But What If || Neteyam x reader

Swimming With Strayed

When they finally found Kiri you exited the water to where Tireya and Rotxo were. "Kiri! Kiri, are you hurt?" Tuk gave Kiri a light hug and wrapped around her arm as Kiri tried settling her sibling down. "I'm alright really." You were worried as well and examined her body by circling her looking her up and down for any sort of wound or scratch. Neteyam and Lo'ak came over as well, Lo'ak hadn't seemed too worried but Neteyam had a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" She nodded, she seemed less aggravated than she had been yesterday. "I'm fine, there's no need to worry brother." You were still scanning her body, any sort of cut and you would be walking to the medical supplies.

"(Y/N) please, I'm perfectly fine." You took your eyes off her body and to her face, "Are you sure your okay?" She gave you a nod. "I don't see any scratches." Tuk had her hand intertwined with Kiri's. "I'm fine," you were anxious, Kiri looked alright she sounded calm too as if she took a small rejuvenating walk on the beach. "Where were you?" Lo'ak came forward in the group as you came closer to Kiri. "You scared us." Kiri placed her hand over Neteyam's in a comforting motion. Kiri went on to explain where she was, as she talked her eyes started glistening and her smile started gleaming as she talked about the reef. When Kiri talked about the world it was as if she was seeing something totally different. You loved watching Kiri talk about something she was passionate about. She brought your mind to a different place, she could talk for days and you would listen. As she kept talking about her surroundings she started to walk you over to the beach by taking Tuk's and your own hands in hers.

"Kiri stop pulling so fast!" Kiri was smiling more as your feet entered the water. "Come, come I'll show you." Lo'ak and Neteyam hadn't followed, it was just you and the girls. Technically you had been dragged along but you weren't complaining. "Show us what?" Kiri let go of Tuk's and your hands as you were almost in shoulder-high water. "The reef." She took in a breath and went under, Tuk looked at you and you gave her a smiling shrug before taking in a long breath yourself and following Kiri. Kiri was further than you expected her but she was watching as you and Tuk slowly made your way to her. When you and Tuk started to catch up to her she turned back around, she swam through the coral smoothly, you watched her as she swam like it was second nature to her. You stared in amazement for so long that you almost forgot about breathing. Tuk noticed you going up for air and trailed you. "She's so fast." You looked down at the water from above trying to see her, the surface of the ocean made it blurry down deep making it so you couldn't truly see Kiri. "Come on, we've got to keep up." Tuk took a breath before you and dived, going back down. You saw Kiri ushering you to follow her similar to how Tisreya had earlier. Your face had been stuck in a grin for so long that your cheeks hurt. You rubbed your face and kept shadowing Kiri. When Kiri stopped you and Tuk went up to get air again.

You were breathing heavily, your lungs felt squished in the water making it hard to take a good long breath in. Tuk seemed to be doing better than you and grabbed your arm. "It's okay just relax and just breathe." You nodded and breathed in, you held it for a second before letting the breath out. Trying to slow down your breathing. Kiri's head came up for the first time since you had gone under. "Come, it's beautiful down there." Kiri took Tuk's arm and sucked in the air. With Tuk's hand still wrapped around your arm, you took the best long breath you could before going down with them. It looked the same as the coral near the family Marui, but Kiri's face looked at her environment in a way that made it seem like it was a totally different place. You still took a look around loving all the fish surrounding you, you had spotted your favorite fish. You got close to the fish and loved the feeling of it swimming on your arms, it tickled slightly causing you to repeat the motion with the other fish. Upon hearing a loud clicking sound nearby you turned your head to see Tuk was an animal that looked like one from your memories, her memories. In her memories, it closely resembled what was called an otter except, this creature was covered in more vibrant colors. It had a white face with a gorgeous dark turquoise body with yellow accent colors. You watched as the creature circled Tuk booping her nose with its own. Your smile widened at the scene, you stayed watching Tuk but the longer you looked at the creature the more it reminded you that you are not from this planet. You felt like a parasite, a fraud, you kept thinking about the girl. She hadn't filled your head in days and now your brain was thinking a million thoughts at a time. You wished you'd known what happened to her, how she died, what did her father do? Your mind kept racing as her memories of her past flooded your head. You had to swim above water, when you reached the surface your breath caught the air loudly. It sounded as if it was your first breath, frantic and quick. What had happened to her, the question lingered in your mind and left a pit in your stomach. Your feelings about the girl hadn't left you, you felt like her but you also didn't feel like everything was there. You spoke like her and yet she wasn't you. You had her memories and her personality but still felt different from her. You even had her name, her name was yours. That was the only thing about her that didn't make you uncomfortable, having her name wasn't too bad, and anyone could be named after someone.

"(Y/N)!" There was your name, it was yours it was the only thing besides your body that was fully yours. You lifted your head up, you had kept your head afloat but let the rest of your body flap around underwater. Your eyes looked at Tuk's as she and Kiri were now in front of you. With your mind back to them, you realized how out of control your breathing was. You tried doing what you did before by taking a long breath in through your nose and out through your mouth but couldn't fully catch your breath as it hitched harshly. "(Y/N) are you alright?" Kiri came closer, you gave a nod before trying to breathe again, this time it worked better but it still didn't feel like enough air. "Kiri?" Tuk looked over at Kiri with a solemn face, You felt as if the ocean was squeezing your lungs with each minute it became hard to breathe. "It's okay Tuk." Kiri came over to you placing her hand on your back and her other hand on your stomach. Your shoulders felt heavier as the light waves crashed against your back. "Relax, you're okay." You took a breath again, this time swinging your arms around more to get your upper half out of the water Kiri's arm helped you come above as well. This seemed to work as you had finally caught your breath. "(Y/N)? Is everything alright?" You placed your arm on Kiri's "I"m okay, I'm better thank you." You gave a weak smile, you didn't feel like smiling too much as you were still somewhat panicked.

"I think we should head back it's almost time for dinner." You gave Kiri a quick nod as Tuk swam closer to you looking at your face. "Tuk, you're a little close." You had grown to really like Tuk, and it seemed she liked you equally as much as her eyes desperately looked into yours trying to see what was wrong. "Tuk, really I'm fine now." You grabbed both her shoulders endearingly and gave her a grin. "If you say so..." Tuk still looked concerned but turned and started swimming to shore after Kiri alongside you. She didn't let you swim too far behind her and she kept her eyes on you the whole time, Kiri swam to shore fast. She was the faster swimmer and she had swam under the water. You and Tuk took longer as you were swimming above the water, you didn't feel like swimming under as you were still keeping your breathing steady.

Reaching the shore you saw some Metkayina people doing their duties, you also saw Ao'nung with some other Metkayina boys. He wasn't looking your way but you watched them as they jumped into the water hoping on an animal you had seen frequently around the village. "(Y/N), let's go eat. I'm starving." You turned to Tuk and reached your arm out to her. "Then lead the way." Tuk gladly took your hand as she brought you to the communal meal room for the evening. Most people were there already preparing food and sharing stories. It was lively as each Metkayina had their own handmade plate. "Here's yours (Y/N)." You and the Sully family had been given your own tree bark plates, they didn't look as well crafted as the others since none of you had time to customize your plates. "Thank you, Tuk." You peered over at the food while the smell filled your nostrils, it smelled wonderful to the point you were leaning too far into the area the food was. "Tuk, hey." Hearing Lo'ak snapped you out of smelling the food being prepared. You looked over at him as he made his way over. "Ready to eat?" Tuk nodded quickly before he gazed up at you. "How 'bout you?" Lo'ak also had his plate in hand, and many other Metkayina people started flooding in making the area energetic. "Starved." He gave a small chuckle before the horn was blown.

You almost choked on your food when Kiri and Tuk brought up what had happened at the reef just earlier in front of the rest of their family. "Are you okay?" Neteyam was sitting across from you with a concerned look. You had to stop from coughing up your food to answer him. "Oh- uhh yea, I'm fine. I was probably zoning out and swallowed some water wrong." Your eye quickly shifted to Mr. Sully to see his face before being too cowardly to look and making eye contact with Neteyam again. "It won't happen again. Trust me." You wanted to leave it at that, your face felt so hot you thought it would explode. "It was strange to watch her not noticing what was happening." Tuk kept going on about the topic, however. "I thought she might have touched something poisonous." You were sat to the left of Tuk, you could clearly tell talking about the issue was her sort of way of coping with it. So instead of trying to avoid the subject you leaned into it sightly. "It was a one-time thing, I promise you Tuk I'll be careful." You gave her shoulder a light squeeze before going back to eating your food. You kept your eyes on your food for the rest of the eating period as the Sullys continued to talk about their day.