Neteyam Is Gay. Like, No Doubts About It, Man Is A Homosexual.

Rotxo love

This is how I view Rotxo in my writing, he needs some focus

So first things first, physically, Rotxo is short for a na'vi

Poor boy is the na'vi equivalent of a human 5'8" - he's not really that short but also, he will be bullied relentlessly

However, he is b u i l t

He's bulky and puts on muscle easily. (Though he has a little bit of a dad bod cause as he should - like as close as fat muscular as a na'vi body can be lmao)

He keeps the sides of his head shaved and the top in a half braided, half curly look that reaches about his mid-shoulder blades

Google says na'vi are 10' so he's like ,,, 9'6"? short king

Partially why he relishes having a human mate cause like ,, he can't talk shit

He wears an obscene amount of beads and jewelry - he is the oldest brother of his 8 siblings (poor boy has three older sisters and three younger, he is one of two boys in the whole house) and they don't mess around in decorating their big brother

Onto personality, he's a big softie

But he's aggressively protective of his family - something he got from growing up with Ronal as his third mom

He grew up prepared to be Ao'nungs right hand, but he didn't always have the drive to be a warrior

He liked the idea but never felt connected to it. It was just a part of the future he was meant to reach

it wasn't until he was pulling desperately at a bomb on Payakans fin and watching Lo'ak sob over his bleeding brother that he realized why he was going to be a warrior

He always mentally attributes his finding reason in his training to Lo'ak and his strength

So he starts training and learning to fight with a newfound passion

Having always been Ao'nungs right hand, its his plan to follow at his side once he's chief and protect their people

Family is the most important thing in their culture and Tonowari has been such a prominent figure in his life that it's his goal to live and die for them

...he needs some help with the self-love and valuing his worth too man

It's part of how he and Spider bond

He's made a majority of his life around Ao'nung and being there for the clan that he forgot to care about himself or really learn about himself as his own person

He finds out he likes cooking while trying to figure out how to not poison Spider after an unfortunate courting accident

He and Lo'ak bond by combining fighting styles and their culture

It's the culture that also helps him bond with Kiri, a surprise to everyone except Spider who knew they'd get on from the start

However, his favorite hobby is fishing - which he gets teased for relentlessly

For all his mischief and jokes, he's an old man at heart

He 100% can and will disappear become he was just vibing out on the water for hours and lost track of time

During which he also attempts to bring home little gifts constantly

He gets it from his little siblings but he's the type to bring you a rock he found and say it was pretty and reminded him of you

So all of his friends have jars of shells, rocks, flowers, etc that he finds for them

However, he also has a habit of collecting strays

He just takes shit home

An octopus was the worst until he showed up two orphaned ash boys that never left

Spider is passionate that its why he fell for him and very smugly holds up that he has a solid argument

But honestly Rotxo just cannot stand someone being alone

He grew up surrounded by so much love and so many people he cared for that the thought of someone being alone when he could fix it makes him feel sick

He is fucking terrified of crabs tho

Tsireya hung one from his loincloth when they were children and ah...things got pinched

Ao'nung used it to torture him growing up and now the one thing he struggle to accept as Ewya's are crabs

Honestly crustaceans in general

He hates them

Learning Spider could eat them was a blessing and a curse

Cause one, easy food to find and two, he gets to see them die (sorry Ewya) but that also means he has to help catch crabs for his family

As teens, it wasn't horrible. But by the time they are grown with 4 kids, it's actually his nightmare

He is a practical joker

He brings it out in Ao'nung too and they can rival Lo'ak and Spider for the amount of mischief they get into

Though theirs is normally innocent and not death or war inducing

The worst thing they ever did was sink a fishing ship - Lo'ak and Spider got kidnapped, they're doing fine

Constantly torn between big brother instinct and little brother instinct

He's the big brother but also,,, 3 big sisters feels like he should have a pass

He isn't as close to them as he'd like

The oldest two are mated to other water clans and the oldest still home is distant, they don't get on super well, but he was close with all three when he was a child

Well, they played a lot.

His mothers are both very doting parents and very loving, but for some reason there was always a disconnect with his directly older sister

The other two are still friendly and loving when they visit, just not as common in his life anymore while she is just ... separate. She hasn't been herself in years

It makes him the acting oldest and he takes that very seriously

He has three little sisters and then the youngest of the family is another boy, all of which are a decent amount younger than him

It wasn't planned that way but he likes having the gap between them, it gives him enough distance to care for them but enough closeness to enjoy them still

They're as much the bane of his existence as they are the joy of it

He will boast about them relentlessly while also trying to drown one because 8 kids was simply 7 too many

Tuk loves the littles though and so he spends a lot of time babysitting with Spider or Neteyam - the two that really get the big brother thing in the two ways he normally expresses it

All in all, he is a big family-loving, lowkey gym buff, softie that needs to learn to love himself

But, until he does, he has a small army prepared to do it for him

I need to keep expanding on this but I needed these thoughts out. Rotxo really hasn't gotten the development he deserves and I can't wait to see how he gets fleshed out

Yall keep liking my posts and I know damn well they don’t make sense

Futures

Neteyem and Ao'nung lead the Metkayina

Ao'nung becomes the Ole'kytan of his clan with Neteyam as his mate

Neteyam always planned to go back to the Omaticaya but he finds his home is with Ao'nung

It hurts him the most of his siblings, the forest always feeling like home, but he brings his culture to the oceans too

He and Spider cultivate and explore the forests along the coast

They aren't the same, but he helps them to expand

They create homes there where a few immigrants will eventually settle, but they also make themselves a little home in the trees

It's much like the one he grew up in and he and his siblings each have a hammock there

It's their safe place as a family

Ao'nung is his clan leader but he's this right hand, it's also the way they officially merge/ally their clans

The two have two kids

They have an oldest boy and a younger daughter, a parallel they both snicker at

Their boy takes after Ao'nung in personality but Neteyam physically. He's headstrong and stubborn, a trouble maker in a way that reminds Neteyam of Lo'ak

Still, they both work really hard so that he doesn't end up with the same pressure they both grew up with

Having an oldest son brought up a lot of painful memories but they work really hard to break the cycle

It takes a lot of healing but they get there

Their daughter, on the other hand, is a very laid back, very relaxed personality

Not much phases her

She's a strong diplomat but truthfully has little motivation to take on leadership, she's a complete opposite to her Dads but a refreshing reminder that war is over

She makes them slow down and enjoy their time again

They joke a lot that Ewya gave them their children to heal them just as much as they were to raise them

Spider mates Rotxo young, they're the second pair to officiate their relationship (Lo'ak and Tsireya are first)

Spider works a lot in dealing with the remaining humans post-war

All soldiers are forced back to Earth under threat of death. It's a scary change to Na'vi culture, but Jake ensures it's a must. The citizens of the colonies are treated similarly, the only exception being those with children

They're allowed the raise their children on Pandora until they can be sent back or they're to leave immediately with their children left behind

This is where is hurts Spider the most as it drudges up bad memories, but still, it's a must

He works in managing those sent back and those remaining. He helps them to adapt to Pandora and understand before they're sent to Earth

Similarly, he helps the fostered children left behind to understand the world they've been left on

It's coincidentally how he and Rotxo get their first daughter

Anea is the second child of the next generation and the second human born on Pandora. She becomes one of three born there. Spider and Rotxo adopt her at about 6 months

Their next children won't be for another 6 or so years when they adopt two Ash na'vi boys.

Spider becomes very close to the Ash clans during the war and they're the sons of a dear friend that dies in a skirmish a few years after the war (the end of the war doesn't necessarily bring immediate peace)

The boys take some time to adapt to their new lives and parents, but soon they have a little family of 5

The older boy is a lot like Neteyam and Ao'nungs oldest and they bond quickly, but the younger is much shyer

He becomes attached to Rotxo and so Rotxo often has to work with the younger boy as his shadow

Their last child is several years later and is a little metkayina girl. She's a lot like Tuk was and finishes off their little family

Spider spends a lot of time helping the younger children of the village and teaches them about Ewya with Kiri since he's unable to do some of the typical jobs

still, he works as a diplomat and helps Neteyam in exploring the coast

Rotxo becomes a warrior and works closely with Ao'nung as another level of support. He's a warrior and a diver, but volunteers at the cook fires regularly

Kiri is the last to mate but the first to settle into her calling

She takes after her birth mother as a teacher

Although she stays with the Metkayina, she spends many years traveling and visiting the other tribes. She helps them to connect with Ewya and explore the other cultures

When she settles, she mates to another Metkayina woman and raises a human son, the last human born on Pandora.

The child is slightly younger than Spider and Rotxo's Anea, but he is the last of his kind

She raises him with her mate but initially adopts him herself with her mate coming in when he's a few years old

Despite being able to fight and her experience in war, she doesn't lift her weapon again once the war finishes

She sets up schools her travels before settling down with her own, though she still goes on occasion to continue it on

She becomes a master storyteller and learns to be patient with the children, deciding to teach so that history won't repeat itself

Eventually, she also teaches about Earth

Her lessons cover anything and everything she can

She makes it her mission that stories will never be lost, not like when hometree fell

Lo'ak and Tsireya are the first couple to mate and the first to get together, much to Tonowari's disbelief

Tsireya becomes Tsahik and Lo'ak a warrior

It's a bit of chaos with them being mated and their older brothers being mated on top of also being Ole'kytan and Tsahik respectively but they make it work

They're probably the simplest couple and they just seem to fall into place

They have three girls, the oldest being an accidental pregnancy about a year into their relationship

All three are little menaces but both are absolutely wrapped around their fingers

The oldest has a few year age gap with the younger two but their youngest are barely a year a part

All three are very close and team up often with Spiders boys to cause trouble throughout the clan

Neteyam still has to clean up after his brothers and it seems the tradition passed onto his son with his cousins

They have a lot of trauma to heal from but they went through a lot of it together

They're one anothers rock

They boast about being the ones everyone goes to for relationship advice since they're been together so long

They were also the most experienced with babies aside from Rotxo because of Tsireya's youngest sibling

There was a brief period where Lo'ak had to lead the forest people for their father and it was probably the hardest part of their relationship

They were apart but also on opposite sides of handling it with Tsireya a healer and Lo'ak a fighter

In the end it did make them stronger though and it's what ended in their mating

Thinking about how Lo’ak will never hear Neteyam tell him he’s good enough in canon

Blessed Spider

Tw: Violence. references to past torture

Spider wasn't like Kiri, he wasn't born with Ewya's blessings in his hands

Despite all he finds of himself later, he was still born human. He had to prove he was hers, something he did early on

She started to show her favor while he was young, when he integrated himself into the Omaticaya with the Sully kids and her child, she would send little signs to those near

Her creatures would approach but never attack, her flora would hold him strong so he wouldn't get hurt racing across their forest, and temperatures rarely teetered where it may hurt him. They were little things but she thought her people would see

For once, they didn't

Her people wouldn't see her little human, but that was alright. She could show them - she is forgiving and she is loving

So, she guided their paths together

Kiri, her sweet child, was the first to see and with her, she brought her Grandmother

but...that was it

They could not (would not) see him

It would take years for her to finally wake her children, but it would come at a price she didn't want to pay

It isn't until after the battle of Three Brothers Rock that it becomes clear that Ewya has held Spider dear to her

It's on the ship, Neytiri's knife at his chest, when something changes

Quaritch panics, throws Kiri, and he is shoved forward. Neytiri is stalking up to Quaritch with a feral gleam in her eye but, in her anger, she pushes too hard

He falls, one hand to his bleeding chest and the other to the ground, but it's in vain

His face cracks against the debris across the floor and glass shatters into his face

There's shards pressing into the soft skin of his cheeks and forehead, his eyes clenched shut against the needles sneaking in, but fear hits him when he takes in a panic breath

Kiri screams his name and lunges forward, no longer bound to her fathers arms

Quaritch yells a loud, guttural scream of his name but Neytiri takes the opportunity to plunge her knife into his throat. He gurgles on his blood before she is at his side, eyes focusing vaguely again on his face

She curses, cups his cheek and mumbles words he doesn't catch

Jake is cursing and trying to cover his face but... he's fine

His face hurts but he takes in shuddering breaths and he's fine

He takes in another

Nothing happens

He looks up at Jake with wide eyes, shaking and unsure, but he's breathing fine

It takes the man a moment to catch up and this his movements still as he falls back onto the ground. Sitting, he stares at the little human

His Dad is dying off to the side, his sister throws herself into his arms and grins with tears in her eyes

"She has you, she Sees you, Spider, she has you!" Kiri is laughing, loud with sobs choking her between and he lets out a half barked laugh as he falls into her hold

Jake brings them both into his arms, panting and mumbling prayers with grateful pants of breath.

Neytiri doesn't move but her shoulders go lax in relief

He gasps, coughing and crying, and he's seen

Things make more sense with Ewya's blessing painted across his now-bare face

The scars of wearing the mask for so long fade as the days go by and the bloody marks from shattered glass heal

Injuries that should be months away from better start to scab and soon he's only lined in pink scars, the soreness there but his body healing like a na'vi

The sand and sun don't burn his shoulders or feet, something Norm swore would happen

The ilu let him on their backs and the fauna are suddenly that much less threatening

It's a clear sign if any that Ewya has put an end to their shit

Spider remains pale and small, still human but not as painfully so

Kiri remains on cloud nine, thriving in the knowledge that her people finally see her brother like she has

It's safer for him, no one able to dispute his place, and slowly he's blended into the family he always wanted

There's a lot of conversation that needs to be held but...he's safe

It feels like a happy ending

Problem: it's not an ending

There's still a war on the horizon and he's still a human man

His skin still tears, his lungs still burn at a na'vi child's pace, and his body still can't handle everything his siblings can

He's still almost killed by his boyfriends courting gift, a fish seasoned with a little more potent spices than what a human can handle

It's something his siblings know but the adults now find themselves confronted rather plainly with

Neytiri is still learning to accept him, still bringing him into her brood, when she has to face that falling out a 30' tree isn't a skinned knee to a human boy

He's no where near the top, something Jake tells her would have been far worse, but 8' up in search of coastal fruit will still break a humans leg

It scares her in a way she was unprepared for

She carries him back home with Kiri at her hip mocking her and her charge relentlessly, Spider flushed red and indigent at his siblings banter

It's when she lays him down and begins to wrap the injury when she see's the next little sign of his blessing

The little sign to tell her that he's hers

The freckles along his thigh, tiny and dark next to her own, resemble the bioluminescence that cover her body

Really though, it's the little pattern that looks so much like her sisters that makes her pause

Na'vi spots and stripes are a matter of pride, something they pass down to their children and a little visual symbol of their family connection

Her children often would paint their families stripes across his skin in something that always enraged her, but this is small, an organic addition she never noticed

She feels ridiculous crying over freckles to her mate later, but for now she just leans her head down to Spider's and brushes her lips across his forehead

"Ohe see ngenga, my tìrol"

Read the first chapter of “From sky to sea” , a fanfic written by @eirianerisdar , I got inspired to make a tiny AU. I present Metkayina!Spider ✨

In this AU, Tonowari, while visiting in the Omatekaya, had found young Spider in the area and after growing attached to him, decided that he had to take the boy and so, without much resistance, he did. Years later, the blonde blossoms into a fine young man, famous for his physical strength and industriousness (or more like stubbornness), but his past comes back to haunt him when the Sully family begs for refuge in Awa’atlu. He reconnects with his old friends and eventually faces the clone of his biological father. What will happen then…?..

Who knows! Headcannon time 😎

Deep inside, Spider is afraid that if he doesn’t do his damn best and work hard, he might loose his place among the people. He often pulls way more than his weight and exhausts himself, so the rest of the fam make sure to reassure him about it.

He’s a very chill older sibling. While fairly responsible, he’s still quite playful and is known as the “village jester”. Very good with little kids and loves entertaining them. Will not stop his siblings from getting themselves into trouble but will tell them that whatever they’re about to do is stupid af.

He and Aonung bully each other CONSTANTLY. Aonung is a little shit, but Spider had learned to fire back. Hates it when he and his gang of jocks pester people and bluntly calls him out on it. They fight a lot because of that, especially when the Sullys arrive.

Aonung may or may not be jealous that the sully siblings get along with Spider so well. He wishes he could have a relationship as open as they do and hates Kiri the most because of that. That girl and the blonde become practically inseparable when they reunite and it rubs him the wrong way.

With Tsierya, Spider turns into the biggest hype-man. He supports and complements her constantly, as well as does her hair. Their relationship pisses Aonung off as well.

When the Sullys arrive and Spider reconnects with them, she begins feeling a bit insecure. She knows that her big bro comes from the forest and often misses it, so in her darkest moments she gets scared that the boy might leave with them when the threat blows over. She doesn’t voice her concerns though, as she does not want to ruin her sibling’s fun.

Ronal was initially wary of the demon boy, but he grew on her, especially when she heard of all the neglect he’s endured. It did not feel right to leave such a sweet kid up to fate and now he is her son as much as Aonung. He helps her with the chores a lot and even opts to tag along with her and Tsireya when they cook. It makes for good bonding time.

It is more difficult with Tonowari, though. On one hand, this man saw Spider at his worst, his rock bottom, when he was an abandoned nobody, but on the other, he’s still a chief and The blonde wants to make him proud and show that he did not make a mistake when adopting him. Tonowari tries not to let his son spiral though, and reassured him that all he wants for him is to be happy, as he wants that for all of his children.

“What happened to his chest tho?”

A skimming incident 😐 I will not elaborate

.

(Please do not repost my artwork on any other platform, with or without credit. I do NOT give my consent to do so and I will find it🥰)

You know those like kittens raised with dogs and shit where it's just one tiny fluffball fully convinced they're on the same level as a fucking rottweiler?? Yeah thats Spider

Putting spider to Moana was a bad idea I will not be sleeping

Spixo?? Roter?? Tf are they called??

Anyway

Rotxo has identity issues and has a crisis when the Sully kids show up

They're different. They aren't of their people and they're weird - they have extra fingers, tufts of hair over their eyes, their skin is dark, their eyes the wrong size, their tails too thin - he could go on

Yet they're so proud

There's a sense of purpose in them, they aren't quite kids like he, Ao'nung, or Tsireya are.

It scares the hell out of him

He lashes out at Lo'ak and Kiri, goes for their weaknesses when Ao'nung does

He wants them to leave, take their war with them, and let his family stay safe and tucked away on their beaches

They don't, clearly, and yet he comes to care for them

They're freaks but they're his freaks

Tsireya coming home with blood on her hands, teary cheeks, and Lo'ak in her arms terrifies him. However much he grew up that day he thinks she did double

Ao'nung is suddenly fast tracking his apprenticeship as Olo'eyktan

And he's left behind

Spider comes with the worst day of his life thus far

He once would have gutted anyone who said he would accept a sky person in his home but so much has changed and he can't bring himself to do anything without Ao'nung there to lead him

So he throws himself into his training, wanting to stop what happened to him and his friends from ever happening here

If what happened in the forests happened here he thinks it would kill him

Then Jake convinces Tonowari to let them use a gun

Tonowari - the man who is practically a second father to him after growing up between his children, who hated this war more than anyone he knew, who barely let them use offensive moves before their 15th year - is scared for them

He's awful with a gun

Metkayina kids don't get to carry a gun, it's not allowed to be their primary weapon, it's only for emergencies, but he saw what happened to Neteyam and he needs to know how to use it

He's off in the woods along their beaches trying to practice. Training was over hours ago but he doesn't take to it like the older kids (he and Ao'nung are the youngest learning right now - they strong armed their way in and he thinks it broke Tonowari a little bit inside)

Every shot is just a little off, he can't get the target quite right

Metyakina are spear wielders, their weapons bring them close to their enemies and they use their strength to bring them down. Bows are a necessity but archers are few in the specialty: it's just not what they do

The gun is heavy in his hands, hard to balance and kicks back every time he tries to shoot

Why the hell a weapon bites the user he has no fucking clue -

"Brace your back foot. You're leaning too much, it's not a harpoon."

...

Rotxo will swear for the decades to come that he did not jump, fuck you-

Then the little sky-person is there

He met Spider when they brought him home

The boy was pale, thin beyond what he suspected was natural if the slight sway to his stance had anything to say. He was mottled in bruises and striped with scars but there was a feral strength in the kids eyes

He stuck close to the Sully kids, blended right into the little pack they made up

The other kids flanked him at nearly all times. He never saw the blonde alone and they seemed happy that way. The kid was haunted but he guesses they all are now

They didn't talk much. Lo'ak threatened him with raw fear in his eye that if he and Ao'nung even tried an ounce of what they did to him then peace talks and found friendships be damned, he'd make them regret it

Spider would hang out with them, but he didn't talk much. Most of the others still resented him. They feared him or hated him and Rotxo suspects he knew that

That said, he doesn't know what to do when Spider walks up and forces his gun down to his level

He moves his hands, steps back and adjusts his stance, then steps back with an approving nod.

"Alright. Aim a little lower, you aren't in the green. Shoot, it'll be better."

He hits the target in the neck, then the tree behind it. The gut the third time.

"Uh..thanks."

I really want something where Crystal and Charles see all of Edwins memories. Maybe Crystal is trying some new stuff with her powers and accidently drags Charles with her into Edwin's memories.

Some of it flashes by quick. His childhood, the years with Charles before they met Crystal, the cat king, Monty, a majority of Port Townsend.

Some of it drags by. His death, hell, meeting Charles, hell again, Esther, Niko.

She knows Charles kind of has an idea of what to expect but knowing and seeing are two different things.

Crystal can't even watch most of it. Crouching down and covering her eyes, crying and occasionally making a sound like she was going to be sick.

They can't make any changes, of course, and they can't talk to anyone. These things have already happened and they're just watching them but Charles breaks her heart.

He bounces between furious and devastated.

He walks around the boys holding Edwin down to sacrifice him like he's looking for an opening, around and around restlessly. He knows, even better than she does, that he can't do anything.

Hell is even worse. Charles is clearly upset but he's not surprised, a grim determination that has him trailing after Edwin like a shadow. He keeps up with Edwin, running with him through the hallways and making himself watch each time it all starts over. He runs back to find the new Edwin and sticks close again, right beside him or behind him. He doesn't get in the way or try to stop it, he can't do anything so he's trying to provide a comfort that Edwin can't feel.

He sits with Edwin when he finds a place to hide, just watching him. Sometimes he talks. She can't hear what he's saying but she can guess.

Sometimes the demon doesn't kill Edwin right away and he isn't hiding so much as trying to find a place to curl up and die. Charles follows, sometimes circling him like he had when they saw the boys who sacrificed him.

She doesn't understand why he's making himself watch it all. How can he watch it when Crystal can barely tolerate just the sounds?

She's never seen him so focused. She thinks he might have forgotten she's even here.

Ghosts bleed here, they can feel and, the last thing Edwin felt as a living being was hands holding him down and the last thing he truely felt while dead would have been the last time the demon ripped him apart before he escaped hell. No wonder he's less bothered by iron than Charles. Iron is nothing compared to this.

She wants to tell Charles to come over to her. Tell him to stop watching, god why is he watching?

She knows why though, because he needs to know. Usually the mind can conjure up things much worse than reality but she thinks that neither of them could have imagined something like this. She knows Charles saw some of it when he went to get Edwin the second time but it wasn't a lot. He and Edwin were both tight-lipped when it came to hell, other than Edwin mentioning it vaguely here and there, usually in arguments.

He passes her again as he follows Edwin, again and again, and she goes to yell at him but she stops. His jaw is clenched the way he does it when he's truely furious, and his mouth is a thin line.

Charles can be scary when he's angry, especially when he's angry because someone has hurt Edwin. He would never hurt her but there's a cautiousness to how she speaks to him when he gets like this. Forget the cricket bat, he looks like he'd throw himself at the demon with just his nails and teeth if he could.

The memories go on and he's just as restless during Edwin's second trip to hell, only relaxing when he appeared in the memory.

Watching Esther is hard, Charles doesn't move during this one, just stands by the table Edwin is stuck on and stares.

This one is different and she thinks it because Charles was here for this one. She knows he's in the kitchen, kept in place with an iron collar and stuck listening to Edwin scream.

Crystal loses track of them as she sees Niko in the corner and sudden she needs to see it. She can feel Charles look over at them as Niko dies on the floor but he stays where he is until Edwin is up and next to Niko too.

More memories slip by until they're suddenly thrown back into the real world.

It's jarring, like something smacked them on the back of their heads. It takes them a minute for the world to stop spinning and their thoughts to reform. It's been seconds, maybe a minute, since they'd been thrown into the memories. Crystal feels like she's aged 10 years.

She does think she understands Charles a lot more now. She knows she's going to be reluctant to let Edwin off somewhere by himself, not that Charles would let him.

Edwin looks nervous, looking at them then the floor and back up to them again. He straightens the ends of his sleeves the way he does when he needs something to do with his hands and then he starts to press against each other. He must have a good idea of what happened and what they probably saw.

She remembers one of the deaths where he had ended up close to where she's been curled up. The way he laid on his side and just stared at the wall, quiet and accepting, the way tears rolled down his face and he just kept bleeding. Until he didn't anymore and Charles took off without a word to go find the new him again.

Niko is beside him and looks at both Charles and her with big eyes. She wonders what they look like, if they look any different to her and Edwin.

Charles makes a vague stangled noise beside her, makes a move towards Edwin, and she takes a deep breath.

Right. Okay, she and Niko need to leave. Like, right now. She has a feeling that the boys need to have a very long talk. And just cling to each other for awhile.

She grabs Niko, who looks at Edwin to see if he wants her to stay but he shakes his head just enough for her to let Crystal get them both out the door and away.

As they're leaving, she wonders what she'd do if someone had shown her Niko's death over and over. She looks at the other girl, who still looks worried but gives Crystal a little smile.

Maybe they need to have a talk too.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Two side notes:

*Currently living for the idea of Charles and Crystal going feral over Edwin and Niko being hurt. And vice versa.

*You know when dogs/wolves circle something over and over, like they're trying to herd it or just watching from all sides? Idk for some for some reason I just picture that from Charles in certain situations. Especially when he can't do anything. Just circling it over and over like eventually he'll see something, find a way to do something.