➜ Pairing: Neteyam x Fem!human!reader
➜ Summary: After a gone wrong adventure through the forest with Neteyam, you wake up injured and unresponsive. With limited time and resources, Neteyam begs the help of Eywa to save you. However in the process, Eywa bestows an unfavorable twist of fate upon you.
➜ Notes: should I open my requests?
The next time you wake up, you're greeted by fluorescent lights and large glass windowpanes. Your body tenses at the unfamiliar setting, your eyes darting between pieces of unfamiliar machinery.
Your mind beginning to spiral, all the worst case scenarios jumping to the front of your brain. You mustve passed out and gotten taken by the Sky People-
The muffled sound of a door swinging open and footsteps as they approach closer to the glass, interrupt your thoughts. Your heartbeat picks up, body tensing as you prepare yourself to lunge at whoever's taken you. You hear someone speaking, although their words are muffled by the clear barrier. You listen intently for a moment.
The voice sounds vaguely familiar to you, and you frown, brows furrowing in confusion. Another moment of you trying to put your finger on who’s voice it is and it hits you.
You were in the human hospital back at High Camp. Not some twisted RDA facility.
You breathe a sigh of relief, your body relaxes, muscles loosening. You close your eyes, trying to steady your pounding heart. Your head rests back onto the pillow, it plush body comfortable and soft. You were alive, you were safe.
A moment later the glass door is pushed open and Norman walks in, Max in tow.
They’re buried in the screen of the device being held in Norms’ hand. Muttering scientific gibberish. Something about mycelium this, mycelium that.
You just watch quietly, waiting for them to realize you’re awake.
The longer you look at them, the more confused you get though. Something looked off. They seemed...
“You guys don't look as small as youusually do.” You blurt suddenly. Frowning as you hear your own voice.
Weird, your voice didn’t sound the same either.
Their heads snap up at your voice, eyes widening and mouths opening slightly as if to gasp, but no sound leaves their lips.
Norm stutters, shock written all over his face.
“Y-you’re up!” He notes, eyes wide as if he was looking at a ghost.
He reaches behind him to tap Max, turning his head quickly and mouthing something you can't make out from where you sit.
Max nods quickly, almost frantic, and hurriedly leaves the room, his lab coat trailing in the air behind him like a cape.
You nod, tipping your head, still confused.
“Did you grow or something?” You ask, ignoring his statement of the obvious. How long had you been asleep for?
“Um no no, I didn't grow you um-” Norm starts, then cuts himself off. His voice sounding unsure as he stumbles over his words. He pauses for a second, searching for the right words.
Your frown deepens as you watch him.
After a moment he finally speaks again voice steadier as he mutters “It’s easier to just show you...”
He turns his head, eyes raking over the different appliances before his gaze lands on a small mirror lying on a table standing next to the entryway.
He grabs it, walking towards you and jutting it out so you can take it from him by the handle.
You reach for it, then pause, blinking at the small pinkish-tan hand that extends towards the mirror as you reach for it. Confusion riddles your mind.
You draw your hand back, then you reach for the mirror again, but the same hand moves to grab it again.
You stare for a moment, blinking in confusion. Then your face drops, eyes widening as you gasp.
“No, no, no!” You mutter, panic rushing through you. You snatch the mirror from Norman’s hold, turning the reflective surface towards you and holding it up so you have a clear view of your face.
Your breath catches in your throat. Your eyes beginning to sting, waterline filling with tears as you stare back at the girl in the mirror.
Your hand comes up to touch your face, and you see the same strange, small hand come to rest on your cheek.
This wasn't right. This wasn't you. This was a Sky Person, so how could it be that you were controlling her body and feeling her feelings—
A loud clatter from outside comes, and suddenly a large blue body barling through the doorway and into the small room. Long blue legs staggering to catch the weight they hold, as their owner trys to avoid toppling over Norm who quickly scurries to the corner of the room.
Your head snaps up, having to crane far up to meet the Na’vis eye.
“Neteyam.” You breathed, your voice cracking. Hot tears fall from your eyes, leaving a burning trail of heat in their wake. Your hands come up to cover your mouth. You let out an ugly wretched sob.
“Y/N.” Neteyam reaches for you, his large blue hand moving to cup your face, but you move away, throwing off the soft covers Norm and his scientists had provided you during your recovery.
“No, dont touch me!” You want to scream the words, yell as loud as you can, but all you can manage are broken mangled sobs.
You swing your legs over the edge of the hospital bed, sliding down until your tiny feet touch the cool tile ground. You warbled, as you attempted to stand, your new body still unfamiliar to you, and it felt as though you were a baby only just learning to walk for a moment. Neteyam reached out again, a caring attempt to help steady you but you rejected it once more.
“Woah-be careful. Take it easy sylunag.” He tried to usher you back towards the bed with his kind words and soft touches, but each brush of his skin against yours burned, like molten rock on flesh.
“Neteyam don't look at me—please—” your voice cracked again as your body wracked with another round of sobs. You took a step back, away from him.
Your free hand came to wrap around your abdomen, nails digging into the alien skin that was poorly veiled by a paper gown. “I cant—I don't want you seeing me like this—”
Sympathy shined in his golden eyes. “Y/N-” He began but you couldn't bare the weight of his gaze on you any longer.
In one swift movement you darted. Running around one of his legs and ducking to avoid being caught by his hand that swooped down in attempt to grab you. One foot after another you ran, weaving through the lab coats and alien machinery until you were met with a heavy metal door.
You slammed your body into it, recklessly not caring how it would hurt you. Or more over the body you were now in. The force was enough to crack the airtight seal and knock the breath out of your lungs. You didn't give yourself a chance to regain your stamina though. Instead, leaning against the metal frame and continuing attempting to push the door fully open.
Air. You needed fresh air.
Another forceful shove into the door, and it burst open. You took off running again.
Moments later you could hear Neteyam calling after you once again. Hear his heavy steps following behind you as you ran.
You didn't stop though, you couldn't. You needed to get away. To escape all this. Escape the body you were now in and the way Neteyam would inevitably never love you the same, and parent's judgmental expression. All the eyes that had once looked at you with love, respect, and pride would now undoubtedly look at you with hate and disregard. You were sure of it.
Tears streamed down your face, blurring your vision. Neteyam voice grew louder from behind you as he caught up but you weren't ready to stand still yet.
So, you pushed yourself until your thighs began to burn, and your feet hurt from the rocky grounds, they had yet to become accustomed to. Even after your feet throbbed and your lungs felt like they were going to pop, you pushed yourself to continue further.
Until finally your body grew too tired to keep up with youth your mind's commands. Your strides becoming sloppy and sluggish. Your feet not lifting quite high enough, dragging just a second to long at the wrong time. Your toes caught on dead vine that lay discarded on the cave floor, throwing you off balance and sending you tumbling onto the rocky ground.
You yelped, cursing your tiny, weak, and untrained body as you fell, hissing at the way the unforgiving terrain bit at your flesh.
Behind you, you heard Neteyam’s footsteps slow, his pace easing as he caught up to you, crouching down next to you.
You turned to look at him, eyes glazed over with tears as they met his. His heart panged in his chest.
“Y/N...” he started, but his words seemed to fail him. Leaving the two of you in a depressing, dragging silence.
“Why?” You asked, sounding defeated.
“I-” Neteyam sighed, taking one of your hands and clasping it in his own, “I’m not sure Y/N. You got hurt, and my grandmother tried everything she could in that moment, but you were injured badly and there wasn't enough time so-” he took a deep breath, willing himself to continue as his own eyes brimmed with fresh tears.
“We took you to the Spirit Tree. We begged the help of the Eywa.”
He brought your hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the soft skin, “She saved your life yawntu.”
You stared at your hand in his, and your stomach churned. It looked so small, so out of place there now. Another stream of tears rolled down your face.
You looked at him enerstly.
“I would rather she have let me die in her arms.”
Neteyams hold tightened around your hand, and he pulled you up, cupping your face.
“Don't say that sylunag.”
“It would have been a more merciful fate then having to live in alien skin forever. I cannot even connect with my Ikran now, or Eywa-” your breath hitched, “and I will never be able to make Tshyalu with you.”
Neteyam shook his head, a sad smile turning on his face as he reached behind you, grasping at the long braid that still grew from behind your neck. You had been to preoccupied processing this new change to notice it.
“No ma yawntu, Eywa would not be that cruel.” Neteyam pulled the braid out, letting the hair at the end fall away to reveal the end of your Kuru, “and look,” his thumb brushed across your cheek gently. “You do not need a mask like all other humans.”
Your face soured, twisting in disgust at his referral to you as human. He stuttered, choking on his words, scrambling to correct himself.
“Not that you are actually human-just that you live in a human body now-”
You choked out a small laugh at his stumbling. Pausing for a moment before another question surfaced in your mind.
“What about the rest of the clan? And your mother....I cant imagine they will look at me the same.”
“They will come around.” He assured, bringing your hand up to his lips again to press a kiss to it, “besides,” he smiled again more brightly, more naturally, “this is Eywas path for you. Who are they to question her will?”
You nodded quietly, letting yourself sit with his words for a moment.
You brought your hand up in front of your face again, pulling it out of his warm grasp to examine it once more. This time you looked at it thoughtfully.
“It’ll take some getting used to.” You sighed finally, dropping your hand into your lap and meeting his gaze once more.
Neteyam assured you gently with a confident shake of his head. His hand came up to stroke your hair, fingers grazing gently through the strands. Treating you as though you were a delicate piece of fine jewelry.
“Everything will be alright.”
@cherridile @aonungmybf @aurora-starwars