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You were both aware of the tension that had been quietly building between you for some time, growing alongside the changes in your bodies and the way you began to see yourselves. What once felt simple and familiar had slowly become more complicated, as childhood certainty gave way to a more self-conscious awareness of one another. And yet neither of you dared to acknowledge it openly, as if naming it would force you to confront a shift in your relationship that neither of you felt ready to define. That is also why, what was meant to be nothing more but a single teasing from his side — when he promised to present you with a finely carved bone comb in exchange of you giving him a kiss — soon turned into something more than either of you had anticipated. As soon as the boldness of his words struck him, he looked away at once, his ears falling back self-consciously.  - "I mean..." Slightly embarrassed, he could hear the whispers coming from all around, quickly lowering his gaze, feeling ashamed of himself, while taking on the sly comments from some of his friends who happened to witnessed his 'poor attempts to impress you." Before he managed to utter even a half-formed apology, your lips met him halfway in a brief, but almost indecent kiss - one learned upon those early years of discovering your own sexuality. A 'private lessons' you liked to called them with your brothers and sisters from Tlalim clan that had to come to its end with the announcement of your and Olo’eyktan's son courtship. Roxo must have known about it too — he and Aounung had grown up together, after all — which made his suggestion seem so unlike him. Could it be that he had fallen victim to an unfunny prank played on him by his friends? But that didn’t change the fact that you kissed him. You didn’t have to — but you did. Trying to gather your thoughts, you lowered your gaze to the comb resting in your hands, your fingers tracing its intricate ornamentation as though the delicate patterns might quiet the soft unrest within your heart. It was not for the unexpected gift he decided to present you with that you kissed him, but rather out of long-hidden emotions that had at last risen from where they had long been buried, gentle, yet impossible to ignore in their sincerity.

- "It is really kind of you, that you thought about me. I will cherish it forever. Thank you Roxto."

Those few words and your kind smile were enough to make him broke into one himself, with a soft flush coloring his cheeks now. Returning it with one of his own, he then followed you back into the village.

Even since then it became a common sight to see the two of you together; and whenever your own responsibilities toward the clan kept you apart, Roxto always found quiet ways to show you how much he cared, leaving small tokens you would later find at the entrance to your marui. The days passed carefree for you, and after the arrival of the Sully family, you spent most of your time with Tsireya, teaching the Omatikaya children your ways. It was at that time rumors began to spread throughout the village, until they eventually reached  Aounung’s ears, who did not hide his displeased with the thought of his best friend sneaking out with you behind his back. The elders, too, looked upon it with disfavor, while your brothers, wishing to spare you from disgrace, urged you to keep your distance for time being. Even Aonung, who until then had paid you little attention— if any at all — became somewhat more possessive of you, constantly hovering near you as though silently staking his claim. What started as subtle provocation soon turned overt—his touches lingered longer, his words grew bolder, and he made no effort to hide any of it from other of his friends. You do not know how, yet somehow, sometime later, he found out about the earlier kiss, and taking from that moment things escalated rather quickly, leading to a confrontation that would have ended in tragedy, if not for the Tsireya, who witnessed the whole incident and whose intervention—with the help from few Omatikaya hunters—made it possible to separate her brother from his friend. The incident occurred shortly before the Iknimaya ceremony and was one of the main reason you were seated apart from each other, for keeping a safe distance between two young na'vi. Looking close enough, a visible bruise could still be seen around his left eye, matched with a cut in the eyebrow arch, and some minor scratches.

- "Come on ma paskalin, don't make others wait".

From where he was sitting, he could now see your slight hesitation, the kind of nervousness that only seemed to deepen the more Aonung kept pushing you, before you finally gave in, and agreed to join him. Uncertain whether to follow you or keep himself on distance, he watch as you walked away, his tail flicked restlessly betraying his unease at the thought he might have lost you forever. He loved you since he remembers, and if not for his insecurities — that quiet fear of rejection — maybe he would have even taken a chance and stood against Aounung, fought back, and proved himself worthy of you.

- "You are not coming?

Snapped out of his thoughts, he looked at Tsireya, who was now standing before him and who, as if she could read his thoughts, could understand everything he had been through, everything he was trying so hard to hide.

 - "It may be your last chance to tell her how you really feel".

Hearing the words he had been so afraid to hear, he looked away from her at once, as if trying to deny the very truth now laid bare before him. He refused to let go of you. Nothing in his life had ever mattered to him as much as the thought of having you by his side again, of returning to the days when everything between you felt effortless and whole. Even now, beneath all the doubt and silence, that desire remained unchanged, burning quietly within him.

- "Go Roxto, she is waiting for you."

And so he rushed after you, running down the road through the forest, which opened onto the vast waters of the ocean. The path was well known to both of you — one you would take in secret while the world lay sleeping, diving into the underwater realm where bioluminescent corals pulsed with shifting hues, their vivid colors drifting through the water as you explored it together. The memory of the time spent with you underwater was one of the few memories he liked to replay in his head before falling asleep. In them, you appeared like one of those mythical beings he had heard about in stories—creatures that lured hunters with their beauty, weaving equally beautiful yet sorrowful songs. And that was how you appeared to him—standing there, utterly beautiful as you were, with a trace of sorrow lingering in your eyes now; meeting you halfway, his gaze lingered on you a moment longer before he bashfully lowered his eyes. You were truly beautiful, and he felt somewhat ashamed that you had to see him in such a state.

You were about to become, next to Aounung, one of the leaders for the Clan, and that is why he had to remain strong, so he could stay by your side, to always watch over you, to protect you, happy to call you his Tashik one day.

 - "Please do not hide from me Roxto. Tsireya told me what happened, what you did..."

Upon hearing his name spoken from your lips, his ears gave a subtle twitch, and he immediately turned to look at you. And that was when you noticed them — the bruises on his face, faint yet unmistakable there, staining his skin in dull shades of violet and blue. Just as you reached out to touch him, he immediately drew back, instinctively moving away from you. - "Please let me see it."

Scared, he held his hands up in front of him, as if trying to hide his face from you, but you eventually stepped closer, taking his hands in yours and gently pulling them down, forcing him to meet your gaze. - "I was secretly hoping for you to find me..." Saying that, you lifted your hand to his face and gently brushed his cheek, as if trying to comfort him now; moving your hand to the back of his head now, your fingers accidentally brushed the base of his kuru.

 - "I'm sorry, this happened to you."

You stood there in complete silence for before you felt his gaze on you again. - "I-It is nothing. I did for what I thought was r-right, and if it means protecting your g-good name..." He was speaking quickly, gesturing with his hands — the way he did so when communicating with you underwater — before coming to stop in half sentence over hearing you mentioning his best friend's name. - "Aounung truly regrets what he did. Please, if you could talk to each other..."

Forsaking words now, and relying solely on gestures— whiele making you help him understand why did you try justify now his [Aounung’s] behaviour — he gave away sneering laugh, followed by single flick of his tail, at the thought of you already starting to act like Aounung’s "little muntxate". As for you, it was sometimes difficult to keep up with the pace of his hand gestures—especially when he became emotionally unstable and, as a result, more chaotic. Still, somehow you understood every word he “said,” and it was, without a doubt, meant to hurt you. The worst part was that he was actually enjoying it, letting the jealousy and pain he felt made him blind on what he truly felt for you. - "I do not care, I did it all for you"! Shaken, he lowered his gaze, nervously wiping away the tears that had slowly started to blur his vision. - "I t-thought that maybe, if I try h-hard enough, that m-maybe..." His gestures, over time, became so chaotic and unreadable that, without much thought, you took his hands in yours, and, pulling him closer, held him now in a tight embrace. Even since you can remember, Roxto has had a tendency to suppress his emotions, finding it hard to trust and open-himself up to anyone but you. The comb he gave you may not have been the most obvious courting gift one could offer their beloved, yet it was one of many he hoped to present to you in future, in order to win your favor.

 - "You are the one I have ever cared about."

Uttering these words, he instinctively sought your closeness, tucking his face into the crook of your neck, while his touch lingered with quiet affection, his lips ghosted along your skin in a lingering trace, soft and deliberate, as though savoring the closeness before the sound of voices reached your eyes drew your attention.  - "Quick!" Taking him by hand, you stepped off the trail, disappearing deeper into the dense forest that stretched along the shoreline. Moving along the path now guided by the faint lights of the bioluminescent-looking, tropical plants, you arrived at a place where the forest gave way to the sandy beach, nestled within a small cove. He recognised that place alomst immediately, as you discovered it together by accident, during one of your shared journeys around the island. Following quietly behind, he took into the vast ocean stretching out before him, when your voice reached him, calling him now to join you, what sounded as a distant echo from the past. Seeing his slight hesitation, you interlaced your fingers with his and, placing a kiss on his lips, led him further through the sand before he stumbled against his own tail, pulling you both down to the ground. When he opened his eyes again, he met with a pair of your own, as the his entire world reflected within them; taking onto your features and contemplating your natural beuty.

- "I do not want Aounung."

The unexpected confession caught him completely off guard, so much so that he nearly threw you off of him, catching hold of you at the very last moment. Joy and confusion played across his face, clinging desperately to every word that might allow him even the faintest shred of hope, as though he feared it would vanish the moment he let go.

-"Rotxo te Rara Yapto'itan look at me, when I talk to you".

The instant he looked at you, you closed the distance between you and claimed his lips in a fierce, impulsive kiss, driven more by instinct than thought. Without hesitation, you then reached for his kuru, your movements urgent and unwavering, joining with him in the sacred bond of tsaheylu. Despite his initial hesitation, he soon yielded to the moment, following your lead and sharing that intimate connection, while hearing the ocean whisper your name, as though the sea itself had risen to answer his call, singing an ancient song he swore he had heard somewhere before, until all that remained was the pull of your presence—irresistible, like a song no Metkayina hunter could resist.

- "Tell me what you want then, and I will give it to you 🩵".

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