What if? (P2) || Jake/Reader || Draft

Cords

Bright eyed and smiling with a huge amount of glee radiating off of his face.

It was... strange seeing him here. In this part of the building, welcoming himself in to your room. You knew him pretty well before, but time had run out before he became a closer friend to you or Jake. The barely beginning brothership lost before they had a chance to see it grow to anything more.

"Tsu'tey." Jake gives him a fair bow, and you're spared from having to as you're far too miserable to do anything more than sit down in a chair for the time being.

You greet him once you're settled in, and give him a small wave.

He's carrying your sweet little boy in his arms, and damn is it difficult to keep the tears away when he nuzzles into your sons forehead.

Uncle Tsu'tey sure suited him.

"I am sorry to be back a little late." He apologizes. "He was enjoying spending time with the other children."

That brings a smile to your face, knowing he got to see the other Navi kids as well as get to know his cousin Lia all over again.

"Thank you for taking him, Tsu'tey. It really helped me get things together, and Jake was able to finish that other bookshelf."

Jake reaches over to take him, as well as the small woven bag of things for his well-being. "Not much longer until the twins are here, and she insists we organize everything."

"It was not a problem. I enjoy spending time with him."

Tsu'tey looks around the room as he hasn't been here before, usually he stuck to the main meeting rooms. Norm took it upon himself to give him a tour of the area earlier, but they didn't get to this side of hells gate just yet.

He steps over and places a hand on the crib he sees that was made for Niikeym. Typically, the Navi young would sleep between both parents on their hammocks — or switch off on their backs. And although you were planning on following tradition, it would make things easier to have a crib for each child at least until they learned to walk and you could upgrade to a more gated area.

"Max helped make those." You tell him. "It's just a safe place to put the babies temporarily since we will have so many."
    You bring yourself to stand, and as you come closer to him — you see he grabs for something out of his shoulder bag, and lets it dangle between his fingers.

"I figure it is time to give you these." He turns to face you, and kneels down so he's eye to eye with you.

You're not sure what he has, until he opens his hand and there are three perfectly beautiful strands already started.

Their song cords.

That's what you'd forgotten about.

"Oh, Tsu'tey. You didn't."
    You take them with joy, but the tears are already flooding and you can barely get a good look at the beads between the blurry vision.
"You started these for our children?"

Jake comes over to see what the commotion is about, and equally shares in the joy knowing how important those are to a Na'vis life.

"I made quite a few."
  He seems to smile with that.
"One for Sa'nok-" Which almost makes you cry all over again knowing he's felt comfortable enough to refer to Grace as such.
"—Two for Norm, and Three for you and TsyeykSuli."

You thumb over the cords, seeing that he's hand made the decorative smaller beads, ones that are usually placed before the first important bead or amber — placed to  represent their births.

"Thank you, Tsu'tey." You lean forward and give him a hug, leaning your chin on his shoulder as he settles into it in return.
"You have no idea what this means to me coming from you."

He's careful when he hugs you back, his hand coming across as he lightly wraps an arm around you.

Eventually you pull away, still sobbing and wiping your tears with a washcloth Jake handed you.

"My mother cried a lot when she was pregnant with my younger brother, too." He expresses.
"I am sorry they are so difficult on you."

"It's okay." You insist, sniffling away. "I'm only suffering when they're kicking at me."

"Are they?" He asks, curious.

"All the time, they're upset they have to share me." You laugh, and grab politely for his hand as you press it over your thin tank top. "Give it a second, they'll start to move again."

Before you can even fully finish the sentence, they sure do. You don't know if it's baby A or baby B kicking right where Tsu'tey placed his hand, but whoever it is — they seem upset enough that someone's intruding on what they've claimed as their own territory.

"Is it two boys like Jake was?" He smiles so sweetly as he feels the little pitter-patters.

Even though his kind didn't know until birth, he did know that you were able to see long before then if you wished.

"I don't know. It's a surprise. They won't look the same, though. They're ... regular siblings..  born at the exact same time, basically. Not like Jake and Tom."

"I see." He withdraws his hand as the children let up, but smiles all the same. He may not know where his life takes him as far as marriage or kids go, but he would enjoy his time as Olo'eyktan and Uncle — that was certain.
"I wish you luck. I know your last was difficult."

"Thank you, Tsu'tey. I'll take all the luck I can get."

He bids himself farewell as it's getting late, and he has a lot to attend to before heading to bed himself.  He and Jake share a sympathetic hug before he parts, which only warms your heart even further.

"So how was it?" You hear Jake baby talking your son with a grin on his face. "Did you have fun? Learn lots of things? Did you smack anyone?"

"Jake." You sternly call out, and pass by him to set the songcords on your desk — making sure they're kept safe in your small counter-top drawer. "Don't encourage that."

"What? I'm just saying, maybe he got bullied. They'd deserve it, anyway."

"Yeah and that's the attitude that almost got us kicked out of our second home. Our sons ended up too much like you and smacked the shit out of an Olo'eyktans first born."

"Really?" He turns to face you and leans against the empty space on the wall. "Damn. Were they good fighters at least? Did they win?"

"Jake." You repeat, looking rather tired and annoyed at that point.  "I will smack you the second you put our son down."

"Alright — I'll leave it be, I'm sorry."

You do manage to get up on the bed, and let your feet hang over.
    You have one songcord in your hand still, and this one will be niikeyms.
Just need to figure out where to start it off with, and what you want to place on it for him.

"That was awful sweet of him to go through making these." You almost sob out yet again. "Usually the parents do it for their children, so for an Olo'eyktan to personally do it for a new birth — I, I can't even begin to describe what kind of an honor that is.
     I just can't believe it completely slipped my mind."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, you've had a lot going on. We've had plenty to prepare for, that's for sure. Haven't we, Niikeym? You're excited to be a big brother aren't you?"

"Excited?" You mimic. "Being a big brother was his favorite thing to do, I never even asked him to. He fell into it naturally and soon enough I was yelling at him for trying to take Lo'ak out of his crib before I could even get up in the mornings. Not to mention Kiri, he was so protective of her." You hate the way you're sitting so uncomfortably, and move back over to the chair as it was easier on your back.

"I'm glad he enjoys it then, cause he's got a big family underneath him... that's for sure."

"You make it sound like you're already planning for more children, Jake."

"I meannnn— Ow!" He pulls away and pretends like the smack you gave him actually hurt. "I'm with child."

"And I'm with two, so what's your excuse?"

"I— okay. You got me there."