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Eywa, she is beautiful, is what Neteyam thought as he touched his fingers to his forehead. The way she emerged from the waters, demonstrating nothing but well-practiced grace. She whips her hair away from her face, her features being so different from anything he has ever seen before. Lightskinned, shorter, but broader.
Neteyam figured if he had to suffer from uprooting his entire life for the safety of their family, it all could be worth it if I had to look at her. He glances over to his brother, who seems to share the sentiment, staring right at the object of their desire. Neteyam shook his head, realizing the two of them would already cause some trouble if they continued to look at the Metikyan women like this.
Like their father, they are certainly well-tuned to finding beauty. And her, she is a beauty.
Then some ugly mug walks by him, cutting off his view. He tries to greet him, but the other male seems to want no part of it- of him. Confusion etched his features of the disrespectful gesture, but their arrival seriously couldn't be that bad.
After a lovely conversation between leaders and their wives, Neteyam could tell it was that bad. It was almost shameful to see his father beg for their safety. Toruk Makto - who led a mighty battle against the Sky People and won - begging for safe haven. How sad. Yet here they are.
How to make it worse: the Olo'eyktan sanctioned his children to teach him the ways. Those children are no other than the beauty.. and the beast.
Oh great.
Tsireya was more beautiful inside than she was outside. She had kindness that fared greater than anyone he had ever met. She was patient as they struggled to swim, to hand their breath, and to understand their ways of life. It was hurtful to see that she paid a bit of extra attention to his younger brother, and Lo'ak couldn't make it any more clear that he would worship the ground she walked on if she asked him to.
Still, Neteyam found himself yearning for as much of her as she could. It reached the extent where he even tried to look bad just so she would help him out too. Unluckily for him, he had a 50/50 chance of getting her aid. Ao'nung was always there, whether he was wanted or not. He was never wanted.
Ao'nung was an asshole who got his kicks from watching them suffer. He started fights (that he couldn't finish), he made it clear that he thinks they're all freaks of nature, and to top it all off, he tried to kill Lo'ak. There is absolutely no reason on Pandora's great land that he could like the guy. Regardless of this, he stays.
"Tsireya, can you check me real quick?" Neteyam makes a sly movement to change where his leg is sitting on his ilu. He's done this hundreds of times, of course he knows what he is doing. However, Neteyam is willing to chance seeing if she would touch his leg and mvoe it right where it needed to be. Her beautiful eyes flick to his direction, knocking his breath away just for a moment, before looking down to his leg.
"Move your leg forward just a little. AO!" Fuck. "Can you correct his leg?" Just like a parasite, Ao'nung sticks himself where he isn't desired. Ao'nung swims himself over, face neutral as he approaches. Neteyam releases a big sigh.
"You know what you're doing. Leg forward." Neteyam closes his eyes to mask his eye roll as he follows the direction. He does it perfectly, as he does everything else, and Ao'nung hums. "Now tighter." Although he would rather kick the guy in the face, he does what he is told, just to make him shut up. A large webbed hand grazes his calf, making his whole body tense. "You need to flex here more, not as much up here," Ao'nung teaches as he barely reaches up to his quads, along the side towards the-
Neteyam completely flinches from the touch.
"Alright I got it!" He feels his face heat up. Ao'nung's mouth lift upward just enough to change his expression from neutral. It irritates Neteyam even more.
"Okay. If she throws you off her, I don't want to hear you cry."
"As if I'd ever cry."
"That's a sight I'd love to see." Neteyam looks up to the clear sky, trying to warn Eywa that it is not his fault if her child meets her earlier than intended. Ao'nung is now laughing to himself, as if there is some joke that Neteyam is not privy to.
"I'd feed you to an akula if I could," threatens Neteyam, losing a bit of his cool. Ao'nung has a habit of bringing him out of his 'perfect son' mode.
"I bet you wish you could, but you'd miss me too much."
"As if I could miss you."
"Who else would you have to be imperfect with?" Ao'nung shrugs as if he already won this argument.
"Your sister," whispers Neteyam under his breath. He didn't even bother to try to say it impossible to hear.
"What was that?" The beast leans closer to him, pointing his ear in his direction as almost a dare. "I thought you said something." His teeth grind as he forces his jaw to unclench. Then, Neteyam makes a dumb move.
"I said your sister." He could see Aonung's entire demeanor change at the mention of his beloved sibling. If only he knew how beloved she was. Neteyam did not even attempt to hide his satisfied smile.
When Ao'nung clicks his tongue, signaling the akula to shoot off into the water, easily leaving Neteyam behind, that smile falls off immediately. In the distance, Neteyam could hear the laughter of his siblings the the sweet giggle of Tsireya. Surprisingly he didn't hear anything from Ao'nung. When he looks over in the direction of the ass who did this, he isn't sporting a smirk or a smile or anything at all.
His face returned to neutral, assessing. Then he swims away as if nothing happened. Neteyam slaps the water with a frustrated grunt, attempting to call his ilu back to him.
Unfortunately, it doesn't sound nearly as good as the other man's.
The perfect opportunity came. There was some function that they could attend. It reminded him of their time at home around fires telling stories and singing. Except they just loved dancing and creating music with some drums and shells. Neteyam still hasn't understood how they do it.
Still, the Sullys show up in the appropriate clothing and accessories to show respect. They are doing their best to blend in, to reduce the animosity that many of the others feel towards them. Aversion more than animosity, but they tend to present the same way: avoidance, lots of watching, and gossip around their every move.
They find a place to situate all of them, their temporary home base before Tuk is off and running to anyone to teach her how to dance. Neteyam, as always, is in charge of her care. He sits around, watching her make all the residents fall in love with her, before he stops watching his sister entirely. Tsireya emerges out of a crowd, smiling as someone greets her. Foolishly, he couldn't care entirely what else was happening except for the way her hips moved fluidly from side to side as she ambled over to them. Neteyam swallows what is left of his spit, but his mouth is drying up quickly.
"Hi! Thank you for coming." She smiles brightly at all of them and Neteyam wishes he could frame the image his eyes are getting. An idea pops up in his mind so brilliant and perfect, there should be no way it couldn't work.
"Would you-"
Tsireya, dance with me!" Lo'ak reaches for her hand and drags her to the center of the space, unbothered with Neteyam. He bites a sound as she laughs and follows his brother's will, showing him a move on the floor.
"She was supposed to dance with me." Neteyam rolls his eyes, sinking down in disappointment as he goes back to watching his youngest sister. He does his best to not blame her in his mind, but if he didn't have so much responsibility he could -
"Dance with my, forest boy." He doesn't fight his scowl when he looks up to Ao'nung with his outstretched his hand.
"As if I'd dance with you."
"It is a paired dance next and you're the only one who's not out here man. Even Kiri has accepted Roxto to dance." Neteyam finds his sister in the crowd looking comfortable enough with the nice enough boy. He glares in their direction as if they betrayed him or slighted him.
"What does that say about you then?" Neteyam fires back as he redirects the glare to the hand waiting for him.
"Don't be difficult about this. Just come on."
"Fine," says Neteyam, placing his hands in Ao'nung's and letting himself get pulled to his feet. They walk together, landing somewhere in between the outskirts and the center of the dance circle before the sound begins to change to something slower.
"This sounds like a love song," comments Neteyam, keeping his eyes on Ao'nung's feet. That is the only way he'll know which dance they are about to do. However, Ao'nung has not moved yet.
"It might be," is the response he gets before he shuffles his feet forward and then back. Neteyam follows suit, and they begin the dance.
"Is this really a love song?"
"No," Ao'nung smiles. He has a pretty smile like his sister. It is kind of nice to see it, knowing he doesn't have ill intentions at the moment. Maybe he does. Neteyam reminds himself to keep his guard up. "This song is about two spirits finding each other, finding someone who sees you for who you are. The pretty and the ugly. Good and bad. No judgment, just us." Ao'nung moved closer so he whispered the last of it in his ear. It sounds like a love song the way he says it. Neteyam is sure to tell him that.
"If this is just some mating song and you just screwed with me, I will never forgive you." A rich laugh erupts from the Na'vi, full of life. It throws Neteyam off-kilter more than Tsireya's laugh.
"Don't worry, forest boy. I would be a bit more romantic about it if I were going to ask someone to be my mate." Ao'nung looks at him like he is thinking, and planning, and it makes Neteyam feel uncomfortable. He looks away, choosing to try to find his brother in the mess of bodies. It is unsuccessful.
"Oh yeah, as if you have a romantic bone in your body," he finds himself shooting off instead. Ao'nung wraps his arms around him, rousing a quick intake of breath.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Neteyam?" It is the first time he has said his name all night. Maybe the first time he has said it in a long time. Neteyam feels too hot as if coals had been placed inside his body. He pushes away, shaking his head.
"I - uh" What is happening to him? "I need to find Tuk before my parents get mad." Neteyam rushes out of the dance circle, leaving everything behind. It doesn't even bother him to see his brother and the girl they both want cuddling up to each other, not even dancing the way they are supposed to. He has an elevated heart rate he needs to address first.
Tuk is unchanged in her activities, making it all for nothing.
This feeling, whatever it may be, doesn't go away. He finds himself doing his best to avoid Ao'nung, although it seems that he is doing everything to do the opposite. Ao'nung is everywhere - making conversation, riding with him, doing more than he has done in the last year that they've been living there. All at once.
It has only served to push Lo'ak and Tsireya even closer together as a result. It was another month of this, only serving to raise the frustration of the situation. He was already in a losing game to gain the affection of the ocean's princess to his brother, whose clumsiness and strong will won her over from the start. Neteyam has only the bearing of responsibility and loyalty, but it doesn't seem to register well with her.
Unlike the brother.
It all came to a head one fateful night when Tsireya made a trip to see him specifically. It came as a surprise when he was requested over his brother, but he nearly tripped over his tail to follow her outside. They walk along the beach for a little bit, discussing small topics. His body itched with an uncomfortable feeling. It was as if it was telling him something unpleasant was to come.
"There is something I wanted to ask you about if you would be willing to hear me out," she pushes some of her hair behind her ear. Neteyam finds himself smiling, although he is unsure if it is to ease her or himself.
"Go ahead."
"I went through the embarrassment of talking about it with my parents about this kind of stuff, which was horrible but.." Neteyam finds himself zoning out, just content to be in her presence. "and I know it is customary for the oldest in the family to be wed first for.." wed? Is she seriously asking him right now about marriage? Neteyam feels himself weighed down instead of feeling lighter. The thought of marrying her suddenly feels wrong, like a bad-tasting fruit. He forces himself to listen on.
"But I was wondering do you think your parents would be okay with me considering Lo'ak to be my mate?"
Sound stopped. Time stopped. Neteyam opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He blinked, tried again, failed again. He spent a second under her nervous watch trying to think of something smart to say, but nothing came to mind. Finally, he let something stupid slip. '
"Why not me?" He didn't mean for it to sound so defensive. Honestly, he is surprised his heart isn't breaking. Tsireya essentially just said she wants to mate with Lo'ak when the time comes and not him. Instead, he is just shocked, like regular 'my brother found someone before me' shock. She seems more shocked at his response, spilling nervous laughter as she gathers his hands in hers.
"Oh, it's not you. Not at all. You would make a great husband, I know it! But someone else I care about said that they liked you, so I never saw you as an option since they said it so early. Also, I already began liking your brother in all his foolishness." Of course. His chest does hurt a little bit, but not nearly as much as he thought it would from the rejection. The words sink in and he pauses.
"What do you mean someone said they liked me?"
"I'm not allowed to say. It was supposed to be our secret." Tsireya steps back as if it would save her from her slip-up.
"You know what? I spent a year trying to do anything to get close to you and I never even had a chance because someone called dibs? And you can't even tell me who it is?" Neteyam huffs out a laugh, but there is no humor in it. Anger begins to settle in.
"wait you liked me?"
"Of course I liked you! Everyone likes you! Were you so blind to not see it?" Neteyam throws his hands in the air, feeling out the frustration. Tsireya is unknowing of his affections, and somehow that makes it worse.
"I did not know. I am sorry, Neteyam." The sincerity in her tone makes it all too easy to forgive her, although he does not want to. It is his selfish right. He sighs, returning his gaze back to her.
"Can you at least tell me who likes me?"
"I said I wouldn't tell on him," Tsireya replies, then covers her mouth, knowing she slipped in her tongue. It's a he. Neteyam doesn't take long to piece it together.
"Ao'nung?" Even though she doesn't answer, her panicked eyes give him away. "Unbelievable." He starts walking away, intent to leave this entire conversation behind. Something stops him though. Call it Eywa's heart in him, but he turns around to her following body. She stops to maintain their distance. Perhaps she is scared at his bafflement, mistaking it for anger.
"To answer your question, I am sure my parents would love if someone as great as you married my brother. If you haven't noticed, we're not too great on following traditional rules. I'm sure they won't care for this one either." And it stings when he leaves her there, letting her deliberate on his honest answer.
He could've left it there, but the feelings were high and he is still riding his selfish feelings high, so when he called on Ao'nung in the late night, he was more upset thar the man showed.
"You called dibs on me? Seriously?" Neteyam walks right up to him, shoving him just enough to make him stumble. Ao'nung recovers quickly physically, but the guilty look in his eyes takes too long to get masked.
"I do not know what you are talking about?"
"You mean to tell me I had this crush on your sister for over a year for nothing because you couldn't find the guts to tell me you liked me!" He shoves him again, and again, until they find some skinny tree to press him against. Ao'nung just lets it happen.
"You should've known better. Lo'ak has been in love with her for so long. I don't know why it took you so long to come around to the idea it wouldn't be you." Out of everything that happened tonight, that hurt. The hard truth that it was never going to be him. Neteyam hisses at him, wounded. "All I did was tell her that I liked you. That's it. You were never supposed to find out."
"Why would I never know?" Ao'nung flashes his teeth and a small laugh leaves, but it seems the opposite of happy.
"Let's be realistic here. I am the one who beat on your family and called you freaks, and I am not on the Sully lineup for potential mates. I couldn't have you even if I wanted to. Not that it mattered, you never even looked my way unless I forced myself in front of you." Ao'nung pushes off the tree, brushing some invisible sand off. His face reads neutral, as it has been for a while, but his eyes say something different. Sad.
"You don't like me and I have had time to accept that, but it doesn't mean I didn't try," Ao'nung has another sad laugh, "but it doesn't matter. I'll get over this stupid feeling I have for you somehow. I guess I'll be stuck with you for life soon, so I might as well get used to it now." Neteyam is.. sad. Not for himself, not for him, but the circumstance. Ao'nung must reread the pitied look in his eyes.
"Whatever. If that's all, I'll go back home now." Ao'nung begins to walk away. It feels like deja vu to earlier. This cycle of rejection. It stops here.
"Wait!" Neteyam catches up to him, reaching for his muscled arm. Ao'nung turns around quickly, attempting to snatch the hand off. Neteyam thinks he sees extra moisture in those blue eyes. He also thinks they never looked so pretty before.
"Don't rub it in. Let go of me."
"You need to let me speak. You owe me that!" Ao'nung makes a loud frustrated sound in the silent night, whipping his body around quickly. With the full attention back to him, he suddenly feels small.
"Okay. Um.." Ao'nung already looks like he is going to turn around again so Neteyam forces the words out. "So I knew Tsireya didn't like me, but I wanted her to. She makes me feel like I belong here sometimes and that it's okay with all the drama of being here.
But you..you make me feel like I am on fire. Like my skin itches for something I don't know. I knew I could get over her. It was easier than I thought sadly. But I have been trying for over a month to avoid you because I can't avoid the way I feel when I am with you and I don't understand it so it would be really nice if you would let me finish-"
"No," interrupts Ao'nung in the middle of the rushed words. Neteyam thinks he might actually cry when Ao'nung steps in front of him again, his features still drawn in anger. He really doesn't think he could face two rejections in one night. "I am not going to let you finish."
"Why?" Neteyam's voice has gone small. He drops his head in shame. He put himself out there twice in one night and both resulted in him looking like a dumbass. A hand wraps from the underside of his jaw up to his cheekbone, forcing his gaze to look up. Ao'nung is there, using all two inches of his height advantage to make him small. Neteyam swallows nervously.
"You really do suck at this love stuff." The tease does nothing for Neteyam's nerves but rile it more.
"Don't make fun of me right now!" Neteyam tries to move away, but Ao'nung is quick to wrap his other arm around his waist. A foreign noise escapes his mouth.
"It's fact, though. You can't even tell when someone is trying to kiss you." Neteyam is all blubbers, trying to find some response, but Ao'nung saves his torment by drawing their mouths together.
All that fire? It rests on top of the calmest water. Neteyam grabs at the other man's shoulders, drawing him closer. Ao'nung is nice enough to accommodate the request, pressing their bodies together as he continues to kiss him. He wants more, he wants to keep this moment forever - Eywa, he can't choose. All he knows is that he wants more, as much as possible. It's too soon when Ao'nung pulls away.
"Let me court you," speaks Ao'nung, breathless from their recent kiss. "Let me court you and I will atone my every sin at your feet."
"You made a lot of sins," is the stupid reply that falls from his lips.
"Then I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Your wishes are my commands." Neteyam's heart is beating wildly out of rhythm and he wonders if he going to pass out from all the ruckus of the day.
"Just kiss me again." Ao'nung kisses him. "again." Ao'nung kisses him again. "again." Ao'nung picks him up, peppering love from his lips. Neteyam laughs so hard he cries. When he finally gets put down, Ao'nung wipes at his tears.
"I told you I'd like to see you cry. It is a beautiful sight." Neteyam punches him in the chest hard.
"I hate you."
"You don't."
"I take back everything I said."
"No take backs"
"You're so frustrating!"
"You love it"
"I don't even like you"
"even better"
When Ao'nung and Neteyam walk into the marui of Jake and Neytiri Sully, hand in hand, Neteyam swears his father's eyes were going to pop out of his head. Worse, Lo'ak pretends to pass out on Kiri, who seems unbothered by the pairing.
"Hello." Ao'nung stops holding his hand to do their formal greeting before falling back in their intertwined fingers (it took them a little bit to figure out how to do it). "I have asked to court your son, Neteyam, until we are both adults, and he has accepted. I have asked my parents for permission to wed following our courting and they have accepted. I would like to ask the same of you. Do I have permission to wed your son following our courtship?"
Lo'ak may have pretended to pass out, but their father certainly didn't.