For Fei'uey, the next day had been a struggle.

When she fell asleep in her Marui, she dreamed of Neteyam's lips and the look in his eyes when he pledged himself to her. When she woke up, she unconsciously touched her own lips, a pang of disappointment running through her heart when she realized the moment had already ended.

Then, when she met with Tsireya to teach the foreigners more about the Metkayina way, Fei had been distracted. When she had been caught by the younger girl, that was when she knew she had to block it out.

At least, until the two could be alone again.

Fei neared Kiri and watched as the fish swarmed around her feet in the water. The phenomenon piqued her interest. "Kiri, do you know why they do that?"

She turned her head and snapped back into reality. "Huh? Oh, the fish." She swung her weightless water and giggled. "I don't know. Animals have always done this around me. Dad likes to say it's a gift."

Fei'uey smiled awkwardly, but still kept her confusion. "I've never seen that happen before in any Na'vi."

"Then I must be really special." She dipped her hand in. Some of the fish followed the movement. A phenomenon indeed.

A distant splash reminded Fei. "Kiri, you must come. We are riding Ilu out to the reef."

She bit her lip. "If I go, will you teach me about the creatures of the water?"

"Perhaps."

Kiri jumped up from the edge and smiled brightly. "What are you waiting for, let's go!" She grabbed Fei's hand and dragged her out to the water. Seeing the younger girl so excited made Fei'uey smile.

Once out in the water, Fei spotted Tsireya talking with Lo'ak. When her sister approached her, she had the instinct to nag her about entanglement with the troublemaker. She was about to open her mouth to tease her until she spotted Neteyam, who had just come out of his Marui with Tuk in tow.

She quickly shut her mouth and turned the other way. If she couldn't stop the heat of her cheeks, she would have to hide it.

Unfortunately, Tsireya had decided to tease her. "What, no scolding?"

"Not today, no." She refused to turn around and meet the gaze of Neteyam, which she felt on her back.

"Oh?" She chuckled. "What changed?"

"Um," She couldn't focus when she was this vulnerable. "I, um- I guess it doesn't really matter... or something. Not when you won't listen."

Fei felt like she had been blessed by Eywa when Tsireya decided to laugh and turn her attention elsewhere. She sighed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. For one day, she really wished she hadn't been grouped with Neteyam.

"Kiri!" She called out when she turned around, completely ignoring Neteyam. Fei felt a sense of pride that she had managed to restrict herself from such a difficult instinct. "Bring Tuk with us, we can dive at the reef."

Fei'uey mounted her Ilu, as did Kiri with her younger sister on her back. She wanted to leave before Neteyam could catch up with her. It was selfish, she knew, but it was also so she wouldn't have to face him again with people around.

She heard the distant calls of Tsireya, but she didn't stop.

The younger sister was back with Lo'ak and Neteyam. "Fei!" She called out. Sighing, she turned back to the brothers. "I don't know why she left so soon, I thought she was going to wait for us."

While they were mounting their Ilu, Neteyam stayed silent, despite Lo'ak and Tsireya talking. He wondered why she had looked so desperate to not pay any attention to him, let alone glance at him. If he were honest, it made him feel bad.

The optimism he felt earlier fizzled out and dissolved into the air.

---

For the entire day, Fei'uey had made it her personal mission to block Neteyam out. She felt bad, but it worked enough to not give any hints about their entanglement the night before. Especially not to someone who wouldn't keep their mouth shut.

She had practically felt the burn of his stare on her body and face every moment of the day. If she wasn't so caught up with keeping her act, she would have felt flattered. Flustered, even.

While she was walking on the sand, dripping wet from the water, Neteyam found her again. She was alone. This was his chance.

From behind, he grazed his hands over her waist. "Why are you ignoring me?"

Fei realized he had cut to the chase. She knew he would talk to her at any moment. "We can talk about this later." She glanced around, wary of any curious eyes.

"No, no." He stood in front of her and placed a hand in front of her chest, stopping her from walking. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why are you so curious?" She bit back, finding more interest looking at the sand than him.

He grunted in exasperation and grabbed her chin, tilting her head up. "I wanna know if I was just used yesterday. Did you really mean everything you said? Why can't you talk to me?"

She bit her tongue and looked around them. "What- no, what are you-"

She yanked his arm and rushed to her Marui, which was conveniently close. Neteyam was confused. More importantly, he found Fei confusing.

Once they were inside and she covered the entrance, she turned around and grabbed his face, pulling him toward her. They lips met in a crash. Neteyam barely had time to think before he was already kissing her back. He mirrored her disparity.

When Fei was the first to pull away, he immediately missed the spark of the action. He leaned forward as she pulled back, only stopped when she pushed his shoulders away.

She was flustered, flushed with red. They were both breathless, now more than before. During the first time they shared a kiss, it was soft and sweet. Now, it had been heart stopping. Intense.

Fei'uey pursed her lips. She knew she would have to explain herself. "I ignored you because... because I didn't know if I would be able to control myself when you looked at me like that."

"Like what?" He muttered, taking the palm of her hand and kissing it.

Her face had never felt as hot before. She looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "Like you wanted me."

"What if I do?"

"Then we are the same."

That was all that had been said before Fei dove back in for another searing kiss. She roamed one hand to the back of his neck and the other to lay on his chest. She pulled him into her as the molded together like clay.

He rested his hands on her waist and let them slide up and down. It wasn't long before he let his mouth drift down to her neck.

It was something he had never tried. He had only been told of the act along with others from the older teenagers in the Hallelujah Mountains before he had come to the Metkayina islands.

His teeth grazed over the skin of her neck. She parted her lips and gasped. Her eyes fluttered shut. She burned under his touch.

After a sudden realization, her eyes snapped back open. "Neteyam," she tried to get his attention. He continued his movements, ignoring her call. "Neteyam." She said more sternly.

He pulled away from her skin and rested his forehead against hers. "Hm?"

She had to fight the urge to pull his lips back on hers. "You must be more cautious when we are around others. Nobody knows. If people figure us out, my brother and mother will be the first to hunt for blood."

Neteyam smiled, as if he found the fact funny. He tucked some stray hair behind her ear, turning her cheeks a light pink. "We'll never let them know."

He pulled her lips towards his once again.

this is going really fast to me, but i like to feed my loyal readers 😌 also, THERE ARE SO MANY COMMENTS AND READS ON THIS??? LIKE I WOKE UP ONE DAY WITH 20k READS THIS IS INSANE I LOVE YOU ALL TYSM FOR THE SUPPORT <3