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Today is spent out in a shallow piece of the bay amongst large rocks and pools full of nourishment and life. They're out harvesting clams together, relieving the rest of the clan and taking on the hard task of doing it all on their own. It's as a sort of punishment because they went past the reef again without telling anyone but really both of them were just covering for Lo'ak and Tsireya as dutiful elder siblings would. Neither of them complain though, happy not to be confined to their homes and instead allowed to still be in the water. Neteyam grew fond of it quickly though he still longed for the forest and skies, the water was liberating in a way and never the same as it had been the day before.
But he wanted to start complaining now. Neteyam's hands were going numb and he grew tired of the strain on his lungs. He flexed his fingers around the knife's hilt, peering around the rock to see Aonung still going at it just a few strides further, a young Ilu weaving in between his moving calves as he fed it a small clam every few minutes. Neteyam felt a smile tugging at his lips. Then he flinched, his dominant hand going completely numb; they've been at it for most of the morning and both refused to take breaks. The knife gets stuck beneath a shell and his grip on it slips, his hand barely missing the blade as it flies forward. The back of his hand met the harsh rock and barnacles, scraping its surface and breaking the skin.
Neteyam hisses, air escaping him as he pulls the creature from his back with his uninjured hand, cutting off his extra air flow. He breaches the water surface with another hiss, bringing his hand up to inspect the damage. The water softened his skin and his knuckles were raw and burning. He hears a splash behind him.
"What happened," Aonung teases when he surfaces too, "Did it bite?"
Neteyam mumbles something and wades to the shallower water where he could stand. The water really made it easier to harm him sometimes. He scowled at the thought, eyeing his hand again. Aonung's smile falls when he sees the blood.
"What did you do?" He grabbed at Neteyam's wrist, lifting it higher to inspect his hand.
"Ow ow!" He tried to free his wrist, "It's nothing."
Aonung doesn't let go, frowning at the broken skin.
"It's not nothing. This can get infected."
"It's just skin." It was probably more than just skin, some of the sharp edges did cut a bit deeper into his flesh.
Aonung pulled his hand under the water, letting the water rinse the beads of blood that formed on it. Neteyam bit at the inside of his cheek, watching the red fade into the clear water. When he pulls it back up, it looks better, not as red and irritated but it's clear there's some deep pricks in Neteyam's flesh. Aonung still looks at it until Neteyam's gaze pulls his eyes up.
They stand there just staring at each other. It's an awkward silence that stretches between them because Aonung still holds his wrist, large hand almost covering most of Neteyam's forearm.
There's a look crossing Aonung's features, like he's thought of something but before Neteyam can ask, the other moves. Slowly he brought his hand up, sliding his fingers from Neteyam's wrist to gently take his hand. And then he leaned in to place a kiss on the chafed knuckles.
Neteyam blinks at him.
Aonung drops his hand quickly and shrugs, "What? When I was a youngling my mother said a kiss heals anything."
Neteyam smiles, dipping his head to hide most of it, "Mine said the same."
"See." Aonung huffs and then turns away. His ears were burning and the curious look Neteyam gave him was not lost.
He panics. Because that was stupid and abrupt but there's no way he can take it back now so he has to play it off. He has the rest of the day to have his mind play the scene over and over again, now was not the time with Neteyam still there.
"You should let my mother check it out anyway."
"I'll put a salve on it, don't worry." Neteyam can't hide the small grin as Aonung grumbles something and waves him off.
"Let's take these back. We have more than enough." He gestures to the two giant baskets each, filled with clams both have gathered but Aonung only lets Neteyam carry one of his own and straps the other to his back, ignoring all the protests from the other boy.
*
Aonung finds himself on the beach just before the eclipse, mind mulling over his embarrassment over and over again. He wondered what Neteyam had thought about that, he couldn't even look at his face to see his reaction, scared he might find rejection written there. He groans, scratching at the back of his head in annoyance. He's been looking for an excuse to kiss Neteyam. He's been wanting to for ages but a confession first seemed such a hard task he figured a kiss would fully convey his feelings and pull a response for Neteyam as well. Perhaps that was stupid of him.
"Hey, I've been looking for you!"
Aonung tries not to react at the sound of his lovely voice and takes a breath to calm before he looks over his shoulder and halts.
"What's up, tree boy? Missing me already?"
Neteyam snickered, jogging up to him. "As if someone could miss your skawxng ass."
"And here you are looking for me." Aonung shrugged smugly and Neteyam bumped into his shoulder with a laugh.
"You skipped out on riding this afternoon."
"Mm, got caught up." Aonung glances at him as they slowly fall into a walk, "Aren't you supposed to avoid riding with that hand? You can drown if you ride with the other."
Neteyam shook his head, "I'm alive and well," He showed his hand, "See, hand is already better too. I got some treatment for it and the skin is already closing."
Sure enough the skin was closing and the open sores were almost just red lines mixed into his deep blue skin.
"Skawxng, it's only been a few hours."
"And?"
Aonung rolled his eyes. "I'm going diving near the edge of the reef, there's a species of fish you haven't seen before that just came back from migration. They're nesting here during warmer seasons. Want to come with?"
Neteyam nods eagerly, eyes like stars lighting up his face so prettily and Aonung has the urge to kiss him again.
He looks away quickly and shoves the urge down.
"We take turns to check on them. There's nothing really that'll get them here in the reef but you never know." He explains instead, pointing to the secluded cove they've passed before while exploring, "Over there."
"Why are they to be checked on? Are they important?"
"They make this thing," He gestured something, "Very disgusting and thick to swallow but it's great for healing and saved many a warrior here."
"That's pretty cool." Neteyam breathed out.
They entered the water and Aonung paused when the water hit his knees. "I must warn you the dive here is far, we have to pass through an underwater tunnel to get to the nesting beds."
"I'll be alright. I passed your breathing lessons, did I not?" Neteyam pat Aonung's stomach, fingers grazing his waistband and he shuddered, hiding his sudden flush by wading deeper.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. I have trouble sometimes."
"I'll tell you when I start to run out?"
"Earlier."
"Okay."
They go into the water until they can't stand and Aonung steers them towards a curving tree structure growing far across the water. "Come. Breathe deep, we go down now."
Neteyam nodded, sucking in a full chest of air before diving in.
They swam down until they found the tunnel mouth by spirals of seaweed and pushed them aside to go in. The tunnel wasn't very wide and while Aonung felt relieved, Neteyam grew slightly anxious to get out. He didn't like small spaces. At one point he paused, fully considering turning around.
How much further? He signed when Aonung noticed.
Almost there. What's wrong?
Neteyam gestured to the walls and hugged his body. Aonung nodded gently and offered his hand, which Neteyam took far quicker than he thought he would. Aonung willed his heart to slow down again and they pushed onward.
The water at the end of the tunnel was slightly warmer, soft sand drifting through it and basking animals digging into the bottom. There was a short swim through some corals before it opened to a pale open floor of water and sand. And hundreds of small nests where fish swam and whirled together. Neteyam looked on in awe, watching the small schools of fish dart up and down in streaks of glowing light illuminating the darkness. They sort of looked like horses, he thought. They had four legs and a curling tail that spurred them on. Small fins fluttered above the legs, helping to drive them on even further and quicker. They formed rainbows, each a different colour but all of them shared dark black eyes that sat in pairs of four. It was one of the oddest species even he has seen but they were beautiful.
He lowered himself to the ocean floor, crossing his legs and mimicking Aonung. Aonung made a gesture, hand twirling and a flutter of them appeared, whirling around him. He opened his palm and showed Neteyam to do it too. He almost wanted to laugh, clamping his lips shut to stop himself as their little mouths lapped at his skin. It was cute. Aonung looked at him strangely for a moment, one hand reaching like he was going to take his hand but then he seemed to think differently and pulled it back. Neteyam cocked his head to the side, leaning in to raise a brow in question. Aonung leaned in too or rather started too before a fish whirled in between their faces and they smiled at it. There was a big gap between them again. Don't let them lick the wounds. Neteyam nodded and Aonung left him for a moment but Neteyam was content to stay there among the little ones. Aonung went to check on every nest, gently prodding and counting here and there. He left a beautiful pink and blue shel he pulled from his pouch in each nest, a gift that seemed to thrill the little fish. All of them darting into the shell nestling into its shimmering walls. Aonung grinned, looking up to Neteyam to show him. His smile fell.
Neteyam had gotten up quickly, eyes wide and his body rigid and shaking. Aonung could feel the tremors through the water. He started to wave his hands wildly, shaking his head in tandem with their frantic moving, like he had forgotten how to sign. Calm, Neteyam! Aonung started to swim to him.
What is it ?
I'm out of air, Neteyam signed back desperately.
Aonung's brows shoot up. And now he starts to panic too, hands shaking as he looks around them and then up towards where the surface should be. They were far too deep; he was fast but not that fast, especially not if Neteyam was already out of air. The tunnel was quicker but even that would be a stretch to survive and-
Neteyam's hands flew to his mouth, clamping it shut as bubbles escaped his lips. Aonung couldn't think. He reached for him, one hand on his arm to pull him in and the other going to his face. He sees the fear in those beautiful yellow eyes and he doesn't think. He seals his mouth over Neteyam's.
A kiss. It's a kiss, he's kissing-
He was sharing his air- that was it. So why did he close his damn eyes?
He snaps them open and just misses Neteyam having done the same.
Quickly now. He signs.
He grabs onto Neteyam's bicep and Neteyam holds his forearm, kicking as hard as he can as they get back into the tunnel.
Neteyam's lungs are burning and screaming when they burst through the surface. His body feels numb and heavy and he was sure he'd sink if Aonung wasn't holding him- or dragging him rather.
They collapse onto the beach with heaving chests. He groans, coughing out a little water.
"Are you in pain?" Aonung frets and he has to admit it's quite endearing.
"A little."
Aonung leaned over him worriedly, propped on an elbow, "How do I help?"
"Maybe you should kiss me."
" What ."
Maybe Neteyam swallowed too much sea water or the lack of oxygen was getting to him, but Aonung couldn't believe his ears heard correctly.
"It heals anything right?" Neteyam smiles through another small cough. There's a glint in his eye when he says it though and Aonung swallows.
He nods his head. He leans down closer, fingers digging into the sand and he can't hear anything but his blood in his ears. He feels guilty somewhere deep down but the chance he's been waiting for has just been offered to him so openly and he takes it before his mind thinks too much. Neteyam's chin tilts to meet him in the middle and their lips touch in a gentle kiss. It's just a touch - and then another just in case Aonung never gets the chance again but when he pulls away Neteyam chases his lips and his vision goes dark. He kisses him deeper, hand sliding up the side of Neteyam's neck and his thumb brushing the wet hair away from his cheek. Neteyam tastes like the sea and the spring breeze but he also tastes so different than anything Aonung knows and it's so good that Aonung almost can't stop.
He has to. Both of them gulp for air, chests rising and falling as both of them panted. Aonung was a bright red now, still above a flushed Neteyam too. He was utterly mesmerising and even Aonung's embarrassment couldn't pull him away right now. He stroked the corner of Neteyam's mouth, eyes flickering between his wide eyes and parted lips. Neteyam makes a soft sound, something between a sigh and a moan and it shakes Aonung to his core.
"Maybe just one more time to be sure?" Aonung whispers.
Neteyam is already going for it.
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