Jake stayed busy as Olo’eyktan, a position Tsu’tey had passed down to him when his own fate was up in the air during the Battle of the Hallelujah Mountains. Ultimately, Tsu’tey had asked that Jake continue to lead when he had tried giving the title back to his healed brother-in-law. Tsu’tey found that he enjoyed having the pressure off of him for once in his life, and Jake thrived at making tactical decisions and delegating tough situations. Tsu’tey still operated as an advisor and as, what Jake called, “his general” of the warriors.

“I want you to be honest with me,” you urged, and this gained Tsu’tey’s attention fully. 

He dropped the cut fruit in a basket and laid the knife down too. “What is it? Is something wrong?” he asked.

“No,” you assured him, but the sigh you released did not make him feel any less on edge. “I do not feel like I once did. I am afraid that I am not pretty anymore. Am I still… Do I look different?” you asked. The tone of your voice was raw and cracked wide open. Tsu’tey’s heart ached for his little sister. 

“You are very pretty. Why would you say you are not?” Tsu’tey pushed, taking his sister's hands in his as another set of footsteps echoed just outside. You and Tsu’tey’s ears perked at the noise and your heads turned in the direction of the open entrance. Your other brother, Arvok, stood in the doorway, a tool he had borrowed from Jake a week ago clutched in his hand. He was obviously here to return it, but had stumbled onto your pity party instead. 

You sighed in relief that it was not your mate, embarrassed at the idea of Jake finding you upset about something so trivial. Tsu’tey, who was also glad that it was not Jake, needed his sister to tell him more so he could properly lay into her mate with all the required information. 

“What is the matter?” Arvok asked, his smile quickly replaced with a frown as he took in your teary eyes and Tsu’tey’s furrowed brow. 

“It is nothing,” you shook your head, laughing humorlessly even as the first tear threatened to fall. 

“It is not nothing. Do I need to kick the skxawng out so you will tell me?” Tsu’tey asked, making you form a small, genuine smile. 

You shook your head, “No, Arvok can stay.” You looked up to your other brother with that same broken smile and Arvok felt his jaw clench. He would kill whoever did this to you. 

“What is wrong?” he asked again, kneeling down next to you. 

You pursed your lips. “I just need someone to tell me if I am ugly,” you groaned.

Arvok reared his head back in surprise. “What? You are not!” 

“Tell me why you would say this,” Tsu’tey requested. 

“No reason,” you shrugged, semi-relieved that they did not think you looked like a monster, but also regretting your choice of input since your brothers were fiercely protective of you, and saw their baby sister as perfect, no matter what you did. They were entirely biased.

“You would not say this for no reason,” Arvok pointed out. “Something must be bothering you to cause this.”

“I have gained weight recently,” you admitted. 

Jake had noticed too. He would never say it, but you had caught him looking at your fuller breasts, the slope of your hips, the softness of your thighs and stomach. You had grown insecure in the past few weeks, hating to have his eyes on you, but hating even more to voice your concern and make him hyperaware of the change. 

“I had not noticed. You look very much the same to me,” Arvok assured you, “But even so, that means you are well fed and live comfortably. Is that not a good thing? Do you remember the winters where we did not eat but once a day, how skinny and miserable we were?” 

Tsu’tey ground his teeth. He hated the memories of those dark days when his younger siblings grew more and more gaunt and his parents became quiet. Eywa always provided, and she had when spring had come, but the time between nearly killed him from worry. 

“Thank you, Arvok,” you smiled, your spirit settled at the reminder, glad to voice what had been gnawing at you for so long. Arvok turned his gaze to Tsu’tey who realized he should speak as well. 

“You are beautiful, Tsmuke, both then and now. What does your mate say about this?” Tsu’tey asked. Surely, Jake was treating you well and telling you everyday how beautiful you were. But then again, if he had, then you would not need your brothers to assure you. 

“He has not said anything,” you shrugged, but the upset look behind your eyes gave Tsu’tey a better guess at the truth. “We have not spoken about it, but…” you trailed off, unsure of what to say to not make Jake come across as a bad mate because he was not. You liked that your brothers and your mate were friends, you never wanted to give a bad impression of one about the other.

“But…” Arvok prodded for you to continue and your eyes widened. 

“Nothing,” you said again, “I am just being insecure.”

Tsu’tey and Arvok’s eyes met over your head, both thinking the same thing. Rage simmered in their stomach’s at the thought of you being treated so coldly and being neglected by the man they thought had treated you like you hung the very stars in the sky.

“You should eat, we will see you later today,” Tsu’tey encouraged you.

You nodded, squeezing Tsu’tey’s hands that still gripped yours. Arvok wanted to stay until he had at least seen you eat a few bites, afraid that you would not eat, but Tsu’tey stood and nodded at him to follow. Purely because of the fury in his older brother’s gold eyes, Arvok was quick to get up and trail after him. 

As soon as they were outside and had stomped far enough out of your earshot, Tsu’tey started sharing his thoughts. 

“Jake must make amends for this. I have never seen her like this. There must be something he is doing to make her feel this way,” Tsu’tey growled, marching ahead to the training grounds where he knew Jake would be training the older teens. 

“But she said that he had not spoken about it,” Arvok argued, quickening his pace to keep up. 

“Maybe she lied to save his tail,” Tsu’tey pondered. “Something was not right in her way of speaking, something is off.”

“Our sister would not lie to us,” Arvok said, refusing to believe it.

“Perhaps his demon ways have rubbed off on her, I do not know. But I know something is being kept from us. I feel it,” he said matter-of-factly. 

“Fine, then we will get the truth, one way or another,” Arvok relented. Tsu’tey nodded, glad to have his brother at his side as the training grounds and Jake came into sight. 

“Keep your elbows up, defend!” Jake yelled brashly to a pair of young warriors who were sparring in the open field near the river. “Good! That’s it.”

“Suli!” Tsu’tey called, his steps were each sure and heavy. 

Jake glanced away from the teens, but saw it was just his brothers and let his eyes go back to the fight. He was a dedicated teacher. “Tsu’tey, Arvok. What can I do for you?” he asked, even as he was looking in the wrong direction. 

Tsu’tey’s eyes narrowed. “We need to speak with you,” he said as he stopped a few feet away from Jake. The young Na’vi warriors watched in nosy interest at what was so important that Tsu’tey would interrupt their chief and teacher. 

“Can it wait a minute? I’m teaching the basics of-”

“It is about our sister,” Arvok interupted grimly. 

“Stop,” Jake immediately barked at the two girls sparring in the ring and turned his full attention to the men. “Is she okay?” he asked, panic dripping from his question. 

“She has brought up a concern with us and we feel it must be addressed with you,” Arvok continued. Tsu’tey crossed his arms over his chest. 

Jake immediately tensed further. Although it was much better than his wife being hurt, it still made his heartbeat pick up. “Dismissed, get outta here!” he called to the trainees behind him and they scattered, knowing that Jake would not like telling them twice, not if it had something to do with his wife. 

“I do not know how humans treat their mates, but on Pandora, we do not let them suffer alone,” Tsu’tey began his lecture as soon as most of the teens were on the other side of the clearing. 

Jake grimaced in shock, his head inching back. “Suffer alone? What’s happening? Is my wife okay?” Jake asked, stressing the last question. Arvok’s fists balled up at his sides. 

“You have ignored her, you have neglected the one Eywa has chosen for you. She would not tell us what you have done, but I am no idiot. I know she is protecting you,” Tsu’tey pressed on. 

Jake’s lips pressed together in frustration. “I need to see my wife,” he decided, trying to brush past his brother’s-in-law and attempting to make it back to his kelku where he knew you would be making lunch. He knew you like the back of his hand, your schedule, your plans, your fears, your wants, your thoughts. He didn't need tsaheylu (the bond) to tell him that anymore, he knew you so well. So what could they possibly be talking about? Why had you told your brothers that you were suffering, and not him? 

He felt panic claw at his gut, the fear of you distancing yourself from him was palpable. He had noticed the way you shied away from his hands and his attention in the past week, but he had chalked it up to all the changes going on recently. He had felt them in himself too, but he had thought you were going through this different stage together. 

“We are the ones talking to you. You do not get to talk to her until we are through with you,” Tsu’tey said, stepping to the side so that he and Arvok made a wall that he could not cross through without a fight. Jake knew he could beat Tsu’tey one on one, he had done it when your brother learned of your mating all those months ago. But Jake had never fought Arvok, and he did not know what his chances were against both. If they did not tell him the problem now, he would have to test his luck in order to get to you. 

“Get outta my way,” Jake said in a near growl. “You’re forgeting who you’re talking to.”

Tsutey’s lip curled. “I know exactly who I speak to. Olo’eyktan or not, you will treat my sister with respect,” he demanded, planing a flat hand on Jake’s chest and stopping him from getting any closer. Jake’s panicked and enraged expression only added to Tsu’tey’s anger.

“She’s not suffering alone,” Jake bit back, “You two don't know what you're talking about.”

“Don't we? We were the ones she was just crying to because you made her feel ugly and unwanted,” Arvok spilled. 

Jake physically took a step back, the news like a blow to his gut. “What?” he muttered, devastated. 

“Explain yourself, Suli. If you wish to break the mating bond, I am forced to challenge you to protect the family honor,” Tsu’tey ground out, his voice like gravel as he said words he never thought he would have to say to his Olo’eyktan.

“Break the bond? I would never do that. I love my wife,” he insisted, his fist curling and unfurling as he attempted to keep his anger and anxiety in check. Jake ground his teeth, his disbelief evident on his face.

“Yet she is sitting in her kelku, alone and feeling discarded. If you do not like that she has simply gained weight, then you are a bigger kurkung (asshole) than I realized,” Tsu’tey hissed, stepping forward into Jake’s space. 

Jake’s golden eyes nearly glowed at the anger simmering underneath the surface of his gaze. “I don't care if she's gained weight!” he exclaimed. 

“So you notice that, but you do not notice our sister’s fears?” Arvok asked, brow low over his eyes. 

“I haven't said a word about it, because I didn't want her to know I noticed. On Earth, women don't usually like you pointing that out. I had no idea she thought I didn't want her anymore. Let me through, let me fix it or I swear I’ll kill you both,” he demanded, his rage building. 

“You should tell her everyday what you think of her. There should never be a question or a doubt in her mind,” Arvok argued, not paying anymind to Jake’s threats, his mind was clouded by anger.

“I do! But she’s had a lot of questions and doubts recently,” Jake muttered, letting his hand try to iron out the wrinkles on his forehead. 

Arvok’s lip curled, “So you did know? You are a liar.”

Jake sighed, tired of the circle he kept being forced to run in. “I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone, but this is getting ridiculous. She’s gaining weight and insecure because she’s carrying my child. Did she tell you that?” Jake growled. 

Tsu’tey and Arvok both blinked in surprise at the news, Tsu’tey stepping away from Jake. “What?” Arvok mumbled. 

Tsu’tey glanced back at the home that contained his sister, all her emotional turbulence suddenly making more sense. He had been angry at Jake for making his sister act unlike herself, but it had truely been his little niece or nephew the whole time. 

Jake stepped forward and this time, he was easily able to get through. “If you two don’t mind, I’m going to smooth some things over with my wife,” he grumbled, but paused and turned back to face them. “And you better not let her find out that you know, or she’ll skin all of us,” Jake suggested, knowing he was in deep if she found out that he told their secret before she was ready.

Tsu’tey nodded solemnly, and Arvok followed, albeit looking more cautious and awestruck. “Brother,” Tsu’tey called to Jake as he began in the other direction again. 

“Yeah,” Jake said, looking a little worse for wear after all the badgering. 

“Congratulations,” Tsu’tey said, his lips curling up into a grin. 

Jake smiled back, nodding as he huffed a laugh. “Thanks, Brother.”

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