Tcelia gradually opened her eyes, struggling to shake off the lingering haze of sleep that still clung to her. She had been out for an entire week, and yet she still felt exhausted. Blinking a few times, she peered around the pod, her gaze settling on the beautiful orange hues that filled the room. The sunrise had crept in, casting a warm glow over everything, a compelling contrast to her sleep that had been completely dreamless and black.
She let out a groan as she attempted to raise her arms, the throbbing pain in her chest intensifying. It was as if she had been asleep for years, and her body had become stiff and unyielding. Slowly, she sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the cot, and gingerly placed her feet on the woven floor. Next to her, Jake was sound asleep, his arms crossed and head lolling to the side, his mouth slightly agape. Despite the pain in her chest, Tcelia couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. Tcelia had fallen asleep pretty quickly after she had woken up again, still completely exhausted for some reason, despite having slept for over an entire week straight. Jake had promised to stay by her side whilst she slept and Tcelia was grateful for his unwavering presence by her side.
Someone had braided her hair into box braids again at some point whilst she had been out, and her hair now hung in nice braids down her back. She had to admit that she'd missed the hairstyle a bit. It reminded her of home.
She touched her wrists gently, a green coat of herbal paste spread carefully around them to heal her wounds. Gently smudging the herbal paste away from her inner wrist to get a look at the damage, she smiled a little to herself. The wounds had healed nicely, scabbing over in a ring around both of her wrists. They would probably leave scars, but that didn't bother Tcelia much. And if these wounds had healed nicely, her wound by eyebrow probably didn't look too bad either which was a comforting thought.
As she inhaled deeply, trying to steady her spinning head, Tcelia gripped the cot with both hands and pushed herself up to a standing position. She swayed slightly, standing for a moment looking down at her feet to gain balance. Her legs felt weak and unsteady after a week of disuse. In fact, her entire body felt weak and fragile, an annoyance that only served to increase her frustration. She tentatively touched the white gauze that was tightly wrapped around her chest, unable to believe that she had survived an injury like that.
"Tcelia?" Something clattered to the floor in front of her and Tcelia looked up in surprise. Behind her, Jake jolted awake, coughing as he did.
"Oh, hi guys." She smiled at Norm and Max who had been making their way into the pod and were now standing frozen and looking at her in shock, a medical bag dropped on the floor.
Norm reached her first, almost falling over the bag he had dropped and forced her to sit down again immediately, muttering something about not overexerting herself. He was in his avatar body, so when he kneeled down in front of her, he was only half a head shorter than her.
He reached up to feel her forehead worryingly, "How are you feeling? Hot, cold, good, bad, tingly, swollen, woozy?"
Max had come up to Norm's side, having picked up the bag that Norm had dropped. "It's good to see you awake, Tcelia. Don't tell the others, but we were beginning to worry a little." Max winked at her as he placed the bag by her side and opened it, peering into it.
Tcelia rolled her eyes and gently slapped Norm's hand away, smiling reassuringly as she did, "I'm fine, guys." Then she pointed at Max, "Although I didn't need to know that you guys were starting to doubt my chances of survival."
Max shrugged with a playful smile, pulling out something from the bag, "You're a big girl. You can handle it."
Tcelia looked over her shoulder, her eyes settling on Jake who was leaned back in the chair, a small smile playing on his lips at the interaction that was unfolding before him. "Can you believe them? You didn't doubt me, did you?"
Jake chuckled, standing up as he did and placed a hand on Tcelia's shoulder, squeezing it briefly, "Not for a second." Tcelia beamed up at him, warmth spreading across her body at Jake's acknowledging words.
"Now, I'll let Norm and Max run their tests in peace and then I'll tell the others that you're awake." Jake clapped Norm on the back before leaving the pod.
Norm waved over his shoulder, calling after Jake, "Give us half an hour and she'll be as good as new."
"I'm going to take you up on that promise." Tcelia grinned as Max started to wrap something around her upper arm to measure her blood pressure.
Norm got up from his kneeling position and dragged the chair over so that he could sit in front of her, then grabbed the bag and rummaged around in it, pulling out a container filled with water which Tcelia accepted gratefully, gulping down the entirety of the bottle in less than seven seconds as a tightness started around her upper arm, Max still measuring her blood pressure.
"Alright, maybe not as good as new but I guarantee you'll be feeling much better soon."
As Max finished taking her blood pressure, Norm began to examine her with a handheld medical device, checking her temperature, pulse, and other vital signs. Tcelia sat patiently as they worked, feeling grateful to have such amazing people in her life who were willing to take care of her.
After twenty minutes or so, Norm finally sat back and smiled at her. "You're doing well, Tcelia. Your vitals are stable and everything seems to be in order. We'll continue to monitor you, of course, but I think you can rest easy knowing that you're on the road to recovery."
Tcelia breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back on her hands. "Thank you, Norm. I really appreciate everything you and Max are doing for me."
"No need to thank us, Tcelia. We're just happy you're alright." Norm smiled then turned stern again, "But if you want to go to that Tulkun festival tonight, you have to stay here for the remainder of the day. I mean it!"
When Tcelia started to protest, Max cut her off, "You need to rest, Tcelia, or you'll overexert your body and God knows what'll happen then. We don't want your brain to shut down again, and we can't take any chances."
Norm nodded along like an annoying older brother, "Right. Try walking around the pod a little and train up your body to move again, but if you start to feel tired, don't push yourself. Your body isn't used to being in motion yet, and it needs time to adjust."
Tcelia huffed, rolling her eyes but agreed, not wanting to miss out on the Tulkun celebration.
"Good girl," Norm grinned, ruffling her hair then snatching it away again before Tcelia could slap his hand away in annoyance. "We'll leave some pills for you to take if the pain gets really bad and-"
"Tcelia!" A cry sounded from the opening of the pod and Tcelia looked away from the two scientists, only to see Tuk and Kiri come flying at her, smacking into her and almost knocking her off the cot, squeals of delight and relief echoing in the Marui.
"For god's sake, be careful with her!" Tcelia could hear Norm exclaim, but Tcelia didn't care even as the pain in her chest exploded as Kiri and Tuk flung their arms around her neck, and her head began throbbing with the force of the impact. She only flung her arms around them as well, crushing them into her and burrowing her face in Kiri's neck.
"Get off her, it's my turn," Tcelia could hear Lo'ak's voice, and she looked up from Kiri's shoulder to see Lo'ak grinning down at her. Kiri let out an exasperated noise as Lo'ak tried to push her away but then reluctantly peeled herself away from Tcelia, although keeping a hand on Tcelia's arm as Lo'ak threw his arms around her. Tuk, who hadn't let go of Tcelia, was also enveloped in Lo'ak's hug.
"Hey, be careful with her-" Norm began again only to get cut off by Spider suddenly appearing and throwing himself into the mix, hopping up on the cot between Tcelia and Kiri and threw an arm around Tcelia's upper back, loudly expressing his relief that she didn't die and thanking her for coming back for him.
"I give up," Norm said, throwing his hands up in defeat and shaking his head at Max, "We'll be back in an hour or two to take some more tests."
Tcelia waved a hand absentmindedly to show that she had heard them, then turned her attention back to the many voices that surrounded her, asking her questions, checking if she was okay, asking her what it was like being almost dead (that question had come from Tuk).
Tcelia couldn't help but laugh at Tuk's question, even though it sent a sharp pain through her chest. "It's not great, Tuk," she said with a small smile. "But I'm alive, so that's something, right?"
The group around her continued to chatter and ask her questions, and Tcelia felt overwhelmed but also grateful for them being there as she tried to ignore the pain behind her eyes. Suddenly she could feel a pair of eyes on her, and she looked over at the opening of the pod, spotting Neteyam's figure, illuminated by the light behind him. The chatter of the other's faded into background noise as she looked at him. He was looking at her with a careful gaze as if making sure that she was real, that it wasn't just a dream he'd wake up from if he moved.
Tcelia smiled at him softly, her heart speeding up as she extended her arm towards him, a gesture for him to come closer. He took a tentative step into the pod, then another and another, each step growing faster, more careless, more desperate, until finally he was in her arms, holding her tightly yet incredibly tenderly as if worrying that putting too much pressure on her would hurt her or turn her into mist.
She could hear Lo'ak complaining by her side that Neteyam had pushed him and Tcelia let out a choked laugh as Neteyam mumbled something about Lo'ak already having had his turn.
Tuk, who had jumped up on the cot beside Tcelia and was still pressed up tightly to Tcelia's side, huffed, "Neteyam, quit hogging her!" and Lo'ak was quick to agree. Kiri hit her brother over the arm, hissing at her siblings to give them a moment. Tcelia chuckled into Neteyam's shoulder as Lo'ak rubbed the spot he had been hit, mumbling complaints about Kiri having hit him too hard. Eywa she had missed them.
Tcelia could feel something strain in Neteyam as he reluctantly forced himself to pull away from her. She had to admit that she wished he would ignore the others and stay in her arms for just a little while longer, but alas, that'd probably be a little weird.
She settled for the way he placed his hands on either side of her face and looked at her as if she was the only person in the entire world. Tcelia felt her heart skip a beat as Neteyam looked at her with such intensity. She couldn't help but feel a warmth spread through her body; there was something incredibly intimate in the way he was looking at her.
"You're alright." He stated, his voice barely above a whisper. Not a question, but a need to say it out loud, a need to hear the words being said to make it real.
Tcelia nodded, a smile slowly spreading across her face, "I'm alright." She confirmed, her voice soft with emotion.
For a heartbeat, they just stood there, staring into each other's eyes, lost in their own thoughts and feelings. Tcelia could feel the tension between them, the unspoken words that hung in the air. She wanted to tell him how much she cared for him, how much he meant to her, but the words caught in her throat. She could vaguely hear the others talking around her and Neteyam, probably trying to give them a little space without actually giving them any space. But that was alright. She wasn't sure if she could handle being alone with Neteyam right now.
Instead, she just smiled at him, hoping that he could feel the depth of her feelings in that simple gesture. Neteyam's eyes were glossy, his mouth pulled into a slight pout. She reached up to wipe away a stray tear on his cheek that had escaped, and as she touched him, he inhaled roughly in a way that sent shivers down her spine.
She was pulled out of the spell by Tuk tugging at her arm, "Tcelia, look! I made you this bracelet to make you feel better." The little girl smiled up at her toothily and produced a bracelet from a small pouch she had been carrying. The bracelet was stuffed with different shells of all colors and sizes, a practical mess that Tcelia didn't doubt would weigh her down if she was to swim with it. Tcelia loved it.
She slung an arm around Tuk's small shoulders, ignoring the burning sensation in her chest as she did. The pain from Neteyam's hands falling away from her face was harder to ignore though. "I love it, Tuk. I'll wear it tonight at the celebration."
As her friends continued to chat eagerly around her, Tcelia looked at them, soaking in the feeling of contentedness that settled in her. She looked at Lo'ak, who had intertwined his hand with her hand that was slung over Tuk's shoulder and was now teasing Spider about something. Then she looked down at Tuk, who was pressed up against Tcelia's side and smiling proudly down at the bracelet in her lap, then over at Spider who was still sitting beside her, grinningly throwing back retorts at Lo'ak. Then at Kiri, who had a hand placed on Spider's shoulder, the other on Neteyam's upper arm, looking at Lo'ak and rolling her eyes at him but with a happy smile playing on her lips.
Finally, she looked up at Neteyam, who hadn't taken his eyes away from her for a second. She was happy, truly happy and alright, and she knew that it was because of them, her family, her friends. And because of him.
"So tell me, what's been going on in the village lately? I want to hear all the gossip."
As chatter erupted around her, Tuk, Lo'ak, Spider and Kiri talking over each other to tell her different stories of what had happened whilst she had been out, Tcelia's eyes found Neteyam's. She raised her eyebrows slightly, her lips slowly forming a half smile. Neteyam returned her soft gaze, finally allowing his mouth to curl up into a smile, as if finally believing that it was real. That she was alright. That she wouldn't leave him behind.
---
Neytiri and Jake had come barely ten minutes after that, Neytiri almost sobbing with relief as she hugged Tcelia tightly, the kids parting for her immediately. As she leaned away, scanning Tcelia's face, noticing how her eyes were drooping slightly, she had turned around immediately, ordering everyone out of the Marui, so that Tcelia could get some rest.
Tcelia would have never sent the others away herself, but she was secretly grateful that Neytiri had done it for her. She had already begun to feel exhausted with the many different emotions that had consumed her the past half an hour and the whirlwind she had been caught up in of hugging and chatting and laughing had tired her out more than she thought it would. Her head was throbbing, and her chest had started to hurt to the point where it took every ounce of her to seem like she wasn't in any pain. She eyed the bottle of pills that Norm had placed on the cot before he left.
As the others left the pod, Neteyam glanced over his shoulder at her for a final time. She smiled at him softly forcing herself to sit up a little straighter despite the pain. Quickly looking at his mother who was walking away from the pod then back at Tcelia again, he seemed to make up his mind about something. Making his way into the pod and striding up to Tcelia again, he placed his barely contained shaking hands on Tcelia's cheeks and bent down to kiss her on the forehead.
"I'll let you rest for now, but don't think I'll let you off easily for taking that bullet for me."
She grinned up at him, grabbing his wrist affectionately, "Later?"
Smiling back at her, he glanced down at her lips and a lightning bolt shut through Tcelia. "Later." He echoed. A reassurance. A promise.
---
Before Tcelia even realized that she had fallen asleep, she was jolted awake by Norm and Max who had come to check up on her again. They ran their tests quickly, concluding that not much had changed since three hours ago. Tcelia resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that statement.
Although Tcelia wanted to stay awake after that, her body had had other ideas. She soon found herself swimming around a fire alongside twirling tulkun wearing large capes of seagrass and howling the melody to a Na'vi lullaby. Tcelia woke up, feeling strangely reminiscent of something she had never experienced before.
Tsireya, Rotxo and Ao'nung visited her later that day, both Rotxo and Tsireya throwing their arms around her in relief, Tsireya almost choking on the string of prayers she was murmuring under her breath. Ao'nung had patiently waited for his turn but when Rotxo and Tsireya finally let go of her, he had stepped forwards and enveloped her in his large arms. Tcelia had patted him on the back gently for the few seconds he had hugged her.
Tsireya had brought her a chest cover that she had spent the week working on, wanting to make sure that it was ready for the Tulkun celebration so that Tcelia would have something to wear. Tcelia had to choke back tears as she stared down at the beautifully woven pearls and gemstones, almost not being able to express how thankful she was. Something about Tsireya being sure that Tcelia would wake up, made her incredibly emotional. Ronal had also given Tsireya some herbs to bring to Tcelia that were supposed to lessen her hazy mind. Tcelia drank the herb infused water gratefully.
Tcelia hadn't been able to fall asleep again after Tsireya, Rotxo and Ao'nung had left, so she had tried to sneak out of the pod to go find Neteyam or Lo'ak. Just as soon as she had stepped outside though, Jake had walked around a corner and spotted her mid escape. Ordering her to sit down again immediately, Jake had sat with her for a while where Tcelia had humbly asked what the others had been doing since they hadn't been to see her again, and Jake had explained that they were all helping set up for the Tulkun celebration.
Tcelia had laughed as Jake recounted how Ronal had caught Lo'ak and Kiri trying to sneak away to see her and then ordered them to prepare the Teylu for the evening, a wholly unpleasant task that no one else wanted. Tcelia would know, both her and Lo'ak had been in that situation before.
When Tcelia and Lo'ak had been twelve, they'd tried to smuggle banana fruits out of the storage pod back in the forest (a delicacy that their clan usually saved for special occasions). Mo'at had caught them red-handed and as punishment, ordered them to prepare the many Teylu for the evening fire. The task consisted of tearing off the small larva's head, making sure that the vertebrae came out as well. It was a long and grueling process, one that proved difficult as well due to the fact that the vertebrae seemed to retract into itself as a form of defense mechanism when the head had been torn off. It was safe to say that Tcelia and Lo'ak never tried to steal from the storage pod again.
Tuk came later that day, proudly swinging a small basket back and forth, filled with shells that contained different colored paints. Tuk had placed it beside Tcelia, beaming up at her as she had asked Tcelia to help her get ready for the celebration.
Tcelia had smiled back, saying that there was nothing she'd rather want to do more. It had taken Tuk a while to figure out what color scheme she wanted, but she had finally settled on 'all of them'. Tcelia had gently painted long strokes of color down Tuk's arms as they sat on the cot, Tuk swinging her legs back and forth, chatting non-stop about anything and everything. Tcelia had hummed along sometimes as she worked, agreeing with what Tuk had said, or making noises of dramatic exasperation when Tuk had told her stories of how Lo'ak had annoyed her that day.
As Tcelia finished, Tuk now a vibrant rainbow of color that ran down her arms, down across her face and in long strokes around her stomach, she jumped up and twirled around, admiring her new colorful appearance with an infectious grin.
"Alright, I'm ready for my turn," Tcelia announced with a smile. Tuk's eyes widened as she clapped her hands in excitement, her smile growing impossibly big. Because Tuk was the youngest of the Sully family, it usually wasn't her anyone would go to if they wanted help with their war paint, although the little girl loved to do it the few times she had been asked.
Tcelia giggled as Tuk excitedly started rummaging through the basket of paints, emerging with shells of yellow, orange, and red paint. As Tuk began, her face scrunched with concentration, tongue slightly sticking out of her mouth, Tcelia tried to sit as still as possible so that she didn't mess it up for the little girl.
Tcelia's mind couldn't help but wander a bit as Tuk was too concentrated to talk. She kept thinking of Neteyam, wondering why he hadn't been to see her again. If what Jake had told her was true – that Neteyam had barely left her side whilst she had been out – then why wouldn't he want to spend time with her when she was finally awake? But Tcelia kept shutting down the bitter thoughts. It was unfair of her to think like that. Maybe he was really busy and wanted to come see her but was being held back, just like Lo'ak and Kiri had been.
Tuk had just finished up painting Tcelia's body and was just about to move to Tcelia's face, when someone coughed, making their presence known. Tcelia's eyes flickered up, gaze locking with Lo'ak's who was looking at the two girls with his arms crossed, a smirk playing on his lips.
"The two of you are in your own little world. I've been standing here for at least two minutes." He smiled, making his way over to them, "You look cute, Tuk." He said, patting his sister's head affectionately.
Tuk beamed up at her brother as she sat down the shell of yellow paint on the cot beside Tcelia, but her mood quickly changed at Lo'ak's next words.
"Now, I have to talk to Tcelia alone. So, beat it, Tuk."
"Mean!" Tuk exclaimed as she narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at Lo'ak, only to squeeze into Tcelia's side.
Tcelia protectively wrapped an arm around Tuk's shoulders, careful not to mess up the paint and then hit Lo'ak on the arm, laughing a little. "Be nice to her!" she exclaimed.
"Fine," Lo'ak sighed, rolling his eyes then placed his hands on his knees and bent down so that his face was at an eye level with Tuk. "Please beat it, Tuk."
Both Tcelia and Tuk rolled their eyes simultaneously, then Tcelia shook Tuk's hand gently, drawing the little girl's attention up to her again, "I'll deal with your brother, don't worry. Come back afterwards, please?"
Tuk hesitated for a moment, "Okay," she said and smiled up at Tcelia, squeezing her hand gently, then let go and made her way out of the pod, sending Lo'ak hostile looks the entire way out. Tcelia tried not to giggle as she watched the little girl depart.
Lo'ak's eyes immediately turned worried the moment Tuk had left the pod, gracing Tcelia's bandages softly with his fingertips, "How are you doing? You alright?"
Tcelia chuckled lightly, taking Lo'ak's hand in hers and squeezing it, "I'm fine, Lo'ak. Between all the Tsahik's herbs and the scientists' medication, I can barely feel it anymore." This was, of course, a lie. Her bullet wound still hurt like a bitch every time she moved or breathed, and her head felt heavy and pounded every time she moved her head too quickly. But Lo'ak shouldn't have to worry about that.
A small smile broke across his face, then he swallowed, his eyes flickering between the shell with yellow war paint on the cot beside Tcelia and Tcelia's face, unable to meet Tcelia's eyes fully. If Tcelia didn't know any better, she'd think he was nervous.
"Do you need some help with that?" He asked, gesturing at the shell.
"Sure." Tcelia said, narrowing her eyes in confusion as he picked up the shell and dipped his fingers into the yellow paint. He began to drag the paint across her face in long careful strokes, silence filling the pod.
"So," Tcelia began, dragging out the 'o' sound, "What did you want to talk to me about." She raised her eyebrows, "alone."
Lo'ak hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath, "Okay. Please don't freak out when I tell you this, but I feel like I owe you an explanation." As Tcelia looked up at him, confusion written across her face, he continued. "I know I've acted a little... strange, ever since we left the forest behind-"
"A little? There were days when you didn't talk to me, Lo'ak. Days! We've never gone days without talking to each other!" Tcelia interrupted, unable to hold back her frustration.
He coughed pointedly, pausing his paint work on her face to look down at her with mock accusation.
"Sorry." She smiled sheepishly, "You were saying?"
"I-" he swallowed again, meeting her gaze, "Back in the forest, I had convinced myself that I was in love with you."
"What!?" Tcelia leaned back, head empty of thoughts. Only shock swirled around in her mind, interrupted by small twinges of astonishment, "You were in love with me?" she hissed disbelievingly.
Lo'ak narrowed his eyes, though Tcelia could see a flicker of amusement hidden behind the expression, "Wow, way to let a guy down easy. Please remind me to never declare my undying love for you for real."
Tcelia shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing, "Well, you can't just drop this on me and expect me to act all calm about it! You're my best friend. You being in love with me is just..." she paused, trying to imagine herself in a romantic relationship with Lo'ak. "...weird."
"Please keep them coming, I'm only baring my soul to you and being at my most vulnerable, it's no big deal." Lo'ak retorted sarcastically.
Tcelia could barely comprehend how he could be joking about this after he had just shattered Tcelia's world view. She had thought she knew Lo'ak in and out, but apparently there had been this huge thing he had been hiding from her this entire time. It was strange. "Fine. You have two minutes to somehow explain yourself out of this mess before my head explodes."
Lo'ak sighed and continued, "As I was saying: I was in love with you. Emphasis on the was." He stressed the last word, making sure that Tcelia had heard it correctly. She resisted rolling her eyes at him, though it took a lot of effort. "At least, I believed I was." Lo'ak continued, "And then we arrived here and my life was thrown upside down and I suddenly discovered a completely new life. And I felt so guilty because I felt as if I was betraying you." His eyes flickered down to the forgotten shell in his hand, before quickly finding Tcelia's eyes again, "You're my best friend, Tcelia, and I couldn't understand why I was developing feelings for someone else when you were right there, the girl that I thought I had been in love with my whole life."
"I knew it!" Tcelia couldn't help but exclaim, a smile spreading across her face. "It's Tsireya right?"
"Shhh!" his eyes widened as he clamped his hand over Tcelia's mouth, glancing over his shoulder quickly, probably to make sure that Tsireya wasn't in hearing range, "You don't need to tell the whole village."
"Sorry," Tcelia mumbled from under his hand, smiling coyly. "But it is Tsireya, right?" she whispered.
"Yeah, it's Tsireya," Lo'ak rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth was curled up into a lopsided smile. He slowly removed his hand from Tcelia's mouth. "Anyway, I think I realized that I had never been in love with you the way I had thought, and that took me a while to figure out. So I'm sorry for being an idiot and taking forever to realize it."
Her entire life alongside Lo'ak flashed before her eyes as she tried not to visibly cringe at how utterly oblivious she had been. How she naively had thought it strange that Lo'ak accidentally would lead on girls back in the forest and how she stupidly had reasoned with herself that it was because he was bad with girls. She mentally face palmed herself, unable to believe how blind she had been. She suddenly saw everything that had happened in the past month in an entirely different light. How he had spluttered as he had denied having a crush on Tsireya. How he had reacted when Tcelia had called him her brother after he had been found at Three Brothers Rocks and then how afterwards, Ao'nung had scoffed and called her blind for not understanding why Lo'ak had turned cold. Ao'nung had been right, she really had been blind, almost to the point of it being embarrassing. No scratch that. Lo'ak was her best friend; it was embarrassing that she hadn't noticed.
She blinked, shaking her head slightly, "You should have just told me, Lo'ak. I would have understood."
"Please, with the way you just reacted?" Lo'ak raised an eyebrow.
"Alright, fair enough," Tcelia admitted, rolling her eyes, "I would have needed some time to process it, but afterwards I could have helped you think it over."
"I know that." Lo'ak said, his voice softer now. "But I think I needed to figure it out on my own, you know?"
Tcelia sucked in an impressed breath and smiled up at him, "You've really matured since we've arrived here, Lo'ak."
Lo'ak shrugged nonchalantly, his face breaking into a playful smirk. "Well, it only took a near-death experience and being thrown into a completely different world for me to get my act together."
"Oh, please. You're still the same old Lo'ak, just with a bit more self-awareness." Tcelia teased, nudging him playfully with her elbow. "What does that mean for us now?" she asked, almost nervous to hear his answer. She wouldn't let him distance himself from her again; she'd go down fighting with him if he decided that they were better on their own.
Lo'ak bumped her shoulder gently, adding a splotch of yellow to her already painted shoulder. "Well, you'll always be one of the most important people in my life, my number one partner in crime. You're even above Neteyam," he teased, his eyes twinkling.
"You know," Tcelia grinned, feeling incredibly relieved, "In another life, we would have made a really hot couple."
Lo'ak grinned back at her with the liberating smile of someone who had put down a heavy burden they had been carrying around for a long time, and were now finally free, "Oh definitely. The world wouldn't have been able to handle us."
---
Tuk had appeared shortly after and both Tcelia and Tuk had begged Lo'ak to let them decorate him with the colorful paint. Lo'ak had playfully refused, exaggerating the annoying brother's role, but then finally allowed them to apply the paint, as long as they promised to make him look like a "badass warrior," to which Tcelia and Tuk promised whilst rolling their eyes.
As night grew closer, the start of the Tulkun celebration approaching, Tcelia's mind once again found itself back to the infamous topic of Neteyam. She thought that it was strange that Neteyam hadn't been to see her again. She missed him and had sort of hoped that he would drop by to check up on her before the celebration.
Tcelia had made up her mind. She would find him tonight and tell her how she felt. She had come to the realization that one of the things she had regretted the most as she lay dying was not having told him how she felt. She had been incredibly inspired by Lo'ak's ability to own up to his feelings and explain why he had been acting so off lately. And if Lo'ak could do it, so could she.
She owed Neteyam an explanation as well. She hadn't exactly been treating him or her own feelings fairly. She would tell him tonight and then she could live her life with a clean conscience. She could move on.
Although she desperately hoped that she wouldn't have to move on. The way he had been looking at her lately had stirred something within her that she had suppressed for a long time. She'd never allowed herself to imagine a future with Neteyam, but now she couldn't imagine a future without him in it. Maybe she could convince him to give her a chance, that they would be good together.
But convincing him of that also seemed too good to be true. She wouldn't beg him to give her a chance, but she wasn't past throwing herself at his feet and demanding that he wouldn't treat her any differently. Eywa, she was pathetic. But it was better to be pathetic than lose him.
Either way, it didn't matter. She had to tell him, she owed him that much.
——
Feel welcome to imagine any sort of top for Tcelia but this is sort of how I imagine the one that Tsireya made for her, although it does have a bit more strings that cover the chest area haha :))
Also, this story is almost coming to an end and I just wanted to say that I've had such a fun time writing it, so thank you for following along and commenting, I really love reading your thoughts on the story!!