Betrayal | Tsu'tey

XL

Discovery
Reiun
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They dreamed pleasantly, running through memories. When Tsu'tey was awake, so was she, much to her discomfort. She was sore, and definitely not a morning person.

"Good morning." Tsu'tey greeted her happily, finally disconnected from her, yet scooping her up into his arms. He was so warm.

"Mmmm, five more minutes." She snuggled up against him and pressed her face into his chest, soaking in his warmth. She felt him chuckle silently.

"As much as I'd love to sleep with you all day, we have to tell your mother that our mating was a success." He said, running his fingers through what hair was loose, massaging her scalp with his fingertips.

"What? Like there was a chance we'd fail?" Hia joked and Tsu'tey's face turned serious.

"Well, yeah. There was a chance we wouldn't be compatible long term or another man could be better for you. It's all up to Eywa." He said, motioning to the spirit trees.

"We're mated for life now, it doesn't matter what could've been." She said. She pressed soft kisses against his collarbones and neck.

"If you keep doing that, I'll end up carrying you back home." He threatened with a smile.

"I don't mind the thought." Hia's grin widened, her tail curled from side to side with each flick.

"I do mean it." He said, taking Hia's hands and kissing her knuckles, "I'll help dress you and we'll be home before you know it." He said and began tying his loincloth back on.

"We should probably bathe first. There's a river not far from here." Hia offered.

•—————•—————•—————•—————•

Upon returning, they were greeted by a happy clan. They were truly settling in. Tents in the canopy, on the ground, Tsu'tey and Hia even began making their own. It took about a day to put it up. Another day to make sure they had everything they needed. And thanks to the clan, their community, it was done.

Of course many were still in mourning, but life keeps moving, and no one was alone. Not even other clans. The Olangi clan received much help from other clans, and so had the Omatikaya. The two had lost more than the others and the help was appreciated. But once they went their separate ways, life returned to the way things were before the Skypeople came.

Almost.

Paz Socorro, a marine had relations with Quaritch, leaving another stain on this world in the shape of a child who couldn't go home to earth. He was abandoned.

"What do we do?" Tsu'tey asked, eyeing the human baby with disdain.

"He's my brother." Hia knelt over the makeshift crib in the shack. He was curious. He looked very little like her father or her.

"Miles junior." She tasted the name with a sickness brewing, "couldn't name him something a little less like him, could he?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

The little boy cooed and reached for a strand of her hair, which she let him play with. She took a breath from her respirator.

"You don't have to take him. We couldn't possibly care for him." Tsu'tey said. On one hand he was right. But Hia felt wrong to abandon him.

"I have an idea." Norm spoke up. The duo looked at him, his human form.

"We, the avatars will raise him here and when he's ready to see the world, you get to teach him." Norm offered.

Of course, Tsu'tey couldn't talk Hia out of it. There would be no way for her to abandon him like her father had done to her. Tsu'tey himself didn't feel right abandoning a child either, but he would not let Miles Socorro consider him anything more than the mate of his older sister.

And then, even more news.

Hia was sick. Not in the head, but physically. Food didn't quite taste the same, her cravings were different. Her hair was somehow textured different, thicker. She did feel washed out. But by the next week, she had visibly grown a little thicker.

It was obvious. She was pregnant for a month. It was hard to believe. She didn't even know she could be pregnant. Na'vi pregnancies are much faster than human pregnancies because of the environment. The first trimester is much quicker and it gets a little slower leading up to the due date. A total of five-six months.

Tsu'tey was the one to notice first. He usually spend his spare time helping her gather whatever it was she was craving.

•—————•—————•—————•—————•

He was carrying a basket, analyzing the melon fruit he was picking. And then he just looked at her. Really looked at her. The subtle changes in her. She was practically glowing. What she had in her basket was an array of fruit and plants that were unusual for her to crave. She didn't like rawp because they tasted like "pickles" whatever those were. And she didn't like the slimy texture of the yovomauti. And yet she was picking them.

"My love?" He asked, not really sure what to say next.

Her head flicked up and she smiled, "Yes, Tsu'tey?" She took his hand delicately. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"There's something... I can't explain why I think this, but I don't want to scare you." He chuckled nervously, trying to avoid her very probable wrath, "I think you might be pregnant."

Her eyes shifted down to her stomach, sadly trying to feel out the bump in her body or the fat that might be giving him that impression.

"It's not your body, my love." He took her hands, "you don't like rawp or yovomauti. You wouldn't even attempt to stomach them before." He said. And the realization was written on her face.

"How do we know for sure?" She asked.

"We wait."

And they did. She was restless at night, too hot to sleep, too cold to stay out of the hammock. Her bump was very visible and this delighted Mo'at and Artsut. Both of them would try to give her advice, especially Artsut, but no disrespect, she truly believed Mo'at knew better.

"This bump is too large to be just one baby." Mo'at said, resting her hands on her daughter's stomach. She felt no motion within, it was too early.

"You will need new clothes." She chuckled lightly, "not to mention learning how to deliver a baby." Mo'at thought to herself when Neytiri, a little farther along than Hia, spoke up.

"I want you to be there when my child is born. I want my family there." She said with an inviting smile, resting her hand on Hia's.

Hia was grateful for her family. But she wasn't certain about being there for Neytiri's childbirth, for humans it's a scary, messy thing. How could it be much more different?