The Water Is Fine - Neteyam

Chapter 12: What ifs

When Neytiri meets Miio 'properly' for the first time, she grabs onto the boy and doesn't let him go.

Neteyam doesn't necessarily mind, he knows his mother is better equipped to help a baby than he is... He does feel a little jealous though of his family showing Miio love instead of him.

"Look how cute he is! His little chubby cheeks!" Neytiri whispers, hugging the boy close to her.

"Mom!" Neteyam whines out.

After his conversation with Tiayli'a in the water, they went their separate ways. They were supposed to meet up with his siblings but they talked until almost sundown instead, and decided to raincheck and find another day to ride the Ilus all together. While Neteyam went to find Miio and keep his promise of cleaning the boys Loincloth and let the boy have a proper night with his new father, Tiayli'a went to find Ao'nung, about something 'urgent' the girl had said.

"He's so... Ma Jake! Can we have another child?" Neytiri asks excitingly, bouncing the baby on her hip.

Jake was busy doing Tuk's hair. He was failing terribly, hair being one thing from the Na'vi he still doesn't truly get.

When Jake hears the question, his eyes go wide and he stops his movements of getting the tangles out of Tuk's hair.

"What!?" Jake asks, his heart rate quickening again.

Now if Jake were human still, he would immediately say no, but he isn't. He is Na'vi, and Na'vi don't only live longer than humans, making his age still be quite young and reasonable to have more kids, female Na'vi can tend to have up to 10 children, so therefore he just looks towards his wife to see if she is joking.

Neytiri continues to hold the baby close to her, giving Jake a look, a look Jake knows all to well, the same look that caused them to have 4 children already.

"Ah, gross mom." Kiri complains, trying to cover her ears.

"Mom!" Lo'ak whines.

Lo'ak already feels like an outcast, he is sure if his parents had another child, they would just forget about him more.

Neteyam just rolls his eyes and walks over to his mother, giving his mother a look that pleads to give Miio up so he can hold the child.

When Miio sees Neteyam he is instantly squirming in Neytiri's hold, trying to reach his father.

"Dada!" Miio whines.

Neteyam smiles slightly, moving his eyes to his father to see if there is any judgement for the word that leaves the little boys mouth. When he sees no judgment, but more so proudness on the man's face, he returns his gaze to Miio.

"That's still so weird. Never though the day would come." Lo'ak says.

"What's that supposed to me?" Neteyam asks.

"I mean... I always thought you would die alone." Lo'ak shrugs, teasing his brother.

The comment Lo'ak makes leads to Kiri slapping Lo'ak on the back of the head.

"Yeah, well your a skxawng and I just proved you wrong so." Neteyam shrugs.

He goes and steals Miio from Neytiri's arms, smiling when the boy gets comfortable on his chest. He can't help but roll his eyes when Jake and Neytiri leave all of a sudden, causing all the children to gag besides Tuk, who is still to young to understand.

Miio is in his own little world, using one hand to hold onto the toy Neteyam gave him and the other waving towards Lo'ak, waiting for the boy to wave back.

"Bro, Miio won't break eye contact with me." Lo'ak says, a little uncomfortable under the boys gaze.

"They say hi or something." Neteyam shrugs.