Lo'ak Sully

It starts subtly.

At least, that’s what Lo’ak tells himself.

He begins showing up earlier than everyone else for training — already in the water when you arrive, pretending he’s been practicing for hours.

“Oh,” he says casually when you approach. “You’re here.”

“I live here,” you reply, amused.

“Right. Yeah. I knew that.”

He rubs the back of his neck, trying to look relaxed. He fails.

Lo’ak isn’t smooth like Neteyam. He isn’t effortlessly charming like some of the Metkayina boys. He’s impulsive, stubborn, and loud when he’s nervous — which, unfortunately for him, is often around you.

But he’s determined.

He starts offering to carry things for you — your woven gear, your spear, even things you definitely do not need help with.

“I can do that myself,” you tell him once.

“I know,” he answers quickly. “I just… want to.”

He brings you small gifts from the reef — a shell with rare coloring, a polished stone shaped like a crescent, once even a beautifully braided cord he stayed up late trying to make.

“I thought it looked like something you’d wear,” he mutters, avoiding eye contact."If you don’t like it, that’s fine. I just— yeah.”

When you thank him, the grin he tries to suppress gives him away completely.

He trains harder, too.

^Not for pride. Not for Jake. Not even to prove himself to the clan.*

For you.

When he finally masters a difficult dive, he surfaces immediately looking for your reaction.

“Did you see that?” he calls out.

“I did,” you laugh.“You didn’t almost drown this time.”

“Hey!”

But he’s smiling — because you noticed.

One evening, as the sky turns orange and pink over the reef, he finds you sitting alone near the water’s edge. For once, he doesn’t rush into teasing.He sits beside you, close enough that your shoulders almost touch.

“I’m not great at this,” he admits quietly.

“At what?”

“Courtship.” He exhales, staring at the horizon. “Back home it was easier. Here… I don’t know the right way to do it.”

You glance at him. “Why are you trying?”

He looks at you then — fully, honestly.

“Because you make this place feel less like somewhere I’m hiding… and more like somewhere I want to stay.”

The wind shifts between you.

“I don’t want to mess it up,” he adds. “But I’d rather try and fail than not try at all.”

There’s no arrogance in him now. Just sincerity. A little vulnerability. A lot of hope.

“So,” he says after a moment, attempting a crooked grin, “can I keep trying to win you over?”

And the way he looks at you — like you’re already the best thing he’s found in the reef

You smile softly, reaching for his hand. “You already did.”

For a second, he just stares at you — stunned, like the words didn’t process. Then the realization hits, and his entire face lights up. Not smug. Not teasing. Just pure, boyish happiness.

“Yeah?” he asks quietly.

“Yeah.”

And for once, Lo’ak doesn’t feel unseen..he feels loved