"One of them." Neteyam S.

14.

I slowly started improving at riding my ikran. Neteyam and I spent our training hours with our ikrans, and he showed me many things about them. We also had a lot of fun with them too. There was this one time when we played hide and seek.

"Catch me if you can!" I yelled as I flew through the clouds.

"Dont get so cocky!" He smiled, as he stared speeding up. Now we were side to side.

"You won't catch me!" I smirked at him.

"You think?" Suddenly, he pulled me off my ikran making me sit in front of him. 

"Are you out of your mind?!" I yelled at him as I watched Azra fly away.

He laughed "You dont have to be afraid of anything when I'm with you." Suddenly, he leaned his chin on my shoulder, as he slowed his flying. My back was against his chest, so he couldn't see how flustered I was.

"I trust you." I said, before I relaxed my posture, leaning against his body. There was a bit of silence between us, but it wasnt awkward. It was comftarble. I felt safe in his presance.

I decided to turn my body on the ikran to face him. Now, I was facing him , my legs crossed with his and our bodies inches apart.

We made eye contact, as I put my hand against his chest, feeling his hearbeat get faster. Before I could let go, he put his hand against mine.

"Y/n."

"Yea?"

"I.." He wanted to say something, but something was holding him back. "Y/n I.."

"What is it?"

He sighed. "I'm glad to have you as a friend."

Friend.

A friend.

A FRIEND?! 

All this, and I'm a friend.

I let go of his hands, and relaxed my expression. "yea, me too Neteyam." I scooted away from him a bit. "We should go back-" Grabbing me by my waist he pulled me closer, now our noses a few inches away from each other. "What are you doing?"

"Do not." He closed his eyes as he leaned his forhead against mine. "Stay close."

I sighed, closing my eyes too. "Can we go somewhere. Like a mountain?"

"Yea, sure." He said, as he turned his ikran to another direction. I scooted away again, crossing my arms and looking far into the distance, refusing to look at him in the face.

When we made it there, the moment  I got off his ikran I started to walk by myself.

"Y/n." He called. "Y/n wait." He ran over to me, stopping me in my tracks as he stood in front of me. "Why are you running away from me?"

I sighed crossing my arms. "I'm not."

"Be honest with me." He walked closer.

I chuckled. "I'm not."

"Is it about me calling you a friend earlier?" He frowned.

My ears flinched, as I brought my attention to him. "Why would that affect me? We are friends." I started walking ahead of him, before sitting down on a rock.

As much as I wanted to confess to him, I knew he didn't like me back. Rejection is not what I want right now, and neither is losing a friendship.

He sighed before sitting down in front of me, crowssing his arms on my thighs. "You tell me. I know you like me."

I rolled my eyes. "That's bullshit."

"Is it?" He smirked. I kept quiet. It really wasn't." If you didn't like me, you wouldn't look at me the way you do."

I rested my head in my palms, as my elbows were on my thighs. "And how do I look at you?"

"Like this", he fluttered his eyelashes at me, making me laugh. "But for real. Do you?"

I stopped laughing, looking deep into his eyes. His gaze went to my lips, as he started getting closer to me. Now are lips were inches away. Before he could kiss me, I put my hand over his mouth pushing him away.

"We can't do this." I looked away. 

"You didn't answer my question." He put his hands besides my thighs.

"It doesn't matter.  You're navi, and I'm.. I'm human." I scoffed.

"Y/n you changed. You are one of us now." He carresed my cheek. "Besides, human or not, the past few months I've spent with you have been the best thing that has happened to me  in  long time. You brought light to my life after all the tragic events I've been through."

"But I-" I tried to talk, but before I could say something he cut me off.

"I like you." He smiled. "And I don't wanna hold it in anymore. But I need to know, how do you feel?"

I was a bit taken back by his words, but as much as I wanted to be with him, I couldn't. He would end up getting hurt. I dont want that.

"I'm going to hurt you so bad." I shook my head.

"So? It's worth it." He tried to kiss me again, but I stood up, walking away from him. I couldn't do it. "Y/n! Wait, I'm sorry!" He went after me, grabbing me by my wrist turning me to face him.

"Friends aren't suppose to try and kiss one another."  I yelled.

"I wanted to tell you I like you." He sighed.

"Well you should've told me then, not now when you know I'm iritated." I pull my hand away. "How do I know you're not just trying to make me feel better?"

"How do you want me to prove it to you?" He put his hands in the air. "I've been giving you signals, but all you did was walk away."

"Yea, and then go and call me a friend." I talk back.

"Well what are we?" He questioned.

I didn't know how to answer. We were definetly friends with benefits. "We can't be together. For the sake of your and my people. Were from 2 different worlds."

"So what? I hated you at first, but now.." He walked closer. "I can't breathe when you're not near me."

I laughed. "You're being cheesy."

He laughed too, before putting his hands on my shoulders. "I won't force anything on you. If you change your mind about me, you know where to find me." Kissing my forhead, he went over to his ikran. "You coming?"

I smiled, before sitting behind him. The whole way home was silent. I had my hands around his waist the entire time. I was happy he returned his feelings to me. But I didn't know how we could work it out. For now I can pretend like our conversation never happened, and live normaly until I figure it out.

When we went back, I laid in my hammock, but I felt like something was missing. I looked over at Neteyam, to see him awake.

"Neteyam?"

He looked at me "Hm?"

"Can I.. Lay with you?" I blushed, and he nodded his head.

I slowly went over to him, gently sitting next to him on his hammock. We shared eye contact for a second, before smiling at me putting a strand of hair behind my ear.

I laid down, burrying my face in his chest,as he put his arm over me.

"I see you." I said.

"I see you too." He returned.