reborn to pandora (reader pov)

fun and games

a few days have gone by since i visited neteyam in the hospital wing at HQ, and since we had that huge breakfast feast before we all headed off again. i was half expecting to go back to the upper plains, back to the circle, but instead we were off in the forests being a tech recon team. that was the most formal was of putting it. for the last few days, our team of 8 has split in half, exploring the forest in search of old, out of power, resistance field labs. priya and chase, the main technician, asked each team to find at least two labs a day, and we would be done within a week. im not totally sure what ri'nela, lo'ak, ila'na and so'lek have been up to, but i know our small team has been having a blast. finding the labs were quite easy from the sky, the faded orange tent flaps as makeshift roofs gave them away to our na'vi senses. rebooting the labs were even easier. we were each given a SID device that can hack any device or electronic. each lab had about 2 to 3 generators and one main computer, so we each took our turns hacking each part of each lab we came across. it mainly took about 5 minutes to get the whole thing up and running like new. so basically, only having to do two a day, sounds like a week long vacation to me. seems like my team thought the same.

the last few nights have been a dream. neytiri and neteyam both brought some fun na'vi games to play, while jake had brought a LOT of fruit wine for us all to enjoy. i was in charge of bringing enough materials to craft more arrows for our night hunts, which we all did together, making it quick and easy. after we would eat our dinner, we indulged ourselves in delicious wine and played games until we dropped. most of the games were relay games, where you and a partner do tasks in a race with another pair. jake was quick to snatch up neytiri, as was neteyam to me.

neteyam seemed to have recovered nicely, but something about seeing his new scars worries me. they weren't as red anymore, they've scabbed over and turned a deep purple color. anytime i finish my turn in our games and neteyam goes, i catch myself staring at them. the swollen circles beside his abs, the gashes in his bicep. i feel my face twist and fall when i watch him, scared that he'll just curl over in pain because he isn't fully healed. but each time i hear his guttural laugh and see his glowing smile, im reminded that i need to learn to trust the na'vi ways more. every few turns, he catches me staring and gives me a flick on the butt with his tail when he would approach me. he kept on teasing me saying stuff like, "what are you lookin at sarentu?" or "seeing something you like?" and pairing them with his infectious smirks. i've noticed he's gotten more touchy with me on this new exploration. he always had a hand on me whenever he was close enough to reach. whether it be on my shoulder, around my waist, at the top of my back or on the back of neck, each spot he touched on me felt like fire. even at night when we all go to sleep, jake and neytiri cuddle up on one side of the lab, while neteyam and i occupied the other side. we slept in the same area a few feet apart, but every few hours i would wake up to him readjusting his grip on me with his arms or legs.

tonight though, im having a hard time getting back to sleep. i woke on my own in the middle of the night, noticing that i felt cold. i rolled over to find my extra blanket, but realized i rolled over way too easily. rolling back the opposite way where neteyam laid, i see that he was curled up on his own, a discomforting distance separates us. without hesitation, i grab my blanket and scoot my way closer to him, until my lumpy chest bumped him in the back, startling him from his sleep. his head jolted with a "hmph?" noise. i toss the blanket over the two of us, straddle my leg over his, and scoot my arm between his ribs and bicep, squeezing him tightly in reassurance. "its just me. im cold." i whispered. "go back to sleep, just keep me warm." i felt his body soften in that moment. "hmm" he mumbled, before escaping my grip and rolling over to face me. he grunted lightly as he repositioned his body to contour around mine. he wrapped both arms and legs around me and pulled me into him as close as he could get me. "warm enough?" his tired, raspy voice made my stomach twirl, and started a warm, unfamiliar feeling between my legs.

"I'm warm but...i can't breathe that well." my words were muffled in his chest, but he understood. he pulls me up by my shoulders so we are face to face, nose to nose, before wrapping his arms back around me and squeezing. i matched my breath to his and began to relax. we've been sleeping cuddled up, but nothing like this. every minute or so i keep reopening my eyes, unable to let myself relax completely. the feeling between my legs hasn't subsided, and my heartbeat is loud and quick in my ears. so loud that i think that's the only reason neteyam opened his eyes back up, only to see me staring back at him. "are you okay luna?" i shifted my gaze down, admiring the way my chest was squished into his. "you keep staring at me. have i done something that's bothering you?" my heartbeat has migrated, adding to the sensation below. the heat from beneath his waistcloth was emitting directly between my legs. "no tey, you haven't bothered me at all." i reassure him. "so then what's with the fast heart rate and the staring at me all day? and now while im trying to sleeping?" he asked again in his famous teasing tone with that famous smirk. "nothing! i- i don't know..." speaking my mind to him seemed easy up until right now.

"we never really talked about the night we met..." my eyes trailed away from his again, nervously. neteyam pokes my nose with his before saying, "i never felt struck the way i did when i first saw you." i smile in response, unsure if i should continue saying my thoughts. "well, what part did you want to talk about?" he backed his head away so he could see my whole face. his eyes softened while he fixated his gaze.

"neteyam..." i began with a slight shake in my voice, unable to bring myself to look in his eyes. feeling vulnerable and inexperienced in front of him is hard. i love him teaching me the ways of the na'vi, but there are a lot of things i still don't know. "i've never, kissed anyone before..." he raised his eyebrows gently. "i've never even felt such a way about anyone before. i mean i love my sister and my sarentu brothers, but something about you... i don't know how to describe it, i probably sound crazy." i nervously giggled as i cut myself off from talking too much.

taking a moment to absorb my words, neteyam's gaze began to to slowly fall from my eyes, to my lips, and back to my eyes. the next thing i felt was his arm slide up my back until it reached the back of my neck. his eyes fixed on my lips once more before he eased his face closer to mine. becoming hyper aware of his skin all over mine, i feel my undercloth begin to saturate. i close my eyes in acceptance, as neteyam rests his lips on mine, slowly and softly.

my senses go crazy. my heart is pounding in my ears. his skin feels like fire on mine but in the best way. the sounds of our collective breaths seemed to stimulate the sensitivity in our kiss. while my mind does backflips, my body reacts out of my control. before i could realize, my hands were caressing his arm and chest. the leg i had thrown over him pulled tighter and tighter until a tiny moan slipped through my trapped lips.

it was then that neteyam slowly pulled his face back, caressing my cheek with his thumb and smiling. "lun'ayla..." he began. my ears were almost ringing as a result of all the new feelings rushing through me, but i was sharply focused on the cause of it all, right in front of me. "neteyam..." he looks down, smiling harder before lifting his head to meet my eyes again.

"i have never kissed anyone either."