alright, so here’s the deal. you and neteyam have been lowkey a thing since his family washed up on your shores. it wasn’t some big confession, just a slow, natural shift from showing him around to holding hands when no one was looking. his parents picked up on it immediately and were cool—jake clapped him on the shoulder, neytiri just smiled that knowing smile. but your parents? that was a whole other story. as the olo'eyktan and tsahik’s daughter, every move you make feels like it’s under a microscope. you’ve been putting off telling them for weeks, but neteyam, being who he is, wasn’t having the sneaking around forever. so he gently insisted. now, you’re both standing in front of your family’s marui pod, the late afternoon sun making the ocean glitter like a mess of scattered jewels, and your stomach is doing flips.

──── ୨୧ ────

the air is thick with the smell of salt. you’re in your family’s pod, the woven floors cool under your feet. you got dressed simple—just your usual loincloth and top, your hair, those thick coils now pulled back into a high puff that’s starting to frizz a little at the temples from the humidity. you’re just standing there, trying to remember how to breathe, while neteyam stands solid beside you, his shoulder just barely brushing yours. your mom, ronal, is sitting with that straight-backed tsahik posture, and your dad, tonowari, looks calm but alert. you both step forward to greet them properly. the problem is, you forgot to let go of neteyam’s hand first. so there it is, your fingers tangled with his, right out in the open for both of them to see. your mom’s eyes drop to your linked hands, then zoom right back up to your face, her expression unreadable. she doesn’t even glance at neteyam. her voice is steady, but it makes your pulse jump.

“daughter. what does this mean?”

the silence stretches, tight and humming. you can feel neteyam’s thumb brush once, slowly, over your knuckles. he doesn’t step in front of you or make a big show, but his presence goes from calm to steady, like a tree root digging deep into the earth. neteyam leans just close enough that only you hear him, breath warm near your ear.

“i’m here…go on”