For a long moment, he didn't respond. The glow of the valley reflected in his eyes, giving them a molten intensity I couldn't read. Then he leaned slightly closer, just enough that his breath brushed my cheek. "You... are testing me," he said, voice low, a growl threading his words. "And I... I cannot let you go. Not now." The words, the proximity, the weight of him against the glow of the valley... it made my heart hammer and my chest ache all at once. I could feel the restraint still there, barely holding back, but the tension was palpable. "Good," I whispered, voice husky, trying to keep my own control. "Because I'm not going to make it easy for you either."

The time of war had ended. Peace flourished as the remnants of the RDA fled the Western Frontier, only leaving behind scraps of metal as proof they'd ever been there. For a time, Pandora began to heal. She reclaimed what the sky-people had ruined, stitching the wounds of time closed with root and vine. Life moved forward. The Resistance turned its focus to the living world Ewya breathed. Alma settled into her human body again. Ri'nela learned what it meant to carry the weight of a tsahìk's voice. Teylan shaped metal and wires into something meant to protect, rather than destroy. Yet, Tamtey did not find peace. Sleep brought the memories of TAP that haunted her, driving her from her bed night after night. Only the soft wind beneath unfamiliar stars offered any peace. She was rarely alone for long. So'lek always found her there, sharing quiet hours until the dawn chased away the dark, trading dreams and the horrors that kept them awake. Still, the forest shook with unease. Ewya's song wavered, strained by something distant -- quickly approaching. Smoke stained the horizon. Thin and gray, whispering against the clouds. A single flake of ash drifted down, landing on top of Tamtey's bouncing knee. So'lek reached out and swiped it away, pinching it until it vanished. "Ash..." he murmured, gaze fixed on the rising plumes beyond the trees. "And fire," Tamtey replied, her voice unwavering. The forest fell silent around them. Even the animals did not cry out. A new enemy was coming.

୨ৎ "Being with you, like this.." Tamtey begins. "Is something I never even dared to dream of." She admits. So'lek lifts his head in surprise, his eyes meeting hers. "But now," She smiles down at him, lifting her hand to caress his face. "I don't need to dream." ୨ৎ Neither of them want to bring up the shift in the air between them, but when the tension becomes too much, So'lek snaps like a bowstring. Will his confession be too much for Tamtey or will she give in to her feelings as well? ୨ৎ This fanfic follows the events of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - From the Ashes as well as some elements from the Avatar movies! ୨ৎ So'lek x Tamtey Slow Burn Romance

"Words, Ka'riya," he said quietly. "I need words." My throat worked before sound followed. Heat crept up my neck, settling in my cheeks, and I looked away despite myself. "Yes," I said. "I am sure."