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The walkways of Awa'atlu were alive, to the Metkayina the woven paths were a rhythmic extension of the sea but to Neteyam they were a treacherous puzzle.
He stepped carefully his lean forest blue legs tensing with every movement. Back home in the High Camp the branches of the Hallelujah Mountains were solid fixed by centuries of growth, here everything breathed the slick wet kelp beneath his feet shifted with the tide and the entire village seemed to sway in a way that made his head spin.
Neteyam let out a frustrated huff his ears pinning back against his skull, he shifted his weight trying to find balance but a sudden larger wave hit the village supports the walkway lurched.
His feet slipped on a patch of sun warmed algae, his heart hammered against his ribs as he felt gravity begin to win his body tilting toward the shimmering turquoise water below.
Before he could fall a broad warm hand clamped firmly around his waist.
The grip was iron strong and steadying, halting his descent instantly Neteyam gasped his breath hitching as he was pulled back into a solid chest. He turned his head his tail twitching in a frantic nervous spiral only to find himself looking directly into the pale sea foam eyes of Aonung.
"Careful there forest boy," Aonung said, his voice dropping into a low soothing vibration that Neteyam felt in his own chest.
Aonung didn’t let go his hand remained splayed across Neteyam’s waist the heat of his palm seeping into Neteyam's striped skin. The Metkayina warrior looked at him with an unfamiliar softness gone was the teasing smirk replaced by a gaze of genuine concern.
"These walkways take some getting used to," Aonung murmured his thumb brushing almost imperceptibly against the small of Neteyam’s back. "You have to stop fighting the movement, you have to flow with it."
Neteyam’s ears flicked forward his own gaze locked on Aonung’s, there was a sudden inexplicable spark a pull in his chest that felt like a tether snapping into place, for a heartbeat the sound of the crashing waves and the distant calls of the skimwings faded there was only the scent of salt the warmth of Aonung’s skin and the realization that his world had just shifted in a way that had nothing to do with the unsteady ground.
"I... I am trying," Neteyam managed to whisper his voice sounding breathy even to his own ears.
Aonung smiled a small private thing that didn't reach his teeth but lit up his eyes. "Then let me show you, we will find your rhythm together."
Neteyam’s breath caught as Aonung shifted his grip, sliding his hand lower to tangle their fingers together, the calluses on Aonung’s palm rough from years of spear throwing and reef diving scraped against Neteyam’s smoother skin in a way that sent a jolt of heat straight to his core. The contrast between them was impossible to ignore Aonung’s thick paddle like tail swaying effortlessly with the tide while Neteyam’s own twitched nervously betraying his discomfort.
"You think too much," Aonung murmured stepping closer until the scent of sun warmed kelp and salt clung to them both, his free hand brushed against Neteyam’s hipbone guiding his stance wider firmer. "Your body knows how to move, you just have to stop fighting yourself." The words curled between them, intimate as a confession and Neteyam swallowed hard against the sudden tightness in his throat.
Aonung’s tail flicked lazily against Neteyam’s calf, a deliberate tease that made his breath hitch. "Watch," he commanded shifting his weight effortlessly as the walkway dipped beneath them, his body rolled with the motion like water over stone fluid and sure. Neteyam’s gaze dropped to the way Aonung’s muscles shifted beneath his dappled skin every movement precise every shift purposeful, something hot and unfamiliar coiled low in Neteyam’s belly.
The next swell came harder, and Neteyam instinctively dug his fingers into Aonung’s forearm his claws pricking just shy of breaking skin, Aonung didn’t flinch instead he grinned sharp and bright and stepped impossibly closer until their chests brushed. "Trust me," he murmured against Neteyam’s ear, his breath warm and tinged with the tang of the sea, Neteyam shuddered, He wanted to--Eywa help him- he wanted to
Neteyam's fingers trembled against Aonung's forearm his claws still pressed lightly into the Metkayina's sun warmed skin, he could feel the steady drum of Aonung's pulse beneath his fingertips a rhythm as unshakable as the tides, Aonung's confidence was intoxicating a stark contrast to the way Neteyam's own breath stuttered in his chest. His forest blue stripes stood out sharply against the reef dappled blues and greens of Aonung’s body, marking him as an outsider in this world of water and salt.
Neteyam's pulse roared in his ears louder than the crashing waves below as Aonung shifted his grip, sliding one broad palm up the ladder of Neteyam's ribs, the Metkayina's fingers splayed across his back like anchor points sea roughened fingertips catching slightly on the raised edges of Neteyam's stripe patterns. "Breathe," Aonung murmured against his temple and Neteyam realized with a jolt that he'd been holding his breath, The exhale left him trembling as Aonung's tail curled around his calf in a possessive arc, stabilizing them both as another swell rocked the walk way.
Aonung's chuckle vibrated through Neteyam's chest where they pressed together "You're still fighting it," he accused thumb rubbing circles just above Neteyam's hipbone, "Your muscles are tight as a reef knot." His free hand trailed up Neteyam's arm, pausing to pinch lightly at the tension corded there, the playful gesture sent an electric shiver down Neteyam's spine half embarrassment half something warmer he couldn't name.
Neteyam's breath hitched as Aonung's fingers traced the delicate webbing between his own so much finer than the Metkayina's sturdy water worn hands. The contrast sent another wave of heat through him, his forest bred instincts screaming at the vulnerability of standing so exposed on these treacherous paths, Yet when Aonung's thumb pressed firmly into the hollow of his palm something in Neteyam's chest loosened like a knotted vine finally giving way.
Neteyam let out a shaky breath his eyes dropping to where their feet were planted on the swaying fibers, Aonung’s toes were wider thicker and they gripped the walkway with an effortless strength that Neteyam envied. "Don't just look at me," Aonung’s voice was a low hum right against the shell of Neteyam’s ear making his tail give a sudden involuntary flick that brushed right against Aonung’s thigh, "Feel the ocean through the wood Neteyam, it tells you where it’s going before the wave even hits."
Aonung moved his hand from Neteyam’s palm sliding it up to the back of his neck his thumb grazing the base of Neteyam's queue just enough to make a bolt of static awareness shoot down his spine. He nudged Neteyam forward a small step forcing him to move as the walkway dipped low Neteyam stumbled his chest knocking back against Aonung’s shoulder but this time Aonung didn't just steady him he held him there for a second longer than necessary.
"See? You're starting to catch it," Aonung murmured his grin widening as he watched the way Neteyam’s golden eyes blew wide with focus and something else something that looked a lot like the same hunger Aonung felt gnawing at his own gut. "The sea isn't your enemy forest boy, she just wants to know if you're brave enough to dance with her."
Neteyam let out a breathy laugh the sound caught in the salty breeze as he finally found a second of stillness amidst the swaying, He looked up at Aonung the dappled light of the afternoon sun dancing across the Metkayina’s broad shoulders and the intricate beadwork of his songcord, For a moment the height and the water didn't feel so terrifying. "And are you?" Neteyam asked his voice gaining a bit of that Omatikaya steel back as he dared to lean a fraction of his weight into Aonung’s touch. "Brave enough?"
Aonung’s eyes darkened the sea foam green turning deep and murky like the depths of the reef as his tail wound a little tighter around Neteyam’s leg pulling him a hair closer until there was barely any air left between them, "I think I’m beginning to be," he whispered his gaze dropping to Neteyam’s mouth for a heartbeat before he jerked his head toward the edge of the village where the water turned a deep bruised purple of evening. "Come. The sun is dying and the spirits are waking up in the cove i want to show you what the reef looks like when it dreams."
Neteyam hesitated only a second before nodding letting Aonung’s fingers slide from his neck down to grip his wrist tugging him off the main walkway onto a narrower path where the woven fibers were older softer underfoot. The further they walked the quieter it became until the distant laughter of the village children and the rhythmic pounding of pestles in mortars faded into nothing but the whisper of wind over water, That strange pull in Neteyam’s chest intensified with every step like a vine slowly coiling tighter around his ribs an undeniable gravity drawing him toward Aonung’s side as if Eywa herself had stitched their shadows together.
They reached the edge of a sheltered cove where the water didn't crash but instead sighed against the white sand in a soft rhythmic pulse, Aonung finally let go of Neteyam's wrist but the ghost of his touch stayed behind like a burn. The sky was a deep bruised violet now and as the last of the sun dipped below the horizon the lagoon began to wake up tiny pulses of neon pink and electric blue shimmering beneath the surface as the plants and fish started to glow.
Neteyam stood at the water's edge his ears swiveling to catch the strange new sounds of the reef at night while his own bioluminescent freckles began to brighten in response to the darkness, glowing like a map of the stars across his cheeks and shoulders, beside him Aonung looked like a spirit of the sea his dappled skin coming alive with swirling patterns of pale green light that seemed to pulse in time with his heartbeat.
"It is beautiful," Neteyam whispered the word barely leaving his lips as he watched a school of tiny glowing fish dart through the shallows like fallen stars, the pull in his chest was so loud now he was sure Aonung could hear it, a steady drumming that demanded he step closer demanded he reach out.
Aonung didn't look at the water he looked only at Neteyam, the glow from the lagoon reflecting in his eyes and making them look infinite. "It is," Aonung agreed his voice thick with a sudden heavy emotion as he stepped onto the damp sand his tail trailing a line behind him he held out a hand again not to lead but an invitation. "Come sit the tide is coming in and the spirits will come to the shore."
Neteyam took his hand without a second thought their palms meeting and the spark from before returned tenfold, a jolt of pure energy that made Neteyam’s knees feel weak. As they sat side by side on the edge of the glowing water their shoulders brushed and Neteyam felt his tail instinctively seeking out Aonung’s the thin forest blue length curling shyly around the thicker reef blue base in a silent confession of belonging.
Aonung leaned closer his shoulder a steady heat against Neteyam’s, as he reached into the shallow water where the bioluminescence was thickest his fingers sifting through the glowing sand until he found what he was looking for, he pulled his hand back cupping something small and pulsating with a soft rhythmic golden light that sat in stark contrast to the blues of the lagoon.
"Open your hand," Aonung whispered his eyes never leaving Neteyam’s face as he waited for the forest prince to comply, Neteyam held out his palm his heart doing a strange fluttering dance as Aonung gently tipped his hand over letting a tiny translucent sea creature a Spirit Shell drift onto Neteyam’s skin. It was shaped like a spiral of glass and as it touched Neteyam it flared with a warm amber glow that matched the color of his eyes.
"They only glow like this when they feel a strong heartbeat," Aonung explained his voice so low it was almost a purr his own hand hovering just inches above Neteyam’s as if he couldn't bear to pull away entirely. "My mother says they are the pulse of the ocean but I think they just know when they've found something worth staying for."
Neteyam watched the tiny creature in wonder his breath hitching when it began to pulse in perfect sync with the thrumming in his own chest a rhythm he realized was now mirroring Aonung’s the "pull" he’d felt all day suddenly felt less like a weight and more like a tether a golden thread connecting his soul to the boy sitting beside him in the glowing dark.
Aonung’s tail tightened its hold on Neteyam’s, the thick powerful muscle grounding him as he leaned in until their foreheads almost touched the light from the Spirit Shell casting long flickering shadows across their faces. "Do you feel that Neteyam?" he murmured his breath ghosting over Neteyam’s lips. "The way the reef is breathing with us?"
Neteyam couldn't find his voice his entire world narrowing down to the glow of the shell and the intensity in Aonung’s gaze he realized then that he wasn't just learning the way of water, he was learning the way back to the other half of himself.
Aonung looked away for a moment his ears dipping low in a rare show of shame as he kicked a stray piece of glowing coral with his heel. "I was not kind to you in the beginning," he muttered the confession sounding heavy in the quiet air, "To you or your siblings i called you babies demons, i let my pride make me blind to who you really were."
Neteyam felt a ghost of a smile tug at his lips remembering the tension of those first few weeks when every look from Aonung had been a challenge or a sneer. "You were a spectacular jerk Aonung," Neteyam agreed softly nudging Aonung’s shoulder with his own to show there was no sting left in the words, "I spent many nights wondering if I would have to challenge the Chief’s son just to get a moment of peace for my brother."
Aonung let out a short dry laugh his tail giving a self deprecating flick in the sand. "My father would have had my head if you had, but I was afraid I think you came here with your forest songs and your strange ways and you were so steady even when you were failing you didn't give up it made me feel like the water I’d lived in my whole life was suddenly shifting under my own feet."
He turned back to Neteyam then the bioluminescence of the lagoon reflecting in the tears of his eyes making them shine like polished sea glass. "I pushed you because I didn't know what else to do with the way my heart reacted when you looked at me, i thought if I made you an enemy the pull would stop but it only got stronger."
Neteyam reached out his fingers tracing the edge of Aonung’s heavy collar, his touch feather light against the skin that was so much broader than his own. "It took us a while to find the right path," Neteyam whispered his thumb brushing a dappled spot on Aonung's neck. "But we are here now the forest boy and the reef prince, i think Eywa was just waiting for us to stop fighting the current."
Aonung leaned into the touch his eyes closing as he let out a long, shaky breath the last of his pride melting away in the warmth of Neteyam's presence. "I see you Neteyam," he murmured, using the formal greeting but giving it a weight that made Neteyam’s soul vibrate. "I see you, and I am sorry I didn't see you sooner."
The air between them felt thick charged with the kind of electricity that only comes when years of tradition and months of friction finally melt into something pure, Neteyam felt the "I see you" resonate deep in his bones a hum that started at the base of his queue and radiated outward until his very skin seemed to pulse in time with Aonung’s.
Without the noise of the village or the weight of their fathers' expectations, the world felt small just the two of them and the glowing heartbeat of the ocean.
Aonung moved first his large sea worn hand reaching up to cup Neteyam’s cheek, his thumb traced the line of Neteyam's jaw moving with a reverence that made Neteyam’s breath hitch Slowly, as if giving Neteyam every second to pull away Aonung leaned in, the scent of salt and sun warmed skin was overwhelming and Neteyam found himself closing the final distance, tilting his head until their foreheads slid together.
When their lips finally met it wasn't like the crashing of a storm it was like the first time Neteyam had successfully held his breath beneath the waves a moment of total weightless clarity.
The kiss was soft tasting of salt and the sweetness of the night air, Neteyam’s fingers tangled into the thick hair at the nape of Aonung’s neck pulling him closer until there was no space left between them, their tails already entwined tightened their hold the forest blue and reef blue scales pressing together in a silent promise, it was a bridge built between two worlds a connection that felt as ancient as the Tulkun and as new as a rising tide.
Aonung pulled back just a fraction his breath ghosting over Neteyam’s lips, his forehead still resting against his soulmate's. "I have you," Aonung whispered his voice thick with a promise that went far beyond the slippery walkways of the village. "I will always catch you Neteyam."
Neteyam let out a soft contented sigh leaning his weight fully into Aonung’s strength. For the first time since leaving the High Camp the ache for the trees was silent, he was a son of the forest yes, but here in the arms of the reef prince he had finally found his home.
As they sat together in the fading glow of the spirits two silhouettes stitched together by the light of the lagoon, the Great Mother seemed to whisper through the waves, they were no longer the outsider and the bully, they were the Way of Water flowing together forever in sync.