Not So Perfect [Avatar The Way Of Water]

25

Aonung's pov:

⚠️TW: mention of rape⚠️

I hardly ever felt fear but now I felt in constantly. Fear of losing Miyara, fear of her getting hurt, fear of always being hated, fear for Teungyi if she continues to dig into the truth of Yrritsyo's scar. Those guys made me believe they were my friends, forced me to continue to be their friend, forced me to bring my girlfriend on a hunting trip or else they'd hurt her, forcing me to act like I like them, forcing me to take the blame for Yrritsyo's cut and losing all my friends because of it, losing my girlfriend who will now probably fall for Neteyam Sully and even my sister barely talks to me now that she alongside the others think that I cut Yrritsyo open. I might not have been the one to make the cut but I am still responsible. Niokä, Oimliän and Kìeytxar were all lusting over Miyara, after all she was a beauty and especially Oimliän and Niokä would talk about how they wanted to fuck her not even caring that I would be there to hear it. Even when she was my girlfriend I'd have to suck in my pride and listen to them sexualising every inch of my girlfriend's body and I couldn't say anything about it or else they would follow through with those plans, both of them mimicking what she would sound like when they'd hurt her and at some point I could vividly imagine how she would cry for help. I hardly felt fear, until it came to her. So when Teungyi came to me, as clever as she is, talking about how she'd unfold the truth this sudden wave of fear washed over me because if Teungyi would go digging for the truth, which she was very good at, that would make those three psycho's go out to rape my girl.
Miyara might think that I know nothing of being forced to do something, seeing as her father always forced her to act a certain way, forced her to be betrothed to me, forced her to do tasks for the village, forced her to be the perfect child, I was being forced to be friends with guys that set me up for mutilating someone and forced me to stay silent or else they'd hurt Miyara in ways that haunted my mind every night. Especially since the moment that Lo'ak told everyone that I had cut Yrritsyo I felt that fear return, but worse than before.. I barely slept, having night terrors each night and always the same dream.. all about Miyara being raped, tortured or even murdered, I found myself each night wandering out of my pod when everyone was asleep and I'd sit infront of Miyara's pod just to make sure they don't come for her. Tsireya was beginning to notice the grim look I had on my face each day, the fact that I was getting skinnier from not eating and that I was constantly tired but unable to sleep. She thought it was because of the break up and I was hurt from the break up but my fear for Miyara's life was far greater than anything else, not that my sister knew anything of it. Even though I knew they'd never hurt my sister, knowing how they'd be skinned alive by my parents and the rest of the clan, I also feared for my sister. But apart from me and Mo'iki nobody else was there to protect Miyara... I suppose Neteyam would protect her as well, but I was never too sure about how far the perfect son would go for her.
"See? I got another one!" I heard Miyara's voice as I realised I had wandered all the way to the riverside, "I'm not so bad as you make me out to be."
The sound of her chuckle was soothing to me as I walked into the forest and hid behind a tree, it was creepy of me to watch her but I just had to see her.. I just had to see her happy. Just listening to her voice calmed my fear.
"I never said you were bad!" Neteyam chuckled, a wave of jealousy washing over me but I quickly pushed it aside, "I just said you needed some more practice."
"I'm becoming better than you," Miyara said being overly confident as Neteyam laughed at that comment, I saw the two practicing archery, I should've known it wasn't Teungyi teaching her.. not that it mattered now, she was happy and that's all I wanted. Never in my life had I loved someone so much that I could not be selfish with that person, I always wanted everything for myself, when I was younger I even refused to share Rotxo as a friend with Tsireya simply because he was my friend first.. but with Miyara it was different, instead of taking things from her I wanted to give her everything I could give her.
"Keep dreaming, Dimples," Neteyam snickered watching the offended look on Miyara's face when he teased her like that. I chuckled to myself, surprisingly finding 'Dimples' a good nickname for the girl who's smile was always adorned with those cute, little dimples in her cheeks.
"Fine," she scoffed shooting another fish and going into the water to collect it, "why don't you come back when you're a faster swimmer than me, hm? Oh, wait, you'll never be."
"You're awfully bad at insults," Neteyam chuckled as he placed his bow down and walked into the water as she pulled the arrow out of the fish, "it's allright, your pretty face makes up for it."
"Oh, please," she scoffed and rolled her eyes, "who died and made you the king of insults?"
I had to hold back my laughter when she said that, finding her sassy side awfully funny. I always knew Miyara was sassy, but her father didn't think girls were supposed to be sassy and sarcastic and so she was forced to supress that side of her.. which also explained why Miyara's dad had always hated Teungyi, because Teungyi was outspoken, sassy and a true fighter.. everything Eyive despised in girls.
"Doesn't matter," Neteyam said as he towered over her, staring into her eyes, "still doesn't change the fact that you're awful at making insults."
"Oh, I can insult you allright if that's what you want," Miyara said as she walked out of the water and placed the fish with the other fish she had shot, "but you might cry and run home to your mommy."
"Try me," Neteyam chuckled, a grin upon his face as he followed after her and lowered the bow in her hands, staring challengingly at her, "go on."
"You," she stuttered suddenly getting nervous as she stared into Neteyam's eyes, "you are a bad diver, forest boy."
"Straight into my heart," Neteyam mocked as he placed his hand over his chest where his heart was located and pretended to be hurt from the stupid insult she made, "that one hurt me a lot."
"Oh, shut up," Miyara rolled her eyes as she dropped the bow on the ground next to her. She wanted to turn around but Neteyam grabbed onto her hand and pulled her back, twirling her around and causing her to crash into him.. a pleasantly surprised look plastered on her face as her eyes met with his once more. Just like she used to look at me before she was convinced I was evil.
"You're cute when you try to insult me," Neteyam said as he placed his other hand on her cheek, his other hand interwining with hers.
"You're cute when you try to insult me," Miyara said mimicking Neteyam's voice, trying to make fun of him but he simply smiled as he leaned down... and.. kissed her..
What hurt me the most was that she didn't pull back, I simply looked at how the two kissed each other with a numb feeling inside of me. Not wanting to see anymore of it I got up and began to wander back home, feeling enough pain as it is since she broke up with me. But this was the first time I saw them kiss and it was now on replay in my mind, tearing my heart apart that much further.
"Aonung," Kìeytxar called from behind me when I was near the village again.
"What?" I asked annoyed as I turned around expecting a snarky comment from him, but I was met with a worried look upon his face.
"You didn't hear this from me," he said softly as he glanced around in fear to make sure we were alone, "but Oimliän and Niokä know that Teungyi's close to figuring out what happened... they left to find Miyara.. they're going to.."
My heart dropped as the world around me began to spin, all the words that came out of his mouth sounding like he spoke them twice but still wouldn't enter my mind. Teungyi, somehow managed to almost figure out the truth in a single night but as she was digging they found out that she was close, and there was only one person that would get seriously hurt if Teungyi did find out.. Miyara would be hurt.. my worst fear becoming a reality, they would be on their way to her right now.
"Is she with someone that can protect her?" Kìeytxar asked me.
"Why do you care? You were in on this!" I groaned feeling a new kind of rage boiling inside of me, "you were in on hurting someone innocent simply because you can, simply to have a form of power over me!"
"Believe it or not, but I have no intrest in Miyara like that, she might not like me but she's always tried to be kind to me," Kìeytxar said, "I don't want to be apart of this.. but Niokä and Oimliän are now looking for her.. so I'll ask you again, is she with someone that can protect her should they find her?"
"Neteyam's with her," I said but when I looked to my side I saw a certain shade of dark blue walking towards the village with a satisfied smile upon his face, "oh no.."
I stomped over to Neteyam, searching for Miyara but she was not with him, my heart pounding in my chest as I felt a mixture of rage and pure fear.
"Where's Miyara?" I asked him a little too angry, but he simply frowned, "I know she was with you, where is she?"
"That's none of your business, Aonung," he said stern, "I suggest you take a step back.. now!"
"You don't get it, Neteyam," I sunk down to my knees, burrying my head in my hands, "they're on their way to hurt her, I need to know where she is," I got up to my feet, my face only inches away from his as I screamed at him, "NOW!"
I shouted it so loud that some people from the village looked at us in worry, wondering if we were about to fight as Neteyam's eyes widened now clearly seeing the worry on my face as my eyes began to fill with tears.
"Who is?" He asked me but I locked my jaw as I waited for him to tell me where she was, "she's still at the riverside, she said she wanted to practice more archery by herself and wanted to do the hunting for her brother so he could spend more time with his daughters tomorrow."
I didn't wait for him to finish that sentance as I began to sprint as fast as I could to the riverside, having nothing more on me than my dagger, tears dripping down my face as I heavily panted trying to reach the riverside as soon as I could, I heard Neteyam quickly following after me but I didn't care he was coming.. even if it meant that Oimliän and Niokä would carve me up, as long as it meant I could get Miyara safe I'd gladly get hurt for her.

***

Miyara's pov:

Neteyam wanted to leave, but I was not ready to, I was determined to become better at archery, I was determined to do the hunting for my brother so he wouldn't have to bring his daughters to the elders tomorrow and do it himself. I was quite satisfied with myself and how much I had already shot, actually becoming better at it the longer I continued to practice.
But besides me shooting the fish I had something else on my mind: Neteyam. We kissed again but still I didn't know what we were, he never asked me and I was afraid to bring it up. My feelings for him had gotten stronger and I enjoyed spending time with him, I allowed myself to admit to myself that I wanted him but even if I wanted Neteyam, I still felt a certain attraction to Aonung, despite how angry I still was with him for what he had done. I didn't tell Neteyam that Aonung allowed me to explore my feelings for him, it would only bring along more problems if I did. I didn't want Neteyam to think I was only now allowing myself to like him simply because Aonung allowed me to.
"There she is," a raw voice said softly behind me, a shiver running down my spine as my ears lowered at the sound of that wretched voice. I lowered my bow, still holding the arrow inbetween my fingers as I turned around to see who spoke.
Niokä and Oimliän both stared at me with darkened eyes and devilish smirks upon their faces, my heart began to pound in my chest as my gut told me that something was wrong, simply by the way they were looking at me.
"What do you want?" I asked, clutching the arrow tightly in between my fingers as I gripped more tighter onto the bow so I could respond quickly should it be needed.
"You know," Niokä said as his eyes lingered on my body, "Aonung's so fucking pathetic, he had you and never fucked you.. If you were mine I would've fucked you senseless right away."
"But I'm not yours," I said softly, trying to sound confident and strong but I knew they could hear the fear in my voice. My instinct was telling me to run, to call for help but I didn't understand why because they didn't do anything..
"You're not," Oimliän said and smirked, "but we can still fuck you senseless."
"W-what?" I stammered, my heart dropping and my eyes widening as the two boys snickered at the fear that fell over me when Oimliän spoke those words. It was almost like those words didn't enter my mind, like I was watching this from afar but were unable to do anything about it as I stared at the two boys.
"Let's do that," Niokä grinned as he and Oimliän began to walk forward to me, both carrying their daggers in their hands. I gasped as I instinctively held my bow up but seeing as fear had overtook me I didn't aim properly and so the arrow flew past Niokä's head and into a tree far behind them.
"Oh shit," I whispered under my breath as the two guys looked from the arrow that was meant to hurt them to me, their faces written with anger. I quickly tried to get another arrow and shoot them but Oimliän was faster and punched the bow out of my hands and threw it far away as Niokä kicked the arrows away.. leaving me defenseless.
"You'll pay for that," Oimliän said grinning at me as he saw the tears in my eyes before he grabbed onto me and forced me to the ground.