the delicate balance (of me and you) | tsireya x y/n

Early (chapter twenty three)

You sit atop the cliff again, waiting for Tsireya. You sneak out nearly every night now. You look down to see her starting the climb up the cliff, and wave, smiling. She grins up at you, her hands occupied as she clambers up the cliff. Suddenly, you see movement at the base of the cliff, and peer past her, frowning. Tsireya looks behind her to see something (or someone) dart into a bush. She climbs the rest of the way up quickly, and steps up straight into your arms. You meet her eyes and see that they're filled with worry. 'What the fuck was that?' she whispers, leaning over the cliff for another look. But there's nothing there. You ignore the heavy feeling in your stomach, and say, 'it was probably just some animal.' 'Yeah, probably,' she replies, but you see the worry still in her eyes. You ignore it, leaning in to kiss her. You cup her face gently, avoiding thinking about it. Yet you can't shake the feeling of being watched.

* * *

The next morning, you wake to Tuk jumping on you. 'Tuk,' you groan, as she rolls over beside you. 'Yes?' she says loudly. 'Shhhh,' you mutter, blinking sleep out of your eyes as you look around. Everyone else is still asleep. She must've just woken me up. Great. 'But I don't wanna be quiet,' she says, pouting. 'Well, you have to. Your family is sleeping.' 'You're not,' she points out, and you sigh, shaking your head. Oh, well. 'Why did you wake me up?' 'Aonung's outside,' she says promptly, and you look at her, confused. 'Okay. But why did you wake me up?' 'He wants to talk to you,' she says, grabbing your hand. Ugh. Why me? you think, as you drag yourself out of bed as Tuk pulls you gently. 'Don't step on anyone,' you grumble as you carefully step over Lo'ak's tail. She giggles, hopping over Neteyam. How does she have so much energy? you think as you step outside. 

'Thanks, Tuk,' Aonung says as soon as you walk out of the hut. You glare up at him as he looms over you threateningly. He's annoyingly tall, you think. 'What do you want from me?' you ask tiredly, rubbing your eyes. You would probably be more civil at any other time of the day, but since it's not even light yet, you're entitled to be slightly rude. Aonung glances at Tuk, his expression unreadable. 'You can run off,' he says bluntly, and Tuk nods, her eyes wide. She's scared of him, you realise, as she scampers off towards the beach. You cross your arms, now thoroughly annoyed. He woke me up, and now he's being rude to Tuk. I don't need this bullshit this early in the morning.

You sigh again, loudly, hoping that he feels guilty. His expression doesn't change as he crosses his arms, staring you down in silence. You lose your patience quickly. 'What is it? You woke me up at the crack of dawn just to fucking stare at me?' you snap, and he blinks, perturbed. Good, you think grumpily. 'I came to talk to you about Tsireya.' You step back, your eyes widening as you register what he just said. He doesn't know, surely, you think. But then you remember last night. And you swear you remember seeing him around a few times when you've been with Tsireya. Shit.

'Yeah, yeah,' he says, smirking at your shocked expression. 'You can cut the bullshit. I know you're with my sister.' 'And what about it?' you retort. He leans over you, and you shrink back, scared. 'I don't fucking want you to be with her. Got it?' he says. What the actual fuck, you think, infuriated. This dickhead. 'And what are you going to do about it?' you say sweetly, stepping forward so you're face to face with him. You tilt your chin upwards to meet his gaze, ignoring your height difference. He sneers, stepping back, his hands up in the air. Admitting defeat. You roll your eyes and stand your ground. He's not done yet.

'What will I do?' he asks, a smug look spread over his face. You just keep glaring at him, waiting for him to continue. 'Well, firstly... I can snitch.' You roll your eyes, scoffing. 'What, snitch? I've got shit on you, too, you know,' you say, scowling. 'What? Like my relationship with Neteyam?' He laughs at your surprised look, even though you mask it quickly. 'Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, tell on me. All it means is I get engaged to some bitch from another clan, and I don't give a fuck.' You gasp, pressing a hand to your mouth. 'What about Neteyam?' you whisper, your stomach dropping. He grins cruelly, and shrugs. 'I was bored.' 'You fucking piece of shit,' you snarl, stepping forwards to shove him. He's pushed back, but moves forward quickly to grab your hair, slamming you against the hut. You breathe quickly, hissing as you struggle to break free. He smirks down at you, ignoring your hisses. 'Just remember who's in control. And break up with Tsireya,' he says nonchalantly, before dropping you and walking away. 

What the fuck just happened, you think, dazed. You crumple to the ground, holding your knees as your vision blurs. Fuck, you think, holding your head. You feel a massive lump beginning to form where he slammed you against the wall. Tsireya was right. He's a fucking dickhead. You sigh, holding your head with two hands as your vision begins to stabilise. Now what the fuck am I going to do? you wonder, looking up at the dark sky. The stars blur as you tilt your head back. Well, I can't do anything right now, you think as the stars pirouette around the sky like the lights on a carousel. It's too early in the morning. Shit, I think I'm concussed. Oh, well. You try to stand up, but struggle, stumbling and falling back to the ground. He didn't have to shove me that hard, you think, annoyed. You begin to crawl slowly back to your bed, nearly slipping and falling on top of Jake and Neytiri. Oops. Eventually, you make it, and collapse into your bed. And you watch the room spin until you fall asleep.