❝ it's crazy how beautiful
she looked while she was
trying to kill me. ❞
As the eldest carry such burden on their shoulders, they learn to deal with one another when one hates the other and the other is infatuated.
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"The ocean is nice."
Emea looked ahead at the view in front of her, watching as the animals circles around her legs in the water.
"Yeah," she simply agreed. "It is."
Neteyam cleared his throat and gestured next to her. "May I?" Emea nodded and he did so, distancing himself. "So, your sister and my little brother like each other."
Emea snorted a little. "They do. It's pretty obvious. I just need to make sure he's suitable for her." She looked at Neteyam as he opened his mouth. "I don't think he's not because he's blue. I'm just like that with everyone. If one of our people were to mate with her, I would still be cautious and do everything in my power to challenge him."
"Then I need to challenge your sister," Neteyam smirked at her and Emea squinted her eyes at him. "Hey, what can I say? I'm his older brother, I have to protect him and his fragile little heart."
"My sister is much more sensitive," Emea softly retorted back. "So make sure your brother is suitable for her."
She stood up and Neteyam followed after. He grabbed her hand. "You know, just because we are going to check whose sibling is much more suitable, it doesn't mean we can't talk."
Emea stared at the hand wrapped around her wrist. She huffed. "Fine. But expect nothing but silence."
Neteyam chuckled and shrugged, sitting back down. He patted the place next to him. "I don't mind. As long as I'm with you."
"Say more lines like that and I'll kill you."
Neteyam should feel afraid, shouldn't he? He didn't feel anything but peace as he looked at the sky and stars. As cliché as it was, it was very nice to be with her under the beautiful scenery.
"You know," he started again, "I know I don't know you like that so I shouldn't give you advice but, you becoming someone you're not isn't going to help you carry the burdens of your people when you can't carry the burdens of your inner self."
Emea watched him as he looked at the way his feet moved in the water. "You're right." He turned to look at her in surprise. "You don't know me." Neteyam looked away. "But, I'll admit, it feels a bit nice to receive advice from someone who is not from here and does not know me."
"Do you have any advice for me since you don't know me?" Neteyam leaned back against his hands. Emea looked at his yellow eyes, the way he continued looking at her despite them not even communicating.
"You protect your brother," Emea noted and he nodded, agreeing, "which means that role was given to you at a young age. You are the protector of your siblings, but you also need to be your own protector."
Neteyam stayed quiet before he chuckled. "It is nice to receive advice from someone who doesn't know you."
"I told you."
They both sat in silence and Neteyam stared at the side of her face. She looked more like her mother than her father with her eyes, the nose, and the hair. She held such passion in her eyes as she continued to look at the animals.
"Will I be able to talk to you more?" He asked and she shrugged, not exactly opposed to the idea but not liking the idea of talking to a person she doesn't know well.
After all, she wasn't good at expressing herself.
"We'll see," Emea simply replied with and he smiled at her. "I said we'll see so you better get rid of that smile."
"I'll be happy just getting a greeting," Neteyam revealed and Emea looked up at him as he had stood up. "Well, I'll leave you to be. Thank you for the advice, person-who-doesn't-know-me-well."
"Bye, person-who-doesn't-know-me-at-all."
They both waved at each other one last time with hearts heavy in a euphoric way. They made their way towards their homes.
"What are you thinking?"
Neteyam froze in his place to see his parents giving him a look. He looked behind him where Emea walked past him and sighed.
"It's not what you think," he tried to defend himself but Jake shook his head.
"Listen, we don't care who you date," he started with a soft gaze, knowing full well what his son must be feeling, "but she's the chief's daughter. Her parents might care."
"I know, sir..." Neteyam trailed off, ignoring the way his siblings looked at him.
"She's the future of their clan," Neytiri spoke up. "Some of her people might not be too into the idea of their future leader mating with someone not their own."
"But you mated with dad and he wasn't someone of your clan," Kiri defended her brother.
"I basically was," Jake gave her a look and Kiri rolled her eyes. He turned to look at his eldest. "Look, son, we just want you to be careful. I don't want you to get in trouble and I don't want us to have to move away from our safety here."
"I know," Neteyam breathed out, still staring at the floor.
"He's in love with her, dad," Tuk enthusiastically said. Neteyam immediately headed towards her to shush her since she was being too loud.
"Shut up!"
"Hey, hey!" Jake yelled at them to calm them down. The two quieted down and they all stayed quiet with Lo'ak holding in his laughter.
"He does."
"Shut up."
Jake looked at Neytiri with amusement in their eyes. He turned to look back at his son. "So, how is she?"
Neteyam hid his smile but Lo'ak started teasing him. "Dad, he could literally kiss the floor she stepped on. He almost fainted at the sight of her and he definitely thought about kissing her."
"Shut up, you shouldn't be talking," Neteyam retorted. "When Tsireya touched your stomach, you looked like you couldn't even breathe. So don't come at me when you're exactly the same."
"Exactly the same?" Kiri laughed dramatically. "Neteyam, you literally said you wouldn't mind being killed by her. When we were doing the breathing exercises, you couldn't stop staring at her like a creep!"
"I might've been staring at her for a bit," Neteyam shrugged, not finding a point in defending himself when he did in fact stare at her.
"You love her after she tried to kill you?" Neytiri questioned.
"I mean, love is a strong word..." The eldest tilted his head and both parents looked at each other. "But, there's something there. She's just... something else."
"You've barely spoken to her," Kiri rolled her eyes.
"That's what makes her something else."
Because although he doesn't know a thing about her, he finds her existence the thing that makes up for it.
He's excited just to get to know everything in that brain and soul of hers. Just the fact that they spoke a little made his heart race.
He can't wait to hear her threaten to kill him again.
