●The sun still had yet to rise but neither Kiri or Lo'ak had gone to sleep. They couldn't, not while knowing their mom was alive and on her way here. A small section sat in the middle of their hut. It had extra blankets and pillows just for their mom and younger brother. When they were done making sure it was comfortable enough, they sat in the entrance of their home...waiting and waiting.
Kiri leaned her head on Lo'ak's shoulder and the boy grabbed her hand in return. The anxiousness and excitement of waiting was killing them. Their ears were high and twitched at every small sound.
After what felt like years, they saw their parents walking with huge smiles on their faces.
Neytiri was leading Nayliä back home while Jake was holding their baby. He was barely looking at his two wives in front of him. His eyes were too busy looking at his son in his arms. The child was currently sleeping but his ears would twitch every now and then while his extremely small tail wiggled. Jake was stuck in a trance as he watched his youngest son sleep peacefully. He was afraid that if he blinked for too long that not only his boy would be gone but also his mate. But as he sometimes glanced up at Nayliä, she had a large grin on her face and that alone reassured him that they wouldn't be going anywhere.
Kiri and Lo'ak stood up quickly and almost stumbled over each other.
Neytiri stepped aside as Nayliä ran to her two children. She didn't care about how sore she was. All she knew was that she needed to hug her children.
She wrapped her arms around them while kissing their heads. Kiri slumped in her arms and sighed in content. Lo'ak fought off tears but eventually couldn't hold back his cries.
Nayliä's presence was so overwhelming for the two teens but they craved her warmth more than anything.
Neytiri leaned her head on Jake's shoulder and smiled at her wife and children.
Nayliä felt herself begin to tear up as the realization that she was home hit her all over again. She hushed both her teens softly.
"It's alright my loves. Mama's back," she kissed Kiri's head again, "and she's not leaving you again anytime soon."
Lo'ak nestled his head into her chest even more and he gripped onto her. Times like this reminded him of when he was younger and would seek the comfort of his mom whenever he needed it.
A soft cry made the teens lean back and away from their mom. Kiri gasped and then a bright look overtook her features. She wanted to see her brother but she wasn't ready to leave her mom just yet.
But Lo'ak's eyes widened and he walked over to his dad instantly. He spared his father a quick glance but his focus was stuck on the little baby crying.
"You wanna hold him?" Jake took note of the way Lo'ak's hands twitched in anticipation.
He nodded and shakily reached for his little brother. Due to having young siblings he knew how to hold the baby the right way. He cradled his younger brother and grinned at him.
"Hey little brother, it's your favorite sibling again. Remember, me?"
The newborn slowly stopped crying and happily gurgled up at Lo'ak.
"His name is Malík but I like calling him Sìlpey (Hope) for a nickname." Neytiri had moved herself to stand behind Lo'ak and look over his shoulder at the baby.
"Should have been Lo'ak Jr but okay I guess."
Kiri burst out laughing and crept closer to them with a teasing smirk.
"That's not how it works, dumbass."
Nayliä giggled, "Leave him alone, you know he's kinda slow...just like his father."
Jake sighed but he was high off his own happiness. "You really love to bully me huh, ma?"
Nayliä tilted her head back with a half smile and her eyes were blazed with an emotion that Jake didn't think he would see so soon.
"Only because you enjoy it." She lazily wrapped her arms around his waist.
Jake looked down at her with one eyebrow raised. "You know what else I enjoy?"
Kiri playfully gagged while Lo'ak looked at them disgusted.
Neytiri rolled her eyes and groaned in disbelief.
"Can you two please stop scaring the children?"
Nayliä laughed and laid her head against Jake's chest while he wrapped his arms around her.
"Let's get you all inside."
♡
Nayliä had to take a deep breath walking into their home again but her heart skipped a beat at the sight of her Neteyam, Liia and Tuk sleeping.
She smiled to herself, they were always the heavy sleepers.
"Mama, we fixed a place up for Malík." Kiri's voice was hushed but clear.
"Thank you dear. I'll put him there to sleep now." She turned to Lo'ak who was still admiring the newborn.
Malík had wrapped his tiny hand around one of Lo'ak fingers.
Nayliä asked him softly for the baby he held but Lo'ak shook his head.
"I got him for now mama. You can go get some rest."
Lo'ak refused to put his brother down for a while. He needed the reminder that he was given a second chance to be a better brother to his siblings.
Nayliä only nodded and smiled at him. She understood his needs and would gladly help him with whatever he asked of her.
Kiri had already started to get settled back down but she didn't sleep in her usual spot. She wanted to be close to Nayliä so she laid at the bottom of her mom's sleeping mat.
"Do you need anything? Water? Food?" Neytiri watched Nayliä intensely.
All of them waited for Nayliä's answer, ready to get whatever she needed. The woman laughed quietly and waved them off.
"No, no, no, I just need sleep. I'm so exhausted."
At first the adrenaline made Nayliä feel invincible but now? She came to the conclusion that being murdered, coming back to life and then giving birth was maybe a little bit stressful for her body.
Jake grabbed her hand and led her to where she would be sleeping. He made sure she was comfortable while Neytiri constantly asked if she needed more pillows or blankets.
"Okay, you two that's enough. All I need is for you to come sleep with me."
Jake almost replied with a dirty joke but decided it wasn't worth it when Neytiri glared in his direction.
Kiri had already started to doze off by the time her parents got settled. She tried fighting her sleep in favor of keeping an eye on her mom but she was so relaxed. Having her there made Kiri feel extremely safe and calm so eventually the young girl lost her battle with sleep.
♡
Unlike Neytiri and Nayliä, Jake didn't fall asleep. He eyed Lo'ak who was standing in the entrance of their home, still holding Malík. The man knew he wouldn't be able to close his eyes until he made sure every family member was asleep first. He carefully unraveled his two mates from his body and stood up.
As he got closer he felt his heart break when he noticed that Lo'ak was silently crying.
He leaned against the wall next to his son and crossed his arms. They both then stared out at the unusually quiet environment surrounding them.
Lo'ak wasn't sure why he was crying. He was so grateful and happy but the wound of his pain was still too fresh. The mixture of emotions were overwhelming so he cried.
"You know, I hope he grows to be a lot like you."
Lo'ak hesitantly turned to look at his father. He was beyond confused on why his dad would say that considering how much he was chastised in the past.
Jake chuckled at his expression and glanced his way before looking back at the stars.
"You're a lot like me when I was younger and I'm pretty badass so.." He trailed off with a bright smirk on his face but it turned into a genuine smile when he heard Lo'ak laugh softly.
"But seeing so much of myself in you scares me. I don't want you to make the same mistakes that I have. As a father it's my job to protect you all to the best of my ability."
Lo'ak was shocked to hear his dad admit the fact he was afraid. It was almost so foreign that it made Lo'ak question if he heard wrong.
He had a feeling that Jake had more to say so he stayed silent and rocked his still sleeping baby brother.
"You're a strong kid, a lot braver than I was at your age that's for sure. I admire the way you stand for what you believe in even if it's against me. And I only want to guide you in the right direction but sometimes my delivery is bad. Your ma has me working on it though." He sighed and got off the wall. He then put a hand on Lo'ak shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"What I'm trying to say is that, I hope he loves and protects just like you do."
Lo'ak was still trying to process his words and stared at him in disbelief.
"I'm proud of you son."
Jake didn't expect a response and decided that as long as Lo'ak needed to be outside, he would stay with him. Even if it's in silence. He just wanted to be there for him.●
◇A/N◇
{Thanks for the name Mali_Hanma}