Neteyam had seemed distance, like he was lost in his thoughts. It wasn't like him, but lately it was. Neteyam had avoided you as much as he could without making it too obvious. You had noticed but chose to remain quiet. It was a stressful time for everyone. You didn't want to make it worse. "Whats on your mind?" You questioned him as you sat next to him. There was no way to avoid you since you were in your pod. Neteyam turned to look at you without saying a thing. You looked him in his eyes, searching for the familiar shine his eyes once held. It had been a while since you last saw it. The shine still didn't reappear. "You can tell me. I'm your girlfriend, after all." You said before he looked away from you. You watched Neteyam as he got up. He was giving you the silent treatment again.
Frustrated with his behavior, you stood up abruptly and fetched your bow. Your sudden movements grabbed Neteyam's attention. Neteyam watched you from behind with a puzzled look as you swung your bow around your body. Grabbing your quiver, you heard Neteyam ask. "Where are you going?" Neteyam caught your interest as he spoke unexpectedly. You pauzed briefly as you looked up. "Aonung and I have another hunting lesson today." You replied while counting the arrows in your quiver. Neteyam let out a small chuckle, making you turn to face him. "It's been weeks. Why hasn't he learned yet?" Neteyam sighed. It wasn't a question, and you knew it. Rather, it was an insult towards Aonung.
He wasn't in a place to judge Aonung, not about the lessons, at least. You wanted to make that very clear. "We needed many breath lessons too. Before we could swim properly underwater." You stated. You could see that Neteyam wasn't amused by your answer. He remained quiet once again. You knew that whatever made him give you the silent treatment today wasn't about your lessons with Aonung. If it was, he wouldn't have asked where you were going.
As Neteyam remained silent, you started walking out. You were in the opening of the pod when he spoke again. "Y/n..." Neteyam spoke quietly. You stopped and turned around to look at him. "Yes." You answered, waiting for a response. He wanted to say something but seemed hesitant about it. Neteyam looked into your eyes, and you looked into his. He shook his head before waving you away. "It's nothing. You go on now." He said as he looked away. Your eyes dropped to the floor as you sighed. You turned back around, walking away from the hut towards the place you and Aonung had agreed on.
They place you had argeed on was east of the village, with some rocks alongside the beach. As you arrived, you saw Aonung with his arms crossed, leaning against one of the rocks. He was staring at the sea in front of him. Aonung was early, which was unusual for him. He uncrossed his arms and stood up straight as he noticed you walking up to him. Aonung tilted his head slightly to the right as he studied your movements closely. He sensed you were a bit tense by the way you walked. Aonung approached you, leaving the rocks behind him. One word, rather one name, that was all he needed to know to understand you. "Neteyam?" He asked as he stood in front of you. You nodded as you slightly looked down.
During your lessons, you two had become close. Close enough that you had confided in him about was happening with Neteyam. Aonung had also confided in you about the pressure he felt as the village had high expectations of him. He had told you he liked the lessons with you. Because at least he could be honest and relaxed with you. You didn'thave any expectations from him, so he could be himself around you. At the village, both of you didn't have much time together, except if it was the whole group together. You occasionally glanced at each other or had some small interaction, but that was all. So this was a little getaway you both got together.
You would never admit it, but you had gotten feelings for Aonung. Neteyam had pushed you away for the past few months. Aonung had comforted you, and that's how it started. You felt guilty that you got feelings for him. If only Neteyam knew... He probably wouldn't care, not right now, at least. He would've been furious if that would've happened back at the omaticaya clan. He had changed so much towards you. You knew there was something else going as well, but you weren't sure.
