Ooo I love this, I can't wait to see where it goes
illicit love
synopsis: what are the odds of someone confusing you for a world famous scientist, kidnapping you, and sending you to another planet at age 18? apparently it’s very high odds because that’s exactly how you found yourself on pandora.
pairings: lo’ak x femhuman!reader
warnings: mentions of death, mentions of child abandonment, swearing, kidnapping (accidental)
word count: 4,000
a/n: this is gonna be a series... this is only the prologue, please bare with me. ik lo'ak isnt in this part like at all but he will be in the next part i alr writing it.
theodora willisin was grace's apprentice before grace got a location change to pandora. though theodora was sad, grace promised to send back as much intel as possible to keep up with her studies and eventually join grace in exploring pandora one day.
it took theodora 10 years, but by 26, she was on a cryo ship, being sent off to pandora. she didn't have any rda affiliation. she was just a young 16-year-old girl who had admired grace's studies. one day she decided to take all her savings in hopes that she could walk into grace's office and beg on her knees, explaining how she left her whole life behind to become grace's apprentice. grace, of course, loved the enthusiasm and accepted her immediately.
during her time on earth, theodora became a very well-known scientist. she was famous for her studies on the na'vi. she was so well-informed for someone who lived on earth. of course, her studies were only fueled by grace's information. this wasn't a secret, but the girl made groundbreaking discoveries regarding language, fluency, and pronunciation. and don't get me started on her wildlife studies. she and grace could talk about trees when they studied together on earth, and she couldn't wait until she got to pandora to discuss everything new she had learned with grace.
but there was one thing that theodora hated that she had to leave behind. her two-month-old baby. nobody knew she was pregnant except her mother. bless be to eywa that her mom was an obstetrician (a baby-delivering doctor). she hid her pregnancy from the world, and thank god she had a good workout routine and breastfed a lot because that helped her shed all her pregnancy weight just in time for her to be shipped out to pandora. theodora dressed herself in disguise and dropped her baby off in the early morning hours on the steps of her neighborhood firehouse. by the time she got home from abandoning her baby, she had to shower and get ready, so she would get on the ship by her assigned boarding time.
as horrible as theodora felt about this, she tried to look on the bright side. going to pandora to pursue her studies was her dream. she has an avatar growing on pandora, ready for her upon her arrival. she was finally living her dream, and nothing could ruin it.
except something could. the trip to pandora and getting settled had been a success. theodora was living her best life researching, studying, and living on the planet she had spent her entire life studying. unfortunately, when she got here, she was given the heartbreaking news that her boss had been killed in a war that broke out. she was the last and only person to get on that previous cryo capsule. the natives saw the ship in the night and set out to destroy the sky people who dared to land here right after they had sent everyone back.
when they got to the ship, it was empty, but there were traces of human life trailing in the direction of the lab. jake decided to investigate the situation himself. when he arrived, he was met with max and norm, which had a new person with them, and they quickly explained. they said that theodora was merely a scientist who studied under grace when she worked on earth. she had no weapon training, but she dedicated her life to studying the planet, the people, and the culture. theodora posed no threat to the na'vi. she wanted to join their everyday life and help, maybe even become one of the people.
of course, that was wishful thinking because neytiri was very hard on the young scientist. giving the human attitude and throwing threats around as if they were compliments. the young scientist knew this was nothing personal as the na'vi had just gone through a war with sky people, so she never took anything to heart. hadn't gotten to use her avatar yet as she was still gaining the trust of the clan's people. she decided to occupy her time, so she went on walks in the forest to study the trees.
unfortunately, one day she got way too close to a baby thanator that was asleep on its own by a stream. the mother, hunting nearby, caught a whiff of the unusual scent near her cub. one thing led to another, and there was one less human on pandora. but as theodora's life flashed before her eyes, she couldn't find it in herself to care because she could only think about her daughter. the one who she abandoned and didn't even give a chance at a happy childhood. she remembered the letter she had written and left with her baby. she wished she had written more. she wished she had written about how she was ticklish and an adorable baby. she wished she had written about how she was easy to care for. she wished she had written about how she never cried. she can wish and wish and wish all she wants, but it kills her on the inside that the only thing she had written was
'her name is y/n.'
jake was upset because he knew max liked having someone back at the lab again, given that norm was usually out studying in his avatar form. he could do nothing; it's not like a native killed her. her death was an accident. neytiri said it was eywa, getting rid of the skydemon from their home. max couldn't bring himself to get rid of her avatar, so he left it in the corner of the lab, knowing nobody would ever be able to use it. it was a memory of her.
you were walking out of the mall, having just gone shopping for the party you were invited to this weekend. it was the talk of the campus, the biggest frat was having a huge party, and it was invite-only. if you got invited, you were on another fucking level. did you really know what that meant? no. did that matter, though? absolutely fucking not. you were just ready to get blackout drunk with your friends after the stressful week of finals everyone just had. and you and your friends were the only freshmen to be invited, so you had to go!
you were at a crosswalk waiting for the light to change when you considered taking a different way back to campus. you figured it wouldn't do any harm, and honestly, the change in scenery was lovely. you got to walk through the park and see the wildlife. you even got approached by a few stray kittens weaving in between your feet. you laughed as their fur tickled your ankles, but your attention was stolen by a man in what looked like jungle exploration gear??
"theodora? theodora!! oh my god! i thought they sent you to pandora years ago," he said as he shook your shoulders.
"um? i'm sorry, who are you?" you asked the man, currently regretting your decision to walk back to campus a different way.
"oh, that's not important right now. there's an empty cryo capsule because someone bailed at the last minute. i thought you were on pandora already!! come on, the scientists will be stoked that i found you here and brought you with me!!" he said as he dragged you into this weird-looking corporate building.
the weird jungle dude passed you to other scientists dressed in white scrub suits. you don't know what is going on; you just want out! you cannot miss this party this weekend. your entire reputation counted on it.
"ms. willisin i'm gonna give you a rundown on everything that is going on. this is the first ship that were sending to pandora in the past 18 years so things may be a bit hectic. you are going to go into a cryo capsule that yu will be held in until you reach your destination you know everything else any questions? no? good? get in the capsule," the scientist said as he started to push you into the capsule, but you resisted.
"i don't know who you think i am but my name isn't willisin–"
"you're right. your name is theodora. now get in the damn capsule. i don't get paid enough for this," he said as he fought against you to get you in the capsule. unfortunately for you, the man was stronger than you, so he managed to get you in the capsule and slammed the door shut before you could even register everything happening.
"let me out!! my name isn't theodora. you have the wrong mother fucker!!! it's cold in here. get me out of this box!!" your screams were useless as the cryo capsules were soundproof so that the rocket's takeoff wouldn't affect the passengers. you felt weaker and weaker as the cold consumed you until you started to fall asleep. the rumble of the ship only aided in putting you to sleep, but the last thing you saw before you closed your eyes, looking out the window in your capsule, you saw the planet you live on. earth.
why can i see earth right now?!?!
that was the last thought to pass through your head before you fell into a deep sleep.
you feel weird when you wake up again, almost like you're floating. bright lights block your vision as you feel hands frantically moving your body to get you out of your capsule. you were barely awake as you walked, basically dragged, around this weird science lab. "sit here and don't move. the head scientist will tell you what to do next." the woman said before she walked away. by the time she turned the corner, you were at least cognizant enough to know what was happening. your memory from before you fell asleep started flooding your mind again as
these people kidnapped me. am i even still in our solar system?? where the fuck am i?
so many thoughts drowned your mind, but one thing was clear to you.
you gotta get out of here, but you knew you had to be smart about this.
"theodora! hello, it is wonderful to meet you. wow, you look great for 44 years old. is that how scientists dress on earth now?" the man who seemed to be the head scientist approached you, hand extended in a greeting. you firmly shook it, playing your role and faking a laugh at his joke.
if i act like this theodora person. they'll pay less attention to me, and i can find an opening to leave. but i know nothing about her!
you were stumped, that is, until the man next to you started listing off every accomplishment and groundbreaking discovery 'you' had made. that's your ticket, though. he mentioned that this theodora person was obsessed with trees and made some huge discoveries regarding them, so why not play that card?
you smiled brightly at the scientist before you and cut off his praise.
"excuse me, dr…?" you said, trying to get his name.
"naylor. dr. naylor"
"dr. naylor, i would absolutely love to sit here and chat with you about… me, but i am just dying to see the trees in person, so if you would excuse me." you said as you slowly started to walk towards a door in the room that looked like an exit.
"that's fine, dr. willisin, don't forget your mask!" dr. naylor said, pointing at a mask that was hanging on the wall. you simply nodded and placed the mask on your face as you attached the bulky pack thing to your hip.
as soon as you were outside, you walked toward the forest line, casually waving at scientists who gave you weird looks, probably due to your attire. still, you could care less because you weren't even supposed to be here.
as you got a few feet into the trees, you looked back to make sure you were completely out of sight before you started running as fast as you could. god bless that you were athletic, having earned a track scholarship at usc and being the most scouted track star in america. you had some legs on you, so you weren't planning on stopping soon. that is until you stop because an arrow gets shot into the tree right before you. you looked around to see where it came from, noticing a blue figure hiding in the shadows. you didn't even think twice about running. if your love for horror movies taught you anything, it was that you do not stop when you hear a noise in the distance. you run faster than your ass can carry you and pray to any god out there that whatever the hell is trying to kill you would kindly stop.
you didn't know how long you had been running and dodging arrows until one of them struck you in your left arm. it, thankfully, had been a smaller arrow. at least in comparison to the others you had seen as you had been running. it went through your arm cleanly, and even though it hurt like a bitch, the adrenaline you were feeling right now made it feel more like someone pinched you really hard rather than being shot in the arm.
running for just a few minutes more, you moved the branches and leaves out of your way until you came up to what looked like an empty, abandoned lab. it looked the same as the one you had left earlier, so you assumed it was a lab.
you busted your ass, sprinting to the door as arrows were shot by you, one skimming your calf and another grazing your cheek. quickly, you clutched the door's handle, swung it open, and slammed it shut behind you. the arrows had ceased. whoever was trying to kill you gave up. you finally give yourself a minute to catch your breath, and as your adrenaline dies down, you start to feel every scratch and cut on your body. not to mention the arrow that was stuck in your arm.
you can't believe this is happening right now. first, you're kidnapped from your home planet, then you're trying to escape an arrow attack, and now you're standing in this lab making eye contact with two men, one who looked like yet another scientist and another who was wearing similar exploration gear as the guy you saw before you were so horribly kidnapped.
"are you fucking kidding me?! i ran all that way just to end up in another fucking lab?"
the two men standing before you were in shock. not only was there a human girl standing in front of them, but she looked an awful lot like theodora. the two men's attention was caught when they heard you groaning in pain.
"who are you?" the explorer guy asked you, still in his shocked state of mind.
"what do you mean who am i just ran from here. and tell your trigger happy friends out there to knock it off with the arrows this shit hurts!!" you said as you sat on the steps in front of the door. you applied pressure on your leg injury so you could at least slow the bleeding.
"we haven't had visitors in over 18 years. i'm gonna ask you again who you are." this time it was the scientists who spoke up.
god, you were starting to hate these scientists, explorers, and everything else on this planet.
what planet even is this? it didn't even matter to you. you just wanted to be home.
"that doesn't matter. what day is it? i have a frat party this weekend and these crazy fuckers kidnapped me and put me on a ship that was leaving earth!" you said, annoyed that they weren't answering your question?
"well, first, why don't we introduce ourselves, yeah?" the explorer spoke again. your eyes moved to him, and if looks could kill, boy, would he be dead. "my name is norm, i'm an anthropologist, and i focus most of my studies on nature and the natives of this planet."
the other man spoke up next. "um, my name is max. i am a civilian scientist on this planet. i'm in charge of the linking between humans and their avatars?"
"humans, avatars, anthropology. what the hell is this shit? just tell me where i am and what fucking day it is." norm and max hadn't had to deal with the wrath of an angry woman in a while, so they were just about as terrified as when they had first met natives.
"you're on pandora. it's 2193. what year was it when you left?" max said after swallowing his fear.
"its been six fucking years??!?! i was 18 years old when i fucking left!!!"
"well… happy birthday?" norm tried to lighten the mood, but something in your head clicked; you had never heard of a planet called pandora.
"am i even still in earth's solar system?"
"no, you're 4.37 light-years away. look, we don't know how you got here. we havent had any outside contact with earth in ages so whatever scientists you came from are not associated with us."
"bullshit, there's shit everywhere in here that says rda on it and that was the name of the people who took me. i saw it all over their techy nerd stuff. you're lying so you can get me to go back there. you guys robbed me of six years of my life." you didn't know how to feel. you couldn't feel your body anymore. everything was just so overwhelming.
"six years is how long it takes to get to pandora. they didn't explain that to you when you boarded the ship?" norm question, to you, was stupid because you had just answered that.
"do your ears not fucking work? i didn't get on the ship, i was dragged onto it against my will. these idiots kidnapped me because they mistook me for some woman named theodora willisin, and i don't even know who that woman is." you sighed. you were starting to feel tired again, tears filling your eyes. you didn't know where you were or who these people were; you were just tired, and the injuries you sustained weren't helping you keep your eyes open.
your voice was quiet as you spoke again. it was almost inaudible compared to your voice's earlier volume. "please, i'm not even supposed to be here; i just need help. i wanna go home, and this arrow is hurting my arm, and i'm tired and–" you couldn't even finish your sentence before you passed out.
although they didn't know you, norm and max were quick to come to your aid. it had been several years since they heard that name. they don't know who you were or where you came from, but they couldn't lie and say that they didn't understand why these scientists had mistaken you for theodora. your resemblance was uncanny. norm quickly moved your form from the steps you passed out on. he placed you onto an empty lab table that they had while he snapped max out of his trance, telling him to grab their medical kit.
the two men patched up your wounds and moved you into the room that theodora used to live in when she lived with them. they closed the door and allowed you to rest.
max told norm immediately to link with his avatar so he could inform jake about the young girl they found. max wanted to make the natives nearby aware that the girl wasn't even meant to be there.
norm quickly made it to jake's home, finding the olo'eyktan spending time with his youngest daughter. jake could read the worried look on norm's face and quickly approached the man so he could know what was wrong.
"what is it?" jake got to the point.
"there's a human girl in our lab who passed out from arrow injuries." norm said.
"only arrow injuries? did they not kill the skydemon?" neytiri asked when she heard that there was a sky person on their planet again. that could only mean one thing, though. they were all back.
"what do you mean there's a human girl in your lab? kill her you know the rules around here norm there's no acceptions for any skywalkers."
"that's the thing. she's not a skywalker, she's not a sky demon. she's an 18 year old, well now she's 24, but she was a college student who was kidnapped. they mistook her for theodora and she lost six years in cryo. i don't know how she was able to dodge the arrows from your scouts but jake i can't kill that girl. she's harmless. she didn't even know that pandora existed until she woke up from cryo. she's terrified." norm explained to his friend. hoping jake could find it in him to let norm and max just take care of the girl.
"norm–" jake started, but norm cut him off
"look, we can't send her back, it's impossible, just let us raise her. she won't come near the people. she won't cause any issues. it'll be as if she's not here. i had to come tell you because she was almost killed trying to escape the people who kidnapped her."
"her mask has a tracker in it. she will lead them to your lab." neytiri voiced. over time she had grown fond of norm and max, them being the only skypeople trusted. she didn't want this skydemon to harm those she cares for, especially after norm said they mistook her for that scientist who died all those years ago.
neytiri hated theodora. the woman was clumsy, always walking around making trouble for herself that others would have to save her from, and now there's another one. another cursed skydemon is here to destroy her home. she would not stand for it. neytiri stood from her place next to tuk and walked over to her bow and arrows. jake looked over to his mate, seeing how she was walking out of their home with her weapon. "woah, hey, neytiri. hold on a second, just wait." jake said to his wife.
"no. i shall go kill that girl like i meant to do with the last one," she said, but norm spoke before she could leave.
"her mask doesn't have a tracker! we checked it after she passed out and even broke it and i threw it far away somewhere just for good measure but from the looks of it they gave her one without a tracker because they thought she was that famous scientist."
“see, ma neytiri, mawey. it is okay. they said they would keep her there. there's no need to interfere if she isn't a threat. she doesn't want to be here just as much as you don't want her here yawne." jake said, soothing his mate's tense shoulders, feeling her release her breath, giving in to his comfort.
"she wont bother you guys. we'll make sure she has boundaries and never crosses onto native territories. we'll even give her one of our tracker masks so we can keep an eye on her. just please don't kill her. for some reason she means a lot to max. i think he's seeing something that i'm not. that's not important, just please if she wanders off i will be the one to go get her. just don't kill her. please." norm was begging at this point. to neytiri, it was weird, but she assumed it was because he really meant what he was saying. jake was already convinced, so once neytiri put her bow and arrows down, the tension in the room dissolved. everyone could finally release the breath they had been holding.
"thank you." norm said before he made his way to his ikran, flying back to the lab.
I know I'm ovulating when anything smut wise just grabs my soul and fucks it good.
Anxiety and ADHD hand in hand, making you feel like a bee being shaken in a jar. Constantly vibrating, being thrown this way and that. Knowing what my objective is, but can't get it done. Heart racing with the unknown and yet can't calm down even when laying still. Suffocating in the jar but still trying to move to get to my honey.
hi !! i'm absolutely in LOVE with soft as clouds !! i was wondering if i could be added to the taglist ?? thank you and i love ur writing btw !!
Aww thank you! I actually just uploaded the second part but I will definitely add you to the third parts taglist ❤️❤️
In Your Eyes
Tamaki Amajiki x Gn!Reader
Summary: When two people meet eyes for the first time.
Warnings: Fluff, a little hostage situation, ProHeroAU, Togata has his quirk back, mentions death but no one dies,
When his eyes met yours it felt like the world had come to a stand still.
You had been walking down the street to go into work like normal, an everyday routine. A Villain had other plans though and had taken you hostage. You're unsure why it had to have been you, it could've been any other person, of course life loves to throw screw balls your way.
Hanging upside down in the air was terrifying, more so from the fear of being dropped. Someone had called that the Heros were on the way and you could only close your eyes in a silent prayer that they'd capture this guy before something worse happened.
"You all will bow before me! I dare anyone to try and stop the great Anpu!" Wait did this guy really call himself Anpu? "Uh sir, have you killed anyone?" You couldn't help but ask, I mean the name did mean God of Death.
It seemed like your question had stumped him, "U-uh well..no..no I haven't, BUT IM WILLING TO," he yelled at you. You could only roll your eyes, your fear from before completely gone at this armature Villain.
"Stop right there!" A voice had interrupted the conversation and caused you to look, there were two Heros down on the ground, one with bright blonde hair and a red cape, the other wearing a large white cloak, the hood pulled up to cover his face. Wait, was he shaking?
"Don't worry citizen, we'll save you!" The Hero, now recognized as Le Million from what other people called out, had shouted to you and you called out, "Take your time, no rush," this had taken everyone back. We're you not terrified?
The guy standing next to Le Million, now announced as Suneater had suddenly sent out a large Octopus tentacle and it wrapped around your waist as you were tugged in his direction, Le Million appearing out of no where and punching the Villain back onto the ground.
Closing your eyes due to the sudden pull, you felt two arms wrap around you. The feeling was tight yet not so snug you couldn't get out.
"You okay?" The deep voice asked, you opening your (e/c) eyes to look up into a pair of dark eyes that stared back at you.
The whole world seemed to have gone silent as you stared at eachother in wonderment. His eyes were dark but warm, reminding you of a dark stary night sky somewhere in the quiet of the mountains. You felt your face flush as you found your hands on his chest and his hands still around your waist. Was this a dream?
Tamaki on the other hand couldn't find it in him to pull away from you. Beautiful (e/c) eyes stared into his soul. He wanted to shy away from your eyes and your hands that lingered on his chest but at the same time he wanted to stay looking to your eyes.
The rich color was warm and inviting, pulling him in deeper as if it would quench the thirst of curiosity he now possed about you. Your eyes to him seemed to hold the whole world, reminding him of a sunrise where hope for a new day started.
He heard nothing, no more Villain or cheering citizens. Just you and him. Him and you. Two people alone in this world. Was this a dream?
"T-thank you," you smiled at him, your eyes seeming to glimmer even more with gratefulness and the sunlight hitting them just right that had his heart stopping.
"Y-You're wel-welcome," he stammered, his face now flushing yet you found it enduring, almost cute. His eyes drew you in more, causing you to unconsciously lean in closer to the flushing Hero who you felt squeeze you tighter.
Who knew the day could start out this amazing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ayee a little shorter but wanted to focus more on the feelings than the plot. Let me know what yall think
👀☀️⭐🌕❤👀
My Colorguard Coach marches Baritone here! GO NICHOLAS!
Phantom Regiment rehearsal in Nevada feat. The Phantomettes
The descriptions and word play. Beautiful.
❤🌻❤🌻
What Is A Flower If Not Petals? (What Is Love If Not Blooming?
✩pairing: Hard Of Hearing!Katsuki Bakugou x Fem!Reader
✩genre :hurt/comfort
✩word count: 7.4k
✩warnings: established Shinkami (who are terrible pet owners), sad bakugou, dumbification, oral (fem receiving), fingering, unprotected sex
✩authors note: this is for my sweet baby @dearestdynamight birthday!!!! i’m so glad u liked it and u mean so so so much to me my love u are literally my first tumblr friend and mean the absolute world to me!!!
Your mother always told you hate was a strong word, so you’ve avoided using it.
However, spending your early 20’s walking dogs between classes wasn’t what the teenage version of you imagined you would be doing at this age. You can’t complain though. Most dogs behave well. You do get to make your own schedule and who wouldn’t want to spend their free time walking dogs and playing with them while also avoiding the massive responsibility that they are?
Your mother’s chastising voice also reminds you to be grateful. That this job is better than nothing. That you’re lucky to have a consistent stream of customers that not only treat you well but pay you well, along with dogs that behave well.
Again. Most dogs.
Keep reading
Hii 👻 Soft as Clouds has me all happy and giggly 😭🖐🏻 if it’s not any trouble and you still have space, may I be added to the taglist please?? 💗💗
Of course! This taglist is going be long but there's always room for more 💕💕
~Walking On Sunshine~
pìwopx [pɪ.ˈwop’] n. cloud
Anonymous Request: Can I request a Neteyam x fem reader where Neteyam and Reader are promised to be mated but they know nothing about each other. All she knows is he’s the chief's son, and all Neteyam knows is she’s the daughter of Ninat, has the voice of an angel, and she’s a pretty good healer. When they finally spend time together, they realize it was the perfect match.
2,093 words
Since I was barely 13, I have known that when I turned 18, I would be mated to the chief's else son, Neteyam.
It wasn't that I didn't have a choice, but it was strongly encouraged that I choose Neteyam, and he was strongly encouraged to choose me, as well.
This made us both shy. Though we had plenty of opportunity to speak and socialize, we avoided each other like the other was a hungry thanator. I would blush if we ever came close to each other, and he would avoid my gaze, and I wondered if he would possibly be able to choose such a nervous, meek girl.
As we grew older, I knew we had to do something to change this. If we were expected to mate for life, we need to at least talk... but it had been years of shyness, nervousness, and anxiety - I wasn't sure how to fix it now.
--
Neteyam watched Y/N, daughter of Nina, as she sat near to the fire. Her face, more beautiful each day, glowed in the light of the dancing flames. He was just close enough to hear her as she sang - people were always asking her to sing - and he closed his eyes for a moment to listen.
As her mother before her, Y/N had a beautiful voice. It was like the wind, like the flap of his ikran's wings as they soared straight up to the blue sky... it was hard to capture with words, how he felt when she sang.
He just needed to talk to her. His 18th birthday had come and gone, and he had to present his intentions to her soon.
He didn't want that to be the first thing he ever said to her.
--
I left my friends late at night, making my way slowly through home tree, ascending through the branches to my hammock.
"Y/N," a soft voice called as I reached for a vine above me. I turned, and behind me was Neteyam. He hopped up, standing on the same long, thick branch I stood on.
"Neteyam," I said, my heart racing. This was the most we'd spoken to each other... ever. And it was just two words.
We stared at each other for a long moment, and I used the awkward pause to admire how handsome Neteyam had become. He was strong, and tall, broad-shouldered like his father, and yet still delicate, like his mother.
He was our clan's fiercest hunter, and I knew I was lucky to have the chance to claim him... I just wanted to know him first, a little.
"I heard you singing tonight. It was beautiful."
A blush crept across my cheeks, deep and hot. "Thank you, Neteyam. I'm grateful to share my mother's gift, though I'm sure I don't compare to her."
"You're better," he said, his eyes wide, his voice earnest, and my blush deepened.
Another long, awkward pause. I tried to come up with a compliment in return, but my mouth was dry, my heart racing.
"I was hoping tomorrow, you would join my siblings and I. There is this meadow... we go to pick flowers for Kiri."
"Of course," I replied, a smile spreading across my face.
"Meet me... here. First light. Bring your sister, Reknel."
I nodded. He reached out, his hand just grazing my arm, before he snatched it back.
I could barely fall asleep that night, I was so excited.
--
Reknel, barely 8 years old, waited impatiently with me the next morning. I had packed something for her to eat, and knew she would be plenty entertained by Neteyam's sisters, even though she was a little younger.
The sun rose, and Neteyam arrived, just when he said he would.
"Good morning!" Rek greeted excitedly.
"Good morning! Are you both ready?" He had a pack slung over his shoulders, as did I. All I could do was nod, and we took off.
All three of Neteyam's siblings were waiting at the edge of the forest. In our effort to avoid each other out of pre-teen shyness, Neteyam and I had also avoided each other's siblings, so Neteyam had to introduce us.
Tuk, barely 13, took Rek's hand immediately, and I was grateful.
"You're going to love it," Tuk told her as we began walking. "It's a beautiful, giant meadow, full of flowers. Kiri picks some of them and we use them to make paints, and medicine."
Rek glanced up at me as we walked, and reached out for my hand, so the three of us formed a chain. She was not typically shy, but could probably sense how nervous I was, and it made her tense; she had always been a sensitive girl.
Eventually, she became enamored with Tuk and Kiri, and ran to walk with them, leaving me behind after I made her take some dried fruit with her to eat.
"I knew Tuk would be excited to have Reknel along," Neteyam said, surprising me by coming up alongside me. He had been trailing behind with Lo'ak.
"Rek loves someone to listen to her talk," I said teasingly. "Tuk is being a good sport."
Neteyam laughed, and the sound warmed my heart.
"You said Kiri uses these flowers for medicine. Do you think... I might take some home, as well?"
Kiri was being trained by the Tsahik herself, but I had been studying, too. As the hopeful mate to the next Olo'eykten, I needed to be a talented healer. I had to admit, I preferred hunting, fishing and singing but, healing was a worthwhile task.
"Of course. Kiri was hoping to show you what she's found here, and learn from you."
I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes. "What could she learn from me that she hasn't learned from your grandmother?"
"Grandmother has seen your work - she thinks you will make a fine Tsahik."
There it was. We had mentioned it. I could be the next Tsahik, if Neteyam chose me, and I accepted.
My mouth felt dry again, my head a little heavy, my palms sweaty. I blinked, hard, trying to force myself to focus - this was silly! We were both adults now, and how were we ever going to figure out if we would be a good pair, if we couldn't talk about it?
"We've wasted a lot of time, haven't we?" I asked, trying to smile.
"How do you mean?" Neteyam asked. I looked around - Tuk, Kiri and Rek were far ahead of us. Lo'ak behind, but out of ear shot. This was our chance to really talk.
"Well, we could have been friends, or at least gotten to know each other. Now it feels sort of, strange, doesn't it? You're supposed to come to me and ask me to be your mate, and I'm supposed to say yes, and all I know about you is that you're very handsome and a great hunter."
Neteyam shrugged, but nodded. "All I know about you is that you're very beautiful, and a great singer - a good healer, too."
"What else do you want to know about me?"
He looked away from me, staring ahead at our siblings, furrowing his brow as he considered the question. "Tell me about claiming your ikran."
And we continued, back and forth, sharing stories of our families, our experiences, our likes and dislikes.
Neteyam loved swimming, and I told him I wanted at least three children. I told him the happiest day of my life had been when Rek was born, and he joked that the happiest days of his life were before Lo'ak came along.
We laughed, very hard, sharing stories of our first hunts and my failed attempts at weaving. Neteyam wasn't just handsome and a good hunter - he was a good listener, and funny, too. Plus, up close, his smile was more beautiful than anything I'd ever seen.
By the time we reached the meadow, I felt as if I was walking on a cloud.
--
Her voice was just as beautiful when she spoke as when she sang. When she laughed, it was like a harmony, and all Neteyam ever wanted to do was make him laugh, for the rest of his life.
When they reached the meadow, Kiri pulled Y/N away, showing her the flowers, and he watched quietly as Tuk and Rek helped them carefully pick and pack them in small sacks, while Kiri and Y/N explained what each flower was useful for.
She was so smart, too. She wouldn't admit it, but she was a promising healer, his grandmother had told him so, going so far as to say that the clan would be safe in her hands as Tsahik.
"So, how's it going?" Lo'ak came up behind him, elbowing him in the side. "I heard her laughing. Both of you, really. Her laugh is better than yours though. You sound like a wounded angtsìk."
Neteyam rolled his eyes, but smiled. "I think it's going... well. She's different than I thought she would be. She's really smart, and very funny, and-"
"Too good for you," Lo'ak cut him off, and the brothers laughed together.
"Too good for me."
--
We spent hours in the meadow. After we'd picked all the flowers we wanted, we ate lunch together, all sitting in a large circle, talking and laughing.
Neteyam and his siblings were so joyful, and despite the teasing and almost fighting, they were very close - it was really fun to be around. Reknel was having the time of her life; it would e hard to peel here away from Tuk at the end of the day.
Eventually, the sun began to grow low in the sky, and Kiri announced that they'd better return.
"Hold on," Neteyam grabbed my arm as everyone else stood up to go. "Kiri, can you take Rek back to her parents? We're going to stay a little longer."
Kiri looked to me to confirm, and I nodded. I reached out for Rek, who fell into my arms, hugging me tightly. "Be good on the walk back," I whispered, gathering her hair in my hand behind her back. "Listen to Kiri and Lo'ak."
She kissed my cheek, and ran for Tuk, grabbing her hand. They disappeared behind the trees.
"I wanted to spend just a little more time, the two of us," Neteyam said it with a smile.
It almost made me want to laugh, the fact that we had wasted years being so nervous to talk to each other. What wasted time it had been.
We resumed our conversation from earlier, catching up on years of getting to know each other, and with every moment we shared, it felt like, to me at least, Neteyam might be the perfect fit for me.
He was gentle and kind, just as much as he was strong and capable. He would make a fine mate for anyone in the clan, and I was feeling luckier by the second to have been chosen before I was born.
"Neteyam, I have to tell you..." I said, feeling bold after only one day, "I really, um, like you. I know we still don't know each other well but I feel like, well, I just feel like I like you."
We were laying in the meadow now, not touching but very close. I felt a rustling in the soft grass next to me, and felt Neteyam's fingers brush across the back of my hand. I flipped my hand over, palm up, and he laid his hand flat on mine. I laced my fingers through his, and tried not to smile too big.
"I think you're... wonderful. I already knew you were our best singer, and our most promising healer, but I didn't know how maternal you are, how soft and fierce at the same time, how much someone could make me laugh."
I turned my head to the side to see Neteyam already looking at me, smiling.
"If I hadn't been told we were promised to each other, I would have wanted you for my mate, anyway. I would be proud, to call you mine."
I squeezed his hand. "I would be proud to call you mine, too."
Everything felt lighter than air, as if we were floating on clouds, lifted high up above the meadow, looking down at each other.
I couldn't say quite yet if I loved Neteyam or not, but I could certainly tell he was someone I could love.
It seemed I would get the chance to fall in love with him now.
Look at me with your special eyes 🫣🫠🥰🥰
Sick. So fucking sick OUGH