets, Takuma pulled his balaclava down, his eyes ferocious and vengeful as he took to the hunt.
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Your stalker was grossly familiar with your routine now. What you ate for breakfast (he had gone through your bin bags). What colour underwear you preferred (he had seen you through the gaps in your curtains). Which work events you were going to attend (he had scoured every inch of every company calender).
Thanks to some sloppy administrators, he even knew where you lived. Grinning to himself, he felt such a satisfying possession over you, knowing you inside-out. Hiding behind your neighbours' fence panels, he peeked, waiting for you to get home.
One hand leaned past his face, resting on the fence panel beside him, and his stomach froze into knots when he felt himself doused in the icy presence of some dark, unknown force. He opened his mouth to scream, and a second hand pressed over his mouth with horrifying strength.
"Hey, big guy! Wow, you really must be a hit with the ladies," air hissed through Ino's teeth and he sighed in feigned disappointment, "Not with my girl, though." Your stalker squeaked as blackness closed in around him. Ino let out a noise of disgusted amusement as the man's trousers darkened down one leg.
Ino continued, letting the man cry and shake under his hand; "Here's how this is gonna work..."
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Several days had passed since Ino had arrived at Nanami's to collect you, with a deeply satisfied smirk on his face. You had received no more messages. No more flowers. No more thinly-veiled threats. A dark cloud lifted off your mind, and you breathed easy.
Curled up on the sofa that night, you stroked Takuma's chest, listening to the clockwork thump of his heartbeat under your ear. Your curiosity got the better of you.
"Takuma...what did you do?"
Takuma grimaced, "Just showed him the error of his ways, babe. He won't be bothering you again."
While grateful, your belly swirled with fear, and guilt that even if your stalker left you alone, he'd just find someone else, another woman, and harass her just as he had harassed you-- or worse. Takuma read you like a book.
"Look, I-- I didn't want to force anything on you the other day. But I promise you, this guy knows that if you go to the cops about him, and he doesn't 'fess up, it'll be more than just me after him."
Ino smugly pictured Higuruma and Nanami, ready, Misters. Law and Order, prepared to flex their quite complementary powers of threat and legal representation.
You smiled, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of support. Leaning up, you tangled your fingers into Takuma's hair, and he let out a sweet hum of happiness as you kissed him deeply. Nose to nose, you took delight in showing your appreciation.
The next day, wearing a mantle of quiet bravery, you walked into the Police Station.
"I'd like to report a crime."
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Itadori Yuuji
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You had chosen absolutely the wrong shoes to go out in.
You shivered in the chilly night air; your skirt hadn't been this short all night, had it? The cold had a way of exposing things the mirror didn't. Still, you smiled to yourself as you leant against a lamp-post, removing your heels with a sigh of relief, certain you'd be comfier taking the last few streets before home barefoot than in these beautiful monstrosities.
You could not bring yourself to regret such a fun night. Waving your friends goodbye, you had foregone taking a taxi home. Tokyo was a safe city, anyway. It was only a short walk home. You could do with sobering up a bit.
Feet padding gingerly on the cold concrete, you tapped away on your phone as you began to walk home. Within a few minutes, the hairs on the back of your neck stood up, cold prickles running down your spine.
Running a hand through your hair, you shielded your glance backwards; a man. Some distance away. By the lamppost you had removed your shoes at. You gulped-- it's nothing, you lied to yourself, just on his way home like me. But, just in case, you started walking faster, the soles of your feet stinging as they clapped against the floor.
Feeling tingles at the base of your skull a minute later, you felt the man closing in on you and bile climbed in your throat, feeling the alcohol threaten to come up into your mouth, options running through your head at breakneck speed, to scream or call the police or stop and fight or try to run faster or--
It was no use. He was almost on top of you now; you rounded the corner to a tree-lined street. You could smell the sweat on him, and you spun to face him, losing your footing and falling backwards onto the floor--
All at once, you screamed, a dark mass plummeted from the tree above you, and there was a sickening crunch as it flattened your pursuer to the floor.
The black mass, burly and pink-haired, stood up and turned to face you, opening his mouth--
You screamed again, still panicking, throwing a shoe at him, "What the hell are you? What are you doing?" The young man crouched, eyes wide, both hands in front of him, bleeding from the lip from your shoe.
"I'm a Yuuji, I'm a Yuuji--"
"--a Yuuji?!" You raised your hand again and he flinched. Your pursuer groaned underneath his feet.
"--I don't know if you know, but this guy was following you-- oh shit, you're not friends are you-- please don't throw another shoe at me--" Yuuji squeezed his eyes closed, hands still raised above his head in arrest. You surveyed him from the ground, your panic slowly abating.
He's cute, you thought as your head spun violently, and you rocked to the side, vomiting all over the pavement. Yuuji crept over to you, hands uncertain at first, but eventually settling on holding your hair back as the alcohol evacuated your stomach.
Patting your shoulder with upbeat reassurance, Yuuji turned to look at the man on the floor with a scowl.
"Creep," he grumbled, crushing the man's hand under his shoe. As the man squirmed and complained, Yuuji gave him an effortlessly hard punch to the side of the head, knocking him out cold in an instant. Rummaging in the man's pockets, Yuuji pulled out a drivers' licence.
"Oh hey, he lives nearby. Want to drop him home with me?" Yuuji asked you with a shit-eating grin.
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"Think that'll do it?" Yuuji dusted off his hands, surveying his handiwork with satisfaction. Tied up in the offerings of the man's shed (some old garden hose, with a wooden freshly painted sign hung around his neck), the man was dropped unceremoniously onto the doorstep. You snapped a quick photo on your phone, hand over your mouth as you laughed to yourself.
Yuuji pressed the doorbell, and grabbed your other hand, pulling you behind a hedge as you giggled like children together.
"I FOLLOW GIRLS HOME" read the man's sign, as his mother opened the door.
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"--so anyway, I should probably get back to work, I guess...after you get home."
You rested your chin on Yuuji's shoulder as he piggy-backed you home, your shoes slung in one hand as he ambled, slowly zigzagging along the tree-lined street. Your eyes drooped, breathing in your new friend's soft, cosy smell, still occasionally giggling to yourself.
Arriving at your doorstep, Yuuji lowered you to the ground, and brought one hand up to awkwardly scratch the back of his head. His face blushed crimson when you leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek. He grinned, shuffling sweetly, bidding you goodnight, but hesitating. You bit your lip, head tipped, waiting. Yuuji didn't get the hint, turning to walk away.
"Hey, my hero. All that, and I don't get your number?"
Yuuji's smile could have split rainclouds.
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Higuruma waiting on the ceiling above the office door like
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Coming next: Gojo Satoru, Fushiguro Toji, Toge Inumaki, Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara.
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adaelines · 1 year
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it's midnight my wisdom teeth hurt and I'm thinking about my personal difference between re4 leon and re2 leon
"Pretty fuckin baby," His voice raspy, deep, "stupid little thing just wanted a cock inside them, huh? I'm sorry I didn't notice before baby, you always get so dumb without my dick stuffing you. just how were you supposed to focus today? should have realised before, all you needed was a good fuck." the grin on his face matched his tone, the fake kindness full of mockery, "you always take me so deep, fuck, it's unfair… gonna ruin this hole for anyone else, you'll be mine and mine only, yeah? i'll use my toy whenever I want… god, fuck, you're so fucking t-ight… you're gonna take my cum and thank me, okay? gonna take me deep and I won't stop even if you whine, dirty sluts get what they deserve."
or
"Please, please, it's too much..!" his head thrown back, eyes screwed shut and face flushed the prettiest shade of pink, "Can't take anymore! it's too much, please, please, need to cum already, please let me cum inside, I'll do anything…" hips bucking towards your touch at the slightest of stimulation, a loud sob anytime you pulled back. "i'll be good, ill be such a good boy I promise, anything you want, any-thing! i won't even look at anyone else, you're all I ever think about... im yours, im all yours, I belong to you… please, do what you want with me, jus' wanna make you feel good, wanna make you cum, please ride my face, my cock, something!"
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hiraya-rawr · 1 year
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maybe we can be more than this (servant/master)
characters !! diluc, ayato
contains !! just dialogues of gn reader. angst/comfort?? i think
synopsis !! thinking about servant and master where it's so obvious you're both in love but you can't bring yourself to cross the line and it hurts him sm—
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D I L U C
He's frustrated, pacing around as you desperately try to explain.
"Master Diluc, you must understand why–"
"Just Diluc."
"But Master Diluc–"
"How many times must I tell you, (Name)?" He turns towards you, a scowl on his lips as his voice rises. He breathes heavily before his shoulders lower, relaxing, and his face changes to that of hurt.
A quiet heartache.
"How many times must I hear you call me that? We've been friends for so long. I've loved you for so long. Can't I be more than just that to you. . .?" He looks down on the ground, unable to meet your gaze.
You feel your lips part, heart aching. How could you dare?
". . . Diluc," You whisper and his eyes snap towards you, hopeful, as your hand makes its way to cup his cheek, "You are already more than just that to me."
"Then allow me to be with you." He begs quietly.
"You know why I can't." You sob, feeling his own warm hands cupping your cheeks.
"Please, (Name)."
"Don't."
"Please,"
". . . I have to go help Adelinde turn off the gas lamps. Please get some rest, Master Diluc."
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A Y A T O
"Look at this, (Name)," He states harshly, stomping into his office as you trail behind, helplessly explaining, "Look."
Ayato roughly gestures to the pile of papers on his desk. Each in beautiful stationery, stamped cleanly.
"Marriage proposals. Each and everyone of them, I've rejected. I did this for us." He turns to you, a look of hurt in his eyes.
"Lord Kamisato, you know why–"
"You didn't use to call me that. I was Ayato. I was-"
"-That was when the Kamisato household was falling apart! It's different now and you know that-!" You cut in.
"It is different! Now the Kamisato household has the power and influence. If you marry me, I will take down every obstacle in our way."
Silence. He stares at you from across the dark office, only moonlight filtering in to highlight his baby blue hair. You know he's desperate, having danced around the topic for ages, but how could you be the clan's weakness? You can see how everyone would talk— how history would talk about it.
'Such a fine bachelor yet he chose a mere servant. Is there something wrong with the clan?'
'He was seduced. Held down by a childhood friend. You can't even trust a servant.'
'The clan had only recently gained its influence, yet it's falling apart again, all because of some—'
"Ayato," You try to hold back tears. You know it's unfair to him if you use this card. "If you love me, then please— don't make me do this to the clan. Don't make me do this to you."
He looks defeated. Shoulders slumped, tired, as he brings up a hand to rest on his forehead. Looking away from you, he sighs, "Had I known it would be like this, I never would have taken you in as my servant."
character m.list || ko-fi
note !! nothing hits differently than men with everything except the love of their life *shrugs* anyway my links have been weird lately idk why so hopefully this story posts without issues
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obsessedduh · 3 months
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Recently read your sub Simon × sub Reader..... And I really wanted to know your thoughts on dom Price × sub Simon × sub Reader?
loving this equest!! keep them up guys!! i'm also getting loadssss of arcane request which i love but i also love when its switch up a bit!! @multifandomheathenannie
*✧・゚: *✧・゚
CAPTAIN JOHN PRICE who is making SIMON 'GHOST' RILEY fuck you with tears in both of your eyes from the overstimulation of previous orgasms. Simon's cock slipping in and out of your sloppy cunt, John's eyes are fixated on the two of you. his eyes burning with nothing but lust as he watches the two of you whimper and whine, like a couple of animals in the zoo trained for his entertainment.
what makes it even worse is that he has all his clothes on meanwhile he's left you too breathless and covered in each others juice, naked. how unfair! :(
Simon's cock was aching and he couldn't help the tears form in his eyes. Simon could control himself more than you, keep his composure, even in situations like these. mostly all he'll let out is a pained groan or grunt of pleasure maybe even a sob or whimper. nothing else really, but you on the other hand, you can barely shut up, not unless your ordered too and even that was a struggle for you. sobs, whines, moans, whimper, squirms, sobs.
how is it your fault when they make you feel so good to the point you feel like your the first man on the moon. heck, your pussy wasn't any better, in fact is was just as bad, sloppy, wet noise as Simon's cock slammed into you, his tip nudging your cervix with each thrust.
each roll of Simon's hips you were sure you were about to tap out, eyes rolled to the back of your head, tears staining your cheeks and your mouth agape as you couldn't about anything but Simon's thick, long nuzzled deep inside of your messy cunt, well that was until John's laugh.
why is he laughing? your cockdrunk self and Simon are a pure mess, overstimulation and pleasure taking over both of your brains and he just sits there laughs, like it's a funny joke from a goofy game show!?
"Simon, go faster."
you pout and Simon's eyes widen only a tad.
"wha' you lot deaf now? ya' heard me Simon, go faster."
with hesitance Simon began to roll his hips a bit faster, groaning slightly from the painful but pleasurable bliss your pussy provides willing for his cock. if you thought you were in wonderland before, you were for sure were in wonderland now, moaning, completely too cock drunk to realise anything. John walks up to you too, Simon groans as he feels his orgasm approaching, even closer when John's finger moves to rub smooth circles on your clit and your pussy automatically clenched harder on his cock, you let out a broken moan completely cut of by you
you squirting and Simon cumming deep inside of you as your pussy clenched him and milked his balls dry. you both were breathless and tired, tears leaking out both of your eyes now.
"i hope you two don' think we're done."
a whimper slips out of both of your lips.
this was gonna be a long night...
*✧・゚: *✧・゚
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churipu · 6 months
Note
Hi! ☺️ First and foremost, I hope you're doing well. Also, I just recently found your page and I love your writing!
I really liked your post on the super sensitive reader with the jjk men. Can I get headcanons of the jjk men with reader who is very stoic and a little emotionally constipated? Like they have never seen reader cry ever while in their relationship together, but then reader ends up having a hard week and ends up crying from frustration.
jjk men & their emotionally constipated partner
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featuring. shiu kong, itadori yuuji, todo aoi, geto suguru x reader
warnings. cursing and jjk men being sweet and soft to their partner <;33
note. hi anon! i'm doing great, hbu love? thank you for liking my works, you don't know how much that means to me, i hope you have a great day! and thank you for requesting, i find this request very interesting <33 also, thank you guys for the big amount of support i've been receiving for the last two days, can you imagine i gained like 140+ followers in that matter of time? i'm going to start violently sobbing istg. anw, i hope u sexies enjoy this <33
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SHIU KONG. shiu loves you a lot, even if you struggle in showing the love back to him, he knows you love him a lot. shiu would receive random messages (mostly a picture of something and then you tell him that it reminded you of him, probably deemed as your love language now). i feel like shiu is partly happy that you don't take things into the heart - but at times he'd be very worried about you. you never cry, you almost never get angry at him even if he did something wrong (you'd just tell him it's nothing and you weren't mad, but he sometimes think it's because you didn't want to engage yourself in arguments), and hell, he barely sees you smile at all.
shiu has heard you tell stories about your new work place, which you quote unquote as toxic. and you've been in the company for no longer than three months, but the stories about your very annoying co-worker and your boss never stops. he swore that the topic of your work place was the only thing that could get you riled up.
i feel like shiu would be the type of boyfriend who would tell you to stop working because he's financially stable enough to provide for you, but you decline telling him that you didn't want to live off of him.
shiu didn't force you to stop or quit your job though, he'd be glad to listen to you talk about your days at work.
"y/n? you're ho— darling, what happened?" he saw the solemn look on your face and realized that something must have happened (yet again) at your work place, he dropped the cigar that was lodged in between his lips and immediately approached you.
you shook your head, inhaling sharply before kicking off your shoes, "work, of course."
"is it your boss? or that same co-worker again?" shiu knew that it was either your boss or this one co-worker who doesn't seem to enjoy your presence in the office.
"both." you sat down on the couch, throwing your head back in exhaustion (you were about to cry and the only way to stop your tears from coming out was to just force it back in with your head back), "i'm getting my paycheck reduced this month."
shiu took a seat next to you, "why?"
"i was blamed for something my co-worker did, this is so unfair," your voice cracked a little and shiu pulled you into a hug, you choked out a sob, "this is so unfair," you muttered out, your pent out anger and disappointment finally seeping out in a form of tears.
"hey, shh..." he soothes you, pulling back to see your tearful eyes. he grazed over your cheek to wipe the droplets away, "let me take care of them, yeah?"
you shook your head, "don't have to, i don't want to make this into a bigger mess."
shiu planted a kiss on your forehead, "don't worry about it darling, you trust me, don't you?"
"yes."
shiu had a "talk" with your boss and your co-worker the very next day and your co-worker ended up resigning right after, and your boss, well they never bothered you anymore (and you're getting an extra paycheck for the next half a year).
ITADORI YUUJI. people always wonder how you and itadori ended up with each other. him being this ray of sunshine, and you were like the moon. but he didn't care about what everyone says, he loves you — and that's what matter, right?
wrong. don't think that you didn't notice the enormous shit talking about you behind your back, about how you probably bribed itadori into dating you and what not. usually, you'd shove all those down the drain and forget about it.
but for some reason, you couldn't help but to rethink about what they said. how itadori isn't too fit for you, or how you don't deserve him at all. the only thing that managed to trigger you was how somebody said that itadori deserves someone more "emotionally available" for him, and that person isn't you.
you never liked being emotionally constipated, people always talk about you behind your back, saying how you're so distant and that being the reason you don't have any friends. you keep telling yourself that you're used to it when it comes to you, but when it comes to itadori and your relationship — you feel helpless.
"y/n? are you okay?"
you looked up at him, a glint of worry flashing in his eyes. and you can't help but to feel the frustration building in you as you remember the words people say to you, "yes..no? i don't kno—" you choked out, smacking your hand on top of your mouth at the sound you let out.
it just got worse when you feel the tears you've been penting up for the past few weeks come out. itadori blinked feverishly, a little surprised to see you crying like this. he has never seen you cry before, "y/n..?" he breathes out, his hand reaching out to you, but you moved back, trying to avoid his touch.
the embarrassment you felt was horrid, you hated crying in front of people, even your own boyfriend, "baby," itadori mutters out seriously, grabbing your arms and then pulling them away from your face, "tell me what's wrong. talk to me."
i feel like he knew where this was going, he had a hunch. for the past few weeks, you asked him about why he was with you, why he loves you when there were better people out there (you think). and he knew it was because of what people said.
"i...i just don't think i'm the right one for you, yuuji. they're right, you need a more emotionally available partner."
itadori's face fell when you said that, and he shook his head, pulling you into his embrace. rocking back and forth like a baby, "why would you say that? why would you listen to them y/n?" he asks quietly.
"i...don't know."
he pulled away, brows furrowed and he held your shoulders, "you're perfect for me, i don't give a fuck what they said about you and i. the next time someone says something, i'm going to beat them up," the thing is, he looked so serious you couldn't help but to chuckle.
"you just chuckled.." he breathes out, "my life is complete."
TODO AOI. he's very boisterous, and i feel like he'd be the type of person who would defend his partner everywhere they go. when you accepted his feelings, he was surprised since he never expected you to like someone like him. but he was pretty damn proud of you, and as a boyfriend, he shows you off like a trophy.
telling people about how amazing you are, how you make him happy, or how you treat him nicely. but people are fucking judgmental, some of them don't like the idea of others living happily — and you never thought that "these" particular people would target you next for it.
saying how fucking weird todo is for liking someone like you, and you had to be honest, it did get into you. and so began your avoidance to your own boyfriend, todo.
he hates it. he hated how you changed out of the blue, no matter how hard he tries to reach out for you, you weren't the same anymore and he never got why you decided to change.
believe me when i say that he tried asking his friends about it, or about tips to get you to talk to him. but really, they weren't much of a help, saying how you probably got bored and is avoiding him so he would be the one to break up first with you.
todo didn't want to let the idea of that get into him, but after a few weeks of you avoiding him non-stop, he began thinking the same thing. were you bored of him? did he do something that you didn't like? or is it because he ate the last chocolate chip cookie you were saving up and blamed it on someone else?
so when he got the chance to bump into you, he immediately took it as a chance to ask you about it.
"why are you avoiding me?" you tried ending the conversation right away by going the other way, but man is fast fast so he didn't let you — still wanting to know about the sudden change in your behavior.
todo knows how you didn't like being cornered, or how you don't like talking about the relationship, sappy shit. but if he didn't talk to you about this, todo knew he was going to regret it.
"y/n," he grabbed the back of your collar, pulling you back lightly, "did i do something wrong?"
you were silent for a few seconds before todo's ears perked up at the sound of soft, choked out sobs. you were crying. you were crying. and the panic sinks in, "i..i'm sorry, did i pull on your collar too hard?!" he panics, flailing his arms.
you shook your head, "...no, i'm sorry for avoiding you."
todo stopped his panicking and stood up straight, "i couldn't stop thinking about what people have to say about us, and now that i think about it, i feel like you deserve more than me," todo widened his eyes and looked around.
"who the fuck said that? i'm going to beat them up so bad people won't recognize them," todo mutters out and the corner of your lips tugged upward, "is that why you're avoiding me?"
you nod, "it was wrong. i know i should've said something about it. i'm sorry for avoiding you."
todo laid his hand on top of your head, brushing your h/c softly with a gentle smile, "you're perfect for me, fuck those people," he cusses out, "next time you hear em', don't forget to find out their names— i'm going to give them a lesson for it."
SUGURU GETO. suguru and you are like two peas in a pod. people never see him without you and vice versa, and often people would say that you both are the perfect couple. despite your personalities almost being the same type of calm, suguru is a calm man, and he's soft spoken. while you were just plain cold and stoic, rarely speak of something or even show your emotions.
someone bothering you? okay. someone making fun of you? okay. you were practically a walking definition of "i give zero fucks". but that doesn't mean you can't feel hurt, you are still human after all.
so when suguru told you about how he has a new co-worker, and how she has been clinging onto him, how she tries to get in his pants. you find it cute how he tells you about it, even telling you that you should come to his workplace so he could show you off.
you didn't feel anything because you trusted him. until you see the so called "co-worker" of his. she's pretty, you can't deny that. and you could see how she gets along with almost everyone, having no problem in instigating a conversation or complimenting people. people definitely like her.
that's where the insecurity began sinking in.
would suguru fall for her like everyone in his workplace does? would he leave you for her? so many questions you wanted to find the answer to.
"baby?"
you look at him, completely out of your daydream. he cocks his head to the side, "are you okay? you've been zoning out a lot lately..." he said, voice gentle and worried.
you nodded, "yeah. sorry. got a lot in my mind."
"do you want to talk about it?" he brushes a few h/c strands from covering your face, "you've been a little distant. is it something that i did, baby?"
god, just the thought of suguru thinking it was him made you a little sensitive. the past few weeks was already hard enough for you to contain yourself from breaking down, and him asking that made the tears you held in for so long drop out all at once.
suguru was a little taken aback and he sat straight up, alarmed, "y/n? baby? what's wrong?" he asks you gently, wiping the tears that never ceased from your face.
"i feel..i feel like i'm not enough. you deserve better than me, suguru." suguru swallowed the lump in his throat, he should've known, ever since you came to his workplace, you had started getting distant. and he should've known that was the reason.
suguru shook his head, cupping your face before giving you soft little kisses all over your face, "don't" a kiss on your forehead. "you" a kiss on your left cheek. "dare" a kiss on your right cheek. "say" a kiss on your nose. "that" a kiss on your chin.
the male gazes into your eyes deeply, "i love you," he softly said before planting a kiss on your lips, "you're the one i want, you're perfect for me. i can't see my future without you y/n, so please don't think about that..."
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© CHURIPU 2023 , DO NOT COPY OR REPOST ANYWHERE !
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animeomegas · 2 months
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I live for you and your writings <3
Anyway, I do have a request if you would like to fill it!! - how would the naruto boys (itachi, neji, sasuke, naruto) react to a stranger telling their pup off or/ scolding them for a small little mishap that happened while their back was turn? And they only realize it after a good few minutes of their pup being shouted at?
Hehe ty for all your hard work
Thank you so much!! You're so sweet <3 I really, really loved this prompt; it has taken me so long to finish, but I wanted to to it justice! I've just done Naruto and Itachi and Sasuke. But I really hope people enjoy this one!
WHEN A STRANGER SCOLDS THEIR PUP (Omega! Itachi + Naruto + Sasuke)
ITACHI
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Itachi's eldest and only son, Yasu, was a very independent and responsible little boy, even though he was only 7.
So it came as no surprise when Yasu asked if he could wait outside the nesting shop instead of coming in with Itachi, because it was a beautiful day and he wanted to stand in the sun.
Itachi was originally hesitant, but with his newborn strapped to his chest, he begrudgingly agreed, knowing that it would be unfair for him to expect Yasu to be mature when it came to his baby sister, without giving him any of the benefits of that maturity.
"You must stay touching this wall at all times," Itachi said seriously, taking his little pup's hand and pressing it against the front wall of the nesting shop. "No leaving this wall unless you're coming inside the shop to find me, promise?"
"I promise," Yasu said, a serious smile on his little round face. "You can trust me, oma."
"I know, my love," Itachi whispered. He pressed a kiss to Yasu's forehead. "I won't take long."
"Okay, don't worry, oma, I'm a big brother now!"
Itachi laughed gently, standing and patting his son on the head as he did. His son was so much like him, and yet nothing like him at all.
But things only stayed sweet for about ten minutes.
Because as Itachi was wandering around looking for a new blanket for Yasu (a strategy other parents had recommend so that he didn't resent his new sister for taking up so much of Itachi's time), he heard crying.
He heard Yasu crying.
He dropped the basket to the ground with a clatter and ran out of the shop as quickly as he could, cradling his newborn safely to his chest.
What he saw caused a flash of anger so hot, he wasn't surprised when his sharigan activated on instinct.
There was a man, towering over his son, shouting and spitting at him, a large finger pointing accusatorily at Yasu's face.
Yasu's face was red as he choked on his tears. His little hand was still pressed up against the wall, but it now shook in time with his sobs.
Itachi's fingers latched onto the man's wrist with an iron grip, twisting the arm with the precision of a shinobi, just enough to hurt, but not quite enough to break. All at once, those shinobi instincts came flooding back even after all these years. He wanted to hurt this man for making his son cry, and he knew full well that he could do it.
"What do you think you are doing shouting at my son?" he said coldly, instead of breaking the man's spine like he desired.
The man's face went pale immediately. Itachi squeezed his wrist harder when the man didn't immediately reply.
"I- I-" the man stuttered, losing even more colour from his face. "I was just..."
"Not good enough," Itachi said coldly, sharigan spinning. The man whimpered pathetically. Itachi had no patience for bullies, especially those targeting his family.
Itachi held eye contact with the man for a few moments longer before he suddenly released the grip he had on the man's wrist and deactivated his sharigan. The man stumbled backwards and just barely avoided falling to the floor.
"Leave," he said coldly. The man wasted no time in doing as he was told and Itachi, despite having been the one to tell him to go, had to supress the urge to follow and eliminate the threat to his pup.
"O-Om-oma- oma," Yasu choked, tears and snot streaming down his face. He held one arm up in the universal request to be picked up, but he seemed too scared to stop touching the wall and approach Itachi himself. "O-Oma, I-I- didn't-"
Itachi suppressed the anger as best as he could and dropped down beside Yasu so that they were eye to eye. Yasu immediately barrelled into his side, still careful to avoid his baby sister.
"I'm so-sorry, oma, I didn't me-mean to! He said- he said- but you said I- I- couldn't move a-a-and-" he wailed, pushing his face into Itachi's collar bones and gripping his clothes tightly.
Itachi shushed him, "It's alright, sweetheart, you didn't do anything wrong." He rubbed Yasu's back firmly, anger burning through his veins as he felt his pup's tiny shoulders shake. While Itachi didn't know what had caused the conflict, there was nothing that Yasu could have done to warrant such a disgustingly aggressive reaction.
His newborn, clearly unhappy with being smushed, soon started up her own wailing, until Itachi was crouched outside the nesting shop with two distraught pups.
Itachi could feel himself becoming frazzled as none of his attempts to calm either child worked at all. People were giving him looks, some kind and some less so, and while he had never cared much what random people thought of his parenting, it was a stark reminder that he was far from the safety of home.
"Itachi?"
Itachi actually sighed in relief when he heard you come up beside him. You were planning on meeting him here after he finished shopping, but thankfully, you seemed to be a little early.
Itachi didn't waste any time greeting you, he simply scooped the wailing baby out of the sling on his chest and passed her to you.
"What happened?" you asked, sounding baffled as you accepted the infant and immediately began soothing her. Itachi ignored you and readjusted Yasu so that he could hug him properly. The boy cried heavily into his shoulder, but at least Itachi could fully cocoon him and keep him safe from the outside world now.
It took a few minutes, but with two pairs of hands and the ability to pick Yasu up properly, both the pups started to settle, their wails turning into little sniffles.
Itachi's face must still have promised murder however, because you kept your eyes focused warily on the surroundings and didn't ask for clarification on what had happened again.
"We're going home, darling, I promise we'll be there soon." As far as Itachi was concerned upset pups needed to be at home where it was safe, so he immediately abandoned the idea of finishing his shopping.
You followed his lead and you both made it home in record time, Itachi holding Yasu and you cradling the baby. Neither of you spoke as you walked. There was a mutual understanding that you'd address what happened after you were safe.
By the time you got home, both pups had fallen into an exhausted sleep.
"What happened?" you asked quietly as you gently closed the front door behind you. "Is Yasu alright?"
Itachi took a breath to smother the barely contained burning rage, "Some fully grown adult," he emphasised the word like it was the worst insult possible, "thought it appropriate to shout at Yasu when he was waiting outside the nesting shop."
"For what reason?" you asked, baffled and angry.
"I don't care." Itachi's voice was tinged with a growl and his hands flexed protectively around Yasu. "I believe he was too frightened to get the words out regardless."
You snorted, "Good."
Itachi's smile was tinged with gleeful cruelty, "Indeed."
NARUTO
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When people asked him what he disliked most about being Hokage, Naruto would always make a joke about paperwork.
That answer wasn't exactly incorrect, as he did find the paperwork tedious and irritating, but it wasn't actually the part he disliked the most.
The part that he disliked the most was how much the job kept him away from his family.
Especially his three-and-a-half year old son, Riku, who was the most precious person in the world and who was also having a hard time adjusting to Naruto not being at home as much, even though it had been almost a year since he took up the role.
He tried to make as much time as he could for Riku, sending a clone to tuck him in at night, spending his lunch break eating with him (and his mate) in his office, hell, Naruto even had a tiny pair of noise cancelling earmuffs in his desk so that Riku could sit on his lap while Naruto heard mission reports.
It wasn't perfect and it didn't feel like enough, but it was all the Naruto could do at the moment.
And today was one of the days that you and Riku would be joining him for lunch in his office.
Unfortunately, a spontaneous mission debriefing had started before he could slink away for lunch.
And while Naruto knew that it was not this team's fault that their mission had increased in rank and thus required an immediate verbal debrief, (this had happened to Naruto himself more times than he could count), he was finding it hard not to feel frustrated with the group in front of him.
They were keeping him away from his son which was making him antsy.
A glance at the clock confirmed that his family were certainly waiting for him outside by now, and the guilt was difficult to push down.
It was at that moment that the door to his office suddenly creaked open. Naruto's eyes jumped automatically to it as the team leader stopped speaking. Naruto's secretary knew he was in a meeting, so who was at the door?
At a much lower height than expected, the intruder's chubby little cheeks peaked nervously around the door. His tiny hands were held cautiously to his chest while he chewed on his bottom lip, but it was the head of bright blond hair that had Naruto's heart jumping into his throat.
It was Riku.
Naruto was already half way out of his seat when Riku finally saw him. His whole body relaxed and a smile crept onto his face as he toddled into the room. Naruto felt his own exhaustion melt away in response; his son was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.
"Oma!" his son cheered. "You're here!"
Naruto laughed, forgetting all about the debrief, as he moved around his desk. "Of course, I'm here, silly. Where's appa? How did you-"
Suddenly, another person entered the room, his face twisted angrily. He grabbed Riku by the wrist, startling him and Naruto in the process.
"What did I say?!" the man, Naruto's secretary, demanded, squeezing Riku's wrist. "I told you to wait quietly, and that you weren't allowed in yet, but you barged your way in when my back was turned! Out! Right now! I'm so sorry, Hokage-sama, I won't let this happen again."
Naruto had heard far worse from far scarier people when he was Riku's age, but Riku wasn't like him. He wasn't capable of the bravado and retaliation that Naruto had used to limp through his childhood, no. Riku was a sensitive child. He needed everyone to like him, to be gentle with him, and Naruto knew that he wouldn't be able to cope with such blatant negative attention.
Naruto watched as his pup's anxiety spiked, and he felt his heart drop in response. Riku's wide eyes bubbled over with heavy tears that covered his little flushed cheeks. His mouth moved like he was trying to speak, but he was simply too frightened to get any words out.
Naruto's secretary was not happy with the lack of movement. "Out, now!"
Riku was frozen, and when the man tugged him, knocking him off balance, all the colour drained from his face and his breathing became harsh and disjointed. To make things worse, his darling pup, who had only been out of nappies for a short few months, lost control of his bladder from fear.
Naruto saw red. A wave of killing intent swept over the room. It was so strong that Naruto was distantly aware that his guard was shifting nervously where they were hidden, and that several members of the debriefing team had fallen to their knees. Naruto only had eyes for one person though.
Naruto's secretary dropped his hold on Riku like he'd been burnt and fell heavily into the door frame, shoulder first. Naruto had fought in a war, but he'd never moved as fast as he did in that moment, as he planted himself between his secretary and his son.
"Get. Out," Naruto ground out, somehow keeping control of his voice. Naruto had never attacked a civilian, and he didn't want to start now, but if this man wasn't out of his sight in the next three seconds, something was going to snap.
Thankfully, the man didn't need to be told twice. With a terrified face and wobbly limbs, he stumbled out of the office with all the grace of a newborn giraffe. Naruto felt no guilt when he heard the man retching on the floor.
Wasting no time, Naruto spun around and grabbed his pup up and into the safety of his embrace. He didn't pay any attention to the dampness, and some of the furious anxiety left him as soon as his instincts registered that his child was safe with him.
Riku was still very stiff, but he did reach out and grab Naruto's collar. His breathing was worryingly sporadic.
Naruto cooed and purred at his pup, rocking him gently from side to side. His rage was still bubbling below the surface, but he kept his outward presentation comforting and gentle.
"Oma's here," he whispered into his pup's hair. "Oma's got you. You're safe, Riku."
Naruto sat back down in his chair and arranged Riku on his lap so that he was cocooned in his Hokage's robes. He then grabbed the earmuffs from his desk and slipped them over his pup's ears to help him calm down.
The team that had been debriefing were still stood awkwardly in front of his desk. They were all back to standing upright, but they seemed unsure of what to do seeing as it was hardly appropriate to continue the debriefing, but they also hadn't been dismissed.
"You guys can go. Just leave the report on my desk."
They all bowed and scurried out of the room.
Naruto ended up sitting there in silence for a few minutes, just processing what had happened while he calmed down his son.
He hated using his power to make others afraid. He loved being a friendly hokage that everyone could trust and look up to. But he had been so angry that he had lost control.
He was still angry, if he was being honest with himself.
And he also felt guilty. Because that small part of him that always questioned whether this job was a selfish desire, was suddenly so much louder.
This wouldn't have happened if he had been at home with his family for lunch like most parents with young children.
He was broken out of his thoughts when you arrived, fresh from your bathroom break, having walked into the aftermath of chaos.
Of course you were there; you always joined them for lunch, it had just escaped Naruto's mind until you were in front of him.
Riku had calmed down a lot, but he was still staring at the wall, holding Naruto as tightly as he could with his little hands.
"What happened?" you asked quietly, coming straight over to him and Riku. You smoothed a hand over Riku's hair and crouched down beside him. He kept one hand on Naruto and latched the other one onto your hand as soon as you were in range.
Naruto just shook his head, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. "Let's just head home. Riku needs a change of clothes and a nice bath with lots of bubbles."
To your credit, you didn't ask why, you simply nodded and allowed Riku to bury himself in your arms while Naruto gathered his things. He wasn't coming back into the office today, and he told you as much.
"Are you sure?" He pretended that your surprise didn't hurt as much as it did.
"Yes," Naruto said shortly. He needed to find a better way to balance his job and his family, because this just wasn't cutting it.
"Okay," you said easily, rocking Riku. "Let's head home then. We can talk there."
SASUKE
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Some people called Sasuke an overprotective parent, but Sasuke knew that his parenting style was entirely justified.
If someone was rude to his daughter, they deserved to have their life ruined as far as he as concerned.
If teachers made up lies about her, Sasuke would refuse to listen.
If his daughter was bullied, Sasuke would go and... speak... to the parents of the bully to 'encourage' them to be better parents.
This was an entirely normal response in his opinion. That was his daughter, his child, and while he sometimes struggled to verbalise his love, his daughter would never question his dedication to her.
She was still only seven, and needed his protection.
One day, when he was walking to meet her halfway from school, he noticed that she wasn't alone.
A tall woman, much too old to be a peer from school, was standing close, shoving her finger in his daughters face. His daughter didn't look cowed. She was staring, with her arms crossed, but this didn't stop the woman from her tirade.
She started shouting about how rude his daughter was, and how that was to be expected when her oma was the village pariah.
How dare she?!
He acted without thinking.
The kunai flew from his hand before Sasuke had even registered the movement, piercing the hand of the woman who had been pointing aggressively at his pup's face.
She shrieked as the pain registered and blood began running down her arm. Sasuke watched, stoic faced, as he walked towards them. The only emotions her pain brought to him were positive ones.
His daughter whirled around and he was privileged enough to see her face turn from confused to delighted as she recognised him. She was truly the light of his life.
"Oma!" she cheered, happily. He nodded back, a small smile on his face. He was proud to see that she didn't look scared at all, but that certainly didn't excuse the adult that had been shouting at her.
"Are you crazy?!" the woman hissed, holding her hand to her chest. Her face was twisted with rage and pain instead of fear, which cemented her in Sasuke's mind as an idiot. "They'll take away your shinobi licence for this!"
Another kunai found its place in his hand. These kunai really had a mind of their own today. "Are you threatening me? After you so blatantly attacked my daughter?"
"Attacked?! That rude little-"
The kunai flew from his hand again, this time flying less than an inch from her ear. It shut her up immediately.
"Choose your next words carefully." His daughter came over to his side and hugged him around the hips. He rested a hand affectionately on her head.
"I'll be reporting this to the hokage," she hissed. Sasuke was not scared; the worst thing Naruto would do is give him a disappointed look. His lack of fear must have shown on his face because the lady stormed off, far less injured than Sasuke would have liked.
Sasuke watched her go before he knelt down to his daughter's level and scanned her from head to toe. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." She grinned at him and adjusted her school bag on her shoulder. "That asshole couldn't have scared me if she tried."
"Language," Sasuke admonished gently, poking her in the forehead.
"Am I wrong, though?"
Privately, Sasuke agreed. "Let's just head home, your appa should be along any minute."
When you did meet up with them, you had to listen to your daughter singing about how she had the coolest oma in the world.
And when you wholeheartedly agreed, Sasuke could no longer keep the blush off his face.
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cinnamostar · 27 days
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three dates to fall in love
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part one. part two. part three. part four. part five (here). part six (coming soon).
pairing : hyunjin x gn!reader
summary : after a two year long unspoken hatred, hyunjin and you are forced to be costars in a romantic series, but when it comes to filming any of the romance scenes, you both utterly fail and are unable to get through your lines. the director threatens to take your roles away if you two aren't able to get past this within the next week, which spawns the genius idea from both your managers: can you learn to (fake) fall in love in seven dates and save your careers?
wc : 2.5k
cw : actor!au, enemies to lovers ?!, slowburn , not proofread, nothing crazy :)
a/n : im back from my hiatus and omggg i graduated from my masters program wahoooo! here's part five. let me know what you think! theres not much going on here to be honest........ its pretty chill
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“Yo,” Changbin answers from the other end of the line, his heavy breaths echoing through the call.
“Are you still working out?” Hyunjin asks incredulously, pulling the phone back to check the time, “You said you were going to the gym two hours ago and you’re still there?”
“Gotta keep these bad boys in shape, ya know?” Changbin teases, a giggle ringing through as he is most, (and he is), checking himself out in the mirror, “What’s up though? Did you just get home?”
“At this point, you look more like a bodyguard than my manager.”
“I take that as a compliment! Thank you very much, but I believe you have something to discuss with me, hm?”
“I mean, it went well?” Hyunjin responds with uncertainty in his voice, causing Changbin to sigh from the other end of the line.
“Is that all..? Are you just going to call me every time to tell me only that?” Changbin asks with annoyance, unable to understand the actor’s unwillingness to share anything more about the arrangement he found himself in. “You know, I’ll just end up calling Chan and hearing it from him instead…”
“Huh?”
Changbin smirks to himself, knowing that would capture the younger’s attention, “Yeah, you know, Y/N has a lot to say. I know all about it. It’s the only way I know how things are going.”
“What do they say?”
“Why do you care?”
“I just do.”
“And I should tell you because…?”
Hyunjin frowns at the back-and-forth, feeling peeved Changbin, his manager, wasn’t divulging any information upfront, “Because I’m the one going on dates with them and I should probably know…?”
“I’ll tell you if you tell me how today went.”
“It went well, I already told you that.”
“Tough luck, buddy, that won’t do. How unfair, especially when Y/N has sooo much to say,” Changbin dramatically mocks a sob, “Yet you, oh, you have so little to offer. It’s like you’re not enjoying any of it.”
Hyunjin rolls his eyes at his antics, frustration bubbling within him, “I am enjoying it and it is going well. Is that good enough for you?”
“Nope.”
“Okay.”
“Okay… So, can I hang up now?”
“No.”
“So you want me to stay on the phone in silence with you?” Changbin asks, a smirk still plastered on his face because he knew, eventually, Hyunjin would relent to Changbin’s teasing. It was always like this, Hyunjin was hard to read and never shared much with Changbin, which honestly makes his job as his manager a lot more difficult than he’d like. The only times Hyunjin would be transparent with him about his emotions was when he was complaining about something, or the time he panickedly called him after his very unfortunate date with you, and how he realized what a big mistake he had made. Other than that, Hyunjin lips were always sealed tight. Either because he was a private person or was bad at vocalizing his feelings, Channgbin didn’t know, but he was getting annoyed at Hyunjin calling him after every day with the same three words every time. ‘It went well.’ God, those words were pissing him off and he felt like his time was being wasted because now, he had to call Chan and find out from him what was going on. After another few moments of silence, Changbin sighs once more, “Okay, I’m hanging up now —”
“N-no, wait!” Hyunjin interrupts him, a slight tremor in his voice.
“Okay, now I’m waiting.”
“Today went well, and I know I already said that, let me finish,” rambles Hyunjin, the words slowly clawing their wait up his throat, “It’s just… it’s a lot nicer than I thought it would have been. They’re super kind and welcoming to me even though I was a complete asshole to them.”
Changbin smiles victoriously to himself, ecstatic to finally hear this simple, yet salient confession out of the younger boy, “Oh, that’s good then. Sounds like they’re doing their best to make it work.”
“Yes, but I also… feel really bad about it too,” Hyunjin grimaces at the guilt he had been trying to ignore, it sneaking up to the forefront of his mouth as he speaks, “I really don’t think I deserve any of this from them, but they’re treating me sorta like nothing ever happened before and it’s a little weird to get use to this side of them. The more I realize how wrong I was about them, the shittier I feel.”
“Man, I don’t blame you, but I think you gotta give yourself some credit. It sounds like you both are handling this weird situation the best you can. Have you told them this?”
“Yeah, and that’s what makes this feel worse. They were so sweet about it, they comforted me when I was the one who hurt them,” groans Hyunjin, pinching the bridge of his nose as he squeezes his eyes shut, “And they… they said they need time to forgive me, which is fine! I get that entirely, but… I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive myself until they do?”
“Mhm, I understand what you’re feeling isn’t easy, but don’t you think you should at least try to be nicer to yourself? I mean… It sounds like Y/N cares about you enough, and if they want you to feel better about the situation, shouldn’t you try for their sake?”
“I guess, but it’s not that easy, Changbin –”
“I never said it was easy,” Changbin responds pointedly, “But wallowing up in guilt is no way to be living either, I’m sure Y/N knows that too and doesn’t want you beating yourself up this much about it when you’re both trying to move forward.”
“I don’t know…”
“Just give it a try, it won’t hurt. You can hold yourself accountable and still be nice to yourself. Alright, but I have to go now, so byeee!”
Hyunjin frowns, “Wait, no, you’re supposed to tell me–” only for him to be cut off by the sound of the call ending, “... what Y/N said…”
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Hyunjin decided to take both yours and Changbin’s advice to heart and do his very best to practice compassion, yet he forgot how terribly difficult that was until the next day arrived. In theory, it should be simple to just be nicer to himself, but his heart kept contorting and aching with guilt throughout the day, it becoming too much to bear as he tried to figure out how to control that emotion. He had to eventually learn to be in your presence without that harrowing, bottomless pit that would form in his stomach, especially if you two were going to be costars for the rest of filming.
So here he was, his face and ears tinged with red as he sat across you on a picnic blanket, an assortment of foods between you two, and a gentle breeze causing locks of your hair to dance. Despite the chilly weather, Hyunjin could feel himself being covered in what he can only describe as a cold sweat while his stomach flipped onto himself. He was nervous, anxious even, and he had zero clue on how to deal with what he called guilt, shame, humiliation. He wasn’t sure which word was the best descriptor for this very moment, but he could barely sit still, constantly fidgeting as he tried to turn his gaze away from you, hoping the blues of the lake would ease his nerves that had not stopped rapid firing since noon. 
“You okay?” You ask, lifting a sushi piece to your mouth as you eyed Hyunjin with a cocked up eyebrow.
He freezes up for a moment, before forcing a nervous smile with a nod, “Oh, yeah, I’m fine!” He tries to force his voice into a more cheery tone, but he can tell you could see right through him. Somehow, you could read the faintest microexpressions from him, but he’s thankful to see you shrug your shoulders and not press on any further. It was almost as if you had the ability to read his mind, knowing when it was right to question his behavior or just let him revel in his own thoughts.
“Well, you should eat some more! I need some help finishing all this food Changbin ordered for us,” you laugh, picking up a piece of sushi between your chopsticks and lifting it towards him, “Here, open up!” you say in a teasing tone.
He rolls his eyes, “You know, I can feed myself,” but he felt his stomach bubble up with inexorable nerves, his words almost getting caught in his throat. You playfully pout at his words, “Oh, c’mon, just eat it! I know you want to.” You wiggle the sushi in front of his face in some poor attempt to entice him, but it was only causing him to become uncomfortably warm as he did his best to look anywhere that wasn’t your face. “Fine, fine,” he responds, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible as he opens his mouth as you plop the sushi into it, the beating of his heart thumping loudly in his ears. 
“Good, right?” You smile.
He nods his head, his eyes crinkling at the overwhelming flavor as hums in agreement, “Wow, yeah, which one was that?” 
“Mmm, I think that one is toro salmon? I’m not sure,” you giggle at his reaction, feeling pleased with yourself that you managed to whittle away at the awkwardness he wore around you. Hyunjin was constantly on edge around you, the nerves obvious in the frown lines of his forehead, and while you could understand why, you were hoping he would start to loosen up around you as time went on. Despite everything that has occurred over the past two years, you were starting to yearn for the friendship you and Hyunjin once had and wished to be able to return to that comforting time. 
However, it was never that simple, as your desire for his friendship was often overshadowed with memories of his cruel words, how easily he spat them out to you without a moment of hesitation. A moment of innocent banter could just take you back to that time because somehow, his banter and cruelty shared a similar inflection, just enough to cause your eyes to prick with tears if you noticed it. The lasting impact his words had on you was a stark reminder for you to not so easily forgive him, to not forget what he was once capable of. But no matter how hard you tried to look past it and solely focus on your friendship with him, there was this inexplicable rift between you two, a hurdle neither you could just quite jump over, though perhaps it was this mutual understanding that allowed you both to understand each others’ quietness. It was strange, you two had become strangers that understood the language your souls’ whispered, but neither retained that fluency and were struggling to recall the words you once spoke.
The silence returns, enveloping you both as the wind hushedly howls, the sounds of birds chirping filling in the empty pages of dialogue as you each continue to eat. Every now and then someone would comment on the food, how good it tasted and thanking God for letting Changbin set up such a delicious day, finishing the last bits of sashimi that was left on the plate.
“Oh jeez, I’m so full,” you mutter, sleepiness slowly creeping its way into your body, “Ah, but we gotta take pictures, I don’t wanna deal with a whiny Changbin.”
Hyunjin snorts, knowing all too well the fit his manager would throw if his date plans were not followed through, especially when he made it clear to the both of you that he wanted proof that you two actually did take those pictures. All he wanted was for each of you to take photos of the other, a mini photoshoot by the lake, while also insisting it would be a great post for either of your instagrams. “Yeah, let's not do that to ourselves.” He lifts himself up from the floor, anxiously offering a hand to help you up, quickly retracting after you stood while ignoring the electric nerves bouncing at the palm of his hands. 
“I’ll take your pictures first, okay?” You say, your phone already in hand as you gesture to him to stand in front of the lake, “Luckily, the sun is out, so maybe we will get some nice photos to post,” you add on. Meanwhile, Hyunjin, very stiffly, stood ahead of you, unsure what to do with his body and how to pose. Normally, he is good at this kind of stuff, he has done plenty of photoshoots in the past, but he was terrified at the thought of embarrassing himself in front of you. Before, he had never once had this concern, this worry, he didn’t know why these thoughts kept forming each time he thought of you. It clouded his mind, preventing him from seeing any logic or reason. “Alright, model boy, do your thing, I know you know how to work the camera,” you call out, snapping Hyunjin out of his trance. 
If he wasn’t sweating before, he most definitely was now as he body overheated under the sudden pressure he put onto himself as he robotically posed, and you, as always, couldn’t help but notice the lack of elegance he usually carried himself with. “Oh, c’mon, what’s up with you today?” 
“I… I don’t know, I’m just nervous… I think?”
“Well, I can see that,” you sigh, placing a hand on your hip, “But, you got no reason to be! It’s just me!”
“I think it being you is the issue,” he murmurs out, not really meaning for the words to slip out his mouth.
You press your lips into a straight line, “Right, I get that. Sooo, how about you pretend it’s not me taking the pictures, but Changbin?”
Hyunjin breathes out a sarcastic laugh, “Oh, yea, that will totally work, you make a very convincing Changbin.”
“Oh, right, let me just-” you roll up the sleeves of your shirt, exposing your biceps as you make a poor attempt to flex them, “How about now, is this working?”
Hyunjin found himself laughing loudly at your very sudden and unexpected antics, his stomach flipping onto itself as a flurry of affection rushed over him. You looked absolutely ridiculous, yet something about it was incredibly endearing despite the goofiness that radiated off of you. However, the sound of the camera shuttering from your phone quickly made him pause his laughter. “Hm, I think you look pretty cute in this,” you smile, turning the screen towards him to see you had captured a photo of him in the midst of his giddiness. He felt his cheek flush at your words, the shyness that had temporarily disappeared made its presence known. “I guess it’s not bad, just… a little different from what I usually post online.”
“Good different, right?” You ask, a smile still gracing features as the sun kisses your features, the wind gently brushing through your hair. 
“Definitely a good different.”
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taglist (closed): @kopikokrunch @icouldntcareless22 @kidrauhlschik @hhwangsmoon @lestayzone @cupidcures @sleepyxxhead @pinkpunkdynamite @kaiyaba @palindrome969 @aokiss @annybah @tigerroarsinthelight @bubbly-moon @nattisbored @jin-from-the-block @hyuneyeon
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randxmthxughts · 1 year
Text
All For You - Neteyam x Ta'unui ! reader (enemies to lovers) - pt. 1
*Ta'unui is the Eastern Sea water clan that was attacked by Quaritch
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part 2
summary: When Quaritch attacks the Ta’unui water clan looking for Jake Sully, the clan’s Tsahik forces her younger sister, Y/N, to escape and seek refuge from the Metkayina clan. As Y/N deals with the trauma of losing her home, she discovers that she isn’t the only outlander in the village. She develops conflicted feelings for Neteyam but the tensions grow when Y/N finds out that Neteyam is the son of Jake Sully - the man she hates. 
genres/tropes: angst, romance, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, slowburn
other pairings: Loak x Tsireya, Kiri x Ao’nung, platonic relationships (Y/N x Kiri x Tsireya, Y/N x Jake, Y/N x Neytiri)
warnings: war, mentions of blood, PTSD, trauma, survivor guilt, character near-death experience, slightly aged up neteyam, dialogues are supposed to be in na'vi, not english, lots of side eyes, braids swaying, and neteyam appearing out of nowhere like the batman lol
word count: 30,2k (ik this is insane)
a/n: i’m so sorry because this is so long but i spent about two weeks working on it night and day, and i have never been so hyper fixated on a character before. i would love for this not to flop bc otherwise i might feel a little dumb, so if you enjoy it, please spread some love :) i always go through the reblogs to see if anyone said anything in the tags, so… 
the set up is a little slow but bear with me
____
It all happened in a blur. You always believed that in a time of danger, you would be skilled and strong enough to protect your clan. But as you watched the sky demons, disguised as Na’vi, pointing their weapons at your people and burning your homes, you felt like a useless coward. If it wasn’t for your sister’s, Tsahik’s, quick thinking of causing a distraction and pushing you into the water, you would have been dead by now. She sacrificed herself for you to live.
You can’t make out how much time has passed since you finally made it to the unfamiliar reefs, as you collapsed on the sand, breathless and disoriented. You could only hope that you reached the correct destination: the Awa’atlu village. The distant sounds of horns announced your arrival, and strangers started to surround you in a circle. When the Olo’eyktan approached you, you managed to summon the rest of your strength to stand up and greet him.
You’re weak, and judging by his face, you’re sure that the explanation you give him is too vague. You hope that despite your mumbling, he understands that you were asking for refuge to escape from the sky demons. As the villagers around you start whispering, the only thing that comes to your mind clearly is “Jake Sully.” They killed your people, set your village on fire, shot your ilus... All because of Jake Sully. 
“Jake Sully,” you repeat in a low whisper, your eyelids suddenly feeling heavy. 
“Where is your ilu, child? Did you swim here by yourself?” Olo'eyktan asks, examining you with a hint of worry.
You wince at the mention of your ilu, the painful memory of its death still too fresh. It seemed unfair that you weren’t fast enough to save both of you. You had underestimated the demons, thinking you were too far away when a bullet suddenly pierced through your companion, acute pain reaching you simultaneously through the bond. You ilu did its best to swim through, bringing you to safety before you felt its body sink underneath you with a final shriek. Yet you couldn’t even mourn. 
You were still in the open water, alone, unsure of where to head. You screamed as you pulled yourself together and started to swim, pushing through exhaustion and soreness in your muscles. You couldn’t afford to stop until you reached the unfamiliar land. You owed your sister to survive this.
“They killed my ilu,” a sob escapes your throat, your knees suddenly going weak.
“Easy there,” you hear a low voice beside you, as a pair of warm hands snake around your waist, supporting you to stand on your feet. You glance down at the hands, and realize that they are different. Blue-skinned.
“She needs to rest. She must have been swimming for hours,” Tsahik steps out, “What clan do you belong to, child?”
“Ta'unui.”
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Your first night in Awa’atlu, you’re too weak to get out of bed. The Tsahik had placed you in a small empty marui, close to hers, so she could easily check on you. In moments of consciousness, you catch glimpses of people and snippets of conversations. When they ask you questions about your arrival, you can only answer by nodding and shaking your head.
Ronal, Tsahik of the Metkayina clan, says that you could have died out in the open water. She thinks it’s a miracle, and whispers prayers to Eywa while massaging your muscles with various balms. You can’t protest really, even when the balms start stinging and making your muscles clench and burn.
Tsireya, the daughter of the Tsahik, always remains by her mother's side, carefully observing her actions, and joining her in prayer. You guess that she is the tsakarem. Watching Tsireya reminds you of the time when your sister was a tsakarem, following your grandmother around to learn from her.
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On the second day, you feel better. You gradually regain consciousness and start to move your limbs. Despite the pain and the slowness of your movements, you feel the life return back to your body. Tsireya stays with you even after her mother leaves.
“Are you feeling better, Y/N?” Tsireya perks up at your movement. 
“Yes,” you’re surprised by the hoarseness in your voice.
“Don’t worry, your voice will be back to normal soon,” Tsireya finds your reaction amusing.
You’re not a big talker but Tsireya is a pleasant company. You don’t feel pressured to react or reply, as she talks to you about her village and her clan. You can see how hard she tries to keep you distracted from the pain. 
“You'll be just fine here. There is even a family of forest Na’vi who joined our clan a while ago,” she says, “You can imagine how difficult it was for them to learn everything from scratch! Oh, but they were so determined!”
Your ears involuntarily perk up, as you listen to Tsireya’s story. It’s really the first thing she tells you that intrigues you. Encouraged by your interest, Tsireya continues.
“You will recognize them right away. They are blue,” she giggles, covering her mouth, “But they have been accepted and are a part of the Metkayina now. I am very happy they’re here.”
A faint memory of blue-skinned hands supporting you reappears.
“When I arrived… Was it a forester who caught me?” you ask.
“That’s right! Neteyam,” Tsireya nods, “He is the oldest son. You might have hurt yourself if he didn’t catch you in time.”
“Neteyam” you repeat to yourself. 
Tsireya tells you just a little more about the foresters, until her brother Ao’nung fetches her back home.  
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On your third morning of isolation, Tsireya visits you with a girl, who seems to be around her age. It’s not hard to guess that she is a forest Na’vi, her blue skin and yellow eyes giving it away immediately. But there’s something else you notice about her: she has an extra finger on each of her hands. You think back on the demons that had five fingers, and feel a shiver run down your spine. When she notices you staring at her, she hides her hands behind her back.
“This is Kiri, Kiri this is Y/N,” Tsireya introduces you with a smile, “Kiri is from the forest. Remember I told you about the family?”
Kiri doesn’t seem to be as talkative as Tsireya, perhaps even a bit shy. You greet each other but she keeps her distance, clearly still uncomfortable around you. Despite her similarity with the sky demons, you feel like you can trust her. Kiri is strangely beautiful, not like your sister or Tsireya, but there’s something about her that fascinates you. You’ve never really seen a forester up close before, so…
“Is your voice back?” Tsireya grabs your attention, kneeling next to you.
“I think so,” you breathe out, “It’s getting there.”
“Oh, it has gotten much better! I can’t wait to hear it, once you’re fully well. I bet you have a great singing voice,” she beams, and Kiri lets out a chuckle. You can’t help but smile at that. 
It takes some time for Kiri to warm up to you. With the Tsahik’s approval, Tsireya took over today’s checkup on you. She knows the order of the balms by heart and works in confidence, while Kiri watches. From time to time, Kiri gives her a recommendation, and Tsireya gladly engages.
“Were you a tsakarem as well?” you ask Kiri.
“I used to be. My grandmother is the Tsahik of Omatikaya,” Kiri sighs with slight disappointment. 
“And since you moved here, you can’t do that anymore?” you continue logically. She nods.
“My grandmother had to find somebody else to replace me, right before we left.”
You notice how Tsireya throws a sad look at her but Kiri only reacts with a forced smile. She doesn’t like to be pitied. 
“Actually, Kiri’s doing better than all of us,” Tsireya suddenly adds with a proud smile, “Kiri has a special connection with the Great Mother.”
“It’s not a big deal, really,” Kiri protests but Tsireya shakes her head, disagreeing.
“When we were out swimming the other day, we suddenly lost Kiri. We were looking for her for hours and found her asleep at the very bottom. Even the most skilled Metkayina swimmers can’t stay in the water with no air for so long!” Tsireya articulates with her hands to convince you, “And she was completely fine. Oh! And Kiri can also make fish follow her, it’s so funny!” 
Tsireya giggles recalling the memory, and for the first time, Kiri joins her. 
“You have to show me, I’ve never seen anything like that,” you smile.
“We’ll go together this evening. I know you’ll be fully recovered by then,” Tsireya excitedly claps her hands. Kiri only nods.
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Tsireya was right. By the evening, you have confirmation from Ronal, and you’re free to explore the village with her daughter as your guide. You find that while Awa’atlu is not similar to your village, it’s also not too different. But the water around the island seems calmer than what you are used to. It makes you slightly anxious.
Tsireya tries very hard to make you feel at home. She introduces you to everyone on your way, including her brother’s friends. Among them, you notice another forester who doesn’t stare at you like the locals do. Even when you catch his gaze, he doesn't seem overly curious. Just like Kiri, keeping his distance.
That’s Lo’ak, Tsireya reminds you, the third forest-child. It takes a fool not to catch on the chemistry between her and Lo’ak. The way she talks to him almost makes your teeth hurt, while he gets shy every time he is caught staring at her. But they seem to pretend to be just friends in a social setting.
Now joined by Ao’nung, his friends and Kiri, you all go swimming together. Tsireya and Kiri walk protectively next to you, with the boys ahead. 
“Let’s see if you can swim faster than Lo’ak,” Ao'nung teases you, his friends laughing. Lo’ak playfully hits him in the arm.
“She’s from a water clan, you skxawng,” Kiri comes to your defense, and you have to suppress a smile. 
“I didn’t mean to anger you, oh daughter of Eywa,” Ao'nung continues to tease, pretending to kneel in front of Kiri, “Please have mercy on me!”
Kiri rolls her eyes, and shoves him, as she walks ahead. You catch Ao'nung watching after her, and exchange a knowing smile with Tsireya. 
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Swimming helps you regain strength in your body and in your mind. Just the way you noticed, the water here was calmer than back home, relaxing the soreness out of your muscles. This was going to be your new home. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad.
Surprisingly, the boys’ teasing doesn’t bother you. While Kiri jumps to your defense ever so often, you think it was more of a distraction than anything else to you. As the sun starts setting, you float on your back, watching the sky, the painful memories slipping away. Your moment of peace is interrupted by shouting coming from the shore. Your ears perk up at the sound of your name, and with a hope that it might be someone from your village, coming back for you, you quickly turn to look. But it’s not. Instead, you see a tall blue-skinned Na’vi, waving you over. 
“Y/N! Tonowari wants to see you!” he shouts again.
“It’s Neteyam, come on,” Tsireya passes by you, swimming to the shoreline. You follow her. 
Once closer, you can see Neteyam more clearly. He greets both of you with a warm smile, his intricately braided hair swaying around, as he moves. 
“Father wants to see Y/N?” Tsireya asks, as she gathers her long hair to squeeze out the water.
“I saw him on my way over here,” he says, his soft gaze lingering on you, “He wanted me to get the ‘new girl’ to talk to him.”
Unlike his brother, Neteyam seems to be more intrigued by your presence, his gaze sweeping over your features, one by one, as if trying to memorize them. While it’s not as intrusive as others’ staring, you find his attention to be way too forward. You protectively cross your arms on your chest.
“I’m Neteyam, by the way,” he offers you a formal greeting, that you’re forced to reciprocate.
“Y/N.”
“I guessed so,” he chuckles, like it’s the most obvious thing you could have said, “Everyone knows about you.”
Tsireya interrupts your exchange by gently pulling you by your wrist.
“Come, Y/N, I’ll walk you to our home,” she smiles, then throws a look over her shoulder, “By the way, Lo’ak is currently getting talked to into sneaking out at night to swim with Payakan.”
You see Neteyam’s face change, as his warm smile gives way to anger, and he turns on his heel, heading towards the water.
“Lo’ak!” you hear him shout before diving in. Tsireya giggles beside you.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
When you first sit down in front of Tonowari, you can’t help but feel dwarfed by his intimidating presence. So you’re grateful when Tsireya asks if she can stay in the room with you. Tonowari’s gaze softens, unable to deny his daughter, and Tsireya gives you a reassuring smile before blending into the shadows.
You’re not surprised that he wanted to talk to you. Sure, he was aware of what had happened from your first interaction, and from Ronal, who gathered more information while you were under her care, but he wanted to clarify every detail. You take a deep breath and begin to recount everything. 
Tonowari rarely interrupts you to ask questions but for the most part he simply listens with unwavering attention. You see his expression change from understanding to concerned, the more he hears.
“Was there any warning to their attack?” he frowns.
“Nothing,” you shake your head, trying to get rid of the painful memories, “My theory is… whoever they were looking for, our village was the first one to suffer. We heard nothing from the neighboring clans, so I’m guessing it’s only because we are on the very eastern coast.” 
“You think they’re moving from east to west?” he asks. You nod.
“It’s why I came here, really. I think your village is quite far from ours.”
Tonowari hums, deep in thought. You sit in silence for a while, another reason nagging at you. You’re not sure if you need to tell him this but you do.
“And because I used to hear about your village. My sister and I lost my mother when we were kids but we knew that she wasn’t a local back home,” you hesitate before continuing, “My sister thinks she would have relatives from here.”
“It’s not impossible,” Tonowari nods his head, “We heard many stories of Na’vi from different clans mating and moving across the islands. We might even find someone from your mother’s family.”
You hear Tsireya’s soft gasp, clearly the thought of it appearing more intriguing to her than to you. You nod to express gratitude but you’re not really sure you want to meet anyone. It’s always been just you and your sister, no one can replace her.
“And you said they were looking for him, huh?”
“Jake Sully? Yes, he’s the reason they attacked us,” you answer, feeling your face flush with anger, “They had weapons, and were shooting anyone who resisted or tried to run. Then they started to burn our homes, repeating his name over and over again. There was also a human kid with them who translated.”
Tonowari’s face falls so suddenly, you would have thought that he has been hiding Jake Sully himself this whole time. You hope that wherever that man is, the sky demons find him before they can reach you. Tears begin to well up in your eyes. Tonowari notices and leans in.
“Don’t worry, child. We do not want war, but if they come here, we will be protecting our land and our Na’vi. Including you,” he hesitates before patting your head, “You’re one of us now.”
You lean into his touch, allowing him to slightly mess up your hair.
“For now, let’s keep this to ourselves, so that there is no panic. I have to think.”
You take that as a signal to stand up, and quickly wipe your eyes before Tsireya can see.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
That night you can’t seem to fall asleep. It feels lonely in your marui, and you start considering asking to be moved to a more crowded location. You turn on your mat a few times before catching a movement of two shadows on the other side of the wall. You sit up alerted, looking out. Eventually voices catch your ear.
“Lo’ak, if you don’t come back right now, I will wake up dad,” somebody whispers.
“He doesn’t care anyway, he’ll only get mad at his favorite,” you hear Lo’ak, and see one of the two shadows disappear.
The other shadow stands still, still in front of your wall. You don’t have to guess that it’s probably his brother Neteyam, whom you met earlier. 
“Psst,” you hear his voice, his shadow moving.
And again. He moves closer to the entrance of your marui, as you stare in silence. What does he want? 
“Y/N? Are you asleep?” you hear his very apparent accent.
“What?”
Your glance falls to his figure now leaning against the entrance to your room. He gives you a sheepish smile.
“What do you want?” you squint to make out his features. His eyes and freckles glow in the dark and you notice his ears perk up, as if he’s excited.
“It’s Neteyam,” he gestures to himself.
“I know,” you’re annoyed. You know who he is, does he think you can’t see him?
“Oh, right. I just didn’t want to scare you, so I…”
“Starting with ‘psst” certainly didn’t help,” you bite, “Shouldn’t you be checking on your brother anyway?”
“Technically, I can’t do anything except wait. Then, if it gets suspiciously long, I follow him,” he grins like it’s the funniest thing.
You stare at him quietly, wondering what he's doing in your room, in the middle of the night. Neteyam shifts uncomfortably under your gaze.
“Uh, right. Sorry if we woke you up,” he scratches his head, “I was going to check on you anyway, just didn’t mean to at this hour.”
“Why would you check on me?” you frown.
“I thought you might like someone to talk to you, about moving and stuff.”
“I can talk about it to Tsireya, I’m fine.”
“I know, she’s nice,” Neteyam crouches down, to bring himself on your eye level. He looks embarrassed, “But she thought it would be a good idea for me to talk to you.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re both new here. You see, my family and I moved here a few months ago -”
“I know,” you interrupt him.
“And I get what you’re going through.”
This frustrates you. According to Tsireya, Neteyam is the son of the sixth Toruk Makto. She didn’t tell you much but they left their clan on their own, they wanted a fresh start. As far as you can tell, you and him had nothing in common. You were forced out of your home and had to give up on your life without a choice. How can he get what you’re going through? He has a family. You have no one. 
“Just because we’re both outlanders doesn’t mean that you have to pretend to relate to me, Neteyam. We’re not the same,” it comes out more aggressive than you intended. You notice his ears lower, along with his gaze, “I don’t need a forest boy teaching me the way of water. You’re not my savior.”
Neteyam’s face falls, like you hit a cord with your words. But he didn’t mean to offend you, he only meant good. From the moment he saw you, he thought he recognized something familiar in your expression: longing for home. So when Tsireya suggested one of the foresters befriending you, he thought that you would easily get along. Right now, though, this seemed like a horrible idea.
“Not trying to be a savior, just a friend,” he mumbles, standing up, “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”
You scoff, as Neteyam walks out without a glance back. 
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
The morning is disturbed by the loud sounds of horns, announcing something important. You quickly walk out of your marui to find groups of Na’vi heading towards the center of the village. Tsireya told you that it’s where her father calls for meetings. When you spot Kiri, moving along, you join her. She’s holding hands with a kid.
“Hey, Y/N, this is Tuktirey,” Kiri gestures.
“Tuk,” the kid corrects with a smile and greets you.
“Nice to meet you,Tuk,” you smile back. Judging by her skin, you guess that Tuk belongs to the family of foresters.
“So, should I be worried?” you ask Kiri, motioning to the Na’vi in front of you. It’s really a little crowded for your liking.
“Not sure,” she admits, “These announcements confuse me, I can’t tell when it’s good or bad thing. Often it’s nothing bad though, don’t worry.”
Despite Kiri’s reassurance, you approach the center with a feeling of worry. The feeling in your gut is confirmed as soon as you catch a glimpse of Tsireya with a troubled look on her face. You notice her holding someone’s hand. Blue, five fingers. You can’t see him but you’re sure it’s Lo’ak. When she meets your eye, you mouth to her.
“Is it bad?”
She shakes her head in disappointment. It’s very bad, you think.
When Tonowari clears his throat and steps into the center, everyone falls silent. He keeps it brief, retelling about the attack of the demons on your village. Tonowari suspects that it’s only a matter of time before the sky demons attack again, so everyone must be prepared. It is now prohibited to be alone in unsafe areas, going out in the open water, or too deep into the trees. 
You feel knots forming in your stomach, when panicked questions pour on him.
“The Metkayina needs to be prepared for any outcome, even war,” Tonowari raises his voice again, “Start proofing armors, repair your weapons. Always be on the lookout.”
“This is crazy,” Kiri whispers to you, “I can’t believe that we escaped here to live in fear again.”
It confuses you. You knew that her family moved to live with Metkayina but Tsireya didn’t tell you why. It is bizarre now that you remember that Kiri’s father is Toruk Makto. Why would he leave his home? You make a mental note to question her about it once you’re alone. 
“Kiri, are we going to leave again?” Tuk tugs at her sister with a sniff.
“Mawey, Tuk,” a gentle voice replies instead, as a hand slips around Tuk, caressing her cheeks, “Tuk, Tuk, Tuk.”
Your eyes follow. It’s a tall beautiful woman with bright yellow eyes. You can’t shake off the feeling of how familiar she looks.
“My mom,” Kiri says to you, “Neytiri.”
Right. She looks very similar to Neteyam. Neytiri’s eyes flicker to you, and she graces you with a smile. You bow to greet her.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Once dismissed, you and Kiri fall into the same pace. You don’t talk but you instinctively follow her to the beach, where a group was seated, working on their weapons. Tsireya, Lo’ak, Neteyam, Ao'nung, and Ao'nung’s friend Roxto. You and Kiri sit with them, closing the circle. Sensing that the silence is caused by the same reason you’re feeling anxious, you follow their example and take out your knife. You didn’t have a polishing rock like the others, so instead you focus on reattaching the loosened up string to the handle. You feel Neteyam’s watching you but once you catch him, he looks away.
Kiri meddles with her belt, deep in her thoughts, and you can tell she’s just as anxious as you are.
“Okay, I’m going to say what I think,” Kiri breaks the silence, grabbing everyone’s attention, “This is not good, right? There’s something else they’re not telling us.”
Tsireya’s eyes snap to you but both of you remain quiet.
“No shit, Kiri,” Lo’ak mocks her.
“Shut up, skxawng,” she reaches forward to slap him.
“Hey, you two,” Neteyam gently pushes Kiri away from his brother.
You notice how the younger siblings shoot him an annoyed look but calm down anyway. Last night, Neteyam didn’t seem to hold much power over Lo’ak but right now it appeared that he had some sort of authority. It’s like the possibility of danger made the dynamic between them shift. 
“Nothing’s going to happen, they’re probably lying so that the youngsters stop sneaking out to the forest at night,” Roxto breaks the silence with a snort, then looks at you for support, “Come on, if it was that serious we would be probably doing much more right now.”
There’s some truth to his words, you think. Tonowari did not even come close to explaining how dangerous it could get. Taking measures, like staying within the perimeters of the islans, is hardly something that would keep you safe. Deep in your thought, you continue tightening the string. Neteyam shoots you another glance, and when you look back up, he pushes his polishing stone towards you. You nod at him in appreciation, as you take the tool.
“It’s because of your conversation yesterday with my father, right?” Ao'nung suddenly asks, turning to you. Tsireya tsks at her brother but you sense it is too late.
“Y/N? What do you know?” Kiri adds, concerned.
You sigh, feeling their eyes on you, examining your every small movement. You can almost hear Tsireya’s quiet gasp, as you open your mouth to answer.
“Look, I’m not supposed to tell you this, so keep it to yourself… It’s bad. The demons had many powerful weapons, it took them minutes to burn down my whole village. I don’t know how strong the defense can even be to keep them away. It’s going to be an unfair fight.”
“What do they want? The islands?” Ao'nung pushes for more information.
“They’re looking for a man, who they think is hiding in a water clan,” you answer, noticing how everyone’s ears perk up.
“Do you know who he is?” Lo’ak asks.
“Lo’ak, don’t -” Tsireya tries to interrupt him.
“His name is Jake Sully,” your voice turns with anger, “I’m not sure what he did to them but they were set on killing him. And killing anyone who’s protecting him.”
Dead silence hangs over you, and you suspect that there’s something they’re not telling you. The forest-siblings hang their heads, and you notice Tsireya squeezing Lo’ak’s hand. 
“Wait, so they’re looking for your dad,” Roxto turns to Kiri, “They’re looking for you.”
“Your dad?” you turn to Kiri, “Is Jake Sully your dad?”
Kiri nods, almost ashamed. You feel your throat hurt, as realization washes over you. You escaped exactly where Jake Sully was. It was his kids now sitting in front of you, in their new home, enjoying their care-free life, while your village was burned down to the ground.
“It’s your dad!” you feel anger escalating. You stand up, “I’ve lost everything because of him! The demons thought we were hiding him but he was here all this time!” 
“Y/N, it’s the demons’ fault,” Tsireya stands up too, trying to calm you down, “He only wanted to keep his family safe, he doesn’t want war.”
“We didn’t want war either, but here we are,” you throw your hands in the air, feeling your body shake out of resentment. 
“My father has done nothing wrong,” Neteyam stands up as well, his voice low.
“Your father is wrong for hiding here, while the other clans are at risk of being wiped out!” you’re so frustrated, you wish this was a joke they were playing on you.
But why isn’t anyone agreeing with you? You look at their faces for support but no one dares to speak. Lo’ak keeps his head hanging, and Kiri storms off without a word. A chuckle of disbelief escapes from your lips.
“I guess the great Toruk Makto isn’t that great after all,” you throw bitterly. Neteyam clenches his jaw.
“Y/N, don’t say that. He just wants peace,” Tsireya starts again. 
“We all want peace!” you protest.
“You think it’s so easy, huh? You think he’s hiding?” Neteyam raises his voice at you, “He’s not to blame for their vengeance!”
You hiss at him, more angered. How dare he protect the man who caused all of the chaos? How can they ignore the fact that soon enough they will be losing their homes just like you did?  
“It is easy!” you hiss again, “Let him go out there and face them alone, before they burn down this village too!”
“That’s unfair, I’m not losing my dad,” he growls.
“I lost my home!” 
You’re not sure how things escalate this quickly but one second you’re at a distance growling at each other, and in another instance you lunge at him, catching him off guard. Neteyam falls on his back, as you hold him down with your legs but he’s quick enough to catch your arms before you can even touch him. You hear concerned voices in the background but your only focus is punching him.
The two of you snarl, and as you struggle to free your arms from his grip, he flips you over. Your back hits the ground with a sharp pain but it gives you just enough room to kick him in the gut. Neteyam winces in pain, yet quickly regains his composure by pinning you down, this time paying special attention to having your knees locked together.
“Skxawng,” you let out, frustrated. 
He doesn’t hit you back but he does just enough to stop you from moving, his skin feeling hot against yours.
“Dude, dude,” Lo’ak runs up to him, putting his arms over his shoulders, “Get off her.”
“Not unless she calms down,” Neteyam hisses, completely unaware of the group of adults headed towards the two of you. You try to move but he pins you down again.
You catch a glimpse of Roxto and Ao'nung chuckling at the fight, while Tsireya covers her mouth in concern. Then, you spot Neytiri.
“Neteyam!” she shouts. Neteyam pauses at the sound of her voice, ears perking up.
“Shit,” Lo’ak whispers, backing away, “Neteyam, get off.”
“That’s right, get off me, you skxawng,” you say, humiliated by the position he put you in.
Defeated and angry, Neteyam shoots you a quick look, before finally releasing you from his grip. You huff out of frustration, as you sit up, trying to recover your breath. By the time Neytiri approaches the scene, Neteyam’s already standing with his head hanging low. Lo’ak stands a little behind, as if to avoid the confusion of who’s at fault.
Neytiri’s eyes run you up and down, then examine her sons, as if trying to piece together what happened. She remains quiet, before kneeling down in front of you, and taking your hand in hers. You’re all surprised by her gentle demeanor.
“Are you hurt?” she asks you, lifting your arm to examine it. Then moves to get a look at your back.
“I’m good,” you shake your head, freeing yourself from her grasp.
“Neteyam,” Neytiri stands up, now turning to her son, anger evident in her voice, “Apologize. Now.”
“Mom, they were just joking,” Lo’ak tries to tone down the situation but she shuts him up by raising her hand.
Without a second of hesitation, Neteyam nods and meets your eyes, before saying loudly for everyone to hear.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me,” you hiss, annoyed.
“Mother, can we go now?” Lo’ak asks.
Neytiri nods, and three of them walk away. Soon enough, you can hear her scolding her oldest son. Tsireya runs up to you, helping you up to your feet.
“Y/N, are you hurt? You just recovered!” she sounds genuinely upset.
“I’m not hurt, he didn’t do anything.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about that. I didn’t know,” she lowers her eyes to the ground, “Not until the talk you had with my father.”
“I know, I don’t blame you,” you sigh, “But why would you send him to talk to me?”
“I thought he could help,” she explains, hoping you’d understand, “Lo’ak is not talkative, and Kiri’s hasn’t been taking the change very well. Neteyam’s the only one who likes it here. So I thought he’d be the best to talk to.”
You nod. She makes a good point. But his whole attitude, the pretentious novelty, it pisses you off. Acting tough and proper when his mother is around, but in reality, selfish. He doesn’t care that you’ve lost everything because of his father. He has a new home he likes. And siblings, and parents... You feel jealous. 
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
You are a good hunter. You have a good aim, and you’re fast. You used to think that you would be a good asset in danger but the way you froze, when you were attacked by the demons, makes you hesitant. What if that happens again? What if you come face-to-face with them and freeze? 
The air outside of your room is refreshingly cold. You watch the dark sky hang over the sleepy Awa’atlu. In an attempt to clear your head, you start wandering around the village, eventually stopping at the terrace blending into the beach. Your ears perk up at faint voices, and as your eyes follow, you find two Na’vi by the water, oblivious to your presence. It looks like they are pretending to wrestle each other, letting out occasional laughs. You recall your earlier not-so-pretend fight with Neteyam and sigh out of frustration, taking a seat on the grass. 
As one throws the other one to the ground, you think you recognize Neteyam. He laughs, swaying his hair, then gives a hand to help out his companion to his feet. The other Na’vi is taller than him, with broader shoulder, longer hair. Your breath catches in your throat, as you guess who that might be.
“Yeah, that’s him,” you hear a confirmation, and almost jump up.
Lo’ak is standing next to you, his gaze forward.
“Jake Sully?” 
“My dad,” he confirms again.
You turn your attention back to the two Na’vi wrestling, and you watch them for a moment. Eventually, Lo’ak sits down next to you.
“Neteyam’s his favorite,” he says, “He’s the perfect son. The mighty warrior.”
“The mighty warrior?” you repeat.
“He likes to call himself that,” Lo’ak explains, “To piss me off.”
“Does it work?”
“Yeah,” he chuckles, “It pisses me off.”
“Why aren’t you pissed off at me?” you turn to face to him.
“Why aren’t you?” he asks in return, “You’re angry at Neteyam but not at me.”
You pause. You’re not really sure why Lo’ak joining you didn’t frustrate you, the way Neteyam’s presence would. Maybe it’s because Lo’ak seemed guilty earlier. He didn’t stand up for his dad, so there must be something both of you agree on.
“He pisses me off too,” you answer, turning your gaze back to Neteyam in the distance, “I don’t like when people pretend to care. Because once something threatens their peace, they really show how they don’t give a crap about you.”
“Neteyam doesn’t pretend about caring,” Lo’ak disagrees, “Sure, he pretends all the time but not when it comes to caring. He cares.”
“Not about me anyway,” you scoff. 
Lo’ak falls silent. You got him there, you had a point. Thoughts race through your mind, as you try to comprehend what to make of this. Perhaps you judged too quickly, not knowing the whole story. What if it was your sister? Would you be willing to put at risk the peace of your village to protect her? No, that would never happen. She would face the enemy herself, not even letting you have a say in the matter. 
“My father is not a bad guy,” Lo’ak interrupts your thoughts, “I’m not saying that he does everything right but… we’re all he got.”
You don’t react. You don’t really want to hear him justify his dad, make him seem vulnerable.
“He turned down his whole life for my mom. Left everything he believed in behind because he wanted to be with her,” Lo’ak continues, “Even became one of us… He is one of us.”
“Is that why…” you instinctively glance at his fingers, and Lo’ak shifts, “Is it true? Tsireya said that Eywa blessed him.”
He nods. You let out a tired sigh. It’s exhausting to think about it. His father was blessed by Eywa, he is the Toruk Makto. Who are you to disagree with the Great Mother? 
“I don’t know anymore,” you admit defeated, “I just don’t think it’s fair… that others get punished. More harm can be avoided.”
“I know,” Lo’ak agrees with you, “But the demons are stronger, they never give up. We woke up to war every day back home.”
You listen to him with curiosity. You don’t know much about their past life but you wonder if the war really was a constant in the forest.
“It’s why we moved, you know?” his voice hitches, “My father knew that they were never going to let us live peacefully, so we tried hiding here instead.” 
You hum. You’re not sure if it’s the tiredness creeping up on you, or genuine empathy, but you feel sorry for Lo’ak. He seems to feel at fault for the consequences of his father’s choices. It’s almost like he speaks more to himself than to you. Justifies things to ease his heart.
“Seems like they’re done,” Lo’ak gets up, “I’m gonna go before dad catches me sneaking out.”
You force a small smile, as you watch Jake and Neteyam dust the sand off their bodies. It takes you a while to move from your spot, but not quickly enough, as Neteyam spots you from a distance. He keeps his eyes on you, and you can almost feel your blood boil.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
For the next few days, things change rapidly. You notice that everyone is busy with their chores, rushing, and preparing, the feeling of danger weighing down on them. Tonowari orders for the hunters and skilled fighters to divide into pairs, assigning them to guard the island every night. Divers work on protective armors for their ilus. There is a big shift in the air.
Speaking about these measures to Tsireya gives you an unsettling feeling. You don’t talk about the Sully’s to her, even though they’re constantly on your mind. You just can’t believe that Tonowari agrees to protect them. 
Tsireya’s still hesitant to bring them up when you question her about her father’s plans, even though you’re well aware that Jake Sully actively participates in the matters of protection. She doesn’t know that it’s been keeping you up every night. To trust this man to protect you, when he is the reason for the attacks. His name alone forces painful visions of your sister and her mate, crouched down on the sand, with a weapon pointed at them. 
“Have you talked to Kiri, since the…?” Tsireya starts hesitantly. You haven’t. It upsets you because in a short time, you had begun to see Kiri as a friend. 
“Not really,” you hang your head, “I didn’t want to attack her, it’s just…”
“I’m sure she knows,” Tsireya nods, “She protects her father but she feels guilty too. When she heard about your fight with Neteyam, she kind of scolded him.” 
Tsireya bites down on her lip, hiding a small smile. You can’t really help a smile stretching your lips too. You would have loved to see Neteyam getting scolded. Just the thought of it makes you feel a little better.
“I feel bad, it’s not her fault,” you admit.
“Maybe you two can talk it out?” Tsireya asks hopefully.
“Maybe.”
“I’ll let her know.”
Unlike the other siblings, you’ve seen plenty of Lo’ak in the past few days. Mostly because you’re only hanging out with Tsireya, and, well, Lo’ak wants to be around her. It’s silly excuses, when they sneak away, leaving you alone. She even got in trouble for wandering with him around the guarded areas.
Lo’ak doesn’t make you feel awkward. The two of you don’t really talk but neither of you feels pressured to. You like to think that you and him reached some sort of understanding the other night. Partially, you feel bad for him for having Jake Sully for his father, and Neteyam, as his older brother. As a younger sister to Tsahik, you can relate to the pressure of always reaching for, yet never getting it all.
But when it comes to seeing Neteyam in the village... The angry looks that you exchange with him when passing each other just make your whole body ache. You barely hold yourself back from hissing at him. It’s bad. You already had not one, but two people you hated.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
That evening, when you return to your marui, you’re surprised to find Kiri waiting for you. She stands up, as you approach, and the two of you look at each other for a moment before you pull her into a hug. 
“I didn’t mean to yell at you, the other day,” you admit, pulling away from her, “It’s not your fault.”
“I get it,” she sighs, “If I were you, I’d be mad. I’m kind of mad now.”
While you dreaded this conversation, it goes quite smoothly with Kiri. You don’t feel judgment on her side for disagreeing with her father. You think it’s unfair that the only person who makes you feel less of an outsider has to be the daughter of Jake Sully. 
“I feel angry because I can’t get used to the thought of just sitting here and waiting?” you finish on a higher note, hoping that she can relate, “Because while we’re here, the demons are killing innocent Na’vi. Village by village. It’s terrifying. I just wish I could do something to protect them.”
Kiri nods and stares off into the distance, deep in her thoughts. You can feel the guilt she beares on her shoulders but she fights it to protect her family. Suddenly, she turns her head, yellow eyes glistening, like she has the brightest solution.
“Y/N, how well do you know the islands?” she asks.
“Um, there are about hundreds of them but I know roughly where the settlements."
“So if we wanted to warn them about the intruders, do you think you would be able to map them out and guide us there?”
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Now that you think about it, you feel like a fool for not figuring it out earlier. Why didn’t anyone?
Sure, news would travel between neighboring villages but you were forgetting that the Awa’atlu was on the very far ends of the islands. And, by the time the others were warned about the possible attacks, there would be nothing left. 
When you and Kiri propose the idea of swimming to the islands, and first-hand warning their Olo’eyktans, Tonowari hesitates. Not many in his clan are familiar with the other settlements, especially within the Eastern reefs, and underestimating the time frames could cost him lives. 
“We don’t have to warn everyone, just as many as we can,” you plead, “And what if we the close-located clans fight back in unions. Surely, they would respect your advice as the Olo'eyktan.”
“It worked when Toruk Makto did it,” Tonowari hums in agreement, “It would be difficult to unionize all of the islands but there is a better chance of surviving for smaller unions.”
“They at least deserve to know what’s coming, please,” you push further, and eventually gain an approving nod from him.
Quickly, small groups of the best Metkayina swimmers are formed to be assigned for the realization of the plan. While most of them are familiar with the neighboring islands, you’re the one mapping out the Eastern Sea settlements for them. And although Tonowari immediately turns down your offer of joining them, you feel slightly better for at least contributing.
You go over your roughly drawn map on the sand one more time with the final group of three Metkayina swimmers, your goal to ensure that they are aware of the safest paths to approach the villages. The group is gathered around you, listening carefully, and as you talk, you feel someone watching you from afar. It’s Neteyam. You take a moment to refocus before finding the track of your words again.
“Thank you, Y/N, we got it from here,” Sokxot, one of the swimmer says, when you finish up.
You stay to watch as they swim away on their ilus, in your mind, praying to Eywa to guide them safely to their destination. When you think you’re left alone, you’re surprised to find Neteyam here. You frown at him. What does he want? Intimidate you with his staring? You’re taken aback when he decides to approach you.
“Y/N,” his greets you with a calm voice, then points to the map you drew, “This was your idea?”
“Kiri’s,” you correct him.
“Still, you helped a lot,” Neteyam stares at the map, as if trying to memorize it. You roll your eyes at him.
“Guess I don’t like sitting and waiting for danger,”
“I really hope this makes a difference,” he says, sounding almost sincere.
You watch after him as he walks away, and let out a sigh. The two of you were too grown to act like kids. 
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
On the third day since their departure, two groups of Metkayina swimmers return with updates. Tonowari immediately calls for a meeting, and it's revealed that a significant number of villages have already been warned of the impending danger. The warned clans also started sending out their own swimmers, forming a whole network between the hundreds of villages.
But more importantly, you had the first case of a union between three smaller clans on the Eastern islands that managed to prepare just in time for the attack. Taken aback by the preparedness of Na’vi, the sky demons suffered greatly in numbers. Of course, the clans had casualties, but they managed to force the enemy to back away, and keep their homes safe. 
It's the first good news that the Metkayina have heard in weeks, and you can see the happiness on their faces. You feel a sense of satisfaction with what you've achieved, and even Tonowari can't help but sneak a smile as he urges everyone to remain careful and calm.
To celebrate your little victory, Tsireya invites you to swim with her and the rest of her friends somewhere special. You didn’t mind that the Sully’s, especially Neteyam, were joining. You thought you would ignore him and allow yourself to enjoy being a little carefree. 
Tsireya takes you to a sacred place - the Cove of Ancestors, where you could express your gratitude to Eywa by the Spirit Tree. Mesmerized by the beauty of it all, you can’t stop looking around. And judging by the reaction of the Sully kids, it’s probably their first time here too. Tsireya excitedly watches your faces, when showing you the Spirit Tree from afar. Underneath the surface of water, its roots glow with unique undertones, breathing in and out. 
“Tsireya, this is incredible,” you awe, as she gives you a giddy smile.
“Come,” she waves you over, disappearing under the water. 
With Tsireya, Kiri, Lo’ak, and Ao’nung disappear too. Distracted by the sight around you, you fall a little behind, and find yourself not too far from Neteyam. He is not a bad swimmer but he is definitely slow compared to you. 
You’re not really thinking about it, when you stay back to watch him. It’s almost entertaining how greedily his eyes take in the surroundings, seeming almost golden in this light. A smile tugs at your lips.
Your skin shivers, as a cool wind wraps around your body. Then you notice it. A single woodsprite appears in the air, flying around you and grazing your skin. You feel blessed to witness a sign of the Great Mother, but as you reach out to gently touch it, it moves away. Your smile fades, when the seed starts floating around Neteyam’s head. Is Eywa trying to tell you something? Maybe you were being too harsh with him. 
With another blow of the wind, the woodsprite disappears, leaving Neteyam completely oblivious to what just happened. When he turns around and meets your gaze, your throat tightens. His expression is unreadable. What is he thinking?
“I should probably catch up with the rest,” you clear your throat.
Neteyam only nods, and as you swim past him, it almost seems like you catch a hint of disappointment on his face. You can’t be distracted by the sign right now. 
When you reach the Tree and submerge, you find Tsireya, Lo’ak, and Ao'nung already linking their queues to the roots. Trying not to disturb them, you quietly swim to the opposite side, bringing out your queue. From the corner of your eye, you spot Neteyam but you decide to ignore him.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Words cannot describe how healed you feel, when you open your eyes. As if your inner and outer worlds have finally merged again, making you whole. With a smile, you swim up to the surface to reunite with the rest of the group, ready to share your happiness, when you notice troubled expressions on their faces.
“Did anyone see Kiri before we came here?” Lo’ak asks, and everyone shakes their heads, “Shit, Neteyam.”
“She said she’d swim a bit more before joining us by the Tree,” Tsireya replies.
“Alright, everyone, let’s divide and start looking for her,” Neteyam orders, calling out to his ilu.
It doesn’t take much convincing, as quickly, one by one, all of you get on your ilus and disperse. 
Tsireya’s story about Kiri falling asleep in the water resurfaces in your mind. It happened before, right? Kiri is probably fine, you try to convince yourself, but you can’t help the nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach.
As you swim up for a breath, you take a deep dive again, determined to search for Kiri in the depths of the water. Silent prayers to Eywa express your gratitude, when your gaze is drawn to a small figure hidden between tall leaves. Your heart skips a beat as you realize what you are seeing: Kiri's whole body is glowing with an otherworldly light. In all your years, you have never seen anything quite like it.
Noticing that she has begun to violently shake, you quickly swim to Kiri, and gently pull her queue away, forcing her body to go limp. Desperately, you try to get her out of the leaves, but it seems that the harder you try, the tighter they grip her limbs.
Your mind starts racing, and panic begins to set in, when you suddenly see a pair of hands cutting down the leaves around Kiri's body with a small knife. Right, a knife! You take out yours and start helping. With the last of the leaves cut, Kiri's body begins to float upwards. Neteyam quickly wraps his arm around her middle, and signals for you to follow, as he places her on his ilu and swims to the surface. 
You race after him, your heart pounding in your chest. As you break the surface, Neteyam’s already positioning Kiri’s body on a flat rock, gently shaking her. You join him, noting how calm and collected he seems.
“Neteyam, there’s something wrong. She was still linked and shaking, when I found her,” your voice breaks. 
“Shit,” he curses, and checks for Kiri’s breath.
You watch as he starts performing something strange: Neteyam breathes air into Kiri’s mouth, then starts counting as he presses down on her chest in an unfamiliar rhythm. A wave of fear washes over you, when you notice his hands start shaking.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Neteyam curses again, “Help me, please.”
“I don’t know what to do, Neteyam,” you panic, “She’s not breathing!”
“When I stop pressing, just try to breathe out as much air as you can into her mouth,” he orders, and continues counting.
“Alright, alright,” you try to calm yourself down.
You do your best following his instructions, and it seems to put him back on track too. But as time drags on, and Kiri still doesn't respond, both of you begin to feel a sense of despair. 
Just as you're about to give up hope, Kiri moves weakly beneath you, and finally takes a breath on her own. You let out a sigh of relief, tears streaming down your face.
“It worked,” Neteyam’s eyes glisten, as he checks for her breathing.
"We need to take her to Tsahik, right now," you breathe out, and he nods.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Everything afterwards happens in a blur of confusion. Your heart races, as you nervously pace around Tsahik’s marui, where Kiri is getting examined by a group of strangers: a Na’vi wearing human clothes, and two sky people who arrived on a flying ship. Jake and Neteyam are with them in the room, talking and talking, but you can’t quite understand. 
There is a tension in the air when Neytiri returns with Ronal. She raises her voice at them, and before you can even begin to wonder what's going on, the men exit the marui, leaving the women alone. You catch a glimpse of Jake as he passes by you, and for a moment, you feel struck by his presence. 
He looks tired and scared, like he has been suffering for a long time now. You recall your conversation with Lo’ak. While in your mind you are convinced that he is the bad guy, seeing him in this state makes you feel a twinge of sympathy for him. 
“You don’t have to wait,” Neteyam pulls you out of your thoughts. His words are not necessarily ill-intended, but you still feel out of place.
“I want to make sure she’s alright,” you explain. Neteyam only nods, “What are they saying?”
He falls silent, as if contemplating whether he needs to reveal to you whatever he knows. 
“She’s going to be better, right?” your voice hitches.
“Hey, hey,” he crouches down next to you, “Of course, she will. Kiri is very strong.”
It’s only a second of vulnerability showing on his side, before the usual mask slips back onto his face, and you can’t tell what he’s thinking. At all. Both of your attentions are quickly drawn back to the marui, when Ronal steps out. Jake rushes to her side, with Neteyam and you close on his heels.
“She is weak but the Great Mother granted her another chance,” Ronal answers, “Now, she needs her rest.”
“Thank you,” Jake expresses with sincerity in his voice, before disappearing into the marui. From the inside, you hear soft sobs. Neteyam hesitates to take a step, glancing back at you.
“Go in, see for yourself,” you encourage him, and he complies.
At the risk of interrupting their family moment, you sit down slightly far from the marui, waiting. You’re not sure how much time passes, when Jake walks out. You shift uncomfortably when he approaches you.
“Thank you, Y/N,” he clears his throat, as he crouches in front of you, “You saved my daughter.”
“I only found her,” you admit, “If it wasn’t for Neteyam…”
“You did well, you got to her just in time,” Jake interrupts, “Neteyam said that you even helped him with chest compressions.”
“I don’t know what that even was,” you genuinely chuckle. You only guessed it was something borrowed from the sky people.
“Yet you saved her, thank you,” he insists with a small smile.
You look at him, trying to read his face. There’s something in his eyes that suggests he’s being genuine. He breaks the silence again, this time his tone more careful.
“I know about your fight with Neteyam. He didn’t want to tell me the reason but I guessed it was something serious. There’s really not many things to get him to act like that.”
“I can’t possibly agree or understand your decisions,” you remain calm, despite the rushing heat to your face, “I think it’s unfair.”
“I know, I’m not always making the best decisions,” he shakes his head, “And I get why you don’t like me much but I can’t risk losing my family.”
“You don’t have to,” you interrupt, “If you just go out there alone, they’ll stop hurting everybody else.”
“I wish it had been that easy. I don’t even care about my own death anymore, but I just know it won’t be enough,” he seems defeated, “They will come for my family next. Everything that I care for, and more. They did once already.”
“But aren’t you the one they’re looking for?”
“It’s grown beyond vengeance at this point,” Jake shakes his head, “They caught Lo’ak and Kiri once, and Tuk… they had Tuk. If anything happened to them, I don’t know what I would have done. We barely got them out, it was…”
“Must have been terrifying,” you finish for him. You think back to your sister getting caught, held at a gunpoint, and your chest hurts with sudden empathy for him.
As a father, it must be times more terrifying for him to see his kids in the hands of an enemy. It makes sense now: the great Toruk Makto had a weak spot. 
“I think I get it,” you nod in understanding, “When they captured my sister... I have never been more scared in my life. It still keeps me up every night.”
“I’m sorry,” Jake sighs, “Do you know if she’s…?”
“Alive? I don’t know. She promised to come looking for me, once it’s safe but it’s been weeks now,” your voice hitches, “When they were about to capture me, she pushed me out of the way, which really pissed them off. Especially their chief.”
“I hope you get to see her again,” Jake reaches out, to pat you on your shoulder. You let him, “It is honorable to sacrifice yourself for the other to live. Eywa will bless her for keeping you alive.”
“I feel like I failed her, hiding here,” you look away in an attempt to hide the tears filling up your eyes, “I should have stayed there.”
“It’s not your fault, kid, you did your best,” Jake gently touches your chin to turn your face back to him. When he notices your tears, his eyebrows knit together in worry, “She would be proud of you.”
A small sob escapes your lips, and you feel ashamed to break down in front of him. You’re caught off guard, when Jake pulls you into a hug. It’s strangely comforting how tight it feels in your throat, as you bury your face in his chest, letting yourself silently cry. You feel him pat you on the back, until you can finally slowly recover your breath.
“Dad?” Neteyam’s voice grabs both of your attention. He leans against the entrance of the marui, looking confused between the two of you.
You instantly pull away from Jake, hanging your head in a mix of strange emotions. It’s not every day that you receive comfort from the very person you thought was your enemy. 
“I’ll be right there,” Jake says, standing up, “Do you want to see her, Y/N?”
You nod in gratitude, wiping away your tears before following Jake. As you enter, Neteyam gives you a puzzled look, like he’s trying to figure out what the hell you and his father were talking about. Your eyes land on Neytiri, sat by Kiri’s side, holding her hand in hers. 
“How is she?” Jake asks, sitting down next to his mate and pulling her into his side.
“She is going to be better, once she rests,” Neytiri answers quietly, returning her eyes to Kiri, and stroking her cheek, “My child.”
You feel out of place in the presence of the Sully family. Just a few days ago, you thought you hated Jake, and now you find yourself caring for his family. 
You suddenly realize that if he knows about your fight with Neteyam, then Neytiri surely knows too. You can't help but wonder if she hates you. Standing there, you feel like an intruder, interrupting their vulnerable moment.
“Y/N,” Neytiri's voice pulls you out of your thoughts, “Thank you for saving my child.”
“You did good, kid,” Jake adds, then turns his gaze to Neteyam, “Both of you.”
As you open your mouth to protest, Neytiri cuts you off with a firm tone. 
“Get some rest. You too, Neteyam.”
As much as you want to say something, anything, there's a strange authority in Neytiri's voice that makes it impossible to disobey. It's strange because she reminds you of your mother - strong, stubborn, yet caring. You were never able to disobey your mother.
“It’s okay, kid, you can check on Kiri later,” Jake encourages.
With a grateful nod, you leave the marui. Neteyam silently follows you out.
“Um, I should probably go tell the others now,” he grabs your attention.
“Yes, Lo’ak must be worried,” you agree with him.
Lo’ak wasn’t allowed to be with you in the marui. He was staying with Tuk, until further instructions, whereas Tsireya and Ao'nung got scolded by their mother for not keeping an eye on Kiri, and were sent home right away. Neteyam and you were the only ones who were overlooked in the matter.
“Thank you for helping me back there,” he scratches his head, “If it wasn’t for you, I could’ve lost her.”
“I don’t think I deserve the credit here, ‘Teyam,” you pause.
Did you just call him by his nickname? ‘Teyam? Do you think you’re friends? Shit. 
His eyes widen and you catch just a tiniest hint of a small smile before he bites down on his lip to hide it.
“Neteyam,” you correct yourself, “I froze when I couldn’t get her out of those leaves. I can’t believe I forgot about my knife.”
“Hey, and I panicked. But in the end, we kind of made a good team,” he snorts.
“Right,” you chuckle at the irony.
Because you’re both headed in the same direction, Neteyam and you walk together in silence. After a while, he catches your attention again.
“I saw you talking to my father,” he hesitates before meeting your eyes, “Can I ask you about it?”
“You can ask him if you want.”
“So it went badly?” Neteyam guesses.
“No, not half as bad as I expected,” you stop in your tracks, before admitting, “Actually, I think I kind of get it.”
Neteyam only nods but you’re not sure if he really understands the value behind your words. He hopes that it means a change of your perception but deep down, he still feels a little scared. You don’t talk for the rest of the way but you don’t seem bothered by his presence, your thoughts now occupied with the woodsprite you saw earlier. Maybe Eywa was right and the two of you can mend this after all.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
“Y/N,” Tsireya’s soft voice wakes you up. She has a bright smile on her face, “Kiri’s awake! I thought you’d like to see her.”
Together, you make your way towards Tsahik’s marui, already noticing the Sully’s and friends coming and going. Tsireya pulls you along with her, but miscalculates her grip, causing you to bump into someone. It’s Neteyam. You can feel your cheeks flush with embarrassment. 
“Mawey, Y/N,” he grins, as he steadies you by your shoulders. You can hear Ao’nungs low chuckle but ignore him.
“Sorry, Y/N,” Tsireya whispers to you. 
“I’m fine,” you smile at her, then turn back to Neteyam. He still keeps his hands on you, “Neteyam.”
“Good morning to you too,” he says, finally lowering his hands. Still, you’re too close to each other. 
Before things get more awkward, Kiri’s voice breaks the tension. She calls out your name, and you rush to join her by the mat, taking her hands in yours with worry. Kiri weakly smiles in response. 
“I promise, I am doing better,” she reassures you, “And for that I have to thank my saviors! You hear that?” she loudly asks.
“I was worried sick for you, and you’re joking,” you roll your eyes at her, but can’t help a giddy smile. You’re glad she’s back to her normal self. You stay with her for some time, questioning her about her health, as she tries to swat you away.
“Out, out, Kiri has to eat!” Neytiri’s voice interrupts your small exchange, “And rest!”
She walks in with a bowl of cut up fruits in her hands, on her way managing to usher out some of the visitors. 
“Mom,” Kiri whines annoyedly.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
That night you’re haunted by a nightmare. You’re swimming in the crystal-clear water, the warm sun rays piercing your eyes with a satisfying itch. From afar, you make out the beach which you would recognize anywhere: you’re back home, in your village. As you dive into the depths, you suddenly feel a hand clasping yours but the feeling is familiar. It’s your sister, swimming alongside you.
You smile. It reminds you of the old times, when you were little, spending your time swimming and holding hands with your sister, so none of you gets lost. Suddenly, the darkness engulfs you, making it hard to see. You look up to find a massive cloud forming in the sky, and you try to pull your sister with you to the surface. But she doesn’t budge, instead letting go of your hand with a small smile. Gasping for air, you break the surface, before diving back in for her, but this time she’s even farther away from you. You try to reach her again again and again, but each time the air in your lungs gets thinner, as she slips further away, eventually hitting the bottom. 
You wake up, with your sister’s name lingering on your lips. It’s still dark outside, and too early for the morning. To clear your head, you head towards the trees, deeper on the island. 
As you push through the dense bushes, you finally reach a small clearing nestled between tall trees. Then bang! All of a sudden someone throws you off your feet, hitting your back against the ground, and you see a familiar face hover above you. He’s so close, you can feel his braids grazing your skin. Neteyam. You growl.
“What the hell?” you slap his chest angrily, but he doesn’t budge, his arms firmly planted by the sides of your face. His knee rests between your thighs, restricting your movement.
“This is a familiar pose,” he smirks, and you roll your eyes at him, “Why aren’t you asleep?”
You notice a headpiece he’s wearing that you’ve never seen on him before. It looks like the ones that guardians assigned by Tonowari wear during their shifts.
“I was trying to clear my head. Why aren’t you?”
“I’m guarding,” he smiles, “This very same area, by the way.”
“You’re a guardian?” you snort.
Neteyam shakes his head amused, swaying his braids over your skin. Almost mocking you.
“Get off me,” you lightly slap his chest again, but he has something else on his mind. To tease you further, he pins your arms, and pushes his knee against you, right between your thighs.
You know that it’s innocent on his side, but your body reacts differently, separate from your mind. You feel blood rush to your face, as your ears, like a pair of wings, suddenly flutter in pleasure. Of course this doesn’t escape his eyes. You can see his pupils dilate, and an unreadable expression covering his face. You want to hide and scream out of embarrassment.
“Please,” you plead, and he pulls away from you so fast, it’s almost like he takes a leap. 
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he apologizes, keeping a small distance between you.
He’s embarrassed too, you think. He doesn’t meet your eyes, but you can almost see how hundreds of thoughts are rushing through his brain in an attempt to change the subject. You sit up, dusting off your skin in uncomfortable silence, until he finally dares to speak up. 
“Do you want me to walk you back?” he scratches his head, “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“No,” your voice is so low. Shit, “I need to clear my head.”
“Did you have a nightmare?” he asks gently.
You stand up, to dust the remains off your back and knees. You feel Neteyam’s eyes roaming over your body. 
“I saw my sister in my dream,” you finally answer, “It just confused me more.”
“Confused you about what?” 
“The signs. I can’t figure out what Eywa is trying to tell me.”
“Tell me,” Neteyam offers, it’s not an order. 
You hesitate. Opening up to him out of all Na’vi? To be fair, you’d rather tell someone who doesn’t care about you, who would just listen for the sake of curiosity, not pity or empathy. But also he looks so sincere and trustworthy. Is the tiredness suddenly affecting your perception of him?
“Well,” you sigh, “Ever since my parents died, I could feel their presence whenever I talked to Eywa. And the other day, by the Spirit Tree, I thought that if my sister were dead, then I’d feel her too. But I couldn’t.”
“And the nightmare makes you think otherwise?” 
“Yes. In the nightmare, we were swimming but every time I tried pulling her with me to the surface, to get her out, she wouldn’t budge. It’s like she didn’t want to be saved.”
“A nightmare can be just a nightmare, Y/N,” Neteyam pats your shoulder to comfort you.
“This was different,” you shake your head in disagreement, “I can feel it. I just wish I didn’t get my hopes up.”
Faint voices catch your attention. Neteyam’s ears perk up, as he focuses on the sounds in the distance, suddenly very aware of his surroundings.
"What do you hear?" you ask but he brings his thumb to your lips, shushing you. 
“If the other guards hear you, they’ll take me off the duty.”
It feels like an eternity as he keeps his thumb over your lips. He stares off into darkness but all you can do is look at him. You admire how the moonlight highlights his features, his freckles  and eyes glowing in the dark. His breathing is slow, strangely calming. You can’t help but think that the headpiece suits him even though it doesn’t prevent some of his braids escaping and framing his face. It’s almost funny how they seem to have a life on their own, swaying from left to right with every small movement he makes.
There is a flutter in your chest, as you realize how handsome he is. Shit. Maybe you’re just tired. 
You wrap your fingers around his wrist, lowering his hand from your face, and it finally seems to catch his attention. You let your fingers linger on his skin for a little longer before letting go. 
“Your purpose is to get me in trouble, isn’t it?” Neteyam smiles.
“What?” you frown at him.
“First, it was the fighting, now you happen to sneak away to the area I guard, so I get busted?” 
“I didn’t intentionally -” you start justifying yourself but he’s quick to interrupt.
“I know, I’m kidding.”
Kidding. You admit that, given your history, it is a little funny. You can’t help but smile back.
The exhaustion seems to creep up on you, as you let out a yawn.
“I am probably going to regret this,” Neteyam mumbles, as if more to himself, than to you, “You know how Kiri sometimes falls asleep in random places?”
“Yeah?” 
“Since you don’t want to go back to your bed, you can crash here,” he scratches his forehead, slightly embarrassed, as he points to the patch of grass in front of you.
“You want me to sleep here?” you snort.
“I’m just saying, give it a try. I promise I will be on the lookout.”
You consider it for a second. It sounds ridiculous but the lush grass does seem inviting, softer than your bed. Another yawn creeps up on you. Is it bad that you want to stay here for a while?
“I-I’m not sure I can sleep here,” you admit. Not under his gaze anyway.
“Oh, come on, it’s easy,” he suddenly warms up.
Neteyam stretches out on the grass and waves you over with the biggest grin.
“This is what Kiri does. She just lies down, relaxes, and just like that, she’s off to her dream world,” Neteyam imitates his sister, “Come on.”
“Alright,” you give up, as you walk over to him.
You know it’s innocent but you still feel nervous. Neteyam pats the grass next to him, encouraging you to lay down. You comply, and he watches you relax, as he tousles some of the grass beneath your head. This was a bad idea. 
“Feels good, right?” he asks, propping himself up on one elbow so he can look at you.
You close your eyes and take a deep breath. It does. 
“I’m starting to understand why Kiri falls asleep so easily,” you say, and hear him chuckle.
“Right? Sleeping outside is way more fun. There is just something about the open sky,” he sighs, “It reminds me of home.”
You keep your eyes closed but you can sense Neteyam’s still watching you.
“What is it?” you ask.
“Oh, nothing,” he sounds flustered, like he got caught, “I just thought you had fallen asleep already.” 
“Neteyam?”
“Hm?”
You turn your head to look at him, meeting his curious golden eyes.
“Can you tell me something? I’m not too sleepy yet,” you admit. 
“What would you like to hear?” his voice is soft. So soft, you have to tense your ears to hear him. 
And he talks. It was easy to guess that Neteyam would speak about the things he values the most, about his family. You’re conflicted between hearing him out and discovering this new world you never knew existed, or leaving him here alone to avoid the guilt weighing down on you. 
He tells you about his mother with pride, about her accomplishments and how she stood up for the things she believed in. He mentions that her clan was closely acquainted with the ‘good’ sky people who lived near the rainforest where he was born. These were the ones that tried helping Kiri yesterday. He also tells you about his father, who came from a star, and how he was almost killed by his mother before being saved by Eywa. He speaks fondly of his grandfather, whom he was told to look like, and who was a skilled warrior and protector of his clan, despite never having known him personally. And he tells you about his grandmother, who was strict but deeply loving. He missed her everyday since moving.
As Neteyam talks about the rainforest, his eyes light up with excitement. His descriptions are so vivid and detailed that you can almost see the towering trees, the creatures, and the weapons used by the Omatikaya. At times, he has to articulate with his hands and body to explain it. You feel your tiredness slip away. The more he talks, the more intrigued you get by his life, his stories.
At some point, you overtake the conversation, telling him about your home. You’re rushing through your words because there is so much you want to share. As if its pure existence depends on how much you can recall. At first, Neteyam has a guilty expression that eventually turns into a curious one. Sure, he’s been living with a water clan for months now but the way he reacted to your stories could make you think that he had never even seen water up close. 
Hours pass, as your voices get smaller, and drowsiness completely takes over the two of you.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
When you wake up, you feel slightly restrained around your middle. You’re holding onto Neteyam’s arm, wrapped around your middle, and your legs intertwined. Shit.
“Neteyam,” you turn around, slightly shoving him, “”Teyam.”
He slowly opens his eyes, blinking the sleep away. It takes a moment for him to focus on you. So close, you think. Too close.
“Do you mind?” you gesture at his arm.
Neteyam’s a little slow in the morning, you notice. His eyes lazily follow your movement, roam over your body, as if trying to understand what happened, until he finally realizes. You swear, for a second you hear a faint flutter of his ears.
Your eyes snap back at him, and he sheepishly smiles, pulling away.
“Finally,” you mumble, as you get off the grass, “I should…I should go, I promised Tsireya that we’ll do this thing, um, in the morning.” Why can’t you lie? 
“Right, and my shift’s over, so my mom will be looking for me,” Neteyam nods his head.
“Uh, well, I’ll see you around then?” you hesitate.
“Sure.”
Is he brushing you off? Slightly embarrassed, you turn around and walk ahead. When you hear his voice call out to you, your heart skips a beat.
“Y/N?”
“Yeah?”
“Friends?” 
You pause for a second, then nod with a smile. His face lightens up. Let’s try. 
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Trying is definitely a good word to describe this new friendship you’re developing with Neteyam. Within a group, you still keep your distance. So much, that it almost seems like your friendship is supposed to be a secret. You’re scared of being called a hypocrite if you get too close. But you were on good terms with Lo’ak, and basically best friends with Kiri, so there’s really no reason for anyone to call you that. Ugh, but it’s different. Neteyam is different.
When you’re hanging out with the group, you’re always distracted, keeping an eye on him. He doesn't seem as interested in you though. On the contrary, his attention is divided between disciplining his siblings and breaking apart Ao’nung and Kiri from biting off each other’s heads.
Very rarely, in those quiet moments when you go to swim by yourself, you can catch him watching you from a distance. You find it hard to read his expressions, Neteyam is too good at hiding whatever he’s feeling. You, not so much. 
Ever since your talk with Jake, and the night you spent with Neteyam, you have conflicted feelings. You’re not sure where you stand anymore. Having voiced your opinions loudly on your first days, you almost expect to pick another fight with him. But you also kind of dread it. 
And the tension between you is not anger anymore. He’s still annoying at times but you learned to find it amusing, rather than frustrating. Sometimes, when he looks at you, your heart jumps. And well, it’s not looking good for you.
In those rare moments when you two are left alone, you bicker. It’s strange because you’re almost convinced that he enjoys provoking you on purpose. Neteyam thinks that his responsibility as a guard gives him some sort of control over you. He likes to play the savior.
“Hey, I’m neither Lo’ak, or Kiri, you can’t boss me around!” you frown, after he suggests you don’t go for a swim past the curfew.
“As a guardian, I make sure that everyone’s staying safe,” he raises his eyebrows, like he already won the argument.
“Isn’t your job looking out for the outsiders? Like humans? With weapons, you know? Not terrorizing me for wanting to swim!”
“I sometimes really think you’re doing this on purpose just to see how far you can push me.”
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Time really seems to stretch out when you don’t get news from the other islands for a few days. Tonowari doubles the guardians around the village, and sends out a small group of swimmers for updates. It must be bad.
“Do you know anything?” you ask Tsireya.
Tsireya tries to be the best daughter to her parents but hanging out around you, the Sully’s, and her brother even, really challenges her sometimes. She knows she’s not supposed to tell you anything but when you all look at her in anticipation, she gives up eventually. To be a good brother, Ao'nung beats her to it from time to time.
“Tsireya?” Lo’ak pushes, knowing just the tone to use on her.
“You can’t tell anyone, I mean,” she looks at Kiri, “The last time the demons attacked one of the villages was a few days ago. The reason we didn’t get any news was because they wiped it out. Completely.”
You see her eyes glisten with tears, and hang your head in defeat. There really isn’t anything you can do, huh? No matter how hard you try. Nothing at all.
“Tsireya, what else?” Kiri wraps her arm around her shoulders.
“And… our attempts to save these clans are turning out to be more damaging,” she sniffles, “Now that the sky demons know that Na’vi are armed, they have doubled their forces. And they are more brutal. Some of the clans think of running from the islands before they get caught.”
“Shit,” Lo’ak curses, “But your dad must have a plan, right? My parents were with him the whole day yesterday. I can tell they’re hiding something.”
“Lo’ak, I can’t tell you,” Tsireya pleads with him.
“They want to take out their chief,” Ao’nung suddenly speaks, “They suggested luring him out and killing him.”
“But your father said he won’t be attacking first,” Lo’ak frowns.
“That’s right, my father won’t. But your father considers it.”
Ao’nung words send the group into a panic, as everyone starts talking, asking for more information. You gulp down, trying to ignore this anxious feeling in your chest. Once again, painful images of your burning home appear in front of you. 
Knowing that your plan has caused the destruction of another village makes you feel like shit. This can’t be happening. You can feel yourself losing your grip on your breathing as your body begins to shake. The others continue to talk, but their words become muffled and indistinct, drowned out by the noise in your ears.
“Mawey,” Neteyam whispers to you, taking your hand in his, “Just breathe, Y/N.”
You nod but your body won’t comply. The longer you can’t seem to breathe, the shakier you get. Neteyam squeezes your hand, and starts loudly breathing in and out of his mouth.
“Just follow my lead, alright? Breathe in,” he waits for you to repeat after him, “And out. Right, just like that.”
After many attempts of repeating after him, you finally seem to calm down your breathing, and your heartbeat slows into its natural rhythm.
“Good girl,” he gives your hand another squeeze, “Are you alright?”
“I need to get out of here,” you whisper to him.
“Then let’s go,” he says, pulling you to your feet. You don’t protest.
When both of you walk away, still holding hands, you feel everyone’s eyes turn to you. Ugh. You’re definitely going to be questioned to death for this by Kiri and Tsireya, though right now you don’t care. You just want to be somewhere else.
Neteyam leads you towards the trees. When you reach a small stream, he comes to a stop. 
“Hey, you feeling better?” he asks softly, still holding your hand. You nod, looking down at his fingers tightly wrapped around your palm.
“I feel so guilty, for causing more pain,” your eyes start filling up with tears, as you rush through your words, “ I’m scared that we won’t be able to stop them. And I do this thing where I freeze in the most dangerous situations, it’s like my mind takes me to a bad place.”
“Y/N,” Neteyam’s voice is concerned, “I promise, nothing will happen to you.”
“But it’s nightmares every night. I swear, I sometimes can’t tell them apart from the reality,” you admit, looking back at him.
“Mawey, you’ll get through this,” Neteyam comforts you, “I trust you because I know you have a strong heart. But Y/N… what’s happening to you is very familiar.”
“In what way?” Neteyam sighs before opening his mouth. 
“My father has this same response sometimes, like panicking and losing your breath. The nightmares. He says that it can happen when one suffers through something very bad, like war, or losing someone close.”
“Well, how did he stop it?” you frown at him.
“He didn’t. You can’t really stop it,” he shakes his head, with a pained expression on his face, “But my mother helps him.”
“How?”
“She talks to distract him. Reminds him that it’s in the past.,” Neteyam answers, then gestures at your hands still interlocked, “She holds him.”
You nod, and squeeze his hand in appreciation. A few tears escape from your eyes, as you look away. Neteyam brings his hand to your face, wiping them away. 
“Don’t cry.”
“Am not,” you sniffle.
“Seriously, don’t,” Neteyam grazes your cheek with his thumb, “It upsets me.”
“Why would you care?” you snort.
“Oh, because it’s creepy!” he teases, making you smile, “Seeing you cry is probably going to send the rest of our friends to Eywa.”
“Shut it,” you smack him, but he only laughs. 
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Tsireya suggests adding beads into your hair, as she works on your braids. Usually, you would have your hair in small braids, but she convinced you to try out a hairstyle similar to hers: braids at the roots, to prevent hair from falling into your eyes, and letting the rest flow in its natural way. You roll your eyes at the way Tsireya beams at you but you’re secretly happy to be distracted. 
The two of you sit on the grass terrace, with two Elderly Na’vi not too far. They seem to enjoy watching Tsireya’s wonders on your hair, and you feel infinitely thankful to them, when Kiri plops down in front of you. She can’t grill you with her questions in their presence. 
“Kiri, are you next?” Tsireya asks her, a hint of hope in her tone.
“No, my hair’s too short for all of that,” Kiri gestures at Tsireya’s long curls.
“Nonsense, I think it would look very pretty on you.”
Tsireya continues convincing Kiri, while she works on your braids, when suddenly you sense a movement. The Elderly Na’vi, now seemingly disinterested, walk away, leaving the three of you to yourselves. Oh, sweet Eywa, please don’t.
“So…Y/N,” Kiri beats you to your silent prayer, “You and Neteyam.”
“What about me and Neteyam?” you quirk your eyebrow at her. You’re going to play dumb. 
“What’s happening between you?” she squints at you, “And please don’t tell me that you’re in love with him.”
“Oh but I think they would look great together,” Tsireya adds in her dreamy voice. Shit.
“What are you two talking about?” you roll your eyes, heat rushing to your cheeks, “He’s annoying.”
“But like in a cute way?” Kiri tries to crack you. 
“In a way that makes your heart flutter?” Tsireya adds.
“Are you thinking about Lo’ak right now?” you turn to look at Tsireya with a sly smile. If you just get to switch the topic, you will give yourself a small window to flee. She looks taken aback.
“Hey, don’t distract us!” Kiri interrupts, waving at you, “It’s alright, Tsireya, we all know he likes you back.”
Tsireya gulps down in embarrassment but doesn’t say anything. Kiri stares at you expectantly.
“What?”
“You were holding hands,” she states.
“I hold hands with Tsireya all the time too,” you’re definitely overplaying, “Neteyam and I are just trying to be more…civil.”
“Yet when you were panicking, it was Neteyam, and not Tsireya, holding your hand and taking you to the trees,” Kiri notes.
Is she playing a smartass? Caught off guard, your eyes widen.
“Why did you go into the trees, Y/N? Were you doing something you didn’t want us to see?” Kiri pushes, trying to crack you.
“Stop it,” you hiss at her.
“I just find it disgusting that he would go for my friend, right after Lo’ak already stole Tsireya from me,” Kiri crosses her arms in front of her chest, “All of you are inconsiderate.”
“A brother for a brother,” Tsireya whispers, and you can’t help but laugh.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Kiri raises her voice.
“Come on, Kiri. Ao'nung is always flirting with you,” you explain, then wince in pain, as Tsireya pulls on your hair.
“Sorry!” she apologizes immediately, “I was just agreeing with you, didn’t mean to pull your hair.”
“You two are unbelievable. Ao’nung is terrible. No offense, Tsireya,” Kiri denies, “And don’t switch topics here, Y/N! You and Neteyam were jumping at each other’s throats since you met, now suddenly you consider him a friend? What happened?”
“Well, there was this time when we had to team up to save your ass,” you tease, enjoying Kiri’s escalating anger, “No, but really. I think we were just really scared for you.”
“Ooh,” the two of them awe in unison, “So that’s it?”
“And Eywa,” you mumble under your breath.
“Eywa?” Kiri’s ears perk up, as she leans in. Right away, Tsireya drops your hair, as she quickly positions herself next to Kiri, her attention now fully on you.
“Well… back when we went to the Spirit Tree, he and I fell a little behind. Then I saw a woodsprite floating around us. Neteyam had his back turned, so he didn’t even notice.”
“Do you think Eywa wants you two -” Kiri doesn’t finish.
“No, it was more of a sign for me to stop resenting him,” you shake your head in embarrassment, “So now I’m trying to listen and be nice to him.”
“That makes sense. Eywa wouldn’t bless you as a couple anyway, it’s too soon,” Kiri says.
“No, it’s not,” Tsireya disagrees, “They’re both capable of choosing mates before Eywa.”
Kiri opens her mouth to protest but then decides against it. 
“Doesn’t matter. It’s not the time,” you shake your head, and the girls seem to agree with you, “And Neteyam is not the one. He is my friend. So please stop teasing me for giving him a chance.”
Content with your answer, Kiri drops it. You suspect that Tsireya hasn’t been fully convinced by your words but she is too kind to keep pushing you. You give her a grateful smile for understanding. If anything, she can relate in some way.
Speak of the devil… When you see Neteyam approaching you, you can feel the girls’ eyes on you, looking for a reaction. Neteyam throws a quick look at you, slightly surprised by your hair, but says nothing. He doesn’t like it? You feel a little insecure.
“Hey,” he bows quickly, “Kiri, mother wants you back at home for dinner.”
Kiri rolls her eyes but gets up from the grass. Tsireya follows. 
“My family is probably waiting for me too.” 
“You’re lucky you have no one telling you what to do, Y/N,” Kiri blurts out, then covers her mouth. 
“Kiri!” Tsireya tsks at her, but it’s a little too late.
When it came to dinners, you were mostly having them alone, or sometimes skipping them at all. For your first two weeks, Tsireya would drag you to her house for every single meal but eventually you restarted hunting and actually enjoyed preparing your own meals. 
“Y/N, you coming to our place tonight?” Tsireya encourages.
You prepare yourself to politely decline her invitation but Neteyam beats you to it.
“Actually, what do you think about joining us instead?” he asks softly.
Both Tsireya, Kiri and you look at him in surprise. He had never invited you directly in front of others. Not even Kiri has. And the idea of you spending the evening with his father. Yikes. Sure, you somewhat felt more comfortable seeing Jake in the village but sitting in front of him for dinner is totally different.
“Um, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” you mumble.
“Nonsense, Y/N, now that I think about it, I should have invited you a long time ago,” Kiri suddenly jumps in, “And after you saved my ass. Mom and dad would love to thank you.”
“Especially my mom,” Neteyam adds.
If they think they’re making a good point, they must be completely unaware of how uncomfortable you feel around Neytiri. She is intimidating, you think. You can never even talk to her. 
“Well?” Neteyam nudges you with a warm smile.
You bite your lip, trying to think of an excuse. Any excuse. But your head is empty, as the three of them look at you expectantly. Tsireya nods her head at you with an encouraging smile.
“If you’re sure,” you admit your defeat.
Happily, Kiri swings her arm around you, leading you towards their marui.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Sully's marui is bigger than yours, it’s not surprising. They are a family of six after all, you are a single child. Still, you think that you could never live with so many people: losing your parents at a young age made you well acquainted with sharing a room with only one person at a time. Now you share it with no one.
When you shyly walk in, you think your heart is going to jump out of your chest. Kiri pulls you by your hand.
“Mom, dad,” Neteyam grabs their attention, “We invited Y/N to share today’s meal with us.”
“Hey, Y/N,” Jake’s ears perk up, as he stands up with a small smile. You bow. Little Tuk copies her father as she runs up to you, curiously examining you. 
“I hope it’s okay,” you smile sheepishly.
“It’s good that you came. You need to eat well,” Neytiri walks up to you with a bowl of food in her hands.
“Mom,” Kiri rolls her eyes, “Y/N eats fine, stop.”
“Not fine enough for a hunter,” Neytiri turns to you, “A good hunter must look after themselves. So eat.”
You nod your head with a small chuckle escaping your lips, as you take the bowl from her. Neteyam gives you a proud smile. 
When all of you are seated to eat, Lo’ak rushes into the marui, barely catching his breath.
“Sorry I’m late,” he throws, quickly sitting down next to you, “Oh, hi, Y/N.”
You greet him back, then notice a non-verbal exchange between the siblings. They seem to be doing this way too often. Lo’ak shoots a questioning look at Neteyam, but Neteyam just rolls his eyes at him, and returns to his food. Lo’ak tries again with Kiri. Kiri shrugs her shoulders, then smiles pointing at Neteyam with her eyes. Lo’ak snorts.
“Lo’ak,” Jake grumbles.
“Sorry,” Lo’ak gets back to his bowl without being able to retrieve his smile.
At first, you feel awkward. While they exchange some news with each other, you don’t participate, simply observing them from underneath your lashes. Tuk excitedly tells about her new friendship with a young ilu. Lo’ak shares that he was swimming with Payakan. Jake gives him a displeased look but doesn’t say anything. You think that the food is very good. It’s a shame that you can’t enjoy it because you feel uncomfortable. Why did you have to agree? 
“Y/N,” Neytiri turns to you, “I’ve seen you hunt near the trees. Do you prefer it to the water?”
“It depends,” you feel like she is testing you but you don’t want to lie, “I feel most comfortable in the water. But sometimes it gets boring, so I look for the prey in the green. It’s more challenging.”
Neytiri nods, and you notice Jake’s and Neteyam’s approving smiles on you, which makes you feel like you passed the test. Whatever the test was.
“Mom is an excellent hunter,” Kiri adds, “You should join her sometime.”
“I will only be a distraction,” you try to disagree, as you hear Lo’ak chuckle next to you. Is he enjoying how much more uncomfortable his family can make you?
“Lo’ak,” Neytiri slaps the back of his head, “Have you tried hunting on an ikran, Y/N?”
“No, I’ve never even flown,” you give her a sheepish smile, as her eyes widen in surprise. You suppose it’s pretty common, since you grew up around the water.
“You’ve never flown!” Tuk exclaims, as if you are missing out.
“Then it’s decided,” Jake announces, exchanging a knowing look with Neytiri. Oh no.
“Next time I go flying, I will take you with me. You will enjoy it more than swimming,” she smiles.
You and Neytiri. Going to fly. You can’t even speak looking into her eyes, are you sure you will be able to fly with her in the air? At a height? While she hunts? 
“Don’t worry, Y/N, you have nothing to be scared of,” Neteyam encourages you with a smile, “I’m sure you will love flying.”
Tuk nods in agreement, clapping her hands together. Neteyam finds his sister’s reaction amusing and lovingly pats her on the head. You enjoy this side of him a little too much, as you watch the interaction with a small smile.
“Like what you see?” Lo’ak whispers to you with a grin.
“What?” it’s hard for you to play cool when he just caught you.
“Nothing,” Lo’ak acts disinterested, biting down on the piece of fish, “Just warning that you’re being too obvious.”
“Just like you’re obvious with the chief’s daughter,” you whisper back, and watch as Lo’ak chokes on his food.
“Eat slower, Lo’ak,” Neytiri scolds him.
As the evening goes on, you feel slightly more at ease. Although the thought of you dying while flying with Neytiri nags at you, you try to push it to the back of your mind for the time being. You and Kiri eventually find a thread of your own conversation, and you occasionally catch Neteyam’s gracing you with his proud smiles.
When you’re finished with thanking them for having you over, Kiri stands up instinctively to walk you out. You’re both confused when Neteyam jumps to his feet, gently pushing his sister out of his way.
“It’s too late for you to be out, Kiri,” he says, his accent thick, “I will walk Y/N home.”
“Since when am I not to be out at this hour?” Kiri is baffled, as she turns to Jake with an expectant look, “Dad?”
“Since you started falling asleep underwater, Kiri,” Jake throws her a knowing look.
When you exit the marui with Neteyam close on your heels, you’re caught by surprise, feeling his arm snake around your shoulder. As you’re about to react, you almost stumble in the dark, and Neteyam helps you keep your balance.
“It’s a bit uneven here, especially in the dark, many stumble,” he explains, as he lets go of you. 
“Thanks,” you mumble, looking at him, “Why did you have to invite me?”
“Did you have other plans?” Neteyam quirks at you. You shake your head.
“Still, after everything I said and did, I feel like you all must hate me.”
“You gave me a second chance, right?” Neteyam smiles, “Why wouldn’t I give one to you?”
You shrug your shoulders. 
“And just so you know, no one hated you.”
“Not even you?” you tease.
“Especially not me,” Neteyam’s voice is serious. You shy away from his gaze.
As if being unseen in the darkness is equivalent to being unheard, the two of you walk slowly, quietly. You notice how the last bit of sun sets down behind the horizon, and watch in admiration. 
“I love it here,” Neteyam admits, following your gaze, “I miss home, and the sky in the forest. But there’s something about the water…”
“What is it that you like about the water?” you ask him curiously.
“I don’t know, it just makes my heart race,” he whispers, looking back at you.
“I would love to see the forest. But I think I like it already,” you whisper back, meeting his golden eyes.
There’s a moment when you think something is going to happen. You’re both terrified and impatient for him to do anything. When did he become so different? Were you just blind before?
Neteyam’s eyes jump all over your face and your hair, like he’s trying to take it in. You hope that you’re not giving away how much you think you’re growing to like him at this moment.
“Your hair looks pretty like this,” he says, reaching for one of the locks draping over your shoulders.
Your heart skips a beat when he twirls a strand of your hair, watching it curl around his long fingers.
“Very pretty,” he smiles, looking back at you.
“Tsireya talked me into it,” you smile sheepishly, as you gently pull your hair back from his grasp.
He turns his head to the side, braids swaying with him. You have to force yourself not to reach your hand to tug them. 
“Well, we’re here.” It takes you a second to realize that you’re in front of your marui.
“Right,” you gulp down, “Thanks again for inviting me, it was surprisingly delightful.”
“Wait till you fly with my mother,” Neteyam chuckles, noticing your terrified face.
“Oh, sweet Eywa,” you bite your lip.
“Don’t worry, she won’t let you get hurt,” Neteyam backs away, ready to leave, “I can be there to look after you.”
“I’ll take you up on that offer.” 
“Sweet dreams, Y/N.”
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
In a long time, since you had arrived, this is the first time you see Metkayina so overjoyed. From afar, you were all watching as their soul-sisters and soul-brothers, the Tulkuns, were returning home. The Sully’s were looking at the water mesmerized. Being foresters, they probably never even seen Tulkuns before.
You think back to your soul-sister whom you had seen many years ago. You were still a little girl back then but the memories you had with her kept your heart warm all this time. Sadness graces your face when you imagine her returning home and finding your village destroyed, with you nowhere to be found. 
And although your soul-sister wasn’t among the Tulkuns, you still enjoy watching their interactions with the Metkayina clan. You swim in between them with a giddy smile, catching glimpses of silent conversations and excited exchanges, especially between the younger Na’vi. Not too far, Neteyam catches your eye. He is unlinked from his ilu, which swims around him with a delighted noise.
“Y/N, this is incredible!” he gestures.
“It is,” you agree, returning his smile.
You spend more time swimming and taking in the scenes unraveling in front of you. What’s even more entertaining is watching Neteyam and Kiri admiring the Tulkuns, and trying their best to understand what they’re saying. Of course, for foresters who had never seen Tulkuns, it was difficult to differentiate the subtle changes of tones and sounds they made. Lo’ak seems more comfortable, and you guess that it’s due to his bond with Payakan.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
That evening, the Metkayina celebrate. While there were no new attacks from the sky people in the past week, you can’t help but feel uneasy, suspecting that something worse is going to happen soon. Like this short moment of happiness is just the calm before the storm begins.
The celebration of the return of Tulkuns is similar to the one you used to have back home. The clan gathers at the beach in big and small circles, around fire. They cook and share food and drinks together, while singing and dancing to the songs of Eywa. Many wear festive patterns on their faces and bodies. It didn’t take Tsireya long to convince both Kiri and you to get your faces and arms painted with beautiful shapes and colors. 
As the evening goes on, Kiri tells you that back home their celebrations were almost the same. You sense that she’s truly enjoying it, feeling the familiarity. When she is pulled into a dance, you watch her with a big smile, clapping your hands. The rest of her family looks just as happy, especially Neytiri. Almost relaxed. You feel a little jealous that you had no one to share this moment with.
With everyone distracted, you slip away to the far end of the beach to be by yourself. Feeling the warmth of the sand, you enjoy the waves washing over your feet in a calming rhythm. You watch the horizon, and spot some movement from the Tulkuns performing their own celebratory dance, as they swim around each other. Occasionally, their tails resurface and disappear under the water with big splashes. 
“Why aren’t you dancing with the rest?” you hear Neteyam’s voice, as he sits down next to you.
“Why aren’t you?” 
“Let’s just say that dancing is not my strongest suit,” Neteyam smiles.
“Is the mighty warrior finally admitting to being bad at something?” you tease him, “Lo’ak would be delighted when I tell him.”
“Lo’ak is a worse dancer than I am,” Neteyam laughs, pointing at his younger brother in the distance.
You look over to find Lo’ak awkwardly circling around Tsireya. It seems like he is going to fall into the fire any second now. They’re holding hands, as she tries to guide him to move his feet like her but Lo’ak seems so out of place, it makes you laugh too. It’s kind of cute, you think. He tries for Tsireya because there is no way he would ever do this in front of so many Na’vi. 
“He’s a lost cause,” you shake your head at the sight.
“Anything for love,” Neteyam turns his gaze back to you with a small smile.
You almost get a deja vu of how similar this moment is to the one you shared among the trees. There is something unspoken between Neteyam and you. He holds your gaze, slowly moving closer. You gulp down nervously, when he raises his hand to your cheek. Neteyam pauses for your approval before making contact. His fingers trace a pattern of paint on your face, before he cups your cheek.
“Neteyam,” you whisper, “If anyone sees…”
If anyone sees, you will definitely gain at least several suspicious questions tomorrow morning. You can only imagine how this looks from afar, and you wonder if he wants it to look that way. Is it bad that you hope he does?
“I don’t care,” Neteyam whispers back, his face now closer to yours, “Can I ask you something, Y/N?”
You feel too nervous to talk. Instinctively you raise your fingers, wrapping them around his wrist, then nod your head. Neteyam takes a deep breath.
“Are you promised to someone?” his eyes jump all over your face, trying to read your thoughts. 
“No,” your voice hitches, as you hold his gaze, “Are you?”
Neteyam softly shakes his head, one of his braids falling on his face. You find that makes him look more handsome. 
“Y/N,” his voice is hypnotic, pulling you closer to him, “I know we didn’t see eye to eye when we met but now I think it’s because both of us felt something. Y/N, I -”
“Neteyam,” you interrupt him with a firm tone, “Don’t say anything.”
You avoid his gaze, lowering his hand from your face. You still keep your fingers around his wrist but you don’t dare to look at him.
“Why?” Neteyam sounds so confused, you feel an ache in your stomach, “Am I wrong? Don’t you feel it too?”
“Neteyam, this is not the time,” you sigh, avoiding his question, “I can’t. Please.”
He pulls his hand from yours, instantly putting a small distance between you. You feel like you’re going to scream. He doesn’t deserve this. 
“I don’t understand,” he whispers, shaking his head.
“I can’t promise you anything, Neteyam. I don’t even know if my sister is alive. What if I go back home? What if the demons attack us tomorrow, and I die?” you start rushing through the hundreds of reasons, “I can’t risk this. Having a friend like you is more than I deserve already, ‘Teyam. I don’t want you to get stuck with me. I am not reliable like you. I will mess it up.”
“Y/N -” he looks so confused, trying to follow the line of your words, “I disagree -”
Your intimate moment is disrupted with loud noises of Roxto and Ao’nung running past you into the water. The rest of the group, with Lo’ak and Tsireya, are close on their heels with accompanying shouts. You guess they’re headed to swim with the Tulkuns before Tonowari declares an end to the celebration.
“Neteyam, come join us!” Lo’ak shouts, interrupting his brother. 
“Please, let’s just pretend that everything’s back to normal. Whatever ‘normal’ means anyway,” you sigh, standing up. Neteyam’s pained eyes follow your movement, as you leave him there, sitting alone.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
part 2
tumblr won't let me post the rest of the fic in the same post, so go to part 2. if you have any thoughts or comments and you haven't finished reading yet, i would still appreciate you sharing them with me. i'm so impatient for feedback, although i know it will take a lot of time to read this whole thing, anyways
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taglist (also tagging some blogs that i think might enjoy it, and some of the authors, whose works i’ve been reading non-stop to keep myself motivated): @fucksnow ; @heaven1oo4 ; @fanboyluvr ; @ngayawneluoer ; @aquila-de-l-ocean ; @aoteyam ; @moonpetrichors-blog ; @vinnieswife ; @eywascall ; @lxvvvllyy ; @iloveavatar ; @neteyamdarling ; @gloryy-vs ; @girasollake ; @mayhemories ; @suuuupernovaaa ; @love-chx ; @the-demon-soul ; @cosmictheo ; @victoirey ; @your-averagewriter ; @starkeysmoon ; @openpandorabox ; @urlocalfeiner ; @neteyams-tsahik ; @angelltheninth ; @sweetsbfreex ; @forever--darling ; @arachine ; @nyctophicbtch ; @jeojake ; @isabellapaul37 ; @melbee ; @loaksky ; @luvsellie ; @loakism ; @lizziesfirstwife ; @jakesullysbabygirl ; @theseuscmander ; @love13tter
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angelsnkisses · 10 months
Text
thinking about dark!jack <3
💟 nsfw - mdni 💟
A/N: i tried to resist but.. well, you know me. this is my first time trying something like this, i'm kinda nervous 😭. (i did make it relatively tame, since i don't have much experience with it!)
warnings: dark!softdom!jack, sub!gn!reader, (briefly implied fem anatomy, sorry!!) overstimulation, unprotected sex, degrading/mocking, use of safe word, lowkey ignoring safeword, dubcon (?), creampie
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• he's so unfair the whole time he fucks you.. like, you'd be a sobbing, overstimulated mess, begging him for mercy as he pounds into you so roughly :(.
"aw, you need a break? don't wanna cum anymore?"
• he'll have your legs around his waist, one hand keeping your wrists above your head while the other holds your hip, pinning you down and rocking into you hard. there'd be a sticky, white ring around his base from you cumming over and over again, which only drives him even further past the point of reason.
• he'll talk you through it (but that doesn't mean he's equitable in any way, he makes sure you understand that he's in charge). whenever you start whining and insisting you need a break, he's all sweet and lovey towards you, voice dripping with honey while he reassures your deluged mind.
"you can take it, look how well you're doing for me."
"just a couple more, yeah? there you go.."
• this man has insane stamina, he'll cum inside you over and over and still manage to keep fucking you. it takes a whole lot to get jack to tap out, which he hasn't ever done so far. it's always you who has to croak out the safeword.
• he stops when you use it.. but he's not immediately cleaning you up and asking you what he can do for you. no, jack just looks down at you, pouting his lower lip and slowing his thrusts down to a snails pace. he'll ignore your meek pleads and attempts to get your wrists free, the hand on your hip snaking up to your face to cradle it gently.
"it's too much for you, hm? feels too good?"
• he'll mock pity at your nod in agreement, smiling sympathetically when you give him those red, teary puppy eyes and start sniffling quietly. he'll wipe the tears away from your heated cheeks and press a kiss to your nose, resting his forehead on yours to start cooing at you.
"you can do it, doll, i know you like it.. just gotta relax, mm?"
"you're making me feel so good.. you wanna make me feel good, don't you?"
• and of course you do :(.
• he has a way of.. persuading you. he knows just how to get into your pretty little head, and as much as he should feel guilty, he doesn't. he wants you all to himself, and he has no problem doing whatever he can to keep you. he craves your dependence on him, as twisted and toxic as it seems.
�� the day you told him you couldn't get off without him anymore, he lost his fucking mind. he had never fucked you so hard, spewing out praises and filthy comments the whole time. he was over the moon about the effect he had on you, and he made it real obvious the entire time.
"i bet you thought about this, hm? touching yourself, pretending it was me, trying to cum so bad."
• he'll probably make you finish anywhere from four to six times before he's satisfied, finally pulling out of your abused hole with his eyes pinned to what he's doing. why? because he just has to get an eyeful of all the cum that spills out of you, making a huge mess on your bed (i hope you laid a towel out).
• he completely fucks you out on the regular, like genuinely pray for your legs.. and your spine.
• he's honestly so genuine during aftercare, especially after he's real rough with you. he'll help you wobble over the bathroom to get you all cleaned up, pressing kisses to your warm skin and mumbling quiet praises the whole time.
**
A/N: i'm so sorry for this 😭 it's been rotting in the back of my mind and i needed to write it down before i started going insane. hope you enjoyed though, happy scrolling <3.
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j0eyj0rdis0n · 9 months
Note
Could you do sm like , EJ just feeling really guilty after he made you cry during an argument so he tries to apologize and at first its all cute and stuff , but then he starts begging you to let him make love to you and when you say no he doesn't care , just absolutely praising you and ravishing you as you fall into subspace
Hi love!! I hope this is good! I’m not all that great at writing out subspace but I tried my very hardest! Thank you for your requests <3
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MAKE IT BETTER - EYELESS JACK NSFW
Fandom: Creepypasta
Plot: You and Jack get into a rather uncomfortable argument, when you begin to cry he knows he has to make it up to you
Warnings: He scratches/hurts you a little, also a little bit of crying, dubcon, cum swallowing, subspace
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Out of everyone, Jack had the most control over his emotions. It had taken time to get to the point to where he wouldn't lash out in anger, a long time honestly. But there's a certain point where his self control begins to falter and eventually break. He hated arguments, he did everything is his power to avoid them. But at this point, you gave him no choice.
You’d been getting comfortable in the mansion since your kidnapping, almost too comfortable. Jack loved you but he hated the idea of you getting used to everything, wanting to be apart of the action. So when you told him you wanted to be a proxy his heart sank.
“Y/N… You know that’s not an option…” he stated, watching your eyebrows furrow in frustration and confusion.
“Why not! I want to be important! To contribute since I’m stuck here forever now!” You argued.
“It’s not your job. It’s dangerous, and you’re only for me.” Jack would respond, trying to end the conversation there. But of course, you never could shut your mouth.
“Jeff said it would be a good thing for me!” You blurted out, knowing that Jeff wasn’t exactly the most reliable source for information. You saw his fingers twitch as he stood in silence. You knew Jack hated Jeff, he hated how the man would linger around you with that greedy smirk. How he’d feed you all the things he wanted you to hear. To steal you away from your only true lover.
You hated when he was silent like this… You hadn’t the slightest idea of what he was thinking. His face was hidden behind that atrocious mask that certainly didn’t make deciphering him any easier.
It took long moments for him to respond in a low growl. “You won’t be going. You won’t leave this room.”
“What?! That’s unfair!”
“What I say is what goes. Now sit down. You need to know who you belong to. You’ve gotten to comfortable with the other men around here. The only opinion you need to listen to is mine.” The demon took a step towards you as he spoke, his fingers running across your lips.
You harshly pulled away from his cold hand, turning to leave. “I won’t stay here.”
“Sit down Y/N.” He muttered in a warning tone. He felt the anger bubbling up into his chest, he knew if you didn’t listen now this wouldn’t turn out good. No not good at all…
His words of warning didn’t stop your quick steps to the door, turning the silver handle to leave. And almost as in a flash he was in front of you.
“I said sit down!” He screamed as he threw off his mask, shoving you back onto the large bed. The monster loomed over you, his expression between rage and insatiable hunger.
You felt salty tears prick your eyes as he yanked you back up by your arm, putting you practically nose to nose with him. You looked down at your arm which was clasped in his iron grip, his large claws threatening to break your delicate skin. It was only when you saw the deep scratch on your chest from how he pushed you, you began to cry.
When Jack realized what situation he was in he immediately let go of your arm, watching you sob in front of him. He felt his heart shatter like a plate that had been hurled to the floor.
“Darling… Darling please… I’m sorry!” He tried his hardest to reconcile, trying to pull you in for a hug which you quickly moved away from. “Darling let me make it up to you… I’m so sorry…” He held out his clawed hand, praying you’d take it.
“You- You hurt me!” You spit at him, having half the mind to leave and go to Jeff. You realized he’d probably be worse than Jack could ever be. So you stood still, tears still dripping down your cheeks, debating on taking his hand.
“I know! I know… I got out of hand and I’m so sorry.” He insisted quietly, reaching his hand out a little further. “Please let me make it up to you! I know exactly what you like my love…” He was practically begging at this point but you didn’t take his dangerous hand. “Come on love…” He gently took your hand, leading you back to the bed and laying you down.
“Jack I don’t want it-“
“Shhhh… I need you to forgive me.” He lightly wiped your tears before kissing down your perfectly sculpted body. He lifted up your clothes where he felt he needed to lick and suck gently, eventually flipping your skirt up to give your pretty clothed pussy a kiss. “I’ll make it up to you darling~” He mumbled into your thighs, sucking and biting to leave dark marks.
Your soft whines encouraged him on, pushing your panties to the side and giving your slit a nice long lick. His wet muscle worked slow and precisely to make you squirm. “So good for me darling, let me hear your pretty moans” He practically moaned into your pussy, licking up your delicious slick that he loved to taste.
His tongue hit all that spots that made your back arch, the only thing coming out of your mouth were pathetic whines and desperate cries.
“Daddy please-“
You felt him chuckle as he removed his tongue from your throbbing core, replacing the emptiness with the pads of his fingers against your puffy clit. “So needy for me already darling?” He took time to look you up and down, ripping open your shirt with his claws. “Daddy will take good care of you, lay back and let him do all the work~”
You looked so delicious below him. Tits on full display, face flushed, and pussy dripping. If he didn’t have such a level of self control he’d probably eat you alive right this second. He pulled down his pants, letting his hard cock spring free, giving your pussy soft slaps with it to collect your heavenly juices. All you could do was whine with each little slap, you wanted him now, god you wanted him so bad. You wanted him to fill you up, to take care of you, remind you you’re his, and tell you how amazing you were doing for him.
He gently held your hand as he pushed in slowly, bottoming out with a growl. “Fuck darling- So damn tight-“
Jack tapped the bottom of your stomach with his free hand, watching as a bulge appeared with each thrust. “Taking me so well aren’t you?” He nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, giving soft kisses as he inhaled your delicious scent.
Your high pitched moans filled the room, jolting as he rolled your nipples between his fingers. He loved how you babbled his name over and over again, letting him know how good he’s making you feel. Not that he couldn’t already tell by the way your hole clenched around him.
He knew you like the back of his hand, from the way you talked to the way you built up to a climax, and you were currently doing the latter.
“Come on baby, come for me, show daddy how good he made you feel.”
He watched as your legs tightened around him, moans getting louder as you approached your climax. The pure ecstasy on your face almost pushed him over the edge himself, but he persisted as you road out your blissful orgasm. The demon only pulled out when you finished, watching your hole clench repeatedly around nothing as your delicious juices dripped out. His hand worked quickly on his cock, trying to chase his release as well.
“Open darling” he groaned, putting his dick in your mouth when you obeyed, letting his seed spurt down your throat.
He grabbed a small wet rag from the bathroom, making sure to clean the both of you up well before laying next to you, enveloping you in his strong arms.
“Did so well for me my love. Do you forgive me?”
There was no room in your head for words, only able to nod silently as he kissed your forehead, ushering you off to sleep.
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atsumwah · 2 years
Text
about time
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featuring : iwaizumi hajime
includes : you being oikawa's sister, brothers best friend trope, a teeny tiny mention of drinking, and you and makki being besties
notes : i legit put iwa and bo in the wheel name spinning thing bcs i was too indecisive to pick and iwa won three in a row....the universe apparently sided with this hunk 2day ! ignore the mistakes if you find any, i’ll fix em laterzzz :)))
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being oikawa's sister had its perks.
you're instantly popular, you have boys queuing up to get your number, every girl in the school was nice to you ( though they only wanted to get closer to your brother but you didn't care honestly) so really there wasn't anything you can complain about.
except that you have the biggest crush on your brother's best friend.
it's not that he's just hot, like insanely godly hot, he's also really nice. all the years you've known iwaizumi, there wasn't a moment where he wasn't a gentleman to you, despite being together for so long people might mistake you three as siblings.
like when you were five and fell on your knees, he was the one who ran to get the first aid kit (damn your brother he did nothing but laugh, the audacity)
or when you were thirteen when you were scared to walk alone after school without oikawa because he was sick and iwaizumi offered himself up despite having his classes end way earlier than you (and continues to do so when your brother couldn't accompany you)
or when you were 21, drunk off your ass at a bar and having him pick you up, knowing that his campus was literally halfway across town but still came when he heard you sobbing at the other end of the phone.
the little things he does makes your heart flutter, toes curl and mind only filled with thoughts of him. he's the reason why your standards in men are so high and you aren't going to settle less than any of that. you weren't going to settle if it wasn't him.
even so, you're pretty sure he doesn't see you in the same light. again, you've known each other for years, you basically grew up together, so you're pretty sure he only sees you as his best friend annoying little sister (even worse, he's own little sister)
"why does he have to be like that, makki?" you whine, your head lulling to the right to rest on your best friend's shoulder.
"that being?" he teased, taking a sip from his drink as he eyed you from the side.
"you know, irresistibly hot." you gestured to iwaizumi who was working at the counter, "how am i supposed to move on if i see him everyday?"
"that's your own fault. you know he works here."
you did but that's not the point.
"still," you grumbled out, "thought i was being obvious enough. can't he just, i don't know,reject me?"
"honey, you and i both know he's oblivious as hell. i think you need to spell it out for him to get it."
you groaned, hitting your head against the table again.
"hey, what if i set you up with a guy? maybe you'll learn to move on." makki suggested.
it wasn't like the idea of meeting someone new hasn't crossed your mind before. it's just that, well, they're not him.
"did you miss the part where haji's literally perfect and most men aren't?"
"ahem."
"most men besides haji and you aren't."
"better." he said smugly before continuing. "what if i made sure he checks all your boxes, hmm? i know a lot of people."
"i don't know," you bit your lip, "i guess i trust you…"
"that's a dangerous thing to do, you know?"
your head whipped to the sound of his voice coming from behind you.
"i'm literally your best friend, dude."
"not by choice."
a chuckle escaped your lips at his bluntness.
"hey!"
"what are you talking about and why are you trusting makki with it?"
before you could even answer, makki did for you.
"we were talking about setting her up on a date," he said proudly.
"a date, huh?" he eyed you from the side, "thought you had all the boys lining up your feet, princess."
you're so unfair, hajime. 
"they're not that interesting, i guess." you said instead.
"good. keep your standards high. you can't trust men these days."
"you're literally a man."
"i'm different."
"ahem." makki not so subtly coughed again.
"like I said, i'm different—ow— i will literally kick you, makki."
you only smiled, never agreeing more with a statement. he was different, or maybe there was something different about the way you felt for him compared to anyone else. and as much as you wanted something more with him, you're smart enough to realize that that dream was way out of reach.
maybe going on a blind date wouldn't be the worst idea.
***
"i'm so gonna kill you!"
"what'd he do?" makki said on the other line.
"not only did he criticize what i ordered, he even took some of my food and didn't even ask for it! he said and i quote 'a pretty thing like you can't finish this, right?' you know i don't share food!"
"i’m sorry bout that honey. he seemed pretty cool when i talked to him before. he did looked excited when he saw a picture of you."
"ugh men. that's it, i'm just gonna wait for my prince charming to come."
"so no more blind dates?"
"nope." you clicked your tongue as you opened the door to your apartment. "thanks hiro, i did appreciate the thought. i'm gonna call it a night."
"alright, sleep tight honey."
you removed the phone lodged between your shoulder and ear before dropping through keys in the bowl next to the door.
"you're home early."
you let out a gasp at the sudden intruder, your heart calming down when you realize who it was. "my god, how did you come in?"
"you gave me the keys, dumbass." iwaizumi shook the spare keys in front of you, then settled himself on the countertop. "so how was your date?"
"how'd you know it was today?" you took off your coat and immediately went to the refrigerator, taking out a can of—well two cans— of something that would probably make you forget your date.
"makki's not one to keep quiet, you know."
"right. well, it's a lost cause you could say."
"that bad?"
"yup," you downed it down immediately, wincing at the aftertaste. "what're you doing here anyways? it's late."
"had to make sure you got back safe." he said nonchalantly, "your brother would've nagged me if something happened to you."
"i'm a big girl, hajime. i can take care of myself." you said, annoyed, though your beating heart says otherwise. "pretty sure he's dying for me to get someone. he's always saying how i'm repulsing men."
"we both know that's not true, princess," he says.
ugh there it is again. that stupid nickname that makes you weak in the knees for the man in front of you.
"yeah well…" you started, avoiding his eyes as you spoke, "i appreciate you coming to check up on me but i don't need another brother breathing down my back, alright?"
you expect him to shrug it off or to roll his eyes like oikawa would but instead you're confused at his next words.
"do i really give off that impression to you?"
you turned your head towards him. it almost sounded like he was hurt. "what do you mean?"
"nothing." he says almost instantly after that. "nothing, i just— forget i said anything." and with that he goes off to grab his coat hanging by the rack.
but you were curious. because the way he said it seemed like it was out of surprise. like it's the first time he realized that.
"wait," you grabbed his arm before he could go. "tell me what you mean by that?"
was it the booze that made you act this way too? yeah probably.
" 's doesn't matter. forget it, alright?" he makes a move to leave but tug his arm out. you hold on tighter.
"tell me." you say, persistently. "i’m not letting you go until you tell me. i'll jump on your back right now even."
"let go."
"for someone bigger than my brother you sure are a wimp."
"are you trying to provoke me?"
"is it working?" you said before adding, "wimp."
"it's not working."
you pouted. "it always works with tooru."
"that's because he has a huge ego." he let out a yelp when you actually fulfilled your threat by jumping on his back. "hey, get off!"
"not until you tell me!" you locked your legs around him with your arms around his neck to stay determined. "this usually works on tooru too. only it involves a lot more hair pulling." you said triumphantly, before realizing how close your face has gotten to his. apparently he noticed it too judging by how wide his eyes are and how red he looks up close.
"if i tell you, you might hate me." he whispers, words only for you to hear.
"i could never hate you." that's ridiculous. you were literally in love with him, hello?
he looked uncertain, but eventually gave in when you were still stubborn to let him go.
“...i like you, y/n."
pardon?
"if you're messing with me, i will pull your hair out." you managed to say.
"please don't. mine doesn't grow as fast as your shitty brother."
"you're…for real then?"
"yes."
"then why would you think i hate you?"
iwaizumi winced, like the next few words were gonna be painful. "you said you think of me as a brother."
"because i thought you only saw me as a sister!" you blurted out.
"what?" his big saucer eyes matching your own. "what're you saying?"
"i'm in love with you." you bit your lip and continued on. "i've been in love with you ever since i can remember."
there. it was finally out, no takesies backsies. honestly it felt good to have that in the open. it was like ripping off a bandaid, painful but at the same time, relieving.
but then panic set in when he didn't say anything for a solid minute.
you watched as his face slowly turned red till the tip of his ears and his mouth opening, closing, as if still figuring out what to say. his hands moved first, slowly taking you off of his back and turning your body so you were now hugging him from the front, your legs wrapped tightly around his waist.
"so… we like each other?" he says, lips unbelievably close to your own.
"apparently."
"so if i wanted to kiss you, your would say…" he trails off, eyes solely focusing on your lips.
"i'd say it's about damn time, haji." you mimicked his movements.
"about damn time," he mutters before claiming your lips with his.
about damn time indeed.
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lenaellsi · 6 months
Text
Something I've been thinking about: Crowley was not sent to kill Job's children.
(Under the cut for length; this got away from me.)
I think we can safely infer that Hell actually did send him to destroy the goats. He has his permit ready when Aziraphale shows up, and even cheekily calls himself one of Satan's "diabolical ministers." I wouldn't be surprised if he was sent to supervise the family during the bet as well, reporting in on whether Job seems to be losing faith. We don't know whether he volunteered for the assignment or whether he was chosen because he's one of Satan's favorites, but it's clear he's meant to be there in some capacity.
But it's specifically mentioned in the basement scene that Satan sent a storm to kill the children. Not Crowley--a storm. And that means that Crowley is in that house against orders. He's not just refusing to do something terrible on behalf of Hell, he's actively working to thwart them. That's a step further than "a demon who goes along with Hell as far as he can" would imply, and it has to be incredibly dangerous for him to meddle in something Satan has such a keen interest in. So why help these humans in particular? He can't save them all--he knows that. He knows that better than anyone. (Nothing lasts forever.)
And there are a lot of reasons Crowley might choose to help Job's family, despite the risks. We know from the Flood that Crowley is disturbed by the idea of killing children just to make a point. We know that Crowley loves humanity, and that he dreads their eventual, inevitable destruction. We know that Crowley is brave enough to stand against Hell when it counts, even when it could mean his own death.
But I'd argue that in the case of Job and Sitis, it's personal. He's angry about this bet because it cuts to the core of the reason he Fell in the first place. This isn't about getting one over on Hell; it's about God. And we know that because the moment Crowley intervenes at the end, the moment he runs into a room full of archangels with no plan and no allies except an angel he's still not sure he can trust, is the moment where Sitis snaps.
Sitis is surrounded by impossibly powerful beings, the only human in the room save for her husband, who still refuses to fault God for anything. She is distraught, raging at the unfairness of it all, the callousness of the angels who have shown up to congratulate her even as she drowns in grief for her children who will never grow up. (Plenty to say here about star nurseries, about wasted potential, about futility and senseless endings--but this post is too long already). So she says so, because what else does she have to lose? If my children are dead, then I will curse God--
Enter Crowley. That never ends well, he says, barging in with a big silly grin, but we've seen Crowley as an angel, now, and we know what he means: I know how that ends. I know how it ended for me. I won't let you Fall the way I did.
This is especially interesting because earlier in the episode, Crowley seems to be nudging Job the other way. I burn with fury, Job says, and Crowley says of course you do. (That's just how it started for me.) Crowley is encouraging Job to see things his way, zeroing in on the righteous rage he thinks he's hearing, because truth and knowledge are important to him. Crowley has never been able to stop himself from offering the apple, even when he knows the stakes. (See you in Hell.)
But then Job turns his anger inward. If he's being punished, he reasons, if he's so horrified by what must be God's will, then he must be the one at fault. (I lied, Aziraphale sobs, to thwart the will of God!) And Crowley is visibly confused, maybe even a bit frustrated. What do you mean? What have you done? And you know he wants to say, You didn't do anything wrong.
Neither of us did.
Because he knows. He's read the contract. He knows that Job is a good, kind man, and that he's done nothing at all to provoke God except to be the perfect pawn for Her game with Satan. He knows that if Job objects to the obvious injustice he's suffering, he'll be damned for failing a test he had no knowledge of and no hope of passing. And of course that feels familiar. How could it not?
The Job contract is as much confirmation as Crowley will ever get, from a God who answered his first questions with a Fall into boiling sulfur, that his suffering has never been 'deserved.' God is willing to take the best of the humans, Her special favorites, the ones his stars were built for, and cast them into damnation at the first sign of doubt. So when he Fell--
You didn't do anything wrong, Crowley is thinking, as he sees Job in his despair and Sitis in her fury and the children in their fear and Aziraphale in his guilt. And even if you did, even if you weren't perfect, even if you were angry and resentful and full of doubt, how could any transgression be worthy of this?
I'm sure plenty of people have talked about how the flashbacks in S2 are from Aziraphale's point of view, and course the purpose of that is to show the audience how he comes to his decision in 2x06. We follow Aziraphale closely this episode, from when he first hears about the contract to when he decides to lie to the Supreme Archangel's face. It's an important story beat for him, one of the high points in his character arc. This episode isn't about Crowley, really--it's about what Aziraphale thinks of Crowley, and about Aziraphale's long journey to discovering his own sense of right and wrong outside of Heaven's dogma.
But that means that we never see Crowley accept the assignment to kill the goats. We never see him worry over the danger he'll be in if he refuses. We learn that he's going against Hell only when Aziraphale does. Crowley isn't the kind of person to stew in self-reflection--he spends millennia doing his best to outrun his own emotions--but even if he was, we as the audience aren't often privy to those thoughts. Crowley is as closed-off to us as he is to Aziraphale for most of S2's flashbacks.
But we still get more than enough to understand exactly why Crowley is so disgusted by the offer to return to Heaven. Because the one scene in the Job minisode that happens before Aziraphale shows up, and one of the only scenes in the flashbacks that takes place from solely Crowley's perspective, is this speech:
You should know why you’re about to die. God has abandoned you. The god who claims to love you, who demands your praise, has given you up to be destroyed.
Bad luck.
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