Jake's eyes burst open as his upper body flinched up from the hammock. He was panting hard and was bathed in sweat.
"Damn, not another nightmare!" he thought to himself before he felt Neytiri's hand tighten in his and her head move to his chest.
"Bad dream again? Shh, go back to sleep…" She managed to whisper before once again letting herself drift off into sleep.
But he couldn't sleep, at least not this instant. The nightmare had felt so real and devastating. He made a quick scan around the room, to discover that he was still in his and Neytiri's rather large alcove at the center of their new Hometree.
He couldn't believe that it had already been a few weeks since the Sky People had left the planet and he was transferred to his avatar for good. He was Olo'eyktan now, the leader, and although the majority of the clan still mourned the many losses, they were facing better times.
Taking a glance at his mate next to him, Jake's heart filled with joy. Every day he was happy that she was indeed his, and just being around her felt magic. He had always found her to be breathtakingly beautiful, even when she slept as now.
He had asked her a while back why she always went through a lot of trouble in the morning, doing her hair and what not, as he found it to be abundant, but she had snapped at him, telling him that she only did it to please him.
Come to think of it, he had actually never heard her say anything about his looks, whether that be good or bad. Perhaps she wasn't very happy about his appearance? It didn't seem fair to him now that he thought about it; she would make herself attractive for his sake, but he never returned the gesture.
"Hmm maybe… Tomorrow…" He thought to himself as he let his head drop to his mate's hair, breathing in her scent. Amazing. Just what he needed before finally letting the need for sleep consume him.
The next day went on as usual. The tribe were very busy these times with rebuilding everything that had been lost. But sometime during the afternoon, Jake decided to follow up on his plan from the previous night.
He headed out into the forest and made his way to Hell's Gate with an outstanding pace. He was certain that there were some barbells to find inside the abandoned base, he had after all seen the colonel use them a long time ago.
After some time searching he found exactly what he was looking for and made his way back towards the clan with his "prey". Transporting the equipment wasn't easy, and so it took him several hours and a lot of effort to get back in one piece.
The following weeks all went by rather fast, and each day the Olo'eyktan was seen sneaking off into the woods, returning a while later looking all sweaty and exhausted.
Jake himself couldn't believe what he was witnessing the first time he saw his reflecting in the water. It had only been a few days but his muscles had grown quite a bit. It was as if he was doing steroids, only they were many times more effective. The Na'vi body sure was amazing.
But one evening when Jake after a stunning meal went to his alcove to rest with his mate, he was confronted with her concerns.
"My Jake, sit down we need to talk. Now." Neytiri said in a voice that emanated a mix of many sad emotions.
He willingly obeyed and sat down on the stiff branches below, positioning himself just in front of her.
"Jake, why are you acting weird. Every day I see you go into the forest and come back looking tired. A lot of the females are looking at you now. A few days ago you even talked with an un-mated female and you were both laughing. Do you regret mating with me for life?"
Jake couldn't believe what she had just asked him. Staring deep into her big glowing eyes, which were filled with tears, he did the only thing that came natural to him. He laughed.
Neytiri was shocked with his response. Was all this just a joke to him? Her, the tribe, everything? She felt more tears starting to form in her eyes and felt like getting up and running away just as his laughing stopped. He grabbed her right hand with his, let his fingers slip in between her, and moved their hands to his chest without ever letting his sight leave hers.
"As long as this beats" he lightly let their joined hands bump into the left part of his chest "it beats for you."
She felt love overcome her being as she heard his words and understood just how much he meant it.
"But why these things then?" she asked.
"Come, I'll show you." Jake replied, pulling her with him into the forest.
After a short walk he stopped in front of something she couldn't really describe. It was shiny, but seemed to be heavy since it had left marks in the dirt beneath it.
Jake bend over and lifted the barbell in the air, then dropped it on the dirt.
"I have been working out you see."
"Working out?" Neytiri asked with much confusion in her voice.
"Yeah. Training my body."
"Again, why?"
Jake did a quick flex with his arms and chest before answering.
"You always make yourself beautiful for me, so I thought I would try to do the same for you. I asked Peyral, that un-mated female you mentioned earlier, what females thought looked nice. She said a masculine appearance, so I started doing this… For you."
She was stunned. Had he really been going through all this trouble just for her sake, to make her feel special? She had never heard of males making themselves look good for their mates, but she had to admit, he looked absolutely amazing, and her desire for him had in fact increased a lot these last few days.
"I always thought you were handsome My Jake, you didn't need to do this. But I really like it. Now come, it is very late and we are both tired." she said before leading him back to their home. The walk back was filled with laughter and cries of joy as the two played their way, tugging each other's tails, hugging and kissing deeply whenever the opportunity showed itself.
Arriving back at their alcove they completed the night by making passionately love, both of them filled with the need of being as close as possible to the other. After their physical adventure had ended, they laid cradled in each other's arms in the hammock. Tails and fingers entwined, nothing could ruin this precious moment.
"I still can't believe that you would think I regretted mating with you Neytiri. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Every day I thank Eywa for bringing you to me you know? I would walk through fire just to see you smile."
As a response she just snuggled even closer to him, shutting her eyes and making a soft whimper of joy. How could she ever have been this stupid. Jake belonged to her, and her alone. Nothing would ever be able to separate them no matter what it was.
"skxawng".