But What If || Neteyam x reader

A New Perspective

      "I guess I'm riding with you, Neteyam." Something on my face must have looked off with how fast she explained herself. "What? Did your Dad not tell you?" No, he didn't, but I didn't want to admit that. "No, I just didn't think you knew my name." I had her where I wanted her, she was purple in the face. She was letting her guard down with us all and when we started on our journey she was lowering mine. During the storm I was having a hard time flying, even for my mother it was a rough ride but I could also tell (Y/N) was having a hard time. She was shivering and I couldn't tell if it was from the storm and the cold or fear. Later on, I could guess both as my arm had little crescent-shaped marks from her nails digging in. After when the storm had cleared she would ask me about home, at first I was just talking to her about small things but she kept on asking and I was just teaching her about my people and their ways. I started to fully open up to her and as the sun was setting later everyone was growing weary. Lo'ak's riding was getting reckless and (Y/N) was yawning, trying not to, yawning anyway and it was making me tired. So instead of making her stay up I moved my hand above her eyes and had her rest her head on my shoulder. She resisted at first but I got her to calm down.

        "Neteyam..." My head turned hearing Kiri's voice. "Kiri, hey how is Spider?" She looked just outside where I knew Spider was. He had been learning the ways of the Metkayina every day. "He's fine, he's adapting well. How are you holding up?" She sat next to me, laying her hand on (Y/N)'s calf. "You haven't been trying to leave here since you had your first day out." I sighed and tried peeling my eyes off of (Y/N). "I just don't want to leave her, it's been a whole week and she hasn't moved." I tighten my grip again hoping she'd just open her eyes. "You should get out of here for a bit, Neteyam. It'd be good for you." I thought about it. Walking would be good for me but I'd feel guilty for leaving her here. "I don't know, Kiri." She put her hand on my shoulder. "Come on, Lo'ak has been dying to see you come out since he isn't allowed in here anymore." Lo'ak had been banned from the healers' tent only two days ago for having Spider throw an item at him, which he did not catch and it crashed into a lot of herbs. It wasted a lot of medicinal resources. Elder Ku'uu chewed him out worse than Father.

     "I guess I can go for a small walk." She smiled and moved to help me up. "Okay, ready? Here we go." She had my right arm and tried lifting me. "Kiri, maybe we should get someone else to help you." She wasn't much help to me as she was a healer, she didn't really work on building up her muscles. "Nope, I got this." It took a while but she did help me up and out. "Bro!" Lo'ak was with Spider as he was on an ilu with Tsireya. "Wait Lo'ak!" Spider reached his hand out to him as he ran to me. "Bro, here let me help you." He came to my other side to help me stand and I felt better, though it was stretching out my shot shoulder I was still less strained than before. "Thanks, baby bro." He smiled and was careful with me, which was new and I liked how he was slightly more aware of me. The walk wasn't short, I had everyone I knew and more greeting me and catching me up on the fact that our family was free to stay. That we were fully Metkayina now, the story was that we'd helped to take down the Tulkun killers and that (Y/N) and I had almost given up our lives for that cost.

    Realizing that my family and I were fully Metkayina now I knew I could never go back to the forest again. I could never be that great warrior that was adored by all those Elders, now I was some guy who was behind in any rights of passage. I had to start all over again, to say it was discouraging was accurate. I had Lo'ak bring me to the beach to sit on the shoreline. Eclipse was passing, my bedtime would be soon. Bedtime was something I hadn't had in a long time, which was just another reminder about how far I had in front of me. "Hey bro, it'll be okay. She'll get through this." Eclipse was passing faster now and could start to see the stars. No, why am I watching the stars without her here? I dodge the stars, hanging my head down. But then I could see them in the Ocean, whether it was their reflection deep in the sea or the glowing tide that gave the sight of dancing stars. "Can you bring me back?" I shouldn't be out here without her, her hands are probably freezing now.

      "Okay, bro." Lo'ak helped me back quickly. Elder Ku'uu was already there tending to (Y/N)'s wounds. They were still just as red as mine, our wounds were healing at the same rate, and our bodies were aging at the same time so why wasn't she awake? "Ah, Neteyam there you are." Elder Ku'uu squinted his eyes at Lo'ak as he approached. "I've got him from here." For once Lo'ak didn't talk back, it was refreshing but very odd not to hear. "Thank you Elder Ku'uu, I'll take my leave." I almost didn't recognize my brother until he started running off in the distance to give Tuk a hard time. "Thank you Elder Ku'uu." He set me back in bed and resumed his ritual on (Y/N). "Please, call me Ku'uu." As he dragged his hand over her wound it looked as if he was talking to her rather than myself. "I let her call me that so it only makes sense I let her betrothed do the same." I nodded. "Thank you Ku'uu." He smiled at me as he returned to his work. I rested my head down just waiting for the resuming silence of the night that I was starting to get used to.

     The silence of the night was something I used to know and enjoy. I slept my best in the quiet but after moving here it was never there. The waves were just below me and always making noise. The forest's night was silent in the way that only a few animals would be alive and moving but the ocean never gave rest. So when I first moved here I struggled to sleep, I wasn't the only one. Which made these new nights all the more worse as when. The first night we laid to rest (Y/N) couldn't sleep either, I heard her toss and turn for hours. I was close to just getting up and tying her in place, instead, she left the Marui. I was curious about where she was headed so of course, I followed. I had no idea where she was going and frankly, I didn't she knew either but eventually she stopped to sit and dip her feet in the water. Then she just looked up, that was all she did, she was just watching. I looked up to see the star-filled sky, nothing about it was new to me, I knew all the constellations and could find my way home with them. I stared back to where home would be as she continued to look up, after a while I thought she might be looking for Earth, if so she was looking in the wrong direction. I was about to ask her when someone else interrupted me and I hid, this would be the first of many outings.