~~~Superstes~~~UNDERGOING MAJOR EDITING

Wonderfully wrong.

"I wasn't even doing anything!" Lo'ak shouted back, only to receive no answer. He rolled his eyes and fixated himself beside Neteyam, his tone grumbling. "Skxawng." 

After a couple seconds, Lo'ak gently grabbed Neteyam's shoulders and his upper back and gradually pulled him up, coaxing his brother into a halfway slouched sitting position where he was somewhat slumped against Lo'ak's own body. The fifteen-year-old's features contorted in a grimace of pain and he squeezed his eyes shut, groaning. 

"Sorry, bro." Lo'ak mumbled, holding him upright. "Is this good?" 

"Yep." Neteyam gritted out, glancing up at Feya. "I'm counting on you." 

Fey'atsi climbed into the hammock and situated herself behind Neteyam's toned back, her ears perked forward attentively and her mind reeling with the ways she could re-braid his hair. Then she chuckled to herself the moment the idea popped into her head—she would undo all his braids and do them like hers. A fishtail braid it was called. 

Neteyam winced, "Uh-oh. You're scheming, aren't you?" 

"Just rest your eyes, Neteyam. You'll find out eventually." Feya began undoing all the tightly-woven braids that Neytiri probably worked for hours on whenever they were done last, her hands going ahead of her brain in terms of action. She didn't even need to think when she did things like weaving and braiding—unless it was Metkiyina, apparently—her fingers just worked out everything for her. 

"Don't tell him to go to sleep," Lo'ak retorted, "He'll drool on me." 

"You cannot be talking." Neteyam replied calmly, "What is it Dad says? Bed-wetter, I think?" 

"I have never pissed when I sleep!" 

As if out of nowhere, a deep rumbling voice appeared out of the shadows. Feya and both of the Sully brothers turned their heads to see Jake, who had randomly arrived in the section of the marui to hang up the fishing nets. "You both have peed yourselves at some point. Trust me, I know." He said. 

Fey'atsi let out a quiet laugh, before focusing her attention back on her patient's hair. She couldn't help but think that 99% of the Sully men's conversations were unbearably amusing or hard to listen to. Then Spider approached the hammock, his oxygen mask secured against his face and his skin beading with sweat. "What're you guys doing?" 

"Maybe when we were babies." Neteyam stated, before he acknowledged his human brother. "I'm having girl treatment." 

"For once." Lo'ak uttered sarcastically, his eyes shining with that mischievous glimmer. But no matter how much he enjoyed teasing his brother, Feya always noticed the way they cared for one another so deeply. For instance, the younger boy never loosened his grip on Neteyam and made sure he wasn't moving or flopping around too much. 

Spider cackled. "Man, that's gotta hurt." 

"Yeah, right. I'd hate to be the girls that have to look down so far just to see your ugly face." 

Everyone looked at Neteyam. Feya covered her mouth with her hand and actually had to force herself not to laugh in case Spider's feelings were hurt. But it was just that she'd never heard Neteyam talk like that, to anybody. 

Jake seemed appalled, but not at the words itself. His eyes widened, and then he just made a noise and looked away. 

Neteyam did his best to rub his eyes with his casted arm. "Sorry, sorry. That was—that was uncalled for." He gave Spider an apologetic look. "Sorry, bro." 

The sky-person painted in blue simply shrugged it off with an uncaring expression. He seemed like he was used to being teased, and if not by Neteyam then by his other siblings. "Nah, it's okay. That was pretty funny, actually." 

"I guess we know what happens when Neteyam's on his meds, huh?" Lo'ak laughed, "He can't hold anything back." 

Jake's gaze lingered on the cluster of teenagers for a long moment until he just shook his head and smiled to himself—one that wasn't meant for anybody to see, only for him to feel, but Feya saw it out of the corner of her eye as she worked on his son's hair. The older man's face was worn and tired, but he still seemed so young sometimes when he let himself have those little moments where his childlike self emerged. She only really saw that side of Toruk Makto when he was with his family, and he was happy. 

Feya felt an irrepressible warmth rise in her chest, and she was fully aware how much the Sully family was growing on her. But she didn't mind if she became attached—the kids were pretty fun, she felt safe and cared for around the parents, and besides, what could she lose by gaining another family? 

Absolutely nothing. 

                                                                                                  ~~~

Colossians 3: 12-Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.