An angsty fic bc lo'ak defo hit his head in the exposition if you watch carefully.
*it's cannon that they have pillows and blankets in winter - but woven stuff. Lemme live the way I wanna live*
**Also, for the point of the fic, Lo'ak & Tuk were held by another avatar, of whom was killed by Tarsem**

~

Neteyam grumbled. Lo'ak turned on the bedroll, muttering to himself. Neteyam rolled his eyes with a huff. "Bro, stop moving!" He growled. Lo'ak stopped the air turning tense. Neteyam sighed as he rolled over, hopefully, able to get in some hours before flight training in the morning. Lo'ak tossed again.

"Bro!" Neteyam snapped. "I'm trying, alright!" Lo'ak snapped. "I'm trying to sleep!" Neteyam huffed. "Try harder," He grumbled. Usually, Neteyam had more patience than this: but Tuk had been up with sickness for the last five nights. Even though his mom and/or dad woke up with her, they weren't exactly quiet.

Lo'ak twisted in the sheets again. Neteyam sighed.

"Fuck this," He grumbled. Neteyam watched through blurry eyes as Lo'ak snatched the woven. blanket up and stalked outside to the hut, the beaded cover tinging shut after him.

Neteyam wanted to take advantage of the blissful silence and catch 50 winks, but something (that sounded suspiciously like his dad) was chastising him about ignoring his brother. Neteyam hissed into his pillow as he stood up and shuffled to the entrance. He pushed the beads away, making his brother on the other side jump. "You've got silence, I can't do anything else," He snapped. Neteyam leaned against the door. "Yeah, but Mom would have a field day if I left you out here to freeze." He argued. The teen grumbled under his breath.

"There a reason you can't sleep? Nightmares or..." Neteyam trailed off. The teen side-eyed him. "None of your business, that's what," Neteyam sighed, holding his hands up. "Alright. Relax. Just trying to make conversation" He sighed. Lo'ak leaned on his arms on the wooden railing. "Look, I'm sorry," He said a few minutes later. "I just- I always have nightmares now. Since he had me at fucking knifepoint and Tuk at gunpoint. What did I do? Jack all. What a pussy," He mumbled. Neteyam tutted. "You did your best," He offered. "Nobody could've predicted he was in the woods"

"Tarsem could," Lo'ak frowned. "He's thrice our age, with at least double the life experience,"

"Whatever," Neteyam stayed quiet for a few more moments. "Wanna try going to sleep again?" He nudged Lo'ak's side gently. "Promise I won't moan,"

The small smile was worth it.

~

Lo'ak blinked away the spots from his vision. It must just be a headache, he thought. He threw back some water as he bent down to tie his dagger to his hip. His vision went fuzzy for a moment. Oh yeah... he banged it yesterday. He took deep breaths to ward off the spots and fuzzy edges as he ambled towards the family hut. He hesitated before pushing the beaded cover aside. They weren't due back in for another hour or so, which gave him time to soak in the silence.

Before he could sit, his heart fell into his stomach abruptly. He threw himself outside, vomiting over the side. His head throbbed as he white-knuckled the railing, panting heavily. His legs turned to jelly, sending him crashing to the decking. Well... if somebody wasn't aware then, Lo'ak thought to himself from his position on the deck.

As Lo'ak lay there pitifully, he prayed for death to embrace him. Unfortunately, neither death nor his family saved him. He'd realised cruelly when he woke. Shivering, he'd dragged himself into the hut and crashed out on his bedroll.

~

When Lo'ak woke up in the morning, he wasn't expecting his left eye to be throbbing. He fisted it, groaning. Fucking great. A headache. Just what he needed. He groaned loudly as he stumbled to the entryway of the hut. He cupped his hands in the water bowl several times, splashing his face and drinking.

He grabbed a discarded piece of fabric, no doubt from Kiri or Tuk, and soaked it in the cold water. He trekked back to the bedroll and put it on his burning forehead, sighing at the instant relief he felt. He dropped down onto the bedroll, keeping the wad firmly against his burning head.

~

He woke when the morning calls rang loudly outside. He swatted at the hand hitting him. The wad had long since fallen to the ground and was hot to the touch, but damp. Huh. Maybe his temperature was higher than he thought. He sighed heavily, fisting his throbbing left eye again. He fumbled for his blanket, pulling it up his cold body.

Breakfast was served by a moody mom as she hissed at him to eat. After a battle of will between him and the fight between his unhappy stomach and banana fruit, he threw some down with some more water. It grumbled unhappily as the acidic taste burned his throat, but Lo'ak ignored it and ventured to the Ikran stables. He was only four days into his two-week punishment. Thankfully, he was the only one there, and the stuff he'd left behind was exactly where it should be. He grabbed it and began.

Totally not ignoring the black fuzz at the edges of his vision.

Bending down to pick up the grass was an interesting event... especially when his head spun and he crashed into the wall to his right.

"Damn bro, you ok?" He furiously blinked away the dots. "Yeah cuz, I'm good... I'm good..." He shook his head to reassure his friend, his head spinning violently. "Just forgot to eat breakfast," He lied. Spider hummed lowly. "Well... eat, for god's sake. I don't need you passing out in Ikran shit,"

~

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, thank god. His head pounded horribly all day, worsening as the hours progressed. He downed six canisters of water and lost every meal he'd eaten, courtesy of the lovely vertigo sessions his brain was sending to his stomach.

And yet, stupidly, he'd agreed to head to the celebration afterwards.

Lo'ak sat in the back, pressing his cold canister to his head, swapping it out with Spider's when the flash stopped providing relief. "Dude, if you're unwell, go home. Nobody'll care," Spider said softly. "No. I need to be here for Tarsem," He sighed. "Bro, you look 3 seconds from death. Have you drank or eaten anything?" Lo'ak hummed a yes. "But I just puke it up." He muttered. Spider scoffed. "Right. Well, I'm getting myself some more Dinicthoid," Lo'ak watched blearily as Spider walked off to the fire, clapping for Tarsem.

He rested his head against the tree, shutting his eyes for just a split second-

~

"Lo'ak! Wake up!" He jolted up, hissing at the pounding of his head that followed. "Bro, you've gotta go home. I'm calling it," He pressed his fist into his left eye. "Spider, I'm fine," He hissed. Spider shook his head. "Nope. Dude, I had to pinch you to wake you up. We're going," Lo'ak whined when Spider grabbed his too-sensitive shoulder. "All right, Eywa. Say bye to Tarsem for me," Lo'ak passed his canister over, slowly making his way out of the area...
... or at least he tried to.

The minuscule sip of his water he'd had obviously had some kind of vendetta with his stomach. With a low groan as he pressed his hand to it firmly, he beelined for the quietest spot, barely making it in time to vomit spectacularly behind a bush. His vision burst into stars as the clearly poisoned water he'd drank made its reappearance. He was aware of the tears running from his eyes, but his left eye throbbed painfully in sync with his heartbeat, which was somehow trapped inside his skull.

He slumped to the ground, devoid of any energy. "Lo'ak?" Somebody called. Damn it.

"Oh, bro... you're really not well, huh?" He glanced up, fighting back a sickly belch. "S'ust a headache... m'fine," He mumbled. "Bro, you're on the ground with puke down your front, and barely keeping your eyes open. You are the complete opposite of fine," A rushed scramble to the bush once more forced Lo'ak to agree. "Ok. Fuck, I'll go home... I've not got anything left in me to throw up anyway,"

A few moments later, all of which were a fevered haze for Lo'ak, he was deposited onto his bedroll on the deck. He grabbed out at Neteyam's hand. "Thanks, bro... dunno what I'd do without you," Neteyam patted Lo'ak's head. "Die, probably. Of something stupid. Like dehydration... or no food." Lo'ak whined softly and turned onto his side.

He was vaguely aware of Neteyam speaking with his dad, but the world turned static and he passed out.

~

Neteyam, Neytiri and Jake were sat by the river waiting for Kiri to come back from further upstream
"Tey, where's your brother?" Neytiri asked, readying her bow. "Oh, he didn't tell you?" Neteyam frowned, "No?" She said. "He's got a stomach bug." Neytiri narrowed her eyes. Neteyam gulped. Finally, Neytiri shrugged, "Ok," Neteyam exhaled, "do you wanna tell me why he's walking towards us now?" Jake finished his mom's sentence. Neteyam whipped his head around to stare at his skxawng brother. Lo'ak was, indeed, walking towards them.

Except... he didn't look all that great.

He was paler than usual and looked as if he was shivering. Neteyam frowned and crossed the distance to see him. He spaced out and stared at the wall. Neteyam clicked his fingers in his face to try and snap him out of it. He jerked, violently, and focused on Neteyam. "Oh... hey, Teyam." He said, not sounding too great either. Neteyam placed a hand on his shoulder and frowned, "Are you sure you should be here today Lo'ak? You don't look too well..." Neteyam said, unable to stop the brotherly tone seeping into his voice. Lo'ak smiled at him, though it looked forced and weak, "Honestly, I feel fine." Neteyam narrowed his eyes in concern as he trailed behind his skxawng sibling. Lo'ak slowly sat down on the ground and immediately placed his head on his folded arms. Neteyam frowned at him and looked at his parents, who were also frowning.

Quietly, Neteyam suspected the lack of fish helped with that, rather than their son.

~

As the day progressed, Neteyam noticed Lo'ak was spacing out more and he kept jerking awake. Neteyam would touch his arm gently when he spaced out and he would flinch violently. At lunch, he found Lo'ak sleeping in the hut. Neteyam sat down as quietly as he could next to him and began eating his lunch. When he'd finished, he began to study while Lo'ak slept.

Glancing up at the sudden call of Ikrans, he'd guessed it was either flight time or another hunt. Neteyam reached over and gently touched Lo'ak arm. He jumped with an unflattering gasp. Neteyam snorted and picked up his bow and arrow set. "Come on. Mom's gonna have our ass if we don't turn up, and I figured you wouldn't want her screaming in your face," Lo'ak smiled, looking slightly better than he did earlier.

Lo'ak dozed again in the afternoon after lunch and Neteyam immediately questioned him again. "I don't know, Tey. I mean... I slept from sundown to breakfast... that's more than normal." Neteyam sighed, silently agreeing. Maybe it was just a bug?

~

In the last bit of the day, Neteyam found Lo'ak cradling his head and muttering to himself. Neteyam poked his shoulder softly the first time, and hard the second. "I think we need to go to Norm. Or Mo'at. There is something wrong with you." Lo'ak rolled his eyes. "I've told you, it's just a stomach bug. I'm overdue for some suffering," He pressed his head back into his hands. Neteyam kicked his leg. "Bro!" He exclaimed. Lo'ak groaned. "Fine. Tomorrow though. I'm dead tired now,"

~

Tuk, Kiri and Neytiri had to grab some more chest linings and loincloths, so on the journey back from the main gathering area, they branched off to the left, while Lo'ak, Neteyam and Jake continued on the right, back to the hut.

He was pulled out of his daydream by seeing Lo'ak wiggling his fingers randomly. Neteyam stared at Lo'ak with an eyebrow muscle raised. "I can't feel my hands... they're all tingly," Lo'ak stated more in a questioning way. Neteyam nodded slowly and continued walking

~

Another five or so minutes into the walk, Lo'ak suddenly stumbled. Neteyam stopped and got his dad to as well. Lo'ak looked at Neteyam with trust and worry deep in his eyes. He paled in less than a second and muttered, "I don't feel so good," Then he fainted.

He fell to the ground and began shaking and twitching. "Shit, he's having a seizure!" Jake yelled. Neteyam immediately stepped back to let his dad work. Jake grabbed the banana fruit and placed it under Lo'ak's head so he didn't bang it. "Put him on his side," Neteyam followed his dad's order. "Time it," He ordered. Neteyam was counting the seconds in his head as the seizure continued. Jake watched by, worried. Lo'ak's arms and legs slapped against the floor and Neteyam winced with each one: that probably hurt.

His violent jerking of the limbs slowed down to a more twitching pace. Jake opened his mouth to make sure he hadn't bitten his tongue or cheek but was pleased to see he hadn't. While his legs were still jerking, Neteyam suddenly remembered something. Something his dad told him a while back.

When a person seizes, sometimes they lose control of their bladder. God, Neteyam hoped he didn't lose control of his bladder... that'd be nasty.

The jerks slowed to a stop so Neteyam stopped counting.

"I counted 220 seconds..." He said out loud, his voice slightly nervous. "Will he be ok?" He asked. His dad opened Lo'ak's eyes and directed the sun in them with his metallic dagger. Lo'ak flinched and moved his head away. His dad did the standard follow-my-finger tests and how many fingers. He did a basic memory recollection like his name, his age, where he lived, his job, etc...

"I think he'll be ok. But we'll take him to Norm anyway," When they walked with Lo'ak smooshed between them all back to Norm's lab, his dad and his mom spoke on the earpiece. As Norm was examining his brother, Neteyam found himself pacing. Soon after, his mom and sisters turned up. "He'll be fine," Neteyam sighed in relief. "He's concussed as hell and I'm surprised he didn't seize sooner. But he'll be fine. I'll keep him overnight to monitor, but yeah." Neteyam let his parents and sister rush in first. He heard Norm call his dad away and chose to channel his inner lo'ak for a moment and spy. "How in the everloving fuck didn't you notice him, Jake? Huh?? He has a lump the size of a golf ball on his head!" His dad mumbled something lowly. "You've gotta do better. And Neytiri. You both should've noticed that. You're lucky you got him to me when you did, otherwise, I dunno what would've happened."

"But you said he was fine," His dad argued. "I didn't wanna freak the kids out. Jake, he was so close to dying or being comatose." Neteyam froze. "Dying? Norm, it's a concussion," His dad argued. "Jake! Wake up! It's a severe concussion! You used to be a marine, you know how serious those are!" It was silent for a few moments. "I'm gonna keep him here for a while. Until that lump goes down. You can make excuses. He's not ok. Honestly, you're lucky he seized," His dad scoffed. "Why in the hell is that a good thing?"

"Had you noticed he wasn't well before? Huh?" Neteyam thought to himself. He'd thought something was wrong, but concussion didn't enter his mind. He didn't think Lo'ak was hurt in the raid. He didn't seem to be when Mo'at checked them both over. "Yeah. Say goodnight, he's being put under sedation to help heal him quicker."

~

Later that night, long after his parents had gone to sleep in the hut, Neteyam had snuck to Norm's lab. He was somewhat surprised when he saw a loaded Oxygen mask by the table. "I knew you'd be by. He's in the second room on the right," Norm called softly. Neteyam thanked him deeply, for both saving his life and... everything else, really. Norm ruffled his head and shoved him away. "Go away now."

Neteyam sat next to his little brother in the bed, wrapping a hesitant arm around his neck. Quickly, Lo'ak's tail wrapped around Neteyam's leg as he snored softly under the mask. Neteyam felt himself drift off as well.