Awa'altu High: ATWOW highschool au!!

Neteyam

Neteyam was being tugged into the locker rooms by Lo'ak, who was in a hurry to go home for whatever reason. Still, Neteyam snuck a glance over his shoulder. Ao'nung was whispering to Rotxo while the rest of the team headed to pack up and go home. By the looks of it, Ao'nung had said something funny. Rotxo's head shot back as he laughed, and Ao'nung's eyes darted over. He watched Ao'nung's gaze skim over the crowd before landing on Neteyam. The corner of Ao'nung's lips lifted into a sideways smile and he raised his eyebrows. Neteyam grinned and mimicked his expression. "Neteyam, come on," Lo'ak urged, grip tightening around Neteyam's elbow. "Sorry," Neteyam mumbled, blinking and looking away. He thought he felt Ao'nung's eyes on him as he followed his brother, but he told himself he was just imagining it.

The lockers were loud and humid, full of the sound of laughter and the slamming of doors. "This is why I wanted to hurry," Lo'ak muttered. "We could have beat the massive surge of kids." Neteyam rolled his eyes. "It'll be fine, just go get your stuff," he answered, gently turning Lo'ak to face the direction of their bags. Lo'ak brushed his hands off, shaking his head as he went. Neteyam decided to wait for his brother to get his stuff together before he went, not wanting to crowd him. The rest of the team dispersed, leaving just a few unfamiliar faces. Neteyam crossed his arms across his chest, feeling uneasy. "You did good," said a voice. A hand clapped Neteyam's shoulder. He glanced down and saw Spider, with his hair in a towel, grinning up at him. "Oh, thanks man," Neteyam nodded, taking a smile. "So did you." Spider nodded. "You did good too, Lo'ak," he called, fixing his eyes on him. "Thanks," Lo'ak mumbled. Spider blinked and glanced over at Neteyam. He winced, shrugging to Spider in response.

Spider left at the same time as Ao'nung and Rotxo entered. Rotxo's wide smile was contagious. He went over to Lo'ak and gently nudged him, exclaiming loudly how good he did. Neteyam wasn't paying attention to Rotxo. His attention was snagged by Ao'nung quietly walking over and standing beside Neteyam, arms folded. "How was that?" Neteyam asked, glancing up into Ao'nung's face. He felt his stomach twist as his gaze sank into Ao'nung's, which had already been fixed on Neteyam. Ao'nung blinked and let his hands fall to his sides. "Oh, it was good," Ao'nung nodded. "I was able to narrow it down a lot." Ao'nung's voice was steady, but his gaze was growing intense. Neteyam opened his mouth to answer but felt the words die in his throat. Ao'nung smiled at Neteyam's expression.

When Neteyam looked back over, Rotxo and Lo'ak were already packed and ready to go. Lo'ak lingered by the door, leaning against the wall with his phone in his hands. Neteyam was aware of Ao'nung gesturing to Rotxo with a subtle tilt of his head. "Hey, let's go, uh, find Kiri," Rotxo said, grabbing Lo'ak by the forearm. Neteyam watched his brother blink and glance over, a slightly irritated expression on his face. "And Reya," Rotxo added. "Oh, okay," Lo'ak nodded, putting his phone up and following Rotxo out of the door. Neteyam found himself unable to look into Ao'nung's face. He hurriedly went to his bag and began looking for his shirt. He grabbed it and turned to put it on. "I'm- I'm going to go rinse the chlorine out of my hair," Ao'nung called, voice surprisingly shaky. Neteyam glanced over at him. He was rubbing his elbow and looking at Neteyam with wide eyes. "Okay," Neteyam nodded, unsure what the correct response was. Should he leave? "Do you also want to rinse your hair out?" Ao'nung questioned, tilting his head to the side. Neteyam shrugged. "I mean, I don't really need to," he answered. "Oh." Ao'nung turned to go, but stopped. Neteyam could see him clench his jaw and nod to himself before turning back to face Neteyam. "I- Come keep me company," he said, face flushing dramatically. Neteyam blinked in surprise. "Me?" he asked, pointing to himself. Ao'nung grinned and rolled his eyes, crossing over to Neteyam and snatching his shirt away from him. "Yes, you," Ao'nung murmured, tossing it back into Neteyam's bag and gently grabbing his wrist. Neteyam let himself be pulled into the shower hall by a very smiley Ao'nung.

He slumped down on the ground outside of the shower, with Ao'nung's towel wrapped around his shoulders to keep it off the perpetually wet floor. Ao'nung turned on the shower and hissed behind the curtain. "Cold," he shouted. Neyeyam heard the sound of him leaping away from the water and fumble with the somewhat flimsy faucet. Neteyam laughed, the sound echoing throughout the hall. "Is your surf meet this weekend?" he asked, something he'd been meaning to ask for a while. "No, next weekend," Ao'nung answered. "You don't have to come. I probably won't do good. I haven't been able to practice much lately." Neteyam shook his head before remembering Ao'nung couldn't see him. "I don't believe that," he called. "You've seen me surf, like, once," Ao'nung replied dryly. "Yeah, and it was super cool and good," Neteyam said quickly. Ao'nung laughed softly. "Thank you, Neteyam," he said. Neteyam could hear the smile in his voice. "Are you going to rinse your hair out?" Ao'nung asked after a brief moment of silence. "There's only one shower," Neteyam answered, unsure. "I know that," Ao'nung said softly. Neteyam felt his eyes widen. His mind began to race. There's no way, right? There's no way Ao'nung meant- "It would save hot water." Ao'nung's voice cut off his train of thought. It sounded closer now, as if he were standing right behind the curtain. Neteyam got to his feet, brow furrowed.

"Really?" Neteyam whispered. "Mhm," Ao'nung answered. "Are you sure? I don't wanna make you-" Ao'nung's head poked out from behind the curtain, soaking wet curls hanging in front of his eyes. Ao'nung tried to shake his head to move them, but they stayed in place. Neteyam felt his hand reach out and tuck a strand of Ao'nung's hair behind his ear. A smile spread across his face. Ao'nung's hand wrapped gently around Neteyam's forearm. He nodded as he tugged Neteyam into the shower with him. Neteyam was caught so off guard that he nearly slipped and fell. He grabbed onto Ao'nung's arm to steady himself, feeling the muscle shift under his skin. Neteyam felt his heart race. He didn't know where to look, so he locked his eyes firmly onto the floor. "Hey," Ao'nung whispered, voice so soft it was nearly imperceptible. "Hi," Neteyam mumbled, not looking up at him. He saw Ao'nung's head tilt in his peripheral vision. "Teyam?" he asked. "Yes?" Neteyam answered, feeling the warm water spray his face as Ao'nung took a step towards him. Ao'nung's hand gently cupped Neteyam's shoulder, turning his entire body to face him. Neteyam forced himself to look into Ao'nung's eyes, internally yelling at himself not to look anywhere else. Ao'nung's hand still rested on Neteyam's shoulder. His thumb brushed Neteyam's collar bone gently. His eyes were wide and intense as he scanned Neteyam's face. "Ao," Neteyam began, mind full of questions he didn't have the words to ask.

Neteyam flinched suddenly, spinning around. Oh no. He had heard something. He had heard a voice. A mean, cold voice. "What? What is it?" Ao'nung asked, voice cracking. "I just- did you hear something?" he asked, turning to face Ao'nung. That was a mistake. In his panic, he'd forgotten about his own rule not to acknowledge any other part of Ao'nung but his eyes. Neteyam's lips parted in shock as he saw all of Ao'nung for the first time - the sharp lines of his stomach, the broadness of his chest, the - his eyes snapped back into Ao'nung's. The boy was grinning, so widely that Neteyam could barely see his eyes. "What? I didn't hear anything," Ao'nung grinned. Neteyam's heart was pounding. He felt his eyes start to travel downwards and stopped himself, blinking hard. Ao'nung scoffed and reached lazily for Neteyam, putting one hand on the small of Neteyam's back and the other on his shoulder. Ao'nung pulled him in, causing him to slip on the soggy floor. Neteyam slammed into Ao'nung's chest, knocking him back against the wall. A low gasp escaped Ao'nung's lips as the air was knocked from his lungs. Neteyam's eyes widened in panic. He pushed himself off of Ao'nung's chest. "Sorry, I'm sorry," "It's okay," Ao'nung muttered, still leaned against the wall. Neteyam looked up at him, feeling his stomach twist. The water was dripping down his face and onto his chest, making his skin sparkle in the reflection of the dim lights. Neteyam searched Ao'nung's face, his eyes, his body language for a sign that he wanted Neteyam to leave, that he didn't want this yet. Neteyam couldn't see anything of the sort in Ao'nung. He took a step forward cautiously, gazing up into Ao'nung's eyes. He watched Ao'nung's gaze dip down Neteyam's torso and back up. A sideways grin spread across his face. Ao'nung held eye contact as he reached out with one hand. Neteyam froze as his palm gently brush Neteyam's side. Ao'nung looked at him with his wide, soft eyes and gently slid his hand down, until his fingertips grazed the waistband of Neteyam's shorts. "Ao," he whispered, feeling a smile spread across his face. Ao'nung's fingers hooked under the band of Neteyam's swim trunks, gently pulling him in. Ao'nung smiled down at him as Neteyam shuffled closer. "You should stop waiting," Ao'nung whispered. Neteyam looked up at him. "Really. It's okay, Teyam." Neteyam grinned. "I like it when you call me that," he whispered. Ao'nung leaned closer, so that their lips brushed when he spoke. "Teyam," he whispered, a smile on his lips.