horizons | jake sully

E L E V E N

L
I heard an ikran land and rolled my eyes. I laid on my back and kept my eyes on the sky, ignoring who I assumed to be Neytiri.

"I told you I am fine, Neytiri," I said, hoping she'd just leave and not worry about me.

"It's not Neytiri."

Of course he followed me.

"Jake I told you I wanted to be alone," I said, reluctantly sitting up. He stood in front of me and crossed his arms.

"You and I both know you need someone by your side right now."

I huffed and leaned back on my arms.

"But.." he said, "We need to talk."

I looked down at the ground and closed my eyes. I knew he was right. He deserved some sort of explanation. I knew he needed to know.

"I know," I sighed, "I know we do."

He sat down next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I inhaled sharply and looked straight ahead at the trees.

"My brother, Henry, is one of the worst people I have ever met," I said, "Our parents were pretty absent growing up. They worked a lot and left us home alone. Henry got caught up in drugs pretty early. Got himself into deals and shit. He made me do things for him."

"Like what?"

Jake sat up straighter and I could feel him getting nervous. His tone was anxious.

"He'd make me run the drugs to people. His clients. I'd bring back the money. So many times, I was held at gunpoint at 10 years old. That fucks you up. He got into legal trouble. Of course, they searched us and he planted everything on me. I was twelve then. They took me into custody."

"Was he physical?"

"Very. I was covered in bruises. My human body had a scar on my cheek from him. Obviously the cops saw this and when they took me into the jail, I broke and told them everything. I remember leaving the jail and seeing him in the holding cell. He screamed at me and tried to grab me through the bars. I never saw him again."

Jake took a deep breath and looked at me with a soft expression.

"And now he's here. I know he wants me dead. I put him in jail. Why else would he have been recruited?"

Silence took over and I kept my eyes on the trees, not letting myself zone out. I didn't want to look at Jake. I didn't know what he was thinking and I didn't want to know. I liked the ignorance of not knowing. Kept the peace.

I felt him put a hand on my shoulder. I took a deep breath and that's when the tears started forming. He pulled me into his chest and wrapping his arms around me tightly. I felt the tears sliding down my face as I buried my face in his neck.

"He's not going to get to you. No one here is gonna let that happen," he said, pausing. I felt him lean his head against mine and he tightened is grip. "I won't let that happen."

I smiled slightly and looked up at him, our faces inches apart. He brought a hand up to the side of my face and pressed his lips to mine. His hand shifted to the back of my neck and the kiss deepened. I pressed my body against his and just let every thought melt away. It was all him.

I could feel him getting eager beneath me as his hand dropped from my neck to my waist, fingers hooking under my waistband. I smiled and sat back, placing a hand firmly on his chest to hold him back. He looked up at me with puppy dog eyes that kept darting to my lips.

"We're waiting, I know," he mumbled, a hint of childlike whining in his voice. I patted his shoulder and stood up, pulling him up with me. I looked past him and scanned the trees, just making sure no one was here. I heard Jake sigh and my eyes snapped to him quickly.

"Just making sure," I said. He nodded.

Eventually we made our way back to the village and Neytiri immediately tugged me to her side. I sat with her for the rest of the night, having small conversations with her every once and a while. We ended up making clothes for younger children, securing Neytiri's spot as the favorite.

Little girls danced around us, giggling. One sat behind me and braided my hair, softly humming to herself. I smiled and watched the others. They played their own games and easily kept themselves occupied.

I laid down the piece I was working on and felt a small Na'vi fling themself into my lap. I laughed and looked down as they adjusted, leaning their side against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and looked over at Neytiri. I gave her a look and patted the girls arm.

"I thought I was your favorite?" Neytiri asked, crossing her arms.

"You were," Tseréne said, giggling. "But now it's L'ai."

I smirked and hugged her tighter, leaning my cheek against the top of her head. Neytiri rolled her eyes and made the small girl laugh.

"You're still my favorite, Neytiri," another girl yelled, looking over at her. She smiled and laughed, finishing off a top.

Neytiri had a soft spot for children. She often offered herself up to watch them while the others did things around the village. She only got this way with the children. It was a beautiful thing to watch. She was so at peace and so sweet when it came to them. She ditched her warrior bad bitch persona and became this motherly figure for them.

I scratched Tseréne's side softly and watched her slowly doze off. She was the youngest of the group. She didn't like hanging out with those her age, though. She liked being around the older girls. I carefully stood up, carrying her in my arms. I made my way to her family and laid her down gently. Her mother thanked me silently and planted a kiss on her child's forehead. I walked back to my spot and sat down slowly.

"You will make a great mother," Neytiri said, smiling at me. I gave her a small smile in return and turned to watch the girls. The night dragged on and the village slowly grew silent.

I sat in my spot still, toying with beads and watching the sky. The quiet was nice. Gave me room to think. Everyone had gone to sleep. Even Jake, who'd now be back to his human body somewhere. I rested my head on a post and hummed quietly.

We're about to hit a huge bump, I can feel it. It's coming. And that's horrifying.

hey y'all, sorry i vanished for an eternity lmfao. been trying to figure out where i want to go with this story because my dumb ass didn't plan anything. cant promise regular updates but i will try to write this more :)