Italicize - someone's thoughts or a story from the past
Bold - sign language
"Do you want to go on a date with me?"
A huge smile made its way to Ja'lia's face as Lo'ak had just asked her out on a date. Of course, that was the next logical step to take so that their relationship could progress, however, Ja'lia never expected it to happen so soon.
She figured that it would at least take a couple of days for Lo'ak to build up the courage to ask her out if he ever decided to. From the way things had been progressing, Ja'lia thought that she might've had to of been the one to ask Lo'ak out.
Not that there's anything wrong with the girl asking the guy out. It took more courage than Ja'lia ever had, despite the common belief that she was always sure of herself.
Ja'lia was going to agree to the date, but someone else spoke up before she even got the chance to, "Mommy! Lo'ak asked Lia on a date!" Tuk yelled, causing everyone in the pod to look at the two teens, who had been talking as quietly as they could. When Neytiri heard what her youngest child had said, the information stunned her.
Lo'ak had only told her about his feelings for Ja'lia a couple of weeks ago, and he had already decided to ask her out. Did something happen between her son and his best friend? The shy smile on Ja'lia's face and the embarrassed look on Lo'ak's told Neytiri everything that she needed to know.
Something did happen between the two teens, and it was obvious that they didn't want everyone to know, but Tuk decided she would shout it out to the world.
"Tuk!" Lo'ak whined while his younger sister beamed at him in excitement.
Her ship had finally started to sail. Lo'lia was happening, and there was nothing in the world could stop it. Tuk was one-hundred-percent sure that Lo'ak and Ja'lia were meant to be together forever. It was like the fairy tale stories her Dad told her to help her fall asleep at night when she was having trouble.
The guy gets the girl. They get married, and one day they have babies. Although Tuk couldn't picture Lo'ak with kids, that was mostly because she feared that they would end up being a mini Lo'ak. It was fine if they acted like Ja'lia, in Tuk's opinion. The youngest Sully child was eventually pulled away from her thoughts as her mother's voice rang through her ears.
"Tuk, why don't you come over here so that you can get ready for bed?" Neytiri said, causing Tuk to pout as she reluctantly walked toward her mother. She was hoping that her mom would talk to Ja'lia and Lo'ak about their date, but it seemed that Neytiri wanted to allow the two teens to have some privacy.
"Aren't you going to ask Lo'ak why he's asking Ja'lia on a date?" Tuk whispered to her mother before she rolled out her mattress and laid down.
Neytiri ignored her daughter's question as she shook her head with a smile on her face. The mother did want to talk to Lo'ak, but she decided that it would be best to leave it alone for now. Besides, she could always ask Jake what Lo'ak wanted to talk to him about, and she was positive Jake's answer would shine some light on the new blooming relationship between Ja'lia and Lo'ak.
Almost as if Jake had heard his wife internally begging him to come back inside, the man appeared before he inside the pod with Neteyam right behind him as they both went to their designated sleeping areas.
Once Jake sat next to Neytiri, the mother leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Lo'ak asked Ja'lia out," She informed, and when Jake failed to act shocked, Neytiri knew that Lo'ak must have already told him what he was going to do.
"I know. Lo'ak asked for my help to plan a date for him and Ja'lia," Jake whispered back, causing Neytiri to raise her eyebrows.
"Did you help him?" Neytiri questioned.
"Yeah, I told him that he should take her star-gazing and that they would have a picnic with her favorite snacks," Jake said, and Neytiri nodded.
To Neytiri, that sounded like an amazing date, and she knew that Lo'ak and Ja'lia would enjoy it, even if they'd gone star-gazing hundreds of times before. She was proud of her husband for coming up with the idea and offering to help her son as she knew how nervous Lo'ak must have been asking Ja'lia out on a date.
But when Neytiri saw a soft smile on Ja'lia's face, she knew that there was nothing for Lo'ak to worry about.
It was as if all Ja'lia's emotions had finally surfaced when she told Lo'ak how she felt. She could no longer hide her admiration for the boy, and it showed.
When Kiri glanced up from Tuk's outfit, she scrunched her nose in disgust at the sight of the two love-sick teenagers. Don't get her wrong, she was extremely happy for them, but PDA was not something she was fond of.
However, she wouldn't say anything to Lo'ak or her friend because at least they were talking, and the atmosphere didn't seem as electrified with tension as it did at the party.
Eventually, it was time for bed, and everyone pulled out their mattresses.
Ja'lia was almost afraid that now that everyone knew that she and Lo'ak were going on a date that they wouldn't be allowed to sleep next to each other anymore, but when Jake nor Neytiri said anything, she let out a sigh of relief.
Although, she would understand their reasoning for why she and Lo'ak wouldn't be allowed to sleep next to each other.
They were two hormonal teenagers, and previous kisses suggested just that, but neither of them was ready to go that far. It would be a few years before Ja'lia was ready to take that step, but that didn't mean she couldn't kiss Lo'ak.
Kisses were completely harmless, most of the time.
As everyone in the Sully pod lay down, they tried their best to fall asleep as they had more training the next day. Ja'lia was also trying to go to sleep quickly because she and Lo'ak were going on a date after their training session was done, and she didn't want to fall asleep on her first date.
There wouldn't be much for the two to talk about, but it would be their first outing together as a couple.
The more she thought about their date, the more she grew excited, so she knew she would have to push the thought out of her mind to get a full night's rest.
But before she fell asleep, she whispered goodnight, to which he sleepily returned, and then the pod was filled was the sounds of Jake's soft snores.
~~~~
Ja'lia nervously paced around the pod as she was trying to calm her nerves before going on her date with Lo'ak.
"I don't understand why you're so nervous. You've been best friends with him since you were practically babies," Kiri grumbled, causing Tsireya to tsk at her.
"Going from best friends to boyfriend and girlfriend is different. Now, there are romantic feelings involved, and that can either go one of two ways," Tsireya said, placing her chin in her hand as she dreamily stared into space.
The Metkayina girl's words didn't soothe Ja'lia, in fact, they seemed to make her feel even worse, "What do you mean one of two ways?" She asked.
Tsireya pulled herself away from her thoughts to look at her friend, "Well-" She looked at Kiri from the corner of her eye, "It can either go really good, or-" Tsireya anxiously gulped as she didn't want to make Ja'lia panic, and back out of the date, "really bad." She finished.
Ja'lia's eyes widened at her friend's words. What did she mean by 'really good' or 'really bad'? Did she mean that the date could go that way? Or did she mean that their recently formed romantic relationship could go that way?
Her worry grew before she was able to knock some sense into herself.
They were Lo'ak and Ja'lia. The two had been inseparable since they first met. Nothing could come between them, not even their parents. And they certainly wouldn't allow themselves to lose each other if this didn't go the way they wanted it to.
Of course, it would most likely hurt both of them horribly, but Ja'lia didn't think that there was anything in the world would make Ja'lia want to stop being there for Lo'ak. She felt she owed him her friendship, especially after everything he had done for her in the months after her parents passing.
When Ja'lia looked back at her two friends, she saw Kiri giving Tsireya a disapproving look, while it seemed that Tsireya was scolding herself internally.
Nothing else could be said between the three teen girls as Lo'ak had finally come to collect Ja'lia because it would be fully dark at any moment.
"Hey, Lia. Are you ready to go?" Lo'ak asked as he looked at his best friend.
"Yeah. I'll see you later, Kiri and Reya," Ja'lia said, waving goodbye to her friends before she grabbed Lo'ak's hand and interlaced their fingers.
Lo'ak looked down at their hands, and his lips stretched into the biggest smile he could muster, and that would eventually make his face hurt. As they continued to walk to the beach, they were met by the curious stares of the Metkayina people. The two teens decided to ignore the curious stares of those who were returning from dinner as they strolled toward the beach.
As they grew closer, Ja'lia could see a basket and a mattress laid out on the ground, giving them a perfect view of the night sky. Ja'lia was thankful that it had been a clear night, instead of cloudy like it had been the past couple of nights, delaying her ability to sneak out at night to see the stars.
Once they reached the mattress, Ja'lia caught some of her favorite fruit in the basket.
Yovo fruit had been Ja'lia's favorite thing to eat since she could remember. It was sweet, but there was also a tart taste that balanced out the sweetness of the fruit.
Since they'd arrived in the Metkayina clan, she hadn't eaten the fruit once, and now that Ja'lia saw the fruit in front of her, she finally realized how much she'd craved it.
Ja'lia delicately picked up the fruit, and admired its beauty, causing Lo'ak to laugh at her as he shook his head, "What?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"You have a little drool," Lo'ak teased, pointing to the corner of his mouth to show Ja'lia where there was drool, but when she wiped the spot it had been dry. Lo'ak snorted when he saw how he had tricked Ja'lia, and she playfully glared at him in return before a smile etched across her lips.
The two sat down across from each other on Lo'ak's mattress as Ja'lia started to eat her fruit, and Lo'ak grabbed another one from the basket.
It was silent as the two ate their snack like they hadn't eaten in days, even though they ate about an hour before their date. Ja'lia took the last bite of her food and stared at Lo'ak because he was still eating his.
She took her sweet time admiring Lo'ak's features. The girl started at his forehead and went down from there. Lo'ak's fluorescent freckles were perfectly scattered on his forehead, and while it may seem weird to other Na'vi, the two lines of hair above Lo'ak's eyes perfectly suited his face.
Ja'lia couldn't imagine him any other way.
Then she dropped her gaze down to his eyes.
His golden eyes glowed in the night light, and one part of Ja'lia wished that Lo'ak would look up from his fruit to meet her gaze, but the other part wanted to continue to admire him in ways that she couldn't before. She'd never taken the time to look at his face for as long as she was in this moment because Ja'lia didn't want to get caught, nor did she want Lo'ak to suspect anything.
Not that Lo'ak would.
He was totally oblivious when it came to girls having a crush on him, but that didn't mean that Ja'lia took any chances.
Lo'ak knew her better than anyone, and it seemed that with one look, he knew what she was thinking, sometimes before she did.
As her eyes drifted down, they fell on his nose. Lo'ak had his father's nose, and Ja'lia didn't have any particular feelings about his nose, other than the fact that she loved it because it was his.
But when her gaze drifted lower, that's when her eyes finally landed on his lips, and her gaze narrowed in on them. Ja'lia really wanted to kiss his lips. She wanted to taste the sweetness of the Yovo fruit on them, however, when Lo'ak finished his fruit and pulled himself away from his thoughts, he noticed where Ja'lia was staring.
And it caused him to lick his lips.
Lo'ak started to lean toward Ja'lia, and the girl stayed in her place as she closed her eyes, and waited for Lo'ak's lips to meet hers, but it didn't happen. Instead, Lo'ak tilted his head up so that he could place a kiss on Ja'lia's forehead.
He wanted to kiss her, but their date had just started, and he didn't want to get sidetracked. So, when he pulled away and saw the frown on Ja'lia's face, it caused him to slightly laugh.
"I thought you were going to kiss me," She said.
"I did kiss you. Just not where you wanted me to," Lo'ak smirked, and Ja'lia rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "But you will, right?" Ja'lia asked, and Lo'ak blinked at her before he nodded.
Lo'ak would definitely kiss her before their date was over. It was inevitable, but not yet. He wanted to kiss her when she was least expecting it because he liked to keep Ja'lia guessing.
"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see," Lo'ak teased.
"Fine," She grumbled before she decided to move on from the topic. "Are we going to look at the stars now?"
"Yeah, that was the plan," Lo'ak breathed out, and Ja'lia moved the basket off the mattress before she grabbed Lo'ak's hand and pulled them down onto the ground. She placed her head on his chest and snuggled into him as it was a little cold.
The boy didn't even question her actions, as he would allow her to do whatever she wanted to him, within reason.
"Did you have help with tonight?" Ja'lia asked, and Lo'ak cranked his head to glance down at her as she looked up at the sky. "Yeah. Dad helped me come up with the idea, and Neteyam helped me set everything up," He said.
Ja'lia hummed in response before a thought rushed into her mind.
She should tell Lo'ak that she went to visit Payakan that day she disappeared so that he knew the truth about where she was. The girl didn't want to take any chances of Payakan telling Lo'ak about their hangout session, and risking Lo'ak being mad at her because she lied to him.
"You know how I told you that I went to Tsireya's spot when I disappeared?" Ja'lia questioned.
"Yeah,"
"Well, that's not exactly where I was," She said nervously, causing Lo'ak to grow confused.
"Where were you then?" He asked.
Ja'lia took a deep breath in before speaking, "I went to go visit Payakan," She revealed, and Lo'ak lay in silence for a moment. "You went to see Payakan?" He questioned.
"Yeah, I felt bad that he was by himself, so I went to pay him a visit," Ja'lia explained, and Lo'ak nodded in understanding.
He thought it was kind of Ja'lia to think about how Payakan must have felt, and he was grateful that she went to visit the tulkun while he was busy with his siblings and other friends. Lo'ak was disappointed that she didn't ask him to go with her, but he wasn't going to get mad at her for it.
"I've been planning to go see him for a while actually," Lo'ak said, deep in thought.
When it came to his relationship with Payakan, he had done a lot of thinking recently. The boy desperately wanted to know what happened to get him shamed from his family, and the Na'vi people, but Payakan always told him it was too painful.
However, Lo'ak had been building his trust with Payakan, and he thought that maybe sometime soon, he could ask Payakan about what happened to see if he would finally tell him.
"We could go in a couple of days?" Ja'lia offered.
"You want to go with me?" The boy asked, and Ja'lia lifted herself off his chest to look down at him. "Of course, unless you don't want me to go? I understand if you don't. Payakan was your friend first, and I don't want to-" Ja'lia was interrupted by Lo'ak.
"No, I want you to come with," Lo'ak assured as he also sat up to face Ja'lia.
As soon as he was at her eye level, he grabbed one of her hands which had been laying on top of each other before he laced their fingers together. "I was just going to try to ask Payakan about what happened with him. I really want to know why he's an outcast." Lo'ak explained.
"Okay," Ja'lia smiled. "Tell me when you want to go, and I promise I'll join you."
"I'll tell you," He assured.
The two spent the rest of the night talking about anything and everything under the sun before they collectively decided to end the night, but not before Lo'ak pulled Ja'lia in for a tender kiss. Her lips tasted of Yovo fruit, and it made Lo'ak crave more, but he controlled himself and pulled back after a couple of seconds.
When Ja'lia opened her eyes, it was like Lo'ak could see stars shining in them.
"Are you happy now?" Lo'ak asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Very," She beamed.
Ja'lia's first date had been magical, and she couldn't wait to go on plenty more with Lo'ak.
Unedited. 07/09/23
Word Count: 3,086
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