But What If || Neteyam x reader

Forest Fever

          When you could you dipped behind a bush, just to make sure Tuk wasn't following you. And to calm your nerves after learning you were practically engaged. Which was interesting to you considering you've never been engaged before. You'd never even been in a relationship before, but now you were betrothed and to Neteyam. The guy who'd pointed his bow at you upon first seeing you, which certainly meant it wasn't love at first sight. You chuckled at the thought because then he was also the one who found you again at the base camp fallen out of your hammock. But after that, he spoke to you the least that first week with them, he only spoke to you when he needed to. What changed was when you learned his name, Neteyam. The first time you heard it it sounded perfect and you've never forgotten his name since. Especially when he'd figured out you didn't know his name for a week and yet he knew yours.

That conversation was the start of many for the long ride here on his beloved ikran, the only ikran you've ever ridden. He was the one who gripped you tight during the storm and let you rest when the voyage was exhausting. Neteyam was the one who had actively started to pull you along with him. You hadn't noticed before but after your knife lessons started with him he became the person most active in your life. Aside from the rest of his family obviously, you picked yourself out of the bush still thinking of all the time you'd spent together. That first moment that deepened your friendship was the knife, your most treasured possession. You brought your knife in front of you as you wandered away from the village and into the flora. The knife looked as spectacular as the day it was gifted to you, only because you'd been following every instruction Neteyam had given you to take immense care of it. And he'd been very patient with you, teaching you with the skill and calmness you needed to learn.

His on-hand method was one you'd missed for a while as your knife lessons had become remarkably infrequent. You'd almost forgotten how much you loved those times with him, though you didn't mind how you spent your time now. After you had all become accustomed to Metkayina life you were allowed to do much more activities. Like your babysitting duties, your favorite night still being one of the first ones where he pulled you in, letting you snuggle up to him under the stars for stories. Of course, you ended up falling asleep and the next day you found out you could go out for late-night swims. Which Mr. Sully and Neytiri had given you permission to do independently but you never did, not without Neteyam present.

You had started to make your way up to the edge of a cliff, chuckling about the next memory to pop up. The big fight, the one where looking back now Neteyam looked pretty hot defending everyone. And you were realizing you had probably thought so back then but didn't want to admit it, just like you didn't want to admit you wanted to kiss him when you were tending to his wounds. You shook your head thinking about how in denial you were, trying to avoid just the thought of the memory for so long. Now you wanted to avoid it again because you should've kissed him then. As you walked further up to the settled ikran you wondered if that's what Neteyam wanted to do that day when he meant by a different kind of ride.

Then you saw him perched there, almost as if he was waiting for you. Your breath hitched in as you paused, looking at his back and his braids that rested down it. You blinked a few times in astonishment wondering how you'd found him so quickly without even trying. When you had stood there long enough you moved forward, his ikran noticing your presence. You knew not to look him in the eye from giving him treats a few times with Neteyam. He didn't move anymore seeing it was someone he knew and rested back as you came behind Neteyam seeing what he was doing. He was staring off into the distance, not at the ocean but at the empty air, back in the direction of the forest.

Sitting yourself down next to him you asked a question. "Do you miss it?" Your feet dangled off the cliff as Neteyam slowly let his eyes spare you a glance before looking back to space again. "Miss what?" You knew Neteyam, you knew he heard you coming from behind him when his ears twitched back and you knew he wasn't feeling the best. "The forest." Even the word forest looked like home to him as he took a long breath in. "Tuk does, I know she misses her friend Popiti." You watched him try and avoid your question. "Kiri's adjusted well but I think she still misses home and Lo'ak doesn't seem to mind the move anymore." You nodded your head, breaking your gaze off from him for a moment. "Yeah, I know Tuk misses it but," Neteyam wasn't known to venture off from his siblings much but when he did and no one could find him you wondered if this had been his little safe haven. "I asked if you missed the forest."