ŕźneteyamxfemomaticayareaderꥴ
đđđŤđ§đ˘đ§đ : heavy angst, emotional conflict, argument, separation, hurt no comfort (for now), mentions of war, hurt/comfort (later)
đđŽđŚđŚđđŤđ˛ : Growing up between two worlds, you and Neteyam always believed you were destined for each other until war forces him to leave, and you must choose between love and home.
đđŽđđĄđ¨đŤâđŹ đ§đ¨đđ : This is the first time I write on tumblr, so sorry if it's not perfect đ
~đđ¤ đ°đ¨đŤđđŹ
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Pandora had never been silent.
Even at night, the forest breathed. Leaves trembled beneath the wind, insects sang, and the luminescent roots pulsed softly under your feet. Here, everything had a soul. Everything was alive.
You paused for a moment near the Tree of Souls, lifting your gaze to the tangled vines above. You knew this path by heart. Every turn. Every raised root. Every scent.
Daughter of Norm Spellman.
And of a Naâvi woman of the Omaticaya clan.
You werenât quite like the others.
Your hands had five fingers. Faint eyebrows framed your gaze. Small details â but enough to remind everyone of your different heritage. The one some still called, in hushed voices, demon blood.
But here, in the forestâŚ
The Omaticaya had watched you grow. Run barefoot between the trees. Fall. Rise again.
Learn. They no longer looked at you as a stranger, but as one of their own.
You found him near the training clearing, as often. His bow rested against his shoulder, his expression focused as he adjusted his stance.
Every movement precise. Controlled.
âYouâre going to wear your bow out,â you said as you approached.
He turned his head toward you, surprised⌠then his features softened instantly.
âI could say the same about you and the forest,â he replied with a faint smile.
You sat beside him without asking permission. You never needed to.
Between you, everything had always been simple.
Since shared training sessions.
Since the glances exchanged when no one was watching.
People often joked that you were made for each other. Like something obvious.
As if Eywa herself had drawn your paths to meet.
âYouâre somewhere else today,â he noticed.
âThe humans are looking for my family. Weâre leaving.â
The words echoed heavily between you.
âWhere?â you whispered.
âWe donât know yet.â
You looked up at him, surprised⌠and yet, you had expected it.
âYouâd be safe. With us. With me.â
His eyes never left yours. There was hope in them. And fear he was trying to hide.
âMy home is here,â you answered softly. âThe forest, my family⌠itâs all Iâve ever known.â
âAnd me?â he asked, quieter.
That question shattered you.
âYouâre in my heart,â you replied.
Sincerely. âBut leaving⌠it would mean giving up a part of myself.â
His jaw clenched. You saw it. The disappointment. The hurt.
âI understand,â he finally said.
But his voice wasnât convincing.
In the distance, Loâak was already calling. Departure was close.
He paused for a moment, his back turned.
âWe always said we were destined,â you murmured. âThat hasnât changed⌠has it?â
When he left, the forest suddenly feltâŚ
And for the first time in your life, Pandora felt incomplete.
The village was in motion at dawn.
The Omaticaya were preparing to leave in a heavy silence, as if everyone was holding their breath. Ikrans stirred restlessly, weapons were checked one last time, bags tied carefully.
You watched from the shadow of a tree, your heart tight in your chest. You had searched for him the moment you woke up. Instinctively. Like always.
He was there. Standing beside Jake, upright, focused, already in his role. The eldest son. The warrior. The one who never falters.
But when your eyes met hisâŚ
As if you werenât there.
You frowned slightly. That wasnât like him. Even hurt, Neteyam had never ignored you. Not truly.
He continued fastening his gear, movements precise, almost mechanical.
âNeteyam,â you repeated, louder.
He finally turned toward you. Slowly. His face was closed off. Too calm.
âDo you need something?â he asked.
The words hit you like a blow.
âI⌠wanted to talk to you,â you answered, unsettled.
âThis isnât the time.â
âThatâs exactly why it is.â
He inhaled deeply, as if holding himself back.
âWeâve already talked, Y/n.â
âNo,â you whispered. âWe havenât said anything.â
A heavy silence settled between you. Around you, the clan continued moving, but everything felt blurred. Distant.
âYou made your choice,â he finally said, not quite looking at you. âI respect that.â
âRespecting isnât understanding,â you replied softly.
âYou wanted to stay. Iâm leaving. Thereâs nothing more to add.â
âNeteyam⌠you know itâs not that simple.â
He finally lifted his eyes to yours. And this time, you saw the anger there. Not explosive.
âYes,â he answered. âIt is.â
The words burned in your chest.
âYouâre acting like Iâm abandoning you.â
âYou are,â he shot back, without thinking.
The silence that followed was brutal.
âThatâs not trueâŚâ you murmured.
He looked away, as if he almost regretted it⌠but too late.
He walked past you, so close you felt the warmth of his body â yet he didnât touch you.
âNeteyamâŚâ you pleaded.
He stopped for a second. Just one. You thought he might turn around. Say something.
âTake care of the forest,â he said simply.
âThatâs what you chose.â
You remained frozen, unable to move, your heart in pieces. You watched the Sullys move away â Loâak mounting his ikran, Kiri casting one last worried glance back.
When the beating of wings disappeared into the sky, the forest suddenly felt too quiet.
You placed a hand against your chest.
It wasnât just a goodbye.
The forest hadnât changed.
The leaves still glowed at night. The roots pulsed beneath your steps. The animals continued their songs as if nothing had happened.
And yet, for you, everything was different.
You kept living. You helped. You hunted.
You smiled when you had to. But every movement felt automatic, as if your mind was somewhere else.
There are absences that take up too much space.
Neteyam had been gone for several moons now, and you had thought time would eventually soften the emptiness. That staying here, surrounded by everything you loved, would be enough.
But the more days passed, the heavier his absence became.
You avoided certain places without even realizing it.
The clearing where you used to train together.
The path leading to the river, where you sometimes sat in silence.
Memories came back without warning.
One evening, you stopped beside an ancient tree, pressing your forehead against its bark.
âI miss youâŚâ you whispered, not even knowing who you were truly speaking to.
Or to the version of yourself who still laughed without effort.
At home, the atmosphere had changed too. Your mother often watched you in silence, as if searching for the right words. Your father, Norm, tried to pretend everything was fineâŚ
One night, as the stars softly illuminated the forest, he finally spoke.
âYouâre not really here anymore, Y/n.â
âI thought staying was the right decision,â you answered quietly. âThat the forest would be enough.â
âThe forest is your home,â he said calmly. âBut itâs not all that you are.â
âIâm scared,â you admitted. âScared to leave. Scared to regret it.â
He placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder.
âYouâre not abandoning the forest by following your heart. And youâre not abandoning your family either.â
Silence settled between you, peaceful this time.
âYouâre meant to walk beside him,â he added eventually. âNot to fade away here while waiting.â
Those words echoed inside you long after he had left.
That night, you didnât sleep.
You watched the vines sway gently, the sky shimmering above you. And for the first time, the idea of leaving no longer felt like betrayal.
âForgive me, Eywa,â you murmured. âI have to go where my heart still beats.â
The next morning, your decision was made.
You were going to join them.
Not because the forest wasnât enough anymore.
But because without him, even Pandora felt incomplete.
The ocean stretched endlessly before you.
The water was an almost unreal shade of blue, the waves calm, the wind heavy with salt. Nothing like the forest. Nothing like what you had always known.
When you finally set foot on the shores of the Metkayina, your heart was beating too fast.
After all those nights of hesitation.
Tuk threw herself at you, happy to see you again. The rest of the family greeted you as well.
But your eyes searched for his immediately.
Standing beside his family, posture straight, expression closed off. He had changed. His features seemed sharper, his gaze more distant.
When his eyes landed on you, your breath caught.
For a fraction of a second, you thought you saw surprise there.
As if he didnât know you.
You stepped closer, hesitant, ignoring the glances already settling on you. Some curious.
Your five-fingered hands hadnât gone unnoticed. Neither had your eyebrows.
âNeteyamâŚâ you breathed.
He finally turned toward you. Slowly.
âWhat are you doing here?â he asked.
His voice was flat. Devoid of warmth.
âI came to join you.â
A short, humorless laugh escaped him.
His eyes moved over you, as if searching for something⌠or someone.
âYou said your place was in the forest.â
Every word was precise. Sharp.
âNo,â he cut you off harshly. âYou made your choice.â
Around you, the Metkayina were already murmuring.
âAnother one with demon bloodâŚâ
âSheâs not really Naâvi.â
âNeteyam, I didnât come here toââ
âTo what, exactly?â he interrupted, colder still. âReassure yourself? Ease your conscience?â
Your eyes blurred with tears.
âI came because I miss you.â
You had repeated those words dozens of times in your head. You thought they would change something.
âThatâs not my problem anymore,â he replied. âYou wanted to stay there. So stay there.â
The words struck you like a slap.
âYou donât really mean thatâŚâ you whispered.
He stepped closer, close enough for you to feel his restrained anger.
âHere, youâre a stranger. And I donât have time to deal with your regrets.â
Without a single glance back.
You remained frozen on the sand, the sound of the waves barely drowning out the whispers around you.
âDemon bloodâŚâ someone muttered.
You lowered your gaze, your throat tight.
You had left the forest for him.
And he had just left you alone in the middle of a world that did not want you.
The days that followed were long.
You did your best to make yourself invisible. You helped when asked.
You observed, you learned. You spoke little. Too little.
Not all the Metkayina were hostile.
Some simply ignored you. Others watched you with curiosity mixed with suspicion.
But there were some who didnât bother hiding it.
âCareful with her hands,â a young warrior sneered. âTheyâre not like ours.â
You clenched your fists, keeping your gaze lowered.
You had heard worse. Much worse. But here, far from everything you knew, every word felt heavier.
You knew it. You felt his presence like a burn between your shoulder blades. He wasnât looking at you. At least, thatâs what he wanted people to believe.
âThey say humans destroy everything they touch,â another continued. âMaybe sheâll do the same here.â
This time, you lifted your head.
âSilence,â someone snapped. âYouâre not home here.â
And thatâs when it happened.
Neteyamâs voice cracked through the air like thunder.
He stepped forward slowly, shoulders tense, gaze hard. This was no longer the cold, distant Neteyam of the past few days.
âAre you finished,â he said, staring down those who were still laughing, âor do you still need to prove how little honor you have?â
âWe were just talkingâŚâ one of them muttered.
Neteyam took another step closer.
âShe is under my protection.â
The words echoed loudly. Too loudly.
You stared at him, stunned.
âNeteyamâŚâ you whispered.
âIf anyone has something to say about her blood, her hands, or her place here⌠say it to me.â
Eyes dropped. Laughter disappeared.
When they finally scattered, he remained there.
âWhy did you do that?â you asked, your voice trembling.
He turned to you abruptly.
âDonât get the wrong idea.â
âThen explain it to me.â
âI wasnât going to let them humiliate you like that,â he replied sharply. âIt has nothing to do with you.â
A bitter laugh escaped you.
âEverything has always had something to do with me, Neteyam.â
He hesitated. Just a fraction of a second.
âBe careful,â he said finally. âNot everyone here is like in the forest.â
But this time, you didnât feel completely alone.
Because deep down, you knew.
If he truly didnât careâŚ
He would have never raised his voice for you.
Night had fallen over the Metkayina village.
Torches cast a soft glow over the huts, the ocean calm, almost deceptively so. Everything seemed peaceful⌠but your mind was not.
You were sitting alone by the water, knees drawn to your chest. The events of the day replayed endlessly in your thoughts.
The looks. The words. And above allâŚ
The look in his eyes when he had faced the others.
That instinctive protection he had tried to deny.
You heard footsteps behind you.
You didnât turn right away. You already knew who it was.
âYou should sleep,â he finally said.
His voice was lower. Less harsh.
âYou too,â you replied simply.
Silence settled between you. Long, tense, but different. The raw anger was gone. What remained was something fragile. Dangerous.
âWhat I did todayâŚâ he began.
âYou didnât have to.â
The word came out sharper than he intended.
âNeteyam,â you said softly, âyou canât push me away⌠and protect me like Iâm still yours.â
He closed his eyes for a moment.
âYou think this is easy?â he murmured. âYou think I havenât spent every night wondering if you were okay?â
You slowly stood, facing him.
âThen why did you do that back there?
Why did you speak to me like I didnât matter anymore?â
He inhaled deeply. When he opened his eyes again, they shone with an emotion he no longer tried to hide.
âBecause I was afraid.â
The words stole your breath.
âAfraid you would leave again. Afraid you would regret coming. Afraid you would always choose the forest⌠and never me.â
His voice trembled slightly.
âI told myself that if I pushed you away, it would hurt less. That if I pretended you didnât matter anymore⌠I would survive.â
Your heart tightened painfully.
âNeteyamâŚâ you breathed.
âI was unfair. Cruel. And I regret it.â
He stepped closer, hesitant, as if still giving you the chance to move away.
âIâm sorry I didnât leave with you right away,â you said. âBut Iâm here now. And I didnât come just to leave again.â
He lifted his hand, not touching you yet.
Then he pulled you into his arms.
It wasnât rough. Nor possessive.
It was trembling, almost clumsy, as if he feared you might disappear if he held you too tightly.
You buried your face against his chest.
âI missed you so much,â you whispered.
He closed his eyes, holding you a little closer.
âI never stopped loving you.â
He pulled back just enough to look at you. His hands framed your face. His forehead rested against yours.
âIf you stay⌠I promise I wonât push you away again.â
âThen kiss me,â you answered simply.
The kiss was slow. Filled with everything that had never been said. His lips were warm, reassuring, like a promise finally kept.
When you parted, he was smiling softly.
âStay with me foreverâŚâ