But What If || Neteyam x reader

Stirred Rest

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      "I'm just asking if she's here." You didn't want to wake up yet. "She is." But nothing on your body wanted to move so you stayed put. "But she isn't awake right now." Your ears fluttered, you knew the sound of Neteyam's voice. "It's almost midday, shouldn't you wake her." Midday!? Your body shot up. "She's tired and a lot happened yesterday." You moved out of your hammock and looked at the reflective rock you found just to make sure you looked kept. "Kiri woke up from her seizure, the Tulkun returned, and she was out late with Tuk." Then you were scrambling to where you heard their voices. "Just let her rest." As you had checked your reflection you realized the other voice was Ao'nung's and that you had made plans with him yesterday. "I'm up, I'm here." You swept the entry cloth out of your way spooking both males.

    You awkwardly let out a small chuckle, hoping it wasn't clear you just woke up and ran out the door. "I'm ready." Ao'nung looked to Neteyam muddled. Neteyam was looking back and forth as you tried, seeming less tired. You heard laughter from behind you, and just by the ring of it you could tell it was Tuk and Kiri. "Did you just wa-" You did not want Tuk and Kiri coming out and telling the two boys about your disarray show that just happened. "Let's go." You took Ao'nung's arm as you heard their laughter coming closer and started to drag him away. "Wait," Neteyam looked at you and you gave him a curt response. "I'll be back before dinner." You nodded as you didn't want this second day of a new friendship to start off with him laughing at you. "Come on, don't want to waste any more of the day right?" You could tell Ao'nung was off-set by your behavior. "Okay?" But he was compliant and it worked. After all, you knew that if Kiri and Tuk told him about you spiraling to get out the door they'd tell him you have a habit of falling out of your hammock next.

     You had raced Ao'nung out to sea ready to see his Tulkun again, who you were quite pleased to see again. He was just as excited to see you as you were to greet him. You'd had a great time yesterday playing amongst his tail fins. After greetings were over Ao'nung proposed you all go for a joy ride and since it was midday you agreed, figuring you had enough time before dinner. During the ride, you had a smile permanently on your face, until Ao'nun'g spirit brother was going so fast your face was morphing. The ride was also eventful in the case of all the fish you passed, some of them hitting your face. You thought it was funny to watch Ao'nung get smacked with fish next to you. You lost air laughing at him and had to come up for air, where you laughed even harder at him. And surprisingly to you, he laughed with you, which then led to him asking you if you wanted to see a trick.

    Saying yes was definitely a trick of its own. As he showed you that first trick he told you there was another, and then another, and another. He had dozens of tricks he wanted to show you with his brother, and you were trapped in the endless cycle it seemed. Although you were glad to watch it also left you alone with your thoughts and they often drifted off you and Neteyam last night. Which only got you flustered and distracted from said trick, so whenever Ao'nung would ask 'How was that? Impressive?' You would respond briefly with a, 'yeah,' and 'that was cool,' or 'so awesome.' After a while, he invited you to join in on a trick. You followed him as he explained what to do and how it was going to happen and when it happened you were ecstatic. The trick was simple and it got you flung in the air, only to land safely in the water. You admitted that trick was your favorite and insisted you go again. The adrenaline you felt being flung into the air like an Ikran to diving back into the water like an ilu was wondrous. You loved the feeling and requested to do it again many times, and now as you came up for air again with Ao'nung would were going to ask yet again. "Oh my god!" Your lungs filled with a fresh sting as you breathed, ready to feel the rush again. "Again!?" You could go a thousand times more, Ao'nung however looked bored of doing the same thing over and over again.

    "Again?" Defeat in his voice rang as you nodded. "Yeah, again!" Small giggles left you as Ao'nung's Tulkun spoke up. 'The second celebration is about to start.' You'd been out for a while. 'Didn't you say she needed to be home before then?" Ao'nung nodded as he signed and spoke to his brother. "You're right, we should head back quick." He then turned to you, but you were already reaching out for his brother's fin. "Come-" Ao'nung had to move his head more to find you ready to head back. "Hurry up, Ao'nung!" You were ready to head back, one because that meant going fast home and two because you got to go home. "You're going to be the one to hold us up." He smiled as you both held onto his fin. 'Go.' Ao'nung signaled to his brother you were both ready and off you went, at first your smile was normal but the longer the stretch was the longer your face felt. He sure was in a hurry to get you home, rightfully so. Ao'nung and his brother told you about how the dinner celebration was one where everyone went out to sea to catch dinner and eat together. It was apparently Ao'nung's and his Tulkun's favorite part of the celebration of the Tulkun's return.