Sorry this is just a short little filler chapter after last night's chapter's events.

The celebration and sounds of cheering felt far away from him now, though they'd been surrounded by it only moments ago. Now, the world around them was quiet as they made the short trek to the Omaticaya burial ground.

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel, seeing his own lifeless body clutched so tightly in Tsu'tey's arms. He was here, walking right beside him, and Tsu'tey knew that, but Jake knew that didn't keep the other man from feeling the loss.

He felt it too, though perhaps in a different way.

He would not stop Tsu'tey from grieving, he would allow him that much as they approached the spot where his body would be laid to rest, placed among the other warriors.

A crowd of Na'vi had joined them there to grieve with them, even if they didn't truly understand, but as the moments stretched on, they all eventually fell away until only the quartet and Grace and Norm remained.

They wouldn't say it, but they stayed silent until Tsu'tey finally stopped crying.

"Are you guys okay?" Grace asked from where they all sat, knelt in the dirt over the freshly covered grave, "it's been a long... weird day."

They were quiet for another moment before Trudy nodded, now free of her mask forever, "we're okay," she said, reaching out and taking Neytiri's hand, "I think we're just glad it's over, one less thing to worry about."

Neytiri nodded her agreement, though she looked drained, like she'd been awake for a few days straight, and maybe she had been.

"We'll be okay," Jake said, staring down at the soil, trying to absorb the fact that it was his body beneath it, trying to work past the shock of it, "I think we just need some time, you know?"

Their friends nodded at that, seeming to understand it as the dismissal that it was, as they made their way to their feet.

"We'll see you two in a while for the celebrations, okay?" Trudy said over her shoulder with a gentle smile, not waiting for an answer as she pulled Neytiri away, Grace and Norm following after them.

Silence stretched out between them long enough that Jake almost wondered if Tsu'tey would prefer if he leave as well, until he felt a hand reach out and take his own, lacing their fingers together.

"What did you see while you were in there?" Tsu'tey asked in a raspy voice, strained with too many emotions, "you were crying when you came back into your body."

Jake tried to focus on the question and not on the fact that Tsu'tey had said 'your body' and not 'this body,' because a part of him had worried, despite all the reassurances Tsu'tey had given him, that the other man would struggle to consider his Na'vi form as Jake's body and not as some temporary vessel.

"I saw," Jake started, squeezing at Tsu'tey's hand, "I saw millions of souls, all of them shouting my name, like they wanted me to make it back to you."

"You saw the Omaticaya ancestors?" Tsu'tey's eyes were wide as he stared at him.

Jake hummed thoughtfully, "in some sort of way," he ran his thumb over the knuckles of Tsu'tey's hand, so grateful he was able to be there beside him, "I yelled at your family, probably made a fool of myself, but I've never been good at first impressions."

Tsu'tey seemed to have frozen in place at Jake's words, and maybe there was something to what Grace has said about Jake learning how to be a little more tactful.

"You..." Tsu'tey choked on the word, his brow knitting together, struggling to process the half-baked information Jake had thrown at him, "my family? Why did you... yell... at my family?"

"I didn't yell at them," Jake clarified with a wave of his hand, "I shouted for them."

Tsu'tey was again staring at him with wide, bewildered eyes and it wasn't until he all but shouted, "and?" That Jake realized he should probably continue the story.

He felt a blush burn across his cheeks as he felt himself get swallowed in by those wide, golden eyes, "I promised them I'd protect you. I told them we'd meet again someday and we'd tell them about all the trouble we've gotten into, so your mom will know I'm not the only delinquent in this relationship."

Tsu'tey stared at him for another long moment, and then he was crying again.

Jake didn't say anything more, just shifted so their sides were pressed together, their hands still intertwined, and let Tsu'tey cry until the tears ran out.

-x-

Jake sat on a low platform, overlooking the rest of the Omaticaya clan who was gathered for supper. He was alone at the front edge of the structure, Tsu'tey having had gone to get their food, and Neytiri and Trudy had been pulled away by a chattering group to partake in some of the rowdier festivities.

He was trying not to pay too much mind to the feeling of Eytukan and Mo'at sitting just behind him, but that became impossible when the Olo'eyktan's deep voice sounded from just beyond his shoulder.

"Do you grieve as Tsu'tey does for the loss of your human body?"

Jake was taken aback by the question, but managed to keep his back straight as he continued to stare forward into the crowd, "not in the same way. That body was familiar to me, it was the body my family knew me in, for that, I grieve."

Eytukan made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded like understanding, "you are no longer a Dreamwalker, Jake-Sully. Though you may be of two worlds, you are no longer of two bodies. You may still have the appearance of a Dreamwalker, but you are Na'vi, do not let anyone tell you different. This is the will of Eywa."

"Yes, sir," Jake said, his voice quiet, any further conversation dying between them as Tsu'tey returned with their food.

-x-

Jake allowed Tsu'tey to guide him by the hand to their hammock, it somehow feeling like it had the first time he'd ever been brought there. Tsu'tey climbed in first and Jake followed in after him, brushing his hand over the edges so they would close around them, blocking out the majority of the moon light from above and the fire light from below.

The celebrations were still going full force down on the forest floor, would probably still be going on by the time the sun came up, but Jake and Tsu'tey hadn't had the energy to keep up with any of it and no one had blamed them for retiring early.

They lay there a moment staring at each other, barely touching, until Jake reached out to cup Tsu'tey's jaw in his hand.

"I'm not going to ask if you're okay," Jake whispered into the space between them, "because I know you're not. I'm sorry we had to go through all this, nothing in our relationship seems to come easy."

Tsu'tey's eyes seemed to search Jake's face for a moment, before meeting his gaze, "some of it is easy," he whispered back, "loving you has always been easy."

Jake felt the words tear into his chest, burrow into his heart and settle there, aching, "I will love you until the end of time, Tsu'tey, I promise you that."

Jake watched a small smile pull at the other man's lips, and the ache in his chest only grew, "you are making many promises today, my Jake."

He laughed at that, returning the smile, "and I've meant every single one."

"I know."

They met in the middle, just a gentle brushing of lips, no heat behind it, just a reminder that they were there, solid and alive beside each other.

They fell asleep like that, their faces pressed together, their legs tangled, comfortable and safe and warm.

-x-

Jake opened his eyes, blinking against the soft golden light bathing him in its warmth. Once his eyes adjusted, he had to blink several more times to make sure he wasn't imagining the rolling hills of Iowa stretched out before him.

It took him another moment to recognize the heat of another body sitting beside him, and when he looked over, treating his eyes away from the fields he hadn't seen in so long, Tsu'tey was there, staring out with wide eyes.

Jake laughed when he looked down and realized they were sitting on the tailgate of an old pickup truck, their bare legs pressed against the warm, sun bleached red metal.

"This is..." Tsu'tey breathed out, finally tearing his eyes away from the horizon to stare at Jake in wonder, "I recognize this place."

"It's my grandparents' farm," Jake said, looking back out at the miles of corn field, "I'm a little surprised you remember it, they died so long ago, and we had to sell it."

"How could I forget?" Tsu'tey reached between them to hold Jake's hand, solid in his own, "this was your favorite place."

Jake let out a shaking breath, "yeah, it was. Me and Tommy used to come here every chance we'd get, it was so much nicer than being in the city. I ran away the day they told me they were going to sell it."

"I remember," Tsu'tey chuckled, "I told my mother, she said she felt sorry for your parents who had to raise such a stubborn, passionate child."

They laughed together at the memories before Jake turned to Tsu'tey with a serious expression, "you're actually here, right? We're sharing this? I don't know what normal dreams feel like, but I don't think this is it."

"No, I think you are correct," Tsu'tey smiled, "I believe I am here with you, at least, I hope that I am. I suppose we could wake up now and find out."

"No," Jake shook his head, "I'm pretty sure this is real, and it's too nice to risk ending it."

Tsu'tey leaned forward to brush their lips together, "I agree, my Jake."

"Come on then," he said, standing up from the tailgate, the old truck groaning with the shift in weight, holding out his hand to the other man, "I'll give you a tour."

"I am very familiar with the property," Tsu'tey said, but took Jake's offered hand anyway.

"I know," Jake smiled as he tugged Tsu'tey to his feet and began leading him out towards where he thought the farm house be. Only to pivot on his heels when Tsu'tey tapped him on the shoulder with a laugh and pointed him in the right direction.

I really have no good reason to make Jake be from Iowa, the cannon doesn't actually say where he's from, I'm not from Iowa, I've never been to Iowa.

If I'm being honest, I only picked it because I'm a big ol' Star Trek nerd and Jake and Tsu'tey give me Jim and Spock vibes.