A/n: Guys, I genuinely don't know who's pov to do for chapter 4, so if you want a chapter 4 at all, then I kinda need some suggestions. I have a bit written from Tuk's pov but idk if it'll be enough content. Otherwise I'll end off on the next chapter which isn't a bad idea bc of the ending of chapter 3 but I also don't want this story to be just 3 chapters. In summary, just lmk who's pov u would like to see. ;)
His hands were red with his brother's blood.
And it was all his fault. It was his fault for always dragging his brother along with his stupid ideas, and him, being so protective had got along every time just to make sure he was safe the he'd take the blame. Now, in an effort to keep him safe, Neteyam had gotten hurt.
Him and his stupid, impulsive decisions.
Oh no, one of their last conversations had included him telling Neteyam that Payakan was more of a brother than Neteyam was. Was that really one of the last conversations he'd ever had with his brother? About how his brother was the 'perfect son' and how he would never be like him. He never meant to say it, but he'd been so fed up of everything and how his brother set such high standards for him that their dad always compared him to and he was so done with it.
But… now that he thought about it, he realized that he'd never considered Neteyam's side of it. He'd never thought about how much pressure his older brother must have been under. He himself only had to live up to the standards Neteyam had set, but Neteyam had to live up to their dad's legacy.
All their siblings knew what it was like, to have to uphold their dad's, Jake Sully's legacy. It was exhausting. Lo'ak had never thought about how it must have been for Neteyam though, how much worse the pressure must have been as Jake Sully's firstborn son. Neteyam had never complained as far as Lo'ak knew, but his brother's every move must have been so calculated, so driven by the fear of making a mistake.
How had his brother managed? Not only with the pressure of that, but Neteyam always had to deal with Lo'ak and his crazy ideas. It couldn't have been an easy task, to look out for him and keep him safe. Yet Neteyam had never complained. The closest he'd ever gotten had been good-natured teasing.
Lo'ak's eyes drifted to where his brother's body lay, eyes still open. The reality of the situation hit him suddenly and he couldn't breathe.
His brother was gone.
Gone forever.
He was now the oldest, the oldest sibling, the only son of Jake Sully and Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite. All of his brother's responsibilities were now his.
His breath quickened. What if he made a mistake? What if he disappointed his parents even more? His father already blamed him for this. Was this how his brother had always felt?
How much had Neteyam been hiding? How long had he been keeping this all to himself? The move itself had been hard on everyone, on top of having to act nice and stay out of trouble for his parents' sake. Neteyam had managed perfectly, making it seem so easy and making Lo'ak look like a fool but how much had he held to himself just to uphold those standards?
How did he know so little about his own brother?
Why was he only realising this now? When it was too late? When he was sitting with his brother's blood literally on his hands?
He stood up.
He stood up and went to his father. He was going to make things right. He'd help avenge his brother's death and…
No. You've done enough.
His father's words pierced his already aching heart. He already blamed himself but knowing that his father did too was a new kind of pain. Even after his parents had left, he stayed frozen for a few seconds. He'd forgotten Reya was there.
He moved towards the ocean, only to be stopped by Reya. But he didn't let her do anything.
Nothing and no one would stop him now.
A/n: Full disclosure, this chapter was not intended to be that short. Was the first one that short too? Oh well. Umm… yeah, so like I said before, chapter 4 is totally open and I am taking suggestions. Next chapter is from Jake's pov so that should be fun (half joking, it might be really sad lol). Anyways… stay safe, be kind and see ya soon.
- CrowofArcadiaOaks