❊𝓺𝓾𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮❊
A/N: Quick disclaimer for this chapter. I decided to swap the dates where Kiri and Neteyam were born, I just felt like it would be funny to have Kiri tease him about her being older by a few months only.
After the heartfelt gratitude expressed by Kiri, the girls kept on talking. The conversation from earlier did not make the space between them awkward, if anything it only made them more comfortable, especially Kiri. She felt like she had finally dealt correctly with the uneasiness that the recurring night in her thoughts caused. She had talked with Neytiri and Jake about it, but this felt different, telling it to someone that hadn't experienced it and them understanding her feelings somehow felt more relieving.
"So, how was the class?" Asked Zaytxe, her head tilted in curiosity as she awaited Kiri's response. For Zaytxe this class had felt very different from the others, her distracted mind had caused her not to be as enthusiastic about it as always, she hoped Kiri had forgotten how much she used to talk about the topic.
"It somehow was better than expected" Kiri's soft voice answered as she raised her eyebrows in surprise. She was glad she had gone to class instead of just letting Jake teach her, which would have resulted in many hours of boredom and Jake completely drifting the class into a long story about something that had occurred to him during his time on Earth. And don't get her wrong, she wouldn't mind listening intently but wanted to learn english, and learning with Jake simply wasn't the best option. "But something was wrong with you and I know it"
'Damn, it' thought Zaytxe, her hopeful thoughts about Kiri forgetting her passion for the forsaken language weren't answered the way she wished for. But maybe acting like she was oblivious would get her away from Kiri's gaze which seemed to look right into her.
"What do you mean?" Zaytxe questioned, trying to get away from the curious Kiri. But to her expectations, she was met by the roll of Kiri's eyes as her face expressed nothing but disbelief at her friend's inquiry. "Okay, okay, no need to roll your eyes at me, geez" Zaytxe laughed lightly as she adjusted her position to sit more comfortably once she lowered her hands from their mocking defensive position. "I guess I was distracted- by what? I don't know- but I just could not concentrate for a long period of time before my mind drifted into another thought"
"Any thoughts in particular?" Inquired Kiri as she looked at Zaytxe with her full attention on the huntress before her. The question was answered by Zaytxe shaking her head from side to side with her lips pursed. Kiri thought back from the moment she had arrived to now just in case she could pinpoint any moment that could be causing her friend's attention from her favorite subject. And then she recalled the perfect moment, even if it wasn't the source of the problem it was the best moment to bring it up. "Not even a specific Omatikayan boy? I saw the way you checked on each other the other day"
The second that Zaytxe connected the dots shivers were sent all along her body. 'Neteyam? No way' she thought. Her body unwillingly tensed so suddenly that she sat up and took a step back. She brought up her right hand, index finger loosely pointed at Kiri when talking, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Neteyam, as in, your brother Neteyam? The boy I couldn't even stand seeing as a child?"
"Yep, that one exactly" Kiri said, her face now adorned with a devilish grin as her teasing tone only caused Zaytxe more confusion. The thought of her even remotely liking Neteyam felt like a contradiction from the laws of nature, but maybe after many years apart they had somehow forgotten their differences and decided to work as a team when they went on their expedition.
"No way, why'd you think that huh?" Continued Zaytxe, she had just noticed that Kiri had noticed the soft interaction between her and Neteyam when they came back from the expedition. As much as her inner self screamed at her, she couldn't help but think back and realize that Neteyam had been the reason for a few of her thoughts. But she felt like telling Kiri would mean that she actually felt something for him. And she did not, right?
"I don't know, I'm just saying. Looked like you two were worrying for each other, and if that had happened before we left you wouldn't have even looked at him" Zaytxe noticed how Kiri was right, she had thought about that before but now that someone said it, it felt even more real. They had genuinely changed during the few years that the Sully family had left the Omatikaya clan. "But this just gave me an idea, what if I convince my brother to help you with the classes, his english is great after all. I mean he is the golden child."
"That's.. not a bad idea actually" Zaytxe searched in her mind for a way that agreeing to Kiri's idea could go wrong, but she found no answers. Well, she did find one, but she wouldn't be saying it out loud, especially in front of the sister of the Na'vi that had caused the thought.
"Great! I'll tell him tonight and I'll update you tomorrow in class" Kiri exclaimed as she started organizing all of the leftover food to bring back. Zaytxe saw her and helped her clean up.
In a matter of minutes, they were back at high camp, bodies tired from the entire day and begging them to go to bed as soon as they could. They walked alongside each other as they headed towards their huts, arms holding the little food that had been left over from the hearty meal. It had not taken too long to decide what each of them would be taking since Kiri wasn't too big on the idea of eating any type of animal meat, 'I just feel bad eating them you know?' Kiri's words echoed in Zaytxe's head as she looked down at the leaves that covered the food.
"So you're 100% sure you're good with the me-asking-my-brother-about-helping-you thing, right?" Zaytxe's eyes drifted back to look at Kiri at the sound of her voice. Making a mental evaluation of the outcomes once again she decided to repeat her answer as she did before. It seemed like a pretty good idea in all fairness.
"Sure, why are you asking?" Kiri shrugged shortly after Zaytxe's question. They were about to get back home and tiredness was definitely taking a toll on them. Feet dragging as they walked. Zaytxe found it funny how synchronized it seemed to look when they walked. Even though she had adjusted her steps to keep her legs moving exactly as hers as they walked. A habit she had since she was young but never really knew where it came from.
"Just double checking, wouldn't like for you to change your mind and it being too late. No matter how angry I could ever get with you I would never make you have to spend time with either Neteyam or Lo'ak involuntarily. They are a nightmare honestly" The two girls laughed at Kiri's dramatization of her brother's character. Zaytxe remembered the many stories Kiri told her about her childhood with the boys and their playful but sometimes maddening attitude. "I still don't know how I didn't try to drown myself in the ocean, thank Eywa for Tsireya and Tuk for being normal.
"Didn't you tell me how Tuk once dragged you by your hair almost from one end of the beach to another just to see a so-called Ilu?" Inquired Zaytxe as she tilted her head and raised her eyebrows in a teasing manner, she tried to quieten her laughs to actually get the question decently pronounced so that Kiri could understand it. But imagining Kiri's braid being used almost as a leash by Tuk made her laugh slip through every couple of words.
She was so happy that she was finally getting some quality time back with her best friend.
Some huts in front of them a very specific pair of ears perked up at the sound of Zaytxe's laugh. Neteyam's to be exact, he somehow recognized it after having heard it when coming back from the expedition and she had been laughing at her family's jokes, a smile displayed on her face as her braids moved from side to side because of her head shaking side to side. Wait. Why was that memory so vivid?
He thought back on how she had acted around it, it seemed like her unfriendly attitude towards him had melted away with time. She now seemed nicer and more talkative with him, at first he was surprised but now he was grateful. Going back to his original clan after spending so much time with the Metkayina clan made him nervous but she had calmed down his nerves while they were on the mission.
His torso leaned upward as he changed from a lying down position to an almost sitting one on his bed. His arms moved down to his sides from their original position as they rested behind his head, hands intertwined with one another. He heard Zaytxe get closer to the Sully's hut and it seemed she was accompanied by none other than her sister Kiri. He faintly remembered Kiri hanging out with her when he was younger, but it was mostly because he didn't like her at all that many years ago and found it insupportable every time he was with Kiri and Zaytxe had been with her.
But now it was different.
He now felt curious about what they were talking about, maybe even about who. But the latter only rested in the back of his mind, as if something stopped him involuntarily thinking about it. He shook his head at the thought, who? Since when did he care about who Zaytxe talked about? He listened as the door opened, now letting him listen to the conversation with more ease.
"Ha ha, kiss my ass Zaytxe" Finally said Kiri, sarcasm thick in her voice as she held the door open while finishing the conversation. Joking around with each other felt like no time had happened at all. She looked back around when she heard Jake's remark.
"Hey, language"
Kiri did a double take only to see a standing Jake with his hands on his waist, mouth slightly open after speaking and his face contorted into an insulted look. If anyone would be to walk into the house they would think that Kiri's sarcastic remark would've been a hefty insult towards Jake. "You do know that you cuss every two to three words when you speak right?"
"Now that is a low move, but it still doesn't make it right" Jake moved forward to greet Kiri upon her arrival, only to find a Zaytxe with pursed lips trying to hold back her laugh. "Oh, hey Zaytxe, good to see you again"
Jake's introduction was responded to by a curt nod and a soft smile from Zaytxe.
Neteyam could hear the slightly muffled conversation from his room, now sitting on his bed as he tried to decipher the words. If Lo'ak were to see him he would call him 'nosy', but his interest seemed to be driven by the now-ending conversation as goodbyes were exchanged and the door was closed. Zaytxe's quiet steps could barely be heard as she walked away, he was sure that if his hearing instinct wasn't trained so much he wouldn't have heard them.
Kiri left the snacks she had in her room before heading to Neteyam's, ready to ask him about the amazing idea she had. She knocked on his door, a 'come in' was heard from the other side and so she did.
Neteyam was still sitting on his bed, the same position he was in while listening to the previous conversation in the living room that Kiri had taken part in. But of course, he wouldn't dare to tell her he had been listening to her conversation. No matter how insignificant anything was, Kiri always got mad at the two brothers when she realized that they had spied on her. Which he understood, but sometimes curiosity got the best of him. "What is it?" Asked Neteyam.
"So, I have this idea but before you say no just hear me out ok?" Kiri's hands were before her, open but not in a defensive way, but a 'wait and listen' way. Even though she had noticed how Neteyam's and Zaytxe's way of interacting with each other had changed, she truly thought that her brother could help her, and she did not want to jeopardize the result of her great idea because of some pent-up feeling of dislike towards each other.
"I'm listening" Neteyam's voice had a hint of doubt, as much as he loved his sister sometimes she seemed some pretty destructive plans, and since he had no idea what she was about to ask him, unweariness was only normal.
"Okay... so Zaytxe had been struggling to concentrate on english class so if you could set your not-so-friendly feeling towards her aside and help her with it that would be amazing" Kiri's words started melting with each other the more she went on with the proposal, but Neteyam was trained in understanding her even thought it might've seemed impossible to someone that wasn't used to having a sister that did that all the time.
Once Neteyam's brain processed the words, he felt a weak warm feeling creep up his neck and spread along his neck. Was he? No, he couldn't possibly be. He thought of the situation, and how helping her would probably make a friendship form. At least some part of him hoped so. He felt slightly disorientated after being back in the thick jungle instead of the calm ocean, and Zaytxe's easygoing temperament and an almost constant smile on her face made him feel a bit better. Like a rock to hold onto during a storm in the ocean, where he could stay so that the crashing waves wouldn't carry him away with their strong currents. Was it strange to feel like this about someone he had just started not-hating recently?
That question was left unanswered as he looked at Kiri's patient gaze and answered her question instead. "Sure, I'll do it"
Kiri's surprise was nothing short from evident, even someone who could've just been passing by if they would've been talking outside instead of his room would know that something mind-blowing had just happened. Her beliefs about him not liking Zaytxe had just vanished the second he agreed to her plan without even needing convincing, or blackmail, but she was way past using blackmail now. "I thought you didn't like her at all"
"I do now, she's nicer to me as well so I guess that helps" Neteyam shrugged as he explained the situation, he had always had a tight bond with Kiri since they were so close in age, months really. "I guess she has changed during the years we were gone, we probably changed too"
"You're still as boring as always, actually, maybe a bit less" Joked Kiri.
"Should I be thanking you for that amazing compliment?" Neteyam's eyebrow was raised in a teasing matter as his lips contorted into a smile. He could always count on Kiri's jokes for that.
"Oh yes, it's a very flattering one after all"
They kept on joking for a bit until Kiri's tone got slightly more serious to thank her brother for his help. "Thank you, really, I know how hard adapting is for you even though you try to hide it"
Neyetam's head which was looking down at the floor right before she spoke was raised to look at her, his eyes were filled with gratitude and respect at her sister's words. Even though she wasn't his blood sister it sure felt like it. He knew she could read him perfectly, it was like how she was so connected to nature and had these strange powers with everything around her: the ocean, the trees, the wildlife, and so much more. Maybe these superpowers granted her the ability to see right through the walls he sometimes built to not worry the rest.
" Want a hug?" His thoughts were cut off by her request. Then he got up from his seated position and took in the hug she offered. Even though he was bigger than her, her hugs still felt like they healed every part of him, as they recharged him. Hir sister truly was special.
He always got mad when kids used to pick on her when she was younger, they used to call her 'weird' and 'freak'. He knew she was different from the beginning of their friendship but weird wasn't the same thing as special and different. He always meant it in a good way.
"Oh my little brother" Kiri exclaimed dramatically once he separated from the hug.
"You do know I'm only a couple of months younger than you, and I'm still taller than you," Said Neteyam as he smiled softly at Kiri's teasing remark.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Goodnight little bro" Said Kiri before leaving the room, closing the door in the process, leaving a slightly irritated Neteyam in his room as he breathed out an exasperated sigh and headed to his bed to sleep for the night.
Zaytxe had been asleep for a while now. But her thoughts as she walked back to her house were infested with the plan that made her slightly nervous but was necessary. The one thing she didn't like about the classes were the tests she had to take every now and then, and if she didn't get a very good result on it it would only annoy her more than she was already about the fact that she couldn't concentrate properly in the class.
The thought of the boy he had hated for so many years helping her with the one thing she truly adored to do throughout all the years felt slightly contradicting. But the fact that he wasn't such a dick anymore helped the situation a lot.
The two Na'vi got a good night's sleep once they had pondered enough about the future days when they would need to work together, but at the same time, curiosity also made them more and more eager to begin and discover more about each other's personalities since it had been masked with all the annoyance they used to cause each other. But all that was in the past. Now it was time to turn the page into a blank one, ready to be written by new feelings and experiences
A/N: Hellooo, omg I cannot stress enough how sorry I am about the fact that it has taken me ages to write this chapter, but I have just been swamped with work and exams. I've also gone on a trip with my school and wasn't able to take my laptop with me which is what I write with so writing had to pause completely for about a week.
But the chapter has been written. FINALLY. So I hope that you all like it.
I feel like not much happens but we can see Zaytxe's and Neteyams feelings start to appear ;) so that's something. I also LOVE writing Kiri's and Neteyam's brother dynamic, so just you wait until I get to Lo'ak's and Neteyam's because it'll probably be great. I also headcannoned Kiri to be a vegetarian because since she has such a deep connection with Eywa and nature I feel like she would feel so bad eating meat.
That concludes this author note, which actually is the longest I have ever written so yeah, there's that. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and feel free to comment and talk about this chapter as much as you want to. Love you all <3