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-x-

A routine was developed after that day in the Hallelujah Mountains—it was generally business as usual, with the trio assisting on hunting parties and patrolling the boarders, slowly but surely gaining Jake an accepted place within the tribe as an established, helpful member, but every few days, they would find an excuse to make themselves scarce. Those days, they would travel by íkran together until they were far enough away from the watchful eyes of the Omaticaya territory, then Neytiri would break off from the two men and make her way up to the mobile unit alone.

They never followed her, for all her teasing and bothering, she had always afforded them their privacy, so they intended to extend the same courtesy to her. They would use the time to fly together, soaring high among the clouds, before taking refuge on a designated cliff side where Neytiri knew where to find them when she was ready to return to Hometree.

They never asked questions when she returned with a smile permanently soldered onto her face, never pressed for any information she didn't willingly give. For all the support she had given them, all annoying antics aside, they had silently agreed to help her in whatever way she needed.

They had teased her relentlessly in the first few days, reveling in the high color in her cheeks as she cursed at them. As time pressed on and the visits continued, however, a certain weight seemed to press down upon them heavier and heavier with each trip.

It wasn't that they had thought Neytiri would lose interest in her woman in the Mountains, but they knew, better than anyone, that secrets never stayed secrets forever, and with each trip, Neytiri took longer and longer to return.

It was nearly nightfall as Jake and Tsu'tey sat cross legged against the cliff wall, anxiety thrumming between them, nearly choking them.

"She's never taken this long before," Jake said suddenly, breaking the unspoken rule they had about not mentioning or complaining about Neytiri's more burdensome actions.

"I know," Tsu'tey sighed, a weight seeming to lift off his shoulders as he sunk slightly against the wall, "I do not wish to discourage her..."

"No," Jake agreed quickly, "of course not, she deserves this, but..."

"But," Tsu'tey agreed, letting silence fall between them for a moment before continuing, "I would like to know what her plans are... in the long term."

"Trudy wants to stay behind, like me, I know that," Jake said, quietly, feeling somehow as though he was betraying her trust by saying it aloud.

Tsu'tey let out a huff of air, letting his head fall back to knock against the rock, "none of this is logical."

Jake chuckled at that, "I mean," he reached out and took Tsu'tey's hand in his own, "our situation isn't exactly logical either, I don't know how..." the words 'we're going to make this work' died on his lips as Tsu'tey's eyes meet his, imploring him not to say the ever present question aloud.

"She is a human in a human body," Tsu'tey continued, his voice slightly stilted, "she cannot breathe our air, she is so small, what does Neytiri plan to do? Keep the woman locked away in that building, forever a secret?"

Jake cringed at that, thinking of Trudy being kept alone in the mobile unit, hidden like a shameful thing.

"I don't know," Jake sighed, scooting closer to the other man so their knees knocked together, "I don't see any kind of easy solution that's maintainable in the long term."

"I only hope she had put some sort of thought into this," Tsu'tey clicked his tongue, a scowl forming on his face, "We had our bond to prove our union worthy, not to mention a body they are more willing to accept," Tsu'tey ran his thumb thoughtful over the callouses building along Jake's palm, "they do not."

They fell into silence once more, pressed against each other in comfort, until they heard the screech of Neytiri's íkran. She did not stop to land, as she usually did, instead choosing to fly past them in a flash of blue and green.

They stared at each other, confusion burning suddenly in their chests, before scrambling to their feet and mounting their íkrans.

They dove off the ledge, before banking upwards, shooting off in the direction Neytiri had gone, towards Hometree. They could see her in the distance, flying fast, making no attempt to allow them to catch up to her.

Jake looked at Tsu'tey out of the corner of his eye and saw the anxiety rising in his face, he was sure he looked similar as they chased after her, imploring their íkran to speed up, but never being able to close the gap between them.

Without warning, Neytiri dropped into a steep dive, farther out from Hometree than they would normally land. The men exchanged looks again before quickly dropping after her. It took a moment to find her again after breaking through the layer of mist covering the tree tops, but they caught sight of the emerald green wings disappearing into the depths of the wilderness.

"What the fuck is she doing?" Jake finally shouted over the rush of wind as they dove toward the canopy where they'd seen her vanish.

Tsu'tey did not reply, but he met Jake's eyes, and Jake saw his own confusion and worry mirrored back at him.

Once they broke through the first layer of foliage, they were able to see Neytiri's íkran pacing madly on the forest floor below.

They landed quickly among the thick branches on the trees and scaled their way down to where the lone íkran had been left.

Jake reached up, running his hand gently over its hard jaw, calming it to some degree as Tsu'tey searched for signs of Neytiri.

"This way," Tsu'tey said quietly, indicating the direction he thought the woman had run off to.

"Do you think they fought or-" Jake whispered as they walked, but his voices trailed off as they heard the babbling of a creek nearby and the unmistakable sound of splashing.

They took off in the direction of the noise, bursting through the brush to a clearing where Neytiri sat, crouched beside a creek bed, splashing the water over herself with manic, desperate movement.

"Neytiri, what the fuck-" Jake started as they approached, but he was cut off as they neared her and they were suddenly hit with an overwhelming smell, something musky and oddly sweet, but also something the two men knew, without really knowing, was undeniably Trudy.

"Oh Neytiri," Tsu'tey groaned as they got closer to her, her erratic movements never stopping, "You didn't..."

"I do not know..." a sob broke from her lips, her shoulders beginning to shake, back still turned to them, "I do not know what happened, I did not mean to, we were talking, just talking, and..."

The two men, having finally reached her, moved to crouch on either side of her, not wanting to stand, looming over their panicking friend.

"That is not going to help," Tsu'tey said softly, sympathy coating his voice like a balm, as he reached out slowly and took Neytiri's hands, stopping her frantic attempts to wash the scent off herself.

"It might," her voice cracked as she stared into the water, her eyes impossibly wide.

"It won't," Jake said with a small shake of his head, "You don't think we tried that the second time? Nothing helps, it just has to go away on its own."

"Then we will stay out here until it is gone," Neytiri's voice shook.

"We cannot stay out here in the forest overnight," Tsu'tey frowned, looking at Jake over the top of Neytiri's head, a helpless look clouding his eyes, "it is not safe."

A fresh sob escaped Neytiri's lips, and she pulled her hands away from Tsu'tey's grasp to cover her face, "I know."

"Maybe we can sneak in without anyone seeing," Jake said, placing what he hoped was a comforting hand on Neytiri's shoulder, he'd never been very good at comforting people.

She shook her head beneath her hands, "they will know the moment we step foot in Hometree, if mother does not already know, because mother knows everything."

The three of them sat in silence for a while, the sun setting and the soft glow of bioluminescence beginning to fill the area around them.

"Is this what you believe the will of Eywa has laid out for you?" Tsu'tey asked in a soft, cautious voice.

Neytiri let out a long exhale before answering, "Yes," she was quiet for a moment longer, "nothing has ever felt as right as being with her."

"Well, then things will work out," Jake said, shooting her a smile she couldn't see, "I mean, it's not like you actually bonded with her or anything, it was just sex."

Neytiri was deadly quiet at that, her whole body stilling, Jake wasn't even sure she was breathing.

"Neytiri?" Tsu'tey's brows drew together as he ducked his head, trying to get a look at his friend's face.

Silence.

"Neytiri?" Jake tried, the hands on her shoulder, meant to be comforting, tightened as something sick and heavy settled in around them, "Neytiri what the fuck is going on?"

"I-" Neytiri choked on air as she finally drew in a breath, "I did not mean to... I did not know."

"What are you talking about?" Tsu'tey's tone hardened slightly, his confusion mounting once more.

"I did not know," Neytiri repeated as though that was an answer.

"You didn't know what?" Jake asked, confusion mixing with panic in his gut, "what did you do?"

"I did it without thinking," Neytiri's voice broke, "I did not even know, I had my hand on the back of her neck..." Neytiri lowered her hands from her face to glare at the appendages s as though they were to blame, "and I felt something, I felt..." she took a shuttering breath, "I made the connection there, without even thinking, as though it was instinct."

"You..." Jake felt like all the air had left his lungs, "You 'made the connection'... you don't mean..."

"You attempted a form a tsaheylu... with her? With a human body?" Tsu'tey looked like he was going to pass out.

"I did not attempt," Neytiri hissed, "I did."

The two men could do nothing but blink at each other for several seconds, all semblance of thought leaving their heads at her words, replaced by a roaring in their ears as they tried to calm the panic clawing at their throats.

"That is not possible," Tsu'tey said, so quietly the rising water nearly drowned him out.

"I do not know what you want me to say," Neytiri snapped, "I put my tswin against the back of her neck and it worked."

"Is Trudy okay?" Jake asked, sudden fear for his new friend twisting dark in his gut.

"Yes, do you think I would have left her if she was injured by it?" Neytiri bit back with more venom than necessary.

"Hey don't get pissed at me, I'm not the one who just forced a permanent bond of someone, without asking, that I literally just met two weeks ago," Jake tried to quell the fear and frustration that tended to spike his temper, but perhaps two weeks of walking on eggshells regarding Neytiri's affair had been more stressful than he'd realized, "not to mention that she's not Na'vi, Neytiri, she's a human in a human body and you have no idea what that might do to her."

"You do not think I realize this?" Neytiri shot back, tears threatening her eyes, despite the harshness of her tone.

"How should I know?" Jake frowned, "You haven't been telling us shit, haven't told us how you're planning to keep this up, how you're planning to maintain things after all this is over because you know she's planning on staying for you, right? You've been keeping us in the dark and we haven't said shit because we thought you'd tell us when you were ready, but... fuck, Neytiri."

"I do not know what I am going to do," Neytiri buried her face in her hands again, all the venom dying in her voice as a sob shook her whole upper body, "I have not been able to come up with any plan at all."

"You should have been talking to us," Tsu'tey scolded softly, looking very tired, "You need not struggle alone. Would it not be better for all three of us to attempt to work out a solution?"

"Shut up," Neytiri sobbed into her hands, "I do not like it when you two are smarter than me."

"Well get used to it," Jake sighed, a tired smile tugging at his lips, "because love apparently makes you lose your damn mind."

"Mother and father are going to kill me when we return," Neytiri said, her voice choked and wet.

"They will not be happy," Tsu'tey worried at his lower lip, "but, you are not intended for anyone else. They had accepted the idea of you remaining unbonded forever, they will accept this... with time."

"And we'll be there to help explain, and take some of the blame," Jake said, some mix between confidence and resignation in his voice, "it can't go too much worse than my first day."

"You are certain we cannot just stay out here until tomorrow?" Neytiri groaned.

"I am not willing to be eaten by wild animals so you can avoid the consequences of your actions," Tsu'tey scowled at her.

"Selfish," Neytiri muttered, but a laugh escaped her lips despite herself.

"Come on," Tsu'tey said softly, rising to his feet, "we should get it over with."

"You could just leave me here," Neytiri let out a huff of air, no fight behind the words.

"Nope," Jake shook his head, following Tsu'tey's lead and standing, despite the protest his knees gave from crouching for so long, "time to face the music."

"I doubt there will be music," Neytiri grumbled as she followed them to her feet.

"It's a human expression," Jake shrugged as they began walking back to where they had left their íkrans.

"Oh, well I should probably learn all of these human expressions since my father will probably banish me to go live on your filthy dead planet."

Jake couldn't help but laugh at that, "I don't think you'd like it there," he stuck his tongue out over his shoulder at her deadpanned expression, "You wouldn't fit through any of the doorways anyway."

-x-

Their short walk from where they landed their íkrans, before instructing them to return to their roost, was mercifully empty. The two men walked beside each other with Neytiri at their flank, so they would be the first to encounter any interactions. It was clear supper had concluded shortly before they arrived, as small crowds were scattered about the common area, each one falling deathly silent as they passed. They made it about halfway to the trunk of Hometree before the voice of Eytukan cut through the air like a crack of thunder. "Neytiri," He emerged from the small group he had been standing in, his eyes ablaze as he made his way towards them, "what is the meaning of this? Why do you reek with the stench of a Skyperson?"

Neytiri, to her credit, did not turn tail and run, as she so obviously wanted to, "Father, I can explain."

"Explain?" His voice rose as he stood before them, his anger growing when Jake and Tsu'tey did not move aside and divest Neytiri of what little protection they could offer, "what explanation could there possibly be?"

"It is the will of Eywa," Neytiri tried, her voice managing not to waver as she spoke.

"You cannot claim that every discretion that benefits you is the will of Eywa," Eytukan shouted, the torches around them passing harsh shadows across his weathered face, drawn in anger.

"I was drawn to them as I have never been to another," Neytiri sounded pained with the admission, not used to the vulnerability the conversation demanded.

"Which Dreamwalker was it, they will no longer be welcomed," his eyes flashed dangerously.

"It was not a Dreamwalker," Neytiri seemed to retreat in on herself as she spoke, trying to seem as small as possible, "it was a human."

Eytukan's face spasmed at that, his mouth opening and closing for several agonizing seconds, "what madness has overcome you? Has your mind been poisoned by the relationship of Tsu'tey and Jake-Sully, have they corrupted your mind so much that you too sought out the company of a Skyperson?"

"Hey now," Jake felt himself begin to protest, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, Neytiri pushing past the barrier the two men had been maintaining to stand between them, beside them.

"You lose yourself in your anger for me," Neytiri's eyes narrowed darkly, "you have no place to insult Tsu'tey and Jake-Sully's bond because you wish it to be the cause for my actions. My actions are my own. I met the human because I desired to, I made Tsu'tey and Jake-Sully cover for me when I continued to seek out her company, and today I made the decision to form a tsaheylu with her."

Eytukan made a motion towards her, whether to slap her or grab her, they were not sure, but Jake and Tsu'tey were quick to push her back behind them again, a low growl escaping both their throats.

"You have dishonored yourself and your clan, daughter," Eytukan snapped, "You have ruined yourself for the sake of some human who did not even have the courage to accompany you."

"So You could kill her once we arrived?" Neytiri bit back, her voice hard.

"Eytukan," Tsu'tey started, his voice calm and even, managing not to flinch when the man before them snapped his head to face him, his eyes ablaze with anger, "Neytiri is promised to no one. You found the mercy in yourself to accept my bond with Jake, even though I was intended for your daughter. You accepted then, the idea of Neytiri never bonding with anyone, accepting her willingness to become the Tsahìk in the future and lead the clan by my side with my mate. I implore you to find that mercy again to accept the choice Neytiri has made."

"You speak out of turn, Tsu'tey," Eytukan snarled, "I accepted your bond because you are tì'i'avay krrä yawntu, chosen by Eywa for some reason." He spat out the last words like a poison.

"My love, calm your anger," the calm, clear voice of Mo'at sounded behind them as she descended from Hometree, seeming to glide across the forest floor as she approached them, "you have forgotten yourself."

Eytukan turned to face his mate, his shackles still raised, his mouth open as though to argue, but she silenced him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"We have seen Eywa's reason for Tsu'tey's bond with Jake-Sully," Mo'at turned her head to look at the trio with soft eyes, "Jake-Sully has more than proved himself a value to us and a worthy member of our clan, this is something you have said yourself."

Something akin to shame shadowed Eytukan eyes for the briefest of moments, before it was gone, replaced once more by indignation, "that is beside the point, the influence of the Skypeople has poisoned our daughters mind."

Mo'at ignored her mate in favor of focusing her attention on Neytiri, who reluctantly met her mother's gaze, "Neytiri is to become the Tsahìk one day, she has been chosen by Eywa long ago. If Neytiri was drawn to this Skyperson, it is for a reason. If Eywa has allowed her to form a tsaheylu with a Skyperson, then we must believe that Eywa has deemed Skypeople capable of bonds. We have already accepted that Eywa has intended a Skyperson who is a Dreamwalker as mate for one of our people," she sent Jake a kind look that calmed some of the tension in the shoulders, though he did not break his wall of protection for Neytiri, "we must also accept that Eywa might intend a Skyperson who is not a Dreamwalker for our daughter."

"Mo'at-" Eytukan started to argue, but Mo'at raised a hand to him, without sparing him a glance.

"You will bring this Skyperson here tomorrow," when all three mouths of the trio fell open, she cut them off quickly, "no harm will come to her, that I will promise you. I understand why you did not bring her today, but it is dishonorable to hide your bondmate from your clan and I will not have my daughter act in a dishonorable manner."

"Yes, mother," Neytiri bowed her head, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion.

"And you two," Mo'at turned to face Jake and Tsu'tey fully, disapproval clear on her face. She reached for them and they, to their credit, did not flinch away, as she began poking and prodding at them, looking into their eyes, inspecting their ears and skin and gums, "stop sneaking around and lying, even if it is for love or for the sake of my troublesome daughter, it is bad for your health."

"Yes, ma'am," they muttered out, successfully scorned.

"Now, go to sleep you three, we will discuss this matter further tomorrow," Mo'at stepped back from them, moving to stand beside Eytukan, who looked as though he was caught between residual anger and reluctant resignation.

The trio said quiet, rushed thank you's and good night's and offered polite bows of their heads before heading towards the trunk of Hometree.

They walked almost shoulder to shoulder, bumping against each other with every few steps in leu of conversation. They ignored the stares and whispers as they made their way up the spiral, they were getting used to the stares and the whispers.

Once they reached their isolated sleeping area, they allowed themselves to relax slightly, releasing breathes they hadn't realized they were holding.

"You okay?" Jake asked, eyeing Neytiri cautiously, worried she might fall apart the second she opened her mouth.

She let out a shuttering breath, her shoulders dipping under an invisible weight they knew all too well, "it could have gone worse." Her voice shook a bit, unable to meet their eyes.

"I will talk to Trudy," Jake said in a soft voice, "I'll let her know what happened."

Neytiri groaned at that, looking up into the canopy above them, as though begging for the sky to swallow her up.

"I'm gonna have to tell Grace and Norm, we can't just go abducting Trudy tomorrow without explanation," Jake grimaced as a fresh groan escaped Neytiri's throat.

"Yes, I know," she snapped at him, but there was no venom in her tone, she just sounded tired.

"I'll have them run some scans on her, make sure the bond didn't do anything weird to her head," Jake said, almost absentmindedly, not realizing how insensitive it might've sounded until Neytiri's head snapped forward and she was looking at him with wide panicked eyes, "but I'm sure it's fine," he back tracked, waving his hands in front of his face, "I just meant as a precaution."

Neytiri let out something akin to a whimper, "why did I do this, it is so stupid."

Jake and Tsu'tey looked at each other, neither one of them emotionally intelligent enough to feel confident enough to comfort their friend.

"Hey, I think it's great," Jake smiled at her confused face, "now we know that you're just as fucking stupid as we are."

Neytiri let out a snort of laughter at that despite herself, but still didn't look any less miserable.

Catching on, Tsu'tey hummed, letting the corner of his lips quirk upwards, "Yes, you are no longer allowed to make fun of us. What was is you said about the two of us having the self control of Syaksyuks in heat?"

"Alright, alright," Neytiri laughed, though her eyes were still a bit sad.

"Don't worry, Neytiri," Jake reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder, "the four of us can be idiots together."

"You three can be idiots," Tsu'tey clicked his tongue in indignation, "I am of above average intelligence."

At that, Neytiri laughed so hard, she seemed to forget how to breathe, though Tsu'tey wasn't certain what she found so funny.