𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 | 𝗶𝘇𝘇𝘆/𝗮𝘅𝗹

꧁ ᴛᴇɴ ; ᴍᴏᴏɴ ʀɪᴠᴇʀ, ᴡɪᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀ ᴍɪʟᴇ ꧂

tw: talks of self-harm, a past attempt at suicide, parental verbal abuse, and alludes to childhood neglect

• — a few days later....

IZZY IS UP TO HIS ELBOWS IN MOTOR GREASE, FOREHEAD WET WITH PERSPIRATION, AS HE ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR HIS OLD MOTORCYCLE.

He sighs heavily, rising to his full height from crouching and tugging the semi-damp rag from his back pocket to wipe at his forehead. "Fuckin' heat." Izzy murmurs to himself, hearing the screen door on the back door swing open behind him.

Without turning his whole body, he looks to see Axl descending the back stairs and approaching him with two popsicles in hand. One, already unwrapped and pressed against his own lips.

Once he is near Izzy, he pushes the wrapped popsicle towards Izzy. "Mother says it is to cool down." He says with a small smile.

Izzy could kiss the little angel.

Instead, he smiles back, gladly taking the offered frozen treat. He sits down on the bike and watches as Axl decides to sit right down in the freshly cut grass - courtesy of Izzy. "You been alright lately?" Izzy asks, trying to ignore the way the cherry popsicle stained Axl's lips.

Axl shrugs, dragging his tongue up the side of the popsicle, innocently unaware of his actions. Izzy looks away, focusing on his own popsicle as Axl says, "I am a little scared. If that is what you mean."

Izzy nods. "Somewhat." He shrugs lazily with one shoulder. "I just wanna know how you feel. I know you've been trying your best to adjust, and I try not to press you about it, but.... I can't really keep myself from worrying. I know it's been affecting you."

Axl swallows, momentarily forgetting about the popsicle and letting it drip down his hand. "I have noticed....the more tired I am, the more....real my dreams feel."

Izzy stops taking down his own popsicle to ask, "Are you still comfortable sharing your dreams with me? If not, I understand."

Axl waves that off. "I am comfortable sharing with you. You are my mate."

"Mate?" Izzy chuckles at the word. "I'm your mate?"

Axl sends him a look. "What else would you be?"

Hopefully your husband, Izzy thinks and has to pause and blink because he's officially lost the plot.

He hadn't even asked Axl to be his boyfriend, having been way too chicken to even attempt it. They'd just agreed that he was, even though Izzy wanted to properly ask. Now he wants Axl to be his husband?

Obviously, there's something to unpack there.

Instead of sitting on his thoughts any longer, he asks, "How does one become a 'mate'?"

"Bite." Axl says, momentarily pausing from licking his popsicle to press his pointer and middle finger to a specific point on his throat. "Here."

"And I did that? Even without knowing?" Izzy asks, eyeing the column of Axl's throat. Even knowing now what the bite means, he still wants to mark Axl's neck up.

Axl nods. "I bite too. We are mated for life. I would have liked to be mated before Eywa."

In front of her?! Izzy thinks in disbelief. "Did you know at the time? About what the bite meant?" Izzy asks.

Axl shakes his head. "No. But my memories come back a little, so I learn new things." He licks his popsicle. "I thought mating happens only with kuru."