~+ Outcasts +~+ Lo'ak x fem reader +~

Chapter 43 {Lo'ak's PoV}

Atala and I hang out in our cove for a while after our talk. It's sort of like before, but not exactly. The conversations are stiff and boring, but I think it will get better with time. I remember how Atala was the first time I spoke to her; shifty, vague, cautious, suspicious of everything. I tell myself that I will need to be patient, but I'm not exactly good at patience. 

We leave just before the sun completely sets. I drop Atala off at her Mauri pod, with a quick kiss goodbye. It's definitely not as steamy as they once were when our relationship was at its best, but it's better than a tense goodbye. 

I go home and am relieved to find that only Neteyam is here. He looks up at me as I enter. "How'd it go?" He asks. "Did she go easy on you?" His eyes slightly narrow.

I nod. "It went well," I say. "We're officially dating again, but it's a bit tense. It's like we're completely restarting, so Atala is, of course, a bit cold towards me."

Neteyam shakes his head. "I don't think it's fair that she gets to ice you out like this, especially when you've been trying too hard. She's not the only one for you, you know."

He does have a point. But I do think her attitude is justified. Atala does everything deliberately, and she always knows what she's doing. Unlike me, she doesn't let her emotions get the best of her. "She's only trying to protect herself," I argue. "She had no one and nothing until we showed up here - of course she's afraid of getting hurt."

"That doesn't mean her attitude is justifiable," He says. "If she's not mature enough to have to ice everyone out to 'protect herself' then she's not ready for a relationship."

"You don't know her like I do," I say. I'm starting to get angry. "It's not your place to decide what or what she isn't ready for. Besides, it's not like you have any experience whatsoever in this sort of stuff!"

Neteyam chuckles at that. He stands up and walks over to me. While he doesn't tower over me like he did a few months ago, the height difference is still noticeable, and I have to tilt my head up to meet his eyes. He places his hand on the back of my head "Baby bro, trust me, I have a fair amount of knowledge in this field. You don't have to stay with her if she's treating you like this."

I swat his hand away and start to back out of the pod. "I'm not breaking up with her. And you may know stuff about girls and dating, but I don't think you've ever been with Atala. So you can't tell me what's best for us." I turn my back and leave the pod.

I pause once I'm out of sight of the pod. Well, now what? I can't go back home, and I don't want to go somewhere alone, because last time didn't turn out well at all. I guess I could go find Atala and the other girls and hang out with them? But before I go, I take a few breaths to calm down. I'm still annoyed with Neteyam and I don't want to be rude at Atala and her friends.

Once I'm calm, I go to Atala's pod. I hear laughter coming from the little beach by the pod. I walk down to see Tuk, Tsireya, Kiri and Atala sitting on the sand, giggling. It's been a long time since I've seen Atala genuinely laugh. It's sweet.

"...would also want to marry privately, with only Eywa as my witness." Kiri says as I draw near. 

"Well I want a huge, pretty wedding with everyone I know, because I want everyone to see me marry the love of my life!" Tuk giggles.

"I actually agree with Tuk. I want an extravagant wedding." Tsireya says.

"Woah, who's getting married?" I call out. Atala, whose back is to me, whips around and our eyes meet. I see a flash of - panic? - sweep over her face, but she turns around before I can really decipher it. I sit across from her, but of course, the few seconds it takes for me to see her face, she's completely hidden whatever she was worried about.

Tsireya's eyes flick to Atala. "Oh, no one's getting married right now!" She says as her eyes flick to me and Atala. "But in the future."

"Riiiiight," I say. I don't think that's all they were talking about, but I'm not concerned about it. There's an awkward moment of silence. "Um, Atala, do you want to go for a walk?" I ask

She nods her head "Sure," She says quickly, standing. 

I take her hand and we start walking. It's a comfortable silence, but I can tell her mind is spinning. We wander onto a little peninsula overlooking the ocean. The sun is no longer visible, but the sky still is light. It's a dark purple, and I know Atala, who adores looking at the night sky, will love it.

As I predicted, Atala's gaze turns onto the sky. A small smile graces her face.

"What're you thinking about?" I ask. As the words leave my mouth, I wonder if they sound a bit creepy. I don't think so. 

Atala's gaze leaves the sky but she doesn't meet my eyes. "I was just thinking about the first time you and I came here. It was the first time that I told you that I See you." She says.

The memory rushes back. The sky looked super similar to the sky right now, and it was the first time I felt Atala trusted me. I smile as well. "That was a really nice night," I agree. It brings a thought to my mind. "It's sort of weird - none of this ever would have happened if the Sky People had never discovered Pandora."

Atala goes quiet. I can tell she's thinking, turning over the words in her mind. "Well, this means theres one thing I can be grateful to the Sky People for," She says as she takes my hand. "They made you guys come here, so I guess we owe our relationship to them."

I smile. "That's so cheesy, but you do have a point." I drop my smile, wanting to look as serious as I feel. "I still hate the Sky people for what they did to you."

"It's not as bad as it could've been. I didn't die, and no one in your family was hurt - not your parents, Kiri, Tuk, Neteyam. They're all safe, I'm recovered. We're safe now." She says.

I smile softly. There's another moment of silence. Words are forming in my mind, and I blurt them aloud. "I think we'll be able to stay together," I say, shattering the silence. "We're both strong and smart and we've both been through so much together - we can do this."

Atala grins enthusiastically. "We've totally got this. We just click." She lays down, and pulls me down with her. I rest my head on my arm, and she rests her head on my chest. I can feel her relax, the tension leaving her body. I'm glad she feels safe around me again.