You scratch off the last mark on your wall calendar. It was Lo'ak's birthday. He hadn't reminded you recently but you remembered he had mentioned it when he first arrived. That night you immediately jotted down the date, not wanting to forget.
The day seems normal. Lo'ak doesn't act any different or tell anyone he was a year older. You notice only Jake and Neytiri call him aside before breakfast- Jake patting his head gently as Neytiri murmurs a loving birthday wish. The boy only nods with a forced smile- one that dropped as soon as he turned away from them- before he trudges over to where you sat.
"Morning." You whisper with a small smile which he returns slightly, greeting you back, before he turns to the table ahead of him. He zones out as usual- oblivious to the food that had arrived.
He was more comfortable with you now of course, but there was still a sense of formality. He didn't want you to carry the burden of his pain even though you had tried so so hard to tell him you cared.
The meal is quiet, you had grown used to it now. None of the Sully siblings talked much after the death. Your people found it awkward to start conversation too. You spend your time drawing little patterns on Lo'ak's palm who never responded- eyes always trained to the cutlery in front of him.
When the meal is over, you hope he lingers around to talk for a bit more. You hope to see the ghost of a smile etched on his face. You longed to. However, just like everyday- he gives you a tight lipped partial smile, one that didn't reach up to his eyes. He gently frees his hand from your grip before walking back to his tent- disappearing behind the beige flaps making you sigh. Everyone goes on with their day, but you find yourself rooted to your spot by the bonfire- the time you spent there increasing steadily everyday.
Today was an important day- to you. You spent weeks making sure everything was perfect. Slipping away during your increased free time to ready little items of significant important- just for him. You tried hard not to worry about what his reaction would be, praying it would be as harmonious as you hoped.
"Lo'ak?" you call out gently- from outside his tent- but the boy doesn't respond right away. You don't want to disrupt his privacy, simply swallowing before you call out his name once more, "Its me." You add in, hoping that would make a difference. You hear shuffling from inside- slightly grateful he wasn't ignoring you when he draws the curtains open.
His eyes were wet you noticed. You try not to look at the redness of his cheeks from how much he had rubbed them in an attempt to rid them of tears, so you wouldn't see.
"Can we- can you- I want to show you something." You awkwardly stammer dead scared of rejection but he exhales slightly- examine your face for a while- leaving you slightly confused- before he nods slightly.
He follows after you absent mindedly and you take his hand in yours leading him into the scarce woods by your village, turning corners and using the little intentionally strewn leaves on the ground as a guide.
"Where are we going?" Lo'ak questions lowly and you only squeeze his hand tighter in response-
"You'll see."
When you reach, you feel him still slightly- the both of you were standing square in front of what looked like a hideout. In a tree. A treehouse. It was something Tonowari had made for the little Metkayina children years ago. It had been abandoned for a while- since everyone considered themselves too old to spend time in the beautiful oak abode. You only really remembered the place a couple weeks back- the hideout was practically unidentifiable then, the leaves of the tree had covered up most of it. You basically forced Aonung to help you clear the place up to the best of your abilities, and now it stared back at you in all its glory.
