To our little ones || Aonung x Neteyam

Final chapter: Sun kisses and gunpowder.

In January Neteyam was impious.

In February everything was cold, blue, and lonely.

In March the birds began chirping.

In April...with what purpose did April come again?

The months following Ao'nung's departure had been difficult. At first, Neteyam had tried to resume his normal life, he found a job as a tutor, and he would often go with his mother to the shelter since Lo'ak had become too busy with preparations for the academy.

And for a while everything was alright. Even if the nights were lonely, and the days came with a distasteful sense of loss, he managed to ignore it.

Until he couldn't.

The arrival of that specific morning had been unexpected. He had woken up later than usual, in fact, so late that non of his siblings were there by the time he opened his eyes.

And when he decided it was the moment for him to get up...

He couldn't.

He thought for a moment that maybe there was something wrong with his body, so he slowly turned around to face the window, finding it rather a burdensome task given the way his limbs were being pulled down so heavily by apparently nothing.

His breathing was slower than normal, not because it hurt, but because there was a deep pressure in his throat that made him believe he would burst into tears if he put any more effort into it.

There was no sound coming from downstairs, and it remained the same for the rest of the day, leaving him with himself as his only company, which was no better than to be completely, and utterly alone.

Loneliness was something he was beginning to grow accustomed to.

His family had done a great deal trying to keep him distracted after Ao'nung left, thinking that Neteyam was not incredibly aware of their efforts, but the more they tried the sadder he felt.

Only managing to pressure him to do something he wasn't capable of, or rather, didn't feel like doing. And the problem was that lately, everything around Neteyam was too much.

To face the words waiting for him outside of his bed was a martyr. He felt restless despite spending most of his day sleeping or simply thinking.

He often thought about writing more letters, even if he knew there was no use for it.

He also thought about how much his siblings had grown without him noticing because even since the morning he had become aware of Lo'ak being just two inches taller than him, he couldn't help but notice everything else.

Tuk had officially grown back all her definitive teeth, making him wonder if it was too late now to give her those coins he owed her.

Kiri's hair was longer, and she wore it up like their mother. She was also going to marry in two months and had already tried on their mother's wedding dress which she asked to wear for the occasion, but he wasn't brave enough to see her when she tried to show him.

She had also asked him to walk her down the aisle.

And the mere thought of it made him want to cry. He felt so sorry for her, for all of them. Children that had grown up without a father were now facing adulthood head-on, led by whatever knowledge their older brother had passed onto them.

He only hoped his efforts would suffice, however lacking they were.

He looked to the window again, it was becoming dark outside, and he had spent his entire day staring at the ceiling.