Upon the Metkayina Clan giving his family sanctuary, and now living under Awa'atlu, Neteyam didn't foresee himself to be holding secrets.
As the eldest brother, all he wanted was to protect and follow his father, Jake Sully's (Toruk Makto) footstep...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
—IMPOSTOR!—
Neteyam is an impostor. This isn't me, he thought while sitting on what would be the doorway to his Marui. He is an imposter. He was certain of it.
Quite frankly, he was going crazy. These days he wasn't himself. It was absurd. He would feel foreign around the water Na'vi—like a child, all cheery and bubbly.
It was odd, and out of character (in his opinion). Day and night, thinking about Ao'nung was scary, and at times he was convinced he was losing his mind.
He was slicing fish alongside his sister, Kiri. He kept on blinking, something in his abdomen troubling him. Kiri glanced at him, noticing his pondering demeanor.
"You're quiet," She said. "You would normally be talking."
Neteyam shook his head in disbelief and cocked a grin. "I would do that?"
"Yes," Kiri nodded, keeping her eyes on her knife, slicing up a new fish. This one was bigger than her previous one. "But not in an annoying way. You would just talk about whatever came to mind."
"And you never stopped me?" Neteyam laughed.
Kiri shrugged. "I was never bothered. I like listening to you."
Neteyam opened his mouth, about to say something, but his words were caught in his throat when he saw Ao'nung, standing before him; his tall figure towering over him.
"Ao'nung," He said, nodding as a greeting, though his eyes diverted elsewhere. He felt jittery. Kiri looked up, vaguely. She glared at the turquoise boy, but he didn't pay her any mind as his eyes were glued on her brother.
"Tell mom I left. I promise to be back and finish my batch," Neteyam said, walking towards Ao'nung and dragging him away by the wrist. Kiri frowned, even more, confused but shrugged. It wasn't her business.
She darted at the bowl of fish left behind and took it.
"More for me," She sighed, rolling her eyes. She had nothing to do, so she figured she would entertain herself until her parents and Tuk came back from running errands. Lo'ak was with Tsireya again (Kiri swore there was something between them).
She was alone and missing her forest home. The more fish she cut, the more it reached her mind that Lo'ak had been acting weird these past few days, as well as Neteyam. It seemed like she wasn't the only one dealing with issues.
_______________________________________
Neteyam took Ao'nung to the beach. Luckily, no one was around. He let go of the taller's wrist and looked at him with a glower.
"What is it?" He asked.
"You seem mad," Ao'nung cooed, tilting his head with his usual smirk.
"I'm not," Neteyam said, but his voice was sharp and his jaw was clenched. Ao'nung's eyes softened, though he was slightly taken aback.
Truthfully, Neteyam wasn't mad. He was just tense and didn't know what to make of the situation. He hadn't meant to come off as brusque, but something in his core told him that nothing was well. He was stressed.
"Hey, I just wanted to see you," Ao'nung whispered, cupping Neteyam's soft cheeks. Neteyam looked at him, not saying anything. His eyes ran through every feature of his; his long lashes, narrow blue eyes (sometimes appearing grey), his slightly wide nose, and darker patterns of turquoise upon his face.
Thump, Thump...
Neteyam was in a daze. For once he heard his pounding heart, beating clear and strongly against his chest. He felt like his chest was about to combust. His heart was doing twirls, and surprisingly, Neteyam wasn't alarmed. He had always known.
His heartbeat was always there, beating for Ao'nung but never once did he acknowledge it. It's not because he didn't want to, it was because he was frightened.
He didn't know what he was afraid of. Maybe it was because he was giving himself to a guy? It didn't matter anymore.
He hugged Ao'nung, cradling his head. "I love you," He said.
Who wouldn't love Ao'nung? The guy was surprisingly sincere, and attentive beyond his usual mischievous self. He would often suppress behind his sly and snarky persona, liking to taunt people.
The more Neteyam grew to know him, he realized that the boy was rather humorous, considerate, and easygoing. He made Neteyam feel at peace.
"I love you," Ao'nung replied earnestly, kissing the other's head.
"Ao'nung?"
"Hm, baby?"
Baby. It rang nicely. Usually, Neteyam wouldn't admit something simple as that, but today he was out of his shell and proper to his feelings.
Neteyam looked at Ao'nung in his eyes, grinning warmly like a small child, eyes beaming with love. "I like you," He said, caressing the taller's neck. He had forgotten the bizarre feeling in his gut. He didn't care for it at the moment (though it still lingered).
"Tell me something I don't know," Ao'nung said smugly. Neteyam rolled his eyes, but leaned in, kissing his lips hard and passionately, almost hungry. He savored the sweet taste of fruit, and salted water—his favorite.
"We're in the open," Ao'nung reminded splitting the kiss and gently removing Neteyam's hands from his face. He held them tight in his fists.
"I know," Neteyam said, his ears perking up. He looked at Ao'nung with his eyes full of tenderness and leaned in to nuzzle their noses together.
"You're a tease," Ao'nung smiled.
"Am I?" Neteyam inquired, acting innocent. Ao'nung shoved the boy's face away from his, gently. Neteyam let out a nasal laugh, and Ao'nung couldn't help but stare. The boy was marvelous, who could blame him for gaping?
"Stop staring so hard," Neteyam said, almost covering his face with a timid grin. Ao'nung grabbed his wrists, tearing them away from his face, and stared even harder, his blue eyes devouring away at the darker boy.
"Stop staring at me like that. It's creepy."
"Is it?"
"Yes. It's like you want to eat me."
"Nothing I haven't already done, right?"
"Right," Neteyam rolled his eyes playfully, unable to wipe off his radiating grin. The more he was in Ao'nung's presence, the more he learned how fortunate he was.
Despite hiding away from the hands of war, he found love (something difficult to find). It was typical. He hadn't ever been attracted to anyone until he came along. Instead of a woman, it was a man.
Neteyam pressed past the prejudice and gave it a try. And he didn't regret a thing. He was truly happy.
