AVATAR One Shots

Three: Sick

Summary: Poor Neteyam is sick, and it only seems to be getting worse, so they call upon Norm to help him, but he just take Neteyam to the base to help.

Featuring Good Parents Jake and Neytiri, and loving, finally-not-chaotic siblings. 

Third Person POV

It was rare that a Na'vi got sick from a human illness, but not impossible. And since Jake used to be human, and his kids shared that (well, some of them—Lo'ak and Kiri, both with 5 fingers and eyebrows), they got human illnesses, too. But Neyetam never got sick, because first, he wasn't as human as the others, and second, there were no Pandora illnesses other than death, which, obviously, couldn't be cured.

So it was a real shock when Neyetam got sick with the flu, a very human illness.

He was in bed, feeling miserable when he woke up. His throat hurt, his stomach felt weird, and he was cold, even under two blankets. He frowned, his head pounding, and let out a whine. "Mom?"

Neytiri looked up from where she was helping Tuk fall back asleep and hummed. She could tell from one look that Neteyam wasn't feeling good. She kissed Tuk 's sleeping face and moved to Neteyam. "What is it, my child?" She touched his face gently and winced, pulling back. "You are warm. I'll get your father." She slunk out of the marui and disappeared.

Neteyam felt his stomach churning and scrambled up, head spinning, and bolted to the edge outside, gagging and spitting bile. "Neteyam!" His dad touched his shaking shoulder, keeping him from tipping into the ocean. "Easy, easy." He said, pulling him back when the gagging stopped. "Look at me." He said, and Neteyam looked at his father. He looked worried. "Let's go inside, okay?" Jake helped Neteyam inside, laying him under two blankets next to Lo'ak, still asleep.

Subconsciously, his brother leaned his head on Neteyam's arm, burying his face in the blanket below them. Neyetam sighed, leaning against Lo'ak as well. Jake grabbed his bag, one brought from Norm, and dug in it quickly. He pulled a bottle of something out and opened it, placing two white things in his hand and grabbing some water. "Take these, they should help." He said gently, and Neteyam quickly took them, grimacing at the taste. "Yeah, they're not great, kid." Jake laughed softly.

The sun finally rose a few hours later, shining into the marui at last. Lo'ak finally opened his eyes, stretching, and saw Neteyam curled on himself, whimpering and shaking. "Neteyam?" He asked quickly, scooting closer. He laid his hand on Neteyam's shoulder. He was hot, burning quickly. He remembered Dad calling it the flu, a human illness as the body tried to fight an infection that thankfully, wasn't a killer. But it could be dangerous if the person got way too warm.

"How long have you been this way?" Lo'ak asked softly, rubbing his brother's arm.

"S-since early. Before—before dawn...by at least a...c-couple hours." Neteyam whispered, voice weak. "Mo-Mom and Dad went to the re-reef, but I'll be okay." He shook with convulsive shivers.

Lo'ak didn't like this. "'Teyam, you're getting sicker. We have to call Mom and Dad back." He urged. "C-can't. They're out with the leaders," Neteyam whined. Lo'ak swore, hitting the mat below them. "'Teyam, we have to!" He turned to Kiri, still asleep, and woke her.

"What?" She snapped, eyes thick with sleep.

"Get Mom and Dad. Neteyam is getting sick, and he's getting worse. He's too hot!" Lo'ak snapped.

Kiri blinked, looking at Neteyam, curled up and crying softly. Tuk was now up as well, so Kiri gathered her and ran. Spider kneeled beside Neteyam, and he and Lo'ak struggled to think of what to do. "We have to cool him down, right?" Lo'ak said. Spider grabbed a rag, rushing outside, and returned with it wet but not dripping. He started wiping down Neteyam's feverish skin. It didn't seem to be helping.

A sudden pounding of feet made them jump. "Watch out." Jake said, and the boys moved as he picked up Neteyam gently. "All of you, come on. Norm is coming to get us."

"Okay," Lo'ak nodded.

They explained everything to Ronal and Tonowari, who allowed it for their son's health, and Norm landed the Samson. Since the base was back in the forest, they'd be gone a while, they said.

The family quickly climbed aboard. Lo'ak saw Tsireya watching them carefully, saw the worry in her eyes. She used to be scared of Neteyam, of his steel gazes and scary attitude and silence, but now she was like a sister to him—or so they'd both said.

Time Skip

At base, Norm, in his Avatar, quickly collected Neteyam and placed him in a room with white, tiled walls and a big metal table. Neytiri and Jake went with them, but the kids were forced to wait outside as Norm and Dr. Max did their thing, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong to help him.

Lo'ak bit his lip, unable to stand it anymore, and exited the compound. He stalked from side to side in front of the woods where the base was, tail thrashing. He's never been so glad to see his true home, but right now, he didn't care. His brother was sick, and he wasn't getting better. It pissed him off. This wasn't fair. Neteyam had almost been killed from a bullet during the Sky People war. Then, three weeks ago, a storm had rolled in and nearly made Neteyam drown catching fish. Now an illness? Why was this happening? Did Eywa hate them?

"Shit!" Lo'ak screamed, throwing a rock, watching it sail into the trees.

Behind him, the door clicked open.

"Lo'ak—" Kiri said as he paced.

"Tell Dad I'm leaving. I'll be back later." He took off into the trees.

"Lo'ak, wait!"

But he was gone.

He ran through the trees, relishing in the sounds, sights, and smells of home. The reef wasn't home. This was. He jumped fallen trees, swung under branches, and slid through ferns, trying to forget for a minute that his brother was sick and he couldn't help.

At a stream, he stopped, panting. It wasn't like Neteyam was dying. He wasn't. But this sickness, he's never felt before, and it scared him. What if he did die? What would Lo'ak do then? He stuck his feet in the stream and sighed, closing his eyes. He knew he should go back, back to his family and Norm, but he wanted a little more time in the forest before they went back to the reef village.

As the eclipse started to draw near, he stood, getting ready for the trip back. He'd come fairly far, he thinks, beginning to run again. He pushed past some ferns and followed his trail back, arriving just after the eclipse at the base. His mother was waiting. Neytiri smiled as he approached. "He will be okay. Did you enjoy your time?" She asked, touching his braids. He nodded. "Do we have to return?" He asked quietly. As they went inside, Neytiri said, "Your father and I were talking. We are coming back home, but we must settle a few things with the Metkyina first." She sighed. "I've missed home, too."

Neteyam was in a bed, snoozing with Tuk curled up beside him under the blankets. Her soft hair was brushing the bed, stark black against the white. Kiri was on Neteyam's other side, and Spider was in a chair, also asleep. Jake and Norm are talking in low voices in a corner as Lo'ak laid by Tuk, falling into a slumber filled with the siblings chasing each other through the forest.