Luminous Nights [Neteyam x Aonung]

Luminous Days : Part 10

Kiri screams as she ducks next to their mother, then Lo'ak hears his father calling to him.

Jake- Lo'ak! Lo'ak, get to Neteyam!

Lo'ak spots a path straight to his brother, but first turns to Tuktirey.

Lo'ak- Stay down. Don't move.

She nods, and he starts crawling away from her, then sees his father doing the same thing on the opposite side of the room. He goes past Kiri and his mother, then once his father is positioned on the other side of Neteyam, they both strike.

Lo'ak hooks his arms under Neteyam's, restraining him, and Jake quickly confiscates his gun, tossing it onto the couch away from them. 

Neteyam- No! Let go! Get the fuck off!

Neteyam slings Lo'ak off of him, knocking him onto the floor, but Jake grabs him before he can go for the gun again.

Neytiri and the others stand from the floor cautiously, watching as Jake pulls one of Neteyam's arms behind him and pins him to the floor.

Neteyam- No! They're waiting for me! I can't let them die! Let go!

Jake beckons Lo'ak, and he comes to his brother's side, pulling his queue from behind himself.

Neteyam- Stop it! Get off of me! Let me go!

He kicks Lo'ak in the side, knocking him over, then breaks one of his arms free from Jake's grip. Without wasting any time, he stands up, pulling his arm as he tries to get away from Jake.

Neteyam- I have to go back! I need to save them! I need to-

Aonung- Neteyam?

Neteyam's body immediately stops struggling, leaning with nothing but his father's grip on his arm keeping him from moving forward. Everyone looks to the staircase, seeing a confused, tired, and bandaged Aonung come down.

He snatches his arm from Jake, and sprints across the room, straight to Aonung. The marine boy's slow functioning brain barely registers Neteyam's fast movements.

He makes Aonung lean down as he pulls the boy's head down to his chest, holding him protectively as he eyes the others.

When Lo'ak takes a step towards them, he takes one back, pulling Aonung along, and his lover looks up at him in confusion.

Neteyam- Stay the hell away from me. He needs me.

Jake- Neteyam, it's okay, we're not trying to stop you or hurt Aonung. We just wanna calm you down.

Neteyam- But I . . . I can't leave them.

Lo'ak takes another step towards them, and Neteyam jolts back with a snarl.

Neteyam- Stay back! They need me!

Jake gives him a sorrowful look, knowing exactly who he's talking about.

A squad he once went on a mission with. They found themselves trapped in a tight spot, but Neteyam had a plan; To scope out an escape route by risking only himself, and he would come back for them once he knew it was secure.

He did just as he promised he would, but when he came back for the squad, they were gone. They had come up with their own plan and left, but it got them all killed.

The question "why?" kept running through his head. Why would they not just wait for him to return? Surely they knew of his superior skills.

Neteyam found one of the squad members injured and got her out. She was beyond shocked to see he had come back, but even though he did, her injuries were too severe, and she didn't make it.

That's when he got his answer.

Why did they execute their own plan? Because they didn't believe he would come back for them.

They didn't trust him as they should have.

The most important thing they had as soldiers was their trust in each other, and although he trusted them wholeheartedly, they didn't feel the same way.

For some reason, they thought him untrustworthy. Someone who would abandon them. Or perhaps someone who didn't seem skilled enough to pull off his own plan.

Whatever the reason was for their distrust, it's an event that's always haunted Neteyam. The fear of not being enough. The fear that the people close to him don't trust him. He made vow that the moment someone's trust in him wavered, he would fix it, to keep them alive.

He is reliable. He is trustworthy. And right now, he will not leave that squad behind again. He can't. If he does, they'll die.

Jake- Neteyam, you have to choose.

Tonowari wears a look of confusion, as does his father and his son, neither of them being aware of what he's talking about.

Neteyam- No.

Jake- You can't protect both.

Neteyam- Yes I can!

Jake mentally curses, he knows Neteyam has always hated that word. He needs to phrase things differently.

Jake- Who's with you right now? Look at him.

He looks down at Aonung, then Jake gestures for Lo'ak to slowly move towards them.

Neteyam- Aonung.

His grip on the marine boy loosens, allowing Aonung to lean up and stand face to face with him.

Jake- Don't you think he's more important?

Neteyam glances at Neytiri and Kiri, who nod to him, and Lo'ak freezes in his spot.

Neteyam- But-

Jake- Look at him.

The moment he turns to face Aonung again, Lo'ak runs over to him, connecting their queues.

The sudden connection makes him hold onto Lo'ak for a moment, closing his eyes and allowing his brother to help him back into reality.