But What If || Neteyam x reader

Can't Change Point Of View

   I held her hand every night, trying to understand why she wasn't awake yet, and when every scenario as to why ran through my head I started to think about more of my time with her. Which made me miss her more. I could remember when I'd realized back at home in the forest that she'd need a knife to survive. I grabbed a few materials before we left to make the handle. At first, I was just making her one to give her so she could be of more assistance but when I'd bonded with her whilst flying I started to really care for what I was doing. I had asked Tsireya and Rotxo about what their knives were made out of. I learned a lot from them and during breathing lessons underwater I kept my eyes open.

     When I found the purple sea glass I knew it was perfect. I got to work immediately, I'd made a few mistakes with it but I just tried harder and at some point when I was struggling with the knife Tuk found me. "Neteyam, what are you making?" Her eyes lit up the moment she saw it as she peered over my shoulder. "Brother, it's beautiful! Who is it for?" I had to pause my process so as to not hit her by accident. "It's for (Y/N)." She reached over my shoulder to touch the blade. "Wow, it looks amazing. When are you giving it to her?" She was looking at me now with impatient eyes. "I don't know, but probably when I'm finished." She was smiling widely. "You know, I'm making something for (Y/N) too." I was smiling back at Tuk as she leaned further onto me. "Really?" I knew what she was making, I had seen her and my father discussing designs for it. "Yeah, and it'll match her knife!"

    Tuk had been so excited and had convinced me that day to let her present the two to (Y/N) at the same time. In the end, Tuk only waited til the next day. I'd caught them just in time. "Tuk!" I could see them both sitting right in front of our Marui. "Tuk!" I moved faster to them. "Tuk, tell me you didn't show her yet!" I could see her clutching the knife still in its sheath. Tuk's excuse was that she had been too excited to wait. I would've given her a harder time about it but I was just happy that (Y/N) liked it. I had been nervous about giving to her, which was why I caved into Tuk's request so quickly.

      Then there were our knife lessons, they began that same night. The first knife lesson was a short one, I chuckled a bit by her bed when I remembered how lost she was. She seemed so far away back then, she'd always be zoning out or lost in thought. Whatever she was thinking, it was never the task at hand. "Neteyam, hey." I turned to see Spider outside the tent. "Hey, Spider. Is Kiri with you?" He shook his head. "No, it's just me." I didn't move from my spot next to (Y/N) and he didn't move from his spot next to the doorway. "What do you need? Does Tuk want me to come out again?" He was looking at me as he always had. I knew Spider, we'd grown up together and though we hadn't been as close as we had we still knew each other. "No, I came here to just tell you something." I cocked my head and sat up. "I just wanted to say thank you again. You risked a lot to save me." Oh, that's what this is about.

     "You know you don't have to thank me again. I heard you on the ship." He still didn't step in. "I know," His shoulders were slumped, "But I just wanted you to know." I tried taking his words to heart, I had hesitated to choose to save him. I couldn't deny that, Lo'ak and (Y/N) had to both convince me. "I hear you Spider." With that off his chest, Spider's shoulders rose. "So how is she? Do they know when she'll wake up?" I was hoping he wouldn't ask, everybody had been asking the same questions. "Elder Ku'uu says she is stable. But they don't know why she isn't up yet." I kept her hands in mine, they weren't as cold now.

      "Do you think she'll ever wake up?" My ears bent back, no one had asked that. My eyes darted to her face, still as ever. I couldn't answer, I didn't know the answer. All I could do was hold her hand. "I don't know Spider." I crouched down, pulling her hands closer to me. I wanted her to wake up, I needed her too. I didn't care how she opened her eyes, I just needed her too. Even if she'd opened them the way she had that night.  During that night I hadn't stayed up to keep an eye on her while she stared at the stars. I trusted her enough and it sounded like she was actually asleep that night. While sleeping I was awoken, it was erratic breathing and sharp gasps that did it. I thought it was Tuk having a nightmare at first and peeked my head up to see (Y/N) struggling in her hammock. I was going to wake her, thinking she was having a nightmare. She then got up, her movements were shaky and panicked. I could tell she didn't know I was up, I didn't think she'd want to know I was up after one dinner where she'd reacted oddly when Kiri and Tuk had described her behavior. She looked like how they'd described, she didn't seem to notice anything around her. She was completely out of it, she was stumbling and hadn't even noticed me when I'd climbed out of my hammock. I tried whispering her name but she was moving with a purpose, the best she could while she stumbled.