broken peace; neteyam sully

𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯

Neteyam sat beside his father, fixing gear with him. His mother braided Lo'ak's hair after it had fallen out while fighting with Kiri and Tuk.

"Dad?" he started shyly.

"Yeah?" Jake answered.

He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on the food. He said more quietly, "How do you...um...how do you get a girl to like you?"

Jake looked at his son, slightly shocked, then his eyes crossed Neytiri's and they shared a knowing look. "Who are you after?" he asked in a monotone voice, trying to act cool.

Neteyam began, "This–"

"This girl named Ok'xana. He wants her so bad..." Lo'ak laughed, Neteyam brought a hand to his face, resisting the urge to smack his brother across the head.

Neytiri quirked a brow, "Is she the girl you ran after that breakfast?"

Neteyam said from behind his palms, "Yes..." He continued, "But how do I get her to choose me?"

Jake and Neytiri seemed to send a message between each other and his father's hand met the back of his neck with a little jostle. "Let's go outside, Neteyam,"

The boy's eyes widened, hand falling into his lap, was he in trouble?

"Wait, why?" he asked, eyes on his father's.

"We have to talk,"

Neteyam looked at Lo'ak for help and was met with a shrug. He pressed his lips together with a glare and forced himself to stand.

Jake led the way out of the pod and onto the night-darkened path. "I think it's about time I give you 'the talk', son."

Neteyam's features pulled together in confusion, "What talk?"

"You know...the fun stuff," Jake said through a very unwilling smile.

Neteyam shook his head, ears perking at the mention of 'fun'. "Fun stuff, sir?"

Jake nodded his head, looking at his son awkwardly, "About...sex..."

Neteyam's jaw opened as he gaped at his father, "Sex?"

His father nodded, knowing he'd heard of it not only from his friends back home but also snippets of stories from the adults in the lab.

Without thinking, Teyam turned around. "No, thank you, sir."

Jake placed a stern hand on his shoulder, turning him around. "Nope, you can't escape this."

Neteyam clenched his teeth, agreeing curtly as he sat down with his father. With only slight illumination from the glowing creatures around them, talking about this was easier.

"I know sex seems weird to talk about but you're a teenager...so, you probably think about it a lot already." His son stared blankly at him, silent. "It's nothing to be ashamed about. You have hormones..." his father gestured loosely from his face to body. "I get it, I was the same–anyways, let's start with consent. It really matters."

Neteyam felt himself grow hot, cringing away a little. He nodded quickly, "I know, I know–"

His father raised his brows insistently, eyes on him. "Always ask for permission to do anything." He pressed his lips together, looking thoughtfully at the water, "Asking twice or more doesn't hurt, either."

Neteyam forced a smile, "Uh-hm."

"So if the time comes, make sure she wants to–wholeheartedly." he looked up at his son, quite proud of the way the conversation was going. "Then, there's positions..."